Idly swirling the wine in his goblet, he flashed another dull smile at the lady before him. There was much useless chatter between the other women surrounding him and it was boring him. All they spoke about was the latest gossip, who's dress was better, and other trivial topics. They didn't notice that Isaac was barely paying attention, his eyes darting around the court. He amused himself by staring at a newly found couple dancing together. A woman from the group addressed him and he snapped his attention back to them. His lips curled into a small, fake smile as they began talking at him, not to him. Even if they were to hold a proper conversation, it was hard for Isaac to respond. Either the speaker would cut him off or keep ranting.

Isaac gulped down his wine unceremoniously and excused himself from the group. He traveled as far as he could, weaving through the crowd. As they disappeared from sight, he sighed in relieved. Finding a small table, he placed his empty goblet upon the surface and took a seat. He smiled to himself, the buzz of the women gone from his head.

Lady Leana swept away from the dance floor, her lips spread in a wide smile as she grinned at her previous dance partner, before moving through the crowds of people as if in a trance. Honestly, the redhead had had no idea that she would have such a stunning night. She had imagined herself the resident wallflower, resting in a chair and sipping whatever beverage was offered for the entirety of the night. However, she had found herself swept across the floor with two partners already, something she had not expected in the slightest. Now, as she walked with dull green eyes focused on the wall beyond the crowd, she looked rather tired. She reached up and tucked a few stray strands of red hair back into her hood before she paused beside the wall, taking a goblet when it was offered to her and sipping it. The odd taste that greeted her confused her slightly before she realized that it must be wine, something she had never had the pleasure to drink before. She sipped again, this time her free hand lifting to adjust her pale pink mask to be sure that it kept the top of her face covered.

Her gown, the same delicate shade of baby pink, was lightly embroidered with strands of light purple and golden thread, the same shades that embroidered swirls along her mask. She was quite pleased with it, as it was the first purchase she had made since arriving it court, and ran her free hand lovingly down its full skirt with a fond smile. Leana felt beautiful and confident in it, something that was difficult not to notice with the way that she was positively glowing as she swayed ever so slightly to the music that was playing. However, though she was beaming brighter than she ever had before, she felt as if her legs were going to give out. Sitting had become her top priority.

Lady Leana began to weave her way through the crowds of people again, searching quite desperately for a table, before she came across one. A man was already sitting there, of course, but as most of the other tables were nearing full capacity, Leana knew that this would have to be the one that she would choose. "Excuse me," she stated, her voice not nearly as soft as it had been her weeks of lodging in court. "I hate to intrude, but may I have a seat at your table? I fear I require a rest." She smiled pleasantly at the man, the little bit of confidence she had gained from her dress preventing her from being the shy statue she normally was. She waited silently for an answer, her slender free hand resting on the back of the chair across from the man. She could only pray that she had come across a polite man of court instead of someone rude.

Isaac snapped out of his comfort zone and looked up at the newcomer. At first, he thought that maybe one of the ladies from the gossiping herd had followed him over. When he actually got to take a good look at her, he relaxed and gave her a friendly smile. He felt a wave of relief rush over him, glad to have new company. Very pretty company. He stood from his seat and walked over to the chair she was holding onto.

"You are no intrusion at all. How could I deny the company of a lovely young woman such as yourself?" he replied. "Allow me, my lady." He gently pulled the chair out for her before returning to his own seat. Isaac allowed himself to be curious to what her identity was. She was much nicer than the last bunch of women he was with. Her voice was a familiar one, but he couldn't quite figure out who it belonged to. It didn't help that a majority of his friends of the court were female.

"Is it safe to assume that my lady is deeply enjoying herself?"

Ah, yes, his smile let Leana drop her defenses a little more. He was most certainly polite, then. When he stood, she jumped a little, caught by surprise. It was perhaps the most simple thing to identify her by, as she had hidden her hair and freckles beneath a hood and a mask. Freckles still dotted across her chest, however, though she doubted that such a thing could identify her to someone. Leana quickly sank back into being the naive girl with a tad bit of confidence, however, as soon as he spoke. Her cheeks flushed slightly, though only a tiny bit were revealed, and she smiled brightly at him. "Lovely, good sir? Forgive me, but how could you come to such a conclusion when I am wearing a mask?" Much as they had throughout the rest of the night, playful words poured from her lips before she could even think on them. "Just for that, I shall have to seek you out and give you a bright smile when the unmasking reveals me to be a hag."

