Starlit Heroics: A Spectrum of Hate

Zora gave Serafina a thumbs up and kept her voice similarly low. "Let me shadow you for a while and I'll tell you for certain if he likes innies or outies, alright? I'm an expert."

Once the two extradimensional royals spoke up, though, she and Kit exchanged glances again. especially after Titania spoke. They began whispering to each other.

"Shouldn'tve said that."

"Ila's gonna pop up any time now and she's gonna stone her to death."

"The fuck's a Librata anyway? He doesn't talk like he's from Cerphixen. He acted like he was all confused when I said they weren't royalty."

"I feel like I've seen this before..." Zora thought back a bit. After everything was said and done, while she was still weak from everything that had happened, Ms. Astra carried her all the way from Cerphixen all the way back to the castle. When they got there, who should be there, but her great grandmother, being belligerent toward Ms. Talia and insisting they send her home to Scotland right now. She only got to believing this was a different universe when Ms. Astra spoke up, and she couldn't figure out what the fuck she was. She was gifted a bungalow in Terrantia after that and she and Zora hit up bars every weekend.

This seemed like the same confusion.

"Guys! Guys. Back off a little. It's a bit of a long shot but I wanna see something." She turned to their displaced guests. "How about you walk with us to the castle? Just to get your bearings. See if you recognize anything at all on the way. If you really don't, well... I have a little theory as to what might have happened here."

------------------------------

Tiamat nodded. "I concur. It sounds like a textbook case of the Void magics. Now that you know about it, perhaps you can try tpo get a grip on those powers. I've heard they can be super-useful."

-----------------------

"...There isn't." Shyama kept her tone even and quiet. Unlike the others, she wasn't prone to becoming aggressive about the whole thing. "This is Shadowrian. There's no other place quite like it on this planet of Xephixir. But.. you must not be from Xephixir. Please, tell me about your home. I would love to hear about it." She stared out over the open lake, watching the moon's reflection ripple off the gentle waves caused by the breeze. This was not the first time Shyama had tackled this, but there was no reason to be hostile toward someone who didn't know where they are.

---------------------

Astra smiled down at the baby. "She is well, as you can see. Please, come in. Sit a while. I have the attendants making some tea, if you're interested." She looked about to comment on some other thing, but looked down upon hearing a tiny hiccup.

Truly, this was a twist she could not have foreseen. Caring for the daughter of her late oppressor, and said daughter being anything other than a tiny hellbeast. But it was truly better this way.

------------------

[Current OST: To be determined]

It wasn't long before the doors harmlessly flopped away, as Grace lowered her wand and panted, and Angel and Danielle came running up.

The room itself was beautiful, full of murals and paintings and silk decor and hand-carved furniture. Or, it would have been, if not for the mess about the floor surrounding the large, canopied bed. It was clear that she hadn't even let her attendants inside lately, or even gotten up in days. The sheets of the bed were crumpled and balled up, nearly tossed off to one side, as if she had been flailing so much that they had pulled their way off.

But now, Jade thrashed in the middle of it, swatting away at some unseen thing she must have felt was buzzing around her head. "No... I said no... go away... Stop... you can't have me you can't have them..."

"What the hell is going on?!" Danielle looked very alarmed.

"I don't know..." Katarina wheezed; clearly she was not long on stamina. "Something... wrong..." She staggered up to the side of the bed. "Mother... mother can you hear me..."

Jade didn't seem to even address her. "I won't let you... get out... get out of my head... no... I said... NO! GET OUT! GET OUT GET OUT!"

Katarina had to duck as she was nearly inadvertently hit. "Mother...!"

"Someone... anyone... HELP! GET OUT! I DON'T WANT TO- NO! STOP!"

"...There's something wrong with her aura." Angel frowned very loudly. "It's still that teal color but... it's like there's another aura... grabbing at it. It's some kind of dark fuschia... Someone is trying to mind control her. Something powerful-"

She cut off abruptly as, to the side of the bed, the air suddenly started sparking and snapping in bright electric rose, and it felt like there was a sudden breeze inside, despite everything. After a flash, the snapping subsided, and the Goddess of Love stood there in full glory, glaring down at Jade, with an anger only a few people had seen.

"...You again. How dare you even consider someone this vulnerable." She said to no one in particular, as her right hand sparked with cerise energy. "Well, unfortunately for you, this time I got there first." A shocking bolt of pink erupted from her hand, causing Angel to stagger as the brightness blasted through her aura sight, and shot right through Jade as she flailed on the bed. She only sustained it for a second, though, before letting the energy fade.

