RP:The Evidence Points to Witches

Part of the Larketian Fault Lines Arc

Summary: The Chapel of Pleasure has mysteriously withstood the earthquake's violence, despite the fact its neighbors all tumbled. This miracle has earned suspicion, and Valen is one of many who have investigated the Chapel and its connection to the earthquake. Valen's investigation took him from the Chapel, across Larket, and back to the Chapel to discover a secret, locked room full of witch paraphernalia, as well as a map of Larket with X's over The Red Tower, Kyla's Eatery, the Larket General Store, the Red Ogre Inn etc. Fort Freedom is not marked.

Valen and Mythayus bring this evidence to the King and Queen, who have long suspected foul play in the earthquake that disrupted their wedding. Valen suspects the evidence clearly points to some type of witch or coven behind the earthquake, but who and why is not clear. Mythayus is skeptical of the evidence, and believes it's all planted to frame the Delisha worshipers for an earthquake they didn't commit. King Macon wonders if that is true, then why did the Chapel remain standing while the rest of Larket did not? The King orders Valen and Mythayus to keep investigating.

Once the men leave, Josleen shares with Macon a MAJOR SECRET (assume no knowledge of this ic) about a witch who resides in Larket. The royal couple agrees that whether or not witches caused the earthquake, there's enough evidence that witches can be powerful and malevolent and precautionary measures should be taken. They will meet with other Larketian luminaries to discuss those precautionary security measures in greater detail.

OOC Note: This arc will play with what happens when different people look at the same evidence and draw different conclusions. There will be misinformation, and not always for malicious reasons. Sometimes the best-intentioned people just get it wrong, and sometimes bad people misinform too. In truth, the earthquake was a natural earthquake. The Chapel's survival and the timing are just coincidences, but they're hard to stomach, aren't they? What your character believes is up to you, and the divergence of perspective and beliefs is the core of this arc's plot.

Fort Freedom Throne Room

Josleen sits in what was Parsithius’s throne. Macon sits beside her in Jacklin’s former throne. The Queen does not enjoy the royal ‘office hours,’ as it were, as for the most part King and Queen field complaints from a public that suffers the aftershocks of an earthquake even a month later. Disaster recovery is slow. Macon is dealing with one such complaint now, a local business woman. Josleen, having hit her peak aggravation with the man before this woman, foregoes engagement and instead reads a report in her lap. By the time the woman leaves, she senses that Macon is worked up. Wordlessly, she slips her hand into his and runs her thumb along the back of his hand. General public complaints are over, and now they have a scheduled meeting with Valen, who wrote yesterday with urgent news. “That dragged on longer than usual,” she whispers. “Oh, did I tell you Rhapsodia’s parents have decided to go with another stud?” The King may be hard-pressed to remember who Rhapsodia is or what all this is about. Given Josleen’s tone, she’s offended and he should be too. She scoffs! Gigi, oblivious to his utter failure as a stud prize dog, sits between King and Queen at their feet wearing his powder blue bowtie.

Valen would make his way into the throne room, a familiar Dragon in tow, thoughts swirling about his head in many a fashion. Part of him was unsure about a few things but the one thing that remained constant in his head was the fact that there was indeed, no doubt in his mind about one simple fact. He could theorize the who's and the why's...But the when, the Where, and the how, had been solved and that was certainly a boon of information. Finally coming up to the king and Queen, and noting that Josleen at least seemed to be aggravated, or at the least seemed to be having a case of indigestion if the scoff was anything to go off fo, he would make sure to tread carefully as he always did around the pair. With a flourishing bow, full of respect that was due, executed flawlessly, he would right himself back up. "Your majesties. Thank you first and foremost for hearing Mythayus, and myself, on such an urgent matter. I would not have written so hastily if I did not think the two of you should hear this immediately."

Mythayus would in fact follow just behind Valen. His mind too was trying to put things together, and though he and Valen didn’t necessarily agree on what was going on. Either way it still needed to be told to the king and queen. He took in notes of how the pair was acting. Josleen seemed to be done with the day. Who could really blame her though listening to complaints about things she had no control over. He was donned in his typical black spoked full-plate. Hair pulled back in a neat tight que. His bangs being uncooperative and resting long the sides off his face. His signature battered shield was missing from the picture. He’d follow with Valen’s lead, with a deep respectful bow. “Your Majesties.” Being the only words out of his mouth as he corrected his stance. He’d simply nod in agreement with Valen’s last statement.

