Forum Thread

Leo giggled. "I guess not, but listening to other people is so much better than getting stuck in my own head," He decided, beaming. He tilted his head a little, thinking about her words, and scratched his head. "Do you think the knights are ever going to give us some time to ourselves? I heard once that, when you become a page, you spend every waking second with your knight." A shiver ran down his spine. He didn't like that thought---it was arguably worse than being alone. "Like fine, yeah, training is one thing but... What if we don't get to hang out with anyone? Anything like that?"

*~*~*~*

Tarin nodded as the Leader spoke, taking in her words. "Well, I agree. Mostly." She leaned forward a little bit, trying to formulate her idea into words. "It's a good idea to appear as we are, presenting little to no threat---that way, should the castle attack us, it makes them look bad. Not us." She bit her lip and paused, thinking. "Do you think it's plausible for everyone to blend into the crowd a little bit? Act like any other people in the kingdom and storm the stage together, then make ourselves known? Drive the point home that there really isn't much different between them and us?"

---

Riesbyfe noticed that his logorrhea had taken quite a toll on Clef,greatly amplifying their worries and anxiety,but before he could try and take some of his words back and comfort them,they had already moved on ahead of him. They arrived at the castle after a few minutes of silence,as Riesbyfe was trying to find the proper words to say and ease Clef's troubled mind. As much as he admired the place he kept his focus on Clef who was looking around,not really minding where they were going. Even though he had visited the castle a couple of times due to his family's relationship with the royals,he could never memorize such a humongous place and what hall lead to what room and he was afraid they might end up somewhere they weren't supposed to be. He froze as he noticed Clef hid behind a plant,whispering to him. Did she find some spies and enemies from the wasteland? The only possible explanation for Clef hiding and whispering is so that they could scope out how many they were without being heard. He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on his sword's handle,which was sheathed and held at the side of his armor. He unsheathed part of it and sidestepped. "STO-" he yelled before shutting up,noticing that he was facing the Queen and the Prince instead of the enemy. He deeply bowed and let his sword slide back in the sheathe,which wasn't noticeably drawn anyway. He couldn't think of anything to say from the sheer embarrassment and shame he felt.


Enzo couldn't understand whatever Hadeed was blabbering so she ignored it and kept strolling with her arms comfortably above her head. Sure,the Leader did end up inviting them but it left quite a bad taste on Enzo's mouth. "What'd ya think'll happen if I kill the leader? Just wonderin'." she spouted. She remained dead silent while waiting for an answer.

(Time: Still late morning, but almost early noon!)

The Wasteland Leader thought for a moment. She took in Tarin's ideas. She taps her fingers on the table again as she rethinks the plan with her second in command's input. "Yes, that sounds like a great idea." A smile spreads across her face, but falters as she remembers what she wanted to add. "And what about once we reach the stage? I was assuming that you would address the crowd, since you are essentially the face of the Wasteland."

Twig awkwardly waits at the window. Maybe they got the wrong room? But they were sure this was the chamber where the two entertainers lived. They look further into the window and see Heart. They knock at the window a little louder this time.

(sorry for taking so long.. mental health program crashed)
Before the Queen can even process Ava almost calling her 'buddy,' a knights ok i pulls up with his sword drawn-- yelling. He seems to realize his mistake fairly fast as he stops immediately, sheathing his sword. Instinctively, she steps in front of Noah without realizing. Momentarily stunned, she clears her throats and blinks at him a few times. It was but a mere knight, nothing.. more serious. Slightly tilting her head, she stares at him with an intensity that only he can notice. "Excuse me, but is there.. a problem?"

---
Damien smiles again at Mev. "Thank you so much! I have to go now to meet with the leaders, but I'll tell you all about it soon enough." Standing up, he walks past Mev and pats him on the shoulder before throwing his coat on and leaving the house.

"We both could," Tarin decided, corners of her mouth twitching into a smile. "Sure, I'm the face of the Wasteland, but you're the brain that actually makes everything work. My words mean nothing without your actions. I shouldn't address the crowd alone. I don't even really want to." She paused, turning slightly pink as she remembered that she was forgetting one key factor to their Leader speaking. "That being said... Your privacy matters more than anything else. I understand if you would rather... Sit back a little, let me do the talking."

