As the next guest approached to speak with Lady Borg, Cole, Jay, and Nya walked away with Kai to find a more secluded place to talk.
"So that's him, huh?" Jay said, looking back at the droid sitting beside Pixal.
"Yep, that's the new favourite." Kai spat bitterly.
"No offence dude, but I'm not surprised," Cole stated. "he kinda looks like-"
"Don't!" Kai interrupted. "I'm more than aware of how he looks; Zane's blueprints were used to rebuild him, for some reason."
"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Jay tried to empathise.
"That obvious, huh?" Kai remarked.
"We're just saying, you've been in love with Pixal for so long, we know this can't be easy for you." Cole added.
"Look, I get what you guys are trying to do, but I already know my time is running out." Kai snapped.
"You make it sound like you're gonna self-destruct or something," Nya crossed her arms. "can you please stop being so dramatic?"
"I didn't intend on catching feelings for anyone, let alone someone who would never feel that way about me, so forgive me if I'm being 'dramatic' about it," Kai mentioned, as he looked at Jay. "I mean, how did you feel when Cole started catching feels for Nya? After all that time of you being in love with her?"
There was an immediate, uncomfortable silence, and Cole paled significantly.
"O-kay, I'm gonna go now, bye!" Cole said robotically.
He instantly cut his losses and swiftly exited the conversation, strolling back in the direction they'd come from.
Jay and Nya both turned red as they recalled the awkward shenanigans of their love triangle with Cole. Ironically, that started the same day that Zane met Pixal for the first time. It was as if fate had to balance the straightforward simplicity of the droid's love, by throwing a wrench into theirs with that stupid compatibility machine.
"It sucked, I'll be honest," Jay eventually admitted, knowing Cole was out of earshot. "I felt like he was interfering."
"That's how I feel right now with Zander," Kai gestured with his hand before leaning against the wall. "it's not like I don't have other options, I just feel like, I was there for her when he wasn't."
"You realise how dumb that sounds right?" Nya mocked. "It's not like he went off on some adventure, Zane sacrificed himself to save everyone."
"So, because his intentions were noble, my feelings aren't valid?" Kai goaded.
"That's not what I'm saying!" Nya sighed in frustration. "Listen, if Zane could – and indeed has – come back, don't you think he would've come back as soon as he could; why would he leave it this long?"
"He… wouldn't, not on purpose." Kai relented.
"And let's be honest, if he has come back, and is masquerading as someone else, he's only doing it because he has to."
"Come again?" Jay said, confused.
"Let's say, he somehow survived in digital form, and couldn't come back until now for whatever reason," Nya theorised. "he probably knows that no one would believe it's really him, so he's gotta bide his time until he can prove that he is who he says he is."
"Plus, what if he's lost his memory?" Jay pointed out. "He may not know who he is, but that mutual attraction of theirs could be acting on its own."
"Which could all be a moot point if this new guy is in fact not Zane and is just some rando with a similar sounding name," Nya said finally. "then not only would you look ridiculous for saying anything, but you also run the risk of upsetting Pixal, and we all know what follows when that happens."
The three of them paused for a second. Lady Borg's retaliations were nothing to sniff at; the Siege of Chen's Island was far from her only emotional explosion, and while her armies were almost entirely droids, the antagonists she so brutally defeated were not.
"This is frying my brain just thinking about it," Kai sighed. "if you're done wrecking my head, can I get back to the party?"
"Wait!" Jay grabbed Kai's sleeve as he began to walk away. "There is something else."
Kai stopped and looked at them, as they continued to blush like a couple of strawberries. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.
"We need to tell you…" Jay started. "We've decided to get married, but we wanted to get your blessing first."
"We know this probably isn't the right time to drop this on you," Nya added. "but we've been thinking about it for a while, and it seemed like there was never a 'right time' to tell you."
Kai paused and closed his eyes. Jay and Nya began to think this really was the worst time to tell him, until a wide, happy smile crossed his face. He pulled them in for a group hug and began crying.
