Helo

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: River Fairy Kingdom -The Pretty Flower
Interactions: A couple of locals
Equipment: Sword, bow and arrows, small knife, wayfinder, fire kit, a pouch of amas, transmission bracelet

---

Orias moved through The Pretty Flower, slowly taking it all in. It was a lively place, packed full of fairies who danced, drank, and laughed with ease. Yuka’s explanation, that fairies enjoyed an escape from reality held true. Who could blame them? Who wanted to face the reality they were all heading towards.

Orias certainly didn’t, he found soon himself at the bar with a glass of mead in front of him. Just need to loosen up a bit, he told himself. He was lost in a sea of unfamiliar faces and he clung to his glass as if it were his last lifeline.

He could understand the fae mentality, he’d take another reality over his own right about now. Maybe another night away from being Prince Orias, from having to think about war and all that came with it. A break from worrying about family he hadn’t seen in decades, from wondering if he ever would see them again. He finished a glass of the sweet-tasting mead faster than he’d intended. His cup was quickly filled to the brim by a smiling fairy.

He thought of how he should've stayed in Roshmi, kept his fake name and fake life, searching for ways to make the dark elf occupation just a little more complicated. He wouldn’t have to be responsible for a human boy lost in a world he did not belong to, wouldn’t be negotiating with allies on behalf of a kingdom and family he’d left behind. Another was glass emptied only to be refilled.

No one asked for his help, certainly not his own family. They wouldn’t want to see him, wouldn’t want him meddling in anything important. The Biren name had remained scandal-free since he left, they were all better off believing him dead. Another glass was emptied and refilled.

This was selfish. What did he think he could fix? Who was he to think he could go around playing hero when he was anything but one.

And it was too late to stop. He’d already thrown his name out, and already made deals with Augus. It was all happening too fast, too much responsibility. He glanced around for his companions, two familiar faces that, really, he barely knew anyway. They both seemed distracted, both would get along so much easier with the free-spirited fae. His eyes moved towards the door, an easy path out of all this. But what then? Orias finished another glass, he looked around again.

It took a long while before Orias left the bar to make his attempts at mingling. It took some awkward walks around the room before he found a group he felt comfortable enough to approach.

“...so there I was right, out on fishing by the stream, when I see the biggest Owlbear I’ve ever seen lunging on towards me. Teeth all snapping and sharper than any I’ve seen.” At a table two fairies sat, one, a lanky looking with a boyish face, telling a story.

“No way you fought an Owlbear, you’re full of shit.” The other fae said. This man was more muscular with harsher features.

“Let me finish. On my life, this happened just the other day. So there I was, deep in the forest, and it’s getting late and I can barely see enough to fly off without hitting a tree or something. I’m thinking, how do I get out of here, I’m a fast one but no way am I outrunning this thing and I can’t risk hitting some big ol’ branch and knocking myself out.”

“Now look whatcha done, drawin’ in a crowd with them damn fishin’ stories.” The brawny fairy shook his head as he looked at Orias. “You look like you’ve seen an owlbear or two in your day tell this twiggy bastard he’s full of it.”

“I kind of want to hear the story.” Orias said.

“Hey now, that’s the attitude I wanna see. Sit down bud.” The skinny kid slapped the table and scooted over to make room for Orias.

“So as I was sayin’, I see this owlbear lunging straight at me, and hand to Xylia I heard this owlbear scream a single word at me,” The skinny kid paused for dramatic effect. “Leave.” The fairy screamed the word with a guttural voice, imitating the sound he had heard from the alleged owlbear.

“You can’t talk to owlbears, you can’t barely talk to that cat o’ yours.” The second fairy interjected again.

“Swear on my life. No more interruptions, you’re disturbing the guest. He likes my story.” Orias just nodded and so the fairy continued his tale.

“Anyways, I hear that and somehow I just know what this creature’s all about, and boy am I in trouble. So summon up every branch, root, and vine I can muster to hold this big o’ beastie back, and it’s braking through them like it’s all nothing. But it bought me time, so while that owlbear’s all tangled up I turn to run outta there and damn near trip over another owlbear right near me. A little ol’ baby cub, cute as a button it was, and damn sure I was right about the first one, just an angry mama. Lucky for me I’m quick with the ol’ wings and I hop right over the little guy and use that boost to get my ass outta sight just as I hear the last bunch of vines, roots, and branches snapping like crazy. Pissed myself I was so scared.” The first fairy finally got to the end of his story.

“Now that last part I’d believe.” The second one said with a chuckle.

“Now you shut your big gob, I know what I saw and I’m tellin’ you something out there’s got the critters acting all sorts of crazy. I ain’t never seen nothing like that so close to the kingdom. World’s gone all topsy turvy.”

“That is most certainly true.” Orias voiced his agreement.

“This guy gets it. You come down from the Sun Elf lands pal?” The first fairy asked.

“Got a name?” The second fairy added.

“Course he’s got a name, everybody’s got one. Silly question. Name’s Gil.”

“Alvaro.”

“Orias. Came over from Roshmi.”

