Squire Yuri Plisetsky's miraculous recovery started about two hours after he'd drunk down that foul concoction. His face turned positively green at the memory of it, for it had haunted him repeatedly in the form of persistent burps until it had finally kicked in. But when it had, it astonished him to the core. He had never known there to be such powerful medicines out in the world, he had never imagined that such rapid recoveries were possible. He had literally been on death's door the day before and now he felt like his old self. There was a minor throbbing in his leg still, from where the demonic dagger had broken his flesh, but even that wound was already also healing rapidly. He could not recall there being any record of such a recovery at the castle nor in all of Occidentis. He was torn between wanting to know what they had used in the potion, and feeling that he was probably better off not knowing. The warrior woman had not been exaggerating when she'd told him that he'd be using the chamber pot a lot. Apparently, one of the side-effects of purifying demonic poisons from the body was passing water…frequently. He had felt quite a bit awkward the first time the servant had come in to retrieve the full chamber pot. That first batch had been quite…concentrated and although the servant hadn't outwardly shown any reactions to it, he had felt really embarrassed that someone else was having to deal with it at all.

In the meantime, he busied his mind with thoughts of the upcoming lunch with the Emperor. He hoped that the food he had earlier was an indication of more good things to come. The meal that had followed the medicinal nightmare had more than made up for his suffering. The flavors had absolutely delighted him and he found himself very much looking forward to the late midday meal with the Emperor, despite his lingering nervousness about it. Who is this Emperor anyway? I don't even know the man's name. Everyone just keeps calling him 'Emperor'. He still had no idea who these people were nor what they were doing on this supposedly uninhabited island. He made a decision, he would get his answers this afternoon, come hell or high water.

Once his strength had returned, he stood up and tentatively walked around the inside of the tent. His leg muscles had started cramping up and he was feeling restless all alone in there. He flexed and stretched his limbs, feeling them warm up with each repetition. He felt the muscles moving beneath his skin and his ligaments elongating with each movement. He felt quite attuned to his own body and truly happy to be alive. After looking around the tent a bit, he found his clothes neatly folded in a pile on a chair. As he went about removing the garment he was currently dressed in, he marveled at how comfortable it was. It was soft and light and reminded him a bit of a bathhouse robe he'd worn once before. He blushed fiercely when he realized that he was not wearing any undergarments. He'd only been in contact with females since he had regained consciousness. It stood to reason that it was rather likely that one of them had been the one to undress him when he had first been brought here. He shuddered at the possibility of it having been the warrior woman. He quickly picked up his clothes and put them back on, with the familiar hum of the protective Ice Dragon Magic being instantly very soothing and reassuring. He breathed a sigh of relief once he was back in something that was more recognizable to him. As grateful as he was to not be dead, he was still in a totally foreign environment. His garments brought him some him a little piece of home and were able to settle him down a bit.

A commotion suddenly seemed to break out somewhere in the camp. But when he ran up to the flap of his tent to look out, his path was blocked by two very serious-looking guards. Incredibly curious, but not wanting to risk pissing off any more people, he turned wordlessly on his heel and returned quietly to his little corner of the tent. He went back to doing his stretches and exercises to pass the time. As his eyes wandered around the room, he noticed that he couldn't find his bow anywhere, and it kind of worried him. He was sure that it had to be in the camp somewhere. He'd have to ask the Emperor about it during their meal later.

Time passed slowly and seemed to drag on, but finally a male servant came to get him. He was instructed to put on his boots, but leave his hat behind. He felt a bit naked without his hat, but understood that it was likely part of some kind of protocol. When he stepped outside of the tent, the first thing that hit him was the bright sunlight. He shielded his eyes from it as he allowed himself to adjust to the brightness. The second thing he noticed was the size of the camp he was in. It was quite large, well-staffed and guarded. They looked like they'd either been here a long time already or were planning on staying for a while.

The servant led him to the biggest tent at the camp. When they reached the entrance, he was instructed to take off his shoes. Wow, these guys don't like shoes in their tents at all. The inside of this tent must have the same kind of flooring as the one in mine. The young Squire did as he was told and placed his boots in the space indicated to him by the servant. He was then led to an area inside the tent with just a very low table and a bunch of cushions. He did not see anyone else in the room. When he turned around to ask the servant where this mystery Emperor was, he was already gone. Dammit, everyone is so damn fast around here. The Squire looked around the room, which was strangely lit only in the middle where all the seating was. Everything else around it was pitch black. He didn't like it. All those dark hidden corners made him very uneasy and he was instantly on edge. As he tried to wait patiently and quietly for the Emperor to arrive, he suddenly felt this weird burning sensation deep inside his very soul. He looked around, startled by its rapid onset. This feels so...strange. It feels like someone is rummaging around inside me, searching for something. As the young Squire looked around the room, he could have sworn that he saw a pair of golden eyes watching him from the nearest corner. He blinked and took a step closer in their direction to get a closer look, but they were already gone. He shuddered at how predatory they had looked. They had reminded him of some bird of prey. He called out tentatively into the darkness.

"Who's there? Come out into the light."

