Umbrclflame - Tumblr Posts

(Starter for @umbrclflame)

Lucette cannot believe the levels of stupidity she was willing to sink to! What in Spiral possessed her to try out a hidden spell she found in an old dusty book?! And the book hadn’t even been hers!

“Let that be the last time I go digging through Maria’s things.” She mumbled, mentally kicking herself as she dusted off dirt from her training attire. Now poor Maria was probably panicking and having a heart attack somewhere. And where was she? Lost in the middle of....somewhere!

The environment around her appeared normal but something felt....off. Lucette knew for certain that this was not Valencia nor any world she had traveled to in the past. Which meant the spell must’ve teleported her somewhere beyond the Spiral.

“Damn. What do I do now? Uncle is going to be furious with me!” Lucette paced back and forth, lost.

‘I leave you alone for a few minutes and already you’ve gotten yourself into trouble! Where did you bring us to this time, girl?’

And of course, She makes an appearance.

“Nowhere that seems to be hostile, thank you very much. Just had a little mishap.” Lucette snapped back before looking around. Her instincts rebelled against doing this but, she needs to check.

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

The sound of someone else’s voice startled Lucette, causing her to yelp and whirl around, only to pause when she laid eyes on....what was talking to her.

’Well, that’s different.’

Different was putting it nicely. The man looked like a frost bitten corpse who had been dug up and dressed in Mooshu like clothing. Pale ashen skin with a blue tint, odd colored eyes, and the mask covering half of his face didn’t help. And that sickle hanging off his hip looked a bit too sharp in her opinion. She decided to answer the question but keeping her Royal title hidden. You never know.

”I....I am Lucette Favero of Valencia. Who is it that I am speaking to? And are you human or otherwise?”

Many would think that a rude question but considering her situation and the man’s odd appearance, Lucette thinks it’s a well deserved one. If he is a hoodoo possessed or controlled creature, she would rather know upfront than later. It didn’t help that he was wearing armor and she....wasn’t. She was dressed in Terrus’ shirt, Maria’s odd trousers she called “shorts” and odd shoes that Maria called “sneakers”. Nothing one would wear to a fight.

She kept one hand close to her hip, palm open, prepared to summon a fireball if he tried something.

kingarise

“Oh, come on, there has to be someone up here.”

‘Believe it or not, there are places that mortals don’t spread to.’

Lucette ignored her snarky remarks, focused on looking around. There weren’t any paths that suggested travel in these parts. Nothing really looked recognizable to her. She couldn’t see the sun to pinpoint her direction and the air was cold and thin, suggesting that she was at a higher altitude than usual. So she was essentially lost.

“Maybe I should just walk forward and hope for the best?”

‘Hope for the-Have you lost your mind?! Walking with no goal or idea of your location is the worst thing someone in your position can do!’

“Well, what else am I supposed to do? There are no noticeable landmarks around and I don’t recognize this place! In case you haven’t noticed, I’M LOST!” Now she was getting annoyed. Instead of being helpful, the voice was just being an ass.

Ever direction she looked it was all the same. Some mountains with some snow, trees, trees, and more trees.

“HELLOOOOOOO! I’M LOST! IS SOMEONE OUT THERE?!” She screamed out louder, scaring away a few birds.

‘Yes, scream your lungs out in the mountains.That will definitely help.’ Lucette didn’t need to look at her to know that the voice was rolling her eyes.

“For someone who loves to talk and be right, I don’t see you giving any good ideas.”

Bi-Han quirked an eyebrow as he came closer to the girl. How did she get out here of all places? The Changbai Mountains were a gorgeous tourist attraction, though this was… September? Pretty certain this was September, the weather was starting to set in, with increased snow and cooler temperatures. Most people wouldn’t be stepping a foot out of their homes to this place during this weather.

“Who are you, girl?”

He sheathes the sickle back into its loop at his side. thick arms crossed over his chest. She was lost, or another trick from Outworld: her appearance reminded him a little of Jade, the lover of the Osh-Tekk war god Kotal Kahn, though she did not have any sisters the last he recalled. Or not any that she had bothered with revealing the last time they met.

Oh… maybe he shouldn’t have revealed himself, now that he gave that a little thought. His appearance just wasn’t the… most human out there, what with his ashen pale skin, blue tinted lips that gave him the appearance of a hypothermic corpse. Took even Kuai Liang a solid three weeks before he finally accepted the fact of his appearance. Oops.

Saibot’s very audible sigh rattles in his ear, though he paid him no need, pale eyes peering over the covering of his metal mask at her: ‘Brilliant, now watch her run off thinking she’s seen a ghost, probably off the nearest cliff.’

The man’s long period of silence rang alarm bells in Lucette’s mind. The way his head tilted and his eyes looked distant for a bit before focusing on her was not natural. She would’ve been more disturbed by it but-

‘Let’s not have the pot calling a kettle black now, girl.’

Yes, she could not speak so boldly. When he spoke to her, he started talking about....some other odd place. 

“S...Spain? My apologies, but I have never heard of such a world. I am from the world of Valencia, ruled by the clockworks. I can most certainly assure you, I am no visitor. Or...at least, not willingly.”

She felt embarrassed admitting that but withholding too much information from someone who seems to know the place would not be very helpful in the long run.

“The Changbai Mountains? Am I somewhere in Mooshu?”

‘I have traveled Mooshu and have never heard of such a mountain range. He is either messing with you or we are truly further away than I thought.’

It seems so. She was in really deep trouble now. At the man’s answer of being a human and admitting he knew he didn’t look like one, Lucette’s body posture relaxed slightly, though she still kept her hands close to her side.

“My sincerest apologies for the rude question, Bi-Han. I have encountered many odd creatures in my life and have many magical enemies.”

Wouldn’t be very queenly to forget her manners, after all.

kingarise

The sound of someone else’s voice startled Lucette, causing her to yelp and whirl around, only to pause when she laid eyes on….what was talking to her.

’Well, that’s different.’

Different was putting it nicely. The man looked like a frost bitten corpse who had been dug up and dressed in Mooshu like clothing. Pale ashen skin with a blue tint, odd colored eyes, and the mask covering half of his face didn’t help. And that sickle hanging off his hip looked a bit too sharp in her opinion. She decided to answer the question but keeping her Royal title hidden. You never know.

”I….I am Lucette Favero of Valencia. Who is it that I am speaking to? And are you human or otherwise?”

Many would think that a rude question but considering her situation and the man’s odd appearance, Lucette thinks it’s a well deserved one. If he is a hoodoo possessed or controlled creature, she would rather know upfront than later. It didn’t help that he was wearing armor and she….wasn’t. She was dressed in Terrus’ shirt, Maria’s odd trousers she called “shorts” and odd shoes that Maria called “sneakers”. Nothing one would wear to a fight.

She kept one hand close to her hip, palm open, prepared to summon a fireball if he tried something.

‘Valencia? Isn’t that a city from the Earthrealm country of Spain?’ Though Bi-Han was admittedly more focused on the how, even with Saibot’s incredulous vocalization in his thoughts. 

Saying he was suspicious would not be wrong: her clothing, her claims of where she came from, nothing was adding up correctly. Unless, of course, she was thrown here by some sort of magic, nothing was really impossible in those realms. Though if that was the case - 

‘I swear if this was Quan Chi doing his bullshit again, I’m going to lose MY shit.’ 

‘Not possible, he is dead. We watched Hasashi tear his head off.’ 

