Autumn Bindings
The grandmother's hand darted out quick as a serpent's strike to catch Rhydian's princely vestment. Reedy voice kinetically enhanced to carry, she called, "I thank you, Prince of Aerion, and I wish you luck in all your athletic endeavors."
Her clever eyes cut decisively toward the king. With a merry twinkle in them, she opened a portal and informed her grandchildren that she would 'be in her bunk' and walked from the festival grounds into her boudoir with the vest held to her face like a satchet of potpourri, leaving a gaggle of grandchildren looking around with some embarrassment.
"Grandmother truly doesn't give a single solitary fuck," one whispered to another. They all bowed to His Serene Highness before retreating.
The red-headed elf did a fair amount of sleight-of-hand with Hytori coin—of course, they hadn't yet adopted currency from the Guild of Coin's mint as they were waiting to see if Avenna were a flash in the pan or would truly become a goddess—but no magic. When he looked more closely at Torin, he smirked, reached out, and thumbed a bit of grease from the corner of his mouth and surreptitiously sucked it from said digit.
Nobody but Torin noticed, and soon enough, the elf was more absorbed in the page who had come to call Akantha to her father's side. Another came for Rhydian. Festivals such as these were like that: royalty would go out and mingle, return for certain things, and then wander off to follow their interests, and so on.
The redhead offered Akantha his arm and, for whatever reason, it didn't seem odd when she slipped her arm around his. Sivan nudged Torin, leading him in a bow.
"I hope to see you again before the end of the festival, ma'am."
Her gallant led her toward wherever Ailuin had gone off to.
"What lovely pores you have," he told her, squinting. "As in, they are invisible. The skin of a goddess!"
Once they were out of earshot, Sivan said, "I think we had better not run." He peered at his friend, reading his aura as well. "You are... intoxicated. Perhaps we ought to get you some more food. What are you looking at...?" For whatever reason, following Torin's gaze didn't lead his own to the redhead, who had glanced over his shoulder briefly as he processed away with Akantha, and caught the stoner's attention.
"All right, before we do that..." He put his hand on Torin's broad shoulder and guided him toward the racers who remained. While talking to strangers was one of his least favorite things to do, he was in Silfanore, and so he had to act like a proper Hytori.
As they approached, the person who had tied with Rhydian was speaking to a couple of the other racers. Sivan was trying not to think of Rhydian only half-dressed, or glance after him. Having watched him run, he was sure he would look good walking away, too. He frowned for a moment. Torin was the one who had eaten the ecstatic mushrooms, so he didn't know where this uncharacteristic hint of lust was coming from, especially for someone far out of his league who was the favorite of their king.
Finding one racer engaged with several seeming soldiers, he turned and smiled to the one who had tied with him. He sensed mixed heritage from him and that made him more inclined to reach out.
"A blessed Ash to you," he said to Castor. "That was a well-run race."
At Filaurel's side, Turuher flushed slightly, but grinned.
"The, ah... Avialae augmentation offers a great deal: magical flight, resistance to cold, greater strength. All that does require a lot of fuel in the furnace, so I would happily accompany you to peruse the food offerings. Did you see the Val'Kor prince offering his clothes to his admirers? A shame we weren't closer. You might have offered him a replacement or at least your card if he finds his current clothes unendurable."
The giant stood solicitously, waiting to walk with him.
"Given we are celebrating a mystical marriage and Suion Karaitë among others, perhaps they will break the ties with kissing contests?" He chuckled at his own jest.
The redhead was regaling the princess with a humorous story about the misadventures of a pirate ship when they and Rhydian arrived at a pavilion where Ailuin was currently holding court. The king didn't have to try: the people around him just seemed to fall into place around them as if it were a predestined tableau. There were surprises awaiting them, however.
Vomira Val'Melua was embarrassing both her sons with public displays of affection, and Rhydian's own mother was present as well. It wasn't unheard of for a prince to travel to another principality for some party or festival or another, but it was hardly required. Aerion had its own celebrations, after all, and despite the relatively placid, safe seeming of Sol'Valen, its princes and potentates were quite busy most of the time.
"My heart," Achiroë greeted her son with the stoicism of their lineage. "We will train with the hoplites when next you visit." She smiled. If it was a criticism for his tie, there was no rancor in it, merely a promise to help him improve himself for the next challenge. A Val'Kor was a weapon and weapons were kept sharp. While not as affectionate as Vomira, she did expect her kiss on the cheek, and her hand lingered upon his in a light caress.
"Did a spring in Karnor inure you to our cooler seasons?"
Sorononar and his brother loved their mother, but were quite pleased when she disentangled from them to greet Akantha with a more careful, staid embrace. Mother respected daughter's passion and didn't want to put her careful couture in disarray, whereas mussing her sons made them straighten things as a reaction. She was wise like that.
Ékhidna was there too, but she was excellent at staying out of focus when she wished to. She had, instead, locked eyes with Akantha's escort. They smirked at each other.
