The Monkey Prince and the Werewolf Princess ( MoonlightPrincess and SamuraiKing)

"I promise you on all my power I will protect her until my dying breath" Zhao told him. It was the only thing he said before leaving. He let Robert's last words sink into him and thought.

Zhao sat, cross-legged on his cloud, arm resting on knee and chin resting in palm. He sat in silence for a minute or two and then heaved out a heavy sigh and said. "You'r father...I a vastly complicated man....." He gave Roxy a smile, "I think he just gave his consent for us to date." He grinned playfully. "Though, if you are planning to court me, my lady, i'll have you know I am a screamer. "
Thank the Gods, his wit gland had not gone necrotic. He was half expecting to have lost all humor after his outburst.

His grin turned into a warm smile as he put a hand on her's and turned to face her. The cloud was small enough to barely hold them both so Zhao had to sit up against Roxy. Not that he minded. He mentally commanded the cloud to slow to a crawl, and it did as he commanded. He looked Roxy in the eyes and spoke, "Before we continue this, I want to know if this is really want you want."

When Zhao finally spoke Roxanne nodded in agreement. "If my Father is one thing, it is certainly complicated." She said and when he gave her a smile, she smiled back. His next statement shocked her, as it had been the last thing she expected her Father to say. "Did he really? I kind of shut off my ears so I couldn't hear your conversation." She said, thinking it was the best way to explain it. "I'm okay with screaming, if you can be okay with my howling. I howl a lot, especially when I'm in my wolf form or around other werewolves." She said, glad to see that after the serious talk he had had with Rooger that he still had his humor.

As he put his hand on her's and turned to face her she was glad to see his smile turn into a warm one and she returned it with one of her own. Roxanne certainly didn't mind that Zhao had to sit up against her, due to the clouds small size. As she gazed back into his eyes Roxy felt the cloud slow. "Zhao, I don't wish to mate with a wolf or any other man besides you. When I met you, I felt this strong connection; like something was telling me we were supposed to be together." She explained, but shook her head, sure that it sounded dumb. "The short answer is yes. If you'll have me this is certainly what I want."

"Oh, I can dig the howling, my dear. Never you worry about that" Zhao chuckled softly. He listened to her words and nodded. Sure the whole 'strong connection' thing sounded kind of silly. But at the same time, Zhao knew what she meant. He had felt that connection too. He put a hand on her cheek and said, "As you wish." He then moved his hand under her chin and gently pulled her in for a kiss. The first kiss he had in decades.

Zhao was not some god like Zues who slept with every woman he fancied. Nor was he the Hindu god Indra who not only slept with all he could find but eventually got cursed for it due to sleeping with the wife of a wizard. Indra was cursed to have...well womanhood placed all over his body. One of the gods showed pity on the thunder god and replaced them with eyes instead.

No, Zhao was not like them. He never had casual relationships with women, nor did he betray his lover. He was the kind of man who would wait for love, even if it meant waiting for six decades. For him, 60 years was nothing. Not when he found her.

He got lost in the kiss. Her lips were so soft and lovely. She tasted wonderful. Zhao could tell right then and there that he would be addicted to her kisses. He started gently, slowly, wanting to savor the moment. He wanted to take her all in. After a moment he leaned into the kiss a little more. Just a fraction or so. It felt like an age before he reluctantly separated his lips from her's.
"I love you, Roxanne"

His words kept the smile on her face, however one thing she failed to mention was that she also howled a lot during love making as she often lose control of her more.. Wolven urges, probably more because she was so young compared to most in her pack and hadn't had the time to keep her urges under control. As Zhao placed a hand on her cheek she continued to look into his eyes. When his hand then moved under her chin and he gently pulled her in for a kiss she didn't fight it, like she would have if any other man would have tried this, instead she welcomed it and as their lips met for a kiss she smiled against his lips.

Roxanne, much like Zhao, was willing to wait centuries if she had to, to find a man she was in love with and she had already proven that. Zhao was the first man she had been with in more than two hundred years. Now that she had found him she planned on remaining faithful to him.

As the two of them kissed Roxy, like Zhao, became lost in it. She loved the feel of his lips against her's and found that he tasted heavenly. As much as she loved his kisses, though, she knew what she would become addicted to what his touch and how just his fingers brushing against her skin made her feel so alive. As he started gently and slowly, she was glad that he wasn't rushing in and she happily savored the tender moment, slowly taking him in. When after a moment he leaned into the kiss slowly more she closed her eyes, not opening them until he pulled away several moments later and as he did she sensed his reluctance. "And I love you, Zhao." She said with a smile. In the back of her mind she just hoped her parents or pack didn't scare him away, although she didn't dare voice it.

Zhao smiled. "Good." He kept his gaze on her beautiful eyes for another few moments before speaking again. "Now that we got that done" His voice turned low and acquired a stunningly accurate Southern Accent. "What d'ya say we hunt sum ass-ass-ins" And with that he pointed forward with flair and the cloud shot forward. As they flew around, Zhao kept his ears and nose open as well as his magical senses for any sign of the assassin. For the next hour they found nothing. Most of the district had been searched three times over by them and nothing at all. Eventually they found themselves back in Chinatown.

