Summer Solstice Festival

[Gia Trakana]

Located outside the city near Lake Cobaea, there is an open near in between the City of Laknos and Sprite Forest. A rather large area was set aside for it. Coming out of the city, on the right side, you see a table with drinks and food for any guests tended by a couple of locals. On the far end, you see a stage set up, with a group of locals playing various different types of instruments. The rest of the area is open for dancing and mingling.

The area is decorated in bright colors - blues, reds, oranges. It comes across as very festive, and just right for the occasion. Everyone from all three cities are welcome, and even encouraged to come. Anyone who attends knows that violence is not welcomed within Laknos borders. Laknos may not have a great army, but it is enough to squash any fighting that may happen between any citizens from Deproelior and Laknkos.

OOC: The instruments link is not meant to say that all of those instruments will be on the stage, but just suggesting some of what might be seen on the stage.

[Gia Trakana]

Gia walked into the festival. It was still rather early, so there were not many people there. A few smiled at her as she walked past them, and headed towards the drink table. Grabbing a drink off the table, she took one sip as she turned around. All in all, it was nice – simple, but nice. They had definitely done a good job of making everyone feel welcome, and she did not envy the people of Laknos for having to organize such an event, one where many people from all over the Three Cities were expected to come. The dark-haired woman stepped away from the drinks table, and made her way to the edge of the party. It was better there, because she could look at the entire area, and see who come in. If a Laknos Government Official walked in, she’d have to go and greet them. It was in her job description.

Gia had not come alone. She had brought her new Head of Security, Titanus, with her. She was sure that the man had understood he needed to come, and regardless, he had agreed. No one important from Laknos or Deproelior was here. I wonder how many Deproelians will show up, she thought to herself. It wasn’t common for a lot of them to show up, but some of them did. She wasn’t sure that “festivals” were really there thing, but it was rude for none of the Government Officials to show up. At least a couple should, though she wondered who. She knew most of them by name, but she knew they were in the process of getting a new ruler. She was curious about him, as she assumed it would be a man. The short woman had no way of knowing if he or anyone else from Deproelior would show up.

Taking another sip of her drink, Gia smoothed out her dress a bit, not that it needed it. Her dress was red, with gold trim and a thin gold belt that went accentuated her waist. The neckline… well, the dress did not touch her shoulders. It went right across the top of her bust line, giving just a glimpse of the top of her breasts, but nothing more. There was small, two-inch long sleeves – if you could call them that – that went across her arms. It made for an even line straight across, from right arm to left arm. She had paired it with a nice white sandal, and had put half of her long, dark brown hair up in a bun, the rest she let flow over the bun and down to her shoulders. She rarely got to wear anything like this, so she used any excuse she could get. Back at home in Aurora Valley, she often wore things that were more comfortable that she could run around in all day doing whatever work she needed to do. This dress was much finer, and made of silk. It wasn’t something she normally wore.

Gia did not miss the fact that some might find her… attractive in this dress, but that was not why she wore it. The dark-haired young woman wore the dress because it was one she loved that she had never gotten to wear yet. Besides, the Ruler of Aurora Valley was fairly certain no man would hit in her. Since she had become ruler, even if a man found her attractive, he never said anything. Why would he? She was a very important person in the city. It didn’t bother her, honestly. She knew she was pretty, but it didn’t mean anything to her. She wore what she wanted, and if men found her attractive, fine. She was a bit naïve as to all of that, anyway, but regardless, she was far from stupid, albeit inexperienced in matters like that. Honestly, she wasn’t sure she’d know what to do if anyone did try to court her.

Gia sighed, and pushed all of those thoughts of her mind. Scanning the place with her bright green eyes, she searched for Titanus. He was the only person here he knew on some level, and if anyone from the Laknos Government showed up, she wanted her Head of Security there, because she’d have to formally introduce them. Sometimes, all this politics was more trouble than it’s worth, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Gia looked down at her dress, almost wondering if she wasn’t a tad… over dressed, and shrugged it off. It didn’t matter to her what people thought about what she wore. Besides, she made all of her own dressed, so what should anyone else care? Taking another sip of her drink, she continued scanning the area.


Astaria walked into the festival. She had just gotten back from another archaeological trip to the Ruins of the Ancient City of Arcanus, and she was dying to go back to the Museum and poor over everything. They’d found a diary that she was pretty sure belonged to one of the important families of the downfall of Arcanus, but she didn’t know who yet. She wanted to know, but she knew that she needed a break. The workaholic wasn’t stupid, and she knew that she needed a break. Everyone needed a break everyone once and a while, even her. Take it easy, Astaria, she told herself. It’s just a few hours. That’s all you need, just a few hours and then you can find Jiron and you two can go back and pour over everything you brought back with you from the Ruins.

Astaria took a sigh, and walked over to the drinks table. She and Jiron had gotten back late last night. They’d both slept, and she hadn’t seen him today since they’d parted the night before. The blonde had slept, and then woken up with just enough time to take a shower, and get dressed before heading over to the Festival. She had chosen a blue dress, medium shade. It had a simple v-neck, and was nothing fancy. It was simple, and she could spend a few hours in it before going back to the Museum. She had put her blonde hair up in a quick up-do, something to keep it off her neck while outside. It was nowhere near as hot here as it had been in the desert. In fact, by comparison, it was very cool. Those trips were rough on her and Jiron sometimes, but they always felt it was worth it – this time more than any.

