[IC] When the Flames Die

[Sightles]

Thomas laughed at Lexine's answer, "I have the privilege of being able to ignore the politics and focus only on protecting King Bard II." Thomas spoke, as he looked behind the two of them once more, looking over the bustle of the party, "Acting guard of Karl Lied? And where might the industrious Karl Lied be located at, ma'am?" Thomas asked. It was evident by his tone he was not poking fun at the woman, but was genuinely curious on where Lexine's charge was located. He had seen Karl Lied last night, and earlier this morning, but had not seem him the rest of the day, "And where are you from, ma'am, if you don't mind me asking?" Thomas was interested in the origins of the woman. She didn't appear to be from Keilaudrin, or at the least Mullen. As Thomas turned his attention from scanning the party, to lock eyes with Lexine, he realized that someone as verbose as Karl Lied would most definitely be where everyone could see him, and appreciate his character. A knot in Thomas' stomach began to take it's shape.

[Epsir]

Where was Karl Leid located? That was a question she would have killed for the answer to, but any professional bodyguard wouldn't have let their client simply walk away so easily. "Right now, he should be in the company of my partner and on his way here." She didn't want to lie to the man, and honestly didn't sound very sold on the answer herself, but it was the closest thing to the truth. "He's late." She crossed her arms after the admission, instinctively looking towards the palace for where either of them should have been emerging. She frowned and turned back to Thomas, realizing she was being looked at. His question gave her pause, it wasn't exactly one she'd been expecting but in retrospect the question of her heritage had already been raised that day. "I don't mind, actually. I was born a little bit north of here, actually. In the countryside, but I grew up on the east coast. This is the first time I've been back to the west since I was a little girl. Keilaudrin has grown since then, so I suppose the people must be doing well." She stopped, staring down into the waters. "Are they? Do you like living here?"

[ravenDivinity]

"Hey! Wait!" Gareth chased her onto the dancing area, but he was a little reluctant to dance. He didn't know how to dance extremely well, for he did the stray jig here and there but actual dancing was a mystery to him. Harker followed her despite his lack of expertise, and he attempted to dance with her anyway. The upbeat, celebratory music possessed his feet, and around her he went, himself trying earnestly to dance. "I hope you know, my lady, I cannot dance." He exhaled and supposed going with his spirit would give him the most passion in his untaught movements, simply expressions of soul rather than of any trained finesse. Anxiety followed him even there to the dance floor, for then he hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself for dancing badly.

[Sightles]

That question caught Thomas off-guard, and made him think for a moment. In honest, for some reason he didn't consider this place his new home. Of course, he had gotten used to Keilaud traditions, but it doesn't mean he had adopted them. After a slight pause to ponder, Thomas spoke up to answer the question posed, "The people don't have much faith in the leadership, lately, which is understandable." Thomas replied, keeping his eyes locked with Lexine. She seemed unnaturally stiff, and alert, for Thomas. He had noticed that kind of posture before. It was how he stood when he first joined the Order of the Thistle, and was extremely worried about something, "As for living here, it's perfectly fine. I enjoy the Palace, and my other sword-brothers. And the King is a good one to serve." Thomas spoke, turning his head back towards the water, gazing out and down on the ships that, even at this time, were entering and leaving the harbor. Yelling, over the bustle of the crowd, assaulted Thomas' ears. As he turned, he could already spot Gareth running to the dancing area, chasing Sophia. After a moment, the pair began to a dance, albeit a one that lacked the skill of most people who danced at royal events. "Looks like people are starting to take to dancing." Thomas pointed out, as more people began to make their way to the dance floor.

[Epsir]

She listened closely to Thomas' answer, noting the pause her question had given him. At the very least it meant he'd thought about it. There was something satisfying in hearing that life wasn't so bad near her old homeland. The people losing faith in their leadership was something she'd known for a few days, although it still hadn't surprised her then. Keilaudrin was relatively new in its status, but founded on ancient ideals. In line with what Thomas has said, it was easy to ignore the problems of the world from within a palace. Lexine might have found other questions to ask him, but her attentions were as pulled as his when someone started yelling behind them. A girl she recognized as the Lyoki princess disappeared into the crowd, among plenty of others slowly making their way into the dance. "You'd almost think they didn't have the entire day to get it out of their system," she remarked, looking on.

