To say last night was a disaster would be the understatement of the decade. A large number of the party attendants were rushed into their medical ward. Some form of concoction was taken en-masse causing a wonderful variety of effects. Although he wasn’t entirely blindsided by the occurrence. Clive had reached him whilst he conversed with Harper. It was a quick report, one that managed to anger him… Although he managed to keep his emotions in check.

As the nobility poured in, Auguste’s eyes trained on his siblings. His head throbbed, his mind relapsing to the day of Anastasia’s kidnapping. He followed Wulfric’s lead, and although a tad rough on Callum, Auguste could not blame his brother. ”Brother…” He started but stopped. Wulfric’s fury would remain unabated, in times like these it was best to give him space.

Auguste would spend his energy on assisting where needed and overseeing the ward, unable to sleep.

Auguste looked disheveled. Although not a stranger at carrying himself through exhaustion, a keen eye could tell the prince has barely had a wink of sleep. His eyes were sunken in, his countenance less refined and crafted, and a weak gait. Perhaps he managed a couple of minutes of sleep every other hour or so. He hadn’t left his office since assisting the medical ward.

Auguste wore the same linen attire as yesterday. He had fetched for a black tunic, laced with a golden thread. This tunic hung around his shoulders, as he contemplated last night’s events.

A clean plate and a finished cup of coffee… or three laid on the tray atop his desk. Auguste’s hand remained firmly on his temple. He worried deeply for his siblings and the other attendants. The biting worry of the political ramification of such an event lingered in the back of his mind, although assuredly, a lesser worry.

The biggest worry was who in their right mind would inebriate or poison nobility. While aware of such a party, he should have placed higher stock over that event. It could have cost him his siblings lives. Identification of the perpetrators was at the forefront of his mind.
Three rhythmic thumps sounded against his door. ”Come in.” The familiar figure of Wystan entered his office. Auguste greeted him with a short, tired smile. An unintentional, barely restrained expression of fury now masked his features. ”Although I have received a preliminary report… What the hell happened last night, Wystan?”

It felt as if the night itself was trying to wrap around Charlotte and smothered her as she ran. The sound of her flats clacking against the cobblestone as the raindrops started to fall. Her heart pounded against her ribs as fear pushed her forward faster and faster. Thunder clapped in the background and a flash of lightning illuminated the reflection of her pursuer in a nearby puddle.“If you won’t kill yourself then I’ll do it for you!” The voice called from behind as footsteps gained on the terrified girl, “I am going to drive this ax into your skull and that pathetic excuse of a man you call a father!”

”Shut up! …Go away!”Charlotte cried over her shoulder. She sprinted faster, determined to survive. She rounded a corner only to run straight into a dead end. She inhaled but kept moving all the same. Charlotte threw herself forward without much more hesitation and attempted to climb up on a barrel with the intention to scale the wall. Tears threatened but she stayed focused as she adjusted her feet on top of the wobbly barrel and reached up to grab at a pipe. Alas, her arm was not long enough. Panic caused a whimper to escape her lips and she dared to try to jump to grab it. Her pursuer grabbed Charlotte by the leg in a tight grip, then dragged her down to the ground onto her back. The wind was knocked out of her as she hit the ground, then she laid there dazed. She laid a hand over her forehead as her vision refocused on the sight of the man standing above her.

It was Count Calbert with a huge axe. His dark hair was flying about in the wind of the storm, lightning flashing behind his head with loud cracks. His blue eyes s seemed to glow in the night as they looked down at her with malicious triumph. With a wicked grin, he stepped on her stomach, raising the axe before he brought it down with a swift swing.

“Charlotte!”

Charlotte rose up with a scream, clutching her head. “Ahhhhh!” She stared forward with wide eyes, patting her neck. Her head… was still attached to her neck. With a confused blink, her hands fell from her neck as her bedroom seemed to paint itself into reality around her. Then her gaze fell on Lorenzo. There was a pause, then she jumped up on her bed and eagerly hopped off it with a huge smile. She ran over and threw her arms around him in a hug. It was certainly a firmer one than usual. After she let go finally, she looked at him, babbling, ”Lorenzo!”She began with an exclaim, ”Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you! In the house, outside of the house, at the tavern, the library-Oh disparage it all- I am just so glad you’re safe!”

She couldn’t believe that after all that he had just waltzed in. If she had just been in a nightmare, was this another dream? Charlotte bit the inside of her lip. No, no this is real. He really just reappeared. He must have a good reason for this. He has to! He’d never just abandon me. Lorenzo’s clothes did look a little dirty. And he was still in his ball outfit! Where had he gone?

Charlotte caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror behind him. She had no room to talk. Her eyes had dark circles underneath and the whites of her eyes looked nearly bloodshot. In that moment, she also noticed the back of Lorenzo's coat. What? She slowly returned her gaze to his, her brows furrowing in a perplexed manner as she plucked a flower petal off his shoulder.

Time: DURING THE AFTER-PARTY
Location: Marek's After-party
Mentions: Marek@Alivefalling

---

“Oh please, I may be quote on quote ‘thirsty’, but certainly not for you right now!”

There the two were in the backroom of the underground, once lusting and thriving upon one another, now arguing even the most trivial matters. There Alden was, struggling to put his pants on as the sweat on him made everything stick too closely, making things incredibly uncomfortable as he sought to reposition himself back into the environment. On top of that, his voice was constantly breaking, as he felt his throat to be as dry as the desert. He desperately needed to drink something, and was getting even more annoyed by the bickering Nahir and him somehow engaged in. Is she unaware I am trying to be literal in my statements right now!, he frustratingly thought to himself.

"Would you be so kind and please stop saying that word?" Nahir picked up one of Alden's socks and chucked at him, making sure to aim for his face. "It's driving me insane!"

She struggled to slip on her skirts, the lightweight fabric sticking on her skin like glue. Her tongue felt like sandpaper in her mouth; every sound that came out of Alden's mouth sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Nahir had to get out of this room and as far away from him and his grating voice. She was unsure when and why they had begun to argue, but it had come from seemingly nowhere. One thing she knew for certain was that her skirts were useless! She threw the fabrics onto the bed, glaring at them as if they had insulted her, and pointed at Alden's shirt still on the bed. "Your shirt, I need it."

“My shirt?! Absolutely not, I refuse to expose myself like that out there!” . Alden removed the sock that had landed on his head, and just looked at her in bewilderment. He barely was able to put on his pants as they felt like a rough adhesive, restricting his movements as he tried moving them around. At the very least he was able to put them on. He looked at Nahir who was still very much exposed, and couldn’t help but to just let out a small chuckle. It's a shame for a gorgeous women like her, she bears an utmost nagging demeanor.

"Are Caesoanians always this prudish? You're acting as if they would actually want to look at you." She rolled her eyes.

He proceeded to grab his shirt off the bed, and waved his sock in his hand. “you know, maybe your clothes would actually fit you if you flail them around some more. It would make them more loose, like you.”

Nahir looked at him, matching his bewildered expression. During her momentary lack of judgment, she thought Alden Whatever-ton was a well-mannered man. Had she been influenced by the drink and whatever magic it had to make her believe that? Absofuckinglutly. Now she could see that he was just some pathetic excuse of a man who did not appreciate the gift she had given him. Her expression soon shifted to amusement before she had to cover her mouth and stop the laughter.

