John makeshift tent

John was getting ready to sleep in the tent their host had mounted for them, he was feeling a lot better already but a good night was very appreciated. At the moment John's head hit the pillow the flap of his tent opened to let captain Saul in.

"Let me guess, my wellbeing is your duty and so you're not leaving my side before you're told otherwise. Told by someone else than me should probably be added in the fine print, doesn't it?" The young prince stated before Asagi could say anything, he knew that her recent refusal to obey his orders should be a concern for him but he also knew it was coming from a good place. However, having her second guess everything he did for fear of harm coming to him could very well do more harm than good. John needed to address it before her overzealous protection could cause affront to their new friends, Himself being a man and Link being an elf on top of his gender would already cause enough tension as it was.

"I'm sorry your highness but ..." Before being cut off by her prince standing up and coming to face her.

"Captain Saul, I do not want your apologies, the demon hunter guild has no business in my protection and they certainly don't have anyone who is even close to superseding my authority. You want to stay and protect me? Fine, but if you ever refuse my orders again I will execute you and then find who gave you your orders so they can share your fate. Am I clear enough for you, captain?" The prince said glaring at the captain to make sure she understood arguing his decision would not be tolerated anymore.

Asagi had never seen John so pissed off before, he always seemed uncaring of his own authority or rank. She also never heard him utter so much as a vague threat or hint at some reprisal for crossing him in her presence, she knew she had crossed the line refusing to obey him and worst of all in front of outsiders. Yet, he had still acted like it didn't bother him at the time, clearly, he wasn't amused by her stubbornness at a critical moment and she had pushed her luck too far this time.

She could see it now, John may have been aloof and uncaring but incompetent or idiot he was certainly not. He was on a mission that was obviously important at least to him and Asagi had undermined his authority at a crucial moment, now the outsider captain would probably report his lack of control over his soldier to their leader and make them take the prince less seriously. Asagi did the only thing she could think of to atone and convey her shame for her action, she dropped to one knee in the Northern kingdom salute.

"Forgive me my liege, I have broken your trust and will endeavor to regain it, your will is spoken on my honor," Asagi said hoping the life debt pledge would convey her will to make up for her mistakes. Of course, this was the moment that damnable captain Hail chooses to enter the tent with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that, I won't pretend I didn't hear all of it because I did. I wanted to ask if it was ok if I slept here with you two? Truth be told, I'm sure to be molested and get little sleep in the other tent." Lyria asked trying to hide her amusement for her counterpart predicament, she felt for her knowing well the young captain only wanted to uphold her duty but contradicting someone so far above one's rank always brought consequences. She saw the captain was about to, most certainly, object to her request before the prince spoke beat her to the punch.

"Of course Captain, you are welcome, it is after all your tent." The young prince graciously answered with a small bow.

Lyria eyes widened at this, that kind of bow was used only in two kind of situations, one was to acknowledge someone of the same rank which was clearly not the case here. The other was used by warriors to convey respect and to some degree submission, the lower the bow was signifying the extent of the submission to the better warrior.

The bow he had given her was one you would expect from a less experienced soldier of the same rank, it was highly inappropriate for their situation and she could see the young captain who was still kneeling seethe at the display. The worst was that she had no way of rectifying the act, trying to offer a bow in return would mean she was seeing herself as his equal while stating it was unnecessary would mean she was rejecting his assessment of their status, in other words, telling him he was an idiot.

She had only two options that she could think of, she could use the usual response which was a very small nod of acknowledgment, or she could try to diffuse the situation with something very informal so the young captain could at least pretend it never happened. Lyria could think of a couple of ways to do this but she also wanted to tease the cute prince a little and send a message to the young captain.

Asagi immediately tensed when her counterpart started to approach John in a very casual and friendly way, her hips swaying from side to side and with a big smile on her face, when Hail was merely inches away she put her hand on John's arm and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, handsome, you're a lifesaver. If you want I can give you a massage? You know, since it seems my people are responsible for injuring you. Think of it has my way to say 'sorry'." Lyria said making sure to bend enough so the young prince would get a clear view of her cleavage.

Asagi could not believe the nerve on that girl, how could she even think she was worthy to touch John let alone give him a massage. However, it was a good idea and Asagi was going to steal it as soon as John refuses the offer........................