Tae

Hunter's Game (Small Private Group)

Adelaide Varo

So the big guy wanted to test her? Adelaide wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, especially a challenge she knew she’d be hard pressed to fail. She simply smirked at Versle before grabbing one mug and downing it in seconds before doing the same with the other. She slammed the mug down, wiping at her face as she gave him a smug look. It didn’t even seem like she was fazed by the alcohol. ”Confidence, arrogance, what’s the difference really? I know I can back up my words and be assured that I can hold my drink far better than you likely think.” She said, as she signaled for another drink. She then leaned back in her chair, listening to the others speak and pondering the task ahead of them.

”Might I point out that the queen said ‘reptilian’ in nature, meaning it could be a large variety of things. While countermeasures may be simple, they may not be depending on what it truly is. If it’s some kobold, then perhaps counter measures are simple. But what if it’s a naga or even a basilisk? Even a dragon or drake could be described as ‘reptilian in nature’. I agree with my sister that we should observe the creature before rushing in at all in hopes to determine what it is.” She said as she turned to listen to the fox man ‘introduce’ himself. The puff of smoke enveloped them and she instinctively held her breath for a moment, before waving the smoke away from her face with a bit of a bored expression.

”How cute, perhaps we should call you Smokey. I’m assuming magic is your game then? Certainly can be useful, especially in dealing with a bruja.” She then turned to the small man with the large sword and nodded in acknowledgement of him. ”Perhaps you and the big guy over here should have an arm wrestling competition. I’d be very intrigued to see that. Maybe I’ll even reward the winner.”

Next was Rayland and Adelaide couldn’t keep from rolling her eyes a little at his introduction and the mention of the kill shot. ”Good to know you don’t have the skill to readjust a kill shot to avoid friendly fire. I’ll keep that in mind.” She scoffed before going on to introduce herself. ”The names Adelaide Varo and Alice here is my twin sister. While she likes to keep her distance, I like to get up close and personal in a…surprising manner. I stick to the shadows and my blade always strikes true. I’m much quicker than many expect and quite a bit stronger as well. I also specialize in poisons and my knowledge of monsters is extensive as I have a photographic memory and can recall most everything I’ve ever read.”

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

John & Mina

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”Well…” John gave a slight chuckle and a sideways glance as Mina took the handkerchief from his hand. ”My schedule is always welcome.” He then glanced away as she was doing her thing. His words caused Mina to give a pause in what she was doing, glancing at him with an inquisitive smirk. He crossed his hands at the back,giving any weird looks and gossips a cold glare, waiting for either Mina to finish or the carriage to arrive. Both seemed to come at roughly the same time.

”Yeah, I’d agree, though it’s probably different for me than for you.” John gave a rather faint smile, as the carriage stopped. Before the driver needed to hop down to service his guests, John already opened the door and handed the driver the destination and his payment. Before long, he was in the carriage, sitting next to Mina when she asked about the blood sample.

”Oh for sure. It’s been a while since I met your uncle, hope nothing’s up with him.”

Mina couldn’t contain the small laugh at John’s last words, trying to figure out what the best response would be. ”Well I suppose strange things have been happening with me for a while and my uncle’s condition isn’t devoid of that.” She finally said, now unbuttoning her sleeves and rolling them up some. She seemed to relax a bit more, now out of the prying eyes of the public. ”While he has good days and bad days, the bad days are beginning to happen more often. The sunlight sensitivity seems to worsen on his bad days, he becomes rather irritable, and even I rarely see him anymore when those days are upon us.” She finally said with a sigh, glancing at John with a solemn smile.

”Well, that’s never good to hear.” John crossed his arms upon Mina saying, his casual friendliness earlier noticeably vanishing.

”So I’ve begun closely monitoring his vitals on those bad days and recently have been taking weekly blood samples to examine myself. Obviously I’m no doctor, but I’ve found something curious and honestly you’re the only person, let alone doctor, I feel I can trust with this.”

Hmm, it’s back to the whole blood sample. He did tell Mina about how to take blood samples, yes, but that was a while ago when he was still living in Kolonivka. She did ask for specifics recently, which he didn’t really pay much thought over other than the thorough technical description. But now that she said it, he was the only person she could trust. He really felt honored that this was the case, especially for someone of status and connection like Mina, who had no shortage of close confidants, and that often included the person who probably should have known this info before he did.

