Post by Teh Donut on Dec 28, 2007 10:07:10 GMT -5
"[Her Majesty requests your presence, m’lord.]”
The thickly accented Ritri was sandpaper to his ears. Junica slid his rapier back into its sheath and unbuckled the bloodstained mithral mail he usually wore during other previous hunting expeditions with his E’lali prey, then faced the royal palace guard who had spoken to him as he entered his room in the manse.
He had always held a certain disdain for the palace guards; man or woman, they all looked the same to him, like overly-wide obsidian cannons with legs and pikes. There was the matter of for whom they served, but regardless of his personal feelings, the mere fact that a guard from the royal palace had been sent meant much; it must be a matter of the highest importance.
“[Very well, I shall be along shortly; please inform Her of my coming,]” he responded with a nod of acknowledgement in like tongue. The guard bowed and slapped a clattering fist to his iron chest, uttering a customary “” before clattering off to report to his queen.
Junica sighed as he watched him go. He was tired, it was already mid-afternoon, and he really didn’t want to deal with court formalities today, but he wouldn’t dare turn down his mother’s request...
He untied the crimson bandana that held his lengthy blonde hair back into a ponytail and let it fall loose down past his shoulders, then dropped his unbuckled and bloody battle gear to the floor. One of his various degenerates would eventually pick it up and take care of the mess; for now though, he wanted to get ready by himself, without the hassle of dealing with such lowly indentured rabble.
It took him a few minutes for him to arrange the many layers of his ceremonial robe; its infinite silver, crimson, and black folds folds made it nearly impossible to tell where its opening was or whether he had anything hidden underneath. Conveniently so, as he reached within and adjusted his rapier. As a final touch, he added his headband: a circlet made by the interlocking tails of two silver snakes, their mouths latched on to a single jade gem. Junica nodded in satisfaction as he scanned over himself in the mirrored wall before turning around and holding out a hand to the palace he could see through his bedroom window, and vanished.
“[You are late, Junica…out hunting Infidels again.]” The robed silhouette on the throne stated matter of factly as the figure of Junica reconstructed itself before her. Her authoritative voice echoed from behind the shaded veil of her throne and throughout the empty, high-arched ceilings of the palace’s marble throne room for several seconds, long enough for the prince to kneel and bow.
““
“[Your excuses are not necessary,]” she interrupted with a dismissive wave of a bony, elongated hand. “”
Junica looked up, an obvious expression of disgust on his face. “[Escort? You would have me perform such a menial task? What of my brother Krylansalo-]”
“[That abomination is nothing more than muscle to lead our guards; he’s unfit for more.]”
“[Then Princess-]”
“[You would have the heir to the royal throne go out among the common rubbish?]” A slight twinge of annoyance tainted her voice and two golden eyes flashed open within the dark shadow of the veil that obscured her face. The young Ritri prince held onto her gaze with his own golden eyes for several seconds before he diverted them to the side, seeming to find a crack in the floor suddenly quite interesting.
She continued, “[Our guests are very important people…you are charismatic and usually well spoken, so I have chosen you as ambassador. You are free to either accept or decline.]”
Junica stood and looked straight into his mother’s eyes once more. It didn't take but a second to know full well what the correct answer was; sure, he was free to choose to accept or decline, but so is one also allowed to choose to either live or die. “”
“”
JP bowed low before he stood and held out his hand once again. Closing his eyes he felt through to the ground to get his barings, faced south, then vanished once again.
Miltiades hated the sea.
Water had always made him sick, always made him irritable. He would have refused to travel in the boat had there been another way. But, alas, water was the sole way of travel, this time. In fact, he would have--should have--stayed behind, even with that fact. But Lavinya...Lavinya had pouted and prodded in that subtle way of hers, quietly expressing her disappointment until he could do nothing but agree, even if only to please her. Everyone wanted to please her.