"You look so much prettier with your mouth shut. Or better yet, between my legs." Where I can suffocate you. She scoffed and picked up her skirts again, waving them around in his face before struggling to slip them on again. The fabric continued to stick to her skin, but she finally managed to get it past her hips.

“You see? I told you if you waved them around a bit they would eventually fit!”

Witnessing her expression, it was fairly easy to tell she was very peeved about his comment, which he is now realizing he probably went overboard on, but notice that she is more engaging in banter rather than arguing, at least to Alden. At the very least, my suggestions are speeding things up, and she seems to be enjoying it to some weird, sinister degree. Perhaps if I keep these comments up, we could move on more quickly. I’m already in boiling water as it is, how much worse can it get?. As Alden was attempting to slip on his shirt which he just couldn’t get past the sleeve at the moment, he saw his handkerchief tucked away in his pocket. He turned to look at Nahir who was still struggling to properly put on her articles, and simply smirked.

“You still look absolutely moist, my dear. I bet you're picturing how lovely it would be for me to be in between your legs as such. Here, take this and wipe off. Wouldn’t want to be leaving a snail trail for men to follow, hmm?”Alden sarcastically said as he tossed his handkerchief her way.

"I can assure you that the driest part of my body right now is between my legs; I should thank you for it, darling." Nahir rolled her eyes at him, her fingers finally tying the strings of her skirts. The movement of it all had caused another wave of heat to run over her like a carriage, and she almost debated leaving the room with no top. Unfortunately, Nahir was not in a bathhouse in Alidasht, and Caesonians were a bunch of puritans. So she took the wrap fabric and half-assedly wrapped it around her until her chest was covered. By the time she was done, Nahir was drenched. Beads of sweat rolled from her cheek down to her neck and chest. She eyed the handkerchief for a second before picking it up and wiping the forming beads on her forehead.

She looked at him and his poor attempt at dressing himself now. "Do you need some help there? Forgot to dress yourself all of a sudden now?" She tucked the handkerchief into her top fabrics and approached the room door. She could so easily open the door and leave Alden in the room, still struggling to dress completely. For now, the amusement she received from watching him struggle as she had was just a hair above a drink, for now.

“Excuse me, dearest, but at least I am attempting to put it on properly, and not wrapping the clothes around like a pauper. Perhaps the handkerchief could have been used to leverage your attire better.” It was clear both of them were at their wits end. Alden was finally able to get his arms through the sleeves of his shirt, but when he attempted to secure the buttons, his arms would not budge. It was much too tight of a fit to be able to move it freely. As he struggled to even bend his arms enough to at least attach the buttons, he froze as heard a most unsettling sound.

Riiiip

The sleeves around his elbows had ripped open. Alden closed his eyes and internally screamed at himself. This was one of his better shirts too. As he opened his eyes, he saw Nahir laughing across from him. He knew he had to keep composure and his dignity, whatever is left of it. He observed the torn sleeves and thought it may be best to remove them, which is exactly what he decided to do. He tore off the ends of his sleeves, and fitted the pieces into his pocket. At the very least his arms were now free in this state of humiliation, and finished putting on his shirt.

Alden gave a discerning smile and said “Perhaps it is best to depart. After you, milady.”

"Such a sweet gentleman," Nahir eyed his torn sleeves before walking past him with an amused smile that soon fell. As they proceeded to leave the room, they both heard Marik's voice. “I apologize to everyone, but it is time this party ends. I will have you all escorted out.”. Both Alden and Nahir were somewhat relieved, yet distraught. They were ecstatic that this fiasco was ending, but it also meant they would be deprived of their long desired drinks until they had had an opportunity to do so.

---

---

The sound of rapid footsteps made the plump King sit up with a gasp. His head trembled and his eyes widened as he looked around the room until his gaze caught sight of the backside of his dark-haired, idiot son as he left the room. Poisoned my ass! That lying little SHIT!

“Caaalllummmm!” King Edin roared as he jumped to his feet and practically charged through the doorway.“Where do you think you’re going! GET BACK HERE!” He pummeled his way through the hallway after his son, knocking past staff members like a bull in a china shop. He was rambling to himself now, wasting his breath, “He’s fucking fine! I can’t believe I was concerned with the welfare of those two shitheads. I knew this was all his-...” He started to huff as he struggled to keep up the pace of his sprint, his knees starting to buckle. “All his fault… All of it. Somehow… I’ll find out how…”

He leaned on his knees in defeat. It was a wonder how his most pathetic child ended up being so athletic. “Oh-!” The sight of his brilliant, perfect eldest son was before him. Wulfric was peering down the hallway after Callum but had not seemed to notice him yet. Edin looked up at his son, telling him between pants, “Go.” He needed a moment to wheeze. “Get him. He’s …ESCAPING. He needs to go-” King Edin broke off in confusion for a moment and grabbed the arm of a maid walking by, “Where is my wife holding her meeting again?”

“Um, the Entrance Hall I think.”

“The entrance hall!” He exclaimed as he looked at Wulfric. The maid cringed at his loudness as he tossed his grip off her without much care.

Wulfric had just decided to pursue Callum (at a sedate walking pace, thank you very much) when the king himself blustered up the previously empty side of the corridor. His eyebrows rose as he turned to take in the sweaty, panting, red-faced old man. He felt amusement creep in, but ruthlessly suppressed it before the hilarity of the situation could get its grip on him. No, no, this is no time for laughter. With some effort, he kept up an entirely neutral mask of polite curiosity as he regarded Edin.

He let the gravity of the situation exert its influence upon him. He obeyed his father, and dashed.

What a ridiculous sight we must make. Despite the sardonic thought, Wulfric ignored the servants he passed by, and paid no mind to the fact that his current attire was not the most conducive to running. While the clothing was generally light and unobstructive, he had on more layers than he’d prefer. He had to keep one hand on his sheathed sword as he sprinted, and the cloak presented a not insignificant risk of tripping.

Despite Callum’s head start, however, Wulfric was confident he would catch up soon enough. He couldn’t have got far yet, and there’d be few places to hide, if that’s what the aim was. Besides, he would never lose to his youngest brother in a race.

Callum continued his mad sprint down the castle hallway. He almost stopped as he heard his name spoken by Wulfric but thought better of it. If it had been Auguste, his other brother might be willing to help him. But Wulfric, Cal expected no sympathy from the oldest, from his father’s clear favorite. He took heavy, ragged, breaths as he passed by his own bedroom, a far too obvious place to hide. Edin’s voice carried down the hallway and provided just enough extra dose of panic to keep Callum moving. He could hear more footsteps echoing in the corridor. Shit. Is Wulfric now chasing me too?

Cal crashed into the billiard room, not his first choice for a hiding spot but he’d make it work. In the corner of the room was an alcove that held a statue, and it was a tight squeeze that took some climbing on the statue but he managed to tuck himself behind said statue with his back to the wall of the alcove. He focused on calming his breath, leaning his back to the wall.

Tired, nauseous, lightheaded, and confused he tried again to remember what was going on. Why had he woken up in the medical ward? He had a terrible hangover, that was clear, but that was nothing new. Neither did it make sense for Edin to have been there waiting for him, surely today was not the day the old man decided to start caring how much he drank. What happened last night? Callum couldn’t even remember how he’d gotten home and thinking about it only made his head feel worse.

