A Dinner for All (Open)

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Solarlight and Darksky ran around the Twilight Palace, quickly getting things ready. They'd sent invites throughout the various kingdoms. It was simple. They wanted to try and just meet people from all the regions at once, and food just happened to be an excellent way to encourage people to show up. The pair looked around, sliding to a halt to avoid smashing into a cheif.

"Sorry Twister."

"Perfectly fine, my Rulers." The chief continued as the twins sighed.

"Note to selves. Remember that one of us need to keep our eyes forward."

"Yeah. If we don't we just get turned around, tangled, and run into walls." The both chuckled a little before walking into the room that would serve as the banquet room. This would be interesting.

"Hold your ice wyrms Jin, the first courses aren't even out yet!" Cassius chuckled, taking a couple quick sideways steps to regain his balance after Jin nudged him; she wasn't too rough of course, but Cassius had never been, and never would be the athletic type. "Buuuuut, if my senses don't deceive me..." He inhaled deeply, reaching over to turn Jin towards where a blend of wondrous scents from a nearby appetizer table had drifted over the milling crowd- Only to jump a bit as Noctis suddenly spoke up right behind his shoulder. "HOLY- Great skies above-! Why would you sneak up on someone like that?! Who are you??" Cassius demanded, before realizing how he sounded and trying to backtrack. He was supposed to be kind, courteous, and noble tonight! Maybe it wasn't too late to salvage the situation? "Er-"

He abruptly cleared his throat and straightened, tugging on his evening coat's collar and composing himself extraordinarily quickly considering the dreadful circumstances he'd created for himself. "My apologies- I am Prince Cassius Azriel Raynerus Percival Aimeri the Fourth," Cassius said, gesturing towards to himself. It was rather incredible how much Cassius changed in a matter of seconds. One moment he was open and carousing with Jinjuri, but as soon as Noctis made himself known Cassius clammed up, becoming colder, more aloof, and throwing around bigger words in an effort to sound more intimidatingly knowledgeable than he truly was.

Cassius then gestured to Jin with an extravagant flourish, "And this is my illustrious younger sister, Crown Princess Jinjuri, heiress to the throne of the Vuari." Having- in his eyes- committed an atrocious social blunder that required compensation, Cassius turned and narrowed his eyes at the appetizer table he was eyeing before, murmuring a series of Ga'arian words under his breath as his eyes gave a muted flash of light. A moment later, 3 pastries wreathed in golden light lifted up off the table and gently floated over the heads of the crowd towards the three. Cassius directed them all with the occasional flick of a talon, one for Jin, one for himself, then offered the third to Noctis. "Ah- Care for a macaroon, Mister...?"


Asherna's laughter was surprisingly light and musical, especially considering her direct and sometimes even brusque personality. "Oh I can assure you that the rumors of your 'closeness' have traveled far and wide, your majesties." She replied wryly, offering a knowing smile accompanied by a spark of mirth deep within her emerald green eyes. "I jest, I jest. However, rumors are but a poor excuse for information, and an even poorer excuse for truth, yes? A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. I must say, merely being invited into your beautiful home cannot be equaled by any number of words. I am sure I shall have no trouble at all enjoying the evening you have prepared for us this night." She then shook her head, inclining her head to the twins a second time. "Please. We are allies, are we not? Simply Asherna will do for now. Formalities serve their purpose, but may do so elsewhere between us this evening."

Asherna then noted the twin rulers shifting their attention to someone else approaching and turned only to see the Vuarish King approaching. "Ah, greetings to you as well, Tharasis. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance again. Your family is doing well, I hope?" Simply the usual pleasantries of course, but the last thing she wanted to do was sound rude. However.. That figure lurking off to the side, behind Tharasis- He looked.. Mmm. Worth keeping an eye on in the very least. Asherna couldn't place him as someone she knew personally, but that was even less comforting. At least if she knew who he was she would know the potential threat- if any- that this mysterious specter posed. Luckily, she just so happened to be in the presence of two of the few dragons in this palace who could give her the information she so desired.

