Avatar the Last Airbender: A Second Chance - Chapter 1b: Royal Hearing

[Kultra_DM]

(OOC: This post is for Lan and Lien, and anybody who followed them)

Before the great gates of the Earth King´s Fortress, two lone figures stood under the heavy rain, both wearing traveling clothes, but one of them wearing a very expressive hair ornament.

The great wall reveled an opening, when a richly dressed man, holding a fan over his mouth at all times came out, an aide held an umbrella over him at all times. "Good evening travelers, my name is Liu Ten. I´m a personal aide to the Earth King, and have come to verify the claims of two travelers who request an audience. Other than the hair piece of the heir, may I receive a different kind of proof from both Heir´s to be?" the smile of the man could be heard across from the fan even if the fan hid everything but his eyes.

[Lien Huo]

Lan saw his sister's eyes narrow briefly in irritation. But the man had asked for evidence from both of them specifically, and considering the circumstances, it didn't seem an unreasonable request. She sighed slightly, but nodded faintly in Lan's direction, indicating that he should follow suit. Then she held her hands up, palms several inches apart.

Despite the rain, the flames that flickered to life were powerful. They swirled between her hands, convalescing into a ball of moving flames that remained contained between the young princess's palms, emitting a steady pink warmth and light that highlighted Lien's face in the darkness of the approaching night. She held it there briefly as she waited for Lan to provide a similarly unique demonstration.

[Lan Huo]

Lan sighed. He knew the usual reaction was great alarm to a bender like himself.

Azure flames danced from each of his fingertips, not even flickering in the rain. He smiled, The blue-white flames casting an ominous light over his face, and uniquely blue eyes.

"I trust this is sufficient?"

[Kultra_DM]

"Yes yes, this is quiet sufficient young heirs, after all both of you are famous world over as the twin heirs to the throne of the Fire Nation, not hearing of you would be rarer than doing it." The fan seemed to be permanently fixated on it´s place as the man talked.

Giving a quick sign, the great doors behind him opened to each side allowing an ample passage towards the fortress. "Of course, this test was a mere formality Fire Lady, as you might guess a bender of the quality your brother possesses is a very rare find and as such, very important to keep track off, we wouldn´t want to have him coerced into using his abilities for the wrong thing, do we?" the laugh the man stifled hanged on the air like a sour note, and offering cover from the rain he beckoned the royal pair to accompany him inside the fortress. "Now now, I wouldn´t want you to catch a cold. Please come on it quickly."

[Lien Huo]

The man's odd behavior, the strangeness of his laugh and the consistency with which he held the fan up to conceal his face.. all those actions set Lien's teeth on edge. Something about this unnerved her, and she shot Lan a brief glance, one that told him he should be on guard.

They followed him across the courtyard to the fortress, and though she had been ignoring the rain as they spoke, refusing to huddle or shiver as most people would after so much exposure to the dampness, she still sighed slightly with relief once they'd stepped under the cover of a roof. She glanced around the room with a measure of alertness, as much surveying the interior of the Earth King's fortress as she was looking for anything to explain the attendant's odd behavior.

"I'm sure the Earth King is quite busy, but if you could please tell us how long it will take before we can meet with him, or his advisors?"

[Lan Huo]

Lan said nothing, but instincts honed by his training were on alert, something seemed off to him, just as they did to Lien.

The flames vanished, and he sighed inwardly. though it likely wasn't meant to slight Lien, They once again referred more to his bending prowess than to the fact she was the heir. If the two of them weren't as close as they were, this would eventually raise more issues than he knew it did at times.

[Kultra_DM]

"Why yes yes Princess, as you say the Earth King is very busy at the time, many an advisor has been brought from all over the land, the Omnyo mystics of the south and many spiritualists from the north have been called on, of course for such important characters as you two." the man stopped slightly at the end of that phrase "I´m sure we can make an opening for you tomorrow morning, the king will be happy to have younger visitors this time around, he has felt out of place among the court since his appointment a couple years prior."

"Yes, both of you would be most fitting, considering your stations and... current involvement it would seem." the man started walking forwards once more "Are you per chance hungry or in need of sleep? We would be more than happy to allow you a pair of sleeping chambers and dinner fitting your station."

