"The key to both [advise and great tea] is proper aging" -Uncle Iroh, Avatar: the Last Airbender*

A Cup of Tea

"Al."

"Hmmmmnggghhh."

"Wake up, we need to talk."

"Not now, 'Attie. 'M sleepin."

Matthew sighed. "What happened yesterday?"

"Wha…? Yes'rday we..." went hunting in the mountains, but we couldn't find anything because the animals were killed by—

The assassin. The river. The dam. The village. Matthew. Everything came crashing back—Alfred had single-handedly destroyed the dam and inadvertently caused the cataclysm that would—if not already—completely wipe out his home village from the face of the world.

But that was not his main focus at the moment. Matthew let out a shriek of surprise when Alfred bolted upright and grabbed his shoulders with vice-like grip. "MATTIE! The assassin—you were injured—the river—oh shit, I broke the dam!—then villagers—but the ice—I don't know how that happened—then the rocks— and Kumajirou and—YOU WERE BLEEDING—"

Alfred's head snapped to the side, his neck hurting slightly but not as much as the stinging on his cheek. Matthew had slapped him. Wide-eyed, he turned back to his brother who had was suppressing a smirk. "Better?"

He raised his eyebrows. Surprisingly, that slap jolted his mind enough for it to straighten out his thoughts without being livid at his brother. "Yeah, thanks."

Matthew nodded. "Now, can you let go of me?"

Alfred did just that but kept a worried eye over his twin as he massaged his shoulders. Images of Matthew's bloodstained clothes kept flashing through his mind. He was just thankful that he wasn't still wearing them—

Wait.

Blinking his eyes, he inspected his brother once more. He was no longer wearing his usual worn down tunic or permanently mud-stained trousers. Instead, he donned a brand new gray wool shirt, black-hide pants, and a large fur coat. What surprised Alfred the most was not the outfit's unfamiliarity, but it's quality. Patterns like that only came from expert weavers from the capital and made from sheep bred specifically for their wool. The material of the pants looked nothing like the hide of any animals here in the mountains or any surrounding areas. And the coat was a royal blue with rhinestones and gold trimmings winking at Alfred.

Looking past his brother, he found himself inside a blue tent. He sat in an unbelievably soft pile of blankets with colors ranging from blue to purple to black. A table sat in the far corner with a small stack of thick folded cloaks. His clothes too were unfamiliar—nearly identical to Matthew's save for his white shirt. But what baffled him the most was the intoxicating warmth and brightness inside the tent. No fire burned anywhere inside—it felt as if the heat and light radiated from the tent walls themselves.

Ever patient as he is, Matthew said nothing while his brother took in the situation. Alfred would forever be thankful for that. He didn't know what to think and once he found his voice, he questioned his brother.

"I was confused too when I woke up," Matthew chuckled, scratching his head. "I woke up dressed like this right next to you. And before you ask, I'm fine."

"How long was I out for?"

"About an hour after I woke up. Without any idea what was going on, I decided to just wait for you to wake up. That is, until one of the soldiers came in."

Alfred stared at his twin. "Soldiers?"

Matthew held up his hands, signaling his brother calm down and listen instead of jumping to conclusions. "There was a convoy passing by when the dam fell. No one was injured, but they did find us unconscious where the dam used to be…"

He trailed off, looking at him expectantly but Alfred looked away—everytime he thought of that dam falling, because of him, all he could see was the village disappearing in an aberrant flood. It was that or Matie would have died! If I had time to come up with another way, I would have followed it!

"Well," Matthew continued knowing full-well that he wasn't going to get an explanation until Alfred was ready, "the convoy that found us actually belongs to a Suit."

Alfred paled. "A Suit? One of the thirteen most powerful people in the kingdom? Here?" He did recall seeing the blue of Spades before he brought down the dam and again right before passing out. Someone dress in Spades blue had found them.

Matthew nodded grimly. "Do you remember what happened to the Suits a few months back?"

