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Kanan Thiyer

"I live to serve."

0 · 436 views · located in Iveir, Continent of Dhaemar

a character in “Kings of Elements: Reboot”, as played by Siryn

Description

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20 || Bi-Sexual || Protector for Air King/Queen





Kanan is five feet seven inches at full height, his white hair is quite long, coming down to brush his shoulders and is somewhat un-kept looking. He wears a lot of metal on his body which he uses for his sacrifices. Mostly they are necklaces adorning his throat, rings on his fingers, ear piercings, a couple of bracelets that look like they could be used as weaponry, and chains around his hips and sometimes hanging down at his thighs. He prefers a pair of black leather gloves that reach up to his shoulders as armor, thick leather pants tucked into tall black boots and a simple white leather jerkin that is tight across his body and cut open in the front in a long ‘V’ shape that exposes his well toned, pale white, skin. Across his left eye is an eye patch made of black leather with a silver piece of metal over the top of it.




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Kanan has control over the air. His favored abilities are those that revolve around throwing gusts of wind at his enemies. He can also use those gusts of wind to either propel himself or to slow himself down should he be falling from extreme heights. Of his many abilities, Kanan favors the following: the easiest to command are his ‘wind blades’. These take very minimal sacrifices to engage and require the use of his broadsword. Usually he sacrifices a few of his necklaces or rings to gain the power to engage his wind blades, and with a few slashes in thin air with his large weapon, the wind blades activate. It is almost instantaneous when he uses this ability. His second favored ability with the air is to turn it into a turbulent storm. This takes far more sacrifices to do and though the amount of metal he wears on his body could be enough to power the skill, he would much rather sacrifice something larger, say a couple of good sized vases -a statue even- to gain the power needed. With this storm, Kanan can create a barrier between himself and his adversary, protecting those inside as well. However, the barrier does not last very long, and what he mostly uses it for is to throw back his enemy.

In addition, Kanan is a proficient swords man. He wields a large broadsword with a kind of ease that put some men to shame. He prefers close quarters fighting with the weapon, using its weight to help with his attacks and allowing the weapon to do what it’s best at: devastate.

Because of his past and training, Kanan also has the innate ability to ‘read the wind’. He can tell who is around him most times and he can also tell if there is hostile intent, usually when someone is about to unleash magic at him or someone he considers an ally. This ability is a constant, and thus Kanan will constantly be seen sacrificing his many bodily decors randomly throughout the day. The good thing to this ability is that it takes very little energy, and thus very little sacrifice is needed to keep it going.

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Kanan's weaknesses aren't many, but they are detrimental to his being a good protector. First and foremost. He must always have a sacrifice. Throughout the day, he will continually be sacrificing his many jewels and trinkets on his person in order to keep up his ability to read the wind. It has become so second nature to him that if he were unable to perform the ability, Kanan would turn into a confused mess. It would almost seem like he couldn't see properly without it. The biggest problem that he'll run into is running out of his sacrifices, thus he does whatever he can to continually be stocked up with the little trinkets, including going and buying more.

His sword is his only weapon. He doesn't know anything else. Should he be rendered without his weapon, Kanan will have a very difficult time in fighting anything or anyone that he's up against. In such cases, Kanan would resort to using his more powerful wind spells. Unfortunately such an act would deplete him of almost all of the energy he'd have been storing, as well as the sacrifices he carries with him at all times.

Kanan has only trained himself to produce gusts of wind as projectiles at his enemies. Mostly in the form of cutting through them with the very powerful and fast wind blades, or to throw them with the gusts. Otherwise, he has no real imagination with his element and thus lacks in countering if someone manages to get through either his blades or his gusts. Protecting himself with his element is out of the question as he's not quite figured out how to create a barrier of such caliber. In those cases, he relies on his sword.

Finally, being a wielder of the air element, he's naturally weak to the other three elements, only able to do so much with his gusts of wind. Fires he can usually put out, water he may be able to sway if he's put enough energy into it and earthen attacks would depend on what's being used against him.




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It is obvious that Kanan isn't much of a talker and that he is very old fashioned in how he thinks and does things. He's overly conscious of how he treats his King(Queen), giving them the utmost respect. It would also be known that, despite his stony looks, he can give other expressions when the right things are done. Mostly, if one wishes to see surprise or embarrassment, present him with something adorable (kittens for some reason will easily do this). In addition, it would be known that Kanan is not from Iveir. In fact he hails from a different continent halfway across the world. It would also be known that Kanan only served the elder King of Air for a few months before his successor took over. Kanan has only been in service as a protector for a year.

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In all actuality, there is very little that one would not know about Kanan. He does not talk about his past, so it thus it would not be known that his lover betrayed him and that he is still overly conscious about it. Kanan does not talk about how he got to Iveir either, so none would know that he'd been picked up by a passing fisherman's boat when he'd been left out at sea after the ship he'd been on had been sunk. Finally, it would not be known as to why he has an eye patch covering his eye. Even he fears the implications should the patch ever be removed.




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Kanan is quiet, and seemingly cold when one first approaches him. It’s definitely not true, though, it’s just his appearance and the way he carries himself. Something that has been ingrained into his very bones and soul, if you would. He isn’t very social and doesn’t know how to act very well around others, though he wishes he could do better. Kanan tries to engage in conversation but often times falls short of such things. He doesn’t know what it means to have a friend, or to have someone that would not betray you. However, he does wish to be someone that can be relied on and be considered a friend to someone else.

He will listen, and most times that’s all he will do as he’s often unable to offer anything else. He is a military child and knows only fighting and war. Kanan is very knowledgeable when it comes to a fight and planning out strategies. It would be very rare to find him stumped in such a situation. However, that doesn’t mean his plans always go how he expects them, even he is aware of such things and will be sure to say as such. If you wish to get him to talk a lot, it will most likely be about fighting and what to do about such things when going up against an enemy.

Though he serves the King/Queen of Air, he will voice his opinion to him/her if he feels it is of utmost importance. Otherwise, he will never speak out of turn with his Queen/King around, nor will he speak directly to them unless asked to. Kanan is very formal when it comes to Royalty, almost stiff even. His immediate response to Royalty walking into a room is to drop to one knee with his fist against the floor and the other hand over the top of the other leg with his head bowed. He doesn’t care what others might think of this, and even considers others disrespectful for not showing their fealty to their King or Queen, though he will never voice this out loud.

Kanan can take a lot on his shoulders, sometimes without even realizing it. Even if he did know, he won’t complain or try to pass it off to someone else. They would have to wrestle with him for the responsibilities, or to even help him. It is another thing that has been engrained into him since childhood. Kanan is very protective over the people around him, often putting himself head on into danger without a second thought. He will do anything to protect the new life that he’s found.


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Kanan is not from the continent where the four Kings/Queens rule over the elements. He comes from across the seas. A place that is ridden with war, famine, disease, death
the list goes on. His world is torn from the seams, falling apart and always will be. He was born from blood, and lived with blood on his hands. His mother died from giving birth, with no medicine and no one to help her, she was unable to live through the birthing process.

He doesn’t know her face, nor that of his father’s as he was found as a baby and taken in by mercenaries. This particular group of mercenaries specialized in children soldiers, training them as early as five or six years of age. Kanan held his first weapon when he was five, fought and killed his first soldier when he was seven, and lived in nothing but fighting. At first, he was terrified, afraid of everything, but as he trained and the more he dirtied his hands, the farther away from emotions and thinking he fell. By the time he was twelve, Kanan was nothing but a killing machine. It was also during that time that he encountered his first run in with a very powerful mage. Though he doesn’t remember much of the encounter due to the injury given to him, he does know that the reason for his eye patch is very important. Something was done to his eye, and he fears taking the patch off less he wishes to invoke some kind of powerful magic that is not his own.

He became one of the mercenary’s best child soldiers. He knew everything there was to know about warfare just by watching, learning and doing it himself. He would be sent on scouting missions, infiltration, spying, and assassinations. There was nothing that Kanan didn’t do during his days with the mercenaries on his home soil. As Kanan grew older, he found himself growing steadily closer to one of his teammates, a child soldier just like himself. He and the other boy had trained together and done many things together. Eventually, Kanan and his friend –as he considered him back then- started something more than a friendship and Kanan felt something he’d never felt before. It took some time to realize afterwards that he had been in love with the other boy, but it had always been one sided.

During one mission, when Kanan was 19, he and his lover had to infiltrate a ship that was headed to another part of their continent to deliver supplies for the soldiers that the mercenaries were fighting against. They got on board easily enough and the mission was underway very smoothly. However, what Kanan didn’t know was that the people he worked for had begun to deem him as ‘too dangerous’, especially with his budding relationship. At the time, Kanan was confused as to why they did what they did, but he’s come to the conclusion that the mercenaries were afraid of his regaining his own consciousness, regaining ‘feeling’ again. They feared that if Kanan had done so, he might have realized the truth behind the constant fighting and gone against them.

The ship he was on was set to be destroyed before it reached land, and he and his lover had already planned an escape route to get back to land. However, as Kanan had let loose his torrent of air magic to rip apart the ship, his lover had run a blade into his back. Startled, confused and utterly horrified at what happened, Kanan couldn’t even find the strength to get himself off the sinking vessel. With his lovers’ last parting words, Kanan was forever haunted. He quickly fell back into his state of nothingness, the place where he’d been before meeting his lover.

Kanan thought for sure his life was over as he floated with the rubble of the ship in the open sea. He thought he was going to bleed out in the water, or be eaten by something larger. However, his fighting instinct had taken over and he unconsciously sought life. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he floated across the small sea between continents and ended up being pulled aboard a fishing ship at one point. He doesn’t remember much of the incident, but when he woke again and was lucid enough, he found himself in a room, bandaged up.

There he was confronted by a man of old age, the King of the continent he found himself on. It was recounted that he had been dragged aboard a fishing ship belonging to the King, and brought back as soon as possible. Kanan, ashamed at having been found in such a state, didn’t answer, only looked down. The King then said to him that to repay the debt of having his life saved, he would serve the King and his heir as their protector. Kanan agreed without complaint, and thus started his life as a protector.




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So begins...

Kanan Thiyer's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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#, as written by Siryn
He stood up on the mountain top, the cliff edge peering out over the tops of the trees just barely. The sun was rising over the lands, some portions somewhat darker than the others as rain clouds began to wash in from the seas to the east. He watched the warm sun as it doused everything in its golden rays. Reaching up, he let the hood of his long cloak fall away from his face.

One eye was a pale blue color while the other was green. Lifting his other hand, he opened it to reveal a large sized orb in his fist. Holding the ball between two fingers, he watched the blue colors of the sphere swirl around as the power inside of it was writhing without a vessel. He had been in these lands for long enough to know what it took to contain the orbs with all their power. At first he'd been confused at how the lands hadn't gone into a chaotic mess. However, his assumptions were confirmed when he met the man who held the orb of power. The 'Water King' so he was called.

These lands were run on elemental magics. Most everyone cast their power via sacrificing metals to gain the energy needed to do so. A handful of these people could do it without sacrifices. That was his starting point. It lead him to the Water King soon after and sure enough, the man had the orb.

Twisting the ball between his fingers slightly, he lifted it upwards higher to catch the light. With this, I can locate the other orbs. The other orbs that are rightfully mine. Once I find them, I'll have to be quick... before he gets to them, the man thought, his mismatched gaze growing darker as he narrowed his eyes.

He waited a while longer until the sun was fully over the mountains, but still early enough in the morning. Pressing the orb against his chest, he allowed it to enter his body. Almost immediately after it sunk down into his chest, he felt a reaction. The power exploded and he dropped to his knees, doubled over. Cursing softly to himself, the cloaked man clenched a fist over his chest and fought back, struggling to contain the power.

Eventually he got a hold of it. It's been so long... too long. I'll need to be careful, he thought as he stood up and directed his focus out to the lands. The next thing was to locate the other orbs as they were all connected in one way or another. Closing his energy around the orbs, he allowed it to stretch forth from his frame and sweep the land before him. With both eyes shut, he concentrated only on finding the others.

Finally, he touched the fire orb locating it to the south west of his location. Moving on, he stretched further and touched the air orb, brushing it briefly, but enough to feel it. It was located north of the fire orb. Lastly, he located the earth orb which was to his west and slightly north. Once he touched them all, he could feel them reacting to his touch. Drawing back, he released his pent up air that he'd been unknowingly holding. Panting slightly, he dropped down to one knee.

All that's left now is to get them before that man does. Or everything is lost.


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The audience chamber was filled like it always was and after the Duke had left there was a sour taste in Siya's mouth. He wished that he had one of his protectors with him. They made things all the easier to deal with, well... at least Reynard did anyway. Mark was a bit different, harder to handle but even so. The man did have his merits, if he weren't in a drunken stupor most times. Even so, Siya over looked it. He was sure the man would change. Everyone changed. That much he was positive of.