”For sure, discretion shall be kept in my veins.” He said, tapping his index finger a couple times on his thigh. ”But your uncle’s physician, who were they…Dr. Igor, right? Do they know this information?”

A soft smile graced Mina’s lips before she reached over and squeezed John’s hand. ”Thank you John, I truly appreciate you being discreet.” At the mention of Dr. Igor, however, a scene flashed in her mind. The older man had been berating Mina for taking some matters into her own hands, despite her attempting to share it with him. Her uncle had overheard the whole thing and an unusual burst of anger overtook him.

”Ah, Dr. Igor unfortunately resigned after a small accident befell him several months ago. I’ve been the sole caretaker of my uncle since then.” She said with a sad sigh, not revealing much more than that. ”He was gracious enough to leave me with some of his medical supplies, though, since it’s so hard for us to get good doctors willing to move to Kolonivka.”

’That’s a weird way of putting it.’ Was what John thought as he heard of what happened. But he too left at that, as Igor was just a local physician and not a part of the Institute, and they didn’t meet that much, so he couldn’t know exactly what happened there.

”Well that sucks. There really needs to be more development for Krasivaya. They aren’t getting enough attention.” John said, rolling his eyes a little, but returned back to the topic at hand. ”Yeah, I’ll take a look. But the topic of importance right now is you. What were you doing in the execution arena there to be like that?”

”Agreed.” Mina said simply in response to development, she truly was all for developing her lands more and planned to focus more on that once she became countess. For now, though, she was rather preoccupied in keeping the peace and caring for her uncle.

He moved the conversation on to the execution and why she was there. She thought for a moment on how to respond. ”I was there merely out of curiosity, I suppose. An execution with no explanation of the crime, I found it quite curious. Besides, it’s always good to know what crimes other kingdoms are dealing with in case it happens in your own, wouldn’t you agree?” She explained, actually being rather truthful. She did leave out her initial suspicion of magic being involved. ”It ended up being quite a bit more intense than I’d anticipated. For one, it was far warmer than I’d thought it would be. Then there was the actual execution. The man was absolutely mad and something…nefarious seemed to be at work there.”

”I guess yeah.” In the world of politicking, it was probably so. Though for John he’d probably be fine shifting through the paperwork that accompanied these crime cases, but executions are perhaps the most obvious and exciting. He listened to her observation with a little bit of skepticism. Not for her words, her words he had no doubts about, but its implications. A warmer stage could mean a lot of things, from poor crowd control to ventilation, and a madman…well he had been a Caesonian once…

”That could mean a lot, but I guess we’ll see when we get back to the guest house.” He said, something which they were not that far away from. Very soon, the carriage arrived outside the guesthouse yard, and John, like usual, took the initiative and went ahead. He asked a maid for the usual items he’d need delivered to a vacant empty bedroom.

”Alright, let’s help ourselves.” John said, inviting her to sit on the bed. ”How are you feeling exactly? From then till now. You can be honest with me.”

Mina had a request of her own of the maid, instructing her to bring her a box from her room. In said box was the blood sample she’d mentioned to John earlier. For now, however, she needed to let John do his examination. So she listened to him, taking a seat on the bed and even getting a bit comfortable by leaning back. ”Well…” She began to ponder, thinking of exactly what had all happened. ”I felt completely fine at first, I was speaking with Leo about the execution as it began. It wasn’t until the execution began that the headache hit. I felt compelled at that moment to catch the eye of the dying man and that’s when it all went black.” She went on to say, speaking the truth…for the most part.

”After that I saw a memory of me as a little kid with a friend and my mother. Then I woke up and everyone was freaking out. I felt dizzy and weak and frankly quite parched, which is still how I’m feeling honestly.” She explained with a small sigh.

”That’s…”

Oddly specific timing...it is quite odd that it happened like that. Could that just be a complete coincidence? It better be so. It basically checked out with the other list of what seemed to happen.