It was there he noticed someone.
And it was not the assassin.
She was a young woman with eyes the same fiery gold as Zhao's, though she had thin yellow eyeglasses to go with her eyes, and skin tanned enough to be of Indian heritage. She was tall and curvy. Her jeans and Symphony X t-shirt did nothing to hide those curves either. She wore her dark hair nearly to her shoulders. She looked to be in her late twenties, though who knew what age she could really be. Zhao landed the cloud in front of her, his face in a wide grin.
She grinned back.
"Hello, big bro. Is that a cloud at your feet or are you just happy to see me?" She rose an eyebrow at Roxy, "And who's the puppy?"
"Sam! How have you been, squirt!?" He got off the cloud and gave his baby sister a hug. "How did you convince dad to let you leave Tibet?" He released Sarah and got into a pose of presentation. "This gorgeous goddess is Roxanne, A werewolf Princess"
Sam let out a tiny gasp of joy and flung herself at Roxy and hugged the werewolf. "YAAY! Dage has found love again! Welcome to the Sun family, Rox!" She finally lert Roxy out of the hug and smiled big and sweet at her. "I'm Samantha. I keep Dage Zhao in line when dad's not around. But it looks like I don't have to worry anymore now that he has you, Rox!"

She turned to Zhao and grinned a big grin. The kind of grin that made Sun Wukong and his family famous. Zhao understood right away.
"Ahhh. You tricked dad, huh? Heh I am sure he will get a kick out of whatever you cooked up"
"Damn straight he will!" She laughed. "So what are you doing out here with your date,Dage? Something romantic, I hope?"
Zhao shook his head, "Sadly not. We are out looking for bad guys. This one is very Assassin's Creed. He has a retractable dagger and everything. Only, this guy seems to like to kill Vampires, Werewolves and Fae"
"You mean girl"
"Huh?" Zhao raised his eyebrow in question
"I've seen her around here. A few times yesterday and twice today. Really I've noticed her around since I got back here. I THOUGHT she looked odd. thought it was a weird costume thing though. haunt around here and you should find her"
"HUH?!" Zhao said again, reminding all present of his mastery of the English language.
"What?"
"I fought him yesterday, Sam. He was a guy. Not a girl"
"No, she is a girl. Trust me. She had a killer figure......Well this is odd"
Zhao nodded. "This entire case has been odd.....WAIT A MINUTE! I got it! THe assassin is...."
".....Two assassins!" Sam finished with a grin.
Zhao paused and cleared his throat. "Um, yeah. Two assassins...Totally not a gender-swapping shapeshifter."

As the two of them sat there and gazed into each others eyes for a few moments longer Roxanne smiled, savoring the moment. After all, until they found the assassins they probably wouldn't be getting much alone time and most of the time they had would surely go into hunting down these assassins. When he spoke in the back of her mind Roxy wondered how long Zhao had been planning to ask her to be his girlfriend. When he then changed his tone she was surprised to hear an almost flawless southern accent coming out. "I'm ready to hunt these Ezio imposters down. Your girl is always up for hunting down some bad guys." She said, kissing him on the cheek before he pointed forward and the cloud shot forward. It was then that Roxy closed her eyes and focused on keeping her senses of hearing, smell and ability to sense any presence of magic open; she didn't want to miss even the slightest trail that might lead them to the assassins. As they flew around for the next hour Roxanne caught the scent of the male assassin several times but it was at least days old and he would be long gone by now.

Roxy didn't open her eyes until she could feel the cloud slowly lowering to the ground, she saw the girl but upon catching her scent she knew she wasn't one of the assassins they were looking for. In fact, she noticed whoever this woman was, she had a scent similar to Zhao's Roxanne also noticed as they landed in front of the woman that she possessed some sort of magic. She glanced over at Zhao and by the grin on both his face and the woman's she could tell the two knew each other quite well.

When Sam began to speak Roxy was ready to growl in protest at the word "Puppy" but managed to hold herself back as she watched the two of them. It was then she figured it out and that was only because they reminded her so much of Roxy herself and her brother Bane: This woman was his sister! When Zhao released Sam and as Zhao presented Roxy to her she couldn't help but blush. The next thing she knew, she could feel Sam's arms around her and she wrapped her arms around her as she hugged Sam back. "Thank you, Samatha." She said as she was welcomed to the family and when Sam let go of her she smiled back at the woman. "It might take two of us to keep Zhao in line, though." She said, her tone one of joking as she glanced over at Zhao with a grin. Already she could see Sam and her becoming the best of friends.

As Sam went back to speaking to Zhao Roxy simply watched, from the looks of it the two hadn't seen each other in some time. When Zhao was asked what the two of them were doing Roxanne certainly wished they were doing something romantic, but that had to wait until after this mission. She continued to watch as the two spoke of assassins. When Zhao came to the conclusion Roxy finally spoke up. "I think now the question is after we catch these two are they both behind each murder or did they go solo.." She posed the question and as she awaited an answer she tried to pick up the scent of the male.