The sound of a door opening then slamming shut somewhere ahead of him brought Wulfric to a stop. So, hide and seek it is. But which room? He stalked the corridor, considering where to begin his search…but then, a much more expedient solution came to his attention. A nearby maid, doing her best not to be noticed as she polished something or other. Wulfric stepped up to her, and inquired cooly, “Did you see where Callum went?”

A nervous expression was directed his way underneath her lashes. She mumbled a greeting of, “Your Highness,” and nodded timidly.

“Where,” he demanded. This question seemed to distress the maid; she bit her lip, and wrung her hands. A small corner of his mind automatically listed the possible reasons for her hesitancy; conflicting loyalty, a desire not to get involved, fear that she was the subject of his attention. A much larger part of him was pitilessly dismissive of her feelings - not only were they completely irrelevant, they were actively hindering him.

“I will not ask a third time,” he warned, thumb sliding his sabre out of its scabbard a bare few millimeters with a noticeable metallic clink. “Where?”

The young woman paled and staggered back with a gasp, but got the idea. A trembling arm rose to point out a direction. “T-the bi-billiard room,” a faint voice whispered.

Wulfric nodded, and fully resheathed the sword. “Very good,” he praised dispassionately, but wasn’t looking at her anymore. He left the servant behind as quickly as he’d approached her, sure steps taking him towards Callum’s chosen hiding place.

He opened the door to the billiard room ever-so casually, and calmly, quietly closed it behind him. He leaned his back on it, however, blocking off the only exit. He did not bother looking for his youngest brother, and tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling. “We are much too old for these sorts of games, wouldn’t you say, Callum?” His tone was nonchalant, expression placid, but he crossed his arms over his chest. Two fingers tapped in a light but impatient rhythm against his upper arm.

We are much too old for these games. Callum silently mimicked Wulfric's words and rolled his eyes. Then why the chase, Wulfy? Surely the oldest golden child had better things to do than start the morning off harassing him for their father’s benefit. But Wulfric didn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon and he was blocking off the door. So Callum climbed onto the statue, resting his head atop it, and draped his arms around the statue to keep his balance. At least it was just Wulfric, he could probably handle that.

“Morning, Wulf, just starting the day with some exercise. So, what’s uh going on?” Callum did his best to sound as innocent as he could manage, and even though it wasn’t a total lie, he knew full well Wulfric wouldn’t buy it. “Got any idea what crawled up Edin’s ass and bit him? Cause I’m drawing a blank here.” He gave a nervous laugh.

Wulfric’s head craned in Callum’s direction when the latter chose to reveal himself. “What is going on,” he repeated derisively. “So, you neither remember anything, nor have you been informed yet,” he concluded. He briefly closed his eyes, and a grim, tight-lipped smile formed. “Let me enlighten you then,” he said darkly.

“You lot were retrieved from your nightly escapade by mother and a group of knights,” he recounted. “And what a sorry state you were all in…You were largely comatose, and completely unaware during your brief periods of consciousness. It wasn’t even certain you’d wake by morning,” Wulfric bared his teeth in anger.

“Anastasia was hacking up blood. The possibility of poison was mentioned - it wouldn’t have been strange if she had died.” After a moment of staring down Callum, Wulfric turned away, chest heaving as he tried to regain a modicum of calm.

“Need I mention that our guests were similarly compromised?” he asked with quiet fierceness. “The Sultan’s son was in full hysterics, the Vizier’s son was a quietly raving mess…” he trailed off, shaking his head slowly.

“Now, every party of interest is to meet in the Entrance Hall, where we will be having a discussion.” He laughed emptily. “In other words, we will be doing our best to save your thankless hides and trying to prevent a war.”

Callum vaguely followed along with what Wulfric said. He had gone to a party with Ana, a few of the sultan’s kids, and a handful of others. Poisoned, well that sounded ridiculous. Marek was a good guy, he wouldn’t have done anything to hurt them, and surely Marek wouldn’t let them all get poisoned at one of his parties. Callum was sure of that. It sounded like they all drank too much and maybe took some drugs? Opium? That did sound like something he would do. Had he given that to Ana? Gods, he didn’t think he would be able to live with himself at all if something truly bad had happened to his sister.

“Oh.” Callum now only stared at the ground. “But Ana’s okay now, right? I think I heard her this morning.” He’d mostly stopped listening after Wulfric had said Ana could’ve died. He climbed and crawled his way back out of the hiding spot and sank to the ground. Did I give Ana opium? Stupid. Why did I do that? Everything started tasting like bile again and he struggled to not start heaving.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get Ana hurt. I think, I think it must’ve been opium.” Callum said in a quiet voice as he hid his face in his hands. This was definitely his fault. He pressed his palms against his closed eyes to make sure he wouldn’t start crying in front of Wulfric. Once he was sure he wouldn’t, Callum slowly stood back up with a tired sigh. “Okay, I’m going. Where am I going?” He didn’t look up at Wulfric, his head still hung low but he headed towards the door. For once he really believed he deserved whatever terrible punishment Edin had in mind.

Wulfric watched silently as Callum finally seemed to realize the full severity of the situation. Good. However, the dark satisfaction seemed to be tinged by pity - or was it worry? He shook off the feeling, disregarding it.

“I don’t know how Anastasia is,” he admitted. Hopefully, they would be seeing her shortly.

When Callum admitted he might have fed them both opium, his eyes narrowed, and harsh lines etched across his features. “Do not suggest so lightly that this might have been your fault when we are in front of the others,” he warned.

Wulfric took a moment to think, sighing. “I am no expert on drugs, but I doubt it was just opium. For one, the doctors would have identified it, and for another, it should not have produced the wide range of effects that were seen,” he reasoned calmly. Whether Callum was actually one of the culprits of peddling drugs or not wasn’t as important. What was was finding the one far likelier to have had a hand in this; the party’s host.

“I believe you all were slipped something - or perhaps, you thought you were taking one thing, and were given another,” he speculated. “The key issue is finding the one responsible,” he emphasized.

“So, if you know anything at all about the organizer, I suggest you speak up.” At that, Wulfric approached Callum, grasped his chin firmly, and tilted his head up. He met his brother’s eyes with serious intent. “Someone needs to be blamed for this, and I would prefer if that were not you nor Anastasia,” he stated.

Callum was still shaken to hear Ana had been so close to death, more so to still have no confirmation that she was alright, and that was all his fault. There was no one to hate but himself and he couldn’t blame Wulfric for hating him either. He didn’t even move as Wulfric grabbed his chin and forced their eyes to meet. He knew his brother would be able to tell if he was lying, there was no point to try.

“We received invitations from people wearing masks, I have no idea who they were, it just sounded like a good time. If anyone’s to blame for a simple party getting out of hand, it is me. Not Ana, no one else, just me. Blame me.” Callum was careful to only say things that were true and to make no mention of knowing the party's organizer. Marek was no royal, he had no protection from the crown’s wrath and Callum would send none if it his way.

“And we should go see if Ana’s alright.” He added, glancing towards the door. He didn’t want more questions from Wulfric, didn’t feel like testing how well he could stand up to an interrogation because the not knowing was making it near impossible to think about anything else.

Wulfric tightened his grip on Callum in frustration, then forced himself to let go. “Weren’t you listening when I said I don’t want you blamed?” He exhaled harshly, momentarily looking past Callum. Of all the times for his brother to become destructively self-flagellating…

Yet it was clear that Callum either could not or would not name someone else. Perhaps if he knew Anastasia faced as much risk as himself, if not more…Wulfric did not find the idea of manipulating his siblings in such a way tasteful, but if it had a chance of working, he was willing to do it.

