Amarantha had not been upset with how things had been going the last four months, but she had not been happy either. It felt as if they had been tugging at a rope from both sides without either being able to get an edge. They were staying still. And that wasn’t enough. If it had been four months, then that meant everything they were doing was still not adequate and she’d have to make some changes. But as always, Amarantha knew exactly what she wanted to do.
Her heels clicked as she stepped through the stone hall of the castle. Her dark hair billowed behind her in reaction to her haste movements. It was almost quiet. The guards stood up against the wall, eyes on her as she moved. No one had spoken.
She reached a transmission stand in the back of the room, just a few feet from the throne. It had a large purple gem on top of it. Along the side of it were thirty-one buttons. Amarantha carefully selected five buttons in particular. Then she waited.
Annya and Bardulf had split off onto the North path upon arrival. while the other had taken the east. She had made sure to give them a few rice balls before putting the rest in her bag. The frigid wind lightly scratched at their skin with its cold claws as they made their way forward. She tugged at the fluffy white hood of her coat, pulling it over her head. Her steps were carefully quiet and calculated. After quite a few absurdly early morning walks through the area, she had a decent mental map of the area. However, she knew that there was a lot of ground that could be covered and it would be easy to wander too far. She could not help but worry over Bron and Ismael just a little due to this idea.
She tilted her head to look at Bardulf with a smile. "Bardulf, I'm really proud of you." Annya leaned her head in to whisper as she spoke, "You're a great leader. " She crossed her arms behind her back and underneath her cost, then pulled out her axes from their hilts in a swift movement, "But now it's time to be a great winner."
Just as she had been whispering, the sound of a rustle in a distance thicket immediately hushed her. Annya grinned and put a finger to her lips. Subsequently, she pointed in the direction of the noise. "Wanna give it a go?" She mouthed to him
Time:10am Location: Archery Competition Attire:Dress Interaction: @Mole Felix @ReusableSwordRoman @PapaOso Cassius @Potter Sadie @Rodiak Zarai Anastasia had thoroughly enjoyed the next two had gone up. Zarai had been so right that the Alidasht women were absolutely gorgeous. Nahir looked like something out of a painting, not just in looks but in the way she carried herself. Verrick was as handsome as he always was. She found herself oogling the two’s looks rather than paying attention to their shots as she made her way to Roman’s table.
Once she had arrived, Roman had been so kind as to pull out her chair. She did not immediately sit as he spoke. This was yet another person telling her they were proud of her, that it had been a good thing… To her, standing up for someone whose life was in danger, who certainly did not deserve it, was the bare minimum. Her mind wandered to Lady Charlotte, who had offered her servitude without hesitation. She supposed the move could have been considered different since there was no telling what the Alidasht would have required from her, but it was hard for Anastasia to admire her much.
There was a part of her that had hoped others would have said more too, but holding on to that would only sour her friendships… and Roman and Zarai were ever so dear to her. She smiled at him and suddenly moved up to hug the large man, her cheeks slightly reddened,” Roman, I’ll dance with you any time. Here and now if you wanted!”
Her attention was hastily stolen by Princess Sadie’s presence. She beamed and ran over to wrap her arms around her in a hug from behind, “My lovely! I had thought you weren’t coming this year!!” Her gaze caught Felix’s as she had been hugging her and her brows threatened to lower as Thea’s words from the night prior rang in her head. “Good morning, Felix…Here to support Thea, right? ” She finally slid into her chair, her smile remaining.
The archery competition got certainly more interesting as a man introduced himself as part of the Damien family, yet Anastasia did not recognize him at all. She figured he was lying for whatever reason whether it be attention or for a joke. But boy was he a looker. Her attention was fully stolen for his round. She covered her mouth when he covered his eyes for his final shot. He had that flirty grin that was ever her weakness. To her astonishment, he managed to hit a fairly impressive shot. When he turned to glance their way, she gave him a wink and smile to let him know she enjoyed the show.
Anastasia glanced over at Zarai and whispered with a giggle, “Eye candy after eye candy. Any more of this and I am going to get a sugar rush.”
