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 Posted: Fri Dec 06, 2024 9:32 pm
“While training the prince is interrupted by his sister, wanting to go on an adventure. Will he give in and go with her or will he convince her to remain and train with him?”
Characters: Alastair & Atropia
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Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 12:11 pm
 
A terrible noise came from a chalkboard as an older woman, who was probably too old to even be able to hear that she made such a sound, scratched away with chalk writing equations that little Pia could care less about. The young Princess doodled on the paper that was supposed to be used for note-taking, toning out the “Whom whom whom” of the tutors voice. “Your Highness.” A slap of wood came banging down next to the childs hand, close enough to make her jump in her seat. Her eyes darted up to the older woman who was holding a ruler in one hand, chalk in the other, “I see I now have your attention Princess Atropia.” Her voice was sweet, but Pia knew not to believe her tone. The old woman had been by her side since she was born, she was brought on as her personal servant when she was a baby, but turned into more of a grandmother figure, however much stricter, she was very good at disciplining the Princess.
She narrowed her eyes as the old woman turned her back, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. It was important that she didn’t see her be disrespectful, for the elderly maid had been given full permission to physically reprimand her if need be, and she never missed an opportunity to do so. “Now, young lady, tell me the answer to this equation,” Atropia stood up and met her tutor by the board, then grabbed a small piece of chalk and unenthusiastically began writing down the correct answer. She hated mathematics, the material that she was being taught was far too easy, she was bored, and had already taught herself the subject while spending time in the library on one of the many occasions where her family was deep into business, and she was alone.
The chalk made a poof of dust as she set it down and took a step back to look at the older woman, “Miss, can we please be done? I already know this stuff.” She made it a point to have her voice be a little sweeter so she would hopefully get what she wanted. She was only 9, but she quickly learned how to manipulate others into doing what she wanted, and 99.9% of the time it worked. The tutor adjusted her glasses then pointed back to the desk, “Not until I say we are finished, Her Highness wants you to understand this.” She groaned at the answer she received, and rotated on her heel back toward her chair, apparently this woman was the 1% her charms didn’t work on. Pia winced as a cane slapped into the back of her legs, right at the fold of her knee. She should have known better, she should not have groaned.
Another hour ticked by and the sun grew high into the sky, causing a glare to shine through the window. She turned her head when she heard her maid click clack toward her, leaning heavily on her rod, “You may go, Princess. Stay out of trouble.” There it was again, the sweet voice— her relationship was complicated with this old woman, she loved her like family because she spent most of her time with her growing up, but at the same time she could be so cruel. But as the old crone had told her in the past, she punished her because she loved her and wanted what was best for her.
Pia ran over to the window and looked down toward the training field, a toothy grin took up half of her face, and with a chuckle she twisted and rushed out of the library, waving at the old woman as she shut the door behind her. She ran down the long hallway then dashed down the stairs and charged into the kitchen where servants were preparing lunch. She flashed a sweet smile to a tall women with dark hair pulled tightly into a bun, who looked to be mixing something in a bowl. She was the head cook in the house and had prepared every meal and snack for the family since before she was born. “May I please have a snack?” The princess batted her eyes and climbed up onto a stool to make eye contact with the chef, who reluctantly smiled back. “It is almost time for lunch my Princess, should you not wait?” Atropia shook her head excitedly, and reached out her hand to grab a large apple, “No time!”
Within a minute she was running out of the side doors that led outside, a few maids with baskets bowed as she passed them. She caught sight of a potato sack dummy swaying back and forth aggresively and slowed down, then crouched close to the ground. Pia found a few crates stacked up near the combat dummies and carefully creeped behind one. A sly smile pulled at her lips when she saw her brother, punching away at his fake opponent. Like a wild cat, she jumped out and ran up to him then leaped onto his back, “Brother!” She yelled happily and squeezed his neck, “Lets do something! The grouchy old maid made me work on mathematics all morning and I’m bored!” She held her hand out in front of him, still clinging to his back like a koala, and presented the apple. “I even got you a snack.”
