When Kanan addressed Rhoven on his supposed âinnocenceâ, Minnow grinned quietly to himself. However, at the sudden contact between the two, Kanan reaching forward and grasping the cheeks of the younger boy, pulling and prodding with abandon, the little healer joined Amon in his laughter. It felt really good to do so. Things had seemed so downcast lately on so many levels. Maybe things would finally start looking up again for once. Rhoven admirably tried to fend off the other protector, but to be quite frank, the young apprentice had little chance of actually succeeding.
Amon then spoke, informing the little healer of the suspected struggle that continued to brew between the Air King and the council. A little sigh escaped his lips at that- it seemed that they were pushing and testing the boundaries of Amonâs authority yet again. It was understandable, they needed some kind of answer that would satisfy them. But so far, nothing had come up to appease either side. Amon then turned his gaze back onto him, suddenly grinning once more. As per usual, Minnow couldnât help but automatically return the happy look.
"How Could I forget!" A curios look suddenly filled the blond haired protectorâs eyes at this exclamation, though his wonder was quickly answered as Amon abruptly tugged him to his form. Minnow let out a little squeak of surprise as his form was suddenly constricted under the Air Kingâs grip, but the surprise was replaced with a pleased little smile at the affection. It was reiterated further with the kingâs next words. "I missed my little fishie, and I need a big ol'hug to squeeze out all these negative feelings! Since Rhoven won't give me one and your lover won't do it either, guess it's gotta be you, Minnow."
Minnow laughed at that, returning the embrace. âI donât know how you survive without me, Amon~â He teased before he was released by the other man, taking a little step back to rest beside him. But before anything else could be said, Rhovenâs loud voice was once again breaking through the air. âGah~! Let go of me! I am not some little kid, now stop,â The apprentice managed to wrest himself from Kananâs unforgiving grip and darted behind he and Amon, seemingly grabbing onto their arms to use the both of them as shields. A startled look filled Minnowâs features, he hadnât been expecting that, and he bumped into Amon a bit because of the momentum behind Rhoven.
Then fingers were being pointed, and Amon pushed at his apprenticeâs forehead, causing the younger boy to flail for a good two and a half seconds before recapturing his balance. Minnow laughed once more, and again he reflected on how good it was to do so. Rhoven stuck his tongue out at Amon like a little kid, and a wry little smile flickered upon the healerâs lips. He swatted Rhoven over the head with the back of his palm- his own sort of retaliation for the boyâs antics. âRespect your betters and furthermore your king.â A playful look was on his face, but besides his teasing tone his words were also a bit reprimanding in nature.
âAnyway, Iâm pleasantly surprised that none of you have mauled the other or themselves while I was gone, aand I think Iâm in need of a soak.â He smiled brightly at the trio around him before dipping his head in departure. He was still travel-worn and needed to relax his strained muscles. However, as Minnow took the first few steps towards the door, he subtly cast an inviting glance in Kananâs direction, one he was sure his fellow protector would notice if he were watching him. A pleased grin then slipped onto his lips as his gaze shifted to where he was going and he slipped into the castle; it was good to be home again. But⊠perhaps his sights for a relaxing bath were foolishly placed.
One could only hope.
âThanks, Iâll walk from here.â The ex-protector of the Earth Kingdom called cheerfully from the ground, waving her hand towards her four-day companion. The man grinned wistfully towards her, pulling the reigns up on his horse and turning his wagon from the resting stop to continue on his journey. âHave a safe journey, lass.â He called behind his shoulder as he continued down the dusty roads.
âSafe is boringâŠ.â She mumbled quietly to herself, continuing to wave until he was out of sight. Lutchka shouldered the pack that was slung over her left arm, shaking her head with a grin. It had been quite a long while since she had been to the Air Kingdom, and she was thankful for the friendly companions she often crossed paths with. Her most recent one, who was currently heading off to the next town over, was a merchant selling some finer goods from one of the other Kingdoms. Before him she had spent two weeks travelling with a small group of people who kept tabs on populations. This was pretty much her way of life- she grabbed a ride with whomever she felt like and journeyed with them for a while until she grew bored and wandered on her own. Sheâd always meet these people at local taverns and sometimes even just stumble upon them.
Lutchka had returned to Iveir roughly a month ago, having previously been busy exploring Reimrand and finding new adventures to sate her wanderlust. However, when with another person, she never really ever allowed herself to get too close to them. Companionship and a few laughs was all she sought from strangers. Depending on the situation and if she could help it, Lutchka refrained from spending more than a few weeks with any one new face. Thatâs pretty well how sheâd always been, that fact only having changed when she first arrived on the continent of Iveir and took up residence in the Earth Kingdom. And those bonds had obviously taken their toll.
