Rune sat up straight in his chair, his dinner barely touched as he was struggling to converse with all three diplomats at once. Rath was answering as best he could, but the men were even getting Rune frustrated. Under the guise of being curious about their neighboring country and the new sovereigns, they were asking questions ranging from general politics to downright invasive of their privacy.
"So as I understand it, the previous Dragon Lady was barren, was she not? I'm wondering then, how is it you came to be the new ruler, Lord Rath?"
Rath's face was quite a site to behold. He was unable to maintain the perfect picture of benevolence as Lykouleon was so apt to do, but he looked like he was trying not to glare and his eye was faintly twitching. Unnoticed by most of the room's occupants, Cesia squeezed his hand under the table.
He cleared his throat. "Ah. Well, you see. I'm not his son, though he raised me like one more or less. Rather, I'm actually his… illegitimate brother, so to speak."
Inwardly, Rune grimaced at the wording. Thatz was chewing his food nonchalantly, looking entirely unconcerned with the whole affair. The diplomats all tutted and murmured amongst themselves and looked suitably shocked.
"My, you speak quite frankly of such… a delicate matter. What exactly do you mean by 'illegitimate?'"
Rath grinned, deciding to drop any pretense of manners. "Not to worry, my good men. While I may not have a pure pedigree, I am an entirely suitable, and really the only suitable person to take the position of Dragon Lord."
"Unfortunate, but true." Thatz dropped his fork mid-bite, the only indication that Rune had kicked him under the table.
It was going to be a long meeting…
Thatz smiled as he casually ambled away from the Dragon Castle, glad to be away from that stuffy diplomatic atmosphere. The streets of Draqueen were often crowded and full of busy people off on errands, doing their shopping, socializing with friends and neighbors. It was loud and friendly, he didn't see how these foreign men could find fault with it.
The crowd was so large, few people noticed a small, bedraggled-looking boy in dusty tattered clothing. The boy liked it that way, his light azure eyes scanned the crowds, looking for unlucky victims. He spied the White Dragon officer, whose pocket appeared unguarded and he smiled softly to himself before stepping into the flowing crowd himself to follow his target. The boy pulled a worn brown hat down further over his face, covering his not-so-inconspicuous bright blond hair. The green-haired man he was following seemed completely oblivious of him, wandering the streets at a leisurely pace.
It was at that moment that the young boy chose to strike. He began running and let himself collide half-way with the man in front of him, his fingers dipping nimbly into a pocket and pulling out a thick wallet. He muttered "sorry" as an apology for bumping into the taller man and was about to run off with his prize, when he felt himself pulled back suddenly by his collar.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" asked a voice. It was coming from his prey, who was now peering down at him with a suspicious gaze.
"W-what?" he asked, totally off-guard.
A hand with long, slender fingers and an x-shaped scar on the back released the scruff of his collar, then reached out and plucked the leather wallet from where the boy had hidden it in one of his pockets. "You thought I would just let you get away with taking my wallet? What a little pick-pocket!"
The blond-haired boy looked up at him, wide-eyed with surprise. He thought he had been perfect! How did this idiot notice him, let alone catch him? He turned to run, when he felt himself grabbed again. He began struggling to free himself from the surprisingly strong grip Thatz had on him. When that didn't work, he tried different tactics.
Looking up at the green-haired man with large, watery eyes, he said in a small quivery voice, "Please, mister. I was desperate. My little sister's really sick and thought if I only stole, just this once, it would be okay…"
"Ha! A liar too." He began dragging the younger boy down the street with him. The steady tapping of his boots on the cobblestone contrasted with the shuffling, dragging sound of the boy's own cloth shoes.
And now the pick-pocket really started to panic. Where was he taking him? He didn't want to be turned in to the officials! He couldn't! He was too young to be sent to jail for petty crimes! His mind conjured an image of himself sitting forlornly in a dark, barred cell and he started to struggle in earnest.
"Jeez, you sure put up a fuss." Thatz pulled him over across the street to a bar he knew very well and pushed open the door. But why were they here? the boy wondered. He found himself shoved onto a wooden stool at the counter. It tipped one way and then the other, clattering as he adjusted his weight on it. "Do you know this kid?" asked the green-haired man to the bartender.
"Ah. Hiren. Yeah, I know him," replied Master's calm voice. "Did he try to steal from you?" At Hiren's guilty expression and the older man's exasperated one, the bartender let out a laugh. "He didn't get away with it, did he Thatz? Wouldn't that be a blow to your pride!"