OOC: N/A Location: Corthyr | Library --> Training Grounds Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 6:00 pm
tab Alastair had class that morning as well, although his was not as long as he was sent off to his physical training. He never was one to sit long in classes and their father accommodated for him because he was able to hold his own in a fight and it wasn't like he wanted to sit around and do nothing, he wanted to train! To make himself stronger and be able to control his powers well. His first combat class was to do with his powers where they had him practice the flames over and over again, burning different targets or activating his breath and testing it on the trainers assistants. Of course everyone was okay with this, after all if their prince couldn't control his powers that would be dangerous, right? He had finally broken away from the organized learning when they sent him to the field where he was able to practice on his own. He had gloves on as he punched the dummy, almost wishing he could spar with someone because this thing wasn't dodging him at all! He gritted his teeth and his focus was solely on his task in front of him because he didn't notice the creeping girl coming up beside him, only realizing it when she had tackled him.
tab He let out a yell, his first instincts that Arsene had taught him was to throw the person but as soon as Atropia spoke he heaved a heavy sigh and relaxed his shoulders. He glanced back at her, regaining his balance that she'd thrown off when first jumping onto him and there she was, his little sister who many of the staff and teachers were surprised that he was so patient with. She was his sister! That was different than other people. He placed one gloved hand on her arms as she squeezed his neck as his other one looped around her leg keeping her up as he didn't want her to fall. " Pia! You shouldn't do that, one of these days I won't know it's you." he scolded but even as he spoke a grin formed on his face. At the mention of her teacher he laughed and shook his head, few could avoid his sisters charm, and she knew it. That horrible woman of a teacher was one of them. " How dare she. And I'm kind of the middle of training but-" suddenly he had an apple in his line of sight and his stomach made itself known as he groaned. " Okay fine fine, what did you want to do?" after he made sure she was still securely hanging on, he used his teeth to pull the velcro of the gloves off and tossed them to the side. " You have one too, right?" he put both his arms under her legs holding her up as he glanced over his shoulder to her, his green eyes giving away the worry that he felt, knowing she had been cooped up all day but he knew her and she probably had a whole collection already.
 WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Startled, Annoyed
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Library -- Training Grounds
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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Posted: Fri Jan 24, 2025 10:30 am
She couldn’t help but be proud of herself for startling her older brother, he wasn’t the easiest the to catch off guard. Pia liked to believe she knew him better than most, which is why she was so good at it! Obviously. A large grin took over half of her face as he instinctively held her up, keeping her balanced on his back. “That day will never come, brother!” Even though he had scolded her she could hear his smile through his voice, he could never stay mad at her for too long and she knew it. Maybe she took advantage of that, but how could she not? Something about being the only one who could get away with it filled her with joy.
Just as she expected, the apple did exactly what it was supposed to do, steal him away from stuffy old training. It wasn’t every day that she got to play with her older brother, especially since he had started following Arsene around. She overheard that he wanted to learn more from him, which sure, made sense but so boring. There was a small part of her that was scared that one day he would grow tired of entertaining his little sister and abandon her altogether. But when he looked back to her after tossing his gloves to the side, eyes filled with concern over whether she had eaten or not, any anxiety of the future withered away.
Trusting that he had her secure, she dropped one of her arms to her side where a small satchel lay against her. She patted it gleefully, “I stole another apple, and—” Her face twisted into that of a proud tiny thief, “—AND some pastries that I think Miss. Chef was making for tomorrow...” After a little giggle, she glanced up as if she was searching her mind, but honestly she didn’t care if they were being made for tomorrow because she wanted them now. Plus, who was going to tell her no? “No one caught me, I was like a ghost!” She wiggled excitedly, sticking her legs out in front of her then punched the air triumphantly, her giggle turning into a full out cackle, imitating what could be an evil mastermind.
The mischievous young Princess took a deep breath in and shut her eyes, “I heard there was a witch who lived in the trees…” Her voice was no more than a whisper, a stark difference to only a moment ago. She opened her eyes slowly, now fully letting go of the prince, then raised her arms up and shook them side to side in the air, “I want to find her.” Pia swayed a little on his back, almost losing her balance on his arms before she gripped his neck again. The “Witch” lived just outside of the palace grounds, a place where she knew she wasn’t allowed to go, she was far too small, and with the way of the world at this time with war rampant, it was obvious why she had been forbidden.
But then she heard of the Witch, rumors she overheard from the stable boys who were allowed to come and go as they pleased. So of course she believed them. Hence her plan of attack for this moment, “Can we please?” She let the “please” really drag out, she didn’t know if he and Arsene had been outside of the grounds, but if they had then they couldn’t get into that much trouble. Alastair was a fighter! She’d be safe. Pia batted her large eyes at him, pouting just a tiny bit, in hopes she would be able to convince him to go.
