Kyran merely nodded his head a little to acknowledge that he had heard the King when he spoke, letting them know that he didn't expect to see them there but they were welcome to come if they were still hungry. Well, they had originally all come downstairs because they were hungry and it wasn't like that little outburst should have made any of them loose their appetites the way that Ellior had. He wasn't exactly very hungry himself right this moment but he didn't really want to appear as if anything had bothered him so he had decided that he would probably just continue on with the dinner idea and then just escape as soon as he politely could. He was still thinking through that briefly at least until he felt Nanashi falling into him. He broke away from his thoughts pretty easily and had almost instantly reached up to try and catch him on the off chance that he actually fell too much more into him or worse, onto the ground. He shook his head a little when he heard him apologize though after he had shook his head he realized there was an undertone to his apology. Apparently his reaction to the news hadn't been as well kept to himself as he had hoped it had been. He sighed almost heavily and then shook his head again. “.....It's alright.” He told him quietly. The last thing he needed was to have Nanashi worrying about him. Nanashi only needed to worry about feeling better and that was it. He continued to stand there for a few moments longer as he watched Nanashi try and calm the little princess down. Once Kanone decided that he was still hungry and snagged Aamori to take her with him started in that direction himself though he had waited until after Kyiri had coaxed Celestine into going as well. If the majority of them were still going to dinner he really couldn't talk himself out of it.

Aamori wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do after all of this. She was kind of hungry and could probably stand to sit through dinner though she wasn't sure if she was going to want to depending on the dinner topics. She felt bad for Kyran and Selenity and even a little for Ellior. She knew there wasn't anything that she could do and really this didn't involve her even in the slightest but at least two of those people were her friends, she couldn't help feeling bad. She knew somewhat how the two of them could feel too considering she was high ranking and probably couldn't easily be allowed to be involved with someone of pretty much commoner standing and from another clan no less. In her eyes though Celestine and Kanone even were a special case. The two of them had an Elder for a grandfather... so they at least had something going for them unlike Kyran who wasn't really anything special other than his job and even that... well... anyone could do if they tried. She glanced to Kanone when she heard him say that he was still hungry and was about to shake her head a little though she startled slightly when he snagged her arm and started to tug, intent on dragging her with him. She didn't really put up much of a fight, she just hadn't expected him to do that.... though.... maybe she should have. This was Kanone after all.

LaRae remained standing where she was rather silently throughout everything even while Nanashi had tried to get Sri to stop crying. It wasn't until everyone was deciding what they wanted to do that she started to inch closer to Nanashi. She had seen that even Kyran had started to follow after them but she wanted to see what Nanashi wanted to do and would most likely follow him if he decided that he didn't want to attempt sitting through dinner. “.....What do you think you want to do...?” She asked quietly once she had reached him. She was kind of hungry so she didn't really mind either way but whatever he wanted to do she would go along with.

Nanashi nodded his head weakly when Kyran told him that it was alright, though he didn't quite think what he had just overheard was alright. He wasn't all that worried about having fallen into him since...well things like that tended to happen with the two of them all the time. He wound up with his arms back around the little princess soon after she had stopped crying since she decided to latch onto him again. He watched silently as Kanone started to haul Aamori back to the dining room and then Kyiri followed suit with Celestine. He glanced back to Kyran, a little surprised when he too started that way. Then again he supposed that it would be fairly odd for him to lose his appetite over this as well. He looked back to laRae after she approached him and asked him what he wanted to do. He stood there for a moment to think it over and then sighed softly, shaking his head a little. "...I...I don't know...," he said quietly, "...I'm a little tired...." He really didn't mind one way or the other, but whatever he was doing he just wanted to sit down to do it. He blinked when he felt Sri tug on his arm and look up at him with an almost pitiful looking watery-eyes gaze and say 'please.' He smiled weakly and her and then glanced back to LaRae. "...I suppose eating something wouldn't kill me...," he answered quietly. It didn't take much for those watery blue eyes of hers to make him cave. he could have been right on the verge of passing out and still wound up at the dinner table after she looked at him like that. Thankfully, he wasn't that bad off...he was just starting to feel extremely tired and sluggish once again.

It wasn't long before they were all headed back to the dining hall and finding their seats again, though this time Sri did steal Nanashi and drag him over to sit between her and Kyran in the seat that Selenity had occupied before. He obviously hadn't been very comfortable with the idea since he had looked at the king as if asking if this was alright but after being waved off he sat down stiffly...once all of the girls were seated, that was. Dinner went as one might expect after an event like that. For the most part it was quiet. Kanone and Kyiri had little trouble finishing their plates, and Kyiri even polished the fish off of Celestine's since he had almost looked like he was going to be ill upon seeing the whole fish cooked and laid out before him. He barely nibbled at the side dishes since the main course had really caused him to lose interest in eating at all. Nanashi barely ate anything either, though that was more due to nerves and that feeling of being watched than it was that he wasn't hungry. He managed to clear at least half of his plate, though his head remained down and he was dead silent through the entire dinner. The king barely touched his food either and by the end of the sitting seemed almost eager to excuse himself and invite everyone to wander around as they pleased. Keren had sat there nearly the whole time talking to him about what a good match she thought her son and Selenity was and how she didn't see why the girl was throwing such a huge fit, amongst other things. She also tended to give Nanashi quite a few dirty looks since she thought he should be eating in the kitchen or at the other end of the table, not right next to the king's daughter.

LaRae nodded her head slightly when the first response out of Nanashi was that he didn't know and then that he was a little tired. If he was tired she didn't particularly want to make him go through dinner unless he really wanted to. After everything that had happened to him with the hunters and just the fact that he never seemed to be on his feet and in good health for too long before he was down again... well... she wanted him to take care of himself and honestly wouldn't care if he blew off the King and his dinner so that he could go lie down. She was about to open her mouth to voice what she had thought, at least until she glanced down at Sri and saw the way that she was looking up at Nanashi. She couldn't help but smile slightly before shaking her head at his caving in to her. She wasn't really surprised though... Nanashi barely really took himself into account first and ignored others. Of course once it was decided that they would go to dinner she followed the two of them out, or lead... whichever wound up happening. Once inside the dinning room she went ahead and just took up Nanashi's old seat beside Kyran since Sri had stolen Nanashi to sit beside her. It was kind of cute how much Sri seemed to like Nanashi and it was nice that he was being treated like a normal person, even if it was a only a kid.

