Mikki

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"My dessicion iss mine. I do not wissh to return to the ssea." His apparent choice was spoken with a touch more gusto than prior, as if to reiterate to his 'owner' that he had truly decided to leave water entirely. A creature whom, having little knowledge of the more humanoid anatomy, must have no realised the consequences of his choice. How could this being possibly wish to continue a life with legs, when now, even the blanket that had graciously been draped across the vaguely broad definition of pale shoulders had seen to it that his crest turned anxiously. Why had Amanti placed this odd, soft coating upon him? Was it for decency? Speaking of, Sindre's attention was drawn to the attire he had put on without a thought. A shirt that was a little too large with buttons he couldn't master, and trousers that persisted on being a touch too small. He'd be sure to wriggle out of these god-awful clothing.

Once Amanti had left him to his own devices, Sindre had little but the rumble of his stomach to keep him company, and the thoughts that coursed through-out his pained crest. Just who or what had created that sound on the beach? Bright rubies moved to admire the remains of the sunset in the curtained balcony, but all peace left him when the moonlight bounced from the bobbing waters of his home. A frown greeted their welcoming sparkles, it was as if the sea-shore was inviting him to re-consider his hasty choice of abode. He shook his head once.

No, he would not return.

For he had heard of a better place, with kinder people, than the treacherous surf he had grown accustomed to.

A place where a certain Fae claimed to have hailed.

= = =

Perhaps Amanti had not expected Jin-Wei, then.

The Draconian beast evidently hadn't expected the Fae, either. Not when he was blatantly holding a platter of less than delicious looking piscine selections. Spikes from fish that puffed up, spines from eels and stingers from aquatic delicacies-- everything that no one would eat. Not even to give to a dog. "Well well well. Look who's here. 'Fraid the kitchen is closed, you should have eaten your din-din's when we gave it to you. Might have saved me a bruise if you had done-- but that's fine, I know where I stand with you, 'Prince'." There was nothing friendly about Jin-Wei. His voice was often hollow with little tone or emotion behind it, but his words meant ill. His face never seemed to express anything other than dull observation, but it was all too apparent he could provoke-- and be provoked in the very emotion his face lacked.

"Nice stunt with the door, by the way-- but try come up with your own revenge than some knock-off of what I've done. It's so not cool. Even so, I knew you couldn't keep up the goody-two-shoes act, and I'm glad about that. I hate the whimsical, never-do-wrong guys who's flaw is their just so shy." Oh dear. Well. Now that Jin had glimpsed into why he apparently disdained the Prince so, he seemed ready to shove him out the way and leave, playing a little game of innie-mennie-minnie-moe with the selection of inedible fish. Let's see Amanti top this one, huh?

Sandals stepped away from the catering area with a determined stride, one powered by revenge and mischief rolled into one child, a Prince with too much time to spare and too little to lose from his actions. "I can tell by your foot you met Uncle Lei. I wonder what you went and did to have to go and see him. Maybe I'll swing by and ask him after I give your pet some scraps." He must have meant his horrible meal that he'd all but slain in the kitchen, given the bloodied knives and disregard for the fish sprawled across the tiled floors. All the same, they had been cut rather professionally despite the mess, clean cuts without any hack and slash, as if the Prince held some talent, background or passion for culinary arts. Unlike him, perhaps.

((Oh, Jin totally thinks it's Amanti. I totally don't think that, but for him, logic dictates it was. xD ))

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"There will be no 'perhaps' about it. You will attend the infirmary in the evening, Doctors orders. Prince or not." It wasn't a request the Dragon had graced, he had told the males to attend his appointment for medical reasons, it wasn't for social chit-chat or idle reasons. Lest they wanted their injuries to turn putrid and crusty, he fully expected a visit, regardless of wither the Fae was of royal descent or not. Books were replaced back upon the table, one hand at a time as the other was braced to the man's mouth in a long, winded yawn. He was indeed tired, and though it may not have seemed so upon his face, the dragon was exceedingly tired this night, used to resting and rising early. The final embers from the fire flickered and fell, crushed into black ash.

Sindre really wasn't the most ideal being to lean upon. Slim and almost lanky, he stumbled under any weight placed upon his unpractised appendages, the way he clung to the Fae was desperate, and his movements not unlike a young foal learning how to use it's slender legs to move at any appropriate speed. Pale brows furrowed, angry, annoyed even, that he was not picking up movement on land quicker. How frustrating it was to move so slowly! Despite his emotional aggravation, he was listening to the Fae. "What iss a bed?" The idea of fish was one that pleased him, but nothing would be said on their behalf until what was called a 'bed' made itself known to him. Little did he know it was just a fancier form of a nest, essentially. Where did merfolk sleep, anyway? Under the sea and stars, but what protected them from the cruel creatures who stalked the ocean for an easy meal? They certainly weren't the largest carnivores in the pond, eating only from schools, crustaceans and on vegetation of their secretive world. "I do not wissh to return to the ssea. It wass not my intention to return, I mearly wisshed to ssee the causse of a sstrange noisse I heard. It ssounded longing." A ragged sigh forced itself from the albino's lips. He didn't know what he wanted.

