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Rose: More Strange Visitors to Green Shade

Rose looked at the growing stack of papers on her desk when Sahm marched her into the palace. Kyrre had been sitting behind the desk, and was scrawling notes as he went through some papers. He looked up, and a dozen things flashed across his face at once. Too many for Rose to pick up, but she did notice he settled on something like... petulant annoyance?

Rose raised her eyebrows before continuing towards the desk. That seemed to be effective; Kyrre's annoyance vanished as he scrambled to align the piles of papers once more before vacating the seat behind the desk.

"Your Majesty. Welcome back." Kyrre said, using a bow to hide not looking at her face again. Then he addressed Sahm. "She's got a lot of work to do."

Sahm nodded, and Rose rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. I left, I didn't say why, really. And I left you to do all my work. Sahm, Kyrre, thank you. I'm sorry I had to do that. But it was a life and death situation." Rose sighed. "I'd like to say it won't happen again, but... but it will. That's kinda how my life is. I'm just glad I have you two..." she slowed as she saw Trella come in and start tapping her foot on the ground, "er, three... to take care of things while I'm gone."

Rose settled into the desk, and Kyrre started explaining how he had organized everything. She settled in and started reviewing her subjects' requests. She was thankful that Kyrre had sorted them. The ones that were ridiculous were easier to go through this way, and ones where kitsunes had requested the resolution to border disputes or family disputes were gathered with the opposing kitsune's request. Rose signed requests, and wrote a note at the bottom of each that she denied. The hours started slipping away... but it was monotonous work to a large extent. The larger matters of state she would start learning after the first week was over.

... and Se'rox

Se'rox led Xeona and Demyx through Green Shade, and was honestly just waiting to be stopped by the Guard.

"So, who do we know in this lost corner of the universe?" Demyx answered idly. "Someone who can actually help the Silent Beast, here?" he added doubtfully.

Se'rox "saw" the Guard finally rallying against their approach to the city of Green Shade proper. "Yes. Somebody can." Se'rox said simply. She doubted he got the pun.

"This place is neat." Xeona muttered. She had been fairly quiet so far- following suit to Se'rox's silence. But she had been dying to say something for a while now. "It's so green though. Could use more blue. They don't even look like they have a decent lake nearby."

Se'rox sighed. She never quite did understand this "color" thing people went on about. She thought the area was good; the ground wasn't dried out, due to the canopy of trees throughout the forest. And she knew there was a large river not far from the city. It was wet enough, for sure. Then Se'rox felt the Guard coming. She stopped, and held up a hand so the others would stop. They did.

"Let me talk to them." Se'rox said.

The rank of soldiers stopped about twenty feet back, except for one in the middle. He started forward; obviously the ranking officer.

"Who are you, and what business have you in Green Shade?" the officer asked.

"Well, don't you know?" Demyx responded, stepping forward. Se'rox groaned. "This here is the Blind Maverick, and she is leading us to... someone who can Heal." he turned back to Se'rox, who was now holding her head in her hand. "Who was that that would do such a thing for a Nobody, again, Se'rox? I don't recall you saying the name."

Se'rox dropped her hand, and pulled up some mud and used it to pull Demyx a few feet back. She gave him a dirty look, and then addressed the Guard.

"My name is Se'rox, and I am here for an audience with Queen Rose." Se'rox tried not to listen for any gasps of understanding from Demyx or Xeona on that name. "She knows me."

The Guard nodded, and turned and led the way. Of course, they didn't take her exactly at her word, and gave them an escort on the way to the palace.

So it was that Se'rox, Xeona and Demyx entered the Palace of White Tree at Green Shade to meet Queen Rose of the Kitsunes.

Rose was sitting at a desk, reading through and scratching notes on papers in a flurry, not even glancing up as they came in. Of course she had been told who was coming to meet her, or they wouldn't have entrance. Se'rox supposed that Rose was trying to get more work done before she was whisked away again. Somehow, she knew Rose would know what a visit from her would mean.

Finally, Rose looked up and stood up. Demyx whistled long and low for a moment. Se'rox took a deep breath. No, it hadn't bypassed him at all. Except for trivial things like eye and hair color, and hair style, Se'rox and Rose could have been twins. Probably because Rose was Se'rox's Somebody. And now Demyx knew. Part of her hated that.

"Well, Se'rox. Welcome to my Kingdom. Again." she glanced at Demyx, and then at the other Nobody next to Se'rox, whose face was contorted as if trying to do a difficult mathematical equation in her head. "How can I help you?" she asked. While the words were polite, her tone belied that she knew Se'rox would not come to her for anything trivial- she could handle a lot on her own.

"Rose, I need your help. Specifically, I need you to Heal someone for me." Se'rox said. She felt Xeona's head turn suddenly to stare at Se'rox- apparently, the similarity in voice had been the final key for the Nobody to understand who Rose was to Se'rox.

Rose tilted her head to the side. "Who?" she mouthed, but did not speak.

"Zuchax III." Se'rox responded. Her voice had lost all it's power, as if admitting the need finally made her vulnerable. Thankfully, Rose just nodded.

"Sahm!" Rose yelled. A kitsune with red-orange dreds ran into the room. He looked alarmed at being called, especially since there were Guards there had she needed them....

"Make the portal." Rose said quietly, before Sahm was near.

Se'rox made the portal right there, and it opened up right outside Kaku's house- Rose had forgotten about the hidden attributes of Kaku's house. She turned back to Sahm, who was torn between staring at the portal in the middle of the Grand Hall, and looking at his Queen. His face was angry and yet anguished.

"Sahm, this one won't take long, I swear." she said to the kitsune, almost apologetically. Then she frowned. "But... this time, you can send me with an escort, how's that? I know Se'rox will get me back just as quickly as I can get there." Rose explained. She was Queen, but power meant responsibility.

Sahm was nodding after mention of the escort. He snapped his fingers, and a Guardsman was at his side in a second. Se'rox was beginning to notice that Kitsunes moved at a much faster rate than normal people. The Guard ran off, and in three more seconds, came back with a kitsune with short blond hair and a medal pinned to his vest.

"New badge?" Rose asked.

Kyrre nodded. "Apparently, being made Viceroy on top of being Honor Guard and Clan to the Queen called for more... status... than I was used to, and requires some flash."

Rose just smirked. Se'rox couldn't tell exactly what was going on there, but her impatience was running thin. "Ready?" she asked.

"Sure." Rose replied. She went through the portal first, but was followed by Kyrre and two other kitsune Guards before Se'rox, Demyx and then Xeona could follow. Xeona waved to the orange dred fox guy before they departed, but he was frowning after them.