13org

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Early Evening
Location: Caesonia Castle Ball Room
Interactions: @Tae Saiya, @Rodiak Nahir, @Potter Layla, @Infinite Cosmos Munir, @ReusableSword Roman
Mentions: Ryn @JJ Doe

---

"I can say the same, Lord Roman. I hope you will be able to further entertain me then." Mayet said with a brief nod as the dance ended and each one of them went their own way.

As she approached Nala, she couldn't help but to notice the other Alidasht servants with bewildered expressions as they looked to a certain noble. At first, Mayet thought Nala's patience with some of the ignorant nobles who tried to approach her had finally ran out and she mauled someone, but after a single glance, looking at the noble's satisfied and triumphant expression, she knew exactly what had happened.

"Did you make a new friend, Nala? Normally you would just scare any stranger away with a growl... Even if they offered you some food..." Mayet said, teasing Nala as she looked at the empty plate on the noble's hand.

"I wonder what did cause such a change of heart..." Mayet said, laughing as she teased Nala, whom replied with a huff, pushing her away with her head as she stood up and looked at her again.

"I know it's boring but we have just one more dance, okay? Thank you for looking out for me while I was dancing." Mayet said, chuckling as she leaned down and gently pressed her forehead against Nala's.

"Now, we have some time before the other dance. Let's get ourselves something to snack. Besides, I'm pretty sure Munir, Layla, Nahir and Saiya have a lot to talk about after this first dance." She said to Nala as both of them made their way to the dining table, where Mayet could already see her siblings starting to reunite again.

---

While Mayet had already dined earlier with Wulfric, she still grabbed herself and Nala a steak for them to snack at, albeit smaller than the first one they ate. The moment Munir began talking, Mayet couldn't help but let out a smile. While she was busy with her own dance and with her little meeting with Wulfric, she did take a quick glance at what her siblings were doing.

"I was honestly surprised you didn't eat him alive, Layla! Although he did seem to be an interesting person to talk with." Mayet said, with a smirk, looking at Layla.

"He certainly didn't look like a noble. Was he a scholar of some kind? The mannerisms and introverted behavior surely seemed like one. He has my congratulations if he managed to dance with our dear sister Layla without being completely dominated by her, right Munir?" Mayet said, playfully teasing Layla as she looked at her and Munir with a mischievous smirk.

"Meanwhile, sister Nahir seemed to have already found a kindred spirit among the guests! She did seem to be quite entertained when talking to him." Mayet said, just as Munir mentioned something about a secret party, which definitely made her curious, certainly paying attention to Nahir's reply.

"I am sure our beloved sister Nahir wouldn't hide such an interesting event from us, right, Munir? Besides... You know well it's impossible to hide such things from him, sister Nahir. If there is one thing our brother Munir is expert at is getting himself in trouble and on parties." Mayet said, laughing as she looked to Munir and Nahir.,

"Oh, but I believe you should know well about Lord Roman Ravenwood, right, my dear brother Munir? I've heard from him that a certain someone from Alidasht hired him as a blacksmith to make a very... interesting piece of jewelry... A gold, jewel encrusted bracelet in the form of a scorpion with an mechanism on it's tail hiding a needle on the very tip of it's stinger and a compartment for certain... 'fluids' inside... Whoever it was that ordered such bracelet had quite an... unique taste..." Mayet said, looking to Munir with a smug smirk of someone who had just discovered a secret.

"And what do you mean by trouble? I haven't done anything... yet... Besides, you know well I would never let anyone tame me. Whoever has the privilege of one day being chosen by me and becoming my partner should know that one must treat a lioness very carefully." Mayet said to Munir with a smirk.

While Mayet did hear Munir's comment about Saiya dancing with Amir and that being the best chance she had of being the Sultana, Mayet simply stayed quiet about it. While Amir was her brother, she and him were never too close and their opinions greatly diverged on a myriad of matters. The thought of having him as a Sultan or even considering what he was capable of doing to attain the seat of Sultan wasn't something Mayet was particularly fine with, nor the thought of seeing her dear siblings fighting against each other and dragging down the mighty kingdom of Alidasht down with their petty squabbles.

Her brother Munir's flirtatious comment to sister Saiya soon took her mind off such dark thoughts, making her chuckle as she leaned closer to Saiya.

"Sister Saiya, you shouldn't feel bad about rejecting brother Munir. I am sure he can take it." she said with a mischievous smile to Saiya, teasing Munir as she said so.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

The following hour or so passed for Faye as a mere blur, hazy images, sensations and sounds from the brief moments she opened her eyes before being drowned in the sea of unconscioussness again, thanks to the high fever caused by the extreme magical overload in her body. The scene around her changed radically every time she opened her eyes. In one moment she was inside a car, being shot by all sides before she teleported everyone, the other she was laying down below a tree, with no gunshots or sounds of fighting. Faye had no idea of how much time had passed between the times she opened her eyes, how many times she heard gunshots and fighting before it stopped and began again, never being able to keep her eyes open past a few seconds.

It was only after a good time Faye was able to wake up for good. Once again, the scene had completely changed once more and she was laying on the back of an old BMW with the rest of the team. While still dizzy, a single glance was all it took for Faye to realize that they were all in a bad state. Wounded, exhausted and tired.

