13org

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Nahir @Rodiak, Charlotte @princess, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Leo @Helo, Sultan Raif Kadir @princess
Mentions:

---

Mayet listened to Riona's reply with a curious expression. It wasn't the usual reply a servant would give to a noble, being careful to always flatter them and not offend them. But what did draw her attention the most was what Riona was about to ask of her, after Mayet offered to help her in case she needed to.

Not money, power or to make her into a noble...

“Your tutelage,”

Hearing that reply, Mayet couldn't help but let out a clearly satisfied expression, easily noticeable by Riona. She couldn't help but be quite curious about the reasons why Riona needed her tutelage and especially... how much was she willing and able to learn if she accepted.

"Definitely a request I was not expecting... Good answer. Ask for me once you are ready to meet me and we shall discuss further about your request." Mayet replied with a smile just as the maid turned away to continue with her duties.

Unfortunately, despite the small exchange of words with Riona being able to distract Mayet from the infuriating dinner with Lorenzo, as soon as the maid went away, Mayet's focus went back to what was currently going on and her mood immediately worsened as a result.

Despite knowing Lorenzo would come to that dinner, Mayet sincerely hoped that she would be able to enjoy some traditional Alidasht food prepared by the cooks her father brought from Alidasht... Unfortunately, it soon became clear she had greatly underestimated how much of a fool Lorenzo could be. Since the welcoming ball, that bumbling idiot had been offending and disrespecting them, only to be met with smiles and forgiveness. Even now, after the sultan was kind enough to give him a chance to redeem himself in a dinner, he dared to think he was some kind of guest of honor!

If that all wasn't already irritating enough, seeing Layla being sent to her room after giving only a small payback for the Vikenas' rudeness was infuriating. To make it even worse, both he and his daughter had the audacity to ask for hospitality and politeness, immediately after insulting the hosts of the dinner.

While Charlotte's look of relief once Layla was sent to her room did infuriate Mayet, she was at least smart enough to understand her stare and not react in an obvious manner or say anything. In a certain manner, Mayet couldn't help but feel sorry for Charlotte. It was quite clear that the girl went through a lot of issues... Many of which were either directly or indirectly caused by her foolish father. In the other hand, Mayet couldn't help but also to think of Charlotte of a fool for condoning her father's outrageous actions and words.

Unfortunately, much to Mayet's horror, Lorenzo would once again surprise Mayet. Unlike Charlotte, not only he seemed to not understand the message she wanted to send with her stare, but in his own arrogance, he had the gall to not only think, but outright say she was infatuated by him, going on and on about it for everyone to hear. With every outrageous, insulting word that came out of Lorenzo's mouth, the more Mayet's blood boiled.

Even though most of the people present at that dinner had seen how irritated Mayet got on the welcoming ball after what Lorenzo said and did, that scene paled in comparison to how furious Mayet was at this moment. Even those who were close to Mayet, such as her siblings, cousins or her father, had rarely ever seen her as angry as she was right now. To think the Sultan would sit idly and let someone humiliate them as much as Lorenzo did since they arrived on Caesonia was unbelievable. Not only he sat by and let Lorenzo make a fool out of them, but he went as far as sent Layla away to her own room despite everything Lorenzo did to them.

What was maybe even more frightening about Mayet's current state was how she simply stood completely silent as Lorenzo said that, her eyes fixated on him with a murderous look, almost as if trying to measure how much was that insignificant man capable of saying.

Still without saying a single word, just as Lorenzo started to say his graces, Mayet stood up. Both Lorenzo's words and even Leo's inquiry about her and Nala's bond were but a distant murmur for Mayet. The hatred in Mayet's eyes was more than enough warning that what was about to happen wouldn't be pretty.

Sensing Mayet's anger, Nala, who had finished eating the meat Riona had offered her, immediately stood up walking together with Mayet, staying close to her in case someone approached her.
Completely ignoring the graces being said by Lorenzo and not even acknowledging Leo's comment, Mayet simply walked towards one of the servants on the corner of the room, suddenly taking the sharp knife he was wielding to help cut and serve portions of food and immediately threw towards Lorenzo. The sound the knife made as it flew through the air and the noise it made as it pierced the chair he was sitting on, missing his neck by centimeters and going almost halfway through it, leaving half of the blade exposed in the back of the chair was enough to make it clear that it was throw with pure hatred, even if she intended it to miss.

Still without saying a single word, Mayet walked towards the wall, where two scimitars were being displayed as a decoration and swiftly unsheathed one of them as she began making her way towards Lorenzo, with her eyes still fixated on him.

"I have never once in my entire life met someone who had the audacity to even think to humiliate me like you have done repeatedly. Whether out of foolish bravery or ignorance." Mayet said, her voice coming out almost like a growl as she continued to slowly approach Lorenzo.