So she turned back to the twin rulers, keeping a wary- yet curious- eye on the figure as she did so. "Darksky-" Asha ventured casually, eliminating all suspicion in her voice in favor of a mildly curious tone, "That dragon, over there," She nodded in Oculus's direction, "Who might they be? They look important enough, but I'm afraid I am not familiar with them as of now. A Xoyan, perhaps?" If they were a Xoyan... No, it couldn't be. She'd heard tale of a notorious Skygger, but to think that he- of all dragons- would just so happen to attend a party- No, it simply had to be someone else. Unless..?

Tharasis gave her a pleasant smile at her words. He would give her a gentle nod before he spoke. "My family is doing very fine Asherna. And I do suppose my ambassadors are doing fine in the land of the desert sun, correct?" he asked her. Voice soft and if you listened very closely would have that tone of hopefulness, of not the sincere happiness this drake has. With the knowledge of his tribe not only making peace, but also interacting with what was once considered a reclusive and territorial tribe.

Though, he could not help but to see her eyes ever so slightly look away from him, almost as if she was looking out for something. When she had turned to face the two rulers, Tharasis looked back himself. Catching the sight of a particular dark greyish drake. He... could tell something was special about that drake.

Something felt odd about him. He could not pin his talon on it directly, perhaps it was because he had heard from the Legas Sheram. Their worry about something bad that may happen this day, but as much as Tharasis wanted to ignore it. They made him sit through a run down list of potential... assassins, that may join this gathering. And it just so happens this drake was somewhat matching up to a potential look of a certain Skygger. The Legas Sheram knew only few facts about this, notorious Dragon. Mostly of what he'd look like, not an exact look. But the general knowledge of him. His colour, body build.

The Legas Sheram had their own spies within the gathering. two to be exact, acting as the silent, background protectors of the Vuari royal family.

When the Queen of the Kisha had said her words, The blue drake would ask the two rulers. His voice calm and soft, yet carried the feeling of needing reassurance.

"I must ask of you. Darksky, Solarlight. I know this gathering is meant to a peaceful and joyous time for all. But I cannot help but get a feeling that perhaps... Well, something might happen." The blue drake said, he did not want to make the two rulers worry. It was not his intention to make anyone feel uneasy during a time like this. But he just wanted to be sure, at the very least have the promise from the host's that everything here will go nicely. Considering the number of so many individuals.

Jin had a bit of a hard time keeping her excitement down to appropriate levels, her times being an anti-social bookworm really showing as she didn't have very much experience when it came to acting around others, though she did understand the weight of what others would think of the Vuari should she get too out of hand. She listened to her brother reprimand her, her nostrils being tickled by the wonderous aroma of the appetizer table. "Oooo, that smells lovely...", Her thoughts wouldn't last long as her brother spooked her with his sudden rise in noise from himself being spooked by one of the guests of the Stormcaller feast, causing her to let out an involuntary squeal of fright, the princess hiding under her brother's wing for protection.

It took her a moment to finally realize how stupid she must have looked before she righted herself, standing regally next to her brother when he mentioned that she was the heiress to the Vuari throne, and soon after, her ears perked up at the mention of a delectible macroon and cheerfully plucked it from it's floating position and placing it in her mouth to chow down on. "Mmmm! These are absolutely delicious Cassius!"

"Oh," Sky started, a bit surprised by the want to be a little less formal that day. She would give a quick, nod, adding "If that's what you want. Then you can drop our... Titles? Title? However it actually works." Both would hate to admit they honestly still weren't sure how to explain some things with their joint rule. At least Tharasis gave something else to put their minds on, or at least Solar's. He said that he was worried something might happen, and the Stormcaller shook his head a little, looking around.

"Don't worry, Tharasis. Everything tonight has been secured. Just enjoy yourself and relax a little. Plus, trying here is a stupid idea." Meanwhile, Sky listened to Asherna, looking over at Oculus before tilting her head a bit. She had to admit, it seemed a bit odd. She looked back at the her fellow ruler, not sure how to answer.

"I don't know.... I don't recognize him." She then heard a hint of a growl, turning to see Glasoc keeping his eyes on Oculus too. "Looks like Glasoc isn't as happy about him being here."

