Blooming Day Off!

She agreed that some Heanta were monsters. The man that damaged Lil being the worst of them. Still, second meeting? That quickly? Assuming she wasn't just lying. He wasn't that perceptive yet. "A story from one person about themselves doesn't say much. If confirmed by another source, particularly a source that's known to be much more credible. Sorry for essentially calling you a liar, but that is a possibility from what I know, even if a lot of it is projecting based on race. It'll take more than just this trip of your's to convince me otherwise, but it could make a good start. If you truly wish that.

Anyways, is it kind of foolish to worry about her? She's strong. And in a ten round spar against me, it'll likely end the same as back then, she wins 8 to 2. I just...I know she hasn't recovered fully from that monster, and I have no idea how she'd react to an Asentari that was blatant or didn't divulge that information if they were really human looking, like this Rex guy apparently was and didn't say anything. Not saying she'll attack them outright or anything, but I can see people like Sigismund manipulating her distaste for the race. *sigh* I don't know...just...ignore what I said, you're right, they should be done by now." He didn't have any questions. He'll just see by her actions.

They went a slightly different route, heading towards the house, passing a couple of his colleagues, that true to form, had some "friends" with them that they'll be having for fun later. Still, they seemed mildly shocked that Rory was with someone other than Lilian or Andreas. But were too preoccupied with their dates. Once out of earshot he gave a sigh of relief. "The walls aren't exactly thick...and with my hearing, I can often tell who is having the most fun out of the experience, and when they're done. It's good that they're getting it out of their systems so early, maybe I can actually sleep tonight."

With that, they entered the house. Leading the way to the house without going upstairs. To find...no one, but he could hear voices upstairs. And something about strong and stuff and that they'll be here soon. "Hey, we're here! And who's strong and stuff?" He also had good hearing. While not to the degree of an animal's or anything like that, it was still extremely good.

Vala shrugged. She didn't expect him to believe her. "Simple fix, ask Fayla. She's a lovely trustworthy Eldari." Vala said. He asked if it was foolish that he worried about her and Vala shook her head. "If you were a heanta, I'd say yes. But no, I don't think its strange to worry for a friend. I worry about Fayla all the time. But we're warriors. Its a dangerous life to live, and we can't let that kind of fear control us. There's no controlling, or changing, death. There's no undoing it, or avoiding it. The only thing we can do is trust in our friends and fight like there's no tomorrow." He talked about Rex and worried about poeple like Sigismund using Lilian's prejudice to manipulate her.

Vala found that amusing, given his own prejudice towards her. Granted, heanta had done more than enough to earn that. "Lilian's clever, brave and kind. I don't think she'd turn bad just because she doesn't like asentari. Besides, Rex is a charmer. If anyone will help her overcome her prejudice towards asentari, it'll be him." Vala said. They left the room, and headed towards the exit. They passed some of Rory's companions, and he complained about the thin walls and his enhanced hearing. Vala laughed. "Who sound's like the best fun?" She asked with a suggestive raised eyebrow. Before he said anything she continued. "That's a joke." Rory lead the way back to Lilian's house, and they entered. Rory called out, letting them know they'd returned, and asked about something he'd overheard.


Fayla apologized for eevesdropping, but Lilian shrugged it off. "Its ok. I know you didn't mean to." She said. Her brother confirmed that he was alright, and they entered the kitchen as Fayla complimented their healers. Lilian rubbed at her shoulder. "They do their best. There's some things our healers cant fix though." She said, not meaning to sound so mopey about it. She fell silent as Lucas answered her question. Lilian nodded. "Good, you need a break little brother." She said. Fayla finally registered that Vala had been acting strange, and seemed rather surprised, and worried. She commented that Vala seemed like the type to go after big strong beef. Lilian laughed. "What does that even mean?" She said. "Wait have you and Vala never talked about relationships before?"

There was a call from the ground floor, and footsteps on the stairs. Vala bounced in to the kitchen. Her eyes shot to Fayla and she frowned. "Where did you get the fancy clothes?" She asked. "She borrowed some of mine, I had to mend and wash her tunic." Vala pouted and opened her mouth. "Go ahead and pick out an outfit. My rooms the first on the right." Lilian said. "Its only to blend in!" She said, spinning and running up the stairs.

Lilian turned to Rory. "Did you to have fun? I hope you were polite." She asked. There was a thump and an oof from upstairs. Vala appeared in the doorway a few seconds later, dressed in a light tunic and loose black pants. She'd even removed her Drakna, which Lilian had never seen her do before. There was a bruise under her eye, that was slowly fading. Lilian looked at the metal arm in her hand, then back to Vala.  "Did you-."

"I punched myself in the face.." She said. "Fayla told me you could move it just by thinking if you touched the inside..." Vala said. Lilian snorted a laugh. "Curiousity got the better of you, I see." Vala nodded. She put the arm on the table. "I figured you might want that." Vala said. Lilian nodded her thanks, but left it where it was. "So, are we going to this festival not?" Vala asked. Lilian nodded, and looked to Fayla and Rory for their answers, before saying, "Do you want to come, Lucas?"