"I have given you more than enough chances to redeem yourself. Many times I overlooked your insults without punishing you for them, instead even offering words of wisdom... But no more. I grew tired of simply watching as you humiliate me and my family again and again and go unpunished." Mayet continued, her steps echoing through the dining room as she slowly walked around the table, getting closer and closer to Lorenzo as she continued speaking.

"I am truly sorry father, but I simply can't stand being quiet and seeing this insect insult, disrespect and humiliate us with impunity, despite our repeated warnings." Mayet said, looking towards the sultan, her stare making her feelings very clear to him regarding how he kept letting Lorenzo get away despite repeatedly insulting them.

"To think someone as insignificant as you can even find any reason to justify thinking so highly of yourself is simply incomprehensible. Is there even something for you to be proud of? What makes you think someone like me even cares about your insignificant existence? Is there even a reason for the pride and arrogance you so proudly flaunt around despite being utterly incompetent and ignorant? Or it is just a fruit of you being a foolish idiot, incapable of reading your surroundings and think for yourself, instead simply saying whatever you want without thinking about the consequences?" Mayet said, turning towards Lorenzo again, her eyes filled with hatred as she did so.

"To think you thought I felt anything for you other than contempt! There is a limit of how highly one can think of themselves and how arrogant they can be, Lorenzo. If that was a joke, I would even be tempted to laugh... Before cutting your tongue, that is." Mayet said with a twisted smirk as she continued approaching him.

"The only reason I can think of as to why you have gone unpunished for so long or even why you are still alive is out of mere pity for the sad excuse of a human being you are. The Caesonian nobles might tolerate your foolishness... Some may even find your antics amusing, but I do not." Mayet said, now only a few steps away from Lorenzo.

"What should I do with you, Lorenzo? Should I cut your tongue? Give you a nice scar for you to remember the consequences of insulting me? Tell me how should I punish you for everything you said and did so far?" she said, stopping just besides Lorenzo, with the blade of the scimitar touching his neck. Both her voice and her expression clearly showing that she wasn't bluffing at all.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Forest near Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess

---

Even though Viola was already expecting, seeing how Ophelia didn't react at all, even when she mentioned how her sisters all had similar hair colors made it even clearer that she had no idea of who she or Cyrus were. Was there truly no one else who remembered who Ophelia was at her village? Did they truly not remembered or cared about the tragedy that befell the Millinia family?

Hearing Cyrus' thoughts about Riverbloom, Viola couldn't help but agree, nodding silently at his words. Going there was risky. Especially if someone recognized them. Besides, Viola's opinions regarding Riverbloom and it's people wasn't exactly the most amicable.

"The city still stands, despite our family's downfall. This should be more than enough to assure us where their loyalty lies..." Viola said with piercing eyes.

While Cyrus had mentioned all of them being alive and well, the moment his eyes met with Viola's, he could see that there was still many doubts in Viola's mind. Knowing Ophelia was alive was definitely a good thing and it was somewhat noticeable despite Viola's hard to read emotions. But together with that, Cypress would also see something... different deep inside Viola's eyes.

From the moment they had met after Viola fled away from Daka Island, Cypress would notice, especially as they spent a bit more time together, that whatever they did with Viola, had a deep effect on her, especially on the way she thought and saw the world. Negative feelings seemed to be always present with Viola, sometimes stronger, others weaker, but always there on the back of her mind.

"Alive... Yes... I guess we are." Viola replied, with a very discreet, but still somewhat sad smile as she looked to Cyrus.

Still, Viola kept her thoughts to herself, especially when she heard her asking about her siblings and the last time they saw them. It would be both very difficult and problematic to try and answer that question...

Fortunately, their conversation was quickly cut short by a sharp cry coming from the sky, the unmistakable cry of a Roc. Judging by how loud it was, the bird was very close. Their best bet would to do just as Phia said and be in silence, hoping the creature would pass by them in pursuit of whatever it was hunting.

Much to their dismay, the violent winds that suddenly started blowing at them were a clear warning of what the Roc might be hunting. The moment the trees moved due to the winds, that fear was confirmed with the huge bird looking down at them. It's wings big enough to completely block the sun, in a truly terrifying sight.

With the Roc using it's powerful claws to crush a treetop and send it hurling towards them, Viola only had enough time to use her wings to fly away from the branches that came crashing down on them. Seeing Cyrus twisting tree trunks to try and grab the Roc's leg, Viola quickly moved to the the same tree Cyrus was, taking cover with him.

Touching the trunk of the tree Cypress was using his magic on, Viola let her Blood Rose delicately dig it's thorns on her skin, with it's vines tightening around her body ever so slightly, just enough to barely break the skin. The Blood Rose didn't need that much blood to perform that amount of movement, both because Viola was using the branches Cyrus was controlling as a support for the rose's vines and because it was just fed with the blood of the boar they hunted.

