In Fawful, dawn crept through gossamer curtains, painting Princess Sutaro's chambers in pale gold. She stirred, eyes heavy-lidded, yesterday's fatigue still clinging to her like a second skin.
Sutaro sat up, silk sheets pooling around her waist. She stretched, catlike, joints popping softly in the quiet room. "Charles?" Her voice was sleep-roughened, barely above a whisper. "Are you present?"
Silence answered.
"Charles...?" Louder now, a note of confusion creeping in. "Charles? Greetings...?"
The quiet grew oppressive. Unease prickled along Sutaro's spine.
She slid from the bed, bare feet silent on cool marble. Dropping to her knees, she lifted the bedskirt, peering into shadows. Charles often curled there, a furry sentinel or on one of his mysterious castle wanderings.
Empty.
A sharp rap at the door made her jump. The massive wooden panels swung open with a groan, revealing Esme flanked by a cluster of servants.
Their faces were masks of careful neutrality, but tension radiated from them in almost palpable waves.
Sutaro straightened, suddenly aware of her disheveled state. Something was wrong. Charles' absence, the servants' unannounced arrival...
Princess Sutaro's chamber exploded with color, a jarring contrast to her mood. The servants' new garments screamed forced cheer, a cacophony of hues that set her teeth on edge.
Esme's voice dripped honeyed poison. "Good morning, dear princess! The queen requested we bring you this to try on."
The dress unfurled like a battle standard. Sunset silk, fogbeast fur, gold accents - a cage of luxury. Sutaro's lips thinned. Another costume for the royal puppet.
Golden Griffith scale gloves gleamed on a velvet pillow. The tiara nestled between them - a mockery of true power. Too small to command, too large to ignore.
"Do you find these pleasing, Princess?" A maid's voice, sickly sweet.
"They're alright..." Sutaro's sigh spoke volumes.
Esme's touch on her head felt like a brand. The maids' applause - a hollow echo. Dawn brought not promise, but suffocation in silk
Miles away, the forest breathed secrets.
Jack and Kori moved like shadows given form, the underbrush of their silent conspirator.
"Knowest thou, Kori," Jack's voice danced with suppressed laughter, "I have been pondering—"
Kori's mandibles clicked, alien mirth. "A perilous endeavor for thee."
"Thou dost wound me, my dearest." Jack clutched his chest, eyes sparkling. "I was merely about to extol the grace with which thou dost navigate this treacherous terrain."
Banter flowed between them, a river of familiarity in this sea of the unknown. Yet beneath the playfulness, watchfulness never wavered. Every sense remained attuned to the forest's whispers, to the promise of danger that lurked beyond the next tree.
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Kori’s compound eyes twinkled with amusement. "Treacherous, sayest thou? Jack, we have braved far greater perils than mere tangled roots and low-hanging branches."
"Ah, but that is precisely my point," Jack replied, nimbly avoiding a particularly gnarled root. "Thy agility doth ever astonish me, whether we be contending with fearsome beasts or merely making our way through this serene woodland."
Kori's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of her natural hue. "Thy silver tongue shall not sway me, Jack. Reserve thy charm for occasions when we must parley our way out of dire straits."
As they continued their journey, the banter flowed freely between them. Jack's attempts at flirtation were met with Kori's quick-witted retorts, their laughter echoing through the otherwise quiet forest.
As the day wore on, they noticed smoke rising above the treetops in the distance. Exchanging a curious glance, they decided to investigate. As they approached, they came upon a clearing where a sturdy log cabin stood, surrounded by a motley crew of warriors.
Meanwhile, a scheme was underway.
Charles traveled across the fringes of nexan lands while donning a little hooded cloak that fit his size, hoping that someone wouldn't mistake him for a floating bag and kidnap him.
On his travels, he came across The Bounty's tavern, a small shack. Charles encountered many faces and entities, each with unique forms, statures, and more lethal armaments.
Others whispered of a looming sand beast. Charles approached a tall, cloaked, angry-looking woman wearing mage gear, her brown hood concealing her face and giving her figure a mysterious aura. Charles approached her and revealed his phantom presence, taking on the visage of his living self.
"Um, excuse me, witch," Charles said nervously, pulling at her cloak.
She cast him a glance, her mesmerizing eyes sending goosebumps down his nonexistent spine.
"What?" she retorted coldly, waiting for his comeback.
"Could you perhaps help me with something, please?" Charles asked, his voice trembling.
"Talk," she replied with a little shift in her eyes.
Charles presented her with a sack of riches. "I would gladly pay you to transport me and a friend to the Outerlands if you could."
The witch looked at him more intently and coldly now. Her pitch-black coated lips moved downwards, and she sighed.
"It depends," she said with a cold recitation. "Who is this... 'friend' of yours?"
"She's a princess, but she doesn't want to be, so we're leaving… for good," Charles explained.
The witch turned her head away from him, gnawing her teeth at his tale. "There's no way I'd fall for your sob story! Now move before I kill you where you stand!"
Charles gave himself undesired attention as she withdrew her flickering palm, preparing to unleash a lethal attack onto his face. "N-NO! PLEASE!" he yelled, waving his hand.
"Then leave before I murder you! Go!" she shouted, scaring everyone around them.
Charles turned and ran, but he was undeterred.
He made another attempt with a large crayfish girl, asking for the same deal. "What do you say?"
"No way," she replied. "I'm trying to make a name in Lord Vanitas' arena. Don’t you know how valuable that is for us? There's no way I'll be your escort."
"Aw, come on!" Charles moaned. "Wait, come back!"
He needed another companion. He scanned the area and saw a droid hovering over the shoulder of a rusted cyborg whose right eye gleamed bright with every blink. "Hey! Um, excuse me," Charles said, approaching the droid.
"01001111 01101000 00100000 01110011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01111001 00100000 01101001 00100000 01100100 01101111 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01110100 01100001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101100 01100100 00101100 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110011 01101000 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 00101100 00100000 01101101 01111001 00100000 01100011 01101100 01101111 01100001 01101011 01100101 01100100 00100000 01100110 01110010 01101001 01100101 01101110 01100100 00100001"
Charles tilted his head in confusion at the mesh of beeps and ticks of this metal warrior, the smaller robot levitated next to him, emitted a short hum, and responded in kind; "O-Five says he doesn't need your strange items. Please go away now."
Disheartened, Charles spotted a pair exiting the tavern. One was a knight with a spear and the other another armored being with multiple arms.
He recognized them as one of the Soto couples from stories he'd heard. "Hey! Wait up, you two!" he called out, running after them.
Jack glanced back as Kori lightly nudged. "What is it, small one?" Jack inquired, turning his gaze toward Charles.
Charles reiterated his proposal, mindful that their path led them through the Outerlands. Sir Jack hesitated, yet Lady Kori nudged him gently, whispering, "That may aid our family. 'Tis a boon we could well use."
Upon closer inspection, Jack discovered it to be a royal ingot, valued three times more than regular currency. He looked at Kori and then back at Charles. "Alright," he said finally. "Soto Jack at your disposal! This is my wife, Kori."
Kori extended a pleasant grin and a handshake to Charles. Jack grabbed the bag, knowing this gesture would change his family's fate.
"Thank you so much!" Charles exclaimed, relief flooding his face.
"Pray tell, Charles," Lady Kori inquired, "what be thy plan to rescue this princess?"
Charles Responded in kind.
With time constantly passing, the scheme to give Princess Sutaro something she always yearned for came into motion.