She couldnât deny the space that was left in her person from that little worm Taki, and she still missed him sorely at times. But by now, after three years, her memories remained strictly on the many fun times they had suffered through. She didnât think of his death in Reimrand, she didnât dwell on the worries that maybe she could have done more. What had happened, happened. When those thoughts turned darker, it affected her person wickedly, and sorrow just wasnât in her forte. Regardless, she kept rather tight bonds with the others who managed to survive that whole devilish smorgasbord, but because of the loss, she wasnât keen on repeating a vulnerable side to new souls and allow such an event the possibility to happen again. In all honesty, that was sort of the person she was and always had been. It was difficult to let others behind the teasing, jovial nature that appeared outwardly, and only a few had been allowed glimpses at it- one of whom was dead.
Turning, Lutchka headed down one of the main roads to the Air Kingdom. She had maybe a forty-five minute trek through the city before she reached the gates to the castle. And then probably ten more to get through the large greens before the doors. Another little grin played on her face- Lord Amonâs home was well maintained when it came to the gardens and courtyards around the castle. She had to admit, the little protector, Minnow, did an outstanding job with his tending. It was, in her view, even better than the Earth Kingdomâs. It seemed that the Air Kingdom was the only group out their entire number to have made it through without any immediate loss. Amon had survived, both his protectors had survived. That fact could not be said for one single other power- Siya had lost both of his protectors, Taki had been killed and she really was his only protector during the whole thing and even she had come rather close to the edge- she took a quick moment from her reverie to silently thank the little healer once more- the Water Kingdom had been out of play with literally the entirety of its power, and those under Chromiâs command had taken a heavy toll as well. Well, somebody had to have a bit of fortune in the utter loss that shadowed the success of reclaiming the Reimrandian throne and restoring its land.
~*~*~(Le little collabo with Eddy)~*~*~
The wooden pegs of the training stand clapped loudly in their place as the Air King's forearm contacted it, followed by the thunk of bone against wood as a punch connected the center of the stand. The same arm that punched then came up to slap against another peg opposite of the first one he struck, and rather than a punch he brought his leg up, keeping it tight to his body before he stomped down hard on the one wooden leg that extended from the center-bottom of the training stand. He then shuffled off to the right side, using his left arm to smack into the wooden peg for a block before delivering another hard punch to the side of the wooden stand.
Amon then quickly stepped back from the stand, sliding right into his fighting stance and holding for a moment before relaxing his body, smiling as he did so. He reached out, patting the wooden training stand in an affectionate manner, the stand being marked, worn, and scratched from constant use. He turned and walked over to the small bench that was near the side of the room, where he placed his towel, shirt, and staff when he was training. He picked up the towel, wiping off his face, sitting down on the bench as he did so. If there was one constant in his life that he could appreciate, it was these workouts. Even when being chased by the psychopathic brother of royalty, or engaging and fighting large numbers of creepy pig-men abominations, these workout routines were the one thing he would never cease. Mostly because it was the only moment where he had a chance to center his mind and focus the chaotic thoughts that swirled in his head due to all the stress that came from being a king. Not to mention, it felt good to picture the face of annoying Councillors on the front of the wooden stand.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Master Amon." Amon looked up towards the doorway to see Rhoven standing there, hands in his pockets as he looked at the king. "Seems you, or at least you and the protectors, have a visitor." the younger man said.
Amon raised an eyebrow, wiping himself off of more sweat with the towel before he set it down on the bench, grabbing his shirt and pulling it on as he stood up. "Oh? And no message to announce it? Guess that means the likelihood of me actually wanting to meet with this person is rather high then!" The King said with a grin before he picked up his staff. "Well, let's get going then. Also, perhaps you can tell me who it is?" he said to his apprentice as the two began walking down the hallway.
Rhoven kept his hands in his pockets, smiling a bit himself as he walked along. "It will be, master. Least I find her to be an amusing person to have around." He said. Even though he and the king were walking along a hard stone floor, none of Rhoven's steps made much noise as they contacted the floor. Out of habit over his many years of having been a bit of a thief and burglar, Rhoven had become very adept at keeping any motion he made as quiet as possible. If he didn't want to be heard, Rhoven had an easy time of making sure that would be the case; when he applied his air magic to further dampen noises, Amon was certain the boy could even sneak up on the most alert of guard dogs without drawing their attention.
"It's a 'she' and you like her? Oh dear, this will either be a wonderful visit or a crazy one." Amon said while chuckling.
Rhoven chuckled himself, looking on ahead as the two made their way towards the front doors. "I'm kinda hoping for both, to be honest."