Following her commands, it's thorny vines climbed the tree and the branches Cypress was controlling, shooting towards the Roc, trying to pierce, grab and hurt the Roc as they got near it, trying to discourage it from continuing the hunt and showing it that they weren't worth the risk it would put itself in, should it try to hunt them.

"Leave." Viola commanded as the vines continued shooting towards the Roc.

---

Time: One week after Zora arrived into Avalia.
Location: Riverbloom, Daisy Bakery
Interactions: Aurora @mole, Rowan @GingerBobOh
Mentions: Barrock @Conscripts

---

"Your company is already a wonderful reward, sister! Although... This Cake is honestly quite tasty!" Zora said, laughing as she heard Aurora's praise.

While Zora had her different opinions than Rowan and their views seemed to clash quite a bit, it was simply impossible to dislike Aurora. Zora's initial impression of the woman only seemed to reaffirm itself with each passing day. Kind, understanding, sweet. Aurora seemed to deeply care about her, despite only meeting her recently.

The moment Zora heard Rowan's reply though, she couldn't help but to laugh.

"There were many like you back on earth, Rowan. Many were those who tried to tame me, to control me and to use me. To bind me to a 'higher purpose', to a path I was seemingly 'destined to follow'... None of them were successful." Zora said with a smirk as she looked to Rowan.

"What makes you think that you can?" she asked with a defiant smirk, looking to Rowan before she took the final bite of her cake.

"There was no deal, no bargain, no promise. I am bound by no restraints to your goal and purpose, besides the fact that this will also be my new home. My purpose, my destiny... Both are my own to decide what to do with." Zora said, looking to Rowan with a piercing stare.

"Regardless... Since this will be my new home as well, it is in my interest to make it a safe place for me to live... and thrive. So you have my word I'll do my best to bring peace to the land... Besides, I won't simply let Aurora's good will and kindness go unpaid." Zora said, with a rather mysterious smirk lasting only for a moment, before she turned to Aurora with a smile.

It was difficult to know if the peculiar usage of words was due to her exotic accent or if she really meant something by them.

With the conversation changing to Rowan's spartan methods of training, Zora's expression returned to normal, with simply a mischievous smirk remaining.

"Worry not about my safety, Rowan. While I am confident about my abilities with my sickles, as I am sure you have already noticed in our sparring sessions, I have many other ways to defend myself than just with violence..." Zora said with a wink and a mischievous smirk.

Just after she said that, her attention was drawn to a confusion going on just outside. More specifically the single dark elf that was purposely looking for trouble harassing an orc who had not done anything. As the orc approached, despite the offensive words from the dark elf, the tensions got higher and higher. The very moment all the onlookers seemed to be sure that there would be bloodshed though, the orc, much to their surprise, simply walked away.

"To be so proud of his own ignorance... Pathetic child.." Zora said with a heavy sigh, clearly looking and speaking about the dark elf and not the orc.

"I need to say... Watching his face after after the orc simply ignored him was quite amusing." Zora said laughing as the dark elf tried futilely to regain whatever drop of dignity he had left after such an embarrassing display.

Zora herself was no strange to prejudice and discrimination, but she couldn't help but to admire the orc's patience and self control. Even though he didn't say anything, his actions spoke much louder than the prejudice carried by the venomous words of the dark elf.

"Although if you ask me, the dark elf deserved at least a punch in the face..." Zora said with a shrug.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Nahir @Rodiak, Layla @Potter, Charlotte @princess, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Leo @Helo, Sultan Raif Kadir @princess
Mentions:

---

Mayet was incredibly grateful for her father for deciding to serve the food. Not only just because she was looking forward to it, but because it was very effective in shutting up Lorenzo, who seemed to, even if momentarily, become distracted enough by the food to make any more blunders that could further enrage either Mayet herself or her family. But even with that, Lorenzo still seemed to find it quite... difficult to keep his thoughts and words to his own.


"It seems enjoying your food in silence isn't a custom he is acquainted with either..." Mayet whispered back to Layla.

"Does he still think he is the 'guest of honor' for this banquet? I have never in my life met someone as tactless and incapable of reading the situation as him." Mayet said, whispering to Layla as she rolled her eyes, making no attempts to hide that she was speaking of Lorenzo, especially with how she was looking at him.

Just as Mayet finished saying that though, she noticed that Riona, as she moved to serve Lorenzo, said a few words that ended up making Lorenzo have quite a reaction. Even if Mayet wasn't able to hear what Riona had said, she had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't something that Lorenzo appreciated that much.

The moment Riona approached her, to both serve her and laying down a bowl of water and some meat to Nala, Mayet let out an amused smile as she looked at Riona.

