[attr="class","ardereescroll"]The Royal Capital. Ardere used to be amazed by it. He would walk the streets and even though the citizens were so focused on him, he was less distracted by their gaze and more interested in the beauty here. Even though the Kasai Estate was in Raque, most of their work and trade was in the Common Region. This mean that he spent a lot of time there, mostly because he wanted to be around his parents. A significant contribution to this was that the Purple Orca base was in Kikka. Any excuse to see his dad was a good one to him. But now he looked at the Capital and did not admire its beauty or its wonder. What he loved most about the Capital now was the resilience of the people in it. After the Shatter, everyone had been hit so hard. Some lost loved ones while others could not even recognize themselves. Even so, they persevered. They stood strong no matter how much they lost. Ardere wanted most to be like this right now. He had finally moved on from his father's death and from Lysander's, turning that pain into strength. But Silas' death was different. Now he wandered the streets of the Capital looking for his strength again. Could he find it here, somewhere?
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The Capital had returned to hustling and bustling for the most part. It was nice to see things return to some sense of normalcy. Yet while everyone else was returning to normal, he still wavered. He did not remember being so fragile or so vulnerable. G'day Captain! A passing Noble said, tipping his hat to the man. Ardere gave him a nod and some semblance of a smile. While it was not his best, the man did not seem displeased by it. He was far more out-going than most Captains, and he loved spending time with people. Sometimes he forgot how much effort he put into being this symbol of positivity and strength. That was what he wanted to be again. No matter how much work it took, he would get there.
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The Captain was donning his traditional red and white clothing with a regal Crimson Lion cape draped across his titanic shoulders. He thought it was important to keep up appearance. There was no point in falling back into despair and not taking care of himself. If Ardere looked the part, it would give him some time to feel it. But right now, he just felt like walking. So that's what he did. He wandered the Capital, looking at vendors and passing restaurants. Nothing sounded good to him at the moment, but something else did catch his eye; a timid little jewelry shop. The shop had a cart outside in the town square, where most of the vendors had their carts and shops. In the cart was various kinds of jewelry. There were sparkling rings, diamonds, and golden necklaces. But what caught his eye was not gold--it was silver. A silver necklace with a ruby pendant attached to it. May I? The Lion asked, and the woman nodded. Of course. Of course. Go ahead! She seemed pleased that the Captain wanted to look at it, but he was too distracted. The man found himself lost in the ruby. The necklace itself was a beautiful silver. It was a small pendant, respectable. Most Noble women would have found it lacking, but he liked it. It had been far too long since he visited his mother. Perhaps it was something she would like? He stood there, admiring all of the jewelry, but seemingly taken by the ruby pendant. He held it up to the light for a moment, and it sparkled. Hmm.

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