vis nescia vinci

To even suggest that she take the pants off though, Lianna frowned without humour and stared at Rowan.

"Are you quite mad?" she asked. "If I can walk around in your outfit for a bit then you can survive in mine! And don't you dare put more leaves in it or I'll leave you here and use your cloak for bait!"

What was the quickest solution here that her brother would agree to through...? She breathed in an put her hand on her chin thoughtfully. From where they were, they could get back to the dorms she supposed, or just get to the changing rooms of the sauna. Looking back at Rowan, Lianna spread her hands.

"Look, why don't we go borrow the changing rooms of the sauna," she offered. "If I recall, it's near the dormitories, yes? A simple short walk and there is hardly anyone around right now. So please get out of the bush, Rowan?"

Simple and easy solution. Hopefully.

And there was another detail that he neglected to comment on- the heels. For whatever reason his sister didn’t wear the same boots that he did, simple with a steel tip and comfortable for long walks. Hers were slimmer, with a much narrower and pointed tip, and with slightly elevated heels. Not only his feet felt cramped in there, but…walking was a little harder than he thought it would be. 

If anything that’s why he found himself in this bush, partially. It was the easiest hiding spot available, and because he stumbled his way into it quite literally.

"Ugh..." At her proposition though, the young king finally snuck his head out of the foliage. Cheeks still flushed pink with embarrassment, brows slightly furrowed. “...if no one’s around, then fine. We gotta get there fast!” He stated, as if the heels wouldn’t immediately halt any attempts to run- a reminder that soon gained the forefront of his mind the moment he decided to accept Lianna’s request and slowly move towards getting up. Whatever embarrassment he felt wasn’t enough to stop him from being careful with her clothes, crawling gently from out of the bush so as to not get the whites and light yellows of the outfit dirty or caught on sticks.

This was not only his older sister’s outfit, but Aytolis’ Queen.

Finally, Rowan got up- though on slightly shaky legs. A face once slightly flushed red now shifted into a furious cherry tone all the way to the tips of his ears, comically contrasting with the bright yellow of his hair. The outfit…clearly wasn’t made with his body in mind. The shorter cape sat awkwardly in his shoulders, he clearly didn’t know how to button up the vest or adjust the clasps on the garterbelts keeping the stockings comfortably in place. Even the belt was buckled a little odd, its design not matching the one he usually wore.

Gloved hands instinctively tugged at the frilly hems of his skirt, pulling them down despite it having literally the same length of the tunic he always wore. “Sis…how do you even fight with…this? I don’t even know how to put most of this stuff on!”

It’s really unfortunate he didn’t notice what was being told to him, until it’s a beat too late. He turns to Sanaki. “Huh? Wha-“

One second he’s trying to pry Innes off and the next his body seizes so badly he can’t do anything but hold onto the sniper with a vice grip.

“ASKKDMSJCNWKFJAJDKSKCLSN-“

Of all the magic types to get hit by, Thunder has to by far be the one that sucks the most. The rest hurt, sure. But Thunder gets into your body in a way that leaves every inch of it sore. When the pain ebbs he collapses briefly on top of Innes’ back, and he can feel his soul’s urge to fly away.

That doesn’t happen, thankfully, but it is a little concerning that he didn’t feel his soul going upwards.

His gaze turns to the side, to where Miss purple is standing. Anger bubbles up quickly. “What is wrong with you?! I’m all for stopping a fight but ZAPPING people?!” The fact she thought she had to intervene with magic bruised his ego a little more than he’d like to admit. Especially because solving problems with magic is supposed to be his thing! And he wanted to use his shiny new freeze spell he’s learned!

Even worse, now that he feels like an adorable deep fried potato, suddenly the chaos around him seems 10 times worse. Before he realizes what he’s doing, fire coalesces at his palm. “See how you like it!”

He’s not thinking ahead, not thinking about the fact he’s introducing more fire to a locked room. But right now his priority is getting the fight to stop- PROPERLY, and nurse his bruised ego. Throwing a little fire at the person that shocked you is a fair thing to do then, right?

But it only lasted a second, as Lianna’s order disappeared in the rancid miasma that was Innes’ words. The kick to his nethers hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to everything spewing out of his mouth. The boy had never been too concerned about being called a lousy king- he had just started, he knew he didn’t really have the hang of it yet, and the whole idea of kinghood was one he very much still needed to make peace with.

