No More Nobles

To say Alexander was the last noble from the Castle of Dreams would be incorrect. Plenty of others survived Hayden's wrath that night, but those that did occupied the same position in life that Alexander did: they were all now orphaned by the events of that day. Alexander didn't know how to describe his feelings on the matter. He was supposed to have been there in the company of his mother, but had fallen asleep before she had left. He supposed in her mercy, she had let him rest.

He could feel the world shiver that night though. It was like their absence was causing the entire world to seize, and Alexander could feel the agony it experienced.

That was months ago, though. Today was Alexander's coronation. While he wasn't the only remaining noble, and certainly no better at leading than any of the other teenagers or children would have been, it was by fluke that Alexander was the closest remaining relation to the previous royal family. They had also met their ends that day as well, leaving the throne decidedly vacant. No, Alexander wasn't the best choice but politically, he was the only choice. The Castle of Dreams wanted to appear strong... or at least, their last remaining political official wanted to have it appear strong.

His name was Melvin, and Alexander knew him on a personal level. His mother frequently had meetings with Melvin in their home, who his mother always described as a valuable ally. It was something Alexander never really understood, but regardless of affiliation with Alexander's mother Melvin was conspicuously absent the day that the Foreteller of Blades made himself known and attacked the nobles at the ball. Like Alexander, he himself must have been lucky.

Melvin now sat adjacent to Alexander, who awkwardly occupied his large, blue throne. It was made of some kind of  precious material dyed to a strangely luminescent color of gunmetal. It was trimmed with platinum, gold, and ivory as well as being crowned with beautiful silver flair at the top. The throne seemed to so fanciful that Alexander wanted to shrink from it, the weight of expectation bearing down on his shoulders.

Melvin was considerably less phased by all of this, more familiar with the protocol of these situations than Alexander was. While Alexander was a noble by birth and had been raised to deal with these situations, he lacked the maturity to put up with them. He showed his anxiety and his boredom all too readily, a trait which made it difficult for Melvin to relinquish any sort of authority to the boy. But then, he didn't really have to. Being the only actual political entity left, Melvin easily took control of the young Alexander, and would "guide" him into being a successful puppet.

He chuckled to himself. His mother would be proud.

Melvin was an ambiguously brown individual with violet eyes and long hair. His figure was skinny, yet elegant. He was a slightly older man, his late-thirties as evident by the very slight crows feet at the corner of his eyes. it didn't detract from his handsome features, though. He looked over towards Alexander and acknowledged the boy's nerves. "Just relax, it'll be fine."

Alexander looked over the small crowd within the castle, noting their eyes before he leaned closer into his adviser. "But they're all looking at me, Melvin..." He withdrew, and shook his head. "I don't like this."

"You don't have to like it," Melvin said with amusement dripping from his voice. He enjoyed watching young Alexander flail in these social situations, making only vague and ineffective attempts to help him cope. "You are their prince. They're going to judge you harshly no matter what you do. You could kiss babies and they'd spin it negatively."

"I don't want to kiss babies though..." Alexander shrunk further back into his new throne. He should have been enjoying this more than he evidently was, and it was painfully obvious to even the most casual observer that young prince-to-be was horrendously uncomfortable and bemused.

"Don't let them hear you say that. They'll call you a baby killer."

It was impossible for Alexander to make himself smaller than he already was. "I don't want to kill babies either... is this going to be over soon?"

"Hmm, let me check," Melvin said. He just kept staring forward out into the crowd
, a slight grin on his face as he celebrated his victory. Not even a moment had passed, nor did he make even an eye movement when he responded with, "Nope, you've got many more hours left."

Alexander groaned. "You didn't even check..."

"No," Melvin chuckled. "No I did not."

Two blonde girls that looked not so different from other blonde females in the crowd made their way into the Castle. Kia bit her lower lip and clung onto her sister's arm for guidance. "Kia, let go of me... Kiki, people are staring..." Kia's older sister Abigail whispered as they walked into the center, pushing past a few people to get into the front.

"What of the masked man comes back...? What if the prince sees me? Abigail, I want to stay home..."

"(Groan) Kia, the 'masked man' might not be interested in coronations, plus the prince won't recognize you, you're not properly dressed!"

