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[hr][i][color=LightSteelBlue]Time: 10:00 AM[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Location: The Archery Contest[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Interaction: Technically none, but a shoutout to Cas’s competitor [@Alivefalling][/color][/i]
[hr]Cassius watched the others compete just long enough to get the basics down. He was a good archer…not an excellent one, but he would not turn down the opportunity for healthy competition. He knew his limitations, and was sure that most of these blue bloods had taken years of private archery training with the finest instructors the kingdoms could muster. He was not fortunate enough to have that luxury. In fact, he remembered teaching himself how to string a bow and nock an arrow in the barn behind the stables after completing his eight and half hours worth of daily chores. It wasn’t until he joined the Iron Wolves that he really got a lesson or two on the proper form. Mostly, though, he learned in the heat of battle. 

He was ushered towards the competition area as he heard his name announced for the first time. 

[color=C61922]"Lord Cassius Vael of House Damien against ...Isaac? Who's Isaac?"[/color]

Cassius chuckled at the “Who’s Isaac?”...He also did not know who Isaac was, but it mattered not, because all of these people were strangers to him. As his name was announced there was almost a quiet that encapsulated the audience. It was an audible moment of confusion with little more than hushed whispers and gossip filled questions coming from the crowd. His smile widened. He lived for that chaos and curiosity. 

As he entered the field of view, Cassisus confidently approached his station, turning to the crowd and giving them a [i]little wink and nod[/i] as he did so. He had not even considered needing to bring his own bow until this moment, but was thankful when someone handed him one upon his approach. He tested the weight of the weapon; it was sufficient but definitely not the kind of bow he was used to. The curiosity within him began to grow. He was completely unsure how he would perform, but the pressure of exhibition normally caused him to rise to the occasion. He had never actually competed in archery before, and was self aware enough to doubt that he’d perform as well as he would in a real battle. The stakes meant everything, and the stakes here were nowhere near life or death. Or so he hoped. 

This was to be his first introduction to the court for which he now belonged, in name at least, so to make a total fool of himself would be something difficult to live down. Win or lose, he just hoped to put on a spectacle and catch the eyes of curious onlookers from across the noble families. It was time to begin. 

Cassius didn’t even pay mind to his opponent other than a quick nod. He decided to focus just on the task at hand and save any spare attention for pandering to the crowd. This would be fun. He turned to the audience and made a show of pulling his first arrows. He tried to wink and give [i]the look[/i] to as many beautiful people in the crowd as he did so, but realized quickly that this particular crowd was MOSTLY beautiful people. Nocking his first arrow, he pointed straight towards the sky and slowly drew the string back into position. He then lowered his bow methodically and aimed at the target. He turned back to give the crowd a sly smirk before turning towards his mark and released….

It was a good shot! Not quite a bullseye, but a helluva first shot to say the least. He quickly drew another arrow and loosed it. This shot was nowhere near the bullseye. [i]Fuck[/i]. With a quick sigh and a long breath he nocked his third arrow. Again, he turned to the crowd to give a sarcastic little shrug to make light of his second shot. Then he readied himself and released the third arrow. Time slowed down in this moment as the pointed reed traveled towards the target. [i]BULLSEYE!!![/i] He gave the crowd a playful bow and really turned on the charm as he smiled. What’s the point if he couldn’t make his debut a pleasure? He nocked the final arrow for this round and let it loose. It barely hit the target at all. 

His second round went about as well as the last. His first shot was decent, his second was another bullseye…with more playing to the crowd of course, and his third was almost a miss as he got a little too arrogant in the moment, but his final shot of round 2 was decent again. Thus far he had totaled 40 points. He hadn’t even glanced at his competitor since they had started, but he liked to imagine that he was well ahead in points over the man. Time would certainly tell. Now for round 3. 

This was the final round. Probably the most important round. It was also his worst of the three. Cassisus hit a decent first shot for five points. Then he completely missed the target. With a playful grimace and shrug he elicited decent laughs from the crowd. Most of them were going along for the ride, but he was sure there were some that were not a fan of his antics. He lowered his bow and turned to face the audience directly. 

[color=LightSteelBlue]“And for my final trick. Prepare to be amazed…no, bewildered…perhaps even [b][i]titillated[/i][/b].”[/color] With a flourish he removed his coat and made a show of tying the sleeves over his eyes. “As you can see…I can’t.” He put on another flirtatious smile before turning back to his target. He lifted the makeshift blindfold over one eye just long enough to make sure he was truly facing the right direction, nocked an arrow and released. He was sure that he’d miss the target completely…but alas…he heard the impact. Ripping the blindfold off he saw the arrow had indeed hit its mark…not a bullseye, but fucking close. He was amused, impressed, and honestly a little thankful because that was sure to make an impression regardless of the actual outcome. With his final shot earning him seven points, his total climbed to 55. Time to see how the other guy was doing.