ROLEPLAY HQ - royal-affairs

The audience hall of Castle Wyndia is active as usual, with servant staff and counsel members moving about, talking among themselves. Not all are human, as some possess animalistic traits. Couriers, otherwise known as demi-humans, make up a notable minority in Wyndia. Despite mostly making up the servant ranks, there seems to be little difference in interaction between them and humans. Meanwhile, in the thrown room, the royal heir and the head steward await the arrival of a new member to the royal court's security detail. "With the completion of their course, I have personally examined each of the cadets that have placed in the top among their peers, and am pleased to say that I have found a suitable candidate to serve as your personal guardian." The steward's tone of voice is as clean and punctual as he is dressed. "As you are aware, with the recent integration of the Courier people into the castle guard, I thought it only fitting that I included one into such a position to serve beside you. I do hope you find their company acceptable." (edited)

A staccato of footsteps rings out against the noise of the audience chamber as the former cadet walks with purpose to meet their new task. Personal guardian to the heir, the honor! The prestige! A confident smile crosses their face as the doors to the throne room opens for them. (edited)

Atticus nodded his acknowledgment to the steward, he didn’t personally care either way but it was a good image for the castle and the family after the push for inclusivity and equality. So he waited and waved his acceptance to open the doors when it was made clear the new guard had arrived and stood to greet them. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting but couldn’t help the mild disappointment when he saw just how normal they looked. He’s seen some of the Couriers and supposed it was better this way, to have one that didn’t have so many bits and bobs on them that could get in the way or be a liability. Yes, he thought this was indeed an acceptable candidate for the job. His steward had undoubtedly come to the same conclusion. He stepped forward to great them once they’ve entered the throne room, a nice enough smile on his face. “Good morning, soldier. How are you liking the castle so far? I trust your room accommodations have already been taken care of?”

@Rei

The catlike ears atop her head relax and angle out to the side a bit before she responds. "Good morning, My Lord. Everything is splendid and in order. I am Clara Brennan, I look forward to serving you." Her voice is warm like her smile and demeanor, giving a polite bow as she finishes. "Excellent! I shall leave you the two of you to better acquaint yourselves while I see to other tasks at hand. Oh and if I may ask, please try not to cause much of a stir?" With a bow, the steward dismisses himself and leaves. It is unclear who he was asking but Clara's ears twitch and a slight smirk of amusement forms at the corner of her mouth at the thought.

12:34

@Baz

“Please try not to cause much of a stir.” Atticus mocked under his breath as soon as he was sure the steward wouldn’t hear him. “Gods, he still treats me as if I’m a child. My father may have my hide for it but when no one else is around you need not worry about formalities. Just call me Atticus.” Once their audience was gone his whole demeanor changed. He figured his personal guard was not someone he needed to preform for, nor would it be wise to not be his true self, should the worst happen her knowing him and knowing him well could ultimately mean his survival if she needed to guess his movements. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Clara, my day has been cleared for this so how about I show you all my usual haunts?” @Rei

#royal-affairs has been moved to 1:1 Roleplay.

Clara grins and nods as she relaxes. "Sounds good to me, I will follow your lead, Atticus." He wasn't wrong about the steward, or the king for that matter, both are notoriously strict with formality. She knew better than to think that this would be easy, but it is safe to say it will certainly be interesting to say the least.

18:44

@Baz

Atticus puts on a more genuine smile and gives her the five penny tour of the castle consisting of all the usual places he can be found like his chambers, his office, sparring field and the safe room for emergencies, ending with the stables and a tavern just outside the castle walls where he offers to buy her a drink. “Just one won’t hurt, and I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.” He gave her a sly grin as he went up to the bar and was immediately handed a pitcher of ale and two mugs.

