Eris reclines on her elbows as she sits back and nods as the Emeraldvalean's approach. She is careful to differentiate herself slightly from Jon-Wyn and Sa'Kage, as the Emeraldvalean's did not yet know she and the others were part of the same group - wanting to keep herself separate so that if the Emeraldvalean's ever suspected someone in the group, the suspicion would (hopefully) not fall on her by association.
“Alizee” immediately makes her way over to Grey, though she takes care to properly introduce herself to the rest of the dignitaries. ”So,” she says to the mage, ”Have you been avoiding me, My Lord?”
Rubins was somewhat surprised the Emeraldvalean's accepted the invitation but he soon got over that. He greeted everyone warmly and returned Alicia's nod with a cheeky grin before joining the debate between Thrüsk and the Gray mage, "I also think you should enter! The Daggermark lot cleared off so you're odds are better than before and really what have you got to loose? Who knows maybe you'll win that prize... That'd be a story to tell the grand children wouldn't it!"
Maxwell's eyes raise when he notices Raven there, but doesn't say anything. He does, however, give her a heart-melting smile and moves up to her. He bows and takes her hand if she offers and brings it up to his lips. He then goes to stand next to Jon.
Gray flushes red when 'Alizee' speaks. He stammers, "No! I, uh, had some matters of state to attend. That's all."
Yallah becomes entranced by the jugglers, and laughs delightedly at the antics.
Thrüsk folds his arms and nods. "Well, I suppose if this one is willing to enter, then I won't have to worry about the crowd thinking me the fool."
Yallah turns her head to face him, getting distracted from the entertainment for a moment. "I told you I could be your steed. That way, you can focus on the joust, whatever that is."
Eris gives Maxwell a genuine smile, letting him know she is likewise pleased to see him there, letting him bring her hand up to his lips as he wishes, while she is half amused and entertained by the discussion between Yallah and Thrusk discussing possible strategies involved in the joust. She remains reclined on the ground though, letting herself appear peaceful and relaxed as she tries to dig into the minds of the Emeraldvalean's present.
Lucien looks confused. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to ride upon Thrusk's back rather than the reverse? What am I missing?" He looks to Maxwell for help.
Rubin's eyebrows rose at Yallah's comments, things where getting a little weird! "I'm a little hazy on the rules, is that allowed Yallah?" he asked innocently...
"It's a druid thing, Rubins," Yallah says. "And I think the rules allow the contestant to choose his own horse."
Gray's thoughts are inscrutable. Maxwell's, however, she can listen to.
Interesting. Raven, here? Was she always with them, or a recent addition? Lucien's blowing her off makes more sense now. She was certainly trying to catch my eye earlier. Maybe a little flirtation is in order...
Eris smirks a little, deciding to lightly tease, something she felt she could do as she wasn't a fellow contestant.
"Does this mean that Thrusk is unable to control his own ride, and keep his lance straight at the same time?" she giggles slightly before flashing a coy smile in the direction of Maxwell. In truth, she knew Maxwell was more interested in Lucien and so wasn't particularly trying too hard, but wanted to play along with Maxwell's flirting expectations more so than doing something out of character, with the goal of avoiding suspicion.
Still, she wanted to keep herself appearing separate, from Varesia entirely so she turns a question to Lucian, despite knowing the answer.
"So will you definitely be representing Varesia then? Should be interesting to see Varesia against Emeraldvale in a final match" she remarks, from an observer point of view.
Rubins didn't trust himself to reply to Yallah, at least not right away for all kinds of naughty scenarios where playing out in his mind. It was rather distracting, so to cover his embarrassment he took a sip of wine and gave the pair an appraising look.
Alenaya puts her hands on her hips, and says ”Matters, huh? And tell me, oh mighty mage, am I just another of those matters?” with an obviously false hurt tone. After a moment of letting him simmer with that comment, she winks and giggles, slipping an arm through his. ”You know I’m just teasing. I know you are a busy man.”
Lucien performs his duties as host during the party, making everyone feel as welcome as he could. However, he's always sure to quickly return to Maxwell's side. When Raven is there, he does his best to get in between them, politely. Lucien is even a bit (I'll say it) clingy.