After he pulled her seat out for her, she smiled again and sank down into it, smoothing out her skirts as she did so with her free hand. She took a sip of her wine before she placed the goblet on top of the table and looked back up at him. There was something about him that was oddly familiar, but that was to be expected. She was certain that there was something familiar when it came to everyone in this masquerade, whether she knew them or not. After all, she was a horrid guesser. At his words, she looked up at him with a rather shy smile, one that came naturally to young Leana.

"Oh yes, 'tis quite safe indeed. I confess, the pure splendor of this event is almost too much for me to bear." She looked around the room, sighing contently as she did so. "I never dreamed I would be part of such a thing." Leana looked back at him then, her normally dull green eyes sparkling brightly tonight. "And yourself, sir? How are you faring tonight?"

He let out a laugh, rocking back into his chair. He couldn't believe that she would suggest she could possibly be a hideous woman. If only she knew the types of company he kept. The gossiping hawks he had the unfortunate encounter with earlier had shown him that masks couldn't hide all the ugliness of a person. He calmed himself down, waving down a waiter to refill his cup.

"Oh, my dear lady. I myself have had truly horrendous experiences with hags and I highly doubt you'll turn out to be one. Why, I've even had my fair share of witches, so to speak," he grinned at her, holding his goblet up to be replenished. The waiter filled a bit of Leana's cup before scurrying off. Isaac took a sip of wine and hummed with approval.

"You have already proven yourself good company; what more do I need to find a woman attractive? As for my night, it is getting better by the minute. First I was able to escape the clutches of the harpies and now I am sitting comfortably with a dazzling young damsel."

Another bright smile broke across Leana's face when she saw the man laugh, revealing her teeth. She had admitted it to very few people, but she absolutely adored making people around her laugh. Was she very effective at it? Of course not. But when it worked, it seemed that the laughter was contagious. Moments later she lifted her hand from her goblet and covered her lips, giggling softly at the spectacle he created when he rocked back in his chair. Yes, she thought she might enjoy this man's company quite well.

The fact that she had made him laugh was enough to boost her confidence even further. Though when she dropped her hand her smile had regressed to that of shyness, she felt electric and jumpy, as if she could do anything. If she had been beaming before, she was almost blinding now. At his words, she tilted her head a little to the side and wrapped her hand around her goblet once more. "Witches? Heaven forbid." She lifted the newly replenished goblet to her lips and took a sip, fully unaware of the fact that it was the wine that was truly making her feel more confident. She set it back down, licking her lips to remove a trace red droplet that had rested there, before smiling shyly at him once again. "I suppose they have no choice but to be drawn to a handsome man such as yourself. In fact, I find myself surprised that you are not currently beating off hags, witches, and harpies by the dozens." Her eyes were sparkling incessantly now, rather playfully in fact.

"Tell me, good sir, how did you manage to escape from them? No doubt a long and perilous journey ensued." Once again, she took a drink of her wine. She had grown quite used to the flavor now and decided that she very well liked it, in fact. That she might be a bit of a lightweight did not occur to her in the slightest. No doubt she had not even heard of the term. She moved the goblet back down to the table, swirling it around slightly as she did so, before resting it on the tabletop.

"Oh no, I don't need to fight them off, I have a magic charm of sorts," he teased. "How did I escape from them? Well, tis a long story, my lady." He grinned mischievously, the gears in his head turning. He loved to make up and tell stories, mostly to entertain the young ones, but it amused the adults as well. His eyes flicked with delight as he began to conjure up his story.

“You see, I was on this quest for the Sword of the Five Kings. There had been a dragon terrorizing the country side and needed to be killed. Now, the sword of the Five Kings was a very blessed sword, pass down from generation to generation. Five of the best kings in the history of the Sapphire Realm held and fought with this dear sword. Tragically, it was lost in the folds of time. Nobody knew where the sword was held, but there were legends and rumors that it was kept hidden in a cave high upon a mountain. Many had died trying to travel to the mountains and others just never returned.” His voice was deep and hushed during the last sentences, as if he was truly narrating a story to a child.

“But that didn’t scare me. As I bid my family goodbye, I trekked onto the cursed mountain, fighting off wolves and other beasts. And up the mountain I went, climbing and climbing until my body was numb from the cold. But I made it to the cave where the sword was held. Due to the freezing winds up on the mountain, the sword was buried in layers and layers of snow. I used my torch to melt away the ice, but it was a trap. The light of the burning fire attracted many deadly harpies. Swarms of them flew at me from the depths of the cave; swing their talons at my face. Their screech was terrible, almost sounding like the lady over there.” He jerked his thumb to a courtier a few tables down from them, laughing a high pitched laugh.

