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Post by Grim on Jan 17, 2018 4:55:19 GMT
Arturas and his sisters entered entered the area that the king and his own family seemed to be at. King Arno seemed to be speaking with Queen Aelin It seemed they were at least deep in chatting. Since he wasn't here in any official capacity he decided for the time being he wouldn't in any hurry to interrupt them as they spoke. From across the way he could see an older woman staring daggers towards Queen Aelin, was fairly certain that was Arno's mother but he was not for sure. What he was sure was that the woman clearly didn't care for the Alendronian woman. A story for sure but not one that he would felt he needed to be privy to, in fact he didn't even want to walk between the two lest those daggers found him.
He was brought back to reality when his youngest sister nudged him as servant presented them with goblets of wine, Not the biggest drinker he decided it would be rude if he didn't take graciously accepted a goblet with his sisters.
"Brother over there, I believe that is King Arno's sister." gestured Andy faintly towards a young woman sitting next to the woman who seemed to relax some as her servant refilled her cup. He was surprised he hand't noticed her before, then again years of his fathers teachings mixed with a few of his mentors over the years had taught him to watch for the woman scorned.
"She is pretty, you should go introduce yourself brother lest history repeats again." Athena chimed in.
He gave each of his sisters a glance and an playfully fake dissatisfied smile, "Yes I know, if I don't go now our city and lands will forever be barren and pestilence shall be its new ruler." He takes a long drought of the drink, sweeter than he had hoped but he composed himself, "It's a wonder I ever made it through training and schooling without my sisters to guide me along." He quipped sarcastically as he strode towards the young woman.
"Don't worry about us, we will be around" Andy gestured to the various assorted people around.
Arturas shook his head a little and continued towards the women at the table. His mind working overtime trying to come up with something to say, the entire time nothing coming to mind. Cursing himself mentally as he stops finally arriving at the table nothing still to stay, so he makes it up as he goes along. How can this go wrong, he asks himself as he introduces himself. "My Ladies, I apologize if I am interrupting anything I just wanted to introduce myself to the most wonderful hosts who put this together. I am Boyar Arturas Cosella Bannerman of King Koschei of Luska, Might I have the pleasure of your names?
He hid his nervousness well but if one was to ask him to tell the truth he would say he would rather fight rabid wolves with his bare hands than stand her and make a fool of himself. He was a warrior and his father told him the Court was its own battlefield and well today he was going to try to learn that battlefield.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 17, 2018 21:23:28 GMT
Sabelle sighed, feeling a knot form in her stomach at the thought that she would have to remain for a few more hours at this social event. She stared down into her glass, trying to convince herself that there weren't so many people around her and that she would be fine. Perhaps, if she was lucky, no one would talk to her.
Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man approaching. Inside her head, she begged him to turn and talk to her other family members and leave her alone. But he kept coming. Then he spoke.
Sabelle reacted by making a noise that was somewhere between a chip and a squeak and moving in behind her mother, using Margarethe as a sort of shield to defend herself from socialization. She pressed into her mother like a frightened child, clutching her goblet tightly.
"H-hello," she said quietly, avoiding all eye-contact. "Uhm... I am Sabelle..."
She internally congratulated herself for at least managing an introduction..if she was lucky, he would focus upon her mother and she would be able to simply zone out and think about other things. It wasn't ideal, but she would have to make do in such a situation. Oh, why did Revolution Week have to happen every year? People always wanted to talk to her.
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Post by Fyremage on Jan 18, 2018 15:11:26 GMT
Margerethe's eyes were still fixated upon the crowd. She was beginning to see the bottom of her goblet yet again, and her servant began filling it when a young man approached both her and her daughter. To say that her mood was altogether unpleasant would be an understatement, but Margie reigned in her otherwise dreary mood for just a few moments whilst speaking to this lad. So he was a bannerman of Luska, and was interested in her daughter?
