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!
With Kasper Van Zant called away to claim his prize, Faylin, to her horror, was left alone. She had tossed back her entire cup at the toast and immediately refilled it, hoping that the liquid courage from it would get her through until Kasper was able to rejoin her. Deciding it best to not just stand silently alone, she meandered slowly through the crowed.
She felt a bit adrift though, with no familiar faces immediately sticking out to her, she huffed a bit to herself and ended up standing on her own again, this time on the other side of the crowd. She didn't feel awkward or anything, just... annoyed that she didn't have anyone else here to turn to beyond Kasper.
The entrance of the King drew Warren's eyes, like it did with everyone else's. He turned fully to watch them enter, his glass held close to his chest, but none of them held his attention like Regan did. She was beautiful in the simplest of clothes, but she looked truly unattainable standing beside the King in that dress.
He took a deep breath before lifting his cup and joining in with the rest of the crowd to take a modest drink. As soon as the cup was no longer blocking his view, he turned back to Othello Allemeade , intending to make a clean break so he could go speak with Regan, but something else seemed to gave caught the other man's eye. "You? Sing?" He asked without masking the skepticism in his voice. "Right...yeah, you go play something," he encouraged the man without another thought, and watched him head off toward the band. Surely it couldn't be too bad.
Warren scanned the floor, somehow totally missing the pair of kissing soldiers, until they settled on the back of the green dress and cropped brown hair he was looking for. Unfortunately, included in that sight, was a man he knew all too well as a womanizer. He took only a few steps before he was stopped by Zarha Sliva moving into his path. He glanced down at her, and then back at Regan, and then back at Zarha. "Ah, Ms. Sliva. Thank you." He said, pausing to look briefly at the dress she wore. He had expected her to show up wearing her uniform. "You look very nice as well. Please excuse me, though," he nodded to her, gave her a firm pat on the shoulder, and then pushed past her. If she spoke to him again, he wouldn't hear it. He wasn't ignoring her, he was merely focused on the task at hand.
As he approached Regan Lassiter from behind, he moved in a bit closer than he normally would, the left side of his chest pressed against the right side of her back, though he was careful not to step on her dress. He was aware of the rumor that had been spreading about them since the camping trip, and normally he would have been careful not to perpetuate such things, but if it helped rid her of the dog currently chasing her, he didn't mind feeding into it. "Regan, Officer Aldrich Abbott ," he began in greeting, his neutral expression focused first on the lowest ranking among them. "Am I interrupting? I'd like to borrow Ms. Lassiter for a few moments." He pointedly looked around the room. "I'm certain you haven't had the opportunity to flatter all the ladies yet, Mr. Abbott."
Last Edit: Feb 21, 2023 22:58:46 GMT -5 by Deleted
Kat hadn't gotten the chance to respond before the King's arrival stole the chance to bother Berengar a little more. Slightly annoying, but it was the king so it wasn't like she was going to interrupt the toast with her witty retorts. So instead she waited until the crowd was back to tittering amongst themselves.
So she opened her mouth, only to have the other man continue to speak, without waiting for answer, like the absolute rude bastard he must have been. It wasn't a surprise that @berengar encouraged it, but it certainly put the man and his fox (nobles honestly were fucking weird) on her shit list.
"Well-" But before she could continue the King's Witch, @alys , decided to pile on. Shocker, she had heard she and Regan trained together a lot these days. So she flung back a drink on one of the server's trays before responding to the fact the Berengar's opinion apparently was the most important one in the room. And to add to it the noble was practically eye-fucking the King's witch.
This was the most one-sided conversation she had ever been a part of, but Kat wasn't about to lie down and let others talk over her, plus she felt pretty good. "I'm apparently hated and discarded. That's assuming we rely on a child's opinion on a fellow soldier." Picking up another one of the great drinks she tossed it back before continuing. "But we're sending all the children off to your war so why not." Bowing to both them she rolled her eyes at Berengar before stalking away from a conversation that had turned sour.
And all of a sudden a hand was on her arm anyways to guide her to her prize.
