Kyran idled by the door long enough to respond “Goodnight.” to Kanone and then slipped out, carefully shutting the door behind him. He then proceeded to walk down the hall to the stairs. He continued down them about half way before he picked up his pace again. He wasn’t exactly in a hurry to get back to Ellior… it was more that he wanted to get back and show Selenity that he really was coming back just like he said he would. He made quick work of the trek between the bedrooms and the infirmary, slowing his pace once he had neared the door. He entered the infirmary quietly and started back towards the area where they had been keeping Ellior. He noticed easily enough that Selenity had gotten him a chair to sit in… right beside both of them. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was going to have to push aside the discomfort of the idea of sitting right there… he was doing this more for Selenity right now than anything. He didn’t say anything as he approached her and started to pull back the chair a little so that he could sit down. As he was sitting however he did eye Ellior for a moment before glancing to her. “…Has anything changed?” He questioned, fishing for an update… if there was even one to give.

Selenity turned her head slightly when she heard Kyran approaching and she offered him a weak smile as she watched him come over and pull back the chair that she had gotten for him. She was still holding loosely to Ellior's hand, but Ellior, thus far, hadn't really moved. She really was relieved to see that Kyran had come back...sooner than she had expected, actually. She watched him sit down and look Ellior over and then turned her eyes back to Ellior herself. "...I am not really sure...," she admitted quietly. Ellior was just lying there on his back with both eyes closed. Sometime before she had come down, the healers had at least pried him out of his gaudy ballroom attire and put him into something more comfortable while he was stuck down here. His dress clothes had been replaced with a simple white robe which tied at the waist, and for the time being was left partially open at the chest, and his pants had been replaced with loose fitted sleep pants. There was still a light sheen on sweat coating his forehead, as well as his chest, and his hand still felt hot to her. "...He looked like he was going to wake up once...but he didn't," she told Kyran quietly. After a moment she stood up slowly and leaned over the bed a little more to inspect him a bit more closely. She moved her free hand to his head and placed the back of her fingers against his cheek lightly before moving her hand to his forehead. "...He still has a fever...but...," she trailed off thoughtfully and didn't finish the sentence. She wanted to say that he felt cooler...but she wasn't entirely certain. After a moment, she removed her hand from his forehead and placed it on his chest just over his heart and held it there firmly for a few moments. "...He is breathing easier...," she said after a moment, "...but his heart rate is still irregular...." His heart still felt like it was pumping in overdrive, even though he was resting. She sighed softly and then removed her hand from him before reclaiming her seat. "...I really don't know...I was not here to see how bad he was before...so it is difficult to tell whether or not there has been much of an improvement," she explained to him quietly. She knew what to look for...to an extent, but at the same time, she was missing a few key facts that would have made her a little more sure of herself.

Kyran couldn’t really say that he was surprised to hear that there wasn’t much of an update… or at least not much of one that Selenity could give him. He probably would have been better off asking one of the healers who had originally seen him when he first came in. That aside he merely sat quietly while Selenity had checked him over and repeated to himself a couple times during the process that it was just routine. She wasn’t doing anything that she wouldn’t normally have done for another person if they had been in Ellior’s position. He stared at Ellior for a moment after Selenity had sat down again and then sighed softly. “…At least he’s breathing easier.” He commented. There wasn’t a whole lot else to really say on the matter. He may have been around when Ellior first started showing symptoms but he by no means knew health care well enough to be able to explain anything to Selenity in a way that might help her to make a better judgment. “…When a healer comes back through we can ask them for a more precise update, if they even have one.” He said quietly as he loosely crossed his arms over his chest and started to lean back a little in the chair to be more comfortable. “He doesn’t look quite as bad to me as he had originally…” He started a few moments later. “…but then again that could just be because he’s asleep and resting a little easier.” He added since he really didn’t know these sorts of things as well as he probably could have. He knew some basic care but he by no means was as proficient as Selenity, Celestine, the healers or even his own Uncle. "...Taro probably could've figured this out long ago..." He commented offhandedly after the thought of his Uncle. He had a lot more faith in his Uncle's strange ways than he did in someone classically trained in the art of healing... but that was only because he had seen his Uncle do some pretty miraculous things with almost nothing at his disposal.

Selenity looked back over to Kyran quietly when he commented about Ellior's breathing. "...Yes...that is good," she said quietly. Being able to breathe was kind of important, and at least he was not gasping the way that he had been. She nodded her head a little when he said that they would ask a healer when one came back through again. "...It may still be too early to tell.... It has not been all that long since he was given the antidote...." She watched as he leaned back in his chair and then looked down at Ellior again when he told her that he did not look as bad as he had before. "...Either way...I suppose that is good," she said quietly. "...He must be feeling a little better...or he just wore himself out. After he woke up, they only gave him enough of a sedative to help calm him down a little...not enough to put him to sleep. They were afraid that giving him that much at this point would do more harm than good," she explained softly. She turned her head to face him when he mentioned his uncle and then laid her ears back just a little. She reached over to place her hand on Kyran's arm gently and then offered him a weak smile. "...I wish he was here," she told him quietly, "...Your uncle is brilliant." She blinked when she felt a movement against her hand and turned her head in time to see Ellior's fingers close tightly over hers, while the fingers of his other hand started to curl into the sheets. His face had twisted a bit into a look of discomfort, and he scrunched his eyes closed a little more. Well...so much for the peaceful sleep. "Ellior?" she asked quietly, wondering if he was awake.