Astaria knew upon returning to the Museum she was going to fight him for that diary. She was not going to let him translate – she wanted to. He could do everything else, because translating all of that diary from Ancient was going to be a job in of itself. It seemed to be used by three different people, so it was long. She was very excited. Grabbing a drink, she walked past Lady Gia, giving her a nod, and then walked over the other side of the area. She didn’t know anyone here yet, and she was not the most… festive of people. She wanted to go back to work, and without anyone here that she knew, she was satisfied for the moment to just stand there, and look around. There wasn’t that many people here yet.

[Titanus Pythonidae]

Dressed in several layers of blue and black robes, Titanus swallowed hard. While dressing up very formally was part of the job, he had no idea that events such as these were part of it. The uniform he was wearing was made of some of the finest material and he even wore a silk sash draped over his shoulders. But for some reason, it was stifiling. It was almost as if he could not breathe. There were so many people there, the warrior almost felt trapped. Titanus loosened the collar of his formal wear just a little, allowing just a little more breathing room.

Titanus was offered a drink and the former soldier downed it in one gulp. He felt the cool liquid trickle down his throat and he went back to scanning for the reason he was even there. Madam Gia herself had approached him about it and asked him to accompany her to the festival. Thinking it was a requirement to escort her, he agreed. But standing here and not recognizing anyone dignitaries had made him feel like the fool.

As far as he could see, there weren't any threats the lady and Titanus relaxed a slight percentage. The grizzled warrior blamed it on his past, but he was always alert, with his sharp mind working nonstop. He finally spotted the Lady of Aurora Valley and he sighed. He had lost track of her before they arrived and had no idea what she was wearing. Seeing her now made him realize that he should’ve had some input in her current attire.

While he would not admit that she looked quite stunning, Titanus knew that her attractiveness would be a target for any of a rowdy kind. While he was hoping no one would try anything funny at a festival, one could never be too sure. The concept of a female ruler was, to this day, still not adopted everywhere. While traveling, he had heard whispers, rumors, of citizens of Deproelior not approving of Aurora Valley allowing Gia to rule the city. And Titanus was not taking any chances.

The Head of Security approached Gia with a face made of stone and when he was finally within spitting distance, his face cracked and a slight smile appeared for a brief moment before his face returned to the stoic visage he was known for carrying.

“I don’t suppose you already did what you came here to do and we can leave now, right?” Titanus asked, with a slight glint of tortured humor in his piercing blue eyes.

[Gia Trakana]

Gia had been taking a sip of her drink when a man’s voice reached her ears. Looking around her green eyes spotted her Head of Security. Titanus looked uncomfortable, as if he didn’t want to be here. It was one thing to know how to organize battles. It was another thing entirely to mingle with people and other dignitaries. It didn’t come natural to everyone. It had been the hardest thing for her to learn, but it was something that she had needed to learn and quickly. One would think that at fifteen, the age she had been when she’d been appointed leader, that the mingling would be easiest for her. It hadn’t been. Making the decisions had been much easier than to mingle with a bunch of older men who didn’t feel as if she should be leader. They had all been looking down at her in more than one way.

Gia sighed, and faced Titanus. “Of course not,” she told him. “I just got here about five minutes ago.” He was about a head taller than her, but she had long since stopped caring about that. “No one of any importance has shown up yet. It’s likely that at least someone from the local government will show up here, as show, but no one has yet.” Green eyes glanced around, looking to see if that had changed yet, and finding out she was wrong. “I’m not sure if anyone from Deproelior will show up or not,” she said, lowering her voice a notch in case anyone was nearby. “If they, do, though, I need you calm.” She stepped a little closer to him so that there were only inches between them. She didn’t want what she was about to say overheard. It was not anything that anyone needed to hear.

“I understand that this might be… different for you,” Gia told him. “You need to some confident, though, and you don’t right now.” Her bright green eyes were full of understanding. It was something she understood. It didn’t matter if he was eleven years her senior. “Remember, they’re just people.” A smirk crossed her face. “Politicians, yes, but I hate to break it to you, you’re a politician now, too.” She locked eyes with him, her smirk turning into a smile. “You’ll get used to it.” She looked around to see if anyone new had shown up that they needed to pay attention to, and finding out that no one had. Therefore, the young leader turned her attention back to Titanus. A breeze wafted through the area, and sent a shiver across her bare shoulders. Maybe I should have warn a jacket or something, the dark-haired woman told silently to herself before looking back at up at her Head of Security.

“Besides,” Gia said, “it’s a party! Get a drink, mingle with the people if you want…” She gave a shrug of her bare shoulders. “I’m not one for parties myself, so I don’t do much. Besides, I’m sure there’s a beautiful woman around here that wouldn’t mind dancing with you.” She took another sip of her drink. “What are you so worried about?” She glanced at him up and down, realizing she had not taken any notice of what he was wearing at all. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she didn’t mention it. He looked just fine. She touched a hand to his arm, in an attempt to be comforting. “Relax.” Realizing she had nothing else to say, she waited for him to respond. It would be rather awkward if he just stood there. She looked up at him, waiting for a response, almost forgetting about the hand on his arm.

[Devanus Zeller]

Bohren generally had a good reputation with his Heads of State. He was a patient and measured ruler, and always gave all input its due. However, it had to be said that it was certainly tempting to fire the whole lot of them and start afresh after this idea. A festival of all things! And so close to their borders. As much as Bohren was a champion of peace, and he could not deny the logic of forcing all the cities to mingle under the neutral banner, that did not mean he had to enjoy the event itself. Bohren's taste for social gatherings had waned with age, and now he spent his time observing formalities and hoping that nothing would present too significant a security risk.

