At Your Service [Jovan's King Quest] [FIN]

[Vyn]

Jovan was a smart boy. He had a good head on his shoulders (his mother saw to it) and he was determined to make something of himself here in the Courts. At first his only intention had been to be a good guard but the longer he hung around the more he saw that he could be of help.

The court was so weakened by... by that madman and Jovan was determined to fix the err of that man's ways.

There was no harm in asking to help out, no harm at all, and the very worst she could do was decline his offer. That was all. This was nothing more than a discussion.

He glanced once to the clock behind him, he was three minutes early for their meeting but it was better to be early than to be late. Squaring his shoulders and lifting his head confidently, the young Guard-in-Training raised a tentacle to knock firmly on the door.

[Kari Muffin]

Xiven was a little surprise when she had gotten the notice about Jovan. She hadn't dealt with someone so young wanting to be a noble, and it seemed a little odd? Then again it had happened in the history of the Court.

She flipped through the paper work on her desk. She had gotten a notice of recommendation from the head of the Guards. Jovan was a fit, responsible, and intelligent young man. Even though he was young he wanted to face the challenge of being a titled King under her.

They did need help. And she wasn't about to refuse someone who was able to assist in taking care of the Suit of Hearts. She would just have to give him a special little quest to see if he was worthy of the pressure, and she would have to talk about his responsibilities before assigning his quest.

"Come in," she said with a bright note. When the boy opened the door she set a pile of papers to the side. "Hello Jovan, Please take a seat."

[Vyn]

Jovan was nervous, but it didn't show as he slipped inside The Queen's chamber. Instead he put on his warmest smile and bowed courteously to The Queen before taking his seat.

"Good morning, Your Majesty." The Canine/Horse mix composed himself in his seat, brushing back a strand of his mane that had fallen into his face with a tentacle before quickly tucking them out of the way. Not everyone took well to his tentacles, so he tried not to bring much notice of them during first impressions such as these. Instead he focused on keeping his smile warm and his stance proper and confident.

As an adolescent with strange mutations, Jovan had very little to work with on first impressions. He had no 'worldly experience' and he vaguely resembled something that could crawl out of your nightmares... Nevertheless, he was intelligent, honorable, and kind -- he lead strongly with these traits and hoped to the Suits that it would be enough. "Thank you so much for having this meeting with me. It's an honor to have a proper meeting with you at last, Your Majesty.

[Kari Muffin]

She had only seen the boy from afar. Seeing him up close was a completely different matter, and she couldn't help but find herself morbidly fascinated. She had seen plenty of strange mutations and tentacles seemed fairly normal compared to a hookah. "It's nice to finally meet you in person. I've heard quite a bit about you."

The woman pulled a file out of a pile, setting it in front of her for reference. "Let's get down to business shall we? You're a bit younger than the normal candidates, so I have to remind you of the great amount of responsibility that goes along with a title. Being a King under me means you'll be responsible for a good portion of paperwork, and that you'll be responsible for a particular allotment of duties."

She offered the boy a sheet of paper summarizing some of the details of his position. "If you're still willing to take the quest after knowing your responsibilities in full, we can commence the quest right now."

[Vyn]

Jovan grinned briefly and dipped his head. He hadn't expected her to have heard much about him, he was just a guard in training... but she did have children of and around his age in the Court that he had spent time with, perhaps that was where the knowledge of him had come from? Regardless, Jovan didn't dwell on it. He had proper business to attend to with The Queen.

"Yes, ma'am. I can handle paperwork, I've got good marks in my academics and my tentacles are great for writing and delicate tasks." He lifted the paper with a tentacle, examining it quickly but thoroughly before setting it down and nodding. "I'm aware of the workload and I'm more than willing to accept whatever tasks and duties are required of me to be of assistance."

No matter what happened, he reminded himself, he would be able to find alternative ways to help. This was not the end all of his loyalty to his Court. "I'm ready to begin the Quest whenever you are, Your Majesty."

[Kari Muffin]

Those tentacles were absolutely fascinating to watch. Xiven took note of what he was capable of doing with them, and would keep that in mind when assigning him paperwork in the future. That was assuming that he didn't fail his quest.

"All right," The Queen said as she opened her desk drawer. Hopefully this quest would show his capabilities of management at the very least. "I need you to travel to Corvistowne for me and pick up a very important package. Here is the paperwork that you'll need for picking it up. You have a few days before you need to return, but the quicker you return the better." She smiled.