Macon indeed does not know who the hell Rhapsodia is, but does not believe this could be a person’s name, despite the fact he knows of people named Augusta and Macon. With context clues like ‘stud’ he is able to infer that Rhapsodia’s parents are not her parents at all and that Gigi is useless. The King bobs his head slightly, not exactly giving the outraged response Josleen might be wanting, and leans to the side to pat Gigi on the head like ‘Well… you’re terrible, but at least you tried your best. (probably not)’ Macon still doesn’t understand the endgame of Josleen collecting stud fees on Gigi, given the wealth of Larket at her disposal, but that is a conversation for another time. The conversation for this time has walked into the throne room and the subjects receive regal nods in greeting. “Wha’ is it you ‘ave found?” He looks back and forth between Valen and Mythayus a couple times, ending on the vampire while adding, “Your message said tha’ Percival was involved somehow?”

Josleen smiles at both Valen and Mythayus and nods at their bows. Gigi trots over to Valen and Mythayus and enthusiastically sniffs their crotches, as is his way. “Gigi!” Josleen hisses under her breath. Reluctantly, the poodle returns to his third fancy dog bed between the monarchs. This one is slightly elevated off the ground, for cutesy royal reasons. ‘Just like a little prince!’ (Someone put a baby in Josleen yesterday or this dog will have a crown made of real precious metals and gems very soon.) Macon does most of the talking for them.

Valen would look to Macon, not seemingly bothered at the dog sniffing his unmentionables though then again perhaps a bit of nervousness did indeed shine through, but for now he focused on the King's answer. "Involved by way of meaning that he helped my investigation, fixing a rather odd mirror that has actually proved quite useful in finding out who is an enemy, as well as who is an ally to the city of Larket, and by extension an ally or enemy to you. More on that later however, as I have also taken to the -idea- that it can be used to see which potential students are pure of heart, and worth teaching...But I have made no decisions on that. No, I come bearing grim news...That the quake was as I feared, and manufactured in a sense. I -knew- the timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. Rather than tell you what I found...Allow me to show you both." With that, he would extend a hand and shadows would rush to form a thin veil in front of the Monarch's. With a flick of his wrist, the veil would roll back like a curtain parting to reveal a room, the very same room that held the map of Larket with the x's on specific locations. The view, showed it in it's entirety with nothing left out. "This will mean a few things...I am afraid. Either witches are the cause of the earthquake which interrupted your wedding day, or someone is trying to frame them. Why would witches need to use the Chapel, after all? These x's here though, I believe they may have been trying to guess as to which venue the wedding and reception would take place, with each x representing an unlikely location. If you notice, For Freedom is not marked. A wedding -could- have taken place at the Red Tower, with a reception following at Kyla's eatery. The general store, however, is one that puzzles me with this line of thought. My only thought about the Fort not being crossed off, is that it was to denote that was where both would be taking place." Here he switches gears, before also recounting the investigation itself. "It also allowed me to see, the investigation, what had happened to a Deputy Sheriff, as well as the fact that a witch committed fraud by selling a defunct mirror to a bereaved widow." Turning to the Dragon now, he would ask "What do you think on this, Mythayus?"

Mythayus looks down at Gigi, and gives a light laugh. “Dogs will be dogs.” He spoke lightly. He’d look to Valen as the vampire spoke. Making he that this was the same spiel that Maldor had given him as to what Valen believe. “I do believe Valen on to something with the framing. Everything in that room is too perfectly formed to the stereotype of a witch. I also believe the X’s weren’t used to mark where the wedding was going to take place but perhaps more of sources of power, or some other profitable uses of the land land. Either way the issue needs to be into further, before anything else can happen.” He was concerned for Larket’s safety. He took in a deep breath and leave his statement as such. It wasn’t his call it was the King and Queens call on the matter. He’d be a good soldier and wait for the thoughts of the King and Queen.

