At home it is normal for Emirhan to sleep till the sun is practically high up in the sky. Other times, he would be awake just as it approaches the horizon. His excitement for the journey has led him to be awake for quite some time. It did not matter when he woke up, although he admits that he is rather sleepy.
Emirhan dressed himself in lavender robes then fixed his hair so that his crown would fit snuggly. Once dressed, he knelt down at the bedside to say a few words to the gods asking to keep everyone safe on the journey and to look after his family. It was more than a few words, but he likes to believe that the gods heard every single one.
He wasn't sure where to go when he stepped outside of his designated room. Standing out in the hall, he waited in silence. Eventually he was able to faintly hear voices, including Tilila's.
In due time, he made his way into the room. The only person he could put a name to a face to is Tilila. Everyone else, he only knows by their role. Like the spy.
"Good morning, friend," He greeted while walking over to the spy. "I am Prince Emirhan from Lydia. Your cloak looks lovely."
Adonias continued to observe for some time, being perfectly content to wait in silence for the time being. He still needed to shake off some of that morning fuzziness after all.
Of course, Adonias wouldn’t be bothered if he was approached. He hardly knew anything about his companions aside from their roles. It would be a good goal to put forwards - Learn more about my companions on the journey, he decided.
So, he wasn’t surprised when he was approached. Adonias turned his head, looking up to meet the brown eyes of the prince.
“Thank you,” Adonias replied, smiling softly. “It’s done me well over the years.”
He turned to face Emirhan, dipping his head slightly in a bow. “My name is Adonias. Did you sleep well?”
@FanfictionFanatic
"No, I've been to Egypt a few times before, just never… to the royal palace…" she nervously chuckled and put a hand behind her neck, looking away a second "My tribe often travels for commerce, and I with them, as a sort of bodyguard, since I come from a long line of warriors, I am often called to do such things" she looked at Ashera again and caught some movement from the corner of her eyes, she looked and saw all the rest of the crew standing there. The sorceress, the artist, the spy and Emirhan, the prince she had met last night. When did she miss their arrival? She slapped herself internally for not paying attention, but gestured for Ash to follow her "Let's meet the others!" She smiled as she headed towards the prince, who was engaging in conversation with the spy.
(SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG, JOB + HURRICANE PREP)
(It's all good. Glad you're ok!)
“Neither have I. I've seen it a couple of times from a distance but… I’m no one important to be invited often.” Ash admitted. “My people are not very nomadic but I enjoy traveling and learning different healing processes. And I must say, I am glad that our company includes a warrior of such experience.” she smiled before following Tilila to join the rest of their soon-to-be companions. “Oh, yes.”
"Hello again Emirhan, and hello to you," she said looking at the person next to the Lydian prince. "I am Tilila, the warrior of the expedition, and this" she gestured to Ash "Is Ashera, she's our healer!"
Taking a brief glimpse at the cloak, he gave Adonias a smile. "I am sure it will do you well throughout the journey. And Adonias…what a wonderful name," Emirhan beamed. "Oh…" His lips thinned before returning to a faint grin. "I slept as well as anyone excited could be. I hope you slept well, Adonias. Did you?"
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Tilila and the lady next to her. He gave the two of them a small head bow. "Good morning, Tilila. And good morning, Ashera. A pleasure to see you both," He beamed then glanced back, "I forgot to say that it is a pleasure to see you, Adonias. My sincere apologies."
“A pleasure to meet both of you as well. But please, you may call me Ash.” Ash smiled back, making a mental note of their names. “If we are going to be traveling together, I see no reason to be so formal with each other.” she told them. “Unless you are more comfortable that way.” she quickly amended. “Are you excited for our journey to begin? I have to admit this is a big moment for me.”
( @Serpentess, wanna do smth with Efraim and Ehlaea?)
