Sue gave a small smile. "Alright." She went to the door, and opened it. She waited for Celeste and Pluto to leave the room, and once they had gone, she followed them out, and took the lead. "Come on." She led the way through the hallways.
Celeste followed Sue as the girl led the way, her gaze on the walls and halls and doors they passed. Pluto followed at her side, ears perked up to show he was listening intently to everything around them. Celeste's mouth moved occasionally, forming words without speaking them, like she was muttering silently.
Sue kept walking, taking back ways and shortcuts, rather than head straight through the castle. At one point, they passed an open door into what looked like a library, where Soren, Captain Mikhail, and a few others were sitting, bent over papers and books, talking back and forth.
Sue slowed almost imperceptibly to peek inside, then kept walking at the same pace as before.
Celeste raised an eyebrow slightly, not missing Sue's peek into the room. She glanced into the open door as she passed, keeping quiet until they were well enough away to not be overheard by anyone in that room. "What do you think they're up to? Looked kind of important." It would have sounded like snooping, if she hadn't looked genuinely curious and almost playful.
"Probably planning things. The route for the Dragon Festival is highly controversial this year, 'cause of the Witch Bloods an' all. Or maybe they're plannin' something else. I don't know." Sue said with a shrug. "All I know is Captain Mikhail will be tryin' t' keep the king safe, and the king will be adamant in doin' the parade exactly as it's always been done, so's people can't call him a 'fraidy cat."
"I don't see how keeping people safe under the threat of harm is being scared." Celeste said, shaking her head as she pulled the hood of her cloak up, and then pulled it low over her face. "It's smart, is what it is." She looked off to the side, watching through the windows and making a face. "The King's got his work cut out for him, doesn't he? Has, too, since he took the throne."
Sue nodded. "I don't know if'n you knows how he got the throne, but…that's why most of the nobility don't like him. That an' his age. See, his father…his father was one of the kings what went insane, but see, nobody knew it until he died. And then King Soren was the last left of his line, and that was three years ago. Most everyone thought the throne should'a gone to the Duke, as the oldest member of the Aevin house. But by line of succession, Soren was king."
(bump?)
((Sorry! I was at my grandmothers after getting back from vacation, and I'm exhausted rn))
"It's good that the throne didn't go to the Duke, but…" Children deserve the chance to be children, and the King was already at a disadvantage. Celeste cast a look behind them, despite being unable to even see the door. "No one should be forced into any role." She understood that more than some realized, considering her own childhood had been more a nightmare than anything else.
(it's totally fine! I just like to "bump" after a day or so of inactivity. I don't mean to be rude or anything)
Sue nodded. "See, King Soren was the one arguing for his own right to the throne. No one forced it on him. He was 21, and wanted the throne, 'cause it was his right, an' thought it'd be better than if it went to the Duke. An' he was right. Wasn't nobody forced into any role, miss Celeste." She explained.
"That's…better, then at least." Celeste said, looking back at Sue. "Though, still, all that responsibility, that young." It was kind of hypocritical of her, if she was being honest. She had, after all, killed one of the most evil figures in history, at seventeen. And then proceeded to almost become a sort of therapist, while ignoring her own issues. At the very least, Soren had chosen the path he'd taken, and had been old enough to be considered a man.
Sue nodded. "Yes." She looked around for a moment. "Have you seen the white in his hair? No one knows what exactly it's from. Whether it's from stress, or because of his father, or the responsibility." She shrugged.
"A mix of all is likely." Celeste said, fiddling with the sleeves of her cloak, then the sheath of her dagger, then her own fingers. Her eyes never stayed on one place or thing for too long, hinting at her slight uncomfort in an unfamiliar place like this, despite her insistences that she would do just fine. Taking in her surroundings, mapping them out.
"Mm. Probably." Sue agreed softly. "There's rumors that different people have offered to use magic or dyes to take the white away, and that he's refused each time, saying he don't want to be fake."
Celeste raised a hand to fiddle with a strand of her hair, nodding as she listened. "Makes sense. To want to keep something like that, even if it's seen as 'unseemely' or something." Unnatural hair, or at least, what was considered unnatural by the people, tended to garner unsavory attention. That, she knew all too well.
Sue shrugged slightly. "You probably don't want to be hearin' all the rumors floatin' around about him, though. I know I'd get bored of it, if'n I had to listen to gossip an' rumors about a king what isn't even in charge of me." She finally left the palace.
"Considering I've already heard enough about my own, hearing about a different King really isn't all that unpleasant." Celeste said, moving to walk at Sue's side instead of behind her, now that they'd left the palace. "Besides. I'm fairly curious about King Soren, anyway. Though, you could always tell me about you, instead."
Sue shrugged. "Oh. Well, there isn't much about me to tell, Miss Celeste." She said, looking at her for a moment. "Really." She was quiet for a moment. "Where be you wantin' to go first?"
"I'm sure there's plenty to tell." Celeste said, smiling sweetly at Sue. "Even if it's nothing big. But as far as shopping goes, I really should be finding herbs. Which way?"
Sue smiled slightly. "Well, that'd be this way." She said, gesturing. She led the way through the streets, and was quiet for a few minutes. "Where be you from? If you don't mind me asking. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She said.
"Kingdom-wise? Roviern. Anything more specific…you'd have to specify. I've been all over." Celeste said, lighting up at the mention of her travels. Her eyes continued to flicker about, taking in the streets and people they passed. Though her cloak covered her hair and most of her features, the wolf at her side still drew murmurs from the citizens, who even stopped to watch Pluto warily.
Sue nodded. "Oh. So…excuse me bein' nosy, you don't have to answer. But…why are you here?" She asked, glancing at Celeste.
"It's totally fine, don't worry." Celeste promised, her hand finding the top of Pluto's head and scratching behind his ears as they walked. "The…conversation you heard earlier, between my King and I, is the reason I'm here. He says that I'm the best bet for finding and transporting the Eye." There was a because at the end of that sentence, trailing off, even though it wasn't verbal.
Sue nodded. "Oh, right. Uhm…why?" She asked slowly. "Why are you the best bet?" She glanced down at her feet for a moment, then guided Celeste around a corner, taking a shortcut through a side alley.
"A few reasons. I'm one of the few people who would recognize it, for starters." Celeste said, threading her fingers through Pluto's fur for a moment. She was pointedly looking away from Sue now, a flurry of emotions, barely any of them good, crossing her face. "And King Lin told me that the Eye itself is highly volatile. Apparently, because I've been around it before, I'm more likely to be able to handle any negative magic."