"Ed was right, you are a grumpy sort," Parvan said, "Though you're only half right. All of this is definitely Merilia's domain, though I'd like to think we're more of an entertaining terrarium than a playground."

"The first rabbit."

"Point. Mostly a terrarium. Still, who said this was a dream? It's not quite... real, those of us here can't leave, nor any object of particular power, but it's quite physical, and her witchiness comes in occasionally to collect food that nobody outside remembers how to make. She might be keeping you all from dying, but I wouldn't test how starving yourself might stick."

Gertrude was feeling pretty smug as a new person... a Demon? In a religious knightly order? As Amy interjected. It seemed the lunk needed to be bailed out. Well, it only figured. He was in way over his head. But as he departed, he got one final shot in. The only one that stung.

Gertrude was here of her own accord. She was ready and willing to use these fools as much as she needed to reach her goals. Merilia didn't force her to be here, but Renar's words managed to cut all the same. The simple truth was, if Merilia wanted her here, she would be here whether she wanted to or not. There was nothing she could do about it. She could protest that it was her choice, but the fact remained.

As long as she wasn't the most powerful, she wasn't really free. That old envy simmered, even though it was a fool's errand to compare oneself to a full-fledged Witch.

She managed to grumble one last "fuck you" as Renar departed, before turning to Amy. The Demon was a little taller than the Captain, but Gertrude still towered over her.

Gertrude hid her bitterness at that last remark in a faux-friendly grin, and crouched slightly to come to eye level with Amy. She could have just regarded the woman like a normal person, but Gertrude wanted to make her feel small.

This one was apparently canny enough to put together the context clues and guess at Gertrude's role as a mage. She wouldn't let her expression betray whether Amy was right or wrong, but as long as no one knew she was also a Witch's apprentice, it would be fine.

"Well, Amy, would you call it 'spite' or 'hostility' to be manhandled by an oaf, glowered at by a boor, and threatened with a lynching if you speak out of turn by a scoundrel? Either way, it's hardly knightly behavior, I should think. At least you pretend to be pleasant. Good on you, the most knightly of the bunch," she said pointedly, drawing herself back up to her full height.

"But, well, far be it from me to look a gift Demon in the mouth. I may be spending some time here, and it would be stupid of me to not get a lay of the land. I hope we'll be going alone, though, because I'm not really in the mood to deal with the rest of these jackanapes."

---

Gretchen was remarkably quiet as they made their way to the kitchens. She didn't even snap at Gerard for offering to help her. She didn't shoot her mouth off at every little thing, knowing that no one could hurt her.

Because they could.

The broom gave her enough mana to defend herself, but she was hardly safe. When separated from Gertrude and her ability to protect the both of them, she largely returned to the meek girl she was long ago. Without power, she was a shadow. She could only get away with so much, because there was no way for her to back it up.

Gretchen and Gertrude were the same person, only Gretchen didn't have the strength she had always coveted, and it felt terrible. She'd just have to deal with it for now. There was very little that either of them could do about it.

Gretchen took the first seat she could grab, which just so happened to be across from yet two more of the original Roses, as revealed by the current. She wanted to rag on Edwin alongside Renar (who she was still pissed at) for being the one that nobody liked, but what if he tried to hurt her? There wasn't much she could say except...

Those pastries looked good.

"Alright, deal me in," Gretchen said, taking Parvan up on his offer, "I'm just here to make sure no one messes with our food, anyways. Might as well have a little fun while I'm at it."

Her skills in adaptability and memorization made her particularly suited for gambling, anyways. The pastries would be hers.

Fleuri Jodeau

"I can worry about my quarters later," Fleuri replied as he began to undo the straps of his armor plates. "I look forward to seeing the city."

Fleuri wouldn't need to change into anything- the garb beneath his outer armor should be comfortable enough for casual travel. If what Florian and Randon said was true, then they probably wouldn't run into any trouble in the town that'd warrant armor.

"I hope you don't mind if I bring my sword, though," he remarked. "I'd feel underdressed without it."

@Raineh Daze@Eisenhorn

Witches and their games. How troublesome. First it had been a dream, and now it wasn't. To say nothing of the fact that Edwin evidently remembered him from that incident as well. Would that the Knight-Witch be bothered to have a shred of consistency in these dealings.

