Like some sort of evil queen sneering at the prince that dared to rescue the princess locked in her tower, Elisabeth flashed a wicked grin at Alexei Ivanov. "Well, well, well. You too seek the Rowlet? Best of luck, then, good sir."

It was clear from the whoops and cheers of the gathering crowd that he was the favorite to win, making her by default, the villainess. Elisabeth hardly minded that role, for it was the one she embodied at night as a member of Rocket.

For admittedly much more nefarious reasons than winning a plushie at a faire, but that was not important right now.

With solemn poise, Elisabeth notched a green-feathered arrow, her attention focused solely upon the centre of the distant target. Raised as a Kalosian noblewoman, she had fleeting experience in archery -- for hunting was a popular pursuit among the upper classes, particularly in her late husband's family. Bortiforte had been a frighteningly excellent marksman.

Granted, Elisabeth didn't particularly excel in archery herself, but she had some familiarity with the sport. Which was more than she supposed most present could say about the lost art form.

"What are the rules?" the florist asked with a regal air, as if demanding a court reply to her whims. "How many arrows are we allowed?"

"Why, three tries, Lady!" the announcer said, sweating somewhat at the heated competition this lighthearted event had inspired. Indeed, no one dared come between Alexei Ivanov and Elisabeth Fiorelli in their duel for the honour of the Rowlet, so palpable was the tension in the air between them. "Outer rings are worth less, and as you proceed towards the centre, you receive more points, with a bullseye being a perfect 100. Whoever scores the highest with their three arrows wins!"

"Sounds fair enough," Elisabeth conceded. Her Roselia dutifully held her quiver of arrows as the blonde narrowed her gaze on the target, then let loose an arrow whizzing through the air. "Ladies first, then."

Ren-Faire ✿ Outfit ✿ Alexei Ivanov

Curses. Had the sun gotten in her eyes? She knew she should have worn a hat today, commitment to the costume be damned.

Elisabeth glared daggers at her opponent, whose yellow-notched arrow fluttered closer to the bullseye than her green, to the rapturous applause of the bystanders.

"An excellent first showing," she said politely, though the compliment dripped with obvious bitterness. Beginner's luck. Of course. Why wouldn't it be?

Readjusting her stance as she prepared herself, Elisabeth extended a hand, and her Roselia elegantly supplied her with another arrow to fire. Closing her eyes as she attempted to calm and steady herself, the blonde pulled back the string of the bow and imagined its trajectory.

"Let's see if it flies swift and true."

The string was released, and the arrow soared forward with frightening speed.

Ren-Faire ✿ Outfit ✿ Alexei Ivanov

Oof, zero for two. This did not bode well, it did not bode well at all.

Elisabeth liked to imagine herself the embodiment of grace in the face of adversity. There were many instances of her life, in fact, that would justify such a claim as a fair and valid one.

The spirit of competition, however, was not one of them.

"Are you certain this is your first time with a bow and arrow?" the blonde asked, the disbelief and suspicion in the question both readily apparent. "Or are you merely downplaying your abilities to lull me into a false sense of security?"

It was an accusation born out of poor sportsmanship, nothing more and nothing less.

Truly, Elisabeth needed extraordinary luck to achieve her goal at this stage of her venture. Her last two rounds were hardly enough to equal the strength of her opponent's first placement.

Dared she hope for a bullseye? Or at this point was it foolish to try? Was it perhaps better to simply resign and let the better man win?

Of course not.

"Here goes nothing," Elisabeth whispered under her breath, and her last arrow made its mark on the distant target.

Ren-Faire ✿ Outfit ✿ Alexei Ivanov

"So you are nothing but a mimic?" The cheek and the gall of this interloper.

When the bow snapped in Alexei's hands, a cruel sort of satisfaction settled in Elisabeth's bones as she cackled in victory. "Well, well. That is your third shot, sir. I fear that means your final round is zero, and the Rowlet is thus mine."

Her Roselia likewise puffed up her chest, her petals blushing a haughty pink as she mimicked her mistress's sneer.

It was possible the costumes had gone a little bit too much to both of their heads.

Just as the announcer made to lift the Rowlet plushie from the pedestal, however, jeers rang out from the audience. Countless bystanders began to chant, one by one: "Give the champion of Fortree a bow for his third arrow!"

Goodness, they really, really wanted a local to win that damn owl. Not some uppity Petalburg florist.

There was only one thing left for Elisabeth to do, given the circumstances. The haughty demeanor in her expression softened as a deep, reluctant sigh left her lips. For all her posturing, she knew in her heart she was being a bit over-the-top.

Maybe she had too much mead earlier.

"...Very well. Give him my bow, then." She extended the makeshift weapon to her opponent with a small smile, accompanied by a teasing threat, "Although if you miss the target this time, I'm claiming my prize."

Ren-Faire ✿ Outfit ✿ Alexei Ivanov

The plush Rowlet was removed from the pedestal, the shocked expressions of all the onlookers making for a solemn interlude as the announcer handed Elisabeth the rotund bird.

The high of competition had ebbed, and with it, a hollow victory was left in its wake.

Elisabeth examined the pretty plush Rowlet, pinching its cheeks before glancing back up to Alexei Ivanov with a frown. He had already seemed resigned to his loss, defeated but with a grace that she had herself lacked in the throes of battle.

Primrose stared up at her in astonishment as Elisabeth crossed to where he stood, the Roselia flailing as she realised too late what her mistress planned to do.

Concede.

"You were a worthy opponent," Elisabeth said, and this time, the admission possessed an inherent sincerity. "It was a pleasure to compete against you. I had promised to take the Rowlet from you, but... I do not know if I have the heart to, given the circumstances."

Her role as the villain, at least in this iteration, was at an end.

"My name is Elisabeth. When I am not masquerading as an evil queen intent on thieving Rowlets from upstanding kings of foreign nations, I am a florist in Petalburg," she said, a lilac-scented card slipped between the Rowlet's wing as she handed Alexei her business information. It peeked out, roses visible in its corner.

"Should you wish to receive flowers to celebrate your victory, or send some of condolence to anyone you might have defeated in an embarrassing public manner, I would be happy to meet you for business."

She offered him a somewhat devious smile, saying at last, "Or if you ever want archery lessons, perhaps, we could arrange something in my gardens."

Ren-Faire ✿ Outfit ✿ Alexei Ivanov