Zane returned to his room late that night, and shed his clothes into the laundry shoot. He turned the water on, the warmth striking him almost immediately, and he stepped into the indulgent shower, a copious amount of space and numerous kinds of products staring him down. He realized that he missed the simplicity of the boys' two-in-one hair wash and his own white loofah on the Bounty. Nevertheless, he grabbed the washcloth hanging on the side, and began to scrub the dirt from his face, catching glimpses of the scars scattered across his body as he made sure to avoid the still-tender areas with the rough cleaning. He realized that his nails had grown dull, the clear polish having come off sometime between that morning and now, and he frowned.
He rinsed his hair with floral smelling shampoo, and cupped water in his hands to entertain himself until the conditioner had sat in long enough. As he was rinsing the final products from his hair, he noticed a screen behind some glass on the far end of the shower. He strode over and poked it, surprised when it turned on to a news station. He blinked, and poked it again, turning it to a title selection screen. Wondering why anyone would watch a movie in the shower, he tapped the screen until it turned off, reflecting his face in the now dark glass, his water-logged hair framing his face.
He turned off the water, and retrieved his towel from just outside the doors, the plush white fabric drying the water from him quickly. He threw his hair into a towel, courtesy of Nya's teachings, and secured the larger one around his waist before stepping out to find his pajamas. He dug around in the drawers until he found a matching set, slipping into the white silk with care. As much as he appreciated the flannels bestowed upon him by the crew, he did rather enjoy the feeling of the luxurious fabric against his skin.
He picked up his phone from where it was charging by his bedside, and swiped his finger on the screen until he reached Karen's contact. He hit the message option, and shot her a quick question.
Zane: Do you still have any of my mother's nail polish, per chance?
Karen: No, but I have some of my own. Why?
Zane: I like to keep a clear coat applied, if you don't mind lending me a bottle.
Karen: Mine's almost out, I'll ask a guard to pick you up your own tomorrow.
Zane: Thank you. Goodnight.
Karen: Night, Zane.
Zane set his phone down, not worrying about any ringtones waking him up due to the lack of people in his phone, and crawled into bed. He collapsed against the pillows, the fresh sheets welcome against his skin, but he felt strange without a warm body beside him coaxing him into sleep. With a deep breath, he turned off the lamp next to him, and fell into a deep sleep rather quickly, the day's events tugging him into darkness like a heavy weight upon his chest.
The next morning, he woke up on his own account at eight sharp. He sat up in a panic, thinking he had overslept some sort of training, before he looked around at his surroundings. Ah yes, the palace. He bit his lip, and picked up his phone to text Karen again.
Zane: Have I missed breakfast? I forgot to set an alarm last night.
Karen: Nope, still going to be another half hour or so.
He sighed in relief, nerves flooding his body as he washed his face, put on deodorant, and dressed himself, once again wearing dress pants and a button down, this time a solid baby blue, and fastened a black tie around his neck, the entire process purely muscle memory by this point in his life. He finished off the look with a spray of the fragrance he liked in a crescent moon shaped bottle. He looked at the clock, and realized only ten minutes had passed.
With his few spare minutes, he downloaded a few social media apps, unsure whether to go incognito and disguise himself or create one for himself as the prince. He decided for the former, as he could always make a new one if he so desired, and was greeted with the quite confusing user interface of Chirp. The first thing he did was look up the ninja, not surprised that Kai's profile picture was a selfie of him with sunglasses on, holding a bottle of what looked like cola in the hand not holding his phone. Zane stomach suddenly twisted, and he reflexively shut off his phone right before he hit the follow button, clearing his mind of any thoughts regarding the ninja as he made his way to breakfast.
Out of habit, he went to go sit at the seat adjacent to the head of the table, but with the eyes of the palace staff on him, he awkwardly sat at the front where his father used to eat, the view of the entire table foreign to him.
Karen was on his right, dressed in light armor from the neck down, as were the rest of the important members of the guard at her side.
"Hey Zane," She greeted, and he nodded his head in response as he took in the meal, omelets stacked high in the center of the table surrounded by bowls of diced potato, seasoned with something that Zane couldn't quite name. Karen saw the yearning look on his face, and smiled sadly to herself.
"Go ahead and take it. Nobody here is going to give you permission," She saw him snap out of whatever trance he was in, and he politely asked the guard member closest to the stack to hand him a plate. An omelet was passed over without question, and Zane scooped a pile of potato for himself. The rest of the table started to obtain their plates as well, glad that the prince had shown up so they could begin.
When breakfast was over, Zane spent a little roaming the halls once more, briefly brushing his fingertips over the delicate works of art lining the walls, the steady thump of his dress shoes hitting the floors filling the space where his mother's heels and father's boots once were. He didn't miss the foreboding noise in the slightest.
