Martina cracked a small smile at Gillian's apology, and whilst it was the only reaction she seemed to give to it... Well, for a dwarf it was enough. At the very least, it indicated that he hadn't just made an enemy for life.

As she was about to retort to Fanilly (something about her being too stuffy sometimes), she found herself cut off by princess making her entrance. She'd heard about her beauty, but somehow the tales failed to do justice to just how... How magnificent the princess seemed. No wonder she was so popular... The half-dwarf couldn't help but admire her elegance, her poise, her... Her...

"By the goddesses, captain!" she exclaimed, nudging Fanilly's sides with her elbow. "Those are some cracking tits the princess has, aren't they?"

Dwarfs weren't exactly known for their subtlety, really, or for not speaking what was on their minds. Still, did she have to say it so loud?

"... You're... Dame... Dame Tyaethe...?"

Fanilly's attention was diverted between the princess, and the little girl. After all, there was only one place that she'd seen a sword like that. But it seemed impossible to reconcile the rather cute little girl with the imposing armored figure that cut a swath through the battlefield by herself. Was this really Tyaethe...? The beginning of this party was just too weird, Fanilly couldn't really believe it. But... she had to relax and calm herself down.

"... I... I see..." she said, dully. Fanilly had to just... focus on the party. Right. When Marianne told her she had to speak to Sir Garret, she nodded. Very well. At the moment, what she had in mind was to approach the Princess, and speak to her. After all, she'd even been specifically told to come in at least partial armor. As she started towards her, however, she heard Martina's comment.

Fanilly's cheeks went scarlet.

"D-D-Dame Martina!" she cried, "Y-you can't just say such things! That's... that's not appropriate at all!"

It was clear several of the nearby nobles had heard, staring in surprise.

---

The Princess smiled as the first of the knights approached, curtsying once more.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Gillian," she said, brightly. "I'm so glad you're enjoying yourselves. I'll admit, I expected the Captain to approach first, however... though it seems like she must be a little busy. I think I saw her speaking to the half-dwarven knight?"

Eliabelle peered through the crowds, attempting to pick up the Knight-Captain in her vision as she did. "As long as I get to speak to her tonight, I'll be happy."

After a moment's pause, she continued.

"I heard you defeated that band of criminals that had been raiding towns," she spoke, lightly tilting her head to the side, "You have my deepest gratitude. It was awful knowing that the citizens of Thaln were in danger, and I'm glad that father listened when I asked for you to be sent after them."

---

"Ah... so you saw the mountains, Sir Ian? Did you see the dwarven city?" asked Mariegolde, her eyes shining with excitement. The dwarven city in Velt was well-known even further south. It was hard not to find such architecture intriguing, even if you'd only heard of it before.

"Did you taste the food? What was the food like?" asked Angenese, practically bouncing up and down in her seat.

Violette looked away in disinterest.

"Why would the food ever be any better then it is here?" she commented, looking out into the crowd with a sigh.

---

Tiral would here shuffling footsteps as someone approached him.

She was a brunette, in a brown dress, who looked as if she was about to explode from social contact at any moment. Before speaking, she took a deep breath.

"S... S-Sir Tiral, correct?" she asked, stuttering out her query, "I am C-Court Mage Bethany Ravenwood, it's a pleasure to m-meet you."

The mage girl's hands wavered as she raised her skirt lightly, curtsying.

"I-I... I am..."

The girl took another nervous gulp of air.

"I-I'm curious a-about how you have used m-magic in your duty to the Iron R-Roses."

“I’m sure the captain will make you her first priority when she can break away. Our Dame Martina is rather…elated to have been invited.” He says, thanking Mayon that the ‘cracking tits’ comment, true as it was, had seemingly had not been heard by the princess. “And you needn’t thank me. That is just the nature of the job ma’a-er…your highness.” He says, catching a momentary slip in etiquette.