Ellior was awake now, although he had not bothered to open his eyes. He realized that he was clinging to something...although he had thus far failed to realize that it was someone's hand, at least until he heard a familiar voice. He had heard the voice before when he had woken up, but there was still something bothering him about the last time that he had woken up. Frankly, he vaguely even remembered waking up...only having some putrid liquid poured down his throat, but his memory of everything else was extremely fuzzy. He let out a quiet groan in response to the voice and then started to try and open his eyes, although he seemed to be having a bit of trouble. He thought he felt his eyes flutter open, but he could not see anything. He laid there for a moment, staring blankly up at what he hoped was the back of his eyelids...although when he felt his eyes drying out and was forced to blink, he rather quickly came to the unnerving conclusion that his eyes were open...he just couldn't see. He breath caught for a moment and he blinked a few more times, trying to make sure that he really did have his eyes open...but the result was the same. Slowly, his breathing started to speed up a little. While he seemed more lucid and aware this time around, it was still hard not to panic.

Selenity watched as Ellior opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a long time before he started blinking...rapidly. "Ellior...?" she asked again gently, concern a little more evident in her voice now. "...What is it?" she asked him softly when he started trying to hyperventilate on them. "Calm down...what is it?" she asked again as she reached back over to place a hand on his upper arm.
"...I...I can't see...," he answered in a quiet, disbelieving whisper. "...I can't see anything...."

Kyran shifted his glance over to Selenity momentarily when she touched his arm and responded to what he had said about his uncle. He didn’t really have anything to say, he just merely nodded his head a little in agreement when she said that his uncle was brilliant. He didn’t bother to really move or say anything after that, not that he had said anything before... he just silently watched Ellior for a bit. Although he focused a lot more on Ellior once he started moving and giving off the impression that he was awake. He continued to remain silent while Selenity took to trying to assess the situation and also clam Ellior down once he looked to be freaking out. After sitting and watching what was going on he couldn’t really say that he was that surprised to hear Ellior say that he couldn’t see. He was surprised that something like that had happened… but the guy had been sitting there fretting with his eyes all this time so obviously something was up with them. He finally started to sit up a little from the leaned back position he had been in and lifted his hand to reach over and set on top of Ellior’s shoulder a little firmly but not enough to cause pain. “Calm down.” He told him in a calm but serious voice. “You don’t need to throw yourself into a complete panic.” He added. “…This is probably just temporary, so calm down.” He couldn’t be positive about that but he’d much rather have Ellior trying to be hopeful than frantically worrying about the loss of his eyesight to the point that he just made himself more sick or something.

Selenity was mildly surprised when Ellior told her that he couldn't see anything, although the surprise faded a little when she looked into his eyes. They were dilated and looked a little glassy and clearly he couldn't focus on anything. She turned her head a little when Kyran put his hand on Ellior's shoulder and then turned her gaze back to his eyes. "...He is right, it is probably a temporary side effect," she said quietly. "Some plants have the ability to cause temporary vision loss when ingested...it will usually wear off once it runs it's course," she explained calmly, trying to back up Kyran's claim.

Ellior jumped a little when Kyran's hand came down on his shoulder, and for a moment he looked startled. However, once Kyran had spoken he let out his breath slowly and relaxed a little. He hadn't realized that there was anyone else there, so he hadn't expected to feel another hand on him. He turned his head slightly in Kyran's general direction when he told him that it was probably only temporary, although naturally his eyes didn't quite ever make it to Kyran's face. He listened to the both of them in silence and then took in another deep, slow breath before he let it out in a heavy sigh and closed his useless eyes again. "...Mmm...," he muttered quietly, acknowledging their words. Of course, he couldn't help but worry about the prospect that his vision might not come back...but frankly, right now, that wasn't his main concern anyway. He was, perhaps, feeling a bit better than he had been earlier...but he still felt terrible. His head ached and he still felt as though he was in danger of being ill again, and to top it all off he was freezing. He shivered slightly and then absently moved his free hand up to his chest, tugging the robe he had been placed in a little more securely around him. Honestly, he could not have minded a blanket, but he wasn't about to go asking for one right now. "...Thank you...for staying with me...," he said quietly to the both of them. "...I...don't...like to...be alone...." He turned his head slightly away from both of them, almost as if he was embarrassed. Clearly, he was a little more lucid than he was earlier, but that didn't seem to stop him from saying whatever was on his mind. It was the truth, he didn't like to be alone with he wasn't feeling well, although he didn't usually admit that to anyone. Still, he seemed to find himself alone quite often when he wasn't feeling well enough to go out, so it really did mean a lot to him that Kyran and Selenity had stayed.

