"Well if it isn't my old friend, the electric Rai-Guy."
Raiden stopped for a brief moment at the voice that called out behind him, and immediately knew that he would regret doing so. He had been greatly hoping to avoid the man while he was here on the Special Forces base- although he supposed some things just couldn't be ignored. Or rather, some people. The movie star wasn't normally around much these days; if he wasn't seeing Cassie off on her missions, than he was back in the city working on... whatever it was that his career called for. And judging by the way both General Blade and Jax had spoken about it, it couldn't have been anything good.
In terms of quality, of course.
Giving out a brisk sigh, and knowing that the ongoing situation would be impossible to bypass, Raiden slowly turned around to face the approaching man. "Cage," he spoke, as he carefully crossed his arms over his chest, "I can only assume that you heard the news then."
"The old God of Thunder is thinking about getting married is what I heard through the grapevine," Johnny replied, before he pushed down on his sunglasses just before he continued. "And hooking it up with the Edenian Queen herself. Nice catch."
... This was precisely why he was looking to avoid the man.
But General Blade had asked for his opinion on an expedition that the OWIA was spearheading, and in order to make an honest choice, he needed to be here on base; he needed to listen in on the ongoing discussions between her and her Outworld crew. He had to admit he had been... rather distracted the entire time they were speaking, and even now he had a hard time remembering what the discussions were about.
He had more important things to worry about than whatever was going on in Outworld right now.
He had relinquished the realm to Mileena's control after all- in exchange for the Edenian orb that she held in her possession. It was one of the few things she had managed to keep away from Kotal Kahn's hands, which worked well into their favor. Kotal Kahn had spoken several times of merging the realms into one, which would no doubt lead to total anarchy and armageddon. But such a thing did not interest Mileena. As long as she got Outworld for herself, she did not bother with anyone or anything else.
Still... perhaps he should've been quicker with his escape from the SF base.
"Well, since you have knowledge of this ongoing topic, do you have something useful you wish to add to this discussion?" Raiden pressed. "I have many things to attend to today, and I cannot afford to waste my time."
"Yeah, do Gods like you get down and dirty?" Johnny questioned, making a rather crude gesture with both of his hands. "I mean, word on the street is that Fujin is pretty popular with the ladies, and the guys, but you-"
"I'll take that as a no," he sharply interrupted, hoping it would end the man's useless tangent- although it seemed to have the opposite effect; it only seemed to encourage his behavior.
"I'm just saying," the actor shrugged, "which hey, if you need any pointers, just let me know."
Raiden frowned at the suggestive remark, and figured it was best to just walk away from this conversation now before it got worse. But... part of him decided otherwise; part of him decided that it was worth fighting back at least this one time. "That's quite alright," he assured, "General Blade warned me that you would make an offer, and told me that your 'pointers' would be less than adequate."
Almost immediately, he saw the man's face twist in a mixed look of shock and surprise.
It was enough to catch a brief laugh on the tip of his tongue.
And enough for even the movie star to crack a grin.
"Ha. Ha." Johnny mocked, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised you went to her first about this proposal idea- in fact, I'm a little hurt."
"Do not worry, she has already reprimanded me for it," Raiden replied. "I have already spoken with Jax about certain domestic information that I might wish to take into consideration when making my decision on this proposal. And as much as it pains me to ask, is there anything you might wish to add- anything useful? You get one chance with this, Cage."
The man took a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes. "Look, marriage ain't easy. Sometimes you put everything into it, and it doesn't work out, no matter what you do. It's a day by day kind of thing. You're gonna need to keep things up, you're gonna need to keep checking in on her, making sure she's just as happy, if not more happy than you are. So that, at least at the end of the day, the two of you have that in common. I'm sure you've gotten better advice from Jax- I mean, that man clearly knows how to keep a woman happy; hell, he's the only guy I know who can keep Sonya happy for more then ten minutes. But back on track, all I can say is that, you're going to have your good and bad days, and the bad ones are really gonna fuck with you. So just... give it everything every chance you get."
Raiden felt himself taken back by the rather genuine answer.
He had been hesitant to get the man's opinion on the matter- especially considering how his own married had ended. And considering how General Blade refused to speak about it.
"... I'm surprised, Cage, that was rather-"
"And always make sure that she's satisfied in the bedroom- that's a big one, a lot of people skip over that one-"
"And now I've already wasted my breath speaking here," Raiden finished. "Thank you for your input, I will put it into consideration... maybe."
The man lightly socked him on the arm and laughed. "Look, my man, my fly guy, you just let me know what that lucky lady says, alright?"
Raiden didn't feel the need to correct the man.
After all, Sindel already knew her answer.
It was his that was still needed.
"... Of course."
Raiden wouldn't admit that, after his talk with Cage, he purposely wasted more time at the Special Forces base. He spoke once more with Jax, and even with Kenshi- although the blind swordsman had little to offer him in terms of advice; he did offer his best wishes though.
