"Ah!"

It was only a scant few moments since leaving his tent that Sir Renar was suddenly greeted with a voice directed towards him from behind. It was female, light and of a higher pitch, and upon turning its source would be revealed.

The bright blue eyes of a girl, of similar height to the Knight-Captain, looked back at him. Her skin was light, her hair pink, and upon her head perched a pair of canine ears, a tail wagging excitedly behind her. Her body was clad in shiny, clearly just-polished and cared for plate, and her slight features were practically glowing with enthusiasm.

"You must be one of the Iron Rose Knights, aren't you?" The hundi girl asked excitedly, taking a step closer and leaning forward as she did. Her tail seemed only to wag even more quickly.

"My name is Lizaela, of the Beaux family," she introduced herself eagerly, "As you may have guessed, I am here to participate in the glorious Valours tournament! Ah, perhaps I shall even face one of your order on the field?!"

She paused for a moment, as if remembering herself.

"Ah, forgive me, I allowed my excitement to get the best of me," she said with an apologetic smile, "I had been hoping to meet a member of your order. You must be... Sir Renar, I believe?"

Despite her apology, her smile was still glowing.

[@Psyker Landshark]

[hr]

A short distance away from Sir Gerard and Sir Fleuri, another figure stood silently looking down upon the field. He was an older man, his grey hair thin and features worn. This would perhaps have been unremarkable, simply a member of the audience for the tournament looking down on the field and appreciating its vastness, but he was not unarmed.

A slender, foreign blade was on his hip, in a smooth wooden sheath. Its lightly curved shape, combined with his distinctive unadorned robe, immediately marked him as someone from a foreign land to the east.

There were, after all, diplomatic matters that began at the Valours festival, so this was perhaps not unexpected. While one without much education in foreign countries may have been uncertain from where the older man came, for those with more familiarity it was clear he was from distant Akitsushima.

[@Crimson Paladin][@HereComesTheSnow]