Lilian laughed at Fayla's big-strong-beef concept, to which the Eldari shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Yavanna always calls Rowan that, so I assumed it was just a Rowan-shaped person." The Human then asked if Fayla and Vala had talked about relationships before, and the Eldari shook her head. "No. Vala's not really a relationship person. At least not right now. And as you've seen, I'm not exactly a love guru myself. You and Rory seem to have a nice thing going though. He seems like a good kid." With that, said Rory and Vala arrived. Rory seemed to have heard some of the conversation, asking who was strong. Vala immediately spotted Fayla's outfit, and quizzed her about where she got them from. She grinned sheepishly and pointed at Lilian. "They're Lilian's." Lilian explained that she was in the middle of mending Fayla's outfit, and Vala put on a very Fayla-like pout until Lilian sent her upstairs to get an outfit of her own. Fayla shook her head and smiled ruefully as she watched her best friend disappear out the door.

Lilian turned to Rory and asked if he and Vala had fun, while Fayla twiddled her thumbs and stared at the ground. The scene was interrupted by a thud and a yelp of pain from upstairs. Fayla shook her head and grinned. "Sounds about right." Vala soon returned, dressed in more of Lilian's clothes and sporting a rapidly healing black eye. The Heanta placed Lilian's metal arm on the table, and confirmed what Lilian suspected had happened. Fayla laughed heartily as Vala explained herself. "You pillock." Vala then asked them if they were going to go to the festival or not. Fayla nodded. "I'm game." Lilian asked Lucas if he wanted to come too, and the young man stroked his chin as he looked at the assembled crew in front of him. "You know what? Sure. I reckon it'll be interesting."


As they approached the city square, it became clear to Fayla just how much of an effect a single historical event can have on society. The square was packed with people spectating the various activities and events going on. The main central attraction was the re-enactment of the Battle of Serenity Valley, but there were other things like face-painting for children, a wide array of food stalls, an orchestra playing music. Fayla was mesmerized by the whole spectacle, the colors and sounds were almost overwhelming. Compared to her own people's stodgy celebratory events, this was wonderful. Fayla's gaze fell on Lilian, who was walking alongside her. She smiled absentmindedly, deciding that even if Lilian was in a relationship already, that Fayla would just enjoy her company. Even just being around her made her happy. Her smile melted as she realized that Vala was standing just past Lilian, eyeing Fayla with a sly smile that also melted when they made eye-contact. Fayla averted her gaze and continued looking around.

"I intend on doing that when the opportunity arises." It was a small pout. Of course he intended on asking her about it! She was the only other one to ask!

Then came the bit about death. Snorting, he countered it. "Except you can control or change death. You decide who you kill and who you let live. You choose to lie down and die or fight with everything you are with a possibility of survival. You'll get no argument on the rest of that."

Then came the bit about this Rex character. Apparently they knew who Lil was talking about? "You two seem to know who Lil was talking about...I might inquire about that later..." They were running late as it was.

Upon reaching the two other women, Fayla was in some of Lil's clothes. Vala seemed jealous and left to "blend in." Lil asked him if he had fun and if he was polite. Huffing like a child, he responded. "Sure, if you consider getting made fun of for what you did when you were young as fun...we went over my memory and my memory images ability. And some of my memories that I keep on display...specifically the one with the fenroc and my siblings..." Hopefully she'd remember the one.

Then came back Vala after a yelp. And a new bruise. Seeing the metal hand in her hands, Rory clamped one of his hands onto his mouth to try to keep from laughing. Perhaps it was his cautious nature, but he didn't bother with any of Lil's stuff without her explicit consent. There he did let off a series of snorts, showing his immense amusement. But otherwise didn't comment.

~

They approached the city square. Normally he'd be at least helping out with the face painting or something similar. No matter how often he'd seen it, it was still a bit of a spectacle. A few of the kids from last year asked him if he remembered their face paint. After closing his eyes and remember, he grinned and touched their foreheads, one at a time, forming the same design on their faces. After a hug from both kids, they scurried off.

The two outsiders almost seemed overwhelmed. "Just take a deep breath. If there's anything you two are interested in, just ask..."

Rory pouted like a child and complained that he got made fun for something that happened to him. He then mentioned the Fenroc memory, and Lilian put two and two together.. She remembered him telling her the story. Rory and Vala were very different, and Fayla was right, he didn't seem her type. "Oh right. Well she probably didn't mean it. Did she tell you about her and Fayla luring a pair of fenroc out and setting them on a Dying Suns' mercenary camp?" The thought of even contemplating attempting it would probably give poor Rory a heart attack.

When Vala returned, having slapped herself in the face, Fayla laughed at her to which the heanta gave a playful nudge. Lilian could see Rory visibly restraining himself, and let out a few snorts of amusement. Vala didn't seem to notice or care, and skipped out the door beside Lucas. The two of them began whispering to each other and Lilian wondered what the pair were up too. She followed the others out, closing the door behind her.


Vala followed Lucas out, leaving the others behind. "What happened while I was gone? Anything interesting?" She sasked him. She looked around, remembering Rory overhearing them earlier. She quickly followed up. "Don't answer that." She said. They were walking down the main street towards the city square, and as they grew closer, Vala looked over at Fayla, who was staring at Lilian and smiling a happy smile. Oh, something had happened alright. Fayla looked at Vala, realised she was being watched and immediately stopped smiling. Vala also stopped smiling and turned away.