“Roshmi, now that place’s gone to shit. They just handed right over to those dark elf bastards, not a bit of fight in that damn king.” Gil’s eyes widened at the mention of Roshmi, and he spoke with the same excitement as he had when he told his owlbear story.

“That they did.” Alvaro agreed, clearly more troubled by the subject than Gil.

“A real shame, but your sort’s got a handle on it huh?” Gil asked.

“We hope so, can’t do it alone though.” Orias admitted.

“Right, makes sense. I’d like to see those bastards get what's coming, after what they did.” Alvaro spoke with fire in his words. Orias nodded, A good sign, there were at least a few fairies more than ready to go to war.

“Aye, poor Echo.” Gil said speaking softly for the first time since Orias had sat down. A sad smile crossed the face of the youthful fae.

“To a fine prince.” Alvaro said raising his glass, the other two did the same before drinking.

“The finest. You know, I went fishin’ with that lad once, let me tell you he reeled him in a fish bigger than I ever seen.” Gil moved his hands as far apart from one another indicating that this alleged fish was much larger than even the average dwarf.

“You ain’t never went fishin' with Prince Echo.” Alvaro said with a grin and shake of his head.

“On my life I did. Anyway, he was a real good kid.” Gil took another drink and tried to lift the sad smile back up.

“I’m just waiting for the orders, nothin’ would bring me more joy than to join up with your lot and make them bastards pay.” Alvaro said with a stern nod.

“Don’t know what’s taking so long, we shoulda be marching right after we saw that damn broadcast.” Gil muttered.

“They’re just grieving is all. One son gone, one gone rotten.” Alvaro replied, and Gil flinched slightly at the mention of the one gone wrong.

“So what brings you to River Kingdom?” Gil asked.

“Hoping to convince your King that now is the time to act.” Orias saw no reason to lie.

“No shit? You one of them important elves?” Gil asked and they both seemed interested in his answer.

“Not really. Just got something important I’ve got to do.” Orias continued to talk to the two fairies who he learned were cousins and who were more than willing to share their thoughts on the war. Alvaro was a seasoned soldier of the River Kingdom and Gil was a musician who, after the broadcasted murder of Prince Echo, was planning to enlist.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St; Which layer of hell is this?
Interaction: His new best friend; the floor

The day had been an average lull, the evening’s ball had been more easily suffered through than expected, and the late hours of the night had done much to lift his spirits. Even as he found himself at another party as Anastasia’s tag a long brother he had not been alone. Her friends were rarely ever his friends, but at least they did not shun him. There had been drinks with Roman, there had been knowing that one of his rare friends was finding happiness even in a kingdom as rotten as Caesonia. That had made the night a little brighter.

Then there had been the Noble’s Venom, it contained a taste of what it was like to have been a carefree child and all the energy and joy that came with that. He should’ve known it would come with a price, everything good came with a price, but even as the effects of the drink started to wane he was sure the price was worth it. So he tried to keep dancing with both Anastasia, Munir, and others around them whose names he never heard over the music.

He expected the price to come in the morning, to suffer through a terrible hangover, a price he was comfortable with. But this was not the case, the dancing became increasingly difficult as the last bit of energy seemed to have left him, his mind barely registered Ana leaving as a heavy brain fog took hold. He didn’t even have the energy to form audible words, he only pointed in a direction as a way of explanation and stumbled away from the dance floor.

Callum desperately wanted to step outside, to breathe in air that didn’t smell like sweat, alcohol, and a foul mixture of colognes but his every limb felt like it was made of lead. The stairs out of the warehouse would be impossible, the other side of the room already felt like an uncrossable distance. He staggered towards the nearest wall and simply sank to the floor. He sat there with his knees pulled to his chest, head resting against his knees, his back against a wall, and there would be no moving from this spot anytime soon.

His mouth slowly filled with an ungodly amount of saliva and the room was spinning. A day of poor choices slowly caught up to him; ale, whiskey, dry red wine, and then the Noble's Venom, and it was that last one he knew had been the peak of his mistakes. Then there was more ale, shots with Leo, and far more running than could be considered wise. It all had collected in his stomach only to end up being mixed about as he, almost literally, bounced from wall to wall within the warehouse. It had only a matter of time before it all poured back out, and time was catching up on him as every sharp intake of air already tasted of bile.

Can’t hold my drink, and that was my only skill. The thought floated in and then back out with a defeated sigh. Cal knew a great many of his flaws, they were so helpfully pointed out to him rather frequently. Tonight and probably several more nights in his future, his undoing; how slow he was to learn from his own mistakes, would remain a problem. This was not the first night he’d drunk until he couldn’t stand and it was far from the last. Tonight’s only difference was how quickly he felt so terrible.

TW for vomiting. Summery: Callum vomits on the floor and then crawls about a foot away from it.

Maybe I’ve been poisoned. He thought with just a hint of glee because if he had maybe he wouldn’t have to suffer through the barrage of side effects. He almost chuckled at the thought but instead, he retched slightly just barely managing to choke back down the bile that rose in his throat.

