Sloane had been to enough of these meetings to get the gist of Hell's royal and shitty family dynamics. Their royally-shitty dynamics.

Whatever. The point was, Set was an asshole, although that wasn't new (he'd been like that since his birth. Sloane pitied his mother.) and terrorized his daughter. While Kanu and Odile could brush off his comments and hate, she was affected by them. Sloane wasn't one for empathy or compassion or being a good person, so she just nodded at the Princess and redirected her attention back to her nails, which she had been picking at.

With Kanu and Set's squabble occurring on her side, Sloane remarked under her breath, "Talk about constipated," and tilted her head minutely towards Set.

-

The new Queen of Earth smiled peacefully at the Princess Rue, "Please, there is no need to apologize. The rulers of Earth have been aware of the pain traveling in the sun causes you, Princess Rue, so I expected this to occur. There has been no offense taken." There was a soft cough off to the side, and Syndia turned her head to see Prince Jydal give a polite nod of his head in her direction, "Queen Syndia, if I may?..." Syndia nodded her assent, and Prince Jyal directed his gaze to Princess Rue, "Once the meeting is over I can share the notes I have taken, if you wish."

Syndia noted Sloane roll her eyes, but there was an undeniable note of fondness in her face, although it was only directed at Jydal. Anywhere else and annoyance and hatred surfaced once again. Then again, that might just be her resting face. Immortals were strange and fickle beings.

A low chuckle escaped Kanu's lips at Sloane's words, but he quickly played it off as a cough, though demons literally couldn't get sick so it wasn't the best thing to try and play off the laugh as. Regardless, Set hadn't caught on, as he was too busy glaring at Jydal. Apparently his daughter wasn't good enough to be considered his daughter, but she was good enough to not be spoken to by a prince. Sometimes, no, most of the time, Kanu wanted to slit his father's throat and watch the life drain from his eyes.

Rue withered under her father's glare, and seemed to shrink a few inches right in front of them all. From his place on the wall, Rhian stared at Rue with concern. He, like most everyone, knew that Rue wasn't made for the royal life and all the tension and responsibility that came along wit it. Though, he perhaps knew better than others, as he was always with her, and was with her everday. He knew that when she was off palace grounds, she was a smiling, happy woman, who loved plants and animals and the woods. Who hated being trapped in hell most of the time due to her condition. She was the most human-like immortal he'd met in his life, and he protected her with his life.

Rue's eyes drifted over to the man who spoke, Prince Jydal if she was hearing properly. She'd met him once or twice, and recognized his voice rather than his face, most because she couldn't see. Rue would have been perfectly happy if she just got sunburned because of her albinism, but being practically blind absolutely sucked. Though, it did have it's good things, like not actually seeing her father glaring at her, and instead only feeling his anger.

After a moment, Rue nodded, a thankful smile on her face. "That would be wonderful Prince Jydal, I appreciate it. And thank you for understanding Queen Syndia, others have not been as kind as you. I can tell that you are a wonderful Queen." Rue gave Queen Syndia the best smile Rue could muster with her father glaring at her back while Kanu looked as if he'd bash his father's head in at any second. Odile looked surprisingly calm, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Much like Kanu, she had a pretty good relationship with her daughter, and tried to keep her calm when faced with the tension between Kanu and Set.

Jydal smiled softly and sat back in his seat, where he suspiciously had two sets of notes. Queen Syndia hadn't noticed it earlier, and mentally gave herself a kick for that. Nothing showed on her face, though, and the Queen of Earth continued on, "You are sitting between me and Queen Odile," Syndia noted kindly, and once Rue was sitting, continued on with the meeting as if nothing had happened. And, if she emphasized the point of no physical Immortal fighting on Earth, then who was anyone to say that had not already been planned. Unlike her brother, Queen Syndia did mention that Immortals from both realms were free to visit without needing an official reason, as long as they did not harm any humans or cause too much chaos. The queen was not naive enough to think that there wouldn't be times where a hunt got out of hand, or where tempers flared too high. This was the first step, however, for the clashing Immortal realms to possible begin to find peace. By having a neutral meeting ground, beings from both realms might be able to see others as more than the enemy.

Queen Syndia doubted she would see peace in her lifetime, but it was a start.

Rue gave Queen Syndia one last, quick curtsy, before taking her seat. Odile smiled at her warmly, a rare gesture of kindness from the queen, and gently took her daughter's hand and squeezed it under the table. In front of others, Queen Odile made it a point to be cool and collected, to balance Set's fiery anger, but in their home, she was a wonderful mother to both her children. While Kanu had been out of the house as soon as he could fly, Rue had remained with her mother for a majority of her life. Being a dragon definitely made Queen Odile a wonderful mother, as they all have amazing motherly instincts. It just so happened that Rue needed more guidance than her other children, being so weak, and Queen Odile had done just that.

