Fandom Xenoblade: The Queens' Bond

[ReaperMelia]

The bustling streets of the Agnian capital were more packed than usual as rumors and hushed whispers swarmed regarding the appearance of three travelers who had just arrived at the city. While some were curious about the blonde-haired man wielding a mechanical sword and the blue Nopon with frizzy hair, most attention was focused on the woman with a pair of wings sprouting from her head. While most Agnian citizens were aware of their queen's search for the kingdom that had helped them avert the potential disasters of their two worlds fusing into one, most had only heard tales of what the Kevesi people were like. Just about everyone knew that the Kevesi queen had wings much like this woman, but could this really be her?

Melia Antiqua's pace picked up just a tiny bit as she made her way through the city. As curious as she was about Agnus and its people, her desire to finally meet the woman she'd spent years collaborating with was too strong for her to get distracted. She took quick glances around as she walked; it wasn't difficult to notice that everyone they passed stopped and watched the queen and her friends. She smiled and waved at the crowds, though she never once broke stride. Over the last 10 years, Melia had worked with Nia to find a way to reach each other and bring their people closer. While navigating this new world and learning where they even were had proven to be a difficult task, Melia had always felt a strange instinct that seemed to help pull her towards Agnus. That pull was now stronger than ever as she finally began to approach the lift to the levitating castle. She led her two companions to the guard at the lift, and while she could tell from the look on his face that he already knew who she was, she introduced her party anyway. "I am Queen Melia of Keves, and these are my friends, Shulk and Riku. We have come to see Queen Nia." While the guard seemed startled, he nodded and invited the three onto the lift. As Melia and her friends made their way to the castle, she heard the crowd behind her erupt into cheers. At long last, the allied nations had finally been connected.


In the Agnus Castle throne room, Rex, Pyra, and Mythra were hard at work combing through scouting reports and devising strategies to extend their search parties into new territory. While they finally secured a route that could hypothetically be used to travel between Agnus and Keves, there was still much to learn about this world. Rex would often go out and lead scouting teams himself, but he knew that the Kevesi scouting party was due to arrive any day now if the route proved to work. As excited as Rex and Pyra were to make new friends, they were both even more excited to see the queens unite. It was obvious to them that Nia couldn't wait to meet Melia in person, and they wanted to be present to celebrate with her when the queen arrived...

Suddenly, a castle guard burst into the room. He took a moment to catch his breath, trying to compose himself. "What is it? There's not an emergency, is there?" Rex asked, holding his breath.

The guard shook his head and addressed Nia. "Your majesty, Queen Melia Antiqua has arrived! She's in the entrance hall with her companions."

Rex exhaled a sigh of relief and looked over at his partner, a huge grin now plastered on his face. Pyra's eyes lit up as she quickly turned to face Nia. "Let's not keep her waiting, shall we?" She clasped her hands together and smiled, anxious to get moving.


After finally reaching the castle, Melia stepped into the entrance hall with Shulk and Riku. She wandered around and enjoyed the sights of the castle's grand halls and artwork, though she was mostly just trying to keep her mind occupied while she waited. As composed as she normally was, she was struggling to not follow the pull she felt towards what must be the queen herself. She knew Nia would be here any moment. She just had to be patient... But for once, that was proving to be difficult.

 

[Echo1001]

Many things raced through Nia's mind as she approached the entrance hall. Companions at her side, she practically ran ahead of them, stuck in a speed walk. It was certainly a sight to see her like this.

"Been a while since she's been this excited, huh?" Mythra commented, mostly to herself as she watched the Queen out pace the rest of the group.

Nia didn't hear, though. She was too focused. What should she say? Should she present her regal persona? Surely she should, this was a fellow Queen after all. But even then, what would she say to begin with? It would be a disaster if she decided to improvise, but at this point, they were already on the way there. Was there even time to think of something to say?

With one grand and enthusiastic motion, she began to push the doors to the hall open. Realizing she had gotten a head of herself, with the twitch of her ears, she paused. "Ah, sorry... I s'pose I was in a bit of a rush there." She said with a nervous smile, allowing the rest of the group to catch up.

