Motto’s voice caught in his throat at the sound of her laughter. This wasn’t the first time he’d elicited a reaction like that. He wasn’t great at social situations. It still sucked though and his pride took a blow. The Prince drooped a little when it was pointed out that his brilliant idea was pretty much the same thing he criticized and he paid no heed to the kitten’s intimidating transformation.

It was clear the dude was her bodyguard thing. Motto recovered somewhat from his embarrassment and stood his ground while the Princess suggested another plan.

“So wait. Now we’re getting a Fey to possess me? This is ridiculous.” Motto’s temper flared. The whole thing was ridiculous! Here was Princess Better-Than-Him with her lofty words and her cool attitude and her magical pet..ordering him to bathe, laughing at him, and fetching whimsy folk to have a little fun inside of him. “I don’t need this. Any of this!” Turning, he paced away from her with a thin blanket of flame licking up his right arm. “I get it. I’m not your romance guy and you don’t want to be tied down to savages. Cool. I’ll refuse the wedding and have the Elementals withdraw. It’s not like we care about our reputation.”

Motto’s pacing stopped and the flames receded into nothingness. She was still in grave danger though. That probably wouldn’t change. “......Or ...we can find a Fey to possess me.” The Prince raised his troubled eyes to look at his bride-to-be. “If our marriage doesn’t happen your father will find another dude and try the same thing, won’t he?” Motto was a spontaneous kind of guy...his priorities were hard to predict and he wasn’t the most stable person ever. Aside from his impending marriage and the crappy truth about his bloodline’s endangerment, Isabella was in a serious situation with that a-hole dad of hers and that was what mattered most right now.

Isabella gave the Prince a blank look before the reality of what was happening pieced itself together in her mind. These people, they didn't know what they were getting themselves into and Jota had found the perfect person to put her with so that he would win no matter what. She let out a hollow tired chuckle, "no..." she said in a very small voice "this isn't about the marriage, but it is about getting what he wants and this was the best way to do it. Because he knew I'd try something like this... and that it wouldn't matter," her eyes were burning with hatred as she met Motto's gaze.

"but I don't think he accounted for how stupid two kids could get when you **** them off," there was venom in her words. Jin's tail thrashed nervously as she spoke and but he didn't dare to move until called.

"There won't be any possessions taking place, not literally at least. Just like neither of us is truly kidnapped, but putting you under Fey control is a risk that might not be worth the cover story," She lifted her phone to her face once more and went through a list of contacts for a while "I can get the word spread that you've been contracted by a power in The Wilds and that they caused this to happen, but diviners can see whether you're contract bound or not. So we need to get a contact in The Wild's who can keep your name under a contract. There are a few that we can safely work with for some petty recurring or one time deed, it's getting to them that's the hard part." her gaze never left her phone as she spoke and her thumbs moved quickly as she spoke. She called motioned the small cat over with a hand and he managed to slink to her side, still fairly puffed up.

"Jin, you're going home early. Check what I've sent to the computer. I'll be back soon, ok? " her words were plain but almost motherly, like a businesswoman sending her child off to school.

"Yes, ma'am" he squeaked out before shooting out of the room in a stream of black smog. Once he was gone, Isabella packed everything back up into her bag and stood up from the stool she'd made herself comfortable on "I know this probably isn't what you expected from this whole meeting situation but I appreciate that you took this meeting seriously and didn't just brush me off so..." she pulled something from her purse and walked over to place it in the palm of Motto's hand, she managed a pleasant enough smile as she did this but something else was behind it this time. Troubled? Nervous? She didn't offer the expression very long as she turned to leave.

