Exploring the Quiet

[Kaiden Dellario]

Kaiden had been making a point to visit some of the different locals of the island. Initially, he had been pursuing the goal for personal reasons. But now...well, he still had personal reasons, just different ones. For all the time he had spent living here before, he had never visited every village. Of course, Tresteria had been locked in one war or another those days. Without King Edward, the place did seem as peaceful as people described. Perhaps General Savatier was right. A peaceful Tresteria might not be a bad thing.

The man spoke to a few people in passing, asking after lodging and the best food. The first one gave him a strange look after his accent so after that he did his best to downplay it and that got him a bit more useful information and a bit less strange looks. Considering how quiet the place was, Kaiden wasn't surprised. They likely didn't get many strangers out here, let alone ones who talked a little funny.

Windport wasn't a busy town, and while the smell of the sea on the air was strong everywhere, it seemed especially so here. He'd taken his horse to the docks, watching sailors and fishermen and crabbers at their work until it was just him and his black mare and the waves crashing against the sand.

So maybe this pleasure visit was more for himself than for his hopeful future date, but...enjoying the scenic route home was starting to look more and more appealing. Not that the locals weren't hospitable, but...there was just something about the sound of the ocean and the prospect for traveling. He could pretend for the night he didn't have a rank and a position and a home and a woman to court and just...explore.

[Alice Calder ]

[Alice Calder]

The small brunette didn't often find herself straying far from the palace. Perhaps it was ever more rare for her to venture down to the sea. She'd never been a fan of the water, after all. But, there was something she'd been looking into for a while now, and the opportunity to get the information she wanted couldn't have been more perfect.

She wasn't explicitly asked to look into Kaiden Dellario, the foreign soldier that had disappeared, only to show up once more at the Yule Ball. But, she'd taken it upon herself. It was her job, after all, to protect her Queen and her kingdom, even in small ways. Many people hadn't seemed to pay the soldier's reappearance much mind. It was highly likely that no one cared or paid enough attention, but Alice was always the exception. She found it suspicious and that just wouldn't do. Not when this man was part of their military.

She hadn't given it much thought during the ball.. She'd been horribly distracted the entire night, neglecting her duties for just one evening. But it was the days following that she'd snapped back to her normal self for the most part. Finding out all she could about Kaiden had been easy enough, but there wasn't much to find, which served to irritate her slightly. All she could gather was that he was a foreigner, had come to Tresteria, and entered into their military where he currently served as an officer. He had nobility status and was engaged to a woman by the name of Elyscia Demarais. She didn't know the woman personally, but she had a massive family lineage with some connections to Queen Eleesa, which only served to make this foreign man's presence even more suspicious. It was too close to her Queen for comfort.

Her brown hair was down, falling in soft curls to the middle of her back. She dressed plainly, looking like an average citizen of the kingdom. Boot clad feet tapped lightly as she walked and came to stand next to the man casually, brown eyes cast over the landscape as a smirk pulled up her lips. "Tresteria is truly lovely, isn't it?" She asked him simply.

[Kaiden Dellario]

Kaiden turned at the sound of footsteps in the sat behind him, glancing down from the saddle at a woman. He had thought he was more or less alone once he passed the docks.

She seemed...familiar? But vaguely. In that way when you have probably seen or even spoken to someone but only in passing. She wasn't dressed like anything special but she did look quite clean. For all intents and purposes, however, she could have been any of the townsfolk he had spoken to. It was her words that got most of his attention. 'Tresteria is truly lovely, isn't it?' Like it wasn't her home. Or more aptly like she knew it wasn't his. It was an odd choice of words.

His own attire was fine leathers and a clean tunic, well made in the Tresterian style but nothing to draw extra attention to his rank or wealth. He didn't need gilt or jewelry to do so. It was in how he held himself and how he spoke and how fine a horse he was riding. Kaiden wasn't hiding anything, he simply wasn't flashy. He might appear noble to the average citizen but he didn't get called out on his homeland.