OOC: N/A Location: Corthyr | Training Grounds Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 7:53 pm
tab Alastair usually was fully aware of his surroundings but his younger sister always somehow managed to work her way in between his defenses and she also happened to be one of only a few who could get away with startling him without his immediate reaction being to punch them. Honestly, he'd knocked out staff members before because they surprised him, and they only learned the first time, so there was nothing wrong with that. Right?
tab As she continued talking a wide grin spread across his face. Sure he could be annoyed by her but her accomplishments were something for him to be proud of even. " Good! We'll need something to hold us over." keeping his arms firmly around her legs, he took a bite of the apple and leaned forward slightly as she wiggled and he laughed under his breath. She always managed to make him relax even when he didn't want to. He swallowed the bite he took as she requested to go see the witch. He raised an eyebrow and had to think, he had heard some of the stable boys talking about it recently, although he fully didn't believe them, if his younger sister wanted to go find this witch....that's exactly what they'd do. Technically the prince was asked to not leave the palace walls as well but he knew the way they could go to avoid getting caught. When her arms latched around his neck again he stood up straight and nodded his head. " We can. We'll have to sneak out but that will be no problem, just trust me. 'kay?" He grinned and after taking another bite of the apple he readjusted her on his back and began to walk along the perimeter of the training grounds, his green eyes looking for the right spot. " What are you going to do when we catch the witch?" As he asked her he found the right spot and he turned his head back to her. " Hold tight."
tab After he warned her, he moved her legs so they hooked in front of him and he pulled them both over the stone wall, before he crouched down, waiting for the voices of the guards who had been keeping an eye on him to move away. As soon as they were clear he held her up again and began to head down the side of the path, towards where he had heard the rumors landed the witch.
WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Startled, Annoyed
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Training Grounds
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2025 12:17 pm
Her brother had transformed into her mighty horse as they wandered through the grounds, her tiny hands gripped his shirt as she pretended to steer him around the perimeter. Pia always knew she could count on her brother; they could face an actual real witch, and she wouldn’t think twice about her safety. “I heard she eats kittens and bunnies—” She squeezed her arms around his neck as he climbed over the stone wall, holding on as tight as she could “— So, we have to free them!” The rumored witch was nothing more than an elderly woman with a bad back who had way too many cats, and rabbits just happened to roam in the area, but Atropia didn’t know that.
Open a window, let all the cats run away, free them from the evil witch’s grasp, that was her genius plan. “I also heard she has really tasty snacks… all types of sweets,” Her smile widened, free the cats, steal the sweets, escape the witch, don’t get caught. Perfect plan. Up ahead, camps had been built where the army had taken over. It was for the town-folks safety of course, even though many of the commoners would disagree with that. Higher up’s in the military would easily recognize the kids, and if they were caught, they would immediately be brought to back to the palace. Avoiding town was key.
Unfortunately for Pia, she didn’t know about any camp, or captains, she didn’t know much about how they protected the Family and how they had to do it. There were prisoners as well as spies in the camps, people who wouldn’t think twice about harming either of them especially if they found out who they were, but as long as they stayed locked up, there obviously wouldn’t be an issue. Pia was naturally protected from the horrors of the war, she was far too young to have to learn about it.
As the old house came into view, the princess pointed straight ahead, then wiggled out of her brothers arms and landed on the ground. “That has to be it Alastair!” Her voice came out in a loud whisper, excitement shot through her veins, so many sweets waited just up ahead, and of course cute little animals too. She reached up and grabbed his hand tightly as she pulled him with her, looking for sticks that she could use as a weapon along the way.
The house was old and decrepit, moss and ivy snaked up the walls covering almost every corner, and if one didn’t know better it looked as if it had been abandoned. Pia slowed her pace, dropping her brothers hand in the process before running behind a nearby tree. She leaned over and grabbed a small stick that she felt looked like a little sword. It would definitely do the job. Within the house stood the old woman hunched over, stirring into a large black kettle, humming to herself while cats of all colors jumped on and off counters, mewing with her tune. At a small table nearby the front door, sat 3 soldiers, two of the men were playing cards, while the other was leaning on his hand watching the old woman. There were a few small windows, dusty and old, if someone tried looking into the house, they would have a hard time making out who or what was on the other side.
Atropia waved her stick at Alastair, a large grin taking up half of her face as she once again loudly “whispered” in his direction, “Lets go, lets go!” Crouching down, the young princess began making her way to the old house, doing her best to stay out of sight before finally they were a few feet away. She stood patiently waiting for her older brother then pointed at the windows, “They’re too high up…” Her once happy grin was now a deafeated frown, “How can we save the kittens if I can’t open the window?”
