jianam

[jianam]

To be snatched by a man had been a rare occurrence, but it hadn’t been one that Jia was unfamiliar with regarding her gift. She could lure men to their deaths if she had wished, but it didn’t stop them from attempting to drag her under the current with them, or in many cases like this one, stealing her away like a precious jewel. She barely had the opportunity to regain her footing or even her composure when Axel had taken hold of the situation and settled it much faster than she would have been capable of. “Oh, gods.” The snap of the man's arm hadn’t been concealed by the music, a sound that would certainly haunt her in the weeks to come. A hand raised to conceal her mouth, a fear that she would heave up the drinks that had only found home in her stomach. The stranger’s grasp only removed on the second break and she was turning herself in towards Axel’s back for momentary relief; a choice to hide that was soon rectified by Axel himself. “Bastard, you don’t own her.” Words that were hissed in anger by the male that now stumbled as if his arms had been what was keeping him upright. Yet he had been entirely wrong in his angered words the moment Axel’s mouth met her neck; she was unequivocally his, warmth seeping down through her chest and meeting the wings that were erupting in the pit of her stomach. She had not been prepared for his retaliation to her earlier flirtation, an expectation that he would have allowed the conversation to flitter between harmlessly until he returned to his stoic professionalism. Expression unfiltered to the bewilderment that rose, eyes darting over his sharp features and towards the man who angrily floundered with damaged limbs and then returned swiftly to Axel. “If this is your seduction tactic,” Jia took a step forward, placing her right leg between both of his, drawing her mouth close to his until a single flinch would have locked the distance. “It needs a little refining.” She took a deep breath in a mask of light laughter, her heart hammering to a frantic beat, dismayed at her own bold choice to momentarily decline the opportunity to have him sink his teeth into her. “Show me how much you want to fuck me, don’t tell me.” She reached up to snatch the mask from the top of his head and dropped back, commencing a game of cat and mouse with every backward step she took waving the mask in front of her own eyes. Men on the floor veered back in her direction, her voice still resonating in their minds but she had ignored them, her focus set on one man alone. “There’s an hour before I’ll be in big trouble if I’m not back on that stage. I think that’s plenty of time to show me.” 

“I’ll put that in your file.” He let a smile crease the edges of her lips. There was no joke behind those words because the minute he returned to headquarters–his hands would grasp her file and, in bold letters, write, ‘She is not boring.’ then, returning to his line of duty, Axel inhaled her features like smoke, watching as she began to close the space between him, and he had to make a split decision whether to stay or step away from her. As much as his mind was screaming at him to move away from her touch, his body had decided to glue itself to the elegant floors as she lifted the mask from his face. “You needed to take off my mask to realize?” Handsome was the word that described him on a weekly basis, but the compliment usually came from a comrade rather than a woman. In his defense, Axel took his job too seriously and rarely took the time to admire anyone when he was on security detail. Everyone could be a threat, and distractions were not acceptable. “Only a look?” Axel carefully watched her movements, dazed eyes following the direction of her arm as he scanned over her lips, then up to her nose until his eyes were glued to her own again. “Are you trying to seduce me, ma’am?” The thought never occurred in his mind when it came to her. Axel found pleasure elsewhere on his days off, and he refused to sleep with anyone who could jeopardize his job until tonight. Before he could rip her away from the stage, another man had beaten him to the punch, and his neck was being snagged by the woman he was concerned about devouring later that night. “Did you not hear her?” He counted to three before springing into action as his hand firmly grasped the man’s forearm and, within minutes, had snapped the bone in half, watching as it fell limp to his side. “It seems you don’t understand how to keep your hands to yourself.” Axel made sure the distance between Jia and the man no longer existed as he used the same force on the other arm, crushing the bone with enough strength that would cause internal bleeding to surface. To his luck, the man was too intoxicated to understand the depths of his injuries, beginning to swing his lifeless arms at him as he brought Jia closer. This was his time to make a move, even though it could be considered bad timing, but Axel had no reason to filter himself among a woman he desperately wanted to please. “I want to fuck you.” Axel pressed his lips into the dip of her neck, teeth threatening to leave marks before he cocked his head to face the man with a smug expression. “Get the fuck out of my face before I break every bone in your body.”

[jianam]

“Are you calling me boring?” Jia’s features scrunched playfully although his question had also wounded her slightly; she didn’t want to be seen like these people even though she was born into a life of great riches and opportunity much like them. “If I told you why I disliked it, I’m afraid you’d think I’m a rebel and throw me to the wolves.” The rebels' ideals weren’t for her to lean on or partake in, although more than most, she could see their point on a world that relished on keeping the chosen few on top. He had caught her by surprise when it came to the information held on her, although the amusement had crept soon after. She shouldn’t have been embarrassed by the lack of entertaining done in her bedroom yet the thought of him believing her a prude was tinging her cheeks a cherry red. “A man should never ask a lady why her bedroom is empty.” She mocked her own mother’s tone, a near sing-song tone of a woman that flittered her powers into normal conversation. “I don’t give the privilege of entering my bedroom to just anyone.” A half-truth, her heart racing at the imagery of him entering her bedroom and she knew she’d be too weak to deny him. “Who said you would be the type I’d lure to my bedroom?” Jia knocked back the drink in her hand, abandoning the glass at the same time that she pulled herself closer to him, stopping only once her knee grazed his abdomen. The alcohol had numbed the desire to shy away, he was a man she would never dare flirt with on any other occasion and simply admired from afar, but he had bridged that gap she could never have done alone. Her hand rose to his jaw, a gentle and almost hesitant touch but once she’d made contact with his skin, she was swift to reach for the mask that had obscured his face and tip it back until it rested on the top of his head. “Damn, you’re handsome.” They were not the words she intended to flirt with but they were an immediate response to the rookie mistake of revealing his face. She had been aware of a disturbance to her right, a figure in her peripheral and she chose to ignore it, her gaze fixed first on his eyes and then on his mouth. “I don’t think a lot needs to be spoken to lure a man.” Her fingers rested on the underside of his chin and slowly ascended towards his lips, index finger brushing the indentation at the corner of his mouth. “It takes only a look.” She leaned forward and aware suddenly of the height the stage placed her above him, eyes half moons as they slipped their focus from his mouth to hold his gaze. If she was given another moment, she might have plucked up the courage to kiss him but it was stolen by a hand hooking the underside of her knee. “Why don’t you come down here and give me a song instead, sweetheart?” His mask concealed only the left hand of his face while the right was painted, or perhaps tattooed on a harder look, with lines akin to a sailor’s knot. Instinct had called her to kick out but he had now held her with two hands, his right locked on the underside of her thigh and he started to pull her from the stage. “Get your greasy weasel hands off of me.” The stage was gone from underneath her in one abrupt tug and she twisted away from the man towards Axel, arms winding themselves around his neck. 

