[Mekatra]

Joane chuckled at the look. She had to get him back for the quip about the gown going great with her eyes somehow. She had heard his story, or some variation minus the cat part, too many times to count. Unlike the queen, she was used to the pain and suffering that came from poverty.

Elizaveta's frown grew as he spoke. "Ah... yes, how unfortunate that we didn't know of your existence before now. Is this kind of life normal for young children where you grew up?" She seemed horrified at the prospect.

[Crystalkitsune85]

"Well children are usually put to work as soon as they're able. Mostly as errand boys/girls for various businesses. Boys get put into harder labor when they become adults, the girls...well most of them go into brothels and pleasure houses, for reasons I'm sure you're aware of. If the family of the children are poor, they'll be put to work to help pay for things.

I didn't have a family or anywhere to be shipped to, to work. I tried though. I went to a few places that needed work, and for a while, I was able to stay there. Once they found out about the cat parts, however, they turned me out. If they can't explain away the reason for the ears and tail, they rather just kick me out to save them the trouble." He heaved a sigh. "I'm grateful that you and your husband took me in though. Joane has been a great mentor." he said softly.

[Mekatra]

Elizaveta's faded a bit when he thanked her for taking him in. "Well, I may disagree with my husband on his tactics and don't exactly agree that we need an assassin at all, it is... well it is a helpful thing in times of war. Wars can begin or end with a single knife in the right back, you know." She furrowed her brow as she spoke. "However, I hope your time here is comfortable. I know that Joane is working hard to train you, just as she worked hard when she first came here herself."

The final course, a tray of sugared fruits and flower shaped pastries filled with jam, arrived Joane looked relieved. "I was beginning to wonder if this veritable feast would ever end. I'm positively stuffed. I shall have to work double time these next few days or risk no longer fitting into my armor for your birthday tournament."

[Crystalkitsune85]

Trevor wasn't too overly fond of sweets, but he ate a few of the pastries which were nice and buttery and were a good balance of sweet and savory. "I still need to gain some weight. I was way too thin, given my circumstances. Regular meals and training is helping to add more weight. I can finally be the correct weight for my height." he said with a chuckle.

When the dinner came to an end, he waited for the Queen to stand first before he stood. He stood by with his hands behind his back like a soldier. "Is there anything else I should do Your Majesty? I would like to see this lady you speak of. Should I return here tomorrow?" he asked.

[Mekatra]

Joane chuckled as he mentioned his weight. "There should be no worry of that. Between the training I will be putting you through and the food the castle has to offer, you'll certainly not be mistaken for a broom stick ever again." She picked at her own dessert slowly, not being hugely fond of sweets either. This problem clearly did not plague the queen, who enjoyed her plate to the fullest.

Elizaveta shook her head when he asked if there was anything else he needed to do. "No, don't come too early in the morning. It wouldn't be proper. After breakfast, but before morning court would be good. I'll introduce you properly. She held her hand out for him and Joane mimed a kissing action with a chuckle. "You won't flirt with her to much at first, right? She wouldn't approve."

The servants were clearing the plates away and left the table clean and tidy. One of them raised a brow at his ears a tail, and managed to hide an amused chuckle.

[Crystalkitsune85]

Trevor kissed the Queen's hand again and then gave a worried smile "Well I don't really know how to flirt, so I don't think there will be much of a problem of me doing it too soon." he said scratching the back of his head. "But I'll just ask Joane what time it would be before morning court so I can make it here before then," he said. He looked over to Joane to see what her response would be to all this.

[Mekatra]

Joane bowed her head to the queen. "I will get him there at an appropriate time so he won't make a bad first impression. I will even make sure he is bathed." She chuckled and bowed again, lowering her whole body this time. "With yoru leave, your majesty. We have much training to do tonight if we are to burn off all this lavish food you've so graciously shared with us. Thank you so very much for the invitation to the meal.It was lovely."

Elizaveta nodded her goodbye and embraced Trevor briefly. "Don't hurt yourself while training."

