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Lilim smirked at Voletta's words of not having anything to wear, "I beg to differ, Hun. Bring out the dress you had on earlier and leave the rest to me.Trans Magic." she says as she stands back a couple of steps and her casual clothing starts to glow, changing before their very eyes back into her ball gown. Lilim would smirk and place a hand on her hip, "As for the guards, it really wasn't a good idea to take the hostess away from one of the Crown Princesses of the Kingdom of Biblia. They're just lucky their actions didn't get taken as a declaration of war." She says with a calm smirk.

Elesa would put her charm away and look to Lilim with a sparkling smile, giggling and bounding up to Lilim enthusiastically, "Me next, me next please, Big Sis." she says excitedly.

Lilim would rest her hand on Elesa's shoulder and use the same process to change Elesa's normal outfit back into her ball gown, "As is only to be expected of my little sister and Young Duchess." Lilim says with a soft smile. Looking back to Voletta, "Your turn, Hun. Bring out your dress and leave cleaning it and getting you changed into it all to me. I'll have you cleaned up and looking like the Princess you deserve to be." she says with a warm smile to Voletta.

The Hanged Man smiled crookedly as Voletta marveled at her lack of scars. His own ached, as they always did, and he self consciously brushed at the one on his cheek, which always looked a little raw. It was like an old friend, a reminder of his past.

Lilim's reveal about being royalty made his face go stony again, and he tilted his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You claim you are a princess ... supposedly an honored guest." He looked hurt. Poor Voletta, with so much to do, had gone out of her way to help these two strangers, when they could have been helped with no secrecy. In addition to Lilim not actually being injured when she arrived, he felt quite frosty towards the pair now. "You sneaking in will be taken as an act of espionage, so I wouldn't count on the King's good graces if these men tell him about this ... if you won't clean up your mess, then I-I will." He looked down, then paused. "And Voletta ... the prince said you c-could wear y--his mother's dresses." He looked at the dress that Lilim was transmogrifying. "If that is more desirable to you. Th-they are in his chambers."

He turned away from all three of them, not noticing the fly on his shoulder. There were plenty of vermin down in the dungeons. Across the hall was a room with a blue door, which he clumsily unlocked. These were his personal chambers, with his personal supply of liquor. He dragged each guard inside, then, with a heavy heart, began to arrange the emptiest bottles around them, even going so far as to spill brandy on them. It would look like they had gotten into Crow's stash and drunk themselves to stupor.

It took a while for the group of four to leave their own private chamber, having spent a longer time than intended talking on their experiences in their official roles. Exchanging stories, rumours and chatting on times gone by. Here was the only place they could relax and relax they did. So much so that they were loath to actually go to the ball, making them far later than the intended start time.

In full knowledge of such a fact, they decided to give a brief appearance before retreating away to ready themselves for the night. Max and Simon were the first two to leave, tiptoeing out to leave Sariel and Elesa a few moments alone in each others company.

A matter of seconds later the other two exited, a small flush spreading across their worn cheeks. Greeting them was a warm smile from their childhood friends. "That good eh Sai?"

"It was pretty good, but his ability to steal my breath seems to have diminished with time, good to see he hasn't been practising without me tho."

The blush on Sariels face ripened a bit more before looking away. "Shall we get to the banquet now?"

Simon nodded, sparing his friend any further embarrassment, giving the signal for the group to equip themselves in their full armour. The whole thing took an extra twenty minutes, adding to their already growing delay, yet it was a sacrifice they were prepared to make. Knowing everything fitted into the aura they wished to project.

Moving as quickly as they could the four made their way towards the great hall in which the celebrations were being held. Guards scattering as they saw their approach to make way, no one wanting to be the one standing in the way of the king.

With a simple flick of the wrist, Max signalled to the nearest of the soldiers to move ahead, opening the doors for them and announcing their presence. It wouldn't do for them to arrive unannounced like some form of a shabby latecomer. Thus with as much grandeur as possible the three generals stepped into the hall, every step of theirs carrying with it a sense of cold, martial pride.

All the while Simon held back, waiting until his three closest and only friends had made their entrance before going through with his.

