Kevin
Danico Feltrantres
Grunewald castle, Vallen 

Danico stood with the other as all the guests began to make their leave. He noted the varied farewells spoken amongst the others, though cared little for the formality of it all. "It was nice to meet you, Serafina." He chuckled a reply to the wisdom as he took the mask from the table, placing it upon his lower face once more. "If you've ever a need for a conversation, casual and outside the boundaries of the politics we find this strange world being pulled into time and time again, I'd be happy to take you up on a debate." He replies, a pleased and rewarded tone in his voice. "And if ever you find yourself in Azarya, come find my shack to the north. I'd be happy to take a guest." He chuckles mildly at the continuing thought- "Just ask the locals, they'll tell you to stay away from the place." Nodding at Wisdom Serafina after placing a hand on his should and making her leave, he decides not to stick around too long either.

After heading to his allocated room inside the castle to get changed into his regular clothing and to grab his side bad, the alchemist headed back out into the street without hesitation. Castles always felt far too grand- their long hallways and complicated layouts always made him feel on edge. Perhaps it was the possibility of thieves and assassins skulking around in the dark, or having watchful guards always burning their eyes into anyone who walks by. He didn't like crowds, and liked narrow hallways even less. The night time streets were far less active then prior, which was always a welcome change to the hubble of daytime traffic, it didn't take long at all to return to the tavern he had come from. Hopefully the girl he had spoke to previously was still there.

Entering the tavern, his concerns had been put to rest as in the same spot sat the girl with the request. Hopefully this request is able to be completed- he knew this owl griffin cub wouldn't stick around for much longer, so it was important to finish soon. "My apologies for taking such time." Danico motions as a greeting, approaching the table.
John
**King Dennon Bigsby and Queen Lucrezia Scheer
Assigned Lodgings in Grunewald Castle**

After their group parted ways for the night, the king and queen went to their room provided by Gregor, where they were meant to stay for the duration of the council. Upon closing their door, Dennon noticed a statue of a fat pig conspicuously placed in the room with a note on it. "Peculiar choice of home décor," Dennon commented.

Lucrezia grabbed the note from the pig's snout and read it aloud. "Dearest king and queen of Ibethiel, because your three years of marriage have yet to produce an heir, I have taken the liberty of placing this traditional fertility statue of the Hog God faith in your room. It would be an honor to have the future ruler of your kingdom conceived on Taemarian soil. May all your nights at Grunewald castle be pleasurable."

"Does it really say that?" Dennon asked.

"I took the liberty of removing the spelling and grammatical errors from my recitation." She turned the note in her hand to flash the text at her husband. "Romantic, wouldn't you say?"

"The placement isn't exactly convenient..." Said Dennon as he squeezed between the rear end of the statue and a dresser to get to his side of the bed. He took off his outer layer of clothes and laid down, grateful that the long day was coming to an end. With closed eyes, he let out a sigh before looking at the statue again with his head on a pillow. "I feel like it's staring at me."

"Maybe it likes to watch."

"Well, it will be disappointed because there won't be much to see." Dennon leaned over the side of the bed and picked up his discarded pants, stained with a child's dried blood. He flung them at the face of the pig statue, and they landed with each leg covering an eye. "It's large enough that they could have put someone inside it to spy on us.

"That's not how I'd spy on someone. Much too noticeable," Said Lucrezia as she examined the statue.

"How would you do it?" Dennon asked, placing his hands behind his head.

The queen looked around the room for a moment. "Behind the painting, the other side of the mirror, ventilation holes in the rafters, and possibly with a trapdoor under the rug." As Dennon glanced uneasily around the room at the things Lucrezia had listed, she went to the washroom. "I'm going to clean my face."

"You know, I asked, but I don't think I wanted the answer." He pulled the covers out from under him and dragged them over himself.

"Honey!" Lucrezia called out.

"What?!" Dennon sat up quickly in the bed.

"They have 'his' and 'hers' chamber pots!" She called back. Dennon sighed and laid back down, hoping he'd be able to get some sleep despite feeling like he was being watched.
Robert
Prince Nickles Ramsalot
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

Nickles shrieked at the top of his lungs as the feral woman ran after him. His heels clacked loudly on the floor as he scurried. He'd heard stories of this shifter, in particular. His father had been violated quite horribly by that woman in her horse form. It seemed that she had developed a taste for Ramsalot men and he did not want any part in her lewd games. He'd escape with his virtue if it was the last thing he'd do. 

"LEAVE ME, VIPER!" He screamed. He knew where he had to go. He ran through the back doors of the castle and dove into the bog.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah 
Grunewald Castle

She had almost caught up to the fleeing prince when he threw himself into the bog. Did he think she would give up the chance of capturing him with the sight of a swamp? She could care less about the muddied and moss filled water and without another thought, the shifter leaped into the bog, continuing her advances towards the prince. 

