Maleko watched with a proud gleam in his eye as his opponent entered the ring. She did a quick show of her weapon as he had done, and he noticed the almost...polite cheer of the crowd as she did so. It was hard to try and size her up and get a good look at her from this distance, but as far as he could tell she looked to be an oppenent he would have fun against. Looks could be very decieving however, and he would be a fool to completely brush her off as having no skill. He was a prime example of small but mighty, so why couldn't she be the same?

Because I've never even heard of her. he reasoned, swimming a little closer at a slow pace as the crowd continued to cheer, the fight having not begun quite yet. I've never heard her name being whispered throughout the waters, and I've never seen what she can do. She holds no record for me. That could mean one of two things; that she could be very skilled and just hadn't had the chance to show it yet....or she was of average or poor skill and nothing special to be talked about in the fighting world.

As he was examining her, her mouth opened and words carried across the arena to reach his ears. They were taunts, and his heart bubbled with excitement. Taunts could be used against many in the arena, but to Maleko....it amped him up. It made him more excited, more happy, more thrilled, and more determined than ever to kill. If she thought she was being wise....she was being the exact opposite.

His smirk only grew bigger, as she pointed out his advantages as a prince. He chuckled to himself, his gills fluttering in amusement. He hefted the harpoon over his shoulder casually like one would a bat, and lifted his chin as he gazed across at her. His electric blue eyes were almost crackling with an excited fire, and his sharp canines gleamed in the light.

"I've come for fun." he answered with a sick grin. "Can't touch me?" he questioned back, his voice carrying out to her. "Why don't you ask any opponent who's fought me here? I can and will be touched. I'm not scared of death, and I'm not scared of the consequences anyone faces by fighting me." He lowered the harpoon, his arrogant smirk slowly turning into a more eerie smile. "If I was afraid of you, I would not be here. Rules are made to be broken, skint, and I am not afraid to break every one of them."

Maleko was a vile mer, and his brothers knew of his illegal deeds. The Hydran force and warriors may be strong, but the royal family itself was broken and hanging by a thread. Maleko was free to do as he wished, because most who would be in charge of enacting punishment upon him feared him. Nothing about the young prince was appealing at all, except to some maybe his features. He was arrogant, vile, mean, and twisted, finding pleasure in all that was considered wrong. He came to the arena for fair fights because he enjoyed a good challenge and prided himself more when he beat them knowing his life was at stake.

He was aware that most mers feared to seriously wound him, because of the consequences they could face. Maleko knew deep down that his family would likely do nothing if he perished, for he never did what he was told anyway, and his existence for the past few years had been basically irrelevant. The royal family was in shambles, the war was still going on, and illegal activity within the palace walls itself had risen.

"Fight me!" he growled, sending vibrations through the water at her. He tapped his chest with his free hand, taunting now with a challenging gleam in his eyes. "Fight me! Show me what you got!" All bets were in, the crowd was amped, and the gong was hit. She was the first to strike, but it didn't take him off guard. She was a faster swimmer than he had anticipated however, which surprised him a little at first. He grabbed the harpoon with both hands, one hand gripping either end and held it up, her weapon clashing against it instead of his face.

Hit after hit, the two of them continued to fight. He wasn't giving it his entire all, but he was fighting hard, his hits coming across harder than he thought they were. He let out a few excited laughs as she dodged some of his hits, leaving his sides exposed more than once. She was fast, and her reflexes were on point. She was also a lot stronger than she appeared, and this fight wasn't ending nearly as quickly as he had first assumed it would.

His determination and excitement to kill had slowly faded over the fight, and he was just enjoying the challenge rather than aiming to seriously wound or kill her. He still wanted to win, but the longer they fought the more impressed with her talent he was. At one point he did as he always did, dropping his weapon and using his hands. He was a fast swimmer as well and agile, so he wasn't scared of being weaponless. But once again he had underestimated her and somehow forgotten that she was around the same level of skill as himself. So his dodges sometimes weren't as fluid, and more than once he felt the stinging prick of his skin or scales being pierced or scraped.

