Looking back over his shoulder at his young impulsive son, Malxarra nodded his head lightly and narrowed his eyes. "Just remember why we are here, don't get into trouble on this crown-ordered excursion... " Malxarra would say simply before nodding and dismissing his son. He had already filled him in on the details, and his son was told where in order to inquire about their accommodations, City Hall wouldn't be a hard place to find. Looking to the guards then, he patted his tunic down at the chest, dusting himself off before lifting his head as if to say 'You may proceed'. Without hesitation, the guards turned and led the Valorian Noble to City Hall.
Thanya stopped only briefly to gather her belongings from the dorm and then made a beeline to the port. Once there, she made arrangements to take the first ship back to the mainland. She was needed to be home as soon as possible and she knew with the length of the arduous journey that lay ahead of her, there was not a moment to lose.
As she walked down the gangway, she took one last tearful look at the Eona Academy. She had learned so much here and had some of the best and worst experiences of her life. She had even learned how use magic, a practice she hoped to continue to improve on in time. She hoped one day she might be able to return to the academy, but due to what she had learned from her letter she knew that might be a long time from now. Instead her thoughts turned to home, to her village among the jungle trees of Mistun and finally to her mother and the mantle she was about to come to bear.
It was not long before the lines were thrown from their bollards and the vessel was underway.
Over the course of several hours, more and more noble's ships would arrive in the heart of Eoana. One lord after the next would arrive at the shores, be greeted by the guards and be sent to City Hall to be brought to their accommodations. One such ship would arrive after the others, the last to arrive for the day, a slightly larger ship with a mixed colored flag of both Valor and a noble house crest on the flags and sails. Like all the others before him, the ship would dock, and the Noble Lord would step out. This one was a bit older then most of the others, his haggard appearance obvious as he walked on, leaning against his cane as he reached the dock edge. "I do not like to waste time," The older noble lord would say before the guards and soldiers could even say a word. "Take me to the Hall, I wish to speak with the Lord Marshal," The Noble would say forcefully before holding his cane out in annoyance. "Well?" The soldiers would hold their grumbles and bow before turning to guide the Noble to City Hall, but then they were stopped again by his guttural voice. "Really... You expect me to walk?!" He said with utter disappointment, and then remained where he was until some kind of travel accommodation was made. It would a short while, well beyond several minutes for them to act, but the guards would secure a carriage and lead it to the dock. The carriage would stop just before the Lord, and the guards would open the door to allow him to step inside and be seated.
It had been an uneventful voyage, but the breath of somewhere new was never a gift to turn ones nose up at. As the noble ship from Valor docked at the harbour and port of Eoana, the myriad of passengers would depart. Among those passengers stood the members of Kuevaal royal family, in particular, Elmund Ammether Kuevaal, and at his side, his son, Daravin Jacqueโdon Kuevaal. As their feet touch land, Elmund would immediately snap and bite and the guardsman before any of them had the chance to open their mouths. At this, Daravin found himself sighing slightly. It was business as usual. His father was often like this, especially ever since his old age was starting to catch up to him. Regardless, Daravin would silently follow his father to their carriage, the elderly man outraged at the notion of having to walk to the city hall. The very exclamation over something so mundane was enough to make Daravin sigh in contempt, however it was quiet enough to go unnoticed amidst the bustling crowd of the city.
As they approached their carriage, Daravin would pull the leader of the group of guards aside and speak low, while Elmund entered the carriage, โPlease, forgive my father, his health is failing and time has caught up on him. Pay his sharp words no mind.โ Once Daravin had said his piece, he pulled away from the guard smiling, a smile which would soon vanish as they reconnected with the image of Elmund as Daravin entered the carriage and took his own seat.
Once their carriage had started to move, Daravin sat back and looked out his window in slight intrigue at the city. โSoโฆthis is the great Eoana I have heard so much about. Iโll admit, it is a little bigger than I imagined, but, I wouldnโt say itโs reputation precedes itโฆโ At a surface look, Eoana seemed beautiful, utopian even, in spite of the damages dealt by the horrible attack from four months ago he had heard about. However, much like his own nation of Valor, as well as others such as Trendel, such as Langfrey, he knew that nothing in this world was perfect. Every beautiful garden had itโs share of parasites, and he knew for a fact, Eoana would be no different.
