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[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220927/23fb834f443fddf069b302a80ffae13a.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220927/713c9ea7f90a3bccf2680492bc93671a.png[/img]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220928/bcf4c8fb894d886cf1f86d12d903935e.png[/img]

[color=1E90FF][b]Time[/b]: Morning[/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Location[/b]: The Church >> Royal Curd[/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Interactions[/b]: [/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Mentions[/b]:[/color] [@Princess] [color=D0B4EC]Charlotte[/color]
[color=1E90FF][b]Attire[/b]: [hider]
[url=https://i.postimg.cc/8z5xjhFf/b73aac48-9c15-4c53-9289-37731ac8aace.png](Placeholder until I get a better reference image)[/url]
Roughspun, blue trousers
A shoulder belt and waist belt carrying his equipment
Two swords and two pistols, one on either side
A woven, conical hat wide enough to shade his entire face (in his hands)[/hider][/color]
[/center]

[i][color=aba000]“Hey King! We’re here for the cheese!”[/color][/i]

Sjan-dehk didn’t know what this ‘cheese’ was, and he didn’t understand [i]why[/i] anyone would be seeking it in a temple, but he did have a very, [i]very[/i] good feeling that the tone of those words wasn’t the sort one should be using with a King. Or anyone of any rank, for that matter. Formality wasn’t something Sjan-dehk held in high regard – he disliked it, to be perfectly honest – but even so, he thought that whoever had spoken had been somewhat rude.

And from what Sjan-dehk knew, to be rude to a vain man – let alone a King – was to be in danger.

He snapped his gaze over to the King, the latter seated high upon his throne. Iyen squeezed closer as the jostling crowd filled the temple, and he was forced to look away when the two of them helped an aged lady to a seat. Well, Iyen did most of the actual assisting; Sjan-dehk merely looked fierce to clear the way. The grey-haired woman thanked both of them. Iyen listened, and despite not understanding a word, responded with a smile. Sjan-dehk mirrored her. And then, he looked back at the King, and his smile vanished. 

As much as he understood that gestures could have many meanings, Sjan-dehk couldn’t for the life of him think of an interpretation for a hand drawn across a neck that wasn’t bloody. Was this King seriously going to have someone imprisoned or killed for impertinence? Of course, rudeness in such a setting deserved a punishment of some sort, but either of those options seemed rather extreme. Sjan-dehk would have been satisfied with a fine or a literal slap-on-the-wrist. He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. Perhaps this was just another misunderstanding, and he was simply being an idiot, but a not-so-quiet part of him didn’t put such unfair and drastic measures past the King.

He surreptitiously dropped a hand to the grip of one of his swords.

But despite his best efforts at stealth, his little action didn’t escape Iyen’s notice. She quickly wrapped her slender fingers tightly around his arm and fixed him with an alarmed glare. [color=228B22]“What’re you doing?”[/color] Her voice was a quiet hiss, and held as much reproach as her disapproving frown. She glanced at her own arms, at her waist. [color=228B22]“Without me?”[/color]

Sjan-dehk could have chuckled, had he any idea as to what he intended to do. Did he really want to start a fight here? Presumably against the King’s guards? Or did he hope to simply send a strong message? And for what purpose? To stop the King from meting out his justice in his own lands? That didn’t seem right, as wrong as it felt in this case. Sjan-dehk swallowed and chewed on his lip. Maybe this was why Lady Adiyan wanted him to be here. To learn and to get used to how the Caesonians did things.

Or maybe, as it turned out, Sjan-dehk was simply being an idiot. The gesture had been nothing more than the King ordering his guards to shut the temple’s doors. Red-faced and feeling as if he had just turned his ship against the wind, Sjan-dehk let go of his sword. [color=1E90FF]“Nothing,”[/color] he replied to Iyen. [color=1E90FF]“I’m not doing…Well, I’m not planning on doing anything. Just thinking that you might be right. My mind is sea-addled.”[/color]

Iyen said nothing. Instead, she touched Sjan-dehk’s neck with the back of her hand. Sjan-dehk glanced at her, amused. [color=1E90FF]“Guess it’s my turn to ask. What’re you doing?”[/color]

[color=228B22]“Flushed cheeks and agreeing that I’m right?”[/color] Iyen placed her other hand on her forehead. [color=228B22]“I’m checking if you’ve a fever.”[/color]

This time, Sjan-dehk chuckled and gently pulled her hand away from him. Iyen gave him a smile, and they returned their attention to the ceremony. Not that there was much left for them to observe; aside from what Sjan-dehk could only assume to be a mishap with the King’s painting – as far as he could tell, there wasn’t anything wrong with it, but everyone else had reacted as if it were otherwise – the rest of it passed as little more than a blur. Before long, Sjan-dehk and Iyen were back out on the street with everyone else, golden ticket in hand and destination unknown. With no better idea, they simply followed the crowd. 

[color=228B22]“That was…Quick,”[/color] Iyen remarked.

