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Evidently animals didn't like Kellen, or the other way around; the feeling was often mutual. That was actually a good bit of information to know; Auberon assumed every noble son in Faerghus - and a Fraldarius, at that - that didn't stand to inherit his father's title had aspirations of knighthood. Kellen was probably too shy to protest if Auberon had forced him on a horse during combat exercises, so better to know now than assign one of his teammates counterproductively to the whole House's detriment. He didn't know about indoor chores; Jorah only mentioned the ones outside, but surely [i]weed pulling[/i] was within the boy's capabilities if nothing else.

Auberon politely chuckled at Lienna's joke - at least, he assumed it was a joke. If there was some strange peasant custom of crawling around on one's hands and knees, it was certainly barbaric enough to be genuinely laughed at and he shouldn't feel bad regardless. He almost responded, though the sudden clattering of metal promptly cut him off. That sounded like quite the kitchen accident - no, that wasn't right, it continued for too long. It sounded like a fight. His head swiveled toward the doorway, where he caught a flash of some fleeing figure and a procession of guards in pursuit. Did one of the students already get into enough trouble that he needed to be wrangled by armed men? He could only imagine the disgrace that would accompany being dismissed from the academy on day one over a grievous breach in conduct.

The chair falling drew his attention back to his housemates, where Lienna had gotten to her feet in record time. Honestly, Auberon was impressed with her reflexes, even if she looked more akin to a startled deer there. On the other hand, Kellen surprisingly [i]didn't[/i] look like a startled deer for once. Auberon couldn't begin to fathom what strange mental gymnastics was going on in his head that ranked introducing himself as scarier than confronting the source of that commotion - Goddess above, he even reached for his hip like he was ready to stab the poor culprit - but he could only assume Kellen really was serious about physical training. Good for him.

The shouting was Auberon's first indicator that something serious may have happened; those words weren't the mewling of a student who got caught doing something he shouldn't, it was a rambling madman. Maybe a crazed pilgrim that made the trek up Fodlan's Throat and finally snapped at the splendor of it all - Goddess bless his heart. Still, the young lord could hardly find much sympathy for a doomsayer that had the audacity to defile such hallowed ground with his crimes and spout off ominous heresies when brought to justice.

[color=ffd700]"Disgraceful. Garreg Mach should be a welcoming place, but blasphemers like that likely ruin it for everyone,"[/color] Auberon muttered in agreement with the other Lions' comments, [color=ffd700]"At least the guards handled it quickly. I hope that isn't a common occurrence."[/color]

The approaching crown prince seemed far less shaken by the spectacle than most in the dining hall. In fact, if Auberon wasn't certain that Kayden was present, he would have assumed the Adrestian simply missed it all given his casual demeanor. Perhaps the Imperial Palace had a regular issue with deranged intruders and he was just desensitized. Either that, or he was desperately trying not to seem out of place while he dined with the enemy, as it were. Surely the Eagles didn't tire of their own prince so quickly that he needed to search for other dinnertime company.

[color=ffd700]"You can sit back down, Kellen, His Highness doesn't need his seat warmed for him,"[/color] Auberon offhandedly advised before giving Kayden his full attention. Respect was fine, but outright capitulating to a foreign noble just looked weak. He gave an inviting, open-palmed gesture toward the unoccupied chair beside him as he continued, [color=ffd700]"By all means, Your Highness. We were discussing chore assignment, I think. Will the other Eagles be joining us or have they banished you from their table already?"[/color]

[hr][@Obscene Symphony][@Hero][@ThatCharacter][@POOHEAD189]
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