Last Edit: Feb 21, 2023 22:59:33 GMT -5 by Deleted
Alys hadn’t noticed @katerina on the other side of the two men, her eyes surprised as she took in that she had actually been a part of the conversation. Only for her lips to twitch down as it seems that the soldier had been talking to Zevran about her, her being the disliked. She went to say something, but she was distracted by the sputtering of @berengar about her being his and she was sent on another spiral.
Even more so as a warm hand slipped around her waist and tugged her in. Her brown eyes flicking up to Zevran. His smile, bright and proud, stole her breath. It was only when Katerina spoke again that she drew her attention back to the female and frowned as she clearly spoke with distaste and left when she was collected. “I-“ she looked between the two men she was left, the weight of Zevran’s hand on her was not forgotten about but she didn’t seem to shift away from it. She had invited him as her guest. All she did was direct his hand away from her waist, giving him a smile that said ‘let me show you’ and positioned him to offer her hand the crook of his arm. Where she might have stepped in closer to him than necessary.
“I don’t know what to address first.” She told the two of them. “His Alys?” She directed to Berengar. “And, as you seem to know who I am, what is your name?”
Post by Zarha Sliva on Feb 22, 2023 9:19:05 GMT -5
Nice.... just nice. She give a week smile at @warren "Thanks." Her voice was soft. She sorted her dress out. She was going to try and reach for his arm to try and stop him from walking away. However, he was too far, damn his sexy long legs. She just stood there with the same glass she entered with. She put the glass down as she walked around. She hardly know anybody and she doesn't know who to interact with. She just give a week smile to anyone who pass her.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 22, 2023 9:34:14 GMT -5
He grinned at Regan Lassiter when she returned the compliment. Apart from telling her how beautiful she looked, he hadn't really planned ahead and now he didn't exactly know what to say. "Thank you, all dressed up, just for you", he said with a wink. Even though he hadn't dressed nicely with her in mind, it was still nice to get shown appreciation for your looks.
Before he could say anything else, @warren approached Regan Lassiter in a way that made Aldrich frown. It was... Close, personal. And weird. Why not just approach her where she could see him?
He waited until the captain had finished speaking before he replied. "You are in fact interrupting, yes, Captain Woodwick. I wasn't quite done talking to miss Lassiter just yet." He crossed his arms and looked at the man. Even though he normally wouldn't have just obeyed to basically, in less kind words, piss off, he wouldn't have replied with the same words he had now. He wouldn't have outright said that Warren was interrupting, but now he felt some anger rising up. Lieutenant or not, why did this guy feel like he could just steal Regan away from him?
We won't call it quits. We'll call it the start.
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2023 9:43:40 GMT -5 by Aldrich Abbott
Post by Octavius Wulfbrand on Feb 22, 2023 9:40:56 GMT -5
Though Octavius was no scoundrel, he liked to kick back and have a good time when the opportunity presented itself. This wasn’t a tavern, but that didn’t mean it had to be a stuffy affair, right?! Most of the military was made up of commoners, anyhow! When the king took his dainty little sip Octavius threw back his head and downed the delicious elixir.
He had a sudden urge to smash the cup into the ground and demand another, but he refrained. Instead he slammed it onto the tray of a server and rudely snatched another. His eyes then went on the prowl.
He hadn’t seen her enter but he saw her now. The woman from the tavern. From the street. The soldier who—
He was moving towards Elodie Atwood with vigor when he accidentally caught another guest with his shoulder. The impact would potentially be enough to send her to the ground, but his hands leaped out to try to keep @elletta from being sent to the ground.
As it turned out, with @katerina , fighting fire with fire seemed to work - or perhaps it was having a friend who would back him up. When the witch shot back a retort about his age and stalked away, Ber couldn’t help but feel that he had won the confrontation despite her getting in the last word. Even the jab about him being a child - honestly, between Winters and Othello and everyone else who looked at him and saw a boy, he was beginning to wonder if anyone remembered that he was actually an adult - barely bothered him.
