[W I C K E D B L O O D]

[A C E S]

WARNING:



This is a private role-play between ValentineIllusion and I. Rated-R themes may be expressed (nothing straying from the site rules), so lurk at your own risk.

"All beautiful things die when their secrets are revealed."

​

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene could feel the blood boiling under her skin as she walked along the dirt path, her icy eyes watching to make sure her shoes didn't get dirty under her bushels of ripped fabric. Of course, the feelings she had was probably a warning that her medicine was wearing off, fading in power, and that she was likely to drop on the ground in a shaking, jerking, hopeless mess at any second. But she also assumed that it could be attributed to the thousand other things that were happening to her, had happened to her and all the things now happening around her. She thought the only thing she would have to worry about that night was surviving the socializing of the conference, but nooo- she had to worry about literally surviving the conference. In the trying-not-to-die sort of sense. Typically that was a little easier for Athene, not having to put any effort into using her weak words and instead relying solely on her strong sword hand, but with no sword in reach since everyone else saw her as "Much too delicate and fragile!", and bigger, deadlier swords in the hands of the enemies that outnumbered them all...it was a little more of a challenge.


On the contrary, that didn't mean she wanted to have to be saved by a fellow noble who was a complete stranger to her- a man. She was a woman, she had her own two manicured, jeweled hands, and she was completely willing to ruin that manicure and jewelry to fight off any threats against her, thank you very much. There was nothing she loathed more than how people around her would strip her of any resources she could use to protect herself, insisted that she couldn't possibly fight because she was too weak herself, and then allow someone else to do everything for her. If they just let me try in the first place, wouldn't I be so much better off? she wondered to herself as their small group moved on, making their way to anywhere other than were they were.


Athene avoided the man who saved her as much as she could. She didn't want to risk him bringing it up, since she didn't want to talk about it at all. She simply wanted to wait for the next threat to arrive, which, in the dark and scary woods, would probably be soon, and show them what she could really do with the one dagger she smuggled out that she hid in the tulle of her skirt.

 

[A C E S]

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Night rolled in slowly and cautiously as a myriad of warm colors pierced the resting sky. The wind was kind and soothing, not at all like the usual rough, invading cold that it would normally bring in these parts of the country. Autumn was undoubtedly present and as strange as it may sound coming from a Southerner, Lennox found much comfort in the crisp fall breeze. Especially after the mess that the group had witnessed a few hours ago. Despite the change in environment, it was pretty obvious that the majority of the group was still shaken up. Children, women, the elderly and even grown men were quaking in their boots, eyes darting toward every corner that showed itself. And he didn't blame them.


To experience such a thing right after a celebration of good spirit and victory, it was surely a sign that not all was well in the land. The Aeres'Andians never bothered with involving themselves in affairs abroad, and the one time they do, a full on battle breaks out. This would've never happened back home. As true as it was, that was because Lennox's father ruled his country with an iron fist. These mainlanders were so soft and fluid with their laws and such, it made leeway for such attacks to happen. But the locals have been saying that these were no citizens of the Cyprus rule. So, just who were they?





Shaking his head of the thought, Lennox looked over to his side and found the Rockings girl staring intently at the ground. She hadn't once spoke or looked his way since he'd helped her escape her death back at the castle. She seemed more angry and bothered by it than anything else. How could someome be so unhappy to be alive? It wasn't like I pushed her into a pit of fire or whatever. Looking back ahead as he ran a hand through his dark brown locks, Lennox sighed deeply. What a troublesome bunch. But he soon came to his resolve and cautiously approached her. "How're you holdin' up, Princess?" Of course, he knew that she wasn't really the princess, but she didn't seem to mind it when that other fellow from Gastwiech called her by that name. A suitor perhaps?

