"Just who is this source of yours, general?" A captain towards the far end of the table asked. The woman had pale skin and dirty golden blonde hair. The most striking feature was not her hair though. Eyes the color of liquid, shimmering gold glanced about, settling on General Duchress. The woman was pretty, with high cheek bones and a sharp chin, and though Jarvan could see that she was attractive there was something unnerving about the predatory look in her eyes. It was like the eyes of a lion who was closing on their prey, watching it squirm and tire before a final blow.
She's dangerous and she looks smart. Jarvan's blood ran cold. If she managed to pressure something out of the general… if the word gets out that Katarina is undermining a Noxian general, she won't last long, respected house of Noxus or not. Jarvan's gaze turned on the general, wondering if it would be worth interrupting and stopping the conversation before it went any further.
"General Lorcan has deemed it unwise to disclose the source for their own safety." The general said, again trying to sound reassuring, though the vague terms he used did not inspire any confidence with the staff. "However, the source is involved within the high levels of the Noxian Command structure, and the information was gathered in such a manner that is not indicative of entrapment or deceit aimed at weakening us for an attack."
"But how can you be sure?" The same captain asked again, her golden eyes flashing dangerously as if she were circling, looking for an opening with which she could strike. A vessel had started throbbing in the general's face as it slowly started to turn purple. "What makes you think that the information is true?"
"The information comes from a reliable source who General Lorcan trusts." The general said politically, blustering slightly. "The identity of the source is highly classified, and you do not need to know."
"Yes, but…" The captain start again, but clamped her mouth shut when the king cleared his throat.
"I personally have seen, cleared, approved and looked over all of the information myself, Captain Hawke." The king said evenly. "If you have a personal problem with this I can speak with you personally afterwards if you need further insurance."
The captain remained quiet for several moments before shaking her head. "No sir, I understand."
"Very good." The king said, nodding his head slowly. "Hmm, perhaps you'd like to bring us newcomers up to speed on the security situation now, Captain? Or if Captain Crownguard is ready we can-…" His voice trailed of as she stood up brusquely and started for the head of the table. An aide was already posting a large map on the board. "Very well. The floor is yours, Captain Hawke."
"Thank you, your highness." She nodded her head politely as she scanned the table quickly. Jarvan felt something electric run down his spine when her golden eyes met his for a brief moment, the officer offering him small grin before turning to look at the king. "Up until now, security has been fairly light considering the large volume of forces concentrated in the Odyn Valley. The Kalamandan Constabulary has been maintaining control over the neutral territory that is concentrated along the center of town and along a cordon that runs north and south from town square. The policy is that each camp has jurisdiction over their own areas, but when in the cordon or territory still under Kalamandan control, the Kalamandan Constabulary has control. They are fairly lenient, only detaining rowdy personnel or those looking to cause trouble, allowing them to be retrieved and dealt with by their respective commanders. There have only been a few arrests of rowdy personnel on all sides, but other than a single incident, a bar brawl at the Hasty Hammer Tavern quickly handled by Captain Crownguard and his Noxian counterpart, Katarina Du Couteau, things has been relatively quiet." She paused for a moment and then let a thin smile grace her lips. "Tense, but quiet."
"So far my company has handled primary security for the Demacian Encampment, but from now on I shall be sharing duties with Captain Vorscham and his Victoria Company." Captain Hawke turned her golden eyes on Vorscham and he sat up a little straighter in his seat. "Captain, if you wouldn't mind finding me afterwards, I would like to discuss established protocol and operations with you if possible."
"Of course." Vorscham said gruffly, nodding though.