Then, the door opened. An almost familiar feeling washed over the Queen of Agnus as she finally laid eyes on the Kevesi Queen. All the plotting in her mind flew out the window as she stood silently, staring her down. With uncertainty, she soon bowed politely. "Ah- Queen Melia. A pleasure." She said calmly, her voice as sweet and polite as she could make it. She hates the formalities, but what else could she do?

Shulk smiled softly as he gauged the reaction of Melia. He knew how much she was looking forward to this.

 

[ReaperMelia]

Melia's eyes widened a bit as the Agnian queen entered; she felt the warmth of reuniting with an old friend, though she knew they hadn't met before. They'd communicated from afar, of course, but she couldn't help but feel as though this wasn't their first time meeting face to face. She dismissed the thought, assuming she was just caught up in the excitement of the moment. Melia returned Nia's bow and smiled. "A pleasure indeed, Queen Nia. I'm glad all of our work has finally proven successful." She motioned to her companions, inviting them to step up and greet the queen and her family. "Of course, I couldn't have made it here without my friend and my student at my side."

Riku waddled forward and gave the best bow he could muster. "Riku is honored to make the acquaintance of Queen Nia and Queen Nia's family."

Rex strolled up to the Kevesi trio and stuck a hand out to the guests. "Name's Rex! I'm glad you could all make it out. Nia's been so excited to finally meet up!" He chuckled and grinned.

Melia was taken aback at how casual the Agnian king was, though she smiled and stifled a giggle before gently shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rex. I've heard all about you and your exploits."

"Nia talks about me that much, huh?" Rex laughed as a faint blush crept across his face. After greeting the queen, Rex knelt down to shake Riku's paw before offering a handshake to Shulk.

Pyra giggled a bit, unsurprised but still amused by her partner's eagerness to introduce himself. She bowed and waved at Melia and her companions. "And I'm Pyra! It's nice to meet you all." She smiled, though she was also still trying not to chuckle after seeing Nia rush through the halls to meet her fellow queen. Mythra was right; Nia hadn't been this energetic in a while. Pyra was happy to see Nia so lively and excited.

 

[Echo1001]

With a blush, Nia quickly stepped forward to Rex's side, feeling a bit embarrassed by the conversation. "Y-yes, well, in any case, it is a pleasure to meet both you and your company." Her gaze shifted over to Shulk briefly, smiling. "You must be Shulk, I've heard a bit about you as well. Nice to finally meet you. As well as you, Riku."

"That's correct, Queen Nia. I am Shulk, the pleasure is all mine." He replied, bowing lightly to the Queen of Agnus. He brought his attention to the Energetic Rex, giving him a polite nod of acknowledgement as he shook his hand. "And you as well, Rex."

Mythra too introduced herself, with a bow and a more casual wave. "I'm Mythra. It's a pleasure." Was all she said, she could relate to Nia in terms of struggling with formalities, that was for sure.

"...It's a relief, as you said, that our work was not for nothing." Nia spoke up, making eye-contact with Melia. For but a fleeting moment, she felt an intense familiarity, but just as soon as it had came up, it was gone. "I hope your journey..." She paused for a moment, as if she were thinking about what to say next. "...Was a pleasant one. By all means, stay as long as you'd like. You're forever welcome in Agnus."

 

[ReaperMelia]

The same sense of familiarity hit Melia as she locked eyes with Nia, and she gave the queen a curious glance for just a moment. It was a powerful feeling, though it faded just as quickly as it came. She straightened up and smiled at Nia. "It was a long trek, though we certainly enjoyed getting to see more of this world. Thank you, Queen Nia. I'd love to spend some time here and get to know you and your people."

Riku nodded, casting his gaze around the castle. "Riku is very curious about Agnus technology! Riku has much to learn from Agnian engineers." As polite and formal as the Nopon had been trying to act, a hint of excitement bled through in his tone. While he had learned a lot from Melia over the years, he was eager to discover any new tricks and techniques that might help him continue to improve.

With the greetings out of the way, Rex grinned and spoke up. "Hey, why don't we celebrate their arrival! I think a big occasion like this deserves a little party!" He looked around at his own family and the Kevesi trio, gauging their interest.

Pyra stepped up and placed a hand on Rex's shoulder. "While I'd certainly love that, I think our visitors might want a little time to settle in and rest first. They did come a long way to get here, after all." She gave Melia and her companions a sheepish smile as she tried to reign her partner in a little.

