[hider= A tale's folly][center][h1][color=00aeef][b]Kazumin Nagasa[/b][/color][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/932Aib1.png[/img [/img] Currently wearing: Caesonian traditional formal wear [hider][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/953090004584890368/953102552520589322/a450f6d37e47f5d4e24eb22a17d81539.png [/img][/hider] (Minus the gloves and cape) Location- Ballroom Dining Tables Interactions- Dr. John Harling Williamson [@Conscripts] Thea [@Tae] -Too many to count- [/center] [hr] It seemed Kazu wasn't the only one mesmerized by the tiger with how little attention John was paying him at the moment. Were he an egotistical man like just about every other man in this hall he might have been offended, but Kazu was not bothered in the slightest. In fact, very little offended him; hardly one to waste energy getting upset over every small trifling detail like being ignored. As either way they shook hands dispensing with the proper greetings as the customs of gentlemen dictated or at least that was what miss Agatha had taught him. And through that brief physical contact he would find Kazu's grip quite strong and firm, his palm hard and callused, the hands of a laborer. Though John's hand proved to have some calluses of its own to his surprise; considering how most nobles were typically seen wearing gloves as they took great care in keeping their hands silky soft and smooth. Or dandy hands as commoners would call them. this had the young blonde raising a brow in a curious manner." [color=00aeef]John Williamson, was it? Pleasure to meet ya. And about your h-[/color]" Intending to inquire John on the few calluses adorning his palm when a young blonde-haired beauty came sauntering over carrying bottles of what looked to be booze, an all too familiar scent far more pleasing to the nose that had been assaulted by the heavy smog of perfume only minutes prior. His inquiry forgotten at the offer of booze; John's response to said offer had Kazu scoffing as he reached over for the bottle she held out without hesitation." [color=00aeef]Drink moderately? If one can't drink as they please at a party like this then when can they? Nobles give so few chances to let loose and have fun as it is.[/color]" He stated with a sharp chuckle before turning his head to take a huge draw straight from the bottle, downing half its content in one go though had he not been in the presence of the lovely lady who so kindly gave up one of her own bottles that he would very well have emptied out the bottle entirely. Pulling it from his lips with a faint pop then let loose a gentle relieved sigh." [color=00aeef]Ah, nothing downs food better than fine liquor. I give my thanks for the drink.[/color]" A slight nod of his head in her direction with a lift of the bottle in the fashion of a minor toast followed by a playful wink before taking another drink, this one a short sip. His lips curled up into a cloying smile as he did so. Not often does one see a respectable lady openly drink and certainly not while dressed in a dress so lavish and revealing which easily told that this woman was of the party type. A gorgeous and rebellious lady that not only seemed capable of handling her liquor, but possibly drank voraciously at that. Course, what woman wasn't an astonishing beauty in this hall? But there was one thing Thea had that made her stand and that she was actually fun, well two things as she looked to have multi-colored eyes which he found intriguing and was certain to ask about later. All things considered, one thing came to mind as he drank and that was that he may very well have found himself a drinking buddy to share in this weak swill they call wine. Upon hearing Thea's request of warning her about some blonde haired, green haired prude, kazu rolled his gaze over the massive hall before them. And in doing so took notice of a fair number of blonde men who could easily fit said description though glimpsing their eyes proved difficult due to the distance." [color=00aeef]Yeaaaah...unfortunately nearly half the men in this place fits the stuffy blonde prude so you're gonna need to be waaay more specific.[/color]" He responded in a teasing manner while sporting a cheeky grin then gave a playful tug at a strand of his hair."[color=00aeef] Or maybe it might be me? Wait...one moment.[/color]" Shifting to stand up rigid and stiff akin to as if he had a stick stuffed so far up his arse the slightest movement may cause it to snap and a forced expression that gave the impression he was looking down at others." [color=00aeef]There we are. Does this match the prudeness of this mystery prince of yours?