"I'm telling you, Ziou says that the Kannon isn't fit for this", Reizo went on.
Jun shook his head, "Ziou is an idiot. He asked me what a crab apple was the other day. You're really going to buy into his nonsense?".
Reizo rolled his eyes, "He may be an idiot, but he can make an interesting point".
Addilyn sighed, annoyed with the conversation. They had been having the same argument for well over a half hour. She began to walk a little faster, crossing her arms across her chest, trying to focus on something other than the bickering going on around her. Her mind could only slip back and fourth between two things, the annoying guys behind her and the grandmaster. She groaned with irritation, she hated being so smitten. She felt like a school girl with a crush, she wasn't used to feeling like this. It was frustrating to her.
"I think you pissed her off", she heard Reizo comment.
"I pissed her off!? You're the one who won't keep your mouth shut for more than a few seconds", snarled Jun.
Addilyn rubbed her face in distress and stopped walking. Turning towards them, she gave them a fake smile.
"C'mon guys", she pleaded, "I'm fine, I just want to enjoy the rest of the day off".
Reizo smirked, "What have you been thinking about?", he questioned.
Addilyn gave him a quizzical look and shrugged, " Nothing really. Just wishing you both would shut up to be honest".
Reizo's smirk only got wider, as Jun began to smile a long with him.
"What?", she asked, raising her brow at them questionably.
Jun and Reizo turned to look at each other, a mischievous smile on both of their faces. They turned back towards her, the look on their faces never leaving.
"Oh, nothing", Reizo said.
Addilyn rolled her eyes, "Whatever", she commented, turning to walk farther down the hall.
The boys continued to follow her down the hall, only speaking in a lower tone now. She grew suspicious, but was in no mood to play a long with their game, so she ignored them and kept walking. Coming to a corner, she went around and found herself running right into someone, bumping heads.
"Shit!", Addilyn yelled out, feeling startled, and a new head ache forming.
Rubbing her head, she quickly recovered and began apologizing to the random figure she collided into.
"Damn, I'm sorry! I should pay more attention to where I'm going!", she exclaimed.
Looking in front of her directly, to her surprise, was another woman about her age. She wasn't dressed in servant attire, she was wearing what appeared to be a Lin Kuei uniform, only more feminine. It looked almost exactly like Frost's outfit. The girl in front of her had her head slightly down, with one hand rested on her waist, while the other massaged the front of her forehead. She looked up slowly, a glare in chocolate brown eyes. Her eyes went from agitated to confused. Her hand that was rested on her head, slowly fell down as she observed the new girl she had never seen before. Her black hair was pulled up tightly in a bun, but a few hairs had fallen free and were stuck to her wet face. It was clear that she had just finished training.
The woman cocked an eyebrow at Addilyn, "Who are you?", she asked, in a demanding tone.
Before Addilyn could respond, Jun and Reizo walked casually around the corner, still discussing what "Kannon" had said. They stopped right in their tracks when they saw the new scene in front of them. The woman that stood in front of Addilyn looked passed her shoulder at the two men standing behind her.
Jun took a step forward, "Hey Hana, everything alright?", he asked, concern written in his voice.
The woman named Hana, narrowed her eyes at him, "Is this one of your special friends, Jun?", she asked.
Addilyn let out a loud laugh, causing them all to snap their heads in her directiion. She found the idea of being one of Jun's "friends with benefits" hilarious.
"Sorry", Addilyn apologized, "It appears we got off on the wrong foot already. I'm Addilyn, Raiden sent me here to train with the grandmaster. And no, I am not Jun's fuck buddy", she introduced, offering her hand out to Hana.
Hana's face went from a smug look, to an amused one. Cracking a side smile, she took Addilyn's hand and lightly shook it.
"I'm Hana", she replied, bowing her head at Addilyn. "I had heard a while ago that Raiden would be bringing back a new warrior, just wasn't expecting it to be someone who looked like you", Hana explained.
"Understandable", Addilyn responded, "I'm sure running into some random girl in your territory isn't something you had expected".
Addilyn felt a little confused by the girl, she had not been aware of any other female Lin Kuei besides Frost.
"I thought Frost was the only female Lin Kuei", Addilyn commented.
"There are a whole bunch of us", Hana said.
"Yeah", Jun mentioned, "Frost is chief among the female warriors".
Addilyn gave him a puzzled look, "Really? I'm surprised Sub-zero didn't mention this to me".
