Hebi Irikisha's Story

Fog penetrated the halls of the palace that belonged to the Water King. The sound of boot heels could be heard as they moved slowly down the hall with no real purpose to them. A long black cloak swirled through the heavy white mist that settled on the palace floor. The waters that should have been pouring forth from the many fountains and streams all along the hall and courtyard were not flowing. Here, the water palace was an open structure, no doors or windows, just ceiling and floor with pillars to separate the two.

Hebi moved down the hall slowly, his gaze flicking about as he tried to assess the feeling that was slowly beginning to prick at the back of his mind. It had been some time since he'd last visited the Water King, though the man rarely ever knew of the protectors presence. Hebi was rather fond of spying on the other Kings and Queens. It served as a sate for his boredom at times. It has also been some time since he'd actually set foot in his own Kingdom's palace.

He approached the audience room where the throne was and where the King normally sat to attend his people's needs. However, as Hebi approached, he noted that the doors were ajar and there was a putrid smell coming from the room beyond. His senses heightened as he recognized the smell to be that of blood and a lot of it. Skirting to the side, Hebi pressed himself behind one of the pillars and waited. That explains that lack of servants and protectors roaming about... it's usually much harder to go about spying Hebi thought to himself as he stood there stone still.

It wasn't long after that he heard footsteps coming from the chamber beyond. The door creaked opened almost eerily and allowed the single occupant from inside to leave. Still, the earthen protector didn't move. It wasn't until the sounds of the boots were much farther down the hall that Hebi shifted and peered after the one who had left the throne room. He caught sight of a long black cloak swirling around the masculine figure and a hood drawn up over their face. In their gloved hand that hung at their side, the glow of what was obviously an orb emitted a brilliant blue light.

Hebi frowned a bit to himself. As he was about to step into the hall another sound filled the air. A release of pent up breath followed by near hyperventilation. Slowly, Hebi slipped back to his original position, hidden behind the thick pillar made of pristine marble.

"... dead... all dead... the other... Kings... have to tell... others..." it was the voice of a servant. They'd most likely hidden during the attack and was now the sole survivor of the entire Water Kingdom palace.

Crossing his arms, Hebi leaned against the pillar, lifting one leg to place it on the marble as he stood there. What an interesting turn of events he thought to himself. Soon, the servant had finally gathered enough courage to move and pelted down the hall. Hebi waited a while longer before he himself moved. With a bit of a shrug, the man supposed that it was about time to return to the Earth Kingdom. He'd been gone for several months anyway. This new bit of information, however... Hebi grinned as he opened his sickly green eyes and walked down the hall like the haunting figure he was. I think I'll be keeping this to myself for a while.... He wanted to see how things played out.



He leaned on the balcony that was attached to his room. The morning air was dew filled and sweet to the nose. He breathed deeply as he stood there. The young King was only partially dressed, his boots and pants on and a light white shirt that seemed almost too big for his frame. It billowed in the wind as he leaned on the railing of the balcony. Lifting one hand, he rested his head into the palm as he watched the rays of sunlight lift from behind the mountain tops and streak its golden fingers across the large city that was far below him. The city itself was huge, stretching for a good couple of miles, the majority of its structures facing the rising sunlight while behind his castle lay nothing but open plains to the cliffs and the ocean even farther beyond that.

Siya loved this part of every morning. He could feel the sunlight warming his cool skin as it crossed over his tall palace first and stretched further along the dark stones. It wasn't until much later, as the sun was beginning to grow hot, that the young Siya remembered that he had an open audience that morning. With a startled gasp he flew upwards from his bent over position and rushed into his room.

Throwing his night shirt onto the bed that was ruffled from his little bit of sleep, he grabbed up his heavier black robes and pulled it on over his head. The heavy fabric curved to his frame, falling down to his ankles. It was all one piece, only cutting open into three large strips as it passed his hips, allowing more movement from his lower body should he need it. The long sleeves also hugged his arms, opening up just a bit to flare around his wrists. The pitch black robe was embroidered on the very edges with hints of deep crimson red.

Adjusting the robe, he pulled his hair back and braided it quickly before he reached the door and entered the hall. The youthful King strode quickly down the hall knowing that he was utterly late again to his throne room to hold the audience. His face flushed as he thought about the nobles that would chide him for such behavior... yet again. Siya threw open the back entrance to the throne room, striding in with his breath only slightly hitched from his hurried pace.

"Sorry!" he called and quickly took his place at the throne. His eyes flicked around the room, noting the many frowns from his advisers who lined the hall below the dais. With a wave of his hand, the guards at the far end obeyed him and pulled open the huge oaken double doors. It wasn't until the first of the nobles to be in his presence that Siya quit fidgeting in his seat. He straightened and he had a certain air about him that he'd adopted when in front of other nobles and royalty.

The first to enter was a man well known for his impatience and sharp tongue as well as his obvious dislike for Siya. He strode up to the dais without a passing glance to anyone else. His hard, black gaze trained on the young King. Siya met him without blinking or moving. The man ground his teeth visibly, eyes narrowing as his dark eyebrows pulled down in frustration.

"Late! Again Lord Siya," he spat out.

"My apologies, Duke Lukair."

"Your constant apologies fall very short, your Highness. We would appreciate it if you would be more prompt about your schedule," he waved his hand as if to stop any complaints that weren't being voiced anyway, "We've a matter to attend to."

Siya winced inwardly, he could almost feel what the subject of the 'matter' was going to be. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time he'd been question as being crowned King. Especially since the loss of the Royal family, Siya had been hard pressed to keep his position. If it weren't for the others who also protected orbs themselves, Siya was sure he'd never have kept the throne as long as he had.

"The matter of your... Lordship is to be questioned. Many of us feel that you're far too young to take the throne. There is, also, the fact that you're not of royalty."

This is new... being too young now to? Of course... He's going to try to find any reason he can to dethrone me, Siya thought with an inward sigh that didn't reveal on his face. The only thing that betrayed his growing frustration and anxiety was a slight twitch of his hand that rested on the arm of his throne as he leaned off to the opposite side.

"Duke Lukair, this matter, I thought, had been dealt with already. You're tempting the other Kingdoms with your words, you know."

"I have many that wish to confront you and the other Kingdoms, your Majesty," Lukair almost spat out the last word.

"Then perhaps you should bring them next time. This is a waste of yours and my time, Duke."

The man grew visibly angry by Siya's words, though Siya had not raised his voice or sounded angry in the least. The man didn't say anything else though and turned on his heel. Lukair stormed out of the throne room and Siya seemed to be relieved at his departure. His gaze fell to the dark stone floor at his feet for a moment before he returned his attention to the rest of the open audience.

The burning pain was unbearable. It was seemingly escalating, making him feel as if he was burning alive. The young king's breath panted heavily from his chest as he shuddered, soft cries of pain still falling from his lips. This pain was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Stop... he cried silently. Someone was holding him, but he couldn't tell who it was. Their voice had resounded in the hall when they shouted for him. He knew that voice very well, but he couldn't place it right then.

He felt his body being moved up onto something soft, hands cradled his face, cold and wet. His fingers tightened over his chest, clenching the fabric of his clothes tighter by the second.

"Siya, listen to me, Siya- You'll be fine, it will be fine. Bear with me, please, bear with me. You'll be fine." the voice called to him. The soothing tone was something he tried to focus on.

Ah... Reynard... you're here. his thoughts were slightly delirious as he peeled open one eye to glance up at his protector. His vision swam so he couldn't quite make out the other's facial features. Soon after he closed his eye again to try to fight off the growing pain.

Each breath was growing shorter, quicker. Reaching up, he snatched the arm of the one who was holding him, his fingers digging into their arm tightly. He let out a sharp scream as his back arched and a slight ring of fire erupted out from his trembling frame. The fire didn't last long though, fading away almost instantly. Falling still against Reynard, he panted, though not out of pain. He was weary. The sudden attack was over almost as quickly as it had come, leaving nothing behind to say that anything had happened, aside from a very tired Fire Lord.

His fingers unclenched the cloth of his robes and his hand fell down against the cool stone of the dais as he rested there in the grip of his protector, "Reynard," he breathed softly. After a while, his breathing became regular and he relaxed somewhat. Turning his head into his protector's abdomen, he didn't want to move. Rather, he couldn't move. Taking a deep breath, he let it out in one long sigh. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the face of Reynard who was leaning over him.

"Reynard... the orb. Something happened to it. I... We have to contact the others. I don't like what just happened. I've never read anything like this in the books and journals that have been kept," he sighed heavily, "Ugh... so tired. My head..." he reached up and brushed his fingers against his forehead which was now starting to pound slightly, "Hurts a little..."

What just happened... that was so strange and so terrifying. Did it happen to the others? Are they okay? his thoughts were slightly jumbled as he tried to piece it all together. As much as he wanted to sleep though, he had to start getting things prepared. Lifting his other hand, he pushed against the floor to try to get up, but between Reynard and his own weakness he failed miserably. Collapsing against the other, he groaned slightly. So weak... that took so much energy out of me. Why?

"I have to get preparations ready to see the other Kings. Write and send letters, prepare for the journey, food and water, clothing and lodging along the way..." his voice trailed off as he tried to keep awake. This... is ridiculous. None of the other Kings would allow this to happen to them... he thought to himself as he fought to keep focused.



”Good Morning. Did you sleep well, Kanan?”

The smaller protector greeted him warmly, his contagious smile almost making it's way to his own lips. When was the last time he'd smiled? Kanan couldn't remember. However, the bubbly protector was always filled with a kind of energy that seemingly attracted Kanan to him. The warrior wasn't sure how to deal with that though. It wasn't like he was open to anyone, or allowed anyone close to him. The air protector shut out those thoughts rather quickly and was thankful for the distraction.

"I know, I'm actually in the throne room! I'm starting to think I should do this more often just to see the looks on everyone's' faces. Figured I get some king stuff out of the way while I take a break, dry off a bit as well maybe. I figure another thirty minutes or so then grab something to eat, then back to work!"

Kanan lifted an eyebrow as he gazed down at his King who was situated on his throne. If he hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed the shiver that passed through the man's large frame. Something was wrong, but Kanan wasn't entirely sure what it was. Then, he felt something. It passed through the air like a force of energy he'd never felt before. It rocked his senses, throwing him off entirely. Stunned, Kanan was unsure as to what to do or what was going on for a mere moment. To his horror, it touched his King. The man stood up then, or tried to rather.

"Ok...I uh.....need something to eat..."

”Sire!”

Kanan gave a shout as well as he rushed to the two of them as Minnow took the full weight of their King. The young protector wasn't built to handle such a heavy load and so Kanan quickly moved to help him at the beckon call of the cute boy.

”K-kanan!”

"Sire!" Kanan dropped down next to him, having been slightly delayed from his earlier stun to do much to help Minnow. Taking his arm, he pulled the man upwards. It wasn't until he touched the King that Kanan realized how cold his body was. What is going on? he thought frantically. Immediately his next reaction was that of the defensive. Several items sacrificed, turning blue and swirling like little flakes around his frame to sink down into his skin. With the added energy, he dropped his hand down to his sword in preparation to draw it and unleash all hell upon any who approached them.

Minnow, on the other hand was tending to their King and once his fingers touched Amon as well, he gasped, drawing Kanan's attention. Glancing over to the young, blonde haired protector, the warrior's blue eye watched him carefully. The only thing that kept Kanan from drawing his weapon and attacking on sight was the boys following order.

”Move him to his chambers and grab extra firewood and as much hot water as you can find.”

Turning his attention to the King in his grip, he shifted around and hauled the man upwards to his feet with one arm dragged over his shoulder. He snaked his own arm around the man's waist and secured his hold on him. He gave a short nod to Minnow before making his way to the King's chambers. Hurry, Minnow... whatever it is you're going to do, do it quickly he thought. Once in the room, he laid the King upon his bed and started the fire.

The water, however, he couldn't do much for. There was one pail of water and so he put that over the fire, but he refused to leave the man's side. Sacrificing another set of metal, he drew his sword and stood guard over the bed, his good eye wandering the room, his senses stretched to their maximum as he waited for Minnow's return.




It had been ages since he'd last set foot in the earthen kingdom. At least, that's what it felt like to Hebi. Though, the moment he stepped into the castle, he immediately felt confined. He didn't like the stuffy walls or the people that surrounded him. He hated every aspect of it. Even so, he remained because he had to and he valued his life far too much to do anything about it.

Still, he found entertainment even if it bordered dangerous. Which was what he did right then. He'd worked his way through the castle and couldn't find either his King or the other protector around. Hebi knew Taki well enough though to go looking elsewhere. The man was not one to stay indoors, that was for sure. He knew immediately where the King was once he stepped foot out into the open land that was behind the palace. The sprawling pasture, the lake not to far off, the many trees and the many, many dogs. All of which were barking hysterically.

Hebi's features turned from bored to amused within seconds. Working his way towards the obnoxious noises, he stumbled upon a peculiar sight. Looking down, he noted that Taki, his King, was on the ground seemingly in pain. His lips twitched into an evil smile as he slowly knelt down, shooing away the dogs with a certain kind of disdain as they got too close to him. With one eyebrow raised he watched his King writhe on the ground for a moment.

"My my... what a difficult position you find yourself in, my Lord," Hebi offered after a while of watching the man suffer.

Hebi didn't move or make any other attempts to help the man, simply only watched him, "Hmm... maybe I should fetch our other dearest protector whose doing such a wonderful job of watching over you. Though, I doubt anything can be done. I don't see any wounds, there is no blood. Poison perhaps? What a pity, and I'm no healer. Say, my Lord, what would you have me do right now?" Hebi grinned as he continued his horrid speech.

Words buzzed in and out of Taki's head as he heard a hollower tone of what he believed to be Hebi's voice. Lifting his forehead from the dirt it felt like someone had just jabbed needles into the back of his neck. Gritting his teeth he saw an image of three in front of him and through the disoriented colors of things he believed the image was close enough to Hebi.