"...Ugh... What is happening...?" Faye said slowly, grunting a bit due to the state her body was as she looked around.

"Agh! I... don't think I can move myself that well yet... Let alone use my magic..." Faye said as she tried to move, only to be surprised by a sharp wave of pain going through her body, both from the bruises and impact from falling to the ground and the high fever, caused by the magic overload.

"How long was I sleep for? Are we still being hunted? I'm sorry for not being able to help that much..." Faye said with a forced smile as she looked to Scarlet, who had a big bullet wound on her arm.

Avalia

Time: Evening
Location: Desert
Interactions: Jomari @baraquiel
Mentions:

Nuallán could feel his heart beating stronger and faster every single time his foot touched the hot sands. The amount of feelings on his mind were making it hard for Nuallán to keep calm. To make things even worse, the desert was not a place he was particularly familiar with, which meant that not only he wasn't able to move himself as freely as he usually did and that he would have to adapt his fighting style to that environment. Still, those worries were next to nothing for Nuallán at the moment as the only things in his head were rescuing Rosaria and slaughtering those who were responsible for that.

It was at that exact moment he heard a voice calling him from behind and telling him to wait. Nuallán didn't have to turn his head to know it was Jomari. Truth be told, he wasn't exactly thrilled to know Jomari would be accompanying him. He could only hope Jomari wouldn't slow him down.

"You should have gone with Uzul and Kuroi..." Nuallán muttered to himself before he slightly turned his head towards Jomari.

"One strong gust of wind is all it takes for these tracks to be gone! You might not care about Rosaria, but I do... I don't have time to waste." Nuallán shouted in a brief, direct manner.

"You are surrounded by your element, Jomari. Use it. Think about each grain of sand in this vast desert, how soft they can be when together, how the strong winds are able to move entire dunes of sand and how easy it is for one to lose their footing, slip and fall." Nuallán shouted.

"Don't think of 'earth' as just something solid, hard and firm. The earth has many states. Mud, sand, rocks... No matter how different they are, they are still the same element." he finished as he turned forward again, continuing running as fast as he could.

Offering some advice to help Jomari with his powers was all Nuallán could do at the moment instead of simply continuing running and leaving him behind. If he was able to understand his words and use his powers, he would be able to catch up with him.

The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP

^{Interaction: Anki @Medili, Srikandi @Kumbaris, Zavim @Sanity43217, Fei Bai Ho @Shirly Swad,
Almira and Galmira @Kumbaris, Sumiye @King Cosmos, Garret @ShiningSector, Q-T @DracoLunaris}

---

Catherine kept taking notes, lost in her own thoughts and theories as the others continued to talk, still focused on Q-T, much for her dismay.

"A fully artificial life-form... Much like the Oberian 'Living Dolls' then... Fascinating!" Catherine said as she, for the first time, looked directly towards Q-T's face for a second, before she resumed taking notes.

"The evident disparity between our technologies hint that a completely different creation method was used when compared to Oberia's 'living dolls' but the results achieved were quite similar..." she mumbled to herself.

"Q-T... is it? Those automatons all have an 'artificial intelligence' such as yours?" Catherine asked as she looked to the armored figures, carrying weapons behind them, curious about the difference between Q-T and the other 'automatons' design.

When they revealed themselves to be humans, wearing complex suits of armor, Catherine raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"Those were simply suits of armor? Curious... It seems to be a compound material... Light but incredibly resistant..." She said, approaching Garret and closely examining the chest and the other exposed parts of his suit of armor.

"Almira's escort... Hm... I assume Almira has quite a high ranking then? Interesting. That might make the negotiations and exchange of information much easier." she said after Garret introduced himself and the rest of the team.

It was at that moment that Catherine just happened to overhear Almira's words about her age. The number alone was more than enough to spark Catherine's interest but the very moment she turned towards Almira, seeing her rabbit ears, only made her even more interested.
At first, Catherine had considered the hypothesis that the place that Almira had came from was inhabited by different species with different lifespans, but when she mentioned 'medicine' and 'life extension' Catherine immediately knew that there was something more than just a long lived race's lifespan..

Catherine's mind was working at full capacity after she heard those words. Theories and hypothesis going through her head as she continued thinking about what Almira had said. Truth be told, normally Catherine would have immediately dismissed anyone who said such absurdity to her as a liar or a madman, but considering the situation they were in, that wasn't completely impossible.

"What Anki said is correct. Both regarding the alchemical procedure and the fact that there is currently no means of extending someone's life this much..." Catherine said, turning towards Almira.

"Assuming this isn't all just due to a difference between the number of hours in a day and days in a year between our planets, of course... It would be boring, but it's still a possibility..." Catherine said, raising an eyebrow as she looked towards Almira.

"But... If we assume this isn't the case... Then things get much more exciting!" Catherine said with a fire in her eyes as she opened her notebook once again as she started to furiously make calculations and annotations, writing far too quickly for anyone but her to understand.

"It is quite evident that Almira isn't fully human... There is still the possibility that, just like Anki said, she is a member of a long lived race, native of her home planet... Which is unlikely, since she mentioned 'medicine' and 'life extension'..." Catherine said, clearly referring to Almira's rabbit ears as she continued writing, occasionally taking glances towards her, making it impossible to know if she was indirectly asking Almira questions and waiting for her replies or simply 'studying' her anatomy.