Rue gave her mother a small, tentative smile before turning her attention back on Queen Syndia, quielty moving around in her seat to get her wings more comfortable. Unlike her mother and brother, Rue's wings were not an option, as tucking them away was extremely painful and could cause them to break. So Rue left her wings out, even if it caused for minor discomforts, it was better than broken bones.

Kanu watched his sister sit with intense eyes, nodding at Sir Rhian in thanks. Something about him seemed to change in that moment, Kanu no longer held that humor about him, and instead was intensely serious, a new tension in his body that had not been there before.

want to ts to end of uhh the meeting?

Sure, want me to start?

please do :)))) that way we can start w the family drama and my charis can pretty much be like :0 "oh sheeeet"

YESSSSS))

~~

By the time the meeting was over, Kanu was itching to leave, to see the sky even if said sky was much too bright. Set looked bored to hell, while Kanu's mother and sister looked very interested in every word that Queen Syndia said. Kanu had listened of course, but he'd eventually grown tired of the politics, and on top of that, had grown tired of Set's annoying voice interuppting the woman whenever he saw fit. Odile did her best to manage her husband, but Set was impossible to 'manage' without physical force.

Rue remained quiet but attentive throughout the entire meeting, her purple eyes focused on whoever was talking, unless it was her father, who she refused to look at throughout the entire meeting. By the time the meeting ended and everyone was standing, Rue was in a hurry to escape the tension, the one that always preceeded a dreadful, bloody fight. At least, in her realm it did. Fortunately, the goodbyes and such were taken outside, a blessing for Rue, who hardly ever got to go out and see the moon. Rhian followed her, though gave her her space of course. Kanu and Odile talked with hushed voices, and if one looked closely you could spot Odile rolling her eyes and the word "Ishet" (Which is literally Set in Demon, a language that I randomly threw together so that's nice) leaving her mouth.

Rue was looking at the moon, a small smile on her pale face, when she felt her father's overwhelming presence behind her. Of course he'd approach her while everyone was talking, so nobody would think to even look at them. "Rue," Set said the name as if it was posion on his tongue. "Yes?" Rue turned around to face her father, quivering slightly under his harsh glare, her wings instinctively beginning to curl around her. "I understand that you are.. weak and unable to be under the sun without pain but try and make an effort to be bloody on time will you? It looks bad on the whole family, and on top of that, quit treating Syndia like she is as powerful as you are, she is a measly human, even you could fight her off if you so choosed."

Set paused, his eyes narrowing as Rue's wings began to cover her face. "You understand right? Oh by the fires of hell can you get these things out of your face?" Set released an annoyed sigh and began to roughly move Rue's wings out of the way, pulling a quiet cry of surprise and pain from the young woman's mouth. "They are utterly annoying and useless, I can't even see if you are-" Set suddenly stopped, as Kanu had appeared in a flash, and now stood there, Set's invasive hand held none too gently in Kanu's own, deadly hands.

"Don't fucking touch her you pile of dung." Kanu's words were practically a hiss, and his eyes were a deadly shade of violet. Set's mildly annoyed expression had turned passionate with pure fury, and his eyes dared Kanu to continue. All the while, Rue was taking slow steps backwards, her blood having gone cold with fear. "You shouldn't be touching me, even royals should know their place Kanu," Set's voice was filled with restrained anger. Of course, Kanu had the same quick to anger personality and within moments he'd snapped back, his own voice seething with a hate that had built upon for centuries. "Exactly Set, so sit your ass down."

Silence followed Kanu's words, and even Odile, who'd been rushing over to stop the situation from escalating, had stopped in her tracks. Of course she knew that her son was a reckless idiot, but she'd never expected him to be so upfront with Set. It was already pushing it with the fact that Kanu never called his father 'father' or 'King Set', but saying that Set was under him, that was a completely different level of disrespect.

Of course, what happened next was expected, though Kanu still hadn't expected it to hurt so damn bad. It was as if it all ran in slow motion, he saw Set's hand bunch into a fist, watched as it rose, aimed for Kanu's cheek, but he really didn't care. He could've stopped it, stopped the fist from hitting its mark, but Kanu knew what that would entail. Kanu was smart, much smarter than his father gave him credit for, and that was his advantage. Fighting here and now for the crown would not only be annoying, but also result in a failed treaty between the humans and the people of hell. As Queen Syndia had just banned full out immortal fights from occuring, on top of that, Kanu wasn't ready for the crown, and raising his hand against Set would mean a challenge for the throne, and he didn't want that.

That was why Kanu allowed Set to punch him, a punch that rattled his brain and sent him flying into a tree. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs, and his head hitting the tree made the world spin and stars dance across his vision. The ringing in his ears didn't allow for him to hear much, but he could hear Odile stopping his father from 'finishing him off,' a good thing too, because Kanu doubted he'd be able to fight in this condition.

Rue watched in horror as her father's fist hit Kanu's cheek and sent him flying. Of course Set had super strength, he was a demon, but it always shocked her that someone like Set could be her father. It took Rue a moment to gather herself, and blink herself back into reality. Of course this was her fault, Kanu only ever grew so reckless when someone he loved was in danger or pain, it was one of his many flaws.

