[IC] Botanist And Bards

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

Isabella nodded as she was told to give her a few minutes. Oof, she was nervous. Whenever she met other nobles she was always a little ball of anxiety. She couldn't help it, really, so she remained silent as the guard looked her over. Standard making sure she wasn't an assassin after all, probably. She had seen it done many times herself. Wasn't exactly something uncommon being nobility and all that. As the minutes ticked by, she managed to get her nerves mostly under control, and took to playing with the cloak around her a bit, her face relaxing mildly so it wasn't glaring so much.

Of course, as soon as the door opened and she was addressed she froze completely, trying not to jump out of her armor.

"Isabella." She replied simply, an emotionless mask being worn on her face as she replied. With that done, she followed the servant into the room - and was quite impressed with the decor. Girly, a little ostentatious, but fitting of a noble. It reminded her of the extravagant hallways of the palace back home, making her feel a little homesick but she quickly quelled the feeling.

She could never go back and had to accept that.

Thankfully, the young lady in question was quick to introduce herself and make Isabella feel, at least mildly better. She had to refrain from laughing softly at her eagerness. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. It wasn't her first time speaking, but it was never easy. She'd need a bath herself after this.

"I am Lady Isabella Calder." She quietly replied, voice soft and would have been barely audible if anyone else had been speaking. Breath in, breathe out. Despite her best attempts to put on a friendly face though, it was still as tensed as it ever was in these situations making it seem like she was being overly serious, and perhaps a little unfriendly.

"I come from a Monarchy quite a distance from here." She closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling again as she continued. "So far that we've never even heard of this place."

[Roleplayer001]

The young lady blinked a couple times, as if taken aback by Lady Isabella's seeming 'professionalism'. Zavra looked around, but the young noble soon found herself wondering more about the world. "That far! And yet we speak the same language!" This seemed to make another question pop up in the girl, who leaned forward slightly in interest before her head was pushed back down by an annoyed servant. "S-sorry. Anyways, what's it like there? Oh! How do you handle the highstorms!" The girl's eyes widened a bit in wonder, as if seeming to question if there was some other method to get around them. "Does the place have a name! Surely?"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

Oh, the girls enthusiasm was almost infectious and she felt herself relaxing a bit. Not enough to get rid of the stiffness of facial features, but at least she could perhaps speak a bit louder and more clearly than she had before. Where to begin, though? The Monarchy was a wonderful place, no matter what the other kingdoms said about it.

"Uhm, It's the Raerith Monarchy." Isabella replied, attempting a smile. "It was named after the old king who founded it." The smile faded as she thought of the 'Highstorms'. What exactly were they? They didn't seem at all natural. If priests from the clergy were here they'd likely condemn this place as cursed by some demon or the divine spirits. After all, a place with divine protection could never experience such disastrous storms as this, could they? "We've...never heard of a Highstorm. The divine spirits protects the land from such disastrous storms."

Oh, should she ask about her singing now? She didn't want to come off as overly forward or rude. Ooh, maybe Zavra would like to hear heroic tales of her brothers and father? She didn't know how to go about asking or beginning to approach the subject though.

[Roleplayer001]

The girl blinked a couple times, looking at the foreign noble with a bit more curiosity and a bit of surprise. No highstorms? How did that work? "Divine Spirits? Raerith?" The young noble tilted her head curiously. After a couple moments, the girl seemed to pause for a moment as if thinking. "Is the land pretty? Oh! If it's a kingdom, does it have Princes?" It seemed the noble girl had a thought on her mind as she was obviously fantasizing about becoming a princess - if that wasn't already obvious from the way her room was decorated.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

The question completely caught Isabella off guard, causing her to freeze slightly where she stood. Oh yes, it had a prince. Two, in fact. Her younger and older brother, to be precise. Not that she could exactly tell Zavra that entirely. That would imply that she was a princess, and Valora had been very clear that she not mention that to anyone needlessly. She could understand it was for her own safety, but Isabella was not good at keeping secrets or hiding things.

