`the castle(shiro)—

@kwon bo ah Jongjin hid back a chuckle, "Oh princess I'm pleased to realize that you know of your body's rather..flat features," he jibed back, his eyes not missing the step she took closer to him. "It's sad really, men would line up to wed you for your beauty if you were curvier, rather than trying to wed you for your wealth and status," he continued to taunt the princess, his eyes glimmering like obsidian.

@won jongjin The way he teased washed right over her like water on the feathers of a duck, having almost no effect. "Goodness, are my intents really so obvious? I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby." she replied jokingly. The whole situation was bizarre to her and she knew that if he stopped there was a reason for it, she just didn't know what it was.

"What about you? Did you stop because you already missed me so much?" she asked, mirroring his grin as she took another step closer. "I never thought flat-chested boyish women were your thing but I am not really up on the latest rumors." Her self deprecating jibe was as much to test him as to build her own guard up by covering her body issues with humor.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin let out a chuckle at Boah's words, "Evil scheme? What makes you think I'm doing anything wrong~?" he said with an arch of his brow, a teasing grin upon his face. "You probably followed me all the way out here because you didn't want to part with me yet right?" he chuckled lowly. He knew the princess wasnt like that but it didnt stop him from having some fun teasing her. It was pointless for her to show up anyway since the envelope with him was just a decoy and the real one is with his spy already at his kingdom. His showing off of the envelope was just a ruse to get the one person he knew would catch him, off his real trail. The king was no fool, infact he actually has three copies made of the files, though he wasnt about to tell the warrior princess that little tidbit of information.

@won jongjin Although Boah had been focused on following the trail left by his horse she was not distracted enough to not notice the figure in the branches ahead of her. Still in stride she changed into her human form and pulled her knife out of its sheath. It wasn't really to threaten him as much as for her own protection should he try something she didn't like, there was no telling what was going on with that man and he was dangerous.

"What evil scheme has you so happy?" she called as she stepped closer but still well out of his range. Maybe if she could get some information out of him she would be able to defend her people. Boah was smart enough to know she wouldn't likely be able to stop him so it was her only way to do her job.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin did not miss the subtle sound of hoofbeats coming after him. Nor did he think it was purely innocent either. Clicking his heels he urged the horse to go faster, turning this way and that, heading deeper and deeper into the foliage. He could easily escape on foot, disappear into smoke and reappear at his own castle but where would the fun in that be? As the horse ran towards a tree Jongjin spotted a low hanging branch just in his reach and grabbed it as soon as he was close enough. Hoisting himself up easily he sat in wait, not caring that his mare ran off without realizing his rider was not upon him anymore. The king ran his fingers over the envelope tucked in his coat and pulling it out he took out the information inside, glancing over it, reading as if he had no care in the world. The princess, even with her fighting spirit shining like a beacon, could do nothing to him. Even if she managed to kill him somehow, he would not die. He'd end up in hell where his father resides and rules and his father would just send him back up to earth again for even hell Jongjin was a threat. Especially to someone like his father. Sensing the princess draw nearer he folded the papers back up and tucked it back into his coat pocket. With a grin marring his face he jumped down onto the middle of the pathway and stood stoic still.

@won jongjin "Redder than a rose?" she asked lightly, laughing at herself as he righted them both. Boah followed his gaze just in time to see the backside of her fiance as he angrily pushed past the guards on his way out. There was no denying the feeling of satisfaction she had as she watched him go. She had expected even a slight pang of guilt but there actually was nothing so when she smiled it was true.

When the king stepped back and bowed she curtsied back out of politeness but it was becoming clear to the princess that there was something more going on than petty revenge. Boah could never believe he was there just to congratulate her either, she never believed he would attend. Those invitations to kurokage royalty were mostly formality and no one really came just to be polite. He was far too clever for something like that and she wondered just what he had up his sleeve.

Her eyes followed his swift movements through the crowd for a few seconds before she decided to give chase. All of the years of hunting and combat training made her agile and quick so that she was able to almost glide through the people effortlessly. Boah lost sight of him but when she found him again he had some sort of envelope that he held like he was taunting her. Of course she couldn't just let that go.

As soon as she was outside she broke into a run after him, smoothly shifting forms into that of a mare. The muffled sound of her hoofbeats in the soft earth was steady in the night air as she went after him. It wasn't clear exactly what he was doing or why but if he meant her harm then she couldn't just let him go.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin flashed a smile, "Be sure to tell them how red I made you blush as well," he said as he stood upright again and gently tugged the princess up with him. Still grinning slightly he glanced around the ballroom and caught sight of the noble just as he stormed off towards the front entrance. "Looks like my work here is done, I best get on my way," he said with one last gentlemany bow to the princess. The real truth behind his sudden need for departure though was in the form of a man looking at him and nodding discreetly.