Princess Morgana of Mercia stood up to greet the king upon his arrival, alongside the rest of all the attendants who were mostly seated already except for the prince himself who liked to oversee the event and ensure all went as well as it could.

Merthyr nodded the head gracefully at the generals entrance motioning the three of them to the head table so they could be seated and turned his attention to the door, smiling broadly at seeing his father finally arrive at the feast.

"Greetings, your grace, it is always a pleasure to be in your presence and company and spend time with you, father" saluted Merthyr smiling honestly and warmly, pleased to see the king there.

Merthyr bowed respectfully before the king, to show his respect and acknowledge his higher authority and straightened up afterwards, personally accompanying him to the head table. Merthyr was keen to spend time with the man, even if the occasion was a rather awkward one for Merthyr.

As Melina watched the girls change their dresses with magic, she knew that returning to the ball and pretending things were normal was the best course of action.
Flying under the crack of the door and back to the restrooms, Melina morphed back into her human form and rushed back to rejoin the festivities as well.
Right as the king arrived.
At least he'd be a witness to her good work as a liaison.
Melina got right back to work, filing the conversation she'd heard under "things to tell Evan."
She needed to sneak out of the castle.
Tonight.

(I'm gonna put on the queens dress! I think it would be interesting to see how her reacts when he sees Voletta wearing the dress of his late wife!)

Voletta's eyes widen as Lilim had mentioned that she was one of the princess of Biblia, and she almost instantly reverted back into a bow, due to years of instinct. She would remain lowered for a moment, before she rose looked at The Hanged Man, who was setting the scene that the men had simply fallen into a drunken stupor. Though she would grab her dress as instructed, handing it to Lilim, before looking between the two of them, then back at Lilim.

"With all due respect, Madam, I think I'll go put on one of the queen's dresses...I would hate to inconvenience you any further..."

She says bowing to her one more time. She takes The Hanged Man's hand and walks out, knowing she would see the two of them eventually. She walks through the halls and all around the castle, before she goes into the Prince's room. She lets go of his hand and almost instantly becomes nervous as she approaches the closet full of dresses. She goes to one and grabs it, before going into the bathroom. She lets her nightgown pool at her feet and slips into the dress and does her hair and makeup, before walking out, doing a quick twirl for The Hanged Man.



She does one more twirl and smiles up at him with her hair curled and her makeup actually done. She couldn't help but beam brightly as she grabbed the sides of the dress and curtsied, before standing up straight and looking at him.

"So??"

((This isnt good post, sorry! My hands and brain are dead lol))

The Hanged Man nibbled his lower lip nervously as he inspected his handiwork with the guards. It was a stretch, but he couldn't spend any more time fretting about it, for the prince awaited. Before Voletta could whisk him away, he grabbed a bottle of port, took a deep gulp, and tossed the rest on one of the guards.

Crow hadn't been up in the royal wing in a long time. It was decorated finely, with plush carpets and paintings in gold leafed frames. He felt like he didn't belong here, in this place of kings and queens, and especially not in the prince's private quarters. Normally the knight was very patient, but he was on edge, so he took out a piece of threadbare whitish cloth and began to fiddle with it. It was his dearest possession.

Finally she was ready. He smiled at her as she stepped into the antechamber and twirled. "Stunning," he said softly. He hadn't seen that dress in almost twenty years ... yet it looked pristine. "I-I hope this will not anger the king ... but this is the prince's wish ..." Crow sighed--Simon would probably lay at least some of the blame on his shoulders. He would take it all if he could. It was worth it to let Voletta shine, even just for one night.

He extended his elbow for her to take. "Shall we, my lady?" he said coyly.

(It's fine!)

Voletta grins and can't help but giggle as she takes his elbow, intertwining her arm with his and nodding. She would make her way out of the prince's quarters, and make her way to the ballroom. After walking for some time, she would reach the doors, and she would start shaking as she became more and more nervous. She didn't know how the king would react to seeing her wearing one of the Prince's mothers dresses, and she knew that she would pay for it later. But the Prince requested that she put one on if she had no clothes of her own, so she had no choice. Though she had to admit she felt like a princess wearing a gown like this.