“Sirs Delacoix, Athlemund, and Yevan are more deserving of the praise. They did fine work in leading the assault. …and the captain of course, she…” He thinks for a moment. Giving his honest opinion would likely sour the young woman’s mood, or worse, cause her doubt her intervention on the part of the people. “She was very selfless during her first outing. There are few who’d so readily charge an ambush to protect their men as her.” He says, deciding to sell the captains intent. “Though, I am surprised. I wasn’t aware that the order had come from the crown. As someone who lost his home to such an attack, the gratitude of the towns you saved is more than I could express.”

There is a pause as he thinks of what to say next, regretting bringing that last part up. “Well, all that said...” he begins, as the captains muttered pleas for Martina to behave herself reached his ears, “ you are certainly living up to your reputation your highness. Thaln could not ask for a more lovely or thoughtful heir. Can’t help but imagine you’ll be the envy of every young noble girl in Aimlenn.” He says, hoping that the compliment did not come off as crude.

Tiral flinched as he heard an unfamiliar voice call out his name. It'd have been one thing if it was just another one of the Iron Rose Knights, but this voice... No, this one was thoroughly unfamiliar. While it would have been unfair to have jumped to any conclusions, the fact that whoever had singled him out probably had good reason to. He wasn't any sort of notable among the knights, and it was that exact reason why nobody else had seemed to notice his presence.

"...Ah? T-the Court Mage?"

All the woman had needed to say was that, and every muscle in the mage's body tensed up. Why would one of the most important magicians in the kingdom seek him out? Had he touched upon some subjects that had been frowned on?
...
No, that couldn't have been it. After all, all he had done was manipulate water and ice for combat.

Was that it, then? Just using water and ice meant nothing in the long run; just having a similar affinity to the nation's patron goddess meant nothing. NOTHING. Just a coincidence.
Nothing more.

"Oh, uh... Right, my apologies. You are correct, Miss Ravenwood; I am Sir Tiral Yevan of the Iron Rose Knights. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he fumbled, hastily bowing in response. His worries had almost caused a major misstep of his own. Even if the Court Magician seemed to be a bit more embarrassed by the ordeal... Or, well, he assumed it to be embarrassment. She did seem to be stuttering a bit much than he'd have expected from someone so deeply intertwined with the royal family.

As soon as he heard the Court Mage request information on how he used his magic in the midst of his duties, though, Tiral's ears perked up and his tense muscles relaxed a bit.

So it wasn't any trouble, then? Phew...

Standing up straight and nodding, the ice mage let out a small, relieved sigh and thought for a moment about how to respond. It was a topic that he hadn't expected, after all...

"Please, though, do be at ease. In regards to your question, though..." he trailed off, glancing downwards with his right hand stroking his chin. "Using magic in the midst of combat is a bit of a strange ordeal. Unlike many of the more traditional mages who are allowed to chant complex incantations in the rearguard of an army and fire at will, I'm forced to truncate many of the spells that I have and make them up on the fly. In the end, the stability of the magic as a whole is slightly compromised, but the flexibility increases tenfold. The use of a special catalyst also becomes a necessity for a great amount of my spells because of this; in most cases, it ends up being this dagger here."

With a steady hand, Tiral drew his dagger from his side and presented it to the Court Mage to let her examine its quality.

"Regardless of how good or bad it may be as a catalyst, this dagger is surprisingly useful for emergency situations. It's not as sturdy as a standard dagger, though, so I prefer refraining from using it in actual combat unless it is a life at stake and I am unable to create an incantation quick enough."

The young man's gaze panned downwards as he explained the usage of his precious dagger, but after realizing that the Court mage's chest was rather... Outstanding, turned his head off to the side, his face a slight shade of red from the embarrassment of his own.

"M-my apologies. I-in any case... Is there anything in particular you wanted information on? I'd be happy to provide whatever is necessary if that is the case. I have a few questions of my own for my own research, so if it isn't too much of a hassle, I'd like to humbly request if you could also answer a few own my own selfish questions, Miss Ravenwood."

