Verdant Skies

"At least with a proper forge, I'll be able to see just how far your skills have fallen," Galen shook his head as they walked through the ruined remnants of what had been the estate gardens, "I'm looking forward to putting you through your paces alongside Quinn,"

Letting out a laugh, Iris grinned at the man, "I'm looking forward to it."

Stepping around a pile of half-melted rubble that had yet to be removed, Iris noted the heat still emanating from it with some amusement. The scorched earth she'd been smelling had likely come from that portion of the rumble. Galen shook his head as he spotted a statue she'd shattered with her tail during the fighting, "You were not being careful at all, were you, Brat?"

"I made sure not to crush or burn our side alive," Iris snorted softly.

There was a low chuckle from Galen, the drunkard grinned slightly as he pulled the flask from his waist and took a sip, "True enough..." He tilted his head back and peered at the sky above, "A clear sky...I'm surprised you're not flying,"

Shaking her head, Iris's lips pulled into a light smile as she went to reply just as some called out her name. Turning slowly, she spotted Seishuu jogging towards them. The gorgon-like household member's lips were pulled into a bright smile as he waved at them. Offering a light wave, she called out, "Seishuu, did you need something?"

"Ah, yes, though not me," Seishuu shook his head as Iris and Galen stopped walking to allow the man to catch up, "Prince Kouen actually needs to speak with you. If you have the time to do so now, I can bring you to him,"

Glancing at Galen, the smith shrugged as he said, "I can easily check out the forge myself, Brat. 'Sides, it'll give me a chance to set up some surprises if it's actually in good shape."

Rolling her eyes, Iris waved the drunkard off and turned to Seishuu, "If you'll lead the way, I'm free now."

"Of course," Seishuu turned and began walking with Iris quickly moving to follow him.

Moving away from the rumble-filled gardens and into the estate halls, they maneuvered around the crowds of soldiers and laborers working to clear the debris away. Areas that had already been cleared of debris were being cleaned, the few staff that hadn't fled from the fighting were watched by stern-looking soldiers as they worked. Iris spoke as they started walking up the stairs, "I assume Kouen is in the room that they've started transforming into a war room?"

"Yeah," Seishuu nodded as they turned on a landing and began ascending another set of stairs, "Since we have the space now, he wants to make proper use of it,"

"Make sense, I'm fairly sure I saw Koumei and Hermione both raiding the library earlier," Iris shook her head in amusement.

A low bark of laughter left Seishuu, "I was quite surprised to find that there was someone like Prince Koumei among your group. Not exactly like him, I'll admit, but close enough," The man smiled slightly, "Though all of you are unique. None of us were quite sure what to expect when my king and his brothers sent word that you'd be coming back with them...that they'd be leaving so soon after arriving in Astoria."

Wincing at that, Iris rubbed the back of her neck, "I...It was surprising to us as well. I didn't expect any of us to become so close so soon," She smiled softly, "But it worked out for the better."

"So it seems," Seishuu paused mid-step with a light frown and Iris offered him a curious look, "Lady Iris," She eyed him quizzically at the title since none of Kouen's household members had addressed her as such before, "What do you intend to do once this is over? Once Lord Habi is dead?"

Lips pulling into a frown, Iris shook her head, "I do not know yet...Kouha and Koumei have both mentioned coming back with you all to the Kou Empire. I-"

"And what would you do?" Seishuu eyed her, "If you came back with us?"

There was a look in his eye that she didn't quite understand, it was something she'd seen in the eyes of Lord Habi's servants when they'd looked at her before she'd been enslaved though. But why would he look at her like that? Had she done something wrong? Shaking her head, she murmured, "I...I don't have an answer for you, Seishuu. Especially not one that I believe would satisfy you," She eyed him, "Is there something wrong?"

"No," The answer held a bite to it and Seishuu's eyes were a bit hard, "But I have some advice, Lady Iris," The frown curling at her lips deepened, "Do not come to the Kou Empire after this is done. If the Goulon Empire is not a place you wish to stay, I would suggest traveling elsewhere,"

Eyes narrowing at that, Iris's fingers twitched, "Why?"

Turning from her, Seishuu resumed walking up the stairs though spoke over his shoulder, "Because my King nor his brothers need a distraction."