“I swatted at them with my torch, trying to keep them away from me. The task was difficult, trying to melt he ice as well as fend off a bunch of harpies at the same time. Finally, I was able to free the frozen sword and fight off all of the flying beasts. Yes, all of them. That’s how powerful the sword is. And that’s how I escaped from the harpies,” he finished, taking a long drink from his cup. He knew that he didn’t complete the story, but he didn’t want to bore her with the rest of the details. Perhaps it was the drink that was making him so long winded.

Well, this was unexpected. When she had teased the man, Leana hadn't actually expected him to begin weaving a tale for her. However, almost as soon as he began to speak, her smile faded into a rather contemplative frown, her eyes grew a little wider, and her goblet of wine went unattended. It called so many memories to her from her past, when her parents would tell her stories if she begged them enough. It even called a situation to her mind where her brother had been sober, for once, and had bestowed a story upon her, tracing out a journey he one day hoped to take. She merely gazed at the man now, taking in everything that he said, smiling here and there, but most of the time simply being spellbound.

When he came to what she felt was an abrupt ending to the tale, she sat for a few additional moments of silence to see if he would continue. When the unspoken request went unheeded, however, her lips curled into a frown that was perhaps more akin to a pout. "Now you know very well that is an unsatisfactory ending to such a hair-raising tale. I feel as if I am hanging on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the true ending." She shook her head for a moment before she smiled at him once again, wrapping her hand around her goblet and lifting it to her lips. She took only a slight sip now, determined not to get caught up in the wine now when she felt as if she had more teasing to do. She couldn't explain why, but she certainly was feeling a bit loosened up now as the night drew on.

"Tell me, how long have you been making up and telling stories? You must have had quite the young following when you were growing up." She tilted her head a little to the side, still smiling rather shyly at him. She had given up trying to guess this man's identity now. She was simply curious about him in general.

He stifled a laugh as she pouted at him. It couldn't help it, he found her to be so cute. She reminded him of his little cousin who would insist that he tell her a story before she went to bed. Every time Isaac refused, a loud, angry temper tantrum would ensue. He highly doubted that the lady before him would throw a fit, but he would continue the story regardless. If she was entertained, why would he want to stop now?

"I've been telling stories ever since I learned how," he replied. "I have many cousins that either tell me tales or want to be told some. Sometimes, I add my own twist to some of the original stories. They enjoy it thoroughly ; it's quite adorable. But, I must now complete the story. Tis your request and I will grant it without question." He grinned at her over his wine.

"Now, the harpies. Yes they were slain, as I had previously stated. The next task I had to complete was that I needed to descend from the mountain. So, using a large piece of bark that I had ripped off from a tree, I slid down the mountainside. It was good fun, with the rush of the wind against your face. But if you ever attempt such a feat, please be careful of the rocks. Nasty little things, they can be." He chuckled to himself as he took a sip of his beverage.

"The landing could've been better, but I made to the base of the mountain. I raced back to the country side where the evil dragon resided. This dragon was though to be conjured up by a wizard long ago. It was as big as the Sapphire Palace, its teeth as thick and sharp as broadswords. Its deadly claws could rip a cottage roof off with one clean sweep. Its black scales were as hard as slabs of marble. And its fiery breath felt like a thousand suns." Isaac hissed the last word to emphasis the description.

"But I wasn't afraid; I had the protection of the sword. So I marched up the beast while it was in the middle of burning down a village. It looked at me and saw the sword, screeching at the sight of it. It swiped at me, but I was able to tumble out of the way and slice one of its claws off. This irritated the dragon deeply as it swung its massive tail at my direction. I took cover underneath a nearby bridge, the dragon taking the structure out completely. As I saw it draw breath to blow the hellish fire at me, I knew this was my chance. With a burst of strength and energy, I threw the sword at its throat, silencing it forever. Its scream made even the mountains crumble as it fell, writhing in pain. The sword was broken, but it unleashed a holy power that destroyed the evil dragon. The power of the five mighty kings killed the beast, leaving peace throughout the land.

"Everyone cheered and celebrated after the terror was terminated. I was deemed a hero and to be chieftain of the village. I refused, knowing that the position was for someone more qualified. So instead, the villagers gave me this." With a snap of his fingers, his lucky coin appeared between his fingers. It was a foreign looking coin, something didn't resemble anything that the Sapphire or other realms had.

"It's a charm, to ward off the evil and bring me good fortune. And it works perfectly. I escaped from the gossip hawks of the court and found myself in the company of a stunning young woman." He leaned back in his chair and smirked. He finished his drink, feeling parched after his little story.