"Oh, you flatter me, Sir Gillian," replied Eliabelle with a smile, waving one hand. For all her noble intent, it was also well known that the Crown Princess deeply enjoyed being complimented. That being said, she tried her best not to show it. She didn't want to give the impression that she only did good things just for the sake of praise. To do good was simply her duty as a leader, wasn't it? "I'd rather be a role model then a symbol of envy, however."

She glanced out into the crowds, eyes scanning the various girls before they returned to Sir Gillian. Yes. She'd like to be a role model for young women in positions of nobility. In fact, she'd like to be a role model for all those in nobility. Just because your station in society was high did not at all mean you needed to distance yourself from the common folk.

"I'm pleased to hear the captain did well," she continued, "Knowing a girl my age displayed that sort of bravery is inspiring. Hopefully it will show those with doubts that she's still a capable leader."

---

"I see..."

Slightly less flustered as the magic-using knight answered her questions, the mage's eyes traveled over the dagger's blade, taking in the length and shape. Certainly, it appeared to be a highly useful catalyst. Typically, staffs were the catalyst for spellcasting, but she supposed that for a knight, a weapon made more sense. Most of what he said was understandable as well. However...

"Your pool of mana, how-"

Bethany froze when she saw Tiral's eyes glance at her chest. Even if it was an accident, the court mage was immediately quite embarrassed, turning her head to the side and quivering lightly, color filling her cheeks. Her breathing quickened, as she fought back the urge to immediately turn, walk away, and hide in her room, even as the knight apologized. She managed to stifle these ideas.

"... A-ask... ask... wh-whatever y-y-you want..."

---

Meanwhile, a tall walkingstick and a wide-brimmed hat bobbed through the crowds.

The black-haired, pale, green-eyed little girl was clad entirely in black travelling gear. While it was of the highest, finest quality, it did put her... out of place. Reaching out, she tugged on the sleeve of one of the nearest people, who happened to be one of the Iron Roses.

"Excuse me," she began, "Do you know where the sweets are? I can't see through the crowds."

Marianne Delacroix

Marianne blushed deeply when Dame Julianna countered with her own compliments, visible even through her light makeup. Placing her hand to her lips, she had to take a moment to remember to breathe before she giggled. Her heart had fluttered for a few brief seconds. What a game they played.

"Oh, dear.."
Marianne thought to herself.
"My, my. You surely do know how to compliment another woman, Dame Julianna. How lucky you are to have a dress made by Thateous Germain's hands! I would personally love to have a dress of my own custom made by him. You simply must tell me how to get in touch with him so I can have a dress as beautiful as yours!"
She could only hope she wasn't coming on too hard, thinking she was laying it on thick with her own compliments. Growing quiet, her eyes had a certain sparkle in them as they lingered over the parts of Julianna's dress that exposed her skin. She had a strong desire to touch and caress the chocolate-like tone of her bare flesh, but fought it back. It wouldn't be appropriate to do such a thing in such a public setting, especially when considering the surrounding nobility. In her home country, simply no one with such a lovely skin-tone existed. Should Dame Julianna ever decide to visit she would certainly have suitors throwing themselves at her left and right, being such an exotic flower.
"It is I who couldn't match your radiance..." Marianne said rather quietly to herself, difficult for anyone hear.
Shaking her head and clearing her throat as if she had just woken from a quick nap, she strided around Dame Julianna and Sir Garrett. Deciding it was fit to play a little game with the man and punish him a little. It was only fair. He knew so much about her, yet he dared to withhold such significant facts about himself? How rude. He deserved to be teased a little.

Swiftly taking the second glass that Sir Garrett held in his hands and setting it on the table in front of them, Marianne then looped her arm around his free one. The simple act drawing more eyes and more hushed conversation directed at Sir Garrett from the surrounding nobles. Marianne could only smile deviously as she looked up at her fellow comrade. "Yes, we cannot be so rude as to exclude one such as Sir Garrett from our conversation, especially when we consider he is Heir Presumptive to become a Jarl. I too, would be deeply interested in the mystery to his lineage. You are just full of surprises, are you not? Such a respectable and noble man you are turning out to be, Sir Garrett." Tilting her head ever so slightly at him, the warm smile she was giving him widened ever so slightly.