His brother shook his head, knowing full-well that he was practically ignorant in the workings of the Suits and the Kingdom. Matthew sighed. "The entire Suit was called back to the capital six months ago."

"Wait," Alfred said. "Then who's been running the provinces?" Ignorant he may be, he at least knew as much as the accumulation of rumors let him. Each kingdom was split into ten provinces—the capital and one that each of the Numbered Suits watched over.

"The provincial senates, I suppose." Matthew shrugged. "Our village is pretty isolated, so there wasn't much of an effect on us."

A thoughtful silence washed over them until Alfred spoke. "If the entire Suit was called to the capital, it must have been serious." Matthew nodded for him to continue. "Then the provinces have been running independent of them. And there have been no unrest?"

"None that I've heard of," Matthew replied. "What are you thinking about?"

Alfred drew a breath for what he was about to say, if heard by the wrong person, could potentially get him in deep trouble. "I'm saying, the provinces have been running smoothly without the Suit, so why do we have them in the first place?"

Matthew's eyebrows rose for a second then furrowed in thought. "Well," he said after a while, "maybe they're taking care of something more important."

"More important than the people?" Alfred challenged.

"Look," Matthew sighed, "all I'm saying is we don't know the full picture. We get small snippets from the rumors we hear. That's it. Let's not jump to conclusions."

Alfred simply shrugged and let the subject go. No, he didn't care for the Suits nor the workings of the kingdom when it didn't directly affect him. But that didn't mean that his mind hadn't wandered in that area at all. "You said one of the soldiers came in."

"Eh? Oh, that's right. One of the soldiers came in with those fur cloaks over there and asked us to meet the leader of the convoy once you were conscious."

"The Suit?"

Matthew simply shrugged, stumbled to his feet, and grabbed the cloaks on the table. He tossed one to his brother then threw the other one around his shoulders. "Put your new shoes on and let's go."

Alfred pulled on the fur boots—alarmed yet pleased to find that they fit him perfectly—then raced after his brother who had already exited the tent. Once outside, he mourned the loss of warmth that tent gave them. It was brutally cold, winter had come early with full force. Hunched shoulders, cloak pulled tighter around him, nose buried into the furr collar, Alfred glared silently at his brother who was simply strolling through this blizzard as if it was just another morning in spring.

Tents, some blue like the one they had but mostly spartan colors of brown and beige, were erect and somehow withstood the intense winds. A few campfires defied the winds but offered little warmth to those sitting around them. But there were only quite a few others outside in the winter—most, like Alfred, wanted to enjoy the inside warmth of the tents. And they did, unlike Alfred.

"It's fr-freez-zing out-t here! H-how the h-hell c-can you wa-walk ar-round-d l-like th-that?" Alfred whined, not yet outgrowing—nor wanting to—his childish impulse to complain when miserable.

"I suppose winter came early this year, eh?" Matthew said with a smug smile and completely ignoring his brother's question.

Alfred grumbled to himself, not wanting to waste his energy in a useless argument, and rubbed his arms to keep whatever warmth he had left. Before they had gone hunting the day before, the weather at the foot of the mountains was peaceful with only a slight chill that people can simply walk a couple paces and it would no longer be a bother. Alfred cursed whatever phenomenon caused this change.

The mountains loomed over them, as if hiding some sinister plan that concerned him. No longer did they give Alfred the nostalgia of home like they had in past seven centuries. The quick glance was enough to give him the proper identifying geography to locate where this camp had set up. They were at the foot of the western side of the mountain range, the Spadian side, and quite close to where their village were. In fact, Alfred raised slightly and found the twinkling lights of their village not to far from the edges of the camp. His heart leaped. The village still stands! That meant his—Kumajiro's—boulder dam plan actually worked!

"Well, looks who's finally up and about!"

The twins turned to see two men approaching. One of them was tightly wrapped in a cloak and shivering as miserably as Alfred while the other stood straight and beamed at them, the bandage over his nose crinkling slightly at the stretch of his smile. "You two are tougher than you look," the one that doesn't seem to feel the cold chuckled, two brown curls dancing in the wind above his head. "When the boss dragged you back here, I could have sworn you two were dead! Especially you, mate," he added, pointing at Matthew.

