Junichi Takahashi's Story

Galaya, by all appearances, looked to be as calm as a cucumber. She was standing in the middle of an audience chamber with numerous amount of eyes looking at her and the other Guardians and was wearing her guardian robes, along with one of the new outfits she had made for her. Apparently her current wardrobe she possessed wasn't even close enough to wear to these types of affairs. That did not surprise Laya though. She had been prepped for this ever since she made the decision to apply for a Guardian role. The head mistress of her former orphanage made sure of that. Laya was relieved when she found out she could still dress in her 'regular wear' when inside of her new home for the next 10 years. She wasn't used to dressing up like a noble, so even with all the training, she still felt out of her element here. So even though she looked poised right now, inside she wanted to run back to her quarters, away from all of the eyes of the audience. She wanted to meet the Divine under her care and get it done and over with.

Looking toward the direction where the Divines were about to appear, she could also feel a different set of nerves rising. And it was fear. Oh she wasn't afraid of Beasts and Divines because of their nature. She was half beast herself after all. She was terrified that one of them would figure out she was half beast. She was happy that no one has suspected she wasn't all human, yet. She did hear stories of what happened to hybrids. They generally had very short lifespans. So she had be very careful to hide her Mermaid traits. It was a blessing that she looked human. While she had never seen a Mermaid in person, she had seen pictures of them and in human form, the females tended to be very curvy with light colored skin with scales and green and blue coloring. Laya only produced scales if she was in water for a long time. It always killed a part of her to stop swimming. She could honestly do it all day since she loved it so much. Right now though she wasn't even thinking about swimming. She was focusing on how to hide her mer side from these Divines. Her instincts told her though that it would be hard to hide that part of her.

These thoughts led her to thinking of why she signed up to be a Guardian in the first place. After researching as much as she could, which wasn't as much as she hoped, Galaya learned enough to know that all four Divines were smart, especially the two oldest. So there was some relief there that Laya had been assigned to the youngest for her training.

~Laya, why ARE you here?~ she asked herself.

The truth was she didn't know. When she first heard the announcement, her instincts kicked into high gear and told her to do this. Her mind questioned her sanity of the decision every step of the way. She was actually surprised she did end up being selected as a guardian, only because she had never attempted anything like this. All of her teachers and especially the headmistress of her orphanage were very proud of her though. While Galaya definitely didn't sign up for this for the money, she was happy to have the chance to donate some of her funds back to the Orphanage that was her home. She knew this job was going to be very demanding though. When she first met the Guardian she was replacing, the person did look like they had the weight of the world on them and the moment she felt that same 'weight', she could remember seeing relief in the former Guardian's eyes. The pain the 'curse' she initially felt was something she never felt before, but thankfully she managed to hide that pain for the rest of the ceremony and once she was allowed back to her quarters, she slept for a good twelve hours because she had been exhausted and writhing in pain by that point. Three weeks later she had gotten accustom to hiding the inner pain she felt. She just hoped her beast side would make it a bit more bearable.

Standing next to the other Guardians, she couldn't help but glance over to see how they were doing. She already met all of them and it still felt surreal to know she was standing next to one noble and one royal. When she first met Princess Adelaide, she was honestly shocked for she never met a single noble, much less a royal. Oh she had recognized her immediately though for she had seen pictures of the royal family. She found herself to be on her best behavior when around her because she intimidated her for sure. Lord Valerys wasn't as intimidating, but he still unnerved her a bit because she learned he was a noble too. Junichi was the only one she felt somewhat comfortable around since he was basically a commoner like her. However, she did find out his older brother was one of the previous Guardians. Still for the three weeks there, she mostly kept to herself and wanted to learn as much as possible about her new home. Her new quarters shocked her for it was much larger then her room back at the orphanage. She didn't have extravagant taste so her quarters reflected her more simpler tastes. Favorite part of her room though were the large windows. She hated feeling 'caged in', so the windows helped feel more at home.

As her thoughts continued to move on and on, her gaze returned back to the front of her as she patiently waited for the Divines.