He made a half-hearted attempt to lift his head, only to be overcome with dizziness. His heart thumped in a wild rhythm but the pounding in his head felt far worse. Gods, let me die now. If there was a single god with an ounce of mercy above or below they’d put him out of his misery this instant. But, as he expected, there were no benevolent gods who answered requests and Caesonia was not a place of mercy.

Something distant in the back of his mind nagged at him, there was something he was supposed to remember but he couldn’t quite reach it. Even as he tried all he found was a rising sense of dread and panic.

Then it finally hit him, not the thought he tried to reach, but a violent wave of nausea that caused him to lift his head up just enough to expel bits of the wretched concoction in his stomach onto the floor. He kept his eyes closed, and rested his head against the wall as he tried to catch his breath again. He made an effort to only breathe through his mouth, not wanting to take in the acrid scent of bile and alcohol. Another wave of sickness hit, and more puke hit the floor with a faint splatter.

The worst of it wasn’t the burn or the smell, no, somehow that damned cocktail retained the sickeningly sweet taste even as he threw it back up. Several moments of violent retching left him fairly sure there was nothing else left to vomit up and he leaned towards his other side and crawled himself away from the pile. Never again was he going to drink anything green, he was almost certain of that.

There was no leaving the floor, sitting back up even proved too much and he resigned himself to lying helpless on the floor until the room learned how to hold still. Callum retreated further into his own head. His own thoughts swirled with things spoken to him and things whispered about him until it all just became the same noise that played on a loop in his head. The words of others and his own thoughts echoed around in his head, slowly becoming indistinguishable. It was all true enough and he lacked the will or energy to question it.

Look at the boy, he’s not one of mine. Weak. You don’t belong anywhere. Witless little shit. I imagine his majesty is quite pissed, they’ve gone and named a tavern after the boy, a constant reminder of what a useless drunk he sired. Sorian’s greatest failure. Worthless. Good for nothing. They got ‘em a future king, a champion, a real beauty, and well, I guess everyone rolls a pair o’ snake eyes once in’a while even royals. Failure. Idiot. Can’t go five minutes without screwing something up. Spoiled. Useless. The entire palace has had quite enough of your dramatics. Self-righteous jackass. Ungrateful. Try and get through one night without causing a scene. Selfish brat. You’ll never learn, never be anything more. All I’m saying is if I’d been born with the name Danrose I’d’ve made something of my life by now. Spineless. Self-indulgent prick. Wonder why Edin ain't gotten rid of that one yet. Menace. You don’t deserve anything more, look around, see all the damage done by Danrose hand, nothing good comes from the rotten tree. Coward. The world would be better off with just one less Danrose. Just as bad as the rest of them. Entitled. Not just a fuck up, a royal fuck up. It’s no wonder you’re alone, who wants to be around such an empty pit?

The thoughts and voices overwhelmed him, drowned out the music and everyone around him. The majority of his thoughts began to fade away, as did any sense of who he was, even where he was. Callum kept his eyes closed to keep from watching everything spin as he continued to lay on his side one arm supporting his head and the other covering his face to help block out sounds and dancing lights. Weak. Cowardly. Useless. Rotten. Alone.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St, Party Capitol of Caesonia
Interaction: Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Anastasia @princess

Callum only gave Munir a look of confusion. “Majesty and dashing looks?” He echoed the Shahzade’s strange words back at him. “You must be very confused. I have not an ounce of majesty, maybe a dash of dashing,” Cal paused to chuckle a bit at that, he was going to ask what he’d meant by exotic but then Ana spoke and pretty much answered that question.

An exotic journey of love-making? Callum only paused as he thought about that, eyeing up Munir for a bit, and while the other man was strikingly handsome, Cal didn’t feel anything for him. Well, at least not anything resembling attraction, if anything, standing so close to one of the Alidasht royals felt intimidating. It took him a second to realize why, Munir seemed friendly enough and he wasn’t a physically imposing figure, especially when compared to Roman. But every rumor he’d ever heard, every sliver of information he’d read about Alidasht began to spin through his head. Then Callum’s mind drifted off further and his eyes looked around for something exciting to do, standing and talking were quickly losing interest. His hands fidgeted and he bounced subtly on his feet.

But he did catch some of what his sister said, and it only confused him more. Best Caesonia has to offer? Hardly, why is she lying? His eyes darted between the two of them trying to figure out what was really going on. This is a joke, they’re both messing with me. Callum nodded slowly as he figured out what was going on. He forced a smile and a quick chuckle.

“Right, right, everyone’s favorite prince, as long as your interests are drinking and pissing off Caesonia’s king, I’m your guy, but sadly, probably not your guy,” He said, mostly to Munir, not wanting to pull any sort of deception on the other royal about his interests or his standing in Caesonia. “Hey I had drank that one! Like lightning in a bottle.” He added then slapped his hands together to accentuate his point. He wanted to run again, or climb something, or maybe dance. His thoughts felt loud and he wondered if they could hear them as easily as he could. “So who wants to have a race? Or dance? I bet I could I could climb that railing!” He continued speaking as he eyed the stairs out of the warehouse as if it was a piece of playground equipment.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St; Center of Chaos
Interaction: Anastasia @princess, Munir @Infinite Cosmos, Ezra @Potter

Callum failed to notice that no one else had joined his race, and it wouldn’t have mattered if he had noticed. The youngest prince of Caesonia had never felt this much vigor running through him; he was invincible, he was more alive than he had ever been, and he was speed. He skidded and pivoted around confused party-goers as he ran from one end of the warehouse to the other, slapping the wall before turning to head back in the direction of the bar.

