Night’s Company

Isabelle replies to Raydn's question about how she knows his father "Your father was a friend of my father and I often saw him while they did business together. "

"And I also saw you when we were young, so you probably don't remember."

Raydn gives an amused smile at this and he shakes his head. "No, I do not yet know you." he says with a polite laugh, "But I would certainly be happy to get to know you better." he continues and he means every word. It is rare for him to meet other nobles in the first place, and it is even rarer if they seem to not have any prejudices toward him or his family that would keep them from being friends with him. He is grateful and excited by the opportunity to get to know her better and hopefully become friends and he will do his best to make this chance count.

The three of them Raydn, Nathan, and Isabelle talked for awhile until a man interrupted their conversation. Raydn looks at the man who walked up and interrupted them and he feels his nerves flair up a bit. He has seen many well dressed and important people over the past few minutes, but this new person carries something about him that is different from the others. He is more polished and he gives off a confidence and superiority that Raydn has not seen from anyone else so far. His heart beats a little faster but he tries his best to stay calm and relaxed. He looks at the man's face as he approaches and he gives him a polite nod of acknowledgement.

Nathan steps forward and asks the man "Is there anything I could help you with Lord Wallaker?"

Lord Wallaker has a calm and collected demeanor about him as he approaches. He has a sharp and calculating look to his eyes and his jaw is set in a line, clearly a man who is well practiced in dealing with such gatherings. His manner is one of authority and he carries an air of importance and influence with him, and yet his speech manages to maintain a calm and reasonable tone and he still speaks in a polite manner even though the clear implication of his words is that he sees these people as lower than himself. Raydn sees all of this and is a bit nervous about what Lord Wallaker could possibly want.

Lord Wallaker has a calm and collected demeanor about him as he approaches. He has a sharp and calculating look to his eyes and his jaw is set in a line, clearly a man who is well practiced in dealing with such gatherings. His manner is one of authority and he carries an air of importance and influence with him, and yet his speech manages to maintain a calm and reasonable tone and he still speaks in a polite manner even though the clear implication of his words is that he sees these people as lower than himself. Raydn sees all of this and is a bit nervous about what Lord Wallaker could possibly want.

Raydn's nerves kick up some more when he sees Lord Wallaker's eyes on him before he goes onto speak. He feels a little self conscious under the man's eyes, and he tries to stand tall and remain calm. He understands he is likely looking at a man who is very powerful and important and he is being judged right now. He tries not to show any signs of fear or doubt as this man is clearly someone who will not have any patience for weakness, but all the same he is feeling a bit nervous and self conscious at the moment.

Lord Wallaker yells "How dare you attend this formal gathering while wearing such hideous attire?!"

Raydn was not expecting a direct attack on his own apparel and he feels a sudden pang of anxiety and shame hit him as the crowd falls quiet and they all look at him. He feels every single pair of eyes in the room upon him, all those wealthy and important people looking at him and judging him right now, and yet he takes a deep breath and tries to not let it cause him to lose his composure. He stands tall and straight and he meets Lord Wallaker's eyes with a calm and level expression. He does not like this man's approach and he does not like being treated in this way, but he will need to

Nathan stands infront of Raydn and defends him "What YOU said just now is too much!"

Lord Wallaker looks at Nathan first with some confusion and then with annoyance at the young boy's words, he clearly does not appreciate being reprimanded in this way. He gives a slight sneer and looks away from Nathan towards Raydn with a cold and calculating expression. "Do you not know who I am?" he asks, clearly more to Raydn than Nathan. "I am Lord Wallaker." he says with an air of superiority and with a hint of condemnation in his tone when he finally speaks, "I am one of the highest nobles there is."

Nathan counters "Even if you are one of the highest that still doesn't mean you could just flat out insult someone!"

Lord Wallaker snorts in a disapproving way and rolls his eyes, "It is my right to do what I please." he says with a condescending tone, clearly believing himself to be superior to all the people around him. He looks back towards Raydn and he gives him a cold look of judgement. "Now, answer my question. Do you know who I am?" he asks again, in a harsher and more demanding tone.

Raydn feels overwhelmed and embarrassed by the scene at the gathering, and he is also angry at the way the Lord Wallaker treated him. He is furious at the way he was disrespected and humiliated in front of all these people, and he is embarrassed that his own lack of knowledge has led to such a situation. He runs out to escape his own emotions and to get some space, and in the end he finds himself in a forest. The quiet and calm of the nature helps him clear his mind and he feels his anger and anxiety start to fade.