Alfred flinched, momentarily forgetting his nearly frostbitten state.

"J-jett! C-can y-you tr-try b-being a b-bit mor-re senst-tiv-ve?" The other man tried scolding but the effect failed due to his chattering teeth. He let out a small shriek when a sudden gust of wind blew his hood back, revealing platinum blonde hair with the strangest curl behind the ears, resembling the curling horns of sheep. He quickly pulled his hood back on and turned to the twins. "M'name's M-Malcolm-m and-d this i-is J-jett. You'll h-have t-to exc-cuse my br-brother. H-he c-can be a b-bit brash and reck-ckless s-sometimes."

"I know what you mean," Matthew sighed.

Alfred threw him a quizzical and slightly offended look before introducing himself to the other pair of brothers. "I'm Al-fred and-d this i-is Ma-mattie."

"Matthew," his twin corrected. "I'm—wait, is that a sheep?"

They turned to where Matthew was pointing. What looked like a small cloud with feet and curled horns trotted up to Malcolm and rubbed itself against his legs. "O-oh! Th-this is-s Hipi! He l-likes to f-follow m-me ar-round ev-ven when-n we're tr-traveling."

Matthew was confused. "It...just follows you around?"

Alfred nudged his shoulder. "Y-you -got no r-right saying th-that when-n a gi-giant p-polar bear-r f-follows y-you ar-round when-n it's not-t eating or-r sl-sleeping. Sp-speaking of which-ch, where-re is th-that mon-monster?"

Confusion turned to alarm. "Holy Hand! I haven't seen him since I woke up!" Matthew exclaimed whirling around in hopes to see a familiar white wall of fur.

"Relax," Jett said, raising his hands in a calm-down gesture. "The boss is looking after him. In fact, they're both probably waiting for you in that tent."

The twins followed where Jett was pointing. A large blue tent, easily twice the size of all the surrounding tents, dominated their view. The outside alone spoke of power and authority with its sturdy posture, golden ancient designs, and the two stoic guards standing on either side of the entrance with their spears crossing each other as a barrier to the inside.

"Wh-who exact-ctly is your-r b-boss?" Alfred questioned, turning back to the Jett and Malcolm.

Malcolm sneezed while a knowing smile spread over Jett's face. "You'll find out soon enough, mate. You might want to hurry inside though, you look like you're about to freeze to death!" Malcolm sneezed again. Jett threw an arm around him. "And it looks like you're not the only one."

The younger of the two rumbled off defensive bouts interrupted by occasional sneezes as Jett stirred him towards a nearby campfire. Hipi trotted closely to his master, providing a little bit of warmth with his body.

"Lively bunch aren't they?" Matthew chuckled.

Alfred grumbled something unintelligible then turned towards the gigantic tent. As he approached, with Matthew right behind him, the guards straightened. A closer look had the knights in sturdy looking leather armor with the Spades coat-of-arm displayed proudly over their heart. The leather armor gave the twins small comfort—leather meant that they were are only taking precautionary actions. If they had been wearing plate armor, then they were prepared for a fight.

The guards uncrossed their spears then, in a singular movement, turned to their sides, facing each other. The twins stood there for a moment to see if the guards would do anything. When nothing happened, Alfred stepped forward.

Before he could even reach out the move the flap of the tent out of his way, a familiar growl rumbled from inside followed by a surprised "Aiyah!"

"Kumajiro!" Before Alfred knew what was happening, a heavy weight crashed against his back as his brother barreled through the tent entrance, tackling him in the process.

With elegance and grace, the twins crashed into the warm tent of the supposed Suit and tumbled into a majestic pile on the carpeted floor. Alfred would have been irritated at his brother's excitement—only mildly irritated, the opinion of the Suit hardly mattered to him—to see his polar bear—who's brash and reckless now?—but the warmth inside had nearly brought him to tears.