Even if he didn't even particularly like them, they were still his parents, however, and Karen was the one to orchestrate their killing. He boxed that line of thought for later, instead finding himself in the throne room, where one throne stood in place of two. Zane's eyes quickly darted around the room, noting how the servants were pretending not to look at him, eyes darting away as soon as his gaze fell upon them. He climbed up the steps reverently, gripping one armrest, the crushed velvet shifting under his finger tips.
With a deep breath and Karen's encouragement, Zane raised himself up and sat down on the throne, looking over the room with nervous eyes. He was never allowed this high up on the elevated platform until now, when it was his to keep. Karen excused herself for one moment, pulling out her phone, leaving Zane alone for the time being. He crossed his legs, remembering that his father sometimes kept his grandfather's staff next to his throne. In any case, it wasn't there now, having long since been stored away in some far off vault.
Zane ran his fingers through the fabric on the armrests, the cushions plush under his fingertips. If he were back at the Bounty, he would most likely be sitting in the shade as Kai sparred with one of his peers, the prince handing out water to the ninja as they fought. He felt his heart pump faster, and banished the line of thinking. If he was going to keep his cool and accept that he wasn't wanted on the Bounty anymore, he needed to relax. He crossed his legs, one foot jumping out of habit.
Just then, Karen slid back next to him, blonde ponytail swaying slightly.
"How's the view?" She grinned, and Zane shrugged.
"It's just a lot of servants. How do people stay sane sitting on here all the time?" He asked, hoping his easy smile would appease her. She laughed, and Zane breathed a sigh of relief disguised as an equivalent giggle.
"Don't know, bud. Well, usually there's people coming in with problems and stuff. But that's not happening for you yet," She winked, and the two made idle chat for a few more minutes, Zane turning more and more grateful for the distraction.
Just as Zane was about to stand and resume his stroll around the palace, the two saw the heavy doors leading to the outside begin to creak open.
The ninja stood outside of the palace gates, incredibly nervous. Wu was with them as well, but he stood in the back of the group, letting Kai lead the front. The guards at the gate didn't look too amused.
"Yeah, we were given pretty explicit orders not to let you guys in," The one on the right narrowed his eyes, his sword jostling in his holster. "So unless we get word otherwise-"
Just then, the other guard's phone rang. The first guard scowled at them while the second talked on the phone for a quick second, her eyes darting all over the place as she listened.
"You got it, boss," She hung up, and turned to her partner. "Yeah, the Captain said it's fine."
"She what?" The guy blinked. "How did she even know they were here?"
"I may have texted her while they were walking up."
"You're not even supposed to have your phone."
"Exception. I'm fine."
"Whatever."
The sighed, and opened the gates, the girl leading them inside. Kai and Nya shuddered, having seen this part of the castle before, before this whole debacle had even started. The front doors were opened, and the group was released into the palace. The announcer beside the entrance sprang to life, and the ninja barely had time to register what was going on before his voice boomed.
"Now announcing the arrival of: The Ninja!"
"Why am I not surprised?" A familiar voice sounded, and Kai whipped around towards the throne to see his boyfriend sitting with an annoyed expression on his face, legs crossed, Karen by his side with a countenance even more ominous.
"Ah, Zane! That was easy," Jay laughed nervously, and Nya elbowed him sharply in the side.
"You came here quickly," Zane stood, sliding down the stairs with ease thanks to some short bursts of ice shot out of his palms. "Why so soon?"
"None of us thought you were going to leave," Cole explained, gaze wary of how Zane's fingers twitched, the call of his element clear in his body language.
"Well, it seemed as though I wasn't welcome anymore. Besides, I have my job to return to," The prince shrugged, and Kai stepped forward from the mass of the crew.
"Look, Zane, just come back to the Bounty, and-"
"I am not leaving," Zane interrupted, and flexed his fingers into fists to hide the shakiness of his hands, both from nerves and agitation.
"Fine, fine," Kai let up, metaphorically backing off. "You can stay here. I can't make you go anywhere anyway. Just, spend a few more hours with me. That's all I ask, and then we can break up or do whatever you want, but I'm not letting it end like this."
Zane seemed to think it over, and the Fire Ninja could recognize the warring emotions, caught between mind and heart.
"Alright, I will accompany you. Where exactly were you planning on hosting this?"
"The palace has a garden, right?" Kai suggested, and Zane shrugged.
"I don't see why not. Captain," He turned around, and she nodded her head. "Please keep the others company while Kai and I are away."
He turned back with a glint in his eye, and Kai didn't know what emotion it represented.
"Alright then, let's enjoy a few hours, as you suggest."