Rory stopped to apply one of his illusion images to a pair of kids faces, and they ran off laughing, and Lilian seemed to be absentmindedly staring around the square. She hadn't equipped her arm, and Vala felt a spark of pity and rage looking at the stump. It almost made her happy to know that She'd have her shot at Korroth soon. Rory told them if there was anything they were interested in, to just ask. Vala nodded as she watched a pair of kids, one with a ridiculous pair of oversized horns and pointed ears swinging wooden swords at each other. Vala spotted a Vendor selling the wooden heanta horns and grinned. "I have to have a pair!" She said, running over to the vendor and scooping up a set of twisting white horns. Impressive carving, she had to admit as she handed the vendor some coins and popped them on her head.

"Look! I'm a heanta!" She said, making a dramatic and very fake growl at Lucas. "I'ma eat ya fingas!" Vala giggled playfully, causing Lilian to burst out laughing too. "Come on, there's going to be mock battles on Citadel street soon. We should go watch them." Lilian said. Vala watched her look towards Fayla for confirmation, and had to give another smug smile as the same look she'd seen on Fayla's face cross Lilians. Oh, something had happened.

Lucas headed out slightly ahead of the rest of the group. In truth, he was looking forward to a bit of time off after having been cooped up in the shop while his dad was away. While he did love working in the shop, it was a taxing occupation both physically and mentally, and a break was surely welcome. He was soon joined by Vala, who whispered in his ear to ask if anything interesting happened while her and Rory were gone. Suddenly remembering what he had seen upstairs in his sister's room, he suddenly went pale and looked nervously between Lilian and Vala. The Heanta luckily then aborted the line of questioning, which caused Lucas to exhale with relief.

The group headed for the city square, and the two visitors were amazed at what they saw. As usual for this time of year, the spectacle was incredible. Lucas recognized some of his recent customers, proudly flashing their new toys that they had purchased from him, and he smiled contentedly. Toral's blacksmith shop had become ingrained in Mondolin society, such was the consistent quality they provided. Lucas turned to look at Vala when the Heanta exclaimed that she needed a pair of something. Lucas had no idea what she was talking about until she returned with a pair of mock Heanta horns. She began to growl at Lucas, pretending to threaten the well-being of his fingers. He couldn't help but laugh heartily.


Fayla stopped to catch her breath after laughing quite hard at her Heanta friend for being a fool. Her side prevented her from getting too carried away, as the pain reminded her. It had been a while since the Eldari had sustained such a serious wound, and she had forgotten how much of a hindrance it could be. Lilian then mentioned that there would be battle re-enactments on the Citadel street soon, which piqued Fayla's interest, though really she would have been happy to go with Lilian no matter what she suggested. "Sounds great." She was keeping a secret eye on Rory though, as she needed to know if they were a thing or not. If they were, it wouldn't be too bad, they could still be friends. Fayla was still undecided on exactly how she felt, but if it did end up that she did have strong feelings for Lilian, she did not want to jeopardize any existing relationship Lilian may have. She looked to Vala, only to find the Heanta wearing a smug smile as she looked at Lilian. Fayla would have to ask about that later.

The group moved through the throng towards the Citadel street, and Fayla could see the various participants of the display wearing elaborate sets of armor and equipment. There were people dressed up as very flamboyant approximations of Eldari and Heanta, though there seemed to be no Eldross or Undari costumes present. Fayla also noticed that she was beginning to receive strange looks from people that noticed her, which made a little worried. While they had permission to be there, she didn't want to get Lilian or Andreas in trouble by causing a scene.

The re-enactments were nothing if not colorful. The Eldari and Heanta characters fought dramatically, before the Human's arrived and bravely drove the Eldari and Heanta away from the recreation of Serenity Valley. Fayla made a point to take a trip there soon, as she had never been and she wanted to see if the dramatic backdrop the Human's used was accurate. The area had been sealed off by the Kingdom of Mondolin some years ago, and stories were rife about weird happenings there, including stories her dad used to tell her about the place. Fayla kept one eye on Rory and Lilian, continuing her research into their exact relationship. The re-enactment of the Battle concluded, and next was a very dramatic recreation of the negotiations between the warring parties, with supervision from the Order of the Sun and the Kingdom of Mondolin, with again no mention of the Eldross, despite their heavy involvement with ending the war.

Rory had gone pale at that knowledge. He...did not want to know that story. Sure, he was a lot younger then, and far less lethal than he was now, but still...

~

He still kept a vague ear out. So his interest was piqued a little when Vala asked Lucas if anything happened. That was an odd question, but seemed like she remembered his hearing and told the lad not to answer. Lucas's reaction to the question and the abrupt abort only made his own interest pique. What did that mean?

Then the Heanta got a pair of fake horns and started to harass the boy. Making Rory deadpan look at her while everyone else seemed to laugh at her and at the display. He thought it was more weird than anything. But otherwise left it be. So long as it stayed as play and not anything more, he wasn't going to intrude.

They got to the Citadel, where the re-enactments were at. Rory usually played a minor part in them, in addition to doing face painting for a bit. But since he was out by Karcenak, he couldn't this year. Still, something always seemed a little off. He was no historian, but it was almost a gut feeling.

