104
Dani took a deep breath as she pulled the damp fabric from the giant plastic bag where it had been sitting. She carried it into the studio apartment's tiny bathroom, wishing that she had a bathtub.
"This is fine, Dani. Just hang it up in the shower and spray it off," she told herself. She left the dress on the shower floor as she moved to secure a hanger, and soon, the wedding gown was upright. Dani pulled off the hose-like showerhead and turned the water on as powerfully as it would go. The water pressure wasn't great, but hopefully it would be enough.
Oranges, reds, and purples leaked from the different areas that had been bound with rubber bands, and Dani took a deep breath as she watched leaking colors pool at the bottom of the shower, swirling together in a reddish-purplish-brownish mess. Eventually, the water began running clear, and Dani's heart pounded.
"Moment of truth, Dani…time to see if it turned out the way you hoped," she murmured to herself, turning off the water and hanging up the shower head. Then, using a small pair of scissors, she began carefully removing the thread she had used to wrap certain sections of the dress..
The fabric tumbled free of the bindings with each snip she made, and her heart pounded with excitement as she realized that the dying actually looked exactly like she had hoped. The largest area of the dye was on the bottom of the gown, moving up the train. This was where the stain had been, and she swallowed hard as she waited to see if the dye she had used covered where the spill had happened.
"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed as she caught sight of where the stain had been. She could still see the edges of it, if she looked hard enough, but considering that the whole area was covered in a dark purple color now, it wasn't noticeable at all.
With the dress unbound, she sprayed it down one last time and then took a few minutes to admire it. Though it looked like it had turned out okay, she couldn't wait until she could actually try it on and see the full effect.
"It's going to be perfect," she breathed, already envisioning it with the high tops she had been wanting to pair it with. In the middle of her daydream, she heard the front door slam close and jumped.
"Hello?" Colby called as he entered. "Dani?"
Dani turned and realized that she had left the bathroom door wide open. Realizing that Colby was about to walk in and catch sight of her wedding gown, she bolted to the bathroom door and slammed it closed just as his footsteps started coming closer.
"Dani?" he called in surprise at the door's slam.
"You can't come in!" she called back.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he stammered. "I was just…the front door was open, and I didn't hear the shower running, so I didn't know…"
Dani could almost see his face turning bright red, and she flushed herself. "You're fine, Walker. You just can't come in right now."
"I won't!" he promised. "I can come back, if now's a bad time."
"No, wait, I'm almost done." Dani pushed her hair out of her face and realized that she had all but soaked herself in her attempt to spray down her dress. Her hair was clinging to her face, her glasses were splattered, and her shirt and pants were covered in wet spots. She debated on whether to go out like this, but she finally sighed.
She opened the door just wide enough to allow herself to squeeze through, leaving the dress to drip dry in the shower. Colby glanced over from his place on the couch in the middle of the room—a present from Ashley and Will—and his brow furrowed as he took in her soaked clothes and the look on her face as she quickly shut the door behind her.
"Don't go in there," she ordered, and he blinked.
"Uhhh…okay. Is there a burst pipe, or something?"
"No. I was just…unclogging the shower drain," she tried. He frowned.
"Do you want me to look at it?"
"No!" she insisted. "I want you to stay out of the bathroom, Walker. I have it all under control."
He glanced at the bathroom door again, but then let it go. "How was school?" he asked.
"Eh…it was school. These generals are easy and all, but mentally I'm dying. I mean…biology? Writing? Why should I take those when they have nothing to do with my overall major? But I guess they're interesting enough." She sank down on the couch next to him. "How was work?"
"I found an entire colony of dust bunnies living under the filing cabinets in the chief's room, but that's about the most exciting thing that happened."
"Do you hate it? Dani asked, studying his face. "Is it boring?"
He shrugged. "It's a job, and it's not too bad. I still have time to come see you, or paint, or whatever else I want to do."
"I guess that's good, then. Just…let me know if you come to hate it. We can work something else out."
He smiled at that. "Thanks, Dani. And…I'm sorry I didn't knock. I probably shouldn't have just come through the front door, but it was unlocked—"
"Don't sweat it, Colby. In a few weeks, we're both going to be living here, anyway."
Colby glanced around the room, taking a deep breath. "Just a few weeks," he repeated.
"If you're worrying about all the wedding planning, don't be. I mean…worst comes to worst, we can just go down to the Ninjago City Hall and—"
"You don't want a ceremony?" he asked, turning to her with a pinched expression. "I thought you did."
"I mean, a ceremony would be really nice but if we can't get it all pieced together, it's no big deal. I don't want us to be miserable for the next few weeks trying to plan some giant event when there are other, less stressful options."
"I think a ceremony would be worth it," he offered carefully.
Dani's smile faded. "Okay…full disclosure, I'd love to walk down the aisle, Walker…but I was looking into event centers and to rent a place big enough for both of our families and friends and whoever else—"
"Don't worry about the location…I think I have a solution for that," Colby cut in.
"Really? Where?"
"The gardens at the floating temple." He shifted on the couch, his expression becoming sheepish. "I mean, I know it's somewhere we've already seen a hundred times, but it's got tons of space and it would be easy to set up a wedding there and have the ceremony and reception in one place, and Lloyd already mentioned that he wouldn't mind hosting it since he's the one marrying us…"
"You don't have to sell it to me—that sounds perfect!" Dani insisted, a knot of worry that had been tugging at her the last few days finally unraveling. As excited as she was for the wedding and as much as she secretly yearned for a beautiful ceremony at a beautiful venue, she had discovered just how expensive weddings could truly be.
Colby looked relieved as well. "Okay, then I'll tell Lloyd we can plan on that. Now we just have to track down some decorations, maybe a cake…and I guess what we're going to wear.
"Leave that to me," Dani cut in, thinking of the dress hanging up in the shower.
"You found a dress?" he realized.
"Yeah. It'll be perfect."
"I'm glad. Um…do you care what I wear? I probably just need a suit or something, yeah?"
Dani's mind went blank as she realized she hadn't thought about how her dress would match Colby at all. "Um…" she started, but then paused. Would her dress look okay next to a black suit? Should she tie-dye a white suit for him to match? The longer she waited to answer, the more concerned Colby looked.