---

”What a farce…” Jun thought to himself silently, shifting his posture for what felt like the hundredth time. This was the part of the job that they hadn’t informed him of. Lots of standing around listening to other people talk in circles. Of course, he’d expected to be caught in political meetings and to have to rub shoulders with the elite now he was considered an equal; but even he couldn’t believe the amount of pointless posturing they’d done. It’d been three weeks now of dealing with overly affectionate nobles attempting to gain his favour, and not once had he even had the chance to speak with his Divine. He could understand the need to exchange pleasantries with his fellow Guardians, but this was all a bit excessive.

Relaxing his stance a bit, Jun glanced down the line of Guardians. He wondered if they were as irritated as he was at being made to parade around as some sort of trophy. An ironic thought, given what their jobs were. First in line was Adelaide - Lady Greywater - She was standing in place like it was second nature to her. Probably was, given her heritage. Although they all had the chance to mingle, Jun wasn’t the most sociable young fellow and so he hadn’t spoken with any of them at length. Just enough to get a basic feel for who they were. Intuition told him the rest of the story, and in this case, it was telling him that the Princess wasn’t one to be trifled with. Or maybe that was just the intimidation that a royal presented? After all, she looked soft. Sure, she was probably smarter than Jun and had this etiquette stuff down pat, but when push came to shove, he was confident he could handle her if they had to clash wits or blades. She was probably another sheltered and pampered child like those other women the nobles kept introducing him to in a bid to attract his fancy. It was disgraceful really. They lacked the drive to be their own person, so he’d never accept a fake like that.

Turning his attention away from Adelaide, next Jun focussed on Valerys. After all, it wasn’t exactly exciting standing around, so it made sense to entertain himself by mulling over his thoughts and observing his companions. Descendent of the Priestess from long ago, Jun couldn’t imagine what sort of upbringing that would be like. Still, in the brief time that he’d met the man, Junichi found him to be annoying. It was hard to tell if it was his demeanour or what, but something about the way he always seemed to be scrutinizing Jun irked him. Still, despite any misgivings Junichi may have had about the man, he’d have to learn to live with him given that they’d be spending the next 10 years together. All of them would. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too much of a bother, and maybe Jun was just being testy given his uncomfortability with the situation.

Finally, Jun’s eyes fell on to Galaya, a little lady who seemed to have as modest an upbringing as him. Well, if you ignored a certain someone’s presence in his life. Regardless, she seemed the most out of place in the room. Even if he was adjusting his posture, Junichi held a confident stance, even before the many eyes of the audience. Valerys and Adelaide were equally as poised, but somehow, Galaya seemed small and uncertain, perhaps shy at such a large gathering. Maybe it was just his imagination though, or an attempt to protect his ego that someone else looked more out of place than he did. Regardless, it was nice to have someone who wasn’t a noble around. He’d had enough of the pleasantries and would happily go for a more candid conversation about something that actually mattered. For now though, there was no escape. Hopefully this would be the last thing before he could start leading his own life as the 75th Guardian.

Inwardly sighing, Jun’s mind continued to wander, his eyes drifting over the crowd of onlookers. All stupid, gawking faces obsessed with power and politics, ever searching for the next move that would help keep their status. He didn’t exactly care what they thought, but at the same time, he had to prove himself. That’s why…

“…!” For a moment, Junichi’s composure broke, but soon enough, he returned to a stern façade, narrowing his eyes and focusing on the far door where the divines would make their entrance. So, he was still here? Couldn’t even let him handle this by himself? “Tch…” Jun’s noise of irritation was slight, but may have been heard by the two closest to him. Reiji… Just what was he thinking? In the 10 years it had been since he became Guardian, Junichi felt like he didn’t understand him at all. Even now, after having gotten to spend some time with him due to the ceremony, Jun’s frustration with his sibling failed to fade. The ritual was just to transfer the curse that was all. At least, that’s what Junichi had thought. And yet, in that split moment where his brother had whispered to him, there was more than just a name.

