Making A Name (End)

[Kitty]

Having done his share of paperwork for the afternoon and double checking to make sure the afternoon guard wasn't sleeping on the job again, honestly he didn't know why they kept that particular recruit around, he felt the urge to stretch his legs .... all eight of them. However, the urge to be productive tickled the back of his mind so he decided to return to the inside of the court and take a stroll through the halls to make sure nothing was a miss.

This was ... surprisingly dull after a bit. This wing was all but deserted today it seemed so he stretched out his spider limbs, touched them to the ground and hoisted himself up. He tucked his normal limbs underneath his body and made his way down the hall this way. He was used to his unusual appendages, but he knew there was still a few around the court who weren't so he tried to keep them tucked for their sakes. In all actuality ... scuttling along like this was rather fun, even if it seemed like an almost guilty pleasure.

He let his attentiveness slip and started to hum lightly ... it may have been a relatively boring afternoon but he might as well make the most of it .. .eh?

[carcinoGeneticist]

There was always something for him to do, something for someone to scold him for not doing. It seemed, at times, as though Apocalypse was expected to roam the halls to try and find people who needed favors of their King. If he found them and they didn't need his help, he seemed to be expected to shake them until they gave him something to do. Otherwise, he could potentially be scolded for slacking off, for just not trying hard enough. It was enough to make a man mad.

At least going to find people gave him a chance to stretch his legs and clear his head. He made his way slowly down the halls, eyes alert even when his posture slipped into something casual. The feeling of cool air on his face combined with the relief the wraps he'd purchased gave his arms... Slowly, he felt the bad mood ease away, and a small smile curled across his face.

Maybe he'd run into the cute little baker-girl. Or the laundry-woman. Any of them, really. Some entertainment would only improve his mood further.

When the sound of scuttling feet reached his ears, the King paused, blinking and staring down the hallway. His brows furrowed slightly at the bizarre sight, watching the multi-limbed rodent come scurrying towards him. He straightened, easing into a more proper stance, head inclined to the side. It seemed he'd found the person who would end his momentary freedom, at least for the time being.

Now if only he could remember the Jack's name. "Your Excellence," he said curtly, slit-pupiled eyes locked on the green man. "What brings you to this part of the Palace?"

[Kitty]

The hum died in his throat, his forward movements ceased and his natural set of limbs dropped to dangle above the floor when the other man, a human king, spoke. His words caught in his throat for a moment as the hints of a blush crept across his cheeks and lingered in his eyes ... this was .... embarrassing. His little banded tail twitched a moment before he dipped his head in a respectful bow and dropped himself down to his paws.

Your Highness.

He peered back up at the rather interesting looking man before him and his ears perked up with recognition. He'd heard about this one, and, really, there was no mistaking him for anyone else that lurked these halls. This was most definitely Pale, one of The Queen's Kings if he remembered correctly ... that made the whole situation that much more embarrassing.

Finished my paperwork for the afternoon and needed a stretch ... decided to make myself useful and do an extra hallway patrol while I was out.

He fell back on his training as first a soldier in the Marsh, and then a Guard for the Court it's self and his tone reflected that in it's professional tone. He was giving a response to a superior after all... and it just came naturally. However ... it was generally a bad idea to question those who outranked you and thus he left the curiosity of what this man was doing wandering stay in his olive eyes .... if the King wished to tell, he would... if not... he wouldn't.

[carcinoGeneticist]

As bizarre looking as the chipmunk's additional legs were, Apocalypse found them rather fascinating. It would be nice if such a mutation could be more aesthetically pleasing, yes, but if it couldn't then it was possible to focus on the usefulness of it. Having one's hands freed up from the task of walking was quite the lovely addition, especially in the case of someone who's animal form had such nimble little claws. The King wasn't entirely listening to the Jack, fairly focused as he was on his thoughts about the other man's curious mutation. Why on earth did he seem so embarrassed?

Apocalypse's opinion on what necessitated such a reaction was, admittedly, rather skewed. He'd been caught in some rather compromising positions before, so running on an extra pair of legs and humming seemed standard to him.

"Ah." He replied, shifting and absently using one knife-like claw to scratch at his leg. He glanced down the hallway. "Then I don't mean to keep you from your duty. Though..."

One calculating orange eye was turned on the chipmunk, mind searching out things that he knew about the Jack. He'd been serving at the court for longer than he'd been titled, doing.... Something. It had been more interesting than cooking or cleaning, that much was certain. Hadn't Alaster spoken of the man? A guard, then? "You used to serve as a guard, am I correct?" There was the first spark of interest on the King's face as he said that, blinking.

[Kitty]

This was just over flowing with awkward .... wasn't it? It really shouldn't, they were both officials in the same place, had probably run across one another at some point and hadn't realized it ... but it was still ... weird. However, it seemed that the King wasn't quite ready to release him back to whatever it was he'd been doing and it got a curious little head tilt from the eight legged chipmunk as he waited for the man to continue on.

The response he got was enough to relax him a bit, now this was something he could talk about without feeling ... out of place. His notched ears relaxed as well as his posture and his little banded tail wiggled a bit before he straightened up and grinned at human, fang tips just visible with the expression change.

Yes, that's what I originally came here to do. Beowulf ran across me in the Capitol and eventually made the suggestion I apply. I started off as a soldier of The Resistance in the Marsh before that.

