Aulfr had been watching Aleksandra almost obsessively in the past week, since she had been wounded. He never made it too obvious, of course, but the healer didn't feel particularly comfortable, Aulfr didn't think. And, of course, the healer had made sure to spread rumor all over the castle, but if Aulfr was going to be honest with himself- he really didn't care, for once. He had never worried over someone before- had never felt so protective. And was it not his long-lost dream when he was a child, to guard Noxus from the evil Ardany and their allies, in their eternal war?

Except now he was worrying over an Ardanian, disregarding his plan to seat himself on top of Noxus, for better or for worse. Absently, each time this came up in his mind, he'd tell himself that it's just temporary; once she's fine they'll go back to before, nothing special between them besides professional business.

He couldn't convince himself of that, though. He did know that once he felt sure she was fine, he'd be able to focus better- so all she needed to do was be better! Or feel better! Something or the other. When she can spar with him again, then he'd stop worrying- yes. That'll be the end of this great big conundrum. 

Then she donned that dress.

He very carefully avoided looking at her as she dressed. She was a hunter, he knew, and she undoubtedly knew that he had been hovering like a hawk- regardless of how normal he seemed. She'd also know if he was watching her now- of this he had no doubt. And then, naturally, she appeared at his side. He had rationalized this plenty of times beforehand, explaining it to Aleksandra in the process. He just wanted to bolster the rumors; increase the image of her prowess, so much that she won one of the greatest Noxan fighters. Maybe not the best, but the most varied. 

That was all there was to it- it wasn't as if he really really liked her. He had never said anything along those lines... and he swiped an increasingly recurrent recent memory out of his mind, one that disproved everything he was thinking to himself. Then he turned back to the lady that was standing beside him.

"... do you really have to give me that look?" He said this because, of course, she looked stunning and it wasn't like her to be shy, and it made him... very very happy that she'd be something to startle the court! Yes! That was it! Slightly anxious and nervous, only slightly, of course, he quickly reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, probably pushing her a little much into him, like a one-armed hug with the much shorter lady.

Then he realized what he was doing- he was being a little possessive- and quickly let go, taking a step away, flabberghasted. Because- no one wore these kinds of things, of course. He was just unsettled by the difference in clothing, that was it! So he straightened himself out, and offered his arm according to Noxan tradition- his forearm stuck straight forward between them, tradition dictating that the woman laid their arm on top of the escort's, the woman's hand resting on the top of the man's, or escort's, hand. The point being something that had been lost in time. 

And when she took it, as he had shown her earlier, they set off for the great event of the year. Or one of them, at least.

[hr][hr]

He stood staring at the wood doorway leading into the throne room, the same place where every other major event took place. It wasn't any different than before- well, besides the dancing part, and the more buffet-style food serving. And the fact that everyone who was anyone was here.

And the two guards on either side eyed Aulfr and Aleksandra, waiting for a signal to open the doors. After an unusually long moment of zoning-out on Aulfr's part, he gestured with his other hand- more a twitch than anything. And the guards gratefully took it as their signal, and yanked open the doors from the weirdness of it all- the man who'd beat six of them at once, apparently stopped in his tracks by something. Neither of them seriously considered that something being the lady in the green dress, with foreign features and a great many scars on an otherwise beautiful face and body. 

And no one else would've suspected Aulfr's date, nor that he had ever paused for a moment at all- because he marched right on in without a pause, as if he had never stopped walking in the first place- tugging Aleksandra along somehow, even though he didn't have any grip on her at all. And he walked straight up to the nearest Noxan couple- dressed even more garishly as Aulfr- and introduced them to Aleksandra, and vice versa- explaining all about Aleksandra's new, tailored story of how she left behind her homeland in favor of getting revenge on it, after it chewed her up and spit her out.

All in all, he was introducing Aleksandra to be a great ally, a woman of deep knowledge of Ardany and its tactics, its people. Someone people liked, at the expense of Ardany. 

And Aulfr made sure to talk to [i]everyone.[/i]