inactive

(all the heads of the different castle departments were invited! technically hava and vetiver share the position of head healer so he's welcome to come! there is room for him and we need more guys there anyways haha)

Efos followed lead and stood behind her own chair, steadying herself on the high back of the fancy furniture. An admirer? She was almost afraid to look. None of her guardsmen had seen her in anything other than their uniform or training clothes, usually covered in blood, dirt, or both. Risking a glance up, she made eye contact with Tristan, glad the rouge on her cheeks hid the blush. He looked good in the ceremonial uniform, and he was staring right at her, his mouth agape. She risked a little smile, biting her lip as she looked away, spotting trouble in the form of her commander walking towards her...Oh dear.

(hey I gotta go for a bit but I'll be back on later!)

(Okay dear)

Efos looked nervous, rubbing her arm roughly as she smiled at Alejo. "Thank you," she looked down, awkwardly returning the favor. "I like your clothes; they're much fancier than our ceremonial uniform." She commented, noting that he still had a sword on his hip. Did he ever take a night off? The guards were here. He should relax!

(Thank u Stephen)

(( okay! ))

Vetiver, true to his reputation, was slightly late for the feast. By the time he got there, it seemed that most of the others had arrived. He took his seat between Efos and Lilia, looking around the room. He enjoyed seeing everyone get all dressed up. Vetiver had dressed up a bit himself, draped in dark earthy browns and greens. His ears were adorned with raw emerald studs, and he had a sprig of lavender pinned to his lapel. Beside him he could see Efos and Hava talking with Alejo. They all looked wonderful, and his gaze lingered on Hava in particular with her soft purple dress. She was facing away from him, so Vetiver didn't worry about being caught looking at her.

(yep! sorry about that guys, had to go eat dinner and such. but I'm back on now!)

Hava gave Alejo an impressed look, "It looks very nice. Is it a purely ceremonial sword or does it serve a dual purpose?" She asked, making conversation before the king and queen arrived. Then she spotted Vetiver a few seats down and her face lit up. "Vetiver! I didn't know if you were going to make it!" She said, a big smile on her face.

When Tristan saw Stephen's thumbs up, his face turned bright red, and he acted like he had no idea what his friend was talking about and simply gave him a quizzical look before putting on a face of stone. But every now and then he risked a glance at Efos.

(actually it was pink but it doesn't matter haha) When Kenna finally saw Jackson, her heart did a little back flip at his smile. She gave a small smile back, not wanting to seem overly happy to see him, but her eyes betrayed her excitement. She shifted her gaze from him to some of the other men in the room, as though he was an interesting thought, but she had other options. Nothing wrong with playing some games, right?

Finally, the King entered the room with the beautiful queen by his side. The two parted ways at one end of the table, the king walking up the left and the queen walking up the right until they met once again at the opposite end of the room. The rulers stood with their heads high as the whole room bowed or curtsied to them. They returned the favor with small nods, then the king announced, "You may be seated!"

Valcory sat at the table, her head resting on her hands. She looked around at the people next to her with pure dislike. She was hungry, and all she cared about was the food. As the queen and king made their entry, she sighed and stood. She hadn't had much contact with the king, and for her to be at this feast made her feel really out of place. She rather enjoyed the solitude of her room and the company of Sophia.

(yes there are 2 princes and 1 princess and yes let me find it)

Attai laughed. "Your so on." She matched the wicked gleam in his eyes and turned away to fetch her horse. She silently hoped that her parents wouldn't catch her and call her in for the day. As she walked away towards her home, she slinked around the bushes, hiding from the eyes of those around. Her servants would call her name, and give her away if she let herself out in the open. "I cant even go to my own home without having to hide." She thought angrily. As she rounded the corner of her house, she made a mad dash for the stables. Once inside she found Her stallion, Spruce. "Hey they handsome.' She said soothingly to the horse, not wanting to spook it from sneaking in the barn. She ran her hand down the side of the horse on her way past, heading towards the little closet where she kept her saddles and lead ropes. As she quickly stepped in, she figured she would ride bareback. She grabbed the halter and a change of outfit. She put on her slacks and a rugged, slightly tight fitting t-shirt and her muck boots. She slid her hair up in a tight bun and grinned. It had been a long time since she had ridden, and the thought of riding with Jax made her heart soar.

After she lead Spruce out, she jumped on his back, feeling his every move under her. She closed her eyes and breathed in the horses hot smell. He smelled of hay and oats. Her favorite. She gently pushed her heels into the side of the horse, giving him the okay to go on. As she cantered away, all she could think about was Jax.

"Thank you." Alejo replied to Efos before turning back to Hava "It was made mainly for proper combat. It just happens to look good as well." He responded and looked over to see Vetiver. He was about to greet him when the King and Queen entered the room. He bowed and sat down as the King told them to. He was seated between Prince Jackson and Hava and opposite of Princess Luna.

Valcory noticed Efos looking slightly uncomfortable as the king walked in. She made eye contact and attempted a smile. "Your uneasiness is showing." She said, trying to lighten up the mood. She herself was just as nervous, if not more.

The king stayed standing once everyone had sat down. He picked up his goblet and raised it. "Thank you all for coming tonight. I organized this feast to thank you all for your past and future loyalty to this kingdom and myself." He began. He had heard rumors of unrest within the castle Gracelings, and he was hoping that this feast would help keep their loyalty. Other than the royal family and a few nobles, everyone else was a graceling. His kingdom was built upon their cooperation. "It is your hard work and dedication that make this kingdom great. So I raise a toast to you and the rest of the castle staff, and say thank you." He said with a smile and thankful nod at his guests. Then he went around the room and thanked each person individually for their contributions to the castle. When he finally finished, he turned to the servants, and yelled "Bring out the food!"

Tristan reciprocated Efos's smile, but his was much more discreet. He didn't want others to think he was distracted.

Efos couldn't help but laugh; she found laughing came easy when she was nervous. "Was it that obvious?" She asked, her voice soft and a little hushed as the others around them made idle conversation. "I need to get better at hiding it, hmm?" She asked her new friend, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Hiding her emotions should be easy, as she should always be neutral when on duty, but Efos had never been good with her emotions. They were tricky things.

She found the King's speech nice, but felt weird as he thanked her personally. She wasn't even originally supposed to be here; did her presence throw him off? Probably not, the unexpected appearance of a guard wouldn't throw a wrench in a Kings plan. Peering at her servants awkwardly, Efos found she hated being served almost as much as she hated being babied. She thanked them endlessly, looking uncomfortable that she wasn't helping.