It was a strange day where Erik was actually bothering to look out the window of the carriage as it rolled along, however for once he wanted to see the city they were approaching. He stared out in wonder as the wagon rolled across a cobbled road towards their destination. Holding him up was Lucius, smirking slightly as he did and also looking out the window was the newest member of his cadre, the knight Ryna.

The city was one of the few Erik knew of by reputation as opposed to mere geography. Sikarus, also known as The Floating City. As the moniker suggested it sat stationary in the sky, held aloft by an intense flux in magical energy. The energy was so very thick it seemed to buzz in the very air, invigorating the homunculus the closer they got to the lake outpost where one could be transported to the city proper. Of all the sights he had seen since his journey had begun looking at the city floating so high above the earth was certainly the highlight.

"Woah..." Ryna breathed, her green eyes wide as they marveled at the feat of magic.

The word felt inadequate to describe the awe a true mage might feel. To Erik it was the closest thing to being in a place that felt... right since leaving Eteria. Since the day he had first drawn breath he had been born in a place saturated in magical energy. Departing it had left him feeling melancholy however now he felt a surge through his veins, one that ensured he could weave illusions that were massive and spanning as opposed to merely objects or image transfers. His eyes trailed over the floating crystals of solidified magical residue and sighed. This was going to be a good visit already.

With a final look at the looming city the homunculus signaled for Lucius to set him down on his cushion, knowing quite well there was a catch to visiting this place. It was irritating. The one place he knew for a fact actually had a sizeable population of fellow homunculi and of mages and he was here for a suitor. One that could very well put a damper in his mood. The question was whether she was going to be a Lea, a Marie, or an Amelia. The last one he prayed to the Creator himself she was not.

Ryna sat back down beside Lucius. The woman had indeed proven to be a very able chef; her first meal cooked having both of the men nearly in tears compared to their normal fare on the road. However the offset to that was that, while certainly smart in her own way, she was horridly clumsy. Erik had nearly be sat on by the knight more times than he cared to count and had stepped on Lucius' foot at least twice, while wearing her full armor. Needless to say the older man had since developed a slight limp.

"So, Lucius, who is next on the list?" Erik inquired.

The older man produced his little book and Ryna looked over in interest. The man frowned and slightly moved it so that she couldn't see the contents. The knight huffed at the denial and crossed her arms over her breastplate with a loud clank of metal against metal. Erik rolled his eyes at the behavior of the two.

"Hmm... ah, you will be seeing two today. Mistresses Olivia and Lucina Liolis."

The homunculus and the knight gave him a rather strange look. "Sisters?"

He nodded. "Identical twins to be precise. The second and third in line for the position of Archmage respectively. Both eighteen years of age. Mistress Olivia is a known illusionist and Mistress Lucina is a powerful elementalist."

Mages at the very least which presented an immediate common ground between them at the very least. Erik wrinkled his nose at the mention of one being an elementalist however. The art was typically used for military purposes and its practitioners were often very violent. Even still however it was more in common than he had with his previous suitors. Better yet, due to trade relations between Eteria and Sikarus and their common ground of magic the community of homunculi there was supposedly healthy.

Ryna opted to vocalize one of his concerns however. "If they are both twins won't seeing both be... awkward? I mean if I was looking at pursuing a man and my sister was pursuing the same man there would be blood."

Lucius actually squirmed in his seat, looking very much uncomfortable. "Ahem, actually, they are apparently looking for a... shared husband."

Erik didn't bat an eye at the words though he quickly noticed the look of open disgust upon Ryna's face. "They WHAT!? What is wrong with them!?" She yelled.

The homunculus blinked at the reaction the knight gave to it, rather taken aback by how vehemently. Lucius was rather uncomfortable with speaking about it as well. "I don't particularly see the cause for distress." He remarked.

The knight looked at him incredulously. "WHAT!? Are you joking? There are two of them wanting to marry one man and just... share him! Its- Its not right!"

Erik sighed as he found the issue finally. Humans were sometimes rather difficult to comprehend. "Polygamy is common enough among the homunculi. Often in research groups or communities of likeminded wizards. The previous Mage-King had three wives at one time and one of them had two husbands." He said with a shrug.

Lucius quickly took a very keen interest in his shoes when Ryna looked to him to dispel that bit of knowledge. The young prince found it odd Lucius had been among his people for so long but had yet to properly be comfortable with commonalities. Most human civilizations were typically monogamous in their marriages apparently, so in hindsight he supposed Ryna's reaction was actually understandable.

"Also, Ryna, do try to remember your manners and try not to yell at me once we are in the city." He stated.

The knight looked even more mortified for having blurted that out without thinking. "Yes, your grace! Please forgive me, your grace!"