@IceHeart, @Themerlinhawk

Christina's vigil over Captain Fanilly was interrupted by a tug on her tunic sleeve. Looking down, the knight rested her eyes on a small, oddly dressed girl. Normally Christina didn't do well with children, but she was even more uncomfortable in social settings, so with one last look at her Captain, she decided to help this girl on her quest.

The only problem was that she had no idea how to talk to children.

"Sweets?" She asked blankly, craning her neck to look around for the food table. She recalled seeing something of that sort on the way in.

"Mm, sweets!" answered the little girl, cheerfully nodding, "I know they're here, but everyone keeps mobbing around the table. I feel like I'm going to get squished if I try getting through them!"

Her expression was one of... somewhat exaggerated fear. But really, that could simply mean the girl was having fun at the party, and with her hyperbole. She tugged intently on the older girl's sleeve once more. "So if a big older sister type like you could help me get to them, I'd be really happy!"

This had already turned from 'point them out for me' to 'help me get through the crowds'. And yet, it was probably fairly hard to reject the little girl, who looked quite expectantly up at Christina.

Oh crap, I've done it now.

Tiral took immediate notice of the shift in tone of the Court Mage and cursed inwardly at himself. He had just told her to be at ease, after all, and now... This...
Gods, why did it have to turn out like this?!

"A-ah... No, sorry, I shouldn't request such information before you complete your own inquiries. Your own job is many times more important than my own, so please, do go ahead and ask first. After all... Not to jump to assumptions, but you didn't seem all that comfortable looking for me. I'm more surprised by the fact that you actively sought me out during such an event, in all honesty; would it not have been more efficient to request for information during a less raucous event?"

Realizing the weight his words carried a few moments later, Tiral hastily waved his hands and shook his head, as if to ward off whatever assumptions he had just put forth.

"T-that isn't to say that you might not have had multiple things to handle and that I just so happened to be here! E-erm... Regardless, Miss Ravenwood, please, do ask as you wish first. I'm not so callous so as to impose on you any will of mine without having first given something of my own."

"Ah... er... w-well... I, er, don't leave the castle very often so er..." Bethany trailed off after a rather muddled attempt to respond to the mage-knight. Ah, maybe she just should have waited... or not bothered. There were so many people around, after all. The mere thought of it made it hard for the brunette girl to speak. But... no, no! She was trying to help. And... to be frank, meeting anyone alone was almost as bad, when it came to someone she didn't know very well.

"... M-meeting one on one w-would probably b-be bad anyway..." she added, somewhat more clearly. Bethany definitely didn't want to give that impression, regardless of who it was with. "... S-so... my... my questions right!"

Clutching the idea of magical inquiry tightly, Bethany managed to regain some composure.

"Wh-what is your amount of mana?"

Gillian returned the smile, relieved that the compliment had not gone over poorly. He’d meant it more than he perhaps intended, the princess’s charm having won him over before he’d realized. He’d call it dangerous, were it not for the seemingly endless wealthy of idealism and good nature behind it. ”…Give it time though…” he thinks, remembering his first few unpleasant months in Aimlenn, watching as the princess looks over the crowd, noting a few sideways glances at the young woman(not all of them strictly in admiration). ”Rare is the role model that isn’t a target your highness…” He thinks, eyes unconsciously dipping from the princess face downwards. He should have made his way back to the outskirts last night. With trees, for all their short comings, he didn’t have to worry about them stabbing each other in the back(metaphorically or otherwise).

Gillian’s eyes whipped in the other direction as soon as he realized where he was staring, biting the inside of his cheek. ”And the last thing YOU need to be doing...” He thinks to himself, turning his gaze to Ian and the trio he was entertaining and locking it there. ”Is gawking at a princess like she’s a barmaid.”

