UPDATE: Hey guys! Starting from now I'll be publishing a chapter every 3-4 weeks, maybe sooner if I'm on a roll. Thanks again for reading!
…
Zeno – Tell the person on your left one thing you like about them the most.
Zeno turned to Shin Ah with a warm grin.
"Zeno likes Shin Ah's eyes the most!" he declared. "Zeno thinks they are more beautiful than anything in the whole world! Oh, except Miss, of course! Nothing can compare to Miss's beauty."
"I second that, Zeno," said Jae Ha with grace. "In fact, after Yona and Shin Ah's eyes, I'd say the next most beautiful thing would be yours truly."
"That's a first," remarked Hak. "Is having droopy eyes such a treasure?"
"Oh, Hak Huns! Someone who walks around with his clothes backwards wouldn't understand."
"I may not be a trend-setter, but I know a thing or two about using spears," growled Hak, raising his spear as if to make good on his threat. "Shall I demonstrate, Jae Bun?"
"Jae Ha," said Yoon irritably, "I don't care if you're digging your own grave, but if anyone dies with you, I'll make sure to give you a tombstone that reads, 'Eternally Droopy Eyes'."
"Followed by the words, 'Mercilessly Slain by the Almighty Dark Dragon,'" added Hak ominously.
"All right, Thunder Beast. We get it."
Shin Ah – Say "I just want to kiss you right now" to the person on your right.
"Zeno loves Shin Ah too!" exclaimed Zeno, throwing his arms around the Blue Dragon.
"He hasn't said anything, Zeno," Jae Ha told him.
But instead of carrying out his dare, Shin Ah shook his head and started to detach his other glove.
Zeno was heartbroken. "Shin Ah doesn't like Zeno?"
"I believe the exact interpretation should be, 'He doesn't want to kiss you,'" corrected Hak.
"But he only has to say the words," protested Kija in confusion.
Shin Ah looked at the White Dragon and shook his head again.
"Lie… " he said quietly. "Lying is bad."
"Oh I see. Saying he wants to kiss Zeno would be a lie," said Kija in realisation.
"Uh… you know, Shin Ah, it doesn't have to be true," said Yoon wearily.
Zeno was teary-eyed. Jae Ha comforted the Yellow Dragon in his own way.
"Now, now, Zeno. I'm sure Shin Ah just doesn't want to come out of the closet."
"Don't group everyone with you, Droopy Eyes," said Hak.
"Zeno, Shin Ah only wants to avoid telling a lie," Yona told the Yellow Dragon comfortingly. "I'm sure he loves you too. Karate chop!"
Shin Ah nodded. Just like that, Zeno's tears vanished.
"Shin Ah is the kindest Dragon among us!" he declared joyfully.
"Well, that wasn't prejudiced at all," said Yoon dryly.
Lilli – "Have you ever lied to a significant other? What was the lie and why did you tell it?"
"All hail King Hiryuu!" said Lilli. "I'm not even attached yet."
"Youll get hitched to a noble sooner or later," said Hak.
"You don't have to project your desire on others, Hak," said Jae Ha. "Getting hitched is a snap for you too. All you have to do is pop the question: "Will you marry me, Princess–?"
"Killing you would be a snap!" snapped Hak.
"Hak wants to marry a princess?" asked Yona in astonishment. "Karate chop!"
Jae Ha smiled at her warmly. "Not just a princess, Yona dear. THE princess – "
Hak scowled. "How about I sew your mouth shut?"
"All hail King Hiryuu! I'm against arranged marriages," said Lilli firmly. "I will never marry someone I don't love."
"I'm afraid it's a ritual all noble brides-to-be have to go through," imparted Soo Won.
"Why not drive your suitors away?" suggested Kija, who happened to be an expert in the department. "You could say something that would make them change their minds."
"Like, 'Sometimes I'm too lazy to wash my armpits!'" said Zeno eagerly.
Kija pulled back in horror. "WHAT? That is the sin of all sins!"
"Zeno, you're not talking about yourself, are you?" Jae Ha asked Zeno apprehensively. "I mean you do wash your underarms, right?"