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Speak of the devil, Athene thought to herself, her lips pursed in a straight line as she looked up towards him. In all honestly, she really didn't know much about him, or any of the other nobles, for that matter. Given the choice she would never sit in a chair for five hours in a cramped, dark, or simply boring room learning all these things she was expected to learn, and even when she wasn't given a choice, she avoided it at all costs. It brought to mind another fine question she wanted to ask her superiors, if they were even still alive: Why couldn't she learn all of that by experience? Learn by leaving the castle and seeing the other castles and hearing about them and from them and eavesdropping on rumors about who their best councilman or swordsman was and all of these things that she would never remember from a book. Words could illustrate many things nonexistent in the real life, but on the topic of real life, they were seldom sufficient.


"I am holding up just fine, thank you very much," she insisted, looking back down and paying meticulous attention to her shoes. They were flat, purple, jeweled, and expensive, and she did not like ruining them. Who knew when they would be able to get new shoes, anyways? That was never something she worried about. She had only ever worried if she would be able to find a pair of shoes she liked the most out of a pile of hundreds of them, not if she would be able to find a pair at all. Even still, that was the least of her worries. She still had to worry about food, water, shelter, seizing, and now more than ever, whether or not she could find a suitor to sweep her away from her undesirable condition. Even if she never paid attention to her lessons, she figured there had to be some kingdom full of nobles that hadn't been attacked, right? One with a noble that understood that she would be taking care of herself.


Athene was going to say something else to him, something very clever and witty, probably something that would prompt her mother to slap her on the wrist for. She was not afraid to say it, either, and she was just about to say it, until her body couldn't stand straight anymore. It couldn't keep her limbs still anymore. Before she could warn anyone or do anything about it, she had fallen to the ground, turning into that shaking, jerking, hopeless mess she desperately did not want to become. They hurt, they were miserable, and people looked at her as if she was possessed by the devil. Worst of all, there was nothing she could do but struggle through it.

 

[A C E S]

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Her discomfort radiated off her body so harshly, he could almost see waves of fumes swarming around her. A look of warning was shot at him although her words seemed innocent enough, but having been raised in a household dictated by women, he knew better than to take her word for it. But it wasn't his place to pry so he let it be... for now. Clearing his throat in search of a way to change the subject, because lords knew they were in desperate need of a lighter atmosphere, Lennox crossed his arms oved his chest as she returned her gaze back to the ground.





You're probably asking: why is he wasting his time trying to get a word out of this girl? Well, you see, he never really was the type to leave people in a bad mood [least of all women], so getting the final word in was more of a consolation for himself as opposed to the girl. That and the fact that he enjoyed pestering cute girls so terribly. The redder their cheeks, the more satisfied he was. Narrowing the distance between them just a bit as the group slowed their pace when a clearing came into view, Lennox opened his mouth to speak but in the next moment... he'd lost all train of thought.





A loud thud echoed from a short ways behind him; shrieks, gasps and shouting following suit as the crowd dispersed. There she splayed, shaking violently and uncontrollably as the bystanders gawked in both amazement and horror. "Somebody, help her!" A woman screamed from nearby, setting the crowd into a new level of terror. It had just hit him that none of these people understood what was going on. Each one of them backed up while others went in search of the royal cleric. How could people so civilized actually believe she was being possessed? And they call us barbarians.


Quickly springing into action, Lennox took gentle hold of the girl and rolled her onto her side, making sure not to clutch her too tightly to avoid further injury. He then began to search for a needle of sorts on her person. Calculating how long she'd been flailing he figured that she must've had something on her because this was likely a normal occurence. Now, Lennox was no doctor, but he knew a few things from miscellaneous conversations with his father. Aha! Finally. Once he'd found the needle loaded with a small dosage of tranquilizer fluid, he quickly jabbed it into her thigh and released the block. It took a while, but she seemed to be calming down. Suddenly, a large man [seemingly a knight of sorts] came rushing at him and pushed him aside, examining the situation.