Macon frowns while looking into the shadowy recreation of the room and hearing Valen’s theories on what it means about the cause of the earthquake. He is inclined to believe that the disaster on his wedding night was manmade, and ignores any failings or holes in this part of the theory. The x’s on the map are strange and unsettling. From what Valen says, The King is concerned that some of them, like the one at the Red Tower, could indicate someone’s future targets. The death of a deputy sheriff and the actions of a charlatan witch do not seem to surprise him and only feed into deepening his suspicion of foul play. He only considers very briefly the notion that someone might be trying to pass the blame of the earthquake onto the Delisha witches when Mythayus backs this theory, but this only makes him believe that if someone were trying to do that, then they themselves must have caused the quake and are trying to pass the blame off. If nothing else, Macon will leave this meeting -knowing- for sure that -someone- caused the Larketian earthquake. The Rage Knight agrees wholeheartedly that before anything can be done, a more thorough investigation must be done. “This news is unsettling. I agree tha’ an investigation must be launched t’look into wha’ you ‘ave found. You two will assist in getting t’the bottom of the involvemen’ of those at the chapel.”

Josleen looks impressed with Valen’s shadowmancy and diagramming. She disagrees that this marked up map of Larket looks like someone guessing at where the wedding venue would be. The wedding was announced in advance, open to the public, and the location obvious. However, she does not have a good guess just yet as to what the map may suggest, and stays quiet as Macon comments on and questions the information provided. Gigi, less impressed by shadowmancy and outright spooked, barks at the shadowy veil and diagram twice. However, the King and Queen don’t seem alarmed and he quickly calms. Like the King, the Queen was already convinced the earthquake was manmade and this simply confirms her suspicions. Up for debate now is -who-. Josleen shakes her head gently and respectfully to Mythayus’s point that this looks like a framing. “If someone were looking to frame witches or Delisha worshippers, or both, why make this evidence so hard to find? A secret and locked room? And Valen, who did you say had the key to the room?” She shakes her head again to indicate she remains unconvinced. “You would think someone looking to frame the Delisha cult would have left a better bread crumb trail to planted evidence shortly after the earthquake. It’s almost been a month, and Valen had to work hard to find this. I’m not saying your theory has no merit, Sir Mythayus, but simply that I am not convinced it’s the leading theory, in my estimation” As the King has said, more investigation is necessary.

Valen would allow what was actually nothing more than a window into the actual room, remain for them to look and wait as more study was given. He of course would have agreed with Mythayus' statement, that more investigation would be needed and while his own theories were most likey flawed, It was all the Vampire had...and this, he would remedy. Macon's command that they two were to look into it, would only earn a heartfelt smile from the Shadowmancer. "As you wish, your majesty." A soft bow given as he said this, acknowledging that he now knew the task that lay before him. To the Queen, her question to him would be answered short, but to the point, and respectful. "It was a priest in the chapel my Queen. It would seem to me, that could indicate that at least -some- of Delisha's followers may be behind it, but then again he could have simply been keeping it under lock and key until someone came to investigate. Then again though, why not be straightforward and come with the information himself?" A hand would go to his head to hold it, feeling a rather nasty headache coming on but it only lasted for a moment as he cleared his thoughts. "Mythayus...I know you are looking for my son, as we discussed, but I can only assume now that the worst has happened....For now, this new investigation takes precedence, even over your investigation into Lycidas, and Larewen." Looking back to the two Monarch's he would add "Unless of course you feel that those are also worth delving into. Forgive me, I simply get excited when there is work to be done."

Mythayus would nod to the King, “Understood” He’d looked to Valen for a moment then the Queens would start to speak and his attention would go towards her. He’d let out a sigh followed by a deep breath, “ All due respect My queen, you’d want to make the framing as real feeling as possible.” He’d speak from experience. “If you leave to many bread crumbs, then it becomes obvious. A smart person if trying to frame someone, would leave just enough clues to have suspicion, and make them difficult to find. I’m not saying I’m right. I’m just saying from experience it’s not something that should be marked off just yet. Really at this point anything and everything is possible. Only an investigation will yield the true answers.” He’d look to Valen, “ If you’re sure. I will focus my time and energy on this. I can still send Ari to keep looking, or would you prefer Ari still stays with you for protection?”

