Michael
Jesper Kyr
Slums of Erilla, Araedia

Jesper stared out stone faced at the shitbloods, their screams barely registering in his mind. His sword was held loosely in his right hand, Pontus twitching under him. The griffin worked wonders in situations like this, reminding shitbloods that they couldn't escape from him, no matter what they tried.

The soldiers that had been mobilized for this all fought mercilessly, shitbloods falling to their assorted weapons rapidly. They had received notices of a small uprising occurring, so Jesper sought out to silence it quickly, and he was happy he did. The amount of shitbloods gathered here was astonishing.

Not enough to challenge trained soldiers, but enough to gain a foothold in the slums, and begin to rally them.

His men quickly and brutally cut them down, blood flying everywhere and painting the streets. But Jesper never got involved, just stared out at them with boredom etched behind his eyes, their screams of anger and cries for mercy falling on deaf ears.

One man had broken past the guards, blood pouring from wounds all along his body, a crazed look in his eyes. He rushed Jesper, a broken dagger held tight in his right hand, his left dangling limply behind him. Soldiers around Jesper tensed, but the man stopped them by idly smacking the flat of his blade on the saddle's stirrup, the metals ringing out.

Pontus struck when the man was close enough, her beak digging deeply into his right arm. The dagger fell, the already broken blade chipping more from the harsh collision with the ground. As the man began to yell out in pain, Jesper had silenced him by ramming his sword through his throat, the man choking on his blood as he stared at Jesper.

The rest of the rioting shitbloods had begun to settle when they saw the man rush Jesper, but the way he was brutally struck down had silenced them all. The soldiers who had been attacking them stopped as they saw Jesper kill the man, all their eyes turned towards their Head Knight. Jespers eyes glared out at all those who were watching him, icily taking in all the frozen bodies watching him.

"Fucking kill them already." He called out, ripping the blade from the shitbloods throat.

The soldiers screamed in agreement, renewing their attacks on the remaining shitbloods. The streets began to run with more blood, none of the insurgents being spared, even those who laid down their weapons and surrendered were brutally murdered.

Jesper called to his men to dispose of the bodies, turning Pontus to head back towards the castle. The griffin followed the man's command, running a bit before taking off, powerful wings lifting them up into the air, wind whipping by Jespers face as they made their way to the stable where Pontus rested.

_____________

Jesper Kyr
Jesper's Office, Araedia

Jesper's face rested in his hands, dead eyes resting on the papers in front of him. The words were there, but the man didn't register them, instead he chose to look up at Jamesly, the man having slipped into the office when Jesper returned all those hours ago.

"Jamesly." Jesper began, taking a small breath. "Can you-"

"It'll be done." Was all Jamesly said, cutting Jesper off. "I'll have it finished by the end of the hour."

"Thank you." Jesper mumbled, eyes coming to rest back on the paper in front of him.

Jamesly left quietly after that, not wanting to bother Jesper anymore. Jesper was glad for the man's aid, and despite how their relationship may appear, the two were close friends. He knew better then anyone else how much Jesper was beating himself up about the event earlier in the day.

Jamesly was good with moving through Erilla quietly, despite his reputation as a close friend of the Head Knight, which made him the perfect person for bringing the food and medicine that Jesper discretely sent down, a paltry attempt at making up for the atrocities he commits.

Jesper took a deep breath as he moved to look out a window in his office, eyes locking onto the moon above him. He spent some time looking out at the moon, before he began to head for Pontus's stable, knowing that spending the night near the griffin would help with calming him down, and forgetting about the massacre from earlier.
Douglas
Provincial Reyum Welles 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

The council room at High Bloom was a mystery to many people. Not everyone was even privy to the location of the room. It was a safe haven. If the palace was ever attacked, the council members could take shelter in the council room until they could be safely located elsewhere. 

The council room was large and comfortable, darkwood tables and chairs lined with plush white fur and leather. There were several fireplaces, an open one in the center of the room, several stone hearths along the walls, candles hung overheard, from sconces on the walls, and a large candelabrum down the center of the grand table that comfortably sat 12 council members and the Queen at the head of the table. There were no windows in the room, light had to be manufactured. 

