Dawning Skye

The building that they approached was more like a manor than a house, and it had a long, rocky road that led straight up to the front of the house. Skye noticed right away that the architecture was closer to Alconian-style than Saianese. And that even the gargoyles that looked down on them from the edges of the roof resembled the ones she’d seen at Lord Reinbolt’s home.

It was a simple observation, but one that stuck in the back of her mind as they entered Ping’s home. The walls were a deep blue color, accompanied by off-white trim, and dark-brown flooring. The style of the moldings along where the walls met the off-white ceiling was unmistakably Alconian as well.

The furnishings and carpets were all traditional Saianese style, yet the mixture was still aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The vivid golds, silvers, whites and green of the tapestries and furniture made the home warm and inviting while still maintaining the sophistication of the upper classes. It was a unique home with great character, which made Skye all the more eager to meet the owner.

As Skye’s curiosity about the house grew, Mei introduced them to the servant that had answered the door, then waited in the main sitting room for Toshinori. Ping stayed with them, afraid of running into his uncle before he could explain everything to his grandfather. His Uncle Xiao-Rong should’ve left by then, but Ping didn’t want to take the chance of running into him.

They talked quietly about various things until Ping began to ask about Zazzy. As Skye and Mei told him about what it was like to fly, the boy became louder and louder as his excitement grew. Ping was in the middle of explaining his version of what he thought it would be like to fly when one of the sets of doors flew open.

When they saw Ping flinch and slouch like he was expecting to be hit, Skye and the others knew right away that the short and plump man was Xiao-Rong. He was breathing hard like he’d just run a mile as he stomped over to Ping.. Until he noticed that the boy wasn’t alone.

Quirking an suspicious eyebrow at them, Ping’s Uncle asked; “Who are you two, and what are you doing here?”

After glancing and glaring at Ping, he added; “What has my Nephew done this time?”

.....

Skye sighed audibly, which made Mei step forward to stop her from speaking. She bowed politely, then introduced herself, but that was as far as she’d gotten before Xiao-Rong cut Mei off.

He started to complain about how her father needed to stop depending on his so much, and that it was insulting for him to, “Send his lowly daughter in his place to beg.”

Mei turned towards Skye, worried that she was going to say something, but Ping beat them to it..

“Uncle Xiao-Rong, that was rude! Grandfather will be upset if he hears that you spoke to Senator Lei’s daughter like that.”

Xiao-Rong narrowed his eyes on Ping; “Do Not speak to me like that, child! You are in enough trouble as it is for skipping your lessons today! When I was your age, I would’ve been beaten until the lesson sunk in!”

“No wonder you turned into such an asshole,” Skye commented as she stared at Ping’s Uncle.

Xiao-Rong narrowed his eyes on Skye, who did have her hood pulled down. He recognized her, but didn’t seem to care about her status. To him: the fact that she was a woman made Skye’s opinion almost pointless to him to hear.

After a haughty scoff, Xiao-Rong said; “Watch your tone, woman, and remember your place. How My nephew is treated is no concern of yours. You have no relation to him.”

Skye quirked an eyebrow at the surly round man; “So I shouldn’t care about anyone but my family? You do realize that your father would be dead right now if I thought like you, right?”

For a split second, Skye could’ve sworn that she saw irritation cross Xiao-Rong’s face. Like he was angry that she’d done it, then he tried to cover for the emotion bubbling up to the surface by turning away. She didn’t know if Mei had seen it, but Skye had..

“Are you the oldest?” she asked, catching the uncle off guard.

He looked at Skye with a scrutinizing glare as he replied; “I am, but I am not the next head. That Honor goes to my younger brother.”

Xiao-Rong’s disdain was completely obvious as he huffed testily, and added; “Even if I am Far more qualified..”

“I see that your father is a wise man,” Skye stated, earning her an outraged rant from Xiao-Rong.

“How dare you, you ignorant woman! You don’t know me! And have no grounds to say that!”

Skye wasn’t fazed by Xiao-Rong’s words at all as she smiled, and said; “You’re right: I don’t know you. But seeing your nephew shrink back in fear of you is all the introduction I need to know that you’re a terrible person.”

Xiao-Rong looked like he was ready to explode as he glared at his nephew, then back at Skye; “What has that little shit lied about?!”

“I don’t know if he lied or not, but Ping said that you hit him,” Mei stated with unusually cold eyes.

Xiao-Rong smirked derisively; “So? He refuses to read the materials I assigned him. Children should be punished when they don’t do what they’re told. My family may spoil him rotten, but I refuse to contribute to that brat’s attitude.”

