Summoning a Noku

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda left Melda's chambers and went back to her own to find a proper dress for meeting with the King. Even if he was her uncle, she should still be in her best dress and behavior. Sifting through her closet, Lucinda picked out a dress in a lovely shade of royal purple. The top was corset style, having a sweetheart neckline of course, laced with silver ribbon. An intricate design of vines and roses was woven into the corset. Under the top she wore a light, silvery grey shirt with long bell sleeves. The skirt was long and loose, brushing the floor. The ribbon from the corset was tied in a bow at her back, the ends trailing midway down the skirt. Her handmaiden pulled the sides of her hair back, twisting the strands elegantly and pinning it back with a silver rose shaped hair clip that had purple leaves. Satisfied, Lucinda picked up Uncle Noku's gift box, which was wrapped simply in gold colored paper, and headed out her door. 

She wasn't sure how she wanted to proceed with this and so she ended up wandering the halls for a bit, thinking. Finally, she stumbled upon a quiet, deserted room on the second floor. The door was closed, but unlocked when she tested it so she let herself in. It was a large corner room with plenty of windows that had a great view of the courtyard, fairly secluded from the rest of the castle it seemed. Perhaps some kind of study, by the looks of it. She wondered why she'd never seen this room before but shrugged. It wasn't like she'd gotten an official tour or really bothered to explore much on her own. She set the brightly wrapped box on a nearby desk and began to explore the room a bit. Unbeknownst to her, a servant had spotted her entering the King's study and had already left to alert Noku Noru. 

[Noku Noru]

The servant searched the halls hoping to find the King. Her hands clasped to her dress as she searched the castle. The princess of Palico was in his personal study unattended!! The servant panicked at the thought of Noku catching her in his office, un-aware that the panic was of no need nor would she ever find the king in her frantic state. un-knowingly to both ladies, Noku was still within his study and already aware of Lundia’s presence within the room the moment she had opened the door.

The sound of the door opening caused him to stir from his slumber. His peace and quiet interrupted by a familiar face as she entered the room unaware of his presence. Didn’t blame her, there were no guards posted sense he had managed to slip past the guards and finally found a bit of peace away from the world. Completely covered by a heavy quilted blanket. He laid still as Lucinda walked around his study. He could hear her set something down on his desk, but what it was he wasn’t sure of. He couldn’t see after all while under the blanket nor did he dare to move until Lucinda was starting to walk around the room.

At least pretend to be waking up… Noku thought, slowly and carefully rustling under the quilt. His head being the first thing to emerge from under the quilt as he stared at Lucinda as she stood near his book shelf. His golden eyes locked on the girl with a slight raised brow and narrowed eyes that seemed rather exhausted. Noku yawned before slowly sitting up, his attire rather simple being a dark violet button shirt with silver dragons embroidered into the fabric. His pants were the same deep purple and silk material. A style that was mostly seen in Kanto, but had been a gift from his uncle from Kanto brought over a few days ago. His hair matted a little on one side to show he was a sleep at one point. Finally looking at Lucinda upright on the bench he had fallen asleep on with his blanket pushed over to his side.

“ Lucinda? What on earth are you doing in here? “ Noku asked his voice rather groggy while he wiped the edges of his eyes. He didn’t sound angry just curious as to why Lucinda was here. Once he placed his hand back down on the bench he noticed the gift on the desk and blinked at the present and then to his dear cousin in curiosity and some shock. Was that what he heard her place down on his desk.

“ Did you come to bring me a gift?” Noku asked, his tone calm and a little curious.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda heard a sort of rustling about followed by a yawn and she froze, panic crashing across her face before she could compose herself. She turned to find Noku, whom she had obviously woken up, staring at her. As if his looks weren't clue enough, when he spoke to ask her why she was there, he even sounded like he had been woken up. A blush settled firmly on the girl's cheeks along with a look that was equal parts horrified, embarrassed, and apologetic. "Your majesty, I can explain..." she started, then paused as he asked her another question. She followed his gaze as he noticed the gift on his desk, daring to smile a little when he sounded curious.