There was another reason why Jongjin was here tonight and it was not for this little engagement party like his cover deems. The king realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to gather intel on the shiro army, hence the man waiting for him, since everybody would be too busy with the party. And Jongjin had all eyes on them tonight, nobody would refuse such juicy gossip and the guards were all on high alert should he try something against the princess. They had unknowingly lowered their guards elsewhere and allowed his spy to slip in and out unnoticed. Just like he had planned.

Gazing one last time into the princess's eyes he slipped into the crowd of bodies that had accumulated on the ballroom floor and disappeared from view only to reappear moments later by the doors. He looked back at the princess and held the envelope up in his hand for her to see before he went into the courtyard to call up his horse. He knew the princess was smart enough to realize that the envelope wasn't containing anything innocent. Part of him wondered if she'd come after him to make sure. He smirked as he climbed onto his horse and said, "Let the games begin," before trotting off into the dense woods.

@won jongjin Boah chuckled softly as he spoke and nodded just slightly to let him know it was true. "I have no doubts about your skill as a dancer and maybe some day I will tell my great-grandchildren about the one time I got to dance with the amazing King or Kurokage." she replied teasingly even though it probably would be a story she told.

The music heightened into the final moments and she found herself heading smoothly into a dip. There was nowhere she could look but into his impossibly handsome face and dark eyes as she noticed how close they were. His strong arms seemed to hold her almost effortlessly and as she listened to him she felt her heart thumping madly in her chest. The color began to rise in her cheeks as images of just what he could to with his body flashed through her mind. "O-oh."

@kwon bo ah "Is that so?" he smirked as they spun past hungry gazes that seemed to watch and notice every little thing the two of them did. "I can't say I feel too bad about that though," he said with mock seriousness, "Nobody is as good a dance partner as me," Jongjin grinned down at the princess, "Why do you think there are so many people who try to get a grab at me during these social events?" As the song escalated into its close Jongjin twirled the princess around one final time and brought her into a smooth dip, "It's because of my devilishly good looks and the way I use my body," he chuckled lowly as he held her there suspended with nothing holding her but his arms.

@won jongjin It was hard for her not to enjoy herself in her first dance. In so many ways it was everything she had always wanted, only the partner was different. Not that she had any specific one in mind when she had fantasized about it but if she made a list of all the men it could be he was somewhere near the bottom. Granted it wasn't because of anything he had done personally but just because they were supposed to be enemies.

Boah found herself laughing as he twirled them around the dance floor elegantly. "Partially revenge, partially to be polite, but mostly because I figured if I didn't take the opportunity I wouldn't get it again." she explained. "I've never been asked to dance before." Her eyes locked on his, completely enjoying the playfulness she found within them even though she answered honestly. "But I am a bit concerned about the precedent. My standard is now incredibly high thanks to you."

@kwon bo ah Lips twitching in amusement he spun the princess around in a circle before bringing her back into his arms and beginning to twirl them around the ballroom gracefully. "Ah yes, considering my irrefutable reputation that /would/ be the only logical explanation, wouldn't it?" There were a lot of rumors about Jongjin, most of them true, but some were spun by people who wanted to get at him in every sense of the word. "Tell me Princess Boah, what made you agree to this dance? Surely you know the relationship between our two kingdoms? And of course as you mentioned all the rumors people will undoubtedly spread." he gazed back at her swirling eyes with his own dark gaze, "Unless of course you were wanting this to happen and didn't want to pass up a chance?" he teased playfully.

@won jongjin Her heart was somewhat in as she followed the king out into the middle of the dance floor. Boah had never actually danced with anyone apart from the instructor before. Most men were too intimidated by her or just plain uninterested to even come up to strike a conversation with her let alone dance so she wasn't entirely sure how it would go.

'Well, even if you mess up it will just be a footnote on the night for you.' she thought to herself as she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder and held her frame. Her dark eyes swirled with silver as she gazed up at him and gracefully followed his movements. There was a definite hint of amusement in his voice as he leaned in to whisper. "I imagine we will be all the gossip but I trust your reputation with only grow." she replied softly and tried not to giggle at the thought. "Clearly the only logical explanation is that you have corrupted me."

@kwon bo ah Jongjin gently took her hand in his own and lead them to the center of the ballroom where the musicians took their cue to play a melody. Jongjin was the last person you would ever find socializing with others publicly at a party and everyone here knew that by the looks of shocked disbelief on many faces. He gently led the princess into his arms as he placed a hand upon her waist and kept their other hands locked in a light grasp. "Don't look now, everybody's eyes are on us princess~" he leaned in to whisper close to her ear amusedly while leading them into the first steps of a classical waltz. He kept his eyes on the princess but could still see the noble shaking with rage, probably over the fact that the princess openly rejected him and yet said yes to a dance with the enemy.