If there was any doubt in Ber’s mind that he had misconstrued the situation, it vanished the minute Zevran turned to him with his arm wrapped around @alys ’s waist. “What do you mean, ‘what of it’?” Incredulity stole his words and left the soldier to simply stare at him. There were loads of witches named Alys in Skia, and Ber had assumed that the Dresmondi had meant one of those, not the one who was second only to the king. “She’s the King’s Witch.” How could he event attempt to describe to someone whose people had no rulers the significance of befriending - and bedding - one of the women tasked with helping to lead the entire kingdom? And now that he thought of it, hadn’t she been married to the former Captain Commander? Maybe it helped that the Dresmondi fell outside Nevermerean social norms, but Ber couldn’t imagine having the audacity to even approach someone like her.
(Regan might have been her equal, but Regan was different. The King’s Huntsman was midnight talks in a shared language over cheap whiskey in the mess hall. The King’s Witch was extravagant ballrooms and elegant gowns from a world Ber could never hope to understand.)
Alys Delaney’s question was easier to answer. Shaking his head at his friend, he turned to address her, belatedly offering a quick bow as he remembered himself. “Berengar Stormcrest, ma’am,” Ber said, fiddling with the empty cup in his hands. Very little soothed a shock such as this like alcohol, and he was, unfortunately, out. “I’m a friend of Zevran’s.” Oh, was he supposed to know about the bedding? Probably not - even the orphan commoner could tell it would be scandalous. He backtracked. “And, um, I mean, you’re not his, obviously. He’s just said—” Many things, though perhaps in not so many words. Ber cleared his throat. “Zev said that an Alys had invited him here—” He turned to give his friend a pointed look “—but I’ve realized he forgot to mention certain details.” A pause, wherein he remembered more of his manners. “You look very nice.”
Between Elodie's admonishing gasp of shock over just a kiss and Red's scolding comment, Raff let go of her fast, feeling like a dog who'd just pissed on the carpet. For a long minute, he glared savagely at the unknown woman. Frowning, he huffed through his nose and looked back at Red, keeping his hands clenched at his sides.
"Right. Not even a married couple here should hold hands in public. Let's go get drunk then." he snapped angrily in frustration at the strict propriety, not at Red. Stalking to the party punch bowl he refilled his drink, not bothering to look at anyone. It was up to Red whether or not she joined him, as he wouldn't force her. The only options left open to him were to either drink himself into oblivion or make mind numbing small talk. Raff firmly decided on the former choice because it looked like it was the only thing he could do that wouldn't make waves.
Resentfully, he felt the strictures closing tightly around his neck and his temper simmered hot. War was starting to sound pretty damn good about now. At least he wouldn't have to worry about breaking etiquette rules. Then suddenly there was the briefest glimpse of Kat... the one person left on Terra Nova alive, that he knew. It was less than a full second and all sight of her vanished among the throngs of people.
Last Edit: Feb 22, 2023 12:19:26 GMT -5 by Deleted
Post by Regan Lassiter on Feb 22, 2023 10:30:20 GMT -5
Even while she was being dazzled by Aldrich Abbott, Regan knew who it was before she felt @warren behind her. She could smell him, eyes dancing with a little bit of amber as she breathed deeply. The creature which had just begun to stir now raised its head, fully awake. She turned just enough so that she could see Warren. With him so close, Regan had to tilt her chin back quite a ways to be able to look at him properly. For a moment, she stopped breathing entirely, looking from Warren, back to Aldrich with equal, desperate hunger.
For all her prowess in combat, Regan was not a particularly perceptive woman. She didn’t understand just what was happening between Aldrich and Warren. The only thing she understood was the craving that gripped all her senses. She couldn’t help but to lean into Warren a little while still keeping a distinctly lascivious eye trained on Aldrich. Whatever was happening…she needed more punch.
“I—” It was then she saw an attendant pushing his way through the crowd toward her. After a wary glance at @warren and Aldrich Abbott, the servant leaned in to say quietly in her ear, “His majesty Cassian Rainecourt asks that you escort the Dresmondi from the ball. He is not welcome here.”
And with that, the servant departed. The huntsman let the request sink in for a moment. Still looking like she might strip down at any moment, Regan cleared her throat.
“I’m sorry, I have to…take care of something.” Unless Aldrich protested, Regan would, as if it were an entirely ordinary gesture, lean in and whisper to Abbot, “Though I’ll be back for a dance, officer don’t you worry.”