"Consider it blessed." He choked.
"Are you okay, bro?" Nya asked.
Kai broke away from them, his face beaming with pride.
"Took you long enough!" He laughed and playfully thumped Jay's arm.
"I'm so glad you're taking this well." Nya said.
"I needed some good news," Kai chuckled, wiping his face with his sleeve. "come on, let's get back to the party, the live entertainment starts soon."
As he returned to hustle and bustle of the ballroom, Kai found himself being wanted by someone else, as he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned and saw Lady Rose standing behind him, looking considerably nervous.
"Rose!" He grinned at her. "And what can I do for you?"
"A dance, My Lord?" She timidly asked.
"Only if you use my name, not my title…" He teased as he winked at her.
"Um… Kai… would you care to dance with me?" She stammered out, blushing madly.
"I'd love to!" He smirked.
Kai gave a brief bow of respect, before gently taking Rose's hand and guiding her to the dancefloor. She had begun to regret asking when she realised that they were the only ones there, but Kai was especially mindful that Rose had always been incredibly anxious around him and was prepared to distract her from it.
Adding to Rose's anxiety, was the musician's choice of music. While she had been awaiting Kai's return, a fifth musician had rocked up with a kokyu violin, and the band was now playing a beautiful, sweeping melody that was perfect for a slow dance. Truly there was no turning back now, not that she really wanted to, but the heat of his body and the charming grin on his face were doing a number on her heart rate.
Kai never used to dance. It was only when Pixal decided that there should be a customary first dance for her Lord announcement ceremonies (of which, his was the first), that he bothered to learn how. His determination and concurrent skill at dancing was one of the things that made him so popular with the various court ladies. Even now, as he warmly smiled at Lady Rose while drifting effortlessly around the ballroom with her, the effect of his talent on the ladies was obvious for all to see.
Rose was stunned. She knew Kai could dance – she had seen him dance with others – but now that she was experiencing it for herself, she could barely hold it together.
"Are you okay?" Kai whispered to her.
"Yes, of course," Rose answered. "I am privileged that you wished to dance with me – we've never danced before…"
"I'm sorry it took so long," He laughed gently. "if I had known you wanted to dance, I would've asked you sooner; you always seemed so nervous around me, I thought maybe you didn't like me."
"Not at all!" She spoke suddenly, and much louder than she intended – her blush deepened further. "I have always been a shy person, in fact, it took all my courage to ask you this evening."
"You? Shy? I've never would've thought that about you," He mentioned. "everyone on the gemmology floor praises you, you're so poised during court sessions and council meetings, and you oversee your territory with confidence and compassion."
"Thank you, Kai," She murmured, looking away slightly. "such high praise, coming from you."
"You're welcome, Rose," He smiled. "perhaps we should get to know each other better, we clearly don't know each other well enough."
"I would like that very much."
All too soon, the song was over, and Rose became silently melancholy when he let go of her hand and pulled away. They bowed to one another, and as he walked away, Kai was besieged by another court lady who also wished to dance with him. Rose suddenly felt weak in the knees, something Lady Ruby had anticipated, given that she was the one to catch Rose as she stumbled.
"Well, that looked like it went well." Lady Ruby smirked at her.
"It was wonderful…" Lady Rose swooned.
"You might need this back," Lady Ruby gave Rose the hand fan which she had been safekeeping on her person. "I'll help you back to your seat, just in case."
Rose nodded and leaned on Ruby, just a little, to steady herself. She noticed that Lady Borg must have finished meeting with guests for now, as she was once again on the dancefloor with Lord Zander. The next song was also very slow and romantic, and Lady Borg appeared to make full use of it as she leaned her head on Lord Zander's shoulder; her eyes closed, an enamoured smile on her lips… Rose had never seen the Shogun this happy.
Before she sat down, she tapped Miru on the shoulder with her folding fan. Miru, who was still sitting with Hanasu at the foot of the throne, turned around so she was facing Lady Rose.
