James Landis

Illdi was only slightly shocked at the man’s insistence. Most people, especially strangers, were always so curious — and it always seemed to either be boredom or pity that made them stop and pry. Black hair tangled in her face as she straightened back into a standing position, and she wrestled it from her face. “It was just a shell. I can find another one.” Her words were short and… well, rude, possibly. So she added, “It was for the little girl I govern. She likes colorful things, as I suppose most babies do.”

Her words were short and sharp, and James could not understand her rudeness at the offer of assistance. He was about to turn away when she added that the shell had been a gift for the little girl she governed. The mention of it made James smile and turn back. “My nephew is the same. I used to spend what seemed like hours dangling shiny objects above his crib, just to see him laugh and try to catch them.”

Though he quelled his heart at this abundance of greens, of pallid scents and flesh-like velvet petals, though he shut his senses like a girdle in front of all they could not obey, Galad still held a fragmented wonder for the New World. He took good care to keep it underfoot. Only at times, when the sun rivaled his capacity to remain unattached, he allowed himself to be present with a deeper part of his being. The Duke’s hands hovered across a clinging flower, pointed like arrowroot, rising from the sand and into the mellow day. Seconds after, another presence splintered the quiet scene.

        “ Best not turn now, should you be unclothed. ” The warning was uttered bemusedly, despite being quite on edge to analyze how a man caught unawares will act.

The sound of another voice made him turn, but James detected little threat from the other visitor of the beach and opted to display his usual mirth and cheerfulness. “I do keep some clothing on, for situations such as this. I would not want to return to the sand and cause a stranger embarrassment at the sight of me naked.”

well, the thought burns into him, i surely wouldn’t mind. and as easy as it comes it goes because that’s not a very nice thought to have over a stranger. he coughs lowly, grinning at the man and making sure to keep his eyes above the collar bones and no lower. ❝ no, i think you would cause quite the stir. especially with those more virtuous.❞ he agrees, now that he is here with the sun shining in his face pleasantly, caius doesn’t think he wants to leave.  ❝ although i have to ask, do you always wait till high tide?❞

“It is almost worth doing, just to see the reactions. It would be interesting to see who would blush and who would stare outright.” With a chuckle, James pulled his shirt over his head and brushed off a few more grains of sand that seemed insistent upon clinging to his clothing. “I usually go when the mood takes me. It is not always the wisest thing to do, but I confess sometimes my impulses get the better of me.” A shadow passed across his face as he thought of another time when his impulses had led him. He had no regrets about taking the life of his sister’s murderer, except for it leaving his nephew without his father.

“ You sound so sure about that, ” she teased, raising a brow. The noblewoman dipped her feet into the water, letting the waves crash against her shins. It was absolutely refreshing. “ No, they do not. I can say most things do not frighten me, ” Rosalind called back, giving a shrug. She let herself fall into the sand, sitting at the edge of the water, occasionally glancing up at the man.

“It is more likely that there are than not.” He would be surprised if they did not discover anything new while travelling the new world, whether it was animals or plants or creatures of the deep. It was difficult to maintain the conversation whilst he was out in the water, and he swam back to the shore to sit beside her on the sand. “Don’t we all have fears of one thing or another? Maybe not monsters under the waves, but there are things that scare everyone.”

     maybe her time in the dry, scorching temperatures of dracborough had made her too sensitive, but the logic behind the timing here still seemed incredibly off.  “ still, ”  she began. deciding now was a good a time as ever to take a break, dohui took a look at the rocky sand around her and sat, letting her coat wrap around her frame as if to emphasize her point.  " would you rather not wait until the sun has fully risen ? “

“You’d be surprised how many flock to the beaches once the sun is up.” He waded back towards the shore, shaking the water from his hair. “I prefer it in its peace and tranquillity, and truthfully I admire the view just as much at dawn as I do later in the day.”

“’tis a shame. and yet it feels rather necessary.” she didn’t falter at the mention of norden. this pleased her – she’d thought, after certain conversations, that she was doomed to be terrible at hiding her emotions henceforth. but here she was smiling, and feeling it seemed appropriately genuine, for smalltalk. “but mountains can be beautiful.”