"D-distraction-" Iris felt a bolt of fury rush through her and she quickly rushed to catch up with the household member, "What do you mean by 'distraction'?" Anger tangled within her voice like a bitter wine, "Are you implying that my presence would be a burden to your king and his brothers?"

Keeping his broad back to her, Seishuu continued walking, his voice steady but distant, "Not a burden, Lady Iris, but an emotional distraction," Iris's steps faltered at those words, "The Kou Empire is not a place for the faint-hearted or those who harbor emotional turmoil. Lord Habi's actions have left their scars on you, and the conflicts we face in the Kou Empire may exacerbate those wounds."

Confusion mingled with the anger coiling within her, Iris's fingers curled into fists only to loosen. While it angered her that he was bringing up what Lord Jackass had done, she was confused about why the man was speaking about emotions in such a way. The way he spoke almost made it seem like Kouen and his brothers felt something more than friendship towards her which was foolish. She pushed that thought away for the moment while hissing at Seishuu, "And who are you to decide what's best for me? It's my choice whether I go to the Kou Empire or not. I won't let anyone dictate my future."

Turning towards her as he paused on the staircase, Seishuu's expression was grave, "I don't mean to impose my will upon you, but I speak from experience. I've seen individuals with past traumas come to our empire, only to find that it can be a harsh and unforgiving place," A flicker of pain flashed through his eyes before it was washed away, "My king and his brothers have duties within the Empire...Challenges that must be overcome," The man's eyes bore into hers, "Your presence may very well complicate things."

Lips peeled back as her inner dragon released a deep growl, Iris's eyes narrowed at the man before her. Good intentions or not, she resented the idea of her past traumas defining her future. Darkness may dot her past like an ink staining parchment, but it did not mean she'd allow it to dictate her future. Taking a calming breath to ensure the magic coiling beneath her skin didn't lash out, she spoke in a low tone, "Seishuu, Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention. I truly appreciate it, but know this," She stepped closer to him as hints of her inner dragon slipped to the surface, "My past does not guide my future nor will allow anyone to tell me what to do," She relished in the way his eyes widened, "Where I go or don't go is up to me. Understand?"

Clearing his throat as he nodded, Seishuu rubbed the back of his head, "Seems I might've misjudged you a bit," A bolt of confusion raced through her a slight smile crossed the man's lips, "I won't press you too much, Lady Iris. Now we should get going, Prince Kouen isn't exactly the most patient person in the world after all."

Slightly thrown by the shift in attitude, Iris didn't immediately start walking after Seishuu for a long moment. Finally shaking away the confusion and rushing to catch up with him, she asked, "Was that whole conversation a test?"

"To a point," Seishuu scratched his cheek with a slight grin, "I wasn't lying about us not being sure what to expect when you all showed up. So far your friends have made themselves pretty much open to us save for Lady Luna, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in that blonde's head-" He stopped himself and coughed, "I didn't mean it like-"

Letting out a soft giggle, Iris waved away his apology as her dragon form and magic relaxed, "No worries, Seishuu. If anyone understood Luna within a matter of days or weeks, it'd be a miracle. Even among us, it can be a bit hard at times."

Sighing in relief, Seishuu rubbed at his head, "Thank Solomon you're not going to bite my head off," He grinned as they reached the second floor, "As I was saying, you're pretty much the only one that we don't know too much about. The princes are the only ones who actually get to spend time around you. Well, the magicians do though that's because-"

"My magical control is still a work in progress," Iris threaded her fingers together and settled her hands behind her head, "But you know a test wasn't needed, right? I'm not scary,"

"Anyone who can spar with our king and come to a draw is scary," Seishuu's grin widened as she shook her head, "And you can turn into a dragon which Kin honestly thought was bullshit until the day before yesterday," He paused for a second, "What is it like? Transforming into a dragon, I mean?"

Humming softly as she tilted her head, Iris had to think about it, "Huh, I haven't had to think about it since my godfather started to teach me..." She tilted her head back, "Well, it feels like a piece of myself is finally becoming free. Like I'm embracing something that was locked inside of me for the longest time," She felt a fond smile curl across her lips, "Like fire itself is curling within my chest, the very world can no longer tether me anymore because I have wings now. Like I can't be hurt even if we all know that's a lie," She felt her neck ache at the reminder, "Everything else falls away while I'm shifting."