For a while, Reyum obsessed every night about those 12 chairs. He wanted to know what they felt like, if they were comfortable, what it felt like sitting in them, how he'd feel sitting in one of them. However, his first two years at court were spent looking at them for less than 60 seconds from the other side of the door. The door itself was a creation to behold. It was decorative with carvings of nature and a stained glass messenger window with iron bars crossing in front only big enough to slip a piece of paper through. It was also studded with large steel rivets and a larger bolt that made getting into that room uninvited very difficult, if not impossible.

Reyum eventually found out what it was like to sit in those chairs. He originally sat at the very end, only speaking when something of the newer members of court were mentioned. He was in charge of keeping the courtiers happy, safe. A good job, but it did not satisfy him at all. He didn't attend every meeting, and he spent most of his time listening to gossiping first years when he really wanted to be in the thick of the council. 

Now, he sat at the council table only a chair away from the Queen. When he spoke, something he did at every meeting no matter what, people listened. He'd made decisions, and even though the beautiful chairs were not nearly as comfortable as they seemed... They were still every bit as coveted to Reyum.

He was always the first person in the room, and as he read over the events of the raid Jesper led last night he rubbed his chin in deep thought. It wasn't certainly not the first attack of its kind. Unrest within Araedia, especially with the shitbloods, had been an issue for some time. It seemed like the shitbloods were growing more hostile though as attacks were becoming more prevalent.

Reyum sighed, letting the paper fall against the table among the stack of other papers he'd read. They wouldn't even discuss this at the council meeting today, and even though he did have a million solutions- he wouldn't say a word. They'd be discussing a land dispute between two greedy Provincials that was getting nastier by the hour. The shitbloods were dead, The Queen would consider that a warning to them and the problem resolved.
Michael
Jesper Kyr
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

Jesper entered the council room quietly, eyes moving over to Reyum. He nodded softly in greeting, biting back a yawn as he moved to his seat, rubbing a hand across his eyes. He looked like shit, and he knew it. He had stayed in Pontus's stable all night, and had spent most of the morning there as well, only leaving to quick wash himself for the meeting. The bags under his eyes felt heavy, but it was the thoughts of yesterday that still plagued him, and he tried to hide that as best as he could.

"How are you this morning, Reyum?" He asked softly, turning to face the man. He was always the first one in the council room, and Jesper respected that. Meant they had less people to wait on, and could finish these meetings quicker.
Douglas
Provincial Reyum Welles 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

Reyum hadn't looked up when Jesper entered the room. He was deep in thought, a hand resting against his pin straight dark hair that was neatly cut and always perfect. He heard his boots across the floor, the chair creak lightly as he sat in it, but he was completely consumed by his own thoughts until Jesper actually spoke to him. He looked up, simply staring at the man for a moment before he leaned back in his chair. He relaxed in it, letting his hands freely fall over the arms of the chair. 

"A great deal better than you by the look of it," He said as he pushed his chair out to stand up so he could get the man a drink. Jesper looked like the living dead to Reyum, but he couldn't imagine how it felt to come back and sit in the council room after actually experiencing what Reyum would only ever read about. He poured Jesper a glass of wine then slid it across the table to him. 

"I would offer you something stronger, but that's all there is." He knew better than to ask about what he went through last night, the report painted enough of a picture. "There was a time when Erba always had dark rum. My Mother loved it, Father never had a taste for it." He couldn't help but laugh shortly remembering the first time he and Brandon decided to drink their fill of it, and both of them ended up falling asleep outside and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. It was good small talk, but he kept the story to himself. 

"I've lost hope for bringing rum to High Bloom anytime soon," He said as he pointed at the report... "However if another one of these comes in, I will personally brave the docks and get you rum."
Michael
Jesper Kyr
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

Jesper just hummed softly in response to what Reyum had been saying, idly paying attention as the man slid the wine to him, stopping the glass with one hand, the other coming up to rub at his eyes again. "Well, if you ever do manage to get some darker rum in here again, let me know. Nights like last require them."

