To say that Azalea was fuming after she blasted down the door to see Neidr and Arrieta grinding plant matter would be an understatement. Arrieta's shock and Neidr complacent look caused her temper to rage, and she screamed,

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?"[Azalea] Neidr cocked his head and gave her a funny look, he said,

"Grinding plant matter."[Neidr] Azalea released an inferno from her palm, raised her hand up towards the ceiling about to light the room on fire then she was immediately doused with cold water.

...

Literally. Neidr picked up the large mug of water he had next to him and splashed Azalea, putting out her fire and drenching her clothes. Azalea froze and looked at Neidr as if she wanted to eat him alive. Neidr asked softly,

"What is the matter?"[Neidr] Water still dripping from her, she looked at Neidr and said through gritted teeth,

"You're avoiding me again, I see that your friendship with Isaac Cykes is truly steadfast."[Azalea] Neidr blinked and said,

"What the fuck are you talking about?"[Neidr] Azalea drew back and said,

"The rumor has already spread through campus, you and Isaac grouped together to evade the guards at Palersa."[Azalea] Arrieta chortled. Neidr waved the angry girl inside, to which she complied. He tried to shut the door, but it just fell over. Looking down at the door and then looking at Azalea, he raised his eyebrows. She, in turn, turned her head and ignored him.

He looked at Azalea and said,

"Yeah, we got along during Palersa, we even shared a meal. He hasn't asked me to do anything against you, nor have I decided to join his camp. A Duke has more potential than... whatever his family was, I forgot."

[Neidr] Azalea interrupted and said,

"They are Earls."[Azalea]

"Yeah, that sounds right."[Neidr] Azalea narrowed her eyes and said,

"I want you to break off relations with them."[Azalea] Neidr blinked,

'Break off relations with dead people? I mean, sure.' Neidr nodded and said,

"Ok"[Neidr] Azalea looked at him and said,

"Good."[Azalea] Before she could leave though, a voice called out,

"What about my door though?"[Arrieta] Azalea stopped walking for a second and said,

"I'll replace it."[Azalea] Just as she started walking again Arrieta called out once more,

"Don't you think it's a little extreme to choose who Neidr hangs out with? Tell ya what, let's make a bet. We'll play a game, if I win, Neidr gets to do whatever he likes, if you win, we have to do two important things for you."[Arrieta] Azalea turned around and said,

"Awfully bold, but to make things fair, I'll be able to make two requests, which the both of you will have to listen to regardless if I win. If you win, each of you gets to have a single request from me, similarly, I would have to do it."[Azalea] Arrieta nodded and said,

"Sounds good!"[Arrieta]

Neidr decided to let this little game play out. Azalea, knowing her personality, wouldn't ask too much of them when she won. Plus, it would calm her down greatly. He wanted this little fire princess to be in the right state of mind because her duchy is the first line of defense against that giant swarm just behind the mountains. The better-off she and her territory was, the better off he was in the future.

"What shall we play?"[Azalea]

"A strategy game!"[Arrieta] Azalea looked at the girl as if she was foolish and said,

"I've been studying strategy all my life, if you are sure you want to do this, I'll allow you to choose the game."[Azalea]

"Tic Tac Toe!"[Arrieta] The duo drew out their squares and Arrieta went first. She placed an X in the top right corner. Azalea placed an O correspondingly in the bottom left corner. Neidr covered his eyes with his palm.

Azalea had lost. The game played out and Azalea was baffled. Neidr looked over to her and said,

"You've never played Tic Tac Toe, have you?"[Neidr] Azalea shook her head and said, no, but shouldn't a strategy game follow the rules of strategy? How did she win?"[Azalea]

"She went first."[Neidr]

"What?"[Azalea] Azalea looked down in thought and muttered,

"Maybe it's representative of the idea that you should strike fast and hard..."[Azalea] she looked over to Neidr and asked,

"Is there no way for O to win?"[Azalea] Neidr shrugged his shoulders and said,

"If X doesn't know what they're doing."[Neidr] She nodded and looked up to him asking,

"Is there any way for both parties to lose?"[Azalea]

"If they both know what they are doing, it will be a tie everytime."[Neidr] Azalea nodded, she said with vigor,

"This means the most important thing on the battlefield is knowledge and initiative."[Azalea] she looked at Neidr and said,

"Knowledge of the game to know what do when an enemy makes a decision,"[Azalea She looked over at Arrieta and continued,

"and the Initiative to make them play a game that is advantageous to you."[Azalea]

'I think you're taking tic-tac-toe too seriously.' Azalea curtsied and said,

"I have learned alot, thank you."[Azalea] Arrieta leaped up and said,

"Very well, you lost, so I'll make the first demand. I want you to protect and care for my family as long as they live."[Arrieta] Azalea nodded and said,

"Wise choice."[Azalea] Neidr smirked and said,

"Mine is a big ask. You don't have to do it if you don't want to."[Neidr] Azalea shook her head and said,

"I'm a noble, my word is my bond."[Azalea] Neidr could see that her eye was twitching. She had done this to herself, no one asked her to increase the stakes, and she didn't have to take the bet. She was just so assured that she would beat a peasant with magic in any game she asked, especially strategy, that she had no worries. Neidr decided to trap her before he even asked her to do something, now she couldn't refuse.

"Align with your sister, through any means necessary, in order to create a base of loyal peasants from Rotham."[Neidr] Azalea almost growled upon hearing it. Have her faction become the gathering place for filthy peasants? Unthinkable. Neidr smiled and said,

"You don't have to do it."[Neidr]

Azalea could feel her rage bubbling up again.