He eventually returned to the Sky Temple just before the sun fell back behind the horizon.
It felt as though he had plenty of advice and wisdom to work off of, to incorporate into his decision. He wanted to make one soon- after all, he didn't wish to keep Queen Sindel waiting. Although the royalty had ultimately given him no deadline for an answer, it wasn't an excuse for him to keep stringing her along. She deserved to know where she stood with him as soon as reasonably possible.
It took him some time to find a quiet place to settle and gather his thoughts.
Despite repeated attempts at finding solitude, Bo' Rai Cho insisted on following him around, asking many, many questions- far too many for just one person to ask. Raiden simply waited for the man to pass out from drinking first, as he knew the man would, before he finally relocated to the rooftops of one of the temples. It was quiet, and out of the sight of the many, which was... good enough.
"Still thinking the proposal over, I presume?"
Raiden stilled at the voice, somehow both surprised, and not surprised by its sudden appearance. Sighing, he slowly turned and watched as Fujin made his way towards him- although the Wind God stopped when Raiden was fully facing him. He hadn't even heard Fujin's initial approach, which was... a given, he supposed. The man controlled the wind, and could levitate himself enough to avoid footsteps whenever he wished.
"Perhaps I should've kept my mouth shut," Fujin remarked, "would've given you a righteous kick right over the edge."
His tone was still stiff- no doubt a lingering effect from their argument the day before.
It was the main reason Raiden had been reluctant to return to the Sky Temple in the first place.
The two of them had yet to settle their differences over the matter, which... was hardly much of an issue now. It had hardly been much of an argument to begin with, but emotions had been high and it had been a less than suitable situation. Of course, it was much easier to look back on it now and see that it was nothing more than a petty trade of words. In the moment, it had felt different.
"Dare I ask what your answer might be?"
Fujin's words came out strung with reluctance, which was easy to read by the way he stiffly crossed his arms.
The Wind God wanted an answer as much as anyone here did.
Himself included.
Raiden gave a brief sigh before he decided to speak. "I was brash with you the other day," he started. "You were only doing what you thought was right... and after speaking with several of our allies, I've come to realize that you were right. I'm sorry for disregarding you. You were well within your right to ask, and what you had to say was quite important to take into account."
It was a little difficult to ignore what might've been a look of surprise on his younger brother.
Their arguments weren't often long-lived, mostly due in part to the atmospheric effects they could cause on the surrounding environment. And General Blade was always quick to get on their case about it. Still, their indifferences could be dragged out for days at a time- and over things much less than this.
"Thank you," Fujin started. "I know you were just under a lot of stress, and needed some time to yourself, and... I pushed a little too much when I shouldn't have. I have my own apologies to make. I'm just glad you've taken some time to step back and look at this situation from a different perspective."
The Wind God was always quicker to forgive than he was.
More often than not, Fujin would dissipate arguments much quicker if they originated from his side.
Raiden supposed that it made him seem far more stubborn- which he was. But he also knew that he couldn't continue on with this decision without his brother's input, and without his approval either. They were each other's only source of family...
"Tell me then, what did our friends have to say about this ordeal?" Fujin pressed; his tone lighter, and more approachable now.
"Many of them have agreed that, from a diplomatic standpoint, it is secure and just. Edenia is a well-established ally that we wish to protect, and... despite our previous grievances with Outworld, it is a way to open the doors, so to say, to a better standing with them as well," Raiden spoke. "I have my own concerns with Outworld, but Master Bo' Rai Cho is insistent that we help where we can with the realm."
"It has seen better days, but hope is not lost," Fujin assured. "What of your personal standing with this?"
He knew the question would be coming up. "It is... worth the shot."
It was a sheltered, close-to-the-chest sort of answer, but it seemed to appeal to the Wind God enough to leave it as it was.
"Have you had the chance to speak to Lui Kang about this?"
Raiden frowned at the spoken name, and tried not to give any other outwardly reactions to it. "No. Unfortunately... we have yet to speak."
Or rather, more correctly, Lui Kang still refused to speak to him.
And it wasn't like Raiden could blame the man; after all, he... he was the cause for Lui Kang's death, and his eventual turn into a Revenant. His murder had weighed heavily on his conscious for decades since. It was an accident that he would certainly never live down, or forget about. Much like his argument with Fujin, it was easy to look back on the ordeal now and realize just how at fault he was for the whole matter- how at fault he was for allowing everyone to die. But in that moment, twenty-five years in the past, he thought he was in the right; he got so wound up in his emotions, and the ongoing situation- and the two of them yelling at one another didn't help.
He lost control of his anger, his energy...
It was why he was so insistent on how he made his decisions now. No matter how much annoyance it might bring to General Blade, or even to Fujin, he would not make such incorrect decisions again.
