A day passed since the Izato meeting in the Hall of Eternal Knowledge.

Ayai went through the ornate doors of the Xinggong Imperial Library, prepared to resume her work on developing the Máak dictionary. The scholars greeted her along with the sight of towering bookshelves, each stacked high with volumes of texts in every color and shape. The shelves themselves were built of polished wood, intricately carved with patterns telling a story of their own.

Here, the Laoyuangs stored thousands of years' worth of archives preserved with sahar and a bit of tedious organization. The air became heavy with the scent of parchment and ink, as Ayai could almost hear the discussion of the scholars who once pored over these texts centuries ago.

She found her draft soon and took a seat at one of the long tables. With pen and parchment, Ayai continued to work on her dictionary, writing down every Máak word ever conceived in her mind. She bit her pen a couple of times, struggling to find the right translation.

“Good day, Gong Dongye.”

Ayai’s head lifted. She immediately knew whose voice echoed in the still complex. “Zhen… What are you doing here?”

“Do I need a reason to flâneur in my family’s library?” He took a seat across from Ayai, and she noticed ‘Mister’ Xiong follow up behind him. “Mister Xiong, could thee alloweth me to talk to Gong Dongye alone?”

“... M’lord, but-” ‘Mister’ Xiong raised his hands, before settling down. He gave a bow. “As you wish, m’lord.”

The bodyguard’s footsteps echoed through the floor made of smooth stone, the dim lighting casting his shadow along the walls. Everything fell silent, while Ayai continued to scribble within her parchment. Zhen rested his head on his hands.

“I would like to ask why thou tried to punch me yesterday.”

“... I simply felt the need to.” Ayai covered the actual reason, along with flipping to the next page. “Where is Kw- the child?”

“She is sleeping in the Guesthouse. Sometimes I wish that I could be that carefree.”

“You always are carefree. You call yourself the Crown Prince of the Laoyuang House, yet act like this.”

Zhen folded his legs underneath the table. “Oh, I’m sure I act like this because I am myself. There is nothing special about it.”

With a sigh, Ayai wrote another word down. She didn't know what else to say, nor did she have any interest in them. "What do you think about when Izato should depart to the Peninsula?"

"Not anytime soon. Perchance a few days at least, not now. Thou knowest the saying, 'those unprepared are doomed to fail'. However, the more time we waste, the less likely we are to accomplish our goals. As much as I dislike the idea of preparing, we cannot afford a repeat of what happened in the 1978 Dineh Kazaàd."

She nodded. They had been having this same conversation for weeks. She was beginning to think whether he was indecisive or busy planning. "Still waiting for the Izato liaison, Seung-Hyeok, to get back to us. According to the messenger who brought him to Buhanggilog, he's on his way to As-Z̆onghu̐a. Maybe we can plan some kind of strategy with Karam al-Murata after he returns. We won't know unless we try."

"An interesting thought," Zhen creaked in his chair. "The 'Kamaong Batikan', huh."

They plunged into silence yet again. Ayai didn't know whether they were truly conversating or brainstorming, but the endless banter always ensued ever since Zhen came to protect her and Izdaha on that day. Then she stumbled across the word 'protect', and attempted to conjure the word in Máak.

"'Povhwm'..." She looked up at Zhen.

"'Povhwm'? Is that a word in thy tongue?"

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"Yes, it is."

"'Povhwm'..." His face seemed to be thinking of something. She could never read his face, nor tell what he was about to do next.

Ayai narrowed her eyes. "Don't repeat it twice. That's just creepy."

"Couldst thou teach me some phrases in Máak?" He leaned forward in his chair, placing a hand over his chin.

"W- Why would you want to learn my language?" Ayai slammed her pen down. Her breath caught. The parchment shivered.

"Because I am curious. This would be an area Kwazhak would excel at, if he were here."

Ayai's shoulders shuttered at that name. The name that hurt her, and tugged at her very being. "Tch, fine. Listen carefully then."

She explained some basic phrases and how to pronounce them, while she made gestures. Once he finished repeating back those expressions with a thick accent, a light smile drew across his face.

