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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 20:49:05 GMT -5
Julius simply nodded at the princess' command, his blades withdrawing and retreating back into the sheaths on his back. Ricard was right anyways. If his people have had the desire to take Lerwaria for such a long time, taking him down would just turn him into a martyr and spur his forces with far more vigor and purpose. It would be an idiotic move.
Julius stepped to the side, gesturing towards the room's exit with his hand.
"You heard the royal princess. Your visit's over."
There was no longer any sign of the armored man's usual joking tone. He spoke with obvious venom and was deadly serious. The ash king had quickly turned from someone Julius simply disliked and found annoying, to someone he adamantly despised. If he could dislike the man so much in just one visit, how much hated for him did Minerva hold?
He had to give her credit for managing to remain civil when taking that into consideration.
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 21:19:27 GMT -5
As if expecting the result of his endeavors all along, Ricard could only chuckle to himself, shaking his head while gesturing for his troops to depart. He hadn't expected anything less from the prideful woman at all. Indeed, she was always like this... but that was why she was desirable as well.
The troops fell in a neat line around him as Ricard began casually moving to the doors, and as they reached the entrance to the lobby, the foreign king turned around to glance at Julius and Minerva with his sly golden eyes.
"It seems we will meet again soon then... so remember this, my lady." Ricard began, flicking his eyes to Minerva with the same hungry gaze he had greeted her with.
"A rose is most beautiful when it is wilting."
And with that, they marched out, leaving an amalgam of feelings in the living room that ranged from relief, anger and disbelief. Not missing a step, Renvelse hastily gestured for a few soldiers to follow him while he headed in the same direction as the Ale-Estum king.
"We'll see them out." The young man muttered in Minerva's ear as he passed by, earning a slight nod of appreciation from the distracted looking princess. Soon, the only people left in the room were Minerva, Julius and a few soldiers, who hastily exited upon seeing their lord's mood.
Julius hadn't really known Minerva for long, but it was probably the most tired he had seen her. Her bright and cheerful visage had shifted into a look of intense thought, with her brows furrowed and lips unable to hide a weary frown. It's not like anyone could blame her. She just came home, and not only got hit with a marriage proposal, but news of impending war to her lands. All in all, it wasn't one of her better days.
And still, she managed to turn to the armored man next to her, and give him an apologetic smile.
"...Sorry, Julius. I didn't mean to get you involved in all of this."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 19, 2014 21:33:23 GMT -5
"Huh?" Julius turned to look at the princess, a confused expression beneath his helmet. "Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing! You've been dealing with that Ricard guy for a while and then he drops this bomb on you right when you get back home?" He folded his arms and shook his head, visibly annoyed at the whole situation.
"And what he said before he left. 'A rose is most beautiful when it's wilting'? I don't like the sound of that at all. I wouldn't be surprised if he was hoping for this..."
He became silent for a few moments, running the entire meeting with the ash king through his head again.
"Tch. So what are you gonna do now, Minerva? How long do you think until he actually tries something?"
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Post by Jisui on Jul 19, 2014 22:13:39 GMT -5
"Why are you apologizing to me? I should be the one apologizing! You've been dealing with that Ricard guy for a while and then he drops this bomb on you right when you get back home?"
Julius' consideration was appreciated, for sure... but still, it bothered Minerva that Julius had come here searching for someone (on business from the White Talons perhaps), and he almost got mixed up in a potential war between kingdoms. That wasn't exactly how she had wanted to welcome her new guest.
...Still... she couldn't stop the gratitude that had welled up inside of her when Julius stepped in front of Ricard. She was no weak damsel in distress, and everyone knew it, so no one had ever done something like that except for her younger brother. It was... refreshing somehow. She would have to show her gratitude later.
But what was more important was the current reality, and it was a grim one. Minerva took a few seconds to consider Julius' question, which she had been pondering since the king had left.
"...It depends on how long they've been preparing for this. Ricard is a lot of things... but I don't believe he was lying." Minerva had gotten reports out from neighboring villages that Ale-Estum was in a fairly bad state at the moment. The levels of famine and destitution were at an all time high, and if they were desperate enough, surely an invasion on their smaller and more rich neighbor would be feasible.
"I'll have to prepare for them then." She said reluctantly, understandably hesitant on getting in a war. No one liked getting in a situation where loss of lives were required. Except maybe Ricard. "I'll try sending a few envoys, but if they won't settle..."