But, if anyone would know, it might have been Fayla. "Something always seemed off to me. But I never had the time to look into history books to see how accurate our re-enactments are. Have any insight, Fayla?"

They watched the reenactment in silence. When it was over, Rory decided to ask some questions about it, as he felt like something was missing. Although he was adressing Fayla, Vala answered. "There's no Eldross. Actually there's no Undari either, but the Eldross played a major part in ending the war." She said. Lilian listened intently, seeing what Fayla had to add before chiming in. "Mondolin only took part in the final battle at Serenity Valley. The conflict took place on the Kyrias Endoran border, so its possible we just referred to the each side as the Eldari and Heanta." Lilian said. "There's no human alive today who witnessed that battle. Shorter life spans means we're more likely to lose history, or misinterpret old records because there's no one to set us right." She added. Mondolin could only benefit from reaching out to the other races, rather than remaining mostly closed to them.

Lilian noticed the looks Fayla was getting from the people around them. No one was looking at Vala, who's wooden horns had proven to be a rather brilliant disguise, but the heanta had noticed the attention too. Before anything could happen, not that she expected there to be any trouble, Lilian stood up. "Come on, there's refreshments in the square. There's a dance starting soon too, if anyone likes to dance." She said. Vala grinned.  "The only dance I know," She said with a dramatic pause. Lilian knew where this was going. "is one I learned in Edaria." She said. Lilian had not expected that. She had expected something along the lines of "The dance of death" or "The Jig of punching" or something.


A dance. Perfect. She just needed to get Fayla and Lilian to dance together. Dancing brought out all sorts of emotions in people. If they couldn't take things from there on their own, then she didn't know what to do. She'd have to call thing's quits. Vala followed Lilian towards the square, where a small band had just set up, with lutes, flutes and other assorted instruments. A woman in tights and a vibrant tunic, a quilled hat atop her head, was springing around the square singing. She had quite the voice, angelic, but her song was baudy and lewd. Lilian covered Lucas' ears until the song ended. The next song was a love song about an Eldari and heanta who fell in love and lived a happy life in the freelands. Vala Started to dance, pulling Lilian towards the square. The Human joined in, and they circled around each other playfully. As the passed Fayla, Vala's hand shot out and she pulled her friend into the dance, hopefully resulting in the trio dancing to the song. As the song wound on, Vala found her moment to slip away, and just for good measure grabbed Lucas next and started to dance with him. The perfect cover. If it all went according to plan, Fayla would find herself dancing alone with Lilian.

As the re-enactments concluded, Rory seemed to notice something amiss with the details, and he questioned Fayla about it. Vala pointed out what Fayla had been thinking, regarding the lack of Eldross and Undari representation in the show. The Eldari nodded in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing. Though to be fair, the Order of the Sun were the ones who saw the opportunity for peace and approached the Eldross to help to achieve that goal. At least, that's how my mother and Yavanna explained it." Lilian then spoke about possible reasons why such an oversight could have happened. Fayla smiled and nodded, but inwardly felt a pang of regret, knowing that Lilian and her other Human friends would not live as long as her and Vala. Unless she got killed first of course, but that was the same for everyone.

Fayla looked to Lilian when she suggested moving to the main square for refreshments, and also mentioned a dance. While refreshments sounded great, the dancing was less appealing. In truth, while she wielded a weapon named Grace, Fayla Shor was anything but. Vala, however, started grinning and mentioned a dance she learned in Edaria. Fayla couldn't resist the jab. "Was that when you accidentally stood on a campfire and burnt your foot?" Lucas tried to stifle a laugh but failed, and Fayla grinned at him. They headed for the square, and the music soon started. The first song was a rather lively number, sung by a woman wearing a very lively costume. Lilian covered Lucas' ears in a panic, while Fayla was just confused. None of the lyrics made sense to her. The music soon transitioned to a slower set, beginning with a love song. Vala immediately began to dance, bringing Lilian with her, while Fayla joined Rory and Lucas in just standing and observing.

Not too long after, Fayla was suddenly pulled into the dance area by Vala, resulting in a bizarre three-pronged dance for a time. The Heanta was then suddenly gone, popping up nearby with Lucas in tow. Fayla marveled at her friend's speed, but she also finally realized what the Heanta had been doing. How long had she been planning this? She laughed and relaxed, somehow managing to not grievously injure Lilian with her incredible lack of rhythm. Vala wore a satisfied smile as she and confused Lucas veered off back towards Rory. Fayla sighed and smiled at Lilian. "Sorry, my best friend is a brilliant idiot." They moved slowly together as the song changed to another romantic ballad, and the sun began to set behind the buildings. Fayla held on tightly to Lilian, as if afraid to let her go, and this betrayed her worries as her big green eyes widened. "I... this is nice but... I don't want to upset Rory. You two seem to be very close... and I don't want to ruin your relationship..." Fayla's eyes dropped to her feet as she continued. "That is... I didn't mean to confuse you and lead you or Rory to get hurt..." The music gently wafted around the square, and while her voice and her head told her she should go, her heart desperately wanted to stay.