So when the double doors opened allowing the exit of the duke, whom Siya had dismissed and was currently listening to another, his protector Mark approached. The room was silent as he entered, definitely far later than the King himself. Siya smiled, allowing himself a brief respite as one of his two entered the room. I wonder where Reynard is... he thought. There were very few things that would keep the man from Siya's side. Perhaps it was something urgent.

He mentally shrugged and pushed the thought aside. As much as he missed the dark haired, cold shouldered protector, he would continue doing what he was supposed to do. Which was hold this audience. If he didn't do it right, Reynard was sure to be on his back about it later.

“Sorry. I was busy studying the architects of yender and how their works on the old groves could improve our magical applications of crops.”

Siya nodded slightly as his protector told him of his 'reasons' for being late. Should Reynard have been there, the dark haired protector surely would have said something in return. Even so, Siya knew better. He could tell the man was still in a stupor, the way he moved was sluggish, done so by alcohol.

Finally he made it to the side of the throne where his usual place was, "Continue, don't let my tardiness interrupt you."

Siya waved his hand at the woman who had stopped in her speech during Mark's arrival. She looked briefly to him a few times before stuttering and beginning again. The young king listened intently, as he did with the other seven who came before him. It was going to be a long morning, his audience chamber was completely full. As he worked through the many occupants, he began to feel... strange. Something passed through his body. A heavy power that touched his very core. He froze for a mere moment, suffocated by the power before everything returned. Then it faded away as if it had never been there. However, it left behind, a storming wake.

Leaning back in his chair, he gently pulled at his clothes. Hot... he thought to himself. Which was odd being the fire King. Why was it he was hot in the first place? What I just felt... what was that... he thought to himself as he panted slightly. He never felt hot before. In fact the only thing he'd ever felt was cold, never hot. Siya tried his best to ignore it. He worked through two more of the occupants. Slowly he was beginning to feel pain in his chest and he winced slightly. The man before him stopped as Siya raised his hand. I can't continue...

"I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling very well. Please forgive me, we'll continue tomorrow."

He ordered and ground his teeth as even his own voice sounded strained. The pain was growing steadily and it was all he could do to keep still and not writhe in his seat. Every limb was shaking ever so slightly, his breath was short as he fought back the burning. Eventually the entire audience chamber was empty and he doubled over, unable to hold it anymore. For the first time since gaining the orb he could feel it. And it was painful.

Panting heavily, he clenched his hands over his chest. Giving a slight moan, he toppled forward onto the floor at the foot of his throne. Trembling violently, his voice was cracked as he writhed slightly on the floor. Soft cries of pain escaped his lips as he tried to get his orb back under control, though he wasn't even sure what he was trying to control really. It felt as if he was burning alive, the heavy pressure in his chest was crushing.

"Stop..." he moaned softly, "Stop... please make it... stop..." delirious in pain, he wasn't even sure if he'd spoken the words.


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As per usual, Kanan was hard pressed to find his charge. He strode through the halls of the castle knowing that he wasn't going to find the man inside anyway. Still, the young protector had a routine. He moved through the entire building, his senses stretched as he read the air around him. It was raining outside, a pleasant feeling if he said so himself.

As he moved through the building, he caught the familiar feel of his King and the other protector, Minnow. They were both in the throne room. The throne room? Kanan thought to himself. It was rather odd to have the King there of all places. So he worked his way towards the room and entered. Padding across the stone floor, he dropped down to one knee right before the King's throne before getting to his feet again and taking his usual place at the man's side.

"Sire," was all he offered before standing next to his King.

He noted that there was a towel in his hands and that Minnow had one as well. Both smelled of the rain. Kanan turned his one good eye to the window where the smaller protector had put a potted plant. It was another one of different color this time. An odd ritual in Kanan's eyes, but something he'd grown used to seeing. Outside, the rain was pelting hard against the glass and he almost wished that he could be out in it like the other two had been.

However, he had duties to attend to, unlike his other two companions. He wished at times that the King would be more 'kingly' but he was not. He knew that Minnow as a hard worker as well, but sometimes he would find the boy sleeping in the green house outside on the castle grounds. He would be covered in flower petals and leaves every time. It was... cute... to say the least. Still though, the taller protector wished the other would be a bit more realistic in his sleeping schedule.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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Amon had lowered his legs from the arm of the chair, once more resting his head in his hand with his elbow propped on the arm of the chair he had just moved his legs from. Fortunately, today seemed like it was going to be quiet which meant Amon didn't have to feel guilty about skipping out on some of his duties. He grinned some at the thought, and then he began to try and think of what to grab to eat. It was another thing he always had trouble deciding on, as the cooks of the palace could make just about anything, all of it delicious. It was only made worse by the fact that Amon was anything but a picky eater, meaning he never actually knew what he wanted. He figured he would just head to the kitchen at some point and see what they had already made and munch on that.

He was brought from his thoughts though as a strange feeling passed over him. It was quick, and the only reason he really noticed it was because it left him breathless for but a moment. After coughing once his breath returned to him, Amon just passed it off as nothing significant. Taking a deep breath to try and settle his body, he narrowed his eyes some and shivered slightly. He was beginning to feel somewhat cold, like there was a chill breeze in the room. Yet he couldn't feel any drafts, and as he looked around Minnow did not seem to be having any issue.

He was pulled form his thoughts at the sound of the door opening, turning to look at Kanan who had entered. Amon chuckled softly, as he could just feel the confusion that Kanan had felt just as Minnow had about the King actually being within the throne room. Kanan did as he usually did, dropping to his knee and bowing his head for a moment before standing up and moving to take his place next to the throne. "Sire" was all he said.

It seemed like the feeling had passed, as Amon was no longer really noticing it and Kanan as well did not seem to notice any wind chills. Amon looked at Kanan, smile still plastered on the king's face "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." he said while turning his body more to face Kanan. "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!"

Then the chill returned and more intensely, to the point that he was having trouble stopping himself from shivering and his body began to hurt as it became colder and colder. Fidgeting some in his seat, Amon finally decided to get up and move about, maybe find somewhere warmer to rest at. It felt like it was the middle of winter, with a hard blowing wind of sub-zero temperature buffeting him despite their being none.

"Ok...I uh.....need something to eat..." he said, his words slurred somewhat as the muscles of his face became rigid from the cold seeping through him. He reached to the side, arm shaking rapidly as his body desperately tried to warm him up and his grip on his staff was weak as his hand was just as frozen as the rest of him. Finally letting out a groan of pain, he was barely able to drag it over to him as he tried to stand and immediately paid the price for it. His muscles were ceasing to function as they solely focused on trying to futilely warm his body by shivering, and his legs failed to support him at all the moment he stood up, causing him to immediately fall forwards, the staff clattering to the ground next to him.

The pain was intense as his body felt like it was going to freeze solid, and worse was that he could also feel this same chill surging up inside. It was the orb, but it had never done anything like this before. He groaned in pain and he began to curl himself into a ball to try and preserve what little body heat he had left. It is the orb was all he could think to himself, he could feel it emanating this chill and freezing him from within. He tried to speak but he could not get a single word as his mouth refused to move enough to form any of them, instead all that came out was something of a groan/whimper of pain.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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#, as written by Skwidge
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As Minnow worked on drying the king’s hair, he had begun a sort of distracted hum while his real focus was entirely fixed upon his current task. So when Amon ducked and slipped out from under his hands, a subtle frown filled his lips, only to become a pout at the king’s following words, "I am an adult Minnow, I can dry my own hair."

With a very nonchalant shrug, Minnow returned the royal’s kind smile with his own silly grin, simply nodding towards the man’s words of thanks. However, at Amon’s mention of heading right back out into the rain, Minnow simply ’tsked’ and shook his head, his fingers soon pressing against the back of the King’s head and pushing it forward in a playfully disapproving manner.

”One of these days you’re going to get sick as a dog from overexerting yourself~” He teased the Air King easily with a cheerful smile- one that changed into a look of mirth as he laughed at the king’s explanation for his unusual presence within the throne room. It was a nice surprise really- to see his king paying a bit more attention to his duties; not that Minnow could ever complain considering he usually followed after the man’s example in getting distracted by other things constantly, and preferring to tend to the earth rather than the stuffy duties that followed after the king.

”
I can't let such a nice day as this go to waste, you know?" Minnow nodded his agreement, leaning over the back of the throne carefully to peer down at the man’s hair in order to inspect it properly to see if Amon actually had done a proper job of drying it. He listened to the king’s words with two-thirds of a mind as his eyes scanned over the dark locks.

"How's the mornin' been for you so far? I'm gonna assume you've been enjoying the weather a bit yourself; or at least that's what I'm going to assume since you were carrying around those towels. I mean sure you can be an odd fella at times, but randomly carrying around towels seems even odd for you."

Minnow flashed a wry smile at the back of the king’s head as the royal mentioned his own antics outside, though the appearance changed to a playful bit of resentment as Amon called him ‘odd’. Of course, Minnow didn’t mind one little bit as to what the King might call him, because the young Protector knew that the man only meant well and even in his teasing Minnow heard only affection behind his words.

Minnow crossed his arms over the top of the throne as he leaned in before speaking. ”It’s been very pleasant and the weather was enjoyable. I’m glad that the plants in the greenhouse and gardens can have the rainwater to enjoy as well, and it’s always refreshing to smell the grounds before, during, and after the rains.” His tone was very pleasant and gentle as he spoke on the subject, a little smile quirking the corners of his lips up as he thought of the earth.

The doors of the throne room were disturbed once more, and Minnow looked up from his thoughts to see Kanan standing there. One of the brightest smiles lit up his face as he saw his fellow Protector, and he waved cheerfully at him, straightening his back and removing his hands from the throne. The sounds of boots clicking against the stone of the throne room filled the area as Kanan walked up to the king and bowed in greeting before taking his spot at the right hand side of the Air King.

Minnow took a little hop-step to sway softly into position on the left of Amon, a close-eyed smile of happiness filling his features. As he exhaled, he took a few moments to listen to the drumming of the rain upon the windows. Opening his eyes, he looked over to his King and fellow Protector with that contagious smile of his, ”Good Morning. Did you sleep well, Kanan?” Soft, almost doe-like eyes met the gaze of the second protector as Minnow greeted him, folding his hands together and resting them against his abdomen.

As the King addressed Kanan, once more the younger protector let his eyes wander around the room, a smile splitting his lips often at the king’s remarks and enthusiasm. However, at the unusual tremor in his king’s body, Minnow’s attention was recaptured, and he looked at the King with a bit of confusion.

"Ok...I uh.....need something to eat..." An alarmed look immediately filled Minnow’s facial features and his previous stance of laidback contentment was abandoned at the sound of his king’s voice and the seizing of his muscles as he attempted to stand. Amon groaned and the staff he always held close-at-hand slipped from his grasp as he began to topple forward.

”Sire!” The sound of surprise and shock dripped from that single word as Minnow quickly jumped to his aid, placing his body in front of the king and catching him at his side under the arm. He grunted from the dead weight that fell right into his arms, struggling to keep them both upright. His eyes sought out his partner, deep worry swirling within the usually calm pools as their gazes met, ”K-kanan!” He stuttered, quickly beginning to sink to the ground as he could not support Amon’s weight any longer. The king slipping from his grasp to hit the floor with a soft crash.

Minnow recovered himself quickly, kneeling next to Amon and checking his vitals as his form curled up. As soon as his fingers brushed the skin of the Air King, he immediately felt that it was cold and clammy, and the shivers that wracked his lord’s form sent various warning sirens off in his mind. Immediately he sprang from his place on the stone, darting off towards the doors with simple instructions tumbling out of his mouth intended for Kanan. ”Move him to his chambers and grab extra firewood and as much hot water as you can find.”

In the meantime, Minnow raced out of the throne room, his mind quickly supplanting his disarrayed thoughts with the quickest routes between the kitchens and the greenhouse. After running as swiftly as possible, the young Protector came crashing into the food-preparation rooms, barking out orders to the servants without taking a second to catch his breath or slow down. “Kettles, as many as you can find! Put them on the burners!” They looked confused at first, but as soon as the head cook understood what was required, he quickly put everyone in order, watching the sandy haired man dash around tables and batter past servants without the slightest hints of an apology. Something was obviously very wrong.

Minnow's mind was swarming with every herb and plant he could think of that would help with his king's unusual symptoms. Immediately he had assumed that it had something to do with the Orb, and while that was a completely foreign subject to him, Minnow had acted upon something he did understand, and that was the healing arts. Whether or not it would make much of an impact on the king's condition, it was the only thing he could do.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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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.


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”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.


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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.


Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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The greenhouse door was flung open, and, swinging on its hinges, it slammed into the wall with a loud crash. Minnow hardly even heard the harsh noise. He was not here to be gentle- he had a very specific purpose to accomplish. After grabbing a small satchel hanging off a tree limb, he strode quickly through the rows of plants and herbs with resolve, his eyes quickly scanning over each bud individually as he passed them. His hands lingered in the air, hovering over whatever he passed, only occasionally pausing to grab a shrub by its base or dig an herb to its root and pluck leaves from strange looking flora. Overall, it took him about two minutes to gather what he needed.

Once his items were safely stowed in the small pack slung around his hip, he turned on his heel and dashed back outside, the rain once more pelting against his form and sinking into his clothes with a cool chill to cling to his skin and mix with the light sweat that was already there from the adrenaline coursing through his body. The seconds that passed seemed too long in his mind, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit paranoid that he was wasting time. However, he was making rather good time and soon found himself back in the kitchens, dripping wet and cold as well as clammy.

The servants knew not to bother him, especially since they had realized something was wrong. They seemed to congregate against one of the walls, straining to see what he was doing, and attempting to figure out what was going on. Minnow paid them no mind as he fetched the items from his pack and spread them out across the wooden table while knocking several things out of his way to make enough room.

His fingers immediately went to work, but his focus was interrupted by the shrill whistle of several kettles. He snapped at the servants to move them from the burners and bring them to the door of the king’s chambers as well as a few buckets to pour the water into, but he made it expressly clear that they were not to enter and disturb the king.

In the meantime, he split roots and crushed leaves, grabbed a small porcelain cup and poured steaming water into it before gathering up the herbs in his palm and letting them fall into the hot liquid to steep. He grabbed a small bowl and immediately covered the mixture in order to trap the heat that radiated from it, and carefully moved the cup onto a servant’s tray. Grabbing a spoon, he was quick to return to motion and was out the doors and moving down the halls as quickly as he could without upsetting the platter that he balanced between his hands.

As Minnow neared the doors to the king’s chambers, whatever servants that lingered around settling the kettles on top of the buckets were quick to flee at the sight of him, and he shouldered the door open. His eyes flickered around the room, assessing what needed to be done and noting what Kanan had accomplished in his absence. The fire crackled warmly, and soft bubbles could be heard bursting at the surface of the pail. His gaze only briefly lingered on Kanan as he approached the king’s side.

Setting the tray down on the mattress a safe distance away from the king’s form, he uncovered the cup and stirred the mixture within, crushing and severing whatever large pieces remained floating in the water with the spoon and removing a few petals and leaves. He did his best not to get the sheets damp from his rain-soaked clothing, but it couldn’t really be helped. He looked up at Kanan and motioned towards the cup and then to the king while using his other hand to stir the soggy leaves and other plant matter resting beside the cup into a slick pulp.

He dipped his fingers into the mush and leaned over his king’s form, gently using his free hand to press his fingers beneath Amon’s lips and pull his chin down to open his mouth. While his touch was careful, it also held a stern resolve that demanded no resistance, and he spread the pulp over Amon’s tongue, coating it. He looked up momentarily at Kanan and met his gaze. ”It’s to keep his tongue from being burnt by the scalding tea.” His eyes flickered toward the door, and Minnow retreated from the bed back to the kettles that waited outside, figuring that Kanan would assist the king with downing the drink.

Carrying everything in, he shut the door with his foot, placing the buckets in various places around the room before carefully spilling the boiling hot water into each and watching the steam fill the air. After he had emptied each vessel, he would place it beside its counterpart and move on to the next one. Once he had emptied them all, he moved to the door and pulled his wet tunic over his shoulders- he wore a thin undershirt beneath with no sleeves and a low collar- and quickly stuffed the cloth against the crack under the door to trap the heat and steam in.

Running his hands through his already messed up hair, Minnow finally let out a heavy breath and returned to his king’s side with that still-concerned look of his. With both fire and steam combined, and with the hot tea, the king’s shivers should have reduced remarkably, and the cold that plagued his insides would hopefully be abated by the liquid. The warmth of the room itself also helped Minnow out quite a bit. The life returned to his fingers, which he rubbed gently as he kept a sharp eye on the king’s condition, and the steam would hopefully keep him from catching a cold.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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Amon was still lost in the cold and pain, his body was numb to the point that he couldn't even feel Minnow placing him to the ground , nor did he really understand anything the protector had said. No amount of shivering though could help him, as it felt like he had ice flowing through his veins. He'd never felt the orb act like this, and he couldn't possibly hazard a guess why especially in this condition. He barely felt an arm grab hold of him and haul him up to his feet, supporting all the king's weight as Amon couldn't have helped even if he had wanted too. His muscles refused to do any kind of movement beyond shivering, and so his feet basically dragged behind him as he was pulled along.

Amon barely managed to force his eyes open, though they were still mostly shut; he did recognize though some of where they were going. Concentrating, Amon focused as much as he could to open his eyes more to see just what was going on. He was able to that it was Kanan who was dragging him along, and he saw the doors to Amon's personal chambers in front of them as Kanan stepped through. Amon was placed on the bed and at that point, Amon gave up trying to keep his eyes opened and curled right back up into a ball again.

However, he was beginning to feel the orb's activities start to calm down, and the icy chill he was feeling was beginning to subside; well, at least it stopped feeling like it was flowing through his body. It was still cold from the residual affect of the cold that had plagued him. In fact, he began to feel warmth, much to his relief. His body's convulsions were beginning to simmer down as it heated up, and Amon could tell the room was definitely becoming warmer. The pain was still there somewhat, as the nerves of his body became active once more, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been a few moments ago. He could hear the sound of a fire crackling, which would explain the warmth in the room. He felt (again to his relief, knowing his body's sense of touch was returning) something touch the end of the bed away from him, and he could hear more movement.

A moment later, he felt a warm touch to his chin along with his mouth being pulled open. Then he knew his sense of taste was back when something touched his tongue that cause it to recoil some and the king to shudder slightly. Cracking his eyes open, he saw Minnow move over to the door and step outside for but a moment, then pull in a few kettles which had steam rising from them. He then watched as a small cup was brought to his lips by Kanan, and carefully was poured down his throat. that woke him up a bit as the heat of the fluid filled him, and burned his mouth some. Kanan set the cup back down on something out of sight, and Amon watched as Minnow moved around the room, filling the buckets with the water as steam began to rise up. He then used his over-shirt to plug the gap beneath the door to try and keep the heat trapped inside. As he came over next to Amon's side, more than likely to make sure he was getting better, Amon finally let out a groan as he slowly sat up. The mild pain of warming nerves was still there, and his body was still a little sluggish from all its shivering but it was nothing unbearable.

"Ok....that was miserable. And augh what did you put on my tongue, Minnow?" He said as he rubbed his head. The room had certainly warmed up quite a bit by this point, but after that experience Amon was enjoying it more than anything. He turned so his leg were hanging over the edge, and he started moving all his fingers and toes, then his arms and legs to make sure they were still functioning. He didn't feel like anything had been permanently damaged, so Amon took a deep breath and then moved out of the bed and up onto his feet. He stumbled slightly, as his legs were still recovering a bit but he was able to stop himself from falling over. Looking at him then towards Kanan and Minnow, he nodded to them with a smile. "Thank you, both of you. I'm not sure what caused the orb to act up like that, but thanks more keeping me safe."

He then glanced down at the bed and noticed the tea kettle and cup, which he hazarded a guess was what Kanan had poured down his throat. Reaching over, he filled up the cup once more then moved over to sit down by the fire place. He sat down far enough to avoid being burnt by the heat of the flame, but close enough to enjoy that same heat. Taking another breath to recover his senses a bit more, Amon then looked down at the tea as steam rise from it before he took another swig of it. It burnt his mouth again, yet Amon noticed that his tongue was not bothered in the slightest. Must be whatever that stuff Minnow had put on my tongue. Still doesn't excuse the taste. Finally he spun around to face his two protectors. "Alright," he started. "I'm not sure what made the orb act like that, but it cannot be good."

With that, he stood up to pour himself another cup of the tea, this time though drinking it at a slower rate. Even if he couldn't taste it, the warmth of it was just to wonderful to pass it up. With each sip of it, he could feel the heat just radiate through his body and it was frankly one of the most comforting things he'd felt in awhile. He then turned back to look at the two of them, sitting down near the fire once more. "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." He took another sip of the tea, paused, then opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue so that he could start wiping off the stuff Minnow had placed on his tongue. If he was gonna drink the tea he wanted to at least taste it. The moment he took a sip and felt it burn his tongue, he had to stop himself from coughing it up before swallowing it. After a recovering from it, trying to avoid the "I told you so" look Minnow probably shot him, he continued speaking.

"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?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Hebi Irikisha
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”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.


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"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?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Hebi Irikisha
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"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.






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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.”

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Amador Damiano III Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari
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#, as written by Siryn
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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.


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”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?"


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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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Amador Damiano III Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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Three Days since the Orb Incident


"Focus people, focus only on the target." Damiano was slowly walking behind the recruits as they took aim down range with their longbows drawn, aiming for targets that were 150 yards down range. He watched each of them, noticing a few beginning to shake and waver in aim as they held their bows at full draw. This was probably the tenth shot, and between each shot Damiano made them hold their bows for ten to fifteen seconds before releasing. He didn't really tell them the reason for it, as some would just assume he was giving them a chance to aim their shots. It was actually more so to help them build endurance so they could draw and shoot more rapidly before tiring. It helped them learn to aim sure, but most of these recruits were soldiers rather than guards which meant when they were standing in formation and aiming for the enemy standing in their own dense formations, aiming for the enemy wasn't really a necessary thing. For these soldiers, they needed to be able to rapidly and repeatedly draw and fire arrows without tiring out. So now he was working on their endurance, trying to match conditions of being run ragged and tired and still having to fire their bows effectively. He stopped near the middle of the group, watching down range before he finally shouted, "Loose!" and with that they each let go of their strings and let their arrows fly down range. He watched a few hit the targets, a couple coming up short as well and one or two went long. He shook his head, raising his voice again "Nock!" He heard a few recruits groan as they nocked the arrows on the bow. They were going to be at it till Damiano was satisfied, which in this case meant all of them being able to hit the target in this state of fatigue.

"Draw!!" He began walking down their ranks, watching them again. "It doesn't matter how tired you are! The only way you are going to stop the enemy from cleaving your face in half is you putting arrows through him till he drops dead! And boy, I'll tell you what that those guys will start hauling ass if they see you because they know the same damned thing!" He turned on his heel when he reached the end of the line and started pacing back. "If you can't shoot straight even when tired then you might as well put an arrow in your own throat and rob them of the chance of killing you! That arrow is all that'll save you from a charging spearman, and he's not going to wait until you are well fresh and rested if they get a chance to skewer your ass! You have to make that shot no matter how much your muscles tell you to quit! Loose!" He watched the next set of arrows fly down range, this time with better results but a few still missed their target. He shook his head before shouting again "Nock!" They did so and he followed it up with the draw command once more."Focus on the target, ignore your body and don't let it tell you what to do. You are in charge of it, not the other way around. Calm breaths, hold it right before you make that shot. He stopped next to one of the recruits, watching the man try to keep his body from shaking too much as his muscles were struggling to keep the bow drawn. Damiano then turned his attention down range "Loose!" Again the shots were much better, but still a few misses. He shook his head, looking around the area then.

They were training in a range that was not far from the castle, just outside of the barracks. The recruits were standing at the edge of a dirt patch, an area that no grass could grow due to all the foot traffic on it. A similar path made it's way down range towards the targets, again a path made by the grass being trampled by so many feet. Behind the recruits at the firing line stood a few more recruits waiting their turn. They had been standing there the whole time, again another part of their endurance training. Damiano wanted to see just how well they could shoot after standing in the sun for a long time of mindless boredom. These soldiers needed to be ready to fight at a moments notice. It didn't matter what mental of physical state they were in, they needed to be ready and fighting at their peek at the drop of a hat.

It was training like this that Damiano had to go through through his life. If he wasn't off on a task, then most of his time was spent perfecting his fighting abilities in the barracks at his parents' estate. So he knew what these troopers were contending with, as he had been there plenty of times before in his life.

He was brought from his thoughts when he noticed an interestingly dressed individual heading towards the castle, though the man did seem somewhat lost. As he got a better look, he recognized the mark of the Air Kingdom on his clothing as well as what looked like a parcel or letter in his hand. He couldn't see any other guards around at the moment, so he then looked around and whistled and waved over one of the other officers. "Take over for me, need to see what's up with the air-boy over there." he said while nodding his head towards the courier. The officer gave him a salute, which Damiano returned before he left to attend to the man.

He caught up to the courier rather quickly, who turned and gave a slight bow to Damiano. "Hello sir, I have an important letter to deliver to King Siya from my own King Amon Ad-Raza. If you could please direct me to them, I would be very appreciative." Damiano raised an eyebrow, the air king sending a message of all things? Must be something important because as far as Damiano was aware it wasn't like the two kings were really friends. Not that they really hated one another, he just wasn't aware of any friendship between them. Shrugging, he gestured for the man to follow him as Damiano went into the castle with the courier right after him.

