Royal Flakes [Loolaalee, Kouzai]

As Addie stood and ran up the hill, she laughed quietly to herself. She couldn't believe she'd just kissed a man she had barely known, and on top of that, it was her first kiss and she had gone all out. As she reached the top of the hill and waited for Mori to catch up, she thought about what this might mean for the future. Arranged marriages had a tendency to occur relatively quickly. Assuming her father agreed to the arrangement, it wouldn't be long until they were actually married.

That brief moment of resolve, the moment she made the decision to love him, was the moment she started a new chapter in the story of her life. One she was excited to read.

The graceful beast landed gently on the hill, and Addie gazed at it in awe. She'd seen dragons before, but the way the moon reflected off of its scales was breathtaking. Dragons were truly beautiful creatures.

"I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous. I've flown on my own, sure, but I've always been the one in control. And bison are always so calm. I look forward to an exhilarating experience." She looked at the dragon, making eye contact with the patient creature. "Ganryu." She bowed politely. "It's an honor to meet such magnificence as you. I hope you don't mind the extra weight." She ran her hand gently across the obsidian-black scales.

As she climbed onto its back behind Mori, she felt a thrill of excitement. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and had to restrain herself from gasping when her fingers grazed over his abs. Dang, she thought, it's like he was cut from stone! Shaking her head and hoping she wasn't blushing, she prepared herself to once again be one with the night sky.

Nobumori held tightly onto the tufts of thick, black fur that comprised Garyu's midnight mane. He could feel Addie reaching around and holding tightly on to him. He could even feel the slight recoil she had when she first gripped his torso.

Nobumori smirked.

He was at least honoured that Addie had treated Ganryu as a dragon deserved. With respect--not like a wagon. Dragon's were useful as a means of transport, but that made them no less sentient, or prone to burning down one's home. Dragons were people too after all--probably smarter than most average people.

Trusting Ganryu's judgement, Nobumori left the steering in the dragon's claws. With little to no provocation, Ganryu lifted off from the ground and began flying in the sky. The dragon roared, and loosed bursts of flame and smoke from his nostrils as he flew.

Being a serpentine dragon, Ganryu flew in a semi-corkscrew pattern. His head remained mostly in the same spot, but its body weaved side to side, or spyn in a corkscrew--or even up and down--depending on the patterns of the wind and breeze.

The dragon roared over the city of Ba Sing Se, carrying the two youths high into the clouds. Within seconds they burst through the layer of fluffy water. They exited the cloud covered in a layer of water and dew, looking like a lawn in the early spring mornings.

Nobumori shook his head and his body, splashing water droplets everywhere as he cried out the empty night sky.

Ganryu echoed his cry with another roar, and did a full loop, the spun around in a barrel roll-cork screw pattern. Nobumori held on tight, and instructed Addie to tighten her grip on Ganryu by clenching her knees.

They were up in the sky for at least an hour as Nobumori did things like take his hands off Ganryu, or jump off while Ganryu was upside and let the dragon catch him as he fell.

Nobumori loved the feel of a glider. But he always preferred dragonback. It was so much more...versatile and dangerous. The adrenaline rushed through his veins easier.

Nobumori was nothing if not a show off.

He smiled as they touched back down in front of the palace, landing in the open courtyard. "How was that, Princess?"

Addie's hair had seen better days.

She could deal with windswept. It often ended up that way from using her glider. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the clouds. As if going through the clouds wasn't bad enough, Mori's ponytail had drenched Addie's head in water when he shook it out.

Now, Addie wasn't usually concerned with her appearance, especially when she wasn't trying to represent an entire nation. But she wanted to look good for the man she had grown extremely close to in an extremely short period of time.

Her wet, frizzy hair cascaded down her back as she undid the ponytail to let it dry better. She knew it would be a pain to brush out later. She shook her head, both in an attempt to shake her hair loose from anywhere that it might have bunched up, and to shake herself out of her strange frustration. She'd had an amazing ride! She wouldn't let the fact that she was embarrassed to look like a mess in front of Mori stop her from enjoying her night.