"Good question. I guess we will have to ask them when we find them" Zhao said, his mind still wandering around theory after theory. Who could be ordering these assassins around? Some of the Gods of most pantheons are not above hiring mortals to do their bidding. That cheating she-beast Aphrodite and humorless punk Loki come to mind first. But Aphrodite is too stupid to think of a plan this articulate and Loki is trapped in Hell with everyone's best friend, Lucifer. Could it have been one of the Fairy Kingdoms? King Oberon and his wife Titania of Spring are a little more direct and far too honer bound to hire people to kill others, especially their own kind. The Kingdom of Autumn ruled by Queen Mab is indeed cruel and cold enough to do something like that, but they have no good reason to start a three-way war. And anyway, Mab is far too intelligent to employ such a flawed plan.

After a few moments of thought, Zhao realized he should not be thinking about who hired them, he should be out catching them and asking who hired them. Zhao could picture it now: A total cop-movie scene with Roxy and himself as cops interrogating the assassins.....

A sudden pain ripped him from all other thoughts except ones like
'Why is my stomach all hurty?'
He looked down and found a jade dagger sticking out of his right side.
"Huh....When did THAT get there....Hey, that's jade! No wonder it hurts so much....", He said in a relaxed, humor filled tone.

Sarah was already chasing after the assassin who threw the jade dagger at Zhao. In a matter of moments the assassin would be caught.

While she was doing that, Zhao lost all feeling in his legs and he collapsed to his knees. "Heh! Oh yeah!" He said drunkenly, "I almost forgot that jade can drain all my energy! Well...that is not cool!"
He didn't even notice the female assassin appear out of the shadows and thrust her wrist-blade towards his neck.....

Roxanne was still trying to pick up a scent when Zhao spoke in a relaxed humor filled tone. That was when her focus was broken and she was brought back to reality where she saw Sarah racing off after the male assassin and saw a dagger carved from Jade sticking out of Zhao's right side. Roxy involuntary gasped and was ready to tend to his wounds, seeing Zhao collapsing to his knees as he lost all feeling in them but then she saw the female assassin emerge from the shadows and she could see a wrist blade. Seeing it wasn't made out of Jade she moved in front of him with a lightening fast speed, stopping the girl from stabbing him. "If that blade is going through anyone, it's going through me, bitch!" She snarled, ready to shift into wolf form if needed. Of course the last thing on her mind was that this assassin might be armed with something made out of pure silver.

As she stood there her right hand moved behind her, moving to rip the blade from Zhao's side and with the blade in hand she pulled the hand back as she focused on attempting to heal his wounds. After all, her Grandmother on her Father's side had been a healer, so maybe she was too. To her shock, she could feel the wound healing somehow. "Zhao?" She asked while she kept her eyes on the assassin, ready to defend her and Zhao if needed. Clearly these two knew that Zhao was on their trail and knew what he was, as well as his weaknesses, but did they know these thing about her?

The Jade worked fast through Zhao. His eyes blurred and the voices around him were muffled by some sort of sound filter. He heard Roxanne's voice somewhere. It was almost impossible to hear now but it was there. His mind felt like an old tv without any channels on it. Just whiteness and a loud buzzing. He was blank. He could not gather his thoughts at all. What was he doing? What happened? Why can't he think straight? What was that agony that he felt in his side?

A sudden rush of emotions and memories came forth. The assassins. The murders. The jade dagger in his gut. Roxanne. Roxanne was in danger.Zhao fought through the effects of the jade and was able to pull the dagger from his abdomen. The pain was lessened to a slightly more manageable level. He could see and hear again, at least.
"ROXANNE!" He roared, his voice cracked and broken, "RUN! NOW!"

Pure instinct drove him forward, his right hand reaching behind his ear for his staff. He dashed around Roxanne and came face to face with the assassin.
Her eyes shone red with steel resolve and a stone heart.
Zhao knew those eyes well.

The assassin retreated before Zhao's staff grew to it's usual length. She vanished into the shadows.
Zhao fell back towards Roxanne, his legs giving out on him once more. As he landed , his eyes were wide with astonishment.
"Gods Below!" He swore, "They are Human Constructs! Humunculi!"

As the Jade dagger was pulled out of Zhao's side she was able to steal a moment to look back at him so she could see how he was doing. She had indeed healed him, but she could tell he still wasn't himself; it seemed as if he couldn't hear her, almost. Hell, she knew if Zhao was himself that he would almost surely be in front of her, protecting her from the female assassin rather than her protecting him. With that she turned her attention back to the woman, she would deal with the shock of her new found abilities later. Right now her main focus was protecting Zhao and making sure she didn't get herself killed in the process.

