[table][row][cell][img]https://i.imgur.com/20Q9FLv.png[/img][/cell][cell][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/241207/12cf164eb0204fbd7bfe1f9acec90dc5.png[/img][/cell][/row]
[row][cell][sub]Location: Jail[/sub][/cell][/row][/table]As the Champion leveled her accusations, Zeph arched an intrigued brow. Threats against either King weren’t taken lightly, and even he knew better than to speak so recklessly about royalty. This man was brash—or perhaps just plain foolish. Likely both.  

Zeph’s gaze shifted to the prisoner behind the bars, taking in the smug smile and sharp remarks he flung at the Champion’s back. When she paused to offer Zeph an Aelios blessing before making her exit, he couldn’t suppress the smirk that played at his lips, entertained despite himself.

For a brief moment, silence followed, but the prisoner seemed more than willing to fill it. 

Turning his full attention onto the man, Zeph leaned casually against the wall, his amusement growing as the man launched into a theatrical spiel. Gadez certainly lived up to the Champion’s warning—he liked to talk. Granting him with the audience he so desperately desired, Zeph listened, his expression shifting between skepticism and entertainment. 

When Gadez unapologetically doubled down on his accusations rather than backpedaling, Zeph chuckled under his breath. There was something to be said for a man who stood firm on his convictions. Still, while Zeph could certainly sympathize with a distaste for King Auric—and, frankly, the Aurelians as a whole—he couldn’t imagine letting that dislike consume him so thoroughly. It seemed exhausting. Life was too short to be bogged down by grudges and grand schemes.

Eventually, the incessant flow of words prompted Zeph’s gaze to wander to a stool tucked in a corner. Deciding he might as well get comfortable, he pulled it over and seated himself a few feet from the bars. From here, the torches lining the hallway flickered a faint amber glow across Gadez’s face, casting shifting shadows into the dark cell that seemed to suit the man’s performance.  

As Gadez finished with a bow, Zeph let out a laugh. [color=98A869]“Bold, aren’t you?”[/color] he said, his tone laced with mirth. His smirk widened as he leaned forward, resting his elbows casually on his knees. [color=98A869]“Zephyros.”[/color] he introduced himself with a slight gesture towards his chest. [color=98A869]“I’ve gotta give ya credit. Takes guts—or maybe just a complete lack of self-preservation. Hard to say.”[/color]

Keeping his gaze fixed on Gadez, he wondered what sort of gardener or performer would harbor such a burning grudge against the King of Aurelia—and why? And did this sentiment include the Prince?

Though Zeph found the man thoroughly entertaining, he was far from trusting a single word that left his mouth. Zeph had noticed his muscular build, now hidden beneath the man’s shirt—far more defined than any gardener or performer Zeph had ever encountered. And that tattoo… a design unlike anything he’d seen before. But for now, he tucked those observations away, deciding to keep his cards close to his chest.

[color=98A869]“Why don’t you enlighten me?”[/color] Zeph asked, ignoring Gadez’s earlier question about what had brought him to Dawnhaven. [color=98A869]“What is this place [i]really[/i], Paladice?”[/color]

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[sub][b]Interactions:[/b] Gadez [@Dezuel][/sub]