He laid a palm on Callum’s shoulder. “I am afraid it is known that Anastasia was the one to have led you all to the party. If you wish to aid in her protection, I will need more information.” He walked behind his brother, trailing his hand along Callum’s back. “So, yes, let us go find her, but think very carefully. Remember what you can,” he whispered insidiously. If he could not trust that Callum was clever enough to blame someone else - anyone else - all he could think to do was wait until he was desperate enough to do so.

Because all had been said, Wulfric opened the door for them, and led Callum out, pushing him gently from behind, palm still on his back. Rather than retracing the path he’d taken to get here and risk meeting Edin, Wulfric guided them the other way around.

“Would you like me to make up a name to give you? Or just shift the blame to the first person who pops into my head? Very well, I think Count Damien is behind all this. No wait, maybe it’s the Sultan I saw hosting the party. Or, hmm, I think it was a very old fat man with a long white beard, called himself Clause. Would one of those do, Wulfric? Who should I condemn in my place? Whose head should roll because we all drank too much or dabbled in forbidden substances? I told you all I can remember, we received invitations to a secret party in a warehouse, one that promised no titles and a good time, we all chose to go.” Cal spoke as they walked, his brother leading the way. He found himself only agitated as Wulfric continued to pry for details. The anger at what he’d let happen to Ana was understandable but however she ended up in such a sorry state was his failure. But wanting someone’s head for simply throwing a party was something he’d play no part in.

Fury mixed with devastated disappointment as Wulfric’s fingers dug into Callum’s shoulder. He issued a long, shuddering exhale, then steeled himself. He continued forward resolutely, lips thinning, gaze scorching as he stared far into the distance. “On your own heads be it, then,” he snarled quietly. Finally, he let his hand drop from where he’d been keeping a point of contact with his brother. The warmth of another’s presence was quick to dissipate, and Wulfric’s fingers clenched into a fist as he thought that it may be an omen of things to come.

The two proceeded onwards. Wulfric stopped one of the servants they passed, and informed him simply, “Find my father and tell him I have successfully secured Callum and am escorting him to the meeting.”

Otherwise, the rest of the way to the Entrance Hall was spent in a tense silence. Thankfully, their mother and sister were both there. “Your Majesty,” Wulfric greeted, alerting the queen to their presence. Next, he took in his sister, carefully assessing her state. “Anastasia. It is good that you are up,” his expression minutely relaxed. While he was beyond pleased to see her comparatively better, however, he restrained his relief until barely any warmth leaked into his otherwise perfunctory tone. This was, after all, hardly a celebratory occasion.

Callum let out an immediate sigh of relief as he saw Ana alive and looking well enough. He followed Wulfric to the pair, offering only a nod and a half-hearted bow towards his mother. He didn’t say anything to the queen, not exactly sure how angry his mother was, and knowing his mouth would only make it worse. All of his warmth was saved for Anastasia, and to her, he offered his most sincere smile. “I’m so glad you're alright.” He said, continuing towards her and wrapping his arms around her. “And so sorry for whatever I did.” He whispered as he gave her a hug. Out of his whole family, he wasn’t sure he could stand it if Ana began to hate him too.

---

Mayet's memories of last night were but a blur. She remembers being invited to the so called 'after-party', the carriage she took with Anastasia but after that it was all a hazy mess. No matter how much she tried, she could remember little other than the anger, rage and bloodlust she felt, which gave her a terrible, terrible mood in the next day, much for the dismay of anyone who found themselves on her way. For now, there was still time for them to run, as Mayet took her time waking up, taking a shower and retrieving her ring-blade, which was still nailed to the wall to the other side of the room, missing a particularly expensive painting by a centimeter, leaving a deep cut into the wall.

Nala, unlike Mayet, didn't have quite an 'eventful' evening and instead simply spent the entire night sleeping, until Mayet arrived, slamming the door and throwing her ring-blade through the room, that is. Alarmed, Nala awoke with a jump as she hissed and looked around, worried that there was something going on, only to be met with an enraged Mayet. Her anger didn't subside until Nala approached her, pushing her towards the bed with her head and proceeded to lay down near her, to which, Mayet responded with a bit more grumbling, before she hugged Nala and almost instantly fell asleep.

Despite having no memories of what happened in that party on the previous night, Mayet knew that she wasn't someone who would drink herself to such a point. In fact, she wasn't someone who enjoyed alcohol that much... To think she would fall for such a cheap trick like poisoning... Especially when she wouldn't fell for something like that back home. Unlike the ball, when she wore an elegant dress, specifically chosen to further enhance her magnificence and make an impactful entrance, today Mayet was wearing a simple black dress, much like the ones she always used back in Alidasht. Light, practical and useful but still carrying it's charm.

"Twice. Not once, but twice we were gravely offended in our short stay in Caesonia." Mayet said to herself.

"Someone will be punished for what happened, they will be made an example to all those who think they can offend us without facing the consequences... I will personally see it through it." Mayet said, with a dangerous fire in her eyes as she looked to Nala.

"Before that though... Should we go see our siblings? I'm curious about what they think of all this... Our father can't just keep turning a blind eye to us being offended like that." Mayet said, gently patting Nala's head before she headed out,

---

To hear that his children had snuck out to go to a party wasn’t surprising to Raif in the slightest. No, the man would have been more shocked if that hadn’t have happened. What did irk him, however, was their state when they returned. How could they all be so foolish in allowing themselves to become that drunk and let their guard down. They could have all been easily killed and that fact was the most frustrating to all. A war could have easily been started last night with his children’s actions, something Raif truly wished to avoid in honor of his late wife. They weren’t the only ones that returned in rough shape, though. Even the prince and princess of Caesonia were in similar shape and it had him curious. He wished to know the story of each and every one those that attended, so when he heard word of how they were all to meet in the main hall to discuss what happened he was quite pleased.

The hour was quite early, but he didn’t care as he looked at the servant in front of him who had delivered the message. ”Wake them all up. If they protest, inform them they have me to answer to then.” He instructed them and the servant bowed, readying to leave before Raif thought of something else. ”Oh and inform Saiya I wish to speak to her privately after this is over with.” He added before waving them off. If anyone were to have more information on this party it would surely be the little Alidasht spy. He would pick her brain later, however, as he currently needed to make his way to the main hall of the castle.

Clothes for the day (No cape or weapons)

---

---

The splash of cold water from the bucket pulled the man from his slumber very suddenly. He rolled and stood up quickly ready for a fight that never came instead the two young men he asked to help him out last night at the ball stood in front of him, one with a now empty small pail.

“Apologies my lord we tried to wake you a few times, but the Queen requests your presence at the main hall.” Both boys couldn’t look him in the eye and almost seemed to be afraid of what he might do because of his rude awakening.

He tried to remember the events of the night but was quickly reminded of his nocturnal activities by a sudden bout of light headedness and pain. Did drunk Roman screw him over and not drink any water before drinking? Honestly, he couldn’t remember anything past the carriage ride over and meeting someone named Kazoo.

“you two are ok.” He spoke and looked around the room. It was a little messy well more than a little messy. He had stripped off his clothes after walking in and seemed to grab on to the sheets of the bed just to pass out on the floor.