He swam in circles around her, sending up huge clouds of bubbles hoping to blind and confuse her. In the chaos, he'd reached for his weapon again. He turned back around to face her, thrusting his arm with the harpoon in hand, the tip just centimeters away from her gut. Just as he made the movement, he felt the hard points of the trident poking roughly against the skin on his neck. His eyes gleamed triumphantly, crackling with the electricity of his excitement. Neither of them had won, but they'd put up a good fight against one another. If either of them moved they could kill each other.

The cheering crowd had gone completely silent, waiting in tension to see what was going to happen next.

He stayed completely still, his gills fluttering wildly as he breathed and a smile planted on his face. He chuckled quietly, and then began laughing softly, showing the qualities that made others think he was so mentally unstable. It was obvious that he was thinking, debating on whether he should kill her or not. A flick of his wrist and one quick movement could puncture right through her stomach, and one more movement would jerk it up into her heart.

His bloodlust was returning, but the more he thought the more he pushed it away. Maybe, just maybe....

He let out a breath and put his weapon down, swimming back a couple feet before gesturing to the announcer with his harpoon. He ran his free hand through his hair and looked back at Pandora, the manic grin gone from his face and instead replaced with a normal, sort of relaxed one. "You," he said to her. "I gotta talk to you."

The announcer slowly began to swim down into the ring, a wary and somewhat frightened look on his face. The prince was unpredictable, and even in a public place, no one knew exactly what he would do. "Yes, sir?" The announcer asked hesitantly as he approached the two gladiators. Maleko nodded to him, lowering his weapon to his side.

"We're done. We tie." He cast a glance over at Pandora. "Both winners." The announcer's eyes widened and he looked nervously towards Pandora before looking between the two of them.

"A tie?" he questioned, his tone sounding amazed. It was obvious that the merman had never in his life expected the prince to allow a tie or give up such an easy opportunity to kill someone. "Both winners?" Maleko nodded, growing impatient.

"Yes, before I change my mind." he growled to him. The announcer quickly nodded, swimming a few paces away from him. Maleko hefted the weapon over his shoulder, watching the announcer with intense eyes.

"In an event like never before," the announcer started, his voice carrying into the stands. It wasn't quite as bold or excited as before, but almost hesitant and confused. "The result is...a tie." He looked back at Maleko, and the prince nodded. "Both of the gladiators win." Murmers erupted in the audience as the watchers spoke to one another. "The two will...move on to more rounds separately, like any champion would." The announcer fumbled a little, as if he was still afraid that Maleko would change his mind and decide to kill him instead for fun.

"The next fight is due in ten minutes!" With that, he rushed out of the ring, casting a cloud of bubbles Maleko's way. The prince began to swim out of the arena, and once out he rushed into the weapons area to put it away, but hoping to see his talented opponent as well.

Once there he swam up behind her, tapping the harpoon against her shoulder to grab her attention before placing it in the racks. "You put up a good fight." he told her somewhat bluntly, jumping right to what he was going to say. "What's your name again? Pandora? Never heard that one before." He leaned casually against the shelves, the rubies embedded under his right eye glittering in the dim light. Up close without constant movement, it was easy to recognize that he was indeed the real Hydran prince, for not many mers under a high ranking would be able to afford as many piercings or accessories as he did.

Above his left eye were silver piercings that shone inbetween his eyebrow, and traveling fashionably up the edge of his right ear were three more piercings. His left arm was adorned with a spiraling armband decorated in shark teeth, intricate carvings and designs on each tooth, an accessory that no one except a member of the royal family would be able to afford due to the price. "Gonna be honest with you, I thought I was going to win. You have some talent, and coming from me that should at least mean something. I've fought a lot of mers here, and I'm sure you have as well. So you surely can understand how special of a fight you must have put up." He clenched his jaw, looking briefly away and watching as the next two gladiators came in to pick their weapons. He lowered his voice.