As always, Bohren was decked out in the formal garb of the kings of old; flowing robes of gold, purple, and black. It suited any occasion, though it was perhaps a touch warm for a day like today. Bohren paid the heat no mind, however, as he steeled himself for an evening of politics and partying. Well, more accurately, watching the common-folk party. Bohren's dancing days were well behind him, and he had not had a sip of alcohol since becoming the ruler of Laknos. A position such as his required the utmost temperance at all times, and he was taking no risks. That was not to say he did not miss it, and had to resist the urge to grab a flask of wine on his way through the streets, but the job always came first.

Speaking of jobs, Bohren had scarcely set foot on the festival grounds before he spotted the first thing on his to-do list; the ruler of Aurora Valley. She was being escorted by a man that Bohren did not recognize. From the reports, however, he suspected this was Aurora Valley's new Head of Security, a one Titanus Pythonidae. Bohren had an excellent memory for names and faces, and immediately committed the new Head to his own file. This was, after all, a large chess game, and new pieces would have to be carefully observed. Bohren naturally had spies in both of the other cities in addition to formal diplomats, as he imagined was the case all around, but there were certain things he liked to discern for himself.

Today was a good day for Bohren's back - something he could thank the warmth of his robes for - and so he strode through the crowd at his full height. At six-three, he was taller than the vast majority of the common folk, and towered over Gia by more than a foot and her escort by half that. Jabbing his staff into the ground ahead of him, more for presentation than actually for balance, Bohren made his way casually but purposefully in the direction of the leader of Aurora Valley.

"Gia," Once he was alongside them, Bohren opened the dialogue. "Glad you could make it." This was entirely a true statement on several levels. For one, it was a show of good faith, which was good for relations. For two, Bohren generally enjoyed Gia's company; she had an old head on her shoulders despite her naivete on some issues, and could talk politics with him. Finally, and most selfishly, it meant he wasn't the only leader wasting his time out here. "And this must be your new Head of Security. Bohren Vinland, ruler of Laknos. Though, I'm sure you knew that already." If nothing else, Bohren was a distinctive man; he would be very difficult to mistake for anyone else with his height, his unique gait, and his old-fashioned garb.



Unlike his ruler, Devanus loved events like this one. He was social enough to enjoy interacting with dozens of new people in the space of a few hours, but more importantly, this many people and this many pockets provided him with plenty of work for one of his less-than-legal exploits. Dev was not hurting for coin at the moment, but it never hurt to practice, and one could never have too much money. Of course, the increased security posed a problem, but Devanus was nothing if not up for a challenge.

For now, however, he was just content to explore and mingle. It had been a while since he had done anything resembling relaxing, and this was a good excuse. He was somewhat wary of Deproelior citizens recognizing his ancestry, but he doubted anything would be made of it at the moment; the guards would at least be good for that much.

Grabbing himself a drink, Dev waited until the guard was looking the other way before scrambling up to the roof of one of the stands and perching himself on the edge. From here he had an excellent view of the entire festival, and provided that no-one looked up (which people rarely did), he would not be bothered. He could immediately see the leader of Laknos, Bohren Vinland, and followed the old man's line of sight to the Aurora Valley leader. Still no sign of the third ruler, but that did not terribly surprise Devanus.

Sitting back on the roof, Dev took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The sounds of music and chatter filled his ears, and he was reminded of a time when he would have happily joined in with the former, regardless of his utter lack of talent. Those days, however, were long past, and now he was an observer, and that was something he had made peace with some time ago.

Unfortunately, the relative peace was not to last. Someone had, in fact, looked up and spotted him, and from the motions of his hands, Dev knew he was signalling a guard. Immediately he was up and moving, hopping from stand to stand to any structure he could grab in an attempt to break the guard's line-of-sight. He was hardly causing trouble, and he suspected that once he was out of sight, he would be out of mind.

This was proved true when Dev dropped to the ground and ducked behind a partition for a few moments, took a breath, and then peeked out again. Crisis averted. With a smile, Devanus hopped back up the nearest roof, only to come crashing straight through it. Unlike the others, which had been wooden or stronger, this was old-fashioned felt, and could not support his weight. Ever aware, even half-stunned, Dev looked around quickly on landing. No one seemed to have noticed him...except for the young woman he had practically fallen on top of. Scrambling to his feet and dusting himself off, he noticed the woman's drink, which he had knocked out of her hands. "Sorry about that," he offered a sheepish smile. "Can I get you another one?"

[Gia Trakana]

Gia heard another voice, and turned to see her opposite in Laknos standing before her and Titanus. I guess you’re going to have to get used to it sooner rather than later, she thought silently, meaning Titanus. “Lord Bohren,” she said, giving him a respectful nod. The man had been ruling for longer than she had been alive and for most of Titanus’ life as well. Seeing as how she had only been ruling for eight years, and their opposite in Deproelior had just gotten the title. Compared to them, he was ancient in terms of ruling time. Not to mention the fact that he was much older than either or the new Deproelior ruler, Stratos Nozariel. She couldn’t say much about becoming ruler at nineteen, at least that’s what the rumored age was. She herself had become ruler at fifteen, and was doing just fine. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. I trust you’re doing well.”