"Ah, good point. What about tonight, then? That should give 'em plenty of time to get ready, and it'll give us time to get some nice grub ready!" Rex beamed at Nia, hoping that plan would sound good to her and the others.

 

[Echo1001]

Nia couldn't help but chuckle at the idea, it was certainly very appealing, it was hard to pass up a party. "Oh, sweet- I mean- That sounds like a lovely idea, Rex. Thank you."

"I'll admit, I'm rather curious to see more Agnian technology as well." Shulk nodded. "I've already seen such interesting things, and we haven't even been in the castle for very long. Perhaps a party could be a nice chance to get a better look around..."

"Well, lucky for you... As long as you're fine with listening to a rambling Nopon, we've got just the engineer for you." Mythra stated, soon joining everyone by Nia's side. With a smirk and a tiny chuckle, she glanced at Nia. "You wanna show 'em to the guest rooms? They're your guests after all, you should be the one to guide them. Then, I guess later we'll be throwing a huge party... Guess Rex has had worse ideas."

The suggestion Mythra posed was a pleasant one, one which Nia liked. "Yes, I can do that. I'd be more than happy to." Checking over the trio, Nia grinned. "Would you lot prefer to head that way now? I'm sure you're tired from your long trek."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Melia let out a soft chuckle as Nia's regal demeanor dropped for just a moment. With how casual the rest of the queen's family had been so far, she wasn't too surprised to see that Nia was just trying to keep up a formal presence for their meeting. After the queen posed her question, Melia nodded. "Yes, that would be wonderful. And I'd certainly enjoy a party as well." She smiled, eager to spend more time with the Agnian royal family.

Riku gave Mythra a courteous bow. "Riku would be appreciative of the opportunity to speak with this rambling Nopon. Many thanks, Mythra." He then gave Nia another bow. "And Riku would also enjoy a rest. Many thanks, Queen Nia."

Rex clapped his hands together and grinned. "All right! Pyra, Mythra, want to come help get this party organized while Nia takes them to their rooms? We've got a lot to figure out before tonight!"

Pyra nodded and smiled. "Sounds good to me! We've got a lot to celebrate, after all." She turned her attention to her sister. "What do you say?"

 

[Echo1001]

"As long as I don't have to cook anything. Because apparently, I'm 'not good at it' and I'd 'poision the guests'." Mythra replied, crossing her arms with a certain amount of hostility, enunciating her two points as if they were quotes from someone else.

"Surely it's not that bad..." Shulk had said, partially to cheer the clearly annoyed woman up, and partially because he seriously doubted one's cooking could actually be that bad.

Stifling a bit of laughter, though failing as she let out a small snicker, Nia stepped away from the group, turning to face the Kevesi travelers. "If you would follow me, I will show you to your rooms. They're not far." Nia had quickly regained her regal personality, still wishing to appear professional and proper to the guests. She could tell quite easily that Melia was significantly more suited for the Queen role than she was. She carried her dignified self with a lot more seamless grace than Nia herself could ever hope to hold.

Whether that was actually a bad thing or not, was up to interpretation.

---

With that, she began to lead the trio away, down the hall that led to the throne room. The guest rooms weren't far, often reserved for close friends of the Royal Family, hence the close proximity to the throne. And though they've never met, such a guest as Melia Antiqua and her party were considered close friends.

"Your technology is certainly incredible, Queen Nia." Shulk spoke up, as he examined their surroundings intently. "I've seen many interesting things, as I said earlier. Agnus is very fascinating."

"Ah... Yes." Nia responded, admittedly not knowing too much in terms of technological side of things. Even with Origin, she oversaw the creation and assisted greatly in the plan, but she'd be lying if she said she played a huge part in the actual, literal construction of Alrest's half. "It's certainly, well... Interesting, yes. I'm glad you find it interesting."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Riku nodded as he followed the queen through the castle. "Riku thinks Agnus is very interesting indeed. Riku is excited to explore and learn more!" Much like Shulk, the Nopon was glancing around the castle, though he was really anxious to go out and wander through some Agnian workshops.