Raydn hears someone approaching him and he turns around to see who it is, and he is then surprised and happy to see that it's Isabelle. He also notices from her exhausted demeanor that she must have been running after him and he immediately feels a little bad for causing her to worry like that. He gives her a kind smile and looks at her, his face a little concerned as he realizes what she surely would have witnessed. "Are you alright?" he asks her in a soft voice, showing a bit of the care he has for her here.

Isabelle replies "I am fine, thank you, but are you?"

Raydn nods, "I am alright." he answers her, "I just... needed to put some distance between me and that lord, and... I guess I was a bit rash." he says and he gives a sort of sheepish look as he remembers the scene, his own face turning a little pink from embarrassment yet again. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this too." he adds, knowing her own presence in this situation, not to mention having to run to reach him out here, could not have been an easy experience.

"No, it's fine really." She says as she sat down next to him

Raydn lets out a small sigh of relief as he lets himself relax and breathe in the tranquility of the peaceful forest. He really enjoys this sort of setting, it calms his nerves and helps him feel at ease. His own tension eases off of him and he feels himself growing happier by the minute as he just takes in the natural environment and the calm air. "This is... nice." he says with a smile as he sighs pleasantly, taking in the beauty that surrounds them both.

After a few minutes another person appears and this time it's Nathan.

"Wow, you too sure are getting along well."

Raydn turns towards Nathan with both surprise and delight at seeing him, and he laughs at the notion of them "getting along well" after the argument earlier. In fact, if he is being honest, this has been one of the most stressful and anxiety filled days he has had in quite a while up until now. "We were just enjoying the tranquillity and peacefulness of this environment," he replies to Nathan's comment, "Although you are welcome to join us." it's a light-hearted response, and a friendly jab at their previous disagreement.

Raydn chuckles lightly as he sees Nathan joining them. "Nathan, I did not realize you enjoy the tranquillity of nature so much?" he asks him with a warm smile, "It's a rare thing for a noble to enjoy the calm and peacefulness of the outdoors rather than the more posh and refined settings that are more typical of nobles." he continues, "Not that I mind at all." he adds, and he gives an amused chuckle once again. He feels a little relaxed and at ease now that the three of them are together.

Raydn gives a nod to Nathan and then turns his attention to Isabelle, "It will be my pleasure to walk you home," he says to her with a smile, and he offers her his hand so that he can help her stand up. "I'm sure it's on my way home anyway." he adds with a bit of a smile as he stands up. "Thank you for your company today, it was truly enjoyable." he says to Nathan before he turns to go with Isabelle. "Is it very far away from here?" he asks, directing the question to her.

"No, not at all." She replies

Raydn's smile widens at that and he gives a nod as they start walking. "Then let us be on our way." he replies to her, and he makes his way along the road as he continues talking in a casual and friendly fashion, "I was happy to have your company today, Isabelle." he says after a moment, "It was a bright spot in this otherwise stressful day." he adds, "What do you think of these sorts of gatherings?" he asks curiously, as he had never been to a gathering of this size and he was curious of her thoughts and opinions on them.

"I think they're a way to learn information and form bonds with other families." She replies to his question

"I can agree with that," he replies to her statement about the gatherings and he gives it some thought as they walk. "It definitely gives you a chance to see what the other influential families are like." he replies, agreeing with her statement. "They can be nice in their own way," he says with a shrug, "But personally I would prefer something a little more quiet and tranquil myself, I think I would enjoy it more than I enjoyed today's gathering." he adds, "But I suppose if you want to learn information and form bonds, you have to be a little outside of your comfort zone."

They arrive near her home and Raydn delivers Isabelle to her doorstep.

Raydn is glad to have been able to walk her to her door and he smiles pleasantly at her when they arrive, "Thank you again for your company today, Isabelle?" he says and he gives her a polite and respectful bow with an elegant flourish. He has really enjoyed her company and speaking with her, and he is glad to have been able to get to know her. "I would certainly like to stay in touch with you, would that be alright?" he adds.

"Sure! I also enjoyed your company tonight." She replies in a happy voice

He gives her a kind smile and a nod of his head before he turns and goes on his way, he heads off back to his family's home after a long and eventful night. He has certainly learned and experienced some things today, and at the end of the day, he leaves with some renewed hope and courage from all the kind people he was able to meet there.

Raydn's eyes are heavy and after a very tiring day his body is finally able to rest, his mind drifting slowly away from consciousness and into the realm of sleep. He is grateful to be home again and he is ready to enjoy a relaxing and calm evening at his own home after a day of the more noisy and busy sort. He slowly falls into a deep and peaceful sleep, his mind at rest and his body is able to slowly recharge and recover from the exhaustion of today's events.