Ekon was surprised to hear Anasuri laugh. Truthfully, he thought today would be filled with stifling tension and that she would eventually tire of being scared of him and turn him in. The fact that the princess hadn't done that yet and was laughing at his joke reassured him that perhaps she wasn't going to turn him in. He was grateful to be serving someone like her. Even if her own convincing could literally result in his own death.

Either way, Ekon gave the princess one last smile before they dissolved into silence. Somehow, the silence was comfortable, and Ekon had to think that maybe everything would be okay. He would never see Neima again, but he'd accepted that long ago. The hope he'd had was disappearing, but a new life was ahead of him. Hopefully, the rest of his days would be spent as Princess Anasuri's loyal knight, who could laugh with his ward despite all the restrictions that neither of them heeded. Being a knight was supposed to be completely serious, Ekon wasn't supposed to enjoy it, but with the way he treated his work, he did.

Anasuri opened up to door to the Caprain's room, immediately creating the Princess mask on her face, hiding her true emotions, "Any reports on the state of the orphanage?" The Captain, who had been examining a map on the back wall, turned to face the Princess, brushing back short blonde hair, "Sink me!" The Captain cried, "Don't give me that face - 'tis jus' me - Good ole Tess!" Anasuri fought to keep a straight face, "We are only friends because I bribed you." "No way!" Captain Tess bellowed, slinging an arm around Anasuri, the tall Elf nearly knocking the Princess off her feet, guiding her a few steps away, and glanced over her shoulder at Ekon, "Nah in front o' yer guard!" "You can trust that Sir Ekon will not tell anyone. Captain Tess - What about the orphanage?" Anasuri guided the conversation back onto the original topic, although her mask was now gone, she still looked serious.

Captain Tess also grew serious, and released Anasuri, walking back around behind her desk, "Aye... Thar were indeed bandits who came t' burn th' galleon down. Some o' me guards had brought t' sprogs t' a safe galleon, 'n th' rest were waitin'. They captured th' crooks 'n placed them in th' town's jail. Th' sprogs are safe, but I left a few guards thar t' keep watch."

Anasuri nodded gratefully, "Thank you, Captain Tess."

The same went for Ekon's face, as if he acted out of place for a knight, he could easily be taken off his assignment. So he returned to his formal place, his face wiped clean of any and all emotion. His posture becoming stiff and reserved. He no longer was a sort of friend to the princess, he was her knight, who would die for her if needed, as all knights were sworn to do from the day they started.

Ekon said nothing about the odd companionship between the two, and remained an emotionless mask. When Anasuri said he was trustworthy, he almost, almost cracked a smile. Despite what he'd put her through last night, somehow the Princess still trusted him, and for that he was especially thankful.

At the news of the orphanage, visible relief flooded Ekon's face, though he immediately reined his emotions back in. He had been so worried, so very, very worried, but the children were safe. He'd be sure to sneak out soon to visit, to tell them tales of his adventures and give them sweet candies. He wanted nothing but the best for the children who reminded him so much of himself.

"Aye, aye! Ye can repay me wit' some o' those potions, ye hear?" Captain Tess didn't seem to have any volume settings other than loud, and what she thought was a whisper.

"Yes, Captain. I'll be sure to brew up a batch and bring them to you within the month," Anasuri agreed easily, silently relieved by the Captain's nod of affirmation, "Good - ye make me those brews, 'n I'll trust ye on whatever hairbrained news ye give me."

The Captain walked around her desk and eyed Ekon, giving Anasuri a friendly slap on the back, knocked the Princess over until she caught herself on the desk. Anasuri bit back a glare, as she knew that the Captain wasn't aware of her own strength - or rather, aware of the fact that while the Captain was tall, Anasuri was small.

The Captain leaned in again, talking in her not-really-a-whisper whisper, "Ye got yourself quite th' handsome fellow thar, Annie-poppet. Too bad he ain't a prince - ye'll jus' 'ave t' settle fer somebody at th' ball!" Anasuri looked queasy, "If it's all the same to you, Captain Tess, I'd rather not find a prince."

Captain Tess laughed loudly, "Ye certainly are a stranger beauty, Annie. Now, off ye go. I 'ave business t' get back t'."

Anasuri wasted no time saying goodbye, and rushing out the door, walking down the halls at a fast pace, letting out a sigh of relief once they turned the corner.

