Chapter Text
Another Winter Break was approaching and all the students in Night Raven College were packing to get back home.
Everyone except Yuu, who still had that little problem about being stuck in that parallel, magical world and would be remaining in the school with Grim for the following two weeks. They had already wished Ace and Deuce happy holidays and were about to go back to Ramshackle and study up a couple places he could visit in the meantime, a couple trips to warm places, not to freeze their butt all day.
“At least we could hang out at the Mostro Lounge while I think about where to go?” They pondered “Since they’re stuck here with us.”
“Please don’t” The cat imp ruffled his fur “Two weeks? With the Leech Brothers around? Nope, nope, nnnnnope!”
Yuu chuckled and shook their head “Uhm… Grim? I don’t know if you should turn around or not.”
“Nya? What is it- Oh.”
Floyd Leech was looming over both of them, his usual grin and sharp teeth in full display
“Awww, is Seallie not happy to stay in school with us? I thought we were friends!”
“This is what I meant!!” Grim hissed “You pop out of nowhere like those fishes hiding in the sands, giving me heart attacks!”
“I’ll warn you then, ehe” The merman in disguise then huffed while looking at his clock, a little pout on his face. “Oh, come onnn… Hurry up or Azul will come here pulling me by the ear.”
“What is it? Who are you waiting for?”
Floyd had changed his demeanor from his creepily cheerful to slightly sad in a snap of finger. Now that Yuu noticed, Jade wasn’t around and it was rare to see them separated, unless it was for something important.
“I’m waiting for Snakey! I want to give him one last squeeze before he leaves the school! Two weeks without playing…” He sniffled and sighed as he leaned his head on Yuu’s.
“Will you keep me company until my playmate arrives? Pwetty pweeeease?”
“Fine, fine, I guess I can stay here with you for a little while.”
It didn’t take too long before the noise of scaly skin on the floor made Floyd jolt up with an ear-to-ear grin.
“SNAKEY!!”
“EELY!!”
Floyd ran into the arms of the massive, almost 30ft long Naga from Savanaclaw: Kalyan Vishvaas. They hugged tightly and pretended to dramatically cry.
They were basically best friends after all that time spent together wrestling for Azul, but also for their own personal enjoyment.
“What will I do without you for two weeks?!” Floyd squeezed the Naga closely “Azul will nag me nonstop and it’s gonna be soooooooo boriiiiiiiiinnnnng!”
“Be strong, Floyd! I’ll write you whenever I get the chance and send you pretty pictures, now that Cater taught me to ussse a sssssmartphone” Kalyan looped his tail around the merman and squeezed back, then bumped foreheads with him and nuzzled.
“Hi Kalyan!” Yuu walked to the Serpent with Grim on their shoulder “Are you going back to Briar Valley?”
“Ssssalutations, Yuu!” The Naga slithered to hug both “Unfortunately, winter in Briar Valley isss too much for me and my parentsss to handle.”
Understandable, the Vishvaas Family were all pythons and therefore more comfortable to hot temperatures and humid climates.
“Ssso I’m going on a little vacation with my parents, Ammi’s taking two weeks off.”
“That’s great! Where are you going?”
Floyd, Yuu and Grim cocked an eyebrow as Kalyan flushed on his cheeks and bit his lower lip with a shy, yet excited, giggle of his.
Then, as they realized, they slowly smirked.
“Oooo!” Floyd elbowed him with a sly grin “Then you gotta write me aaaaalll the details!”
“Kaly and Leo, sitting on a tree!” Grim hummed before snickering.
“Go for it, Casanova!” Yuu patted his back.
“Guysss! Come on! I’ll be going with my parents and we’re staying as guest in Leona’s family palace. It’s a little too early for me and Leona to go on a vacation alone.”
“But you snooze together all the time!” Floyd laughed.
“We’re in school! That’s different!” Kalyan huffed and then brought forward his luggage as the mirror started shimmering “Good, they’re here!”
From the glass surface, the towering, slightly imposing but friendly figures of Priya and Veer Vishvaas slithered into the Mirror Room. Kalyan’s mother was wearing a green and gold Sari, her long chocolate brown hair tied in a braid adorned with golden decorations. His father was wearing a black and beige sherwani, a turban on his head and two golden circular earrings.
As soon as their reptilian eyes glanced upon their waving son’s form, they immediately went greeting him with arm and tail hugs.
“There’sss my little snakeling!” Priya peppered his face in snake kisses and then a big smooch on his forehead. Veer too kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair
“Everything ready? Forgotten nothing?”
“Nothing, Pita. I’m ready to go.”