Gia meant what she said. Despite the fact that she and the old man didn’t see eye to eye all the time, she harbored no ill feelings towards Bohren. They were bound to disagree on certain matters. He came from a different city that had very different values. He was also much older. Right now, though, she noticed that he was standing a little straighter than usual. It pleased her, because when debating with him on political matters, she didn’t see him as an old man. The young woman noticed that he quickly turned his attention to her companion. She suddenly became aware that her hand was still on his arm, so she dropped nonchalantly. “Yes, this is my new Head of Security, Titanus Pythonidae.” She didn’t introduce Lord Bohren any further, because he had already introduced himself. It was polite of her to properly introduce Titanus, because she was the only link the two had.

Gia glanced at Titanus, wondering how he would deal with the situation. This was all so new to him, and it wouldn’t do for him to act uncomfortable in front of the older man. While she considered Laknos an ally, she wasn’t foolish enough to think of what rumors would say if it spread that he seemed… odd all day. Turning her glance back to Bohren, she heard a crash. Looking around, her green eyes spotted some commotion going on, but it seems if the security provided for the festival was dealing with whatever it was happening. Being rather short, she couldn’t see around the two men around her. Another breeze wafted through, and she ran her hands over her shoulders real quick before dropping them back to her sides. “Everything is going well, I presume?”

Astaria looked around. Still, no one she knew had arrived. Her brother, Kito, wasn’t there yet, if he was planning on coming at all. Her partner, Jiron, didn’t seem to have arrived yet, even though she said he would come. Sighing, the blonde took another sip of her drink. Maybe, I should just leave, she told herself. She was still dying to get back to the Museum and look at the that diary. Part of her wondered if her partner hadn’t taken the opportunity while she was the party to look at it himself. Nah, he wouldn’t do that. They had made an agreement. Besides, she hadn’t told him that she wanted to look at the diary. Never mind that it would be rude to go and look over all the stuff they’d brought back from the Ruins alone without having your partner there.

Astaria had been minding her own business, when suddenly someone basically crashed into her and knocked her to the ground. For a moment, she laid there in shock. Part of her didn’t even register what had happened or that she was on the ground now. What on earth had happened? She heard a man’s voice apologize to her and ask her if she wanted a new drink. Sitting up, she said, “You’d better. It’d be rude not to, especially after you crash into me.” The tall woman dragged herself up off the ground, and began to dust herself off. Honestly, the nerve of some people. She still had no idea what had happened or why the man had decided to crash into her. Looking around, she noticed a stall that seemed to be missing a rough. What on earth… she thought to herself.

Astaria looked at him clearly for the first time. He was thin, and a couple inches shorter than her. She wasn’t sure if she had seen him around or not, but then again, the blonde was a workaholic. The archaeologist didn’t work out much. “If you’re going to knock me to the ground, you should at least tell me your name.” Part of her was honestly curious what in the world he was doing on the roof. Her blue eyes glanced over there again, before looking back at him. “While you’re here, I’m curious, what on earth were you doing on that roof? Surely, there’s nothing wrong with walking on the ground like the rest of us normal people?” She wasn’t meaning to come across as rude, but, honestly, it bugged her.

[Devanus Zeller]

The young woman that Devanus had landed on seemed even more dazed than he was after the incident, and Dev was not entirely sure that she had heard his apology and offer going by the glazed look in her eyes at the time. It soon became apparent that she had, however, and Devanus was gone and back with a fresh cup almost before she had finished asking him the rest of her questions. Offering it up to her, Dev laughed at her inquisition.

"That's true, that wasn't very gentlemanly of me, was it? I'm Devanus." It was difficult for him not to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the comment, but he was managing it with difficulty. This woman, it seemed, did not find it so amusing, and while he could hardly blame her given the circumstances, it was rather a shame. Still, Devanus was nothing if not capable of running with a less than ideal situation.

Her question about his roof-hopping was one that Devanus had fielded a hundred times before, and the answer came off his tongue as easily as his name had. "Nothing wrong with it, no, except that it's slow, inefficient, makes you liable to run into people, and doesn't provide as nice of a view. Besides, a guy has to keep fit somehow." Realizing what he'd just said, Devanus chuckled quietly, "Though I do concede that when I step right through an awning, it does become something more of a hassle." Devanus felt no shame for his unorthodox method of getting around. It had served him as a youth and it served him now in his distinct line of work. This quiet confidence came out now as he defended himself casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Now that they had had a second to calm down, Devanus allowed himself an actual look at the woman he had knocked over. He didn't recognize her, which meant she was either foreign or did not work in a place that would necessitate traveling the streets much. She was probably about his age, fairly tall for a girl - though he was rather short for a boy - and rather well-proportioned, if you were into that sort of thing. Devanus was, no doubt about it, but fewer things were a more effective buzzkill than someone who didn't know how to have fun, and despite trying to give her some slack for having just had him fall on top of her, Devanus was quickly leaning toward mentally dropping her into that exact bucket.

"And whom, may I ask, do I have the pleasure of falling on today?" Devanus could be charming when he wanted to be, but right now he was just light. It was still taking a large portion of his willpower not to laugh at the whole thing, and it showed as it slipped out in lines like that one. Grabbing himself a drink, Devanus threw most of it back at once, trying to calm himself down a little. Accidents like that got his adrenaline going, as they often preceded being chased by the police...or worse.

