#guest muse: Arlyn Icia

[adeadlysong]

"CHEERSSSS!!!"

Nuriel, Arlyn, Tahirah, and Starling all raised their glasses in the toast before downing the contents of their glass. Nuriel essentially chugged his entire glass down, while Arlyn, Tahirah, and Rafaele took polite (but big) sips. Starling just sipped at it several times before trying to down the rest in one go.

"And now we eat, right?" Nuriel asked.

"Yes, that's usually how this goes." Starling noted, nodding once.

Rafaele sighed. "We're at a banquet. Remember manners."

"Hey! I've had years of practice!"

Despite Nuriel's protests, Arlyn couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sure we'll be fine. Let's eat, shall we? Which dish to start with...?"

[bravelywego]

@ribbedxgloves gets a visit to the tavern!

“WAITTTT!!!! Stop, stop the ship! We can rest over at that port’s tavern! I’ve been there before, I know it’s good!”

And so Nuriel led everyone to the tavern after they docked the ship. They were on the way back to Azami’s palace so they would be there in time for the engagement ball celebrating Azami and Sean’s engagement, but it was getting pretty dark and needed a place to land for now. They would finish the journey and get back tomorrow.

Nuriel was the one that opened the doors, before his voice boomed throughout the tavern. And that was saying something, given that the tavern was pretty busy with patrons drinking and chatting with each other.

“Loreley!? Hope you don’t mind me and my companions coming through!”

A woman looked to them, dressed in a long, green skirt, long-sleeved white blouse with a brown bodice. Her blonde hair was tied back, though there were a few bangs tucked behind her ear, out of the way of her face.

“Nuriel? It’s been so long!” She came forwards to greet them, smiling. “I hope you’ve been well?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I see you’re doing well, too—Do you have any rooms? We need a place to stay for the night.”

“You’re in luck. We have four rooms left this evening.”

“Perfect. We’ll take all four, split the rooms amongst ourselves. Oh, and we’ll need meals for tonight and for tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll have my ladies prepare the rooms for you. In the meantime, do feel free to sit, order some drinks and your evening’s meals. Enjoy yourselves, all of you!”

As she went to go inform her workers, Nuriel looked to the others, grinning. “I know her—she owns the place. Came through here and stayed for a bit, once, while she was also working here at the time, and now she’s the tavernkeeper!”

“Really?” Nobutsuna blinked. He’d never really been to a tavern before, so this was new. “That’s interesting. How long ago was this when you knew her?”

“We go pretty far back. Over..twelve years, now? Please, excuse me.” Nuriel quickly went towards the back of the main floor, and Nobutsuna noticed that the ladies (and men) back there were more scantily dressed. Probably the prostitutes, he guessed.

“I knew he was gonna buy them drinks.” Tahirah managed, chuckling. “Nuriel does that every time we stop at a tavern for the night. He buys them all one round of whatever drink they want…”

[countarganan]

“Do you ever wonder why people seem to gravitate towards you easily, Arlyn?”

“I have to admit, General...you’re not the only one that’s asked that about me. To be honest, I don’t know.”

[adeadlysong]

"Okay, so," Nuriel looked toward everyone, "How do we wanna spend our time here at the ball? I wanna go for the food."

"I want to get some dancing done." Tahirah managed, "But I also want to talk to others too, and get to know them. It could be good for us."

"As long as we don't do anything terribly wrong, that is." Rafaele added.

Arlyn chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "I'm sure we can manage to find time for all of that...especially the dancing."

[adeadlysong]

Summer Sunset-exclusive open starter

"Where is it!? Where are those chocobo petting stations...?" Tahirah checked the map, just before Arlyn spoke up.

"I believe they're located at the farmer's market...Wiz's station, they said?"

"Yeah, but where's the farmer's market?" Nuriel stared around, frowning. "Are we lost? Oh, we're definitely lost."

"I think it's up ahead." Rafaele pointed ahead of the group. Cue the others turning to see -

"Oh. You're right." Tahirah beamed up at Rafaele. "Thank you, godfather! Let's get going!"

And so, the group arrived at the farmer's market, eager to pet chocobos...