Kyran ignored the fact that he had temporarily startled Ellior. He hadn’t made his presence known and he had just suddenly reached over and touched him, so of course it had given the guy a start. He continued to keep his hand on Ellior’s shoulder for a few moments while he waited to see if he noticeably calmed down a little. Once he was more comfortable with the state in which Ellior was in he started to pull his hand back and then began to lean back in the chair again. He really did hope that this vision loss was only temporary… it was bad enough the guy could’ve died, or well… could still die. He didn’t need to have vision loss on top of all of that if he did happen to live through this whole debacle. He briefly noted that Ellior moved enough to try and close the opening in the robe he was wearing but remained silent while Ellior spoke. He was finding that Ellior still sounded just as pathetic now as he had before but maybe not quite so… vocal? No… that probably wasn’t it… at any rate, he still sounded pathetic. He glanced over at Selenity mostly from the corner of his eye after Ellior had thanked them and said that he didn’t like to be alone. He hadn’t been with Ellior that long really… he had only just come back not that long ago, although he supposed out of the two of them he had spent more time with Ellior than Selenity had seeing as he had to sit with him right after they had found him. He didn’t really acknowledge the thanks other than a brief nod that Ellior couldn’t even see before he started to change the topic slightly. “Aside from your eyes, is there anything else that doesn’t feel right?” He asked partially to change the subject for both his sake and Ellior’s. “…and do you need us to get you anything?” He paused. “A blanket, perhaps?” He had assumed that Ellior might be cold given the way he closed his robe… but maybe he was just reading the motion wrong.

Selenity was relieved that Ellior seemed to calm down relatively easily this time. It really did seem like Kyran's presence helped to calm him down a little more than hers alone had managed before. She kept her hand on his arm gently and watched as he started to pull at his robe a little. Her ears fell back just a little in sympathy when he thanked them and admitted that he didn't like to be alone. Judging by the way that he said that, she imagined that he was often left alone when he needed someone to stay with him. "...You don't have to worry about that," she told him quietly, "no one is going to leave you alone." She turned her head a little when Kyran asked Ellior if anything else felt off, aside from his eyes. She turned her eyes back down to him quietly and tilted her head a little while she waited for him to answer the question, considering that she was a bit curious herself.

Ellior let out a quiet sigh when Selenity told him that no one was going to leave him alone. That was comforting at least...although a part of him suspected that she was referring to the healers. Somehow...they did not really count as much as they should have in his opinion. He continued to lay there in silence, at least until he heard Kyran's next series of questions. "...Everything," he responded quietly. "...My head...still hurts....and I feel...like I am going to be sick again...," he told him, and then as if the mere thought of being sick had triggered some sort of reflex he swallowed hard and clenched his jaw a little, and once again looked as though he was on the verge of throwing up for the umpteenth time. He didn't respond right away when Kyran asked if they could get him anything. Honestly, he didn't really want them leaving long enough for that, although when Kyran asked him about the blanket, he did finally take in a deeo breath to try and settle his stomach a little more. "...It...it is...cold...," he told him quietly.

"...That is because you still have a fever...," Selenity responded quietly. She moved again and raised her hand back to his face gently. "...Although...it does feel like it is going down a little," she told him quietly. "...If his fever has broken, it should be alright to cover him up," she added as she glanced back to Kyran. "...You were here before I was...what do you think?" she asked quietly.

Kyran had kind of hoped for a more precise answer from Ellior when he had asked him if anything else didn’t feel right… but he wasn’t really surprised by the vague covering of ‘everything’. He had imagined that Ellior still didn’t feel well as far as his stomach was concerned and his head. Honestly… those were kind of givens when you had something like poison in your system, or at least they were obvious to him. He supposed he was at the very least a little relieved to hear that there wasn’t anything else that felt off like his eyes. The upset stomach and headache would most likely subside with time so there wasn’t really anything that could be done further for those that hadn’t already been done. He glanced to Selenity momentarily after Ellior had admitted that it was cold and she started speaking. He looked back to Ellior when she asked what he thought and shrugged slightly. He may have been here earlier… but that didn’t mean he remembered exactly what Ellior’s fever had been at, at the time. Regardless he took his hand and reached over to gently feel his face to get an idea of what his fever was at. Of course he couldn’t tell specifics but he supposed it did feel a little less severe. “…Even if the fever hasn’t completely broken I don’t see where a light blanket would hurt.” He said as he pulled his hand back and started to get up. He wasn’t really sure where the blankets were kept… he honestly hadn’t really looked around to find where everything was when he was here. When he’d been down here he had been more focused on Ellior and what they were doing to him, Nanashi and the other light dragon and LaRae… then this last time he had been more concerned with Celestine, at least for the time being. The last thing he had thought about was where they kept their linens. “…Do you know where they keep their linens?” He asked as he looked at Selenity, figuring she’d have spent plenty of time in here from time to time so she was likely to know, or at least have more a hunch than him.

Selenity watched silently as Kyran reached over to place his hand against Ellior's face and noticed that Ellior seemed to relax against the touch just a little. She let out a quiet sigh and then reached over to rub Ellior's arm gently. She really did feel terrible for him, given that even the slightest contact seemed to put him at ease somehow. She looked back over to Kyran when he told her that he didn't believe a light blanket would hurt. She nodded her head in agreement and then started to stand up when he asked her if she knew where the linens were. "Yes, I will be right back," she told him simply before she started to move away from the bed. She made short work of going to the linen closet and helping herself to one of the blankets. She did come down here a considerable enough amount that she knew where most things were. After all, she had to clarify some things about her healing techniques somewhere. Once she had the sheet she made he way back to Ellior's bed and shook the blanket out before spreading it over him carefully. "There...," she said quietly before she reclaimed her seat next to Kyran. "You should try to rest," she told Ellior quietly before she reached over to place her hand on his arm again.

