[Transylvania] Castlevania

[Apollymi]

A smirk came to Alina's face as the man stated that 'atrocity' wasn't a kind word from him. She supposed knowing the sorts of things that got mortals into hell and that claimed the souls of demons she could see how that might fit. It wasn't her opinion, but at the very least she could respect it. Beyond this point Death seemed to clarify his abject hatred for the kind of being the Queen of Romania was. His word choice once again was startlingly old, but even so Alina, found herself only capable of agreeing. "Yes, the Queen of the Knight Exorcists is rather a disturbing existence, I can understand how that might cause some... negative feelings within you," she mentioned coyly. "Oh yes, so that your age may not continue to show... they are calling themselves Exorcists, if you are going to be moseying around the world at large I thought you might like to know~" she teased ever so gently. Beyond this it seemed that Death was content to think he might be able to kill this queen. And more so found some amusement in the fact that Sorin did not count among the damned. "No... they are not. The Master and the Mistress are both still owned by themselves, which is very intriguing," she said knowing this information and how it had unfolded first hand. "And I am remiss to report that I am indeed incapable of properly defending against faith. I used to laugh at it, take joy from the agony caused by those whose faith could not affect me, but..." she touched the center of her own chest as if something was amiss. "Without my heart I am no more than a mid-tier demon at best. Even the mustard seed of faith possessed by a scared priest caused me some level of annoyance. I am sure you understand."

Sorin and Kasmina on the other hand were now making their way towards the castle gates. As they walked the former quipped about their still missing seamstress. By virtue of the conversation, Kasmina assumed the young woman was likely a resident of the castle on a regular basis. "Oh? Strange, perhaps she's found something of interest," she mused. She'd found that particular woman to be whimsical enough that she might not have thought anything of seeking her own amusement while the newlyweds settled into married life. Sorin then explained that Alina wouldn't be making their introductions this day for some unknown reason. As they headed towards the castle gate Kasmina couldn't keep her curiosity at bay. "What about this woman makes it so Alina shouldn't approach?" she questioned it seemed like the sort of thing which should be obvious but didn't make sense. Then again, the only thing Kasmina had ever heard abut the queen of their country was that she was beautiful and lovely but none of that was any reason a demon should have to fear or not want to approach.

After her prayer finished, the Queen's Knight an obviously golden armored fellow stepped out of the carriage before her and took to a knee, to lead her out. She found herself placing her hand within his as she made her way out of the carriage. "Oh? Always at the ready, are we?" the Queen asked, but it was obviously rhetorical. Still she waited because she knew the man she came here to meet would come to meet her at the gates. For whatever reason this was something she thought of as normal even though the lords of castles didn't often leave just to greet guests. "Thank you, of course," she went on seeming to have lost herself in thought, wondering what kind of woman had made the lonely vampire of this castle marry.

[Bloodedge]

"Exorcists? How quaint. I've encountered many followers of God who call themselves exorcists; my chain found them as easily as my scythe tore the soul. Those things are monsters." Putting his disgust aside for the time being, Death turned fully toward the demon woman. The confirmation about her masters' nature was all he needed to decide his plan, but it would not be pleasant in the long-run. Alina's claim of her weakness did not go unnoticed, either. If she was truly so crippled as to have only a fraction of her original power, she would be of no use against the likes of a Kresnik. As he looked toward the redhead, he opened his right hand at his side. Within it, a jet-black sword appeared in the shape of a Japanese Daitou with a manji-shaped crossguard, and a seemingly broken chain attached to its pommel. "If you are so weak, does the Prime Evil not consider you expendable? Perhaps it could be said that you would better serve the Chain of Fate. A Great Evil would be quite the boon."

Sorin led the way to the gates not by Mistwalking, but by traversing the castle's corridors normally. He figured the timing would allow such relaxation, since the queen had not yet reached the door. Kasmina questioned their maid's inability to be in the presence of the queen, and Sorin stifled a snicker. "For the same reason she left my sword in your care when we met with the Scotsman. Faith is a danger to demons as well as vampires, and there is no form of faith greater than her majesty. She is a creature not unlike us, but her power comes from our Lord. She wields the power to cleanse the soul of any unholy creature while barely lifting a finger."