She smiled, excitement returning to her eyes. "Well, that was certainly something! It felt so weird to give control to such a graceful yet wild being. You freaked me out the first time you jumped off, by the way, I was just about ready to jump myself to stop you from falling to your death." She turned towards Ganryu and gave a bow of gratitude. "Thank you, Ganryu."

She looked around at where they were. Mori had brought her back to the palace. She heard a low rumble and looked to see Pudgy, her Sky Bison, greeting her from where he sat next to her father's bison. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. Had the night really come to an end so soon?

"Nobumori. Or, should I call you Mori, since we know each other on a more personal level now? Mori, you have given me the best evening of my life. You have made me feel cared for and wanted. But you also made me feel free and light. Being here with you took my burdens away for a short time. Thank you."

((OOC: As per the recent Imperial world building I did, there are some changes to Nobumori's character header))


Nobumori pulled the golden string from his hair and let his hair swing wildly about his shoulders. Long, straight, the colour of the blackest night; Nobumori's hair was wavy and wild from the water and the wind, but he cared not how his hair looked.

Nobumori took a moment to readjust his robes so that they sat straight on his body and both arms were tucked within their sleeves, haori and all. In reality, Nobumori wasn't sure why he bothered hiding where he was as he tied his hair back up into a somewhat less messy ponytail.

If there was one thing Nobumori knew it was that his father's ninja saw everything. By now, Emperor Nobunaga had been informed of his and Addie's escapades and dragon ride. Roland too probably...Nobumori knew they were in so much trouble when they got back, but for now he wished to enjoy the last few moments of freedom he could with Addie.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he smiled, "It's something very different from a glider, a dragon. It's different even from riding a flying sky bison. A dragon is something else entirely, as a creature, a sentient being, and as a partner."

Nobumori chuckled. "Well, Addie, I can't say I feel any different. I appreciate this little adventure we had. And once we see each other again, I would like to toast to many more adventures. A life time of them, if you will."

Nobumori wasn't going to hate marrying Addie. Wasn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, after tonight, Nobumori would dare say he was quite looking forward to it.

Excited; elated even!

Addie started laughing. Nobumori was a smooth talker, that was certain. But she could read him now that he let his guard down. He was genuinely happy, like a kid who just got the present he wanted for his birthday. There was a certain excitement in his eyes that calmed any reservations Addie had left.

He was happy to be with her.

But of course, she couldn't let him have his moment. She couldn't let him say something so smooth and get away with it. She smirked. "Aren't you supposed to be on one knee for this? It sounds like an actual marriage proposal."


Roland looked around. Everything was bright and confusing. He didn't know how many drinks he'd had. More than he should have. He was glad the bison were doing the flying back home, because he would never be able to keep a glider straight in his condition.

Oh, and he was lying on the ground.

The table had been flipped at some point. Servants scrambled to get the room back in order, especially since the Earth King wasn't aware of what was going on and they didn't want to get in trouble for the mess made by the two foreign rulers. Roland couldn't remember a time he'd enjoyed himself so much.

He struggled to stand, but couldn't get past his knees. Nobunaga looked to be in better shape than him, but it was hard to tell. With the way that man acted, nobody ever really knew how drunk he was.

A young man had been repeatedly entering the room and saying something to the two men. Something about a dragon? And maybe...a kiss? He wasn't sure. He couldn't remember exactly what had happened that night. But he could remember one thing: he was happy. He was happy as a man who finally realized his mistakes and committed to make a change. He was happy as a father who knew his daughter would be in good hands.

But most of all, he was happy because for the first time since his wife passed away, he knew that the world wasn't hopeless.

Nobumori looked at Addie with disbelief--happy disbelief.  This woman just wasn't going to let him have his smooth talking way.

He wasn't allowed to have that one phrase.  She had to go and sass him.

