((This is my little OOC. I have no clue, came up with a title on the spot. :'D Well, Tada? Who posts first?))

((We'll post our character profiles first me thinks. After that I think I can come up with something to start Kieran off, probably a meeting with his 'family'))

Name> Kieran
Age> 119 (appears about 18-19)
Species> Shadow Kitsune
Appearance>
(human appearance)

He is tall but extremely thin, bordering on sickly and his skin is paler, almost pearl white.
Kitsune Appearance (just change the red to purple and add two more tails.)
http://img-cache.cdn.gaiaonline.com/...et.com/albums/
Sometimes he appears as a hybrid, his fox ears and tail sprouting from his human form with purple whisker marks on his face. He has not yet received a clan tattoo so his skin is unmarked and smooth everywhere in human and hybrid form and in kitsune form his fur is soft as velvet.
Likes> Quiet, books, spellwork, brewing, seducing, wordplay, trickery, the dark.
Dislikes> brashness, noise, bright lights, the cold, being or feeling helpless
Bio> Kieran is the youngest of his clan. He is a prince but, being the youngest, there has only ever been one task he has been expected to perform. He is to be a bargaining chip and then, once everything is set, kill. He is a tool to be used, an assassin to be taken out and put away as his clan leaders see fit. He has not yet reached their clan's maturity (human age 21, demonic age 150) so he has not yet received the clan tattoo, a large symbol which, when he reaches age, will be carved into his back. It is different for each individual in the clan and they do not know what it will look like before they reach their maturity and receive the tattoo.
Powers/abilities> Kieran has mastery of shadows, meaning he can use them to teleport by walking into one and reappearing in another. He can also make them solid and change their shape, meaning he can use the shadows to bind his target. He is also a skilled apothacary, meaning he knows how to brew all manner of healing salves, ointments, potions although his main focus is on poisons, venoms, paralysis drugs, that sort of thing.

((Now you post yours!))

Name: Ace

Age: 128 years old (in human years is about 19)

Species: demon/worker of Divination

Appearance:

(closest picture I could find. Medium height and build, straight white hair that is hard to tame, light green eyes. Prefers to keep human form, tattoo of a three part knot overlapped with six pedal flower over heart, three jagged line tattoo on upper left arm. True form include ram’s horns that jut out, then curve down the side of his head, sharper teeth and nails, senses are sharpened, runes carved into skin and darkened with ash are shown around his neck.

Likes: hellhound pet of his, rare items, opals, prefers darker colors, challenges, outspoken people, puzzles

Dislikes: quietness, politics, being looked down at, boredom, being confined, dragons, his cousins

Bio: Ace tells what is on his mind and is not afraid to offend people. He is the Prince of the Ice clan and the only child. He is prideful, and easily bored which is when he becomes playful. He can be called greedy, and has been known to strike under the table deals for rare items (such as amulets, books, gems, etc.) He works best with blood magic and divination. That includes dream reading and rune casting. Ace is great with war strategies seeing them more as a game. He can fight, favorite weapon is multi-bladed knives, yet does not keep them on him, because of the impression it shows. His closest companion is his hellhound that usually is near him. Ace is known for his temper and impulsiveness, which often leads to bad decisions. The idea of leadership is intriguing to him.

Powers/abilities: blood magic and divination
~~~
(( There is the profile. Tada~ Magic. Okay got it YAY! And thus the RP Starts.))

It was done. The war between the shadow kitsune and ice demon clans was finally coming to an end. The war had been going on for a long time. It had raged for centuries before his birth and, if not for this contract, Kieran was sure taht it would have raged for centuries longer. It appeared that the leaders of both clans had decided to come together in order to prevent the continuation of so many needless deaths. On the surface that was what it appeared to be. Kieran knew better than th hope that that was the only reason his 'father' had reached out to the other clan leader. He had not been told and had not asked. If he needed to know then he would be told when his 'father' was good and ready. Kieran allowed himself an internal sneer at the thought.

He was currently in his room, surrounded by his apothecary books along with a few spell books. He was currently in his human form for the sake of comfort, lying on his stomach on his large, four poster bed with three books spread out before him, his eyes periodically flicking between them when he got bored of one subject or simply wanted a change. He was expected to know the contents of these three books back to front tomorrow morning and he intended to do just that. The costs of not obeying far outweighed the reward of a brief flash of rebellion. he had learned quickly that such things never boded well for him and, although he would have liked to cause trouble, he knew that it would not be tollerated, especially at such an important moment in their clan's history. Other times he would chance it, when he knew his father was in the right mood. Not today though, not for the next several weeks. He was patient though. He knew his time would come.

A knock came at his door. Kieran looked up, an eyebrow raising almost of it's own accord. Who would be knocking at his door at this time of the night? He called for whoever it was to enter and a servant pushed open the doors, quickly telling him that his father 'requested' his presense in the main hall. His second eyebrow rose to join it's twin but he stood nonetheless, expertly smoothing out the creases in his dark atire before moving to follow the servant, falling into step a little behind the other as he was lead to the hall. He could have moved there quicker, used the shadows as he had been taught, but he could afford, for the moment, to take his time. As they reached the doors to the hall the servant turned, bowed and scuttled off, clearly not wanting to spend any more time around Kieran than was strictly necessary. Kieran pushed away the customary feeling of bitterness before carefully blanking his expression and entering the hall.

His parents and three older siblings were at the head of the hall, sitting atop a large dias with five chairs. The two largest were at either side with three smaller ones between. His parents sat in the larger chairs and his siblings in the three smaller. He did not look at them as he had been taught and carefully stopped before the dias, executing a perfect bow before speaking. "You wished to speak to me, My Lord?" He kept his tone neutral, unemotional.

"As you know," his father began. "The alliance has been successful with the ice demons. A contract has been drawn and we are no longer at war. There are certain...elements of this contract that pertain to you." Kieran kept his face blank as usual but allowed his eyes to quickly roam the faces of his relatives, looking for some sign of what was to come. His siblings were looking at him with expressions of barely restrained mirth, smugness and hatred, all three mixing on the older faces. His mother was harder to read, her skills at hiding her feelings on par with her sons and bondmate. When Kieran didn't speak his father continued. "In order to secure an alliance a bonding contract has been formed between myself and the ice demon leader. Out of all my offspring you are the one I have selected for this task. Do you accept, Kieran Liesmith?"


Kieran's only aknowledgement was to bow his head in understanding. He and everyone else in the room knew perfectly well that it was not a request. It was a very thinly veiled order and promised serious ramifications if Kieran refused to obey, quickly followed by the forced implimentation of the deed he had originally been comanded to do in the first place. "Good," his father said, pleased. "You will now return to your rooms to gather your belongings. You leave on the morrow. While you were here I took the liberty of having servants deliver supplies to your rooms. Everything you could need is up there. Tomorrow you will go to the land of the ice demons and be presented to your future bondmate, the heir to the ice demon throne. Do not dissappoint me."

Kieran took that as his queue to leave. He bowed once again, not bothering to look at his siblings and retreated from the room, careful to keep his face towards them and not to turn his back. When he was out of the room he allowed himself to relax marginally, his muscles no longer holding his body ranrod straight. He took in a breath to steady himself before walking towards a convenient shadow and passing through it, reappearing just oustide his bed chamber.

((And that's my first post. It's just setting things up and I probably won't write that much later on while our characters are interacting but hopefully it'll give you something to start with. Good luck and have fun!))

News always spread quickly through the lands of the Ice Demons. Even being the heir to the throne, Ace was always one of the last to hear any news. It would be credited to his aloofness. This was something important. The clans had finally introduced a truce to end their war. In a way Ace was disappointed. The war was interesting, giving a chance for a commander of the armies to shine. Now, he wouldn’t get the chance to ever have his name behind any battle.

He had been zoning out in the meeting the council had called. Several of his elder cousins and his uncle were there, along with his father, including several other members, and every single one of them was trying to speak. Many didn’t agree with the truce either. Ace was bored out of his mind. Irresponsibility was one of his claimed strong points, and this time wouldn’t be any different. He looked up when something caught his attention.

“Yes, well one of their princes is coming tomorrow, and will be staying in one of the main castles. He is to be treated as a guest for now.” His father’s loud voice finally shut people up.

“Great, another prince, as if ours isn’t useless enough, we don’t need another one.” Motean muttered under his breath next to Ace.

“You want to say that a bit louder cousin? Or I can just show you my uselessness as I-,” Ace was cut off by a sharp glare from his father. He crossed his arms and bit his tongue, trying to keep his temper in check. He was never good at this ‘politeness’ thing.

“Prince Ace, a word after this meeting.”

“Yes, father.” He tried to keep from disrespecting his father. The people cleared out as the meeting was called to an end. Ace stood up and sauntered over to his father. He carried the same features, some of which have been lost already in the lesser of clan members. White hair, pale skin, and elegant features, along with the light colored eyes. Ace prided himself on his origins.

“Ace, you are in charge of the Prince. Report with anything that you find unusual, or if you hear anything alarming. Now leave.” His father gestured to the door and waved Ace off.

Ace bowed and left the room and walked through the long hallways of the castle. Everything was straight lines and blank walls, enough to drive someone insane if you stayed too long. He felt he was reaching that point. This wasn’t his home, not the place he was raised. At this rate he expected that this would never be considered somewhere he could happily live. His own origins didn’t stem from strict royalty, and already many exceptions were made for him. If he was around bounties were pushed to their limits. His manners seemed to be hidden away. Yet as soon as other clans came, he covered that up, showing a different side of himself.

The prince would come the next day? Then he would make sure to meet him at the edge of the territory. He went to his room and grabbed a travelling bag, which he unpacked pulling out clothing not fit for someone of his position. He dropped the light colored silks for dark leathers, and a collar of metal to protect the neck, runes carved into it. Afterwards, he pulled a thick cloak and covered his head, concealing his face and identity.

There were many handy things that he was taught in this place and one of them was how to work blood magic. A small alter was quickly set up, and he pulled a small opal and smeared the surface of the stone with blood, and chanted a small spell. It was nothing much, only something to bring a vision of what he was to expect. All he got was a flash of black, and the smell of what he assumed was blood. He would have to cast runes later to understand the full meaning, but that didn’t seem to be a good omen.

Without even bothering to put up the alter he went off, after grabbing the traveling pack. He went through the servant hallways to not be seen and whistled when he got outside. A large black hound came up to him, tall and thick furred. Ace patted its flank and it followed him. Hellhounds mad excellent protection if tamed and trained right. Took several years, but in the end it paid off. Of course it was only tamed when not in a raging bloodlust, there were always kinks to work out with the world it seemed.

Ace looked to the south, everything was desolate and just a vast Iceland. He knew that the white faded away to thickly wooded areas that marked the end of the Ice Clan’s territory. If he set off now, he would beat the Prince to the border and get to be the first one to see what he was going to meet. It excited him a bit. A smirk spread across his face, oh this would be fun. He started walking and told the guard to mention to his father where he went.

In the end he was right, he had made the journey by sunrise and now sat beneath a tree lazily petting the hound, and singing softly to himself, some old songs to keep entertained. Ace looked nothing like a prince, and thought of this as his own small reward for not killing anyone in the castle for a while. He never minded the cold, but it was always nice to see real vegetation after so many months.
~~~

As Kieran entered his room he noted that, indeed, extran belongings had been placed on his bed. There was a traveling pack, thick and sturdy and clearly expensive, sitting in the centre of his bed. He walked over to it and peered inside. He noted a wooden box at the very bottom of the bag, stained black with a serpent inlaid in silver on the top. To anyone else it would look like an ornate jewellery box of sorts but Kieran knew differently. That was the fox he received when he was to go on 'special' misssion. He carefully removed the box from the bag and opened it to see the usual contents and atop that a scroll tied with a red ribbon. He removed the scroll, unwrapped it and began to read.