As Rox focused on the woman in front of her she looked at her with a glare, her gaze almost daring her to try an attack. The whole time her eyes were on her, she didn't even know that Zhao could once again hear and see her, at least not until he spoke, his voice a roar but his tone cracked and broken. She was ready to protest against his words but she didn't, she didn't leave either, though. After all, she could sense Zhao was weak because despite the dagger being out of him now, it had drained most of his energy, it seemed.

The next thing Roxanne saw was Zhao finding the strength to stand and dash around her, ready to protect her as pure instinct drove him forward and as his staff began to grow she watched. Part of her wanted to stop him, to be the one protecting him but she felt helpless to watch.

Roxanne continued to watch Zhao's staff grow in his hands but when she looked up for a brief moment, when the staff wasn't even fully grown she could see the woman retreating. She watched until the assassin disappeared into the shadows before her attention returned to Zhao. Moments later when he fell back towards Roxy as his legs gave out once again Roxy out her arms out an managed to catch him. "It's okay, I've got you?" She said as she held him in her arms. At his next words she was confused. "So basicly whoever is behind this is using humans to do their dirty work?" She asked, her tone complete confusion.

Zhao let out a growl of pain before answering, "No. Human Constructs. Fake Humans made from Alchemy. Homunculi are....ow....They are heartless monsters who follow their master's bidding no matter what." He paused as the agony became overwhelming. It was then he remembered exactly how Jade effects Demi-Gods. He lifted his shirt and looked down, finding a blackness where his knife wound was. The wound was slowly growing necrotic. The blackness was growing slowly past his wound. Cracks and veins grew from the blackness and spread to near his abs.
"Well...That is not good..." Zhao said weakly.

"Da Ge!" Sam cried in dismay as she ran up to him. She saw the wound and hissed. "Damn. You were stabbed with jade" She looked at Roxy, her eyes full of calm fear for her brother. "Rox, please. I need you to help me take him to K/S HQ. There are things there that can help him against this rot." As she spoke she grabbed a cloud and lifted Zhao onto it. The cloud was large enough for three people.

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Sam put her brother onto the medical table and immediately began to make a tea that would help with his wound. As she did Zhao was smiling weakly at Roxanne. The pain was too great for him to speak, but he did not cry out or otherwise voice his pain. It's a guy thing.

Sam soon had Zhao drink the tea and as he drank the rot around his wound began to recede, though did not vanish. He let out a sigh as he finished. "Holy crap that shit tastes bad" Zhao grunted though he was grinning. He put his hand on Roxy's and smiled at her. "Please forgive me for worrying you, Roxanne. I am fine now"

Roxanne kept her eyes on Zhao as he explained to her and was ready to open her mouth to speak again before he paused as his pain became overwhelming once again. When he lifted his shirt she looked down at his side as his skin was slowly revealed, unsure of what the wound would look like. When the wound was revealed Roxy involuntarily winced, finding the wound painful to look at. She remembered it beginning to turn black around the wound when she had pulled the dagger from him and healed the gash but she couldn't have healed what it was doing to him, even if she had known the full extent of what it was doing to him. She looked at t. "Yeah, I know, honey. It looks pretty damn painful." She said wanting to comfort him and ease his pain, but unsure how to do that.

When Sam cried out to Zhao in dismay as she ran to where Roxanne was holding him, she looked up at same."I tried to heal it but I've never seen a wound like what Jade does to Demi-Gods." She explained as Sam looked at her, seeing the calm fear within her eyes. When Sam requested her help in transporting Zhao to headquarters she didn't hesitate a second before nodding. "I'll help in anyway I can." She said in agreement as she watched Sam grab a cloud and she helped Sam get him onto it and let Sam get up before climbing on herself.

-------------------

When they arrived Rox helped Sam get her brother onto the table and for a moment watched as Sam began to prepare the tea to help his wound. When her gaze turned back to Zhao she saw he was weakly smiling at her and she smiled back, leaning down she planting a soft kiss on his cheek. If you were to look deep enough into her eyes, the fear and worry was quite obvious, despite her trying to remain strong for him and despite Zhao not once voicing his pain, she could tell the infection type wound was causing him great pain.

When Sam came over and gave him some of the tea to drink Roxanne watched the wound as while he drank it began to recede but did not vanish. "Well, that shit is going to help you get rid of that thing." She said, unsure of what to call the infection type wound the dagger had made. "So you are going to drink it, my love." She said with a joking, yet serious tone to her voice. As his hand made it's way to rest on top of her's and he smiled at her, Roxanne smiled back and leaned in, kissing him gently on the lips. "There is no need for me to forgive you, because I was never mad and you know I don't believe that. I'm sure you also know I'm going to worry and insist you take it easy until that thing is gone." She said with a grin.

"Yes ma'am" Zhao said after his drink. He glanced at Sam, "Sammy, That was not the Immortali-tea,was it?" Sam nodded with a small sigh. "Yeah, it was. It's the only thing I could make to reverse the poison. It will take awhile, though"
"No shit!" Zhao grunted, though he grinned, "The Immortali-tea was not meant to heal the effects of Jade. It was made by that Irish Druid down in Tempe to make himself an immortal. That tea grants immortality, it does not heal wounds"
Sam nodded, "Yeah but what else could I make? Looks like you are gonna have to sit the rest of this case out, Da Ge."
"Like hell I am!" Zhao laughed before getting off the medical table. It was hard and he had to grip Roxy's arm lightly to steady himself, but by the gods he got up.