“I’ll be counting on you.” The words and memory flashed through Jun’s mind, and he found himself unintentionally tensing his body. Just what exactly did he mean by that? Another way to exert his superiority over him? As if he was doing it for him of all people! Reiji could count on Junichi all he wanted, but he’d surpass his expectations. He was the Guardian now, not him. Jun would find his own way forward, not the path his brother laid out for him. The next time he was in front of all these nobles like this, he wouldn’t just be the 74th Guardian’s Brother. They’d all know his name.

Staring down the door to the audience chamber, a faint smirk crossed Jun’s face as he awaited her. All he needed now was his divine. That would be the start of his change, and the beginning of his story.

✰ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Though wisdom is a house built; and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge shall every room be filled with precious and pleasantries."

- Proverbs 24:3

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ✰

xxxxx"When old man Talar introduced you to me six years ago, all I saw was a sissy boy who couldn't even pick up a stick." A tall, white-haired man wearing a long, cyan coat with several medallions on the left side of his chest and a long, silver rapier donned on the side of his waist smiled to Valerys. As he patted his shoulder, one could see a sense of pride clearly visible on his face. "Now look at you... It's incredible how fast time flies, hmm?"

"This was nothing, really, Uncle. It puts me at ease to see that you are here, too." He nodded back to his uncle -- Sir Vaharys Kargaryen, once a Guardian himself two cycles prior and now a High Commander within the ranks of the Eden Imperial Army. "The lessons you've taught me, I promise that I'll put them to good use."

"Don't mention it, Val." Vaharys moved to put his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "From now on, you will see for yourself whether or not what I've told you before is true. You've always learned well enough, so I needn't explain to you anymore. Listen to me, there is still a great deal of things ahead of you to be bestowed upon you. Just be ready when they come, like you've always been. It's a completely different world from this moment on."

"I understand, Uncle. That's why I'm here, isn't it?" Valerys nodded to his uncle before he continued. "Though, it's not like we're not going to see each other much. In fact, I imagine it'll be the opposite, so I hope you will still have my back."

His uncle laughed. "You know I don't have time to sit here and babysit you like before, so don't count on that much. You're a man of your own league now, give yourself more credit and lose the naivety. Show 'em what the blessing of our family is worth." Vaharys smiled, and Valerys nodded back at his uncle's word of encouragement in appreciation. He knew what was awaiting him was not going to be like anything he'd ever faced before. He was there for a reason, and no obstacles were going to keep him down until all of his ends were met.

It all felt like every moment, ever since he was born, had lead to this instance. As if Fate was finally allowing him to achieve what he had been looking for his whole life. He remembered back to when he got a chance to stand there watching the meeting between the Divines and their then newest Guardians for the first time. It was when he realized that this is the best -- and arguably the only -- way for him to finally reach the truth. The zenith of all that was wise in the whole wide world.

In the past seventy-five cycles, there had always been at least one member from his family and its three branches among the ranks of the Guardians. Even then, there were but very rare instances where something truly odd had happened, so there was no real foundation for Valerys to think that this time was going to be any different. He was certain that he wasn't going to have any regrets.

"High Commander, Lord Valerys." A servant walked up, bowing as he approached. "Please excuse me, but the Divines will be here soon and His Majesty is requesting every piece in its proper place, please kindly return to your positions."

The both of them nodded as he took his leave just as promptly as he had arrived.

"Well, it's time. You nervous?"

"I suppose that I would be lying if I said that I wasn't."

"It's time to man up, kiddo. Go and face your destiny, or however they say it in those you books you used to read. I'll see you around -- soon, and you'd better be in your top shape by then." Vaharys patted his shoulder before he returned to his post at the Priestess' side, while Valerys moved to his own at the center of the audience room, joining his fellow Guardians.

His thoughts wandered back to the day of the Induction Ceremony -- which was a very long and asphyxiating day, filled with seemingly endless rituals, all of which seemed rather pointless from Valerys' point of view. Judging from the looks of his colleagues who are standing in tandem with him back then, it occurred to him that he was not the only one feeling that way. Of course, he had memorized every facet of every detail of the Ceremony, but to have read about it and to actually experience it were two completely different things. The praying and the fasting weren't so bad, but it had truly been a bore having to read all the scrolls about the history of Eden again, scrolls he had already committed to heart by the age of five. Not that he had let it show, he actually cared about his image more than other people may have thought.

