Rosette~

Rose’s heat pounded while staring at the wooden door with a blank look. She tries to think of the ways she should react when the Prince opens the door. Coming up with no suitable solution, the girl just fidgeted in the position.

Rose was surprised for a moment when a girl opened the door. However surprise soon turned to relief when she realized that she wouldn’t have to look at the Prince in his eyes. She knew if it was the Prince that opened the door, she would lose all of her will and melt in a puddle of pain and mess. The only aroused in Rose was a bit of envy when looking at the girl. She probably slept by his side just as ProPa had slept by her side.

Holding up a towel and her new uniform, Rose whisper “May I use the bath?” then looking at the girl she realized that the deity was probably about to go bathe herself so she quickly add, “I can wait..” The room smelled warm and refreshing, probably due to the bathe that the deity had run. The smell danced and teased her nose as she realized that the Prince had smelled the same last night. A sharp bolt of pain strikes her heart as she took a sharded breath inwards.

Rune Serrile

Hebi arched an eyebrow at the visable relief on Rose's face. Apparently, she was glad Rune hadn't answered the door, and that made sense considering how upset Rune was last night. Hebi had already guessed that Rose and Rune had had a fight of some kind, but she was keen to learn the details. Even more so seeing that Rose didn't appear angry, which meant that they were both upset about last night.

Hebi nodded her head in understanding as the girl held up her uniform in a towel, realizing her intentions before she voiced them. She briefly wondered what was wrong with her bath, did all the knights have to share a bathroom with their royals like the closets? Hebi was caught a bit off guard when Rose said that she could wait, not sure why she said that until she realized that Rose had spied her towel wraped around her. She laughed gently, shaking her head at the girl and taking her hand in hers, dragging her into the room and closing the door behind them.

She dragged her quickly through the main room, not letting her stop and stare at the sleeping Rune, and into the bathroom where the bath steamed comfortably. Shutting the bathroom door, she turned to Rose and held a finger up to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. Whispering again, she said "I don't mind if you bathe, let's just not wake Rune up, ok? You can go first, since you need to get ready for the day." That said, she padded over to the sink and leaned against the counter, smiling at Rose and nodding towards the bath. "It's already warm and scented, so you can hop in."

Turning her eyes away from Rose to give her some privacy, Hebi amused herself by looking at the different bottles of soap and things on the sink counter. The people in this place spared no expense when it came to pampering the noblility, it seemed. Hebi shuffled from foot to foot, getting a bit impatient with waiting. She tried to think of ways to start a conversation with Rose, but it seemed stupid to ask "What do you think of the school, so far?" or something. Not to mention, her curiosity kept nagging her to ask Rose about what happened last night. She had meant to talk to Pro Patria...but it might be better to ask her directly, especially since she had the oppurtunity to now.

Hebi turned towards the tub, looking at Rose shyly and twidling with edges of her towel. With her voice still lowered, she said "Rose? Last night, Rune seemed...well, he seemed really upset after he came back. I've never seen him that bothered in the years I've known him, and it upset me seeing him like that. So I have to ask...what happened?" As she finished, she chewed on her bottom lip slightly in nervousness as she waited for the girl in the bath to respond.

Rosette~

Rose was surprised when the deity’s hand touched hers, such small white hands that contrasted her tanned skin. She let herself be dragged in to the room. Her eyes stayed a moment too long on the shape that she figured to be the sleeping Prince. She was just glad that they didn’t ponder too long in that spot for Rose would have lost her common sense.

When they reached the bathroom, hot air rushed to her body, condensing more droplets on her skin, giving her a rather strange glow. The scent that she had associated with the Prince last night pounced on her stronger than ever. She frowned unconsciously at the thought that she would have to smell like him, a constant remembrance of her cruelty last night. Maybe this is karma’s pay back.

"I don't mind if you bathe, let's just not wake Rune up, ok? You can go first, since you need to get ready for the day. It's already warm and scented, so you can hop in."

Rose nodded and walked over to the bath. Letting the silk robe from last night to fall in a puddle around her feet, Rose was just about to take off the scarf she had tied around her chest when she turned to the deity. “How about joining me...” Rose paused for a second to remember what the Prince had called her, “…. Hebi? We’re both girl and all. I can help you wash your back.” As the Deity turned around to sift through the array of bottles of beauty potions and bubble makers, Rose quickly slipped off the rest of her makeshift garments and slipped into the warm water.

She let herself sink until the water is about neck deep. Her skin soaked in the moisture and warmth as her hair gathered into little dreads that she began to detangle in the water. Wincing a little at the attempt that the Deity made to spark conversation, Rose knew the question that was about to follow. So she gave a stereotypical answer to salvage some time for her to tactfully avoid the question to come. “School…seems like a good place. Nice bedrooms and good food.”

Unfortunately, no time would prepare Rose for the question that came next as she had expected. The words that stressed the degree of the Prince’s pain seems to punch her in the stomach, making her insides churn with guilt and regret. “n..nothing…” She lied and knowing the Deity won’t be satisfied with such an answer, she elaborated, “I just gave him the nation’s treasure…he must have been shocked or something…” Her voiced trailed and seeing the girl’s unsatisfied face, Rose knew that her lies have failed. Sighing, she admitted it defeat. “Just…It’s just that I did something bad…and I think I hurt him.” Her tentative answer was filled with vagueness as she hates to hear the word from herself. It is as if Rose didn’t confess those words out loud, then it had never happened. “I might have stepped out of the boundaries for a knight and for that I am sorry.” She finally said, giving the best she can at the current moment. She sank lower into the water.

Vesi had been sleeping fairly well this night; in fact it had been a lovely sleep with some very lovely dreams. But it appeared that it was not going to last as he sudden felt pain in his chest and then something started to hit him in the head. Attempting to ignore it he brushed his hand at the pain near his chest only to get his hand bitten which quickly roused him.
“Argh.” He groaned as he opened his eyes and saw that the pain on his chest was Haukka who was slightly digging her claws into his chest, not enough to draw blood but to cause discomfort. As well it appeared that she did not like his attempt to hit her and had bitten his hand.
“Oh…sorry Haukka.” He mumbled as he realized what had gone on. He should have been used to it by now anyways because this was the way that Haukka had chosen to wake him up for quite a long time now. Apparently it amused her or something, he had never actually found out exactly why she does it.