So now he stood on the deck of this blasted ship, prowling back and forth, feeling sick to his stomach but unwilling to show anyone his discomfort. What a predicament...
"Milta..." That soft, sweet voice behind him erased his anger. Lavinya had always been able to do that--even with Senka standing beside her, watching him with those terribly dull eyes. If there was one person Miltiades hated to see, hated to be around, it was the young demon his companion took with her wherever she went. And why did she do it? Well, that was something he just didn't know. At any rate, Lavinya was speaking. "Milta, we're almost docked. Why do you still look like we're at sea?"
"Because even being near the water revolts me." Of course, he didn't say that. No, what came out was, "{Just irritation. You know, all that rocking...I still feel it.}"
The woman smiled, stifling a soft laugh with her hand. "Ah...Well. You'll be fine, don't worry..." She turned her head towards the docks, taking a deep breath of air. "I am eager to see this place...Its people, its customs...Aren't you?"
No, actually, he wasn't. But again, he couldn't say that. "{Yes, of course...I just hope they arrive soon.}"
"They" didn't take long in coming; while dockworkers rushed about to complete their routines and secure the ship to port, a faint shimmer outlined an infisible humanoid form. Half a split second later a smiling Junica took its place, slightly pleased with the preciseness of his own jump; there was no mistaking the pennant above the mainmast, this was the ship, that much he was sure. His escort of guests was another matter, so he decided to check for himself.
He could visibly distinguish the workers puting the finishing touches on the wooden ramp assembly that would transport the galleon's occupants to solid ground; drawing his robes about him so thay didn't drag so much against the hard stone walkway, he casually strolled forth, then up the ramp. Excitement somewhat replaced his earlier annoyance...the first real visitors in some time! Most of the other races dared not approach the island, prefering the Ritri ambassabors to meet them at one of the Kingdom's various outposts on the continent than brave the deadly coastal waters. "Must be a Ritri at the helm..."
As Junica reached the top he looked around for the guests about which his mother had spoken. It wasn't too hard...they were the only three people on the sparsely-populated deck not scrambling about to secure rigging lines. With the smile still on his face, he waited by the off-ramp, knowing they would have to come through him anyway if they wanted to exit the ship. In an orthodox manner, at least.
Now that the ship was more or less completely docked, Miltiades let out a sigh, easing up a little and looking around. There was nothing so far that might earn his dislike, which was a good start...But he was still predisposed to feeling wariness around foreign places and people.
Quite the opposite of Lavinya, whose hands were clasped in front of her as she looked around eagerly, the bells in her hair ringing with her turns. Why the woman had chosen to wear ceremonial clothing to this...place, Miltiades couldn't fathom; she was just strange in that way. "{Come on,}" He growled, jerking his head towards the off-ramp. "{We can see more if we get off...}"
His companion turning with a quirky smile, she paused for a moment, then nodded as eagerly as the rest of her motions. She quickly moved towards the off-ramp, ends of her long dress dragging a little on the deck of the ship (she either didn't notice or care). Senka followed after her, slowly, aimlessly--as usual.
Shaking his head, Miltiades trailed behind, his eyes roaming around until they fixed on someone he hadn't seen before--Junica. His frown deepened, and he unconsciously quickened his pace so that he was in front of Lavinya and Senka, almost in a protective fashion. Stopping in front of the prince, he tilted his head on one side, looking him up and down, then said, very slowly, "{You aren't part of this crew...Are you our escort?}"
Junica nodded, a mild smile on his face; so he had been correct in assuming the trio was under his charge, though looking over the transfigured body of the dragon before him he was sure he wouldn't need to do anything more than show them around. He was sure that any dragon could take care of itself.
Yes...they must be dragons. Only their pride would make them use their deep, guttural language instead of the more common E'lali. It was no matter; he would adapt.
“{I am, yes,}” he managed to reply, the draconic words irritating his barely-trained throat.