Ah.... joy. A gathering of leaders having some small talk while shooting inquisitive and somewhat unfriendly glances his way. Quite the last thing he wanted really, to draw attention to himself. Strange how just his appearance was the cause of... whatever they were fretting about. There were several ways to solve this of course, like he could just walk in and join their conversation, he could just turn and leave... but where would the fun be in that? He could almost hear Azreyus's voice scolding him on what the proper edict would be, causing a small smile to curl at his lips. As amusing as it would be to join the leaders of the various tribes in their... discussion, he was much more amused by the growly guard near the Stormcaller leaders. Flashing his fangs for a split second at the guard while staring directly at him, he turned with a small flourish of his wings and tail, walking right over to the young Vuari royalty, giving one last dangerous look back at the guard as his claws clinked lightly against the flooring before he turned his attention to Jin and Cassius. "Oh my, I see you two have found the best place to be. Find anything amazing?" he spoke as smoothly as someone with a heavy Xoyan accent could, looking over all the food at the table.

Nihik'la stayed near the edges of the party for now, the barest hint of a smile on his muzzle- enough to make him seem like he's enjoying his time here, but not enough to make him seem excited or all that energetic, watching the various conversations from afar... though not too far away to make it look like he was actually lurking, and not too close so they notice his watchful eyes.  

...Maybe a little too far.  He takes a sideways quarter-step closer to the main gaggle of royals.  No, no, now it's too close.  An eighth-step in the opposite direction and he relaxes a little.  Better.  His gaze slides off the group- can't be staring for too long, or he'll look suspicious- and casts his eyes down at himself.  A claw reaches up to brush against the little arrowhead hanging from the thin chain around his neck.  Was it suspicious?  No, he quickly concludes, it's a completely normal piece of jewelry.  It makes him look normal, just like every other citizen of Ki'sha.  Fine by him.  His tattoos are... well, pretty minimal.  He's thought about getting more.  No, no, it'd be too flashy, and the minimalism goes well with his cool facade.  Yes, yes, this is fine.  Just fine...  The whipping scar might be a bit... well, odd, but there's nothing he can do about it now.  If anything, it's a conversation starter.  It's completely normal to have conversations about old scars from past transgressions, right...?

His scroll bag.  Oh stars, his scroll bag!  Why did he bring his scroll bag?!  Of course, he has a real reason to have brought it along, but...  Oh, he's such a dim-witted nonce!  He tenses a little, his grin slipping and his eyes wandering as he retreats into himself a little, his wings pressing against his back.  Gah!  He brought his scroll bag, here, where the literal ruler of his tribe is actually, physically standing within visual range!  She could see him!!  This is a disaster!  Escape!  Escape!  His claws press against the ground.

He closes his eyes shut tight, lifting his chin a slight bit.  Breathe, Ni, breathe.  In, out.  In, out.  Glucose to pyruvic acid to acetyl to citrate to succinate to fumarate to malate to oxaloacetate and back again, round and round and round in a circle in every fiber of his being...  His heart slows back down from the cries of YOU ARE IN MORTAL DANGER to a more reasonable rhythm.  He opens his eyes, letting his slight smirk return to his face, and calmly reaches back to fish a coffee plant seed from the side pocket of his bag.  The bitter taste of the crunchy seed snaps him fully back to reality, and the little rush of energy following it gives him the little burst of sharpness he really, really needs right now.  Maybe he should go find someone to talk to instead of worrying endlessly.  Yes, that's a good idea.  He scans the area for some friendly faces to approach- preferably nobody from Ki'sha or anyone with royal stature, but he'll take a conversation with just about anyone right now to keep his heartbeat out of his own ears.

Tharasis looked at the twin rulers with a reassured look. taking a breath before the blue drake spoke.

"Thank you, and I-" Before he could continue, the low growl of the guard to his side made him look towards what he was growling at. His eyes catching glimpse of familiar scales, and before he knew it. That drake he was worried about was now talking to his children.

It would be apparent that the blue drake changed his stance. The rulers would notice this by the fact his wings seems to raise up ever so slightly higher, if he ever needed to suddenly bolt towards them. And that his stature took that of a more alert state.