But as soon as he was awake he was up and preparing for the day. Quickly making his way to the washroom and quickly cleaning himself spending just enough time to get himself clean and not spending time enjoying the nice warm water. As soon as he was finished he was already drying himself off and preparing to get dressed. It appeared that someone had entered his room while he was sleeping and left a black outfit along with an Amethyst tie to go with it. It was just a maid nothing more otherwise I would have woken you. Were the quick words he heard from Haukka and he believed it. The uniform closely resembled his normal ensemble so Vesi had no problem with wearing what was provided. In fact he quite liked the Amethyst tie that was provided as it resembled Haukka’s unique eyes. As soon as he was prepared for the world he headed for the door and quickly made his way to the Princesses Amira’s room. Just as he was about to knock on the door it was opened and out came the aforementioned Amira right into Vesi who was knocked a few steps backwards.

Quickly he righted himself and then allowed the princess to regain her balance as well. Although it appeared Haukka did not appreciate the sudden jolt as she almost lost her own balance.
“Well good morning Princ- Amira. I am sure that there is no need to rush as they will still have breakfast for us.” He responded with a slight chuckle and smile on his face.

Rune Serrile

Hebi's ears perked up at the sound the silk made as Rose shed her clothes. She had always been fond of the material, and loved the feel and sound it made. She was tempted to walk over and slip the robe on, but shook the desire off, not wanting to seem wierd to the knight. Hebi noticed that the sound of someone slipping into the water didn't follow after the silk, and turned to see Rose hesitate slightly. The red head turned back to look at her, hands on the strap of cloth that was tied around her chest, and said “How about joining me...Hebi? We’re both girls and all. I can help you wash your back." Hebi blushed lightly at the suggestion; sure, they were both girls...but it was still slightly embarassing in her opinion.

Despite her embarassment, Hebi nodded at Rose as she untied the cloth and slid into the tub. Averting her eyes from the tub, Hebi unwrapped her towel and folded it again, putting it beside the tub before stepping in to the tub as well. She slid down in the water, letting the warmth seep through her skin to relax all of her muscles. Sighing happily, she leaned her head back on the rim and said "Oh...that feels nice~"

After relaxing a bit in the water, Hebi opened her eyes and watched Rose soak. The deity looked at Rose's body with envy; she was much better endowed than Hebi was, and Hebi had no doubt that Rune would prefer to play with Rose than her. She wondered that if she had curves like Rose did, would Rune like her better than Rose? Huffing slightly, Hebi lifted her slender arm from the water and started washing it off.

After she asked about Rune, Rose hesitated slightly before answering. At first she said 'nothing', but Hebi didn't fall for that one bit, and raised an eye at the girl to let her know she didn't. Then she started going on about giving him the scepter and how it must have shocked him. Hebi rolled her eyes and said "C'mon Rose, I'm not stupid. I know something more important happened than that." Knowing that the girl didn't have anywhere else to verbally run, Hebi looked at her expectantly, waiting for the truth to come out. “Just…It’s just that I did something bad…and I think I hurt him. I might have stepped out of the boundaries for a knight and for that I am sorry.”

Oh, so that explained it. The two of them must have had a heart to heart last night, and Rose had said something that had upset Rune so. From the way she worded that, it sounded like she turned him down or something. Hebi smiled knowingly at her, a surge of happiness running through her. She was rather pleased that Rose had turned him down, the envious creature inside her purring happily at the knowledge that prince could still be hers. At the same time, she felt bad for Rose, and it was that feeling that compelled her to slosh over through the water and pull Rose into the center, then slide herself behind her. Taking the washcloth from the side of the bath, Hebi started to wash Rose's back.

As her fingers rubbed into her skin, Hebi said "Don't worry so much, Rose. Rune is pretty easy going, and he doesn't hold grudges very well. If you're sorry, apologize to him; I guarantee he'll forgive you." Hebi smiled sisterly at the girl, showing off some of her rare kindness. She let the silence stretch for a bit, her fingers moving to Rose's shoulders and then down to her sides. Her protective instincts took hold as her imagination got wilder. Hebi wrapped her arms around Rose's middle, holding her tight and pressing her chest into her back. Leaning her head over Rose's shoulder, she hissed into her ear "But if you try to hurt him more, then I will hurt you...I won't let you take advantage of him, are we clear?" Although her voice was filled with venom, she didn't have anything against the girl other than that she was a rival for Rune's affections. The only reason she spoke so bluntly is because she wanted to make sure Rose knew not to hurt Rune more than she already had.

Rosetta~

“Apologize…” Rose rolled the word around in her mouth as if it is alien to her taste. It is not that the girl is against the idea of apologizing, but she knew she wouldn’t. Rose is sorry for what she had said. She is also sorry for what they would never become. However, it was the right thing to do. Saying sorry now would meant the hurt from last night had accomplished nothing.

As the deity began to run the warm washcloth on her back, Rose’s muscles tensed as the heat touched her cool skin. It felt good, therapeutic to her stressed night. After a long deafening silence, the heat was replaced with something cool and wet. It took Rose a second to realize the deity had pressed itself against her. Shivering slightly at the touch, Rose danger alert blared out in alarm as the deity spoke in her ears with words dripping with venom "But if you try to hurt him more, then I will hurt you...I won't let you take advantage of him, are we clear?"

Pausing a moment to think, Rose turned to the deity and grabbed the shower gel on the side. She squeezed a generous gloop of its content into her hand and rubbed her two hands together to make foam and bubbles. Sliding both hands up and down Hebi’s arms, she coats the deity’s body with the potion. Her hands paused briefly at the Deity’s neck, holding on softly to not hurt her, and spoke with a control tone that has a subtle bitter underlining to it. “Believe me I would like nothing more than to have the Prince safe and well. It’s just that...” Letting her hand slide down from their threatening position, “....that sometimes his feelings must be compromised.”

After Rose is satisfied the deity was coated with soap suds, she began rubbing some into her own skin. Her rubbed hard, hoping to wash away her guilt, regret and sense of duty. If only the world was that easy.