Rowan didn’t care that Innes thought he was a crappy king- because in his eyes Innes wasn’t much better as a prince.

What sort of backwater, run-down, derelict kingdom would have you as a ruler?!

"You take my kingdom out of your shitty mouth right now! Cret-aAAASCKVKRTDRNXGDN" And his line of thought and wrath were completely obliterated by a current of electricity, causing his muscles to painfully lock in place. The result left him dazed- and breathless, because there were two people on top of him now like a Rowan sandwich. "Ugh- get off me!" With a jostle that was maybe a little too harsh, the young king slipped from under the pile and took the chance to retaliate. He got kicked in the balls? Fine.

Was it low to aim a punch at Innes' nethers from this close? Definitely. Rowan was too angry and sore from the shock to care and did it anyway.

Rowan was more than happy with having his twin sister, and by all intents and purposes Darios basically occupied the role of an older brother to him- a best friend sure, but considering how they all grew up and spent so much of their best and worst moments together…he might as well be family one way or another, regardless of whether he hailed from Gristonne or Aytolis.

Perhaps had Rowan been another type of child, he would’ve felt jealous- having grown sheltered and with almost no friends save for Darios and Lianna, the idea of someone else interfering in his closest bonds should’ve felt like a threat to the blond. A risk to his already small inner circle.

Instead, he welcomed it with open arms and a big smile. More people meant more friends to add to his life, more joy, more laughter, more allies. “Gee, I get to have two brothers now! Because you’re already sorta there!” Rowan then hooked one arm around Darios’ shoulders, bringing him closer. “Should I call you…Big Bro now? Actually that sounds kinda weird, now that I think about it. Yeah, no, it’ll stay Darios.”

He tilted his head in mild surprise, almost like a puppy. “A store? How did meeting in a store lead to you two dating? Was it something about the stuff being sold in there or…wait, what kinda stuff would be sold in a store to cause people to date!”

Maybe he was thinking too much about it.

For the moment, Darios hands out the stew to Rowan, the bowl warm and inviting and at least some kind of comfort in it all. "We can draw then... and then we can get someone to get us something so we can try and make fake versions of them too! Even if they're small."

“We gotta! We can make one for her, so that after she’s back she can play with us!” Even though his mind went off the assumption that he wasn’t sick and therefore he’d be allowed to play near Lianna, momentarily forgetting about his own illness. Darios was right here, wasn’t he? Despite everything. Rowan sniffed, rubbing his nose on the hem of his sleeve carelessly. “I want the biggest one! And the spikiest! No, wait…I want one that’s like a cool knight’s!”

It was just so hard to decide, even more when all the examples he had in his books were equally cool. But first…ah, the food. He had to eat first, even though he wasn’t hungry and the food was for sure going to taste like nasty oats.

Rowan pouted, eyes downcast for a moment. “Fiiiiine…” Then finally, he reached for the warm bowl. "I'll just eat super fast so we can play!"

He didn't have to wait for long before the annoyance was mirrored — if not further exemplified in the other. "Of course. They're logical concerns to have, especially when combat must be taken into consideration." Frown still ingrained deep into his expression, he tilted his head upwards in a gesture toward the book. "I would look at the next section if I were you, too."

Section VI - Smiski Armor most optimal for nighttime conditions. This is a full steel encasing with an enchantment added to the armor, allowing the metal to shine vibrant green and thus be easily spotted by any ally. Instead of outdated grates, this armor features a human-like expression on its helmet to best align with the knight's eyes, nose, and mouth for practicality.

“We gotta. We need to get rid of these, all of ‘em.” The young king then suddenly spoke, resolute and with a mission. “Before anyone takes one of those and starts trying to follow these instructions! Though I don’t think anyone here is stupid enough to read all of that and think it’s a good idea but…you never know. Better safe than sorry!” He closed his exemplar of the book, staring at the cover both with disgust- and making sure he has it memorized for easier spotting later. “And also because this book feels insulting to me! ‘Cause I want to be the best knight in all of Aytolis, and this feels like a joke!”

A little petty and egocentrical? Maybe. But this was also for the good of others- not just his own satisfaction. It mattered little if this book was written completely in jest or if the author was genuinely just some cretin hoping to mock knighthood and codes of chivalry, its contents were enough to justify getting rid of it.