"Very good." Captain Hawke turned back to the assembled command staff. "For those of you who are new here, we only have a few rules. Curfew is two in the morning, Kalamandan policy. Antagonism of opposing forces is not tolerated, my forces already have more than enough to deal with. Guard teams patrol the perimeter at all times, and while intrusive, there are periodic checks of every facility within the base. I ask that all personnel not on guard duty stay away from the walls and guard towers at all times, my men have nearly killed several drunken personnel they believed to be infiltrators in the darkness on several occasions." Her smile grew slightly. "While out Field Hospital here is good, I do not need or want to have to fill up beds with drunken soldiers with lance wounds from sneaking up on a guardsman." There was a murmur of laughter around the room. "There are two entrances, here and here…" She marked two locations at 3 and 10 o'clock on the roughly circular Demacian blue circle on the base map. "…That are manned at all times. If you need to enter or leave the base, you can do so through either, however, entering the base will require military identification to reenter after certain hours. It is advisable you keep identification papers or dog tags on you at all times. I have had our own men detained on several occasions for lacking it and I do not wish have to detain any other personnel." She looked about and nodded, smiling. "Please stay vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary to my men. Thank you."
Captain Hawke returned to her seat almost as abruptly as she had left it, though Jarvan noticed her cast him a quick glance before she took her seat, flashing him a toothy grin. Chatter seemed to spread through the command center, starting from those newest to the encampment first. Jarvan noticed that Vorshcam was talking to Juniper quietly.
"Captain Crownguard." The king said, breaking over the general murmur of chatter that had cropped up over the policies imposed upon the base camp. "Was there anything you need to add regarding those you have been working with?
"Yes sir." The gruff looking blue eyed captain growled. "You'll excuse me if I do not stand as I have no presentation to show, only a few words to speak, seeing as I have only just returned to the encampment here."
"Of course." The king said, nodding. "Please, continue."
"I would ask of every fellow Demacian here to treat Judicator Kayle with the utmost respect." Garen spoke firmly. "She is concerned for the safety of our lives as much as her own, and her efforts to assist me in my investigations to determine the culprits behind the sinking of the DSS Excursion rival only that of my own. Her assistance has been invaluable and should any insult be levied against her, think of that insult as levied against my honor as well." His face hardened slightly as he looked about. "The same goes for Katarina Du Couteau."
There was a murmur of chatter that passed through the group, though this time there was a mix of anger and confusion in the voices of the staff members.
"Perhaps you'd like to explain as to why we should both showing respect to a Noxian assassin?" The previously smiling and sweet voiced Captain Hawke's tone had turned cold as steel, her golden eyes flaring almost as dangerously as that of the dragoness sitting next to Jarvan.
"She's just a dirty Noxian whoress!" Someone shouted over the rising angry chatter. "She can die in the gutter like the rest!"
"Silence!" The king roared, pushing himself to his feet, slamming his fist down onto the table. The entire table shook, several goblets toppling over and spilling their contents onto those who had not finished their drink. "Such language and accusations is an insult to both me and the honor of my house." He waited for several moments as soldiers and officers settled back into their seats. Some of the waiters had rushed forward and were now clearing away the spilt drink and taking away the overturned cups. Not long afterwards, new cups with less liquid in them than before had been placed onto the table, the waiters scurrying out of the way before something else ended up on the ground. "Captain, you should likely explain yourself." The king cast one last menacing glance across the soldiers and officers now crowded around the table, his eyes the color of stormy blue thunderheads. The king lowered himself down into his seat, though he was only just perched on the edge of it. He steepled his fingers in front of him, his gaze finally turning on the captain.
"Though many do not want to admit it, Miss Du Couteau was instrumental in the rescue of eight of the missing twelve Demacian miners." Garen growled, turning his fierce gaze around the table. "And at the very least, showing her the civility of respect until the last five have been successfully be rescued shall show the true honor and strength of character of the Demacian People. Without her or her forces we would have been unable to so much as attempt to recover them. It was my decision to ask for her assistance and mine alone. If you chose to punish me for this crime, so be it. I will accept it with my head held high. However, hold your punishment until I have ensured all of our men have been rescued. Then, and only then will I accept whatever punishment you decide to levy against me." Garen glared at the king defiantly.
