He didn't linger at the estate long, he wasn't eager to sort through his thoughts. He waited just long enough for Delilah to retreat with his luggage and then a moment longer to take in the main entrance before he'd made his quick retreat. He tore down the stairs and past the fountain without sparing either a second glance, putting it behind him for the moment and letting himself pretend that this was just a short visit. Some things were easier when he didn't put much thought into them, this was one of those things.

He could still remember his way to the park, luckily, and he hoped that seeing Charlotte would at least distract him. It wouldn't be so bad to see Lorenzo either. In fact, as he walked, he grew more and more confident in where he was headed.

He had almost settled himself entirely by the time the park was in view, the sunshine casting a faint glimmer over everything. It, too, was as beautiful as he remembered it being. A warm, open place with lush, green grass and flowers that made the air smell sweet. He, admittedly, felt a touch out of place in mostly tones of gray and black but he didn't think it really mattered. He could see some familiar faces, some... unfamiliar faces, and a--

--what looked to be a small gathering where the waffles were being served?

Something like anxiety washed through him when he recognized Charlotte and Lorenzo from where he stood, with some manner of reluctance, he quickly pressed his way over across the grass. By the time he was in earshot, he could only make out yelling. Those who weren't yelling were arguing quite loudly. He was stuck in place, watching in mild alarm as the good doctor pressed a knife to the throat of one of the patrons. He wondered, maybe not for the first time, if he could still leave.

He didn't leave, although this whole debacle might have provided the perfect distraction for a retreat back to the house.

He cleared his throat, spoke calmly and clearly. "Do I even want to know?" Which was an astonishingly uncolorful statement from Devan, not littered in every obscenity that he felt was necessary to the situation. "Good God, I'm starting to think my parents set me up."

As polite a greeting as this was, it wasn't exactly "hello, Charlotte, I'll be staying at your house all summer". Although, he wasn't certain he was her primary concern or anyone's primary concern, really. The entire gathering looked as if it had been doomed to fail from the beginning. Charlotte was standing defensively with a hand on the arm of a blonde girl that he didn't recognize and Lorenzo was facing off with a caned gentleman who seemed eager for a fight.

Or something. He mostly just seemed eager. People who weren't entirely in touch with reality usually seemed a little overly eager.

As an after-thought, maybe, he added, "Hello."

Interactions: @heartfillia crystal, @prosaic kieran
Mentions: @13org mayet
Location: Pancake Central

Priscilla does not push shallow faith in her brother's ability to love.

Priscilla has admired true love in its most beautiful forms. The sonnets, every longing and grateful poem, and the recountings of great love stories from elders. And she knows her brother--honest and loyal and deserving of love. A home without it must return some karma, at least for one of them. She's bad, and possibly embarrassing, but it was not for wanting her brother to embrace happiness in honesty, have unbashful love without fear, and live fully for the both of them.

That interaction between the two of them does not escape her.

Nothing does.

It was something her parents weren't capable of."What? My parents did not reserve a moment to acquire all attention for any of their frivolous remarks. There must have been the most dramatic of happenings to finally overshadow them," she mused. Evil flashed through her eyes. Subtle, controlled evil that granted her happiness from the greatest of powers: bitterness.

Crystal now caters to whimsical strings of words once again, taking her to this woman from Alidasht just because Priscilla expressed some longing for it! Her kindness was good to have-- in a friend and in a networking connection. Priscilla let Crystal lead since this was a rare opportunity that she's witnessed her friend take charge in her presence. She stood behind at first-- letting the other two hover awkwardly around the stranger before she whipped her fan open to gently fan herself under the morning sun.
"I've seen tigers illustrated before but the real sight certainly adds much more," she hits Kieran's back to make him step forward instead of cowering behind her in front of a guest of their dear city. Priscilla's piercing stare at Mayet is just as intense as a tiger's-- hopefully, she did not take offense. This is just how Priscilla always looked. "We thought we would approach you since this park has been reserved for a social occasion. I am Priscilla-Rue Edwards and these are my dear friends who will politely introduce themselves. And-"

There is a stir. There is drama- and so Priscilla must go look.