"Wow," Seishuu muttered softly, "I never knew it could be like that,"

"There is a reason why I've got to meditate before transforming," Iris blushed slightly, "Anyway where is the-" She cut herself off as she caught sight of Kouen just ahead of them standing just inside a pair of double doors, "There is he,"

Within a few steps, they reached the double doors and walked inside. Kouen's lips twitched into a slight smile as he spotted her, "Ah, Iris," She offered him a warm smile, "Seishuu, thank you for getting her. You're dismissed for the moment."

"Of course, My King," Seishuu bowed before slipping out of the room.

"So what did you need?" Iris asked as Kouen walked back over to the table which had a map of the Goulon Empire covering it.

Gesturing to the detailed map before him, Kouen turned his head towards her, "As we have time now, I believe it's time for us to start planning our next phase of attack," Iris walked over to the table and noted the pieces that decorated it, "As both Ginny and yourself have said, you have far more knowledge of Lord Habi's current list of allies within his Empire than anyone else," She nodded while raising her eyes to look at Kouen, "So...who do you recommend we take out first?"

Blinking a bit, Iris's lips pulled into a slight smirk, "Well...if you want my recommendation..."

There was that feeling of warmth again, the one she'd been struggling to ignore whenever either Koumei or Kouen were around her. In moments like this, it seemed to grow stronger. For some reason, she kept thinking back to Luna and Ashe's words. And what Seishuu said, it made those words even harder to ignore. But there was work to do, the idea of shaking away Lord Habi's support system sent a thrill down her spine.

Rubbing at his temples as he walked into the dining room, Koumei looked about for his elder brother in hopes of discussing something that he'd come across in the library only to pause. While Kouen being absent wasn't a shock, the older man tended to get lost in his strategy sessions even if no one else was involved. The lack of Iris caused concern to simmer through him as she was still apparently working through some lingering issues created by her transformation and heavy magic use. Missing a meal wasn't an option, she was usually the first or second person in the room once dinner was announced. Seeing food being actively served and no sign of the witch, it was concerning.

Moving to sit down, Koumei addressed Kouha, who was starting to serve himself, "Ha, have you seen En or Iris today?"

Glancing at him, Kouha nodded as he plopped a hefty spoon full of rice into a bowl, "I saw Iris a couple hours ago...En too though not at the same time," He shrugged his shoulder, "Iris was with that guy...the one she calls a drunk while En was heading up to the war room he had set up."

"His name is Galen," Koumei pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He smells like booze, Mei," Kouha dropped the spoon back into its proper bowl, "Why?"

"Who smells like booze?" Ashe asked as she walked into the room and settled down in the seat across from Koumei.

Dropping his hand, Koumei answered her, "Galen apparently does."

Snorting loudly, Ashe grinned as she let out a loud laugh, "Well, yeah, he's a damn drunk, but an amazing swordsmith," She tilted her head, "So what brought up Galen? Did he pass out in an inconvenient area again?"

Shaking his head while making a note to warn the soldiers about that being a problem, Koumei explained, "Kouha saw him with Iris earlier. Since she's still recovering from her transformation and magic issues, I'm a little concerned by her absence."

"Ah, I see," Ashe poured herself some wine, "Well, I'd say she'd be just fine with Galen, but when they're making anything, you won't see either of them leave the forge," She raised her glass as Koumei felt dread pool in his gut, "But she isn't with Galen,"

Relief curled through him alongside confusion, Koumei set down the spoon he'd been reaching for, "Then who is she with?"

"Your elder brother, Prince Kouen," Ashe sipped her wine and set the glass down, "I saw her heading into the war room earlier after I'd left him to go deal with some of my people,"

Something shifted within his stomach, Koumei wasn't quite sure what it was though it felt familiar. Ignoring the chuckle Dantalion released, he shook his head, "They must be wrapped up in their discussion, I'll have some servants bring up food if they don't make an appearance."

As dinner progressed with no sign of his elder brother or Iris appearing, the feeling within Koumei's stomach seemed to shift and grow though he tried to ignore it. Eventually finishing his food, he stood and left the room with a mumbled excuse to the two he'd been eating with. After grabbing the attention of a servant and asking for food to be brought up to Kouen and Iris, he made his way to the war room. Emotions shifted inside of him as he ascended the stairs, he tried to ignore them though they bit at him like a rapid animal.

Knocking on one of the double doors as he reached them, Koumei barely had to wait a moment before Kouen called out, "Enter."

