The peace that formerly reigned in Terra Nova has eroded, now little more than a memory. War ravages the continent. Disputes divide kingdoms; ideals divide families. The quest for power consumes absolutely and indiscriminately. None are immune to its allure.
Who will rise and who will fall? Only time—and ambition—will tell.
UPDATES
05.26.2023
2 month character creation hold for all existing members begins 6/5/2023. Ended 8/5/2023.
10.29.2023
Change in how times flows. Was 4 IC seasons, now only 2 IC seasons per 1 OOC year.
5 whole years of Heir Apparent goodness! When I started the site, I knew I was hunkering down for the long haul, but I never could have predicted the numerous twists and turns this roleplay site has seen. Hundreds of plots, characters, and members have come and gone, all leaving marks on the site. I am so very thankful for those who have invested. Because you keep coming back, keep getting on, and keep writing, Heir Apparent has the legacy it does today. Three cheers to us!
He held his hands up, nodding. "Alright, if you say you're fine, you're fine," he smiled. "But just 'cause you're a commoner don't mean you belong in here. These people...I mean look, they're good people. Fine people." He nodded, making eye contact with a man he'd had a few drinks with once before and nodding to him. "But you're real smart, and real pretty. And you've got the Baronet behind ya. So just do me a favor and don't come in here alone. Ya never know what kinda people might walk in. Usually not the trustworthy sort."
Even as he said that a tall, skinny man with too-loose clothes bopped through the door with a lute at his hip. Dresden smiled, he'd seen the man perform a time or two and he was pretty good. "Oh, not this one, though," he said, pointing him out for Ikisina to see. "He's a real good with that thing. His voice...ehh, could use some charm, but the lute does most the singin' for him. You'll like his songs." He poked his lips out, turning to her. "You know, I don't know much 'bout your life before you went to live with the Baronet. You ever heard a bard play before?"
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 10, 2022 5:48:09 GMT -5
If she worries about anybody who walks in places then she won't be able to go anywhere cause she has to wait to somebody is able to go with her. "That is something I can't promise Dresden. I want my independence back. Walking around with people isn't really screaming independent. plus I am not one hundred percent trustworthy am I?" She asked softly. She was ignoring his words of being too smart and too pretty for this place cause she was just cute and she not that smart.
When the guy walked in and Dresden pointed him out she looked in his direction watching where he was going. "There were a few bards at the orphanage when there was a party but I mainly spent most of them hiding away from everybody else, so i never really heard a bard play. Plus there isn't really anything in my life before the baron that you don't know. Orphan likes books, got a job at the library, etc." She was a really basic woman when it come to it.
Dresden turned and eyed Ikisina, moving in a little closer and lifting a brow at her, and then narrowing his eyes. But he could only hold it for so long before he sighed and pulled back, shaking his head. "Women are so frustratin' sometimes," he said, scratching his beard. "You at least got that dagger on ya, right? If you're gonna come here or any place like this alone, you keep that dagger. No tellin' what kinda thoughts these men've got in their heads," he folded his arms onto the table, his eyes constantly moving from her, to circle the people in the tavern, and then back to her.
"Well you're in for a treat tonight, then," he said, taking another drink from his ale. "He'll start slow but later in the night his songs get louder, and faster," he grinned. "He tells stories with 'em, with his songs, ya know? It's like someone is readin' a book to you. There he goes now, listen," he said, scooting over a little closer to her so he could see around the back of the booth and watch the man as he began.
The bard wasn't much to look at. Tall and skinny, like mentioned before. Though his clothes were too big, they were nice, and his head was topped with a big hat that had a feather stuck into it. He did a quick bow before playing the song, taking his hat off in a sweeping motion that exposed his brown, thinning hair. But then he began to play, the notes soft and somber. Some kind of sad song, the words telling the story of a lost child wandering through the woods, looking for her parents.
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 11, 2022 5:22:02 GMT -5
Sina just stared into his eyes not breaking eye contact. She wasn't this weak-minded little woman she was an independent woman and she know she hasn't been acting like that of late, that was because she is scared like it wasn't that long ago the attack but she need to move on. So when Dresden moves back her eyes soften, she softly places her hand on his face giving him a soft smile "I do have my weapon. Dresden thank you I know you are only saying this stuff because you care." She give a soft kiss on his cheek.
She listened to the music play feeling moved by the tune being played like it was a song about her looking for her parents when she was a child. She tries to surprise those memories away from her. She knocked back her drink. Feeling a buzz in her body she ordered another and placing money down. Standing up Sina took Dresden's hands and softly pulling him softly "Lets dance."
"Good, then you got somethin' figured out with your dress to hide it. Whatever it is, you did real good. I couldn't tell when ya walked in," he said, looking her over once more in the booth though it would be harder to tell anyway with her sitting down. Still, he just waved it off as she thanked him, but his face turned bright red when she touched and then kissed him on the cheek. "Aw, well," he said, clearing his throat nervously. "Don't mention it."
