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Ionna had been in Juniperus less than a day, and was already on the precipice of an incident. Sitting on the steps to an entrance specifically reserved for the Scions and Templars, she waited while the guards made sure that the small box of cookies she’d baked were not, in fact, bombs designed to eradicate the powers that be. Her Templarhood and winning smile were apparently not evidence enough. So, she sat there on the stone in her shiny uniform, creasing it in ways that would likely have made its designers foam at the mouth, and prayed to the goddess that her absence wasn’t embarrassing Dominika. 

From her pocket, she produced a series of small notecards, which gained her a flinch from the guard who had stayed behind to mind the door. Gosh, people here could be so jumpy. On one side was either the word ‘[i][u]Scion[/u][/i]’ or ‘[i][u]Templar[/u][/i]’, and on the other, their respective names. She’d drawn them up the night before in preparation; she’d been aware of some of them peripherally, and others like the Templar of Time were in the news often enough, but for others she was learning their names for the first time. Being the newest, she felt a responsibility—or perhaps more accurately a crushing anxiety—not to appear entirely ignorant. It had been pressed upon her that being good with a sword was not actually a full qualification, and that she would need to present herself more appropriately for someone of her station. 

Assumedly that meant not getting the names of the holy Scions wrong. 

“[color=E40040]Lucas Estora—easy. Tyler Morris.[/color]” she set those cards aside, doubtful that anyone in the country didn’t hear their names a few times by lunch each day. “[color=E40040]Templar of Wind…uhm…okay, Wind is Hollyhock. Hollyhocks grow best in temperate, sunny places—like Veradis! Jannick Web…Web-something. Webster.[/color]”

She flipped the card. Web[i]er[/i]. Close enough. So was Ed[i]man[/i] Silvaine, Templar to the popular miss Desrosiers, which Ionna didn’t even attempt to pronounce. Edmund was such a Rodion name, she felt silly getting it wrong. 

To her relief, she got most of the rest in one. The elegant elder Lucienne and her well-loved Templar, Sir Jacinthe. The earthen Scion Justinian, a known trouble-maker and media darling, as well as his Templar—or handler, depending on who you asked—Dame Esperanza. Kindly Sir Vissarion and the diva Isabella. Of course, she knew the Templar of Light by heart, having been a fan of the Dame Gusev before she even took up her position as the princess’s guard. Then there was the fierce commander Gaumond, who father had made her keenly aware of when he became the Scion of fire, and for good reason. His Kaudian Templar had been the focus of many tabloid rumors, but Ionna had always regarded him as the truer threat between them, even against her own wishes. Then there was His Holiness Mirandola, the romantic, in hoc to shadow with his own Templar. 

That left only one card for Dominika, and Ionna panicked before she remembered that [i]she[/i] was the Templar. Good! So long as she could keep all of that straight, everything ought to go smoothly. 

Eventually the guards did return, and begrudgingly returned her cookies. She left them a few, as recompense for the trouble, and hurried inside, excited as could be.

--

As the—Templaring?—ceremony concluded, and Sir Morris was properly returned to his position, the High Cardinal wasted no time in excusing herself. Ionna didn’t miss how her eyes lingered on the prince, nor the…interesting conversation between him and his new Templar. Not that she could hear any of it, mind, but was it normal for a Scion to…pinch their guard’s cheek like that? Perhaps Her Holiness—Her Highness?—the princess, but these two? Strange. Cute, but strange. 

Regardless, with the High Cardinal gone and the lot of them being left presumably to their own devices for the time being, Ionna sprung into action. She retrieved her box of cookies from behind a pillar, and poked her head around to make sure Dame Albakova wasn’t here yet. She only saw Sir Fyodor, which still made her a bit nervous, but nowhere near as much as Irina did. Nonetheless, she’d still made sure to account for the woman when she was baking, just in case. 

Ionna made her way forward to a clearing in the room. “[color=E40040]Pardon![/color]” she said, not loudly, but more cleanly than she’d anticipated. Then again, meeting people had never been particularly difficult for her. “[color=E40040]Ah, my name is Ionna, I’m sort of new to the order. I just wanted to say it’s wonderful to meet you all! And, if you’re so inclined, I’ve brought some treats for everyone. Chocolate chip on the right, plain sugar on the left. Please feel free! All they cost is an interesting fact about yourself, so I can get to know you![/color]”