Oh.

Oriole hadn’t meant to make Mr. Yasei genuinely angry. He’d thought he was just being friendly and reassuring the kind man that he thought Yasei seemed just as noble as the heroes he met.

“I mean, it’s not just because you’re strong…” Oriole rubbed at the back of his neck, choosing to watch the arc of the ball rather than meet the Komainu’s eyes. He really hadn’t meant to piss him off. “I just meant, uh, because you seem like the person who helps people, is all. And I’ve met jerks and assholes, and you’re not one of them. But if it really upsets you, then I’ll cut it out - AH!”

The sheer force of Yasei’s blow probably would have caved his chest in if it had hit him - as it was, it only knocked Oriole off his feet, the young thief waving his arms in defeat in front of his face. Yeah, there was no way he was going to win against this ferocious man. He held his hands out in a ‘T’ in front of him, frantically shaking his head.

“Alright, I give, I give!” He cried, before picking himself up, fixing a nasty glare at Andromeda. “If you want to kill yourself, go ahead. I’m going to the food buffet.”

Yasei took a few breathes before realizing he'd actually lost his temper. It was rare for him to get so upset by something so small as a name. He never thought being called a hero would get to him like that, but it had just... He didn't know how to describe how it made him feel. How it made him hurt. But he did know it wasn't the kid's fault.

He sighed and slumped a bit as Oriole ran off to the buffet. His tail fell to the sand and his ears drooped as he looked away, a guilty look on his face. Oriole had left, but Andromeda was still there on the other side of the net. He plopped down on the sand with another sigh and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oy, I'm not gonna kill you, ya know... But, uh... How's your face? I mighta hit the ball a bit hard... You should get a bandage or something while we're waiting for him to get back."

It wasn't exactly an apology, but he did sound at least a little sorry. He felt ashamed of his actions so far. This whole game had been a big mistake. All he'd done was smash a girl's face with a ball and get all mad at a boy just for calling him a hero. Hmph. Very heroic actions. He needed to calm down and take this game a lot less seriously. He'd let his competitiveness get the best of him for a moment after being called an old man. How pathetic.

Seeing that neither other participant was really in the gaming mood, Andromeda wiped some of the blood off her nose and shrugged. She was fairly certain she’d gotten the most points during that volley anyways, so in her mind, this was a win. She moved to sit in the sand next to the big lion dog with a scowl on her face.

“What, me? Nah, I didn’t think you were gonna kill me. I just wanted a good fight. Oriole’s just a real skittish guy. The second something scares him he retreats into his shell like a hermit crab. Which sucks because it means I never get to have any fun with him.” She shot him a lopsided smile that was much less endearing with the red all over the lower half of her face.

“Don’t tell him I said this but he’s super lame when it comes to volleyball. You were way much more fun to play against than him.”

She ignored his recommendation for a bandage with a wave of her hand. Eh, she’d get Master Cyran to set it in a minute.

Eventually, Oriole returned with a couple plates of food in his hand, one stacked high with things Yasei might find familiar, as they were pieces of food he’d grabbed earlier before the game started. The second plate was much smaller, more fitting for a human man with a human appetite.

“Sorry I upset you, Mister Yasei. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say and I try to act like I think Master Cyran would… but he’s much better at the being nice thing than me. Anyways, I brought you some more food. As thanks for playing with us.”

Yasei watched with a raised eyebrow as Andromeda sat down next to him. He would have expected her to act more like Oriole and run off. That's probably what any other kid would do after seeing him make craters in the sand and smash their nose. It was really her that was acting more strange out of the two. But, having her sit down next to him without a hint of fear did lift his mood a bit.

"Heh. A good fight." Yasei chuckled and then leaned closer. "It wasn't much of a fight." He teased with a big grin on his face before leaning away again and laughing loudly, a hand on top of Andromeda's head and ruffling her hair. He could tell she had a lot of fight in her, and he found that endearing even if her bloody face wasn't.

"Don't worry, I can keep it a secret. You were fun to play with too, even if you weren't a match for me. Hey, if you want a more fair fight, maybe you should jump in the water. With all that blood on your face, maybe you'll attract a shark to fight." He joked, making himself laugh loudly again as he patted Andromeda on the back with just a little more force than intended.

Yasei's nose let him know Oriole was back with a plate of food before anything else did, the smell of grilled fish making his stomach grumble again.

"Ooh, thanks." He chuckled as he took the offered plate piled high with all the things he liked. Oriole must have a good memory to remember all the things he'd grabbed the first time he visited the buffet.