There was a hint of irritation in his elder brother's voice, Koumei's lips pulled into a slight grimace though he smoothed it away as he headed inside. Leaning against the table, Kouen and Iris were both peering over various portions of the map. Pieces had been scattered about, he was a bit shocked to see some of the strategies he'd helped plan out changed. A bright smile formed on Iris's lips as she caught sight of him, "Koumei, what are you doing up here so-" A surprised look crossed her face, "Holy fuck, it got late."

"So it did," Kouen chuckled with far more warmth than Koumei had heard in years, "That's what happens when good plans are made,"

"Eh, we still have a lot of work to do and information to verify before I'd consider any of it truly good," Iris rubbed the back of her neck as a delicate flush coated her cheeks.

"You two have been working on plans together? All day?" Koumei asked as he walked over to the table.

"Yeah," Iris walked over to him as he reached the table and began pointing out the plans they'd made, "Kouen asked for my recommendations on where best to strike next since out of my friends, I've got the most information,"

Remembering her story and seeing the look she was giving him, Koumei smiled as he nodded, "This is a lot...You think there is more to do?"

"A lot more," Iris lost her smile and a look of determination crossed her face, "Lord Jackass has a lot of contingency plans in place...More than any of his so-called close confidants realize. So we need to work on gathering together information, the more information we have, the better," She picked up a piece and toyed with it, "Shake up key allies, the ones he thinks are well hidden. Make him paranoid," A dark smile curled across her lips, "Well more paranoid,"

There was a soft giggle from within his mind, Dantalion curled around him though said nothing. Koumei tilted his head, "What do you mean by more paranoid?"

Setting down the piece she'd picked up, Iris looked at him with a faux innocent expression, "Lord Jackass always assumed the information I gave him was correct...Never taking it as a grain of salt," A bolt of shock went through him while Kouen snorted softly, "Every few truthful bits of information came with a false lead...a few paltry little lies mixed in with the truth...the Jackass never questioned why he lost so many of his formerly loyal followers."

Arms crossed and lips pulled into a dark smile, Iris's eyes were shadowed as she leaned back against the table. Kouen spoke as he smirked, "And how many of the nobles are loyal to Ashe?"

"By the last actual count, we did? Six heirs, two ladies, and five lords," Iris turned her head to look at Kouen, "All from separate noble houses and combined with the ones that had to flee from the Empire lest be killed, Ashe has the entire 26 higher and lesser houses needed to make up her court,"

Shaking his head, Koumei rubbed at his face, "I was wondering why both Ashe and you were so calm during our initial strategy meetings when it came to which cities we should deal with," He eyed Iris as a thought occurred to him, "How many of these strategies involve assassinations?"

"Right now?" Iris uncrossed her arms, "Five of them though it all depends on if we're able to get the proper information,"

"And how are you going to get it?" Koumei jolted as a knock sounded.

Realizing that it was a servant bringing up food for Iris and Kouen, Koumei relaxed and watched as a table was set up. Iris settled down cross-legged on a seat as the door closed, "While it might take a couple of days, Ginny and I are going to get into contact with the information network we've got set up. By my estimates, it should only take a week after to get the starting information we need."

Lips pursing at the thought, Koumei accepted the glass of wine Kouen offered him. Kouen spoke as he raised it to his lips, "A little under two weeks? That's quite quick, you have a rather large information network."

"When you consider the Empire's size compared to say...the Kou Empires or maybe the Reim Empire, it isn't that big," Iris picked up a fork, "But it's a decent size and we know for a fact that there aren't any moles...well none that haven't been made by us,"

Astonishment and interest welled up in his chest, Koumei lowered his wine glass, "You've thought about everything, haven't you?"

Shaking her head, Iris grimaced a bit, "Not everything, I'm mostly acting on experience. Granted, I'm taking my experience from something completely different and using it for this, but it's still working," She speared a piece of meat, "So I'll take it."

There was a dark look in her eyes, it was a pained one that told Koumei the story behind this experience wasn't nice. He glanced at Kouen as his elder brother asked, "What happened, if I may ask."