Abigail tilted her head towards Kia's red sweatshirt, mid length pink skirt, and black boots. Avigail was a little proud that she made Kia break out of her traditional messy braid into a nuch more shiny and wavy hair that went past her shoulders. Abigail was wearing a pink dress with her hair the same way but much more straighter and shorter. Kia shrugged, knowing that she had zero fashion taste. The two sisters looked up at the prince who looked like he was bored out of his mind. He wasn't trauma boy anymore, he looked much more different than a few months ago,

"Hey, at least he looks more different than the last time I saw him..."

"He's ugly."

"Abby!!!"

"Ouch! No need to yank my effing arm!"

The two girls laughed, a few of the citizens stared at them with distaste and they stopped, sneaking a few snorts here and there. "They should have picked someone different, I don't think teenagers should run a world with their mood swings and hormones, that's all." Abigail added with a shrug, Kia rolled her eyes and examined the teenage boy on the throne. Maybe he wouldn't remember her, but did it matter? Maybe... Maybe not. Abigail shifted her eyes elsewhere.

"I think the man right next to him is good eye candy."

"The purple eyed one?"

"Yeah."

"He's creepy-looking, he looks like someone that would lock your body parts in his cl- ouch, don't pinch me like that!"

"Creepy-looking? Says the girl who has a crush on an ugly, tall- Ouch!"

The girls laughed and kept pinching and pushing each other until an elder told them to stop, afterwards Abigail fixed her bangs and glanced in the advisor's way. Kia chuckled and waited for the coronation to start, this was gonna be a long day....

Alexander's eyes traced the crowd as more people entered into the ball. Usually, there was an announcer of some kind for these types of occasions... but, the Castle of Dreams currently lacked the nobility to justify such extravagance. It was a time of change and resources needed to be allocated carefully. Those resources were better spent on food and medicine for the children afflicted by the event.

At least, that was Alexander's view. He actually made the choice as a first unofficial act as ruler, without consulting Melvin of course. Melvin, when he found our was less than thrilled that they young prince had a semblance of a Heart, given what he actually was. Still, against his judgement Melvin allowed it to pass, ass he was curious as to the end. Despite having been present during the massacre, Melvin noticed that Alexander's "strange property" had its influence on his mind: the boy did not recall ever being there.

This was not an isolated event. It had been occurring for years according to his mother- the boy would get in trouble, he would get punished for it, then promptly forget that there was even an incident in the first place. It made adjusting his behavior very, very hard apparently, because modifying his attitude required huge amounts of patience and time that his mother lacked. Working within Magi's inner circle was already time consuming, and on top of the immense pressure from keeping a public persona in check? No wonder she periodically beat the shit out of him, and it wasn't like he remembered any way.

As his eyes scanned the newcomers, Alexander almost lept out of his chair when he saw a young woman he recognized from somewhere. He didn't place the location, but he knew her face. Melvin threw up his arm to keep Alexander seated, while his own eyes met the one of two young maidens who had just entered the premises. "Me-ow," he said to himself.

"What?" Alexander said this in response to Melvin's sudden vocal slip.

"Nothing you need be concerned with, my lord," the man stated in a sudden slip of formality. Clearly, being distracted like he was made him less of a conscious asshole to young Alexander. "Please keep seated," he stated as he rose up. "I'm going to go mingle." He darted off almost as fast as he had risen, and Alexander was left reaching out towards a shoulder that was no longer there.

"I... Melvin...?" He lowered his arm as he sat back further into his chair. "Don't leave... Melvin...?" His voice had gotten meeker the second time he called his name, only carrying slightly beyond his lips before being eclipses quickly with a sigh. "Dang it."

Melvin moved through the crowd and was near the young woman in seconds, having procured for both himself and her glasses of wine from a wondering server. He approached her with a suave look about him, and older and almost regal air as he strode forth with great swagger. "My lady," he stated as soon as he found himself upon her, offering her the glass of fragrant adult beverage. "Care to have a drink with me?"

Alexander saw this much occur, and figured Melvin was probably being social. He sat for a moment more before pondering, If my adviser is allowed to be social, why not me? It wasn't that Alexander particularly wanted to be social either. He hated social situations, but being told to not do something that somebody else could do freely irked him, especially because Alexander was supposed to be crown prince, damn it. He should be able to do what ever he wanted. But was that okay...?

