[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/231109/0ba929c62ce0023295985d603785fcba.png[/img][/center][hr]Ionna was dizzy with glee. She had hoped at least one or two would come by, and perhaps quietly mumble a greeting then take a cookie, eschewing the question—not that she would have enforced it anyway. But that worry was immediately assuaged when Hollyhock offered not one but [i]three[/i] little tidbits about herself. One seemed fairly obvious, after all, being the Wind Scion it ought to be expected she’d have an affinity for the breeze, but that didn’t make it any less interesting. Besides, she had a feeling the last fact was the most important, and made a note to triple the chocolate in part of her next batch.

Her Templar joined them, tentative in his decision, but ultimately he made the trade. He seemed tired, like many of their colleagues, but she didn’t think for a second that he was any slower for it. She would have savored the interaction, maybe even tried to broach her first coworker conversation, but she was immediately silenced by the approach of the crown princess and Scion of Light herself, Rosemary Veradis, and it took a great deal of self-control not to drop the container outright. 

Instead, she accepted the princess’s fact with a quiet smile, and hoped that Dame Gusev, who was doubtlessly watching, couldn’t see her sweat. 

Sir Edmund approached, much to her continued surprise. He offered his own fact, which she found delightfully surprising for someone so outwardly gruff, and she gave him a grateful nod as he took half of his cookie back to Her Holiness Maya, who must have been saving herself for a proper meal. 

Another unexpected face followed in Sir Morris, though he was there and gone just as quickly, reward in hand. She would have liked to chat with him, but now probably wasn’t the time, and frankly [i]she[/i] probably wasn’t the person. Today was meant to be happy, officially, but she couldn’t blame him for seeing it otherwise. She hoped he found a little joy mingling with the others, at least.

The earthen Scion joined them right after, and while she might have thought him in a dour mood as well, he seemed suddenly alight. His little fact pried a giggle out of her, at the idea of Fyodor watching one of the holy Scions show off a scandalous scar, and while she nodded gratefully at his congratulations, she made no comment about Dominika. It was true, her Scion was perhaps a little bit…anxious, but really, who wouldn’t be? Being blessed as she was, and all of them were only human, really. It seemed perfectly normal to be overwhelmed. 

The Scion of shadow came and went like a pleasant breeze, welcoming her without trade, but she didn’t mind. He had a nice laugh and a kind face; perhaps next time she could offer conversation instead. 

His Templar lingered, though refused a treat as well. He was an interesting looking fellow, a mage by appearance, visor and all. She hadn’t seen them often growing up, and so she worried her staring might come off as rude, rather than fascinated. As it turned out however, the feeling was mutual. Funnily enough, hardly anyone had asked her about the arm since she’d arrived—which had actually been something of a relief. She dreaded the thought of getting something wrong, and even though she could use the thing as naturally as her own flesh and blood, she would have been hopeless with the mechanics. 

Still, she wasn’t about to turn away good company! 

“[color=E40040]Oh! Not at all![/color]” she said, shifting the box of treats to free her metal arm. With its gilded casing it fit nicely into the Templar’s ensemble, and in the grooves at the wrist and elbow, and in the joints of her fingers, there were faint striations of arcane light. “[color=E40040]My dad made it, I’m just sorta the pilot. I couldn’t tell you the schematics or anything, but, I do know it takes a lot of fine mana manipulation. I’ve been doing that forever though, so it kinda just feels like…uhm…an arm! Except it doesn’t sting when I bang my funnybone on something.[/color]”

She offered the box back to him again. “[color=E40040]That’s my lil’ fact, but I already got to finish off the cookie dough this morning, so you can have mine if you want it! Actually, if you don’t find it…ah, invasive or objectionable either, I haven’t seen those visors around much! What’s it, y’know, like? Can you see through walls? Does it have internet? It definitely [i]looks[/i] cool![/color]” 
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[@Scribe of Thoth]