ＯＵＲ ＬＡＳＴ ＨＯＰＥ

[val.]

Ｋ'Ｊｏｏｒ
job :; huntress
species :; khajit
where :; woods
under rule of :; istoth
doing :; hunting
with :; adelaide

K'Joor stayed quiet, before sighing gently and putting her dagger away. By the way the nomad fixed her clothes to hide her bandages gave the cat a slight bit more of assurance. With a large sly grin, the Khajit moved out into the light and crouched by the fire, a good few feet away from the nomad, her eyes not leaving her. Why would you want to know my name? I am not much of a nomad than you. K'Joor said in a soft reply, her ears twitching at the almost silent creaks and cracks now and then. K'Joor of Istoth, though I'd rather not go back home with my new found reputation. Finally the cat uttered, her fur bristling up, a louder snap caught her attention. Bear, she thought, lifting her head up and taking her eyes off the nomad to gaze into the forest. Her eyes narrowed, as they got use to the light and she saw a figure, not a human or anything she could see, but a large animal which she quickly realized to be a Cougar. K'Joor chirped loudly, and then hissed repulsively as the larger and bigger cat came walking out of the forest. The Khajit hissed louder, and lifting her hand into the air and showing her claws, the Cougar backing up, before trotting off. She knew most of the predators were out now, and she though soon a wolf or two would call out that they had caught something and she'd be trying to find it. Turning her attention to the nomad, K'Joor looked her up and down, before staring deep into her eyes, as if she was invisible. And you? Her now deeper voice said, calm and quiet.

[Dark.]

Pʀɪɴᴄᴇ Aᴇʀᴏɴ ᴏғ Sᴇᴜʟɢʜᴇᴍ
currently;; sparring with Alvere | tagged;; Alvere, Dorian

Aeron nodded a greeting in response to Dorian. There was usually no need to introduce himself in return. Based on last night's performance, Aeron was doubtful there would be a single person in Istoth who didn't know who he was. So the man wasn't a fighter, simply an onlooker. Now Aeron thought about it, he had seen his face before. One of the many servants packed into the hall last night he supposed.

Alvere began to speak again and Aeron listened grinning. Both were true he supposed; the innocent did not stay that way for very long around him and, as for romance, Aeron could do with more of it. True, he did have some charms, though he rarely every used them. Courting women had always seemed too much like hard work - especially when he could have his pick from most of the wenches in Seulghem. All he had to do was swagger over to them and mention he was the Crowned Prince. That usually made them fall at his feet. Only a few times had he ever been rebuked. The most notable time was with a feisty young red-headed barmaid. She'd slapped him round the cheek so hard he felt it the next morning. Naturally, Aeron had given chase and pursued her affections for two weeks - possibly the longest time he's ever had to spend trying to impress a woman. In the end his work paid off and he got his reward. Last he'd heard however, the word had been he'd sired a bastard child on her, so Aeron had made sure to steer clear of that part of town.

When Alvere mentioned warming up, Aeron grin grew a little. He let out a laugh, "The most warming up I've done this morning is get up out of bed." he paused, "I didn't even dress myself this morning!". Lightly, Aeron dropped the rose down onto the bench beside Alvere and turned, moving a safe distance away from the benches. Reaching around, he drew Widowmaker and turned back to face Alvere. If swords, as Dorian so eloquently put it, were merely 'glorified sticks', then to him at least Widowmaker must be the Queen. Queen of the sticks. Her long blade shimmered blue-black, the razor-sharp edge catching in the sunlight. Aeron spun her in his hands. She was exceptionally light for a long sword; much lighter than the tourney sword he'd have to use when the competition actually begun. Aeron straightened up, pointing his sword straight at Alvere, "En gardè!".

[Keriae]

ＡＬＶＥＲＥ.
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[ male ] [ seulghem ] [ tagged: aeron ]

Alvere scoffed. As a prince, he didn't think Aeron had ever had to dress himself: not like himself. He had always had to dress himself, although nowadays it took a little longer, with all the leather and swords he had to place on his person. Swinging his crossed feet from the rail in front of him, Alvere stood and swept his hat from his head. It was placed on the seat he had been sat on as he watched the white rose drift to the other seat from the corner of his eyes. He personally would have tucked the flower into his dublet (if he had one).