She let her sentence trail off, a solemn atmosphere taking over the living room as the two contemplated the consequences of recent events. Suddenly, Minerva spoke up again to break the silence, her turquoise eyes trailing to Julius' visor.
"Say... Julius." The princess began slowly, as if an idea were mulling about in her head. "You've helped me out a great deal already. Umm... I'm not sure whether it's White Talon business or not, but since you gave the description for the person you're looking for, I can look instead if you want."
Realizing that her words might sound like a careless dismissal, Minerva hastily corrected herself in a rare stutter. "I-I didn't mean it like that! It's your business of course... I'd just rather not have you get involved in a war if I could help it."
And there was Julius' glimpse at what made Minerva such a beloved ruler to her people. To anyone but the most heinous of people, there was a casual kindness to her that seeped into people's hearts with ease. Instead of worrying over a possible invasion, she was worrying over a mysterious armored White Talon she had met a few hours ago.
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 20, 2014 0:46:45 GMT -5
Julius shook his head, grateful for Minerva's offer but declining. She had enough problems on her own plate and having her get involved with his own business would add a lot more. No, it'd be selfish of him to pile his own problems on top of hers.
"Nah, it's fine. You have your own problems anyways. Not gonna burden you with mine."
Besides, if he was lucky, he'd be able to complete his objective without any big fuss. He had to get ridiculously lucky in that case, but it wasn't impossible. Just really unlikely. Julius wasn't exactly sure what needed to be said next, so he looked towards the room exit.
"So is that tour still on the table or has this big mess with that guy canceled that? I reckon going around the kingdom for a bit would be a pretty decent way relax and organize your thoughts on this whole thing anyways."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 20, 2014 18:22:44 GMT -5
Minerva nodded in response to Julius' answer, accepting the dismissal gracefully. She wouldn't put her nose into his issues if he didn't want her to. It was true that she had enough on her plate anyway. Truthfully, she considered having her soldiers help search... but at times like these, it seemed that she couldn't afford to displace a single soldier.
"So is that tour still on the table or has this big mess with that guy canceled that?"
"Eh?" Minerva's eyes widened a bit, either forgetting about the whole tour altogether, or surprised that someone would want to go on a tour after what had just happened. That being said, it wasn't a bad idea. She could seriously use a break after what had just happened in her living room, and also figured Julius deserved a good look at her kingdom after sticking up to Ricard for her.
"Hmm... I suppose we can do that." The princess seemed to regain some of the playful tone and natural smile that had disappeared somewhat when they had entered the manor. if it was a tour he wanted, a tour he would get.
"Ah, before we go... perhaps I should introduce you to my younger brother, Renvel- ow!!"
Before the princess could finish her sentence, the same blonde haired young man from before strolled into the living room and promptly rapped her on the head with a scowl on his face.
"...What was that for, Ren?" Minerva complained, wincing as she rubbed the top of her head gingerly.
"That was for leaving me with three months of paperwork before you left."
"But you're better at it than- ow! Stop that!"
"That one was for calling me Renvelse. It's Ren." The young man muttered in an exasperated tone, although the sidewards glance at Julius suggested that it was more for Julius than anyone else.
"Renvelse isn't that bad of a- stop that! What did I do that time?!" Minerva cried while nursing the stop of her head, giving a glare to her younger brother that quickly softened upon hearing his next words.
"...That was for making me worried, idiot." He muttered, turning away from her and scratching his head as if hiding his embarrassment. Instead, the young prince turned to Julius, giving him a once-over with intense turquoise eyes that were so reminiscent of his sister, and at the same time, so very different. There was an intensity to his eyes that wasn't present in Minerva's, but a familiar warmth to it as well. Nodding to himself as if approving something, he extended a hand to the armored hand in greeting.
"...Ren Vernsund. My thanks for taking care of my troublesome sister."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 20, 2014 22:01:00 GMT -5
Julius watched Minerva's interaction with her younger brother, unable to resist smiling. It was clear they cared for each other although, from how he spoke of her, it seemed like she had a habit of disappearing for long periods of time and leaving the kingdom in the care of her brother. He was probably rather smart for his age if he was capable of keeping a while nation under control.
He nodded and grasped Ren's hand firmly and giving it a gentle shake. "Julius Sabin. And you don't need to thank me, haha. She was well worth the trouble. And, if you don't mind me saying, it's rather impressive that you're able to keep this whole kingdom under control while your sister's gone."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 21, 2014 0:57:26 GMT -5
"Julius Sabin. And you don't need to thank me, haha. She was well worth the trouble."