James doubted how necessary it truly was, but did not mention such a thing in the company of a stranger, and instead turned his attention to the discussion of norden. “I would not trade norden for anything. As much as I enjoy travelling and seeing all the sights this world has to offer, you only have one home, and norden is mine.”

     the land was still foreign to dohui; much more than most, if not everyone else, here. seemingly, that would mean that someone so naturally curious would want to explore. that statement was actually entirely false, but there she was, spending her morning walking around the coastline of teshayra. she hadn’t noticed the man… bathing ? during her first trip around, but she furrowed her brows at the sight for entirely different reasons.  “ aren’t you cold ? ”  she asked, the natural firmness to her tone hopefully letting it resonate clearly through the waves, because dohui refused to yell.

It was impressive how her voice carried across the water, because to James’ ear, it was not raised, just clear and resonating. He did not have the same resonance, and did have to raise his voice to be heard over the waves. “I am used to far colder temperatures than this.” It was a weak man from norden who could not stand the chill of the sea compared to the harsh icy winds and snows of the mountains.

It had turned into a daily routine. Rosie would wear one of her cheapest dresses and race down to the shore as soon as she had escaped the insufferable small talk with strangers and acquaintances alike. As she had run into someone almost everyday since she’d found her favorite place in Teshayra, she was not surprised to see someone already in the water. Letting her eyes travel for a moment, Rosalind took off her shoes and got closer to the water. “ Careful, ” she advised, trying to hide a smile. “ I’ve heard there’s deadly creatures in that water. ”

He turned at the presence of another and laughed at her warning of deadly creatures in the water. “Certainly there are,” He called. “But none so close to the shore.” They knew little of all the hidden secrets of this land, and he was sure that the waters of Teshayra were filled with all sorts of creatures they had never encountered, both good and bad. But they most likely lurked far out in the deep, dark waters. “I see that tales of such monsters have not frightened you.”

Victoria tilted her head as she looked at the lord. He was certainly handsome enough but she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to marry. She would rule Norden one day. She would be queen. If she were to marry she would need them to be king material. Would she care if she married someone who did not love her? She supposed that she would. She decided rather suddenly that her husband would have to love her. This man’s name had been whispered to her by a number of courtiers in her homeland. He appeared to at least have some of the love of her people. “Lord James.” She began in a sweet friendly tone. “I have come to speak with you. Forgive my boldness but I have never believed in playing games. Many courtiers from our homeland have whispered your name to me about a potential betrothal. Tell me your thoughts on this.”

James continued to smile at the princess, but noticed that the way her gaze lingered on him almost felt... examining, in a way. It was as if she was sizing him up for something, but she spoke before he could enquire about it. He knew the princess was bold but the words to come out of her mouth shocked him.  He had simply come out for his morning swim, and now the princess of his homeland was asking his opinion on the two of them becoming betrothed. “I am flattered, your highness. Truthfully, I never considered myself a possible candidate for your hand as I assumed there would be some other lord who took your interest.” He had very much been put on the spot, and had to think quickly about how he would feel to be a part of norden’s royal family. It was not a decision he had to make immediately, since even if Victoria did choose him they would not be marrying that moment. But he had no objections to being considered. “If you find me to be a suitable match, then of course I would be happy to be considered.”

Illdi’s head whipped around at the voice, and with a small, defeated sigh, she realized she’d disturbed the man in the water. She heard his question but didn’t respond right way, instead choosing to splash around in the water to try and find the shell. “I’m quite all right, sir,” she answered, once she had given up her few seconds of searching. “I’ve lost something that can easily be replaced. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”

He looked at her in puzzled bemusement as she continued to splash around in the shallows without giving him an answer. Physically she seemed fine, but perhaps something else was amiss. She seemed to be looking for something in the water, and that suspicion was confirmed when she finally spoke, and he responded.  “What did you lose? I can help you look for it.”

“oh, nonsense. you haven’t ripped it, and it had fallen in the water anyway. i wouldn’t have it if not for you. i meant it when i said i was grateful.” having done all she felt she could for the garment in the moment, she folded it up and draped it over her arm before smiling at the man. “there’s less chance to drop things in water in ironhaven, which is perhaps why i was so woefully unprepared.”

“It seems we can’t keep anything nice in times such as these.” His own clothes were starting to look a little tattered, and there seemed little to show for the trip across the seas besides wear and tear. “It is much the same in Norden, all mountains and peaks. I only saw the sea once before we came to this land.”

She was not meant to be staring. It was so improper of her, something an unattended princess should never be doing. What if anyone saw her staring at the man in the waters and spread rumors about it? Eleanor decided that continuing on her walk along the shores would be the best option, seeing that the other had not seen her yet. Of course, luck was not on her side. A misstep made rock give way underneath her feet, falling into the sea with a splash, the sound too loud for such a seemingly small formation. Her eyes moved to the sea again, hoping that the man had not heard any of that.

