Chapter Four

Yuki had spent too long with the councilors, listening to their protests and veiled threats over her vision and what it means. They think her blind to the intrigues, especially the Drow. They're the most vocal about her finding a husband from their stock, an obvious trap coming from a race ruled by females. Any male she weds would kill her and offer the throne to his mistress, creating a new Empress, a cold-blooded killer… Probably Alyssa with how Drek grovels at her when he thinks no one can see. She had called the council early amid arguments that had already been settled. They had given her two days to produce this mysterious leviathan and then she'd have to choose a mate…

With a deep sigh, Yuki sinks down to her chin in the hot bath, her wings spread wide in the pool as she relaxes. She cherishes these moments of being alone with her thoughts, they are too rare these days. And all day, her thoughts have been on Raphael. She knew her own messengers to the surface had been cut down before they saw sunlight, perhaps the nagah's messengers finally came through.

She closes her eyes and sinks further into the water, letting it rise up to her horns. The gills along her ribs open up and allow her to breathe the warm waters. Her thoughts drift even further, thinking of how she had felt over Raphael's thick scales. Every scar tells a sweet tale of a true warrior. She had felt his heart quicken at her touch, and saw an emotional battle rage in his eyes. Even his hands trembled as he held hers, and she wonders what could have caused such a reaction. Then she thinks of his brothers, coming in at that precise moment and ruining it all. She snarls faintly again, but it fades quickly. It wasn't their fault, and perhaps he needs them at his side for what will come.

Her thoughts are interrupted as an older female steps into the room, her head more like a tiger's than a horse, but still scaled with deep greys and blues. She's only a foot taller than Yuki, but her warm brown eyes set among longer, slender horns along her brows show the wisdom of age. Yuki lifts her head from the water and the woman bows slightly, "Empress, Lord Sarrok is here to see you. He has news."

Yuki smiles and she climbs out of the water, letting the woman dry her off and drape a robe over her, "Thank you Cheriss, with the hope it will be good news."

Cheriss gives a faint smile, tying the robe closed and adjusting it for her wings, "Any news that goes against the council is good news at this point."

Yuki chuckles and shakes out her thick hair, letting it drip as she walks through her bedroom and into her private suite, a smaller room by necessity, as she meets privately here. The walls are thick with diamonds, quartz, calcite, and milky agates, adding pale color to the mountain scenes carved on her walls. Yuki meant snow in her ancestor's tongue, and her father made these rooms to remind her of the beauty of snow and mountains. Instead of a throne, she has soft benches to rest on arranged in a close circle. Sarrok sits on one, waiting patiently even as his eyes hold a faint worry.

Yuki slides onto a bench in front of him, "You look troubled, uncle."

Sarrok chuckles at her familiarity, something he misses in court, "I am. Our new guests are settled in, though I fear I've left them unsettled. There is something you need to know before we step into this plan."

Yuki sits attentively, always trusting her uncle's wisdom, "Of course. I'm sure there are many things I need to know."

Sarrok nods and he leans back, "Well, to begin… our little surprise guests are all assassins, I know not how, but their master spotted that assassin on the council wing today. They move similar to nagah assassins."

Yuki frowns, looking down at her hands and wondering, "So, when he admitted to being a warrior, he was being modest… not boasting."

Sarrok lets out a deep sigh, "Most likely. He's brash, bold, and blunt. I think we should keep him as a warrior, give the assassins pause I think."

Yuki smiles, "He will cut a fine warrior with his scars. Make sure to show those off."

Sarrok grins, "I will." His smile fades quickly though and the troubled look returns, "There is something else… They are leviathans, but they're also nobles… The humans did something to them with the blood of a Celestial and it changed them, even the rat."

Yuki's eyes widen at that, and she pulls her wings close in for comfort, "You're sure?" At Sarrok's nod, she shivers and looks away, "I never dreamed we'd have such powerful beings here…" She's far too controlled to fidget, but she clasps her hands in her lap, "Should I reveal their status to the council tomorrow? I feel such a powerful status would help protect them."

Sarrok frowns deeply as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, "I think it may be wise. The better the prospect for power, the less likely they'll be targeted. Even the Illithid are wary of powerful minds. Raphael is very close to marriageable age as well, he looks older than he is, but that is to our advantage. We could move before they get assassins in place."

