#ilthoria.starter

The sun is just rising, his clothes and skin still damp from the perfunctory cleaning he rushed through in the training yard. He hasn’t been sleeping well since Haojing’s decapitation, unable to shake off the feeling he ⸺  everyone ⸺ is a coward. He dislikes theatrics, and while he has no problem with blood when he’s the one shedding it, a head makes much worse sounds rolling off in an enclosed space than in the field of battle.

Keeping them all penned up inside like animals to watch the murder of one of their own is, at the very least, uncouth. Humiliating more than humbling. He does not like such blunt reminders that his life is not his own. That should someone powerful enough want him dead, no one would dare intervene. How many frozen, silent watchers believed the king’s investigation was above reproach? How many trusted the council found the culprit? All he can tell for certain is that he did not, and that in the moment that didn’t matter as much as the relief that it won’t be one of his own. But if the king just killed someone on a whim, then things are bound to only get worse and while his blood sings at the thought of an all out fight, his mind is not in it.

More than anything, he wants to go home. For all its faults, at least violence is always clear there, always has a point. The closer to the throne he gets, the muddier the motives are, the less sense he finds in taking action, the worse the future starts to look. A noise pulls him from his thoughts, though he barely shows a reaction before turning. “You’re up early,” Kaz says in lieu of a greeting, the corner of his mouth twisting in a careless smirk. 

━━ It may have felt like it has been forever but after what happened, time seemed to drag as if purposely by the gods to make one have to deal with what occurred. azriel had come to a tavern, tables filled with gloom and doom of the past during the day are now filled with cheer, gluttony, and drunkenness at night. not that he blamed them, he imagined many wanted to drown away memory of what happened with ale. he knows that he should be on his best behavior, it is a time of when the winds are changing and there is a sort of stillness in the air. He leans his back against the wall as he watches many drink their weight in ale continue on, "I wonder-- how long do you think it will last until someone loses their shit to the drinks and this temporary peace is gone?" his voice mutters out to the closest person next to him.

location: some tavern

starter: open for all

━━ Malai was quick to realize that after what happened, after what she saw, she felt like something had changed within her, something was different and not the same. She still felt like herself but slower and after avoiding going to see her family, the sereen felt like she needed to walk. she needed to clear her mind of what the king had just done. enerin was more than likely angry, maybe even atesia and the other fragments were too and she wondered what the deities were thinking now. Lost in thought as she walked the streets of ardora with her cloak on, she bumped into someone not realizing before turning quickly to apologize to them. "Sorry I didn't see you there, are you alright? you're not hurt are you?"

location: on the streets of the capital starter: open to everyone

verena  is  bored  and  that  is  why  the  alden  lady  finds  herself  surrounded  by  what  she  finds  most  familiar.  hands  cling  together  behind  her  back,  a  head  of  pale  blonde  hair  contrasting  with  the  dark  leaves  of  the  well  kept  shrub.  for  long  moments,  rena  thinks  herself  the  sole  soul  to  wander  the  gardens  ⸺  so  much  so,  she  whispers  the  names  of  all  the  plants  she  finds  during  her  walk  (  she  knows  all  of  them  like  family  and  knows  which  ones  could  heal  and  which  ones  could  hurt  ).  used  to  the  silence,  the  footsteps  besides  her  own  pair  are  impossible  to  ignore.  ❝  have  you  ever  wondered  about  how  old  some  of  these  flowers  are? ❞  verena  smiles  at  the  thought;  her  interest  shines  through  every  inch  of  her  face.  ❝  friend  of  foe,  many  of  these  species  have  been  here  long  before  us  and  will  be  here  long  before  we  depart  from  this  life.  interesting,  isn't  it? ❞

anessa's gaze  gets  locked  onto  the  tray  before  her.   the  gardens  are  both  the  best  place  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air  away  from  everyone  and  one  of  the  busiest  places  to  be  found  ⸺  and  somehow,  it  works  well  enough  so  anessa  can  have  a  small  mid-afternoon  snack  without  either  too  many  people  around  or  an  accusation  that  she  might  be  avoiding  everyone ( which she will neither confirm nor deny ).  she hears  a  few  footsteps  on  the  gravel  and  she  turns  to  meet  the  newly  found  companion.   ❝   i  asked  for  a  couple  of  fig  tarts  and  they  brought  me  enough  to  feed  a  small  army.   ❞  there  is  a  smile;  easy  albeit  small.  ❝   you  are  welcome  to  some,  if  you  want.   ❞ 

The travel to Ardora had been rough, travelling long distances was a challenge for her, whether it be by horse or carriage. The pain of being bumped around and staying in one position for hours on end was excruciating. She had allowed herself the night to rest before heading out to join the festivities.

With her bow secured in it’s sheath at the back of her chair she approached a free lane at the archery range. After days of next to no shooting she wanted nothing more than to let off some steam. Her eyes glanced down the row of archers her eyes settling on a particular target that had more arrows around it than on it

“I hope they have better archers than that here” she chuckled out loud, reaching behind her for her own bow, “otherwise they might as well give me the reward for best archer now”