The Forgotten Zodiac

((He can't offer breakfast. He was well trained by Alexander.))

Ulki watched Leanne with slight disapproval on his face, but he was surprisingly accepting. Like Tibarn, he would have been perfectly content to let the Princess wtach the fighting. They hadn't even been doing anything particularly bad either. Some clothing was cut, and the field was torn up, but they weren't even bleeding much.

Syl shook his head and laughed as he glanced back at Kieran. "I'm afraid I don't intend to be here that long. I have tomorrow, if you're really that interested." He glanced down at his gloves, noticing a few holes beginning as he tightened them up his wrist. The gloves were designed to be magically compatible and resistant, letting him do magic without allowing unwanted slip-ups. However, magically receptive fibers were also very soft; and they rarely lasted him longer than a week. These were due to be replaced, so he had another pair on him. He would trade it out as soon as privately available.

Ike pushed himself off the wall and walked toward the Laguz. He stretched his arms out and wraped them behind his head, which left his elbows out at a semi-ridiculous angle. "Good morning, everyone. You hungry? I'm starving, and we haven't had breakfast yet."

((I thought you were talking about Leanne.))

Kieran's face fell slightly, but he shook it off quickly. "Tomorrow's great for me!" he said, grinning as always.

Mist, meanwhile, flopped down beside Soren, sighing. "I wish it was fall, already! We're only a day into summer, but it's already hot... and it's not even afternoon yet!" she lamented. Soren half-considered commenting that half the reason she was so hot was that she had been jumping around like a...

"Soren, hey!" she said suddenly, and then mage glanced at her. "A breeze would be really nice, so could you--"

"No," he said, a bit offended that she would ask him to perform such a menial task. "We're going inside, anyways," he added quickly, climbing to his feet.

Elincia joined Ike, standing at his side. "Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea. Why don't we all head to the dining hall now? I'm sure the servants will have everything ready quickly enough," she said.

((I hope Elincia doesn't expect Ike to stop carrying her.))

Ike lifted Elincia into the air again and led the way into the castle, expecting everyone else to follow. If they were anything like him, they would die of sheer starvation shortly. He started to wander off into thought of how, exactly, they would die of starvation and how quickly. Before he could get anywhere dramatic, the new husband tripped slightly. He mananged to regain his balance almost immediately, but that kept him more focused from then on. "Sorry 'bout that," he murmured into Elincia's ear.

Syl and Marche stood, flanking Mewt on either side to walk into the palace. It wasn't unusual in that crowd either, for Ulki and Reyson came to the same formation around Leanne. Lucia noted all of this carefully, and she was somewhat impressed with the newcomers if only based on that. She'd yet to see them with Mewt when they weren't covering him in some manner. While they might be problematic and occasionally silly, they did at least appear to be capapble.

((Pfff, how silly of her.))

Elincia looked slightly shocked as Ike lifted her again, but then merely smiled. Nearby, Bastian broke into a grin. "I leave my fair country for only three months, and yet so much transpires," he thought aloud. He continued on along this vein, but no one really listened.

Janaff, too, took up a position on the other side of the Heron siblings, keeping an eye out for trouble. He glanced over his shoulder once, then offered Lucia a warm smile and a jovial wave. "Morning, my Lady!" he called.

((I'm assuming Bastian made it back for the wedding, so they have already greeted him.))

Ike made a noble sacrifice and slowed down to allowed Bastian to catch up to them, if only so that the count would have someone to talk to. "Hello, Count Bastian. How were your travels?" he inquired, knowing that would be all it took to get the man going.

Lucia smiled at Janaff and sped up slightly so that she caught up to Janaff. "Good morning, Janaff. It's nice to see you in the light. I'm afraid I barely got to see you last night." She walked along next to the Hawk, half-watching Soren at the front of the group and wondering if he would notice or do anything. "Prince Reyson, Ulki." The noblewoman nodded at both of them, smiling.