"Anything for you, my lady." The gold-clad knight bowed his head as the queen took his hand. He did not raise his head, nor his body, until the woman reached the ground. When this occurred, he released his hold of her hand and pressed a hand against the armor upon his chest. He then made the approach toward the castle gate, choosing to be the one delivering the knock.

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Death took issue with all forms of these Kresniks and Alina could see why that would be the case. As a neutral entity it had to irk him at least a little that he was being cut out of a deal. She could even see how this might make him angry in some way. But as their conversation progressed and she admitted her own inability to combat the sort of faith boasted by this Queen, Death was content to apparently offer her something. Asking about the nature of her relationship with the Prime Evil as well as her potential expendibility. There was some idea that she might join his cause and in her current strength she'd likely be bound to him in another master servant relationship. Her eyes narrowed only lightly at this point and her hands moved up to rest on her hips. "No offense to you Death, but I've had more than my fair share of Faustian contracts gone wrong, this entire offer gives me a great deal of unease. As an aside, I think my current Master and Mistress are interesting, I am too curious to jump ship now, not that I could," she said which was likely a lot more understandable given her present predicament. "As for whether or not I am expendable. I wouldn't know, it's been a few centuries since I last saw the Burning Hells, nor have I spoken to the Prime Evil. I was... going through a state of rebellion, I doubt he knows what has occurred with me. Since I left my heart I've done nothing wrong, and I haven't truly died here... so he hasn't killed me himself, for whatever that is worth," she was content to have this conversation so long as it kept her well out of reach of the creatures below.

Meanwhile Kasmina was in for quite a shock, as her husband suppressed a snicker and then went on to explain the situation with Alina as well as the nature of this woman known as the queen. Her eyes widened as she kept pace with her husband but found herself staring at him incredulously. She remembered the incident with the Scotsman but she thought nothing of a demon not wanting to be in line of hearing of holy words. "So we're clear, the queen is like God's vampire, and she can kill the unholy with prayers and faith. And that... is perfectly reasonable," said Kasmina as flippantly as ever. Such a thing was beyond unrealistic but she'd seen what faith could do in such situations. As such she knew it could be used as a weapon but the idea of a person being the embodiment of faith strong enough to shake a demon from the 9th Circle of Hell was more than a bit surprising. "And we're going to meet this person," a smirk developed on this young woman's face as she thought about how preposterous such a thing likely seemed to someone outside of the pair of them. "I don't know how others don't think you mad," she concluded as they approached the front gates.

The Queen found herself standing beside her Knight who went on to touch his hand to his chest before he rose from his position to do something about the gate. She smiled at the fact that he was so willing to act on her behalf and found him endearing. "Anything? You know where we are, and you're knocking at the door," she said with a great deal of humor. "Anything, seems a bit paltry by comparison," she finished waiting to see what would come of this man's knocking. "Now, we'll get to see what the new Count has been up to in our absence~" she mused.

[Bloodedge]

As Death awaited the demon's response, he tossed his sword lightly into the air, and jabbed his forefinger into the link at the end of its chain. The sword was then twirled around said finger by its chain. It seemed Alina likened his words to the Faustian Contract demons made use of for ripening the mortal soul for a feast. Death chortled at the thought. In no way would one such as himself associate with such a thing. "Please. I have no use of the Faustian Contract. In your current state, you could easily be made into part of my army. You could even be returned to your former glory... or at least, your former power. If I could have one of your caliber at my disposal, I would discard all the rest," he said, knowing Alina was one capable of seeing the truth in the matter. In all actuality, the chain attached to his sword had a link for every soul Death had added to his personal collection. Though it appeared short, those who had sight from Hell itself could see the true length of the chain, which was long enough to have been wrapped around the world dozens of times over; one would be unable to follow it from one end to another in a mortal lifetime. "It appears you were not the only one going through a state of rebellion. If you've not returned, you may find things a bit... different. You'd have been purged by your brothers for acting as a lesser demon if a few changes hadn't taken place."