Music for Readers Harry Morgan once again walked forward with his huge megaphone, waving his arm as he began to shout into it. "ALRIGHT! That Isaac guy just LEFT! What the hell!?" Harry stared after Tsuki with immense confusion. Once he was certain that he was gone, he continued, "Regardless of the scores, Lord Cassius Vael of House Damien is the default winner! The Host gestured toward Cassius, who gained quite an applause for a man no one had seen before, and especially from the females. "Next up, Lady Thea Smithwood! " A male whistled at her appearance from the crowd. Harry paused to stare at him. "is going against Sir Matthias Larsen!!" @Rodiak@Tae
Charlotte perhaps should have not been so surprised that John was brandishing a knife. She stressfully clutched her head, meekly managing, “Dr. Williamson... Please put the knife away.” Her voice had come out a bit too low.
He then asked the fellow with a blade against his neck if he wanted sauce. Charlotte swallowed hard as her gaze locked on the knife digging into the man’s skin. She took John by his shoulder to halt him, but luckily the patron immediately took off running. This scene had not gone unnoticed as many others were also staring at John with fear and backing away. This included Ruby as well, who had suddenly run off in terror.
She let go of John’s shoulder and straightened, stunned for a moment as most of the patrons were hurrying away.
Will it always be like this?
It was almost a nostalgic feeling at this point. For years, almost every event she had attended with Lorenzo had always resulted in some sort of chaos. No matter what, she loved him, but sometimes she just wished things could go normally. Charlotte glanced off in a random direction for a moment. Her imagination was quick to recreate the image of her parents’ faces as they ran through the park toward her. She couldn’t make out too many details of the younger version of her late parents, but she remembered those smiles. Even if they were from a time that felt more like a dream than anything.
Five-year-old Charlotte had been lost and so very alone on a spring day in Sorian Park. It hadn’t been as sunny; in fact, it looked as if it were about rain at any moment. The humid air felt dense and wet. It was no surprise that the park was almost rather empty. The little girl had wanted to come here anyway. She liked it here.
She had wandered off after a chipmunk while her parents had been conversing with others outside the carriage. It had not dawned on her how far she had gone until she had turned and found herself alone for hours. However, she had been quite clever for her age. She had seated herself on the edge of the fountain, somewhere her parents might eventually see if they were looking for her. Heads had turned at the sight of the distressed child as she kicked her legs back and anxiously, her feet occasionally tapping against the concrete of the fountain. Her thick black hair was tucked back in a ribbon and the dress she wore was quite telling of her status.
It was strange for a child like her to be alone, and perhaps even a little dangerous. Maybe that’s why her parents had smiled so much when they had finally come running toward her. Her mother had gathered her skirts as she practically tripped over them on her way toward her. Emina had once been a woman who smiled often, but anyone could tell how special this one had been as tears had fallen down her cheeks, her hair spilling out from her bun and dancing behind her. Walter had been a step ahead of her with a smile of relief and emotion still swimming in his eyes. Anyone could tell from a single glance that she had been the world to those two.
Charlotte had stood up and moved forward, a smile stretching across her face too as the two adults threw themselves on her knees before and enveloped her in their arms. It had started to rain at that point, cool droplets periodically tapping at their skin. The family had stayed like that even so. Her mother had been whispering a gracious prayer of some sort while Walter had stroked her hair. He had moved to take her face in her hands, emotionally overwhelmed as he had looked at down her.
Charlotte shook her head as she awoke from her reverie. The sound of a familiar voice had called her attention, the voice of a ghost from her past. She had not seen Devan in so long that it had felt surreal for him to show up here suddenly. “No.” She had replied after a pause. She wasn’t sure what to expect. The two had been close in the way siblings were once upon a time, in both the good and bad ways. It had been hard to avoid a disagreement at times. Then again, it had really been a long time and she was certain they were two different people now.
For a moment, she actually felt kind of excited he was here. It could be nice to be with family again and have that sense of normalcy with all the chaos occurring. When he finally greeted her hello, she smiled. Instead of saying hello back, she moved up to hug him. She figured if Devan was anything like he had been, he might not appreciate it, but she was going to do it anyway. “Devan! I’m happy to see you.”