He laughed a bit as Reyum mentioned heading down to the docks, shaking his head softly. "I hope news like this will never come in again, so that you won't have to. Also hope that my name won't be attached at the head of that news."

Jesper would typically check to make sure that there were no one listening in on them, but the two of the had more then enough time for now, none of the other members of the council would arrive for some time. "Although, if I'm to be honest with you, that whole thing last night felt odd. The insurgents had too much help for being only a few days old, and while they weren't armed with anything that could scare me or my men, they were better equipped then they had any right to be." He shook his head a bit, thinking of how some of the had swords that were well maintained, or even some that had leather tunics or some chainmail. "I have some ideas, but they're, well, out there."
Douglas
Provincial Reyum Welles 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

There were very few places in High Bloom Reyum would speak freely in, the council room was one of those places. Reyum couldn't react much when Jesper said he hoped news like that would never come again. He was too much of a realist to agree. He half smiled at Jesper, giving a small shrug of his shoulders. He was wondering if there was more for a moment, but there was a pause. Reyum tapped on the arm of the chair then raised his eyebrows at the word 'Although'... 

"Odd? In what way?" He nodded along listening to how the insurgents were too well prepared to have assembled in such a short amount of time. Reyum wrinkled his brow a bit, "That is odd, considering those people can't afford to buy their own grain." His tone was a bit more hostile than he intended, clearly irritated by that, but he didn't try to back down. Reyum tilted his head to the side, "This conversation will remain private, and I've heard some... Out there theories. Nothing you say can shock me. What are your ideas?"
Michael
Jesper Kyr
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

"Well," Jesper started, taking a deep breath in. "What if another country wanted to do something to us?"

"I don't know which, but I have some guesses." Jesper shook his head. "Astoria and Vincentian are two of the top in my mind." He rested his hand on his brow, a yawn escaping him. "I don't know how much you've heard in regards to this, but it wasn't from me."

"The death of Mikhail Durkhan was planned by us. We had a private deal with Amalthea Vincent, and she followed through." Jesper removed his hand from his brow, and rested it on the table. "But then we got word he had been brought back, and that Amalthea had gone missing. Which leads me to believe that either Astoria has heard of us wanting him dead and that they want some form of revenge, or that Vincentian found out about our deal with Amalthea, so now they think we have a hand in her disappearance." Jesper took a sip of the wine, the liquid burning as it went down his throat. "What do you think the chances of either of those are?"
Douglas
Provincial Reyum Welles 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

"Another kingdom wanting to do us harm is not such an out there theory," He said with a chortle when Jesper first begun speaking. He listened after that, gaining some knowledge he had not known for certain previously. The fact that he didn't have conformation of that did not show on his face, he nodded along as if it was something he already knew. What he was told was the prefect recipe for Astoria so start meddling with Araedian shitbloods, stirring up grand designs of revolution. The unrest, the growing tension, the movement among the shitbloods... That seemed like a logical leap to make. 

Reyum looked over at Jesper, "Certainly not the wildest idea I've heard in this room. It produces quite a few questions though. Who could have told the Astorians about our part in Mikhail's death? Why did we have an interest in Mikhail? Do we have an informant inside our walls or is Amalthea just talking while she's captured? Who actually does have Amalthea?... You've seen how paranoid Her Majesty is. If she follows down even one of those lines of inquiry we will have a much bigger mess behind these walls than either of us are prepared to deal with, especially if it's true and there are outside forces working in our Kingdom undetected." 

He sat forward in his seat a little and lowered his voice, "I would never advise you to conceal things from The Queen, but perhaps... Just this once... See where this leads first before you involve her." He'd sit back in his chair, "It is not quite as out there as I'd hoped, but it is still rather a reach... No?"
Michael
Jesper Kyr
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

Jesper almost laughed at how Reyum said he'd never advise to hide something from the Queen, thinking about how much he's already hidden from her. He shook his head softly though, a large sigh escaping him. "I don't have any of the answers to those, so you're correct, we should get this followed up on, before we decide on anything." 