When Q-T mentioned that their biologists were about to come, Catherine turned towards her with her eyes shining with excitement.

"Do you mean you have already established a complete and fully working lab? Perfect! I am sure your scientists will be as thrilled to meet me as I am to meet them! Besides, it will be way easier to work with fresh samples." Catherine said, closing her notebook and putting it inside her bag.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Early Evening
Location: Caesonia Castle Ball Room
Interactions: Wulfric @SilverPaw
Mentions: Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, King Edin.

---

The dinner with Wulfric went on without any issues, in part thanks to Mayet's choice of seats but it was also largely thanks to Nala as well. After all, not many were foolish enough to approach the tigress while she was eating. Many people around still found curious to see the huge tigress eating from a plate but none of them seemed to want to disturb her meal. The raw meat was delivered to the table by a rather nervous servant, not knowing if he should put the plate in front of the tigress or on the table near Mayet. It was only after a nervous exchange of stares between himself and another servant and an audible, annoyed sigh from Mayet that the servant simply put the plate on the table and quickly went away.

Despite the surprising variety of dishes, Mayet's choice was strangely fitting to someone who had a tigress as a companion, a sumptuous steak, seasoned with wine, fine herbs and accompanied with roasted potatoes with rosemary. Much to her surprise, the moment she was about to ask for a drink, another servant suddenly appeared, carrying a glass filled to the brim with wine, sent by no one other than Duke Vikena himself.

Raising an eyebrow, Mayet looked back to where Duke Vikena was, finding it strange that someone whom she had just humiliated would send her a glass of wine... Unless there was something on it.

Normally, having been raised on Alidasht, which was no different than a nest of vipers, Mayet's first thought would be that the wine was definitely poisoned. But if there was one thing Mayet had learned about Duke Vikena after what happened was that even though the man was a fool, he was a good-natured fool. Not only it was extremely unlikely for him to do something like that, but there was simply no reason at all for anyone to use him to harm Mayet for the simple reason that it was extremely unlikely that she would accept anything coming from Duke Vikena... After the huge commotion he caused. In the end, while Duke Vikena's gesture was a mystery for Mayet, she had no reason to refuse the wine and ended up simply accepting it.

Just the moment both Mayet and Nala had finished eating, servants started going around the ballroom, carrying beautiful bowls of fine porcelain, filled with small slips of paper inside. The explanation of what was happening came soon after as Wulfric, whom apparently seemed to have already seen such event happening many times, told Mayet that it was a random draw for the first dance.

"A curious custom, although not a boring one. I will play along. I am curious to see who will be my partner for this first dance." Mayet said with a curious, but amused expression as she grabbed one slip of paper from the bowl.

"People do often say to save the best for last, don't they?" she replied to Wulfric as they said their farewells.

The very moment Wulfric started walking away though, another servant approached her. Mayet was about to say that she had enough wine when the servant started speaking.

"He is not who you think he is. Be careful." the servant said in a mysterious tone, clearly referring to Wulfric before walking away as suddenly as she had approached Mayet, not giving her time even to talk or question them.

Mayet's reaction to the servant's words weren't one of surprise or apprehension but instead, of amusement. Whoever gave sent that servant to gave her that warning, they only made her even more interested on Wulfric.

"Oh? They say I should be the one to be careful? I think some of these nobles might be underestimating us, Nala..." Mayet said with an amused chuckle.

"If he really isn't whom I think he is, we just have to figure out his true self... And should he try to deceive us... Well... He will have the same end as so many others who defied me already did... Isn't that right, Nala?" Mayet said, gently patting Nala as she looked towards Wulfric in the distance with sharp eyes and a dangerous smile.

Avalia

Time: Dusk => Evening
Location: Desert
Interactions: Rosaria @Potter , Jomari @baraquiel, Mikazuki @Tae, Uzul @dragonpiece, Kuroi @hide on mana
Mentions:

Nuallán couldn't help but let out an amused, mischievous grin as he heard Jomari's reply, going as far as letting out a very discreet chuckle as he watched his reaction, getting away from him. Things only got even more amusing when Rosaria mentioned that, much to Jomari's own dismay, Jomari was a Geomancer. The desert he hated so much was, in fact, the element he should be more attuned with.

While it was true that Jomari had a very sharp tongue and didn't seem to have an ounce of respect towards others, it was undeniable that Nuallán was indeed finding his reactions entertaining. Especially after provoking him a bit. Regardless of how disrespectful Jomari was and how amusing it was to provoke him, Nuallán knew well that the trip through the desert was far from over and if he had any intentions of protecting his mistress and her guests should any danger arise, he would need every single bit of energy he could save. Besides, due to his position as Lady Rosaria's butler, Nuallán had to maintain his reputation as spotless and impeccable as his very image, something which would be hard to do if he made an habit of provoking Jomari.

---

As the sun began setting and the evening began, much to Nuallán's surprise, the temperature began to rapidly drop. While at first it was a good thing, a well deserved break from the heat, as the last bit of heat that the sand trapped from the scorching sun began to dissipate, the cool and refreshing climate began to get dangerously cold as the temperature showed no signal of stabilizing, instead only getting colder and colder.

