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Tobias grinned weakly to Cyrene as he wondered about replying to her, and eventually decided against it." Ready?" He asked, his voice suddenly hoarse with apprehension. He swallowed once and ran his tongue around his lips to moisten them." It can't be that bad, right?" He wondered to himself. "I mean, they could only have written somuch bad stuff, right? It can't all be insults, or could it. You did see what they said to Cyrene. " The elf glanced to her as he battled against himself internally.

He breathed in deeply and nodded to himself before he released the breath, reaching his hand into a pocket and grabbing out an envelope. He nodded again and reached for the door before looking to Cyrene for reassurement, unsure if he would actually find anything there.

“Pfft- You’re asking me if I’m ready? Tobias, you can’t screw this up unless you smacktalk him,” Cyrene chuckled and shook her head, as if jokingly disappointed he didn’t know that before. Then, she grinned and held her chin high, and as soon as the door was open, she slipped inside.

The King had been seated upon his throne, speaking to what seemed like a commoner among his right side. He seemed to be deep in thought, his bushy brows pinched together as the rest of his face seemed to scrunch together. He was surprisingly younger than most would expect a ruler to be, but he did own a slight stubble along his square jaw. A brunette ponytail rolled over his shoulder. And, of course, sitting on top of his head was a crown, golden and full of jewels.

As soon as the creaking door had been opened, the King’s attention jerked towards it, startled and delighted. The person the King happened to be speaking to moved to the side, arms folded behind his back. “King Lou!” Cyrene beamed, moving forward along the crimson carpet before ducking into a quick bow. “Luckily, I have returned! With good news, too. Seems like someone lost their bet, huh?” The rogue folded her arms with a slight upwards curve of her lip.

“It’s Louis, and that bet was a faulty,” The King shifted in his seat, placing his hand on his chin. His blank gaze drifted to the stranger standing alongside the redhead. “And this is..?”

Tobias opened his mouth by a mere centimeter to speak back to her before she walked through. He froze stiff as the door widened and King Louis spoke. His hands slowly clenched worriedly. His mind swirled as he wondered what he was suppose to do, or say. Eventually he breathed out and unclenched his hands. He winced as he realized that he had accidently crumpled the envelope.

Looking up in apology Tobias walked forward. He stopped, slightly behind Cyrene and bowed hastily, and rather sloppily. He cursed himself for being nervous, he was suppose to have been trained to be a diplomat. He breathed in to steady himself once more as he bit his lip. He hoped the crumpling of the envelope didn't hurt the negotiations.

" Here you g-go." Tobias stuttered as he held out the letter at the end of his arm. He hoped that the elders hadn't written anything too horrible, and that he wouldn't be punished for anything they wrote.

Well, that could have gone worse, she thought. As soon as Tobias had stumbled upon his words, Cyrene looked to her feet and choked back a laugh. It was difficult to think that someone who could possibly be so nervous could joke about being so intelligent and get away with being the same person.

King Louis, on the other hand, rose to his feet almost immediately at the sight of the letter, walking down the small steps that stood in the way of him and the envelope. He didn’t care for the wrinkles. As long as he had the letter, it was fine. Slowly, anxiously, the King opened the letter and began scanning over it, his lips pursing as if he had just tasted something sour. He shook his head in disbelief.

“What do they mean?” Louis looked back at the letter, then at the elf. “We haven’t been attacking your messengers. We thought you were attacking ours! You were the ones to ‘masquerade as wolfish creatures’!” Then, his eyes widened. “Right..?”

Tobias frowned, masquerading as wolfish creatures? What did that even mean? He shook his head slowly," I d-don't know..." He stumbled over his words again as his mind tried to figure out what the king meant." What's it say?" He asked before rushing to add," If, if it's okay... for me to hear." His voice wavered and dropped as his sentence continued, his eyes slowly falling to the ground in order to hide his face from the king.

