1830/What does he want now

What does he want now
Date of Scene:	18 March 2015
Location:	The Sundew Kingdom<SK>
Synopsis:	Lute takes Sarracenia for a flight on Giratina.
Cast of Characters:	188, Sarracenia

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Sarracenia has posed:
     The kingdom of Sundew is a sight to see, regardless of how you arrive. If you travel the one road that they keep clear for trade, then it is miles of endless, inpenetrable jungle. If you arrive from the sky, it is still that, but you can see the fact that the canopy is unbroken for every one of those miles. The road can't be seen from above, either. But, one would be able to see the floating platforms that serve as the airport. Apparently they do not have runways. They expect all aircraft to be VTOL-capable.

     The city itself is only visible once you are almost above it. High walls keep the creatures of the forest out, but some of the trees are taller than the walls, which are themselves 50 feet high. The buildings are consistent with architectures of nearby lands. Some houses are giant vegetables or mushrooms that have been carved out, some are houses made of stone bricks, and some are of course log houses made from the surrounding forest. The castle itself rises above the walls of the city. It is obvious the royals here have plenty of money, because the castle is made almost entirely of imported marble. And like most castles, it sports several towers, parapets, turrets, and a walled platform around the perimeter of the roof that allows soldiers to patrol. It also sports a front entrance that looks like an Onix could easily fit through. Like the castle in the Mushroom Kingdom, above the front entrance is a stained glass mural of the princess of this land. In this case, Sarracenia.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute has taken Sarracenia home to the Sundew Kingdom a couple of times before, so it's not really his first time here. But, all of the previous times have been at night, and so he never really got a good glimpse of the kingdom as a whole. And so, as he flies in on Giratina, he really just needs a moment to take in the beauty of it. Sure, the place is a lot more tropical than it has seemed at night, but it is still quite fascinating to look at.

     As Giratina flies in, Lute guides him to the tower in which Sarracenia's room is. With there being a new hole in Sarracenia's wall, he figures it should be fairly easy to spot it. His main reason for the visit is quite simple: He just wants to see more of her. Try and make things work. Deep down, he realizes it is unlikely. Their romantic desires are simply too incompatible. But, alas, he wants to make a try. But, of course, if she happens to /not/ be in her room, he'll fly Giratina to land down in front of the castle, and knock on the front door.

     He really hopes he doesn't fuck this up more than he already has. He assumes that, most likely, /she/ wanted ownership of his soul, for the romantic reasons. And not only did he put Harp above her clearly, he also listed her after Miko as well, even though he currently feels he has the same level of love for both.

     Of course, odds are, he's just going to mess things up more.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia is actually not in her room. She is out on her balcony. Every princess has a balcony. She waves to Lute as he approaches, even smiling a bit. "Is that the creature you call Giratina?" she asks when he is close enough. "Oh! Can we go for a ride? It looks like such an amazing creature. You simply must let me ride it!" the princess exclaims, bouncing excitedly by the end of her request.

     Seems as though she has either gotten over the momentary anger, or has put it aside for now. She does know Lute is in a bad place, or has been recently at least. She doesn't want to drag him down. Heroes are supposed to be happy when they are not fighting badguys, after all.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Giratina floats in front of the balcony. Despite its great size, its wings flap slowly, and he hovers fairly well. And Lute? He simply tries to keep up the most heroic and dashing smile he can. After all, while heroes often slay dragons, those who can tame dragons are almost certainly more badass and heroic.

     He puts a hand forward to Sarracenia, having Giratina position itself under the balcony a bit to make it easier. He simply smiles, "Yeah, let's fly around a bit. Sure it won't be scandalous at all, though? Having the princess of the kingdom leap onto the back of a dragon with a mysterious man? A man who is a bit famous in the Multiverse?"

     He's saying this a bit in jest, assuming she'll want aboard anyways. He just smiles happily at her. He's glad she calmed down, and he's hoping he can keep her calm. In fact, he's hoping that he could eventually set Sarracenia and Miko up on a date to try and make things work out better.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia hmphs. "As if the people of this kingdom care about me. It may actually help my public opinion." she says as she takes Lute's hand and carefully climbs onto the back of the dragon. She takes a few moments to try and get in a comfortable yet lady-like position, finally settling on as close to a side-saddle posture as she can get before she wraps her arms around Lute's middle and squeezes tight. "And, I think the word you are looking for is infamous." she adds teasingly.

     The skies above the Sundew kingdom are filled with life, just as the jungle is. Birds and bugs of many different shapes and sizes fly about, occassionally being snapped out of the sky by giant piranha plants or vines that no doubt lead to other such dangerous plants. "Oh...yes, please be careful of the piranha plants. They are indiscriminate in what they eat." the princess says.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute actually looks a bit surprised as Sarracenia says that. Herpeople don't care about her? They don't respect her? This baffles him to no end. But, he grins a little bit at her, looking back as she hugs him from behind.