The servant arrived at the room with a tray with two cups and a jar of cool water. As soon as the servant left, the doctor touched the jar with the back of his hand, making sure the water was relatively cool and not freezing. Then he poured both of them a cup, though Mina’s more full than his, considering she probably needed more of them. ”If heat is just the issue, this should help after a while.”

He took a sip of water before taking out a white fountain pen to write down a few things in the blank sheet of paper he had in his pocket, seemingly a checklist of sorts. Then, he raised a hand a little bit, with a little hesitation and a request. ”If you don’t mind.”

While John was pouring the water, Mina tucked the box the servant had brought her beside her. She would wait for an appropriate time to present it to John, but for now she took the water and took a sip herself. The cool liquid was quite refreshing, not having realized how thirsty she actually was. ”Be my guest.” She responded as she leaned in a bit closer.

Gently, he laid his palm on her forehead before leaning forward and laying his forehead on the same hand’s wrist, so as to compare the temperature. It was close enough that she could feel the warmth from him as well.

Mina sat silent for a few moments, simply watching John, his closeness not going unnoticed by her. He would likely find that she was a bit cooler to the touch than he’d probably expected, but she’d always run on the cooler side when it came to her temperature. She always figured it was because she came from such a cool climate, but John didn’t share it. His brows twisted in confusion but took his time to write it down carefully…

”Well Doctor, what’s your assessment? Perhaps I need mouth to mou-” She began to say teasingly, eyes trailing over his face, his lips. She was cut off, however, by a sharp pain in her head and she sucked in a breath as she winced. ”That damn headache is back.” She said through gritted teeth, her eyes clamped shut for a moment as she waited for the pain to pass. John almost dropped the note he was writing on, as he rushed back over to her side, an arm around her shoulders.

Almost as quickly as it had come on the pain seemed to subside and Mina slowly opened her eyes. ”You know this is exactly how my mother’s so-called madness began. Headaches and fainting spells. Perhaps I am to end up just like her.” She said with a small laugh, but she couldn’t hide the moment of fear she felt at the thought.

John’s eyes drooped down as he looked away, trying to hide away the worries he had for his friend. Everything he had been suspicious of recently - the Varian nobles the previous day, this weird execution, what Mina was going through, and now her mother’s story, something she had not really talked about until now - he was trying to dance around the uncomfortable possibility. Maybe it is time that he gave it the light that it deserved.

Like she once said… “The tears only flow when the coffins are closed.”

Those close to him might be at risk at the moment…

”Give me a second.” John stood up from his bed and headed over once again to the items that he requested. Two of the things he took out were both small canisters, but one that were difficult to notice was instead coming from his chest pocket. He handed both over to Mina.

”This one helps with headaches. It’s relatively harmless to have, but save it for what happens earlier. Just brew two teaspoon with warm water, just like how we have tea.” If she were to look inside, both are powder-like, but one is very visibly red and smelled pretty spicy. That one he handed afterwards. ”If your symptoms don’t go away, have this one, three teaspoons, and three salt teaspoons. It will be hard to drink at first, but it'll dampen these fainting spells.”

”That’s pretty much what I have for my assessment…” John said with a sigh. It was still a bit hard to take, and especially more so for Mina. He knew that nauseating moment; he knew how everyone whom he treated had felt. ”Oh and…it’s not really that effective, but…”

And so he leaned in for a kiss on her forehead. A soft touch that lasted for only a brief moment.

”Everything will be alright. Sometimes…madness can be beaten.”

An unexpected warmth bloomed in Mina’s chest as he kissed her forehead and his words only furthered that. He was giving her hope, the hope that she wouldn’t end up like her mother. It was a comfort she hadn’t realized she needed. So, setting the two small canisters on her lap, she reached up and gently touched his cheek before placing a kiss of her own on the other cheek.

”Thank you, John. You’ve always been a wonderful friend and I’m happy I have you to rely on.”

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 AM
Location: Execution at the Athletic Arena
Attire: Outfit
Interaction: @Conscripts John
Mentions:

Mina gave one last thankful nod to Leo before he left before turning her full attention to John. Truth be told, she was still weary and her head was still pounding a bit, but the whispers were irritating. She merely had to keep her composure until they could get out of this place, unless they followed her… No, Mina couldn’t worry about that right now, that was a problem for future her.