Melia let out a little giggle in response to her student's enthusiasm. She asked Riku to join her in part because she knew he'd be curious about Alrest's technology. "I'm also looking forward to exploring the city. Even just considering what we passed on our way to the castle, your kingdom is so different from anything in Keves... I'd love to learn all I can about it. If you have time to spare in the coming days, could you please guide us around the capital?"

"Riku is shocked that masterpon took note of many differences between Keves and Agnus on way here. Masterpon looked too focused on meeting Queen Nia to pay much attention to surroundings." Riku spoke bluntly, still too focused on assessing the castle to look at Melia as he addressed her.

"Well... yes, I was looking forward to our meeting. That being said, it would be difficult to not take in at least some of the sights in a city as lively as this." The queen was a bit embarrassed by Riku's statement, but she managed to keep a level head and tone.

 

[Echo1001]

Nia's ears raised a bit as she heard Riku's words. Melia was certainly a lot more calm than she was, the only reason she hadn't shouted at Rex when he had first adressed the other Queen and her companions was because the conversation quickly shifted away. Or maybe she just had better self control than she thought? She smirked. It was probably that.

"I've got to say, I'd like to look around as well. If you've got the time, of course. Having the queen as a guide would be great!" Said Shulk. The idea sounded fun, and he knew that all three of them would get something enjoyable out of it.

"I'd love to show you around. Maybe some day it will be you showing me around Keves." Nia replied, not entirely realizing what she had said until after she had said it. She meant it though, the idea of exploring Keves did not sound unappealing, just as these three were curious about a land they've never seen before, Nia was curious to where Melia came from as well. She had heard stories of course, as they were plotting Origin's construction. Though after all was said and done, she was quite sure there would no longer be any giant humanoid Titans, but ruins of how they once were. Similar to Alrest's own.

With that, they had reached a hall of doors. There were more than there, five total. "Here we are, the guest bedrooms. Go ahead and pick whichever you want, they're all the same inside. I apologize that we can't provide a more... A-Ah, um..." Nia hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right word. "...Queenly room? For you, Queen Melia. I hope it isn't an issue."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Melia smiled at Nia, chuckling softly. "It's not a problem at all, Queen Nia. I'm just grateful to have a place to rest. Thank you for letting us stay here. I'm looking forward to our little tour." She took a few steps towards her room before stopping and turning back to face the queen. "By the way, I would love to show you around Keves one day, too. I'm sure our alliance will only grow stronger now that we've established a travel route between our nations, so it would only be fitting for you to visit us as well. You, your family, and all Agnians are welcome in Keves any time." Melia did believe that additional visits and regular travel would help to serve diplomatic purposes, but she was also just looking forward to spending more time with the Agnian queen and her companions. While they had only been here for a short time, she was already enjoying Nia's company, and she was excited to get to know more about her family and the people she led.

While his teacher had stopped to speak with the queen, Riku decided to waddle into his own room. He was anxious to take a moment to rest his feet after their long travel, but he was also just as eager to peek through the window and get a look at the capital from up high. He hoped to get a glimpse of some larger machinery and perhaps discover a few things he could ask the queen and her Nopon friend about later.

 

[Echo1001]

Taking notice of the Nopon walking away, Shulk too decided it best to allow Melia and Nia time to converse. With all of Melia's excitement, the two had no chance to talk together alone yet. "Thank you for your kindness, Queen Nia." He said, bowing politely, before stepping backward a few paces. "I'm going to take my leave now. I appreciate you and your family."

With that, the man had left the two alone, leaving for his room, prompting to choose the one beside Riku's.

"Thank you, Melia. That's very nice of you. I'd be very happy to take you up on that offer, and I'm sure my family would as well. At least, Rex would for certain, the giant child he is..." She trailed off a bit, Rex's excitable personality clear in her mind as she spoke. "Ahem, now that I think about it, it might be a good experience for Mio as well." She stated, seemingly in thought. "She's expressed interest in traveling to Keves before, but now there's a very good reason to do so."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Melia chuckled as Nia trailed off. "Rex certainly does seem like the adventurous type. We'd love to have him visit. In fact, I can think of someone he'd probably get along with very well..." Melia chuckled again, imagining Rex and her friend Reyn exploring together. She could already tell it would at least be a very entertaining sight.