"Athene..." He whispered, pure concern seeping through every syllable. Who is this man? And just like he'd read his mind, the big, burly man shot Lennox a threatening glare before roughly shoving him. "You! What did you do to her?" By this point, the crowd had turned their eyes away, trying not to be so obvious of their eavesdropping. "Me? What do mean, what did I do to her? I saved her bloody life!" Lennox growled as he pushed him back. He couldn't believe he'd have the nerve to accuse him of harming her when he was the only one who helped. "Don't come at me like that, Sand Mongrel. I'll snap your neck faster than you can pray for your soul."

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Coming out of her seizures was typically a slow feat, each piece of her brain individually calming down and returning her posture. Ah, and there was her migraine, an old unwelcome friend that she had learned to simply drag along with her and pretend didn't exist. A friend that liked to make her feel like her head was being crushed. This time, as she woke, however, she was more quickly awoken by the shouting and the arguing of the two men nearby, and an even sharper pain piercing her leg unlike that of the shot. Never one to wait until she bled out, she pulled herself up, pushing herself a little more than she likely should, and pulled her skirt up much higher so that her thigh was on display for them all, slick, smooth, and bleeding from where her hidden knife had cut her. And that seemed like such a good idea.


At least she could now take that to cut off her right sleeve entirely, using that to wrap around the wound into a makeshift tourniquet. This, unfortunately, wasn't the first time she awoke from one of her episodes to find herself with a nasty wound. Cleaning it up was no big deal to her, even though she dreaded the thought of having to walk on it for miles, but what was a big deal was all the people now staring at her. Like she was even more helpless than they originally thought. Now, what really stung, the final nail in the coffin, the straw that broke the camel's back, was that they were right. She couldn't stop them. She couldn't help herself through them. Instead, the person who did do so was the same man that saved her before. The same man that she didn't want to have save her.


He did save her, though. And she should be grateful, she knew. She thought the least she could do was save him from this argument.





"Hey!" she shouted, having to project her voice to be louder than their's, as she pushed herself up onto her wobbly and pained feet and marched right over, placing herself in front of the larger man, "You, all decorated and diligent and dense, if you want to get any closer to me than an acquaintance- which you have desperately seemed to have tried to accomplish!- than you should know that I can't help that, he most certainly can't help that, and it would be a great help to all of us if you not blame the sole person who did not look at me like I was a helpless freak of nature, thank you very much!"


Then, she spun around to Lennox. Her lip twitched, still clearly irritated that he had to help her when she could've helped herself, but this time...that wasn't possible. There was no helping herself, and she wasn't going to get any help from anyone else. So, despite her previous harsh exterior, she dipped her head into a small bow, hugging her arms around her body as a cold breeze set in, "Thank you, sincerely. You were a great help."

 

[A C E S]

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Anger. Anger and confusion was clearly shown on the face of the larger man as the Rockings girl scolded him for coming to her 'defense'. Of course, it was pretty hard to see through that metallic helmet, but the tint of red rapidly spreading from his cheeks to the bridge of his nose was enough to expose his emotions. Miki, however, was enjoying this change of projected frustration and he felt no shame in showing it -his lips curling up into a small, restrained grin as the other man narrowed his eyes into sharp slits. "But, Lady Rockings... I was sent by your father to watch after you until the three groups meet up again." Flickering his glare between the two, he huffed at the smug look plastered on Aeres'Andian's face. "And seeing this man hunched over you with that... thing in his hand--" A snort cut abruptly through his explanation, causing eyes to turn to Miki again. "And what? Did you think I'd stab her? Slit her throat? Skin her alive, perhaps?" Gesturing toward the hoard of passersby. his brows shot up as if to ask for an explanation as to why he'd do such a thing in open sight. "Come off it, mate. A grown man like you should know better than to believe everything he hears."