And look she did.

Look who it was, Duke Lorenzo causing problems once more. "The Duke of Veirmont always seems to demand decorum where he possesses none, and only a penchant for attracting the worst of energies," she scorns.

The table flips-- and Priscilla is amongst those who gasp in the clatter.
[b][color=f6989d]
"And madness ensues."[/b][/color]

It did.
"What is your name? I can only assume that you are from Alidasht, and I know many names of those who come to visit my city from there and unfortunately no names to connect them to. I missed any entrance last night due to an unfortunate physical ailment" What? Just because she was not royal did not mean Priscilla did not sit back and see what happened in Sorian like a passive unknowing bystander.

If she were running the event, the commotion would never come to the point of a knife against someone's neck. She would put her foot down-- but she hated dealing with the Vikenas more than anything. It was saying something when the mega-bitch of Caesonia's high society got tired of dealing with Duke Lorenzo-- mostly due to her mother's hatred of him. Priscilla would never hear the end of it if she got involved.

She did spy a tear falling down Charlotte's cheek-- in a way where someone crying tries to not recognize such. Pitiful, really. Unfortunate timing diverged their paths, but Priscilla did not hold any contempt for that girl one bit. She never could, but for her own sake, she had to stand back with a frown behind her fan.
"Do not try and run away from me Lady Priscilla!"

If she was the mega-bitch of high society, Lady Harlow was a coined wannabe in Sorian. [[color=f6989d]b]"Oh, what is it now?"[/b][/color]
"You spilled this syrup on my dress in the commotion and dare run away! You owe me a replacement right this moment!"

Priscilla sighed, a head-to-toe glance in contempt prefaced the snap that soured and leaped off her tongue. There was a threatening dirt-sprinkled waffle and napkin on a plate in the lady's hand that seemed ready to be thrown though. [b]"Honestly, Lady Harlow, I could have eight replacements tailored for you without a dent in my own p[color=f6989d]ocket that would actually compliment your appearance, but I will not do that. Ask my brother and the rest of your audience for this foolish accusation, I was here the entire time!"[/b][/color]

Location: Outside the Damien Estate

---

At first, Calbert had no idea why the young man had started to sing. He felt awkward for a half second before the song began to sound familiar. The words unlocked within the depths of his brain. His vision seemed to change as he saw a blurry image of a dark-haired woman reaching her hand across a bed to his cheek. The male voice became a female’s. The silky feel of the sheets. Her blue nightgown. The way her streaks of silver lit up under the moonlight came in from the window. It was an ethereal memory. For a moment, he felt like he had traveled back in time.

Calbert’s expression softened as he listened. If he’s here… Then what of Meredith? He was silent in his thoughts as he met his son’s eyes.

“Cassius.”

“My son.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “You are my blood… My family. “ He said with conviction. “I do not care to see you any other way… “He paused, his heart racing as he began the dreaded question, “What..” His eyes narrowed, and his gaze slightly lowered, “What of your mother?”

The seconds between Cas’s question and his father’s response felt like an eternity. There was a part of him that felt so awkward having just sung to a stranger. Another piece of him hoped the man did not recognize the song at all, as to prove Cassius right in assuming that this man never loved his mother and could never have been a father to him. He was torn…Silently ripped apart by what could be a better future for him and the very idea that there was a father here all along that could have helped fill the voids he and his mother knew throughout their lives.

Why were they not together? What had happened between them? Had he hurt her? Had she…hurt him? Cassius wanted to blame it all on this man in front of him. He wanted to ball up a fist and break his father's teeth down his throat for the pain of losing his mother. Though…he did not. Instead, he listened to the man’s response and was surprisingly moved by the words despite not trusting a single thing he said on the surface. The little boy he once was wanted to trust this man, but the man he had become knew better. For now, though, he would smile and see where this was to go. He had plans after all.

Then came the question about his mother. His eyes dropped to the floor and he answered.