"What iss a bath?"

As if they had such things under the brine. The room had little comfort to the merman, it remained with shattered glass across the floor and water everywhere-- a blessing in disguise, it meant no one had found it and assumed the merman to be free'd of his crystalline prison cell. He was helped, albeit with his own reluctance onto... a strange thing. A soft type of nest, of which he stayed for many moments in silence. What was he to do? Rest on this thing? His knees were dragged up close to him, braced by his arms whilst the wind blew in from the balcony windows. Fetal and confused, the merman wanted nothing more than for morning to bring it's clarity.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

The Crowned Prince had not been in his room for quite some-time. He never really did frequent it-- despite his royal title, the abode of the Prince was actually very small. Decorated in red quilts and golden accents, as was the theme of the castle, the four-poster bed remained un-touched, the room had little in the way to suggest anyone with a personality lived within. The sound sandals slapping against the cold marble halted once his door was unfortunate enough to be laying horizontally. Hm. Unusual. The etched X across his door? Also unusual, but for different reasons than a 'who-dun-it.

Apparently Prince Amanti had some nerve after all.

Without empathy, the reptilian golds that blinked listlessly down upon his vandalised door stayed there for a few seconds, contemplating the next piece to be moved in his court. "Hm. Things suddenly got a little more interesting." Too bad Prince Amanti hadn't thought to come up with something original-- mimicking Jin-Wei's prank just wasn't cool. He stepped over the door with nary a care towards it-- doors were replaceable. It was not to the Fae's room that Jin-Wei stalked, but to the kitchens. He was sure they had some exotic fish in here, spiny eels and puffer-fish, creatures with all kinds of nasty stingers and fangs.

After all, Prince Amanti had clearly challenged him, and Dragons weren't known for losing. He'd portion up the pieces of cruel-looking fish with almost an expert hand in the kitchen, no one would question him if they knew what was best for him-- but the kitchen wasn't inhabited at night time anyway. Who wanted a meal at this hour?

"Let's see you reciprocate this, fairy-boy."

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"Calm yourself, boy. I care not for manners of the court, or the allure of the hierarchy. Even if you were aware of me, the only visit I'd expect from you would be if you succumbed to injury." They were all creatures of flesh and blood, when it came down to it. It would very much appear Lei did not willingly abide by the policy of royalty, he spoke as he deemed fit to, called the cards he saw. Glittering greens dropped to the sole of the Fae's foot for any signs of remaining objects inside his foot, but all appeared to be well, sparing the Prince the tweezers. Only one flicker to his aquatic companion confirmed he wouldn't be so lucky, but the tiny shards that occasionally found the mer's unbuttoned torso were superficial. A swab was dipped inside the small box, into a liquid that smelt strong, sharp and sour. "This will sting, but it will cleanse your wound." If anything, it had a scent of alcohol to it, perhaps a key ingredient. White gauze was warped around the lad's foot, it seemed a little over done for the type of injury he had, but the wrapping over the wound and then around the lower leg was solely to keep the bandage on. "I'll replace the dressing once more tomorrow evening, if you'd care to attend the medical wing as opposed to my office. It's not a serious infliction, but it's best to prevent infection, lest you wish yourself ill-tidings."

Now, the mermans turn. It took a few good moments to inspire the albino to move at all, he only had to sit up straight, but Sindre seemed a touch resistant to the whole endeavour. Lei moved from his opposing seat and wandered towards the fire, to pluck a small candle and light it on the dying flames. The tiny ember was brought back towards the closing merman, and held close to his eye-- which, naturally, only inspired Sindre to recoil with a serpentine hiss. Fire was unusual to him, not to mention the flame hurt his eye. It appeared Lei only needed the brief window of opportunity to hold the candle to him, however, as it was blown out without a second glance. "His pupils are fine, it's unlikely he''ll suffer much more than bruising-- however, I would like this young man to return so that I may assess him tomorrow." Why Lei did not speak directly to the merman wasn't spoken aloud, but Sindre had yet to utter a word. Perhaps Lei assumed the creature could not speak fluently, if at all.

The glass was then plucked, piece by bloodied piece, with nothing more than tweezers and occasional wincing hisses from the marine being. He was lost in his own contemplation, who had sounded that noise at the beach?... Surely no one would be looking for him, the shunned freak who's pigment had seen to it that he was orchestrated and mate-less in the clans under the surface. Yet, he preferred looks of disdain and hiding inbetween coral rocks than the upside down world that was this one.