"Your task is to eliminate the ice heir. I trust you know what is expected of you.
Do not fail me

That was all that was written but it was also all that needed to be said. Kieran understood the subtext, understood what his father was saying without saying it. Kill the ice heir but do not implicate us, kill the ice heir but keep teh treaty strong between our clans. In short, kill the heir and take power yourself and make it all look legitimate. Oh it wouldn't be easy but the leader of the shadow kitsunes knew that if anyone could do it, Kieran could. This was waht he was trained for, what he had been raised to do.

Kill.....

Kieran folded the scroll and walked over to a nearby candle, holding the parchment out so that it began to burn. Once the flames had consumed the message Kieran turned back to his bed, noting something behind the pack that he hadn't seen before. He picked it up, noting the softness. It was a cloth bundle of some sort. he carefully began to unwrap the layers, pealing them away one by one. He dropped the top layer for the moment onto the bed and focused on the inner contents. A black, fine shirt was the first thing he inspected, detailed in silver around the neck and cuffs in a swirling design that could have been fire or ice. Next was a pair of black trousers, expertly fitted and he knew that, if he put them on, they would cling to his skin and hug every curve, emphasising his height and lean build. A pair of knee high boots was next, silver buckles acting functionally and aesthetically.The outfit was fine and he knew that he was to wear it when he reached the ice demon court.

He picked up the wrapping and was about to use it to once again cover the clothes when he noticed that it was a cloak, midnight black and trimmed with amythist fur.He peered at it closely, noting the softness of the material, the way it flowed through his fingers. The cloak had a deep hood and, acting as a clasp was a silver fox head with amathyst eyes. His father would not have gifted him with such a thing but then.....

A smile touched the corners of his mouth but did not fully bloom into existance, years of training preventing it. So she did care what happened to her youngest, remembered that he could not stand the cold. A strange, warm feeling spread in his chest and he allowed it to linger longer than he normally would. He stared at the pack for a moment before carefully placing the fine clothes inside on top of the box. next he gathered other belongings that he would need and soon he was ready to go. He was now dressed in sturdy traveling clothes, well worn black boots, wool leggings that would keep him warm and a dark tunic likeshirt which he always wore when traveling. He looked at the cloak again, running the material through his fingers a final time before throwing it over himself and exiting the room.

No one saw him off and he did not seek anyone out. There was no one to tie him to this place and he looked forward to the freedom of travel while he could. He would use one of the pegasi to carry him within a mile of the border between their lands and from there he would walk. Soon he was at the stables and selecting his mount, a mare with white main, tale and feathers with a creamy coat and dark brown eyes. He chose to ride without a saddle for comfort for himself and the mount, finding it preferrable to the bejewelled, gawdy things that his siblings liked to parade about. He kicked the mare's flanks and she took off, striking into teh sky effortlessly with beats of her powerful snowy wings. He smiled as the wind flowed hassed him, catching his hair and throwing it out behind him, whipping back and forth as the wind played it's games.

He was not sure how long he rode but before long the ice kingdom was visible. He signaled for the mare to land and she followed obediently, dipping low and landing in a clearing about a half a mile away from the border. That would do. He stroked her muzzle as he stood before he having dismounted before she had completely touched down. "Do not stray too far from the border," he told her. "I may yet have need of you. Enjoy your freedom while you can."

The mare made a whickering noise, pushign her uzzle into his hand before turning and taking off into teh sky, circling above for a moment before dissappearing somewhere to the west. He stared after her for a moment before shouldering his pack and beginning the treck to the ice border. It did not take him long and soon he could feel the cold beginning to seep into him. he pulled the cloak tighter as he approached. A sound made itself known to him and he looked around, eyes immediately allert. He had not expected to meet someone so soon although he suposed he should not be so surprised. They would not trust a starnger in their lands without some form of escourt. He began to move in the direction of the sound and, as he approached he realised that it was singing. The voice was clear despite the volume not being that loud. Who was it. Kieran moved closer, finally locating the source of the singing.

The other appeared to be acomoner by his clothes and a large hound was beside him, it's head cradled in the other's lap as it's head was petted. There was something not quite right although Kieran could not put his finger on exactly what it was. The other appeared comon enough with the features of a pure ice demon and yet.....

Time passes slowly when you wait for someone. Ace found out the hard way, at times he could be a patient person, but when he was expecting something, he wanted it as soon as possible. Although when he was carrying out something, then patience was just another price to pay that he was happy to hand over.

He hand his hands through the dog's thick fur. It looked nothing like the skinny long haired hounds that stood for the Ice Clan. They just wandered around the castle and were quiet. To him, they seemed as if they couldn’t do much, at least compared to this monster. It was big, aggressive, and intimidating. He loved it just for those features. There was nothing graceful about it, and had nothing the Ice clan stood for. It had been a gift he had convinced another clan to give him. Well, for Ace it had been more of an under the table deal. He found that he had made a good choice. It stood the cold surprisingly well.

Ace closed his eyes and let out a long breath. What kind of life was he living? The castles only brought out the anger in him. They were too polished, and this social class was far too fake for him. Everything had turned to being about what others thought of you. They told him he would adjust quickly to the life, and he only found more troubles. Times like this were perfect. The outside world did not care, and would never. The road’s only purpose was to carry you away from civilization and then end so that you could take your own path. Even then, he would never take set roads. He’d tell whoever told him to take that road to screw themselves and go the opposite direction.

An attitude like his had gotten him into trouble, and before coming to the castle, into many fist fights. That was who he was, a fighter, and someone who belonged to the wild. These castles just chained him down as he saw it, but there was no other choice, so he could accept it. He had no shame in any of his actions thus far and did not plan to in the future. Regret is never an option.

“Where is he? I’ve been waiting since sunrise. If he doesn’t come soon, I swear I will go looking for him and drag him this way.” He shook his head and cursed under his breath. He closed his eyes to rest for a bit and then opened them and continued his original plan to keep himself entertained and softly sung to no one. The dog had its head in his lap and was calm, ear twitching every now and then as it heard a noise.

The dog stood up and let out a low growl, and started to bark loudly, and jumped in place before pacing, still barking and snarling at whatever it saw. Ace stood up and tried to find what it was noticing. Someone was making their way. Ace decided that was the prince he was looking for. Well for several reasons, even before the introduction. First of all, he was crossing into the Ice Clan’s territory, so he was crazy or the prince.

Secondly, he was wearing expensive looking traveling clothing that Ace was already putting a price on, out of habit. When you compared those clothing to the ones he currently was wearing. Ace looked like a lower class traveler, but it was still his favorite and the one he would choose over anything the courts would ever provide him.

Thirdly, okay he was just counting the second one twice to get this number. After all, who wanted to go to territory like this? It was desolate and nothing would grow only maybe only three miles from the border.

Ace grinned as the guy neared. He gave a wave and then placed a hand on the dog. It whined before it calmed down, still tense and glared at the newcomer. He waited for him to get there and gave a bow.

“Ah, I’m assuming you’re the prince from the Shadows, right? Well, welcome to the end of green. Even I miss the grass after so long. I really hope for your sake you like snow. I guess I am your guide into the freezing cold territory of Ice clan,” Ace started walking, dog at his side, “I have no clue what you were thinking coming this way. I’d rather go south though. It is much warmer and nicer. Don’t mind the dog. He’s just not good around people he doesn’t know.”

The dog wasn't the only one that isn’t good around new people. Ace was tense and everything was alert, he kept an eye on the prince. He hadn’t seen enough yet to judge him, which made him a threat, although so far he had perceived that in a fist fight, hopeful or not, Ace was sure he could take the prince. Then again, that is what people thought about him, so great, he had nothing to go on. Right now the only plan was to keep an eye on him.

“Wanna tell me about yourself at least?”

As he approached Kieran became aware of the dog more acutely, especially when it jumped to it's feet. Fantastic. He could see the power in the animal, the clear signs that it was strong and willing to defend it's master if Kieran presented any discernable threat. Just fantastic. He was a shadow kitsune but that didn't automatically mean he was friendly towards canines. Foxes were canines it wasw true but in their nature they were more feline with innate talents for cunning and trickery. This beast was brash and clearly volitile. Kieran tensed and watched as the other, the ice demon, reached out and calmed the beast with a touch. His muscles didn't relax, however, as the beast calmed. Years of training had taught him never to let his guard up.

He took a closer look at the ice demon now that he as closer and could make out more details. The fabric of his clothes was obviously well cared for if a little worn, telling Kieran that this person was rich enough to be able to take care of himself and his belongings properly, not quite an ordinary comoner then. A slightly rich one, the son of a merchant or tradesman perhaps? His features seemed too fine for taht to be the truth, maybe a minor noble that lived on the border? That would make more sense but somehow.....

He was broken out of his thoughts as the other spoke for the first time. An eyebrow rose at the other's tone. The other almost seemed to be babbling bugt not quite. He inclined his head, waiting a moment before actually speaking, allowing the other to finish before he began talking.

"I am indeed the Shadow Prince. I take it you have been waiting for me. I apologize for the delay but I did not want to bring my mount to such a place and the walk through the green was...restful." He chose his words carefully, telling the truth but never the whole truth. The walk through the forest was restful and he had enoyed it but he could have brought the pegasus here. Although upon closer inspection he was glad that he hadn't. Casting another glance at the hound he was sure taht the hound could tear the mare limb from limb if she was unable to get off the ground quickly enough and even then the strength of the beast's hind legs suggested that it would be able to jump quite hhigh in the air.

He thought about the other's question, eyes narrowing marginally in suspecion. He tilted his head, envoking an innocently curious expression and tone as he replied. "You first, who is it that I will be traveling with? It seems only fair taht you introduce yourself first, does it not? You know me for a prince and yet I know nothing of you. That hardly seems fair, does it?"