With his right hand, Taki forced his sheath into the ground to push him up a little. In an attempt to force a smile between the pulses of agony Taki said to his protector.

"Oh hello there Hebi...back...erggh...from torturing small foreign animals?Ugh...Missed you buddy!"

Face planting back into the dirt, Taki felt his left arm locking out. Opening his mouth he let out a sharp cry as the sound of his arm popping grew loud enough for someone like Hebi to hear. With his right hand, Taki tired desperately to bend the arm out of hyper-extension with little results.

In faintly hearing Hebi's wicked speech, Taki cried out in pain.

"Just go and try to get someone Hebi!"

Taki coughed a little as he inhaled some dirt. With his right hand Taki pull on his left wrist as he did his best to fix his arm, but in all his efforts nothing seemed to ease the strain there. Forcing himself to roll over to his back he raised his chin up and felt the back of his head press into the ground. It may of hurt like hell but he could sure breath better from here.

However, that did not last long as he lowered his chin back down as he felt a sharp pulse of pain in his left hand. Taki's eyes widened and his iris's shrunk as he saw in horror his left hand. Under the skin it looked as if his hand had changed to the color of a mixed brown, green, and black. Clinching his right hand even harder around his left wrist, Taki could actually see the horror spreading up his arm slowly.

Another pulse. Taki felt his legs kick along with it. Then with another jolt Taki's head dropped back and he felt the back of his head roughly hit the ground again. He fought the urge to vomit as he tried to roll to his side. In doing so if he were to throw up he at least wouldn't die in this moment.

The colors of the tree trunks and the dirt seemed to fuse into one color. The water had become a brackish blur of which looked to mix with the browns of the path and tree trunks. Eventually everything seemed to blend together. As the water's color fused with the dirt and the tree trunks everything seemed to be like water colors to Taki. With each slow breath the colors became more and more distorted.

Fading out Taki's eyes remained open as the unconscious man's only life sign seemed to be the shallowest of breathing. The grey blue iris's of the Earth King had become large in the moment of his departure from consciousness. As he laid in silence his right hand had become loose, but it was still upon his left arm of which had been engulfed nearly up to the shoulder.

In the silence the wind a gusted again blowing many of the falling leaves on and around Taki. They had become a sort of blanket for the king as he waited. Then with another howl from the wind they scattered away into the water of the lake.

---

Carefully now, careful. One… two. One… two. Hand here and balance shift…. Firm strength betrayed the delicate look to Lutchka’s hands as she held herself upon a metal beam, working on her balance. Despite years of doing this sort of thing, Lutchka was always finding ways to improve her physique, and the more impressive it looked, the better. While looks were just an added benefit, Lutchka enjoyed the tightness of her muscles as she held herself and the strain it put on her body. Moving her hands carefully along the pole, she kept her legs stiff though slightly bent at the knees.

Straightening herself further, her form wobbled fractionally as she allowed her left foot to descend slowly towards her head and one of her hands to release their grip on the metal to turn right-side up in one fluid motion. She wore simple foot wraps to aid in the challenge, tight pants that ended snugly above her shins, and a tucked in old decorative top that came up in the front to attach to a metal ring around her neck and left her back bare. The warmth of the sun felt wonderful on her body, and she inhaled the fresh air deeply.

The Earth Kingdom always looked and smelled nice, from a huge variety of flowers to the greenness of the grass and the strange colors of bark on the trees. It certainly soothed her to an extent, which is why she had chosen to remain in this place in the first place. Her life was easy and always interesting to say the least.

Despite the three minutes remaining in her training schedule, Lutchka decided to move on to other things, and quickly hopped down from the pole to land on the ground quietly. Lifting her arms and bending them behind her head, Lutchka first stretched out her worked muscles with a pleased grin before actually departing from the training grounds.

Deciding to sort of wander aimlessly for a few minutes, Lutchka found her feet leading her past the marketplace and down the familiar path to the lake. Despite the ruckus that sounded all around her, Lutchka had learned how to tune out most unwanted noise with a simple switch of thought. However, as she strolled the trail, something strange came into view.

Blinking a few times and squinting, Lutchka had to strain her eyes a bit to actually confirm what she was seeing. Hebi was finally back. She let out an exaggerated sigh and ran a hand through her hair. It seemed Taki was with him as well, and he was on the ground, which was strange. Lutchka merely shrugged and wrote it off as Hebi tripping him or some like. She rolled her eyes as she approached them, coming in from behind the male protector. ”And here I thought you were finally gone for good. Or had at least gone to learn some manners~” She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval of the rare Hebi, looking down at the King, she put a hand on her hip and looked him over.

She immediately noticed something was wrong, and her previous disposition was dropped as smoothly as a veil as she suddenly crouched to the ground and grabbed her king’s shoulder to prop him up a bit in order to get a better look at him. However, the focus seemed to fade out of the man’s eyes, and Lutchka quickly went into action. She kneeled forward and angled the king a bit so she could get at him, and then attempted to lift him up and prop him against her shoulder.

As soon as the weight of the king pressed heavily against her, her eyes narrowed at Hebi, ”He might not look like much, but he’s bloody heavy. And if you don’t help me, you’ll be wishing you were still gone.”

”It’s to keep his tongue from being burnt by the scalding tea.” Minnow explained as Kanan had given him a strange look while the younger protector had been putting the strange concoction on the King's tongue. Taking the cup, the one eyed boy moved to his King's side and lifted him upwards gently.

Amon was a awake, barely, but it seemed his focus was in and out. Tipping the man's head back just a bit, he held the edge of the cup to Amon's lips and let the liquid slide down into his throat. Kanan was careful not to pour too much otherwise he would choke the man. Once he finished giving the drink to the King, he put the cup down and resettled the man against the bed and covers.

"Ok....that was miserable. And augh what did you put on my tongue, Minnow?" With a slight groan the King began to sit up. Kanan was at his side immediately, assisting him but not crowding him.

The King moved, shifting so that he could sit on the end of the bed. After testing his body for injuries, the man stood up only to sway slightly before catching himself. This caused Kanan some measure of alarm but he settled as soon as the King was steady on his feet again. After looking down at himself to reassess his condition, he finally turned his attention over to Minnow and Kanan.

"Thank you, both of you. I'm not sure what caused the orb to act up like that, but thanks more keeping me safe."

"Sire," Kanan offered with a slight bow.

He shot a look over to Minnow, though, thinking that if it hadn't been for the young boy's quick thinking, Kanan would have been utterly lost. He was no healer and his first thoughts was someone was attacking their King. Something that obviously wasn't true. Though the young protector was confident enough in the fact that he probably could have done something for the King like warming his body, he didn't think he would have thought of it quite as quickly as Minnow did. His pale blue eye rested on the blonde boy for a while longer before he watched the King take another cup of tea and seat himself next to the fire.


"Alright. I'm not sure what made the orb act like that, but it cannot be good." Amon said as he stood and got more of the drink.

"Alright, Minnow, Kanan, as I said I have no idea what caused the orb to act up like that. And frankly, it has me worried about the other kings. Which means....ow....which means that we are going to make sure they are not in trouble. I can't imagine that it had only been my orb to act like that, as that had never happened before. So, we are going on a trip to the others to make sure they are ok. We need to get things ready as soon as possible, and we get some couriers out to let them know we are coming and why. That understood?"

Kanan bowed yet again, "Sire. I will send the couriers and prepare for the trip. Minnow should stay by your side for the time being. Please, do not leave him," the white haired protector said, the last bit of his words directed at Minnow. He left the room after giving a meaningful look towards Minnow. Once the door closed, the one eyed protector was down the hall at a very fast, but quiet pace. His first stop was the couriers to write letters to the other Kingdoms and to send them immediately. He frowned to himself as he went though. Why the orbs had acted as they did was beyond him. He'd never seen that happen before.

It was unsettling.



"Oh hello there Hebi...back...erggh...from torturing small foreign animals?Ugh...Missed you buddy!"

Hebi smirked as the King attempted to speak to him, but failed in doing so. He was in so much pain that words could not come to him. The protector sat there on his hunches without moving a muscle to help the man as he screamed in pain. He was gripping his arm tightly and the sounds of popping were filling the air. It sounded very painful, sickeningly so. However, Hebi wasn't in the least moved by any of it.

"Just go and try to get someone Hebi!" Taki yelled, but then coughed immediately after as he quite literally sucked in a mouthful of dirt.

Hebi grinned again as he watched, fascinated by the changing of his King's arm, "Yes, yes. I'm sure someone will come by to help out sooner or later," he mused lightly, "Besides, I couldn't possibly leave you when you can't even get to your feet. What if something bad were to happen, like someone coming by to kill you? We couldn't have that now could we?"

Hebi was talking, but he knew the King wasn't really listening, nor was he going to answer as he was in too much agony to think coherently. Taki rolled to his back, fighting off the rising pain as his arm continued to change in color. Hebi lifted an eyebrow as he watched. In a matter of minutes, the young man was unconscious, staring up into the sky without any movement to his face or eyes. For a moment Hebi thought the man to be dead but found this was not the case as he was still breathing. Pity, Hebi thought with a slight frown.

"And here I thought you were finally gone for good. Or had at least gone to learn some manners~" a feminine voice sounded behind him. Turning just enough, Hebi caught the familiar form of the woman whom was the captain of the palace guard. He grinned up at her, ignoring the fact that their King was on the ground, unconscious, in front of him.

"My dear Lutchka, nothing could keep me from coming back here. You alone won't be enough to drive me from these walls. I do so enjoy our lovely chats when I am here," he cooed back to her.

She moved from behind him and dropped down next to Taki, probably not even hearing his words to her as she was alarmed by the King's disposition. He watched her with an amused look on his face as she pulled him up and attempted to stand with him. Lutchka was visibly struggling, giving Hebi quite the show as he simply watched.

"He might not look like much, but he’s bloody heavy. And if you don’t help me, you’ll be wishing you were still gone."

"And here I thought you boasted about your own strength, perhaps I've gotten the wrong impression. I was rather enjoying watching your beautiful frame lifting up our dear King," He stood up and brushed himself off of any imaginary dirt that may have clung to him as he'd knelt there, "You know, my dear, I'm just not as strong as I used to be, I don't know how much help I could possibly be to you. Here," his grin grew wider as several pieces of metal on his person disappeared into blue sparkles of light.

Lifting his hand, the ground beneath them rumbled a bit as he worked the earth to be reformed to his liking. Lifting up a solid piece of rock, he motioned for her to put the King on it, "There, does this satisfy your need?"

---

"And here I thought you boasted about your own strength, perhaps I've gotten the wrong impression. I was rather enjoying watching your beautiful frame lifting up our dear King," As she did her best to support him, she practically glared daggers into Hebi. She didn’t give a snitch of a care about what he said about her, this was serious enough to warrant a ban on all jokings for the time being.

"You know, my dear, I'm just not as strong as I used to be, I don't know how much help I could possibly be to you. Here," Despite her previous thoughts, she scoffed lightly. ”And here I thought that you had the means to back up that mouth of yours. Guess we’re both learning new things~” Lutchka’s tone was rather dry and her face held no hint of its usual challenge or humor.

She watched as small blue sparks of light appeared randomly about his form, but she was certainly not impressed by his work. At least he had bothered to do something other than run his mouth. She shouldered the king up onto the slab of rock, making sure he was in a suitable position before resting her hand at the top of the slab. Using her opposite hand to slide the actual dust from her toned thighs, another belittling laugh parted her lips at the Protector’s words. "There, does this satisfy your need?"

Lutchka looked at him with the slightest hints of cheekiness, ”I’d think not. I would much rather watch you bear the weight of our king through the whole town and see when you’d buckle. But if you insist~” As she spoke, she moved both hands at a position to push the stone up the path towards the castle. While she joked with Hebi, there remained a nervous worry for her liege’s health. His hand did not look good, and she doubted that the scant healers they had would know how to treat it. But then again, she knew nothing of herbs.

To make the situation a bit lighter on herself, she prodded at Hebi further with a dramatic sigh. ”I always seem to be cleaning up your messes and picking up your slack. If you make this any more annoying, I think I might have to take drastic action against you. And we wouldn’t want to see little ugly burns mar that pretty pale skin of yours, now would we?” Her lips turned up softly in a smirk, and she flashed him an overly exaggerated look of exasperation.

---

---

---

At the sound of life that filled the room from his King’s lungs, Minnow’s gaze shot over to him and his full attention was fixated on the man. As Amon moved to sit up, Minnow scrambled to assist him in his efforts. The young Protector was about to open his mouth and inquire of the king’s condition, but he beat him to it. "Ok....that was miserable. And augh what did you put on my tongue, Minnow?" For a few seconds, he was confused, but then realized what the man was referring to. ”Ah….” he breathed quietly, not bothering to answer the king as he knew it was more of a rhetorical question.

However, as Amon moved and shifted along the bed to the edge, Minnow’s gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s. While he encouraged movement, getting up was probably not a good idea after what he had just gone through, and so, when the king pushed himself off the mattress, Minnow quickly leaned forward after him with an outstretched hand, attempting to grab at the hem of his shirt and pull him back. He came short, and as the king stumbled, his eyes widened with worry. ”M’lord-“ His mouth shut as quickly as it had opened as the king regained his balance and addressed them in gratitude.

The young boy simply dipped his head in recognition, his eyes lingering on the mattress as he king moved over to the fire with another cup of tea. Righting himself and sitting cross-legged on the bed, he watched as Amon sipped more of the liquid. "Alright, Minnow, Kanan, as I said I have no idea what caused the orb to act up like that. And frankly, it has me worried about the other kings." Minnow blinked, he hadn’t even considered the other rulers. But it made sense, and a subtle shiver ran up his spine despite the heat of the room.

As the king stuck his tongue out and began to run his fingers over his tongue, Minnow’s eyebrows rose. He would have advised against it, but he knew that it would be of no use. Amon did what he pleased, and nothing that the boy could say would convince the man otherwise. The inevitable happened, and a delicate, good-natured smirk met his lips as he leaned back on his arms.