He looked at Reyum, a grimace on his face. "I take it you'll be of assistance with trying to find some answers?" Another sip of the glass followed, along with a smaller sigh. "Cause to be honest, I don't know what all I'll be able to do, to find answers."
Douglas
Provincial Reyum Welles 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

He nodded when he said he was correct, "Good. You've saved me a trip to the docks for rum of my own." He laughed then looked back to the documents in front of him, knowing this conversation was most likely far from over. When Jesper asked if he would be of assistance Reyum hesitated to answer. He sat back in the chair, looking across at the fire. "It puts me in a strange position of working behind Queen Juliana's back, but to protect the best interest of Araedia..." He exhaled a slow breath before cutting his eyes over to Jesper.

"I do believe this is a theory worth exploring, and I do wish to help. However, in an unofficial capacity. I can make inquires, but beyond that I am not entirely sure I can be of service either." He smirked, "I'll see what I can do." 

A few seconds later the door opened for another member of the council, turning the room from friendly and secure to compromised. 

Reyum stood to greet the other man with a polite handshake as they talked about his new grandchild.
Michael
Victoria Von Salza.
Gardiner Estate, Mahonia, Araedia.

She had waited a couple of days by now. The estate staff inviting her in once they could verify her cause, of course only just inside the gates. She took her time studying the architecture of the main estate building, the attached buildings as well. All very well thought out should you host a gala every fortnight.
The head of staff had just informed her that the duke and duchess would be arriving the following day. 

"The Duke has been attempting to requisition more staff to help deal with the recent shortcomings of our security. I personally am glad to hear the Von Salza name is not dead and dust." The head of staff told her, after notifying her of the returning Duke and Duchess. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he only seemed to have words of comfort. "I had known your father when he was but a squire..." The man seemed young, but Victoria simply took his words at face value, she could never know if this man was a genuinely good person or just a talkative worm. The former though did seem likely. "...I did not know him long. But if he is, was, the man that I knew when I but boy; Then I have higher hopes for you than my own son!" He joked, letting out a boisterous bout of laughter. She cracked a smile, not much of one but the best she could do. "Thank you, most would spit on the dirt I stand on before thinking of saying the name. Let alone respect it." She replied looking down at her armor and the hilt of her sword. "I've worked for years to equip myself, I'll work for decades to bring honor back to my name." Victoria said with a sense of pride in her words. He nodded to her, returning the smile before returning to his work on the estate.
Douglas
Provincial Evelyn Welles
Princess Rhaenys 
High Bloom Palace, Erilla.

Within a few weeks, Evelyn understood how Queen Juliana operated. Evelyn's job was more or less to keep the Queen company throughout the day, make sure The Queen knew where she was expected, make sure The Queen didn't miss any important meetings, and make sure the Queen was served her favorite wine with her midday meal and a thousand other things to ensure Queen Juliana's comfort throughout the day. It was relentless for most of the day, as was Juliana. Evelyn had never once heard the words 'Thank you...' or even 'Hello...'

Breaks in the schedule meant that both the women went their separate ways. It was never for more than a few hours on a good day, but Evelyn cherished every single second of her time away from Juliana. She went for walks in the garden more often than not because among the many things she hated about court, always being within the solid walls of High Bloom was chief among them, especially because the gardens were so beautiful. In Erba she spent a great deal of time outdoors, usually reading, but sometimes just for the exercise. She felt trapped there for so long, but ever since she stepped foot in Erilla, all she wanted to do was go home. 

It was raining when Juliana went off to a meeting Evelyn could not sit in, so Evelyn kept inside High Bloom. She wandered the halls, taking everything in, enjoying the sound of the rain. It was the only sound to be heard when she ventured away from the heavily occupied areas to the family rooms. The halls were empty until Hedi came practically sprinting with a cup of tea and a sliver of cake. She stopped when she saw Evelyn.