Oh? What is it that the man so clearly accused him of plotting, you ask? Well, you see, it's a very nasty rumour started by a group of mainlander sailors a few centuries back. Way back when, the Aeres'andian tribes used to participate in rituals which required a number of sacrifices (namely animals and occasionally humans), and these sacrifices would be skinned... but not alive. The state of skinned animals [alive or dead] fluctuated, but close family members of the deceased humans would offer the body to the gods as a sacrifice if there was prior permission from the once-living being before he/she passed. These traveling sailors were there to witness the rituals and didn't get the entire story, therefore, began telling gruesome and far-fetched stories about these people and their horrifying mannerisms. But, seeing as though these rituals have been overturned many years ago, these rumours no longer applied and any one of Miki's people. Though, stubborn mainlanders continue to believe these lies. The man, seemingly to have had enough of Miki's mouthing off, shoved him once more, this time as a tactic to ward him off.





"In the name of the royal families, I am bound by honor to make sure nothing happens to Mi'Lady. That doesn't exclude keeping her from the likes of you." He hissed quietly so only Lennox could hear. "And if you so much as speak to her while I'm around, I'll--", "You'll what, oh chivalrous Knight?" Lennox showed no sign of fear nor disdain toward this fellow, but if this was the kind of treatment he was receiving for simply airing around Lady Rockings, he found no more interest in sticking around. Normally, Lennox would be all for pushing this man around and provoking him into doing who-knows-what, but after what happened back at the conference and the seizure... he didn't want to stress out the bystanders. They were all shaken up, what good would a petty fight bring? "Good day to you both." Forcing a smile, he bowed to them both before carrying on ahead, most of the viewing crowd following suit.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene had just opened her lips to speak, to say something else, but having just been needlessly defended again and quite upset about it, she remembered his unnecessary rescue as well. Despite how thankful she was that he helped her with her seizure, and how unhappy she was with her guard, she didn't want him to have to save her anymore. Why did no one believe her when she said she really could take care of herself? Even after they watched her hide behind a knight's armor, fight against her own guards and win, and exhaust herself in her own training to the point she passed out, and fought her constant seizures to do it. She believed she had more than proven herself and deserved to be left alone like she always begged to be, but it seemed that as long as she was the daughter of a noble, that would never happen. She would be forced to stay behind, where it was "safe," and live in the knights' shadow.





Crossing her arms, she avoided her guard's gaze as she followed suite with the crowd, "The rumors are ridiculous, you know," she said very bluntly, looking around at all the people that had just been gawking at her a few minutes ago. She shot them a stare of death that dared them to think any differently of her, "And if you absolutely insist on saving me even though I've made it quite clear that I can handle myself, then at least try to save me from the people who are actually trying to hurt me and not the one person who kept me from bashing my own skill open. I've even beaten you in fights before, so please, stop worrying about me and protect everyone else."


She quickened her pace, trying to get further away from him, but her leg was starting to feel like a dead weight behind her. As much as she tried to look as fine as possible, she was having to drag it, and the pain was starting to become worse and worse. Why, why do things like this always happen to her? The second she tries to prove to them she can fight on her own, she can hardly even walk on her own.


Before long, her leg stumbled, stepped on a stray piece of her dress, ripped it even more and sent her falling. She landed face first, practically tasting the dirt, the impact of the fall making the pain even worse. At least her knife, now hidden on the other leg, didn't stab her again. Not wanting to make another scene or make herself look like even more of a fool, she got up, forcing herself to walk on. She was in pain, a lot of it. But her pride would be hurt more if she accepted their help.

 

[A C E S]

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Just barely hearing her words of... support -he wasn't exactly sure of what she intended by speaking out about the sentinel's commentary about his people- Miki subconsciously smiled a bit, though he hadn't bothered turning around to see the look on the guard's face. As pre-judgmental as it might've came off, he would've guessed that she sided with the others. Not just side with them, condone them entirely with a firm belief of these rumours; her father was often seen conversing with extremely conservative parties and, let's just say: their views of his kind weren't anywhere close to accepting. How his family continued to be invited to these gatherings year after year was beyond him. Carrying on with silence after having been reprimanded not once but twice, the guard -Julian- kept his head high as he fell back just slightly behind the Lady.


