Arios looked back at Mariah with a smile. "Do we have to stuff that pretty mouth of yours with food to keep it quiet?" But he was smiling even as he rep reminded her. "We're going to the kitchen to get you some food as you requested...or are you as flightly as most females and have now changed your mind?"

"No." Mariah said, shutting up immediately, "I like food. I have the feeling that I'm not going to ever get regular meals here though."

Mariah didn't even notice his comment about her pretty mouth until a few moments after he said it. She really wasn't quite sure what that meant, if that was the way all these fancy castle people spoke or what.

"Um, so yea," Mariah continued, trying to change the subject in her mind by speaking out loud, "How long have you worked here as a guard? Long enough for Anastazi to trust you to watch my 'flighty' self and not go running off and telling everyone that he's hiring commoners to fight for the nobility?"

Arios turned and paused, stopping so that Mariah would all but run right into him unless she was watching him very closely. "That little brain of yours is constantly going isn't it." He was quiet for a moment, just watching her face before he reached up, and pushed a curl away from her face.

"As for your question, I"ve been here since I was born. My father was a knight under King Aruski before he became King." He then tapped her forehead with another smirk.

"Anymore questions or shall we eat now?"

And run into him, indeed. It wasn't so bad, running into him. He was so like a small, fleshy, brick wall that Mariah practically bounced right off of him. However, she was able to balance herself quickly enough without toppling over backwards.

Mariah blinked at being tapped on the forehead, no one ever did that to her without getting a good shove back. However, she restrained herself as she knew that he wasn't picking a fight with her like her brothers used to do and that she was supposed to be acting like a real lady. Ladies didn't get into fights over being tapped on the forehead.

"No. I'm hungry. I want meat." Mariah replied, ready to follow him into the kitchen and get fed.

Marlon...was in the back of the group, trying not to snicker. And doing fairly well really, considering that he did have courtly training, as much as he wished to avoid it. so instead, he just showed a couple of little spasms as he watched the going-ons.

The situation was a bit amusing, though.

"So, ah...are we going to need to revive Adrian to check on my man, or should we continue? I'm sure he'll be fine after all, with that hard head of his."

Oops, he hadn't meant to say that last part.

"He HAS been somewhat over-interested lately. Jeri, give me the keys and take care of him; you knocked him out, so I'm holding you responsible for his welfare. I'm sure you can handle him when he comes to." Anastazi took the keys from the sprite and neatly stepped around Adrian's prone form to unlock the entry door.

Ushering Marlon and Serefina through, he addressed Marlon again, "It's up to you to identify your man, so why don't you take the lead?"

"Be nice, Marlon."

Serefina was still fairly well subdued now that the magic high had worn off and she wanted nothing more than to get this over with so they could leave. Even if it felt like she was running from her problems by fleeing Eiros, she trusted Anastazi to know what was best.

So she would follow Marlon into the holding cells. They were all in a row, but it was this set, the above ground ones that were quite elaborate, they'd find Heath perfectly healthy...and in fact, he had a mini banquet set out for him. Apparently, Adrian had a change of mind and had treated him as a servant of a high ranking visitor.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arios led Mariah to the kitchen, and then further to a small dining room that looked like someone had transported a small city pub into the castle. A few tankards of ale and it would be complete. "Just one moment, milady. I'll get us some food." And then he disappeared back into the kitchen, returning with a few bowls of a rich and hearty homemade soup in proper bread trenchers, a bit of pulled meat, and...two tankards of ale. Not carried just by himself, but by two other men. But they sat all their food down, and left Arios to set across from Mariah.

He motioned to the food and smiled. "Well, you'll have to share, but I think we'll manage." And tore a bit of bread to dip in the soup as he watched her, seemingly truly interested in her.

Mariah sat down and immediately went for the pulled meat and went to take a big bite out of it but then realized she was supposed to be a lady. Being a lady meant that she was supposed to eat like one as well. However, she didn't see any utensils around so she tried to be very clean while eating off the bone. Luckily, it was very well done and she could easily get the meat off the bone without having to worry that it would get all over her.