One may wonder how she came to that conclusion, but why else would a young and red-blooded male introduce himself to two women sitting off to themselves at the dais? And all pride aside, Sabelle was growing to be rather beautiful. It was only a matter of time until a match would need to be made, but knowing her, one that served her needs rather than simply political advantage.
And while there were definitely worse matches to be made, the boy did seem a bit... wet behind the ears. Of course, her daughter was delicate anyway - so a young man with such an air may be more desirable than a man who feels he needs to prove his masculinity. "You have come to our festival, and you don't know our names?" Margie thought she'd toy with him a bit, to test his metal. "How revolutionary."
The Queen-Mother turned to her daughter who hid behind her and said nothing - but gave her a look that could only be described as a quintessential Cassian look: and one she had likely seen many times before. It bore no anger or malice, but projected one thing - authority. In other words, without saying a single word, Sabelle would know what Margie expected of her. 'You will sit down and comport yourself like a lady.'
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Post by Grim on Jan 18, 2018 23:57:08 GMT
Arturas wasn't sure what surprised him more the squeak that Sabelle or the fact she seemed to shy herself away and hide behind the Queen Mother. He had heard that the Revolution was rough for lots of people and may hap something happened. Then again with the crowd that was here he wouldn't be surprised if that was what could have been bothering her. In his time abroad he had learned that many people had a hard time with large groups. For now he wouldn't let it bother him and he bowed graciously towards Sabelle, "Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance Your Grace." Though he did notice she seemed to almost make sure no eye contact was made.
Then the mother spoke, she seemed at least a bit playful if that could be used as the right way to describe her mood. Though it was more like a cat toying with a mouse if he were to say what truly filled his mind. "I wouldn't go so far as to say that I don't know your names." He paused, "I just figured knowing one's name is hardly getting to know their acquaintance. This way I can technically say I have both, Your Majesty." He gave a wry smile, "Besides if one is to make a fool of themselves then is it not best to make sure to be a fool in front of the right people?"
Idiot. He started to chew himself out but the look the Queen Mother gave her daughter was one that had a message. One he was glad he wasn't getting himself. It actually caused Arturas wondered if when one became a parent they just magically were able to master that look.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 19, 2018 0:16:35 GMT
Sabelle looked up at her mother in horror. Mommy, no! she thought to herself. You’re supposed to protect me, aaaah!. She had been betrayed by her own flesh and blood. Yet Sabelle was not one to disobey her mother. She took an awkward seat, her goblet of wine still in a vicegrip. She raised it to her lips, and in her general state of mild panic, managed to drain it in a single gulp. She blinked, but didn't pay it any more mind than that. It was only one glass of wine, anyway. She wouldn't be getting drunk, not like last time. That had been bad for everyone and her mother had forbidden her from overdrinking ever since then. She winced as a servant refilled her goblet.
She stared at Arturas, looking at his chest so she didn’t have to look at his face. A finger came up and began to twirl a lock of hair around her finger, winding it tight. She felt so small, and so very lost. She wanted to go home and sleep. She kept winding her hair tighter around her finger until it started to hurt, but the pain offered no clarity.
“…you’re very kind…” she said softly. Her voice was almost elfin in quietly, pleasant to the ear but nearly childlike in its softness. “It’s nice to meet you too…”
She chewed her lip, trying to think of what she was exactly supposed to do. How was she supposed to greet someone? She thought back to what she had seen others do. Wait, Marielle had shaken someone’s hand, before, right? Yes, that made sense. That was clearly what she was supposed to do.
Suddenly, Sabelle’s hand shot out and she grabbed hold of the man’s hand and shook it an exaggerated manner, clearly not knowing what she was supposed to do. She looked down at his hand, then at hers.
“I… did that right, right?” she said, still holding onto Arturas’ hand. It was warm and sweaty.