"You can stay here until tonight or you can call my chauffeur to take you where you want in the city for a while, but I don't advise going home unless you know you can get in and out without being seen, the number is on the kitchen counter. I'll be at the western edge of your domain, at 7 pm, I'll have Jin sweep the area for you and direct you over to me and he'll be nicer this time, I promise,"

Almost everything the Princess said went over his head. Motto stood there listening as carefully as he was able, an attentive posture and his eyes on her face. He wasn’t sure what Isabella meant by her father knowing that she’d try something like this, and the fact that it didn’t matter confounded him. He was totally lost early on and it was all Motto could do to nod occasionally while beads of sweat gathered on his brow. Isabella seemed to be very clever and sure of herself in Motto’s estimation, she was a proper Princess. He sensed some badassery in her too, but mostly he liked her hair. Her curves were also nice. To him, Isabella was like an island woman with that beautiful skin and hair. Smiling at him and dancing on the shore. Beckoning.

She was saying something. An item was put in his hand. Motto snapped out of his fantasy and blinked down at a familiar ring. Demon things. Probably important. The Elemental slid it onto his finger and noticed the cat was no longer there. Motto wasn’t sure what was being asked of him, but it sounded like he was supposed to stay out of sight until seven.

“Number. Yours?” He didn’t understand where she was going or why, but Motto assumed it was none of his business. Rubbing the back of his neck, the Prince shifted to move out of her way and waited for the mysterious woman to leave. Hopefully things would work out the way she wanted them to..it sounded like Isabella had more at stake than he did. The moment she left, Motto quickly unbuttoned his shirt and took it off with a relieved groan. Clothes were not his thing. At all. Kicking off the boots, he helped himself to more of the thoughtful arrangement of food and sat down to peel his socks off. The place was nice, but he felt strange and out of sorts. ’Chill Motto.’ he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep and slow breath. 'Just stick to what you know and go from there.'

The forest-dweller gave himself to the energy and quiet as he entered into his meditative state. Whether or not he would succeed in his path or fail, so be it. He would trust his heart and not hesitate to act when his instincts told him to. His role wasn’t clear yet, but it was fortunate that she had plans. If she meant harm, he would stop her. If she was harmed, he would kill. She was probably a C-cup. Grass skirt would be perfect. Flowers on her wrists. His father would be disappointed in him. Abe would weep. He could barely hear the forest anymore. If only he knew what he was meant to do, he would work hard. Was he supposed to continue as a humble guardian? Motto sure as hell hoped so.

A sudden thunderclap ended the raven’s mental free flow. The large storm he’d sensed was approaching. He looked around and found the phone. He dialed the number on the kitchen counter and waited for it to pick up. If his guess was correct, Isabella might anwer.

“Hey.” Motto leaned on the counter and wiggled a foot.

If the phone went unanswered, the Prince would spend the next few hours exercising. He would focus on simple things he was able to do, and begrudgingly put the shirt and shoes back on when the clock neared seven.

"Are you sure about this, Ma'am?" Jin asked. He scampered behind Isabella as she made her way to the back of the bar and opened a hatch in the floor. Isabella took the moment to crouch down and rifle through some of the items in the small storage area. She stood, hefting a pack onto the counter before slamming the hatch shut with a kick of her back heel. She made her way from the back of the bar, still followed by the concerned kitten as she took slowly climbed the stairs to her bed. She removed her boots at the foot of her bed and continued to stride towards the closet as she removed clothing items.

"I'm not sure about anything right now, but we've gotta make this convincing right?" she wasn't looking at the kitten as she answered him. Her attention was on the wardrobe in front of her as she searched a sea of clothing for something in particular. She snatched a black long sleeve crop top, a pair of cargo pants, and some simple white sneakers and set about putting the outfit on before gripping more clothes in her hands and striding back down the steps. She made her way down to the pack she had pulled out and set the clothes on the counter next to it. In a practiced series of motions, she pulled out, swung over her back and secured a brown leather shoulder holster around her, placed a pistol in the holster and two magazines in the ammunition pouch. Stuffing all the clothes inside, she shut the pack and hefted it onto her back.

"You check where Motto was?" She asked as she moved about grabbing items "He get curious and go off sightseeing?"

"The Prince contacted your chauffeur but hung up without making any requests," the kitten reported back, his golden eyes moving back and forth as he watched his Lady.

