Tsukinaga Shizuki fiddled with the edges of her formal dress, staring through the window of the fancy carriage at the immaculate edifice of the White Walled Castle in Eclipse City. When Princess Meloku had given her a title and asked her to join in this diplomatic mission between the Crescent Isles and Moonglade proper she’d expected to be coming along as more of a glorified bodyguard, not as a dignitary. The princess hadn’t exactly been upfront with much information on the whole event. She’d promised Shizuki she’d handle everything herself, she had just needed her dress size and any style things Shizuki couldn’t live without. That should have been a red flag but the princess was as playful and mischievous as she was kind so Shizuki had learned to just go along with her wishes. It usually worked out for the best.

Shizuki, or Cirice as she was better known outside of the Isles, straightened the long-sleeved jacket that covered her arms and shoulders and smoothed the fabric of her skirt.

“Tsukinaga-sama you don’t have to be so nervous and fidgety, this is a friendly meeting. You’re one of the brightest stars the Crescent Isles has produced of late, think of this as me showing you off,” The princess giggles, taking Cirice’s hands in hers and giving her a reassuring smile.

“Hime-sama-” She starts before getting interrupted.

“Meloku, remember, I asked you to call me by my name.” The princess corrects her with a playful wink.

“Meloku-hime,” Cirice relents, “I’ve never been to anything this fancy. My mother told me that the customs in Eclipse City are a lot different than ours, I have only been here as an adventurer, I don’t want to embarrass you.”

“You won’t! Don’t worry about it. Look your family is a perfect blending of Crescent Isles and the Moonglade mainland and you’ve made a name for yourself all over Charon. Having you join me here will help reinforce the image of unity in the Conclave. They’re going to have their best and brightest there too, I heard that a well-respected and powerful adventurer from the mainland who was awarded a title will be attending too. I’m sure you’ll be able to talk with them and swap stories.”

“I wonder if I know them…” Cirice thinks of her friends from Moonglade. The only one who has gotten a title is…. “Meloku-hime, you wouldn’t happen to know their name would you?”

“Oh yes I believe it was Syr Gerhart, but I didn’t catch his surname…”

Cirice’s cheeks turn a deep purple and she hides her face behind her hands. She hadn’t known that Gerhart would be here, she should have realized. He has been recognized and knighted in Moonglade, of course they’d want him at this glorified tea-party.

“Do you know him?” the princess asks, tilting her head curiously. “You’re acting awfully shy… Which is very unlike you.”

“Well you see Syr Gerhart is my um…. Boyfriend,” Cirice admits with an embarrassed smile. “We met in a dungeon in Zeinav and have been close ever since. He’s my hero. He’s incredible.”

The princess’ eyes light up, “Oh ho really? Well then I suppose you two will be the talk of the whole banquet! That’s even better. You two can be the poster children for the Conclave!”

Cirice starts to argue that she doesn’t want that, that she wasn’t comfortable with having her relationship paraded in front of the world when the carriage stops in the courtyard. A footman comes and opens the door with a bow and Meloku flashes her one last mischievous smile before they step out of the carriage and down into the foreign territory of high society.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Head on a plate
Participants: Two or more
Location: Anywhere
Post Requirements: 9 post per person, 250 words per post
Reward: +50 security to your home region
Description: Your renown and accolades across Charon has earned you quite the reputation, your name now in the mouths of some very important people. This has opened many opportunities for you, but it has also caused the attention of some very dangerous people to land on you. Regardless of why, someone wants you dead and has hired a very skilled assassin to take you out. Your task is simple, don't die, but that's easier said than done as someone has paid a lot of money to dispose of you and has hired a very dangerous assassin. The skill set of the assassin is up to you.

For Gerhart this meeting was a...strange thing to be asked to go on. He was told he would be attending at the side of Duke Dante Thiago, a man of mixed heritages, but fierce loyalty. From the look of the man, Gerhart wasn't entirely sure he really needed a bodyguard. Sure, the average person might think him a pushover, but Gerhart saw the callouses on his hands and the way his jaw set. That's a fighter if Gerhart has ever seen one.

The duke also hadn't exactly asked for a bodyguard, from what they could both gather they were both being sent as diplomats. One as an actual noble who could have some sway in negotiations and the other a competent adventurer to show they are not stuffy nobles.

"I trust you and your paramour will not be distracted with each other tonight." Dante casually remarks as they sit in the back of their own caravan.

Gerhart bristles and stutters, one having not known Cirice would be there or that they knew. Dante levels his gaze directly at the ranger.

"You weren't picked out of a hat...you have a good, but open heart and talk about her a lot. Word travels."