“Please try to clean this up while im gone and later today at I think 1pm meet me at the black smith.“ Sauntering over to the mirror he dropped the blanket he was using to cover himself. Washing his face off he noticed the scratches and marks he had acquired the night before. “Looks like I got in a fight with a racoon. They sure are vicious here.” The necklace he always wore seemed to glow teal for a moment after he woke before darkening again, something he noticed but didn’t give it much attention.

he through on some traditional clothes, simple but still colorful to show off. Deciding to leave the cloak and bracers to pull his sleeves up and tie them above his elbows. The look put him somewhere between a low noble and commoner but that is what he preferred when not having to dress formal but still wanting to look good. His clothes also had several buttons and hand stitched intricate designs adorning his clothes.

Roman washed his face and drank some water feeling about as refreshed as he figured he would get without a full bath. Placing a few jasmine flowers in his pocket he nodded to the two young men with a smile, “see you at 1, at some point ill let you two know what I expect of you.” With that he was off towards the main hall. Noticeably not staring at anything that was too bright.

@princess

As Ashe was going through the motions, someone, presumably Vincent, their trainer approached her in speed and grabbed her wrist. If her eyes could scream, they would scream bloody murder. None may touch her without her permission. Her face remained impassive while Vincent went through his explanation of how the training will go.

Vincent was a big man, muscles barely contained in his golden shirt and his moustache made Ashe chuckle internally. He was the exact type of person that she enjoyed the most drinking with and would’ve probably asked him for a drink after if he wouldn’t have touched her without permission.

Ashe smiled viciously at Vincent and grinned even more as he asked her for permission to touch her. She cracked her neck and closed her eyes, centering herself. She turned her left hand and grabbed Vincent’s arm which held it, barely managing to encompass it and pulled Vincent towards her unexpectedly, approaching her body to meet his, she gave him a kiss on the lips.

Her other hand instantly went to her tantō dagger which was in its sheath and pulled it out driving it towards Vincent’s throat. As soon as the tantō drew a tiny drop of blood, she pulled it away.

“ Very cute. You’d be dead now if this was a real fight. Don’t try to touch me again without permission lest…” said Ashe with a glint in her eye, then proceeded to lick the blood that was on the tip of the tantō.

“ Mhm, sweet. ” continued Ashe grinning.

Time: 9am
Location: Danrose Entrance Hall
Interaction:@Helo Callum/Leo @ReusableSword Roman @Rodiak Nahir/Zarai @Silverpaw Wulfric @Infinite Cosmos Munir @13org Mayet @Lava Alckon Farim @Tae Saiya/Sultan

---

Alibeth had nodded curtly to Wulfric. Her gaze moved to Callum, and it did soften though she said nothing. In fact, she was silent, perhaps awkwardly so, until everyone was present in the room. "I expect looks of shame on your faces and the beginnings of apologies being crafted in your minds as you stand here." Alibeth started off with absolutely no greeting for the imbeciles before her.

She stepped forward as her eyes moved to the Sultan, "However, Your Majesty Sultan Raif Kadir, I owe you more than one apology for what's happened. I will be allocating more of our guards to be used at your disposal in your estate and preparing gifts to remedy the atmosphere. No one will be allowed to leave the castle late at night without approval again. Everything will change from here on. This apology extends to the other noble parents present who had to worry about the location of their children last night."

Her eyes flashed as she whirled back on the partygoers; however, she was not facing the Sultan's children. Her gaze moved from Anastasia to Callum, Zarai, Roman, and then Leo. They all knew better. "You may want to protest and say to me now that you are not children. From where I stand, that does not appear so. As ladies and gentlemen of higher status, you know that a target is painted on your backs wherever you go. You put yourselves in danger without empathy towards your families or yourselves. " She lifted her chin to now look down on them with disdain, "You also had no empathy for the Alidasht offspring, who put their trust in you and had no inkling of where they would end up. I am immensely disappointed and, as I am certain, are your parents."

"Now, more importantly, I demand to know whose party this was. We know that they are a criminal attempting to lure in nobles. There will be a handsome reward for whoever confesses this." Alibeth moved forward and snapped her fingers, "However. I know you were all invited and led to the party by someone." Her gaze did not fall on anyone, and she simply folded her hands neatly as the brown-haired stable boy was dragged in by guards, his face bruised and his body limp. His shirt was ripped and if one looked closely, his back was scarred. Before anyone could react, there was then a sudden interruption. The huge door swung open loudly.

"On behalf of!"

King Edin's voice rang through the entrance hall. He leaned on his knees to huff. "On behalf of Prince Cal-"His head rose, and he met Alibeth's eyes. After sensing her displeasure in his sentence, he halted his words, simply straightening and walking to her side. "Did Callum apologize yet?"He whispered in her ear.

Alibeth forced her husband a smile and merely continued, "This is Darryn Fletcher. He is the stable boy who drove the carriage to the party. Today, he will die for his crime."

Vincent's eyes widened immediately as the woman's lips met his and his gaze moved about immediately. Vincent had grown up on the streets and his impulse was to go on the defensive. The glint of metal sparkled in the sunlight, and he grabbed her wrist before it could reach his neck, though she did manage a drop of blood anyway. "Very cute."He mimicked her as he tossed her grip aside and attempted to flip her down onto her back. "But not cute enough. No weapons in a self-defense class. I did ask your permission madam. Attacking me with a dagger is an assault and I do not take kindly to those who break my rules. I want everyone to feel safe here, but! I apologize if I have not made you feel that way." There was no way the Great Vincent would be embarrassed in front of students! He had to remedy this.

His thick brows narrowed down as he pointed at her accusingly, "BUT! Since you seem to think you know better, I will ask you to leave. That is my mercy! You are banished from Vincent's Class!" He got into a defensive position, ready to fight if he had to.

Wulfric silently stood by his mother’s side as she made her speech. Her approach was largely similar to the one he’d thought best. But what finesse! The demanding concern, stern admonishments, the inducement of guilt, and her parental disappointment! And all genuine, yet used with such surgical precision… It was a joy and an honour to behold, though he kept the satisfied admiration well to himself. His bearing and expression matched the queen’s haughty severity, and he regarded the group in front of him coolly.

He wondered what gifts his mother would grant, but aside from ensuring their high quality, the items themselves did not matter all that much. The gesture itself would be enough to foster good will with the disgruntled nobles. The gift-giving was the only thing that had not intuitively come to mind when he’d initially considered how he would resolve this situation. Otherwise, the queen’s actions came as no surprise.

Indeed, from promising increased security, to allocating personal guards to their guests, apologizing to them for their oversight, and to finding some appropriate servant to blame, these were the very things Wulfric had suggested should be done to his father. However, he was quite content that the executor of these demands and reassurances was his mother. Certainly, Edin wouldn’t manage to handle this appropriately.

Speaking of the devil. His head turned at the door swinging open, and he beheld the entrance of his father. The old man was still winded. Without any thought whatsoever to his image or the significance of his words, Edin clearly meant to apologize for Callum. Wulfric’s eyes flashed in anger, but retained his façade of neutrality despite the sudden (yet brief) flare of loathing.

You. You instilled that damnable self-blame in him. The cause of his would-be martyring for this shitshow if you or Callum had it your way. It was so obvious – but only now, in retrospect. After all, his youngest brother had never seemed to care no matter how much his father had cursed and censured him before this; had in fact, took pride in it. Yet, their previous conversation revealed that, at least partially, Callum must have taken their father’s poisonous nonsense to heart.