He was a master at manipulating his body language, tone and facial expressions, showing people what he wanted them to see and nothing more. He could not remember a time when he had been allowed to express his emotions freely and without fear of being reprimanded for doing so. This would be his biggest challenge to date, of that he was sure. Normally he would stay within his own teritory, work his trickery on his own people, but the ice demons were of a different species, a different breed of demon to his own. This would be the ultimate test of his skill. He still had the hood of his cloak raised over his head and, using it as cover, allowed his kitsune ears to appear on teh top of his head, shifting subtly to his hybrid form. The upper portion of his face aws also shielded from view so the darkening around his eyes, almost like rings of khol, was unseen along with the violet whisker marks, three on each cheek. His three tails sprouted under teh cloak, also hidden from sight, and slipped through the carefully placed holes in his trousers that were designed for that specific purpose. Now that he was in ice demon teritory he would use this form, the form that he knew was the most striking, would draw the most attention. It was all a game of chess and he was a master. He pulled the cloak tighter about himself, pretending to be a little more affected by the cold than he really was. He did not have to pretend as much as he normally would. The cold was beginning to seep into his spirit, an unpleasant sensation which he knew would only get worse as they traveled deeper into the ice teritory.

Ace only smirked, it would have been too easy if the guy had just started talking about himself and spilling a life story. he shrugged. He walked in silence for a bit and watched the dog walk ahead and look around sniffing the plants. Ace looked at the new look, from what he could see from the hood. He suddenly laughed.

"If you keep the hood up, you'll look like a wanted man. There are only a handful of reasons to keep a hood up, to hide your identity, to hide your expressions, or you are that cold. If you are cold now, you will die once we get to the castle, we have to cross the ice land. Lots of snow. If you want I can send for a ride. It will take them a bit though. I can't have you freezing to dearth." If the guy froze to death, they would find a way to blame Ace, he was sure of it. He stretched, his muscles sore from sitting still earlier.

"It isn't that bad, you should see me going south. I passed out at the Fire border trying to get myself a hellhound pup a while back. That mutt better end up worth it. It was right in the courts too." He rubs the back of his neck, remembering that. He thought for a while he would not live that down. That place was a desert, and he was too prideful to change into something more suiting to the climate. He was trying to make the guy feel a bit better about the cold at least. He may have been rude, but he wasn't a savage... most of the time.

The walk went along. Everything had a deeper meaning, people didn't do anything without a reason. He had thought the change of look was more to show who he was and that there was power there. Ace knew shows of power, he lived with some of the most prideful people an hand learned to ignore things. He hadn't told the guy his name, knowing his guard would only go up more when he found out that Ace was the prince.

The Lord would kill him when he found out Ace went out and talked to people of nobility wearing such clothing. No matter the punishment, they still had trouble controlling him. It made it harder that the punishments only made him angry and he retaliated against them. Ace had no shame and would stoop as low as to spreading rumors as a get back for being wronged. He was a firm believer of vengeance. Still this guy would say nothing unless he told a name.

"Well, you are going to need something to call me. My name is Ace. I am guessing you could at least give me your name. I only know that you are coming to stay at the castle, because of some underlying text in the truce. I think you might find it to your liking. There is a social event tonight, several other clan leaders are coming and so on, so I think you chose a good day.” Ace ended it with a nod. He called the dog over to him.

The dog jumped up and placed its large front paws on his shoulders. Ace scratched the side of its neck for a moment before backing out of its hug, as Ace liked to call it. He grabbed his bag and pulled out some parchment and found a way to awkwardly tie around the dogs collar. He pat his thighs and looked at the dog. “Anlan.” He whistled and had the dog’s full attention. “Home.” He pointed ahead of them and repeated the word. The dog barked at him, and looked. Ace had to repeat and make a show of pointing a couple more times before the dog took off running at full speed.

“There, they will bring us a carriage. I find that I personally do not want to cross the icelands.” Ace wondered about that social event. It was a long night of people talking, music, food, and so on. The idea bore him. He would talk to people he did not care for and had nothing other than the wine they served to get him through the night.

At times he believed they build the castle on the perfect spot. It was surrounded by the cold, everything was to be perfect. Its people were expected to be the same. Cold statues that people saw, nothing like the real people they were. Ace refused to end up like that. He did not want to become something that was not him.

"I am...unused to such temperatures," Kieran finally said, continuing to walk beside the ice demon. It was true. He had not been exposed to cold that often, just enough to get a taste of what it could do to an unprepared body in inadaquate clothing. He was far more comfortable in teh heat. His clan, the shadow kitsune clan, were an abstract branch of the kitsune clan, separating from their bretheren roughly seven thousand years ago. Although their main ability was shadow they had a latent ability for fire, the main element of normal kitsunes. The cold weakened him in ways he did not like to admit ad he would not, especially not to this stranger he had just met. That would be foolhardy at best and downright idiotic and unforgivably stupid at worst. He considdered the other male's words for a moment before reaching up and pulling off the hood, allowing his sensetive ears to be touched by the cold air for the first time. They flicked back on his head immediately, their blackness blending with his hair except for the purple tips which stood out even though they were lowered so far on his head. It appeared that even though his facial expressions and body language were perfect at hiding his inner thoughts his fox appendages were not quite at teh same level despite the great periods of time he spent in this form. The hybrid form was the most comfortable of his three shapes, a perfect blend of humanoid and quadroped. His tails were still hidden under his cloak, unseen by either the hound or the demon. He used them to his advantage, curling the thick, fluffy fur around himself as an extra layer. It worked and soon he felt himself warming slightly.

"I would imagine that traveling south would not indeer you to my species," Kieran continued. "We are a hot blooded race and, although we are able to adapt, I imagine you found it quite unbearable, especially when conbined with such pale skin. I imagine it burns easily." The comment was casual, almost offhand in nature but Kieran never said anything offhand, never said something or did something for only one reason.

He thought about the other's name. It was quite strange. Then again was it really that surprising? This was another culture after all. He pushed his curiosity about it to the back of his mind for the moment. It was no matter what the name of this ice demon was. Once they reached the palace it was doubtful that Kieran would ever see him again anyway. "My name is Kieran. It is a pleasure to travel with you, Ace." He rolled the name experimentally, the shape unfamiliar on his tongue, his accent twisting it almost of it's own accord into an almost purr.

His mind flitted to the social gathering, plans immediately beginning to form, strategies being created and dismissed in nanoseconds. A social gathering would mean he had a perfect oppertunity to eliminate the prince. With so many visiting nobles it would provide a perfect cover. His mind flicked to the wind sprites, an annoying class of lesser demon that had been trying to encroach into shadow kitsune teritory for the last three hundred years or so. This would be a perfect oppertunity. He could destroy the ice heir, keep the alliance strong and provide a new outlet for the ice clan's ire that would be benneficial to his own race's plans.

His eyebrow rose as the hound took off carrying the message. The other had said that the mutt was going 'home'. Did that mean he lived in the palace? The corners of his mouth pulled down ever so slightly as he thought of the possibilities, reevaluating the other. Could he possibly be the son of one of the servants in the palace? That would make more sense than his previous theory. As he watched the beast rush off he reevaluated his views of the beast. It was stronger than he had first thought. As it bounded away he was sure that, if it wanted, it could crush his throat with any one of it's paws with little to no effort.

He allowed his body to slump slightly in relief at the proclamation that they would be receiving a carrige soon. "Thank you," he said, allowing his voice to reflect the gratitude he felt although to a lesser extent. "I would prefer to be able to move my limbs this evening if there is to be a social gathering. I would not wish to appear rude by refusing to interact because I was too frozen to move properly." He smiled at the other male, allowing a soft look to appear on his face tinged with a hitn of embarrasment.

"It's no problem. I don't want to be blamed if the Shadow Prince ends up sick or hurt. That pup better go straight to he castle, or else I will skin it alive personally." He growled out his threat, yet his tone of voice didn't carry along the message. He saw the trees were barren by this point and the wind had picked up, the snow would be coming soon. If the carriage didn't arrive he'd end up dragging the frozen prince... Or would be in trouble for having left him after getting mad at the task.

A bit later the snow had come as predicted. From far off he heard the long, low call of one of the stags. After it came a deep throated bark. Great. So that was their carriage. Ace yelled out to his dog that came bounding at his master. It's breath was a foggy cloud as it stopped in front of Ace. Ace rubbed its head, the dog happily wagged it's cropped tail, making him look more like a puppy than a monstrous creature. Ace frowned at it. Great. Right when he needed that dog to look vicious.

The carriage pulled up to them and Ace opened the door for the Shadow Prince. He made sure the Prince was settled in and climbed up front with the driver. "Morning. I want to breathe fresh air before I'm killed slowly for this or my father has a heart attack." He rode the way back up front. The dog followed along scaring the great stags that pulled the carriage. Ace jumped off his ride before the carriage even stopped and went off.

His room was as he had left it. It was a bit messy, something outsiders were not to expect of the Ice Prince. Then again the only ones who knew of his attitude were the inhabitants of the castle. Ace changed out of his travelling gear into something suiting. A look in the mirror brought forward a whole new person. White clothing adorned with an abstract gold design around the neck and cuffs. He had a soft belt resting on his hips, following the gold pattern, but with flowing flowers of soft blue added to it. He changed his plain silver earrings to match the outfit. He hated it, but if it was what they wanted he would have to. He missed his dark colors. This was so... he didn't even have a word for it. It just felt wrong. Still he had to make an impression at the gathering.

He spent the time in his room picking up the alter and stacking some books before absentmindedly leafing through one of them, but he kept blurring the words and ended up having to close the book. The grad room would be full of servants by this time. That would mean no one would see him if he went in for now, he might get a chance to get some food before having to be a perfect non-eating doll for the gathering. He took the servant halls finding them less intimidating that the main halls. By this point he found them more familiar, and they got him to places he wasn't allowed in. It was a win win.

It turned out Ace had been wrong. The hall was perfectly set up, and the servants had made their disappearance. He walked through the center and looked around impressed by the vastness. They had a wall of windows looking straight out into the ice land. The room was bleached of colors, save the the food. Whites, golds, and silvers summed up the hard color scheme. He went up to the thrones and ran a hand over the cold stone. He would be there one day, looking over his people. Still, they would never be his people... No.

"Acelin. I was worried you would not even bother to appear. Do not tell me you went out dressed like some low class scum to meet the Shadow Prince." His father was mad, that was the only time his full name was used after all. He turned around and gave his more innocent smile.

"Of course not. I was off hunting with Anlan. I went west. If you ask anyone I did not arrive with him. Ask him even. I have never met him," He gave a nod and pointed behind his father, "As you can see the guests are arriving already. Shall I help you greet them?" With that Ace distracted him, although it might come down on him later. His father would never show that he had any trouble with Ace.

Sadly, now he was stuck receiving the guests. He greeted them and made idle chat. It had been no more than fifteen minutes and he was ready to slit his own throat to get out of this. His father took to dragging him around and introducing him to people.

"Yes, this is Ice Prince Acelin. The only son. Why yes, I shall show you the castle." His father dropped him and showed the representative of water around. Ace leaned against a column. He kept his face straight not showing expression. He felt out of place at such a place.