It was then that he noticed neither Roman nor Mayet were neither ahead of him or behind him, they weren’t even running. He paused and saw they were both still at the bar. Well, that’s it, huh? Roman, lost to the lovesickness and now, once again, I’ll just party alone. That’s fine, absolutely fine, good for Roman, he deserves it. Cal bounced around for a bit, jumping along with the music. He’d never had this much energy before and he didn’t know what to do with it all, the only thing he did know was doing nothing would drive him absolutely crazy right now.

"Yooohoo Callum! Anastasia’s voice cut through the noise of the warehouse again, and he tilted his head to the side. He had no idea why Ana was shouting at him now, but he shrugged it off, saw her talking to a group of people and the last thing he wanted to do right now was get introduced to people. No, what Callum really wanted to do, right at that exact moment, was climb something just to see how high up he could get. Now that sounded like fun. "Callum! Are you gay? Are you gay, Callum!" At that, he stopped jumping around, and paused with momentary confusion.

What a weird question, why was Ana asking that? At least it wasn’t a boring question. Cal took maybe a half-second to reconsider and decided it was very unlikely Ana was calling him over for something boring. Ana is probably one of the least boring people I know. And, and maybe she’d race him, or help him find something to climb! Cal sprinted in her direction, narrowly avoiding a couple of people before his foot slid on a smashed cupcake. His foot flew in front of him, the rest of his body slid backward and Callum ended up on his ass in front of the group.

Why are there cupcakes all over the floor? Callum thought but he was now laughing too hard to ask.

“What? Why? What’s going on?” He asked, each word shouted through uncontrolled fits of laughter.

---

For a moment it seemed like nothing was going to stop Chavez, the unhinged man continued his attack on himself, not even cupcake throwing seemed able to distract him. For a moment Leo almost lost his grin, as a very angry Zarai stormed over to them, his thrown cupcake visible on her clothing.

Uh oh. Leo thought and as he prepared to slip away into the crowd and become lost amongst a sea of increasingly erratic party-goers, Zarai proceed to lay the blame on Chavez. Now Leo’s grin only widened as he wiped cupcake frosting off his hands and onto his pants to better hide any evidence of his involvement.

Sucess! Senior Chavez was no longer attacking himself and was soon led away by the very angry-looking Zarai. This was the best possible outcome, those two would blow off some steam in the boxing ring and hopefully return ready to have fun. Everything fell into place, the universe looked out for the noble’s, and gifted them success as often as possible because they really did deserve it. Leo realized this and it made the world seem a better brighter place because in his perfect state of euphoria he knew this as truth.

As quickly as the two rage-fueled individuals left the group, they were all graced by the addition of a half-dressed Shahzade. From the way Munir approached the princess, to the way he carried himself, Leo knew on instinct that this was a man who knew how to have a good time. Except, strangely enough, Munir was asking about the wet blanket of Caesonia, Callum Danrose. Leo took the opportunity to move in closer to Ezra and further poke at the permanent sourpuss.

“Ah, baker buddy, I think you’ve got some competition, and that one came ready to play.” He said watching Munir as Anastasia shouted for her brother. Leo couldn’t remember ever having seen Callum so lively but the prince came sprinting out of nowhere only to slip on the cupcake carnage that lay about the floor. He moved away from Ezra, who seemed like just about the only one here unable to give themselves over to the party. Leo grabbed a hold of Callum’s arm and pulled the prince back up to his feet.

“Callum! Look at you, only took a good twenty years but you’ve learned not to be boring! Congratulations.” Leo hugged the young prince and ruffled his hair.

“Boring? Ana am I boring?” Cal asked. Leo nodded his agreement with the statement.

“Absolutely, but we can fix that. But right now, I need a drink.” Leo added before heading off in the direction of the bar.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: River Fairy Kingdom
Interactions: Yuka@princess, Aiko @CitrusArms Xavier @Potter
Equipment: Sword, bow and arrows, small knife, wayfinder, fire kit, a pouch of amas, transmission bracelet

---

Orias took a deep breath as he tried to let go of his frustration. Aiko had given yet another response that sounded more like a riddle than an answer. Had he not given up his own secrets for the group's benefit? Had he not proven he was more than willing to work with just about anyone so long as they were all on the same side? He’d been willing to accept a dark elf back in Roshmi, one of his people’s sworn enemies, it should not be a stretch to think he’d accept a demon as well. But it seemed as if Aiko was still unwilling to extend trust, and the elf was at loss for how to earn it.