”…So, we are going on a trip to the others to make sure they are ok. We need to get things ready as soon as possible, and we get some couriers out to let them know we are coming and why. That understood?" Minnow immediately straightened and peered down at the king with a slight hint of unease. ”Of course Sire, but with all due respect, you need to rest and put your health above that of the others. Going out in this weather is probably unwise, given what you just went through, and the sudden shifts in temperature are not good for your body.”

Kanan then spoke, though Minnow only partially listened to it as he came to crouch by the king’s side and look him over once more. However, when his fellow Protector’s tone changed, Minnow caught the bit directed at him, and he nodded. He watched as Kanan’s form then moved to the door before disappearing, and his gaze lingered for a few moments where the man had just been. His attention then shifted back to the king, and he stood. ”You should lay back down.”

Thanks User for the collab ^.^

"Would you like to be taken back to your rooms, or…?"

Siya smiled gently as he lay there. Reynard's arm had adjusted him and his other hand was running through Siya's hair. The touch was warm and comforting. He gave a soft sigh. For the moment he didn't want to move, only to stay there and allow the other to brush out his hair via the protectors fingers.

"No... I don't want to, not yet," he muttered gently. He supposed he could allow Reynard to do the work for once and to go sleep. However, he wasn't going to say it right then.

Opening an eye again his smile turned to a bit of grin, "How many times must I tell you to call me 'Siya' when we're alone? It sounds so much better. And didn't you say it just a bit ago without the title?" the young Fire King teased, though he was serious about the title part. He didn't like it when Reynard called him 'Lord Siya' it seemed to... distance them, which he didn't like.

"Should I collapse more often? I will you know, if it'll get you to say just my name and no title."

"I'll try to remember L-… Siya," The name rolled awkwardly off of his tongue because, yes, he'd said it earlier all by itself, but that had been in a fit of panic. Here and now the single word stuck to his tongue, almost refusing to budge without a title attached in some way, shape, or form. Using the King's name just felt too familiar, too much like they were equals, which Reynard was constantly reminded was entirely inaccurate. Titles were safe, distancing things and names war too close to actual sentiment without any of the professionalism he prided himself on. He licked his lips before trying again, never stopping his soothing ministrations.

"Siya, if I ever catch you collapsing on purpose, you'll be stuck doing all of your own paperwork for a month." Now this, he thought with a slight smile that was now only slightly tinged with worry, was familiar territory. It was only slightly teasing in that, if he tried a stunt like that, solo paperwork wasn't even close to what Reynard would do to him because he didn't need any more stress in his life, thank you.

Siya felt his face flush slightly as Reynard threatened him with paper work. He hated paperwork. Especially if he had to do it alone. Maybe he would rethink his tactic to getting the uptight protector to call him 'Siya' only. Though it seemed to be working at the moment. The young Fire King had to wonder what it was. Maybe it was the situation overall, that made Reynard a bit more agreeing to the order of being talked to without the title.

Siya shook his head, giving a quick response, "No... not paperwork..." he groaned, "Alright fine. But seriously, no more 'Lord' or anything. Just Siya," he would have continued but yawned as he lay there with Reynard's fingers brushing through his hair.

"Mm, you're going to put me to sleep," he muttered slowly. Although, it was the only thing he really wanted to do anyway, "I think I'd like to sleep now. I'll leave the preparations to you, just don't overwork yourself alright?"

Reynard hesitated for only a moment, hands freezing for just a split second before their continued the familiar motion. He really shouldn't be agreeing to this- it was improper and hardly becoming of either of their stations. Siya was, well, a King and Reynard was the Protector assigned to him, elevated only slightly over the other palace workers in terms of status. But, after everything that had just happened and, of course, everything that had happened prior to today as he worked side-by-side with the so-called "boy king" must have been wearing down his thoughts on the social norm.

"Fine; You'll be just Siya in private then," He agreed with a barely perceptible but firm nod. He could at least do that for him and it didn't feel too familiar if he really thought about it. It was normal, wasn't it, calling someone that he saw every day and knew perhaps too well by their first name? Especially when he had Siya like this, splayed across his lap, large eyes drooping sleepily, an intimate, trusting moment after what had just transpired.

Without much warning, he adjusted his position, standing up and lifting Siya to his feet with him with relative ease, arms still tightly wrapped around him in case he needed extra assistance standing or, indeed, walking after the brief but powerful moment of pain his body had gone through.

"Overwork myself? When have I ever done that?" He deadpanned sarcastically as he helped Lord- helped Siya towards his rooms not far from the throne room. Huh. Another joke. That was two jokes in one day; he was apparently on a roll.

Reynard pulled Siya up to his feet gently, holding him just in case the young King couldn't stand on his own. He wasn't sure if he could really, but once he was on his feet, it seemed he was just fine aside from the dull headache and the insane urge to sleep. He frowned a bit though, but hid it from Reynard. I was really enjoying that... he thought to himself, but knew better. Reynard wasn't going for it really. That much he was sure of. The man was too devoted to his work.

There were times though, rare as they were, that made Siya wonder if his protector did think of him as something other than a King. With a soft sigh he pushed that aside, not really wanting to think on it. Looking up at his taller protector, he gave him a small smile, "Thank you. See? Doesn't that feel more comfortable?" Feels closer, he thought to himself.

As they started out of the room, he glanced over his shoulder at the protector who shot back at him, saying essentially that he wasn't the one who was overworking. To this Siya laughed just a bit. Of course he overworked. In fact, the whole reason Reynard overworked was because of Siya. The Fire King felt a bit guilty for that one. With a slight blush he reached up and ran his hands through his hair.

Hovering just on the edge of his door, he looked over to Reynard, "Yeah, you're right. You'll probably have it easy now that I'm in one place for sure right? I'll sleep, I promise," he said. As he made the promise, he gently touched the other's hand. Slipping his fingers into the palm of Reynard's, he squeezed a bit before opening the door and going into his room. Closing it, he leaned against the door.

Reynard... what's it going to take? he thought sadly.

"Please do. You need the rest," Reynard replied, trying to slip back into his stern Protector persona and instead sounding like the concerned almost-friend that he actually was. He worried about Siya, of course he did, and he always would; the younger man put up with so much as the Fire King, constantly belittling from his more noble subjects, the pressures of ruling an entire kingdom, and his young age warping together into stress that was almost palpable in the palace's air. That was why Reynard was here, to help him through the obstacles and challenges, but if something happened like this again, if he wasn't able to do something- he cut off his own thoughts just as Siya threaded their hands together and squeezed for only a moment.

Reynard couldn't help but squeeze back, a small gesture that brought across more affection than he ever could or would verbally give the younger man. This, however, this he could do- a simple hand squeeze, perhaps, but it was a physical assurance that he was there and that, no, he wasn't going to go anywhere. All too soon, however, the presence vanished away and the door was shut, another barrier put up between them.

Reynard lingered for a moment before turning on his heels and making his way down the hall. He didn't have time to reminisce or to wallow in self pity; there were things to be done, letters to be written, explanations to be found, and, above all else, plans to be made. If Siya was right and this was not an isolated incident, he was sure correspondence would be coming soon from the other kingdoms. The various countries might not be close, but a malfunctioning orb or possibly orbs was everyone's concern. As cliche as it felt to think it, the fate of the world rested in the four kings and anything that endangered them endangered everything.



”And here I thought that you had the means to back up that mouth of yours. Guess we’re both learning new things~”

Hebi's grin was wide as he listened to her in the midst of creating his rock slab for their King.

”I’d think not. I would much rather watch you bear the weight of our king through the whole town and see when you’d buckle. But if you insist~”

"My lovely dear, I couldn't possibly think of what I would do should you force me into such heinous labor. But see, watching you... that's far more entertaining," he said as he followed behind her, his fingers waving in small circles to allow the stone slab to move with her... if only but slightly. He was enjoying her pushing it with her own strength. He had half a mind to put more weight into the rock to see what she would do, but decided against it. Hebi would have fun with her in other ways.

”I always seem to be cleaning up your messes and picking up your slack. If you make this any more annoying, I think I might have to take drastic action against you. And we wouldn’t want to see little ugly burns mar that pretty pale skin of yours, now would we?”

Hebi laughed softly, a cruel edge to it, "Oh, darling. You're making me shiver," he quickened his pace just a bit so that he could lean over to her ear and whisper, "I wonder, though. Which of us is faster... My vines wrapping around your pretty little throat, or your tiny tickle of power?"

Pulling away he laughed softly at her as they reached the castle. Hebi, of course, did nothing to help her with their King, only watching with mild amusement.

Three Days Later

As Hebi paced through the halls of the castle that he hadn't been in for many months, his thoughts were still on the strange events that had played out a few days ago. The orb had attacked its vessel, but for what reason he wasn't sure. Not that Hebi cared all that much. He was more curious if the incident would happen again or not. If it did happen again, would it kill the King? The protector had half a mind to wish that it would.

Deciding that his 'rounds' were done -if one could call wandering half of the palace halls rounds- he was starting to make his way to the throne room where the doors led to the castle grounds. The double doors swung open and three men walked in. Two of them were palace guards, one was someone Hebi did not know. Still, the protector gave a small grin that was not very settling or inviting. His gaze dropped to the man's chest where the symbol of the Air King was emblazoned on his clothes.

"Well well... I don't suppose you have some interesting news, do you?"




Three days had passed since the incident with the orb. Kanan had done as he'd been ordered and sent out the letters to the other Kingdoms. Now all that was left to do, was wait. The young protector busied himself with tightening the security around the palace and for the past few nights he'd stationed himself right outside of the King's room just in case anything else happened. He wasn't about to be caught off guard like he was last time, something that he deeply regretted and was internally punishing himself for.

As he was running his own routine that morning, his senses picked up the arrival of a messenger. Turning on his heel, he headed for the doors to where the guards were leading the man. The one eyed protector intercepted them as they were passing through the hall to find the King. Kanan stopped them with his hand rising lightly. The messenger was smaller than himself and slightly reminded him of Minnow. The young page boy looked slightly intimidated by Kanan's presence though. After all, Kanan wasn't one to smile easily, or offer any words of greeting that were nice. Not to mention his eye patch, chains, rings and earrings as well as his clothes that did little to hide his fit body.

"You're from the Fire Kingdom," Kanan stated simply, his deep voice soft and rich as he addressed the messenger.

The boy nodded and lifted a letter, "Y-yes," he squeaked slightly then continued after clearing his throat, "This is for the King."

Kanan reached out and took it from the boy, "I will take it to him," the protector said shortly and without pause turned and left the guards with the stunned page boy. He moved quickly down the hall, already certain that the letter he held in his hands was going to say the same thing he'd written and sent to the other Kings.

As he thought about it, he frowned a bit. Three days was more than enough time to get a response from all of them, but they had not gotten anything from the Water Kingdom or anything yet from the Earthen Kingdom. Of course from the Earth Kingdom, it was rather usual to not hear anything for a while as the one protector had a terrible habit of interfering with things. Kanan wished he could put his blade through the man's chest and be over with it. He was sure he'd be doing the Earth King a service if he did.

Shaking his head a bit, he knocked on the door to where the King was supposed to be.

It was rare indeed for Taki to be sitting at his throne. He hardly ever did so as he found himself to be the more "active" king. Raising his arms to rub at his temples, Taki had been in quite a grumpy mood since he awoke. It had been three days since he had been attacked from whatever force that was. His left arm had been rendered useless as it was put into a sling with a cast. It frustrated him to no end that he could not use a part of his body.

When the doors to the throne room swung upon, Taki raised a brow at the two guards and the unknown woman. Then upon glancing at Hebi he rolled his eyes and placed his hand upon his forehead. For the past three days Hebi had asked him rather insulting questions and cruelly jabbed at him about his arm. Taki's usual tolerance of Hebi was quite low.

With his palm still at his forehead, Taki spoke loudly. He was struggling enough already and he just had the sinking feeling that the news would be news of terrible levels.

"What is it?!"

Taki shook his head as he knew he was showing a little too much anger and frustration to the wrong people. Breathing out a low sigh he tried again. He really just wanted to go for a run right now, but the healers wouldn't allow it.

"Hmn, sorry. Greetings, how might I be of service?"

Taki brought the hand away from his forehead as his eyes calmly met the eyes of the newcomer.

Who was she...?

Kanan stood at the entrance of the palace, both hands held before him with one wrapped around the wrist of the other. He was standing on guard waiting for the arrival of the other Kings who were to be there rather soon. Once they arrived his only job was to escort them safely to meet with Amon in the council room inside the palace. So, the young protector stood at the very edge of the cobblestone road and the marble of the steps leading up to the large double doors behind him.

The sandals of Taki could be heard with each step as he and his two protectors drew closer to the entrance of the palace. Upon Taki's left side walked Lutchka and his right Hebi. During their travels Taki had felt alive wandering outside of the Earth Kingdom. It was something he always wanted to do. Even with Hebi at every moment trying to ruin the experience at every turn, Taki was pleased to get to know his newest protector. Upon their journey each of them still engaged in their usual teasing, but Taki didn't mind this too much as it generally ended up with him and Lutchka teaming up on Hebi.

Arriving at the entrance of the palace, Taki glanced between Hebi and Lutchka as he asked. "This is the place right?" He seemed obvious to the fact the protector Kanan was standing near by. Taki himself had been taken aback by the design of the gates entrance. To him it was so interesting to see different culture and design.

Hebi lifted an eyebrow as his King, "My lord, certainly you are not so incompetent as to miss the glaring fact that we are indeed in the Air Kingdom and no less upon the steps of the Air King's palace. You see, the youth right there with the eyepatch, that is Kanan Thiyer. Though, a protector with one good eye is probably not the brightest idea to have around," Hebi grinned.

Kanan's gaze flicked to the taller man briefly before he ignored the man completely and turned to Taki. With a deep bow -and every ounce of restraint he had not to drop to one knee- he addressed Taki, "My Lord. His Majesty, Lord Amon is waiting for you. Please, allow me to escort you there."

