She was tired, hungry, sweaty and tense...

[az_of_the_oz]

Who: Az, her guards, Cain, Morgan...(open once they arrive at her room)
Where: To Az's room
When: February 1st, 11:30 am
What: Az's return to the Palace/Morgan plays a dirty trick

It had been quite a long and arduous journey from the tribe in Ix's camp to the Palace entranceway, or at least to a less obvious side entrance. It was not necessary to draw

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[w_cain]

Hugging had to be a Gale thing. It really did. There had to be some little trick in the bloodline that demanded that arms go around and squeeze whoever was in reach.

Not that Cain minded even a tenth as much as he pretended to. But there was a image to live up to after all.

"And I'm relieved to have you back, Sunshine." He gave a squeeze back.

"What? Is it some strange Cain animal magnetism that makes Princesses fall into their arms. Because it isn't the Captain's shining and happy personality." Dave spoke up because only the guard and Az were here.

"Dave, you're fired." Cain stepped away from Az.

"That's six. At ten you have to buy the men a round of beer." Dave smirked, not moving from his spot.

"Come on, Sunshine. Let's get you to your room where you can relax and rest, yourself. And find much better company for a Lady." Cain offered his elbow to Azkadellia. "I've sent word you're back so you likely have maids drawing you a bath as we speak."

Cain whipped his head around and gave such a pointed and dangerous look to Dave that the other man's opening mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

He'd have to file that glare away for later use.

They started a more leisurely pace back to the palace and in it's halls. two guards preceding them, four behind.

"So... archery?"

[az_of_the_oz]

She would have grinned widely at the new nickname he used, if her mouth had not already decided to permanently be in that position. At least for awhile. As well as the fact that those at the Palace had not simply been relieved to see her go, and hoping that she would have stayed away.

That little antagonistic part of her was always whispering such things when she was feeling down, something that had momentarily made her worry when it had first appeared. Instead she had found that nearly everyone had thoughts like those, and had been relieved they had not come from a darker source.

While she had never been formally introduced to the man, she easily recognized Cain's Second and Johnson's husband, Dave. When Cain stepped back, surprisingly after hugging her in return, she turned to the dark haired man. "It's the pants, or rather how they fill them," a decisive nod. "I'm sure you understand, as I used to try to get your husband to run away with me for the way he filled out his. But sadly," she sighed dramatically. "Your appeal is apparently greater than mine."

A week of intense training did not lend itself to a boatload of giggles, and she was glad to be able to enjoy joking around for a few moments. She slipped her arm in Cain's, "Jeb's company? I believe I requested before I left that he be waiting in my room already sans pants." Very glad to enjoy the moment, in fact.

The Princess pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the comical way that Dave's mouth snapped shut at Cain's murderous glare. As they began to walk, she nodded. "Apparently I am barely passable with a blade, and as they don't use guns there, the bow was the next logical possibility." She smiled, holding up the delicate appearing yet deadly weapon. "I fell in love, it's entirely satisfying and beautiful, and I was grudgingly told that I am not complete rubbish at it."

[w_cain]

Cain winced. "Can you NOT talk to me about my son and a lack of pants? Please. Someone's been pasting those pictures around the barracks. I don't know if the picture is more disturbing or the fact that someone's given that much money to that munchkin toilet paper."

He managed a smile at her word choice in describing her choice of weaponry. "You might make someone jealous talking about it that way. The only trouble I can see is how difficult it will be to hide under your skirts. You'll end up walking funny."

Yep, completely blank faced there.

Ahead of them Dave missed a step and started to cough as he picked up stride again.

"I think you should have someone teach you how to handle a gun."

The group climbed the stairs and wove down the halls until they were outside of Az's suite of rooms.

[az_of_the_oz]

She could not help it, she laughed at that. "I imagine poor Jeb's been walking around red-faced for a good percentage of the time then." She shook her head, before sending a beaming smile at the man in question's father. "I still have the copy Scraps brought to dinner in my saddlebags. And to be fair, he was wearing pants still, just they were down around his ankles at that point."

Lowering the bow back down, she nodded and grinned. "I doubt he'd be jealous for long, I can promise you that it is a much colder and more boring bedmate." One of her fingers ran along the lines of the bow curve, she had been amazed when she had been able to shoot near perfectly within the first ten minutes of her first and only lesson. The bow itself was a gift from Penthisila herself.

She nearly snorted at Cain's comment, "Speaking of people walking funny, how is my sister?" Proud of Cain for the slip of an innuendo that always, as he did, left you wondering whether or not he had meant to say it. He was the master, and she was always looking to improve her verbal sparring skills.

A nod, "It would make sense, if only to teach me enough to be a last resort." She would be using the target range anyway at some point, as the Palace did not have a range for archery. Perhaps that could be changed, as it would be more secure to have someplace separate for the Princess to use. They reached her door, pulling away, she stopped to give him another quick hug. Never having much practice with graceful and smooth exits, she abruptly opened the door and stepped inside.

[purplerhino]

Morgan Cain was of the mind that if you tried something often enough, it was bound to work eventually.

His brother would call it a sign of diminished mental capacity. Morgan liked to call it optimism. Something Wyatt lacked.

Therefore, when Morgan learned that his nephew's intended had returned to the palace he just HAD to meet her. And what had worked (mostly) with the younger sister would surely work with the elder.

And no, he had not been drinking. Today at least.