And with Yuka, gone was the same demihuman who spoke with such passion atop a rooftop in Roshmi, had that all been an act, another game? It was so hard to tell, what, if anything, other than fun, even mattered to the lioness. You’re not trying hard enough, he thought, and he knew it to be true. It was difficult to accept that spending what remained of the night drinking and mingling with the fae was an acceptable use of his time. Yuka continued to joke around and he barely listened, his mind focused on the long list of challenges that lie before him. But as of now, there was little to be done about these problems, his mind finally settled on the wisdom in what Aiko had said of engaging with the locals here. Connect with the locals, connect with his own companions, that would be a better use of his time than sleep at least.

He nodded at Yuka and headed inside The Pretty Flower, it remained just as rowdy as he’d remembered it. Live music echoed through the bar, and so many fae drank and danced as if they had not a care in the world. “We can get a feel for how the fairies here view the war and why the Millinia’s have remained silent and neutral thus far. Hopefully, learn something to shed some light on how to proceed tomorrow. This is a very good idea, I would not have thought of this.” Orias said, nodding, as he looked around the tavern. He wasn’t entirely sure if this was either of their intents but looking at it as a mission made him feel a lot less guilty about it.

---

Time: Night
Location: Inn by the Sea
Interactions: Rue @Potter, Raven @Tae, Kharne @Kazemitsu, Ismael @Th3King0fChaos
Equipment: 1 hunting knife, a flask of alcohol, a backpack, small tent, blanket, waterskin, rope, fire starting kit, lightmaker, cooking pot, a bar of soap, some drugs; skaula (8 grams) and zemak (a bit less than an ounce), rolling papers, and a pouch of amas.

“Well despite how they likely see it, elves do not have the monopoly on magic. Bunch of one-trick ponies if you ask me.” Bowyn said, eyes rolling as Kharne mentioned needed Annya to supervise the human's magic training.
“Now fairies, not only have we got variety, but magic is pretty inseparable from our way of life. Plus, when your human’s inevitably hurt themselves learning, ol’ Rue here can heal them up in a blink.” Bowyn spoke casually, finding himself more at ease with this group even despite his annoyance at having to wait around with little clue as to what they were going to do. It seemed insane to him that none of the humans had received the slightest bit of training on their magic. Summon a bunch of humans, let them wander about with catastrophic levels of power and the emotional control of children. Yeah, sounds like elven wisdom right there. It was a damn miracle that there weren’t more instances like the beach.

“Sounds like you’ve got more of a plan than our princess, who it seems, left us all to drink herself into oblivion with the other elves around here. Not very inspiring.” He continued, he’d gone out with Eris and Kaleb last night, he knew how those two partied, there was no way he was buying that Annya was having just a casual drink with them. Sure, his answer to most problems was an abundance of alcohol, but in this case, getting out of River Port as quickly as possible, or at least putting some effort into instructing these humans would’ve been much better. At least having Kharne around was a good sign; the big guy was practical and honest, Bowyn decided right then he liked having the dragonborn around.

“Say big guy you smoke?” He asked as he twirled the freshly rolled joint between his fingers. “I’d say we all earned a bit of zemak to unwind.” He offered to the rest of the group as he stood up from his spot on the floor and lightly cracked a window inside the room. Bowyn didn’t wait for any objections as he fished a pack of matches from his pockets and lit up the joint between his fingers.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St
Interaction: Roman @ReusableSword Mayet @13org

Cal’s face slipped into a brief expression of confusion, Is it not Emberrock? Coulda swore, well Roman would know, unless he’s messing with me, who knows. Emberstone huh, I was close enough I guess. Though it could easily look like Callum was paying little attention to Roman as he spoke, he caught every word even as he stared at and examined the drinks placed in front of him. It was a skill practiced for so long and so often that it became his nature, to simply listen and absorb every word and inflection as he placed his visual attention upon something else entirely.

The cocktail that was placed in front of him was a glass that contained a mostly green liquid though at the bottom of the glass inky black tendrils gathered and snaked about. Despite both the name and appearance of the drink, which seemed to speak of danger, the smell it gave off was sweet and inviting. To his side, Roman spoke of summer festivals taking place in a cold mountain town that likely held more warmth than all of Sorian even at the peak of summer. Cal thought that sounded better than being in Sorian all summer.

“Violet Damien…I do like that one I’ve never met someone that could bring me out of my shell like Violet.”

Roman continued to talk about Violet, and Cal continued to listen as he watched the black tendrils moving against the green liquid of the strange cocktail. It had been a few years but he could not recall Roman speaking so seriously about any woman. Stuck down by lovesickness, are we? He thought, and it made sense, Roman was older surely feeling the pressures of finding a wife, and continuing the family name. At least his family was a good one, he could see Roman continuing the dying tradition of raising nobles truly who fit the title.

He wondered if he should offer a warning, that the name Damien came attached to the deadliest viper that nested in Sorian. Like the drink in front of him, the patriarch of the Damien family was a dark tendril that lurked about, buried in inviting sweetness that hid something dangerous, venomous. Would Roman even heed such a warning?