It doesn't seem like any normal romantic relationship, certainly. Yallah's way of looking at everything as if it was the first time she was seeing it seems to even apply to Thrüsk. Thrüsk, for his part, appears protective of her, but doesn't show any sort of romantic affection towards her.
Eris's joke sails completely over Yallah. "It means he's not very good at controlling a horse from the saddle, and I've never seen him use a lance," she explains with a serious expression.
Thrüsk certainly catches the innuendo and gives Raven a toothy scowl. Maxwell leaps in, but whether to spare his companion further embarrassment or to save Raven from Thrüsk's ire, is unknown. "That is a good question, Raven. Lucien, you're story bested mine. Now let's see if that bravado can pay off a second time." He again winks at Raven. "Or perhaps a third?"
Gray turns several shades of red and stammers a couple times at Alizee before she relieves him of the pressure. He scratches the back of his neck and forces out a laugh. "Oh, ah, haha, yes. Well, busy. That's me. I needed to finish the scrolls, so we could all go back at the same time. This week's been the longest we've been away since, well, since the whole kingdom was founded."
Alicia turns away from one of the jugglers that had caught her attention. "We might be convinced to stay a little longer after the joust, Gray."
The mage's cheeks again begin to burn.
Kage glanced at Alicia and smiled flirtatiously, "Sounds like a great idea! Everyone deserves a little R&R now and then. I'm sure the kingdom will be fine. I mean what difference could a few days away make? Besides it sounds like you can travel back in an instant should the need arise."
Eris returns the wink back at Maxwell, "Tomorrow is certainly going to be a stimulating exercise for all involved, should be interesting to see who can handle themselves adequately and who..cannot."
Spotting the scowl, Eris breaks out into a smile, and turns quickly to Thrüsk. "Smile, please, lighten up. You have your weapons and Maxwell and I have ours. Relax around someone with a silver tongue and you find yourself less likely to be skewered by one. I was merely teasing, I'm sure you acquit yourself fine."
Lastly, Eris huffs slightly at Sa'Kages comments. "Travel in an instant sounds so amazing, its nice travelling alone on the roads, but sometimes the time wasted is...aggravating."
"Yeah, teleporting's nice, so it makes -- oh!" Alecia begins, but something interrupts her train of thought. "Oh, I forgot. I can't stay."
Gray looks at her and nods in agreement. "Yeah, that's right. You've got to get ready."
She gives the wizard a look. "I wasn't going to--" he starts, but a curt shake of her head cuts him off.
Thrüsk and Yallah stop and stare at the exchange, but say nothing. Maxwell's innuendo-laced retort to Raven dies on his lips at the sudden awkward silence.
The beat of uncomfortable quiet finally ends when Alecia refills her cup and holds it up. "Let's not worry about where we'll all be in a few day's time. Here's to new friends here and now."
”Here here!” Alizee says as she sips her own wine, casting a knowing look to Grey. She then turns to the others of their group, ”My apologies, but I am not from here, and during the festival things have been a bit distracting,” she gives the wizards arm a gentle squeeze, ”who exactly is the ruler of Emeraldvale? I would hate to offend anyone due to my own ignorance of the political climate in this region...”
Kage let a moment's surprise show on his features before faking puppy dog disappointment, "Oh that's a shame!" he breathed. Feigning resignation he added, "I had hoped... Oh. Well. Well if you've got to go you've got to go. I'm sure it's important!" Putting on his best concerned friend act he swallowed as if reluctant to ask something awkward before biteing the bullet, "I trust there's nothing wrong? Look if there's some kind of trouble maybe we could help somehow? Even if it's just sympathy..."
He ended with his best pleading smile.
"It's just that Alicia's --" Yallah's matter-of-fact answer to Sa'Kage is cut off by Thrüsk clapping a meaty hand over her mouth.
"It's all fine, and if Alecia wants to say more, she'll say it," Thrüsk finishes for her with a pointed look at the gnome.
