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.

Knowing that an attack was imminent, Motto called the earth to his fists. Dark soil at his feet sprang up to gather around his closed hands and harden into black stone. Most of his forearms were covered by the heavy rock as well but Motto handled the weight with ease. With a violent wind gust, he slowed the predator’s charge but his attempt to land a blow failed. The monster was far more agile than he was, and both the Prince and Jin felt it’s crushing jaws on their right shoulder. The bite was deep and Motto was lifted off his feet for a moment before a majority of his flesh was torn free; allowing him to drop.



‘It’s fast..’ Motto’s mental presence trembled. He was no match for it and he was going to get Jin killed. He swung his left arm backwards and cracked the evil thing’s muzzle just as it made a second snap at him. Forcing himself to his feet, Motto let out a surprised cry as he suddenly vanished and reappeared above his attacker. “DAH!” Flailing slightly, he landed on the thing’s back.

‘We are faster, Sir.’

‘Cool…’

They delivered a powerful blow to it’s skull; causing the animal to yelp and skitter sideways. Motto was raising his rocky fist to strike again when a hind leg clawed at his leg. The pain was enough to confuse Jin and paralyze Motto, the bound pair falling helplessly to the ground. A stone-covered arm lifted as foul teeth descended again and both the Prince and the demon winced as they felt the intense pressure of it’s bite. The creature could not pierce the stoney armor however, and Motto panted heavily as it fell dead before them with an ice shard deeply embedded in it’s skull.

Groaning, Motto got to his feet. He took a step and hissed at the searing pain in one of his calves. ‘Nothing a little tight wrap can’t handle..’ his mental voice was cheery. It was awesome that Jin’s power had made it possible to defeat a nightmare beast, and Motto was sorta giddy. ‘Did we fly, dude?’

‘Nope. Teleported.’

‘Into the air.’

‘Yup.’

Their pants had been torn into shreds where the monster scratched them which made it easy to see the injury as well as dress it. Motto tied strips of fabric around his leg; effectively covering the wound as well as controlling it’s bleeding. Now able to limp decently, the Elemental searched the air for Isabella’s scent and headed in her direction. The hideous gash in their shoulder was somehow forgotten for the time being. Motto quitely regretted his idea to play lovers on the trek into the wild, and begged Jin not to mention it. Cute kissing and hand holding wasn’t going to make a difference with nighttime predators. Isabella probably wouldn’t kiss him anyway. He’d totally kiss her though..

‘Sir?’

‘Jin, please..distract me.’

They were getting closer to the Princess. Their sharp ears could make out the faint sound of an engine.

Jin was patient and careful in his observation. Motto had raw power and strength that emanated off of him, but his skill was lacking. There was more to it than that though. He was so afraid of losing more, but he didn't know what to do about it. The searing wet heat and a sensation like an itch and shock. It was strange, painful, embarrassing, frustrating! The sound of Motto's voice rung out in their head, he tried his best to sound like he was just being tactical but he was trembling. He was worried about himself, of course; Natural survival instincts. But he was more worried about the Loss. He was worried about Jin.

This guy was not so bright.

Jin shut out their fear for a moment. Everything was surpressed and the world went black as he directed them to a more advantageous spot. If they were going to make it here, Jin was going to have to work hard and learn fast.
...

The fight was over as soon as it had started. A slumped over pile of matted fur dripped black ichor and lay limply on the ground before them.

Jin had already completely given control back to Motto as he debated their next course of action. Fighting in this state seemed like a bad idea. Aside from that, Motto hadn't seemed very confident in that fight and it would only get worse from here. And even if he figured out a way to hide them well enough the whole time and just sneak to their destination he'd risk being seen by Isabella and she'd be so mad. It was understandable, having a physical body was risky. Isabella would say he's playing right into the demon's plans. He'd possessed someone who so strongly believed in destiny and fate. His mind wouldn't need to be altered far. Jin could plant a single thought and send Motto barreling down into corruption. He could be under his control with just a few well placed words.

But something about being here felt right. The fear lingered, but something about them being like this .... they felt okay.

Motto had been entirely engaged elsewhere: tidying up their injuries, worrying about the beasts, making their way forward, Lady Isabella. There was shame for a moment. So much self doubt.

‘Sir?’

‘Jin, please..distract me.’

' Oh! um," the demon's mind searched for moment. Isabella's presence wasn't too far away. Another malicious aura was there too.

