Cecile smiled. "Very well then. I'll have the kitchens prepare something. In the meantime, we can converse further in the dining room," she said. She looked to a servant besides her. "Alert the kitchens that we're having guests, and tell the prophet that he is to join us at his convienience."
The Queen rose out of her throne, and walked towards the messenger. A group of servants and guards stood by her, ready to escort them through the castle. While walking, the Queen turned to the messenger. "Ah, I never did catch your name. Or any of your names, in fact." She surveyed the group. "Would you care to tell me them?"
"If the world wants to give me misfortune, I'll just give misfortune back to the world." ♥ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Throughout the entire meeting with the queen, Rosie said and did nothing. In situations like these, she knew it was better to let Kara and Tenie talk rather than her. When Kara had asked, she let go of her arm as well as removing her sword from it's sheath and dropping it to the ground. But in Rosie's opinion, having to drop her weapon even though she didn't do anything threatening was rather annoying. Was it really hostile to just keep one on her person? She had every right to have it.
Her attention was kept on the knight standing next to the queen. She didn't look like much and Rosie could see a hint of nervousness about her. The way she licked her lips and how her body shifted uneasily were obvious signs that the knight felt anxious. A smirk played on Rosie's face as her head tilted slightly to the side, the confidence in herself and her abilities rising. Oh how she wanted to test her abilities, but in this moment she would have to follow the friendly facade that their 'messenger' had created.
She placed a hand on her hip, a smile gracing her features as she was the first to speak up when the queen asked for their names. "Rosie Cross. A pleasure to meet you, your majesty." she gracefully spoke as she crossed a leg in front of the other, bowing, her arms outwards.
Cerise was taken aback by their reactions to her movements, but she didn't blame them. She'd moved out of instinct and made them believe she was ready for battle. A mistake. One that would cost her later on. She turned to the Queen as the woman spoke, nodding, but she didn't move. Might as well go for a full-blown lecture later on if she'd already mucked this meeting up. As the others dropped their weapons, Cerise unbuckled her own from her waist and set it down gently, dagger atop the sheath, then slid it from her reach with an expert flick of her foot before she slipped back into her relaxed stance. Her eyes focused on a point well above the group after that, making a point to not let them believe she would be any more hostile.
"I'll have to tell her later. She'll believe me, I know it." She watched the Queen stand and walk to the group, fighting the urge to follow her, from the corner of her eye. Now she was asking for their names? Cerise wanted to scoff, but she let it slide. Cecile needed to make up for Cerise's actions anyways. Might as well play nice. The Lady Knight glanced to her general, wondering how he was keeping so silent, and cocked a brow at him. He was usually a talker, wasn't he? "There's a reason he's general and you're not, Cerise. He can stand still and not be hostile toward guests. I'll take whatever punishment is coming to me later on. I need to do some hard training anyways."
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 12:32 pm
Phoenix347
dailytoker
DragonChild09
BakaYYHLover
sadsally514
۩════════════════════════۩ "I was told I was dangerous, I asked why. Their response was 'because you didn't need anyone.' I smiled." ۩════════════════════════۩
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ ▬▬▬Kara 'Seonu' Erebus▬▬▬ ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓
Kara could tell Rosie was annoyed so she spoke like this. "When situations call for it, even if you don't like it, you have to do it." Kara kept those words between herself and Rosie as the red-haired girl dropped her weapons. It did seem like The conqueror accepted the meal and now the queen was asking names...she is a bit too friendly to strangers. Kara was not going to complain but even that is a flaw that could bring her down fatally. "I am called Seonu." Kara figured it was best to use her middle name. Last name was not a good idea, and Kara was going to push it slightly. So it would have to be Seonu for now as she is here. She did nod at Rosie though as the girl was lucky she could use her name with no trouble. "We shall." Kara responded to the wueen's suggestion of conversing in the dining room as they are assumed to walk over there. Kara would stay with the Conqueror as she technically had to make sure nothing happened to him, even if he pretended to be a messenger.
The conversation progressed somewhat along the lines he'd expected, and to that end, he was starting to see that things weren't quite so simply as they appeared. To be ever skeptical of people was to expect such situations, and to see that snakes were most want to hide in plain sight. Though he did not change his expression, a brief glance at Cerise revealed that she still stood at the ready. He couldn't ask for a better knight than one that was prepared for all eventualities. Doubly so now that it was starting to become clear what "message" their guests came to deliver.