Rune Serrile

Hebi waited for Rose to respond, her arms still wrapped around her to keep her close. But instead of answering, Rose turned in Hebi's grip and reached over to grab some of the shower gel from the side of the tub. Hebi watched with a bit of confusion as the girl squeezed some of the stuff into her hands and rubbed them together. Her hands now foamy with the substance, she proceeded to rub the the material into the arms that were wrapped around her.

Hebi's arms relaxed as Rose rubbed the gel into her arms, and they dropped from her back to her waist as the muscles relaxed. Rose's touch felt amazing; if Hebi hadn't been so intent on making sure that Rose got the message, she would have dropped the conversation and asked her to lather her whole body that way. Because she was so pleased with her touch, Hebi didn't notice Rose's hands rising higher until her hands wrapped gently around Hebi's neck. Hebi's breath hitched as she realized that Rose had her caught, and she moved her hands from around Rose's back to the front of her stomach, ready to push her away if she needed to.

“Believe me I would like nothing more than to have the Prince safe and well. It’s just that...that sometimes his feelings must be compromised.”

Hebi let out her held breath as Rose's hands fell from her neck and down to her shoulders, and then on to rub the gel over the rest of Hebi's body. As the knight worked, Hebi examined what she had just said. She felt ashamed of accusing Rose of trying to hurt Rune; of course she wanted what was best for him, that was her job. But the way she spoke of compromising his feelings...it was as if she was justifying whatever she did last night.

Her concerns sated, Hebi washed the soap from her body as Rose washed the rest of hers. When she was finished, she took some shampoo from the side and poured some into her hands, rubbing them together like Rose had done earlier, and then slid them into her hair. She gathered up all of her long hair and lathered it up with the shampoo and ran her hand through it to remove any tangles. That done, she dunked her head under the water, running her hand through it again to get it clean.

After she was satisfied she'd gotten the last of the soap out, she rose from out of the water and turned to Rose again. Seeing that the girl was still washing her body, Heib lathered her hands with shampoo again and then started to work them into Rose's hair, careful not to tug too hard on her hair. "I know you don't mean Rune any harm, Rose. You're his knight, and I trust you to watch out for him. Just remember, no one wants to be kept safe if it means keeping them unhappy. Dunk please?" Hebi smiled at Rose and waited for her to wash the soap from her hair.

Now that they were both clean, Hebi stepped gently out of the tub and picked up her towel and started to dry off. After patting down her body, she rubbed the towel into her hair, drying the the damp, green locks. Once she was dry, she slipped on her clothes, fumbling a bit with the tie and suit top. When she was done, she stood infront of the mirror and twirled, swishing her skirt. Deciding that she liked the uniform, she turned from mirror and started to run a brush through her hair. Done with her morning preperation, she turned back to Rose and posed. "Do I look good? I normally don't wear stuff like this, but I like it."

Despite the seriousness of their conversation, Hebi decided she liked bathing with Rose. "If your water is still out, you're welcome to bathe with me again tomorrow. I'll make sure Rune won't bother you, if you want. When you finish getting ready, you can leave and I'll go and wake Rune up so he can get ready." Hebi leaned against the counter as she waited on Rose to finish getting ready, wondering the best way to wake the sleeping prince.

The moment Amira set a foot outside the door, she nearly toppled backwards, after colliding with something rather solid. Her first thought was to place her hand on the hilt of her sword, in case of attack. Her whole body tensed quickly, ready for an assault that was never going to come. Instead Vesi's voice reached her before she had a chance to even glance at her so-called attacker. Instead, her hand fell to her side and she smiled brightly up at him, brushing strands of hair from her loose hair. It was a good thing that she hadn't pulled her sword on him or else she would have been without a Personal Knight.

"Good morning," She chirruped, in an extremely bright tone. Briefly, her eyes scanned his new uniform and she arched an eyebrow, but said nothing on the matter. It looked as though they were all to endure the uniform, though secretly she quite preferred it to her normal gown. At least this allowed her some movement. Gowns had always looked good on Amira, but she hated them with the whole of her heart. When it come to fighting they were simply no good to get around in and provided great limitation. "I am sure that it will, but I am more eager to see the facilities. In other words, the sparring grounds." She grinned, grabbing his hand in her own and tugging him towards the stairs. It was informal, but surely Vesi had realised just the extent to which Amira didn't follow normal rules. In fact she never conducted anything in the normal manner that most were accustomed to, but that was just her style. Indeed, it always had been, much to her parents' clear dismay.

"I think we can get one good round in before breakfast, if we're lucky of course." She called over the clattering of their feet as they rushed down the stairs, she had dropped his hand now. She seemed to have far more energy than she had the day before. In fact she was positively brimming with it and excitement at the thought of attending the School. It had been her realisation that this place may not be so bad if she just tried to enjoy it, instead of sulking about having to attend. She was going to try and enjoy her time there and if she didn't, well she could leave after the Tournament anyway and never have to come back.

Vesi hadn’t been that surprised when Amira mentioned sparring although he hadn’t really expected her to want to have a match with him this soon. But before he could react or respond she had grabbed him by the hand and begun to lead him towards the sparring grounds. Though immediately he became somewhat uncomfortable not because a girl was holding his hand but because of the fact that it wasn’t correct for a knight to be holding a princesses hand. Although he eventually consented to just dealing with it as it seemed that for Amira acting like this was something that would happen on a daily basis.

“Yes we can probably get a match or two in before we eat.” He agreed with her as she let go of his hand and the pair made their way down the stairs and down a long corridor before they made their way out into a small field that contained a circle made from wooden fences. It appeared that this would be where the two would have their match. Vesi had assumed that Amira had wanted to fight with blades but it wouldn’t have been the first time he was wrong.

“So are we going to be fighting with weapons or hand-to-hand? As well are there any base rules you would like to lay down?” Vesi questioned as he figured it would be best to allow her to place the rules. After all Vesi had already decided in his mind that he would be allowing her to win this match, because in his experiences most royalty don’t enjoy losing. In fact Vesi had ended up with a few lashes in his early days because he would refuse to lose a fight, even if it was to someone of high importance. But Vesi was older now and had learned much from his younger days.