Chewing the bite she'd taken, Iris was quiet for a long moment even as she swallowed what was in her mouth. Speaking just as Koumei went to assure her it was okay not to answer, she spoke in a soft tone, "In my magic school, a certain position was thought to be cursed. Every year without fail, our Defensive magic instructor would leave the school due to misfortune befalling them, horrible accidentals, or even...death in some cases," she set her fork down with a deep sigh, "In my fifth year, the one that led us to end up here, we ended up with a horrid toad-like woman for a Professor. Someone who didn't know how to teach," A hazy look entered her eyes, "Every time someone misbehaved or even breathed wrong in her direction, it was on sight with that pitiful woman," He noticed one of her hands gripping the other tightly, "We were given detentions that I used to think were torture until..." She shook her head as a bitter smile crossed her lips, "Well..you know," She breathed out a shaky sigh, "Anyway, Hermione and Ron encouraged me to help form a group...Well, I was forced into becoming said group's leader without really wanting it."

As she took a deep breath, Koumei spoke in a soft tone, "Well, you have a way with people. I've seen it."

Letting out a bark of laughter, Iris shook her head and gifted him a brittle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. He was relieved that her eyes weren't hazy anymore though loathed how brittle her smile looked. Releasing the hand she was grasping, Iris told him, "Sure, I entertain them with my mental instability," She grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip, "As I was saying, we formed the group. It was to study in the beginning then some members wanted it to become more...a place to learn how to protect ourselves and one another," She smiled sadly, "I was all for it. The world we lived in was dangerous for multiple reasons even if a lot of people wanted to hide their heads in the sand. But that stupid toad, she kept pushing it and putting pressure on us. The members that had argued against the change showed their true colors as the pressure increased," A bitter look crossed Iris's face, "Moles suck like that, you put so much trust in them when you're sure they're someone to trust..."

"So did your group get shut down?" Kouen asked earning a soft laugh.

"Nope," Iris shook her head, "Hermione being the brilliant witch she is decided to put together a little trap just in case something might happen. Guess she had an inkling that something was going to happen," She leaned back into her seat, "She trapped a piece of parchment with all our names on it. Everyone who signed it was saying they wouldn't betray the secrets of our little club and if they did, a curse would be placed on them. It was one of the first real times she actually showed her more devious side to someone other than Ron and I,"

Part of Koumei really wanted to know if something like that would work for their men, it would be nice to have a way to know if someone was a traitor. Deciding that he'd speak with Hermione later, he asked, "So the mole was cursed?"

"Visibly...All three of them," Iris's lips pulled into a grimace and she shook her head, "Let's just say no one was happy and those three were in for a very unpleasant school year from that moment on," She grabbed her wine glass, "I'd feel bad for them, but they brought it on themselves,"

"You seem...rather unhappy about it. Was one of the moles a friend?" Kouen asked the question that Koumei had been silently wondering.

Pausing mid-sip, Iris started coughing as she pulled the wine glass away. Clearing her windpipe, she shook her head rapidly as a furious blush decorated her cheek. Startled by the reaction, he shared a look with Kouen before focusing back on Iris as she rasped, "No! No-I-We-Fuck-" She coughed a bit more before finally drinking a bit more wine, "I wasn't friends with her," The bitter look was back, "Even if I wanted to be, how could I?"

"Iris?" Koumei wondered what had happened.

There was a long sigh as Iris set down her glass, a sorrowful look crossed Iris's face, "Grief is a funny thing...In some cases, it likes to trick you," She looked at her hands, "I thought she liked me...she really pretended to...I thought I liked her too," She breathed out a low sigh before shaking her head as shock raced through him, "But no, we were both screwed up thanks to grief."

"What do you mean?" Kouen asked with a note of jealousy though why was his older brother jealous?

Raising her head, Iris looked at them, "I won't go into too much detail...Don't feel like opening up that can of worms right now especially when it's so late and there's already one emotional wound to deal with," She pushed away her barely touched plate, "The year before my fifth one had a tournament that I'd been forced to join in...It also led to me spending time around someone that I admittedly had a severe crush on. Even if he didn't feel the same," She grimaced deeply, "Thing is with that tournament, it has a high death toll with a couple of years where no one survived. The two of us were champions for our school and helping each other," She looked a bit guilty and there was pain in her eyes, "In the last task, we both ended up where the end goal was and...I suggested we both grab the very thing we'd been sent after despite finding it first. The thing is, the whole last task? It was a trap set for me."

"A trap?" Koumei muttered.