The queen seemed to be of a like mind, implying subtly that it was time for their "friends" to leave, but as fate would have it, they would be entertaining them for a bit longer. "This is neither the time nor place for a battle, however. As milady said...it's best to avoid conflict. At least for the time being." Be it the throne room or the dining hall, there simply was no way of things being so easy as he would like. That was proved when Cerise was berated for her quickness towards "aggression," but between all of them, Freya was certain they all felt similarly. He settled his gaze on her, but didn't speak what was on his mind, instead crossing his arms over his chest as it seemed the meeting would be moved elsewhere soon.
The queen was flanked by her guards as she approached her guests, and while Freya would show confidence in their skill, he couldn't stand things being so out of his control, certainly not when the safety of the queen and her charge were on the line. Instead of moving to follow her, however, he approached Cerise, his expression unreadable as he did. "You and I will speak later; understood? For the time being..." Freya closed his eyes, only briefly, attempting to hide a smile that formed at seeing a familiar fire in Cerise. "Relax yourself. Let things proceed as they are for the time being." They had to be patient, and ready as they both were to jump in defense of their kingdom, Freya understood the depth of their home-field advantage.
"Tenie." he answered. "You may call me Tenie." As the others introduced themselves, he kept his eyes on the Queen, before glancing over to the knights as he saw them close their distance for a short time. As they walked through the castle, he kept his eyes moving, noting the architecture and design as well as the guards. AS it was playing out, things would probably get messy. All that was of little concern when it came to his main objective. "I must say, you appear very calm given your circumstances your Majesty." he prodded.
A bit of time had passed before a light knock came from the door of the prophet's quarters. Getting up from where she had been sitting, Lynette walked over to the door, opening it to see a guard standing on the other side. "The Queen requests that the prophet joins her for dinner. They shall be awaiting in the dinning hall."the man spoke with a bow, and after getting a nod and thanks from Lynette, he turned and left. Closing the door, Lyn turned her attention back to Kai who was laying on the floor as he played with his tarot cards, not seeming to have noticed the guard. "Kai, you're going to be having dinner with the Queen. You should get ready." Lyn spoke in a warm voice as she knelt down beside the prophet. "Lyn! Look, you're on this card!" Kai chimed happily as he moved into a sitting position and held out a card to Lyn. Once she had taken it, Kai got up and happily went over to his room to get ready. Looking down at the card, a look of confusion came to Lyn's face. The Wheel of Fortune. She knew that Kai would often 'see' people in the cards, usually people he knows, this was no exception. With a small smile and a silent sigh, Lyn gathered up the tarot cards and placed them onto the table, giving the wheel of fortune card one more look over before adding it to the deck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the Queen's offer of a meal with herself and the prophet a wave a excitement rushed over Robin, though no one would be able to tell on the outside. Once the other's had introduced themselves, Robin bowed, gently placing his sword with the other's "Robin. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance", Robin smiled. He didn't care much for them all leaving their weapons, he was raised to distrust anyone he couldn't consider a friend, but he knew that if they wanted to continue peacefully, he'd have to leave it behind. Staying with his group, Robin walked at Rosie's side, taking cation to look at the layout of the castle as they moved to the dining room.
Although the Queen was not happy with Cerise's outright refusal to follow orders, she let it go. Cerise was stubborn, but she wouldn't disobey unless she truly believed something was wrong. Cecile would have a word with her later, and hear what she had to say as well.
As the group introduced themselves, Cecile stored away their names in her head. Being royalty, she had grown quite skilled at remembering names, and who they belonged to. "Well, it's wonderful to meet you all." It also pleased her that they had left their weapons. They seemed peaceful, but Cecile wasn't going to while trust them yet. However, she would be friendly.
At Tenie's words, Cecile smiled. "It is the job of a Queen to remain calm in any situation. You can't let anything get to you."Or at least, don't show anyone things get to you... The art of appearing unfazed was one the Queen strived to master. Though occasionally, she'd fail, she thought she did just fine.
By now, they were in front of the dining room. Cecile say at the head of the table, and looked to the others. "Sit wherever you like. The prophet will be joining us shortly, and the food will be out any minute."