Consequences later. For now, social activity! Alexander was up and out of his chair, moving into the crowd. He was almost immediately overwhelmed by all of the people greeting him and trying to meet their new sovereign. He tried his best to navigate the slew of voices pelting him from all sides, but only found himself moving deeper into the mass of people. That's when the panic started to set in.

As the two girls were waiting for the coronation to start, all of a sudden everyone started to make small talk with each other. The two blondes looked at each other with an expression with confusion. They had never been to these kind of things but they heard stories about it from their previous prophet and their father about coronations but they thought it was going to start right away. Kia shrugged and looked around at the other people having conversations, some people had a lot of interesting things to say but it was mostly 'I heard through the grapevine' kind of gossip but it was still interesting. Abigail gasped and nudged an underdressed Kia in the ribs as if there was something urgent.

"K-Kia!"

"Hmm, what is it Abby?"

"H-He's coming over! Pretend were talking about something interesting and laughing!"

Kia lookef over to Abigail and giggled in her palms while the older woman did the same. Suddenly the man came over and asked her if she wanted to have a drink with him, the beautiful woman smiled without showing any teeth and gently took the alcoholic beverage with one hand and slightly nodded. "I would be delighted to, sir," She replied, taking an elegant swig of the drink. "I've never seen you around before, are you related to the prince in any way?" Abigail tucked a loose lock behind her ear as she asked, "And I thank you for the beverage, Mister..?" The beautiful young woman was a little giddy when the man had actually approached her, sure there were other women in the ball but he had toik the time to talk to her! Her of all women! With an air of confidence, the young woman would take another graceful swig as she waited for the man to speak.

Kia took this as a sign to leave the two alone, as she walked away she shuddered. "Yuck!" she exclaimed as she walked around the crowd, trying to find any of the other guards to talk too. She was pretty neutral with them she neither liked or disliked them, sure they were quirky in their own way but she didn't mingle or stay in their little cliques. Kia decided to take a seat in the back of the party, she never liked much social events since Abigail was always the center of attention, but she wasn't now but she still felt a bit anxious. She stared at the ground to avoid the citizens who were staring at her clothes and scowling, maybe she could have picked out something better to wear... Kia's hand landed on her elbow as she pinched the red fabricated sleeve from her red knit sweater, she did not notice bumping into someone, "Whoa, watch- Hey, why aren't you on your throne?" She asked the teenage boy she had bumped into, she noticed the purple hair from anywhere, not that she knew him well..

Up until now, the sovereign of Halloween town had been hiding in the crowd, using his power over the moon to disguise himself as a woman, in order to move more freely through the crowd. Of course, he kept his typical outfit of a tieless school uniform on, in order to prevent people from hitting on his female form. Using this little disguise, he had managed to find himself a spot near the prince of this world.

He was close enough to be able to understand most of what was being said to the young prince, and as he listened, it made him sneer. At least, when he fully heard what was said. He watched and waited at this point, raising an eyebrow as Alexanders advisor left him.

He then watched a sort of mental debate play over the young mans features before he rose from his throne, stepping down into the crowd...only to get surrounded by people attempting to meet him all at once. He only got a glimpse of the young leaders face, but he could tell that he was panicking. That was it. He allowed the disguise to slip as he strode right into the crowd surrounding the boy.

Alright, that's enough! Give the man some space, hes obviously about to have a panic attack! he yelled as he pushed a few people out of his way, putting himself in between the fledgling leader, his own female friend,and the crowd, giving them enough of a death glare to make them back off for now. This made him sigh as he turned around, smiling softly and waving at Kia before turning his attention to alexander for a moment. That bought you two about ten minutes, plus however long you guys talk. I'll leave you two to it but first, introductions. he said simply as he held out his hand for the prince to shake.

Hello, I'm Tyler Saikou, the new pumpkin king of Halloween Town. he said simply with a smile.

Alyx preferred to stay away from the crowd, having taken her place leaning up against one of the further walls, eyes scanning those who gathered. It was mostly to watch the teenager, though. She watched as him and another, older looking fellow were discussing something with one another, the expression on the boy’s face looking like one of anxiety. She gave a small grin at the boy’s fear. She knew what that felt like, feeling like everyone’s eyes were on her; it wasn’t too long ago herself that she became the leader of Traverse Town.

