Kenji huffed in annoyance. Guess he would have to wait until later in the week to black himself out. But then, he had a thought. "Am I allowed to get visitors or something if I'm not allowed to leave? Would love to see my brother and friends, you know," he hummed. If that was allowed, he knew his friends would surely smuggle things in for him. They were just about as bad as he was with those sorts of things, maybe even worse. At the mention of the beach, his brows raised a tad. He enjoyed swimming, so that at least peaked his interest. "We going swimming or something?"
"Hm. I suppose you would be allowed some visitors." Kuno nodded slightly. "You would have to ask the queens, however. But they'll probably agree." He himself didn't think allowing visitors was such a good idea, but the queens would probably be kinder on that topic than he was. "You could go swimming. The water would still be warm enough." They reached the edge of the gardens. Beyond that was a small expanse of wild grasses, and then the edge of the cliffs. Kuno headed straight for them, turning at almost the last second to go along the edge. Most people preferred to go to the docks first, to avoid the cliffs, but this was the fastest way. "This way." The cliff mellowed out a little there, enough for a stairway to be carved into the rock. He started down, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Kenji was still following.
Kenji rolled his eyes to himself when Kuno said he would have to ask for permission to have friends come see him. They were treating him like he was a child asking to have a sleepover, it was ridiculous to him. They headed to the cliffs edge, and he took a moment to pause near the edge and look over it. His gaze was curious, and he would have loved to look more, but he didn't trust Kuno enough to know he wouldn't shove him off of the cliff. He headed over to the stairway, following after Kuno at his own pace. "Good to know."
Kuno made sure to descend at a safe pace– not too fast, but not too slow, either. The stairs had no safety rails and nothing to stop him from falling. The steps weren’t that slippery, but one could never be too careful. He eventually stepped onto the sand at the bottom of the cliff. The beach was sunny and completely empty. There was a large pile of rocks separating it from the beach nearer to the docks, probably fallen from the cliffs a long time ago. “The beach,” He said, waving his hand at the expanse of sand and water. “Feel free to do whatever.” Kenji had appeared to want to swim, and generally swimming meant not talking to him, so Kuno was happy to let him. He slipped his shoes off, not wanting to get sand in them, and headed towards another clump of rocks nearer to the water. He could sit there, take in the sun, and ignore Kenji with all his might. Perfect.
Kenji was not as careful as he was going down the steps. He walked at a quicker pace than Kuno, but was thankfully more graceful on his feet than he appeared. When they arrived at the bottom of the steps, he paused to take in the view. He had not been to the ocean before, so this was actually an enjoyable experience for him. If he would just pretend like Kuno wasn't there, then it would be perfect. He did not bother with his shoes, strolling out onto the sand and towards the water. He stood out by it, hands resting on his hips as he looked out into the ocean.
Kuno settled down on the rocks and pulled a journal from the pouch hanging on his waist. Someone who didn't know the magic of the pouch might be a little confused as to how he did that since, at a glance, the journal appeared too big to fit in there. It was an eternity pouch, woven with magic and able to hold more than it appeared. Kuno had made it himself, although one could buy one almost anywhere. It had been something to do, though, and a good way to practice magic as well. He flipped open the journal to a bookmark and started to read. This journal was where he kept all of his favorite spells, as well as wrote down ones he wanted to learn. The spell on the open page was one he hadn't quite gotten the hang of yet. He would have liked to practice– Kuno glanced up at Kenji and sighed– but he didn't want to do anything of the sort in front of the prince.
Kenji kicked off his shoes, letting them lay thrown aside in the sand. He took a few steps deeper into the ocean water. It was cool against his skin and soaked the cuffs of his loose fitting joggers. He did not mind getting his clothes wet. It was not like he was going to strip out of them right there in the open with Kuno only a couple of yards away. He stepped a little farther out, looking down at the water that was now up to his calves. A few little fish swam around a foot away, and he watched them with strong interest.
Kuno glanced up at Kenji, finding that his back was turned to him. Maybe he could practice a little. He wouldn’t see it, anyway. He consulted the journal, then set it in his lap and held up his hands. The motion for this one was a bit tricky, and he needed to know it by heart. Kuno did it a couple of times, lips pursed together. After he felt a little more confident about it, he moved onto the words.
“Yujie rei,” Kuno whispered. He repeated the words a few times, eyes glued on the journal. This spell was one used to influence minds, and thus very hard to get the hang of. He also couldn’t really practice on anyone, which made it all the more difficult. It was an interesting spell, though.