Like their previous tent, this one had light and heat radiating from the walls. An antique tapestry dominated the back wall, displaying the Spades crest. An ornate table before it with important looking papers that Alfred gave a passing glance. A rack of weapons stood beside the table. What quickly caught the blacksmith's eye was the variety in the types of blades. The range from double-handed swords to daggers to twin scimitar blades to strange curved glaives told him that whoever owned these weapon was well versed in a great number of fight styles from a variety of places.

"How is he?" Alfred heard his brother whisper.

Suddenly aware that he was still sprawled aesthetically on the ground, he scrambled to his feet and faced the others in the tent. Matthew was on his knees with the polar bear's head on his lap while a short man in a long blue robe fussed around them.

"He will be fine, aru," the long-haired man replied to Matthew, peering over Kumajiro's back. "He pulled some muscles and has some minor scratches and bruising. There was a relatively large gash on his flank, but it was shallow. I was able to patch him pretty well since none of his injuries were anything serious. Unlike yours."

"Serious?" Alfred heard himself ask out loud, his teeth no longer chattering.

The brown haired man towards him and rose to his feet, his head barely reaching Alfred's chest. "You must be the twin brother. My name is Wang Yao. But, please, call me Yao." The man held out a sleeved hand then turned it to a fist which he brought to his chest.

Recognizing the Spades salute, Alfred returned it. When he did, the man seemed delighted then bowed deeply at him. Unsure about how to respond to Yao's strange mannerisms, Alfred mimicked the bow. "Mine is Alfred. Alfred F. Jones. It's a pleasure."

"Jones? Matthew said his was Williams, aru. Aren't the two of you twins?"

Said twins shared an amused look. They have received similar reactions on the rare occasion they introduced themselves to others. Matthew shrugged at him then focused his attention back to his bear, leaving his brother to answer Yao. "As thankful as I am to you for coming to our aid, I don't quite trust you enough to reveal such personal stories."

"Al," Matthew scolded, whipping around and giving his brother a stern look.

Alfred responded with a you-asked-for-it look. Though his brother had a right to be shocked—they usually brushed off those kinds of questions. Even if this man was a Suit, the events of the previous day were catching up with Alfred—even with his differences from humans, he could really have died. And he needed answers.

Yao mouth stretched to an amused smile that unnerved Alfred. There was something in the smile that spoke of archaic power that had him rethinking his earlier manners-be-damned attitude. "I understand. There is no need to explain then. However, would it be alright to ask you questions?"

"Would it be alright to ask you questions?" Alfred returned rather rudely. I'm surprised this guy hasn't ordered my execution.

There was a glint in the shorter man's eye. Yao was looking for something. And Alfred had a feeling that he believed the twins had it. "Aiyah, of course it would be okay. Though there will be questions that I won't answer for my own reasons."

Fair enough. "Likewise," Alfred mumbled then took a seat on the ground beside his brother.

Matthew cast him a wary look but stayed silent. In the few situations where the twins had some sort of business to discuss, it was Alfred that usually did all the talking while Matthew observed their "business partner". But this man, Yao, was strange. It was as if the man had nothing to hide in the way he presented himself, but a feeling Matthew's gut told him that this man could be dangerous if he wanted to.

Yao motioned for Alfred to ask the first question. A lengthy list of questions ran through his mind. What happened to the river? Did his—Kumajiro's—boulder dam plan work? What happened to the assassin? Was that really the village lights he saw or some sort of mirage? But one question was more important than the others. "What injuries did my brother sustain? I want to know what exactly happened to him."

The other two men were speechless for a second. They were both giving him such incredulous looks that Alfred flushed. He faced his brother who the most surprised face he had seen him make in centuries."What?"

Matthew opened and closed his mouth a couple times, reminding Alfred of a fish out of water.

It was Yao that broke the silence with a chuckle. "I had expected your first question to be in concern with my identity."