The music helped to distract him. He drank a little more from his mug, but his eyes only widened as Ikisina threw her drink back, finishing it off in one swallow and then demanding more. "Whoa whoa," he said, holding his hands up as if to tell her to slow down. "Maybe you ought to take those a little slower. Whiskey's a lot stronger than--" she wasn't paying a lick of attention to him, though. She slapped her money down on the table and stood up, grabbing him by the hand and pulling him out of the booth. He'd seen women act like this before. The whisky had taken it's toll on her inhibitions and where she might have been much more cautious any other time, she was no longer thinking ahead to the future. The here and now was all that mattered, and if that was how she wanted it, well, who was he to refuse? After all, he was also here to play the role of the brokenhearted.
"I'm no dancin' pro," Dresden warned as Ikisina pulled him into the open area where one other couple was dancing, quite sloppily. But as they reached the center, he wrapped an arm around her waist, resting his hand somewhere in the middle of her back, and took her right hand into his left. In slower dances, the steps were quite easy, and as long as it wasn't ballroom dancing being expected to him, he was just fine. "So if ya haven't heard bards play before, how do ya know how to dance, Ikisina?" He asked, gazing down at her.
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 12, 2022 10:55:18 GMT -5
Sina give him a playful wink, "Told you I would figure something out." it did took her a while to make sure that the dress conceal the dagger, but in the end she master the needle and thread to make easy excess to it. There was no slit that could be seen with a naked eye but the floods where easy enough to hide the point of entry. When he said don't mention it she kissed his cheek again but she kept her lips to his skin longer.
She wasn't paying attention to him when he mentioned to slow down, this wasn't her first time drinking Whiskey. Thankfully Elliot have indroduce her to it. But as the seconds whiskey was running throwgh her body she can feel the nice buzz from it. She doesn't care at the moment she wasn't thinking straight, she wanted to have fun and loose herself in the joy of what around.
When they got to the centre and he place a hand on her back she place a hand on his shoulder resting it there. Standing closer to him. "When you have a job where you are surronded by books you are surprise what sort of things you pick up. Not that I ever put it to practice before tonight." She said with confidence which is clearly the whiskey in her. She started doing basic steps, keeping a soft eye on Dresden.
"You did tell me that," he smirked. "Maybe I ought not to worry 'bout you so much." The second kiss did distract him. The first had been fairly quick, playful. It meant little. It'd taken him by surprise and so he had only been able to focus on the act of responding rather than enjoying the moment. But now her lips lingered, and they were soft. He could smell the whisky on her and he didn't mind it. He didn't mind how her body warmth radiated toward him as she lingered. The way her hair swiped his shoulders as she leaned in made him wish he'd been wearing something that exposed his skin, so he could feel how soft it might be. But in the end, as she pulled away, he only turned to meet her eyes for a moment before looking away and rubbing nervously at his neck. A deep breath, to re-collect his thoughts, happy to have the distraction to moving to the dance floor.
As she moved, her steps were smooth, graceful despite the influence of the alcohol. He wondered how that was so if she'd never practiced before, but then many women did seem to have a natural rhythm to them that men had to work at. "You learned how to dance from readin' a book?" He asked, a faint chuckle coating his words as she shook his head. "Of course you did. You never cease surprisin' me," he told her, looking up to meet the bards eyes. The man nodded, and Dresden did as well. They'd chatted a few times over the years since both frequented the same taverns. While Ikisina's back was turned to the bard, he gestured toward the lute, as if asking if he should continue the slower song or play a more update one next. In response, Dresden played his fingers slightly along Ikisina's back, resting his cheek against the side of her head. The bard gave Dresden a thumbs up, and even as the first song came to a end, it lead directly into another song at the same tempo.
"You ever seen the Nobles dance in those big ballrooms?" He asked, his voice loud enough for her to hear him over the music, but not so loud that he'd be screaming into her ear. "It's kinda funny to see. It's real rigid. They look like...puppets, or somethin', ya know? Dolls. There's no emotion in it. Not like this. Even if it's just between friends, I like bein' close like this. Makes the world melt away for a little while."
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 13, 2022 8:16:38 GMT -5
Sina doesn't know if it was the whiskey talking, or if the fact that it was Dresden, or that she just want the sort of touch that a man can give or a combination of all three. However, at that moment she really want to feel his lips against hers, when he looked at her for a moment she looked at him for a moment feeling his body heat next to hers.
When they was dancing she turned her face towards him and rested her head on his shoulder feeling the rhythm of the music playing. Listening to his voice as he spoke into her ear. She looked up at him, "I like dancing like this too Dresden." In that moment she slowly move her hand to his neck and kissed his lips, in a soft but passionate moment.
Dresden recognized very quickly the look in her eyes. It wasn't that she was being overly obvious, but he'd managed to get himself into this kind of situation enough times that he knew fairly well what would come from it. So he weighed his options, and in the end he knew what he wanted from the evening.
As expected, the closer he got to her, the harder it was for her to deny herself what she wanted. The way her hand touched his neck before she leaned up to kiss him had him giving into it, though. This kiss was entirely different from the one with Scout. That one had been fueled by adrenaline and lust and anger. The two of them had hit it off at first, but Dresden had pissed her off. Then he'd gotten into a fight and killed a guy. Then he'd showed up in all his blue and purple glory to apologize. The tension there between them had been strong enough to make a Noble lady toss her reputation out the window, and the sex had been good. Fun. A little rough.