Taking Julius' armored hand and clasping it in a handshake, the young noble raised an eyebrow at his words. It seemed his sister had picked up someone who was good with words. To his right, Minerva couldn't hide a quiet giggle at the unintentional flattery.
"...Hm. Somehow I find that hard to believe." Ren muttered, releasing the Talon's hand and moving on before his sister could respond with an indignant reply.
"And it's nothing much." He replied offhandedly in response to Julius' praise, his ego relatively untouched from the comment. "When the ruler of your country spends most of her time gallivanting with two idiots instead of doing her job, you get used to it."
Minerva at least had the decency to look sheepish at this, but couldn't reply because it was mostly true. The Mist Princess of Lerwaria was well known by her subjects to be a rather free-willed person that traveled a lot. This of course left a lot of the less-enjoyable aspects of ruling a kingdom to her poor younger brother, who was much better at the administrative aspects of it all. Honestly, he was probably the ruler in all but in name at times.
"Anyway... don't you two have a kingdom to look at?" The prince asked in a bored tone while shuffling over to a set of documents that had been left on the mahogany table. "Go ahead. I can take care of things-"
He was interrupted by a sudden hug by Minerva, who grinned slightly upon seeing the scowl he was giving her at the moment. He was brusque about it, but his presence had helped cheer Minerva up a bit.
"If you keep this up, I won't be able to tell who's the older sibling you know."
When she was rewarded with a smirk and a gentle push off from her younger sibling, Minerva figured that was probably the best she was going to get from him. Giving him a playful poke on the forehead that caused his scowl to return, the princess turned back to her armored companion and began walking out to the lobby. Opening the doors, she glanced back at Julius and flourished with a light smile on her face.
"Your tour awaits you, my savior."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 21, 2014 12:18:23 GMT -5
Julius gave a respectful nod to Ren as he turned to leave. "Catch you later, Ren." He then looked towards Minerva and chuckled at her words. Calling him her savior was rather dramatic, but it helped to lighten the mood at least.
"Haha, yeah. Let's get this tour going." He walked out the doors, looking around at the remaining people still within the lobby. "So where to first, princess?"
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Post by Jisui on Jul 22, 2014 14:23:05 GMT -5
Stepping out of the lobby doors to the outside of her house, Minerva began walking forward at a slow gait so that Julius could catch up to her. Placing a finger on her lips, she pondered the question while mulling over the various choices she had in her mind. She had planned on showing him around to get an idea of the overall layout of her land, but first...
"Hmm... are you hungry at all? Trekking the desert does a lot on one's stomach."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 23, 2014 11:56:04 GMT -5
Julius's first instinct was to say no, but he stopped to think about it for a moment. It had been quite a while since he had eaten during his desert journey and, even then, it was only something small. Something to keep him going. He didn't feel like he was starving or anything, but it would be best to eat something now regardless. Especially with how volatile things were here as well as the possible encounter with his target. It'd be pretty bad to get involved with any kind of fighting on an empty stomach.
"Yeah, sure. Let's get something to eat. Would be interesting to see what kind of food your kingdom has anyways."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 23, 2014 18:45:27 GMT -5
Minerva's only response to the question was a cheerful hum as she led the Talon through the busy Lerwarian roads that were interconnected with the oasis. While they were walking, she took the chance to explain the general layout of her kingdom to help his search.
Lerwaria was a land of oasis. They had accepted that long ago, and so they built their entire way of life around them. The buildings were all clumped around individual oasis to maximize their effectiveness, which attributed the odd spacing of the kingdom in general. It was a kingdom basically built of small cities and villages intermixed together in a close space. An unusual sight, but a unique one as well.
Although there were many small oasis spaced out within the kingdom, there were five primary ones that comprised the largest residential and business areas. The North, South, East, West, and Central Oasis. All apart of Minerva's lands, but each were different in a subtle way. For instance, the Western Oasis was by no means a slum, but considerably less well-off than the Central one, which was filled with the more ritzy buildings and attractions. Minerva herself had grown up in the Eastern section, which was where they were heading to at the moment (if only because she swore that it had the best food to offer).
Nevertheless, it wasn't a particularly long journey due to how well-constructed the roads were, and the trip was intermixed with many pleasant, respectful greetings towards the princess and her guest.
