Ekon had watched as Princess Anasuri floated from man to man, poised and graceful as always. He had not been lying earlier, she truly was much more powerful and confident than she gave herself credit for. The presence of so many threw her off, yes, but she was perfect regardless, and he doubted that many could truly see how uncomfortable she was.

Princess Anasuri distracted him, as he was watching her, making sure no one overstepped their boundaries or became a threat. It was Princess Anasuri who caused Ekon to be snuck up on. For if he had been paying attention, he would have heard the approaching footsteps and felt the heavy metal armor come up behind him. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Sir Ekon. Cleaned up pretty damn nicely didn't ya?" Ekon swiveled around, adrenaline surging through his veins, heart thrashing in his chest.

Gold eyes met grey ones, that, although were familiar, were unwelcome. It was Sir Gavin, the High Guard of the knighting academy. The man who had sent Ekon on this deadly mission, the man who had sentenced Princess Anasuri to death. Ekon hated the man in front of him, as well as the two lackeys that stood beside him, with a fierce passion.

"I would hope so Sir Gavin, I would not want to arrive to such an event in informal attire." Ekon eyed Sir Gavin's own, old armor, earning a frown from both Gavin and his lackeys. "Ah, well, it doesn't matter, we will not be here for long. We are merely here to discuss your assignment, which seems to have fallen through." Sir Gavin shot Princess Anasuri's dancing form a hateful glare. Ekon moved, blocking the Princess from the cruel man's view. "Indeed it has, as it would have been like killing an innocent child, though, we both know that is something that doesn't quite bother you." Ekon raised an eyebrow under his helmet, the adrenaline coursing through his veins allowing him to speak his mind instead of quivering under the powerful man's gaze.

Gavin's mouth trembled, as though he was holding back a yell. It was one of his lackeys that spoke next, who seemed much to cocky for his low level magick. "You would do best to watch your tongue Sir Ekon, else you and your dear friend may just... disappear." The man made a little hand motion like a magician might do when performing his tricks.

It made Ekon laugh.

"I doubt," he said chuckling, "that any harm will come to me or Dakota by the likes of you." Ekon turned serious quite suddenly, the humor slipping into a passionate hate. "If any of you even come near the Princess or my friend, I will not hesitate to chop off your hands and tell Princess Anasuri of your treachery. You are lucky I haven't already. Now go, or I'll call the palace guards right now." Ekon's eyes hardened and his fists unclenched, a sign that he was ready to use his powers at any moment.

The argument had caught the attention of some wandering royals, and Gavin could not say anything without being overheard. So the men left, throwing Ekon one last, dangerous, glare before exiting the dance. Ekon released a sigh of relief and began to tremble slightly under his armor. The adrenaline was slowly leaving him, and his nerves were shot through with fear. They had threatened Dakota, the thought of his friend dying left him nauseated, and he'd feared he was about to throw up.

Finally, Princess Anasuri returned, bringing him back to himself. He did not speak, afraid his voice might show his fear.

Anasuri took in the stillness that her knight held himself with. It was different from his normal stillness - one borne from careful alertness and a soul who felt it could never repay its debts. This was one of pure, undiluted fear. He was afraid, and tense. Something had spooked Ekon, and Anasuri assumed it wasn't the crowds. Out of sight, she let her hand press against the cool metal covering Ekon's back, knowing his awareness would catch it. It could only last a second, but Anasuri hoped that it was enough to assure Ekon that she was present, and would help where she could. Her voice was light and quiet, and she ducked her face down so no one would the words she was saying, "Would you like me to release Dava to go find Dakota?" The panda would be able to gather assistance from the guard's companions, all of which Dava had gained the trust and support of, to insure her and Dakota's safety. Of course, Ekon did not know this, but hopefully he knew her well enough by now to know she would not let Dava go into a situation that would endanger the bear.

Anasuri had already spotted a path through the crowd to reach a door, where the guards would understand the need for a companion to need some air.

Princess Anasuri's hand on Ekon's back did not go unnoticed by the terrified knight, and he couldn't help but be grateful for her worry. Any other charge wouldn't have noticed Ekon's change in stance, as it was just as tense as it'd been before, but Princess Anasuri had noticed. She really was different than any royal he'd ever met. Her kindness was wonderful and he couldn't help but feel a little less tense with her near.

He words brought him even more comfort, and before he knew it, he was nodding his head vigorously. "T-that would be wonderful m'lady. I am sorry, truly, I am only burdening you with my own problems. It is rude of me, as it should be the other way 'round." Ekon looked down at the ground for a long moment, regaining his composure by the moment. He could not allow his fear to show, lest one of the little rats that he knew were following him see it and find him weak.

