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Kai smiled slightly, his face shadowed by the decision of irony. "I fight when I must, and I train hard. The Princess' body guard has to know how to fight. Isekri--I mean Rivera... she holds her own in a fight, but she doesn't know her limits. There will be one day when her power just runs out, and then, she will need me." He spooned up some half melted icecream. "For the most part, I'm a summoner and an about fair light mage. But there's nothing to really summon anymore, so that power is deteriorated." He cracks his neck. "I'm like Rivera... give me a weapon and I'll figure out how to use it before I stop fighting." Kai shrugged. Back in the day, he was just a friend, although they did watch eachother's backs for bullies and such. Usually, it ended up with Rivera protecting him, since no one messed with a princess who could fight well at the age of seven and everyone picked on a commoner's son about the same age. Later on, it was he who became her personal guard and warded off suitors when she had to use her etiquette instead of fists and knives.

Kai shrugged. "I was her childhood friend when she ran away from her etiquette classes. She used to protect me from bullies with her status." He laughed, "Then I ended up joining the palace guard, so I became her body guard so the suitors wouldn't take over on embassies... That's about it, so..." He smiled. "I'm really no one important. I come from a commoner background."

Kai just laughed. "You're quite lucky. She doesn't have any impulse to spike you with her hair pins... you may have a chance. I'll leave you to it." He walked away, then stopped and turned his head. "She likes chocolate things and silver things. I'll tell you that much." Kai laughed again and walked away with his ice cream. He felt a little jealous... but then again, he was just a friend after all, and a guard. If she wanted to deal with things on her own, then let her do so. She didn't have the mage spirit of the empresses but the warrior spirit of the emperors, despite the fact that she wasn't even related. It was still her power to control, and she will use it to defend herself.

Rivera finally managed to stop Kairen from twining around Tainted Kurai's chains. She carried the chain draped over her left arm, like a falconer holding a falcon. The chain was swaying back and forth slightly, calmed down. "Kai, can you get Kairen back the dining hall? She's very jumpy lately..." Rivera stroked the links on the chain, careful not to cut herself.

Kai smiled and took the chain. "She'll be fine with me." He left Rivera with Kira.

"Enjoying the party?" Rivera opened a can of lemonade. She didn't drink soda since it drove her crazy.

"Nani?" She looked up curiously and saw that he looked a bit flushed. Rivera put her hand up against his forhead. "Are you alright? You feel a little warm... are you cold? If you have a fever you better go rest... I don't keep much medicine in the house... so it'll be a few minutes before I can get back from the pharmacy... I could just take you to the hospital... " She was babbling a little.

Rivera felt a chill and a shudder run through her when he took her hand. Gentle touches always sent a sort of fear through her body for some strange, unknown reason. She tried not to fidget and repeated a mantra of tranquility in her head until her muscle relaxed. She was a little surprised. She didn't think going to the Sakura picnic would be an option for her because there wasn't much she could do there... lots of things required a friend or a partner... or something. She couldn't ask Darc, since she wanted to make sure the chaos continuum didn't get out of hand. And she couldn't ask Sakura since she wasn't even close to him. They were star test partners too, so they had to focus. Besides, she'd get Sakura-kun and the picnic confused somehow...

"Um... " She blinked, "Yes, that would be my pleasure..." She could feel pink rising up into her cheeks. Rivera glanced towards the side. She could see Kai forcefully restraining Usagihana to stop her from singing sappy love songs and making rude comments.

"Um... yes... I suppose... " Rivera looked at Kai trying to bury the robot under a sofa cushion. She couldn't find it very amusing, having been unable to really laugh at anything. "I fixed her a little while before... a few weeks ago... but she's so advanced, I can do very to find out her system..." Rivera noticed that Kira was still holding her hand, and blushed even harder. She didn't know how to act in this situation. The gyrfalcon princess was the virgin huntress. She was taught to hate men who showed feelings towards her... but she didn't hate Kira. How was this going on?

Rivera opened the box. Breaking contact caused the normal icy pale complexion to return to her face, only turn back to an even brighter pink. The necklace was cold against her skin. She unclasped her silk choker and the necklace Ai gave her, leaving only the other silver chain clasped about her neck, the pendant hidden under the low cut front of her tank top. She secured the new necklace around ner neck, smiling a little. She usually got weapons instead of jewels, because she was the gyrfalcon princess... yet even then, sometimes... she just wanted to be treated like a girl, to look pretty, to have pretty things. She didn't know how, and she never learned. Unlike the other court ladies, she didn't know how to dress herself in the fashion of a lady. She always ran around in soldier's attire or her armor, constantly walking in a rough fashion, stiffly like the palace guards. The change was new to her. She felt grateful for it, yet it was so strange...

"Th... thank you... it's so beautiful...!"

Kai had succesfully forced the robot under a cusion and was sitting on top of it, lecturing Usagihana in his sternest voice.