The way that Ryland seemed to take offense would’ve normally been enough to get a smile of some kind out of him, but the Warrior King was made of sterner stuff than that and shrugged it off.  He could more fully enjoy getting a rise out of the prince later, after all of his careful planning came to fruition.<br/><br/>But then he was being shown the intricate workings of that fantastic mechanical bird.  Kethaias was more than interested, and it showed with how he leaned in to inspect every part being described to him.  With foreign things, at least when they intrigued him as the bird did, he had the curiosity of a child.  It was one advantage his growing kingdom had, his interest in other cultures and faraway customs and magics.  He didn’t seek to destroy those strange and unusual things, rather he brought them home to incorporate into his own lands, so long as he didn’t see them as evil in some way.  The bird, it was indeed elegant, just as Ryland proclaimed, and knowing how it worked didn’t destroy any of the mystery for him.<br/><br/><i>Not that you care, I’m sure.</i><br/><br/>Kethaias ignored that.  He was still examining the musical bird.  The question that followed was almost treated likewise, but having the prize referred to as<i>the killing blow</i>amused him enough to pull him from his wonder.<br/><br/>“A little dramatic,” he teased.  He moved to touch the bird for the first time, his fingertips barely grazing over the contraption’s outer shell (really, there was no sense in poking around inside and breaking something) in an almost thoughtful caress.  “Though… should I really expect less from a prince?”<br/><br/>He turned away, as if he meant to disregard the question altogether after all.  The little notes even got another once over, Keth still shuffling through them before he thought to give another answer.<br/><br/>“You,” he said, as if it wasn’t anything particularly exciting.  “Well.  Your hand, anyway.  Though I suppose the rest of you really should come with that.  Messy, otherwise.”