“You and Violent huh? You’d make a striking pair, and she’s certainly got more depth than she lets on but-” Before he had the chance to bring up the subject of Calbert another had joined the conversation; a fast-talking man who called himself Senor Chavez. Cal offered a forced smile and a nod as he glanced at him. He left as quickly as he’d appeared, and Roman turned the conversation towards Mayet. The woman with the tiger. Hadn’t Wulfy also taken a shine to that one? Roman needed no warning there, for despite Wulfrics crueler qualities he didn’t see his brother making an issue of competition when it came to courting. It also seemed just as likely that Wulfric's interest in the woman was the chance to watch her tiger tear apart its prey.

Roman then spoke just as highly of Mayet, comparing her to a fire and it only spiked further curiosity about the guest from Alidasht. Callum listened, eventually taking a sip from the strange cocktail in front of him. He found its taste cloying, something so unnaturally sweet that it was almost difficult to drink. Cal drank it anyway, not wanting to let the alcohol go to waste but leaving behind the thought of drinking it slowly and downing its contents. It left his stomach on edge, whether that was from the sweetness of it, or from its mixing with the dry wine that he’d had at the ball was difficult to tell. He followed the cocktail with a long drink of the dark beer, washing the sweetness from his mouth with the bitter liquid. His stomach felt worse but the sweet taste was now gone. Callum was almost certainly throwing up later, he was just going to have to be sure he did so outside.

“What of you friend? What new adventures or fair maidens have you gotten a bit too far into lately?”

“Fair maidens? I doubt the women at the brothels on Lover’s Lane hear that one often but I’m sure it would give them quite the chuckle. As for adventures I make do, tonight should be quite the outing.” Callum gave a causally flippant reply before drinking more of the dark beer. “Just, tread carefully around the Damiens, Calbert is more dangerous than he seems, maybe more so than any at court, and he keeps Edin and so many others wrapped tightly around his finger and has many eyes set upon his daughters.” He added, a sense of gravity in his tone. He knew Roman was likely accustomed to danger, that a warning would be shrugged off, but Roman deserved to at least know what he was getting into.

“And I did run into Crystal this evening, or rather, she ran into me, and it was a pleasant surprise. She is very much unlike most of the nobility here. If things were different, someone that overwhelmingly positive, well it’d probably be a good influence on me, but things remain as they are. Count Damien seeks to further dig his claws into my family and to allow that to happen would only harm Caesonia and the people here who need no more harm done to them.” Callum, relaxed from the drinking and the company of someone who did not need lies or partial truths, spoke freely. Strangely, while he still felt calm his heart began to race as the cocktail worked its way through his system.

Edin would always put himself and his latest whims first, there was no question about that. Most of his family would put the family first, or the wealth of Caesonia, and they’d protect the interests of the noble class no matter the detriment to the people of their nation. Callum knew this, just as he knew he had little power to change it, but he could at the very least not add to it. He could make sure he was not a pawn that strengthened bonds between cruel and powerful nobles, he could limit their influence on him, and prevent himself from fully being one of them. These long-held ideals and anxieties raced through his mind; everything in Caesonia was so wrong, so rotten, and what could he even do about it that would matter?

Then Callum spoke again, adding on to the sentiment he felt but no longer speaking with a calm and defeated tone. There was a frantic edge to his words, he began saying things he normally kept in his head or only to those he trusted fully. “I’m not going to get married, Roman, nor will I start a family. It’s a fine life for someone, like yourself, whose lands are ruled by good people, who will continue to lead it in the right direction. But it is not like that here, and I cannot be happy while my people suffer.” His hand smacked against the bar, he felt more determined in his beliefs.

"CALLUM! ADORABLE LITTLE BROTHER THAT I LOVE! LOOK WHO IT IS! It's fucking Alden Plannington!" The voice of his sister cut across the entirety of the warehouse. They just got here, how much had she had to drink already? With one hand he rubbed at his temple, a quiet return to the palace, as he’d promised Riona, seemed like an impossible task now. I should’ve promised nothing. He thought but he gave his sister a wave and scanned the faces of those around her. Alden Plannington, one of his mother’s pets, was indeed among them.

He barely had time to wonder what exactly Alden was doing here because the scene around Alden and his sister erupted into absolute chaos caused by the rather odd Senor Chavez. Nope. Callum turned back around, his attention returning to Roman and Mayet who had also joined them. Without the necessary audience, that sort of chaos held no interest for him, whatever Ana and her wild friends were up to was their business right now.

“Mayet! Surely your ears must be burning for Roman was just singing your praises. An honor to meet you! Didn’t bring the tiger along eh? Probably best could you imagine a drunk tiger?!” Callum wore a wild grin and burst into laughter at the thought it.

Callum couldn’t stop laughing, even while knowing Roman was trying to flirt with Mayet and how this was certainly not helpful. He was bet over, his stomach still in a knot and one hand covering his mouth trying to make sure he didn’t vomit from the unwise mixing of drinks and fervent laughter.

Drinks! More beer! Cal remembered the rest of the beer that sat in front of him and between gasps for air and stifled laughter he forced himself to calm enough to finish the glass before slamming it face down on the bar.

“Roman! Mayet! Why are we just standing around?” Callum was shouting now, he didn’t realize it, but excess enthusiasm had leaked into his voice. “I know, let’s have a race!” He added eyes wide with excitement at the thought of running through the warehouse. He slammed his hands against the bar along with the thumping music that played, now bouncing around on his feet and unable to hold still.