Gray freezes under Alizee's touch initially. At her question, he clears his throat. "Ah, it's us. As in, the five of us. We call ourselves the Council of Five. We discussed choosing a king or queen, but, well, none of us really felt like calling ourselves royalty. So this is what we came up with."
Maxwell grins over his mug. "I still think 'Council of Kings' has a better ring to it."
"Except that there'd have been two queens, so you got voted down." Alecia bites back, maybe a little more harshly than he deserved. She seems to recognize that, so she softens and offers him an apology. "Sorry. So, Rubins, when are you expecting to return to Varisia? Anyone waiting for your return home?"
"Er..." Rubins blinked before admitting, "Well thing is I'm not entirely sure we are returning home."
Previously when 'Rubins' explained his concocted background and hinted it would be dangerous to return there without securing a trade agreement. He decided to pay lip service to that, even though he was sure they don't entirely believe him. Besides he mused, that statement was technically true if not quite in the sense asked.
"Home is overrated in my opinion, why stay in one place for most of your life when you can explore everywhere. At least, that is my philosophy."
Eris swiftly stands and smiles at everyone. "If you could all excuse me, I shall take my leave, I was really just passing by. My best of luck to everyone tomorrow. She remarks,after openly giving a direct look to both Maxwell and Lucien, implying this, as well as the awkward silence, was the reason for her departure.
"You asked for a tale, my dear Maxwell. Well I do have one to tell. It is an old story of my people that I first learned as a child." Lucien goes into a story of a cunning a brave thief who starts with nothing and ends up a king. Before he begins, Lucien hastily works out some cues with the musicians to add drama to his telling.
You're pretty sure she didn't believe you before and is trying to trap you by seeing what you'll say in front of your companions.
Yallah, we love you, but you have got to learn discretion. We still don't know these people. Alecia's sure Rubins has been lying to us, so who knows what will happen if they learn she's a werewolf. We need to learn their secrets, not the other way around.
Lucien's performance is nothing earth-shattering. The musicians miss several cues and fail to bring any improvement to the piece. The Emeraldvaleans listen politely, though Thrüsk looks ready for him to finish. Yallah watches intently, her brow furrowed as though she was studying for a final exam.
Maxwell watches Raven leave with wide eyes. After she's gone, and once Lucien has finished his tale, the suave man leans over to him and whispers, "Okay, talk. What's going on with you two? She seems quite upset with us."
"I have no idea. Actually, you two seemed to have a special connection. You'd be the one best able to answer that." Lucien does his best to not sound jealous at all.
Rubins scratches his head and sighs into his drink, "Too many secrets!" Before anyone could say any more he put a hand out as if warding off a reply, "And no, I don't want to know! Instead I propose a toast to those who are staying, lets not spoil an otherwise fine evening!"
He then smiles apologetically at Alacia, "Sorry I didn't mean that to be rude, just this is all a little abrupt. I guess you have to go, fair thee well!"
”Truly? What a novel idea! A council ruling within a land known for city states and monarchies! That is truly ambitious! And there are five of you? I suppose that works for most decisions, but what if one of you were away in another country when a vote was needed to split a tie?”
"Three could be a quorum or proxies could be appointed to allow some to be away or indisposed and decisions could still be made."
He raises his glass at Rubins' suggestion. "To secrets. They can be necessary, but may they not bring us to ruin."
Rubins sipped from his drink while Alizee asked what he thought was an excellent question. The style of governance the Emerealdvalians had chosen sounded rather unstable and exploitable. 'They clearly trust each other, well mostly. he thought, 'Yet there are fault lines. Yallah is surprisingly impulsive and unless I've missed my mark, Alicia has reservations about Maxwell. I wonder if we could turn them against one another? Perhaps if Maxwell where to 'seize' the throne?'
Gray waves his cup in the direction of Lucien. "That's right. We're pretty close -- having fought together for a couple years. There's not a whole lot we disagree on. And we allow each other our little indulgences." He glances at Alecia with a sheepish grin, which she just stares neutrally back at him.