Click to reveal..

Please, give me a Perception roll with a TN of 12. (Perception is rolled with Mind + appropriate attributes)

[Lien Huo]

Click to reveal.. (Lien's Roll)

Perception Roll: 2d6+7 → [4,1,7] = (12), unless there's some other skill I have that would apply. You would need to check that for me, Kult, I have no idea.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2613087/

[Lan Huo]

Click to reveal..

perception 2d6+5
(11:09:30) ChatBot: (Lan_Huo) rolls 2d6 and gets 3,3.
6+5= 11 So close...

[Kultra_DM]

Almost instantly Lien could notice a shadow moving up a wall when Liu Ten stopped during his walk, afterwards his talking was different.

"There is also the chance you can talk to some of the spiritual advisers that have gathered here, would that be preferable?"

[Lien Huo]

Lien's gaze tracked the shadow, though the way she did so made it appear as if she were merely admiring the impressive architecture and decorations of the Earth King's palace. She was careful to keep her expression neutral, though she barely managed to swallow her surprised exclamation at the sight of the shadow.

"That would all be excellent. We appreciate the Earth King's generosity towards unexpected visitors, and look forward to thanking him personally tomorrow morning. If we could meet with those spiritual advisors this evening perhaps that would be best. But any extravagance for our dinner preparations are unnecessary.. my brother and I will be quite content to dine quietly before we take an evening's rest. It has been a long journey."

[Lan Huo]

"Lan nodded, speaking little. Diplomacy was one of the things his sister was trained for. "That would be just fine."

[Kultra_DM]

"Why yes princess, that would be for the best. It´s good to know that the children of the fire lord are so well... educated I guess." the man keeps walking when another shadow, a more obvious one scales up a wall by him and he stops.

"Oh my... I presume it wouldn´t be too much to ask of you to meet the Earth King now?" the man asked of the pair, the smile drained from his voice. "It seems a guard was a bit loose lipped about your presence, and the King would prefer an immediate audition."

[Lien Huo]

Lien didn't manage to suppress the slight blink of surprise, for there wasn't even an attempt at deception this time - no guard had come to the man and spoken, no one had approached him, and yet he'd still changed stories practically mid-step. But she recovered quickly and nodded to the man.

"Yes. That would be fine as well. We are most interested in making the Earth King's acquaintance."

As they walked, she shot a slightly more guarded expression in Lan's direction - he could tell she was uncomfortable with how the evening was going thus far. Incredibly uncomfortable.

[Kultra_DM]

"Now I wished for you to meet him tomorrow, but as things are he is the king." the man did a sharp turn and snapped his fingers, from behind a wall in the hallway, two aides came out and the wall closed behind them immediately.

"Please, let this men take your luggage to the rooms that will be yours, for the moment it will be better if you are unburdened when you meet the king." looking them up and down "Fire Lady Lien Huo." the man immediately fell to his knees and pushed his face to the floor "I before hand want to apologize for the following because it´s most insulting." with a huff, he left his prostrated position. "The Earth king is young, and some might say immature so his conduit might no be the most appropriate for a lady trained in diplomacy such as you, he has lived all his life among the servants in the castle so I will ask you to not take anything he says as an insult. Please"

[Lan Huo]

Lan sat there and smiled. He was on his guard now, too, his sister wasn't easily made so uncomfortable.

He looked at her and nodded. "My sister is well-versed in courtly decorum, I know she will behave exactly how one of her station should."

He smiled. "I will do my best to do the same, though my training was far less extensive."

[Kultra_DM]

"That´s good that´s good. Now if you can follow me, this will be a short stint I hope." the man leading them got them as far as a great emerald colored door made entirely from crystal and precious stones.

"Now let me announce you two, I´m sure he is excited by this point." going in he could clearly be heard behind the door. "My Lord, I bring with me the crowned princess of the Fire Nation Lien Huo, and her brother the crown prince of the Fire Nation Lan Huo, I´m sure you have heard of the...No Lord, there is no reason for you to...No please don´t...Yes they are out there but...!" whatever followed was swiftly cut off as the great emerald doors where kicked open by a young man, probably slightly younger than both Lan and Lien. "You must be Lan! Fight me in an Agni Kai like you do in the fire nation!"

