After speaking with Elias and coming an agreement on how he can help in the evening parade, River and Stace retired to her room, the queen's chambers, to get her dressed and to prepare her to be seen by the many people who will line the streets during the fairly long and extravagant parade. In all honesty, all that was prepared was for her to be carried around in a litter while guards surround her to keep her safe. All around, it is pretty simple. But now that Elias and the Homings' Estate as a whole is aiding it, it could be far larger than expected.

Behind the partition, River sits on a stool while wearing only her underclothing, a strapless white shirt and pretty firm pants with no shoes or socks, as Stace brushes her hair. And on Stace's mind is a question that she's been wondering since the audience with Elias from earlier. "Tell me, how long has this thing with Elias been going on?" She asks River, continuing to brush some hair that she's holding in her hand. River is rather surprised to hear her ask this, as it's come out of seemingly nowhere.

"W-Why do you ask...?" She asks Stace nervously, wearing a slightly rosy face from the sudden onset of slight embarrassment. Stace had waited for a while so that they would be alone to keep her from being embarrassed way more, but it's to be expected that she'd still be somewhat embarrassed. And Stace did predict this, but she did manage to spare her of even greater amounts of embarrassment.

Stace continues brushing her hair delicately, and she's always been quite good, having the kind of skill that most aspiring hairdressers could only really dream of. River sits still so as to not mess up her handiwork, clasping her hands together and sitting them in her lap. "Well, you've clearly been seeing him every now and then. Seems like you two have spoken quite a bit from how you interacted." She tells River, explaining what has led her to ask such a question.

River, twiddling her thumbs together quite anxiously, thinks up how to respond while trying to overpower her embarrassment to varying levels of success. "Well..." She looks into the mirror that sits in front of her atop a small table. "I just... Wanted to know him is all..." She smiles shyly, "And... He's pretty fascinating to talk to. More than I thought he would be, too..." She says with a cute laugh, showing how she's kind of uncomfortable yet trying to actually speak about it. Looking into the mirror, she can see Stace smirking as she brushes her hair a little more before releasing it.

Finished brushing the hair, which now hangs down to River's lower back, Stace holds the brush at her side and looks into the mirror, locking eyes with River through it whilst still smirking. "He is pretty interesting to speak to, hm?" She says, "That's honestly what drew me in too. Though I never seriously thought about... That." She gives a chuckle as she says this, and River blushes a whole lot, knowing exactly what 'that' is.

River throws her hands up and covers her face with them, quite embarrassed at this moment and time. Something that might make today go down as one of her most embarrassing on record. All she needs is to have a wardrobe malfunction in the parade, and it is set. "I-I-I didn't do anything like that! Nor did I want it! I just wanted to speak with him!" She exclaims, still covering her face.

"... Maybe I went too far..." Stace thinks silently to herself, looking at her embarrassment through the mirror, starting to feel genuinely bad about it. "Look, I... I'm sorry." She says to River as she places a hand on her shoulder. "I wasn't meaning to embarrass you so much, okay...?" She asks as if to make sure that there will be no hard feelings. Also possibly to keep River from getting her back, but most of it is genuinely caring to not upset her so much.

Stace does know that today should be a special one and doesn't wish to ruin it for her. River is being officially recognized as queen outside of the throne room. It's her first public appearance since she was coronated privately after what Haden tried to pull prior. And that is a very big deal for a royal. A big one indeed. River calms down after Stace's apology and looks at her through the mirror. "I just wanted to speak with him... I felt like I treated him unfairly and that I hadn't properly expressed my apology. I wanted to right that wrong, is all..." She says, not as embarrassed as she was prior and being earnest.

Stace understands what she is getting at and feels even worse to assume that her infatuation was that deep. She knows that River must have some manner of love for him, but it's maybe not as absurdly intense as she probably thought previously. "Oh, I get it... I'm sorry for assuming you wanted a specific thing from him. Sorry for think that... I was that intense of a love." She tells River, trying to repent for her assumptions that weren't too accurate, it seems. She walks to the table and grabs some hair ties, returning to her station and beginning to tie her hair up.

Although accepting this repentance and finding that Stace isn't doing it out of ill intent, or least not on purpose, she does feel the need to clarify something. "I-It's fine... I do- do like him." She says, making it clear that Stace definitely was at least a little right. "I just like him for more than how he looks. He has some really good insights into stuff and his personality... His cordiality, easiness to speak with, and good heart make him fun to be around. You know?" She asks, having explained her reasoning for liking him even more now. And now it makes much more sense to Stace, who listens with bated breath while tying her hair up.

"Wow. Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to be so forthcoming about all of this." She tells her with a laugh, "But I'm glad you feel like you can be honest with me. Especially after I put you through so much embarrassment." She says, expressing how she wasn't expecting to learn this at all, let alone so suddenly. Staying in silence, Stace continues to fix River's hair up, and finishes after a bit of time passes. "There. All done." Stace says, taking a step and leaning over River's shoulder, admiring her handiwork through the mirror.

Seeing her hair now tied back in a nice bun, River is quite impressed and happy with how it looks. "Whoa... You're just as great as ever, Stace. Like, seriously, you should start a business." She repeats something that she has said several times before, this time with a playful laugh, which Stace also gives. The two girls, laughing and finally enjoying one another's company, look into the mirror still.

Raising back up, Stace puts her hands on either hip, quite satisfied with her good job. "Well, want to stand and start getting into something more befitting a queen? Can't go outside in your skimpies." She says with a genuine laugh, poking fun at River's less than appealing attire for public eyes to witness. "I imagine that your adoring public would be more than shocked to see this. Though, the creeps might like it." She smirks as she says this, which makes River laugh.

