when; early evening

who; anyone

seldom had there been a time since his incident that orion would willingly forego his shirt; beneath the spring sun, the crawling scar between his shoulder blades glistened like a target at his back — and indeed, it once was. he’d gotten used to the whispers and the sympathetic looks, the observations of his court trying to put the pieces together, but it still proved to be too much for him to bare in the castle’s training grounds. many of the knights would wear their scars like a badge of honor, congratulating him on living another life — but to orion, that of which still pained him on the nights his nightmares reached his mind . . . and he looked to the mark as a reminder of what once was, rather than what is.

perhaps that is why he felt more comfortable practicing his swordsmanship in the private courtyard; there, at least, the eyes would be limited to those he knows. dancing a dangerous game, his muscles rippled in apprehension as he dives towards the trainer with a wooden mockery coated in paint — every day proved to be a new challenge, and ever day proved to be an even greater success. they stagger back and forth, filing the gaps of whatever opportunity lay bare, but it isn’t until orion gets the upper hand and lands a few thin red marks along their back, that they separate for the time being.

who : anyone !

AS A FIRE MAGE , it wasn’t surprising that Azariah had taken to having a fascination with it , ever since she was a babe. She had been kissed by fire since birth , that’s what her father would say. Her red hair was evidence enough , and his suspicions were only confirmed when she started showing a gift for fire magic. The warmth of it never bothered her , even now , as she sat by a fire place with her legs tucked underneath her , she enjoyed it despite the warm weather that was provided during the day and night. 

Though her whole attention was not placed solely on this fire , though. Ria sat with her legs tucked under her , a book in her hands. Her hair was loose , brought around to one side of her as she red , humming to keep her focus on it. She was so focused on the book in fact , that she had hardly noticed the door opening. Only the creak of the door reveled the others presence , and that caused the girl to jump. “Oh my,” She said , looking over her shoulder. “Forgive me , I didn’t think anybody would come in here.” Azariah closed the book , getting herself up off the ground.

who : anyone ! ( + elianna )

“ELIANNA!” A YOUNG WOMAN LAUGHED as she called out to a little girl who had just found her footing around the Elysia’s gardens. She held a tray of snacks in her hands , bringing it to a table that sat on the grass with a hitched canopy above it , with the colors of House Demaris. “Elianna , come get your lunch!” The plate held many things the little lady ( and her nanny ) loved , such as fruit , cheese , a few candies , and a bottle of wine and a piece of steak for Yseult.

 “Come get it , or it will go cold!” She said , which made the little girl scurry to Yseult , begging for her to pick her up. “Hold on , just a moment,” Yseult quickly set the tray down , picking up the girl and setting her up on her hips as she started to make Elianna her little cracker , cheese , and meat sandwiches with one hand , the other supporting Elianna up against her hip. She had started a conversation with the little girl , barely even noticing the person that had come up.  “Oh , hello!” She smiled at them , sitting down with Elianna in her lap. As Yseult spoke , she pulled the tray closer to the two , allowing for Elianna to start eating. “How are you this afternoon?” Yse asked , thinking it only polite.

FORMALITIES  WERE  NEVER  AMIDALA’S  specialty.  She  could  smile  ,  play  the  game  ,  entertain  people  ,  but  that  was  not  particularly  fun.  At  least  in  her  humble  opinion.  How  her  sister  and  brother  could  sit  there  for  hours  on  end  was  beyond  her  ,  especially  with  Mina  being  queen  at  some  point.  Listening  to  Lords  and  having  to  do  something  that  they  say  seemed  like  a  literal  hell  for  her.  So  Amidala  found  fun  in  another  way.  Known  as  not  listening  to  her  parents.  

