Ymir was looking around at the different people who seemed ready for war.
'So many people. Different hairstyles, whoa!' He noticed that a human woman was walking past him with bright purple hair and tattoos all over her.
'They seem more open than I thought they would be here...that is good.' He noticed that she was wearing a small tuft of fur to hold up her massive chest.
Amir caught himself starring a little too long before he noticed that he was being tapped on the lower back by a tiny hand. He spun to see who it was and asked, "How can I help you?" with a bright smile.
The young man seemed annoyed and shouted, "You can stop staring at my sister, THANKS!" before he stormed off to see her.
Amir just watched and noticed that nobody stopped the man or seemed to care, but Dione was giving him the 'you missed something' look.
"What?" Amir asked.
Dione squinted, "Most giants would have lashed out." He leaned over and pointed, "That kid in particular has been getting his ass kicked all year." He shrugged, "I didn't know if he was going to make it through this winter as his youth is fading."
Amir nodded, "Interesting. So it would have been normal to punch him for that?"
Dione just smiled like it was painfully obvious before he said, "Kid. Most Younglings have massive anger issues and some of the bloodiest wars ever fought can be directly linked to those early disputes." Dione smirked and waved for Ymir to follow.
They slowly approached the boy and woman who were speaking heatedly in a different language.
"Paro-sheit! Tu necessitari una responsity." The purple hair lady was roasting the poor boy who looked like he was being grilled before he finally erupted back at her, "Puer, SISTI?" The boy was about to continue when she shocked him with a jolt of purple lightening.
Dione stepped with authority as the two instantly spun around and the woman sounded off, "General Dione, my apologies, Sir."
He smiled, "Think nothing of it Captain Adelita."
Dione gestured to Ymir, "This is the Prince of Giants, Ymir Frostborne." He bowed as if to make it even more official.
Adelita blanched, but her will won out over the despair she felt for her brother.
People were turning and throwing glances at the bowing general. Some nodded and whispered among themselves while others dropped what they were doing and stared.
Amir just waved and said, "Hi, how are ya'?" which caused Dione to crack a smile as he stood upright.
Adelita was on autopilot as she turned and said, "I am doing well, Prince Ymir Frostborne, how may I be of service to you?"
Amir felt the administrative demands in her voice and cringed slightly before saying, "Just call me Ymir, please. And Dione brought us over to speak, I think?"
Dione spoke up with a nod, "Yes. I was teaching the Prince about expected societal normalcy and what is expected of him should someone disrespect him in the manner this boy has." He left the last few words hang in the air as Amir noticed the purple tattoos begin to move all over her body.
Adelita stepped over subtlety as she pleaded, "Prince Ymir, please have mercy." he noticed she was preparing herself for something.
Dione watched as the boy hung his head low.
Ymir could see the expectation in Dione's eyes and wondered, 'Is this a teachable moment? Am I supposed to move her and strike the boy?' He completely disregarded the possibility of striking the girl as Dione pointed it out, "She has moved in front of the offender, thereby taking his place, but only if you allow it."
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Adelita was prepared for a Youngling's fury.
Even a Prince for that matter.
One rumored to have no talents, but her friends in the QRA told otherwise. He was said to be able to bend SkySteel by Nika herself. A monstrous innate strength.
She opened her arms out in a T position, calming her Qi for a simple strike.
She was ready.
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Amir was about to rear back and punch....but he just didn't want to. He thought about it for a moment before saying, "Yeah, nah. Not going to hit you, sorry."
Dione frowned and the woman closed her eyes before stepping out of the way.
The boy stepped forward and muttered, "I am ready." as he quickly went into a half-assed T pose.
Amir noticed that Adelita was glaring at him hatefully underneath her cold exterior. He knew the look of a woman refraining from scathing someone all too well.
Then Dione stepped closer and whispered, "Mind your strength. You are likely to kill the boy even with even a tenth of your full strike."
Adelita shuttered and tears streamed down her face as she clearly heard what her General said, she could only hope to the Heavens that the Prince hadn't fallen into a rage.
Ymir shook his head, "Please put your arms down, nobody is getting hit today." the annoyance of the situation was evident for those listening.
Vice Commander Zeif spoke up, "My Prince, allow me to strike him in your ste-" he was cut off, "No one is hitting this kid. We clear?"
Amir felt the crowd respond eerily as Dione approached, "My Prince, it is Giant custom to punish someone for misspeaking to a Royal, not to mention a Prince."
Ymir nodded and said, "So you wanted me to strike the girl? I thought this was a test?" he shrugged and was about to turn as Dione said, "It was a minor test. But you should strike her to maintain Royal authority."
Amir thought that was funny, "Does Royal authority need defending by a Youngling? If so, then surely we are all doomed." He looked around as some people laughed, 'Right....'
He shook his head, "Anyways. Why not call it square?" he was looking around as a large man walked forward and knelt, "My Prince, allow me to be your instrument! I will put the boy in his place."
Amir noticed he was not getting anywhere when Dione backed away slowly, almost like he knew something bad was about to happen.