Cerise seemed unfazed as Freya approached her, giving him a level stare even as he spoke to her. She glanced to the Queen and her guests as they left, then turned fully to her general once the doors closed. Her face showed her frustration, and she took a deep breath before her words spilled out in a garbled mess. "I will relax once this whole thing is finished. Something isn't right, General. Why would the Conqueror just leave but send an entire party to parlay with our Queen? I have a feeling he, or she, is one of those four. And it puts me on edge." She shook her arms as she spoke, waving off invisible worms that crawled across her skin. The woman hated feeling so powerless, but she would deal. At least for now. She stepped away from the man to gather her weapons once more and reattach them, then gave Freya a sorrowful glance.
"I didn't mean to come across as hostile. The thought struck me and I reacted like a fool. But you must understand. You're a genius when it comes to tactical stuff. I just swing a sword and punch the bad guys. Yet even I can see it doesn't fit. No one retreats but sends out a group to just say hello. If that's what the Conqueror wanted, he would have done it when he first set up camp. Why the change?" Cerise raked her hand through her hair again and let out a huff. She had a lot to do before joining the dinner party, but she needed to talk this through before she took off for the ritual bath and a change of clothes. The Lady Knight drew a long breath as she looked at Freya, then glanced away at the few guards left in the throne room. "I don't feel safe right now. I don't like this."
"Your senses are keen. I have a sneaking feeling that you're right, and none of them are here with good intentions...I also believe that neither the queen nor the prophet are safe with them around, armed or not, but keeping a cool head is just as important as a quick arm or sharp sword." Freya could see in her eyes that she, more than anything, wanted to fulfill her duty, but they simply couldn't make the first move. Not without knowing everything. It wasn't how he would've approached the situation, but he would not question their queen.
He shook his head at Cerise's apology, knowing full well that it hardly mattered. "Your heart is alight. It's understandable. Strong emotion has its places, however, but hold onto that feeling." Freya would spare no more words, however, as he had already decided that he needed to be present the moment the queen had made her decision to break bread with potential enemies. The soft smile he had worn for her quickly shifted as his expression became more severe. There was yet work to be done, after all. "You're free to remain skeptical, and be on your guard, but save your aggressions...and join us when you're ready."
As he turned to take his leave, Freya thought on her words momentarily. He couldn't help but grin at Cerise's immediate distinction between friend and foe. It reminded him much of his younger days, but much as he could say about her foresight, he had no time for such reverie. Instead, he glanced back at her, wondering if she had anything else for him before he moved to join the others. "Do you have anything else on your mind? If not, I'll leave you with an order that I fully expect you to follow. Temper yourself. Prepare for the worst if your instincts are correct."
As Freya spoke, Cerise nodded. She agreed with what he said and was already working on mentally calming herself. If anyone would understand her best, it was the War Goddess himself. Even now, Cerise felt a bit lighter and more steady having spoken to him. "I won't be long. I'll even forgo the armor to show how sorry I am for being a t**t."
A small grin cracked across her face as she watched Freya turn away. She could already imagine the faces of those who knew her well if they caught a glance at her in, of all things, a dress for the first time in years. Cerise wondered if she could walk in one, then lost her train of thought when Freya turned back. "Nothing else, Sir. I'll be joining everyone shortly. Thank you for listening to my worries." Cerise bowed to the man, a hand across her chest, then gave him a small smile before she turned and headed off for her chambers. No doubt the news had spread throughout the castle staff and there was already a tub in her room full of steaming, fragrant water and a knob of soap waiting for the Lady Knight. The woman rolled her shoulders as she prepared herself for what her own chamber maids would say at the state of her clothing and hair.
The King, before his passing, had all but forced Cerise to live within the castle rather than in the barracks with the other Knights. He had dubbed her a Lady first and he was told her without a doubt she would act like one when it was called for. And today called for just Lady Cerise. She sighed heavily as she stepped into her chamber, then wrinkled her nose at the smell of jasmine coming from the tub. Her lead chamber maid, Eileen, glared at her before the older woman set to work, quickly getting Cerise into the bath - armor handed off to another maid - then scrubbed well before yanking her back out to dry off. That was probably the quickest bath Cerise had ever taken. On the bed, beside her prized sword, lay a sapphire blue gown that matched Cerises eyes perfectly. A gown her mother had made and sent her after the woman had traveled out of the country on a random journey. Once the gown was donned, and a pair of sleek black slippers on her feet, Cerise decided wearing her sword would still be too hostile before she left the chamber and headed for the dining hall.