Nobumori actually respected her for it.

Smirking, Nobumori decided to sass her right back.  If she wanted to play this game, Nobumori would play this game.  He was going to go hard or go home--and considering Nobumori liked to live life like a wandering vagabond, he was going to only be going hard.

Nobumori turned around to face Addie, grasped her pale hand in his--he was surprised how smooth her skin was to be honest--and got down on one knee.

With a wry smile, he took a small dagger from his robes and cut the tip of his finger.  Nobumori grabbed the only thing he had to giver her; his golden, silk hair tie.

Nobumori ran his bleeding finger over the fabric, staining the string with his blood, then wrapped it around Addie's wrist like a bracelet.

"Well then, Princess Addie, formerly known as Addie the Boring, will you do me the greatest honour of being my everlasting, and incredibly gorgeous wife?"

It was all Nobumori could do not to break down laughing, though he meant every word.

He almost lost it when Addie's face went red.

* * *

Nobunaga stumbled about the dining hall, very very buzzed, but not as drunk as Roland.  Somehow, Nobunaga felt his tolerance was a bit better than Roland.

That being said, the way Nobunaga acted he always kept his fellow rulers wondering if he was living his life consistently drunk at every moment.

Good!  Let them guess!

By now Nobunaga's personal guards had dispossessed him of his weaponry, especially his small pistol, Short Shot, which Nobunaga had previously used to shoot most of the fine china, the window, and blow several holes through the ceiling and shatter much of the chandelier.

Nobunaga remembered trying to prove his aim to Roland--despite not being asked to do so.

Nobunaga laughed, chugging deeply from the bottle of wine.

He smiled and exhaled deeply as the alcohol ran down his throat, burning as it went, dribbling down his lips and into his beard.

He was sweating profusely and smelled of booze and drink.  "Roland, my friend, we should sing!"  Nobunaga said this while loudly humming Secret Tunnel off-key and out of tune under his breathe.  

Tipsy singing was not Nobunaga's voice's friend.

In retrospect, she should have seen it coming.

She'd spent a few hours with him. She was familiar with his personality. She knew him, even before their little evening. She should have known he'd pull a move like this.

So why in the world did it still catch her off guard???

Addie was just standing there, staring down at him. A mixture of shock and excitement filled her, and she found herself unable to say anything. Here eyes moved to the cloth tied around her wrist. A token of love...he's really serious about this...

Hands shaking, Addie drew her rapier and pricked her finger on the tip, making sure to get a good stream of blood. Untying the sash around her waist, she slid her bleeding finger horizontally across it, just a few inches, right in the middle. She then draped the sash around Nobumori's neck, tying it like a scarf.

"Yes, Prince Nobumori, hotheaded screwball, I would be honored to marry you."

Without warning, she leaned down and kissed him.


He somehow managed to get onto his feet, but the room continued to spin. Nobunaga was at his side, half supporting him and half dancing. The room smelled fowl. Or was that just Nobunaga?

Suddenly the two men were swaying back and forth. Then Nobunaga suggested that they sing.

Roland laughed, a deep, manly laugh that seemed to shake the room. "Alright, you've got yourself a deal!"

In a surprisingly good voice, Roland began singing.

"Leaves from the vine
Falling so slow
Like fragile, tiny shells
drifting in the foam

Little, soldier boy
Come marching home
Brave soldier boy
Comes marching home..."

Roland stopped abruptly. There were tears in his eyes. The song...it triggered something in him. Some emotions. "My brave soldier..."

Nobumori looked at the bloodied scarf about his neck. He smiled. He wasn't sure what made him do what he did, handing a bloodied scrap of cloth to Addie, but he knew what he meant. And so did Addie...as she returned the sentiment.

It was sweet to think about, really.

"Screwball eh? I think I could learn to live with that," smirked Nobumori smugly.

Nobumori accepted Addie's kiss, and stood up, pulling her into a tight embrace. As the two broke apart, Nobumori looked over at the palace.