"As you say." He nodded reluctantly to Parvan's explanation, before joining Gretchen at the table. "Deal me in as well. If we're to endure all this before we actually start training, then there isn't much else to it. What are we playing? Five card draw?"

Of course, it didn't hurt that Renar rather enjoyed games of chance. If only because the "chance" in question was never truly random. The sole objective in these sorts of diversions was to cheat as well as possible without being caught, and that served his interests just fine.

"Care to join us, Gerard? Or do you not care to earn your food on this occasion?" He chortled, giving his friend a brief jibe. The better which to motivate him, of course.

@Octo @HereComesTheSnow @Raineh Daze

This situation had only barely not escalated to blows. Fanilly felt as if her lack of action was at least somewhat response, possibly even moreso then the mage girl's actions.

She took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

"Sir Fionn, I... I know how you must feel," she said, noting how the knight had to be held back, "But for the moment we should focus on getting through this test as soon as possible. We don't know what we're going to be facing, so even if we can't die permanently here we need to focus on our preparations."

Certainly, the mere fact that they couldn't die here didn't mean that they could embrace that fact to accomplish their test, whatever form it may take.

Rather, it meant that their best option was to approach this as if they were still just as mortal as they were in the real world, no matter what bizarre location this may have been.

"Let's get something to eat."

@Octo@The Otter@Raineh Daze@HereComesTheSnow

I'd take the opportunity to go to the library - getting an idea of when and where we are precisely would certainly help in this bizarre exercise.

Midway through a daydream (an irregular happening) about the tiramisu that Amy had gratefully enjoyed I arrive. By happenstance the Knight who'd poked fun at my offering of dessert to the cleric was there, flipping through books attentively.

I don't know him especially well, but I also definitely do not know the two Knights in the library with him, though one reminds me vaguely of Lein with their androgynous look and Hundi heritage.

"Came for some light reading before we depart, eh?" I mutter, making idle conversation as I sit at a desk nearby. I'd be half tempted to light a cigarette if I wasn't in a highly esteemed library.

@Eisenhorn @Raineh Daze

Gerard Segremors

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Krayzikk@Octo@Psyker Landshark

Gerard bristled beneath the weight of one implication, but snorted away the second as he pulled along a chair from another table and wedged it between Gretchen and Renar's seats, thudding report of oak against ancient tile his cavalier retort to either shot across the bow.

"For shame. I spent so long winning my food on gambles..." His he spoke with a regretful sobriety that could only have been an affectation, possibly lifted from conversing through the many mock offenses one could have sullied Sirs Nicomede or Sergio with whenever they felt like planting a tongue in their cheek. Combined with the wolfish glint that seemed to never leave his gaze on mission...

Well, not everything in life fits like a glove.

"I had just kicked the addiction, too. Guess I'll have to share."

He knew his way around a card game, around dice, around many of the games of chance that kept idle minds and hands at bay in camp or on the road. It was nigh-impossible to escape in that life even before drinks began to flow— and sticking around long enough had taught him that his instincts to play an honest hand made him an easy mark.

As he settled into the seat and waited to be dealt in, he turned this fact over. An early bluff like that would keep things questionable for now, but even as he slipped behind an thoughtfully impassive mask (this one fitting better than any glove could), he already knew Renar at the very least wouldn't buy it for a second.

If he tried to win, he'd likely drown in a sea of feints, misdirections, and plain old outright cheating— he himself was the honest type, but had sharp and experienced eyes for things like card-counting, loaded sleeves, so on. He didn't fancy his chances at calling those present out and winning the inevitable slugfest, either, so their tricks would stand...

He glanced between the pair on either side of him.

He couldn't cheat well... but he could definitely be a known quantity.

---

@Raineh Daze@Psyker Landshark@Octo@VitaVitaAR@6slyboy6@VahkiDane@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin

---

As soon as Cyrus had started speaking in reply, Gertrude saw fit to interject herself one last time before any of the others could manage to corral her. Wordlessly, Fionn turned back around, one hand already freed of its gauntlet—before he felt Renar's hand on his shoulder, just slightly pulling him back, before whisking the ludicrously-dressed girl out of his reach. Before he even had a chance to follow another pair of hands landed on his shoulder and arm, staying his hand a moment more. Had it been Cyrus or Steffen, or any one of those who'd already left, he would have been inclined to shake or fight them off as needed.