In the pile of papers that were handed to him he would receive no information on the contents of the package, just that it was simply important. One of the papers handed to him was sealed with the official crest of the Court.

"The Apothecary should be easy enough to find. The information you need is provided in that package."

[Vyn]

Corvistowne? Jovan's ears perked at the word though he kept his expression fairly straight. That bode well for him right from the get-go, but he made sure not to get ahead of himself and heard The Queen out fully before accepting the parcel of papers. He shuffled through them, making notes of major details but mostly just skimming for now (he'd have plenty of time to read over them on the way to Corvistowne).

He could barely believe his luck. From the look of things the Apothecary in question was one not too far from his Grandmother's house which boasted a slim chance that it was one he'd actually visited while in her company. That would be a huge boon toward his success but he didn't put all his hope in it. There were always complications and just spouting a well-known Scientist's name wasn't going to get him anywhere.

It was all good knowledge to have, but for now Jovan kept his pleasure to himself and offered a polite nod and matching smile to the Queen once he was satisfied with his understanding of the quest at hand. "Very well. Thank you very much for this chance, Your Majesty. I'll be back promptly."

[Kari Muffin]

The Queen smiled. She really hoped this would be the proper test for the boy. What she had read about him seemed promising, and Corvistowne seemed like a fitting place to send him. And it was terribly convenient that she needed to purchase a package from there.

"I wish you the best of luck, Jovan," She said as she offered to shake his paw in parting. It would be a sign of well wishes at the very least. "And remember, for this Quest you have the right to utilize any of the court resources granted to you."

She went back to her paperwork once the boy departed. She had a lot of work to do, per usual, and it wasn't getting any lighter.

Meanwhile in Corviestowne a package was being prepared for the Queen of Hearts. It was a rather unusual request, considering the Apothecary in question normally didn't have the pleasure of dealing with nobles. Especially nobles from the Court of Hearts. But she was hardly about to complain considering the amount of money she was receiving. Not only was she being reimbursed for her rarer stock, she was making a decent profit.

Of course she hadn't been informed when the noble's servant or whoever would arrive to pick it up...

[Vyn]

The carriage ride to Corvistowne had confirmed his previous beliefs that the apothecary was indeed the one near his grandmother's house. He watched her house roll by through the window of the carriage before turning to gather up his papers. As far as he could tell, everything was in order.

At last the carriage stopped and the driver knocked to let him know they'd reached his destination. "Thank you, Sir." The young King hopped out of the carriage, tipped the driver, and made his way up to the small apothecary. So far everything had gone well and Jovan liked to believe it would remain that way.

What could be so challenging about picking up and delivering a package?

The overwhelming incense of herbs, medicines, and chemicals upon entering the apothecary made Jovan's nose itch dreadfully, but he ignored it as he focused on the canine behind the counter. On first glance she had seemed to be a spectacularly normal Corvie but closer inspection quickly revealed an array of syringes sticking out of her fur. That was an odd... Jovan wasn't particularly sure what to make of it, really. Fashion statement? Forgetful experimenting? Whatever the case, Jovan put on his best smile.

"Excuse me, miss, I'm Jovan of the Court of Hearts. I'm here to pick up a package for Her Majesty, Xiven." He stood on his hind legs to be able to meet her gaze over the counter and extended a scroll to her with one of his tentacles.

Jovan had been sure to do his homework before making the trip out to pick up the package. The scroll had been prepared for him before his departure and simple verified Jovan's association with the Court and the details of the package he was to be picking up.

[Kari Muffin]

Bailee was behind the counter, poking around at a list of the things she had to do today. She had to fill several scripts that had been dropped off, and then there were the usual customers who popped in and out to pick up supplies of their own. At least it was spectacularly quiet today.

She didn't look up when the bell rang. She simply continued to grind the herbs that she was going to have to capsulize. When the young heart spoke up she stopped, pulling her goggles off of her eyes to look at him properly. "I didn't expect you so soon!" she commented as she hurried over to peer at the document.

Authentic. Wonderful.

"Ah, I don't have anything she requested quite in order, could you grab a few of the herbs off the shelf for me while I get the packaging together." She pulled a small list from under the counter, offering it to one of the boy's tentacles.

Interesting kid. She couldn't help but wonder if he was an experiment himself. She wandered into the backroom to pull the proper things.

The list had had been handed to Jovan had a variety of herbs and chemicals that were among the various shelves in the store front which was alphabetically ordered.