He heard the sound of rocks splashing into the water and turned to see who had made them fall. He knew how unsteady those rock formations on the shore could be - one misplaced foot and they slid out from under you and made you fall on your backside. The sight of the princess surprised him, but he made his way back to shore to check she had not twisted her ankle or otherwise injured herself on the rocks. “Are you alright, your highness? Those rocks are slippery bastards, and I’ve fallen victim to them myself a few times.”

There were very few things that helped Illdi stay calm in a place that seemed so hellbent on keeping her on edge. Practicing swordplay, for one — but that wasn’t always accessible, especially after the castle and its courtyard had burned. The second, as odd as it sounded — was searching the sandy beaches for small shells, in hopes of creating a smile on Lucy’s face if she showed the colorful shells to her. Illdi noticed the man in the water, and was intent not to disturb him ( if only because she feared a conversation ) — but soon, her hand slipped its grip and dropped a particularly pretty shell into the salty water, to which she responded, “ oh, gods !! ” perhaps a little too loudly not to be noticed.

The sudden outcry nearly made him jump out of his skin, and he was instantly on edge, wondering what danger was present. But when he turned to look back to the shore, there seemed to be no threat, just a woman looking rather irritated. She didn’t seem to be hurt or in trouble, yet James felt the need to check on her after her sudden outburst. “Are you alright?” He asked her once he’d made it back to the beach.

he didn’t mind the view, not really. who was he to tell people what to do? with the castle being burned down and the way people seemed weary of the woods and forest surrounding them, a swim was the next best thing. besides, he didn’t mind the view. although he made sure to keep his gaze appropriate, only glancing briefly here and there to make sure the man has not been drowning. and he’d only been pacing the shore for a short of ten minutes, bored and annoyed with the food options as much as anyone else. he was just about to leave, see who else he could find and possibly entertain himself with, when he noticed the tides were rising and with it the risk of man’s clothes being whisked away.  ❝ your clothes will be fish food if you don’t move it soon!❞ he called out, unsure if it would be looked upon as kind or annoyed if caius himself moved it.

James had been in the water for longer than he realised, and it was only the sound of a distant call that made him realise the tide was coming in. The last thing he needed was to be swept out to sea, and he made his way back to the shore. “Thank you for the warning.” He laughed as he scooped up his clothes and brushed the sand of them. “I don’t think it would have been received well if I’d returned clad only in my underwear.”

“there must be a thousand other ways to make deaths look accidental. scaring horses, for example. or… upending carriages. sinking ships. handing ‘em a very poisonous fish for dinner. really, though, if they take dinner from a stranger and they’re a king or some shite like that, is it really the assassin’s fault? listen, though, the branch could’ve startled someone to death.”

“You have so many ideas about how to make a death look accidental that I wonder if you really are an assassin.” James tilted his head back to look up into the boughs of the tree, shielding his eyes with one hand from the sun that filtered through the leaves. “Must I keep talking up to you as if you’re a squirrel running around up there, or are you coming down?”

“so it would seem.” she unfurled the crumpled thing and examined it, wondering if it was indeed salvageable. she hadn’t had much opportunity to ruin clothing in norden – it had often already been ruined – and in ironhaven there had always been many an opportunity for new shawls, should the need arise. the new world was a tad unpredictable; she didn’t know of any tailors. “thank you for retrieving it.”

James winced and smiled sheepishly as she unfurled the crumpled fabric. In trying to help, he might have made matters worse. “Sorry, did I ruin it? I didn’t want to just hand back a sopping wet piece of fabric.” He reached out and plucked off a strand of seaweed that still clung to the shawl and tossed it onto the sand.

the wind hadn’t seemed violent enough to steal her shawl away and yet here it was, doing just that. camilla watched with some consternation as it landed in the ocean and floated there, color distorted slightly by the water. she nearly gave it up for dead. then she noticed the man. yes, he was shirtless, but he would have to do. “excuse me, ser,” she called from the shore. “the wind carried something of mine over there. would you get it for me? i’d be ever so grateful.”

He heard the distant call from the shore and turned to see a woman pointing to something out in the water. Following the direction of her finger, James noticed a piece of fabric floating in the crystal clear water not far from him, and he swam over to retrieve it. Wringing the shawl out as he strode through the waves back towards the beach, he held it out to her. “It’s still pretty wet, so I wouldn’t put it back on.”