"I'll wear whatever," he offered at last. "If there's something specific you need me in—"
"I'll have it ready for you by the wedding," she blurted. He blinked.
"You want me to wait to see what I'm wearing until the actual wedding?" he realized.
"Uh…yes."
"Okay," he said, though he shifted again. "It's not going to be embarrassing, is it?"
Is tie-dye embarrassing? Are you going to be embarrassed to walk me down the aisle in a non-traditional dress? What if he hates it and I don't find out until right before we're supposed to be tying the knot—
"It's not like a giant bunny suit or something," he pressed, and Dani finally laughed.
"No, of course not. It'll be a suit, Walker…a classy suit. I just have to figure out what color suit would go best with it."
"Oh, speaking of, Mia and May were asking what our colors are going to be. I told them that you were deciding."
"Do we have to have specific colors?"
"I have no idea," Colby admitted. "I don't know much about weddings at all."
"Tell them…purple."
"Purple?"
"And like…orange. And red. Maybe some dusty pink…I don't know."
"That sounds good. I'll let them—"
"And maybe green would look nice with it all, too?" Dani sank down into the couch. "Ugh, I don't know. I've never been the type of person to pick favorites when it comes to colors."
"I'll just tell them that we're still deciding," he offered, and Dani sighed.
"Why do they even need to know?"
"Something about how they want to buy dresses that match the color scheme but they have to order them now in case they come and the shade is all wrong."
Dani shrugged. "I don't care what anyone wears to the wedding. They can come in whatever they want."
"I'll tell them that too," Colby promised, giving her hand a squeeze. "Do you have a lot of homework tonight?"
"Some…but nothing that can't be pushed off until tomorrow," she offered. "Did you want to do something?"
"Nothing specific…I just wanted to hang out with you," he answered with a sheepish smile.
"Well…you're in luck. Our donated T.V. only gets the free channels, as you know, which makes it difficult to find anything worthwhile to watch. BUT, The Duke of the Fallen Country is showing tonight, which makes this the optimal evening to cuddle on our new couch and watch something."
Colby just shook his head. "Do I even want to know what that movie is about?"
"It's about flaming romance and unspeakable betrayal, all mixed in with actors who are currently older than our parents back in the glory days of their black-and-white movie careers. What's not to love?"
He laughed. "Well, as long as I can make some popcorn…and if you change."
"Change?"
"You're a little damp," he pointed out, moving to point out the wet spot her sweatshirt had left on his janitor uniform.
"Pshh…you're the Master of Water. You should be used to it."
He rolled his eyes. "At least tell me you have popcorn."
"Second cupboard, first shelf, stacked next to the hazelnut spread."
He moved to stand, but then Dani stopped him. He looked over in confusion, but when she kissed him, he didn't seem upset about being detained.
"Hey Walker," she murmured.
"Yeah?"
"I hope the next few weeks go fast."
Teag scrutinized the blade closely. He hadn't been able to afford any more black iron, considering that he hadn't sold anything he had made with it the first time. Now he was working with everyday metal, and he cursed softly as he realized he had made a huge mistake in the overall composition of the sword he had just finished. It seemed it was harder than he thought it would be to jump between materials—the techniques he had used all that time in the south only really worked with black iron. Trying to do the same things on weaker metals was an obvious mistake…and yet, one he kept making.
He tossed the blade angrily toward the scrap pile so it could be melted down and used for lesser projects, like hoofer-shoes or nails. At least he had caught the mistake before he had gone through the trouble of adding a hilt.
Feeling frustrated with himself, Teag gave up on trying to forge anything else for the day. He let the fire die out as he scrubbed down the counters and swept the floor, determined to at least have a clean forge if he accomplished nothing else today.
"Someone put you back on apprentice duty?" a voice asked, and Teag turned to see Tolan in the doorway. Teag just scowled, sweeping viciously.
"It's just me here, and the forge isn't going to clean itself," he muttered. Tolan came in, and Teag flinched when he saw the man go straight for the discarded sword. "Just leave it—I have to scrap it."
"What did you do?"
Teag scowled. "The blade's brittle—one wrong hit, and the whole thing will snap in half."
He waited for Tolan to tell him the exact errors he had made, or to point out how to avoid doing the same thing in the future. Instead, the man shrugged and turned away from the discarded blade. "Are you at a stopping place?"
"You come to commandeer the forge?" Teag guessed, sweeping the last of the debris into a pan. "So help me, if it isn't spotless when you're done—"
"Hershel's here. He was hoping to see you."
Teag blinked, the words dying in his throat. He felt an all too familiar feeling of anxiety, though he wasn't even sure what was causing it this time. Technically, for the first time, he was actually in a place where he was doing what he wanted and not bothering anyone else…he had no reason to assume Hershel would be secretly disappointed in him. "Here…at the village?" Teag finally asked, forcing himself to finish throwing the swept ash and metal shavings into the rubbish bin.
"At the fortress. We're having dinner soon."
Teag nodded his understanding. "Do I have time to get cleaned up?" he asked, knowing that he was filthy.
"If we leave now," Tolan pointed out. Teag was already removing his apron and the bandana he used to tie back his dreadlocks.
"Let's get going, then," Teag said as he pushed past Tolan out into the village. He caught sight of Tolan's hoofer and hesitated—he didn't have his own, and he was realizing that if he walked all the way back, he wasn't going to be able to shower.
"Do me a favor and take my hoofer back," Tolan ordered. "I've got to get a few things done here before I head back."
Teag looked over, fixing the man with a suspicious look. Tolan just raised an eyebrow, daring him to question the honesty of his excuse. "You don't have to walk back. I'm used to it," Teag insisted.
"I'm asking you to take my hoofer back on your way to the fortress. Do you not think you can do that?"
Teag huffed. "Fine," he muttered, moving to climb onto the animal. He wasn't super confident riding hoofers, but he hoped that he could at least stay on the beast until the fortress. Tolan didn't say anything else as Teag kicked the hoofer to get it moving, and for the next twenty minutes, he prayed he would stay on the galloping animal. Just as his backside was beginning to complain, they pulled up to the fortress. He sighed in relief as the stablehands approached, and he happily relinquished the hoofer into their care. He made a bee-line for his quarters to find a change of clothes, and then to the servant's showers. He worked quickly, scrubbing the soot and sweat that had caked onto him during the day.