"I'll give you whatever my prize was for the tie. Truly, I am impressed." He gave her a smile, one that would have been charming and handsome but instead came off as slightly unsettling due to the scars that lined his face. He was still handsome, but it took a special breed to consider him partner worthy.

"I have a proposition for you." he said, his smile fading into a more serious expression, and his voice falling into the natural deep tone.

She wouldn’t be able to see any of the towns they were going to stay in during the peace treaty meeting. All of the guards were getting on her nerves, giving her disapproving looks if she went out of their sight, or their impassiveness, because they weren’t supposed to strike up conversation with her. Kaiholo was slightly different. Since he was her constant companion, it wasn’t strange for them to have small conversations, but to be professional, he did discourage any longer exchanges. Her room was one of the few places she could go with full privacy, but that wasn’t guaranteed to stay that way, because someone was bound to want to come in eventually. She wanted to escape being watched. The new guards were swarming everywhere, and it was suffocating. Should she eat breakfast? She knew it would take them by surprise more, if she wasn’t even seen at breakfast.

Was this early enough to guarantee that they wouldn’t think she was awake yet? She quickly dressed into the rags, she normally wore, hoping to hide as a staff member, heading out, yet her tail which was exposed was still quite distinctive. Hopefully, the new guards wouldn’t have been apprised of her tricks, and it would at least work one time. The castle had taken a long time to build. It was rather on the fragile side, but highly colorful and decorative. Everything about the castle was long and spindly, and it was carefully wrought with metal, which was an arduous process. Metal working was one of the more dangerous crafts, because metal had to be heated to such high temperatures.

Sometimes it was easier to sneak to shore to buy it from the humans, because if done incorrectly underwater it could boil the craftsman alive. Long ago expert Aquatisian craftsmen encouraged coral to grow in specific ways all over the castle, giving it a cheerful colorful appearance. It encouraged fish to live in the castle of Curaleight. While many in Aquatis ate fish, they tended to lean more to the side of vegetarian, considering fish to be theri friends, and pets, as they were everywhere. Aquatisians frequently created peaceful ocean gardens for their fish to forage safely for food, and they often made excellent moving decoration.

There were stories told of how Hydrans plucked fish right out of the water while they were swimming along, and ate them right then and there. Even though she was more educated than the commoners, and she was older, and less easily afraid or duped, she still had a hard time laying that childhood fear aside. She wasn't sure how this peace treaty would be working out, or what exactly was the bargaining tool. How had both sides finally decided that the war needed to end? Zenevieva had always been afraid that her side would lose, and she knew that they would kill off all of the leaders, including herself.

She wouldn't let anyone try to save her, as she didn't want Hydran wrath spilling over onto her people. She knew that she had made friends with many commoners, because she would try to get to know them, and she would go down among them, and physically help them, even if she couldn't get to all of them. She could hardly pin point their needs emotionally, but she was rather quick to help the obvious physical needs.

She thought she was in the clear, but she had to pass the barracks on the way out. They were used to many swimming by, and only the more higher trained would pay attention to her. She stopped short, as she realized she had bumped into someone who was rather solid. She backed up, and almost heaved a sigh of disappointment. She wasn't a hundred percent sure if he recognized her, even though she hadn't done much. She didn't want to act like he was stupid insulting him, but if he didn't recognize her, she wanted to bluff her way through. "Pardon me," she bowed her head, hoping he hadn't gotten a good look at her face, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

Kaiholo stood in the halls of the palace on the royal family's level, his chin lifted as his light eyes surveyed the surroundings. Other guards swam by, stern expressions scrawled on their faces, their attention on their job. As every morning, Kai was posted here early, waiting for the princess to awaken. It was boring in the early mornings, but he continued to remind himself that he was here for a reason, and his duty was to protect the princess.

His free hand lifted to lightly touch the back of his neck, his skin now marred with a symbol that had been burned into him. The symbol indicated that he was a high ranking, strong, and important guard of Aquatis, and that his assassination, death, or murder would be considered a crime against the royalty and punishment would in return be death. This also signified his knowledge and power despite being a guard, which gained him respect among some of the other guards and the townspeople. He was not the only guard to bear this symbol. In fact, his father did too, along with all of the new west wing guards that had been assigned to duty for the royal family.