Sitting back, he remained slient as he and his father made their way to city hall.
Kayl couldnโt help but smile at her question. He shook his head at first and answered simply enough. "I donโt think itโll be an issue, however if you are worried about impressions, we can always send them to the dorm," He would say as they stepped into the street and started on their way towards the docks. As they walked, Kayl would take note of Nepthys stepping out behind them, and he stopped and turned towards her. "Iโm sorry Nephy, you must be feeling a bit third wheelish, did you want to join us? Itโs not a problem if you do, I doubt weโll be spending any significant amount of time with my Father since he is here on business, so I thought we could go have lunch or maybe even practice a little with your new toys after our meet, what do you say?" He would ask lightly, smiling and making sure he wasnโt leaving her out. He loved Camilla, this much was known, but he also cared about his friends, and Nephy had quickly become one of his close friends. After she made her decision, he turned and started towards the docks, leading the way to meet with the Royal Court Mage of Valor.
[- Arriving at the Docks -]
Not soon after passing through the streets, Kayl would lead the way to the docks, where a myriad of guards were waiting at attention, much like on the arrival of Lord Umbrawalker. Many of the noble families that had arrived one by one had done so with minimal greetings, but the next to arrive were no simple nobles. On a large grand ship second only to the Flagship Umbra, three powerful Nobles would attend and arrive, all three part of the Royal Council, all three Royal Court Mages of Valor. Leading them all was Kaylโs father, Royal Court Mage Lord Eldyn DeโValaer, followed closely surprisingly by his elder brother Kaylโs uncle, Lord Rhoderick DeโValaer. Following shortly behind them was the Royal Court Mage Lady Emilia Grace Caertyrne, followed by her husband and son, Lords Irvin and Lucas Caertyrne. Lastly, the Royal Court Mage Lord Baracas Dorne Brarlea, followed by his son Lord Elias Brarlea. As the other Court Mages were greeted and escorted by the guards to their carriages and to their given destinations, Lords Eldyn and Rhoderick DeโValaer would step over to Kayl and his companions to greet and be greeted by them. Without hesitation, Kayl bowed before his father before saying a word, "Father, I welcome you to Eoana," Kayl would say in a bit of a formal tone before standing straight and then nodding to his Uncle out of respect. "My Lordโฆ"
"Kayl, my my, look at you, how youโve grown," Rhoderick would suddenly say nodding back at Kayl. "Ah, yes, itโs been some time, Uncle," Kayl would respond lightly, trying to remain calm and unsuspicious with his uncle present. "Itโs good to see you," Rhoderick would say before taking his silence to let his brother speak. Rhoderick DeโValaer, being the eldest son, was the head of the DeโValaer family and thus warranted Kaylโs respect, but that was as far as his power ran. The younger brother, Eldyn, had grown in both prowess and power, earning his place at the Royal Council, before being promoted by the King himself to the head of the council. It was because of this that Kayl was a bit curious as to why his uncle was present. His father had written that he was visiting on official orders, and his uncle was not part of the courts. All in all, it wasnโt as if Kayl was displeased to see his Uncle, however with his sister hiding in plain sight somewhere on the island, and his fatherโs very fear of what the head of the DeโValaer family would have done at their birth, Kayl knew he would have to be careful with his Uncle present. Looking back to his father then, Kayl would step forward and act just a bit less formal. "How was your trip, Father, well I hope," Kayl would ask continuing his greetings to his Lordship. "Better than I expected, all things considered, but enough of the pleasantries, I believe an introduction is in order?" Eldyn would say while looking past Kayl and towards those that accompanied him. "Is this who I think it is?" Eldyn would say while stepping before Camilla, daughter of Umbrawalker, Lord Marshal General of Valor. Kayl would smile lightly as his father immediately took note of his beloved, he stepped back and stood at her side then, giving her the opportunity to formally introduce herself.
