Birth of Meridia [Job/Plot]

Menat’s silent existence, off in a shadowed corner none seemed to notice, was broken abruptly as Merlin approached her. The eldest of the Meridian royal males, as they would now most certainly be known and referred to as, seemed to try and break his sister’s tension and unease with what he had most certainly thought of as harmless jokes but his words just dug Menat’s own uncertainty and distress deeper into her core. Of course he was right about her new inability to properly ingest the otherwise traditional foods that made up the buffet everyone was free to help themselves to as the party continued. Normally she’d have paid the comment no mind, simply taking Merlin under her arm for a playful rush of her knuckles against the top of his head for several seconds. Now she only felt more aware of how much of a freak she must appear to be to the guests of the party.

Even his joke about the type of girls she liked possibly being by the buffet hit her differently. Of course she was rational, knowing full-well her brother wasn’t trying to be anything more than the kind soul he was and get her mind off her worries, but her current mental state didn’t mean she didn’t feel like that was also something wrong about her. She didn’t even really understand it herself. Why did she like other girls like that? It had been something she had started to notice back in Kina when she met Dalia, or her alias she guessed. The had such an attractive personality that Menat just began to see her in a different light. Yet she hadn’t seen the girl since her attempted birthday party on that Kinan beach. Then there was just the overall fortress of her new body adding yet another problem to her life. Even if she wanted to explore those emotions more with other girls she found attractive how would it even be possible to do those types of things with her body the way it was now?

What kind of girl would find any kind of romantic interest in a person who’s entire body had been replaced by vines and bark? Overall it was a considerably inordinate blessing that her mother had the small garden and sunroof added to her room while the palace had been constructed. At her current rate she had left her room so little that it at least meant she wasn’t without necessary nourishment.

“I… I think I’ll pass Merlin.” She said, her voice low and almost broken. “I just want to keep out of the way, even out of sight, until the party’s done. I know she won’t say anything to make me think it but I just feel like an absolute freak here. I don’t want to risk ruining mom’s big day by someone catching sight of her weirdo tree daughter more than they already have.”

Giving her brother a quick, gentle hug she would break off from the boy in an attempt to dart off towards an exit and into one of the empty palace halls nearby. Not without having to dash past a hard to miss redheaded girl first.

Yoshiro looked like he was trying to decide who he should talk to, the empress, her children or perhaps the two other leaders here. He would begin to walk up to Merlin first smiling at him as he greets the prince, "Greeting young sir, I do not believe we have met yet, I am Yoshiro, ruler of the Kou. I assume from your looks and garb that you are related to the new empress?" He asks looking intrigued but tired as well.

Soon there would be a loud ruckus as a group, late to enter, would join in on the festivities. They were not focused on the VIPs there but instead all went straight to the food. This group would stand out more than most there due to their bizzare company. One was a small purple hair magician from her garb and staff that seemed to spark with electrical power, a large armored man that showed no parts of his body underneath, and a grizzled half helio man who resembled that of a soldier.

The strangest of them all was not focused on food however, he was walking around amongst the guests rather closely. He was a small cat like man or man like cat wearing a bright yellow coat. He was also wearing a strange assortment of jewlery that did not seem to match as if he had just picked it all up from different places.

The party definitely seemed to liven up now that this group was here, they seemed harmless enough unless you were food or a fine looking necklace.