She nodded to John as she watched him call for the carriage, thankful to not have to walk back. She truly did want to sit down for a bit. It was his next question that caught her off guard a bit, but she found a smirk slowly blooming on her lips. ”My dear John, at least take me on a date first before getting me out of my clothing.” She teased him and then giggled, accepting the handkerchief. She dabbed at her face some, then down her neck, to her bosom. Once she was done, Mina’s fingers moved to her underbust corset as she began unlacing it. She was sure she would get some odd looks, but it was the one thing she could take off without completely revealing herself. She also undid a few more buttons on her blouse, thankful for the ability to breathe unrestricted now.

”Strange things have been happening this year it seems, wouldn’t you agree?” She asked her friend as she watched the carriage approach. She waited for it to come to a stop and the door to be opened before climbing in, setting her corset and the handkerchief beside her. She then waited for John to join her and remembered something then. ”Oh! John! Since we’re heading back and I had planned on paying you a visit today anyways, would you have a moment to glance at a blood sample I took yesterday of my uncles? I found something curious about it and wanted to get your opinion. And before you ask, yes I stored it properly as you showed me.” The last bit was said with a small laugh.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 am
Location: Festival in the Park
Attire: Outfit. Hair, and Makeup
Interactions: @Ojo chan 42 Dali
Mentions:

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The blessing he placed upon her had Saiya smiling and a warmth blooming in her chest. She wouldn’t admit it to him, but lately she’d been questioning whether the gods were truly with them or not. It seemed that the fact that he was here was them potentially trying to give her a sign, telling her not to give up hope. She felt her faith renewed a little and it was refreshing. She linked her arm with his as they began moving and she listened to him speak of what he’d been up to. ”Well it truly was a welcome surprise to see you here. I’m glad the Djinn sent you my direction. Now if they would lead us in the direction of your kin, that would be wonderful.” She said with a small giggle, realizing it may be a bit harder than she realized to find the Kadir children.

Dali went on to speak of love and how he’d yet to find anyone, a thought that tugged at her heartstrings some. She wasn’t expecting, however, for him to ask if she’d given her heart to anyone. A blush bloomed across her face as she began shaking her head. ”Oh that’s hardly the case. I’ve been far to busy to think of love, nor would your father encourage such a thing because then he may lose his precious informant.” She said in a joking manner with a wave of her hand, but there was quite a bit of truth behind it. ”If there are suitors then they are unknown to me, that’s for sure.” She finished, still feeling a deep heat coloring her cheeks.

She was thankful for the slight change in subject with the mention of food and she quickly latched onto it. ”Bless your mother for sending you with that! While the food here is good in its own right, I do have to say it’s rather bland. They certainly could use some education on how to use spices.” She giggled. She missed the curries from back home and found herself longing for them. Perhaps she would see if she could get her hands on some more spices and find her way into the kitchens to make some curry.

It was at that moment that something caught her attention and she went on alert as she paused and listened to the racket. She glanced around, but she didn’t see any immediate danger. Still, she felt an urgency now to find the Kadir children and make sure they were alright. ”Perhaps food should wait and we should find your kin. Make sure they weren’t involved in whatever is currently happening with that racket.” She said, looking back to Dali now with clear alarm on her face.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 am
Location: Vikena Estate
Interactions: @princess Charlotte, @JJ Doe △△△
Mentions:
Outfit: Dress, Stockings, Boots

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It seemed that Thea had missed quite a bit last night while in her drunken and depressed stupor. She sat there silently still playing with the kitten as the two spoke of things that happened, feeling a bit out of place now. She was supposed to go to that party with her dearest Annie and Callum, but she canceled at the last minute as she hadn’t been in the mood for a party. It seemed like she missed a lot of excitement and she made a mental note to go visit Annie later to get more details. Not that the princess would really have many more details it seemed as from Count Fritz said they all had amnesia. This was something else she needed to discuss with Leo too as she knew he went.