Thankfully, the queen’s silent rebuke was enough for Edin to stop in his tracks. The king then silently went to his wife’s side, and Wulfric followed his movements with interest. So, you can be brought to heel. Tendrils of dark delight unfurled within his chest at the scene. It was quite the rare treat he’d just witnessed, there.

He’d barely spared a glance at the stable boy when he’d been brought in, and was supremely indifferent to his plight. It was only proper and sensible that he be executed, to be sure.

After letting a moment of silence ring after the queen pronounced her judgement of Darryn, Wulfric decided to pitch in. “If any of you,” he let his gaze pass from peer to peer, lingering a tad longer on the noble children of Caesonia, “has an inkling as to this event’s organizer, or if you wish to relay any other pertinent details, please do speak up.”

He briefly took in Callum, then finally settled on Anastasia. “Dear sister,” he began thoughtfully after a moment, as if something had just occurred to him. “You and our brother are rather familiar with various forms of…entertainment here in Sorian, are you not?” This was a rhetorical question. “Was this simply some random, mysterious party you were all invited to? Or could you perchance provide us with the name or names of any who might have hosted such a thing?” His tone was full of innocent curiosity as he tried catching Anastasia’s eyes.

Though he was taking a bit of a risk here, calling out his siblings that way, he believed his words and demeanour conveyed that he did not truly suspect or doubt them. No, it was instead a mere expression of his genuine belief that someone took advantage of them. Though he expressed not an ounce of his misgivings, Wulfric was privately skeptical they’d admit to anything. These two were still so trustingly naïve, after all…

Regardless of his inner reservations, however, he was now in the role of a concerned brother, and of a prince eager to learn more. All in aid of resolving this matter as swiftly and efficiently as possible.

---

Back in Alidasht, Mayet was infamous for being incredibly hard to deal with once she was in a bad mood or when she was angry. As such, most of the Alidasht guards and servants knew better than to stand in her way as she made her way to the meeting room, after being summoned by the Sultan Raif Kadir and the Queen Alibeth. Fortunately, after the first, icy-cold stare she gave to one of the guards, which tried to say that she couldn't take Nala or her blade with her, the nearby guards understood the message loud and clear.

Inside the meeting room, Mayet's anger was almost palpable. The heavy aura around her and Nala were enough to drive most people to sit far away from her, with the exception of her siblings and cousins. Queen Alibeth's calculated speech showed itself to be completely ineffective against Mayet, whom, instead, only grew further displeased by her speech, something which she made no effort to hide.

"It's been only a day since the Alidasht Royal Family arrived in Caesonia... And not only we were already insulted a number of times but there was even an attempt to poison or intoxicate us... All in a single day. Too much to be just a mere coincidence... And now you are saying we won't be allowed to come and go as we please, after what was basically an interrogation session?" Mayet said with a dangerously low tone and a raised eyebrow as she looked to Queen Alibeth, with Nala growling in a similarly menacing tone as she spoke. Discerning which one was more menacing between Mayet's tone and the tigress' growl was impossible.

"Do not expect me to just stay silent and tolerate seeing my dear siblings and cousins humiliated and our kingdom disrespected." Mayet said, with both her eyes, her tone of voice and the fact that she had not only Nala, but her blade with her, sending a clear warning to those at the room.

Her glance towards the Sultan after she said so was a clear indication of how unsatisfied she was with how passive he had been thus far, regarding the many times they were offended and nothing was done.

When Queen Alibeth brought the stable boy to the room, saying he would be the one to die to pay for his 'crimes', Mayet frowned. Using a random nobody as a scapegoat, to take the blame for an incident that could only have been orchestrated by someone with power and influence... Was that just an attempt to save face or she really did expect them to just believe that all would be fine and solved once that stable boy died?

"All these... 'Incidents'... Both related to the Alidasht Royal family and other high standing nobles... These doesn't seem to be just a coincidence..." Mayet said, with a very sharp, gaze as she looked towards the Queen.

"And definitely, not something a random stable boy, who lacks power, influence and contacts could orchestrate by himself..." Mayet said, with sharp eyes.

Despite not saying much about the matter, her thoughts about the situation were clear to anyone who paid even a little bit of attention to her words. She was suspicious that someone was trying to use their presence on Caesonia to provoke the factions and create a diplomatic incident. Something which could greatly hinder the relationship between all kingdoms involved or maybe even throw the kingdoms into a war...

It didn't take long until King Edin appear bursting through the door, in quite a pathetic display as he tried mumbling about saying something on behalf of someone. Such a pitiful display only made Mayet even more certain that if there was someone who was capable of using political schemes to try and make a fool of Alidasht, it would be the Queen.

Even though Wulfric was someone who did attract Mayet's interest, the moment he started speaking and looking around as he asked if someone knew something about the event organizer, he would find Mayet staring back at him with a cold, piercing stare, should his gaze extend to her as well. A clear warning that she did not appreciate being interrogated like that.

"If I knew something about the owner of that party, I wouldn't be sitting here. By now... Their blood would already be on my blade and I would already have some of answers I seek." Mayet replied with a cold gaze, her tone was a clear warning that she wasn't bluffing.

@princess @Blizz

Ashe was surprised for a second at Vincent's fast movements. A person his size to move that fast was a thing hard to expect and something Ashe learned now the hard way.

" You said we can use anything to defend ourselves, I used my tanto. Didn't think that would be an issue, if you would've said use anything that's not a weapon...that would've been something else. " said Ashe with a smile on her face, her voice friendly.

Lifting the hand which Vincent grabbed initially, she pointed a finger towards it and continued talking

" But, sir. You asked me for permission to touch me after you already did so. I merely thought you meant to attack me from such a big and imposing man as yourself. I am truly sorry for any problems I might have caused, you surely must understand that your appearance intimidated a person such as me. ”. Ashe took a moment to showcase her body in a very non-threatening way.

“ But fine, if you wish me to leave, I shall. I’m staying at the brothel overnight, just ask for Ashe and they’ll send you to whatever room I rented. ” a grin followed.

Ashe swiftly dressed up, put her odachi back before checking it again and walked away. With a lot of time left until the duelling tournament, she was at a loss as to what to do. It was too early for her to go back to the brothel, she just had breakfast and visiting her old mansion would’ve brought too many bad memories. Only one thing was left to do, have a drink and listen to rumours at the closest bar to her.

The day was busy after whatever party the king had, peasants, workers, dignitaries and all sorts of people minding their business. Whatever those might’ve been. Following the flow of the crowd, Ashe found herself in front of a bar. Deciding any bar is better than no bar, she went in. Even in the early hours there were a few people inside, drinking or eating.

Making her way to the bar, she ordered a drink and turned on her chair, scanning the crowd. Maybe there was someone inside that would prove interesting. Some gamblers in the corner, someone who looked more drunk than one could at 9 AM in the morning and…

“ Now that one looks interesting. ” said Ashe to no one in particular, turning the head of someone next to her in surprise.

Ordering two drinks from the bar, she made her way to what seemed to be a very beautiful woman with red hair and a sword at her side. Her bearing screamed “trained fighter” to Ashe’s sense and without wanting, Ashe was on her guard while approaching her.