OOC: N/A Location: Corthyr | Witch House Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2025 5:31 pm
tab Alastair had begun the walk as he kept an eye out around him. He was aware of a lot of what was going on, and he knew because Pia wasn't he had to keep an eye on her. As he heard her talking about what the plan was he wrinkled his nose. " She eats them!? That's horrible. We have to go rescue them." he knew enough to realize that she didn't actually eat them but he also knew that she likely had a lot of cats and they'd return eventually. So if they let them out, there would be no harm, right? Either way he didn't worry about many people other than his little sister and she was perched on his back as he weaved through the woods avoiding town. When Pia started to squirm he widened his eyes but let go and huffed a breath out. She was always so...energetic. As her hand grabbed his he secured his grip on her hand as he found himself jogging to keep up with the younger girl. He raised an eyebrow at her when she picked up a stick and a sly grin flickered across his features. " How smart! We need to make sure we're armed, don't we?" he took a second as she ducked behind the tree. He ducked behind a different one and cursed mentally, realizing the soldiers would recognize them automatically. He couldn't afford to lose any training time, so they had to be really careful! As he moved over along behind her, he put a finger to his lips, kneeling slightly as he pointed over towards the direction that the voices drifted from. " I have an idea but we have to be a little more quiet. The witch has her minions over there with her too, don't want to spook them."
He then looked up and tried to gauge exactly how they could get to the high up window. He frowned himself before a vine covered lattice caught his eye. He smirked as he got a brilliant idea, or at least he thought it was. He hummed before whispering to Pia. " I have an idea, I can open the window if you can call the cats. Only cat calls though." he knew that this was somewhat risky but they were already there and he was beginning to have fun himself.
At the confirmation that she agreed with his plan he made sure she was safely hidden from sight before he made his way over to the wooden structure and hoped that it would hold him. He didn't think too hard on it, before he began to climb up it, hesitating occasionally to make sure he got a good grip and wouldn't fall on his a**. He almost made it to the windowsill when he heard a crack and he snapped his eyes up to see the top of the wooden frame begin to pull away from the house. He swung to the side, his hand barely catching on the sill before he pulled himself up and high enough to reach the latch. He pushed it up slowly, the stale air inside the house hitting him as he made a face. As he pushed it up high enough with one hand, securing his grip with his other he turned his head to her and whispered fairly loudly to her. " Get in the bushes! Hide!" as he warned her, the wooden lattice dropped hard to the ground, making a loud racket. He let go of the window, dropping himself into a bush and wincing as he landed hard on his ankle. He kept quiet even as the soldiers came around, his green eyes flashing out and looking to make sure Pia remained hidden as they looked over the wooden frame before beginning to head back around and laughing about it being an old house.
WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Worried
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Witch House
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2025 11:34 am
“Minions?” Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion while her brother instructed her to be a little quieter. She didn’t even realize she hadn’t been whispering, in fact she thought she was doing a good job at it. Pia turned to stick her tongue out at him openly disagreeing but still listenin, he did know better. “Fine!” This time around her voice was a quiet whisper, practically inaudible she spoke so softly. She wondered what he meant by minions, Pia wasn’t aware the witch had others who would help her, she just assumed she ate people too.
Her large emerald eyes followed his as he looked for a way to open the window, until they landed on some vines. Pia grinned, she knew he would find a way around the little problem, he always did. With a nod she hunkered down, it was fairly easy keeping herself out of sight thanks to the trees and large bushes surrounding the house. Plus, she was small, and she was simply just good at hiding. It was a small talent of hers, one she was proud of. She knew she was good at it because of how often she could surprise Alastair when he was training.
Pia squinted her eyes as he started climbing up, her heart was pounding in her chest, as she found herself worrying if the lattice was going to hold him. “Be careful big brother…” She stayed as quiet as a mouse, then she heard the wood crack, Pia stood up her eyes widening in fear. When he reacted quick enough to hold onto the windowsill, the princess exhaled, unaware she was even holding her breath. Of course he was going to be fine, he was her big brother, Alastair, he was good at everything in her eyes.
“Get in the bushes! Hide!”
She was taken aback by the sudden loud “whisper,” something he just told her not to do “That’s not a whisper!” She kept quiet as she mocked him, putting her hands on her hips stubbornly, but when she looked at the serious expression on his face, her arms fell to her side. She needed to hide, and fast. Pia moved further into the bush she had been near, once again crouching low to the ground before she sat and held her knees to her chest, trying to be as small as possible. She looked out of a small opening in the leaves just in time to catch a glimpse of Alastair falling into a bush, or did he jump? Pia winced at the sight; it looked quite painful. Next came aloud crash, making her jump hard at the sound, she squeezed her legs tightly as her eyes began to well up.
What if she messed up? What if they were about to be eaten?