This was all his fault. He should be read the letter, even if the had told him not to. Tobias's hands curled into fists as he continued blaming himself for everything that happened here, for all the mistakes, all the problems they were facing,even how the king reacted. He blamed himself for all of it.

Louis shook his head vertically in response. “Dear Humans, we have decided that in order to keep both of our kingdom's from dying we must create, and sign, a treaty. We understand that this might be difficult for you to understand as you do have a much lower intellect than us elves which is why we came to this conclusion before you. We also have noticed some disturbance in our messengers and would like to address the reason. So, why have you been attacking our messengers and masquerading as wolfish creatures?”

“Oh, pl—” Cyrene shut her trap, glancing sideways at Tobias. Seeing the change in expression, she hesitated, but placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure there’s.. a reasonable explanation out of all of this.”

“Well,” King Louis curled back his lip. “It’s definitely something. Who in their right minds would dress as a wolf, and then rid off the messengers? It doesn’t make sense.”

Tobias simply stood there for several moments, collecting his thoughts. He breathed out before looking up and fixing the king in a steely stare. He layed his idea down in complete confidence, altogether different then he had been just moments ago," It would keep us, and I mean both us's,like both elves and humans,from knowing the true culprit. "

While the change in his demeanor was a powerful one, it was short lived and Tobias's gaze slowly lowered to his feet as he mumbled inaudibly," Sorry." And shuffled his feet nervously. The elf didn't like the idea of a third party and as such was inclined to completely skip over such an absurd possibility.

“You have a point,” Louis nodded in agreement, “but why would someone do something like this? It just.. doesn’t make sense.”

“Revenge, possibly?” Cyrene stared blankly before holding her hands up in surrender. She didn’t want to make it seem as if she knew more than they did. “Not that I would know that, really. It’s just a hunch, I guess. I mean, if someone were to push any buttons or something like that, wouldn’t it make sense to strike what has a higher value to them?”

King Louis shook his head once again. “No need to apologize. We’re all.. fairly confused, I’m sure. Are wolves even common in this area? Perhaps it’s just the creatures themselves, and not one of us?” He glanced at Tobias. “Or your kind, in this case?”

" But... But didn't the letter say " wolfish and not wolf? Th-that would imply they weren't certain if they really were wolves, wouldn't it?" Tobias asked. " And... why would wolves go after only messengers? Especially at a time like this?" The elf asked as he ran a hand nervously through his hair before he dropped it and smiled softly, maybe he could do this. He wasn't freezing up as much, so maybe he was getting the hang of this.

"So..." Tobias started slowly," Um... We... may have... insulted the Elven Council of Elders. So, uh, that might get to be quite interesting for you. Or us. It's not going to be a good time for any of us." He explained as carefully as one could explain such a delicate matter.

“Ah, you’re right,” The royal tapped his foot, holding his hand to his chin, “and that is a valid point. Perhaps I’ll just write back and ask what they meant. I’ll explain that it definitely isn’t anyone I would know of, too.” Behind the King, the male who had been previously speaking to Louis stood, scribbling vigorously when this was said.

Cyrene did make sure to acknowledge the fellow assistant, saluting to him with a sly, somewhat joking, smirk. But her confident expression faltered as Tobias spoke, and she hesitantly turned to look at him with wide eyes and a glare that would possibly startle some. “Tobias, for the skies’ sake,” The rogue hissed beneath her breath. She then forced a completely nervous smile onto her lips as she glimpsed back towards the King, who stood in surprise.

He exhaled. “I can brush over an apology as well, I suppose.” He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if he had been expecting something like this to happen. “Did anything too terrible happen, or will they be fine after a beg-pardon note?”

Tobias froze up when Cyrene glared. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation, and the glare didn't help. He began to breathe heavily for several moments before he calmed himself enough to begin to think straight. His fists clenched and unclenched worriedly. He shook his head once to continue calming himself.

