August 31st, Sunset/Evening | Balcony | Fellow Guests
Dark whiskey eyes gazed out past the garden below to the horizon, a swirl of various vivid colors painting the sky as the last of the sun's warm rays cascaded down upon the feastivities. The crisp autumn air would continue to chill as the sun took its descent which would soon lead to a blanket of night dappled with twinkling stars but for now, it was a dazzling sight to behold. It was at least a more pleasant form of entertainment than the travesty being held mere feet away. Don’t misunderstand, the party was beautiful by most standards, with all the finery and finesse befitting of a King’s celebration to welcome a safe journey for the group willing to find his Queen but the music while pleasant to the ear gave no urge to dance, the lack of trust in regards of weapons was appalling as well as proved how on edge the peace currently held was, the fake pleasantries of some guests were unbearable to be around, and that leads to the biggest problem of all ...this fabricated illusion that everyone was forced to uphold. It was clear some of them were like wolves trying to prance around in sheep’s wool and call themselves what they were clearly not. Not that she had room to talk about such a subject since it would be a bit hypocritical on many levels but still, it has driven her to be out here nonetheless. She couldn’t stand the weary looks from those nervous of different cultures, the sneers of distaste that some tried to keep hidden, or pitied glances of those thinking that she may not make it back alive. It made her frown just thinking about when she first arrived in the ballroom.
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A gentle breeze ruffled short chocolate brown hair causing slender fingers to reach up and rake through the tresses in the impossible task to make it presentable again. It practically always appeared to be a mess and sort of wild, wanting to do as it pleased even when she begged it to do something else. It always made Aruna wonder what her hair would be like if it were long. It was something she had always wanted to have but was far too nervous to make a reality when she had a facade to keep up. A woman may have stood before the castle, but what everyone else saw and knew was a man that was lingering before entering the party. One that appeared to be currently admiring the structure which indeed she was, the design so much different than the one she had spent a great deal of time around.
She decided to move onward, each step forward a slow and relaxed pace as Aruna was not in any sort of rush. The feast would still be waiting when she arrived and it wasn’t every day that you could grace halls of a different lands royal home, allies or not. She could take time to appreciate the view and the sentiment the King was trying to give with the party. Honestly, she didn’t know how he was able to handle it. If it were her loved one, she would want to the search to start as soon as possible or even join but it wouldn’t make sense for him to go. The kingdom would need his strength and guidance during these trying times. It had to be extremely difficult, greeting everyone and trying to celebrate while dealing with all the emotion he should feel.
A hand suddenly clamped down on her shoulder left shoulder, causing her to instinctively use her right hand to place a hold over theirs. The grip was to hard to just push away so she bent her left elbow up, swooping it backwards as she turned and capturing the person's arm to force them downward in a hold she could control and attack with her knee to their face if needed. This unfortunately caused a group of weapons to be pointed in her direction, a poor guard being held in her grasp and at her whim. Aruna immediately released him, placing her hands slightly up so they could see she meant no harm.”I apologize, you startled me as I was letting my mind wonder.” she stated, now noticing she was at the small checkpoint where weapons were being obtained before entrance to the ballroom. She must have been accidentally wandering through without noticing and sadly, they were probably attempting to get her attention.
“Sir, there are no weapons beyond this point.” one of the guards stated, eyeing her warily as if she might object and cause a fight at any moment. ”Of course. If you could move your weapons away from my person, I would be happy to oblige to your request.”, Aruna answered calmly, not trusting that someone wouldn’t get jumpy if she went for her weapon while being held in place. She could easily take on the group but that would not be a good reflection of her or her people. She watched as they all exchanged glances with one another, slowly withdrawing the tips of their weapons. Once they had pulled them a reasonable distance away, she pulled the sword from her side as well as a multitude of daggers and other small weapons. In turn, the guards that were giving her their undivided attention were looking more disturbed by the second with the placement of each weapon from her person.