"Yes, yes, yes... and yes, of course," Sorin replied to he slew of questions offered in sequence by the woman in his company. The queen was many things, and cleanser of the impure was certainly at the top of the list. Luckily, Sorin never had to fear the consequences of impurity, and Kasmina was certain to be the same. When they were upon the door, Sorin made no efforts to hide his vampiric abilities. The door swung open without being touched for even a moment. Sorin bowed without a moment of hesitation, gesturing with his free hand to invite these guests inside. "Her Majesty Luminita Sanda Elisabeta al Romaniei. We welcome you and your knight to Castlevania."

[Apollymi]

Alina found herself watching the spinning of the blade attached to the chain link. After hearing what she had to say, it seemed that such a thing was a bit crazed as far as she was concerned, but Death seemed to have a bit of a differing opinion regarding the use of contracts, as well as Alina's worth in this situation. True enough, with her own power, Alina could see the length of chain actually attached to the end of the spinning blade and what she was was nigh endless. "Oh, well that might just be the most flattering thing I've heard in centuries... you'd give up all that for little old me?" she said seeming to take some thought in this. She was a demon after all, and thinking of the benefits to oneself was always important. Beyond that, if not contract then she'd remain bound to her Master and Mistress which was... surprisingly enough something she actually wanted to do. As she thought over this offer, more speech would come from Death on the matter of the Burning Hells, and it seemed that she wasn't the only one who felt at least a little rebellious over the last few centuries. "It wasn't just me then? Oh... perhaps a trip home is in order. If nothing else, a return of my power would be good for my current obligations. A small favor then, Death," she started as she paced about the rooftop with a hand tucked under her chin as she thought about things. "I do not know the states of the Hells, part of my contractual obligations means I cannot return to the Hells by my own magic without completing my contract. And I cannot complete my contract due to the nature of the vampire it is signed with..." she said. "Vampires..." she lightly corrected herself, knowing the contract applied just as much to the woman as it did to the man who'd originally taken it on. "If you'd be willing to open it up for me, that I might speak to whichever of my brothers is actually in charge now, I'd be more than willing to offer my help to you in your endeavors. The only thing I'd need besides that is the ability to complete my duties to the Master and Mistress, and I am sure my power would only help such a cause," she said curtly. "It is rather pressing though, I assume some kind of shift in power has occurred, so who is the Prime Evil?" she asked, this was most important. Her approach home could be welcome or ruin depending on the answer to this question. In her present state she could not return home on her own power. A trip home and a conversation with what was apparently one of the nicer of her brothers would likely remedy all problems and in addition, do something in line with helping deal with the exorcists who plagued the lands now.

Kasmina soon was given the answer to the many questions she'd asked revolving around the entertainment of the woman known as the Queen in their household. It seemed that their guest was indeed all the things Kasmina surmised her to be, even so, it didn't seem like it would matter much to her, considering what she knew of them as vampires and what Sorin had explained to her previously. Soon enough before a knock could be placed on the door, Sorin was opening it, stepping to the side to gesture a pair of individuals inside. It took Kasmina no more than a second to fall in line as well, offering a curtsy only to have a quick glance at both other parties. A man clad in golden armor and a woman clad in white but almost nothing at all. If she had anything to say about this she would not, but her voice wouldn't be necessarily the next one heard. "Oh! The Count Phantomhive, look at you... One has to wonder how you get to the door so fast, is this your wife?" she questioned as she walked up the steps eyes trained on Kasmina filled with joy and wonder and surprisingly enough to Kasmina she found herself meeting a red gaze much like her own. "She's... stunning. Oh, and not just physically either, the light of God graces her soul. I can feel her!" the Queen went on to say, grasping her heart as if she was stunned by the sensation. As her introduction had already been made Kasmina found herself looking completely and utterly stunned. What could she say in light of such a statement? And more over, had Sorin known this woman would react this way to her presence, the raven haired lass found herself looking to her husband as if imploring an explanation.