Kyran had taken up the same seat that he had sat at before and only momentarily stared at the empty seat next to him before Sri had gotten Nanashi to sit there. He was doing a good job of keeping his composure but that didn't mean he wasn't dreading this dinner. Of course his dread had been thoroughly justified considering Keren had run her mouth just as he thought she might. It hadn't exactly been pleasant sitting there trying to keep a neutral face while you ate and listened to the woman spout about what a good match she thought her son was for the woman he loved. He was pretty much lost in his own concerns to even really hold onto any displeasure in the dirty looks that Keren gave Nanashi. He hated that the woman looked at him any different than a normal full blooded dragon... but well... he couldn't focus on that right now. He wasn't really even that hungry but he managed to make himself eat mostly everything off of the plate while praying that he didn't find himself sick later because of this. Eating so much while stressed out like he was... probably wasn't a great idea but it was for the greater good, at least in his eyes. Obviously because this meal had consisted of some fish Aamori hadn't had a lick of trouble finishing her plate and neither had LaRae really. Then again you wouldn't expect either of them to not finish their food unless they were just given a God awful amount of it. Aamori loved fish and LaRae loved food... so yeah... they finished.

Kyran respectfully waited out painstaking amount of time before he could excuse himself. He didn't want to up and leave the table as soon as he finished so of course that meant that he waited until the King was ready to leave the table, or at least until he had stated that it was alright for anyone to leave... on the off chance that he had decided to sit there any longer after the meal. As soon as he got his leave he exited the dinning room without really bothering to wait on anyone else or see where they were going. They had all come downstairs the same way that he had so he didn't think that they would have that much trouble finding their ways back to their rooms, should that be where they were heading. He of course planned to go back to the room he was sharing with Celestine. If anything he was almost glad that it was Celestine that he was sharing with because he didn't have to worry about worrying him like he would worry Nanashi. No one else really seemed to be as worried about him as Nanashi was so he was pretty sure that he could keep to himself just fine in the room with Celestine. Especially since Celestine expected his privacy to be respected, which meant that he could expect the same courtesy. He didn't exactly make a mad dash for the stairs to take him up to the guest rooms but he did move at an expedited pace in hopes of getting to his destination uninterrupted.

Once dinner was through and everyone was free to go where they pleased, Kyiri seemed pretty eager to drag Celestine back to the back yard since she had been dying to do down there and play, and Celestine didn't put up much of a resistance. He assumed that Kyran was heading back to their room and frankly...he didn't want to bother him right now. He could tell the guy was trying to put up a front about all of this, but he seemed pretty down in the dumps to him and he thought he would probably appreciate being alone more than having him in there hovering around him with a kid. He was tempted to go up and let Nobu and Esen come down with him but...for right now, he just didn't want to go that way. He let Kyiri haul him out of the room once he had excused himself...and her, and drag him back out to that balcony and down the stairs to the walkway.

Kanone wasn't really all that enthused about going back outside himself. He tended to be a little lazy after stuffing himself, so rather than follow Celestine, he let his hostage go do as she pleased and started to head back to the stairs so he could go back up to the room he was sharing with Nero. He still couldn't believe the mess that had come up down here. Nero was probably really glad that he had decided to hide out in the room rather than come down here to see all of this mess. Of course...he was likely going to get an update since it wasn't very likely that Kanone could go without making some comments. He had been listening to Keren so much that he almost wanted to rip his own ears off so he thought it might be nice to warn him about her...since he could almost see a blood bath if those two were left alone in the same room.

Nanashi of course was ready to leave the table the instant he thought he could get away. He excused himself just a little after Kyran had done so and started to get up, offering a slight smile to Sri since she still didn't seem too willing to get him go. He tried to explain to the girl that he was tired and wanted to go take a nap or something. After that she let him go and he started to head back toward the rooms as well. He chuckled softly when he heard Sri asking LaRae if she wanted to go outside with her. Sri was obviously enjoying the company of all of these new people who would pay attention to her. Nanashi had every intention of going to bed and did return to his room, a bit pleased to find that his clothes had already been washed and returned to him, and even folded up nearly on the dresser. He went ahead and changed out of these overdecorated garments he was wearing now and got back into his own clothes since he was almost afraid to move in the others. Once that was taken care of he sat down on the bed and started to lay down...though after a few minutes his mind was already wandering back to Kyran. He really did feel bad for him and he wanted to do anything he could to help him feel even just a little better. There weren't many people in this world whom Nanashi really cared about who seemed as if they cared for him in return, so Kyran was one of those very few special people to him. Soon enough he had talked his tired body back out of the bed and put his shoes back on before wandering toward the door again to go see where Kyran had gotten to. He didn't think there was much that he could do...but he did at least want to try.

As soon as everyone started deciding on where they were all going the usually pairs started forming, or at least one of them had successfully. Once Aamori had the freedom to escape Kanone, not that she really minded being around him, she chose to follow after Celestine and Kyiri. She had wanted to head outside anyway and see the back area up close and personal, it was just a bonus that Kyiri wanted to go too and was dragging Celestine with her. LaRae on the other hand had thought that she would at the very least follow Nanashi upstairs, just to make sure he was alright. He did look better but that didn't mean she didn't worry about him. Her plan was cut off though when she heard the little princess ask if she wanted to go outside with her. LaRae had been dying to do that earlier while standing on the balcony so she couldn't really bring herself to say no to Sri. Instead of following Nanashi she went ahead and said good night to him before he left since she doubted that she would see him again until morning if he was going to rest.

Kyran had of course returned to his room once he had gotten away from the dinning area. Thankfully he made it upstairs without a hitch and had made it to his room without running into anyone... not that he really thought he would but he didn't particularly even want to see a maid right now. Once he was inside of the room he was sharing with Celestine he just kind of sat there on the edge of the bed leaned over a little with his elbows rested to his knees and his hands holding his head up. He was all kinds of upset at the moment but mostly because the woman he had loved had unknowingly become engaged to some other man her father had deemed suitable. Just the fact that he knew she was going to have to marry this man and there wasn't really anything that could be done about it was enough to get him upset. Then there was the knowledge that with her being engaged she wasn't able to be his and it almost felt like any emotions that he had invested in her were nothing but a waste now. With everything he had been through with his father and his relationship he supposed this was probably the better outcome. At least this way she could get married without it tarnishing anyone's name and she could start a family of her own without having to worry about mixed clan children. He didn't get to drown in his thoughts for too long before Nobu had started to hound him about it. Of course Nobu had wanted to know everything that happened and why he was as down as he was and he even tried to offer up some advice... but honestly... there was only so much a dog could do for him in that department and frankly... he didn't want to sit there and listen to the dog trying to comfort him. It wasn't really helping... it was just aggravating him a little more. He finally just decided that he would much rather go and find somewhere quiet to sit since it wasn't working out too well in his own room. He loved Nobu... but he couldn't very well tell him to shut up. It was easier to just leave. With that decided he had cracked open the bedroom door a little before starting to step out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. He wasn't sure where he could go... but even an empty hall somewhere was better than sitting there.