But these hands were far smaller, and their grasp much gentler as well—which meant that Tyaethe hadn't somehow found herself planted in the group suddenly; even she might've found herself thrown to the side in the moment, as clear as it was to all of them that she would have even less to worry about getting hurt than any of the others. Which meant that the one holding him now was either the captain, or...

"Amy." She had just finished saying something 'cleansing his mind' before dashing away, leaving some conjured wreath adorning his forehead. Her interference only made sense—she'd be as intent as the rest at avoiding a fight, but beyond that, some of the others had explained a bit of her empathic talent to him. As strong as it sounded like, there was no surprise that she might try to rapidly calm him down, especially after having felt similar back at Cae Mayl.

Not that it really made him any calmer, but it at least helped Renar put enough distance between him and Gertrude that she was easier to ignore. And that any move on his part to chastise her for insulting the captain, the order, and himself would be far less excusable by the captain, who only confirmed as much as she shakily spoke up. "I'll leave the rest of you to that," he replied as she suggested getting something to eat. "Remaining in too close proximity to that girl might leave me putting that 'can't die' guarantee to the test. I think..."

He glanced once more down the path that Amy and Gertrude had walked a short ways on, where Renar had left them to explore the kitchen, with the girl's twin among the rest of that group. Opposite was the path that Rolan, Fleuri, and now Sergio had all taken, the one that kept him as far away from Gertrude or Gretchen as possible. "I'll join those that went to the library. I'm sure Fleuri's found something interesting by now." He turned back to Cyrus. "If you find Florian, tell him I'm looking for him, would you?"

With his course decided, and heedless of the flower crown adorning his head, Fionn turned on one foot and rapidly walked down the way towards the library.

Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri was fiddling with a pauldron strap when another entered the room.

"Ah, good to see you, Sir Fionn," Fleuri spoke as he saw the knight enter the library. "Rolan and I ran into Florian and Randon in this section of the castle. Would you care to join us? The Mirror Knight has offered to give us a tour of the city."

@Eisenhorn@Raineh Daze@The Otter

---

@Raineh Daze@VahkiDane@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin

---

Fionn glanced from Fleuri over to Rolan and Sergio, before looking back at Fleuri. For the moment, he was unwilling to acknowledge that he'd just run into Florian (and one of his Hundi paramours) so soon after just telling Cyrus to keep an eye out for the man. Better to focus on something else other than the wasted words.

"Do they have spare clothes for us here?"

---

"You see, that's where you're wrong! I AM pleasant~" Amy explained with a bright smile once she had finished listening to Gertrude, and used the closeness of the mage to tiptoe up towards her, then with an extended index finger she poked the girl's nose. "I'm sure you'll grow to appreciate it with time, the rest of this bunch is way too serious for their own good. If you already don't like Renar, just wait until there's fighting and they all become grumpy. I suppose I can't blame them though, I bet I'd be gloomy and serious if I had to wear armor all day and swing a sword."

Taking a few steps back, Amy once again offered a cheery smile as she examined Gertrude with a curious glint in her eyes. She'd anticipated a much more hostile response at first, but she was glad to see the most the mage could muster was to crouch for her, a gesture she didn't really mind. She knew she was short, and it didn't bother her in the slightest. It was good to see that it wasn't impossible to work with their new... recruit.

"Now, follow me, let's go take a look around this place, I'm sure there's things even I haven't seen!" With a quick click of the heels and a spin, Amy turned around to go and explore Candaeln with the mage. She would've loved to take her to the kitchen or the library, but there were already other knights in those places, so the best bet for now was to explore other parts of the fort where Amy suspected nobody would be: first the chapel, then the gardens and personal quarters. Maybe check the armory out for fun too, though she knew little about weapons and armor.

