Kaiholo

"He's a wise advisor," Kai said in response to her statement. "And for the most part that is very true." It took him off guard when she exclaimed that he did indeed smile, and while he normally would resume his stern glare, he couldn't help but smile again, turning his face away from her and letting out a small scoff of laughter. He was beginning to become angry at himself for even daring to think that her actions were cute.

The way she handled herself sometimes was a bit like an overexcited child who was just excited to be out in the world instead of confined to their room. Her face seemed to go completely blank for a few moments after he suggested going to eat, and he was beginning to wonder if she was okay. Finally she seemed to snap back into reality, and he felt the immediate urge to pull away when her hand landed softly on his. However he stayed motionless, keeping his expression the same as it always was, the only hint that something was off being his shoulders tensing ever so slightly. It wasn't a change big enough for anyone to notice, unless they were paying very close attention.

It wasn't that he didn't want her touching him, it was more as if...he was afraid for her to touch him in any way for fear that he would be punished for crossing a line. He knew it was absurd to think that, for it was just a small and simple gesture of politeness, but he already felt as if he was crossing some sort of border by the way he was letting his guard down around her.

He knew it was subtle and so far it hadn't caused any harm, but one never could know for sure what the future held. He didn't want to ever be found guilty of disobeying the rules or ignoring the orders of his higher ups. Zenevieva declined his offer of going out to eat, but it wasn't a big deal. She was right in some regards to have declined.

Once they were ready to leave, Kaiholo watched from a distance as some of the braver children approached the princess, hugging her goodbye. His honeydew eyes rested on the little girl who'd come up to him before, and was taken aback when she approached him, gently wrapping her arms around the lower half of his tail in what he assumed to be a hug. It was a sort of affection that he hadn't gotten since he was very young; since before training.

He stood awkwardly for a moment before ever so gently wrapping one arm around her a patting her lightly on the back. He lifted his chin as she let go, swimming back over to her small group of friends.

That was odd. he thought, furrowing his brow slightly. His gills fluttered and he looked out of the window, watching mers swim casually by going about their day. He often wondered how life was like for them. He wasn't rich by any means, but he was more privileged than a lot of mers here. Unlike several of the other guards, Kaiholo actually had grown up within and just outside of the palace walls, so he was at least accustomed to the luxury there. These mers weren't. They had responsibilities of their own, sure, but they also had a life outside of work. Kaiholo did not.

His whole life surrounded his work. Whether it was guarding and protecting the princess, or fighting in the war...he was still doing his job. He often wondered what it was like to just be free of this heavy responsibility. Not that he....wanted it necessarily, but he was curious. He finally turned to face Zenevieva as she was ready to leave, the two of them swimming out of the orphanage and into the streets.

Kaiholo spotted a few of the disguised guards, signaling to them with a single unique and subtle flick of his tail. Arnav saw the signal and began trailing them loosely, two others behind him. It wasn't long before the princess started in again with questions. He looked at her sidelong, listening to all the questions she was listing off. He couldn't tell if she was just trying to make conversation, or if she was genuinely curious about him and his hobbies.

"Well I don't get much time outside of the palace," he answered rather bluntly. Not rudely at all, just...bluntly. "But when I do I liked coming here in town and browsing different stores. I know a few shopkeepers here." As always his answer was short and simple, giving enough information away to fully answer and yet all at the same time giving nothing away.

She asked him what his family was like, and right away he felt a stabbing pain in his chest. "My father as you know is the Head of the Royal Guards and military. My mother aided him in this but I got word this morning that she passed." He was silent for a few moments, his jaw tensing. "They both were as you'd expect. Kind but stern. My father made me who I am now, so I can do nothing but thank him." He was silent for a few more moments before saying, "I don't personally know any of my siblings." It was blunt as always, but he didn't really know how else to speak. Almost his entire life was built around training and getting things done as quickly as possible, and because of that he valued working more than speaking.

The more time one spent talking, is more time wasted being able to accomplish other things. He was fully aware that he wasn't doing much else right now, and that he was fully capable of talking more. He was slightly afraid that he would come off rude to her, but he wasn't meaning to be. It was a habit that he feared would never fully die.