" Um... Uh... Er... I... Yeah." Tobias stuttered as his nerves continued to work havoc on him,"I... guess I don't know how well they're going to react to anything. " He shrugged and sent a glance to Cyrene, remembering how she had picked on him for shrugging. He grinned, loosening up again," And well, they insulted her," He inclined his head towards Cyrene," and I stood up for her."

When Cyrene had cracked a smile, she looked away and huffed, rolling her eyes as she did so. She had been able to keep a straight face up until he had shrugged and grinned, which had caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed and she held up an index finger to address what had just been said. “Correction,” The rogue cleared her throat with a crooked smirk, “I was fine one my own, thank you. But he interrupted-" She added an extra flare to the word, making it ( jokingly ) sassy and haste. "-the conversation. I could have defended myself, when push comes to shove!”

The King rose a brow, the edges of his lips curling upwards as he took in the information. “So, what I’m hearing is that said apology should be quick and negligent?” He then nodded in confirmation, looking back down at the letter he held. It worried him that there was a potential enemy that neither leader seemed to be sure about, but he was certain there had to be some sort of explanation. Well, almost certain.

Tobias simply rolled his eyes. To argue would only acknowledge the fact that it might matter to him. And it didn't. Or, atleast that's what he told himself. He would've loved to argue with the rogue all day, but he didn't want to do so in front of the king for fear of making a fool of himself. The elf crossed his arms moodily and looked away, before she could see him grinning.

" Um..." Tobias started as he turned his head back to the royal and tried to remember what the word negligent meant. He nearly laughed, just moments ago he had claimed to be the smartest person in the world and now he couldn't remember easy vocabulary. Eventually the word came back and he answered," If you think 'at's best. I'm not really all that sure anymore."

“It’ll definitely be better than not mentioning it, I think,” The royal claimed, ducking his head into yet another quick nod. Then he turned on his heels and waved a hand as he began making his way back to his seat. “So, would you two mind running another errand for me? I’ll be on the lookout for other messengers, without a doubt, but you two seem like the quickest option at the moment.” As soon as he whipped around and sat, he raised a brow.

Cyrene simply lifted and dropped her shoulders, holding her arms in the form of a ‘W’. It didn’t matter to her, honestly. It wasn’t as if she had anything better to do. So, she looked towards Tobias with a questioning look, tucking her hands back into her pockets.

Tobias shrugged weakly, although he was beginning to be less frightened of the royal, as he hadn't been punished or anything," Well, I have to go back at some point anyway. Doesn't matter to me if I come back with a letter. " He returned the rogue's gaze with a certain amount of merriment in his eyes at the idea of traveling with her again. The corners of the elf' s mouth began to lift into the smallest of grins before he turned back to the royal and nodded once firmly," Absolutely."

Then Tobias frowned, was he suppose to walk up and grab the letter, or was someone suppose to bring it down to him, or was it even written yet? He wasn't sure, but he figured it didn't matter, someone would have to tell him the plan eventually. Until his questions were to be answered he was content to simply allow his gaze to wander the room, taking in every detail. His head moved slowly as he looked about the room, wondering why humans would want to live on the ground.

Upon receiving the look, Cyrene chuckled and signaled with a small and quick thumbs up. There was a moment where she felt like she had been set on a road that would break into two; one being that she could refuse the offer in order to check on the warehouse and the people within it, or go along with the elf to give his leaders another letter. She exhaled as her face settled into an impassive, blank stare. Her hands fell by her side. Duke was there ( Or, at least, he should be there, by now ), and that meant everything was still fine. Though, she was somewhat concerned she had just put a huge amount of trust on a horse.

“Great!” The royal flashed a smile as he slipped the letter he had received to his assistant, who took it gratefully before continuing to scribble inside the pages of a journal. “Would you two like to wait here while the letter is composed? Of course, you’re free to do something else, if you wish. I’m sure we could find you.”