Bi-Han scowled beneath his mask. Even his bloody name left a sour taste on his tongue. It was all thanks to that vile sorcerer that he was very nearly condemned to the fires of the Netherrealm, at the hands of the specter Scorpion and now Grandmaster Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu. Fucker deserved to die and more, lucky that Scorpion got to him before he did, or he wouldn’t just be losing his head. 

“You are quite a distance from Spain, girl. Did you get lost from your party of tourists?” For the sake of now, though, he’ll wear his nice little mask of civility. “It’s quite an awful month to be out here in the Changbai Mountains.” 

Her reaction to his appearance was… not unexpected, to say the least: “Bi-Han. I am a human, even if I may not look like one.”

Lucette pouted as she recognized the look on the man, Bi-Han’s, face. It was a look she was well acquainted with. Exasperation.

‘If he’s exhausted dealing with you now, just wait til something happens and you go charging in as usual.’

What a pest. The confused and odd look Bi-Han gave her didn’t help matters, either. How can he not know what Mooshu and Valencia were? The most famous worlds in the Spiral?! Lucette was astonished when he told her that she was in a place called Earthrealm, blue eyes growing wide in wonder.

“Earthrealm? As in.....Earth? Maria’s original home?”

Lucette looked around with a new appreciation, her mouth open in shock. That explained why none of the animals talked here.

“It looks.....nice? Where are the giant trees? And waterfalls? and all the shiny moving things? The ones that she says carries people on the ground?”

Lucette stopped herself before she asked too many questions. She stared at Bi-han in surprise when he told her that he will take her to where he and his brother lived.

“Really?! That would be great! Since I...uh....don’t know how to get back to my own home.”

She felt embarrassed admitting that to a total stranger but since the stranger was helping her and making sure she didn’t freeze to death, she felt it was only fair she admits that.

kingarise

The man’s long period of silence rang alarm bells in Lucette’s mind. The way his head tilted and his eyes looked distant for a bit before focusing on her was not natural. She would’ve been more disturbed by it but-

‘Let’s not have the pot calling a kettle black now, girl.’

Yes, she could not speak so boldly. When he spoke to her, he started talking about….some other odd place.

“S…Spain? My apologies, but I have never heard of such a world. I am from the world of Valencia, ruled by the clockworks. I can most certainly assure you, I am no visitor. Or…at least, not willingly.”

She felt embarrassed admitting that but withholding too much information from someone who seems to know the place would not be very helpful in the long run.

“The Changbai Mountains? Am I somewhere in Mooshu?”

‘I have traveled Mooshu and have never heard of such a mountain range. He is either messing with you or we are truly further away than I thought.’

It seems so. She was in really deep trouble now. At the man’s answer of being a human and admitting he knew he didn’t look like one, Lucette’s body posture relaxed slightly, though she still kept her hands close to her side.

“My sincerest apologies for the rude question, Bi-Han. I have encountered many odd creatures in my life and have many magical enemies.”

Wouldn’t be very queenly to forget her manners, after all.

Alright, the gods are seriously trying to fuck with him. Not going to be the first time this has happened, but still.

‘Is she delusional or something? Mooshu? Clockworks? What the fuck?’

‘You’re talking to me, I’m your shadow living inside your mind. Not really outside a realm of possibility that she came from either another realm, or maybe even some universe.’

Saibot had a point, as much as that made him roll his eyes. Bi-Han’s attention turned to her, Lucette, as she claimed to be named, breathing out a long breath that turned into smoke in the chilly mountain air, escaping through the slight gaps at the sides of his mask: “I know nothing of whatever realms you speak of, but this is Earthrealm and we are currently standing on the Changbai Mountains.”

A pause before he adds:

“While I also don’t know how much of what you’re telling me is the truth, it would not do well for me to leave you here to freeze on this mountain. Guess I’m going to cut my vacation short and take you back to my brother’s place… our place.”

Lucette watched in amazement and wonder as the man conjured a portal out of a small amulet. She’s never seen magic like that before.

‘Not bad. For a human.’

And there is Miss Raincloud, raining on her parade. Lucette rolled her eyes as Bi-Han stepped through the portal and, unthinkingly, stepped in right behind him. Only to let out a loud shriek when she fell face first into bonechilling snow and ice. Popping her head up, she coughed out the mouthful of snow that got into her mouth, blinking and looking around.

She was in a fucking ice tundra. This man took her from a mildly cold climate to a fucking winter wonderland! 

‘That’s what you get for being so trusting.’

‘You’re not helping.” She growled as she dug herself out of the hole she made, realizing with a growing dread that something was very wrong. Her clothes were completely and utterly soaking wet from the snow. And the polar wind was blowing hard. Lucette quickly felt her body temperature begin to drop, her fingers and toes quickly going numb with a faint burning sensation and her teeth chattering in her mouth. If she wasn’t miserable before, she sure was now. Looking up, she saw that they were standing in front of some sort of Mooshu-like palace, Bi-Han speaking speaking to two people a few feet in front of them.

Huffing an annoyed breath, she stomped a path through the snow, each step sending a shockwave up her bare legs as the ice seeped further into the now ruined sneakers, walking up behind him and now sending a mild glare at the back of his head. Now she’s 10x more suspicious of him.

‘You think he brought you here to let the environment kill you less than 10 feet away from his home?’ Lucette could hear the incredulous tone she was using and turned her head to the wall and stuck her tongue out, imagining that she was doing it in her direction.

“I have just cause to believe so.” Lucette murmured haughtily before turning back to Bi-Han.

“Thanks for the warning of the weather, sir.” It was hard to keep her sarcasm out of her voice. But then again, she’s freezing, she’s wet, can’t feel her appendages and is away from home and starving. She deserves some sarcasm.

kingarise

Lucette pouted as she recognized the look on the man, Bi-Han’s, face. It was a look she was well acquainted with. Exasperation.

‘If he’s exhausted dealing with you now, just wait til something happens and you go charging in as usual.’

What a pest. The confused and odd look Bi-Han gave her didn’t help matters, either. How can he not know what Mooshu and Valencia were? The most famous worlds in the Spiral?! Lucette was astonished when he told her that she was in a place called Earthrealm, blue eyes growing wide in wonder.

“Earthrealm? As in…..Earth? Maria’s original home?”

Lucette looked around with a new appreciation, her mouth open in shock. That explained why none of the animals talked here.

“It looks…..nice? Where are the giant trees? And waterfalls? and all the shiny moving things? The ones that she says carries people on the ground?”

Lucette stopped herself before she asked too many questions. She stared at Bi-han in surprise when he told her that he will take her to where he and his brother lived.

“Really?! That would be great! Since I…uh….don’t know how to get back to my own home.”

She felt embarrassed admitting that to a total stranger but since the stranger was helping her and making sure she didn’t freeze to death, she felt it was only fair she admits that.

That could be a problem down the road. 

But a problem down the road. Bi-Han detached his amulet from where it was clipped on his belt - an identical medallion to the one Kuai Liang wore - holding it outwards as a portal of swirling purple energy opened: a gust of wind from Arctika blowing through.

‘Your brother is going to have a fit when he finds that you’ve adopted a stray.’ 

‘Not helpful.’ He groaned, rubbing his temples as he steps through the portal into the frozen plains of Arctika. Home sweet home, a few decades ago he would never think he would be so glad to see the Lin Kuei temple again. The former Grandmaster was surely rolling over in his grave, and hopefully, the bastard Sektor as well. 

Bi-Han exhaled, his breath coming out a cold puff of fog from behind the mask. Those tall stone walls and structures resembling an ancient Chinese palace was growing on him. The double doors of the temple swings open as he approaches, two of the students bowing their heads: “Grandmaster Liang.” 

“Where is my brother? Still got his nose buried in a pile of work as per usual?” 