Reizo walked up to them, stretching his arms out and giving a lazy yawn "Eh..I'm sure he would have. I think he didn't want to scare you away with the idea of having to train with a bunch of other women".
Addilyn gave him a strange look, "Yeah, maybe, but I'm not a catty person. Don't see why they would leave that part out".
Jun shrugged, "He probably just forgot to mention it to you. The grandmaster isn't one to hide things".
Reizo and Hana nodded in agreement. Just as Addilyn was about to speak up again, another Lin Kuei came around the corner. He walked passed Hana and over to Addilyn, he seemed to be in a hurry.
"The grandmaster has requested to speak with you", the warrior said.
Addilyn studied his features, trying to see if she recognized the man behind the mask. She still didn't really know anyone's names yet. Even Jun said that after the long years of service with the Lin Kuei, he still didn't know everyone well.
"Alright, where is he?", Addilyn asked.
"I will take you to him", the warrior responded.
Addilyn bit her lip, and looked over at Jun, "Umm, ok. I guess I'll see you around, Jun".
Jun seemed confused by the situation, but nodded, "I'll come by your room later".
Addilyn acknowledged him with a simple nod and looked over at Hana, "It was nice to meet you".
Hana smiled, "You too, good luck!".
They all started walking separate ways, as Addilyn followed the Lin Kuei warrior down another corridor.
The warrior she later found out was named Kai, took her to a giant room that looked a lot like a foyer. It led to a giant set of stairs that were lit up by pits with fire, engraved with fancy symbols. Golden dragon statues were based at the foot of the stairs. She followed him up the very large staircase that seemed to go on for forever. Despite her fitness levels, she felt herself start to breath heavy after the tenth step. Trying her best to keep up with Kai, since he was practically sprinting up the stairs. Getting closer to the top, she began to try to control her breathing, not wanting to be gasping for air when she reached the top. Climbing the last step, she could have leaped for joy. They stepped up into a giant space. There were large banners hanging, a long with many other torches that lit up the room. In the center of the room, she saw the grandmaster sitting on what appeared to be a throne made of ice. Behind his throne was the giant symbol she saw on the grandmasters medallion. He sat in his confident posture, awaiting them to approach. As they stepped in front of him, the Lin Kuei warrior bowed in front of him. Addilyn stood there, wanting to know what she had been called for. Kai looked over at her, waiting for her to bow as well.
Addilyn stared back at Kai, "Oh..sorry".
She went on to bow, but only for a second, looking back up.
"Why have you called me?", she questioned.
Sub-zero looked over at Kai, "You may head back to your duties", he told Kai.
Kai responded, "Yes, Grandmaster", and gave a final bow before turning and running down the stairs.
Sub-zero rested his gaze on Addilyn, "How are you getting along?".
Addilyn shifted, "In the whole week that I have been here, I'd say i'm doing ok. Haven't gotten much training in with anyone else though".
Sub-zero lifted his hand to his chin, "Yes, I know. I felt you may need time to adjust to your new surroundings".
"Always considering my feelings", she joked, "How very gentlemanly of you".
Sub-zero quirked his eyes at her, "You're a guest, I expect you to be treated as nothing less".
Addilyn gave him a soft smile, not sure on how she wanted to respond. Sub-zero then stood up from his ice throne and walked over to her.
"I called you down here because we may have troubles in the future that I want your help with", Sub-zero informed her.
Addilyn gave him a fretful look, "Everything alright?".
He looked at her with a somber face, "I received word from General Blade that a number of Quan Chi's revenants were freed".
Still feeling confused, she asked "So what does that mean for us?".
He had a hopeful gleam in his eyes, "My friend was one of those revenants. I am told that Smoke may have been one of them".
Addilyn nodded in understandment, getting the situation. "What would you like me to do?", she asked.
"A lot of things are being stirred up now", he said, "Meaning that this may cause a rebellion. Our relationship with Outworld has only become more distorted over time. Raiden believes that Earthrealm may be in danger again. I need you to be ready if it is".
She shook her head, "Okay, yeah. I'll be prepared for anything".
"Good", Sub-zero responded, "Mr. Cage and his team will be here in the next week. I will have you train with them as well".
Addilyn placed both hands on her hips, "May I ask you something, Grandmaster?".
His face furrowed, as he looked over at her "What is it?".
She bit her lip, feeling nervous about questioning him, "Why haven't you been training me with Frost and the other female Lin Kuei?".