"You know that wound is still gonna be effecting you, Da Ge. The pain will be a bitch to deal with"
Zhao gave her a grin, "I'll deal. Trust me catching that Homunculus will help ease my pain greatly"
"Knew you would say that. The gang should have the one I captured by now."
"Hog Tie 'em?" Zhao asked, his voice reverting to that Southern accent again.
"Hog Tied 'em sumthin' firce" Sam replied, her accent a match for Zhao's
"Groovy. C'mon, Hun, we got ourselves a Homunculi to interrogate" He put his arm around Roxy's shoulders and walked her out of the medical room.

When he closed the door he instantly put Roxy in a hug. His embrace was tight, but not constricting. It was the kind of embrace one gives to the person they thought would have been dead.
"By the Hells, Roxanne....I..." It was hard to speak. "Please...do not scare me like that again. When I tell you to run, it is not because you cannot handle yourself in a fight. By the gods, you could kick the shit out of most boogiemen we deal with. But, damn it, You could not handle a Homunculus. Not until you know what you were dealing with. Hells, I didn't even know what it was yet but I still knew it would have been too much for you then. That is why I told you to run, my love. I need you to promise me that you will run if I say so. I won't say it often, hell I may never say it again. But, PLEASE...."

Roxanne listened to the two as they talked, Roxy had observed the two looked close close in age, but she knew just as well as Zhao and Sam did that how old one appeared didn't hold much value especially when talking about any race other than human. When Sam suggested he sit this one out Roxy shook her head, at first appearing to agree with Zhao. As Zhao gripped her arm lightly to steady himself she looked at Sam. "I don't think he needs to, at least not yet. However," She paused before looking at Zhao as she finished speaking. "If his pain levels get even slightly worse or doesn't get any better in a reasonable amount of time I'll make him sit this case out. Even if it takes me tying him up and bringing my whole pack here to babysit him." She said, her tone a serious one until the last sentence, clearly the way she described of making sure he sat the case out was a joke but she did mean every word of making him sit this case out if she had to.

As Zhao got up from the table Roxanne simply watched as the two went back and forth again, she couldn't help but laugh at the way both of them were able to almost flawlessly take on any accent they wished to. In the back of her mind she wondered if there was an accent the two couldn't pull off. "Sounds like fun, my love." She said with a grin to Zhao as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I'm ready to go all Law & Order on this guy." She said, the grin remaining on her face as he walked her out of the medical room.

When he pulled the door closed behind the two of them and they were alone in the hall Roxanne was caught off guard when Zhao's arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace but she welcomed it; feeling safe in his arms. She also didn't hesitate in wrapping her arms around her, although was careful not to cause him anymore pain. At first when Zhao began to speak Rox wanted to silence him, hearing what a struggle it was for him to talk in his voice but when she heard the worry and gratitude that she was still alive she figured it was something she needed to hear. At first Roxanne found herself wanting to snap at him like she did her pack when they tried to fight her battles for her, but upon hearing him say it wasn't that he thought she couldn't handle herself in a fight, that disappeared quickly. As he finished speaking she could have sworn his tone was one of almost begging. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." She said as her head rested on his left shoulder, her arms remaining wrapped around him. "I guess I was just scared, because I felt how weak you were that if she managed to attack you that she might have killed you." She said, feeling tears coming to her eyes as she told him what was not her greatest fear; losing him. "But I promise if it happens again I'll listen to you and run, if that's what you tell me to do." She said before nuzzling into his neck. "I love you, Zhao." She said, her voice hardily a whisper and she was certain her tone gave away that she was on the verge of crying.

Zhao let out a sigh of relief and the tension in his shoulders vanished. "Thank you, Roxanne. I love you too" He noticed the tone in her voice and put his lips to her's in a kiss. He did not want to see her cry and kissing her seemed to be the only remedy to her impending tears. Her lips still tasted so sweet and soft. Yeah, he was getting used to this.
After a few moments, he separated from her lips, smiling at her. "Now, that we got that settled, my dear. I think it is time to have a talk with our new Homunculus friend."

The Homunculus sat in a pure white room straight out of every cop drama on TNT. On the table, just out of arms reach was a Quiznos Sub. Sean and Mingyu sat on the other side, both glaring at the Homunculus.
The kid had to have been 15. 18, tops. Well that was how the Homunculus LOOKED anyway.