[/color]" He held it a moment longer before dropping the posture and guise, chuckling as he did so while taking another sip from the bottle. How long has it been since he last shared a drink and laugh with someone without the worry of being judged or smacked by Agatha's stick. And with the Alidasht giving off that intense and imposing presence which carried an air danger, such were a necessity to endure it. Their pride of self-importance and vanity they exuded so thick it could cut diamond, but out of all of them the one who looked to be most troublesome was the woman being carried by servants. This was a person that saw herself as above everyone, even Caesonia's own king and very likely thrived off such attention and the sense of superiority. To the others in the hall, save for the servants and few others she probably gave off the appearance of a goddess given physical form with such dazzling beauty that could blind any to grace their eyes upon her. To him, it was an absolutely disgusting and demeaning display. It was sickening that these people could be in such awe when it was clear the Alidasht were both belittling and looking down on them, but the servants clearly got it worse. Either seen and treated as scum, trash or ignored until needed as if they were invisible...mere objects to be used and discarded once they had served their purposes. Such signs were all around of which Kazu began noticing now that his head was no longer dizzy from perfume or entrapped by the allure of the food. He idly sipped at the bottle; taking in the hall before him and in doing so found a large number of servants scattered all throughout the room. They outnumbered the partygoers in fact and yet they went about, unnoticed, invisible. Treated as if they had no worthwhile also made to handle all the menial tasks like picking up their mess and even going so far as to dress them like they were helpless whelps. *Some possibly even went so far as to have the servants wipe their bums for them.* An amusingly grim thought that brought out a small bitter laugh. And as if the Alidasht acting like they could do whatever they pleased wherever they went wasn't bad enough. The immense mess they caused already were left to the servants to clean up. One particular servant, an olive-skinned woman with starkingly dark black hair was left to sweep up the floor now littered with countless flower petals though a far worse mess awaited the staff depending on how well trained those animals were. An unpleasant thought for sure as Kazu couldn't help but feel bad for the staff and had half a mind to go over to offer his assistance but having the Hugonin household name attached to him greatly limited his actions. As while Kazu never much cared what others thought of him and never had qualms in humiliating himself as he had done so a fair number of times back at home, yet he could not be as brazen now lest he wishes to drag Asteroth's name through the mud as well. How frustrating it was being unable to do anything when he wanted nothing more than to knock those snobby pricks down off their pedestals. The woman hoisted by those poor servants especially, the thought bringing a wry smile to his lips. Witnessing such things soured his stomach of which the meager wine did little to help settle, but it was better than nothing. Such showings of pride, vanity and hubris; all of it did nothing but remind him of his disdain for nobles and royals were infinitely worse merely due to the immense power afforded them to do whatever they pleased. Nothing wanting more to do with this ridiculous dick contest going about and planned to turn to Thea and John to suggest adjourning towards the table to resume drinking and eating. But it was at that moment that a chain of events would be set off; one that no one could ever expect or prepare for. The entrance and appearance of Duke Lorenzo caught his attention like so many others though not for the same reason as them. A man wholly unknown to him and thus his antics, but the way he moved about with such energy and a skip to his step instantly left Kazu with a positive opinion on the man in an instant. This was a man who looked as if he gets up to his own fair share of troublemaking; a familiar appearance of carelessness came off the man of which he had known plenty such and then the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as if sensing that things were about to go horribly wrong. And then it happened. A chain of events happened like dominos tipping over that led to the Sultan and his Vizier along a few others falling from their palanquins. In an instance all semblance of sound vanished from the room and within the room stood frozen like statues with stunned disbelief contorting the features of their faces as if all life had just been sucked out of the room. Blood turning to ice and breaths held; no one could fathom what had just occurred though it only lasted mere seconds before dread bubbled in the pit of the onlookers stomach. Dreading what would certainly follow next. At least this is what any person that had full understanding of the seriousness of this situation. Kazu, however, was in the midst of covering his mouth with his arm having the largest laughing fit of his young life. It took every fiber of his being to keep himself from keeling over with laughter leaving him feeling like his stomach was gonna burst. Even needing to so far as to bite the sleeve of his suit for he knew even letting out a single snicker would likely land him in a cell or worse. Yet, even with such a foreboding fate looming over his head, the young farmer could not help but