'Can we play a game?' his ulterior motive was obvious but there was some genuine interest there too: he had a playmate now and he was going to take advantage of it whenever he could. Without waiting, Jin took control for a moment and alarm bells went off in his mind. His body burned and itched, the arteries throbbed and the nerves screamed! How could Motto be walking like this? Jin's mind retreated back like a scared kitten. The pain that should have been in Motto's mind was missing, as if he was just blind to it. A dull throb remained in Jin's mind as if the pain tried to following him.

'I wanted to... I thought maybe we could try and climb but... it was selfish, I'm sorry' Jin's little voice shakily spoke in their mind before the world went blank and they were sat atop a tree branch. The forest floor was almost too dark to perceive and storm clouds rumbled overhead. They had to be at least fourty feet up. A clearing was visible from where they sat maybe a two hundred yards away, illuminated by yellow high beams. A sickly white dog looked directly into the light, staring at a rumbling black utility vehicle. He felt the urge to move forward again.

'I think we should just watch for a minute'

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Drool cascaded from the beasts maw to the grass as it stared with a blank almost miserable expression at the car in front of it. The creature began its meek shuffling steps forward, its body fading in and out of existence as it stepped forward. Its small silent strides didn't match the break neck pace at which it approached the car. Isabella's foot had already smashed the gas pedal. The beast had meant to duck down and snap the car up in its jaws but the sudden forward jerk of the car rammed the metal front bumper guard into the beasts front legs. The legs buckled and snapped backwards with a loud crack and the beast careened over the car slamming its muzzle directly into the dirt.

The car jostled in place, its back wheels bounding up before landing back down and the car shot forward looking no worse for wear. It drifted in a wide arc, kicking up dirty and patches of grass as it turned to face and re-illuminate the downed beast. Isabella opened the car door, a metal bat in hand, and slowly strode over to the beast, giving the monster a wide berth as she circled to its front. She watched it kick and thrash wildly. It made an attempt to stand on its front legs before quickly collapsing back down with a high pitched whine and snapping its jaws at her. It resorted to scooting forward with its back legs to reach her. Isabella simply took two steps back before walking around to its side.

She hefted the bat and swung hard. The bat sunk into the beasts fur and struck hard at its ribs sending a convulsion through its body and causing it to thrash even more. Its head whipped about in wide arcs, trying its best to get at her. She struck again. Another panicked thrash as the beast kicked itself forward and weakly tried to stand. It was trying to flee now. With a final strike, the beast slumped down and its breathing became labored as it lay there.

She silently made her way back to the car.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

'I think we should give her a minute to cool down before we go over there' Jin whispered.

'Can we play a game?'

Before Motto could even process Jin's question, he felt himself twitch without meaning to; his body tensing up and shuddering. Motto's surprised sound wasn't audible to anyone but Jin however, because his presence had been switched to an exclusively mental one. Just as suddenly, Motto found that he had control of his movements again and flailed to regain his balance on the tree limb.

'I wanted to... I thought maybe we could try and climb but... it was selfish, I'm sorry'

"Hey.. it's ok buddy. And listen, we can play all kinds of games as long as they don't make me look dumb in front of Lady Isabella. You're not selfish, Jin. At all. Go ahead, try it agai- oh sh**.."

It was then Motto spotted the black car and the messed up dog thing. His muscles readied to start climbing down with every intention of charging in, but Jin's voice made Motto hesitate. He decided to heed the little guy and remained in the treetop overlooking the frightening scene.



'I don't like this..I've never seen that kind of creature before and I've seen a lot of OH SH**!' Motto felt ill after seeing it's freakish attack cut short by the vehicle. Whatever the heck it was, it wasn't natural. 'Oh man she's getting OUT OF THE CAR?! Jin we gotta get down there..this is insa-- wooahhhh.' Motto grew silent as he watched Isabella calmly slaughter the terrifying beast. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut about this wilderness and Isabella herself, but there was little he could do about it.

'I think we should give her a minute to cool down before we go over there'

"What? No! The hell, we're big enough jerks for staying up here while she was in danger. I'm not going to sit around and wait for the Princess to get attacked again, dude."

With that, Motto intended to make his way down the tree as fast as he could only to pause. "Wait. Can we fly?"

'umm... probably? I'm not really sure, but I could try to get us back down,'

Motto held his position and waited. And waited.

'Jin?'

'Yeah?'

'How's it coming along, man? The whole flying thing..'

'Oh that. I'm still trying. Yup. That's what I'm doing right now.'

'Jin.'

'Yes?'

'I can tell you're ....hey.. you're stalling?! I just heard your..feelings or whatever! You're hiding something! Jin.. this isn't the time for stuff like that. What if another one of those diabolical wolf ghost things show up? Either tell me what you're keeping from me or ...yeah.'

