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[Emral282]

Iris followed in shortly after Claire and took her own place at the table.
"My name is Iris. I'm a Steelhart Mercenary as well."
With her introduction over, Iris patiently waited for the meal to arrive.

[Sirus]

: "Hrm. You three are related? You are all Steelharts?" Raajak wasn't sufficiently familiar with human groupings to tell for sure. The tiger laguz selected a seat near Aya, the only person in the gathering he knew.

[Gaterhyme]

"Um, no," Claire said, rather quickly. "I mean, yes, you could maybe call us Steelharts because of the name of the mercenary band... but no, we're not related."

Actually, to her, his words weren't far off from what she felt, that they were like a family to her. But she kept that to herself.

[Sirus]

: "Hrr, sorry. I have little experience with your kind. I meant no offense." He truly didn't; he might not have liked humans all that much but he didn't dislike them either, and he almost certainly owed his life to these ones. At the very least, they didn't seem to be more slavers.

[RedMageCole]

Milos really would have preferred to just take dinner into his room and board himself up until morning, but he wasn't that lucky. At the very least, he was grateful that it was a human servant washing his hands. Being in front of royalty, he was trying really hard not to lose his cool... He tried to look for a seat, and had to stop himself from jumping when he saw the newcomer. He was just a friend of Aya's, it was okay Milos, just a big, scary friend of Aya's that could easily tear into him without even trying...

Milos grit his teeth as he almost went into a speedwalk to go sit right next to Grae. Just as he was about to take the seat right next to Grae-

His gaze found itself on the princess, the daughter of King Himos.

"You will explain why you have brought a whimpering child into my presence. Do you seek to insult me in my time of need, human?"

Hoping nobody saw him grab the seat right next to Grae, especially not Grae or any of the Laguz he wasn't used to seeing, he whipped around and took the empty seat right next to the empty seat next to Grae. Just a little distance. A little distance and he'd be fine and it wouldn't look weird, right? He wasn't being scared, he was just being... with the rest of his group.

"..."

Milos stayed completely silent with the dinner conversation, not responding with what his name was. He might have whimpered a tiny 'Milos' in response to Raajak, but it wasn't audible to anyone, not even Grae.

[Twinwolf]

Aurelia... well she kinda felt a bit awkward and embarassed. She hadn't realized she wasn't supposed to leave, she'd been rather focused on finding something to do and when she had she hadn't super thought about it... well, no dwelling on it. Probably. She probably would later. But right now, other things!

"I'm Aurelia! Nice to meet you too!" Aurelia said cheerfully, as she plonked herself down on the seat next to Milos. Which was both because she was his friend, and because he seemed a little freaked out and could probably use someone friendly nearby.

"You're doing good so far!" she whispered to him in what she hoped was an encouraging tone.

[Blade Master Model 42]

As the group all took their seats, the Princess glanced over each of them, but stopped upon spotting Milos, looking puzzled. She looked to Grae, then back at Milos, then Grae again. "Sir Steelhart, are each of you mercenaries?" A door at the rear of the room opened, and several servants filed in, carrying platters piled high with meat, bowls of vegetables, and jugs of wine. The harpist began to play soft, slow music as the food was set out, and cups filled.

"The Laguz with us are not in my direct employ, and it is my understanding that a few of them are not mercenaries by trade. But all of my company are mercenaries, yes." Ella's eyes moved back over to Milos.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Joachim hadn't given a damn if they weren't supposed to go out, and if it wasn't for not wanting to cause trouble for Grae he likely would have backhanded the guards who had tried to tell him otherwise. And as for the dinner, he was choosing not to sit, instead eating a haunch by himself while leaning against a wall. There was no one he particularly wanted to be close to, and here he could keep an eye on the prince's guards while having his back protected.

"I am one of those not a merrrcenarrry. My skill was rrrecognized by King Himos and I thought it might be fun to see what humans are like. I was wrrrong."

[Blade Master Model 42]

"Even those so young choose a life of war..." Ella's consideration of Milos was broken off by Joachim's harsh critique.

"You mustn't say such things! It is true that humans are not perfect. But we are not either. And we must learn to live with each other if we wish for peace."

[RedMageCole]

Milos didn't even notice he was holding his breath until Aurelia sat down next to him, to which he breathed a small sigh of relief. He had been looking down at his lap, and now he felt like he could look up just a little bit with that ounce of encouragement that Aurelia gave to him.

"Y... you really think so...? Thank-"

Oh, why did he have to look up? Couldn't he have just responded to Aurelia while he was still looking at his lap? He thought for even just a split second that King Himos' daughter was looking right back at him, did she catch his gaze? Was it too afraid? Not afraid enough? Which was it? And then just as a stupid reflex, he met her gaze right back, to which he immediately yanked his head back down to his lap, fear gripping him once more. He tried to whisper to himself. Just a curiosity, just a curiosity-

Then it hit him. The question of if they were all mercenaries. He knew what it meant. It was no secret to him. She didn't think he was capable, and her critique of him just solidified it in stone. She didn't even think he was a mercenary and was just... some whimpering child... just like her father did.