--[Skip...because we don't want to sit here forever.]--


Over the next few of days, Ellior's condition did seem to improve drastically. The antidote that Celestine had been able to give him seemed to have worked. His fever had gone down and he seemed to be complaining less with aches and pains. By the end of the second day he was able to start sitting up and moving on his own, although his vision was still absent. The healers did believe that it would come back, but they assumed that it would take longer for that effect to wear off than some of the others. Other than his perpetual vision loss, the only thing that still seemed to be bothering him was his stomach. He was not complaining with pain any longer, but his sense of nausea had not gone away. No matter how many times anyone tried to offer him something to eat, he merely turned his head and declined, claiming that he was not hungry. He had also grown very quiet and tended to stay in bed, save for the few times that he managed to talk himself outside into the garden. He always had to have some help finding his way out, but sitting in the sun did seem to help him just a little. Even still, there was a distance in his empty gaze and something almost vacant in his voice. In all the time that he had spent in the infirmary, his mother had not once come down to check in on him. Selenity had been spending a lot of time with him, but neither of them really seemed to have much to say, so they just sat there in silence.

Once Ellior seemed to be doing better, however, Selenity started spending her spare time in the library more and more, searching for some means of getting on with their mission. They had spent far too much time for her tastes on frivolous ventures, and as much as she hated to leave Ellior alone...they really needed to get a move on.

During the next few days that passed everyone just kind of settled in to what staying at the Palace lead to. Nero hadn’t really bothered to leave the room that he had been given to stay in, even though he had been invited to leave and pass through the Palace like any of the others. He only left the room long enough to bathe and sometimes eat… when he could be coaxed out of the room that is. Even with his door almost constantly being guarded and everyone knowing that they weren’t allowed to abuse him he still felt it best to keep out of sight, which he also encouraged Reyes to do. Reyes on the other hand wasn’t quite as keen on the idea of staying out of sight as Nero was. He still spent a lot of time with his cousin in his room but he also spent a near equal amount of time following Celestine and Kanone around when it seemed they were doing things that were more interesting than just sitting in the dark. But then, Kanone usually spent a good portion of his time trying to harass Nero… so following Celestine around was the better bet… with the exception of Aamori also hanging around him. Aamori liked to spend time with Celestine, so of course whenever she saw a good chance to be with him, she was. Although she had noticed that more frequently than not, Reyes was usually hovering around as well. When she wasn’t with Celestine she was with LaRae or trying to keep Zale from destroying the room due to being locked up as long as he had been. As for LaRae, when she wasn’t with Aamori she was with Nanashi, which wasn’t really a surprise. The only thing that had really changed in her normal demeanor was that she was a little quieter than normal and wasn’t always paying as much attention to normal conversation. She had frequently been getting lost in thought and often found herself feeling drawn towards plants. So pretty much… if there was a plant nearby, even a potted one… she kind of gravitated near it unconsciously. Kyran pushed himself to try and be as much like his normal self as he possibly could. He and Selenity had gotten a chance to kind of clear the waters between them but he felt like it was far from being perfectly taken care of. He didn’t avoid her like he had been but some days he didn’t go out of his way to be seen by her either. He did make an effort to try and check in on Ellior from time to time. He also spent some time with Nanashi here and there and even went so far as to go visit the diplomat’s office a couple times. Partially that had been so that he could do some work for them since he had free time and also because he had been curious to see what chatter there could be around the office considering the past few days and the things that had gone on.

Given all of that, it was some time after lunch and everyone had broken off into their own little groups as per usual. Kyran hadn’t been around for lunch however, he had been gone since just after breakfast and was at the diplomat’s office. Nero had managed to be talked into actually leaving his room for lunch but since then had been back in the bedroom with Reyes playing with a mobile chess set that he had talked Firra into getting for him. Then lastly, of course, both LaRae and Aamori were with Nanashi and Celestine, respectively.

Directly after lunch, Selenity returned to the library to look through a few more books before deciding to try and round everyone up. She knew that Celestine was likely outside with Aamori, seeing as he tended to stay outside more than in, and Nanashi was probably out there as well somewhere. She knew that Kyran was at the diplomat's office, otherwise he probably would have been the first one that she went to, but seeing as he was not available, she thought her next best bet was finding Nero. Nero was always easy enough to track down, seeing as he hardly left his room, and next to Kyran he was probably the only other one that the others would listen to right away without question. After spending so much time in a place like this, she imagined that it was going to be very difficult to get everyone rounded up on and on the road again, even though she herself was eager to leave. Once she reached Nero's bedroom, she nodded briefly to Jett and Kyros, who had been placed on guard duty once things had settled down enough that Ishta was pretty sure that no one was really going to bother Nero, and then knocked on the door.

Kanone had been the one to harass Nero into coming out of the bedroom long enough to go down and eat, rather than make Firra run his meal all the way upstairs for him. Now that they had eaten, he had followed Nero back to the bedroom and was busy watching him beat the snot out of Reyes on the chess bard. Of course, he was cheating a little and trying to help Reyes win but...from the look of it, both of them together were going to lose horribly. He raised his head when he heard a knock at the door and looked in that general direction. "Yeah?" he called loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door.

