vatheon | (no subject)

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Who: Peony IX, you~~, that cute girl, and that one...~~
Where: Plaza
When: Early evening
Status: Open
Style: Anything goes?

Peony was not unfamiliar with large bodies of water, or with accidents involving it. Being that his capital city was surrounded by the sea and in fact the sea passed through the barrier and alongside Grand Chokmah's streets--which were more like bridges as a result--there was always the occasional seaspray or accident that meant someone was getting soaked. It was more where he was that proved strange. Well, it helped that it looked like he was under the sea instead of on it. He paused in his steps to tilt his head back, towel falling from his head only to be pulled over his shoulders. Just to make sure it hadn't just been a bad fall and he'd been seeing things.

Nope, still underwater.

Damn.

To be honest, he'd mostly been wandering in a circle. Pacing, in a way, to help him think. He'd spoken to a few of the shop owners, but Peony only drew the conclusion that this was all pretty crazy. This place--Vatheon, they'd called it--had to have some kind of Fonic barrier to keep the water from flooding everything. He'd mentioned the word, but gotten no sign that anyone had ever heard it before. That was mainly why it was pretty crazy. Unless you were sheltered (which, he admitted, could and did happen), you'd have to know what fonons were and possess a general understanding of how they're used in day-to-day technologies.

At some point during this walk, just before his current state of pause, he'd taken off his sandals. The squelching noise wasn't helping him think at all. It was actually pretty distracting because of how ridiculous it sounded, and the part of him that still acted like a child kept laughing at it. He held them in his left hand now, ring and little finger hooked through straps on either. The befuddled monarch pulled his towel back up over his head like a hood, wringing his hair while it was covered; he needed to do something about this. Was there anyone higher up he could speak to? A ruler? But all he found was a cluster of coral, which he hadn't realized he'd stopped so close to. Grimacing slightly, brows drawn together and upward, Peony couldn't help a small chuckle.

"Well, if anything's going to rule an underwater city, you're the best candidate." As if it could hear him. Coral wasn't alive in the sense that humans were, after all. They were everywhere though, as he recalled from books he hadn't touched in years, and this batch seemed no different.

One of the few comforts of this place was bits of what he could see were vaguely reminiscent of Grand Chokmah (if just underwater). It eased the stress of his bemusement some if only because it gave him some hope that maybe he wasn't so lost as he thought he was. This probably unintentionally made things harder by thinking this way, but he'd deal with it for now; he needed the calm. After all, answers with any real substance would make everything that much easier to digest, even if he was wrong. He'd have something else to fall back on that wasn't just confusion of the highest caliber, but in the meantime he wouldn't be panicking. ...It made sense to him, somehow.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention away from the glowing mass and cast his gaze out upon the shops again. He hadn't thought to ask anyone who wasn't a shop owner, just yet... Maybe that's what he should try. If he ran into a tourist, then oops. Next person. This in mind, Peony strode away from the coral to find someone else to ask. Someone who looked like they might know enough to answer his questions, anyway. Er. Well.

Okay. First person he got to!

"Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me something about this place. Where it is, if everyone gets here without knowing how and catches cold as a result, that kind of thing."

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"Mark?" That's the first thing out of his mouth, and he remembers the brochure covering it a second later. Also hey! His pockets are at least off to the sides where most people put their pockets. He's not that bizarre, really. "Clothes and the center sound like good places to start. I think I can find my way from here, but thanks for all your help, Zelos." An open invitation to join him on this little venture settles in his tone.

"Hey, no problem! I got nothing better to do anyway." He shrugs easily and starts a leisurely walk to one of the many small boutiques that dot the plaza, one that generally had clothing in a similar style to what Peony arrived in, roomy with layers, though the materials will be a bit less posh than that.

"So are you royalty where you come from or just a noble of some kind?" He's just curious, really. There's a regality to the way Peony carries himself even with the casual speech and appearance and Zelos just has to know.

Peony grins to the redhead in an answer and follows him only half a step behind, closer to walking alongside than following. There's an ease with which he walks, basically trained into him with little hope of escaping as he grew up, but it's one he's made his own. Zelos' question catches him by surprise, and a grin that touches on sheepish claims his expression though the man laughs.

"Caught me." Peony shrugs, but decides he's not going to spill all of the beans just yet. "I'm up there, I guess. I mostly just goof around, so I'm not sure how I still am." Which is true, except he does his job when it needs to be done, so maybe he does know how he still has his position. Helps that he's the last of his family's dynasty so far, too. Which isn't a good thing, given, but... He'll sort that out when he needs to sort it out.

Peony's admission of not knowing how he's still nobility strikes a chord with Zelos and he laughs. The Chosen had often wondered the same thing, what with the way he carried on at home. "Well, y'know, people don't like change. Takes more than goofing around to get you stripped of a title."

He knows, he sort of tried.

"But titles here don't really count for anything here. There's at least two displaced princesses I know of, not to mention all the knights, soldiers, and religious leaders and whatever else people are, but when you get down to it we're really just all stuck."

Laughter is good, especially when it's genuine. Peony grins broadly and laughs a bit himself.

"Oh, they definitely don't," he agrees, "but some people aren't too happy with me." He recalls the attempt on his life that mostly ended up pissing Jade off more than anything else. Peony'd thought it was interesting, though... "Couldn't tell you why, either." Well, he could. Laziness was frowned upon in every circle. "Well, beyond the obvious."

The point that titles are empty words is what makes Peony grin a little. He's been stuck with his for so long, he'd scarcely been allowed outside to explore his own damn city!

"Stuck and in some kind of melting pot or jam jar." Peony chuckles a bit. "For some it's almost liberating, I bet. Depending on how you view nobility."