His presence was clearly unappreciated and unwanted, but because he was sent to follow this group by his employer -her father- he couldn't stray too far behind. Opting on giving her some space, Julian made it seem like he was just following the crowd, all while keeping an eye on Athene. After a few minutes or so, he noticed that his Lady's gait was looking unsteady. Of course, that could be due to the fall she took earlier, but he decided not to bring it up. She was already upset with him as it was. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Athene tripped on practically nothing and ended up tumbling over herself. Reluctantly holding himself back at the urge to reach out, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his rapier. He could tell that she was looking around to make sure nobody had seen, so he looked forward and avoided eye contact.





(Sorry for how short it is. You can timeskip, if you please.)

 

[ValentineIllusion]

(Ah, it's alright c: Where should I timeskip to?)

 

[A C E S]

[i suppose they've already made it to the next village by nightfall, so yeah. All three of the groups would've met up by then and settled in nearby inns. ]

 

[ValentineIllusion]

(Okie Dokie c: )


Nothing was better news for Athene than hearing they were finally in the village, finally reunited with the others, and finally in a place that she could sit down and rest her feet. Even as she was reunited with whatever family she had that hadn't been murdered in the fights, there was absolutely nothing better than dragging her sore, pained body to her room and flopping down on the bed, pulling the blankets over herself, bask in the loneliness she so desperately craved, and get some sleep.


Except, of course, food.


She was told quite clearly by her parents that, during the conference while she would be dining with all these people, she needed to eat all lady-like and eat tiny little portions and eat in tiny little bites. Well, the conference was over, now most certainly wasn't the time to be trying to impress suitors, the cooks at the inn were so kindly serving them all steak, and the only rule she remembered was to eat with her mouth closed- and even that was hard with how big of bites she was taking. There were many other things that she could focus on besides manners, weren't there? Besides, if she was going to fight, she needed her protein.


"Mm, Julian?" she asked, swallowing a big chunk of her meat and wiping around her lips, "Would you be so kind as to duel with me tomorrow? I fear I've been getting weak. And during times like these, I can not afford to be weak."

 

[A C E S]

[Haha! How lady-like. xD ]

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Watching his Lady pick apart her steak and practically devour it, mouth parted just slightly in awe, Julian picked absent-mindedly at his mutton. Needless to say, he'd never seen a woman eat in such a manner so shamelessly; it wasn't in the least bit disenchanting, just strange. But noting the hectic evening they just had, her table manners were definitely minor issues. Finally collecting himself long enough to pry his eyes from the peculiar sight, Julian cleared his throat and began to stuff his own mouth. Never mind having to babysit Lord Rocking's daughter, he almost forgot just how hungry he was. After all, the help and the guards were usually set to eat after the employers had done so. It was no wonder he was in such a cranky mood all day.





Just barely catching on to Athene's following words, Julian's head perked up from his plate with an expression of deep confusion. Sparring? With a Lady? Of course, this wouldn't be the first time they'd sparred and... judging by the persistent nature of his Lady, it certainly wouldn't be the lasy. But because of the chaos and spiral of confusion instilled in everyone's unrested minds, he hardly thought this was the time to be speaking of such things.





As far as he knew, the convention would carry on the next day in the municipal building in the townsquare. If she were to go missing for even the slightest of seconds, her father would have a fit. "Uh... ahem... I-I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, mi'lady, but wouldn't your father be upset with this change of plans?" He asked, out of pure concern for her as opposed to his standing. "It would be my pleasure, but I think you should wait until everything is settled. We wouldn't want to rush into something, especially after... you know." Julian offered with a shrug.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

Athene shot another glare his way, but behind that, she knew just how strict her father was. Just because he didn't rule a kingdom didn't mean he didn't act like it, and instead he ruled all the people around him with an iron fist. He was really quite stubborn, a trait that was unfortunately passed down to Athene, and the two of them fought and argued until their throats were dry. They always had completely different opinions, they both considered themselves right no matter what the subject, and neither of them ever gave up. It was tiring for everyone who was around and having to listen to it, but everyone had learned to just put up with it. Because, of course, they were both too stubborn to change.