"Come on Nickles! You don't have to make this so hard on yourself. If you make this easy on me, I can promise you some private time with King Maith! I swear it on my soul!"
Maricela
Edward Cyneward
The streets of Vallen, Taemar

Edward began to close his bindle. "Amica? Well, it's nice to meet you, miss Amica. Where are you from? You don't seem to be from around here. Well, neither am I though. This is actually the first time I've been to a big city like this, but it's definitely so much from a village. My mentor always warned me about cities. He always called them unsafe, but then again, what kind of healer would I be if I avoided danger?" 

The man then began to attach the bindle to his wooden stick. He looks up from his bindle for a moment and comments, "Sorry if I talk a lot, I noticed most people don't talk much around here. Anyhow, are you definitely sure that you don't want me to take another look? Believe me, I am good at this type of stuff. Especially when it comes to cuts like that, I used to always get hurt myself, so I developed a knack for fixing myself and conveniently others."
Robert
Prince Nickles 
The Botulated Bog

"Ye have no soul!" Prince Nickles gurgled down in the murky depths of the bog. He immediately sank to the bottom, his foot going through a decayed bog body. His pink dress parachuted around him, enveloping him in a great balloon that trapped enough air to allow him to breathe for hours. He began walking, pushing water weeds and a bog frog out of his path. The shifter was fast, but he knew he could be faster. 

His only regret, in that moment, was that his facepaint was dissolving off his features with every second that passed under water.

Sir Heath Romanov
Vallen

Heath hesitated, not expecting her to bring up his wife so early on in the night. "Ella's doing better. She was very sick for a few weeks. I stayed with her in our cottage by Lake Fey. We wanted to make sure that the children were not exposed. I did not catch anything, which was a bit odd...," Heath trailed off, shrugging a shoulder. A moment of uncomfortable silence fell between the two, despite them being old friends. He used the momentary lull to finish off his cigarette and discard it on the ground.

The bog critters went silent all at once. He could hear shrill screams in the very distance, causing him to straighten and look back with narrowed eyes. The scream died off followed by a splash. 

"Could they not have chosen a more accursed land?" He muttered. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stopped walking, turning to address Anyanka face-on. "I am relieved that you and Mikhail are in good health. He's lucky to have someone who keeps him safe." *Unlike the Pirate King who turned and ran as soon as his so-called son was stabbed and thrown into the sea*.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
The bog, Vallen 

The shifter's eyes gazed over the surface of the bog, eyeing the ripples and bubbles that formed after Nickles, once he sunk below the bog. As the ripples began to lessen, Cecilia decided it would be more useful and less draining to wait for him to return for air. She began to walk backwards carefully towards the edge of the bog. With each step she made, Cecilia was sure to not make enough movement for the boy to notice as she trudged out onto solid ground. Not once did she lose her focus as she kept an eye on the water, making sure not to miss Nickles attempt of an escape if he was to make one. 

The water stuck to her skin and the bandages on her arms with a thick paste of decay and moss, causing the materials to stick to her flesh while adding extra weight. Seeing as she didn't have much to fear from Bradai currently with his silver toys, Cecilia began to unwrap her arms and the makeshift ropes around her thighs. She was tempted to shift but decided it was best to remain human as a precaution, unsure if Nickles would attempt to make a run for it into or away from the castle. 

"This better be fucking worth it."
Robert
Prince Nickles
*3 hours later*

Prince Nickles remained underwater. Deep beneath the surface of the scummy bog, a pink puff pastry was crushing a bog frog under the heel of his tap shoes.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
*3 hours later* 

Cecilia simply waited through the hours that passed, having nothing better to do besides planning a murder list in her mind of the people she witnessed at the feast for the fun of it.
Robert
Prince Nickles
*2 More Hours Later*

Prince Nickles had pruned. He was still breathing.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
*Fuck Nickles*

Cecilia stifled a yawn as she continued to sit impatiently. However, she was willing to wait until a corpse rose to the surface of the bog.
Rosa
The Pirate King Bradai Maith 
Castle Grunwald Library, Vallen

The Pirate King sat back in his chair. "And if I told 'er? If I walked up to 'er room and talked to 'er about your treachery, what would 'appen to you? Do you fink she'd execute you for treason? Would she even suspect you?" He went silent then, pursing his lips and holding the cup of rum in his lap. "I suppose you'd blame it on your Gods and die wiff honor." 

He considered it for a minute, running a hand through his beard. A _legacy._ The Queen had no love for him. She had no love for him when she was an Islander, she had no love for him when he married her sister, and she had no love for him when her husband slaughtered hundreds of his settlers in Amoroth. Despite their commonalities, there was no kinship between them. He considered that it hadn't been Vronti Kelwynd that put her on the throne, but him. He had shown the world that Islanders could lead, and it was him that had left a good impression on Caderyn, who had appointed her to her position. And when he died, would they just let her keep it? He doubted it. Not that she would have supported the reign of his daughter anyways.

