Timaeus doubted if there was anywhere in Colchis that hadn’t been affected by the Wrath one way or another. It had been a disaster of catastrophic proportions and the never-ending reports of the damage came from every corner of the kingdom. Every province had destruction to relay in detail to the capital. Eubocris had been no exception to this. They had been lucky in the regard that the mountains had protected them from the worst of the winds, but there was no escaping the rain.

For what seemed like an eon, the water came down upon the Gorge so unrelenting that the world seemed to turn into a white nothingness; trapping people where they were until the storm began to relent. That alone had been enough to raise the Alfron to its banks and turn the calm flow into a roaring current that would have been too treacherous for even the most experienced of swimmers. This was, of course, was only made worse by the vast amount of runoff from the mountainsides being funneled into the valley; causing both a minor flood in the city and washing out several of the roads, which of course were in bad condition, to begin with. Needless to say, Boreas truly made his anger known to people of Eubocris.

Though this was a lesson Timaeus was already struggling to recall. After all, his personal method of weathering out the storm consisted of locking himself in the wine cellar, which was now considerably emptier. At least he had the common sense to sober up before assessing the damage.

Yet, he silently thought to himself as he entered the Dikastirio ladened down with the spare supplies he could muster from his province, we were lucky.

As soon as the roads had been cleared for travel, Timaeus had ridden out for the capital city knowing that the Kotas family would soon reach out to their vassals to ask for assistance. He figured it would be easier to beat them to the punch especially since there was nothing they could do in Eubocris, but wait for the waters to recede. Or at least that was the reason he gave to his mother and Roxana when he left. Truthfully, the rumors of Prince Vangelis’s condition had reached him and Timaeus wanted to see if they were true for himself. After all, if anyone should know how distorted whispers could become, it was him. He needed to see it with his own eyes.

That being said, he didn’t realize how dire the situation in Midas truly was until he saw it for himself. Just catching mere glances the piles of rubble where buildings once stood and the haunted looks in the eyes of people who lost everything was enough for Timaeus to wish he had waited a little longer to hear what the city needed. That way he might have been able to bring several more large hydriais and more food than what was in the two baskets with him.

As ill-supplied as he was, it still was considerably more than what some of the other houses bothered to bring to add to the ever-growing relief pile. He didn’t fail to notice the meager offerings of cloth tossed into the piles by the youngest Thanasi boy. He shook his head in silent contempt for how a member of such a powerful house could provide so little. Though secretly Timaeus knew what he probably would have reacted the same way if the boy had brought enough to rival the donations brought Queen Yanni herself. The young baron simply had no kindness in his troubled mind for the likes of the Thanasi and their manipulative ways. They were just too much trouble for what they were worth.

“Over here,” he said briskly to the slaves carrying his gifts, directing them to the separate pile for food and water. Once everything was set down, Timaeus instructed them to assist with the distribution of those supplies and promptly took a step back from the growing crowd. Unlike others, he had no interest in making himself look better today. After all, there were more concerning things to consider. So, instead, he circled around the crowd looking for anyone either from the army or the senate who may know more about the crown prince’s condition and would be willing to talk with this baron.

Though with the sheer amount of people in the room, finding a familiar face may be more akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Evras was no heartless woman. She truly cared, but when one's care and good heart was thrown back in one's face multiple times, simply due to rumors and relations, it became very hard to make oneself continuously try. Yet, as the in law to the royal family, wife to the second prince of Kotas, she had no choice. As such, that morning when her mother in law and family had bustled off, Evras had asked for a few hours to remain back in the family residence to ensure Dion will be well taken care of by the servants.

Only upon assuring and reminding the servants that under no circumstances was her son allowed in the room of the recuperating Crown Prince, did Evras leave. She had donned a seagreen chiton that fell to below her knees, sleeves that covered up till her wrists. As she burned easily, she donned an extra black cloak, it's hood of which she drew up once she stepped out of the carriage, and waved a wrist to direct the servants she had brought with her to unload the crates of food and water she had brought along with her.

Allowing the slaves to carry it to the main area where food and drinks were being distributed, another carriage rumbled up behind her, this one filled with warm sheets so the nights would not claim more lives. This, Evras brought to hand out, yet many looked at her with wary eyes even as they took the offering from her. Her ruby red lips smiled, in stark contrast with the blue-green eyes that flashed hurt with each careful look and every suspicious murmur she heard behind her back.