[Sightles]

Thomas chuckled, as he continued to watch the people dancing, "What did you expect? It's the King's Midnight feast." Thomas said with a chuckle, as he turned to look over at Lexine, "Well, would you like to join them?" Thomas asked, holding out his hand for Lexine to take. If there was any thing Thomas had learned from attending multiple royal events, it was how to spot a troublemaker, and dance. He had gotten quite well at it, and was usually asked by some lady-in-waiting or other to dance at royal events, but at something as low-key as the midnight feast, Thomas had no problem cutting loose and just dancing. This would also be the first time dancing at a royal event where he wasn't on duty, which had earned him plenty of ire before from Redwyne and Guy Arnulf.

[Chazbarry]

Payton smiled at Jezin's question. "I just came to celebrate the coronation of the King." Payton said, taking her glance back from Kol, and turning it to Jezin. Payton could hear the musicians start up their songs, and hear the excited bustle of the crowd as they flocked to the dance floor in order to revel in the music. "I don't believe I've ever met anyone from Lyok." Payton said, interest covering the tone of her voice. "What's your country like? And why exactly did they send you and the princess on a diplomatic mission to Keilaudrin?" Payton asked, interest now laying on her voice. It was obvious she was interested in Jezin and Sophia's intentions.

[Epsir]

Lexine's expression blanked as she eyed the hand offered to her. No, she rather didn't. She had no love for dancing and frankly no interest in what everyone else was doing on the dance floor. The excuse that she was waiting for her charge no longer held water even in her mind, though. No, she should have been gone and looking at that very moment. "I don't know how it would look for Leid's guard to be wasting its time dancing.." She trailed off, stuck on the realization that Leid was unlikely to arrive. All of the internal rhetoric she fed herself about actually enjoying the party when she got the chance was slowly coming back, and in short order, killing worthless time spent waiting seemed like a better idea. Gently, she took Thomas' hand and nodded once. At a touch, she knew immediately the hands of a soldier. She also knew that would cut both ways. Well, she was a bodyguard, perhaps it made sense. With her free hand, she slipped a silver clip from her belt over her tie to hold it in place. "Alright, no sense brooding in corners. Lead on, Sir Morgan."

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sophia quickly made it to the dancing area, and turned to Gareth. She giggled a bit when he claimed he couldn't dance. "Anyone can dance, Gareth, you just have to let yourself." She smiled as he began making his best effort to move to the music. He still seemed quite nervous, though. The princess took in a deep breath. The air smelled of ocean salt. The brilliant flames of the torches around them seemed to dance in rhythm against the night sky. More and more people were making their way to the dance floor. The girl began to sway in time with the music, the flames illuminating her face and shimmering off of the gold circlet on her head. He rhythm of the music seemed to align with her own heartbeat, or perhaps vice versa. As the band picked up, a smile of sheer contentedness crossed her face. She spun around quickly, her dress catching the wind and billowing around her like a red whirlwind. She moved about with an uncommon grace, seemingly lost within the music. Dancing was an important part of court life in Lyok, and she had learned it's finer points at a young age. Sophia grabbed Gareth's hand and spun again. With a smile she spoke, her whimsical voice falling in time with the music. "Just relax."

Jezin watched as the party-goers, Sophia included, headed to the dancing area. Still keeping an eye on the princess, he turned his attention back to his conversation with Payton. Jezin smiled when she asked about Lyok. "It's quite a large empire. Thus, the terrain and people can be quite varied. I, and the princess, are from the heartland around Veranthium, the birthplace of the empire as it were. It's quite arid there; there are few trees and vast expanses of desert, but we have a number of rivers that provide ample water, and the trade in gemstones, silk, and precious metals has made Lyok quite wealthy." He continued to watch the festivities around them. "As for why the Empress sent us here, though, I suppose it's mainly an extension of goodwill. The merchants are always seeking new places to trade, and the Empire has more than enough enemies in the world. I suppose the Empress sought to try and make some allies on Estovet." The bodyguard saw no need to go into the more delicate details of the Empress' reasoning. He knew full well there was an ulterior motive behind her machinations. There was another empire, one based in Estovet, that Lyok had long been wary of. Trade with Arcartus flourished, but the empire made the Lyokis a bit nervous. The primary reasoning behind their visit to Keilaudrin was to give them an ally close by, and thus a way to watch Arcartus more closely. The bodyguard looked off towards the ocean for a moment before turning back. "Well, my lady, I'd hate to seem abrupt, but would you like to dance? It is a celebration, after all." Jezin pulled his hand from his pocket and extended it towards the armored woman. He wasn't sure just yet if she was the dancing type, but it seemed rude not to ask.