"You did a fantastic job teaching Lord Zander to dance," Rose praised. "Her Imperial Highness has never appeared so joyous."
"Thank you, My Lady," Miru responded. "but I did not teach him anything – he already knew how to dance when he arrived here."
"And yet Lord Kai did not," Lady Ruby said pointedly. "I would imagine that years of training would give one a natural sense of rhythm."
"Indeed, he is an interesting individual," Hanasu declared. "not many people can say that they were made a Lord after three days of being in the capital."
"It's almost suspicious, isn't it?" Lady Rae chimed in.
Lady Ruby narrowed her eyes accusingly.
"…How many drinks have you had?" She asked.
"Don't change the subject!" Lady Rae hissed. "If I were you Miru, I would take a look at his internal files, see if there's anything dubious in there…"
"What are you suggesting, My Lady?" Miru asked, slightly annoyed. "That someone of ill repute could somehow escape my penetrating gaze?"
"We've never had someone like him here before," Lady Rae sneered. "there have been imposters, sure, but none were so silver-tongued and seemingly faultless as he."
"Okay, time to cut you off," Lady Ruby insisted, rolling her eyes. "we should've kept you on the soda, alcohol always makes you spout utter nonsense."
Rose turned in her seat and tugged on the sleeve of one of the armoured men standing by.
"Excuse me, guard," Rose whispered to him. "would you escort Lady Rae to her guest chamber?"
"Yes, My Lady," He agreed, approaching the soused young woman and bowing as low as possible. "Lady Rae, I am but a lowly guard, but I would be deeply honoured if you would join me for a nice moonlit walk around the gardens."
"How could I say no to such a gentleman?" She said, hiding her face behind her sensu fan and unsteadily standing up. "Would you let me take your arm as we walk? I feel a little faint…"
"Of course, My Lady."
Lady Rae leaned into him and nuzzled his shoulder, batting her eyes flirtatiously at him. Fortunately, the nearest exit was not far, and the guard gently herded her out of the room. The others heaved a sigh.
"We really need to start watering down her drinks," Rose shook her head. "or at least not let her have double spirits."
"What a pity, she's going to miss the live singer," Lady Ruby chuckled. "but at least she has some male company to make up for it..."
Evie knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
"It's almost time for your set Mr Akane." Evie said as she walked in.
"You can call me Phoenix," He laughed. "I get that working here, you're probably used to being formal, but that's not my thing."
Evie chuckled.
"Hopefully, we've made you feel at home, we aim to please after all."
"Everything's great, thanks babe." He beamed.
"You should've seen how excited he got when he saw that you found his favourite brand of cherries!" His assistant chuckled.
"This is my sister, Sagittarius," Phoenix explained. "she's a cosmetologist so she comes with me to every performance."
"Just 'Sage' is fine, my full name is a bit of a mouthful," She giggled. "nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Evie commented sweetly, as she noticed his trademark prosthetics. "my, my; your wings are beautiful!"
"Thanks," He replied while Sage braided his long silver hair into a slim ponytail. "they made them here at Borg Industries, you know."
"Wow, I had no idea your hair was really this long!" Evie gasped.
"I'm in awe of it myself," Sage said as she tied the bottom of the braid with blue ribbon. "my own hair doesn't grow past my elbows, no matter what products I use or what treatments I try, so I just keep it short."
Phoenix spun around in his chair, as Sage attended to his face. That was when Evie got to see Phoenix's tell-tale scar. In addition to his striking blue-and-grey eyes and boyish features, there was a jagged scar going from the top of his forehead, across his right eye and ending just at his cheek. Sagittarius lightly powdered his face, then brushed gold glitter upwards across his cheeks, moving diagonally towards his temples. She then took out a red glitter eyeliner pencil.
Evie was surprised to see the young woman accentuating the already startling mark.
"May I ask why you are making the scar stand out more than it already does?" Evie queried.