(Sure. I’m just kind of stuck on what to do, lol, since Ehlaea isn’t used to socializing)
(Lol that’s okay, I can try and have Efraim initiate smth ^^)
Though still a little apprehensive, seeing everyone talking and introducing themselves made Efraim want to participate. Besides, better learn people’s names now and not have to suffer through an awkward moment later.
They reached into their bag and brought out a blank scroll and a length of charcoal. After writing a message in Egyptian, they tapped the sorceress’s shoulder and displayed the scroll for her.
Hello, it read. My name is Efraim. I’m the artist. You are the sorceress, correct? What is your name?
Ehlaea watched everyone silently, grateful that she was, for the moment, being left out. She had been isolated for a long time, and was used to that, so she wasn’t sure what to say if someone decided to speak to her. And, thankfully, the individual who stopped next to her seemed in a similar situation.
Though, her moment of peace vanished quicker than she thought when that same individual pulled out a scroll and started writing a message. The tap on the shoulder was unnecessary, as Ehlaea had already been aware of their intentions to talk. She read the message, hesitating a moment.
“I am. My name is Ehlaea,”she said softly, shyly.
Adonias nodded. “I did. The most trouble I had was falling asleep to begin with, though once I was down, I was good.” Which was true. Going to sleep? Hard. Staying asleep? Easy. He looked to the others, fiddling with his hands briefly. He looked at his other companions. “Greetings,” he said to them. “I’m Adonias.”
He looked back at Emirhan. “No need to apologize. It is early morning, after all. We forget to do some things sometimes.” Even then, he wouldn’t find it necessary, although he appreciated the statement.
“I may not show it, but yes, I am quite excited for this expedition. I’ve travelled before, but never this far..and not to a land such as that. It will be a first for me.” He explained.
"Greeting to you as well, Adonias" Tilila bowed "It is great to get to know all of you. You are, after all, the best in your craft, as I am in mine" she looked up with a close eyed smile.
"Well, I'm going to introduce myself to the others" she added. As she walked towards the artist, perhaps the person who interested her the most, who she saw, was introducing themself to the sorceress, one of the guards slammed his spear to the floor to get their attention. "You will now be escorted to the Dining Hall." And with that, they turned and began walking out of the room, two of them holding the doors open as the other two marched through. Tilila had reached the artist by that point "Oh… well I guess introductions should wait until we're there" she chuckled softly, as she began to walk to the dining hall.
The dining hall was immense. Almost as big as the throne room was, and just as beautiful. The smell of grapes, citrus and spice flew all around the room as soon as the doors were opened. The table was also gargantuan, likely able to fit a full 16 people maybe up to twenty if you cram, and it was draped in a gold lined linen tablecloth, which hid the dark almond wood legs. The swats at the table were also almond, and lined with gold. There were unique azure decorations on each chair, different animals and people spotting each one. The walls in this room protrayed still lifes of farmers reaping wheat and other crops, herding cows and fishing. Very appropriate for a dining hall. This room had few windows, mostly all at the top of the roof, which was quite far from the floor, likely so the smells wouldn't escape. The table was barren though. The breakfast had not yet been served.
Efraim nodded in acknowledgment to Ehlaea, and was about to write more when they noticed someone approaching. The warrior, perhaps? They couldn’t quite recall. She looked like a warrior, at least. Efraim had never seen anyone like her, though, that was the case for many of the others in this group. Before they could do anything, though, the guard at the door to the dining hall got their attention. They flinched, startled by the sound somewhat. They just nodded to the warrior woman and went into the hall with the others. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the art on the walls. These were older paintings, not done by their father, but they still liked to study them.
Ehlaea watched Efraim, then noticed the warrior woman approaching, nodding politely at the woman’s approach. She then casually turned when the guards announced that it was time to head into the Dining Hall, completely unfazed by the suddenness of the announcement.
Without a word, she walked into the Dining Hall, nodding at the two guards standing at the doors. Then, the smell hit her. The fruits and spices were delightful, and it seemed to complement the architecture quite well. A pity the food wasn’t served yet, but she didn’t mind the suspense created by the beautiful smells.