"So has he speaking at all?" Zhao asked as he walked in. Sean and Mingyu were just standing up as Roxy and Zhao opened the door.
"Nah!" Mingyu grunted. "The kid is stubborn for a Homunculus.That creator of his must be one sick bastard."
"Let me guess you were trying to use the sandwich to get at him, not knowing he was not a human?"
"Yup!" Sean said with a small grin. "You guys try and see what you can get out of him."
And with that, they walked out.
"They always do things together.", Zhao whispered to Roxy, "It is apart of the marriage. I find it adorable"
"We can still hear you, Zhao!" Mingyu's voice growled over the loud speaker.
Zhao laughed as he took a seat. He gave a nod to Roxy. "Ladies first, my love"

Roxanne was glad to see the tension that had built up in his shoulder and when he spoke, saying that he loved her too and at the same time thanked her for her promise. When he let go of her Roxy was certain he had heard the one in her voice and that was confirmed as he pressed his lips from his seconds after she pulled back so that she could look up into his eyes. She welcomed it as she smiled against his lips before kissing him back, her right hand moving up to rest on his right cheek as their lips locked. Roxanne loved the way his lips tasted she loved something else, too though, and that was the way Zhao's kisses were gentle yet at the same time she could always feel a hint of possession in his kisses, not as if he were claiming her as an object, though. No, this was like he was claiming her as his mate. Several moments later when their lips separated and he smiled at her, she smiled back. "Friend? Does that mean I can't get a little rough with him, should he not cooperate with us?" She asked in a joking tone.

As they walked into the room and the three began talking she was half paying attention to what they were talking about while the rest of her attention was observing the thing. She was trying to figure out of how to get him to talk and at the same time her nose was collecting it's scent. Before Sean and Mingyu left her and Zhao alone to interrogate the creature she thought about asking them if there was anyway to narrow down if not pinpoint who had created the boy but she decided she could ask Zhao later and watched the two exited the room.

Instead of her attention returning to the boy her full attention was focused on Zhao as he whispered in his ear. "I find it adorable too." She agreed after they left the room, hardily getting it out before Mingyu's voice came over the loud speaker in a growl. Truth be told, she would hope her and Zhao's future had marriage in it one day and hoped that many lifetimes from now they were even more emotionally connected than they were now and were just as affectionate. She didn't dare voice that, though, even when they were alone. As Zhao took a seat she watched him and at his nod, she nodded back and her eyes remained locked on him for a few moments longer, her gaze saying she knew something none of them did yet.

She then pulled her gaze away from him and looked at the boy. She had no intentions of using kid gloves with this guy and she seemed to be in control of her emotions. "To start things, we're going to ask you some questions. Now, you can do things the easy way and give us the answers we're looking for or you can take the harder route in which case you have one very pissed off werewolf a demi god who I assure you is less than pleased with you and a whole building full of all kinds of races, all of which I can assure you would be more than happy to rough you up a little. Now, why don't we start with something simple: Why in the hell does your boss want to start a war between the Vampires, Werewolves and the fae?"

The Homunculi let out a big sigh and leaned back in his chair, obviously unaffected by her words. He said nothing, though, glaring daggers at Roxy and Zhao in equal amounts of hate and aggression that he could not act on for he was not only handcuffed to the chair he sat on, but there was a circle on the ground surrounding him that acted as a magical barrier. No magic could come in, nor go out. He was powerless.
Zhao rested his chin in his right hand and grinned happily at the boy, obviously unaffected by his venomous glare.
"Well with that barrier surrounding you, you cannot do a thing to act upon that aggression you have bottled up there inside your little heart. You might as well talk. Why don't we start with your name? You can at least give us the courtesy of your name, yes? I am Sun Zhao son of Sun Wukong. "
The homunculi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Um...Bard....Or so my master calls me..."
"Hah! Got you to talk!" Zhao chuckled. "And what about the girl with you, She your sister?"
Bard tensed at that. "How did you...? I mean of course not!"
"I see. Interesting. A Homunculi with feelings."
"DON'T YOU DARE BRING CHARLOTTE IN TO THIS! I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM HER!" Bard roared in a sudden outburst of fury.
Zhao rose his hands in mock surrender, "Calm down, Bard. I promise not to hurt your sister/ However, she kind of did stab me with a jade dagger, which is poison to people like me. "
Bard shut his mouth at that. "....I...am sorry. But it was orders....." His eyes lost all fury, "I beg of you....save my sister. I don't care what you do to me. Just help Charlotte before master kills her..."

That came as a surprise that Bard would cave so easily. "I promise to help you both, but I NEED to know who your master is."
".....She is called Morgana Le Fae"
Zhao took that in for as moment, then said with a grunt. "Oh Shit"

Roxanne, like Zhao wasn't phased by the boy's glare. While she knew there was no way he was going to to be able to harm either one of them, not with him being handcuffed to the chair and the magical barrier someone had cast around him, she saw no purpose in needlessly pissing him off. As Zhao took over with the questioning Roxy leaned against the wall and half listened. Now that she was so close to Bard she picked up a scent on him she hadn't be for and she knew that before she said anything to Zhao she needed more answers out of Bard. The whole time Zhao was questioning the boy her mind was working.