"Hmm, I hope nothing bad happens." He said to himself, but audible enough that both rulers could barely hear him should they be listening. All the while his eyes would stare and track every step that drake took before he looked away. As, while he was worried. He did not want to look like he was about to cause anything bad to happen.

He shook his body ever so slightly, trying to get rid of that tingly feeling of alertness. His wings folding back as he took a deep breath.

"I'm sure nothing bad will happen." His voice sounded more uncertain than sure. But seeing the Royal guard close by helped calm his worries greatly. He knew it was them by their signature armor. Though, for such an event they had to change to fit the in. Replacing the iron plates of their protection to golden ones.

If Oculus would look around his eyes would certainly catch the sight of two guards close by. One of them giving him a glance, one that told the drake that he should be careful if he was planning on doing anything to the two dragons. They were just out of earshot, but if they had heard his Xoyan accent. Then they would have moved much closer, but for now. They kept their distance. Simply there to watch in the background.

My brain is swiss cheese right now, apologies if things read weirdly
--

Cassius jumped again at someone else suddenly appearing behind him- why did they always surprise HIM?!- but nevertheless he turned around after quickly pasting an aloof, but not entirely unfriendly expression onto his face- But that was when he heard the Xoyan accent. A wave of cold fear washed over Cassius, causing him to twitch slightly as he repressed a shiver, even in the warm night air. Prior to leaving, Cassius had made a point of memorizing a VERY long list of all the potentially important guests who might attend this event. The Xoyans had been lower down on his list of priorities- purely because he h i g h l y doubted any of the notoriously secretive Xoyans would show up to a party like this, but- Apparently, he was wrong.

As he turned around to face this Xoyan individual- He paled somewhat as he saw Oculus, but still managed to retain his composure- rather remarkable, considering he'd just realized exactly who he was face-to-face with. He already wasn't a fan of crowds, but this, this- He hadn't signed up for this at all.

...But.

He was the prince, and he was Jinjuri's older brother as well. If he didn't stay calm and set a good example, what kinda of brother would he be?? Instead, he tried to calm himself, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he summoned his courage- and as faint of a smile as he could to try and play off his nerves- and dipped his head in greeting. "Indeed, General," Cassius replied, gesturing specifically towards the dessert platters, "I don't suppose you'd care to indulge in a few appetizers with my sister and I before the main courses arrive?"

After he thought Oculus was distracted enough, or looking away long enough to not notice, he would shoot an "I can handle it" look towards the guards edging closer- followed by a shooing motion, trying to signal them to back off and not cause a scene- and shot the same look towards his father immediately afterwards, silently begging for him to call the guards back. In the same movement- perhaps subconsciously sensing a kindred soul- Cassius's roving eyes made eye-contact, however brief, with Nihki'la. Though he said nothing aloud since they were so far away- a n d Cassius had a Xoyan general directly in front of him, who he definitely did not want to make angry- Cassius's eyes still portrayed a relatively clear message of 'Helphelphelphelphelphelphelp-' even across that distance, and despite the aura of confidence he was otherwise projecting.


Asherna offered Sky a rare smile, and nodded once more. "Thank you, simply Darksky it is then. Titles and formalities serve their purposes, but we are among allies tonight, no? A- ah, how do you say- momentary breech in protocol for the night is forgivable amongst allies." At Glasoc's growl, Asherna turned to glance over her shoulder at him, offering a slight tilt of her head in acknowledgement, before turning back to Sky with a slightly confused tilt of her head. "Glasoc as well... Interesting. Quite curious indeed.. Does he have any notable history that would make him behave as such? 'He' being either that unknown dragon, or your 'Glasoc' here? I'm afraid I am not familiar with his story, my apologies."

Then, at Tharasis's words, Asherna couldn't help the faint look of incredulous disbelief and confusion that was written across her face, not even bothering to try and hide it. A strange dragon was approaching his children. His own flesh and blood were in danger, and he stood idly by. Asherna couldn't even fathom doing something like that. Those guards were close, yes, but- even imagining allowing something like that to happen to children of her own made Asherna's spines click and rattle together faintly with unease. If you see a viper, you kill it, before it can kill you. To stand still and 'hope' for it not to strike was utter madness in Asherna's eyes. But, nevertheless, she held her tongue in check and merely shook her head.