"You are... different from these people, aren't you? Not only the other servants, but the Caesonian nobles as well." Mayet said, looking to Riona almost as if she was studying her. While it was subtle, Riona would realize that she had earned Mayet's attention in a good way.

Nala sniffed Riona's hand as she put down the piece of meat for a moment, letting out a satisfied huff, before she started eating the food Riona offered her. For some reason, Nala felt a vaguely familiar scent coming from that woman. A scent similar to the noble that had offered her some food in the very first day she arrived at Caesonia with Mayet.

"Nala also seems to approve of you. Don't hesitate in approaching me in case you need something or want to tell me something." Mayet said with a smile, before she turned her attention to the ongoing situation once again.

"Shouldn't the feelings of appreciation and thanks for the food be given to the cooks instead?" Mayet asked to no one in particular, raising an eyebrow as she let out a sigh.

Even in an Alidasht dinner, Lorenzo still wished to push Caesonian traditions onto them... Such behavior was... curious to say the least. Perhaps even a subconscious tell of how Lorenzo saw the relationship between the two nations?

Regardless of what were her thoughts and despite the Grand Vizier's suggestion to let someone else saying the graces, the Sultan ended up allowing Lorenzo to do so, which made Mayet let out an discreet, but definitely noticeable sigh of annoyance.

Unfortunately, her father didn't seem to let Layla's previous comments and especially her little prank of making Zilal scare off Charlotte pass without voicing his dissatisfaction, ending up sending Layla to her room. Not only shaming her in the presence of the other guests but also denying her the opportunity of participating from the dinner.

Even though Mayet knew Layla could be very venomous with her words, she was still very hurt to see Layla being sent off like that. Besides, Mayet didn't think her small 'prank' was entirely uncalled for, seeing how the situation was developing regarding both Charlotte and her father.

Both Lorenzo and Charlotte would certainly notice a burning stare coming from Mayet as she waited for the former to say his 'graces'. Her attention was entirely upon them. Any reaction to the fact that her sister was sent away would have serious consequences for them. Despite Mayet not saying anything, her stare was more than enough of a warning.

"Please ask one of the servants to send my sister something sweet, of her liking, as a desert." Mayet said, in a low discreet tone as she called for one of the servants before she looked back to Lorenzo and Charlotte once again, watching their ever movement and every breath with a burning stare.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Location: 'Tekeri' encampment.

Even though it wasn't exactly Nellara's area of expertise, she could only imagine the excitement Kareet was feeling. With every additional explanation Ixtaro and Vigdis gave, with every additional word said, it seemed to open endless opportunities for their own technology to develop. Techniques, technologies and ideas that had the potential of changing the Tekeri society forever.

One interesting point that Ixtaro said though, was that electricty was just the very beginning. According to her explanation, it seemed to be the very basis and beginning of human technological development.

"A capacitor..." Nellara repeated, with a thoughtful expression. Nellara was absolutely certain that if Vigdis or Ixtaro ended up visiting Arcaeda, the Seekers of the Order of Sages would definitely forget to eat and rest just to continue studying human technology.

"I am exceedingly interested in the applications such technologies could have on Tekeri society. In particular, if the same principles could be used to further develop our magic. It seems both of you would feel right at home in one of the academies made by the Order of Sages. Although you might need to remind the seekers that both you and they too need to eat and rest... I am certain they might as well forget to eat and starve to death if you continue to give them information." Nellara said to Vigdis with a chuckle.

The very moment she was about to touch the metal spike to use her electricity though, Kareet approached her, mentioning that they could produce better results with Coordinated Casting. Not exactly Nellara's expertise, since her magic was rather 'unique' in the way it worked, but she learned how to circumvent those limitations enough to receive a passing grade from the Order of Magisters on that specific subject.

"That will definitely produce much better results. Assuming that electricity seems to be the very basis for human technology, I guess the more we can produce the better, right?" Nellara asked, looking to Vigdis and Ixtaro.

"Due to the unique way my magic works, it will probably be better for you to lead the Coordinated Casting. It might be easier for me to follow your lead than the other way around." Nellara said as she approached the metal spike once again, firmly grabbing it as she looked to Kareet.

"Don't worry too much about me. Feel free to go all out, I will follow your lead." Nellara said as she gave a nod to Kareet, indicating she was ready for them to start.

Before they could start though, Nellara noticed from a distance that no one other than Silbermine himself thought that was appropriate to approach the encampment of the very people he was invading.

"Silbermine. You already offended the Ascendancy enough by invading our territory and you still have the audacity to ask to 'break bread and talk' just because our guests are currently talking with us? Stop with your lies and trickery. You merely approached us because you saw here something you want for yourself..." Nellara said, letting go of the metal spike as she approached Silbermine and his knights, putting herself between them and the rest of the group. Nellara said, her words clearly insinuating that the only reason Silbermine approached them was because of the humans.