Kieran had decided to keep his silence as they walked, figuring that he had said enough for the moment and wanting to think rather than engage in pointless conversation. He was more relieved than he would have liked to admit when the transportation that the other had called for finally reached them. He nodded his thanks as he was helped up and settled comfortably before turning his attention to the window, gazing out over the cold landscape as he was taken deeper into the ice demon's teritory. Everything was barren and as they drew further and further towards the centre of the frozen teritory he could feel the chill outside growing deeper and deeper. Even protected as he was he could not resist wrapping his tails tighter around his body.

He was glad to reach the frozen stronghold. It was magnificent, all sharp edges, frozen pillars and cold, cold beauty. If he did not know any better he would swear that the entire stricture was made from ice. He knew that couldn't be true however. Ice was strong, incredibly so, but there was no way the entire place could be built. It must only be on the outside with stone underneath to reinforce adn provde solid furnature and safe areas to travel. Not that stone would be much warmer than the ice in these temperatures but he was sure there would be fires in some rooms to allow for guests of differing species. The other male had dissappeared before the vehicle had even come to a stop and Kieran watched him rushing off, a frown line marring his face as his eyes tracked the other departing figure. Something was not right about the other.

This was put to the back of his mind for the moment, however, as a servant greeted him and began to lead him towards the palace. As they entered he noted the cold beauty of the place, the inside just as magnificent as the outside. There was stone like he thought but also a lot of ice and other decorative features which he could nto identify. As he was lead deeper into the palace he began to make a mental map of the place, remembering what the servant said as he was taken to the chamber where he was to stay while on this trip.

Finally they reached a hallway more finely decorated than the rest. He guessed that these quarters were meant for highly placed guests. The servant gestured to a room at the end of the corridor, double doors with silver handles and delicately carved scroll work around the frame.

"Thank you," he murmured to the servant, allowing his charm and manners as a prince to take control for the moment. Now that he was in teh palace he would adopt the gracious visiting prince role he had been given. He gave a slight bow to the young girl who backed away slightly, blushing at his manners. He smiled at her, a smile taht did not quite reach his eyes but she did not notice, having already turned to scurry back down the corridor like a frightened mouse.

As Kieran entered the room his eyes first landed on a bright fire blazing in a large harth, almost large enough to stand in. The red and orange flames cast a warm glow over the room, turning the blues and silvers into purples and golds as the flickering light causes shadows to weave and shift about the room like leaves in an autumn breeze. A large four poster bed sat in front of him with the fire to the right on the side wall so that, if he wished, he could lie on his side on the bed to watch the flames. He walked forward and touched the sheets. They were incredibly soft and, he noted with amusement, had been chosen for their colour along with their material as the sheets were pure black with matching pillows and curtains around the bed. A stereotype of his species but one whcih he appreciated. He liked dark colours and this would suit him nicely.

He glanced at a time piece on top of the fireplace, resting just above the harth. He frowned, taking in the time. The servant had mentioned to him the celebration and what time it would start. He looked at the time piece adn quickly worked out that he would have aproximately an hour before the celebration was due to begin. He sighed before examining the rest of the room. A chest of drawers made of dark wood sat oposite the fire on the other side of the bed and beside that was another door. Curious he walked towards it and found that on the other side was a bathing chamber. He nodded to himself before glancing at the time piece for a third time. He rested his belongings at the foot of teh bed before stripping down adn entering the bathing room, determined to look his best for this celebration.

First impressions were not everything but they were still vital.

As he stepped from the bathing chamber he shook his head sending small water droplets tumbling from his hair. He reached down and pulled his pack toward himself and pulled out the finery he had been given. It took him less than five minutes to dress, adding the boots last and buckling them up fully. He frowned as he stood, getting used to the feel of the clothes against his skin. The fabric was as he thought it would be, form fitting and made to show off his lithe body to it's best. He took a few experimental steps accross the room, getting used to the feel of the boots before pausing again, frowning as he reached down to the shirt. Something didn't feel right. There was something.....there.....a hidden pocket. He opened it, noting that the pocked was completely invisible an even he would not have known it was there had he not felt something inside. He pulled out a chain of silver and looked at it curiously. He lifted it to his eyes and saw that within each link was a single jewell, an amathyst. Hanging from the chain was a pendant, identical to teh clasp on his cloak. It was a silver fox head with jewelled eyes but it's mouth was also slightly open, revealing sharp teeth. He put it on and felt the cold metal rest against his pale skin. He was ready.

Just then a small, questioning knock came at teh door. He called for whoever it was to come in and saw that it was the same servant from earlier. She looked at him, trying to conceal her awe at his appearance and failing. Now that he was not wearing his cloak the three black furred tails were visible, tipped in purple like his ears. The combination of these appendages along with the black markings around his eyes and the whisker like marks on his cheeks proclaimed for one and all to see that he was a shadow kitsune.

"Follow me, my lord," the young servant murmured. Kieran nodded, smiling at her again before following her. They walked a short distance adn Kieran guessed that the guest quarters were close to the gathering chambers for ease of access during such occasions as celebrations or festivals, an effecient system. As he entered he was treated to teh sight of many creatures, all subspecies of demon, interacting. There were jovial voices raised in conversation and laughter peeled like bells in the crystaline like structure that made up the gathering hall. Kieran's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for any familiar faces. He spotted a few that he recognised, dignataries that had visited the shadow lands when he was younger but his scrutiny stopped when he recognised a figure in the distance. Ace, the demon that brought him here. Was he in so high a station that he was permitted here? He began to make his way towards the other, allowing the natural grace of his species to overtake his body. He swayed as he walked, each line of his body exuding grace and elegance. His tails swished behind him, falling out and curling at the tips, waving in and out of the crows but never actually touching anyone.

"I believe," he said as he stopped by Ace, a lilt to his voice that had not been present earlier. "That you did not properly introduce yourslef earlier, Ace. Might I know your full name?"

Several people tried to start a conversation with the Ice Prince, yet he kept his demeanor cold to them, so to say. Ace had not found any of their inquiries interesting and did not like the prying. They kept trying to get details about different aspects of his clan from him. He just gave them seemingly polite, yet very obvious hints to leave him alone. Some people were like vultures for information. These people were part of that group, high up and dying for good gossip. If they couldn't hear any, then they would create it to satisfy their addiction.

He briefly wondered if the entire world was this way. Even the lower classes had a sadistic love of gossip, especially when it involved the demise of others. He had to remind himself that he was the same way, yet seeing it in such a high class only brought out an ugliness concealed under jewels and illusions of fulfilled desires. It was there, no matter the class, only they were straight forward with their wants. Here every word was a clue and the conversations encrypted in riddles.

Ace found himself nodding to whatever a person was telling him. The conversation ended and he still had no idea who he had been talking too, nor the topic of the said conversation. This is what got him into trouble. He would just have to hope he had not agreed to anything bad. Even a simple conversation could not keep his attention. For these events his hate only grew.

No matter what he thought he kept up his façade. Ace stayed quiet and kept his movements and expressions to a minimum. He thought he would burst if the lies continued. Everyone knew he would slip up and make a mistake one day. This was his small way of proving them wrong. He could be a damn good prince if he wanted to be. That’s the point. He did not want to be their prince.

The people carried on as if nothing in the world had changed their corruption visible as if a cloud that hung over the people. It hid the truth. If he shined the right light through it everything became deadly clear. Even with the time he had spent there, the truth still eluded him. It was the one puzzle he could not solve. These were not his people and never would be. The idea of leading was desirable for Ace, but not over them. He would get charge of some of the best armies, resources, and a life of indulgence. That cold metal crown would never earn him the loyalty he expected, they would stab him in the back and take everything he owned if he turned his back just long enough to leave even the smallest of openings.

It was such a simple task to spot the Shadow Prince. He stood out against the white of the surroundings in such dark clothing. Ace did not bother to move instead waited for the Prince to make his way to him. Ace kept his head down as the prince, whose name he knew as Kieran, spoke. Even he had to admit it was hard to keep back a laugh, but at least this way his hair fell in his face and covered the small smirk.

After a moment he composed himself and cleared way all emotion from his face in case anyone was watching the interaction between the princes.

“Well, you see, Shadow Prince. My name as I am to be known is Ice Prince Acelin. I am also less affectionately known as the heir of the Ice clan. No matter, I prefer to be called Ace by most unless my relationship with you is only for political reasons. At this moment it seems to be. Take your pick. No matter what you call me, I am still the same person. At least I believe I am. It all depends which texts you refer back to.” Ace made sure to keep his voice even and soft. Never though out that did he make eye contact with Kieran. Sadly, at the moment appearances were fundamental. He would have to stick to all the guidelines that restrained him and it was not at time to pull at leashes.

“It is an honor to receive you, Shadow Prince Kieran.” He made sure to put a slight stress on his name and slip in a small twitch around the mouth as he tried to keep from smiling. I will be heading to the library where things are a bit quieter. If you would prefer that to this nonsense of things you may come along and we can discuss the different elements between our two cultures to get a better understanding of what we have to deal with,” Ace stood up and as he passed Kieran he added, “Oh, and if my father gets the guts to ask you, you are to tell him you have never seen me before this gathering. Nice clothing, very fitting.” The temptation was too great and Ace could not resist, but to add in a comment of his own.

With that he walked off, finally finding an excuse to get away from those people. One small victory for him, things could change, after all the night was still young.

Whatever Kieran had been expecting to hear it wasn't that. He stared after the princeling as he walked off, to the library he had said. His mind raced, seeming to go in a hundred different directions at once with no choerent bridges between any of the paths his mind was taking. This didn't change anything, not really, but it was still a shock. He hadn't suspected anything of Ace, maybe that he was a minor lord's son but never the prince. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the back of the retreating figure before making a decision.

Kieran trailed after the other for a moment, walking a few paces behind before speeding up so that he could walk stride for stride with the other. He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly, taking in the set of Ace's body and the way in which he had addressed the other earlier. It was cold, formal, not at all like the other had acted earlier, not early as....

Free.....

Was that it? Was that why he had traveled through his own teritories dressed in a omoner's guise? It would make sense and the way the other had talked about not wanting his father to knwo they had already met.....the other was definitely hiding parts of his life from his father. Kieran could understand that and could respect the other for the rebellion. He, himself, had long ago given up on such things almost altogether except for the little things, the things he knew wouldn't be found out about. But Acelin, Ace, had taken quite a chance with this, asking Kieran not to tell his father of his transgression. This certainly made things more interesting.

As they walked, Kieran trusting Ace to lead the way to the library, his eyes swept the deligates in the hall again, taking them in before he left. It was perhaps not the wisest of decisions to leave such a social gathering so early but the night was still very young and there would be plenty of time to interact, to go through the expected social customs as he slyly insulted, complimented and bargained his way through the guests. He spotted a high ranking ice demon talking to a water creature. He was not completely sure of the species from this angle but he thought he saw something in the other's features. Could that be Acelin's father? Possibly although he would not make any more asumptions about the ice demon's identity, his lesson having been learnt.

It was strange for a prince to behave in such a way, to dress as a comoner. Kieran ought to know. During several of his training missions and asignments he had had to play the part often enough but his older siblings...they would not even considder such a thing, finding even the idea beyond hanous. His cousins, uncles and aunts were the same for the most part except for a few, very distant relations which were never talked about or discussed. Even their cousins, the normal kitsunes who were far more relaxed about such things did not considder it a normal practice. It definitely bore investigation.