Selenity took Kanone's response as admittance and finally opened the door before stepping inside. She blinked, mildly amused to see all of them hovering over a chess board. "Who's winning?" she asked with a half smile, although...judging by the number of black pieces still in play, she assumed that Nero was probably beating them senseless.

"...Pfft...this isn't even fair," he said with a laugh. "I thought two heads were supposed to be better than one."

Selenity laughed slightly and shook her head a little before she came over to stand beside Nero. "Anyway, Nero, I wanted to talk to you."

Nero was in the middle of watching Reyes try to make his next move while being coached by Kanone here and there when he heard the knock at the door. Reyes was by no means stupid, he was actually rather intelligent… but he was in no way the strategist that Nero was… this being said… it was obvious who was winning and likely to win every time. Nero always gave Reyes ample time to make his move and didn’t really pressure him or try to make him fumble. He didn’t even mind that Kanone was trying to be helpful and get Reyes a win. He knew how talented he was and he had faith in his own abilities and honestly, it was almost rare that he found someone who could easily best him at the game. Even with that in mind, he still found pleasure and some amusement at playing with people he knew wouldn’t be able to beat him. It was kind of fun to watch them squirm and try to be victorious only to get squashed in the end. But back to the door… he lifted his eyes slightly and glanced in the direction of the door as soon as he heard the knock. He didn’t speak, merely turned his eyes back down to the chess board while Reyes was still deciding where to move his piece this turn. He didn’t bother to lift his eyes at all once the door opened and he heard Selenity’s voice. There were only so many people that it could be at the door and since they had already eaten he knew it was likely one of three people… Celestine, Kyran, or Selenity. The others in the group didn’t really make it a habit of coming to visit him or this room, for any reason. He lifted his eyes momentarily to look at Kanone when he said with a laugh that this game wasn’t even fair and commented that he thought two heads were supposed to be better than one. He merely shook his head a little, humored by his logic. “Two heads don’t amount to anything if you don’t use them properly.” He teased. By then Reyes had decided where he was moving his piece and did so before sitting back looking slightly pleased with himself. By then Nero’s attention was back on the board and was already starting to decide his next move, although he did glance to the side just enough to look at Selenity when she said that she wanted to talk to him. “…Go ahead and talk.” He told her. “Or wait until this game is over if you must talk to me alone.” He instructed before turning his full attention back to the chess board.

Kanone looked back to Nero when he told him that two heads didn't amount to anything if you didn't use them properly. "Hey, now! At least I remember how to move the pieces, that's more than I can say for some games," he replied with a half grin. Kanone knew that he wasn't that great of a strategist...although he probably would have been a little better if he'd played the game more than a few times and actually cared to win. Kanone was more of the physical type. He felt too restless sitting down trying to think his way through things. He would much rather get up and race or play some form of ball.

Selenity chuckled quietly at Nero's response to Kanone and then looked at him seriously. She started to open her mouth when he told her to go ahead and talk, and was prepared to do so...at least until he added to wait until the game was over if she needed to talk to him alone. She let out the breath she had taken in in a heavy sigh, looking almost deflated. She didn't need to talk to Nero alone...but she at least would like for him to be paying attention to what she was saying, and somehow...she had a feeling he was going to be more focused on winning this game than on listening to what she was saying. She waited for him to make his move and then glanced down to the chess board again. Nero was clearly doing a good bit of damage, but Kanone and Reyes had at least managed to salvage a good number of key pieces, and had them all decently located. She tilted her head a little and watched as Nero made his move before she sighed. Chess...was a rather common pass time around here. She played quite often with anyone whom she could con into sitting down and playing with her. It didn't take her very long studying the board with fresh eyes to find an opening that seemed to have been overlooked. Once Nero had finished his turn she let out another sigh and picked up one of Reyes' Knights and moving it for her. "Checkmate," she stated, seeing as his king now surrounded. She released the piece and then looked back to Nero before crossing her arms. "...There, can we talk now?" she said almost impatiently.

Kanone blinked when Selenity took their move for them, without even giving them a chance to think...and freaking ended the game right there. He hadn't even SEEN that possibility while he was staring everything down. "What the? How?" he blurted before looking back to Reyes in mild confusion, half wondering if he had set things up to do that or if that had just been a fluke.

Nero hadn’t always been good at chess but he had played it enough to become quite skilled at it. Plus, playing chess went pretty closely hand in hand with military strategy… which he was also somewhat trained in. He could easily play chess for hours but at the same time he wasn’t opposed to more physical games which required less brain activity. At the present time though, chess was the easiest thing he could get his hands on and it also kept him in the one bedroom out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind… he hoped. As far as this game was going he had lost some interest in it just because this was the… well… he wasn’t even sure what win this was in a row… but the wins had stacked in his favor. He was still very much able to pay attention to the game and a conversation at the same time but he soon found that he must have annoyed the Princess with his previous remark. Once Selenity had taken it upon herself to make Reyes’ move for him and wind up winning the game for him too, he just stared at the board for a moment. It was an obvious win and an easy move now that it bad been pointed out. He had been staring at the board and pieces for so long that he was starting to get rusty. Had this been the very first game that they played that move wouldn’t have even been available, he knew it. After a moment he let out a heavy sigh and leaned back so that he was resting against the pillows on the bed and crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his dark eyes up to stare at Selenity, giving her his full, undivided attention. “Out with it.”