Clean at last, he headed back to his quarters to dump his dirty things, wondering where he was even supposed to be meeting with Hershel and the rest. He shouldn't have wondered; he hadn't even gotten to the hallway where his room was before a small voice called out.
"Teag!"
He turned, and sure enough, a familiar child had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The dreadlocked teen sighed, but he finally returned the smile. "Hey, Raiyn."
The child came closer, and it occurred to Teag how much taller the boy had gotten. Raiyn's head came up to Teag's hips now, and he reached out to tussle the boy's hair with one hand while balancing the soot-streaked clothes with his other.
"What's that?" Raiyn asked, gesturing to the pile Teag was holding. The teen frowned—he wasn't used to Raiyn asking questions that weren't related to how he was feeling.
"Um…dirty clothes. Just taking them to my room."
Raiyn nodded sagely. "Raiyn's coming too," he insisted. Teag didn't even bother telling him not to. There was a lot about the child he didn't understand, and it was easier to assume that Raiyn could really do whatever he wanted, regardless of what other people thought or said. The pair headed to Teag's room. The second Teag's hands were empty after dumping the clothes, Raiyn snatched one of his hands in his.
"Daddy is looking for Teag," he offered, and Teag allowed the child to lead him out of his room and through the hallways of the fortress.
"How have you been?" Teag asked, and Raiyn looked up to smile.
"Raiyn is happy. Teag is happy too…right?"
"I'm doing fine," Teag agreed. He noticed that the child's speech seemed somewhat improved since the last time he had talked with him, but before he could mention as much, another figure turned the corner. Her hair was scraped back in a bunch of braids which ended in an explosion of curls. She had grown too since last Teag had seen her…but the expression she was wearing as she caught sight of him made her easily recognizable.
"Hershel didn't feel like leaving you unsupervised in the West, Pip-squeak?" he asked dryly. Rather than exploding at him, Pippa drew herself up to her full height and stuck her nose in the air.
"Is this why you disappeared?" Pippa asked, eyeing her younger cousin.
"Raiyn found Teag," the child offered happily.
Pippa sighed dramatically. "What have we talked about?" she snapped. "You're five now— you can't keep talking like a baby."
Raiyn's smile faded, and Teag glanced at the young boy as the child's expression clouded with effort. "…I…found…Teag…" Raiyn amended, each word seeming to take effort. After piecing together the sentence, his expression relaxed as he glanced at his cousing. "Did Raiyn do it right?"
Pippa face-palmed, and Teag narrowed his eyes. "Give the kid a break. Goodness knows how long you acted like a baby," he pointed out.
Her face reddened, but then she composed herself as she tossed her hair. "You're so juvenile, Teag," she said airily as she kept her nose pointed in the air. "Don't be so jealous that some of us have actually matured in the last year."
"You? Mature? I'll believe it when I see it," he replied dryly.
"Come on, Raiyn. Dinner's almost ready, and I'm ready to be around fellow adults." Pippa stalked off, but Raiyn didn't seem inclined to follow her.
Teag rolled his eyes as Pippa disappeared around the corner. "I feel bad that you have to deal with that everyday," he told the younger boy. Raiyn looked up at him, and a grin spread across his face. Teag glanced down and frowned at boy's expression, feeling a little unnerved. "What?" he demanded.
"Nothing," Raiyn whispered, and Teag didn't necessarily feel better.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Teag ordered, and Raiyn covered his mouth.
"Raiyn's not supposed to say," he mumbled from behind his hand. Teag furrowed his brow, but then the boy was tugging him toward the dining hall. "Hurry…Raiyn's hungry."
105
It had been a while since the ruling family's private dining room had been used. At least, that's what Cole said as they began the dinner, and everyone chuckled. Amber scanned the room, taking in the feelings in the air. Everyone seemed pretty happy, and it helped her to relax a little. Her grandfather seemed deep in a conversation with Myrah, Hershel was discussing something with Tolan and the dreadlocked boy who Amber had seen before but couldn't remember the name of. Raiyn was wandering the room, smiling at everyone, and Pippa kept changing seats, loudly declaring each time that she needed something more befitting the adult she was. Amber didn't miss the fact that each time Pippa changed seats, she ended up closer to Theo, but the Heir of the Oni seemed completely oblivious.
As Amber studied her brother, she could tell that he was trying to seem okay for the sake of those who had come to visit, but to Amber, it was clear that something was bothering him. She wondered if it had something to do with whatever he had been doing in the East earlier that day.
"And what do you think you're doing?" M asked. Amber glanced over at her boyfriend to see that a small hand was in the middle of robbing a loaf off of his plate. Raiyn's eyes were wide as he stared at the Ninjagoan.
"Who are you?" the young boy asked, and Amber shook her head.
"You met him already, Raiynee—when we visited you guys in the West a few days ago. This is M. Don't change the subject—give him back his food."
Raiyn studied M closely, and he finally shook his head. "Raiyn doesn't know M."
"Well…probably not well," M agreed. "We've only met once."
"M should let Raiyn have this," the child insisted, slowly pulling the loaf off his plate again, staring at M with large eyes. Amber frowned as she picked up on Raiyn's emotions. It was something she had noticed when they had visited as well. She could feel the hope and longing that no doubt was coming from the fact that Raiyn wanted M to agree to his proposal, but there was something else there that she couldn't really put her finger on. Whatever it was, it wasn't something that she could say she had noticed in other people before.
"Raiynee…" she started to chide, but to her surprise, M laughed.
"He can have it. No big deal," he offered, and Raiyn's expression brightened with victory. In the next moment, the boy had hurried off, no doubt trying to get away before M could change his mind. Amber glanced at her boyfriend.
"I thought you said that loaves were the only thing that you enjoyed in oni cooking," she pointed out.
"They're not the only thing," M countered as he moved to eat the vegetables off his plate. "They just remind me the most of home." He stared down at the veggies on his tray, and Amber frowned at the dazed look in his eye.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and he blinked.