Axel made mental commentary as she spoke about dungeons and arguing with high-ranked maidens which would land him in a prison cell. It was impossible to order royals without the back talk, almost as if they were children having the need to have the last say. “Your mother must hold a lot of power for you to not land yourself in a dungeon.” He couldn’t agree with all her words when townspeople would suffer beatings for even glancing at the royal in the wrong way; The power they held was unacceptable yet accepting due to his duties as a solider. He had no right to dictate laws, and no power to stop the issues of policies. “Wouldn’t you be considered one of these boring people? I’m curious how you feel about your status. It comes with regulations, but power cannot be for anyone. Why do you dislike your title so much?” Axel turned his gaze from her in an attempt to capture the interaction between Nari and Dae, another signal for the guard to stay close, and his eyes returned to hers but not before scanning her body with a smile. “Your file has the necessary information to keep you safe. Unfortunately, it does hold information of who enters your bedroom and who leaves–which I may add is empty.” Axel blamed the liquid in his body for his snarky remarks, but it takes two to tango and he was merely matching the energy. “I thought the find of your bedroom being empty was an interesting find because you don’t lack the beauty and you don’t charm for a man to follow you into your bedroom. All you need in your voice. Why is it empty?” He thought the question was pushing boundaries, but it was small talk, and getting to know her was the goal. “Mm, a curse, I consider your ability a gift because who has the ability to lure men besides Aphrodite herself?” Axel remembered the stories of Aphrodite, read to him since the day he was born, and not only Aphrodite but every god. It was common practice in Olypums to learn of those who created and destroyed the world. “The question may be inappropriate, but how would you lure mean without your ability? I’ll be the dummy tester.”

[jianam]

“I think the least of my worries is a dungeon, I’ve argued with many a lady and a lord, even a prince and lived to tell the tale.” Albeit, her mother’s compelling power over those who threatened fault for running her mouth had kept her relatively safe over the years. Jia didn’t dwell on the warning that came from him, likely words that dripped from any Euda man’s mouth in an attempt to keep peace rather than a genuine care for her well-being. Her eyes fell away from him to the drink in hand, an intoxicated state would be one way to get her through a night at the hands of Strife, and without a second thought, she brought it to her lips. Warmth blooming in her mouth and throat, more amazed at how swiftly the drinks grasped a hold than what they could actually do. “It’s accepted because the lives of these people are so boring and gaudy, and they love shoving their heads up each other's asses periodically, tonight is that, the biggest night of the year for them to gather all the gossip needed to keep them going to next year.” She flicked a dramatic hand around the room, to the high society that would never change and if anything, she hoped that they would be the most embarrassing versions of themselves tonight. They deserved the year of societal torture. “I have a file?” Jia disposed of the glass in her hand in a swift movement to plant her elbow on top of her crossed legs and resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “What do files usually have? Date of birth? Where I live? How much I weigh? Even who frequents my bedroom?” The final question rolled off her tongue as a surprise to herself, eyes suddenly dropping low and much too aware of the space that remained between them, and the idea of closing it became so tantalising. No, it was as close to a scream within the confines of her mind, and she shook off the sudden desire, attempting to conceal her confusion once she caught his eyes again. His question took her aback and she straightened, accepting the glass he offered to her, although she simply swirled the deep liquid in the glass. “The call of the siren is a curse, so yes. I’d be better off without it.”

“I haven’t known Dae most of my life, but I can tell that he is madly in love with her. However, he refuses to admit that until she’s fawning over another man.” Axel inhaled sharply at the thought even considering holding back his emotions caused a throbbing sensation against his temple. His gaze followed the two bodies, signaling to Raeken across the room to follow close enough, but not to interrupt any interaction. “Your ability to argue is charming, but don’t argue with the wrong people because it can get you thrown in a dungeon.” His eyes glued on his men until he confirmed that a guard was following, returning his gaze to her as she spoke of the mysterious liquid in their cups. The idea of injecting ingredients that induced unrealistic emotions had his eyebrow-raising with curiosity. “And it’s allowed because Strife throws a party every year, it’s the biggest event of the year and no one questions the games of Prince Orion.” His fingers grasped another glass walking his way, ignoring the pigment of the liquid before throwing it back down. Axel felt his throat sting with passionfruit and blueberries which caused objects to turn into miniature clouds. His best guess was Deity of Paramount. Only for it to be validated when his eyes saw Jia as a woman with dignity and not Nari’s best friend who enjoyed high-spirited discussions. “If I’m being honest with you, I didn’t read your file. I don’t know anything about you besides that you’re the best friend of the woman Dae loves. So, I would like to take this chance to get to know you a little more.” He dropped the empty glasses on top of each other, catching two more in his hands before sliding one over to her with a sweet smile. He might as well enjoy the night knowing the Dae and Nari were together then that meant his job was done for the time being. “Do you ever wish that you didn’t have the call of a siren?”

[jianam]

“They didn’t come together?” Jia followed Axel’s line of sight, not difficult to find the pair creating a commotion. Nari’s aggression wasn’t new to her, watching on as if it was a typical afternoon, making no move to jolt into the business of her and the supposed love of her life. “I suppose if she’s going to murder someone, it might as well be Adalyn.” The female wasn’t someone that Jia had enjoyed the company of on the few occasions that she had been forced into her social circle. At least Nari wasn’t angering royalty this time, that’s the most that she could ask for. It was difficult to mask her amusement that she was known for evading what was required of her and for her ability to argue at every opportunity. “Arguing is my first talent, singing is the second. I much prefer to argue if I’m honest.” She failed to hold her tongue in a manner her mother would desire of her, she should have played into the role of strength, that the siren was the talent that everyone should bow to, even when it terrified her. Servants were swift with their trays, Jia swore they were choreographed to fall into the path of every person, not stopping their skipping until everyone had a drink or their trays were empty. “Do you really want to know?” Jia laughed as she watched him tip back the drink that he’d chosen. She had heard the whisper of the staff while the trays were initially lined with drinks, each of them giggling endlessly at what Strife had prepared this year. “I don’t know what’s in them but I do know what they do.” She ran a finger around the rim of the glass that she had secured from a bypassing tray, its liquid a deep blue akin to Axel’s eyes. A thought that had her raising her glass to confirm her thought with butterfly-induced laughter soon following; a beautiful matched shade, although she had no clue what was within her glass. “Supposedly, each drink is based on a house, making you feel a heightened sense related to it.” She swirled the liquid in her glass, no hesitation flittering through her as she tipped it back and swallowed. “Devotion is certainly love, right? The others? I’m not so sure.”

Her melody was intoxicating, pulling any man willing to risk it all, and Axel hated admitting her voice was dreamlike. He cursed himself regretting not reading her file, but he had no reason to background check her when Nari trusted her. Once the song was over, all the men draped over with drool snapped out of their trance and returned to their drinking games. His mask was not special, decorated with an Euda symbol to indicate his position, and laced with a unique design. Dark enough for his piercing azure eyes to outperform those around him, as suggested by a close friend, Axel raised a brow at the position Jia decided to take, and with a smile, he responded. “He seems pretty occupied with a woman named Adalyn Thiede. She has plenty of things to say to keep him busy.” Axel lifted his head, gradually moving it in the direction of Dae because he never truly took his eyes off him. “He was looking for Nari. Looks like he found her along with the man who invited her, but I rather not get involved with this situation.” His voice echoed, eyes following the movement of his head shortly after speaking. The scene unfolding was interesting, counting the minutes until someone decided to snap, but he didn’t mind as long as Dae wasn’t wandering Strife halls. “Right, back to you, siren.” Axel returned his attention to Jia with a slight head tilt, curiosity filling the gaps in his expression. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t think you possessed any talent besides arguing when given a direct order.” A servant halted in place as his words drifted off, offering him a drink which he refused until the servant came by once more. Axel glanced over the expensive glasses, picking the least threatening one as he gave a slight bow to show his gratitude. “Any information on these drinks? I couldn’t get a single ingredient.” A cautious sniff before he carefully sipped the bubbly drink, infused with a butterfly tea and thunder clouds which made for a confusing texture. “Bizarre taste.”