Clef

Hearing no acknowledgement to her talk, she looks around for Riesbyfe, noticing him close to her, silent, with his hand on his sword. Confusion on her face at first, she restrains herself from gasping out loud as he stepped out into clear view and yelled out to the royals. Eyes wide open and mouth agape, she jumps when the Queen addresses Riesbyfe.
10,000 thoughts go through Clef's mind at that moment, and a fierce debate of fleeing or making herself of notice flies through their head. She doesn't know where the extra push comes from, but the latter decision triumphs, and before she knows it, she stands before Riesbyfe with her arms open. She looks down at her own feet, too embarrassed to look anywhere near the Queen.

“We were… uhm,” she takes a deep breath and moves her hands to rest by her hip and bows. “We wanted to ask about the specific events related to the event tonight. It is of great importance to the both of us.”
She looks behind her in search of Riesbyfe's eyes.
“Right?” She whispers to him, trying to be as discreet as possible.

"Yes!" he exclaims with a somewhat trembling voice,still bowing. The voices of the two accompanying the Queen and the Prince were new to him and completely threw him off. "I apologize for my actions! I thought people who shouldn't and can't be here were roaming the halls. Deep down,Riesbyfe wished that this gaffe wouldn't affect anything regarding the ceremony but it was extremely likely. He felt proud when Clef decided to save and assist Riesbyfe instead of turning a blind eye and walking away but shame and embarrassment were still prevailing.

A tear rolled down Ava's cheek. What great timing from this kid (who is several years older than Ava), honestly, genuinely. They looked towards Noah, whispering something about his mom being scary and something else about the knight being a bit "cringe" and "flop". They waved at the two afterwards, stupid grin and all.

"No... this is most certainly getting removed. What was Ava even thinking here, exactly??" Heart was so very immersed in revision that they hadn't noticed anything at first- but can you blame a woman for being so invested right now? Most of Ava's lines were not PG-13 whatsoever. It is a bit impressive they fit this many swears in one sentence, really. However, a louder knock was enough to get her attention this time.
"Huah. Ha. Huuh?" She looked around before realizing the knock was coming from a window, then proceeded to get up and see who it was. "Oh. My apologies," They spoke, despite their voice being too low to be heard by Twig. They opened the window a little. "What is it that you request? I am still waiting on Ava to get the. Needed, information. That they will for sure get. Certainly." She tried her best to be discreet about this, but she also trusted enough in Twig to know no one was going to catch them.

---

Hadeed was flabbergasted. Astonished. Gobsmacked, even. He should be used to this by now but Enzo's words still manage to catch him so off guard. "...What?" They tried to genuinely consider her question for a second. "Enzo, you should probably not say that again. I think they'd kill us. Me, if not you." Just the thought of it made their heart drop for a second. "Please do not kill the leader."

Black eyes darted to Clef as she appears and speaks. Looking at her and then back at Riesbyfe, the queen finally recognizes both of them. Respectful and faithful knights of the kingdom. They have been nothing but great in the past, and mistakes can be made. About to speak, she glances at her son and then holds her tongue momentarily. She clasps her hands together and takes a deep breath. "Ah, yes! people who shouldn't be here. It would be such a shame if any unwelcome guests were able to get inside the castle." Pausing, she thinks for a moment and then smiles. "But alas! That's why the two of you are here. Thank you for loyally always being on guard. I sincerely appreciate it." As her tone shifts a little more seriously and her eyes narrow a bit, she continues on. "I do suggest you try not to make the same mistake again... there may be some consequences next time."

"Anyway!! Yes. The event tonight." She waves her hands and puts the cheerful expressing back on her face like a mask. "I assume you both may be a bit worried. I assure you everything will go accordingly. Now as for the schedule..." she thinks for a moment, "Well, I talk for a bit. Then my son--" she gestures towards Noah, "Noah, introduces the performers--" She gestures towards Ava, "and then they perform! After that, the knights and pages come onto stage and that's when the assignments happen." She smiles again, this time as comforting as she can be.

(Time: Still late morning but almost early noon)

Noah laughs at what Ava said, but quickly quiets himself when the queen speaks. He listens and nods appropriately. He even gives a little wave when the queen points at him. He then subtly turns back to Ava. "Do you want to meet up somewhere before the ceremony?" He says, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know what his mom would say if she caught him talking freely with the entertainer, but he didn't want to find out, so he quickly turns away from Ava as soon as he finishes whispering.

The Wasteland Leader genuinely thinks about this idea for a bit. She replays the plan in her head over and over. "I suppose you're right. We can both do it." She smiles at her second in command. "We can discuss the specifics with the others when they get here. It shouldn't be too long now."

Twig nods. "Just wanted to remind both of you to report back before the ceremony with the information." They whisper. Twig shifts on the windowsill, trying to make himself more comfortable. They then hear the faint noise of a commotion in the castle hallway. "What's that about?"

