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(( About the schoolgirl scene ...

Midare: *casually walks by and smacks DFs on the back of their heads* That's rude. ^^ ))

Midare stepped back just a bit at the door suddenly opening, but she didn't really appear all that shy or uncertain. After all, she had met Micoi before she knew the other young woman was a queen. "Sorry for coming by so unexpectedly," she said with an easy smile. "I just kinda wondered if you were all right."

Hayate raised his head up slightly from her shoulders and also gave Micoi a look, colors in his eyes whirling around a bit.

"Hey," Baran called as he trotted up. "I've been meaning to ask you. Are you doing anything later? I like you. I wanted to know if you'd like to go out around town or something. I mean, if no one asked you, already."

(( XDD Go Baran, go~ ))

Without even hesitating, Midare followed her, and perched herself on the end of the bed. Hayate slid down from her shoulders to curl in her lap once she was settled with legs crossed. A bit difficult with a dress, but she managed it. "Yea, I could tell that," she said easily.

Then she also glanced down. "About Kanak ... I think I understand a little more. What you have together. And even if he is a youkai ... I guess it's a good thing," she finished, glancing up again.

Midare nodded slowly ... then winced, thinking of something. "And now you're supposed to marry the Dragon Lord ... ish. That's gotta be hard." It was obvious Micoi loved Kanak and he did her, or he wouldn't do so much for her.

The concept of youkai being able to love like that was a new one ... but ... it was hard to deny evidence she'd seen with her own eyes.

In Arinas it was late morning, sunny and clear with only a few puffy white clouds hurrying over the sky. It was, simply, a very beautiful day.

"I hope Micoi is all right..." Meeya glanced up at the glowy black ball of light that floated beside him, shielding his eyes with a hand from the sunlight as he glanced out over a lake that was in the way for walking "straight". Meeya had left Micoi not long after Midare had left, so he didn't know if anything had happened, but something told him it had. That was quite a while ago now, as the days had sauntered past in glowing warmth and sunlight as Meeya continued to wander further south.

"We're going to have to circumvent the lake, Lun. I don't feel like making a raft," shaking his head, Meeya rubbed an upper arm and started down the shore of the lake, knowing there were no villages close to here. He'd passed this lake before, and its beaches and surroundings were as empty of population now as it had been before.

On a hill close to the lake on the side he was walking on, a ruin rose in dipilated majesty; clearly there had been people living here before, but when Meeya first passed the place, he hadn't felt any urge to walk through a ghost town to get to a ruined castle just to satisfy some flicker of curiosity.

Arinas made Meeya slightly uncomfortable with it's abundant life. He felt as if he was in a glass-ware shop where the shelves were placed much too close together, and if he did the slightest wrong move, he'd drag a whole shelf with him and all that glass would be destroyed.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" frowning at Lun, who bobbed towards the ruins but didn't answer, Meeya reluctantly followed. He admitted to a... curiosity, maybe even some sort of *attraction* to the place, but he still didn't want to go any closer. Lun seemed determinded, though, and led them through the empty, ruined city in strangely good condition and up to the castle.

"What're we doing here, Lun?" Meeya hissed, his voice barely even echoing as they entered the large entrance hall, it's roof gone and large, golden shafts of light spreading pools onto the mosaic floor.

Despite its deteriorating state, the Arinian royal castle from the period AR, also known as After Resurrection by the people, was in quite good shape and seemingly safe to walk in. Well, one could never be sure. The faded colors, marble and gold details that still clung to the walls sparkled in the sun and the dust particles in the early summer air almost made it look as if there was a shimmering haze or gossamer cloth in front of you. The dominating colors were light -ivory, pale sea green, gold and soft azure- giving the castle a slumbering elegance, as if it just was waiting and not falling apart.

The small tiles on the floor portrayed something that truly would only be possible to appreciate in its full glory from the second or higher floors, which you could still access by the wide stair at the far of the hall, right across from the large doors. But the base idea of the picture seemed to be that of a pale golden shimmering faerie in the middle of dancing with its azure tinted wings spread wide and light sea green clothing only visible around it like a haze as it turned in a wild pirouette.

As the faerie's little waterlight strayed further into the building, Meeya following it into the great entrance hall that at one time, many years ago, had had a high, vaulted ceiling. The air seemed to hum lightly, like a mother softly singing a tune to her sleepy child, a soft, vibrating and relaxing sound. Then there was a sound, like a content sigh of someone waking up from a long, comfortable sleep, the sound softly echoing over the walls.
"Welcome home, your majesty. We knew you would come one day," a soft voice rang from seemingly... everywhere! From the walls themselves.

((XDD Celia! You two-timer! *laughs*))

The atmosphere seemed unmoved by the sudden, high sound of the dark faerie's voice and the invisible speaker's tone didn't change either as it spoke again. "I am the Stewardess of Arinas, appointed by the first King and Queen of Arinas After Resurrection... Fen-Lil. Ever since their royal majesties disappeared I've been here, waiting and sleeping... waiting for you, my lord and True Heir. Since their royal highnesses did not have or appointed one before they departed I was informed there come be a True Heir, one not born by blood or sharing any ties to the previous royalties... but one appointed by magic as the suitable ruler." There was a short pause as the obviously female speaker let their words sink in.

"Your majesty..." the voice was soft, kind, like someone who was finally, after years of long wait, seeing a dearly loved one again. "We have been waiting for centuries. We are all so glad that you are well. Please, will you not listen to me now? I have felt your presence pass the castle by quite close once before."

So that was it, then. Ana was still in a slight state of, well, terror at the thought of meeting Liozu later. It wasn't that she was afraid of him (okay, so maybe she was), but that she was scared of the meeting itself. What if she did something stupid? Like mispronounce his name or choke on her words or trip and fall when he was still watching? Oh, so many things could go wrong...

Noticing the slowly dispersing crowd of maids surrounding Madiir's table, Ana decided to slip in and get her fortune read as well. If she put her cart back in the kitchen and offered to help clean up a few dishes, she should be able to get back out just as the last few girls were leaving. She didn't want anyone else to hear what she was going to ask to have foretold.

With this careful timing, Ana soon found herself standing behind the last couple giggling girls at the seer's booth. They soon hurried off to fortunes of improved health and impending news from home and she was left tentatively folding and unfolding her hands before her breast.

"E-excuse me, Madiir, sir..."

Aiketh stood as the party began to wind down. She wasn't needed here anymore; she had made her appearance and had looked suitably the part of a female Officer in the court. Now she could leave and change out of that ridiculous dress and back into her uniform.

She felt a slight twinge of guilt at leaving before the rest of the guests had departed, but rationalized that Kushina and Illusia alone would be enough to carry the feast the rest of the way through. Nieth would remain as well. She, however, needed to make certain that the Dragon Fighters were still at their posts and still presentable for the guests. That thought on her mind, Aiketh began to discreetly leave the room.