Kaiholo set his jaw as he waited, becoming a bit nervous and impatient. It was still early, but it still surprised him that Zenevieva wasn't up yet. There was little happening in the halls, but he could hear the clinking and rattling coming from the royal kitchens, making his stomach gurgle with a hunger that could not be satisfied until the princess was awake and ready to eat herself.

"Having fun this morning, are we?" A voice said. He turned to see Markana swimming by, and he cast her a faint smile.

"A blast." he responded. Markana gave him a pitying smile, glancing both ways in the halls.

"Your father was asking for you not five minutes ago." she informed. "He was wondering if the princess was up yet so you could meet him at the barracks." Kaiholo cast a glance at the princess's bedroom door and sighed, his gills pushing out a small stream of bubbles.

"Unfortunately she is still asleep." he told her. She hovered in the water for a moment, her forehead creased in thought.

"Wait one moment, I will be back." With that she swam away, leaving him in complete and boring silence once more. While waiting, he had nothing to do but think, his thoughts spiraling over what had happened in the last week or so. It was awkward at first being around Zenevieva, but he had slowly warmed up to her a little, even if that was something he was unwilling to admit to anyone. She was good company, and he enjoyed listening to her talk to him, even if his personal guidelines prohibited him from engaging in too many of her conversations.

Shortly, Markana returned, and he stood to attention. "I've been given permission to take your post." she told him. "For a short bit that is, long enough for your father to speak with you." Kaiholo looked surprised, but quickly erased it from his face. He gave Markana a slight bow and began to swim slowly away. Under any other circumstance, he would have refused the offer with a resounding no, but Markana was a very trusted individual and worked rather closely with the royal family. She would be risking a lot to lie to him, and he knew her much better than that.

He made his way outside to the barracks, tilting his head upwards to see his father in one of the guard towers that overlooked the palace and a good portion of the city. Kaiholo flashed his scales, causing his father to look his way. The older mer fumbled in excitement and dove towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Kai, may Poseidon bless you." he said straight away, his voice trembling softly. His brows furrowed, confused. Was his father losing his mind?

"Father?" he questioned, trying to keep his tone calm instead of worried. His father stepped slowly backwards, a pain glimmering in his golden eyes.

"It's...your mother." His father slowly spoke, the words falling heartbreakingly from his tongue. "She's passed." Kai's chest tightened, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the trident he was holding. Bright bursts of pain flared through his jaws as he clenched them tightly, trying to keep his expression where it was instead of letting it break. He knew her time was coming, and his father's was just around the corner no doubt. The mers were old, having served their time as guards and warriors well. They'd had many children through the years, Kaiholo being a miracle baby born to them in their later years when mers typically stopped being able to give birth.

"Promise me this, boy." His father said lowly, reaching out a hand to brush his face. "Promise me that you'll serve this family to the very best of your ability, no matter what obstacles may lay in your path." Kaiholo nodded, his scales shifting and coloring like plumes of smoke in a dark blue night sky. "You have made us both very proud, and I can see the strength in your eyes." He paused, and for a second the two mers stood looking into each other's faces, an understanding between each other that lay unspoken. Finally, his father spoke once more. "I wanted to tell you myself, instead of the news getting to you second-hand later this evening." Kai nodded again, forcing his scales to shift back into their resting colors.

His father gave him an apologetic nod, and swam back up to his post, resuming his watch over the guards and the kingdom. Kai exhaled, bubbles fluttering from his gills.

The princess surely is up by now. he thought, straightening his posture. He would mourn the loss of his mother tonight, when he was no longer on duty, but he would not be able to attend her funeral or burial due to his new post. He was about to turn and swim away when he felt the weight of someone blatantly running into him. He looked down, his pale honeydew eyes resting on a very familiar looking royal blue-purple tail. He of course hadn't caught a good look at her face, but his suspicions were raised automatically upon gazing at her tail.