"Probably better that way," she replied nonchalantly as she flipped her hair back and pulled what she could manage into a loose ponytail "Call one of my cars over there, no suspected family affiliation, and tell them to sit in the front, no communication. Tell them to drive once someone's gotten in and stop once they've reached the Maroon Mountain Forest trail. The prince is a forest guy, he shouldn't get lost from there."

"I could go with him, Ma'am, just to make sure he doesn't get lost, y'know," Jin held his little head up high and his ears were perked as he suggested the idea

"After you've made the call, you can drop me off at the next building and then go get him," she chuckled as she hefted a sizeable metal bat in her hands. The kitten's form zoomed away in a streaky black trail as it went about doing as commanded. Isabella on the other hand had busied herself with something else.

CRASH. A solid smack shattered her patio door into a shower of tiny glittering fragments and quiet buzz could be heard from downstairs. A gasoline soaked carpet needed a single match to flare up in an orange wave of flame, before crawling and licking at the walls. Jin's streaky black form zoomed straight into Isabella and pushed her clean over the edge. The whispy cloud charged through the air, carrying Isabella down to a nearby rooftop before condensing back down into a small black bird.

"Go get Motto, and meet me in the Wilds okay?" the little black bird simply nodded at her words before flapping off. Isabella took a moment to look over her handiwork before a loud explosion and a ball of flame poured from the opening to the patio. Shaken from her daze, she made her way down.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The small black bird had taken his time getting back to the Cafe, the thunderclouds had made the sky significantly darker, but he could tell it had gotten darker out. He beat his tiny wings and came to a stop at the back door before slipping through the frame and down the stairs.

He was greeted by the image of Motto half dressed, shuffling to put clothes back begrudgingly while the news played silently in the background. Images of the penthouse blaze were already on the screen.

"Is not wearing clothes an elemental thing or...?" the small cat sat on the steps, its tail flopping languidly as it spoke. He turned and hopped up a step before turning back around to look at the man. Your ride is here, sir," his tone was polite and his voice small as usual.

Sensing another presence, Motto lifted his gaze to see a small black bird on the stairs.

"Is not wearing clothes an elemental thing or...?"

“Wearing clothes? Oh. Sorta.” A weary smile. “There aren’t many of us left. Heh.” The little guy seemed nice. With an affirmative grunt, Motto followed Jin up the stairs and into the Donna cafe. Several patrons looked up from their espressos as the handsome man made his way through the charming eatery; two of them exchanging a look after he walked out the front door.

“Who was that?”

“Hot.”

“I know right?”

Sliding into the waiting car's luxurious backseat, Motto tried several ways of sitting before finally slouching with his hands between his legs. “So...what’s the plan again?” He bit his lip and glanced at the bird. “We find a thing and then pretend to ..well I pretend to kidnap Isabella so that she wont become a puppet. Right?” Without waiting for an answer, the Prince sat up while pinching the bridge of his nose. “The thing is we’re wasting our time playing around when the real issue is Jota. That dude needs to be handled.” He pointed at Jin with a fierce expression. “I mean.. he ain’t gonna stop there, dude. A jerk like that is capable of ..well you probably know better than me and by the way..” Narrowing his eyes, Motto leaned towards the black creature, “...what’s up with that? What’s your plan, huh? It’s obvious you’re her guardian or whatever.” The Elemental sighed and sank back into a slouch. “You’re probably doing your best...limitations and stuff like that. I get it.” He cracked his knuckles and stared out the window.

“I’m not limited, Jin. If you got some inside info or good ideas let’s hear ‘em. It’s not an accident I’m here. This is my destiny so .....you know?” A vague hand gesture. Brownish eyes flickered to Jin. “I’m ready to do what needs to be done.” A pulse of incredible power rumbled from the depths of Motto’s aura. “I don’t care what the stakes are.”

The shadows coalesced into a series of hard spikes filling up the seat before coalescing into a man in simple black shorts and a white t-shirt. His posture was similar to the Prince's earlier position as if he were mimicking his actions. He didn't speak for a long time. He simply stared at the floor for a while, his face was troubled for a moment. He thought maybe the man was trying to convince him to talk, and maybe he would, but divulging information to him was a big risk. He didn't seem too intelligent just speaking out loud about the whole plan in this car. Luckily, Jin had shut off the driver's hearing as soon as they'd made it into the car. Still, something made Jin want to talk about it.