[Lan Huo]

He was suprised, but tried to defuse things. He nodded in respect and slight deference. "Agni Kai is a duel between Firebenders your Highness, by definition you and I cannot fight such a duel."

He nodded, and smiled. "I wouldn't presume to duel you in another capacity either, because it would certainly cause a great stir at a time when calm is needed. The outcome of such a duel wouldn't benefit either of our nations in the long run, regardless of who wins."

[Kultra_DM]

"Oh, disregard our nations. This is for the hand of your sister!" the Earth King flashed a winning smile, the kind you would expect a king filled with charisma to have. "I´m sorry I did not mention it before."

[Lien Huo]

Lien's eyes flashed angrily, and her brother heard her slight inhalation, could feel her draw herself up to her full height. She arched a brow at the Earth King, and for a moment Lan was afraid she was about to let diplomacy fly out the window. But though her voice was firm and a bit clipped, her words were at least polite, despite how much he knew she must be seething at the moment.

"Your highness. I am.. deeply honored.. at your attentions. However, as I am the elder sibling of the Fire Lord's children, and therefore heir to the throne of Fire Lord, surely you understand why ours would be an inappropriate match. We each have our own separate, individual nations to rule, after all. No doubt there are many noble women from many nations, the Fire Nation included, who would make you an excellent wife were you to cast your attention towards them.. I would be happy to bring a delegation of our most beautiful Fire Nation nobles during a time of calm if you would like to make appropriate introductions. But because of my duties, I am NOT an appropriate choice. In addition, as the younger sibling, it is not my brother's place to speak for my hand, nor give it away. That would be my father's responsibility, if it were anyone's.. though it is also Fire Nation tradition for the heir to make their own decision regarding their choice of life partner."

[Kultra_DM]

After Lien´s speech the sixteen year old Earth King looked a lot smaller than a man who just drop kicked his way through a door, a look of irritation going through his face for a bit. "You are tough, I like that. I will be back to wooing you later."

"Still, even without your hand on the line, your brother is famous, as a famous person I get to meet him, and I want to see his bending first hand, will you do me the honor?" the sixteen year old king looked excited at the idea.

[Lien Huo]

Lien was caught somewhere between still being irritated, and fighting back a laugh. But dealing with the wounded pride of the ruler of the Earth Kingdom were he to (most likely) lose wasn't something they had time to deal with. Nor did Lien care to deal with the international incident that would arise were her brother to accidentally wound or kill the young king. And she could sense Lan's agitation at the situation, and knew that having him fight at the moment was probably a bad idea. Pulling his punches, per se, was something that her brother had learned to do.. but not something that came naturally to him.

"Your Highness is quite kind to remark upon the Crown Prince's skill with bending. I'm sure he would be most happy to provide a demonstration of his abilities."

She could feel Lan tense up next to her, knew he probably thought she'd gone crazy. But she continued, her voice smooth and diplomatic, with just a touch of charm thrown in to appeal to the brash young monarch's ego.

"However, as I mentioned to your assistant, my brother and I have arrived because of the spiritual unrest, and our official business with both you and your advisors is quite important, your Highness. I would hate for either my brother or you to be accidentally injured during such a competition, when we can ill afford the delay it might cause in order for bruises or burns to heal. Perhaps, as an alternative, my brother Lan could provide a more performance-oriented demonstration of his firebending abilities, and in return, you could demonstrate your skill in earthbending to us."

[Lan Huo]

Lan sighed, mostly in relief. "I would not be adverse to a short demonstration, if that's what you wish."

He didn't really trust his voice to say anymore than that.

[Kultra_DM]

"That´s perfect! The spiritual advisers will be here tomorrow morning, but for now it would be great if you could give me a demonstration of your abilities." The earth king smiled form ear to ear, exciting to be able to witness to the powers of a Master Fire Bender.

[Lan Huo]

Lan nodded and walked to the center of the room, well away from anyone and anything. He put his hands at his sides, and brought them down and then back up, and blue flame spewed forth from his open palms. He artfully manipulated the flame as various shapes, and then compressed the entire display into a single orbe of azure fire that seemed to roil like the seas themselves.

"Is this sufficient Highness, or would you care to see more?"