Reyes had been staring at the chess board and pieces for so long himself that he almost felt like he was seeing double. He didn’t mind playing the game numerous times with his cousin but eventually it would start to wear on him like it was. As far as this game was going his hope of winning was barely holding on by a thread. He wasn’t really even paying attention to where exactly he was moving the pieces… he was just moving them to open spaces almost unconsciously. Much like with his cousin… his senses would’ve been a lot sharper if he hadn’t been playing the game so much lately. He had been watching, barely, as Nero made his move and once he had he started staring down at the board trying to see where he could move. He was prepared to reach out and just move a piece without even thinking about it when suddenly Selenity reached down and moved a piece instead. He couldn’t help but stare in awe when Selenity said ‘checkmate’. He hadn’t set anything up that he knew of and he hadn’t even seen the move that she made; at least not until after she made it. He turned his eyes up to Kanone after a moment, mirroring his confusion. He really didn’t know what to say… not that there was anything to say… he supposed.

Selenity glanced over to Kanone for a moment when she heard him ask how she had managed that move. "...Fresh eyes," she responded simply before looking back to Nero. She was a little annoyed that Nero hadn't been paying full attention to her, but she wasn't really angry. She just wanted to make sure that he was listening. She turned her gaze back to Nero once he had started to lean back on the bed. She let out a quiet sigh once he said 'out with it' and then drew back her shoulders. "Well, to get straight to the point, I wanted you to help me gather everyone up so that they can get ready to leave. We have stayed here far longer than I intended to in the beginning, but I wanted to make sure that Ellior was going to be alright before we left. I have been researching locations where our relic may be hidden, and I have narrowed it down to one place. You're the easiest one to find, so I started to with you since Kyran's made himself scarce again." She glanced over to Kanone and Reyes for a moment. "So, go ahead and start getting your things together." She turned her gaze back to Nero and then gave him a little smile. "Oh, and Nero...you can keep the chess board. Who knows, we may have some spare time later on this trip. It will give you something to do."

Nero stared up at Selenity while he waited for her to get on with what she had come to talk about. He was relatively glad to hear that they would hopefully start getting a move on. He didn’t mind sitting around in this bedroom for all hours of the day but he would much rather like to get going, get done and get the hell out of this territory. He’d had enough of the ignorant light dragons in this territory and was ready to move on. He would have done so already… except they couldn’t really leave without the light clan’s relic. He listened quietly to everything she said and then sighed softly. “I don’t really see where you needed me to help.” He commented. “You’ve got enough guards at your disposal; you could’ve used them to help round people up. Or hell, Kanone would probably do it just for a break from using his brain.” He teased. He didn’t budge from where he was leaned against the bed, even after she had added that he could keep the chess board, though he did glance down to it momentarily. He wouldn’t mind having something to do later when there wasn’t exactly something to do… but at the same time he wasn’t really sure that he felt like carrying it around. He preferred to go with as little as possible. If he couldn’t carry it on his person without extra baggage… well… he wasn’t crazy about carrying it. He preferred to be ready for action right away… which meant not having to find a safe place to set a bag so that he could fight without carrying it. But… he supposed he could talk Reyes into carrying it. He usually had Shen carrying things anyway… and that would make it easier on both of them. He pushed the thought aside for the moment before looking back up to Selenity. “At any rate, you told us.” He paused. “We’ll be ready to go soon enough.”He told her, obviously with no real intent to go hunting down the others.

Selenity let out an exasperated sigh when Nero told her that he didn't see why she needed him to help her gather everyone up, and then added that she had enough guards at her disposal. "I have my reasons," she told him dryly. She glanced over to Kanone briefly when Nero told her that he probably would have gone just to get a break from using his head, and half smiled when she saw Kanone stick his tongue out at Nero in response. She shook her head a little and then turned her gaze back to Nero again. Her ears laid back a little when she saw that he seemed to have no intention of moving and she let out another sigh. "You enjoy being difficult, don't you?" she asked him in an almost defeated tone. "If you must know, I asked you because aside from Kyran you're probably the only other person in the group who can get people moving without having to ask twice. That aside, I do not want the guards getting involved, nor do I want to let them know that we are leaving. Ishta knows of our mission, as does my father...but that doesn't mean that they wouldn't want to send along a few guards just to keep and eye on me...and you," she added almost reluctantly. "If we all simply turn up missing, they will know that we have moved on...there is no need to tell them." She let out a heavy sigh and then shook her head a little before starting to turn to leave. "...It would be faster if you would help me...considering that you do not really have much that needs to be packed."