"Of course, Julian," she said, as convincing and proper as every other noble lady in the land was taught to be, "You're absolutely right. I suppose we can delay it for some time longer...hopefully all of this is dealt with soon." Before long, she was finishing up her steak, wiping the sauce off her lips again as she gazed around the table. Everything she said was an absolute lie, of course. After today, though, she didn't want to irritate Julian anymore, and she knew that not only would he go easy on her, if she did anything, he would go straight to her father about it. If there was one person she did not want to deal with, it was her father.


But she wanted to fight. She wanted to practice, to train, so further prove to everyone else that she most certainly could defend herself. Who here, however, would be willing to fight her, knowing what her father would do should he find out? She scanned over them all and wondered just that, and at the same time, she tried to think who would give her the best challenge. Thinking about that, her decision was easy.


"Please excuse me," she said quietly, standing up and looking across the table, "Sir Miki? May I talk to you in private?"

 

[A C E S]

Ugh! I just posted and then accidentally deleted it! D:

 
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Julian, having known Athene for as long as she and her family had taken residence in the Nastieve Castle, knew better than to assume that she was just going to drop this 'sparring' issue. She wasn't one for sitting around and waiting for things to figure themselves out. She wanted to either hone her abilities for the next attack or take her anger out on an opponent. Either way, it really wasn't going to help either of them if her father found out. Feigning ignorance was the only way Julian was going to avoid getting pulled into another lecture about how crucial his job was and how it was more important to protect Athene as opposed to acting as a friend.


Whatever Lady Rockings was planning, he wanted to know as little as possible, but just enough to assure she was safe. Offering her a small smile as she came to 'accept' his refusal, Julian shook his head as he returned his atrention back to his plate. "For the sake of the country, I hope so as well." And as she got up to excuse herself, Julian opted on half joining the conversations his fellow guards were so engrossed in and half following Athene's actions.


___________________________________________________________________


Enjoying a nice family meal seemed to be almost impossible in this setting, and the annoyance was clear on Serafina's -Lennox's mother- face. She never liked coming to these get-togethers; women dressing up in strange, over-the-top attire gossipping about one another, while the men went on about their ridiculously young, beautiful mistresses and important political matters. It all seemed useless and degrading to her, which is why she refused to participate every other year. Glaring across the table at her eldest son, Mateus, as he flirted with one of the mainland girls, Serafina cleared her throat loud enough to catch his attenrion.


That was another thing she despised about attending these conferences: all of these high-class, mainland aristocrats pushing their children on her own in hopes of securing family ties to the Southern treasures found in the Aeres'Andes. The thing was, she wouldn't have such a problem with it if it weren't for the fact that most of her children were already promised to the soon-to-be rulers of the Eastern world. The last thing she wanted was for some Northern inbred to come in between those arrangements.





"Eat your dinner, Est'Lia (1). You'll have plenty of time to socialize tomorrow." Just not with her. Mateus huffed in exasperation as the girl hesitantly rushed away, his mother always did this when he found interest in any girl other than his betrother, but what did it matter? Plenty of men his age took a mistress as well as a wife, and being the son of a czar made it no easier to ward off these beautiful, money hungry women. Why not, was his policy. Trying his best to suppress a snicker, Miki bit his bottom lip and focused on his plate. What good that did him because apparently Mateus heard and smacked him roughly upside the head.





"Ow!" Rubbing the back of his head, Miki grimaced at his smug-faced brother. And just as he was about to retaliate, a familiar voice called out his name. Simultaneously, all heads at his end of the table looked up to find Lady Rockings gesturing him over. "Oi, Lennox. Isn't that Lord Rockings' girl? What business does she have with you?" Sylas, his second eldest brother asked as he elbowed him suggestively, causing his mother and father to shoot him suspicious glares. What modest views they have of me. "I...don't know. But I suppose I shouldn't keep her waiting." Excusing himself from the table as they tried their best to carry on their normal conversations, all while eavesdropping, Lennox sauntered up to Athene as he sported a wink for Julian. Recoiling, Julian turned away as Miki gave Athene his full attention. "Yes, Princess? What seems to be the matter?" He asked innocently, though his words strayed of all seriousness. Tilting his head he crossed his arms. Miki eyed the hallway behind her almost as if he were nonverbally asking if she would prefer talking out there.





