Succession: Heir to the Empire

Nebi smirked and stood a little closer to C.C. cupping her cheek for a moment, "We'll have to make sure it's broken in as well. I doubt the bed I'll be given has seen much use."

He felt himself chuckle a little as, at last, they reached the place where Baruti had the Heirs and their associates assembled. He inwardly grimaced. Damn. He lost.

Baruti, meanwhile, scowled. That meddlesome elf, Syrien had ruined this challenge. The purpose of this event was to cull the Heir's numbers. He would make sure to punish him.

Evelyn, meanwhile, smirked as she thought about C.C. and Nebi. She'd be sharing some of what she saw in the pool with her soon enough. She turned her thoughts towards the Kaleesh, licking her lips. An extraordinary specimen indeed, martial might intertwined with strict discipline. Intriguing.

"Syrien, report to my quarters immediately," Baruti stated, projecting his voice throughout the building "You've all survived. Very surprising. There can only be one winner. I feel that this one has proved without a doubt his superiority: Heir Carlisle. He made it here among the first few relatively uninjured."

The Steward smirked underneath his hood. By handing over a victory to someone weak and undeserving, he was sure to incite the others against him. The Doctor could murdered by the less stable Heirs and once the in-fighting began, it made his job so much easier.

((Hey AI, mind editing your post some to have Baruti projecting that announcement across the entire building, instead of having the Heirs assembled together? I'd appreciate it.))

Rein

"Um, hey. Well, ah, I hope you feel better." Rein said, giving a nervous smile. She listened to Baruti's announcement briefly before opening the door and pulling Kegan out with her.

"Man. That was awkward."

C.C.

"Indeed." C.C. said. She leaned in to kiss Nebi before dragging him away, toward an unused room at the far side of the hall before entering it and closing the door behind him.

"Now, let us test that bed, shall we?"

Syrien

After hearing Baruti's announcement of the winner, Syrien left his room and went to report to Baruti.

Nebi smirked and following C.C. without complaint. He had to admit that he rather liked this side of her. He kissed her back.

"Let's," he agreed, setting her onto the bed and kissing her again. He had been looking forward to this.

*

Baruti sat in his study, looking at a map of the Empire, not looking up as he heard Syrien enter. He spoke, "Explain yourself, slave."

Carlisle/Kegan

"Well bye then...." Carlisle said as Kegan and Rein quickly left his room, slamming the door behind them. As he sat on the bed, Carlisle realized what had just happened. "No! I'm not supposed to win these....I should have let Maul and Tsuba kill that monster on their own... And besides, Maul and Tsuba were in much better shape then I when we returned." The Doctor contemplated as he began to pace the room, still incredibly weak from his overuse of magic earlier that day.

"I should...no that would just bring attention to myself. But now they're going to see me as a threat.... I have to fix this." Carlisle decided impulsively as he opened his door and walked out into the hall, only to see Kegan and Rein running out of the room, both of them shirtless and embarrassed.

"That one's-

"Taken, by Tsuba. We know." Kegan replied.

Rein

Rein crossed her arms over her chest again, looking at anything but Carlisle and Kegan. Her cheeks were flushed with red. Well, even with the sexual tension between her and Kegan resolved, it seemed the gods just loved with coming up with new ways to embarrass them.

The door behind them opened and Tsuba sauntered out of her room. "My, you two certainly are eager to get into bed, aren't you?" she said, giving the flustered couple a false smile.

"You could do so much better, Kegan. After all, you have a real woman available to you." she continued. Her eyes drifted toward Carlisle. She smiled at him.

"Ah, Carlisle. Congradulations on winning. I hope you can keep it up." she said before walking away.

Rein's face lit up in a mixture of embarrassment and anger. "Come on, Kegan." she huffed, dropping on arm from her chest to pull him away toward another room. She opened the door and walked in, only to see Brighe.

"B-Brighe!" Rein cried out in alarm, dropping her other arm from her chest. And now flashing the elf.

Syrien

"I was merely doing my duty as personal slave to the Emperor and his Heirs, Lord Baruti." Syrien began.

Maul

The Kaleesh took to meditating near the fountain at the center of the observatory, seeking to find some peace.

Kegan/Brighe

"Wow....you two couldn't even wait after Syrien was finished speaking. I'm very disappointed in you Nephew." Brighe said with a smirk on her face as she sat on her bed. Though Rein and Kegan would never know it, Brighe was actually mortified, and when they left the room she would be back in her alcohol cabinet.

"Aunt Brighe!" Kegan exclaimed as he using his arm to cover Rein's chest.
-----------------------------
Carlisle

Carlisle bit his lip as Tsuba congratulated him, wanting to cry, scream, kill, confront. So many feelings rushing through him, the Doctor simply nodded before running as he made his way towards the main room, where he was sure Baruti would be waiting.