“Grandmaster Kuai Liang is in the dojo, overseeing the training of the newer recruits. He has asked that you join him for dinner tonight, said that it would do you good to breathe air outside of your room for once.” The words made Bi-Han snort. Good little brother, always looking out for him even through all his prudish ways: a hand lifting to catch a flake of snow landing in his palm. 

Lucette’s mind and tongue were rendered speechless as she watched in blanked out horror as a whole fucking ....thing appeared out of Bi-Han’s body and glared down at him with glowing white eyes. The second most bewildering thing was that Bi-Han was speaking to it as if it were another human!

‘Well, that’s interesting. Explains the odd bouts of silence. I assume that’s the other being he has been speaking to.’

The voice’s bored commentary was what snapped Lucette out of her terror and shocked induced frozen state, blinking up at the being as it floated closer to and touched her hand. She shuddered as a cold, slick feeling encompassed her right hand, almost like she dumped her hand into a barrel of oil. As if she wasn’t already freezing enough. “Ah! Hey wait, what the hell are you-Ah!” She screamed as she was warped through a portal and appeared in a whole different room, her head spinning. Yanking her hand away, she backed up 5 steps and glared at the entity with narrowed eyes. “What are you? And where did you take me?” She demanded, eyes now glowing orange as she summoned a fireball in her hand.

‘That’s a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?’ “And you hush up. I’d like to see how you’d react if some shadow guy appeared out of nowhere and teleports you somewhere.” Lucette snapped back at her, not in the mood for sass.

kingarise

Lucette watched in amazement and wonder as the man conjured a portal out of a small amulet. She’s never seen magic like that before.

‘Not bad. For a human.’

And there is Miss Raincloud, raining on her parade. Lucette rolled her eyes as Bi-Han stepped through the portal and, unthinkingly, stepped in right behind him. Only to let out a loud shriek when she fell face first into bonechilling snow and ice. Popping her head up, she coughed out the mouthful of snow that got into her mouth, blinking and looking around.

She was in a fucking ice tundra. This man took her from a mildly cold climate to a fucking winter wonderland!

‘That’s what you get for being so trusting.’

‘You’re not helping.” She growled as she dug herself out of the hole she made, realizing with a growing dread that something was very wrong. Her clothes were completely and utterly soaking wet from the snow. And the polar wind was blowing hard. Lucette quickly felt her body temperature begin to drop, her fingers and toes quickly going numb with a faint burning sensation and her teeth chattering in her mouth. If she wasn’t miserable before, she sure was now. Looking up, she saw that they were standing in front of some sort of Mooshu-like palace, Bi-Han speaking speaking to two people a few feet in front of them.

Huffing an annoyed breath, she stomped a path through the snow, each step sending a shockwave up her bare legs as the ice seeped further into the now ruined sneakers, walking up behind him and now sending a mild glare at the back of his head. Now she’s 10x more suspicious of him.

‘You think he brought you here to let the environment kill you less than 10 feet away from his home?’ Lucette could hear the incredulous tone she was using and turned her head to the wall and stuck her tongue out, imagining that she was doing it in her direction.

“I have just cause to believe so.” Lucette murmured haughtily before turning back to Bi-Han.

“Thanks for the warning of the weather, sir.” It was hard to keep her sarcasm out of her voice. But then again, she’s freezing, she’s wet, can’t feel her appendages and is away from home and starving. She deserves some sarcasm.

Bi-Han shuddered. A familiar sensation shudders through him: the shadowy form that materialized out of his own, arms crossed and tapping his boot against the ground and somehow managing a look of unamusement without a mouth.

‘You really forgot about our guest within a span of only a few minutes?’

Oh… right, her.

Saibot shook his head. Sometimes how dense Bi-Han could be was surprising even after the decades that they spent together. Just how he made his way up to the throne of the Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei was beyond him: ‘Go speak to your brother, I’ll take care of her and return to you.’

The pure white eyes that stared back at him didn’t leave much room for protest. Bi-Han sighs, clasping his hands behind his back; peering at Lucette behind Saibot’s lithe figure. “Alright, don’t take too long.”

‘You know I can’t be apart from you for more than a few hours at most.’ While literal, drew a hint of a smile across the otherwise grim Grandmaster’s lips. They were two halves of one whole, and nobody else in the world knew him better than his shadow, his shadow; a flash of purple from the corner of one eye the telltale sign of him taking one of her hands and warping them to one of the many guest chambers in the temple.

Lucette raised an eyebrow as the only answer she received was an odd warbling sound, not really telling her anything helpful.

“Uh....In the Common Tongue, please?”

‘He can’t speak, girl. He has no vocal cords. But judging by the room we are in, we are probably in a guest room. There will probably be servants or some thing similar to help you. That’s all I can gather.’

Sometimes having a voice inside your head that isn’t yours can be useful. 

“Oh. Well then.” Lucette dissolved the fireball in her hand, her eyes going back to their bright blue color, her posture relaxing. “You seem to be mostly harmless. And helpful.”

Lucette took the time to look around the room, humming thoughtfully. It was....nice. Nowhere near as big as her rooms back in the palace but relatively large. Reminded her of Mooshu in a fashion. Not as nice as her own room, however. But nice all the same. Lucette was then quickly reminded that she was stuck in wet and cold clothes and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself,

“Uh, Where would I find clothing?” She asked the shadow being, turning back to look at him. She desperately wants to take a hot bath but doesn’t want to be running around the room naked looking for clothes.

kingarise

Lucette’s mind and tongue were rendered speechless as she watched in blanked out horror as a whole fucking ….thing appeared out of Bi-Han’s body and glared down at him with glowing white eyes. The second most bewildering thing was that Bi-Han was speaking to it as if it were another human!

‘Well, that’s interesting. Explains the odd bouts of silence. I assume that’s the other being he has been speaking to.’

The voice’s bored commentary was what snapped Lucette out of her terror and shocked induced frozen state, blinking up at the being as it floated closer to and touched her hand. She shuddered as a cold, slick feeling encompassed her right hand, almost like she dumped her hand into a barrel of oil. As if she wasn’t already freezing enough. “Ah! Hey wait, what the hell are you-Ah!” She screamed as she was warped through a portal and appeared in a whole different room, her head spinning. Yanking her hand away, she backed up 5 steps and glared at the entity with narrowed eyes. “What are you? And where did you take me?” She demanded, eyes now glowing orange as she summoned a fireball in her hand.

‘That’s a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?’ “And you hush up. I’d like to see how you’d react if some shadow guy appeared out of nowhere and teleports you somewhere.” Lucette snapped back at her, not in the mood for sass.

Saibot cocked his head to the side. Well now, most who had seen him would have fainted by now. She was braver than most others, would probably even make a good friend for Jacqui if she decides to come visit today.

The fire magic was amusing, a little similar to Hanzo Hasashi’s. Would be slightly more inconvenient if she decided to lob that in his direction, though, Kuai Liang didn’t much appreciate how much effort he had to spend to patch up the walls the last time the Shirai Ryu Grandmaster accidentally set a portion of it ablaze (they were not as subtle as they’d like to think). Bi-Han was grumpy for a record of three days after that, three damn days straight!

“You probably cannot understand me, seeing as Bi-Han is the only one that can actually hear my voice.” Sometimes, shit sucks not having the vocal cords of a human: “But you are in one of the many guest rooms, the recruits will see to whatever you need since they saw you come back with him.” 

Well, at least she could hopefully understand context based on her surroundings. Lucette, he recalled her name to be, would need a bath and new clothes soon, wet clothing in Arctika does not add up to a fun time, at all.