Yallah sniffs at her drink and sets it aside. "We've fought off trolls and fey and undead. That was after we killed a bandit lord who ruled the region."
Maxwell smiles at the gnome, then sits down close to Lucien. "Yes, we've paid our dues, I would say. But tell me, what are your plans now? If you can't go home, where to next? Maybe you can try to carve out your own little kingdom here in the river lands?"
"That's Rubins that can't go back. I just don't like what I have to go back to." Lucien gives an excuse like he doesn't want to even though he does want to. He looks a bit warily at Maxwell, as if afraid Max will 'trick' him into saying yes.
Maxwell eyes Lucien, a relaxed smile on his face. "Well, then, perhaps there's no rush for some of us to get back to where we need to be. Right?" His question appears directed explicitly at Lucien.
Rubins remarks to Alizee in a loud whisper, "Don't they look cute together?" Picking up from Alizee's earlier conversation Rubins asks Maxwell, "You know, I think five is a good number. If ever's there a dispute you've always got a tie breaker. Still what happens if somebody is away or otherwise indisposed when a decision needs to be made?"
Luciens can't contain a smile. "I suppose a short delay in going back would be ok. What do you think, Alize?"
”I personally have no need to rush home, but I suppose I don’t quite know yet where I’ll be headed next...” she says with a smile and glance towards Gray.
"Well, you'll have several hours of festival left to help you decide where to go next," Alecia says. "I think I saw a couple fortune teller tents." She giggles at her joke.
Maxwell arches an eyebrow. "Cute? I am dashingly handsome, not cute. And quite modest."
Switching back to matters of state, he waves his hand at Yallah and Gray. "We've got some nice magic available to us. And we all live in the capital, and generally see each other several times a week. When we're not off on another adventure. We like to deal with Emeraldvale's problems directly."
"We tend to get a lot more treasure that way," Yallah says.
"Yes. You are dashingly handsome and modest too. And you are all quite the example of good friends. No wonder you were able to carve a nation from this land."
"Treasure? You are full of surprises, Yallah. I figured that wealth wouldn't be that important to you."
"Cute? I am dashingly handsome, not cute. And quite modest."
Maxwell's bravado earned a snort from Rubins, although he had to resist rolling his eyes at Alecia. Initially he'd found her intriguing but now she was just being annoying. He lounged in his chair listening to Maxwell's chatter, 'Interesting so they don't see each other every day...'
"Treasure? You are full of surprises, Yallah. I figured that wealth wouldn't be that important to you."
Rubins couldn't help but smile at this, tonight was proving to be interesting after all! On a whim Rubins asked, "Must be nice getting lots of treasure I'm sure. Out of curiosity what's the most unusual thing you've found?"
Very interesting information. So we can strike as one perhaps, singling out one after another, and eliminate multiple in one series of infiltrations.
"Treasure? You are full of surprises, Yallah. I figured that wealth wouldn't be that important to you."
Thrusk chuckles. "I taught her that," he says.
On a whim Rubins asked, "Must be nice getting lots of treasure I'm sure. Out of curiosity what's the most unusual thing you've found?"
With almost no hesitation and no guile, she says, "A gold statue of two succubi entwined."
Deadpan Kage replied, "Pretty sure I once saw something like that in Riddleport's temple of Calistria. If that place was anything to go by you get some interesting would be invaders... I'd love to hear the story of what happened."
Thrüsk waves his hand as if it's not a big deal. "It was in the stash of the local bandit king -- called himself the 'Stag Lord.' He put up a fight, but would have been much tougher if he hadn't been so drunk when we attacked his keep."
Alecia makes a show of stretching. "Well, it's getting time we head back. At least some of us. I'm going to go back to our pavilion. Yallah, Thrüsk, you coming?"
The half-orc holds up half a bottle of wine. "I'm not quite ready, unless this lot wants to kick us out."
Yallah's head turns back and forth between the two. "I'll stay a little longer."
Alecia shrugs. She bows to the hosts and exits the tent.
Once outside, she walks a pace away from the party and stares at the night sky.
”What about you,” Alizee asks Gray, giving his arm a gentle squeeze.