Swimming with the Tides (Jack Quest-FINISHED)

[carcinoGeneticist]

As with all things which one encountered in life, Ceren was well aware when she was ready to take on her Jack's quest.

She entered the court of her birth with no small amount of pride showing in her smile and her step as she gave a courteous nod to those she passed. As she had months ago, she was once again dressed in her elegant gown, hair tied loosely out of her eyes. It wouldn't do her any good to be constantly pushing it back during her meeting with Vestra. The halls were familiar to her now, and she knew exactly where to go.

The sparrow arrived in the area which she knew was used for upcoming Jacks to be tested, and took her seat on one of the benches, folding her hands in her lap. She absently ran one finger across the silver band that she wore, glancing out a window thoughtfully. She was a little early for her appointment, but that couldn't be a bad thing, right? Her nerves had been bad that morning, and she had taken every precaution to make sure she wasn't late.

She smiled faintly as she thought of the meeting, pushing all of her anxieties out of her mind for now. If nothing else, it would be good to see the King once more. Since she had begun to truely court Iria, she had seen less and less of the rest of the court, and the prospect of bringing herself into it for good... Was a promising one, and one that filled her with an excitement she hadn't known since she was young.

[Kari Muffin]

(( OOC: >_>; you must be wondering why I'm replying to this? This is a test run. Nat has given me permission to play Vestra. Thank you for understanding.))

The attendant hurried down the hallway. He clasp her clip board and glanced down at the name. Wasn't that the girl rumored to be courting Queen Iria? And wasn't she related to the most recent Queen? She probably knew where to go, but there was no taking chances. The Villa en Miir bird peered around the corner. So she was waiting. The bird rounded the corner with a smile on his beak. "You must me Miss Ceren! I apologize for being late." He offered her hand to the sparrow. If she felt inclined to shake it so be it.

He cleared her throat, blushing a bit. Second day on the job and this was his second day late. At least he remembered what to say, "All you need to do is go down the hall and knock on His Highness Vestra's door. He'll be expecting you, but make sure you knock loudly. You don't want to miss him." The bird smiled again before waving a hand goodbye and going off in the direction in which he came. He still had so much to do and she didn't want to run late for all of it. "I apologize for not guiding you there myself, but I have quite a bit of work to do!" He called back before he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Ceren watched the flustered-looking attendant, and had to try to keep from grinning. Well, this was the new attendant she'd heard rumors of! He seemed nice enough, maybe just a little more easily flustered. Understandable, he was new on the job, wasn't he? She took the offered and hand did, in fact, shake it, giving him a small smile. "That's me. It's no trouble, really. I arrived a little early, so I apologize if I complicated things.[/b]" the words and formalities flowed easily from her.

The sparrow stood, smoothing out her skirts as she did. "Doesn't sound too hard.[/b]" she said, her words as much to the other bird as to herself. Really, people did this all the time. Even Zane was in the process of becoming a Jack! It was that thought that stilled her queasy stomach, and her collected expression returned smoothly. "No worries,[/b]" she called out to him, and then walked towards the door.

It was with a mildly shaking hand that she knocked at the door, calling out as she did. "Your Highness? I'm here for my Jack quest...[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

During Ceren's second knock the door swung open to reveal a familiar rotund feline figure. A grin was painted on his face as he exclaimed, "Ceren! It's a pleasure to see you again! Come in, come in." He ushered the sparrow into a room that contained various cushions and plush chairs. It was the same room in which Ceren had met him before, and very little had changed.

The King's enthusiasm certainly hadn't. "I'm glad you came on time! We can discuss things over some tea!" He didn't wait for any sort of response as he snapped his fingers. A blue ball of light appeared hovering besides him. "Silver Needle tea for two and a small selection of sandwiches." With that the ball of light floated away quickly.

King Vestra plopped down one of the cushion, smiling at the sparrow. "I've heard quite a bit about your recent endeavors, but what's your official reason for wanting to join the Court?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

"A pleasure indeed, your Highness.[/b]" Ceren replied as she entered, bowing low to the feline King. When she stood once more, it was with a small smile. She couldn't hide it. She'd always been rather fond of the rotund cat. Nodding to his suggestion of tea, she slipped into the same chair that she had sat in during their first meeting all those years ago. It really had been a long time since then, hadn't it...?

Ah, well. She well knew that now was not the time to reminisce, and she leaned forward in her seat as Vestra spoke. Business was business, especially here and now.