With the last item being handed over, she waited patiently and not moving an inch so they could tell she was finished. They waved her through which she was glad to move forward, others already looking at her strangely for causing such a commotion. It wasn’t like the weapons check was even necessary since if any of them wanted someone dead then a weapon could easily be found or made if creative enough. Honestly, she had a scarf that was draped on her arms that could easily choke someone and their was bound to be silverware and glass in the ballroom. Who did they think they were fooling? It was possible that was why there were so many guards though.
Stepping into the ballroom, she was greeted with a glittering assemblage, the dancing in full swing, the tables packed almost to the gills and a line to pay their respects to the king. She felt no need to be a part of that, the man probably suffering through enough of the same speeches and there were more important people than her that needed an audience. Instead, she made her way to the buffet table and filled her plate before making her way to the wine. Aruna went to grab the pitcher but another hand grasped at the same time. “I’m terribly sorry!” a squeaky voice rang out, a middle age woman looking at her and eyes sizing her up. ”No apologies needed. Please, ladies first.” she said, withdrawing and trying to play a gentleman. If she had known the woman better, she might have just poured the glass for her. “Thank you. It’s surprising to see such a well mannered individual here, let alone a Baldori one. It appears there are many rabble and simpletons around.” she stated in a snobbish manner.
It instantly rubbed her the wrong way and she hoped that after the woman got what she needed, then she would just be on her way. It seemed that would not be the case though since as Aruna was pouring her own drink, the other woman spoke up once more. “What is it exactly that you do? It must be very important to be welcomed at such an event I would think. Aren’t most of you out in the field or in…other occupations.” a polite tone and sneering smile on her face. It was then that she realized, the woman had assumed she was female and probably not knowing and possibly not caring that she was in male attire. It was also extremely clear what she was severely implying with that observation and statement. It frustrated and annoyed her on so many levels that she had to bite the inside of her cheek for a moment. ”That is such an intriguing question! I suppose you could say that I was only invited to this event because of my skills.”, Aruna answered with a dazzling fake smile. “Oh? Good for you to be woman enough to be proud and embrace who you are.” A smirk playing on her features.
”Yes, I am quite proud to fight with the precision of an assassin and running enemies through with my blade or taking them down with my bare hands when necessary. It does seem to be a needed skill for a man such as myself. It was an honor to volunteer for this journey to assist the King in any way possible. Now if you excuse me, I believe I have lost my appetite since there seems to be something fowl over here and I grow tired of it., Aruna said, each word more frigid than the last as it lost its pleasant tone by the end completely. The plate of food abandoned but the goblet of wine easily making its way with her as she weaved her way through the crowd and made her way outside. She could only hope she thoroughly embarrassed or upset the woman.· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Aruna sighed, leaning herself back slightly on the stone railing she sat upon and glanced over her shoulder to scan the crowd. It was nice that a few more had arrived that seemed more out of place, trying to be polite by dressing up for the occasion but more by their own standards than trying to completely fit in. It was what she had been what she was going for with her own
outfit but she would much rather been in battle attire while appearing for the event. The simple thought of the outfit she wore had her digging at her collar once again to pull it away from her neck. The embroidered collar while beautiful to the eye was stiff, itchy, and unpleasant. She already had to readjust so she wasn’t sitting on the cream fabric and not ruining it for any future use though just lighting the clothing or at least the top half on fire seemed like a much better experience in her book then ever having to wear this again.
In her opinion, it would have been a fantastic evening to just see everyone as they were with no masks. It was the main reason she wasn’t keen on seeking out those she would be journeying with. She didn’t really want to base her opinions on the polite versions of themselves when they might be forced to behave or maybe depending on what was said, that she was forced to behave because on the road ...that would not be the case. Aruna didn’t take shit from people, there were very few people she would curb her tongue around and even then, she was sure they had seen or heard of it at some point. It was possible that there were some good ones in the bunch of people and she wasn’t giving them much of a chance. She should at least give it another try. Aruna gently shook her head softly, looking away from the party once more and picking up the glass next to her take a large gulp of wine. She was gonna need all the help she could get before having to re-enter the party. For now, she would enjoy the setting sun and the moment the rays were lost, that was when she would make her way inside.
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