@won jongjin It didn't much matter to her how her supposed fiance was reacting to her words. He was using her for political power and blatantly already cheating on her before they were married. If she had brought her bow she probably would have shot him in his party stick just to make a point but sadly she hadn't had the forethought. Shattering his pride would be a sufficient revenge though considering he had publicly taken a dump on hers.

The bulk of her attention was on the dark male figure of the king in front of her and his perfectly evil smile. Normally she wasn't the type to like that sort of thing but he radiated the one thing she found attractive above all else: strength. Whether it was physical strength or fortitude of another kind didn't matter although she knew he probably had it all in spades, she was drawn to him.

Her smile mirrored his as she gracefully lifted herself from her seat to execute a perfect curtsy in acceptance of the dance. Just because she often acted without manners didn't mean that she didn't possess them, she just didn't use them on people she thought were unworthy. "Nothing would please me more." she replied softly.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin felt a deep rumble build up in his chest as he laughed lowly at the words the princess used to describe the man, or he should really say little wimp of a boy, who was now staring at them both with his mouth hanging open in shock and face flushed with embarrassment, the female clinging to him trying in vain to get his attention back. Suddenly realizing that the male was the son of one of the nobles who tried to get him beheaded when he was still prince, Jongjin got the sudden urge to test how long it would take until he blew with rage. Turning his attention back to the princess he grinned devilishly and extended his hand out while simultaneously sinking lower a few inches in a slight bow, a clear invitation for a dance, "What do you say we see how soon we can make him burst into tears?" he said as he held her gaze, knowing, but not caring, how the crowd would react.

@won jongjin From her place above the crowd she could tell that there was something not quite right among them and as the disturbance made its way over to her she knew why. None other than the king of kuro was there at her party and walking right up to her. As his position demanded she partially righted herself, taking her feet off of the table and turning her attention to him.

It was obvious he was mocking her and she couldn't blame him. Everything about the evening was a joke, herself included, so she couldn't really get upset. Part of her wanted to argue and explain herself but she guessed a man like him wouldn't care enough about her one way or another so it would be a waste of breath. But still, she just hated taking that shot as if it were nothing.

"If that is the case then this engagement would be over. As if I wanna marry someone so... useless." she replied honestly and loudly enough for everyone to hear. A small murmur spread through the party-goers but she paid them no mind, her attention only on him. "But I think we both know that it will be as soon as he runs back to mommy and daddy to cry about his hurt pride. Still, thank you for the sentiment." The last word tugged the corners of her lips up into a wry smile, barely able to contain the laughter.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin flexed his jaw as an unfortunate headache bloomed behind his eyes. Who knew just appearing at a party for only a couple of minutes could be this taxing? Maybe its the fact that he's in the kingdom of light, a place he rarely ever travels to, rather than his own kingdom of darkness he calls home? Whatever the matter Jongjin's contained patience was wearing thin and the giggles and laughter of the people surrounding him isn't helping slow down the process at all. Letting out a displeased grunt he pushed away from the pillar he was standing against and made his way over to where the princess was sitting. After all, he was sent here to give her his 'best wishes'. So he would and then he'd get the hell out of the too-bright-and-cheery kingdom. He slowly started to reveal himself to more of the crowd present as he stepped up onto the raised platform that the princess's table was sat upon. It seemed as if a sudden hush broke out over the ballroom as the king of kuro stood before the princess of shiro. Taking in the girl before him, a slight smirk graced his face as he courteously, if not a bit condescendingly, inclined his head towards her, "Princess Boah, I would like to give you my most sincere congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of your engagement," he said smoothly as he locked his teasing eyes upon her own. Slowly but surely whispers started to break out in waves.

@won jongjin The unabashed looks and glares were still on her diminutive form as she stepped up to the dais, completely unfazed by the looks from the nobles. Boah nimbly jumped up onto the table and stepped across it to her seat rather than going around. Her 'husband to be' was appalled, as expected, even though she gave him a charming dimpled smile when she took her seat beside him.

Now, if she had been a male it was likely that her behavior would be over-looked as being rambunctious or some such but that wasn't the case. As a princess she was expected to be fragile, weak, and completely useless. Boah hated that double standard almost as much as she hated that stereotype of princesses.

When her fiance turned away from her she couldn't help but to roll her eyes at him, wondering what he expected form her to begin with. It wasn't like she was known for being anything remotely typical. Did he think that she would change at the idea of being betrothed or that she would somehow just accept it? If that was the case then he was an idiot, more than she would have guessed based on his attire alone.

The smile on her face faded as he got up and went to mingle with a few of the giggling girls in the corner. "We aren't even married and you are already looking for other women." she said lowly with a light laugh and leaned back in her chair. She lifted up her booted feet and put them on the table, crossing them over one another as she picked up a glass of wine. Crashing her own party was pretty great, especially because she knew that ultimately her adoptive father would be okay with it. It just made her wonder why she was asked to partake in such a farce to begin with.