As he feels the princess returns her gaze to him, he snaps out of his internal berating. “Yes she uh…” He says, regarding the young captain again. “She’s the character for it, beyond all doubt. Though hopefully her career will be a long and uneventful one.” He says, loosening his cravat a bit."Doubts or not, far off are (Mayon wishing) are the days we need another Carthet." Next time he chats up royalty, he’s letting the captain go first.

Despite herself, Christina found her expression softening. She couldn't help but get drawn into the girl's excitement. Deciding that the captain would probably be fine on her own for a while, and that she wouldn't mind getting something to eat herself, she nodded once and allowed herself to be dragged through the crowd of nobles. Some of the less charitable among them bent their heads to whisper to their companions, and she could guess what they were saying about her, but she stoically ignored them.

Even as a child, Christina had never had trouble moving through thick crowds. Many people moved instinctively out of her path, while those who didn't she could gently but firmly guide away with a hand on the shoulder. It wouldn't be long at all until she reached the food table, diminutive charge in tow.

"A-ah... Right, the possibility of that sort of thing never even crossed my mind. Apologies. Er... Right, my mana pool, was it? I believe that during the last evaluation, I was placed at... 450 Magil? At least, I believe that was the unit they had dictated... The system went into place a year or so ago, correct?" Tiral responded, casting a glance off to the side. "I can't recall what the old men who had set it up had set as a baseline, though..."

Sighing, Tiral shook his head before turning back to face the Court Mage. There were other questions that she would have, correct? Though assumptions had caused a few more problems than he'd have like, it was probably safe to assume that there were still things that she wanted to know. Better safe than sorry, at least.

Well, once that was over and assuming that there was still time left to ask, maybe he could get some insight for his current project. It might speed things up, at the very least...

Theodore Silvern and Lady Theresa Silvern made for a striking pair of nobles. Theodore was a tall, broad chested man with light, chocolate colored skin, and appeared to be in his hearty forties. He was decked out in white and gold colored clothes that simply screamed wealthy. He also carried a polished cherry-wood cane with a large diamond affixed to the end that could even cast a bit of a rainbow when the light streamed through it. To complete his esteemed look was a thick, white streak through the middle of his coarse, black hair, as in in tribute to his family name. The man was every inch the noble at 6'0" but his strong looking and somewhat large face and body betrayed his strength and power as a warrior.

Lady Theresa stood a bit below her husband at 5'8" but her features were certainly striking. The woman had just started to show the signs of age with little crow's feet just starting to show around her eyes but she still was a very lovely lady. It was quite easy to see where Julianna got her good looks from. While her husband had a bit more of a flat and strong face, Theresa was a bit more on the angular side with sharp features. Like her daughter, she had moonlight colored hair that would have reached to her back if it was not styled into some intricate braid work around her head.

She had darker skin than her husband and while well-endowed was also quite toned and strong limbed, it was easy to tell that they may be nobles but they certainly came from a family that had seen their fair share of warfare, which is why they had risen to such prominence during the rebellion. She was wearing a white gown with silver lace work, quite the work of art all on its own that was only made better by the woman wearing it.

The two were calmly doing a quick survey around the room after saying goodbye to the latest group of nobles they had conversed with that day. They had already made quite a few rounds around the ball to catch up on the latest inner workings in court.

"Quite the marvelous spectacle our princess is putting on." Theodore said privately to his wife. Such a marvelous girl deserves to only have the very best serve her, though that day is still a bit far at the moment." Theodore allowed himself to crack his own neck just a bit to limber up for the rest of the evening.

"Don't worry my dear, that day will no doubt be closer than you think. Oh do look at the poor knight trying to say only good things about the captain." Theresa barely nodded in the direction of Sir Gillian who appeared quite flustered in front of the princess. It was quite an amusing sight.

"Oh do look dear, our daughter is already hard at work." Theresa nudged Theodore over in the direction of Julianna and Sir Garett. As the pair watched the Delacroix heiress also joined them.