Remembering his lessons in foreign formalities, he extended a hand. “{My name is} Junica Pavacelli, {of the} Seperallis.” The rough reptilian language was really wearing out his voice, even though he had only said a few words. “{I hope your journey was pleasant,}” he finished, finally glad to give his vocals a rest.
Settling back and taking his hand when the prince introduced himself, Miltiades nodded slowly, satisfied with the introduction and the fact that this foreigner could speak at least a little of their language--even if with an accent. He wasn't one to judge, as when he himself used E'lali he tended to pronounce things a little strangely. When the question of the journey arose he snorted, switching to the more common language and muttering, "It went well enough..."
Nodding and looking past Miltiades, Junica couldn’t help expressing a wider smile; he knew the ceremonial dress was familiar, but he hadn’t noticed who it was. True, he had never actually met her in person, but he had associated with her father for some time before on several occasions, and had seen her from afar in such a form on more than one. This really was a pleasant surprise. “Lavinya, I presume?”
Junica said her name.
His expression immediately turning to a frown, Miltiades swept his eyes over the prince again, as though rethinking his opinion. He didn't like to admit it, but he was firecely protective of Lavinya, even if only because her father had asked him to take care of her. He was sure she could do it herself, but still...The mere fact this this stranger seemed to know her was enough to make him tense.
Lavinya herself, however, seemed quite pleased to have been addressed. As she stopped in front of them she gave her companion and Junica both a sweet smile, inclining her head in greeting, making the small bells jingle again. She stared at the prince for a long moment, obviously trying to decipher how he knew her, then brightened, gasping, "Oh! I...I know you, don't I? You are a friend of my father, are you not...? Um...Jun...Junica, isn't it...?"
Junica was relieved that the conversation had fully slipped into E'lali; finally, a language he knew almost as good as his own, and he relaxed a bit, not really needing to be as careful with how he pronounced the language, since it was almost second nature. "Yes, you are correct...Junica; your father would invite me over a couple times a decade to play a few rounds of [Bel] and speak of happenings within our homes...just something to pass the time during those peaceful periods. It is quite unfortunate certain hostilities between my home and the E'lali...'Empire'...put a postponement to our contact." He seemed to spit the word "empire" with more than enough venomous contempt for those behind its existence.
Catching Miltiades's expression from the corner of his eye, Junica felt he had oversteped some sort of bounds; not wanting to incur the anger of a dragon, with the knowledge he had of their power, he assumed a more proper posture; he straightened himself as he clasped his hands together before his chest and bowed low to all three of the visitors, taking a step back as he did so. "It is a welcome change to have such visitors to our humble capital...would you humor me with an introduction?"
Blinking at the sudden change, the sudden show of such formality, Lavinya frowned at Miltiades, expecting he'd done something. The man glanced at her and also frowned, but shrugged just barely, as though not understanding why she was angry.
Sighing exasperatedly, she just shook her head and turned back to Junica, smiling, "You know me...Lavinya." She glared at her companion in warning.
At the sight of this, Militades growled something under his breath, then gave Junica a civil smile, murmuring, "Miltiades."
"And this," Lavinya giggled, looking down at Senka amusedly, "Is--"
"Senka..." The child herself spoke, the first words since they'd arrived--since the beginning of the trip, really. The way she said it was strange, drawn out, with a space between the two sylables...as though she didn't quite know her own name, didn't remember.
Her voice was dull and cold, vaguely calling to mind some sort of metal, and Miltiades grit his teeth; every time Senka spoke, every time she did anything, there always came that chill in the air, the slight edge of winter. He couldn't help but wonder again, why Lavinya had brought her along.
"Um...Yes..." Frowning, the woman nodded just slightly. It wasn't normal for the demon to introduce herself. "This is Senka..."
Junica crossed his arms behind his back and bowed to each in turn as they were introduced. He smiled inwardly when Miltiades was "forced" to put on his civil face; it seemed he couldn't bear to disappoint Lavinya, which meant that maybe the dragon wouldn't flat-out crush him.