Taking a seat next to her, Ashe put the two drinks in the middle of the table. One for her and one for the other person.

“ Greetings, hope you don’t mind me sitting next to you. ” said Ashe in a friendly voice.

Time: Morning
Location: Danrose Palace Entrance Hall
Interaction: @princess Queen Alibeth/King Edin/Anastasia @ReusableSword Roman @Rodiak Nahir/Zarai @Silverpaw Wulfric @Infinite Cosmos Munir @13org Mayet @Lava Alckon Farim @Tae Saiya/Sultan

Callum moved away from Anastasia and looked toward his mother as she started speaking. His mother continued with the expected speech; how disappointed she was in them all and her expectation of apologies from them all. The idea of a curfew was ridiculous, acting like a party was some sort of nefarious affair seemed even more absurd.

Then she had guards drag out a bruised, bloody, and scarred Darryn and Cal felt everything turn cold. He knew before she said it, what her plan was, and a brief glance at his mother showed nothing but a cold expression. It wasn’t how he usually saw her, it was a side of her he often tried to forget existed, the part of her that was just as much of a monster as Edin. The king it seemed had very little to do with what was happening now, it was all his mother who was standing there casually condemning a man to die. There was no amusement at watching Edin breathlessly shamble in, only the sinking feeling of dread that caused the color to drain from his face even before Alibeth spoke the words he knew were coming.

"Today, he will die for his crime."

Callum’s eyes shot to Wulfric as his brother spoke, a cold, angry, stare and nothing else. He’d told Wulfy he wasn’t playing this game and wouldn’t fall in line while they made sure someone suffered for this just so his family could save face. Did Wulfric think he was bluffing?

Mayet had voiced her displeasure at the situation, at least someone else here could see what his family was trying to do. He could use that, at least one of the Aldidashti wouldn’t be satisfied seeing an innocent man blamed for this, he could make this decision look worse for them. His family didn’t care about the blood they spilled but they did care about appearances. He glanced at Wulfric before he spoke, I did tell you I wouldn’t go along with this, he thought.

“The Shehzadi is absolutely right, a servant follows orders and Darryn simply followed mine. To use him as a scapegoat to try and both protect me and as appeasement is not only ridiculous but insulting to our guests. As I have already told my dear brother here, I ordered the stable boy to take us to the warehouses, just like I roped Anastasia into rounding everyone up last night to accompany me on yet another ill-advised outing. Secret parties aren’t new here; we get invitations from someone whose face we never see, and a location, that is all I know. I thought it’d be a good time, thought our guests would have a good time. Clearly, I was wrong.” He said doing his best to keep the spite from his tone and trying to only sound sincere.

Callum didn’t waste a single thought thinking of how anything he said would reflect on him or the Danrose family. If he couldn’t embarrass them out of executing Darryn then he’d make them regret it. He could keep talking, he could always find more things to say while he was in front of the all-important Alidasht guests to drag the Danrose name through the mud. He wondered if he could count on Edin to do as he always did; to blame his youngest for everything that went wrong. Despite how entertaining it would be to hear his father defend him, for once he found himself hoping he wouldn’t.

“So, my sincerest apologies for bringing our guests along on my dangerous outing. And I ask of his majesty the Sultan, and his family, how I can right my mistake. Surely penance from the offending prince is a better offering than the execution of an innocent man.” Callum spoke looking only at the Sultan and his family, hoping they’d prefer his offer.

Those pancakes were very easily done away with when the plate was sat down in front of the General. and when the utter work of art in the form of a woman sat next to her, her day just got considerably better. Fiery red hair, eyes greener than seafoam, and a sword. Her type, through and through, so she learned when a drink was sitting down in front of her.

That armor was well-worn, Lyra could tell by the way it moved under the woman’s weight. She was comfortable in it, and it said something when she didn’t move under the weight of a sword for so long. Lyra’s eyes traveled over her curiously for a moment, deciding that she wasn’t about to turn down the company of someone this attractive.

”Not at all. It gets boring in this city without company.” A small smile crept up on Lyra’s face as she took a sip of the offered drink, appreciative that the first person to speak to her was so easy on the eyes.

Ashe took the seat and admired for a few seconds the lady in front of her. Those eyes, the hair, the muscles, exactly what she wanted in her bed every night.

“My name is Ashe. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. ” said Ashe with a grin and a clink in her eye, while taking a sip of her own drink.

“ Your accent doesn’t sound from around here. May I take a guess and say that you’re not from around here? ”

”You could say I was raised here. Many, many years ago, when I was young. I left when I was old enough to swing a sword. I’ve come home today after retirement.”

Lyra sipped the drink graciously. ”General Carris, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Ah’.That makes sense, it felt familiar, your accent yet different. I don’t think I’ve heard it anywhere else and I’ve been everywhere else. ” replied Ashe with a wink.

“ Old enough to swing a sword? So, that sword isn't just for show? ” asked Ashe with a grin.

”Ah, it certainly is not. It is a weapon of war, after all.” Lyra met Ashe’s eyes with a grin herself, as she slowly emptied the glass in front of her. ”I take it your weapon is not for show either?”

“ All weapons are made for war. Either a war between men or a war with yourself. ” answered Ashe almost immediately. To master the way of the sword means to master yourself. “ My odachi? Surely it is for show. After all, dueling is part show and part mastery of the sword. If you’re into this particular show, maybe you’ve heard of Silver Fang?”

Silver Fang. The name of Ashe’s odachi and her nickname among duelists of any repute, a name which would normally attract the admiration of the men and ladies.

”Indeed I have,” A hint of admiration could be heard in her voice. ”I am sat before a world-renowned duelist. This is certainly an honor I hadn’t expected to enjoy today.” General Carris was well-versed in the stories of men and women who rose to such status, being one such woman herself, and the name was quite familiar to her.

Ashe grinned and leaned closer, shifting her body to allow the odachi to shine in the light at the same time.

“ Ah, so, you do know who I am. Honor or pleasure to make my acquaintance? ” continued Ashe, adding a wink at the end.

“ But enough about myself. I am at a loss here, you seem to know who I am. Yet, I don’t know who you are, Carris. Beautiful name, if I may say so. ”

”Oh, you flatter me, Ashe.” She suppressed a giggle that would’ve sounded like a schoolgirl laugh. ”I am a retired Major General from my late homeland, Baltyria.” The General rose straighter in her seat as she spoke with pride in her deeds. ”I am retired now, and I have been feeling homesick in recent years… I decided to come home.”

Ashe lifted an eyebrow in surprise. A major general stood in front of her. Her military hunch seemed to be right. In years past, Ashe spent a few months in a minor campaign between two distant lords as a mercenary for one part, only to double cross him and join the otherside when it seemed they would win. A bounty of her head ensured but she fixed that one herself by turning someone who looked almost similar to her in.

“ I am honored to sit at the table of a major general and a foreign one at that. Can’t say that I’ve traveled to Baltyria yet. Been pretty much everywhere in this world in my younger years but not Baltyria. You could say I felt homesick as well, hence why I’m back after long years in this place. As much as I hate it…” said Ashe with a grin and then towards the end, tried to keep a straight face but regret creeped into her voice.

”It is a very distant place from here. Much further from Caesonia than Alidahst is. Half a year to travel home from that place in the world, by sea and then by horse.” Lyra was taking in what she could, reading this woman like a book. The slight changes in her expression implied something, but she would have pried within minutes of meeting her. ”It is beautiful there, if you ever find yourself far enough west, but I felt called back here, so I made the journey again after many years.”