04:14

@Rei

Casually scanning the room and feeling out of place being in a tavern while in uniform, Clara gives a small shrug. "I'm not against a drink, though it is a bit early." She motions him to a table that would allow her to view the room. There are only a handful of patrons in the tavern, a mix of Humans and Couriers, farmhands and commoners. None pay any particular attention to the two of them but Clara observes regardless. @Baz

“Hey, don’t judge me. If you were being groomed to rule a kingdom you’d take advantage of every day off you dad too. They don’t come around often.” Atticus said with a small smirk. He really was a fun loving guy but most of that had been beaten out of him with formality and protocol. “Besides, the ale here is weak anyway. Most of the castle staff come here when they aren’t working, and someone ordered it so, so that everyone could more easily be bright eyed and bushy tailed come the next morning” He sat down across from her, carefree of the rest of the tavern and poured them both a mug being very generous with the portions. He sipped at his like a gentleman but before he knew it he was halfway through his first. @Rei

She chuckles at him him before taking a drink. It was noticeably weak but good all the same. ""Bushy tailed" is a good way to put it, for those of us who have one." Her tone is lighthearted, yet she glances away from him, scanning the room once more. Her golden yellow irises glittering as they shift. Despite the light crowd, the atmosphere in the tavern is comfortable, welcoming. @Baz

While enjoying the moment, Clara makes a mental note to learn more about him while in the privacy of the castle. Leaning back in her seat, her hand brushes the pommel of the sword at her hip. It was a standard issue weapon, nearly identical to those the rest of the guard uses. She hopes to one day have a personal blade of her own.

Atticus grins back at her, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “What can I say, I live to be impartial.” With that he downs the second half of his mug and pours himself another. Not wanting to linger on the feeling in his gut at his own words. “After well presumedly I finish of this pitcher,” he said noticing Clara had barely taken a full mouthful from her mug so far. “I’d like to go for a ride. Can you ride? Did they cover that in your training? I want to get away from the castle for a bit, take in some nature. There’s a meadow not far from here with an apple tree that gives the best apples I’ve ever tasted. They should be just about ripe by now.” @Rei

Clara takes another sip of mead and nods, "I can ride, never found it particularly pleasant though. I wonder what else we can find out there." Her brow arches at the thought as she wonders what they could gather. "Do you hunt? I find trapping quite gratifying." She finally takes actual gulps to finish her mead, taking a cloth from her belt bag to wipe her mouth. @Baz

Atticus nods in acknowledgment of her fist statement as well as her question. “Yeah when time can be made, I mostly go for the bow and arrow.” Seeing her mug empty Atticus quickly pours her another and topped off his own emptying the pitcher. @Rei

Clara finishes this second mug faster than the first, having become accustomed to the taste. "I mostly use throwing knives for smaller prey, using personal touch for the larger." Her eyes fix on him with curiosity, "What was your largest?" @Baz

Atticus grinned enjoying the opportunity to boast, “Ive bagged a few stags, an arrow’s not much good against anything bigger with the heads the blacksmith makes. But my deadliest was a viper that took down my horse.” Not to be outdone he finished his own mug as well thumping it back down on the table. @Rei

"For me, both go to a boar, made a nice profit from it as well. It wasn't very big, but it was healthy. They were able to use most of what it could provide after cleaning." She smiles at the memory. "Ready for that ride?" @Baz (edited)

“Absolutely, let me just bring these back to the bar real quick.” Atticus stood and collected the empty mugs and pitcher. When he was done cleaning up he returned to the table to walk with Clara back to the stables, requesting his horse be readied when they get there. @Rei

Clara takes a mid-sized burlap sack with her from the tavern, folding and tucking it behind her belt to hold on to. "Might as well do some foraging while I'm out. I know I'll be staying in the castle now, but it wouldn't feel right not gathering my own supplies." On their way to the stables, Clara walks with a relaxed stride, her hands clasped loosely behind her back while her catlike ears stand alert, taking in the surroundings. @Baz (edited)

