Aster leaned forward to look at the contents Ari was looking through and cringed at the sight. He nodded and started walking off grabbing Naya's arm in the process. "We will find Sir Shoyo, you two handle Michael." Without leaving them a choice, Aster picked up his pace dragging a complaining Naya along with him out of the peaceful garden and into the temple.
..."Thank you for the information Jayce." Lord Valen stood and adjusted his robe and began walking to the door. "Th-thank you for listening and believing me Mr. Val-oops sorry, LORD Valen. W-When will I need to report in the morning? Or do I just need to tag along with Michael? Oh, and where do I-" Michael rolled his eyes, "Enough Jayce. Valen has more important matters to attend too. I will fill you in on the rest of the information. Thank you again for your time, I will come back soon to spar with you as well My Lord." Michael bowed slightly after standing up and Jayce awkwardly followed suit. Lord Valen nodded and made his way out of the room. Jayce let out a sigh of relief, "Whoa, he is super intense. He, he's just so damn masculine that I dont know what to do with myself. I mean, I work out often and I have some muscle definition, but my gosh! He has more abs than I could count! His arms and legs were so "jacked" but at the same time not all gross like the body builders used to do? And that hair, who would of thou-" Michael interrupted by coughing slightly, "What do you mean by "jacked"? Also, do you find Lord Valen attractive or something? I've only ever heard the new female workers, and an occasional young male worker, describe him with such enthusiasm." Jayce's cheeks went slightly pink with embarrassment.
"I do not mind if you prefer men over women, both, or neither, I will not judge I was just making a statement while somewhat asking a question" Jayce opened his mouth to speak, but Michael started first, "Relax Jayce I'm only messing-" KNOCK KNOCK. "Uhm, J-Jayce...are you in there? I saw Lord Valen leave, are you free?" A woman's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Michael knew this voice to be that of Naya and he smiled knowingly. "Find the kitchen and meet me there within the hour. Remember this place has eyes and ears you will never see. Be mindful of your surroundings and your company." Michael started walking towards the door, "Now, I think Miss Naya has waited long enough, go on." Michael opened the door and walked out; Jayce smiled brightly and followed behind obediently. Michael turned back momentarily and saw that Naya and Jayce were already talking. He turned his head forward and walked a few more steps towards the main area of the temple and found Cole.
"Cole, find Ari and tell her to keep close watch over those two. I don't think Jayce would do anything, but Naya can be overwhelming at times," Michael slightly chucked as did Cole, "As you wish Sir Michael. Should I accompany them as well?" Cole had spent much of his time around Michael and tends to talk more. "No, I need you to come with me. We are going to...look into a few things. I trust you will keep our where-abouts as well as what we find to yourself? Or should I call for Ravi?" Cole was taken aback, 'Sheesh, going to call Ravi-he can't keep a secret even if he wanted too...' "You know as well as I Sir Michael that if something is required to be kept to oneself, I should be present and not Ravi. It will be no-" "We can't even tell Lady Wren about it." Cole was even more shocked. She was practically his older sister, Cole began to feel more nervous about Michael's request. "But Sir, she is a Shadow Unit..." Cole looked around to be sure no one was around. "Madame Wren could simply look into my mind and find the truth. What is it we will be doing?" Michael sighed, "We have to find Takeda's home when he was still appointed as an elder as well as Lady Wren's family home," Cole stood in silence.
-Some time passed- "Here are your training clothes, basic toiletries, a fake, or rather, practice weapon, and simple bedding. I will show you to your room after we finish dinner. I asked the rest of you here to relay to you all the news about Madame Priestess and our new trainee." There was a comfortable size dining room in which everyone sat. Michael, Cole, Aster, and Jayce sat on one side of the table while Ari, Amber, Vivi, and Naya sat on the other side. There was a tall and stout man leaning against the wall near the table and a shorter man that has some muscle but looked relatively thin standing near him with his arms crossed. The taller man had a strong jaw, light grey wavy hair with black streaks, that was down just passed his ears and lazily styled, while the shorter man had dark pink almost red hair that was neatly held back with a headband. The taller man had a bright smile on his face and his eyes were almost completely closed because of his cheeks, while the other man had a straight face and attentive eyes.
"Jayce, this man right here is Jirobo, he is the lead chef here and has probably worked here longer than anyone else." The tall man with grey and black hair, Jirobo, waved and stuck out his hand towards Jayce. Confused by his reaction Jayce smiled and went to shake Jirobo's hand, but Jirobo had other plans and pulled him into a slight hug. "You will become a valuable member to our team Jayce, you're like family. No need to be so stiff. If you have any favorite dishes be sure and let me know. We may not have as many ingredients as before the war, but I'm still great at what I do." Jirobo released the stunned Jayce and returned to leaning against the wall. "My apologies Jayce, he is very friendly and enjoys hugging other; he means you no harm. This man next to him is Jasper and he is the lead landscaper for the temple. He's been with us a few years now and does well. He is reserved but will lend a hand if you ever need." The man with the dark pink hair, Jasper, bowed his head slowly then looked into Jayce's eyes.
Jayce was startled by Jasper's actions but he couldn't look away. 'He has a feminine face and nice hair, is he really a landscape guy? He looks harmless but those eyes! They are the most brilliantly red eyes I have ever seen, I wonder-' "Don't let me catch you calling my face feminine anymore, yes I'm a landscaper, and yes my eyes should cause you to rethink my "harmless" appearance. Can I go now Sir Michael? I need to finish in the Southern garden before nightfall." Jayce's mouth was wide open in response to Jasper's words while Naya and Amber giggled to themselves, Michael nodded and sent Jasper on his way. "Jirobo, you are free to go as well if you need." Jirobo shook his head, "Nah, I'll stay, the other guys and gals are finishing up in the kitchen." Michael nodded and turned to Jayce, "Jayce, do close your mouth before a bug decides to claim it as its home. Jasper is able to temporarily or for short periods of time, read others minds if he makes eye contact with them. It is a familial trait associated with their eyes."
Jayce closed his mouth and nodded. "Good, now about Lady Wren, Sir Shoyo says that she is still unconscious and has small bouts of time where she is coherent. However, she is in a great deal of pain and she often is rendered unconscious again within 5-10 minutes. He believes it had something to do with Haruki's attack, The Ancient Tree's sap, and the black powder that was used to transport Miss Naya, Myself, and Lady Wren through the Kalina Clan hidden checkpoint. He had sent word to the Eastern Territories Elders about her condition and is expecting some medical assistance. If you would like to know more find Sir Shoyo or myself at a later date. You will all be informed when she awakes." Everyone felt a combination of relief to know about her condition but also worry due to the need to involve the Eastern territories Elders.
"Now...Jayce will be our new Guard and potentially a Clan Level trainee. It will take a few days for him settle into his new role, so do be patient and help him if need be. Amber, I know Hanako is the head maid so please inform her about Jayce and Lady Wren." Amber nodded her head in response, "I gathered you all due to the amount of interaction you will have with Jayce. It should be minimal, but you are in respectable positions and Jayce should at least be familiar with you, if he should find himself in trouble. Cole, Aster, take Jayce with you after dinner. He will be staying with you two for the time being. After you have all finished dinner, you are free to go about the rest of your day. Aster, be sure to wake up on time for breakfast; I'm sure Amber is tired of having to wake you." Most everyone around the table chuckled at Michael's comment, soon after discussing different topics and having an occasional friendly bout of bantering. Jirobo left to return to the kitchen, while the others slowly left the dining room after eating.