Ekon watched the interaction curiously, but no hint of that was on his face. He was as reserved and stoic as a normal knight was, though he was definitely by no means a normal knight. If he was, he would've killed Princess Anasuri last night and gone gallivanting off like a murderer. Regardless, Ekon was almost.. happy that Anasuri trusted him so. He'd truly thought she'd hate him, but here she was, trusting him with this rather private interaction between her and the Captain.

Speaking of the Captain, her words made his cheeks turn a lighter purple. He was not used to such compliments, especially from someone who could probably be his superior (he wasn't quite sure where his ranking was among the palace's guards and knights). Most people, especially higher ups, found him unappealing, at least to his face, he'd often caught whispers of nobles complimenting his appearance. Apparently he used to often look sad before he'd prefected his mask. To many elven women, this just made him more attractive, though he could not quite understand how his grief had made nobles believe he was attractive but at least they didn't fire him.

Ekon was rather relieved to escaped Captain Tess' gaze, as he did not want to know what happened to a 'handsome fellow' that was within her line of sight. If anything, women scared him more than other knights.

"Well," Anasuri said, wincing as she rubbed her back, "That was Tessandra, or Tess, the captain of the guard. She's... interesting. I think she'd so loud and bold, because if she wasn't, then the guards wouldn't listen to her. The Captain is a good person - if you ever need backup or help, go to her." Although it seemed as though Anasuri bribed the Captain, the woman would have honestly helped without it. Anasuri just felt bad about asking for favors without giving her anything, and the tonics Anasuri made (they were tonics to stop her headaches after a night at the tavern) had been well-received.

Anasuri started to walk down the halls, but walked beside Ekon rather than in front, "I hope she didn't make you too uncomfortable. Tess doesn't really have much of a filter - but at least she's honest."

Once in the halls, Ekon rid himself of the knight mask he wore in front of an audience. He allowed himself to sink into that easy rhythm he'd gained from spending so much time around Princess Anasuri. He didn't feel the need to hide what he felt because she'd probably figure it out anyways with that big brain of hers. Plus, he felt comfortable enough, and safe enough, to not worry about hiding himself from her.

"Ah, it was definitely...different than normal. Most of the time, people just ignore me, and they definitely do not compliment me in front of me. It was startling, but I doubt much could make me uncomfortable at this point m'lady. And she did seem like a good woman, it is nice to see a Captain that isn't a corrupt man for once." Ekon shrugged, although he probably shouldn't be one to talk about corrupt guards, it was the truth.

"The man before her tried to kill the King," she shared, "And nearly got away with it - before the Court Jester stepped in and fought him off. The Jester being Tess. None of the guards had stepped in because the old Captain had bribed them into not acting." Anasuri shivered, as if remembering the moment, "All of the guards were fired, and there was a long portion of time where the palace was undefended. That's why the Army retreated back randomly two years ago. Confused the people to no end, but we weren't allowed to share."

It had been a terrifying night. Anasuri had been there, and, had actually been the only court member to move, once the actions against the King had been revealed. Anasuri had been teased about it endless for the rest of the year, with people saying she wouldn't have been able to stop the Captain, that she was useless, and shouldn't be a member of court. Anasuri shut them up with itching powder is all of their clothes, bed sheets, hats, socks, and rugs. They were miserable, and while Anasuri felt bad, they hadn't bothered her again.

Ekon listened quietly, and did not reply for a long moment. Between his old friends, it had been a running joke that one day Ekon's face wouldn't change from his listening expression. Even back then, with all his friends, Ekon did not speak often. Neima had been the first to drag a single word out of him when the orphans dragged him back to their camp when they'd found him starving on the streets. It was in Ekon's nature to be quiet, a perfect knight trait.

His other good trait, was knowing what to say in most situations, though he definitely wasn't good at comforting people, he still could somehow say the right thing and make people feel better. He hoped this worked now. "Then it sounds like Captain Tess earned her place rightfully. Many captains are just given the title due to connections, it's nice to hear that she'd truly loyal to the kingdom. There are few people that serve the kingdom that are actually loyal to it" Ekon was pretty sure that that statement also applied to him.

Anasuri pressed her lips together, thinking. Captain Tess was indeed a brave and loyal soul. She believed Anasuri when others wouldn't, and didn't think less of her for not having a power. Perhaps it was because Captain Tess was powerless as well. Her human colored skin stood out against the bright colors of most of the Elf population. She still had the height, though, standing at 6'8. She was strong, disciplined, and even without a power, could beat all of her guards in a fight.
"Yes. You are correct, Ekon," Anasuri said softly, "She is a wonderful person. When you were injured, she was the one I contacted to tell people that I was sick, and she transported the materials and food to my room."