"It appears we are gathering some attention," he said quietly to Ace, his mouth barely moving as he registered the many eyes trained like strung arrows pointed in their direction. There were a variety of expressions on the faces that held those eyes. Some were smiling, others were blank, unreadable, some were clearly envious and some....some looked bitter and resentful. Kieran made a quick note to mark the blank and hostile faces before flicking one of his tails in the general direction of the majority of the stares, a clear dismissal understood by all that saw it.

He looked at Ace and wondered whether the ice prince would make eye contact with him. He found it easier to read others when their gazes were locked. He knew the same was not true for himself, his training aiding him in masking his emotions, but the way the other's eyes ad not even strayed to his face was strange, especially when compared with the way the other had acted at the border. Perhaps it was one of the ice clan's customs? Never look at the person you were talking to in teh eye? It was a good move if you were not easily able to disguise your emotions but it also made many distrustful as they could nnot read your gaze.

His eyes strayed from Ace's face down his body, taking in the finery. It suited him, the colours complimenting his pale skin, hair and eyes but he could tell that the other was not entirely comfortable in it. He had looked more relaxed in the comoner clothing he had worn earlier. Was he really born into this life of finery?

Ace didn’t even bother turning to him, “They will have to deal,” He kept his voice down so only Kieran could hear him speak, “If you had asked me fifteen minutes earlier, I might have cared about what they thought. Do no worry about rumors. I can cover such petty hearsay up later.” He sighed and touched the bridge of his nose before putting his hands down, remembering to keep his hands away from his face.

It was more of his own quirks than rules he had to follow about his actions. Ace was tense having someone walk behind him, awaiting attack at any moment. He did not dare turn back to face Kieran though. It might show his fear of attack. He had learned these things since before his arrival at the castle and none of it have left him. If people knew they would say he was paranoid, but to him it seemed far more practical than anything he had learned at the castles thus far.

He relaxed a bit once they made it out of the people’s sight. Not enough to make a difference, but to him it was the relief of being away from such people. To be able to act like this, so different from whom he really was, well believed himself to be, it made him doubt himself a bit. His only explanation was that the castle seeped into you, that the frost could find its way into the blood of those who stayed too long. It cracked at him until he submitted to acting according to its will.

He took a seat in one of the chairs around a small round table in the library. Many such tables were scattered around. Books were perfectly arranged giving the look that no one had ever walked this vast room. Ace pulled off his earrings and let the clink down on the table. They were unnecessary and heavy. This was his small break. He could make up some excuse later for his absence.

“I find that I hate such things. People who don’t know me come to my house only to find out lies and to compare themselves to others. It is such a hassle to keep them amused. After a while you find that you can only slip away for small bits at a time without people getting curious to your whereabouts.” Ace folded his arms on the table top and rested his chin then looked at Kieran watching him. He got a better chance to study the outfit and found he liked it. It was nice and suited the Shadow Prince.

The blood.

His insight from earlier came back to him. Ace was not used to divinations that he had been taught, yet this came back to him. It was only such a small glimpse, but if he could just see more. He was sure it was linked to this person. After all it was the only change that had occurred. If he knew something then that could help Ace figure out what it meant. He wouldn’t hide it in aimless questions, but rather he was more out right. If he wanted to know he would ask. If he did not receive an answer he would find a way of figuring it out himself. When his curiosity got a hold of him, he would pursue his goals until they were achieved, letting nothing get in his way.

“Actually I care more to amuse myself than them. Now that I know what you must go through, I just thought you would also love the break. I know different places have diverse cultures, but still there must be some similarities. That outfit looks insanely expensive. I would put money down that it is worth a small fortune. All the additions do look real from what I see. Now that you know who I am, do you have any questions? I am open to everything, but dates of events, and anything incriminating. Do you even know why you are here in the cold, left to be miserable, anyways? I was not told of anything besides the fact that I feel I may have accidently nominated myself to show you around and keep you company. I could try to get out of it, but that would only lead to being yelled at.”

Ace was a great liar, and also knew how to mix in his truths with the perfect consistency. He did not in fact know the reason for the Prince being there, but even if asked would never admit to quite enjoying the company of someone besides the servants and his dog. It was an added plus that the Shadow Prince fascinated him. It only added to the questions he had and that he wanted to find out.

He usually did not act so detached around people. It had more to do with the fact that so many were watching every single movement by this point. Neither side trusted each other. Each was waiting for the opportunity or waiting to be struck. It felt like a game and he didn’t have all the information. Even that by itself was enough to annoy him. Ace hated the idea that he was not the one leading the game. His only question was which piece was he?

((Hey. Sorry it took me so long to reply. Real Life got in the way and I couldn't get on mene for the last few days, not long enough to come up with a proper reply for thsi RP anyway and I didn't want to rush it and ruin the flow of what we've got going on. Again sorry for the delay))

As kieran followed the ice heir he could not help but notice that when they left the large fathering the stiff set of the other's shoulders relaxed. Interesting. So this one did not like being around crowds. Well that would work well in his favour as, for the success of his mission, he would need to be able to get the other heir alone in order to kill him. He refused to aknowledge the strange feeling that crawled inside of him at the thought, the feeling that always crawled inside him at the thought of killing another being, of following another one of his father's comands, of being the perfect little pawn that his family could use and dispose of later when they saw fit. He was theirs to comand, theirs to position, theirs to control because he had been born the youngest of four siblings, because he wasn't perceived as good enough to rule. Because he was different and they knew it, feared him for it.

The library, when they entered it, immediately had a calming effect on Kieran's nerves. It was strange. Strange places did not usually entice this reaction from him but this.....this was different. A library was a place of knowledge, a place where you could lose yourself in fact of fiction, reality or dreams.....it was a hidden sanctuary in a maze riddled by snakes, turncloaks and all manner of dispicable creatures. Books would never lie to you. They may contain false information but they would not, could not lie in the sense that living, thinking beings perceived it. They merely told you what they knew, no questions asked, no worrying taht they were hiding something from you. It was.....refreshing.

He stared at the other prince as he almost seemed to babble. He tilted his head, considdering the other's words. Did he have any questions? Not really, not at the moment. What was there to ask? The other had deceived him into thinking taht he occupied a lower station than he had previously thought. There were doubtlessly many reasons behind the decision and Kieran thought he knew at least a few of them, rebellion being one of the key motivations, but besides that.....what was there really to know?

At the mention of why he was here, however, his ears perked up, quite litterally since teh appendages were on top of his head and thus very visible and prone to movement at the slightest whim. Could the other truly not know about the arrangement between the two clans? It seemed unlikely but he seemed to be so truthful.....could he really be so ignorant? He did not seem to get along with his relatives, Kieran had understood that straight away, but this.....surely they would have told him.....

Very well. He will play along. If the other is truly ignorrant then the knowledge will not be displaced and if it is a test, a deceit to confirm what he already knows when Kieran will play along, will dance to the other's beat for the moment until he is able to strike. What choice did he really have.

"Well....." he began, his voice hesitant, as if reluctant to say what was on his mind. "The reason I am here.....It pertains to you but if you have not been told am I the right one to...but then who else will?" He shakes his head, appearing to debate with himself before sighing, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat. He opens his violet eyes to stare into teh ice prince's face.

"The alliance between our two clans will not last without something stronger than words to seal the deal," he began slowly, choosing his words with care. "A bit of paper and some signatures will not mean we will stop the war between our two people The only thing that will bind us together forever, in a way that cannot be disputed, denied or overlooked, is a marriage contract between us. If the two ruling families are joined then there cannot be war between us. If you are truly ignorrant of this then I am sorry to be the one taht bears the news." He glanced down, allowing his dark hair to fall over his eyes. He looked through the inky strands and his eyelashes at Ace, hoping that the other would catch his meaning, would understand the implications of such a contract.

(( It is fine! I understand real life has this way of coming up to you and dragging you way, it happens to all of us! :heart:))

Body language told a lot about a person. It told you if they were an enemy or a friend. It also told you who was untrained, scared, excited, on edge, and about their background. People could learn to control it, though things like that could take a long time, and there were always the smallest tell-tale signs that you could not. When you were trained you could also easily see someone else who was.

Throughout their meeting, body language had spent its time singing to Ace. It told him that the Shadow Prince had indeed been trained. It also told him he was a fighter. The gracefulness in the movements, the way he held himself, easy to get into a defensive stance in a second, and the way his eyes seemed to see everything. Ace had figured out that the easiest way to tell something was to look at the ears, they would often move, and he believed it could tell you about an animal, why not a person? The only set back was that when you lived in the Iceland you often didn’t come across many animals to study. The only animals Ace ever saw there were hard to study. His own dog’s ears were droopy making it much harder to notice things. Now, he would have to watch the ears closely over a while and match them to other reactions.

Oh, his distrust only grew. Ace could see that Kieran hid his true emotions and most likely his motives. Ace didn’t even trust himself, much less this guy. The movements were too calculated for his liking. It wasn’t that the Shadow Prince wasn’t pulling it off perfectly (because he was), it was more of Ace’s natural paranoia. For all he knew he could have been making it up in his head, just to find an excuse to distrust him.

Marriage. This was a new one that Ace had yet to hear. He knew his father always thought a partner would tame Ace, but he never knew his father was this desperate. He folded his hands on the table and kept his face straight, showing no emotion.

“well, damn.” He was quiet for a few more seconds, before completely losing his composure and started laughing. He pounded a fist on his thigh and used his other hand to cover his face and turned away. Tears were rolling down his cheeks and his chest hurt, he was laughing that hard. It took him a bit, but in the end he regained himself and it died down to a small chuckle, before shaking his head.

“I don’t think I have laughed that hard since coming here. The thing is, I would tell you to go see my sister, but I don’t have a sister,” Ace leaned forward and looked at him, watching him closely, “Although my question is why they would send you. No offense, but you are you. I know that much. It’s fine with me and all, you are cute after all.” It was a given that if his father ever heard him talk like that he would have a heart attack right there. Ace just called the Shadow Prince, out of all things, cute. It was there to show that he did not care to be respectful, unless it was in the public’s eye. “I guess in this case, welcome home dear, the castle comes in many colors ranging from white to white. I hope you like it. Please, I beg of you, get someone to redesign this thing.”

Finally he gave up, having enough and pulled a dagger out of his sleeve and placed it on the table. “Come on now, take out all of your weapons, and place them on the table. I am tired of watching your hands, because I may scream if I watch you touch your clothing one more time.” He then pulled out two more of his own and placed them on the table. He sat down and crossed his arms. Ace looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“If you don’t, then you ending up being my spouse gives me the right to strip search you right here in the library.” He ended that with a smirk, knowing he would at a least make an attempt to, although it would most likely end with him being stabbed and the families fighting again, this time over the perverseness of the prince. Although Ace wasn’t stupid enough to think he would get rid of all his weapons, just like Ace didn’t get rid of all of his own, he still had one left. This at least made him feel a bit better and gave him a bit of information on the hiding places that Kieran chose. Right now, he was finding this a bit amusing. He was not bothering to hid that.