“Hello Mr and Mrs Vishvaas!” Yuu and Grim waved from behind them
“Hello Mama Snakey and Papa Snakey” Floyd grinned at them with a cheerful and more polite attitude.
“Oh! Namassste!” Priya slithered to give a hug to all of them “It’s been a long time. Yuu, Grim and… Jade?”
“Nope, Mrs Mama Snakey. It’s Floyd” The merman giggled and dismissed the Naga Woman’s apology “Eh, it’s fine. It happens”
“Well then, I guess we’re ready to go then?” Veer turned to the Dark Mirror “Fairy Magic comes in handy indeed, especially being in good terms with the prince.”
“Sssunset Savannah, please” Kalyan vibrated with anticipation as the artefact shimmered to show the sunny main square. He was eager to go, so he waved at the three of his friends and then slithered into the mirror.
“Byeeeeee!” They trio behind wished the Nagas to have fun as they disappeared into the portal.
Once on the other side, they got surrounded by a delightful heat that they stretched into, their scaly tails undulating happily on the warm ground.
“Ahhh finally!” Priya curled up her tail “Oof, I’ll be spending a lot of time ssssunbathing here.”
“And I’ll be tangled with you doing the same, love” Veer licked his wife’s temple affectionately “But now it’s better we change, I wouldn’t want anyone stumbling into us.”
“Right, right”
The Vishvaas changed their tail into legs and wore sandals, under the eyes of many curious people walking around. They surely made an impression, because the many beastmen of the Savannah were both marveled and maybe a little… intimidated?
Then, Kalyan squealed as he saw a green jeep driving and parking in front of the fountain. The door opened and the smiling figure of Prince Leona Kingscholar came out.
The young Naga left the luggage and ran to hug and smooch his nose with lots of nuzzling and hissing.
“I’ve missed you!”
“We’ve only been apart for twelve hours!” The Lion rolled his eyes, but still smiled and chuffed at his now official boyfriend’s display of affection.
“I know but this is a special occasion!” Kalyan flicked his tongue on the other’s nose again, his eyes spiraling with blue and golden non magic rings out of happiness.
“Greetings, your Highness” Kalyan’s parents bowed, but Leona shook his head “Please, none of that, not with you. Come along, put your luggage in the back and get on.”
“Oh, that is a modern vehicle, right?” They were still a little outdated with the technological advance.
“Ammi, can I sssit on the front?” Kalyan flapped his eyelids at his mother, who laughed “And you even ask? Go ahead”
She could only smile at her son’s glee in sitting beside the young man he was in love with, a prince, nevertheless.
There was only one detail that worried her, but she had promised herself not to repeat the same errors and let him live freely. She didn’t want to cause him pain at all.
“Buckle up, like this” Leona showed them how to put on their seatbelt and then started the car in direction of the palace.
“EEK! Oh dear… I’m not used to thissss” Veer hanged onto the seat with a nervous chuckle “We were driving a horse pulled wagon until last year.”
“Don’t worry, I’m a good driver…”
“Fascinating!” Priya moved her head enough to stare at the wheels moving below them “And this isn’t magic? Just technology?”
“Yes, the engine heats up and there’s a whole chain reaction that makes the wheels move”
“I’ll tell my father about this once we get back!”
Leona stopped at a streetlight, his eyes glancing at the handsome face beside him… That had vitreous eyes and was clinging for dear life to the seat, like his father.
“You alright?” He snorted “Come on, I’m not even driving fast!”
“It’s… Okay. I just need to get ussssed to it, tsss-sss!”
But he was praying to get back on solid ground soon enough. He needed to take deep breaths and focus on the scenery instead of the vehicle moving.
Even if it was a big city, all the Vishvaas family were glad there were so many plants and trees around. As Leona explained, it was to honor the ancestors of the beastmen, by coexisting with nature, rather than exploiting it or destroying it for the sake of expanding the city, they wanted to preserve it.
“Now this, is a philosophy I agree with!” Priya’s eyes shimmered in happiness.
“Well, for me it’s a fifty-fifty…” Leona sighed, but still, he knew about Kalyan’s parents and how nature loving they were.
“Hahah, pardon my wife, Leona. She’s a bit of a nerd when it comes to plants” Veer rubbed his nose on her temple and gave it a smooch.
“Yeah, Kalyan told me about you two” Leona steered towards the palace “The Madam is a doctor specialized in plant medicine and you Sir, are a sorcerer who makes her remedies even more effective and specialize yourself in skin care and diseases.”
“Exactly, boy” Veer puffed up his chest “I was blessed with a Unique Magic that can either harm or cure skin conditions. But my secret hobby is astronomy.”