For his sake, she kept the hug brief. Lorenzo yelling over to Mayet was distracting, anyhow. She glanced over to stare. Her reply was telling enough. Her gaze slid over to the man with the cane, who seemed to be staying right where he was. Though he seemed pleased the Shehzadi did not come over with her tiger, he clearly was sizing up that there were four of them against him potentially.
“ I will have my revenge, Duke. ” The man with the cane said and finally changed position. Then he knelt down to start cleaning up the mess that was now his waffle table.
Charlotte sighed. She glanced at the others, “I think we should all move away in case he changes his mind.” With a gesture of her hand, she walked somewhat away and awaited for them to join her.
Location:The Park of Sorian Time: 10am Mention: @FunnyGuy Lorenzo
Even with a spectacle like the one at the waffle table, Duchess Victoria Edwards had no problem turning heads as her over-expensive carriage came down the path. There was an unnecessary amount of gold, with even golden statues situated in the front. It stopped abruptly as a hush came over the area in her immediate vicinity. The driver, who was dressed as if he were to attend a ball, stood up from his velvet seat with a thick roll of carpet under his armpit. He moved it in front of the carriage then rolled it out in the front of the door for fifteen feet over the grass. Then, he opened the door. The first thing many noticed was the beautiful gown and hat that adorned the woman as she stepped out. The amount of glittering jewelry on her was more than perhaps most in the park had ever seen. Her rich brown hair was back in a waterfall of chocolate curls. Her green eyes shone in the light as she held her head up high. Her gaze moved steadily over the park as she opened up a large, enchanting fan with floral detailing that matched her dress.
A smile slowly crossed her face as she inspected all around from head to toe in a single sweep.
Not even close.
"Madam?"
Victoria was self-aware of how elegant she was as she slowly turned to lay her eyes on her help. "Carriage driver." She addressed him. "Have you ever seen so much peasantry?" A delicate giggle left her lips as she side-eyed the waffle and pancake table, "Of course they arrive in hoards for free scraps...It's sad, really." The more she looked upon the situation, the more amusement crossed her expression, " Bring me my binoculars and my parasol, carriage man."
He was quick to attend to her needs, even holding the lacey parasol over her head as she so often preferred. She bit back her grin as she lined her binoculars up to her eyes. Victoria was able to pick out the scoundrel that was Duke Lorenzo Vikena like a watermelon on a table of grapes. This was just the reason she came to such events, if only for a moment. Well, there were two reasons! One was that she loved to look upon the poor and feel how rich she was. The second was to watch the drama. If there was a hot spot in town, then Duchess Victoria Edwards needed to make an appearance.
The yelling and cursing was not surprising from the misfortuned. They lacked manners and simply could not help such. A sharp gasp suddenly escaped her as a man was pushed into the waffle table. It had been absolutely delicious to read about all how the Vikenas had fallen from grace, if such a thing was still possible! She had enjoyed her tea much more than usual this morning. The fool was making his life worse and putting on a show of it today, just for her viewing. Oh, how she loved her life. She had been rather despaired over missing the ball, but now... Now, Victoria was ectastic. "Oh my, my. I'm so happy I came here today... Bring me a chair, carriage man."
Music for Readers "We have our winner! Verrick O'Hare! A win for the Varian Kingdom!"
Harry turned to Verrick and was going to pick up his arm, but something about his expression told him he shouldn't do that. He instead gestured to him as the crowd grew into applause. After that had concluded, he let go and looked at him, "Now, Verrick. You will next face Ezra Turner. For now, we have our next battle... Lord Cassius Vael of House Damien against ...Isaac?" Harry's expression contorted with confusion, "Who's Isaac?"
Once the next two opponents had joined, he reiterated the rules and stepped back for the next battle to begin!
Time: Afternoon Location: River Fairy Kingdom Interaction: Aiko @CitrusArms Orias @Helo Xavier @Potter Equipment:Yuka's Drip Pouch with amas, Lipstick
Yuka blew Aiko a kiss from her spot, “You’re my favorite meat!” Her ears then perked as Orias spoke. She didn’t really care to thank anybody. As far as she was concerned, she kept herself safe. She applauded his noble speech nonetheless, as Yuka liked to keep things fun after all. “Yes! Thank you River Kingdom! And thank you Orias for leading us! I’m so grateful for you all three.” She presented a warm smile.