Nanashi hadn't been in his room for very long before he decided to leave again to go check on Kyran. He had just gotten out of the door and gotten less than five feet from Kyran's door when he saw it open and Kyran stepped out into the hallway. He stopped moving almost instantly when he saw him come out and then sighed softly before almost timidly creeping forward. He felt his heart thudding a little harder ans his mind raced for something comforting for him to say, but really...nothing was coming to him. That look of concern was still evident in his ruby eyes and he couldn't seem to get rid of it. He very obviously was having a difficult time determining what he should say to him, but after a moment he silently raised his hand to place on Kyran's arm. Honestly, he didn't really think there were any words to help ease that sort of pain. He really did feel for him...especially since once they got to the next territory he was more or less going to be in the same boat. So long as Renzo was around he couldn't be with LaRae. He had already proven that he didn't care to hurt her if it meant showing him up somehow. That guy couldn't take a small defeat, that much was obvious. He wouldn't even be surprised if that guy would kill him right in front of LaRae just for kicks. He sighed softly after a moment and lowered his gaze again. "...Kyran...I.....," he started before he trailed off, losing whatever it was he had been about to say. He shook his head a little and just looked back up to him almost helplessly. He wasn't always the best at expressing himself with words since he was rarely around anyone who would let him even speak openly with them. "...Is there anything I can do?" he asked finally. He doubted that there was really anything to be done...or at least not by him, but he wouldn't really know unless he tried.

Kyran let out an almost heavy sigh once he had shut the door the behind him. He felt some relief from being away from Nobu, or well.. having the door between them. He appreciated the dog and his attempts at trying to make him feel better but honestly.. he wasn't sure that there was a way to make him feel better. He lifted his eyes slightly and glanced down the hall towards Nanashi when he heard that there was someone else in the hall. He couldn't say that he was surprised to see him there, if anything... maybe he was surprised that it took him this long to come and find him. He also couldn't help thinking, in the back of his mind, just a few moments earlier and he could probably have avoided running into Nanashi all together and left him knocking at a door to an empty room. He didn't have anything against Nanashi or his concern for him... but he didn't really want any one worrying about him. He stared over at Nanashi for a moment with an obvious attempt at keeping his emotions in check. Like before, if anything really showed that he was hurting it would likely be his eyes. He continued to stare at Nanashi at least until it looked like he wasn't sure what to say. He had intended to just wave him off and go on about his business but he continued to stand there once Nanashi had touched his arm. He sighed quietly when he finally managed to ask if there was anything that he could do. He shook his head slightly, mostly at the fact that Nanashi had actually just asked that... though it was also like answering him too. He didn't know of anything that anyone could do unless they could call off arranged engagement and that wasn't likely to happen. It was the King's choice after all and no one really questioned that... well... except for Selenity herself but there was only so much she could even do. He shook his head again slightly. “....No. Not really.” He responded quietly. He sighed again quietly. “....Don't worry about me.” He told him. “You should just go and rest, you're tired are you not.” He stated more so than questioned. He wasn't really even sure that he wanted to talk about this again. He had already had to explain it to Nobu and he didn't think he wanted to bring it up again... let alone do that anywhere out here. Walls could have ears here... and he really didn't need anyone overhearing anything that could turn this into a bigger mess then it already could.

Nanashi sighed again softly after Kyran shook his head in response to his question, but he nodded his head weakly in understanding. He hadn't really thought that there was. He looked back up to him again when he told him verbally that there was nothing that he could do and then lowered his gave when he tried to send him off to go rest. Nanashi wasn't stupid, he knew that wasn't entirely concern for how tired he was in that statement, but even still he would feel bad for leaving him alone right now...though perhaps some alone time was what he needed. He shook his head weakly after Kyran pointed out that he was tired. "...Only a little," he replied quietly. He brought his eyes back up to meet Kyran's again for a moment and they melted a little when he saw how hard Kyran was trying to keep up a poker face. "...I'm sorry," he whispered in Kyran's native language. He was at least smart enough to realize that this was something that no one needed to overhear if Kyran couldn't even bring himself to show how upset he was over it. "...How can you tell me not to worry about you, Kyran, when that's all you ever do when it comes to me? ...I am your friend, too, you know...and you don't always have to be the one doing all of the worrying." After a moment he just shook his head again and reached up to wrap his arms around Kyran's neck for a moment. "...I wish there was something that I could do...I really do...especially since...I know how you feel." His grip on Kyran tightened just a little as he nuzzled his head against him slightly.

It was almost a little sad how well Nanashi could ignore things or pretend that things didn't bother him. He really had to be torn up about something something in order for anyone else to know about it, or it just had to be something that was blatantly obvious due to the way he reacted, like the way he had a panic attack when it came a thunder storm. His own emotional trauma didn't seem to phase him since he was almost numb to it from all the emotional abuse that he took in, yet seeing how upset Kyran was...or even just imagining that he knew how upset he was made his eyes water a little. He really couldn't explain why, but it hurt him more to know that Kyran's happiness was being torn apart right now than it did to think about his own, though that was probably because he had given up years ago on ever being truly happy for the rest of his life. He was a halfbreed, things like that just didn't happen for his kind, but Kyran wasn't like that. Even if he was, he wanted Kyran to be happy and he hated seeing him this down in the dumps. He was always the one in the group who had a handle on everything and barely even raised his voice. Nanashi continued to hold onto him tightly like that for a minute or two before he started to loosen his grip and pull back a little, once again staring up at Kyran with those watery, sympathetic eyes. "...It will be alright," he told him quietly...though it sounded more like a wish than a statement. He clearly wanted it to be alright...though he knew that things may not turn out the way that they wanted them to.

Kyran stared at Nanashi for a few moments when he had said that he was only a little tired. He was pretty sure that Nanashi wouldn't have any trouble resting right now if not for the fact that he was worried about him rather than himself. He glanced away, at least momentarily until he heard Nanashi speak to him in his native language rather than the one everyone could understand. He hadn't entirely thought of that... speaking in the thunder clans language would make it harder for anyone to understand what was being said... but that didn't really mean he wanted to talk even if it was safe. Honestly... what was there to really talk about? He sighed quietly at Nanashi's saying that he was sorry. He was bound to hear that for awhile... or at least from those who knew and cared. He finally glanced back to Nanashi when he started to continue speaking. He was if anything a little touched at Nanashi's statement about him not having to always be the one doing all of the worrying. Regardless of that... he didn't really want anyone worrying about him over this. It would... well... not exactly go away or fix itself, but he would be alright... eventually. He just kind of stood there for a moment after Nanashi had reached up and put his arms around his neck in order to hug him. He didn't offer to return the hug, at least not until after Nanashi had said that he knew how he felt. He only lifted one arm to return the hug half-assed. He wasn't entirely sure that Nanashi knew how he felt but that was only because he wasn't completely aware of everything that had been going on with Nanashi and LaRae and the third party. He didn't say anything and just stood there letting Nanashi hug him as long he intended to and then dropped his arm as soon as Nanashi started to pull back. He kind of hated to see Nanashi so concerned for him, especially to the point that he was looking at him the way he was. He didn't like having him worry... and wished that he could stop it but in order for that to happen he had to get over this mess himself and have himself feeling better. He smiled so weakly it was almost sad when Nanashi told him that it would be alright. Of course he caught that it didn't have much strength behind it which was why his smile came out like it did. “....I know.” He told him. “...It will be alright.” He said more surely than Nanashi had. He knew it would be alright... eventually. “...You really don't need to worry about me Nanashi.” He paused. “I'll be alright, it will just take a little time for me to adjust...” He said quietly. He had a lot to adjust to... and wasn't sure how that was going to happen when he was in the palace and was bound to have to deal with Ellior and or his mother again. Then of course he wasn't even sure he could stand to be in the same room with Selenity any time soon. Looking at her would probably be enough to set cracks into whatever front he had put up... if not just shatter it all together.