Jade was still for a moment, before slowly rolling over, rubbing the side of her head.

"What... Kaze, honey... what day is it...? How long have I been asleep...? I see you've brought Angel in..... did something happen...?"

[posted by Dan]

Titania's eyes widen with rage. She puts both hands together and struggles to keep a straight face.

"Umm... Excuse me? We don't even know where we are and you're practically--" - She states, with her body trembling.

Telgard notices her wings flourish with a bright green color. He immediately puts his hand on Titania's shoulder before they become visible to the others.

"Hang on, sweetie, let me try." - He says to her in a low, calm voice.

"But... oh, alright. Go ahead." - The fey woman remarks with an annoyed tone.

Titania's wings disappear and she falls silent, while Telgard makes eye contact with Zora as she walks along.

"A theory, huh? I can infer just from what your pals are talking about that we're not at home. Not that we usually pull out our titles. So let me ask, miss... is this the planet of Divixus?" - Telgard asks, with a collected smile.

---

Diana put a hand to her chin and stared at the lake with an amused expression.

"Xephixir, huh? I knew that's what it had to be. I hail from a planet called Divixus, which is a world finely tuned with the powers of the soul... and the power of the land. This place feels very similar, hence why I was confused at first. We have eight elemental kingdoms.... am I correct in assuming that you do as well?" - Diana mutters.

[Posted by Nyx]

"No... this is Xephixir," Serafina said. "Is there another planet in existence? Like, that we don't know about? I mean habitable, with people. And civilizations. Not space rocks."

"Or..." Dante began to theorize, "could this be due to another rip in time? Or, perhaps a rip in space? Zora's not from Xephixir too."

"Another universe with Terrantia in it?" Serafina muttered. "But... I guess we could go back to the castle... If only because I want to watch them."

--------

"Ooh, I know a bit of Void magic!" Denzia said. "...It's only a little bit though. I wouldn't be a good teacher if you wanted to try and hone it."

-------

The entire encounter with Jade and Kerenza was incredibly overwhelming. Even Kaze could feel the full blast of Kerenza's magic, even if she couldn't see it as brightly as Angel. When all was done and Jade calmed down, Kaze couldn't help but tear up. She ran over and hugged her mother tightly.

"I... I was so..." she sniffled, "D-don't scare me like that... I was so worried..." It would be up to one of the others to fill her in on the details.

----------

"So... this is the place?" Kaj asked. Relatively it wasn't a terribly long hike, but the peak of the mountain was still quite impressive. It had an amazing overview of the entire capital city with Zempheriea castle off in the distance.

"It doesn't look corrupted..."

"It is a necromancer!" Diana cheered. "Oooh, I can't wait to meet him..."

"We're not meeting the necromancer!" Kaj announced. "We're bringing him to justice for unauthorized use of taboo magics!"

"Or her..." Luna added.

"Well this was worth coming along for..." Merrick sighed.

"Well, I guess we could check out the claim in Shadowrian..." Kaj suggested. "See if he... or she... is still there."

[Posted by Flareth]

"....Well, time rips are possible. Space rips have to be..." Cameron said.

"I still think it's a scam." Minuki muttered under her breath.

Cameron glared at Minuki.

"Ignore her." Cameron said. "You can follow us to Nintendria Castle. Just...no funny business, alright?"

------------

"...So who would you suggest to go to to hone void magic?" Deax sighed.

--------

"Yes, a cup of tea would be lovely. Thank you, Astra." Itsuki said, taking a seat. "So, how has life been treating you?"

"That was my thought." Zora nodded. "Me and my family aren't from here either, but we've been here longer so we know our way around... kinda. We even started to learn magic. My sister's really good at it so far. There was a whole big incident that led up to it, but I'd really rather not go into that. It was uh... kinda... yeah." Most of her story was something she would really rather not relive, so she would leave it at that. "I dunno about a rip in time though, because that would imply they come from before the universe and I... well I'll just say I doubt that. Maybe a rip in space. Or maybe space and time both. Either way, looks like you guys might be stuck here for a while so may as well learn your ways around, yeah?"

Kit shrugged. "Fine by me, yo. You should come with u-" She stopped as there was some rumbling beneath their feet. A few meters away, the ground burst open and a brawny young green-haired woman landed in front of them, wearing a binder and training gear for what looked like some intensive fighting.