laugh into his arm as tears even formed on the fringes of his eyes. What he just witnessed was one of his longtime fantasies; to see some stuck-up royal prats get knocked down and be the ones to taste humiliation for once. It was everything he could ever wish for and more...gods no one back home was going to believe him. Just like that, Kazu wanted nothing more than to meet and become friends with this Lorenzo now. How could he not wish to befriend the man that allowed him to witness one of the fun- scratch that, the most hilarious thing he has ever seen with doubts anything ever surpassing it. He might have laughed for hours were it not for the fact he needed to breathe. the laughter finally stopped as he let out a muffled gasp against his arm taking a big draw of air to cool and soothe his burning lungs, his body still shaking from both from laughter and the immense effort required to hold it all in. Pulling his arm from his mouth with a long, slow exhale as he wiped a tear from his eye with the other."[color=00aeef] Whew...oh man that was insane. I don't know who this Lorenzo is, but he is all good in my book.[/color]" He muttered to himself in a breathy manner as he was still trying to catch his breath. Such enjoyment could not last for long as a slew of things happened that left the air heavy and rife with tension and frustration so thick one could cut it with a knife. As he watched this whole debacle go on; utter ridiculousness the way the Alidasht were taking the whole ordeal, acting like a bunch of babbling babies over a simple accident and all cause their precious pride got wounded. And now that poor girl whose name he heard to be Charlotte found herself in the clutches of that horrid woman who also found herself unfortunate to fall down when she had herself to blame for making those servants carry her. And for what? For defending her father? Some quick looks around and he could see the stares of disdain and shame in the eyes of the unknown strangers around him. All because she lowered herself to the floor to plead forgiveness for the mistake of her father. This whole thing was a downright farce and now this Charlotte whom was innocent would likely be receiving punishment. When it was clear that the fault was from both ends, not just Lorenzo. Kazu let out a huff from his nose while placing his hands upon his hips as he observed the situation before him when an idea started coming to mind.* [color=82ca9d]You know... this whole situation would actually make for a pretty amazing tale. Would probably be one of the best told yet, but...no that would be insane.[/color]* The young blonde mused with himself with a shake of the head feeling that he should dismiss this thought, but the prospect of getting to tell such a story to not only one, but all three kingdoms. Truly, this was an opportunity, nay an impossibility that any storyteller could only dream of happening and with each word appearing in his head the quieter his logic and common sense became. This was it! The chance of a lifetime and one that the young aspiring storyteller simply could not pass up. An idea of utter stupidity and recklessness that it rode into lunacy, but like hell was he going to pass this up and not only that, if it could help lead to lessening whatever severity both Lorenzo and Charlotte would receive then all the more reason to do so. His decision made, Kazu downed the rest of the bottle of wine, using it for liquid courage as he would need every last bit for what he planned to do. Once finished, he turned on his heels and made for the nearest washing bowl, handing the empty bottle off to a servant in passing with a mouthed thanks. A moment to look himself over in the reflection and took this chance to properly affix his uniform and smooth down all the tufts, save for the single curly cowlick as it would have been a wasted effort. Within seconds, the blonde ward had made himself properly presentable and saw in his reflection what looked to be a prim and proper handsome noble. Not exactly a pleasing sight, but if he wished for his tale told then he must be willing to don this noble skin to match his audience. Once finished, he returned to stand besides lady Thea once more where he let loose an audible sigh." Thanks again for the drink. Proved to be needed far more than once thought." Glancing a peek over at the woman as he realized." [color=00aeef]Hm, looks like I forget to ask for your name, Lady... actually.[/color]" Waving his hand dismissively." [color=00aeef]I will wait next time we meet...assuming I make it through this and if I do, I would love nothing more than to share plenty of drinks with you.