[jianam]

It didn’t matter the misgivings and the anxiety that blossomed in the pit of her stomach before stepping on stage, Jia could never deny the rush that came the moment that the lights were spun onto her. The world became hers when she was allowed to sing, or at least temporarily and the world meant the men in the vicinity that were captured by the sirens call. They were there now, men who had secured themselves to the edge of the stage and stared up at her with glassed eyes. “Oh, today I’m just a drop of water and I’m running down the mountainside, come tomorrow I’ll be in the ocean, I’ll be rising with the morning tide.” The words didn’t matter to those who listened, it was the trill of her voice that drew them forward and still, she sank herself into the lyrics without a care for those who swayed with mindless desire that would lead them to their deaths if she so desired to lead them off the nearest balcony. Her eyes flickered closed as she sang, minutes passing before she opened them again and found a familiar face on the edge of the stage and despite the masquerade, she surprisingly recognised him.. He had startled her, although it hadn’t shown in her tune. Still, her eyes widened as she took Axel in, a man that she had only ever seen in Dae’s vicinity, and while Nari had been enraptured in the latter, she had often set her focus on the former. Not that he had ever looked her way and she realised that only when for the first time, she realised his eyes were blue. A striking shade even at a distance. “When you walked into the room just then, it’s like the sun came out, and the day is clear.” Her smile edged into her voice, an action that drew further focus of the room as she rang out the final notes; and to their dismay, she made her exit. The backing singers were given a cue to take over just as Jia reached the end of the stage where Axel stood and it must have been the drifting echo of her own voice that drew her to choose to swing out her legs to sit down on the edge of the stage. “Hm, what did I do to get the honour of you taking your eyes off our dear Lord Dae?” She spoke in a sing-song tone, her power holding a devilish spark of its own that was hard to dampen her voice back into normality.

The problem was as follows Axel had to clean up before any special event, taking time from his job as a bodyguard, but as the Captain ordered soldiers must be able to play the role. He hated that rule more than anything else in Euda, wearing a body vest under a suit was not exactly comfortable. However, it was the last of his problems as the random woman practically threw herself at Dae with no consent, and the minute Axel heard her voice he counted the number of exits. “She’s a keeper.” There was no use for Axel to stay by his side, returning the shoulder gestures before he left him to suffer the wrath of a woman who doesn’t stop talking. “The amount of people here is going to drive me insane.” Axel ran a hand down his features, locking eyes with a few women who would be honored to be leaving with him after long hours of dancing. His distraction had him forgetting that he was on the lookout for any threats, but it came to a halt the minute he saw a familiar face on stage. The closer he neared the stage, the better his eyesight adjusted to the woman whom he knew as Jia. He realized the paperwork on people around Nari had one titled ‘Jia Nam’ except he never had the time to read those files. The information would have helped him in this scenario, watching as helpless men gathered around to hear her sing. “Bizarre.” It was most likely the way she was glowing under the spotlight, how unrealistic her features glimmered compared to the background singers, but there was something else besides her beauty reeling these men in. Axel maneuvered around swaying humans, soon reaching the end of the stage as he propped his arms on the edge with fluttering lashes that gave away his blue eyes. “Who is she?” He asked the nearest woman, who shamelessly fell for the trap without questioning his identity. “Jia Nam, considerably the only woman who can sing in Seven Seas, she’s a siren.” Axel craned his neck to gaze up at the siren, flipping through the pages in his head attempting to understand the definition of siren. “So, she reels men in and then kills them?” His question caused a burst of laughter throughout the area, the female shaking her head as she leaned in closely. “Why don’t you find out?” Why not? Axel had time to spare, waiting for a woman who killed men by song wouldn’t be so immoral.

[jianam]

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Jia’s rage had never flourished for Phoenix so suddenly and with such violent desires. “I listen to you all the time, I listened this time and followed you out of that forsaken place when people I know were being murdered.” Her anger was misplaced, deep down she was aware that she couldn’t blame him for getting her out alive, but she wanted someone to blame. Unfortunately, he was the first person in range and she was never ashamed to react emotionally in his presence. She didn’t have the time to take in the threat, her hands fighting to clutch onto Phoenix’s elbows and shake him. “Knock me out? Go ahead, do it. I dare you.” She shoved him once more, and with the slight parting of their frame led her to finally acknowledge the figure that sprinted towards them. “What the fuck is that?” Her question was drowned out by Phoenix’s scream, a sound so loud that she physically froze, her eyes darting off the intruder and to her friend instead. “My ears! What is wrong with you?” She had thrown her arm out to slap his arm to find him already moving out of her reach. The moments that followed were a blur, the knife came down on her with a quick precision and rather than lock eyes with her attacker, she had been focused on the man that had dodged. The man who had sworn never to betray her only an hour earlier had abandoned her when she needed him most. “Phoenix!” She had called for him, disbelief etched in the panic at the limpness of his frame once it hit the ground. At the same moment, acknowledgement of the pain had bled through with the dark bloom that ebbed out over her side.

“You drive me crazy! You never listen all you do is talk when our lives could be in danger right now, what the hell is wrong with you? I don’t want to die right now.” Phoenix clutched his fists, body flinging forward an inch every time her fists collided with his back. Why did he agree to follow them? He could’ve easily walked in the opposite direction, it was his dreaded obsession with egg coffee that put him here in the first place. “I’m trying to calm her down, I’m this close to knock her out myself.” He hissed under his breath, shielding her from any potential danger which he assumed would be handled until his eyes flew in the direction of Axel. He dodged? Phoenix shook his head in confusion, a trained soldier moved out of the way meant he was wrong to assume he was safe. He could almost hear the panting of the man nearing them, glancing down at the clear outline of a knife. “No.” Phoenix’s vision blurred by the speed of this superhuman, he knew exactly what this thing was and it had tracked him all the way from Damned. His scream was loud enough to shatter glass, the ugliness of this human caused him to move abruptly to the side and watched as the knife found its way into the side of Jia. “Fuck.” The sudden burst of blood made him sick to his stomach, his body staging an impromptu fainting scene as he collapsed to the ground. "Did he?" Axel watched as a body hit the ground, puzzled flickers to ensure that it was Phoenix collapsing after tackling the man to the ground. "What the fuck is happening right now? The knife--" His hand pinned down the unknown suspect, clearing his throat as his face lost all expression when he spotted the knife lodged into the last person he wanted. "Jia, look at me, it'll be fine."

