Willie
You would have thought an aarakocra would have noticed a pure white bird following after him, but Rhurrik was as aloof as ever, unaware of the rules he must have broken roaming the castle without any permission whatsoever. While he happily strummed away at his lute, tuning it and checking for any issues in his instrument that may have proved an issue during a performance, the flutter of the white crow's wings caught his attention. As the winged beast land in front of him, Rhurrik tilted his head curiously. Birds likely accidentally flew into places all the time, but this one seemed different. The bard immediately noticed its pure white form, something rare even amongst aarakocra's it seemed, unless they were owl-like of course. Rhurrik stopped playing his lute nonetheless, and jumped slightly at the loud squawk aimed towards him. Crows were known to be highly intelligent so it must have wanted *Something*. Contrary to popular belief, aarakocra's simply didn't speak bird, so Rhurrik put his hands out, gesturing in a 'what?' pose.

A voice caused Rhurrik to quickly shoot his head to its source, which was a tall and slender pale elf man. Swallowing hard, the bard looked back to the crow almost as if for some guidance before he realized it had flown away, leaving him alone with the stranger before him. Before he could explain himself, the elven man inquired about his presence within the castle, leaving poor Rhurrik at a loss for words. Quickly, he realized this must have been a rather important individual, as he had elegant clothing and no armor, meaning not a guard but perhaps an official of sorts? Ground folk culture and etiquette was complicated, sometimes. Unsure whether to bow, salute or wave, Rhurrik made sure his lute was safely in his hands, almost as if he feared it'd be taken away. Almost like a mother taking away her child's toy.
.

"I..- I had an invitation to- well, to play at a ball I thought it was today. I must have come early, is it.. Is it not tonight then?" Clearly lost, the small bird man's feathers ruffled nervously. Had he broken a law? Was it illegal to arrive early? Would he be thrown in jail? Oh gods, what would his parents think then? Rhurrik could hear them now, *'We told you to stay in Kara-Tur, now look what you've gotten yourself into. Foolish boy.'* Gulping a bit, the fear would be apparent in his eyes but Rhurrik did his best to stay calm. The bard was nearly hugging his flute but in an attempt to hopefully not receive any punishment, he continued, "I apologize if I offended you, sir." His eyes widened as he stared up at the elf, his words likely not making a single bit of sense to the spymaster. Nevertheless, this was all he could offer. After all, he was nothing more than a young adult in aarakocra years, and still had a lot to learn about the world around him.
Jordan
Impatience brewed beyond the visage of the spy master and despite the fairly harmless looking aarakocra looking anxious in his presence, Nox wouldn't be taking any chances as he remained within the threshold of the door. Then the feathered man spoke, voice timid and hesitant, a little uncertain? Intonation alone served to soothe the paranoid spy master, the contents of his words even more so as Nox's icy gaze cracked a rare smile. Chuckles quietly swallowed by a hand quick to cover his odd contortion of lips.

Smiles weren't a common occurrence, in fact, Nox waggered that he could count the number of times he had smiled in the past years on two hands or less. Most were done out of courtesy or to please his king, forced and unnatural, while this one had taken him much by surprise. 

"Quite early indeed–" Nox began, a softness thawing the usual ice and ire that coated his words. "A morning and seven days early in fact." And with that the Aarakocra was a threat no more, he was a simple bard that had made an endearing mistake. The half-elf stepped forth from the doorway like a raven leaving its perch and approaching the Bard with curious intent. "No, no. You have not offended me, I'm simply trying to do my duty maintaining security within the palace. Don't fret, bard."

** **
Keen eyes glanced at the small figure as he closed the distance between himself and the Aarakocra. Coasting over the finely carved lute and the intricate array of coloured feathers, what a curious figure he struck and even to the point that it amused Nox so that his 'smile' persisted. "Tell me, what do you call yourself?" The spy master inquired as he paced around the figure in somewhat of a semicircle. Again, his footfall was nearly as quiet as that of a mouse, his cloak wafted silently in the air and the only sounds the half-human seemed to make were the words that fell from his lips. 