"Condition." Lei confirmed as the final pieces of glass were settled on the table, and the mermans torso and cranium found itself on the recieving end of stinging, disinfecting ointment. "As a professional doctor, I should not divulge, but it would be best to leave my nephew to his own devices at night. What you say is true, Yao is imposingly strict with the boy. However, I cure the body, not the mind. Take from that what you will." Finally, another set of bandages was wrapped around their brooding merman with practised fingers. Truly, this man must have seen many injuries and heard many lies-- how old could such a creature be? The greens that sought Amanti did not even react to his request of secrecy, they did not ponder or flinch, simply observe his resolve with gentle scrutiny. To hide this event from his own family?

"Then I suggest you hurry to your quarters and do not allow anyone to observe your wounds, as questions will be asked. I shall omit this report, but if it is paramount to a cause, then I will divulge. I bid you a good-night, gentlemen, and a pleasant rest."

It would appear the merman knew languages quite well, he rose to his full, elegantly tall stature with difficulty, holding onto the chair for support as one step was carefully placed in front of the other. Balance and co-ordination were alien to him since he had formed legs, they felt gangly and unstable compared to strong dependence of his crimson tail. A growl worked it's way from his stomach, noticed by the Doctor, but never remarked upon.

"I do not like thiss place."

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"A Fae and a Merman." Their species were mostly unknown to him, and his books for a majority. The Palace Doctor was versed in traditional medicine, and, most importantly, of the anatomy of Dragons. Lucid greens watched the pale albino settle on the couch quietly, where it held it's head inbetween it's hands and cradled it's own cranium injuries, bruises that seemed rather extensive and almost disorientating for the creature. "Lei Long. Brother of Emperor Yao, and constant Doctor to his son; my nephew." It would seem Lei was much more specialised than the on-site medical advisor, the way he annunciated it was that perhaps Jin-Wei took up much of his time and study. Then again, that could have been for reasons of mischief, not just medical attention.

Robed hands were folded into each other, for a few good minutes after the Prince's tale. Behind the shape of his glasses, thinned greens watched and inspected wordless and without any incline as to what they were searching for. "...Glass upon the shore-line, I could believe, however." The proclaimed Doctor stepped forth and tentatively pulled the albino's hair away from the swollen injuries. There was little blood to speak of, but it was a rather nasty appearance. "I don't think this is falling on the rocks. I've been to the beach, you need to be up the coast to hit rocks-- which are sharp. The fact you've both managed to take a spectacular fall and wound up with blood-less injuries on your heads makes me query your tale. However, I shan't press the matter. I'll offer advice, look a man in the eye when you weave such stories. You recounted that you stepped upon glass. Let me see the injury-- please, prop your foot upon this table and sit down, I'll assess if there's any glass remaining and dress your wound." The books upon the tea-table were slumped onto the ground and motioned, the so called Prince could rest his foot there.

Lei, on the other-hand, turned to rummage amidst his own labyrinth of novels and scribblings, until a wooden box, plain as it was, was procured. Flipped open, for a quick inventory check. Bandages, salve, tweezers-- and a few more torturous looking devices that he was going to choose to not divulge in. "I cannot account for your marine friend, but I know them to grow ill when not in their homes." The words may have been true enough, Sindre hadn't spoken or moved since he'd been lead to the couch. He couldn't have been sleeping, but perhaps he simply mourned his pitiful position. Hostage, yet again. Who had been calling on the horn, anyway? Lei settled across the table on the opposing chair, gauze at the ready. "We shall have to be quick, gentlemen. Jin-Wei's condition is a nightly occurrence, and I do believe the moon rises in the sky outside. Once we are done here, go to kitchens, and inform the staff I request you both to eat a light, simple meal and rest swiftly." It sounded like an order for children, to have dinner and go to bed. Clearly the title of 'Prince' didn't sway this Doctor. He spoke to the Fae Prince without any particular caution, treated just as anyone else would be in his care.

"I do hope my little brother has been behaving whilst in your company. He's known to have a high strung personality, especially with in conjuction with his son." So, the Doctor was not only a sibling of the Emperor... but he was the older sibling. By far, but he wasn't about to divulge his age, and honestly, he seemed not the slightest bit bothered that his younger brother had seen the throne and not himself. Lei preferred the pursuit of knowledge than politics, after all. "I will also advise you do not wander the palace at night. Nothing frightening goes on, but there are certain things that must stay within these walls. If you understand, that is."

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"I fear... there iss much to worry about."