Several moments of angry silence echoed through the command center. The king's gave finally feel as he sighed and sank back in his seat. He turned his gaze towards Jarvan for a brief moment before he shook his head. "Marcus… If you could only see them now… I swear, it's like there are two of them…"
"Father?" Jarvan asked quietly.
The king shook his head as he stood up, clearing his expression, leaving it neutral. He looked at Garen, crossing one arm over his chest, holding the opposite elbow, stroking his beard with his hand for several moments as he watched the defiant captain. "You will be responsible for her and her actions towards Demacia. Any crime against Demacia in her time among our people or while in your stewardship will be placed upon your head. Are you willing to accept that responsibility?"
Garen frowned slightly, his gaze falling to the table as if he was debating something internally. His head snapped up abruptly though, his brilliant blue eyes remained defiant. "Yes. I accept."
"Very well, Captain." The king said firmly. "Dealing with Katarina Du Couteau will be your responsibility." The king surveyed the table with hard eyes for several long moments before he sighed and sat back in his seat. "This meeting is concluded. I need time to think. Thank you all." The king was frowning as he rose to his feet. The rest of the room rose quickly before saluting smartly. The king returned it before turning and striding from the command center, the flaps of the door billowing behind him. Xin Zhao disappeared behind him as some of the other officers started to talk in the king's absence. The quiet tones seemed to be aimed towards Garen who still looked angry enough to launch an attack on anyone who tried to start something. Most gave him a wide berth as they returned to their duties though, content with simply murmuring accusations and casting him cold glances.
Shyvana frowned slightly, her gaze following the captain as he headed towards the door, ignoring all the others who were moving around him. "I feel bad for him. I know what it's like to have everyone turn against you."
"Shy…" Jarvan said softly, frowning. "Who-…"
Shyvana shook her head and smiled at the prince, though he could see a bit of pain in her eyes. "I don't need others to like or want me to be happy. As long as I have you… I don't care what they think."
Jarvan blinked several times as the words processed in his head before he blushed furiously. His cheeks were the color of Shyvana's hair as she looked up at the prince. She was surprised at first, but the surprise turned to a broad smile as she started to giggle before finally breaking into a hearty laugh. "W-what!?" Jarvan said fiercely.
"Y-your face!" Shyvana said, doubling over laughing. "It's hysterical!"
Jarvan turned away, struggling to keep himself under control. He made of show of stretching his hands over top of his head, but it slowly turned into a yawn. Jarvan struggled to stifle the yawn as officers began to leave the command center in groups. He watched as Garen exited the room with his lieutenant in tow. Jarvan looked over to where Shyvana was standing as she eyed the last of the desserts spread over the table, an amused smile on her face as she stole a glance at the prince. "Still hungry?" Jarvan murmured with an amused smile.
Shyvana looked to him and blushed, shaking her head, the smile on her face falling slightly. "Not hungry. I just hate to see it all go to waste…"
"It won't be wasted." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "It will be served to others or used as feed."
"Oh." Shyvana said, casting a longing look towards a plate of cookies.
Jarvan grinned. "Here…" He stepped back to the table and was messing with something, but Shyvana couldn't see around him, his back facing her. "Now you can take them with you." The prince offered her a cylindrical bundle of what she could smell was cookies, wrapped in a linen napkin.
"Jarvan…" Shyvana murmured, a smile breaking out over her face. "You... thanks." She looked up at the prince but blushed furiously when he leaned in and kissed her briefly. He stood back and grinned, winking at her as he stepped back, looking over his shoulder. Shyvana tried to banish the color from her cheeks but it continued to burn high in her face. She glanced around, seeing pairs and pairs of eyes glancing away from her, hurrying to look busy. Shyvana should have been mortified, but for some reason she didn't care. Jarvan looked back, blushing slightly as she stared up at him. It was the prince's turn to chuckle at her dumbfounded expression. "Shyvana? What's wrong?"