Nanashi noticed the way that Kyran was only halfassing his attempts at hugging him back. He had a feeling that Kyran really wanted him to just go away right now, but for the time being he just stayed where he was. If Kyran left he probably wouldn't chase him down, but right now he didn't think that Kyran was going to scurry off on him. His ears laid back a little when Kyran gave him that pathetic excuse for a smile and then nodded his head weakly when he said that he knew it would be alright and restated it more firmly than he was able to. He shook his head weakly when Kyran told him that he didn't have to worry about him and then sighed softly. "...I know...I don't have to," he replied softly, "...but I can't help it...." He wound up reaching around him again and hugging him tightly after he had said that he would be alright...and just needed time to adjust. "...I know," he responded quietly, "...I know.... I just...hate to see you this way. ...But it's alright. I know it isn't much...but if you do want to talk to someone...I'll listen. ...You don't have to pretend that everything is alright now for me. ...I can't speak for everyone else...but it's harder to see you trying to pretend than it would be to see you get upset...." He pulled back once again and tried to offer him a warmer, more reassuring smile, though it was still kind of sad looking as well. This whole situation was just a little hard to smile through. "...If there is anything at all that I can do to help...even a little...I will," he told him softly. He nuzzled his head gently against Kyran again for a moment before he spoke again softly. "I love you," he told him, saying it in a way that in his language was specifically meant for very close friends or family. He hadn't stopped speaking in the thunder clan's language at all once he had started the first time, and would likely finish this conversation in it.

Kyran sighed softly when Nanashi responded that he knew that he didn't have to worry about him and then that he couldn't help it. He knew that all too well... sometimes you just couldn't help worrying about someone no matter how many times you were told not to. He just wished that there was a way to make Nanashi stop worrying that was an easy fix. He wasn't that surprised that Nanashi wound up hugging him again and just like before he didn't bother to return the hug right away. He continued to just stand there quietly and listen to Nanashi while he spoke though he did sigh a little heavily once he had finished saying that he didn't have to pretend that everything was alright in front of him. “....I can't get upset.” He told him quietly, still speaking in his native language. “...So long as I am here in this palace I can not get upset. I have no excuse for it should one be needed...” He told him with a pause. “....Not to mention this shouldn't be bothering me like it is when I knew that something like this was bound to happen.” He sighed again quietly and shut his eyes for a moment after Nanashi had said if there was anything that he could do to help he would. “....Just ...do me a favor....” He paused. “....Don't look at me the way you have been.... I know you're worried... but I have to pretend that nothing is wrong... it's hard to do that when you look at me like that....” He told him quietly, almost in a whisper. Nanashi's eyes always said so much when he looked at someone and honestly... Kyran could be trying harder than all get out not to lose his cool and Nanashi could totally spoil all the work just by looking at him like he had been. Not to mention Nanashi could totally give him away if he kept walking around noticeably worried about him. He finally smiled a little more warmly when he heard Nanashi say that he loved him. He lifted his arms to hug Nanashi back for real this time and gave him a brief squeeze before letting him go, uttering “I love you too, Nanashi ….you're like the little brother I never got to have.” He really did feel that way about Nanashi. He couldn't entirely explain why he felt that way about the kid but he did feel rather strongly for him and in such a short period of time no less. There were just some people you were destined to meet he guessed and in this case, Nanashi was one of them.

Nanashi laid his ears back slightly when Kyran said that he couldn't get upset so long as he was here. That was going to drive him a little batty knowing that he was upset and still had to try so hard not to show it. He sighed weakly and then shook his head a little. "...I know that...," he responded quietly, "...I just meant...when we're alone...or you're alone...you don't have to try so hard." He glanced back up to Kyran sympathetically when he said that he shouldn't be this upset since he had known something like this was bound to happen. "...Knowing ahead of time how things may turn out...doesn't really stop it from hurting once it happens," he said softly. He blinked when Kyran told him to stop looking at him that way, and seemed a little confused for a moment. He hadn't even realized he was looking at him strangely. Nanashi's eyes were complete traitors when it came to him trying to hide things. He was a horrible liar because of them, and people could almost read him like a book if they wanted too. He smiled very weakly when Kyran said that he was making it hard to pretend. "...I'm sorry...I'll try," he promised him quietly. It was a little hard for him to hide the fact that he was worried for him, but he really would try to keep a lid on it for him since he didn't want to make things harder. He found it a little easier to lose some of that sad expression when Kyran returned the hug and told him that he was like the brother he never got to have. He looked back up to him again and smiled warmly at him, though his eyes were still a bit wet looking. He hugged him back once more for that and nuzzled him again happily before he let him go. "I'm glad," he said softly. It clearly made him happy to hear that if nothing else. Finally, he took a step back and glanced down the hallway for a moment. "...You can go now if you want to...that was all that I wanted to say...." He looked back up to him again and smiled slightly, trying to keep the sympathy and worry from his expression as much as possible. "I'm going to rest...but if you want somewhere to hide for a little while there's plenty of room in there." He doubtd anyone would really bother him since everyone seemed to be trying to give him some space and tie to rest, so if Kyran hid out in his room it may be a bit before anyone thought to look in there for him...or at least he assumed as much.

Kyran nodded his head rather weakly when Nanashi said that when they were alone or when he was, he didn't have to try so hard at pretending that everything was alright. He knew that... but when he was around other people or dogs for that matter he didn't want to worry anyone and he wanted to act like it was alright, that everything was going to be just fine. He also kind of hated the thought of being alone somewhere and letting everything out. He didn't want to admit that there really wasn't anything to be done about this even though he knew he couldn't stop it from happening. Honestly in some weird way he almost felt like ignoring the hurt and acting like nothing was wrong could make everything go away and have it all just go back to the way it was before any of them found out about the engagement. Of course he knew better but there was still that dimly lit hope hidden somewhere deep inside him. He started down at Nanashi once he had hugged him back and said that he was glad, in response to the comment that he had made. He was at least glad that Nanashi seemed happy to hear him say that. But then again it was probably expected that Nanashi would be happy to hear something like that since people didn't usually say such nice things to him and actually mean them. He glanced down the hall momentarily when Nanashi had said that he could go now if he wanted, that he had said all that he wanted to say. He merely nodded his head a little. He still wasn't exactly sure where he was going to go but wandering around for a little while couldn't hurt anything. He glanced back to Nanashi when he heard him continue to say that he was going to rest but if he wanted somewhere to hide for a little while there was plenty of room in his room. He shook his head slightly. “Thanks for the offer, but just go and rest.” He told him quietly. He didn't think he needed to really hide... and honestly, Celestine wasn't the worst roommate he could have. He would most likely leave him alone on the topic and the only person... er... creature he had to worry about was Nobu... but he figured the dog would get the hint eventually. “Have a good rest.” He thought to add lastly while he stood there and waited for Nanashi to go back to his room before he even thought of wandering off.

