Jo
*The sun was shining, birds were singing cheerily, and he knew for certain that his sister, with her habit for gardening, would likely be where she thought the flowers needed the most care. In the current flurry of activity surrounding his quest for marriage, he suspected that a good talk with his sister was in order - though she might have been younger than him, she was more apt in social situations. Shows of strength and careful speech were subjects he studied, but she had been much better adapted to it, as her education in the court involved less sword fighting and more etiquette.

So it was that the knock of steel sabatons on the stone garden path was heard, and Prince Astalios, with two of his own guards flanking him, joined his sister in the garden, turning his own dagger first into a stream of mercury, and then into a hand that waved a greeting as he got nearer.*

"I suppose the flowers are coming in well this season." *He greeted her with a warm smile.

Prince Astalios himself was a rather sturdily built man in dull gray plate armor that didn't make much sound as he moved. It was surprisingly fluid as it encased him in steel protection. He wore a simple crown upon his head made of pure gold, and on his right hand, there was a signet ring of the same pure gold that depicted a warrior with one sword raised above his head, the other in his hand.

His eyes and hair were brown, and his ears were slightly pointed, owing to his heritage as a half-elf. His jaw and nose were strong and masculine, and he strode to the fountain directly.*
Ross
The sound of footsteps caught her attention and the stiffening of Lincoln behind her caused a smile to form on her lips. "At ease friend. You really must learn to relax a bit." Lincoln had always been such a jumpy person. He was a couple years older than her but she remembered even as a boy, he often did the same thing. Honestly, she was surprised that he had been placed in the guard. Then again, Asyara was hardly any trouble and truthfully, most everyone loved her. It was likely the easiest job a guard could have.

Lifting her gaze, she smiled as they beheld her brother. A shake of her head had her brown tresses dancing about her features. "Brother, are you not nearly dying in that armor?!" Never did she see her brother without his proper attire. Often times, she felt more sorry for him than for herself with these heavy dresses.

"They are coming well, yes!" She smiled and patted the grass next to her. "I've started a basket here for mother. I think i will make a bouquet for her."

"I thought perhaps we could talk about your love life... Or lack thereof?" She turned her attention to him. He was a handsome man. His cheeks were chiseled, his jaw line strong. Standing up, she made her way towards the fountain with him, sitting at the edge of it before sliding the flower in her hand behind her ear. The periwinkle color was a beautiful contrast against her dark brown hair.

"Perhaps we need to have a ball? Or some kind of event. Invite the noble families here... And anyone else you might find an interest in..." She let those words linger there for a moment. Both of them were destined to be married and sadly, it would never be for love, but for alliance. It was the price of being of royal blood, sadly. Asyara had come to terms with it but often times she wondered if her brother had.

"What do you think? Would a ball or a... Solstice or something help you to decide? The realm will need it's Queen, brother."
Jo
"As you well know, if I'm going to live in my armor, I might as well die in it." *He joked, letting the smile deepen.* "Although I suspect the flowers are the ones dying at the moment. Green thumb is not one of my many virtues, even if some of my colleagues are more invested in botanical pursuits than I have any time to read."

*The conversation's quick turn to what he might have eventually brought up left him speechless for a few moments, his eyebrows raised in amazement, as he wondered how she might have guessed that he had a problem to talk over, and how she had guessed the right problem with the murder trial and the slaving crises being dealt with at the moment, in addition to the investigation of King Zarreus's parents' deaths. She seemed to not only have a knack for it, but an uncanny ability to read minds.*

"You've taken the words from my mouth perhaps ten minutes in the future." *He sighed as she took a seat next to the fountain, and sat at the edge of it along with her, the black and golden contrast of the armor's emblem shining in the sunlight along with the polished sheen of the rest of the steel, unnaturally smooth.* "I have no idea how you manage to come up with what I'm going to say before I say it, but it's what I should expect, I suppose."

"We have already had a ball in order to make the announcement - and there I saw perhaps one or two people I may have had a possibility of making a real connection with. But besides that being a ruse to arrest the slavers, I was so inundated with well-wishing party guests and 'well-wishing party guests' that happened to be eligible ladies that they ended up in a sort of blur. I think I'd like to try a much quieter setting next time." *His mind strayed for a moment to the dappled sunlight of the hunting trips that his father had suggested. There was that one trip with the quail and the wolves...*
Ross
"I did not mean to take words from your mouth brother, but the truth of the matter is... Time waits for no one. Not even the likes of us." She smiled softly to him. Asyara doted on her older brother. He had always been there for her when needed and she appreciated that so much.

The mention of the ball had her frowning. She had forgotten there had been one recently. Her reasoning for not attending was sickness, of course. "Well perhaps... You could invite a couple of them to dinner... We could set something up here in the garden... You could have soft music playing... Fresh flowers for your table." Asyara smiled at him sweetly and she looped her arm into his, her other hand coming up to brush against the steel of his armour. "And perhaps... Not wear this to dinner... It can be somewhat... Cold..." Turning her gaze up to him, she placed a kiss upon his cheek before she stood.

"We could place a table and two chairs right here.." She moved her hands around a bit as if drawing the image. "And we could have a harpist over here..." She took several steps from where she was just standing. A slender brow lifted as she looked to her brother.

A moment later, she made her way back to him. "I know there are so many things going on right now that have your attention but... This has to be done. You are Alynthi's legacy. The people look to you for protect. For direction." She smiled and brought her hand to his strong cheek, caressing it for a moment. "You deserve your happiness."
Jo
"I'm well aware that I won't have everlasting time, but I will at least have a few decades." *He raised an eyebrow at the implication that the .* "The process of picking someone to live with for the rest of my life is not going to be easy, of course - and I intend to be as thorough as possible with my selection. There *Is* Someone out there for me - an eligible lady that is my soul mate - and I intend to find her in my own time. Political marriage would be much enriched by the companionship of love." 

*He was, however, somewhat miffed that she assumed he would be willing to invite a few of them to dinner at a time - or perhaps she had meant one of them at a time, but that assumed the presence of suitable candidates. There were many ladies of the court, but none of them had given him the spark of a real beginning that he was looking to cultivate.* "I'm not sure I would take any of them to a dinner. Perhaps in time, I shall have a few candidates, but talking to the ladies of the court in general would be the best thing for me now." 

*His gaze followed where his sister indicated, picturing the table and the harpist and the many other flourishes intended to make him more favorable - or to instill a mood into the night forcibly, like the reaction of magnesium and bromine. It stank of artificiality to him.* "I don't know. I believe a romantic mood is not exactly going to solve the issue of whether I have a real connection with someone. It's a scenario in which I have a better chance, true... But is there a real difference here?"

*He removed her hand from his cheek with his own gauntleted fingers.* "It is not for me to chase anything besides stability, I think. If there's a way to happiness, I shall do it my own way."