"So, what brings you to us?" Amy asked between short hops, looking back at the girl over her shoulders. "Other than magically appearing in the sky, I mean? Or do you prefer to keep that a secret? Maybe as mysterious as that... sister of yours, hmmmm? If she's your sister at all~" She shook her head and smiled softly before stopping in front of the tiny chapel's doors, where she'd do a little bow and gesture at the wooden doors playfully. "Either way, welcome to your first stop! Candaeln's very own little chapel, perfect if you have a sin to confess, or want to say a prayer with to Mayon with the best cleric of all the Roses, yours truly~" Tiny sparkles emerged from her fingertips as Amy shook her hands playfully and offered a bright smile at Gertrude, just long enough for the silence to grow old and give the mage a chance to look around. She doubted Gertrude really wanted to take a look at the Chapel, or really any part of Candaeln other than her personal quarters, and places where she could be alone. In that, she felt a strange connection to the mage, even if they were barely anything alike.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" As she clicked her fingers, another little wreath made of flowers appeared in her hands, and she'd hold it out in front of herself towards Gertrude. "Take this~ I know it's not the most interesting welcome gift, but it's better than... how did you put it?" Amy put one finger to her lips as she hummed quietly, thinking back on what Gertrude had said about the others before she used her magic to do her best impression of the girl. "Manhandled by an oaf, glowered at by a boor, and threatened with a lynching. Haha, glowered, funny word that one~ You don't hear it often, but it almost rhymes with flowers, just what I'm offering~ Hopefully opposites cancel each other out in this case, and you'll forgive my fellow knights for being so distant; finding oneself in a strange world tends to do that~" Her smile was as genuine as it could be, a part of her whimsical personality, even if the flower wreath would only exist until she focused on conjuring it. An insignificant gift, perhaps, but if her hunch was right about Gertrude, surely the girl would appreciate the gesture. Besides, it really was ill-mannered of the other Roses not to greet a new recruit with a little gift or speech at the very least.

@Octo

With the newcomers settling down, some of the participating knights backed off to watch as Parvan started shuffling the cards.

What became almost immediately apparent was that there was no way the two childhood friends weren't cheating like crazy. The deck itself was well-worn enough that it was almost certain that the two of them could identify the cards from the damage alone... and the shuffling itself was near enough impossible to follow when it was one of their turns'. About the best that could be said was that they were somewhat keeping one another in check, for all that there was clearly another entire deck stashed in their sleeves, at least.

All of which made something of an odd contrast with the furrowed brow of the Hundi, who both seemed to be entirely honest... and completely unable to maintain any sort of poker face.

---

"Mmm, yes, I'm sure we can find some spare clothes... Randon, come along?"

It was only a few minutes later when they returned with far too many spare clothes--at least that meant anyone looking for something less militant to wear had options--and set out for the city. Quite in comparison to its modern day status as the black pit, this Talderia was a city of gleaming white marble, one where Florian was all too happy to play the tour guide, attention flitting from one of the Iron Roses to the next rather than leaving anyone too left out.

For the most part, it was a normal city, sheer size alone. Aside from the occasional odd fact, like how it was unfortunate there wasn't a festival running today, but there'd no doubt be one along in a few days 'to pass the time'.

"... and obviously, this road leads to the castle. It isn't as if there's much of a kingdom to rule, so the various kings and queens collected there don't have much to fight over. Prince Erion likes to meet newcomers, and he's usually keen to explore with Thrinax, so he might be able to help with your obstacles."

---

Seated in the garden, flipping through the pages of a tome on her lap, was a green-haired figure that might seem oddly familiar to Amy--not just by ancient portraits, but from having been seen in and around Candaeln these past few weeks. Although she glanced up at their passing, Lilette's eyes drifted back to the book--but she hadn't turned them away.

Rolan kept half an eye, and a full ear to listen, as more people trickled in and chimed in. Fleuri was quick to remove his armor, and if the city was as peaceful as it was stated to be that should not be a problem. At the very least, the fellow knight had the forethought to keep a blade on him just in case. But, perhaps mildly surprisingly, more people began coming in to add to the number of people crowding the library. First was the loverboy, who was surprisingly not dogging his love interest, though he didn't say that part out loud. He shrugged idly at the mention of light reading, a half smirk on his face as he responded casually enough, not even glancing up from the books.

"Some modest preparation before we depart, though it seems Florian has decided to offer a tour of the city, which I do plan to accept when Fleuri is done disrobing."

Fionn also decided to join the growing group that would be touring the city. Strength in numbers, safety too, even if Florian had stated the city was quite safe, doubly so in the company of the Mirror Knight. He wouldn't be going unarmed, however, and when the changes of clothes were brought in he politely declined to change. He was much more comfortable in his leather armor and cloak, and as the group prepared to make way, he slung his crossbow in a carry similar to a hunter, leaning into an old habit to avert too many questions. Unlikely as they were, with Florian leading the way into Talderia proper. Florian proved to be a deft, skilled host, attention and conversation dancing between the various knights present with natural ease, though Rolan focused any inquiries on practical considerations instead of more fanciful concerns. Apparently the nobility was mostly just idling around the castle, since there was no kingdom to rule. That did make him consider what good the nobility even was, broadly speaking, given it didn't strike him as too different than normal.

