#atherion.start

[king-madan]

Location: Madan Palace gardens Status: Open

The sun had warmed the stone path through the rose garden. Manish could feel it through the soles of his shoes as he walked, wondering if the stone would have burned his naked feet. The thought helped him cling to the present, and stopped his mind from wandering back to the events of the Unity Ball. Eventually he sat down at a garden table. He turned his face towards the sun and, like a lazy cat, closed his eyes in satisfaction.

Approaching footsteps notified him of someone offering their company. He squinted at them in the sunlight and said, "I have called for tea. Would you like to join me?"

[ofatherion]

when: post candles blown out where: madan castle status: open to anyone

 ❝  you  should  get  somewhere  safe.  they're  taking  people  further  into  the  castle.  we're  getting  down  blankets  for  anyone  experiencing  shock.  please  let  me  know  if  you  need  anything.  ❞  calista  kicks  into  emergency  mode,  the  big  sister  role  she's  rarely  had  to  play  turning  on  and  taking  over  when  she  starts  to  direct  people  toward  her  mother  and  queen  madan.  

 she's  almost  nothing  like  her  usual  self,  turning  from  the  demure,  quiet  girl  she  usually  is,  into  a  princess  fit  for  the  title.  who  knew  panic  and  terror  could  do  that  to  her?  ❝  i  can  walk  you  to  the  great  hall.  it's  not  too  far  from  the  ballroom.  ❞

[atherian]

status: OPEN where: Madan Castle when: after the candles have relit

                                                           ꧁｡.:* 𝓚 *.:｡. ꧂

         Kaya’s heart pounded in her chest so hard it felt like it would jump out. What the hell was that? She looked around, locating her mother and watching her whisper with Queen Ayesha. She ran up to her, fear in her eyes. She’d always been prepared for something unexpected to happen, and yet... she never expected it really would. Not here, not in her lifetime. She got instructions from her mother, and moved on.

          “Hey,” she said to the first person she turned around to find, “are you okay? Would you like to stay or be escorted home? How can I help?” She didn’t want to overwhelm them, but she was overwhelmed herself, a little understandably shaky as she stepped into her role.

[vesperadragor]

Location: Leaving the Madan Library, Unity Ball  Who: Open

Unsure of how many hours she’d spent in the Madan Royal library this time Vespera had packed up her bag and stretched out her aching fingers that were stained with black ink. Ink that matched the black scales that littered her skin across all parts of her body. Skin that was fully covered by the darkest materials available so that none of that would ever risk being on display. People probably thought the historian almost prudish with the long sleeves and high collar she always wore. The pants and knee high boots and the gloves she was slipping onto her hands at that very moment. The only skin that showed was the fair elven face and even that was usually only half as her hair covered the single eye with the draconic pupil that was hidden from sight. 

With everything fully adjusted she moved through the stacks and out of the large and familiar room that felt like a home away from home. As she reached the door Vespera watched a few servers rush by and realized what time it must be. The Ball was here. She was dressed well enough as she always dressed in a studious high society manner when she came to use the royal library but emotionally she was not ready at all to face this. She had meant to be long gone before this had begun. “Professor, allow me to take your books while you enjoy the ball,” she heard a familiar voice call before the bag was removed and she was practically spun down the hall towards where the voices where echoing from. 

Entering the room Vespera very nearly tripped into a person nearby thanks to the forced movement and she felt her stomach clench as nerves hit. “Apologies my friend back there was a bit too excited,” she commented aloud to the nearest person she’d almost taken out. 

[ofatherion]

where: the academy library status: open to anyone

calista  sat  with  pen  in  hand,  taking  diligent  notes  for  the  one  class  she  was  currently  enrolled  in.  but,  unlike  most  times  when  she  was  at  the  library  with  a  book,  she  was  a  little  bored.  she  needed  something  else  to  do.  she  sighed  and  closed  her  book,  dropping  it,  her  pen,  and  her  paper  into  her  bag.  ❝  please  tell  me  you're  here  because  you  have  something  interesting  you  want  to  do.  ❞  she  speaks  softly,  looking  up  to  the  person  who'd  approached,  before  slinging  her  bag  over  her  shoulder.

[singingsatyr]

Status: Open Where: The Quaint Traveler Inn When: Early in the morning

Head resting among the overturned bottles at the table Feliu was sleeping through his headache. It was definitely not a hangover, satyrs did not have hangovers - a statement they had claimed long enough to start believing themselves. The sweet, dreamless sleep was broken by a rough shake from the innkeeper, reminding him to pay for the dinner. “Good sir,” Feliu began, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Were the night’s guests not satisfied with my performance?” they were. “And did they not order a drink or two extra thanks to this?” they did. “Then have I not earned this dinner as an honest worker?” he finished with his most charming smile. The innkeeper agreed not to charge for the dinner, but the numerous bottles of wine were not on the house.

Money pouch gaping empty Feliu had to find himself a quick source of income. He brought out a lute and strode over to an unsuspecting guest of the inn. “A gold coin for a song? Or a kiss for a poem? An adventure will be two of each. What would agree with you, fellow traveller?”

[ofatherion]

where: madan castle when: after the candles blow out status: open to anyone

❝  anything  i  can  do  to  assist?  ❞  devlyn  asked,  dagger  strapped  to  her  thigh  over  leather  pants,  tunic  covering  the  weapon.  this  was  the  way  she  always  dressed,  the  only  thing  different  in  her  appearance  was  that  her  pants  were  nicer,  and  her  hair  was  done  up  better  than  usual.  otherwise,  she  always  had  a  weapon  on  her  —  usually  for  cutting  rope,  but  tonight,  she  felt  all  the  more  safe  having  it  on  her.  

❝  i'm  armed  and  i  can  walk  people  back  to  their  homes  in  town  if  need  be.  ❞  she  says,  a  soft  smile  on  her  face.  she'd  always  wanted  to  be  a  knight,  and  now  she  felt  like  she  was  getting  a  chance  to  shine.  to  show  that  she  could  do  it.

[ofatherion]

WHERE: unity ball, madan castle STATUS: open to anyone

❝  do  you  think  the  princess  would  like  a  live  painting  of  the  ballroom?  a  moment  captured  in  time.  ❞  kinsey  asks  of  the  person  next  to  them,  a  finger  wrapped  around  her  paintbrush,  arms  crossed,  idly  tapping  it  on  the  inside  of  her  elbow.  she'd  been  debating  whether  she  wanted  to  present  the  hosts  with  a  gift  tonight.  on  the  one  hand,  it  would  look  very  good  for  her.  on  the  other  hand,  it  would  be  nearly  impossible  to  keep  her  gown  from  getting  paint  on  it,  and  they  liked  this  gown.  

❝  it  would  be  a  shame  to  waste  such  a  gorgeous  moment  of  unity.  ❞