Rein

Rein gulped and her face became as red as a tomatoe. She tried to find the words to speak, but none could come to her.

"Um...sorry?" Rein finally managed to get out.

"You interfered in the selection process," Baruti snarled, clenching his fist, "It is the way of the Empire that some Heirs must die so that only the strong remain. You forget yourself, slave. Remember that your power stems from your masters, not from yourself."

*

"It is strange, is it not, to be in the running for the Throne?" Evelyn stated as she stepped in the room where Maul sat. She walked beside him and viewed the fountain idly, waiting for the Kaleesh to reply.

Syrien

"Of course, Lord Baruti. It will not happen again." Syrien said.

Maul

Maul glanced at Evelyn for a moment before replying. "Indeed, it is. I never thought, in my time as an Order assassin, that I would become a major contender for the next Emperor."

Brighe/Kegan

"Yes, well....I'm sure Syrien and I will think of a suitable punishment later. You two should just leave right now though." Brighe ordered as she stood up from her bed.

"Yes Mam." Kegan replied quickly before backing out of the room and shutting the door. "Lets just go to the last room at the end of the hallway. I mean, what are the odds that that one's taken too?" Kegan suggested.
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Carlisle

Carlisle walked up to the grand doors of the main room, scared out of his wits as he realized that what he was about to do could just make the Steward mad at him. "No! No, you have to do this. Get this entire misunderstanding fixed now. Especially before he changes how you feel." Carlisle thought to himself as he tried to get himself ready. "Well then..." The Doctor muttered as he walked into the room, only to see that Baruti was already talking to...what was his name again? Oh yeah, Syrien.

"Umm, Baruti?"

"Indeed, it won't. In our beloved Emperor's absence, you have not been the only one to lack discipline. You will have the honor of participating in the next challenge along with the Captain of the Guard," Baruti announced.

He paused, hearing his name called. Hiding his annoyance, he spoke up as he turned around to find Carlisle, "Yes, Lord Carlisle?"

*

"Still. You must have known you were special. You can't have been wholly ignorant of the Royal Blood that flows through your veins," the Dark Elf told him, her voice lowering into a seductive whisper as she drew close to him.

Carlisle

"I need to speak with you about your...decision." Carlisle said as he walked past Syrien towards Baruti. "I think you made a mistake in your decision making process."

Rein

"Uh, yeah. I mean, what are the odds? The gods can't be that cruel..." Rein agreed, walking up to the room. She opened the door and walked in...

...To see a stark naked C.C. leaning over to an equally naked Nebi. They weren't doing anything yet, thankfully, but her face wasn't too far away from his...

Rein averted her eyes from Nebi, blushing horribly, and tried to focus on C.C. And felt immediate jealousy upon seeing her chest. Rein inspected her own chest for a moment, before realizing that she was topless. Giving a small squeak, Rein crossed her arms over her chest. With an amusd smile upon her face, C.C. backed away from Nebi and looked toward them.

"Can we help you?" C.C. asked in an apathetic tone, though she smirked.

Syrien

"Very well. Goodday, Lord Baruti." Syrien said, walking out of his quarters.

Maul

"Actually, I was ignorant of my special lineage." Maul replied, failing to note Evelyn's seductive tone.

Nebi felt himself smirk, suppressing a laugh, though he couldn't exactly take his eyes away from C.C. chest. He'd have to remember to tease Kegan about having a hotter lover, though.

"As you can see, C.C. and myself are a bit busy," Nebi stated, not bothering to hide his nakedness. It wasn't like his body was disgusting, after all, being lean and muscular with a big... heart. He had seen much worse in the slums of the capital.

"But, we can see if we can help you if we can," he finished, obviously with no shame.

*

Baruti watched him go. Originally, he was going to imprison the elf, but there was no need. They were both bound to the Throne. There was no escape.

*

"Oh? But couldn't you tell that there was something special about you? Something ancient and...," Evelyn began, running her fingers up and down his chest, "Primal? Surely your subconscious knew you weren't just a mere assassin."

Kegan

"We were kind of busy as well...." Kegan said, a smirk on his face now.
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Carlisle

Carlisle cleared his throat out as he positioned himself in front of Baruti. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you Baruti. I am one of the strongest Heirs in this competition. I have devoted my life to mastering magic spells and yes, during this challenge I did use some of those spells..." Carlisle said as he looked down at the ground, annoyed with himself for getting emotional.

"But I'm not a fit choice for Emperor, Sir. I am mentally weak, easy to manipulate, and emotionally vulnerable. I would make a horrible Emperor." Carlisle said as he looked up at the Steward. "So maybe you could give the win to Maul? I mean, he walked into the building before me and everything."