It was only after much insistence from Rosaria and Mikazuki that Nuallán accepted to leave the first watch to them and it was only after they mentioned that they had some catching up to do that he reluctantly, accepted. He knew how close Rosaria and Mikazuki were and while it was his job to protect them, he didn't want to deny them some alone time for themselves.

Unfortunately, a small moment of carelessness was all it was needed for a disaster to happen. All it took was for Nuallán to let them have the first watch, give them a few hours of alone time for them to talk to their hearts content... Nuallán shouldn't have agreed with letting both of them taking the first watch, he should have been secretly watching them or at least he shouldn't had let his guard down and slept... But he didn't. For the first time, he had failed.

The moment he opened his eyes, still inside the tent, he knew there was something wrong. Even though he was undeniably tired as he laid down to sleep, he knew that Rosaria and Mikazuki would have to wake him up after some time for him to take the second watch. The moment they didn't, his brain refused to let him sleep even a second more and instead, made him wake up with an adrenaline rush.

Almost tearing the tent apart as he rushed outside with his sword already unsheathed, Nuallán quickly looked around him. The moment his eyes met Rosaria's bow, laid in the sand, Nuallán's heart sank. He felt his chest, his throat and his heart tightening as he frantically looked around, a deep sense of dread overcoming him as he saw the footsteps on the sand, each one of them going to a different direction. He had no way of knowing which one of them had taken Rosaria, no way of knowing what would happen to her.

Nuallán opened his mouth to try to speak, to warn the others but no sound came out. Instead, he simply let out a loud whistle, loud enough to echo through the empty desert as he looked to Jomari, Uzul and Kuroi. The calm expression and the pleasant smile that could always be found on Nuallán's face were gone, giving way to a cold expression unlike any other that Nuallán had made before and eyes that were enough to make anyone have nightmares.

Still without uttering a single word, Nuallán simply turned towards Uzul, Kuroi and Jomari as he pointed towards one of the group of footprints.

"...We split. I will go after those." Nuallán said as he pointed towards one group of footprints, his voice shaking in a low, menacing growl and his hand clearly trembling with anger and hatred as he did so. It seemed as if every second that passed, Nuallán grew more impatient and nervous.

Raising his sword, Nuallán quickly turned his wrists, making the reflection on the blade of his sword flash, waiting for two seconds and then doing it again.

"Flash once should you find Rosaria, twice if you find Mikazuki, thrice if you find both. Flash once and hold if you are going back to the camp with only one of them safe. Twice and hold if going back with both of them safe. Hold twice if going back by yourselves." he explained, telling them a simple and direct code to communicate with each other.

Without saying anything more, Nuallán turned towards the direction one group of footprints went and began walking at first, then trotting and finally running. It took a few moments for him to pick up speed, given how unfamiliar he was with the terrain but after a few seconds, when he seemed to finally get accustomed with the sand, he began running at full speed.

The Five Senses

Karina Frost

---

At first, Karina was genuinely worried Týfurkh walked inside together with the disguised soldiers. While the plan was undeniably a good one, it was still a very risky move for Týfurkh and the soldiers disguising themselves as cultists. The longer they stood inside, the bigger was the chance the sightless would realize there was something wrong.

"Come on... Come on! Where's that damn signal!?" Karina mumbled, carefully watching for the soldier that was going to signal them if their bait had worked.

Only a few seconds after, a cultist came out to stay on the lookout. The moment he did, Karina immediately recognized him as one of the disguised soldiers. A few seconds after, he stopped and adjusted his boots, the signal they had decided for them to do if their plan had worked.

Just as that happened, Chres quickly looked to Octavio, signalling that it was time for him to do his part of the plan. As Octavio began concentrating, one after another, illusions started forming outside of the church, their inflamed voices fanning the fire of rebellion among those who had also fell victims to the cultists.

Just as if a small ember was thrown in the middle of dry grass, soon after Octavio's illusions stopped speaking, more voices joined, agreeing and shouting. One after another, until there were enough people that it would be simply impossible for the cultists to ignore.

"Perfect. We need to act quickly if we want to take full advantage of the distraction." Karina said, nodding towards Chres and agreeing with him as he said for them to storm the back of the church while the angry mob Octavio had started would go for the front entrance.

Unfortunately, it appeared it wouldn't be as easy as they had thought. Despite the huge confusion going on in the front of the church, the cultists still had left four of them to be on the lookout on the back of the church.

Just a few steps behind Chres, Karina simply nodded as she unsheathed her rapier, a thin layer of ice forming around it's blade as she lunged towards one of the cultists.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

&

^{A collab between @13org and @SilverPaw}

---

Mayet couldn’t help but to let out a chuckle, shaking her head as she heard Munir’s reply to her and his small ‘introduction’ to Lady Mina, the red-headed noble from before. Always the smooth-talker, Mayet could already see how effective Munir’s honeyed words would be with the Caesonian women, should they not build a resistance to his charms as soon as possible.

Giving another glance back at her father and the Grand Vizier, Mayet let out a mischievous smirk, satisfied. It seemed that even now, more and more nobles continued to approach both of them. Despite how annoyed the Sultan was, it seemed like he would still have to face all those annoying nobles, something that Mayet did not envy. In fact, she couldn’t help but be satisfied on seeing the Sultan suffer like that, after the harsh words he directed at her.

