The Midnight Prince

[Rokag]

"W...what, no I.." Rokag gave a sigh. "Look, sorry. I'm just...I JUST kinda found out what all this is about. I wasn't trying to save anyone's life, I was trying to not drown. Plus I'm not sure how you even recognized me." She had thought it was obvious, but...she had been in all that facepaint. So unless he'd seen her before at the menagerie, how DID he pick her out? "And I definitely didn't save your life."

[Shisou]

"Th-that d-d-demon was a-after my f-f-family's b-b-boat," he stammers. "Of c-c-c-ourse you s-s-aved me."

[Rokag]

That...sounded wrong. Rokag was pretty sure SHE knew that, but that was because those guys on the boat were talking about i- "Wait, how did you even know that was me? Your sisters didn't know it was me, and they were there too?"

[Shisou]

"I-i-i--- Th-they d-d-didn't?" Shisou swallows, desperately casting about for a good lie. If she's talking to my sisters, she'll know I was 'lying down' during the attack...

[Rokag]

"No, they didn't even know that I did ANY of what happened..." Rokag narrowed her eyes a little. "And how did you know it was going to attack your family. No one's asked me if I knew anything about that. Just who I was and if I could control any of that weird shit that's been happening since then." Something was Definitely off, here. "Not even your father asked that."

[Shisou]

Shisou looks for a moment like he's bitten into a lemon. "S-st-st-step-father."

[Rokag]

"Step-father. Fine. But how do you know that? You couldn't have been close enough to hear those men talking, and no one bothered asking. You also recognised me TWICE in two different outfits with all that paint on my face. For all you could know, there's just two girls with tusks."

[Shisou]

"I-i-i-i-- Th-th-there a-a-re. Th-there's Mei-mei, a-at the s-s-stables. B-b-ut her h-hair is b-b-black a--and sh-she is t-t-taller t-than y-y-ou."

[Rokag]

"Okay, why do you remember that when we've only MET twice? And there's no way you would know WHAT color my hair was the first time cuz I'd had gotten here in a turtle shell and it was caked in mud." Rokag was getting a little more agitated. "Look, what in name of the Water Dragon is going on here? How do you know me that well, and how do you know that thing was after your family?"

[Shisou]

"I-i-i--- I c-c-c-an't t-t-tell you. B-b-but it's n-not b-bad. I sw-swear."

Shisou's room is interesting, come to think of it. The outer area is a sitting room, just like Rokag's, but where hers is full of very little other than places to sit, his is full of bookshelves. There are three armchairs around a little table, where books are piled high, and there is a writing desk, but the only other furniture in the room is a small table shaped like a turtle with a terrarium on it.

And in that terrarium is a lizard. An ordinary lizard, but a large one, one that's decidedly out of place on this island. 

[Rokag]

Rokag looked between Shisou and the terrarium. There were NOT a lot of lizards here. That was why the one that had laid eggs was such a big deal that they wanted someone who could help take care of her even IF she bit people. That...makes no sense. There's no WAY that he's... but he knew that the demon was going after the family. He knew way too much about what'd happen. He even knew that SHE'D been the one that drove it off.

That or he was working with those guys that summoned the demon, but if THAT was the case, she wasn't completely defenseless. "How's Carbonne's head? Ze looks a bit better now."

[Shisou]

"Xe's r-r-rec-c---"

Shisou stops midsentence, paling, as he realizes he's fallen for the bait. 

[Rokag]

Rokag, to her credit, looked shocked. She had guessed it, but it was something that was a WILD guess and figured it was probably something a lot more....dangerous. "Holy fuck...that's YOU?!" ...SHIT, he's seen me naked twice?! "Why the hells did you let a naked woman on your boat?!"

[Shisou]

He flushes horribly. "I w-w-w-as a g--g-g-girl at the t-t-time, it d-d-didn't s-s-seem so b-b-b-ad."

[Rokag]

"...the fuck sense does-" Rokag shook her head. "You know what, no. No I'm not trying to figure that part out, there's a whole host of shit going on." She started to pace a little in the waiting room. "So, I'm going to go against most things I've learned for most of my life and trust you. I'm not FROM Cicada island. I'm from the Shore. The reason you saw me sleeping in there was because I'd taken a shell and rowed here, figuring I'd make enough money to by a boat or something other than waiting to die there while the Islands moved around like nothing was happening."

"What I didn't figure on was that you needed a fucking signed note to get anyone to try giving you work. I know cuz I tried a couple of places before I gave Miss Konata that note and she was more than happy to let me in and shovel shit for the animals. Least till that huge lizard that laid eggs bit Makoto's hand bad enough to need healing. Then I started working with her. And NOW I apparently drove a demon off, which you saw, and when I woke up I was basically told that I was going to be betrothed to you."

Rokag took a long breath. "So...how the fuck do you turn into a girl, because there's no way I'm going to believe that's a disguise."