Listening to her beloved she would shake her head. No sense in taking the stuff to the dorm if they were possibly going to train afterward. She was going to want to cut loose with her new toys. Following Kayl's lead, she would nod to Nephy and speak up. " Yeah, I'm sorry Nephy. I know I said we'd have a girls day. But this is important to me and I don't wanna miss out on it. I hope you understand. " She would say in a gentle tone. " But as Kayl said you're more than welcome to come with us! The more the merrier right? Plus I know you won't say no to food. " She would say in a much happier tone while simultaneously poking fun at Nephy. She wasn't lying though, the girls did love to eat and Nephy rarely turned down an opportunity to go out and eat with her. Taking Nephy by the arm, and making sure not to stab her with the lance or hit her with the case. The three would make their way to the harbor to meet Kayl's father.
*Arriving at the docks*
Camilla would stand quietly just behind her beloved as they watched people come in off the boats. The boats were quite impressive this time around. Much like her father's arrival, they arrived on huge ships barring their house banners. Most notably was Kayl's family banner. As the lesser known nobles made their way off the ship things would get a little more serious as a group of nobles began exiting. It was clear they were important and Camilla knew each and every one of them. She had met them all many times at meetings with her father. She'd recognized Lady Caertyrne and her husband. Their son was a bit of a shock to her, the last she had seen him he was just a boy. Looking at him now he seemed to grow into a fine man. Bringing up the rear was Lord Brarlea and his son. It seemed all of the families and their children were in attendance for whatever reason. She had to wonder if it had anything to do with why her own father was here. Shaking her head she would make move her attention back to the front. Kayl's family were already off the docks at this point and making their way over to Kayl and company.
She sort of recognized his uncle, Lord Rhoderick DeโValaer. It had been a long time since she had last seen him. But even closer than him was Kayl's father, Lord Eldyn DeโValaer. Camilla could feel her heart pounding in her chest! Normally when she had met Lord Eldyn he was just a man her father worked with. Now that she was with Kayl he wasn't just a man or a noble, he was Kayl's father! If they were to get married he'd be her father in law! This man's importance and appearance were suddenly overwhelming. Camilla set her gearbox down and stabbed her lance into the floor near the box. Taking a deep breath Camilla would do her best to get a hold of herself before they addressed her. Not really paying attention to the conversation her darling Kayl was having with his family, she would look to Nephy for help. But Nephy taking the time to get back at her would make it clear she was on her own for the time being. Laughing quietly to herself she'd shake her head slightly, her curly pink hair waving from side to side as she did. But then a shadow would be upon her and she would snap back to the conversation.
She heard Kayl's father ask for introductions. Looking up she would see the man staring down at her. Gulping as quietly as she could Camilla would look from Kayl to his father and give a low curtsey. " My Lord, It is a pleasure to meet you again after all this time. " She would say confidently as she rose back to a full standing position. " As you might recall I am Camilla Umbrawalker, daughter of Lord Marshal General of Valor Nathaniel Umbrawalker. " She would say smiling up to Lord Eldyn and giving her father as much respect as she could. " I do hope your trip was a pleasant one and I hope you enjoy your time here in Eoana. Please excuse my current appearance my Lord I had not anticipated gathering so many things from the smith before coming to greet you. " She would say honestly. Camilla had no real intention of getting the weapons she had gotten, but they were too beautiful and full of spirit to ignore. With a bit of red in her cheeks, she would smile still and look from her dearly beloved to his father once more. She desperately wanted to cling to Kayl but didn't want to give off the wrong impression to his father. After all, they hadn't really been super open about their relationship. Taking advantage of the lull in conversation she would gesture to Nephy. " And this is Nephthys, she is one of our closest friends. " She would look over at her friend who seemed a little shocked to be so suddenly included and smirked slyly at her.
Nodded lightly and smiling at her words, Eldyn would chuckle while giving a very small bow to Camillaโs curtsy. "I thought it was you, itโs been some time since Iโve seen that pretty little girl of his, though not so little anymore it seems," Eldyn would say before looking back at Kayl with a somewhat suspicious face, considering the way she was acting. "Youโve grown into a fine woman, spitting image of your mother," He would say just before Camilla apologized for her belongings and appearance. At her words, Eldyn chuckled and waved it off. "If you are at all like your father, or worse this oneโฆ" Eldyn would say while thumbing in Kaylโs direction jokingly, "Then there is no reason to apologize, those look like splendid items," He would say after looking over the ones that he could see clearly.