After moving into the Temple, he had soon expected that there was going to be a summon like this but was pretty willing to comply to any orders there were. It was simply how he had been taught to live. For Valerys, any place where he could elude the presence of his cynical grandfather was the place to be. Not to mention that -- as with any other new environments he was placed into -- there was a great deal that he had learned. Yet for him, it was more of a warm up than anything.

If what Valerys had anticipated became reality, then this would soon be the moment where his journey to uncovering true wisdom disembarked.

As he calmly awaited for the arrival of the Divines, he glanced around the audience room looking for something worth observing. There was nothing of great significance as he eventually reverted his gaze back to his fellow Guardians. For the three weeks prior, he had tried to get acquainted with them -- some of them more willing than others -- and came to the conclusion that it would be interesting to work with them indeed.

Standing to the left of him was Her Royal Highness, the third child of the royal family -- Princess Adelaide Greywater. Prior to her bestowal of the title they certainly had known each other before, for consultations with the Royal family were always in order for the Astraryens, but he had never had a chance to have a full conversation with her before the past three weeks. As expected from someone of royal blood, her skills in diplomacy and impressive knowledge about politics were admirable. They had also tested each other out with the sword, which really opened Valerys' eyes about how differing the image of a Princess could really be. Adelaide would certainly be an asset he would be looking out to in the future.

On his right side was Junichi, a man who also had a family member that was a former Guardian, much like Valerys himself. He couldn't help but notice that people seemed to consider him an extension of his brother, seeing as servants and officials kept regarding him as the '74th Guardian's brother' and similar things of that nature. If he was to make assumptions, he would guess that this was the reason why the man decided to put his name on the roster. A determination to overcome one's shadow and the diligence necessary to achieve said goal. Such were the traits he found in Junichi that were truly respectable. However, his rather rash and abrasive manner would be a problem if they were to work together in the future.

The last of the four was Galaya, the quiet and unassuming girl. She certainly did not look like a person one would expect to look like when they pictured a Guardian. The fact that she made it here was the proof of her strength, however, and Valerys wished that she would open herself up more because she seemed rather wary of him anytime he tried to approach her. Probably due to the fact that the gap of status was still present. Valerys honestly found Galaya's frugality a breath of fresh air among all the extravagances he was surrounded with since the bestowal, and noticed that she was a lot more observant than her timid demeanor would suggest.

Setting his gaze back to the large doors at the end of the room, Valerys unconsciously touched the left side of his chest where the symbol of his Divine was lying. Whether for better or worse, his instincts told him that everything he had ever known would never be the same again the moment those doors were sprung open.

✿xxx✿xxx✿

And it's your dream to be the king of all creation
As far as I'm concerned you've hung your shadow on the wall
And though your fingers never really pulled the trigger
Your hands are just as guilty,
You're the one who bought the blood

DIALOGUE #800000 ◓ THOUGHTS #6d6d6d

The longer she stood there, the more anxious Galaya got. It must have been obvious that she was starting to fidget a little because she sensed her fellow Guardians looking at her briefly. She would ignore the stares. Instead she remained focused on the doors in front of her. She was so focused that she was a bit startled when the servants announced the arrival of the Divines. She actually gasped a bit when that happened. Luckily it seemed all eyes were now on the doors, which swung open. The noise of the drums made Galaya want to cover her ears, but she didn't. She was already embarrassed by her surprised reaction anyway.

She hoped she looked calm again as she saw the Divines and the beasts servants with them come forward. The moment Galaya laid eyes on them, she felt this instinct desire to bow to them in servitude and homage. However she fought against that desire. She wasn't too surprised by her behavior though since these four were the 'leaders' of the beasts in Eden. Of course technically they weren't in a position to be in charge. They were just as much a trophy and pet as other beasts. Of course she knew the history of how the Divines and Beast came to be servants of humanity. About how the beasts and Divines invaded Eden and how the humans stopped them through trials and sacrifices. Still there was always that small part of Galaya that wondered if that whole story was true. She once heard a line somewhere in how it was always the victors of a battle that wrote history. Being the instinctual person that she was, Galaya didn't question that voice.