[jianam]

“How about we tell my mother nothing instead?” Jia knew that it was a long shot, regretting her choice to abandon her shoes if it meant that her mother would launch into a rant about her irresponsibility. She hadn’t expected much but the fact that Axel had produced a pair of socks had stunned her. “You wouldn’t happen to have a whole new outfit in there would you?” It had been a joke, although she wouldn’t have said no to something that wasn’t a dress. She didn’t gain the opportunity to put on the socks, the situation turning dire while she was dealing with the information that those from the Seven Seas had lost their lives. The exchanges between Axel and Phoenix felt too much, her head snapping between the pair, and she knew her panic was not helping the situation but she couldn’t control it. Especially not as she caught sight of the figure rushing through the night, its sights set on her and Phoenix as if there had been a personal vendetta. A vendetta that she now also had for Phoenix as he’d swung out of the way and the glint of a knife in the air was the only warning she was given. Jia expected there to be resistance, for her muscle or bone to delay the blade, but the impact had been clean, cool metal sinking into her flesh. Heat flooded the area in seconds, a searing pain that threatened to unravel her sanity. Her knees had locked, by the strengths of every god she had managed to stay upright, but as her hand travelled to the hilt of the knife her stance was beginning to waver. “What do I do?” Her voice was stagnant, all emotion sucked out of her to make way for the panic that was building in the pit of her stomach. She traced along the knife until a stickiness was pooling under her fingers, her legs buckling and the impact on her knees shook out a cry, and she lost herself. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have been a bitch to you.” Words wrapped into broken sobs, convincing herself that Axel would use this as a reason to leave her behind, an easy way to remove the thorn that was slowing him down. “Axel, I don’t want to die.” She dropped back into a sitting position, halted from the fall back into the leaves by Phoenix’s frame, with no choice but to lay her weight down on his side. Her fear drew her hands back to the knife and doing what was potentially the worst she could have done, she attempted to pull it out. The scream was guttural, managing only an inch that placed her in further pain, the blood pouring thicker and faster.  

Axel didn’t feel the need to respond to Phoenix's backhanded comments on protecting, not even in his home Olympus, everything he didn’t benefit him at all besides the few women who wanted his company late at night. The situation was already weird enough for him because of the extra weight he had to watch, Axel glanced down at the woman who clung for her dear life. “It��s about a 45-minute walk without any stops and it’ll take long if you continue to pause every 3 seconds.” He was mildly impressed with the fact that she tossed shoes that could pay his salary for years, but it now became a problem of leaving footprints in the dirt. “I’ll be happy to tell your mother that you left evidence. I have come back tomorrow to pick them up,” He sighed at the thought of returning to the scene and skimming the area for a matching pair of heels. “Take these, the floor is cold.” Axel reached into his bag, pulling out a pair of cashmere socks before handing them to her. It was a rule, always be prepared for any circumstance even if it meant bringing an extra pair of socks. “Hold on.” His eyes snapped towards Phoenix when he spoke of dead bodies, Axel clenched his jaw as he continued to hear the man speak of rotting souls. “Jia, I need you to breathe.” The minute his eyes adjusted to the area, Axel saw a shadow running straight towards them and the tiniest glimmer in his hand. Axel counted the footing, the stranger would reach them in a matter of seconds and he had a choice to make between the two. “Keep her under control, Phoenix!” His fingers curled around the knife attached to his thigh, prepared to disarm the man spiraling towards them except this wasn’t a normal man. His speed was abnormal even for Axel, nothing about this man was identifiable even at a close proximity. What the hell was this thing? “Jia! Phoenix! Get out of the way!” Axel shouted towards the two, swiftly moving to the side before sprinting in the direction of his detail. He needed to reach them, he needed to be faster than him, but it was a minute too late when the man aimed the knife at Phoenix.

[jianam]

Jia’s eyes followed the line between Phoenix and Axel several times, her focus shifting to the latter after every statement that rattled from the former. Thankful that Phoenix was at least filling the silence, although his words felt eerily threatening, and she found herself reaching out to catch hold of the tails of his coat. “Don’t tell me to shut my mouth, you’re the one talking about his job and insulting it.” Her words were swift, regretful the moment that they broached the air, stabbing through the night just as Phoenix had become a protective figure in front of her. If it had been anyone else, she would have continued to belittle their attempt to hush her, but it was unlike Phoenix to treat her as he did then. “Phoe, what is it?” The hand that clutched his coat raised to rest at the centre of his back, although curiosity led her to peer out from behind him. If there was danger, she was blind to it, the path ahead looked as it had several minutes earlier. “What?” Jia’s fingers unwound from Axel’s, and a sudden chill had her jolting away, taking a step backwards and creating distance from both of them. “What do you mean?” She had understood clearly, her question entirely obsolete as the true nature of what occurred after she and Phoenix had departed started to sink in. “I need… I need to go back. If Nari is still there - no, everyone, all of them need to go home.” She glanced behind her, towards the lights that were nothing more than a blur in the distance, a Queendom that was doused in the blood of people that she knew, those that consumed her everyday life. Her emotions caught up to her, and the lump in her throat turned into a childlike sob, tears beginning to blur her vision. “You asshole.” It was a sudden judgement, her hands slamming into Phoenix’s back. “You knew they would die, didn’t you? You knew and you let me leave, you didn’t let me warn them.”

“Do you ever get tired of protecting people?” Phoenix questioned the soldier. Well aware of what the answer might be given the Olympus crest on his arm, Phoenix’s definition of soldier was what many would call dishonorable. His morals were not as aligned as those who seek out victims to keep from harm's way, he happened to be the harm's way. “I envy your ability to stay professional because I could never.” Phoenix shoved his hands into his pockets, shoulders rising as he felt the breeze of the sea except the trio was too far from the ocean. “Unfortunate.” He stopped in his tracks, eyes wandering the empty field before he spotted the poor souls of those who perished. “Looks like you lost a couple of lives today, soldier.” The ability to see souls ran in the family, Phoenix however could only guide them to Damned while his sister helped them move on. “You’d think being from Olympus would give you a tingle when danger is near.” As his body turned back around, Phoenix watched Axel’s demeanor change and it was a sign that someone was up ahead. “Jia, shut your mouth.” He couldn't afford another death right now, not of someone important. His legs moved swiftly, using his body to shield Jia from the upcoming interaction. “Everything this man tells you to do, do it without being a sarcastic shit.” He turned around, forgetting to mention one important piece that would have her question speaking. “People are dead and rotting in that ballroom.”