"Hopefully we can find either the king or one of his protectors within the audience chamber, if not there then maybe the library. Problem is they can move around alot and it's a big building to go hunting through." Damiano said while bringing a hand up to rest on the bow that was slung over his body, his quiver full of arrows resting on the back of his hip. The arrows stuck out to the left so that he could draw and nock an arrow while keeping his bow at the ready in his right hand.

As they made their way down the hallway, it turned out things might turn out easier for the pair when Damiano spotted Reynard coming down the hallway as well. "Well would you look at that," Damiano said with a grin as he looked at the courier. "guess I'm just a natural born hunter." He then turned to face Reyanrd and stopped, giving a salute to the protector while standing at attention. "Excuse me protector Enide, but this courier has a message from the Air King himself for King Siya." With that, Damiano then stepped out of the way of the air courier to let the man deliver his message.



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Amon kept spinning the staff in rapid circles, feeling the strain of it's weight as he used only short movements of his wrist to keep it going. He began stepping and passing it between his hands as he spun it all about, keeping it as tight to his body as he could without hitting himself. He also had to be careful of the placement of his feet as he spun it rapidly, to keep himself balanced and again so as not to strike his own legs. He'd smacked himself more than once before and it never felt good to have a heavy metal rod strike a thigh muscle. Also because then he had to deal with a scolding from one of his protectors when they found the king limping his way down the hallway.

Stepping forwards, he let the staff slide through his hands before he caught the very end of it and began whirling it around in a wide arc, using both hands to keep control of it. He spun with it, stepping his back foot around and forwards before giving it one more spin while bringing his other foot forwards once again. This time as he spun it forwards, he instead slid one of his hands up towards the center; when the staff was above his head and pointing directly behind him he finally brought it swinging downwards in front of him. He knelt down and flexed his core to add to the downward momentum of the swing, most of the staff connecting with the floor with a loud and heavy clap. He had stopped the swing just before his hand would have been crushed between the rod and the slightly padded floor, and as the staff bounced back up slightly from it's impact, he used that momentum to then do a quick spin of the staff before gripping it again with both hands and swinging it upwards at an angle in a strike. He held that position for a bit, breathing a heavily from all the work before his usual grin formed on his face. He relaxed, moving the staff to one hand before letting it lean against his own body with the tip resting on the floor. Letting out something between a heavy exhale and a sigh of content, he then turned and walked over to a small bench where two towels and his shirt was resting. Picking up on of the towels, he used it to wipe away the sweat from his head and neck before he set it down, using the other towel to wipe himself off.

With that, he then set down his staff before grabbing and pulling his shirt back on, then collecting the items there and began making his way back down the hallway. He let both towels hang on his shoulder while he simply held onto his staff with the other, letting it tap the floor with a light clank as he walked along. He really hoped that the messages had reached their destinations by now, considering it had been at least three days since he sent them out. He had hoped it would have gone faster, as he needed to know as soon as possible how safe the other kings were. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the other kings had sent messages as well; if Amon was not the only one that had been affected by the orb he figured the other kings must have been thinking the same thing as him. The orbs were never that active, and to do something like that meant there was something wrong. They all knew of each other, the orb wielders that is, and each of them knew just how important keeping these orbs safe was. He rubbed his head some in frustration, perturbed some by the fact that something was happening and he had no clue what it could be; his usual smile had turned into the rare frown at these thoughts.

Amon didn't even notice Kanan at the door to his room till he almost stumbled right into him. Blinking and looking at the protector, Amon quickly collected himself and brought his smile back. The last thing he needed was to give off a sense of worry or fear of what was happening; he needed to be strong for this and he wasn't going to let worry bring him down. "Figured you would know by now, Kanan, that I usually only go to my room if I'm sick or it's time to sleep." he teased as he stopped in front of the metal covered man. Amon knew exactly why Kanan wore all the jewelry, as the protector could not summon air magic without sacrifices like the king could, but it still amused him. Well, rather it amused and annoyed him at the same time. Amon figured that a protector of all people would understand just how important it was for magic to not be such a crutch. The king knew that Kanan was very skilled in the use of his sword, as the two had sparred a couple times (at the encouragement, and even sometimes the order, of Amon), but Amon was also well aware of Kanan's little awareness trick that he used. The sacrificing of metal for magic was a hard thing to hide, especially when the sacrifices were worn on such visible parts of the body so Amon knew full well that Kanan was so often making those sacrifices.

"A message for you sire, from the Fire Kingdom." Kanan simply stated with a bow, holding out the letter to Amon who took it from the protector.

"Thank you, Kanan. Follow me, please. And shut the door as well" Amon said as he walked into the room, Kanan following after him. Amon read the letter as the door was closed. Looking over the words, Amon smiled some knowing that he wasn't wrong about the other kings, or at least the Fire king, having been affected. "So, my orb was not the only one that decided to act up. It seem King Ukomo had a similar issue, which I can only infer means that King Hattori must have had a similar problem." Amon set his staff against the wall as he walked towards his dresser, finishing up the letter before folding it back up and setting it down on the top of the dresser. He fished out a clean shirt, taking the time to change out of the sweaty one he had been training in and switching over to a much cleaner one. "In fact, seems King Ukomo is actually planning to travel here. Or at least I hope he still chooses to do so even upon receiving the letter from us."

He turned to face Kanan with a smile, "Which means we are going to be receiving some guests! Let the servants know so we can get rooms and everything prepared for our visitors! Don't want them to think that we are not welcoming and accommodating now do we?!" he said with a chuckle, collecting his staff and the letter before turning and heading on out of the bedroom."Away we go my dear Kanan!!"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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#, as written by Skwidge
Summary-Lutchka


It had certainly been a hurricane of the past few days. Things had seemed to be moving quite quickly after Lutchka had become the Earth King’s newest protector, and not only that, but with the newest information of the orbs, her head was practically whirling in attempts to sort everything out. While she was honored by the promotion, it was in all truth pretty horrifying. Not only was most of her extra time gone, but she was forced to spend more time with Hebi of all things. Now it wasn’t to be mistaken, she loved pushing his buttons, but to have to deal with that drama queen constantly was kind of asking a lot.

Nonetheless, it remained that despite the horrors that accompanied the new job, she didn’t mind it so much as she wanted to do whatever she could for King Taki.






Air Kingdom



Kanan watched his King as the man worked around the room to change his shirt as he read the letter. So, the Fire King had a similar experience with the orb. Kanan's eyebrow drew downwards as his gaze fell to the floor, deep in thought. Nothing like this had happened before, at least as long as he had been in service -which admittedly hadn't been long-. However, it wasn't in the histories, nor from anything he had heard from the old King either before chosing Amon to succeed him.

So lost in his own musings on the situation, he nearly missed his King's words about getting the palace ready to recieve the other Kings. Turning, he followed the man out of the room, keeping pace with him for a little while, "Sire," the young protector said and was about to voice other thoughts, his other worries about having all the Kings in one place after such an incident. It didn't settle well with him at all. Even so, he knew the importance of getting them together to check on each of them.

"I will prepare the rooms," he said instead, "Shall I find Minnow?"

Amon thought about when Kanan mentioned finding Minnow. That may not be a bad idea, as Amon was sure the young fella could find a nice plant or something to spice up the room, make it smell nice, maybe just add a relaxing touch to it all, or maybe all of the above. With a nod, Amon spun on his foot so he was walking backwards so he could look at Kanan. "I like that idea! Tell the little fishie to find something nice to put in the room, spruce it up some, and make it nice and.....um.....nice!" He paused, "Boy, I'm just a man of many words aren't I?"

Had it been anyone else, they may have smiled, or laughed at the young King, but Kanan had long since forgotten how to do any of those and thus he only stared at Amon for a while before giving a short nod and his usual 'Sire' in response. He took off down a separate hall and made his way towards the servant quarters and other castle personel to give the Kings order to prepare for the Kings. Once that was done, he went off in search of Minnow, whom he was sure was in his green house, most likely asleep amongst the comforts of the grass and bushes. The protectors usual harsh look and intimidating presence softened just a bit at the thought of the smaller blonde sleeping nestled inbetween the grasses, bits of dirt and petals clinging to his hair.

With a slight shake of his head, he cleared the image from his mind and headed off to the green house to find the other protector.

Minnow let out a soft, content sigh as the gentle sound of sprinkling water pattered against the ground and flora within the greenhouse. He was crouched by a flowerbed of mint, irises, and mums as he poured sustenance upon the earth. As he worked, he hummed an unfamiliar tune- one he did not know where he got it from. It was soft, hardly louder than the hidden brook that bubbled and whispered from deeper within the greenhouse.

Once satisfied, the young protector moved on with his work, this time stopping to water both the base and the leaves of a small tree. Birds chirped pleasantly from above, both outside and in, and tiny butterflies flittered past between the soft petals of flowers and the broad stems of plants.

As predicted, Kanan did find the young Minnow in his green house. Though it took the one eyed protector some time to find the young boy, it was well worth it. Humming to himself and moving fluidly through his plants and trees, Minnow was tending to his large 'garden' much like any other day. For a moment, Kanan only watched him. Giving a very soft sigh that only he heard, he stepped forward, making his approach known now, though it was still probably hard to hear. One hand fell on his sword as he stopped a few feet from the blonde protector.

"Minnow," he called gently to get the others attention.

The soft melody that had been hummed through his vocals stopped abruptly as the boy heard his name called by a familiar voice. Straightening out, he stood and turned with a bright smile aimed at his fellow protector. “Kanan.” He said in his own greeting. He lent most of his attention to the man, as Kanan only came to him for things concerning their duties, while the rest of it he spared on the continuation of watering his plants.

"We are recieving guests soon. Most likely tomorrow or the following night. Lord Amon wanted your help in preparing some of the rooms," Kanan said smoothly, "If you could do so, that would be appreciated."

Blinking once, the warm smile that usually graced his lips returned at the mention of guests. After hearing of his lord’s request, Minnow nodded in understanding. He once more turned to look at Kanan. “I’ll get right on that then. Who are our lovely guests, and how many rooms should I be looking at?”

Kanan shifted slightly, "Lords Siya Ukomo and Taki Hattori with their protectors as well. I believe six rooms are in order, Minnow," the pale blue eyed protector said softly.

He tilted his head to the side and put a finger to his lip in thought, figuring out what would best suit the other kings and their protectors. “Alright, I’ll see that it gets done nice and proper. Would you mind finishing the next portion of plants for me?” He lifted the hand which held the watering can in order to refer to what he was talking about, his head still tilted to the side while a warm, close-eyed smile filled his face. “Won’t take too long, but, if you’re busy of course, they can wait.”

Not a lot could make the protector question anything, especially his own duties, or make him feel embarrassed or anything of the sort. However, upon watching Minnow tapping his lip in thought and then finally extending the watering can towards him, his pale features took on a pale pink hue across his face. Never had he once been asked to.... water plants. He wasn't a gardener, he wasn't even sure of half of the things in the green house that Minnow kept. Unfortunately for him, though, he couldn't bring himself to refuse the others request. Perhaps it was the smile.

"I-... I will finish this," he finally managed, perhaps not quite sounding like he normally did, but he figured it was close enough. Taking the can he tried to look like he knew what to do with it.

A bright look of gratefulness lit up Minnow’s features as Kanan agreed to help him with his tending. “Thank you! They’re not too picky, so a few moments’ watering should do it.” However, Minnow stood there for a few moments, his eyes softly watching the man’s form. He had practically already forgotten the task he needed to do- elated as he was that Kanan of all people would be tending to the garden. The young protector had never seen his partner anywhere near anything green, so naturally he wanted to see the rare act for himself. However, reality caught up with him swiftly as a few moments passed and Kanan seemed to still be looking at him like he had something to do.

The subtlest of warmth tinged his own cheeks and he ran a hand through his hair with a sheepish grin, “Ah, well, off I go.” He quickly trotted off, giving Kanan a slight wave as he departed.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Hebi Irikisha
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Several days later


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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Hebi Irikisha
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Council Room of the Air Kingdom Palace


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?!"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Amador Damiano III Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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#, as written by Skwidge
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.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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#, as written by Skwidge
With a sweet bun in one hand and her free fingers running through her hair, Lutchka blinked sleepily as she strolled the hallways from the kitchens, attempting to find her way back to her room. It wasn’t surprising, her troubled sleeping, despite the exhausting trip coming to the air kingdom. What with the horrible news they had all received, the high tension that lingered from earlier that day, and the unfamiliar noises that made themselves known in the Air Kingdom. Lutchka had allowed her body to rest, but eventually the boredom got the best of her, and she decided to wander to the kitchens to find something to snack on.