((Real life can suck. Oh and I love your character by the way. The last post made me laugh, his reaction to the marriage was unexpected.))

Of all the...what in the...was this prince...what?

It took Every Single trick that Kieran had learnt over his years of being trained to show nothing to resist gaping in absolute astonishment at the other prince. Was he mad? Of all the reactions Kieran had been expecting, shock, horror, disgust, denial.....amusement was not one of them. Maybe a sort of bemused comment about him not lying but this.....He resisted the urge to ask whether the prince had any mental health issues he should be aware of.

"Of all the words you could have used why did you choose cute?" He hadn't meant to ask the question, not really. Only thought it but the words slipped passed his lips without any notification to his brain that they were departing. He wanted to cover his mouth, clamp it shut but his upbringing would not allow such a foolish gesture.

He stared athe the weapons on the table, mentally debating with himself before finally reaching down and lifting the legs of his trousers. Each leg contained a holster made of strong hide which carried a small dagger. Those were placed on the table along with the two identical blades at his wrists, the small pouch of needles at his waist and the silver chain about his wrist. The chain did not look like much but it was incredibly strong and, if handled correctly, could cut off someone's air supply rather quickly. He did not, however, take off the silver ring on his right hand nor did he remove the final blade which rested, hidden, at his back, running along the line of his spine.

The change in tactics had caught Kieran off guard but he was recovering and at the mention of a strip search his tails lifted almost of their own accord and swished behind him. He stood and walked over to the other, his body oozing seduction. It might be a little early but the other was more receptive than he had thought he would be. Most males, when confronted with the possibility of being betrothed to another male, would have been horrified. Not Ace though and that bolstered Kieran enough for him to push his plans forward. He lowered his eyelids slightly, peering at Ace through his lashes once more as he gracefully slid into the seat just beside the slightly older prince, leaning close enough that they were almost touching but not quite. He would wait for a further sign of interest before pushing this any further but he would do all he could to encourage the attention.

"And," he purred in the other's ear, his far right tail coming up to brush the other prince's shoulder. "If you did go through with that plan of yours, to strip search me, are you so sure that it would be an...unwilling act on my part? This is your domain after all is it not, my lord?" The last two words were whispered, so faint that they were almost inaudible but because they were so close Kieran had no doubt that the other would hear him just fine. His head was tilted so his breath ghosted over the other's ear, tickling it. Kieran's lips remained slightly parted as he stared up at the other, his violet eyes darkened under the eyelashes. "And I, I am a mere guest, here to please you in any way you see fit."

((Ace is just a special child like that. I love kieran, and now Ace is an evil genius and totally found someone to play with. *faceplams* Ace... you silly goose. Kieran is so awesome. *nods* His reaction was epic. I also love your writing. :heart:))
“Why? Because of that exact reaction right there.” He smirked glad to have flustered the prince finding it absolutely hilarious. He knew the type of reaction he would get, and now found his new play toy. This guy seemed like he would be a lot of fun. Hopefully he wouldn’t get used to Ace quickly that meant less fun.

Ace actually believed that the Shadow Prince was just joking with him. His father wouldn’t marry him off to someone like that, treaty or no treaty. Ace was too wild and he wouldn’t settle down easily. Right now, he just found the joke funny, after all, there was no way it could be true. If so he would have been told…right? It seemed so fake it was funny. He couldn’t have stopped himself from laughing and joking at it.

He found that he relaxed a bit as the weapons hit the table. It also helped prove his theory, that prince carried some serious weapons. Kieran carried much more than needed, unless he was as paranoid as Ace then it seemed normal. Ace would have his weapons of choice on him, but they were hard to hide and it was wrong for a prince to carry weapons (at least ones that can be seen by the public). He had to make do with the daggers. Such rules like that are what made him hate this high class society even more.

Home was not in this house, it was somewhere where his multi-bladed knives were needed just to survive. He hated this place, these people, and his father. That home felt farther away than ever. Such a home assured that Ace could fight and assured he could give out beatings, of course with the price of taking just as many on his own. Then he had freedom that was denied to him here. Of course there he would have ended up a bandit or thief, so on.

Ace didn’t believe in honor, instead in Pride. Charity couldn’t be afforded, instead it was easier to indulge in your greed, and love was just a cover for lust. The three words he went by, Greed, Pride, and Lust. They were perfect to survive a happy life. Ace followed them in that order exactly. Was known for doing anything for a buck, and would kick ass if you ever said anything about him, and if it had a pulse, he had most likely been there and done that.

Right now he could hear the soft purr of the other’s voice against his ear and couldn’t keep back his grin. He leaned in and nipped the other’s ear before whispering, “hmm, really now, anything to please? I am indeed interested. There is something you have to know. I’m reckless not suicidal.” With that he laughed and leaned back in his own chair, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I’m not stupid enough to believe that you have completely stripped yourself of weapons, just as you do not believe I have also. To do such things at this moment might only get me killed. You are still a Shadow clan demon.” He practically spit out the word ‘shadow’ and looked at him, “It means I don’t trust you, hell I barely trust myself.”

Ace leaned in and whispered to him, “I’m not sure what you are here for yet, but I swear to you on my life you aren’t going to get it. And whatever you are really here for, at least make it interesting, then I might not be as pissed about wasting my time.” He was madder about the fact he knew someone trained was right in front of him, yet he had no idea about their true motives. For a second he hoped the guy was there to kill his father, first thing Ace would do was take off. He would run away from this place and hopefully not be dragged back. He was already creating a strategy in his mind, trying to get all of the players onto the board and list out all the factors.

Never once did it occur to him that maybe the target might be him. Ace believed he had left all of his enemies at home, here it was a new slate. Now he smiled and pulled a small vile out of his pocket. He undid the small lid and put it on the table.

“Want me to trust you? Let me do a deviation. Give me some of your blood and I will know your true motives. Don’t do it and I may trust you a bit more.” He was over exaggerating, the most he would get would be snippets of conversation, maybe some silent past memories, or still pictures. That was the best he could to so far. At least then he could see exactly how much the shadow Prince had to hide.

((This RP is turning out to be more interesting than I could have hoped for! Ace and Kieran will be quite a pair later on I don't doubt. They're already great together now! And thank you. I love writing Kieran. I haven't had much experience playing a character that's so...pushy...and I'm loving it! At the moment I think I would describe him as 'minx'. I'm glad you like my writing. I haven't typed posts this long in quite a while. This is definitely helping me develop. It probably helps that I'm a bit of a fanfiction addict.....-whistles innocently while hiding yaoi fanfics from other people in the house-))

The prince was far smarter than Kieran had initially given him credit for. He mentally berated himself for underestimating a target. That was one of the first lessons he'd been forced to learn, it's meaning beaten into him a thousand times over and over until he finally understood. This prince was not like any of his previous targets. He was cunning, clever and he was not bound by the traditional motives that tied the other nobility to their stations. It was...strangely refreshing in a way.

The talk of weapons brought a smile to Kieran's lips as he reached out and gently ran a finger down the edge of one of Acelin's daggers. The surface was deadly sharp and Kieran had no doubt that, had he pressed his finger any more against the edge he would have caused a deep gash. Blades that sharp was dangerous and normally not entrusted to nobles, those that were so stupid they could barely even figure out which end of a sword they were suposed to point at their enemy. Really it was pathetic how many in the noble class didn't know how to defend themselves, instead relying on their gifts for aid and the people around them for protection when needed. It was disgusting. How could their species have fallen so far? Even during war the nobles were next to uesless in a fight except for good distractions and tempting targets while the slyer ones, like himself, got behind and did what needed to be done. Goddess forbid one of the precious heirs got some blood on their hands. What would the realm come to if such a thing came to pass!

His bitter musings were interupted by the other's words. He looked up at Ace through his lashes, removing his hand from the blade of the dagger and bringing it up to play with the collar of the other's shirt almost absentmindedly. "I will tell you something true before you atempt a divination," he said after a moment's thought. He had had a divination once before, when he was quite young, but he remembered most of it. That seer hadn't been very skilled, pitiful really now that he thought about it. He knew that a blood reading was far more powerful than an aura reading, the type of reading he had had done when he was younger, but still what was the harm in it? He could sense that the other still did not believe him about the arranged marriage so perhaps if he saw the truth in Kieran's words he might be more...receptive...to his advances.

"The truth is..." Kieran murmured into Ace's ear. "I would not need to be so close to kill you, Princeling." Kieran's voice grew darker, seduction taking on a darker tone, still alluring but with a hint of danger, of darkness, that reached out to something far deeper inside a person than just their baser instincts. "There are so many, many ways I could kill you if I wished, painless and pain free, obvious and undetectable, quick and slow, pleasant... Here Kieran leaned in even closer to Ace, pressing himself completely against the other's side. "...and horrifying. Do you still wish to take a reading from me, my Ice Lord?"

It had not escaped Kieran's notice of the way the other had said his species name. It reminded him vaguely of a cat, a very foul tempered cat with angry eyes and sharp claws and that only made him want to press himself closer. Kieran knew himself better then any other creature on this earth and what he knew about himself was that he was atracted to trouble, loved to flirt with death and dance with danger until he and it were so intertwined he didn't know where one started and the other began. Ace was alluring in his own way, not in the practiced, almost incubusplike way that Kieran was alluring. No, Ace was enticing because he was clearly very dangerous and that only made Kieran feel more excited. He would walk a fine line on this asignment but, for the moment, he would push that to the side and indulge one of his own desires for a change. His father would not know, how could he when he was so far away? Not to mention the other had not set a specific time frame. Kieran could take his time, could enjoy the time he spent with ace, circling around him like one would an angry predator.

(( I'm glad you like it! ^_^ I try! Over all I love playing Ace, he's just awesome like that, and I don't usually get to play someone with such an attitude, it's fun. <_< >_> I love Kieran's character, and they do have excellent interactions.))


The entire time the other had his knife in hand Ace was on edge. He made sure to keep eye contact with him, while using his peripheral vision to watch his hands. By this point he knew the other was deadly. This left Ace playing a game he hadn’t played in a while. In a way he was excited about this game. For it was without honor, bloodlines didn’t matter, and there was a definite victor.

Ace knew he could not kill the other prince. No, not until he had true proof that he was an assassin, and he needed to have a way to prove it to the courts, because otherwise they would deem him a murderer. He was honesty fine with that and would go off on the run, but that would pull some old loyalties away from him, and close the mouths of informants. It would also mean a bounty from both kingdoms. Ace had nothing against murder, if he did end up with the Shadow Prince’s blood on his blades it would be another one out of countless.