Kenji waded a bit deeper in the water, letting it reach up to his knees before deciding that he did not want to be there anymore. He would go again if he ever got his alone time or with actual friends. He was bored, not having anyone to fuck around and have a good time with. There was Kuno, but he had his nose stuck in some random book. Kenji rolled his eyes to himself, turning and headed back over to the shore. "Hey, I want to go back!" he called over, brushing his hair back when it got all messy because of the wind. "Seriously reading when you're on the beach? What could be that interesting?"
Kuno quickly looked up and closed the journal. "The beach is a wonderful place to read." He slipped the journal into his eternity pouch, not wanting to talk about magic with Kenji. Normally, he absolutely loved talking about magic and explaining how it worked, since it was as absolutely fascinating in his opinion. But this was Kenji. He would probably say something stupid about it, and Kuno didn't want to hear it. He pulled his shoes back on and stood. "Very well. I think this tour is over." Kuno gave the sea one last look, then headed towards the stairs. He could now say he'd given Kenji a tour. It wasn't a good one, but it had happened.
Kenji shook his head. He didn’t understand how someone could be at a beautiful place like this but then have their noses stuck all in a book. It was strange to him. He slipped his shoes back on, pants dripping water from his knees down. “Good,” he hummed, ready to go to his area of the palace. He was already missing Brazil, and wanted to get a general idea of the layout of his area. That was partly so he could learn if there were any places to slip out of.
Kuno headed back up the stairs at a quick pace. He wanted to get rid of Kenji as soon as possible and then… Well, he would like to practice some spells. It would be a good way to allow him to forget everything that had happened with Kenji– basically, just him existing. But he hadn't been in the library all day, and there was probably a lot to do there. Kuno let out a heavy sigh. He much preferred his post as librarian over the other jobs the queens had offered, but it could take up a lot of time. Then again, he shouldn't be complaining. Kuno heaved another sigh, quickly nearing the top of the cliffs. Once at the top, he turned slightly to make sure Kenji was there. When he was sure Kenji would be able to hear him, he turned back and started guiding him back to his quarters. "We're going back to your room. Your things should be there by now. Take the time to unpack and settle in. For now, you will not be allowed to leave without accompaniment. Meals will be delivered unless there are special circumstances. Understood?"
Kenji climbed the stairs slowly, taking his time with it. He enjoyed the weather outside, even though his legs felt like they were beginning to freeze because of his wet pants. His eyes narrowed at the back of Kuno’s head as he walked, wondering how quickly he could ditch the guy. He paused a step or two away from the top as Kuno turned and began to speak to him. He had a lazy posture, arching a brow slightly as Kuno droned on and on. “M’hm,” he drawled out as a way to confirm he understood. Just because he said he understood, did not mean he would not try anything.
Kuno suppressed yet another sigh as he glanced back at Kenji. The man looked like he hadn't actually listened to a single thing he'd said, or at least didn't care about it. Kuno slowed down enough until he was walking side by side with Kenji. He didn't speak until they got back to Kenji's room.
"Here we are." Kuno nodded to the guard sitting outside Kenji's door and motioned for the prince to enter his rooms. "Now, goodbye." He turned and quickly walked away. Kenji was no longer his problem. Thank Sol. Now he could get some work done in the library without being annoyed by him. At least the queens didn't expect him to spend all day, every day with the prince. He would be driven insane by that.
Kenji had been listening to Kuno, but Kuno was right- he just did not care about what the man had to say. Kuno had been nothing but a stuck up prick to him the whole time, and was a part of the whole plan to keep him locked up in the palace. Nothing Kuno said at the moment mattered too much to him. Kenji did not say goodbye to Kuno, and just headed into his area of the palace. He searched around the gardens for a while until he found Brazil in a tree. She rested around his arm, and he went to go find and set out some of his things.
Kuno didn't particularly care that Kenji hadn't bid goodbye to him. Why should he? He shook his head and settled down behind his desk in the library. Whenever he was out, people wrote down their names and the books they'd borrowed on a price of paper he always kept in his desk. His first order of business was to copy them into the official book. Then… Kuno glanced around. Cleaning, probably. And he should check to make sure he was ready for taveni-holu. It was coming up fast, and… Sol, would he be expected to keep Kenji company during the celebration? No, the prince shouldn't be invited. Though, given the queens' attitudes about the prince, he just might be. Kuno shook his head slightly and tried to focus on the list of books and people. Worrying about that could wait until later.
