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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2184602" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 199: Answers to Questions Never AskedAfter it was pointed out how late it was getting, any further interrogation attempts for the night were put aside. The suspicious and speculations could be worked out in the morning when everyone had gotten sleep. Especially Shadow. She was just tired. Mentally and physically. After a short goodnight to Kyren, she ushered Akan down through the hallways until reaching their room and quickly moving off to change.    Akan found himself doing the same, but couldn’t help asking a question towards the small washroom where Shadow was, “Alright, I know you told me to shut up for the night already, but I’ve got to ask you something.”    A groan echoed into the room. A moment later, Shadow’s head appeared, and she glared right into Akan’s eyes, “What?”    “Even if I’m right, and Faban is the Mrrakesh’s contact, what does any of this have to do with Ket?”    It was a simple question, really, but an important one. They were here to deal with Ket and Nine. The things they were doing should, therefore, work towards that goal. So far, they’d gotten absolutely no where. In fact, they may have even gone backwards.    Shadow sighed, the glare fading from her eyes as she disappeared back into the washroom. Her voice was muffled as it made its way into the room where Akan stood, “It might not have anything to do with him.”    “But knowing out luck...” Akan trailed off as Shadow stepped into the room and flopped down onto the bed.    She waved a hand idly up in the air, “Yes, yes, it probably does have something to do with it, but I don’t know,” she went silent a moment before lifting herself up just enough to look straight at him again, “Done, yet? Or do you plan to keep me up all night with questions?”    “Fine, fine, I’m done...” Akan grumbled. A few minutes later, the lights were off and both of them were deep asleep. Exhaustion from the long day finally taking its toll. But at least the day was over. Or, at least, by the time they woke up, it would be.    * * * *Hours later, Akan awoke to find the sunlight on his face. After grumbling a meaningless series of words, he opened his eyes and yawned loudly. He was keenly aware of the fact that the bed was not as warm as it usually was, and with his eyes open, noticed that Shadow wasn’t there. Why this confused him, Akan couldn’t be sure, but just as he started to look around, he heard a familiar voice.    “Do you realize you missed breakfast?” Shadow asked, a grin in her voice and even seeping through the link.    Akan blinked again before yawning and managing to sit up. Shadow was sitting at the foot of the bed, looking like she was sharpening the dagger or some kind of weapon. She was, of course, grinning over her shoulder, and laughed when his stomach growled.    The laugh only confused him more. Finally, in a groggy and still not completely away voice, Akan asked, “What’s with you this morning?”    “Afternoon, actually,” she raised the dagger idly, as if almost threatening him, “If you keep sleeping like that everyone’s going to think you’re lazy.”    “...I’m not lazy?” Akan asked, doing his best to keep a straight face.    She rolled her eyes, flicking the dagger his direction a little, “Yes, I know you’re lazy but the whole Palace doesn’t need to,” she glanced back in front of her, then lowered her voice, “...they know damned well enough already and we don’t need to give them more ammunition for rumors...”    Akan said nothing on that. It was one of those things he’d already learned to just ignore, and maybe it would go away. So far, it wasn’t, but one never knew what the future would hold. Well, that is, if you weren’t someone who the Force seemed to enjoy playing jokes on. Which meant that he knew exactly what would happen, and there was nothing he could do about it. So, all he could really do was go on pretending it didn’t exist. No matter what. Even if it had been an interesting night a couple days before...    Shadow suddenly turned and glared over her shoulder. Akan’s eyes went wide with surprise, having forgotten how easily thoughts could pass through their link if one didn’t make sure to keep them in check. Being half awake was not the best time for keeping thoughts in check, as was evidenced by Shadow’s newfound annoyance.    And then, suddenly, there was another change. She dropped the dagger, and Akan heard it clank down on the ground. Or he thought he did. He knew it made the noise, but was preoccupied as Shadow suddenly grinned and pounced. He managed to catch Shadow’s wrists before the extended claws reached his face. Looking up, Akan saw that there was a very large grin on Shadow’s face as she growled playfully, “Mother said I was allowed to claw you for missing breakfast for the last two days as long as no one sees the marks.”    Shakily holding up Shadow’s clawed hands, Akan whimpered slightly, “They’ll be noticeable on my face!”    “Not if you remorph!” she laughed again, using her strength to press down more and nearly reaching his nose. Using the Force, Akan pulled a surge of energy through his body, and forced Shadow off of him, rolling them to the side and off the bed.    There were two yelps, a thud, and an ‘oof’ as they fell off of the bed, and when Shadow’s head stopped spinning, she found the situation was reversed. Akan was now pinning her down, claws out and slowly forcing down at her face. He grinned maliciously, “I don’t think she’d mind if I did the same to you!”    Then, suddenly, Shadow decided to cheat. Well, it was only cheating in Akan’s mind. She let go of his hands, shifting slightly so that his claws hit the floor instead of her face, and then attacked. Except not with her claws. Instead, she tickled him.    Caught off guard, Akan yelped, tried to escape, but soon found himself stuck between a wall and Shadow, who was doing a very good job at only letting him breathe just enough. Just as Shadow finished pinning Akan down properly, sitting over him and claiming victory, there was a sound.    With a soft swish, the door irised open, and both Akan and Shadow turned to see one of her younger sisters(probably not that much older than Tobias, actually) eye them both curiously. After a moment of taking in the situation, she said softly, “Momma says you and he go see her now.”    It was then that Shadow realized her sister was grinning. Through the Force, the little girl was giving off an odd feeling of happiness...more so than usual for a child of her age. Suddenly curious, she nodded to her sister and then got up off of Akan. Helping him up, she motioned for him to follow, “Come on.”    “What do you think she wants...?” Akan asked as they started out into the hallway, his voice still somewhat breathless as he got used to being able to breathe normally again.    Shadow just shrugged, not saying anything and trying to figure things out herself. But probing through the Force did no good. Thankfully, it didn’t take long at all to reach the small court room in which the Empress, Emperor, and another Alraxian stood. The two guards at the door stiffened as Shadow passed, but did nothing else.    The room itself was not what Akan would consider small. Sure, it was smaller than the gigantic dinning hall, and most of the other rooms, but it was still huge. There were a few interesting columns that set out a pathway leading to the Empress’ throne, which was more of a comfortable looking chair than most thrones that Akan always imagined.  The Empress was smiling, her soft eyes showing the same kind of happiness that they had seen in Shadow’s younger sister. At her right, in a similar chair, sat the Emperor, a very large grin on his face, not at all hiding the fact that he knew something the two of them didn’t and was enjoying watching them try to understand what was going on.    But Akan found his eyes locking onto the third Alraxian. This one stood on the Empress’ left. He had short, if not a little scruffy looking, hair composed of about every shade of brown. His skin was as tan as most Alraxians, and his two, pale green eyes watched both Akan and Shadow with an interesting sense of curiosity. Through the Force, Akan could tell that this Alraxian was the only one in the room that looked to be as curious and confused as he and Shadow did.    “Who is this, mother?” Shadow asked once the two of them had stepped close and done the usual bowing thing.    The Empress’ smile only broadened as she rose. Her eyes fell onto Akan, and an arm motioned to the Alraxian at her left. In a very motherly, happy voice, she said, “I believe this is someone you need to meet. Cole has done his own checking, so we are sure of this. Akan, this is Navik Keros...he is your father.”</blockquote>

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