Pausing his momentary psyching up, Rowan spared Bruno a look with brows furrowed- almost looking like a troubled dog. “...but how are we gonna do that? We can try to spot it around yeah, but that’ll take forever! The Academy is immense!” A pause then- within his eyes one could almost see the gears whirring in his mind with every thought. “And…wait a minute. If this book is full of nonsense, why does the Academy have it anyway? Who allowed this?!”

A side eye at the book, followed by a gloved finger thumbing through some pages.

Section XVI - Close Combat Techique, "The Jaune Senna"

Closed the book again, he didn't want to find out what that was going to be, actually.

"I find myself increasingly displeased with my brother's actions," she sighed quietly under her breath. "Can we please break this up before someone gets seriously hurt, please. We're at the Monastery, not on a battlefield."

Oh, so now the guy had it in him to fight? At least they were speaking the same language, then- but for a brief moment the blond had to focus less on riling up his opponent and more on keeping the contents of his stomach in place. Not that he ate that much before all of this happened, just some snacks here and there and…yeah…yeah maybe he did snack quite a bit before.

But Lianna and Darios- and way too many people were there watching, and that was enough to solidify his resolve and gulp it all down with a grimace. “That didn’t really hurt but…I was about to barf on you, y’know. Do that again and I’ll do it without holding back!” Might as well use it as a threat, then. A promise even- but so far all dialogue would be through fists.

Starting with teaching Innes how good it felt to get sucker punched right in the gut. Rowan pushed the archer away from him- but seconds later socked him in the torso similarly to what was done to him just moments ago. 

…and then he quickly stepped to the side, just in case. Yikes. “How do you like that, huh?! Yapping about manners while looking down on people, even though I’m a king and you’re not!”

“Hey, did you see that guy’s coat? It looks like the carpet we have back at home! Why would someone pick an outfit like that, it’s a bit goofy. Right Si- OH!”

Well that sure wasn’t Lianna.

Rowan stumbled back, almost tripping over a passing waiter and offering nothing but a nervous apology and a mixture of surprise and embarrassment framing his blue eyes. The young king swore he had been by Lianna’s side- but perhaps she ended up slipping away from view the moment he got distracted only to be replaced by another blond.

…would Lianna get mad if she knew he thought this guy was her? Well! She’s not gonna know. Ever.

“Sorry about that! I thought my sister was standing right beside me, haha...ah…she’s blonde too you know…” Forget the completely different shade of blonde, the hairstyle, her height, everything. A gloved hand scratched at the back of his head as excuses slipped away and left him with an awkward smile.

Andrei turns towards the sound of the voice, proximity and direction much too clear to misconstrue for anything but an attempt at conversation with him. Though, given the other’s reaction, it hadn’t been intentional.

“You thought I resembled your sister,” Andrei repeats, eyebrow raised at the blond man (hair, as he unfortunately notes, a similar shade to his own), wondering exactly how offended he should be at this statement.

The bemusement only grows as the man produces a flower from his bouquet, babbling all the while.

“This is an orchid,” he says blankly, taking the flower but making no move to reciprocate the exchange. Even he, who had never boasted any interest or deep understanding of plant life, could identify a common flower, and his expression only turns more skeptical as he runs his gaze down the length of the other man’s outfit.

At the question regarding his title, the blond nodded with a bright smile. “I'm a noble, yep! I’m pr- King Rowan of Aytolis! I got crowned now too long ago though, so the title feels really weird to use, but yeah. I also want to be Aytolis’ strongest knight!” The addition was a must, of course. While Rowan and Lianna now stood as Aytolis’ monarchs, in his mind and heart Mother was still the ultimate ruler. She was the one that came to his mind the moment he thought about the throne, with her regal posture and the most gentle eyes known to man.

He knew he needed to eventually step up and take his share of the role for himself, but…well, that’s for later.

Making sure that those who can spare the attention to listen to her are not a toe out of line, Sanaki casts a quiet Fire, as precisely as she can manage. With a sizzle and a burst of light, the five onlookers and the refreshments table are enclosed in a ring of ash.

"This is the neutral zone," she declares. All proper conflicts should have one, after all. "Step out if you wish to involve yourself directly. And I hope the combatants understand that if they violate the zone's sanctity, retrubution will be brutal," her eyes glow gold for a moment, "and swift."

'Understood' is conveyed through compliance.