@kwon bo ah Jongjin was late. As usual. The king had received a letter a week prior of the Shiro princess's little engagement party and as expected he refused. Vehemently. One long annoying meeting with the high nobles of Kuro and agonizing days later he shouted his consent so they could finally get off his back. And now here he was. At Shiro castle for the second time. One would think he's actually fraternizing with the enemy.

Leaving his horse with the stablemen, Jongjin strode up the large front steps regally with his long coat billowing behind him accentuating his tall lean form. Glaring at anyone who got in his way, he made it just in time to see the princess of the day walk into the ballroom from behind two large doors. Oh goody looks like he wasn't as late as he'd hoped. Picking up a drink off a tray from a servant walking by he knocked it back and ignored some of the cautious looks he was getting from some of the people. Looking up as the princess stepped into view Jongjin felt a smirk grace his lips at the sight of the girl. Oh this was going to be a bit interesting. Looks like somebody doesn't want to get married, he thought slyly as he realized what the princess was up to.

He stood leaning against a pillar near the entrance of the ballroom and watched, amused, as princess Boah made her way to the grand table with her head held high. Brave, he mused as he noticed all the disgusted looks she was receiving at her choice of dress. Brave but childish. He tuned everybody out as he leaned his head back against the pillar and hoped nobody would bother him about new alliances or documents and such, at least for a little while.

@won jongjin Music reverberated off of the stones and echoed down the hallway to where Boah was supposed to be getting ready to make her big entrance. Just the sound alone filled her with a dread that crawled up her spine and out to the tips of her fingers. Every part of her body wanted to reject the social norms and just run far away from there but she knew she would never get away with it. No, her attendance was required for a marriage meeting or some such and she was being forced to go.

'Fine. I will play your little game.' she thought to herself as she tossed the recommended dress from her bed to the floor and instead put on her cleanest set of hunting leathers. The dark supple material clung to the curves of her body comfortably and moved with her like a second skin as she bent down to put on her boots, tightening the laces with a few solid tugs. Her belt went on after and she tucked her favorite knife into the scabbard at her side before she wrapped the ebon black fur cloak over her shoulders.

Her pride swelled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, knowing she looked every bit the huntress she was instead of the princess they were expecting. Even her cloak boasted of her prowess, the paws of the panther sat on either shoulder and its massive head hung behind her for a hood. To Boah it was amazing but she knew to the party-goers it would seem barbaric and she was okay with that as she headed down the hall towards them.

The guards gave her looks as she strode past them and right up to the doors of the hall which they reluctantly threw open for her. As soon as they did the music stopped and there was a soft gasp that rippled through the crowd. 'Oh good, they know I am here.' she thought to herself and stepped inside, smiling confidently as she made her way to the main table. The looks of repugnance and disgust were everything she could have wanted and she began thinking that maybe the party wouldn't be completely horrible after all.

@kim jaejoong Okay..]

@choi minki (let's move this to my room. okay?)

@kim jaejoong Jongjin rolled his eyes at Jaejoong and turned in a more comfortable position in the chair so as to not hurt his wound more than necessary. "You and I both know why I ripped up that treaty..," he mumbled into his palm that was resting beneath his chin. Jongjin hated nothing more than having to deal with emotional people that sought it fit to stab him through the chest, Jaejoong was quickly climbing up the list of people who annoyed him most. Giving up the fight, he slumped back against the chair and let out a frustrated sigh, his mind never resting in thought.

@kim jaejoong Minki nodded, following along with his appa. Softly smiling back at his appa. "Neh appa~" Minki happily exclaimed. Wanting to know more about his family.

@choi minki "Come, I'll let you take a shower in my room for now, since yours is still being fixed." Jaejoong smiled, leading Minki out of the room. "After, we can have a nice dinner and you can tell me all about you."

@kim jaejoong "oh.. arasso appa.." Minki nodded again. "Is there a bathroom appa?" he asked. Wanting to take bath.

@choi minki "There used to be many, but they have gone around the world to travel and live their lives. There are some living here though. I'm sure you will get to meet them soon." Jaejoong smiled, patting his back. "You're home now."

@kim jaejoong "Mmm.. arasso appa.." Minki nodded. Slowly hugging his appa. Finally feeling right at home. Somewhere where he actually belonged. "Is their other siblings?" he asked of curiousity.

@choi minki Jaejoong smiled, placing his arm around Minki. "If you treat the workers and anyone who follows our orders that way, they will respect you more and in turn, you'd be more trusted. As a prince, that is what is needed."

@kim jaejoong "Neh appa~" Minki replied. Nodding in response. He tapped one of the painters and asked them if they could pain't the room baby blue. The other guy smiled back and nodded, "of course". Earning a smile from Minki.