Shyvana blinked rapidly, her eyelashes fluttering rapidly, her face flooding with a crimson color though a smile curled at her the corners of her mouth. "Nothing, nothing." She hid her face as she tried to regain her composure, sneaking a gaze at the prince from behind her fingers. She took a deep breath, slowly inhaling and then exhaling, shaking her head before setting her jaw. She turned briskly and nodded at the prince as she struggled not to grin happily. "Ready to go, sir."
Jarvan exhaled sharply and then nodded, wearing a lopsided grin. "Sir?" He raised an eyebrow and shook his head before he turned slightly, jerking his head to indicate the dragoness should follow. "Come on, love. I want to go catch up with Garen before we head back to the tent."
"I'll be right behind you." Shyvana said, following him outside the command center. They didn't have to look far before they found Captain Crownguard. Behind him stood his lieutenant, Tunis, next to him was a cross looking Captain Vorscham with a worried June behind him, and finally, facing him with her fists posted on her hips was the blonde hair and dangerously golden eyes of Captain Hawke.
"…You're playing a dangerous game, Garen." Hawke snapped, her voice cross and testy. "If you play games with that little redheaded whore you're only going to get yourself hurt and bring shame to your nation. Hell, if you keep thinking with your prick you're likely get us all hurt."
"Watch what you say." Garen hissed angrily as his blue eyes darkened menacingly. His voice dropped deathly quiet as he leaned forward, his finger aimed accusingly at the woman's chest. "Or perhaps someone might finally notice how you keep managing to get yourself into higher positions..." Garen glanced down toward her legs, letting a satisfied smirk slide onto his face. "Better yet, maybe they'll notice how you just like to scrub the floors of your apartment right after every visit an pay a ranking officer…" Garen indulged himself in a victorious smile. "Well, we'll just see who the real whore is then, now won't we?"
Hawke blustered angrily for a moment as her face turned red with embarrassment and anger. "Oh, what, and you know this for a fact?" Hawke snarled, her arm coming back. "You bastard!" Vorscham caught her wrist before she could aim a slap at Captain Crownguard. She tugged against his grip, finally pulling it away, though she ended up nearly toppling over, finally regaining her balance a handful of yards away. "Don't you touch me, Proudmast!" She snarled again, trying to wrench her hand free. "I need to teach this jackoff some manners!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Maria." Vorscham growled. "Assaulting another officer will get you imprisoned. I'll do it now and save you the trouble if you'd-…"
"What's going on here?" Jarvan roared, freezing all three of them in place, their angry expression all turning on him. Garen turned on Jarvan, his blue eyes flaring, but they dulled slightly as he stood up straighter. Hawke was glaring daggers at Garen but stood up straighter as well, forcing a smile onto her face. Vorscham took a wide step back and stood rigidly at attention.
"Sir!" Vorscham, June, and Tunis barked, snapping to attention and saluting.
"Apologies, Jarvan." Garen muttered. His gaze turned icy as it fell on Hawke. "But if this… officer wants to insult Katarina then she's attacking my honor directly as well, and I will not stand for it."
"Oh so she's 'Kat' now?" Hawke snarked, rolling her eyes. "Listen to yourself. A Demacian officer getting cozy with a Noxian assassin…"
"Enough." Jarvan snapped, turning on Hawke. He could feel the hair rising on the back of his neck at the thought of his own experiences with Katarina. If anyone knew the deals I have made… Jarvan shook his head and stood up straighter, turning on Captain Maria Hawke. Her golden eyes glimmered brilliantly in the flickering torch light that lit the camp, warding off the darkness, her hair glowing with a brilliant orange sheen, as if her head was wreathed in fire. "Your business is with Captain Vorscham, unless I was mistaken. Unless you have an official complaint to levy against Captain Crownguard, you should stop wasting both his and Captain Vorscham's time."
The blonde captain bristled slightly, her eyes growing wider as she opened her mouth and then shut it again right after. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And what if I wanted to levy an official complaint?"
"I'm listening." Jarvan said evenly, crossing his arms over his chest, his glare unflinching as Hawke glared daggers back at him. "Any complaint over Captain Crownguard's conduct can be levied with me."