Atticus raised a brow in question at the need for a sack then solemnly nodded at the explanation, ergo he had no clue. He had never foraged before, had never needed to. He knew it had something to do with gathering wild foods but he had servants for that. “You’ve barely been here a day and already castle food isn’t to your liking? You just must have your own pantry?” He joked. Once they reached the stables and the stable boy was readying his horse he turned to Clara “Do you have your own or are you borrowing one?” Of course the castle stables had plenty of horses for just such an occasion but it would be rude to assume. @Rei

"Borrowing, plus I make my own medicines. Not to mention I would loath to roam the halls just for some tea." She answers wittily. The stable boy leads her over to another horse for her to borrow. Introducing herself to it, she gently rubs it's snout before moving beside it and mounts adeptly. She nods with a smile to Atticus as she rides up beside him, "Lead the way." @Baz

One he sees Clara has secured her ride Atticus mounts his own horse and lead them out of the stables. “Yeah… Cookie can be a bit rough around the edges, I pity anyone who tries to bother her in the middle of cooking for a party.” Atticus lead them south to the meadow. Once they cleared the castle walls it didn’t take them long to get there. When they arrived he rode straight to the nearest apple tree using the height of his horse to pick the apples left behind by the kitchen staff and tossed two Clara’s way.

Catching one, the other falls out of reach. Clara lets the horse have it. Biting into the apple, Clara smiles at the sweetness. She uses the back of her hand to wipe away a trail of juice that runs form the corner of her mouth. Holding the apple with her teeth, Clara unfolds the burlap sack and pucks a few apples before surveying the area. Wildflowers are blooming, gently swaying in the warm breeze. She spots motion in the distance within the tall grass, likely a rabbit or one of their more feral cousins, twisted by the rare natural magic found in the land. "Atticus, can you keep watch for me?" Clara asks as she dismounts, tying her horse to a low branch of the apple tree before pulling a knife from her boot. She begins cutting the stalks of some of the wildflowers. (edited)

19:03

@Baz

“Yeah sure.” Atticus munches on his own apple as he scans the area his eyes returning to Clara every now and then in curiosity of what she’s collecting. He eventually spotted the grass moving in the near distance as if some small animal were navigating through it. He didn’t think much of it but directed his horse in that direction to better cut it off from Clara should it turn out to be some small malicious creature. @Rei

As Clara ties a bundle of cut flowers, she stands up, and walks back to her horse. Putting the bundle in the sack with the apples, she climbs back up in the saddle and pulls one more apple from the tree before nodding to Atticus. "Alright, ready to head back? I know you said you had the day cleared for this but I feel like the steward isn't one to let things slide." @Baz

The disruption in the grass finally reveals itself, a rabbit wanders into view. It's brown fur accented with streaks of silver, peering up at Atticus as if perturbed. It's attention shoots to Clara as she laughs. "Run along now, you may be too small for my liking, but I can't say the same for the others out here."

Atticus relaxes when he sees it was just a rabbit, not that he was particularly worried to begin with. The more malicious creep crawlies rarely ever strayed this close to the city but it’s better to be safe than sorry. “That he is not. If he had it his way I doubt anyone would get a day off. But there will always be something to do regardless. A few more hours won’t hurt anything.” Atticus confirmed bitterly, revealing his dislike for the man, as necessary as he is for keeping the castle running smoothly. Not to mention that he didn’t want to go back just yet, this was his first taste of freedom in months. “Friendly with the wildlife are we? And here I thought those ears were just for show.” It may have been impolite of him to bring it up like that but he wanted to distract here and prolong this excursion as long as he could. @Rei

"Animals are great, easy to read, sometimes predictable, and don't try to maim you for little to no reason..." She runs her fingers through her hair, straightening it back after getting jostled. "What else is out here? I'm not as familiar with this area as I would like to be." Her ears angle outwards as she takes in her surroundings again, the sounds of birds make up the normal ambience, a signal to her that things are fine.

14:45

@Baz

Finishing a second apple, Clara tosses the remaining core to the rabbit. The small creature jerks at the sudden sound but moves to investigate the remnant of food that had suddenly appeared.