"Mio?" Melia recalled the other Agnians Nia had told her about in their past conversations. "Ah, your daughter, correct? She would be more than welcome to come visit." The queen smiled. "I'm assuming I'll see her at the party? I'd like to meet her." Nia had shared plenty of stories about her family in the past, and so far, they were just as colorful and interesting as Melia had expected. She was excited to eventually put some faces to the other names and stories she had heard from Nia.

 

[Echo1001]

"Yes, she will be there. Mio is my daughter, I'd have loved for her to be there to greet you, but she was preoccupied with a friend of hers at the time." Nia mentioned, smiling fondly at the mention of her daughter. "Honestly... Knowing her, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she invited her friend to come join, once we let her know there's a party. She's a kind person."

Having thought about what to say for a while now, Nia spoke her mind. Letting her royal persona drop, purposefully this time, she looked upon Melia with a much more causal smile. "I'm glad you're here, Melia. Can't... Express enough how glad I am our plan worked. And, I can't express enough how glad I am to finally meet you." She said, even dropping the 'Queen' title when she addressed her new friend. "It's a good thing we found a way to communicate, 'cuz I don't even want to think about what would have happened if we hadn't."

"I'll let you rest up now, but if you need anything, just let one of us know. I'll come and nab you and your group up for the party when it's ready, but until then, just make yourself at home. Unless, you needed anything else?"

 

[ReaperMelia]

"I see. Melia smiled, noting how proud her friend looked as she spoke of her daughter. "I'm looking forward to meeting Mio and her friend, in that case. I'm sure that any friend of your family must be a wonderful person."

Melia's stance lightened up a bit as Nia finally relaxed and opened up to her. "I'm just as glad to be here, Nia. I've been anxious to meet you ever since we began putting our plan into motion. I'm relieved we were able to ensure our worlds merged safely, and I'm happy to share this new world with you. I know we'll be great friends." While her regal tone hadn't shifted, her smile widened.

As much as she would have loved to continue talking, Melia was feeling a little tired after all the excitement had settled. She knew she'd need to make sure she had enough energy for the party, too. "I think I'll be good for now. Thank you again, Nia. I'll see you again soon." She took another step towards the door before pausing to address her fellow queen again. "Oh, and just so you know, I don't mind if you'd like to drop the formalities. You seem much more relaxed now, and I'd like to get to know you better. The real you, that is. We're friends, so there's no need to act so formal if it makes you uncomfortable." With one more smile and a soft chuckle, she walked into her room. "See you later, Nia."

 

[Echo1001]

With a deep sigh of relief, Nia's shoulders slumped down almost immediately. "Ah, that's good to hear... This whole formal shtick is so bloody hard to put up all the time. Right then." The Agnian Queen said, cracking her neck and suddenly sounding a lot less Queen-like. This was certainly more comfortable for her, that was for sure. "I'll be off, then. I look forward to talking to you more, but until then, I'd better go check up on the preparations."

Turning to leave, Nia smiled softly. "Appreciate it, by the way. Hope we can be good friends."

Nia wasn't usually one to dive into a friendship headfirst, but something about Melia just felt... Strange. Strange in a good way, but strange. Perhaps it was just their united effort to save their worlds, but she simply felt like she was already a friend. With that, she left the woman alone, heading back to meet up with her family.

---

Several hours had passed, and a big table had been set up in the throne room. A table filled to the brim with delicious food, cooked by Pyra, naturally. Everyone stood waiting with a palpable excitement as Nia had went to fetch the guests of honor, the aroma of the food filling the massive chamber. Mio stood by the table as well, standing beside Rex and Sena, who she had invited over to the party. The more the merrier, after all, and Sena was a close friend of the princess'.

Staring over the table spread, Mio smiled widely. "Ah, Pyra's such a great cook... It all looks so good."

 

[ReaperMelia]

While Melia could tell that the queen's regal act was different from the way she usually acted, she couldn't help but laugh a bit once Nia finally dropped the act completely. "I hope so as well, Nia, though I'm sure we'll get along wonderfully. I'm looking forward to continuing our conversation later, too. Goodbye." Melia gently shut the room to her door and settled in before lying down to rest.

