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Shun was snapped from his thoughts as a certain voice invaded his mind once more. His gaze drifted over towards the woman. Oh good. She would fight with him then when the time came.

He always did want to throw her across the dojo floor. It would probably be pretty damn satisfying, he figured.

The Tiger continued to watch as she took took the mark of the red kingdom. And. She ended up blushing. Deeply. As she was finally touched for the very first time in who knew how long. He just brought a hand up to his brow, letting out a sigh.

She may as well had been giggling like a schoolgirl at that moment.

Her throat caught at the announcement, a curious look given to her King. She, a Tortoise? To say such things about the teacher...Gene was humbled and honored, elated and stoic; a pot of emotions simmering in her bowels. To be picked as one of the King's Tortoises, alongside the advisor...

She bowed her head as the King took her hands in her own once again, and filled her with a pressured warmth that spread down to her toes. It was comforting, a welcome embrace from her old friend. When the King let go, her mark had imprinted in two halves, one for each hand. A solemn smile was given to the King, her head dipped in humility.

"Thank you, my King." She kept her words short, but made sure the warmth was there. She would help lead the Kingdom of Dreams to victory; to preserve the people and their ways was her priority.

"Perhaps we could have a cup to celebrate our victory." She added, smiling a little more brightly.

[Entering]

From the moment Rosy was forced through the portal, she honestly believe she wasn't going to make it. That her life as she knew it was pretty much over. Her kingdom was gone, she knew there would be no getting back to it. She had to cover her mouth to stop the emotions from spilling forth in fear and tears. Everything was gone, she was sure some people didn't get to portals in time. What if she lost her best friend to the collapse? Time seem to have slowed down for her, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

Until she hit rock stone pavement rather hard, enough that it cause her to gasp out in pain as she lays there. Her body arch from head to toe, her head swimming from the force travel. She honestly just didn't want to move, until she realized she was hearing voices around her. None it which seem familiar to her, no sounds of busy marketplace goers laughing and talking of trade. Not even the sound of Trash King talking crazy made it way to her ears. No these were new voices. It was enough for her to open her deep red eyes and just look upwards.

What she saw, took her breath away and the beauty of the Kingdom she fallen into. Was she where she was suppose to be? Sitting up slowly, she winced a few times as her bones and muscle screams out at her not to move. Her lips part as she took in the wonder around her, this had to be the Kingdom of Dreams. It just had to be, otherwise she was in a dream herself that she never wanted to awake from.

Terra nodded, swallowing loudly as she nodded her head. The King gently touched her forehead, (hope you don't mind) and the mark appeared there. Terra reached up and touched the mark before moving aside, towards the back to wait to be told what she needed to do.

She was a stone lion. She would do her best to prove that she was a good support.

He ducked his head again, but this time West wasn't hiding a smile. If anyone else caught a glimpse of his face, they would see undisguised shock rather than a cocky grin. It was true. The sister had powers that went far beyond creating illusions. There was little time to ponder this revelation once he'd had it, however. The king began to speak, granting her subjects their roles in the battle.

Shun and Yin: first to die.

The sister and Gene: last to die, slaughtered slowly.

Mot and Rosciel: defectors at the merest hint of trouble.

He knew it was up to them, the Stone Lions, to truly defend their homeland. The skeptical look in his eyes said as much as Xiu reached him in line. West was silent as she brushed her fingers across the inside of his arm, leaving behind a bit of warmth and her mark. He swallowed, peering down at the dainty flower and feeling an unexpected surge of emotion at the sight of it. Maybe he was proud. A little.

As for Levi... well... he supposed he wished her well.

"Shall I set up the entertainment, my queen?" he asked. Yes, she'd received an upgrade. He motioned toward the boxes, checking to make sure no one had tampered with them while the king had been moving through the crowd.

Levi took Xiu's hand in hers, placing their folded hands at her heart. They were siblings, but it was still a great honor for her sister to choose her as a phoenix. Through lore, it was a creature of rebirth and great power; the fires to burn as well as to heal. It spoke well of just how she felt. Xiu knew her well.

Sliding her hands away, still holding Xiu's hand until it slipped away for her to continue on the task of marking all the willing, a warm mark appearing on her chest.

Together we are unstoppable.

The appointed queen felt the warmth as everyone took on the mark of their King and kingdom. The Red Kingdom shall prevail and we will make our ancestors proud.

All will be Red.

For a moment, a mere blink of an eye, it may have seemed like an illusion was cast. Red dust blanketed the sky, causing them to see red. The temples, the streets- everything had a red tone to it. The flow of heat and strength resonated in their very surroundings. Then it was gone by the flicker of their next closing lash. Levi was nowhere near as gifted in the art of illusion as Xiu, but at such a time, a little tweak might go a long way to inspire the troops, she reasoned.

One of Levi's white ears flickered to the sound of a title being placed to her. Westus had asked a question, and it took her a moment to register a response after being called that. Yes, please do. I think this is an excellent time for a celebration of things to come. It was best to look towards victory to have the best grasp at it.

I propose a tea should be had in the palace garden. We can discuss and prepare there. You're all invited to enjoy refreshments as well, of course. Levi would first look to Xiu before establishing this as a valid offer for those willing to fight to enter the palace this one time. It might have been their last brush with bliss before taking on the heavy burden of all out war.

The distribution of some of her power had taken a lot out of Xiu, who rest a hand against one of the columns to support herself as she suppressed a tired yawn. A small smile played on her lips at her sister's proposal, and she straightened up, nodding at the others in encouragement. "Yes, why don't we all enjoy ourselves for a bit? The exact start of the fighting has yet to be determined, and you all certainly deserve to relax and have some fun until then." She smiled as she swept her arms out, inviting them to follow Levi and West--so that was what the fireworks had been for!--into the garden.

She would have gone after them, had a strange sensation not suddenly passed through her. It was like...a ripple in the kingdom, as if something had briefly opened up before shutting again. Surely the other Kingdoms weren't already...? Pink eyes growing wary, she turned to look at Shun, resting a hand on his arm. "Shun, would you accompany me for a moment? I think there are...two foreign presences right beyond the bridge that separates this palace from the rest of town."

Xiu was careful to keep her voice low lest she alarm the others. Turning to Levi, she offered her sister a smile. "We'll catch up with you, alright? I forgot to have something picked up in town, so I'll go get it myself. Shun will accompany me, so there's nothing to worry about."

[[ <33 Wild Cards will be addressed/approached in the next post~~ ]]

Giving a little nod, Xiu casually began to walk away from the palace, trying to move in such a way that would not betray her unease. A quick glance to the side ensured that Shun was indeed following her, and she let out a little sigh. "I'm sorry to pull you away like this, Shun. Goodness knows you definitely deserve time to relax." Her lips curved into a frown, and she turned her gaze forward as they began to walk over the bridge. "I just hope that that odd sensation I felt was nothing to be concerned about."

Only, a few moments later, the King quickly realized that there was indeed at least some cause for concern. When she caught sight of the two girls sitting on the ground, she paused in surprise, only to pick up her pace as she approached them. They did not seem like soldiers here to kill her, so...

"Are you two alright? Any serious injuries?" There was a pause as her gaze swept over their unfamiliar faces, and then Xiu frowned curiously, tilting her head to the side. "You aren't part of this Kingdom, are you?"