Her eyesight was obscured as she did her best to curl into a small ball crouched on the ground, keeping her head in between her knees, but she could hear laughing. Were they laughing because they found their next meal? No, wait, they said something about an old house—Pia lifted her head out from her knees, her eyes and cheeks both red and puffy from her tears, but instead of a frown a mischievous smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Like a deer she popped her head out of the bush before pushing herself out of it, brushing leaves and whatever else that was in the bush from her shirt. She took a quick glance toward the door of the house before running to where her brother was. When she spotted him, she raised her arms in the air, “We did it! They didn’t find us—” Her whispered voice trailed off as she noticed that he looked a little bit in pain, “Did you get hurt when you jumped from the window…?” At this point her one-track mind was on her brother, if he got hurt, they would both be in trouble, and he was too big, she couldn’t carry him! They would die out in the woods! Her eyes started to fill with tears once again and her bottom lip quivered as she tried to hold them back. Then she threw herself at him, hugging him as tight as she could before loudly crying into his shoulder, “Are you dying?!”
OOC: N/A Location: Corthyr | Witch House Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2025 6:27 pm
tab Alastair really should have thought it through when he spoke louder than usual. His sister was stubborn much like he was, and that was often how they got into messes like fighting with one another over small things. As he waited out the soldiers he let out a deep sigh of relief, he certainly didn't need to get into trouble after all this. He placed his weight on his ankle and closed one eye but tried to keep the pain out of his expression, unsuccessfully at that. So when Atropia rounded the corner into the bushes where he'd landed he cleared his face but it was far too late. His eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen. He adored his sister, and it hurt his chest anytime she was upset but this wasn't a good time for him to have to comfort her. He waved his hands in denial before speaking in a hushed whisper. " Pia I'm fine! See? Fine!" unfortunately for the prince, it was too late and her one-track mind had dragged her to the worst possible scenario.
tab As he felt her arms wrapping around him he sucked in a sharp breath and his chest hurt from the guilt of making her worry. " No, Pia I'm fine! I'm not dying I promise..." he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as he leaned his head on her shoulder. Getting caught was the least of his concerns at this point, but the loud crying from the younger girl certainly got attention from those that he didn't want. As he tried to soothe his sister, he saw a shadow of a man come over him and Alastair tensed. They were caught. He turned his head back keeping his sister held close.
tab " Well, if it isn't Prince Alastair, and this must be the little princess." Alastair cursed his luck, the fact that they got found by someone who knew him personally. This was the man who had caught him multiple times before but he couldn't let it happen this time. " You know you're not supposed to be out here, never mind with the princess." the man spoke again and began to lean down but Alastair shifted in one quick motion, keeping Atropia close with one hand, lifting her legs up and jumping backwards. He had made some space between him and the man who narrowed his eyes at the adolescent prince. " Don't you dare run." Alastair knew the chances of them getting caught were high, but he was willing to take that chance.
" Hold on Pia, we've got to escape the bad man." he spoke to his sister as he held her close before he shifted his footing and moved to the side as the soldier tried to grab him and he began the chase before Alastair had disappeared into the woods nearby, slowing to a walk as he looked down at his sister. " You alright? he asked her, that feeling of protectiveness only increasing with her held against him.
WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Protective, Tense
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Woods by Witch House
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2025 1:19 pm
Even though he claimed that he wasn’t dying Pia didn’t believe him, “Of course you would say that!” She said through loud sobs, burying her head into his chest as he pulled her closer, ”Y-You—” Sniff, sniff, more crying, “—C-Can’t die!” Her eyes were shut, missing the large shadow that overtook the two of them. She felt her brother tense, which further proved her own point that he had to be lying, why else would he…
"Well, if it isn't Prince Alastair—” Pia turned her head slowly, just enough to see that they were indeed, caught “—and this must be the little princess." Rage replaced her cries pretty rapidly, her emotions all over the place lately, “I am not little!” She struggled against Alastair but he continued to hold her close, despite the fact that she was now hitting his back, albeit very softly to her older brother, but she was convinced she was doing some serious damage.
“Alastair!” She whined wanting to escape so she could ‘beat up the bad man’ but then suddenly, her feet were off the ground, her swollen eyes widening at the quick movement. She shifted her gaze to the man, then felt herself shrink a little in her brothers arms, “…He’s scary,” Her courage leaving her instantly at the sight of him. Turning her body inward, she wrapped her arms around his neck and once again buried her face into his chest, just in time for him to do what he does best, escape and keep her safe.
As they ran, she kept her eyes squeezed shut, holding her breath in the process, not only was her brother dying but now they were being chased?! Tiny quiet sobs muffled into his shirt. Finally, after what felt like forever he slowed his pace, she had no idea where they were, especially when she opened her eyes, the woods completely unrecognizable to her.