With a shaky breath she would open the doors, and a lot of heads turned her way. There were gasps and whisper's about how she resembled the queen, and how she should be working the party. Her grip around The Hanged Man's arm tightened as she grew more and more nervous. Though she knew she needed to make an appearance in front of the prince, since he requested her presence at the event. Her eyes scanned the crowd as she tried to drown out all the whispers around her, and eventually she found the prince. She would approach the prince, slowly letting go of The Hanged Man's hand and gave him a low curtsy, keeping her head lowered.

"My liege....Forgive me for intruding...I was told you requested my presence at the ball, and thought it only respectful to make an appearance before you in such circumstances..."

She says quite obviously nervous, though she would try keeping herself together, knowing her best friend was standing right beside her.

"Thank you for your attendance, I certainly need your presence here... madamme. I have it on good account that you are an outstanding host towards our guests and their needs." trailed off Merthyr looking for a good excuse or reason to have her there, one that the king could not possibly object to.

"I have a very young guest here, her name is Elesa and I certainly would like your expertise in taking care of her wishes" explained Merthyr waving his hand over to little Elesa

"Of course, this being a feast, requires that you dress accordingly and befriend the child... be a helpful companion" explained Merthyr with a warm smile

The Hanged Man held Voletta's arm in his metal-clad one as they headed down to the ballroom. He felt her shrink against him and patted her hand to try to soothe her. His own eyes immediately sought out King Simon and his generals, dearing the man's reaction, yet hopefully it could be staved off--at least for a moment.

When they came before the prince, Crow released the girl and dropped into a deep bow at the same time as her curtsy.

"W-we humbly thank you for this opportunity," he said softly.

Lilim and Elesa both gasp as Voletta drops into a bow. Elesa would start to panic a bit before Lilim gets her by the shoulders and coaxes her back to her feet, "Please don't bow... I hate being treated like royalty. Formality demands it in this place, so to anyone else at the party, that's what I'll be. But not to you, Voletta... And not to the good Sir Crow... Please... Treat me as an equal, not as a superior." she says before hugging Voletta out of nowhere.

Finally handed the dress, Lilim was informed by Voletta that she'd rather wear one of the queens dresses instead, which made her frown. Her heart sinking lower as she was told Voletta didn't want to be an inconvenience, "Voletta, I'm the one that offered to help. You're not an inconvenience, you're a new friend. Do as you prefer though... Elesa and I will meet you guys back at the party." Lilim says surrenderingly. She'd use her Trans Magic to clean the dress and replace it in Voletta's wardrobe before taking Elesa's hand to lead her back to the party.

Elesa would move to hug Lilim's legs as all of this happened, about to break down in tears as Voletta sees them differently because of Lilim's partial lie. She'd sniffle though and let Lilim lead her by the hand out of the dungeon and back toward the party.

Lilim would choke back some tears of her own as she returned and went to find her glass again. This time that particular glass of red wine would be highly needed, as Lilim felt like she had just betrayed a pair of new friends by not coming clean with them sooner.

Elesa too felt sad because Voletta and Crow seemed mad at her, and the poor child was streaming tears on the brink of outright crying. The only thing that kept her quiet was Lilim petting her head and shushing her, and then acting to put a few morsels of food in front of her as they got to the tables for the banquet. Elesa would perk up and smile as Voletta entered again looking like a Princess. She wanted to hop up and run to her and tell her how beautiful she looked, but her smile quickly faded again as she remembered last she knew, Voletta and Crow were mad at her. Elesa would return her attention to the food and slowly snack on what was in front of her while Lilim calmed herself with a drink of the steak blood.

(Sorry for short post!)

"Your liege, assuming I know who you are referring to, we are already good friends! And I will continue to do so!"

She says smiling as she straightens herself up and turns around, walking away and scanning the crowd for her new friends. She looks around nervously, before finally spotting them sitting down at a table and smiling. She runs up to them, hugging both of them as she has this extra bounce in her step. She smiles at the two of them, before pulling up a chair and sitting down, hugging Elesa again.

"Hey guys! Hope you don't mind if I sit here??"