It was a solemn regard, spoken by the pale creature of which turned his head akin to an animal, peeking the looming command that was the Dragons Palace. If only such a place lay in ruin, if only it were to crumble into fine particles of forgotten affluence and buried under it's own arrogance. The creatures who ran the show were curiously unforgiving. Judging by the reptilian eyes, they seemed to be the only ones of Dragon descent, the Emperor and his little, bitter-hearted hier. Sindre thought, on any other day, he would be comforted by the promise of care and food on his terms, but this world above the surface wrung any sense of luxury from the proposal.

There. Large, imposing crimson pillars welcomed them with an impressively sized gate. The walk to the palace had been silent on many parties-- no one had anything worth saying another, and Sindre considered himself a little too stunned from his fake escapade to wish the formation of words. His feet slapped against elaborate tile, cold but not discomforting to him, aside from the few pieces of glass gifted to him by karma. Once the Emperor found out, what would become of his outlandish attempt at escaping? Worse yet, if the Prince found out...

They were presented to a rectangular door, a smaller one with less grandiose to it than other parts of the building, not that the merman could discern what made one door fancier than another. It was knocked precisely three times, then opened slowly, with the motion of a guard that the boys were to enter. The room was warm, kept alight and comforted by the crackle of a fire lodged into the wall. Chairs settled around it, long, bleached fabric that had been fixated to legs and cushion-stuffing. A table settled in the middle, topped with books that were dangerously close to toppling from the size of their piles, like knowledge-filled towers. There was a presence in the room, at the side furthest from the dimming light of the flames. A desk, once again, decorated with books, sat a creature content to scribble in ink and write down findings. It had hair not unlike the merman, white and pale, but with more silvery toned strung through-out, fashioned into a thick braid that fell over his robed shoulder.

Once again, the eyes were undeniable. A strangely intelligent tone of lime, characteristically spiked by a reptilian pupil. His orbs were partially hidden behind thin, squared spectacles, which now found themselves pulled from his face, one of a man in his thirties, and folded gently between his fingers. "You are not palace staff, nor dragons from what I can pique... so I must inquire, what brings your presence to my attention, gentlemen?" His voice was eloquent, well pronounced in a language that was not his first. Soft, with a grace and upbrought way about it. As too, was the hand that gentle motioned to the chairs in his, as it would appear to be, study. "Do take a seat. The only reason I can fathom that you bless me with a visit is that one or both of you are injured or unwell. Since I can keenly scent your essence, I'll assume you're both bleeding." The tiny crimson rivulets were apparent on Sindre's chest, but it was the blood from Amanti's foot that sought the old creatures nose.

Glasses placed upon the bridge of his face once more, the fire dimmed marginally as a log crumbled into ashes. "With lumps on your heads, too. Care to divulge as to how you came to meet with such injuries, gentlemen? So that I may better assess treatment for you both-- it would help to divulge the species you belong to." This man, who stepped akin to a paw-print in the snow and spoke like wings over water, was apparently, Doctor Lei.

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

The Prince of the Fae indeed.

No self-respecting Prince would be caught dead in the attire of paupers and street-beggars, whoever this person was, his commands meant very little to a rugged guard, but inspired something a little more in the victim who was already trying to crawl towards the sea. He took it all back, the wishing to experience life beyond the brine, the desire to meet others that he would perhaps better relate to-- the world that he did not belong to was no less vicious than his own, tide-commanding mother, who was mere meters away. He didn't want whatever a 'Doctor' was, he wanted to crawl into a cavern and wither. At the very least, he required a quiet place to recuperate-- as many animals often did. Every half-effort shuffle was a few inches closer to the water-side, hand-outstretched to her gentle encouragement. What was he thinking, running away like that? He should have just returned... yes, that would have been the smart thing to do.

"I do believe the palace Doctor is a little too high-brow for the likes of a pauper and his little pet spy, eh?"

The clubbed piece of wood swung all the more, this time, at the Prince himself.

"No..." There was no way Sindre could have mustered enough strength to take or dissuade the brunt of another swing, pinkened-reds merely stared through half-opened lids, helpless, pathetic as he had always thought himself to be. Even now, he couldn't protect another. Blood filled his senses, awakened his olfactory senses and even inspired the faint lick of his lips. Blood... and he was so, so very hungry, how unfair was fate when she tempted him with a meal. He had fangs, vaguely translucent and curved, much like a serpent-- and no less so, for his predatory canine's contained potent venom, a paralysing agent, perfect for underwater meal-time.

No, no this was Prince Amanti.

He couldn't.

He wouldn't. He'd promised himself. When had it last been that blood had dripped from those pale lips? Not blood of piscene or natural prey, the blood of a humanoid, a drowning passenger, a stranded sailor, an unfortunate swimmer-- all of them were fair play to a creature who struggled to hunt competitively. Morals be damned when creatures of the deep decided to hunger. A spurt of desperation saw the creature grasp for a guard's leg-- but it was far too fatigued. By now, more had came-- some with winces, for they new that the Prince was indeed as he had proclaimed, royalty.