[(1) Est'Lia = sweet one/darling]

 

[ValentineIllusion]

A small smile came to Athene's face as he acknowledged her and approached her, but she felt more than unnerved feeling the eyes of everyone on her and her alone, watching to see what she could possibly do next. Even for Athene, standing straight up and asking to be excused from dinner and requesting that another noble she had hardly ever talked to before be excused as well was all odd, almost a little out of character. She was a fighter, but she typically left it to the battlefield. She was stubborn, but she usually kept it to herself. She made outbursts, but they were never so...out of the blue. And she most certainly never asked for a single man from so unlike- but likely so much richer than- her's. What could she, Athene Rockings, want to say to a man like him?


"In private, please," she repeated, pushing her chair in and folding her hands, like a proper young lady. If she was going to be so improper during her meal and whenever the chance to fight came, she figured she may as well make a little extra effort anywhere else. Or just when she wanted to, really.


Leading him out into the hallway, her polite little smile slowly curled up into a smirk. There was no one in that room she wanted to fight more than him. The man who saved her like she was a helpless damsel in distress, whisking her away without even offering to give her a sword of her own. Her pride, something she treasured dearly, had been hurt. Severely wounded, really. And she wanted to fix that.


"Nice dinner tonight, hm?" she asked, trying to make some sort of conversation before she asked him the big question. Some small talk, so he would be in good spirits and more likely to say yes.

 

[A C E S]

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He noted the way her anxious gaze shifted about the room, as if she were under strict surveillance, or that she were about ready to bolt as soon as another person spoke up. But nothing. Not a single word followed as the other guests resumed their conversations and gobbled down the contents of their plates. He managed a smile to match hers as he looked around to humor her. The incident that occurred earlier was probably still swarming wildly within the narrow space where her consciousness laid. But he wasn't one to torment without benefit, and bringing it up certainly wasn't going to benefit either of them. So he kept it to himself, exhaled deeply and followed her to the hallway.


A few people passed by here and there, mostly employees of the inn and other guests, but it wasn't so crowded where they couldn't speak in hushed tones without someone eavesdropping. His brows furrowed just slightly as they continued walking. She seemed awfully jittery and the once soft expression on her face soon shifted. She looked almost as if she were plotting some sort of villainous scheme. Is she aware of something that I'm not?


Then, she spoke up. The pace had slowed down a bit to an eased stroll. Lennox suddenly felt like he was walking beside an evil queen of sorts -from Kellisau, of course. grinning partly at the thought and partly at Athene's words, his brow jumped quizzically. Nice? Hardly. Having to stay with this lot of stuck-up politicians and dull nobels for longer than required is what nightmares are made of. Miki never liked being at these events and if it weren't for his father's sake, he probably never would attend. But being a possible successor, he had no choice in the matter.





Still, they could afford to liven up the dinners. Where are the jesters? Acrobats? Those beautiful dancers from the Marina? His smile never faltered as he opened his mouth to speak. "It's nothing special, but I'd rather be here than back at the capital." He shrugged before clearing his throat. That wasn't a joke, but the way he said it might've come off as such, so a flat line replaced his grin as they carried on. A silence soon fell between them and he assumed she was trying to put together what she was going to say next; unfortunately, it was taking time and too many people were moving past them. Finally, he stopped walking and narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. Miki was not a fan of suspense and if one minute of silence went by, he had enough. "Alright, come out with it. We haven't got all night, sweetheart." He spat apathetically.