Delilah came back with tea and food, which Thea happily accepted. She took a sip of the tea, noting that it could use some alcohol in it, but kept her mouth shut. She then began nibbling on one of the finger sandwiches. She watched as Fritz shuffled and went about with his trick while continuing to discuss the party. She noted the ace of spades, wondering what kind of card trick he was going to perform. When he flipped the card again and it was blank she took note of Charlotte’s reaction. Her eyes flicked between both people before she quickly set her tea down and began clapping. ”Bravo, Count Fritz! What a marvelous card trick! I used to love watching people perform tricks like that!” She said, attempting to reassure Lottie that he hadn’t performed anything nefarious.

”Oh Lottie! It’s just like that one time we went to the festival as kids and watched that man perform silly fake magic tricks!” She knew she would likely look like an airhead, making no comment on Fritz mention of actual magic. She did log that little piece of information away for later, but she wished to ease her friend's startled mind.

It was then that Thea heard the clock chime and she realized she was planning to find Leo. She had a feeling she knew the next event he might attend and wanted to go support him if he did. ”Oh! I forgot I was to meet my brother! Do please excuse me and thank you for the tea and company Lottie. I’ll be sure to stop by again soon.” She said as she gently set the kitten down and stood. She gave them both a curtsy and looked to Fritz. ”It was a pleasure to meet you, Count. I do hope we get to speak more in the future. Please excuse me.” And with that she left to go find her brother and inform him of several different things.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 AM
Location: Execution at the Athletic Arena
Attire: Outfit
Interaction: @Helo Leo @Conscripts John
Mentions:

Mina could feel her heart still racing and whispers still plagued her, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the crowd or in her head. A small part of her wanted to scream, to tell them all to shut up, but now wasn’t the time. No, she couldn’t risk looking any crazier than she already did. Last thing she needed was people creating rumors about her mental health.

Her eyes met Leo’s once more as he spoke and it took her a moment to register exactly what he’d said, but not long enough to be concerning. ”Yes, that sounds like it’s much needed. Thank you.” She said as she took his arm and allowed him to lead her out. She could do with being away from the crowd and she hoped that it could help with the splitting headache she was starting to feel. He also mentioned how he’d sent for John, something she wasn’t surprised about. If she’d witnessed someone do what she just had she likely would have done the same. She would allow John to look her over, even go to the infirmary if needed if only to not raise any more suspicion.

It was Leo’s last words that had her pausing a bit. Yes, perhaps someone had slipped her something. Or, at least, she could use that to her advantage. With all that had already occurred here in Caesonia it wouldn’t be hard to convince others that was the case. So she let her eyes widen in surprise, pressing her free hand against her chest to add to the appearance. ”No, would someone be so nefarious? I suppose it could be possible, given what else you’ve informed me of.” She whispered back to Leo just before her eyes spotted John heading their way.

John had bowed and Mina attempted a curtsy, but not dipping too low as she realized she still felt a bit unsteady. ”I’m still a little dizzy and my head feels like it wants to split open, but other than that I feel better than I did earlier.” Mina responded to his question as she gave a small smile to her friend. She’d known John for quite some time now and she always enjoyed his company. Besides, he was a wonderful doctor and she’d only ever truly trust her health with him. ”Heading back to the guest house sounds ideal, if only to make sure I don’t have any other episodes.” She said before turning to Leo after giving him adequate time to answer John’s question.

”Thank you for taking care of me, Lord Smithwood. Please don’t let me hold you up any longer. Go on and enjoy the rest of your day and rest assured that I’m in the very capable hands of Dr. Williamson.” She said, truly appreciative of her friend and rather happy he was the one this episode happened near.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 am
Location: Festival in the Park
Attire: Outfit. Hair, and Makeup
Interactions: @Ojo chan 42 Dali
Mentions:

---

The blush that graced Saiya's cheeks was deep as she slowly realized she was in Yosri…no…Dali's arms. The strength of his arms, the warmth of his embrace, and the comforting scent that reminded her of home all had her heart skipping a beat and breath catching. She found herself glancing up at him now, having to agree that he seemed taller than the last time she'd seen him. That wasn't entirely unusual for her, however, as many ended up taller than her petite frame. Her eyes did narrow at him when he teased her about falling for him and she instinctively smacked his chest. "Perhaps the gods are just simply trying to tell us something." She ended up teasing back with a small smirk.