Anasuri gave Ekon an odd look for a moment, and slowly gathered her words, "Well," her voice was low, "I'd like to think that we are friends, hmm? Or close. We... we could be friends, I believe. But... friends look out for each other... and if this makes you feel more comfortable, then I am happy to do so."

Once Anasuri was sure Ekon was alright - or at least as okay as he could be, for now - Anasuri led the way through the outskirts of the crowds, dodging conversations with practiced motions.

They came to a halt at the door, where Anasuri gave the guards a kind smile, and explained that her companion wanted to stretch her legs, and was getting anxious in her charm. It wasn't an odd request, and Anasuri did live there, so the guards opened up the door enough for Anasuri to summon Dava, quietly whisper the plan, and watch the panda lumber off. Anasuri thanked the guards profusely, and edged away from them, giving Ekon a thumbs up.

Anasuri's words of comfort were something Ekon had not heard in a long time. For a split second, he felt tears well up behind his eyelids. Friendships did not normally exist for a knight like Ekon. He was someone that most disliked for his lax on the rules and deadly powers. The fact that Princess Anasuri would even consider befriending him, especially after what he'd done to her, filled him with a happiness he could not explain. Having friends after what had happened to him had always seemed like a poor idea, but now, with Princess Anasuri offering friendship, he wasn't quite so sure.

Once he brought himself back together, he gave Princess Anasuri a smile, though she could not see it. "It would be an honor to be considered as your friend m'lady." His words were truthful, and for a moment, he just looked into Anasuri's eyes and held her there. The moment was soon over though, and he was soon returned to his intimidating form.
Following Princess Anasuri through the crowds, he made a point of trailing her pretty closely behind. Whenever men looked at her in any way other than kindly, he sent them a hard, terrifying glare and they would quickly back off. He supposed that this was his part in their new found friendship. Princess Anasuri helping him and him defending and helping her wherever he could. Perhaps the rest of his life would not be so lonely after all, maybe, just maybe, he'd found a friend.

Anasuri stuck around the long buffet table for a while, quickly putting food on her plate whenever she saw someone that might not be intimidated by Ekon's imposing figure. It gave her an excuse to not have to dance or talk to anyone for a while.

Eventually, it became too suspicious to linger there any longer, and she edged away, trying to keep from drawing anyone's gaze until she saw someone familiar and friendly.
A tall and slim elf was scanning the crowd, his eyes snapping onto Anasuri's when she waved. The elf was like Anasuri - his skin was not a bright and unnatural color. Instead, he was fair, with freckles scattered across his face, short auburn hair, and bright blue eyes. He quickly began to make his way over, and Anasuri murmured quietly to Ekon, "That's Philly - the one Mel mentioned. He's awesome."

Then, Philly was there, giving Anasuri a kiss on the hand (he couldn't do more, as it would be seen as improper, unlike Mel who could get away with a giant hug) and a mischievous glint in his eyes, "M'Lady!" His mocking tone was countered by the softness of his smile, "What a wonderful coincidence to have seen you!"

"Yes, yes, totally accidentally. It definitely wasn't like you were scanning the crowd to find me," Anasuri's tone matched her friend, and suddenly they were both laughing. Philly lightly punched Anasuri's shoulder, "Hey dork."

"Hey loser."

"It has been way too long. I mean, I know I send you a message every day, telling you about the awesomeness that is me and everything, but you haven't been responding as often. Everything okay?" There was genuine concern in his eyes, despite the flippant tone, "Yes. Everything is alright, Philly - I promise. A lot happened in a few days, but it's nothing new."

Philly finally looked up and around them, and startled when he glanced at Ekon, "Oh, hey! He's new! Anasuri why didn't you tell me you had a hot new bodyguard? I would have... uh... I dunno, worn a different tie or something." Anasuri snorted under her breath, "I did mention Ekon. You were just too busy going on about how your... friend... was being 'the cutest ever, OhMyGosh Anasuri he made me soup when I got sick and everyone thought I had the plague. He would have gotten the plague for me.' " Anasuri quoted, a fond glimmer in her face, "By the way - Glad you didn't actually have the plague."

.

Philly waved her off, although his face was lighter at the mention of his wonderful boyfriend. "I was listening, I just have a horrible memory. Now, back to the topic at hand, hi handsome knight, I'm Phillip Dofmire, but feel free to call me Philly."
He froze for a second and stage whispered back to Anasuri, "Wait is he a chill knight or is he going to report me for being too casual. I've already gotten that complaint 7 times, but should I be waiting for an 8th now?"

Anasuri parred Philly's shoulder, "Ekon's great. Trust me. Mel already threatened to skewer his eyes and he took it in stride."

