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[hr][i][color=LightSteelBlue]Time: Evening[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Location: The Damien Estate[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Interaction: N/A[/color]
[color=LightSteelBlue]Mentions: [@princess] Calbert, Lily, & Charlotte [@Heartfillia] Crystal [@Tpartywithzombi] Violet [/color] [/i]
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Cassius found himself in awe as the meal was brought to him. He could count on one hand how many times in his entire life that had the opportunity to dine like a nobleman…and this meal, as last minute as it was, was more impressive than most of those times combined. He remembered the evening before he and the rest of his Iron Wolves were meant to take back a stronghold from a group of rather organized bandits. The merchant footing the bill for the whole operation bought out an entire tavern for the night so that the men could feast and be merry before the battle ahead. That was the greatest meal he ever had…but this…this was fucking close. 

Once the [i]thank yous[/i] and other pleasantries were out of the way, Lily and the rest of the staff left Cassius to eat his meal in peace. Despite the grandiose nature of the delicacies before him, he found it difficult to think about anything other than the day that had so wildly unfolded before his very eyes. He looked back on his day and allowed the memories to play out in his mind’s eye.

It had all started when he approached the Damien estate for the very first time. Meeting his father had gone differently from what he expected. Pondering back on the moment, he cringed a bit at the realization that he had actually sang a bit of his mother’s song to the man to prove his identity. Cassius had not really sung for anyone other than the occasional lover on a drunken night, not counting drinking songs and songs of war, of course. To truly sing for another was a rather vulnerable thing for him despite his voice deserving to be heard. It was a piece of connective tissue forever linked to his mother, and each time a song formed on his lips he mourned her all over again. But sing he did, and it was enough to prove to the Count that he was who he claimed to be. 

From there he found himself entered into an archery contest that he did not win…but he captured the hearts and loins of many in attendance; at least it sure felt that way from atop his mountain of arrogance. Then came the moment he was accosted by a behemoth of a man that turned out to be the protector of a young woman that was soon revealed to be one of his younger sisters. Crystal was a sweetheart, and despite her [i]understandable[/i] apprehension towards him, he already felt like he would be willing to protect her with his very life. Family has an odd way of making you feel that way.

Next in the chain of events that was Cas’ day was the execution of Cameron Nesworth. He still hadn’t processed what he witnessed there. To be honest, he hadn’t processed a lot of this day…but this bit was a particularly strange piece of the day’s puzzle. He knew that [i]something[/i] had happened between the man being executed and the woman with the ginger hair, but he wasn’t sure that he would ever truly comprehend what he had seen. He was used to accepting the unknown, but even so, this had piqued his curiosity .

The next few hours of his day were spent in revelry, up until the point that he left the tavern for some fresh air and an evening walk. He remembered the moments leading up to the fight. Finding the scrap of fabric, hearing the commotion, sneaking his way to gain a vantage point…his axe digging into the lesser man’s skull. It had been glorious, and Cas was glad that he could help the woman in need. Especially once she revealed herself to be his other younger sibling. Violet was much stranger than Crystal. Not as innocent nor as sweet, but she was a feisty woman that had seemingly changed before his very eyes from a damsel in distress to a capable and clever force to be reckoned with. He liked her already, though he had the sense that the feeling was not mutual. He didn’t mind being hated; it was just kind of neat having sisters at all.

Returning to the Damien estate honestly proved to be the strangest part of his day, and that’s saying a lot. First there was the argument between Violet and their parents, then as everyone went their separate ways Cassius was left to his solitude for a few moments. He recalled hearing the knock at the door. In some ways the sound still reverberated through him, as did the silence that encapsulated his mind once he opened it. There she stood, the neighbor girl with the sad eyes. Her name was Charlotte.

Why was it that in all the chaos of the day, it was Charlotte that stood first and foremost in his mind? Perhaps it was recency bias, but he knew deep down that there was more to it. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it, but something about her felt familiar to him. Not in the sense that he had seen her before, no it was something else and he hadn’t the slightest clue nor the ability to process such things after the day he had. However, as he enjoyed his meal and indulged the Damien’s wine…it was his meeting with Charlotte that repeated in his mind. That girl and her melancholy eyes.