At last Nox halted his pacing, eyes keenly locked onto the lute, recalling the pleasant strum he had heard in his rush for the ballroom. "You play–" Not quite a question, nor an acknowledgement, the spy master had clearly halted himself. Wanting to say or ask something but would not.
Willie
A frown of pure confusion covered Rhurrik's face as he tilted his head curiously at the smile the elven man gave him. Had he.. Made a joke and didn't realize it? Whatever the case, Rhurrik's fear of being early was in fact true, but the reality of *How* Early was much worse. An entire week? Perhaps the poor bird man needed some glasses, as he must have read the date on the invitation completely wrong, or perhaps thought the date today was much sooner. The look of pure shock, embarrassment and disappointment on the aarakocra's face spoke volumes. Some bard, right? Couldn't even read dates correctly. Swallowing his anxiety as best he could Rhurrik was a bit calmed by the much lighter demeanor of the elven man, a sigh slowly escaping his beak as Rhurrik tried to relax his stiff posture.

"I suppose a strange aarakocra man roaming around a castle that he shouldn't be in for another week isn't something to be taken lightly then? I had talked to a guard and he directed me here though- I think he might have had the dates wrong too." Lowering his voice as if the guard were right next to them, Rhurrik shrugged a bit at the notion. In reality, the guard likely didn't pay much attention to a little bird man bard. He had the invitation of course, and the seal enough likely convinced the guard regardless of the date. The persistent smile from the elf was calming Rhurrik's nerves, however.
.

"I'm Rhurrik Nephyr, an aspiring member of the Noteworthy Brotherhood." The bard's feathers ruffled a bit as he proudly stated his intent to join the bard's guild in Thyseer. It was even more special given typically king's and queen's and nobles alike ask for bards from the guild over minstrels like him on the street. "I got a bit side tracked from auditioning for the guild due to this invitation." Turning a bit, Rhurrik reached a hand into a small brown bag he had around his neck that hung from his side before pulling out a clean, albeit slightly crumped in the corners, letter with the king's seal upon it. Rhurrik of course didn't realize how easily someone like the spymaster could believe this invitation stolen, as a noble had given it to him. Thankfully however, the invitation was specifically for a 'plus one' so to speak.

Holding the letter out to the elf, Rhurrik tilted his head a bit up at him, the start of a quickly ended sentence catching his ear. An eyebrow slowly began to raise as the bard grew more curious about what he was going to say or ask, his spare hand unknowingly now resting upon his lute.
Jordan
"It's peculiar I do admit and I would have expected the guardsmen to take more note of you. However, none can blame them for not objecting to the king's beckon." Nox retorted calmly, tilting his head downward to the aarakocra in instinctive response, as though he were speaking to a child. "It is the nature of my work that I must make anyone's business my own, I didn't recall a summon being made and well – here we are – I had to be certain." The spy master spoke as a furrow creased his forehead, the smile on his lips faltering in the increase of seriousness.

"Rhurrik Nephyr of the Noteworthy Brotherhood, that does have a nice ring to it. Does it not?" The half-elf addressed with a smirk, a coy tease fresh on his lips as he nodded his head in agreement to his own words. Righting himself from jest and burning inquisition, Nox stood tall, bringing a pale hand to the centre of his chest before bowing his head in a barely-there formal greeting. ,,Nox Raephe, spy master to his majesty king Zarreus, at your service." He introduced with stoic calmth, omitting the snide nickname those aware of him addressed him by. 

The sorcerous rogue's features twitched at the mention of an invitation, the curious figure had suddenly grown more and more curious. *A personal invitation?* Nox tried to conjure up thoughts of in what instance the king would have crossed paths with this aarakocra but could find none. "Thyseer is close enough to warrant a little 'excursion', surely with the seal of approval from a king your entry into the brotherhood would be just about secured, no?" The question was posed with serious yet curious intent, aiming to measure the man behind the ambition. Step by step Nox approached, pulling the letter from feathered hands and inspecting it with interest.

** **
"My, my – you have some friends in high places, bard." The spy master chuckled upon inspecting the paper, all seemed to be in order, despite the curious circumstances. "I look forward to hearing you play. A good lutenist is always a nice addition to any celebration." Nox added, hoping to encourage the aarakocra man to show up on the correct date. Genuinely imagining it be a nice reprieve from the noisy crowd and their chaotic laughter. 

"Do you play any elven songs, Rhurrik?"