For now she wouldn't think about the past, but instead focus on the now. Looking at the four Divines she couldn't believe how beautiful they all looked, even the 2 males. She was about to focus on her Divine partner when one of the females came forward. She looked more regal the the king and queen here and that was saying something. She knew this divine was in a weakened state and even now it felt like the Divine outranked them all.

Galaya listened as the Divine introduced herself as Oeui and addressed the audience. Her speech felt too perfect to Galaya, like it was rehearsed. She wondered if there were hidden meanings behind these words. While Galaya had no experience in interacting with high society, she had heard stories about from Headmistress Rinson, who did have interactions with nobility. After all, most of the money that was funded to the school came from high society.

As Oeui's general greeting ended, she saw the Divine go to Princess Adelaide and greeted her. That had to be the signal for the others to follow suit. Taking deep breath, Laya looked at the other Divines. One was half snake and looked younger then her, but Laya knew these creatures were way older then her. She also looked very uncomfortable in what she was wearing.

~I know how you feel. I'd love to be out of this ornate attire too. Be patient, Laya. You're almost done.~

The first male divine was just as regal and intimidating as the Oeui. She felt something about him, but couldn't put a finger on it. Regardless, she turned her attention to the Divine she was connected to. His hair was a lot lighter then hers, almost white. Galaya knew this one was the youngest due to her having the lowest score out of the Guardians. She was actually relieved because the oldest ones would have a better chance of recognizing her half beast side. Already she wanted to leave.

~Well, no time like the present, let's get this done and over with.~ Galaya thought before walking towards her partner.

She bowed politely before standing up and said cordially, "Greetings, my name is Galaya Rinson. I do hope we can get along. It's nice to finally meet you."

There, she done it. Now she would wait for her Divine partner to introduce himself and hopefully they could leave this hall soon. All the while, she kept being aware of the other Guardians and Divines.

---

Finally, it was time for things to begin in earnest. Junichi had to resist the urge to take a step forward to meet the Divines halfway as they made their entrance, the four emanating an impressive aura that commanded attention from everyone around. Scanning his eyes over them, from his time studying the beasts, he was quickly able to assess who each of them would belong to. The elder two of the Divines would go towards the upper class of the Guardians, while the younger would be assigned to himself and Galaya, the commoners. It made sense, even if it did annoy him on some level to be left with the ‘inferior’ of the Divines. Still, it wasn’t all bad to be assigned to Ki. After all, this was the beast his brother had been assigned. If anyone would have answers, it would be her or the journal he left behind. With the amount of posturing they’d been doing over the past three weeks, Jun hadn’t had time to consult it at all. Hopefully after tonight that would change, but when the opportunity arose, he’d have to take the time to find out what she knew about Reiji and his actions.

The speech was grandiose, but thankfully, short and to the point as far as presentations go. Junichi did his best to pay attention, but honestly, his eyes were wholly focussed on his Divine and the area around her, as if he could bore a hole through her skull with his gaze. Briefly, his eyes played over the guards next to her, and despite the apparent greatness of these creatures, he found himself strangely aware of how short she was compared to her towering and imposing servants. For such a powerful being, it was amusing to him how helpless she actually looked, but he’d been informed many times during his training not to underestimate the creatures; particularly the elders of the four. Nodding as his partner for the next 10 years made her way towards him, Junichi decided to formally introduce himself.

“Junichi Takahashi. I’ll be your guardian for the next 10 years.” As he spoke, he couldn’t help but steal a glance towards his brother, who was undoubtedly staring at the two of them. Flicking his eyes back towards Ki, the younger Takahashi brother extended his arm for the shake. “To the future.” He stated simply. The future would determine everything after all. And this would be the start of this future. Jun wasn’t the kind of person to smile much. His mother always told him to try to do so more, but he personally thought it looked unnatural and weird. Somehow though, he made his best attempt, especially in such a public setting. Hopefully no one noticed his discomfort, particularly the small snake woman before him.