..........But she couldn't just leave it be. After a moment, she did finally ask, "..You do not intervene yourself, Tharasis? You do not sound as certain as you make yourself out to be. Why take such chances? Surely your children being in danger is enough to force your hand, no?"

Jin was beginning to enjoy her time at this party; good food, her brother, and even somewhat coming out of her comfort zone and being around people, even if it's just visually around them instead of actually interacting. She was about to reach for another macaroon before her sisterly senses told her that something didn't feel too right, which prompted her to turn to Cass and sure enough, he was uncomfortable with something or... She followed his eyes and came upon a Xoyan.. and couldn't quite understand why he was so uncomfortable with them. She guessed it was because Xoyans didn't have a very good reputation, but she decided she was going to prod at it anyways and came over to tug on his wing a little, leaning in to whisper to him.

"Uhh, Cass? Who's that and why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Oculus was anything but unaware of the unease he was causing on not just the two royals in front of him, but the little pow-wow circle of tribe leaders a little bit away from him.  The poor royal that he had surprised was quite a catch, yes indeed.  This party may be more interesting than he had originally thought it was going to be.  As if to snub the guards, he paid no mind to them, focusing on the frightened Cassius.  It was impressive to see how quickly the shocked dragon recovered their voice, but their stiff body posture spoke of how uneasy they were, which only amused him even more.  As Cassius addressed him, he raised a brow at them, his smug smile still plastered on his maw.  It appeared someone had been doing their homework, addressing him as a general without any introductions needed.

"I see you are a dragon of understanding and respect, prince."  He smiled as he took a step closer towards the table, and Cassius.  Hearing the other voice speak up, he gave a small chuckle, turning to look at the Vuari princess.  His smile widened as he looked at her, and without much warning, he leaned directly against Cassius, placing a paw over their shoulder, leaning against him as if they had been best of buds for many years.  He didn't lean enough to knock them over or push them, just enough to rest some of his weight over their shoulder.  His arm wrapped over their shoulder where his talons, which if looked at would appear to be well maintained and quite sharp, rested on the other side of them gently with his paw hanging loosely.  Smiling at the princess with a sincere grin that would appear as if he was happy to hang out with a friend, which was really just knowing how he would be affecting the poor prince and who knows about the poor guards too far away to do anything.  Well hello there princess of the Vuari.  I do believe your brother is suffering from a bit of indecision.  You see, there is all these great appetizers before him, but he only has grabbed a single macaron.  He is fighting the dilemma of wanting to eat many things while not giving a bad name to the Vuari, having to set an example as a prince for the tribe no?" he purred deeply, his slightly bladed tail flicking back and forth, before raising up near the princess, then pointing at the table of food.  I do hear that the Stormcallers make excellent fruit dishes, would you like one as well dear prince, and what about you princess?"  He swept his tail meticulously around some fruit tarts, balancing a few on his tail blades before offering it to the princess, then the prince if Jin took one or two.  He could only imagine the fright that the poor guards would have, between trying to come forward and cause a scene, or just stay back and observe, as they would be too late if he did try something.  Or the poor Vuari leader that constantly glanced his way, he could only imagine how they must be feeling surrounded by other leaders.

In his search for a distracting conversation, Nihik'la's eyes happen to connect with the electric blue gaze of one of the more handsome dragons he's ever seen.  Though in any other situation, he would quickly look away, and his hyperactive mind would spin that observation in a centrifuge to pick apart the components of his psyche that caused him to make this assumption, this is not any other situation.  Instead, the world around him slows to an oozing crawl, his peripheral vision dropping away around him, the dragon frozen in pure terror for a few tiny fractions of a second until the ba-bum of his next heartbeat kickstarts his thought process.

oh no i've been spotted -> oh no i've been spotted by a ROYAL -> i've been spotted by a royal and he knows who i am i need to run, NOW -> run run run RUN RUN RU- he's looking away -> he's looking away and not turning to his guards -> don't run you'll just draw attention to yourself -> he KNOWS WHO I AM and DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY KILL ME.