"Self-love is part of my aesthetic," Phoenix added. "I used to hate my scar, but it's part of who I am, so now I wear it proudly."
"It does suit you…" Evie admitted.
Sage applied a few squirts of sealing spray to Phoenix's make up, and he got up out of his seat, giving Evie an eyeful of his sculpted torso.
Phoenix was a performer; he didn't just sing, he also did aerial tricks on a large metal hoop, so it figured he would have to be muscular to do what he did. But Evie did not expect to see it for herself, or this close for that matter.
Sage then helped him put on a white dress shirt, manoeuvring his wings through specially designed slits in the fabric. He buttoned up the front of the shirt – stopping short of another scar on his collar bone – and gave a model twirl for the two ladies.
"How do I look?" Phoenix winked.
"Very handsome!" Evie nodded enthusiastically.
"Fabulous as ever, bro," Sage smiled. "just one more thing!"
She retrieved a small round container and, using a makeup sponge, smeared a silver viscous fluid right across his forehead. She then picked up a winged circlet from the dressing table and placed it on his head, pressing down where the circlet sat over the area that she had applied the liquid. It was completely gold, with a giant ruby in the centre and delicate filigree curled around it.
"Okay, better do a quick test," She instructed. "left wing, right wing, both wings."
As if by magic, the prosthetic wings moved one at a time and then together, stretching out and folding back in. Evie was mind-blown.
"I didn't know you could move them!" Evie exclaimed.
"It's a new feature; Lady Borg's finest minds came together to create a head piece that uses my thoughts to make the wings move," He elaborated. "I've been practicing every spare minute to make it work with my hoop routines."
"Hence the theatrical glue I put on his face," Sage informed her. "can't have it coming off mid-performance!"
"Nearly show time, sir, please follow me," Evie requested excitedly, picking up her tablet and leading him out of the dressing room. "we have prepared the bird cage and aerial hoop for your opening song, and Lord Kai has arranged the pyrotechnics."
"Wow! Lady Borg really went all out for me, huh?" Phoenix smiled.
"Two machinists are standing by with your costume changes," Evie continued, leading him up a set of stairs. "also, the-"
"I can't believe I'm performing for the Shogun!" He mused happily.
"You'll do amazing, I'm sure." She looked at her tablet screen. "where's your manager by the way?"
"Meeting with Her Imperial Highness the last I knew," He calmly explained. "when she said that her finest equerry would take care of me, he took it as carte blanche to take it easy."
"I'm most flattered." Evie blushed.
"Excuse me, Mr Phoenix, we need to get you into the birdcage now," interrupted a nearby technician. "we also need to attach the mic."
"Awesome," Phoenix gave Evie a quick hug. "thanks for all your help, babe!"
As Phoenix followed the man toward the birdcage prop that he would start the show in, Evie stood there stunned, while inwardly exploding. She headed back down the stairs, secretly wondering why her teen years were spent single, but now that she was in her early twenties, men were suddenly interested in her. Not that a hug meant Phoenix was attracted to her, but the pattern of men randomly holding her was undeniable.
She stood by the velvet curtain where she was chatting with Master Lloyd earlier and typed out a message on her phone to Hanasu.
She who Speaks was still seated at the Shogun's feet and it wasn't long before the message was received. Hanasu sat up on her knees to address Lady Borg.
"Your Imperial Highness," She said quietly. "the singer is in place."
"Thank you, Hanasu," Pixal smiled. "please make the announcement."
Hanasu made her way to the platform where the musicians were still performing. They seemed to realise what she was there for, and slowly wound down the current song they were playing. After a few minutes of decreasing music, they finished and retreated from the platform, taking their instruments with them.
Hanasu thanked them as they departed and made a signal with her hand. The lights went down, and a spotlight appeared over her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we would like to request that you please make your way back to your seats, as we have a special surprise." Hanasu spoke loudly.
She waited patiently as people returned to their designated tables and more drinks were served.