Motto was usually pretty good with ultimatums but not this one. He resumed his downward climb only a little more ticked off now.

Jin had to stifle a laugh, something he didn't think he'd have to do in his own thoughts, as Motto threatened to 'yeah'.

'or .... yeah?' he teased as they made their way down ' or you'll turn this body around?' he prodded.

Maybe it was because his thoughts and words were the same now and he couldn't hold his tongue, maybe it was their combined emotions that made him so snappy, but he was being mean and he couldn't stop. He felt bad now and they both knew it. Even as they made their way to the ground, his down mood persisted and it was starting to flood outward. Deafening his victims with his affective state was his go to strategy to keep them out of his head. He didn't have any intention of addressing this issue himself and being mad would have made the two of them confrontational.

With their emotional state soured, the two of them made their way toward Isabella. Jin's shame colored their features as their lady came into view.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Isabella's eyes widened for just a minute at the sight of Motto before taking on their usual cold demeanor. She'd thought that a family of magical people that lived in a forest would be able to deal with some forest dwelling monsters. The ridiculous mess on Motto's shoulder and the make-shift bandaging on his leg were evidence that she'd been mistaken. The trunk of the car popped open and Isabella made her way out of the car to retrieve a bag. She thought about tossing Motto the other one, but decided against it, seeing his disheveled state.

"Glad you made it in one piece," she raised her voice toward him as he walked closer.

"Mostly one piece" they retorted "thanks for the heads up!" Jin felt guilty talking to lady Isabella like this but he was doing something.

She leaned against the side of the car and crossed her arms as she looked at the man "I'm sorry, I didn't know I needed to tell you that the source of all planar monsters was a dangerous place" she replied with a calm snark.

"That's not what w- I mean" Jin internally flinched at his slip before recovering and motioning his head toward the downed beast a few meters away "Cu Sith aren't intelligent creatures, they're instinctual and territorial so why did that one attack you at the same time I was attacked?"

Isabella was surprised almost impressed that he would have put two and two together, but she'd never show it "Well I'm surprised someone so knowledgeable had such a hard time,"

Jin choked but he was fast to respond "Insult my ability all you want, you're stuck with me, so I think it's about time you stop hiding things?" his eyes bore into Isabella, intense like a burning fire "Someone in there is gunning for us aren't they?"

"Where's Jin?" Isabella almost cut him off with the question. "I told him to lead you here, where'd he go?" she sounded accusative as if she knew something.

Jin panicked and retreated, he couldn't lie to her like that. He wanted to kneel down and apologize. He wanted to cry. He gave up control...

'Sorry, I'm sorry, I can't do it. Your turn'

Isabella didn't actually seem to want an answer, it was more to get him off her case. She turned and made her way to the front door of car and pocketed the keys before grabbing the door to slam it shut.

"He did. Enough talking. Let's go."

The Prince strode past his bride-to-be in the direction that felt right; his instincts tended to be accurate more often than not. Isabella stopped, her hand resting on the door and her face blank as she watched Motto stride away.

"Whatever he said, we need to watch it in here, we got it easy the first time, but the things in there aren't just mindless beasts,"

She walked behind him at a brisk pace "Mess up and they'll take more than a chunk out of your arm,"

“Got it.”

Motto’s reply was tense. He didn’t like this plan.



“Jin went ahead to speak to ..Door. Bor. Four..whoever.” He spoke in a low voice while constantly scanning their surroundings. “The power should be fifty kilometers to the North or something, past a swampy area… wait. F*ck..well..anyway.. yeah.” The Prince shook his head in an attempt to get a fresh mindset. He messed up and told her about the swamp but it was too complicated and Isabella was in serious danger here. Motto lead the way into a thick patch of vegetation. He did his best to scout ahead for signs of danger while keeping a discreet eye on the Princess. ‘Jin..I know you’re loyal to her more than I can understand, but for reals dude, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to keep her safe here.’ Motto was deeply resolved to the task but his thoughts quaked. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he was a bit of screw up and this girl’s actual life was in his hands. Even though he might not make it, Motto couldn’t shake the image of the Princess under her father’s spell. His pace picked up a little. ‘Is there a way to get stronger? You know..level up or whatever?’ Motto privately assured his magical companion that he’d sacrifice whatever was needed. For the first time in his life, the Elemental felt like he had an actual duty. If this was his reason for inheriting the flowing forces of nature, than it was go time, d*mmit.