Kaiholo adjusted his position, staring down at the mermaid who'd bumped into him. He raised his tridant and hooked it onto the strap that lined his back, similar to a sword sheath.

"Apology accepted, ma'am." he rumbled, his lips turning up into a slight smile. Smug? Maybe a little. He gently reached down, his fingers hooking onto the edge of the hood she was wearing, pulling it back to where it fell to her shoulders. "Princess," he greeted, bowing at her with a smile on his face. His eyes glittered in the water. "Out for a swim may I ask?" His smile faded back into the serious expression that so often lined his face.

"A shame that you were so close. How did you slip past Markana?" His words were slightly mocking, but not purposefully so. He lifted his chin and held out his hand to her in an effort to help her. "If you wanted to leave the palace, you need only ask."

Kaiholo

"Hmm," he hummed as she told him it was bold to touch her garments. He stood up straighter and crossed his arms over his broad chest, lifting his chin slightly but keeping the corners lifted in a small smile. To be fair, Zenevieva had been dressed as a servant and peasant, so it was not exactly informal of him to lift the hood from her head. If she didn't want to be touched, she shouldn't be sneaking out dressed as this.

"Markana covered my post." he answered. "I was called here to be given information." His jaw clenched slightly as he spoke, a subtle sign of the pain bubbling within him that he was forcing himself to hide in front of the princess. She did not need to know of his personal grievances, and it was likely that she wouldn't care anyway. "She asked authorities to take my position for a short moment. I was just on my way back when you so kindly ran into me on your way out of the castle walls." His voice was fairly deep, giving him a rumbling baritone that rippled through the water. He wasn't visibly upset, and his tone was presented in an amused but not mocking way.

"If this is a test, I must say it isn't a very wise one Princess," he said calmly, his tone slightly disappointed in her, almost sounding fatherly. "Markana replaced my post while I am here, and being the faithful guard she is I have full confidence she is still there." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You pulled a dirty trick sneaking by her this morning, and risk her reputation as a guard here. If she or anyone else discovers that you are gone and that you've slipped by her watch, she risks harsh punishments." A slight anger boiled within him, for the royal children seemed to never grasp or realize how seriously the guards took their jobs, how faithfully they did so, what lengths they would go to to protect them, and the severe punishments that could be recieved in turn of the children's doings.

Kaiholo remembered being a young mer, only a teenager in training, and witnessing the youngest children disobeying their parents words and sneaking past the guards that were there to protect them. He was there to witness his father's fury unleashed upon the "disloyal" guards that had failed their duties, the punishments ruled by the queen. Respect and loyalty for the royal family was embedded deep into every guard's heart, but along with it came a fear, and an understanding of the inner circles of the palace that most never saw. Guards got to see the flaws in the ruling, and the unintentional unfairness in the hierarchy.

He lifted his chin a little as she spoke. "Yes, you are allowed to leave as long as I am by your side." he answered her. She asked him a bit surprised, if he was willing to take her out, then proceeded to speak about what she wanted to do. His jaw tightened again, just slightly, upon hearing her plans. It was very understandable that she wanted out of the palace, but she had enough riches. It slightly irritated him that she was annoyed by the guards. They were there to protect her, and they were risking their lives and reputation just to keep her safe. She wouldn't last two days outside of the palace without the guards there to protect her. He saw where she was coming from, but it still lit a small fire inside of him that he couldn't put out.

He had worked and trained as hard as he could for fifteen years, almost completely abandoning his childhood for a life full of danger, pain, repitition, fear, and an intense loyalty. What had she done in her childhood? Learned how to be a proper princess and diplomat, the ways of royal life, how to treat those above and below her, and the rest seemed to be spoiling. She owned more riches than he could ever hope to possess, even if she hadn't bought it herself. Her food was handed to her, she had servants and escorts, a family who dearly loved her, and a potential throne to sit on as well as a kingdom to potentially rule. The majority of the soliders and guards of the kingdom came from small poor families who wanted to make a difference and prove their worth and loyalty to the royal family. Kaiholo's own family had been respected and grew up just outside of the palace walls, but not every guard had that luxery. Even if they did, every single guard spent years training to be the best they can be, laying down everything on the line to protect the royal family, including the children who grew up under their noses.