His smile worked its way outward when Senka introduced herself. The way the others reacted when she did so captured is intrigue, but the time of day finally caught his eye; the sun was almost ready to set, and his mother would be rather...disappointed if her guests were late. It's not like he could just jump them all to the palace, either.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Junica stated as he straightened up once more, his hands still behind his back. Though he knew there was not much time for a tour of any kind if they were to make it to the palace before nightfall, he couldn't just not ask, "Well, now that we have all been properly introduced, should I give you the grand tour of the port and capital, or would you rather we simply head straight for the Palace?"
He flashed one of his larger grins to the three, evidently happy to have someone with whom he could finally share the "wonders" of his home.
"Oh...a tour?" Lavinya's smile was wide and pleased. She clasped her hands in front of her for a moment, looking around herself (a soft jingling from her headress and clothes accompanied it)--completely ignoring the look from Miltiades, and in consequence his opinion on the subject...if he had one. For a moment it seemed as though she were going to say yes, but then her eyes caught the sky as well...
The smile faded from her face, and she frowned, murmuring, "Oh, I'd...I'd love a tour, but...Do we even have time? I don't want to keep your mother waiting..." She paused, then smiled again. "Perhaps tomorrow would be better."
Junica seemed to think on Lavinya’s suggestion for several seconds, and indeed he was. He personally had no concern for the wishes of his mother; as a matter of fact, the only reason he was still going along with her “voluntelling” him to greet them and not pass the job off to some lackey was because he knew of Lavinya, and it would give him a reason to stay out of the manse without one of his mother’s annoying escorts.
“As you wish then, tomorrow,” He stated with a smile, and moved aside slightly to allow for passage off the ship. He held up a hand in a half-motion for them to continue on. “Well, to the Palace, or is there something you must do first?”
"To the Palace," Lavinya chirped happily, stepping off the gangplank and letting a soft sigh of excitement escape her. "I'm delighted to be here...I just hope our stay is better than the trip we took to get here."
A sly smirk lit her face at this, and she glanced back at Miltiades, who simply scowled. He himself was happy to be off the accursed boat...At least this meant no more sea-sickness. Of course, though, he wasn't about to let Junica know he'd been uncomfortable...If the man knew for himself that was fine, but he would never say so; the dragon had a rather peculiar sense of pride.
“Oh? You had problems?” Junica moved past them to take the lead of the group; he did know the way, and he was the guide after all, so it was only natural...
It had been a long, long time since he last walked back to the palace, but he still knew the way as if he had his own mental map. He led them by several docks, in which rested a variety of large, sleek, tri-masted frigates; the mage-cannons down their sides and the giant arbalest mounted near the prow of each quickly identified them as warships, each one flying the crimson and black colors of the Seperallis clan. The royal colors.
However, what caught the eye of most would be the seemingly innumerable quantity of war-sloops that were docked; small and light, they were the pride of the Ritri Navy, known far and wide for being the fastest craft on the seas. Being a nation of small pockets of cities and fortresses connected by vast voids of water, the Ritri had developed an unrivaled navy, one of which they were certainly very proud.
Even as the sun was setting, the crews on the dock only increased their labors, supplying the ships, readying them for voyages to sea; on such a large and organized scale, it could only mean yet another offensive strike against their blood enemies.
Lavinya's eyes were drawn to the various docks, a sort of admiration and respect lighting her eyes as she gazed upon the colors marking royalty; she especially seemed to enjoy seeing the small sloops, lips curling in amusement. Junica's question actually made her laugh, the little smirk returning as she glanced at Miltiades. "Well, I won't say we all encountered problems, but there were some..."
Her companion let out another soft growl, but kept his eyes on the warships; if he did not seem impressed by them, he did seem interested in the crews aboard them...And he wondered how the Ritri fared in their strikes against the E'lali, especially if they were at it constantly. That was, however, again, not something he would ask...