Once Rue knew that her mother had Set's temper under control, she rushed over to her brother, blue blood leaked out of his mouth, and she was pretty sure that if she checked his head would be bleeding too. Black blood was smeared over his cheek, where his scales were, and she couldn't help but smirk a little, Set had bled too, as Kanu's scales were as hard as diamonds, hopefully the scales had torn open Set's hand, as he deserved. Rue snapped in front of her brother's face, as his eyes were only open ever so slightly.

"Ow, stop with that Rue, it hurts my ears. I am very concious thank you very much, just a little damaged." Kanu groaned softly as he forced his eyes open, which were immediately filled with his little sister's face, and her eyes, which were filling with tears. "You big idiot," Rue muttered, her tears spilling over and running wildly down her face. Suddenly, her head was buried in Kanu's chest and she was hugging him tightly. His reaction was immediate, as it always was with his little sister. Kanu's arm wrapped around her, though he couldnt' actually give her a full hug as his other arm was covered in blue blood.

"Your dress is going to get stained," Kanu spoke softly, humor lighting his words. "Oh shut up Kanu," and those words brought the softest smile on his face. Promptly right before he passed out.

fucking hell man

i-

i don't even know how i can respond to that

-

Sloane wasn't proud to admit it, but she openly gaped as Kanu got sent flying through the air. She also might have not-so-gently poked Jydal off to the side to obstruct Set-the-rage-monster's view of the siblings, which then, in turn, make the king and queen of the Heavens nervous for their child, and block him from Set's line of vision.

It all worked pretty perfectly, in Sloane's opinion, as there was now a barrier of three powerful royals between the two warring family members.

Sure, it wouldn't actually do anything if Set did decide to go on a rampage, but hopefully it would prevent that from happening. Sloane herself edged off to the side, and paused beside Syndia, who looked at the whole situation pretty calmly considering it all.

"So," Sloane stated bluntly, "Whatcha think about that?" Syndia just shrugged in a way that was way too graceful, "I was expecting more, to be honest. My ancestors have been anxious this whole time. And screaming at me, but that is normal." Sloane turned to look at the Earth Queen, raising an eyebrow, "They've been doing what now?" "My power is being able to hear the dead. Shoter could raise them, but he could never tell what sort of spirits he'd be raising until they already had a physical form. I can see them all around us. And hear them. My brother is particularly annoying."

Sloane slowly nodded, "Oh. Well then. Um. Hi Shoter - I killed you, by the way. Hope that was fun."

Syndia winced, "Oh he is definitely not happy about that one."

The two of them huffed a small laugh, and continued to observe the scene unfolding around them, "You know," Syndia muttered softly, "You are welcome to visit the palace and Earth any time, alright? I've heard about some of your adventures. I am pretty sure there are some places around here that would be happy to have a monster slayer about." Sloane barked a sharp laugh, "Sure, Queen Syndia. I'll try to stop by occasionally. Tell me if you need anyone mysteriously dead."

-

idk what this is, but have some girls supporting girls

It was amazing lol))

~~
Rhian rushed to Rue's side as soon as he saw the prince's head droop, suddenly passed out like a switch. By the time the knight reached his ward's side, she'd pulled away from her brother and gently took the satchel Rhian held away from him, all while murmuring soft curses in Demon. Although she was frightened, Rhian could see it in her tense posture, she was also angry, which was obvious from her ferious words. She quickly pulled out a multitude of herbs that Rhian still had yet to memorize. Although Princess Rue was a skilled healer, Rhian had yet to learn anything from her other than the basics, and her brother had always been anything but the basics.

Taking a break from mashing up herbs, she turned her intense gaze to Rhian and quietly asked. "Can you ask my mom to come over? I need her help just in case it decides to lash out when Kanu wakes." Rhian nodded, squeezed Rue's free hand reassuringly, then hurried over to the Queen, who seemed to be thoroughly ignoring her husband. Rue's words probably would've confused anyone else, but Rhian knew that Rue seperated Kanu from the demonic parts of himself. It helped her feel more comfortable around him, knowing that if anything did go wrong that it wasn't really her brother, just the demon inside that the dragon part of him kept controlled.

Rhian approached the queen with a bent head, and she immediately looked up at him, her fists clenched and unclenched rapidly, and her foot tapping against the ground at an unsteady tempo. "M'lady, Princess Rue requests your help with Prince Kanu." Rhian kept his head down while he spoke, as was expected of a knight, and tried his best not to hear when the Queen turned to her husband and spoke to him in a softer, but still audible, tone. "If you ever lay a hand on either of my children ever again, I will rip off your head with my bare hands and feed it to the irameers (a random ass word I just made up) in the lava lake right next to the palace so your bones wash ashore once they're through with you. Do you understand?" Set's eyes widened at Odile's words, but got no chance to reply as she spun around and followed Rhian over to her children.