"There is nothing else left to be said, Silbermine. All words that needed to be said between us were already said... You made yourself very clear about that on our last meeting..." she said with a serious expression.

"But if you still think you have anything to say... You are free to do so... As long as you agree to be escorted while on our encampment." Nellara said, motioning with her head for her soldiers to surround Silbermine and his men.

The tekeri soldiers were donning their armors and were armed, although they did not unsheathe their weapons, instead simply keeping their hands close to them, watching every movement Silbermine and his men did, ready to draw their weapons if any of them tried anything.

"But if you are fine with our conditions, please stay. It will be amusing to hear your words." Nellara said, with an acid, sarcastic smirk as she did so.

The Hunt, A Modern Fantasy Smorgasbord RP

^{Interactions: Amanda @Kumbaris, Micheal Crane @BigPapaBelial, Scarlet @AWACS}

---

Even though Faye was a bit too absorbed in enjoying her hot chocolate, she was still paying enough attention to the conversation to agree with Scarlet. While it was really worrying that someone had managed to infiltrate such an important position that could so easily gather information, it was still exactly the place where someone would go if they wanted to gather information.

"Having a mole in such an important position is really worrying... But what Scarlet says makes a lot of sense. Only someone with privileged information would be able to organize that ambush..." Faye said.

"I hope we're wrong though... If the mole managed to infiltrate all the way to the communications, then the security at the headquarters might need a complete change..." Faye said with a disappointed sigh.

At first, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary when Amanda put on the tape and they started investigating the tape, but after a few minutes, Amanda spotted a rather suspicious agent who entered and started asking a lot of questions. Upon close examination though, the suspicious person was no one other than Xaviron himself.

"Wait.. what?!" Faye asked, surprised as she looked around, trying to understand what she had just seen.

It wasn't until Amanda mentioned the chance of some kind of unknown spell allowing oneself to disguise as another that Faye relaxed a bit.

"I mean... The possibility of an unknown spell sounds way better than Xaviron having betrayed us..." Faye said.

"Still... How should we even guard ourselves against such a spell... If it exists, that is? If they can just make themselves look exactly like us, they could just freely walk around and get any information they wanted... right?" she asked, a bit worried as she looked at Amanda.

When Michael looked over to Faye and Scarlet, asking if they were really that compromised, Faye couldn't help but give him a worried look.

"Even if we don't have a mole on our team... It might be just a matter of time, if they can really just infiltrate themselves so easily..." she said with a heavy sigh.

"We might need to have a serious talk with the higher-ups after we figure everything out, Amanda..." Faye said, looking to Amanda with a serious expression.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Near Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess

---

It was painful knowing one of her sisters forgot about her... Deep down inside, Viola couldn't help but resent her for it. For having forgotten about her while she suffered on Daka Island... But at the same time, seeing how Ophelia was still the same girl Viola had once knew made her feel mixed feelings about that entire situation.

Despite calling herself a different name, despite having forgotten Viola, there was still much of her sister Ophelia in the way 'Phia' acted and spoke... The way how it seemed to be difficult for her to be distrustful of others, how it almost felt wrong to see her without a cheerful smile and even in the way how Ophelia was always so eager to help other people... Even those being 'strangers' such as her and Cyrus...

The moment Phia hugged her, those mixed feelings clashed even more in Viola's mind. In one side, all the suffering and every negative feeling she felt in Daka Island made her feel that she wasn't wrong in resenting Phia, who had completely forgotten about her, even if only a bit. On the other side though, Phia was still her dear, youngest sister. The same Ophelia she knew when she was young.

While brief, the hug was very... awkward for Viola, who didn't know how to react, simply standing still with her body stiff and the thorny vines shifting uncomfortably in response to her feelings. After everything Viola went through, she had almost forgotten that there could be other reason for someone to touch her other than to torture and perform cruel experiments on her.

The one good thing was that, compared to the hug, the prolonged physical contact, with Ophelia touching her shoulder, didn't feel nearly as uncomfortable and awkward... Although it still caused the thorny vines to shift and nudge Ophelia's hand, trying to make her move her hand.

"Our missing siblings... Our sisters... We had very similar hair colors..." Viola said, adding to her brother Cyrus' reply after Ophelia asked them to describe their missing family. Other than what Cyrus said, there wasn't much she could add... since most physical descriptions she could give would be very outdated, just as Cypress had said.

"Yes, I... I think so." Viola said, replying to Cypress' asking her if it was a worthy detour to their path after offering to help Phia to find her way back to her village

"Do you remember the direction where you came from?" Viola asked, looking to Ophelia as she took a step back, still a bit uncomfortable with the sudden physical contact.

There was still much Viola had to think about that entire situation. About her feelings and which 'side' of her she should listen... But right now, the only thing she cared about was to keep her brother and her sister by her side. To be alone again, just like she was on Daka Island, wasn't something she would ever want for herself ever again.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Location: 'Tekeri' encampment.