.............

---

A sullen scowl formed from Quinn’s lips. She didn’t realize that Lycaon had the wheel. In hind set, it was natural for him to handle relations with humans due to his irrational fetish for them, but she really could use a warmer retort from the other half. A coinflip for comfort and it landed on tails.

“Idiot Lycaon..I’ll tell Lyssa to give you 50 lashings..!!” She resisted the urge to pounce on the disinterested dog. He was an asshole, but a lovable one. Quinn would bite through that shell eventually.

She regained her posture as Ofi walked through. Her commanding presence putting Quinn on her feet, despite the snake possessing her own motives to play the perfect. She waved and smiled to her older sibling as they promptly went through the doors.

Smile.

Wave.

Look to each section of the room for at least 8 seconds, 11 ½ at most. A warm smile to her guardian, a warmer one for the royal family. There was a boundary between directions and thoughts that’s been long lost the moment Quinn made that deal. A price bled from dignity, offering her own independence to ensure her friends a cage instead of a tomb. There truly was no snake as wicked as her, looking at what can be gained over what must be lost.

Quinn slapped her cheeks ‘till rash. Her dazes aren’t easily broken and seem to happen when they aren’t welcome. She quickly looked around the room for her guardian until feeling eyes burning through her chest. A man, standing in what would be a place where the guardians should be positioned. She looked behind her, then shifting her body aside his line of vision. His head followed shortly behind.

It was official. This creep was looking at her.

She was aware that her new guardian was Reiji’s little brother, but no one fit the profile. No one was as handsome, gallant or tall as him. No one had a smile that could make snake women swoon, or a scent of honey and sweat. Quinn tried to look as if she was paying attention to the recycled speech, but the man checking her out was distracting to say the least. She waved at him, but his glare did not let up. Was he blind? Did he just have a seizure? Humans shouldn’t be this capable of creeping her out.

As the ceremony came to a close, Quinn awaited the cue. Reiji only had good things to say about his little sibling..but was uncharacteristically vague. Not exactly describing his personality, or look, but instead used power words such as “strong” and “perseverant”.

She trudged between her siblings before walking to her assigned guardian. After getting a closer look, she gagged on the air she going to introduce herself with. The creep was his brother? Unbefitting of her preferred guise, she discarded her posture and squatted down for some time to think. He was athletic, but not like Reiji. He was handsome, but not like Reiji. Eyes like sharp knives instead of warm flame. Quinn stood up to look for Reiji in the audience as simply thinking of him raised her temperature before remembering that she had to actually introduce herself to her new guardian.

The snake woman cleared her throat. “Divine Qi, at your service.” She took his hand to shake, mirroring the stiff motions. She didn’t know Reiji had such a tinman as a brother. His eyes alone offended her, his body language screamed lack of etiquette. It definitely couldn’t get worse from here.

Oh, and then he smiled. Great.

She chuckled into her fist. The situation itself was so awkward that she wanted to die. Was this really his brother? Attempting to break both their apparent discomfort, she decided to talk about her favorite thing in the world. It’s been a week since she’s seen him.

“How’s…your brother been?”

xxx


And it's your dream to be the king of all creation
As far as I'm concerned you've hung your shadow on the wall
And though your fingers never really pulled the trigger
Your hands are just as guilty,
You're the one who bought the blood

DIALOGUE #800000 ◓ THOUGHTS #6d6d6d

By the time the Divine introduced himself, Galaya managed to get a hold of herself. She mentally berated herself for loosing her control.

~You can do this Galaya! Remember that you are a Guardian and you cannot show any kind of weakness.~

She knew she had already generated some gossip from the nobles, ever sense she made it far into her training when it had just been her and 2 other people. She had been one of the shortest and tiniest in stature to ever sign up to be a guardian, let alone become one. It was safe to say no one who didn't know her underestimated her skills. Of course she was expected to have strong inner strength more so then physical strength. Galaya had always felt some satisfaction in proving others wrong. But she knew she had to be careful in everything she did so no one would figure out her background.