She asked him what kind of food he liked, and his mind blanked. He couldn't think of any specific food that he could say he liked above the rest. He felt his cheeks go slightly rosy, and a small grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "If I'm being honest with you, I'm a bit of a pig." he answered, his voice lifting into more of a joking an amused tone. It was as if his barrier was beginning to crack and crumble, his tough exterior still there but little hints throughout that showed he wasn't so scary.

"I like pretty much everything I eat, and I couldn't really even tell you the difference in taste. It goes in my mouth and ends up in my stomach, there's no inbetween." It was his way of saying he scarfed down his food as quickly as possible, never taking the time to really enjoy the flavor. He was constantly busy, and had trained himself to eat as quickly as possible so he could get back to doing what he was doing.

He held back a chuckle as she asked him if he was capable of talking and swimming, and he wondered if she was asking because of how short and straightforward some of his answers had been. "Yes I can," he answered simply, a slight tremble in his voice hinting at the amusement there. She then asked if he minded talking about himself, and he looked at her directly this time, his features softening a little.

"I don't mind," he said gently. "But it's not something I get asked to do often." He returned his gaze to the path ahead of him, his eyes darting protectively about as he scanned for any dangers that could be lurking about. Yet again, he managed to be surprised at her questions. He turned to look at her once more, an amused but impressed light dancing in his bright eyes.

Again he wasn't completely sure of her intentions, but it seemed harmless enough and she looked genuine. There was a pause as he thought, glancing around a bit. The group came to an intersection, and he stopped swimming as he waited for mers to cross. A massive school of fish swam in front of their path, creating a moving mass of flashing silver and white scales.

"Well I suppose we should start simple," he said, his voice rumbling in his throat. He turned his gaze to her once more, holding out his hand to her. Unlike in the orphanage, he wasn't uncomfortable with the idea of touching her. Mostly because it was different now than it was then. This was a formal means, whilst the other had felt....different. "I'm Kaiholo, as you know hopefully by now." He cast her a rare grin before his expression fell neutral once more. He tossed his head in the direction behind them.

"The mer trailing us first in line is Arnav." he said. "He's a new recruit, but a good one. One of the kindest guards you'll ever meet." He cleared his throat, his eyes scanning the disguised ones. "The two following him are siblings; Mira and Tiberius. The two of them were born in the palace walls like I was, and both of thier parents are highly respected guards like mine. They are older than me though, by at least fifteen years. Markana is a spy, as well as one of the Royal Guards, but she isn't with us right now. There's a few more, but I don't personally know them or their names. Arnav would be the one to ask, because he's in charge of them."

Finally the coast was clear for them to swim again, so Kaiholo once again took the lead with Zenevieva by his side. "You know this may be the most conversation I've had with anyone in a while," he admitted quietly to her. "Not that I don't engage in conversation, but...I don't really engage in conversation." He chuckled, wondering if that confused her. "Not many mers talk to me outside of Markana, and...I recieve and give orders, not talk to anyone in a normal converstaion." He paused, realizing that this was the most he'd even spoken in a long time. He almost felt as if he was rambling.

"Sorry, if I'm talking too much." he apologized, feeling the need to for some odd reason. "Just not used to being asked questions I suppose."

Zenevieva

She hoped that her unthoughtful exclamation wouldn't make him clam up again. She didn't want to make him self conscious or annoyed at something so silly. Through the water, she sensed the laugh, but she wasn't sure what it meant from him. She had a horrible feeling that he found her amusing, but childish and unworthy of any respect beyond being a mermaid being.

There wasn't anything that told her that Kaiholo had tensed up when she had touched him, but she had a general reading of his personality, and expected him to shrink away from her in some manner. While it wasn't physically noticeable, she felt a slight tension from him, and she made a mental note to give him his personal space. She had made the gesture without thinking, but it was probably a wise idea to keep their hands off of each other at all times, even though it had been a very harmless movement.