Nanashi nodded his head slightly when Kyran told him to just go rest. He wasn't too surprised that he hadn't taken him up on the offer, but he thought he would just have it out there in case he wanted to take him up on it. He smiled a little when Kyran told him to have a good rest. "Thank you," he said quietly before coming back to steal one more hug from him. He nuzzled his head against him lightly for a few seconds before he stepped back again and started to make his way down the hall again. He paused at his door and placed his hand on the handle for a moment before he looked back to Kyran once again and offered him the most carefree smile he could muster at the moment. "...Goodnight," he told him softly before he opened the door. He had a feeling one he laid down he wasn't going to be getting back up unless someone came and rolled him out of the bed. He then entered the room and closed the door behind him before he headed over to the bed. Once he reached it he kicked out of his shoes and pulled back the covers before he practically fell over on top of the mattress and burrowed under them. Once he had laid down this time, since he had actually gotten to talk to Kyran, it didn't take him more than a couple of minutes to fall asleep.

Kyran smiled slightly once Nanashi had come back to hug him one last time. He put a little more effort into returning the hug this time around and then watched as Nanashi started to make his way back down the hall towards his bedroom. He tried to return the smile that Nanashi had given him before he told him goodnight but only managed a small one. “Goodnight.” He told him and watched as he slipped into the room and shut the door. Once Nanashi had gone into the room and it looked like he was staying in there he let out an almost heavy sigh. He appreciated that Nanashi was concerned and that he was trying to make him feel better... but he was kind of glad to have him away from him for the moment. He glanced down both sides of the hall briefly, still unsure of exactly where he wanted to go. He half thought that the backyard area would've been a nice escape but that had been where half of the group had gone, including Ellior. That kind of made that out of the question... or at least in his eyes. He finally decided to just wander around aimlessly until he could find somewhere relatively remote and secluded to sit. Honestly... he probably wouldn't have minded losing himself in one of the secret passageways that the maids used. He didn't know where any were of course but he was almost positive that they were around this palace somewhere. For now though he settled on the first out of the way stairwell or hallway that he could find that looked like one less traveled. If no one disturbed him he could probably sit there for awhile quietly and then eventually wander right back to his room for the night.

As expected, Nanashi managed to sleep through the night easily and likely would sleep through breakfast in the morning if someone didn't come and wake him up. He was still pretty exhausted after that drink that he had been given wore off since that had mostly been to help him get through dinner. It was also speeding up the process of replenishing his blood that that could still take a day or two for him to be completely back up to count. Either way he was still going to be going pretty slowly for a little while. Celestine had made his way back to the room eventually and took the canines out so that they could go do their business somewhere before returning up there again. As Kyran expected, he didn't bother him about what happened earlier. He just came him slightly sympathetic glances from the corner o his eye every now and then and at one point did walk over to him to place a hand on his shoulder for a moment to let him know that he did at least care, but beyond that he pretty much just went to his side of the room and stayed there with Esen, Kyiri, and Nobu if Nobu could bring himself to stay away from Kyran when he was feeling so down.

As for the breakfast table, Selenity came down to eat only on the off chance that Nero and/or Reyes wanted to come downstairs to eat today, but she was deliberately and vehemently ignoring her father, Keren, and Ellior. However, she did nearly tear Keren a new one when she made one too many sour comments about her guests and offended the woman so badly that she actually got up and left the table. Amazingly Akito hardly said a word to her for it, though he did stiffen in his chair and shoot her disapproving looks until Keren was gone...then he simply went back to eating and really just didn't seem to care. It was probably becoming a little more apparent that he didn't care for Keren all that much either but was just trying his best to put up a good show to her face. Ellior looked like he would love nothing more than to crawl under the table and hide beneath it and he escaped from the table as soon as he possibly could. Sri still wasn't a very happy camper either since all of her favorite people either weren't feeling well or were in a bad mood, or something so she just sat there quietly nibbling on her food with a pouty expression on her little round face waiting to be told that she could leave.

Kyran spent a good long while by himself in the quiet spot that he had found though he did start to head back towards the room he was sharing with Celestine about the time that he thought most would be heading to bed. He didn't have a whole lot to say once he had gotten back to the room though he didn't completely ignore Celestine when he showed some concern, he merely tried to smile a little and wave him off. He didn't stay awake for long and settled into the bed to sleep though he wound up with Nobu practically glued to him like when he was younger and something had troubled him. Thankfully Nobu hadn't bothered saying anything this time either. He kept to himself which Kyran appreciated. Both LaRae and Aamori called it a night when everyone else had and weren't too delighted to see that the room was a mess courtesy of Zale as soon as they walked in. What made them both shake their heads was seeing Reyes already in bed and curled up and Zale sitting in the middle of their bed waiting on them to come back. Once they got the room straightened up a bit they did both call it a night as well.

When morning rolled around and breakfast came up Kyran had already left the palace. He hadn't really wanted to sit through breakfast today and as far as he was concerned he could use his job as an excuse for leaving so early and getting away from everyone and everything for a little while. As for the others, LaRae and Aamori had both come down for breakfast as well as Nero and Reyes. Reyes had managed to coax Nero into letting him go down for breakfast and of course that meant that Nero was following. Though once he had gotten down there and was sitting through breakfast he had almost wished that he hadn't let Reyes come. Not only because it was kind of obvious that some people were uncomfortable with their presence at breakfast but also because he didn't care to see Selenity getting set off by Keren. That alone caused an uncomfortable amount of tension in the room. Of course once there was the chance to break away from breakfast LaRae did. She wanted to check on Nanashi even if all he was doing was sleeping. Aamori would have head back upstairs to get Zale to let him out in the backyard area to stretch and play. Then lastly... Nero and Reyes would probably head back upstairs if nothing else came up.