“The only rule I would like to lay down is that our Deities are not to be involved, at least not for our first match. As we progress we can involve them.” And with that Haukka left Vesi’s shoulder and perched herself on part of the wooden fence. It appeared as if she was readying herself for a front row seat.

Rosetta ~

Rose knew after the deity’s words landed that both of them had been looking out for the Prince. They both want what’s the best for him, thus Rosetta sees no point in defending herself further. It is not her goal to cajole the girl into liking her, nor to scare her away from the Prince, though bits of her wants to do this last one.

She was about to protest when the girl began to put shampoo in her hair, but had decided against it. Rose doesn’t let anyone touch her hair. She’s proud to have the ostentatious furious red mane, like that of a lion. It had symbolized her honour, her devotion and her pride. It is not easy making it in a man’s world. Many times Rose had thought about cutting off her hair and blending in. However, each time she had held the knife to it, she couldn’t make the cut. She thus promised herself to be proud of who she is. Rose remembers crying herself to sleep every night, wishing she could have been born a boy. Now, looking back, Rose was glad that she wasn’t. Being a girl had given her more determination to push forward and become who she is today. She knew in her heart that if it wasn’t for the hardships as an outcast, she wouldn’t have thrust forward as hard. She has father to prove to that she, a girl, is better than any boy in the Roulette family.

When the deity climbed out of the tub, Rose wadded over to the side and dangled her arm on the slippery edge of the pool. Watching the girl dress, Rose noticed that the white of the uniform only accentuated the whiteness of Hebi’s skin. It was like the finest porcelain. She looked at her own legs through the water. Tanned, her skin had been like that since she can remember. She had always took it as a sign of her hard work and resolution to be better, but now...she envied the milkyness of not only the deity but the court ladies in general. Her skin showed her harsh background, while their’s symbolized a life of pampering. They were the delicate flowers that men love to treasure and adore, while she....she’s rather like the cactus out in the desert sun, aloof, alone and dependent only on itself.

Her attention turned back to Hebi when she asked about her uniform. “It looks perfect” Rose replied as she stood up. Water trickled down her body into the tub. Taking two fluffy towels from the side, she wrapped one around her body and the other around her hair, squeezing out the last drop of water. Tossing the wet locks around in the towel, Rose unwrapped her hair when she was satisfied with the amount of water the towel took out. Letting her hair air dry rest of the way, Rose put the towel into the used towel bin. She found her black uniform and under garments that she had brought with her and slipped them on. The uniform was just right; hugging everywhere it should on her body. However, she would have liked it if the skirt were a bit longer. Due to her height and long legs, the skirt just barely covers all of her behind.

It’s not that Rosette is embarrassed about anything. It’s just that she wants to hide two daggers in her back garter. Now, every time she bend or turns, the shiny blades would catch the lights. Sighing, Rose tidied the space a bit and said her goodbyes to Hebi, agreeing to come tomorrow if her tap still doesn’t work.

Aerobella~

The young Princess woke up with a horrid headache. She rolled over in her grand bed and slowly sat up while rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She had fallen asleep in a shirt that was a couple sizes to big for her. The collar had dangled on her arm, revealing one side of her shoulder. She doesn’t remember how she got back or anything that happened last night. She only hope that she managed to say her prayers for the harvest.

Suddenly, Aero noticed the brightness outside. Her eyes widen as she realized she would be late if she didn’t move quick. She began to dash around the room, the bathroom, and her closet in a whirlwind of hurry. Brushing her hair, teeth and finding her uniform all together. Though its seemed her hurry only cause more trouble.

Merucci sat on the bed and watched as Aerobella run from one side to the other like a comedy show. Laughing, when she finally finished, he said “that uniform is waaaaaay too big for you. Are you sure you got the right one? You can where the top as a dress….oh right…you have nothing to fill.” He dodged as a pillow was launched at him, and watch as the Princess struggled with the baggy sleeves, folding them a couple times before she is satisfied with the length.

He kicked the air as Aero picked him up by one of his ear as the sped towards the dinning hall.

"Weapons of course," Amira answered lightly, turning to face him so that they were about three feet away. She smoothed down her uniform with her slender hands as she watched him with guarded eyes. She was giving absolutely nothing away. Instead she kept a blank face, one that for those who knew her meant mischief. She was going to enjoy sparring with Vesi and there was no way that she was going to hold back when doing so. Actually, she just wanted to show off what she could do with a sword, which was far more than most. But it didn't make her unbeatable.

Suddenly, she smiled brightly, shaking her head. "I have no rules. When you duel with three brothers they don't give you a chance to have any rules." She told him, as she unsheathed her sword which hung on the belt around her waist. the metal gleamed in the sunlight and she stroked the blade with her fingers. She loved this sword and she always had. From the first moment that her father had handed it over as a present for her. It had a great sentimental value for her and if she could help it she would never be parted with the blade. There wasn't a chance that she would hand give it away willingly.

Ventum had soon joined Haukka on the fence, though he turned his back to her as though he was trying pointedly to ignore her. Clearly he hadn't forgotten the incident the other night. Amira couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the sight. Her deity could be so stubborn sometimes. "I agree." She added as she took up her stance, weighting her sword in her hand. Never did her eyes waver from Vesi , but they held a certain twinkle. She was excited.

"Actually, I have one rule. Don't hold back. I certainly won't be." To prover her point, she lunged forwards, swinging her sword with unexpected strength. She aimed for a blow to Vesi's left side, an easy block if he needed to. "Really, don't be afraid to take a swing at me. I can be really annoying sometimes. I must have irritated you at some point." She grinned, stepping back for the next attack, or defense.

Hebi

Hebi grinned happily when Rose said that the uniform looked perfect; Hebi agreed completely, since she was already in love with the outfit. Hebi had always worn either dresses or men's clothes (Rune's, naturally), so these clothes were not her usual style. She liked trying new things, a habit she'd picked up from living so long that she'd seen the rise and fall of hundreds of different fashions. Hebi looked up from her reflection when she heard Rose rise from the tub, and saw her start drying off. When she started dressing, Hebi noted that the uniform looked good on her as well. Rose also filled hers out a bit more, to the point where Hebi might even suggest that she get a bigger one.