"It looks like she may have some competition from one of our fiercest rivals. That being said, I don't recognize the man she is holding onto? Theodore narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Sir Garett from afar. "What a fierce looking man, hmm, I have to wonder how he would have stacked up to myself in my youth; however he appears a little...savage." His face started to turn into a scowl.

"I swear if that barbarian tries anything to my daughter." Theodore started to tighten his grip on his cane subconciously, causing his white gloves to start to rub a little on the polished wood.

Theresa merely laughed. "I'm sure you would run him through I have no doubt my love; however I think we both know Julianna can take care of herself quite well. We were the ones who raised her after all."

"Of course but still, seeing that man with this youth and vigor seems to really be scratching at my old warrior's spirit. I feel like a fight with him would be quite the challenge, alas that this body is not what it once was." Even saying that the older gentleman certainly didn't appear like he was losing much of his touch though.

Sir Garrett’s eyes narrowed as the two of them both focused their collective gaze on him. Oh now I see how it is. Well if we are going to play this game then, it's war. As Marianne took his other arm he exhaled slowly through his nose; how best to deal with these two in one fell swoop. Marianne was playing at something other than Julianna was. Turning he lead the two lovely girls out of the general center of attention. While the tips of his ears were quite pink from the excessive attention it did not break his alcohol bolstered social confidence.

What in the world did I do to deserve this Sir Garrett sighed as he directed them towards the edge of the room again. No doubt they needed to make an appearance before the princess; however before that he planned on not having both of them hanging on his arms. It probably would not present the best possible image for a Knight. Let alone someone who had been thrust into the spotlight as foreign nobility. Flicking his eyes he looked for an effective escape from the situation.

“Fine if this is going to be how it is then have at.”

There were plenty of things he’d hidden from the Knights but it largely had to do with the fact that this was partially a self imposed exile. Now that he was in the spotlight here in Thaln it would no doubt cause enough of a ripple to get attention at home. Unwanted attention which could have future consequences. People had been suspicious since his sister had escaped and his brothers supporters had immediately questioned if he had let her go and used the whole thing as a ruse to keep her in his back pocket for a rainy day.

Fools, instead of chasing her they just looked to burn me at the stake instead

Wandering his way over the line of people making to speak with the Princess he stopped with the two female knights. “You have until we reach the Princess. After that if you want more then you’re just going to have to give chase. Ask all you want but you won’t get any more from me. You’ll have to find me on the dance floor.’ He paused and thought for a moment. Hopefully I still remember how. Hopefully he could hide there long enough to avoid the third degree from everyone whose ears had pricked up at the title.

Why did I come again? Stupid herald.

Looking up Sir Garrett saw a rather tall man through the crowd. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he caught how the man was looking at him. What the hell? Tilting his head ever so slightly he narrowed his eyes as he took in the pair. Who the hell is that? The appearance scratched at the back of his mind as he lead the two through the crowd putting some space and bodies between the pair. The hairs on the back of his remained on end as he walked. The axe at his belt suddenly became far more apparent and he became incredibly aware of just hwo difficult Marianne had made it for him to defend himself.

Oh this night just keeps getting better.
@harinezumikouken@IceHeart

Tyaethe was brought out of her confused stupor by the half-dwarf's ribald comment. In the general scheme of things, she wasn't actually opposed to such observations. Given their surroundings it went from 'amusing but blunt' to 'when did she start drinking?' Of course dwarves were stubborn and hard-headed, so any reprimand would require a little more emphasis than normal.

Hence stretching and cuffing the girl round the back of the head. "We're knights and not allowed to say that at balls."

Draining the rest of her beer in a move completely counter to her reprimand, Tyaethe's eyes fixed once again on the princess. Gillian was currently holding her attention but it would be a poor idea for someone so mercenary to report on the knights' actions, particularly as he had no reason ti display the necessary loyalty to the captain. Resolved to prevent any miscommunication, the undead paladin used her small size to slip through the crowd, gain another beer, and squeeze to the princess's size. There was some elbowing involved and the threat of being poked 'by accident' with a sword but overall, nothing disruptive.

