AN: I will warn you once and only once, this story is EXTREMELY spoiler-heavy. Do not read this if you do not want end-game events revealed. Otherwise, enjoy!
Jen Zi paused, taking advantage of what could easily be her only quiet moment for the day. Surely, Empress Sun Lian would be expecting her promptly. And surely Empress Sun Lian would not be afraid to tell her off if she were late. But moments of peace were a scarce resource for Jen Zi nowadays. Master Li—no that wasn't right—Sun Li had only been defeated a mere week ago, and since the instant that his corpse had hit the ground, Jen Zi had not had a moment to herself. Overthrowing a tyrant, as it turned out, was anything but simple to accomplish. And as if that wasn't enough, it remained complicated long after the fact. Jen Zi sighed, continuing her slow progress to the throne room. The Empress had been kind enough to give her a room in the Imperial Palace, but Jen Zi was itching to leave. Living in such opulence was a lifestyle that she was not used to, and did not particularly want to get used to. She envied Black Whirlwind, who had already managed to give everyone the slip. None of his former companions knew where exactly he had run off to. In fact, even he probably did not know the full details of where he was.
Jen Zi entered the side passage that lead to the throne room, cracking her back and shoulders in preparation. She found Empress Sun Lian in the center of the room, resting her head in her hand, her eyes closed. At the sound of Jen Zi's approach, she sprung to attention, her eyes widening for the briefest of moments before addressing her.
"Thank you for coming, Spirit Monk." She said, her voice authoritative as always. "I am pleased to inform you that the monks have made a full sweep of the Necropolis and have reported almost no spirit activity. I'm sure that puts your mind at ease."
"Indeed it does." Jen Zi said, truly thankful that the dead were now able to cross into the afterlife, "If it's not too bold, you look weary, Empress."
"I am weary. When I was a princess, I could slip away from the public eye if I was determined enough. The idea of the Empress wearing the clothes of a warrior and walking amongst the common people is beyond scandalous. I have to think of my people before myself, and if I'm so insistent that my people follow the traditions that have sustained our empire for so long, what kind of leader would I be if I myself didn't follow them?"
"I can see your predicament. But I do wonder if you shouldn't make yourself a little more accessible to the peasants. You heard how complacent people in Tien's Landing were. It really doesn't matter to them who is in the palace as long as it doesn't affect their daily lives. Perhaps the empire would benefit from more involvement?"
"I wish it were that easy." Sun Lian sighed, "The implications-" She paused as a young man entered the room, bowing deeply and holding a scroll in front of him. She took the scroll from him, an exasperated look coming over her face.
"Is something the matter?" Jen Zi asked, always wary of overstepping her rank. It would help if the Empress could definitively tell her where she stood on the social hierarchy; but thus far, Sun Lian had been hesitant to define Jen Zi's place in the palace.
"It's that mad engineer again. He's managed to blow something up. It's not even midday; it might be some kind of record. And ever since we discovered that he's actually a minor deity, the people have been hesitant to reprimand him. What a mess. I'm afraid that I shall have to cut our meeting short so that I may deal with this. Feel free to do as you please, I'll send a messenger out should I require your presence."
"As you wish." Jen Zi bowed to her as she took her leave. Admittedly, she was unsure of how to proceed from here. It had been a while since she had a sparring match, perhaps she would venture over to the Black Leopard School. Or maybe Qui had work for her at the arena. If nothing else, she could talk to Doctor An about getting a little acupuncture done. Actually, she thought that sounded like a good idea. She had a flier take her back down to the city. It was difficult for her to go anywhere now without being noticed. She did not particularly care for being kowtowed to by strangers in the street, but she figured that she would grow used to it eventually. She made her way in the direction of the arena, only to be stopped when she heard her pseudonym being called.
"Raging Dragon! Ah, I'm glad that I caught your attention." The voice had come from Sweet Poison Lyn, the self-proclaimed "Master of the Toxicant Arts" that Jen Zi had met during her original days at the Imperial Arena.
"Sweet Poison Lyn, what is it?"
"The subject that I have to discuss with you is, shall we say, delicate. We would do well to relocate to somewhere away from busy streets and unwelcome ears. Meet me in the same room where you met with Kai Lan, and bring your companion with you, that rogue who usually seems to accompany you."
Jen Zi was rather skeptical of any involvement with a member of The Guild, but resolved to at least hear her out.
"I shall do as you ask, but you will need to give me a certain amount of time. My companion is elsewhere, and it will take me some amount of time to locate him." Jen Zi told her. As far as she knew, Sky was still at the Imperial Palace. And if he wasn't, well, Jen Zi had no idea where he might be.
"Then perhaps we could meet tomorrow around this time? I do not have a surplus of extra time to wait for you."
"Yes, I think that would be fine."
"I shall see you tomorrow then." Sweet Poison Lyn gave her a short, decisive wave as she walked away.
Jen Zi continued on her path, feeling that she needed the acupuncture now more than ever if she was going to have to deal with The Guild tomorrow. And why did they want her to bring Sky? While he was a rogue at heart, he had denied any significant previous involvement with The Guild. It was something that she supposed she would have to ask him about later.
Doctor An greeted her in her usual mysterious way, once again citing Jen Zi's odd energy. A comment that she was rather tired of hearing, but she held her tongue. It would have been unwise to upset a woman who was soon going to be sticking needles into some very tender spots. Jen Zi was always skeptical of the treatment before it began, and swore by it when she was finished. Really, the loss of Doctor An's vision may have been a blessing in disguise as far as she could tell. When she had finished, Jen Zi paid the doctor and made her way back into the market district. While she did feel restored, she also desired to keep a low profile for the day. It was with a slight feeling of defeat that she returned to her flier and asked to be taken back to the palace.
Sweet Poison Lyn's words had her curious about the location of her dashing rogue, so Jen Zi set out to look for him. The lax attitudes of the guards and servants told Jen Zi quite clearly that the Empress had not returned yet. While she did not know her way around the palace, Jen Zi could at least manage to find her way to the throne room, and from there back to her own room. She found Sky easily enough, as he was dozing in a patch of sunlight that had spread across his chair. Jen Zi rolled her eyes, smirking.
"Welcome home." He said, not opening his eyes.
Damn it, how does he do that? Jen Zi asked herself, pursing her lips.
"What brings you back here this early?" he asked, opening his eyes and turning to look at her, "It's rare that you are so eager to stay put in the room all day."
"I was approached by Sweet Poison Lyn. She has requested both of us speak with her tomorrow. Any idea of why?"
Sky scratched the back of his head, grinning. "I would assume that it has something to do with The Guild. Seeing as we've eliminated two of their top men, it's possible that they have some sort of bone to pick with us."
"They seemed awfully happy that they were gone though." Jen Zi shrugged.
"I suppose." Sky stretched, standing up and walking over to her, "It has been rare that we have had a chance to talk, what with you avoiding the palace and me reluctant to go out where my hands might decide to get, ah, nimble with passing purses."
"Always a danger with you." Jen Zi smiled as Sky placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head upward.
"I suspect that we have some ample time before the Empress returns, if you would be interested in a little physical exercise and stress relief?" He raised one of his eyebrows suggestively, and Jen Zi could not help but laugh.
"I think that I would enjoy that. Very much."