Zenevieva was different in the way that she tried to make conversation with him and she was at least kind. But her ignorance still showed sometimes, and it bothered him that so many royals just wouldn't ever fully understand, or never realize everything the guards did for them. Her following words eased him, and he let it go, but he knew it wouldn't be the last time the thoughts crossed his mind.

Soon enough, they were leaving the palace. Kaiholo had gotten permission to reduce the tailing guards, as well as ordering them to disguise themselves more. He didn't want to make the princess uncomfortable, and he would do everything in his power to please her as best as he could. He knew she would still be able to pick out most of them, but at least they weren't as blaringly obvious to everyone else.

He ordered Arnav to follow more loosely, and to separate once in awhile to keep a lookout around the rest of the town too, to make sure there were no prowling outside dangers. Kaiholo escorted her around the town, going into shops and browsing a little himself, although never actually buying anything. There was a difference between him coming when he was off duty and when he was on the clock. While training he'd had much more free time, but now he was with the princess nearly all day and into the evenings, his free time diminished by many hours.

He appeared more stern and straight forward than the majority of the other guards, many townspeople avoiding his stare and swimming by him at a fairly wide berth if able. They talked happily to the princess however, which made him happy. At least they weren't treating her much different than anyone else.

After a little over an hour, she took him to a local orphanage, explaining what she did there when given the chance. He admired her for thinking about others in her kingdom rather than just the people who lived in the palace and just outside of it. Soon an unexpected question left her mouth, and he gave her a somewhat shocked glance before clearing his throat and continuing to swim slowly beside her.

"I didn't have a choice to become a guard I'm afraid." he answered slowly, his voice rumbling from within his throat. "My parents saw something in me that my other siblings didn't possess I suppose." He paused, thinking. How much was he willing to divulge, here? He felt a little touched that she was curious enough to ask, but he couldn't help but wonder if she was doing it to be snoopy or if she genuinely cared. "Loyalty to the crown is instilled in every guard. Most are born and raised with loyalty for obvious reasons, others are trained to push any doubts aside and do whatever they have to to be the best we can be." He remembered sadly of a fellow guard in training who was raised in this small village in poverty, away from the palace.

Everyone respected the royals and had obvious loyalty, but he'd had doubts about them and their leadership, simply because of the state his family was in. He'd applied to join and was trained by Kaiholo's father around the same time Kai was training. The two had become quite close, and he'd grown to learn how others away from the palace had to live and what they thought. It was a strange sight to see all of his doubts slowly wash away over time, and his heart become colder as training continued.

Of course he was a respectable and kind mer, but he was hardened to the dangers of the world and anything that may cause him pain. Kai even remembered feeling his own fears begin to slide away, and the coldness setting in to replace it. The solid wall of confidence and bravery that was slowly instilled over the years of training. Sadly, his friend had been killed during the war, and Arnav was brought in as his replacement.

"Some of us come from families who have nothing, and some of us come from families who live in the palace with you. No matter where we come from, it always seems to be a case of wanting to prove our worth to our leaders." He paused again. "For one mer in particular, it was a cry for help. He became a guard to grab your family's attention, because his own was suffering in poverty." He jaw tightened. "He was killed in battle last year, and his initial ambitions were wiped away during training. His family is still in poverty, now without a husband to help support them."

The war had torn everything apart and ruined every mers life, even if it was in different ways. Everyone was eagerly awaiting its end.

Maleko

He gave her a side smile at her returned compliment, if one could call it that. Most maybe wouldn't consider it to be one, but it was satisfactory to him and that was all that mattered. His pointed canine teeth flashed in the dim light, his electric blue eyes hidden within shadows, making his already sharp features seem even more pointed, since a good half of his face was shrouded in darkness. A few strands of his black hair flowed gently in front of his eyes as the current slightly changed direction.