“She has passed, father. She had been ill for a number of years and finally succumbed. I was not there to say goodbye to her. That is why I am here. Not just because she’s gone…but because I would like the opportunity to right that wrong. By getting to know you. By finding my family.”

Calbert’s expression fell even though the answer had been expected. It had hurt even after all these years to know that she was gone. There had been such turmoil between the two of them so long ago, but he had always cared for her. Maybe he hadn’t loved her in the way she had wanted but he had cared. He was silent as he took this in, his eyes narrowing with emotion. He then stared at Cassius and for a moment, wondered if he could trust this man and his words. He supposed if he indeed was his son, then he knew the answer to that infernal question. He clenched his jaw.

Finally, he moved forward and gave his son a hug, putting his arms around him. He had decided that it did not matter his intentions nor if anything he had been told was the truth. It only mattered that this was his blood and that meant he’d do anything to protect him. “I’m sorry Cassius. I will be here for you from now on.”

The man hugged him. At that moment, Cassius felt the briefest shock of vindication. Then…he felt nothing. This was by design. Of course he was happy to see this whole thing start off so positively, but he forced himself to calm the emotions stirring within him and refocused his mind on the bigger picture. This had been a great start, but he knew that trusting his father just based on this one moment would be a mistake. One that he and his plans would not be willing to make. He considered his next words for a moment before continuing.

”I want you to know that your words mean so very much to me, father.” Cassius rested his hand on Calbert’s shoulder and smiled at him. “I’m sure that there is much for us to discuss…and of course I look forward to all that comes next. Hopefully, I can be of use to this family…to you…and we can make right the wrongs of us never being side by side. It will be a wonderful and complex journey for the both of us I’m sure…but for the time, let us part before tears are spilled or this wonderful moment is ruined.” Cassius lets a sarcastic laugh follow his words and gives the man a hearty pat on the shoulder. ”It seems I have other business to attend to. There is an archery contest that I was sure I would miss, but given that our meeting went far smoother than I ever would have expected I believe that I can make it if I leave…well…immediately.

He didn’t even give the man a moment to respond. Instead, he gave a sly bow…turned heel as formally as he possibly could, and walked away back out the gate and towards the contest.

---

Location: The Archery Competition
Time: 10:00 AM

Cassius replayed the meeting over in his head numerous times on his way to sign up for the archery competition. Minutes passed like seconds as everything else around him was a blur. He had to stop and ask a rather attractive couple to point him in the right direction, and almost considered skipping the contest altogether to see if the two were up for a little fun, but alas…he had just arrived. Even he knew it was a bit too early to stir up trouble. Plus, the contest sounded like exactly what he needed to unwind a bit. His mind had been so focused on the business at hand that it would be fun to just enjoy himself in a friendly competition. Hopefully it would give him the opportunity to mingle a bit and get to know some of the other nobles floating around. He was now one of them afterall. He laughed out loud at the extreme bizarreness of the thought.

Upon his arrival, he signed in under the name Lord Cassius Vael of House Damien. He looked forward to any confusion this would bring. The very thought amused him. What a way to debut.

---

Despite being an open event, where everyone was welcome, Mayet was quite surprised to see a number of nobles among the crowd at the park as she observed... Some of which were rather well known, such as the foolish Duke Vikena and his daughter, Charlotte, who seemed to be quite smart, despite always having to deal with her father's mess.

As she looked around though, she noticed a small group of nobles observing her from a distance, one of which, a beautifully dressed ginger woman, greeted her with a small curtsy, which Mayet replied with a discreet wave and nod of her head. Being who she was, Mayet was well aware that it was simply unavoidable that she would be observed wherever she went. Normally, Mayet wouldn't give these observers any attention, much less to waste her time greeting them. But the fact that the ginger woman took her time to greet Mayet instead of staring at her from afar, gave her enough reason to greet her back.