Honestly, however, she came back to the Castle of Dreams because she felt she had to. She was there when it all went to hell, and had stayed afterward to make sure he was alright, however much she might have failed at it. It was the coronation of the Prince of Dreams, who truthfully didn’t look much like one to Alyx at the present moment. It must have been the chair. It was rather huge for the kid. Even her chair was large, but it wasn’t like that one. She shrugged at this. He’d do fine, as long as he didn’t screw up too bad. And there were people who would help him, it seemed- if he let himself rely on them.

Looking around, she caught the site of a few familiar faces- Kia the Guard and her sister, Abigail. Alyx pondered this for a second, wondering if her name was indeed Abigail, or if she simply mistook her for someone else. Believing she got it right, she continued what she was doing; watching the crowd. It was only a little while later before the man got up, heading in a beeline for the woman believed to be Abigail. Looking towards the prince, Alyx’s eyes gave off an amused glint- the boy began to look a little bit more anxious at the man’s sudden leave.

She watched as the boy tried in for some social interaction some brief moments later, a look of resolve crumbling into something nearing panic after a couple of seconds into the crowd; no doubt overloaded with how many people were around him. It hadn’t passed, she bet. The boy hadn’t forgotten the fear and the anxiety of that day, even though she first thought it was the stress of having to become a ruler, but the more she thought about it the more she felt that it was just more fuel for the fire. She couldn’t really understand how that felt, but on the other hand, she had horrible memories from that day as well.

Alyx had begun to go and help the boy, but saw that someone else beat her to it, and decided to hang back a bit longer. She didn’t really have the mind to socialize, but she would see the event through to the end; so she wasn’t about to go anywhere.

Melvin smiled confidently at the young woman's attempt of grace. He was no spring chicken, but he wasn't a newcomer either. He could practically smell her succulent naivety wafting off of her dress. Even as he swirled his wine the scent of her excitement mingled with the robust smell of the fermented drink, and he took a very delicate and purposeful sip. "You are most welcome miss," he said with a charming amount of bravado. "Ah, but of course! How rude of me to forget to introduce myself! My associates call me Ryn. You may call me Melvin, my dear."

He spoke with a casual tone, yet used such formal language that he seemed all the fancier for it. "I am young Alexander's adviser. I knew his late mother, you see. I was absent for the... tragedy," he became slightly more serious as he addressed it, lending it more weight with his words than the rest of his sentence, "that took the young lord's mother from us due to a prior engagement. I always told her the life of nobility would be the death of her..." he frowned slightly, staring into his wine as he took another sip. "I never imagined it would be taken to such a literal extent."

He returned her interest, and re-plastered his smile onto his face. "And what about you, miss...?"

---

Alexander, in normal circumstance, did not freak out in social situations. This is what he lived for- a noble from the Castle of Dreams was brought up to be composed and sharp-witted. And, usually, Alexander was that. He'd been more than a little off kilter since his mother's death though, and the addition of Melvin inciting his nerves just happened to intersect well enough with his long-buried and hidden social phobias, stirring them back to life for the perfect storm of panic. He bumped into the familiar girl, who started to chide him but instead asked a question. Alexander, in a bemused tone only replied with, "Have we met before?"

No sooner did he manage to spit those words out did yet another individual enter the scene, pushing others away from Alexander to create space, which would have been fine except for the amount of attention he was drawing in return. Somehow though, he manage to dissuade their curious eyes. He turned his attention to Alexander and the other girl, addressing them now directly. At the mention of his title, Alexander had made a slight recovery of his composure. He looked only for a moment with uncertainty at the Kinng's hand, before grasping it. "I'm Alexander," he replied. "I actually... lack a last name."

The man had introduced himself as Melvin, but his peers called him Ryn. Melvin was a... Dorky name for such a handsome lad, but she guessed that it fit him. She smiled and nodded as he continued to speak. Apparently, he was an advisor to the upcoming world leader. Abigail had to look that word up in a local dictionary since she was still at a third grade readong level, or maybe she could just ask Kia! She turned to her side, to see if her little sister was still there. Hmm, maybe the little one ran off somewhere, Oh well.

The youmg adult hated not being able to know advanced words and their meanings. It made her feel inferior to Kia, who albeit taught her to read and write. But, the only neat thing she could write was her own name. She had beauty but sadly no brains to back that up, she simply tapped her fingertips on the glass as Melvin spoke about the not so recent slaughter of the Nobles. He seemed greatly saddened over the death of Alexander's mother, she frowned as he smiled again just for her own benefit.