[/color]" Turning partway to give Thea a light bow as a gentleman should. Without another word and one last deep breath, Kazu stepped forward tugging on the cuff of his sleeves, a light stamp of his heels ensuring the shoes properly set. He turned his gaze to and fro until they came upon lord Asteroth who had taken notice of him around the same time and could see the man's eyes go wide with a mix of shock and confusion. The older gentleman mouthed to him to stop and turn back. A wide cheeky toothy grin formed; the best dazzling smile he could give followed with a shrug of the shoulders was his response. The grizzled gentleman attempted to push through those in front of him to stop his ward before he did something foolish. Too late. Not long after princess Mayet finished her speech did the sharp sound of clapping rung throughout the mostly quiet hall as the lone figure stepped towards the center or somewhere around there depending on where the Alidasht party was located. Kazumin continued his clapping a few more times; a clap not aimed at anyone or anything in particular, merely to get the attention of the grandest audience before him.* [color=82ca9d]Sorry Asteroth, you old grump. I know you warned me to not go attracting attention. But I'll be damned if I'll pass up an impossible opportunity. Especially when a lady is in need of help. Time to put what you taught me to use, Agatha.[/color]* Kazumin could feel the immense aura in front of him. All the royals grouped together with some nobles among them. And now their eyes were on him. What he was doing out there would be considered foolhardy and downright idiocy. There was high chance this was not going to end well but he was already here with staggering determination with a tad buzz of wine for added motivation. When it came to telling a tale, Kazumin was not one to back down, not even before the Alidasht ferocity made fiercer after Princess's mayet harsh, but most fair backlash. "[color=00aeef] Many apologies for interrupting at such a strenumous and hectic time.[/color]" At that moment, he lowered his head and bowed in the custom of the Alidasht making sure to address them to show that they and the matters of their grievance came before anything else."[color=00aeef] First, I wish to state how honored I and surely all within this hall share the sentimant that we have been graced such an opportunity to bask in the radiance and might of the Alidasht who have been blessed by the fortune of the sun.[/color]" Keeping his head lowered as he spoke, his face maintaining a calm expression and that dazzling smile that gave the impression of a confident showman. He remained this way a few moments longer hoping his sudden and unexpected interjection will allow him the chance to speak as well as build up a bit of suspense. Finally standing upright where he fixed his slightly rustled shirt with a sharp tug."[color=00aeef] Please, forgive my impudence. If the venerable and gracious royal majesties and benevolent highness will allow and afford me a few minutes of your time.[/color]" Pausing momentarily to study the faces of those involved to glean their reactions before carrying on."[color=00aeef] As tensions and tempers are immeasurable and suffocating. Not to mention the domineering fury and demand for retribution from your royal highness whose ferocity rivals the sun and blinding perfection to match which is infinitely fair and just.[/color]" Turning his head to lady Mayet, the anger seeping from her extremely palpable that it likely reached exude through the confines of these halls. At that moment he would bow once more, this time moving down onto one knee with his left arm crossing across his chance.'[color=00aeef]As we of Caesonia were the ones to request and have your majesty, the sultan and his family to take the time and effort to travel. Only to allow a most grievous and heinous incident caused by the fumbling actions of a jester in the guise of a duke that such punishments demanded is more than deserved though they are brought upon frustration and might not prove to be enough with no offense to your grace, of course.[/color]" He added with a light bow of his head towards Lady Mayet. It was then that he held up his right forefinger." [color=00aeef]And it is clear that mere apologies and sentiments alone would not prove enough to satisfy the wounded pride of warrior gods. As such, I wish to propose to tell a tale. A most grand and epic tale that depicts such grievous affront to our most generous guests into a heroic story brought upon by misunderstanding leading to the strengthening of a bond between kingoms so powerful that the rest of the realms would tremble before our combined almighty union of which none dare challenge.[/color]" Bowing his head lower then extended both arms up and out in a wide arc." [color=00aeef]Allow me to speak this tale and in your honor and with it hope to soothe tempers and with it decide the fool's fate along with that of his most unfortunate daughter upon more sensible minds. I await your decisions your royal eminences.[/color]" He said nothing nothing more having given his proposal to the Alidasht family though the last bit were directed towards the sultan whose decision was ultimately the one needed. Kazumin remained on one knee awaiting the sultan's merciful decision whatever it may be. If he was lucky, he may only find himself in a cell for a few days and if not.... Whatever happens, Kazu could say that he tried. And compared to the regret he would forever carried had he not done so made doing such a stupidly reckless and possibly suicidal act more than worthwhile.[/hider]