Jade often did not remember her dreams, but this felt as though she was wide awake. Drifting in an endless, floating sea, with herself as a beacon of light amidst the darkness. She couldn't see anything other than the ripples of the waves, and for a moment, she was content and peaceful to float for eternity. She was sure if she could talk to her Uncle once again; he would have some ancient Chinese proverb about her dream, or discern meaning from it.
For now, it was an escape, a black nothingness that held no expectations of her, no danger. Just a sanctuary for herself and her mind.
As she drifted, her gaze permanently affixed to the ceiling – or whatever clarified as it – she noticed a ripple of change. Faint lines against the dark, like an outline slowly defining itself visible. Concentrating hard enough, it took further shape until she saw it in it's entirety, and she almost gasped and fell into the inky abyss of the water.
The snarling visage of a painted tiger glared back down at her, and it was unmistakably Tarakudo's mark. However unlike before, how she thought Shadowkhan and becoming the Queen of it was evil, she did not feel that same sinister vibe as before. It was ferocious and terrifying, but it did not seem to be directed at her, but rather the unknown ahead.
The feeling she had, near indescribable, felt more correct when she attributed a sort of protectiveness to the mark. Like a tiger guarding it's young cub, rather than a beast looking for it's next meal. Strangely, her mind drifted to the explanation Uncle had when he described the Tiger talisman, of how there was balance.
Everything was dark around her. Everything was black, all transcribed to feel as though it was evil. And yet .. Jade did not feel as though it was. She felt oddly safe embraced in the shadows. It was a veil, a blanket of comfort, and the tiger was ever vigilant as her guard. A formidable being never to be underestimated, but not for her to fear.
She awoken to a start with the knock on her bedchamber's door, following an elongated groan that escaped her lips. The sun streamed through the wooden dividers, finding just the perfect angle to slash a beam right across her eye-line. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Shendu purposefully had it built in such a way to be as inconvenient to his guests as possible.
"My queen?" the voice sounded from behind the door, an all too familiar scenario already. "I bring good tidings and breakfast. Are you decent enough for me to enter?"
Figuring it to be Tarakudo, Jade flopped about on the bed to try and get comfortable again, practically bouncing in it's plush makeup. She settled to lay on her back, buried up to her nose in the blankets and only the peek of umber eyes shining through.
"It's too early." She complained. "—Come in."
Tarakudo entered with a chuckle; carrying a tray of tea, orange slices and raisin scones. He seemed to be in an amicable mood, drawing a chair to her bedside with his free hand and setting it across the approximation of where her lap was, hidden beneath a multitude of silk. He poured two cups, one for her first, as always, and one for himself, drawing it close to savour the herbal hint.
"It's mid morning. You overslept." He informed, holding a warm smile at her aghast look. Shendu hadn't set a limit to how long they could stay for, so he hadn't minded allowing the young Queen to sleep in. "— You looked like you needed it."
"Maybe." Jade agreed sheepishly, easing herself upwards so she could nibble on an orange slice. She noticed Tarakudo had a scroll tied to his sash, likely some report or another. But anything remotely related to 'business' could wait until after breakfast, at least. "—I had a weird dream."
She didn't expect that to pique his interest, pausing in his sip before finishing it. He settled the base of the cup in the palm of his hand, looking over her with mild interest.
"Oh? Would you like to share?" At her bewildered look, he laughed slightly and explained; "—Dreams tell us what we really want to know. Some believe it to be an unfiltered view of the subconscious; a way for us to connect to things we may miss when conscious. I am no mystic; so I cannot translate any deeper meaning, but I am sure talking about it will help address any.. 'weird' feelings you have for it."
Jade nodded slowly, accepting that logic as sound. Admittedly, she was somewhat scared at how easily she got along with the oni. It wasn't just mere servitude – he was an amazing conversationalist; truly listened to her and gave her feedback when necessary. Were circumstances different, she might actually consider him a real friend, or even someone like an uncle.
Her heart throbbed, thinking about uncles. She was sure that whatever she was feeling for Tarakudo, it was just a misplaced longing to have her actual family back. He was a yokai. An ogre king. She didn't actually feel familial towards him.