Turning her attention towards Wulfric once more, Mayet noticed him observing her. Despite being less obvious than Mayet herself was when looking at him, she still noticed his stare. Just like Mayet herself, both his image, his posture and the very air around him made it clear that he was someone who carried himself with pride. Someone who knew exactly who he was and was proud of it, something which both of them had in common. Despite that, she could also see in his eyes the overwhelming curiosity and excitement in his eyes.

“Playing with fire is always a gamble, Prince Wulfric. It can warm you and bring you comfort, but it can also burn and scar you if you are not careful enough…” Mayet said as she looked at Wulfric, curiously watching his reaction to her words.

“Oh, I am aware,” his voice deepened, and the shift in his smile hinted at approval. He had the self-satisfied mien of someone whose expectations were being met - or surpassed.

“Hence why some people are comfortable in simply watching it from far away but others… Others are attracted by this danger… The thrilling sensation of gambling with your own life on the line… The thoughts of the wonderful rewards waiting for them, should their gamble be successful… I wonder which one of those you might be…”
she said, with a mischievous smirk as she looked straight into Wulfric’s eyes, almost as if she was trying to read his very soul.

The prince laughed; a slow chuckle from his chest and throat, air sharply exhaled through his nostrils, shoulders twitching with the gesture. It was unclear if the sound was truly startled from him or something he allowed to happen, but it did not last long, as Wulfric brought himself under control. “Excuse me, please,” he shook his head ruefully. “But it is as if you have read my very thoughts,” he explained, eyes still a tad narrower in pleasure.

Upon hearing Wulfric’s next words as he mentioned that her companion, Nala, suited her well, asking if they enjoyed hunting together and even inviting her for a hunting trip, Mayet couldn’t help herself but let out an amused smile.

“You are quite an observant man, Prince Wulfric… It seems you definitely took your time ‘studying’ me, didn’t you?” Mayet asked, curiously watching his reactions with an amused, provocative smirk as she gave a step forward and leaned forward, only making it even more obvious on how revealing her dress was.

“That I did,” he teased, with the tone of ‘you’ve caught me’. As he judged that Mayet wished to show off, he let his eyes sweep downwards, appraising her assets. For her sake, Wulfric issued a small hum of approval. He was perhaps equally curious about the material of her dress; some of it was akin to cotton gauze fabric, while the rest was likely silk. The colour and jewelry had been chosen well, and while the cut was unlike anything one might see in Caesonia, such was to be expected from Alidasht.

All in all, his inspection had taken but a few seconds, and he soon raised his gaze to a respective height, peering into the green-speckled hazel of her irises. He did shift his body to mirror her open position, leaning slightly into her space.

Mayet was amused by Prince Wulfric's reactions. He certainly seemed to be much more interesting than the rest of the nobles. From his laughter as she mentioned him being someone who liked danger to him not being reserved about observing her, letting his eye dance on her body as she leaned forward, his reactions were definitely amusing to Mayet.

"You are an interesting man, Prince Wulfric... Not many are courageous or foolish enough to openly observe and look at me the way you do..." Mayet said, looking to Wulfric with an amused expression. It was clear to him that Mayet wasn't offended but instead, she seemed to be satisfied.

“I’d prefer to be classified as the former, if it’s all the same to you,” he drawled, though the quirk of his lips and his raised eyebrow were signed that he was entertained rather than offended. Given that he hadn’t been clearly rebuked for his actions, he did believe his judgement of Mayet’s aim had been correct.

“While Nala might be well behaved, she is far from being a ‘tamed’ animal. I consider her as being my companion instead of my ‘pet’.” Mayet said with a chuckle as she gave a step back, patting Nala, whom despite being apparently calm, still kept a watchful eye on Wulfric.

At the change in the topic of conversation, he straightened back up, listening attentively. He glanced at the tiger - tigress - and saw it - her - watch him. “I assumed that might be the case,” he nodded. “Here, in the Northern Kingdoms, animals are generally treated either as tools or as pets. The bond you share with Nala is quite novel, though it may be typical for those of you hailing from Alidasht.”

“I first met Nala when I was 14, on my first hunt. The tigress we had hunted ended up having a cub and as the one who dealt the final blow, she was given to me as my ‘reward’. I have been raising Nala ever since. She has been my precious companion for quite a long time.” Mayet said as Wulfric mentioned the ‘bond’ she shared with Nala.

The prince hummed to show he was paying attention, but besides curiously tilting his head at the pair, observing them with new information in mind, didn’t comment further. If they did go on a hunting trip together at a later date, he would show her how hounds, horses, and bird of prey were sometimes used to assist in the procedure. At this point, however, he didn’t feel a need to mention any of those.

“I heard rumors saying that Caesonian nobles dislike such… barbaric hobbies such as hunting or sparring… It’s quite a pleasant surprise to see that these rumors are wrong!” she said with a satisfied smile, clearly appreciating Prince Wulfric’s invitation.

At the mention of a rumour, Wulfric huffed lightly. “Now that is most certainly false,” he shook his head in bemusement. “There are plenty who enjoy either hunting or combat - or both. Though there may be many others who do not,” he lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug.

"It seems like my stay on Caesonia won't be as boring as I previously thought it would be. Who knows... If the rumors I've heard are indeed false, Caesonia might have more in common with Alidasht than both me or my siblings might have thought." she said with a chuckle.

