Welcome to Gaia! ::

Minist smirked and her eyes slid over to Zeffer as if asking what exactly he could do. What can I say? I like getting a reaction out of people. Sempur definitely gave me a reaction, that's for sure. Though if I ever run into him again I better be careful. I won't have the drones to scare him off from bashing my face in. I'm sure he would love to pay me back for some of the things I said, especially since I'm so inferior to him." she chuckled. Then she sat up and stretched saying, "I'm kinda glad I didn't get very far in the tournament. While it might've been nice to get into the final round like you two, but I didn't get as roughed up as either of you. I just got my scrapes and bruises thanks to Zeffer. I'm fine with that."

Then she winced at the sound of the microphone feedback. "Things must be starting." she said as she leaned forward to scan for any movement in the arena. Then she spied Regina looking like she was leading a one troll march. Grinning she watched as the queen made her way to the stage and then leaped onto it before setting up the microphone. Listening to their ruler call out for Zeffer she turned to him. "You better get on down there!" she laughed. Again, she thought how cool it would have been to make it to the final round and get her own name called to stand by the queen, but she was perfectly fine with her early lose. Speaking of winning and losing where were the other participants? Twisting her body she gazed around the arena seating. Were Aprife, Zeffer and herself the only ones who took the invitation? Or did the others just not bother coming to their reserved seating?

Noting the blueblood all but jump down into the ring, Regina bent to the first of the two boxes and undid the clasps on the polished lid. Then, as he climbed up on the stage, she gingerly lifted a package of tissue paper from inside the box and unwrapped it to show two faintly glowing bracelets. Turning towards Zeffer she gave a sly wink, as if they were co-conspirators with some hidden joke, and presented him the bracelets.



"In recognition of your prowess in combat - the royal Alternian army has gifted you with this device to help you in your battles! We hope to see you at the military enlistment station when you come of age - no pressure, of course."

Zeffer has won a Novice Agility Trinket B - it allows him two attacks on one turn once per battle, and it has 5 charges.

All work and no play makes Regina a dull queen. She knew she was slipping, slowly dropping out of the formal written and rehearsed speech that she had carefully prepared for each part of the two-day event. But she had stuck to it for the important part, the arena matches, and now surely it would be fine to relax a little and have some fun. What was the harm in improvising a little? She crumpled up the ball of paper and carelessly tossed it on the ground, reaching out to drag the microphone down to be level with her head again.

"No problem kid, you were great to watch yesterday. Neatest little weapons I ever saw, I'd love to see them up close some time. Oh, but let's keep this going - can I have Pyruet Tropos down here? I got a little something something for you as well."

Looking away from Zeffer, she began to scan the crowd for the greenblood. She wasn't in her reserved seat, surely she must have turned up. She wouldn't dare to skip this, would she? Regina frowned inwardly, remembering the girl's battle with the blueblood. A troublemaker, to be sure, but how much of one?

Pyre's eyebrows raised just a fraction as Frossa's memory faltered. It had barely been a full day, surely her life wasn't so exciting that a troll she'd exchanged threats with just the previous night was forgotten that easily. They shifted back down and her grin widened slightly as the girl seemed to remember her, and she mimicked Frossa's once-over. The purpleblood appeared to be more-or-less unscathed save for a cut on her arm that her sleeve didn't quite hide. Like Pyruet, the bulk of the smaller girl's wounds were concealed by her clothing, making it look like she'd ended up much better off than she had, though Pyre still had several rather more noticeable blemishes. She involuntarily ran her tongue across the cuts on her upper lip that her lip stain didn't quite conceal.

"Mm. About as well as I'd expect to be, considering last night." she said, false joviality still in her voice. "And you? How'd your battling go?" Before Frossa had a chance to reply, Pyre picked her name out of the queen's speech, along with the summoning that accompanied it. "Oh, hold that thought, that's me." She glanced up at the line they were standing in. "Here, grab a water for me when you get up there, if you'd be so kind." A small pouch of beetles, hastily fished out of a pocket, was shoved into Frossa's free hand, and a quick smile was flashed in her direction before Pyruet was briskly striding down the steps again.

She gave a quick nod at the seated contestants as she approached the stairs, wondering exactly how passive passive-aggressiveness had to be before it just became regular friendliness, and if she'd crossed that line with the purpleblood. She paused as she took the last step down into the arena floor, staring at the two trolls already on the podium. She was about to be standing next to the empress. She quickly resumed walking before she looked like too much of an a**, standing there gaping like a moron.

She stepped up onto the small stage, trying not to stare at Regina, suddenly rather self-conscious of the light bruise on her cheek, of her battered and scraped knuckles. Here she was, one of the first civilians to meet their new matriarch face-to-face, and she was marred. The young ruler's first impression of her was an imperfect one. Clearly that just meant their second, third, and fourth meetings had to blow the queen's mind, but still, this was a tragedy. Nonetheless, the ceremony had to go on, and with a quick inquiring glance at the boxes and Zeffer's bracelets, Pyre returned her gaze to the queen, making eye contact and slightly raising an eyebrow.