Nero wouldn’t say that he was intentionally difficult. It wasn’t like he went out of his way to be a pain in the ass, he just usually told it like it was and honestly… he didn’t see where she needed him to help her get people motivated to get moving. Even after everything that she had said he still didn’t see where she needed his help. It wasn’t that hard to get people in the group moving… even if Kyran wasn’t here. All you had to do was go up to them and let them know you wanted to head out and to get ready and they were more than likely going to go ahead and do just that… get ready to go. He sighed quietly and shook his head a little. “Faster with me helping… yeah, right.” He commented. “The only thing that might help to speed up is lessening the foot work you have to do by yourself.” He paused. “I don’t expect you to have any trouble whatsoever getting people moving. Aside from maybe Aamori… I’m pretty sure the rest of us are tired of being here and would like to do something a little more entertaining.” He told her. He continued to sit there for a few moments, still looking as if he weren’t going to move at all… but finally he started to sit up a little and put his boots on. He got to his feet after lacing up his boots and started to grab the one working weapon he had left off the bedside table and started putting it into his lower pants pocket. He had meant to see about getting a new pair of brass knuckles since one had been damaged in the last fight… but he hadn’t really found a good chance to get out and do something like that. Not to mention he didn’t really see a light dragon selling a weapon to him that he could easily kill people with. Once he had his weapon in his pocket he straightened up and stared over at Selenity. “Alright Princess… since you obviously can’t do this alone, where am I headed?” He asked, assuming that she expected him to find certain people while she looked for others.

Selenity knew that she could probably get the others moving on her own, although she was also well aware that she was going to have a lot of ground to cover if she went to find the others on her own. Celestine was probably outside, as was Aamori if she was with him...but she had no idea where Nanashi and LaRae were. She let out another frustrated sigh when Nero started to tell her that she wasn't going to have trouble getting the others moving. "I am sure I will not have much trouble with that, Nero...if you must know the reason I was requesting back up it is because I have NO Idea where everyone is and no desire whatsoever to search this palace from one end to the other in these godforsaken heels!" She already assumed that Nero was not going to budge from where he was sitting, so she was just a little surprised when she heard him ask her where he was going...albeit rather sarcastically. She stopped just in front of the door and turned around, giving him a glare that could have probably sent chills down the spine of a few people. "How about down only our knees to kiss my royal ass?" she replied heatedly. "I told you to stop calling me that. Celestine and Aamori are probably in the garden. ...I have no idea where Nanashi and LaRae are. Take your pick."

Kanone was still standing near the bed, although he was getting ready to go start shoving his things back into his bag. He saw Selenity's point at least. Nero could probably get people's attention far better than he could. He was bound to get distracted by something. He offered Nero a little smile when he saw him starting to get up and get ready to leave the room, although...as soon as Selenity turned around to look at him, he froze just a little. She...looked a little...irritated...to say the least. Even still, as soon as she told Nero to kiss her ass, he couldn't keep himself completely quiet. "PFFT!!" He threw his hand over his mouth and started to make his way toward his own bed, struggling not to laugh hysterically at the comment. Just hearing those words come out of the mouth Selenity was too much. He knew Hikari would probably say something like that, but...it was hard to remember that sharp tongued Hikari was the same person as prim and proper Princess Selenity of the Light clan.

Nero ‘s initial thought to Selenity’s reason for wanting back up was that if the heels were that much of a problem she should just take them off and wonder around barefoot like LaRae had done that night of the party. But of course he merely kept that to himself and shook his head a little. Not point in relaying that thought to her since she should have been able to think of that just fine on her own. He wasn’t the least bit phased by Selenity’s little glare when she turned around and looked at him like she did. There was no glare that she could give him that would make him uncomfortable… and that was mostly because he’d been put through worse in his own territory. She was no more than a fluffy little kitten as far as dangerous went, in comparison to women in his clan. He wasn’t even fazed by her telling him to get down on his knees and kiss her royal ass… instead, while ignoring Kanone and his insistent laughter he responded to her without skipping a beat. “You shouldn’t say things you don’t mean, Princess.” He had no qualms about doing what she said, if she really expected him to. It wasn’t like it would bother him or make him look any less of a man, or anything like that. He was confident in himself all the way around, so it really didn’t bug him at all that she had said that, though he was also well aware that she was too prim and proper to just allow him to do that, even if she told him to. “My inner jerk would say Celestine and Aamori, just because you have a vague idea of where they probably are.” He told her when she told him to take his pick. “But… for the sake of your poor little footsies… I’ll look for the other two.”

Reyes had sat back a little himself and was merely listening to Nero and Selenity go back and forth, at least until it looked like they needed to get ready. Then he had shifted his focus to trying to get things cleaned up, I.E… the chess board and its pieces. He had taken to putting the pieces into the inner part of the chessboard and was closing it up, while still listening to Nero and Selenity. He didn’t burst into laughter like Kanone had when Selenity turned and kind of snapped at his cousin. He just kind of stared at her, a little frozen himself. He hadn’t ever really seen her act like that or even speak like that so that in itself was a little startling. The glare wasn’t too bad. It was a good one, as far as scary went… but his own mother had given him worse before. Then again… maybe it was just that he was far more afraid of his own mother than he was Selenity. Similarly to Nero’s thought process… he just wasn’t that afraid of the Princess. She was far too soft and cuddly… at least when she wasn’t snapping like that at Nero. After a moment he finally moved and picked up the chessboard in the process of getting off the bed. His things were in the other room… the one the girls stayed in… so… he had to go there first but he had figured that Nero would want him to hold onto the chessboard, which was why he still had it with him.