“Well, I certainly look forward to establishing…further commonalities,” though he did mostly mean that diplomatically, he’d put a certain emphasis on those last two words. It gave his statement a more personal, intimate touch. Though he did not intend to insinuate anything improper, it might have come across that way.

“I definitely look forward to our next hunting trip.” She said with a curious smile as she looked at Wulfric.

“So do I,” he affirmed, pleased his offer had been accepted. Adelard then quickly looked around the ballroom, judging the mood, and the time passed. Turning back to Mayet, he issued another invitation. “There should be time enough to partake in the feast before the transition to dancing. If you would agree to dine with me, I would be most glad,” he bowed perfunctorily, though gallantly. Acknowledging the tigress, he added, “Fresh meat would be brought for Nala as well, of course.”

Mayet couldn't help but let out a mischievous smirk as Wulfric mentioned that there should have some time for them to dine before the dance.

"That was a very smooth invitation. A dinner, undoubtedly followed by a dance, am I right?" Mayet asked with a chuckle, looking to him almost as if she had already discovered his 'plans'. According to her expression though, it seemed like having mentioned Nala and offered some food for her was a step on the correct direction as she seemed to be satisfied, both by the invitation and Prince Wulfric's offer to have some fresh meat for Nala.

“That is correct,” he acknowledged, inclining his head. “I had intended to ask for a dance,” he confirmed.

”I would be delighted to accept your invitation…Maybe even the other one too…." Mayet said with a mischievous expression towards Prince Wulfric.

The only indication that Wulfric was aware of what Mayet was referring to with her last remark was a light dusting of pink upon his cheeks. He realized he’d been a bit too in the flow of things to notice earlier, and had thoughtlessly implied something he usually wouldn’t have. Ignoring that, he verbally responded only to the first part of Mayet’s assent. “Wonderful. Shall we then?” he turned to sweep a hand to the food laden tables.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Early Evening
Location: Caesonia Castle Ball Room
Interactions: Wulfric @SilverPaw, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Layla @Potter, Nahir @Rodiak, Amir @Omni5876, Felix @Mole, Thea and Mina@Tae, Charlotte @princess
Mentions:

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It was no secret among the Alidasht royal family that Mayet wasn't that close to Amir, at least not as close as she was with the other siblings. Their opinions diverged in far too many points for them to keep each other company without clashing. With that said, Mayet couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow, surprised as she saw Amir to step forward and start speaking. Something he normally avoided as much as he could. Unsurprisingly, Amir seemed to be quite committed to make the foreign nobles to see him in a favorable way, taking a neutral positioning regarding the situation and suggesting that they should simply forgive Duke Vikena, not even mentioning any further punishment.

Mayet didn't even try to hide her reaction to Amir's speech, rolling her eyes and letting out an audible sigh. Even if his intention was to deal with that entire situation in a diplomatic way, giving Duke Vikena a punishment was a matter of honor. They had to show that anyone who incurred Alidasht's wrath or wronged them would receive what they deserved, no matter who they were.

When her sister Nahir spoke, Mayet couldn't help but let out a smirk as she looked to her. Staying true to her position and fame, despite everything that was happening and the absolute chaos, she was still able to remain calm and also tried reach a diplomatic solution to the situation. Unlike Amir though, it was evident that she was as offended by what happened as Mayet and Layla were agreeing that no matter how the situation might be solved, Duke Vikena still deserved a punishment.

"Sister Nahir, you give me too much credit. He won't get away from his punishment so easily. To see this vermin put into his rightful place, crawling, is only a fitting apology for me, whose grandiose entrance was so rudely interrupted and ruined." she said, looking to the Duke almost as if she was looking to an insignificant insect.

"I am sure our dear sister Layla, the Grand Vizier and the Sultan have different plans for him. They might not be as merciful as I am, given what happened to them. Don't you think so, Duke Vikena?" Mayet finished as she looked to Duke Vikena with a cruel smirk of someone who had given him hope just to take it away again.

Just as she finished saying that, once again she heard the sound of clapping. Despite her warning, someone still had the audacity to clap. Immediately after hearing the sound, Mayet turned towards the poor noble who thought that clapping was a good idea. To everyone around Mayet, her expression and her eyes were a clear indication that something terribly bad was about to happen, should that clueless noble continue clapping.

Fortunately, for everyone involved, it seemed like he was clapping merely to draw attention. Something very dangerous seeing what had just happened but technically it worked. Not only he had Mayet's complete attention, but pretty much everyone around as well. Despite the terrible first impression he caused, he was undeniably good with his words. His approach was adequate enough for Mayet to give him another chance, despite the clapping. Truth be told, after hearing his proposal, Mayet was somewhat intrigued by it. While she wasn't sure if the Sultan, the Grand Vizier or even Layla would allow anything less than severe punishment for the actions of Duke Vikena, she was curious to see what that blonde noble had in mind.

"A tale...? Intriguing..." Mayet said, looking to the blonde noble with sharp eyes. Whether the attention the blonde noble had earned from Mayet was a good or a bad thing, only time would tell.

Before the blonde noble could say anything more, the Sultan suddenly spoke up, harshly reprimanding both Layla and Mayet hersef. Something that made Mayet extremely angry. Especially when he compared her to the Duke.