Yuki blushes very deeply, suddenly the prospect of marriage is all too real. Her hands clench tightly together, "That would be beneficial. I'd rather maintain peace here, at least until we find a way out for all our people…"

Sarrok reaches over and places his large hand on hers, "We'll find a way." He looks into her troubled eyes, trying to show confidence he doesn't feel.

She nods once and gives him a faint smile, "Alright, uncle. Tomorrow, I hope to see our guests in all their glory. I'd like to keep the knowledge that they are assassins hidden. Raphael is obviously a warrior, but perhaps the others can be seen as something else?"

Sarrok thinks about that a moment, then he nods, "I can pull something off. I cannot tell you more than that, as you need to give me an honest reaction."

Yuki smiles a bit more, "I understand." Her smile fades as her eyes darken, her hands turning to clench his, "I'm scared."

Sarrok tugs her up into his arms and hugs her gently, "It will be alright. I've come to trust these strangers. They will help you. If I can read anyone at all, Raphael is willing to stand beside you for as long as it takes."

Yuki blushes deeply again, and she shivers in his arms, "That's one of the things I'm afraid of."

Sarrok strokes her hair lightly, "Be brave my little snowstorm." He holds her as she begins to cry, aware of just how fragile his charge is, cradling her until she cries herself to sleep, then he helps Cheriss settle her in her vast bed.

Cheriss sighs deeply as she slides an arm around Sarrok's waist, "I fear for her. She's too young to be dealing with this on her own."

Sarrok softly kisses Cheriss' head lightly, "I know love, but she's not alone. You and I have raised her the best that we can, and now there are others here who can help her better than we can. Stay brave for her; she'll need you before this is done."

Cheriss nods slowly, "I hope the celestials know what they're doing."

Sarrok smirks faintly, "They never do. That's why we struggle to clean up their mess. I must go speak with our guests; it will be a long night, my love."

A small army of young grey skinned dragonkin sweep into the room after Sarrok leaves, cleaning up breakfast and tidying up anything out of place. When they finish, only fifteen remain, standing in small groups of three. Five steps forward and bow to the family, the tallest one takes another step forward, her skin light grey with patterns of blue diamonds. The sleeveless steel grey robe is cinched at her waist by a sash, and it matches her steely eyes, though her severe look is softened by three rows of delicate blue-green fins running from her forehead down to her neck. Her voice is rough, like one used to shouting more than speaking. She looks at each of them in the eyes, "My siblings and I will be pleased to assist you in your preparations. We will serve you while you're here, and answer any questions you may have." She moves to stand before Raphael, "I am Kriss, I have great knowledge of weapons and war painting, as well as massage. I will be honored to serve the young warrior." Her eyes nearly glow as she looks into his green eyes, "Come and tell us your accomplishments so I may paint them on your shell tomorrow, showing all that you are a great fighter."

Raph eyes Kriss as if she was a snake and he wasn't yet sure if she was poisonous. Yuki comes to mind, as well as his promise to help, and he slowly lets her lead him and two other younglings to one of the bedrooms.

Mikey watches Raph get pulled away and he grumbles, "Why does Raph always get the girls?"

Leo follows another slender beauty, her skin shimmering light blue with darker blue patterns under a silver robe, backswept horns hold back five rows of delicately torn silver white fins, looking similar to hair, with a purple star sapphire set between her violet eyes, "Not just Raph, but you have a girlfriend, Mikey. Remember? You called dibs on April."

Mikey grumbles as he follows a young male in a swirling green loincloth that falls to his knees, his chest bare, "Yeah, well she's all over that old dude, Vern."

The young male chuckles softly, his skin almost glittering with green and gold, standing out from the cool beauty of the other dragonkin. His bright green eyes shine with amusement, stubs of horns lining his snout and jaw, "I am Leeam, and I can make you almost irresistible to the young females here. I take great pride in my skills."

Mikey seems to perk up at that, "Dude! You and me are going to be best buds!" He even dances a little as he disappears into the bedroom.

Donnie is also ushered away to a room, licking his lips nervously, "Ah… How do you make the crystals here glow so brightly?"