[Kultra_DM]

"That would be more than enough, I have never seen somebody fire bend like that, let alone using blue flames, not a lot of nobles are willing to put up a show when they come in all haughty you understand." Where the three of them were standing, three single columns of rock ascended bringing them ever farther away from the ground level and closer to the ceiling.

"Now, don´t lose your balance, this trick is not something you see normally." taking a straddling position the short columns the twins where standing on expanded to form a platform as it connected between the decorative columns to either side of the throne room. With a forced breathing, the Earth King started his demonstration as long spikes made from rocks in the columns around him started to shoot out, growing almost side to side they resembled less spikes and more spears made out of solid rock, but the young lad nimbly moved through the very closed spaces they left for him to pass through as they weaved in and out of his way.

Making use of his acrobatic wit and a very rare form of Earth bending the King used decorative gems on his clothing to actually sustain himself afloat for fractions of a second and by the end of the acrobatic game, to actually be standing on the ceiling above the twins. "So how you like it?"

[Lan Huo]

Lan began to make his way through the spires carefully, impressed by the showy display, This was something he couldn't do.

He looked up to the Earth king and nodded. "Very unique to say the least."

[Lien Huo]

Lien watched the young monarch, unable to completely conceal her amazement behind a dignified veneer - though she did make the attempt, which at least kept her from gawking like a peasant. Her lips curved up at the corners in appreciation, and though her words were still those of a diplomat, she couldn't help her inflection sounding more like the impressed teenager she actually was.

"That was quite extraordinary, your highness.. what is that ability called again? I've never seen anything like it.. it can't be traditional earth bending."

[Kultra_DM]

"Oh no, it´s not traditional earth bending. I developed it myself about two years ago from scrolls, or rather I revived it." the Earth King turns to look at Lien. "Why did it impress you that much?" the king gives a huge grin to Lien as he excitedly awaits an answer.

[Lien Huo]

Lien shrugged slightly, realizing that she'd probably been a bit too obvious in her admiration, and that the young Earth King was probably interpreting her interest incorrectly.

"It's different - no one expects an Earth Bender to fly. Float. Whatever you call what you're able to do. That's something that usually applies only to Air Bending.. or perhaps the occasional Fire Bender, who is able to propel themselves through the air using the momentum of their flames. Still, it is an impressive feat, your Highness. You honor your family and the Earth Kingdom with your abilities."

As she spoke, her voice grew aloof and distant again, somehow managing to sound both completely respectful and distantly business-like, all at the same time.

"I am most pleased that both you and my brother have had the opportunity to display your talents to each other, and to myself. Is there anything else you would like to speak of this evening, Your Highness? Or shall we all retire for the evening, so that we will be refreshed come morning for our discussion with the spiritual advisors?"

[Kultra_DM]

"Why yes, there are many things I would love to speak about with you and your brother, but as of right now. It´s late, I´m sure the rain has tired you out as much as the castle did to me, and I would assume you would prefer to retire to your own abodes, I would assume a single room for each of you would be for the best." the Earth King seemed to behave very much like Lien at this point, a very business like voice, posture and look, a far cry from the grin and almost slapstick like demure the Earth King showed mere moments ago.

The Earth King moves a single shoulder upwards, and a small platform rose besides him, a hollow column of earth rose where from within his clothing, the Earth King deposited a small rolled up parchment which fell down the hollow tube. "Yes yes, I´m sad to tell you you will have to be moved from the room you were originally scheduled, but there have been some changes, but don´t worry, Lie Ten will make sure you are perfectly comfortable. He is after all the head of Cultural, Values and Historical Security around here, and nothing is more Cultural than a royal visit." the Earth King almost made a grin as the platform once again slid down into the ground.

"I´m sorry about earlier, I´m sure both of you understand the value of having somebody to let off some steam with, seeing how the regular citizens and the earth nobles have nothing else better to do than to pick at my behavior because I´m the King. Still, I hope you have a great time in here."

Turning to look at Liu Ten, a harsh glare was given on his direction. "Take our guests to their rooms please, do not hesitate to give them anything they look for, understood?"

"Yes, My Lordship." Liu Ten bowed deeply signaled the twins to follow him as the great doors to the Earth King chamber opened up by the double.