The rogue snapped back to reality, oddly put off by the King’s last statement. She then looked around in utter confusement, but then something clicked when her gaze landed on one of the garrisons. Very funny, Louis, Cyrene thought with a shake of her head and a quiet laugh.

" Oh, and how would you go about doing 'at? I mean, who knows where she might end up?" Tobias jerked a thumb towards Cyrene," I mean, she is kind o' wild. Have you met her before by any chance?" He asked, already knowing the answer, but he wanted to hear the king say it because then he might be able to watch Cyrene pick on the king. He nearly grinned at his loaded question.

" Well, I'm ready to go somewhere, want that strawberry we talked about earlier? I'm sure I can get it for you." Tobias winked and grinned as he began to turn to leave. He hoped she would understand that he meant he could steal her a strawberry.

In response to the elf’s question, King Louis rolled his hand in a circle before it reached the spot near his forehead, rubbing his temple. He scoffed. “Unfortunately so. In fact, I’ve placed more guards near the gates in order to keep check. Just a heads up; she manages to get past those, as well.”

“Hey! Hey!” Cyrene held out her hands, palm down and in a defensive manner. “I’m still in the room, thank you! Gosh. People these days! No wonder my best friend is a horse.” She folded her arms and smiled to herself, looking off to the side with a quiet hmph.

From the corner of the room, the assistant—Kai, in other words—cleared his throat in order to catch the rogue’s short-spanned attention. He simply glared. Though he didn’t speak, Cyrene got the message, and she gladly ignored it. Instead, she shook her head at him and turned on her heels, dramatically waving her hand through the air. “Yes, yes, you annoying princess. Let’s go get something while goody-two shoes and his personal worker bee write that letter of theirs,” Cyrene sent a sharp, teasing look over her shoulder, smirking at each person in the room with amusement sparkling in her eyes. She enjoyed the over-the-top exit a little more than she should have.

" Really? I thought she was just a buffoon that didn't know how to sneak. " Tobias turned to Cyrene, pretending to look her up and down as if trying to decide if she truly was that sneaky. Eventually he nodded as if finally deciding she very well could be."Huh, guess you learn somethin' new everyday, don't you? " The elf asked.

" I think he's the only one you can stand you. And even then, I think if he spoke English he wouldn't want to be your friend." Tobias teased as he grinned up to the king, hoping he would join in on the fun, even if it was at Cyrene's expense. Perhaps if he didn't know her as well as he did he might've felt bad about it, but, being that he did know her, he didn't feel all that bad about picking on the rogue.

" Hey there! Just 'cause you know I'm a princess doesn't mean they do!" The elf fluttered a hand, gesturing in the king's general direction as he followed obediently behind her. Then he harumphed, pretending to be grouchy with her. Tobias sped up for a few steps to be walking with her and crossed his arms, looking away in mock anger.

Cyrene’s mouth fell open. “Rude! Just because I might not be good at sneaking doesn’t mean I can’t get away with things!” Then, quickly, she looked towards the royal in the room. “But that doesn’t mean I do.. said things, of course.”

“Oh, please,” The King rolled his eyes with a grin, waving his hand to the left. “You are as bad of a liar as you are a bard.”

“What?” Cyrene gasped when this was said, holding a hand to her chest and stepping back. “You write an argumentative passage one time with a few mistakes here and there, and people go and mock you for it!” Then, she paused. “Well.. ‘a few’ is probably not the right term, is it?”

King Louis shook his head. Before he had the chance to respond, the rogue had already begun rambling about something else, “And Duke appreciates my company, thank you very much!” Then, she snickered and shrugged, as if to say ‘Oh! My mistake!’. “Well, I guess some people learn something everyday, huh?” Cyrene scrunched her nose and grinned widely. She had mocked Tobias’s previous words, tilting her head to the side. Though, she did hope that that didn’t count as taunting or teasing of any sorts.