After getting properly dressed as she is supposed to, in an extraordinarily fancy and puffy dress with her golden crown with red jewels sprinkled throughout, River and Stace make their way through the castle and outside while being escorted by four guards. After the incidents with Haden and all, security is of the utmost priority. Outside, where the heavily guarded front gate leads to the city after a tiny trek, River is shocked to see that a litter is no longer on the docket, as sitting and ready for her to ride is a full-on parade float that looks like a massive crown.

At its front that faces the path through the gate, is a horse-drawn wagon that is intended to steer is throughout the route it is intended to take. Soldiers in full armor are everywhere, the soldiers that are undoubtedly going to follow the float and probably encircle it. Among them is the captain of the royal guard, Captain Sheena, who notices River and starts walking hastily towards her. With her short and dark brown hair and battle scar over left eyebrow, as well as her firm and fit bodily figure, it's easy to tell that she is tough as nails. "My liege, I am pleased to see you have come" Sheena tells River, who is still transfixed on the extremely extravagant parade float.

"Yes. Um, I was expecting a litter. Like I was told. But this is..." She says, not knowing how or why it's a full-on parade float, which she was not informed was going to be the thing used for this show of her new position. She's not necessarily upset about it, but she just didn't expect it. Nothing in the world could have prepared her for something so much more massive than she could've ever expected.

Sheena turns briefly and looks at the parade float, turning back to her with a smile. "Yes, it's quite the spectacle, isn't it?" She asks River, who is still kind of overwhelmed. Sheena quickly realizes what is on her mind most of all, which is 'where did it come from?' Something that she decides to answer swiftly. "Ah, I can tell what you're wondering. It's the biggest contribution that the Homings Estate contributed, courtesy of Elias Homings himself. I thought that he would have told you." Sheena tells her, surprised that it's the first time she's heard of it, considering that she was the one who approved of it.

Although knowing that Elias means well, River does think it's a little tacky. There are stairs at the back that lead a throne-like chair on top, so it must be where she'll sit if she could figure. "Oh. I didn't... Know that this was what I was signing off on with that deal." She says, though must admit that although tacky, it's definitely extravagant. "But I like that he would put in so much thought...?" She attempts to reason with it, as she genuinely didn't expect it. He did tell her that it would be a surprise, after all.

Determining that it isn't that big of a deal, River listens to Sheena's strategy for how she'll be protected and proceeds to go up the steps. Stace cannot fit up there with her though, so she has told her that she'll be in the crowd, watching and cheering River on. As she gets up there, she finds that the throne-like seat is a perfect recreation of the actual Lupresian throne and sits in it comfortably. The soldiers tasked with protecting her encircle the float in a formation with a point at the front, almost like an arrow. Sheena and the royal guard lead in the front.

After the thing is set up, River seated, soldiers in formation, and the coachmen intended to steer this behemoth ready in the horse-drawn carriage in the front, they set off and out the gate. With the subtle slope leading down into the city, part of River is worried that it will take off with her and careen into the bystanders, who are slowly coming focus. The ride is shaky, but it doesn't do that thankfully, and moves at a slow and steady pace. "...Okay." River says, trying to let off her anxious weight.

As they arrive to the thick of the city square, which they go through in unison, citizens line the streets and cheer for their new ruler. As things currently stand, she has yet to mess things up to a degree where she is downright hated by most, unlike some former rulers. And concurrent ones if you count rulers of particular other nations. Among this cheering crowd that are in awe of the extravagant float, which she is steadily learning was a masterstroke in making it a show to be remembered, she can see Stace with her hand raised high and waving.

River, who has already been waving at either side intermittently, waves directly at Stace while wearing a smile, happy to see her. Without expecting it, an arrow soars by from seemingly nowhere, cutting her arm though thankfully not hitting it directly and sticking in her. "Argh!" River yells as she falls from the throne and onto the float itself. Stace and many of the citizens are horrified as they see what just happened.

As Sheena looks behind and up at the float, she can see how River has been wounded and knows what to do. "Soldiers! Find the perpetrator at all costs! We cannot allow this deed to go unpunished!" She exclaims, declaring a search for the assassin. Sheena, having killed Captain Heartfelt, the captain of the guard before her, who was on the side of Haden when he tried to claim the throne, is now captain instead, and was clearly the correct choice. Panic ensues in the crowd as the soldiers fan out with a select few staying with the float to defend River.

Stace knows that River should not stay at top of the float after that and runs to it, going around the back and up the stairs to where she is. Up there, she can see River is on the floor of the float in pain from the incision that was made in her flesh from that arrow. Stace runs over and kneels beside of her. "River! A-Are you okay?!" She asks River in a very worried and rather loud tone.

River looks up at her while gripping her arm and bleeding profusely, showing a look of intense fear as her eyes tear up. "I-I-I-" She struggles to get the words out, both from the pain and the emotion, and Stace puts a finger over her mouth, as she realizes how scared River is. Grabbing River and helping her to stand gently, she helps walk River off of the float and to the ground below.

There is havoc and chaos around the streets, as the people nearly saw an assassination first-hand. As the parade is ground to a halt thanks to this highly unfortunate and terrifying event, now all that is done is to find the culprit. The individual who would even dare to try and murder the queen. Stace and River stay close to the float to not get trampled by the crazed stampede, and Stace looks into River's terrified eyes, pulling her close and hugging her. With a near assassination, a ruined parade, and the consoling of a friend, this was not the way that either of them thought this day would go. Not at all.

To Be Continued...