"I assume that Prince Erion would wish to meet the currently present as well, then?"

@Raineh Daze@The Otter@Crimson Paladin@VahkiDane

Fleuri Jodeau

After a bit of thought, Fleuri opted to use some of the clothes that Florian had provided. It wouldn't be unwise, he thought, to make some effort to blend in while walking the streets of, from what he could gather, was an unspoiled dream of Talderia. His knowledge of the language might prove handy, although his was not the dialect that would've been spoken during the empire's heyday. On that note, he wondered- were the memories of Talderia where Rui's Talderian dialect came from? Had Rui spent some time in this dream or memory world previously? It didn't matter for now, but it might be worth asking about later.

For now, Fleuri would simply keep his attention upon the task at hand, which was being given a tour guide by the Mirror Knight. As it progressed, as Florian revealed the path to the castle and revealed that Prince Erion was in this dream-world too, he caught onto a few important details. First was that Florian pointed out that there was no kingdom to rule over in here. The second was his mention of the knights' obstacles.

"I think it'd be a good idea to meet the prince, if he'd allow it," Fleuri spoke after Rolan. Fleuri wished to learn more about the obstacles that Merilia had in store for them.

@Eisenhorn@Raineh Daze@The Otter

Goddesses, this girl got on her nerves.

Amy was just so bright and cheery and it was incredibly unnerving because Gertrude knew that no one was as nice as this Demon- this literal Demon- pretended to be. The way she just assumed she could trot up and boop Gertrude's nose made her nostrils flare. Her nose was not for booping, and she growled as the chatty little monster went on about how nice she was.

What a fraud, but at least Amy was preferable to the people who already wanted to physically harm her. For now. At the very least, the woman was easier on the eyes than the cavalcade of sweaty, musclebound dullards that made up most of the ranks of the Iron Roses. Like her dad, them. She almost couldn't wait for the opportunity to show them all how much stronger she was than anyone else.

Gertrude had honestly hoped to scare Amy a little by suggesting they depart alone, but it was almost as if it never even occurred to the Demon that Gertrude would hurt her. She annoyingly strutted off, happy as a peach, and left Gertrude clicking her tongue as she followed. Along the way to their first stop, Amy needled and prodded her with off-putting questions. The comment about Gretchen, especially, was concerning. Everyone else was ready to just accept her lies, and they were easy lies to swallow considering there really wasn't a feasible alternative story. Why would Amy pick on that? She had to know something. Gertrude scoffed.

"Who else would she be, if not my sister? Did Merilia drop a broom on your head, too? What manner of daft insinuation is that?"

Their steps slowed to a stop as they reached their destination. Apparently Amy meant to start with the most useless place in Candaeln. Gertrude rolled her eyes, and then snorted when Amy claimed to be a cleric. A Demon cleric? She'd never heard something so ridiculous. Then, Amy revealed that she at least knew some basic magic tricks and offered her a wreath. Did the woman think Gertrude was stupid? It was obviously a prank of some sort. The moment she took it, it would explode or scream or something. The finale to her dumb little show. Well Gertrude wouldn't be had so easily. She crossed her arms under her chest and frowned down at the Demon.

"Sure, I'll visit the chapel if I don't have anything more useful to do. But I doubt the castle will run out of wall to smack my head against any time soon," she said, not hiding an ounce of the disdain she had for Amy's supposed religion, "I probably have too many sins for those old hags to handle, anyways. I enjoyed the song and dance, it was cute, but I'm not taking that wreath. I know what happens when I touch it. It's a prank, right? You want to screw with me, just like the others. I'm not interested in looking like a fool, so I won't even bother to confirm it with a spell. Just take me elsewhere. A good place to nap, perhaps."

---

Gretchen did her best to hide the smug smile that wanted to creep up on her face as Renar and Gerard took a seat at the table. This would be like taking candy from babies. Even if an idiot plays a million games, he'll always be an idiot. They both seemed so confident, too. Did their foolishness know no bounds? Gretchen had rarely played before, herself, because gaming with the other apprentices rapidly devolved into a magical cheating contest. Not that she couldn't win such a competition, but it was so much more gratifying to completely trounce a person fair and square-

...And then she took a look at the deck they were playing with.