[Crystalkitsune85]

Trevor was surprised at the hug and patted her back in return awkwardly. Slowly they left the dining room and Trevor followed Joane out of the castle. "She seems nice," he said as an afterthought." Much more relatable than her husband. But I guess one has to be impartial to run a country." he mused mostly to himself. He looked up at Joane as they made it back to her quarters to change. "She really cares about me. The Queen. I have never been hugged before."

[Mekatra]

"Elizaveta doesn't have a lot of family. She was an only child, most of her aunts and uncles detested her for her early marriage to the crown prince. She's done well for herself politically, but she's been lonely. I think that's why she jumped at the idea of having a "cousin." Perhaps she thinks that she will have a friend in you." Joane smiled and then stopped in the hallway to look at him. "I would be careful about appearing to get too close to her though. You don't want the king thinking there is anything going on between the two of you."

[Crystalkitsune85]

He agreed. "I'll do my best not to get too close to her," he said. "I just never been cared about by anyone, so it's a new feeling," he admitted. "I have a weird feeling in my chest. Like...it feels fuzzy, that's the best way to describe it." he explained. "Is that normal?" he asked.

[Mekatra]

Joane kinda chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I admit it's pretty normal when you find people that care about you for the first time." She leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky through a window. "You see that really bright star out there toward the East? That's Kiyada... it's how I used to find my way back home."

[Crystalkitsune85]

He followed her gaze and looked at the stars. "The vast sky can really give you the feeling of insignificance. You see all those tiny dots of light in the sky and you can't even attempt to count them, there's too many. It makes me feel small." he told her. "I can't imagine how far up they are, it seems like they're so far away, but also close at the same time."

[Mekatra]

"Well, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable to be honest. No matter where I go, it always seems like the stars are the same. They're how I can always find my way home." She started back down the hallways. "Then again, I suspect that you haven't traveled much yet, eh?"

She led him back to the training yard and started him through that night's drills. "At dawn you'll go take a bath, get dressed, then we can have something to eat."

[Crystalkitsune85]

He followed her to the training yard and as he trained with her, he had gone over their sparring in his head after they finished and he devised a brilliant move in his head that he sprung on her, hoping to catch her by surprise. After their brief exchange before the sparring, with the talk of waking up in the morning and getting bathed and dressed, they were quiet for the most part.

[Mekatra]

Joane was both delighted and furious that he managed to catch her by surprise. It delighted her as a trainer, but infuriated her at herself. She told herself that he was a novice and she shouldn't be able to be put on the ground so easily, but she had to temper it with the fact that he was learning quickly and fighting very hard.

When it came time in the morning she led him to a solarium in the queen's wing and knocked politely. One of the ladies in waiting answered the door and giggled when she saw the two of them. "Your majesty, your cousin is here." New apparently traveled fast around the castle.

Elizaveta called for them to be admitted and stood to embrace Trevor again, though it felt much more stiff and formal this time. She waved her hand and called over a thing young woman with long black hair in tightly curled ringlets. She approached and lowered her eyes. "This is Trevor, my cousin. Trevor, the Lady Leandrea, daughter of Duke Edmond." The woman looked up at him and smiled faintly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Trevor." She held her hand out to him. "I hope this morning is finding you well."

[Crystalkitsune85]

Seeing the fact his tactic worked pleased him immensely but he didn't falter to celebrate the fact that he got her on her back. He just stepped back, so she could get up so they could continue.

The next morning, after a bath and grooming and dressing, he was led to the solarium to meet the Queen and the lady she had mentioned the night before. When introduced to Lady Leandrea, he bowed and kissed her hand. "The pleasure is all mine M'lady. I am quite well this morning, though it has gotten better upon meeting you." he gave her a gentle smile. He was taught all the sugary sweet ways of how to speak to women and to others of the court after sparring with Joane. During their cooldowns, she would instruct him on how to be gentlemanly.

"And I hope your morning is finding you well in return." he continued, slowly releasing her hand. It all seemed a bit silly to talk in such manner but he was doing his best.