Atticus nodded along with Clara’s assessment of animals seeing that she has a point, but animals were also very tasty when cooked properly. “There’s a small waterfall at the base of that mountain over there. I’ve been dying to swim while it’s still warm enough for it.” @Rei

"We have time for it, alright, lead the way." Her voice is warm and relaxed, she can already tell she will enjoy serving by his side. Taking one last apple to go, Clara moves her horse to follow Atticus. While the sun is high in the sky with little obstruction from clouds, it's not uncomfortably hot. The temperate mountain region of Wyndia offers much to it's inhabitants. Clara had grown up here, living off the land with her family before finally settling within the safety of the city. @Baz

Atticus grinned at Clara’s acceptance and lead the way to the spring with a small waterfall just big enough to get underneath. “I used to run away here all the time growing up. Made it a whole week once before anyone found me. To be honest I don’t think I ate the whole time. Didn’t know what berries were safe then.” The brush surrounding the spring was scattered with different fruit baring plants, most of them edible though he didn’t know that. He only recognized the blueberries as he picked a few ripe ones and popped them into his mouth just before he started undressing. @Rei

After tying her horse's leads to a branch, Clara slowly explores the area, occasionally sampling the wild growing fruits and berries. "Most of these are edible, quite healthy as well, except for this one..." Her voice trails off when she finally notices that Atticus has already started to undress. She's never really seen a Human nude before. While surprising, it doesn't really bother her. She does, however, admire his physique. @Baz (edited)

Atticus kept his undershorts on for modesty’s sake, this was a public watering hole after all. He waded into the brisk mountain water and made a beeline for the waterfall letting the water wash over him. “Wish I had known that then. I might’ve made it longer out here.” @Rei

While further investigating the area and keeping an eye out on the prince, Clara adds to her foraging bag. Keeping the smaller berries as well as various cuttings of plants and mushrooms in a tied cloth, She hums to herself, pleased with the wide variety of useful ingredients and foods she has been able to find. Satisfied, Clara secures the sack to the saddle of her horse and sits on a rock by the water, watching Atticus and listening to their surroundings. She entertains the thought of joining him eventually, but she pushes the thought away. Her duties aside, there were things she must come to trust him with first. Remaining aware of their surroundings, Clara allows herself to relax a bit and enjoy the peace. @Baz

“You know, this would be more fun if you joined me. Or are you afraid of the water?” Atticus spoke as he floated around aimlessly and noticed Clara watching him. The spring was shallow enough to stand even under the water fall so he did just that and made a move to splash at her. @Rei

She laughs and raises an arm against the bit of water that does reach her. "Another time, perhaps." Clara wasn't known to be a bashful person, preferring to play to her strengths and be coy. She reminds herself that her duties come first. Where those duties may lead her, however... Catching movement, her attention snaps to the edge of the water. Winding it's way along the bank, a viper moves as if trailing it's prey. It isn't very large, but significant none the less. Weighing her options, Clara decides on how to deal with it. They weren't equipped to handle it or extract venom, so she decides to use it for a demonstration opportunity. "Atticus, move over to your left, please." @Baz

Atticus did as she asked as he followed her line of sight to what had put her on edge. A viper was bad news for him especially without anything to protect himself with. If it came closer to him he could try to grab it to stop it biting him but that’s easier said than done. So he waited, dependent on Clara to get rid of it. @Rei

Standing, she raises a hand and calls forth her magic. Slowly approaching the serpent, she focuses her magic along the path in front of the viper. The predator now the prey. The viper stops, detecting the change, but it doesn't matter as chains of golden lightning erupt around it. The ensnared serpent writhes as Clara approaches, sword now drawn. Dispatching the viper with a quick and clean strike, Clara immediately checks the area for any more threats before signaling to Atticus that everything is now fine. @Baz (edited)

"It's a shame, had we been prepared, we could have caught it and collected it's venom. I'm not skilled enough to make use of it but the apothecaries would pay nicely for a vial." She moves the carcass away from the water, placing it at the tree line for a passing scavenger to take.