((Yesh, he did that.

I'm going to have Bastian mention something that'll be part of a later plot curve.))

Bastian turned to Ike with a twinkle in his eye, his ever-present smile widening a bit. "Good day, my fair King and Queen," he greeted, before launching in to an answer to Ike's question. "Bengion was quite amiable, I do profess. The kind young Empress worked for Crimea's favor in the court, despite some of the senator's wishes that our dear country should swear fealty to the empire. The Empress maintained our independance, and in the meanwhile was able, with my aid, to work on peace terms with Gallia, Phoenecis, and Kilvas." Here, the Count hesitated, frowning slightly. "Daein has proven to be less accomodating, however," he added after a moment.

If Soren did notice, he didn't show it, not more than a small glance over his shoulder at the sound of Lucia's voice. Janaff keen eyes saw Lucia's wander, and tracked their movement to the front of the group. However, he did not associate the gaze with Soren. "Sheesh, that Count fellow of yours sure can prattle on, can't he?" he commented.

((Naughty, naughty Daein.))

Ike listened carefully, somewhat interested in foreign affairs and partially keeping Bastian talking. "What's Daein's problem? They lost, shouldn't they want peace?" Continued unrest would only make it worse for them. "I'm sure there was nothing you could do though. Some people just want to be difficult." He leaned down to Elincia's ear snd whispered, "For example, one of them is Mist."

Lucia laughed and nodded, impressed by the volume and frequency of the words coming from Bastian's mouth. "He certainly can. I've always expected him to start endlessly repeating himself; but, somehow, he keeps finding new things to say. Impressive, is it not?" She turned her gaze to Janaff, smiling at him widely, and kept her gaze away from those ahead. She'd about had her fill of using men to make the other ones jealous. It was much too hard; and, despite how earnestly he tried, she wasn't interested in Janaff.

Elincia laughed loudly, drowning out Bastian's reply. The Count stopped to hold a door open for the couple, and the group found themselves in the dining hall.

Bastian stepped inside, then continued on his previous words. "It appears they despise Begnion's rule in their country, and wish for a monarch of their own again. However, no terms of agreement have reached the Empire, nor an offer for a stop to the insuurection. It would appear things do not bode well for that country," he said in a low tone, frowning. "But such is not suitable conversation to start the day! Tell me, how have things been for the royal couple?" he asked.

Janaff chucked, tucking his arms behind his back. Leanne and her entorage went into the dining hall before Lucia and Janaff, and the two found themselves in the hall alone. Janaff smiled a bit as he noted this, and stepped a bit closer to Lucia. "Not as impressive as you," he attempted, grinning. With that, he turned and went into the dining hall.

((Pfff, that was a lame line.))

((She doesn't like him anyway. His lines are allowed to be lame.

Can we have Bastian talk to Mewt later?))

Ike carried his wife to a chair, which he kicked away from the table to get out. After placing Elincia in it, he scooted the chair in and sat down next to her. "I've yet to be bored," he said in reply to Count Bastian. "The wedding was only yesterday, and you were there to see what happened. Did you hear about the assassin?" He inquired. The king did know better than to spread it around the whole court; there were people who would react badly and cause problem. However, Ike was quite sure that Bastian wasn't one of those people. His work had introduced him to too many upsetting things already.

Lucia laughed arly well connected, and the man looked like someone who could easily be talked to.and smiled at Janaff as they moved into the dining hall. She followed the Bird Laguz toward the table and sat down between Janaff and Bastian. She looked up at Soren, who was sitting across from her, and smiled at him as well. The first person she addressed, however, was Count Bastian. "Good morning, Count Bastian. I'm glad to see you made it back from your travels safely."

