Unmotivated Deity

Despite Jien wishing that it would, time seemed to pass rather slowly as the preparations continued. Runa and Lizbeth treated him like a dress up doll and at a certain point he could only accept his fate and let them do as they pleased with almost lifeless eyes. Meanwhile the manor and its grounds were cleaned more thoroughly than they had been in many years. The staff treated the occasion as if the members of the royal family were attending, though no such thing was going to happen.

The Losler family may have been appointed by the royal family but that did not mean they had the time to attend every tenth birthday for every noble child. That being said, two days before the actual event a messenger was received from the capital bearing the royal coat of arms. This was a congratulatory letter sent to all noble children on their tenth birthday. It was a standardized letter with only a stamp of the royal coat of arms as a signature but many families cherished it anyway. Earl was one of those that cherished the acknowledgement and made sure to have it framed and hung in his study.

Faster than Jien realized the day of his birthday had arrived. The grounds and manor were near spotless, the wood fixtures polished to the point that one could use them as mirrors, the stone polished so thoroughly that any light reflected on its surface. The furniture in the various rooms had been set in such a manner that they would be able to handle their guests.

This morning Jien woke, sleepily rubbing his eyes and stretching with a long yawn. He had woken up according to his usual schedule built with his training even though he wouldn't be completing said training today. The sun had yet to break past the horizon but Jien already knew in his heart that today was going to be painful. Likely not from a physical aspect but from a social one. He had not interacted with the attending families in the past but he had a gut feeling that by the end of it he would be more exhausted than if he had completed his training routine three times over.

On this day Runa was outside his bedroom as he woke up. She did not wake him herself, instead knocking on his door when he was up and stretching. Given the importance of the day and the fact that he would not just be representing himself but the entire Losler household and the people of Afrem City, everything from start to finish had to be handled just so. As such, as soon as Jien had awoken Runa and a group of other handmaidens had entered his room with all of the different outfits and accompaniments for the day.

While the other handmaidens were getting things ready Runa walked over to Jien and took hold of his wrist as if to make sure he wouldn't escape before dragging him towards the bath. She would ensure that he was spotless for the introduction to the other noble children and their parents. She filled the bath and used a few different scents in the water to ensure that beyond being clean he would smell decent. It was both her and Earls hope that he be able to perhaps get along with one of the girls that would be visiting, after all that was how Jien's parents had met and also the path that many arranged marriages between noble families took.

Jien was scrubbed thoroughly from head to toe by Runa until she felt satisfied with her work. By the end of it Jien almost wanted to groan in exasperation but Runa didn't give him the chance, swiftly and thoroughly drying him with wind magic and adding a hint of misted liquid which carried a subtle earthy flora scent. She then dragged him over to the other handmaidens who dressed him, much to his discontent before styling his hair in a simple ponytail using a black ribbon to tie into a bow. They had even gone as far as using some varied lotions to give his pale skin a certain luster. They then took him to have breakfast with his father before Earl, Jien, Runa, Mark and Emily all made their way to the manor's front to greet their guests who were soon to arrive.

Jien was dressed for the first part of the day, the sparring with the other noble children. He wore a simple yet crisp white shirt with open collar exposing below it a hint of a green-silver finely crafted chainmail shirt made of a very lightweight yet durable alloy. On top of the shirt he wore a light brown leather cuirass which had a blend of small metal scales and chain mesh along its sides and a few strategically placed but stylishly crafted metal plates placed over the vitals. He wore black, light leather riding pants, a pair of brown leather boots that had metal buckles to match the metal of his cuirass. He also wore his brown leather dueling gloves, while on his belt hung his gifted rapier with its dark metal, its guard having been replaced with the mixture of dark green and brown that made up the Vine Guard. On the back of his belt hung another sheathe containing the knife gifted by Mark on his ninth birthday, its cool blue metal sticking out in the shadow of his back.

Lastly were two pouches attached to his other hip. One of the pouches contained a few clear crystal phials that contained liquids of different colors. Only a section of these phials were visible though a small opening in the pouch, meant to make it easier to identify what alchemical concoction you would be grabbing. The other pouch was simple in form and medium in size, being perhaps twice as tall as a standard envelope only as wide and just thick enough to put a few smaller items at best.

As Jien stood there with his family and mentors the guests began to arrive, several carriages pulling through the manor's front gate and making their way to the walkway to the manor proper.