“ I grew up here. It looked different back then. It’s a shit-hole right now. In all honesty, I don’t think I’ll ever leave this place anymore. I’ve returned home to do what I couldn’t when I left and after that? I don’t know but something tells me I won’t be able to do much more… ”. Ashe’s tone was intended to be neutral but towards the end it turned into the tone of a woman who knows that she will die and she’s welcoming it. The tone of the soldier volunteering for a suicide mission. The finality of death, a sweet embrace for one such as Ashe.

Ashe sounded like she was hiding a sense of remorse for things. Lyra knew how that felt, being in a place full of bad memories and dead ends. Although she would have loved to delve into the inner machinations of this stunning woman, they had just met, and thus more time would be required. ”There is only ever what you decide you are able to do, Ashe. I have decided I will do little more with my life than what I choose to do, else I would not have made such a journey home. I didn’t think I’d ever leave home for the first time myself, and yet I left and rose to greatness in the eyes of distant kings. You sound sure enough of your imminent future for someone who says she won’t do much.”

Taking another sip of her drink and finishing it, Ashe shook her head and then smiled. All traces of regret, death and all else removed from her face. It was a facade she kept for a very long time in front of everyone.

“ I didn’t leave home because I had a choice but apologies, here I am, sharing a drink with a charming woman and ruining the mood. I know what my far future will bring me and I’m ready for it, but I'm more interested in the near future or in other words, you. What do you say, another round and then…we leave this place? There’s a place close-by where we can get to know each other better. ” said Ashe with a sparkle in her eye.

”Mm. Where would that be? If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you were inviting me to a duel, but those will take place later this evening.”

General Carris finished her drink with a sly smile. ”Another drink does sound wonderful right now.”

She was curious about this woman, as she was about many women.

Ashe laughed out loud and grinned at Carris. “ My, my. You don’t know me for half an hour and you already know what I plan to do. You certainly were a good general. Those duels as they call them? Those are not real duels, mere fights that are meant to imitate the art of dueling. Real duels happen on the spot, in the heat of the moment. Feeling your adversary fighting for their apparent life, now, that…That, is a real duel.

Let’s agree then on something. I’ll buy you another drink and then you’ll follow me. Trust me, you’ll have fun and if you’re as good as you look, you won’t need to fear getting mugged or whatever else. Will that work for you? ”

Her expression remained set in a smile. ”You, my lady, have a deal. Buy me one more, and we’ll see if that sword really is for show.” Lyra slid her glass to Ashe’s, mentally running through observations of this woman and the way her sword was shaped. A lot could be gleaned on presence alone, after all.

Ashe smiled, took the glasses and went over to the bar, occasionally looking behind at Carris. A beautiful woman, smart and with military experience. Just that was enough for Ashe’s plans but the beauty was certainly a nice bonus.

Ordering 2 more drinks from the bar, she made her way back to Carris. Putting one in front of her and Carris’s side of the table.

“ Got us two more of the same as before. Hope that’s not a problem. My odachi isn’t just for fun. I spent a small fortune to get it done. Three times the iron was heated, cooled down and forged. It’s a masterpiece. ” said Ashe, continuing to explain how the odachi was made and how it was different from all other types of blades that the three kingdoms are using.

Odachis were long weapons that valued reach. Lyra knew this much. She was no stranger to curiously designed weapons. Her own sword was decorated with metal roses across the guard and on the pommel-end. The entire weapon gleamed with a reddish tint in the right lighting once it was pulled from its scabbard. General Carris happily took the drink and savored it. ”It takes a certain type of skill to handle a weapon with such reach. That is impressive. I look forward to seeing how you wield it.”

“ It did take me a long time to learn how to use it properly but reach isn’t everything about it. The blade can cut through armor with relative ease, not going to say what it can do to unarmored targets but I’m pretty sure you can imagine. It’s a weapon made for killing the opponent in a duel or injuring them permanently. I will not be using this for our duel. We’ll be using dull swords, heavy enough to stimulate a real duel but not enough to cut through something. ” said Ashe, the odachi she had made was for the sole purpose of fulfilling her goal. Duels with it were just training. It takes a lot of skill not to kill someone with a weapon specifically made to kill people.

She then quickly added : “That is, unless you want to try it but I’d feel bad if I would cut off your hands. They might…be of use later. ” and ended it with a wink.

Lyra considered Ashe’s words for a moment. ”Hm. Let me assure you. I won’t allow a woman, even one as striking as you, to harm me to such an extent. In my days, I’ve learned that a duel is only a duel when a real weapon is in your hands. I trust you aren’t attempting to underestimate your opponent, or more importantly, your own skill by using fake weapons.” She paused, ”Unless of course, you are admitting your skill is not to such a level that you have the restraint necessary. There is no shame in that.”

Ashe sipped on her drink quietly, listening to Carris talk.

“No one said anything about you allowing me to harm you. Sometimes it just happens but I do agree that a duel works better with a real weapon. ” making a small break, Ashe took another sip of her drink and smiled at Carris before continuing “ Underestimate my own skills? I wouldn’t be where I am in the dueling world if I would do that. ”

As Carris said her last piece, Ashe laughed out loud, attracting the looks of different patrons.

“ Oh’ my lady, now you’re provoking me. Our duel will surely be fun. Want to make a small wager on it, to keep things going? ”

This was starting to get interesting. Lyra was at least halfway through her glass when Ashe mentioned a wager. ”Well, that would certainly make this day better. What did you have in mind?”

“ Depends. Money? ” said Ashe, pondering it for a second then shook her head.

“ Nah, that would be boring but I’ve got an idea. What about a kiss if I win…or more?” continued Ashe while grinning

If Lyra’s smile could get any wider, it would have.

”Oh, I’m almost inclined to forfeit were it not for the fact that I have a reputation to maintain. I’ll accept that wager. But, what if I win? What do I get in return?” She asked with a sip of her drink.

“ If you win? Good question. I don’t lose duels but for the argument's sake, Let’s say…I’ll make you happy? ” replied Ashe almost instantly with a wink at the end then quickly downed her drink.

”Oh, I’m sure that you will. Some extra satisfaction after a quick victory sounds lovely at this hour, if I do say so myself.” She caught the grin on Ashe’s face, and was already formulating a battle plan.

“ A quick victory? Now, who’s underestimating whom? I didn’t earn my reputation for nothing. Let’s up the wage then. I win, you make me…happy. You win, I will make you happy. Agreed? ” said Ashe, half laughing-half grinning.
”It’s a deal. Where will we be drawing swords, my fair lady of the morning?” Lyra asked with a quick downing of the last quarter of her drink.

Ashe stood up and motioned Carris to follow, after leaving one coin on the table as a tip to whomever will get to it first. She knew very well that some urchins or children of the street would occasionally go around pubs early in the morning, looking for lost coins.

“ Please follow me. I’ve got the perfect place in mind. I trained there when I was younger and still hiding from my parents who didn’t want their daughter to be unlady-like as they called it. ” her tone dropped a bit at the mention of her parents. A verbal tic that she never managed to remove.

”Mm. Lead the way, then.” Lyra stood up, straight and dignified with her hand resting on the pommel of her sword out of habit as she adjusted the collar of her outfit, following Ashe out and toward a battlefield.