Macon takes his eyes off of the shadow veil and looks towards Josleen while nodding in agreement with her line of questioning of why, if the goal was to frame someone, make finding the ‘evidence’ such a difficult task? Indeed, how close were the royals and Larket as a whole to having to concede that this disaster was merely a tragic coincidence in the face of lack of evidence to the contrary. In which case, what seems to some like an elaborate scheme to incriminate someone would have gone to waste. What no one has mentioned yet, but lends more to the theory that those at the chapel were involved in some way, is the fact that the building was completely unschated by the eqarthquake, in an area where the heaviest damage was dealt. The King growls slightly when he is made to choose between the pursuit of suspect of the caravan raids and the suspect of the quake, who has yet to be identified. He looks to Josleen again, knowing that the criminal vampire has been found to be not guilty of at least one of the serious attacks against Larket he is accused of. Only The King and Queen know of his innocence in that particular case though, so Macon keeps it to himself while making the decision aloud to have Mythayus focus on this new investigation over the one into the missing Lycidas and Vailkrin Necromancer. The Rage Knight takes in the information on the priest who was sitting on the secret of this suspicious room and assumes that he will be questioned in the investigation being launched. The dragon’s level headedness on this task, not willing to jump to conclusions about the guilt of the Delisha witches, is appreciated, though that is not vocalized. It does reassure Macon that Mythayus is well suited for this task, and if he finds that there was no framing being done, it will be all the more convincing coming from him after this show of skepticism. Valen is left to answer the question of retaining his protection from Lycidas and his crew.

Josleen nods in agreement with Valen’s line of thought. If the priest had a key and knew what was in the room, why not come forward? There is some complicitness in his inaction. “Exactly.” She doesn’t further debate Mythayus, nor is she upset by his counter argument. When dealing with magic city-rocking earthquakes, anything is possible and the investigation is in its earliest stages. Valen and Mythayus speak among themselves and she cants her head curiously as Valen seems to set the priorities on Mythayus’s tasks, and Mythayus replies by asking after Valen’s preferences. They are old flames and ex-husbands, perhaps it isn’t so unusual, but all the same Josleen can’t help but note the bit of tenderness between them still. King Macon’s orders are the final word from the royals.

Valen would have denied, however fruitless and dishonest it would have been, any such feelings for the Dragon had it been vocalized, but it was not, and thus ignorance was bliss. Seeing that they had their task, Valen would simply look to Mythayus and shake his head "No, but he can guard the students with the Twins while I am away on this matter, -when- I am away. there are many things that can be found out if you know the right place to apply leverage, and you and I should interrogate this priest first and foremost I think seeing as he is the one who seemed to be most connected...that we know of." With another wave of his hand, the window into the room would close, and the shadows would return to where they had come from, the Vampire's eyes looking slightly baggy but for the most part remained the same. Turning to the two Royals, another grateful bow would be given "By your leave then, your Majesties...I would like to take my leave, if Mythayus will accompany me, to decide on how to approach this priest. I would like it noted King Macon, however, that should the man I mentioned, Lycidas, not be dead...It is my honest appraisal that he not be allowed in Larket ever again...Seeing as I can -easily- show you the memory of myself being asked by him to break out a prisoner. When I did not hear back from you sire, I took the liberty of dropping it into a conversation I had with the Queen, but seeing as I have the gracious hospitality of my King today, I figured now would be a better time as any, to at least offer the proof of Sedition, and treason." With that he would step back and look to Mythayus for a brief moment, a smile on his face before awaiting to see if he was excused.

Mythayus would tilt his head for a moment thinking. He’d nod to himself, “Seems to be a good place to start.” He’d look to Valen then to the King and Queen, “It should be noted that the letter I took from Valen was blank. I tried everything to see if there was in fact writing on it and have come -up empty. It’s just a piece of paper. Also the prisoner in question refuses to answer any questions and continues to bite his own tongue off. He of course is a vampire so this is just a minor inconvenience for him.” An annoyed look would go across his face after that. “So another dead on the Lycidas front.” He’d look back to Valen, “Very well Ari shall remain at the Academy and protect the grounds.” He’d look back to the King and Queen, “If that is all, it would seem Valen and myself have some work to start on. If you don’t mind I do believe we should be taking our leave, and start on the tasks at hand” He offer a bow, but wait to be told he was free to leave.

Macon nods to Valen and Mythayus, “Yes. The Queen ‘as told me all of this.” in regards to the latest regarding Lycidas and his blank letter to the prisoner. “The order will remain to arrest Lycidas on sight should he reappear in Larket,” The King says reassuringly to the vampire, indicating that he will indeed have the guard remain vigilant if he returns and is not dead. The quirk of vampiric biology of regrowing tongues earns a raised brow, perhaps he had not been told that little detail, or maybe hearing it again is still weird. Mythayus’s frustration is noted and appreciated by The Rage Knight when the dragon laments another fruitless lead in that investigation. The King thanks them both for their continued service and excuses the pair so that they can start digging into this quake mystery further.