In any other case she probably would have reverted to training to pass the time, but with the aches that plagued her muscles and the mental exhaustion that weighed on her mind, she knew it was a bad idea. So in the large, unfamiliar hallways she strode, looking half-asleep and unfocused. She took a bite out of her roll and chewed it thoughtfully as she advanced with no real purpose.

However, as soon as she heard the cry of her King, all fatigue was immediately shed from her figure and she split into a run, bun in hand, heading in the direction of Taki’s voice. Fortunately she soon found herself in somewhat familiar surroundings, and instantly knew where she was. Their rooms were nearby, and Taki continued to yell her name.

Bursting through the door of her King’s room, she already knew it was empty, and was only further proved right when she spotted the open window. Holding the sweet bun between her teeth, she stuck her head out and peered upwards. Yup, his voice’s definitely coming from the roof. A split-second respite to her serious features was had as she pursed her lips with a slight grin. Of course her king was on the roof of all places. She immediately pulled herself up onto the windowsill and used one hand to grasp the pane in order to support herself.

She looked around for a few moments before mapping out the best route to get up to him through the brickwork of the castle. Slipping her fingers between the cracks and leveraging herself upwards, she made easy work of the wall and was about to place her hand on the edge of the roof when Taki screamed as loudly as he could. She winced, nearly losing her grip and letting out a sharp breath of air. Unfortunately, her midnight snack plummeted to the earth, but she had no time to miss it. She quickly pulled herself up before she lost her grip and rubbed at her ear with her free hand. “I’m here my lord, no need to shout so loudly.”

Kneeling down, she gently pushed the bangs back from his face and frowned a bit when she saw blood dripping there. His blackened arm also seemed to be reopened, and her eyes hardened defensively. She had a few questions to ask, but knew that now was not the time to do so, especially when they were both so out in the open and vulnerable, despite their height. Her lips pressed tightly together in thought; it was going to be rather difficult to get him down on her own from so precarious a height with no platforms nearby. She shouldered him up and slung his arm around her shoulder to help bear his weight. Despite her previous thoughts on keeping quiet until they got some cover, she still asked. "Is there still a threat? Do you need immediate medical attention?"

"Oh hello there!" Taki said with a grin to Lutchka. With a slight tilt of his head he avoided a little blood from escaping his forehead onto his right eye. "I don't believe there's a threat here and if he still was you'd know I'd take his or her sorry ass down." As he cringed slightly at the pain crying from his arm, Taki breathed for a moment before he said. "Yeah, I think medical attention would be quite lovely right now."

Taki tried to offer Lutchka a small smile, but in doing so screwed upon the position of the dripping blood as he got some in his eyes. "Ahhhh fuck, ow!" Taki groaned as he dropped his head down in hope that his watering eye would part the blood from it.

At his comment, she let a small chuckle leave her lips, though at his wince she did her best to reposition them so he’d be more comfortable. However, as he suddenly started complaining about blood in his eyes, she rolled her eyes good-naturedly before grasping his chin between her fingers and stilling his motion. She glanced at it before flashing him a teasing, unconvinced smile. “What, would you like me to kiss it better? Not much else I can do at this moment.” She grinned.

Flashing his own teasing grin in return Taki said with a small laugh. "That's not the worst idea to propose at the moment." With another tilt of his head he avoided yet another drop from reaching into one of his eyes as he looked at his protector with his usual toothy grin which oozed Taki's personality all over it. "If you're going to, try to avoid the blood as best you can!"

She smirked playfully and rolled her eyes lightly, pushing his bangs back once more. She leaned forward and planted a dainty kiss on his eyebrow, rubbing her thumb along his cut to smear the blood a bit and attempt to change its trickle pattern so it would no longer be a nuisance. “That thing ever gonna seal up?” With an exaggerated breath of air, Lutchka tapped her foot a bit. “Any plans on how we get down then?”

"None at all! Without my left arm and proper sight at the moment I'm useless!" Though the joking and laughter obvious frustraion could be heard from the Earth King as he hated how he was so dependent on everyone else these days. With a puff of breath from his lips he then seemed to drop the "Taki Stance" for a moment as he said kindly to Lutchka.

"Thank you."

Lutchka smiled at him pleasantly as he expressed gratitude. “My pleasure.” Blinking, she glanced around, “It had to be the roof, didn’t it? How did you even get up here in the first place with only one good arm?”

"Of course it did, look how amazing this night sky is Lutch." Taki grinned toothily between words. And to answer that...a lot of one handed pull ups. Being crippled isn't going to slow down the great King TakI!" Drawing his grin wider, Taki kept his spirits high as he continued. "You should have seen it! Took on that bastard with one arm...and a rock..."

The white-skinned beauty simply shook her head with a smile, glancing up at the dark sky at her King’s suggestion. “Gorgeous, but I think I’d prefer to see it in the comfort of a bed~” She chuckled softly, and figuring that they would be up there for a little while until one of them figured something out or until some actual help showed up, she eased them both to the ground rather than just stand around supporting him for no reason.

“Fire seems to be quite useless in this situation, huh?” She laughed aloud as light flames flickered upon her fingertips in the cool night. “You’re probably in no condition to make steps down though. I guess I'll just have to entertain you for awhile~”

"Hey, if we're going to be up here I'm open to it. What do you got in mind my protector?" Taki said as he brought his good hand to the back of his head where he laid. As his eyes met the stars there was a glimmer in his eyes. Within the Earth Kingdom he had seen stars on many occasions, however, this new location brought a freshness with it of which brought Taki a type of joy he wanted to experience again.

"I want to travel this world." Taki said with powerful grin.

A devious little grin played on her lips as she watched him lay back. She leaned on her elbows, eyeing his form lazily before shifting herself forward a bit. She leaned over him slightly, her hand shifting down. With a small flick of her fingers, she sacrificed the metal of Taki’s belt. “Don’t get too excited~” She teased, rolling onto her back as well. Flames licked at her palms and fingers as she summoned them.

Lutchka shifted her fingers around as she gazed up at the sky as well, letting the flames string out in the air to fill the small outlines of the stars. She had a very pleased smile on her face and a child-like youth to her eyes as she played with her element. “It’s a big world, full of so many mysteries.” Twirling her index finger, the little flames clumped together to form a ship sailing the seas. “The lands out there are stunning.”

"H-hey!" Taki said in surpise to Lutchka as he lost the metal of which held his belt together. With a sigh he sat up a little to try to tie the belt together with one hand as he stuck his tongue out at Lutchka jokingly. "If my pants fall from me when when we're going back down that's your fault!"

After trying and failing to fix his belt with one hand, Taki laid back down as he watched Lutchka's fingers preform a show in front of his eyes. With a smile he looked as if he were a mere boy again as he watched the fire before him. With the formation of the ship Taki said quietly "Woah..."

Nodding at her last statement he said in response. "Let's all travel together...well only if Hebi is sedated like we planned before!"

She scoffed lightly at his comment of travelling with Hebi. “I’m afraid even on the trippiest of substances he’d still find a way to complain, I can see it now, ‘Oh, the ship's swaying too much’ or ‘It smells like fish out here’ maybe even ‘This salt is ruining my skin!’” She deepened her voice a bit in a typical female-trying-to-copy-a-male tone. She grinned at her King, the light twinkling playfully in her eyes.

Kanan moved through the hall to where he had put the Lord Taki and his protectors. The door was opened and his heart skipped a beat as he looked in and saw no one. Moving around the room to see any signs of a fight or worse, blood, he finally heard voices outside the window. Going to the opened window he leaned out and looked upwards. The flash of fire was flickering every now and then from the roof top. Slipping out of the window, some of the metal on his body disappeared, sacrificing into more energy. With a wave of his fingers, a torrent of air spread beneath him and lifted him up to the top of the castle where the pair was seated.

An eyebrow lifted as he regarded them, touching down silently on the edge. Releasing his power, he looked between them both all the while wondering why in Gods name would Taki be on the rooftop of the castle. Kanan didn't ask though, preferring to keep that to himself as he moved and knelt down next to them gingerly. Highly aware of his own wound, he reached out and examined Taki silently. When he was satisfied with the facial injuries, his gaze fell on the exposed arm. The pale blue eye widened and he looked back to Taki.

"Sire..." he breathed, then offered his arm to the man, "Come, I will take you to your rooms. Who attacked you?" he asked almost as an after thought. He needed to know though. If the Kings were all attacked for the same thing -the orbs- then someone knew about them when they shouldn't. It made Kanan highly tense and very suspicious.

Lutchka blinked at the arrival of someone, and her usual smirk returned to her lips, the moment she had shared with Taki over. She waved lazily at the one-eyed protector, the flames racing back to her palm before extinguishing themselves. She sat up, quickly leaning over Taki and making swift work of securing his belt back together with a cheeky grin.

Kanan seemed to overlook her presence, and she pouted a bit at the fact, but otherwise pushed the thought aside as her King did need attention. Lutchka helped her king up to his feet, looking at Kanan gratefully. “Good, I was worried we’d be out here for a couple days before someone noticed.” She chuckled softly, handing Taki over to Kanan. The protector had also asked one of the questions she had been saving for later, and she looked at her lord expectantly.

Taki tried playing off Lutchka fixing his belt in front of Kanan with a smile, but even he turned red at the rather awkward moment. It was a classic Lutchka move, but he usually didn't mind it too much as it brought a little surprise to his life.

After being helped up and passed to Kanan, Taki said with a smirk to Lutchka "You sound like being stuck out here with me is a bad thing!" Then with the expected look in his direction he remembered the question asked of him from before. "Right, uh...I can't exactly explain the look of my attacker. Although, he did use some sort of wind style power...and was rather fast..I mean I believe he was wearing a black outfit which covered him up. Anywho, that's all I got bud."

Kanan frowned as he held the man securely. Looking over to Lutchka, he offered his other hand to her, "The healers will tend to you when they return," Kanan said softly. Once Lutchka was in his grip as well, he would take them down to the room below and escort them to the healers. It seemed that the following day was going to be a rather busy one.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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Amon was awake, practicing his strikes on a wooden stand that was inside of the training room. It consisted of a wooden cylinder that had three posts sticking out of it, two at shoulder level and another in the center of where someone’s torso would be. It also had a small wooden support near the bottom at the front, which also served as a target for strikes to the legs of an opponent. The three pegs were marked and worn from constant impacts of Amon’s forearms striking them to practice his blocks and parries. The main body of the stand was also worn from his punches to it, as well as the few kicks he would make to the lower support.

Much of his focus was on the practice dummy, enjoying the clapping sound of the wood contacting his forearm, followed by his fist hitting the center right above the middle peg. Quickly, he retracted the arm he had blocked with before to set it up for another punch, using the other arm to block once more with another punch following to the "sternum" of the target.

There was a slight rumble before everything was encased in thick vines, wrapping around the training dummies and practice equipment in the room. To the right stood a tall figure, cloaked from head to foot in black and holding what looked like a spear.

Amon stopped, and backed away quickly from the vine encased dummies before turning to scan the room, his eyes quickly settling on the hooded figure. Blinking in confusion, he then slowly turned to face the individual. "You know, a simple 'hello' or 'Excuse me your majesty' would have sufficed." Despite the wisecrack, Amon was already moving himself into a position to defend himself, keeping a close eye on the person in front of him.

The figure didn't answer. Twisting the spear around, it sang slightly as the steel tip flipped through the air. It stopped suddenly, held upwards across the figures back as they turned their large frame slightly, lowering themselves in preparation. Extending a hand out, the fingers flicked forward slightly and the vines that had wrapped around the training dummies, came to life again. They wiggled around and suddenly shot straight at Amon.

Amon moved quickly, diving to the side and rolling out of the way of the vines. Finishing the roll he came up onto his feet, arms out in front and spreading his feet so that he was distributing his weight evenly on both of them. He was backing away now, keeping an eye on the individual. "Look, I don't know what the issue is, but we don't need to fight over it. Just relax, please." he said, hoping to talk down whoever this was trying to attack him.

Perhaps if the man was quicker, or if Amon's protector wasn't quite as aware of the palace and everyone in it as he is all the time, the assailant would have overtaken him. Still, the man was very quick as he shot towards the King, spear still held comfortably and not even looking as if it were going to be used.

The double doors to the room burst open with a powerful gust of wind followed by the one eyed protector. The cloaked figure turned at the entrance to catch the wind blades that Kanan had thrown into the room. Standing and facing the protector, he used his spear finally and blocked the attack.

"Sire!" Kanan shouted attempting to reach his King, but the rooms vines decided that he was now their new target.

Scowling, Amon simply cursed under his breath before rushing straight towards the man, hoping to end this fight quickly. He was not too worried about Kanan, as he trusted the man would be able to hold his own; and now the assaliant had to pay attention to two opponents. Running up, Amon quickly threw two punches at his target, one aimed for the mid-section with another at his head and augmenting both of them with a small, yet strong, blast of wind behind them.