"Hmm~ I guess you could look at it that way. Definitely met some interesting people we never would otherwise, at least. It's a little weird to be honest. I'm surprised there's not more racism going on." After all, in Tethe'alla half elves were still being treated as second class citizens despite two of the Heroes of Regeneration being half elves, and yet here everyone more or less gets along. Heh, that's just gotta confuse the hell outta Mithos! He should point it out the next time he sees him.

Not that he'll go out of his way to see the little blonde jerk.

"My roommate's some kind of alien princess though and it's hilarious to watch her try and cook for herself, I gotta say. She's pretty excited to be trying, though. I guess she never did at home."

"Racism?" Sure, it's come up, but with the Score determining how life goes for so long, it really eliminated any true sense of it. There were more general feuds, and Peony was sure there were events that were never brought to his attention due to remoteness of the occurrence, lack of severe damage, or because it was either in Kimlasca or Daath. He'd gotten a few questioning looks concerning his skin tone once or twice, but that was more because it was unusual for both Keterburg and Grand Chokmah. He's sure there's been more said, but eh. It never came to get him.

"Probably too overwhelmed by being in a new place. Or just being in a place without societal prompt is enough. But an alien princess, huh?" Peony laughs at that, white teeth flashing with how his lips curl so high. "Nah, she probably didn't. If it's anything like--well, probably not how I grew up. But I'm pretty sure none of the princesses I've met knew how to cook, either." The concept of someone like Natalia cooking is a little on the unsettling side. And she's a lovely girl, really, but sometimes you just get these impressions from people...

"You never know! Ladies love a man who can cook so that's why I do it, but I know a couple others who cook as hobbies even if they're way high up there. I know this one guy... Oh man, I'd marry him if it meant I could eat that food every day!" Zelos goes a bit starry-eyed at the idea of Regal cooking up delicious things in the kitchen day and night.

"The princess where I'm from doesn't really know how to cook either though. She keeps asking me to teach her but..." But Hilda keeps using it as an excuse to get Zelos alone and the second he gives into that, he's stuck. Chosen he hated enough, being a prince? And married? And expected to have heirs?! No way in hell! "Yeah, that's not happening."

Peony laughs, not bothering to lift a hand to cover it or otherwise try to conceal the fact. It's just outright and carefree; Zelos really is something else, but he supposes he thinks that because he's being so ridiculous in front of someone he knows is royalty. That would never happen at home, not in a public place, with infinitesimally few exceptions.

In bringing up his princess, though, Peony's a little more attentive, quieting.

"Trying for more than a cooking lesson, huh?" Peony winces a little, sympathetic. Not that he quite gets it, but that would be awkward if you didn't want it. He usually just flirts and either gets a reaction or doesn't, himself. Man, royalty. Giving him a bad name and all.

Zelos never really cared about or had respect for titles, especially those by birth. Those who held them rarely deserved them and respect is something to be earned, not demanded. While his blasé attitude towards nobility had certainly landed him in trouble before, there was especially no point in hemming and hawing over titles and bloodlines in a place like Vatheon.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving 'cooking lessons' if you know what I mean, but she wants to keep me all to herself! I'm too pretty to be kept~" Not to mention wholly terrified of the very idea of marriage.

Peony would have to agree with that kind of sentiment; anyone could be born into a title, but living up to it? Totally different story! Peony at least upheld his duties, if consistently came off as being lazy in the interim. Which, of course, resulted in people being less than pleased with him from time to time, but hey. And with Vatheon being neutral as it appeared to be, there wasn't much to worry about with that for the time being, anyway.

"You're also too young~" Not that Peony would have minded being married at Zelos' age... Shot down by everyone because of a chunk of fonstone. Better to love and have lost than to never love at all. "You need more time to mature for marriage~" Peony grinned, then. "At least she's hot?" Yep. Of course that was coming.

"Too young and too free, my man! I've gotta be able to spread myself around a little and taste the fruits of life!" He gives Peony a conspiratorial wink. "Preferably melons~"

Despite his sunny demeanor, talk of marriage gets Zelos's hackles up and though he's decided that Peony is an alright guy and could probably become a friend if Zelos ever mastered the art of making them (he's not sure he's doing it right...), he's had about enough of thinking about Hilda, at any rate. "I guess? She's kind of on the young side."

And easy shrug from the redhead and there they are at the shop he'd mentioned, roomy and layered outfits lining the front windows. "Looks like this is your stop, Your Lordship!" He gives a mocking bow with a flourish, a sardonic joke to share between two nobles without their lands. "Feel free to look me up if you need anything else, I guess. I'm usually down for some kind of diversion."

The blond's grin broadens just that much more. There's that sort of pinching feeling he gets, though--similar to when Jade starts getting evasive because something's been brought up he doesn't want to talk about, but altogether different. Peony makes a mental note to avoid the topic of marriage with Zelos in the future, if there's ever reason for it to come up. The way he dismisses talking about the woman, too. Something's up there, but Peony isn't about to pry.

Peony grins at the joke, but refrains from noting that Zelos' aim isn't quite high enough. It doesn't matter, after all! He turns to the redhead and holds out his hand. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind, too; diversions are some of my best friends." Next to an icy fonist with a sick sense of humour. "Good way to make them, too."

"Works for me!" With a hearty shake, Zelos slips his hand back to his side. "Maybe we can throw a party or something. Not a ball or gala or something snooty like that, but a real party, y'know?"

Mentally he wonders why he even suggested such a thing. He's not really feeling up to it, though something more to unwind than to mix and mingle might be nice... "Anyway, I'll letcha know. Take care, Peony. It was nice meetin' ya."

With a wink, Zelos leaves Peony to his shopping and sets off down the plaza, hands slipping behind his head carelessly. Well, maybe making friends isn't all that hard after all!

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Also short. Erf.

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