     "...Well. We can give them a fair bit of a show, if you want. Impress them a bit. Make them see the kind of respect a princess should have." His grin takes a bit of a wicked and wild look to it. He places one of his hands over Sarracenia's, while the other holds tight onto Giratina. And then he says, smiling, "Let's swoop through the streets a few times. Not too fast or sudden, though."

     And with that, Giratina lets out a roar. It flies down towards the the streets, bursting through them. It's got enough buildup and a slow enough acceleration it shouldn't throw Sarracenia off /too/ much, but probably enough to surprise her a bit. And, of course, possibly surprise and terrify her people. After a bit of this, Giratina flies up, and circles around the city a bit. And Lute smiles.

     "...Your people really should respect you more. They should think /quite/ highly of you. You're fairly amazing, after all. If you need any more help making sure they respect and adore you, though? I'll do whatever I can to help with that."

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarra eeps! as Lute and Giratina suddenly dive down. She clings for dear life, but when she hears the cries of people below and sees them scurrying away from the dragon, she hees and grins. "Yes, they should." she agrees, resting her head against Lute's back and watching as the ground falls away from them. "But, no, they do not adore me. For what reason I myself cannot fathom. My family is not unkind to them, they live within our city, protected from the threats of the forest. Being a kingdom built on the profits of weapons makes us a bit unpopular, I suppose, but our people are among the richest in the lands thanks to our efforts. It is all that Princess Peach's fault. She spoils her people with how nice she is, and has the image of a damsel in distress due to all her high profile kidnappings. Not to mention the plumber brothers who keep coming to her aid. My people wish for such kindness, and resent being shut inside these walls."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute smiles, watching the people run inside. Well, fear will lead to people adoring her, if it's either 'adoring her or else', right? Still, though, he knows how cathartic it can be to see people who dislike you fleeing in terror at your power. Perhaps that's simply what Sarracenia needs, though. More power.

     "......Well. Spoiling the people is bad for them. They stop realizing how to fend for themselves. Perhaps you should have these people learn how lucky they really have it. Set up a fake attack on them. You and I could stop the enemies. And then due to their weakness, you could forcibly recruit more to the royal army to force them to defend you better, and fend for themselves more."

     He flies Giratina towards the castle. He's still going at a relatively slow pace. Slower than he'd go with Miko. But, Lute knows that Sarracenia likes a gentler touch on some of these things. Lute leans back into Sarracenia's embrace a bit, rubbing her hand with his own. Trying to show bits of his affection.

     "...Really. They should absolutely adore you without having to do anything, though."

     As Giratina circles the castle and its towers, he ponders, "...So. What do your parents think of me? What are your parents even like?"

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia scoffs at the suggestion to stage an attack on her own people. "And if it was discovered the attack was a fake, I would become the most hated princess in existence! No, such a plan is too risky, and too dishonorable." she says, then hmphs. "But, I am their princess. They -should- adore me without me having to do anything. I simply cannot figure out why they dislike me so. They do not seem to hate me, but neither do they love me."

     At the question of her parents, Sarracenia groans. "They are the worst. They are so boring, insisting that I should stay in the kingdom and not wander the multiverse. As for you..." She hesitates. "...I...have not told them about you. They would never approve. It would not matter if you were the king of your own land with wealth and power at your disposal and thousands of loyal subjects. Your lifestyle is not something they would accept."

     The rubbing of her hands causes Sarra to blush a bit, but she stays hugged against Lute. "And, if they do not approve of you, they could possibly remove my status as the crown princess. I have no siblings, but I do have relatives that would happily take my place as ruler when my parents are unable to continue ruling some day."

Lute (188) has posed:
     "....Well. One day your people will love you as they should. Perhaps, simply, they just don't know you well enough yet."

     Lute chuckles a little, ordering Giritina to fly up a bit. He's realized at least one thing here: Sarracenia probably hasn't put it together that her parents are almost certainly to guess that the person who picked their daughter up on dragonback would put two and two together, especially since they're making a bit of a scene. But, he's not worrying about it for now. Instead, a darker thought has crossed his mind.

     "...You know. I never knew my parents. They died while I was too young to remember. But. What do you think of your own parents? Do you love them, or do you simply love the crown? ...Neither answer is wrong."

     A thought is formulating in his head. Could he instigate a coup? Sarracenia might not appreciate that, though. But, it'd be a way for Lute and her to be together. Already he's considering many plans on how to do this without being blamed. But, if it would hurt Sarracenia's heart at all, he wouldn't do it.

Sarracenia has posed:
     "Of course I love my parents. They just annoy me to no end with their prattling about royal duties and respecting the crown. I do not disrespect the crown! I just refuse to be a princess stuck in a tower or a castle her whole life. There are so many interesting things in the outside world!" Princess Sarracenia says.