An addendum: Even if you're an idiot, if you play a million games with the same cards, you'll eventually learn what everything is by sight.

Gretchen frowned. There was no doubt that she could quickly learn all the cards as well. However, if other players also had perfect information, it was a solved game. Skill, probability, and deception didn't even enter into it. There was one remedy for it.

"Surely you'll extend the hospitality of allowing the newcomers to deal, yes?"

It didn't matter who else dealt, as long as they couldn't pick out the exact cards that everyone would have. From there, Gretchen would learn the cards, and mark up every card she could put her hands on to make sure that only she could tell what was what. In just a few hands, she could probably render half the deck unrecognizable to these old cheaters.

"Of course you can deal--"

"When it's your turn." Parvan finished, already shuffling and dealing out a hand. "Where would the fun be if only one person was able to deal?"

Rather, where was the ability to turn it into a game of who can cheat harder if you gave one person such an obvious advantage in the manipulation stakes. At least that meant there would be some chance for other people to influence how things were dealt out.

---

"I'm sure he does, and it can't hurt to ask," Florian acknowledged, leading the way straight to the castle... and right past its guards, who at least took the intrusion with impassive grace. Either they had permission to enter, or it simply wasn't worth the trouble to stop the knight from taking them through the outer gates and into what was probably a practical courtyard at some point, but now made Candaeln's gardens look like a patch of weeds. There were probably as many gardeners here as they had cooks.

"I'll go see if he's available."

It seemed that Florian was allowed in, then. Or maybe everyone was just allowed as far as these gardens? Nonetheless, the knight left, and it was another awkward few minutes where Randon had apparently decided that now Fionn needed careful inspection before he returned, leading someone that could only be Prince Erion. Not because his physical appearance was inherently distinctive or his portrait well known, although his looks had a boyish charm to them, but because it could hardly be anybody else wearing a cape of dragonscale, the red-gold scales having a shimmering, jewel-like quality to them.

The clasp bearing the Talderian crest itself was also a clue.

"Florian tells me that you're new to this place? More knights of his order?"

Gerard Segremors

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze@Krayzikk@Octo@Psyker Landshark

Gerard remained quiet as the brief interplay passed through the tangent on his leftward flank, noting down the jockeying for position. Marked cards worked best in dealing hands, and it'd be the clearest determinant of which mark corresponded, the freshest in memory. Gretchen had clearly clued into the need to disrupt the order that the table had settled into prior if they wanted a toehold— magically or otherwise.

He pried the edges facing him upward from the table, stonily peering down on number and suit.

3 of diamonds. 8 of spades. 5 of hearts.

Wow, this hand's bullshit.

He blinked beneath his statuesque mask, and glanced over to the one facet of the table that seemed to be just as lucky as he, and produced a friendly smile the next time her eyes returned to the table as opposed to fuming over her cards.

"A little late in the day for it now, but I don't think we ever asked your name, ma'am." he owed the Hundi an apology on that front. "Sorry about that. I'm Gerard; you are?"

---

@Raineh Daze@VahkiDane@Eisenhorn@Crimson Paladin

---

While Fionn had been somewhat concerned about having regular clothing for any trip around Talderia, he'd been more concerned for the sake of the others, Fleuri in particular; letting one of the most proper knights in their band wander around in his arming jacket and hose, extra laces dangling everywhere, would be unacceptable. No matter how clean they were beneath the armour. If anything, that just served to confuse him—before he decided to chalk it up to just another strange feature of this other-world Merilia had pulled them into.

Thankfully, they'd managed to find something he was comfortable wearing as well, so he wouldn't have to decline his own suggestion and walk around dressed for battle.

As they walked, he trailed at the rear of the group, taking in the various sights as Florian pointed them out. He didn't have much of an opinion on meeting Prince Erion aside from the thought that the rest of the group really ought to be around as well—but the decision was made before he'd even thought it might be necessary to voice it, and Florian led them on to the castle.

Ah, well. What's the worst that can happen?