[Bloodedge]

"Rest assured, Andariel, that I would never undermine the power of a Great Evil. Such would hardly be a sacrifice, and the army would reform itself by your hand," spoke Death. He had always held the Seven Evils in high regard. Alina was no exception, even in her weakened state. He began stepping toward this demon atop the roof. When he was close enough that his spinning blade would pose a threat, he flicked his wrist to have the hilt return to his palm for a more orthodox fashion. This female spoke to him in a way most feared to, for the sake of their own souls. Granted, the Evils normally had nothing to fear from him. He had no worries, though. At any point, he could rip out her demonic soul and have her forged as a new link to the Chain of Fate attached to his sword. On the other hand... how interesting this was. He could almost laugh at the notion of escorting her to Hell. "I am Malthael, Angel of Death. I reign supreme over the realm of reality that is life itself, and you would ask me to be your chauffeur?" he asked, becoming unable to stifle the laughter in his lungs by the end of the query. "What an interesting woman Tathamet has produced. Very well; I shall humor you. Azmodan will be the judge of what befalls you this day." With that said, Death stepped aside and held out his sword. A slow, downward slash tore through the fabric of reality to create an ethereal gate into the depths of Hell itself. Once it was open, a great pair of white and wispy skeletal wings sprouted from his back.

Meanwhile, Sorin rose from his bow to view the queen in all her regal splendor. A small grin was upon his face all the while, and the holy matron seemed no more displeased to be present than he'd expected. If anything, she appeared surprisingly elated. Her mention of Kasmina brought Sorin to gesture once more, this time to the woman at his side. "Indeed, milady, I am so lucky to say yes. It pains my bleeding heart that you were unable to attend the wedding, but I understand. Allow me to introduce to you, the Countess Kasmina Elise Dacian Phantomhive... my wife. Mina, behold our holy mother."

[Apollymi]

A bit of a smirk came to the face of Alina. She was once again addressed by her given name, which was something she didn't readily expect. Death spoke to all as if he ruled them, and she supposed in a manner of speaking he did. Regardless, she had no problem with what he said and could only bow to the attention seemingly unbothered by the spinning blade. "Well, if a statement as such is to be made, I'll accept the compliment gladly," she said seemingly amused. Her question to Death seemed to send him into some kind of fit, one of laughter? Alina's left brow rose at the sound the man couldn't keep down at the end of his sentence. "Well yes, but, I wouldn't know if you'd do so, if I didn't ask?" Alina mentioned as if it was the simplest logic in the universe. The statement that Azmodan would be the reigning ruler of her side of hell made her brows furrow in confusion. "Azmodan?! I've been away much longer than I thought," she said thinking it strange that this particular brother of hers was presently in charge of anything. Soon enough the man turned using his sword to open the portal and even going on to sprout a pair of very interesting looking wings. "Fell out of love with the purple? Don't get me wrong, those wings are stunning, but I didn't expect to see them on an angel, even one so exceptional as Death~" she said stepping through the portal.

Meanwhile, Kasmina was stunned, by the mannerisms of the Queen who seemed to be about as normal as any other person walking the street if you put aside the way she was dressed and her armed guard. Luminita found herself staring from Kasmina to Sorin taking them in as a couple, her hand still clasped over her heart as Sorin expressed his sorrow that she hadn't been able to attend their wedding and was quite proud to call the woman at his side his wife. "Ooh?! This is good, you seem so happy, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mina. You don't mind if I call you that right?" she asked the woman directly, which also look Kasmina by surprise. "And it is an honor to meet you as well, your Highness. Please feel free to call me what you wish," Kasmina managed, though she was still quite stunned by this woman's lackadaisical mannerisms. The Queen's eyes widened quite a bit, it seemed this young woman though well bred by nature, was also quite lax, though maybe not as relaxed as the Queen managed to be in any particular moment. "Oh! You're really nice, Sorin you're so lucky! I'm happy for you both of course," she said with a smile. "Oh, before I forget, this is Alexandru Ungur, he's my favorite Knight," mentioned the queen of the golden clad man who'd come on this trip with her, before she immediately turned her attention. "So what will you call me?" she asked of Kasmina which made her eyes widen. "Your Highness, most likely," Kasmina started which only made the woman shake her head. "No no, that won't do. You aren't one of mine... surely you could call me something else, I hear just that all the time," the Queen mentioned. Her mannerisms dictated she likely expected something a bit less formal. "Nita then? Would that be agreeable to you, your highness?" she asked. The woman's eyes lit up immensely, like she was pleased by what Kasmina had said. 'What a strange woman this is,' Kasmina found herself thinking. It was unfathomable to her that a woman such as this was the holy matron of all, and beyond that, the person who could destroy anything unholy. Though there was certainly a childish innocence to her, so Kasmina understood that was all fair.