Her arms fell from his neck, and she instead gripped onto his shirt, “I’m sorry…” Lip trembling, the tiniest voice escaped her, as she tried to hold back tears. She brought her hand up to her big green eyes and rubbed them, taking a few short breaths before finally gathering the courage to climb out of his arms to the ground. “Do you think he followed us?” Her heart was pounding, she was scared, she didn’t know that man. However, something brought her attention back to what the man had said, her eyebrows scrunched together, “Did you know that man?” She fixated her gaze on Alastair, confusion now the forefront of her emotions, completely forgetting that she was the cause of his death.
She broke her stare when she heard a few birds, a smile replacing her frown as she looked up to the treetops, she had never been this far into the woods before. Even though they could have very well been lost, she knew her brother would keep them safe, and plus, he knew everything, so she wasn’t worried. The princess picked up a stick that was nearby her feet and started scratching into the ground, drawing stick figure versions of her and Alastair, both equipped with swords.
OOC: N/A Location: Corthyr | Woods Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2025 11:01 pm
tab Alastair didn't like the way the guard looked down at him. He certainly would be in trouble when they got back but she didn't need to be caught up in it. As the man tried to catch up to him he couldn't help but grin a little, he was faster and more agile than the guard, despite the fact that he'd caught him off guard many times. Alastair was a quick learner after all. He didn't miss the fact that his sister had buried her head into him and he kept his grip secure as he finally slowed to a stop. He could heard her quiet sobs and they tore at his heart. She had done nothing wrong, she wasn't to blame for any of that. He shook his head and as he lowered her legs down he set his hand on her head. " Doubtful. He's...not as fast as he used to be. Or I'm faster." he was breathing a little heavier but at her question he looked over to her and blinked. Did he know the man? Oh, she wouldn't recognize him, not being the good girl she usually was. He nodded, running a hand through his hair as he flashed her a grin. " Unfortunately! He's one of the guards usually tasked to keep an eye out for me, as I do this quite often." he admitted his faults without worry, his sister had been privy to plenty of his secrets before, and never told anyone a single one. " Although it's the first time he's caught me when I was out with you-- not that it stopped me from getting us away. Right?" his green eyes flashed with his rare care and compassion that he reserved for those close to him. That being Atropia and Arsene.
tab He didn't know exactly where they were, but he looked around and kept an eye out, surely he would be able to find his way out. And so long as he kept an eye on her, Pia would be just fine. She seemed to have trust in him which was appreciated especially now that he felt only slight uncertainty on how to get out. The sound of the birds caught his ear briefly before he looked back to his sister and watched her for a moment in quiet. " Do you want to keep exploring the woods or head back?" if she wanted to keep exploring he could make it seem like he meant to take them out here, but he'd leave it up to her.
WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Protective, Tense
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Woods by Witch House
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: Sorry he's kind of short!
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:32 am
The leaves crunched under the small princess’ shoes, she smiled purposely crushing a few in the process. Her brother explained that he knew the man and Atropia wasn’t surprised, not one bit. Of course he did, “You’re definitely faster!” She punched the air with determined, furrowed eyebrows, Pia was well aware of the troubles he would get into, and occasionally Arsene as well—although not as often. Pia returned his smile, eyes sparkling, she wasn’t ready to go back, it was a rare opportunity for her to get to be this far out of the palace. Plus, it wasn’t like they were in danger anymore.
Or so she thought.
About half a mile away two men quietly made their way down the path, scaring a flock of birds out of trees with the sounds of the boots against the ground. They were seemingly heading toward the village. Neither of them were in a uniform, and if they had any weapons they were hidden from view. One was tall, he had a large upper body, with muscles larger than Pia, he had a dark beard that covered most of the lower half of his face, and his hair was hidden beneath a hat. The other was also tall, only a few inches shorter than his partner. He had lean muscles, and he was bald with only a shadow of what used to be facial hair—likely recently shaved. Both men looked…rough. Their clothes did not look washed, and neither did they, likely traveling from a long distance.
Atropia had wandered off a few feet, enjoying the sounds of the crunching leaves, “Lets keep exploring—” She was too excited to go back and it wasn’t even that late yet, little Pia trusted her brother would be able to get them back in time. With a twist of her body, and a turn on her heel she raised her stick in the air in Alastairs direction, a smile spreading across her face, “—This way!”
Completing her turn, she skipped slowly ahead, not wanting to get too far from him, she knew he would scold her if she did. The path led away from the bad man, so she assumed it was the safest route, she flicked her gaze up to the sky, watching birds fly past them in the opposite direction. Pia giggled excitedly, then stopped and waved her hand wildly at the flock. “Alastair, there are so many birds today!” Animals didn’t linger much on the palace grounds, so when she saw them it felt like a treat just for her.
