Adeline preferred a quiet start to her mornings. She usually hid herself away, enjoying the little bit of solitude she could get before having to deal with everything that came with being Queen of this forsaken kingdom. This morning she had decided to just sit and read in her room.

Her eyes raised from the book to her door when the knock sounded, and she briefly considered pretending to still be asleep. But it wouldn't matter anyway, as the door cracked open and a familiar face poked itself into her room and called out her name.

With a small huff Adeline closed her book and let it drop to her lap. "Isn't it a little early for you to be up and about?" she asked, leaning back into her chair.

"Early? For me?" Elena asked. "Don't you know I'm a...what is the opposite of a night owl?" she asked mid thought. "Morning...bird? Worm?" The phrase had eluded her so she just waved it off as she fully entered the room. Of course they both knew that was a joke. Elena was more the kind to sleep until noon and then stay awake through all hours of the night. Her restless energy though had kept her from being able to sleep much today.

"What are you reading?" she asked as she hopped onto Adeline's bed, her knees bouncing against the surface as she looked over at her fellow Queen in her chair. Elena didn't do a lot of reading. Mostly because she had no patience for it. Sitting still had never been her strong suit, as proven at the moment by the way she kept bouncing slightly against the springy mattress, her tightly twisted curls acting like little springs as she moved.

Adeline sighed, running a hand down her face. "The early bird catches the worm," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. She watched Elena cross her room and perch on her bed, letting her head fall back against her chair. When Hiram had replaced Myla with her as Queen, she had been afraid Elena would hold a grudge against her. To her relief, that had not been the case.

She grimaced at Elena's question, tossing the book towards the side table nearest to her. "Something dreadfully boring. I've read it three times now." She sighed, stretching her arms out in front of her. "Being hated by all the other kingdoms doesn't really make it easy to acquire new books. And the Dresmondi hardly know what a book is."

Standing, she walked over and fell back onto her bed with a huff, her red curls fanning around her as she stared at the ceiling.

Elena frowned and was about to ask why she even bothered to read such a boring book, especially more than once, when Adeline provided the answer. No other choice. Elena could relate to the sentiment.

As Adeline flopped onto her bed, Elena climbed on top of her on all fours, her knees besides Adeline's hips and her palms by her ears, hovering over her. Her long hair fell in a cascade around her head, framing around Adeline's face and likely brushing against her cheeks with Elena's little movements.

"You seem as tired of this place as I do," she commented with a knowing smile. "What do you miss the most about home?"

She squinted up at Elena, tilting her head slightly to avoid the other woman's hair getting into her eyes. "I miss everything about home," she whined like a child, working to keep the pout off her face.

"These Dresmondi can't even have the decency to build themselves proper homes. They have dyrs that could grow trees to give them wood, and they choose to live in those awful broken wagons. Everything is dirty, there's nothing fun to do." She crossed her arms under Elena, falling silent as she stared back at the older queen.

Elena's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling with understanding. "It's like you're in my head," she told her. She leaned forward to place a kiss on the tip of Adeline's nose and then rocked back so she was sitting on Adeline's hips. "I'm so sick of this place. I miss all the parties and finery and respectable people." There wasn't a single sentiment that Adeline had said that Elena didn't agree with. These people were unintelligent, lacked all sense of creativity, and were always filthy. She missed bathhouses.

"Even using them to fulfill my every whim has lost its flavor," she admitted. She was glad to be Queen, it had been her dream. But this wasn't what she imagined. She wanted more. She wanted to rule a place like Lorendale. She wanted to actually rule Lorendale. And one day all of Terra Nova. They could do it. The Eldouirs were powerful enough. It wasn't an impossibility. Not in her mind anyway.

Wrinkling her nose at the kiss pecked onto her nose, she watched Elena sit back but didn't bother to move from her spot on the bed. "What is there to be done about it though? It's not like we can so much as step foot into any of the other kingdoms."

She sighed but couldn't help the smirk that crossed her features, "Well, some of them are still good for fulfilling certain whims." Perhaps she should call on Ermir sometime soon. She hadn't had the chance to with all of the extra training Hiram was forcing upon them recently.

It was true. It would have delighted her if she could have just gone home to Lorendale but that wasn't an option and by now all the other kingdoms would know them as the enemies as well. "Well, that's what an army is for. They do at least have that use," she grinned but then sighed. "It'll take time, but I have every intention of looking for something better. This won't be the last thing the Eldouir do. We're too good for a place like this."

At Adeline's comment she raised a playful brow and smirked. "Oh? Do you have a fun little plaything?" she asked, delighted at the turn of conversation.

"Well of course," she mused, "I just wish we could do it sooner, is all." She knew it was a precarious thing. They could attack and take Lorendale, certainly, but then they'd have to contend with Nevermere and it would become far messier than any of them would want to deal with or than would be worth it.

The corner's of her mouth curled even more and she smirked up at Elena. "Oh yes. Ermir, he keeps the little tavern thing in the city. If you're ever feeling bored, you should stop by. He makes remarkable company." Adeline wiggled her eyebrows, a giggle slipping through.

Ermir. Elena committed the name to memory. She had never been to the tavern before, partly because she knew it could never compare to what they had at home. But maybe it was time that Elena started to commit herself more to these people who she ruled over. Maybe.

"Is that so?" she asked with a smirk. "You wouldn't mind sharing?" A fire sparkled in her eyes. It did sound like quite the fun game to bring this man in to further prove his usefulness to the other half of the ruling monarchs.

"I'm not stingy with my toys," Adeline grinned up at Elena. "He's the one who used the whip to incapacitate the little whelp at Tribute, before she was incinerated by Luka. Such devotion to his kingdom deserves to be rewarded, so I've seen to it that he has the best rations we can afford for his little tavern."

It wasn't like any of the other Dresmondi had bothered to assist them. They didn't need it, but it would have been a chance for any of them to win extra favor. And it had been Ermir and Luka who had stepped up to the plate. "He's certainly no well-groomed nobleman, but it at least provides a bit of entertainment."

Ah yes, Elena remembered him now. Over time there had been a special few dresmondi who had shown they're loyalty more than others. It was typically out of a desire to gain favor, as the system was meant to do, but Elena had begun to wonder if true loyalty could be earned by their subjects and not only greed or fear.

She chuckled. "The majority of nobleman are too stuffy anyway. The commoners were always more fun. Perhaps I should seek him out," she said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we could play with him together sometime," she added as a suggestion. It sounded like a fun night to her, but she wasn't sure of Adeline's preferences.

A flash of interest crossed Adeline's eyes as she considered what Elena had proposed. "Hmm, perhaps. I've never shared before, but it could be fun." Her eyes raked down Elena's body, considering. Yes, it could indeed be a lot of fun.

A thought crossed her mind, causing her eyes to light up. "Perhaps we could show these Dresmondi what they've been missing. We could throw a ball for them. Have a feast, music, dancing. I'm sure Donovan would assist us and make anything we could need for it."