Disclaimer: Tin Man is not my brainchild. He just hang out and see movies and stuff.

"Cain?" DG's groggy whisper floated to him as he fastened his pants. He hadn't meant to wake her up when he slid out of bed. She'd fallen asleep after he had convinced her that having Jeb know about them was not necessarily a bad thing. That in itself had been more fun than he had anticipated. It was more fun to get her to calm down now that he could touch her without worrying about her possible rejection. "You're leaving?" She sounded disappointed but not surprised by the fact that she was suddenly alone in bed.

Turning back to her he leaned over and kissed her forehead as he brushed her tangled hair behind her ear. He knew where her thoughts were headed and wanted to cut her off before she started thinking he had abandoned her. "I'm going to talk to your parents. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

She laid her hand over his. "Are you coming back?"

He ran his thumb over her cheek whispered hotly in her ear. "How could I stay away knowing you're waiting for me to sink back into you?"

Her breath caught in her throat and he stood back up after brushing his lips gently over hers once. If he stayed with her any longer he wouldn't be leaving and he needed to take care of the technicalities of this as soon as possible. It wasn't in his nature to hide things and he certainly didn't want DG to think he was ashamed of what they were doing. In fact, now that he knew how she felt he would rather everyone know she was his. "Go back to sleep, Darlin'."

DG curled up slightly and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. "Ok, but I sleep better when you're with me."

He smiled down at her as he began to button up his shirt. "Then we'll both sleep better tonight."

She hummed in agreement as her eyes drifted closed. As he picked up his holster she sighed out a request. "Don't scare Ahamo to bad."

He paused mid-buckle. The Princess didn't want him to scare the Seeker? She had far more faith in him then he had given her credit for. While he was sure if he was forced to take on the Consort it would be a close fight he would rather avoid it if at all possible. He was positive that beneath the calm jovial exterior Ahamo was about as safe as a rabid papay. You didn't make it long in the Realm of the Unwanted if you weren't fearless and clever. He glanced back over at DG as he finished dressing; that was probably where she got it from actually. He had no doubt that given half a chance DG could take control of the ruling gangs in the underground city.

He immediately pushed that thought out of his head because if she caught wind of it she would merrily skip back there to see if he was right. That was an image he didn't need in his head. He nearly went into a cold sweat at the thought. He had no doubt that while she was happily bringing the Realm of the Unwanted to its knees he would be fighting tooth and nail to keep her safe from sneaky assassins. Definitely didn't need to put that thought in her pretty head. He walked out the door when her breathing leveled out, shutting it softly so she wouldn't wake back up.

He searched the room quickly and spotted his hat on the floor next to her desk. Scooping it up he placed it on his head before continuing out of DG's suite. Heading left he started toward Ahamo's office. The Consort rarely left that space until well into the afternoon and honestly he would rather deal with the Consort than the Queen. While she was loving and appeared to be open with her daughters, he felt more comfortable with DG's father, despite the fact that he could cut him to pieces before he could blink. He had always had a fairly good relationship with the Consort. He could resonate with the man's separation from his family and the pain that must have inevitably caused him.

Five minutes later and he was standing between two of his bored looking guards and raping sharply on Ahamo's door. He was going to organize more surprise drills if this was how all the guards were behaving. They should be on full alert no matter how long they had been standing and staring at a blank wall. He heard shuffling papers as the Consort answered. "Come in."

Pushing the door open he strode into the room, fighting back an unexpected wave of anxiety. The Consort had an arm full of paperwork and nodded toward the empty chair in front of his desk. "Good afternoon, Cain. Have a seat." Ahamo appeared to be looking for a good hot fire to dump the papers in. "How's your son? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him in a few days."

That was an odd phrase. Maybe the kid could explain that one to him later tonight. He sat down and put his hat on his knee. "He's fine. Got in late yesterday and went back out this morning."

Ahamo shook his head, a wistful smile flitting over his face. "I hope you got to talk to him before he ran off again. He's about as easy to keep track of as DG is."

At least he hadn't been the one to bring up the subject. That made the conversation a bit easier for him. "Actually the Princess is why I'm here."

Ahamo finally dropped the papers on top of a nearby table. "What did she do this time?" He heard a note of fondness in the Consorts tone that he was unable to suppress. He turned back and lowered himself into his chair. "Break a priceless antique? Catch someone on fire? Turn Tutor into a cat?"