Josleen pulls a face at the mental image of a vampire biting off his own tongue, which then regenerates, on an endless loop. She nods as Valen and Mythayus leave then looks to Macon as if she has something to add to all of this, but will wait until the supernatural ears are out of range.

Valen would have turned to leave, taking Mythayus with him, but the shadows would always linger where they were supposed to, as he always kept an ear to them just in case they held some sort of secret for him, how else would the Vampire get all the juicy gossip that he had heard over the ages? Regardless, The vampire and Dragon would depart the way that they entered....together.

Mythayus would finish his bow and take a step back. He’d pivot on his heels, and hold his arm out letting Valen go first. He’d then follow after the vampire. He was on autopilot for the moment, following the Vampire while his mind was lost in thought, he would leave just as he had come.

Macon waits for Valen and Mythayus to exit as well, allowing a few moments to pass after they have left the restored throne room and are out of sight, marking the end of ‘office hours’ for the day, before he looks Josleen’s way. Valen may or may not be listening in somehow, but if he is, The King is completely oblivious to it. The Rage Knight stands from his seat of power and stretches in his armor while speaking to his wife, “Wha’ was tha’ look? D’you know somethin’ they do not? Or…” He pauses, thinking over a more unpleasant alternative, “Somethin’ they are not telling us?” He completes his idle stretching and gathers The Rage Axe from its normal spot against the crook of the arm of his throne. It was so much more imposing when it had the stone inside it and could stand on its own, staring people down. Sad.

Josleen shakes her head to Macon’s second guess. It’s nothing so unsettling. He stands, stretches, fetches the axe, all signalling it’s time to go. When he’s ready to leave, she stands and falls into step beside him. “I met Alvina last week and she shared with me some disturbing news. Alvina and Hudson have been… there’s relationship issues. They’ve ended things over a witch named Valrae.” It’s the first Josleen has ever said to Macon about Valrae, in part to protect her friends Hudson and Alvina from being poorly judged, but recent developments have made those considerations moot. “Hudson and Valrae met in Cenril last year and had an affair. Hudson and Alvina left Cenril and moved here. Well, Valrae is here too, now, and I recently discovered that she’s employed at Hudson’s new nail salon here in town.” Her lips purse judgmentally and she glowers at both Valrae and Hudson. “And it’s as bad as it looks. But that’s all just a preamble to something disturbing that Alvina told me.” They walk through the halls and Josleen falls silent as they pass staff members. She gives Macon a reassuring look that says ‘this is more than just tabloid fodder, patience.’ They turn towards his office and she whispers, “In Cenril… Valrae was arrested for murder. Valen had told me some time ago that Valrae was falsely imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit and is on the lam. But to hear Alvina tell it…. Valrae -did- commit the murder, but -through- Hudson. The victim was her ex-boyfriend, who was abusive, according to Valrae, but who knows about all that. As for Hudson… he’s…” She hesitates, sighs in frustration, then admits, “He’s a lycan. He told Alvina he lost control of his lycanthropy and killed the man himself. But Alvina has reason to suspect that Valrae provoked that through some nefarious magic, possibly mind control. She -is- capable of meddling with the mind, after all. There was a witness to the murder, a Cenrili guard, and this witch, Valrae, wiped his memory!” Josleen’s eyes widen like ‘can you believe that?’ “I’m not sure what the truth is, but the short of it is that a Cenrili man was murdered, and while Hud’s hands may have killed the man, there’s a good chance he was under the mind control of a witch with a vendetta. I don’t quite know what to do with this information. I don’t know who is guilty and who is not, but I do know that Valrae is capable of manipulating minds in some capacity. Memory wipes? Mind control? Earthquakes? Who knows what else witches are capable of. And they just co-exist alongside good Larketians unchecked? I know Valen can meddle with the mind but he is a respected member of the academy, we know him. And this Valrae? Who is she?”