[Lien Huo]

The change in demeanor took Lien a bit off guard, but she did her best not to let it show. She thanked the Earth King graciously for his hospitality, watching his exchange with Liu Ten silently, and then glanced at her brother silently as she turned to follow him out of the room, indicating that Lan should so the same. This whole situation had her on edge - everything from the king's easily swayed demeanor to the mysterious shadow she had seen on the wall. She had come here expecting to confer with the Earth King's advisors, and instead they had encountered only strangeness. Suddenly she wished that she and Lan were back with the group of travelers they had encountered earlier in the night, planning a visit to the desert to search for the library of all knowledge, or whatever it was called.

At least that had the potential to answer some of their questions. Right now.. they were only adding to their list.

[Lan Huo]

Lan nodded, expressing his own grattitude for the unique display of bending talent, and followed his sister. His eyes asked a number of questions, one that couldn't be answered while they were chaperoned.

[Kultra_DM]

Lie Ten guided the young prince and princess to their rooms, a set of matching rooms directly opposite of each other at the end of a long hallway. "I hope you can sleep well tonight princes, remember everything is just a single shout away from this place." after bowing, the creepy man who has yet to revel his face walked backwards as he left the premises, turning back "Remember that the earth kingdom hospitality is the best hospitality."

[Lien Huo]

Lien waited until the unsettling guide made his way out of the hall, and turned a corner. She glanced around nervously, watching for shadows or any other odd occurrences while murmuring quietly to Lan at the same time.

Click to reveal..

Not sure what to roll for perception, Kult. Let me know and I'll do so.

"Tell me brother, does your initial impression unsettle you as much as it does me? I can't say I'm at all comfortable at being split up like this, considering the oddities we've experienced so far."

[Lan Huo]

"Yes, it does." He nodded. "We could simply stay together. I was charged personally with protecting the heir to the throne, and I'd be remiss if I didn't do anything to allay your worries."

He smiled. "We are siblings after all, it's not too uncommon."

He looked to her. "A personal demonstration of rare bending from the Earth King, the Vizier.. Yes, something is going on, and I really don't know where to even start."

"We could always find out on our own....though that might cause at least a minor incident."

[Kultra_DM]

Everything in the rooms of the twins seemed perfectly normal, cleaned and prepared to perfection, each of them was a perfect reflection of the other, both of them with windows going to the outside, behind the closed shutters the sound of thundering rain could be heard.

The rooms were dimly lit by the same glowing crystals that dotted the streets, keeping them in a tenuous light that could be dimmed by lowering a cover over them. Each of them had a large mattress filled with wool from a hand picked Goatsheep, and cotton sheets covering them to protect from the cold, each was also decorated by a big wall mirror overlooking the bed. All in all, it was tastily decorated but humble room.

[Lien Huo]

After investigating both of their rooms together and finding nothing unusual, Lan and Lien stood together for a few minutes mulling the situation over. Finally she shook her head at her brother, looking annoyed at the situation.

"There's nothing to be done about it. Using only one room of the two will either start unpleasant and disgusting rumors about our relationship, cause people to doubt the validity of who we really are, or cause offense to our hosts. This whole situation is unnerving, but unless you have any other ideas, I suppose we should just head to bed and hope nothing happens during the night. In the morning we can speak with the king's advisors, and then leave this place."

[Lan Huo]

Lan nodded. "That's pretty much my thought. Father knows we're here, if anything happens to us, there'll be a war the Earth Kingdom can't afford, especially with the Silence. Just sleep lightly Lien, and call should you need me."

He smiled and bowed. "Goodnight then sister."

With that he returned to his room, disrobed and changed into the provided sleeping attire, and laid down to rest.

[Lien Huo]

Once Lan had left, the heir to the Fire Kingdom went through the same nighttime preparations as her brother, changing into the sleeping attire that had been provided, and washing up a bit. Unlike her brother, however, she didn't go to sleep right away. For awhile she paced nervously, trying to puzzle out the strange occurrences. Someone had left hot water and tea, and she brewed herself a cup and sipped it quietly as she mulled it over. Lien never slept well when something was bothering her, and even after she'd finished the tea and made her way into the warm bed, she lay staring restlessly at the ceiling, knowing sleep was probably still a long way off...