Distracted by the entrance of the Protector, the first blow took his attention, as it slammed hard into his abdomen, knocking him backwards several steps as well as taking the air from his lungs. Flipping the spear around, he knocked it into the other fist that was headed straight for his head, ducking for added measure since the first blow had been enough to send him stumbling.

Kanan, on the other hand, was slicing through the wild vines as they attempted to either run him through or tie him down. He moved swiftly as well, his intention only to get to Amon's side. Sacrificing more metal than normal, he unleashed a huge wave of wind blades that cut through the vines as if he were cutting through grass.

The attacker fell back a few steps and then lowered his spear before charging forward at the King. The sight of it startled Kanan and had him struggling to move faster.

Amon stood his ground, watching the attacker charging right at him with the spear, unmoving as he waited for just the right moment. As the spear point came at him, Amon quickly stepped to the side, letting the spear point skirt just past him before he stepped forwards into the charging man. Amon felt the burning sensation of the spear point cutting his side due to Amon not stepping far enough out of the way. As they came together, Amon then attempted to grab hold of the man while hooknig his leg, hoping to pull the man off balance and cause him to fall forwards.

Kanan, finally freed from the jungle of vines, rushed to his King only to watch as the man side stepped the oncoming attack and grabbed a hold of the attacker. Sending him to the ground, the man grunted heavily and rolled across the floor. The young protector took this moment to come to stand near his King.

"Sire?" he asked simply, though there was much more conveyed in that single word than any other time Kanan addressed the King.

The black clad figure got to his feet, facing the two whilst rubbing a hand across their face as the hood fell back. Dark eyes glowered at both of them before he shifted and lowered the spear again. Kanan moved, leveling his own weapon as well, but not daring to leave Amon's side just incase the bastard used the earthen magic against them again.

Amon did not remove his gaze from the attacker as Kanan stepped up next to him. "I'm ok, Kanan. Just a scratch." He said to his protector. He then spoke to the man, "Please, just put the weapon down." though he tried to say it with some sense of authority, there was a hint of pleading in his tone as well. "Whatever it is that I did, I can't fix it if you keep trying to kill me, so just please stop this."

The spear weilder seemed not to listen as he charged forward again. Kanan moved, putting himself in front of Amon and readying his weapon. The attacker flipped his spear upwards midway through his charge and Kanan's one good eye widened slightly. The vines that he had thought to have taken care of snaked out at him. One wrapped around his shoulder and arm, the arm holding his weapon, and one stabbed deep into his lower back.

Wrenched out of the way, he lost his blade as he fell to the floor and the spear weilder continued his charge towards Amon, the weapon lowered yet again.

Amon was again ready for his charge, but was caught off guard when Kanan stepped between them. He went to move to the side to try and get around the protector, but when he saw the vines from before suddenly attack Kanan he stopped. "Kanan!" was all he could think to shout before the man was yanked to the side and to the ground.

Amon made the mistake of looknig at him to see where he landed before turning his gaze back up with his eyes widening as the spear user was right on him. Amon had no chance to step out of the way, so he did the only thing he could and that was to catch hold of the shaft of the weapon. Doing so didn't save him though, as he felt part of the spear blade stab into his stomach. Amon grimaced, tightly latching onto the shaft of the weapon to prevent it from being driven deeper into his torso. He also created a lift of air beneath his feet, so as to allow himself to slide effortlessly across the ground so that he moved with the attacker, and therefore the spear, to prevent the tip from being driven any deeper.

After a bit of distance in which to properly catch his footing and brace himself, Amon let the air beneath his feet subside so that he dropped onto both of them. He braced himself so that he could slow down the attacker's charge without allowing the spear to do more damage, though once they slowed to a stop Amon quickly thurst a hand out at the man and fired off a powerful blast of air to knock the man away before he could attempt another thurst with the spear.

Taken by surpirse by the stunt the King had done, he wasn't prepared for the blast of air to throw him backwards. The spear came free with him, no longer buried in the King's stomach, though it hadn't gone all that deep to begin with like the attacker had wanted. Moving to gain his balance again, he felt several slices go across his back and turned to see the protector standing, though the young man winced and quickly lowered his arm after having thrown his wind blades.

Twirling the spear around rapidly, the man looked between Amon and Kanan, trying to decide which was more threatening at the present moment. Finally, the spear stopped moving and the end of it hit the floor with a solid crack and the room trembled.

"Sire, move!" Kanan shouted from where he stood as the floor began to writhe.

Amon was tightly gripping the wound in his stomach reflexively, even though doing such an action would hardly stop the wound from existing. The pain was great, and Amon was doing what he could to keep focus on his attacker. Then he felt the ground begin to shake, knowing the attacker had something nasty in mind. Dammit, why did it have to go this far?!, and he did his best to keep his footing as the ground shook. "Son of a bitch, I warned you!" Amon shouted at the man before he extended a hand forward, focusing intensely on the target. He was trying to picture the air within the man's lung, trying to extend his control there.

Amon hated this technique, something he had developed long ago fighting bandits, but he needed to stop this person now. With a shout of rare anger, Amon then took hold of the air within the man's lungs, and with a hard thurst of his hand towards the attacker, forced the air within the man's lungs to be violently expelled out of his mouth and nose.

The attacker dropped, clutching the ground as he tried to breath. The ground stopped moving and Kanan lurched forward as quickly as he could. His sword hummed as it came down at the prone figure. As his weapon reached the man, the steel blade cut through black smoke. Startled, the protector stumbled slightly before righting himself. His senses stretched as he tried to find the assailant.

Confused, but thankful that the man was gone -as were the other two attackers at this point- he went to his King, noting the blood coating his fingers as Amon held his wound, "Sire... we should get Minnow."

Amon would have questioned more as to how the man had vanished as he did, but with his injury and worries about his guests, he couldn't find the time to do so. Looking at Kanan who walked up to him and was requesting they go find Minnow, Amon shook his head. "We need to make sure the other kings are safe, Kanan." With that he rose up to his feet, but not before taking a moment to pull off the training shirt he had been wearing. He then used it as a makeshift bandage, wrapping it tightly around his wounded abdomen to try and stem the bleeding. He winced some as a sharp pain shot through his torso from the pressure of the bandage on his wound.

"Let's go, now." He said, his voice serious, with all hint of cheerfulness gone from his voice. After something like this, he was anything but happy. He quickly made his way into the hallway, heading towards King Siya's room first, hoping to find him in a much more comfortable position than Amon currently was.

Kanan nodded, sheathing his own weapon and keeping his own pain to himself. Following after his King the first room they went to was the one given to Lord Siya. As they came to it, the door was wide open and the Fire King was on the floor. Kanan's eye grew wide and his hand reached down for his weapon, but he didn't draw it as Reynard was in the room with the King.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Amador Damiano III Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Reynard Enide
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Siya looked up, panting slightly and then let his head fall onto his arm, "My Lord Amon..." he managed to say after a moment.

As Amon looked in the room, he shook his head. "Shit..." was all he could think to muster before he walked inside, knealing down next to Siya. "King Siya, please tell me you are ok. I'm so sorry they got in here so easily..." He couldn't find a way to express how ashamed he felt that these assassins had managed to sneak their way inside and almost kill the kings, there was just no way he could cover up this inexcusable mistake.

Siya shook his head as he pushed himself up, reaching out for Reynards arm to help steady himself. Once he was kneeling on the floor, he finally got a good look at Amon, "My Lord, you're injured," the young Fire King wheezed, his voice still slightly lost to him.

Amon watched Siya carefully, making sure that he was ok. "Don't worry, it's nothing I haven't had to deal with before. I'll be ok, what about you? Are you hurt?" It didn't help that upon saying that, another shot of pain went through him and caused him to wince.

The young Fire King frowned at Amon before glancing at his own frame. Aside from the burning in his lungs and throat, he wasn't sure if he was injured or not. His arms and shoulders hurt and he was almost afraid to look as he was sure they were bruised, if not cut by the tight vines that had held him up not but a few moments before. With a forced smile he shook his head, "Fine," he answered, "My throat... is just dry."

Kanan moved, making his presence more apparent, "Who attacked you, Sire?" the protector asked.

Siya shook his head a bit, "I'm not sure. A man. He was after the orb. And you?"

The orb? Amon wanted to slap himself when Siya mentioned. "So that's why he attacked. Makes sense then considering he wasn't in much of a mood to talk." He then turned to look at Kanan, wincing slightly as he stood up onto his feet. "We must find King Taki and fast. If both of us were attacked then that probably means he was as well."

Kanan nodded though he held out his hand towards Amon, "Stay. I will go," he said firmly. Closing his eye, the man seemed like a statue for a moment before he opened his gaze again, "He is on the roof..." the young protector sounded rather confused at this, but dismissed it fairly quickly. He turned and left the room.

Siya frowned, "He is injured as well," he muttered having noticed the blood, "You both need healers."

Amon watched Kanan leave, letting out a deep sigh of frustration. Please be ok Taki, please. he thought before turning to look at Siya. "When we are certain that both you and King Taki are safe and sound, we will then call upon one of my protectors. Young boy named Minnow, not much of a fighter, but the kid is a whizz at the medical stuff." Amon couldn't help but smile a little when he thought back to his burning of his tounge after drinking the tea Minnow had given him. "He can also brew a really good tea."

It actually felt good to smile alittle, especially after dealing with this amount of stress. It wasn't around long, but at least it was around long enough to prevent him from becoming too moody.

Siya smiled a bit too as Amon spoke of his healer Minnow, "He sounds... great," the Fire King said softly. Looking over to Reynard he sighed, letting his breath come out a little bit louder and definitely in a sigh of relief, "Reynard... are you alright?" though he was fairly sure the protector hadn't taken any wounds, he wanted to make sure.

Was he alright? No. No he wasn't alright, but he was a professional, a man who put his job as a Protector above all else, even and especially his own needs. He eyed Siya from where he stood, not buying the "my throat is dry" excuse for a second. But it wouldn't do to openly question his King in front of others, and he just tucked that away for later. Which, in a bizarre sort of way, felt good, building up a to-do list to keep himself occupied for as long as he possibly could.

"I'm...fine, Lord Siya," He replied swiftly, nodding once. Physically, after all, he was perfectly fine. It was emotionally and mentally where things start getting uncomfortable.

Siya looked over to Amon, "My lord, you should call your healers. Or anyone that may be of help for your wound," the Fire King said, motioning to the bloody wrap around his body.

Amon looked at them both before nodding his head, then looking down the hallway. He wasn’t really looking for anything in particular now, as he knew Kanan probably wouldn’t have returned just yet, not unless Taki was a lot closer than he had thought. Honestly he was just keeping an eye out for anybody he didn’t recognize showing up. He then turned to look back at Siya when he heard the young man speak, smiling some at his comment. “Yeah I probably should, but really you don’t need to worry too much about me. It’s not the first time I’ve had to deal with a wound like this. I actually got really lucky that it’s only this bad considering how much worse it could have been. Good thing I got some good reflexes!” He winced as he exclaimed it, pain from the wound shooting through his torso.

"My lord..." Siya grimaced as he watched. "We should at least clean it," he said and attempted to stand. In which he failed miserably. Every limb burned, he wasn't sure why but he had a feeling it had to do with the magic the assailant had cast on him. The hand that had slipped into his body was the most painful after all. Back on the floor he groaned slightly, "Damn... Reynard... could you, help him?"

If they had been back home in the Fire Kingdom, Reynard's response to Siya's predicament would most likely be to drag him back to his chambers and examine him to see just what exactly was wrong. However, here, despite the circumstances that this visit was embroiled in, it just wouldn't do to undermine his own King's orders in front of members of the other kingdoms and, quite honestly, Lord Amon might have the more pressing injuries of the small group assembled here.

"If he agrees to allow me, Lord Siya," He replied noncomitally because he could impose his own brand of medical treatment on their host King as much as he could currently disobey Lord Siya.

The Air King looked down at Siya, then up at Reynard. He then looked off into the hallway and down both ends before looking at Reynard and Siya. "Firstly, as I said Lord Siya, you may call me Amon; secondly, thank you for offering the protection of Reynard here, but you need the protection more as you are having difficulty even standing. I can still fight even with this injury, and help isn't too far away. I'll be ok looking for them on my own, I promise you. Stay safe you two!" Amon didn't wait for Siya to object, he was already heading down the hallway, keeping a hand on his wound as he lightly jogged towards one of the healers. Minnow was certainly one of the best healers they had here, but he was not the only one they had.

Siya stretched out a hand as Amon got to his feet, "My lord!" he called, but it seemed the other didn't listen and he was soon out the door as well as down the hall. The young Fire King wondered how it was that the man moved so deftly and with such an injury. He was certainly much stronger than Siya was. As he knelt there, he now realized that he was going to have to try to explain to Reynard exactly why it was he couldn't get up properly. And why he had said he was 'fine' when Amon asked him earlier. His face heated slightly at the thought.