After the blonde Divine greeted her, Galaya nodded before asking, "And how should I address you both?"

She did remember in reading that journal that her Divine partner had two identities. She knew their true name, but since saying that would activate the curse, she wanted to make sure there was a safety net to use. She hoped she would never have to use their true names. Not only would it hurt the Divine, but her too. Something told her though she might have to use it at some point, based on the journal she had been reading. It's why she was determine to get along with her Divine as much as possible.

Looking at the Divine she was also glad he wasn't too tall. She had learned over time to look people in the eye, but it was a struggle with taller folks and she knew she was petite. It didn't help that she had a willowy form. Many people mistook her for being younger then her actual age. At least it allowed her to blend in easily when she needed it. There be no way to blend in now though. She also kept tabs on the other Guardians and Divines too because she did not want to be caught unawares by anything.

“How’s…your brother been?”

The first words out of her mouth after introductions. Jun did his best not to let his face betray his emotions, but the suddenness of her question caught him off guard. They’d still been in the middle of exchanging the hand shake, his grip unconsciously tightening as he spoke.

“What does that matter?” Jun asked bluntly, and just by the rising octave in his tone, his annoyance would be apparent. Certainly, Jun was here to find information on his brother, but it irritated him that of all the things she could have asked him about or started the conversation with, that was what she chose? He was the one here now. Not his brother. Everyone always seemed to forget that, talking about his brother or wanting to know about him. He wasn’t even a guardian anymore! Silently gritting his teeth, Jun stared down Quinn, awaiting her response.

Quinn promptly pulled her hand. His quickly tightening grip causing a small, but sharp pain. Quinn’s small frame did well to interpret Jun’s shifting squeeze into something unbearable. Coupled with the awkwardness, all Quinn wanted to do was to slither away.

The snake girl held her wrist, airing out the modest squeeze of agony by shaking her wrist ideally. She turned to answer his question, a bit bothered, but nowhere near irate. Mistakes happen, sometimes people forget that one of the great and powerful divine was a bit frail in her current form.

From what most definitely was not a mistake, her look of openmindeness was promptly crushed by a cold scorn. Why was he angry all of the sudden? Was this his resting face? He looked at her like she killed his family. While she wasn’t the worst conversationalist in the world, she didn’t know whatever she said offended him in some way. First he looks at her like a piece of meat, now he wants to choke her out?! This guy was infuriating.

“Because I want to know, that’s why it matters! Unless I got the wrong guy, I believe you’re the little brother of dear Reiji..I don’t see it as unnatural to ask about him.” Quite frankly, she was getting a bit heated for something that didn’t matter much at all.

“Tch…” Jun clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes as he glanced about the room. This wasn’t exactly a good start to things. Not only was he showing a lack of composure, but so was his Divine. Given that the group were the centre of attention at the moment, it wouldn’t look favorably on him if he couldn’t control the situation this early. Still, invoking her name seemed like overkill, and probably would look just as bad. As his peripheral vision fanned about the room, he could see that he was watching them. Why did his smile have to be so infuriating? Even now, he had to be judging Jun, seeing how he handled it. Smug bastard… He’d show him!

“Even if I knew, I don’t think it’s important. I’m your Guardian now, not him.” Jun stated firmly, focussing on Quinn once more as he leaned in closer to whisper. “You want to talk to him? Fine. But don’t ruin this moment for me. Don’t forget where we are.” Jun stated, a coldness to his words. It wasn’t out of concern for her, no. He was concerned for himself and his standing. After saying his piece, he stepped back, giving her space again. Still, surely she’d understand the situation? They were in front of the royalty. Neither of them would benefit from bickering here. Logically trying to calm the situation, Jun wasn’t the best at intuiting the correct emotional response. Not only that, but it would’ve been far smarter just to give in to Quinn’s question rather than push back, but for some reason, Jun felt the need to take control of the situation.