He can only sink back in his seat in a bit of embarassed shame.

"It's a good thing...this conference is about unity. Two adventurers from our lands rising to this status and finding love between themselves naturally is good public relations. I doubt either side expects anything from either of you but appearing in good spirits."

Gerhart mutters something of grumbling acceptance as the ride bumbles along the stone roads of the city. It isn't too much longer before they finally arrive at the castle, just a few minutes after Cirice and her princess enter most likely.

He, too, gives his clothes another once over, just to pat out any wrinkles. There isn't much different about his attire than what he usually wears other than it has been polished and washed. He has also freshly bathed at the insistence of the Moonglade royal court.

The inside of the castle is just as magnificent and pristine as the outside, filled with people in fancy outfits sipping from wine glasses and eating little finger foods being brought around on platters by waiters dressed in crisp suits. Suddenly Cirice feels a little underdressed compared to the rest of those gathered and she stands at the princess’ elbow, smiling stiffly and trying to listen and respond politely to everyone who speaks to her. Meloku effortlessly glides through conversations with grace and Cirice meekly follows after her, being introduced to so many people she stops trying to remember the names. She glances at the door they entered through and her smile becomes worm and real as she spies Gerhart entering with another well-dressed gentleman, though her beloved knight looks just as he always does, maybe just with a little more effort and shine in his countenance.

“Princess, do you mind if I step away for a moment?” She asks, unsure if she’s supposed to stay by Meloku’s side all night.

“Ooh is your boyfriend here?” She smiles conspiratorially and looks towards the door as well. “Introduce me!”

“Are you sure? Okay…” she sighs and the pair navigate over to the guys.

“Good evening,” Cirice says with a small curtsey and a smile, “Fancy seeing you here, Gerhart. You look really handsome.”

The princess giggles and Cirice straightens with a blush, “T-this is Meloku Leylani, Princess of Starlight City and a good friend of mine.”

“Pleasure to meet you Ser Gerhart,” Meloku says with a smile and a wink, “Its nice to see Shizuki has good taste.”

“Princess!” Cirice protests quietly, her face turning a deeper shade of purple.

Gerhart is far less able to keep his cool when he catches sight of Cirice, but a hard shoulder check from the Duke as he passes snaps the ranger from it. He sighs and follows after, his brain not even trying to retain half of the introductions they have to give. He wasn't likely to return to court any time soon and these people weren't going to come visit the Gerhouse so why bother?

There is a visible brightening of his expression when he hears Cirice approaching.[1] All that time in the woods listening for game made it hard to sneak up on him. "Really? This is just the stuff I normally wear." He smiles sheepishly down at his clothes.

He blinks with surprise and breaks in a small blush as well at Meloku's response. "T-thank you. I think, that was a compliment right?"

Dante would roll his eyes if he wasn't focused on being proper, though even he has his limits. "Princess...perhaps we should allow these two a moment. There are some things to discuss after all."

"I'll be around anyways, you'll be glad for the time away by the end of the night." Gerhart gives another sheepish smile as he hopes they decide to part and give them a bit of breathing space.

"She's...friendly. I can't get a read on Duke Thiago, he's......a difficult man that's for sure. But whatever that's work, Cirice you look incredible! I feel stupid they didn't tell me to bring anything formal, just clean. I didn't think this was like a fancy event.....Wait....do rich people just always dress fancy? Is this just like normal clothes for them?"

---

1. Increased Senses

The princess giggles at Gerhart. “A compliment indeed! You’re handsome and funny I see.” She winks at him. She turns to Dante and inclines her head gracefully. “Of course Duke Dante. It is a pleasure to see you again. Let us. You kids have fun at your first fancy party.”

She winks at the adventurers as she and the Duke glide away to speak of political and social matters.

“Sorry about her,” Cirice sighs, giving Gerhart an apologetic smile and taking his hand. “I’ve never met the duke, but he seems sturdy. Like he’s been through things and come out worn. Meloku is still young and idealistic and a bit naive. She delights in catching other people off guard with her mischief.”

She blushes harder at his compliment and gives him a little twirl so he can see all of her dress. “I’m glad you like it. I think your regular armor all nice and polished looks perfect. MY dashing hero in a sea of uptight nobles. The princess actually prepared this dress for me, I didn’t see it until I was putting it on. She said this was going to be a simple political gathering but it seems very fancy to me. I’m afraid I’m going to embarrass myself and her. And no I don’t think they always dress fancy, they look for excuses to wear their finery and show off how wealthy and beautiful they are.”

