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[hr][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] Noble Dormitories
[color=#B8041A][b]INTERACTIONS[/b][/color][b]:[/b] Willa [@Wolfieh], Mentions of Ayla [@Ti]
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Kaspar had journeyed back from the Manson de las Mil Ventanas the perfect picture of a stiff-backed noble, cool eyes concealing the turmoil within, rage at a situation that was not his to rage at. He closed the door to his dormitory with perfectly [i]reasonable[/i] force, [i]thank you very much[/i], despite the way two draconic heads poked themselves up from the blankets surrounding the still-shelled [i]Varmkorv[/i]. He paced to and fro, fingers itching, and took only a few minutes to realize what he desperately needed. 

The boy ventured to his room and sat cross-legged upon his bed, still in all his finery, charcoal moving swiftly across the page as he sketched. His mind was barely registering what the noble was drawing, lines connecting and pulling from memory without hesitation. It wasn’t until a knock sounded at the door, some hour or more later, that he set aside the paper on the dining table as he passed it. Charcoal-coated fingers grasped the knob, pulling it open, and he looked coolly at his tutor before stepping aside and allowing her in.

[color=#C6E6F5]“How did it go?”[/color] she asked, walking into the dormitory with a slight smirk. Eyes fell to the dining table and the drawing on top, and the smirk grew. [color=#C6E6F5]“I suspect it went… [i]quite[/i] well,”[/color] she remarked, holding up the paper. 

Kaspar didn’t need to turn and look to remember the portrait. A finely-crafted rendition of Ayla, as she had looked the first time they spoke. White space like the sunlight in her hair, charcoal lines pulling at it like the gentle wind had, an essence to her features that spoke to a personality he had not yet known that day. He could almost hear her teasing voice, [color=#7EA7D8]“[i]Draw me like one of your Perrench girls.[/i]”[/color]

He’d never held interest in drawing a Perrench girl—nor a portrait of anyone. Not until today. And then, only one of a Torragonese girl.

Kaspar didn’t turn. Instead, he unclasped the cloak from around his neck, gold details dirtied by charcoal that would need washing, and hung it on a wall hook. [color=#B8041A][b]“It was a dinner. Food was eaten, shoulders rubbed, families met. They announced Ayla’s betrothal, and I spoke with Augsuto about the derby,”[/b][/color] he stated matter-of-factly. 

[color=#C6E6F5]“Ayla? The one you had that date with? She is betrothed, and didn’t [i]tell[/i] you?”[/color] Willa asked sharply, head tilting in indignation. 

It was then that Kaspar turned, gently grabbing the portrait from Willa without even looking at it, and returning it to the table. [color=#B8041A][b]“She did not know,”[/b][/color] he replied, moving past his tutor to the fireplace, grabbing up the stone striker and attempting to kindle a blaze within. [color=#B8041A][b]“I won’t ask how you knew about the picnic, but it wasn’t a date,”[/b][/color] he added as the kindling caught and began to creep towards the logs already in place. He straightened, pacing towards the shelves containing his cookware, and pulled out a teapot. 

[color=#C6E6F5]“Did you want it to be?”[/color]

He didn’t stop scooping water into the pot, but stayed silent as he affixed it to a hook above the fire. Crouching, staring into the flames, Kaspar said softly, [color=#B8041A][b]“What I want… Does not matter.”[/b][/color]

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[color=#B8041A][b]The Melon Derby[/b][/color][/center][hr]
He threw himself into practicing for the Derby harder than ever—most days now melons made for an egregious portion of his meals (and all of his dragons’) as the boy worked on creating them with Binding, better each time. They were used to train the small contingent of dragons Team You Could Never had obtained, and sent home with teammates afterward. 

The day of the Derby, Kaspar was relocated to a more stagnant role, which was perfectly fine by his count. It was more… [i]social[/i] than the boy was used to, dealing with Zeno Bucks customers and exchanging melons for specialized merchandise created by his own manas, but he hunkered down and dealt with it. He was not alone, as Olga remained in the building to grow melons, and the two chatted back and forth in Eskandish, initially discussing tactics but soon transitioning to more mundane topics. He asked for her opinion on the name [i]Varmkorv[/i] and while she didn’t respond, he could hear the disgusted sigh over the chattering outside. 

They went over the names of his other dragons too—The grape dragon, [i]Tomsøthet[/i][sup]1[/sup] made her laugh. [i]Blåbærterte[/i][sup]2[/sup] was suitably adorable for the small Blueberry. Finally, for the Raspberry Drake, she agreed that [i]Feit-og-Sint[/i][sup]3[/sup] was fitting, if not flattering. 

Zarina’s anger partway through the Derby was met, at least on Kaspar’s part, with signature level-headedness. [color=#B8041A][b]“You want revenge, yes. But why half-ass it?”[/b][/color] He turned from the counter for a moment, shrugged, and added, [color=#B8041A][b]“If we turn everyone against them, we may defeat them now. If we turn them against each other, their difficulties grow in every way.”[/b][/color]

Despite the advice, the noble boy left his team to do most of the aggressing. When envoys were sent out to other Zeno houses, he nearly asked to go to Zeno Zemana’s, simply for the chance to speak with Ayla. But, knowing it was neither the time nor the place, he instead followed Kol to speak with Marci’s team. On the way to the Zeno's house, Kaspar asked for his opinion on [i]Varmkorv[/i]. Kol seemed to think it was a fantastic name, but laughed far harder than Kaspar thought it called for. After speaking with Marci, she was not fully amiable to the suggested plan, but helped in her own way—and that was enough for Kaspar. 

In the end, Team Afraval and Team Pravda Æresvaktr came in third place—which, with the first place team holding the Melon Supreme, felt more like a second place. Not that their strategies were lacking, but given the near-guaranteed win the Supreme granted, no one had much chance of topping it. Zeno Mozaru’s students and Blaze of Glory were in a league all their own—for now, at least. 

[sup]1— Empty Sweetness[/sup]
[sup]2— Blueberry Tart[/sup]
[sup]3— Fat-and-Angry[/sup]
[hider=TL;DR]
Kaspar is handling Ayla's betrothal... [i]well[/i]. There [i]totally[/i] aren't any feelings involved, and he [i]definitely[/i] doesn't want to kill [s]the GM insert[/s] Marchesino Alexandre de la Mantoline.

Olga thinks Kaspar's an idiot, Kol thinks he's a genius and a comedian. 

Their team comes in third place. 

Also, enjoy the pet I obtained in a (modded) Minecraft server, and promptly named [i]Varmkorv[/i]
[hider=Varmkorv]
[img]https://i.ibb.co/bP5tGpG/Varmkorv.png[/img]
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