He figured he'd leave out the part about him beign the guard that seemed to have all the worst luck on his shifts when it came to uninvited guests... it had been, what .... two times that he'd been working solo at the gates and gotten the snot beat out of him by... less then welcome guests? Oh yes ... he'd leave that part out for sure.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Beowulf, there was another promising name. He knew about the corvid from the time he'd spent bothering Alaster at the gates and down in the barracks. He'd need to speak to the man personally at some point, and this was just an uncomfortable reminder of that fact. For now, though, he'd push that thought into the back of his mind and focus on exactly what it was that he'd expected of the guard.

"Hmm. Interesting." The King commented in a tone that very much suggested that it wasn't really. It was nothing against the chipmunk, simply a side effect of the fact that the man was very much focused on what he was focused on, nothing else. "Have you had any experience with guarding a secret?"

Because there was something stowed in the Heart Court that Apocalypse needed to know was well-defended. If one person were to get word of what they were hiding there and word reached the wrong ears, it could be a bad thing indeed. But he had no real way of knowing if this man was trustworthy enough to defend something he could never see with his own eyes. He stared at the Josiggy curiously, waiting for a response. Hopefully he wouldn't be disappointed by it.

[Kitty]

Perhaps he should simply try and dismiss himself from the conversation ... the King just didn't seem to be finding him all that interesting and the whole encounter was verging on completely and utterly awkward, but how could he manage that without sounding... .rude? It was times like these that he cursed his proper upbringing ... even if he was the only child that managed to retain any of it in adulthood. Oy, moronic siblings.

But there came another question, one that sounded like it just might be a tad bit cryptic as well. Secrets ... why would he ask something like that? His little ears drew back a bit and a serious expression graced his features, the fur along his spine even bristled a bit as his tail went stiff .... secrets were precious things.

Secrets are a symbol of trust and trust is not given lightly ... therefor, they should be defended with ones very life should the circumstances call for it.

Of course stupid secrets that weren't really going ot harm anyone in the end were exceptions, as well as those that were self destructive to the teller, btu those two were givens, yeah?

[carcinoGeneticist]

There was an air about the Jack that told Apocalypse just about everything he needed to know. It spoke more than his actual words, the King decided as soon as he'd finished speaking. Anyone could say something like that, but the way the chipmunk held himself made him feel more comfortable about the whole situation. He stood like a damn guard even now that he was a titled noble. That kind of experience clung to a man for a lifetime, touched just about everything that they did from that point in their lives forward.

It was perfect. It was exactly the sort of man Apocalypse needed for the job, and a pleased (and pleasant!) smile spread slowly across his face.

"Perfect." He said with a small nod, then began to walk while giving a small shrug of his shoulder to the chipmunk that indicated he would like very much for the Jack to follow. He walked in silence for a while, leading them up to the top floor of the palace and then hesitating outside of the door to the room where he and Xiven were keeping Conway. He ran his hand slowly across the wood of the door, then glanced down at the man for a thoughtful second.

"Whenever I leave the Court for any reason, I need you to keep an eye on this door. No one - no one - is permitted to enter unless I give you my direct order beforehand, and that will be a once-off thing. Just because I let them in once does not mean I ever want them inside again." He fixed the chipmunk with a level gaze, his orange eyes calm. "Do you have any objections?"

[Kitty]

His whole body relaxed a bit when that smile crossed the other man's face. He had a tiny inkling that he'd passed some form of test or another but not much time was given to ponder this before he was being beckoned down the hall. He tucked his four extra limbs tightly to his sides and, since he legs were far shorter then the King's, he trotted along behind him.

He kept the silence in tact but trained his ears forward so that he could catch even the softest whisper if it came from the human he was trailing before they twitched back a bit when they approached the door .... he'd never been to this part of the palace before .... odd since it wasn't far from where he made his hall rounds.

And then he was being spoken to again and thus the mysterious 'progeny' of her Highness Heilyn had his full attention once more. His ears, tail and toes twitched almost in the same instance, he was curious... but it wasn't about what was behind the door.... he had a greater concern.

What if her Majesty Xiven should seek entrance?

It was never wise to try and tell The Queen of any court what they could and couldn't do, at least that's what every bit of his brain told him. He wasn't at all certain he could stand between the feline and her goal, should it be this door. But .... an order was an order ... and if it was her King that gave it .... maybe he could keep his skin intact if her did? Well .... if it was ordered of course.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Such a simple, curious thing that they had found. At first glance, it would appear simply as another Card, a prisoner of their Suit. As much as he hated the thing, however, even Apocalypse had to admit - the time would come when that thing would be a useful tool for all of them. Throughout history, Jokers had been used by Queens of all Suits, should they be lucky enough to employ one. In this case, Conway's "employment" was anything but.

That didn't bother the King. He was good at breaking people, at forcing them to do as he wished.

Like he was doing now. In this case, he was asking a simple thing of the Jack, something that seemed to sit quite securely in the realm of what was expected of a titled Noble with the experience that Jarvis had under his belt. Yet... He understood that there was something deeper to it. This was possibly far more dangerous than he was leading the chipmunk to believe, but he lied so quickly and easily about it. His smile broadened as he finally stepped away from the door, eyes bright.

The man's next question, however, made him pause. A blond eyebrow arched, and he did his best from looking too amused.

"Should Her Majesty find it in her ability to leave her bed and come to this room, I encourage you to stay well out of her way." He said, amusement utterly dripping from his tone, posture, and expression. "If it would make you feel better, you can try to usher her back to her bed, but tread lightly. Pregnant women are quite the terrifying thing, Your Excellence, especially when there is something in their way."