Her lips curled into a smile as she slowly reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Mr. Melvin. It was quite a sad day for us all, I hate to say this but life goes on and the fair lady is in a better place now," She would say as she gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze, "And my name is Abigail Mason, the pleasure is all mine." The young adult realized her hand was still on his shoulder and slowly. remove it while biting her lower lip, resuming her interest inthe wine by taking a small sip. She and her little sister always had a problem with being touchy-feely with people, especially strangers, it was something that they both had to stop doing..

As the glass left her lips, she turned her attention back to Melvin, wanting to pay attention to him throughout to coronation. "So, how do these coronations work? Have you been to other ones like this? Excuse me for my questions, It seems as if you're the most interesting person at this party, even though we have only exchanged a few words." She smiled and giggled in her palm, waiting for his response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kia widened her eyes as he faced her, "W-Well-" Before she could say anything, someone was blocking their way and it was Tyler Sexy Saikou! Flashing his fanged smile at her before introducing himself to the young prince. Kia looked around nervously and blushed, starting to think about what would happen if these two guys were in a room toget- Where did that thought come from!?

Kia shook her head to rid of these thoughts as the prince introduced himself as Alexander. The boy had no last name which Kia found quite sad. The young girl looked around and saw someone familiar almost walk over and then retreat to their spot. "ALYX!! IT'S KIA, COME OVER HERE!!" Kia screamed, jumping to get the older woman's attention, hoping the mayor of Traverse Town would notice her. She would then turn back to the two boys and grinned, "Introductions, I'm good at these. I'm Kia Mason, nice to meet you Alexander-no-surname~!"

When Alexander told him he lacked a last name, Tyler simply smiled and nodded. That's not as uncommon as you'd think. Up until I was..five or six, neither did I. Which is extremely frustrating for a child who has a name as common as my own. So, I came up with one on my own, which was my mothers aim the entire time. If ever you get tired of having only a first name, make up a last name. Its not as hard as you would think. My last name actually is just a random word I picked out of the language my mother taught me growing up. It means "the best". Which, I get is more than a little cocky, but whatever. He said as he chuckled at Kia's excitement over finding someone else she knew, and then laughed softly at her eager introduction.

But, while we are talking, I would like to impart some words of wisdom to you, young prince. Take some of what your advisor says with a grain of salt. The populace of the worlds thrive in comfort. So long as your rule does not infringe upon their comfort, you will be fine. However, you needn't be afraid of breaking up their comfort if absolutely necessary either. He said as he simply nodded sagely. They were words of wisdom he learned from experience, and they weren't helpful in all situations, but it was a general rule of thumb of being a leader he had learned after the fact. It would be a good first step for Alexander towards becoming a competent leader, rather than a anxious heir to the throne. That was really all he needed, was that first step. He would end up taking the rest on his own. And, with that, he was done imparting advice onto the heir. He had let go of the young leaders hand after he explained the whole last name deal, and now he turned his attention onto Kia. Well..this is certainly the most casually I've seen you dress. he said with a grin.

If there were ever a chance that Alyx could stay relatively out of sight, the guard had broken that quite magnificently. Aiming a weak smile at the girl, the woman instinctively straightened by the large number of quizzical looks she had aimed at her as Kia screamed over the crowd. Mentally, Alyx sighed. Well, Kia still seems as impulsive as the last time I saw her. She reflected, still, the woman couldn’t help but be somewhat amused. She was glad to be remembered, at least. Straightening herself out a few moments longer, she trudged on to the group. It was a small one, consisting of Kia, the little prince Alexander and the odd boy she noticed earlier.

When she arrived, she could hear the last bits of the advice the boy gave him before leaving him and making his way toward Kia, who Alyx gave a nod and a smile as she passed by. It was nice to see a familiar face, but while the woman was up she might as well give a few bits of advice of her own…however much it might help; a good bit of her reasons being that she wanted to see how the kid was holding up after that event 3 months ago. Moving her hand in an effort to draw the boy’s attention to her, one could hear her utter the words: “Hey, Kid.” In the prince’s direction, just in case she still hadn’t managed to get his attention.