The thickly accented Ritri was sandpaper to his ears. Junica slid his rapier back into its sheath and unbuckled the bloodstained mithral mail he usually wore during other previous hunting expeditions with his E’lali prey, then faced the royal palace guard who had spoken to him as he entered his room in the manse.
He had always held a certain disdain for the palace guards; man or woman, they all looked the same to him, like overly-wide obsidian cannons with legs and pikes. There was the matter of for whom they served, but regardless of his personal feelings, the mere fact that a guard from the royal palace had been sent meant much; it must be a matter of the highest importance.
“[Very well, I shall be along shortly; please inform Her of my coming,]” he responded with a nod of acknowledgement in like tongue. The guard bowed and slapped a clattering fist to his iron chest, uttering a customary “” before clattering off to report to his queen.
Junica sighed as he watched him go. He was tired, it was already mid-afternoon, and he really didn’t want to deal with court formalities today, but he wouldn’t dare turn down his mother’s request...
He untied the crimson bandana that held his lengthy blonde hair back into a ponytail and let it fall loose down past his shoulders, then dropped his unbuckled and bloody battle gear to the floor. One of his various degenerates would eventually pick it up and take care of the mess; for now though, he wanted to get ready by himself, without the hassle of dealing with such lowly indentured rabble.
It took him a few minutes for him to arrange the many layers of his ceremonial robe; its infinite silver, crimson, and black folds folds made it nearly impossible to tell where its opening was or whether he had anything hidden underneath. Conveniently so, as he reached within and adjusted his rapier. As a final touch, he added his headband: a circlet made by the interlocking tails of two silver snakes, their mouths latched on to a single jade gem. Junica nodded in satisfaction as he scanned over himself in the mirrored wall before turning around and holding out a hand to the palace he could see through his bedroom window, and vanished.
“[You are late, Junica…out hunting Infidels again.]” The robed silhouette on the throne stated matter of factly as the figure of Junica reconstructed itself before her. Her authoritative voice echoed from behind the shaded veil of her throne and throughout the empty, high-arched ceilings of the palace’s marble throne room for several seconds, long enough for the prince to kneel and bow.
““
“[Your excuses are not necessary,]” she interrupted with a dismissive wave of a bony, elongated hand. “”
Junica looked up, an obvious expression of disgust on his face. “[Escort? You would have me perform such a menial task? What of my brother Krylansalo-]”
“[That abomination is nothing more than muscle to lead our guards; he’s unfit for more.]”
“[Then Princess-]”
“[You would have the heir to the royal throne go out among the common rubbish?]” A slight twinge of annoyance tainted her voice and two golden eyes flashed open within the dark shadow of the veil that obscured her face. The young Ritri prince held onto her gaze with his own golden eyes for several seconds before he diverted them to the side, seeming to find a crack in the floor suddenly quite interesting.
She continued, “[Our guests are very important people…you are charismatic and usually well spoken, so I have chosen you as ambassador. You are free to either accept or decline.]”
Junica stood and looked straight into his mother’s eyes once more. It didn't take but a second to know full well what the correct answer was; sure, he was free to choose to accept or decline, but so is one also allowed to choose to either live or die. “”
“”
JP bowed low before he stood and held out his hand once again. Closing his eyes he felt through to the ground to get his barings, faced south, then vanished once again.
* * *
Miltiades hated the sea.
Water had always made him sick, always made him irritable. He would have refused to travel in the boat had there been another way. But, alas, water was the sole way of travel, this time. In fact, he would have--should have--stayed behind, even with that fact. But Lavinya...Lavinya had pouted and prodded in that subtle way of hers, quietly expressing her disappointment until he could do nothing but agree, even if only to please her. Everyone wanted to please her.
So now he stood on the deck of this blasted ship, prowling back and forth, feeling sick to his stomach but unwilling to show anyone his discomfort. What a predicament...
