Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Speech" 'Thoughts'

Stefano was still getting used to the ins and outs of royal life when they had decided to send him to Utopia but being at the academy was like a crash course for how to behave like a rich person. Each day the Duke found himself learning more and more but it still wasn’t enough to be at the same level as his peers and he knew that. Even with his friends like Bonnie and Violetta helping him he was still drowning in the classroom and struggling to keep pace.

Walking through the hallways Stefano found himself dreading whatever subject it was they had next as he was surely going to fail it unless it was combat. His girls had told him there was a schedule so he wouldn’t have to guess which class he had each day but looking at all the names on the list and the times was rather difficult to follow so instead he just made a habit of following the herd to the next class. Today was no different as he threaded behind some familiar faces and debated internally which hallway they were in.

Well until he was stopped by a somewhat familiar face, Stefano recognized the girl from sitting next to her in a few classes which probably meant she was from Mercury as well but aside from that the Duke knew very little about her. She was cute but more towards the line of adorable, reminded him almost of Sonia in a way. But she was easier to understand at least. Sonia had a habit of talking a mile a minute while Stefano still had issues with processing those who spoke normally. " E-lar-a eh?" He smiled at the girl as she explained her mission, " If it’s the Duke of Mercury you seek then you have found him." He beamed as he flexed for a brief second to show off his muscles before remembering she had just explained they weren’t supposed to be bragging about their titles.

The compliment about his height was nice, or at least Stefano thought it was a compliment. It could have been a warning too for him not to hit his head. How caring of a girl to look out for him! " Doors are no match for the Great Stefano but I appreciate your concern, young miss." Looking at her he couldn’t understand why it was so urgent that she speak with him, he hadn’t remembered any letters asking for him to look after anyone besides the princess unless he had misread it and there were two. Stefano was sure he only counted one on his coordination day, but then again counting wasn’t exactly a strength of the duke.

" So what is it that you needed my services for? I am sure it’s not just to warn me about falling doors. Looking for a bodyguard?" He was curious about what had sent her to him, given how little of a name he had made for himself outside of combat class. Even then there were others who were far greater than him like Scar Face, Scary Mary, and the Beautiful Bonnie who were far more suited to such tasks as keeping someone safe.



Where: Hallway With: E-Lar-Ah Outfit: Formal

"Speech" 'Thoughts'
Thankful his door joke passed the vibe check, Stefano was pleased by the little girl’s eagerness. Stefano was sure that he had heard he wasn’t supposed to talk to others about his title, but since she was approaching him, it had to be okay. Plus, she was a Mercury Duchess, so they were bound to meet anyway. They had sat next to one another in a few classes, so it was about time they officially met. Her demeanor seemed inviting and well-meaning, so there wasn’t any reason to be wary of her.

Until the brunette started talking about his upbringing, her question seemed innocent enough, not knowing about his rise to power and all, it felt weird to talk about it so openly. Especially when he didn’t know what he had done to receive such an honor. The king said that it was due to his successes in the war. His fallen commander had instructed that Stefano take his place, but the blond had no idea how to rule, so many were sure it was some mistake. Including Stefano, his time at the academy hadn’t helped that idea either, but at least here he was learning how to rule when he was to return.

Looking at the cutie, it was hard to say what was cooking in that head of hers, but it was safe for Stefano to assume she was no threat. After all, the whole reason they were here was for peace, right? And they were in the same kingdom; trying to stir something up with him would be silly! " Fellow kin huh? I like the sound of that! Let’s be friends!" He swooped the girl in a hug, giving her a quick squeeze before realizing they were still in the hallway and not a private setting, " Whoops. Sorry. I mean, my apologies, I am learning about boundaries." Yes. There was a word he had been practicing, along with many others, thanks to the wonderful teachers and people here at Utopia.

Stefano had gotten so swept up in the idea of them becoming closer that he had almost forgotten about her second question, but thankfully, he had been practicing his listening as of late. The duke rubbed his chin, thinking about what to say to her without causing an uprising. Elara seemed cool enough, but he couldn’t speak for any passersby on how they might feel about some commoner taking the throne from one of them. Clapping his hands together in realization, the two, being from the same nation, began to speak in their native tongue, " You can understand me, yes?", smirking at his own brilliance. If only the Bonnies could see him now.