"No, he did not! I caught him red handed just as he was trying to run away!"
Hiren glanced between the two, confused. "Wait. Master, do you know this guy?"
The white-haired man grinned. "Sure do. Thatz here was born and raised on the streets of Draqueen, same as you. He's an old regular. Been a few years though, now…"
Thatz grinned sheepishly, scratching at his green locks. "Sorry. There's been a lot happening. You know how things get."
The barkeeper smiled. "Well, I would've had to have been blind and deaf to not notice all that has happened recently. I'm sure you were busy."
Hiren sat up, protesting, "But I've never seen him before in my life!"
"I've been traveling," replied Thatz. "But it sure is nice coming back here… Nostalgic, even. Brings back such memories."
"Were you really born here? You're dressed pretty fancy for one of our bunch. And there was a lot of money in that wallet of yours, I could feel it." Hiren was still suspicious of this man. He peered quizzically at the older one dressed in a soft cotton shirt and dark leather pants. He had a pair of fashionable boots on as well. Over it all he had a heavy coat with a high collar that looked like it was probably fitted and made just for him. Then he realized something else… He was missing an arm! The boy's eyes widened slightly in astonishment.
"Yes, Thatz. Have things been going well for you?" asked the Master. "Or have you just been out thieving recently?"
Thatz grinned. "Nah, I don't steal stuff so much anymore. Not respectable, me working for the Dragon Lord and all."
"You work for the Dragon Lord?" exclaimed Hiren. He leaned over on the stool, placing his hands on the edge to steady himself. "But you used to be a thief? I don't get it, why would the Dragon Lord hire a common thief to work for him?"
"I was not just a common thief!" Thatz retorted indignantly. "I was the best thief in all of Draqueen! I probably still would be if Kitchel hadn't decided to 'take up her old hobby' as she put it," he muttered.
"You know Kitchel too, then?" asked Hiren. "Hmm… She told me she worked for Lord Lykouleon, but that was because he needed someone who could steal things for him. Is that what you were hired to do? Did the new Dragon Lord need someone to steal something?"
"Not exactly, no…" He took the Master's offered platter of food with a mutter of thanks, and started shoveling food into his mouth.
"Then what do you do?"
There was no answer from either the green-haired man who was in the midst of swallowing a mouthful of rice, or Master, who had preoccupied himself with something in the kitchen.
When Thatz was done, he still didn't give the kid a straight answer. "I just do whatever needs doing…" was his quiet reply. He was somber for a moment, but the next he returned to being energetic. He waved down the bartender. "Another helping please!"
He continued eating and Hiren pondered him quietly, a small frown on his young face.
"You know," Thatz said between mouthfuls. "Working for the Dragon Lord ain't all it's cracked up to be. There's a lot of hard work involved and there are often some pretty dangerous risks to the job."
"Do you miss living here then?"
Thatz smiled, but it was a bit sad, a bit nostalgic, as he looked around at the old bar that had been standing in Draqueen for years. "Miss it? Yeah… In a way, I suppose I do…"
This place had been his whole world for the first seventeen years of his life, afterall…
A young boy, no older than five or six was huddled under the sleeve of his mother's coat. He was a scrawny thing, with a mess of dark green hair and skin tanned and rough from being out and exposed to the elements all the time. His mother was young, probably barely out of her teens, and still beautiful, though her expression was tired and weary.
They were out on the street, trying to make a bit of money by selling flowers they had picked just outside the city. It was unusual for them to make much money, but it was unseasonably cold, to the point that it had started to snow, and they usually got a bit more out of pity on days like this. The woman was coughing heavily, and had been for weeks now. The boy knew his mother was sick, but what little they made wasn't enough for them to see a doctor.
After standing outside in the cold for hours, the two headed towards the one place they could seek shelter for just a bit without getting kicked out. The building was neither old nor new, but for all the child knew, the bar had always been there to take in weary workers and travelers who wanted someplace to relax after the day's trials.
The two shuffled inside, the bells attached to the door ringing cheerfully at their entrance. The bartender looked up from the two older men he was serving. "Ah, it's you! Come in, come in! It's cold out there. I've got a free table over there in the corner, why don't ya and yer boy have a seat?" The man's sincere smile could be seen beneath his bushy mustache. "Jin? Where are ya, boy?" he called back to the kitchens. "Scrounge up a bit of hot soup for these two, will ya?"