With a heavy weight on her shoulders awhile after she had been handing out sheets, the girl straightened up to stretch the kinks out her back, and a genuine smile stretched across her face when she caught sight of her brother in the distance. Too far for her to go over and greet him, for it would mean precious time wasted, but Evras made a mental note to go over and visit him and her sisters the next day, before returning to the task at hand.

Watching as another wagon rolled in with supplies, Evras smiled as she recognized one of the vassals of the Kotas family arriving - the baron of Eubocris, if she remembered correctly. Her father had trained her well in being a prince's wife, even if her own husband no longer wanted her. The memory of her husband brought a pang to her, and she bit her lip, the familiar lump in her throat when she remembered the few nights before, and the failure of a wife she had been. Was she no longer desirable? Was that why he sought passion in others, now that she had borned him an heir?

Her heart lurched as her stomach spun, and when she looked up again, the girl bit her lip when her eyes seem to meet the captain. Instinctively, the woman smiled in a more sedate manner, offering a small curtsy to escort the upturn of her ruby lips and a spark in her blue-green eyes, before she turned away to continue her duties. She knew many wanted to know the condition of the crown prince - but from the way the family behaved and the way his bodyguard stood day and night by his side, Evras knew no one wanted his condition made public, so she tried her best to steer clear from any who may ask, performing her duty best as the princess.

As Timaeus circled the crowd, he had begun to realize how difficult it would be for him to find another Baron or Lord he would actually enjoy the company of. Instead, all he seemed to notice were the ones that Timaeus preferred to avoid outside of the Dikastirio aka the lazy, arrogant ones who were significantly older than the twenty-four-year-old and simply reminded him of his lost father more than he would like to admit. They were gathered in clusters throughout the room, having broken off into familiar groups that were easily denoted by the bright, clean fabrics and glimmering gold trims that were so long they almost dragged upon the floor. Clearly, Timaeus didn't belong in their groups as he was dressed in a rusty red, knee-length Chiton that was both easier to travel in and hide the mud splatter from the roads. (He had washed off the rest of it before coming in, of course.) Clearly, they didn't have the same practicalities to consider that day.

However, Timaeus wouldn't say he was dressed on the same level as those who had come here for aid today. The fabric itself was of notably higher quality and of course, the long sword at his side with its decorated hilt was quite the statement piece.

So, it was a while before he noticed any sort of familiar face, though, in this case, it was more along the lines of a forced friendliness as he locked eyes with Lady Evras. Even though she was a Thanasi and personally held some belief in the rumors that surrounded her native house, she was married to Prince Zanon and he was duty-bound to her. So, he returned her slight curtesy with a slightly deeper bow to signify both his fealty and his lower rank to the princess. Hopefully, she wouldn't too offended at the unspoken knowledge that the Baron would have bowed deeper for her boy, Dion, than he probably ever would for her.

Little did he know, she would probably would have found more offense in his disregard and callous thoughts of her during her own personal struggle than she ever would in such trivial matters as a bow.

For a moment, though, Timaeus considered going up to her and politely inquire about the condition of the crown prince, something that the whole kingdom wanted to know. However, before he could even take a single step in her direction, he felt an unfamiliar hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention away from the princess...

... and straight into the eyes of a beautiful lady.

He didn't recognize her and knew at once that he had never met her before. After all, how could he forget someone as pretty as she was? Her hair was almost as pale of her skin which gave her an almost porcelain-like appearance. That wasn't something you saw every day in the harsh rocky lands he called home. The pink chiton that was covering her clearly petite frame did nothing but add to the impression that this woman was too precious for this world and was instead meant to roam amongst the gods not the realm of mortals. All of that though was absolutely nothing that could compare to her eyes, which he knew he could very easily get lost in if he stared too long.

That's why he was grateful for the distraction of her offer of wine, lest he made a fool of himself. Graciously, he accepted with a cheeky sort of smile, "That would be wonderful."

He waited before she had poured him some of the drink before he spoke again. "I don't believe we've met before, My Lady," The Baron added, recognizing the clearly elevated status she held, "I'm Timaeus of Valaoritis or as others here may know me, the Baron of Eubocris."

It was still weird hearing him say that phrase, two years on of it being bestowed upon him.