"Heidi... Who is that for?"
"Princess Rhaenys, Ma'am."
Evelyn smiled, "Oh! Is she having tea with Queen Juliana?"
"No, Ma'am."
"Oh..." Evelyn looked at the solitary tea cup on the tray. "Would it be too much trouble for an additional cup of tea?"
"No, Ma'am... But.."
"Splendid! We will take the Princess her tea together, and you'll bring another cup for me." 
"But..."
"Come along, Heidi. Her tea will get cold."

Evelyn led the way even though she wasn't entirely sure where she was going. It was obvious once she stood in front of an intricately carved door with two guards out front. Heidi stepped in front of Evelyn, the guards allowed her in. Evelyn stood there for a second then tried to walk in, but she was met with a door closed in her face. Evelyn wrinkled her brow, "My name is Provincial Evelyn Welles. I am here for tea with the Princess. As an esteemed member of the court, Queen Juliana's rosebud no less, I trust this interaction will be pleasant the next time I take a step forward." She looked between the two guards. 

Rhaenys sat at her table by the window as Heidi prepared her tea. Heidi straightened up when Evelyn came in the room, "Shall I fetch your tea now, M'lady?" Evelyn nodded, "Please." She came over to take a seat on the windowsill since there was no other seat at Rhaenys' table. When Evelyn sat down, the Princess was already three forks into her cake. She hadn't so much as looked up at Evelyn. She ate in silence until Heidi brought back Evelyn's tea. Heidi stood by the table, but didn't hover.

Evelyn took a sip of her tea then looked out the window. "You have a lovey view, Your Highness." Rhaenys looked up from her cake, "I like to paint it." Evelyn smiled, "I'd love to see your art." Rhaenys stared at her for a second then went back to her cake. 

"I painted the view from my windows at home before I came here."
"Because you would miss it?"
"What a very clever girl, but no. At the time I was more concerned with forgetting it."
"But, you've found you do miss it?" Rhaenys asked tilting her head up a bit. 
Evelyn nodded, "More than I ever thought possible."
Rhaenys took an audible sip of tea.
"But, now that I have a friend that might change." 
Rhaenys smiled, "But... You won't be allowed to be my friend."
"Nonsense."
"It's not!"
"I'm here now, aren't I?"
Rhaenys crossed her arms in a huff. 
"If you're going to behave like that, I won't be back."
Rhaenys raised her eyebrow at Evelyn then uncrossed her arms. 
Evelyn smiled then sat down her tea cup, "Now... Would you like to show me your drawings?"

Evelyn stayed with Rhaenys for about 20 minutes before she had to leave her to get back to Queen Juliana. They covered a lot of ground in that 20 minutes, they got on a first name basis and Rhaenys showed her all the works of art in her closet. 

"Will you come back tomorrow, Evelyn?"
Evelyn nodded, "Perhaps not for tea, but before you sleep I shall be here."
"Will you bring me something?"
"What would you like?"
"One of the blue flowers from the garden. The ones near the gate on the eastern side."
Evelyn laughed shortly, "You would not like to pick your own?"
Rhaenys shook her head, "I cannot."
Evelyn's lips turn down slightly. She gently tucked a stray curl from Rhaenys' braid behind her ear, "I will bring you a dozen of them and various vases to paint them in."

____
The next afternoon Evelyn walked in the gardens with a flower basket that she borrowed from Heidi. Provincials did not typically pick their own flowers at High Bloom, although, Evelyn picked flowers everyday in Erba. Evelyn lifted her dress slightly to walk through the flower beds without destroying her hemline. However, after she'd pick Rhaenys' flowers, she couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of the grass, the sweet smell, the bees, and the sun. 

It was her first bit of bliss at High Bloom, but it was cut short. 

"Gods, Evelyn. What are you doing?" It was another petal, Elisabet Declaire. Evelyn smiled, "Assembling a vase for my bedside table. Would you like to join me? You can have one of my gloves!" Evelyn pulled the glove off her hand, dangling it for Elisabet to take. 