 

[ValentineIllusion]

"Oh, yes, because I'm sure you would absolutely love to be back out there chit-chatting and choking down their slop of a meal than speaking in hushed tones with a pretty lady alone with you in a hallway," she taunted with the utmost sarcasm, looking back up at him with a smirk. Athene couldn't simply ask him to fight her. No, that would be too easy. A true fighter shouldn't immediately display all of the tricks up their sleeves right at the beginning of their battle, of course, be it a battle of swords or a battle of wits. She sharpened her gaze towards him like one would sharpen a knife, looking him up and down. Hm. She hadn't gotten this close of a look at him before, when she was too busy trying to fight off his attempts to save her life. Examining him now, she could tell just by his appearance that he was quite a strong man, no doubt a worthy opponent if she managed to convince him, and handsome, to boot. But the latter was never something that swayed her opinion on the opposite gender. It was just something she...took note of. He was handsome. That was something she should remember.





Athene continued to sum him up before she spoke again. She made sure to take note of his background, as well. Her knowledge of all the lands was limited, thanks to her hatred of her tutoring and her lack of exploration, but his country was the one she had the least amount on. His possible style of fighting was a complete mystery to her. But what better way to learn it than to fight him herself? Besides, he had hurt her pride- practically disintegrated it with his heroic acts. She needed to prove herself.


"Anyways, I should probably be thanking you for so bravely rescuing me earlier instead of handing me a sword of my own. Because no little lady could possibly save her own ass in such a situation," she said, her body straightened with the perfect poise, posture straight, hands folded in front of her, with a little smile on her lips, but speaking in a manner quite contrary to her soft and delicate appearance, "Except I am no little lady and I don't want my idle time-wasting making me any weaker than I already seem to be to everyone else. I want to fight. I want to duel with you. Just to sharpen my skills and no doubt learn a thing or two from a man like you. What do you say?"

 

[A C E S]

L ε n n o X

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With brows cocked up and arms crossed tightly over his chest, a small smile of amusement tugged at the edges of Miki's lips with a light chortle following after. He had to admit, she was pretty confident for someone who had turned the shade of a ripe tomato when she realized a crowd had gathered in the wake of her unfortunate episode. Eyes scanning over her pretty lithe frame, he managed to refrain from pointing out the major fault in her obviously playful statement. At least, he hoped she was being playful. Otherwise, there have been some very messed up enablers in her life. Pretty lady? Hardly. More like 'cute girl'. "Hmm. Yes, I guess you have a point there." He muttered as he met her gaze once again, though his vibrant orbs would subtly do a once over every now and again. Yes, it may be a bit too much to say that she doesn't fit the description of 'feminine', but for her age it seemed like she was blooming fairly slow. Then again, she could've been wearing a very tight girdle.


Oh, hush Miki! You didn't come out here to analyze her physique... or lack of. Just listen. He rolled his eyes and shook the churlish thoughts from his mind as he lent her his ear once more, only to zone in on her so 'slyly' masked reproaching words. Can't she just thank me and be over it like a normal person? I mean, who get angry at a person who only tried to help, even if they weren't in any real danger? Narrowing his eyes to a slit, Miki scoffed at her finger-wagging tone and pursed his lips tightly together as he contemplated on whether or not he should retort with something equally as contemptuous. Fuck it.





"Honestly, you can't seriously be upset with me because I saved your life. And I'll be damned if I hand over my own weapon to you when you could've snagged one from one of the fallen men." He huffed, his nails subconsciously digging into his biceps as his jaw tightened and he glared back at her. But seeing as she was asking for his help this time -however patronizing and indirect as her request was- he couldn't bring himself to turn her down. At least, not until he got a better idea of where she was skill-wise. "Alright. I'll help you... but only on one condition." Who said he couldn't have a bit of fun with this? "You have to absolutely anything and everything I say without argument. I am the instructor from the second we begin, and until I see you've improved, the demands will only become more and more difficult. It's how my father taught me, and that's how I'll teach you. Got it, princess?"