     Then, she sighs. "And, I have to enjoy it now, because upon the day I do become queen, I will not be able to leave the kingdom for much of anything."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute pauses. Will being queen really take up that much of her time? As he thinks on this, he simply has Giratina fly a bit higher, until the large dragon Pokemon comes to a stop, midair. Lute actually reaches for Sarracenia's hands to break her grip, before he turns around on the beast. Though they are so high, he still shows no fear, as usual.

     "...Well. One option on how we could be together is out of my head. I had an idea, but it's not one I could actually act on with this knowledge. But. Well. I am certain we can find a way for you to still keep the crown you hold so dear, and still be with me. I don't know how, /yet/, but will will find a way."

     A pause, and he continues to look at Sarracenia. Looking deep into her eyes with his own sharp brown eyes. A smile is on his face, still. "But. Even once you do become Queen. Do not worry. You can still experience all there is out there, in the Multiverse. Being the leader should /not/ hold you back. As Queen, you could have /more/ freedom. Besides, think of how many people with the Confederacy are nobility who lead lands. Does that hold them back? No. They can tend to the needs of their world, the needs of the Multiverse, and the needs of their heart, all at once."

     And, surprisingly, despite trying to be his own equivalent of romantic, Lute isn't moving in for a kiss this time. He feels she needs a second to take it in. And, despite how high and out of sight they are, it could be /scandalous/ if this mysterious stranger was spotted kissing the Princess by the civilians. What if someone /saw/, despite the odds?

     ...Granted, that almost makes Lute want to kiss her in full sight of the whole kingdom.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia blinks as Lute brings them to a stop and turns to face her. As he gazes into her eyes, she finds herself blushing, unable to break away from his gaze. "..but...how do they do that? There are so many duties as a queen. My mother works tirelessly every day balancing the budget for the kingdom and maintaining shipping integrity, and father spends all day making new trade agreements, strengthening the old ones, and keeping our military in top shape."

     Sarracenia feels that moment coming, and almost closes her eyes. But, when the kiss doesn't come, she coughs softly and smiles. "Well, I suppose when I am queen I could make my own rules about what I do in a day." she says.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute smiles a bit. He can see that Sarracenia was expecting it. She's beginning to understand him a bit more. But, not quite perfectly, yet. He reaches to her, grabbing for her hands. To hold them, with fingers intertwined.

     "...You find a way to balance it all. Or, you find those who can help you, so you have the spare time. The Confederacy has a lot of resources. But..."

     He smiles, "...Perhaps, if you can hold off on marrying, you can change the rules once you become queen. To be with who you want. ...And with as many heroes as you desire."

     And then Lute finally leans in to kiss her. He moves to wrap his arms around her tightly instead of just holding her hands. He tries to make it a deep, long kiss.

     And at the same time he gives Giratina a little kick to signal him. And Giratina starts to fly down. Lute holds onto Giratina with his legs, while still trying to embrace Sarracenia as Giratina flies them to be definitely within sight of her parents' castle, and probably a number of her citizens.

     Because Lute really loves embarrasing and poorly thought out displays of affection.

Sarracenia has posed:
     Sarracenia blushes even more as her hands are grabbed and her fingers are entwined. Her eyes widen like a deer in the headlights as Lute leans in toward her. She gets more and more nervous the closer Lute gets, and just about the time he would be kissing her, she lets out a little 'eep!'

     But, it is too late. She is kissed, and they are flying past the castle. She clings to Lute at first, then brings a hand around as if to slap him, then...just sits there, allowing the kiss.

     When it finally ends, she pulls back. "...I told you, that is not what I want. You are the one that wants many lovers. I only want one, who is devoted to me, who will save me when I need it." She smiles softly, then brings that hand around and gives a slap that is still just a bit painful but not really. "And, how dare you kiss a princess without asking her." she says, teasing Lute gently.

     It is only after that the princess notices...they are in sight of people! "Wh-what are we doing back near the castle! People might have seen us!" she exclaims worriedly, then growls at Lute. "If we appear on a tabloid in the market with a line that reads 'Princess kisses unknown man', I am going to hammer you so hard!!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute simply smiles after the kiss. Even the slap doesn't seem to bug him too much. But, something else catches his attention. And he just makes a wiiiiide smile.

     "Well. If you'll have me as the only desire of your heart, I'd be... very happy. But, we'll see, hopefully it'll happen. But... Hrm."

     A smirk, "One thing you said /does/ catch my attention. 'Princess kisses unknown man'. Your parents don't even have to know the /truth/ of who I am, do they? They're isolated from the rest of the Multiverse and busy with their own stuff. If we can keep this up til you're queen, then we're good to go. ...Something to consider."

     He moves in for a quick kiss, as Giratina starts flying towards Sarracenia's balcony. As they arrive, he moves to help her onto the balcony. Still, he smiles, fairly happily.

     "...I'll see you again sometime soon. But. I /will/ find a way for us to be together."

     And then, Lute waves, with Giratina taking off.