Most of these faces he recognizes. There is familiarity when he looks at both Rowan and Innes, an itch in the back of his skull that only deepens with Sanaki's commentary. First punch, and Bruno pulls his lips into a thin line, but he tries to soften it at the murmurs from the beverage table.

In the end? It only took a glance at Innes’ snotty face and condescending tone for all that worry and low morale to evaporate into thin air. All those eyes watching them like it was some spar session at the training grounds didn’t matter, whatever sliver of embarrassment he might have felt at some point no longer mattered either.

The young king grit his teeth. “Nobles like you are pathetic because you do nothing but dress up like a doll and talk like you’re better than everyone!" Reaching the limit of his patience- or rather feeling like whatever threads of logic that had been holding him back had crumbled to dust, Rowan advanced towards Innes with the strongest right hook he could muster- straight to the archer’s jaw.

“If you don’t want your clothes dirty then go sit in a shelf and gather dust! You're just decoration!”

He isn't surprised when he ends up in a room with that boy again. He would cross his arms, but the dampness on his chest is already too disgusting. Instead, his arms are at his side, hands balled into fists.

That’s funny.

“Hehe, I knew sticking around him was going to be entertaining.” It was only a matter of time before Innes would inevitably upset someone, after all. That was his true ultimate talent and for it to lead to someone kersplooshing their nose over his clothes? Even funnier.

Since when did the room end up full of people? Rowan looked around only to meet familiar face after familiar face, from his twin sister all the way to Darios, Sanaki, Ewan…and Bruno? Why was Bruno even here? And right when he tried to take things to a more private space exactly so it wouldn’t become a circus. Rowan could only let out a whine at the scene, forcis his view away from his audience...if he could even call it that. “Aw come on, why is everyone here?! The door was closed and all!” Though the padlock was nowhere to be seen, meaning it would be only a matter of time.

But oh well, no amount of embarrassment or awkwardness was enough to brush off the wave of fury that took over him thanks to the offending archer’s comment, complete with that smug face of his. The blond knew Lianna and Darios were watching and that they’d certainly give him hell for it later, but…

Rowan wasn’t even sure how they ended up in this room, but at least it stood separate from the main ballroom, offering them a space of their own to sort this mess out without the risk of an audience. He was pretty sure that the doors were locked at some point, but nobody had to know that said lock was a little broken and hidden inside one of the flower vases now. Yep, that’s for the maids to find later.

The blond scoffed, smugness framing his features as arms crossed over his chest. “Or what, you’re afraid huh? You’re afraid so you felt the need to run to my sister like a little kid calling for mom instead of settling things with me?" He raised his fists in a boxing motion. "Coward! Come at me!”

She wanted to be insulted for her brother by the tone this man was using to talk about him. But she couldn't. She had just watched....! Gods, her brother was an idiot!! Bowing deeply in apology Rowan, I'm going to kill you Lianna offered her apologies.

"I am so sorry about this," she said. "I swear he knows better. Mother taught him better than this! Please, allow me to deal with him and here, have a few of my roses instead."

She took a handful of her roses and handed them to Innes before she rounded on her brother.

"ROWAN!!" She marched over and grabbed him by the ear before walking off.

A bit too soon actually, because before he even began figuring out a way to disappear into the crowd a firm tug on the ear marked Lianna’s location: Right there.

“Oooowwwww! Sis- I can explain! Just- wait a minuteeeee!”

Exactly, without…dragging…wait.

The blond stopped for a moment. “Wait a minute, how do you even know what happened? Did you see it? Or-” So Lianna was dragged into it, huh? By that green snitch?

“That bastard ran up to you about it! That’s it, I’m gonna show him a piece of Aytolis’ knuckleburger!” 

She wanted to be insulted for her brother by the tone this man was using to talk about him. But she couldn't. She had just watched....! Gods, her brother was an idiot!! Bowing deeply in apology Rowan, I'm going to kill you Lianna offered her apologies.

"I am so sorry about this," she said. "I swear he knows better. Mother taught him better than this! Please, allow me to deal with him and here, have a few of my roses instead."

She took a handful of her roses and handed them to Innes before she rounded on her brother.

"ROWAN!!" She marched over and grabbed him by the ear before walking off.

A bit too soon actually, because before he even began figuring out a way to disappear into the crowd a firm tug on the ear marked Lianna’s location: Right there.

“Oooowwwww! Sis- I can explain! Just- wait a minuteeeee!”