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[sub]Interacting with | [@Hero] as Belle | [@Stern Algorithm] as Sara[/sub][/center][hr]
	Theobald entered the hall along with the other Scions, his expression dire as he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, the only attempt to fix his unkempt appearance after the whole debacle at the manor. His templar, following behind as was her stationed place, sported a mark on her face that was clearly made recently, the former soldier pointedly ignoring her presence.

	Back during the disruption of the Millenial Ceremony, he had waited until the Templar of Water melted the ice wall that had trapped the Rosarian princess before following them to the designated location of Stern Hill, realizing that his presence would not be allowed any longer than necessary should he attempt to stay and fight. As he left with the duo, the large man had surveyed the ballroom to check which Scions and Templars had already made their escape, noting the distinct lack of his own and coming to the conclusion that she had followed his orders and protected one of the missing ones.

	Had she truly done such a thing, perhaps his mood would have been lighter than the cold anger that had found purchase in his heart.

	But when Theobald had met with the others of Incepta's chosen, his wounds treated and a headcount made, the realization that she had went off on her own and directly circumvented his orders caused him to rip off his newly applied bandages with disgust. Sara's late arrival, along with the Templar of Metal and the news of their failure to retrieve the missing Scion, only made his rage burn hotter, yet it was with a stone-faced stare and complete silence that he thundered over to her. And what occurred was something he did without thought to whom might be watching, so potent was his fury.

	The following full-handed slap across the face could be heard from miles. 

	Which was why he was still nursing his hand, not because the force he placed behind the blow had hurt him, but to wipe away the disgrace of laying a hand on his enemy and leaving her alive. She hadn't returned unscathed, after all, so he had no ample reasoning to kill her, flimsy it may have been.

	[color=firebrick]"I apologize."[/color] Not to his Templar, never, but to the Scion of Water whom he happened to have entered alongside. It was not a conscious choice, but perhaps it was simply due to a personal need to do good by the princess that they happened to walk side by side despite the lack of a lingering threat. [color=firebrick]"I did not wish for you to see that."[/color]

	Was it strange to be fixated on a moment that not even the other party knew of? The princess had only be born after the Rosaria-Lanvaldear as a sign of peace, and yet his failure to make a name on that battlefield made Theobald feel indebted to her. On some level, there might have been a part of him angling for a smoothening of affairs to keep her support, but predominantly his words were driven by personal emotion rather than ambition. [color=firebrick]"I had acted on a moment of weakness. The loss of a Scion when I had tasked my Templar to protect them had driven me to act."[/color]

	While he might have been preoccupied with how the Scion of Water saw him in her eyes, the former soldier had been around commanding officers long enough to know that 'invitations' were nothing more but 'polite orders'. They had been called, and so they must answer. Theobald wasted no time following the Duchess Bachmeier's instructions after hearing Belle's response, proceeding to the Snuggery without complaint. 

	He was unsure as to what Her Highness wanted, but she had called for [b]all[/b] the Scions. Perhaps his large stature would make up for the few who would break away, such as the Scion of Wind who seemed eager to retire as she and her Templar were led away.