"The land is wonderful!" Isabella replied quickly. "The castle sits next to the ocean, with the church not far from it." She took in a deep breath. Oof, this was the most she had ever spoken to anyone that wasn't someone in her family. She was feeling physically drained from all of this. Oh dear, how was she going to handle the dinner like this? "The church is beautiful...you can hear the singing of the choir from all around - all the way to the tops of the castle." She looked a bit unsure as she continued speaking, face reddening in mild uncertainty and embarrassment. "...It reminded me of home - y-your singing I mean."

[Roleplayer001]

Luckily for Isabella, the girl in front of her was twelve. And not only that, an excited twelve year old meeting someone from a mystical, far away land. The servant raised an eyebrow at what was obviously a dodged question, but the young lady simply smiled. Zavra seemed a little proud - although perhaps a bit bashful, or embarrassed. "It sounds so pretty! I'd love to visit sometime! Bring me along when you go back!?" The girl's eyes lit up again - perhaps it was far away, but who wouldn't want to visit this supposed fairy tail kingdom.

"And T-Thanks! Maybe if you stay here for a while I can sing for you more? Oh! Can you sing?" Her talents went a little unappreciated here, in this land where there was little time for art or anything that wasn't practical.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

"Ah..." Sing? She had lessons, but she could never do it in front of other people. "I-I, uhm...c-could..." She stuttered out, face reddening in obvious embarrassment. She had been told she had a beautiful voice when she could actually manage to sing loud enough for other people to hear, but she could never actually do it in front of other people when she knew they were listening. "B-but not well..." More importantly she couldn't stay here for long. They were just passing through on their way...to well...who knows where?

"Can't stay for long...and can't go back." She frowned before quickly adding. "F-for awhile." She fidgeted uncomfortably where she was standing again. "...but i-if you don't mind I would like to hear it again before we leave..." She supposed she could try singing too, but no way could she manage to do it while there was anyone else around and she doubted they'd leave her alone with the noble.

[Roleplayer001]

The twelve year old looked with wide eyes as her new bestie said she could sing. She didn't hear the part where she couldn't sing well at all - her natural excitement overtook her. "REALLY!?" The twelve year old looked up to the older girl braiding her hair. "See, it isn't a childish talent, Yendy! She does it too!" The servant, now 'Yendy' simply rolled her eyes in response and nodded compliantly. "Oh, Oh! Sing for me! Please! I'll promise to sing back for you!" And even more EXCITING thought popped into Zarva's mind. "Or we could sing together!"

For the first time, the servant brought her voice into the conversation briefly. "Lady Zarva, she comes from a far away land. I doubt her songs are the same as yours." The young noble seemed a little put down by this, but her previous suggestion still stood!

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

"Oh..." Oh dear, she should have kept her mouth shut. Still, she did want to hear more of it. Zavra's own singing - it was beautiful. It certainly wasn't the best, but it was definitely a voice that the Divine Spirits would listen too. She glanced over to Yendy silently, keeping her gaze mostly neutral. She was right though, but even so she wanted to hear more. "Is the song written anywhere?" She asked quietly. If she had someone else singing with her she could maybe, hopefully do it. "I may not recognize all the words...but I can try."

It would be better for her to sing one of Zavra's songs, she thought, since she could more likely easily match the tone and song more of hers than Zavra could one of the Monarchies hymns.

[Roleplayer001]

Zavra looked upwards towards her servant who shook her head. A slight frown crossed the girl's face, but a couple seconds later a thought crossed her mind. "Oh I know! I'll sing, and you'll just copy! You heard that last song from the hallway, so you already know at least some of it!" The young lady smiled, going through the basic rhythm with a human and then beginning to sing her little song of storm, but stopping after a short time and looking at Isabella to copy her.

She didn't mention the meaning of the song at all - she either assumed Isabella knew it or didn't seem to care much for it.