Atticus clapped a few times out of gratitude and just generally being impressed. “Didn’t know you knew magic. What discipline was that? I’ve never seen golden light like that before… I’m more familiar with runic magic.” He knew runic was pretty old school as far as magic goes and hard to master but if one could it was insanely powerful. Atticus was nowhere near that though, he just didn’t have the time to dedicate to it with everything else that was required of him. @Rei

"It's similar to how the elves use their magic, by pulling from one's own body, or from the world itself if your body doesn't generate its own." She holds out her hand and creates a wispy ball of light that gives off a warm golden glow. "There's a whole philosophy regarding using magic from your body. Some say it's attached to who you are as a person, others think it's a manifestation of the soul. "Mana" as they call it. My master wasn't particularly interested in those finer details. He only taught me how to use it and the discipline that went with it." She lets the ball of light dissipate as she lowers her hand. "It's probably why they killed him..." @Baz

“It’s beautiful..” Atticus mused as he wadded closer and out of the water. He had always been fascinated by magic but found out early on in his explorations of the topic that he did not have that mana. It’s why he turned to runes. It was something anyone could learn to use if they had the time to study it. “Who killed him?” He asked, genuinely curious, he didn’t hold any real political power yet but he could use the resources at his disposal now to at least monitor the group and intercept if they went after someone with high enough standing. @Rei

"The elves of course. Only reason I'm still alive is because a guard patrol saw the smoke." She cleans the tip of her sword before sheathing it. "If only they had gotten there sooner..." The memories of that day flicker through her mind for a moment before she shakes her head and looks back to Atticus. "I suppose air drying is part of your routine for this?" She asks, eager to change the subject. @Baz

Atticus nodded solemnly at her, he was already aware of the elves and their superiority complex. He and his father already had several groups of scouts watching them but it’s taken them longer and longer to check in lately. There’s definitely something going on with them but no one has been able to pin point what exactly yet. The fact that the elves are slowly closing the distance between kingdoms is worrying enough as it is. “How long ago was this?” At the mention of air drying Atticus had presence of mind enough to look a little bashful “uh… yeah. I didn’t exactly come prepared for a swim.” He chuckled and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. @Rei

"It was a little over five years ago, the patrol that helped me brought me to the city. They got me started in the academy for the royal guard. I guess two dead elven Justiciars was something commendable to them." Clara walks back to their horses and checks the saddle bags for a clean cloth. @Baz

“With little prior combat training? Hell yeah that’s impressive. We should spar sometime. I’m sure the academy has helped you improve a great deal but I’d still like to see what you’re made of.” Not to mention it would familiarize the both of them to the other’s fighting style and how to use each other to aid their strengths and cover their weaknesses. Atticus found a rock to sunbathe on to dry off and sat down facing the sun to minimize the chances of his back getting sunburned to protect his large tattoo. His father doesn’t know of it at all but the steward knows but has never seen it, needless to say he very strongly disapproves of the so called blemish. @Rei

"I take credit for one, the other was already greatly afflicted. It also helped that he was too busy abusing me to realize that I was a student and not just some abhorrent creature." She returns with a handful of berries, offering him some. @Baz

Clara closes her eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Birds chirp and sing all around them, the area is quite peaceful despite the possibility of danger. Her ears angle outwards, allowing her to listen to her surroundings. Her audial acuity is much sharper than that of a normal human thanks to the animalistic qualities of being a courier.

@Baz

Atticus took in the sunlight and accepted a handful of berries from Clara also soaking in the sun light. “That… sucks. I’m so sorry….. there’s really nothing to say that can measure up to that is there?” @Rei

Clara shakes her head, dismissing the notion. "What's done is done, I try not to dwell on it. I would rather use it to my advantage. I'm here with you, in the safety of the city. I can also now wear normal, unaltered pants, for whatever that's worth." She laughs at herself for the thought. Hearing motion in the tree line, Clara glances over to spot a fox claiming the dead viper that she had placed. It watches them for a moment before taking it's claim and running. @Baz