"Hello there," he said, supplying a greeting though she had not given him one. He smiled easily. She was quite good looking around those windswept curls. For a moment, he contemplated going against her words just to be an ass, since clearly she knew...something about him. But he decided she was right. He turned his gaze back to the water and patted his mare distractedly. "It is. Something about the ocean has always interested me. The horizon, I think."

[Alice Calder]

He seemed skeptical of her, though she couldn't blame him. Alice was almost always accompanied by the feeling that something was off. It was just how she liked it. To watch those squirm beneath her gaze or against her questions was enjoyable in many senses of the word. But this man, this Kaiden, seemed to hold his composure well. She silently commended him for that.

He offered a hello before answering her question. Moving to clasp her hands behind her back, she rocked on her heels for a moment, quietly contemplating his words. "The horizon, hm?" She did her best to offer a friendly smile. "Is it a desire to travel? Or perhaps the uncertainty of what lies beyond the horizon?" She asked. Alice had never ventured further than the neighboring kingdoms herself, but she'd heard many awe-inspiring stories of faraway lands.

Then she was feigning forgetfulness. "Forgive me for being so impolite. I'm Alice." She introduced herself with the slightest dip of her head. She didn't need him to introduce himself, but wondered for a moment if he might. It would make her prying much easier if he did and would only make her have to take a more careful and clever approach if he did not.

[Kaiden Dellario]

Kaiden didn't have the best relationship with most people in Tresteria. No matter if he called the place home, he was always an outsider. Perhaps some of that reason was his natural hesitation. But although he was a bit skeptical of the woman, he wasn't all that put off. He wasn't mostly confused what someone was doing on here, alone and without a horse.

"Indeed," he confirmed, despite it being a dual question. He smiled slightly and looked down at her. "Perhaps a little of both," Kaiden clarified. "Exploring the known and the unknown has always been...attractive," he added. That wasn't exactly the word he wanted, but sometimes it was difficult to find the right one. He considered himself fluent or nearly fluent in a lot of languages from his travels and education, but even then, some words slipped his mind.

"A pleasure to meet you, Alice." Kaiden returned her polite nod. "Kaiden. You out here enjoying the scenic view as well?" He asked.

[Alice Calder]

She listened to his response, titling her head slightly as eyes skimmed the horizon. "That's quite a way to put it." She mused, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "But, I suppose it is also true. The thought of adventure and discovery is both thrilling and inspiring." She agreed.

She was pleasantly surprised when he did introduce himself, following it up with a question. She looked up at him, offering the friendliest smile she could muster. "Something like that." She responded with a nod before turning her attention back to the skyline. "I needed a bit of peace and quiet. For some reason, near the water is where I find the most peace." She said, though that were only half true. She found the most peaceful place for her was the balcony that was attached to her room at the palace, but these were things he did not need to know.

"I suppose I'd be safe to assume that you came here for much the same reason, yes?" She asked after a few moments.

[Kaiden Dellario]

Once it became clear she intended to keep talking to him, he gathered his reins and slipped from the saddle, smoothing his trousers slightly and stretching for a moment as he tested his boots in the sand carefully. He quirked a smile. Certainly was one way to put it. Inspiring and thrilling were much better ways to put it.

"Yes. I've always enjoyed watching the waves to relax myself. It's..." The word he wanted took a moment. "It is a good form of meditation for me. Breathing in and out with the waters, watching the world carry on just like normal..." And of course, fond memories of all that adventure and discovery out there. He preferred open spaces. As safe as his home here was, as safe as his home in Ithias was...Kaiden found his own peace out in the world. Be it the beach, or a tavern, or anywhere else.

He turned to Alice. "I do not presume to interrupt your peace and quiet but...would you care to join me on a walk?" He asked, gesturing along the beach in the direction he had been going. "Or back to town?"