A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! I just started my freshman year in college, and unfortunately in the move the flash-drive containing the next chapter of my story was lost, so I had to totally redo it… but here it is, at long last! Enjoy! Oh, and I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its original characters! I only own Emily, Blis, the plot, and some Wu!
As I was led away by the tiger, I thought about what had just happened to me. Obviously my life was going to be pretty different now, and I didn't quite know what to expect from Chase. He had me all sorts of confused, what with his talk about needing my help to combine forces, and then kidnapping me and all. And then there were his emotions; one minute he was as cold and evil as everyone said, and then the next I would catch a glimpse of another side of him. It was really doing a number on me.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely noticed when the tiger stopped in front of a set of doors. She nosed them open, and then motioned for me to go through. I did, and felt my jaw drop in wonder. It was amazing, the most amazing room I'd ever seen. The colors were mostly dark, but there were bright splashes of silver and white here and there. The curtains, both around the bed and at the window were a dark purple, almost black. The ones around the bed however were made of a lighter, gauzier material than those by the window, and had dark silver designs on them. The tiling on the floor was black, as was the bedding and chairs in the room. A few white and silver pillows were on the bed and one of each on the couch as well. The walls were made of some dark stone, and looked slightly lighter than the floor, so I thought that maybe it was a dark blue. There were three other doors in the room, blending in with the walls so that if it weren't for the silver decals on them I would most likely of over looked them.
When I opened one I saw that it was a huge closet, mostly empty but with a few sets of clothes. Honestly they looked like Wuya's, and I wondered if Chase had told her to put something in here in case I needed it. Frowning, I went to open the other doors.
The second led out to a balcony, which I decided to explore later, and the third made my mouth fall open again. It was a giant bathroom, this time done in shades of blue, green, and white. The counter was huge, more than enough room for all of Kimiko's, Blis's, and my stuff to fit on it, even with the sink there. Towels in a soft teal color hung from racks on the wall, one by the shower and bath, and another by the sink. The mirror took up the whole wall above the counter and sink, and was spotless. 'In fact,' I thought as I looked around, 'Everything's spotless…' The tub really got my attention. It was huge, white, and looked like a hot tub, if I did say so myself… and I did. The tiling on the walls around it was made from small blue and green chips of tile placed to make swirls and waves. There was a separate shower, which could probably fit all the monks, me, Chase, and Jack, and still have a lot of room.
'Goodness gracious, how much room does he think I need?' Shaking my head I went out to the main room again. The cat was gone, and in its place stood a woman, dressed in Greek or Roman armor, I wasn't sure which. She nodded to me and said, "I am called Tiva, Mistress. Master Chase has sent me to assist you, if you need it, and to heal your nose." I nodded and told her, "Thank you, Tiva, and please, call me Emily. There is no need for that 'Mistress' business, it makes me feel old." Tiva nodded at me, and then asked if I had heard what "Master" Chase wanted of me. I nodded, and after finding out how long I had until dinner, I decided a soak in the tub was in order.
The tub was indeed a Jacuzzi tub, and had a whirlpool, bubbles, and the works. It felt amazing to sit there and soak. "It's really amazing how quickly muscles can get stiff," I said out loud. While I was bathing, Tiva knocked on the door and told me my things from the temple had arrived, and wanted to know if I wanted her to put them away, or if I wanted to do it. "I'll do it, Tiva." I said. "Thanks for offering though." A little bit after she had gone I decided I had had enough bathing for one day, so I got out and wrapped a towel around me.
Cautiously sticking my head out of the bathroom I looked to see if Tiva was still there. I didn't see her, but just to be safe I called out, "Tiva? Are you out here?" No reply. Quickly I ran to the bed where my duffel bag lay, and pulled out some clothes. I wasn't sure what dinner attire meant here, but I figured as long as I dressed nice I'd be fine. I found a pair of black slacks, and paired it with a blue blouse that I had. For shoes I just wore simple black flats.
Just as I finished getting dressed, there was a knock at the door and Tiva came in carrying a tray of things I recognized as medical supplies. She cleaned any blood off my face that I had missed, and then disinfected the area before popping my nose back into place. It hurt, and of course made my nose bleed in a sudden rush. Thankfully Tiva had given me a towel to hold under my chin in case this happened. As I tried not to choke on the blood that had gone down the back of my throat the tigress took stiff strips of some stiff, sticky material and placed them on either side of the break, so that it was held together to heal. After that she dabbed some cream on my nose and under my eyes. "It will help with the pain and bruising," she told me. After a minute of watching closely for any signs of a reaction, she nodded and stood, gathering her materials as she did so.
"Dinner is in an hour, if you would like to rest for a bit longer. Master Chase has instructed that I come to fetch you when it is time, so that you do not get lost on your way. The palace is deceptively large, and as such Master has told us that you are to have an escort until you are acquainted with your new surroundings. "I nodded to her and said, "Thanks, Tiva. That'll be e big help! I am always so confused when I get to new places… though that's part of the fun, you know? I get to run all over the place and explore." Tiva smiled at that, and left. Once she was gone, I proceeded to put away my clothes and the other things the cats had brought from the temple. There wasn't much, so it didn't take long.
Once that was done, I looked around. There was nothing else to do here. Nodding decisively I went to the door and opened it. Tiva was standing outside in her cat form, and stood up suddenly when I spoke to her. "Tiva, I know it's a bit early, but would it be possible to go down to dinner now? Or if not that, then maybe a small tour of the area?" Tiva nodded and turned, walking down the hallway. I followed her, this time paying more attention to my surroundings. To my surprise, it was surprisingly bright. The hallway was well lit, although here and there deeper alcoves were set in shadows in the walls. A couple of doors also lined the hallway as we passed. The colors were pale and calming, mostly blue, and gave me the impression of there being more space then there actually was.