"In honour of the new Lord, we would like to present a special performance by Phoenix Akane; enjoy!" She bowed and returned to her previous place, as a loud round of applause echoed out.
The spotlight remained in place, as a large birdcage – draped in a blue velvet cover – descended from the ceiling and hung there. All went quiet, until the velvet cover was removed, and revealed a large pair of wings surrounding someone. Another brief applause was hushed by an epic instrumental score that came out of the speakers.
The swell of trumpets and violins and dramatic drums rumbled for half a minute, as Phoenix turned around and the cage went up into the rigging. He sat in the hoop and momentarily spread his wings out, to even more applause.
"~Now, you say you're lonely… You cried the whole night through…~" He purred. "~Well, you can cry me a river… Cry me a river… I cried a river over you…~"
He grabbed the sides of the hoop like a swing and slowly leaned backwards, hooked his left leg over the inside of the hoop and stretched his other leg straight up. He then hung upside down, arched backwards so that he could grab his left foot and motioned gracefully with his free hand.
"~And, now, you say you're sorry… For being so untrue… Well, you can cry me a river… Cry me a river… I cried a river over you…~"
Phoenix relaxed his back, and momentarily dangled with his wings acting as a prehensile limb.
"~You drove me, nearly out of my head… While you never shed a tear, babe...
Remember? I remember all that you said… You told me love was too plebeian; told me you were through with me and now, you say you love me…~" He drew in his right leg and hooked it over the hoop beside his left. "~Well, just to prove that you do…Why don't you cry me a river? Cry me a river… 'Cause I cried a river over you… Over you…"
Holding onto the sides again, Phoenix pulled himself up and shifted back a little, until he was balancing in the now gently spinning hoop by the small of his back. His wings fluttered beneath him, and he gestured outwardly with his arms.
"~You say you love me, but you lie...~"
In one swift motion, he grabbed the top of the hoop, swung forwards through it and proceeded to hang by the strength of his arms alone as the hoop spun faster from his sudden movement. The riggers lowered the hoop until Phoenix's feet were touching the ground. He elegantly stood up and delicately pulled the hoop down further, holding it down with his foot. He then leapt up and sat on the top of the hoop just as the riggers were bringing it back up, straddling the rope seductively as it spun.
"~Now, you say you love me… Well, just to prove that you do… Come on and cry me a river… Oh, cry me a river… I cried a river over you…~"
Phoenix briefly leaned back, with one hand on the rope and the other pulling his long ponytail over his shoulder.
"~I cried a river… Over you…~"
He put both hands on the hoop, tucked in his wings and slid through so he could sit inside it. With his legs and hands gripping onto the hoop, he leaned forward into a full circle spin; once, twice, three times. On the final spin, his wings once again opened up and balanced his weight.
"~I cried a river… Now you can, too… Cry me a river…~"
The music swiftly built up and came to a booming conclusion, offset by the pyro technicians letting off several blinding flashes of fire.
During the fiery distraction, Phoenix had leapt down from the hoop, somersaulted onto his knees and slid forward across the stage.
"~Cry me a river! ~" He belted out the final line with all the power in his lungs, as his wings spread out to full span and glittered in the spotlight shining over him.
There was a split second of silence, followed by a glorious applause.
The people cheered and clapped, and he was sure that he'd heard a few whistles here and there. Phoenix stood up and repeatedly bowed, flapping his wings appreciatively. He visually searched the crowd and saw his manager giving him two thumbs up. He then glanced over at Pixal; she was clapping and smiling with approval. Being applauded by the Shogun was more than he ever expected.
"Your Imperial Highness, ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for having me here," He said as he got his breath back. "I can't tell you how loved I feel right now, never did I imagine myself performing for such an amazing audience… now, who wants to hear an absolutely fire song?"
A sudden surge of appreciation rang out from the crowd.
The song is 'Cry me a river' by Michael Bublé, and it's awesome - be sure to check it out!