Of Roses and Moonflowers (One-Shot)

~6:00 PM~


The king stood outside of the palace gates, waiting patiently for his guests. He had sent out the invitations to the four refugees that had arrived just hours before, as well as a few others he knew would appreciate the break from their lives in the city. Having over-seen that his staff were preparing for the finest feast that his subjects would ever enjoy, the man was confident, though incredibly nervous, as well.

He worried about the fox-blood. Knowing how rough it was to settle somewhere so foreign, so far away from your home- a home that no longer accepted you... it was certainly disheartening. But he hoped the demon- hoped all of them- would be able to settle comfortably in their new homes.

At the time specified, those who had received invitations began to arrive in a steady fashion. Dressed nice and neat, everyone came looking their absolute best. Well, those who actually had time to get nice clothing that is. When the fox-blood, Rune, entered to greet all of the other guests he was disheveled, dressed and looking the same as he had when he came through the portal originally.

When he saw how everyone was dressed, he absolutely panicked.

The king smiled when he saw everyone and he dipped his head in acknowledgement, "Thank you, everyone, for coming. It will be a pleasure to have you this evening for dinner," he spoke, kind and warm, his gaze sweeping from each person before his eyes fell on the demon and he smiled a little warmer. "You've made it," he chuckled quietly, "I am pleased."

"It's not like I could miss such a kind invitation, eh?" He said, giggling as the king's eyes met his own. He couldn't help but feel comforted in the presence of the kind man...something about him making the fox-blood feel calm. He had never been to a feast before, but he knew he was in for a world of difference in comparison to how he normally ate.

The other three from the portal were there as well, but they seemed to not have taken an interest in Rune, choosing to stick to each other.

The king had noticed this, something that displeased him to no end, but he let it slide for the moment, as he nodded his head, "Well, shall we head inside then? Our food should be ready by the time we settle in the dining hall."

With these words, the group of guests slowly started to disperse from the gathering area into the dining hall itself. Due to it being a rather social event, people were busy being merry and talking amongst one another, so it took a while for the message to get around that it was time to move into the next room.

With his ears pinned back and his fluffy pink tail hugged close to his form, Rune moved alongside all of the other guests, happy to just blend in the crowd instead of trying to make himself stand out.