His guide giggles softly, pinning him with a pair of deep ruby eyes, matching the hint of red violet on her scales, "That is by the noble's magic. So long as a noble lives in this palace, the cavern will glow brightly. Have you not come into your powers yet?" Her black robes are different from the others, with a wide collar around her neck where two swathes of fabric curve down over her shoulders like billowing sleeves. The robe seems sleeveless as it cuts straight across her chest, revealing that instead of the wide flat belly scales that the others have, she has two rows of alternating black scales. Her robes are longer than the others too, causing them to slide over the floor. She's as different from the others as her robe is. Where they are slender she is voluptuous, her curves are deep and she has two thick horns that curve back over her skull, a single row of blood red to black fins that stop at the nape of her neck. She also has fins along her tail, ending in what looks like a black flame.

Donnie blushes deeply, pushing his glasses up onto his nose, "I … well… no. We don't have powers… do we?" He glances back at Splinter for an answer, but he's already disappearing behind closed doors. He feels his heart sink, they were all separated, surrounded, and in a strange place. He hopes Raph knows what he's getting them into.

Then there was little thought for Raph as he takes in the carved bedroom walls showing delicate detail of coral reefs and deep-sea creatures all lit up with gems of every color, much like the main room. As he stares in wonder, the two other hatchlings begin to take his gear off, surprising him, "Hey! Careful! Those are delicate instruments!"

His guide raises her hand and the others stop, "You are a musician?"

Donnie carefully takes his gear off on his own, setting his computer in the corner nervously, "No… I'm … well, I'm a nerd. I do all the technical stuff…" He looks back at her curiously, "I study a lot of stuff, and I hack into systems. I read things on the internet and I feel really nervous being disconnected." He steps around the bed that's sunken into the ground, large enough to fit all his brothers, but round and soft looking.

His guide smiles slyly, "A scholar then. A scholar warrior? How can you hack without a blade?"

Donnie coughs, "Well… hacking is-" He stops, unable to find any way to explain it to her, so he shakes his head and turns it around, "What's your name?"

The girl chuckles softly, "I am Ondessa, a priestess in training. Please, let's get you cleaned up and clothed properly." She waves to the bathing room, and Donnie turns a very odd shade of red.

He follows her into the bathing room, the undersea carvings flowing into this room as well with a deep, steaming pool of water sunk into the floor. Before he can say anything, what's left of his clothes is stripped away and he retreats to the steaming pool in self-defense, "H-hey! Th-that's just rude!"

Ondessa chuckles and waves the others away, then sits on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water, "Well, you seem quite reluctant to clean up. Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I am here to assist you as needed, and to answer your questions."

Donnie takes the washing cloth and soap and begins to scrub the sewers off him, not even realizing how dirty he is until he watches the dark filthy water drift away from him in a slow current. He takes to scrubbing himself more deeply, "Alright, questions… What other races are here? I've only seen a drider, which I'm guessing is a kind of spider thing."

Ondessa nods, smirking, "The Drider are one of many. They are closely allied with the Drow who are black skinned elves that cannot abide daylight, and barely tolerate the glowing kingdom. There are the Duergar, dark-skinned relatives of dwarves, but don't mention their light cousins… they hate them deeply. Then there's the Illithids, much like squid faces but they have powerful mind magic. They can pick your surface thoughts from you, or if they touch you, they can pull all your thoughts from you. They tend to torture lesser creatures and turn them into mindless slaves… Yuki's forbid any of the slaves to be allowed in the palace, and if she could, she'd ban the practice outright. The nagah are usually surface dwellers, but there seems to be a few that survive here, they're assassins and seem to enjoy matching wits with the drow. Lastly, are the elementals. No one knows where they came from, or why they're here, but they come, and they offer the occasional bit of information or advice. They look like a big pile of boulders and crystals with glowing eyes. Sometimes they're speckled with emeralds and have green eyes, or are covered in rubies and have red eyes."

Donnie settles down on a bench hidden under the water, and before he can ask another question, Ondessa slides into the water behind him and begins to scrub over his shell. Donnie tries really hard not to jump away, but he looks back at her, "What are you doing?"

Ondessa chuckles, "I'm cleaning your shell for you. Obviously, you can't reach back here, and you've noticed that you're quite dirty. What else do you want to know?"