When Rose bent down to tidy up the space a little bit, her skirt rode up to show off her hidden knives. Hebi rolled her eyes at the woman's choice of where to hide her things. Apparently, Rose had no intention of going through the day unarmed. Giggling, she patted Rose on the shoulders as she came up to the door, her things in tow, and said "You look great Rose, just try not to bend down too much if you don't want to give the boys something to see." Her teasing done, Hebi opened the door to the bathroom and waved Rose out the door, half-hearing her promise to come back tomorrow if the water was still out. After Rose had gone, Hebi shut the door slowly and turned to look at the sleeping Rune. Grinning evily, she walked over to him and trailed a hand down his side, starting at his shoulder and slowly moving it down to his foot, where she grabbed his ankle with strength she had only because she was a deity and pulled him straight off the bed.

Rune Serrile

Rune had slept well all night, mostly due to the comfortable weight on his chest. When that weight left, it had bothered him enough to wake him up for a moment, but he had just turned over and fell back asleep. He had enjoyed about another half hour of sleep before Hebi had yanked him out of bed, literally. The mattress that had supported his weight was suddenly ripped from under him, and he landed painfully on the floor beside Hebi's bare feet. He groaned and patted her shins, silently asking for her to let go of his leg. She complied with a giggle, and once that limb was on the ground as well, Rune roused himself up enough to raise to sitting position.

He eyed her, doing a doubletake at her outfit; the uniform looked good on her. She caught him staring and patted him on the head, ruffling his loose hair and said "Come on Rune, there'll be time to ogle my body later. Right now, you need to dress quickly or you'll be late." In his recently-awoken stupor, Rune didn't even bother to blush at her accusation, but the importance of hurrying did strike him, especially when he glanced at the clock. Cursing under his breath, Rune grabbed his clothes and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him as Hebi went about making up the bed.

Thanking Hebi mentally for not draining the bathwater from her soak, he stripped quickly and hopped into the water, spending all of five minutes rinsing his body and running some soap through his hair. Once he was decently clean, he pulled the panel off the side of the tub to let the water drain, and stepped out of the tub and into the warm embrace of a towel. He dried himself off and patted his hair down enough to where it would drip, but not enough so that it wouldn't be wet, and then pulled his uniform on. He stopped comically in his mad dash to get ready to tie his tie, muttering "under...and over..." like a kid, and then sighing happily when it looked right.

He tied his hair up in a loose tail and held it with piece of fabric he pulled from a drawer. He glanced at himself in the mirror, satisfied with how looked given that the speed at which he'd gotten ready, and then headed out of the door leaving behind a mess of clothes and a wet towel. He walked into the room in time to see Hebi putting his sword on the now made up bed.

She looked up at him when he walked over to her, and eyed him up and down as he did a little turn. She grinned at him and straightened his tie and brushed some lint off his shoulder. "You're good to go, although you shouldn't make a habit out of getting ready so fast." Strapping his sword to his belt, he said "Yeah, well, who's fault is it that I woke up so late?" She didn't say anything, but he heard her scoff as he walked towards the door. Turning to her, he held out his arm to her and raised an eye to say 'Coming?'. She nodded and walked up to him, hooking their arms together at the elbow as he pulled her out of the room. She shut the door behind them and flicked out the lights with a light gust of wind.

They walked briskly down the hall towards the cafeteria, Rune muttering the whole time about cutting it close. Hebi just laughed at him, hanging behind him just enough to slow him from moving as fast as he wanted to. She could be annoying like that...

Vesi had been slightly distracted as he was watching the two deities interacting with each other that he barely brought his attention back to Amira when he heard her talking "Actually, I have one rule. Don't hold back. I certainly won't be." Vesi was actually about to respond to the words before he noticed that she was already swinging her blade at his left side. He hadn’t even drawn his blade yet but it appeared that Amira was being fairly serious. Making an easy dodge Vesi jumped backwards and to his right in order to avoid the sword before he drew his own blade.

Though Vesi was still undecided whether he should actually attempt to win or not. He had not had enough time to completely dissect how Amira would react but from what he had seen he didn’t think she would be unhappy if she lost. It’s decided then.

“Very well I will try to win then.” Vesi had carefully selected his words because he didn’t want to say he wouldn’t hold back because he feared that then he might accidently injure Amira which would not be acceptable no matter what situation they were in. After allowing his words to sink in he began his advance towards Amira. He began to assault her front with multiple different attacks though they weren’t designed to slip past her guard, more to just force her backwards and put her on the defensive. If Amira ended up falling back as Vesi had planned he would then proceed to bring a single attack with the flat edge of the sword down on her blade hand attempting to stun her and as well show her that she forgot to guard her left side properly.

But if she instead decided to be stubborn and stand her ground or attempt to put Vesi on defence he would allow her to advance towards him parrying each blow she made and wait until she either slipped up in one of her attacks or until he saw an opportunity to regain the initiative. Meanwhile on the fence Haukka was not happy that she was being ignored by Ventum. In fact she decided that she would force him to pay attention to her and she proceeded to bite or peck at one of his wings. Not really aggressive enough to cause any damage or pain, but just more of an annoyance.

Rosette~

Rose was glad that she didn’t have to deal with the awful thing she did last night first thing in the morning. However, she knew she’s going to have to face the Prince sooner or later. It’s just that, at this moment, she would rather have it later than earlier. To be truthful, Rose doesn’t know what she’ll say when she finally look at him in the eyes. Some parts of her wants to just break down and plead for forgiveness, but she knew she rather go down in hell saying things that will hurt his feelings than to compromise his future as the head of the East.

She sat down at a table alone and sipped away at a glass of milk. The worry and twists in her stomach make the feast laid out before seem rather unappetizing. She picked up her fork and began to stab away at her eggs with a vengeance. It’s not that the eggs had done anything to earn her hate, well sort of… chickens back home at the camp never really like her, in fact they had pecked her painfully all through her training days…but that’s not enough hate for her to torture their unborn child. Rather, it was just that Rosette is in a frustrated stage, and nothing cures her frustration like a couple of good stabs at something.