"Bard," She began, speaking up once Zhao took a moment to take what information he had gotten in. "My name is Roxanne Evans, I'm from a local werewolf pack and as Zhao said, we will not hurt her but I need some answers. "Now, you said Master. If this Morgana was your only... Handler, you would have said Mistress. I picked up an old friend of mines scent up on you. His name is Dyson and he's a male siren but what I need to know if he gives you orders or hand a hand in creating you and Charlotte." She said, looking at him with eyes that begged for the truth. Of course, she already knew Dyson was involved in this somehow and at a high level. The boy wouldn't smell of Dyson like he did if that wasn't the case. She also had a theory that there was a reason why there had been orders to hurt Zhao but not her and she thought that was Dyson had been working with the assassins to track her down.

Zhao recognized the name Dyson from her story under the Sakura tree. So she caught the whiff of her old flame. If Zhao was the jealous type he would have been...well jealous.
Roxanne had a damn good point, too. Zhao gave her a wink to say 'Good catch,love' and then turned to Bard. "Well, kid, better answer the lady's question. How many bosses you got?"

Bard blushed at his own slip of tongue. "Ah...Yes. Forgive me. Master Dyson is one of the people who gives me orders. He was the one who ordered me to kill the Vampire and the others. But make no mistake, Morgana Le Fae is the REAL master! Her magic is too strong! She has many great warriors under her spell! She is the one who created Charlotte and myself. Only with her death will we be free of her....." And with that Bard fell silent again.
"Where is she then? Where is Morgana's hideout?"
Bard shrugged, "We moved to a new one every two days. She would have moved all the way across town by tonight. Our last hideout was in Chinatown."
"Thank you, Bard." Zhao said sincerely before standing. "We will get your sister and keep her safe. While we do that, you must stay here. There is no safer place on Earth."

Zhao let out a sigh as he closed the door behind Roxy and himself. "Well THIS is gonna be fun! The most powerful sorceress on Earth is our enemy and she has enthralled some surprise heroes to help her."
Mingyu and Sean walked out of the other room and nodded. "This will be rough, that is for sure." Mingyu said.
"Well as long as none of us get caught and zapped by her hip-no-beam I think we will be fine. I mean Marcus defeated her once when he was still going around as Merlin the Seer."
Zhao laughed. "Heh, yeah. That was awesome. So what is the plan, boss man?"
Mingyu and I will go get Charlotte, you two work on finding Morgana. Sniff her out whatever it takes"
Woof Woof! Ress Raggy!" Zhao barked, taken on Scooby Doo's voice. "Ruh Roh! Ret's Row!"

As Zhao winked at her Roxy smiled at him before leaning against the wall as Bard not only answered her question but the remaining questions that Zhao had. While she listened though, she seemed distracted; as if something was on her mind. Perhaps Dyson is the one who wants to start a war. Maybe involving our pack so he could come in and help us win in hopes that my Father would owe him... Roxanne thought to herself. Dyson and her once had a strong mental connection, not as strong as her and Zhao's but still strong and if the connection had still been in tact, he would know she was mated to another. "Thank you, Bard." She said when the boy was finished, finally able to push any thought of Dyson to the back of her mind for now.

As Zhao left the room she followed him out, looking at him as he spoke once the door was closed. "She didn't enthrall Dyson, if that's what you're thinking. I know him well enough to know he went to her, either wanting to track me or my pack down." She said, shaking her head. What she didn't bother to mention was the way Dyson had changed the last time she met up with him. "If any of us run into Dyson be cautious too. He doesn't have any hypnosis or mind control abilities but this siren has something just as deadly." She warned the group, pausing and taking a deep breath before continuing. "He can breed emotions in a person at will. Say you aren't a possessive or jealous person well he can make you just that, if he wishes it so." she finished, explaining it the best way she could.

As the orders were given she gave a simple nod and when Zhao took on Scooby Doo's voice she didn't laugh as she normally would have but it did earn a weak smile from her. "Shouldn't I be the one impersonating Scooby Doo since I'm the canine here?" She joked before moving on to more serious things. "I think we should focus on tracking Dyson first. I know where to find him and he would lead us to her." She said but paused before speaking again, knowing Zhao would be totally against what she had planned after they found him. "I also think when we confront him I should do it alone... If I'm with someone his guard will be up." She added, waiting for him to reject the idea.

Zhao and the others listened to what Roxy had to say about Dyson. It was a few moments before anyone spoke again.
"It has been awhile since any of us had to face off against a siren. We will make extra sure to be cautious around him. Thank you for the warning, Roxanne. We will see you two shortly.", Sean said, and with that he and Mingyu left the two alone.