"Don't compare me to that vermin!" Mayet replied, clearly outraged as she pointed the huge ring-blade towards the Duke, swinging it without any difficulty despite it's size before she put it over her shoulder once again.


"Don't you think I deserve at least a proper apology after having my entrance ruined like that? Whatever punishment you will decide for him later is not for me to decide, but I won't stand being insulted like that! Me? Mistaken by a commoner?! A mere tamer?!" Mayet said to the Sultan, making her discontentment clear.

"Or would you expect me to simply lower my head after being insulted and humiliated? You know well I wasn't raised like that. You didn't raise me like that... Father." Mayet said, looking to the Sultan with a piercing stare.

Meanwhile, just after Mayet had finished to display her discontentment to Sultan's words, another noble approached the group. This time it was the same red-headed woman whom Munir was previously exchanging heated stares with. As she started to speak the red-headed noble mentioned how unfortunate Duke Vikena's life was, saying how he lost his wife recently and still fought to be accepted in the court. Despite her efforts to tell Duke Vikena's tragic story, Mayet didn't seem to care at all as she simply rolled her eyes. She didn't care if Duke Vikena had a tragic backstory or not. The fact that he insulted and humiliated them didn't change. While the situation that happened wasn't something that could be forgiven with just a pat on the back and a kind smile, Mayet still had her doubts upon accepting Charlotte as a servant. She simply couldn't see the logic in making someone else pay the price for the sins of another. But again, despite what she thought of that, accepting Charlotte as a servant or not wasn't her decision to take, besides, she had already spoken her mind about that.

Despite how serious the situation was though, it seemed like all the nobles from that ball were slowly approaching them, apparently seeing in that crisis, some sort of opportunity to make themselves known, earn good favor from the Sultan or try to at least express their apologies for the disastrous reception that the Alidasht party received. This time, the ones taking such 'opportunity' were the empty-headed girl and the ghost-like noble who had applauded them a while ago, before the entire problem with the Duke happened. Mayet couldn't help but simply sigh as she looked to the Sultan, which was clearly starting to get as annoyed as Mayet was with this entire situation.

Before any other noble had the brilliant idea to butt in, the Sultan finally looked to the Duke, asking himself what he had to say about all that mess.

The scene that unfurled in front of Mayet was nothing short of disgraceful. Nothing like the previous man whom entered the ballroom and insulted them with such confidence and arrogance, after everything that he heard, after realizing what he had done, the Duke simply crumbled, falling to his knees as he seemed to be unable to control his own feelings as tears began roll down his face and his daughter came to hug and console him. In the end, it turned out that it wasn't arrogance nor the story that the red-headed noble told about the Duke a lie in order to make others see him in a better light. Duke Vikena was simply a fool who ended speaking too much for his own good and was unfortunate enough to be exactly in the wrong place and in the wrong time.

Such display was so pathetic, so disgraceful that even Mayet ended up simply sighing as she looked away. Whatever she could do to that man wasn't worse than what he had done to himself. It was such a pitiful sight that Mayet's rage simply disappeared. Why would she waste her time and her patience with someone who didn't have a shred of self-respect or dignity? Words coming from someone like him had absolutely no weight, be them insults or praises.

Regardless of her feelings though, Mayet couldn't help but let out an acid, sarcastic chuckle once the Sultan said which would be the 'punishment' he had decided for Duke Vikena...

"... WHAT?! Father!? Are you serious?! A dinner? Once a week? Are you punishing him or giving him a reward for insulting us?! At least make him wash our dishes or something..." Mayet said, simply not believing what she had heard, before she walked towards Duke Vikena once again.

"Dignity and pride aren't things that are given to you, nor they are something that you are born with and can't be lost or taken away. They are things one must earn and conquer. Both with their words and their actions." Mayet said, looking to Duke Vikena with a cold, harsh expression. Unlike previously, there was less anger and rage on her face and instead, more pity and disgust.

"Raise your head. Understand and accept your mistakes and face the consequences for them with dignity and pride. Nobody will ever respect you, Duke Vikena, if you don't learn to respect yourself first. I don't want to see such a pathetic sight again, are we clear?" she said, with a cold stare towards him.

"With that said, regardless of this 'punishment' that was decided for you..." Mayet said, walking closer to Duke Vikena until she was just a few steps away from him.

"There won't be a second time, Duke Vikena. You should be very mindful of your words around me and my siblings..." She said, looking directly into his eyes before she turned away.

Both her tone and her eyes were more than enough to clearly tell that she wasn't making an empty threat. Despite her small size, those words and the stare she gave to the Duke were enough to send a chill down one's spine.

With the music starting again after the king and the queen's declaration, Mayet walked towards Nala, who was still agitated even with Munir calming her down, both given how agitated Mayet herself was, with many nobles were approaching them and the tension in the air.

"It's okay Nala, I'm calm, I'm fine..." Mayet said, hugging the huge tigress as she rubbed her face on Mayet.

"That is exactly why I don't use palanquins..." she said to Munir, with a mischievous smirk.

"Thanks for taking care of Nala." Mayet said, smiling towards him as Nala went to her side.

"Let's go, Nala. If any more nobles approach to try and gain some benefit from this situation, I'm afraid I'll tear them to shreds myself... Besides... I see someone that might be a bit more interesting than the rest of these nobles..." She said, as she walked towards Prince Wulfric.