She says before looking at the somber looks on the two of their faces. On instinct, she grabs her upper arm nervously and fidgets, as she had grown accustomed to do whenever she got nervous. She looks between the two of them before speaking up.

"W-Why do the two of you look so sad?? Y....You don't think I'm mad at you do you!? Cause I'm not! I just didn't want to trouble you guys any more than I already had! I-I'm sorry...please don't be mad at me!"

She says fighting the urge to bow to them at their request. She was so used to lowering herself before people, that it was a struggle not to, and she sat there between the two of them, desperately fighting the urge as she looked between the two of them.

Simon, flanked by the three pillars of his kingdom headed directly for the central table, the look on all of their faces radiating cold reservation. Not one would talk to anyone on their way there, both out of maintaining their images and out of the fact that they overlong stay catching up had led the four to become very hungry. Quickly they took their places, the king in the centre, Sariel and Elessa to the left and Max on the right, leaving one space between Simon and Max for the prince to sit.

Without even looking at what was being served the four began to dig in, although the rate at which they destroyed the food placed in front of them differed drastically. Sariel and Elessa dug into the food at almost unbelievable rates, acting more like rowdy footsoldiers during a victory feast than a formal banquet. For the two there was an element of friendly competition between them, that and it had been so long since they had the resources for a proper meal that they couldn't help themselves.

Max and Simon eat at a much more reserved rate, allowing time to actually taste the food, savouring it before taking in the next mouthful. It was between one such mouthful that Max leant over to Simon and whispered in a voice so low that no-one apart from the prince between them could hear. "Seems like you can never truly take Sai away from his roots eh?"

To anyone else, it would simply appear as if one of the generals was making polite conversation with his king. Yet for any truly observant watcher, they might be able to see the two's lips twitch upwards for just a split second.

Any semblance of a smile, however, would vanish at the sight of Voletta, returning instead to a strictly rigid facial expression. While the simple act of viewing what she was wearing made his blood boil he didn't act on the mounting anger inside him. Not here in front of the rest of the world and on his son's party. Instead, he chose to turn back to Max and give a reply. "He'd certainly hasn't changed one bit has he?"

The Hanged Man's eyes lingered on Simon as he arrived with his advisers and sat at the seat of highest honor, leaving a spot open for his son. A spike of anger struck him at the injustice of it all--the King's treatment of Voletta seemed so pointlessly cruel sometimes. But Crow had known the man for twenty years, and knew he had his reasons.

As they approached Lilim and Elesa, Crow bowed stiffly to them. He didn't sit down, of course, for he was still on duty and couldn't let his guard down. As the girls chatted, he leaned forward and whispered in Voletta's ear. "Re-remember you are t-technically supposed to be working ... let the king see you doing so. Refresh their drinks, maybe ..."

Lilim was caught off guard by Voletta's hug, and Elesa would gasp as Voletta hugged her. They'd both turn to look at Voletta, Lilim with a surprised gaze and Elesa with a sorrowful one, "Voletta, you are our hostess. I'm not mad at you, but yes, I did believe you were mad at me and Elesa. You're not an inconvenience, nor do we consider doing requests for you as troublesome. You're our friend, and one that I would do just about anything for." Lilim says with a renewed smile, leaning in to give Voletta a warm hug.

Elesa would wait her turn to speak, "M-M-Miss Voletta?... You look beautiful in that dress... Please forgive me for not telling you sooner that Big Sis is a Princess... We've been traveling for so long that some details just don't seem needed right away..." Elesa says as she brings a hand up to wipe her eyes. Turning to look to The Hanged Man, "Mister Crow?... Are you mad at me?..." Elesa asks with a sorrowful gaze, remembering his cold glare to her from before.

Voletta eyes widened as Lilim had mentioned that she was considered one of their close friends, before leaning in to hug her. She would ease up, finding the urge to bow to them much easier to ward off. Though when she heard Elesa speak, her face would turn red at the compliment, and would move to wipe the tears away from Elesa's eyes, smiling at the two of them. She was glad that she had more friends now, and she would hug both of them warmly.