Escorts  were  not  particularly  fun  ,  not  a  lot  of  things  were  in  Amidala’s  humble  opinion.  Which  is  why  the  little  white  haired  princess  had  concluded  that  it  was  only  logical  to  sneak  away.  Not  all  knew  what  she  looked  like  ,  no?  Most  of  the  citizens  of  elysia  were  not  familiar  with  the  faces  of  the  Dragolas  ,  so  Ami  reasonably  thought  that  a  walk  around  the  town  center  would  not  be  so  bad.  

So  that  is  what  she  did.  Hair  braided  back  ,  messily  at  that  ,  and  wearing  somewhat  casual  clothing  ,  a  smile  was  on  Amidala’s  face  as  she  walked.  Everything  was  so  fascinating  to  her  ,  green  eyes  traveling  quickly  from  one  booth  in  the  market  to  the  next  ,  not  paying  attention  to  much  else  until  she  bumped  into  someone.  

“Hey!”  She  would  call  out  ,  huffing  as  she  stumbled  back  ,  regaining  her  balance.  “Excuse  me.”  Amidala’s  tone  was  laced  with  sass  ,  ingenuine  to  a  t.

RIDING  WAS  A  SKILL  that  every  young  lady  must  know  for  survival.  Until  they  invented  something  faster  for  travel  ,  it  was  a  necessary  thing  ,  no  matter  how  much  one  would  hate  it.  While  most  would  simply  learn  as  a  child  and  ride  when  necessary  ,  Lady  Calliope  preferred  to  ride  whenever  possible.  The  Elysia  grounds  were  beautiful  ,  so  what  reason  would  she  not  want  to?  

Her  ride  didn't  take  that  long  ,  simply  walking  and  trotting  along  the  grounds.  It  was  probably  the  only  thing  she  could  do  ,  her  horse  being  more  than  stubborn  and  not  wanting  to  go  past  a  trot.  Frustration  took  over  before  she  fully  enjoyed  the  view  ,  and  Calliope  decided  quite  early  to  head  back  to  the  stables.  It  was  a  much  more  enjoyable  ride  when  she  wasn’t  on  top  of  the  horse  ,  simply  walking.  

When  they  returned  to  the  stables?  Not  as  enjoyable.  The  dark  haired  woman  sighed  ,  holding  the  reins  loosely  behind  her  as  she  opened  the  doors  ,  leading  her  thoroughbred  through  them.  Her  focusing  in  on  her  horse  seemed  to  distract  her  from  looking  around  the  stables  ,  not  seeing  the  person  in  front  of  them  who  had  knocked  something  over.  The  sudden  noise  spooked  them  both  ,  though  the  horse  seemed  to  take  it  harder.  Spooked  ,  Calliope  struggled  to  calm  him  down  ,  being  quite  small  in  relativity.  

“By  all  the  gods  ,  do  you  not  know  to  be  careful  when  there  are  horses  being  led?”  Calliope  asked  ,  tone  cold  as  ice  when  she  looked  over  her  shoulder  ,  hand  rubbing  the  face  of  the  horse  in  an  attempt  to  comfort  it  after  being  spooked.

when; nighttime

who; anyone

on a night such as this, the moon shone high across the landscape, illuminating the various pitched tents and bonfires that bared the colors of wayward souls. in the back of sarys’s mind, it seemed something out of a fairytale — perhaps it was habit that propelled her to come here so late at night, accustomed to the sparing visits that dotted her conscious. family, as well as fame, dwelled in these lands; though the castle hung like a shadow in the distance ( no doubt where the other nobility would be ), it provided little comfort to the elven lady. though her body and mind belonged to the stone passages, her heart called home to these folk who welcomed the misfits and outcasts to heart. it did not matter to sarys what their intentions might be — tonight, of all nights, was that of celebration, and seldom would the common people ever allow themselves to be hindered from it.

with her face to the fire, sarys sits quietly, admiring the amble chatter that surrounded the various tents. she knew not where her sibling might be ( probably lost to some drinking game with one of their mates ), but that fact didn’t matter to her — right now, in her feigned silence, she merely basked in the chill of the night.