Lucette tilted her head curiously as the shadow being pointed at the door, glancing over and giving him a questioning glance. What does that mean? She was about to ask but was interrupted by a knock on the door and another tall man entering. He sort of resembled Bi-Han so she assumes he’s a relative, only to wiggle in smug pride when it was confirmed on him calling Bi-Han his brother.  ‘Wow, you know context clues! Good for you!’ There’s always someone hating in the background. Lucette blinked owlishly up at the man, only for her expression to twist into an annoyed look, her mouth twisting up into a pout as she arched her brow at him. “Oh? He didn’t forget about my existence again? I’m amazed.” She knew she shouldn’t be sassy, but she can’t help it. He put her in a polar environment with little to no warning!

Her expression fell, sadness overcoming her at the , rather rude and harsh, reminder that she had no way to get back to her home. Her Uncle and Maria were probably worried out of their minds. And Maria is probably gonna take the blame. Biting her lip, she pushed back the tears and steeled herself, reminding herself that one way or another, she was going to find a way home. Be it now, tomorrow or even 50 years.

“Yes, I am Princess Lucette Favero of the world of Valencia. I had accidentally teleported myself to your world while I was attempting to do a magic spell that I wasn’t prepared for. I appreciate your generosity in allowing me to remain here in your home. I know that I probably sound crazy to you, as it seems magic isn’t the same here as it is in my world, but its true.” She explained, crossing her arms. She decided to reveal her royal title as it has now been confirmed that these people will be her allies for now. Might as well be honest.

kingarise 

Lucette raised an eyebrow as the only answer she received was an odd warbling sound, not really telling her anything helpful.

“Uh….In the Common Tongue, please?”

‘He can’t speak, girl. He has no vocal cords. But judging by the room we are in, we are probably in a guest room. There will probably be servants or some thing similar to help you. That’s all I can gather.’

Sometimes having a voice inside your head that isn’t yours can be useful.

“Oh. Well then.” Lucette dissolved the fireball in her hand, her eyes going back to their bright blue color, her posture relaxing. “You seem to be mostly harmless. And helpful.”

Lucette took the time to look around the room, humming thoughtfully. It was….nice. Nowhere near as big as her rooms back in the palace but relatively large. Reminded her of Mooshu in a fashion. Not as nice as her own room, however. But nice all the same. Lucette was then quickly reminded that she was stuck in wet and cold clothes and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself,

“Uh, Where would I find clothing?” She asked the shadow being, turning back to look at him. She desperately wants to take a hot bath but doesn’t want to be running around the room naked looking for clothes.

He gestured at the door. There would be a few recruits outside, and if Bi-Han didn’t catch a case of forgetfulness like he had earlier - scratch that, he probably did. Curse the fact he can’t speak the human tongue, blegh -

A knock on the door shook Saibot out of his thoughts.

“I kind of figured I’d find you here, my brother looked like he lost half his soul when I passed him.” Kuai Liang chuckled, blue eyes turning to Lucette with an arch of his eyebrow. “You’re… Lucette, yes? My brother told me a little about you when I spoke to him. Quite the story how you got here, and it would look like that you are going to be staying here unless we figure out how to get you back to your realm.”

‘Very helpful, Grandmaster Liang, as though this poor girl isn’t traumatized enough already by the thought of never being able to go home again.’ Fortunate him that he had learned how to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the man. Were both of the Liang brothers somehow that dense?

“I have never heard of the Lin Kuei before. And yes, your brother found me......and then forgot about me.” She was still not over that. She has never seen such a short attention span before in her life!

“Saibot, hmmm. His shadow huh? But he seems to think independently from Bi-Han. Much more helpful.” Lucette has never seen such an odd entity as Saibot before. Ghosts, zombies, clockworks, werewolves, vampires, yes. But that? Never. Lucette pouted and let out a low groan of annoyance when she was told that she couldn’t take a bathe until after dinner. Her royal upbringing was screaming in terror and horror.

“After dinner?!”

‘Oh, stop whining. At least he’s giving you better clothing. It’s not like you’re sweaty or smell right now. You can just eat dinner quickly and then take a bath.’

Lucette frowned at the internal scolding she received but didn’t argue as she knew the voice was right. She was lucky to get new clothes and food. She’ll just have to take a long bath after dinner. “Very well. I understand......Who are you?” She completely forgot to ask for the man’s name before.

kingarise

Lucette tilted her head curiously as the shadow being pointed at the door, glancing over and giving him a questioning glance. What does that mean? She was about to ask but was interrupted by a knock on the door and another tall man entering. He sort of resembled Bi-Han so she assumes he’s a relative, only to wiggle in smug pride when it was confirmed on him calling Bi-Han his brother. ‘Wow, you know context clues! Good for you!’ There’s always someone hating in the background. Lucette blinked owlishly up at the man, only for her expression to twist into an annoyed look, her mouth twisting up into a pout as she arched her brow at him. “Oh? He didn’t forget about my existence again? I’m amazed.” She knew she shouldn’t be sassy, but she can’t help it. He put her in a polar environment with little to no warning!

Her expression fell, sadness overcoming her at the , rather rude and harsh, reminder that she had no way to get back to her home. Her Uncle and Maria were probably worried out of their minds. And Maria is probably gonna take the blame. Biting her lip, she pushed back the tears and steeled herself, reminding herself that one way or another, she was going to find a way home. Be it now, tomorrow or even 50 years.

“Yes, I am Princess Lucette Favero of the world of Valencia. I had accidentally teleported myself to your world while I was attempting to do a magic spell that I wasn’t prepared for. I appreciate your generosity in allowing me to remain here in your home. I know that I probably sound crazy to you, as it seems magic isn’t the same here as it is in my world, but its true.” She explained, crossing her arms. She decided to reveal her royal title as it has now been confirmed that these people will be her allies for now. Might as well be honest.

“You’re quite a distance away from your kingdom, princess.” Kuai arched an eyebrow, thick arms crossed over his chest. “This is Arctika, home of the Lin Kuei. Since you’re already acquainted with my brother Bi-Han, this is his - ”

Saibot had to roll his eyes then.

“ - Shadow, Saibot.”

‘More than that, but that’ll traumatize the poor little Tundra if you found out.’

Hopefully Bi-Han heard that, would snap his arse back to attention quicker than anything else. He was his world, literally his other half, though to say that he was dense would be an understatement: there was a brain in there where it counted, just not where common sense was needed be. Truly, how does one forget that they had a guest with them as soon as they came home? A miracle, that is, what would he be without him there.

“I’ll have one of my recruits bring you some fresh clothes for dinner, no baths until after dinner though.” Kuai nods, blue eyes turning between him and Lucette. “Get back to my brother before he does some stupid shit.”

‘Don’t have to tell me twice.’ While he could technically stay separated from Bi-Han for up to a few hours, leaving too long just felt wrong. The lights were too bright and agitation bubbled deep within, the shadow portal he had summoned closing with Kuai exiting the room.

Seeing the gesture, Lucette quickly made her way and sat down behind an empty table, looking at the plates of food before her and scooping some onto her plate. 

“At least the food looks normal.” Lucette ate some rice, her eyes looking around the room in curiosity. It was beautiful place, in her opinion though its beauty was of a different kind than Valencia’s.  But everything around her reminded her of Mooshu. She wonders if all of Earth was like this.

An odd noise caught her attention and she turned her head to glance at the man called Bi-Han, arching a confused eyebrow at his odd behavior before catching sight of the flush on his cheeks and the bottle in his hand and sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. ‘Nice to know that men still act the same even here.’ Lucette silently agreed and continued to eat her food in peace.

kingarise

Lucette mused over the events that happened to her in the past few hours as she tied the odd sash of the uniform she was given around her waist.