"That was my third question," Alfred grumbled, taking sudden interest in the rug he was sitting on and missing Yao's eyebrows raise in surprise and curiosity.

"Third?"

"The second would have been whether or not any damage was done to the village or if any of the villagers were hurt," Alfred mumbled, shifting awkwardly under their stares. "I have priorities."

It was his turn to be surprised when Yao let out a boisterous laugh. Even Matthew turned his shocked face to the smaller man who was now clutching his stomach.

"And just what is so funny?" Alfred practically growl, irritated. Is this guy really a Suit?

"Aiyah! Forgive me, Mr. Jones. After meeting all the people I have met, I never would have guessed that I am still capable of being surprised," Yao laughed, wiping a tear from his eyes.

Alfred grumbled to himself, not appreciating being laughed at even though it was not mal-intended.

The Spades man cleared his throat. "Mr. Williams was unconscious from the loss of blood due to the lengthy laceration on his left—"

"AL! What the hell—?" Matthew cried.

Upon hearing Yao mention a 'lengthy laceration', Alfred immediately grabbed at his brother's shirt. "Sit still and let me see—!"

"Get. Off. Me. I'm okay!"

"OKAY MY ASS! I saw your blood—"

"Well, you're not seeing it now, are you?"

"Lift your damn shirt!"

"NO!"

"MATTIE!"

Matthew, knowing that his protective brother would not stop until he was sure that his twin was alright by his standards, relented. Alfred inspected his brother's skin. As usual, it was paler than his with the normal imperfections of a lumberjack profession. However, there was not a single sign of the laceration Yao spoke of. No scars. No bandages. As if the profusely bleeding wound that had scarred his mind never existed.

He lowered Matthew's shirt then clasped his brother's shoulder. In his head, he could still see the blood—still feel the blood that stained his brother's shirt. "I already said I was fine," Matthew said softly, pulling his brother in an one-armed hug. "I'm tougher than I look."

"Yeah, you are," Alfred chuckled dryly and returned the embrace. Matthew could be the strongest person in the entire planet and Alfred would still fuss over him.

Both brothers turned back to Yao. The Spades man a soft look in his eyes, as if nostalgic memories were playing in his mind. "You're a sweet brother," he remarked without the condescending tone that Alfred somewhat expected.

Alfred's face flamed red. He had completely forgotten that the Suit was there. He grumbled his thanks while Matthew gave Yao an appreciative smile.

"Now," Yao announced with a tone that brought back the business-like atmosphere, "My question, aru; would either of you like some tea?"

"What?" Alfred blurted. That certainly wasn't what he was expecting.

"Tea," Yao repeated with a disarming smile. Apparently he liked to return the surprise of asking unpredictable first questions.

"Uh, sure," Alfred mumbled, looking around for the kettle. There wasn't one. Nor was there a fire. "Where—"

The Spades man waved his hand leisurely. A silver tray with three steaming cups to tea and large white kettle appeared between him and the twins. Both Matthew and Alfred flinched in surprise—the latter reacting more lively than the other. "H-how did you do that?"

"Magic," Yao replied simply, as if it was the most obvious answer—which it was. "I assume that was your question, now it's my turn. How old are the two of you?"

Alfred grumbled to himself about an off-guard not being counted before replying, "We're twins—" he glanced at Matthew who shook his head "—and we're nineteen."

Yao raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"I'm quite certain it's my turn to ask," Alfred replied, looking the Suit straight in the eye. "Like I said, my second question is this; what happened to the river—the village—after you found us?"

"I'm quite sure you saw the lights not too far from this camp, aru. Yes, that is your precious village, and it still stands. No thanks to you though," Yao answered, voice turning cold, ancient brown eyes bearing down on Alfred. "Whatever plan you had involving those boulders failed—unless, of course, you were intending to destroy the village."

"No!" Alfred practically screamed. How dare he think that?

"Then what were you thinking?" Yao snapped at him. "What happened to the previous dam that required to use giant rocks to stop a monster of a river?"