Lutchka rocked slightly on her heels as she stood before the massive doors to the castle. She had figured by now that her arrival had been noticed, and Amonâs servants needed something to do for once. The fire wielder wasnât disappointed, either, as she was not kept waiting for too long for those doors to be opened. She had considered just sneaking in and making it even more of a surprise visit, but had decided against it, just to be polite. Besides, there were more people to fall prey to such surprises at later times. Namely a heterochromatic eyed sir she had not seen in what felt like ages. However, Lutchka only had a few ideas on where the guy might be currently- she knew that he was in Iveir, but had little to go on in regards to rumors passed around the inns. Most likely he would be with Siya, but that had been out of her way, so she decided to crash at Amonâs for a little while and catch up with him.
As the doors swung open with a loud grumble, her eyes darted to the two figures that appeared behind them. A smirk fixed itself upon her lips and she lifted her right hand in greeting with her index, middle, and thumb fingers, throwing a wink in for effect. âMiss me?â
As the doors slid open slowly, as was the nature of large, heavy, and wooden doors, Amon stood next to Rhoven with staff in hand; a smile was plastered to his face, and it only grew as the ex-protector came into view as the doors opened up. "Look at that, I guessed right!" Amon exclaimed before he just stepped towards Lutchka. "Screw the waves, come here!" he said as he wrapped his free arm aorund her to pull her into a hug.
Rhoven remained where he was standing as the king stepped forwards. While he certainly wouldn't complain to hugging the woman, the Air King had a better excuse beyond just wanting to hug a pretty lady considering the friendship between him and Lutchka. He did smile though, watching Amon finally pull back with a big grin plastered on his face.
"How's that for an answer on whether I missed you or not?" Amon asked, looking at her. "Hopefully it was an adequate response for you, Lutchka."
Lutchka was well pleased with the excitement Amon displayed when he saw her. He took a step or two forward to embrace her and she chuckled lightly. While he did so, she remarked lightly in his ear, âI hear a certain council is giving you hell, that still brewing?â
Amon then released her, and she returned his grin with her own playful smirk. "How's that for an answer on whether I missed you or not? Hopefully it was an adequate one.â At the opportunity that Amon so blatantly set himself up for, Lutchka slipped on a little pout, leaning forward and placing a hand on his chest, gazing up at him with playfully suggestive eyes. âHardly what I was looking for, Mâlord~â Her tone was obviously joking, and she withdrew to fold her hands in front of her with a mischievous smile. By now Amon fully knew that her playful threats were hardly serious. Lutchka was mostly harmless when it came to such.
She then tilted her gaze over to the Air Kingâs apprentice, another good-natured smirk filling her lips. âThis one still keeping you on your toes?â
Amon just held his grin, shrugging to her response. "Sorry, M'lady. It has just been so long since I've seen you, I've gotten rusty." he then followed her gaze to Rhoven, the young man nodding to her when she had looked towards him. "He is, though I think I'm the one torturing him more than he is me. Ain't that right, boy?"
Rhoven crossed his arms, giving them both a wry grin, "Oh it is hardly torture, Master Amon. Though whatever stress comes of the training I can always take out on Kanan and Minnow. The two are such fun to mess with, afterall."
"And I get to enjoy that weird squawk you make when Kanan gets you back," Rhoven's smile dropped, staring at Amon wide eyed for a moment, "which I think is honestly the best part."
Rhoven coughed, recovering and wiping the surprised look off of his face. "It is not a squawk, master!"
"No~, of course it isn't. My little crow." Amon chuckled at Rhoven's grumbling, looking back to Lutchka in front of him. The smile faded a bit from his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "As for the council, yeah they are still giving me plenty of gripe. Times like this make me regret I had it set up to begin with, but-!" he said, recovering his smile. "I'm sure that with time they'll eventually settle down and accept the Reimrands!"
Lutchka laughed at their little argument, Rhoven was so cute at times. âDidnât think you were into torture, Amon~â Yet again there was that teasing tone as she rested a hand on his shoulder for a moment. âWell, somebodyâs gotta do it when Iâm not around.â She smirked before inclining her head when Amonâs tone changed as he switched subjects to the council.
âOr weâll just have to kick their asses and make them feel highly uncomfortable~â A legitimately cheerful look filled her face, as if what she had just said was the most innocent, natural thing to do in such a situation. A small laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head. âWeâll figure something out, no doubt.â
Amon chuckled softly, nodding his head at the suggestion of kicking the ass of the council. "Trust me, dear Lutchka. I really wish I could. Sadly though, I think it'd only make it even more likely they'd just outright turn on me then! That, I can do without." he said. He then put his own hand on her shoulder, patting it as he spoke again. "But you are right, we'll figure something out to do with these pains in my ass!" he then settled his hand on her shoulder, changing his own tone to match her suggestive one. "Oh, and Lutchka, there is a lot you don't know about me, my dear." he gave her a wink before turning and heading through the doors, Rhoven following close behind his master as he moved inside.