His past mistakes were the reason he was here right now. It was put on the table as soon as he got to the castles. The rules: 1.act appropriate 2. Never mention your origins. 3. Never tell who you are. 4. Obey your orders. 5. Carry on your duties. If they were not followed then execution was the only option left and Ace knew they would follow through.
The Shadow Prince seemed a bit off to him. Ace could see something in him. Was he really an assassin or just a lost noble? It was difficult to tell. He seemed to be of noble lines, and was there as royalty, yet his actions were too smooth for that and very outright at sometimes.

The threats brought a grin to his face, “Well then, dear Shadow Prince. I think you should know that if you kill me, I want you to make it bloody. If I go out, I’m going down fighting and I’m expecting to die like a dog. You better do that for me if you are going to be the one to kill me.” He meant his words, even if his features made him seem like he was joking around. Ace would never say that to anyone, unless he believed they had a true chance of proving a danger to him. This prince was someone he honestly believed could have a grab at his life. Ace had decided that he wanted to die like the person he really was, there was no such thing as a noble, heroic death for someone like him.

He would have loved to give in to such seduction. The idea was tempting to just give in to desire, but for now he could only play along with the slight games. Ace let out a small laugh, “Of course I still want to the divination. Ice blood is paranoid,” He pulled another vile out of his pocket and placed it on the table, then took one of the knives into his hand, “This is so that you may have some reassurance that no blood magic will take place.” He was hesitant about giving his blood to the other, but cut his palm slowly before he could have second thoughts about it, and put the vile up to the side of his hand and collected a bit of blood.

After that he closed the vile and put it in front of the other, before cleaning off the knife. He stood up to go get a towel and kept his hand away from his body to not bleed over his white clothing. Ace stopped a maid and flirted with her, making sure she would be more distracted by that than the fact he was currently bleeding. He was handed a towel that he pressed against his palm and waved her off. He went back to the table and tossed another hand towel to Kieran.

“I’m still waiting for my blood.” Ace always believed magic to be a dead man’s technique. He had never liked it, but he found that divination could come in handy and didn’t wasn’t a way to fight, so he have given it some thought. He only gave away his blood after he had known that the challenge had been set. He had literally told the other to kill him with his own hands. If Ace died by magic then Kieran was coming down with him, he would make sure of it. There was no pulling one over on Ace, even in death.

There was only one other thing that took the edge off of his fear. He had charms that he always wore around his neck, under his clothing, and even some of the stones in several of his earrings were enchanted. Nothing he had gotten from here, no they were rare, real, and each of them was worth a small fortune. He had paid a lot for each of them, or in some cases took on hits, stole other items, or any other assortment of illegal activities for them. He was not below doing anything he had to for something he wanted. If it was worth something and caught his eye, then he made sure it would be his.

“We must be going back soon to the gathering or they will wonder what happened to us. Damn it.” More and more Ace was displaying his colorful language. He pulled out the only pair of gloves he had been provided for the evening, thin white silk gloves. Really? Someone had better have been joking with him, “I’m going to bleed through these within the hour. I guess I’ll have to hide it as best as possible. I’ve hidden worse.” He sighed. This would be an interesting night.

((Oh...what trouble these boys will cause! Oh by the way how far do we want to go with this RP description wise? Truth be told I've never actually gotten past a certain point in a relationship in any RP that I've been in before (as in either me or the one I was RPing with cut it short before things could really happen) so I'm still kinda new about the boundaries even though I've been RPing for quite a while.....I hate to sound like a newb.))

This one was dangerous. Ever action had an alterior motive or two or possibly five. Kieran wasn't sure exactly how many but they were there, hidden beneath the pale surface there for anyone with a trained eye to see. The blood from the ice prince was dark and, thanks to his extra senses provided by his hybrid form, Kieran could smell the sweet scent. It was dark, powerful blood, of that he had no doubt. The smell called to him in a way that no other blood had. It was somehow...richer...than the others and that thrilled him as much as it confused him. Was it simply because Acelin was another species? No, that couldn't be it. He'd killed others besides his own kind, had theri blood coating his blades and the smell saturating his clothing but it had never quite felt like this.....

He pushed the feeling away in favour of reachout out to take Ace's hand. The wound was not deep but it had been made precisely so it would bleed, a very good cut, clean, effecient and proving Kieran's suecion that the other was no stranger to handling the weapons he had so casually placed on the table. He raised the hand to his lips, his tongue darting out to lick along the wound, lapping at the blood and skin. Flesh began to knit back together almost immediately, leavning only a faint pink line where once there had been a deep welt. He continued to lap at the skin after the wound was closed however, making sure to get every drop of blood he could from the other's hand. It was a little known fact about their kind taht Kitsune had minor healing abilities. They varied from family to family but Kieran had had many reasons to use it over the years. He suposed ot linked back to their animal counterparts. When a fox was injured the first instinct was to lick it clean, to get away the blood and anything else that might harm it. That was basically what Kieran was doing now but with a little magical aid thanks to his demonic heritage.

"There is no need to stain such fine silk," he murmured in explanation, removing his tongue, finally, from Ace's palm. He smirked enticingly at the other before reaching up and summoning one claw on the index finger of his right hand. He brought it to the back of his left hand and carefully opened up a wound of his own. He paused for a moment, allowing the blood to well to the surface before tilting his hand above the gladd vile and letting the drops flow. He was not worried about what the other would fine. If anything Acelin seemed to want the challenge. He already knew Kieran was dangerous, that was a given, showing him this would only ensure that Ace was more excited, was more willing to be around him because Kieran could sense that, like himself, Ace liked the danger. The other's request about how to die only furthered his belief in that. He decided not to make a verbal reply to the other though, letting his actions speak for him.

Once he felt there was enough blood in the little vile he raised his hand to his own mouth and cleaned it carefully, leaving a faint pink line like on Ace's skin. He did not take the time with it that he had with Ace though, preferring to get it over with although he did make sure the other could see his tongue working the skin, healing the wound expertly. He gave a reluctant sigh before leaning away from Acelin, a dissappointed look on his face.

"I supose we must return to the festivities," he agreed, not sounding all that enthusiastic even though normally he liked the feeling of being in the crowd, of having every eye on him. Suddenly an idea entered Kieran's mind, an idea which made itself known in the perking up of his ears and the mischievous smirk that spread accross his face. His amathyst eyes sparkled suddenly in the dim light of the library and he could feel his natural instinct, taht of the kitsune, the trickster, coming to the forefront of his mind. "Although....." he purred. "As this little gathering is technically in our honour, to signal our arranged betrothal it might be fun to.....endulge them a little?"

((Umm… I’m fine with whatever you want. I’ve like done quite a bit and all, so it’s no problem with me. It’s whatever you feel comfortable doing. *nods*
And sadly this is when I read over and realize exactly how much Ace is being censored. o-o" Where do I pull such characters out from?! ))


Ace watched the demon work over his injured hand. He was captivated with the way the Shadow Prince lapped up the blood from his palm, the way his lips would slightly stain a shade darker. As if the visuals were not enough, he would feel the rasp of his tongue over his skin, slightly irritating the wound, even if it was healing it. He did not even bother to hide the fact he was plain out staring, there was no reason to. Ace had no shame unlike other people.

Those lips—No, this was not the time to be thinking like this. There were far more important things to think about. If only his mind would actually listen to him for once.

When he got his hand back, he clenched and opened his hand, making sure it was healed and the wound wouldn’t open up again.

“There is no need to stain such fine silk” Ace’s eyes conveyed what he really thought about that. ‘Sure it was about the gloves, right. I don’t believe that for a single second!’ He raised an eyebrow at him, as if furthering his point.

The vile of blood was small and he held it up to the lamp on the table to check it. It was more of a show than to actually check it, but he had seen people do such things as give blood that was not theirs even when they slit their own wrists in front of you. Now this he could work with quite a bit. He had enough for at least three readings and then something else that he had planned.

Ace put his gloves back up into his pocket and stood up. The next task was putting all of his weapons into place. He laughed and gazed over at Kieran, “You know, none of these are my best weapon. My darlings are my multibladed short swords. They are the real beauties. I got two of them and that is what I trained with and got known for using.” Ace smirked.

Four blades on each one, and each was extremely letal, that is what made these things of beauty. He would mark his kills by dragging the tips of one of the swords over the victim’s chest on the left side over the heart, whether the victim was dead or alive, at least people knew what had happened to them.

“So indulge them you say? I can come up with something very interesting.” That fond smile from the memories turned into a smirk. This was most likely the chance he had been waiting for. The one where he could say the big ‘screw you’ to his father, the courts, and if he was lucky the whole higher class.

Would it get him into trouble? There was a huge chance it would, but there was nothing that anyone here to could to him that scared him. These people were incompetent, and even sentenced to torture it would be a laugh for him, half that time would be him taunting the court’s best torturers. The other half would be him correcting them and giving them advice on how to do better.

He grabbed Kieran’s arm and dragged him along, through the hallways. Ace chose the fastest route to the large gathering.

The large doors loomed in front of them. He wanted to make an entrance and this gave him the perfect chance to. He pushed the heavy doors and burst into the room, still dragging the other along.

Good he still had all of their attention. Once it was centered on them, he pulled Kieran up to him, then leaned in and whispered, “Hope your father is here to see this, too.” With that he grabbed the Shadow Prince’s chin and tilted his head up. Ace kissed him, right there in front of the whole crowd.

People gasped and whispered. A lot of people were shocked. The Ice clan was known for their perfect control and complete lack of emotion, yet to see their heir acting out in such a way…

Ace broke the kiss and grinned, there was a princess from the wind close by staring. He flashed her a smile, “You wanna join in, too?” He raised an eyebrow and burst out laughing as he face reddened and she tried to cover it with her fan.

His father came up and roughly grabbed his arm pulling him away and out of the room. He did not even bother to address the crowd and left that to the others from his court. Once they were in the hall outside, he shoved the Ice Prince and glared at him. To anyone watching this would be a heated exchange of words.

“What was that all about? I thought you know better than to ever do such a thing!” His low voice boomed with anger.

“You wanna know what that was? That was me having some fun, and showing you I don’t give a shit about the courts. You know that I don’t even wanna be here! At least I wasn’t-“ His father cut him off before he could say anything more vulgar in front of him.

“I do not care what you think! We were just about to announce the engagement to everyone, now how are we going to explain this? Tell me Acelin.” The Ice Lord crossed his arms and stood taller over his son.

“Do not call me Acelin! I’ve told you, my name is Ace. There is no engagement. I am tired of this game. Please just shut up about it!” Ace growled and slammed the side of his fist against the wall, having to use all of his control to not start an actual fist fight. He already knew he would lose against this man.

“So you just go along with just any person! Did it even matter to you who that was? What if they pull of the treaty for disrespecting their kingdom in such a way? Then what will we do? More war? Do you even care about this kingdom?” He shot his son a disgusted look and shook his head.

“You are telling me all the engagement crap is real? Please tell me it is not! Now, you are marrying me off. Why didn’t you just sell me to them while you were at it! Do I care? No I do not care about this damned kingdom. It can go to hell. This place is practically it for me! I never wanted to even be here! Yet you use execution. Well then, just kill me. The pain would end quicker. I am not royalty. You say your blood runs through my veins. I honestly do not believe you. Just let me go back home.” Ace started out yelling, yet in the end there was almost a pleading in his tone.