Tyaethe proclaimed, nodding authoritatively,

Speech over, the paladin hoped that the princess would recognise her despite the odd size. Her sword had to be quite well known...

"Ah, we can all hope for that, of course," said Eliabelle with a nod. It would be lovely if they didn't need to worry about too much fighting anymore. But at the same time, the people deserved someone who could keep them safe. The guards deserved someone they could look up to, a shining beacon of justice. That was what the Knight-Captain of the Iron Roses was, wasn't it? That blazing light of righteousness, as much of a star as the legendary Starlight Saint, who led her order against injustice time and time again. "But looking to the Starlight Saint is something I would think anyone would do in her position."

It was about then that... a little girl approached? Wait, that sword... Eliabelle stared for a moment as the little girl loudly proclaimed how successful Fanilly had been in leading the knights for the first time, and destroying the bandits. Even facing off against the Three-Hundred Man Slayer. Eliabelle had heard such a man had been there, but she hadn't known many of the details. Simply that he had been killed. To know that Fanilly had faced off against him and gotten the better of him... Eliabelle couldn't help but be inspired once more. A girl no older then herself doing such things...

"Ah, I'm so glad to hear that! But... er..." she paused for a few moments. She didn't want to be impolite, but... "... If... if you really are the only person I know to wield a sword like that... you're... er, much smaller then I thought!"

Any excitement felt at speaking to the Immortal Knight was somewhat dampened by confusion.

---

Soon enough, both Christina and the odd little girl had arrived at the table. Upon it, there sat a number of different sweets. Various forms of biscuits, a large multi-tiered cake decorated with the purple and white of Thaln's flag, various tarts, waffles, and an array of cupcakes. The little girl immediately set about gathering a plethora of sweets into her tray, excitedly. There was a gleam in her green eyes as she stacked a tray high with sweets, and then eyed the cake eagerly.

Before doing anything more, she spun on her heel and turned to face the knight, smiling brightly as she did. "You helped me out a lot! All those people were just all over the place, it was really inconvenient!"

Her smile widened into a grin.

"Thanks, Christina!"

Wait... when had the little girl heard Christina's name?

"By the way, you might want to keep an eye on that Princess~"

With that, the girl, the sweets she had gathered, and the entire cake were suddenly gone. Well... all aside from a single slice, which had someone found its way onto a tray, that was somehow in Christina's hand.

A few people nearby, including those looking on in bafflement at the sudden lack of a cake, would hear strange, somewhat childish laughter.

"Fufufu~"

---

"F-four hundred and fifty magil..." Bethany repeated to herself, nodding somewhat more firmly. Her cheeks were still flushed with embarrassment, but when she turned back to face the knight, she had a look determination on her face. Right. This was a way in which she could assist the Iron Roses!

"Y-you can do better!" she declared, more loudly(thought still in a wavering tone) then before, "Th-that's above the average b-baseline, meaning you have a l-little more mana to work with, wh-which means that y-you should be able to cast more efficiently w-without wearing y-yourself out even wh-when up close! A-and if you're in b-back you can do even more!"

She clenched her fists, her confidence swelling... a little bit, at least.

"A-and with how you use your catalyst... y-you can do a lot better!"

Tiral looked at the Court Mage with a look of bewilderment when she said that he could "do better." What he had said earlier had already implied as much... Didn't it? Compared to the spells that he had seen most magicians use, those of his own composition were usuqlly shorter and consumed a bit less, anyhow. Granted, the bigger spells were a bit messier (the frozen log popping back into the mage's mind now), but he had to amplify the scale of the base spell on that occasion, so that was... Somewhat justifiable?

"I cannot exactly command from the backline if I'm told to lead an offensive, though. Casting magic, commanding troops, and dealing with direct combat... I am only human, after all. If I attempted all 3 at once, I run the risk of making a fatal error. The lives of those at my side are more important, after all."

