Chapter4
"So it's agreed that Mia is hiding something from us?" Ryo asked. They all nodded, Anubis answering from the darkness of his corner.
Kayura snorted. "Anubis, you might as well join us. You guys have got to help us shed some light on this. Besides, that lurking in the shadows thing only works on people who are actually afraid of you. Nobody here falls under that category." Anubis bit back the retort he had for Kayura. Concern for his friend came before any arguments he had with his fellow comrades. Though they were all friends now, small petty arguments broke out here and there between certain members at the drop of a hat. Example A: Kayura and Anubis. Since being accidentally summoned while Kayura practiced controlling her powers, the ghost had haunted the house until Kayura could find a way to send him back. Anubis has since spent his time trying to help the young Ancient out by offering advice from his one run as the Ancient One. To put it lightly, Kayura became quickly annoyed, leading to her remark.
Ryo waited until he was sure no blood would be shed before he opened his mouth again. "We know it's not a typical nightmare because the things she described seemed to ring a bell to certain people." He stopped and leaned over Sage to look at Cale. "What was it about what she said that made you guys become so edgy?"
Cale sighed at being the one to have to explain. "Back before we all joined Talpa, the four of us were after the same maiden. She had already been asked for by someone else, but he was on the same level as she and her father wanted to marry her higher on the food chain. She seemed like a good prospect for a wife, until you went to visit her."
Dais cut in. "I was the first to go." Everyone waited for him to continue but he just stared right back at them.
Sekhmet prodded him. "Oh come now, it was centuries ago, you can't still be holding a grudge. Besides, she was high maintenance."
Kento now looked interested. "Did she reject him on the spot? Kill a spider in front of him and send him crying to his mother?" Dais growled at him in anger. Sekhmet put a hand on his arm and shook his head.
The green haired man stared the others straight in the eye before saying. "I'll tell you what a minx the girl was. She was the poster child of all a that a man looked for in a good wife in those days: charming, dainty, polite, slightly flirtatious, and on top of it all, she had a heart like a saint. Or at least she did until suitors arrived at her family's home requesting to court her. On my visit she suddenly became stricken with a fainting problem. Every time I walked into the room she would pass out. At first I attributed it to my manly physique." Here Sekhmet paused to flex. Then he dropped his arms and sighed. "She sent me a letter stating that she had been told of my liking of snakes which she happened to be frightened of to the point of fainting just from thinking of them. I left the next day, telling her father I wished for a wife with more backbone."
Cale smirked. "I think I got worse. My horse had yet to even be stabled before I was informed not to kiss the Lady on her hand because she had recently contracted a highly contagious malady that was effectively passed on through oral contact, especially when kissed on the hand that was coughed on. I left the next day with her father apologizing all the way to the main road."
"What made you suspicious that she was lying?" Cye asked.
"When she was seen allowing the emperor to kiss her hand two days later." Dais muttered. Raising his voice a bit more he ground out. "At least she did not insult your virility." This comment drew many a look form the other occupants of the room.
"That would mean that she thought you were impotent." Rowen observed. Dais's face grew red. "She didn't actually.?" Rowen's voice trailed off as Dais's face grew redder in color. "Ouch." The others nodded their sympathy for a fellow guy but Kayura was not about to be let off that easily.
"So what did you do to make her think you couldn't have children?" she asked sweetly.
Dais growled at her before answering. "She said my hair was so white it reminded her of her grandfather and that if I had hair like him than my chances of bearing children must be the same as well." All of the men in the room fell over. Dais continued. "To make it worse, she said this at dinner in front of her father. I never thought the man would stop apologizing." Kento immediately began chuckling. Big, bad Warlord of Illusions taken down a notch by a girl. It was too much for Kento to handle knowing. His laughter was soon cut off when a blob of something brown flew into his face.
Dais sat back with a smile. "I've wanted to do that for the past five minutes. Now we're even." Everyone laughed as Kento attempted to wipe the gooey substance off his face, not yet realizing that it was just an illusion Dais had cooked up.
Sage cleared his throat. "So what happened to this girl?" he asked quietly.
"That's the funny part." Cale answered. "See, the guy we first mentioned was the reason behind it all. She wanted to marry him and figured she could get him by giving her father no other choice but to accept him. But in the end, she willingly wed a close friend of her love because he had been killed by the last suitor that came knocking." Here Cale shot a glance at Anubis who slumped down in his chair. "This guy was the cream of the crop with enough arrogance to share with the country and still have enough left over to boost his own ego."
Anubis glared in return. "You would enjoy bringing up the darkest points of my existence wouldn't you?" Cale smiled back in return. If looks could kill, Anubis would have him roasting on a spit. Instead he recounted one of the most despicable things he had ever done in his life. "I had attempted to use charm and seduction but she didn't buy it. On one occasion she decided she had had enough and flipped me over her back. I later found out about her lover when she bribed her guards into letting her out. So I got her father and concocted some story which was partially true about the lover being promised to someone already. The father threw a fit, banished the young man and took his daughter home. I stayed behind under the pretence of making sure he left then fought him. It is not something I am proud of and I have tried my damndest to forget about it." The last was said very softly and Cale felt somewhat bad for bringing it up. Anubis had changed since the days when he had first joined Talpa, but he still had his demons. They all did.
Ryo thought for a bit. Clearing his throat softly he brought attention back to the situation at hand. "But the question is, why is Mia having nightmares about your past and what do we have to do with any of it?" No one could answer.