[jianam]

“If he’s with Nari, the only reason you’ve been ordered to take me home is because of her.” Jia’s tongue clicked, knowing that she was potentially being unfair when Dae had given up his own personal protection for her yet she had no warmth for him. “I am not under any delusions when it comes to Dae, and I know that’s hard to believe when every man, woman and child would line up to kiss his feet.” She hadn’t understood why she was the only person who didn’t obsess over Dae until her own abilities flourished when she learned her birthright gifts were constantly at battle with whatever power he possessed. “Don’t worry about being an asshole, I already think you are one.” He may have been beautiful, an Adonis that she spent many afternoons watching, but she wasn’t fooled by the dignified way that he spoke to her. The undertone of his voice was enough for her to understand what he thought of her, and she would never be the type of a man like him. Yet she felt secure with her hand locked tightly in his, although it meant that she was required to keep his pace and it led to her taking excessively long strides to match his. “I think you’re being dramatic about how valuable I am, but we’re clear.” She mumbled to herself more than to him, her gaze fixed on where she was placing her feet, expecting to trample on a bear trap or a land mine if she wasn’t careful. “Can I just ask how long this is going to take because my feet already hurt?” She was already breaking the rules he had given her, her head upturned and glancing behind her towards Paramount’s buildings and hopeful that Nari was on her way home too. She regretted her attire, the backs of her heels already shredded from the shoes her mother had forced onto her feet before she’d boarded the carriage. “Oh, screw it.” Impulsively, she started to hop with her hand still tightly grasping Axel's while she reached for her shoe with the other, and without much care for staying under the radar, she chucked them one after the other in different directions. “If my mother asks, I traded those hideous things for my life.”

He couldn't argue with her, there were sides of Dae that he didn't even know because of their strict relationship but he knew that he could hold himself until someone reached him. "I understand why you feel this way towards him, but I trust in his ability to keep himself safe and his people." Axel had no bias towards Lord Dae besides he was employed to keep him safe. Although, the words she spoke left a sour taste in his mouth as he prepared to clear the air. "You are his people, Jia. He ordered me to leave his side to find you, take you home because you are his people." He had talked for too long that he forgot to gather details of the area as he guided both of them towards the field, this was a slight issue until his eyes caught a glimpse of a flickering light. Another Euda soldier, Crowler, signaled passerbys that it was safe to cross. "I don't want to be an asshole, Jia." Axel planned to peel her off him the moment she attached, he refused to risk the life of someone who was supposed to be under his security. After her words, he decided upon himself that he'd leave her in that position. He was grown to never be afraid of the unknown, and never worry because those emotions would show the enemy a weakness to use against him. Axel was the top of his class when it came to Euda, his highest scores were in protection detail because he would remain focused on putting his life on the line to bring someone back home. "You better keep up because I'm not going to stop even if you beg me. I'll get you home safely, I need you to trust me without giving me attitude--I don't want you to question me, are we clear?" Axel calculated the walk back to Seven Seas, approximately 45 minutes without stopping even if the three paused for a break then it would only take away 2 minutes. "Keep your head down, you're still valuable because of your title, and don't speak to anyone passing by unless spoken to. You can't trust anyone, okay?"

[jianam]

“I didn’t agree to not asking questions.” Jia’s words were muffled in the forming of a pout, speaking out of the corners of her mouth. Her eyes didn’t meet Axel’s directly, settling either on his chest or on Phoenix, unable to meet his gaze despite the situation. It wasn’t the time to be distracted by his handsome features. “I wouldn’t trust Dae to protect a toad, let alone the people of the Seven Seas.” It was an instant snap that came naturally, although she shouldn’t have spoken so openly in front of a man in Dae’s employ, but it was the truth. Lord Dae was not a man she would have put her life in the hands of if she was given a choice. Axel’s instructions were simple and direct, it was as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, but once she took those few steps, what he wanted of her felt impossible. Despite Phoenix’s presence, she was still terrified to move forward as if she would accidentally stumble on a land mine or trigger an alarm. Phoenix was indestructible as far as she was concerned, whereas if a threat leapt at them, she would be the first to hit the ground. She had made a total of five steps when she came to a halt, looking ahead into the dark abyss in front of them, a darkness that competed with the depths of the ocean. A heaviness on her chest, struggling to draw in enough oxygen to catch a full breath. Rather than moving forward, she retraced her steps instead, her arm extended until there was heat under her fingertips, brushing against Axel’s palm and edging her fingers between his. No doubt in her mind that he would find the desire to hold his hand childish and pathetic. In fact, she expected her to break the contact and push her to move along like an adult would. “I don’t want you getting lost.” A feeble excuse to save her the embarrassment of vocalising her fear, squeezing his hand as she made to step forward. Darkness not only a cover to escape, but to conceal the heat that had spread wildly over her cheeks and ears. “I’ll let go when we get to the Seven Seas.” She still didn’t look at him, eyes fixed ahead and to her surprise, her feet were striking a rhythm on the ground.

[jianam]

seosjoon​:

It was unusual for him to watch someone worry for another human being, Phoenix avoided that feeling so often that it no longer existed in his data. He couldn’t respond to her worry about the war because he was thrilled that chaos was about to unfold, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t continue to feed her information. “Not exactly.” Phoenix hummed under his breath, thinking of ways to explain this to her without making it personal. However, he admitted that watching her struggle through the door did entertain him for a while until her structure found his chest leaving him with a heavy sigh. “You’d make a horrible assassin, Jia. You can’t even get through a door without falling all over the place, don’t you have training to escape prisons?” He wiped away any debris that painted her forehead, running a gentle hand over her head to comb out any spiderwebs that she brought along. “The fear is not telling the person of your problems. The fear is watching them go through it with you, understand? Telling someone you love that you’re going to die in two days would cause that person to have a hero complex. Asking questions about how to avoid this from happening, how to sacrifice something special to keep them beside you.” His fingers grazed over her long strands, careful not to pull away at any loose strands before his gaze fell on her. “Love is a powerful, powerful thing that not even the gods can control.” His thumb pressed along her cheek, cleaning up her features with a tragicomic smile. It was a shame that he couldn’t charm her, Phoenix knew that since the minute he met her, she’d be an important person in his life and her beauty was just a plus in his mind. At least he didn’t have to stare at something ugly while he spoke, he tore himself away from his thought and then from her as he began to walk. “I won’t betray you, Jia.” An empty promise because in a way, Phoenix had already betrayed his little sister by killing the King of Devotion. “Can you hurry? I’m starving…–” A pause, ears perked at the sound of someone coming up from behind as he swiftly turned back to Jia. The way his legs moved to catch her before this mysterious person could grab her, fingers wrapping around her elbows using his strength to yank her towards him. “You can’t sneak up on people.” The minute he realized that Jia was safe, he stepped to her side watching as she became an entirely different person. A war? Marriage? Nari? Confusion covered every corner of his features, Phoenix was unaware that the situation was becoming worse by the minute. “Would Nari say yes to him? You do know what this means right? We’re fucked.”