Quinn also noticed her one true love gazing at them both. Instead of interpreting the extra...twinkling amber set on them as a wake-up call to act up. Quinn proceeded to wave frivolously at Reiji, albeit stopped short by a cold breath tickling her ear.

Her lips formed a slight grimace. All she was hearing were moans of self-centered entitlement. A rather somber realization that this man was just like the others. She looked in Reiji’s general direction once more before shooting a glare at her much unwelcome partner. “I’ll behave, but not for you.” A flame seemed to light up her pupils, Quinn not being as mindful as to keep her complaints to a lower decibel.

Crossing her arms, she spoke up once more. Venom adorned her every breath as she made apparent her increasing desire to be anywhere else but here. “Can I go see Reiji now, master?”

Usually she was good at keeping her complaints all to herself, but when it came to Reiji..her emotions couldn’t help running rampant.

Continuing to bite his tongue, Jun was trying to understand how an ancient being could be so impetuous; almost like a child. It was as if she was being rebellious just to spite him! In fact, that was exactly what she was doing. Just enough to provoke him, flirting the fine line of danger where it wasn’t quite enough for him to take action. It was infuriating. But he wouldn’t play her game. He knew that the Divine’s were wily creatures, so no doubt she was testing him. He wouldn’t fall for her bait. Tempting as it was to return her gesture in kind, he needed this woman to prove his worth. Perhaps he could try to shift the situation into his favor?

“No, not now. You’re expected to remain by me for this audience. Play your part, and perhaps I’ll consider inviting my brother to visit. It would look unfavorably if he was the first person I decided to pay respects to.” Junichi still remained cold, calculating, briefly glancing around to see if the others were having as much trouble as he was getting his divine under control. Reiji hadn’t warned him that she was rebellious, so was this all some insidious prank on his part? Had he tried sabotaging him from the beginning by asking Quinn to act up here of all places? That might explain why he was observing so closely, getting some sadistic pleasure by watching him fail. Well, he wasn’t about to let that happen. He’d speak with the highest nobles and begin making some strong connections, demonstrating how capable he was. All he needed was for Qi to be obedient and follow in line.

Ohh..did he mention Reiji? Now that she thought about it, Reiji looked like a hunk with his hair all messy like that. Of course, that was how he always did his hair..but if no one was going to think it, Quinn would!

Quite frankly, the thought that she would never see Reiji again had crossed her mind more than once. Jun chose exactly the right words to calm her down. Her previously apparent temper had subsided into a reluctant pout. Puffing out her cheeks, and blowing air from her nose, she stood beside him instead of against him.

“One hour..a day..without you staring daggers at me.” It was hard to make demands, especially when calmed..or the fact that they were mostly angrily whispering to each other a few moments prior. But she took her Reiji time VERY seriously..

“Let’s get this over with.” She held Jun’s arm, donning a slight..but warm smile. To change from letting her emotions run rampant, to hiding them behind a shell..she’s done this for a while. A whole 759 years to be exact.

Jun was a little surprised with how quickly and easily she acquiesced his request, but he wasn't about to complain. Relenting to her request, he nodded for now. She had a lot of gall to be making her own demands of him, but some concessions were needed for progress, and he could respect that she was willing to work with him on some level while still holding her own values. Letting her hug into his arm, Jun scouted the crowd for valuable targets - individuals he knew to hold high standings - and made his approach, introducing himself and his divine and making productive small talk to form connections. He'd need to prove himself as a Guardian and a contact to these people in order to improve his own standing. Already, he was confident that he'd be able to as well. After all. This divine of his didn't seem too hard to tame. And if Reiji could do it, he'd be able to do it even better.

Quinn did well to act her part. She felt more like a trophy than usual, but his promise to let Reiji visit was the only thing keeping her from acting out. The snake girl greatly exaggerated her arm squeezing, affectionately bringing herself close and laying her head on his shoulder. She was good at this so-called small talk as well. Her words possessing so much emotion as she spoke of how excited she was about the partnership to the many people he led her to.

Every so often, she caught a glimpse of Reiji, prompting her to pull them in his direction. Though, her tugging was mostly ignored by the stoic youngest.