He steadied her and she smoothed out her skirt and hair, forgetting she'd left the thick locks loose today. "It's been some time, I think we were only teenagers last time we saw each other. I'm absolutely delighted to see you though. I had no idea you were coming! I'm sure Farim will be happy to see you too." She briefly wondered what Farim was up to and whether or not he knew his brother had come as well. Did Hafiz even know? She certainly wasn't about to run off and find out. The less she had to tolerate that man, the better.

She noticed then that Dali still had her hand and the blush returned once more, but she didn't pull away. Instead she focused in on answering his questions, grin still on her face. "It has been kinder than I've expected and I am grateful for that. It's been rather…eventful since we arrived here. We had quite the entrance at the ball last night." She said with a small laugh, but there was a twinge of embarrassment hidden behind her eyes as she remembered the scene. She wanted to cringe all over again, but managed to refrain. "And how about you? How has your life been serving the gods?" She was genuinely curious, having always been one to believe heavily in the gods.

Hunter's Game (Small Private Group)

Adelaide Varo

Nikolai was either ridiculously brave or ridiculously stupid to stick his finger in the barrel of Alice’s gun. Knowing her sister, Adelaide had no doubt that if the right mood struck her Alice would have blown his finger off right there in the throne room. It seemed, however, that Alice was in a forgiving mood. Or perhaps she was more intrigued by this little creature thing that Latrell fellow had. Either way, Adelaide blew a kiss at Nikolai as he winked at the two of them.

It was then that she heard the big man respond to her and Adelaide met his stare, her own dark grin appearing as she looked at him. Something almost sinister flashed in her eyes for a brief moment, but before she could even respond she heard the Queen's voice. She turned to give her full attention to the woman now, silently scoffing as Maeve seemed to chastise them for not showing her proper respect. If she wished for respect then she should have been paying more attention to her people and the troubles they’ve had with these monsters sooner. Perhaps then far less would be taken in the middle of the night and left to fates that were unspeakable.

Adelaide did take note of the task at hand, mind trying to work out just what exactly this reptilian monster would be. She had a few ideas in her head, but perhaps she’d discuss it with Alice and see what she thought would be the most likely option. It was the last tidbit of information that sent a moment of panic and irritation through her. They were to work in a team. It wouldn’t just be her and Alice, they’d have to work with others. So far she doubted anyone here was going to be thrilled about this nor did she think any of them knew how to play nice.

Alice took a slip of paper and Adelaide took one right after. She glanced over at her sister’s number first before looking at her own. No…no fucking way…yeah this isn’t happening… She thought to herself as she saw the number two on her slip while Alice had one. No, this wouldn’t do at all. She half ignored Nikolai as he called for all number ones to meet him over in a direction, but then she realized she could kiss him for doing that as she watched people start heading in his direction. All she needed to do was convince one of these fuckers to switch her numbers.

She spotted her prey, a man she’d seen that morning at the same inn her and Alice were staying at. They ate breakfast near each other, hopefully he wouldn’t give any issues to swapping numbers. ”Hey I see you got group one, so did my sister yet I unfortunately got group one. Switch?” She would at least try and be civil at first. That method was going quickly out the window, however, as she watched the man look her over quite blatantly and smirk. ”Depends, what am I getting in return?” A quick assessment of this brute and Adelaide had formulated a plan.

”Well I suppose I can give you the antidote to the slow acting poison I placed in your eggs this morning. I was planning on using you as an experiment to see if I got my formulation right or not, but I suppose I could use that on someone else.” She said with a sigh and watched as confusion spread across his face for a moment. He opened his mouth, but she continued to speak. ”By the way, how was that pale ale you had with breakfast this morning? Hopefully it was a worthy last meal?” She watched his eyes widen as he realized it wasn’t a lucky guess and began to question the validity of what she said. She began walking in the direction of group two, but he quickly called out for her to stop. She smirked to herself before turning to look at him again.

”Fine, here. Give me that antidote as well.” He said as he practically threw the paper at her. She handed him her paper as she thanked him before turning to walk towards her sister. ”Hey! Wait! What about the cure?!” He shouted after her and she shrugged at him. ”I’m sorry, but I’m afraid there’s no cure for gullibleness and idiocy.” The dumbfounded look on his face was one she would cherish for a while as she now joined the number one group.