Aerobella~

“come on you gotta let me out…I’m working on a deadline here!”

Aerobella was walking down the halls towards the dining hall when the voice from last night started again. Instantly, her heart pounded with fear. She hates the voice. It had brought her nothing but trouble and fear in uncertainty so far. However, as Aero’s fear grew…so does the cloudy unconsciousness…

Bella~

“Oh thank goodness….its so stuffy in there…not being to be in control and all..” Bella said to the little black bunny in her arms. ” come on, I sense the one of the Princes near…lets get him first.” With those words, Bella dashed towards the Dinning Hall. Seeing the Eastern Prince walking briskly towards the breakfast area, Bella had an idea in her mind. She began to pick up speed towards the prince. In the next second, she crashed into him with a loud thud.

Rune Serrile

Rune and Hebi had been in quite a a hurry to eat breakfast, so it was safe to say they weren't watching where they were going. Rune wasn't too keen on skipping breakfast on the first day of class, but he knew they'd be cutting it close since he had woken up so late. He was basically dragging Hebi down the halls as he hurried to the cafeteria, since she seemed set on dragging behind him. They finally entered the dining room, much to Rune's satisfaction, and he stopped for a moment to see where he had to go to get food. He didn't have time to look around, though, because as soon as he stopped, someeone ran into him and knocked him to the floor.

Rune muttered angrily from the floor as he got ready to tell off whoever was running around so recklessly, but then he looked up and saw that it wasn't some hotshot, it was a girl. It was a rather cute, innocent looking girl who was on the ground opposite to him. His anger gone now, he got up on his knees and held his hands out to the girl to take. With a gentle smile on his face, he said "Hey, I'm sorry. You're not hurt, are you?" Hebi stood up and brushed herself off, a bit ticked that Rune had ignored her and went straight to the new girl. Of course, knowing the prince like she did, she knew that he would see to a stranger's needs before her own. It was just the way the man worked.

Rune took the girls hands and helped her up, and as he did he got a good look at her face. With a bit of surprise, he realized that this was the princess from the south who had spoken yesterday. When they got back up on their feet, he said "You're the princess who gave away all the fruit yesterday, aren't you? I have to thank you for that, all the deities really enjoyed it." That really had been a kind thing to do, and at the same time pretty smart. Everyone loves gifts, so giving all the deities a treat was a good way to get into everyone's good book. He knew for a fact that Hebi had enjoyed the fruit very much, considering she ate a whole platter full of it.

Amira instantly went on the defensive, but she knew Vesi's plan all too well. A smirk played on her lips for a moment as she blocked each of his blows. The clang of their swords echoed around the field, each one louder than the last. She would keep on the defensive for now, but she wouldn't falter in her step. One trip or fall could cost her the match and she wanted to show what she was made of. Instead, she held her ground, managing to block everything that he threw at her. Until she saw a chance to switch, she would continue this way. It was her weakest point, being on defensive. It was always where she tripped up. However, she was determined to show what she had.

On the fence, Ventum fluffed up his feathers, determinedly looking away from the other deity. Despite the constant and annoying nipping, he was doing quite well. That was until she caught a particularly tender spot on his wing. With a cry, he turned his piercing eyes upon her, glaring with all of his might. Clipping her over the head with his wing, he took off, landing further down the fence away from the intrusion that was Haukka. He kept his eyes on the fight, keeping them firmly anywhere else apart from the other bird. He wanted to see Amira win this fight, but already he could see that she’d been forced onto the defensive, her weakness.

Amira seized her chance, switching her stance so that she could move onto the offensive. She stepped towards Vesi, it would force him backwards, or so she hoped. It was his turn to be taking the blows whilst she looked for a way to defeat him. After all, they couldn’t spend all day out here, they had lessons. She was mirroring exactly what he had just done to her and she delivered blow after blow, just as he had when she was on the defensive.

((Aahh! I hate short posts. Really sorry, real-life is crazy!))

Vesi allowed the tide to shift for him as Amira went on the offensive this time. Vesi allowed this to happen as he was attempting to gauge where her strong point and weak points were. And immediately he noticed that it appeared that she was stronger when attacking than when defending. For Vesi it was the opposite though the difference in his offense and defence was not very noticeable.


Then shortly after Vesi began to realize that Amira was attacking in the exact same matter that he had been earlier and that was a fatal flaw. Because Vesi knew all of the ins and outs for his different types of attacks and the reason he knew this he was able to perfectly defend against his own attacks as well as exploit them. So Vesi just bided his time waiting until he saw an opening in her attack. And soon enough he saw it just as she had attacked him Vesi moved in close towards her and brought force up against her attack attempting to throw her off balance or even knock her to the ground.

If she was able to avoid being thrown off balance or getting thrown to the ground Vesi would proceed to force her into a defensive position and once he achieved in getting her on the defensive Vesi began to actually attack her fairly aggressively as he knew that if he kept her on the defensive she would eventually falter and as soon as she faltered Vesi would move in for the killing blow. Though he would not go through with it he would stop short right before the attack connected.


Haukka on the other hand was not happy with Ventum as he had clipped the top of her head with his wing and then proceeded to fly a few feet away. Apparently he was going to be adamant in ignoring her. Well that was fine for now Haukka would soon enough be able to receive her attention from Vesi or Amira as soon as she was defeated.

Bella~


"No don't thank me...I'm no princess." Bella smirked as her eyes flashed purple as it rounds up their surrounding. Perfect... No one around seems to be watching the two. With one quick step towards the prince, Bella grabbed his tie and pulled him down to her height. She brought herself to his neck and bits him right at the base. Once again she let the void magic flow into the blood stream, where it would settle and wait till the time comes. For Bella, there was just one more before she can claim her freedom. One more she have to catch before lunch time.


Expecting retaliation, the girl jumped back to a safe distance still with that same smirk on her face. She tilt her head a bit to one side as if to say: what are you going to do about that?