Getting a hold of some of Wyatt's clothes was easy. It was also annoying. His brother was one size smaller in the waist, and apparently he had bigger arms. Damn exercise masochist. But for the most part the cloths fit. He lacked the duster, but Wyatt didn't wear it indoors anyway. The hat was another lack, but easily worked around.

Of course, being Wyatt was the only way Morgan got into the suite. Those guards who sweeped the rooms really needed to learn the difference. The maids in the bathroom apparently did. They had winked at him.

And would likely drown him in the bathwater if he tried to do anything unfriendly with this joke.

So when he heard voices outside the door he moved to the bedroom until he heard the door open and close.

That's when he casually walked into the sitting room and faced a wide eyed beauty. He trusted his kin's utter faith that this was not the Sorceress. He had to keep his face blank to mask the momentary feeling that came over him, despite that. The feeling that said this wasn't a good idea and she'll suck your soul out.

But this was the woman his nephew was gonna marry. Giving her a hard time was his obligation.

"Hello darlin'. How was the trip?"

[az_of_the_oz]

The momentary flash of disappointment that Jeb was not inside, nude or clothed, was quickly brushed aside as Az came face with...whoever. Even if she had not just left Cain's side a moment before, she would not have been able to help knowing this was not him.

It was a little known, to unknown, fact that the Sorceress's magic on her iron suits left a magical tracer behind on all who entered them. Something only her magic, Az's in actuality, could sense and made it impossible for her not to be able to weed out any who had been held inside one.

This man did not have the trademark metallic taste of a magical thread. Needless to say, that set the Princess on edge, especially as nervous and paranoid she was over Zero's recent escape.

"You're not Cain," she stated evenly, eyes narrowing.

The fact that Cain and the guards were outside were mostly forgotten, if this man was here to cause her harm, he would have plenty of time before anyone could burst in to save her. Still, there was a chance that he was not a danger, making the weapon in her hand too much of a possible overreaction. So instead she chose to use something she had been practicing in the last few days, a non-harmful application of her magic on a person.

Something small, to be less of a danger. Fluffy and cute, to amuse her feminine instincts. Only for a few hours, long enough to sort out if he was a danger or not, and then he could return to his natural form. Her free hand lifted, and she released the small burst of magic directly at him, to wind around him like live vines. It would not hurt, but would no doubt feel odd.

Her exhaustion led her to overlook that he could be somehow connected to Cain himself, and the fact that she had thought, "All of his ilk" as she had composed the small spell. Something that might just not go over well as it spread to affect the man outside of the room as well.

The resulting blue-eyed kitten looking confused as it sat on the floor of her bedroom was downright adorable. "Aw."

[purplerhino]

Dave was getting the start of a lecture from Cain as they headed back down the hall.

"And to act like that in front of the men..." Cain growled.

"Hypocrite." Dave muttered as he glared at his boss.

Just then Cain's eyes shot wide.

"What?" The surprised look made Dave and the four guards who were with them looked around for some unsensed danger.

Dave looked back to Cain just in time to see him... shrink into a small, fluffy dog. A lapdog. A fluffy lapdog puppy. Blond fur and... well those stunning eyes of his looked kind of freakish on a puppy.

Dave would have laughed if his training hadn't kicked in. Someone had just used some sort of magic on his Captain. This could be an attack. Did evil use cute and cuddly to distract?

"The princess!" Dave scooped up Cain, who tried to bite his arm, the ungrateful fluffball.

The guards not ten feet behind them at her door turned and burst inside. Dave and the four with him right after.

Inside, Princess Azkadellia was looking down at a small, fluffy, white kitten. With blue eyes that matched the puffball here.

The dog tucked in Dave's arm let out a fierce growl. Or it would have been fierce if it didn't come from a three pound powder puff. There were sharp teeth involved, reguardless of size.

The eyes had it. Dave started to laugh. A deep down belly laugh that almost shook his whole body as he figured out what happened.

He managed to stop laughing long enough to look at Az.

"I see... you met... Morgan Cain. They don't look quite identical anymore."

Just then the puppy lunged out of Dave's arms and made a snarling bee-line for the tiny kitten.

The kitten let out a startled yowel and took off at high speed, the puppy fast on it's heels.

Dave was laughing hard again.
"When I was told the brother's Cain fought like cats and dogs sometimes, I never dreamed it would be like this."

The other guards were trying very hard, some with more success than others, not to break up as badly as Dave.

[az_of_the_oz]

Az had been about to call out to the guards to get everything sorted out, when there was a shout outside and the door slammed open. Cain's odd exclusion from the group was not even marveled at before she took in the fact that his second in command was holding a blue-eyed pale-furred fluff ball. The little creature snarling in its own high-pitched way, while the kitten in front of her was silent.

Dave was already laughing, confusing Az a bit more, only stopping to solve the mystery with the connection she had not thought of.

"M-Morgan Cain?" She found herself repeating, looking down at the man she had transfigured. There was a flurry of chaotic movement, and the puppy flung itself at the kitten, and the pair were off and running out the door. "I didn't know he had a brother...or that he had come to the Palace..."

The Princess was not sure whether to be horrified or horribly amused. It did not take long for the amusement to win the competition, and soon she was laughing right along with the dark haired man, and most of the six guards.

It could just have been the exhaustion talking, but she thought it was rather hilarious that she had turned both her future father-in-law and his brother into small fluffy creatures. Comically fluffy creatures as well.