"Where are we? It looks so much like a pub or something. Does the castle have it's very own pub as a sort of extra income or something?" Mariah asked, looking around in between bites.

"GAH!" Mariah yelped, jumped back from her seat quickly just before a large piece of meat fell where her lap would have been if only she was a second slower.

"I CANNOT get this dress dirty. Aria would be sooooo angry with me." Mariah said, a little relieved that she avoided disaster.

Mariah put the bone on the table and got a little bit of bread, "Maybe this would be better. Probably doesn't stain as much."

"You can always take off your clothes to eat?" Arios spoke with an over the top lavicious grin that let her know he was just joking. But he was busy too, watching her eat. "But seriously, you don't have to pretend down here. And no, it's not a pub for extra money. It's just something one of the former kings installed so that the guards wouldn't feel the need to go into town and spend their money so loosely and possibly have information ferreted out of them."

"Oh, so you're all guards?" Mariah replied, looking at the other two men, "I'm sorry I didn't say hello earlier." Mariah would have shook their hands but they were a little covered in meat juice.

"I really should try," Mariah said, picking up the piece of meat and eating it, wiping off the little residue with her fingers and then licking them, "I mean, I'm here because I'm supposed to be in some kind of training. Learning to be respectable and whatnot. I need to get into the habit of doing nice lady like things otherwise I'm sure Anastazi will kick me right out and then I'll have to wander again or worse, go back home."

At that last sentence Mariah's lips curled a little bit at the thought of returning to the Inn. She loved her family but really, dealing with all those children all the time was often a little annoying.

A short and clipped nod. "Yeah, but they were just leaving...weren't you, guys?" Giving them a very pointed look which they took to mean exactly what he said. They each gave Mariah a bow and then headed back.

Arios then turned his attention to Mariah. "Now...no one but me will know your messy little secrets." He reached across the table, his brunette hair falling into his face as his green eyes looked into hers.

"And you..." He took her hand, hoping he'd shocked her enough that she wouldn't pull away and brought her hand to his lips, and sucked the juice off of her fingers.

"...do trust me, don't you?"

"Ahhh..... I.... uhhh...." Mariah didn't know what to do with herself. This was really peculiar behavior from a guy, and she was so used to having them treat her as a sister. None of her brothers ever did that to her. The only time there were wet fingers from licking was when one was about to go in some one else's ear for a nice wet Willy.

"I trust you..." Mariah said, taking her hand back and wiping it dry with her other hand. It didn't sound so much like she trusted him, but she didn't know what else to say. He was obviously there to protect her and she doubted that Anastazi would have any one in his guards that he didn't trust... right?

"I'm... not hungry anymore." It was surprising as Mariah was ravenously hungry before then but suddenly, for some reason, she wasn't anymore, "I'll just wait here until you're done."

He chuckled and stood slowly. "I'm done what I've needed to do." He smiled egnamically and held his hand out for hers. "Perhaps we should head back, milady. Or would you prefer to do something else. Perhaps roam the gardens?"

"No thank you," Mariah said, getting up from her seat as well, "I'd much rather go and find Aria and Ashe, please." Not taking his hand she retraced their steps to the kitchen and started heading back up the way to where she thought the tower was.

Ashe and Aria walked side-by-side down the hallway, silent. Aria's mind was far too busy to engage any decent conversation at the moment, and she wasn't one to engage conversations often anyway. And Ashe... well, he was rather quiet by nature.

When they finally arrived at the solid, wooden door of the maid, Aria knocked gently and took a moment to look at Ashe's expression before the door was opened.

They were greeted by Barbara, a middle-aged, husky woman with long, curly, strawberry-blonde hair that had been taken down for the day. Her green eyes glistened and pudgy face flushed from crying, and she choked on her words when she greeted Aria and Ashe. Despite being forever marred in the eyes of most nobility because she was one-sixteenth Krakosian, Barbara was usually the one with the big smile, who could make your day even if you had to clean the lavatory - Aria had only ever seen her like this once, when the queen died. Barbara knew everyone in the castle, having worked there all her life.