Amira kept up her offensive, though her arms were growing tired with it. It had been a long time since she had faced someone who had put up this much of a fight. She couldn't seem to get Vesi to fall of balance or find a weak spot, but there had to be one. Everyone had one. Didn't they? Stepping back, she let off on the attacks, circling him for a second, eying him up and down, as though searching for a weak spot. But it only lasted a few seconds, before she was back on the attack, slashing and hitting with as much force as she could. Turning, she aimed another blow to his left leg and soon another one to his arm. She was quick, nimble and surprisingly so. However, as she delivered a blow aimed at Vesi's left shoulder, a pain shot through her temple, an agonising pain that caused her to stumble, dropping her sword. It looked as though Vesi had simply delivered a blow that had defeated her, causing her to loosen her grip on her sword. She whimpered slightly, but other than that made no sound. A frown befell her face, but she quickly smoothed it out, into a look of defeat.

"I yield," She whispered, stepped back away from Vesi again, her hand to her head. She muttered something to herself, rubbing at the temple. "Nicely played," She added, with a slight gasp. The pain had dulled, but it was still there. Amira had no idea what had caused it, but it worried her slightly. Instead, she allowed a smile to slip on her face and gestured for Ventum to join them. He was watching her carefully, as though fully aware of what had just happened to her. Spreading his wings, he took off from his perch and moments later landed on her shoulder. Instantly, he started to say something, but she hushed him. It wasn't wise to speak of it at that moment. Vesi didn't need to know what had happened. Hell, Amira herself didn't even know what had happened. Besides, it hadn't really affected their match. He had won fair and square after all.

"We should do this again. But for now, class." She said, stroking her deity, not looking up to meet Vesi's eyes. "You fight well. But this victory will be short-lived." Some of her previous cheek returned to her voice, as she relaxed slightly. The pain was barely there anymore. Besides, it was probably just the forming of a headache, nothing more.

Rune Serrile

"No don't thank me...I'm no princess."

Rune wasn't sure what to say to that, really. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it when he couldn't form the words that expressed what he was thinking. It was quite strange for a princess to say that she wasn't a princess, and to do so raises some questions in the mind of who she says that to. Rune didn't know her very well at all, so he couldn't begin to think of her reasoning behind that, but he didn't have much time to think anyway. She reached up and grabbed him by the tie, effectively stopping him from thinking about her previous comment, and pulled him down.

He wasn't sure why, but when she pulled him down like that he thought she was about to kiss him. There was no reason why he should have thought that, but he did. It certainly looked like she was about to do just that, but rather than press her lips to his own, she moved further down and pressed them to the base of his neck. He felt her teeth move, and then he felt a sting where her mouth was as she bit him. He didn't push her away, mostly because he was momentarily too shocked that she had bit him to do so, but she stepped back without being made to.

She smiled innocently at him, cocking her head a bit to the side for effect. If Rune didn't but that look in context with what she had just done, he would have thought that she looked rather cute; instead, it only ticked him off. Several things he wanted to say rose to front of his mouth, and he opened his mouth to say all of them, but a hard push on his back made his mouth snap close and made him move forward several steps. Hebi came up behind him, both hands firmly planted on his back as she pushed him on towards the food and away from the princess. As they walked away, Hebi turned back to stare evilly at Bella. Her green eyes were brighter than normal, and her pupils had changed from round to slits, like a snake, making her look quite intimidating. She didn't say anything, but fixed her glare on the princess until they had reached the line for food. Only when the server asked Hebi what she wanted to eat did she turn her head away and let her eyes return to normal. She smiled sweetly at the server and told him that she would like cooked rabbit, but if they didn't have that, then eggs would be fine.

Rune and Hebi took their seats at an empty table, Hebi taking her spot on Rune's side opposite his bitten side. Hebi started eating immediately, delicately poking her fork into her eggs and raising small mouthfuls to her mouth; Rune didn't touch his food yet, his fingers wiping at the thin line of blood that was rising from his bitten skin. It itched like a bug bite and at the same time felt tender and sore, and Rune couldn't keep off of it. Finally taking a bite of toast, Rune looked sideways at Hebi and said "Why'd you drag me away? I had questions I wanted to ask her." Hebi shook her head from side to side, looking sideways at him too, and replied "Yes, you were probably going to ask her to bite you again on the other side of your neck." "I-I wouldn't do that! I was thinking I'd probably ask her why first," he said, turning to glare at his deity as some heat rose up his neck at her accusation.

Hebi neatly put her fork down and turned to smile sweetly at Rune, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, which were blazing with anger. With her voice falsely cheery, she said "What, is that your new thing, Rune? You like to be bitten? Why didn't you just say so, I could do that..." Before the prince had any time to react, Hebi extended her arms out and clasped her hands around the back of his head. She pulled him forward, pressing their torsos together, and laid her head on his shoulder, mouth pressing to his neck. Again using her serpent traits to her advantage, she let her canine teeth grow into snake fangs, and then bit down on his neck. She was careful not to pierce anywhere with her fangs that would actually hurt him, just cause him pain.

She pulled off of him, pushing him back slightly so that they were both back to their original positions. She grinned at him, teeth back to normal, as her eyes lit up with dark amusement as he winced in pain and pressed his hands to his neck where she bit. Her fangs had left significantly larger bite marks than the princess's, and they were bleeding more too. Rune tried in vain to press napkins to his neck to stop the gentle but steady flow of blood from his neck as he as Hebi turned back to her food. "Hebi, why'd you do that? It really hurts..." "Hmm, what was that Rune? I can't hear you over my laughter." "Bitch..."

Bella~

That was easy enough. After the Eastern Prince was dragged away by his deity, Bella narrowed her eyes and gave the deity a smug look. It was her win. The Northern Prince was just as simple to bit. The element of surprise was definitely on her side. With her intended work done, the girl grabbed an apple and was off to first class. It is still early, but she didn’t mind. Nothing can ruin her mood because today is the day when she’ll finally be free.

She can feel Aero waking and knocking to get out. However, the little Princess would just have to wait till Bella hands in her handy work. She can’t ruin it now. She can smell her prize already. It is as if everything is just a dream, quite ephemeral dream at that. If Bella wasn’t careful, all could be lost. She will not let her sweet triumph to slip away from her grasp, there is no way in hell…and she was at hell.

