The New Zodiac Braves

*After they leave, a man with a purple cloak walks up to Euryale. He looks like your typical knight.*

<For my part, I think you're radiant. I hope you're enjoying yourself. You haven't been...intimidated?>

*Euryale looks around for a bit.*

"Oh, me? Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you very much."

*He takes the seat that Mortal left.*

<You know, you can come home with me, if you'd like.>

"What? No, no. You see, I'm here with Mortal."

<Oh, don't worry about that. Listen, whatever she's offering you to be her concubine, I'll double it.>

*Euryale furrows her brow, then looks to Noctis, like, "help me out, here."*
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*Meanwhile, at the snack table, a boisterous, broad-shouldered man in a red suit with long, scraggly brown hair & a short beard, grabs Zac by the shoulders & turns him around. Lilith puts a hand on her sword.*

<Whoa, there! Put that away, Little Lady. I promise you'll get him back in one piece.>

*He turns back to Zac.*

<Zac, m'boy, it's been ages! Last time I saw you, you were only this high.>

*He holds a hand to waist level.*

<...Don't tell me you don't remember me? It's me, Siegfried. Friend of your father, local Dragonslayer...who in the Hell is that?>

*He is now looking at Mortal.*

Azuma abruptly steps back from Mimiru who looks a little shocked, but mostly irritated.

Azuma: "All right, business to attend to. The stupidest part of this trip."

Mimiru: "You mean that wasn't it?"

Azuma: "Oh no, I'd hardly call that stupid."

Taiyo presumably leading Aroma along comes up to them.

Taiyo: "I'm so happy you two changed your mind. Is that um..."

She points to her bottom lip and down her chin looking at Azuma.

Taiyo: "Is that blood?"

Azuma dabs a finger on his bottom lip and looks at the smear of blood on it.

Azuma: "Indeed it is. Anywho, sorry to disappoint, but we didn't come to take part in the festivities. Just got caught up in the moment there. Came to ask Aroma about something and dragged Mimiru along just because."

Noctis furrows her brow, "House Talea does not employ concubines, to insinuate so is insulting to everyone involved."

--

Zac balled his fist at the sudden grab, but relaxed when the man began talking, "I must apologize. It has been ages since I was that high," He puts his hand where Siegfried did to indicate his height, "So I'm afraid I can't quite remember you. You said your name was Siegfried?" Zac smiled and extended his hand out towards him in greeting. He then looked over his shoulder at Mortal, "That is my sister, step-sister. Things have obviously changed since I was a boy."

Mortal had only heard enough to catch 'local dragonslayer' and was a bit wary, though she knew she shouldn't be. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Aroma<I am confused. What is it that you need?>

*He laughs at Noctis.*

<Your name can do many things, but it can't erase the facts. You can't marry these women, yet they live with you, & presumably provide sexual services. Therefore, they are concubines.>
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<Not a whole lot, just had to catch up. So Divum & the Witch adopted a new little girl, huh? How'd that happen?>

*He scratches his chin, looking her up & down.*

<A new little girl with white hair.>

Azuma: "What kind of occupations would be open to someone like myself? Which is to say a knight."

Mimiru: "Wow, that is stupid."

"I'm not going to argue with you. They're human beings, and not for sale," Noctis said.

--

"Noctis met her on her travels and brought her back," Zac said hoping that was close to the truth without raising any questions.

At 'the witch' Mortal smiled, but went back to being cautious when he mentioned the white hair, "Is something the matter with my hair?"

Aroma<Umm...Knight, I suppose. Why? Do you want to be a guard at my castle?>

<Fine, don't argue. Girl, what's your offer?>

"I'm not taking money."

<But I'm sure you didn't buy that dress & necklace yourself.>

"That's...that's completely different!"
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<...Some say it's a curse to have colorless hair before the winter of one's life. That it's a mark of the Bloody Angel. A mark of evil. Have you ever had it examined by a Celebrant?>

*He glances at Lilith fetching drinks at the end of the table, but doesn't know who she is, nor does she notice him, & so they just ignore each other.*

"Those were gifts to a friend!" Sab said, "Just go away. No one wants you around."

--

"I've been in the company of many church officials, and my hair was never brought up as a bad omen," Mortal said, "So I think I'm fine."

Azuma: "I was thinking something more...flashy. Who or what do you send out to dispose of heretics? And no. The only people I guard is the one you came here with and the one who tried to break my hand. I'd like to learn a trade without having to go shopping which excludes pretty much anything generic."

Aroma<I have no idea what you're talking about. Heretics, if they are not brought to us by volunteers, are dealt with by an Inquisitor--such as myself--with a contingent of hand-picked soldiers. My job isn't something that one just...takes up, as a hobby.>

<Fine. But you 2 don't know what you're missing.>

*He keeps mumbling as he walks away.*

<Probably just like that 'cause you've never been with a real man.>
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<If you say so. Oi, since you weren't part of House Talea until recently, I've missed a lot of birthdays. Mayhap you would like this.>

*He digs around in his suit until he withdraws a sparkling ruby red tiara made from a single piece of polished material.*

Noct wanted to dance the man to death, but probably would have ruined the party for Euryale and Sab if she did, so she sat still, "Good riddance."

--

"Oh, I couldn't possibly accept something so nice," Mortal said, shaking her head.

Azuma: "I'm not too sure what I'm talking about either as you may have known. I didn't even know your job was a thing until the other day and I do not want your job..."

