Roleplay

"Come, come!" The attendant beckoned for the travelers to follow and hurried away into the city.

The main road was straight and broad, lined with multistory apartments and storefronts displaying all sorts of wares. The air was filled with the sound of shopkeepers hawking their merchandise, street musicians playing cheery tunes to the passers-by, and the chatter of dozens of dragons going about their business. After several minutes of walking, the din faded as shops and homes gave way to grander, more austere buildings. Finally, the enormous royal palace came into view, placed squarely in the center of the city like the hub of a wheel.

The guards at the door opened it for the attendant without question, and nodded silently in acknowledgment at Tempest and his company as they passed.

Within was a large antechamber with high ceilings, lit from above by skylights. "Wait here just a moment, sirs!" squeaked the attendant, before darting away through a side door and disappearing.

A couple minutes passed before the door opened again, and out stepped Prince Enidias himself. "Welcome, friends," he said, offering a respectful half-bow towards the group. "Clan of Avolare. It is good to finally meet you. I hope your journey here was not too difficult?"

Tempest was happy to take in all the sights and as Wenceslas calmed, he relaxed himself. "Your Royal Highness," Tempest greeted out of politeness. He returned the half-bow to Prince before speaking. The others mimicked the half-bow, though admittedly it was a little awkward from the others. They clearly weren't used to so much formality, unlike Tempest who seemed to know what he was doing. "It wasn't, thank you," Tempest responded. "The only difficulty we had was with our own members." He glanced at Wenceslas out of the corner of his eye, grateful he had done nothing... Yet.

"Then perhaps you would prefer to get settled in your rooms before we attend to any official business? I wasn't sure how many rooms you would need, so the whole east wing of the diplomatic residence has been reserved for your use. We can reconvene at dinner if you'd like."

Enidias' words were primarily directed at Tempest, but his gaze wandered across the other members of his company, lingering on Wenceslas in particular. Was this the strange immortal hatchling Tempest has mentioned in his letter? Enidias was curious to find out what was so unusual about him, but at the moment he seemed fairly normal.

"But first, Secondary Princeps, would you introduce me to your clanmates? I believe I have heard a few of your names, but I would like to become better acquainted."

Tempest nodded. "Anything is alright with us. Thank you for your benevolence. Allow me to introduce my company, your Highness," He responded. Tempest stepped aside to allow Enidias to see the others.

Beside Tempest stood four others. There were two coatls adorned with pieces of green garb. They looked to be twins based off their shared colorings and markings. The dragon next to them stood a large ridgeback. He looked fairly tired but it couldn't be known whether it was from the trip or something else. The final dragon there was a small nocturne hatchling that had pupils reminiscent of a goats. His body was covered in black runes and he had no apparent reaction to any of this, though it was apparent that he was more focused on Tempest than Enidias.

Tempest listed their names off one by one, gesturing to each one as he did. "The twins are Lurra and Edre. They are the mechanics I discussed in our correspondence." The two gave a slight bow towards Enidias. "The dragon with the pink markings is Lotus. He's... one of our members that seems to be bigger than life." Lotus gently provided a half-bow as he was addressed but did not comment on what Tempest said.

"Finally," Tempest continued, "this is Wenceslas." The hatchling looked to Prince Enidias for the first time out of all of this. "He's the strange wish-granter I mentioned." Wenceslas did not bow nor did he really move or take his eyes off the Prince after Tempest addressed him. He was dead silent.

Enidias nodded at each of the dragons in turn as Tempest introduced them. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Welcome to Induya. Our kingdom is very different from your clan, I am sure, but I hope you find your stay here comfortable nonetheless." Wenceslas' intense stare unnerved him a bit, but he did his best not to show it.

Turning back to Tempest, he continued, "As you are my guests, I am happy to plan according to your needs. If you would like to rest from your journey for now, I can have you shown to your rooms. If not, perhaps we could begin drafting the treaty? Your clanmates would be welcome to explore the city in the meanwhile, unless of course you'd prefer to have them present."

"I'd be fine allowing them to do as they please," Tempest responded easily. "Whether or not you'd like to begin the first draft now however is up to you, your Highness." Tempest was all too familiar with the niceties and polite mannerisms he felt the need to use but something about the way he was speaking expressed his slight exhaustion at formality, though it could only be picked up on if well-paid attention to. For the time being, he would be alright doing anything.

(If you want to switch to a more informal voice, you can just say so! Honestly, if there's anything I'm doing wrong or something you want to do different it's totally fine if you tell me--I don't read subtext very well.)

Enidias nodded. "Very well, let us get started. The rest of you are free to go about your business, though I hope you will join us for dinner this evening. Please seek out Ipeki if you have need of anything before then." Here he inclined his head towards the attendant, still standing off to the side, who bowed in acknowledgment.

Addressing Tempest, Enidias continued, "I'm afraid my study is something of a mess at the moment. Shall we go to the library? I understand you have a fondness for learning, and our royal collection may be of some interest to you."

(No I'm fine! Tempest just dislikes the formality as a character. While he knows how to use it well enough to get by, he simply finds it tiring. Also you're not doing anything wrong! It's all good. Also apologies if my answers get fairly short)

"That would be lovely," Tempest responded. "I would love to explore the library though I'd imagine I can always do that later depending on how quickly you would like to finish this draft, sir."

(Gotcha, just wanted to be sure! Don't worry about length, you're doing just fine.)

Enidias tilted his head with a hint of an amused gleam in his eye at Tempest's remark, but did not comment on it. "Then let's be going. Good day to the rest of you."

He led Tempest down a wide hallway and through a set of wooden double doors. The room within was two stories high, the walls lined with shelves containing tomes and tablets of all shapes and sizes. "Rather modest compared to the library at the academy, but better curated, I would say," commented Enidias as he held the door for Tempest to enter.

Enidias went to the nearest desk and, after pulling up a second chair and gesturing for Tempest to sit, prepared a sheet of parchment and an inkwell. "Now, let's begin with the basics. What would Avolare Clan most desire from a relationship with Induya? We have already discussed an exchange of vocational skills, but surely that can't be all you want?"

Although Tempest was quite entranced by his surroundings and the mention of an academy, he knew there was work to be done and that he could always explore later. He hoped that his company wasn't getting in too much trouble while he worked though he imagined after Wenceslas stared with a certain expression that couldn't be placed that he could be up to no good. Tempest turned his focus to the draft and took a breath before beginning. "Avolare does not need much from this alliance other than one thing. Avolare won't seek for any monetary gain from Induya simply out of the desire to not only respect Induya but because we don't actually need much due to our small size. However, due to our size, there is the possibility of a need for support and protection in the event that the clan is threatened or attacked," Tempest responded. "And considering the internal issues occurring in Avolare, I believe it would be most important," He explained. Tempest didn't bother to explain further and he wouldn't unless asked. "Avolare would be willing to provide the same support in the event that Induya is threatened or attacked. Although I'd imagine you don't need it."