Kenji eventually found his way to the bedroom. It had taken him forever, considering how large and lavish it was. He simply was not used to all of these things and it seemed to mess with him a bit. Most of his things were in the bedroom, but he did not bother unpacking them at the moment. He dropped down onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Was he not unpacking them just because he did not feel like it, or because he did not want to accept that he would not be able to leave the palace and go home? Shaking his head to rid the thoughts from his mind, he stood up and began digging through the suitcases. He dug through the pockets of his coats and jeans, eventually finding a small plastic bag and a little lighter. He could forget about his troubles with that, and no one would be around to check on him for a while, right? If he just cracked a window, he would be fine. He placed Brazil aside to let her wander and get accustomed to the new room while he sat in a chair by the windowsill. After rolling up, he cracked open the bedroom window before lighting the small joint he had made. He inhaled deeply, holding the smoke in his lungs for a moment before puffing it out the window. At least the view from his room was nice.
Kuno eventually finished all his work at the library. It was hard, but he pushed through it. The thought of being able to practice magic only after he'd finished his job was the only thing allowing him to continue. Kuno let out a huge sigh and swept out of the library. He would come back at sunset to close it up, but for now, it would be fine. Kuno paused for a second in the garden but decided that the cliffs behind the castle would work well. The sunset from there was absolutely beautiful, and he never missed out on an opportunity to see it. He got to the cliffs, a slight breeze blowing up from the ocean. It was a nice relief from the heat of the day. Now… what was a good spell to practice there? Mmm, he really needed to practice his teleportation. He still had to look at his notebook to remember it. Kuno brought out his journal and checked the spell. All he needed was mica and eye contact with the place he was going. Right. Kuno found a nice place to teleport to, not too far away in case it didn't work properly.
"Zetai," Kuno whispered, concentrating on the spot.
Kenji had soon finished smoking, tossing the tiny little remnants of the rolling paper down from out of his window. He stood slowly from where he sat at the windowsill, already noticing the cloudy and heavy feeling coming over his body. He hummed lowly, stepping over to the bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid down on it, staring back up at the ceiling. The whites of his eyes were faintly tinted pink, and it felt like his mind and body were working in slow motion. He felt out of sync with himself, but he did not mind. Brazil slithered up his arm and he gently took her in his hands, holding her up so he could get a good look at her. He grinned goofily and rested her back down on his chest. He felt relaxed for the first time since he arrived at the castle, and for a moment, he allowed his eyes to briefly shut.
Kuno practiced until the sun had fully set. He could have gone longer– there were spells to help with the darkness– but there was a new book on magic waiting in his room. He'd seen that it had a spell to make someone fall asleep without dreams, which he was really interested in. Kuno headed back to his room, going straight to his desk. The book was thick, written ages ago in the native language of the country. Kuno could already tell most of it would be a very dull read, but it was worth it if he could find a sleeping spell. At least then, he might be able to have a decent night's sleep every once in a while. He eventually fell asleep at his desk, his head resting on the book. The nightmares came, as they always did. He got reminded of his imprisonment that night. Of the dark, and the cold, and the neverending pain. And the fear. Kuno woke up in the morning in a cold sweat, his heart racing much too fast. The fear that still clung to him from that time was probably the worst part. He hated it.
Kenji had slept soundly all through the night, most likely due to the smoking he had done right before going to bed. When he woke up, he almost forgot where he was for a moment. In his mind, it was supposed to be a normal day of him working at the pub, then going out with friends for the night. But no, he was there, stuck in the palace. He huffed and ran a hand over his face. He slowly got up out of bed, stretching his arms out. In the middle of the night, he had gotten hot and taken his t-shirt off, now exposing his many tattoos that were plastered all over his chest area. He had to feed Brazil, and wondered where he would even find mice in the palace. There were usually mice all over the place on the city streets near the pub that he would let Brazil go after on her own.
Kuno was not having a good morning. It got worse when he saw someone had slipped a piece of paper under his door. And of course, it was ordering him to go to Kenji's room immediately. Kuno let out a frustrated growl and buried his head in his hands. Why did he have to be the one to do this? He couldn't handle it. It was simply too much. But… orders were orders. He couldn't refuse, especially since they came from the queens. He got ready quickly and practically stormed over to Kenji's secluded corner of the palace. And of all the things he had to, it was getting Kenji to come with him to buy things for the taveni-holu celebration the following day. Something he actually enjoyed, and it was being ruined. Why did the prince even have to come with him for something like this? He probably wouldn't appreciate it, anyway. Kuno gave the guard at Kenji's door a nod and walked in.
"Are you awake?" Kuno called out, glancing around the courtyard. He wasn't familiar with this style of rooms, so he had no idea where the bedroom would be. "We have things to do."