Ash nearly jumped when the palace guard spoke up and began escorting the group to the dining room. Upon seeing the splendor and the setting of the table, she paused for a moment to fix her dreaded hair net before catching up with the others. She took a seat next to Tilila and gave a polite smile to the one across from her, who seemed more interested in the decor surrounding them.
As they sat down, the doors of the dining hall burst open and around two dozen servants, draped in golden jewelry and elaborately decorated linen skirts, and carrying platters of exotic dishes, from Indian roasted peacocks to Ethiopian giraffe meat, from Italian plums to Chaldean pomegranates, with breads and drinks a plenty. Behind them, the Pharaoh, in all his gold and ivory glory entered, arms spread open invitingly, a wide smile on his face. Behind him walked his somber sister, in a robe of near transparent linen, only accesorized by a small pouch at her waist, with a much less open posture. All these factors made her appear rather ghost-like. Nonetheless, the Pharaoh began to speak, and all must listen when the Pharaoh speaks " Good morning my champions! This morning, we feast, to set off in good spirits!" he looked around at the scene and smiled "It seems you all have been acquainting yourselves" he chuckled. Neni behind him looked up with a straight face unlike her brother. She seemed to hold no similarity to him, her sharp, fragile features contrasting his squared, strong ones; even the golden headress she wore the day before was not present. Then he gestured to his sister to sit among them, but before doing so, he placed a small item in her hands, not visible to the others. "Eat quick and eat well, we leave in just half of an hour." He finished, and began to leave "I bid you a farewell, and may the gods be with you" at this, the doors closed again, all the servants had left, and the tables were full of food.
. . .
Neni sat down near Ehlaea, seeing that she seemed to be a quiet one in the bunch. She didn't want to introduce herself. She scooted her chair a bit farther, for good measure. She wanted to be associated to all of these people as little as possible. She sighed as her brother left the room, putting the item in her pouch. She wasn't really hungry today, so this was just pretense for what was to come for her.
Ehlaea sat quietly on her own, still savoring the smells when the doors opened again. She watched, intrigued, as the servants set out the food, then listened to and watched the Pharaoh.
When Neni came over to sit down, Ehlaea gave a polite nod in greeting, but otherwise left Neni alone. She didn’t seem to want to socialize, which Ehlaea honestly didn’t mind. It left plenty of quiet time for her to ponder what the Pharaoh had given Neni.
After a moment though, Ehlaea got some food, keeping mostly to what she knew, but also trying a few exotic things. Then, she ate in silence, content to simply listen to her surroundings.
( @knightinadream and @Mojack , no rush, but before we can continue we'll need your responses)
Emirhan smiled at them all. He wanted to say something else to his new companions, but his jaw hung as the guards had approached them. His lips closed, but they pursed into a smile. Following along behind the others, he kept looking around. He did the same when sitting down in one of the seats. Everything is magnificent. Pure art. His amazement mingled with excitement. He wasn't sure if he could eat or not.
Sitting up straight, he did his best. He ate as much (though little) as possible. Today is only the beginning. Emirhan gazed up from his food to get a glimpse of everyone. He didn't say a word, only smiling softly before returning back to his food.
As they were being seated, Tilila approached the artist again "My apologies, I was about to introduce myself. I am Tilila, the warrior of the expedition." She sat down and smiled at Ashera as she sat down beside her. " I am ecstatic to be expediting with all of you"
Even when the food was brought to the table, Tilila did not get up to eat. She was still fasting. It was her way of showing her ancestors both her faith in them, and her strength of will. She did however notice the strange stillness of Neni, the princess. It was suspicious, but not something she was too worried about. After all, she should be the most trustworthy of all of them, right?
Ash smiled back and nodded. “I am also very eager for this journey. I am Ashera, the healer. But please, you all may call me Ash.” she said, introducing herself as well. She did notice how tense the Princess was acting but now wasn't the time for such a personal conversation. Maybe once they had been traveling together for a while…