Before Timaeus could ask for her name in return; a glimmer of gold caught his eye and he glanced down at the bracelets she wore, confirming that this woman wasn't from Colchis. "Leventi?" He wondered aloud before glancing back up at her again with a somewhat playful laugh, "My Lady, you are rather far from home aren't you?" Timaeus was vaguely familiar with the Taengean house, as most men were throughout Greece. He knew the girls of this family were beautiful, so much so that some claimed they were the Goddess Aphrodite herself, but he didn't know them well enough to put a name to Lady standing before him. After all, why would he waste his time, learning the names of the daughters of a house he was never going to meet?

But he couldn't say the same for the horses.

That was how Timaeus could recognize the symbol adorning Selene. Everyone and their crazed uncle knew of the superiority of the Leventi Herds. They were more powerful, more beautiful, and more expensive than any others in the three kingdoms. As someone who was a skilled horseman, a necessity in Eubocris as many of the roads was too narrow and prolonged for any other mode of transport, owning a Leventi stallion was a dream of his that was unlikely to come true as it wasn't practical. The cost was too high to reasonably justify and he already had several horses that were familiar with the dangerous cliffside paths that might spook any other equines. Still, he could dream especially since he had a rumor recently that numerous horses had been brought to the palace recently. This woman clearly had to be the reason why.

He was curious, of course, but knowing now that this Lady was a great house, he felt the need to be a bit more cautious about what he said. After all, he didn't want to be seen as a representative of the Kotas's power and be rude to a Leventi. There would be some hefty consequences if that were to happen. So, he careful broached a similar topic instead by asking, "So, what has brought you from the fine fields of Taengea to our rocky outcrops?" Hopefully, this topic would be a good segway into discovering why a Leventi was in Colchis and more specifically why she was handing out wine at a relief event and not sailing home now that the seas have calmed.

Ugh, charity work... not that Sil was one to complain about it. After all, it was the perfect thing to do and those places where the perfect way to meet people and to get some alcohol in of course. Well maybe. Overall, he just didn't like it all that much. Stepping into the room where most of the guest were in with a few supplies he had decided to give as a relief, he spotted a person that made him cringe a little. Oh dear gods, his brother was here. Timaeus didn't mention to him that he was thinking of attending. A cross feeling came about him as he quickly scurried to the sides of the room as far away from Timaeus as possible. No need for his older brother to know he was there. That would cause him more trouble than he really cared for, including being dragged back home. Oh, he wasn't about to go home yet, no not by a long run.

Silently he watched Tim and another woman talk. She was pretty enough to look at for a good while. His wandering gaze also fell on another familiar face, Evras. So she was here too. Shaking his head ruefully, Sil sighed a little to himself. Well, of course, she should be here. She was a princess no... the princess, after all. Wrinkling his nose a little, the young man's gaze fell away from the older woman. He wasn't interested in talking to her, seeing how close she was situated by his brother. He wasn't going to risk getting discovered just to speak to a woman. Glancing around the room once more, he noted another man plus one other woman. Hmm, what to do? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Selene’s mother was right to see the girl’s beauty as a weapon, but unfortunately for Tim that made him a bit of an easy target. He may be a lord, but he was still like a lot of men in his province and there were two simple things made him happier than most other things; beautiful women and decent alcohol. Of course, not many people who knew the baron today would know this as he had done a good job of cleaning up his act and hiding his sins from the public eye once he became the baron of his home province…. But those simple pleasures always had a certain way of creeping up and back to the surface.

Timaeus would behave today though and not let the old, flirty side of him that he had hidden away come out. (As much as it wanted to while he had the sole attention of Selene.) The bracelets wore surmised who she was and he knew that if she took offense to any of the things she said, it would probably spell out trouble for him. He was just a baron and she was the daughter of a far more richer, more prominent royal house. If he tried to charm her, the consequences would be astronomical for him and his house. That just wasn’t worth the risk.

That didn’t mean though he couldn’t be a little different from his normally stoic self back home though. As troubling as the situation in Midas was, he didn’t feel as on edge as he normally did in the province. That was probably due to the fact he didn’t have to constantly be concerned about the rumors surrounding him and his family here, but instead, he could focus on other things without the constant voice in his head saying that everyone thought he was a murderous traitor. That alone did a good deal of lifting some of the stress temporarily off of his shoulders.