[adeadlysong]

Summer Sunset-exclusive open starter

Countess Tahirah Zakiyaa was bouncing on her heels with pure excitement. This was it, the Summer Sunset! Herself, the Starling, her godfather Rafaele, and her two advisors Arlyn and Nuriel had already checked into their lodgings for the event. Things were only getting started, but the group of five figured they should wander the local area and get a scope of their surroundings..

"This is so huge!" Tahirah's jaw dropped at seeing the whole area. Sure, things were still being set up, but still!

"We can expect it to get quite crowded later." Rafaele noted, frowning. "Would be best to stick together."

"Mm, I agree~" A chuckle left the Starling - who was currently hidden under a hooded cloak, a signature style of hers.

"Can we at least get some food to start off?" Nuriel asked, glancing toward Tahirah. "I mean, we're gonna be here for a while so I think we should take the time to partake in everything possible."

"Let's be careful not to overstuff ourselves," Arlyn murmured, just before Tahirah nodded, smiling wide.

"Food it is! Which vendors should we approach first!?"

[adeadlysong]

"A party!? A PARTY!" Tahirah was looking through her wardrobe. "oh, what do I wear?"

"Remember, it's supposed to be formal, so we must dress appropriately." Rafaele reminded his goddaughter. He frowned. "Perhaps I should have something custom-made..."

"I'm wearing a dress. No one's stopping me." Arlyn decided.

Nuriel just eyed Arlyn. "Oooh...I look forward to that~"

"Behave, you two." Rafaele sternly reminded them. "The last thing I want is a scandal or great accident breaking out because of you two."

"We'll be on our best behaviour, promise~"

"Starling's coming too, right?" Tahirah mused, glancing toward her godfather. "I wonder how she'll appear..."

"She promised to meet up with us at the beginning of the festivities so we could enter together." Rafaele explained. "Whatever she wears, I'm sure she got the memo." Besides, it'd be unlike her to not dress appropriately for formal parties, of all things...

[adeadlysong]

Arlyn is internally screaming as he rifles through many papers.

Nuriel stared. “Arlyn? Love? Are you okay?”

“HOW MANY SUITORS HAVE WE GONE THROUGH!?”

Arlyn’s scream echoed through the room, and Nuriel tried to count.

“Er....dunno. Lost count after Tahirah turned nineteen?”

“Probably over five-hundred people.” Arlyn stared up at Nuriel. “Do you realize how many people we’ve had to give the harsh rejection to?”

Nuriel just kept on staring back at him. “All five hundred?”

The icy advisor scratched the back of his head. “Well...not that many, but at least 75% of them.”

Nuriel’s jaw dropped. “Were we really that harsh with the rejection process!? I mean, I only sic’d a bear on a few of them - “

“Yeah, but I think we gave all 75% of them death threats.” Arlyn let a low whistle leave him. “Are we going too extreme on this? Do we need to scale it back a bit?”

“But we have to make sure they’re, like, the one. Or ones, I guess, if Tahirah pursues polyamorous romance - “

While Nuriel and Arlyn are tossing this increasingly-wild conversation back and forth, both fail to realize that Tahirah is listening in and quietly laughing at the hilarity of it all. 

[adeadlysong]

@iincantatorum from here

“Powerful, talented, and promising. Very nice that you had an answer ready immediately.” Nuriel seemed to appear in front of Eros only seconds afterward, a sheepish grin on his face. “What did you think of the echo effect? It sounded like I was off in the woods, but I was actually only a few feet away from you in the bushes!”

“Did you have to try it on Eros of all people?” Arlyn walked over with a sigh. “Tahirah will be coming to see you shortly, but she sent us ahead so you wouldn’t be lonely. So, here we are.”

“Andddd if you’re wondering why she sent us ahead of her, it’s because she had to talk to her godfather about a few things and answer a few somewhat urgent letters.” Nuriel finished, shrugging lightly. “So, is there anything you want to ask US about before Tahirah comes along? We know allll sorts of things.”

[adeadlysong]

“You know, if people have horns, does that mean they’re automatically horn-y...?”

Cue Arlyn clearly groaning from the corner over the other’s remark. “Nuriel, no...” 

[adeadlysong]

The Challenge!!!!!!!

@thighhighsandgoldeneyes​ wanted to TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Nuriel Flame took a deep breath as he stood in one of those high-up platforms in the arena, examining the crowd. With a grin on his face, he took a deep breath, yelling.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TODAY, WE WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE CHALLENGEEEEEE!!!!!!”