It was Vala that explained why. Still, Rory gave her a look that said "I didn't ask you." Lilian piped up with a theory on why their re-enactment would be a little inaccurate. He also couldn't help but think of some mis-translation or bias with their books as well. Fayla did pipe in with her own thoughts, which were much in line with everyone else's.

The invitation to a change in scenery was much appreciated. Though when Vala mention a dance she knew, he expected a fighting style or something. The blond sputtered when instead they got "a dance I learned in Edaria." And gave her a "what the hell" look. He still wasn't going to complain.

When the got to the scene, it was a festive song with some...interesting lyrics. Lil put her hands on Lucas's ears. "Lil...he's going to hear this and worse at some point, and he is at that age..." He still found it cute and heartwarming that the big sister was trying to protect her little brother's innocence.

Then came the next song. And before he could ask for Lilian's hand for a dance, Vala beat him to it, making the boy pout. Like, really? After watching a minute, he turned to face Fayla. Maybe she'd be interested? Before he could grab her, Vala again took his chance for a dance and the three women did a three way. That earned the heanta a full fledged glare. What was wrong with that woman?! He may be watching to make sure she didn't do anything, but he also wanted to have a little bit of fun too! Sighing heavily, he looked around. And a tick formed on his head. He saw at least six different people, both male and female, heading towards him, clearly wanting to dance with him. He didn't even know those people.

He looked at Lucas and was just about to ask him when Vala grabbed him too! What. The. Living. Hell! Okay, that was pissing him off. If looks could kill, the Heanta would be dead a hundred times over now. Crossing his arms, he looked at the two sets of couples. Lilian and Fayla on one side, and Lucas and Vala on the other. A small voice in the back of his head started up again, but he quashed it. This was a harmless, perfectly fun dance. Nothing romantic about it.

He was...a little mad about this. And he started to shuffle away from the approaching offers. Luckily, Vala and Lucas came close enough for him to interject. "Mind if I cut in or something? I don't want to dance with strangers that I don't even know the names of..." He pointed at the approaching group with his thumb. And hopefully he could whisk one or both away for a bit. He wasn't going to be picky at all.

Lilian found herself dancing alone with Fayla. Vala had slipped away somehow, popping up with her brother in toe nearby and leaving Rory alone. Lilian was slightly surprised, because it had seemed the heanta had a crush on Rory earlier. Or maybe she hadn't wanted to ask him to dance because she wasn't sure how he'd react. Perhaps she'd seen him shoot her several glares. Lilian wanted to try sort things out between them, but she also realised Fayla was speaking. Lilian looked over at Vala. "You're very lucky to have a friend like her. She's great. Its a pity not everyone can see that." Lilian looked at her Fayla and frowned as she brought up Rory. Then she smiled. "Fayla, I'm not with Rory." She said in response to the Eldari stuttering through her sentences. It was cute how she did that.

"It's true that we're close. Good friends really. But just that. Rory had feelings for me, its true, but I don't feel the same and I made that clear. So don't worry." She explained. "Honestly, I haven't had time to think about stuff like this. I'm always so busy with work or my hobbies." It was part of the reason she'd left her arm at home. She never took time to experience the other parts of life. Fayla had made her see that, all in the last few hours. "Whatever this is between us, I want to experience it."


The dance took them back towards Rory, who looked mildly distressed as several people swarmed towards him. He asked to step in, saying he didn't want to dance with strangers who's names he didn't know. Lucas seen his friends and nodded. "No problem, mate my freinds are over there." He charged off waving, leaving Vala with Rory. One of the people trying to dance with Rory approached anyway, and She turned to glare at him. "Back off, I got here first." She said, causing the person to step back at the command in her voice. The turned and slunk away, along with the others who taught to try their luck. Vala was surprised. She'd assumed he had been joking when he said he'd heard them all.

She smiled at him. "That should keep them away from you for a while. You're welcome." She said. Though he doubted Vala had been his preference. "When you find someone you actually want to dance with, go right ahead. In the meantime I promise I'll keep my claws to myself."

Fayla spared a glance at her best friend for almost twenty years and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I am." After Fayla stumbled her way through her protestations and desire to not affect Rory and Lilian's relationship, the Human's reply left her both elated and nervous. Lilian told the Eldari that she and Rory were just good friends, and that she simply hadn't had time to think about relationship stuff. Fayla's heart raced, but she knew that she couldn't just fall into Lilian's arms and live happily ever after. She needed help to interpret what she was feeling, to decide if this was true love and not just a crush on a pretty girl. Going silent for moment, Fayla contemplated what to say. She needed time, but she couldn't expect Lilian to just wait around for her. She looked into her dance-partner's eyes and spoke earnestly.

"Lilian, I... I want to experience this too but... I just need a bit of time. I need to gather myself and make sure I'm not going to hurt you. I've had crushes and stuff before, but this feels different, somehow." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm not good at this kind of stuff. Vala too. Now ass-kickings, the two of us are experts. But I just need time before we take this thing on. I know it's probably not what you want to hear, and Gráinne knows it's not what I want to say. But I just need a bit of time. I'll be back." She leaned forward and kissed Lilian on the cheek. "I promise." She leaned her head on Lilian's shoulder as they finished up their dance and Fayla wondered what kind of trouble her Heanta friend had been stirring up.