He glanced up at the man, his eyebrows furrowed for a moment and he frowned "That damn aura" a deep growl of a voice as he scowled for just a moment, the words were a whisper to himself more than anything. The words bounced around the car, seeming to echo from corners and behind shoulders. His expression became melancholic and his hands balled into fists.

"There's more to this world than destiny," he said in quiet affirmation, his voice was small as he spoke and he looked up to stare directly at the man "This whole marriage situation is a big wrench in Lady Ikathka's original plan," he'd managed to speak up this time around. Quiet whispers had begun to fill the area around them, they'd get louder for a moment before calming down "We were supposed to kill Mr. Ikathka's right hand man, Consigliere Mano, I was supposed to take his place and..." he let his gaze fall back to his hands and gave his head a slow shake.

"It doesn't matter now, he ruined everything, " that growl was back and the whispers sounded as if they'd been panicked by the sudden shift in tone.

"Sir, if you want to be of use, make sure you two get out of there safely okay?" he sounded like a scared kid, the whispers had nearly died off but a weak hum was still audible "Lady Ikathka isn't helpless but she goes overboard, sacrifices too much for me, just... watch her okay?" he shuffled in his spot a bit as he spoke. The emotions coming off of the Prince, they were so powerful and certain.

"I could-" Jin's words caught in his throat he wanted to say it "we could-!" again like someone was slapping a hand in front of his mouth. He let out a sigh and reached a hand over to touch the man. A vision of power, the blurring of reality and illusion, chaotic flames bursting from some otherworldly plane, a pact, a fusion of souls, a family bond, a sadness and isolation, a desperate cry. Though Jin wasn't emotionally blank, the flood of emotions that he subdued were immense, he felt for a people. Jota Ikathka had taken everything from him. Isabella had broken her oath, lost her power just to protect him. He was the only one. He knew he couldn't save them anymore, but maybe he could save a piece of them. Maybe he could have a new family...

He lifted his hand and sat back. He looked ashamed.

"Only if you agree,"

Jin's response baffled Motto, but it was clear the dude was all in. He cared.

"Sir, if you want to be of use, make sure you two get out of there safely okay? Lady Ikathka isn't helpless but she goes overboard, sacrifices too much for me, just... watch her okay?"

This worried Motto, but he'd do whatever he needed to..if he was able to understand. He was lower than the little guy in the grand scheme of things. Motto was nothing and no one. He'd do his best to help, but it might not be enough. It was painful to know.

"we could-!"

The hairs on the Elemental's neck stood on end. Jin was a generous one..offering to team up with him and raise the chances. Heighten the chances? However the saying went.

"Dah!" Motto jolted with the rush of visions and feelings surging through him at Jin's touch. Tears steamed down the raven's face as he was semi-enlightened to Isabella's past and Jin's personal anguish. He gasped when the physical contact ceased and gripped his seat while containing his own reaction.

"Jin. I'm less than ... pretty much everything. But I agree. Listen.. dude.." Wiping his eyes, Motto moved closer to the other and grabbed his white tee shirt with both hands. It was difficult to maintain what little composure he had left. "If you need to erase me.. you know.. the weak parts. Then do it. Just take what's useful and shove the rest deep down where they won't get in the way. I don't need to be in charge. I'm not fit anyway. Just use what's worthwhile. This isn't a friendship thing, it's war."

Closing his eyes, Motto lowered his head.

"Do it."

"She's gonna be so mad at you~" Jin said with a shaky chuckle. He looked at the person before him, blindly barrelling forward into this. He was bold enough or dumb enough to do anything. Jin placed his hand on the top of the man's head. Something in his mind was delighted. Some primal urge to do this was always there. Was he really doing this for Isabella? He didn't care. He could bind this idiot to whatever he wanted. He could finally wrap his hands around that son of a ****ing's throat and smash the life out of his windpipe! He could rip his face off with his bare hands! He'd kill him and then slaughter all of the-.