A waiter passes by with a tray full of flutes of champagne, Cirice timidly takes two and offers one to Gerhart. “I feel a lot better being here with you. I didn’t know you were going to be here until right before we arrived but I’m so, so glad you are. If there ends up being dancing will you dance with me? Even if its just swaying back and forth in a circle I’ll be happy to be in your arms.”

As soon as there is space enough, Gerhart does pull her close for a quick and fleeting kiss. It had been some time since they had been able to see each other, adventuring work never left them much time in the same place. Maybe a night here in Moonglade or a day in Crescent Isles, but rarely full days together it felt like.

"I can see she is playful." He smiles softly, watching her with doe eyes and a light blush. "The Duke seems OK....quiet guy.....Can't believe she would make it so you couldn't see the dress before. What if you didn't like it? .....Though I guess she would've just made you wear it if you didn't like it." The ranger lets out another boyish chuckle as he takes the flute.

His attention is squarely on Cirice as she talks, just happy to hear that voice again. It is hard not to keep notice of all the people in this room though. It felt like this room alone had more people than any town he grew up in. Seemed like a lot of people, a lot of eyes on them. That realiztion with the recollection of the Duke's words send a shiver down his spine.

"I'm, I'm glad to have you here too....The duke said something about people looking to us as some sort of sign of unity....Honestly it didn't make much sense to me. We didn't really meet knowing where we were from, so seems weird to put that on us.....Oh dancing, you asked about dancing." The expression turns sheepish and bashful. "Y-yeah, I don't really know any formal dances and this is a lot slower than what my dad would play. It might actually just be us swaying together."

The kiss is fleeting but wonderful and any nervousness that was still bubbling in Cirice’s stomach stilled as their lips met. It had been a woefully long time since she’d seen him, so they’d best make the most of this night.

Chuckling along with him at her narrow escape from being embarrassed and uncomfortable in an ugly dress, she takes a sip of the champagne. “Sign of unity? The princess mentioned something about us being ‘poster children for the Conclave’ or something…” She grimaces. Suddenly the eyes on them feel heavier, full of judgement as to their merits both as individuals and a couple. “I don’t really see how where we’re from matters either, but if it means I get to see you more often then it couldn’t be bad. Maybe I might gush about my favorite hero, my beloved knight.”

She reaches up for another fleeting kiss.

“Swaying sounds perfect. Maybe some other time you can teach me the dances you know, all I know are traditional dances and I’m not very good at them.” She goes to take another sip from the flute and pauses, looking at a small object floating amongst the bubbles. “That’s weird… There’s something in my drink…”

She holds the flute up to the light of the grand chandelier above them to to try to get a better look. It appears to be a small blue petal that darkens to a soft purple and is threaded with dark blue veins¹. She watches as it settles to the bottom of the glass.

“Do fancy people put flowers in their drinks to make them prettier?”

---

1 a petal from a Seithr's Bane flower

"I'd rather you didn't gush." He laughes softly, happily accepting another kiss. "It's hard enough with everyone looking. I'm not looking forward to how many people are going to ask about the scars. I've run out of good stories to make up about it and I think the real story will just ruin the mood.

It wasn't often he talked with his dad or anyone else about these fancy parties. Is this what they were always like? It became a lot clearer to see why his dad seemed to dislike this type of crowd. Gerhart didn't have the subtlety to navigate all the daggers being stared at him. Maybe the armor wasn't such a bad idea.

He raises a curious eyebrow as she lifted the glass to look at the flower. The ranger leans in before suddenly snatching it from her hand to set it down on the table beside them.

"I don't know if they do, but they shouldn't be using this. It's a poison...or at least it can be. I've never seen just the flower itself."

Gerhart looks sternly into Cirice's eyes to get a gauge on how she is feeling. "Tell me...how do you feel? Tightness in the chest? Any issue breathing?" He does his best to keep himself calm and not draw all the attention their way, but this wasn't good. If she had been poisoned then they had to act fast.

He was curious why he wasn't feeling anything yet. Did they get lucky or was this the celestial's effect?

“But I love gushing about you, you’re one of the best parts of my life! If the real story you think will ruin the mood then maybe make up the most fantastic and absurd one you can think of and see if they buy it.” Cirice suggests playfully. “You don’t owe them your stories, and its rude to ask, I learned that one the hard way.”

The snatch caught Cirice off-guard and she blinks at him in confusion for a second. Then his words dawn on her.

“P-poison??” She asks incredulously, looking around them anxiously. “Who would want to poison me? I barely know anyone here… Just the princess… No, no I feel… Well I guess my chest is a little tight… Would it be too obvious to cast a spell here? Do you think I’ll get in trouble?” She isn’t sure about the etiquette for something like this, is magic acceptable to use in a ballroom full of people, or would that look bad?