Erik waved it away, wishing that she wouldn't raise her voice so much. His ears were ringing enough as it was. Still he hadn't expected to run into two at once. After his encounter with Lea he was at least a little heartened by the possibility some of the women on his list might be nice company. He was locked in at this point so he would have to see the list through to the end at the least. Best to keep his options open. Lea might have been his best encounter but certainly she wasn't the only good one.

The carriage rolled to a halt and the air grew thick with magic around it, the very air starting to swirl and twist. The carriage had rolled upon a large circle, one that glowed briefly before blue strands of energy wafted up into the air. The energy spun and spun and there was a sudden lurch before the spinning stopped. The air once more reverted to normal and the carriage was no longer within the outpost, but was now surrounded by fine marble buildings and archways that carved a path through the city. One couldn't enter Sikarus normally after all.

Erik and Lucius, used to such magic were relatively unaffected though Ryna looked ready to spill her breakfast within the carriage. Fortunately she kept it down as the carriage started rolling along the streets of Sikarus. The sight of a horseless carriage was likely not exactly unusual in the city of magic, though a few did stop to marvel at its craftsmanship. Regardless the path of the carriage was unimpeded as it rolled towards the distant towers. In the center of the city.

Once they arrived before the gates of one of the monolithic towers Lucius offered Erik his hand and they hopped out of the carriage, Ryna bringing up the rear. A robed figure was quick to approach the trio, bowing low. "Prince Lostrem, the Mistresses are expecting you. Please, follow me."

The prince and his retainers filed in behind the man as he entered the tower, starting up a flight of stairs. Lucius' limp was showing and Erik found his own footing unsteady as a result through the gloved white thumb was useful as a purchase of sorts. They stopped before a large gilded set of double doors, the man escorting them presenting his hand out to the young prince. He bowed his head low.

"The Mistresses would like to meet with the prince in privacy. They welcome you to adjourn to the floor below this one. The servants will tend to your needs." He said.

Both Lucius and Ryna frowned at that, however the prince raised a hand to forestall protests. He already had a feeling in his gut; however he doubted he would get to confirm it with both of them here. He stepped onto the man's hand and the robed servant bobbed his head to the concerned retainers before opening one of the doors and pushing it closed behind him. They then proceeded down a rather long hallway with a high ceiling.

As they walked Erik closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "An impressive weave you wrapped around yourself. The image seems simple enough but the pitch of voice of an opposite gender is no easy task. A lesser illusionist might well have been fooled."

A chuckle, a rather feminine chuckle emerged from the robed man's throat. "I see you are quite perspective. What gave me away?"

"I can still smell your perfume. Lavender, quite expensive and a servant is unlikely to possess access to it."

He felt a tingle down his spine as there was an unravelling of the weave behind him. The hand he stood upon lost its callouses and became soft and supple to the touch, coffee brown skin replacing pale skin. Erik felt at ease even after exposing his escort, this much quite familiar to him. At the academy such little games were common enough though he himself hadn't bothered much with it.

He turned his head slightly, getting a good look at the new person holding him. Her long glossy dark hair fell in gently curling locks about her youthful and angular face, a smirk upon her dainty lips revealing a dimple on her right cheek. Her silken white robes hugged her form nicely, showing her to be rather lean and slender, her curves not nearly as pronounced as Amelia's had been. Below a pair of sandals clacked loudly with each step, her nails painted a bright white color with the gleam of diamonds set upon each nail. Likely her finger nails were similarly painted. Her eyes were an eerie shade of gold, likely an illusion of some sort and she had a tiny diamond insert into her forehead.

He turned his gaze forward once more, bracing himself on an offered thumb as she started up a flight of stairs. "Mistress Olivia Liolis I presume."

She giggled coyly. "Indeed, Prince Erik Lostrem. My dearest Luci awaits us in the sitting room ahead. We have a lovely meal set out, if you would care to join us."

"I would be delighted." He responded civilly.

Erik was completely at ease in the palm of this young woman's rather steady hand. Olivia at least seemed rather like many of his fellow colleagues, wrapping herself in an air of mystery. One never knew were the illusion ended and reality began with many. Even the young prince couldn't be entirely sure what about her was real. He supposed one look at her twin would tell him enough. Unless of course there was an illusion cast over her as well...

Eventually they entered a large wide open room with a few plush chairs set around a table. Sitting at the table with her bare feet upon it and a hovering ball of fire in her right hand was the obvious twin of Olivia, Lucina Liolis. She had the same angular features, the same brown skin; in fact they looked so alike that physically it was nearly impossible to distinguish them. The difference was that Lucina wore dark robes as opposed to Olivia's white ones, her nails were painted black and had little pieces of obsidian inlaid upon the nails and upon her forehead.