Truth be told, Nellara was very surprised in how quickly the humans were able to analyze and be able to communicate in S'toric. Even with the assistance of a thought mage, being able to create a device to let the communicate in S'toric by themselves in just seven days was remarkable, to say the least. Evidently, Nellara wasn't the only one amazed by that fact, judging by how excited Kareet herself seemed to be on the very second she heard Vigdis communicating with them by using her strange bracelet and how Kerchak quickly asked for a meeting to be arranged with the doctor.

Vigdis' quickly started her explanation about the previous events as soon as she was able to confirm that her bracelet worked well. The first matter Vigdis wished to address was her reaction to Gar'Tan's magic, which was somewhat understandable, judging the nature of thought magic.

"Your reaction is understandable, seeing as it is your first time dealing with a thought mage. Thought magic, when misused, can indeed be extremely dangerous. Although I would like to vouch for the Inquisitors and the thought mages that work with them. Their neutrality is a well established fact in Kanth-Aremek." Nellara said, nodding her head.

Ixtaro was also quick to reply to Kareet's questions, reaffirming that the humans indeed had no magic. Instead, both the ship and the strange bracelet seemed to be a result of something they crafted themselves, without the help of any magic at all.


"Which seems to be unlikely, considering our society focus much more on magic than on crafting... At least if we don't factor in any knowledge shared by you humans..." Nellara said to herself, reflecting as she heard Ixtaro's words regarding how they too should be able to craft similar artifacts in the future.

"If we consider that at least some of the principles used in your technology can also be applied to magic, there is a very good possibility of a creation of a new field of study that could revolutionize the way we see and use magic... Which would happen to be exactly Kareet's field of study instead of mine." Nellara said, reflecting to herself before she turned to Kareet, realizing that if she started such conversation, it would quickly leave her area of expertise.

Regardless of how fascinating the humans' 'machines' were, their complexity also seemed to bring them a rather difficult time repairing them, something that was quite obvious if one observed the Jotunheim even for a moment and how the humans inside never stopped working. Even Ixtaro and Vigdis themselves seemed to also be relaying orders to other humans inside despite being talking with them.

According to Vigdis' words, there were still some issues with their machines that they were not able to solve yet, as she explained while, for some reason, she hammered a metal spike into the ground. The explanation for such seemingly random act would follow soon after Vigdis was done hammering the metal spike.

According to her, most of the humans' 'machines' worked by using the same natural phenomenon that was responsible for lightning. 'Electricity' as they called.

"To think the humans were able to harness, control and use lightning despite having no magic is truly impressive... How does these... 'batteries' work? I wonder if a similar concept could be used with magic... Perhaps to 'store' magic to be used later..." Nellara said as she heard about how the humans had found a way to even store electricity for later use, by using devices called 'batteries'.

Even though Nellara wasn't exactly a scholar like Kareet, she knew very well that such information could definitely be used by their own scholars. Without speaking a word, she turned to Kareet, giving a discreet nod towards her. Both of them should definitely pay very close attention at Vigdis and Ixtaro's explanation about such phenomenon and how the humans were able to harness it to their own goals... Particularly how they were able to 'store' it by using batteries.

Vigdis' experiment consisted in Nellara using her lightning magic into the metal spike, which would allow Vigdis to measure it and know if Nellara's electricity would be able to be used to charge the humans' 'batteries'.

"Very well. Please tell me when to stop, Vigdis." Nellara said as she approached the metal spike Vigdis indicated after she said for her to strike the metal spike as hard as she could.

Giving a few steps forward, Nellara approached the metal spike. The moment she extended her hand towards the metal spike, even before she touched it, strong arcs of electricity started jumping from her claws to it, crackling through the air with an audible noise for a moment before Nellara finally grabbed the spike.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Near Guarav Village
Interactions: Cyrus @Helo, Ophelia @princess

---

Despite Viola's negative thoughts, particularly about Riverbloom, her brother's words still brought some peace to both her mind and heart, causing her to let out a very discreet and faint, but still noticeable smile. She knew that her 'home' the way she knew when she was young was gone, but that didn't mean that she couldn't reunite her missing siblings and maybe make a new one... That was, after all, the reason she started such a journey with Cyrus, wasn't it?

Their conversation was soon cut short when, from the direction where the sound came, a fairy suddenly appeared, swooping down from atop of a tree. Twirling her staff, the fairy girl ordered them to tell her who they were and what they were doing. Viola's immediate reaction was to get ready to fight, with the thorned vines twitching and getting ready to strike. The moment she looked at the fairy though, it was almost as if all her motivation to fight simply evaporated.