“Right now! Let’s race! I’ll win!” He continued, not even the least bit aware that he was still shouting. He had to move, needed to run or something before he vibrated right out of his own skin. He was pretty sure that was possible and that it was bound to happen if he didn’t do something soon. His heart beat furiously within his chest, outpacing the beat of the music. He looked through the crowded warehouse, plotting out the best path to run from one side to the other with minimal interference from the crowds of people. Then with little warning, Callum merely shouted “Go!” and took off without bothering to check if the other two were joining.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker Street; Den of Chaos
Interactions: Anastasia @princess, Ezra @Potter, Chavez @samreaper

Leo let out an easy laugh as the cowlicked blond who referred to himself as Senor Chavez spoke with frantic energy. Savor and partake, yes, exactly!Leo bobbed his head with both agreement and excitement, he was absolutely right about this guy’s vibe; Chavez knew how to have a good time.

His attention shot back to Anastasia who complimented his hair and Leo grinned. “A dance party! Yes, absolutely! And you, you ‘Stas are a ray of fucking sunshine and I love it.” Leo proclaimed, throwing a fist into the air and bouncing on his feet as he spoke. Shots! Shots and dancing, that was exactly what they needed. Leo thought but then Ezra went and mentioned Thea and his grin dropped.

“Yeah? What do you know about my sister?” He asked, a clear rhetorical question by his tone. “Nothin’ and you can keep it that way.” Leo spoke, hostility clear in his tone, and a small smirk on his face as he talked to the baker. Then, Anastasia went ahead and answered Ezra's question which only caused his head to whip back in her direction with a look of confusion. Thea’s sad? And she’d told Anastasia all about it and not me?

“Why’s Thea sad?” He asked, no longer shouting, and he wasn’t sure she could even hear him over the music. And Leo knew it wasn’t just their missing father, it had been a year and she’d been at plenty of parties since then. Then some guy named Alden was there with them but Leo wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him. He focused on what he knew for sure, and that was that if Thea had come to the party she wouldn’t have been sad anymore because he was pretty certain no one could be sad at this party. Everything was amazing; the drinks, the music, the lights, and -

Wait? Why was Senor Chavez yelling about cupcakes and ants?” Leo had zoned out and suddenly everything snapped back into focus and Chavez had thrown cupcakes all over the floor. I was big wrong, he’s crazy. Leo thought and he vaguely remembered he’d been thinking about something else, something more important but now he was thinking about shots again. He’d really only had the one drink and he definitely needed more and then he needed more dancing after that.

Chavez was now in a fight with himself, which only made Leo wonder how anyone could tell who was winning such a fight. The one-man fight seemed to greatly upset Anastasia and it was really creating weird energy around them. One thing was certain, Leo's most important duty right now was to keep this party fun, and that meant snapping crazy Chavez out of this. “Senor Chavez, take a breath my man, let’s go some shots, have a good time. You knock yourself out now you’re going to miss one hell of a party.” He kept his voice just loud enough to be heard over the music but didn’t quite shout. Then, Leo had what he thought must be his best idea ever; a fight was exactly what this party needed, but not a boxing match, not whatever Chavez was doing right now, but a significantly more fun fight. Leo scooped up one of the bits of fallen cupcakes that lie scattered about the floor, picked a direction at random, and threw it. “No worries Chavez, the cupcakes are fine, and this is way more fun than eating them!” Leo immediately erupted into laughter, this was perfect, he’d always wanted a food fight as a child and now no one could stop him.

Avalia

Time: Morning
Location: Myriamor Plaza
Interactions: Slick@FunnyGuy, Aurora@Mole, Sophie@princess, Caelen@Alivefalling,
Equipment: The clothes on his back, glaive, lockpicking kit, small knife, and a pouch of amas.

---

“An excellent point. A one cat and one man job it is then.” Leaf said with a deep laugh as Slick pointed out he was not a cat. He nodded as Slick hinted at his past before coming to Avalia, one of thievery and excitement that Leaf understood without further questions.

“A good deed and a bit o’ mischief, finest pairing for a night one can have.” Leaf said, a toothy grin forming. That was the thing about trouble, planning it out, anticipating it, everything that went into pulling off a perfect job was half the fun of it. The rest of the fun would come later, with sneaking and outwitting, with watching that lion finally run free off into the desert to have a chance at a real life.

Leaf didn’t know much about Sophie and Caelen, what their lives had been like before they’d entered Avalia but he knew they wouldn’t need extra hands for this. More unknown factors would only mean complications, but two experienced thieves, and Leaf was pretty confident Slick was telling the truth now, could work fast and efficiently. So he waited at the door as Slick gave a sharp knock, with no plans to tell the others what they planned to do this night.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St. Righteous Rave Warehouse
Interactions: Anastasia @princess, Ezra @Potter, Chavez @samreaper

Upon finishing the drink, and leaving the emptied glass on a nearby table, Leo found himself more and more drawn in by the music. The rhythmic thumping reverberated in his chest, lifted him, and left him with the sensation of simultaneously being embraced by the most comforting hug and floating at the same time. Leo couldn’t remember feeling anything quite like this, certainly, no full night of drinking had ever felt as incredible as this single drink.