Upon the table Erik was pleased to note there were utensils and a chair sized for a homunculus, the gesture already warming him to both mages immediately. This changed the minute Lucina opened her mouth. "Finally. You sure took your sweet time getting here, smallkin." She said, dismissing the flickering flames upon her hand.

Erik narrowed his eyes and was about to say something he would probably regret before Olivia intervened. "Darling, don't be rude to our guest. He's probably had such a long journey to get here." She said.

Any hostility in Lucina's eyes vanished the moment she looked upon the face of her twin, a smile gracing her lips. "Forgive me, dearest sister, I was irritated by being separated from you this past hour. My tongue wagged before my mind had a chance to catch up." She said.

Olivia set Erik down upon the table and then offered a quick peck upon her twin's lips, her eyes half lidded. "I thought of you every minute, Luci." She purred.

Erik was more than a little uncomfortable by the rather... intense display of affection the twins showed but he supposed human family dynamics were different. The white clad twin sat down in the chair beside the black clad one, her attention turning to Erik once more. Lucina seemed a tad put out by the breaking of eye contact but instead she returned her gaze to Erik, inclining her head in a display of professional courtesy.

"My apologies, Prince Lostrem. The day has been long and I meant no insult by my words." She said.

The homunculus nodded towards her. "Apology accepted, Mistress Liolis."

Olivia clapped her hands together, smiling widely. "There, much better! The prince saw through my illusion by the way, Luci."

The twin raised a brow. "Did he now? He could probably see the boundless beauty under the illusion. It tips me off every time." Lucina stated.

Erik cleared his throat loudly, earning him the attention of both twins. "I understand you are seeking a suitor that might wed you both?"

Olivia nodded, opting to go ahead and separating the cuts of pork from the nearest platter out to her sister and the homunculus. "Indeed! I understand your people have no reservations about such affairs. It would certainly strengthen the bond between our two lands, no?"

The homunculus nodded at her statement. Of all the places it made most sense to strengthen ties with, Sikarus was certainly the closest thing to another Eteria out there. Olivia herself seemed as polite and cordial as could be and obviously held some sway over her sister since the other seemed to differ to her. As far as he could tell this was so far looking to be his most normal meeting so far. Lucina had obviously slighted him, but had retracted her words easily enough with some reprimand.

His nibbled at his food, appreciating finally being able to use homunculus sized cutlery. "So I understand you are a master illusionist, Prince Lostrem."

Erik looked towards Olivia and smiled cordially. "Indeed, I have the distinction of being the youngest one in history."

"Ohhh, impressive! My own skills are likely nothing compared to yours though father and my tutors praise my ability to shift terrain and the surroundings. Perhaps you would care for a demonstration?" The young woman offered coyly.

"Certainly."

Olivia closed her eyes was obviously gathering her energy. Lucina simply nibbled at her food while stealing little glances at her twin, smiling this rather dopey smile as she watched her focus. Eventually the large room vanished and suddenly they were dining outside in a rather sleepy little meadow, birds chirping happily. It looked and sounded and smelled as the outdoors might, a rather convincing illusion but that was not what amazing Erik. With enough time and concentration he might well be able to do the same. Instead what surprised him was that she didn't seem to need to concentrate to keep it up.

"How are you managing to keep everything as it is? Such a detailed and vast illusion typically drains quite a bit of energy." He inquired, setting his utensils aside.

"Ah, it is self-sustaining. The magic saturating the city is all around us so I simply designed the illusion to divert the excess energy to maintain itself." Olivia responded.

Erik was impressed despite himself, which didn't happen very often with other people. He hadn't thought of that, a rarity that another illusionist might have stumbled upon something he had not considered. The young prince made a mental note to attempt it upon his own time, instead opting to look around at the impressive illusion crafted for him. Had he not known it was a product of illusionism he might well have thought they had been teleported to some little meadow a ways away from the city.

Lucina's hand snaked over to Olivia's, her fingers twining around those of her twin. "Mmm, even masters are impressed by your talent, darling Olivia."

"Oh stop it; I just made a few pretty images. Nothing compared to your power, Luci." The white clad woman said with a blush.

"Both of our set of abilities are beautiful in their own ways. Just like you." Lucina said.

Erik felt an itch as he watched the two monochromatic giantesses staring dreamily one another's eyes. The itch turned to abject shock when Lucina turned her head to capture Olivia's lips in her own. This certainly wasn't a kiss two loving sisters might share with one another; it went on for quite some time as they only broke for breath. All illusions about this being a more normal kind of meet up flew out the window as he watched the two lock lips with the burning passion of urgent lovers.