[Bloodedge]

"I'd have torn the soul from a mortal who dared ask me such a thing," he replied. A single flap of his ghastly wings lifted him from the roof, and left him floating just past the threshold of the gate. From there, he turned to face the demon Alina while holding out his left hand. Having noted the commentary regarding Azmodan and Death's own wings, he chose to comment before departure. "Azmodan's power has been drastically altered, much like my own. The Angel of Wisdom is no more; only Death remains. Come."

Back at the castle's entry room, Sorin was found viewing the knight Luminita claimed to be her favorite, as the blonde male bowed his head to the residents. "It is a pleasure," he said to them both. Though his gaze did not linger more than necessary to inspect this man, he replied just before looking away. "The pleasure is ours, Sir Ungur." The introductory chat between Kasmina and Luminita was going as well, albeit also as strangely, as one could expect from knowing the queen. As to not keep these guests standing in the entryway for the duration of their visit, Sorin began moving deeper into the room. While passing Kasmina, he offered a lighthearted comment of his own. "I'm sure you might think this strange. Worry not; the life of an immortal does wonders for the nature of an introduction. Now, treasured guests... If I may, I am certain our dear Alina has already left us tea to enjoy as we meet. Shall we convene in the dining room?"

[Apollymi]

"Surely you can't have become that bad? Or should I take it as a compliment that I didn't lose my soul for asking a favor of Death?" Alina said seemingly amused by the notion. Whether he meant this a compliment to her or not, she'd take it as such, finding the current form of death to be, much more interesting than she'd previously thought it. Since the man had floated into his opening and extended his left hand to her, she took it, choosing to leave this realm with it for a trip home. "Oh? New power for Azmodan? I hope he's still, him~" she said in reference to one of the preferred personalities of her six brothers.

Meanwhile, the Queen seemed to be in the best possible humor imaginable. "You're really sweet. No one calls me that, I love it!" she said to Kasmina who smiled at the statement. "I am glad, I could make you happy," the young woman said to the blonde now walking with them further into the house. Apparently, this woman was just done with the sensibilities of royalty and introductions. This would leave Kasmina in a state of confusion but her husband would soon paused near her to give her a comforting word or two. Having Sorin already greet the man Alexandru, she nodded in his direction as well offering a curtsy. It would soon be mentioned by Sorin that they should adjourn to the dining room for tea. This seemed to be exciting to the Queen whose eyes widened at the mention. "Really? Tea, already made, again? Alina is the one who made it last time, it was the best!" she said, with the last bit directed towards Alexandru. Having never met the maid before but she'd been mentioned on other occasions and as such she was familiar with the woman and her skill at making tea. 'She is, extraordinarily excitable,' Kasmina thought, given that this woman was very much an adult she wondered why she was so, but, that was fine. There was also a question floating around in the mind about the preparedness of their maid for her to have made refreshments before hand.

[Bloodedge]

"I would not expect you to understand. Being born in the darkness, one is unlikely to see the corruption of the light." There was nothing else to be said from the grim reaper, but it seemed Alina was ready to depart the moment she accepted his outstretched hand. As such, the angel now known as Death looked out into the abyss of Hell, and allowed the gate to shut behind them.

Sorin led the way toward the dining room, shepherding the others into said room upon reaching the door. Once everyone entered, he continued toward a long table at the room's center, boasting eight chairs on either side, and one on either end. Next to one end, where a teacup had been placed, he pulled out a chair while setting his gaze upon Kasmina. At the same time, the blonde male introduced as the knight Alexandru did so at the very end of the table - the opposite end - for the queen. From virtually halfway across the room, Sorin had words to share with the holy matron. "Why yes, of course. Demon tea is of a higher quality than anything found in this world. Alina's cakes are also quite stunning; I believe you were not able to have one during your last visit?"