The woman pulled her son over to the spot and pulled her coat off, now that she was a tad warmer. Trying to smother her cough with her sleeve, she still smiled gratefully as a blonde teenager set a bowl of soup in front of them. "Thank you," she whispered. Blowing a bit on a steaming spoonful, she took a cautious sip, and deciding that it wasn't too hot, she let her son have his fill.
The bartender meandered over to the table where they sat. "How are ya doin'? You don't look too good, missy." He said, not unkindly.
She smiled, but it was forced. "I've been better," she replied in a quiet voice, before coughing again. "Thank you so much Takafuji. If it wasn't for your kindness, I don't know where Thatz and I would be." She looked down at her son and stroked his head. The boy looked up from his soup at his mother and then at Takafuji.
"I wish I could do more for ya. It's hard to see ya so sick like this. Hopefully the weather will warm up soon and ya'll start to feel better, eh?"
But the weather didn't get better, on the contrary it got considerably worse until finally, out of nowhere, it stopped and warmed again like springtime. But by then the damage had been done.
The family of two shared a little lean-to shack hidden in the back of an alley, made up of scraps of wood and fabric and held together with twine and other garbage no one wanted. The young Thatz woke up one morning and peaked outside to warm sunshine and puddles of melting snow. He grinned, delighted, but when he went to get his mother to tell her the good news, that the snow was gone, she didn't wake up. He shook her and called to her until his voice was hoarse. Then he cried.
Through all their hardships, Thatz had hardly ever cried. When they were sleeping in the streets with barely enough food to survive, he didn't cry. When they were treated badly by someone they asked for money, he didn't cry. When other neighborhood kids made fun of him, he didn't cry. Because he'd always been with his mother, and they had each other. But now, he was all alone.
Thatz broke away from his memories. He didn't like to think about it too much. He didn't have very many memories of his mother, and he didn't particularly miss her anymore, but it still saddened him to know that she had died. He'd never really been able to talk about it with anyone at the Dragon Castle. He figured it would have upset Lykouleon and Raseleane. It wasn't long after he'd arrived at the castle that he learned the period of cold and snow was caused by the Lord's sorrow after Nadil had stolen Raseleane away. He never held it against the Lord, but he still didn't feel like talking about it.
He decided to think of other things. "Come to think of it, how is Takafuji doing? I haven't had the chance to visit him, is he still enjoying his retirement?"
The blond barkeeper grinned. "Yup, you know how he is. He spends his afternoons with a good book and a glass of wine, the old coot. You should drop by his place later Thatz. I'm sure he'd be glad to know you're doing well."
Hiren looked between the two. "Takafuji? Who's that?"
"He's my uncle and he was the bar master before me. I helped him out around the place until he finally decided he was too old for the job. That's when I took over the place. Did you think I'd been working here forever? I don't stay young forever like the Dragon Clan, you know?" He winked at Thatz.
"Oi, we're not young forever. You're talking like we're vampires or something. We just age differently, that's all," Thatz scoffed.
"Uh-huh, tell that to them." He nodded a group of men who just walked into the bar. "Hey boys, look who decided to stop by."
The first, a dark-haired man, stopped dead in his tracks. "Holy Dusis. Thatz, is that you?"
Thatz's eyes widened. "Asuka?"
The one behind him had a beard and peered around the first man for a better look. "Blimey! If it wasn't for those fancy threads of yours, I'd say you hadn't changed a bit! I guess being part of the Dragon Clan really has it's perks, eh?"
The group came up and started patting Thatz on the back, saying how much they had missed having the troublemaker around, and they convinced Thatz to buy them a round. And he obliged.
Amongst the merry-making, Hiren was starting to feel forgotten. "So Asuka, you know this guy too?"
Asuka grinned and ruffled the kid's hair. He said, "Yeah, back when I had just become a gang leader, I took this guy under my wing. Remember when you first started thieving, Thatz? You were such a scrawny little thing then. But I felt so sorry for you, I just couldn't leave you alone."
"You weren't such hot stuff yourself back then. 'Gang leader?' More like leader of the mischief-making street kids. Your half-assed plans almost got us killed on more than one occasion."
Asuka laughed. "Maybe. We had a helluva good time though, didn't we?"
Thatz grinned and used his good arm to raise his mug in a toast. A good time indeed…
"Hey new kid!"
Thatz looked up at one of the older boys.
"You're gonna be on guard duty tonight. You know the signal to use, right?"