Donnie rubs the back of his neck lightly and shrugs, everything blurry without his glasses, "Well, what can you tell me of the councilors here?" If he keeps her talking, he can keep thinking and not stress over his lack of internet.

Michelangelo gladly follows Leeam into the bathing room, and even strips down without too much fuss, "So what do the girls here like?" He slides into the hot water with a hiss, then slowly relaxes. The two other hatchlings slip into the water with him and begin to wash him roughly.

Leeam laughs and he sits by the edge of the pool with a thick bar of soap and a washcloth in hand, "They like men to be bold, but not pushy. Be playful and kind, but strong. Usually, it is the females who pick the mate they want, depending on their preference. Do you not have a mate?"

Mikey lets the water ease his muscles, allowing the younger hatchlings to scrubs his shell clean. He grabs the offered soap and cloth to scrub the grime off the rest of him, "Well, no. I'm a teenager, and the girl I like is like eight years older than I am…"

Leeam smirks, "Eight years hardly seems like a difference. Empress Yuki is only just turned two hundred, and I am two hundred and seventeen. She and I are close in age, though she's a noble and matures faster than I do."

Mikey's eyes widen at their age, and he shakes his head, "But… she's a human, she'll only live to be about eighty, if she's lucky. So it makes a big difference. Besides, I'm only sixteen."

Leeam suddenly falls silent, looking Mikey over slowly and carefully. When he finally speaks his voice is full of awe, "You're only sixteen? You are well grown for your age. I would have put you at least at one hundred. Your father must truly be proud of you."

Mikey shrugs, suddenly not sure what to say and realizing that all the girls here would be much much older than him, "He is, but not for my age or maturity. He still scolds me for messing around too much, but he's trained us all to be really strong fighters. We even defeated a really strong human named Shredder. He was wearing this really tough armor and had blades all along his arms that he could throw and call back. It was crazy, but we won."

Leeam leans over to eye Mikey's shell, seeing hints of the battles scored there, "I am baffled that one so young is so grown and mature, yet you also battle humans. Truly you are gifted, all of you."

Mikey nods, "You think the girls here would like that though?"

Leo had made it very clear that he bathed alone, and so got to enjoy a quiet moment in the steaming pool. He had stripped down alone; left his swords near at hand, and had already scrubbed as much as he could before letting the hot water and slow current sluice off the rest. Then the door opened and his slender guide stepped in boldly, "I will be remiss in my duties if I do not assist you. You may call me Saphyre." She folds herself down on the edge of the pool and offers an empty hand, "I will scrub your shell for you."

Leo narrows his icy eyes, "My shell is clean enough, and you have done your duty. I prefer to bathe alone."

Saphyre arches a browridge then stands up and sheds her robe completely before stepping into the pool. Leo yelps and turns his eyes away, "What are you doing!?"

Saphyre takes the opportunity to sit behind him and begins to scrub his shell deeply, "I am using my own weapons on you so I may do my duty. Not to be rude, but you smell rather badly, and I wish to ensure the Empress does not receive backlash for your laziness."

Leo glares at her over his shoulder, then turns back around when he sees she's not even fully in the water, "Damnit!"

She smirks as she scrubs his shell clean, "What does this symbol mean?"

Leo frowns, "Don't scrub it off. It means 'Family."

Saphyre nods as she works on his shell, "I can work with this, as we are supposed to be learning about you so we can best present you to the council. I'll polish this to a shine, gild you in gold, and trace this out with sapphire dust, as no one else will know its meaning."

Leo's frown deepens at that, "Sounds pretty, but not my style."

For the second time that day, Raphael found himself stripped down and neck deep in water. This time it wasn't even by his will. These hatchlings stripped him down before he even had a chance to say no, and so he jumped into the water out of self-defense, "You're like clothes ninjas! Damn! I can wash myself, thank you; I don't need any help there!"

Kriss dismissed the others, and now she sits on the edge of the pool, looking over his weapons curiously without touching them, "What are these? I've never seen blades like these before. "

Raphael takes the chance of her distraction to scrub himself, feeling a world better now that he's clean, "Those are sai. They're sword breakers, used for stabbing, but also for defense. You can hold them in different ways, points outward for offense, or the main blade along your forearm for defense. You can catch the sword between the points and with a twist, and a lot of strength, you can snap the blade off. If you're strong enough, you can also stab and throw your opponent."