It reminded her of her protocol teacher. It was bad enough touching a male, but she didn't even have any relations with Kaiholo, besides, he was willing to die for her...just that little detail. It frustrated her that there were all of these pointless details she felt obliged to memorize. She would definitely try to reserve her affection perhaps for slightly more private moments, but she didn't want them too private, because that was even worse than if everybody saw. Of course there would be less people to stretch rumors, since they hardly ever actually assisted corroborating. Zen didn't hide her smile, as she approvingly watched the young girl hug Kaiholo. It was awkward to watch, but she was happy to see.

Once they were outside, she didn’t want to wait for the awkward cloud of silence to descend, along with other reasons, so she began to cheerfully chatter. She sprang into action before the atmosphere became chilly. She inclined her head, doing the nodding thing to show that she was listening. It was one of the things she was aware of, because she saw him all the time. She didn’t know how much it impacted him, and she easily took him for granted since he was such a common fixture in her life.

It slightly amused her that he liked to browse the way she did. It wasn’t normally the buying that delighted her, it was seeing the unusual sights that shopkeepers literally would lay out for her. Determined to keep digging, she didn’t let him break away and take a reprieve from her questions.When he mentioned his mother, her jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes filled with tears, which wasn’t really noticeable. A few drops of air would go upwards, but it wasn’t a big deal. How was he able to act so normally after such an ultimate loss?

“I see,” she responded faintly, knowing that she would have been bawling hours ago, if she were faced with such a loss. At the very least she wouldn’t be able to function normally. “You should have been given the week off, if not the whole month,” she wasn’t sure what her tone was, but she could hardly expect him to become an emotionless robot just to protect her. “How are you doing?” she tried to smooth out the concern and pity that had been sprawled on her face for a minute. Even that seemed not enough for grieving, but at least he could probably get over the shock. She nodded her head, listening, “Sounds like good mers.” It was a pointless comment made when you didn’t know what else to say. “What exactly did your mother do to help? Was she trained the way you are? If you are thankful to your parents, you must be pleased with the way you turned out,” she was curious if he would dispute this fact. While later being a guard might help distract him, now it could hinder his abilities, if his mind was already occupied. She was surprised that he didn’t know more of their names.

She cocked her head surprised, that he didn’t know his siblings. Wouldn’t their father at least have tried with the other children?She knew that a few of her siblings were more ambitious. It made it hard to be friends, when they were more concerned with the fact that Zenevieva was the oldest, and would become the most important. She would have traded places with them, just for the fact that she would have preferred to marry an Aquatisian, and she might have gotten her wish, if she weren’t the heir.

Didn’t he crave social interaction? Did he really not have enough time to search out his siblings? It all bothered her, and she didn’t know what to do or say. It was a lot to drop on her all at once. It was one of the reasons she hated being cooped up in the castle. Out here, she was more likely to get someone to say something honest, even if it was against everyone else’s better judgement. In the masses of her kingdom there would be at least one person who was willing to reach out, and they probably didn’t have a complicated agenda she would have to try to counteract.

They moved onto a lighter topic of food. She wasn’t sure if she should continue on the deeper darker path, not wishing to clash. She giggled a little at the image. She had heard tales of pigs, and their eating ways, but she thought they sounded like a fantasy or a tall tale. A creature with hard toes. Impossible. They were spoken highly of to eat. “That’s probably a good quality to have. Food is more for nourishment than for entertainment, but I do like good food,” she commented. It made it easier to take care of the guards if they weren't picky. She was sure the cook was grateful.

She thought she detected some laughter, but couldn't imagine him laughing after their conversation. It seemed rather serious to her, which she supposed made sense why he was rather quiet about it. He explained his reaction, and she tried to figure out what that was really like. It was beyond her comprehension. When she was around him, and he was anything besides stern, she felt like an oddity. Something he found amusing. Perhaps he had a hard time seeing her as a person, because she seemed more like a spoiled treasured dolphin. Dolphins could seem so merish, she began to try to think of a better comparison.

She almost did a double take, as he started introductions. While there was no better time than the present, she hadn't expected him to pull out some of his hidden guards to talk to her, and the way he was addressing the whole situation seemed rather unusual. She had assumed there was some kind of friendship and camaraderie between guards, but she supposed that while they trusted each other, there was no time for conversations. Shouldn't he know more of their names? Her brow was furrowed and confused, but her grin was goofy and amused. "Nice to meet you. Are you doing first and last names or think I better just stick with first names?"