“We should find the princess and the count, let them know what happened and um… See if theres somewhere I can take care of the poison before I…” she hesitates, scared. “Before it really kicks in. Who might have done this?? What do we do?”

What to do indeed? Casting a spell in the middle of a fancy party like this could be misconstrued so easily and offend the host or cause issues within the Conclave.

A deep cold snakes its way through her veins and grips her lungs. She shivers, they’re running out of time.

“Gerhart, if… the worst happens I know you’ll save me. You’re my hero after all.” She gives him a worried smile, her lips beginning to turn slightly blue.

"Somehow I think you making up stories is more dangerous." He chuckles and kisses the top of her head.

Gerhart enjoyed that moment of sweetness between them which made his anger at what was happening much more palpable. He stared at the drink a moment with a furrowed brow.

"They did keep talking about how important we were supposed to be and well I've proven hard to kill....come on." The ranger takes his partner's hand and leads her off to the side where she has a chance to sit and get out of everyone's view. He fans her gently as she talks.

There wasn't a whole lot he could do, maybe if he was at home and had a few days, but in the middle of a ball? He had nothing. Gerhart gritted his teeth as he scanned the perimeter to see if anyone was even keeping an eye on them.

"I will find them, just stay here, do what you need to. If they have a problem we can just explain...or say we don't care." He smiles and crouches down to cup her face in his hands. Gerhart keeps his eyes on hers as he does. "I promise you'll be fine, good news bad news is this isn't one of those instantly kills you kind of poisons, but it isn't good. Just sit here, do not move."

He leans up to kiss her forehead before standing up to head off. Gerhart disappears into the crowd, a sour expression on his face. It was rare to get him to stop being so cheerful, but going after someone he loved was a pretty easy way to do that. What little decorum he has is thrown out the window as he weaves through the people, just able to see the Count over the top of everyone as he manages to be just a little bit taller.

Gerhart’s words help her calm down as he holds her gaze, the deep green of his eyes warming Cirice’s heart in a way only he can. Where she’s sitting is out of the view of most of the ballroom, and only those near could see her casting a spell hopefully. With Gerhart going to find the would-be assassin, all she had left to do was get rid of the poison before its too late. The cold spreading across her body served as a grim countdown but it wasn’t like she couldn’t handle something like this… The possible backlash of making a scene here is much less scary than the idea of dying at a fancy party to a stupid flower.

Taking a deep, frosty breath she scans the room to make sure no one appears to be watching her before the runes on her arms begin to glow bright lavender under her elbow-length gloves. Placing her palms one over the other on her chest she whispers a short prayer to Mother Moon and just as quickly as it came, the cold dissipates. She takes a shuddering breath and coughs.

“Fascinating.” Comes a soft, feathery voice at her elbow. “Could you tell me the spell you cast and the method by which you cast it, ma’am? I’m something of a scholar myself and I couldn’t help but be intrigued.”

Startled, Cirice half-turns toward the sound and sees a handsome moon elf man in a smart vest and a billowy white shirt specially tailored to accommodate his extra set of arms. An intrigued smile plays across his lips and there’s a glint of curiosity in his eye that makes her blink.

“Um… You aren’t… Mad? That I cast a spell here in the party?” She asks dubiously, side-stepping his questions.

“Oh no, no, I find these soirees terribly boring and stressful. I tend to hang around the edges when Maylin insists I attend them. You are the most interesting person I’ve seen so far, you and your paramour.” He says, nervously brushing his long silver-white hair behind one ear while his other set of hands are clasped in front of his waist, fingers twisting around each other anxiously. “I don’t think anyone else is sober enough to have noticed your little show, but if they cause a fuss I-I can say you were showing me something. I’m already considered a bit of an eccentric, no one would be surprised at me going against etiquette in my curiosity.”

“Y-you don’t have to do that for me, you don’t even know me.” Cirice protests, folding her hands in her lap, “But thank you, I was in a bit of a bind… I was casting a spell to rid myself of poison you see. I’m afraid someone here isn’t quite a fan of mine.”

“Poison? Gods!” He blinks, looking around the party in shock. “How… Who would try something like that here…? It's easier to imagine in Sol City, I mean the Marrowvines had a scare not too long ago, but here?? I’m glad you were able to stave off its effects, my lady.”


He looks genuinely distressed and she knows he isn’t lying, he has nothing to do with what happened, perhaps he can be an ally.

“Thank you, as am I.” She gives him a small smile and a somewhat graceful incline of her head, “I’m Cirice, Lady Cirice Lunestre, cleric of Mother Moon and an adventurer that was granted ladyship by Princess Meloku. Nice to meet you, sir.”