He spent a quite brief seconds examining her now that she was closer. Out in the arena and during their fight, he hadn't gotten a good look at her features or physique, but now he could see that she was more fit and muscular than he had previously assumed. He could tell she was scanning his various rings and decor, but he chose not to react to her observations. She declined his offer of the prize, but he gave no negative or positive reaction. It was of course ultimately her decision, and she was probably wise for pushing the offer aside, so he did not blame her.

He then told her he had a proposition, but she declined that, too. Unlike the declination of his money or compliment, Maleko did feel a need to push for this one. He pushed himself off of the shelf he was leaning against and started to swim after her, but stopped as he heard the announcer's words. Her attention was was now turned back on him, and Maleko took the chance, fully aware that her attention was limited and he could only have it for a brief moment or two.

He slowly approached closer, coming more fully into the light now. He could hear the fight going on out in the arena, and he knew it would be time to switch out gladiators here soon. "You strike me different than most of the mers I've fought here." he said, his voice naturally a bit deep and ever so slightly raspy. "The fight was unlike one I've had in a long time, and I'd honestly love to have another chance." His gills fluttered, and his eyes crackled with an intense electricity.

"I'd love to spar with you again one on one, but not under the eyes of hundreds of viewers, where judgement stings and expectations of blood and possible death lay." He grinned a little. "I want to go a few friendly rounds with you out of the arena, in any other area of your choosing if it makes you feel better. If you know of any mer who would be willing to watch and judge bring them too." He paused for a brief second before continuing. "It would be just a spar, a competition. No death involved. The only thing I ask is that..." he trailed off for a moment, studying her face.

"If you agree to this...you enter a bargain." A small grin began to line his face, slightly sinister but mostly evoking more of an excited look. "We go until we can't fight anymore. If you win...I give you my earnings for this one fight and leave you alone forever and we forget this exchange. You can go on with your life how you want and keep coming here." He tossed his head towards the window that led to the arena. A loud scream from there reached his ears, and he turned to see which gladiator had won. As expected, a mer lay broken on the arena floor, blood swirling in the dark water around her, the victor thrusting his fist in the air as the crowd cheered.

Maleko's eyes glimmered with interest, his bargain beginning to look a little more appealing now. "If I win..." he said to her, although his gaze was still pinned on the arena. He finally turned to look back at her, his small grin now a full one that gave off his naturally eerie vibe. "You gain a job in the palace as a Royal Guard. You would be paid handsomely, would get to fight and train as much as you would like daily, and serve the royal family during a time of desperate need. You would be respected, more so than you are now, and you wouldn't have to worry about scavenging for food or using what little money you have left to survive."

Maleko was sure that neither of those options were the greatest, but neither was the worst either. It was a matter of how she wanted to live her life, and how long she wanted to live it. Being a gladiator here was bargain enough, for every time she entered she risked her life. Being a respected guard...still had its dangers, but at least she would have free access to food and shelter, and wouldn't be in danger at all times.

"Of course the choice is yours, but know that if you agree to this and I win but you don't comply to your side of the deal...I am not afraid to gut a fish." This was of course a metaphor and a direct threat to her, meaning that if she didn't hold up her end of the deal...he would track her down and gut her, ending her life for a lie. He wasn't heartless, but what little soul he did have left was not the type to come out and say hello very often.

His anger and arrogance controlled him, and he would not be crossed. He loved bargains, but if anything went wrong he wasn't scared to face or deal out any consequences that came along with them. It wasn't the worst deal in the world, and it all boiled down to how she wanted to live her life, and if she was willing to play a bigger role in the kingdom.