"I'm 'er bruvher, by marriage. Tha same could be said for any Islander, but it 'olds true. 'ave you considered marrying 'er off again? You'd make more friends wiff a wedding vhen wiff a war."
Robert
Prince Nickles
Under the Bog

Prince Nickles could smell the mutt awaiting his arrival back to dry land. He procured a large rock and gripped it in his grubby fingers. All it took was for him to unzip his dress the slightest amount and all of the air was released from under his skirt, propelling him up out of the water. As he broke through the surface of the bog, he yelled triumphantly in victory. 

"DIE, SHE-WOLF!" He hollered, chucking the rock at her head. It made swfit and damaging contact. With the shifter discombobulated, he took his chance to make another run for it. His soaking dress squelched as his scrawny legs made a mad-dash out of the boglands and back into the castle.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
*Wasting her time with Nickles*

As the rock was launched at her head, Cecilia attempted to use her arm to deflect it but with the little warning she had, the rock collided with her forehead. A large gash formed causing blood to drip down her face between her eyes and along the nose before wiping it with her forearm. The blood only trickled for a minute or two until the wound began to heal, along with the painful ache that was left with it. 

Cecilia stood from where she had been sitting for the past **FIVE** Hours and felt the result of doing so when pins and needles rushed through her legs. The shifter shook her legs to rid herself from the prickling sensation in her feet before rushing back into the castle. It barely took her a minute until she began to catch up to the little shit, clenching her teeth in annoyance. 

"Once I catch you Nickles, I'm going to slit the back of your damn ankles!" The shifter growled, pushing herself to run faster until she was only a couple meters away from the prince. "Or maybe I'll just cut off both of your feet so you're left with nothing but stumps!"
Robert
Prince Nickes 
Castle Grunewald, Vallen

"I'd like to see you try, you scum fuck oaf!" Nickles cried, panting heavily as he weaved through the corridors. Unfortunately for the young prince, a rug had been upturned at the end of the hall and his toes got caught in it. He squealed as he fell to the ground, chin hitting the stone floor hard. "NOOO!" He clawed at the ground, ripping up his nails. He managed to pull himself up and he broke into a sprint, yet again. The shifter was gaining on him, spewing threats. He could not imagine why she was so angry. 

"I HATE YOU!" He yelled.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah 
Running through Gunewald Castle

As they ran through the halls, the shifter reached towards one of the decorative vases holding decaying flowers that were due for a change, tightening her grip around the neck. Her knuckles paled as she gripped onto vase tightly so it wouldn't slip through her fingers before raising it to her shoulder. She mustered all the strength she could to throw it towards Nickles, the dry soil separating from the vase along with the flowers as she did so. 

"THE FEELING IS MUTUAL!"
Robert
Prince Nickles
Castle Grunewald

His vision momentarily went black as Cecilia's vase conked him on the back of his head. Stunned, he fell backwards onto the ground. 

"You've killed me," He whispered, staring blearily up at the ceiling, "You dumb whore, you ruined my hair."
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Castle Grunewald

If she hadn't been annoyed from having to chase a possible immortal child who managed to survive five god long hours in the shit and mud swamp, Cecilia would have celebrated for the way she threw the vase at a child and succeeded in knocking him down. 

"Oh no, you hurt my feelings." The sarcasm was strong in Ceci's tone as she drew closer to the boy until she was standing above him. The heel of her foot went to press down against Nickle's throat so he was unable to flee, feeling thankful they hadn't played the game of cat and rat through to the morning. "I ruined your hair? I have to find a new damn OUTFIT because you wanted to jump into the bog! Be lucky I don't tear each strand of your precious hair from your scalp and make it into a wig for King Gregor."
Robert
Prince Nickles
Castle Grunewald, Vallen

"You don't have feelings, for you are an *Animal* With *Mange*," Nickles spat. He struggled under the weight of her foot, choking and gurgling on his own saliva as she pressed down on his windpipe. He began to see multi-colored spots in his vision. It was no wonder that King Cleburn led the extermination of the shifter race all those years ago. They were barbaric. 

Nickles' legs thrashed under his wet, pink dress. He managed to lift her clodhopper a tiny bit off of his neck so that he could breathe. "Release me!" He gasped, "I am Dame Clarabell Cooch and I will *Not* Be treated in such a manner! The audacity! I have half a mind to call the authorities!"
In that moment, he would have said anything to protect and preserve the three, fine strands of red hair that he so proudly owned atop his scalp.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Castle

The shifter cocked her head slightly as she looked down towards the prince, the right corner of her lip raising with a smirk. She didn't mind the saliva he spat on her ankle as it was unable to reach any higher while he spoke. Releasing the weight from his neck only a mere centimetre, Cecilia knelt down and slid her shin towards Nickles neck, replacing where her foot was. She reached out to brush the side of Nickles face using the back of her hand and showed him her unpainted skin before placing her fingers around his bicep. Each nail had been replaced with a set of claws during their chase, however the shifter was careful to not puncture the boy's arm as she went to drag him up. 

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but your *Disguise* Did you no justice the moment you submerged yourself under water. No one is going to fall for your distressed Dame act." Her grip would tightened once he regained balance on his feet, doing her best to not let him slip from her grasp. "So it wouldn't be a smart idea to scream out for help."