“No objections! So are we splitting up then? Then who wants to be my partner? ” She couldn’t wait to tear through some flesh. It was going to be fun no matter what, but she wanted a good partner for this. Orias was too princely to wanna shred something up. He probably even brought a knife and fork knowing him. Aiko was more than adequate as they were willing to give her some meat. Then the last option would then be Xavier. She wondered if humans liked ripping open the flesh of prey too. She took a moment to inspect Xavier’s facial expression with an inquisitive look.
Time:Afternoon Location: The Nest Interaction:@AlivefallingBarboda @HeloNym @Potter Tigerlily Equipment:Black coat with fur trim on the hood, dark-colored, plain male clothing, sword with unbreaking and return enchantments, strength enchanted gloves, 2 medium red potions, hygiene products, timeteller, wayfinder, transmission bracelet, a flask, standard backpack, and an ama pouch with 1800 amas.
“I don’t think you are funny. I think you are acting like a degenerate.” “ Helio mocked Barboda, copying his words in a tone similar to his. He then scoffed at Barboda's next words. "My reputation as THE Handsome Asshole of Avalia could never be tarnished. Look. Watch this.” He replied dryly. Then, he snapped his fingers as a ball of dark energy formed over his hands and started to grow. The matter was chaotically hopping out of its form. “Everyone ! I’m feeling evil!”He announced. Nearby folk started to back away, some with wide eyes. “See… They remember my murders.”He assured Barboda with a sad laugh. He let it disintegrate, dropping his hand. His mood was ruined.
As a few people exited the bar, Floofa smacked her fist on the table, “You nitwit! Quit it or I’ll kick you and your friends out!” It was rare that Floofa reacted in such a way. Helio had crossed a line.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist, sweetheart. I’ve made my point.” Helio said with an eye-roll. He got up and moved over to Nym as Barboda had wished. He noticed Tigerlily in her hooded attire and nodded to her. Nym’s words made him frown.
“No such luck yet.” He told him and then averted his eyes. Nym had more than accommodated him already, but could he just give up on Faye and Wumong? There was a pause before he suggested, “Any luck on crewmates? Maybe we can ask around while we’re here if anyone’s looking for some adventure..”
Anastasia glanced over to find a woman sitting beside her. It did not take long for her to recognize her nor for the guard to give her a warning glance. With a sigh, she glanced around until she found Wulfric at Wystan's side. She wasn't sure how she felt about Wulfric at the moment, and it certainly did not help that he brought her a babysitter. She had been about to complain in Zarai's ear when the competition began. As Lord Leo Smithwood was announced, she narrowed her eyes as a memory resurfaced, his voice replaying in her ears
“There was another with us whose face I do not see here today. The same odd man with a cowlick from the ball last night, the one that gave the youngest Lady Damien quite the freight. He was picked up by the carriage on the way there, already quite inebriated on some substance...”
"Nope."Anastasia crossed her arms, firm in her grudge. She looked at Zarai and shook her head in disapproval, "He gets no applause from me." Sure, she had known Leo longer, but the attempt to throw Kazumin under the bus was uncalled for, and she planned to let him know that. His opponent was announced as Ezra Turner, whose name she recalled clearly from the night before. No way was Anastasia going to forget the name of somebody who could bring excellent cake. But he looked so... different? She tilted her head. Anastasia could have sworn he had green hair. She shrugged it off. He looked certainly better with the dark hair. However, Anastasia felt a strange sense of discomfort when staring at this guy. Maybe it was the random expressions of rage, maybe he had an off vibe... Either way, she was going to root for him because she was angry at Leo right now. "Woo Ezra! Go, cake man!"
It was around then that a young girl approached them. The guard at her side immediately gave the poor girl a stink eye. "Step back. Not too close."The woman ordered the young girl, hand on her sword, "State your reason for approaching the princess."
"Take it easy, Joan." Anastasia told her softly and then smiled warmly at the girl, who proceeded to invite them to join Lord Roman Ravenwood at his table. Her expression lit up and she craned her neck to spot her dear friend. "Zarai, it looks like we got an invite to the VIP table! Wanna go over and see Roman? It looks like he's got the best view too!" She stood up and waved at Roman with a smile, "Hi Roman!"
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