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Riley fiddled with the shoes she had put back on, trying to get them to fit without bothering her. Fourteen years of bare feet... shoes were going to take far longer than she wanted, to get used to. She froze in her fidgeting when Mot turned and headed towards the two of them, and her feet plopped down onto the ground quickly, as she stood up straight. Her fan, where was her fan, why couldn't she find her fan, ahhh-

The fan was the least of her concerns when she finally understood what it was Mot was offering. She knew what massaging was, but only in theory. His hands, instruments of healing - pressing against the muscle, to relieve tension. His hands, on skin-

Riley turned a very dark shade of purple and made a sound unrecognizable to normal speech, before shaking her head. She considered hiding behind Shun to hide from the shame of her thoughts, but instead just gestured to him wordlessly, as if to say he was in more need. Really, it was just to keep the man, his name still unknown to her but his face etched behind her eyelids, from seeing how embarrassed she was.

Looking towards Mot, Shun considered his offer. It was a tempting thing to say in the least, but he decided against it. He would have to remove his armor for a massage to be effective.

"Perhaps once all the battles are through, Mot," he replied. He soon noticed that Riley was blushing rather madly to this side. Eyeing her, he looked between her and the chiropractor. She was also shaking her head and was seemingly having trouble speaking.

Hm.

An inkling of suspicion arose within him, but before he could say anything just yet, he turned towards Damien. Slowly, he took the glass and eyed it warily.

"Did you put something odd in this?" he asked. Just in case.

It was then that he turned towards the group of silvers that were in the gardens with them. The one that had been in the gardens when he arrived... and the one that had grabbed his rear earlier. They too were wanting to join their ranks.

"Very well."

He had nothing more to say on the matter. It was indeed their choice. He had just wanted to put that out there of what they may need to do. It was, after all, war. It was commendable to say in the least that they were willing to go through it despite it all.

"Oh. Um... Um..." Lizzy stammered, her cheeks flushed pink; she had expected him to be upset, angry or even embarrassed, and for a moment, did not know how to respond to his kindness. It wasn't until someone else - a girl standing beside him - stepped in did she finally snap out of it. Taking both of their hands, she quickly pulled herself up, dusting off her robes. Her smile was sheepish as she bowed her head, "I'm sorry about the accidental... Touch."

She did not want these kind strangers from another land to think that butt touching was a custom in the Red Kingdom... Just in case there were any misunderstandings. When she raised her head again, she noticed that they were having an audience with the king, and immediately bowed her head again, this time in greeting to the Red King.

...No?

The lady didn't seem to want one at all. Maybe she was shy about people touching her? And Shun was not ready for one either. Mot's smile faltered, not really needed at this point in time. He straightened up again, casting a light chuckle. "Ah, well. Alright then."

Perhaps he ought to busy himself elsewhere.

Sheridan had been quiet since returning from the tower, searching though his thoughts and memories, pondering on all that had happened and on what would happen. There was something they were missing, he was sure of it, the answers were there, he only had to see them.

Sigh, this wasn't getting him anywhere, no was brooding quietly to himself helping the kingdom. Thoughts of whether this was the last quiet moment they'd have, whether they would look up to the stars another night, such thoughts would accomplish nothing.

Finally, a quiet sigh to himself, Sheridan rose to his feet to join the fellow warriors of his kingdom. Silently he wondered if there was any food left, or if Clyde had eaten it all. At the very least, a cup of tea would be nice.

That...had not at all been something that Xiu was expecting. The offer that left Rosy's lips stunned her, and before she could even fully grasp what was going on, the other two wild cards spoke up with a similar offer. Despite her surprise and uncertainty, the dedication of the three former-Silver kingdom members touched her. Thannas' eagerness too was met with a small smile, albeit one that faded into a thoughtful frown a moment later.

She glanced over at Shun when he presented Rosy with a question, glancing back at the girl to hear her answer. Indeed, they had helped immensely during this past trial, and their company and assistance would most definitely be appreciated, but she still could not dismiss the worry that lingered in her mind. "You are all very, very kind but...are you certain about this? By swearing allegiance, you are committing yourself to this Kingdom. Should this place fall while you are still unsworn, I would possibly at least have a chance to get you out of here and to the safety of another Kingdom. Safety is no issue--we would welcome you to stay here under our protection for as long as you so desire."

There was a beat of silence, and then the King shook her head, a very faint, wry smile curling on her lips. "Though truth to be told, this is not to say that I would not like you to join, and your offers have deeply touched me. I just ask that you think about this carefully, as the idea of putting even more people at risk scares me...but if you are all very sure of this decision, then I would be more than happy to welcome you into our family."

And of course, this chat would probably have been 100x more serious had there not been a little bit of an accidental butt-touch while she was in the middle of delivering her mini-speech. Trying to stifle her laughter, Xiu returned Lizzy's bow with a grin and a small one of her own. She was glad to see that the pink-haired girl was safe, and a quick glance around had determined that many others had returned as well. Thank goodness for that!

When she look back towards the three wildcards, her lips were pulled ito a smile. "Now, if you are certain...I can bestow upon you a bit of my power and the mark of the Red Kingdom. Where you'd like the mark is up to you, but..." Her gaze flickered towards Spinar, and despite herself, she let out a little laugh and grinned, "Your butt is not a viable option, okay?"

Than laughed softly and shook his head at the King, "This one had looots n'lots of time to thinklike." He replied, "There were stairs." A rather serious nod followed the words. Despite the whole place nearly collapsing in on him, he had time and time again considered his options within the tower...and it seemed best to him to make this place home. "Than is to be most definitely sure that he will be most delighted to help thee and thine..."

When the topic of marks came up, the young man pulled his tunic aside, and his finger gently tapped at the skin just below his collarbone. The location held meaning, being just above the youth's heart. He'd do everything within his power to avoid seeing this kingdom fall...to protect their smiling King from sadness. She was one with her people, something that Than instantly admired. He was delighted to become a part of a place that was so warm and friendly...at least, that had been his experiences thus far, and his fingers curled again, brushing over the bandages on his palms. "Than wants to be of help. Please take his allegiance." It was soft, earnest.

....

He had to balk a moment later, however, as the idea of placing such a mark on one's rear arose. "Than is thinking that would be veryveryvery discomfortinglike." He trilled, raising a brow towards both Xiu, Lizzy and Spinar. Realizing after a moment what had just transpired.

Sometimes Than was a little slow on the uptake.