Hawke frowned slightly, looking the prince up and down, but she glanced past him, looking towards the dragoness with a slight frown. "I've withdrawn my opinion, sir." Hawke said, slightly subdued, though there was a hint of sarcasm still in her voice. She exhaled slowly before bowing to the prince. "My apologies sir. To you… and Captain Crownguard." She added the latter part when she noticed Garen frown. She batted her eyes at the prince several times, offering him a consoling smile as she spoke. Jarvan felt a wave of heat pass over him from the side and glanced over his shoulder, noticing that the warmth pouring off of Shyvana was billowing her hair. Hawke noticed too, her gaze flickering towards the dragoness, causing her smile to grow slightly.
Jarvan frowned but ignored the two women, turning to Vorscham. "I believe you had business with the Captain?" He waited till Vorscham nodded. "Get to it, then. It's late and we have any early start in the morning, captain." Vorscham nodded, turning to Hawke who now looked immensely pleased with herself. Jarvan waited till they had left, June following in their wake, before sighing explosively, his shoulders slumping.
Garen fought back a knowing grin as he turned to his lieutenant who was trying not to get caught looking at Shyvana. Garen glanced from Tunis to the dragoness and frowned when the lieutenant tried to look as if he wasn't doing anything. Garen crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his lieutenant who looked sheepish when he finally noticed his captain's attention. "Tunis, go with them and take notes about what they decide to do."
"Sir?" Tunis muttered, looking slightly forlorn. "What do you-…"
"Now, Tunis." Garen growled. "Go." There was a moment when the junior officer frowned, glaring back at Garen, but he finally saluted smartly, pulling himself up to his full height.
"Sir." Tunis said stiffly, taking one last look towards the dragoness before turning on his heel and marching away stiffly after the other captains
Jarvan sighed heavily as he was left with just Garen and Shyvana, running his hands over his face. "My lord…" He muttered softly to himself, shaking his head before dragging his hands through his hair, clearing it from his face.
"My apologies, your highness." Garen muttered tiredly. "I did not expect that sort of reaction. Had I know how my idea would have been received I wouldn't have bothered…"
"I'm not surprised about the reaction honestly." Jarvan said, shrugging before standing up slightly taller, putting on a more officious look. "However, I want you to know, you have my father's and my support. All I ask is that you don't let us down." There was surprised look on the Captain's face but it slowly dissolved into a soft smile.
"Thank you, Jarvan." Garen replied, exhaling slowly, shaking his head. "And when have I ever let you down? Katarina is a good woman." He paused, frowning, as if he was considering how absurd that statement sounded. "…Well, she may be a bit too violent and erratic sometimes, but her heart is far more just than most Noxians. She doesn't want the power… she just wants to see her nation and her people prosper and thrive." Jarvan suppressed the urge to comment about how they were trying to stop Swain from destroying Noxus in his lust for power and simply nodded.
"Perhaps you can invite her to come visit with us in the morning when we observe the last of the recovery efforts." The prince said, grinning slightly. "And you can take me on a tour of the village afterwards. She can tag along?"
"Hah, and have your reputation of choice of company rub off on me?" Garen said, grinning wider. "My image seems to be bad enough in the eyes of the command staff, I don't think you can drag it any further down." He chuckled, grinning at the prince's expense, his laughter growing louder as Jarvan rolled his eyes. "You caught your father's comment, I take it?"
"Yep." Jarvan chuckled softly. "I'm surprised you heard it though. I was looking forward to a good laugh about it." The two officers shared an almost mischievous grin, leaving them looking like two young boys who had just managed to steal a cookie without getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Kinda like senior formal…" Jarvan said, his grin growing as Garen hung his head, a low groan echoing from the captain's throat. "You do remember how that evening went, don't you?"
The captain's head hung as he sighed, shaking his head. "I wish you would let me forget about that night. That's not an evening I want to remember…" Jarvan laughed aloud, and even Garen cracked an abashed smile.