Akito of course was not very thrilled when he had to seat two dark dragons at his table, and it was painfully obvious for his distaste on his face, though unlike Keren he was trying very...very hard to hide it. He could put up with the halfbreed before he could put up with the dark clan, though that strong prejudice was easily justifiable in his eyes. After all, they had killed his wife in cold blood and even took part of her away as a souvenir. It took every ounce of dignity he had in him not to tell them to go eat in the kitchen or better yet, get the hell out of his territory. He had been made perfectly aware of the permission given by the elders for the one to be here...however he had been mulling over the idea of having the tag-along chucked into prison for trespassing without permission. Regrettably, Selenity's grandmother put a halt to that before he had a chance to do so. It worried him that the women in his family were so easily forgiving. Roshanara had been as well, and look where it got her. When Selenity tore into Keren about one of her remarks, obviously directed toward the smaller of the two dark dragons, it was all that he could do not to say anything. Frankly, he would sooner put up with Keren and her raving as to have to look at two dark dragons. He was fully prepared to reprimand Selenity right there, but when Keren got up and walked away he decided to just let t go and try to be grateful that she had rid him of at least once annoyance. Clearly...Selenity's mood had not improved at all since yesterday. If anything he thought it might have gotten worse. Some small part of him was hoping that she was merely being so friendly and protective toward those dark dragons just to get on his nerves...but knowing her, he doubted it. She was the type to look death in the eye and then try to hug it thinking nothing was going to happen.

Selenity had noticed right away that Kyran was absent this morning, and part of her wished that she was as well. She had spent a good few hours seething, crying, and pretending some pillows were her father's face while she pummeled them last night, but it really hadn't helped much. It really didn't take her long at all to snap on Keren when she started on Reyes since she was obviously too intimidated by Nero to say anything. More or less she had wound up telling the woman that if she couldn't keep her mouth shut that she was going to personally throw her out of the palace and hope she broke her neck on the way down the stairs...or something to that effect. Either way, it was not a very well-mannered request for silence. She had to seriously bite back a few comments that she knew would both make Nero and Reyes very uncomfortable and likely get her slapped, like she would sooner have the two of them move in here than keep her bitchy, insolent ass around one more minute, but she didn't want to make things harder on Nero than they already were. Her father had refused to lower the lights so the room was probably a little too bright for Nero's liking for a while...until she finally got up and went to do it herself, ignoring her father's looks and the maids horrified expressions since she hadn't even asked any of them to do it. They'd be too afraid they would be in trouble with the king most likely. She did at least try to eat, though she didn't put away half of her food before she was announcing that she was going to the library to look up a few things and shooed the guards away who tried to follow her...though she wound up with at one of them on her tail anyway; Jett...and he looked like he was wondering who was going to guard him from her.

Sri was relieved to get an excuse from the table once several people started to file away. She was disappointed to see that Nanashi wasn't there, though she had gotten the vibe yesterday that he wasn't feeling too good, so she decided to leave him alone for right now. She was curious about where that other little girl had gotten to, but she didn't see her anywhere either...or the purple guy (she had already forgotten his name). Well...since most people were out already, she waited for her father to leave or at the very least for Nero to get out of his sight, and then scurried after him. He had locked himself in his room all day yesterday after they met, so she thought today he should come to play with her. Not to mention, she did have some questions that she kind of wanted to ask him...but those could wait. She tugged on his hand and looked up at him with those big shiny eyes and smiled. "Ne-ro...," she said, drawing out his name a little and scrunching up her face as she tried to make sure she was pronouncing it right. She brushed it off after a moment, apparently deciding it didn't really matter, and then smiled again. "Will you come play?" she asked innocently. "Nanashi doesn't feel good, Ellior ran away, and sissy is kind of scary right now," she said, obviously finding her sister's temper something not to be tampered with, "so I'm bored."

Kanone had spent dinner seated next to Nero today as if he thought that was going to help him somehow, and he was still hanging around with him now since Celestine had gone upstairs after Aamori, intent of taking the rest of the animals out to the yard so that they didn't have to remain cooped up in the room all day again. Kanone seemed to enjoy hanging around Nero, even if he did most of the talking, and around here he seemed especially reluctant to leave him alone. He smiled when Sri caught up to him and started asking him to play and then snickered softly. "Awww go play, Nero," he teased quietly and then instinctively moved well out of arm's reach as if he knew Nero was going to hit him for that.

Nero tried his very best to be on his very best behavior while in the presence of the King and his other guest[s]. He wasn't an idiot and knew that both he and Reyes needed to be good so of course he had already spoken to Reyes about behaving. Little did he know that his cousin talking was enough to set Keren off. He himself didn't talk a lot as it was... but Reyes liked to talk and he wasn't exactly discriminative about much of anything so he would talk to just about anyone about anything, given the chance. Instinctively, once Keren had said what she had to his cousin he narrowed his own eyes at her. He didn't say anything but he was pretty sure the look on his face alone could have been enough to get him yelled at. Thankfully though Selenity had taken care of it and even run the woman off. Of course by then Reyes didn't exactly have a desire to talk anymore and kept pretty quiet through the rest of breakfast. As far as the lights went they had of course bothered him until Selenity had gotten up to turn them down. Unlike Reyes he hadn't had the darkened glasses to wear to protect his eyes, thanks to some paint... He had been pretty close to blind at the table, at least for the part of breakfast that had been too bright for him. He wasn't really surprised to see Selenity excuse herself from the table when she did, especially after listening to Kanone tell him what he missed last night because he hadn't come down for dinner. Part of him was especially glad that he hadn't just because that was too much drama for him to deal with and he preferred the quiet dinner... er... well... mostly quiet dinner he had with Reyes.

By the time that everyone was filing out and going off where they wanted he had pulled Reyes off to the side to find out where he was headed. He of course had decided that he was going to tag along with Celestine unless something more interesting came up. Once Reyes had headed off he started to leave himself, intent on just going up to his room where all of the lights could be shut off. He didn't expect anything to stop him so he was a little surprised to find little hands tugging on his hand. He stopped walking of course and looked down at the little Princess as she was saying his name. He couldn't help a slight smile before shaking his head slightly. Only a child relative of Selenity would have the guts to come up to him and grab him like that and be completely unhating of him for what he was. He continued to stare down at her while she spoke, waiting silently for her to finish. He couldn't help smiling a little at her saying that her sister was kind of scary right now. “...Your sister is kind of scary.” He agreed quietly. His expression had of course gone soft seeing as the little princess was so young. He couldn't help it... his expression always went softer when he was dealing with children. Partially because he had a little sister of his own and he knew keeping a stern looking face or one that just didn't care sometimes upset her. He continued to stare at her for a moment, a little unsure of how to turn her down. He wasn't entirely sure he really should play with the little princess... especially seeing as her father hadn't been too pleased with just having him at the breakfast table. He glanced back towards Kanone when he heard him tease him. His face of course shifted back to a bit more of a glare once he was clear of the princesses gaze. “Go away, Kanone.” He told him before looking back to the little princess, of course allowing his expression to go completely soft again. “Are you sure that you should be asking me to play with you?” He asked quietly. “I am pretty sure that your father will not be happy about that...” He added as he looked at her. He wasn't really opposed to playing with her if she really wanted to play and no one else would play with her... but he didn't want to upset her father or anyone else for that matter and surely... a dark dragon playing with the princess would upset someone.

