Ku Wen's desk was once quite organized, with stacks of books and papers carefully arranged. However, over the last three days the vibrations passing through the palace had disrupted them countless times and they now laid strewn across the room haphazardly. Sitting in her chair, she breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a while since the last large blast had rocked the palace.
Unlike much of the staff, Ku Wen had never considered running away. Partly because she was aware of the Emperor's strength. She'd spoken with the Empire's Three Pillars on many occasions and despite being the strongest individuals in the empire they all agreed that the Emperor was on another level. She had no doubt that the Emporer would be victorious, but more importantly she was still investigating Ku Wei's disappearance.
At that moment a figure darkened her door. “What is it? Do you have that report I ask...” Ku Wen's words trailed off as she looked up from the document she was reading.
“I'm sorry to disappoint,” Tomo stood before her, his suit was dirty and wrinkled, but was otherwise undamaged. He was now leaning heavily on the cane that had seemed purely decorative before, a testament to how exhausting the encounter had been, but he seemed completely unharmed.
Shock slowly gripped Ku Wen. Her imagination ran wild as she stammered, “Did you defeat the Emperor?”
A smile danced playfully across Tomo's lips. “Let's call it a tie,” Tomo glanced around at the papers scattered about before continuing, “It seems we disturbed you. I apologize. It had been a while since either of us could cut loose like that and we may have gotten over zealous.”
Tomo seemed to be telling the truth and Ku Wen couldn't think of any reason someone as powerful as him would need to lie. She motioned for him to take the seat across from her as she asked, “Is there something I can help you with?”
As Tomo walked across the room the papers on the floor seemed to move out of his way of their own volition so that he wouldn't step on them. Ku Wen, as a wind cultivator herself, had performed similar feats, but she couldn't detect any movement, the air was completely still. Tomo was an enigma and she couldn't even tell what element he cultivated.
As Tomo sat down he produced two more of the crystalline pages that he had gifted to Ku Xue and Ku Shen. Handing the pages to Ku Wen, he made a request, “Could I trouble you to deliver these to Ku Qin Zemin? There's no rush, you can give them to him when he next comes to visit.” Looking at the blank pages, Ku Wen couldn't help but be dubious of Tomo's intentions. Sensing her hesitancy he quickly followed up, “Is something wrong?”
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Ku Wen laid the pages in the center of the desk before questioning, “I don't doubt these pages do what you claim. The princes have already confirmed it. What I don't understand is why. You are obviously against the empire and yet you offer gifts to the princes and now a rising star among the branch families. Why?”
“I'm not as antagonistic as you may believe. The Emperor and I have conflicting visions for this world's future, however we came to an understanding. You can consider these gifts an investment in the future I hope to see. I'm afraid I can't say much more.”
As Tomo stood to leave he noticed a report regarding Ku Wei's disappearance lying on the desk. In a reassuring tone he said, “You don't need to worry about Ku Wei. He's safe.” Ku Wen fixed him with a flinty gaze as she imagined Ku Wei being used as a bargaining chip in whatever 'agreement' Tomo and the Emperor had reached. As if he could read her mind, Tomo added, “I saved him from his attackers on my way to the palace. As for those responsible, he's asked me to train him so that he may handle them personally. Speaking of which, let's keep this between us. As they say, loose lips sink ships and we wouldn't want to deny the young prince his retribution.”
Ku Wen felt a twinge of regret that she wouldn't be the one training Ku Wei, but it was a relief to know that he was safe. The tension that had been building in her shoulders the last few days finally eased as she sighed, “I understand. I'll act as if I have no knowledge of Ku Wei's situation and I'll see to it that Ku Qin Zemin gets these.”
*** *** *** ***
Ku Wei and Ming Jia Ying spent the last three days stuck in Tomo's library. They had tried the door, but it seemed it didn't work without Tomo present or he had willed it not to work, they weren't really sure how this space operated. Fortunately, there was plenty of food and it gave them time to get to know each other. Ming Jia Ying was appalled when Ku Wei explained what it was like growing up in the tower. And he was equally upset when she described General Gui's abuse of power.
Ming Jia Ying found a Siege board on one of the shelves and to help pass the time while they waited for Tomo to return, she began teaching Ku Wei. He already had a grasp of the basics thanks to his tutor, but he had no knowledge of the more advanced techniques and lacked any practical experience.
“Cousin, couldn't you take it easy on me?” Ku Wei asked. He began to reset the board with practiced efficiency. He'd long since stopped counting how many times he'd lost.
“I was taking it easy, but you were being too aggressive. Reset the board, let's run this scenario again. And could you stop calling me that?” replied Ming Jia Ying. She was only half paying attention to Ku Wei as she gently ran her fingers through Schrodinger's fur. The heavy cat was sprawled across her lap and her legs were starting to fall asleep, but it was a small price to pay for the animal's company.
“I am resetting the board. And you said I was being too passive last time. Plus, what's wrong with calling you cousin? If you and Ku Qin Zemin are engaged that makes you family.”
“I told you Ku Qin Zemin proposed, but I haven't given him a formal response yet. Until I do it feels awkward to be treated like family. Also, you were being too passive last time and too aggressive this time. You need to find the right balance.”
“Yes cousin,” Ku Wei beamed. Even if it wasn't in the game, he was enjoying the small victory over the small girl that was scowling at him from across the table.