"I didn't think there were any left who knew how to be so idiotically formal," the green eyed protector hissed to himself, obviously disliking the way Kanan spoke.

Lutchka snorted derisively at Hebi’s comments. “Even a man with one eye is better than you. You’re obviously just jealous that he has such a badass look to him~” Her tone, although teasing, was a bit flat, and she flashed her partner a bored smirk. She was fairly done with having to deal with him for the entirety of the trip, yet she continued to engage him nonetheless.

Raising his right hand to the back of his head Taki spoke gently to Kanan as he said. "Please ignore him, he's just upset about how he was treated by the children in the schoolyard. Anyways, please, just call me Taki. Like my father before me we understand that we are indeed just people even if those around us want to call us kings."

Chuckling brightly at her King's own jape at Hebi's expense, her gaze soon fell upon the protector in question. Her eyes seemed to rake down his form critically, analyzing everything about him. However, this lasted only a moment, and her usual friendly smile appeared once more on her face in honest greeting.

Kanan watched the King warily, his pale blue eye narrowing ever so slightly. Even if prompted to call Taki by his name, Kanan would not. Turning slightly he seemingly ignored both protectors and motioned for the door, "This way," he said, his voice rumbling slightly as he spoke. Taking the steps, he moved up towards the doors and with a flick of his hand, opened them with a small push of his wind.

"Are you constantly relying on your magic, protector?" Hebi asked suddenly, questioning the small use of magic that Kanan had just displayed. The pale featured boy with white hair ignored him still and strode down the hall.

Hebi, however, was growing more determined to get some sort of reaction out of the near silent air protector. He wondered what sort of expression the youth would make, what would make him angry and how he would react. It wasn't for any pleasure, or anything like that. It simply was that Hebi wanted to see what others were like, how they thought, how they worked, and more importantly the pure fun in pushing others to their limits. With his new target in sight, the Snake was thinking of ways he could possibly get this young man to snap. He was beginning to think he knew exactly how.

Kanan led them through the palace swiftly, near the center of it, or so it seemed. Opening the double doors, he presented the three of them to the council room. This time he did drop to one knee in his formal greeting to his own King, "Sire, Lord Taki," he said only before standing again and taking his place next to the King.

Amon had been sitting in the council room for a couple hours now. He knew the Kings were to be arriving today, but without a definite time as to when. Most of his morning had been spent doing his usual workouts, some striking drills, and just lounging in the shade of a tree. However, eventually he had been dragged to the council room, having been convinced by Kanan. It was, without a doubt, one of the most boring things he’d done in a while. There was nothing in this room to do, and a few spontaneous exercises were not enough to stave off the boredom, so now here he was, leaning back in his chair, feet up on the table with his arms hanging limply over the arms of his chair, staff draped across his lap, asleep. His head was hanging to the side, and a rather noitceable snore was eminating from his mouth. Occastionally there'd be a mumble/grumble of nonsense from him, and despite being leaned back in the chair he was somehow maintaining his balance.

Kanan frowned as he stood next to his King. Reaching out he gently tapped the man's shoulder. It wasn't light enough to not be felt, but not hard enough to topple him from his precarious perch either, "Sire."

"What's this, your King sleeping when he should be expecting us? Embarrasing, to say the least. Perhaps he was not concerned about our welfare or anyone elses in that matter," Hebi commented lightly as they entered the room.

Kanan, despite his earlier abilitiy to ignore the man, turned his good eye to the man and narrowed it. Hebi grinned, there it is... some reaction. Now to build on it, he thought to himself.

"Mm......and you smell bad...." was about the only understandable mumble that Amon made.

Amon had been sitting in the council room for a couple hours now. He knew the Kings were to be arriving today, but without a definite time as to when. Most of his morning had been spent doing his usual workouts, some striking drills, and just lounging in the shade of a tree. However, eventually he had been dragged to the council room, having been convinced by Kanan. It was, without a doubt, one of the most boring things he’d done in a while. There was nothing in this room to do, and a few spontaneous exercises were not enough to stave off the boredom, so now here he was, leaning back in his chair, feet up on the table with his arms hanging limply over the arms of his chair, staff draped across his lap, asleep. His head was hanging to the side, and a rather noitceable snore was eminating from his mouth. Occastionally there'd be a mumble/grumble of nonsense from him, and despite being leaned back in the chair he was somehow maintaining his balance.

Kanan frowned as he stood next to his King. Reaching out he gently tapped the man's shoulder. It wasn't light enough to not be felt, but not hard enough to topple him from his precarious perch either, "Sire."

"What's this, your King sleeping when he should be expecting us? Embarrasing, to say the least. Perhaps he was not concerned about our welfare or anyone elses in that matter," Hebi commented lightly as they entered the room.

Kanan, despite his earlier abilitiy to ignore the man, turned his good eye to the man and narrowed it. Hebi grinned, there it is... some reaction. Now to build on it, he thought to himself.

"Mm......and you smell bad...." was about the only understandable mumble that Amon made.

Glancing to Lutchka, Taki whispered to her "I may mandate that he's sedated before we have royal appointments."

A soft chuckle left her lips at Taki’s comment, and she nodded in resolute agreement. “I don’t know

Glancing to Lutchka, Taki whispered to her "I may mandate that he's sedated before we have royal appointments."

A soft chuckle left her lips at Taki’s comment, and she nodded in resolute agreement. “I don’t know why you haven’t already done that. I think he should be drugged 24/7, I’m sure he’d be much more pleasant to be around.” She honestly didn't mind much at all that the king had been sleeping prior to their arrival. Hell, if she were a King, she'd probably be doing the same thing. Not to mention that Taki himself didn't act the part all that well either.

Amon shifted a little in his chair some, his staff slowly slidding from his lap until it was now on the floor, leaning against him. He then yawned and stretched his arms outwards, cracking open his eyes a little. Then something felt off before his eyes opened more. Flailing his arms, Amon felt his chair begin to tip backwards. "Crap, crap, crap!" was all he said before chair tipped backwards and dumped the king onto the floor with a thud. He laid there on his back, blinking and staring up at the ceiling, still "seated" in his chair. "Huh..."

"You alright there friend?" Taki called to him from where he stood. He had looked away from Lutchka as he asked. He kinda liked how this king was a little more down to earth. It was a nice change of tone than what he was told to expect from the other kinds during his advisor lectures.

Amon blinked again when he heard voices, immediattly sitting up enough so that his head could poke up over the table. He stared at the three individuals standing at the end of the room, sitting there like a deer in the headlights. Finally he adopted his standard grin, quickly recovering his chair and setting it back up as he stood there. "I am indeed! Nothing but a little fall! Besides it's only a stone floor, that's all!" Clearing his throat some, he then proceeded to head from his spot and around the table towards his guests, having grabbed his staff before heading over and letting it clink of the floor as he walked.

"Seems you folks caught me while I was resting! Been a long day for me, left me a little tired is all. I do apologise for not greeting you properly." He said, stopping just in front of them. "I am King Amon Ad-Raza and it is a pleasure to meet all of you." He bowed at the waist some before standing back up to his full height, smile still plastered to his face.

"Well, it's best I was here while we caught you resting. Hebi might of tried to swap your big toes in your sleep to see if you had a reaction! Anyways, I am King Hattori! You can just call me Taki however. These are my protectors! The lovely Lutchka, and my snake in the grass Hebi. He has quite the warmest personality." Taki then glanced over at Hebi giving him a little wink before looking back to Amon. He briefly winced as his arm flared up for a moment.

As her King introduced her, Lutchka gave a swift bow before flashing Amon a pleasant, cheerful smile and wiggling her fingers at him in greeting.

Hebi did not bow, nor say anything except for give his same grin that never reached his eyes. Folding his arms over his chest he glanced over to Kanan who looked as tense as ever, something told him that the one eyed protector was trying his hardest not to pull his King away from the three of them, or more importantly away from the Snake. It was this that prompted the Snake to ask his question, "There is only one protector here. Surely a one eyed man is not enough to serve you, your Highness? I hardly see his worth."

Amon's smile grew wider as Taki introduced himself. "Fair enough, you may simply refer to me as Amon." he then turned to Lutchka, noticing her little form of greeting and chuckling some, waving back in a similar manner. He then turned his attention to Hebi, keeping his smile steady. "Snakes aren't all that bad, sometimes chase after them when I'm outside. Trying to spot the little buggers in the grass is actually a decent way to train your perception." Amon said. "And speaking of perception, you don't need to worry about Kanan's lack of an eye. He's plenty capable of making up for that handicap. My other protector is out in the city running some errands, getting the necessary stuff to fix me up when I hurt myself goofing around." He never once looked away from Hebi, maintaining eye contact the entire time. "My protectors are definetly worth their weight in gold, I can tell you. Maybe even in diamonds." He finished with a little chuckle.

Hebi lifted an eyebrow as he watched Amon as well. The man certainly talked big about his protectors. He must cherish them to some extent. This made the Snake laugh inwardly. He didn't speak anymore, he would wait for his next chance. Of course he had things to tell them... information that would come later. If he did it right... His gaze shifted over to Kanan briefly.

The one eyed protector didn't move from his spot, waiting patiently for his King to return to his seat and continue the meeting. The Fire King was sure to be the last one to arrive and there was still some time yet before the Water King would make his appearance.

" I bet they are" Said Taki kindly as he tried to divert attention from his protector. "So, how are your healers if I may ask?" Taki tried to wiggle his left arm to his own punishment. "Heh, ow.."

Amon looked at Taki, cocking his head to the side. "You sprain your arm or something on the way here?" He brought his head back to its normal position, "Once Minnow returns, my other protector, he could take a look at it for you."

Taki made a face at the word "Sprain". Looking to Amon he said to the man. "This was a result of whatever attacked me while I was still in the Earth Kingdom. If your healers could even fathom whatever kind of injury this was I'd make love to them. Seriously, whatever this is hell." Taki coughed slightly before sighing and speaking again. "If it's a new form of sickness can we call it Hebism?"

Kanan flinched slightly, a bit of a cough escaping him as he stood there listening to the Earth King speak. Make love... to them... but that's... Minnow... he thought frantically. It was hard to hide, but he was sure a few heard the cough. Quickly composing himself he didn't move, standing still as a statue.

Taki glanced over to Hebi. The Snake was going to kill him in his sleep he knew it. He had jabbed at him so much during this meeting it was insane. Glancing around the palace he took in the lovelyness of it. "I really like this palace." Taki finished with. "It's fresh....if that makes any sense."

Amon’s smile faltered when Taki mentioned his arm was because of the incident with the orb. “I’m sorry Taki, I guess I should have chosen my words a bit more carefully, my sincerest apologies.” He said to the Earth King. “My healers will do the best they can to help relieve you of this ailment, I promise. As for the name of it, I’ll let you decide on that one.” Amon’s smile returned as Taki began talking about the palace. “Also, the fresh does not make sense to me honestly, but that's why I never do the decorating aorund here; which frankly, is something you folks should be very happy about."

"Also don't die on us, Kanan! Minnow is going to have his hands full with Taki he doesn't need to be distracted by you as well!" He said while turning to look at his protector.

Taki glanced over to Kanan for a moment before looking back to Amon. He had decided to drop the conversation about the look of the palace to save Amon some trouble. Reaching his right hand to his nose he gently scatched at his as he asked his next question. "So, who else do you think will make it by today?"

"Well," Amon began, finally turning to head over to his place at the end of the table. As he did so he waved a hand out to a couple of the chairs that were next to the table. "You folks are welcome to sit by the way, anyways I am hoping that Lord Siya Ukomo will arrive tonight. Unfortunately I haven't actually heard anything from the Water King as of yet, so I cannot say when he and his entourage will be arriving." He spoke as he sat down in his chair, letting his staff rest on the floor in front of him and having it lean back onto his shoulder.

Taki sighed as he glanced over to his protectors. "Well, Lutchka. Stay close. Hebi, you are free to go and do what you do best. I am going to take a seat here with Amon and get to know a fellow king." Taki stretched a little with his right arm to the air as he moved to one of the several chairs in the room.

After taking his seat, Taki rolled his neck a little as a few pops of joints could be heard from it. After a moment of silence Taki asked his fellow king in a serious tone. "Do you think the Water King didn't make it? I'm assuming we were all attacked." With a puff of breath, Taki placed his chin into his right palm as he begun to dwell on the idea.

Kanan shifted slightly next to his King. Adopting a rather relaxed stance, though his senses were still stretched as he was waiting for the presence of the other Kings. He was perhaps, using a bit more than usual and should Amon find out would probably be scolded for it, but he figured for that night it was needed.

Hebi, on the other, smirked. His lips pulled up into a wicked grin as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall just behind his King. The man, after a moment, laughed openly, "The Water King? I am afraid... I may have some bad news then," he started.

Kanan shifted, his gaze moving to the man and narrowing slightly. He didn't like what he was feeling, or what he was about to hear.

Hebi leaned forward slightly off the wall, his eyes locked on Kanan, "He's dead."

The protector shifted slightly, his hand slowly dropping to the hilt of his weapon, "How do you know for sure?" the boy asked softly, though his deep voice carried far enough.

Hebi shrugged lightly, "I... found out accidentally I suppose. I am a man of many talents, dear Kanan Thiyer," the Snake hissed slightly.

Kanan moved, probably not the best initial reaction, but he was feeling as if Hebi was threatening the other Kings in the room and the thought that Hebi had known of the Water King's death far before anyone else could only spell one thing for him. In a near split second, the young protector had crossed the room in a burst of air to aid him, drew his weapon and halted right before Hebi with the blade still singing as it hovered right under the man's chin.

"How?" he growled out.

Hebi slowly raised his hands, eyes glittering as he watched Kanan carefully, "You're reaction... Are you perhaps hiding something from us?"

Kanan ground his teeth and leaned forward closer. Hebi's grin widened.