Vala scared the people off. "My hero." He deadpanned as he looked at the heanta. The blond grabbed the girl's hand and immediately put themselves directly into the dance, even twirling her right into position. "Preference or not, sometimes it can be rather annoying. Either way, just try to enjoy it."

He was in the lead. So far. Though it should be noted that Vala would witness the kiss and hug behind Rory. But the blond himself would never be able to see the moment. "So, what do you know about this Rex character?" It was an innocent question. And one he intend to asking Fayla as well. When the opportunity presented itself...

Rory responded to her scaring away the competition with a sarcastic remark. Vala snorted. "Watch it or I'll toss you back to the wolves." She threatened in a joking manner. "Hmm, most people would be happy to have women or men throwing themselves at their feet. But I have a feeling those Vultures are after more than just you. Money and power, right? That's the curse of being noble born. But atleast you're not starving, broke or powerless." Vala said. As they turned, she spotted Fayla kiss Lilian on the cheek. She kept a straight face, but internally screamed a big yes.

Rory asked about Rex, which Vala was not surprised by. It was bound to come up. "Rex is great. We killed some bandits together when we first met. Fond memories." She said. "Let's see, he's well spoken, well dressed, and very good looking too. I wouldn't say no. But that aside, he's a nice guy and a good friend." She said. Bit of a rocky first meeting, but once he realised she wasn't an enemy he'd stopped treating her like one. "Is there anything specific you'd like to know? Maybe you'd like me to arrange an introduction?" She asked.


Lilian listened to Fayla as she tried to explain herself. "Well, I wouldn't be to sure about Vala. Have you ever talked about this kind of thing with her before?" Lilian asked. Fayla finished by saying that she needed time. Lilian gave her a gentle smile. "Hey, its alright. We don't have to experience it now. But don't worry, I'm not the kind of girl to run off and find somebody else. I can wait, if it's for you." She said. "Oh, no that's really corny forget I said that." She added. "What I mean is, we've got time. We don't need to rush." She said. Fayla kissed her on the cheek, and hugged Lilian. Lilian returned the hug.

The song wound down and Fayla stood up straight and smiled contentedly, having finally expressed her feelings for the beautiful Human she had just shared a romantic dance with. "I guess we'd better get back to the others. They might get suspicious." She gave Lilian's hand a quick squeeze before heading back to the familiar figure of her best friend. She was dancing with Rory close to where they started, and Fayla approached with a smile on her face. "Hey you two. How's it going? Where's Lucas?"

Fayla looked around as the festivities began to die down. The singer stepped down from the stage and cast a quick spell to enhance the volume of her voice. She called the attention of everyone with a loud clearing of her throat. "Hello to you all! My name is Felicity Farseer, and on behalf of the King, we'd like to thank you all for attending the annual celebration of the Battle of Serenity Valley. Just like every other year, secret judges have been watching the dancers, and have decided who will be crowned King and Queen of the Serenity Ball." An official-looking man appeared beside her and whispered in her ear, before disappearing again. Farseer smiled as she looked in the direction of Fayla and the others. "I have been informed of the winners, and they are..." A drum roll sounded as Farseer approached the group quickly and took hold of Vala and Rory's arms, raising them to the sky. The crowd cheered, and Fayla laughed and cheered along with them. Farseer then released them and turned to regard them fondly. "these two lovely people! Now, Knight Rory Bloomfield is knwon to most in Mith Silvanus, but who is your darling partner?"

Rory scoffed. "They'd be disappointed at the money part. The power part is a little iffy...if I had a word for it, it would be soft power. Marrying me would give them access to contacts, both knights and nobles, despite not having any real power myself. Though having a knight as a spouse does have its own level of prestige. Some also just likes my looks, wanting a trophy more than anything. You are right though, it's certainly better than being broke, starving, or powerless." There was some blessings there.

Vala spoke about Rex. Apparently a skilled fighter, and like him, a good looking young man who speaks and dresses well. Does Edia have an equivalent to nobles? "I'm more wondering how he even left here without anyone except Lil and maybe the rest of her family knowing he was an Asentari. I know some of them look very human, but there's the issue of the eyes and teeth, assuming he doesn't have scales, horns, a tail, etc. visible. And if he's a part of Edia's military. I may not mind an introduction, but that's also a bit hard to do, I would imagine...I am pretty curious about his race. Aside from them being very prideful and vindictively protective of their own, not much is really known about their culture." And he would love to do his part in easing tensions as well.

Unfortunately, the music started to die down, so he separated slightly from the Heanta. Only to see Fayla heading their way with a smile. "Lucas saw some of his friends and headed off towards them. And we're fine. After Vala scared off some vultures." Then came the next part of the festivities. To which he paled. He'd completely forgotten that they did this too. And he prayed to all the gods that may or may not listen to help him.

To which they promptly said no, since he and his dancing partner were the winners. Smiling nervously, he did talk. "A friend of Knight Lilian Toral's. I believe she can introduce herself." Not knowing what alias she was using or anything, he didn't want to blow her cover or anything. So he let her handle herself.