"Well," she began uncertainly. When recalling her dream, it questioned her thoughts. "—I was floating. It felt like the sea, but really it was just.. nothingness. But.. I wasn't lost, or anything. It was quite peaceful actually."
Tarakudo hummed, nodding for her to continue. Dreams were a powerful tool for those attuned to magic, and if she was beginning to have them, or visions, then it was just the stepping stones for further affinity. The need for a proper teacher or guide in these ways for her was becoming apparent, and the thought he would seriously have to tell her of Shendu's offer almost made him frown. But he kept it together for Jade to continue.
"You were there," she said, taking a pause to chew on her scone before picking at it in hesitation afterwards. "—Well, not you, more like.. your mark was. Maybe I need to spend less time around you."
She meant that last part as a joke, though it fell as flat as she felt. Thankfully, he didn't feel insulted at her words and merely kept his quiet demeanour. It was worrying until he finally spoke.
"That makes sense."
Jade blinked. "—It does?"
Tarakudo idly traced the rim of his cup with his claw, finding the words to best inform the young Queen. There was much that had happened before her time, or during her infant years that she would not have been aware of, and her mother wasn't around to tell her. The Queen's consort had spent as little time with Jade as possible, leaving him to become more or less a glorified nanny.
Him, King of all Oni and a babysitter for the Queen's only child, and a daughter at that. Yet, he did not find it anything other than a great honour that his bond with the late Queen was strong enough that she would entrust such a duty to him. It was just a shame the consort had wanted nothing to do with his daughter.
"When you were a very young child, our wizard assisted me in inscribing the mark of my tribe onto you." He began, resting back into the chair, aware he had Jade's full and rapt attention on him, taking in as much information as she could. "— It was a ritual of protection; that shared our chi in a way that allowed me to watch over you, even if I wasn't directly with you at all times. My ninjakhan are in your service because of this."
The Mark.. well, at least she knew how she acquired the Mark of Tarakudo in this reality; even in the other it had been a foolish mistake. Everything had aligned, though she was pretty sure that Uncle's magic got rid of the mark entirely from her. Could it be that there was some lingering force of the yojimbo's that was woven into her very soul..?
The magic of the yokai were different than Chinese demons, that she knew of. The idea that she still carried some essence of him didn't appease her too greatly, but for all intents and purposes; it served her for now. Still, he mentioned the ninjakhan. She hadn't tried summoning them, but maybe she could try?
Tarakudo broke out in quiet laughter, reminiscing on those days. "Every time you cried out in tears, you would call upon my tribe. I believe you are the sole reason why my hair whitened, my Queen."
"Hey!" Jade scoffed, leaning over and smacking his arm with a huff, a pout forming on her face when she munched on her orange slice. "I so did not cry when I was a baby."
"You did."
"Did not."
"In that case," Tarakudo bemused, still holding that fanged grin. It looked much less menacing the longer Jade spent around him. "If my Queen decrees that she was not a crybaby, I will have no choice but to accept this. But you were."
"Tch." Jade rolled her eyes, though her spirits had oddly lifted, mind relaxed and settled for having some kind of information to digest. True, she'd never feel entirely comfortable until she was back in her sneakers and playing on her Gameboy, but for the sake of her sanity, she was going to have to make do.
"Is that the morning news?" she addressed the scroll at his belt, nodding towards it and changing the topic. He dutifully retrieved it, unlatching the scroll casing and protective cover and diligently unravelling it to give her the report.
"General Gorou sends his utmost respect and regards," he begins, eyes breaking contact with her to gaze downwards at the kanji. "—He relays that should the winds be favourable enough; he should be able to return back to the empire within seven cycles of the moon. With it, he will bring his report from the scouting parties and the skirmishes within the Muscovite Rus'. The lack of any demonic occupation within that duchy makes it a prime location for a fortress should we ally ourselves with the surrounding empires."
Jade tried not to feel as though the information went straight over her head. Right. She was a monarch, and she was expected to engage into this. But all those words sounded like fifth period class, where all her time was spent staring at the clock, willing it to go faster than learning algebra. How was she expected to keep her ruse up long enough when she needed to keep track of things way out of her scope of handling?