His tunnel vision widens until he can see normally again, the universe returning to its normal speed around him.  The moment passes; Cassius's gaze moves to the gray dragon, who then drapes a paw over him as if they'd known each other for moons.  Nihik'la's eyes follow Oculus's tail blade back and forth, then shift to Jin, looking over the princess for a moment, his ears perked to try and catch a tidbit of the conversation, though the distance between them thwarts this attempt.  Finally, he allows himself to relax, a plan quietly forming in the back of his mind as he resets his façade and begins to slyly make his way over to the three dragons.  He doesn't disguise his travel as a jaunt to the appetizers, though he also tries his best to make it look like he isn't sneaking around, or eavesdropping, either... Simply making his way over there, vaguely towards the group.



...To an outside observer, they would have seen Cassius and Nihik'la lock eyes, which causes Nihik'la to freeze up as if he'd been stabbed.  They would see Nihik'la remain unmoving for a few heartbeats, then slowly relax, making an attempt to eavesdrop before quickly abandoning that ridiculous idea, then finally taking a deep breath and letting his expression settle to his usual smirk once more before making his way over to them.  
What a strange dragon.

Tharasis heard Ashernas comment, and turned to look at her before he spoke. His body no longer feeling tense, though it still had that feeling of stored energy prepared and waiting to just be used. Tharasis would breath a gentle sigh, his eyes looking in her eyes and every so slightly catching a glimpse of that questioning feeling. In a sense, he could somewhat feel her worry about his children.

"To be? Asherna I can assure you with upmost certainty I am. Its never wrong to feel like something else might happen, I guess it just took me a little while to realize it." thar chuckled lightly. "Ah, I guess I sometimes have to much on my mind. I mean, with everything going on in my tribe, it is to be understandable at the least." he softly said, more so to himself. But it was audible enough for the 3 rulers to hear.

The sight of another dragon making their way to his son and daughter gave him a slight smile. "Perhaps my dear Jinjuri will meet a new friend here." He said, looking now to the guards who were ever so slowly creeping up to them. He gave them a gesture, telling them to calm themselves and enjoy their time here. The guards heeded his orders, and soon enough. Began to walk away, though. They did only walk away back to their original positions, not to far incase anything happens.

"What is there to be worried about... A large gathering of the tribes, royal guards everywhere. Only a rouge or someone very, very foolish from a tribe would ever try something bad here." He said to them. If Oculus did try anything, or if anyone really attempted anything. They should remember that the repercussions of this could end disastrously for them. A war with the Vuari would not end well for anyone.

Tharasis turned to look towards the twin rulers, a slight pause between them before he would speak. Wanting to change the topic to something else.

"So, Solarlight, Darksky. I've been wanting to asks, do you plan to expand your tribe? Your capital is magnificent. Intricately built with complex designs interwoven in its foundation and support. That must be said, Though, a capital can only do so much." And while Tharasis did not want to admit it, the Stormcallers did lacked things needed to cement themselves as a proper tribe. One of these is most likely a proper army, though a militia is often good enough to defend their home, there simply is a difference between having soldiers, and guards. And Though known for being nomads in the past, it is most likely their time to move on from such tradition.

The twins looked at Tharasis, with Solar smirking a little before speaking up calmly. "Well.... Stormcaller's aren't all concentrated in the capitol. We live throughout Nuria, in almost every other tribe. It's a different life then yours I believe." Sky couldn't help but chuckle a little at how her brother answered.

Well if his oddly friendly demeanor for such a spooky looking dragon wasn't enough to put Jin off, it was certainly how he handled himself with such precision. It may look like he's just being friendly for friendliness sake, but to someone who's done nothing but watch others because she's an antisocial bookworm, Jin could pick him out for certain, especially with how Cassius was acting. But she wasn't about to cause any kind of issues with this dragon. "Well, that's Cassius for ya, always overthinking about simple choices!", she said with a blissfully unaware tone.