"Uh…yeah. Sorry, just felt a little weird for a second there. Probably just the jet lag lingering." He flashed her a smile, and the dazed look faded as soon as it had come as he dug into his dinner. Amber frowned, but she supposed it made sense. She still didn't feel a hundred percent herself, trying to adjust to oni time. She turned to her own dinner, but her mind cued her in on the fact that someone was staring at her. She glanced up and realized that Hershel was staring at them, his expression hard to read. As soon as he caught her looking, however, he broke eye contact.
Amber frowned, suddenly tempted to try to pull Hershel's feelings out of the mix of those around them, but then noticed a messenger coming into the hall. She glanced over, and she noticed Theo was just as aware of the messenger's presence. He sagged a little as she brought him a scroll, saying something that Amber didn't hear, and Theo nodded. The xinta expected him to put the scroll away to read some other time, but instead, he broke the seal immediately and began looking through the contents.
"Are you going to eat that?" M asked, breaking her concentration. She glanced over and realized he was pointing at the untouched loaf on her plate.
"If you wanted one, why did you give Raiyn yours?" she asked.
M smiled sheepishly. "Because he asked. I can't say no to a kid."
"You can, and you should have. Just between us, I think he's a little spoiled," Amber pointed out, though she did hand over her loaf. M accepted it gratefully, ripping it in half.
"Here, I'll just take part of it."
"You can have all of it. I had a lot at lunch," Amber said, waving it off. He smiled and went back to eating, and she glanced back at her brother. He seemed to have finished reading the scroll, and he didn't seem to be trying to hide the concern etched on his face. Amber felt a flash of unease as she began picking up on his emotions—something was wrong.
"Theo? Everything okay?" Cole asked, beating Amber to the punch. Theo didn't answer, and the chatter at the table died down as everyone glanced over at the Heir. As things went quiet, Theo seemed to realize everyone was staring at him, and Amber felt a stir of irritation come off of him.
"It's just an update from the south," he offered.
"What did it say?" Keyda asked, something off with her tone. There was some kind of friction happening between the Ruler and her son, but other than asking outright what was going on between them, Amber wasn't sure she would be privy to what was happening.
"I'll tell you later," Theo offered, and then he was pushing himself up from the table.
"Is it something that you have to deal with right now?" Keyda pressed, and he sighed.
"I'm just going to go send a letter. I'll be right back." He didn't wait for permission to leave, and the room watched as he headed out without offering anymore explanation. Amber saw her parents look at each other, clearly debating whether they should go after him. Amber didn't debate as she moved to follow, but to her surprise, M grabbed her arm. She looked over at him in confusion, and he shook his head.
"I may not be able to read emotions…but even I could tell he doesn't really want anyone to go after him, Amber."
She scowled, but she had to admit that M was probably right. Theo would no doubt be annoyed if someone followed, peppering him with questions and demands for him to explain what was going on. As much as she would love to force the answers out of him, she knew from experience it probably would just make him mad.
"Raiynee!" Pippa snapped, and everyone blinked as they realized the child was now trying to raid Theo's unguarded plate. Raiyn froze, and Pippa glowered at him from a few chairs away. "That's Prince Theo's food. Go sit down!"
Raiyn turned to fix his cousin with his wide-eyed plea, and the teen's resolve seemed to fade a little. However, then Hershel stood up.
"Raiyn, come back to your chair," he ordered. Raiyn turned to look at his father, sagging and pouting as he stayed put. Hershel glanced away from Raiyn's pleading expression, his own becoming harder. "Now," he insisted, and Raiyn finally sighed in defeat. Everyone watched as he replaced the food he had tried to take from Theo's plate, dragging himself back to the chair next to his mother. Myrah murmured something to him—probably some kind of reprimand. Amber couldn't help but study Hershel as he sat back down and went back to eating. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so stern, but then again, she hadn't ever been trained by him. Theo had—maybe he had seen this side of Hershel more than she had.
"So…anyone else notice the rising parchment prices?" Pippa asked, drawing everyone's gazes as she leaned on one hand lazily, picking at her food. "Merchants think they're getting a good deal now…but it's just going to come back to bite them when people start looking for cheaper options."
Everyone glanced at each other in confusion. "Fluff…do you even know what you're talking about?" Tolan asked dryly. She bristled, looking up to glare daggers at her father.
"I'm sorry," she said dryly. "I just assumed that this room was full of people who were actually aware of current events in the realm. My mistake."
"Pippa," Syn chastised, and Tolan glanced over at Hershel.
"Are you still letting her get away with this kind of attitude?" he asked.
"Don't blame Uncle Hershel for letting me grow up," Pippa sniffed. "Just face it: I'm not a baby anymore, and I can handle talking about the same things you would discuss with any mature adult."
"I don't think anyone would be upset if you grew up, Pip-squeak," the dreadlocked boy. "Shocked, sure…but not mad."
Pippa reddened. By now, Amber could feel the girl's embarrassment as the conversation she had tried to start was spiraling out of control. "No one asked you," the girl hissed.
The dreadlocked boy just shrugged. "You know, if you can't handle hearing the truth, then maybe you shouldn't be asking everyone to talk to you like an adult. Guess you're not as grown up as you think you are."
"You aren't helping, Hot-Stuff," Tolan said, smacking the teen over the head as Pippa stood with flashing eyes.
"You wouldn't know anything about being adult, Mop-Head!" she snapped.
"Is it…always like this?" M murmured to Amber as the dinner dissolved into insults and reprimands. "Are these guys all related to each other, or…" He trailed off and Amber sighed.
"It's kind of complicated," she offered as they watched Pippa chuck a loaf at Teag before her mother reached her.
"Maybe we should have followed your brother after all," M joked as they watched the chaos.
Your reasoning makes sense—if you haven't been able to find Ern, then he probably has skipped town. Theo wrote. I've never heard of Laysha, but I do remember Alan pointing someone out during one of my speeches. A woman with long hair on one side, shaved on the other. I don't think he gave me a name, but he did mention he had seen her with Ottan a lot, and that she was an advisor. She was with Ern…possibly the same woman?
