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July 28, 2004
Role-playing log from Page 36 to 37 in the Castle Argentus thread.

Synopsis: Filix wanders into the gardens and comes across Aesculus, who has climbed into a tree. Because of the embarassing incident he had with Filix the day before, Equus tries to army crawl to the gate without being seen, but Filix spots him as does Aesculus when he follows her line of sight. Equus and Filix try to lie away their embarassment and uncomfortable situation, but Aesculus doesn't believe them. When he scolds them, he mentions the moon court and apologizes, and Filix questions what has the moon court on his mind. Aes explains Rosa's theory and comforts him, saying no one would believe such nonsense- but her pause to have to think about it worries Aesculus.

August 2, 2004
Role-playing log from Page 164 to 165 in the Silva Regia main thread.

Synopsis: Aesculus runs into Lilium as he comes out of the fairy ring in Gaia, and she appears to be troubled. As he goes to ask her what's wrong, Rosa, who has been stalking him, makes herself apparent and greets the queen. He introduces both to his mouse, and soon Rosa has accused him of being the "greatest evil." Confronting her in front of the queen, the two banter until the queen has to leave, upon which time Aes takes the opportunity to find a new place to wait on his foster brother, Onuris.

His chair groaned as it was pushed back and its legs rubbed on the floor. He put down his quill and closed his tome, setting it neatly on his desk before moving to open the door. The smallest of the three mice, the young grey one, was climbing up the front of his robes, tiny pink feet grasping the cloth as it scaled him like a mountainclimber.

"Oh! Muris! I wasn't sure if you would stop by or not... it has been a couple days since I have seen you. Please, do come in."

His room was simple. A large desk with bookcases on either side of it dominated one section of his room and a large lush bed decorated with black and touches of orange, complete with a canopy, dominated the other half. In a corner there were two dishes, one with fruits and cheeses and the other half-filled with water. Considering the prestige and money he must have as a noble, the room was relatively sparse and empty of personal belongings save an old wooden chest that looked relatively neglected.

His rather serious-looking face is broken by a gentle smile. The mouse finally makes it to Aesculus's shoulder and peers at Muris, whiskers twitching as he closes the door behind her quietly.

"I hardly think you dropping by to see the mice would be pushy. You don't seem like that sort at all. How are the horses this evening?" He lifts the pulls the wooden chair from his desk near the best and neglected chest and offers it to her as he sits on the rather dusty block of wood. It's hard to tell if he even notices the chest is dusty. o__o

A couple more beady eyes peer from around the wooden storage unit, one accompanied by a small black body and the other a gray one much like the tiny mouse that is so friendly with Aesculus. Unlike their brethern, they seem much more wary.

He chuckled a little at the off-handed compliment and looked down and to his left at the two little mice that seemed to be staring at the two of them warily.

"I feed them and give them water, but they still seem afraid. I can't blame them- we are quite a bit bigger than they are, after all. This is about as close as they usually get- but they must trust you to get this close with a stranger about."

The brave, younger grey mouse scampers down his robes to his knee and wiggles his tail a bit as his nose twitches. Tiny as he is, he still seems to debating whether or not to jump the gap between Muris and Aesculus.

"As nice as me? I would venture to say they are much nicer than I am, with the exception of Rosa, who you have met. The king and I grew up together, and Filix, Rosa's sister, used to climb trees with us. I assure you she is nothing like her sister. Alces is the king's cousin and I daresay he is the most friendly man I have met. I have not talked to the queen and Equus as much, but they both seem to be genuinely kind."

The mouse scampered onto her hand and then did a flying leap onto her lap. Skittering over to the furry lining of her tunic, he seemed intrigued as he pawed at it, sniffing with whiskers twitching every which way.

"You need not thank me, Groom Muris." He regards her with her title, saying it as if it were any other sort of noble title. If anything, it is said more with respect than contempt as she would probably suspect.

"I have noticed, too, that Filix and Equus seem preoccupied with something as well as Lilium, although I am quite sure by their dispositions they are different matters." He pauses then, as if in thought. "I am sure that once you are around them more you will find them even more pleasant than I."

It isn't that Aesculus finds himself unpleasant but that he is modest, and does not think that his rather serious, distant attitude at times, as well as his verbose, cryptic manner is altogether friendly.

As he talks the mouse tries to bury itself in the furry lining, as if he's trying to hide, although he fails miserably. Both his ears and tail stick out as he tries to burrow a hole in the fur of the robe.

He pauses then, considering it an honor to be compared to Muris's mother, who she held so dearly. While he had a response in mind, he takes his time mulling over his words so as to make them more direct and sincere as he speaks.

"I used to climb trees and follow the king as he unwisely seemed to seek out trouble... but my playmates have since grown older than me, and I no longer have parents to care for me. True, I have a Kithain, but she is nowhere near the same as my parents were." A touch of sadness is in his voice, despite his best attempts to hide it. He is not ashamed of being sad, but does not wish to make Muris sad with his thoughts.

"Besides... I ought to devote time to my learning so that I may be as good of an advisor for my dear friend as my father was for his father... much like you, I am sure, want only to honor your father by following in his footsteps in the best way you are able."