“Helooo~?

It’s been a few hours now, is anyone going to show up?” 

(I swear if that girl fooled me)

“Any day now…

You can take your time, I’m not going anyway” Shiryu continues to ramble,

His cage is unlocked however the boy makes no effort to touch the wooden bars in fear of being drained of his strength again

(That girl was pretty cute not gonna lie…

But she’s crazy)

“Hel–” Shiryu starts but then pauses hearing the door open

(Finally)

….

….

He eagerly listens at the soft taps of feet coming by

“…..” 

“…..”

Curious green eyes glance by the wooden cell set into the heart shaped face of a brunette woman of short stature who’s stomach bulges decently behind her somewhat plain black dress,

She presses her hand against the wooden bars taking a good long look at Shiryu

“Hmmmm……”

(Is this the queen, she looks pretty average,) Shiryu stares back as the woman’s slightly bushy eyebrows frowns in inspection

“Hello… umm.. miss…” Shiryu stammers nervously from the lady’s quiet stares

“Hmm?

Or yes, hello” she seems to be taken out of thought

“I am, the queen, Zinnia of Soterra, do you have a name?”

This question makes Shiryu impulsively smile, he’d never told anyone his name yet,

A name he came up with by himself in hopes of one day telling someone….

“My name is Shiryu Zadkiel”

“Hm. I’ve never heard of a place called Zadkiel before?”

“It’s not a place it’s my last name”

“You have two names

Why?”

“One is my first my name and the other is like a family name”

“But I heard you are claiming to be family of Apollo, he doesn’t have this second name,”

“Well, err I made my name up myself….”

“hmmm……” her big green eyes back in judgemental stare

(This woman makes me uneasy, she seems so airheaded but she’s the queen here for a  reason…)

“So you are a fraud then?

You lied to Amelia about having relation to Apollo and even Kage,”

“No, 

Why would I lie about that?”

“To get free obviously, 

You have want to eat us, yes?”

“No”

“Why are you so ugly and purples then?”

“Excuse?”

“You don’t look human to me, and your name is made up,”

“I got into an accident as a child, an um magic accident,”

“Mmhmmm” the woman nods looking directly into Shiryu’s eyes

(I’m so unsettled)

“Hold my hand Shiryu Zadkiel,”

“Wah?”

“Hold my hand” the queen puts her arm through the bar,

“…..” Shiryu uneasily grabs it gently,

“Ok, I see” Zinnia pulls her hand back out seconds after holding his

“Is purple your favorite color Shiryu Zadkiel?”

(What are these questions man…..)

“It’s just Shiryu you don’t say the full name,”

“Then why have two names?”

“Because I’ll be remembered by it”

“Hmmm”

(Stop ‘hmm-ing’)

“I don’t have a favorite color by the way”

“Ok, thanks bye,”

(Bye?)

“Hey-hey wait!

You came here to ask me random questions and leave, at least let me know if you’re letting me go soon,”

“Mmmm,” Zinnia rubs her chin 

“Tell me what you are first”

“A human”

“Ok, thanks bye”

“Wait-wait,

I’m also part beast…”

“Is that right, you know, from the way you talk and act anyone else would’ve easily be fooled,

But me, I’m not as naïve as I look, you were caught minutes after Kage, Apollo and the others left, it’s obvious that you’ve been stalking them since they were in Furlheim City that’s why you know so much

But sadly not enough to get past me,” the woman turns to head out,

(Damnit she’s much more cunning than I thought,

She was gauging my responses to each of her seemingly pointless questions

And I’ve been playing it safe with my answers)

“Gray!” Shiryu blurts out behind the woman now walking away

“Gray is my favorite color because I like that it represents both the light and dark tones of colors,

I named myself Shiryu Zadkiel because I wanted a name that sounded angelic and cool kind of like a rockstar…

When I was a child, I almost got consumed by a beast, Raguel though I barely knew him, sacrificed his life for mine and this appearance is a result of that,

I am a human but I’ve also become a monster…”

(I have sunk to a new low of desperation)

“…..

Touch the bars” the woman stoically replies to his outpour

“To get drained of my strength again? No than–”

“Touch it”

“….Ok,” Shiryu slowly edges to the wooden bars tapping his hand on it faintly

…..

…..

Nothing happens to him….

….

“The cell has no lock you can open it yourself,”

(She’s actually letting me free??)

“You’re actually letting me go?”

“No, I’m giving you a chance, a benefit of the doubt,

As I said before I’m not as naïve as I may look, 

You’re not going anywhere since we did catch you after all, the only thing your words earned was me sparing your life,

But.. that life is now under my control”

“What that that entail exactly?” gulps Shiryu 

“It means from now on, you will be serving me as a knight.”