Marche, Mewt, and Syl all walked into the dining hall and sat down on the further end of the table, leaving the majority of the group by themselves. They assumed it was safer to stay away and allow their hosts to make the first move. Mewt watched the new nobility carefully, analyzing the interactions and how they would affect his group. While he might not be the most vocal or the most capable in a fight, he had been raised in a political setting. He knew instinctively who was a good ally and who wasn't. Right then, Bastian was looking impressively useful. He was clearly well connected, and he looked like a man easily spoken to. Both those things were important for Mewt's goals.

((But of course. I will have to read some more Shakespeare first, though.))

Bastian, for a fleeting moment, appeared confused. However, the Count was quick to replace the expression with one of inquiry. "What, specifically, about him?" he asked. Just after he spoke this question, Lucia spoke, and so he turned to her, giving Ike plenty of time to figure out how to word his reply.

"Ah, my sweet fawn!" Bastian's smile stretched across his face, and a spark of merriment lit his eyes. "I cannot imagine the piteous tears on your pillow for all those nights you spent without me! Worry not, my dear," he closed one hand over hers, "I do not expect to be leaving the country again any time soon."

Soren was not prone to jealousy, nor any emotion, really, but when he glanced up at Bastian and Lucia, he allowed his gaze to rest a bit longer on the Count, frowning as he did so. Bastian either didn't notice or didn't care, for he allowed his hand to linger on Lucia's, even as he turned back to his conversation with Ike.

((You're doing a great job with his dialogue.))

Lucia's smile froze, remaining in place but suddenly seeming much less genuine. "Considering I've never spent the night with you, I can't say it was any different. Breakfast, however, was much less interesting." She gently removed her hand from his to brush her long, blue hair away from her face and out of her eyes. "Janaff, how was the weather on your trip? You flew down, didn't you?" She was desperately changing the topic, hoping Bastian wouldn't be able to connect it to anything romantic. The lady doubted it, given his penchant for eloquence in any situation was baffling.

Ike froze, then began to answer Bastian's question. "He sort of got up and walked away." He thought about stopping there, but realized he should finish the explanation before he could let Bastian began to speak. "Apparently there's a ring from Ivalice that can resurrect a dead body somehow, and he got up and escaped."

((Thank ye. XD ))

Bastian seemed to think nothing of the fact that Lucia's hand was no longer in his own; he was used to her rebuttals, and this was no different than any other. Letting his conversation with the Lady go, then, he returned his full attention to Ike. He paused, seeming to think over his reply, before offering it up. "Fascinating," he began, "I've heard of ancient magic that can perform such a feat, but the artifacts that allow ressurection have been lost to time. But you say... my, this could be troubling. I fear that Crimea has had all it can endure regarding assassin, except perhaps... might it serve your for me to send our resident Fireman after this assassin?" he asked, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

"The weather was great," Janaff said, shooting Bastian a glare or two over Lucia's shoulder. "The wind blew in our favor, and the trip did not take long. We surprisingly didn't have to stop too often; it would seem that Prince Reyson and Princess Leanne are starting to build a Hawk's endurance," he said, smiling a bit.

Leanne, further down the table, looked up as she heard her name mentioned. Guessing the flow of the conversation from Janaff's words, she smiled at him gently, then looked further down the table. To her, it didn't seem right for the newcomers to isolate themselves, so she quietly got up and moved further down the table, stopping at the chair two spaces to Syl's left and placing herself in it. She smiled at the fair-haired boy, then glanced up as servants began to file in, bringing breakfast in with them.

((You get to pick the foods. I'm feeling uninspired.))

Lucia tensed slightly, noticing Janaff's glare even if he'd attempted to hide it from her. "Well, considering their company, I'm not surprised they've gotten stronger. Besides, Phoenicis is a much rougher climate than Serenes was. They would have to get stronger." She relaxed slightly when the servants came in, if only because they would serve as a distraction from the conversation going on around her.

Ulki watched Leanne move down the table, and he stood up to follow her down. He was less friendly than the Heron, so he sat on Leanne's left. Nevertheless, the two of them did seem to bridge the gap. The Hawk glanced over at Leanne, then watched the servants come in.

