Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had somehow spread that Riddic, crown prince, was diseased and dying. While this was true, details of the disease and all of what entailed were kept within the walls of the castle. It was nearly a year after the rumor had spread when the King and Queen themselves decreed that their son had been cured and that all will be well concerning their heir.
In celebration of Riddic's fast recovery, his parents decided to throw a party, a gala of sorts. All those of status, far and wide, both in and out of the country, were invited and encouraged to come. Even the nobles with only manors to show for their wealth were invited. This was not only a celebration of Riddic's good health, it was also a way for the nobles of the world to catch up on ongoings and the like of their home countries and hear tales of far off places all in one place.

Despite Cele-Sara being in the midst of a scorching hot desert, the city itself was grand and glorious. The outskirts were fortified with walls, the only way into the city being the many many stories of steps. In the center of the city was the castle. It, of course, outshone the rest of the buildings in the vicinity. The only building that would even stand a chance against it would be the Church of Amaterasu, which was connected to the castle's west wing.

The party, however, was being held in the south wing of the castle, in the ball room. Already guests were showing up, and the whole town was abuzz with talk and murmurs. Tonight was going to be a most interesting night indeed, considering the guest list.

The ball room itself was decorated with splendidly and did not disappoint. The centerpiece of the room seemed to be the crystalline chandelier hanging from the ceiling over the dance floor. That was the main light source of the room, while matching candelabras along the walls took care of the rest. Along one side of the room were the refreshments, a table filled with foods from different parts of the world, to better accommodate their guests.

"Lords and ladies, I thank thee for being able to attend tonight's celebration," Kinar started, speaking from the middle of the room. Not all of tonight's guests had arrived, but there would be those who would show up late. "It is such an honor to be blessed by each and every one of your presences tonight. Let us all enjoy ourselves in the midst of these hard times to celebrate the health of our son, Riddic."

At his name, Riddic had stepped forward and bowed graciously to the crowd. "I thank thee for coming such a long way. I hope you enjoy yourselves and have a good time." Although he usually never smiled, he managed to train himself to wear one during times like these, so he flashed a smile to their guests. "Please help yourself to the refreshments. The entertainment shall be here shortly."

A light clap was heard around the room, and everyone shortly went about their business, many talking amongst themselves in an attempt to catch the latest news of other countries.

Riddic, however, slipped away and hid along the wall. His outfit was of white and gold, embroidered with gold threads in intricate designs, along with a white cape that hid away most of his body. The one thing that stood out was his brilliant red hair, pulled back into a loose horsetail. That wasn't what seemed out of place about him, though. He was wearing a pair of brown leather, fingerless gloves. Underneath, his hands and fingers were wrapped in bandages. At the moment, Riddic saw no one he was interested in talking to, nor had anyone dared to approach him yet, so he waited for an opportunity.

All around him, nobles talked and talked about this and that. The smaller groups of people were usually a couple of good friends speaking of personal lives. The bigger ones seemed to focus more on one person, who tended to be spouting a war story, or debating who's government was better laid out. From here, he could hear tidbits of a conversation between a man and woman, one asking how the other's children were faring. Another seemed to be talking about how odd it was that Riddic had recovered so quickly.

Ignoring this, the prince moved from his place on the wall and moved about the room. He was stopped by a few people to be congratulated on his new found health. Being polite, Riddic graciously thanked them with a slight bow and went on his way.

Scanning the crowd, Riddic spotted someone who didn't seem to look familiar. He certainly looked the part of royalty, but he was sure he wouldn't forget such a blaze of red hair like that. Just when he was going to approach him, he was stopped by a noblewoman from LuLain. She didn't look human, but than again, no one in LuLain tended to actually be human.

"Ah, Prince Riddic, it's a pleasure to see you again. How are you faring as of late?" the woman asked, curtsying slightly as a way of hello.

Riddic smiled. "I am well, thank you for your concern. What of you?"

"Quite splendid, quite splendid," she replied, fanning herself down slightly. "King Kinar has really outdone himself this. When you see him next, please pass on my compliments."

"But of course, my lady. I will be honored to do so. Now, if you will excuse me, there is someone I wish to speak with." With a slight bow, Riddic left the woman to herself and approached Zen, albeit a bit cautiously. He didn't seem to be preoccupied at the moment, though, he could be one of those nobles who were occupied with their thoughts instead of others.

"Excuse me, if I may intrude, whom might you be?"

Riddic attempted a smile back, but it was a bit weak. He thought it strange that the man wouldn't tell of himself when asked, but he supposed there were other ways to go about doing it. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.

"Oh, yes, of course," the prince started, his purples eyes watching Zen carefully. "I am faring well. Thank you for your concern, but I was seen to by the best healers of Ayella, after all. It really was not as bad as everyone made it out to be."

Riddic chuckled, but it was a controlled laugh. "As you can see, I am perfectly alive and well. If I really were still sick, I would not be able to roam about as such," he pointed out. At the change of subject, he didn't so much bat an eye, as it happened often enough in these types of conversations. "That he does, that he does. I take it you are enjoying yourself, then?"

It was about then that music had started playing in the background, courtesy of the band in the corner. He had been too busy with this stranger to notice they had come in and set up. The violins did sound lovely tonight.

Riddic blinked. He knew very well the man was joking around, but that remark was very true to a point. He shook his head knowingly. "Surely you jest, and a rather amusing one at that. One must simply put their faith in the Holy Ones, and all will be well." At the mention of the violinists, Riddic seemed to brighten up a bit. "Are they not? I surely love a good violinist. I would have taken up the instrument up myself, but it seems my hand has made it quite difficult to do anything." Sure enough, the bandages were clearly visible to anyone who looked. It was widely known that the prince was quite fond of wearing gloves and bandages over his hands, even since before he was found to be sick. Many speculated different things, but none of those rumors were even remotely close to the truth.

Completely ignoring the bit about rumors, Riddic instead, enlightened Zen of his hand. "It has always been as such, unfortunately," he told him. "I cannot move it much. It seems the healers are not well-versed of cases like this, so it will take them a while longer."

"And I most wholeheartedly agree. A great vocalist is all a song needs to add onto it."

Zen definitely needed to snoop around some more, and tried to think of something to keep the prince's attention.

"Too bad my wife isn't here, she could convince the sun to rise at midnight with her voice." He muttered to keep the conversation going, without really thinking.
What was with that guy's hand? Zen wanted an excuse to touch it now, but coudln't come up with a legitimate one.

He felt something in the room too, like somebody.... he knew.....