"Mm. It's okay. It's not your fault. This Master Cyran sounds like a good guy. Is he your hero?" Yasei asked before starting to dig into the plate of food a lot more slowly than he had before. He was hungry, but not nearly as hungry as he had been after waking up from such a long nap.

“Oi!” Andromeda protested as Yasei ruffled her hair, half heartedly smacking the liondog away with no real fire in it. “If I’d had my weapons it would’ve been a lot more even.” She had no qualms about bringing a knife to a volleyball fight, but Master Cyran had made her put her blades away before coming to the beach - that was the only reason she hadn’t won. Yeah. “I demand a rematch one day. Blood for blood.”

She seemed determined now to return the favor and one day snack Yasei hard enough in the face to draw blood the way he’d done so from her. And Yasei was probably joking, but the dangerous gleam in her eye said that if she’d had her blades on her she would seriously have considered doing just that. She was clearly a competitive girl, and desperate to prove herself somehow. Even through benign competitions like sport games and random fighting wild beasts. Anything she could do to prove herself.

Thankfully, Oriole returned a moment later and nudged her with his foot as he sat. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it.” He said with all the exasperation of a brother.

The mood seemed lighter now that they’d all gathered around in the sand, the sourness quelled while they enjoyed their food. Oriole stole a couple of pieces from Oriole’s plate, clearly still considering jumping into the water and battling the sharks. Oriole nodded enthusiastically at the mention of Master Cyran.

“Yeah! He’s our teacher.” Oriole didn’t mention what they were being trained in, but Yasei would definitely be able to guess it was combat of some sort. Then, quieter, Oriole spoke. “And he’s my hero, at least. He definitely showed me that there are still good people out there. They don’t have to help everyone, but their actions matter to the people they’ve saved. He makes me want to help people, too.” An odd ideology for a thief to have, but Oriole had always dreamed about doing things the right way. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. Helping those that needed.

“But, um, I’m sorry for upsetting you earlier.” Oriole held out his hand, all manners just the way his teacher taught him. “Thanks for giving us a good game! It was a lot of fun.”

Yasei nodded along, pretending to agree with her as she claimed having her weapons would have made a big difference in their match. He didn't think she'd appreciate it if he said he also hadn't been using his own weapon, so in an unusual amount of tact for the Koma-Inu, he kept that to himself.

"Sure, I don't mind a rematch. Maybe in a few hundred years, you'll stand a chance." Yasei teased as he patted the top of her head some more despite her protests.

He watched with an amused smirk as Andromeda and Oriole interacted in a way he could only liken to siblings and wondered of Oriole hadn't been lying to him when he said they weren't brother and sister. They seemed just as close as he'd been with his own siblings when he was a pup. He chuckled as Andromeda stole some food off of Oriole's plate and offered her some of his own. 

"Hey, with an attitude like that, maybe you'll be someone else's hero one day." Yasei said just before finishing the last crab claw and setting his empty plate to the side, tossing it into the sand outside of the volleyball court. With a small chuckle, he got back to his feet and looked down at Oriole with a grin.

"What do you mean? The game's not finished! Didn't Cyran Sensei ever teach you to finish what you started?" Yasei spoke with a malicious smile on his face. "Neither of us is at fifteen points yet."

Andromeda’s attempts to smack Yasei’s hands while he was ruffling her hair were in vain - he was just too strong, and she was an average human. Oh, but she’d get her revenge. And it looked like retribution was upon them - as once they finished their break, Yasei turned back to Oriole with a challenge in his eyes and a provocation that Andromeda couldn’t ignore. She got to her feet immediately, pulling Oriole up despite the young man’s protests. “Oh, we’re gonna finish this game. And we’re gonna win.”

A challenge blazed in her eyes; she’d found a new mountain to surpass, and she was determined to win at any cost.

Five minutes later, Oriole and Andromeda lay dead in the sand, surrounded by craters.

“Ugh…” Oriole grimaced, pulling himself to his feet to stare at the victorious liondog on the other side of the net. It was hard to believe that this was his first real time playing this game; not when he fought like a natural and had the strength of a bull. There was no possible way for the two of them to win!

Andromeda picked herself up out of the sand and helped Oriole to his feet. Thankfully, she had not sustained more grievous injuries since the first, aside from her own wounded pride. Leaning closer to Oriole, she whispered, “Come on. When I give the word, let’s tackle him. Just to have the last laugh.”