Tarakudo sensed her distress; although he misinterpreted what she might be worried over. "—I know we will be stretching ourselves thin should we claim the land, but it will give us a footing into the greater Middle East. You don't have to make a decision right away, but when the Council is held, they'll expect something then."
"Right." Jade merely voiced. That nagging feeling of smallness blossomed in her chest. She was clever, and she was sure with enough time, she could get her head around it. It was just like.. a computer game – like Civilization, or a board game of Rising Sun. Except the rules had been tossed into the trash, the game pieces were actual, real, breathing people, Shadowkhan or not, and she was at the centre of madness. No biggie. Typical Tuesday.
"Anything else to report?"
Tarakudo internally debated over divulging what Shendu told of him. By rule of his duty, he had to tell Jade of his offer. However, for the sake of her protection, he wanted nothing more than to tell the dragon just exactly where he could stick his snout. Loyalty ultimately overruled his protective nature; and he inwardly bemused if the late Queen would laugh at how much of a cub-protecting tiger he'd ended up becoming.
"Emperor Shendu offers his.." he sneered a little. "… expert advice and services of mentorship to you, my Queen, in regards to training your magical abilities."
Jade blinked in startlement. Having it said like that, it triggered a memory within her, at a time when she was Queen of the Shadowkhan in the old reality. The real reality, she corrected herself. Shendu, trapped in the Englishman Valmont's body, brought before her to translate his demon archive. An entire book filled with dark chi spells cultivated over hundreds of years of perfection and mastering.
She knew he was a powerful wizard, perhaps moreso than his siblings, but could she really accept his help? The one thing she clung onto was the fact Shendu betrayed her when Jackie had arrived to remove the Mark from her leg.
Strong beyond your years. He'd said. He would not only have translated the book for her, but taught her. Childish annoyance resurfaced when she'd been so eager to accept that proposition, even from the likes of a demon, because Uncle had completely ignored her magical affinity.
Or maybe he knew she was too young, too undisciplined and impatient to focus on the intricate and mystical arts of magic.
She picked at her scone again, having eaten half her breakfast and content to merely nibble along during her morning conversation. Shendu clearly wanted something out of the arrangement, and so long as there was an incentive for him to be compliant, then he wouldn't betray her.
However she would always have that Sword of Damocles over her head, the rope awaiting to snap the moment Shendu felt as though their partnership was no longer fruitful. It frustrated her that he was the only one willing, and the fact he was offering anything to begin with made her believe that she wouldn't have any sort of guide back at the Dynasty.
"—What do you make of his offer, Tarakudo?" Jade asked after her silence, hoping to formulate a better decision based from him.
"I cannot decide for you, my Queen." He rebuffs gently, though adds; "That being said, he is a dragon foremost before a demon, and he is nothing but opportunistic, vile, and full of pathetic pride. He will not be content being just your tutor. I am sure he will seek something more once he's satiated his appetite for power. And once you are no longer able to afford or give him the more he wants, he will take it by force and betray you."
He sighed deeply. "—He is, regrettably, an extraordinarily powerful wizard; and has pioneered the art of artificing magical items and is the first in discovering new fields of magic. Were he anyone else, I would say he would make an excellent tutor for any sort of magic. An external body such as himself teaching you will be.. interesting to pose to the Council, though it may be more in your favour as there is no internal politics being upset."
Jade nodded slowly, taking heed of his warning of Shendu's wily ways as well as his power. She didn't need telling twice how strong he was; the various clashes she and her family had with him in the past had proved his potency, and this latest stunt with the Book of Ages was a mess they'd yet to clear up.
"I see."
Seeing that she was done with breakfast, Tarakudo moved the tray off her lap, letting to scoot towards the edge of the bed.
"Go tell Shendu I'll talk with him in the afternoon about his offer."
note: [holds all my headcanons] i need a place to put them at some point, heh.
also a little bit of hint on the dynasty. eventually jade will have to return there and she has.. a big fear about that. also, i probably didn't make it clear; but it's located in Japan. The reason why Po Kong out of all of them had approached Jade is because she is probably a lot more 'in the know' about it, also sharing the region. y'know, if she cared.