[Gia Trakana]

Astaria gave a polite smile as Devanus introduced himself. He went on to explain why he travelled by roof instead of by foot. She couldn’t help but finding it amusing, because the entire idea of travelling by roof was as absurd as it came. His comment about keeping fit by jumping on roofs sent a giggle out of her mouth. If she was speaking to her parents at all, they’d probably tell her that his guy was trouble. Anyone who travelled by rough had to have a couple of screws loose, so to speak. Either that or he had another reason that escaped her. Her brother probably wouldn’t think very highly of it, either. Neither was here, though, and if she was honest with herself, she was curious about him.

Astaria was a bookworm, and spent all of her with Jiron, either in the Library or out at the Ruins. Her trips to the Ruins were at least four days there and at least four days back, and going through the desert always hampered things. This meant she was usually gone for two weeks at a time. This also meant that the workaholic didn’t get out much and meet anybody. She wasn’t sure if this was kind of person that she wanted to meet, but it was a new person. Wasn’t that the point of a party? To meet new people and mingle with them. It didn’t mean you had to see them afterwards, but it also didn’t mean that it was polite to just ignore them and move on when you didn’t know them. Talking to someone never hurt anyone, unless that person fell on you, but what could you do about that after the fact.

Astaria tried not to giggle at his comment about who he had the pleasure of “falling on” today, but almost couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t that she honestly found the situation of someone falling on her amusing, but the fact that it had happened and the way he was dealing with it just gave her the giggles. It was so stupid, it was insane! “My name is Astaria Leaygros. I’m one of the Historians & Archaeologists at the Library & Museum.” The blonde had a habit of introducing herself with her job description as people had a habit of asking her why they hadn’t seen her if she was a native Laknosian. She wondered what he would say to that. Besides, it was a good way of seeing if there was a… less than savory reason for him travelling by roof. If he was in trouble with the military, her last name might ring a bell.

[Devanus Zeller]

Well now that was more like it. Devanus' light-hearted attitude toward the incident was apparently infectious, as Astaria was now giggling, which in turn brought a small laugh out of him. It was even harder to keep oneself under control when someone else was laughing; a curious impulse, Dev had always thought, but not one worth denying. If he could keep this up, then perhaps he could waste a few minutes chatting here while the evening bore on. Devanus had absolutely no idea what the night held in terms of festivities, so until such things were revealed, he would make his own fun.

Astaria's last name caught for the briefest of moments in his mind, but he pushed it aside as he inclined his head in acknolwedgement. "A pleasure to meet you, Astaria Leaygros, Historian and Archaeologist at the Library and Museum." The method of introducing herself was somewhat odd, and Dev could hardly resist the urge to mimic it back at her with a smile. That profession did explain why he had not seen her before; she was probably out on digs most of the time, and Dev very rarely left the city at all. What it did not explain was where he knew her name from, no, that would require some additional thinking.

Letting his eyes wander over the crowd, Dev tossed it over in his mind a few times. Only when his gaze flicked over a guard did it hit him; he had heard it before. One of the city soldiers shared it. A brother perhaps? Who knew? Devanus was rarely seen and even more rarely caught, so he doubted that her relation would know him, but this was intriguing. Depending on her closeness with him - if they were indeed related - knowing her could be a very valuable thing for someone of Devanus' persuasions. Yes, that could be all sort of advantageous, though Devanus doubted there was much there if she spent all her time outside the city. Still...

Hey! A little voice in Dev's head reminded him where he was. Business later. You're here to enjoy yourself for once. Conceding to his inner self, Devanus turned his attention back to Astaria. "So do you study the history of the war then?" As a rule, Devanus found arty subjects, such as history, dreadfully dull, but there was one exception; the war. There was something very interesting about a conflict that had been going on so long no one remembered why it started. Well, that, and there were his personal reasons, but he pushed those to the back of his mind. He was getting the impression Miss Leaygros was married to her work, and if there was one subject he could get her talking on, this would be the one.

[Gia Trakana]

Astaria saw nothing that would indicate he knew her brother. There was still a good chance that he might know Kito; there was also a good chance he might not. Right now, she was at a festival. One went to a festival to mingle and meet people, and she had done just that. She rolled her eyes as he mimicked the way she had introduced himself, but she just gave him a small smile and didn’t respond. “I study the history of Arcanus itself, but yes, the war is a big part of our history, obviously,” she explained more fully. It was only natural, as a man, he was more interested in the war than in the history itself. People lived back then, people who were pivotal in how things in their world turned out. That’s what fascinated her. There was so much more to the history of the planet than just the war.

Astaria figured that she could humor him for a bit. If he was interested in the war, than she could talk about that. “It’s fascinating, really,” she told him. “My partner and I go to the Ruins frequently in the desert and see what we can find. We bring back what we can carry, and then go through it. When we’re doing, we go back.” If anything, anyone had to respect trips out to the Ruins. It was a minimum of a four day trip, and it was not an easy one. It was one that she and her partner made out of necessity. “We’ve found a lot of interesting stuff, though we still haven’t been able to discover how the war started.” That was what was bugging her. No one remembered how the conflict between Deproelior and Aurora Valley really started. Not much was known about the downfall of the once great city-state of Arcanus.

Even visiting the ruins, one could see how great the city once stood. The castle where the royal family used to live was now in shambles. The city itself was huge, and anything of any value was buried under piles of rocks and piles that used to be houses. “We know that Micon Gregoro and Vicantor Lerani ended up becoming the leaders of the factions that ended up becoming Deproelior and Aurora Valley. We’re not sure where the founders of Laknos came in, only that they were there and that they must have opposed them. We know that Vicantor Lerani was killed by someone on the opposing side, though it’s never been clear exactly who. His son, Nicon, was young, and we know he vocally disagreed with how the other two groups handling things, but we’re not sure what happened to him.