“I am not discussing this with you, but fine if you want. You know I do not like to threaten you Acelin, but I must to make you behave. You do what I say or I will make sure my soldier personally hunt down everyone that has ever associated themselves with you. They will be charged to the highest degree, found guilty. Then they will be tortured for information and finally executed in public for their crimes.” The King just looked at his son’s face. Good. It seemed the message got through.

“I understand and take full responsibilities for my actions.” He cast his eyes down to his feet and bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything else.

He did not have the chance to notice blow to the head until it was too late. He staggered and was grabbed by his father who ordered him to walk.

His vision was blurry and he tried to stay conscious. His father took him up to the doors and then pushed him into the gathering. Ace walked several steps forward before he collapsed. Before he went down if he had his thoughts rounded up enough he would have grinned at the actions of his father. Smart, yet cruel enough to cause pain to his own son to fix a situation.

The people started forward and guards came forward. The Ice King watched from afar and called out, “He must have fallen earlier and hit his head. Who knows how long he has been out of it. He probably hasn’t even known what he has been doing for a while. Guards, take him to his room to rest.” With that he went and sat at the throne watching as they carried off his son.

((We'll just see where it goes. I'm up for trying pretty much anything so I'm looking forward to this developing.
Who knows where our characters come from? Eitehr they're alternative versions of ourselves or there are little corners of our minds where they set up a little camp and whenever we RP one of them pops out to get his/her taste of freedom.))

Hiding all his weapons away was a simple matter, a few quick movements and flicks and they were once again sheathed in their various places and the chain was once more wrapped around his wrist, once more just another delicate piece of finery. He glanced up at the other as he mentioned the weapons. kieran's eyes darkened as he thought about the weapons, how beautiful it must be to see them in action, the blades flashing in teh light and stained with blood.....He shook his head quickly, internally of course, to rid himself of such thoughts as the ice prince grabbed his arm. He could have resisted easily but he went along with it, alowing the other to direct him as he saw for for the moment. The idea of making a specticle of themselves seemed very appealing to him and Kieran made a mental note of that for examination later.

As they reached the entrance to the grathering hall Kieran closed his eyes for a moment and shifted his position so taht it would appear he was almost glued to Ace. As the other male flung open the doors Kieran decided to amp it up a bit. His tails flared out behind him, swishing seductively as he gracefully strode beside Ace. His ears were up and in view for all that cared to look, which many of them did. All the stares.....Kieran felt a shiver of pleasure run through him. As their postions shifted Kieran instinctively wrapped his arms around Ace's neck, playing out this drama to the best of his abilities. Oh no, his father was not here but a deligate had arrived a few days earlier and he knew they were present. He had seen her in the crowd when he and the ice prince left the room earlier. He did not know if she was aware of the assassination plan, probably not, but she would be aware of the arranged marriage.

"He is not here," Kieran murmured. "But I can assure you he will hear ofit."When the kiss came Kieran barely resisted the urge to purr. That would be taking it too far at this point but if they continued.....Ace's lips were forceful and Kieran allowed himself to yield to their pressure, his amathyst eyes closing in pleasure as their mouths met. He pressed closer, all but rubbing himself against the other before they finally parted. A dusting of red coloured Kieran's cheeks. He didn't comment when the other offered the young wind girl the chance to join in, preferring to slip to Ace's right side and unwound his arms from about the other's neck. He could feel every eye on them and his nerves thrummed with adrenaline and excitement bordering on euphoria. This was not danger in the traditional sense of the word. There were no weapons that could do physical damage here but there were still threats, threats everywhere and he loved it, loved the challenge of navigating these threats and dodging barbs. It was what he lived for, what he had always lived for.

When Ace was dragged away by his father Kieran allowed a small frown to mar his face, letting the people watching thing it was from dissappointment but in reality it was a thoughtful frown. The ruler's body languagehad screamed agression to everyone that was smart enough to see it, which admitedly wasn't many in this particular gathering if the confused expressions were any indication. Oh they expected the king to talk to his son about what he had just done; it had caused quite a stir after all. The way in which he'd done it though.....Kieran wished he could follow but as he was about to make his way towards the doors which would bring him closer to the king and prince a hand came down and rested on his shoulder. He spun so fast he was almost a blur, already reaching for a blade before pausing when he realised it was the shadow deligate staring at him, her amber eyes seeming to see right through him without really seeing anything.

Cercei," he greeted, his form relaxing slight at her presense. The other shadow kitsune was slightly shorter than him with amber eyes and hair the colour spilt blood. Her ears and tails were also out but, as she was older, she had four tails rather than three. As their kind aged they grew more tails. The maximum number any kitsune could get was nine but no kitsune had lived that long, in part due to the war and in part because it took so much energy to finally manifest the ninth tail that so few were able to complete the transformation without exhausting themselves and dying as a result. As they aged a new tail took longer and longer to appear. In the first hundred or so years of life the first three tails were gained and after taht the prosess slowed down considderably, the forth tail taking until the kitsune was at least 300 and the fifth at six hundred. Even Kieran's father only had six tails and he was one of the oldest still left that was still regularly seen.

"My Prince," she greeted, her tone perfectly neutral. "I see your asignment is going well." Her tone had not changed but in that moment Kieran was sure she knew exactly what his task was. He was a fool to think she wouldn't know. Cercei knew everything that went on around her, even things it should be impossible for her to know. He didn't thik she was a seeress but there were times when he doubted his judgement on that count. She just always seemed to know things she shouldn't, be in places she had no right to be or no business being when she was needed.....

"It goes well," he finally replied, his tone equally as blank.

"So I see..." She made a slight humming sound, almost noncomital but he was not fooled. She was good at hiding herself within her own body, better than Kieran because she was older and had been trained for far more years than he. He was not sure whether to be glad that Cercei was the chosen deligate or not. She would be far more competent than the other fools hif father could have sent, bumbling about, not able to think for themselves. It really was pathetic but Cercei.....she had a habbit of stirring trouble seemingly unintentionally. He would need to keep a close eye on her.

As Ace stumbled back into the room Kieran could immediately tell something was wrong. Only his sense of common sense stopped him from running to the other's side. Instead he walked calmly and, rather than going straight to Ace, he walked towards the king. He heard the story the ruler gave the others and it seemed that most believed him. Kieran knew differently though. Oh the man was crafty, Kieran would give him that. A very good move. No wonder the other had stayed in power so long. He looked at Ace, now surrounded by individuals he did not know and probably didn't care to, before walking to the king and giving a low bow, his tails moving into the position of a lower member of a pack greeting it's alpha although there were subtle differences. His tails were slightly too bushy, his ears slightly too high. A non kitsune would knot notice these things but they made all the difference, told whoever was careful enough to notice that Kieran was not meekly submitting. he was mocking.

"Your Highness," he greeted, not looking over at teh prince as he spoke to his father. "Is Lord Acelin alright? I saw him fall and heard your announcement but when he and I talked earlier he seemed fine. I will not presume to know your son better than you, of course, for you are his blood, but I am worried about his well being. Please, will you allow me to acompany him to make sure he is alright?" He was not sure what the king's reaction would be after their little display but it was a perfect excuse to talk to the other. His eyes were respectfully lowered but every now and then, in the excuse to look over at Ace, Kieran's eyes would flick once more to the ruler. What would he do? Would he announce teh engagement now or later after what he and the prince could do? Those that probably already knew were within earshot and so it would seem slightly strange for the king to withold visitation rights to the betrhtoed of his son.

((I'm looking forward to see the turns it takes >_< and the truth about OCs... *points to a door* That is the OC Closet where the OCs are kept prisoner--err... I mean: Live happily! They are dragged out kicking and screaming to a RP and then dumped back in the closet that must be kept locked or they will escape and run away! ))


The Ice Lord turned his hardened eyes to the Shadow Prince. He despised the whole race with a heated passion. Yet the war had to be stopped. People were starting to rebel and the number of soldiers was dropping. More and more they had started to rely on mercenaries to fight battles. This move had been the chance that the Ice Clan had been looking for. They always had a scarcer population than other clans, mostly due to the environment they had.

He knew how it would look bad if he said no to the request. In fact, he wanted nothing of the Shadow Clan ever near his heir. Still, looks needed to be maintained. He gestured the Shadow Prince to him and made sure that his voice was low enough for only the Prince to hear him.

“If this heir dies while in your presence, then you will pay for it. Understand?” The Ice Lord waved him off, “Now You may go to visit him. Remember to let him rest, he might be sick.”

;-;-;

No, now was not the time for this. There was no resting. Ace groaned has he opened his eyes. He just wanted to sleep, but he could not, such a thing left him open to attack. If there had been any assassins in the crowd, they would have seen that opening. This was a time for him to be on high alert.

The dog licked his hand and made a whining sound. He just patted its head for a moment and stared at the ceiling. His head was pounding with pain. Ace sat up and used his arm to keep himself in the upright position. Great, he needed to start a fire and get to his desk.

Ace force himself to stand up and a wave of dizziness hit him. He leaned back against the bed post at the foot of his bed and took deep even breaths. Ace closed his eyes and started laughing. He had suffered head injuries before, but this had been his first one since coming to the castle.

Once he reached the fireplace he lit a fire and put a kettle of water to boil. As he stood up a wave of nausea hit him. He put his hand against the mantle and waited until it passed, then made his way to his desk.

At the desk he grabbed one of the small potted plants and pulled off a few leaves of Feverfew and chewed them. He preferred to keep some herbs fresh, they worked better and were there for cases like this. Next, he grabbed a small container of arnica salve he made and rubbed a bit on his temples, which along with the Feverfew would help his headache.

The idea of relying on a doctor seemed absolutely stupid to Ace. A doctor could easily kill you and you would never even know it until it was far too late. It took much more trust than Ace had given in a life time to leave your life in the hands of someone you did not know. He learned to work with herbs, and that had saved him many times before.

The kettle was boiling and he had his small jar of dried dandelion leaves for a tea to get rid of his nausea. He honestly had not been expecting to have to use his herbs once he figured out there was no one he could get in a fight with.

If you had asked him before he would have said that the Ice Lord was not a threat, but now he was extremely wary of him. He knew that he would do anything to stay above the waters, politically wise. Now he also knew that that the Ice Lord was also physically a threat, he knew his ways to kill, the fact that the blow to the head didn’t kill him showed that, and the fact he would hopefully suffer no long term damage.

Ace poured himself a cup of tea and went back to the bed. He laid down and closed his eyes making sure to concentrate on his breathing. He heard a sound at the door and kept his eyes closed. He kept a tight grip on a dagger he had under the thick covers. Ace might have been right about the assassins after all. He kept his breath even and tried to relax his body, the only thing he couldn’t do was slow down his pounding heart as he was on edge. The fact that he did not hear barking meant that throughout his healing the dog had left the room, most likely to go find food.

That left just him and whoever it was. Well, they would be in for a surprise, he was never unarmed.