"We should get back," he sighed, "Who knows what we're in for when we get back in there. I'm expecting the worst but..."



Nobunaga listened to Roland's depressing singing.

He sighed as the old man stopped his singing, repeating the last line slowly. "Go home, Roland," sighed Nobunaga, "You're drunk. You're not making sense anymore."

Despite being written by a wise and powerful Ezofuji ancestor, General Iroh Ezofuji, Nobunaga had always found that song incredibly over-dramatic and almost needlessly depressing. It's like the song was only written to make people cry.

Nobunaga sipped more wine as he noticed the buzz starting to wear off. He wasn't drunk enough to keep singing and laughing like this without it.

Addie smiled at Nobumori. "It seems our little adventure has come to an end. But I get the feeling that this is the start of a beautiful tale, one that may be told for generations to come."

She walked back towards the palace, walking through the doors like she owned the place. The surprised servants looked at her in surprise, but upon recognizing her, did nothing. She retrieved her formal gown and slipped it on over her dress, moving her sword to the new gown, which had a similar loop on the hip for her to thread the blade through.

She glanced at Nobumori, took a deep breath, and opened the door to the dining hall.

It took about half a second before she started laughing.

The smell of alcohol in the room was incredibly strong. The table and chairs were overturned, and there were various pieces of broken furniture around the room. The two kings were swaying back and forth, Nobunaga taking another swig from a bottle. But Addie was most shocked at her father.

His eyes were bloodshot and brimming with tears. When he saw Addie, he tried to walk towards her, but tripped and fell. She laughed harder, covering her mouth with her hand. She walked forward to help him up, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Look, Nobunaga!" He said loudly, "they did come back! You were right!" Addie helped the old man to stand up, using her bending to help support him.

"Come on, dad, let's get you home. Oh, and by the way, I'm engaged," she said nonchalantly as she tried to lead him out of the room. But he resisted, forcing her to turn towards him. He looked her in the eyes, before looking down at her wrist, where Mori's bloodied hair tie was wrapped around. He then looked at Nobumori, who wore a bloodied sash around his neck. He walked, or rather stumbled, towards Mori.

"Hey, now, who gave you permission to marry my daughter?"

Nobumori held back laughter as he watched his father and Roland flop about the now ruined dining hall like two drunken fish. They looked like common street folk, drunk off soju and sake, pissing themselves on the sidewalk and passing out in the nearby ally.

These two men lead armies. They were responsible for nations. The lives of people were in their hands. Millions of gold in tax money. The future of millions of people.

And they were in here getting hammered.

Nobumori could smell the booze in the air from the doorway.

He simply sighed as Adelaide grabbed her father, bid him goodnight. He gave her a smiling side-ways glance as she left.

Roland made comment on Nobumori's new "scarf", and demanded to know who had given him permission to marry Adelaide.

Nobumori kept his mouth shut while Addie did her best to explain the situation. He wasn't about to make a drunk King look like a fool. It just wasn't right--even if it would've been fun.

"Come on dad, let's get you home to the estate in the Upper Ring," sighed Nobumori.



"Wedding? What wedding? Who's gennin' married?" fumbled Nobunaga, slurring his words something fierce, "We kay'mere to dizc's a carriage. We were goin'buy a carriage together! Weren't we? Our nations would'a been s'strong if wee'ad carriaged together..."

Nobunaga fell over, stumbling about on the floor like a child, caught in his robes. He mewed like a newborn kitten, hoping to get the "infernal robes" to stop choking him.

"Alas! I have been captured! Assassin!"

Nobunaga screamed at Nobumori as his son grabbed him, threw his arm over his shoulder, and walked him from the palace towards their private palanquins out in the entrance way.

Nobunaga kept screaming, crying that he was being murdered, seduced, and even raped.

Servants of the Earth King and even of the Emperor themselves were paid heavily that night to forget what they had seen...