They were alone now, or at least as alone as anyone could be in a castle made frantic by at least three intruders infiltrating the walls. It was too quiet, too still, but Reynard was (un)lucky enough to have his own duties to see to, namely checking on his own King still crouched on the ground, masking his pain as well as he could. It might have fooled the other King, it could possibly even fool those who saw Siya on a regular basis, but Reynard had based his career around trying to understand Siya's little tells and ticks, so it was near impossible for him to ignore the state that he was in.

"Siya," The Lord was dropped off entirely as the Protector knelt down next to his smaller charge. "Tell me what's going on." With his body, his possible injuries, his attempts to hide both from the older King. Everything.

At first Siya bit his lower lip and was unable to look up to the man as he knelt down next to him. He focused his gaze on the floor for a while before glancing over to Reynard. He knew then that the man wasn't going to accept anything less than the truth. Looking away he thought about how to make it not sound as bad as it might actually be.

"Um... I think... my shoulders may be bruised a little. I have a headache too... that man sort of... I hit the wall earlier," he said deciding to forego the actual explanation of the intruder slamming him into the wall. He was fairly sure he should probably be sleeping but he didn't want to, "But I am fine, otherwise. Lord Amon looked like he had a stab wound. I'm not bleeding -I don't think-" he muttered the last part to himself.

"Hm." That was all the response that Siya got before Reynard reached out and began tracing his hands over the younger man's hair, searching for lumps and bumps that may or may not be there. It was relieving enough that there no blood appeared on his hands but unsurprising given the fact that any drop of scarlet would have been almost immediately recognizable in his snowy hair. Satisfied with the once-over he pulled back a moment before locking his gaze with his young King's, face stern and uncompromising.

"You would tell me if there was anything bothering you, wouldn't you? Because if I find out later that you've been injured, you'll be causing everyone a lot more trouble than you should have." A low blow, perhaps, but there were certain ways he knew that Siya would actually tell him the truth. This just so happened to be one of the not so nice methods.

Having Reynard suddenly reach over and run his fingers through Siya's hair startled him. He wasn't sure if he would find anything, after all the young King wasn't sure how hard he had actually hit. All he knew was that it was painful and that he had almost fell unconscious from it. What came next though, was probably the worst sort of way to get him to talk. Reynard... that was... cruel he thought to himself, his lips pulling into a frown. If it was one thing Siya did not like to do, was to be more trouble to others. He cared not for himself, but with how Reynard had put it, he was in a difficult situation.

He sighed heavily, "Sorry, Reynard. I..." he gave a soft hum of dissatisfaction. He definitely hated this sort of thing, "He made me eat something, I don't know what it was. But I cannot use the orb now," he started, deciding it was probably the best way to get things over with quickly, "Afterwards, he... tried to drown me... I fought back, but he was.. well you know. He did something to his hand, blue light like what happens when we sacrifice things for energy was around his hand. It didn't sink into his flesh though like it does normally. He used that to... find the orb," Siya winced slightly at the memory. Looking down at his arms, he gingerly reached out and lifted the sleeves, pulling them back lightly. With a soft moan, he sighed afterwards as he set eyes upon the discoloration across his pale skin, "Well... that's going to hurt for a while," he muttered. He didn't even want to see how bad it was up to his shoulders.

Reynard never got good news. Perhaps it was because he specialized in sorting out bad news or perhaps because he had the look of someone who after hearing a problem actually solved it, but the fact of the matter was he only heard bad news. Today was a particularly lovely example- the person closest to him in the entire world was dead, killed by something or someone that no one could describe. Then an thief- not an assassin, but certainly a thief who didn't mind the idea of murder- had seen fit to attack his charge in the midst of unfamiliar territory. And now, now this, whatever this signified- maybe poison, maybe something else, but all highly unusual and distinctly concerning.

He didn't speak for a moment, too concentrated on Siya's arms as if memorizing the bruised patterns as he mulled the information over.

"We'll have to tell the other Kings," He said after a moment, lips pressed into a thin line as if to show just how irritating that little fact was. "Something like that might have happened to them or they might know something..." He trailed off before starting again. "Let me see your arms. I can at least take care of them for now."

Siya nodded as he listened. Yes, they were going to have to speak to the others. If Lord Amon had been attacked then certainly Lord Taki as well. He could only hope that Lord Taki hadn't sustained any dire injuries. At the reqeust to show Reynard his arms, his first attempt was to roll up the sleeves, but the way his clothes were designed didn't do much for that as it stopped at his elbow. The bruising and small cuts didn't stop just under his elbow though. With a sigh, the Fire King rolled the sleeve back down and pulled the collar of the outfit to open it and reached up as best he could behind his head to draw the long black silk off of his small frame. The cloth formed neatly to his lithe body and thus stretched only slightly as it was dragged off. He kept his pain to himself as the long robe like shirt finally came free from him.

Holding it he glanced over to his shoulders, eyeing the twisting swirl of bruises and tiny abraisions as well as bits of blood that had formed from the crushing hold of the vines, "Damn it...." he cursed softly. Setting the cloth aside he allowed Reynard to do as he needed, "You... Reynard you would tell me if there was something wrong with you as well, wouldn't you?" Siya asked. His gaze flicked over to the taller protector. It hadn't gone unnoticed earlier with his reaction to the news that the Water King was dead, "You worried me. Scared me, even. I hope that we would be close enough for you to tell me."

If Reynard was shocked by the sight of his King pulling his shirt off or, more likely, the sight of the bruises and cuts decorating the skin beneath, he did a good job at hiding it. Instead, his hand slipped into his own jacket, pulling out two metal kunai that hastily vanished as they were sacrificed for Reynard's elemental power. It was rather unfortunate that he'd managed to use up all of the metal marbles he kept in his little pouch, but there was more where that came from and he, disturbingly enough, was quite good at finding places to keep smaller, longer ranged weapons tucked away on his person.

The moment the kunai disappeared, water enveloped his hands, not too dissimilar to so many days ago. But this water was warmer, glowing eerily in the dim lighting of the halls, and, without much warning, he placed his hands on Siya's skin and waited. Slowly but surely the little abrasians began to knit together, the bruises fading away into the pale flesh they had once been. He didn't speak for a time, only listened to Siya's question, concentrating on the task before him.

"I apologize for causing you any distress," He replied after a moment, hands now making their way to Siya's shoulders leaving the previous patches of skin unmarred and slightly damp. "I... We can talk later, okay? I promise you."

Siya watched the glowing water in awe. He wasn't aware that Reynard could do such a thing with his power. Of course, it wasn't like Siya went and purposefully got himself hurt to such an extent as this. The warmth was welcomed as the protector ran his hands along the fire King's arms, healing the bruises and anything else that marked his pale skin.

For a moment, Siya was sure that Reynard was not going to answer him, so when the protector spoke he was startled. Looking up he frowned at the man a bit, "I know that you will only immerse yourself in your work, like you always do," he sighed closing his eyes. He was feeling a bit upset at the fact that the other did not wish to talk, but he also didn't want to push the matter either. Whatever it was must have been too shocking to even think about. It would be cruel of Siya to force him to talk of it, whatever it was, "Alright. I will hold you to that promise, Reynard. I will remember," the young King said sternly, his gaze locked onto his protector.

"Thank you," he said as he looked at his arms that were completely healed, "It feels much better now," he smiled. Now all that was left was to figure out when and if he could use his orb.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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Amon sighed, watching the ground from his spot a few feet off the ground. He was sitting on his staff which he had wedged between the branches of two trees so that it was spanning the gap on its side, to give him something to use a pull-up bar. He really wished it was raining right now, but there was no such luck. Instead he was sitting there on the staff in a bit of a sour mood. He had hoped that going through his workouts would have brought his mood up some, however with the mess of things that had happened last night it was going to take more than just some chin-ups.

Amon looked down at himself, looking at his stomach that was wrapped up in bandages to cover his spear wound. His shirt was draped across the staff next to him, having been removed when he had started his exercises. “Augh, I could really go for something nice and sweet to eat right now. Like a cake, maybe that’s what I need to cheer me up.” He said, bringing his head back in a dramatic fashion. As he did so, his body weight shifted past the balance point he had, causing his body to begin tipping backwards. He was ready for it, as it was done intentionally this time, and kept a grip with his hands and used his knees as well to grip the bar, so that he was now hanging there upside-down, wincing a little when he had to use his core muscles to help catch himself.

A tired look draped around Minnow’s facials as he walked the road back up to the castle. It had been an entirely too long day yesterday. Initially, he had only planned on going into the city to receive a shipment of new herbs and return late the same afternoon when quite a few things popped up and distracted him. The most prominent of them being an older woman dragging him willingly off to help with her sickly husband who had been bedridden for the past couple of days. However, the illness was much more serious than he initially suspected, and ended up spending the whole rest of the day and night keeping watch over him.

Running a hand through his hair, Minnow let out a small sigh of fatigue. He felt bad not having been there to greet the other kings, but Amon had assured him that it would be fine for him to take the day to go run his errands, despite Minnow’s little objections. He had gotten only small spurts of sleep during the night, each session lasting only five or six minutes, and were few and far between. The good news was that the man had recovered fully and could now return to work to provide for his family, but the young protector was pretty exhausted and seemed to be dragging his feet as he hauled himself back to his home. A light hemp bag was slung over one shoulder with the arm’s hand resting on the lip of it, but the boy’s other hand lay limp at his side.

However, upon entering the threshold of the gates, immediately he sensed something was amiss and his body came lurching to a halt. He blinked a few times before suddenly bringing a foot up and quickly unlacing his boots. It was a strange sight for sure, what with Minnow being tired but also hopping about to keep his balance. He didn’t even think of simply bending over to do what he intended, and soon he discarded his socks as well.

Digging his toes into the earth and letting out a content sigh despite the spark of unease that rippled through his body, he set his soles against the ground and felt the grass tickle his skin there. Closing his eyes in a concentrated manner, he shrugged his shoulders back and took a deep breath. A warm dull blue glowed from his ankles before branching out in slow, pulsating tendrils disappearing into the earth.

Connecting with the ground, his eyes moved from behind his eyelids. What was previously seen as just black from closed eyes soon started to shift and morph, smoky white wisps of color seeped into the blank canvas, soon shifting into the shapes and patterning out the area that surrounded him for about a mile or so. His eyes strained this way and that, scanning quickly through the area. Immediately he located quite a few disturbances in the area that were not supposed to be there. Broken branches, trampled plants, fragments of cloth and a general aura that spoke of evil.

Minnow’s eyes immediately flickered open and he shot off at a run, a new energy filling his form as adrenaline coursed through his blood. He had figured out Amon’s position with his sight, and was quickly racing over there to make sure he was alright and also to explain what was going on.

Reaching the two trees Amon was currently hanging from on his staff, Minnow called out frantically, ”My lord, what happened?? Is everything alright?”

Amon blinked, craning his neck around to see Minnow standing there. The boy looked haggard and that he needed a good nap or so. Guess he too must have been busy all of last night, though considering he didn’t ask about any attacks Amon could assume it wasn’t because he had been attacked. Amon smiled some at that thought before he let his leg slip from their spot on the staff, sliding between his hands which were still gripping the staff. Once they fell to their place beneath Amon, he then let the staff go and dropped onto the ground, turning to better look at Minnow.

“Well, Minnow. Guess I’ll just
I won’t beat around the bush here. A lot happened last night, none of it good frankly.” He said while reaching up and grabbing the staff, maneuvering it some so that he could pull it from its place in the tree. He caught his shirt as it fell from its place, setting it on his shoulder as he did so. "We received some very bad news about the Water King, who it turns out is dead, and his orb is missing."

A solemn look filled the youth’s face as he heard of the Water King’s status. But he had no time to feel empathy or sorrow for such a situation, because obviously something else had occurred, and it actually mattered as his own king had been injured, and someone had obviously intruded on the castle grounds. He looked at Amon’s wound, biting his lip worriedly. “That wasn’t it, though. How many were there? Are the other kings injured as well?”

Amon followed Minnow's eyes to the wound on his stomach before looking back up at him. "As far as I'm aware, three of them. Kanan and I got a little beat up, Lord Siya I think was hurt but nothing to serious. Lord Taki only took minor injuries as well." Amon paused, thinking aobut how to word the next part. Straight forward seemed to be about the only way he could think of, and it was doing alright so far so he jsut continued. "They were after the orbs. Lord Taki and I, with some help from Kanan for me, were able to fend off our attackers before they could try to nab them however. Lord Siya was rescued though by one of his protectors, so we got lucky there."

