"Just come under," he whined, wiggling the umbrella in her direction.
"No thank you, Young Lord. It is my duty to protect you, and I can't do that under that tacky thing of yours." He was sure there was a slight smile in her voice.
"Tacky?" he feigned hurt. "This was custom made by the finest umbrella fashioners in the east! Hand crafted handle, embroidered design and all!"
"Is that so? As I recall, I escorted you to a shop just last week to purchase an umbrella matching that exact description."
"A knock-off, of course."
"Of course." She glanced over and caught him grinning. Her eyes flickered back as they kept moving.
"Really, though, come on under. You're getting all wet."
"Not necessary, Young Lord. I'm perfectly fine out here."
As if on cue, a clap of thunder sounded behind them, followed promptly by an utter down pour of harsh rain.
"All, right, now you're being plain ridiculous! You're soaked! Just get under the umbrella!"
Despite the severe rainfall, Lan Fan kept her posture steady and maintained even paces. "No need, I'm completely-"
But while she was swallowed in duty and pride, Ling expertly planned his attack and dashed to his subordinate, sheltering them both with the umbrella. However, Lan Fan, sensing an unidentified attack to her right, sent out her arm in a sort of bunt motion, which resulted in the Xingese prince's gut running straight into her forearm. Realization hit her as she realized she'd just punched the Young Lord into the mud.
"Young Lord!" Forgive me!" she cried, tripping over herself to help him. She grabbed his hands and heaved him out of the slushy dirt.
"Geez," he said, rubbing his tail bone. "If you didn't want to share, you could've said so." He chuckled easily and his guard emitted a breathy laugh.
"You're sure you're alright? No fractures?"
"Fine, fine," he sighed, eyes to the leaky sky. "But, thanks to you, looks like we're both walking home in the rain." His thumb gestured to the umbrella, which was presently half-buried in the mud and completely useless.
"No matter, we can just-"
Lightning electrified the sky and thunder sent the hills rolling and as though they were a single, well-oiled machine, the two broke off into a frantic, simultaneous sprint, making a bee-line for the palace. As their careful feet kicked up the uneven ground, pockmarked with footprints and rain-laden scars, more veins of electricity snaked through the dangerous blanket above. Ling sent his hand into the rainy battlefield. It found Lan fan's wrist and held to it tightly while they pursued the mad dash to refuge.