She approached as the brute seemed to be saying something about not enough muscle to open a locked door. ”Of course you wouldn’t be intelligent enough to realize you don’t always need muscle to open a locked door.” She sighed before turning her attention to the redhead. His words had her smirking and letting out a small giggle. At least he seemed to be willing to try and work with them and make a plan.

”While team lizard fuck would be the easier option for me, my sister and I have dealt with our fair share of bruja in our life. I do well working from the shadows and remaining undetected so I can be on team witch bitch. I at least kinda know what to expect there while this guardian lizard is a potential wildcard.” She offered up, at least trying to work with these people.

Hunter's Game (Small Private Group)

Queen Maeve

---

Maeve watched as the group of monster hunters and her guards entered the room. Immediately she began regretting her decisions as the group started bickering. My god, I’m surrounded by idiots… She thought to herself with a sigh, but she kept her regal appearance as she glanced over them. Nikolai, a noble and monster hunter she’d grown fond of, greeted her and showed her the proper respect a queen deserved while the others seemed less apt to do such a thing. While this enraged her a little, she simply ignored it as there were more important matters at hand.

The one with the…whatever that little creature was, seemed to deem it necessary to introduce himself and prattle on about this and that. She stared at him, simply giving him a warning look before her eyes now fell on the creature who came from the rafters. ”Ah I see you finally decided to join us. I was wondering how long you would keep yourself hidden up there.” She said to Izu, her own Cheshire grin appearing for a brief moment and then she moved on to the matter at hand.

”If you all are quite finished with needless introductions, blatantly disrespecting me, and having a pissing contest right here in my court, perhaps we can move on to the matter at hand.” She said, calling each of them out and giving them a stern look before continuing on. ”As you all clearly know, the monster problem has been on the rise once more. After some research, the council and I have discovered what we think may be the cause of such issues. In the mountains north of Jale, there is a cave where many have noticed these monsters coming and going from. We believe there is a bruja living within this cave, using her magic to create many of these creatures and setting them loose on the people of the land. We have decided to call in the best monster hunter to hunt her down and stop her nefarious deeds.” She paused for a moment, letting the information sink in, before continuing.

”With how many of you have answered our call and with how competitive you all seem to be, perhaps we split you into teams of two and make this a little competition. Whichever team can bring back proof of the bruja’s death will be granted land and riches beyond imagination. Be warned, however, as this bruja seems to have some large creature protecting her. We have yet to be able to lay eyes on the monster, but we know it is reptilian in nature. Take her guardian out and then take her out, bring back proof, and the reward is yours.” Maeve then motioned for some servants to start passing out slips of paper. ”On these pieces of paper is either the number one or the number two, find your corresponding numbers and that is who your team will be. Good luck and may the gods be on your side.” With that, Maeve dismissed them all and left the guards in charge of escorting them all out while she went on to leave the throne room to attend to other business.

🗡 Roses and Daggers 🎕

Time: 12 am
Location: Outside Sorian Castle—->Festival in the Park
Attire: Outfit. Hair, and Makeup
Interactions: @Apex Sunburn Sjan-dehk, @Ojo chan 42 Yosri
Mentions:

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As Sjan-dehk went on to tell her all about his ship and Saiya listened with genuine interest. The thought of the freedom he had, the adventures he’d been on, Saiya found herself longing for the same thing. Her mind wandered as she walked arm in arm with him towards the town. She was a little surprised, however, when he began apologizing for talking so much. A small giggle escaped her as she shook her head, looking up at him. ”Please don’t apologize for talking about something you love. I enjoyed hearing you speak about your ship and it makes me even more eager to come visit.” She said with a grin, letting go of his arm and dipping into a curtsy.

”The pleasure was all mine, Captain. Enjoy your stay here and don’t hesitate to call on me if you need anything or just need a friend to talk with. I’ll also be sure to come to the docks here soon to visit.” She bid him farewell before continuing her walk towards the festival.

