The Floating World [Private: Slight & Ryuko]

[SlightPhobia]

There wasn't much for him to do in regard to her sobbing. Certainly it was heard and certainly the ladies in waiting were distressed, but what could he do? It wasn't as though he could go to her and comfort her for a wrongdoing she refused to correct. She had, in a word, divorced her father's people and pronounced herself a separate breed. What more could he do? Pity would get him no where and indulging the girl's tears when she was so stubborn in her ways would only nurse the problem. For the time being, the king remained outdoors, pacing the veranda as he listened to the lonely sound of his daughter's distress. It was not a problem he could fully understand. He had been raised to respect his parents, their culture, and their beliefs. He hadn't an inkling to rebel and he hadn't sympathized with those who had.

Eventually, he sat down with his fue in the garden and began playing quietly. He would not go to his daughter physically comfort her... but perhaps, he allowed himself the simple deed of playing a quiet melody to calm her. It was an odd compromise for a man who never compromised.

[Ryuko Matoi]

After a while of sobbing, she got up. She did not wish to stay here. A man who could not understand her, and she could not understand him. It was just not a place she could stay. She walked outside to her balcony. She spread her massive wings. Each of her feathers had a metal core, making them able to be bent by her powers. She knew leaving was risky, as she could only fly for relatively short distances. But she knew she could make it to the main land. Problem was, if she fell, she'd sink. But what was the diference about being surounded by water, or the people embodying it. With a mighty swoop she got liftoff, flying off to where the fire king would be. Shui would be able to see her.

[SlightPhobia]

It would have taken a while for the stubborn old Shui to cave in and send a lady in waiting to check on his child. Once the sobbing had stopped, he'd been pretty worried. Pacing back and forth, back and forth, he finally pleaded with his own man servant to ask a lady servant to see how Aelieth was doing. First and foremost, he was too proud to approach one of his daughter's servants. Second? Think of the gossip! King goes soft! King spoils child! King panders to princess! Oh, those were not the headlines he wanted to hear at the night's drinking festival. Surely the near spanking was already being blabbed everywhere by the court gossips! It made his cheeks burn crimson just thinking of it!

By the time word got back to Shui, the whole palace was in a panic. The princess had flown the coop. "Assemble the guards! Immediately!" Shui shouted, shouldering his armor quickly. "If she falls into the sea...." He trailed off, not wanting to think of it. Had she really thought he meant to banish her?! It didnt' take long for the royal guard to assemble, Without hesitation, they all walked into the sea and began their pursuit of the princess, looking above the sea and foam to try and spot the flying girl.
The fire kingdom was probably an exhausting flight away. Between the worlds there were a few floating islands that were on neutral ground. They had various inns and a few had shops... some were uninhabited though. It would have given Aelieth an opportunity to rest now and then rather than plummet head-long into the seas. The Fire Kingdom was surrounded by mountains. In the heart of the dark, rocky wasteland sat the grand palace and kingdom. The skies around them were thick with the smoke of various fires and the landscape seemed to be continually aglow like sunset. The heat? It was always a sultry 100 degrees at minimum in the fire kingdom. There was little rain and when there was? My! Was it awful! Humidity and that variety of heat made for an insufferable world. The fire people though? They loved it-- thrived in it. Various pirate like ships were docked here and there with some very questionable warriors aboard. The bastards were always looking to fight... and they were always hoping to win. Agni, or the Fire King as most knew him, was holed up in the palace though. He'd recently beheaded the last leader of the guards for failing to alert the palace of the most recent counter attack by Shui’s people. The crowds were still dispersing from the execution courtyard—some mourning the death, others cheering like deplorable vultures. If anyone needed more gentleness and more class? It was Agni’s kingdom. They were like a pack of apes.

Given the most recent execution, the new captains were on their most high alert. Seeing a young woman flying around in the air? It was suspicious enough to alert the guards. Some began shooting canons and other fire missiles at Aelieth while others who were of more decent character attempted to secure her reasoning for visiting the fire kingdom. “STATE YOUR NAME AND BUSINESS, WINGED WOMAN!” Quarrels broke out among the men, eager for a kill… the saner of the warriors fought the blood thirsty and yes… idiotic quarrels broke out in the absence of their leader, Agni. It rose such a ruckus the fire king left his prostitute and stomped out onto the balcony. Thank heavens he was still clothed! Glaring across the landscape, he too caught sight of the flying woman and smirked. “…A woman for any man who brings me this woman! Two if you do it quickly!” he proclaimed. Of course, Agni’s prostitutes didn’t like the proclamation. Agni frequently gave his courtesans and prostitutes away as though they were currency. Was he sexist?! No. He had quite a few female soldiers and high ranking female officials. Unfortunately, he simply regarded prostitutes as things. His views were /very/ askew. He was almost amoral. His men? Even more so. Yeesh. Maybe Aelieth needed to move in and become the captain of the guard. That’d straighten the blood-thirsty brutes up quickly enough.

Eruptions of Soldiers then began firing nets and all means of ropes to try and lasso the young woman. Surely she was tired from flying. Perhaps the men stood a chance of obtaining her. Too much ruckus though and surely Agni would attend to it himself… and kill the men and women who’d failed the worst.

[Ryuko Matoi]

On her journey, Aelieth had rested at many places. Her flight paterns were random, so she would be harder to chase. Eventually she arrived at the fire kingdom, where the ruckus began. As the fuss began the girl landed. The ground was her home. She managed to take out a whole lot of soldiers. But of course, she met her match. She was tired, so she wad eventually restrained. Even that took like ten soldiers. Aelieth could break the restrains if she wanted, but she wanted to see the king. She was brought in.