“All we know is that Vicantor Lerani’s death spurred on the hatred, and this son’s words were meaningless to most of those two factions. Things escalated until Queen Ketani spoke the “Speech of Peace”. Of course, then she died, and her daughter took over, and everything went to hell again. Things escalated even more in her reign, eventually leading to Miconand Letana Gregoro leaving and founding Deproelior, and Metala Lerani leaving and founding Aurora Valley.” Yes, it was not widely known that founding member of Aurora Valley was not a man, but Vicantor Lerani’s aging wife, Metala. “We know that Lerani’s and the Gregoro’s must have known each other one some level other than just on opposing sides, but not to what level. We’re also not sure who Leran and Virana Niconi where during all this and where they fit in, only that when Queen Ketani’s daughter died, they left and founded Laknkos.”

Astaria sighed as she recalled her knowledge, and the huge argument that had erupted between the different factions of the city-state of Arcanus. “We’re not sure how things got so bad so quickly, as we’ve been able to find any accounts of the leaders, just the followers.” She was fairly certain the diary that she and Jiron had found belonged to the Lerani family, and she couldn’t wait to read it. She wasn’t ready to divulge that information just yet. It was then that the blonde realized that she must be boring her companion. “I’m sorry,” she said, giving a small smile. I must be boring you. I just got back from the Ruins, so I’ve been living off of nothing but archeology for about two weeks now, well, me and my partner, Jiron.” The bastard still hadn’t shown up yet, but for now, that was okay. She was no longer standing by herself, even if she was fairly certain after that long account he’d leave. Who wouldn’t? by Arcanus, she needed to get some semblance of a live or she’d been destined to be alone.

"So, what about you?" Astaria asked him. "What do you do?" In all honesty, she was curious. What did some do for a living when they had a habit of travelling by roof? It seemed weird, and she still had a feeling that it was less than savory, but she had no proof of that at the moment. Besides, she was curious, something that she found rather annoying sometimes, but at the moment, it was the only things stopping her from standing alone at a party. "You never did fully explain why you were travelling by roof. It's an... interesting form of transportation. Yes, you can see more, but... why?" She blinked at him, searching his face as she waited for a response.

[Devanus Zeller]

I think I may have loosed a monster. Devanus thought to himself wryly. He had been spot on about work being her passion, and now it was really more a question of how he was ever going to manage to get her to talk about anything else. Most of what she was saying sounded vaguely familiar from classes and things his father had told him in the rare moments they had spent together, but Devanus would not have been confident enough to say that he truly knew any of it; nor would he remember it in a day's time, unless he had occasion to, if say, he intended to hang out with Astaria again.

Patiently standing through the entire speech and nodding when Astaria recounted things that he understood or remembered having heard before, Devanus returned her smile at her realization at how much she had gone on. He did not mind terribly; her talk of the dig site had triggered something he was enthusiastic about; exploration. It had been tempered somewhat since his days of running with the gang, but Devanus had always had a fierce love of the new and discovery. He had never had a chance to go out to the ruins and had always wanted to. And if that wasn't a talking point, nothing was.

"No, it's alright. I've always wanted to go out to the dig site. I've explored all around the city, but I don't get out of here much and that sounds like a really interesting job." He could definitely go without all the categorizing and analyzing, but the hunting for relics and clues in the unstable wreckage of a lost city? Hell, that sounded like more fun than anything he had been up to in years. He briefly made a mental note about her partner, but dismissed it almost as quickly. Whoever Jiron was, he or she was not here at the moment. Perhaps later, but that was a matter for when it happened. This was not a job; this was casual conversation. It frustrated Dev sometimes just how often he had to remind himself of that.

Try as he might, Devanus could not keep his mind from wandering given the information Astaria had supplied. Was a job of that importance reporting directly to Lord Bohren or at the very least one of his Heads of State? Surely learning anything that might bring an end to the war would be a top priority; it was no secret that Lord Bohren had no intention of picking a side if it could be at all avoided, even if the general consensus was that he was going to live long enough that he would have to make that decision. Perhaps Astaria was more important than he might have thought.

NO BUSINESS.

Astaria's question, plus the voice in his head, forced Devanus to terminate his meandering train of thought. This was, unfortunately, the point at which he was going to have to start lying to her. Devanus made his money two ways, neither of which were legal, so he could hardly be telling her that. Still, he did need, and indeed had, a fake cover job. "Oh, nothing that involves running on the roofs, if that's what you're thinking. I'm an assistant down at the apothecary. Doesn't pay much, but it's only me to support, so I get by." It was an excellent cover; being an assistant gave him flexible hours. Couple that with a boss that didn't care if he lived or died and some dangerous chemicals, and Dev also had a convenient cover for any injuries he might sustain doing his real work.

Not to be dissuaded, Astaria also pressured him on the parkour movement; not an unreasonable thing to do, as far as Devanus was concerned. He was quickly reforming the pigeonhole that the historian was slotting into, and it was plenty obvious from the look on her face that she couldn't fathom why anyone would want to get about that way. On this matter, however, he could at least tell a partial truth. "I learned when I was younger, with friends. It was a faster way to get about the city, especially late at night if you don't want trouble. Don't tell me you didn't get up to at least a bit of no good when you were a kid. I guess I never grew out of it." Devanus, Aurora, and the rest had never been troublemakers; just explorers who weren't interested in playing by the rules.