"You rang?" You could almost see the anime sparkles around Ila as she struck a pose. The training gear kind of killed the effect, however.

"Yeah, called it. What's up, Ila, this is your counterpart from an alternate universe or somethin'."

"....What?"

"That's what she says, anyway. Not like we're not used to this by now."

"Guess so, yeah... speaking of, you. Tell your nan to stop trying to fight the guards."

Zora gave her a sort of look. "Have you tried to get my nan to quit doing anything? I don't think even you could take my nan."

"....Could so."

-----------

"Yeah, couldn't exactly give you a contact here, either." Tiamat looked Deax over. "Try looking around in Shadowrian or something. They got lots there... actually. Y'know who knows Void magic? That Nintendrian royal, what's her name... Cassandra, that's it. I know she knows the Void magics. Try lookin' there."

-------------

Shyama nodded. "That's correct. Storm, Frost, Fire, Earth, Light, Balance, Lunar, and Dark, where we sit now, and of which I am ruler. Here, the night doesn't end, and the plants beget sustenance from the light of the moon and the stars. I don't know if it's the same in yours, but we've adapted fairly well to it, here." She stared up at the sky. "...It is... interesting to think about, isn't it? How many alternate worlds there could be beyond or beside our own. Perhaps we're both fortunate to have met."

-------------

"Oh, you know, just fine." Astra gave a little shrug. "The reconstruction efforts have been going quite swimmingly, if I do say so myself. But, you already know that. However, I haven't managed to quite get a handle, yet... every time I sneeze, I end up hopping forward exactly thirty seconds. It's always just a bit disorienting. That aside, it's... surprising, just how much freedom I'm allotted, how little there actually are in the way of 'godly duties'. I admit I do prefer the mortal realms to the immortal, as far as I've had experience so far. They're so much more interesting." She looked down at another tiny little burble. "Yes, and you of course."

---------------

"Worried about what...?" Jade seemed earnestly confused, as if she had completely mentally checked out. "I don't... remember..."

"...Near-possession can do that." Kerenza turned to stare out the window and open the blinds. "You're stronger than you know to have fought that off for as long as you did. It was lucky that I happened to be watching. I have to commend you, actually. Fighting for three days takes unprecedented will."

"I heard... voices... they wanted me. They wanted to take me... I couldn't... I have a family to take care of..." She petted Kaze's hair. Perhaps this was exactly what was needed right now. "I... I'm sorry... for... whatever I've done in the interim... I barely remember anything."

[Posted by Dan]

"Well... that's something I didn't quite expect to happen. But either way, I'd be happy to stay. But..." - Telgard states.

"Yeah, um... I have a kingdom to govern over. I'm sort of scared about what might happ--" - Titania remarks with a worried look.

She stops midsentence and jumps back when the green-haired girl clad in training gear jumps up from the ground.

"Whoa, who's that?" - Telgard asks, raising an eyebrow.

"If I can go out on a limb here, that's probably the Terrantian queen that lives here given by what they're saying. Or a very enthustiastic mole-person." - Titania remarks in a whisper to him.

---

"Very interesting, to say the least. And well, since we're both queens of dark kingdoms... I can see us getting together very well." - Diana chuckles as she tips her hat.

[Posted by Nyx]

"So... there's a parallel world where we're kind of the same but not really..." Dante muttered. "I can't follow any of this..."

"When I was told that I would be following the Prince and Princess, I knew I'd eventually run into royal members of the other nations," Keith said. "But I was not expecting to meet this many so quickly... Even from nations I'd never heard of."

"You know, me neither," Dante added.

Serafina greeted Ila. "Hey, what's up? Doing some heavy training?"

----------

"That's not a bad idea. Will give me an excuse to get out of this cold for a bit..." Denzia said, wrapping his arms around himself. He liked rooming with Jack, but didn't nearly contain his obliviousness for cold weather. It was difficult to find clothing that fit him too.

--------

Meanwhile, a man in a tattered cloak and bright orange hair happily marched along a Shadowrian trail, joyfully whistling some tune. Behind him was a second, taller man, completely cloaked from head to toe, and badly staggered as he walked.

"I think today has been very productive!" Fang said, apparently to the man behind him. "I mean I was a little worried, Ranthy-puppet was super fun to control, but he couldn't really do anything on his own. Just kinda... sat there and twitched, you know?" The man didn't answer him. "You though, that worked just as well as expected. But hm... Should I make a new project, or unleash you on some town and see what happens? Hehe..."