Amon blinked at Hebi's comment, having been interrupted from answering Taki. Dead? When were they killed then? Was it when the orbs had been acting up? He looked up, about to ask Hebi a question that Kanan beat him too. Amon watched the Snake, listening to what he said intently, a rare scowl forming on his face. Again, he was interrupted by Kanan, but this time it was from the protector moving quickly across the room with his sword drawn and pointing at Hebi. Amon was on his feet in an instant, eyes widening. "Kanan!!" he shouted before heading around the table and towards the two protectors, leaving his staff behind.

He reached them when they had finished their little exchange of words, Kanan looking like he was about to run Taki's protector through. Amon was still scowling as he stepped up next to Kanan, grabbing hold of the protector's shoulder. "Kanan, stand down. Right. Now." Amon spoke with heavy authority, keeping a glare leveled at Kanan as he kept hold of his shoulder.

The young protector didn't move at first. It was probably the first time he had ever thought of disobeying his King's order to do something. He almost even fought back, but he reigned in his anger. Hebi had done this on purpose, he was sure of it now. The hand on his shoulder was heavy, keeping him from running his blade through the grinning protectors throat. Slowly, he pulled back.

"Not worth their weight in diamonds, I would say," Hebi commented lightly, earning a deep throated growl from Kanan who almost almost lunged forward again.

"Still," the Snake continued, "That reaction. I would be questioning his motives my dear King. All I was saying was that I had found out about the Water Kings death as I just so happened to be there on business. My apologies that I did not say so sooner. Busy as I am," he said. Leaning forward a bit, he directed his gaze and sneer at Kanan, "Though, the next time you level a blade at me, boy, you had best be ready to use it. Perhaps you should be taught your manners again."

"Mommy, daddy, could you please stop fight now?" Taki said with a hint of sarcasm. "We really need to get back to business here." Taki paused as he cleared his throat briefly. "Well, Hebi thank you for sharing that information with us. Next time could you drop the information upon us properly? I know you enjoy our sufferings, but that would have been good to know ealier.

Sitting up in his chair, Taki shot Hebi a look. It was the kind of look a mother would give her son in a marketplace when the child was throwing a tantrum. After breaking his look from Hebi, he looked back to Amon and Kanan as he said "Well, this is rather devistating news. I am sorry. I wish I could show more empathy myself, but I never got to meet the guy."

Amon slowly started to step away from Hebi, keeping a grrip on Kanan's sohulder to guide him back towards their seats. He didn't look away from Kanan as he moved, nor did he look at Taki as he spoke. "It's ok, I did not know of him very well at all either." Once they had backed up some, Amon finally let go of Kanan and made his way back to his seat, though it was clear that his usually cheery demeanor was being replaced with a far more serious one. He sat down, resting his elbows on the table and his chin on top of his hands.

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of frustration before opening them again. "Oh I hope Lord Siya arrives soon. Because it seems the situation has escalated quite a bit."

Speaking a little under his breath Taki saidly lowly so only Amon and Lutchka could hear. "You sure? I'm not sure what Hebi will do next."

Amon looked at Taki, before sighing again and running his hands through his hair before holding his head. He was anything but sure about anything now. It was bad enough when he thought it was just the orbs acting up. Now though one of the kings was dead and...his eyes widened before he lifted his head up, looking at Hebi. "What about the orb?!"

Hebi tilted his head, a smirk on his lips once again, "The orb? Whatever do you mean?"

By this time, Lutchka was pretty well done listening to Hebi antagonize everyone. She was only slightly shocked when Kanan went after Hebi, though she knew full well that Hebi deserved it. Minutes ago she had begun to tap her fingers subtly against her thigh as she suffered through his words. It was incredibly foolish and dangerous to keep such information about the Water King to himself, and no matter what kind of twisted, mocking person he was, the safety of the kings should always be considered.

So by the time Hebi played stupid about the orbs, she had had enough. In one swift motion her hand was tangled in his long hair in practically a vice-grip, and she tugged his head back and sent a well-aimed slap to his forehead. “Stop being such an ass.” She growled, fury in her eyes. While she would deign to tease and play his games, when it came to her job, nothing about it was funny.

"This is not the time to start playing dumb, protector." Amon had his glare levelled right at Hebi.

Hebi grimaced as Lutchka gripped his hair and dragged his head backwards. Though it stung, as did his forehead, he couldn't help the laugh that came after she released him, "Well well, I did not realize that you were one such woman as to be so forceful, my dear Lutchka. That kind of fire and play should be reserved should it not?" he grinned at her as he shifted around and readjusted himself to be comfortable once again.

Looking back to Amon, he gave a shrug of his shoulders, "I know nothing. I do not know where the orb is."

Amon kept his glare levelled before he just groaned, gripping his head once more while looking down at the table. "This is bad.....really, really bad." he muttered to nobody in particular. This would certainly be a great way to welcome the Fire King when he arrived. Amon had no idea how the hell he would even break this news, course saying it bluntly might be the best thing to do.

Kanan, who had been silent the entire time aside from his every limb trembling from his earlier anger and loss of control, suddenly shifted again. He went rigid as he felt something along the air that he had stretched out. At first he wasn't sure what it was, but then he realized the presence that he was feeling. He wondered if his King would even allow him out of his sight after such an embarrasing mishap on his part, still though he needed to say something.

"My lord," he had switched titles, regret in his voice for sure, "Lord Siya approaches the castle. Shall... I greet them?"

Amon just let his forehead hit the table now. I didn't even get a chance to decide how to tell them! Augh~.... he thought, hitting his forehead on the table once more before taking in a deep breath. Exhaling loudly, he then stood right up onto his feet while lifting his head, looking at Kanan. "We'll go greet him." With that Amon started towards the entrance to the palace, just keeping his eyes forward as he walked; he didn't bother to grab his staff this time around as he left.

Kanan bowed his head briefly as he followed after the King. He could feel the gaze of the Snake on him and he did everything he could to ignore it. It was what the man wanted and now Kanan was sure to have to try to explain himself later on to Amon. He was not looking forward to that. It didn't take them long to exit the palace and greet the Fire King who was indeed just dismounting from his horse followed by his two protectors.

"My Lord Amon," Siya greeted with a smile as he turned at their approach. Kanan only offered a short bow.

To say that Reynard was relieved to see the Castle of the Air King would be an incredible understatement. On the road, whether with Lord Siya or, in the case of the years before his employment as Protector, on his own, he'd always felt that travelling left him disturbingly open. Unknown places, unknown people... It all culminated in an antsy Reynard who was slightly more paranoid than usual. Not that most people could tell; the only thing that actually changed is that he kept his hand on his katana far more than most people traveling with him were comfortable with.

They were greeted, surprisingly enough, by King Amon himself along with someone who didn't quite fit the role as royal, but was certainly not an average worker within the castle. A Protector, Reynard realized, spending more time examining his counterpart than the King in front of him as he dismounted alongside Lord Siya. Unlike his King, he did not offer any words, instead bowing stiffly and professionally.

Travelling was so boring, no matter where it was to Damiano never enjoyed it. At least in this case it wasn’t him either running for his life or running after some poor schmuck. That and Siya was decent company, somebody to talk with and prevent the travel from becoming monotonous. He was very pleased to see the castle, and he could see two individuals standing at the entrance to greet them. One was clearly a guard of some kind considering the sword he had on him, though Damiano wasn’t exactly sure why he had all the gaudy jewelry on him. As for the other individual Damiano figured, considering he lacked weapons of any kind, must have been some kind of attendant. Course when Siya uttered the title of 'Lord Amon', Damiano was very quick to bow his head to the king.

Amon watched the three of them dismounting from their horses, and soon the stable attendants would arrive to take their horses away. At the front was Lord Siya himself, and behind him were what he could easily assume were his protectors. Amon returned their bows, before taking another deep breath, trying to keep the frustration from his face as he adressed them. "Hello, Lord Siya, thank you for being able to make it here. you may just refer to me as Amon, please." He went to keep talking, but he was having trouble keeping his mouth shut, and finally he sighed and ran his hand through his hair once more. Do I have no other nervous ticks?

"Listen, I apologize Lord Siya, but we'll have to skip out on the formalities and get to the concil room now. Things are far more serious than we initially thought. Please follow me." Amon said before turning and heading back inside, towards the council room.

"Lord Amon," Siya said slowly as he lifted an eyebrow. Relenting, he followed after the man and his protector. It seemed something was bothering the other King and the young Fire Lord was uncertain if he wished to know what that was. Giving a quick glance to both Reynard and Damiano, he motioned for them to follow as well. Once through the halls, they were introduced to the council room. Siya took a brief look, and sucked in a breath. Where is the Water King... shouldn't he be here first? he thought to himself. The tension in the room though... was so heavy Siya was sure he could cut it.

Reynard followed behind his King without any hesitation. He was completely unsurprised by the idea that something serious was going on. Of course something serious was going on- the orbs had apparently universally gone haywire only a few days ago, turning against the Kings that possessed them in a violent and inexplicable fit. Really, the fact that they were getting right to business was for the best if only because Reynard didn't really have the patience right now for social niceties. To be quite blunt, travelling outside of the Fire Kingdom made him grumpy and no one likes a grumpy Reynard.

The Council Room was almost empty when they arrived, which made the three people missing all the more obvious. The Water King was absent and, perhaps more importantly, so were his Protectors. Perhaps... Perhaps they were late as well, held up by some unavoidable delay. That really was a shame; the idea of seeing Caerwyn again was the only thing that had made this trip seem at all enjoyable.

Amon was not graceful at all about sitting in his seat, flopping down in it heavily while putting his elbows back up on the table. He was rubbing his hands together, for no real purpose besides him being antsy, as he looked over the occupants of the room. All who were left alive was here now, and with the doors being shut by Kanan as they walked in, Amon finally took one more deep breath to try and calm himself.

“Lord Siya, this here is Lord Taki of the Earth Kingdom and his two protectors. The beautiful young lady right there is Lutchka, while the gentlemen by the wall over there is named Hebi.” Amon waved his hand to each of them as he said their names before returning his elbow back to the table top and his hand underneath his chin having interlocked his fingers by now. "This here is my own protector, Kanan. My other protector is out and about right now, his name is Minnow."

Taki yawned as he needed to Lord Siya. "It's a pleasure to meet you my fellow king." All of the problems Hebi had caused even started to give Taki a headache as he rubbed his temples for a long moment yawned again. "How old are you?" Taki asked with a tilted look.

Siya's face flushed as he looked over to Taki, "My age?" he repeated. Glancing over to Reynard he arched an eyebrow, "Um... I'm twenty," he answered softly wondering if this was going to affect how he was going to be looked at in this group. It was certainly an odd question to be asked upon first arriving. Siya mentally shook himself.

"It has been a really long trip. I do apologize for my late arrival, what is this urgent business that I should hear before I suggest retiring for the night and resuming tomorrow morning?" the young king asked as he was genuinely curious.

Amon looked at Siya before nodding his head. "Not sure how much sleep you'll be getting if I tell you honestly."

"You know, you don't exactly look twenty. It's perfectly fine if you're a younger king. I am not here to judge." Taki smiled at Siya as he felt his arm sting once again. Ignoring the pain to the best of his ability. He extened a hand out to the Fire King.

Taki wished he could finally get in touch with that other healer. He had grown tired being limited to one arm. Besides, if he was going to stop Hebi from being a pain he at least needed his other arm. Taki smiled to himself for a moment.

Siya took the hand, "Thank you," he said softly. Glancing over to Amon, he lifted an eyebrow, "Should I be waiting till tomorrow then?" he asked the Air King. Though he was utterly curious, he wasn't sure now if he really wanted to know.

The Air King watched Siya still before shaking his head. "No, I guess it is best I tell you now." He took one more deep breath before he spoke, "The situation is far worse than we thought. The Water King and his Protectors are Dead, and the Water Orb is missing." he said while sitting up in his chair.


"Dead?" Reynard didn't make redundant statements, didn't echo the words of others, but the sheer shock to his system from this revelation- dead. The Water King and his Protectors were dead. His Protectors were dead. Caerwyn was... Caerwyn was... No. No he couldn't be. Reynard swayed a little while he stood, trying desperately to tamp down the warring emotions within himself. He wanted to demand answers, to cry, to shout until everything made sense again, but he couldn't- he couldn't. He didn't have the luxury of a meltdown, of breaking the carefully constructed persona he'd crafted for himself. But it was hard, so hard to keep it all in, and little things began to escape. His breathing picked up, more erratic and frequent, his hands became fists, nails digging into the palms of his hands.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. He'd just sent Caerwyn a letter the other day, had just- had just- And now he would never read it and no one seemed as perturbed as they should be. It wasn't a tragedy it was an inconvenience they weren't- it wasn't their faults. He knew that, logically, but as his mind raced over the new information, it struggled to comprehend. Blaming someone felt right because anger was more familiar than sadness or grief or anguish. Anger you could grasp onto, could utilize, and sorrow just dragged you down, it hurt you far deeper than any real wound could. Oh, God. Caerwyn was dead.

Damiano listened to Amon's word, clicking his tounge some as he took it all in. Wow, if what Siya claimed is correct then....fuck. There was no other way that Damiano could possibly think to word it beyond that. He then noticed Reynard moving and quickly rise to his feet. The other protector only said one word, but Damiano could gather alot just from the tone in which he said it. His body language spoke volumes as well, the distress was clear and obvious; Why though? he thought to himself.

Siya looked up to Reynard as the protector spoke. His gaze grew wide though as the man's face seemed to pale, and he swayed on his feet slightly. Had Siya not been so close to him, he was sure to have missed it completely. Reaching out he took hold of Reynards arm. Though he was trying hard not to show any more affection on his face in front of those that were present, he was having a rather difficult time doing so. He was worried, sad, and even a little bit scared at the reaction he was seeing. There's something more to this than just the shock of losing another King he thought to himself.

"Reynard..." he whispered the man's name. Glancing over to Amon he bit his lower lip, "I'm sorry... I-I think we should retire for the night. We will talk more tomorrow. Is that alright?"