Peering into Astaria's cup, Devanus made the observation that they both needed new drinks, and hastened to get them before carrying on the conversation. "So I'm guessing this is a rare night off for you then. Would have been a shame to be out at the ruins when all this was going on." He cast a sidelong glance in Astaria's direction, even as he turned his body and swept his hand wide to indicate the whole festival. He had a niggling feeling that she wasn't the partying type, and he was happy to let her contradict him. People, as a rule, did not like to just tell you things, but they loved to tell you that you were wrong.

[Gia Trakana]

Astaria nodded as he said her job sounded interesting. “I think it is, but most people find it boring,” she told him. “It’s a lot of digging through dirt and debris to find a few good relics. It gets hard, especially when you’re out in the desert.” The amount of things that one needed to bring with them to on a two week trip out in the middle of the desert to the Ruins were a lot – food and water for two weeks plus, plus all of their tools. It was a lot of work, but it was something she was extremely passionate about. She was pretty sure that she had bored him thoroughly, though, and that made her feel bad. I need a life, she thought to herself, as he went on to explain that he worked at the Apothecary as an assistant. “That sounds interesting,” she told him. “Not much one for all that myself, but it’s certainly an interesting job and someone has to do it.”

Astaria giggled as he went on to explain that the roof hopping had a habit from his teenage years. The subject of trouble caused her to smile. “I was a good kid,” she told him, taking a sip of the drink she’d forgotten that he’d gotten for her in her all of her jabbering about her job, which apparently was the only thing she could talk about it. Pushing away any thoughts of her lameness in that area, she just smiled at him. “The only thing I ever did was learn to fight from my brother. He always wanted to be a soldier, and he felt that I needed to know how to protect myself, something I agree with.” She took another sip as memories washed over her about that time in her life after Kristos had joined the military. “Let’s just say my brother joining the military and teaching me how to fight were not the things that my parents ever wanted to hear.” She left it at that.

Astaria would go into more detail if Devanus asked, but she didn’t out right admit that her parents had disowned Kito, and that she herself had spoken to them in years due to their great differences in opinion. The blonde smiled at him as she was handed another drink from her companion. “Thank you.” He went to mention a rare night off for her. “Yes, we pretty much make our own hours, but they pay us a damn good salary to bring home relics, so Jiron and I do that to the best our ability,” the archaeologist explained. “Besides, we both love what we do. Something you already know, of course.” She gave a sheepish grin, not wanting to bore the man to death with her talks about her job… again. “Yes, it would be have been a shame. I’m not one for parties, personally, but a night off is something that I think Jiron and I both needed.” She glanced around for him again, but again, no show yet.

“Of course, he hasn’t shown up yet,” Astaria said, a slight bit of annoyance in her voice. She took another sip of her drink. A smile crossed her lips as she realized she was not alone at the moment, and she wasn’t sure how long that was going to last. The only thing she could do was to take it as long as he was willing to spend time with her. “His loss, though, I suppose.” She took another sip, glancing around the party. More people were starting to file in, and it was possibly that she had missed both her brother and her partner in the mess. A glance at Devanus told her that at least for the moment, which was fine. She didn’t know where this going, and right now, she didn’t care. She had someone to talk to, so if they did show up, they could find her. She had no reason to go searching to find them. “I just got back late last night, too, so the timing was pretty much perfect.”

[Devanus Zeller]

If nothing else, Devanus was glad that Astaria brought up the less-than-pleasant details of her job. He had been so bored of late, with so little interesting work to do, that had she not he might have seen just who he had to bribe to get put on the next expedition. Now, however, that enthusaism was tempered. He loved the outdoors, and the heat wouldn't bother him in the desert, but there was a difference between digging and exploring, and he really only loved the latter. It was no surprise, he reflected, given that he could have always gone into archaeology when he was younger, and had deliberately chosen not to. There was no sense in doubting that decision now.

"Like I said," Devanus replied to her comment on his job. "It pays the bills and gives me plenty of free time to run around on the rooftops. The occasional lab explosion is enough excitement for me." More half-truths, but such was his life. Any chance that thought had of running away was quickly silenced when Astaria began talking of her brother. It did not take long to put two and two together and conclude that yes, the soldier bearing her last name was indeed her brother. Devanus also made note of the self-defense training. His childhood had been scrappy, and he definitely knew how to handle himself in a fight, but it was always good to know where not to underestimate someone else. Astaria was hardly a mild-mannered archaeologist, but he still probably would not have put her down as a fighter.

Her last comment piqued Devanus' curiosity. "They were hoping for a more peaceful life for him, I guess. And you. I know how that goes." Devanus' father had come to this city to escape the war and violence, but his neglect for his son in the name of keeping them afloat economically had caused Devanus to not adopt the same fear. He had learned from an early age what had to be done to survive. Sometimes, it wasn't pretty. "I bet even being an apprentice apothecary would disappoint my father. Too dangerous for him." Part of Dev could sympathize with his father's desire for the two of them to stay safe, but he could not accept that life. Not that it mattered now, Devanus had taken his own path, and his father was dead.