Kriss eyes the new weapons with appreciation now, and when she looks back at him, he sees the smirk on her thin lips. She looks similar to Yuki, though her nose and mouth is more muzzle like, almost like a kitten's. The smirk fades and a serious frown makes her look more cat-like, "Tell me true… are you here to save the Empress?"

Those words hold the plea of a little girl hoping for a miracle. Raph nods as he keeps scrubbing, trying not to get caught in her steel grey eyes that suddenly look silver with emotion, "Yeah, I'm going to save her, and keep her safe so she can safeguard your people."

Kriss nods slowly, and she slides into the water, ignoring her wet gown as she takes a washcloth and begins to scrub his shell deeply, "You have many battle scars. Tell me of them, so I may paint your shell."

Raph stiffens as he hears her in the water, ready for a knife in his side, but the scrubbing of his shell takes him completely off guard, "Umm… ok…" He coughs a little, knowing he can't scrub it himself, "Well, many of my scars are from my brothers… we practice together and sometimes things go wrong. Leo and I fight especially hard against each other. Our first time fighting others was a gang that was hurting and killing a lot of people. Our master raised us on stories about the Foot Clan and how evil they were. He also taught us ninjitsu from books that he found, hoping we'd save the people one day. We did, we killed their leader and brought the gang to their knees so the humans can finish what we started. It nearly killed us all, but we found faith in each other. I carry my brothers; I fight the hardest and take the hits so they don't have to."

Kriss lets his words wash over her, taking the meaning behind them as well, "You are very kind. Tonight I will think on your words and tomorrow we will dress you as a great warrior. I will shine your shell and paint it with your heroics. When you're finished there is a cloth you may wear. Put it on and we shall oil your skin before you sleep." With that, she leaves quietly.

Raph watches her go and he sinks deep into the waters again, rinsing the soap off and relaxing finally, "Damn these people are curious." He glances to his sai, just to make sure they're still available, then he lets the hot water soak into him. It wasn't often that he had the chance to relax in good sanitary water, to be scrubbed spotless and know he'd stay that way for at least a day. Face it, the sewers were filthy and they'd always had a hard time keeping clean. Of course, Donnie had tapped into the city water supply, but who knows how good that was either.

When he finally finishes his relaxing commune with the water, he climbs out and wipes off the excess water. It won't take much for him to dry off. He eyes the odd cloth and sash, something the men around here wore, at least as far as he's seen. With a shrug, he ties the sash around his waist and under his shell, then works the deep red cloth so that it covers him properly and hangs down to his ankles. The fabric is soft, and the color fits him, though they probably matched his bandana. He tucks his sai into the sash, and picks up the rest of his clothes, figuring he'll be wearing them tomorrow.

He walks out of the bathing room and into a porn. At least, that's his first thought as he sees the other two hatchlings lounging on his bed with warmed oils beside them, and Kriss standing off to the side with a distinctively disturbing glint in her eyes. Raphael almost turns around and goes back to the bath, but Kriss catches him and steers him to the bed, "Lie down, your skin must be oiled so it will shine with health tomorrow." She pulls his old clothes away and tosses them into the corner.

Raphael has no choice but to submit to being oiled, thankfully its more massage than anything else and after the hot bath, his muscles are ready for the massage offered. Kriss feels over his shell expertly, "We have a healer who may be able to fix the gouges in your shell if you wish."

Raph shakes his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm kinda proud of my shell, it's thick and hard and nothing can break it."

Kriss traces the crack that was caused by his fight with the robo samurai and Raph shivers slightly, "Hey, knock it off."

She chuckles and smears his shell deeply with oils and minerals to make it stronger and help it heal, "You are brave. I had heard that some leviathans carry the weight of the world on their shells. I believe it now."

Raph frowns, going back over the idea that he's not just a mutated turtle, but a true dragon, or Leviathan. He lets Kriss care for him, her hands doing the deeper work. She finds old scar tissue and breaks it up expertly, then lets another girl flush out the toxins released while she finds the next scar. By the time she's finished, Raph couldn't move for anything. In fact, he passes out before the girls even leave.