Whispers carried between royal protectors, someone would have to call the Doctor-- and quickly, less their comrade's mistake dearly cost him. Two of the men-- since none of the Palace's servants seemed to be Dragons at all, given their eyes-- stepped forwards to help take hold of Prince and Mer, gentle, so as to not endanger their jobs or lives. The mer-thing was uneasy on his legs, certainly, they wobbled and struggled to remain upright, for it was a lanky, tall being when not weighed down by the muscular appendage that was his tail. Blood trickled very slowly, pieces of glass that had spiked into him during the escape-- but the wounds were superficial. The hits to his cranium, however, were still to be determined.

"Take them to Lei, he'll know what treatment is the best course of action... hopefully we'll keep our jobs after this." Lei, a doctor, and one who excelled in his job-- and perhaps the oldest resident in the Palace. Not often seen, but revered none-the-less. He wasn't as trying as Emperor and Son-- likely because he was no longer apart of ruling the Dragons. Medicine was his truer passion, not politics, and it was back into the marbled Kingdom that the staff intended to schlep Amanti and his latest gift, apologies presented like welcoming mats to the Fae. No wonder, they didn't want to lose their employment or organs once word got out of this. Lei would be able to fix this... hopefully Emperor Yao would take it better from his elder, for what happened upon the beach was nothing if not pure embarrassment to the Kingdom staff, and by default, to Yao. That thought alone was sobering. Dragged across sand and grass, the albino mer, whom had caused this trouble to begin with, attempted to converse with what little sense the bludgeoning had left in his head. "Wassn't... running away... wass... ssomeone... wass calling me.." He had to let Prince Amanti know. He had never intended to flee, but someone upon the beach had caught his interest-- whoever they were, he hardly even saw by the time he'd reached the shore.

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"I see." It wasn't just the Fae who could command a cold atmosphere. To appear in rags was one thing, to arrive late to dinner was another-- but to simply refuse the food all in the one day... Yao was starting to disdain his own hospitality. Perhaps it Amanti had attempted to eat a little more, the Emperor wouldn't have felt such scorn. Slowly did the middle aged man rise from his seat, fingers drumming ever so impatiently on the table edge. "I'm sure you are in need of resting. Go." A dismissal, one that took a terrible amount of self-discipline not to bark as he so wanted to. When his son decided to slowly covet the bao and push his chair away from the table with a quiet snicker, a finger accusingly pinned his movements. "You stay, until I say you may leave." Whatever the bond between Father and Son was with Emperor and Prince, it was never over-ruled by the latter's boyish rebellion. Jin-Wei sat obediently, his hand dropped the dumpling onto his plate wordlessly, with little emotion given to the gesture. Long seconds ticked by, moments of rising influx until a heated, sharp sensation broke the silence. Silent and infuriated, another swift smack saw the Prince's head whip in the opposite direction, blood rushing to cheeks for all the wrong reasons. "..."

There was a hierarchy to hatred, you see.

Guess who was under Jin-Wei, in that regards?

Sandled footsteps hastened out the door-way within moments, fists balled tightly in frustration of teenage years. How many years had it been since he was assigned his father's punching bag? How many backhanders to the face was a lad supposed to take before he did something drastic? Occasionally, he wondered if he could truly do away with the old snake himself. Wouldn't get anything out of it-- it would be too obvious-- right? Well. The young hatchling made sure to shove their unwanted arrival out of his stride, too.

"I hope your fish dies."

Maybe he'd make sure such a thing happened.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The world felt so alien beneath his toes. Grass that was still a little damp, but grainy from the sand that had blown upwards from the beach. It encouraged him-- he could hear the waves dance with the shore, and despite his lacking sense of smell, he knew the air was salty. Every few, carefully placed steps gave way to a whole-hearted stumble, many a time did his palms meet with the ground and graze slightly from the impact-- but with a few glass shards in him and the strange feeling of clothing wrapped around his form, he wasn't for quitting over trivial matters. He would see who caused such rukus, tell them his good-bye's, and then return-- what if Prince Amanti had wandered to his room already? He did say he wouldn't be long, after all!

Well, consider Sindre's uneven footsteps hastened.

The beach wasn't far away, though it felt as though miles had traversed with these clumsy appendages that land creatures called legs. Sindre quickly grew frustrated with them, arms splayed since he found that the best form of balancing himself. Just a few more steps-- who was that shadow before him on these shores? A fellow Mer?

"Ugh..."