Kenji huffed and sat back by the window. He still felt tired, despite the amount of sleep that he got. He cracked open the window once again to get some more fresh air. He stood, pacing back and forth. He would have to go out of his room at some point, despite the fact he would love to stay there forever. Maybe if he just did not leave, they would be forced to bring him his food every day, just to cause a hassle. That, or they would drag him out of there and force him to leave his area of the palace. Then, he heard Kuno’s voice, and he groaned audibly. “And what if I say I don’t want to do anything today? I think I’m sick!” he called back in a faked, raspy tone of voice. He dropped back onto his bed, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling.
Kuno turned towards the sound of Kenji's voice. He was sick? He had looked fine the last time Kuno had seen him. Maybe he was faking. Even if he wasn't, Kuno had to check. If he told the queens that Kenji was sick, and the prince ended up not being sick, he would look like a fool. And he would really rather that didn't happen. "Well, I might be able to fix that." Kuno headed towards the direction of the bedroom. The treatments he had for ailments were all quite unpleasant to eat. At least that might give him some satisfaction. He could shove a couple at Kenji and see what happened. Kuno opened the door to the bedroom and walked in. "What's wrong with you?" He asked in a tired sort of voice, turning to look at the bed.
Kenji's brow furrowed at Kuno's words. What did he mean by fixing him? When the door suddenly swung open, he cursed and threw a blanket over himself to cover his exposed torso. "Hey, dickhead, you ever learn how to knock?!" he said in an annoyed tone. A lot of his tattoos were personal, having a lot to do about his parents, and he would rather Kuno not get a front view seat of them. "I feel nauseous, and my throat feels super scratchy," he explained. He was a good liar, it came to him naturally. It was not difficult for him to manipulate those around him when he really needed to.
Kuno ignored his complaint. It probably would have been more polite– no, it would have been more polite if he had knocked. But… well, he'd forgotten. It was slightly embarrassing, but he didn't want to tell Kenji that under any circumstances. "Nauseous and scratchy throat." He didn't think he had anything with him at the moment for a scratchy throat, but he was sure he had something for nausea. "Alright, fine." Kuno walked over to the side of Kenji's bed. He reached into his eternity pouch and pulled out a little jar full of tiny red petals. "Here, take a few and eat them. They should help settle your stomach." He took out the cork and held the jar out to Kenji. The petals were very spicy-tasting, but they did work. He had never seen himself helping cure the son of his enemy, but here he was. Hopefully, Kenji couldn't handle spicy stuff.
Kenji scooted away slightly when Kuno headed over to him. He looked at what he was offered suspiciously. “Why the hell should I take anything from you? You could be trying to poison me or some shit,” he accused with a scowl on his lips. He could smell the spice, and his nose scrunched up. While spicy foods were not his favorite, he could handle them most of the time- unless they were extremely spicy. Either way, he would rather not accept anything from Kuno- the one person who obviously disliked him with a burning passion.
Kuno sighed. Of course, Kenji would think he was trying to poison him. He would be trying to poison him, but the queens had ordered him not to. There was no way he would go against their orders. They were the closest thing to family he had left. And even then…
"Do you not know what alea-yanew is?" Kuno frowned. No, he probably wouldn't. The dead king and queen had seemed quite adamant to wipe out everything to do with his people. Traditional medicines and all. "It settles the stomach, among other more magical qualities." He carefully selected a few petals and placed them on his tongue. The spice didn't bother him at all– he was quite used to it by now, as many dishes he like had some spicy component in them. "It's not poisonous, despite what you think." Oh, how he wished Sol didn't ask for kindness. It was only because of them that he was even trying to help the prince. Them and the fact that the queens had asked him to watch the prince.
"I have no idea what the hell 'alea-yanew' is," Kenji said, decently butchering the pronunciation of the petals. He watched Kuno closely, making sure he actually put the petals in his mouth. Kuno was not sick and it obviously did not kill him, so he guessed he could take it too just for kicks. He took two of the petals and put them in his mouth, specifically on his tongue. "Hm, spicy," he commented raising his brows momentarily as he felt the burn in his mouth. It was not comfortable, but he would not bitch about the feeling either. He was above that, especially because Kuno was around. "Do I really have to go anywhere? What if I just say no?" he added, squinting his eyes at Kuno.
Kuno winced at the prince's pronunciation. He probably should have gotten used to people not saying words in Oprei correctly, but he hadn't. Not in the slightest. "I have no idea why you have to come, but you have to come. We're going into the city. If you didn't get all the stuff you wanted from your previous residence, I suppose we could stop there too." Kuno didn't want to do anything he just said, but it was in order to comply with the queens' wishes. Why they wanted someone so dangerous to their peace to get outside the castle, he had no idea. Maybe they were trying to get on his good side by letting him out. Or maybe they just wanted Kuno to suffer. No, it probably wasn't that. Maybe they felt bad for him.
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