Oriole nodded. The quiet young man was not without his own mischievous side, and Yasei was strong enough that it wouldn’t seriously hurt him. So he followed behind Andromeda, who offered her hand, as if to give him a sportsmanlike handshake. “Good game.” She said, waiting for Yasei to take the bait. Only when his guard was down did she yell, “NOW!” - giving the command for both apprentices to latch onto the larger man and attempt to bring him down into the sand. A much more difficult task given the sheer size of him, but they looked far more playful than malicious - Andromeda never smiled, but Oriole had a big grin on his face as he hung off of Yasei’s back.

“Give up yet, Uncle?”

"I thought you said you were gonna win!" Yasei taunted jokingly with a smug grin on his face before he burst out into laughter. Of course, he'd suspected this would be the outcome since the start. As much as he liked these kids and held back to not hurt them, he wouldn't let them win. He wasn't the most prideful person, but he at least didn't want to be beaten by some youngsters.

Yasei happily extended a hand to shake when he saw the two come over to him and offer one. How very sportsmanlike of them. That Cyran Sensei of theirs must have taught them well not to be sore losers. He could appreciate th- Ah, nope, it was a trap.

Yasei just laughed some more as the two climbed onto him, trying to knock him into the sand. Unfortunately for them, the giant of a man was completely unphased by their attempts. The only thing that had any effect on him and made him stop laughing for a moment was being called "uncle".

"Uncle? That's, hmmm...." Yasei closed his eyes and thought about it, putting his hands on his hips as if there weren't two people clinging to him. He had worked on his Common after making plans with Kou to visit the mainland, but it still took him a moment to figure out the translation. Uncle, uncle... that translated to...

"Ah. Oji-chan..." Yasei sighed dejectedly. Maybe Oriole didn't know it, but now both him and Andromeda had basically called him an old man. Yasei's expression quickly changed to a mischievous smile though as he thought up a quick revenge plot.

With one hand for each of them, Yasei grabbed Andromeda and Oriole and held them both in the air by an ankle as he walked over to the water. With a few swings before letting them go, he casually tossed them both into the ocean, far from shore where the water was deep enough for them to land safely.

Yasei laughed loud enough for Oriole and Andromeda to hear him once they surfaced.

"It'll take more than that to take me down!" He shouted out over the water.

Oriole was, it seemed, completely oblivious to the fact that he’d inadvertently insulted Yasei through what was likely just a term of endearment in his own country. He was also utterly oblivious to the fact that he was about to be hurled into the ocean with the strength only a lion-dog could muster. One second, he was clinging to the larger man, and the next, gravity had been pulled from under him as he hurtled towards the air with a sharp scream. Next to him, Andromeda was swearing under her breath as her arms flailed wildly, attempting to grab onto anything that might break her fall, only to latch onto air.

The two criminals in training landed in the ocean with a SPLASH, the world’s most deadly and accidental canonball. And loud enough to catch the attention of an elven man on the other side of the beach near the tide pools, who’d only been keeping an eye on the fun up until this point. But when he saw his students hit the water, he could not help but be a touch… concerned. He picked himself up and brushed sand off of his beach attire, silently making his way to the waterfront.

Meanwhile, as the students resurfaced, they caught the sight of Yasei laughing, having been the one to claim the final victory. Oriole laughed, and though Andromeda would deny it, she might have cracked a smile. At least until she noticed the man approaching them, wafting almost like a ghost through the crowd. Her face paled, all humor draining from her expression. “Oh, shit…”

They’d only been given one rule for this party from their master - keep their heads low and don’t make a scene. Well, getting into a violent and bloody volleyball game before getting tossed into the ocean was most definitely making a scene.

They climbed out of the water as Cyran reached them, pulling two towels seemingly from out of nowhere and draping them around the kid’s. Oriole’s was decorated with little magpies, and Andromeda’s, snow-white dragons. “You two certainly look like you’ve been having fun. Everything okay?”

“We’re fine, Master Cyran.” Oriole insisted. “We were just playing volleyball with Mister Yasei over here.”

Cyran hummed, ruffling the thief’s hair. “Is that so?” He asked before turning to face Yasei properly, offering a small bow that was more along the lines of a greeting proper to the Crescent Isles. “Pardon my students, then, Mister Yasei. They’re a little rambunctious… I hope they haven’t been causing you any trouble or disturbing your enjoyment of the festival.” He didn’t seem especially mad at them for having fun, but manners dictated he still apologize at such a formal event.

"Ooh, you're Cyran Sensei!" Yasei said with a wide smile. It was nice to meet the man Oriole had spoken so highly of. He didn't know what Cyran was teaching them, but Oriole and Andromeda seemed like they were in good hands.