No. Jin wasn't like that.

"I need you to be strong for both of us, okay? No erasing, no hiding yourself," his words were sincere and carried some gravity "we've got a lot of work to do, I'll help you if you help us and...." the body was losing composure as black tendrils crawled from him to the Prince, encircling his body and drawing into his pores "If I lose control, you stand up and you beat me down, to this promise I bind you!" his words echoed and hung in the air.

At his agreement the body faded, leaving the two of them gripping onto nothing. They gasped for breath and the muscles of his body went slack, stiffened and shuddered. Pain. So much pain, his body was panicking, flames licked the seat for moment and then everything stopped.

They opened their eyes to see nothing was in the seat in front of them anymore before staring at their hands. Clenching. Unclenching. Incredible!

"Can you hear me, sir?" Jin's voice rang about in their head " When we get there, tell Isabella that I went ahead to speak to Bor; the power should be fifty kilometers to the Northeast, past a swampy area, she doesn't need to know about this just yet," he made a motion at their body with their hand and then looked at the hand again in awe.

"This is what hands feel like huh?" he let out a chuckle before tugging at something at their neck, he met with the collar of their shirt "Oh! jeez that's why you don't like clothes, understandable,"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They had gotten close to the forest now. The lightening filled clouds that had illuminated the sky and caused caused distant rumbling were replaced with sheer darkness overhead, like a blanket covering the sky. The car came to a halt, the jerk from the car braking was small but still a jarring experience. Luckily Motto was pretty sturdy and managed to stay mostly upright. The feeling of weight was strange. The feeling of buzzing filled their head and then a warmth.

"She's about a kilometer from here, I've got her located, just head there and act natural,"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Isabella sat in her car. Radio snow rumbled through her car speakers but she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were fixed on the trees in front of her, a determined look in her eyes. It'd been almost twelve years since the last time she'd gone into The Wilds. She'd have to be on guard, she didn't have a wall of trained soldiers this time around.

It was probably better that she didn't.

Motto did his best to brave the black wisps as they encircled him and entered. He knew it was gonna happen but it was still unnerving. He shook a little without meaning to; his breath quickened and heart raced.

"If I lose control, you stand up and you beat me down, to this promise I bind you!"

“I-I will!” Motto liked Jin. He respected the dude. This felt right. He would keep Jin from doing anything crazy and they’d help each other out. Be a team. And then came the pain.

“nnnnnGGAHHHH!! AHHH RRrRrrrrrrr hnnnn… nnnaaa...ahhh.. haaa.” The Prince arched his back and gripped his knees while doing his best to deal with the intense culmination of their selves. Motto’s voice broke off when the transition seemed complete. His chest rose and fell as Jin explored their shared body.

"Can you hear me, sir?"

“Just Motto’s fine, man.” He felt a little worn out and strange. He was typically a silent person.. alone and not very ..thinky. This mind stuff would take some getting used to.

" When we get there, tell Isabella that I went ahead to speak to Bor; the power should be fifty kilometers to the Northeast, past a swampy area, she doesn't need to know about this just yet,"

As Jin moved their hand around, Motto blinked slowly. “Ok..”

"This is what hands feel like huh? Oh! jeez that's why you don't like clothes, understandable,"

“Yeah.. haha.. it’s cool.” Motto’s smile was a tired one. “Well not clothes, but hands.”

He sat in relative silence for the remainder of the ride; patiently letting Jin explore different physical attributes and basic movements. As their destination neared, Motto observed the dense green. His vision was sharper than his human father’s..making it easy to discern the depths and movements of things in the darkness and at a distance. “The Hunter” was what he had been called long ago. The skittering creatures were noticed as they drove past, and Motto’s other senses began to focus. He was getting into his zone, and the sudden jolt of the vehicle’s brakes wouldn’t have normally bothered him, but he wasn’t entirely in control anymore.

