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[b][color=be003a]Time:[/color][/b] 11am
[b][color=be003a]Location:[/color][/b] Sorian Festival
[b][color=be003a]Interactions:[/color][/b] Sadie [@Potter] | Verrick [@Aerandir]

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[color=9FA1A4][color=2B822F]”Caesonia is a bit far for just passing through if you are from Baltyria.”[/color]

The presence of someone else behind Lyra elicited a sense of trepidation from her. The General was a combative woman, always on alert against a threat. That this man offered the Princess something to eat, opposed to her snack, implied he did it out of security, which further implied he was with her in some formal capacity. A bodyguard, perhaps. It meant nothing ultimately, but what stuck out to Lyra was that he seemed to be marginally familiar with the kingdom she had came from. [i]That[/i] was certainly an interesting thing to her, but internally, Lyra knew that navigating around what he knew would be a challenge. What did he know of the place? She could not simply ask, as that would imply she was offering information. No, she had to think carefully about what tidbits of information she would and would not compartmentalize into a mental box, just to let him peek inside. 


In the moment between his next question and her response, that was exactly what Lyra did. Their eyes locked, and Lyra didn't so much as blink in the face of this strange man's scrutiny. [color=2B822F]”To my recollection, there never has been a party who’s traveled out of there…for any reason. So why now?”[/color]

[color=be003a]"I am retired. My days as a warrior on a battlefield are behind me, and I've decided that I will let them stay there. Caesonia is far enough that the troubles of a militant life will not reach me. I heard that it was beautiful this time of year."[/color] That was her story. It was dismissive and concise enough that it gave Verrick a believable answer. War was harsh on a person, and who could blame them for retreating far away from it? Her mind was formulating various responses to multiple questions he could have asked. [i]I'm wearing the uniform to signify I'm not to be bothered with. I look young because you're trying to flatter me. I came here and not to Alidasht because I don't like sand. The sword is a going-away gift from a friend.[/i] Being in the presence of royalty, and the general public, was something Lyra also took note of for navigating this conversation. Word would surely spread of the foreign woman in uniform from a distant kingdom, but for the time being, others were content to enjoy the festivities. If Verrick pressed and accused her of being suspicious, he'd look bad in the company of a princess. The General was content to leverage every degree of insulation, social or formal, that she had to keep herself at arm's length from both of these people. 

Information was a weapon of the battlefield, and Lyra knew battlefields like the back of her hand. It was paramount that she maintained her cover if she wanted to find what she was looking for.[/color]




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