"Milta..." That soft, sweet voice behind him erased his anger. Lavinya had always been able to do that--even with Senka standing beside her, watching him with those terribly dull eyes. If there was one person Miltiades hated to see, hated to be around, it was the young demon his companion took with her wherever she went. And why did she do it? Well, that was something he just didn't know. At any rate, Lavinya was speaking. "Milta, we're almost docked. Why do you still look like we're at sea?"
"Because even being near the water revolts me." Of course, he didn't say that. No, what came out was, "{Just irritation. You know, all that rocking...I still feel it.}"
The woman smiled, stifling a soft laugh with her hand. "Ah...Well. You'll be fine, don't worry..." She turned her head towards the docks, taking a deep breath of air. "I am eager to see this place...Its people, its customs...Aren't you?"
No, actually, he wasn't. But again, he couldn't say that. "{Yes, of course...I just hope they arrive soon.}"
* * *
"They" didn't take long in coming; while dockworkers rushed about to complete their routines and secure the ship to port, a faint shimmer outlined an infisible humanoid form. Half a split second later a smiling Junica took its place, slightly pleased with the preciseness of his own jump; there was no mistaking the pennant above the mainmast, this was the ship, that much he was sure. His escort of guests was another matter, so he decided to check for himself.
He could visibly distinguish the workers puting the finishing touches on the wooden ramp assembly that would transport the galleon's occupants to solid ground; drawing his robes about him so thay didn't drag so much against the hard stone walkway, he casually strolled forth, then up the ramp. Excitement somewhat replaced his earlier annoyance...the first real visitors in some time! Most of the other races dared not approach the island, prefering the Ritri ambassabors to meet them at one of the Kingdom's various outposts on the continent than brave the deadly coastal waters. "Must be a Ritri at the helm..."
As Junica reached the top he looked around for the guests about which his mother had spoken. It wasn't too hard...they were the only three people on the sparsely-populated deck not scrambling about to secure rigging lines. With the smile still on his face, he waited by the off-ramp, knowing they would have to come through him anyway if they wanted to exit the ship. In an orthodox manner, at least.
Now that the ship was more or less completely docked, Miltiades let out a sigh, easing up a little and looking around. There was nothing so far that might earn his dislike, which was a good start...But he was still predisposed to feeling wariness around foreign places and people.
Quite the opposite of Lavinya, whose hands were clasped in front of her as she looked around eagerly, the bells in her hair ringing with her turns. Why the woman had chosen to wear ceremonial clothing to this...place, Miltiades couldn't fathom; she was just strange in that way. "{Come on,}" He growled, jerking his head towards the off-ramp. "{We can see more if we get off...}"
His companion turning with a quirky smile, she paused for a moment, then nodded as eagerly as the rest of her motions. She quickly moved towards the off-ramp, ends of her long dress dragging a little on the deck of the ship (she either didn't notice or care). Senka followed after her, slowly, aimlessly--as usual.
Shaking his head, Miltiades trailed behind, his eyes roaming around until they fixed on someone he hadn't seen before--Junica. His frown deepened, and he unconsciously quickened his pace so that he was in front of Lavinya and Senka, almost in a protective fashion. Stopping in front of the prince, he tilted his head on one side, looking him up and down, then said, very slowly, "{You aren't part of this crew...Are you our escort?}"
Junica nodded, a mild smile on his face; so he had been correct in assuming the trio was under his charge, though looking over the transfigured body of the dragon before him he was sure he wouldn't need to do anything more than show them around. He was sure that any dragon could take care of itself.
Yes...they must be dragons. Only their pride would make them use their deep, guttural language instead of the more common E'lali. It was no matter; he would adapt.
“{I am, yes,}” he managed to reply, the draconic words irritating his barely-trained throat.