"......"

He tried so hard to say that he was an adult. He tried... but couldn't find the words. Who was to say the princess wouldn't hate him for talking back and consider telling her father? Suddenly becoming painfully aware of the idea that the princess' eyes might still be on him, Aurelia's eyes probably on him, and who knows who else's eyes were on him, he suddenly took a great interest in his drink, trying to hide his hurt expression by grabbing it and taking a big drink. Problem... Milos had never had alcohol, and he just tried to swallow quite the amount of it. A rather loud cough came from his throat, as well as the quick sloshing of wine that began to run down his hands due to lack of care taken and spill onto his pants.

The self-hatred that Milos allowed to creep into his body stabbed him like a knife, knowing that he was just proving both Ella and Himos' points... what kind of an adult was he that he couldn't even hold his liquor? In a hurry, Milos tried to save face by setting the glass back on the table, pray the tablecloth wouldn't stain, and hurriedly wipe his hands on his pants without caring if they stained. All the while, silently begging...

"Please don't be looking, please don't be looking, please don't be looking, please-"

He really tried to keep it under his breath, but it wasn't too hard for Aurelia or Grae to hear.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I'm sorrrrrry, Prrrincess. Perrrhaps I missed the parrrt wherrre we took humans and made them fight each otherrr forrr ourrr own amusement."

Joachim took a large bite of bloody meat, swallowed it, and continued.

"Humans of worrrth arrre few and farrr between. There's Grrrae and most of his people, but that one you'rrre starrring at is good forrr nothing but sniveling in terrrrrrorrr when he sees one of ourrr kind. You see forrr yourrrself how he's acting."

He punctuated his point with a gesture from his half-eaten haunch, indicating Milos staring at his lap as if doing so would make him and the other beast laguz simply disappear.

"At firrrst it was fun to tease him about it but now I just feel a mixturrre of pity and annoyance when he cowerrrs like that."

[Gaterhyme]

Claire looked on with some concern but not complete understanding as Milos choked on his wine - until Joachim spoke.

"Was that really necessary? If Milos wasn't capable, he wouldn't be here right now, fighting with us."

She was more confused than angry, not even having the time to consider her words, but in front of all these people, to clearly say something like that...

[Blade Master Model 42]

The servants carefully averted their eyes from Milos in his moment of shame, but the soldiers openly stared.

Ella's eyes turned cold. "Your skill in the hunt does not grant you leave to speak so callously. Those slavers were outcasts in their own lands, just as a murderer or betrayer, because humans do not tolerate such things." Ella cast her own eyes at her plate, sounding very much irritated. "And you know as well as I that it's not uncommon for humans within our borders to be hunted for sport. They are not so different from us as you are so pleased to think." Ella looked at Milos, and then back to Joachim. "But he is here, is he not? Afraid or not, he sits here among us."

"As an equal to any of us, yes. He sits among us." Grae also fixed Joachim with a stare. "As Milos's employer, I will ask you not to speak ill of him in my presence or his. And I will ask once."

Prince Wolfgang set about separating a pair of rib cuts from each other with a knife, muttering to himself. _{"Prepare a feast, clear the air, why do I even bother. It's like shepherding fish."}

[SeriousConcentrate]

"He needs to hearrr it forrr his own sake, Grrrae. Arrre you going to be by his side everrry moment of his life to prrrotect him from the scarrry beasts? What if he decides to currrl up and hide when you need his skills? What if he's sent off with a less frrriendly grrroup and they decide to let him fend forrr himself because he's being a burrrden?"

Joachim glanced at Claire.

"Yes, he does all rrright, in his own fashion. But you must admit that's no way to live. Laguz are quite populous; is he going to hide in human lands until age orrr battle takes him?"

Next, he answered Ella.

"Yourrr loverrr doesn't do a verrry good job of hunting the 'outsiderrrs'. And you know as well as I do that most humans that come into Sampia that arrren't trrraderrrs arrre invaderrrs. Therrre is little otherrr rrreason to come to ourrr lands, and I wouldn't be surrrprrrised if most of the dead werrre dirrrty slaverrrs themselves. Rrregarrrdless, hunting trrrespasserrrs forrr sporrrt is still above kidnapping, drrrugging, and forrrcing them to fight among themselves. Do you not see the differrrence?"

Finally, he turned back to Milos.

"So, what arrre you going to do? Arrre you going to hide behind someone else's coattails forrr as long as you can, orrr arrre you going to take rrresponsibility forrr yourrrself?"

He walked over and tapped his chin with his free hand, looking at the top of Milos's head as the boy continued to stare at his own lap.

"Thrrrow a punch. You get a frrre one, because at the verrry least Heledd and Aya and I arrre not herrre to hurrrt you, and I want to prrrove that to you."

[Sirus]

: "Enough." Raajak rose to his feet, looking steadily at the unnamed cat.

: "I don't know what issue you have with the cub, but you are acting like a bully. Is this what the cat warriors are reduced to, making interruptions at meal time in order to loom over human children?"