It made her a little sad to see his face slip back into neutrality. She supposed it was considered disgraceful if he showed his emotions all of the time. She made a note of Arnav. He sounded important, and she should have known his name way before now. She liked kind people, and he seemed like a more promising start. She wondered if it was improper to beckon Arnav to join them. She wasn't sure if she could talk to him without Kaiholo around, because she was afraid it would become too awkward and quiet. Her head bobbed politely to the other two whom she had been introduced to.

Zen had to try hard to hide her smirk. She had broken through his shell. While he wasn’t chattering in her book, he was talking about random things without her constantly pressuring him. It was quite a victory for her. "I'm glad that I can bring out the chatty in someone." To her it was a compliment. She normally tried to blend into the background, when there were lots of people. No one came to talk to her out of kindness, but rather out of what they could get from her.

^~+~^

Gradually, they made it back to the palace. She asked Kaiholo to pick a few guards every day to introduce her, or just take the time to introduce her to the ones who were guarding her. She asked him what he thought about the game Tridents and Waterways. (Similar to chess) For someone who didn't know how to counteract real life manuevers, she wasn't half bad at the game. She had a gift of seeing most of the attacks, and knowing how her opponent would try to win, however, sometimes she forgot to protect her own pieces, made rushed decisions, or she had a hard time choosing which piece she was willing to sacrifice. It wasn't in her nature to give up one thing to win in the end.

"We should play sometime," she commented, as he swam near her, while they were heading towards her mother's audience chambers. It took a lot of hard thinking, which was another reason why she wasn't the best at the game. Kaiholo was left outside, while Zenevieva went to meet her alone.

"Evie, my love, how are you doing?" Leilani smiled and embraced her daughter. "Quite well. Thank you for asking," she returned, pulling back at the appropriate moment, so she could look her in the eye. She wondered if she should let the small talk go on or cut to the chase. It was tempting to complain. Her mother never had her visit without a purpose like every other politician she was surrounded by. She almost always hated what would be done next, or it might turn out to be pointless and boring, such as her artist tutor. He wasn't very good, and kept on trying to limit her creativity.

"I was thinking, that perhaps you should try martial arts training, and weapons training. It would be good for you to give someone a nasty surprise, if it ever came to that, and it would help you to relate to the Hydrans. I also think it would help them respect you, and make everything smoother." Leilani suggested in a tone that was obvious that Zenevieva would have to try. This was something that if Zen didn't want to do, eventually, they would have to give up, because it would be a waste of time and resources, but Leilani knew that Zen would at least absorb the basics. She was just that kind of person, who liked to learn.

"Of course mother," Zen sighed, not even trying to fight. She hated the thought of inflicting pain, but didn't want to waste her energy. Perhaps it would give her more reason to get to know Kaiholo. Leilani's voice sounded slightly more firm than usual, "Evie?"

"Yes," she didn't turn around, as she still intended on leaving, however she halted.

"Don't get too friendly to your guards. They can't protect you the way they have been trained, if they make a personal connection with you. You don't want to hurt Kaiholo, now do you?" her mother asked.

Zenevieva felt a little nervous. She hadn't been doing it for long, and already her mother knew, and thought it was enough of a problem to mention. Sadly, it was some of the first connection she had made with someone near her age. "No mother. I wouldn't want to cause trouble," she bowed her head, becoming worried. "I'll have Kaiholo's father tell him," she added after Zen. She knew how loving her daughter could be, and didn't want to see an attachment form of any kind, because she had to marry Maleko. It was the only way to bring peace and unity. Couldn't everyone see that she was trying her best?

She was uneasy removing Kaiholo before anything could possibly happen. He was well trained, and would resist attachment. His father would be sure to be offended if his son was slighted in such an undeserved way. Her daughter was just as likely to learn to love anybody else. She was constantly growing and branching out trying to reach others. Zenevieva's face was rather expressionless, and she normally had a small curve of a smile somewhere in her face. Her head wasn't as high, and she was looking more towards the ground, as she led Kaiholo away. It wouldn't be long before he knew of the contents of most of the conversation.