The song began to end, and Fayla pulled away, stating the should find the others to avoid suspicion. Lilian nodded. She was going to have to talk to Rory about it at some point. She didn't owe him an explanation, and she'd never done anything to lead him on but it wouldn't be fair to keep him in the dark about it. "Yeah, I'm sure they can't be too far."


Vala considered Rory's words. "It's hard to tell just by his eyes. You'd have to get really close to noticed the slitted pupils. He has no visible scales, horns or a tail. How cool would having a tail be though?" She said, then shrugged. "And as for the teeth, well come on, I've managed to get around the city without giving myself away, its not that difficult to conceal fangs." She said. He expressed interest in the Asentari as a whole. "I'm not an expert, I've only met a few asentari, but they couldn't be more different from each other. Very like humans, but more colorful. Because of the scales. It was difficult to get a sense of their culture, though from talking with Bethany it seems they have an issue with toxic Nobility. And they abhor slavery." She said.

The song ended, when Fayla and Lilian reappeared. Vala was about to point after Lucas, when a woman began speaking, introducing herself. As she spoke, Vala's face lit up with a mischievious light, while Rory's paled. The woman wondered into the crowd in search of the King and Queen of the Serenity Ball and stopped in front of Vala and Rory. The woman asked Rory about her, and he let her introduce herself. Smart, since he didn't know her alias. Vala put on a practiced air, giving the woman a delighted smile. "Valerie Faemir." She said.. "Don't worry, I'm not a real heanta these horns are just a delightful prop I purchased in the fair." She said, plucking them off her head as if to prove it, and placing them on Rory's head. "Oh this is almost too much! I'm so happy I could burst, I've always dreamed of being crowned Queen of the Serenity ball." She had not. But her words were sincere.

Fayla laughed and clapped at Vala's performance, playing every part the awestruck socialite. Felicity Farseer smiled and put a hand on the shoulder of both Vala and Rory. "Such a lovely pairing! It's heartening to know that dreams do still come true!" The singer/presenter turned back to the crowd as the applause died down and raised a hand to silence the stragglers. "Well, there you have it! Your new King and Queen of the Serenity Ball, Rory Bloomfield and Valerie Faemir! Congratulations to them both! Such a darling couple!" The colorful woman moved back towards the stage as Rory and Vala were presented with flowers and ornate crowns. Lucas reappeared beside Rory and Vala, chuckling in a very Andreas-like fashion. "Pops made those crowns, after the last smith to do so retired. Looks good on the both of you, my lord and lady." The young man bowed in exaggerated manner as Farseer continued. "Alright then, I am afraid we are approaching the end of the night. One more song to send us off!"

Fayla couldn't help but laugh out loud. Not too long ago, they were running for their lives in an abandoned cave base in the Vultani Jungle. Now, Vala was standing before her with a crown and flowers as the new Queen. Even the greatest authors in Asmir couldn't have made this up. She approached the two monarchs and nodded with a sly smile. "Well, you sure showed me. Not bad Valerie." She looked to Rory with a more genuine smile. "Hey there King. Sorry we left you alone with Vala so long. How has your night been?" Lucas returned with a tray of drinks for the group and both he and Fayla brought the group to the nearest empty table to sit. Fayla sat to one side of him and let out a tired sigh, the day's excitement finally catching up to her. She nodded to Vala and Rory with a curious look. "So, how and when did this all happen, huh?"

Huh...some sort of two tone eyes? That was weird...but would explain it how he left without anyone know that he was an Asentari. He rolled his eyes at the toxic nobility. "Would love to know more about that to see who has it worse..." He's heard the plots and the agreements and what has already been done and was disgusted by their own nobles...and his brother and mother. Father wasn't bad. From what he'd heard.

He gave a nervous laugh and kept the fake horn. Then came the crowns. Lucas popped back in and said something annoying. The blond just gave the boy a playful glare. Then Fayla congratulated her friend and asked him how his night had been. Shrugging, he responded. "Stressful and nerve-whacking." This was not at all what he expected this night to turn out.

Then came the question after Lucas got them some drinks. To which he gave Fayla a very confused look. "When did what happened? What are you talking about?" He was very confused...

The moments following Vala's little speech were a blur as they were given flowers and ornate crowns were placed on their heads. Though Vala was acting, she was partially delighted. She loved the crown, shiny as it was, and wasn't likely to remove it any time soon. It fit Valerie perfectly. Corporal Face-break not so much. When Felicity returned to her post to preform one last song Fayla and Lilian joined them. Fayla asked them how and when all this happened. While what Fayla was likely implying went straight over the horned and crowned head of Rory, Vala copped it quickly.

Rory, confused by Fayla's question asked her what she meant. Vala, with a perfectly straight face and looking straight over Fayla's shoulder because if she looked at anyone she was likely to burst out laughing, said, "She's probably wondering when you stole my innocence." Vala figured that Rory's eyes were likely bulging out of his head as things clicked into place. Already her cheeks were starting to puff out trying to contain laughter. She risked a look at Lilian, who looked confused, and then turned to meet Rory's gaze.