Following the Prince, Alvere let him lead the way as they headed a fair, safe distance away from the stands. He could feel the heated gazes of the two royal couples from their box as they watched the pair warm up: there was nothing else they would have to do until the tournament began. With a half smile, he stretched his legs in a couple of lunges to warm up the muscles there, quickly followed by a brief stretching of his arms. Aeron seemed to be admiring his weapon. Rolling his eyes - though he did think Widowmaker was a fine sword - Alvere drew out his own. It was a long, thin and agile rapier, as standard for the Royal Guard, but it had been by his side and protected him from death more times than he could count. After a few years he'd christened it Willbreaker. Not as fancy as Aeron's, but it did it's job and had never failed him.

Within moments Aeron had his sword pointed at Alvere's chest, squarely over his heart. Raising his eyebrows, the guard raised a hand to his forehead and gave it a theatrical wave, accompanied by a quick bow. Then placing one arm behind his back, he settled into a fighting stance with ease. "As you wish." He responded.

Fancy footwork was his forte in situations like this. Stepping quickly forwards, he arched his sword up into the air, aiming to bring it down onto his friend's shoulder.

[Dark.]

Pʀɪɴᴄᴇ Aᴇʀᴏɴ ᴏғ Sᴇᴜʟɢʜᴇᴍ
currently;; sparring with Alvere | tagged;; Alvere, Dorian

Aeron watched as Alvere stood, accepting his invitation. The Royal Guard drew his own sword, a rapier perhaps even lighter than Aeron's long sword. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the piqued interest of the four older Royals. For some reason, he wished their gazes were not trained on him and Alvere. He wasn't surprised however, as there was little else to see yet. Watching the 'drunkard' Prince potentially getting his just desserts would be too entertaining to miss.

Aeron rolled his eyes slightly, letting a tsk of air slip between his teeth as Alvere bowed and waved. Always one for formality and theatricality. As his friend settled swiftly into a fighting stance, Aeron had barely enough time to prepare himself before Alvere struck forward. Aeron dropped his shoulder down, his right arm striking across him to meet the sword with his own. The clash of steel on steel grated as Widowmaker responded to the rapier's bite. With a heave of his shoulder, Aeron managed to deflect the attack; though he was on the backhand, causing him to stagger a few steps backward.

Aeron quickly regained his composure, squaring himself up and adopting his own offensive stance. For someone like Alvere, whom had trained with Aeron regularly, the Prince would be simple to read. His attack consisted of almost pure offence; his defence was lacking but not without substance. Aeron was not a great advocate for speed or fancy footwork, instead preferring to catch his opponent on the backhand and tire them with a pressing onslaught of strikes. The Prince was by no means a bad swordsman; he could wipe the floor with just about any amateur; however a trained swordsman like Alvere could easily - and often - give Aeron a run for his money.

Aeron licked he tongue around his teeth, grinning slightly. Although this was only friendly sparring practice, Aeron's competitive streak had already awakened, placing his pride squarely on the front line. "Perhaps you should give up now, my friend. I'd hate for you to have to bother Lady Adela with another minor wound." Trash talk was not the Prince's strongest point, but he threw it out regardless whenever he sparred. With that, Aeron launched himself forward, raising his blade for a forceful downward blow; clearly hoping to knock Alvere off balance and press him backward.

[Dragonette_11]

Єlizabeth αnne αrabella
↢ ☩ ↣
At the Stands
↢ ☩ ↣
Tagged: Kai
↢ ☩ ↣
Single
&
No Love Interest

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It was at times like these where Elizabeth wanted to scream out 'I am the wanted thief!' or 'I am the one whose yet to be caught and defeated!'. But then again, she had to be a good girl and keep herself out of trouble for the sake of the poor. "We'll just see about that," she merely replied, determined to prove this man completely wrong.

Then he spoke of the creature she had her eyes on. "Yes.. She is quite a troublemaker. I encountered her yesterday as well," she murmured, and now decided that the cat humanoid was female. A few things starting to click in her mind when Kai told . So yes, she did indeed know this man, if not formally. She still had yet to learn of his name for he never gave it when she gave him her 'name'. But she did know that he was one of the Istoth guards whom had come to greet the Seulghem envoy, which she was just so happening to watch from the trees adjacent to the road, right when they had been robbed.