Mimiru: "Could you be any less stupid?"

Taiyo: "Maybe he wants to become some kind of special knight."

Aroma<Forgive my bluntness, but...you're rather uneducated if you don't know the basic Knight Ranks. There is of course Knight, Onion Knight, & Dark Knight, but also Holy Knight, Divine Knight, & Swordsaint. There are also a few organization-specific cases, like White Knight, Knightblade, & Templar.>

*Lilith emerges on the scene with drinks.*

L"Did something happen?"
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<Oh, don't trouble yourself, it was no difficulty at all to procure. You see, that particular dragon was asleep, so I just walked up &...>

*He smacks the table loudly, then chuckles.*

<Off with its head! When there's so little damage, like that, I like to craft, & sell some of the extra parts. Make some extra money.>

"Someone tried to buy Euryale," Noct said.

--

Mortal shrugged, "Uh, alright I guess." She put on the tiara, "How do I look?"

Azuma: "Certainly never heard of the Knight, but from what I understand Onion Knight is nothing to write home about and I considered the way of the Dark Knight. Didn't go anywhere with that thought. Not interested in anything restricted to an orginization, but those other three you mentioned sound appealing. If I wanted to become a...let's say Swordsaint, how would I go about doing that?"

*Aroma lets out a small chuckle.*

Aroma<Err...sorry. Swordsaint is the most exalted rank of knighthood. Therefore, it is very rare, & usually takes decades to achieve. It involves combining the disciplines of Holy Knight, Dark Knight, & Divine Knight into one cohesive fighting technique. I've heard that they're basically unstoppable.>
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L"What?"

E"He thought that Mortal paid me to be her concubine, & tried to offer me more Gil. He was very stubborn, & didn't seem to want to take no for an answer."

L"I see...."

E"What is that supposed to mean?"

L"Well...don't take this the wrong way, but...your relationship does have the same legal status as a hired concubine."
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<Fantastic.>

Azuma: "So unobtainable for this loser. We'll be going back to the inn then. Sorry to interupt. See you later, Taiyo."

Mimiru: "Bye, Taiyo."

The two begin leaving, Taiyo looking rather disappointed.

Taiyo: "Bye..."

*Cassandra and Safian dispose of their plates then head back out to the main area*

Mortal smiled and looked at Zac, "Uh, yea, what he said. You look great."

Mortal smiled wider, "Thanks."

--

"It isn't their fault that the law calls them concubines, but doesn't afford them the right to change that through legal marriage," Noct said, "Our new king and queen can marry, be it for love, convenience, politics, etc, but there is no way for Euryale to marry the person she loves, moreover she is called a whore for it."

"Wait, does that only apply to women, or is Zac your concubine or something? If it only applies to women, does that make you his concubine?" Sab asked.

*Lilith raises her hands in a defensive gesture.*

L"I really don't mean to imply anything, other than that there is understandable confusion. There are many reasons that people take concubines, including for love. That also isn't to say that I don't understand your frustration."

*Lilith looks to Sab.*

L"A concubine is a woman. Zac would just be a lover, which is basically the same thing in all but name. Since Limberry Castle is now my household, I am not considered the lover."
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*Aroma frowns.*

"Mayhap I handled that wrong...but I really have no idea how he'd go about training in those jobs. Unless he started working for the church, I suppose."
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<Glad you like it!>

"What did you say your name was again?" Mortal asked.

"This is Siegfried, friend of the family," Zac said.

"Ah, I apologize. I don't know much of the extended family, or the friends of the family too well," Mortal said.

--

"Noct's right, that isn't fair," Sab said, "Concubine bears with it a certain connotation to the name... It feels like a low designation."

"Which you are forced to bear," Noct said.

"I don't want to."

"I don't want you to either, that is my point," Noct said, "Were there something I could do to change that, I would."

"Wait... so is Zac like... the lesser role in the relationship? I thought the male was usually the head of the household."

Cassandra:<Aw, we missed the dancing.>

Safian:<Hoping to dance with some cute knight?>

*Safian gets pushed over*

Taiyo: "That's not very likely..."

===================================

Mimiru: "That's it? What the hell was the point of that?"

Azuma: "Wanted to make an inquiry. I told you it'd be stupid and kept my word."

Aroma<Well, mayhap Saint Glabados has the answer that I do not.>
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L"Well, if it makes you feel better, concubines are technically distinct from prostitutes. And I suppose you could say that. Socially, I am Zac's superior--I was named Marquis, therefore the castle is mine. I could name him as a successor, in which case he would inherit the title and the castle after my death, but ownership of it is not directly conferred by marriage or familial ties, on account of the fact that it is intended for the governor of Limberry."
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<That is quite alright. Apparently, neither do I. Are there any other new sisters that I should know about?>

"There is my lover, and Noctis' lover, Euryale and Sab," Mortal said, "Euryale is a lot like me, and Sab is very small. They shouldn't be hard to spot if you go into the next room."

Zac went and got a glass of water, then returned to where he was standing, "You going to get food, Mortal?"

"Oh, right," Mortal goes about looking at the selection of foodstuffs.

--

"Well, I know socially, but... do you really think of him as a lesser person?" Sab asked, "That you're better than him? That seems kind of mean."

"Before this conversation advances too far, I just want it made clear that I know the difference between a concubine, and a prostitute, and both are things I would not like to be called."