Alfred was taking deep breaths, not letting his hot temper get the best him. Who was this man to assume such things of me? Suit or not, it didn't matter, he has no right. But before he could reply, the coldness from outside seeped into the room.

"My brother would never purposely hurt or endanger anyone," Matthew growled.

The other two men looked at the most quiet one of them in alarm. Never in the centuries he had known his brother had Alfred heard him use such a threatening tone.

But Yao didn't seem threatened and met the twins glares coolly. "The dam that was established nearly five centuries ago was meant to last several millennia. It would not have fallen unless its foundation was sabotaged. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"Matthew was about to be killed." Alfred's voice came out as warning. "Excuse me if I was desperate to do anything to save him." Several millennia, my ass. It would have fallen within the century with the state it was in.

"Even if the cost was the lives of all the villagers?" Yao asked, his voice becoming dangerously low.

Alfred flinched. Brother or not, he couldn't justify what he did. He didn't even remember hesitating when he ripped the dam apart.

"Yes," Matthew answered for him. "And I would do the same if our positions were switched."

Matthew continued to glare at Yao, ignoring his brother's astonished look. He knew that Alfred was an idiot, but he was a caring one. All they had left was each other. He understood what his brother did and, he, without a doubt, would do the same.

Yao remained quiet, analyzing the twins with those judging eyes. He let a huff before motioning to them. "Your question?" His tone returning to an aloof attitude.

Guilt and rage were swirling in Alfred's stomach. He knew that if he opened his mouth right now, he would regret it. He nodded towards Matthew, whose cold temper warmed up much faster than Alfred's hot temper cooled down.

Matthew, still eying the Spades man warily, thought for a moment. "How old are you?"

Yao raised an eyebrow, a friendly and curios shine returning in his features. "Twenty-eight."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't believe you're nineteen."

"And what makes you think that?" Alfred asked, reigning control over his disappearing temper.

"What makes you think I'm not twenty-eight?" Yao countered.

"He asked first," Matthew returned.

"Why would I give you the answer when you already know the answers yourselves, aru? Seems like a waste of a question to me." Yao poured himself another cup of tea as the twins contemplated what he said.

The man sipping tea before them looked to be the age he claimed to be, but that number didn't sit right with either twin. Alfred felt something archaic about this man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

After a while, Yao sighed. "Nine-thousand, nine-hundred and ninety-nine. I'll be ten thousand in a couple months."

"Seven-hundred and fifty-six," Matthew mumbled automatically as he and Alfred gaped at the man.

Yao flashed them a disarming smile. Then Alfred found his voice. "That's not possible! you can't be nearly ten thousand!"

"And it's possible to be over seven hundred? That hardly seems fair, aru."

The twins took a moment to consider this.

At their silence, Yao placed his cup back on its saucer and watched them carefully. "Did you assume yourselves the only ones with immortality?"

Isolated as the were, that was exactly what the twins thought. "Agelessness, yes," Alfred mumbled. "But we don't think ourselves immortal."

"Nor were we the only ones," Matthew added.

Yao raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Alfred glanced at his brother who merely shrugged. He couldn't tell if Matthew felt the same, but a voice in his head was telling him that this man was trustworthy despite being dangerous. As if this man was meant to help him. "Do you know why I broke the dam?" Alfred asked suddenly, flinching at admitting to what he had done.

Yao shifted to a position that allowed to get a closer look at the twins without moving from where he sat. "Was it not to save your brother?"

"From what?"

"Death."

"By what?"

The Spades man was quiet for a moment. "Are you implying that you were attacked?"

Alfred nodded while Matthew gulped down his entire cup of tea and reached for his brother's untouched cup. "Matthew was about to be killed—he had collapsed and there was no way I could save him."

The ancient thought for a moment. "How did you know that you would survive the flood?"

"I didn't," Alfred replied, his voice firm and painfully honest.