Rosetta~

The young Roulette felt her sight fell upon the Prince with magnetic force. Once her eyes locked on him, she couldn’t take them away with all her strength. Hoping the Prince wouldn’t look her way, Rose felt her breath quicken. She licked her lips and bit down on the lowers ones to stop its tiny tremble. She wasn’t afraid, no, but there was a similar excitement that she cannot identify. Each breath came at a cost, as her throat dries and lips cracks with the dry air.

She pinched herself to snap herself out of the trance. Rose doesn’t know how she’s going to stand guard and keep an eye out for things that could potentially harm the Prince, when her attention will not waver from his face, his hands, his body….and most of all his eyes.

Settling down her fork weapon that she had been massacring her eggs with until this moment, the girl pushed her plate away, indicating that she is done here. The busser gave her weird look as he picked up her plate. Rose gave him a small sheepish shrug to indicate that she really didn’t mean to make a work out of the eggs. It seems that its going to be a long day.

Shadow was quietly eating his breakfast. He thought "my chef could make better" As he finished his breakfast entirely he got up and started off to his first class. He had a odd feeling his classmates would not approve of Shadow being here ... he did not care he would show them. Then Shadow hears the voice of deceit,
"Make my ... our ... your nation proud with the choices you make here. This will be the time of the wolf."
And with that the voice seemed to leave and echoing trial as it left. As the voice left a feeling of overpowering pride swept over Shadow He then unsheathed his sword from over his shoulder and with one hand he rested its blade on his shoulder and continued walking down the hall to class.

Vesi watched as he brought another blow to the side of Amira and then he was surprised to find that she had dropped her blade and fell to the ground. “I yield.” She proclaimed from the ground and Vesi agreed with it as he placed his sword back in its holder. He was about to question whether she was okay or not but he was silenced as her Deity joined her upon her shoulder.

“Yes I look forward to the next match but it seems as if the classes will be starting soon.” Vesi added and there was an excitement within his voice at his next chance to test her skill and maybe even help her advance the training she had received. Vesi offered a hand to his princess who was still on the ground so that she could be helped up off the ground. After he had helped her up off the ground he called Haukka over to himself.

“I assume you know where we need to go. I regret to say I have not been informed of where we need to be at.” Vesi had noticed that Amira seemed to be okay now as if nothing had happened during the fight. But Vesi was still not able to get over the thought that she had been injured during the battle as Vesi himself hadn’t done anything that extraordinary to end the battle.

"Of course I do," Amira said brightly, once again taking his hand and pulling him back towards the building. With her spare hand, she scooped up her sword from the floor and sheathed it quickly. Almost immediately her relaxed demeanor had returned and she was back to smiling again. However, Ventum was glaring at her from his perch upon her shoulder. She ignored his gaze, instead concentrating on her path. She snatched up her bag from where she had thrown it in a hurry. For a moment he vented his anger by glaring instead at Haukka with a newfound venom. Of course he didn't actually mean it, but he was angry at the Princess. She was acting as though nothing had just happened to her. But Amira was only being sensible by refusing to mention it in front of Vesi.

Releasing his hand as she walked through the door into the building, she flashed him a smile, before smoothing her uniform out with the palms of her hands. They then began to rummage in the bag she had slung around her shoulders and produced two shiny apples. She tossed one carelessly to Vesi, not waiting to see if he caught it. Instead she bit down into hers, the juice on bursting onto her lips. Brushing it away impatiently, she continued to bite down on the apple. "So, I know virtually nothing about you Vesi," She turned so she was walking backwards, watching him with cheerful eyes. "How many siblings do you have? Where did you learn to fight? Why exactly did you want to be assigned to a pompous family such as my own?" She laughed, shaking her head. "I mean, it's not the most exciting of things to be doing. Watching me constantly I mean."

As she said it, they drew level with a door. Their first lesson. No-one stood outside so they were clearly early. Leaning against the wall, she continued to watch him, with Ventum watching her.

Rune Serrile

Hebi finished eating her food with a smirk on her face, enjoying Rune's voice, which was full of anger at the moment, as if it were a form of pleasant music. Rune had stopped the wound from bleeding, using several napkins to do the job, while keeping up a steady stream of complaints directed at the girl who had bit him. It wouldn't have been nearly as bad if she had just bit him with her normal teeth, the bite from Bella had already stopped bleeding and hurting, but she had used her fangs, so he was bleeding rather freely. He hopped up from his chair and headed over to one of the servers with the intention to ask them where he could go to get a bandage. Hebi waved bye to him as he left, giggling lightly at his frantic actions.

As he left, Rune told Hebi that he'd be back in a minute, and then they'd head on to class together. She agreed silently, with a nod of her head, but he had already run off and hadn't seen. She stuck her tongue out at him from behind, thinking mutinously about running off without him, but deciding that she'd been cruel enough to him for today. Turned around as she was, she spied a shock of red hair that betrayed Rose.

Turning completely around to see the knight, Hebi saw that she was seated a few seats away from them, and it looked like she was done with her food. Getting up from the table, leaving both Rune's and her food on the table for one of the servers to get, she headed over to Rose to say hello. Sitting down beside her, Hebi said "Hey there Rose, all done with your food? Me and Rune were just about to head to class, so you can walk with us. He's just getting something to cover up his newest piercings." Laughing at her own joke, Hebi motioned behind the two where a server had just gotten the first-aid kit, and was bandaging Rune's bite. The prince was avidly turning down the anti-venom that the server was trying to give him, attempting to explain that it wasn't a real snake that had bit him.

When Rune finally shook the server off, the light bandage now covering his bite, he walking back over to Hebi, noticing with a bit of dread that she was sitting next to Rose. Walking up to stand next to the two girls, he tentatively asked "You two ready to go?" His eyes darted around, not landing anywhere for long. Rune couldn't bring himself to look at Rose's eyes, and his gaze never went higher than her mouth. Sensing Rune's distress, Hebi stood up and lifted rose up with her. Hooking her arms through both Rune's and Rose's, Hebi smiled at both of them and started walking towards the first class. "Come on guys, we'll be late if we don't hurry up." Rune just nodded mutely, and led Hebi lead them down the hall towards their destination.