Despite the greeting, Mayet didn't thought that neither one of the nobles in the group would take their time to approach her. Both due to Nala being nearby, doing her best to scare away anyone who could potentially disturb her sunbathing and due to Mayet openly carrying her weapon with her. Surprisingly enough, neither one of those seemed to be enough to dissuade them to approach, more specifically, the blonde woman, whom, much to the dismay of her guards, simply decided to take another pancake and started walking towards Mayet.

Nala was already watching the woman with an intense stare once she and her guards began walking towards their direction, but when she continued approaching, despite the silent warning Nala gave with her stare, she let out a low growl, raising her head and looking directly towards the blonde woman. Even though Nala did not stand up nor took an hostile posture, the growl was already a clear warning for them to back off.

"It's okay, Nala." Mayet said, gently patting Nala's head as the tigress reluctantly laid down again, seeming to have allowed the blonde woman to approach them after Mayet's request.

"Neither of us will bite without provocation... Although... We might get a bit... agitated... with too many guards approaching us at the same time..." Mayet said, giving a sharp look at the guards who were with the nobles.

When the blonde woman began talking, inquiring if she had ever eaten it before, Mayet raised an eyebrow, curious as she looked to the food the woman brought in her hands.

"I can't say I have ever eaten those before." Mayet said, looking to the blonde woman, analyzing her as she did so.

It was clear due to her tone of voice and how she was staring at Mayet and Nala that the woman was quite nervous.

"I was not intending to eat anything... But it would be quite rude to not accept such act of kindness. After all... Plain as they might look, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about how they taste." she replied, giving a rather calming smile to the nervous woman and gesturing for her to get closer.

"With that said... I feel it would be only fair that you, after taking your time to walk all the way over here to bring me a plate, should get to enjoy the first bite." Mayet said as she, without getting up, gently took the pancake from the woman's hands, cut a small piece from the pancake with the fork that came with it and extending it towards Crystal.

"Please, I insist." Mayet said, with her tone of voice and her eyes having a strange pressure to them, despite remaining kind and not showing any hostile intention, showing that her words were a bit more than just a simple request.

Just as she said that, one of the other nobles that had approached her, a red-haired male with scars on his face, greeted her with a slight bow.

"Oh...? Just the tiger...?" Mayet asked, raising an eyebrow as the man mentioned how beautiful Nala was but failed to mention Mayet, carefully watching his reaction.

While Mayet had been ignoring the ruckus that was going on near the table of waffles, when obscenities began being shouted, she found it hard to continue ignoring it. For a moment, her expression suddenly became very cold and harsh as she looked to where the crowd was gathering. Unsurprisingly, Lorenzo Vikena was, once again, part of the confusion... And once again, Charlotte was dragged to the confusion, forced to try and take her foolish father out of the mess he had created himself.

Fortunately for everyone involved, Mayet had nothing to do with the waffles and what was going on.. And she intended to keep it that way. Thankfully, the same noble who was the first to greet her, approached after the other two, introducing herself to Mayet... and taking off her attention from the pitiful display that Duke Vikena was showing to everyone present.

"I'm Shehzadi Mayet Kadir and this one is Nala. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said after a brief moment, her expression going back to normal as she introduced herself and Nala, smiling towards Priscilla, Crystal and Kieran.

Before she could say anything more though, it seemed a rather tactless noblewoman, Lady Harlow according to Priscilla, decided to approach them with an accusatory tone, trying to drag them all to the confusion going on in the distance. Even though the accusation that Lady Harlow made had nothing to do with Mayet, she would not tolerate such behavior near her.

Nala, immediately upon noticing the noblewoman getting closer to Mayet, stood up, letting out a low, menacing growl as she began walking towards Lady Harlow, stopping only because Mayet gently touched Nala's back.

"I do not remember allowing you to approach me, 'Lady' Harlow..." Mayet said with a menacing tone, without even getting up.

"Leave. Before I change my mind and allow Nala to tear you to pieces... Or before I do it myself" she said, her stare towards Lady Harlow making it clear she wasn't bluffing.

