Xhan had had enough of Kyle's suspicious behaviour while on the ship and had finally gone to figure out what the masked boy was up to. That's if he could find him...
Searching the corridors, Xhan figured he would come across Kyle at some point; this ship wasn't very big. Where could that boy be? He had tried during the night since it seemed to make sense that a "villain" like Kyle would lurk in the shadows.
He stopped, hearing some tapping coming from a nearby corridor. Alright, you knave, you shall be exposed!
Rounding the corner, he found his target. "What is this?! Tell me what's going on!" He demanded, glaring at the device in Kyle's hand.
"My my, prince, I didn't know heroes were this unknowing~" Kyle had taken the mask off, golden eyes glinting dangerously in the moonlight. He smirked, putting the phone away, then displayed both hands palm-up to show he was empty-handed and therefore not going to harm Xhan, "I guess you fulfilled the stereotype of heroes falling into the villain's trap, though." Watching Xhan's expression turn from angry to confused, "You thought you were stopping me from my "goal" by staying close to me, right? Didn't want me "hurting" anyone else? How heroic...and ultimately naive."
Xhan thought back to when Kyle was pestering him before, "You mean..!" He gasped, realising that Kyle had been probing him that time. He was manipulated into showing off his strongest move before he wanted to...and he had no idea.
"I can't believe you fell so easily for my act, prince. And I have someone who could make use of your skills. You're strong, Xhan. I mean that." Kyle stretched a hand out towards Xhan, "If you just wait a bit longer, you'll meet them and we'll take it from there."
Xhan backed away, clenching a fist by his side, "What exactly about this situation makes you think I'll willingly shackle myself to the villain's side? You have bad intentions, there's no doubt about that."
"My methods might be shady, but I can assure you, my master only wants the best bladers. There are many strong bladers here, but some of them are...trickier to work with and show their potential." Leaning against the windowsill, "Phi might be strong, but he's rather aloof. You're more amicable."
"You say that like it means I'm easier to control. I bow to nobody, Hakim. Not as a hero, not as a prince. You mistake my friendliness for weakness." Xhan's eyes hardened, "I was right not to trust you."
"What, a little adventure scaring ya? We all know you jump at the chance of something new. You just wanted to be away from your homeland, right?" Kyle said, using all that he had gained on Xhan to his advantage, "This ship has given you a chance to experience something new, why not continue that? You can only grow stronger. It's not like the people back home would miss you too much."
"...No. I can't go with you. I still have things to do back home." Xhan refused, shaking his head.
"But what about wanting to beat your rival, Aiga Akaba?" Kyle stepped closer towards Xhan, lowering his voice, "The way you are, my prince, you can never hope to beat him. But with my master's help...you can bring out the full extent of that resonance you hold. Everyone knows the hero is ultimately victorious, right?" He could feel Xhan start to break, could see the trouble clouding Xhan's bright turquoise eyes, "You don't want to go back to your homeland empty-handed, do you? And it's not like you don't already have the reputation of being the rebellious prince."
Xhan looked away from Kyle's gaze. "I can't betray my mentor like this. He's helped me get to where I am today. If I side with you our relationship will be ruined!"
"You don't know that~" Kyle grinned, sensing Xhan put up the last bit of resistance before he went along with Kyle's scheme. Oh, how his master would be pleased to hear he acquired this young prince. "What could possibly go wrong, prince? As long as you keep your goals in mind, you should stay on the path you have chosen. Your mentor has equipped you with the right mindset." And once this clueless newbie gets a taste of the dark side... Well, he'll probably fall relatively quickly~ His ideas don't match today's world, after all... Besides, he seems easily manipulated.
"Stay on the path I have chosen..." Xhan murmured, brows furrowed in thought.
I'm winning~ "Yes, prince. Rather than follow the obligations of back home, you can make your own destiny. That's what heroes do, right?"Kyle nudged, feeling the urge to smirk at Xhan breaking before his very eyes. It was clear where Xhan's focus lay, and it was easily exploited. But better to wait until Xhan was firmly putty in his hands before letting this side out.
"Yes..."
"And you'd only been gone for a little while. It would be worth it. I'm sure your parents will understand; you're a child itching to have some freedom. Besides, you'd come back more aware of the world, which can only be a bonus in these times." When you said "He's easy to win over", Master, I didn't think you'd mean this easily. Guess being on an isolated island did this wannabe hero no good.
Xhan briefly looked away, seemingly making up his mind, before looking Kyle in the eye, his face resolute. "...Alright. I'll go meet your "master". Just stop with the insincerity from now on, we are equals now."
"Yes, Xhan." Kyle nodded, dropping the "prince" for now, "Meet me here, tomorrow night. We'll arrange things properly then."
"Deal."
"Oh, and Xhan? We should keep this little "deal" just between the two of us. When we're with the others, I'll stick to the usual routine." Kyle winked, before putting the mask back on and heading down the corridor. "Good night, sweet prince~" Oh, you have no idea of the mess you're gonna get into... He smirked under the mask. The Xhan that would come back from his master's training would be totally different to the Xhan now, that was for sure...