“Kuai Liang and Bi-Han. We’re definitely not in the Spiral anymore but everything here reminds me of Mooshu. Even….whatever I’m wearing now has bits and pieces of Mooshu design.”

Lucette wasn’t too fond of what she had to wear. It wasn’t a dress or even a robe or a jacket! It was some odd tight sleeveless bodysuit in a dark gray color with some odd medallion on the chest and long elbow length black gloves. All in all, not something Lucette has ever seen before, even in Mooshu. When wearing it, she felt like she was naked! The blue sash didn’t really help either, so she just decided to wear it as a belt. ‘At least its something. I think you look lovely in it. Highlights all of your curves well.’ Lucette looked in the mirror, frowning at her reflection

“That’s what I DON’T want. I look…odd in this uniform.“

‘Well, that’s all you’re getting until after dinner. So stop whining and let’s go. I’ll lead.’ Lucette grumbled under her breath as her legs took her out of her room and down the hall, the sound of chatter and noise growing louder. Entering the dining hall, Lucette was left standing by the entrance as feeling finally returned to her legs, now back in control. Except, now Lucette was entirely frozen as a feeling similar to a lamb walking into a den of lions overtook her.

“Great, what do I do now?” She mumbled, partially to herself. The air brushing against her body in places it normally wouldn’t and the tight material lining to her skin made her feel like everyone was staring at her. She’d never thought she’d say this but she missed her polonaise and panniers.

‘You are so dramatic over nothing’

Bi-Han spotted her from where he sat, gesturing at one of the empty tables. He blinks hard: heat creeping its way up his neck and to his cheeks. Shit damn, his little brother had actually gotten him the good stuff? Maybe he wasn’t so stiff after all, hah!

He tilted back his head, the warmth of the drink creeping down his throat; settling in his stomach with a delightful burn.

“Sometimes, I’m glad that you’re the one taking care of most of the nitty gritty of running the clan every day.” The elder cryomancer giggled, though it turned into a curse when he nearly dropped the bottle of Gods’ holy nectar on the floor of the dining hall. Kuai Liang glanced at him with an arched eyebrow, a rare smile curling the corners of his mouth (he could be dreaming, Kuai had as much emotion as Raiden). “That’s some good shit that you got me, baby brother. Maybe I’ll consider being less of a pest if you keep feeding me this.”

‘Your liver would not be able to take it, dumbass, even with my presence.’

Lucette froze with pork halfway in her mouth when Kuai announced that dinner will end soon before groaning alongside the recruits. Its always hard to choose between bed or food. Especially really good food. She mostly just been spending her time eating and watching the other recruits and how they conduct themselves. They all seemed.....normal. Well, normal in a middle class way. If this had been a dinner with the Royal Court, it probably would’ve been a lot quieter, with sharp venomous glares being thrown at various other nobles. A poisonous cloud, figuratively and sometimes literally.

Here however, there was a atmosphere of camaraderie and comfort. Conversation was lively and constant and filled the room. It reminded Lucette sorely of home. Not the palace but of simpler times. Where she and her grandfather and her parents would gather around a simple wooden table and trade stories of adventures and funny moments, Lucette, small as she was back then, always chirping up with a statement or two.

The flood of memories made Lucette homesick but this was one that couldn’t be cured by returning home. Because even if she did, nobody would be there. All the persons that should’ve been, are long gone from this plane.

‘You humans have a tendency of making yourselves feel worse when you’re already sad. I don’t understand it. You live too much in the past, my dear. And your grief from it is preventing you from enjoying the presenting.’ Lucette sighed sadly, knowing that she was right. But it was so hard. An atmosphere of grief hung over Lucette. She was glad that nobody noticed. She didn’t want to ruin anyone else’s mood.

kingarise 

Seeing the gesture, Lucette quickly made her way and sat down behind an empty table, looking at the plates of food before her and scooping some onto her plate.

“At least the food looks normal.” Lucette ate some rice, her eyes looking around the room in curiosity. It was beautiful place, in her opinion though its beauty was of a different kind than Valencia’s.  But everything around her reminded her of Mooshu. She wonders if all of Earth was like this.

An odd noise caught her attention and she turned her head to glance at the man called Bi-Han, arching a confused eyebrow at his odd behavior before catching sight of the flush on his cheeks and the bottle in his hand and sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. ‘Nice to know that men still act the same even here.’ Lucette silently agreed and continued to eat her food in peace.

As the din of dinner died down, Kuai Liang looked up, surveying the various recruits sitting around the halls: “Half an hour left! Then it’ll be time to clean up and prepare for lights out.”

A few grumbles; nothing out of the ordinary.

He glances at his brother, shaking his head fondly as he finished off the last bit of the drink he had given him. Big scary Bi-Han, grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, he could claim to be as hardened as he was, and in a way, he wasn’t wrong: Bi-Han was a dangerous warrior sharpened with years of experience that made him a formidable fighter. Yet undeniably he was also quite unused to handling emotions, neither hiding them away nor openly displaying them.

His brother was a confusing mess, to say the least.

A shadowy mass materializes behind the elder cryomancer, looking quite comically unamused with pure white eyes. Sometimes, he was admittedly quite curious as to what the shadow thought, being the one to deal with his older brother at all times. Not a job that he would trade for, even if he did love him to death.

Kuai turned to his own plates, gulping down the last few bites of the pork belly and hot tea -

Takuya leaned over to a fellow recruit: “Think Master Hasashi would come to visit anytime soon from the Fire Gardens?”

The girl turned, arching an eyebrow. “Wasn’t he here last week?”

“AH! WHAT THE-”

Lucette had been enjoying a rather nice and peaceful dream of being cuddled by a group of black panthers when she was RUDELY and forcefully awakened by a loud voice yelling in her ear. 

Lucette shot up in the bed, hair a tangled curly mess, clothing a wrinkled mess. All in all, she looked like someone who was startled out of sleep. Blue eyes stared in bewilderment at the man who dared to wake her up in such a manner.

“What...What is wrong with you?! Why are you shouting?!” She yelled at him, covering herself with her blanket. She was wearing a robe but was too startled to remember that.

‘Has no one taught him that its rude to walk into a woman’s room and wake her up in such a manner?’

Lucette quietly agreed. She was not properly dressed to receive visitors, especially men! “Could you not knock on the door before entering so?!”

kingarise 

Lucette froze with pork halfway in her mouth when Kuai announced that dinner will end soon before groaning alongside the recruits. Its always hard to choose between bed or food. Especially really good food. She mostly just been spending her time eating and watching the other recruits and how they conduct themselves. They all seemed…..normal. Well, normal in a middle class way. If this had been a dinner with the Royal Court, it probably would’ve been a lot quieter, with sharp venomous glares being thrown at various other nobles. A poisonous cloud, figuratively and sometimes literally.

Here however, there was a atmosphere of camaraderie and comfort. Conversation was lively and constant and filled the room. It reminded Lucette sorely of home. Not the palace but of simpler times. Where she and her grandfather and her parents would gather around a simple wooden table and trade stories of adventures and funny moments, Lucette, small as she was back then, always chirping up with a statement or two.

The flood of memories made Lucette homesick but this was one that couldn’t be cured by returning home. Because even if she did, nobody would be there. All the persons that should’ve been, are long gone from this plane.