[Chazbarry]

Payton listened intently to Jezin's answer, making sure to take a few mental notes about him, and remember the small facts she had been told about Lyok. Arcartus had traded with the Lyok, before, but as Lyok was no concern to the Intelligence section, she had not had the privilege to learn about the country. Payton smiled sweetly at Jezin's offer of a dance, and a extended hand. "I don't know how well you expect a girl in armor to dance, but I'd be happy to you take you up on your offer." Payton replied, with a slightly flirty smile, taking Jezin's hand in her's, and allowing the man to lead her to the dance floor. Payton had been offered to dance before, at some special occasions, but had turned them down before. In truth, she had never really danced before, and she didn't want to start now, but it would look rather different to turn down the offer, considering the persona she had worked up as being friendly.

[ravenDivinity]

The brunet coaxed his body to move with the music, his feet working around Sophia with more fervor, and he tried to play more of a smile on his face, biting his lip while he tried to go through the motions and catch the tempo. He relaxed into the dancing and even allowed Sophia to spin around him, and he found a balance with her, them twirling around each other even though he wasn't a quality dancer. Her movements were experienced and full of soul, and his were neophytic and trying. Gareth found his wait into the beat and moved with her, himself becoming a compliment to her dancing. "This... isn't so bad," he bubbled. "I could do this."

[DrowsyPangolin]

A sly smile crossed Jezin's face. "I'm sure you'll do fine, my lady." He led the woman to the dancing area, the same smile still holding. He saw Sophia and Gareth dancing nearby. He gave a slight bow to Payton and smiled before taking her by the hand once again. His feet began to move, slowly at first. Despite his profession, Jezin moved with every bit of the grace of a proper gentleman, his long cloak blowing slightly in the sea breeze. He wasn't an amazing dancer, but clearly he had some idea what he was doing, and maintained a cool composure as moved to the music, still lightly leading Payton with his hand.

Sophia continued dancing about, the brilliant smile still on her face. "See, you're getting it now." She grinned at Gareth before spinning again, raising herself onto her toes. Despite this, she was still marginally shorter than her dancing partner. That was fine though, she'd always been small. As she floated about, she noticed Jezin making his way to the floor. He was leading an armored woman. Sophia smirked, her anger having died down some. It was just like him to do something like this. Even getting taken into custody hadn't slowed his attitude, as far as she could tell. Regardless of the earlier incident, she was having a wonderful time now. She wondered when King Bard would arrive as she spun again, her crimson dress billowing in the breeze.

[Sightles]

Thomas smiled as Lexine took his hand, her hand surprisingly rougher than Thomas imagined, but it was still unmistakeable a ladies hand, "Excellent, a lady should not spend her time distanced from the party." Thomas replied, with a grin. Thomas gently led the two of them to the dance floor, as he had been taught to. Once they reached the dance floor, Thomas took Lexine's other hand in his, and started the traditional ballroom-like dance that other guests were doing, and that was typical of courtly dances, "So, how did you come into service of the great and modest Karl Lied?" Thomas said with a slight smirk, as he led the dance. It was almost perfect textbook Keilaud courtly dancing, while impressive, it was rather bland compared to other courtly dances.

[Epsir]

A dance she'd never practiced or probably heard of, Lexine hardly knew the steps and instead opted to mimic the Thomas' motions, tracing stiff but precise circles over the ground with the tips of her decidedly ungraceful marching boots. Still, it was better than the nightmare that dancing in a dress had been. She attempted to return the near perpetual smile her dancing partner was wearing, but what had been strained outright collapsed with his question. Her hands suddenly felt very uncomfortable bound up in someone else's. "It was on short notice, but Leid decided he needed protection shortly before arriving here. Me and my partner were in-country and were sent to handle things. If I have it right, his reputation in this country isn't that great, so I understand his concern." She spoke distantly, distracted in keeping up with the dance and watching the area around them with quick glances around the room. "Is it uncommon for men in his position to hire retainers?"

[Sightles]

Thomas' head tilted slightly, as he pondered the question, but kept up with leading the pair in the dance, "I suppose not, but it was fairly odd to seem him in Mullen with guards. I would think a place he was comfortable in would ease him." Thomas began, as he duo's dance continued on, "I also didn't take Karl Lied as the type of man to take things seriously enough to warrant protection. Karl is a very easy-going man, at least when I knew him." Thomas added, as himself was sent into a brooding mood. His mood uplifted, though, once he came upon a realization, "However, Karl isn't the kind of man to make enemies. Karl isn't a particular threat to anyone in Mullen, nor is he a highly valuable target." Thomas said, injecting his own two cents. This kind of thinking, however, went against the way he taught by the Order of the Thistle, and Thomas knew something possibly wasn't right, "Perhaps he simply decided to attend a brothel for some nighttime fun, rather than attending the midnight feast." Thomas added, as he continued to ponder Karl's whereabouts.