Wulfric had breakfast delivered to him right into his office, pot of coffee included. He ate quickly and perfunctorily with one hand, and leisurely perused the newspaper with the other. Despite his split attention, there were no stains or messes anywhere when he was done. He did take the time to enjoy his last cup of coffee (third today), sipping at it, and, for a freeing minute or three, thought about nothing in particular.

Then, he recalled the servant who’d brought him his meal. Haynes was a tad portly (but far less so than Edin), his black hair tied into a high ponytail, goatee neatly trimmed. “Did you enjoy your meal, Your Highness?” he queried while the prince set aside his napkins and stood up.

Wulfric tilted his head in consideration. The quantity had been sufficient, and there’d been nothing amiss about the food’s quality. After that swift assessment, he answered curtly, “Yes. Thank you.” He then moved from the seating area where he’d eaten to his study desk, so as to give the other man space to clean.

He engaged in busywork, reviewing some documents from the previous day. Peripherally, he noticed when Haynes paused to hover over Hendrix’s bouquet uncertainly, conspicuous as it was, lying near the table’s edge. Without lifting his gaze from the papers in front of him, Wulfric said, “Have that transferred to Curran.” The servant startled at being addressed unexpectedly, and responded with a prompt, “Yes, sir!”

Unperturbed, the prince continued, “He is to use it for my evening bath.” Light amusement laced his tone; not at the older man’s expense, but rather at the joke only he was privy to. Nevertheless, he got the impression that the retainer was embarrassed as he nodded contritely, and said, “As you command, Prince Wulfric.” Apparently torn between nerves and eagerness, he added, “I’ll attend to it! Right, ah,” he noticed he yet had a task to complete, “…after this.”

Wulfric made a sound of acknowledgment in the back of his throat, and followed with a neutral and offhanded, “Good.” There were no more words exchanged between them, and soon, Haynes departed. Not long afterwards, the prince was done with the paperwork as well. He stood and stretched.

Time to confront his sister.

However, Anastasia had already managed to free herself of her confinement. He did not truly resent her this, though it did delay his intentions of pressing her about Marek. Having surmised she and her group had gone to the shooting range, he elected to do the same. If for no other reason than to provide additional security.

It was a swift journey to the archery contest, as he and his guards had forgone a carriage in favour of each riding their own steed. In light of the time constrain, Wulfric remained dressed the same, though he’d left the cloak behind. His treasured sabre, however, was still in its rightful place at his hip.

Out of the six guards, two were left behind to watch the horses and the parking area in general. The other four followed him to the range, where Anastasia was immediately spotted. She sat near the top, in company of Zarai. Even Princess Sadie was present, with armed escorts of her own. Wulfric took a moment to quietly confer with his guards. Then, they dispersed. One guard was stationed at the bottom of each of the two staircases, one at the summit of the yet unguarded stairs, and one was to find a seat next to Anastasia. The two up top were both people whom he knew could be trusted to handle his sister.

Meanwhile, Wulfric ascended the staircase Wystan was guarding. Many in the crowd were still watching him, as they had since his arrival. But he ignored them; sooner or later, they would be return their attention to the announcer.

He stopped once at the watchdog’s side, standing next to him. He looked towards his sister, nodding at her and her company if they saw him, then let his gaze travel over the other attendees. Finally, he looked towards the front, taking in the people there, including the first competitors; Leo and Ezra. Only after all of this, did he greet the man besides him. “Morning, Wystan.” His gaze remained affixed forward, and his tone was fairly cool. Though he’d stationed himself so that the battlemaster was the one with the better view of the seated audience, Wulfric kept himself partially aware of them as well.

Crystal froze when the large animal growled at her approach. She felt her heart leap into her throat. At mention of the guards she was trying to find her voice when a calm but firm voice came from the normally silent Liah. ”Be as agitated as you wish. We are not moving.”

”Aye, Don’t insult the wee lass by thinking only ye can have an armed guard.” Jacob motioned to Nala with a head nod.

Crystal turned and raised her hand to motion to them that it was ok…she hoped. She was then gestured to come closer then only confused her when she mentioned She should have the first bite.