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The park was bustling with all sorts of people and Saiya couldn’t keep from grinning some as she wandered through the crowds. In an odd way it reminded her of the bazaars back in Alidasht, with all the people and stalls with shop owners yelling out their goods. Not long ago, she was dreaming of adventure and freedom, now she was longing for home and the familiar scents. She thought it was interesting how one could long to be away from their home yet miss it at the same time.

She found herself making her way up to the Nutty Delights stall, buying a bag of the mixed nuts as she realized she was rather hungry. Her stomach thanked her for finally putting some sort of sustenance in it. As she began to walk away, Saiya noticed a little girl looking longingly at the candy floss being sold at sugary delights. The little girl looked to her older sister, but the older girl shook her head sadly. ”I’m sorry Addy, we don’t have the money for that.” She told her little sister and the look of sadness yet acceptance that crossed the little girl's face made Saiya’s heart ache. Before she knew it, she was approaching the girls and kneeling down next to them.

”Those sure do look yummy, don’t they? I’m thinking of getting one, but I’m just unsure which flavor I want. Which one do you think I should get?” Her soft voice and kind smile helped keep the girl at ease and soon little Addy was smiling shyly back at Saiya. ”Um I think you get the ‘atermelon.” She said, struggling to say watermelon which only made Saiya smile more. Saiya began to nod as she looked at the woman running the stall who’s attention was on them now. ”Could I get one of the watermelon ones please?” She asked and the woman nodded with a smile. A few moments later, Saiya had paid for the sweet treat and was now handing it over to the little girl. ”You enjoy that now and don’t forget to share with your sister, okay?” The little girl nodded and both girls thanked her before running off.

Saiya watched them for a moment longer before she heard the sound of music and began heading in that direction. She came upon a small group of musicians coming to the end of the current song that they were playing. She stood in the small crowd, smiling as she listened happily. ”Now, journey with us across the sea as we explore a few exotic songs in honor of our guests from Alidasht. Perhaps we can transport you to those mystical lands through our music.” One of them said before beginning a song that Saiya was actually rather familiar with. She found herself swaying to the song and softly singing the absent words when she met the eyes of the man who had originally spoken. He grinned at her and she politely smiled back, appreciating their willingness to play different songs.

As the song came to an end, he began to motion for Saiya to come over. She blinked at him for a moment, but then stepped forward with a quizzical look. ”Fret not, my lady, I merely saw you singing to our song and was curious if you were skilled with your voice?” He asked her quietly, keeping a friendly tone to try and put her at ease. Saiya laughed a little and shrugged before she spoke. ”I do enjoy singing and dancing, though my voice is certainly not the best out there. I can hold a tune, however.” The man’s smile grew even more, almost in excitement. ”Would you be willing to sing a song with us then? Perhaps you know this one?” He plucked out a few notes and she immediately knew it. ”Are you sure? You haven’t even heard me sing, you may regret asking.” She said and he simply laughed before addressing the crowd once more.

”Ladies and gentlemen, we have been blessed to have a songstress from the very sands of Alidasht here today. Let’s show our support and encouragement as she lends her voice to our next song!” Saiya turned to watch people giving her applause with wide grins and she knew she wouldn’t be able to get out of this easily. It wasn’t like she was unused to performing, anyways, so she took a deep breath as the musicians started the song.

”Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where you wander among every culture and tongue. It's chaotic, but, hey, it's home…” Saiya began, not just singing, but adding a bit of flair to the performance. The crowd quieted once more, becoming entranced in her words as she continued on. ”When the wind's from the East and the sun's from the West and the sand in the glass is right. Come on down, stop on by. Hop a carpet and fly to another Alidashtian night.”

Before she knew it, she was entranced in her own performance as she danced and sang. Her voice traveled over the crowds of people, drawing in more and more. She was coming to the end of the song and that’s when her eyes met those of someone she realized she was familiar with. ”A fool off his guard could fall and fall hard out there on the dunes.” She finished, her eyes never leaving Yosri as she grinned at him excitedly. The crowd began to cheer and shout and she faintly heard the man thanking her, but she was distracted now. She did manage a bow to the crowd before moving towards the man she had spotted. ”Yosri, is that really you?” In her distraction, however, she didn’t notice two teenagers laughing and running through the crowd before it was too late. They collided into her, sending her careening towards Yosri with a gasp.