He nodded and made a cooing noise like the pigeons that hung around the city. Just this morning they had taught him how to do it, since it was how they alerted each other of danger without giving themselves away. He had just started hanging out with the gang a few days ago. At first, he had been hesitant—he and his mother never stole anything before. But she was gone now and he'd run out of options. Tonight would be the first job he helped with. And by job, he meant heist.
The sun had set several hours ago. Most of the locals who weren't still at the bars were already at home, getting ready for sleep. The town was quiet. But their group wouldn't be able to rest for a good while yet. For them, the night was just beginning.
The leader of the gang, Asuka, came over, perhaps sensing his anxiety, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry shorty, you'll do fine." He grinned and walked off. He was only thirteen years old, but he walked with authority. He was in charge of their ragtag group and was the one responsible for bringing them, the outcast kids of society, together. Thatz looked up to him.
"Alright guys, this is it! Tonight we're sneaking into that stuffy old inn on the main street. They think they're so special and fancy and they don't give a rat's ass about kids like us!" Kids around muttered their agreement and encouraged Asuka to go on. "Well tonight, we're gonna give them a little surprise they won't soon forget! And afterwards, we will eat like kings!" At that more than anything else, the kids cheered. They hadn't had a good meal in days. "Are you ready? Does everybody know their jobs?"
They all nodded, quiet once more.
"Okay! Split up and head towards the inn!"
They split into groups and took various routes to their destination. A large group of kids traveling down the street in the middle of the night might arouse suspicion in anyone still out and about. There were nine of them altogether, including Thatz. Two would stay on the street, two just outside of the inn, and the oldest five would do the actual breaking in and stealing. Thatz would be one of the two keeping guard outside of the inn.
Asuka, another kid whose name he didn't remember, and Thatz all crept down the street. There was no one around, but the street lamps were lit and they moved as quickly and quietly as possible with their bare feet. The main street was just around the corner and a little ways down was the inn.
Only a few people lingered on the main street. A couple of drunk men tottered past them and another man in a long officer's coat was walking briskly down the street and turned the corner just as they reached the inn. Aside from that, there was no one.
"Perfect," Asuka whispered. They all ducked into the alley next to the inn. The others were already there waiting. "The officer just passed by. He won't make his rounds back this way for another twenty minutes or so. That should be just enough time. We move now!" In a silent flurry of movement, the kids were off putting their plan into action. Even though they were just kids, they were well organized. Life on the street had taught them to grow up fast.
Thatz stayed in the alley, where the older kids would be entering the inn from. He watched attentively as Asuka pulled out a long, thin piece of metal and fiddled with one of the windows. After a moment, it popped open with just a squeak of resistance and the group hopped inside.
Thatz's heart was racing, its beat pounding in his ears. Now that he was alone in the alley, he felt like all of his senses were on high alert. Every gust of the wind, every little noise, every shadow in the darkness had him on edge. But all he could do was wait. Seconds became minutes and the minutes felt like hours…
A crash. Coming from within the inn, not outside of it, followed by shouting. Thatz heard the sounds of what sounded like a struggle coming from inside. He was frozen in place until a burlap sack came hurtling out the window, followed by the boys, all carrying bags. One of them shoved a bag into Thatz's hands. It was Asuka, whose eyes were wide with fear, but he was grinning like a fool.
"Run!" he shouted, and off they raced, down the streets, crossing every which way and taking different routes, just like the way they'd come. Thatz could still hear shouting behind them, men's voices, but he didn't dare look back. He just struggled to keep up with Asuka as they tore through side streets, alleys, around buildings and trash.
It wasn't until they finally reached their make-shift hideout that he realized how tired he was and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. The rest of them, all nine safely back, were in much the same condition. Asuka kept on his feet, but he was leaning heavily on the wall for support, his bag of what Thatz imagined must be the stolen goods was on the ground beside him. The green-haired boy remembered his own bag that he'd been carrying and took a peek inside.
Apples. Dozens of apples, reddening and nearly ripe. His mouth watered.
"My friends," Asuka started in a voice still trying to catch his breath. It seemed as though he would make another small speech, like the one from before their heist. But instead he just grinned at them and declared, "We feast!"
They set aside the trinkets and money they had taken and tore into the stolen food. Loaves of bread and cheese and fruit. Someone set up a fire to make a stew out of some of the meat they had managed to grab. As Thatz devoured the food, his body worn and tired, he felt like this was the closest thing he had ever felt to heaven. From that day on, his appetite for food and thieving were almost unequalled.