“A botanist, an astronomer dermatologist… And they made a hypnotist theatre-kid?” He grinned at his boyfriend, who stuck his tongue at him cheekily.
“Ahhh shut up!”
The car stopped in front of the palace’s entrance after a while, they were soon reached by a few palace attendants who got the luggage for the guests and would bring them to their rooms already.
On the stairs that led to the massive building, there were three Lion Beastmen: a tall, strong one with long red hair, a woman with shorter, curly beige hair, and then a little child with the father’s red hair.
This one squealed and let go of the man’s hand and ran downstairs.
“UNCAAA! KALYAAAAN!!”
Leona sighed as Cheka jumped and clung to him, then hopped to Kalyan who had the opposite reaction, he nuzzled and squeezed the child to his chest.
“How are you, little rasssscal? I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve been good! And I missed you too!”
The small lion turned to both Kalyan’s parents, who already were staring at him wide, soft eyes.
“Oh, Great Cosmic Serpent!” Priya smiled “Who’s this little bundle of joy and cuteness?”
“This is Cheka, my nephew...” Leona commented “Come on, say hello to Mrs and Mr Vishvaas”
“OH! Are you Kalyan’s Papa and Mama?” Cheka jumped down to run around them, complimenting their clothes and how pretty they were. And that was it. He had won them over.
“Vishvaas family!” The other adult Lion Beastman walked down the stairs with a wide smile and arms open “Welcome to Sunrise City! I’m so happy to finally meet you!” He cleared his throat “Falena Kingscholar, King of Sunset Savannah. And this is my wife, Tumaini”
The Queen smiled politely and bowed her head “Honored to meet you as well. Come on, Cheka, leave them be.”
“Yes Mama” He got beside her, still smiling widely.
The Vishvaas bowed to the Kingscholars, even if they were demigods, the lions were still the Royal Family and deserved their respect. But they shook the thing off and greeted them like old friends.
“I’m Priya, this is my husband, Veer and…”
“Kalyan!” Farena patted the tall boy on his shoulders “Of course, Leona has told me about you”
“Good things I hope…”
“Nah, I told them you’re a yoga-loving primadonna who sabotaged the Starsending and turned it into an open-air disco” Leona grinned slyly while Kalyan turned around with a cocked eyebrow and a pout.
“You were looking at me with your mouth hung open and hearts in your eyes.”
“Kalyan, you’re in front of the King” Veer hissed at his son, but Falena laughed it off.
“It’s fine. Yes, he told us about your amazing performance” Then rolled his eyes “And how the Headmage took credit saying he organized it.”
“Don’t tell me about it, Your Majesty” Priya’s lip twitched in annoyance “That feather-duster madarchod has no shame at all”
“PRIYA!”
“AMMI!”
“What? It’s the truth”
Luckily nobody knew their language, so the Kingscholars couldn’t tell what that word meant. But it didn’t sound like a nice thing at all. But, knowing Dire Crowley, he probably deserved it.
Falena brought them up to the immense dining room where food was already prepared for all of them, but he didn’t want them to be forced into a human form, and he was curious to see Nagas in their full glory.
“Oh… I was told you were big” He blinked, with a nervous smile as the three Serpent people towered above them all. “Not this big, though”
“Fascinating!” Tumaini dared to move a hand towards their long, scaly limb “May i?”
“Of course, Your Majesty” Veer let the Queen touch his brown and black tail, then he used the tail tip for a handshake.
Well, at a first impact, they were indeed nice people.
“We gave you big rooms so you can stay in your natural form. A single for Kalyan, a double for you two”
Falena sat at the table and gestured they could enjoy the food, much to Kalyan’s joy, who was dying to try the Savannah’s cuisine.
“MH! I love this!” He stuffed his mouth with juicy meat, but still paying attention to table manners, he didn’t want to be rude in front of his boyfriend’s family.
“Oh! Wait, we got you something as a gift” Tumaini glanced at her husband who smacked his forehead “Right!” He called over a couple of attendants to bring the Nagas an intricate rug, very expensive looking. Priya blushed at the sight “Your Highness, you didn’t have to…”
“Nonsense! You’re our honored guests today. Who knew your noble kind was still around nowadays?”
Leona glanced aside with a huff. Just like the many rugs he was gifted, or clothes, jewels. All rich stuff that was only there to look pretty and served nothing.
“This makes me kind of embarrassed…” Veer looked down with a blush too, his pointy ears twitching “You got us this magnificent tapestry while we brought this”
He snapped the clawed fingers and five neatly decorated boxes appeared: they were full of traditional eastern pastries, all homemade by him and his wife.