Remembering his lessons in foreign formalities, he extended a hand. “{My name is} Junica Pavacelli, {of the} Seperallis.” The rough reptilian language was really wearing out his voice, even though he had only said a few words. “{I hope your journey was pleasant,}” he finished, finally glad to give his vocals a rest.
Settling back and taking his hand when the prince introduced himself, Miltiades nodded slowly, satisfied with the introduction and the fact that this foreigner could speak at least a little of their language--even if with an accent. He wasn't one to judge, as when he himself used E'lali he tended to pronounce things a little strangely. When the question of the journey arose he snorted, switching to the more common language and muttering, "It went well enough..."
Nodding and looking past Miltiades, Junica couldn’t help expressing a wider smile; he knew the ceremonial dress was familiar, but he hadn’t noticed who it was. True, he had never actually met her in person, but he had associated with her father for some time before on several occasions, and had seen her from afar in such a form on more than one. This really was a pleasant surprise. “Lavinya, I presume?”
Junica said her name.
His expression immediately turning to a frown, Miltiades swept his eyes over the prince again, as though rethinking his opinion. He didn't like to admit it, but he was firecely protective of Lavinya, even if only because her father had asked him to take care of her. He was sure she could do it herself, but still...The mere fact this this stranger seemed to know her was enough to make him tense.
Lavinya herself, however, seemed quite pleased to have been addressed. As she stopped in front of them she gave her companion and Junica both a sweet smile, inclining her head in greeting, making the small bells jingle again. She stared at the prince for a long moment, obviously trying to decipher how he knew her, then brightened, gasping, "Oh! I...I know you, don't I? You are a friend of my father, are you not...? Um...Jun...Junica, isn't it...?"
Junica was relieved that the conversation had fully slipped into E'lali; finally, a language he knew almost as good as his own, and he relaxed a bit, not really needing to be as careful with how he pronounced the language, since it was almost second nature. "Yes, you are correct...Junica; your father would invite me over a couple times a decade to play a few rounds of [Bel] and speak of happenings within our homes...just something to pass the time during those peaceful periods. It is quite unfortunate certain hostilities between my home and the E'lali...'Empire'...put a postponement to our contact." He seemed to spit the word "empire" with more than enough venomous contempt for those behind its existence.
Catching Miltiades's expression from the corner of his eye, Junica felt he had oversteped some sort of bounds; not wanting to incur the anger of a dragon, with the knowledge he had of their power, he assumed a more proper posture; he straightened himself as he clasped his hands together before his chest and bowed low to all three of the visitors, taking a step back as he did so. "It is a welcome change to have such visitors to our humble capital...would you humor me with an introduction?"
Blinking at the sudden change, the sudden show of such formality, Lavinya frowned at Miltiades, expecting he'd done something. The man glanced at her and also frowned, but shrugged just barely, as though not understanding why she was angry.
Sighing exasperatedly, she just shook her head and turned back to Junica, smiling, "You know me...Lavinya." She glared at her companion in warning.
At the sight of this, Militades growled something under his breath, then gave Junica a civil smile, murmuring, "Miltiades."
"And this," Lavinya giggled, looking down at Senka amusedly, "Is--"
"Senka..." The child herself spoke, the first words since they'd arrived--since the beginning of the trip, really. The way she said it was strange, drawn out, with a space between the two sylables...as though she didn't quite know her own name, didn't remember.
Her voice was dull and cold, vaguely calling to mind some sort of metal, and Miltiades grit his teeth; every time Senka spoke, every time she did anything, there always came that chill in the air, the slight edge of winter. He couldn't help but wonder again, why Lavinya had brought her along.
"Um...Yes..." Frowning, the woman nodded just slightly. It wasn't normal for the demon to introduce herself. "This is Senka..."
Junica crossed his arms behind his back and bowed to each in turn as they were introduced. He smiled inwardly when Miltiades was "forced" to put on his civil face; it seemed he couldn't bear to disappoint Lavinya, which meant that maybe the dragon wouldn't flat-out crush him.
