||. Hide & Seek .|| [Roseanna, Rhianna] < plot >

[Jazz]

Camaria Alevi approached the palace gates as the city bells tolled ten o'clock. She had been planning to get here at least five minutes early, but something always got in the way of Cam's plans. This time, it had been a bunch of university miscreants who thought playing with the dangerous magical artefacts were fun. Camaria, on her way out, had had to do something about it. They didn't want to listen to the foreigner who was a girl, but they soon learned respect for mages of higher station.

Cam was, once again, wearing her mage's robes over her everyday clothes - dark blue breeches, black shirt, boots - and the stark indigo attracted stares as she hurried to the meeting place. She hadn't wanted to wear it - they didn't want to be conspicuous - but they'd never let her close to the gates if she didn't have some sort of sign of office. The guards waved her inside, and as she saw no sign of Roseanna or her young squire, Cam decided to wait on the inside of the gates. It was safer, and offered better piece of mind.

She removed the indigo cloak, frowning at it. Then, she waved a hand over it and it gained a silver-grey shimmer, before changing into a simple black cloak. There. All the better. Her braids, forever bothering her, had been tied back with a blue scarf. She'd been careful, so as not to let any escape. Each braid had a white bead on the end of it, so that the yclinked together whenever she turned her head. This was safe though, as many Carthaki women wore their hair in that style.

Her quick ears picked up the sounds of footfalls, looking up, she smiled wryly. Roseanna of Castlemaine approached, and an unfamiliar girl. Cam guessed this was the squire she'd seen in hawk-shape the day before - indeed, she was correct. "Good morning," she greeted them, inclining her head.

[Rhianna Kiandra]

Rhianna matched her knight mistress's long stride easily, the slight breeze of their passing pushing the short wispies of her brown hair over her forehead back. Now that she was back in human form, she wore calf high, scuffed, black boots, loose silver-grey breeches that bloused at the top of her footwear, and a sky blue kimono like tunic embroidered with silver cats over a white, silk shirt. The young squire spotted the woman from yesterday in front of the Palace Gates, changing her cloak's color. So she's a mage....thought so,[/color] Rhianna thought to herself, casting a smile in Rose's direction. "Seems she's early."

As they neared the other woman, Camaria was it?, Rhianna heard the greeting. She returned it, one hand on her sword hilt (not as if to draw it, just resting there), the other toying with one of the black clasps on her blue and silver tunic. "Good morning to you, too." An idle, remembered thought drifted through Rhi's mind, causing a small smile to grace her lips. She'd be turning 15 soon, though her family wouldn't be here to celebrate, her friend, Sirri, would.

[Rose]

Rose had woken up early that morning, right as the sun had began to rise. She hadn't been able to sleep that much the night before. Since the mage Camaria Alevi had broughten word of seeing the former Lady of Longlake, Rose had been up thinking of a plan to capture her.

Cynthia of Longlake was wanted for High Treason against their Majesties of Tortall. And Rose was furious at her. Cynthia had been nothing but a thorn in her side throughout her career as a knight. She threatened the well being of their very own society, and quite frankly the whole realm would probably be better off without her.

Rose pulled on her normal beige breechs along with a light cotton amethyst tunic embroidered with silver. Soft leather riding boots went on her feet. A silver sword graced her waist, the amethyst on the pommel sparkling softly in the morning light. She braided her hair and then wrapped the braid around her head. It helped to keep it out of her eyes should the need to fight be there.

She opened the door that led into the luxorious room that she'd been assigned in the palace. She closed it, slipped the key in the lock, and locked the door. She smiled as her squire joined her outside, from the room across the hall.

"Good morning Rhianna. Hope you slept better than I did." she said with a wink to her squire.

Rose led her squire down the staircase and outside into the courtyard, where three horses were saddled and waiting. One of them being her own Zeus, a wild-looking black stallion. She took his lead rein and the lead rein of a much gentler looking strawberry roan mare.

"Grab your lead rein Rhianna, we'll cover much more ground if we ride." she said.

They led the horses outside the gates and Rose stopped them right outside the gates as she saw Camaria.

"Seems she's early."

Rose smiled. "Thats fine. Gives us more time to search, and the more time we have, the better our chances." she said with a smile.

"Good Morning."

Rose smiled warmly at Camaria.

"Good morning Camaria. May I introduce my squire, Rhianna of Queenscove? She's the halk that you saw yesterday." she said. She offered Camaria the lead rein to the strawberry roan mare. "Here. We'll cover more ground if we ride." she said, mounting Zeus.

[Jazz]

"Good morning Camaria. May I introduce my squire, Rhianna of Queenscove? She's the halk that you saw yesterday."

Cam smiled and nodded to Rhianna. "Pleased to meet you, lady squire," she said politely. She turned her eyes to the extra horse Rose offered. Lysander had taught her to rise, obviously, and Cam was good at it. But she didn't like riding horses that she wasn't familiar with. She was slightly nervous as well; she hadn't ridden in ages. They did say you can't forget it, but it didn't stop Camaria from worrying.

"Here. We'll cover more ground if we ride."

Cam sighed internally. Roseanna was right, of course. She took the reigns to the strawberry roan and mounted up. It was easier than she expected, although the roans seemed slightly edgy. So was Camaria, though, so she supposed in was perfectly logical. She settled herself, hoping that the horse would calm down. "What would you do first?" she asked, as she adjusted the stirrups.