The vagueness of the Court Mage's words weren't exactly the most helpful pieces of advice he could ask for, but... They were concenient enough to let him segue into questions of his own. After all, if there was nothing left to be asked, then it was probably okay to get some actual advice instead of empty words.

"Though... Erm... Sorry to ask, but do you have any notes on anti-electricity wards applicable to people or on any sort of clairvoyance spells that can look over a large battlefield? The former is a tad less important at the moment, but the latter would be greatly appreciated for future campaigns."

“A…mighty fine report Tyaethe, though probably a little on the melodramatic side. “ Gillian says quietly ,feeling the eyes of a few nobles turning on him and the small knight. “I mean, you make it sound like she fell the man on her own in glorious single combat. Poor bastard was swarmed by…I think atleast two other knights after locking blades with the good captain. I think Delacroix threw a lightning javelin at him during the commotion.”

He wanted to ignore the comment about him acting out of his rank. It was a level of posturing Gillian never had the stomach for, and he got the feeling arguing that point would be wasted on the undead girl. However, the fact she felt it necessary to bring up the dead knight crossed a line. “Our fallen companion then gave his life because he failed to give way to the captains honor then?” He asks, his voice only barely even in its temper. “I was under the impression that our orders mission was to fight the enemies of Thaln’s peoples. Not raise our swords in battles of ceremonial rite for its commanding elite. Thank you for the clarification.” He sighs, taking a second to calm down, rubbing his shoulder.

“The captains actions are more than noteworthy enough without the omission of facts to enhance the fiction. She has no need to throw the sacrifices or acts of her subordinates under the rug to show she deserves her station. Nor should you on her behalf.“ He adds sternly, but calmly. The elder knight should have known better, in his mind. Acts like that did nothing but harm, dangerously inflating egos and painting an ugly picture of the order. “…And yeah, Tyaethe does generally look much bigger in the armor. Though, I don’t think she’s ever explained how she manages to move the bulk of it.” He says, visually measuring the undead knight. “My suspicion is magic. Though what form I could not tell you.” He adds, wanting to steer the conversation swiftly away from evaluating the captain further, and the argument he and the undead would possibly get into.

Things were getting quite crazy at the moment with the undead knight trying to sing the little captain's praises, Gillian giving a more accurate account of what actually transpired though still not the whole truth yet. As much as she wanted to continue her little game action was now needed. "Forgive me Sir Garett and Lady Marianne but it seems my presence is needed. Thank you for escorting me." Julianna detached herself from his arm and gave a small curtsy before making her way over toward the princess.

Julianna stopped near sir Gillian and was the picture of humility before the princess with her head slightly bowed. "Thank you sir Gillian for that more honest report though even that clarification still doesn't paint a clear picture. While clearly a successful campaign we never the less had casualties largely in part to hero play on the young captain's part. Falling to ambushes twice put the company in risk and casualties though thanks to the quick actions of the Iron Rose Knights best we managed to pull through. While I hate being the bearer of bad news it is rather clear that more training to avoid such mistakes in the future. I hope we all learn from these trying experiences and are better suited for the tasks ahead in the future."

Being such a spectacle in front of so many was not something Julianna particularly enjoyed, especially with such a sticky subject; however the nobles needed to hear what actually happened from an Iron Rose Knight so it was up to her to play the part. "I hope you can forgive me for speaking so candidly but an accurate recording of events must be preserved." This caused quite the murmur among the crowd and more than a few grumbles could be heard.

"However I do not mean to downplay our accomplishment at routing a despicable force in the midst of our fair kingdom despite the mistakes made. The Bandit King is no more and will not be a plague upon our people any longer."

As Julianna gave her side of the story, the Silverns proudly made their way closer so they could hear every word. Theodore smiled at his daughter, yes, so to the throat as it were. There was no way this royal ball would just be in favor of the new captain now.