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Post by Fyremage on Jan 19, 2018 19:16:09 GMT
"No." Margie said flatly in response to the young man. "In fact, I would much prefer making a fool of myself in front of those of little consequence." Her statement had a biting tone, but it wasn't directed necessarily at him, so as to imply he was of little consequence. Margie could be cruel, but not that cruel. Before she could expound much on the subject, her daughter said her piece, but thereafter proceeded to... shake the man's hand?
Margerethe let out a semi-stressed sigh, touching her temples ever so slightly. However, this seemed like the first indication of her actually coming out of her shell a bit, so Margie quickly regained her composure before her daughter could sense any negative reinforcement and remained silent, observing the interaction thus far.
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Post by Grim on Jan 20, 2018 2:08:40 GMT
Idiot, He thought to himself then the more sarcastic side took over, She must be a the best at parties. He didn't let him bother him, at least not too much and just shrugged it off, "To each their own then I say." There was no reason to start a discussion on something that meant so little, though he did take a mental note to be careful around her, she clearly had all good humor pulled from her body by some sort of evil ghost. Though he had little time to think much on it as Saballe like a viper grabbed his hand and shook it.
Arturas gave her a small smile, clearly Sabelle was either highly protected or maybe a bit off. She seemed genuine enough and clearly what she was doing took a huge step for her. If just because of how nervous she was acting and how sweaty her hand seemed to be. He spied a moment of both stress and relief maybe from her mother and decided to be nice to warm to her and gave her a warm smile, "Indeed, I would say you did your grace." He says taking her hand and leaning down and gently kissing the top of her hand. "Would you mind if I called you by your first name?"
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 20, 2018 2:23:28 GMT
A hot blush brightened up Sabelle’s pale features as the knight kissed her hand, and when she tried to respond, all that came out was a squeak. She went rigid, sort of leaving her hand there. She didn’t think to pull away, and even if he had released her hand she probably would have just let it hang there, unsure of what to do with it. No one had ever kissed her hand before. Why would he do that?
“Uhm…” she looked to her mother for confirmation. She’d never had anyone ask her a question like that before. She wasn’t sure of the protocol. Could he call her by her first name? People just either called her Sabelle or your grace and she had never really questioned why they did that.
“Yyyyeeessss?”
She looked Arturas over. He was handsome, certainly. She didn’t really tend to look at men that way but it was true. Nice facial features, big and muscled. She tried to make herself look him in the eyes, and managed a small peak before she found herself looking away again, smiling shyly in embarrassment at her general inability to handle herself in this situation. Sometimes she wondered if life would be easier if she was more of a social butterfly. Then again, she had always been happy to just be a reclusive artist.
…Then the thought that other men could want to kiss her hand entered her thought, and a grasp of terror wrapped around her heart.
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Post by Grim on Jan 23, 2018 3:06:23 GMT
Artura's continued to give her that smile he had. He was starting to feel she was a bit off given her inability to look him in the eyes and the small squeaks. She was at least a sweetheart and clearly everything going on in this short moment must have been bounds for the young woman in front of him. She seemed to be locked up at the moment from his gesture.
He felt for her, they all had been there not sure what to do, but given the shy smile and the blush on her face this might have been the first anyone has done anything remotely like this."Thank you Sabelle. Its a beautiful name for a beautiful person." he remarked to her, hoping it would not be overload for her.
He did find her actions to be a bit cute, he couldn't speak for all men but he has always enjoyed seeing a woman blush at him. It just made him feel good about himself, he liked to at least be thought of as being charming. He was about to say something more when he noticed get a bit worried as if some dark thought had crossed her mind. What should I say? He decided he would try to take her mind off of what ever was occupying it, "Sabelle, do you have anything you like to do in your free time?"
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 23, 2018 18:46:34 GMT
Sabelle snapped from her horror as she was complimented, her face twisting into a goofy, toothy grin. She scratched her cheek a little nervously, but she was still charmed all the same. When he asked her what she liked to do, an excitement entered her eyes.