Eventually, they reached a restaurant named Alraunes, which was a fairly small, but comfortable looking place with wooden floors and counters. It appeared to be fairly popular as well, as it was completely filled up with people. Nevertheless, it wasn't everyday that the ruler of your lands ate at your establishment, and they somehow cleared room for the two fairly quickly.
Setting down comfortably in their small table, with Minerva facing Julius, she thought for a moment before quickly ordering for the both of them after realizing that Julius would probably know nothing of desert cuisine. It was slightly uncomfortable for a bit since there were quite a few stares at the two (for good reason), but Minerva had long since gotten used to it, and the sounds of friendly chatter, sizzling food and ice rattling in mugs quickly erased the discomfort.
While they were waiting for food, the princess casually engaged her armored companion in discussion, both to break the monotony and out of actual curiosity.
"So, where are you from Julius? I've never been outside of the desert before."
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Post by SlvrNight on Jul 25, 2014 0:48:56 GMT -5
Julius silently walked alongside the princess, looking around and observing the buildings, people, and paths of the kingdom. He was also keeping an eye out for his target, but he wasn't nearly lucky enough to spot her. He watched as the people respectfully greeted both him and Minerva as they walked, nodding in response to their words. He noticed some of the smaller ones, particularly the children, were divided in response. Some were afraid of his large and imposing stature, while others thought he looked cool and stared in amazement, as if looking at some kind of knight in shining armor.
He looked at the sign of the small restaurant, silently mouthing its name. Alraunes. After the staff cleared out the room, Julius approached his seat across from Minerva and gently sat on it, the chair quietly groaning in protest from his weight. It didn't visibly bend or anything though, so it was likely strong enough to support him.
Julius leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together beneath his chin. "Holgraff. My parents were both White Talons and I was looked after by their allies whenever they were away on a mission. Eventually, there was a time that they never came back. At that point I pretty much became adopted by their fellow Talons and learned from them."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I'd ask the same question to you, but we're already here, haha."
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Post by Jisui on Jul 25, 2014 18:58:47 GMT -5
Minerva had sat quietly as Julius spoke, taking in his words as the chatter of the restaurant settled in around them. So Julius had grown up as a White Talon in the Holgraff area... it was probably the only kind of life that he had ever known then. It must have been a difficult life, she mused, but one that wasn't entirely unfamiliar to Minerva. Especially in the desert, children losing their parents was an unfortunately common occurrence. It was probably so long ago that Julius had gotten over it, but that didn't mean she couldn't sympathize.
"Hmm... you'd be surprised." A small smile came to the princess' lips as she mulled over Julius' words. A server came by at that moment, bringing iced water in glasses for them before hastily departing to some other corner of the restaurant. Taking the glass in one hand elegantly and sipping at it, Minerva sighed as the cool drink seemed to refresh her systems.
"Lerwarian royalty doesn't work like you think." Minerva mused enigmatically, taking another small sip of her water quietly. "I was actually born in some remote village in the desert... Orlina. My parents moved here when I was around four. I really did grow up here though."
"...Well, there was some mercenary work involved when I was thirteen, so perhaps I traveled around a bit." The princess muttered somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head and leaning back against her chair. Whether Julius could believe that a young girl from a poor village (with a mercenary history no less) could become ruler of a country, was up to him. Truthfully, she wouldn't have been able to believe it herself if someone had told her.
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Post by SlvrNight on Aug 15, 2014 11:34:32 GMT -5
"Huh...mercenary work at 13?" Julius repeated, mostly to himself. "Is that why you tend to leave the kingdom and travel around? Found a love for travel during those times?" The armored man was also somewhat perplexed as to how someone from a poor village moves on to become the ruler of a kingdom. Did someone from her family marry into the royal family, or was there something else that happened that was completely different from how royalty worked in most other places? She did say royalty in Lerwaria worked differently than he probably thought.
Julius sighed as he unsealed the clips of his helmet that secured it to the rest of his armor, removing it and gently placing the large stone headgear on the floor. He was a man with a fairly square jawline, with tan skin, light facial stubble, and a small mole on the bottom of his right cheek. His eyes were a bright brown, nearing orange, and his brown hair was normally neatly combed, but was fairly disheveled now after his journey through the desert.
He gingerly grasped his glass of water, unsure of how strong the glass was in this kingdom, and took a few sips before returning his gaze to the princess.
"And another question, if you don't mind. How'd a girl go from living in poverty to ruling a kingdom? That's a pretty big jump, haha."
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