Messages From a Friend (Poofless)

39

~*Mi'kai*~

All I could hear was the ringing in my ears as I walked back to the barracks, the small vial in my left pocket feeling heavy. She gave me a spare for if her first attempt didn't succeed. I know Wojcik is a powerful man, but I doubt he could survive a poisoning of that proportion. It terrifies me to even think about what might happen if a cook mixes up the dishes, or happens to give someone the wrong cup. My swift walk slows as I continue to think about all the possible issues that would come from the poisoning of the emperor. Who would she stick the blame on? Woofless? M'ayris? Me? I bite my lip in fear at the thought. I need to break up with her.

As I walk through the training camp, my gaze flicks over to a bearded soldier walking over to me. Why hasn't he shaven? Doesn't he know I could report him to the admirals? "Mi'kai, are you okay? You look paler than usual," Zerkaa comments from nearby, saluting me as he does so. It's out of respect; I'm a royal guard after all.

"I'm fine," I state, clearing my throat and pushing my worries to the back of my mind. "Just feeling a little under the weather."

The older teen nods, seemingly unconvinced. "I see. I wanted to come and share my congratulations for M'ayris and her new admiral position. I would've gone to her personally, but I couldn't get into the old barracks." M'ayris is an admiral now? No wonder the emperor sent her a new uniform to wear. "Could you relay it to her?"

"Of course." I nod to Zerkaa before looking over at the old barracks. If M'ayris is an Admiral, what is Frags? He ranked higher than her...

"You know," Zerkaa speaks up again, the informal tone in his voice taking me by surprise. "You and your sister really surprised me. I thought you would've been like the rest of the Island Trash you're related to, but I guess family ties don't always affect how a person ends up.
"I did a little research on you and your sister a little while ago because I was curious about how the emperor let a pair of twins, Island Native twins nonetheless, live." I narrow my eyes at him.

"Go on."

"According to some articles, the emperor didn't want you alive at all. It was his late wife, Empress Sei'eah, that pardoned the life of your sister. Before you ask why, the article said that the Empress was once a friend of your mother, and the emperor only agreed because your mother was willing to give up her title as ruler of the Islands." I struggled to keep in my laughter. My mother, the quick tempered and overly-agressive woman who married a Minecraftian, was once the queen of the Island Nation? Likely story.

"I'm sure my mother would've told me if I was a prince," I mutter, rolling my eyes. "If any case, please inform my sister and I before you continue any research into us. And if you may, I would like for you to share with me those articles you found on my sister and I."

"Yes, Sir." Zerkaa salutes to me before walking off, his hands in his pockets. What kind of guy does research on someone without asking for permission?

~*Vikke*~

Butterflies danced around in my stomach as I looked at the control panel before me. How Fvendal figured out how to work so many buttons and dials is beyond my comprehension, but Woofless is somehow managing to follow Simon's limited instructions effortlessly. His hands moved swiftly, and I could barely catch a glimpse of what the older teen was doing before he moved on to another task. "Can you reach that handle up there?" Woofless questions, finally regarding my presence within the room as he pointed to something high over my head.

"I can try," I state, standing up on the chair I was previously seated in.

"Rotate it ninety degrees to the left if you can," Woofless commands before returning to his world of pressing buttons and twisting dials. I do as I'm told. My fingers of my right hand wrap around the handle and I rotate it like he told me; a satisfyingly audible click is my response, and the prince flashes me a smile before sitting back in his seat with a bead of sweat running down his forehead. He must have been more nervous than I am.