Kanone simply smiled back at Nero in his usually friendly way when he glared at him and chuckled when he told him to go away. "Aww but I wanted to play too...," he whined playfully before he reached over to place a hand on Nero's shoulder lightly. "Haha. Alright...see ya around," he agreed easily enough. He kind of gathered that Nero didn't like having him on his ass all of the time, so he guessed he could go outside and harass Aamori and Celestine or...go take a nap or...something. This was a huge place, surely he could find something to do with himself in here. He looked back down to Sri for a moment and smiled at her as well. "Bye bye, Sri," he said lightly, giving the princes a little wave, "Don't wear him out too much." He chuckled again and winked at her before he started to wander back toward the staircase in compliance with his agreement to go away.

Sri smiled up at Nero when he stopped and started to talk to her, obviously glad for some attention. After all her father was always too busy to give her much and the maids didn't do anything but fuss over her or get onto her for messing things up. She laughed softly when he agreed that Selenity was kind of scary and then tilted her head a little and giggled again at Kanone when he teased Nero and got told to go away. "Silly," she called after him when he told her not to wear Nero out too much. "I wont. Bye bye!" She looked back to Nero again when he asked if it was a good idea for him to come and play since her father wouldn't be happy about it. "I don't care," she responded obstinately, for a moment sounding just like her sister. "Daddy wont care, he wont even notice, he never notices anything. Besides, it's not bad. Sissy told me you're not bad, so it's alright because she likes you." She smiled at him again, though it faded just a little as she stood there. "...Do you not want to play?" she asked childishly, "...I can go ask Nana, but I don't think he feels good since he missed breakfast."

Nero for the most part chose to ignore Kanone after he had told him to go away and did no more than just glare back at him again when he told Sri not to wear him out too much. Honestly... the guy could be really annoying... He turned his attention back down to Sri when she started to respond to the question that he had asked and couldn't help but shake his head a little at the way she responded. Of course he thought she sounded just like her sister when she said that she didn't care. He sighed softly when the little princess continued on to say that her father wouldn't care and that he wouldn't even notice. Unfortunately he knew that even if the King himself didn't notice... someone would... and someone would say something and it was bound to turn out messy... especially if Selenity had to step in a say something. Every part of him was telling him that he probably should just leave the kid alone and make her find someone better to play with but he wasn't sure he could bring himself to make her even look sad, let alone actually be sad. “....Your sister likes anyone.” He commented quietly when she had said that her sister said he wasn't bad and said that she liked him. “Not everyone has the same opinion of me as your sister, but I can assure you I am not a bad guy nor will I ever hurt you.” He told her quietly. He stared down at her for a moment when she asked if he did not want to play and followed that up by saying that she could go ask Nana... which he presumed was Nanashi. He shook his head slightly. “I never said that I did not want to play...” He paused. “...and I think Nanashi would appreciate it if you just let him get his rest.” He told her. “...I also think you would be less likely to have LaRae annoyed with you that way too... She's probably playing guard with Nanashi to make sure that no one bothers him while he's trying to rest.”

Sri tilted her head slightly when Nero said that her sister liked anyone. "That's what daddy always says. He said 'someone could be threatening her with a knife and she would want to give them a hug'." She went quiet again when Nero continued, though she smiled when he said that he would never hurt her. She let go of his hand then and moved closer to wrap her arms around his legs. She was considerably shorter than he was so there wasn't a whole lot she could reach. She patted his leg lightly and looked up at him with a smile. "It's okay, I like you," she told him like she was trying to make him feel better. She knew she wouldn't like being in a place where practically no one liked her, so she assumed it would bother Nero just the same. "Sissy and I wont let anyone pick on you. If they do they'll be in trouble," she assured him firmly. She nodded in understanding when he told her that Nanashi would appreciate being left to rest and that LaRae was guarding him. She giggled a little at that. "Those two like each other," she said, stating the obvious. "It's strange though...Earth usually stays with Earth and Fire usually stays with Fire. I didn't think Earth and Fire got along. Is it because Nana doesn't have horns? I like Nana too. I played the piano for me yesterday. It was neat because he can't read the music, but he was still playing without it and it sounded pretty." She shook her head a little after she was finished rambling and then grabbed his hand again. "Come on, wanna see my room?" she asked brightly as she started to tug him toward the end of the hallway again.

Nero couldn't help but shake his head a little when Sri said that that was what her father always said. “...Your sister does like to try and see the best in people...” He commented quietly. Selenity did appear to look for the best in anyone before worrying about the bad. He stared down at her for a moment once she had let go of his hand and started to wrap her arms around his leg. He smiled a little when she said that it was okay, that she liked him. She barely knew him... but he guessed if Selenity said he was okay then that was a foot in the right direction. He shook his head slightly once again when she said that 'sissy and I' wouldn't let anyone pick on him. He smiled a little. “...Thank you.” He told her quietly. He didn't particularly want to have the two princesses looking out for him like that... but he was pretty sure that arguing with Sri was as pointless as arguing with Selenity half of the time. He continued to stare down at her when she spoke again and said that Nanashi and LaRae liked each other. It was pretty obvious so he wasn't that surprised that even a child of Sri's age would notice. He nodded his head slightly when she continued to speak and said that it was strange though. He did agree that it was a little strange... Earth was usually afraid of Fire, so seeing the two of them together was strange. “Earth and Fire don't usually get along.” He told her. “Those two... are a unique case...” He paused. “But yes... it could quite possibly be because he doesn't have horns... I think they can kind of relate to one another, regardless of their clans.” He said with a slight nod. He didn't pay too much attention to the two of them... but... well.. when you pretty much lived with them it was kind of hard not to notice some things. “That was nice of him.” He commented when she had said that Nanashi had played the piano for him. He didn't care too much to hear that Nanashi could play the piano without reading music. If you played a song enough times you could learn to play it without the music... or at least that's what he thought considering he knew people who could do the same thing. He stared down at her for a moment when she grabbed his hand again and asked if he wanted to see her room and then started to tug on his hand. He automatically shook his head slightly in disbelief at her tugging his hand and wanting to show him her room. Of course she wanted to do that. “...Alright, alright.” He paused. “No need to drag me along.” He told her and started to follow after her. He guessed he didn't really have any objections with seeing her room if she really wanted to show him... he just hoped that it wasn't going to wind up a problem later.