His smile worked its way outward when Senka introduced herself. The way the others reacted when she did so captured is intrigue, but the time of day finally caught his eye; the sun was almost ready to set, and his mother would be rather...disappointed if her guests were late. It's not like he could just jump them all to the palace, either.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Junica stated as he straightened up once more, his hands still behind his back. Though he knew there was not much time for a tour of any kind if they were to make it to the palace before nightfall, he couldn't just not ask, "Well, now that we have all been properly introduced, should I give you the grand tour of the port and capital, or would you rather we simply head straight for the Palace?"
He flashed one of his larger grins to the three, evidently happy to have someone with whom he could finally share the "wonders" of his home.
"Oh...a tour?" Lavinya's smile was wide and pleased. She clasped her hands in front of her for a moment, looking around herself (a soft jingling from her headress and clothes accompanied it)--completely ignoring the look from Miltiades, and in consequence his opinion on the subject...if he had one. For a moment it seemed as though she were going to say yes, but then her eyes caught the sky as well...
The smile faded from her face, and she frowned, murmuring, "Oh, I'd...I'd love a tour, but...Do we even have time? I don't want to keep your mother waiting..." She paused, then smiled again. "Perhaps tomorrow would be better."
Junica seemed to think on Lavinya’s suggestion for several seconds, and indeed he was. He personally had no concern for the wishes of his mother; as a matter of fact, the only reason he was still going along with her “voluntelling” him to greet them and not pass the job off to some lackey was because he knew of Lavinya, and it would give him a reason to stay out of the manse without one of his mother’s annoying escorts.
“As you wish then, tomorrow,” He stated with a smile, and moved aside slightly to allow for passage off the ship. He held up a hand in a half-motion for them to continue on. “Well, to the Palace, or is there something you must do first?”
"To the Palace," Lavinya chirped happily, stepping off the gangplank and letting a soft sigh of excitement escape her. "I'm delighted to be here...I just hope our stay is better than the trip we took to get here."
A sly smirk lit her face at this, and she glanced back at Miltiades, who simply scowled. He himself was happy to be off the accursed boat...At least this meant no more sea-sickness. Of course, though, he wasn't about to let Junica know he'd been uncomfortable...If the man knew for himself that was fine, but he would never say so; the dragon had a rather peculiar sense of pride.
“Oh? You had problems?” Junica moved past them to take the lead of the group; he did know the way, and he was the guide after all, so it was only natural...
It had been a long, long time since he last walked back to the palace, but he still knew the way as if he had his own mental map. He led them by several docks, in which rested a variety of large, sleek, tri-masted frigates; the mage-cannons down their sides and the giant arbalest mounted near the prow of each quickly identified them as warships, each one flying the crimson and black colors of the Seperallis clan. The royal colors.
However, what caught the eye of most would be the seemingly innumerable quantity of war-sloops that were docked; small and light, they were the pride of the Ritri Navy, known far and wide for being the fastest craft on the seas. Being a nation of small pockets of cities and fortresses connected by vast voids of water, the Ritri had developed an unrivaled navy, one of which they were certainly very proud.
Even as the sun was setting, the crews on the dock only increased their labors, supplying the ships, readying them for voyages to sea; on such a large and organized scale, it could only mean yet another offensive strike against their blood enemies.
Lavinya's eyes were drawn to the various docks, a sort of admiration and respect lighting her eyes as she gazed upon the colors marking royalty; she especially seemed to enjoy seeing the small sloops, lips curling in amusement. Junica's question actually made her laugh, the little smirk returning as she glanced at Miltiades. "Well, I won't say we all encountered problems, but there were some..."
Her companion let out another soft growl, but kept his eyes on the warships; if he did not seem impressed by them, he did seem interested in the crews aboard them...And he wondered how the Ritri fared in their strikes against the E'lali, especially if they were at it constantly. That was, however, again, not something he would ask...