Amon was watching Siya's protector's reaction with a curious look, before turning his eyes back to Siya. He sat quietly for a moemnt before just nodding head. "Yeah, we can. I...I could use some sleep myself honestly." That was a lie and Amon knew it, with everything he's learned to day there was going to be too much on his mind to be able to actually fall asleep. "Or...take that back, I think I just need to some time to process this myself." He then looked at Kanan. "If you could please show them to their rooms, Kanan. I'll be in the training room if any of you need me."

Kanan gave a bow to his King and moved for the door, "Follow me, please," he offered softly.

Siya nodded, his gaze still locked on Reynard though as he was more than just a little worried about the man. Perhaps he could talk to him fully later on. Looking back over his shoulder before following after the one eyed protector, he gave a short nod of his head, "Thank you for your hospitality," after that, he left the room in pursuit of the other.

Damiano had also been keeping his eyes on Reynard, but when Siya had stood up to leave for the room he followed close behind. He gave Amon and Taki both a bow before he too turned and went after Siya, resting one of his hands on his bow as he followed.

If Reynard had been in the right state of mind, he most likely would have scolded Siya (in private) about the use of affection on his Protectors in front of others, particularly other Kings. However, the entire reason Lord Siya was acting so gently was because he wasn't in the right state of mind. That being the case, the hand on his arm did as much to ground him as it did to shock him back into the current situation; strangers in a strange land with someone who'd murdered the Water King and- and others on the loose. It wasn't enough to have him pull it together, not by a long shot, so he was relieved, so relieved, when Lord Siya politely requested that they be allowed to retire.

He bowed automatically to those that remained in the room, a gesture so ingrained into his mind and body that he probably could have done it in his sleep before turning abruptly to follow one of King Amon's protectors out of the Council Room, staring firmly forwards if only to keep a destination in mind.

Amon could only sigh miserably now, letting his forehead rest on the table with his arms wrapped around his head. He just didn't have enough in him to try and be his usual cheerful self, it almost felt like he was back in his hometown once more. No sense of reprieve, with everything just feeling like it was going wrong. He lifted his head up and stood up a moment later, grabbing his staff as he did so while looking at Taki and his protectors. "When you wish to retire for the night, ask a servant where the guest rooms are for the Earth King and your protectors, they will be able to guide you. I hope that you are able to sleep well tonight, because tomorrow is going to be busy. Good night to all of you." He bowed to them before he left for the door, turning down a different hallway than the one Kanan had lead Siya and his entourage, heading straight for the training room he spent so much of his time within.

Siya took hold of the seat and pulled it out so that he could take his place at the table that served for the council room in Amon's palace. Leaning forward, he curled his fingers together as he placed both arms up on the table and glanced around the table at the others who were seating themselves as well. Once everyone was settled, he cleared his voice slightly to get their attention.

"The water orb is missing. This means that without a vessel soon it will unleash all of its power. Places that have no water will be flooded; places that have water will be dried up. Everything is going to go chaotic within the next few weeks. Our first priority should be finding a new King to hold the orb," he started, his voice slightly breathless as he was a bit unsure about this idea. After all, they had all just been attacked by a mysterious person who was evidently after their orbs. Taking a breath he glanced down to the table before looking up again.

"We will also have to be very careful from now on. Finding out who is after us is also very important. We cannot let this individual run rampant through our lands doing as they please. How they found out about the orbs, I think, matters not to me. What matters now is that we deal with them accordingly."

Amon took his seat, setting his staff down next to him, letting it lean against the chair he was in. He leaned back in his chair, getting himself into a comfy position as he listened to Siya speak. Once he was finished, Amon leaned forwards enough that he could place his arms up on the table. "Couldn't have said it better myself to be honest, now if only we just had some idea where to begin looking for either." he said.

Strolling in, Taki slowly moved to his seat. Along with him he brought both of his protectors who walked along his side. Gently waving to the others Taki gave a pleasant smile to everyone as he said. "Greetings, what's up, how are you'll?"

Taking his seat he slouched a little as he glanced between the Kings. All of them had such good manners sitting up and all. Compared to him they looked like actual Kings, but Taki didn't care as the Taki grin grew upon his face. None of them could say they held off an assassin with one arm. "Hell yeah." Taki boasted under his breath.

Amon glanced at Taki as he walked in before looking back ahead, this time at nowhere in particular. Least he's cheerful he thought to himself. "Don't suppose any of you might have any contacts or leads of any kind to finding either the peopel attempting to kill us, or finding a water user such as the one we need?"

Siya leaned back in his chair, "None that I know of," the Fire King answered with a heavy sigh, "The Kings have always found their own successors. It would really be near impossible for us to just go and find one, but we have to think of something," he raised his fingers and tapped them against his lips, "The only thing we will have to look for is if anyone can use magic without sacrificing any metals."

"Of course, because that is so very simple, my Lord Siya," Hebi chimed in finally. He was once again leaning against the back wall behind his Kings chair, arms crossed over his chest as he regarded them, "You realize that you're looking at an entire country to try to find one single person, yes?"

"I realize this, Hebi," Siya answered with a heavy sigh.

Hebi lifted an eyebrow, "Do you? Then why are you asking for the impossible, young Fire Lord. I see why the many rumors of you're being the 'Child King' may be true. Perhaps you should think more like an adult King. The orb is far more valuable than a person. Find that first and you will easily find your vessel for it," the Snake hissed from his place against the wall.

Damiano had entered the room long ago alongside Lord Siya, though rather than sitting he had decided to rest back near a wall out of the way. He figured he’d let the kings do the talking, as he’d rather not say the wrong thing to them. Not to mention that in all honesty, he had no real idea what to say or how to help as he had little idea as to what they were really talking about. Sure Lord Siya had told him of the orbs, their purpose, and the purpose of the kings as vessels but that was really about it.

However, it was one of the Earth Protectors speaking up that drew his attention, and possibly his ire. Damiano didn’t appreciate the tone he was taking, nor the insult he was throwing towards his king. He finally decided to speak up, hopefully for the better. "Age has nothing to do with wisdom. I was younger than him when I was thrown into a pit of lions and told to fend for myself, and not just fend for myself but also complete the tasks given to me by the same people who threw me into that pit. I would hardly call finding one person impossible, especially because we are looking for someone with a talent that's rather rare amongst anybody."

He stepped from his place in the wall, starting to walk slowly towards the table and up next to Siya. "You look where someone with the ability to manipulate water at a whim would be very, very useful or prominent, such as maybe a renowned healer, maybe an area of hefty violence where somebody with that kinda ability could really make a difference. It's not like people are not going to talk about individuals with such gifts." Damiano finally stopped next to Siya, having never looked away from Hebi the whole time, smiling some. "Not that hard."

Hebi tilted his head as he regarded the other protector, "So, you say you and your Child King are one of a kind. How touching," the man's lips quirked into a smile, "So you both get to share in that little detail. Well, perhaps then you could teach the little runt of a King how to act like one, yes? Finding the orb should be more important than finding some person, as I say, once again. You're talking of searching this entire area."

"Hebi. Please for once shut up. The actual adults are talking here." Taki shook his head in frustration as he made a motion with his good arm to the Fire King and his protectors. "Please forgive my protector, he gets off to getting under peoples skins. It's like his thing." Taki briefly paused as he gave another motherly look of annoyance to Hebi. "Now, please continue."

"He has a point." The words rang out in the Council room, hanging heavy over the table and drawing attention to the other one of the Fire King's Protectors seated beside his young charge. Reynard looked exhausted, the sleepless night wearing on the Protector combined the yet unexplained grief from the night before to wear down his stern features. He hadn't intended to speak at the meeting, had been quite pleased to sit back and let the three Kings make arrangements and plans as was their right to do. But now... He might not like it- well, he definitely didn't like it, but the Earth Protector had a point. Oh, he could rant and rave at the other man for ages, extolling Siya's virtues or simply handing out a threat woven in a promise of swift retribution, but now wasn't the time for bickering. People had been killed, the Kings attacked the night before... Things had to be done.

"While I obviously disagree with his opinion on Lord Siya," Reynard began dryly, "And I do agree with Lord Siya that the new vessel must be found, the Orb must also be considered. More likely than not the same people who attacked last night are the ones who have the Orb of the Water King. If we find the Orb, not only do we have a powerful object returned to safe hands, but we also find the ones who stole it." And when they found those who stole it, they found the assassins of the Water King and his Protectors, and, God, Reynard wanted to be a part of that.

Lutchka sat comfortably in the seat beside her King, one leg crossed over the other and both palms lying flat beside her thighs. She had a very involved look to her face, one of piqued interest and slight excitement to see what the kings would end up doing. A light smirk was placed upon her lips the entire time.

Having gotten some rest the previous night, she was renewed and could deal with a lot more of Hebi’s remarks without being too irritated. He was always like this, he simply had no manners.

Minnow carried the many supplies he required to work on Lord Taki’s arm. He looked much better than he did before, having gotten about an hour or so of rest, and a light smile was on his face. He quietly entered the council room as several people were firing pointless comments at one another. Glancing around, he located every individual- his glance lingering just a split second longer on Kanan than the others- and made his way over to the free seat to the left of the Earth King. Flashing the man a positive grin, he took the chair before running a hand through his bangs once, quietly laying everything out before him.

He dipped his head slightly to the King in greeting, ”My lord.” He motioned for Taki to set his arm on the table so he could begin work.

Lutchka looked up from where she sat and let out a sigh. ”Loathe as I am to say it, I agree. Hebi is not entirely incorrect. However, it doesn’t really matter which one is more important. Both are needed for balance to be restored. If we have the orb, but no vessel, nothing will stop the chaos from occurring. However, it is also pointless to have a vessel with no orb, convenient as it is to have that checked off the list. In the wrong hands, I only foresee destruction and all sorts of evil, so it is key that we find it as quickly as possible.” While it was slightly repeating what the Fire Protector had said, Lutchka shrugged lightly in attempts to settle both sides.

Siya flinched slightly at Reynards agreement with the other. He did not, however, miss the fact that Reynard had disagreed with how Hebi had spoken. He sighed inwardly. Child King certainly is the right title though, he frowned heavily and stared into the table for quite some time before something struck him. Nearly jumping out of his seat, he looked over to Reynard, his fiery gaze wide, "The Water Orb!" he said very loudly, to which Hebi snickered partially in amusement, and was probably going to open his mouth yet again.

"Reynard... that man that attacked me last night. He was using water when he tried to drown me."

"Too bad he didn't succeed," Hebi commented offhandedly.

Siya ignored that but Kanan didn't. The air protector's gaze which had been resting on the blonde head of Minnow for quite some time snapped up to the other. The one eyed protector moved slowly, but purposefully. His steps were soft, hardly heard across the stone floor as he repositioned himself to be closer to Hebi as well as closer to Minnow. At least from this proximity, drawing his sword in one motion should the other attempt anything further, it would be much easier. Hebi glanced over to Kanan briefly, his smirk growing wider.

Amon leveled a glare at Hebi when he made that remark, all cheerfulness gone from the Air King's tone. [color=#002355]"Make one more crack like that hebi, and I'll make sure you are not talking for awhile. I will not stand by and let you disrespect one of my guests nor allies in such a manner. So I suggest that the next words out of your mouth be helpful, for your sake."

"I'm terribly sorry Amon." Taki said in a sincere voice as he flinched slightly in pain as Minnow worked on his arm. He wasn't sure what was going on with that as he tried to ignore it. He always got wigged out seeing people work on his flesh. However, for some reason he could sworn he felt his left hand's index finger twitch. An excitement grew deep within at the thought and he failed to hide it as a smile grew upon his face.

Minnow worked with making salves and pastes, ripping stems in half and squeezing the juice from a few strange looking bulbous plants. The wound mainly looked like it had been charred and cauterized too much, but that obviously wasn’t the only problem. He could tell just by looking at the wound and feeling around it that his element had lashed back out him. There was a bit of temporary nerve damage, and the outermost part of his skin needed to be removed so that the normal flesh could have room to regrow. Instead of taking the painful option to remove the skin with tools, which was unpleasant for both the healer and the patient, he simply used a few mixtures between herbs and flowering plants to make a sort of opaque ointment, which he quickly rubbed over the Earth King’s arm.

Despite his lack of desire to use any tools, Minnow did know he needed to open the skin as soon as possible to make sure it had not become infected, as well as to implant the necessary materials to counter the damage to the man’s nerves. While the ointment slowly worked at softening his seemingly charred skin, Minnow worked on the needed pulp for his nerve endings, placing a bit of it on the wound every so often and rubbing it in with his finger.

Despite any gore or uncomfortable sights, Minnow enjoyed his job, and wasn’t easily disturbed by fleshly wounds. As he worked, he completely ignored almost all of the chatter around him.

Damiano sighed as he leaned against one of the chairs before standing up off of it. "Ok, so most of you seem so set on orb first, new king/queen next. But how do you suggest we find the orb, hm? From what I hear it's find the assassins, find the orb, which makes sense and I can certainly agree on the whole assassins lead to orb deal." Damiano then began pacing near Siya and Reynard, something he usually did when he was thinking or ranting. "But I ask, and I think the garden snake over here might enjoy this one honestly, why hunt the assassins? We don't need to hunt them down. They came to us! They attacked us in a place as fortified as a castle, so clearly they have no issues going after us anywhere else we might go." He stopped next to Siya once more, looking around at the others. "I say that we look for the new individual to possess the orb, and then we just wait for the assassins to show themselves once more. Capture 'em, interrogations maybe, point is they are saving us the trouble of looking for them by coming to us anyways. That way we get to do both tasks at once, a lot easier if you ask me than doing them seperately." He then leaned forwards on the chair, looking out at them, shrugging his shoulders as he did. "Your choice though, I'm just here to act as bodygaurd not make the decisions."