The orbs
? The color drained from Minnow’s face a bit, and he wobbled slightly on his feet. Sucking in a breath of air, the protector’s face scrunched up in pain and he quickly settled his body on the grass. He crossed his legs as he sat, leaning his head forward with another wince and propping it up with his hand, elbow resting on his knee. He ran his other hand through his hair in a nervous sort of tick. Not only was the news heavy and surprising, but his fatigue catching up with him once more did not help the situation.

He glanced up at Amon through his bangs with a soft frown. ”I shouldn’t have left yesterday.” That was pretty much the only thing he could say with his overburdened mind. In all honesty, handling the situation was a bit difficult, so he reverted to what he knew best. He glanced at the stomach wound again, his frown deepening. ”M’lord, you shouldn’t be training so soon after such an injury, you’re going to reopen it.”

Amon watched Minnow sit there, clearly overwhelmed by the news he had just dropped on him. Amon felt bad having to throw so much at him so suddenly, but he felt that with what had been happened it would have been a worse idea to keep Minnow out of the loop until the meeting. As the boy finished, Amon slowly sat down in front of him, sitting cross legged as well as he looked at Minnow. "I hate it when you frown, you know that?" He began, shifting a little in his spot. "You left with a reason Minnow, and that was to make sure you and the other healers would have enough supplies to fix up the goofballs like Kanan and I when we did something stupid. It's ok that you were gone, you were doing your job whether you think so or not. With you back, and freshly supplied, you can do what it is that you do best." Amon said with a smile.

He shifted from his spot so he was sitting next to him, putting an arm around Minnow and rubbing his shoulder. "And with you being back, you can also do the job of stopping me from doing more stupid things due to my sheer stubborness! I probably shouldn't be exercising with a fresh wound, but you know me. Old habits die hard, it's why I need you to tell me when I'm being dumb and get me to sit back down. So my little fishie needs to stop frowning and get back to telling me what to do!" Amon grinned his usual cheery grin as he finished.

Kanan breathed out slowly, his eye closed as he stretched his magic once again that morning. He hadn't slept all that much and was fairly sure that none of the others had either. Standing statue like in the middle of the hall in the palace he was probably a strange sight to see. One may have thought that he was asleep, but he was not. He was searching.

He found Taki, along with Lutchka. Hebi he found as well whom was not with his King. This made the young protector twitch ever so slightly, a slight pulse of anger coursed through him before it faded away. Soon after he found Siya with both of his protectors, Reynard and Damiano. Finally, he found his own King whom was outside as he usually was. With him though was the one person that Kanan was most happy to feel the presence of.

Opening his gaze again, he started down the hall in pursuit of his King and Minnow. He paused ever so slightly to glance over to his side. He couldn't see the wound, but it had definitely taken it's toll giving him a very slight limp that he was currently in the practice of hiding. Should Minnow find out, he was sure to never hear the end of it and though he enjoyed the attention given to him from the smaller blonde, he wasn't sure he was ready for the earful he would certainly get. Of course, their King was sure to hear it as well. Minnow was just like that.

It took him a total of ten minutes to get down the hall and outside the palace doors. Spotting the pair in the courtyard with all the trees and other additions to the palace's grounds, he made his way over to them. Lord Amon was sure to want to be advised that the other Kings were up and ready to be pulled into the council room. Not to mention that once they were there, Minnow could have a look at Taki's arm which was certainly something to worry over, far more than Kanan's wounds -so the Protector thought-.

With a bow that wasn't quite as low as his normal ones, and defnitely not going to attempt dropping to one knee as usual either, he addressed his King, "Sire. Lord Taki and Lord Siya are awake. Perhaps it is time..." he said, leaving the last part to hang for Amon to decide on his own, after all Kanan wasn't in the habit of ordering his own King around.

The words of his king did not help Minnow’s mood in the slightest. ”My duty as protector far outranks that of a simple supply trip, regardless of the need.” His tone was somewhat flat, obviously devoid of his usual cheer and content. He shifted only slightly to look at his king as Amon settled down in the grass next to him and draped an arm over his shoulder. He tried for a smile, as per his lord’s request, but it wasn’t very convincing.

However, upon turning and seeing Kanan arrive, his eyes lit up a bit. As his fellow protector spoke to King Amon, Minnow’s eyes were watching him expectantly- looking for a bit of greeting or recognition, but he did not receive it. Something twisted inside of him at that fact
 was it disappointment he felt? Blinking once, he dispelled the strange thoughts with a light, internal scold. Kanan was far more in tune with his duty than he, and to think of being a distraction to the man in any way possible was foolish in such a critical time.

Yet, when watching him, Minnow did notice one thing. His usual bow was not as it always was, and his eyes squinted slightly in thought. Obviously it was because of a wound. But a wound of that extent
. The young blonde protector suddenly turned to Amon with a mixed look of disappointment, worry, and something almost bordering irritation. To his king’s previous comment, he responded, ”You can start by not lying about the extent of your injuries.” The frown returned, though it did not entirely meet his exhausted eyes. However, Minnow did get up from his seat, albeit stiffly.

He wandered over to Kanan with a hand on his forehead, rubbing an eye. His gaze was focused around his abdomen and hips, and as soon as he reached him, the small protector’s fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, ghosting against the skin as he pulled the cloth up to inspect the wound. Minnow’s eyes widened as he saw the angry gash in the man’s skin. His voice was quiet as he slowly spoke, ”Who tended to you
? They didn’t do it right
.” Minnow could not keep the worry and care from his tone as the words left his lips, despite his fatigue and previous distress.

Amon didn’t let his smile drop, despite the fact he wanted to sigh in frustration at Minnow’s words. Instead he just turned on the spot he was sitting while turning to face Minnow who walked off. ”I never lied about the extent of the injuries, just that Kanan and I
well injuries are rated on a different scale of severity.” Amon said while rubbing the back of his neck

An eyebrow lifted at Minnow's declaration of 'lying' about wounds. He watched the small blonde for a moment before looking to Amon, wondering what it was that Minnow meant. So used to Minnow's presence, he didn't notice that the other protector had moved and was now behind him, not until he felt warm fingers against his skin. It takes a lot to surprise the white haired protector, but this was certainly another one that did it. He went rigid, straightening rather quickly as his one pale blue eye widened in shock. His face turned a slight pink color in hue as he turned his head and looked over his shoulder to the other who was currently inspecting his wound.

He almost didn't answer Minnow's question. Of course it wasn't done right because Kanan had done it himself. Did he dare tell that to the blonde, though? This was certainly something to struggle with, and Kanan did struggle to come up with an answer. Lying would only put the poor person he comes up with in trouble with Minnow. That wouldn't do. However, the alternative wasn't all the better either. Finally, he resigned, "I did..." he answered softly then quickly added, "Lord Taki needs you, Minnow, as does our King."

Amon raised an eyebrow as he watched Kanan’s expressions. Was it really that strange to have Minnow looking you over? Not like it was the first time or anything, him being the resident healer and what not. Amon kept his eyes on Kanan, head cocking to the side as he watched the young man."Relax Kanan, he's just checking the wound is all."

Minnow could have kicked himself. How could he be so rash and inconsiderate? Rubbing his hand over the bridge of his nose in slight embarrassment, he coughed ever so lightly. “I didn’t- I-
 apologies.” There was a slight stutter in his voice as he awkwardly tried to word his feelings, eventually just reverting to a simple one word answer. His fingers lingered by the wound a bit longer than they needed to, Minnow’s mind elsewhere before realizing he had yet again spaced out. He dropped the shirt and took a slight step to the side, looking at Kanan as he spoke of one of the kings.

”Lord Taki
?” He blinked, not really understanding until he realized he was talking about a medical need. Minnow wanted to groan in embarrassment for being so slow in understanding things; he really needed to take a break and a nap. His gaze once more rested on Kanan. ”Come see me later, I’ll fix the giant hole in your side. I’ll go find Lord Taki at once.” With a last look at the two, he departed, hand on his forehead yet again as he rubbed at the slight headache that was beginning to form there from lack of sleep.

Kanan continued to watch Minnow from over his shoulder, settling slightly and remembering that he was in the presence of his King. Reigning in his shock which had been caused by Minnow suddenly touching him, he gave a slight questioning look to Minnow as the boy apologized. What he was apologizing for, he wasn't sure. When the blonde boy stepped away from him, he held Minnow's gaze. When the boy told him to come see him later, he nodded a bit, though he frowned slightly.

"It's not giant..." he muttered to himself. Minnow certainly had a way with describing things. Maybe it seemed giant to him, but to Kanan, whose frame was covered in scars, it was insignificant. Watching the other protector as he left, he felt a twinge of guilt. The boy was tired, he could tell. Perhaps he should have told him to sleep first and told him about Taki later. Resisting a heavy sigh he turned back to Amon.

"They're waiting," he said trying to put himself back in his usual, non-expressive mode.

Amon chuckled slightly, watching Kanan go back to his sudden stoic look. Sorry boy, ya slipped. he thought before patting his thighs and standing up. He grabbed the shirt from his shoulder and slipped it back on before heading over to where he had left his staff. "They are indeed, so let's get this meeting underway. Might as well get all the 'fun' stuff out of the way then." Amon looked at Kanan, nodding his head towards the palace before turning and walking towards it. "Away we go my dear Kanan!" the king shouted as he went.

Taki wanted to scratch at one of the bandages on his face as he laid on his back in his bed. He knew it was going to hurt like hell, but it was so tempting to do so. Just before he reached his hand to his face he thought he heard footsteps near his door.

Raising up his head a little to look at the door he couldn't tell if it was Lutchka or someone else just outside of the door. Heck, after the energy left him that night he had passed out in his room. Fights had their way of doing that, even more so with the amount of magic he had to use to get the earth from the ground to the room. Not to mention having it incase his arm and whatnot.

"Lutch?" Taki quietly asked in the darkness of the room. He honestly had no idea where she was at the moment and couldn't see too well in the dark.

Minnow knocked lightly at the door of King Taki, waiting a few moments before entering the room. It was dark inside, the drapes pulled heavily over the window preventing any sunlight from reaching into the room.

At the questioning call of the king, Minnow blinked before answering. ”Ah, apologies if I’ve woken you. I’m Lord Amon’s other protector. I was told to come see to your injuries.” He bowed despite the lack of vision in the room and quickly strode over to the window to pull the drapes aside and allow as much sunlight in as possible so he could survey the damage to the king's body.

Taki shot up to the sitting position as he heard the words "other protector" and "see your injuries". With an overly excited smile on his face Taki said quickly to Minnow "So you're the one who's going to be able to fix my arm?! My fucking hero!"

Sliding off the bed and zipping over to Minnow, Taki almost tackled the poor guy with a lifting hug and shake. "Sooo when you going to start huh? Huh?" Within Taki's eyes there was a gleam. As he thought about being able to use his left arm again. He had the behavior of a puppy getting its first bone to chew on.

Minnow took a half step back at the greeting he received, a bit of wariness to his body language. He did not expect such behavior from another king- he didn’t think anyone else could be even remotely like Amon. A light ‘oof’ left his lips as the man practically barreled into him and lifted him off the ground excitedly. A timid smile filled his lips and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Taki put him back down. ”Ah, yes, I’ll try to do my best.” He grinned at the man; to be honest he was a bit relieved that formalities didn’t seem entirely necessary with him.

”So let’s see the dam-" Minnow soon cut himself off as he saw the state of the man's left arm. His eyes widened slightly in horror, and he quickly grabbed the limb carefully to look at it with a slight frown of concentration to his face.

[color=#a8d150"I'm... going to need a little time to gather the necessary materials, M'lord. If it's acceptable, I'll go gather them and treat you during the council meeting."[/color]

Taki's expression changed as dissapointment crashed into him. His behavior could now be seen as a bit shut down as he realized he would have to wait longer. "Y-yeah that's fine. I guess I'll see you then big guy?"

Awaiting for Minnow to let go of his arm he wanted to go back to his bed. Maybe if he slept time would move faster, or at least he could forget about it for a while. A small sigh passed through Taki's lips as a bit of sunlight could be seen in the dissapointed eyes of the man.

Minnow blinked, examining the wound for a bit longer before releasing his hold on the king’s limb. He could immediately hear and see the disappointment that bled from the man’s body, and he closed his eyes in a sheepish smile. Who could blame him? Losing the use of an arm for so long a time would depress anyone. ”No worries, it should not take too long to find what I need.” He bowed once more before departing the room.

[color=a8d150]However, the time I need to take a nap so I can actually know what I’m doing might make it a little bit longer, plus I'll need to do a bit of research.[/color] He thought quietly to himself as he made his way to the greenhouse. [color=a8d150]A couple minutes' rest should cover it....[/color]

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Amador Damiano III Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Renardine "Minnow" Lunvari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer
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#, as written by Skwidge

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Amon Ad-Raza Character Portrait: Siya Ukomo Character Portrait: Taki Hattori Character Portrait: Lutchka Zatari Character Portrait: Kanan Thiyer Character Portrait: Hebi Irikisha
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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.