As tired as she was from their journey, Melia still found herself struggling to get much sleep. Part of the reason was that her mind was focused on the excitement of arriving in a completely new kingdom, but her excitement to see Nia again was just as strong. She felt as relaxed around the queen as she was around her friends from home... a feeling that still perplexed her a bit. Of course, they had been working closely together for well over a decade now, and even if a lot of that time was focused specifically on broader-scale goals related to saving their worlds and finding ways to continue cooperating, the two had plenty of time to simply talk about their lives. Even then, she couldn't shake the thought that this all seemed more familiar than it should... after tossing and turning for a while, she eventually fell asleep, managing to get some rest before the party.


As excited as Sena was to meet the Kevesi queen and her companions, she couldn't help but feel a bit out of place at a fancy party in the castle. She was grateful that Mio had invited her, but she was worried that a plain old Blade like her would stick out like a sore thumb among all the royalty and heroes. She only had a few hours to prepare for the party, and she spent most of that time agonizing over how to make sure she'd look formal and presentable. Sena showed up in the nicest dress she could find, though she felt a bit clumsy, especially as she paid closer attention to her posture and manners. She had been busy analyzing the way she had been carrying herself until Mio's voice broke her concentration. "Huh? Oh, yeah! The food looks aweso- er... wonderful!" She gave her friend a very wide smile.

"Thanks, you two!" Pyra grinned at them as she finished setting the table for everyone. Even with the short notice, she felt proud of what she was able to put together for their little party. It was worth it to see Nia as relaxed and happy as she had been since meeting Melia.


Melia had woken up just a little bit before preparations had completed. She decided to spend that time getting herself ready for the party. Once she was all set, she opened the door, figuring she'd maybe look for Nia and see if she could do anything to help.

 

[Echo1001]

Mio laughed at her friend's correction. In a way, it reminded her of her mother. Under ordinary circumstances, she'd have let Sena know that she didn't need to be so formal, but with their Kevesi guests, even Mio herself was more inclined to be as respectful as possible. She didn't know what to expect, after all. "Of course, can't wait to eat it." Mio smiled at Pyra, before glancing back at her friend. "Your dress looks great, Sena! I don't see you get all dressed up like this often... Or, at all, now that I think about it..." She said in an effort to boost Sena's confidence. What she said wasn't a lie, she did look great, but she also knew it would take her some convincing to believe Mio's words.

---

Having made her way to fetch the guests, Nia traveled down the halls of the castle, anticipation clear on her expression as her footsteps echoed down the halls. The party was nearly finished, though she had admittedly left to come get the guests a little early. She went through the halls that lead to the guest rooms, soon coming across Melia outside of her room. "Ah, Melia? Everything alright?" She asked, stepping closer to her. "I hope you slept well, the party's almost ready." Nia said with a smile, happy to see the woman again. "I came to get you a little early, but It's... Probably not an issue, yeah? All we need now is three Kevesi guests. Are your friends still asleep? Hopefully I didn't come by too early."

 

[ReaperMelia]

Sena's eyes lit up in response to her friend's compliment. "You really think so, Mimi? Thanks!" She then blushed as she realized that she'd forgotten where she was and that she was trying her best to act formal. Luckily, their guests hadn't arrived yet, but she didn't want to get too relaxed and slip up once they did arrive. She took a deep breath and did her best to calm down. "I know it's not my usual style, but a fancy party to celebrate the arrival of a foreign queen deserves the best, right?" She gave a slightly nervous chuckle. She really appreciated Mio's praise, though she still couldn't help but worry it was obvious that she felt a bit uncomfortable trying to look and act so proper. Maybe Mio only brought it up because she could tell? Sena tried her best to not worry about it too much and just enjoy being at the party with her friend, but she couldn't completely push it out of her mind.


Melia was surprised to run into Nia so quickly. She smiled, happy that their timing was so perfect. "Hello, Nia. Everything's fine, thank you for asking." She took a step forward as well. "I admittedly had a little trouble falling asleep with all the excitement, but I'm feeling refreshed enough for the party." She decided to avoid bringing up the perplexing mystery that had also given her some difficulty settling in. "I don't mind at all. I was planning to look around to see how things were going, anyway." She glanced back at the rooms Shulk and Riku were staying in. "I haven't checked in on them yet, actually. I thought I'd give them a little more time to rest in case your family wasn't ready for us quite yet. Shall we go check on them together?"