Lilli's eyes were wide. "All hail King Hiryuu! That would be an excellent idea."
"No, Lilli! Your health is more important!" exclaimed Kija.
"She doesn't have to go through with it," Yoon told the White Dragon with exasperation.
"Maybe the Princess should have said that when a certain someone was trying to court her," said Hak flatly, staring at Tae Jun.
Tae Jun went red. "As if such a comment would have deterred me!"
"I see. You sure have some creepy fetishes, Your Highness."
Tae Jun – Have you ever had a wet dream?
It was obvious by their expressions that Yoon, Hak and Jae Ha were aware of the question's context. The others were completely ignorant, while Soo Won was unreadable.
"What's a wet dream?" asked Yona curiously. "Karate chop!"
"And my greatest nightmare has just come true," groaned Hak.
"Don't you mean your greatest fantasy, Hak?" probed Jae Ha innocently.
As Hak jabbed at the Green Dragon with his spear, Yoon tried to fix the situation.
"Well, Your Highness," he said as normally as he could, although his facce was a little red, "please answer according to what you think a… wet dream… is."
Tae Jun thought for a while.
"Is it what happens when someone empties a bucket of water on you when you're dreaming?" he guessed.
Jae Ha shook his head wisely. "Close, Your Highness, very close. Only instead of water, it should be – "
"Enough," snapped Yoon, boxing Jae Ha on the ear.
"All hail King Hiryuu! Oh, I know!" said Lilli suddenly. "Does it mean to wet the bed?"
Tae Jun became embarrassed at once. "W-Wet the bed?" he protested. "Absolutely not! An honourable man such as me - !"
"There is nothing shameful about wetting the bed, Your Highness," said Jae Ha. "It is what the bed is wet with that's more concerning– "
This time, it was Hak who smashed the Green Dragon's ear.
"Is it one of those dreams that make you cry?" asked Yona. "Karate chop!"
"All hail King Hiryuu! Or drool maybe?" added Lilli.
Hak smiled, though it looked rather forced. "Anything but what Droopy Eyes just said."
"Anything? How can it be anything?" frowned Tae Jun. "Are you hiding something from us?"
It's for your own good, idiot! thought Hak irritably. Although technically I'm protecting the Princess's welfare.
"Your Lady… I mean, M'Lady, do you perhaps have some idea what this 'wet dream' is?" Tae Jun directed his question at Soo Won.
"Not a clue," replied Soo Won innocently.
"Why don't you just strip and save us the trouble?" ordered Hak.
Jae Ha gave an overly dramatic gasp. "You monster! Telling a lady to disrobe in front of strangers! How deplorable!"
"I was referring to the Prince, Droopy Eyes," said Hak testily.
"You would have the Princess bear witness to a nude man's form?" exclaimed Kija.
"It's not a problem. We can always blindfold her."
Jae Ha pretended to weep into Kija's shoulder. "Oh, Kija. To think that Hak Huns would resort to such desperate measures just so he can do lewd things to Yona – "
"Your Highness, could you please answer the question before things get out of hand?" sighed Yoon.
"How can I answer it if I don't even know what it means?" protested Tae Jun.
"If you're so ignorant, just strip already," Hak told him. "Take one for the team."
"Take one for the team!" echoed Zeno.
"No!"
Yoon was bending over and peering at Tae Jun's clothes.
"Your Highness," said the young genius flatly. "If I'm not mistaken, you could just remove your belt. It counts as an article of clothing."
Tae Jun blinked a few times. "Oh. Right."
"Too bad, Hak," said Jae Ha, still resting his head on Kija's shoulder lazily, "Your 'play' with Yona has been deferred."
Yoon – Have a water fight with all clothes on.
"Oh no," muttered Yoon.
"What is it?" asked Hak. Tae Jun leaned over to read the slip as well.
"Have a water fight with all clothes on?" read out the Prince puzzledly.
"Don't!" said Yoon in alarm, but it was too late-
"WATER FIGHT!" yelled Zeno, springing up and dashing madly to the stream with a bucket held high over his head.