I appreciate you dealing with all of this in the South while I've been gone…but it sounds like you guys have reached a point that you can't get past. I'll be back within a few days regardless, and we can pick up when I get there. In the meantime…maybe they can spare you for a day or two? I don't blame you for being uncomfortable around my family, but I'm a little confused at why you don't want to meet up somewhere else, like in the east or west. You say you've got a lot that you're handling…but we both know that at this point, Mahlyn and the guards my parents sent could keep things under control. What's really going on, Rook?
Theo stared at his letter, and he winced as he reread it. Did it sound too accusatory? Should he start over and take the second paragraph out completely? He knew that she probably did have enough to keep her busy…so why did her insisting she was too swamped to come see him send such a warning flag in his mind?
He sank down into his chair, pulling out Rook's letter again. As happy as he had been to get it, reading it hadn't really made him feel any better. It was short, but that could be because she wasn't a strong writer. However, it was the tone of the letter that concerned him. It was professionally written, each sentence feeling distant and unattached. It didn't even have a spark of Rook's general charm, and he rubbed his face. Things had been going well for so long…was this really going to be the thing that drove them apart? He couldn't blame her for not wanting to be around his family, as much as he wished that they could all learn to get along. However, at a certain point, he knew she was going to have to decide whether or not it was worth it to stay with him, if it meant that she was going to be treated poorly by everyone else in Theo's inner circle.
You don't need to be worried about what everyone thinks, Theo started to write in the letter he was working on, but then he stopped. He cursed and crumpled the letter into a ball, tossing it angrily into the rubbish bin next to his desk. Was it egotistical, telling her that she shouldn't be worried about what other people thought, as long as he didn't feel that way? Was telling her that his opinion was the only one that mattered really going to make her feel better at all? It wasn't what he meant, of course, but he couldn't figure out a way to phrase what he was feeling without it sounding like it.
Maybe he just shouldn't respond. She hadn't asked any questions that would warrant a response…which made him afraid that maybe she didn't even want him to write back. Was she pulling away? Had people accused her to her face, while he had been sick? Had she decided that it really wasn't worth it, after all? Another thought tried to surface, but Theo wouldn't allow it to. He wouldn't believe that Rook had anything to do with the poisoning…but a secret part of him was frustrated that her current attitude and behaviors were just making that false assumption more possible.
"She's probably just stressed," he told himself, staring at her letter one last time. "Maybe I should just let her take the space she needs…and we can catch up when I get back. It's only a few more days, anyway." It was probably the best course of action, but he still felt sick as he stood to leave his office at last.
Colby tried hard not to stare at the hand. It was hard not to, mainly because he knew it wasn't real. The sleeve of Julien's shirt covered the rest of the robotic arm, which made the hand look even more natural. He had lost his right arm, right? Or was that the normal hand and his left hand was the fake one…
"You want me to what?" Julien asked, bringing Colby back to the present.
"Um…I was wondering if you'd like to be my best man. At my wedding. I'm getting married." Colby rubbed his head sheepishly. "In a few weeks."
Julien just stared, and the silence made it all the harder to keep eye contact rather than letting his gaze flick to the hand resting on the arm of the chair Julien was sitting in. "Are you certain there is not someone else that you would rather take on that role?" the young man asked at last. He looked better than Colby had last seen, but there was still a haunted look in his eyes. Colby didn't remember Julien ever smiling a lot, necessarily, but he couldn't help but feel that the man raised by androids had never seemed as robotic as he did now, when he didn't even live with them anymore.
Colby felt a sinking feeling, but he tried to laugh it off. "If you don't want to, it's okay," he offered, fiddling with the sleeve of his own shirt. "You and Agatha are still invited, regardless. It's three weeks from today, in the floating temple's gardens. I know it's not a lot of advance warning, but we just solidified plans yesterday, so—"
"I did not mean to act as though I would turn you down. I just am surprised you would come to me, is all." Julien broke eye contact, and as he lifted his right hand to push the glasses up his nose, Colby noticed the slight jerkiness in the fingers. That one's definitely the robot one, he decided.
Colby sighed. "I know you might not really consider me a close friend—"
"I did not say that," Julien corrected, looking back up at him.
"—but I've never really had that many close friends. Anyone I hung out with in high school I lost touch with after dropping out, and I was never really that close to any of them. We'd just sit together at lunch, you know? But it's not like we ever did anything outside of school. Of everyone in my life, you're the only one beside's Dani who's really been there for more than a year or two, and you helped me out a ton on all those projects in high school. Not to mention…" he trailed off, thinking better of the comment. Even if it was the most horrific thing that had happened in his life, Colby considered the events at Estyeer something that connected him to everyone involved. Though he stopped himself from saying as much, Julien must have guessed at the direction he was going, because the young man's expression clouded.
"You should not hold me in any kind of esteem, after everything that happened," Julien muttered, pushing himself to his feet.
Colby blinked. "What do you mean?"
Julien rubbed his face—he clearly hadn't shaved in a bit. Rather than his goatee, he was sporting a patchy, disheveled-looking beard. For a moment, he just shook his head miserably. "I am the reason you lost your powers, Colby," he pointed out quietly.
Colby leaned forward. "What are you talking about?"
"When you reached out and said you wanted to talk to me today, I assumed it was because you were finally ready to discuss the things that happened at Estyeer. The things…that I helped Zerek to do." Julien's expression crumpled. "It would make sense that you needed to, to gain closure."
The youngest Walker studied his friend before slowly standing. "You…think I blame you for what happened there?"
"I am the reason that your powers were removed. I…have to take accountability for that," Julien wasn't meeting his eye, staring down at his right hand with a tortured expression.
The conversation had taken a turn that Colby hadn't expected, but he finally made his way over to Julien. The blonde man glanced over as Colby rested his hand on Julien's shoulder, offering a small smile.
"I've been working through everything that happened at Estyeer for the past year," he offered. "Just like we all have. And I may not be able to think about it without feeling…you know." He shuddered a bit, and Julien nodded his agreement. "But, Julien…even at the time it was happening, I never blamed you for what happened to my powers. You were being used and tortured alongside the rest of us. I mean I lost my powers, but you lost your…" he trailed off again, cursing himself for nearly saying it and for looking at the hand that Julien had been studying.
"I did many things I was not proud of," Julien admitted softly.