He heard some rustling sounds from the opposite corner and turned his body to face that direction. The Squire saw the bottom of the black robes first. They were embroidered beautifully with some kind of majestic bird of fire and feathers. He had only ever seen such garments on the highest royal delegates in Occidentis. As the figure fully stepped out into the light, he saw that the robe was like a longer version of the one he'd been wearing earlier, but with longer floor-length sleeves. The young Squire was baffled. He had seen a similar sleeve length on the Kitsune Hanyou woman. Those just look SO impractical. How does anyone get anything done with such long sleeves dragging behind them? Then he saw a red belt of some sort, with two fans tucked into it; one open and one closed. As his eyes traveled higher, past a high-collared white shirt, he saw a soft face with pale skin and eyes in a shade of cherry-brown that he had not encountered elsewhere before. Some movement caught his eye. That's when he saw the long ebony locks pulled back in a simple ponytail, and the decorative hair pin with a fiery-red feather dangling from it. His jaw dropped and he simply could not contain his excitement.

"The Emperor is a WOMAN?"

Emperor Katsuki stopped dead in his tracks and stared incredulously at the young man in front of him. An eyebrow twitched erratically of its own accord and it took every ounce of his self-control to prevent his own jaw from dropping to the ground. He wasn't sure whether he should be insulted or burst into laughter. Great merciful kami, Minako was right! He has no thought filtration process whatsoever!

The Emperor cleared his throat pointedly before speaking.

"I assure you young man, I am most definitely a male."

The young Squire was surprised. He had not expected such a deep voice to come from the figure currently in front of him. He was suddenly very suspicious, thinking that perhaps they were playing a trick on him and having a good laugh at his expense.

"How do I know you're really the Emperor? Sure, you have fancy clothes, but you're not even armed! King Nikiforov carries a sword at all times, all you've got are FANS."

The Emperor stared down at his 'fancy clothes' before reaching for the open fan and taking it gracefully into his hand.

"Oh? You think perhaps that I am some sort of impostor Emperor?"

Feeling that perhaps he'd hit the nail on the head, the young Squire puffed out his chest and placed his hands on his hips.

"See, I knew it! No real Emperor would ever show up for a meeting with a foreign delegate without a weapon or personal guards. You obviously underestimated me and thought I wouldn't notice!"

Emperor Katsuki smiled cryptically as he stepped closer to the young man.

"So, you believe I am simple an unskilled and defenseless stand-in?"

The young Squire nodded eagerly.

"I could easily land a number of blows on you at any time. You're in a long robe, with super long and cumbersome sleeves, so your mobility is severely limited...You wouldn't be able to do much dodging at all."

"Shall we test your skills then, young man?"

The young Squire smiled triumphantly as he he cracked his knuckles.

"Ok, I'll try to go easy on you...but I can't make any promises."

Emperor Katsuki bowed his head slightly before winking at the young Squire.

"I thank you for your...consideration."

The young Squire charged at the robed figure before him, slightly feinting to the left before throwing a punch with his right. This is too easy, he's wide open! He swung his arm, expecting to feel the resistance associated with connecting with flesh, but feeling his arm instead passing through empty space. Confused, he looked around and spotted the robed figure standing just off to his left side, face hidden behind the open fan. What the hell? How did he end up on my left side? He was on my right side a second ago.

"Is something the matter, young man?"

Squire Plisetsky shook his head to clear his mind. His eyes narrowed as he looked the robed figure over before retaking his offensive stance and attacking once more. Two passes, three passes, four passes...each time, the figure evaded him. He became increasingly irritated with each miss. Who the hell is this guy? He seems to move faster than I can see! As his frustration reached boiling point, he decided that fun time was over and it was time for him to get serious. He redoubled his efforts, attacking with all his might. His attacks began being blocked, but by what he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it hurt. The blocks seemed to hit the same tender spots on his wrists and elbows each time. When he stopped to rub at his hands, he suddenly found himself cornered and pushed up violently against a wall. The robed man stood in front of him, his face an unreadable mask.

"It appears that you are all talk and no action, young man. You dared to call me an impostor and then accused me of being so defenseless that you could easily land a blow on me."

Squire Plisetsky felt something sharp pushing up against his neck and looked down. The decorative ornament that had previously been in the man's hair was currently threatening to pierce his skin. With his free hand, the robed figured lifted the open fan to the Squire's level of sight. He made a small movement, a barely visible flick of the wrist, and small blades sprung forth from the tips of the fan's ribs. He slowly brought the bladed fan dangerously close to the young man's eyes. The young Squire's eyes grew impossibly wide and he gulped audibly.

"Looks can be deceiving, and it's generally best to not make judgments based only on what your eyes perceive directly in front of them."

The robed figure made a high pitched whistle and two guards stepped out of the shadows.

"I was never alone, you just failed to sense their presence."

The young Squire began to tremble.

Anger suddenly flashed across the robed figure's face.

"I am Emperor Katsuki, supreme ruler of Orientalis and Phoenix Purification Magic user.

The young Squire noticed the two guards going down on both knees and bowing so low that their foreheads touched the ground.

"Your attacks on me are grounds for treason. Prepare to suffer the consequences."