”O-oh… but I have my own already these are fo-She started to shake her head, wondering if this was some Aladashi tradition. But then the woman insisted. Crystal blinked and swallowed. Her nervousness rose. This was to test if she poisoned it. These Aladashi are really paranoid… Why would she poison it? What would that gain? She let out a breath and took a bite of the pancake offered to her, despite the woman turning towards Kieran as he spoke up.

She took a half step back as she heard swearing behind her. Looking towards the ruckus she saw Uncle Lorenzo right in the center of it, Charlotte next to him But she couldn't see her face. As much as she loved him, she did see he did get in quite a bit of trouble. She also noticed the man she ran into in the library the night before.

The woman spoke up and introduced herself. Crystal turned around and tried to smile, ignoring the growing ruckus. ”I-it’s a pleasure She-shehzadi Kadir “She fumbled, trying to wrap her tongue around the new word. Only causing her to redden with embarrassment. It was at this moment Lady Harlow came up and suddenly started accusing Priscilla of spilling syrup on her. Mayet’s tiger quickly stood and moved towards the snotty woman. Crystal took a few steps back, suddenly even more terrified. The tiger stopped at Mayet’s touch. Who in turn threatened the noblewoman.

”Allrightte thats enouf excitement.” Jacob said, suddenly moving between Crystal and the tiger. ”Sorreh, but I think it's about time we move on.”

Despite being frightened, Crystal still wanted to talk. But before she could say anything. Jacob, not even looking at her, shook his head. ”NOPE. DONE. NOW.” As if he knew she was going to protest.

Liah took Crystal’s shoulder gently. ”Come on.” She said, eyeing the sudden brawl that started. Confident enough in Jacob to watch the tiger.

“O-o-okay…. It was um nice meeting you…” She said while being escorted away. ”If you wish, you can come sit next to us at the archery competition!”

---

Crystal and her guards arrived just as the announcer finished announcing the first pair. Most of all the seating was taken, so Crystal decided to sit next to a tree. One of her guards unfurled a blanket she had asked him to hold onto while she looked at the contestants. She was pleased to reconize one in particular. She moved to the fence that separated the audience from the range and raised her hand while standing on her tippy toes to get as much height as she could. And started waving. ”Sir Mathias!!! Sir MATHIAS!” She waved till she gained his attention. ”Good luck! I Do hope you win!” She said with a bright smile. Her smile faltered when she realized who was standing next to him. Her face turning a bright shade of Red as she began turning back to walk away, hesitating, turning back to the two men to raise a finger as if to say something else. Only to stop before she could and quickly retreated to her blanket.

It was then she realized and frowned. Kieran still had her waffles…

Clothes for the day (No cape or weapons)

---

---

Roman was quite enjoying himself, the warm tea, the sounds and cheers of the spectators, even the sun was enjoyable at its current position. The atmosphere was joyful with the smell of good food on the air. It would seem that even a small commotion was brewing in the park behind them, a commotion that only garnered a short glance long enough for him to figure out he wasn’t interested.

As the competitors were finishing up their practice runs he began to spot several faces he recognized, Sir Mathias Larson and his adorable son Lukas. He enjoyed playing with children especially given that he had a brother and sister the same age as the boy. Roman had only met the young man a hand full of times but when he didn’t have to act proper he let the boy ride on his shoulders a time or two.

He noticed Leo and Thea also gunning for a spot on the archery range and smiled. Seeing Leo out here wasn’t unexpected, at least he was wearing shoes this time. It was unexpected to see Thea out and about during the day. It did not look like she had slept well from the day before, Roman would have to find her sometime today and see how she is handling things. Another one of the nobles he took a special interest in keeping an eye on them, he wasn’t quite sure why he did that he just assumed it was part of his nature of fixing things.

Speaking of people he had a special interest in, Princess Anna and Lady Zarai were quick to make their presence known after the first competitors were announced. The shouting from the two balls of energy from the stands was enough to make him turn around and spot them. At least they had a couple escorts with them, Roman couldn’t quite place the one next to Zarai but he recognized the one with Anna but couldn’t place his name.