Selenity was well aware that there was a very simple solution to her shoe problem. However, she had tried wandering around the way that LaRae had, but people tended to notice the difference when she was not in her shoes. If they didn't hear clicking, they were usually checking her feet. Changing shoes wasn't going to help her out very much either, seeing as none of the others were any more comfortable. She was starting to develop blisters on her feet from the change of shoe types she had recently undergone and her feet were getting rather sore more quickly than they had before she had gotten used to wearing comfortable boots. She gave him another dirty look when he told her that she should not say things that she didn't mean. "...You get anywhere near my posterior and I will rearrange your face, Sunshine," she informed him immediately, knowing what he was getting at. She continued to stand there with a bit of a glare on her face as he told her that his inner jerk would tell him to go look for Celestine and Aamori since she knew where they were. Even still, she let out a breath of relief when he informed her that he would go look for Nanashi and LaRae instead. "...Thanks," she responded simply. Now, the only thing that she dreaded was walking down all of those stairs. She started to make her way closer to the door once again and opened it, although she stood off to the side as if she were waiting for Nero for a moment before she moved out into the hallway, although she still lingered nearby for a few moments before she started to make her way toward the stairs that had brought her up here.

”I had no intention of it Princess. You’re the one who brought your Royal Hiney into the conversation.” Nero responded with a slight roll of the eyes at her ‘Sunshine’ remark. He didn’t care for the little nick-name but it was more fun to tease her and call her Princess than it was to not just because she insisted on calling him Sunshine when she remembered it. He already had his things together considering that he didn’t carry very much to begin with so once Selenity had started making her way for the door he followed a few moments after. He wasn’t totally sure where LaRae and Nanashi were but he figured he’d double check the bedrooms first before he went anywhere else looking for them. He knew that Reyes would have to get his things out of the girl’s room, so he could check for LaRae while he was in there and then that just left the room Nanashi had been staying in. Other than that… he imagined he should check near the piano… just because and then probably somewhere outside. There weren’t a whole lot of places inside that he could think of that the two of them would be. He headed outside of the room, waiting for Reyes before he really got moving. He wasn’t really lingering anywhere for Selenity’s sake and he’d pretty much already ignored her for the time being. She was going to look for the others, which didn’t require him in any capacity. He followed after Reyes once he had exited the room and followed him over to the girl’s room, waiting outside until Reyes had confirmed that no one else was in the room before he went across the hall to check Nanashi’s room.

Selenity shook her head a little when Nero told her that she had been the one to bring her royal hiney into the conversation. She soon realized that Nero did not have any intention of walking down the hallway with her, so she did not bother waiting for him for very long before she started to make her way down the stairs carefully. It was so much more of a pain trying to walk down stairs in high heels than it was climbing up them, and she was not all too pleased to think that she had about three more flights to go. Once she did finally make it down to the main hall, she took the main hallway which would lead back toward the infirmary and the doors which led out into the garden.

Nero was not going to find Nanashi inside of his room right now. Much like Nero, he did tend to spend a considerable amount of time sitting hidden away in his room, but it was not quite so difficult to coax him out into the open. LaRae had been with him for most of the day now, and he did not want to make her sit inside the bedroom. He had noticed the way that LaRae seemed to be gravitating toward anything that involved plant life since her encounter with Renzo, but he hadn't really found a good time to ask her about it. After lunch, he had started to walk around a little, although he had soon enough found himself back inside the ballroom gravitating toward the piano. Of course, they were still near the balcony so LaRae could have easily ventured outside if she had wanted to, however, he had found himself seated behind the piano looking down at the keys thoughtfully. He had run his fingers over them a few times, but not hard enough to make any sound. He was still a little shy when it came to playing with an audience, even if that audience was only LaRae, although he did look as though he wanted to actually make some music.

Nero knocked at the door once he reached the room where Nanashi had been staying. He waited a respectable amount of time before he gave another knock, and finally a third. He didn’t think he needed to open the door and look inside for the guy. Considering that LaRae hadn’t been in the other room and there was no response whatsoever from this room… it was probably pretty good to assume that neither of them were inside the room. Then again… maybe Nanashi was asleep. At this time of day and given how many knocks he’d done… he found that hard to believe. Nanashi was the skittish type… and he would’ve surely responded to the noise in some manner. With that determined he turned away from the door and started to head for the stairs so that he could go down to the first level. He breezed down the flights of stairs with way more ease than Selenity had and proceeded to head towards the ballroom where he remembered the piano being. He walked around like he owned the place, in a sense… because he didn’t shy away from guards when and if he passed them and didn’t bother averting his eyes. He walked with confidence and determination. He had a location he planned to go to and he was going to get there regardless of who was in the way. Although… there was probably one person in the whole palace that could deter him… but thankfully she didn’t really appear to be around at the present moment. That thought aside, he continued to the ballroom and stepped inside as soon as he reached it.

He wasn’t too surprised to have found Nanashi so easily. It was hard to miss his vibrant red scales amongst the lighter colors of the room and the piano. He couldn’t see LaRae right away, because she was on the balcony, just out of sight. But he’d soon enough figure that out the closer that he got to Nanashi and the balcony. He moved quietly, barely making a sound as he entered the ballroom and started across the room towards Nanashi. Of course given his own coloring it probably wouldn’t be hard to notice to him coming if you were looking… or at least not completely focused on the piano itself so much that you couldn’t really see out of the corner of your eye. “Play the damn thing or move on.” He called once he was a little closer. “On second thought… move on.” He added before giving too much of a chance for a response. “The Princess is ready to move out. So you can stop teasing the piano already.”