Something hit against his cranium. Hard. Dizzy shuffles found knees and palms stuck fast to the ground, his eyes struggled to focus on the dancing pictures they presented to his mind, the world spun uncontrollably on an axis, the cherry ontop being the pounding sensation in his skull. He was a run away mer-thing, after all, and, true to Yao's words, he hadn't gotten far. It didn't take any amount of brains to guess that something of his species would bee-line for the shore, and the guards had taken less time (being able to use their legs to a normal degree) in reaching the sands than he had. Sindre refused to lose himself to unconsciousness, though. This feeling struck him with an odd sense of Deja Vu... yes, this was how he had wound up in the palace, wasn't it? The seconds before he was dropped into a glass box... glass... box... Amanti must have thought him disloyal, running away the moment his back was turned! "Hnn.." No, no he couldn't let the Prince think that way of him. Another strike to the skull banished that optimism, all that was left was an albino boy, decorated in glass shards and ill-fitting clothes strewn across the sands, and a traditionally armoured guard with what appeared to be some form of baton.

Fish really were stupid, he must have thought. No wonder they were jokes of intelligence that paid homage to them.

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"Were you now?" The Emperor didn't even get a word in. His son had already circled the conversation with a cruel gaze, he was little more than a hawk that descended to make his opponents life a misery, waiting for every opportunity he was given. A tough little nipper, and hardly dressed for the occasion. He wore the same sleeveless traditional-wear he had upon arrival, the definition of biceps and triceps that implied the boy took care of his body, regularly involved with physical, strenuous exercise. Now that their guest had arrived, the pork-bao would be his to devour! Either Dragon's ravenously ate, or just seeing this Prince annoyed the Draconian brat. THWACK! Right on the hand again.

"Do forgive my son, Prince Amanti. I cannot fathom why his moodiness strikes now." Poor Yao. His eye was practically twitching repeatedly, stressed beyond his tether with that... thing he called offspring. Why now, why. NOW. "Please, do sit down and eat what you will." Since Jin-Wei had decided he'd waited long enough and was stealing all of the dumplings. What was one to expect from a voracious carnivore? "Jin-Wei was telling the truth when he proclaimed you had an appearance change--, I trust it's not a negative reaction, Prince? It was not the mer-thing that we gifted you? He's bitten many of those under my servitude, I thought something like yourself something more... at one.. with nature and her miscreants, would make better company for the creature."

"Sometimes you hear rumours that they eat whoever's unfortunate enough to fall into the water. Hungry for blood, guts, or so they say." Jin-Wei just couldn't resist adding on that little tit-bit of information he'd heard circulate.

THWACK!

"That's quite enough Jin-Wei. Until you can prove gossip, it is not factual." The Emperor finally decided to spoon a few helpings of soup into a bowl for himself, the mannerism almost sleepy, tired, infact. As if the day had been long, and now it was far past his appointed royal bed-time. "I hope the room is to your liking, Prince Amanti--" For a tired man, how a glare could splice through the very air when the dining doors were thrown open by whom he knew to be a chamber-maid. She all but threw herself to the floor in a bow, aswell. "Your Highness! When we entered to feed the mer-creature... his container has been shattered, Sire! He's no where to be found!"

Always during dinner time, wasn't it Yao?

"You need not disturb my meal with such trivia, find it. It has no legs, how far could such a pale creature drag itself and be unknown to you? Find it, and see to it that it returns to Prince Amanti's abode-- well contained, this time. Apologies, Prince. We shall ensure your mer-creature is returned to you, I promise you that."

"Guess he just didn't like you that much, huh?"

THWACK!
= = =

How that noise tormented him. Solemn, that was the only word he could choose for it, it was as if the very sea demanded he return to its open waves. He almost wanted to shout why it even wanted him to return. It wasn't as thought such a being kept him in good stead, Sindre had struggled most of his life for survival-- such was the downfalls of albinism. Most animals didn't survive their lack of pigment for one reason or another, his current state of.. well, being alive, he wasn't sure if that was good or bad fortune. Damp soles dried upon the carpet that they unsteadily tread upon, carefully, albiet clumsily avoiding the glass that scattered across the floor. He was unsure if Prince Amanti would be in trouble from it, but at the time of smashing it, it had been no more than an obstacle. His next great feat was to open the door-handle-- why did humanoids have such tricky items to barricade themselves inside with? Eventually, that too swung open, to a new foe.

Tiles.

They didn't bare well on the feet. How pathetic to the eye, this large, lanky being that slipped and slid gracelessly, likely taking forever in a hallway that should have been transversed in a matter of minutes. 10 / 10 for willpower, though. The merman saw to it that he eventually reached, with a few, furrowed brows at the sheer SIZE of this complex, what appeared to be something of a... well, he wouldn't have known, but it seemed to be a patio of some afternoon-tea affair, a little place to admire the see and drink a beverage under the beauty of nature-- but given how Sindre was already falling over the railing of it, it was little more than an escape route with a drop he was sure he'd survive. Make no mistake, it would be painstaking moments until he tumbled onto the sands.