He could have sworn he saw the familiar shadow of Verrick the queen’s woodsmen stalking through the contestants. That man could out do all the others here if he really wanted to, Roman only saw him use a weapon a handful of times but even by just looking at the man he could get a good idea just how dangerous he could be if he chose to be. Roman began clapping for the contestants as his eyes wandered the crowd again to see if he could see any more familiar faces. He wasn't too sure about this Erza fellow but did remember something about cakes from the night before.

The giant could see his old giant friend and his quite friend off by the trees with the ever captivating crystal Damien sitting on a blanket under a tree. She came up to the railing nearby calling out to Sir Mathias for good luck. He wasn’t quite sure if he made eye contact at this distance but he was sure to wave and smile at the big guy and crystal but he couldn’t quite make out their expressions.

Still turning his eyes fell on Prince Wulfric and a few of his guards, looking stoic as ever he wasn’t quite sure how to judge this one in public places. The others in attendance seemed to stop and stare at the prince so perhaps he didn’t get out much. He did notice Wystan was next to him, if he remembered right it was his favorite guard or something, he was sure it was more than that but he couldn’t really remember.

Before the competition truly got underway Roman was able to get the attention of one of the young ladies that was offering tea and refreshments to the people at the tables and smiled,

“Excuse me miss could I trouble you to do a couple tasks for me? It seems some of my friends couldn’t find me when they got here could you please invite them to my table?”

Roman dug into one of the pouches on his waist and pulled out about 20 coins offering it to the young girl. She looked at him for a moment before taking the coins and smiling,

“Do you know where your friends are and what would you like me to say Sir?” she was obviously fishing for a name.

“Ah Lord Roman Ravenwood, if you could let Princess Anastasia and her company know that they are welcome to join me at my table as well as letting Sir Mathias Know that his son and care taker are welcome to join us as well.”

Roman continued to smile and point out the princess in the stands and Sir Mathias where the competitors are at.

“Oh and one more thing, can you tell the announcer to send the top three commoners to see me for a prize once they are done. Thank you very much for allowing me to interrupt you for a moment.” Again he smiled and the young lady gave a small curtsy then left to go talk to the others. Roman returned his attention to the competition sipping the tea he was given.

Time: 10 am
Location: Archery Competition
Attire:Dress
Interaction:@Rodiak Zarai @ReusableSword Roman
Mention: @Silverpaw Wulfric @Helo Leo

---

Anastasia glanced over to find a woman sitting beside her. It did not take long for her to recognize her nor for the guard to give her a warning glance. With a sigh, she glanced around until she found Wulfric at Wystan's side. She wasn't sure how she felt about Wulfric at the moment, and it certainly did not help that he brought her a babysitter. She had been about to complain in Zarai's ear when the competition began. As Lord Leo Smithwood was announced, she narrowed her eyes as a memory resurfaced, his voice replaying in her ears

“There was another with us whose face I do not see here today. The same odd man with a cowlick from the ball last night, the one that gave the youngest Lady Damien quite the freight. He was picked up by the carriage on the way there, already quite inebriated on some substance...”

"Nope."Anastasia crossed her arms, firm in her grudge. She looked at Zarai and shook her head in disapproval, "He gets no applause from me." Sure, she had known Leo longer, but the attempt to throw Kazumin under the bus was uncalled for, and she planned to let him know that. His opponent was announced as Ezra Turner, whose name she recalled clearly from the night before. No way was Anastasia going to forget the name of somebody who could bring excellent cake. But he looked so... different? She tilted her head. Anastasia could have sworn he had green hair. She shrugged it off. He looked certainly better with the dark hair. However, Anastasia felt a strange sense of discomfort when staring at this guy. Maybe it was the random expressions of rage, maybe he had an off vibe... Either way, she was going to root for him because she was angry at Leo right now. "Woo Ezra! Go, cake man!"