His eyes light up in interest and some of his previous nervousness falls away, “Truly? Oh I should have known! I had heard of you a little, but I didn’t have a good description of you. I would love to discuss your religion with you if you have the time. Though perhaps at a better time and in a better location than here. But where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Magus Bastian Nimia, pleased to meet you.”

Being recognized by someone you’ve never met is a strange sensation. It's flattering and odd, a little confusing and a tiny bit scary. Most of all it's embarrassing.

“Nice to meet you too, Magus, sir.”

“Call me Bastian, please. Magus is a title my cousin created for me to help me fit in more at court. I don't think it works very well.”

“Then nice to meet you, Bastian. You’re interested in my religion? I would love to tell you all about it! But… Not tonight. Gerhart went to try to find the poisoner and I can’t just sit around and let him handle it now that I’m feeling better.”

“Oh of course! Sorry to interrupt your evening.” He gives her a small bow, “I’ll send you an invitation for tea some other time. Take care.”

As he walks away, Cirice watches him hover on the edge of the party, a fixture trying his best to be seen but not noticed. He must be awfully shy.

But there’s no time for this. She’s gotten too distracted. Checking that no one else is watching her, she melds into the shadows of the ballroom, sneaking around the edges of the crowd and checking the shadows for any suspicious figures¹.

---

1 Shadow Dancer: One with the shadows & Shadow Sight

The Count is certainly not caught off-guard by Gerhart's rapid approach, the man didn't seem to know the meaning of letting his guard down. His stern face was enough to give Gerhart pause for a moment as it felt like a pup trying to approach a wolf. Still, people are in danger, Cirice and himself likely weren't the only ones to be targeted. If you have that subtle of a poison why would you just stop at one person? Cause as much chaos as possible.

"Someone's slipped poison into some of the drinks, Seithr's bane. Cirice had one, but she's resting. I think she can handle it herself. I am not sure about the rest of the party."

Tension in the shoulders is immediately evident as the Count begins to scan the room, "Give me the details."

Gerhart thought he had....but OK. The ranger shares as much as he can about the flower itself, its shape, look, smell, and the difficulty of finding it as it is pretty hard to detect.

"Usually I could sniff things out, but the alcohol is numbing the scent, I can't tell what glass its in."

He stares a moment, "We will address your strange nose later, but for now, see what you can find. I'll alert the princess and figure out potential targets."

Without warning, he is already leaving which means Gerhart has nothing else to do but get to work. He glances to the corner where he left Cirice, heart stopping a moment seeing she's gone. Slowly, the ranger exhales to catch himself and then focuses.....It's faint, but he can catch just the barest sense of her perfume.[1] Hard to pinpoint where she is, but she is at least still somewhere in the same room which is good.

Now to find whoever this assassin could be. There were too many options and potential suspects, would it be someone in the wait staff? A noble? That suspicious cat on the upper level that keeps watching everyone? At the very least, Gerhart would head to the kitchen, the source of the drinks to try and find something.

---

1. Increased Senses

The shadows offer reprieve from being scrutinized by the noble crowd. Slinking through the darkness she spots Gerhart heading toward the kitchen and follows, watching for anyone hiding in the same manner as her. As Gerhart enters the kitchen she parts with him in order to check out the staff discreetly. At a glance none of them look like an assassin, but then again Cyran doesn’t either. A waiter is gathering a tray of fresh flutes of champagne and she watches him to be sure that he doesn’t sprinkle anything into the drinks. He turns slightly to grab a small towel to drape over his arm and she spies suspicious movement. Looking closer she sees a figure reach out from the shadows and deftly place small flowers in a handful of the glasses. She hadn’t noticed them at first because they were clad all in black and had done their best to keep themselves hidden, even in the shadows.

Too bad for them Cirice learned a thing or two from Cyran and Del. With a whispered word and a short flash of muted violet light the figure’s dark refuge is stripped away from them, leaving them in plain view against the sterile white of the kitchen¹. Before they can even realize what happened Cirice rushes forward and yanks the tray from the waiter’s hands. The glasses shatter against the ground spreading their contents everywhere as the man calls out in surprise as suddenly two people are beside him and one is seemingly attacking him.

The dark-clad figure looks at Cirice in surprise as she offers them an angry pout.

“It isn’t nice to poison people you know,” she says with a huff, letting the tray fall to the ground as she turns toward the assassin, glass crunching under her boots. “Gerhart I found our guy! Or at least one of them!”

---

1 Gifts Ungiven - no shadow dancer for you pal