He wouldn't be in the ocean, not in these fancy clothes.

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"I enjoy featherss..." A childish proclamation, but he knew the metaphor in a more literal sense. Those soft, airborne items that occasionally floated from the gulls-- and how he loved those creatures. Freedom incarnate. "You do not know how to handle hiss featherss yet, do you, Prince Amanti?" Jin-Wei's feathers were gaurded and sharpened, razors instead of soft, plush plumage-- Sindre had to wonder why such people acted as they did. Rose-tinted-rubies followed the summery prince, and even curiously piqued the inside of the wardrobe. Why did the people on land dress like that? Why did they dress at all, was it compulsory? Why, his very palms pressed against the glass, curious. "...Hm." Another thing to mentally note away. "You ssometimess find clothess in the ssea. Ussually in recent sshipping dissassterss, but very little look like they do." He had been to many a ship-wreck, and being primarily carniverous, he thought it best not to tell Prince Amanti why.

It would only be all the more reason to keep him inside his fish-bowl, as it were.

"Why would you wissh relationss with Dragonss? They sseem sso..." He fished (aha) for the words, but he didn't know any that could relate to the reptiles. He... admitably, hadn't met any until these past few days, and that alone bowed his head some. "I ssupposse I sshouldn't judge." Perhapss it was just the tenacious crowned prince that made their species look bad-- after all, merfolk wern't all the same, either. He was sure the Fae wern't a hive species, too.

...Hm. The Fae.

"I'm ssure you do misss your home, Prince Amanti. It musst feel sso sstrange, leaving behind everything you know, to appear in a place like this." True, Sindre himself had been through just that, but there was a difference in their predicaments, something that the merman seemingly longed for. "But it musst be wonderful. To travel and ssee the world. You will have sstoriess that only you could tell your family, that musst be worth the travelling?" To think of little one's around a fire, as they did on the beaches, and exchanging stories... how Sindre wished he could have been apart of that. Sharing banter and laughter, thrills and scares, there seemed nothing more wholesome than to listen to a traveller. To pretend to witness their tale, first hand.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine here." He had his own little plan to throw into motion. What was Prince Amanti doing? He was ontop of that raised... thing, he wasn't sure what humanoid's beds were, but he seemed to be creating some form of mock shelter with it. Naturally, Sindre was trying to peer over to see WHAT exactly this Prince of Fae was trying to accomplish. Why did humanoids hide themselves when slipping out of garements? "Like a Prince." ...Was that the right compliment to use? Sindre didn't know. What was Prince Amanti supposed to look like? He had no judgement of it-- but if it came from this abode's wardrobes, it must have been fine to wear it-- Home. "..Ah, about that.." ...Did he want to go home? "We can conversse about it at a later date..." Truth be had, perhaps Sindre did not want to go home at all. "Take care, Prince Amanti."

= = =

What a Grand Dining Hall indeed. Etched with coils of scales, gaping jaws and outstretched talons, light by what appeared to be a ball of swirling fire and blazing flames, almost akin to a chandelier. A table stretched, the same scheme as anywhere else in the kingdom, aligned with food fit for a large party's. Skewered... animals, who knew what THOSE were, with various, much less creature-killing soups and rice options, cubes of beef, slices of chicken, pork bao, noodles fried with vegetables of many shapes, colours and sizes, with small, ornamental teapots filled with a green, herbal smelling mixture. A tanned hand reached for the dumplings, but two sticks swiftly came down to slam against his palm. "Control yourself. Our guest has yet to arrive." Oh bother. Emperor was at the scolding again, but even he had to wonder where their guest had gone... was he weary from travelling? "You did inform him of where the dining hall was, Jin-Wei?" No, no he hadn't, he was too busy reaching for the dumplings again.

"Of course I did. What little faith you have in me, Baba."

Thwack! It wasn't wise to sit next to Emperor Yao Long at dinner time, evidently.

"I won't have you causing our guest any trouble, Jin-Wei. You're to stay in your own quarters tonight-- and shut the door for once in your life. You startle the chambermaids." All that received was a shrug-- and all THAT received was a firm whack of the chop-sticks again, and a growl that was very much inhuman. It resonated and rumbled deeper than most voices, that of a Dragon's solitary warning to his young. "You will stay in your chambers, and should anyone find you outwith them, your punishment will be dire." That was THAT. Just wait until the old fuddy duddy Emperor found out about the black ink across the door. Someone was sure to report it, but then, the Prince would have known that when he was sprawling it over the doorway. It wasn't the first time priceless architecture had suffered a noir-make over. Nor the last Amanti would see Jin-Wei's disagreeable side.