[Apollymi]

Soon after accepting the hand of Death, Alina was given a statement to consider about the corruption of the light. It would give her something to ponder in the back of her mind, as the realm of Hell closed behind them and she left the mortal world, at least for a time.

Meanwhile Kasmina soon found herself being lead to a seat at the end of the table nearest Sorin, and to what would have been his left. She accepted the seat pulled out for her and sat with grace looking at the tea cup as if mystified. "Many thanks," she offered the man as she took her seat. A simple twitch of her nostril let her know it was absolutely perfect and she was quite pleased with Alina even in the woman's absence. The Queen Luminita was also finding herself seated at the end of the table, from all the way across the room nearly, Sorin was explaining that his demon maid simply made the best tea and this time there would even be cake. "You said that last time, I am still quite curious as to why one such as you, keeps a demon maid, but... if it's for the food I completely understand," the woman said light-heartedly only to immediately have more to say. "There is cake this time?! We are in for a treat, Alexandru!~" she seemed excited and unbeknownst to her, Kasmina's eyes had also widened at the mention of cake. She was in her mortal life, rather taken with confections of various types, and it had been weeks since she'd had cake herself. "I've never had her cake before," Kasmina managed to say looking to her husband with utter surprise on her face. Noticing now, several covered dishes about the table which were likely exactly the cakes he had mentioned. She found herself staring at the reflective surface considering what kind of confection could be within the one not out of arms reach of her person. Each of the place settings was also like this, with a perfectly poured cup of tea and an accompanying covered tray with a cake atop it.

[Bloodedge]

"Of course," was Sorin's reply to his wife. Once the woman was situated, Sorin took a seat himself. Doing so allowed him to look across the table and see the queen and knight seated as well. It was interesting to know quite precisely what the woman had come here for - especially with one of her knights in tow - but Sorin was nothing, if not courteous enough to allow one to state their own purpose. "It is not at all for the food. She is bound to my soul by her own misinformation, but... her ability speaks for itself as a lovely bonus. Now then, I might ask what brings you to grace our presence this day. First, though, would her holiness mind doing the honors? Your word would do much better than my own," he requested. Sorin had made no efforts to remove the cover from his tray, knowing well the visual quality of his demon maid's confections. Kasmina's shock was noted, but he was sure the general public of the room would be quite satisfied in a matter of moments. Sorin lifted both of his hands, folding his right hand over his left fist, and bowing his head for what he expected to be the queen's blessing. Alexandru thought it strange to see a vampire preparing to have tea and cakes blessed, but he supposed there were stranger things than anyone being careful about their salvation. To see it from a vampire who thought himself saved was in some way positive. Keeping this in mind, he also bowed his head for a prayer. "A treat indeed, my queen. It interests me... the places you bring me to."

[Apollymi]

Luminita found herself looking down the table at Sorin as he got around to explaining how he ended up with a demon maid and a smile spread across her face as such. "It sounds like you managed to trick a demon, which is apparently no small feat," she said with a chuckle finding this whole thing to be hilarious beyond all reason. Beyond this point it seemed that Sorin was fine with her blessing their tea for the day, and the Queen also had no problem with this, she looked up to discover that not only Sorin, but Kasmina as well had prepared for this prayer. Kasmina's head was bowed her hands clasped together before her as nicely as a child in Sunday school. The words of her own Knight also make Luminita smile as she bowed her head and spoke words of prayer over the food. "O Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for holy art Thou, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." Her words seemed to radiate from her, spreading even further with holy light and blessing as she crossed the entirety of the table. Such an action left a warm tingling feeling within Kasmina, it left her stunned but uninjured though this was likely the most powerful feeling prayer she'd ever felt. There was a lightness in her heart she hadn't known could exist, from something so simple. It renewed her faith in life, not that it'd dwindled at all prior to this. "Amen." the girl said reflexively before opening her eyes. She wished to examine the food, but found herself looking down the table at the Queen who had reached to open her own dessert as well. After taking the top off of the dish she found the most perfectly put together and decorated cake she'd ever seen in her life. "This looks amazing!~" she chimed.