As he was walking though, he noticed the two queens off the road a bit. While he didn't recognize either of them personally, the crown on Shyama's head was a good tip off.

"Ech, royals," Fang whispered. "Let's get outie before they notice us and throw a fit about my arts and crafts time." He glanced up at the other man. "Yeah you wouldn't fool no one."

--------

"N-no... No I'm sorry," Kaze sniffled in her mother's arms. "I... I should have noticed there was something wrong... But, what happened? Near possession? What did you do to her, Ms Kerenza?"

[Posted by Flareth]

"Nah, Ila's not queen. A princess, yes. But not queen tier yet." Minuki said. "Though between you and me, I don't think she really wants to be queen anyway. As you can see, she'd rather kick some ass."

"Minuki, do you have to swear in front of the new people?" Cameron sighed.

"Well, what the fuck is wrong with it?" Minuki muttered. "I mean....it's kinda....prudish."

Cameron sighed again.

"Ignore her. She often uses "fuck" as a comma." Cameron groaned.

----

"But surely, you do visit the other gods and goddesses at some point. And surely, there has to be a time magic specialist that can help you with your problem, right?" Itsuki asked.

----

"Yeah, let's go to Nintendria." Deax said. "...But what do we do about the gaming nerds? Do we just....leave them here?"

"What? Queen? No no no no no nooooo. No." Ila looked a bit startled that anyone would assume. "Princess, yes. Up and coming MMA champ, yes. That anon who writes the porn limericks, absolutely. But definitely not a ruling party. I'll leave that to my dad, thanks." She cracked her knuckles. "That isn't my thing. I don't like thinking politics. I'd rather do other stuff. Anyway, if you guys are headed up to the castle, I'll join you. Tiamat wants me at the bar for the video in an hour or two, anyway. Says there'll be free cookies."

"...Free cookies? I wanna go to this shoot." Zora pouted.

"You're already in the Road Trip video, dude."

"Yeah but. Free cookies. ...Anyway." Zora snapped her attention back to the situation at hand. "You probably do have a kingdom to run. But I dunno how we're gonna get you back, so may as well hang around until someone figures something out. I'm pretty sure not even gods can tear holes into other universes."

Kit shrugged. "Something'll happen. If something got you here, there must be some way to get back. And for all you know, when you get back, you'll have only been gone for a few minutes max, so you could be alright no matter how long it takes. Spacetime is weird."

After listening to them talk a bit, Ila looked back to Serafina. "I was, yeah. Buuuuut I think it's break time. Break time is nice."

Not too long later, the gathering would approach the doors of the castle, already open to let in the air of the nice day. Inside, Astra waved to them. "Oh, look, more visitors! How wonderful. Ah... yes, yes I do, but somewhat infrequently. As said, it can be a bit boring." There was something odd about those two in particular, she noted. There were ripples around them, that she could feel, as if they were thrown through spacetime. Not unlike the ripples that had been on a lot of new arrivals for a while. Interesting.

--------------------

"They can make their way over when they want." Tiamat stretched. "As for me, I was gonna head over to Nintendria anyway. Need to meet Ila at the bar so we can go over this video. We can stop off at the castle in the meantime and you can talk it out with her."

-------------------

"Yes, quite." Shyama rose to her feet. "Well, would you care to accompany me back to my home? It isn't long a ways from here, you see. Bit of a jaunt, but short. It would present a good opportunity to see some of the sights my kingdom has to offer." She checked behind her as she thought she heard something, but it was gone before she was able to spot it. Most likely just a traveler. Whatever it was, the two of them would doubtless be able to take, anyhow.

------------------

Kerenza turned to look at them. "I expunged someone who was trying to overtake her mind. An old nemesis of mine. Every so often she flares up in activity, and I do my best to defend those she 'chooses' before they fully become her thralls. In this case in particular, it was your mother." She sat on the edge of the bed. "Again, I say she was very strong to have resisted so long without losing control. But she won't remember the last few days. May not remember pieces of events before that, depending on how long it was going on. My prescription is to mind her as she recovers her energy. She should be back to normal in a few days. Now that my... nemesis, knows I'm watching, she won't try again."

Angel staggered back up from the floor. "Jeez."

"Oh... sorry about that."

Jade blinked around tiredly, trying to process what was going on as she hugged Kaze back tightly. "I don't... remember anything. What was I doing that was wrong...?"

[Posted by Dan]

"Princess, you say? Well, Titania used to be the princess too until... certain things happened." Telgard coughs as he gets to 'certain things'.