Fayla looked at the two monarchs with earnest confusion. Rory seemed to have no idea what she meant by her question, though Fayla wasn't sure whether she had misjudged the situation or if Rory was actually really dense. She looked to Vala, who bluntly translated Fayla's inquiry with her typical directness. Fayla chuckled at Rory's reaction to this new information. "Yeah, something like that." She looked at Lilian, who looked equally as confused as Rory, Lucas was visibly stifling laughter. She looked back at Rory with interest. "You guys have been acting weird all day." She then looked at her Heanta best friend with narrowed eyes. "You more so. So what gives?" She took a sip of her drink, realizing that once the romantic mood Fayla was in was removed, it was clear that Vala was up to something. She was curious what that might be.

Immediately, Rory's face goes red and mouth agape like a fish. He snapped out of the trance when Fayla said another statement. "First of all, you don't know me well enough to say that. Second of all, where the hell did that come from?! We did not hug passionately! For the gods' sakes, we barely know each other! And I ain't a one night stand type of guy!" While flailing his arms, Rory whisper-yelled his response.

Honestly! The audacity to suggest such a thing! He tried to keep it on the down low so he wouldn't attract any attention, both about his sex life and the issue of the intimate activity as a whole. Still, he was embarrassed that someone would even suggest such a thing. Him of all people! The blond was even a little bit mad, but immediately regained his composure when a few kids congratulated the pair for their crowning achievement.

The boy wanted nothing more but to move on. Though it was curious that Vala's friend thought that she was acting weird. That made him grow suspicious.

Vala barely contained herself at Rory's indignation over her comment and Fayla's follow up questions. She nearly flopped to the floor with laughter but remembered that that would be undignified for someone like Valerie, and managed to calm herself down. Whipping a tear from her hey she flicked it away and sighed. "Ahh, you're so easy to tease." Vala said, and started to walk away. "I'm not acting strange, Fayla. I'm blending in." Vala added.

Lilian had managed to maintain a straight face at Rory's horrified outburst. "Well, that was a thing. Maybe we should call it a night." She said, looking at Fayla. "You two were planning to leave early, right?" She asked. Vala stopped and looked back. "That's up to Fayla. I'm in no rush to get home."

Fayla was taken aback when Rory started flailing his arms like a madman, which drew a lot of attention from the other party-goers in the square, and hissed his indignation at her. His arguments ranged from Fayla not knowing him well enough to Rory barely knowing Vala enough, and some incoherent gibberish in between. She felt a laugh rising in her, and she let it out for fear of it coming out of her wounded side instead. Vala was laughing too, but the Heanta was doing a far better job of keeping it relatively civil. Fayla wiped tears from her eyes as she gathered herself again. Vala gleefully pointed out how easy to tease Rory was, before telling Fayla that she was just blending in. Fayla raised an eyebrow. "If you say so, Valerie." Lilian then provided the voice of wisdom that the conversation sorely lacked, reminding Fayla once again of one reason why she was so attracted to her, and suggesting that they call it a night. Vala said it was up to Fayla because she was in no rush to get home, but Fayla had something else preying on her mind too. A pair of issues that herself and Vala needed to take care of. Sure, they were safe in Mith Silvanus, but they would have to deal with Korroth and Knightfall eventually.

Fayla looked to Lilian and smiled, trying to hide the pain in her heart that accompanied the fact that she would have to leave her for the moment. Though they had agreed to leave things to cool for the moment, while Fayla went and sought advice from people with more experience than her with such things, there were definitely feelings there, and Fayla would be back. She would make sure of it. "That's probably a good idea. I don't know if it's the wound or the dancing, but I'm a little woozy now." She smiled again at Lilian, knowing full well that there was a third reason. She then looked at Vala with a serious look. "Besides, we've got something to take care of in the Free Lands. Two somethings really, though I imagine they won't be too far from each other." She turned and gave Lucas a warm hug, before giving one to Lilian, though this one lasted a little bit longer and was followed up with a quick kiss on the cheek that Fayla hoped would go unnoticed by Vala, but probably wasn't. She then offered a hug to Rory, offering a handshake instead if it was refused. "It was nice to meet you, Rory. You too Lucas. Thank you for the lovely night. It was..." She smiled at Lilian again, unable to help herself. "Enchanting." She turned to leave, but then stopped suddenly and looked back sheepishly. "Oh, I'll have your clothes cleaned and sent back to your house. Thanks for letting me wear them and for fixing my stuff." She smiled one more time and gestured to Vala to go.

They kind of ignored him, aside from some chuckling, earning a glare. Fine, whatever. He just crossed his arms and pouted the entire time. Though when Lilian suggested calling it a night, with them wanting to leave a little early. But Fayla also mentioned that she was feeling a little woozy. As well as saying that they had a couple of somethings to take care of in the Freelands. Hold on! He had questions, plus if she was still woozy, then might as well take the full day tomorrow to relax and eat and drink!

"Now hold on just a minute, Fayla, if you're still not feeling well, and have things to do in the Freelands, just stay here for the extra day and a half and rest, eat, and drink. The more you rest, the better prepared you'll be to take on whatever the two somethings are..." Hopefully his reasoning with her was sound. He took the hug, though he got a little jealous at the kiss on Lilian's cheek. He shouldn't have, and pounded the thought away, it seemed more like a friendly one anyways and not a romantic interest thing.

The blond hoped the two would take the offer, if nothing else but so that Fayla can heal a little more for whatever trials they had coming.