‘You humans have a tendency of making yourselves feel worse when you’re already sad. I don’t understand it. You live too much in the past, my dear. And your grief from it is preventing you from enjoying the presenting.’ Lucette sighed sadly, knowing that she was right. But it was so hard. An atmosphere of grief hung over Lucette. She was glad that nobody noticed. She didn’t want to ruin anyone else’s mood.

Bi-Han woke with a groan.

“Shinnok’s ass this hurts.”

‘Language.’

“Fuck off my head hurts like a well fucked slut’s hole right now.”

‘That’s what you get for getting blackout drunk. Just because your brother gave you a bottle doesn’t mean you should drink all of it and three more after that in the middle of the night.’

Once this headache passes and the night falls, he’s going to shut that smug shit up. Though he had a nagging sensation that Saibot would be expecting this. Little shit probably planned it out - ugh, where did his brother leave the herbs anyway?

By the time the first gulp of medication and water ran down his throat, the elder cryomancer pinched the bridge of his nose; peering out the window. The sun barely started rising over the eastern horizon, prime time to start training, then hopefully his head would stop hurting like a little bitch. But speaking of training…

“Good morning Lucette, it’s time to wake up!”

@umbrclflame

A family isn’t always a mom, dad and two kids.

Sometimes, it’s two god dads with their three chaotic as fuck children who are always throwing fireballs at each other and snitching.

She hissed when he opened the curtains, being blinded by the bright light and fleeing underneath her blanket. It was so bright and so early! Why does she need to be up?!

Lucette squawked in dismay at being told that she will be doing training. Is he serious?! “WHAT?! Why do I need to train? I already know how to fight just fine.” Lucette knew she was whining but she didn’t really care.  When he listed that Kuai would want this and that it would help her fit in better, Lucette rolled her eyes, giving in mildly with annoyance.

“Do I really have to get up at the asscrack of dawn to train? Can’t we do this in the afternoon or midday? Wouldn’t that be more reasonable? Especially in the cold!”

Lucette lifted up the blanket and peeked out only her eyes to send a tired pleading look at her new teacher. You would assume that being a princess and thus always expected to be up early with countless lessons and training, that she would be used to it, but no. She did everything in her power to gain a few extra hours or minutes, at best. What’s the difference between doing training in the morning instead of midday, anyways?! 

kingarise

“AH! WHAT THE-”

Lucette had been enjoying a rather nice and peaceful dream of being cuddled by a group of black panthers when she was RUDELY and forcefully awakened by a loud voice yelling in her ear.

Lucette shot up in the bed, hair a tangled curly mess, clothing a wrinkled mess. All in all, she looked like someone who was startled out of sleep. Blue eyes stared in bewilderment at the man who dared to wake her up in such a manner.

“What…What is wrong with you?! Why are you shouting?!” She yelled at him, covering herself with her blanket. She was wearing a robe but was too startled to remember that.

‘Has no one taught him that its rude to walk into a woman’s room and wake her up in such a manner?’

Lucette quietly agreed. She was not properly dressed to receive visitors, especially men! “Could you not knock on the door before entering so?!”

“Good morning to you as well.”

Bi-Han laughed (completely ignoring what she had said, he was maybe just a little bit mischievous), throwing open the curtains: unlike the other regions of Earthrealm, Arctikan mornings consisted of brilliant, bright light merely minutes after the sun had risen. His little brother is probably up by now, or he got up before he even cracked his eye open, either way, Kuai Liang was dedicated to his duty. Laudable, if he wasn’t so damnably uptight about everything.

He turned to face her, hands on his hips.

Saibot’s information from yesterday was enough of a reminder of something that was on hand that he had completely forgotten about. Before they could get Lucette home, she was stuck here with them, with the Lin Kuei -

“Now,” He starts, shifting on his feet. “Since you’re going to be staying with us, you might as well start training with us as well. Kuai would want this, and it’ll help you fit in better with the rest.”

And oh is he going to have some fun with this one, Kuai always insisted on being their teacher because of his claims that he was way too harsh. Tsch, little brother always hogging the fun, but no matter now.

Lucette tossed a pillow in his general direction, stuffing her head into her blanket to groan loudly, making sure everything nearby knew she was miserable. This was bullshit!

“This is pointless!” She shouted into her blanket, already dreading to get up. Her body did NOT want to move even an inch. And it certainly didn’t want to go out into the cold air.

“What difference does it make training in the morning or afternoon? Training is training.” 

‘Unless you want him coming back inside and dragging you out, I’d suggest you get up, bathe, and get dressed. Breakfast will be served soon and since he said that you will train until Midday Meal with nothing more than 5 minute water breaks, you can’t afford to skip.’ “How come you are up so early? What do YOU do?” Lucette burrowed further into the blanket, relishing in her last few blissful moments of warmth and comfort. 

‘Make sure my idiot host doesn’t end up late and missing breakfast. Because guess who will have to deal with your whining? Me. So up up! Get to it!’

“Uuuuugggh, fiiiiiine. I’m up, I’m up.” 

Lucette pushed aside the blanket, body shivering against the rush of cold air, sighing heavily as she pulled herself out of bed and began to head to the bathroom. Something told her that this was gonna be a rough day.

kingarise

She hissed when he opened the curtains, being blinded by the bright light and fleeing underneath her blanket. It was so bright and so early! Why does she need to be up?!

Lucette squawked in dismay at being told that she will be doing training. Is he serious?! “WHAT?! Why do I need to train? I already know how to fight just fine.” Lucette knew she was whining but she didn’t really care.  When he listed that Kuai would want this and that it would help her fit in better, Lucette rolled her eyes, giving in mildly with annoyance.

“Do I really have to get up at the asscrack of dawn to train? Can’t we do this in the afternoon or midday? Wouldn’t that be more reasonable? Especially in the cold!”

Lucette lifted up the blanket and peeked out only her eyes to send a tired pleading look at her new teacher. You would assume that being a princess and thus always expected to be up early with countless lessons and training, that she would be used to it, but no. She did everything in her power to gain a few extra hours or minutes, at best. What’s the difference between doing training in the morning instead of midday, anyways?!

“Yes, in fact, the other recruits would be up in a short moment.” Bi-Han hums, then grins wickedly, his face half shadowed by what little of the dark there is in the room. “And you know how to fight, now?” 

Saibot piped up, his warbling laughter ringing in his ears. 

‘She ought to demonstrate it to you. Would be rather helpful too, if we are to gauge how much she really knows and how much she would have to be taught.’

“Now, up and up, breakfast is in 10 minutes, then it’ll be your private one on one… I am interested to see a little demonstration from you, Lucette, since you claimed that you know how to fight.” He peers over his shoulder, having crossed the room in a few brisk strides. This is going to be fun, ha! 

“By the way, we don’t do more than 5 minute water breaks around here, at least until Midday Meal.” 

Lucette quietly grumbled as she made her way into the room where the others were. She was dressed in the uniform, hair still wet from her bath. No doubt that was going to come back and bite her in the ass later. ‘Are you allergic to properly drying your hair, girl?!’

“No, but it takes forever for my hair to dry. You know that.” Lucette grumbled back, sitting behind an empty table and beginning to eat. She reminded herself to savor the meal because it was going to be a good long, suffering while until she gets more food. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open and not fall face first into her food. How was she supposed to fight and train like this?! ‘By making a new routine and getting accustomed to waking up early. It would do you some good in your daily life as well.’ Lucette rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the tea, only to scrunch her nose up at the taste. Such odd flavors but it will have to do for now. Hmm, she wonders if she could sneak out of training....

kingarise

Lucette tossed a pillow in his general direction, stuffing her head into her blanket to groan loudly, making sure everything nearby knew she was miserable. This was bullshit!

