Bryghtwood {Medieval Fantasy} OPEN!!!!!

After making sure the guests were done, the Mchawi and Tse-Tse got up from their spots. There was separate housing for male and female, though the royals would of course get also separate spaces to share with their respective partners.

Alma seemed to sense what Roman was feeling. "We'll be fine," she said gently. "This place is new to us, but the people here honor their word unless we give them a reason not to." And so far, no one had.

Once the pair were alone, Alma studied Roman for a moment. A small part of her wanted to "talk" about earlier, but instead she sighed and said "You were right earlier..." She would always be mad at the others, but she didn't want it to get in the way of anything.

Alma snorted. "Whether they're trying to make nice or not, they killed our people. That alone is enough to go to war with them! I thought you would know this! Having him do chores for us is hardly making anything better. Arranging trade with us is hardly making it better. What would make it better would be to cut his head off, but we can't do that without going to war with them! If he had been some lowly common rat, I'm sure they wouldn't have cared. But he is their son." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Whether they were guards, or commoners, or staff in our castle, they were our people! On our land! Him trespassing and stealing was something we could have overlooked, but not murder." She seriously doubted the guards truly had intent to kill him unless he did something to invoke such, which she hardly believed thievery would be enough for.

Alma's brows shot up. "I didn't say I was sorry. I said you were right. Right in that I shouldn't let my grudge completely influence me. Doesn't mean I can't still have it though. And how can you call the murder of our people small?? Just because they didn't grow up the same as you doesn't mean they matter any less!" Sure, Alma didn't live poorly before, but she had access to the areas that did. Areas where those guards had grown up in. "I understand wanting to make alliances, but I would've thought you'd value the lives of your people a bit more."

Alma pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, protecting the people after the ones that died." She then scoffed. "More training? So recognizing that someone shouldn't go unpunished for murder is untrained?" She turned away. "Fine. Fine. We will go into alliance with these people, and further feed their ego. Next thing you know, other kingdoms will step all over us and expect us to accept it." She was already turning to leave. "But what would I know? I'm apparently unfit for input." She then proceeded to leave the room, rubbing her temples as she left back out into the busy night.

As the friends walked through the busy area, a trio of kids simply walked up to them. They wore a mask just like everyone else (aside from babies), but there was still curiosity in their eyes as one of them asked "Are you two together?" It was almost nonexistent to see same-gender pairs in Deadlock mountains.

The looked suspicious. "Are you sure? I'm preeeetty sure you are." The other kids nodded in agreement. However, the brief conversation was interrupted when someone said "They're not. Endelea (go on)." The kids ran off with giggles as Tse-Tse walked over. "They think you are together because you are not wearing masks in each other's presence. And out in the open at that. Such is recognized as the highest level of intimacy to us, to shed your shell for another." But neither of the two were born in Deadlock. "Though it is... uncommon here to see two men or women together. Not that it is frowned upon."

Tse-Tse just studied him for a moment before she said "We do, but it is a needle in a haystack. Just not something that commonly occurs." And though it was not banned or anything, some still did not like it. "We don't necessarily pick our partners based on gender, surprisingly. It is the heart we study. Mainly because we also don't know what each other looks like." Not until they were very, very close.

"Our people find that practice silly. Especially in terms of alliances and the like. Marriage shouldn't be for any other reason aside from love, though I suppose the pair can develop feelings after said union." She gestured for them to walk with her as she turned to continue on. "Had you been born here, you'd have the freedom to court whoever you like. Save that they're available, of course. It would just take more time than the immediacy of other cultures."

Tse-Tse squinted slightly at this. "Sometimes you must choose yourself over the matters of the people. Selflessness is admirable, but you need to indulge your own desires too." She tilted her head. "I do look forward to seeing for myself what it will be like though, when I arrive there. And since fixing land is no easy matter, I will be spending considerable time there." There were other botanists to tend to Deadlock though, just none as good as her. "Though I don't think I'll ever understand the idea of fixed arrangements regardless. Hopefully you end up courting someone of your preference though. Both of you."

"Perhaps your determination will see to it that you end up with someone of your choice. As it should be." There was a moment of silence as the trio walked through the busy market area. "The people here think similarly, in a way. Trying to force something won't get you anywhere. It is a matter of what you think of the person, the connection, though some do let things like looks have a large say, unfortunately. I recieve a considerable amount of criticism for my eye alone." She did have cyclops blood running through her veins though, and was the Mchawi's child, but recieved only a fraction of the respect that came with either.

“Well you’ll fit right in when you visit our kingdom.” The soldier said happily, “we’re very diverse in terms of species. No one will think poorly of your eye.” He assured her.

Hakan nodded, “if you don’t mind could you teach me some of what you know? I’d like to know what’s wrong with my kingdom’s land and know how to fix it in the future when I’m king.” He said.