As Dev had already surmised, whoever this Jiron was, he hadn't arrived, and from the way she was searching the crowd, Devanus doubted she saw her brother either. There was a lot of call for a soldier though, even on nights like tonight, so the latter was perhaps unsurprising. A thought crossed Dev's mind in that moment, and he nearly voiced it before biting his tongue. Business had crept in again, and a voice had wondered whether Jiron had not arrived because something bad had happened to him. It sounded like they had valuable relics. Certain people might want those. But Dev didn't want to worry Astaria when it was probably all for nothing. It was painfully obvious she didn't get out much, and he was enjoying the opportunity to see a side of her she probably didn't often show. The alcohol probably wasn't hurting in that regard either. "His loss indeed."

Had this been business, Devanus would have only been pretending to drink along with Astaria. Since it was pleasure, however, he was indulging himself, and could already feel the drug working its way into his system. Before he knew it, there was a coin rolling across the knuckles of his free hand, and he was rapidly making it disappear and reappear. Since his youth, Devanus had been an amateur magician, and there was plenty of call for sleight of hand in his life these days.

"I hope you don't have an early morning." So practiced was Dev with the simple illusion that he carried on talking even as his left hand repeated the trick, totally ignoring what it was doing. "You may be up late again. I don't think this is slowing down."

[Aura Adnarim]

Aura was feeling a little parched and had picked up a class of a light colored wine, out of habit when she lifted it towards her lips she first breathed in the scent of it with her mouth and then smelled it with her nose. Just a little trick that she had learned to help her chose what kind of wine she wanted to drink. She took a small sip and slowly swallowed it; it was a lovely wine that had come from outside of Aurora Valley. In the back of her mind it brought back such pleasant memories that before she knew it a light smile had touched her lips. Her pale blue eyes took in her surroundings, of course she couldn’t overlook the ruler of Laknos he was a tall older man that she always thought was stuffy and stuck in his ways. And next to him was her best friend, of course she thought that her friend looked stunning in her red dress.

The young woman had been low on funds so she had to dig out something that she had already owned. It was the first time that she was going to wear it, a bright yellow dress that came down to her ankles with a box neckline and cap sleeves that laid flat against her skin and trimmed in silver with a thin delicate steel belt circling her waist. Her long red hair had been just braided halfway down her back with a white ribbon before it was done in a bun and pinned to the back on her head with the rest just hanging loose and touching her shoulders. To top off her look she had put on the only necklace that she owned it was a thin gold chain with a pale blue stone cut into a teardrop that rested on the hollow of her throat. Some would think that she was a walking flame, but Gia herself had chosen the colors to suit her friend and it did make a statement.

She had moved away from the refreshment table and had started to look around. Of course on the inside she was worried about people seeing her here. Well the message had to be delivered and she was afraid that it would be pointless now if the new lord had decided to show up, and it would be in his best interest to do so. She had not yet set eyes on the man but she had left her ears open to any scrap of information that came her way. Suddenly she saw a man was coming her way it was her ex-boyfriend, of course she had on a slightly board look on her face.


“Aura I have not seen you around in a long time, I wanted another chance.” The blond haired man in his late twenty’s said to the woman in front of him.


“Excuse me? I have never seen you before in my life and if your idea of a pickup line is comparing a woman to your ex-girlfriend, then you are in need of new material.” Aura told him in her most cutting tone as she walked away from him leaving him with his mouth halfway open in shock. A part of her wanted to laugh about the whole thing, but she made herself look slightly disgusted by the whole encounter for anyone that was watching her. She took another sip of her wine to keep her nerves steady.

[Gia Trakana]

OOC: Short post. -_- Sorry.

Astaria nodded at Devanus’ comment about his part-time work at the apothecary being enough excitement for him. That may be true, but something told her that a man that travelled on roof tops wanted he more excitement than some part-time job in an apothecary. She had no reason to doubt that at the moment, and she was reminded that pushing him away would leave her standing here alone when neither her brother nor Jiron had shown up the party yet, at least as far she could see. Besides, she was enjoying the man’s company for the time being, and the blonde was not about to be standing here by herself for any reason. It was true that she was no party animal, but she was not about to be that lame.

Astaria nodded, a small smile appearing on her face as he mentioned his father. His father was not unlike her parents and most people in Laknos. They were blinded by their love of peace and their want to stay out this war. It was true that most believed it was never theirs, but the archaeologist disagreed. It had always been their fight. They were one race, one people, and no matter of separating themselves into cities would not change that fact. Besides, what did they think would happen? If the Aurora Vallien Military triumphed over Deproelior, she was fairly certain everything would be fine. Would Deproelior do the same thing? She doubted it. Would they stop with a triumph over Aurora Valley and just leave it at that? Maybe, but of course, this new ruler – whoever he was – might have a taste for power and come for them. If they sided with one side or the other, they could make sure that didn’t happen.

“I always have early mornings,” Astaria said, a smile on her face. “An archeologist’s job never rests. We have to start cataloging and translating everything we brought back from our last trip to the ruins. It’s a lot of work.” There would be a lot of long days until they finished. Once they did, they would take a day or two break, prepare to go back to the ruins, and off they’d be again. It was a long, exhausting job, but one the blonde wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. Her blue eyes noticed his fingers moving. Glancing down, the tall woman saw a coin going in and out of his fingers. Neat trick, she thought to himself. “Besides, I think I’ve had enough to drink. I’m not much of a drinker, and as you said, this could be a late night.” She glanced down at the disappearing coin as she took a sip of her drink. “Where did you learn that interesting trick?”