As they stood and waited for Florian to return, it seemed the answer to that question came in the form of Randon's shameless, appraising stare. For the first minute, it was easy enough to ignore. Going into the second, Fionn found himself trying to avoid acknowleding the Hundi's presence whatsoever, resisting the urge to try and adjust his clothes under the gaze. He turned his head away, trying to peer down his own back as much as possible. It wasn't like he was wearing anything outrageous, after all. A thin shirt, simple trousers, and a thicker tunic over the shirt, his sword and dagger belted at his waist. The most stand-out trait any of the clothing had was that the hems of the tunic were trimmed with a different cloth.

The fit wasn't perfect—it was tighter across the chest than it ideally should have been, but it was nowhere near the level of what Cyrus had chosen to wear and tear. There weren't any stains on it that he could see, either, nor on the trousers. What, then, could Randon have seen?

At the third minute he turned around entirely, still looking down his back. "There's a hole somewhere I can't see, aye? That's what you're staring at?" he asked Florian's tagalong, finally breaking the silence. "Or are the seams pulling out around the collar and shoulders? What is it, Randon?" Fleuri, Rolan, and Sergio were well and truly forgotten by that point as Fionn's agitation only grew. He'd been the one to bring up finding proper clothes for them to wear, after all, trying to maintain their reputations as knights and the reputation of the Iron Roses overall; he couldn't well show up to meet with a long-dead prince looking like he'd only learned how to dress himself the day before.

"Really, you couldn't have told me if something was wrong before we came all the way out here?" he grumbled. "I can't well meet with a prince with my tunic pulling itself apart, like. Come here, help me find where the seam is trying to tear!" As he gave his command, he lifted his hands up, pulling at the shoulders of the tunic and turning his head back and forth trying to peer down like before.

Absorbed enough in trying to find whatever flaw he thought Randon was looking at that he didn't even notice Florian and Prince Erion had arrived just before he spoke up about the prince.

"Just like that, the perks of being a legend it seems."

Rolan's remark was to no one in particular, thinking out loud as they began moving again, this time right for the castle. No acknowledgement, not even a stated word, simply breezed through like they owned the place. Given the reputation and capabilities of the legendary knights, well, that may not necessarily be a far fetched statement to consider. There wouldn't have been much else to say if it wasn't for the fact that, it seemed, Randon had taken a very intensive interest in Fionn, of all people. For his initial credit, Fionn seemed to be making a pointed effort to ignore the intense focus, but then that all fell apart rather abruptly. Temper mildly frayed, he seemed to become incredibly interested in finding wherever this so called tear or hole was that held his attention. Rolan doubted it had anything to do with the state of the clothing, more a matter of who it was on. At least Fleuri was not making a fool of himself, making an agreeing statement and not promptly engaging in turning himself in circles like a dog looking for his own tail.

Of course at that point Florian decided to return with the Prince Erion, something that was given away by two key details. The obvious was the dragonscale cloak, something of a myth in and of itself by the time of the current Iron Roses. It was kind of hard for someone to forge anything out of dragon parts when sourcing them proved to be as...tricky as it did, let's just say. Second was the Talderian clasp that further identified the Prince. Sidestepping the currently distracted Fionn to address the Prince directly. Florian had already indicated that they were both new here, and members of the same order. He nodded in response, keeping Fionn at the corner of his peripheral vision just in case.

"Correct on both counts, Prince Erion. Though our purpose here is, ideally at least, to accomplish training in a condensed period of time. Perhaps training Sir Fionn how to use a mirror might be in order first, however, given the current circumstances."

@The Otter@Raineh Daze@Crimson Paladin

Renar was well enough acquainted with cheating at cards to almost instantly recognize that the two storied knights before them were doing so blatantly. His respect for them shot up accordingly. It was tiresome hearing of perfect legends that could do no wrong. The fact that they were so very much mortal men like the rest of them, barring this preservation in the Knight Witch's memories, made him think just slightly better of them.

The Bastard of Brias sat, briefly noting to himself that...Gretchen, was it? Had evidently the same idea as him. Even if it didn't work. That was fine. He wasn't expecting to win the first few hands. Not until the odds were evened somewhat. Nonetheless, he put his literal poker face on, settling back into a casual smirk as he looked over his hand. Not the worst, and he'd need a straight to do any better. Still, perfect information didn't quite work when one knew how to obfuscate such.

Renar started obnoxiously shuffling his hand, rapidly flicking through cards one after the other while his fingers concealed most of their backs anyway.

"The game is afoot. May the most...clever player win."

@Octo @HereComesTheSnow @Raineh Daze