Despite my efforts, I was still fairly turned around when Tiva stopped by a set of doors. I assumed this was where dinner was to be held, so I opened the door a bit and peeked in. No one was there, but the table was set. I opened the door further and stepped in. The room was part of the waterfall room I had glimpsed off my balcony earlier. I could hear the gentle 'whoosh' sound of the water in the background. It kept with the surprising theme of tranquility and relaxation I had noticed so far throughout the palace.
So involved was I in investigating the room that I didn't hear the doors open behind me. I did, however, hear Wuya bickering to Chase as they came in.
"I don't understand why that brat is here though!" Wuya was complaining. "It's not like she has any special powers or training, so what's this about some stupid…." She cut off when she saw me standing there. Chase was smirking, and as he walked to his seat at the head of the table he said, "My, aren't we the prompt one." I shrugged. After all, he was the one that had told Tiva to get me here on time.
"Better early than late," I told him. His smirked widened, and he motioned to a seat next to him. Wuya sulked over to the other one as I joined the table. Chase raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything as we sat. Cats appeared as soon as we did so, and began serving us. It was a bit unusual, to say the least. I wasn't quite certain if it was amusing or terrifying to be served by a tiger though.
Dinner was quiet at first. But being used to the conversation at the temple, I had to say something. "So… why am I here, anyway?" I asked Chase. He ignored me. Wuya snickered. "He doesn't talk much about his 'evil plans'," she said. I raised an eyebrow at her, thinking sadly that it wasn't quite as high as Chase's could get.
"I'm not surprised he doesn't share them with you," I told her. "You do have quite the back-stabbing history, you know." Wuya glared at me, and I just smiled. We resumed eating, but again, the silence was killing me. "So. What do you guys do around here all day, besides plot for world domination, and all that jazz?" This made Chase raise his eyebrow again (OH, THE ENVY!), though once again it was Wuya who answered me.
"Oh, someone as innocent as you would have no idea the things the two of us do." She smiled over at Chase, who looked slightly pained. "We have so much fun, Chase and I." I rolled my eyes as she continued. It was quite sad, really, how obvious her lies were. And of course me being me, I had to point it out.
"Wuya, can your lies be any worse? I mean, really? Jack lies better than you do, and you're on the side of evil! Shouldn't a Heylin witch that's been around for thousands of years be able to tell an untruth better?" I stared at her, amazed this time by the sheer number of colors that Wuya's face was turning. It went from red, to purple, to a strange green color, back to red, a combination of red and purple, you get the idea. Quite frankly, I thought she was going to explode. Chase was just sitting there watching us with a faintly amused expression on his face.
"Y…. You… Why you…" Wuya was spluttering all over the place, barely able to speak she was so mad. "HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH IGNORANT THINGS, YOU IGNORANT CHILD? YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE POWERS I HAVE! I COULD SQUASH YOU LIKE A BUG! A BUG, I TELL YOU! YOU ARE WEAK, AND PATHETIC, AND, AND, AND IGNORANT!" she raged at me.
I burst out laughing. "Is that all you can say, Wuya? That I'm 'ignorant'? Hahaha, you would think you would know more words too!" Seeing as I was dying of laughter, I failed to see the bowl of noodles come flying at me. The bowl itself missed, but most of its contents did not. I gaped at Wuya in surprise as she burst out laughing. Noodles dripped down from the top of my head and shoulder onto the table in front of me, and my lap. I was too shocked to do anything but stare.
"Now that's a good look for you!" she said.
I narrowed my eyes at her. 'So that's how you want to play, huh?' I thought as I grabbed the food closest to me. 'Game on, then!' The food just happened to be mashed potatoes, and it caused quite the mess. Before I knew it, we were in a full out food fight, Wuya and I. Chase, I assumed was sitting there wondering just what had happened to his peaceful dinner, when it happened. A cupcake, thrown by who knows which one of us, landed smack on his chest.
We both froze and stared in horror as he stood his face completely emotionless. Despite that, it was still the scariest sight I'd ever seen. He looked at me and Wuya, and suddenly I was quite conscious of the fact that I was covered in a wide variety of foods. Blushing, I tried to wipe the worst of it off. He gazed at both of us, something sinister beginning to shine in his eyes.
I gasped as Chase scooped up a handful of mixed foods from off the table, both hands full. Smirking, he tossed one at me, and the other at Wuya. With his impeccable aim, it smacked us both in the face. I blinked, and tried to wipe the food out of my eyes. Smirking, he walked off. "Clean it up," he ordered as the door shut behind him.
I turned to Wuya, and she was glowering at me again. "I am not cleaning this up," she stated. I frowned. "Why not?" I asked. Now she sneered.
"I didn't start it, you did!" I rolled my eyes and laughed. "Are we back in kindergarten, Wuya?" She looked furious again. I looked around. "So, where do we start?" She stared at me incredulously. "'We'? What do you mean, 'we'? I already told you, I am not picking this up! Heylin witches do not clean, especially when there is someone else to do the cleaning!" I snorted in derision. "Whatever. Just don't blame it on me when Chase gets angry and decides to feed you to his cats."
She looked at me strangely. "Why would Chase feed me to his cats? I am far more valuable then you are." And with this, she swept out of the room, slamming the doors behind her. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and got to work.
Alright, end of chapter 13! Well, technically 12, but if I numbered it 12, it would mess up the even numbering on the website, so… yep. Review; leave a comment, good or bad! I take constructive criticism too, and if you guys see any mistakes, please tell me! I was reviewing my other chapters, and was amazed that the stuff I found that was wrong…
Also, this is the longest chapter that I have typed so far! It is a grand total of 5 pages long! Yay me!