Once she was satisfied she had gotten her attention, she began. “You remember me?” Alyx asked the prince, curious about how much the boy had actually caught from that day. She remembered him being in a state of extreme shock, so she wouldn’t have felt bad if the kid didn’t remember her. It just meant she’d have to start from the top.

Melvin chuckled at the young woman. "You flatter me madam," he said with a humble grin. "I would never have dreamt myself as the most interesting in such a lovely lady's eyes." He winked just lightly at this, and then started on answering her question. "As for an event such as this? No, I have not. The last king's coronation was well before my time. Even so, he's only a prince at the moment," Melvin concluded. "He still needs training to be a proper king."

He too took another sip at his wine as he surveyed the area, concluding that it was too crowded for his intentions. "Miss, may you follow me elsewhere? This party is too crowded I'm afraid." He offered her his arm. "I'll show you around the castle, if it pleases you."

---

Alexander listened carefully to the man's exposition, taking it all in and subsequently recycling it to boredome. He wasn't trying to be rude, but while this "Tyler" was a noble Alexander didn't find his story at all interesting, mostly due to the fact that as a Noble, Alexander was trained to listen and filter only the important bits and pieces of information out of the rest, retaining them and sending the rest of it out of his mind. This happened on reflex, and all Alexander knew of the man by the end of his speech was that he picked his own last name, and that he was the King of Halloween Town. Wait, did towns have Kings...? Alexander immediately became aware that however polite and helpful the man may be, he could just be full of himself.

That made the rest of the speech disconcerting for the boy, since almost none of it was filtered out. Tyler claimed that his adviser was untrustworthy and gave him a direction on how to lead people, regarding their comfort as being prime above all else. Alexander almost made a rebuttal, but was stone faced. Even being a new leader he knew that was a bad idea. People were different. They were comforted and thus sated by different things. If ever a time came to pass where he had to create a new law, somewhere somebody would be offended by its nature. Nonetheless he kept his mouth shut, and merely nodded humbly. "Thank you for the advice," Alexander said in a grateful tone, allowing the man to get on with his communication with the other girl.

And yet another voice called out to him- one he made almost direct eye-contact with. It was another familiar face, but Alexander couldn't place it exactly... "Oh, yes," he responded, attempting not to be rude. "How have you been?" He extended his hand towards the woman. "I don't recall if we were properly introduced last time we met. I'm Alexander."

Abigail grinned as he asked her if she wanted to see the whole castle, she gently wrapped her arm around his and nodded. "Of course, lead the way!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kia smiled once Alyx came over to socialize, she always thought that the mayor was quite an introvert. Not that being an introvert was a bad thing, Kia never understood why people didn't like to go to social events and mingle and make friends. What was wrong with talking amd making friends? Strange how the human brain works...

As Tyler started to give Alexander-no-surname advice, Kia noticed a lot of things. How Tyler talked about himself, as if he was better than the rest and he was pretty self absorbed. So Tyler wasn't perfect after all. Sure, it would annoy somebody to talk to a self absorbed Tyler but the guard just found it interesting that Tyler actually HAD flaws. Kia smiled a little, glad that the Pumpkin King had cracks in his 'perfect' personality. She looked at the faces of her friend and the prince, the prince... Well, he always had a constipated look on his face so she didn't know his reaction to Tyler's 'I made up my own last name, I learned so many things on my journey and you should do this and that just like I did!' speech. While Alyx looked pretty interested.

When Tyler complimented her on her casual dress she groaned. What was with him following her around everywhere? She knew she was his wife from another dimension but that didn't mean.. Jeez, maybe he's trying to get her to be his girlfriend. Ugh, the 'G' word... All she wanted to do was make him love her, tear his heartstrings, and kick him back to the other dimension and continue her adventures. Sure, she sounded like a player, but hopefully it would work; She didn't want a boyfriend to hold her down and stop her from exploring. Well it's showtime! She giggled and twirled her hair like a ditzy teenage girl, "Well, I had nothing else to wear~!" She would say, "So, how are you enjoying the coronation so far?"