"Is that all? What else should I know?" Zhen tilted his head.

With a sigh, she pointed to various points on his body, like the mouth or eyes. For the first time, she didn't see him towering over her like a superior. After this, they spent time practicing pronunciation and pronunciation only.

"I see... The letter on the end of each word dictates tones?" He asked after a few minutes. Ayai wrote on a spare piece of papyrus paper and pointed to it.

"Mhm. High, mid, low, high-falling, mid-rising, low checked, mid-falling breathy. Those are the seven tones in Máak. However, you will find some words use more than one tone, which is why it sounds so confusing when people speak. But for now, we'll just focus on the basic ones. Also, be sure to understand how they are pronounced as well."

"Wow, Gong Donye, I'm surprised." Zhen blinked. "Thou canst be a teacher when it comes to it-"

Ayai stepped on his foot under the table, while still writing down another line of Máak sentences. "Compensation for when you blocked my punch yesterday."

"Ouch... When thou spaketh of 'simply needing' to punch me, art thou mad at me?"

Ayai suddenly stopped putting pressure on crushing his foot. "I mean, I am mad, but it's not like that. I..."

"No, I think I understand. Or at least, I'm trying to understand. Next time I'll let you punch me."

"What?"

Zhen inspected his foot, before returning his gaze to her. "The Laoyuang and Al-Qarakh House share a dark history with thy tribe. But this time, we are all here to put an end to that."

"I— No." Ayai shook her head. "There's no reason for all of that." She was silent, not knowing what to say next. Zhen already ordered the Laoyuang House to give an issue of apology, to her, the last survivor of the Máak tribe. He let her stay in the Jade Palace and gave her autonomy within the Laoyuangs. Yet she had yet to forgive him for his lineage as if she were trying to forget that terrible incident that happened so long ago. Her misunderstandings with the Laoyuangs already disappeared after the events of the 1978 Dineh Kazaàd. Kwazhak broke those misunderstandings.

Ayai never noticed that she stood up from her seat.

"In the first place... why do you even try to talk to me?" Her hand curled up into a fist. She punched her shoulder instead. "I thought you would've given me more of the cold shoulder."

"Hm? That isn't an arrière-pensée of mine." Zhen waved a hand. "I started talking to thee because thou seemst to be the one without companionship of some sort. Kwazhak had Mister Khouw, Her Royal Highness Hojun had Mister Gyeong, and I have Mister Xiong. However, for thy sake, I shall try to keep conversation going until we can be friends."

"That's what you're saying?" Ayai scoffed. But her body stopped, her fist hovering over her chest.

"Yes. I want to be thy friend."

“Nobody asked you to be friendly with me.”

"Though I'd like that." Zhen sliced through the brewing tension. "So there's no need to be so serious."

"You want me to be my normal self?"

"If possible."

Ayai crossed her arms, standing at ease. But she couldn't forget the lifetime of stories her parents and people told her about the Laoyuangs, what they did to the tribe, how cruel they were. Back then, she didn't have much desire to get along with someone who shared that lineage. She was just as hesitant when Kwazhak Laoyuang first sat down next to her in the spectator stands.

"M'lord, the Izato liaison, along with a few members of the Kamaong Batikan have arrived." 'Mister' Xiong came breezing into the library, as quiet scholars turned their heads. Zhen stood straight from the chair.

"Thank you, Mister Xiong." He nodded at Ayai, then went back to 'Mister' Xiong. "While I'm consulting the guests, could you please head out to Yuanmen with Gong Dongye? I have a few errands to run."

"Huh?"

"I shall entrust it to thee." Zhen patted 'Mister' Xiong's head for a moment, before walking off. The bodyguard soon bowed multiple times, holding a list of some sort in his hands. Ayai watched him exit the Xinggong Imperial Library, leaving her alone with ‘Mister’ Xiong. The bodyguard slightly crumbled the parchment in his hands.

“Well then? Gong Dongye, if you may, we will return to the Yueliang Guesthouse to prepare.” ‘Mister’ Xiong’s head cocked a little with an annoyed smile.