The arena, packed with people, roared with excitement. Some of the audience stomped their feet and/or waved their hands along with their cheering. Nuriel waved at the audience, before speaking.

“I’m Nuriel Flame, and thank you all for coming to watch. And thank you to all ninety-five participants this year as well, for competing! Before we start the festivities, we do have some rules to run over...”

Some of the audience groaned, but Nuriel sighed, shrugging. “Hey, we get newbies often. It happens. So, how about I introduce to you Arlyn Icia, who’ll give all the logistics! Come on out!”

The crowd whooped as Arlyn walked out to stand beside Nuriel, and he waited for them to quiet down a little as he waved at them, before speaking.

“Thank you. Each Challenger will undergo five rounds, each round split into two parts—the Mission and the Adversary.  Pass all five, and you automatically have the opportunity to serve as a guard/knight in Melodia Castle and/or castle city. The Mission consists of a specific task that must be completed. It could be timed, or be a stamina challenge, etc, so watch out for what you must accomplish. Complete the Mission, and you move on to part two: The Adversary. The Adversary means that you take on a special challenger that you must defeat and/or outwit in battle. Each Adversary per round is a different one selected from each of our lovely Melodian regions. Today, we’ll be undergoing just the Mission for round one, given our vast amount of participants this year, and tomorrow morning, we’ll continue round one with our Adversary!”

The crowd cheered at that, and Arlyn chuckled, before speaking. “Now, before we begin—a few words from our Countess, Tahirah Zakiyaa!”

Tahirah walked out, dressed well for the occasion. The crowd all whooped and cheered even louder than earlier, and she waved at them all, before speaking.

“Thank you, everyone! It’s a great honour to watch those participating today compete for the opportunity to serve Melodia Castle and/or the castle city. The fact that they are participating shows that they are among some of their best in the regions they are from. Some of you also hail from outside Melodia, and you are all welcome here to participate as well. I wish you all the best of luck, and do your best this year!”

The crowd cheered again, just before Nuriel spoke up. 

“Okay, folks! We’ve split all our participants into two halves for today. The first half will participate now, and then we’ll have a quick hour’s break, only to follow it up with the second half. Participants of the first half, step into the Arena for your first Mission’s instructions!” 

[adeadlysong]

Challenge Accepted!

@ribbedxgloves‘ Devlin wanted to take on THE CHALLENGE! CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

About a week passed since the whole conversation about the Challenge. Once Devlin signed up, Tahirah was sure that the competition would get interesting with him in it. Leolio was also just as excited for his father participating in this tournament as well. 

Nuriel Flame took a deep breath as he stood in one of those high-up platforms in the arena with Arlyn by his side, examining the crowd. With a grin on his face, he took a deep breath, yelling. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TODAY, WE WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE CHALLENGEEEEEE!!!!!!”

The arena, packed with people, roared with excitement. Some of the audience stomped their feet and/or waved their hands along with their cheering. Nuriel waved at the audience, before speaking. “I’m Nuriel Flame and this is my partner, Arlyn Icia! Firstly, thank you all for attending! Second, thank you to all two-hundred participants this year for competing!”

“It’s an honour to witness one of the largest groups of participants we’ve seen in the past five years.” Arlyn continued. “Due to the large amount of participants, however, we’ll be going through just the Mission for today, and then follow it up with the first round’s Adversary tomorrow morning!”

The crowd cheered at that, and Arlyn chuckled, before speaking. “Now, before we begin—a few words from our Countess, Tahirah Zakiyaa!”

Tahirah walked out, dressed well for the occasion. Leolio, Arlyn, Nuriel and Tahirah were all in a seating area giving them the best view of the entire arena where the participants would be in. The crowd all whooped and cheered even louder than earlier upon seeing Tahirah, and she waved at them all, before speaking.

“Thank you, everyone! It’s a great honour to watch those participating compete for the opportunity to serve Melodia Castle and/or the castle city. Some of you also hail from outside Melodia, and you are all welcome here to participate as well. Good luck, and do your best this year!”

The crowd cheered again, just before Nuriel spoke up. “Okay, folks! We’ve split all our participants into two halves for today. The first half (so the first one-hundred) will participate now, and then we’ll have a quick hour’s break, only to follow it up with the second half. Participants of the first half, step into the Arena to hear your first Mission’s instructions!”