Ikisina's kiss did not come from any of those places, though. It came from a place of loneliness, of sadness, and of a desire to be wanted, to be touched. She'd just had her heartbroken and this was a natural response. But in that way, it was all much softer and he had a weak spot for the gentle touches of women.
After a moment he pulled away from the kiss, taking a deep breath and looking down into her beautiful, dark eyes, intentionally looking a little confused. "Ikisina...you prob'ly shouldn't..." he stumbled over his words, something he rarely did naturally, but it was good effect for making people think you were flustered. "...let yourself get carried away like that. You're just heartbroken is all."
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 14, 2022 6:09:59 GMT -5
Sina melted into the kiss if she was sober she possibly wouldn't be doing this. She was still getting over Astor and Dresden even though she really cares about him, she wasn't thinking straight. However, when Dresden pulled away and looked into her eyes her head rested softly on his chest moving her hand down his body and resting it on his waist. The bard was still playing the flute really well. The barmaid brought the whiskey towards her and she knocked back quite a lot of it. She laughed softly, looking into his stunning blue eyes giving her best smile which was that great because she was hiding the foolish she felt. "You a good kisser." She tried to be strong.
"Whoa, whoa," he watched her shoot back a good portion of her third? fourth? drink, reaching out to take the glass from her so she couldn't drink the remainder. Her hands traveled down toward his waist and her compliment made his cheeks turn red, to which he chuckled as if embarrassed. He pulled her gently by the hand to their table, where he rested the glass, and then grabbed the neckline of his shirt, fanning it out in an attempt to cool himself off. "Why don't we go outside and get some air?" He asked, pulling her past the still dancing crowd of people. The bard returned Dresden's earlier wink and Dresden responded only with a slightest of grins as he tugged Ikisina out the door into the cooler nights air.
It was only the very beginning of Autumna and while the warmth of Aestas hadn't quite faded yet, the breeze was chilly enough that as he rounded the corner of the tavern to pull her out of sight of entering patrons he drew in closer to her. "Here," he pulled his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders, pulling the edges close to keep her warm. "That's better."
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 14, 2022 17:22:41 GMT -5
"Hey! I'm drinking that." Sina tried to reach for her drink to no luck as he lead her to the table. It was her 3rd drink.... or 4th? no it was her 3rd. Well how many it was it was hers. she stumbled slightly. When he said to go outside "But I want to stay here and dance more." She smiled but as Dresden started gently tugging her towards the door. She lean over and grab the glass he placed on the table and downed the rest of it.
When they hit outside and the chilly air hit her, she felt the effect of the Whiskey a bit more. She doesn't feel that good. She felt the comfort of his jacket wrapped around her eyes feeling slightly heavy. "but Dresden you will feel cold" She was feeling light headed as she slightly collapsed into his body.
"Yes you are, and you're drinkin' it much too fast," he said, even though she'd somehow managed to get around him and finish the drink off anyway, which he knew wouldn't lead to anything good. "We can drink and dance more if you still want to after you get some air," he explained as he lead her outside.
Once outside, he could see her sobering up. He'd known the cool air would help bring her back to the reality. "Nah, it's not that cold," he smiled, but reached out and wrapped his arms around her as she swayed against him. "See what I meant? You alright?"
Post by Ikisina Navarro on Oct 14, 2022 17:56:01 GMT -5
Sina stood there for a moment trying to compose herself more. This was the effect of drinking to much to fast. She doesn't like it. "I feel light headed. Why do people do this?" She asked in regard to getting drunk. Like in the moment it fun yeah but the after-effect is not as much. "I think.. I need to walk home. Night Dres... den."
She slowly moved out of his grasp and started walking forward, before stopping and looking around confused as she pointed in the right direction back home to Elliot's. "Home is this way." She laughed softly. Walking past Dresden again her walking was far from a straight line swaying to and nearly stumbling over a box. "ouch." she muttered to her self. "Be careful Dresden there a box there." She called out to him.
He watched her for a moment, a mixed smile and frown at the sight. "Usually people get real drunk over time, not by the end of the bards first song," he explained, a sympathetic chuckle. But she was quick to state her need to walk home, to say goodnight, and then to begin walking. He nodded, letting her try to do it herself first. She first started off the wrong way, and then bumped into a box which she warned him about. He took a deep breath, walked over, and took her by the shoulders, sitting her down on top of the wooden crate. "Stay here, lemme go grab my hat and put a tip on the table, and I'll walk ya home."
He did just that, gone for only a minute or two. Inside he picked his hat up off the table and propped it up on his head, chugged the ale left in his own mug, and put another coin on the table. Then he rushed out, a quick wave at the bard, and returned to offer his hands to Ikisina. "Alright, come on, ya lush," he said, pulling her to her feet from the box and wrapping one arm around her shoulders. "Hold onto me, I won't have ya fallin'."