"How'd you get that so fast?" yelped Yoon.
"Don't be silly Zeno. It would be a lot more productive to use all of them," laughed Jae Ha, and next moment he was tossing the rest of the buckets into the currents.
"What are you doing?" cried Yoon in horror, but Jae Ha was already diving into the water.
"Kija! Why don't you give me hand?" he called out to the White Dragon.
"Water fight!" cried Zeno happily, running over to Tae Jun and dumping the water over the Prince.
"Now that's more like it," grinned Hak, getting to his feet as a furious Tae Jun pursued the Yellow Dragon.
Unfortunately, without a belt to secure it, the Prince's robe was flapping about like a skirt.
"UGH! Tae Jun, you moron! Don't show us your butt!" squealed Lilli, covering her eyes.
"Shin Ah! Remove your mask or I'll make it storm on you!" sang Jae Ah, racing toward the Blue Dragon.
Kija was tottering, his vision blocked by the tower of buckets he was carrying. Making use of the opportunity, Hak snuck up on the White Dragon with his own bucket at the ready.
SHOOM.
Hak had only intended to give Kija a good splash, but he accidentally jammed the bucket over the White Dragon's head.
"Oops," said Hak in surprise. "Guess I should have held back a little."
"ARGH!" Kija dropped the buckets he was carrying and raced after Hak, the bucket still stuck over his head.
"I didn't know Kija could see through solid objects," remarked Lilli, as Hak and the White Dragon shot past them.
"I believe it's called blind anger, Lilli," said Yoon, giving up on the group.
A mortified Tae Jun had stopped to cover up his exposed butt. This gave Zeno free reign over the buckets that Kija had dropped.
"TAKE THAT!" cried Zeno gleefully, throwing the contents on Hak and Kija as they raced by. Now the Yellow Dragon was pursued by a livid Thunder Beast and White Dragon.
Meanwhile, Jae Ha and Shin Ah had taken their chase to the trees.
"Come on, Shin Ah! It's just a mask!" pleaded Jae Ha. "Oops!"
Cumbered by the weight of his own bucket, Jae Ha had slipped on a branch and crashed to the ground, the now upside-down bucket on his face.
Shin Ah rushed to the Green Dragon's side. He shook the seemingly unconscious Jae Ha anxiously.
"Green Dragon…?"
Jae Ha sat up so fast the bucket went flying.
"Gotcha!" His hands went for Shin Ah's mask, but Shin Ah leapt back at the last second. The Blue Dragon was off like a rocket.
"Shin Ah! Come back here!" Jae Ha went back to chasing the Blue Dragon around the trees.
Back at the glade, Yoon, Lilli, Yona and Soo Won were calmly sipping tea prepared by the handsome genius.
"All hail King Hiryuu! Yona, you didn't have the misfortune of glimpsing Tae Jun's butt, did you?" asked Lilli with concern.
"No," said Yona thoughtfully. "M'Lady pointed to an interesting cloud shape at the exact moment it happened. Karate chop!"
"What impeccable timing," said Lilli, staring wryly at Soo Won.
Yoon sighed. "If they're not back by the time I've drunk this tea, I'll impose the penalty on all of them."
Hak – Paint a face on your belly.
The rest of the players returned, now soaking wet. The good news for Kija was that his unibrow had been washed down.
Hak noticed Yona trying not to smile.
"What?" he frowned, picking up his slip.
He stared at it for what seemed like years.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jae Ha was unable to hold in his laughter.
Hak grimaced. He sat down hard, folding his arms and looking surly.
When Jae Ha's laughter died down, he clapped Hak on the shoulder in what was supposed to be a reassuring manner.
"Look on the bright side, Hak," he grinned. "You now have an excuse for Yona's finger to run up and down your body."
"Shut up before I carve yours open."
"Aw. There's no need to be shy, Hak Huns."
"Jae Ha, stop aggravating the Thunder Beast before I start painting on your eyeballs," ordered Yoon, approaching Hak with a brush and ink bottle. "Thunder Beast, give me some space to work on."
Reluctantly, Hak parted his robe, exposing his rock-solid midriff.