So, after trying her best to console her, Aria asked her if the kitchens could be opened for a last-minute meal in the courtyard, if it wouldn't be too much trouble of course - however, Barbara told her that some servants had insisted on working late tonight, and soon Aria and Ashe were off to the kitchen.

They were met by a couple of manservants, who told them rather numbly that Sir Arios and a lady of his fancy had already been there. And although they tried to pry them for more information, Aria thanked them quickly, and soon she and Ashe were returning to the castle.

As they walked back, Aria got a strange feeling, and realized that leaving Arios and Mariah alone was rather foolish of her. Unconsciously, her pace quickened.

Marlon would have lead the way, until they found Heath...and upon finding Heath Marlon would simply stare. And glare a little. Dammit, here he was dealing with angry older brothers and now depressed princesses, and the guy he'd went through all this to check on was eating better than he was. This wasn't fair.

"Well, I guess I didn't need to worry. Heath, you'll be taking your orders from Prince Anastazi for a while, to help him with the assassin problem. You know where to go for further instructions after."

Then Marlon would turn to Anastazi.

"I'll leave giving the details to you, Prince Regent. I trust you'll return my servant to me in one piece. Now, I believe I have a boat to catch, so..."

Yeah, Marlon was going to try and make his way out of there quickly now, before something else went wrong.



Heath had stood up as soon as all of them had entered the room, actually, as it was polite to do so when in the presence of those higher in rank. He didn't say anything to Marlon's decree though, instead just nodding silently, and then looking to Anastazi. And waiting. Not much else he could do really, when Marlon seemed so...not happy.

Serefina wouldn't leave immediately. Instead, she turned to her brother, pressing her face into his chest as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. Almost clinging to him for a moment. But she stood back up and looked at the brother she loved so deeply.

"Don't let anything happen to you, Staz. I couldn't survive it." She could, but only because she knew he'd demand it of her. If he died, then she would have to step up next. "That reminds me..." She reached back and sent a silent command to Jeri and a small scroll appeared in her hands and she handed it to Stazi.

"As agreed, here's the betrothal agreement. I've signed it." Then she took a step back, and fled after Marlon, not really thinking of any of the ramifications of what she'd agreed too. It was an actual betrothal agreement after all. Technically, she was now married to the man that had been chosen.

"Marlon...stop..." She needed to catch her breath..and talk to Jeri for a moment about things.

As Aria and Ashe made their way back to the tower, they were met by a considerably less happy (but also less hungry) Mariah being followed by Arios.

"Ah, there you are." She said, supressing her mild relief. "Too hungry to wait?" She joked, giving Mariah a little half-smile. Sensing the slightly colder atmosphere, she linked arms with Mariah as they continued back to the tower, walking a bit ahead of the two guards so they could be out of earshot.

"Are you alright?" She asked Mariah, speaking softly.

"I'm fine. Why would you think otherwise?" Mariah said a little bit snippy, still out of sorts a bit. She didn't really want to talk about what happened in front of Arios and Ashe, she was still really weirded out by it.

"No, I couldn't wait. I was sooo hungry. We grabbed a few bites in the kitchen before coming back up, I didn't want to stay down there too long." Mariah replied in a more cheery voice, "Did you find the person you were looking for?"

Why would I think otherwise? Aria thought to herself. It seemed pretty obvious, and she let her gaze travel back to the guards momentarily, looking at Arios icily. She suspected something, but she let it go, at least for now.

Aria nodded. "She knew the two maids. (Well, she knows everyone.) It was... difficult, but had to be done, I suppose." She smiled a little sadly. "However, I might as well give you some more pointers. Tomorrow will be busy."

"Ok. Sounds good." Mariah didn't feel much more like talking that evening so they just walked back in silence to the Tower.

What happened back in the guards kitchen puzzled her deeply. She had never seen some one act like that before, at least to her. It was strange and Mariah wasn't quite sure whether she liked it or not. Normally Mariah would get all swoony over some tall, muscular, man trying to charm her up but she also felt that it was some how wrong. She didn't know if it was the time, place, or if it was something else but it was almost as if she was tested? She couldn't shake the feeling. What had he said?

