Thanks to the haphazard anniversary of a scorned man, Lyon was stuck in his inn room for the night. Business was halted with law in effect and so had been his day. The kingdom was slow on this day of remembrance. Thankfully the downtime left him with plenty of time for his research. He still had quite the bit to learn about this nation as he had only been here a short time. He couldn't afford to be lax about any of it now.
He idly thumbed through a book in candlelight, seated against a dark window as he tried to put his mind off the last time he had hunted.

"Well, uh, I don't really carry a comb around everywhere, and if I did I forgot it.", She said softly, rubbing the back of her neck. Diane pulled away from her sister, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "Now, what has dragged you into this part of the castle?"

Axelio II De Arkaos

Axelio II De Arkaos stormed through the hallways of the palace, his black cloak fluttering behind him with every step. Three years ago, the emperor, disgusting father that he was, had died. Today was supposed to be a day of mourning. The nobles in the court had used it as an excuse to throw a feast. Axelio would have dueled the whole lot if the codes had allowed it. Today was one of the few days a year when duels of honor couldn't be declared. Yet the Court was throwing a feast. It seemed as though he was the only one in the whole court sober enough to remember to respect the dead by wearing black. It was a rare time when Axelio could find any amount of respect for his mother, but at least she had decided to at least give the appearance of devout mourning.

Guards moved out of his way as Axelio marched down the corridors towards his quarters. He passed a hallway and heard gentle laughter coming from further down the passage. That sounded like... Turning around, Axelio walked towards the sound. In front of him stood his sister and the empress. No, he reminded himself, In front of him stood his two sisters. Diane managed, as she always could, to bring a smile to his face for the first time since waking up this morning.

" What other reason would I be here? To see you, of course. Its not like anyone else important to me lives in the inner palace. " She takes out a comb from her...pocket, and hands it to her. " Use this. " She then heard someone approached, or more rather, sensed. And from the heavy sounds of their footsteps, it was a man. She turned and looked at her half brother, who Diana had so graciously named after her father.

Axelio II breathed in sharply as the empress, his sister, turned around. He forced himself to bow, exhaling slowly as he did. Deliberately he marched over to the doorway and laid a hand on his sister's, Diane's, shoulder. "I know you dislike me, but I have as much right to come see my sister as you. At least I had the decency to ware black today. What do you think the people will think of an Empress who disregards her ancestors and allows her nobles to feast and party on this of all days? I would think you, of all people, would respect family lines." Axellio said, scowling.

" Honestly, Duke Arkaos, mourning isn't something that should go on forever. If the nobles want to feast and party, let them do so. I respect my family lines. Just not the late emperor. I hardly consider him family, So theres no reason to waste my day, letting work pile up while I mourn someone who never cared about me when he was alive. " She said coldly. She glared at the hand he'd placed on Diane, then moved her gaze to him.

"Of course my liege." Axelio's hand slipped from his sister's shoulder to nervously fingering the place where his dueling foil would normally be strapped. Slowly, he kneeled down before Diane. "I love you sister. Stay safe." Standing, he bowed to Seraphina again. Silently, head down, Axelio II de Arkaos walked back to his room.

She glared at his back as he walked away, then looked back at Diane and her gaze softened. She was still a bit angry, however, because he had no right talking to her, The Empress, like that.

Fed up with the dreadful silence, stories of political intrigue, and the furious hunger thundering through his skull, he conceded and closed the book for now. Perhaps just a few rabbit souls or if he was lucky, a deer soul would be enough to keep his feral instincts at bay for another week or so..
Lyon threw on his robes and hood, taking care to hide his features as much as he could manage, but he still felt his eyes begin to slit in anticipation. He was grateful for the dark cover of night as he blew out the candle and exited the inn. Looking over a map scroll from his bag, he propped himself against an old oak tree in the capital and began scouring for the nearest woodland.

Diane smiled brightly up at her brother. She paid no mind to her older siblings' quarrel, she often bore witness to them. she just always quietly hoped for them to resolve their feud. At least it wasn't as bad as their mothers'. Diane recuperated her brother's affection by placing her small hand on his arm gently, her small smile widening a little.

When Axelio told her to be safe she made a chuffing noise. "I know, I will, brother.", She chirped, hugging him quickly before he left. "Thank you for the brush, Seraphina.". Diane ran the brush through her hair a few times before dragging her sister back to her room.