It was around then that a young girl approached them. The guard at her side immediately gave the poor girl a stink eye. "Step back. Not too close."The woman ordered the young girl, hand on her sword, "State your reason for approaching the princess."

"Take it easy, Joan." Anastasia told her softly and then smiled warmly at the girl, who proceeded to invite them to join Lord Roman Ravenwood at his table. Her expression lit up and she craned her neck to spot her dear friend. "Zarai, it looks like we got an invite to the VIP table! Wanna go over and see Roman? It looks like he's got the best view too!" She stood up and waved at Roman with a smile, "Hi Roman!"

---

Princess Sadie, with pancakes in her hands and a guard carrying her drink, strode towards the archery competition and stayed near the back. Being a Varian princess who had missed the ball would be quite the story in this gossiping hellhole. She arrived in time to watch Leo vs Ezra and felt a pang in her chest when he subsequently lost to the Caseonia male. Part of her wanted to comfort him and let him know she was proud of him, but his earlier reaction to her caused her to decide otherwise. Instead, she waited by the sidelines to watch Verrick vs. Nahir.

However, Sadie couldn’t contain her excitement and happiness at watching. ”Go Verrick! Wooo! You got iit!!” Her cheers could be heard loud over the audience. ”GO V-E-R-R-I-C-K! YEAH!” She let out an excited yell once he’d won his match and won against an exotic looking woman. Was she an Alidasht? Her eyes widened with curiosity and wonder and watched as she joined Leo. Had the two met at the ball yesterday? They seemed to be on friendly terms. How cool for Leo!

Sadie knew Verrick would have to wait for the next round. Wanting to stay out of the limelight, she directed a guard to pull her up a chair near Roman’s table. Seated under a tree in the shade, the Varian princess was inconspicuous almost, save for the guards around her. While she ate, a figure out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Briefly tensing up, Sadie turned to see the man who’d beaten Leo standing nearby. She didn’t know him and it made her anxious inside to speak up.

Sensing her anxiety, the man turned and bowed to her. ”Good morning, Princess.” He greeted and smiled at her kindly. ”Enjoying the match? Are you the Varian princess who didn’t show up yesterday?”

Sadie’s cheeks flushed red. She turned to glance at her pancakes and then took a sip of her apple juice. Was he a nobleman? Had she offended him by not coming? After a delayed pause, she turned and smiled. ”Yes, I had some work to finish up at home. I’m inventing a surprise.” One of her guards gave Ezra a glare but he smiled through it. ”I take it you went to the ball?”

”Yes. I am the town baker and provided the bakery for the ball, per King Edin’s request. I was humbled to be of service to the great kingdom.”

”You’re a baker? How cool! I love bakery!” Sadie’s smile was wider than ever. The cupcakes would be great! Annie, Zarai and her could share them! ”I’ll have to stop by your shop this summer! Where is it?”

”August lane, fifth street.” He bowed to her and was flushed in his cheeks, as if embarrassed by her reaction. ”You are too kind, Princess. It is truly appreciated. Your purchases will be on me.” He scrutinized her and smiled maliciously, lowering his voice while one of her guards coughed in the background. Over the crowd noise, his voice was quieter than the breeze ruffling the leaves above them. ”I don’t think you need anymore though, Princess.” With that, he nodded to her and walked off after nodding kindly to her guards.

Sadie’s smile fell. Her stomach churned as if she’d been punched. Her eyes teared up and she bowed her head so that her hair covered her expression. She glanced at herself and the pancakes and frowned. After taking deep breaths, Sadie sat back up after pretending to move a spider away from the field so it wouldn't get stepped on. Sadie didn’t want to admit her feelings at the moment, and therefore she savagely began eating the low carb pancakes with a vengeance. Later she would have to deal with the results.

Once she finished, Sadie strode over to a garbage can and pitched her food and drink. When she turned around, she found Roman and strode over to him. Happy, just be happy.... She gestured for her guards to follow her and pulled over a seat next to him. ”Good morning Roman! How are you? Good to see you! Isn’t this competition great?”