"My parents' murder had one of his followers set it up while another one prepared a ritual," Iris's expression blanked, "Because we both appeared in the ritual area, he had them kill the boy..." Koumei winced as he realized just why Iris had looked so guilty, "I made it out alive...made sure to bring his body back, but it didn't help the grief. No one tried to talk me through it. I was stuck in my grief until my godfather slapped some sense into me and we worked on my animal form,"

"Iris..." Koumei murmured as he moved towards where she sat.

"So the other girl and you...I assume you both were connected to the boy?" Kouen's voice lacked the jealous tone from earlier.

"Yeah, Cho was his girlfriend though the term most people tend to use here would be lover," Iris's face was still blank though she jolted when his hand settled on her shoulder, "It...I regret ever trying to get close to her though. It only made things worse before Hermione and Ginny managed to slap some sense into me," She looked at him with a tired gaze, "I...Is there anything else you need, Kouen? I should probably go get some rest if Ginny and I are going to put those plans into action,"

"Go ahead," Kouen waved her off.

Brushing away his hand as she stood, Iris nodded to him before leaving. Koumei's hand dropped to his side as he watched her leave. He spoke as the doors clicked closed, "En..."

"Mei," Kouen spoke as Koumei turned to him, "I have a feeling about what you wish to discuss, but for the moment, I believe that it might be best to leave it be. It's late and there is much work to do tomorrow,"

There was a bolt of frustration, Koumei straightened as he asked, "En, are you sure about that?" He saw Kouen glance at his with a raised eyebrow, "I do not want to argue with you, Kouen, but right now, I think...No, I know we need to discuss this."

There was a low sigh, Kouen set down the wine cup in his hand and turned to Koumei, "And what do you wish to discuss, Koumei, what cannot wait until tomorrow?"

"En...You and I are both aware to some extent of one another's feelings for a certain someone," Koumei decided to get straight to the point and saw Kouen straighten, "I don't want to push you on it. I honestly don't see a point in it. After all, we are in the middle of a war and it would be foolish to cause in fighting, but the fact remains that we both have feelings for Iris,"

There was a flash of emotions through Kouen's eyes, Koumei watched his face twitch as his elder brother shifted to face him fully. Confronting Kouen about this wasn't something he'd been planning, he'd felt the need to though. Breathing out as Kouen spoke, the elder man's gaze steady on him, "And what do you believe I feel towards her?"

Low snort leaving him, Koumei almost wanted to strangle Kouen though had to mentally applaud his elder brother. Even when thrown by unexpected results, Kouen could remain calm and cool. Eyebrow rising, he told Kouen, "The same thing I feel for her...Something that is steadily forming as we speak," Kouen's eyebrows furrowed, "Affection that's quickly becoming love as strange as it sounds."

Rather than scoff and deny it as he'd half expected it, Kouen released a low sigh and leaned back against the table, "Koumei, what do you expect to happen now that you've brought to light these feelings?"

"While I'm somewhat surprised you're not going to deny it, I...admit to being unsure about what to do," Koumei walked towards the table where his wine glass sat, "I had pictured bringing this up later on...when I had grown more accustomed to these feelings,"

There was a low grunt, Kouen shook his head, "As I've come to understand when being around Iris, you really shouldn't expect your plans to stay intact."

"True," Koumei's lips pulled into a slight smile, "What do you suggest we do?"

"That is an interesting question," Kouen raised his wine glass, "With the training we've both undergone, we should ignore these feelings until we've returned home. Even then, it'd be something to ignore as we'll always be at war until the world has been united under our banner," Koumei nodded slowly, "A part of me is very tempted to push you away from her...It's the same one that wished for our elder cousins' attention to be on me,"

"But I'm sensing there is another option," Koumei eyed his elder brother.

"Yes though it all depends on Iris," Kouen looked at him as he sipped his wine, "If she feels the same as us, we'll figure something out. If she only feels something for one of us, we will have to figure out our feelings and move on while supporting the other. And if she feels nothing, we will have to deal with it,"

While it pained him to think that Iris might not feel anything other than friendship towards him, Koumei was willing to deal with it. Nodding as he raised his glass, he muttered, "So we'll feel her out and see where things land...slowly?"

"Yes as we don't wish to scare her off though not too slowly," Kouen smirked a bit, "If there is a chance, I want that pretty little witch in my bed,"

Outwardly grimacing at his elder brother's words, Koumei felt heat travel down his spine as he actually thought about Iris possibly gracing his bed.