It surprised Ekon that he noticed when Princess Anasuri was lost in her own world, and how he compensated for it by speaking a bit louder. He hadn't realized that he'd noticed his ward's little quirks, her little habits, but he had. Granted, he'd been spending lots of time with her, and he'd be with her for the rest of his life, or until he grew too old to protect her. Ekon supposed he shouldn't be so surprised that he'd noticed all these little things about Princess Anasuri, but he'd never had the opportunity to grow close enough to his ward to even recognize their habits, let alone compensate for them.

Ekon thought these things as they drifted down the hallway in comfortable silence. That was another thing, he felt comfortable with Princess Anasuri, something that he technically shouldn't feel. Regardless, somehow that made this assignment easier, despite all the danger he was currently in by just allowing her to live. "I hope you enjoyed tonight at least a little bit m'lady, I know that you don't exactly like those events but I doubt anyone noticed that you were nervous. Your friends are really nice too." Ekon smiled down at Anasuri as he walked, his helm tucked under his arm.

Anasuri smiled fondly, more to herself than anything, "Yes. Those two have been my closest confidants for years. It is sad that Baba was not able to make it, but he is getting old." The princess shrugged, "My own father is, eh... not the best man. Nor my Uncle. Baba was the closest figure I had to a father growing up."

Anasuri shared these pieces of her life easily with Ekon, like handing out sweets to children. Perhaps it should be alarming how someone could grow to be so trusted so fast, but at the same time, Anasuri was already trusting Ekon with her life and some of her secrets. A few other tidbits would not mean much, "But yes. Some of the night was indeed fun. I hope it was not too dull or tiring for you. I also apologize for you needing to wear your armor for so long. That cannot be comfortable."

A soft chuckle danced through the air as Ekon grinned at Princess Anasuri's words, he couldn't help it. "M'lady, although this armor may be a little heavy, I am very used to it all by now. Besides, the look on some of the men's faces more than made up for it." Another deep chuckle escaped his lips as he thought of the men who had seen the princess, then him, and scurried away like a scolded dog. If anything, that and Princess Anasuri's interesting friends had made his night. Granted, it wasn't like he did much else, other than being threatend by people who had never been his own, even if they were supposed to be.

"Thank you for sharing your life with me Princess Anasuri, I have never had a ward that shared as freely as you do. Please know that I truly am thankful for your trust in me. As for this, Lord Baba, perhaps you may get the chance to visit him soon? It would make for a nice trip." Ekon gave Princess Anasuri a smile, he knew not what a father figure should act like, but he knew that whoever this man was, he was a good person. Otherwise, Princess Anasuri would not care for him so.

A laugh escaped from Anasuri before she could help it, and grinned widely, "No, no! Baba is a term of endearment - like grandfather. His true name is Askarr. He is the One Who Lives on the Mountain - I do believe that should be more familiar."

The One Who Lives on the Mountain was an old prophet and medicine man. Although there have been advances in technology from the time of Askarr's youth, there were still illnesses that plagued society that none could cure but him. He was known to come down from his home in the mountains when he sees vital information of the future, and needs to use his own hands to guide what should best happen.

Askarr had been doing his job since before the current King was King, and although the monarchy no longer listen to wise Askarr's visions and futures, and had denounced the mystic legends the prophet stood on, the public still rang out the news when the One Who Lives on the Mountain came down.

Suddenly, Ekon felt very stupid. It wasn't like he hadn't ever heard the term Baba, it was common he supposed, but not for someone like him. He'd heard the term before, but it was such a distant, unknown word to him. Ekon had never used the word, and never would, it was a word that was hardly a part of his vocabulary. Dakota would've known it, out of the two of them, Dakota was the brighter one, though he was a bear so that definitely limited his learning capabilities.

The name Askarr was more familiar to Ekon surprisingly enough, though not for any good reasons. While he'd been in the academy, there had been rumors of The Man in the Mountain. A man who held mystical powers that were like, and unlike the powers that most elves had. Among the youth, he was either a terror, a wraith that hunted in the night and chose the naughtiest kids to steal, or a lunatic, who believed in ancient ways that had long been dismissed as fairy tales.

Ekon didn't quite care for rumors, though he didn't quite believe in the whole mysticism thing either. He'd never been a superstitious person. "Ah, excuse my idiocy, the term 'baba' has long been forgotten in my mind." Ekon grinned softly before nodding, pulling his hair out of the loose bun it had been in. The escaping hair had been itching the back of his neck and he'd hated it. His white hair spilled over his shoulders, and his scalp tingled with relief. "I believe I know whom you speak of, I've heard a bit about him, rumors of course, though I do not believe any of them to be true. He sounds like a good man, especially if he is almost a sort of father figure to you, he must be extraordinary." Ekon said the last bit almost to himself. Someone that could be so high up in Princess Anasuri's list of people must be an amazing person. For Princess Anasuri only seemed to settle for the best people in her company.

Anasuri ducked her head for a moment, relishing the freedom of the movement, as she did not have to worry about a crown, "Well, yes. He... ah... the first time I ran away, he was the one to find me. I thought I was more important than I really was to my father, and no one was sent to find me for about a month. Baba, though, had seen it - seen me? And took me under his wing for that time. That is where I learned my potion and medicine brewing. And every once and awhile I'd run away again, and go see him and learn more."
Anasuri shrugged, and skipped for a few steps, doing a twirl on her bare feet, as the halls were (thankfully) empty. Her playful movements came from a deep relief that the uptight event was over, and from the good memories with Baba, "He was also the one who helped me with my Companion bond," Anasuri met Ekon's gaze as she walked backwards for a few steps, "And although you do not believe the mystic stories... I do. I always did, even before meeting Baba, so that he was real... was almost magical." She shrugged and turned to walk forward once more, and opened up the door to her room.

The fact that Princess Anasuri had ran away startled Ekon. For him, even if home wasn't amazing, it was better than leaving and not having a place to come back to. As an orphan that was abandoned at the doorstep at an overcrowded orphanage, the idea of a home that at the very least fed him properly was a wonder to him. He'd never quite understood the whole running away thing, yes, Princess Anasuri wasn't quite a normal royal, but running away seemed like a last resort type of thing. Ekon didn't know much about her past, so he didn't assume anything, but her running away was confusing, and for someone like him, not something he could ever really understand. Perhaps one day he would, but for now, he was stumped.

As for the mystic stories Princess Anasuri spoke of, it wasn't that Ekon didn't want to believe in them, it was just that he couldn't. Not without hating himself first.

Ekon nodded to Princess Anasuri's words, and truly listened to what she was saying. When they arrived at her room, he finally spoke. "Then it sounds like he is a fine man m'lady, especially to have partially raised someone as smart and kind as you are." Ekon gave Princess Anasuri a lopsided smile before continuing. "Thank you for telling me so much about yourself, such things are practically unheard of for a knight and his ward. Thank you for treating me like a person. Alas, you must rest and retire for the night, so I will take my leave. It was wonderful to talk to you, and I hope that the ball did not entirely ruin your night." Ekon smiled once more before turning to his own door, his long hair still spilled in long waves down his back.

huhuhuhuhuh

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ts??

Yessir, to when?

i have NO CLUe >:/