Kayl couldnโt help but cross his arms at his fatherโs joke, giving a โnot amusedโ expression before looking back towards Camilla as Eldyn praised her weapons. When her gaze met with his, Kayl stuck his tongue out at her subtly, and then turned back towards his father when Eldyn started to speak to him once more. "So, Kaylโฆ" He started to say with a bit of a matter of fact voice, as if he was already suspicious of their โfriendshipโ even though he had no knowledge of their courtship. It was enough that she had escorted Kayl to greet him for him to think that much, but before he could say anything else, suddenly, the air got really heavy around them all as black mist like particles started to form a large mist cloud centered on Camilla. "Camilla!!!" Kayl yelled out and without hesitation, Kayl suddenly darted to her side, taking her into his arms as his face grew incredibly anxious at the sight of the mist like cloud, it was familiar to him, he had seen it before but for it to start to surround Camilla as it started to do startled him. As he stood with her, the mist spread and started to surround him as well, and then form around his father, Eldyn, and his uncle, Rhoderick. The very air got thick with magical energy, and a strong gust of wind started to blow all about them, pushing everything and everyone else away from the four of them as the mist clouds grew.
In the distance, the same could be seen happening to the other Noble families still on the docks, as the Caertyrnes and Brarleaโs where similarly surrounded by vortexes of mist and wind. The mist simply grew and grew until it completely covered each and every one of them, the Caertyrnes, the Brarleas, the DeโValaers, and Camilla Umbrawalker, covering them all from head to toe, spinning about like a small tornados consuming them entirely. The winds continued pushing the air around them away, keeping anything and anyone else from getting close, all the while blowing the dust and minor dock items all about, causing the guards to put up their arms and protect their faces. Just a moment later, the instant the mist completely covered all of them, it dissipated and disappeared from everywhere, leaving nothing behind but small clouds of dust, nothing else, nothing more, nothing at allโฆ
They were gone, the other Nobles, the DeโValaersโฆ Kayl and Camillaโฆ all goneโฆ
Nephthys chuckled and just sort of shrugged when Kayl mentioned her being 'third wheelish'. She happily accepted his invitation to join them for a quick meeting and then lunch and/or sparring. It sounded like this was going to be a very promising day indeed. She caught up to them as Camilla apologized and then immediately made a joke at the teen's love of food. "I'll have you know, I am a growing girl!"she stated defiantly as she linked her arm in to her friend's. Nephthys could feel her stomach tying itself in knots at the sight of all the Valor nobles at the port. She hung back with Camilla, nervously squeezing her hand until it was time for Camilla to introduce herself. She whispered " You've got this. Just don't blurt 'I'm sleeping with your son' and you'll be fine" to her bestie as she let her go, taking the opportunity to tease her despite the tense situation. You wouldn't even know the other woman was nervous with how confidently she addressed the nobles. She did have this, for sure. Just as her mind was at ease enough to wander to what they would have for lunch, she heard Camilla direct their attention to her. She was stunned and her face immediately filled with color. She swiftly bowed low to the ground to hide her face "Pleasure to meet you!"She was clutching her quarterstaff for support at this point, trying not to topple over or faint. She slowly came up when they started talking again.
Camilla was coming over to retrieve her weapons now that they had been addressed when the air started to feel very heavy. At first Nephthys thought she was hallucinating from the stress of the situation. However, the gasps and reactions to the other people at the port soon told her it wasn't just her. Suddenly, a thick mist started appearing around her friends. She was frozen in shock for a moment, but tried to get to them. "Grab my hand "She called, reaching out to them before the mist got thicker and the wind forced her away from them. She had to jam her staff in to the ground to prevent her from being forced on to her bottom. She held on tightly and continued to call out to them as she covered her face with her arm. By the time the wind died down, they were gone. She ran back to where they were standing and turned this way and that, panic strewn across her face. "Camilla!? ..... Kayl!? " She ran back to her staff and picked it up, along with the case to Camilla's gear. She had no idea where they were. She ran through the streets calling out for her friends, doing her best not to break down and cry. As she ran through, small objects she passed would jump or fall as a result of her emotional distress