"Because you were being forced to do them," Colby insisted. "Nothing that happened was your fault. Nobody thinks that. I don't think that. And…besides. The powers aren't gone for good."
"But I know that you would have preferred to wield them, rather than just carry them around in a chronosteel cube," Julien muttered.
"I'm not carrying around the cube anymore," Colby countered. Julien glanced at him again, and the Master of Water smiled. "They came back…good as new."
Julien's eyebrows shot up, and Colby wasn't sure how he would take the news. Would he be glad, because he could stop blaming himself? Or upset, because Colby had been able to regain what he had lost in Estyeer, when Julien never could do the same?
"You have the element of water again?"
"Yeah. It took a bit, but it came back to me," Colby agreed. Julien didn't reply right away, and Colby cleared his throat. "Look…I promise I didn't come here to stir up bad memories. I really did just want to invite you to the wedding. If the whole best man thing makes it awkward, then…I probably don't really need one, anyway."
"Well…" Julien trailed off, clearly thinking about it. "I will let Agatha know, and we can check our schedules to make sure we are free. But I suppose I do not mind helping out with it. It may be nice for something else to work on.
"You don't really have to help with the wedding, or anything," Colby assured. "I know you're busy. Just, you know, wear a suit. Whatever color you want—Dani said she doesn't care."
Julien turned. "So you already have all the preparations completed? I suppose you would, with it only three weeks away."
Colby chewed his lip. "Well…I wouldn't say completed…"
"What do you have left to do?"
"Um…." Colby flushed. "Dani's working on getting her dress and my suit done, and we have the location set at the floating temple." He paused, trying to think of if there was anything else they had completed. "We aren't really going to do invitations, since they take so much time and effort. We're just personally inviting everyone we want to come."
"Traditional wedding planning usually has more elements than just attire and location, as far as I am aware," Julien pointed out. "Are you trying to keep it simple?"
"Yes? But…kind of out of necessity." Colby smiled sheepishly. "Dani said we could probably just make a bunch of cupcakes or something instead of getting a cake, so if we can pull some folding chairs out of the floating temple's storage and set them up, maybe get a few flowers…"
"You have no idea how to plan a wedding, do you?" Julien pointed out.
"Well…no. And we didn't leave ourselves a lot of time." Colby shrugged half-heartedly. "We were just kinda excited to do it, and forgot that planning it takes time. I started a new job, and Dani's in school. But, the important thing is that it happens. It's okay if it doesn't all come together perfectly."
"Mmm." Julien pushed the glasses up his nose again, and as his expression became pensive, Colby couldn't help but think it was the most Julien-like he had looked in a while. "Why don't you leave the planning to me?" he said at last.
Colby blinked. "You don't have to do that, Julien. I'm sure you're busy…"
"Well, what is the point of being the best man if I do not contribute?" Julien asked, straightening up.
"Do you even know how to plan a wedding?" Colby asked. "You and Agatha just got married at the courthouse with your immediate family."
"Because neither of us wanted a big hurrah," Julien explained, shooting Colby a dry look. "Not because we were ignorant on how to plan a wedding."
"Well, I don't want you to feel like you have to—"
"You just make sure you both have something to wear," Julien cut in. "I will take care of the rest."
106
Dani looked over at the door of the apartment in surprise when she heard the knock. Had Colby gotten out of work early? She rolled her eyes that he was still knocking; she had given him his own key to the place, but he insisted he would still knock from now on.
"It's open, Walker," she called, stirring the noodles she was cooking in their cozy kitchen. The door opened, and Dani turned to tease her fiancé. However, the words died in her throat when she realized June was the one who had been knocking.
June stepped into the apartment tentatively, her nose wrinkling as she began to scour it. Dani felt a flash of annoyance that her sister had shown up out of the blue…but what was worse was the small feeling of shame that nagged at her mind as she watched June's gaze sweep across the tiny room full of borrowed furniture.
"What the heck are you doing here?" Dani asked, turning the heat off the noodles.
"I came to see your place," June sniffed.
"And you think you can just walk in?"
"You called 'it's open!'" June pointed out defensively, and Dani huffed.
"I didn't know it was you," she muttered.
"What? You hate me now, all of a sudden? Or you just didn't want me to see the true squander of your living conditions?" She ran a finger along the countertop, and Dani rolled her eyes.
"It's clean. I just cleaned yesterday."
"If Mom and Dad knew you were living in a place like this, they would help," June insisted. "If you told them—"
"I don't need their help," Dani insisted. "Look…this might not be where you would ever choose to live…but for me, it's paradise."
"There's nothing redeemable about this place," her sister pointed out flatly.
"It's mine, and I can be here with Colby and we don't need anybody's permission. That is good enough for me."
"Danielle…I get that you're on some 'I can do it myself' kick, but there are times when pride should be swallowed—"
"Did you come all the way here to harass me about my life's choices? Because if you did, you could have saved yourself the trip."
June gave her a withering look. "I came because I need more details about your wedding. You told mom and dad and I that we are invited but then have told us literally nothing else."
Dani shrugged half-heartedly. "There's nothing else to tell. Just show up."
June heaved a sigh. "People can't just show up to weddings. What's the venue? Is the parking valet driven, or do we have to park ourselves? What's the dress code for the evening? Black and white ball? Cocktail?"
"June…"
"Not to mention, the color pallet, the dining arrangements, and the time of day. Should we eat before we come, or is dinner served? Is it in the morning, when I should dress in pastels, or in the evening, when I should dress in jewel tones? Everything is in the details, Danielle."
"It's at the floating temple, in the evening, and there's going to be cake. As for what you wear, you can show up in a potato sack, and no one will care."
June narrowed her eyes, but then she sighed. "Potato sack? So…you're having one of those burlap weddings, then."
"I'm not having anything! I just don't care about things like color pallets or dress codes. All I care about is that I'm getting married, okay?"
"So…then we have a lot to talk about today. That's fine; I figured as much, and I cleared the rest of my day's schedule." June headed for the bathroom's ajar door. "But before we begin, do I dare use your bathroom? Does it even have a toilet, or just a hole in the ground like some—"
"Don't go in there!" Dani cut in, realizing too late that her wedding dress was still drying in the shower. However, she was too late. She watched as June stopped dead in the bathroom's doorway, her eyes widening.
