[attr="class","soda2"]The judges for the contest sit apart from the people. Perched on an elevated stage, legs hidden underneath a cloth covered table, they watch, predator eyes matching the intensity of their scowled beaks.

And then there's Theodisius, sat dead center in this wake of vultures.

Food and drink experts flank Theo's sides, their crafted focus on the competition yet to commence. Conversation had been alit just ten minutes before, their bladed grins sparking against each other in a practiced display to get the royal guest judge's attention, to get their approval, to get their business. But that all dwindled as the start of the contest neared, showing their seriousness in front of the prince(ss) was another performance all on its own.

Theo barely watches five new contestants step forward, mostly their focus lies in the empty pit of their stomach. And that is all they can think about as the contest begins.