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

"A-ah wait-!" Before she could stop Zevra, she had already begun singing. Isabella's heart felt like it was in her throat already, anxiety building as seconds dragged into hours. She was going to mess this up, wasn't she? She was going to make a mess of things, likely stumble over her words and her voice wasn't that pretty to start with. It was likely made a bit more awkward by the fact her face didn't betray any of her anxiety as usual, just giving them her usual impassive neutral expression as she held her hands together in front of her.

It was okay. She could do this. She was the first Princess of the Raerith Monarchy - a bloodline that built a nation, slaughtered demons and slayed dragons! She could do something as simple as sing in front of others!

"..." She exhaled, hands relaxing as she let them fall to her side as she began quietly, following along the words she heard Zevra sing earlier. Of course, the other noble was far louder than she was which was fine. It was easier to sing when she thought no one else would hear her. The more she sang though, the easier it became and while she didn't entirely know the words, she made a good attempt at singing along next to Zevra.

In fact, she was so into it that she didn't realize that Zevra had stopped and kept singing.

[Roleplayer001]

Zarva blinked a couple times as Isabella continued to sing without her - had she seriously memorized the entire song just from hearing it once in the hallway!? Either way, Zarva joined in - quietly at first, not wanting to leave her friend alone. The pair sung together as the servant finished doing Zarva's hair, rolling her eyes as her job was finished.

After a couple minutes, the song came to an end and with a big, honest smile and a bit of happy laughter the twelve year old looked towards her newest friend. "Wow! You're incredible! Do you sing for your troops or something? You seem to have a LOT of practice!" For one of the few times in her life, Zarva found herself fangirling over someone who actually existed. "Do all the girls from your place sing as well as you do!?"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

In all, it was going well. She hadn't memorized the entire thing, but music was relatively easy once you knew how. Rhythm, beat, tempo, melody...or perhaps it was better to say she was just good at improvising lyrics. The words she didn't understand she could at least make a valiant attempt to mimic. Throughout the song, Isabella made a few gestures with one hand as she held the other hand to her chest. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself from anyone's perspective...and then it was over and Zavra was practically bouncing with praise.

Oh dear.

It took a few seconds to sink in as Isabella realized what she had just done. Isabella slowly turned her head down as her pale features suddenly started to become a shade of red from embarrassment. She covered her face with her hands, unable to take letting the others see her embarrassment.

"I-it's standard practice for the royal family and nobles...m-men too." She managed a quiet reply.

[Roleplayer001]

Zarva leaned forward - eyes widening with a smile as she thought about it. "Men too! Oh, does that mean their princes can sing as well as you!?" There were practically hearts forming in her eyes as she drifted off to some romantic fantasy fairy tale. Oh, she so hoped she'd get to go there. "Isabella, are you from some sort of fairy tale? The kingdom you come from sounds fantastic!"

For a couple seconds, Zarva would give Isabella a brief chance to respond before leaning forward. "You should sing with me for the court! My dad would love to hear you and all about where you come from! And especially any princes! He's been if I'm close friends with any boys, especially tough ones ..." Zarva looked up, clearly not realizing the implication. "Anyways! Will you sing with me for my dad?"

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

Well...the Monarchy certainly was beautiful. A fairy tail, though? She had never really thought about it before, though most fairy tails where she was from involved her ancestor slaying dragons, rescuing villages and solving problems. Those that didn't told the tale of mischievous imps, goblins, and other such creatures that would steal children away.

"Uhm...w-well, it's a lovely place." She simply replied, just before Zavra made a terrifying suggestion.

Sing

In front of so many people?

The reaction on Isabella was almost immediate. She stood quickly, metal boots stomping rather loudly against the floor as she looked down at Zavra. She couldn't help it - the thought of that made her completely freeze, face doing its best imitation of a block of ice as she looked at the child. She didn't bother with a reply, merely turned and headed for the door. Not because she wanted too, no. She was afraid of speaking because she would both say something stupid, stumble over her words and be wholly un-princess like. It'd appear quite rude to anyone looking on, but Isabella couldn't bring herself to stay.