Macon ’s attention wanes with the combined strain of the subject matter of Alvina and Hudson relationship problems and the pauses necessary when passing the fort staff in the halls. Josleen’s look that heralds her getting to the ‘good part’ coaxes him into holding his focus on her tale so that the real revelations can come. There is a lot to take in here, even after the Hudson/Alvina breakup news that he largely ignores. Lycanthropy, Witches, Mind Control! His eyes do not widen to mirror her expression when she reveals that Valrae wiped the memory of a witness to her crime. Macon is well aware, as is Josleen, which she states moments later, of this kind of magic. He has seen Valen practice it on one of his most trusted Kingsguard; the now deceased Maureen. The Rage Knight himself is also guilty of much worse acts to cover up his own crimes, but The Queen can never know that. The bard’s insinuation that Valrae, or someone like her could be capable of causing the earthquake that has devastated their kingdom startles The King and once they are inside his office, and he has taken some time to think on this he doesn’t deliver a decision, but rather a question, “This Witch is in Larket and you believe she is capable of dangerous magic… Wha’ d’you think we should do? ‘Ave ‘er monitored?”

Josleen nods reluctantly to Macon. “Yes, but we should go beyond that. Coincidentally, earlier this year, before our wedding, I met Muzo and we started discussing witch magic. Do you remember that article in the Herald which claimed that witches likely created vampires? Well, that made me wonder if witch magic is unique, in the way arcane magic is unique from druidic magic which is unique from divine magic. I brought this up with Muzo, and Valen to a lesser degree. Muzo wants to study witches purely for academic purposes. I am meant to write to Artia and Talyara--Frostmaw witch, you don’t know her--I am writing to them to invite them to participate in Muzo and Valen’s research. It’s a good opportunity to learn more about witches, and frankly, we should know who they are. I am not saying that all witches are dangerous. Lady Artia certainly has been good to Larket. Still, we should know who is capable of what in the kingdom. Purely precautionary, and should something happen that appears to be the work of a witch, we equip law enforcement with a starting place, a list or something.”

Macon only vaguely remembers the Herald article, as he was more interested in the editorial that was focused on him. Still, he nods in acknowledgement, recalling the gist of it when she jogs his memory. Josleen continues speaking and mentions Artia as an example of a good witch. Larket’s apothecary is one of the many, which also includes The Queen, who previously supported The Fallen Paladin Kelovath and have now seen the error of their ways and pledged their loyalty to the new king. In Artia’s case however, The Fury Knight is slightly skeptical of her sincerity and so the idea of having her, this Valrae character, and others like them on a list somewhere so that they can be monitored is something that he can support. Macon eggs the bard on, continuing to nod and repeating self assuring phrases like “Of course, purely precautionary.” He has set the Rage Axe down, leaning it against the wall, and starts to remove parts of his armor, his scheduled public appearances for the day now complete. “Given wha’ Valen ‘as already found, it would be bes’ t’know who these Witches are and wha’ they are capable of. For the safety of Larket.”

Josleen wordlessly helps Macon out of his armor, a force of habit by now. “Perhaps we should call a meeting about this. Reinhardt should certainly know our concerns, and Valen and Mythayus should be there to share what they’ve found. Artia, perhaps, given her intimate knowledge of witches, and Sabrina, as she is in most frequent contact with the people as a healer and has sound judgment. Am I missing anyone?” When the armored leggings come off, Josleen squeezes Macon’s firm behind--also a force of habit and something she does every time. “Of course, Muzo, too.” Of course, Muzo, of course. That goes without saying.

Macon and Josleen did not forget Gigi in the Throne room, because he does not allow himself to be forgotten. The King is groped and the dog barks simultaneously. The Rage Knight is grabbed and Muzo’s name is suggested for this meeting’s guest list too close together and Macon must take half a second to rehash himself, “Wha..? Muzo. Of course,” he repeats. When asked to add to the list of names he thinks for a moment and can only think of “Percival…” as the royal guard, military, and several other groups are represented already. “But we will already ‘ave Valen from the academy… It will be bes’ t’keep this small.“

Josleen nods in agreement and it’s clear by her body language that she assumes this meeting will be convened by whoever is in charge of convening meetings. She has quickly grown accustomed to assuming there’s someone hired to do the thing that in any other setting she would do herself. Enjoying the synergy between them, she pushes onto the balls of her feet and gives Macon a quick, pleased kiss. “I’ll be seeing you at dinner, love.” If he has nothing else to add, she’ll take her leave to handle whatever mysterious queenly projects she has taken on in her spare time (dog shows). Gigi decides to stay with Macon this time, as he knows eventually the King will train and run and running is the best.