Too stunned to speak, Viola could simply look at the very familiar face of someone she thought she had lost. Her youngest sister, Ophelia. Almost instinctively, Viola began walking towards Ophelia, finding it difficult to believe in what she was seeing. Among all her siblings, Ophelia was by far the kindest and sweetest. To think she managed to survive, despite trusting others to a fault, gave her hope that her dear twin, Violetta, who was the most energetic amongst the siblings could also be alive.

"Ophelia...?" Viola asked, a faint smile beginning to form on her face as she gave one more step towards her lost sister. Even if for a brief moment Viola wanted to be close to her, just to be sure she wasn't hallucinating, to show Ophelia that despite everything that had happened, they were finally reunited, to reassure her that they would find Violetta and be all together again...

But before Viola could approach her, Ophelia slammed her staff into the ground, demanding them to identify themselves.

Hesitating, Viola's smile quickly turned into a pained expression, especially when she heard Cyrus' words, asking if she wasn't happy to see them. For Viola to show such emotions, especially in such a short amount of time was something rare and Cyrus knew that well, as the only other time he ever saw Viola showing her emotions like that was when she met him after escaping Daka Island.

Ophelia's complete lack of reaction, coupled with Cyrus' words made Viola immediately understand what was going on... Knowing that one of her siblings had died was perhaps, not as painful as knowing that they were still alive, but had completely forgotten about them.
Even after Cypress introduced himself, there was no reaction from Ophelia. Not even a hint of recognizing them. For her, they were merely trespassers.

"I... I see..." Viola said, her pained expression quickly turning into her normal, emotionless one as she held in and suppressed her feelings. One of the first things she had to learn how to do in order to preserve her sanity back on Daka Island. Neither the torture nor the experiments had broken her, it wouldn't be now that would either.

"Viola... My name, that is." she said, introducing herself in an emotionless tone as she walked back, returning to her spot nearby her brother Cypress.

"I am Cyrus' sister." Viola said, her eyes fixed on Ophelia, looking for any reaction, no matter how small it might be. Any hint that she might have not forgotten them forever.

Deep inside, Viola still hoped that there was a chance for Ophelia to remember them, that if they stood nearby her, she would slowly realize who they were... To remember who she once was.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 6pm
Location: Guest House Dining Room - Dinner with the Sultan
Interactions: Nahir @Rodiak, Layla @Potter, Charlotte @princess, Lorenzo @FunnyGuy, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Leo @Helo, Sultan Raif Kadir @princess
Mentions:

---

Despite how stubborn both her uncle Hafiz and Lorenzo seemed to be, Mayet was relieved to see that even Leo was trying to defuse that situation without any more issues. If Duke Vikena hadn't taken her previous hint for him to change seats, she hoped Lord Leo's suggestion would make him realize what was going on. Looking to Leo, Mayet gave a discreet nod, thanking him for his assistance.

Regardless of the chaos that was currently going on, Mayet didn't miss Charlotte's displeased stare towards her. Instead of feeling offended by such stare though, Mayet simply let out a sarcastic chuckle. To think she would have the audacity to even look at Mayet with a displeased expression, considering everything her father did to insult them was simply amusing, to say the least. Mayet was well aware that Charlotte had no hand in the foolish behavior her father had, but to not only condone such behavior, but to send such an insolent stare towards Mayet simply because she spoke the truth was outrageous, to say the least.

Still, it seemed Charlotte wasn't satisfied with merely gazing towards Mayet and staying silent and instead, she decided to speak out, directing her stare directly towards Mayet and Layla, going as far as also addressing her uncle. Something which Mayet was almost sure would make him livid.

It was after hearing Charlotte's words that Mayet's expression suddenly changed. For a brief moment, everyone at the table noticed that Mayet was incredibly close from just pouncing at Lorenzo and Charlotte and ripping them to shreds.

"Father... I truly admire your patience and self-control." Mayet said with a deep sigh, after taking a moment to calm down as she looked to the sultan.

"I think you aren't well aware of how serious your father's offense was against us, both on the welcoming ball and now, Lady Charlotte. For you to speak about decorum, civility and respect after everything your father has done towards us is laughable, to say the least. I will warn you and your father one last time..." Mayet said, looking towards Charlotte with cold, threatening eyes.

"Do not try my patience." she said, her voice taking a frightening tone as she looked towards them with a piercing stare.

For a brief moment, Mayet said nothing and instead just kept looking towards Charlotte and Lorenzo, her dangerous stare was as much of a warning as her words or the tone she spoke in.

"Do not take my words as an insult, Charlotte. Take them as a lesson to be learned. If you truly care about your stepfather, then you shouldn't condone his errors and be proud of them. You should help him to grow as a person enough for him to be able to act as a noble of his standing. Enough for him to respect himself and be confident enough to present himself without feeling the necessity to act out just to draw attention." Mayet said with a harsh tone.