"Yes, I did come to bring you a gift but I didn't expect to find you in here. I'm very sorry I woke you. I was just wandering around looking for a somewhat private chamber to meet you in to give this to you" Lucinda explained, honestly. She hadn't the slightest clue she was in the king's personal office. "I can leave, if this is a bad time. I really didn't mean to disturb you, Uncle," she added, still looking quite nervous.

[Noku Noru]

Noku’s gaze remained on Lucinda as she froze and obviously began to panic where she stood. It seemed as though his sudden presence had caught her off guard; Which wasn’t what he had intended to do. With pressed lips Noku stared at his dear cousin. She hadn’t seen him? Nor did she know this was his private study? Odd then why would she leave a gift in a random room if she hadn’t expected it to find him at some point during the holidays. With a raised brow Noku stared at his little cousin as she blurted out her explanation for being in his study. His eyes blinking in bewilderment at her fidgety behavior.

His gaze following Lucinda’s as she shifted her attention over to the desk and where she had set down the gift. A sigh finally escaping his pressed lips as he could see the nervousness in the girls stance and mannerisms. His right hand lifting to grab the arch of his nose between his eyes; letting out a yawn behind his hand as he rose to his feet.

“ Calm yourself girl. Its fine that you woke me; I didn’t need to sleep the day away. “ Noku reassured his dear cousin, waving his hand as if to gesture that it was nothing to worry about. He walked over to his desk, casually picking up the box and sitting down at his chair. He stared at the box for a moment before glancing up to look at Lucinda, seeing how nervous she was just standing there in the middle of the room.

“ Thank you Lucinda.” Noku nodded, his own eyes glancing over at the very small pile of gifts that were off in the corner. “ I hadn’t expected for you to be in Nova during this time of year or I would of been more generous with my holiday tidings. I had your other gift sent to your home in Palico, it should be on its way along with your brother’s gift…. So I hope that this gift would do until you decide you want to go home…The gift over in the corner, its in blue paper.” He spoke, seeming rather apologetic as he looked down at the gift in his lap. His fingers tracing over the ribbon. “ I will admit, its a good change to see family during this season.” Noku nodded, his voice rather calm and the words that left his lips seemed to be filled with a bit of warmth. Nuku had never EVER in his life wanted to be around any of his family members during the holidays. In fact, he preferred to be my himself. But it seemed that something had hold of his heart.

A image of a blond hair elf flashing across his memory for a brief second as he sat in his chair in silence holding his present in his lap. His cheeks slightly brushed with pink, forcing himself to shake the thought. Perhaps he was sick or something along those lines. Either way, the blush didn’t stay long as he began to open the present.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda sighed, dropping her guard and looking visibly relieved as Noku assured her that it was okay that she had woken him. She watched as he moved to sit in his chair, picking up the gift as he did. The young princess smiled when Noku thanked her for the gift, having not even opened it. She listened as he explained that he had sent her gifts to Palico, and her brother too, confirming what Aria had suspected. Noku then directed her to a gift in the corner, sounding a bit apologetic about the whole thing. She gave him a gentle half smile. "That's quite alright, Uncle. Really, you couldn't have known that I'd be here. Perhaps I can ask my brother to send them to me as I'm rather curious now. I do appreciate it though, thank you so much!," she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement by the time she finished. After that, Lucinda made her way over to the corner and picked out the gift Noku had indicated.

She smiled as the king said it was nice to see family. Lucinda knew well that her uncle was not known for spending time with family. She had to admit she was curious what changed his mind, but didn't pry. "It is rather nice," Lucinda said simply, then pointed at the box. "You can open that when you are ready, Uncle. In the meantime, may I?" she asked motioning to her own gift, clearly excited and curious about what it might be.

When Noku did decide to open his gift he would find a large, ornate goblet made of a magic resistant metal. The cup has a symmetrical design featuring the Noru family crest on either side framed by elegant arches, lattice work, and symbols of royalty. The stem is a nice balance, not too thin and not too thick. It has a simple lattice design, matching the cup, with 2 white crystals centered on either side in tiny sockets. The base is sturdy, round, and has a series of glyphs etched into the metal incorporated in the design so as not to be obvious. 