"Oh! I paint a lot... And sing sometimes... And I like to read about animals... Especially bugs, and, and, and... Uh... I like to drink tea a lot too. There are so many kinds!"
Her voice was more animated, and she was clearly pleased that the Boyar had asked her the question. She then looked at him curiously.
"What do you like to do, Arturas?"
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Post by Grim on Jan 24, 2018 4:27:21 GMT
Arturas, could help but smile a bit more at the complete turn she took, clearly she was much more comfortable talking about stuff she liked. Seemed to make her forget what was going on around her.
A painter huh, he thought to himself, a bit of a singer as well. He was a bit surprised to hear she liked to read, and about insects none-the-less. He chuckled some at the mention of too many kinds of tea to drink. "That is all amazing, I would at some point love to see your artwork." He replied enthusiastically, "Yes there are many types of tea do you have a favorite?"
He paused for a bit as he thought about his own likes, "As long as you don't tell my youngest sister, I do enjoy dancing. Of course there is the usual warrior stuff, sparring, training and so forth. I myself try to read as much as I can, I am a fan of history myself, though I do like a good story about fantastical creatures and white knights."
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Post by Fyremage on Jan 25, 2018 18:48:20 GMT
"HAH" A burst of half a laugh could be heard as Arturas mentioned his interests, with Margie observing the pair passively, occasionally redirecting to observe the crowd. Apparently this young man was still interested in fairy tales and legends. Perhaps he had the mentality of a boy, and therefore was the perfect companion for her daughter. She felt a flash of regret at the thought, though. She could be so cruel in her thoughts, but wasn't that better than giving voice to them all?
Despite her uncontrolled outburst, she gave Sabelle a reassuring smile and nod of approval, waiting until her daughter looked away before her face adopted a sterner look at Arturas. What was this boy's angle? If he sought to 'get in her daughter's pants' he would have another thing coming.
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Post by Grim on Jan 26, 2018 3:23:57 GMT
Arturas gave the queen a sideways glance as she laughed at the mention of his like of tales. "I know some find fantasies to be bit childish, but I have found those same to be rather dull" He made the remake to in particular before giving his full attention to the young lady. "Do you have anything in particular you like to paint?"
He wanted to say more but instead decided he would keep his attention on the young woman in front of him.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 26, 2018 19:25:55 GMT
Sabelle nodded excitedly. "I love painting. And, uhm... My favourite tea is probably black tea with chamomile. It really helps me calm down."
She listened to the knight list his own interests, and found her curiosity grow. History? Stories? She wondered what kind of stories would appeal to a man like him. Were the folktales in his homeland similar to those of Routaille? Routais folktales tended to be so dark and grim and mean-spirited. She hoped he didn't like those. That would mean he was morbid like Arno.
Her mother laughed, although she did not understand why. Nothing said was particularly funny, in her opinion. Was her mother laughing at her enthusiasm? She was getting rather excited. Perhaps that was it.
She frowned at Arturas. She could tell who he was talking to when he said that some people are rather dull.
"Don't call my mommy dull. She is a smart lady." She huffed and folded her arms. Then she sighed. He did ask another question about her. "...and I like to paint portraits."
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Post by Grim on Jan 26, 2018 19:43:22 GMT
Arturas nodded in a bit of chastisement from Sabelle, "I am sure your mother is indeed very smart indeed. I apologize if I offended you Sabelle." It was true he didn't mean to offend her, though he would be lying if he didn't say he felt her mother did deserve it. Though it must have been one of those things that didn't translate well, generally in Luska calling someone dull was usually taken to mean boring.
He did perk up at hearing she liked to paint portraits, "Portraits? I am now envious of you I have always wished I had the talent to paint let alone be good enough to be paint a person portrait." He was genuinely curious about it, "I am no artist but I have heard all have one subject they like to paint, Do you have a favorite person to paint?"
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