"Yeah, I'd rather not share. But hey, I'm glad we have a place to stay at least. Let's go, Dan!" - Titania says, her glowing butterfly-esque wings flourishing out of her back.

She glides towards the castle at an incredible speed, only for Telgard to put his hands inside his pocket.

"Figures."

He vanishes from sight and reappears in front of Nintendria Castle, accompanied by a low booming noise.

"I would have said hold on, but I already beat you here." - Telgard remarks with a sly grin.

"You show-off. It wasn't a race!" - Titania groans as she floats in mid-air.

"Well, you're just a sore-- oh?" - Telgard states as he notices the large woman with rainbow hair.

"Oh! Hello, miss!" - Titania says as she sees Astra.

---

"That'd be wonderful, Shyama. I'll admit, Shadre doesn't quite have a permanent night, but this is something else." - Diana says as she gets to her feet.

[Posted by Nyx]

After Titania zoomed off and Daniel warped away, Serafina turned to Dante. "Betcha anything the parents croaked." Dante pushed her.

When the three arrived at Nintendria castle, their two guest were already there. Astra was inside, holding Jordan, quite as ever. Serafina waved to her.

As the group gathered around the castle, a boy in orange neck scarf heard the commotion and decided to come down and see who was visiting. Daniel, the Xephixir based one, said "Oh, looks like we have quite a few visitors today. What brings you all down to Nintendria?" As he scanned the group, he stopped on two unfamiliar faces. "And who are your new friends?"

--------

"Hey Jack!" Denzia called. "We're going to Nintendria, that cool?"

Jack gave a thumbs up to signal that he heard.

"Yep, we're good."

-----------

"Nothing, you weren't doing anything wrong... I mean, you were really distant and locked yourself in your room and started screaming... But it wasn't your fault."

Kaze finally released herself from her mother's arms and sat on the side of the bed next to her. "But... I'm sorry. I was ignoring you because I didn't want to deal with anyone else's problems. I should have realized that you weren't... thinking right. Maybe... can I get you something? You must be hungry after locking yourself in here for a few days."

[Posted by Flareth]

"Alright, so we going by Teleporter Stone or what?" Deax asked.

----------
"Why would you even warp....that just sucks the fun outta it...." Cameron muttered.

"Not everyone is such an athletic parkour freak, like yourself." Minuki said,

"That may be true..." Cameron sighed. "But seriously, nothing is better than a good run..."

And they reached Nintendria Castle. Cameron noticed Astra and blushed.
"Astra, it's great to see you again!" Cameron said, trying to be calm about it. "Sorry...I haven't kept in contact. I'm awful..."

Minuki nodded as the Xephixirian Daniel entered the room.

"Yeah, we found these people wandering around...and they claim to be from another planet....or universe..." Minuki said. "Divixus, I think they called it."

"....Other universes....interesting and plausible." Itsuki piped up. "I've read some theory on alternate universes before. Only some...but it was certainly fascinating. But completely plausible."

"You bet we are." Tiamat pulled a teleporter stone from her pocket, grabbed Deax and Denzia, and in a flash, they were off.

-----------------------

"Hmyes, who are these two? I don't believe I've seen them in all my dealings as of late." Astra motioned the group to come inside, where Kit, Zora and Ila all sat around the table she had set up.

The foyer was grandiose, to be sure, marble floors stretching before them, and stone walls decorated in all manner of tapestries and banners bearing the crest of Nintendria, as well as some portraits and paintings. Four doors, two to a wall, broke up the tapestries on either side of them, and at the far end of the front hall, there were two oaken doors closed tightly, framed by two sets of stairs that swirled up and then led off in different directions. You could just barely see some hallways stretch from under them, as well.

Zora couldn't help but remember the first time she'd seen this hall, how spectacular it was... still was, to her. But these two, if they were royal... it may not have the same effect. It was almost disappointing to think. It was a magical feeling, to her. Or, one of the most magical feelings among many.

About now, she thought to answer them. "Oh, them? We found them in the middle of the road. They said they were from... not this universe." She almost called it 'our universe', but no. It was their universe, she was just... here. "No idea how they got here, but it can't be another time rip. Those... stopped."

Astra looked over them. "No... I think you may have something... I sense a distortion in time itself... but... also space itself... wonderful time for him to disappear. Absolutely wonderful. What the bloody hell is he off doing, clubbing? ...That's the word, right?"