Tyler could tell that Kia was planning something with the way she was talking, but he decided not to say anything about it this time around. She asked him how he was enjoying the coronation so far, and it made him smile. Well, things are going rather smoothly now, since the prince has calmed down and nobody else has seemed to come along to bother him. He said with a smile as he held a hand out to her. Would you like to dance, or would you like to eat? Either choice is a good one. He said with a chuckle. He wasn't trying to come off as if he thought he was better than everyone else, especially since he had a lot of self doubt still. But..trying to play it down wasn't exactly sound logic either. It was hard to play it down when it was a very big thing in your own life was not exactly easy. So, it was what created his aura of "Im better than you". He tried to better himself by removing it, but it was an uphill battle.

Alyx gave a little smirk at the little prince's introduction. He was nothing if not a polite gentlemen, wasn't he. Still, the formality of the conversation made her want to tease him a little bit, even if she had the sense not to. "I've been fine, kid. Can't really complain." she nodded to him, taking his hand while she did so. "Alyx." she introduced herself, shaking the princes hand. Alyx felt this was nice, the fact that he hadn't recalled who she was. it made her time here a bit easier on both the kid and the mayor; to him she was probably just another visitor. "So. Your coronation. How are you feeling about it, kid?" she asked, a quizzical expression on her face. "I imagine it might be a little bit overwhelming?" she said, a grin on her face.

(gonna ignore the Melvin/Abigail thing for now and let that be a background event)

So, her name was Alyx. He'd have to remember that as to not get his nickname and her first name confused, which could prove to be a task in and of itself. Though, he knew he was smart enough to avoid such social mistakes. He smiled back at the woman and nodded as he spoke. "It is overwhelming for me," he replied with an honest expression. "There's so much and I'm worried... I only have Melvin left to help me lead. Everybody else died during the massacre." He said this with not sadness, and not happiness, but resignation. It was like a child venting to an authority figure about a problem they couldn't solve.

Kia slowly crossed her arms and slowly rocked to the music, trying to think about what she wanted to do. The underdressed teenager liked to dance, but there was a nice big buffet table... "You know, I think we should eat!" She exclaimed as she grasped his hand and turned her heel to walk away from Alyx and Alexander who were talking, "We'll be right back, Alyx and Alex~! The blonde said with a chuckle, since their names sounded the same.

If Tyler followed her to the buffet table, she would let go of his hand and picked up a beef kebob offering him once before asking, "So, why do you wear that uniform all the time? I mean you could've worn something better..."

As Tyler took and bit into the beef kebab he was given, he pondered the answer to the question he had been asked. Why did he just wear the school uniform like apparel that he chose to wear every day? As he thought about this, he shifted his weight from left to right. The moment he swallowed what food he had been eating, he had his answer. Well you see, I used to have variation in my wardrobe..but when I came here, to this universe,,my body felt uncomfortable in casual clothes, However, it felt even more uncomfortable to wear suits..so I tried the middle ground, This outfit is the result of that. Its the only thing I can really wear without feeling super uncomfortable. He explained as he placed his kebab on a plate, gathering up some salad as he did so. He was hungry, and he did quite like salad. So he gathered up some. He turned to Kia and smiled softly. However..I could try to find something else that I feel comfortable wearing, if you would like me to. He offered as he grabbed a fork and speared some of his lettuce with it, eating it rather quickly, enjoying how fresh it was.

Alyx nodded at the prince's words, knowing it was a rather large burden being placed on his shoulders. "Aye. you have your adviser; but remember- an adviser can only give out so much. Remember to look at the people and what they want. THEY are the people who truly matter." she told him, hesitantly placing a hand on the little princes shoulder. "Now, I'm not gonna lie to you and say it'll be a piece of cake; `cuz its not. But as long as you try, than there really is nothing else you can do, is there?" she questioned him, before giving him a solid pat on the shoulder. "And hey, if you feel tired or burnt out; ask Melvin to take charge and swing by Traverse Town for a little bit. I'll probably brew up a pot of coffee and we'll chat." she said with a grin.

Alexander was making a little note in his head that people from other worlds didn't quite understand etiquette. He appreciated their gestures of sympathy and support, but the constant touching was really, really weirding him out. Nobles didn't really touch each other much when they conversed, and as far as Alexander could recall even physical contact from his mother was sparse in private, let alone in the public eye. People just weren't touchy-feely here, and that wasn't a bad thing. Neither was the desire to constantly assure people through physical contact, but it was something he was considerably more unfamiliar with.