“I understand, I just think it’s stupid.” Her nose drew upwards, lips pinching together as he cleaned her of the debris. His words sank in yet she couldn’t willingly accept them, perhaps it was the lack of love she had witnessed growing up, her parents more likely to lay down their woes to hurt the other rather than hide them. “I’d hate if the person I loved didn’t tell me they were mad, or going to die in two days. Isn’t it part of love to want to do something for them?” It may not have been the time to be questioning love, in the dark grounds of a now war-hungry Paramount, yet Jia found herself drawn into the conversation to the point that she had left limited space between them. “It’s selfish if you keep the bad to yourself, and it’s cruel, you don’t really love the person if you hold it back.” She absentmindedly raised her hand to clutch his wrist once he brushed her cheek, fingers drawing soft circles on the back of his hand, until she leaned her head back, shifting away from his touch. “You better be telling the truth, I’m trusting that you won’t betray me.” Jia’s eyes narrowed, a light humour layered on top of the fear that had her wishing to honker down under the nearest tree. It was Phoenix that kept her from fleeing, running off into the night and potentially getting herself killed, the genuine belief that as long as she was with him, she would never be hurt. “But if you have to kill me, at least make sure it’s quick.” Her mind hadn’t been focused on much beyond the man next to her, at least until Axel had made his demand for her attention, swearing blindly at her as if she’d been a prisoner escaping. However, he had filled in the many blanks for her, even if it was done so bitterly. “Are you stupid? Of course, Nari would say yes, she’s an idiot. She only squeaks at him once a year but she’d find a way to get a yes out to a proposal.” Jia knew Nari like the back of her hand especially when it came to all the possibilities that could potentially spring from an encounter with the man she was head over heels for. However, when it came to marriage, she would have been the first to laugh at the idea of those two somehow becoming man and wife. It was the single image of Nari in white that flared the realisation of how terrible this news was going to be taken as it spread. “I can’t go home.” Jia suddenly spun on her heel away from Axel and back towards Phoenix, her hands planted firmly on his chest, and attempting to push him in the opposite direction. “We’re definitely fucked. Take me to the Damned, let me live my life in a cave where my best friend didn’t start a war that my mother will definitely blame me for.”

[jianam]

axelkingly·:

“Apologies for swearing at you, my lady, but who said you could wander the fucking halls of Paramount without a guard?” Axel failed to have the patience when it came to asking questions, obviously, he wasn’t one to answer them but the plethora of wonders caused a migraine to appear. The problem with this one was that she stared too long, Axel never knew what her eyes had glued themselves to and at times even turned his head to ensure no one decided to sneak behind him. “I’ll make this brief and if you happen to get confused then it’s not my problem. I won’t be answering anymore questions regarding the situation, got it?” He made himself clear as the night sky, covering his tracks as he made way to stand beside her. “Nari had an altercation with the Queen.” Nothing out of the ordinary, clearing his throat as he began to walk towards the hollow fields of Paramount. “Lord Dae asked for her hand in marriage, not the Queen, but Nari from what I’m understand is that she said yes.” His fingers wrapped around the weapon hoisted on his side, eyes scouting out the area before he signaled it was safe for them to proceed. “Paramount declared war of Seven Seas. Your friend Nari is marrying Lord Dae. He made it clear to me that I should come fetch you before the Queen realizes your relationship with Nari.” The briefing was short and sweet leaving bits of detail, but getting straight to the point regarding the war that was upon them. “I need you to tell me if anyone saw you. Both of you because this is crucial to everyone’s survival tonight.”

The snipe in the tone was not unlike what Jia was used to but the effort of returning it died on the tip of her tongue, realising that picking a fight at this moment perhaps wasn’t appropriate. Especially not when he was filling in the blanks of what Phoenix had told her and the details that drew her closer to his side, the toe of her shoes scuffing on his heel. “Dae asked Nari to marry him?” Several details went over her head for the one singular fact, grabbing a hold of his sleeve and beginning to shake his arm. “And she said yes? Oh, oh, this is… are you sure? Did Nari tell you this? Maybe she hit her head and has officially lost it.” It felt like a dream that Nari had scribbled in the back of a notebook that had, by some twisted fate, conjured itself into reality. Her mind struggled to focus on the second confirmation of war when she was concerned with her best friend’s engagement with the man of her obsessions. Feet failing to keep in a straight line through Paramount’s terrain, her eyes darting from Axel to their surroundings, the unease of the current situation beginning to grow again. "I don't know." It wasn't a helpful answer, but she wasn’t typically focused on the who or what that was paying attention to her. “I don’t think anyone but those from that also came from the Seven Seas even looked at me, but oh, I made eye contact with the Queen's bodyguard earlier after Nari knocked over all those stupid glasses. Does that make a difference?" She doubted she made an impression on his mind when the moment was so brief; a hiccup in his day when his lover had gone on to declare war. The grounds of Paramount made it difficult to ease her heartbeat, the noise that surrounded them so unlike home, she found herself leaning so close that she may as well have sewn her shoulder to his. “You know what, my mother’s going to find a way to blame me for all of this, so maybe you should just leave me here. They can send my head back in a box.”

[jianam]

Paramount was beautiful, it was an undeniable fact once they had broken from the suffocation of their interiors, whoever curated their gardens had done it with love and a keen eye. She wished she had the time to bask in it, to wander through it, but at that very moment, she was loitering on enemy soil. Even Phoenix wouldn’t be guaranteed to soften the blow if she were discovered outside of the zones they had herded the Seven Seas guests into. The events of the night and its revelations had left her somewhat numb to the danger, at least until a voice paired with the march of footsteps called out, and she could only suspect that it was meant for her. “I wasn’t wandering, I was leaving.” Her indignation was evident, the response was past her lips before she had even turned to face the man that swore at her. A light hitch in her breathing when her gaze locked on Axel, she hadn’t connected the voice to the face. The heat was rising to her cheeks despite the chill of the air and she couldn’t help but send her blessings to Poseidon for the clouds concealing the light of the moon. “And what do you mean by life-threatening? Are they going to kill Dae? Is that why you’re out here? Where’s Nari?” There wasn’t a breath between each of her questions, although she had taken a step closer to him with each, her eyes shifting between him and the palace that was alight with figures from nearly every window behind him. Whether it was staff peering into the night or guards lingering in the backlight, she didn’t know, but it was an unnerving sight. “Also, who said you could swear at me?” 

“This was supposed to be a fucking easy job,” Axel grumbled under his breath, tossing the cigarette onto the gravel before he pushed himself through anxious bodies. “This is not an easy job.” His orders were clear, protect Lord Dae no matter the costs even if that meant his own life, but those orders changed the minute he caught a glimpse of the missing friend. “Can you find Jia, please?” Axel already planned to decline the offer until his eyes met with his employer; He understood the assignment, nodding towards Nari as he spun on his heels heading in the opposite direction from everyone. “Find my friend, find my lover, find my fucking payment.” Axel brought this upon himself being good at his job would cost him, and he had no issue protecting those around him, but taking nonsensical orders was what prompted his anger issues. His lengthy legs ran in every direction, traveling ends of the earth for this woman before stopping in front of a wooden door. “Fuck me.” His fingers carefully wrapped around the strand of hair, eyebrows raising in annoyance as he pushed past the rustic scenery. It only took a couple of steps before his eyes targeted the back of her head, Axel gathered enough information on his surroundings before picking up speed to catch up to her. “Why the fuck are you out here? You know better than to wander around during a life-threatening situation.”