" I am new to this royalty thing, but we can keep this a secret, right fellow kin?" His smile remained, happy at his cleverness. Bending down so he could be closer to her, he held a finger to his lips, made a “shh” noise, and winked. " If you want, we can make some memories of our own, and it can be like we were lifelong friends in no time!" His tone was excited, hopeful that his attitude was enough to sway her.



Where: Hallway With: E-Lar-Ah Outfit: Formal

"Speech" 'Thoughts'
Stefano’s conversation with Elara had him feeling all bubbly inside. It had been such a long time since he had made a friend. There was Violetta and Bonnie yes but, his feelings for them often made it difficult for him to tell them everything had been bringing him down. Elara being from Mercury, knew about his background and didn’t seem to care. She had been the first person to approach him about the issue, but he was sure it wouldn’t be the last, so he was glad she was so understanding about it.

There was also something nice about speaking your native tongue so openly. He was sure that his advisors had told him the rules and there was nothing against the two of them speaking in their native language just ones about revealing your status to another. Did it count as him revealing his status if she already knew it? Stefano wasn’t one for breaking the rules especially when it was such a blessed gift to be here.

The king had given him this opportunity to come here and learn the ways of being a royal, not something he could just simply pick up while sitting in his comfy tower. There was too much of a risk for him to fall short in any of his subjects or step out of line. Stefano wondered if a fellow duke had sent Elara to come check on Stefano to make sure he wasn’t making any mistakes, but she seemed too innocent to be some spy. It was hard for him to think about anyone from Mercury trying to give him a hard time with how much they had put on the line sending him here.

So, it was decided that Elara was someone he could trust. Kin. Family. " Any tips are very much appreciated," He smiled down at the girl as he returned to the common language, " Starting with where to go, I can never navigate where we are supposed to go but most of the other students have made their way there already." Stefano had hoped at this point he would be a creature of habit but one step out of his routine he failed to remember what was next.

Given his age, Stefano was supposed to be the guide for her but instead of feeling down on himself, he took this as an opportunity. If she willing guided him without snide remark, her words were something to behold. " While we are walking you can tell me about what it was like growing up royal, we can uh-compare notes." He smirked as he waited for her response before following her lead.





Where: Hallway With: E-Lar-Ah Outfit: Formal

"Speech" 'Thoughts'
Most might find it strange being led around by a girl of her size, but Stefano was used to it. His mother was rather short herself, so once he started to grow, the jokes started. It was easier when they were directed at his height and not his mother’s stature. However, Stefano doubted anyone would make those jokes about him now given his new title. It was a lot to consider with the way everything unfolded, he wondered if this would be the first of many conversations he would have to say about the late duke.

" Yes, I would hate to make you late to class. Especially after we just met after all." He smiled as the girl tried to figure out where to send him. At least he wasn’t the only one confused by the hallways in Utopia. He hated the idea of making the both of them late to class, but trying to find the room on his own was a crapshoot. Elara was his best bet at finding it, as embarrassing as it was to admit.

Once she started talking, it was adorable to think she even considered herself spoiled. He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be endearing, but given the sense of entitlement some royals had, it was nice to meet someone who was willing to admit their flaws at the very least. A small chuckle escaped him as he thought about how demanding one had to be to think of themselves as “spoiled”. Elara didn’t have servants waiting on her hand and foot and guiding her every which way, which was a strong start; he was sure she was just being too tough on herself.

" A lady such as yourself shouldn’t have to go to work. The whole reason I went was so children such as yourself didn’t have to." Stefano stated matter-of-factly as he followed the girl. After all, she was a duchess, she had no business being on the lines of war. It was shocking to him to learn so many women of nobility had, but it was never an expectation Stefano had created. Ideally, they would be able to stay safely at home and take care of things so soldiers didn’t have to worry about their families back home.

It wasn’t Stefano’s place to talk to her about parenting styles and choices, but he couldn’t help himself this one time. " Sounds like your father and mother just wanted you to worry about existing. Kind of them. If it were up to my mother, I wouldn’t have gone to the front lines myself." A gentler way of saying his mother threatened him with a wooden spoon if he ever tried to leave home without her say so again. But if he had listened to her he wouldn’t be here now, and she would still be washing his underwear so he would have a clean pair for tomorrow.





Where: Hallway With: E-Lar-Ah Outfit: Formal