Pyruet gingerly took the bracelets from the queen's hands, eyes widening just a bit. She turned them over in her hands, giving them a rather thorough once-over, and looked back up at the empress. For perhaps the first time in her visit to Four Fronds, she was looking at a troll without scorn etched into her features. Sincere reverence was displayed across her face as she lowered her guard, looking almost innocent. "Th--...Thank you." It wasn't the prize that had gotten to her, not exactly; it was the presenter. She was being rewarded by the empress for her victories, but so much more importantly, she was being praised. Any sarcasm or veiled anger was utterly lost on her, even the idea that it had been scripted was wholly ignored because the troll empress was commending her.

And then she realized she was still in public, standing on a stage, the center of a rather impressive crowd's attention. Shoulders stiffened, jaw set, and expression hardened again, but with a determined respect this time, as opposed to the anger or disdain that she'd displayed so much last night. She swallowed hard. "I wouldn't accept anything less from myself, ma'am." She nodded rather stiffly without breaking eye contact, and stepped to the side of the podium opposite Zeffer, clearing the center of the stage for Aprife's impending crowning.

"Good, good."

Careful not to lean in and squint, the queen replayed last nights events in her mind. This was the same troll, wasn't it? Maybe she'd sent some identical greenblood in her place. Stranger things had happened, although Regina couldn't think of one off the top of her head. Well if this was the same girl, she seemed to be properly in her place now. And she knew how to look at a queen. Nodding amiably, the highblood reached for the microphone again, making a mental note to flog whichever troll had set it up so high.

She had already scouted out Aprife in the stands as soon as she had arrived, thought it was more to keep tabs on him than make sure he was there. Early that night she had sent two plain-clothed drones to shadow the young troll, and escort him to the awards ceremony if necessary. Thankfully, it appeared that it hadn't.

"Alright, now, for our champion! Aprife Invasi, c'mon down here and get what's coming to you. Don't worry, it won't bite, eheh."

Minist had watched the ceremony with wide eyes. The prizes were so. . . glowy! As the first one was revealed and handed to Zeffer she could feel a familiar tingle in her fingers. She just had to know how they worked! When Pyruet went down to claim her prize Minist's mind was momentarily sidetracked by questioning why the greenblood hadn't been sitting with them. Then when she too was handed a bracelet she tensed slightly. Oh man, she really, really wanted to get her hands on those prizes! Imagine the kind of circuitry they possessed! No, no, she can't think these things! Those are gifts from the queen. Just think what might happen to her if she destroyed a royal gift! She'd have plenty of people ready to gut her if she so much as took out a screw! Swallowing she leaned back into her seat, for once not enjoying her front row placement and clear view of the prizes.

When Aprife was finally called she turned to smile at him. Giving him a thumbs up she watched him gather his things and descend to the stage. Then she immediately sat on her hands in an effort to stop the tingling sensation in her fingers. Now she was filled with conflicting feelings. When they were dismissed by the monarch they would surely want to show off their new goodies. She'd be right there. Right. There. She'd be able to reach out and touch them. That couldn't happen, though. Knowing herself she'd whip out her tools and start dismantling the prizes before anyone could say anything. No matter how much she'd want to look at them and caress them (and rip them apart) she'd just have to avert her attention away from them in order to avoid disaster. Normally Minist wouldn't give two shits what would happen, but this matter involved the queen so she wouldn't be taking any chances with herself.

A small grin tweaked the corner of his mouth as he surveyed his prize. The rings were like nothing he'd ever seen before, they held some sort of… wildness, maybe? A something that even in a society full of wild creatures such as the one they inhabited, he didn't see much of in the city. Taking the horn rings carefully, he turned one of them over in his hands. Thoughts drifted between how you were even supposed to wear these things, jewelry wasn't something he had experience with, and that he better make sure they didn't end up on the floor of his respiteblock somehow. They would turn up broken for sure that way, it was dangerous in there. He bit his lip to remind himself not to shake his head like an idiot as he internally mused and answered himself. No, they wouldn't end up on the floor, he would take better care of them than that. Heck, he would wear them, that's what they were for, right? Plus he had this… uncomfortable feeling that looking a gift horse from the queen in the mouth was a really bad idea.

The queen! Eyes snapped up from rings in his hands to the patroness when he realized that he had been standing there silently for probably a bit too long. "Thank you, ma'am," he was able to get out, bowing forward some. "I'll be careful with them." And I'll make sure not to drop them while I'm being slippery, he thought, and though it was funny to him, he didn't dare say it out loud. Shuffling in place for a moment, he pushed his bag further behind him as he took a step backwards. Aprife wasn't completely sure what to do at this point as he carefully cradled the prize in his one hand. It seemed like an okay idea to line up next to the other contestants, though. He only hesitated enough to shoot a sideways glance at Pyruet.