Thatz smiled. "You guys really were like family to me back then. I don't know what I would've done without you."
"Hey now, don't be getting all sappy and sentimental on us. And what do you mean 'were?' We're still family, ain't we?"
Thatz laughed. "I'll drink to that!" They clinked their mugs together and downed their drinks once more.
Asuka set his mug down with a sigh. "Now then. How about you tell us what you've been up to? How'd you lose your arm? I'm sure that's a story worth telling."
"Oh this?" Thatz rubbed his shoulder with his good hand, feeling the stub of an arm that was left after his battle with Feldelta at the end of their war with the demons. "It's really not such a huge deal. I lost it while fighting a demon when we were under siege. In the end I killed that bastard, but he certainly put up a fight until his last breath."
Hiren looked up at him with wide eyes. "Then you fought in the war?" More and more his respect for this man was growing and he wondered how it was that Master or any of the others hadn't told him about Thatz before. To think he tried to rob him!
One of his buddies patted Thatz on the back. "Of course he fought! He's a Dragon Knight!"
Hiren almost fell off his chair at that and Thatz laughed. "I was. Not anymore, though. There's no longer a need for the Knights since Nadil is gone. I'm the Blue Dragon Officer of Foreign Affairs now."
"What? How did you end up with such a respectable job?"
"Yeah, they should've kicked you out so you could come be a regular bum like us, eh?"
"What, you mean like Kitchel did?"
They laughed again, perhaps having had one too many drinks.
"So where is Kitchel right now? I haven't seen her for a while either."
"Oh, she's around. She just got back into town last night." Master sent him a mischievous glance. "Probably trying to sneak up on her favorite person right about now."
Thatz groaned. "Poor Tetheus."
"What, who's the unlucky fellow?" His friends all crowded around him. "We always used to think you two would end up together. What with the way you guys were always going on."
Thatz raised an eyebrow. "Well we certainly started off with a bang."
The Dragon Lord had decided to throw a celebration after the defeat of a demon who had been racing across Dusis and wreaking havoc. Of course, he couldn't fit everyone into his Castle, humongous though it may be, but that didn't stop the rest of the city from celebrating in their own way. Bonfires were lit, food and drink were plentiful, and everyone was out to have a good time.
Meaning no one would be on guard, expecting a robbery. And the bar master's nephew had tipped him off that there was quite a pretty piece of jewelry hidden away in the home of the local butcher's, and Thatz had never liked him so he felt little remorse stealing from him.
There was no one hanging around the neighborhood, since they were all out celebrating in the main street and he picked the lock to the front door unseen. He snickered quietly to himself. It was just too easy. He slipped quickly into the master bedroom of the house. According to Master's information, the treasure he was after was hidden in a chest in the closet. It was hard to see in the darkness, but he managed to make out a shape on the floor. The… chest…?
It was already opened! He sensed a quick motion behind him and spun around just in time to see the bedroom door slam shut.
"Dammit!" he cursed. Someone had gotten there before him? While the door slowed him down a fraction, it wasn't locked and he yanked it open and raced out to the front entrance. Whoever it was hadn't bothered closing the front door. How careless.
Thatz dashed out into the street, spinning about, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever had stolen his treasure. A figure was slipping into a nearby alley. Gotcha, Thatz thought. He sprinted to the alley's entrance and past piles of crates and garbage. His target was in sight, just turning the corner, but he was gaining. He could make out the person's slim figure, now racing through the crowd of a busier street. He made sure not to lose sight of him.
The crowd was getting thicker and all around him people were dancing, laughing, moving, making it hard for him to run very fast. But he was a thief, one of the best in Draqueen, and he would not be thwarted!
He saw the other dash around another corner. Thatz leaped over a fence via a shortcut he knew. He came tearing back out into the crowded street and ran straight into the thief he was chasing. Neither of them were expecting it and the two lost their balance, crashing into a man carrying a crate filled with fireworks of all things, sending him careening into one of the many bonfires, setting off a tremendous explosion of light and sound as the fireworks lit and went off one by one. It served as a great distraction to pull the attention away from the two thieves still lying on the ground.
Thatz had the smaller guy pinned down and he glared, taking in his oddly large eyes with long eyelashes, flowing chestnut hair, and... boobs? The girl beneath him caught his incredulous stare and grinned. "Like what you see?" she asked with a smirk.