 Elisabet laughed shortly shaking her head, "I dare say I would not. You'll never be able to get the mud out your skirt. I thought you'd taken a tumble. I haven't sat in dirt since I was a child." Evelyn blushed a little, "I have many other skirts." Elisabet narrowed her eye, "Enjoy... Whatever it is you're doing." Evelyn sighed then turned away as Elisabet left. She threw the glove hard against the dirt then picked it up to throw it down again. She was going for a third when she saw a figure out the corner of her eye, and she looked up to see Demetrius. 

She froze for a second. The glove tumbled out of her hand by itself. What must he have thought? *Evelyn Welles is a complete lunatic*....Of course. She couldn't give him the satisfaction, "There was a bee."
Jamie
**Demetrius Verton
High Bloom Palace, Araedia**

He'd seen his fair share of strange and wild things in his lifetime. He'd once met a man who was blind as a bat, but could work his way through a battlefield with the sound of his fellow man's hearts keeping him in step. Once, he'd come across a mutt in the market streets who seemed to have learned how to trade coin for meats, and would bite at the trousers of strangers who passed to rip coins from their pockets. 

The world was a wonderful and terrifying place, and he'd not claim to have seen all of it, but with every new strange sight, it grew somehow a little bigger and a little smaller at the same time. As if expanding his worldview somehow make him relate more to his fellow man.

But seeing Evelyn Welles standing in the middle of the flower beds in Queen Juliana's gardens, feverishly throwing her glove down into the dirt only to pluck it back up and repeat the process once more had him, admittedly, stopping to stare. When she noticed him, she froze, half bent over with the glove in her hand, and their eyes met for a moment before the glove hit the dirt once more with an awkward thud. 

Her words didn't dispel his confusion, and instead, his eyes moved from hers skyward, taking a brief survey. "I just thought you were taking the position of 'Rosebud' a little too literal." He mused, not seeing any bee in the sky nor flowers around her skirt. "Shall... I leave you to your bee keeping?"
Douglas
Evelyn Welles
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

She chuckled at his joke and nearly made one of her own about preferring that sort of position to the one she currently held with Queen Juliana, but she couldn't get Reyum's voice out of her head. She'd gone through too much not to survive the year, and she wouldn't be undone by Demetrius Verton or Elisabet Declaire. She pulled off the other glove then gently laid them both in the flower basket as she stood. She wasn't entirely sure how anyone higher up would feel about her touching the flowers, but she preferred to explain rather then take caution for the simple favor the Princess asked of her. 

Demetrius asked if he should leave her to her bee keeping, that pulled another chuckle from her. "For what it's worth, I do not believe bee keepers often kill their bees... If bee keeping is the official rumor that will be spread, I'd at least like to be a good one. I'll accept taking a tumble over my skirt, but if you mention bees in court I will call you a vicious liar." She wrinkled her nose playfully at him before she looked down at her skirt and Elisabet was right. The fine delicate silk of the outer skirt she was wearing was probably done for. She still did her best to brush the dirt from the soft blue fabric, but that did not make it better. 

She sighed before she picked up the basket to walk back towards High Bloom.
Jamie
**
Demetrius Verton
High Bloom Palace, Erilla**

The man lifted his chin in agreement, a soft 'ah' coming with the motion. "I believe you're correct about that, a little fruitless to kill the workers before you've enjoyed the fruits of their labor." He agreed, and pressed his hands firmly into the pockets of the trousers he wore. He'd come from the guest house, not having been offered an actual room in the Palace itself. His invitation to the welcoming of the new members of the court didn't include much, but he didn't think it was out of disrespect but just... Indifference. 

His father had been in good graces with the Queen and her Knights. Demetrius wasn't well known among the ranks, and had only really just begun to make an impression on the _men_ of the court. Reyum Welles was a powerful friend to have, but he wasn't one to abuse that for the sake of what, a room with a view? Demetrius wouldn't be in High Bloom much longer anyway, it felt silly to want for more.