More men came up, "Please, my Lord, allow me to assist you-My Prince, please let me be your sword!" they started to overlap as more young Giants and humans walked over.
An older Giant in gaudy clothing took notice as he walked over with his son and guards, "Dione, what is happening here?"
Dione smirked, "Ah, Count Shatterstone, welcome to the Capital." then he waved his hands around and people made way for them. "I was just teaching a Youngling about our culture, there is nothing to worry about."
The Count simply nodded and strode past the mass of peasants without much care.
"LORD! Allow me to enact justice for you!"-"No, allow me!" Amir was starting to get a headache from the 'princing' and now 'lording', plus he was pretty sure people were just straight up ignoring him for some reason.
'Ah fook.' he noticed the wealthy man walking around them and he was getting the stink-eye from a very young Giant in golden silk who was whispering something.
Amir felt like this was a planned event. He turned and saw that Dione was smirking his huge ass off in the corner of the courtyard while his brother Zeif was straight up cry-laughing...
Amir could feel the rage bubble up as he shouted, "Everyone. Please."
They were pushing and shoving but maintaining a few feet of space around the three of them, a wonderfully controlled chaos.
He felt it pop, "ENOUGH!!!" his scream cut as soon as it began.
Giants and humans froze like statues as Ymir continued, "I am not punishing this boy, purely for his ignorance."
The situation was beginning to cool off when Amir noticed the golden clothed people stop.
The man sighed and said, "Dione, it appears your lesson is going poorly. I can see that someone pulled quite a few strings to get YOU to mentor them, allow me to assist you?"
He nodded lightly and explained, "The young human insulted my ward quite heavily and Ymir does not want to punish him for a small slight."
The man nodded, "I see, son. Please assist your peer."
The boy nodded and bowed before striding over, the sea of people parting on his haughtiness.
Ymir noticed the look on his face as he spoke, "Hello. I am Broack Shatterstone."
He nodded in return, "The name is Ymir. Why are you doing this?"
The Giant seemed offended, "I am simply upholding the culture of our people. Clearly. You lack culture." He was eyeing the nakedness of Ymir in disgust.
"My mom only had some shorts on her...at least they fit, right?" He shrugged as people nodded with his statement.
The boy spoke, "Well, she must be a poor wretch if she only had....those." he waved his hand at the matte grey cotton before continuing, "You must punish those that offend you. It is important for maintaining social order. We cannot allow the average person to besmirch our images."
Amir nodded, "But why?"
The Broack was taken aback, "Why? Because it is important."
He sighed, "Why is it important? What value does an image have when you are stronger than them?"
The boy was flustered and clearly grappling with even basic critical thinking for the first time.
"My boy. Please. Do hurry, we have a meeting to attend!" the father yelled as he was clearly in a rush.
Broack shook his head and nodded to his father before saying, "You simply must enact justice. Observe." the boy began to channel something in his hand, it was turning an earthy brown but it was flickering.
Dione stopped smiling and shouted, "No Qi!" but the boy was focused in his task. Something went wrong. Amir noticed that Zeif and Dione were shifting on their feet while Adelita was flashing purple.
She stepped forward, "Please strike me instead, my Lord." but she was ignored as the brown coated Broack's hand in actual earth.
The giant fist was beginning to shake and a sheen of sweat could be seen on his face as he muttered, "Please, observe." then he began the throw as Dione shouted for it to stop, but Amir knew what he had to do.
He had solved it. The ploy.
Amir watched the punch fly downward to the kid as his own hand was instinctively flying out towards the noble's spleen.
It was clear who had won in the battle of pure speed as purple light flashed, then the brother and sister appeared a few feet away.
Dione just smiled as he watched the scene unfold.
Amir felt his hand sink into the deforming side of Broack as he heard the rib cage moan and then crack before the boy was send flying into a sea of Giants. Blood coated Amir's hand as his knuckles were fine, but the blood came from somewhere.
He looked over to see the boy with a unilateral thorax as blood was leaking from him. The gasps brought him back to the Emergency Room as he felt the urge to jump in and grab equipment.
He walked over and noticed it was an obvious flail chest...."Ah Fuck. No vents."
Amir was wondering to himself as men surrounded him with their weapons pointed at him, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?!" the older man was filled with rage as the guards coated their weapons with earth and prepared to strike.
He knelt down to his son and put pressure on his chest as he whispered, "You are going to be okay!"
The pressure crumpled the other half of the boy's chest as a pill was placed on his tongue that swiftly turned into light and then flowed down his throat.
The panic on the boys face never never left, not even for a moment, as the sheer terror of suddenly being unable to breath haunted him.
The raging father simply yelled, "EXECUTE HIM!" as he never even turned around.
The men instantly trusted at Ymir before a wall of solid Ice suddenly appeared around him and stopped the weapons in their place before Dione spoke, "Excellent assistance in educating the young Prince on his culture...."
The sheer pleasure of this was plastered on his face as his smile only grew wider and wider.