Ugh, she was exhausted too.

[Roleplayer001]

Zarva's smile fell apart as Isabella went from describing her home as a 'lovely place' to storming out - in what seemed like a very angry manner. "Sor-" The confused noble girl tried to apologize to her friend, but she was already gone. The servant tried to comfort the twelve year old, but Zarva was still upset and wondered what exactly she had done to cause that.

The guard outside of the young ladies door gave Isabella a confused glare but after realizing the young lady was uninjured ... she couldn't do anything about it. She simply shrugged, letting the woman continue to storm off.

As Isabella returned in front of the door to her quarters, the noble woman would see a the slave leaving them and looking around desperately for someone. After seeing the angry noble, the slave girl approached - slightly afraid, since the lady looked scary. "... My L-Lady. I c-can take you to dinner ..."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

Isabella, felt terrible to put bluntly. She couldn't help it. Whenever she was put in such a situation, whether it was real or just hypothetical, she just froze. It was stupid and she knew it, but it was something she couldn't just make go away no matter how hard she tried. Now she had probably just made Zavra upset, upset the servants and guards and...well, she had half a mind not to attend this so-called feast anyways. Better if she just quietly stayed in her room for the night until they could get a move on.

She wouldn't get to rest so easily though.

The slave girl from before was standing in front of her room, offering to take her to the dinner.

"..." In...out. Breathe in, breathe out. "One moment..." She managed to quietly speak out. She had said she'd go, and she would. She just hoped she wasn't going to be the center of attention, and she wasn't going to be going without Graice. Isabella quietly walked into the room, taking a few seconds further to get her nerves under control as she gave Gracie a mildly pleading look.

"Come with me, please."

[Roleplayer001]

The slave stayed put, seeming a little nervous. But as she entered into the room, Gracie looked up from what she was doing - probably cleaning something or taking a break - and looked at the princess as she entered and pleaded with her. For a moment, the girl's instinct to say "Yes, Ma'am" or something to that effect was strong, but this time Gracie shook her head no. "Izzy, you need to take care of this on your own. If I end up speaking for you the entire dinner, it'll make you look weak." There was truth in that statement. "You. Can. Do. This. Okay?" She looked into her mistress' eyes. "Now, why don't you wait here - for five minutes - and then go down there and take care of things - you don't even have to talk a lot. I have faith in you Isabella. We all do."

[Rune_Alchemist]

~Isabella~

---

No? Gracie...said no? For a moment a pout that could only be described as 'adorable' crossed Isabella's face. She could understand why Gracie said that. She could, really, and knowing that Gracie believed in her was a comfort in and of itself...but she couldn't. Not now. Back in the palace she could attend feasts and balls just fine by herself because she was surrounded by people she knew. Her brothers, mother, and father...nobles she knew most of her life. She had even gotten to the point where she could give small speeches and at the last one she even gave a toast, albeit a rather shaky one.

But here? Surrounded by so many people she didn't know? That she was likely going to have to answer a near unending stream of questions for?

"Gracie..." Isabella's mouth turned into a slight frown. She didn't like what she was about to do, but she at least was self aware about her own problems and what she could and couldn't do well. "You're coming with me." She didn't raise her voice, nor was there any hostility in it, but it was firm, unyielding and she likely wouldn't be too happy taking no for an answer - but if Gracie truly wanted to, Isabella likely wouldn't do anything if she still refused.

[Roleplayer001]

Gracie frowned as she was given a blatant order - at least as much of one that Isabella would be able to - but curtsied apologetically. She knew it took a lot for the princess to even do that and didn't want to turn her down for it. "Of course, mistress. Is there anything you'd like me to do for you before we depart?" Perhaps she'd like some portion of her outfit changed, or perhaps her hair, but she wasn't exactly certain about it.

The nervous slave was still standing outside the guest portion of the castle, waiting for what would hopefully be a quick return.