Shyvana glanced back and forth between the two of them, both of them now grinning like idiots. "Care to let me in on the joke?" She said, looking at Jarvan with an accusing glare. Garen stiffened slightly, but the prince froze as if he had just been caught with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "It's a long story. Uh…" He glanced over at Garen who was giving him a curious but amused grin at the awkward situation Jarvan now found himself in. Jarvan looked like he had just been ambushed.
"Karren Jelsovn." Garen said looking at Shyvana, his smile falling slightly. Jarvan grimaced, which seemed to spur the captain on as he turned back to Shyvana, shaking his head as if he was ashamed that he even remembered her name. "It was our final year at the Royal Academy. Karren was in our year. Very pretty, very outgoing… she had a great pair of… ah… she had a great personality but she was insufferably dumb."
"Pair of personalities?" Shyvana looked confused for a moment. Garen responded with a cheesy grin by making a motion as if he was holding two large melons in front of his chest. Shyvana flushed slightly, turning to glare at Jarvan, though she couldn't fight back the smile.
"Hey, she wasn't that bad!" Jarvan blushed, frowning slightly and glaring at the captain.
"That's only because you were too busy staring at her chest in that skimpy little dress to hear what she was trying to say!" Garen snapped back, spitting the prince with an accusing glare. Jarvan's mouth hung open as he blushed, standing up straighter and coughing. He glanced at Shyvana, and while she had crossed her arms over her chest, she was smiling broadly at Jarvan's expense, watching the two old friends with a curious but entertained gaze. Garen sighed, shaking his head before continuing. "Anyways. Jarvan had asked her to the summer formal dance at the end of the year. She wouldn't give him an answer though. So, the big idiot had an idea." Jarvan's face burned pink and he forced a grimace onto his face, still purposely avoiding Shyvana's gaze. "He figured he'd make her jealous enough to finally accept her invitation."
"Jealous?" Shyvana repeated, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked accusingly at the prince. "Do I even want to know?"
"It's not bad." Jarvan said, finally looking down at her with a sheepish smile. His gaze turned to Garen whose look of dread had returned. "Not for me at least. Keep going, Garen. You're not done with the story yet."
"I know." Garen said, shaking his head. His grin was growing slowly as he cast an annoyed look at the prince. "So, Karren had a little sister who was only in her second year of the upper school of the Royal Academy, making her a few years younger than all of us. The idea was that if I asked the little sister to the dance, who wouldn't be getting to go unless someone asked, then Karren would want to out shine her little sister because she was graduating soon. Well, Jarvan and I were pretty famous-…"
"More like infamous." Jarvan corrected, getting a giggle from Shyvana.
"…-infamous," Garen nodded, grinning, "So of course her sister accepted. I was from one of the royal families and she wasn't likely to end up going. It wasn't even a day before Karren had returned and accepted Jarvan's offer. This blockhead was about as happy as a clam. The sister was cute, so I didn't mind." Garen chuckled. "Well…" His voice trailed of as he hung his head.
"The dance arrived." Jarvan said, grinning mischievously now. "Well… Karren wasn't really interested in me, but she seemed willing to put up with me enough to make sure her sister was put in her place. Garen, thinking he was gonna get lucky with the sister, was in for a rude surprise though."
"Turns out the only reason she'd accepted my invitation is because she wanted to get with the prince." Garen snorted, rolling his eyes. "Doe eyes and shivering like a leaf every time she saw him. It was shameful."
"Ah, stow it." Jarvan said, matching Garen's expression. "Your date left you."
"Yours did to!" Garen snapped back, posting his fists on his hips, trying to look angry. Jarvan met his gaze, trying to match his glare, but their gazes slowly faltered and soon they were both roaring in laughter.
"You two were a real pair weren't you?" Shyvana said, shaking her head. Jarvan was grinning infectiously, despite the exasperation on the dragoness's face. Jarvan snuck a hand out to Shyvana. She noticed, and while she gave the prince an accusing glare, she slid her hand into his and gaze it a warm squeeze. "You're still an idiot, Jarvan. I can't speak for Garen, but you…" She shook her head, smiling and sighing. Jarvan and Garen glanced at each other and chuckled again, the prince shrugging.