The woods were quieter than they had been in the past, perhaps the sounds of battle kept them away, so each crunch from the leaves on the ground felt louder than usual, which Atropia enjoyed. Her head turned back toward her brother before she set off again, skipping happily ahead, unaware that they were heading the direction of two strangers. They were also not too far from the village itself, there was a part of Pia that wanted to check it out, having never been there. Either way, Pia was just happy to be with Alastair, she was overjoyed that he decided to explore with her. “I have more snacks if you want any!” She yelled back to him, pointing the stick to her bag without taking her eyes off of the leaves underneath her.
OOC: Can't help the hijinx Location: Corthyr | Woods Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2025 7:55 pm
tab Alastair heard the sounds of footsteps around them, his head turning slightly as he locked onto the two men, despite the fact that they were so far away. He knew that his reputation made him a target even now, the childish son who never liked to stay put when he was told to. He also knew that there was quite a few staff members who were convinced to forgive the young prince for things he'd done while angry or frustrated. His green eyes snapped back to Atropia as she suddenly spun around and pointed her stick towards him and beyond him. He grinned and nodded, she had noticed the direction they had come from, which made him happy that she was able to catch on to her surroundings. " Lead the way!" he replied, his voice happier than before, seeing his little sister enjoy herself was something he didn't always like to admit, especially when his father told him it made him look weak. But deep down he just wanted his sister happy, particularly when she was made to go through some of the same things he was and he hated his father for pushing her through it. She had it a little easier, sure, but he didn't like it all the same. He kept a close eye on her, raising an eyebrow as he kept an even pace close to her making sure that she didn't get too far away from him so he'd be able to grab her if he needed to. He got so lost in watching her that he didn't register her comment right away. " Hm? Oh, yeah, lots of birds." he knew that he was partially the reason for the lack of animals that lingered. His anger was dangerous and if he didn't go outside he would knock out a room of people.
tab She had kept her eyes glued down to her feet, the crunching leaves making plenty of noise as he let out a relaxed expression for a moment. It wasn't often that he was able to actually relax. He began to let his guard down when he heard the deep voices of the men talking as they got closer. His green eyes snapped up and as Atropia announced she had more snacks he shifted his arm slightly and stepped up behind her, feigning a grin. He was nervous but he didn't want to make her aware of that. The men could likely be unimportant, and while he knew that was a possibility he wasn't beyond taking down a fully grown man to protect his sister. " You're all prepared for anything, aren't you?" he teased her, his eyes glinting with genuine excitement at the fact that she chose to spend time with him, not many people did that.
WHO WITH: Atropia
XXX
FEELING: Protective, Tense
XXX
WHERE AT: Corthyr; Woods by Witch House
XXX
WEARING: This with Sneakers
XXX
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2025 1:57 pm
Nothing else mattered to the young princess, but the sun and the breeze. Pia tilted her head back until she was looking at Alastair upside down. She dragged her stick through the dirt making a scratching noise in the process. Pia wasn’t sure, but her brother looked distracted. The tiny girl let out a hefty growl, then stopped in her tracks and turned her body, “Why aren’t you listening to me?” She dragged her question out in a long overly dramatic whine. It didn’t occur to her he was paying attention to their surroundings, or that he might have heard something. All she could focus on was why he didn’t care that there were so many birds. She could care less about his compliment about her being prepared.
Obviously, she was prepared. She was an expert adventurer.
The larger man stopped when they heard voices. His index finger shot up, shushing his partner so he could hear better. “Children.” He said in a low voice, returning his attention to the other man. They were Corthyrian soldiers. Were. The two were kicked out for blatantly disobeying orders, and being violent beyond what was necessary. For a while now they set up camp in the forest and had been stealing from the town to get by. They needed money and they wanted their old positions back. The two needed an in, and they were willing to do whatever was necessary to get what they wanted.
The two men moved off the path and crouched behind a bush so the larger one could get a view on the siblings. “It’s the prince.” A smirk slid onto his mouth, hidden by his burly beard. The skinnier one narrowed his eyes, “—And it looks like the princess has finally joined the troublemaker.” Both men snickered quietly. The perfect situation just walked right into their lives; all they had to do was get a hold of them. The exiled men were small potatoes compared to the generals and officers of the military, so it was safe to say the children might not recognize them, therefore giving them the upper hand. A little trick could go a long way. “The boy will be suspicious…” Started the thin one, “But if we get the girl…” The larger one finished his partners sentence, “…He’d have to come along now, wouldn’t he?”
“And we could use them both to get our jobs back.”