[color=1E90FF]“You say that like it’s a bad thing,”[/color] Sjan-dehk said. [color=1E90FF]“Thought you disliked these things, too. Don’t tell me all we’ve been through together was nothing more than a lie.”[/color]

Iyen rolled her eyes. [color=228B22]“Oh, Sjan-dehk, you caught me in my elaborate plot to get closer to your sister–”[/color]

[color=1E90FF]“Stop it,”[/color] Sjan-dehk interrupted quickly. [color=1E90FF]“But I see your point. Feels like they rushed things at the end.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“Think the painting had anything to do with it?”[/color] Iyen asked. She sidestepped to avoid a child, and in doing so ended up pressing herself against Sjan-dehk’s side. A wide, cheeky grin spread across his face, and he looked down at her. 

[color=1E90FF]“Sure it’s my sister you’re interested in?”[/color] He teased. Iyen looked at him with mock disgust and took a step away from him. He quickly returned to the topic of their conversation with a shrug. [color=1E90FF]“Don’t know. Maybe, I’d say. Not sure what was wrong with it, though. The finishing touches looked a little rough, but I wouldn’t get upset over that.”[/color] A frown flashed across his face as he considered the possibilities. Maybe the style was a touch too progressive for the crowd? [color=1E90FF]“Did you see the King, though? He looked fucking pissed.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“He handled it well, though,”[/color] Iyen pointed out. [color=228B22]“That, and the interruption that you were about to turn into a full fucking fight. I’ve to congratulate you for restraining yourself, by the way.”[/color]

The memory of that moment brought another flush to Sjan-dehk’s face. [color=1E90FF]“How was I supposed to know that that gesture didn’t mean that he was ordering a beheading?”[/color] He protested, then cleared his throat. [color=1E90FF]“You’re right, though. The King showed some temperance. Maybe he’s not as bad as we thought.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“Maybe he’s just acting,”[/color] Iyen suggested. [color=228B22]“Y’know, he’s so vain that he wants to look good for the crowd.”[/color]

Sjan-dehk nodded slowly. That was indeed a possibility; he didn’t put it past the King – or any ruler, for that matter – to put on an act for the sake of placating the populace. He wouldn’t be the first, that much was for certain. And the more Sjan-dehk thought about it, the more likely that possibility seemed. For one, a truly benevolent King wouldn’t have slammed the temple’s doors shut on the crowd when there was still space for standing inside. Sjan-dehk was still thinking of a second reason when he entered – or more accurately, was guided by the throng of people – into the building. On instinct, he took off his hat and tucked it under his arm.

The first – and really, only – thing he noticed was just how yellow everything was. The walls; the floor; the ceiling; the furnishings; the water, even the very clothes of the cheery lady who took his and Iyen’s tickets, all were in a shade of yellow or other. It felt almost excessive, and considering that yellow was one of the Commonwealth’s colours, that was saying something, coming from Sjan-dehk. The place felt strange, like it was a…

[color=228B22]“Is this ‘cheese’ thing a cult?”[/color] Iyen asked, giving voice to Sjan-dehk’s thoughts. [color=228B22]“Because right now, it feels like one. That woman talked about ‘cheese’ too, right?”[/color]

[color=1E90FF]“I don’t think so,”[/color] Sjan-dehk said as he caught the familiar whiff of cooking in the air. [color=1E90FF]“Think this is a sort of restaurant? Food’s involved in some way, that’s my guess.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“So it’s a cult to food,”[/color] Iyen drolled. Sjan-dehk tapped her on the shoulder to shush her and led the way to a large room on the left. It was where everyone else was going, anyway. A thousand thoughts rushed into his head, but he pushed them all aside. There would be time later for him to carefully sift through whatever he observed. For now, he just wanted to find a quiet seat away from everyone else. He did, however, give the pale girl from the other day – her name escaped him – a wave and a smile as he passed her table. As usual, Iyen took note of that quick, minute action.

[color=228B22]“She’s cute,”[/color] she quipped as she took her seat, a wide grin on her face. [color=228B22]“The girl you waved to, I mean.”[/color]

Sjan-dehk let out a sigh and sat down. [color=1E90FF]“Oh, don’t you start.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“What? I’m just saying she’s cute,”[/color] Iyen replied, her grin turning into a smirk.

[color=1E90FF]“Your words say that you’re just saying that,”[/color] Sjan-dehk said. [color=1E90FF]“Your smile tells me that you’re going to ask me about getting to know her better. I can’t help with that, I’m afraid. I’ve only spoken to her once, and that was days ago.”[/color]

[color=228B22]“You’re no fun,”[/color] Iyen said and pouted. Folding her arms, she continued, [color=228B22]“But you know me. It’s your sis–”[/color]

Once again, Sjan-dehk interrupted before she could finish. [color=1E90FF]“Stop it,”[/color] he said curtly, then turned in his seat to look over the room. [color=1E90FF]"We're here to work, so take note of anything interesting, or anything worth knowing."[/color] The room was quickly filling with people, few of whom he could recognise. In fact, apart from the pale girl, he couldn’t say he knew anyone. Not that mattered. He wasn’t here to mingle; he was here to simply observe and learn.