Regan turned to Warren then, pressing against him in the tightly packed crowd. “Come find me when you can,” She smiled, placing a lingering hand on his cheek before turning to search for Zevran.
Post by Zarha Sliva on Feb 22, 2023 10:48:33 GMT -5
Walking around she noticed that @warren was talking to Regan Lassiter and Aldrich Abbott she looked at the drill instructor for a moment she was intrigued. She grabbed another glass and take a sip of it as she walked over to Aldrich Abbott. "Officer Abbott, you look dashing tonight sir." There was a confident smile on her face, seemingly confident.
Post by Aldrich Abbott on Feb 22, 2023 11:30:22 GMT -5
This situation wasn't good for him. He felt all kinds of emotions at once, but lust and anger were the dominant ones. The way Regan Lassiter leaned into @warren but maintained eye contact with made him burn inside. Tension between him and Regan, tension between Regan and Warren and tension between Warren and himself.
Before the situation could escalate, an attendant made his way over to the beautiful Huntsman. Aldrich took a slight step back to give them some privacy while the man said something to her but didn't break eye contact with the bedazzling woman in front of him. He could sense that she was about to leave and all he wanted to do was grab her hand and ask her to stay. He didn't want to talk to anyone else here. The only one he had eye for was Regan.
Luckily some sentiments were shared there. The brunette leaned in and whispered in his ear that she would be back for a dance. While she was leaning in, he placed a hand on her side slightly, just so he could feel her, just so she felt closer for only a minute before she'd leave him behind. "I'll take you up on that", he responded with a playful, happy grin on his face.
He didn't notice that she also said something to Woodwick before she left because suddenly another woman was there to talk to him. Aldrich turned in the direction of the voice and saw Zarha Sliva. She complimented him, but his playfulness was long gone. "Don't you have any soldiers to bother?" he snapped. He didn't care for compliments right now, and also didn't feel like returning one. He downed his drink and wiped his lip. "If you're so eager to talk to me, then at least go get me a refill." He held his glass out so she could take it.
He blinked down at @alys as she removed his arm from her waist, so many thoughts racing through his mind at just the simple gesture. She had asked him here, yet she was refusing his touch? What had he done to deserve her rejection this time? Did she regret-
His thoughts screeched to a halt when she simply settled his arm at his side and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. He stood stiffly, his elbow jutting out away from him even as Alys pressed in closer to him. Looking down at where her hand touched his arm, he blinked at her again before looking to Ber, confusion muddling his face. Was this another dumb Nevermeran thing?
@berengar was still babbling on about who Alys was and that it was apparently a big deal. His grin split his face again as his reeling mind latched on to one aspect of Ber's words. "Actually, I mentioned a lot of details." It hadn't occurred to Zevran that Alys might be horrified to know he had told anyone at all about what they'd been up to.
As Ber bowed to Alys, it finally clicked within his sluggish mind that while she was just Alys to him, to everyone else in this room she was someone of great importance. He blinked again (he was doing a lot of that suddenly) and slowly said, "...oh," his arm slackened, falling a bit as if he was suddenly terrified to be connected to her.
Post by Zarha Sliva on Feb 22, 2023 12:00:55 GMT -5
Shaking her head softly, "All the other soldiers are not as interesting as you sir." Her smile stayed the same at Aldrich Abbott snapping at her, she founds it intriguing. He seemed to be a man that seems to know what he wants. When he asked her to get him another drink she carefully took the cup but she purposely brushed her fingers against his. Giving a voy smile as she bowed her head "Yes sir." She will be back with his drink.
A server passed by her and @elletta and Bex instinctively grabbed another drink. She wouldn't have called herself a big drinker but tonight the urge to consume more than she normally would was nearly impossible to resist. She downed the entire glass in one go just as she had the first one. She has been about to drag the young woman into a dark corner when someone bumped into her instead. Octavius Wulfbrand. She knew who he was, being a paired solider, but that was about all she knew of him.
With a surge of anger that was unfamiliar to her, Bex struggled to hold back the urge to lash out at the young man for interrupting her. With what small will she had left, she chose to disentangle herself from the situation. Without waiting to see if Elletta was hurt from the crash, she slipped into the crowd quickly to get away, feeling the tension rising up inside her chest.