 

[Echo1001]

"Well sure, we're ready for you lot if you're ready to join us!" Nia exclaimed happily. "Things went well, the party's just about ready like i said... I really hope you like it, should be a fun little bash." She smiled, walking close to the other woman. "Maybe you'll get to sleep better later tonight." Her expression was soft, though not gentle, she was clearly excited to get things started.

With that, she had stepped up to Riku's door, gently knocking on it. She thought about whether to get formal again or not, but when she glanced back at Melia, she decided against it. If she was going to be so casual with the queen herself, she figured she could let loose with Shulk and the Nopon. "Oi, Riku." She stated, knocking against the door. "Party's ready! We've got a whole dinner spread set up in the throne room!"

 

[ReaperMelia]

"I'm certainly ready. I'm sure it's going to be a fun time." Melia giggled, happy to see Nia so chipper. While her fellow queen went to check on Riku, she softly knocked on Shulk's door. "Shulk, it seems the party's about to begin. Are you ready?"

"Riku will be out in just a moment!" The Nopon called from within the room before yawning. He had still been napping, but he certainly wasn't going to turn down a big dinner. With how long he'd been on the road, it had been ages since he ate anything that wasn't camp food. It didn't take long for Riku to open the door and join the queens in the hall. "Riku is looking forward to big party." The Nopon smiled. "Queen Nia also seems excited, judging from more casual tone."

 

[Echo1001]

Clearing her throat, Nia looked away from the Nopon. "Ahem, right. Well. Figured since the bigshot fellow Queen didn't mind, the Nopon and her friend wouldn't either." She replied with a slight blush decorating her cheeks. It wasn't prominent, but it was still there. It only made sense that her more casual attitude was brought up. "Hope you're hungry, Pyra made... A lot. Pretty crazy she managed to make that much on such short notice, actually..." She muttered, trailing off as she didn't bother to think of the specifics.

Only a few seconds passed before Shulk stepped out as well, smiling kindly at Melia. "I thought I heard you and Queen Nia talking..." He said, closing the heavy door behind him as he stepped into the hall. "She's got quite a loud voice when she's not being so formal..."

Not being far from the other two, Nia's ears perked up as she heard Shulk talk, causing her attention to immediately be brought to him. "I heard that!"

"O-Oh, I'm sorry! It's not a bad thing!" He replied, throwing his hands up defensively.

 

[ReaperMelia]

"Riku does not mind at all. Only noting difference." The Nopon seemed pretty indifferent until the subject of food came up. "Riku is looking forward to dinner! The trip made Riku very hungry." His stomach growled practically on cue.

Melia chuckled first in response to Shulk's comment, then to Nia's outburst. "Agnus Castle certainly is a very lively and colorful place. It's a nice change of pace from how quiet our journey was." The queen smiled at Nia. "I'm glad that you've relaxed so much since we first arrived." She glanced back at Shulk before looking back at Nia. "It seems that we're all ready, so shall we join the others?"

 

[Echo1001]

"Sure, I'm a bit hungry." Nia confirmed, walking away from Riku's door. She had a smile on her face, the new company was certainly welcome in her eyes. Plus, this little Nopon was quite respectful. The whole trio was, really. "Eat your fill, there's a lot. Whatever's left will be leftovers, and probably 'disappear' before the next morning anyway." She muttered, trailing off as she led the group to the party, ahead of the pack.

With that, Nia had began to leave, leading the group down the grand gaudy hallway. Shulk approached Melia, matching her pace to walk alongside her. He wasted no time, having a question to ask his good friend. "Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked curiously. "You were looking forward to this for a while, would you say it was worth it?"

 

[ReaperMelia]

Riku trailed behind Nia, rubbing his stomach as he waddled down the hall. "Riku will be sure to eat plenty." He paused for a moment before asking another question. "Will Queen Nia's Nopon friend be at party? Riku has many questions to ask."

Melia walked alongside Shulk, her beaming face already giving an answer before she opened her mouth. "I'm having a wonderful time. Agnus is such a fascinating place, and speaking with Nia face to face has been even more fun than I had hoped. I would certainly say it was worth all the time and effort we put into this trip." She smiled at her friend. "Thank you for joining us on this journey, Shulk. I'm grateful you made the time to come along."