[Noku Noru]

Noku unwrapped the ribbon and tore the paper off the box. He pulled the lid off and stared into the box and stared at the goblet with a pleased smirk. Tossing the lid behind him, he pulled out the goblet and inspected the design of the metal and the weight of the cup. His eyes moved from his gift over to Lucinda as he notice her beginning to open her gift.

As Lucinda would pull out her gift, she would noticed it was two boxes tied together by a ribbon. As she would open the boxes, one box had a heavy steel gray winter cloak with white rabbit fur around the trimming and hood. The clasp on the hood and front of the cloak were white wooden buttons with Celtic knot designs. The second box had a dress inside, a long elegant gown that fit snug against the frame and fanned out towards the knee down the floor. The actual pattern on the dress was a single white tree that started from the bottom of the dress and the limbs scatter all the way up the dress. Hooked on the waist were silver rings that held fine spider silk lace dress guard around the dress as a veil. The bottom of the veil a beautiful Celtic pattern. Along with he dress were a pair of metal silver arm cuffs with a opal gems in the center. A necklace that that matched the dress and was the same silver metal as the cuffs with tiny gold chains connecting the necklace together.

Noku sat the goblet down on the desk quietly as Lucinda unwrapped her gifts. He stared down at his gift and didn’t look up as he opened his mouth. “ I am sorry about Silas.” Noku spoke out, breaking the silence of the room and placing both his hands back on the arm rest of his chair. “ I’m sure he would of enjoyed spending the midwinter holidays with you.” he spoke softly just barely above a whisper as if talking to himself as he looked up from the goblet back to Lucinda.

“ Thank you for my gift, I will use it often.” Noku nodded, giving Lucinda a smile.

dress design image: i.imgur.com/xTZigIM.jpg

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda smiled as Noku examined the goblet, still quietly working on unwrapping her gift which she just noticed was actually two gifts. As she worked the ribbon, Noku broke the silence, apologizing for the situation with Silas. Lucinda stopped, looking up at her uncle with a somber expression. "Thank you. I'm sorry you had to hear about it. I know you probably have much more important concerns to be worried about. We'll settle out soon enough, I'm sure," she said quietly, before turning her attention back to the boxes.

She didn't hear Noku's whisper but looked up when he thanked her for the gift, smiling. "You're very welcome, Uncle. I should explain though. That goblet is enchanted. Do you see the glyphs worked into the design at the base? Their purpose is to detect tampering with any beverage in the goblet. If it sets off one of the glyphs, the crystal in the stem changes color. Any type of herb based poison is green, non lethal medicines or herbs are purple, spells or attempts to tamper with the goblet are blue, if the beverage is alcoholic then it's red. I suppose you might get a mix of colors if multiple methods are used, but I'm not sure," Lucinda explained. It was obvious she'd remembered the incident from her first visit here and decided to do what she could to protect him.

Finally managing to get the first box open, Lucinda's attention turned to the cloak as she pulled it out. She stood, allowing it to fall to its full length as she looked it over, delighted. She marveled at the intricate designs of the buttons and rubbed the soft rabbit fur against her cheek. "This looks very cozy and I simply love these buttons! I will take good care of it," she promised, obviously thrilled. She folded it carefully back into its box before opening the second and pulling out the dress, gasping as the material unfolded. "Oh...this is beautiful!" she exclaimed, as she inspected the details. She turned the dress around carefully, making little noises of delight and appreciation as she took in the design and the spider silk lace, the silver rings and the celtic pattern. "The cloak will match this quite well, Uncle," she noted, pleased. A gleam from the box caught her eye as she noticed the silver arm cuffs and necklace tucked into the wrapping. Not wanting to put the dress down, Lucinda used one hand to gently lift the necklace, the delicate chains clinking together as she did. After a moment of oohing over the accesory, she traded it for one of the cuffs, loving the delicate designs of both.

"Thank you so much! This outfit is absolutely gorgeous and matches so well. With the cloak, I can even wear it now as long as I don't travel too far. I love it, Uncle Noku," Lucinda said, grinning and clearly excited. The young princess was not hard at all to please. She took a few steps forward and then stopped, giving Noku a sheepish look. "Normally, I would hug anyone who gives me such a wonderful gift but..." she explained, trailing off.