[Keriae]

ＡＬＶＥＲＥ.
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[ male ] [ seulghem ] [ tagged: aeron ]

As he had expected, Aeron blocked his sword but the force caused the prince to step back a few paces. He knew Aeron's strengths, and he knew Aeron's weaknesses. He knew his friend's fighting style and he knew the little quirks in his moves, the places where he could get the best hit. However, training so often together meant that Aeron also knew this about him, and they were both trained swordsmen - Aeron not as much as him (it was his job to be good with a sword, after all) - so it was always a close call to see who would win.

This meant Alvere had to think outside of the box. His eyes took in the surrounding area: over there, a small dip in the ground; over here, a small rock; just behind Aeron, the ground sloped upwards slightly. Aeron settled into his offensive stance (quite a familiar sight, although a little strange to see in an Istoth arena compared to the courtyard of the Seulghem barracks) and offered some trash talk. Alvere laughed loudly at the words. "I could agree with you," the Guard mused out loud as Aeron came at him.

Ducking down into a crouch so he was out of the way of the longsword with one hand resting on his thigh, Alvere thrust his own upwards the block the attack above his head with the flat of his blade. "However, we'd both be wrong." A flick of the wrist sent steel grating against steel as the sharp edge of the blade of Willbreaker moved along the Widowmaker. Another flick sent the blade away from immediate danger to his head and the Royal Guard stood upright with a wide grin. "You act as if your arrogance if a virtue, my friend, but arrogance does not win fights: skill does." A dig at Aeron's skills. Both of them knew they were closely matched but their different styles always lead to a challenge. He would let the prince attack again.

[-Starchild.Keith-]

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➳ Kai
Kai Saunders
20, male
assassin/guard

tagged: Elizabeth

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Kai absentmindedly nodded his head as Elizabeth spoke, his eyes still trained on the K'Joor until she was out of sight. He huffed once, turning back to glance at Elizabeth for a moment. Not sure what else to say, he turned and caught sight of Alvere and Aeron sparring. Their playful banter could barely reach his ears, but it was entertaining to watch them and imagine their conversation. He was still amazed that Alvere was as spry as he was, seeing as how only last night he had been stabbed in the arm by the one he was now sparring.

As Kai watched, he mused about the other entrants. While letting Seulgehm win would show courtesy, he refused to let anyone best him. Even though he would be in his human form, he would probably rely on his cat-like instincts to help him. If this were a tournament with no rules, he knew that he could win. Who could kill a leopard, anyway?

[Dragonette_11]

Єlizabeth αnne αrabella
↢ ☩ ↣
At the Tournament
↢ ☩ ↣
Tagged: Kai/N/A
↢ ☩ ↣
Single
&
No Love Interest

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Her eyes had follow the man's when she noticed him looking at something, and she too became immersed in a sword fight between two of the Seulghem men. Sighing softly, she arose, deciding that she should practice a bit more. "Sorry to leave, but I believe some more practice might do me well. After all, I'm only a woman, aren't I?" she said to the man, smirking in a challenging way before heading down the stands.

Clearing her throat, she made her way down along the stands, heading away from the dueling pair, towards a clearing amoungst the tournament items. She would much rather prefer to practice with her bow, but there was no target to shoot at. Sighing softly, she rolled her shoulder, drawing out her sword and ran her fingers down the cool metallic blade. Taking it in both hands, she once again started to practice by herself, alone... so alone... x3

[norm]

repost for vita!

ａｄｅｌａ，

THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF-----THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF
THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF-----THE ONLY THING WE HAVE TO FEAR IS FEAR ITSELF

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Once she had finished healing Alvere's shoulder wound, she had taken the offered glass of water from Val."Thank you m'lady." Her tone was laced with enjoyment, but had a slight ping of exhaustion. After drowning the refreshing cup of water, the Lady turn towards Aeron and Alvere whom where exchanging words. A muffled scoff came from her lips as she bent down to grasp her medicine bag. "I don't care even if you are a Prince, your a dumbass." Adela grinned playfully and pushed her hair back over her shoulders. "As for you Alvere, I'm not so certain you didn't get in the way." She flashed a humorous smile at him also with a hint of seriousness. Lady Adela nodded to Princess Evan, paying her respects before making her down down the balcony stairs into the large hallway. She turned to wave to Val and Kai, then motioned Leonidas to follow her. "You know if your going to be my guard, you have to suit my needs" Adela winked at him in a flirty way before tapping his cheek lightly with her hand and with that she whisked away playfully down the hallway, up for a game of chase.

