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Calliope took in the beauty of the castle, liking how it was different from her own. She grew excited as they headed outside towards the kennels. The barking was like music to her ears as she looked at all the hounds, letting a few sniff of her as she passed by. When he opened the one kennel, she watched, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the long haired dog. "Oh! How beautiful!" She giggled, smiling at how he handled her. Calliope approached, bending down with an outstretched hand. She would let Hisli smell her before trying to pet her. For a moment, Calliope looked truly happy. |
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Calen couldn't help but smile slightly as Hisli sniffed at Calliope's hand, licking it before she pushed her velvet soft head into her hands, begging for attention. "She's a bit desperate." Calen said, running a hand down her back. Hisli often accompanied him on his rides through the forest. She loved to run and play, and spent most of the time chasing birds and squirrels. Not to mention chasing her tail like an idiot. "Would you like to see the stables now? Or if your too bored we can go back inside." He asked, filling Hisli's water before he closed the cage. |
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Calliope squealed happily when Hisli licked her hand then begged for attention. "Nothing wrong with that," She said, looking over at Calen. She gave the animal some loving scratches before straightening back up and letting him shut the kennel.
"Inside is where I have a tendency to be bored, so please, lead the way to the stables," she smiled, growing eager to see the horses. Horses were such majestic creatures and likely her favorite animal of all time. "Riding is a passion of mine, if you couldn't tell by how I arrived," she explained, thinking about how relaxing the ride had been. There was just something about the wind in her hair while she raced through the woods. |
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Calen nodded, leaving the kennels behind as they walked to the stables, only a short distance away. The doors were open as stable hands bustled about. The many different horses poked their heads over the stall doors. "The stable hands should have gotten your horse settled in by now." Calen said, scanning the stalls for his own horse. His horse was in his usual stall, munching on the hay he had been given. "I was planning on taking a ride through the forest, but it's almost time for the luncheon, so that will have to wait until tomorrow I'm afraid." |
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Calliope smiled as they entered the stables, looking at all the horses who'd acknowledged their presence. She was standing infront of the stall across from Calen's horse when she'd felt a nudge to her shoulder. She turned around, grinning when her own horse nickered softly at her. "Hello my silly boy," she said softly, kissing his nose before he turned away to go eat on some hay as well. "Well I'll definitely be looking forward to that part of tomorrow then," she said, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes. "I was so relieved when my mother agreed to let me ride all the way here," she added, tucking a little curl behind her ear. So far the day hadn't been bad and Calliope only hoped that it would continue to go well. |
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Calen lead Calliope out of the stables, starting back toward the castle. The luncheon was quickly approaching, and his father definitely wouldn't be happy if they missed it. Servants in the castle hurried around, carrying trays of food or pitchers of water to the dining hall where the luncheon would be held. "Your mother seems like the... queenly type." It took him a second to think of something that wouldnt offend her, but even then it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say. A servant narrowly avoiding running into him, managing to twist out of the way in time. The woman looked frightened and extremely embarrassed as she hurried away. Calen frowned as he watched her go. What had his father done to these people to instill such fear in them? |
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(So sorry I popped away for a while!)
Calliope followed him back inside, watching out for the hustle and bustle of servants readying things for the luncheon. A soft snort slipped out of her at his words. "Oh she is. And she demands me to turn out a right and true lady. If it's not perfect it's not good enough," she shook her head, glancing over at Calen.
Calliope gasped softly when the maid had almost collided with Calen, the same frown crossing her face. "Poor thing.. Absolutely terrified," she murmured, shaking her head. One thing she could confidently say was that their servants at home were treated very well and a lot of times like family. |
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(Its all good :) Calen nodded, "My mother has always just been supportive. She doesnt really care how I act as long as I'm still respectful and all that. Its my father that expects me to act like a 'proper man' as he likes to put it." Calen pulled his gaze away from the servant and back to Calliope. "My father also believes in brutality and blind obedience." He said, his voice harsh. "We should probably get to the dining hall, unless you want a front and center display of this brutality." He said, increasing speed slightly, but still slow enough that Calliope could keep pace. |
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Calliope nodded, humming softly to his words. "My father always encourages my wild side. He desperately wanted a son, but since my mother was unable to bear more children, he settled with teaching me about defending myself and other 'manly tasks'," she explained, realizing that their parents seemed to treat them the same way. One expecting the most while the other simply supported your decisions. Calliope quickly began following, not wanting to cause a problem with his father. "I most definitely do not. I'd really love for this trip to be dramaless as possible," she sighed, her legs working faster to keep pace with Calen. |
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"Thats funny, since my father has had the blessing of a son and daughter, yet even if I'm the heir, I still end up as the least favorite." He said, mostly to himself. The doors to the dining hall were open when they entered, with no sign of the rest of his family yet. "I'm not sure I can't promise that." He said as he pulled out a chair for Calliope, then took a seat next to her. His parents and Justine arrived moments later, his father seemingly impressed by his early arrival. They all sat, Calen's father to his left, Calliope to his right, his mother across from him and Justine across from Calliope. With a snap of his father’s fingers the servants were bringing out the food, all on silver platers. It would be an effort to survive this without his father yelling at him at some point. |
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Fall 
Day 
Heavy Rain