Once more, Alexander received advice with a similar theme. Alexander didn't understand. Weren't the people meant to look to him in times of uncertainty? How could he get things done if he watched them watch him? Mob rule was no way to conduct a Kingdom, and the very thought of it proved frustrating. That isn't to say that the people shouldn't be satisfied, but somebody needed to act as their guide and give them direction. As far as Alexander could tell, that was the point of a monarchy. However, in keeping with how he was raised he remained with a smile, keeping his poker face.

"You're right," he responded. "All we can really do is give it our best shot," His smile didn't fade as he continued, "and lead well enough and live long enough to regret it!" He laughed slightly as he finished his sentence, placing an emphasis on the playful nature behind the statement. "But, I think you for the offer in all seriousness. I must be honest: I am more of a tea person, but should I ever need to I would love to visit you in Traverse Town one day."

Kia's cheeks turned crimson when she imagined Tyler wearing something much more formal then his uniform. "I think you should dress into.. A tuxedo.. Hehe.." Since he had powers, he could make it happen.

(Bad post vv.)

When she asked him to dress up into a tuxedo, Tyler shook his head as he chuckled. He quickly and deftly snatched away what looked like a torn bit of tablecloth and snapped it outwards, creatig a white tie which he quickly knotted before sliding his jacket off and snapping it around as he put it back on, turning it into a grey tuxedo jacket with silver buttons, which he buttoned up as he tilted his left leg back, the grey pants he wore becoming more crisp, considering how close they were to suit pants already, that was the only real change. He at least was already wearing dress shoes, s o those didnt need to change. Better? he asked with a grin. He was now dressed appropriately for the event, and he looked rather dashing now. Everything contrasted quite well, and it just looked genuinely fancy. He hoped that she liked how he looked now.

Alyx nodded, feeling she had stated her advice, relieving her hand from the boys shoulder. "Tea person then?" she questioned, nodding to herself while she filed that information down in the back of her head. "Well, swing by whenever you wish; I suppose I should let you do your thing." she said, rubbing the back of her head with a rather amusing expression on her face. She wasn't sure how to continue the conversation, and she didn't want to make it any more awkward than it probably already was- so she would detach from the conversation, like always, unsure what to do next.

Sometimes she DID miss the company of paperwork- it was far less awkward than trying to talk with people, that's for sure. Excusing herself, she began to recede into the background, debating on leaving but deciding on lingering for just a little while.

Alexander could tell that Alyx was attempting to disengage from the conversation, which was fine. She had extended her courtesy and he had... accepted? He believe he accepted, though maybe not as she had believed he might. That could have been what threw her off- coffee drinkers often found themselves at odds with tea drinkers for a plethora of reasons, one of which was at least due to the fact that coffee was more bitter and tea was more sour.

Alexander decided to end the conversation himself, rather than make her feel awkward. "Oh my," he said glancing at the large clock in the background. It was quite large- the size of a person in diameter, its face illuminated by candlelight from the chandeliers. "Look at the time," he declared, trying to give her a sense that it was over. In reality, the time on the clock mean nothing at all.

"My time is running short- my carriage may turn into a pumpkin before long," he chuckled to himself, but wasn't sure if an off-worlder would get the joke. "I'll have to return to the thrown soon, so I'm sorry to cut the conversation short."

Kia smiled when Tyler dressed into a tuxedo using his magic. "Yes..Better..." She said with a small squeal. The teenager was... Well, she didn't know how to explain the feeling but her nose sure did. She felt liquid trickle from her nostril, she swiped across with her index finger and found a small trinket of blood. "Oh shit- Excuse me!" Kia quickly grabed tissues and stuck them up her nose. "I wonder when the coronation is going to start, don't you?" Gosh, this was embarrassing...

When she squealed slightly at his change in clothing, Tyler chuckled as he picked up his plate again, biting into his kebab with a suddenly more regal air to his movements and actions. He wore a half-assed formal attire so he only had to act half formal...ever. But he did know how to act like he was of nobility. It was much easier than he thought it would be, though it took forever to learn. When she had to stick tissue up her nose to prevent it from bleeding though, he simply grinned. However, she posed a good question. When WAS the coronation to actually start? You raise..a very good question actually. It's either gone and past, or their waiting for more people to show up. The second one is ridiculous if they are, damn near the entire world is here right now. He said simply as he looked towards the throne, curious to see where this party was going to head.