[Epsir]

Well, that had been an answer she was expecting. There were few explanations for someone like Karl Leid having his own protective detail, but their refuge had not been in the validity of their disguise but in the absurdity of questioning it. Leid had been less than cooperative but deep down he seemed to understand that whatever was happening was beyond him so long as he kept his nose down. That hadn't been enough for him, apparently. Her explanation probably wasn't good enough for the Thistle knight dancing with her either. She wondered what Thomas was getting at, bringing up the question of her supposed employer, but hearing someone supply an explanation was relieving in some tiny way. "I haven't known him to take up whoring, but that would be a happy ending. I can only hope my comrade is with him. For my sake, mostly," She said, finding it quaint that there was someone besides herself wondering where the man had gone. Thomas was right in his assessment that no matter what was happening, Leid was unlikely to be of any import in it. She took the opportunity to redirect while she had it, and wondered aloud, "It's strange for the king to arrive so late, don't you think?"

[Sightles]

"Bard II does things on his own time, when he deems fit." Thomas answer, rather in a huff. In the short period of service to Bard II, Thomas had learned the man was still learning to keep on time with things, and seemed to always move at his own pace. Quite the difference between Aripert, who moved at a lightning pace, and Arduin who moved at such a weird pace that no one could follow. Thomas simply chalked it up to Bard II still trying to learn how to be a king, "The king is always in safe hands, however. Wherever he goes, two Order of the Thistle knights follow him. We have to run the tightest security here for Bard II." Thomas said, referring to how precious Bard's life was to the realm. Suddenly, as if a surge of energy had taken Thomas, he preformed a rather fast underarm turn on Lexine, nearly perfectly, before resuming their normal dancing pattern. "For a person who has been a bodyguard for a while, it seems, you pick up on courtly dancing fairly fast." Thomas said, with a small smirk, "Maybe you belong in court along with the politicians more than with bodyguards." Thomas added, his tone growing slightly serious.

[Epsir]

She was unaccustomed to being spun, and the maneuver took her by surprise in the kind of way that she almost kicked at Thomas to regain control. She managed to keep up in the turn, but even as it began she knew the turn's purpose. Maybe she should have worn a dress. Visible at her waistline pressing just slightly through the back of her shirt were the handles of two knives, small things. Her frown deepened, she never used the waist holsters but carried them because they made decent spares. Of course the least essential thing she carried would be what gave her away. Well, the secrets were more than likely going to be off that night anyway. By the time she came back around she was wearing a grin to match the seemingly perpetual smirk on her partner's face. "I gave up my right to a place in any court. Being a bodyguard for one of them is a dark enough joke for my life." Her smile was slowly fading back to that disinterested, tired look she was stuck with. "I hoped there wouldn't be any misunderstandings tonight."

[Sightles]

Thomas serious demeanor faded, and was replaced by a smile that looked less than genuine, "You know, you make a much better politician than bodyguard. You're better at lying than half the courtiers here." Thomas said, his smile turning into a fairly cocky smirk. Something about the smirk gave Thomas' visage a certain edge to his demeanor, something that made him seem dangerous, and off-putting. Thomas did not appreciate the situation. A bodyguard who seemed more interested in telling people that she lost her charge, rather than looking for him. Coming to a party armed, which was not allowed, even though her charge was nowhere to be seen, which did not warrant her being armed, and coming to the party in the first place when her charge was missing. Thomas had doubted Karl's intentions the first day he had walked into the courtyard. There was no reason why Karl had came for the coronation. He had not came to Aripert's, and he had only worked for Arduin, "I have a feeling we're getting ready to have a lot of misunderstandings soon, if you don't come clean, a little," Thomas spoke, his hands slightly tightening on Lexine's, not enough to hurt her, but a precaution to make sure she didn't bolt, even though Thomas doubted she would, "Ma'am." Thomas added, as an after-thought formality.

[ravenDivinity]

Gareth noticed the crowd around them thickening, and silently he wished he wouldn't step on anybody's toes in the midst of his dance with Sophia. He continued to move about with her, also wondering about King Bard II's whereabouts. The only time he could see the king was at the morning feast, but he never saw him after that. The gentle wind of the night tossed his hair as he spun, and he looked up at the moon past a light haze. "Where do you suppose the king is at?" questioned Gareth, making smalltalk as they continued their little duet on the now-crowded dance floor.