= = =

SMASH!

Perhaps he hadn't anticipated the tank to turn into tiny, sharp shards quite as much as it had, but many of the shrapnel was washed away under the flood of water his tank had created. He was out now. The small pieces of glass did scrape against his skin, fewer bits still, stuck into his torso, but they were minor injuries. Nothing he couldn't pluck out with his sharpened nails. His breath suddenly felt elated and half-full, the tendon of his tail had, rather painfully, split into two and saw to it that he writhed and wriggled to bare it's transformation... but he'd done it. He was out now, and pale, blood dappled flesh already unsteadily fell towards the doors that contained clothing. He chose plainer attire, a pair of would be baggy trousers made of ochre silks-- perhaps they'd fit someone of a smaller stature, but in his legged form, Sindre stretched to six foot and four inches. A friendly, if somewhat lanky creature. None of the shirts seemed to fit all that well, not until he got to the last one, silken and white, it contended his skin colour.

...What was the deal with the buttons though? Frog clasps, which were their true name, but they seemed needlessly complicated. Sindre decided just to leave them at that-- what... what was that noise? It... dare he say it almost... sounded like...

"I can't. I'm ssorry." No. He had decided how it was to be from now on-- and it didn't involve the ocean anymore. Bare-foot, the balcony felt dangerous when it was traversed with wet feet. Sindre awaited on the balcony, to see if his poorer-eye sight could pique anything interesting in dusk. "..." Maybe he should have said goodbye, instead.

MxM Royalty (Mikki and Tenebrae16 )

"Had a cosmetics change, have we?"

Jin-Wei wasn't particularly attune to differences, but this was unmistakable. He had come in like a walking icicle and now he resembled something more of a fire-seed, but that did not worry or upset a Dragon. After all, they could squish 60-foot long reptiles into the benign bodies of humanoids. "You know what I hate, though?" Consider one sandled foot to be shot forward, and with any luck, the only thing that would stop the door from closing on him. "Bad move." A finger wiggled in the air in faux scolding. No one shut the door on him. No one. "I hate liars, and you've got to be the worst one yet." The harsh constrict of spiked pupils tightened ever so slightly at the word. Something truly was his frustration when it came to the so called Prince of Fae's.

"You're not happy to see me, you didn't enjoy the ink across your door. Stop nodding and thanking everyone like a little suck up." Pissed him off, so it did. The goody-goody types, the yes Sir, no Sir, three-bags-full Sir types, enough so that his fists clenched angrily enough. "You're fake." His foot slid away from the doorway, forcing himself to turn back to their royal guest. He had made a silent oath to himself, he would test this thing's resolve. Bring out something more vague of a personality, and he knew just how to get that ball rolling. It was his speciality. "Sure. I'll send fish for your pet." A hollow smirk was aimed down the hallway at that. Poor Fae, thinking to ask such things of him. As if he were the serf, not a Prince himself. "Get something on for dinner. That's why I'm here-- it's on the table."

Knowing their Draconic Prince, he likely stalled until it was getting cold, too.

"Try dressing in something like, I don't know, clothes? Wouldn't want you apologising mildly all the way through dinner, you might spoil my appetite."

His presence had left, thankfully, and that left a snarling mer-creature to finally lower the proverbial hackles. He knew of that Prince, cruel beast that it was. "What a nassty thing he iss..." It would seem the comments he himself hadd earned on arrival to this palace were not ment for he alone. The Prince Jin-Wei did not hold his tongue for anyone's feelings or regard, he was brutal to anything that he didn't care for-- and that was becoming an extensive list, or so it appeared. "Are you alright, Prince Amanti...?" He couldn't shorten it to simply Amanti. Prince seemed to be... important. An important title for important people, he just didn't fully understand what the word ment. If only this tank had a little more room in it, he could have leapt out and split his tail until it formed legs. He had done so many a day before, but legs felt like one of those 'lifetime to master' things. It would seem, once again, he intended to climb over the glass, precariously, it didn't have to be said.

He had an idea, after all, and it involved getting out of this puddle of a tank.

"Will you leave thiss place ssoon? You don't need to sstay in ssuch bad company, do you?" The fact that the tank wobbled saw him slink back into the depths. He would figure this out, he WOULD get out and perhaps offer this kinder, gentler Prince better conversation than being a buddy-in-a-box. He had been gifted to this Prince-- did that not make him similar to the servants that those reptilian eye'd tyrants pushed around? Then, in that case... yes, yes he simply had to get out of this tank. Something to work on, before he came face to face with the horrors of his dinner. Fish and seaweed excited him-- not when it came from that brown haired child.

"Hm... I ssupposse you besst prepare for your meal with him. You will.. you will come back, won't you? How long will you be with them?"