Before she began to eat she pulled this plate closer to herself. "Good, your interest is what I aim for, lest you start seeing the world without the shades of grey it is intended to have," the Queen said her words surprisingly full of wisdom and quite a deal older than one would normally expect to fall out of her face. Particularly when being aimed at her Knight who seemed to be older than her. Moving right along, she found her attention directed to Sorin. "I've known you for decades and I received an invitation to your wedding. I didn't even know you'd ever considered marriage. So my curiosity got the best of me and I had to come and see, and I didn't want to show up immediately, I felt like that'd be rude," she said rather simply about the nature of her visit. "I hope you don't mind Mina, being a spectacle is strange enough on your wedding day so I hear, but I had to know he was still himself," she said calmly. "But, I found you are not yourself, Sorin," she said looking and having a dramatic pause enter as she took her first bite of cake.

[Bloodedge]

Everything Sorin recalled of a prayer spoken by Luminita returned to the light as she blessed the tea and cakes. The light of God entered his body with this prayer, and he could sense it encompassing the table as a whole. When her prayer was done, Sorin's eyes opened, and his head rose. "Amen. Well-said, your grace," he spoke with a smile. It became apparent soon that the queen acted as some sort of guide to her knights - or at least this one - when they were in one another's presence. This was nothing out of the ordinary, and Sorin could at least hold out hope that there would be no corrupted Kresniks walking the Earth while Luminita was involved.

As Sorin was busy removing the cover from his tray, the queen spoke of her familiarity with him over the years. True enough, they had met enough times to each claim they knew the other on a personal level. With this familiarity, though, came the claim by Luminita that Sorin was no longer himself. This was apparently what she had come here today for the sake of discovering, and she had found some sort of difference in him between this meeting and their previous. "Grace, while I appreciate the consideration shown to our earliest days of marriage, I must contest this change you claim has taken hold of me. I am the same man now that I was when we last met."

[Apollymi]

After the Queen had a look at her dish, Kasmina found herself removing the top of her own. The Queen spoke something of an apology to her and it caused, Kasmina to look towards the woman and shake her head. "I do not mind at all, I am rather curious about most things myself. I understand," she said which made the Queen smile just a bit. Luminita realized that Sorin's wife had to be quite young, she still had a very fresh outlook on life, she wondered then how young but she supposed that question could wait for a while.

Kasmina stared at it for several seconds thereafter and wondered immediately how Alina found the time for such perfection. There were people who devoted themselves to the art of pastry making who would have done a worse job. The lady of this house, could soon be found taking her first bite, and though she was paying attention to all at the table it nearly fell away as she had her first bite of the most perfectly sweetened and moist cake she'd ever had in her entire life. 'She's the best!' her mind shouted this and she wished Alina was present that she might tell the woman how much she'd enjoyed it. Of course, she could just save this thought for later consideration, as the Queen had her first bite of cake and immediately became elated. "This cake is amazing!" she said seeming to be stunned that such a thing could be made by a demon. Perhaps this was why people fell into the darkness of Hell. Whatever the case, soon after this exclamation, Sorin was stating that he saw no changes in himself and this caused the crimson gaze of the Queen to shift, from the plate on the table to the young man before her. She sat down her fork and took a sip of tea before calmly replying. "I disagree, you are a vastly different man from the one you were a few weeks ago. It is something I did not really notice until just now, but your entire demeanor is quite different. You are engaged with life and happy, not simply going through the motions with the boredom of old nobility leaking from your visage. I was unaware you interacted with people aside from your charities. It is good to see you interact with your wife with light in your eyes," she said. "It's quite a commendable change," she said, speaking highly of the effects of family life this man seemed to be exhibiting. She didn't know Kasmina before but the girl also seemed enthusiastic and happy and that was something rather rare in modern marriages as well.