Syl glanced down at Leanne and smiled before closing his eyes briefly. He mouthed something under his breath actually speaking, then made the sign of the crystal. One hand moved from forehead to shoulder to sternum to shoulder. Finished, he dropped his hands to his lap and glanced around, wondering how many people would have picked up on that. Once the food arrived, he looked over at Mewt. "You want to check it, or shall I?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Janaff agreed. He caught motion from the corner of his eye and turned to see what it was, watching as Ulki and Leanne moved farther down the table. The Hawk saw, too, Syl's "strange" hand ritual, but paid little heed to it.

The servants placed several platters along the table, most of them bearing meats such as pork and chicken. One was bearing fruit - it was placed closer to the Herons than the other platters, as was a basket of bread. Cheese was also placed on the table, and another servant came around with two pitchers, one carrying cider and the other, water. Each person seated at the table had two cups, and so the servant filled both with the different drinks.

Leanne watched Syl and Mewt for a moment, wondering faintly want the two were talking about, before moving to fill her plate with the bread, fruit, and cheese. Herons did not eat meat, and it was for this reason that the platters bearing the vegetarian dishes had be placed closer to Reyson and Leanne. Further down the table, Elincia watched, with some amusement, as her husband filled his plate. Becoming a noble had done little to change the mercenary's appetite. Almost as if it had been an afterthought, one last servant hurried in with a platter of lentils, placing it between Ike and Mist. While the new king was a noble in the regard that he didn't much care for vegatables, it was more because he lacked a taste for them than being brought up on the idea that the foods of the ground were for peasants. Mist scooped some of the lentils onto her plate, and Soren added a small helping onto his as well. The mage's plate was practically empty, but that was not unusual. The mage glanced up and down the table, watching the others help themselves, before beginning, with some reservation, to eat himself. Earlier that morning, he'd eaten with Syl in the granary. Two meals in one morning was, for the mage, not normal at all.

Lucia served herself a moderate amount, watching as those around her served themselves. She watched Ike serve himself and turned to Soren. "Soren, you managed the Greil Mercenaries' budget, right? Do you have any idea how much we'll have to increase by now that the palace is feeding Ike every day?" It wasn't a real question; the palace staff had been feeding Ike on a regular basis for several months.

Mewt nodded to Syl and placed both hands on the table. He quietly ran through the beginning of an <b>Esuna</b> spell, the variation allowed him to identify poisons in the food. After several seconds, he nodded to himself and looked at Syl. "Everything looks good, except for the cider. That's just because it's a borderline alcohol, right?"

Syl nodded to Mewt immediately. He'd run the spell under his breath as well, to verify the results. The prince needed practice, but Syl wasn't going to trust anyone other than himself with security. "It's clear." Unbeknowst to them, their behavior would appear highly suspicious to those not from Ivalice. The subtlety of their actions was merely because, in Ivalice, the action implied a distrust of their hosts. In that political climate, they didn't trust anyone; but they did prefer not to look rude.

Ike had filled his plate to the full, and he inhaled deeply. "It smells delicious," he commented. That was all he had to say, and the king immediately looked down at his plate to begin eating. They probably wouldn't hear any more words from him until the plate had been emptied several times over.

Soren snickered briefly, glancing up to Lucia. "Triple whatever Geoffrey and Kieran cost, combined," he said, glancing over to Ike to see if he had paid attention to the snide comment. Suddenly, however, the mage's words were overshadowed by a sudden flurry of motion by the red knight.

"Your majesty, no! They cursed it!" Kieran bellowed, swatting Ike's fork from his hand. Both Soren and Elincia discovered a bizzare echo of a memory in the scenerio, and everyone at the table, for a period of time, fell silent.

Kieran turned to Syl, a counfounded expression on his face. "I had thought you more upright than this!" he accused.