Steadying himself, Motto winced a little at the unfamiliar sensation in his head as Jin detected his mistress. "She's about a kilometer from here, I've got her located, just head there and act natural,"

Motto grunted his acknowledgement and got out of the car. He stood there for a solid minute feeling the chill of winds gaining momentum and inhaled the scent of the wilderness before them. This was his domain. He could already smell her. She would be easy to find without Jin’s help, but Jin was still cool as hell and Motto was glad to be with him. Although it would be some time before Motto remembered that all of his thoughts were open to the other now.. including the brief image of Isabella’s hair.

As he made his way to the Princess, Motto struggled with how best to approach those she intended; as a nature dweller he knew from experience it was almost always best to keep a neutral demeanor and to have an alternative destination in mind. It rarely boded well to come at a creature directly with bold intentions. If it were up to him alone, Motto would have no problem locating and connecting with the Fey, but Isabella was going to be a problem. No matter how many scenarios he played out, a pair of travelers was sure to intimidate and antagonize. Motto frowned at the thought and knew that his protective intentions would only make things worse. This was going to be messy.

Unless….

Motto’s mind flashed with an idea and he attempted to speak mentally rather than give his presence away. ‘Jin.. I have an idea. I’m guessing she won’t like it.’ A series of startling images swept through their joined minds: holding hands, touching her waist, stopping to press her against a tree and nuzzle his face with hers. The least threatening way to travel as a pair was to pose as a mated pair. ‘Unless of course she happens to know these dudes we’re going to see. Heh..’ Motto stopped in his tracks. Something else was there. In an instant Motto knew he and Jin were in danger; the presence he sensed had been a brief trickle of bloodlust. The Prince withdrew his aura and moved slightly to the right. Crouching, he scanned his surroundings and waited.

'It's here. I know it. It's hiding it's presense just like we are.' He whispered mentally.

A guttural sound rumbled softly in the vegetation just next to Jin and his joined Motto. A huge snout pushed it's way through the path and rancid malice vibrated in the air. The predator seemed to know they were hiding. 'This is a nasty one..' Motto warned. 'It toys with it's prey for weeks after crippling it. I've never taken one of these on. Most of the forest leaves these guys alone, Jin..but we gotta do it. It might go after My Lady and that ain't happenin'.'

Jin's mind was a large and noisy bevy of emotion; a mix of curious and excited as they stepped into the cool breeze and took in the scent of the forest. Then something else took hold of him as Motto brought their attention to Isabella: that familiar warmth, a new primal craving, an intense hunger, shame. Jin jolted within their own mind as Motto addressed him with his ideas, the sensation of blood rushing, trembling, their heat beat. Then it was gone, suppressed as Jin had become accustomed to doing. There wasn't much time to be having an episode; they had work to do.

More importantly, they had company.

Motto had reacted before Jin had time to register what had even happened, his body moved quickly and deftly placed them behind some foliage. A moment later, a large matted beast sniffed at the ground only a few feet from them. "Cù sha' " Jin voice was a breathy whisper in their head as he looked at the thing. It was magnificently large and grotesque. It's mass of shaggy matted pale fur caught the final rays of dusk, giving it a sickly ethereal appearance. Its massive paws smashed down into the ground noiselessly as it slinked forward. It blew out of its nose before sniffing once more. Strangely, neither Jin nor Motto felt fear in this moment. There was a calm level-headedness emanating off of Motto. And Jin, Jin was awestruck by this creature.

Such malice. There was no vendetta or discrimination. This was ingrained. By design, this creature was made to drag away the living and make them suffer. It wasn't aware, it was working on some profane instinct.

"You kill this, Sir," despite being in their mind, his voice remained a whisper. His voice was giddy and bratty, like a child setting up a make believe scenario with his parents.

"I'll try not to mess up your movements," Their mind was racing with possibilities before quieting down just in time for the beast to snap its head in their direction.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The leather of the steering let out a strained creak as Isabella's fingers tightened around it. The visage of a sickly, hill-sized mop of a dog had stepped from the woods into the headlights of her car.