Meanwhile, Pia got distracted by a small squirrel. Luckily for Alastair it seemed that he may now be out of the doghouse. The small princess crouched down a few feet from the animal and pulled her bag of, opening it to reveal a small piece of bread. She grinned widely, holding her arm out as far as she could, shaking the bread to try and get the squirrels attentions. “It’s okay…” She said, surprisingly keeping a soft and gentle tone, “It’s just bread.”
The men watched patiently, discussing with one another if they should wait for them to be approached or approach them instead. They rock, paper, scissored. The large man won, so they went with the latter plan. He grinned, emerging from the bush, and walked toward the children, his partner by his side. His arm raised in the air when he was in clear view of them, “Hello children!” He yelled using an overly friendly tone. “Are you headed to the town?” He called out again, cupping his hands over his face.
Atropia suddenly looked up at the sound of a mans voice, and the squirrel darted away, stealing her attention from the adults. “No, come back!” She watched sadly as the animal disappeared into a tree. But to her delightful surprise, she noticed her hand was now empty. A smile replaced her frown, realizing the squirrel must have taken it before it ran off. She stood up, wiping off her skirt in the process, then barred her teeth at the men before looking back at Alastair, “They scared her!” She pointed in the direction of the tree the squirrel ran off to, then slowly walked toward her brother. The men were unfamiliar to her, so she decided she would let Alastair handle this. Maybe he knew them. They didn’t seem dangerous…
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare away your little friend," The burly one walked toward them until he was a few feet away, then stopped and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I hear there are more little squirrelies in the village, if you both are heading that way?" He smiled down to Pia, "Animals love me," The man lied, "Back at my home I have lots of food for them." His skinnier companion stood a bit further back, unmoving, and not speaking. The smile on his face didn't match the dead expression behind his eyes. Pia didn't seem to notice, she beamed and took a step forward, "Really?" Albeit still suspicious, he didn't seem all that bad. If animals liked him he must be normal. Right?
OOC: Bum, bum buuumm! Location: Corthyr | Woods Company: Alastair Wearing: Outfit
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Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2025 8:35 pm
  
Alastair allowed his full attention to be pulled back to Atropia as she accused him of not listening. He waved his hands and shook his head. " I was listening! You were talking about the birds, right?" there she went with her one-track mind. Never mind he complimented her; she was just focused on the fact that he wasn't focused. Alastair couldn't shake the feeling that the two men would become a problem, but he didn't want to offend his sister. She really had him wrapped around her finger. He briefly glanced up when she got distracted by the squirrel but couldn't see the men anymore. Perhaps they had passed by? He couldn't shake the feeling he had that something was wrong but clearly there was nothing for him to be worried about in the moment. His green eyes moved back to his sister as she tried to feed the squirrel food. He laughed under his breath, it was ironic that they were siblings; if asked by anyone else they were complete opposites, but they depended on one another more than most realized. He was startled when the men returned, a loud booming voice making his eyes narrow as he kept close to his sister. He didn't know if they recognized him, but he didn't know them.
He was surprised even further when she returned empty handed, maybe the creature at the offered food anyway. He would have smiled at the thought, but his eyes were focused on the men approaching them. The pair was right in assuming he would be suspicious; the prince had been up to his fair share of trouble, so he wasn't unknown around the parts at this point. His sister though, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He nodded his head to Atropia as she initially whined that the men scared off her friend, his arm protectively slinking around her shoulder as the man spoke about squirrels in the town. While he was sure the statement wasn't false, the fact that they'd be so open and well-known in the town made him worry. Word would get back to their father and he would have his a** handed to him. Especially for taking his sister out. " We appreciate it, but we're more likely to find friendly ones out this way, perhaps if it remains quiet in the forest, we'll get close again." he kept his voice low and even, not wanting to worry Atropia but he didn't want the men to think they'd won him over.
As he looked up and back to the other man he felt his blood run cold. Oh s**t. The lack of connection between his smile and his eyes made Alastair feel that immediate sense of dread again. They were in a limited space and here he was getting them into situations that weren't good! For the first time since their adventure out he felt his chest tighten with anxiety. That was a feeling he didn't like to have but he didn't like the fact that the skinnier man looked like he was watching them like a target. Particularly Atropia. " Pia-" Alastair warned in a low quiet voice, before he realized that he shouldn't have said her name. He gritted his teeth together and shifted to stand directly behind her, keeping his hand on her shoulder from before while his other hand flexed. He didn't know what they wanted, but it couldn't be good.
WHO WITH: Atropia
x
FEELING: Protective, Tense
x
WHERE AT: Corthyr, Woods
x
WEARING: This with Sneakers
x
OUT of CHARACTER: ...
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