"So you would sacrifice everything to stay together," Yao mumbled to himself, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

There was a tense silent as the Suit contemplated what he had just heard as the twins fidgeted. Matthew had finished both their cups of tea and was eying the kettle. Realizing that the strange man wasn't paying attention to either of them, Alfred reached over and filled both their cups and handed them to his brother.

"You were attacked." It wasn't a question. Alfred heard it was a statement for him to confirm, which he did with a nod after replacing the kettle. "Why?"

Alfred leaned back on his hand while the other scratched his head. "I can't quite remember what she said—"

"She? I thought you were attacked by an animal!" Yao exclaimed, nearly knocking down the kettle.

"No, an assassin. Matt, do you remember what she said?" Alfred asked his twin.

Matthew absentmindedly scratched a sleeping Kumajiro behind the ears. "It think it was something along the lines of us being born. Or just existing for that matter."

"That sounds about right," Alfred agreed then turned back to the Suit. "She's been at it for a while—Holy Hand!"

The twins were cautious of their next movements. Yao's face had darkened dangerously. Alarm bells were going off in Alfred's head telling him to get his and Matthew's asses out of there as soon and as far as possible. Even Kumajiro, now fully awake, seemed to sense the change in atmosphere and growled lowly to show his agitation but soft enough not to anger the potential source of danger.

"How long?" Yao all but growled.

"W-what?" Alfred stammered, mind not functioning properly with all the fight-or-flight thoughts buzzing about.

"How long has this assassin been after you?"

Alfred swallowed. "Five-hundred and twenty-three years, give or take."

Yao rose to his feet. The twins did the same but not as graceful. They shuffled towards the wall of the tent, staying out of the Suit's way as much as possible. The Spades man was no doubt livid, at what they didn't know but prayed that it wasn't directed at them.

The brothers crept towards Kumajiro as Yao glided towards his desk. The ancient's temper was not fiery like Alfred's nor icy like Matthew's. No, it was a darkness. A dark arrow of fear that shot through the poor soul that had the misfortune to induce the wrath of an ancient Suit.

Said man whirled around, blazing brown eyes pinning the twins were they stood. In his hand where two ornately decorated rectangles. More specifically, they were playing cards—the King and Ace of Spades to be exact. "Look at these cards. Examine them carefully. Then tell me if anything—absolutely anything—looks familiar."

Matthew shoved Alfred forward. Slightly irked and feeling like a sacrifice, Alfred inched towards Yao's extended hand. He shakily took the cards then hurried back to Matthew. Yao stayed where he stood, taking the moment to calm his rage.

Alfred handed the King of Spades to Matthew before inspecting the Ace of Spades in his hand. It was a lavishly decorated card with a picture of a white-bearded man holding a grand sword. Motifs of blue and purple dominated the design, but that was not what his azure eyes zeroed on. The corner of the card held a decorated letter 'A' with a design that resembled feathers of a wing.

He turned the card towards the significantly calmer Yao and pointed at the symbol. "This sym—insignia—I've seen it before."

"And I've seen this one too," Matthew mumbled, pointing at the 'K' on his card.

A world-weary smile appeared in the Suit's face, his rage mostly if not entirely reigned. "And where have you seen them, aru?"

Wordlessly, Alfred pointed at Matthew's shoulder just as he pointed at Alfred's chest. Yao held his hand out, silently asking for the return of his cards. The twins did just that. After a second, Matthew pulled at his sleeve and Alfred at his collar, revealing the marks Insignia's they had identified on each other.

Sure enough, the black Sign of the King of Spades was tattooed over Alfred's heart while Matthew revealed the exact same 'A' that Alfred found on the card on his shoulder.

Before they could fix their clothing to cover their respective Insignias, Yao bowed deeply. "We have been looking for the two of you for centuries now," Yao sighed tiredly. "It is an honor to be in your presence, Matthew Williams, Ace of Spades, and Alfred Jones, the Almighty King of Spades. May your reign, from henceforth, last as long as the Hand himself."

I had another section after this but this was more dialogue than I had planned on writing:/