"Alright,we'll excuse ourselves now!" he said as he fixed his posture from bowing,seeing as Clef was pleased with the questions they asked and the answers they received. He pivoted to the side and started marching,walking back the way he came. He stopped after a steps when he was out of the royals' and the performers' sight and turned to face Clef. He stretched his arms and extremities downwards,shaking. He was really trying not to yell 'why' so he just expressed himself via body language. He couldn't bear anymore embarrassment.



"I'd never do that,calm down~." Enzo replied almost as if she was irritated. She continued strolling with a slight arrogant smirk now carved on Enzo's face since she interpreted Hadeed's answer as Enzo could and is able to kill the Leader. "I've never killed a guy on purpose. I just knock their lights out,that's all! I only killed to protect us.Not my fault they just didn't get up..." she muttered.. She shook her head as a couple memories from scavenging and having a tough time surviving in the wastelands when she was younger resurfaced. She shook those nightmarish memories away and found herself facing the meeting room's door. After huffing,she raised her knee and thrusted her leg to kick the door,opening it wide open. She motioned Hadeed to enter,tilting her head inside as she herself went in. "Mornin'!" she greeted.

"I can't wait to see what the others think of our ideas, yeah. Shouldn't be too---" The door slammed open and Tarin was on her feet, shortswords drawn. Recognition flashed over her gaze seconds after she saw Enzo and Hadeed and she let out a breath, letting her shortswords fall. "Don't! Do that!" She sheathed the swords and lowered herself back into her seat, glaring at them, heart still thudding out of her chest. "Gave me a heart attack."

Ava tried to be as attentive as possible to what the queen was saying, thinking it a good summary of the entire schedule and hopefully helpful enough for Heart. They snuck little glances here and there towards Noah, still trying to keep track of the queen's words in case she says anything, but trying to find the right time to make a witty joke or two. Eventually, their attention was stolen by Noah's question. Of course 🤦‍♂️.

They took a second to think about it. Updating Heart shouldn't take too long and, well, why did she leave, anyway? This is so on her and definitely not Ava's fault. Their grin grew stupider and stars appeared in their eyes. "I'd love to!" They cleared their throat after clocking that their whisper came out a bit louder than planned, and made a conscious effort to lower their volume before continuing. They had a feeling that if the Queen ever found these interactions problematic, she would most likely punish Ava more than her son. But they didn't really care- they'd take the fall any day. "You have anywhere in mind?"

Heart sighed for, what, the fiftieth? Time today. Truly she has no idea how she is still alive in this god forsaken kingdom. "Yes, yes. I would not forget. Unlike someone." They tried to help Twig get more comfortable, as comfortable as one can get sitting on a windowsill. "Ah, the... Right." They looked towards the door and back to Twig "I haven't a clue, I fear. But I assume Ava is still there with that. Blondie. Friend of theirs. The prince. Hey-" She leaned in "Should Ava really be that close to him? Should I do something about that? It concerns me that they are yet to come back. Is he not a bit... distracting?" She didn't realize just how many questions she'd bombarded Twig with, frustration clearly clouding her judgement here.

---

"Uh huh. Uh huh." Hadeed's tone sounded a bit defeated, they really were not in the Zone with this hypothetical scenario. They decided to let Enzo believe what she wanted to believe for this one. They watched in absolute horror as she raised her knee and. Well. They couldn't get a word in in time.
He snickered a little at Torin's reaction. "Hiiiii" They entered behind Enzo and waved with a hint, just a hint, of shyness. They closed the (very kicked, very pained) door. "Sorry about that, you know how it gets when one sees a very kick-able door. It's a primal instinct, honestly."

(Time: Early noon just dropped)

Noah pauses for a bit. His mouth then turns to a smile. "I'll show you later." He whispers back. He again pretends to be reviewing his speech for the ceremony after he finishes speaking. He didn't want the queen to hear them, of course.

Twig thinks for a moment. "Well, they might still be engaged in whatever is going on out in that hall. Besides, it will be good for the Wasteland if we have someone close with the royals, right?" They reply. They shift on the windowsill again. They make sure to stay alert in case they are spotted.

The Wasteland Leader quickly puts her hood back on and watches the scene unfold. She stands up from her seat and faces the two Fighters (although literally nobody can see her face because of the hood good job Wasteland Leader). "Have a seat." She motions to the table.