Tahirah knew that Devlin was among the first half of the participants, which meant he’d be stepping out right now.  I’m sure you can get through this Mission easily. Good luck, Devlin! 

Down at the entrance into the arena, where the first group of fighters was waiting, among them was a young woman. She had blondish-brown hair, wearing some lightweight armor and chainmail to accompany it over her dark clothing. If one looked carefully enough, you could tell she had a couple of knives stashed in the sides of her armor, with one strapped to her upper left arm. The fingerless gloves indicated that she was definitely a more hands-on combatant, for sure, and she somewhat bumped into Devlin, blinking as she looked up at him.

“Oops! Sorry ‘bout that.” She beamed at Devlin. “You’re a participant like me, too? Good luck. This your first year?”

[adeadlysong]

❝ what’s the matter with me? you’d think a girl would learn. ❞

@laverginedegliangeli

“Is there anything concerning you, Princess? This can be kept between the both of us, I promise.” 

[adeadlysong]

“I still remember when Nuriel and I fell in love. We got into so many arguments, barely anyone thought that we’d get together in the first place!”

“Andddd yet we did, and we’re freaking engaged! FOR A DECADE!”

“I would love to have the wedding sometime, though...it’s just a matter of timing...”

[adeadlysong]

Dance of Defiance!

@ribbedxgloves from here

Sukumara gently shook Brent’s hand in return, offering Brent a reassuring grin.

“Of course I wouldn’t just seduce someone and steal them away, let alone Prince Nobutsuna.” He managed. “I don’t think I’m that strong in seduction compared to others I know of…”

He took a deep breath as he thought through it all. His proposal to Tahirah, their eventual arrangement and agreement to marry Brent and Nobutsuna so those two step-brothers-to-be could still be in love with each other and together...and it was all coming together, now. He chuckled softly. “I think I’m ready for that. And I can tell you’re ready, too.”

“Uhhhhh, about that marriage?” Sukumara turned to see Maria rush over. “Queen Azami might’ve found out about the arrangement before we had a chance to tell her. She wants to speak to you, Countess Tahirah, Prince Nobutsuna and Prince Brent just outside the ballroom right now.”

“But what about Arganan’s coming-out dance!? He’s performing it in a minute from now!”

“Oh—he’s basically stalling her.” Maria looked back towards the rest of the ballroom, and then looked to Brent and Sukumara, “I think he’s calling her out on her shit right now before he has his performance. The prelude to chaos, I call it. Wanna watch?”

Meanwhile in the main part of the ballroom, a lot of people gasped and stared as one Count Lucius Arganan of Lazulis Island stared down Queen Azami Yukimura. Never before did he look so simultaneously pissed off and passionate at the same time. He had good reason to, however.��

“I find it rude that you’re leaving your own party so randomly. Also, I haven’t had a chance to perform my coming out dance,” Arganan snapped at Azami, “And I want you to watch.”

“Your what now?” Azami looked confused, but Arlyn stepped in.

“Allow me to explain.” The icy advisor flipped his hair. “’Tis a Melodian tradition for people to come out by dancing with a partner or partners of the same sex during balls such as these. I don’t see a problem with something as harmless as this.”

“Well, I certainly have a problem,” Azami started, glaring at Arlyn. “You—”

Max put a hand on Azami’s shoulder, whispering to her. “If we interfere, this is going to make you look bad and give them a chance to accuse you of homophobia. We need the Melodians on our side right now, and Count Arganan is a close friend of Countess Tahirah.”

“This is my fucking engagement ball, Max. How dare he—”

“We. Have. No. Choice. You have to back off.” 

Azami hissed, but glared at Arganan, who simply smirked. Once afraid of Azami, but now he was confident. He knew which partner he wanted, and he knew that no one could stop him in what he was about to do. Looks like this dance might work out, after all.

“Now that we’ve settled it,” Arganan turned, before extending a hand to Ulysses. “Mein Liebe, will you dance with me?”

Watching a couple feet away, Tahirah simply smiled. 

[adeadlysong]

“I can't help if they love me,  Can't stop the applause, I can't help it at all!  It's been this way so long,  It's not my fault,  No....”