With her eyes fixed on him, Mayet walked towards Wulfric with a confident stride, with both Nala by her side and carrying her weapon over her shoulder. Her intense, piercing gaze towards Wulfric was almost as if he was watching a predator stalking a prey.

"Prince Wulfric Danrose... That was the second time you surprised me since I entered this ballroom... You have earned my attention." She said, looking to him with a smirk and a wild curiosity in her eyes.

"Shehzadi Mayet Kadir." she said, in a brief introduction as she looked at Wulfric, her eyes seeming to analyze every bit of his body. From his clothes to his posture and even his movements.

The Friestan Incident, a Fantasy Sci-Fi Fusion RP

^{Interaction: Anki @Medili, Srikandi @Kumbaris, Zavim @Sanity43217, Fei Bai Ho @Shirly Swad,
Almira and Galmira @Kumbaris, Sumiye @King Cosmos, Garret @ShiningSector, Q-T @DracoLunaris}

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Catherine couldn't help but to shrug, letting out a mischievous smirk as she heard the dragon mentioning that she was 'incompetent' regarding conversation, both completely unfazed and unsurprised by such words, as she herself had said before that she wasn't exactly an expert at diplomacy. While it was true that Catherine wasn't exactly known for her interpersonal skills, most of that was thanks to the fact that Catherine, had no qualms or even hesitated in simply stating the logical truth, no matter how cold or harsh it was. For her, feelings and the such were irrelevant details when compared to logic and truth.

What did surprise Catherine though was the strange logic that the dragon, Galmira, seemed to have as she mentioned Catherine's act of using the dead dragon's corpse as something 'disrespectful' and continued elaborating on it, saying that the 'code of dragons' wouldn't accept 'treacherous' means of combat and so on.

"Exactly Anki! Her logic does not make sense... at all... After all, I am quite certain that dragon wouldn't have any qualms in feeding on our dead corpses..." Catherine said, agreeing with Anki whom also seemed to be as confused as Catherine herself after hearing Galmira's words.

"There is no such thing as 'honorable combat' on nature. Predators will use of any means they have to secure their meals and the prey will do whatever they can in order to survive. Such is the fight for survival, the cycle of life..." she said, finding it extremely difficult to understand Galmira's words and the whole thing about the dragons' 'code of honor'.

"What could be considered unnatural was if we refused to make use of his body, despite having killed him... Or even if we willingly put ourselves in a disadvantage to try and fight with him instead of using every means we can in order to win... That would be akin to a rabbit to willingly jump inside a wolf's jaws..." she finished, shrugging, apparently giving up on understanding Galmira.

"So... I suppose I should give up on the idea of eating dragon tail steak tonight... right?" Catherine asked towards Anki, Srkiandi and Dumas in a low tone as Galmira turned to the other strange individuals that came with her.

"Talking about food... Someone should wake Fei Bai Ho up. He will probably still be feeling like crap, but at least there won't be any permanent damage to his nerves or organs." Catherine said as she fetched a small vial from inside her pockets with a clear liquid inside.

"Just open it and make Fei Bai Ho smell it. He should wake up right away." Catherine said, handing the vial to whomever might take it.

Just as Catherine finished saying that though, she noticed the dragon pointing towards her as she spoke to it's strange companions and the automaton and waved back at them with a smile, barely being able to hide her curiosity about them, including their origins, equipment their physiologies and even the strange automatons that they had brought with them. Fortunately, unlike the dragon, they didn't seem to display any particular hostility towards her or the group.

With possible conflict with the dragon woman not being a threat anymore, the same human that the dragon had talked with, approached the group, as she began to say something in Pataliputran. Which, unfortunately, wasn't one of the languages Catherine was very good at. She was able to read, write and even understand Pataliputran decently well, but she her pronounciation was simply terrible.

"Perfect! I can write, read and even understand some Pataliputran, but I always had trouble with speaking it." Catherine said, with a satisfied smile towards Srikandi, when she said she would translate their introductions to Almira.

"I'm Catherine Blackwood, an alchemist." Catherine said, in an extremely simple and straightforward introduction.

"Now, to the actual questions... I believe I overheard the dragon over there saying something about your 'wares'... Would you care to elaborate on that?" Catherine asked, looking to Srikandi and then to Almira with her eyes shining with curiosity and excitement.

"Was that meteor some kind of vehicle of yours? These automatons... are notably different from the ones the Kingdom of Oberia makes... the materials also seem to be quite unique! It seems to have some sort of artificial muscle fibers... Incredibly advanced ones at that as well!" she said, looking towards the red automaton, analyzing her with her eyes as she quickly approached her and began walking around Q-T, her curious eyes sweeping every centimeter of the automaton before she turned her attention back to Almira.

"Would you mind giving me a small sample of blood and maybe take part in some small tests? If we assume that you came from outside our planet, the fact that your physiology seems to be, at least superficially, identical to ours is quite intriguing to say the least!" Catherine continued, doing exactly the same of what she had done with Q-T but with Almira this time.

The endless stream of questions Catherine was throwing towards Almira and the strange automatons was already enough to make anyone dizzy, especially seeing how Catherine seemed to jump from one subject to another, and unfortunately, judging by the look on Catherine's expression, she was far from over with the questions and would definitely continue doing so, unless someone interrupted her.