[jianam]

seosjoon​:

“You sound confused, Jia.” Phoenix followed her with his eyes, sitting comfortably on the edge of the centerpiece with arms crossed. Mouth opening to elaborate on the situation until his soul keychain began to speak, alerting him about the current events. “Master, I’ve gotten word that the Queen has declared war on Seven Seas.” Phoenix cocked a brow, teeth grazing inside his cheeks as he let out a soft chuckle. “How funny.” He went through every scenario in his mind, gathering enough information about the woman who would rule for Zeus, but war was the last thing he expected. Phoenix no longer felt the need to keep any secrets, regaining his posture as guards swept through the halls with those claiming loyalty to Seven Seas. “We have to keep moving because there’s ears everywhere.” He stood in place, whining at the thought of explaining the plan on the way out. Gesturing to the opposite end of the hallway, long legs walking ahead as a hand hovered over her head, and much like a crane–he attached each digit to her head and dragged her along. “You’re assuming too much about him. I’ve had my eye on him for awhile now and if he truly knew about her condition then he’d be trying to help, but that isn’t the case. He doesn’t know because she refuses to tell him, you think he’d let her wander the courtyard at night?” He released her head the minute the two were alone, shoving his palms in his pocket as he walked towards his secret exit. “You’re the Queen of hundreds of people. You have to answer to Zeus and you’re fucking a man that would cause havoc across Olympus. You think telling him that you’re insane is the way to go?” His footsteps paused near a broken down door, covered in withered vines which happened to peak his interest. His eyes darted side to side, attempting to remember his last visit where the vines had started to grow flowers. “The last time I was here the plants on this door were growing, we have a bigger problem on our hands.” The minute a house begins to rot means the one ruling is responsible, lands thrive off the each ruler in terms to mind and body as his father explained to him. Once a ruler starts to turn rotten, the entirety of the kingdom will lose itself due to the selfish needs of the ruler in which then the council decides to dethrone or behead. His fingers grazed the withered plant, crushing it with his fingers as he sighed. “She’s killing Paramount from the inside out and if it comes down to it then I’m afraid we will all be at war.” He pushed the wooden door, hearing it creak as he leaned down to prevent any injury before turning his head to face her. “I want coffee with an egg yolk in it. Nari told me that you’re good at making coffee, shall we?”

The room erupted suddenly, a change of pace from the whispers and subtleties, it was a rush to remove every member of the Seven Seas and their allies. Jia didn’t protest against Phoenix’s grip on her head, his choice to shift her had given her the ability to scan the room and hone in on the chaos, rather than forcing her to focus on what direction she needed to be heading in. His path took her directly parallel to the group of Seven Seas volunteers that had come on the same carriage that she had, her gaze locking with Sorrell, the eldest of the group who looked as if she had seen a ghost. The older woman had attempted to catch her wrist, a fluttering of fingers that grazed the back of her hand before Sorrel was directed away by guards, and she was taken in the opposite direction by Phoenix. “I don’t like this.” An understatement to the rise of her heart rate and the cold sweat that coated her arms when she made unwarranted eye contact with a guard. She reached for the charm that hung around her neck, palm concealing the silver trident from the guards that scanned the room with thorough eyes and found herself shocked that she wasn’t being ripped away from Phoenix. The idea of being separated from him had her moving faster because as much as she would never admit it, he was the only person that made her feel completely safe. “I mean, if you’re going to tell anyone you’re going doolally, wouldn’t the person you love be the safest bet?” Jia couldn’t understand it when the Queen evidently had a man so in love he was willingly broaching several laws to be with her, she doubted a little insanity would cause him to pull away. “Not that I care about her decision-making if it’s so awful it helps us, I just find it strange.” Not much stranger than the door that he brought her to, her hand instinctively rising to brush the dried flowers, crumbling under the slightest touch of her fingers. “If we all go to war, you better not try to kill me. I’ll haunt you until your as insane as this Queen.” She pointed towards the ceiling, certain that the royal was somewhere above them and settling into violent thoughts of bloodshed - or perhaps, rhyming off poems about storms. “You want coffee at a time like this?” If Jia had anything to throw, it would have been bouncing off his temple, and she found herself glancing around in the hopes of finding anything that would cause even the least bit of harm to him. “Seven Seas is going to war, my best friend had a hand in starting it, and you want me to be your barista?” The broken splinters of the door caught her hair, not a thought cast to the strands that were left behind as she raced towards him, overlooking the step and rather than landing a hit, she was using him to stop herself from plummeting to the floor. A moment that grounded her with her forehead pressed against his chest, the fear flourishing through her ribcage. “A coffee actually would be nice.” 

[jianam]

seosjoon​:

Simple, easy like blueberry pie when it came to Jia because all he needed was a mannered ask for help. All the answers came to him on a morning stroll, Phoenix snuck away from Devotion after his sexual desires were fulfilled when he casually made his way towards Paramount. “I decided I would pay a visit to the new Queen and understand her more. She’s an interesting character, Jia.” He found comfort against a centerpiece, leaning back as his eyes fell dark. Remembering that visit to Paramount, he found himself wandering the halls of Zeus without being acknowledge. A magic trick his father showed him, one that came in handy during times like these—everything was well until his ears caught sounds of a woman being incredibly pleasured. Shame, he wasn’t the one delivering said pleasure and who it was made it all more interesting. “She’s fucking her right hand man or I should say that they are in love. Madly in love. I know when a woman is in love, you can hear it in her moans.” Phoenix paused shaking his head, raising a hand to clarify his information. “I stumbled on them having sex one night trying to find someone to kill. I was bored, alright? That’s not the best part.” He crossed his legs, arms coming along in the same motion before catching her gaze to finish the information. “During certain hours at night, Paramount’s Queen roams the halls. Speaking of a storm, talking to nothing, and it takes hours for her to return to her normal state.” He cared for Nari enough to hand over crucial, blackmailing that would hold value in any council meeting. “Even if war is declared, you can petition this by using the information I gave you. You would quite literally bring the house down because standing behind a Queen who is mad is insanity. She’d do anything for him, think about it.” Phoenix planned to converse with his father about Paramount, but letting it air would work in his favor if Jia decided to move forward with the information. “Any questions?”

“She’s fucking her…” Jia's voice had risen a touch too loud, the choice to repeat his words cut short by a series of heads snapping in her direction. She turned her back on them, placing herself elbow to elbow with Phoenix instead, voice returning to a level that could easily to washed away into the static of the room. “So, she’s having sex with that guard that was with her, and as much as I want to dive into how someone as soulless as you can tell an in-love moan from a regular one, I’m going to ignore it, for now.” Her eyes once more darted towards the exit, she had laid her eyes only briefly on the man that was on the heels of the Queen and his fury had been enough to ignite a flicker of fear. It was easy to place his rage as a man simply doing his job, but his protectiveness went beyond loyalty for his Queen, it was a love for the woman behind closed doors. She listened intently to every word that Phoenix aired, committing every ounce of the secrets he held to memory, although she remained still willfully ignorant on how to proceed with the grenade he’d bundled into her arms. “Plenty.” The questions had stacked the more that his information had filtered through her mind and unfortunately, she found herself in the unfortunate predicament where she required Phoenix to take her by the hand. “You say the Queen’s mad, but there’s no way to prove it, and won’t her guard rally for her? If he knows she’s insane and he’s in love with her, and since he’s the one that spends the most time with her, his word trumps anyone else’s especially a measly nymph’s child.” Her mother would be enraged by the embarrassment of her daughter rallying the courts over unfounded rumours, especially when she couldn’t claim Phoenix as her source. “You’ve given me a headache.” She kicked forward, tossing a hand down on his chest in the process of moving a step away, remaining still only grew her anxiety. “You know, for once, I wish you had suggested murder. The one time you don’t and I’d have taken it.” She almost tripped over his legs in the process of pacing, toe catching his shin, but making a note to overstep him higher the next time that she spun around. “If she’d do anything for him, does killing her guard do anything? Kidnapping him? Or would that make it worse?”