She damn near leaped backwards as soon as his tail came up to her, potted plants around her leaning towards them as if watching the exchange from afar. However she came to realize he meant no harm in the simple gesture of direction and let a small sigh of relief leave her nose. "I would love one Mister.... Uh..?". She plucked one of them from his tail, hoping Cass would just do the same and move on.

Cassius.. was not doing well. Or, he was doing surprisingly well, at least in the sense that he had yet to pass out from the pure amount of s t r e s s he was currently experiencing. For his credit at least, he kept all his screaming on the inside, but Oculus leaning on his shoulder very nearly did him in. 'Oooooh no- Nuh uh- Keep it together!' He thought, doing his best to still his mind, though Oculus would still probably be able to feel the faint tremor that worked its way through Cassius's body before he was able to completely calm himself.

"Oh, please General, you flatter me. It's practically my job to keep knowledge, who would I be if I didn't recognize someone of high esteem such as yourself?" Cass gave a slight chuckle, allowing a well-practiced coy grin to slip onto his face, all the while internally trying to prevent himself from going into cardiac arrest. "Ah, but I'm being rude! General, I presume you already know my sister, the crown princess of the Vuari, Jinjuri. Jinjuri, this is the great General Oculus of the Xoya."

At Jin's comment about his decisions, Cassius made a slight face, nearly forgetting whose company they were in and having to resist the urge to stick his tongue out at her. "Oh come now Jinjuri, hasty decisions have a tendency to.. not quite turn out how you would expect them too. Every choice we make has ramifications on our futures, no matter how small or unexpected. Mm, thank you General-" He took a slice of kiwi from the proffered platter, turning it over in his claws carefully. "Take this... kiwi, I believe-? for example. Have I had one before? No, they don't grow in our mountains. Could I be fatally allergic to it? It is indeed possible! Improbable, of course, but how are we to know? The future is a constantly shifting web of fates, twitching and shifting with every decision that we make, every second of every day of our lives."

As he turned to face the two- carefully shifting Oculus's paw off his shoulder as he did so- Cassius popped the kiwi slice into his mouth, and glanced around for a moment before glancing over Oculus's shoulder towards Nihik'la once more. A faint smile came to his lips, born of equal parts relief and a feeling that maybe this party wouldn't be a total loss afterall. "So tell me, do you believe in fate?" Cassius asked, shifting his gaze off of Nihik'la and back to Oculus with a newfound confidence. He did his best to shift over enough to leave room, should Nihik'la wish to join in the conversation, but he also knew very well the pain of being revealed when one would rather stay hidden, so he left the choice up to Nihik'la in the end.




Upon hearing Tharasis's explanation, Asherna nodded slowly, though his statement about "nothing to be worried about" gave her a pause. 'Ah yes, a large gathering of rogues, numerous tribes, and many unaccounted for individuals. The perfect time for old grudges to rise to the surface, or an assassination attempt to be made. But no, nothing to worry about.' She thought to herself somewhat dryly in Kishan, but held her tongue. She wasn't really worried of course, such things were always a possibility when one ruled over a notoriously warlike tribe. But her people were loyal, to her under her divine right as Kuz'a, to their gods, and to each other as a people. She had nothing to fear from her own.

And upon hearing the conversation shift to the future of the Stormcallers, she shifted her attention back to the twin rulers as well. "Mmm! You must remember Tharasis, though they may not all be in one place, I believe the Stormcallers are still quite numerous, no? But I am interested in your plans as well my dear Rulers, have you considered- rihik'shala, su'vanin- khoncala- Ah, what is the Universal word for it- Tunneling? Digging? Excavating! Have you considered expanding your city underground? Excavating great caverns to house your subjects? Resources will be a problem of course, your mighty Ring takes care of that." Asherna struggled to find the correct word for a moment, before recovering and nodded towards one of the windows, the crackling lightning of the Tempest Ring occasionally visible outside. "And your knowledge is, of course, proclaimed throughout the lands. Have you plans for, say- an exchange program of sorts? Knowledge for knowledge? Loaning books for other tribes to copy in return for copying some of their own literature?"