"Sometimes, harsh words can teach more and be more helpful for one's growth than kindness and sympathy." Mayet finished.

Surprisingly enough, despite his temper, Hafiz's reaction to Charlotte's words proved to be less... 'disastrous' than she thought it would be, with him calming down instead of lashing out at Lorenzo's audacity. Despite his sharp, venomous words, Mayet couldn't help to agree with him, especially as he mentioned that hospitality was a two-way street. After everything he had done, to demand hospitality and politeness was simply absurd.

While Hafiz had agreed to let Lorenzo keep his chair and sat near Charlotte. With that said, her uncle's predatory smirk didn't go unnoticed by Mayet. She knew exactly what he was doing, but for her, it was still better than having him lash out and potentially ruin the dinner, together with Lorenzo, of course.

Unfortunately, Lorenzo did catch up quite quickly to the game her uncle Hafiz was playing and instead of simply letting Hafiz have his small victories, he replied in a similar manner to her uncle, with a particularly venomous reply, mentioning that he was 'second' to the Sultan... Whether by sheer coincidence or due to Lorenzo using his brain, he ended up going straight for the one thing that was Hafiz' biggest issue... His inferiority complex to his brother.

Before anyone could say anything more though, she heard her father loudly clapping, calling the attention from everyone at the table as a clear sign that he had enough of all that. A moment later, he called the servants to serve the first course. A smart move, hopefully stuffing Lorenzo and Hafiz's mouths with food would prevent them from continuing to trade barbs between themselves.
Truth be told, the scent of the spices, especially the grilled chicken skewers were very helpful to calm down Mayet and improve her mood.

"Thank you, father." Mayet said, thanking the Sultan in a low tone with a discreet smile.

"Now please, let us all sit down and enjoy some traditional Alidasht cuisine. I particularly recommend the grilled chicken skewers. While it might look like a simple dish, the spices really give it an entirely different depth." Mayet said, following the Sultan's cue, asking to cease the conflicts so they could enjoy their dinner.

Avalia

Time: One week after Zora arrived into Avalia.
Location: Riverbloom, Daisy Bakery
Interactions: Aurora @mole, Rowan @GingerBobOh

---

Even though Zora was no stranger to moving her body, Rowan's training regime was, ironically enough, just inhuman. While she did understand that his reasons were good, as he wanted her to be capable of defending herself against any possible threat, His daily, spartan training regime were exhausting her quicker than she would have imagined. Due to that, she was quite grateful to Aurora's suggestion for them to take a break and visit a local bakery called 'Daisy', to rest, relax and eat some cake.

"No need to hold yourself, sister. Words of praise are always welcome." Zora replied with a chuckle. Her strong Jamaican accent drawing even more attention towards her, especially when coupled with her rather... 'exotic' attire.

Upon being asked by Aurora about her thoughts, Zora had to think for a bit, until she turned towards her again.

"While I have learned much about this land in the last few days, I feel there is still much to learn about it... Especially about magic." Zora said, with a thoughtful expression.

"There is a connection between magic, this land and its elements... I felt it before, when I arrived in Avalia, but now I can feel it a better. The pull I feel towards water, towards the ocean... It is much stronger here than it was in my past life." Zora said with an enigmatic expression.

Just as she finished replying to Aurora, she heard Rowan's complaints about their small, and very needed break. Thankfully, Aurora seemed to be on her side, at least regarding giving her a break from Rowan's spartan training regime. Rowan would quickly notice how a dangerous glint seemed to flash in Zora's eyes when he mentioned that she would have to learn more to be of 'use'.

"To use one another... It is a very dangerous type of relationship to have, Rowan. One never knows who is truly using who... And for what they are being used for..." she said, with an rather dangerous smirk.

Despite the rather 'subtle' words Zora used, it was undeniably a reminder that she would not accept being used, ordered or being made into a puppet. Despite having spent only a week together, both Aurora and Rowan would already have a very good idea of Zora's personality and they would know that truly 'taming' the woman would be next to impossible.

"Besides... I was able to keep up with you rather well in our sparring sessions, despite the cruel, spartan training regime you have been putting me, a delicate woman, into, wasn't I?" Zora asked, her expression quickly turning back to her usual one and the dangerous smirk giving way to a playful, teasing grin.

"You should let me at least eat a slice of this wonderful cake as a reward, you know?" Zora said with a chuckle, giving another bite into her cake as she gave a playful, mischievous wink towards Aurora, having noticed the stare she gave towards Rowan that caused him to sit down and enjoy his cake instead of complaining.

"This 'transmission bracelet' of yours, quite an impressive thing, isn't it? To communicate with one another instantly, regardless of the distance. The captains back on my world would gladly give an eye and a leg for this ability." Zora said with a chuckle, imagining the utter chaos that such bracelet would bring to the sea.