[jianam]

seosjoon​:

“My sense of direction is perfect.” Phoenix refused to roll his eyes at anyone else except for Jia. She brought out the natural sassy side of him which he hated because anyone with eyes, seeing him like this with her would cause an uproar down in Damned. He constantly reminded himself that he was different from his father, but these days it seemed impossible to claim that he wasn’t the son of Hades. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re annoying? How can you stem from such a rich family and the only trait that you obtain is annoyance.” He gently slapped her fists away from his point of view, convincing her that he was telling the truth would be like admitting to her that he planned an entire heist to kill the King of Devotion. Which he did, accidentally, spread rumors around Strife until someone had the courage enough to pull the act off; Phoenix smiled to himself thinking of how cruel he was back in those days, dreamy sigh until he heard her insult his choice toppings for toast. “Firstly, you don’t understand that certain toppings are sour while others are sweet. The perfect topping will decide your day and you can’t use this against me because having honey on your toast every day is boring.” Why was he arguing her about toast when there were more important matters? Phoenix softly poked at her forehead, holding back the urge to flick her towards the nearest doors to hell. “Any valid reason you have to be in love with a bodyguard who doesn’t even know you exist?” His snap back was necessary after she had insulted his decision making, glancing over towards the doors that would decide everyone’s fate. “Look, do you want my help or not?”

“I understand toppings perfectly, I don’t need to ask the cards and pray to the fates to help me choose if I want honey or not.” It wasn’t the time to be arguing about toast and yet, Jia had found herself looped into a conversation that at any other moment would have sent them into an hour-long deep dive. She would commit the argument to memory for a time when Nari’s head wasn’t on the line. “And you know what, I don’t have time for all your insanity about your toast somehow manifesting the day you’re going to have. Although, maybe if Nari didn’t have just butter this morning, she might have given us a better day.” She shook her head, freeing her mind of toast and breakfast, trying her best not to divert her eyes back to the door as she awaited Nari’s return. “I’m not in love with anyone.” Jia couldn’t mask her disgust, face twisting at the notion of being in love with another human, let alone a man. Yet her eyes had darted around the room in search of the man that he alluded to, but he was nowhere to be found. “Finding someone hot and being in love with them is very different.” A point that she was certain to make each time the bodyguard in question passed by, a frame that she could only suspect that godlike under clothing but by no means, was she prepared to claw him alive to remove the fabric. “I want your help, I gave you a perfectly good plan and you turned it down. Now, feel free to share your own masterful plan, oh great one.” Her tone shifted into sarcasm with ease, although her hands had reached out to secure a hold on his arms. She had genuinely wanted his help but something about him induced a childlike desire to mimic and whine at every word that he uttered, and she couldn’t chance that her personality would lead him to walk away. “Help me, please.” It was genuine this time, no attitude or usual banter, a simple request for him to help her. 

[jianam]

seosjoon​:

Phoenix nudged the tip of his nose, distracting himself from laughter because it wouldn’t be in favor of the servants that were working diligently to clean up, He wanted to take pleasure in knowing that this chaos was because of his presence, but as horrible as he was this was not his prize. “Death sentence? I thought the same, only something is off here and I don’t understand why she didn’t order soldiers to find them.” His fox eyes darted to one end of the table, trying to imagine how Nari could pull this off without being harmed, and in his train of thought he caught the slightest drop of blood. Intriguing. Phoenix parted his mouth, a speech interrupted by her words about marriage which caused him to gag reflex thinking about committing to anyone. “Now, hold on, Jia.” Saying no to Jia was equivalent to saying no to his sister, stubborn and full of positive energy to fix something that had nothing to do with him. Around Jia, he became a mere object to simmer down any fires burning, not the son of Hades, but he couldn’t find the evil inside of him to push her away like everyone else. “I have heard horror stories about the new Queen. I’m not going to sacrifice myself for the likes of two people who can’t see that they’re in love, let me go, love of Hades.” He attempted to escape her grasp, instead, he dragged her along with him without catching the crowd’s attention. Phoenix leaned into her ear, whispering secrets that he should’ve kept himself but seeing that Nari was in the middle of everything. He had to advise Jia about the Paramount heir, eyes facing forward to dodge any incoming persona while he calmly walked towards the exit. “The queen is mad, well, not mad in the sense of insanity. She has a very rare ability due to being the heir of Zeus, his name is disgusting, but I’m not entirely sure what she can do.” He glanced around the empty area, inhaling sharply as he paused briefly. “You don’t know about the prophecy, do you? Of course, you don’t. You wouldn’t have asked me to marry her, I can’t even if I wanted to because of the moment she falls for me. She’ll die and I’m painted as treason snake then war will not be our only problem.”

“We’re going the wrong way, she went that way.” Jia leaned back as he bested her, being dragged rather than leading him directly to the Queen of Paramount, and she was prepared to lay herself horizontal even though it made not a scrap of difference when he could overpower her with ease. It was only his whisperings that stopped her assault on his arm, the pique of her interest always rose when he changed to a hushed tone, it meant the information that he was about to feed her was something she was never supposed to know. However, this time had left her less than enthused, because if he was on the correct track then Nari hadn’t stood a chance. “Hm, okay, so right now, of all moments in time that you could tell me this information, that the Queen of Paramount is mad?” Jia raised both her fists, bouncing them in the space that was between her and Phoenix, and without a single warning, tossing her right hand out in a mimic punch. Knuckles grazing the underside of his chin, the temptation to follow through had been there, yet she had resisted. “If the Queen is mad, Nari is dead. Oh my, I’m going to die, my mother’s going to kill me for this.” Nari had been the daughter her mother would have preferred, Jia was certain of that, of all the choices she had made becoming friends with her had been the only decision her mother had congratulated her for. The mention of a prophecy had pulled her free of her selfish crisis. “You’re lying, aren’t you?” Jia’s lower lip jutted outward, leaning forward to inspect the face that had become so familiar to her that it may as well have been her own. “If you don’t want to help me, you don’t have to make up a prophecy to get out of it. You can’t even commit to what you want on your toast, you expect me to believe you have a perfectly valid reason for not marrying someone?” Her eyes kept darting towards the door that both Nari, Dae and the Queen had passed through, hopeful that they would burst through the door without her best friend’s head on a stake. “If you don’t do it, I might have to. Any rumours that she might be a lesbian?”