"You're a girl?" was his intelligent reply.
"Of course I'm a girl," she answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Only a real woman would have need of fine jewelry such as this." She held up the strands of jewels she had taken.
Thatz snatched it away and she pouted. "This was MY target, thank you very much."
"But I stole it first!"
"But I caught you!"
They stayed there on the ground in a glaring match until Kitchel sighed. "Fine, whatever. Just let me up, will you?" She didn't want any unnecessary attention drawn to them just because they were too stubborn to stand up off the ground.
Thatz still eyed her suspiciously, but he got up and offered her a hand, slipping the necklace into his pocket.
"I have to say, I'm impressed. No one's ever managed to catch me before, it's a first! I'm Kitchel. What's your name?"
"Thatz," he said warily.
"Well Thatz, let me offer you a little consolation prize." She leaned forward and kissed him. Quickly, lightly on the lips. The fireworks were still exploding brilliantly in the background behind them. Thatz's cheeks turned a light shade of rose to match. "Maybe I'll see you around!" She waved and disappeared into the crowd with all the stealth of an experienced thief.
"A consolation prize? What does she mean by…?" He felt around in his pockets and realized they were missing something very important and valuable. He glared after her suddenly, but it was too late; she was already long gone. "You dirty pickpocket!" he screamed at wherever she was now hiding.
Thatz wore a fond smile as he said his good byes to Master, Asuka, and his new young friend Hiren, who had taken a much greater liking to him after learning more about him. The sky was dark, the moon hidden behind a patch of clouds, and the shadows made by the street lamps were long and dark. But Thatz had nothing to fear. He knew the city at night as well as he did at day, something that few could claim. Yes, this was his city, and it would always be his home.
With that thought, he turned and strode off into the night, back towards the Dragon Palace.
Garfakcy sat still in the dark. His yellow eyes, almost too bright a hue for a human such as himself, were fixed on one spot. He couldn't bring himself to move, to stir from where he sat staring, but unseeing. The castle had been dismal lately. More than usual. Ever since Nadil had been defeated and Rath took the throne of Dusis, Kharl had been listless and depressed. It was the worst that Garfakcy had ever seen him, and it made Garfakcy himself rather depressed.
Master Kharl did not often speak about Rath directly. Even after all these years of being together with him, Garfakcy was unsure of exactly what the relationship between Rath and Kharl was, but he knew that Rath was very important to him. And so he knew that his master's despair was probably directly related to Rath.
Garfakcy couldn't bring himself to ask. But he couldn't just do nothing either.
After many long moments, Garfakcy forced himself to move. He slid from his spot, blinked his eyes owlishly in the dark, and pattered away down one of their castle's many hallways. He stopped outside a doorway and was quiet. He listened intently for any sound from within, any sign of stirring. The door was slightly ajar, so he peeked inside.
Within the rooms there was little in the way of furnishings. A small desk with a bit of parchment sat by the window, with nothing but moonlight to illuminate the pages. In the center of the room was a large bed. Sheets and blankets of magnificent silk and cotton flowed over the lump in the center of the mattress. I tangled mess of silvery lavender hair spilled out at the top.
Garfakcy was worried. He had hardly ever seen Kharl sleep so much before. As a demon, he didn't need much sleep and he was always busy researching or experimenting on something or another. Garfakcy almost never saw his master so still. He didn't like it. He knew he had to do something about it.
He turned and headed off, back the way he came. His new destination was Kharl's private library. He hadn't bothered going in there much before, and he was sure that his master's lack of any sort of organization would drive him mad, but now he needed to do some research of his own. He was going to help Master Kharl, whether he wanted it or not.
So, I've actually stuck to my schedule and updated within a month! Hooray! I decided to post this today as a little Valentine's gift to any DK fans actually reading this.
Anyway, this chapter was focused on Thatz's background. I don't think any of you would recall, but a while ago I had posted the intro to a story called "Paint the Dawn in Shades of Green" which was going to be an entire multi-chapter story about Thatz's past. But I took that down and the intro was edited and used near the beginning of this chapter. Also, once again: any character names (with the exception of Jin, the name I gave Master) are taken from other Mineko Ohkami characters.
So. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, Thatz is honestly one of my favorite characters so I wanted to write more about him. I hope I didn't bore anyone. But the next chapter will go back to the regular plot, so look forward to that.
Reviews and constructive criticism are more than welcome! And Happy Valentine's Day!