Ceren grinned to herself. So, word of her relationship had travelled fast. She wasn't entirely surprised, it wasn't as though it was something she tried to keep to herself. Hands folded before her, one finger absently stroking at the band she wore, her expression became rather thoughtful. "When I was growing up, my parents made it abundantly clear that, even should we chose not to advance in the ranks, we would have no trouble making lives for ourselves because they would always back us. [/b]"

She looked up at Vestra, making eye contact briefly before clearing her throat and speaking once more. "I always wanted more in my life. I was never good with business, but politics have always intrigues me. Change intrigues me, and I would rather find a way to make my own changes.[/b]" she grinned. "When I met my Queen, Iria, I knew I wanted to serve hir, and in doing so, it would be all too easy to serve myself as well. What better way to advance than to do so at the side of one you love?[/b]"

[Kari Muffin]

"Well then! I suppose we should get on with the test since you have so much determination. I wouldn't want to hold you up," The feline adjust himself to a different sitting position so he could fiddle with the table. Shortly after clearing a few things off of it, blue ball of light floated into the room accompanied with the tea and sandwiches.

The King poured himself and Ceren a cup of tea and snagged a sandwich before returning to his proper flop on the cushions. He took a sip of his tea before he began. "Let's start with a hypothetical situation. You've found out that to get into the courts you need to challenge someone for their title. The Queen that your wooing wants you in courts besides her, but that means you have to challenge another Jack that's backed by another Queen that you know very well. Your decision could cause complete and utter chaos in the Court, among other things. What would be your chosen course of action?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Ceren grinned slightly. Sure enough, there would be plenty of times for them to chat after her quest was completed, especially if she became an official part of the courts. She leaned back in her seat, taking a long sip of her tea and closing her eyes thoughtfully as she listened to him speak. This was an interesting connundrum, to be sure, but the answer was painfully obvious to the bird and she sighed slightly. This struck fairly close to home, and it was all to easy to put names and faces to the ranks. Pushing those faces aside would be essential. All she needed to do was figure out the best way to word her reply, and when she opened her eyes again, she was grinning inwardly. Clearing her throat, she began to speak.

"I would challenge the other Jack.[/b]" she replied, sounding entirely confident. "If I am to become a successful member of the court, then I can only assume that I am the best possible individual for the position that I am seeking out. I can also assume that, should I take this action, I will be beside my Queen in order to assist her in dealing with the chaos caused by my moving forward, and I would gladly take on such a burden. We do what is necessary to advance ourselves, do we not?[/b]" it was harsh, but true. She would not let anyone get in her path forward.

[Kari Muffin]

The feline took a moment to take a long and thoughtful sip of his tea. He also took this opportunity to finish his sandwich and readjust himself on the cushions. Staying properly flopped without sinking was a difficult task.

"Yes! You would be the proper Jack to take the title and responsibility if you could defeat your opponent! And you did by all accounts with your straight forward manner!" The King paused with a grin on his face. There was still a problem that needed to be solved. "However the damage is a bit more than you had originally anticipated! The other Queen that you upset happens to be more powerful that your chosen Queen. Thanks to the Jack you defeated, you know about the plot to make your Queen "pay" for your actions. How exactly would you defuse the situation without harming anyone or getting outsiders involved?"

Vestra cheerily awaited the sparrow's response, a smile still on his face.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Oh, so things had taken an interesting turn! Ceren leaned forward again, eyes level with those of the feline and brows furrowed slightly. Of course, this news wasn't completely unexpected, not in the least. When it came to politics, your actions always had consequences, and even mock-politics would be accurate enough to portray that truth.

The sparrow ran a hand through her hair, feathers making a quiet sound as they shifted into place. "Of course, this comes as no surprise. Usurping anyone, even a Jack, has its consequences.[/b]" she rested her head on one hand, lightly running the fingers across her beak, a habit she had when she was deeply absorbed in thought. "And, in turn, as it was my actions which led to this predicament, it is also my duty to serve my Queen in every way that I can, including protecting her against any threat, whether born of my actions or not. I would likely arrange a meeting with the other Queen to devise a manner in which I could serve them to make up for the time spent without the assistance of their Jack, until a time when it would be possible for them to return to the courts.[/b]" Assuming I didn't dispose of them permenantely, she added to herself.

She laughed softly then, grinning slightly. "Alternately, I could assure the other Queen that my move to King would be a swift one, and they would have their Jack back before they knew it.[/b]" there was a touch of humor in her voice, but her eyes glowed with the ambition to reach that position that she possessed.

[Kari Muffin]

Vestra clapped his hands together, a grin on his face. "A very sensible answer coming from a very sensible young lady! Congratulations!" The feline sat straight up, setting his tea and sandwich down in their proper places. With a wave of his hand over he chest her ten changed into a J.

"Now, you're with noble title you should be off to celebrate! Unless you feel like chatting over some tea." The chuckled as he picked up his cup before continuing. He snapped his fingers and the little blue ball of light hovered off, to return shortly after. He presented Ceren with key. "I'm sure you know where this goes. I hope you enjoy your new room!"

He flopped back down on his cushions. The King waited until she had left before returning to his full attention to his tea and food. The courts were changing rather quickly. He could only hope that she would remember to take one step at a time.

(OOC: One more post from Ceren and we can consider this done <3 )