"Now...no one but me will know your messy little secrets." He had said. It only suddenly dawned on her that perhaps he wasn't just talking about her messy eating habits... that it could mean something else? Mariah had never needed to act with discretion before at the Inn, whatever she said was either laughed at or with, nothing was taken really seriously. However here in the palace it seemed that everything Mariah ever really knew didn't really apply anymore. She was expected to be a totally different person.

"I'm done what I've needed to do." What on earth did that mean? All the double meanings popped up in Mariah's head, fairly overloading her with possibilities. She was doing what came naturally to her as a woman, but she was over analyzing things in this situation and it was not helping.

When they got back to the Tower Aria would find that Mariah was a quiet and diligent pupil, seeming to do her utmost without the slightest complaint when learning. Only speaking when being spoken to, using proper grammar and pronunciation whenever she could. Perhaps it was because she was deep in thought, or maybe she was just very eager to please Aria, but that little sparkle she usually had was gone for the evening.

As Aria instructed, she was impressed with how quick of a study Mariah was, but she also noticed the sudden change. Mariah seemed to have lost that unique energy for the moment. Aria chided herself for leaving Arios alone with Mariah - but not without recognizing Arios' actions. Guards of his level were expected to be responsible.

Well, Aria supposed she wouldn't be able to go back to her quarters until the prince or a servant came up and told her otherwise. So she continued in her studies, giving breaks in between to see how Mariah was faring.

((Waiting... Oh, and Aria would be screaming at Arios if she had seen what he was up to. Har.))

((Man, no one trusts a DM character's motives. :cry: ))

Arios and Ashe didn't say anything, although Ashe did look at Arios as well, wondering what he'd done to the girl. So instead, they spent the rest of the day watching over the girls, and when they were ready for sleep, they excused themselves and another set of guards took over, just for the time while they slept.

Except Arios and Ashe didn't sleep. Instead, they talked.

"What the Prime did you do to the pretty little sprout? It was like all the light and air went out of a stardust balloon." Ashe jabbed at Arios, who sat slumped over the table. And to Ashe, Mariah was young, since he himself was a wise and weathered 26.

"Just get me another ale." He growled at his friend, really in no mood to discuss this at all. Normally Ashe was the more serious of the two, and so this was out of character for the normally lighthearted Arios. Ashe did as he friend asked, and sat across from him where Arios and Mariah had sat earlier.

Arios grabbed the mug, slung it up and chugged the entire contents before slamming it back on the table. "She hates me..."

"Well, yeah...I would think that's obvious." Ashe rolled his eyes at Arios. Lighthearted yes, Flare for the over dramatic, oh yeah. "So, what did you do?"

"Treated her like I thought she'd like to be treated. Took her here. Can you get me another ale, Ashe. It seems I need it tonight." Ashe nodded and went to grab some more ale. Even if Arios was no good tomorrow, he had a feeling it might be worth it for his friend.

"...You really like her..." It was a strange reflection, but one that Ashe felt to be true. "...so you took her here?" Waiting for Arios to fill in the details that he knew was lacking.

"Told here that down here she could be herself. That no one but me would know her messy little secrets..." He ran his fingers through his richly sun kissed brunette hair. " She looked absolutely adorable with her fingers covered in meat juice."

That almost had Ashe falling back in his seat from laughing so hard. But he managed to grip onto the table as he looked at his friend in shock and amusement.

"I told you that finger fetish would get you in trouble one day." He shook his head, and helped Arios stand. Most of the guards could handle their weight in alcohol, but sometimes a guy needed emotional support, but without the emotional talk that goes with it. Just knowing the 'guys' are there for him. "Let's get you to bed. I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Marlon wouldn't exactly have stopped when Serefina asked him to wait, but he would have at least slowed down enough that she would easily be able to catch up to him. Still he wanted to at least get away from Anastazi, even if something else they'd hoped to do had popped into his head. So really, he'd walk far enough out that unless Anastazi followed them immediately they'd be out of range of hearing, and then...he paused, to wait for the beautiful girl.

What happened after she caught up would depend fully on the pattern of guards, and how the princess herself was feeling, really.