“I tried to read them, but they make my head hurt-”

“That Is An Excuse! Not a reason!” Xiao-Rong’s voice reverberated throughout the room as he cut Ping off; “I have them, too. But that did Not stop me from completing my assignments at your age, or any other! You are just a lazy, good-for-nothing, sponge-”

“Okay, that’s it,” Skye muttered before she snapped at Ping’s Uncle; “First of all, his headaches ARE a real reason that he can’t read a lot at once! If you get them too, then you should understand that..”

“Secondly: what kind of a man belittles a child like that?! What is Wrong with you?! I see why your father chose your brother over you.. If I EVER saw a relative treat a child like that, I’d disown them!”

The veins on Xiao-Rong’s face and neck stuck out like they were trying to escape his body as he hollered; “You watch your tone with me, you stupid bitch! This is My House!”

“This is grandpa’s house! Not yours! You just live here like the rest of us!” Ping yelled, not liking the way that his Uncle was speaking to his saviors.

“Shut your mouth!” Xiao-Rong yelled as he cranked his arm back to smack Ping.

Before his arm could swing downward, Mei was shielding Ping with her body, and Skye had caught his wrist. Xiao-Rong glared at Skye as he tried to yank his arm away from her, but all that did was cause her hand to make a vice grip. As he bellowed and raised his other hand to strike Skye, her other hand grabbed her dagger..

“What is with all of this ruckus in my home?! What’s going on in here?!” a familiar old man yelled from the farthest doorway.

Xiao-Rong tried to rip his hand away, but Skye was holding him in place with barely any effort. When Toshinori saw the situation, he immediately diffused it by chiding his son, and apologizing to Skye and Mei. They quickly told him how they’d come to be there, even though it was their original destination to begin with.

The story about the broken honey jars seemed to infuriate Xiao-Rong even more, especially since Bai Lei’s daughter had covered the expense of it. Putting the Yagi family further into debt with the Lei family. As his anger stoked under his father’s harsh rebuke, Skye and Mei sighed with relief to know that Ping would be fine now.

It was right after that thought that Skye saw an equally short and round man standing behind Toshinori. He looked like a younger, slightly thinner version of Xiao-Rong. So Skye knew right away that he must be Ping’s Uncle Hsin.

When he and Ping exchanged small smiles, Skye affirmed that her guess was correct. She kept an eye on the brother as Toshinori and Xiao-Rong began to argue. She hadn’t heard every word, but had caught Toshinori saying something about how this situation was a prime example of why Xiao-Rong was not suited to be the head of their family..

Furious at his father’s dismissal of him, Xiao-Rong snapped back; “I am far more intelligent and popular than my brother is! The only reason that you chose him is because Senator Lei favors him! I’M the one who should be trusted with our family’s future! Not him! Senator Tokuga is the future of this country! Not the senate!”

Xiao-Rong glared at Skye; “There are Many kingdoms that want what we have, like yours! Tokuga wants to fight! While the senate doesn’t mind getting into bed with whoring nations!”

“Xiao-Rong! You go Too far this time! You are banished from my home until my anger at you abates! Go and stay with one of your mistresses!”

Realizing that he’d crossed a line, Xiao-Rong tried to reason with him; “Father, please?! I am just trying to do what’s best-”

“Be Gone From My Sight, NOW!” Toshinori bellowed.

“Father, is it necessary to banish him?” Hsin asked, his voice hold minimal emotion.

Xiao-Rong narrowed his eyes on his brother; “I do not need Any help from you. I’m leaving, but we are not done discussing this, Father.”

With that last comment, Xiao-Rong stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him as he went. Toshinori let out a long sigh as he stared at the floor; “What am I to do with him? I’ve never met such a stubborn person before..”

“Well, he is your son, Lord Yagi,” Mei said with a small smile, breaking the gloomy feeling lingering within the room.

Toshinori grinned broadly as he stretched out his thin arms for a hug from her, which Mei happily obliged. As they pulled away, Toshinori thanked both her, and Princess Skye for helping his grandson with the shop keeper. When Skye said that she’d also healed the cause for his headaches, Toshinori was beside himself..

“You not only saved my life, but you also saved my Grandson from a lifetime of hardship and struggles.. There is no amount of money in this world that would be sufficient payment. Is there anything my family can do for you?”

Skye and Mei turned and smiled at each other, then they both grinned at Toshinori as Mei said; “Actually, we were on our way here to talk to you..”