It wasn't too hard to keep men away from Princess Anasuri, as Ekon was pretty unnaturally colored, anyone could see that just from the holes for his eyes in his helm. This wasn't the first time he'd used his power and purple skin to his advantage, and with Princess Anasuri as his charge (well, friend, but Ekon wasn't sure how comfortable he was with that word after all his previous friends had been slaughtered) he was sure this wouldn't be the last time he did it.

Ekon watched warily as Princess Anasuri put food on her plate, noting that the food could easily be poisoned by any person who just happened to pass by. It didn't seem like Princess Anasuri was really eating though, more like just giving an excuse for others not to bother her. Unfortunately, she couldn't linger for long without looking suspicious, so soon they were on their way again. As time past, it was becoming harder and harder to intimidate men who were eager to dance with Princess Anasuri. Though, once he got inbetween the men's eyes and the Princess, most backed off.

Ekon had been focused on scaring off this one, rather persistant man, when he heard someone approach Princess Anasuri. At first, he stood a little taller, but seeing the look on Anasuri's face, he quickly backed off. A smile tugged at his lips seeing the two's obvious friendship, pleasant memories raced through his mind, and his eyes flickered from a dark brown to a deep gold when he realized that the new man, Philly from what Princess Anasuri had said, was talking about him.

Ekon wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting from Lord Phillip, but he definitely hadn't been expecting such an outgoing person. Then again, Princess Anasuri seemed to attract all kinds of people, and the best of them became her friends, though obviously Ekon was not part of the 'best' kind of people group, probably the exact opposite really. Snapping back to reality, he smile at Phillip under his helmet. "It is a pleasure to meet you Lord Phillip, I'm Ekon, and yes, Lady Melina did threaten to skewer my eyes. She was quite pleasant to be entirely honest." Ekon tried his best to just ignore the compliments he was receieving, as he did not want to get flustered when he was supposed to be intimidating.

Philly threw his head back and laughed, a loud and contagious sound that had Anasuri stifling her own, "Never thought I'd hear the words pleasant to describe Mel. He did talk to our Mel, right?" The question was directed to Anasuri, who answered with a smile, "Yep. It was our Mel alright. She tackled me right after I walked in and with her terrifying smile she got people to part the way so we could escape the crowd." Philly snapped his fingers and pointed at Anasuri with the same hand, "Yes. You used the wrong word, Knight Ekon - terrifying is a better description for Mel. Pleasant doesn't quite fit the person who thwarts her own assassination attempts and threatens said assassins. The best of them get invited to join her personal guard." Philly fake-shivered, "So you see, Mel is scary, but she is also great."

Anasuri patted Philly's shoulder in a comforting manner, "There there," her voice was dripping with dry humor, though, "You'll be fine. Mel is merciful - remember that time at Tilander-" "No, no, no," Philly interrupted, "You are not allowed to talk about Tilander. Ever. I still have nightmares. Plus, I think Tilander will scare Knight Ekon, even if he is tall and buff and cool."

Anasuri raised an eyebrow, "Really? Is that the excuse you are going with? It'll scare Ekon?" Philly violently nodded, and Anasuri hid a grin behind a sigh, "Alright then. I won't talk about Tilander."

Ekon hadn't believed Lady Mel to be particularly terrifying, though she did cut an imposing figure, he hadn't been particularly afraid of her. Not anymore than any other highborn that could get him fired if they said a single word. Lady Mel had been different for sure, but in a good way, perhaps if he'd found himself in front of her when he'd been trying to murder Princess Anausuri his view of her might have been a little different, but he definitely respected her.

The two in front of him seemed content talking to each other, and Ekon felt a little awkward with them sharing so freely in front of him. He had not a clue what they were talking about, and did his best not to stand there awkwardly and instead continued to look aloof to others. Ekon supposed he was used to this whole thing by now, just standing there as his ward held full conversations with other people, ignoring him as if he didn't exist. Which, technically, he was supposed to act like he didn't, people were supposed to be respectful and stay away from him to let him do his job. Obviously, Ekon didn't quite care for any of the rules put out for him to follow, but he listened anyways because it was either live life as a knight or live on the streets, and he didn't wish to return to that life again. So here he remained, even if he didn't particularly like it.

After a while of conversation, Philly gave Anasuri a wink and a sly smile when a new song came on, "Hey, hey, Anasuri. Isn't this your favorite song?" Anasuri just groaned as a response, but was fighting back a smile, "Really, darling, it was such a spectacular time. I think you knocked... what was it... three or four people into the buffet, and another two onto the floor." Anasuri flushed, "Look! You try dancing to such a fast song in high heels with a partner that has two left feet but thinks he doesn't." Philly shrugged, "I said I was sorry for that, and at least I finally went to dance lessons. So..... may I have this dance?" Philly quirked up an eyebrow, and Anasuri laughed as she took his hand, "This time," she joked, "We stay away from the buffet."