"So it's agreed that Mia is hiding something from us?" Ryo asked. They all nodded, Anubis answering from the darkness of his corner.
Kayura snorted. "Anubis, you might as well join us. You guys have got to help us shed some light on this. Besides, that lurking in the shadows thing only works on people who are actually afraid of you. Nobody here falls under that category." Anubis bit back the retort he had for Kayura. Concern for his friend came before any arguments he had with his fellow comrades. Though they were all friends now, small petty arguments broke out here and there between certain members at the drop of a hat. Example A: Kayura and Anubis. Since being accidentally summoned while Kayura practiced controlling her powers, the ghost had haunted the house until Kayura could find a way to send him back. Anubis has since spent his time trying to help the young Ancient out by offering advice from his one run as the Ancient One. To put it lightly, Kayura became quickly annoyed, leading to her remark.
Ryo waited until he was sure no blood would be shed before he opened his mouth again. "We know it's not a typical nightmare because the things she described seemed to ring a bell to certain people." He stopped and leaned over Sage to look at Cale. "What was it about what she said that made you guys become so edgy?"
Cale sighed at being the one to have to explain. "Back before we all joined Talpa, the four of us were after the same maiden. She had already been asked for by someone else, but he was on the same level as she and her father wanted to marry her higher on the food chain. She seemed like a good prospect for a wife, until you went to visit her."
Dais cut in. "I was the first to go." Everyone waited for him to continue but he just stared right back at them.
Sekhmet prodded him. "Oh come now, it was centuries ago, you can't still be holding a grudge. Besides, she was high maintenance."
Kento now looked interested. "Did she reject him on the spot? Kill a spider in front of him and send him crying to his mother?" Dais growled at him in anger. Sekhmet put a hand on his arm and shook his head.
The green haired man stared the others straight in the eye before saying. "I'll tell you what a minx the girl was. She was the poster child of all a that a man looked for in a good wife in those days: charming, dainty, polite, slightly flirtatious, and on top of it all, she had a heart like a saint. Or at least she did until suitors arrived at her family's home requesting to court her. On my visit she suddenly became stricken with a fainting problem. Every time I walked into the room she would pass out. At first I attributed it to my manly physique." Here Sekhmet paused to flex. Then he dropped his arms and sighed. "She sent me a letter stating that she had been told of my liking of snakes which she happened to be frightened of to the point of fainting just from thinking of them. I left the next day, telling her father I wished for a wife with more backbone."
Cale smirked. "I think I got worse. My horse had yet to even be stabled before I was informed not to kiss the Lady on her hand because she had recently contracted a highly contagious malady that was effectively passed on through oral contact, especially when kissed on the hand that was coughed on. I left the next day with her father apologizing all the way to the main road."
"What made you suspicious that she was lying?" Cye asked.
"When she was seen allowing the emperor to kiss her hand two days later." Dais muttered. Raising his voice a bit more he ground out. "At least she did not insult your virility." This comment drew many a look form the other occupants of the room.
"That would mean that she thought you were impotent." Rowen observed. Dais's face grew red. "She didn't actually.?" Rowen's voice trailed off as Dais's face grew redder in color. "Ouch." The others nodded their sympathy for a fellow guy but Kayura was not about to be let off that easily.
"So what did you do to make her think you couldn't have children?" she asked sweetly.
Dais growled at her before answering. "She said my hair was so white it reminded her of her grandfather and that if I had hair like him than my chances of bearing children must be the same as well." All of the men in the room fell over. Dais continued. "To make it worse, she said this at dinner in front of her father. I never thought the man would stop apologizing." Kento immediately began chuckling. Big, bad Warlord of Illusions taken down a notch by a girl. It was too much for Kento to handle knowing. His laughter was soon cut off when a blob of something brown flew into his face.
Dais sat back with a smile. "I've wanted to do that for the past five minutes. Now we're even." Everyone laughed as Kento attempted to wipe the gooey substance off his face, not yet realizing that it was just an illusion Dais had cooked up.
Sage cleared his throat. "So what happened to this girl?" he asked quietly.
"That's the funny part." Cale answered. "See, the guy we first mentioned was the reason behind it all. She wanted to marry him and figured she could get him by giving her father no other choice but to accept him. But in the end, she willingly wed a close friend of her love because he had been killed by the last suitor that came knocking." Here Cale shot a glance at Anubis who slumped down in his chair. "This guy was the cream of the crop with enough arrogance to share with the country and still have enough left over to boost his own ego."
Anubis glared in return. "You would enjoy bringing up the darkest points of my existence wouldn't you?" Cale smiled back in return. If looks could kill, Anubis would have him roasting on a spit. Instead he recounted one of the most despicable things he had ever done in his life. "I had attempted to use charm and seduction but she didn't buy it. On one occasion she decided she had had enough and flipped me over her back. I later found out about her lover when she bribed her guards into letting her out. So I got her father and concocted some story which was partially true about the lover being promised to someone already. The father threw a fit, banished the young man and took his daughter home. I stayed behind under the pretence of making sure he left then fought him. It is not something I am proud of and I have tried my damndest to forget about it." The last was said very softly and Cale felt somewhat bad for bringing it up. Anubis had changed since the days when he had first joined Talpa, but he still had his demons. They all did.
Ryo thought for a bit. Clearing his throat softly he brought attention back to the situation at hand. "But the question is, why is Mia having nightmares about your past and what do we have to do with any of it?" No one could answer.