Reynard was not interested in arguing. To be fair, he rarely was being more of a "walk away from the situation" type or, if it became more violent a "make sure the other guy can't walk away" type. Still, the fact remained that the Protector had a job to do and it wasn't making eloquent arguments and/or trying to shut up those who depended on snark to stir up trouble. His job, in essence, was Siya who from his comment on the Water Orb onwards had drawn his attention.

"Correct, Lord Siya. The assailant was a water user, and..." He paused for a moment, recalling the events from the night before, lips pursed into a little o of surprise. "He used the Earth element as well."

"That's funny." Taki interjected. "Mine used air." Wincing slight at a bit of momentary pain from Minnow's work. Taki stared at them in confusion.

Siya bit his lip, taking a deep breath in that was almost akin to a gasp, but not quite. He watched Reynard carefully, his gaze shifting between both of his protectors eyes as he sat there, leaned against the arm of his chair. With Taki's input as well, he was now utterly confused and didn't know what to think or how to piece it all together. Both eyebrows knit together as he sat there, "I... How is that even possible..." he muttered, "To weild two elements. It's impossible."

With a sigh of frustration he leaned back against his chair, his fingers reaching up to run through his hair which he had braided up again that morning. The braid hung over one shoulder, just barely brushing across his chest as he pulled the ends of it, "In any case, I see everyone's point. It is true that these assailants came after us. Should they already have the water orb-"

"Wishful thinking..." Hebi said

Siya continued without missing a beat, "- then they come to us and we will have it. We should be looking for the vessel to carry it after that," he glanced up over his shoulder to Damiano as if to say thanks to the man without actually voicing it. Of course he would tell the man that later on when they were not in the company of others. How many times had Reynard scolded him for showing too much affection? It was nearly engrained in him now. Still, he couldn't help the small grin that he flashed up at the other.

Kanan crossed his arms, shifting slightly as he stood right behind Minnow now almost as if to keep the young protector out of Hebi's line of sight and insulting words. He glanced over to Amon though, wondering what it was that they were all going to decide. To him though, hunting down the assassins would have been his first choice. But then, Kanan had been bred to kill, it wasn't something that he could just easily get rid of.

Amon was just quiet, thinking to himself. Wielding two elements, something I’ve had never heard of before. What if it’s there use of the orb that enabled them to do so? Sitting back in his seat, leaning the chair back enough so that he could comfortably rest his legs up on the table. "I guess we have ourselves a plan of action then. Good, less time we spend here the better." He let his eyes wander up to the ceiling as he placed his hands behind his head. "But where to begin looking?" he muttered quietly to himself.

"Perhaps we should start in the Water Kingdom," Siya offered with a shrug of his shoulders, "Send small groups into the Kingdom under the order of looking for any one with... special talents. Have them bring that person to the nearest Kingdom."

"My dear, 'Child King'.... Think hard on that," Hebi said, his voice just above a low whisper. Though it sounded as if he was angry, the cruel twist of his lips into a smile was definitely far from it, "Are you willing to chance just any poor creature brought to you in the hopes you find what you are looking for? How will you explain to them the ordeal without telling them about the orb, because you know..." he leaned forward off the wall, making Kanan overly tense in the action, "Once they find out, you will have to kill them."

"I will not kill anyone!" Siya shot back, finally acknowledging the man as he stood up abruptly and slammed his hands on the table.

"Ooh my, then think it over again before you suggest such stupidity, Child King."

It was really more of a movement of pure instinct that had Reynard's hand shooting out, gripping solidly onto Siya's arm. It was as much a move to control, more subtle than grasping him bodily, as a way to comfort. He didn't like Hebi's attitude any more than any of the others in the room, but he had enough on his mind and his proverbial plate without adding his obvious attempts to bait everyone, thank you very much.

Amon slowly looked at Hebi. "Choose your next words very carefully protector."

it was Damiano's turn to mutter something. " Or at least be creative if you are going to egg people on, sheesh."

During the conflict at the table Taki held his face in his right hand. He was litterally face-palming and wishing to the gods he could have Hebi knocked out before and after every meeting. Or just knocked out all the time. He needed a break, and he needed a drink.

Looking up at Taki for a moment, he blinked. “Open, don’t scream too loudly.” He hardly gave the Earth King time to react before shoving a clean rag into his mouth and digging his fingers into the softened flesh of his wounded arm. Most of it had already begun to shed off, but if either of them wanted to get something properly accomplished, the process had to be sped up a bit. He tried to work as quickly and gently as he could as he assisted the herbs in removing the topmost layer of blackened skin, which was probably sensitive now from the softening and the other herbs he used for the nerves.

Minnow went only so far as a few layers, until the blackened skin turned a lighter and slightly redder shade. He then slathered a few different pulps and salves on the wound to assist in the stinging and also cleaning out the wound.

The young protector smiled brightly at the man, wiping his fingers clean on another cloth. ”That should help immensely. The skin’s going to keep coming off, and be sure to reapply the ointment every hour and a half or so until the skin becomes a slightly red, fleshy shade of color. Then come see me again and we can work further the damaged parts in your fingers. It may take a few days, though. I’m not entirely sure.” With a sheepish, close-eyed grin of accomplishment, the youth nodded slightly.

Growling in pain into the rag, Taki did his best to not accidently strike at the young protector as he felt the fingers dig into his arm. Unable to ignore the pain a little tear went down his face as it was in fact the worst pain he had ever felt in his entire life. Cringing he allowed Minnow to work further as bits of blackned skin would leave his arm.

After the cloth was removed from his mouth and Minnow stepped back, Taki shot to his feet. A childish grin played upon his face as he tried to bend his arm at the elbow. As he did so a few pops could be heard as the static joints came back to life. Sadly however for this day he was only able to bend his elbow. He had not regained full control over his left arm, but alas it was still a victory in his book.

Turning to Minnow beaming, Taki suddenly lifted up the protector with both arms. It ended up being more his right arm than his left arm as he couldn't exactly get a grip on the young Minnow. Pulling the healer in he hugged him tightly as he spun around. After a short moment he pulled Minnow just away from him enough so he could lean in and kiss him quickly before putting him down.

"Thank you!" Taki said as he litterally wanted to dance around the room.

The hand on Siya's arm seemed to take his full attention. The fingers wrapped around his arm were warm, strong and very familiar. Glancing down he looked over to Reynard and felt his face heat considerably. Feeling slightly ashamed of himself, he slowly sat down again. Once again he was unable to meet Reynards gaze though he could feel it on him. Siya knew that he had gotten far too worked up and that he had allowed Hebi to get to him. Sometimes he wished that he were more like Reynard with his ability to control his emotions. The young Fire King gave a soft sigh.

"I think we are settled then," he said as he looked over to Amon. He tried not to look at what Minnow was doing to the poor Earth King's arm though because it looked far too unpleasant to even stomach, so he avoided that as much as possible, "We will prepare to return to the Fire Kingdom. In the mean time, I will send people to search for a new vessel-"

Taki's jumping up out of his seat startled the young Fire Lord and he glanced over briefly. As he watched though, he had to bit his lip to keep from laughing at the sudden display. Taki looked so relieved about his arm that the energy was spreading through the room. However, a certain other protector was looking utterly shocked.

Kanan startled. His eye widened as he watched Taki pick up the small Minnow and hug him. Though he wasn't too fond of that, he could tolerate it. However, what got him more than a little worked up was the kiss that the Earth Lord suddenly planted on Minnow. Without thinking, he reached out, snatched Minnow's arm and dragged the smaller protector back towards him away from the other King. It took him a moment to realize what he had done and when he did he quickly released Minnow and stepped back, trying to recompose himself.

And utterly failing.

Sometimes he really hated his pale skin for any sort of color that presented itself was brighter than normal. He could feel the blush creeping along his cheeks and he gripped both hands behind his back and tried not to look at anyone directly, especially Minnow. Damn it... he thought to himself. He really wanted the other Kings to return to their homes now. He wasn't at all himself the past few days. Too much tension.. yes... way too much tension he thought, trying to reason with himself.

Amon had intended to respond to Siya's remark, but Taki sudden outburst and antics did draw a smile from him as he watched. The kiss had him chuckling, but when he watched Kanan suddenly grab and drag Minnow away from Taki in a strange fit of...over-protectivness, but then when he saw Kanan stand there, almost like a deer blinded by a light with how surprised he was at his own actions, Amon's chuckle grew louder. Then he saw the blush, blinked, then started laughing more. Amon didn't want to be mean, but seeing Kanan's stoic appearance flop so badly like this was just too much for him. "Oh gosh...! That, that is jsut adorable!!" he exclaimed as he continued.

In his mirth, Amon had not paid attention to how far back he was leaning, and for the second time in less than twenty-four hours he found himself tipping over backwards and flopping out of the seat. It did nothing to stop his laughter though, so he jsut remained there on the floor, hoping to calm himself down soon.

Lutchka’s eyes widened as Taki kissed Minnow. She slapped her thigh and sat forward with a short laugh. “Taki, you sly dog! I didn’t think that was your thing~” She teased brightly, a playful smirk to her lips and her eyes dancing with mischief. She was overjoyed that her king could finally start using his left arm again, but such an overzealous reaction couldn't be missed.

Taki for a moment seemed too in love with the fact he could bend his arm. Taking a moment to dance around with his arm he merely responded to Lutchka with, "Don't feel bad Lutchka I'm flexable!" Again he begun to move around with his arm as he smiling and dancing about the room. He even tried throwing Hebi a hug of which he missed and walked into the wall.

The hug was unexpected, but it was sort of nice, other than the grip behind it. Minnow didn’t entirely know how to react to such an explosion of gratitude. And if he was embarrassed just by the show Taki had made out of him, he was utterly shocked when he was kissed. He seemed to just freeze up for a split-second, utter confusion reeling in his mind as well as something that felt like it was trying to come up and slap Taki across the cheek. He didn’t want to be touched by him like that. He wanted-

His reeling thoughts suddenly came screeching to a halt as he felt the surprisingly warm touch of someone behind him, and somehow he immediately knew it was Kanan. Probably by the proximity the man had been keeping beforehand. His back bumped into the one-eyed protector’s chest, and probably one of the worst blushes he’d ever experienced raced across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He tried to stammer something legible out, but was failing miserably. Kanan had grabbed him, out of all people out of all situations. Did that mean that he- But it couldn’t possibly- But the only explanation- Why did he- Did-

Thoughts raced around in his mind too quickly to grab a single one and try to flatten it out to make some sense. However, the warmth of Kanan’s proximity quickly disappeared as the man took a step back, and another strange feeling twisted inside of him, much like the one that had bothered him earlier in the courtyard.

Amon’s laughing only made the situation that much worse and chaotic, and Minnow found it utterly impossible to figure anything out. Finally he parted his lips to allow a few words to tumble out. ”I’m… should probably clean… out….” His entire sentence structure made no sense, and he shot out the door with a slight stiffness in his awkward scramble to grab his supplies and depart as quickly as possible.

It may not have been very gracious at all, but that was the thing furthest from his mind at that point. He also had the afterthought that he wasn’t actually needed in the meeting, and regardless if he were missed or not, he needed to leave immediately and get some fresh air.

The Snake was doing what he normally did when left to his own devices. Roaming around the castle halls silently whilst humming to himself and if he wasn't getting into anything mischeviously than he was certainly about to or had thoughts of doing so.

"For someone so shady as you, the kind of people who want to remain unnoticed, you seem to draw a lot of attention to yourself." Damiano simply said, approaching the Snake from behind. He had his thumbs hooked onto his belt, letting his arms rest there. "I can't help but wonder if you have yourself an actual plan, or if it is just something you can't help but do."

Hebi grinned as he continued walking, forcing the other to follow after him if he wanted an answer. The dark haired protector moved slowly, fluidly down the hall as if he knew them very well. Of course... he did know these halls. After all, he frequented them enough, not that he would say that to the others. It was always a challenge to avoid the detection of the one eyed protector, but it was something Hebi prided himself in.

"Shady? No," the Snake said, his voice almost too sickly sweet, "As for a plan. I don't think I know what you mean, Damiano. You just recently rose to the rank of protector didn't you? So how did that happen. Find out about something you weren't supposed to? Were you threatened into the position? Some of us are you know. It's either protect the King or die with the secrets tied to your tongue."

Damiano followed, keeping pace with him as they walked. "It was a spur of the moment promotion, about it. Besides, being threatened is hardly anything to deter me from running. I've done it before and I'd be more than willing to do it again. I know, not everyone has the spine to actually try and leave; to let them know you could give a fuck what they think.

Hebi snickered slightly as he turned to glanced over his shoulder briefly at the other. He was tempted to see what would make this one snap, but he wasn't so sure he liked the proximity of the other. Getting into an all out brawl with this protector may end up being bad for the Snake, "So threatening you does nothing. How interesting. You've been threatened to be killed before. Well, what an interesting past you have, Captain," Hebi said smoothly as he turned right down the corridor. He had no particular destination in mind, he was just wandering to wander right then.

"I'm tempted to ask you about it, but I don't know if it would be so pleasant to hear. Not to mention you really shouldn't go telling everyone your past secrets. You never know when they might come back to bite you. In the meantime, I do wonder... if threats to you do not work, what about threats to someone else? Are you one of those... honorable men that would do anything to save another?"

Damiano chuckled at the last part, "Honorable, oh that's a funny word. To some I am, to others I am not. You are right though, there is no telling if the secrets I hold could bite me. It's usually why I don't ever tell people too much about myself. Was trained pretty well in those matters." He kept side-by-side with the other protector, keeping his eyes forward the whole time. "I'll admit, it does feel nice using the skills I have to actually help people; a hilarious way of spitting in my parents' face and letting them know what I think of them. Spent far too long putting an arrow between the eyes of some poor fella, feels nice with it now being in the eye of a poor fella who deserves it."

"And here I thought, the moment you mention my past that you'd start ranting off about my adventures to this country of Iveir. Honestly I wouldn't be entirely surprised if you did, you seem like the kinda guy who would be friends with the ones I left. You just seem, he paused to be dramatic, "so much like them."