Zhao grinned at Roxy's comment on his Scooby Doo impression. It faded a little when he saw she was only giving him a small smile. "Maybe so, my love, and before this night is out I shall give you the honor of being Scooby. But for now, you are Shaggy. And honestly, that can be the better roll. Shaggy gets the best food, after all. Scooby always gets what is left" He frowned when her toned shifted. "I agree. Dyson is the key to finding Morgana." As she paused, Zhao put his hand in her's and laced his fingers around her's. He nearly bit his tongue as he held back from speaking against the idea. He did not like it, but she was also right. After a few moments he spoke, "I understand...Though I sure as hell do not like it. I'll be in the shadows just in case. Who knows what he could do....Well, lead the way, my dear"

Roxanne watched as Sean and Mingyu left the room before turning her full attention back to Zhao, it made her frown to see his grin fade a bit when he was unable to make her laugh, which usually wasn't that hard for him. "You're right, Shaggy does get the better food most of the time." She agreed with a smile before leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips. "You'll be seeing me in both my wolf form and werewolf form before the night ends." She said, knowing she would be able to promise this. Before they left the building she would be in wolf form simply because she could track better in that form. Roxy was glad to hear Zhao agree that the best way to get to Morgana was through Dyson and when he placed his hand in her's lacing their fingers together when she paused it made her smile. She was shocked when he didn't shoot down the idea and simply nodded when he said he would be hiding in the shadows, should she need him.

"Zhao, my love, I promise I'll be careful but me being alone doesn't ensure he won't attack. Last time I saw him... He was powerful and he's probably only become stronger since then." She explained, and then paused a moment; finding herself unsure of how Zhao would react to the bond they once had. "Dy and I were also once... Very much in sync with each other. At one point we could communicate telepathically. I don't know if that bond was ever broken completely. I guess we'll find out once we find him and see if he knows I'm mated to another man." She said before pulling away from him and transforming into her wolf form. She still had the same green eyes she had in human form and her tattoos were visible as if the ink had been put onto her fur but other than that she looked like a normal Timber Wolf, the many colors of her coat blending together beautifully. "Let's go" She said, except instead of the words being spoken aloud they echoed in Zhao's mind. In her wolf forms she could only communicate telepathically.

Zhao did not grow jealous at her when she spoke of the bond she and Dyson has shared. In fact, he understood all to well. He had once shared such a bond with another...All those years ago...Zhao stopped himself from thinking of the past. He had to keep his mind of the present.
The fact that she kept using the word 'mating', however, was a little off putting to him. "You know, hun. It is gonna take awhile for me to get used to being called a 'mate' Thank the gods we don't live in Australia." He grinned a little at her as she transformed into her wolf form. "Lead the way, Rin Tin Tin!"

He followed her to a bar on the other side of Chinatown. It seemed pretty average at first glace. However, Zhao could sense the confluence of energy there.
"Well well, seems like he is staying at a place built on a heavy gathering of magical energy. Not to mention the supernatural clientele I can sense in there. So you want me to go in and grab a beer while you hunt down your former boy-toy?"

When Zhao spoke Roxanne found herself feeling bad. After all, she had never stopped to think about asking what the Demi-Gods called it. "Sorry..." She began by apologizing, trying to keep the fact that she felt bad out of her tone. "I guess I'm so accustomed to what my people a lover. What do Demi-Gods call it?" She asked, her tone sounding as if she was laughing at his last comment. "Yeah, they say it after everything over there." Roxy agreed. As he told her to lead the way she did just that but not before playfully nipping at him, her teeth never touching his skin though.

After getting outside she was able to pick up Dyson's scent and though it was days old at this point it was enough for her to confirm he had been in the area. The scent lead her to the bar. When the two of them walked up Roxy looked like she was in pain, finding all the different scents and loud sounds an assault on her senses, even just standing outside. Not to mention the strong sense of magic she could feel. For now she quickly transformed back to her human form. "A friend owns it and I'm going in there, if I can determine about how long ago he left, it should be easier to find Dy." She said, making it clear she knew he wasn't inside. "But sure, go ahead and grab a beer if you want." She added before raising her brow at him. "Does that make you my current "Boy-Toy"?" She asked, making a face at the word, clearly she had no intention of starting to call Zhao that.

"Hang around the bar and drink until we find him, eh? Best plan i have ever heard!" Zhao said with a playful grin. "It's beer time!"And with that he went on, holding the door open for Roxy as he did.
The Way of the Gentleman is strong with him.
"Yes, that makes me your current 'boy-toy'. To quote the great ZZ Top, I am your Teddy Bear." Zhao answered her, his grin big. "You can call me whenever you want in private, my love. But at least do me the favor of keeping it from the public's ears. I got a reputation to uphold, after all"
He took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer for himself and Roxy. "Speaking of ZZ Top..." He said at random, "Oi, Barkeep! Put that jukebox to good use, if you would please!" He took the first sip of the beer and....holy fucking shit. He looked at the bottle and did not recognize the company or brand. Zhao knew every single beer brand and company, so this one was new to him. It tasted of liquid nirvana. He had heard a tavern in Chicago could produce home brew like this. Zhao did not expect to find a god-level brew in the Nations Capitol.

While he drank his beer he kept eyes and ears open for Dyson. Just because he did not know what the guy looked like did not mean he could not spot him. Sirens are kind of rare in the mortal realm. Even in a supernatural tavern like this one, they rarely ever show up anymore. They had grown rather paranoid after that whole Odysseus thing.