Leona, however, ate one right away and chuffed “You made these? They ain’t half bad, Ma’am. What is it?”
“It’s called Kaju Barfi, boy” Veer smiled “It’s like fudge but made with cashews, and sometimes other ingredients.”
Leona idly ate a couple more before the rest of his family could have some. Cheka was enthusiastic of the many tastes, not only that, but also truffle-like sweets that were greatly appreciated by everyone, much to the Vishvaas’ relief.
After lunch, Falena gave a tour of the palace while they were escorted by Chamberlain Kifaji and royal guards, mostly Lion Beastwomen.
“… Sweet Manasa” Kalyan eyed one of the strong women guards just for a couple seconds. Man, they were buff.
“It’s because lionesses are those who hunt among lions” Kifaji explained briefly before continuing with the history of Sunset Savannah and their traditions.
“Uh-huh…” Priya shook her head and then Veer teasingly whispered something in their language she replied with a blush and a smack of her tail tip on her husband’s own tail.
“What did your dad say?” Leona murmured.
“That her bi is showing.”
The black-haired lion young man snorted and stifled laughter with his serpentine boyfriend.
“Your Highness” Once again, the bird beastman eyed the younger prince with a strict glance “Would you mind having some decency?”
“I didn’t know chatting with your boyfriend was forbidden” He grumbled, but still leaned to whisper something in Kalyan’s ear that the other reacted with spiraling eyes.
They were soon brought in the palace gardens full of fountains and trees, and Priya couldn’t resist. She slithered into the green area and stretched her hands.
We share one Mother
We share one Blood
From the mighty tree
To the fragile flower
Jungle’s Call!
The scales on her tail shimmered as every blade of grass and tree stretched towards her as if they were now able to move. So did the eyes of a bright green.
“You can talk to plants?” Tumaini smiled
“Yes! And even call upon their aid if I need it. I’m a botanist and a healer.”
Veer shrugged “She couldn’t do it in the main square…”
“Miss Priya! What do the tree say?” Cheka swayed his tail with big, fascinated eyes.
The Naga woman concentrated and took a deep breath, focusing on the many voices around them. She narrowed her forehead though, as if there was something that bothered her.
“They’re thirsty…”
“Oh wow. I wonder how is this possible?” Leona mumbled as his eyes were fixed on the many fountains that adorned the gardens. In a country surrounded by desert, he couldn’t believe they would just waste it just like that, for looking pretty, once again.
“Uhm, let’s move on, shall we?”
Falena gestured them to come along, this behavior didn’t go unnoticed by the prince, nor the three Nagas.
“Is there something wrong?” Leona called his brother, who just shook his head.
“No, absolutely not, let’s continue the tour and then you’ll be free to hang around with Kalyan and have a proper date here”
Leona wasn’t one hundred percent convinced, but the thought to hang around and bring his Serpent around, just the two of them, made him subtly smile.
No one to nag him, just the two of them.
However, a guard interrupted Falena’s speech about his ancestors and the smile dropped, he nodded and sighed.
“I’m sorry, but I must cut our tour short. I have an important meeting to attend”
“Falena!” Tumaini blinked “We have guests! Can’t this meeting wait?”
“It can’t, it’s important” He sadly shook his head “We’ll resume it as soon as I finish, don’t worry, love”
The King left the others in the corridor. Some of them were puzzled, Leona grumbled “What could I even have expected?” his tail swayed angrily but then sighed.
“I guess we should bring them to their rooms and let them make themselves at home”
“Indeed” Kifaji cleared his throat “Follow me, Vishvaas Family”
(…)
Falena entered the meeting room where he usually discussed with ambassadors and representatives of the many beastmen races around Sunset Savannah about politics and all. However, the chairs were all empty except for one, occupied by a figure in an elegant suit.
“I specifically told to meet in the evening” Falena narrowed his eyes.
“I had another appointment this evening, and this was the only free time I had today” A smooth, deep, elegant voice answered, belonging to a man in his forties.
Or better, a beastman in his forties, with eastern traits, dark skin, striped feline ears, tail and even the sideburns on his face. A Tiger Beastman.
He gave the King a bow and a handshake, but kept a smug, arrogant smirk on his face.
“I know we spoke together via correspondence” He chuckled with a small shrug as he sat on the chair.
“But I would like to introduce myself properly, now that we’re face to face, King Falena Kingscholar”
He rubbed the fingers on his chest where the black tie was and gave an idly head shake that made his ears sway a little
“Sardar L. Kipling, at your service”