"Hak has many bellies…" observed Zeno with fascination. "I count one, two, three, four, five, six…"
"I believe they're called abs, Zeno," said Yoon, dipping his brush into the ink as he began to work. "It's a kind of abdominal muscle which you, Kija and His Highness over there seem to lack."
Kija and Tae Jun looked like they'd turned to stone. Zeno merely beamed.
"Zeno doesn't need so many bellies! Even a cow has only four stomachs."
"You're talking about totally different things!"
Apparently scared off by Yoon's warning, Jae Ha was now switching tacts.
"Yona dear, how do you feel being offered a plain view of the part of Hak's body that's usually clothed?" he asked the Princess.
Yona stared at Hak, who was watching Jae Ha irately.
"I wish I had muscles like his," said the Princess sincerely. "That way I would have no problem taking down enemies. Karate chop!"
Hak snorted. Jae Ha's smile didn't falter.
"Your tenacity is commendable, Yona dear," said the Green Dragon warmly. "Now, imagine how it would feel to run your fingers down his bod – "
Yoon's brushing went flying into Jae Ha's face.
"Thunder Beast, there was no need for that," scowled Yoon, retrieving his brush. "Jae Ha, what did I say about keeping quiet?"
"You got it." Jae Ha gave a thumbs-up, smiling in spite of the ink that had splattered across his face.
Kija was still looking ponderously at his stomach.
"Do you want abs, Kija?" asked Zeno. "Just eat like Zeno does and you'll be rocking a six-pack before you know it!"
"Speak for yourself" exclaimed Kija indignantly. "Your six-pack is just as visible as mine!"
Yona was offering Jae Ha her handkerchief. "Here, use this to wipe yourself, Jae Ha. Karate chop!"
"Thank you, Yona," beamed Jae Ha, all sunshine and rainbows as he accepted the handkerchief.
"Thunder Beast, your expression alone would be enough to get you arrested," said Yoon warily, as Hak scowled at the Green Dragon.
"As thanks for the handkerchief, Yona dear, might I offer you a suggestion?" said Jae Ha to Yona in an undertone that only both of them could hear. "If you want strong muscles like Hak over there, you should be more familiar with them. Get to know how they feel; the solidity; the heat; the texture. When you do, you'll be halfway to growing the right kind of muscle yourself."
"Really?" Yona was wide-eyed. "Karate chop!"
Jae Ha nodded, beaming. "Go see for yourself, Yona dear."
"Hak, let me touch your abs," said Yona a moment later. "Karate chop!"
Hak was speechless. Kija and Tae Jun appeared stupefied.
"Princess?!"
"Er… Yona, what are you doing?" asked Yoon cautiously, as Yona reached for Hak's stomach.
"I want to feel Hak's muscles," said the Princess bluntly. "Karate chop!"
Hak grabbed her hand before it made contact with his skin. He put his face close to hers.
"Princess, are you sure you want to do this?" he said softly. "Whatever you do to me, I'll do the same right back at you."
Yona stared into his eyes. When she didn't move, Hak's hand crept forward.
"Well?" Hak's dark eyes seemed to be filling her. His fingers pressed against her midriff with the slightest of pressure.
Yona's heart began to beat faster.
"Don't be silly, Hak," she said, quickly pushing him away. She didn't understand why she was feeling embarrassed. "There's no point in feeling my stomach when you know I don't have a single ab... Karate chop."
Hak leaned back. Yona stared. Her childhood friend was laughing.
I should have known this was how it would turn out, thought Hak, covering his face
"Well..." said Yoon, as Yona went back to her spot. "Let me just stow away my brush and ink..."
"All hail King Hiryuu! Yona, you look a bit pink," said Lilli.
"Oh." Yona felt her face in astonishment. She always felt hotter when she was close to Hak. It had to be the influence of his strong body heat.
"Kija and Tae Jun don't look so good," Zeno commented, waving his hand in front of Kija's and Tae Jun's faces.
"Let them be, Zeno," said Jae Ha breezily. "Unlike you, not having abs is a hard blow for them."