“This is pointless!” She shouted into her blanket, already dreading to get up. Her body did NOT want to move even an inch. And it certainly didn’t want to go out into the cold air.

“What difference does it make training in the morning or afternoon? Training is training.”

‘Unless you want him coming back inside and dragging you out, I’d suggest you get up, bathe, and get dressed. Breakfast will be served soon and since he said that you will train until Midday Meal with nothing more than 5 minute water breaks, you can’t afford to skip.’ “How come you are up so early? What do YOU do?” Lucette burrowed further into the blanket, relishing in her last few blissful moments of warmth and comfort.

‘Make sure my idiot host doesn’t end up late and missing breakfast. Because guess who will have to deal with your whining? Me. So up up! Get to it!’

“Uuuuugggh, fiiiiiine. I’m up, I’m up.”

Lucette pushed aside the blanket, body shivering against the rush of cold air, sighing heavily as she pulled herself out of bed and began to head to the bathroom. Something told her that this was gonna be a rough day.

Bi-Han sat cross-legged behind his usual table. Kuai Liang sat next to him, eyes closed in meditation as the recruits filed in.

The cryomancer scratched at his beard. He had only rarely trimmed his hair when he was out on his personal crusade and the habit had not changed even slightly. The beard made him look a lot less like the frozen corpse his darker abilities had made him out to be over the decades, and a good bit of his own special charm -

‘You’re preening inside like a peacock again.’

‘Can’t you at least be nice and give me one moment where I can bask in how good looking I am?’

Saibot let out a warbling laugh in his mind. Bi-Han rolls his eyes, picking up the glass full of iced tea and draining half of it in one go. Though maybe he should have it trimmed sometimes, don’t need to be looking like his drifter self again when he is the Lin Kuei Grandmaster - well, secondary Grandmaster, the main duties were Kuai Liang’s. He can’t be arsed to deal with the young ones at his age any more.

He scanned his pale eyes over the ranks of the recruits. Most of them were here, pity those ones that had overslept, they’ll be missing breakfast until the midday meal rolls around.

Taking a quick glance around the room under her lashes, Lucette saw that everyone was busy doing their own thing and Bi-Han was more focused on his food. Perfect.

‘You cannot be serious right now.’

“I’m very serious. I deserve five more minutes of sleep. And come hell or high water, I’m getting those 5 minutes. One way or another.”

Lucette stood up and casually and silently made her way to the hall, doing her best to seem casual, as if she was just going to use the bathroom or something. That’ll be her excuse. 

‘And if they find you NOT in the bathroom but on your bed, peacefully napping the day away?’

“Well, I’m a woman. And sometimes womanly things come up and I have to rest to get better.”

‘That is the weakest excuse I have ever heard.’ Lucette rolled her eyes, now sneaking along the wall towards the direction of her room, mind already partly daydreaming about the the soft pillow and warm blankets awaiting her.

“If it works, it works. How many times have you called my plan stupid and it still worked?”

‘Out of luck, not skill.’

“Denial and excuses.”

When she was far enough away, she broke into a sprint to her bedroom. Nap time, here she comes!  Bi-Han can easily wait til afternoon, a reasonable time, to bully her.

kingarise

Lucette quietly grumbled as she made her way into the room where the others were. She was dressed in the uniform, hair still wet from her bath. No doubt that was going to come back and bite her in the ass later. ‘Are you allergic to properly drying your hair, girl?!’

“No, but it takes forever for my hair to dry. You know that.” Lucette grumbled back, sitting behind an empty table and beginning to eat. She reminded herself to savor the meal because it was going to be a good long, suffering while until she gets more food. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open and not fall face first into her food. How was she supposed to fight and train like this?! ‘By making a new routine and getting accustomed to waking up early. It would do you some good in your daily life as well.’ Lucette rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the tea, only to scrunch her nose up at the taste. Such odd flavors but it will have to do for now. Hmm, she wonders if she could sneak out of training….

‘Consider paying attention to your new student, I don’t think she was quite pleased with being woken up at the asscrack of dawn.’ Without waiting for a response, Saibot materializes out of him - Bi-Han shuddering at the cold that suddenly ran down his spine, a different sort of chill to his cryomancy -

‘What’s it with you and randomly appearing from nowhere? You’re going to spook the shit out of someone eventually.’

Saibot shrugged, opting to seat himself against a nearby wall with arms folded across his chest -

Anyone would be able to guess, on the assumption that she was indeed royalty, she would not be used to being woken up on time. The shadow muses with a light mental chuckle: this ought to be fun. If Bi-Han wouldn’t keep an eye on Lucette, then he would. If she tried sneaking away… should be rather amusing. The cryomancer would never be able to, but he would, warping from one shadow to another.

Lucette’s lips twisted into a scowl when she was told that the portal had been because of Saibot, Bi-Han’s shadow....thing.

“So he’s a prankster, hm?” That will be annoying to deal with. But how did he know she left the room? She had been absolutely careful that no one took notice of her.

‘You’re stuck in a fortress of assassins. I would hope that one of them, even if he technically isn’t one, would notice you sneaking off.’

Lucette huffed, her scowl twisting further. She had been so sure. And they had all been too busy eating and preparing for the day ahead to notice her leaving. Guess not.

The young princess groaned loud and dramatically, looking behind Kuai to see that her new mentor was already there. And already started training. Kuai’s warning of catching up and not testing Bi-Han’s patience only made her grumpier, giving the Grandmaster a pleading look.

“Do I have to be trained by him? Do I really have to do training now?”

‘You sound like a child whining to get away from eating peas for dinner’

“I AM a child.” Lucette answered out loud, eyebrow twitching in frustration. Was any of this genuinely necessary? What’s the point?

‘Just get up and do it. It would be helpful. Think of it as repayment for their generosity. You’re in their house, you play by their rules.’

“Generosity, my donkey” She grumbled under her breath before getting up, stretching a bit and making her way over to where the other recruits were, glancing at them and getting into the same position they were in. 

She fucking hated this already, and she barely started.

kingarise

Lucette turned the corner, the friction between her shoes and the stone floor making her shoes squeak. Not that she cared. She was too busy gloating and mentally patting herself on the back. She managed to sneak away from Bi-Han!

Or so she thought. She was so busy basking in her own glory, she didn’t see the portal until it was too late.

Lucette felt the air change around around her and for a split second, she was weightless, the floor gone. The change startled her, making her trip over her own foot and fall face first onto a different type of stone floor. That sure knocked all the tiredness out of her.

“What the?!” What in the world just happened? What was that?

Raising her face from the floor, Lucette looked around to see that…she was definitely not in the hallway. It looked like she was in some sort of training area.

“How did I get out here? I know for a fact that I was heading to my room-Oh hi, Grandmaster! How…….How’s it going? What a surprise to see you….here.”

Lucette had to stop herself from talking about her almost successful escape attempt when she caught sight of Kuai Liang standing right next to her. Lucette rearranged herself into a more relaxed pose, still lying on the floor. Hoping that her smile would distract him. And hoping he didn’t see that.

“Uh, Grandmaster, I seem to have gotten lost. You see what happened was……I was going to use the bathroom and I some strange thing happened, probably a wrong turn, and ended up here. Isn’t that crazy?”

‘You are a terrible liar.”

Kuai Liang almost, almost grinned. The shadow portal itself was identifying: Saibot doesn’t exactly make himself that subtle when he wanted to play a prank or twenty on some unsuspecting sod. And the purple energy even lingered just a second longer, as though to show off his newest handiwork: not that the Grandmaster could fault him, it was certainly amusing, especially when the new ones had not even met him.