Ike jupped from his chair, staring at Kieran in shock. "Who did what?" When he saw Kieran turn to Syl, he did connect those dots. It didn't really seem to make any sense. They'd been sitting right there the whole time, and there wasn't any reason to be poisoning him. "Why would they curse my food? I'm on their side."

Syl, who had jumped out of his chair with Marche and Mewt when Kieran had started yelling, blinked in confusion. He pulled on one glove as he watched Kieran yell, completely confused as to why the knight was so upset. "Are you accusing me of cursing the food? Here, and now? That would be possibly the stupidest thing I could do."

Mewt stood up and addressed the group, hoping he could give them what was actually going on. "I don't deny that we did magic, but it wasn't of harmful intent. That spell is designed to check foods for poisons." The prince glanced at Syl and questioned him briefly. "They've seen it before, haven't they? You used <b>Esuna</b> to wake up that servant, right?" Marche had briefed him on the events while Syl and Kieran had sparred. "You can just repeat the spell."

Kieran, upon hearing the reactions of the visitors and the King, flushed. "Oh but... I thought that... and the muttering and discreet-ness..." the knight muttered disjointedly, trying to validate his actions. Finally, giving up, the knight lowered himself back into his chair, trying not to look at anyone.

Leanne turned to look at Syl and Mewt, then said aloud, "<i>They speak the truth,</i>" she looked around the table, her eyes resting on Soren and Bastian as she knew that the two mages would understand what she was saying.

"Ah, so you see his genuine intent?" Bastian asked, and Leanne nodded. The Count turned back to Kieran and Ike. "The Heron's mind-reading capabilities are infalliable. If our fair princess here believes in the word of those boys, we should do the same."

((Poor Kieran.

This is three. He woke Geoffrey up too. That means he went into Geoffrey and Nephenee's bedroom.))

Mewt smiled some and sat back down. "Kieran, right? If I had been trying to kill anyone here by magically poisoning their food, that is how I would do it, under the cover of an <b>Esuna</b>. That's a terrible way of doing it, but our magic is foreign here. You had no way of knowing that."

Ike sat back down, grinning at Kieran's discomfiture. "Hold on though. You <i>were</i> hiding the spell. How come?" That part of the knight's assumption did follow, and no one had explained it yet.

Luckily for all involved, Syl had an immediate explanation. "In Ivalice, checking the food for poisons implies a distrust of your host; and it's considered rude. Most high-ranking nobles do it anyway, and those surrounding Mewt have to. There've been too many attempted poisonings for us not to check all the food we eat at any time, but one tries not to flaunt something considered offensive." He and Marche sat back down, and Marche turned back to his plate. Syl wasn't quite as hungry, considering how recently he'd eaten; but it was always a good idea to continue feeding himself, especially considering how quickly he burned the food off.

The meal quieted down quickly from there, with the main group returning to their previous conversations interspaced with some teasing of Kieran. It was lucky for him only Ike, Elincia, and Soren knew of his similar mistake that morning. Mewt was partially through his plate of food, and he had stayed quiet for a brief time to allow conversation to return to normal. After that short time, he looked up at Leanne curiously. "Your name was Leanne, I believe? How did you know I wasn't lying? You don't know the spell..." he drifted off, not realizing the position he'd put her in linguistically.

Soren, having heard the question, looked down to the other end of the table, answering for the Princess. "The Herons can sense the thoughts and feelings of others. If you'd had malicious intent, likely Princess Leanne and Prince Reyson would have known before you'd even used your spell." He returned his attention to sliding his food around his plate, before offering one more bit of information. "Princess Leanne also doesn't speak the Modern Tongue. Prince Reyson does, however," the mage said, nodding at the White Prince.

Leanne smiled gently at Mewt, nodding slightly as Soren finished his explaination. "<i>Unless you, too understand what Sylvester calls the Language of the Forest, I'm afraid you and I will have quite a time trying to converse,</i>" she said.