Kaiholo

He listened to her as she spoke to him, her question rasing small doubts in his mind that he'd had at first but had pushed away during his many years of training. What did it mean to be truly loyal to someone? Especially to someone you didn't know well or had never done anything to you or for you? "I think there's a lot of mers who genuinely care and want to serve the royal family." he answered plainly, aware that he was swimming on a thin line. He was worried that if he said something even slightly wrong she would become afraid that he wouldn't do everything he could to protect her, or worried that he wasn't doing what he wanted to be doing.

"Every guard I know cares for you and your family, and I don't think they would sign up for such brutal training and the possibility of death if they didn't truly want to serve." He paused, his eyes shifting to scan the waters, noticing a few guards swimming by outside. She began to speak more, and for a moment or two his attention was divided. He was hearing and listening as best as he could to her words, but he was also watching what was going on outside for a few short moments, making sure that he didn't need to swim aside and fix any problems. It all seemed to smooth out, and his attention was brought fully back to the princess as she asked if he hated her.

For the first time, his stern and focused expression broke into one of genuine surprise, his gills fluttering in shock. How was he supposed to answer that?? Was it a trap? God knew he didn't hate her, not at all, but...what if he was someone else? What if he was a mer who disliked her? How would he have responded to that question?

"Of course I don't hate you, princess." he answered truthfully, still left in a sort of shock. She was bold for asking such a thing. "It isn't just your family causing losses," he said, relaxing again. He realized he may have sounded harsh before when talking about the royals. He moved to sit down next to her instead of standing like he had been this whole time, presenting himself as someone who wasn't so imposing. He didn't want to be someone she was frightened of. He did watch his boundaries however, and left a decent amount of space between them both.

He relaxed his voice so that his tone was more soothing and gentle than it had been before. "Your mother is a strong mer and a good queen, and I know she's doing the best she can in the situation we're in right now. War is a nasty thing. A very nasty thing, and...I can't imagine the weight your mother bears on her shoulders." He paused for a moment, shocked at how much he was saying to her. He knew he definitely wouldn't be saying all this to anyone else. Why did he feel as if he had to for her?

"Nothing in a kingdom is ever going to be perfect, and with that said I don't expect it to be perfect. Your mother, her mother, and her mother before her I'm sure all did the best they could to rule over so many different kinds of people. No one is ever going to be completely satisfied, and that's something that I think a lot of us don't understand."

He was again surprised as she asked him what he thought could be done differently. He raised his brows for a moment, intrigued by her questions. At least she cared enough to ask...

"I don't know what to say, really." he answered honestly. "In the middle of a war like this, I'm sure it's not easy to take care of everyone's needs but..." he trailed off, his gills fluttering as he thought over his next words carefully. "I think there could be more attention paid to the mers who live in poverty. Some of them are in it deep because of their own choices and mistakes but...others are born into it with no way to get out." He remembered his friend sadly. "If there was some easy way to help them...I know it would make a big difference."

He found himself smiling ever so slightly as she spoke to him again, explaining why she had brought up the topic to begind with. "No it's okay," he said. "Just took me a little off guard is all." One of the children swam up to him after recieving the gift Zen had given to her. The child's face was round and her eyes were big and curious. Kaiholo held out one of his hands, and the child's face lit up with a shy grin as she placed her own small one inside of his.

"I'm glad that you cared to ask," he said to Zenevieva, although his eyes were on the child. "Not many mers of your standing do." He moved his gaze to meet hers, for the first time feeling a strange connection to her that he had never felt before. It felt...personal. Almost as if there was a part of him that thought they could make good friends. Of course he said nothing about it, because he was unsure of her feelings towards him.

But it was the most talking the two had ever done. The most converstaion they had ever shared. He watched with gentle eyes as the child swam away to play with a few of the others, and moved his gaze to the window again. All still looked calm and peaceful.

"I have an idea," he rumbled, rising from his sitting position. "There's a little resturant not too far from here, and we have some time to spare if you'd like to check it out." He flashed her a smile, one that not many got to see. "They have some pretty good things there if you'd want to check it out." He looked out the window to check the position of the sun reflecting on the water. "We'd be back before dinner and maybe you'd still have some room left in your stomach for whatever the cooks at the palace prepare."