"Oh….Danielle….please tell me that this isn't—"
"Get out!" Dani cut in, and June looked over at her in surprise as she glowered. Seemingly shocked by her raising her voice, June took a few steps back, and Dani slammed the bathroom door closed. She could feel her face blazing, and she was surprised by how close to tears she was.
"I just…you can't wear something like that on your wedding day," June stammered. "It isn't some Cray-Z concert—it's your marriage. I can't even picture the pair of heels that would match—"
"I am wearing it, because it's my marriage. Mine. Which means I get to decide what I show up in. So yes, I will be wearing a tie-dyed wedding dress, and I don't even need a pair of heels because I'll be too busy kicking it in my Reggie Blue high tops!"
June gasped in horror, and Dani took a threatening step closer, forcing her sister to back up.
"I'm sick of people telling me what I can and can't do—I'm a freaking adult, all right? And I can wear and do whatever I want and live wherever I want and marry whoever I want! And if you decide that you're going to be too embarrassed to be seen at my wedding with me being myself, then you can not come!"
It was June's turn to flush, and Dani's insides squirmed with guilt as she realized June was on the brink of becoming emotional herself. After a moment, her sister finally sniffed.
"Well, I'm clearly not wanted here, so I guess I'll show myself out."
Dani almost caved and apologized, but she couldn't get June's expression out of her mind—the look of disgust when she caught sight of the wedding dress. Even if it was accidentally, her sister was the first person who had seen it…and the fact that she hated it stung.
"Go ahead," Dani said, folding her arms. June looked even more affronted—she must have been expecting Dani to try to convince her to stay. Instead, the younger of the two sisters narrowed her eyes. "And for the record, you aren't going to get very far as an interior designer or an event planner if you shut down other people's visions and stay so closed minded!"
"Well, you won't get very far as a married adult if you refuse to accept anybody's help!" June threw back before turning to storm out the apartment door. Dani winced a little as the door slammed closed, and in the privacy of the tiny apartment once again, she let the tears come.
"Wait, where are you going?" M asked again, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"I just have to run an errand really quick. I'll be back in a few hours," Amber offered, avoiding his gaze. M frowned, and she smiled at him. "Sorry to wake you. I just didn't want you to wake up and wonder where I went."
"What kind of errand?"
"I'll tell you about it when I get back," she offered vaguely, moving to leave. "You can go back to sleep; I'll be back by lunch."
"Hold it, Oni-girl," M said, following her out into the hall instead of retreating back into his room. "I'm already up. Why don't I tag along?"
She hesitated before turning. "It's…not really someplace I want you to go," she said at last.
"Which means it's probably not someplace you should be going, either," he translated.
"It'll be fine. I just would feel better if you stayed here."
"And I would feel better if I didn't have to sit here for the next few hours, stressing out about what on earth you could possibly be doing," he pointed out, folding his arms. "Besides; you wouldn't have woken me up if there wasn't at least a small part of you who wanted me to come along." The xinta sighed, giving him a long look, but when she didn't necessarily deny his claim, M smirked. "So…where are we going?"
"I'm not passing any sentences on the prisoners, okay? Theodynn will do all of that sort of thing when he gets back. Stop asking me," Rook snapped as people flanked her. "So would you all just leave me alone for a little bit?"
The guards and servants either muttered apologies or continued to insist that she address their concerns, and Rook groaned. She turned around quickly to face them, and she saw several people flinch.
"Back off," she warned. "I have enough on my to do list for today, so I don't need anything else added."
Those who had lingered finally seemed to get the hint and left…except one servant girl. Rook gave her the evil eye, and to be fair, the girl did look intimidated. However, she held her ground, and Rook finally sighed.
"What?"
"Um…there is someone here who demands an audience," the servant offered.
"Tell them I don't want to see them," Rook replied, turning to leave again. Maybe she shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss it, considering it could be someone with information about the criminals they were searching for. However, she had a headache and didn't feel like dealing with anything else until she ate something.
"I can't," the servant insisted, and Rook paused again. She turned, and the servant shifted from one foot to the other. "It's a member of the Ruling family," she pointed out quietly.
Rook's heart immediately started pounding. Her immediate thought was that it was Theo, but the servants would know who he was and would have just mentioned him by name. She opened her mouth to ask who it was, but then shut it again. Did she really want to know in advance whether it was Theo's mother or father? No matter which it was, the conversation wouldn't be a fun one.
"She's in the main meeting room," the servant finally said before scurrying off at last. Rook watched her go, her heart sinking further. If it was 'she', then it was Keyda. But then, why not just say it was the Ruler?
"What's she up to now? Come to arrest me and throw me into some dark hole so she can tell Theo I ran off?" she muttered to herself. "Or maybe that will only come if I don't heed the threats she's about to lay out if I ever come near her son again."
For a moment, Rook debated what would happen if she just refused to meet with the Ruler at all, but then finally huffed. If she didn't show up, then it would just prove that she was afraid…and no matter what Theodynn's mother was about to say, the last thing Rook wanted was for her to think she was at all cowed.
Her hands felt sweaty as she changed course, heading for the meeting room. Part of her pointed out that maybe she should stop to freshen up so she could look as put together as possible, but she disregarded the thought. Keyda wouldn't care how put together she was. Better to just get this conversation over with, whatever it was.
She reached the room at last, and she could hear the guards talking at the door.
"I doubt he's a bodyguard," one was saying.
"Who else would it be?"
"Did you see those tiny arms? If anything, she's guarding him."
Rook had no idea what they were talking about, but as the two guards glanced up, their random conversation ended and they straightened.
"Just a reminder that if you overhear anything, you're forbidden to repeat it," Rook pointed out dryly. They glanced at each other and nodded their understanding before one pulled open the door. She marched in with her head held high, but her internal pep talk paused as she caught sight of who was in the room.
"What?" she muttered in confusion as she caught sight of the ninjagoan young man. He seemed familiar but completely out of place, and it wasn't until Theodynn's sister stepped into her line of sight that she even remembered who he was.
"You weren't answering messages so I figured I'd stop by in person," the xinta pointed out. Rook glanced between her and her boyfriend.