Sri's smiled when Nero thanked her and tail swished happily beneath her long flowing dress which one would normally think a parent insane for even buying for a child her age, considering with most children it would probably be stained and ripped within one day. She was happy to think that she was going to be helping Nero feel more comfortable here, or at least that was the case in her mind. She had no idea just being alone with her was going to make things uncomfortable for him. Well...she did, but she didn't realize just how uncomfortable things could get. She nodded slightly when Nero agreed that Nanashi and LaRae getting along so well was a rare case and that it may be because of their lack of horns, or well...lack of visible horns in LaRae's case. Once Nero agreed to come with her she giggled quietly and continued puling him down the hall. Her luck being what it was, about the time she got to the end of the hallway she collided right into a maid, causing them both to fall backwards. Sri fell into Nero, the maid...landed right on her tail.

Lettie had been in a rush to get back to the dining room in order to finish up gathering the dishes and carry them to the kitchen. She was just lucky that she hadn't been carrying anything. she was a bit of a klutz as it was,s o it didn't take much to knock her over, even running into the little princess could do the trick. she was a very short little thing, so even standing in her Mary Jane heels the top of her head was level with Nero's chest. "Oh I'm so--" she started, though her sentence broke off when she looked up and saw the dark dragon standing right behind the princess. Like she had before when seeing Reyes she froze up and her eyes widened to the point they looked like they were going to jump out of her head. Even her breath caught and didn't seem to want to start of again, as if he wasn't going to see her if she stopped breathing. She couldn't even bring herself to get back to her feet at the moment, all she managed to do was stare up at the dark dragon, looking as if she thought he was going to run her through with something.

Sri blinked when Lettie fell down and started staring at Nero like she thought he was going to eat her or something. She tilted her head and then looked up to Nero in confusion before looking back to Lettie again. "...What?" she asked her looking a little confused. "There's nothing on his face."

It was only a moment after the collision that Firra came to a stop behind Lettie and looked down at her, looking almost annoyed to find the girl sitting on her rear again. "Lettie...," she started, though she cut herself off when she noticed Nero and Sri standing there. She blinked and stared at Nero for a moment before he looked down to Lettie again and shook her head slightly. "Oh, get up," she told her, a bit of ire returning to her voice. She reached down and hooked her hands under the girl's arms again and pulled her back to her feet before turning her loose and giving her a light shove. "Get moving, we don't have all day." She let out a frustrated sigh when the girl staggered and nearly fell on her face, and instinctively she reached out to catch her. "Jeez...," she muttered under her breath as she shook her head.

Sri smiled when she saw Firra come up and stayed quiet while she worked with Lettie for the moment. Once Lettie had started walking awkwardly past then she reached out to catch Firra's hand with the one that wasn't latched onto Nero's. "Hey, Firra, so you--"
"I don't have time to play right now, princess. I have a hundred and one things to do right now. Just go play, you've already wrangled yourself a playmate." She glanced at Nero and gave him an almost pleading look. "Entertain her...please."
Lettie had stopped just a few paces behind Nero, mostly because she heard what Firra had said about entertaining Sri. "Firra, are you sure......." she started timidly.
Again Firra nearly rolled her eyes at Lettie. "What? I don't have time to baby sit, we're understaffed as it is today. He's not going to hurt her. Gods you people are all so paranoid...." She looked back to Nero again and then shook her head and sighed before she moved around him. "What are you waiting for, keep walking. We have dishes to wash, rooms to clean, probably fifty other things to do...we don't have time to stand around. Go on, scoot, I want to go home before midnight." Again she shooed Lettie away and steered her toward the dining area almost forcefully, once again leaving the two of them in the hallway alone.

Sri blinked after Firra and Lettie had started down the hallway again and looked back for a moment before shaking her head. "...They're weird...," she said simply as her way of passing off that whole exchange. "Anyway, come on!" she said excitedly, tugging his hand again. before she started toward the opposite set o stairs from the ones that led up to the guest rooms.

Nero followed after Sri as she started down the hall though he hadn't had much a choice considering she was still pulling him along. He would have most likely continued following her even without having to be pulled... but then again he wasn't really surprised he guessed... his sister would've done the same thing. He hadn't entirely been paying attention to the surroundings or the people who could possibly be around seeing as Sri was pulling him along. He was more concerned with not tripping her up or something so he was making an attempt to keep a pace similar to hers. He was a bit surprised when the little princess wound up colliding with a maid as they came to the corner and instantly put his free hand out to catch and steady Sri if need be. Regardless of who she was he still had the sense about him to watch out for her since she was so close to him, as he would do for most people around him... well... except maybe Kanone. He'd probably let him fall on his tail or maybe push him so that he fell on his face instead. His expression was still rather soft at the moment considering he had been talking with Sri so he didn't look nearly as mean as he could when he stared down at the maid. He was actually about to ask her if she was alright but wrote that right off as soon as he noticed the way that she was staring at him. He sighed quietly and shook his head a little at Sri's comment about there not being anything on his face. That hadn't been why she was staring... he knew why... and personally if he was making it hard for the maids to work he would almost rather never leave his room.

He wouldn't say that he was surprised to see Firra not far behind the other maid. Whenever something like this happened where a maid was left gawking or staring in fear at either him or his cousin Firra wasn't far behind. Or at least she hadn't been the past couple run-ins with other maids. He just stood there quietly while Firra took to getting the other maid, Lettie, back on her feet and started to try and get her moving... only to have her almost fall again. He shook his head slightly. Some people... they acted like they had never seen dark dragons before... well... in this case, they probably hadn't ever seen them this far into the palace... or city for that matter. He glanced down to Sri when she started to speak and call after Firra only to be cut off. He couldn't help but cringe slightly, just very slightly when Firra referred to him as a playmate. He lifted his eyes to look at Firra a moment when she gave him that almost pleading look and said to entertain the princess, please. He had already been planning on it since the princess didn't really have anyone else to play with... though he still worried about it a little. He just kind of waved her off a little without saying a word though he did stare over at the other maid for a moment when she started to question Firra's asking him to entertain her. He had suspected that someone would worry that he might do something to the princess... but he had kind of hoped that someone worrying wouldn't come around so soon. God only knew how long before someone would come and tell him to leave the little princess alone.

He sighed almost heavily once Firra seemed to get the other maid in gear and started away from them. He did have to agree with Firra's one statement... at least a little... they were paranoid. But again... that was with good reason for the most part. After listening to Firra he did still feel a little bad that there was so much work for them to do and couldn't help thinking part of that might be due to his and Reyes' being here. Of course he wondered then if it wouldn't just be better for him and his cousin to go and stay somewhere else so that they weren't inadvertently interfering with the maids and their work... or anyone else for that matter. He lowered his eyes back down to Sri once she had started to tug on his hand again. He had been a little lost in his own thoughts so he hadn't exactly noticed that she had started moving again until he felt the tug on his hand. Thankfully he had the presence of mind to actually move when he felt that rather than continue standing there. “...You don't have to rush, Sri.” He paused. “Your room isn't going anywhere.” He told her quietly even though he knew when a child was that excited it was kind of hard to calm them down.