Fujin bore a look of concern, no doubt surprised, and maybe hurt, to learn that he and Lui Kang's close relationship was non-existent now. But the man did his best to tuck the look away, trying to ease it back behind a force smile. "I'm sure... I'm sure Lui Kang will come around, just give him time," even his tone was hesitant and reluctant to admit to much else but false hope. "What about Kung Lao? Did he have anything to offer, or perhaps valuable input?"
Kung Lao was much like Fujin, easy to forgive and forget when necessary.
And even if this situation did not follow that logic, he put it behind him regardless. As he had once stated before, he spent twenty-five years reliving the past in the fires of the Netherrealm; he was ready to look to the future for once, no matter how hard it might be.
"His only offer of words was that Queen Sindel is incredibly strong, and that it is easy to see where Princess Kitana got her looks from," Raiden repeated.
"Lao, why?"
He chuckled lightly at Fujin's look of exasperation- glad that at least he and Kung Lao's relationship had not changed. "Regardless, many of our allies offered great words of advice, quite enough to take into consideration," Raiden started. "Their words coupled with my own thoughts on the matter have... allowed me to evaluate what I want from this arrangement as well."
"Which is?" Fujin pressed.
"As you know well, the relationship Queen Sindel and I have with one another has been a long, and sometimes dark one; we've seen each other through many grievances, and tragedies. Life has not always been kind to her, and... neither have I at some points- and yet, she still wishes to see this proposal though. I know she sees Edenia in this; she sees safety for her people, and for her daughters. And somewhere in all of it, she sees me too," he spoke. "And I won't try to deny that I see her too."
"You and Sindel share many, many secrets, my brother," Fujin remarked, only to add with a grin, "- although some not as secretive as others."
Raiden stilled at the remark, and watched as the motion drew a quick laugh from his brother. "Yes well... different times, Fujin."
"You still have not answered my question," he reminded. "What is it that you wish to see in this?"
"... I wish to see her happy."
Raiden spent the rest of the night with Fujin on the rooftops, reminiscing about old times and questioning things about the future. It was a way to pass the time until he would leave for Edenia. He had made his choice and... there was no sense in elongating the process; he would not make her wait any longer than necessary.
Although that wasn't to say that Fujin didn't have to give him a pep talk, or two when the time to depart finally came.
The assurances helped, but the threat of Fujin going to Edenia to give his answer to the Queen himself was enough to finally push him over.
And Raiden would be lying if he said that he wasn't nervous when he finally arrived in Edenia. He would be lying if he said that he didn't have to take extra precautions in controlling his fluctuating energy. The Edenian atmosphere was forgiving and light; it would be all too easy for him to have lightning spark from his fingertips- especially at an inconvenient time.
... He would be lying if he said that his nerves didn't get worse as he slowly made his way through the Edenian palace- knowing full and well that the Edenian Queen was aware of his arrival already.
He wondered if she was as nervous as he was.
"Oh, Lord Raiden, we weren't anticipating your arrival today."
He paused briefly at the words, and watched as Kitana and Jade stepped out from one of the adjacent corridors and crossed paths with him; it was either by coincidence, or done so on purpose. "I have urgent business that I must discuss with your mother," he answered- although he was certain that they already knew what it was.
And such claim was confirmed by the brief look the two shot one another.
"Of course," Kitana nodded, offering a brief smile. "She is in the sun room right now, but I will inform her of your arrival."
"Thank you."
Raiden watched as the two went on ahead, moving at a quicker than normal pace. As much as he tried to avoid it, he couldn't help but to think what they might've thought about the whole proposal ordeal. Sindel would've informed both Kitana and Jade about it, and would've no doubt talked in length about the entire process. And considering that neither of them met him with a scornful look, it told him that at the very least... they didn't hate the idea.
Eventually reaching the sun room, he took a deep breath, straightened himself out, and made his way through the partially open doorway; which had, no doubt, been left open in anticipation for his arrival. A sun room was a staple in most Edenian houses due to the quiet nature of it; it was usually one long, narrow room connected to an open balcony, which allowed for the sun to bleed in and fill every corner. It was a private place to sunbathe, and was often furnished with several couches and chairs to relax in; one could spend hours at a time in one, and not turn a single shade of red.
Not to mention, Edenia was prone to storms and cloudy days, so people tried to enjoy the sun as much as they could when it was available.
"Lord Raiden," Sindel greeted, as she slowly pushed herself up from her reclining couch. A cloak of sheer lace draped and folded across her elegant body with her movements, although keeping what it needed to cover, covered. It accented her natural body and age, bringing out the long years of experience that turned her into the picture of a would be Edenian Goddess. And the smile that adorned her darkly-painted lips... it was hard to describe- impossible even. "It's good to see you again- especially so soon," she mused.
He found himself having to remember to breathe.
"As it is to see you," Raiden spoke with a nod, as he made the slow walk over to her- feeling just the slightest hint of electricity on his fingertips. "I apologize for making you wait, and... I will not waste any more time regarding your proposal."
"Excellent. What is your answer?"