"Yeah that's the word."

Before anyone could follow the train of thought of Ranthael clubbing, a flash illuminated the room. Tiamat waved to the group.

"Afternoon! Don't mind us, I'm just dropping Deax off to see Ms. Cassandra before I head off to the bar to wait for- Ila's already here well I guess I'll just sit here and have a tea party. I don't need to be there for an hour anyway."

--------------------

Shyama nodded. "It's quite lovely, isn't it? This way, follow me."

The walk through the wood was short and breezy, for sure. Shyama seemed to know the path very well, stopping to indicate landmarks along the way, like that patch of glowing mushrooms shaped like a wolf, or the shimmer-leaf tree whose roots spilled over the road just so.

It wasn't long before the somewhat imposing structure of Shadowrian Castle stood before them, and at her command, the ebony doors swung open. Indeed, it was as shadowy inside as it was outside, with a structure built of shining black stone, and floor of polished river rocks and onyx laid in a mosaic-like pattern, suspended in a resin so as to make the floor as smooth as possible. Along the walls stretched similar banners to Nintendria Castle, but the structure was different, as instead of two staircases, there was one toward the back of the much longer foyer, whose walls were broken up more frequently by doors.

"Welcome to my home. Please, make yourself comfortable. The living quarters are upstairs, should you need. I invite you to make full use of the services we have to offer. Shall I prepare us some tea?"

----------------

Jade didn't even seem to take note of the notion that she'd been ignored. "I... am very hungry, yes... that sounds lovely..." She fell back onto the bed, not really even having the energy to sit up for long. "It feels like I haven't eaten in a week..."

"You are... considerably thinner, ma'am." Angel frowned. "I wish I had seen it sooner, I'm so sorry, I-"

"None of that.." Jade smiled. "I shouldn't have closed myself off.."

"...It may have been wise of you to do so, however." Kerenza sighed. "There could have been untold amounts of collateral damage if she had forced you to let go."

[Posted by Dan]

Telgard and Titania enter the castle and gaze at the surroundings. He notices the crest and crosses his arms.

"... This place is kind of familiar. The crest isn't too far off of Librata's. Maybe this is a universe parallel to where we live." - Telgard ponders.

He hears the Xephixerean Daniel's query and stares at him for a second or two before replying.

"Who we are? My name is Daniel Telgard and I'm the Prince of Librata. This is my wife, Titania Ardevone." - He says.

"... Hmm." - Titania states, putting a hand on her chin as she observes the other Daniel.

---

Diana follows Shyama through the woods and into the castle. Diana whistles and puts her hands on her hips as she looks around the interior.

"Nice place you got here. Kind of reminds me of home.... and yeah, that'd be wonderful." - She says.

[Posted by Nyx]

"Daniel. That's... interesting." If it weren't for his prince status, and similar looks, Daniel wouldn't have given it a second thought. But this was too coincidental to be nothing.

"A... parallel universe?" Serafina questioned. "Like, everything's the same but... different? Oh! That would explain why there's another Terrantia! Omigosh Daniel... you're married to Ila!"

Xephirixian Daniel turned pale and glanced at Ila. It wouldn't work. He could barely hold a conversation with her.

"Other Daniel, you have to tell us everything!" Serafina said. "What's Magmarne like? That's where I'm from. Or is it under a different name like Nintendria? Flamytopia?"

Meanwhile, Denzia hopped over to the group when he picked up on the conversation. "What's this about parallel universes?"

"It's... our most logical conclusion... surprisingly," Dante sighed.

----------

Around the same time, the group from Zempheriea arrived at Shadowrian castle. They invited themselves into the interior where the two queens were at.

"Hi!" Luna greeted.

"Um, hope we're not interrupting anything..." It was still weird for Kaj to think of himself as royalty, especially when it concerned his previous queen. "Sorry for showing up unannounced, we just had some things we wanted to ask about an investigation."

"About undead," Diana finished for him. She took a look at Shyama's guest and mentally approved of her fashion choices.

-----------

Kaze was about to head downstairs to fetch her mom something to eat. Maybe something light, a soup and sandwich perhaps. But she stopped when she heard Kerenza. "Collateral damage?" She looked around the room. To be fair, it was trashed.

"Um, hold that thought, I'll be right back." Kaze figured it could wait. She ran down the stairs and quickly heated up some canned soup (hey, even royalty wants a quick and convenient meal) and put together a sloppy ham and cheese sandwich. She returned a few minutes later.