Hebi turned slightly, slowly his pace and coming almost to a near stop though he still moved a few steps forward. His lips turned into a wicked grin as he regarded the other, "And so how am I 'like them'? Who are these... people that you left so long ago? Do you dislike them? Did they leave a bad taste in your mouth? What did they make you do that you didn't want to? Is it something you think about often?" Hebi's list of questions were followed by his changing course. He advanced on Damiano now, tilting his head slightly as he asked, the smile still dancing on his lips.

Damiano did not stop walking when Hebi did, rather he spun around so now he was walking backwards and looking at him. He couldn't help but smile as well, "Maldito, le preguntas a un montón de preguntas. Hablas Nevvare?" Damiano was curious now, to see how much this fella knew of places outside of Iveir.

Hebi's grin seemed to grow wider as he moved with the other back down the hall, though Damiano was now walking backwards, "Sí, Vamos a jugar el juego de preguntas?" he replied coolly.

Damiano held his smile, "Bien, bien. And yet you need to ask me about my past. I'm actually somewhat surprised. If you've been to Nevvare then asking such a question about me shouldn't be necessary. Or is this you trying to make me slip and say it myself?"

Hebi stopped walking. Straightening he put one hand on his hip, "It is always fun to watch others squirm as they've realized that they may have said too much, but you... You are very different. I think I may begin to like you a little, Damiano," Hebi paused, looking up briefly and giving a slight sound as if he'd realized something rather important, "Ah... or is it, Amador III, of Los Segadores. Reapers as they are more commonly known as. What an interesting little thing to find yourself a part of," Hebi tapped his lip gently, "That kind of blood doesn't just wash away, Reaper. What happened? Kill a child? Kill someone you were close to? Didn't like that you may have had to kill someone rather important to you? Do tell, Amador, I am dying to know."

Damiano watched him, a little shaken up a bit to hear all this information thrown back at him. He didn't like this fella knowing so much, but in a way he wasn't really surprised. He did bring the conversation to this point so he shouldn't be shocked to have it thrown at him. He did not let his smile falter though, as he quickly had the thoughts pushed aside. Damiano had stopped when Hebi had, having never removed his hands from their place at his belt. "Good to know you are educated, here I was worried the name might go over your head. You can continue using Damiano, never really enjoyed Amador. And if you know of Los Segadores, then you should know very well that I've done more than just kill a child. I've made countless widows of both husbands and wives, I've made orphans, I've made families childrenless, and there was never anyone important to me because I was taught to never have anyone that close." He finally removed his hands from his belt as he leaned up against a wall.

"I'm not trying to wash myself clean of any blood, Snake. That blood stains and it's not an easy stain to remove, I am more than aware of that. That does not mean I have to let that blood drown me though."

Hebi lifted an eyebrow as he watched the man, his own grin never left as he listened, "Of course I know. There is quite a bit that I know about you and your own, Amador. I suppose I find it rather ironic to see you here. Someone so keen on not keeping anyone close. And that Child King of yours. I think I may look forward to what comes out of that," Hebi moved and started to pass by Damiano. He leaned over to the man as he did so, "Pero... no te refieres al decir que ya has ahogado?"

The Snake left then after whispering that to him and continued on down the hall, humming softly to himself.

Damiano wached him head down the hallway, keeping an eye on him the entire time. "Ten cuidado, o puede que te encuentres ahogamiento conmigo." He whispered to himself before turning and heading back towards his room to pack up what he needed too.

The hood fluttered slightly around his face as he moved rapidly, silently through the halls. Following after the one King with a wounded arm was easy enough. Keeping his presence hidden and at a good distance was something he was very good at. Once they had returned to their own palace several days later, he took another day before he attempted anything. Now he was pacing through the halls, hiding himself when necessary and in search of the orb that he could just barely feel. He had to move quickly, otherwise he wasn't going to get what he needed before that man did.

Grinding his teeth, he silently cursed himself for his own lack of competence. Of course the other would have followed him. That person wanted him dead after all. He was a high threat, someone that would ruin all the plans that the other had carefully been putting together. Then... the orbs went missing. Things went chaotic, and things that neither of them had planned to happen, did. His fingers curled into fists as he recalled the memories briefly.

I will get those back... I have to get them back, he thought angrily and quickened his pace.

He turned down a hall and narrowed his gaze. It was probably his anger and the feeling of having to rush things that announced his presence so quickly. Any other time and he would have snuck up behind the King to attack him. But this time, he lifted up his arm in a harsh motion and the hallway floor rumbled, cracked and tore opened to allow dirt and thick roots to come sprouting forth to attack the man that was just ahead of him.

At first, Taki's eyes went wide as he had heard the steps but did not foresee the attack up him. However as he heard the shattering of the floor between his feet he jumped into the air as he exclaimed. "OH so you brought me a present!"

Withdrawing his blade as Taki hacked at the roots on the path to his legs as he landed on the right side of the room. Holding his blade with just one arm he leaned his head back as his eyes looked to his newest foe. A smile sprouted on Taki's face and grew rapidly as well as toothy. Pulling in deep and over the top breaths, Taki's body trembled with excitement. Smiling ear to ear he didn't even seem to bother to look at a lone root before reaping it.

"Tasty. May I have another?!"

Mismatched eyes grew hard, anger crossing them as the cloak's hood fell back from his harsh movements. His body lunged forward as he moved his hands roughly, the earth lurching around Taki's body with the sudden violence with which the man was wielding his magic. Gritting his teeth tightly, he advanced on Taki with only the intention of tying him down if he could.

Taki suddenly brought his arms to his side as a bright green light glowed from his left shoulder. With a loud rumble, Taki was launched into the air by a circular pad of earth at his feet. Narrowly dodging the collapsing earth around his original location, Taki fell forward as he preformed a combat forward roll into a lung with his blade extended to the incoming man.

With a sharp intake of breath, both eyes widened and he quickly backpedaled to avoid being run through by the King's blade. Hissing in anger, he lifted his hands again and raised up a thin rock wall between himself and the sword. It wasn't going to stop the man, no, but it did keep him from being impaled long enough to draw his own weapon. Once his sword was free of its scabbard, he prepared himself for the oncoming King. His weapon was held downwards and once Taki was in range, he would bring his sword up and across his body in a deadly slash that would hopefully make the man think twice about charging at him again.

Ripping his own blade from the thin earthen wall, Taki grinned as the man went for his counter strike. With his left leg behind his right in stand, Taki stepped his back leg off to the side bring his body with him as he turned sideways to dodge the attack. With a brutally committed swing of his own blade he counter attacked with an upwards slash targeted to start just below the rib cage and to end at the soft spot below the throat.

The smile upon Taki's face was that of pure insanity as he drew himself closer into the battle.

He shifted, trying to compensate for the sudden miss and counter. Bringing his blade back as quickly as he could, he turned his body to try avoid the near deadly blow. The blade of his opponent cut deep, edging across his chest to a more vital area. Throwing himself back, he gained distance and saved his throat. However, the wound was taxing enough and he stumbled as one hand lifted to press against the ruined cloth of his dark clothes. Wincing, his fingers curled into a fist, gripping the torn clothing tightly.

"Damnit..." he cursed under his breath, "Just give the damn orb to me!" he yelled and came forward again, slashing out at the King's arm that wielded the blade.

"Ahahaaaha...no." Taki replied as he too came forward to lash out at his apparent assassin. With the loud clash of metal the two of them seemed to have entered a sword lock. However, to the assassin's advantage before the blades locked the tip of the sword sliced deeply into Taki's cheek. Closing his left eye in pain Taki called out to the assassin.

"Quick question: Do you have a nice pair of canine teeth? For some reason when I was fourteen the first assassin to ever come after me died and Hebi took his canine teeth and I've always been curious as to why."

His arm shuddered as their blades crossed. Pushing with all the strength he could muster, it seemed the King was a match for him. He narrowed his gaze, jaw set tight in a thin lipped grimace as he tried to overpower the other. The question, though, sent him for a loop and he momentarily lost his concentration and grip. "Wh-?!"

Frantically, he shifted, moving so that the oncoming sword wouldn't cleave into his neck. The weapon did miss his neck, but it came down hard into his shoulder and he let out a sharp gasp. Dropping his own weapon he went down to one knee his free hand now gripping the blade tightly to keep it from doing any more damage. Wincing, with one of the colored eyes closed, he looked up at the King slowly, anger still flickering there in his eyes.

"You gotta be careful with those clashes man, shit doesn't always go as expected." Taki said as he yanked his blade from the man's shoulder. With the look of excitement fading from Taki's face he realized the battle was going to be over soon. With a sigh Taki asked yet another question to the man. "Which side of your face do you like better?"

With the sword non-too gently removed, he gave a sharp cry as his hand came up and clutched now his shoulder and he doubled over nearly falling right onto the hallway floor that was destroyed by his magic. Panting slightly, he gave a soft growl as he pulled himself back up to regard the King who stood over him. Again, he was confused by the question and instead of answering, only glowered at him.

Lutchka was just wandering past a connecting hallway when she heard the commotion. Blinking, she stood there for a moment before trotting over to investigate. What she encountered, however, was not what she expected. The entire hallway was in a complete wreck, vines and thick plants curled around windows and doorways, ran through the floors, and not to mention the wreckage that was the floor. It seemed like a freak tornado had run through the castle, though condensed to only this little area.

It was then that her gaze fell upon Taki and a stranger, one who had attempted to attack him, but was obviously failing miserably. The assailant looked young, though, from what she could tell. Her eyes narrowed lightly and she put a hand on her hip as she stalked closer. Taki was obviously handling himself perfectly fine, but she could see from where she was that he had been wounded a bit, and that was unacceptable.

Snapping her fingers together flames licked at her nails before she ran her index along the thick plant right by the doorway, setting it aflame. The blaze caught almost upon immediate contact and ran with its new found freedom. However, the free-flowing element was restricted only to the plants that had dared invade the Earth Kingdom’s palace. She crossed her arms with a small pout, her heels almost silently clicking against the rubble of the floor as she approached.

Only a few feet away, she finally announced herself, ”Aww, Taki, you can’t hog all of them to yourself~ ...You look pretty finished though….” She put a finger to her chin as she regarded them both, completely nonplussed by the entire event, a simple pout on her lips.

Taki jumped a little in surprise as he had been caught off-guard by his protectors appearance. Before her usually he handled all of the attackers and assassins himself as Hebi just did what Hebi did best. Not his job.

With a raise of his brow and a smile just for countering Lutchka's teasing Taki said in return "You're right Lutch, I shouldn't hog all of the assassins now and days. I forget I actually have a protector now." Pausing for a moment Taki chuckled for a moment before finishing with. "Well things are pretty messy here. And you'd of all people would know how I like messy finishes."

Flipping up his blade, Taki caught it before sliding it gracefully back into his sheath. With a little preformed bow in Lutchka's direction Taki stepped back allowing his protector to get closer to the wounded assassin.

Lutchka’s eyebrow rose, and she simply flipped her hair a bit with a light ‘pfft’ before she advanced to the poor boy who had just gotten his ass handed to him. ”Don’t leave another huge mess for the poor servants to have to clean up, even I don’t like the thought of that. You’re too careless, clean cuts are much better.” She grinned brightly, suddenly crouching down right behind the man.

She did not leave him much time to look back up at her, for her index and middle fingers shot right into his neck in a jab, activating the paralyzing pressure points that lay there. She then looked up at her king. ”If he came after the orb, it’s best to question him before we do anything reckless with him.” A sudden grin split across her lips in a mischievous manner, and she regarded her lord lightly as possibilities ran through her mind.

He glowered at both of them, still clutching both wounds. When the woman knelt down next to him, he shifted just a bit to try to get some distance. However, she didn't seem to waste any time and her hand shot at his neck. Startled, he moved, but not quickly enough. His mouth opened, but no sound came. Instead it seemed like everything went numb and for a moment his vision dimmed. A slight buzzing filled his ears and he hit the floor, completely dazed and unable to move.

"Sorry Lutch, you know me. Sometimes I just can't help myself." Taki replied as he looked to the downed assassin. Making a look of uncertainty he stretched his arms out as he said to Lutchka "You may wanna get this guy something to stop the bleeding. I went deep this time!"

As Taki begun to roll his neck he gave off one of the most oddest nods a human could preform as he finished with. "Got it, questions first, awesomeness always."

With a loud sigh, she looked down at the poor guy. Once again, it seemed she was left to the task of carrying someone. Could no one understand that she couldn't maintain that weight for long? She blinked as Taki mentioned his wounds, and she simply shrugged, leaning forward in her crouched position to rest her hand on top of the wound. Once more heat settled under her fingertips at a high degree, cauterizing the wound for now. She was no healer, and she didn’t feel like finding one was her job.

She looked up at Taki and grinned slightly. ”Go find someone to patch you up, I’ll take care of him. Sometimes I wish I could learn some kind of magic puppeteering so I don’t have to lug everyone around. Speaking of which, where is that useless Snake?” Running a hand through her bangs to push them back a bit, she simply walked around him and grabbed a leg.

Dragging the boy through the rubble he had caused, and being none too gentle about it, she removed the youth from the hallway. Despite her earlier quips about having to do so much heavy lifting, it wasn't that big of an issue. It wasn't like she couldn’t handle herself. She figured one of the many open, empty rooms that dotted the palace would do fine for questioning.

Once reaching said destination, Lutchka merely let go of the poor boy’s leg, leaving him in the exact same position as he had been when she had begun in the hallway. She grabbed a wooden chair and slid it over, taking a seat and crossing one leg over the other. The paralysis would eventually rub off. She had time though, which she occupied with looking him over. ”Don’t run, you won’t get far. Plus that won’t be any fun~”

Grinning at his protector Taki was just about to offer to carry the guy. However he was a little too late as Lutchka begun to handle him herself. "He's doing what he does best." He answered as he placed a hand to his face to find that he was bleeding. "Oh shit, he actually got me pretty good."