[duckworth]

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ＥＶＡＮＧＥＬＩＮＥ
Princess Evangeline "Evan" Blythe
female | eighteen | Isoth
tagged: anyone at the tournament
tournament courtyard
about to enter the tournament
no crush & single
❝ If we don't end war, war will end us. ❞
— H.G. Wells
format © vitality.

Evangeline was dressed as a man right now. Her hair was tied tightly into a ponytail and tucked securely into a helmet. Dirt was rubbed on her face and her breasts were bound to disguise her female identity. Despite being rather short, only two inches above five feet, Evangeline was also fully clothed in leather armor, so maybe she looked at least a tiny bit masculine? Perhaps they would mistake her for a dwarf, seeing as she was only a little bit taller than the male dwarves she had seen in her lifetime. Hoping the helmet shadowed her face enough so that people wouldn't see her gentle, feminine features or her full lips and long eyelashes, she gritted her teeth, rubbing more dirt onto her face to look as dirty as possible. After all, any royal lady would never allow herself to become so messy. Other than Evangeline, of course, the infamously tomboyish princess of Istoth.
Securing her boot straps more tightly around her feet, Evangeline began to make her way to the tournament courtyard, already outside and close to it. She heard some clashing of swords, probably from people practicing and warming up before it started. She hoped she wouldn't be late, as a lot of time had been spent preparing her disguise. Evangeline doubted her parents would allow her to enter and fight against men, especially not Prince Aeron or other Seulghem royals. But Evangeline was never one to care or listen, and so she trekked farther up the trail, spotting Prince Aeron with Alvere. Clearing her throat, Evangeline kept mostly to herself at the side of the courtyard, examining her sword and shield. She was prepared to speak in a lower voice if someone talked to her, wondering if anyone would be suspicious as to her lack of facial hair. She probably looked like a very feminine, very young boy right now, but she didn't care. As long as she could enter the tournament and beat some stronger men, it would be very humbling to the hotheaded knights and royals competing.

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ＬＥＯＮＩＤＡＳ
Leonidas "Leo" Gorgon
male | twenty-two | Seulghem
tagged: Adela
somewhere in the castle (he's lost)
feeling rather energetic
really has no idea & single
❝ When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die. ❞
— Jean-Paul Sartre
format © vitality.

Leonidas grinned crookedly at Adela, quickly catching up to her with his longer stride. "And what would those needs be, exactly?" Leo asked, a heavy blush creeping up from his neck to his cheeks, feeling the burning that her touch had left on his face. Resisting the urge to rub the heated flames from her fingers off his cheek, Leonidas kept one step behind the lady, making sure not to lose her in the wandering hallways of the grand castle. Leonidas barely even noticed when he got lost, and despite his good sense of direction (most of it came from his animalistic instincts as a dire wolf shapeshifter), he felt mildly annoyed that he was so confused. He blamed it on Adela, seeing as he never thought straight with the talented healer around.
"Um, if you know where to go, that would be lovely, Adela. I was thinking of entering. For the tournament, I mean. Maybe I'll enter? Is that allowed? I'm not... royalty. I'm a footsoldier. I'm not even a knight." Widening his deep blue eyes, Leonidas paused and looked at Adela a bit worriedly. "Would they let me fight? Is that... is that a thing? For commoners to participate?" Fingering his sword, a nervous habit of his, Leonidas resisted the urge to draw it right there and then. For some reason, he always felt more confident and comfortable with a good, balanced weapon in his hands. It made him feel stronger, like he had something to support him, which made sense, considering a weapon was a very good source of defense. A good fighter, Leonidas could probably make it rather far into the tournament, although of course he'd lose to someone more experienced and stronger, like Prince Aeron or Alvere of the Royal Guard. Still, Leo always liked a challenge, and he did need to sharpen his skills, and maybe even show off a little bit to Adela, even if she already knew that he was a skilled soldier. Shrugging, Leonidas waited patiently for Adela, wondering just who was guarding who at the moment.

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