That was something he could really appreciate. Sometimes the mutt just wouldn't shut up. He could mention that to DG in passing and see what happened. It would be entertaining at the very least. He forced himself to refocus on the conversation at hand. "She hasn't done anything… At least not recently." There was really no need to tell the man what his daughter had recently been up to. Mostly because he would be dead before he finished that sentence.

Across the desk Ahamo looked slightly disappointed. He wondered if Ahamo enjoyed cleaning up DG's messes or if simply enjoyed the chaos she caused. There was no way palace life was as exciting as where the man had spent the last fifteen years of his life. "That'd be a first. If she hasn't caused a catastrophe today what do you need to talk about?"

He cleared his throat more uncomfortable than he had been in recent memory. "I'd like your permission to court her."

Ahamo's face went blank for a moment. Then his pale eyes were focused and locked on his. He could practically see the battle going on in the man's head. Maybe being a parent gave him special insight into what Ahamo was thinking. He had to put considerable effort into keeping his body relaxed. "How does DG feel about that?"

He shifted at the unexpected response. "She told me not to scare you. Although I think she might underestimate what you're capable of. Then again I suspect most people do."

Ahamo leaned back, a feral grin on his lips. "True." He seemed to be contemplating something as he continued speaking. "There are several reasons why I agreed to let her train with Ambrose."

That decision had been fine with him. In fact if Ahamo and the Queen hadn't agreed to that when she had told them about the Headcase's offer to teach her to fight he would have flat out insisted on it as part of her safety protocol. The Princess needed to be prepared for any thing that might happen. He didn't want her to be unable to defend herself if her magic failed. Overall he had been more than impressed with how fast she was learning. She wasn't afraid of using everything she learned while she and Glitch spared. Which had been an unfortunate thing for the advisor on more than one occasion. His lip twitched. "She's got a mean spin kick."

"I've seen it." Ahamo stated absently as he continued to stare at him for a long minute. After a while he seemed to make up his mind about something. "Where I come from asking to court someone's daughter is frowned upon. Most women find the practice outdated, it makes them feel like property, or worse unable to make their own decisions without the help of a man." He frowned at that but Ahamo continued. "I take it DG knew you were going to ask?"

"Yes." He was trying to wrap his head around what he had just been told. In his experience asking to court a woman was the most respectful thing possible. It proved to her and her family that she was worthy not only a great deal of respect but also a great deal of anxiety. It showed that a man was interested in becoming part of her family, a responsibility that wasn't taken lightly by anyone. Ultimately it was up to her to choose a suitor, but the good will of her family was always appreciated, even if it wasn't necessary. He had more than a few friends run off with a man or woman who wasn't embraced by the rest of their family.

"Interesting."

"Excuse me?" He was only half listening to the Consort.

"She must like you more than I thought if she let you ask me that."

He thought about that for a few seconds. DG took her freedom and independence seriously. To give up her control, for any amount of time, was a huge sign of trust. The fact that she respected the customs he was raised with so he would feel more comfortable with their relationship spoke volumes. By allowing him to do this she was telling her Otherside father that she trusted him and respected their relationship. He had a sneaking suspicion that DG wasn't about to tell him any of that and he owed Ahamo a thank you for explaining that particular viewpoint to him. "I see."

Ahamo nodded sharply. "I think you do." He sighed. "I won't insult my daughter by making that choice for her. This is her life and I've spent so little time in it that it would be presumptuous for me to start now. Besides I think she could do much worse than you despite your age difference."

He was going to take that as a subtle yes. Ahamo certainly knew how to walk the line. The Consort hadn't insulted his daughter's sensibilities or his pride. He was impressed. He thought it would be best to take his leave before he changed his mind. "Thank you for your time, Ahamo."

"Of course." He started to stand wanting to get back to his princess. "Although-" He stopped moving. "I have to tell you if you hurt my daughter I'll show you exactly how much people underestimate me." The Consort had been replaced by the Seeker.

He straightened his spine. That had not been subtle at all. "I would expect nothing less." Placing his hat back on his head he tipped it toward the other man and walked out of the office praying a knife wouldn't be lodged in his back before he made it into the hall.

When he made it he let out a quiet breath and started making his way back to DG. Now that his interview was over all he wanted to do was relax. He thought a nice long bath might be a great way do that. He was fairly certain his princess had a large tub in the back of her suite. There was only one way to find out really.

Author Note: See! An update just like I promised! Leave me a review if you have the time. I've really missed them the last few weeks. ;)