“Looks like you got treated to Saibot’s little schemes. My brother’s shadow plays this prank often on unsuspecting recruits. Either he already thinks that you’re one of us, or he just felt like it. I’m inclined towards the latter.”

He coughs, hiding the snicker. Bi-Han probably knew what he did already, considering his brother stood no more than thirty feet behind him. The question is if he actually paid attention long enough to know it was him. Kuai covers the lower half of his face, coughing again: blue eyes twinkling with mirth in his gaze. “He’s drilling the other recruits now, might want to catch up with him to see how he wants your training to proceed, don’t test what he can do if you make him annoyed.”

Partly true, partly a jest. Bi-Han was a harsh mentor, even harsher to Kuai himself when he was younger: ultimately it had became the very reason why he sat upon the throne today. His teachings had given him everything needed to survive the harshness of growing up with the Lin Kuei.

As Lucette imitated the moves of the other recruits, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand, that familiar tingle tapping on the back of her mind before bolting down her spine.

‘He’s watching you.’

“Yeah, kinda figured.” She hissed under her breath, trying everything in her power to not look back at Bi-Han. Because she knew that if she even gave off the hint of her knowing he’s watching, he’s gonna single her out for something stupid. She just knows it. She feels it in her gut. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. If I don’t pay attention to him, he’ll leave her alone. Hopefully.

‘He’s not a T-Rex, girl. You don’t disappear from his sight as soon as you freeze.’ Lucette didn’t need to see her to know she’s rolling her eyes.

“As long as I blend in, there’s nothing to worry about.”

‘Unless the shadow tells him.’

Lucette froze, realization hitting her square on the head. Fucking hell, she didn’t think of that! He probably did!

“Well, he hasn’t said anything yet nor done anything yet, so maybe he’s willing to let it slide this once?”

‘We both know you don’t believe that for a second.’ She’s right, Lucette doesn’t buy that excuse. He’s probably waiting for the proper moment to strike and humiliate her. Probably to teach her a lesson or whatever.

kingarise

Lucette’s lips twisted into a scowl when she was told that the portal had been because of Saibot, Bi-Han’s shadow….thing.

“So he’s a prankster, hm?” That will be annoying to deal with. But how did he know she left the room? She had been absolutely careful that no one took notice of her.

‘You’re stuck in a fortress of assassins. I would hope that one of them, even if he technically isn’t one, would notice you sneaking off.’

Lucette huffed, her scowl twisting further. She had been so sure. And they had all been too busy eating and preparing for the day ahead to notice her leaving. Guess not.

The young princess groaned loud and dramatically, looking behind Kuai to see that her new mentor was already there. And already started training. Kuai’s warning of catching up and not testing Bi-Han’s patience only made her grumpier, giving the Grandmaster a pleading look.

“Do I have to be trained by him? Do I really have to do training now?”

‘You sound like a child whining to get away from eating peas for dinner’

“I AM a child.” Lucette answered out loud, eyebrow twitching in frustration. Was any of this genuinely necessary? What’s the point?

‘Just get up and do it. It would be helpful. Think of it as repayment for their generosity. You’re in their house, you play by their rules.’

“Generosity, my donkey” She grumbled under her breath before getting up, stretching a bit and making her way over to where the other recruits were, glancing at them and getting into the same position they were in.

She fucking hated this already, and she barely started.

Bi-Han stood, looming behind the rank and file of their newest recruits. At least twenty of them, some were recruited from the realms outside, and some were taken in as children. Beneath his mask, the cryomancer’s thoughts drifted: it seemed so long ago, when he and Kuai were taken here. What would their father think if they were to see them now? Both ruling as Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei, both with more than enough blood on their hands to float a ship.

His train of thought was rather rudely interrupted by Saibot’s presence lingering on the back of his mind.

“You really ought to keep your eyes open around your recruits, your newest one almost made her escape.”

“She WHAT?!”

He groans, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Okay, maybe she really is a princess. Spoiled little royal brat… what’d he do to whoop some sense into that head: speaking of which though. He glances about, searching the rank and file of the trainees until his gaze falls upon her. 

At the sound of her name being spoken, the princess froze in her movements, body going tense before sheepishly turning to Bi-Han. There goes her plan of flying under the radar. Up in smoke.

“Well, I was woken up by a strange energetic man at the asscrack of dawn. Then when I was escap-I MEAN-going to the bathroom, SOMEONE decided to be an asshole and opened a portal that teleported me from the hallway to here. Soooooo.....Honestly, not too bad.”

Lucette had to be honest. Despite dealing with a weird specter with prankster tendencies and being alone in the middle of an icy desert, it wasn’t too bad here.

“Though, I still don’t see the point in doing this training. Hand to hand combat isn’t the training I need. Its my pyromancy.”

‘Girl. You never told him you had pyromancy. Remember?’

Lucette didn’t need to see her to know that the voice was rolling its eyes at her forgetfulness, exasperated. Rolling her eyes, Lucette held out a hand and summoned a minor fireball.

“I need to learn how to control this. And from what I’ve seen, this isn’t quite your area of expertise.”

Surely there were other pyromancers on this world that could teach her. Even if it would be different than Maria’s teachings. But hey, what can a girl do but to follow through?

kingarise

As Lucette imitated the moves of the other recruits, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand, that familiar tingle tapping on the back of her mind before bolting down her spine.

‘He’s watching you.’

“Yeah, kinda figured.” She hissed under her breath, trying everything in her power to not look back at Bi-Han. Because she knew that if she even gave off the hint of her knowing he’s watching, he’s gonna single her out for something stupid. She just knows it. She feels it in her gut. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him. If I don’t pay attention to him, he’ll leave her alone. Hopefully.

‘He’s not a T-Rex, girl. You don’t disappear from his sight as soon as you freeze.’ Lucette didn’t need to see her to know she’s rolling her eyes.

“As long as I blend in, there’s nothing to worry about.”

‘Unless the shadow tells him.’

Lucette froze, realization hitting her square on the head. Fucking hell, she didn’t think of that! He probably did!

“Well, he hasn’t said anything yet nor done anything yet, so maybe he’s willing to let it slide this once?”

‘We both know you don’t believe that for a second.’ She’s right, Lucette doesn’t buy that excuse. He’s probably waiting for the proper moment to strike and humiliate her. Probably to teach her a lesson or whatever.

“Well now, Lucette, how are you adjusting to life here so far?”

Bi-Han glances over his shoulder. His lower lip twitches, a smirk almost, almost emerging: Saibot echoed the sentiment in the back of his head, smug attitude dripping from his presence (hard to describe, their bond is finicky and literally would take hours for him to properly explain it, makes his head hurt just even entertaining the thought).

Jokes aside, though, there was some potential within her, one that could possibly make her a very valuable recruit to the Lin Kuei cause if she ever fails to figure out a way to get back to wherever she had came from. There was certainly something that lingered, like an itch that he could not quite really scratch, about her that seemed so familiar -

Hanzo Hasashi. He stiffens at the thought, half glaring at the shadow through their link. She carries fire like Hasashi did, though without it being hellfire, but fire nonetheless. So that was why he’d sensed something so similar from her aura -

‘It took you that damn long to figure it out?’ Saibot might as well facepalmed. Bi-Han sighed out loud: there were times for Saibot’s antics - ‘I sensed it coming off of her when we first met. Though… Granted, I did not expect for her to be staying with us for so long and for you to consider potentially adding her to the ranks of the Lin Kuei.’ Tell her that he knew? No, if she didn’t mention it, then there was a reason for it.

His mind focuses upon the rank and file of his recruits, though only with one eye. This is about to get interesting.