"It's fine, it's fine! It was no trouble. I enjoyed the game and I would have probably slept through the whole festival anyways if it wasn't for them." Yasei said with a wave to dismiss Cyran's concerns. He then laughed and gave Cyran a heavy clap on the back strong enough to send the man faceplanting in the sand. Yasei didn't realize he might have done a poor job of holding back his strength again, as he just carried on the conversation like nothing happened.

"These two were pretty good. If you're they're sensei, you must be pretty strong. You want to play some volleyball?" Yasei asked innocently. Really, he was of a mind similar to Andromeda, and wanted a good sparring match, but he figured a festival wasn't a good place for that. A game of volleyball would be good enough for now to test his strength against Cyran.

"I should warn you though, I'm pretty strong." He added with a confident smirk.

Cyran blushed at the tall komainu’s instant recognition of him. He shouldn’t have been surprised that his apprentices had spoken of him, but for Master Yasei to look so excited to meet him was a bit of a shock. The assassin was unused to attention on him, and flattery and complements even less so. But he took it in stride, offering Yasei a thin, polite smile and a bashful nod. “My students were talking about me, then? All good things, I hope.”

He did his best as a teacher, but like all instructors, Cyran often doubted whether he was training them well, or whether they genuinely respected or looked up to him. In the end, he knew it didn’t particularly matter so long as he equipped them with the necessary tools they needed to survive. To see the bright smile on Yasei’s face, though, and the bashful expressions worn by Oriole and Andromeda, Cyran felt a small flutter of relief that it seemed to be complementary.

Relief that turned to pride while Yasei described that they’d inadvertently helped him, in a roundabout way. All was well that ended well, he supposed. That spark of pride grew when Yasei relayed that they’d both been a decent challenge in the game. The keen assassin’s instinct had already assessed Yasei for threats - and while his posture was friendly, and not particularly hostile, Cyran could see the combat prowess that had been carved into his stature, sturdy and solid muscle and the gaze of a fighter. Whoever he was, Yasei was no slouch. That his students had lasted so long against him was a testament to how much they'd learned.

“Ah, I’m glad to hear that. Though I could have sworn I told them both to use this event as an opportunity to rest take a break from training.” That last part was said with a pointed glance at both of his wayward students, who both averted their gaze at being called out.

The next question, though, made him pause.

Truthfully, he was rarely one for sparring or light combat, especially not in a place like this where agents of the crown lingered in darkened crevices. Eyes and ears everywhere - and it only took a few misplaced words for word of a rather plain elf with just a touch more agility than he ought to have, for unwanted attention to knock upon his door once more. But it was probably a good training exercise for Oriole and Andromeda to watch their teacher in action, right?

“I wouldn’t mind a round.” He said after a moment’s thought, rolling his shoulder in its socket. Man, he really was getting up in years… even just an afternoon laying in the sun had left him feeling tired and sore, needing to stretch his muscles. “I don’t know if I would particularly describe myself as strong, but I hope I’m a decent enough opponent to make things fun. Let’s have a nice game, yeah?”

"Mhm, all good things!" Yasei assured Cyran with a big smile and a nod. Well, at least it was all good things from one of them. Andromeda hadn't said much about him, but Oriole had literally called the man his hero, said he saved people, and indirectly said he was his role model. Definitely all good things in Yasei's opinion, and Yasei didn't see any reason for the kid to lie about any of that. His own opinion of Cyran was high. Whose wouldn't be after hearing such praise for him? Now he just wanted to see some of the hero's skills for himself.

Yasei laughed loudly as Cyran gave the two a look that he equated to a parent whose kids just did something they were told specifically not to do. He could relate.

"Hey, playing games is what they do when they get a break, right?"

Yasei's smile widened and his eyes had a slightly dangerous feeling glint in them once Cyran agreed to take him on in a game of volleyball. His tail swayed back and forth behind him lightly as he got excited to see just how skilled Oriole's hero was. He loved a good challenge, and as fun as the game with the two kids was, he couldn't really call it that. Maybe their sensei would be a better one.

"There's plenty of different kinds of strong." Yasei said to Cyran with another heavy pat on the back before he walked toward the makeshift volleyball court. He looked back toward Cyran with a grin. "Ah, I did mean I'm that kind of strong though." He added with another boisterous laugh while trying to kick some sand to refill the craters he'd made earlier still making the court look like some kind of war zone.

Cyran eyed the craters around them, displaced sand that had faced so much pressure that it had almost taken on a glassy sheen. The assassin held his tongue, delicately refraining from asking what the hell had happened here, not when he could put the pieces together himself. One might think that playing a game meant his students were giving themselves a break, of course. One might think.

Unfortunately, being their teacher and mentor Cyran also knew his students’ - mostly, Andromeda’s - predilection for provoking things more powerful than herself for the challenge.