"Hope I'm not too awful late. Would be a shame if they had finished eating and I had put this thing on for nothing." That was a lie to herself. Cerise ran a hand over her hair, thankful she had cut it short again, and walked as quickly as she could to the hall. She didn't want to be late, but she silently hoped it would all be over before she arrived.
"I understand. Running a country may not permit one's emotions to take precedent of the matters at hand..." Tenere was taking mental notes of the Queen's actions. Conquering came easy to him, but ruling would pose a problem and such it was best to take influence from those already fluent in the trade. s they entered the dining room, Tenere lead himself to the opposite end of the table, although sat in a side seat rather than the lone end. giving himself away could have compromised the chance to see the Prophet after all. "Might I ask what shall be on the table today?" he asked, looking down to the Queen.
It didn't take long before Kai returned into the main room and gave a little twirl as Lyn looked over at him, a small smile coming to his face. For someone with so much power and knowledge, it always amused her to see Kai happily being childish."Ready to go?"she asked looking down at the small seer. "Yep! Come on!" Kai spoke happily exiting the door as Lyn held it open for him.
A few minutes passed before the doors to the dining hall opened for Kai and Lyn. Looking at the Queen, Lyn bowed before following Kai over to the table where he took a side seat near the Queen. Once he had climbed up into the seat, Lyn headed over to the wall and took up one of the posts. Should something happen, she liked having a good point in the room where she could see everything. Not only that, but having more people at the table may tip off the the visiting group that high ranking knights were present, so for now, she decided to pose as a regular guard unless the Queen said otherwise.
Hearing a light squawk overhead, Kai looked at, spotting the red falcon resting on the hanging light, it's beady eyes looking back at him. Turning his attention onto the group of visitors Kai smiled warmly at them as he tried to ignore the falcon that only his eyes would see.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the doors to the dining hall opened, Robin watched as two more people walked in. A child and a woman who seemed to be a knight or guard. Then a thought hit him. A child? What was a child doing here? Unless.... he was the prophet? Robin cast a look at the other members of his group as the boy took a seat over by the Queen. After a moment he looked back at the child who smiled at the group. Robin cast a small smile back and gave a tiny wave back at the boy.
Cecile looked towards Tenie as he asked his question. She thought for a moment, than answered. "I'm afraid I don't know for sure, but I believe it's lamb over greens, with plums..." She smiled, and looked around the table. "I hope everyone will enjoy it."
Just then, she spotted a figure in a blue gown. She blinked, and then held back a light laugh. "Cerise. How nice to see you," she greeted. "That's a lovely gown. Sit wherever you'd like." Her earlier irritation was forgotten seeing the knight in a dress. She knew Cerise was technically a lady, but it was still rare to see her out of armor.
From behind Cerise came light footsteps, followed by heavier ones. "Seems we have even more joining us..." She said, more to herself than anyone else. Seeing who it was, she smiled. "Kai. How nice of you to join us. Same for you, Lynette."
Once the small boy was seated next to her, Cecile turned to Tenie. "Tenie, this is Kai- our prophet. You said you had a message for him?"
It wasn't over. They hadn't even been served yet. Cerise met Ceciles eyes and smiled softly at the Queen, putting effort into being as ladylike as possible. "My Queen. I hope I'm not too late. And thank you, I'll let my mother know you like it. Maybe she'll make one for you." She winked at Cecile, then turned and bowed her head to the other four as Kai and Lynette took their places. With a huff to blow her hair from her eyes, Cerise took a seat a few chairs from Cecile, across the table from Kai, and glanced around out of habit to see who was seated and who was guarding the dining hall.
"Not enough guards. I need to change that. Later. For now, just focus on being nice and try not to anger anyone further." Her blue eyes moved to the Queen as the woman spoke again, then down the table to the man she stared at. Tenie. That would be committed to memory very quickly. Cerise carefully watched the blonde man as her hands twisted in her lap slowly. "I wonder what message he has. And if he knows I'm the hero. If not, I'd love to be the one to reveal that tidbit."