Plus, Selene was a very cheerful person to be around and it seemed as if her happiness was almost infectious as Timaeus found himself smirking and laughing throughout their conversation.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” He said with a light laugh in response to her reassurance that the nobility of Colchis had opened up their doors to her, “We Colchians may not be Athenians when it comes to hospitality, but we still know how to treat a guest.” It was true, his kingdom was not known for being the most hospitable as the people were far less trusting of strangers as those in other kingdoms, but they weren’t heartless barbarians either. If you proved yourself trustworthy, there was always an open hearth to be found and it didn’t really surprise him that Selene had found herself next to some of the nicest ones the barren kingdom had to offer.

Truthfully, Timaeus was absolutely horrible with remembering names when he didn’t have a face to put to them. That’s how he could know most of the members of the Colchian nobility, but struggle when it comes to the very basic details about the royal families in other countries. He just never was the kind of person who could look at a paper, see all those names as well as little lines connecting them and still be capable of making sense of it all. Everything just swam in front of his eyes. So, her father’s name was just going to fly right over his head, but at the very least he could pretend that he was going to remember it to save him from the embarrassment. So he gave a small nod to give off the impression that he wasn’t completely aware he’d probably forget these names by next week.

“Selene,” He said, trying her name out, “That’s certainly a lovely name.” Alright, so now that he’s said it while he was looking at her, there might be a chance he’d actually remember it. A small, slight chance figuring since he probably wasn’t going to ever see her again after today.

That was pretty confirmed by her story of how she ended up in Colchis when she called the beautiful kingdom of Taengea home. He smirked when she joked about the condition of the seas during the Wrath. “I would imagine that they would be.” He said with an airy laugh of his own. Truth be told, he didn’t know the exact conditions of the ocean during the storm as Eubocris was very much a landlocked province. “I saw some of the damage on my journey here. If it was this bad on land, I can’t imagine what it was like out on the open water.” He said, providing the insight he had as to the situation of the provinces, as for what it was like weathering out the storm in Eubocris itself? Well, Timaeus hoped she didn’t press for details. It wouldn’t exactly be the most courageous thing to admit that he had been drunk for most of Boreas’s wrath after all.

“You’re very lucky that you made it to shore.” He reaffirmed with a slightly more somber tone, a quiet show of respect for all of those who couldn’t say the same thing.

He perked up a bit though at the mention of Selene staying with the Kotas family during the storm. (Which also confirmed the rumors to him that there had been more Leventi Horses added to the Royal Family’s stables.) “Do you know of Prince Vangelis’s condition?” He immediately blurted out, eager to put aside the rumors he had heard in regards to the state of his future king, “Is he even alive?” He then finished in a slightly more hushed tone, suddenly aware that perhaps this wasn’t something he should necessarily be asking her. A small part of him didn’t really care all that much though. After all, this had been the main reason he had traveled to the capital. He was concerned about the state of the prince as a liege to the house, he wanted to ensure that the family wasn’t about to be thrown in a slight bit of political turmoil.

It also didn’t hurt that he could try to help the family through the worst of it either, figuring since he knew exactly what it was like to lose someone who you’d never thought would fall into Hades’s clutches. He hoped he wouldn’t have to do so, but if the need was there, Timaeus was ready to lend a hand in whatever way he could.

Luckily for them though, Selene’s final question was more of a light-hearted subject than what they had previously covered. “Once,” he said with a small laugh as the memories of that festival all those years before came flooding back to him. Though it was hardly the kind of thing he could forget since Colchian events were formal meetings compared to what the Taengeans could do. Between all the singing, dancing, and other forms of revelry brought on by the freely flowing alcohol, it had been quite the part of a lifetime… And oh god, the girls. Just recalling all the various ladies he had the fortune of crossing paths with, Tim realized that it had been a miracle that the young lord had even been convinced to leave the kingdom. “It must have been four--maybe five?-- years ago. It was around the time of the spring horse market.” His eyes shot down as he chuckled slightly, recalling one the girl he had met there, who had, up until this point been the only Leventi he knew, “I think I met your cousin there,” the laugh disappeared for a second as he furrowed his brow, struggling to recall her name, “Evangeline? Evangelina?” He paused for a second as his greatest weakness became a great embarrassment for him. Though then again, he didn’t have the best focus, not when this woman was such an amazing distraction to look at. Hopefully, the lovely Selene would take pity on him and help him out here.

Whatever her name was, she had certainly been a memorable girl and she definitely knew more about horses than the average person. It would be interesting to see if it was a trait that all the Leventi girls shared or if it was just something Evie had excelled in...