He was no longer able to simply walk about the party, he bounced on his feet, moving with the beat, allowing himself to be consumed by it. Dancing to this was nothing like a waltz, no need for perfection in the movements, nothing was precise or meticulous, it was all uninhibited freedom. The beat of his heart quickly began to surpass the beat of the music, thumping harder against his chest. Nothing in him wanted to be still, his teeth grinding back and forth and going unnoticed as he became more and more entranced with everything going on around him. Dilated eyes took in everything, pretty lights, pretty faces, and an energy all around him that made any expression besides a genuine ear-to-ear grin simply impossible.

Then he noted a pop of green hair worming its way towards Anastasia with energy that didn’t match the rest of the party. An instant bad vibe, and even at a party where titles were left at the door, Leo knew they were long from being forgotten entirely. Anastasia was still a princess, one who was far too trusting, and the green-haired and weasel-faced man was handing her a drink and a present. There wasn’t much thinking between him watching the exchange and him making his way towards the two of them. Anastasia was one of Thea’s closest friends, Wulfric’s baby sister, and seeing as how Callum was inadequate at keeping watch over her, Leo slithered between the two of them, throwing his arms around each of their shoulders.

“‘Stas, and” He paused and looked from Anastasia to the green-haired man, and towards the cowlicked infernal blond from the ball, and added, “Cowlick and Cupcake Man.” He said, voice booming over the music, continuing to bounce up and down to the beat.

“I don’t know what this song is but I love it.” He continued, glancing at the cupcakes and back at Ezra, his grin widened further. “Look at you, bringing cupcakes for the lady. You got yourself a crush?” He asked removing his arms from the two of them, slapping the baker lightly on the shoulder. Leo, despite being under the influence, still knew what he was doing, stirring the pot just to see how Ezra would react. He moved over to the table where the box of cupcakes sat before swiping some of the frosting and tasting it. ”Hey! Pretty good.” He said, head nodding and continuing to do so as he bopped to the music.

His attention quickly turned to the cowlick blond who now seemed far less infernal than he had at the bar, his energy seemed nothing like the baker’s, a far better frequency came from Kazu. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Leo.” He waved at the blond and clapped his hands together once before shuffling his feet as the beat dropped once more. “You ever been to a party like this before? It’s amazing!” He added.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: Night
Location: 420 Wicker St, Badass Party Warehouse
Interaction: Roman @ReusableSword

Callum, already wrapped in the embrace of several glasses worth of wine from the previous party, stood near the stairs leading into the party, transfixed on the ever-changing colors of dancing lights, swaying slightly in tune with the music. For a few undisturbed minutes that was all that existed, just the lights, the strange thumping beat of unearthly music, and the completely relaxing feeling of no one paying any sort of attention to him. Here in the basement of some old warehouse, no one cared who he was, who his family was, and this was a space where none of that mattered. A place that was strange and pretty and loud in a way that drowned out the rest of the world, and it was nearly perfect.

“CALLUM!”

A booming voice cut through the beat, snapping his attention in the direction of the bar. There was Roman, a Varian nobleman who seemed more like a mountain than a man. Despite being surrounded by the same nest of vipers as the rest, Roman always appeared as unbothered by such snakes as any mountain would, immune to their venom and never noticing their hissed threats and bared fangs. This easy confidence was just one of the many qualities Cal admired in the mountain that was a man.

“Come drink with your old friend, it’s been too long.”

His welcoming presence and strong liver were another set of fine qualities. Without a second thought, Cal made his way through the crowd of people towards the voice that had called out to him, finding a place near the bar beside Roman. “Roman, how are things in Emberrock?” He asked.

The Ravenwood family, an anomaly amongst the nobility, as they seemed to have actually earned their titles based on their hard work. A family of smiths and craftsmen, everything they touched was like a work of art, even tools of violence were made to look beautiful. He often wondered what it was like to be a part of a family that created things for the world rather than just taking things from the world. “Enjoying your time in Sorian? I’ll bet they don’t have parties like this in Varian.” He added, turning to look around at the warehouse again before shifting his attention back towards the bartender who approached to take drink orders.

Callum looked around the bar, its shelves stocked with bottles of every fine liquor one could imagine. The offerings of beer, wine, and liquor were already more than enough to make the warehouse seem like a piece of heaven, but it was the listing of strange cocktails called out to him. Something different, unique, that felt perfectly aligned with the rest of the energy inside the warehouse. And one, named The Noble’s Venom, called out the loudest. “The Noble’s Venom,” he said to the bartender. More called out to him, the bottles that lined the shelves of the bar which held so many other venom’s he was accustomed to but he held back. Cal had made a promise he intended to keep; to return to the palace before dawn without any incidents. Drinking himself into oblivion would certainly interfere with that, but a drink or two surely couldn’t hurt much. “And a beer, whatever he got.” He added before looking his attention back to Roman.