Amalie just stared from a decent distance, thankfully only being in the Queen's sight line. Although still keeping her straight posture and neutral stance, she was struggling internally. Her contentious nature wanted to engage, her posh side held her back though and, as the argument was resolved, a brief but audible sigh escaped her lips... as she watched the others leave, the shield-maid was about to follow right behind.

Vert was just done with their private target practice, having hit most things, from rubble to smaller dead twigs. Going over to reclaim some arrows, he spots a spot in the ground. The self-proclaimed botanist stares for a bit... and then pulls out a small seed from the inside of his vest, planting it in. A small whisper later, he stands up and returns to the main Wasteland, checking in on some other spots he marked for seed plants. No sprouts... as usual.

After the knights leave, the Queen turns her attention to Noah and the jester. "Well, that was interesting!" She laughs to herself sighing. "I expect you both to be at the event on time!" She claps her hands and then looks around, thinking to herself. "I must be off now. Hopefully no more knights try to kill me." She turns more serious and then gives the two another glance before walking off

Damien walks up to the Wasteland Leader's house. He adjusts his coat momentarily before knocking on the recently kicked-in and then closed door.

"Primal instinct," Tarin scoffed, leaning back in her chair. It's not like she could really protest, since she's kicked in a door or two in her time. "It's fine. It's fine. Just... Knock. You're in our leader's house for chrissake."

She looked over as the door knocked. "See? Just like that," She grinned, getting up again and opening it. It was a miracle the door was still on its hinges, much less able to stand solid, but maybe she was just underestimating how great of a construction team they had (if you could even call a group of teenagers a 'construction team.') She nodded. "Damien, nice to see you," She greeted, standing aside to let him in.

"Tch." Enzo scoffed back,muttering something under her breath along the lines of being a scaredy cat. She walked around the room,greeting everyone with a simple nod of her head while also trying to find a vacant seat. Seeing as there was only one,she motioned Hadeed to sit there comfortably as she casted an annoyed glance at the leader,regardless of whether they could see her due to the hood and rested her back on the wall. "So...what'd we miss?"

Clef

Nodding dutifully at the Queen's words, even when he was half scared to death by the authority lingering in her tone of voice, Clef was practically forced to follow Riesbyfe as he begins walking away. Clef can't help but be confused at his fellow knight's display, but he did look kinda bad, he guesses.
“It's okay, we got what we needed!” She raises her fists above her head and smiles, trying to cheer him up. It is the truth, isn't it? They even got to have a personal encounter with the Queen, everything is a-okay.

Standing on her tiptoes, she spots another knight behind them that seems to be following. ”Cool clothes…” Clef thinks, putting a hand under her chin in a contemplating motion. She snaps her fingers when she remembers the name of the knight in question.
“It's you! That one fancy one! Emily!” She points at Amelia, a grin present on her face.

David

"Gather 'round! Recess is over!"
A choir of different variables of disappointed noises meets her ears as she shouts to the children playing in the nearby area. She does feel a little bad, she reckons, for interrupting their games like that. But on the other side…
She looks over to Zlata, who is the first to sit in the half-circle, although avoiding David's eyes completely. She had been sitting alone for most of the recess, so perhaps it wasn't the best decision to drag it on for too long.

The rest of the children came around, and eventually all eyes were on David. Warming them up with a simple rhythm game, clapping one's hands at designated times, she moves on to a story time segment, grabbing Steven and scouring her brain for a story.
She is interrupted by a boy, raising his hand. She calls on him.
“I saw some people going to the leader's house earlier!” That earned him some excited 'oohs'.

“Is that so–”, she tries to say, although interrupted once again by the boy.

“Can we go? Can we go?!” The rest of the children join in, seemingly enticed by his cheerfulness.

Panic brewing in her mind, David's not sure on how to go on. She can't say yes, she has no business with the leader, she already told Zlata off, there's no way she's going to be in full control of them all, but suddenly, they are not listening at all, and some get up on their feet and begin running. She clutches Steven to her chest.

Amalie, not wanting to sound condescending or threatening, instead just clears her throat and fixes her shirt a little, folding her hands together. It is surprising how much she can do with her arms, considering the shield attached to her upper arm. "It is Amalie, but I respect the close call." She looks behind to the path they just walked alongside them, her stance not changing... if it wasn't for the weaponry, one might assume she was a royal herself.

"... I would advise you to keep your arguments outside the castle. Apart from the obvious reason, I have heard that hearsay plagues these walls and the last thing I would want is the either of you being punished for something a maid or such accidentally conjured up." She made sure that her gestures accompany her arguments, somehow still looking posh doing them.