"You should have seen us in our prime, love." Jarvan said, grinning, giving her hand another squeeze. "We were a couple of real bandits. We got away with anything and everything. Ah, I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Garen, you should come around more, I've missed your company." Garen started to nod, but stopped, frowning as he looked at Shyvana.
"Well…" Garen started.
Jarvan sighed, turning his glare on Garen. Shyvana looked up at him unsure of what to expect, however she was relieved to see the same mischievous grin that she had seen him just wearing minutes before. "You know what, Garen? You need to get over the fact that Shyvana beat you. Getting all formal and pissy around her is getting kind of obnoxious."
"Wha…?" Garen said, blinking several times, taken aback. "You… you think I'm still angry about the fact that she surprised me by turning into a dragon to win the fight?"
Jarvan and Shyvana looked to each other and then back to Garen, both of them now grinning. "Yes." They said together.
Garen looked affronted, but his face slowly calmed and then turned red. He turned away, frowning slightly. "I'm not mad about that… It's just…" He took a deep breath, shook his head and turned away, starting to walk away. He paused, looking back, taking a half step towards them. He gestured to his hair. "It's the red hair. Well… she reminds me of Katarina. If you'll excuse me, Jarvan?" Garen saluted the prince but didn't wait as he strode away quickly, leaving Shyvana and Jarvan simply staring after him.
So that's what Marcus Du Couteau meant… Jarvan shook his head, a soft grin on his face. I guess father hit it on the head. He looked down and gave Shyvana's hand an affectionate squeeze. I guess with both have a soft heart for red-hair women who others disapprove of…
"What's wrong, Jarvan?" Shyvana asked, looking up at him, confusion in her expression.
"Oh, it's nothing." Jarvan said, shaking his head. "I was just thinking that Garen and I both have an affection for redheads…"
Shyvana looked surprised as she glanced in the direction Garen had disappeared in. "You don't think… he and Miss Du Couteau…?"
"I don't have any idea." Jarvan said, shaking his head and grinning. "I know they've been working together quite a bit… So… I suppose it wouldn't be surprising if something happened there actually." He grinned, looking down at Shyvana.
"Huh…" Shyvana murmured thoughtfully, reconsidering the captain. She looked up to the prince suddenly, her gaze accusatory. "So wait, developed an affection for redheads, have you?" She slid back from him, raising an eyebrow, grinning as she crossed her arms over her chest. Jarvan laughed as he quickly glanced around the area before he leaned in and kissed her, taking her by surprise. Shyvana responded though, pushing back against him. Jarvan finally slid back, looking down at the dragoness with a knowing grin as she breathed heavily. She blushed slightly; she had gotten lost in the kiss. "No fair… taking me by surprise like that."
"Maybe you'd like me to show you how much of an affection I've developed?" Jarvan said playfully as his voice dropped low in the near deserted courtyard, keeping it quiet enough so that it wouldn't reach to the guards that were posted in front of doors around the grassy area. He let his eyes dance down Shyvana's armored form, taking in the form fitting armored plates with a grin on his face.
Shyvana blushed slightly, though she glared up at Jarvan, determined not to fall prey to his attack. A playful grin of her own slid onto her face as she turned and started heading towards the tent she shared with the prince. She glanced back at him, making sure she wiggled her hips slightly. The dragoness grinned happily, watching his gaze settle on her backside. "Maybe I'll have to keep my voice down if you're good enough." She spun, winked, and blew Jarvan a kiss. A small fiery heart billowed out towards the prince, popping just before his face, causing him to start. Shyvana chuckled softly as she disappeared through the flaps of their tent.
Jarvan stood staring after her. He finally shook his head, grinning softly. "I swear I'm going to kill both Del and June for teaching her these things." The prince's smile grew slightly. "If Shyvana doesn't kill me first."
He chuckled to himself as he hurried off after her.