"You'd be the first person in my life to call me a liar," He informed her, and took a step forward, his fingers grazing the weave of the baskets handle to take it from her, his other hand taking it's place before her to offer his assistance in helping her out of the flowers. 

"So instead of starting rumors about each other, why don't you tell me what really put you among the blooms and had you ruffled enough to soil your silk gloves?"
Douglas
Evelyn Welles
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

"Exactly," She replied with a smile. She'd only met Demetrius at the ball, but she did see him around High Bloom at various other everyday events like meals and walks through the gardens. He seemed quiet, and he was often talked about by the other petals. She wasn't interested in being a part of the swarm, even if she wasn't entirely sure he even knew how many were swarming. She shrugged when he said she'd be the first to call him a liar, "At least to your face." She allowed him to take the basket, and she hesitated for a second before taking his hand. 

She stepped over the flowers onto the stone path before she let go of his hand. "Thank you," She said attempting to take the basket back. He offered her a deal though, no rumors for the truth about why she was in the dirt. She laughed, "The gloves are not silk." She bit the corner of her lip for a second, considering a brief alliance. "Truthfully," She said as she turned towards High Bloom. "I just wanted to pick my own flowers. As strange as it seems to everyone here, I quite like it." She turned to look over at him for his reaction, "It's not a bad way to waste some time. I suppose a simpler dress would make the task less ridiculous, but I am limited on time and I have an absurd amount of silk in my wardrobe here." She walked for a few paces before she asked, "Stranger than bee keeping?"
Jamie
**Demetrius Verton
High Bloom Palace, Erilla**

The man pressed his lips together in a 'not at all' manner, releasing her hand a millisecond before she went to make the same motion. He returned her basket to her, seeing as it had been the whole purpose of the ordeal. "I don't think it's strange to want to do things for yourself. Or, to know what you want and not wait on others to figure it out on your behalf." He amended. 

"And yes, I would assume a simpler dress would have been more ideal, but who is a man to judge?" He knew nothing of silks and skirts, and how long it took to layer each or to change into a different kind. Or if it even mattered at the end of the day, his clothing tended to stick to simply fabrics and leathers, what was required in their care was unknown to him completely. Thinking on it, the only silk he owned was a handkerchief that once belonged to his mother.
Douglas
Evelyn Welles
High Bloom Palace, Erilla

She smiled at his speech and the amendment, "How refreshing." She swung the basket back an forth slightly as she walked, but not enough to even move the flowers around. "Although, I believe this will be my last attempt at independence in regards to flowers. There are many things I can pick a battle over, flowers shall not be one of them. I hope you've painted a picture to last a lifetime." 

She laughed when he mentioned her dress, "You don't have to be anyone to judge someone in Erilla. Haven't you been here before?" 

They were nearing the back of the palace, and Evelyn didn't want to stank around in a filthy skirt so she was going to sprint to her room as soon as they cleared the doorway. "Do you take a walk in the gardens often?"
Jamie
**
Demetrius Verton
High Bloom Palace, Erilla**

"I have, Rosebud." He confirmed, and paused as they reached the end of the garden path. There were two options, to go into the Palace or move around the edge of the palace and onto the other paths through the gardens. Once she'd disappeared into the palace, he intended to turn back and return to the guest house for the rest of the evening. 

"No, I'm not a member of the court, and my invitation is almost expired to stay in High Bloom. I don't intend to ask for an extension either, I've enjoyed seeing Reyum and the others, but we all have business to attend to." He clasped his hands behind his back, letting his gaze linger on the hem of her skirt, muddied a bit but not the worse he'd ever seen. "I'll return to training by the end of the week, but Miss Declaire requested I join her," Demetrius paused, looking back towards where they'd just come from. "Though, it appears she forgot about her request." And for that, he was thankful. Reyum had mentioned him leaving an impression, and he'd been dreading their afternoon encounter in case he found out Elisabet was among those affected.