"Oh, Heir Carlisle, you still don't get it, do you? I'd have thought your mind would have processed this before the others. This game isn't about challenges. They're a mere distraction. This contest is about the survival of the fittest," the old man lectured, "The challenges are meant to cull the weak. That's the reason why I gave you the win."

The Steward waited, enjoying the look on the Doctor's face as the information sank in.

*

"Forget it, Kegan. I don't do foursomes unless it's with three women. And, to be quite honest, C.C.'s more than woman enough for me to handle right now," Nebi told him with a laugh.

Rein

Rein opened her mouth in shock at the audacity of Nebi's suggestion. She tried to form some sort of come-back, but her brain wouldn't function for her. She was still trying to process this...strange and embarrassing situation. Her eyes came to briefly rest on Nebi again. Specifically, a certain area of his body. Her eyes widdened and Rein averted her eyes, looking back over at C.C.

As if remembering Kegan was there, Rein lifted one arm from her chest to cover his eyes. There was no way she was about to allow him to see C.C.

"Oh? Well, maybe we could help out." C.C. suggested with a seductive smile, playing along. She took a step closer to Kegan and Rein. Still not bothering to cover herself up.

Maul

"From the time of my training, I accepted the fact I was just another cog in the wheel that made up the Order of the Shadows. I never believed my destiny would prove to be so...interesting." Maul replied. Her seductive advances continued to fail to make a visible reaction on Maul.

Kegan

Kegan rolled his eyes, deciding that he wouldn't even dignify Nebi with a response. "Whatever, we've had a horrible enough week by now already. This is nothing." The Half-Elf stated, glad that at least he and Rein had the dignity of wearing pants.

But then Rein covered his face, and he heard C.C. get off the bed. "Crap."
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Carlisle

Carlisle's face went blank as he realized what Baruti was saying. "Then let me help you! Let me go home, I quit!" Carlisle stated as he started to cry. "But if you think I'm going to play along with this whole thing, you are wrong! And I'm not going to let Tsuba, Caesar, or you kill me either." Carlisle shouted, surprising even himself with his fit.

"Aww.... C.C.! I wasn't enough for you?!" Nebi complained playfully as he sat up and watched the other two in amusement.

*

"Then you have two options: Continue on with this contest and win or make yourself the vassal of another Heir, forfeiting all that you've gained to them," Baruti told him with a smirk.

Rein, C.C.

"Listen here you!" Rein shouted, finally getting some sense of control back. She lifted her hand away from Kegan's eyes and approached C.C.

"I've had a terrible weak, and I'm sick and tired of all the bad luck I've had. This situation is embarrasing enough. Please don't make it any worse by trying to seduce Kegan." Rein huffed, poking C.C. in the chest (making sure to avoid a...certain area) for good measure. C.C. smiled at Rein.

"Who says I was trying to seduce Kegan?" C.C. asked, raising an eyebrow. Rein gave the Mage a blank stare.

"....huh?"

And then C.C. pulled Rein toward her and kissed the Humage on the lips. Rein was in shock for a few seconds before quickly pulling away, backing away from the older woman.

"W-W-W-What was that for?!" Rein stuttered, her face in danger of overheating now from how red her cheeks were.

"Fanservice."

"Huh?"

"I did it because I wanted to, and to embarras you further, Rein. I find it rather...fun. Not to mention it's easy. Besides, I'm sure they enjoyed it." C.C. said, waving toward the other two men.

Nebi could barely stop himself from drooling, let alone control certain other areas of his body as he watched the scene before him.

"That was unmistakably one of the hottest things I ever saw," Nebi stated with a lecherous grin, "What did I do right to earn this?"

Carlisle

Carlisle stopped, trying to compose himself as he processed what Baruti had said. "What kind of power would they have over me then? Would I be like, a slave?"
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Kegan

Kegan's mouth dropped open as he saw C.C. grab Rein, and so he quickly walked forawrd and pulled Rein back from the Mage. "Show my Fiance some respect, if you don't mind." Kegan said, beginning to get annoyed and disgusted.

"More like.... a knight than anything else," Baruti stated, pausing for a moment to come up with an adequate parallel, "You will have all the rights of a lesser lord bound to a more powerful lord. In doing so, however, you will forfeit all claims to the Throne unless and until your liege dies and only if he or she is without an Heir. You will, of course, be executed if you murder him or her."

*

"Um... I think we crossed the line, C.C.," Nebi stated, finally processing the looks of horror on the other two's faces.

Rein, C.C.

Rein tried to form some coherent response, but none came to her at the moment. She simply fumed and cursed their bad luck under her breath.

"Oh, and your bad luck Rein? I forgot to mention, I am the cause of that. I put a little bad luck charm on you when Nebi and I saw you a few days ago in the woods." C.C. mentioned. Rein froze at the mention of this.

"Wait...you've beent he cause of all the embarrassment I suffered through the challenge?"