He gave her a surprised look, his eyes only showed a hint of revelation. "You met a female Lin Kuei, I see", was his only response.
"Yes", she replied, "Hana, I believe".
He stroked his chin, and he began to walk around her, "Frost took the other female Lin Kuei to train out in the mountains. I thought it might be easier to introduce you when they had returned. Besides, I heard you and Frost did not fare well. I thought I was doing you a service by not training you with her".
Addilyn couldn't argue with that statement, the last thing she ever wanted was to train with Frost. She was slightly intimidated by female cryomancer. She felt a bit of gratitude towards the grandmaster, she was happy to see that he cared about making her comfortable.
"Hana is a formidable warrior, she would be good make an alliance with", Sub-zero suggested.
Addilyn laughed, "We had quite the introduction, I like her though".
Sub-zero didn't respond, but took another step towards her. He was close enough to where she couldn't raise her elbow without hitting him. She felt her face get hot, and she tried to control it from showing.
"You seem nervous", he commented, looking down at her with an attentive look.
"You're intimidating to me", she replied bluntly.
"You shouldn't be afraid of me", he commented.
He reached a hand out and touched her shoulder, causing her to almost jerk in surprise. He rested it there until he felt she was more relaxed, and proceeded to take his other hand and place it on her other shoulder. Addilyn stayed still and tried to control her rapid breathing. What was he doing? He gave her a look that she couldn't read, which only made her more nervous. He began to rub his thumbs over her sensitive collar bones, causing her to shudder.
"I want you to calm yourself, Voss", he commanded softly.
She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to do as he told her.
"Grandmaster", she started, "What are you doing?".
He took another step forward, the tips of their shoes were now touching. He was now hovering over her and looking straight down at her.
"I want you to come to me whenever you need me. I don't want you to be afraid. I need you to be ok around me".
Addilyn chewed on her lower lip, "I will, Grandmaster. You just have a powerful presence. I am sure I am not the only one who feels that way".
He started to let his hands lightly release her shoulders, and run down her arms with the back of his fingers, causing goose bumps to form all over body. She shivered, and looked down, feeling embarrassed. She felt his big hand push up on her chin and lift her head up to meet his very light eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him, trying to hide the fact that her heart was racing. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the doors down the stairs opening loudly. He let go of her chin and sat up straight and looked over at the stairs. Moments later, a very annoyed Frost came up to the top.
"We must talk, Grandmaster", she demanded.
Her icy cool eyes shot over in Addilyn's direction, her glare was venomous.
"Alone", Frost added, as if to object Addilyn from staying.
Addilyn glared back at Frost, she was already sick of her shit and this was only their second time meeting.
Sub-zero looked over at Frost and back at Addilyn, "We will finish this talk later", he told her.
Addilyn nodded, and quickly turned on her heels and walked over to the stairs. Frost watched her every move and shot daggers with her eyes as Addilyn walked by. Addilyn averted her eyes, and focused on the open doors downstairs. Trying to also concentrate on not tumbling down the narrow staircase. Reaching the bottom, she power walked out of the room, and down the hallways. Once she was a safe distance away, she slowed down and let her heart reach a normal pace again. Placing her hand on her chest, she slowly breathed in and out. Walking back to her room, she replayed what had just happened over and over in her head.
"What was that all about?", she wondered, "That was definitely not a normal pep talk".
She walked through her bedroom doors and shut them behind her, leaning against them and crossing her arms over chest.
"What the hell even just happened?"
She threw herself onto the bed, feeling like a giddy 16 year old.
"This might hurt", she thought to herself.
A knock at the door caused Addilyn to sit straight up, rubbing her groggy eyes. She dosed off, which she often did if she laid down for too long.
"That must be Jun", she thought.
He had mentioned earlier that he would come by, right before she had been dragged off to speak with Sub-zero.
She yawned and jumped out of the bed. Her black cardigan's top three buttons were undone, exposing her black bra slightly. She didn't care in the least bit, she was comfy and tired and had no need for decency with Jun. She allowed it to slide open barely, as she strolled over to the door.
"About time!", she yelled to the person on the other side.
Grabbing the door knob, she quickly opened the door. Looking out, she almost jumped out of her skin. She grabbed the top of her cardigan and wrapped it over her moderately exposed chest. She had expected to see Jun on the other side, but she didn't find just a Lin Kuei warrior outside her door.
There in her door way, stood a surprised and intimidating Sub-zero.