"There's nothing to forgive as far as I'm concerned. Though Crow is right, I'm expected to work unless told otherwise. So if you'll excuse me."

She says before standing up and going and grabbing plates of food. She would walk around and serve the other guests, before making eye contact with the king, and instantly she recoiled in fear. She saw the stern look on his face, and knew that she would regret wearing this dress later. He looked furious at her. She would go about serving the other guests, before going to Elesa and Lilim, offering the two of them food.

"You two hungry?? Or I can refill your drinks for you??"

The Hanged Man tuned out a little. He remembered his first meal at a lord's table--odd and isolated, as if the people below the dais were all staring at him. But he came to realize (with help from the wine) that they were wrapped up in their own affairs and didn't spare half a thought for the lord's new bodyguard. He spent the rest of the evening gossiping with (and being teased by) the steward. It brought a weary smile to his face, and, very briefly, his eyes stung with unshed tears.

He heard his name. Green gaze lowered to Elesa's blotchy, tear-streaked face, and his brow creased in worry. "Huh? ... oh. N-nay, lady--of course I'm not." He put on a smile, though as always, though it was ugly and crooked.

As Voletta stood up and began to refresh drinks and pile food on the guests' plates, Crow stayed where he was, though he turned to watch her to ensure she never left his field of vision.

Elesa would gasp and her face would light up in a bright smile as she hears that all is well. The child would slowly wiggle free of her seat and approach The Hanged Man, murring cutely as she hugged his armored leg. She just couldn't help it. She was a child after all, and when she felt happy she wanted to share that happiness with those around her in the form of hugs.

In the meantime, Lilim would become increasingly uneasy as she looked between Voletta and the king, rather expecting another early dismissal of her hostess. If the king or guards attempted to lay a hand on Voletta or order her away from the festivities, Lilim would have some less than positive words for the king. Voletta would be respected at this party one way or another if Lilim had anything to say about it.

Lilim would snap back to her senses as Voletta spoke to her and Elesa, "Oh, nothing for me right now, but thank you, Voletta." Lilim says with a soft smile. Elesa would smile to Voletta as well, "Could I have some orange slices and green grapes please, Miss Voletta?" the child asks politely. Elesa would then return her attention to The Hanged Man, lifting her arms to him like she wanted him to pick her up, "Mister Crow? Would you pick me up for a moment, please?" she asks with a cute smile to the man of many scars.

Voletta would stare at the two of them, before sighing and placing platters of food on their plate, smiling before taking their cups. Her stomach would growl at the sight of all this food, but she would shake her head and quickly go back down into the pantry, gathering more steak blood in a cup for Lilim. While she was down there, she would take an apple and put it on a presser, squeezing it until pure apple juice came out: one of Voletta's favorite drinks. After getting them both of their drinks, she would grab the orange slices and green grapes for Elesa, putting them on a plate and balancing it on her arm.

She would smile at the cups, only for her stomach to growl some more. The only real thing she had to eat that day was the apple, and that was hardly enough to squelch a hunger that had all day to brew. Though she would put this at the back of her mind as best she could, for she still had work to do and the guests to attend to. Not to mention the time would be drawing near for the prince to pick his bride. She walked back up from the pantry and walked to Lilim and Elesa, handing both of them their newly filled glasses and handing Elesa her plate of fruit before smiling at the two of them.

"Is there anything else I can do for the two of you??"

The Hanged Man blinked, not entirely sure why Elesa wanted to cuddle up to his leg, but he didn't stop her. He stood with his weight mostly on his right foot and kept his shield from bumping her in the head.

His own stomach growled, like Voletta's. Despite the hunger, he had little appetite for food. All he craved now was wine. He couldn't indulge yet--he would eat in his chambers later, alone as always. His flask tempted him, too, but he didn't want to potentially invoke the King's wrath by reaching for it.

Crow looked down at Elesa with her outstretched arms, scratching his head. "A-ah ..." The knight adjusted the large shield on his back and bent forward to grab the girl under her armpits. He lifted her awkwardly, not sure if she wanted to be cradled, tossed, or what. Children mystified him more often than not. "A-aye, what did you need, my lady?"