"You guys came…alone?"
"Did you expect Theo?" Amber asked.
"I'm just surprised you don't have any guards with you. You realize the south isn't exactly the safest place in the world, right?"
The xinta just shrugged. "I'm sure I can handle whatever it dishes out," she said.
"What are you doing here?" Rook demanded. The xinta didn't answer right away, and Rook couldn't help but feel it was because Amber herself didn't really know.
"I came to find out why you aren't writing to Theo."
"I am," Rook countered defensively. "I just sent him a message yesterday."
"You're being awfully distant for someone who says she cares about my brother," Amber accused, folding her arms. The Ninjagoan glanced between the two of them, saying nothing. He had an awkward smile on his face like he was regretting coming along.
"I'm sorry if I'm not running to the Central Fortress every day to visit; I'm a little busy trying to make sure that the people who poisoned Theo never get a chance to try again," Rook snapped. "So if you've come to accuse me of something, let's get it over with so I can get back to everything else I have to do."
The boyfriend coughed softly, and Rook shot a look in his direction, trying to sense if this was a trap of some kind.
"Look," Amber said, causing Rook to glance over at her again. "The thing is, I know you care about my brother. No matter what I think about it, or what my parents think about it…I can't argue that you do actually care." She paused, as if to let Rook answer, but the de-facto leader wasn't even sure how to respond. She stayed silent, still feeling like this was some kind of set up to get her to say something that they could use against her. When she stayed silent, the xinta huffed angrily. "But you're being all defensive and distant…and it doesn't make sense for you to feel the way you do and act like this. Are you trying to give everyone more reasons to mistrust you?"
"The only thing I'm trying to do is protect Theo. I'm sorry if it doesn't fit with how you all think I should be acting. This may surprise you, but he's my main priority…not what you all think of me." She tossed her braid over her shoulder with a flash of indignation. "There's no point in trying to change that, anyway. You've all made it perfectly clear how you feel about me."
"And how is avoiding my brother protecting him? Unless you consider yourself some kind of threat?"
"You guys are the ones who keep treating me like a threat!" Rook countered, her eyes flashing. It was bad enough to be caught off guard by a conversation she really didn't feel like having…but the fact that it had turned into an interrogation really got under her skin. "And there's nothing I can do to combat that. You're here lecturing me how I don't care about your brother because I'm not around him enough, but when I was around him more, your parents accused me of poisoning him and threw me in the dungeons. So really, it's obvious there's no way to win, and I'm tired of feeling like I have something to prove."
Silence fell, and Amber's expression clouded with confusion. "Our parents threw you in the dungeons?"
"It nearly made it impossible for me to get the antidote to Theo in time," Rook agreed darkly. "I spent all week looking for the answer to how to cure him, finally figured it out, and they nearly rejected it just because I was the one who discovered it. You all act like I'm the biggest danger to him…but all of your blind bias sure isn't helping!"
The xinta didn't look like she had been prepared for everything Rook was throwing at her. In truth, Rook wasn't sure why she was spilling her guts like this. Maybe it was the fact that these thoughts had been spinning around her head for days now, and she didn't have the option of saying any of this to the Rulers themselves without getting locked up…and she didn't dare tell Theo himself. Perhaps telling his sister wasn't any better than telling his parents, but if the xinta had come all this way to accuse her of something, Rook wasn't going to sit by and take it. If this was going to be the beginning of the end of her relationship with the Oni Heir…at least she was going to go out fighting.
"Anything else you want to accuse me of while you're here?" Rook finally demanded when Amber didn't reply to her rant.
"I wasn't accusing you of anything," Amber countered, her eyes flashing as she met Rook's gaze again. "I was pointing out that if you really didn't care what any of us thought, and that Theo matters the most to you, then you wouldn't be loitering here in the south instead of going to visit him like you said you would."
"I'm not loitering—"
"If you could spare the time to come talk to me today, you could spare the time to go talk to him," Amber countered, folding her arms as she began getting her confidence back. "If you were in the middle of something do or die, you never would have come to meet with me."
"I—" Rook started, but the word choked in her throat as she tried to think of something to back it up with. All she could think of to say was it's a long hoofer-ride to the Central Fortress…but even in her head she could hear how weak that argument sounded.
"You're either lying about caring about what my parents think of you…or you're lying about caring about my brother." Amber's eyes flicked up and down Rook's frame. "And I'm pretty sure I know which it is."
"You know what? You're right," Rook offered. Amber blinked in surprise, but then Rook was turning to leave. "I don't have time for this little interrogation. Don't let your hoofers kick you on your way out."
"If you really didn't want to hurt Theo, then you wouldn't be ignoring him!" the xinta snapped. Rook's hands clenched into fists, and she was determined to ignore Amber as she reached the door. Theo's sister seemed to realize it, because she raised her voice. "If you're going to break my brother's heart, don't you dare do it like this."
Rook paused, and she scoffed without turning around. "Break his heart?"
"I can tell how invested he is…but he thinks you're pulling away and it's killing him."
"Is that what he said?"
"He didn't have to say it; the way he's moping around waiting for you to write or show up makes it obvious," Amber pointed out coldly. "If you are pulling away, then at least have the decency to be honest with him, instead of stringing him along like this."
Rook turned, her hair whipping in a sudden whip of wind. "I'm not—"
"If you aren't, then prove it by visiting him and putting him out of his misery." Amber met her eye, the challenge obvious, and Rook narrowed her eyes. Amber didn't seem intimidated as she stood her ground.
"I don't really feel like explaining myself to you," Rook finally pointed out.
"I'm not looking for an explanation," Amber insisted. "I'm looking for action. After all…from what I hear about the south, you guys are more about doing than saying…right?" She let the comment hang in the air for a moment before she turned to her boyfriend. "All right, M. We can go now."
He pushed himself to his feet and flashed Rook a hesitant smile. "Um…good to see you," he offered in an awkward attempt at small talk as he and Amber shuffled by Rook to get to the door. Rook watched them go, her mind still trying to decide whether it wanted to argue more or not. Unfortunately, as the door swung closed behind the Xinta and her boyfriend, Rook couldn't do much else but run the entire conversation over again in her head.
"Crown of Kahzym," she muttered at last.