And with that, they’d apparently provoked one of the biggest fish in the pond.

He eyed his students knowingly, a humorous smile curling at the corners of his lips, more amused than anything now that he’d ascertained that Yasei was not upset at them for anything. “Mm, yes. One might think they were relaxing. But they have a special love of chasing mayhem.” Even if they didn’t look it.

If they were embarrassed about being called out, it was secondary to the intrigue of watching their teacher go head to head against a man whose prowess they could only describe as monstrous - as evidenced by the battlefield that lay around the makeshift beach volleyball court. Cyran eyed it warily. Externally, he appeared calm, but on the inside, he could not help but feel a touch of apprehension.

Dear Lunala, what have I gotten myself into?

He huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a wheeze. “I’m not as young as I used to be, but I hope to give you a challenge nonetheless.”

He was not… physically strong in the traditional sense, though Cyran was fast, disciplined, and precise - and decent enough with magic. He’d just have to rely on his quick reflexes to see him through. He shrugged off his shawl, rolling his shoulder in preparation for the game. The ball had been left on his side of the court from where Oriole and Andromeda had lost, so Cyran bent down to pick it up and dusted sand off of it. Eyes narrowed, focus sharpened, Cyran watched Yasei. The shadows stirred around him in anticipation.

Well, there was no time like the present to start - may as well kick it off without much fanfare. Gauging his strength, Cyran set the ball, kicking off the second game of the day - master versus master.

Yasei hummed to himself as he cheerily went around fixing the sand of the court back into decent shape, kicking it into the craters to refill them and sweeping it fairly even with his giant fluffball of a tail. He wanted a good fi- a good game. It wouldn't be good to have someone feel cheated because they tripped in one of the craters he'd made with his overeager serves and volleys last game. An unfair match wasn't fun.

"Ah, I hope so too! I love a good challenge. Don't worry, I'm not very young myself." He replied happily to Cyran with a joking tone and then chuckled lightly, giving him a glance as he continued his kicking and sweeping.

Yasei's ears twitched and he stopped and looked toward Cyran when he realized he'd noticed something odd. The shadows beneath the man's feet seemed almost alive, like they were as eager to start the game as he was. Yasei stopped his repairs and faced Cyran with a renewed interest.

"Hoh? Sensei, do you have some magic?" He asked excitedly, his eyes and stance suddenly a lot more serious, though his mouth still smiled wide. "That'll make this a lot more fun!"

Cyran's serve was nothing special. Not that hard and no magic. A warm-up. Yasei just gave it a gentle tap to return the serve, wanting to see more of what Oriole and Andromeda's master had to offer. Yasei made a gesture with his hand, silently telling Cyran to bring it. He wanted to see what Cyran could do, to know just what kind of strong he considered himself.

The game started off mild, but Cyran was under no illusion that it would remain that way. Yasei had already given his students a challenge, the remnants of their battle littering the field for Cyran to see. But without having an understanding of what he was capable of, it was smarter for the assassin to play it safe. He knew plenty of others with a physical prowess greater than his own, and had even gone toe to toe with some of them. Dealing with them was merely a matter of… redirecting their momentum. If you could not directly stop a blow, you parried it with a gentle touch.

He blinked, temporarily thrown off at the prospect of Yasei recognizing that he was magically inclined - the komainu was far more keen than he might have initially thought. An oversight on Cyran’s part. He squared his shoulders back as he squared up to serve the ball, a more thoughtful expression on his face. If Yasei was taking this seriously, then so would he. “I dabble, yes.” Cyran replied, not wanting to be dishonest but also not the type to boast on any of his skills. He’d merely just let them speak for themselves, if the game came to that.

Yet the game started out mild enough. The dislodged sand around them indicated that the fighter had a powerful swing and packed a punch hard enough to cave Cyran’s head in if he wasn’t careful. Yet he volleyed it back without much power, clearly gauging Cyran’s reaction. His hand gesture, a challenge. Unfortunately, rather than strong hits and powerful blocks, Cyran’s methods involved a… more subtle approach. He hit the ball back without much trouble, and seemingly without anything behind it at all…

At least, not until the ball was nearly within arm’s length of Yasei, just in the moment the fighter would have pounced for it to lob it back. In that moment, right before his arms would connect, the ball would swerve wildly to the side, as if swatted to the side by an invisible hand; veering wildly off course where it would hit the sand next to him if he didn’t catch it fast enough.^[1] It was a bit of a soft ball, but it would not do to start with firepower right off the bat. He had no idea what Yasei was capable of, either. It was time to learn.

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1. Telekinesis