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Adventures in Min For DrakeHavok By Draconicon

Havok couldn't help but stare as he walked down the streets of Min-Su, the capital city of the Kingdom of Min. For all that the white dragon was no stranger to traveling, Min-Su's mix of narrowing tiered skyscrapers and short, rustic shops were quite new to him. He could walk past a building that looked like a mix between a modern business tower, a pagoda, and a pyramid, and then see a shop that looked like something out of a preserved village. Past that, he might find himself stepping into the past with an old-style street market laid out in a labyrinthine pattern, or - if he wasn't careful - fall into one of the canals that cut the city into segments.

In short, it surged with activity, loud, obnoxious, and constantly moving, and he was swept away in its tide for hours.

It wasn't until noon that he managed to find his way out of his third successive street market, darting down a side alley and into a place of blessed quiet. At least, compared to the rest of the city. The roar of the crowd faded to a more thudding din in the background, not all that dissimilar to when one went from the shouting seats of a sports stadium to the interior stores.

Heaving a sigh of relief, the dragon leaned back against one of the walls, shaking his head.

"Does this place ever calm down?"

It certainly didn't feel like it. He'd been on his feet for hours, unable to settle before being bustled along with the crowd, both tourists and locals, and he was honestly considering heading back to his hotel for the day.

Well, was considering it. His belly rumbled, and a fair bit of hunger that he had been ignoring pushed itself forward. Havok grumbled, holding his hand over his stomach before shaking his head.

"Okay...food first, then hotel."

After all, in this bustling place, there should be restaurants aplenty, right?

It turned out, less plentiful than he thought. The white dragon browsed through a number of different buildings, hoping to find a restaurant - he didn't entirely trust the street food, without being able to read the signs - and kept ending up in either a souvenir shop or in something that sold what looked more like holistic remedies rather than food. The sight of a rhino selling horns wasn't one that he would soon forget.

However, after nearly an hour of wandering around, he found something that he recognized. A neon sign lit up a door, and the sign of chopsticks, rice, and meat was enough to tell him that it was serving food. That was all he needed.

The dragon slipped inside, and was quickly shown to a table, though one with a ton of people already at it. He hesitated, but sat down when the waiter looked at him again, getting comfortable at the low-set surface. Though he would have preferred a table of his own, he was too hungry to care about sharing at this point.

Almost as soon as he sat down, a lady sat on the other side of the table. Havok barely looked at her before glancing at the menu, his stomach in full control at this point. It was only after he'd picked a dish - something that looked closer to a stir-fry of some kind - that he looked up again.

Holy... Now that he had a chance to look at her, he was amazed that he hadn't noticed her sitting down across from him. The red panda, wrapped in a green and gold blouse that seemed to tuck itself in around her chest, leaned back so far that it looked like she might just slide right out of her seat. She seemed to have a perpetual smile, and an almost lazy regard for the menu. How did I miss someone that pretty sitting down by me?

"My, do I feel someone admiring me?"

Havok blushed as the woman looked up from her menu, clicking it shut around her fingers. He started to apologize - or stammered one out, at least - but she silenced him with a wink and a chuckle of her own.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I have many admirers. Don't I?"

She looked back and forth, and Havok swore she expected someone to say yes, or at least give a look back at here. When it didn't happen, the red panda shrugged and settled back into her seat.

"Must be a slow day."

"You, uh..."

"Give it time. I'm sure your tongue will come back to you eventually."

He couldn't help but chuckle at that, snorting as he put his menu down on the table. As waiters came by, bringing food to the people that had been at the table before him, he started lifting his hand to order -

"What can we get you, pyeha?"

The dragon blinked. Well, he supposed it made some sense for the staff to wait on someone pretty before they got to the obvious foreigner. He shook his head, and looked back at the menu. Maybe there was something else he might like. Meanwhile, she kept talking, listing off dish after dish after dish, and he started to wonder just how much she planned on eating.

"- and do make it a shared meal, everyone. I want to see just how much my new friend can appreciate the food here."

"...Huh?"

"Pardon me if I'm presumptuous, but I do prefer company during my meals, and you're the one I'm picking."

"I - wait, how - what are you -"

"And do bring us a bowl of kim-chi to start this off with."

She collected his menu before he could say anything, and Havok was helpless to do anything but look around, starting to say something, then something else, a finger pointed up as if he had a point for anything.

The wait staff didn't listen, and soon he was left to helplessly stare at the red panda. She smiled, shaking her head.

"Don't worry. I'm feeling generous today, and I wanted to get to know someone new. Too many familiar faces for me, these days."

"I...well, how could I say no to that?"

"Indeed, how could you?"

Havok felt that there was an implication there that he was missing, and he still couldn't shake the feeling that there was some significance to the word that the waiter had used when talking to her. But...

Rumble, rumble.

Well, his stomach had priority, and he wasn't going to complain if someone else wanted to pay for the meal.

"I'm Havok."

"And I'm Jina."

The way she stared, he swore that she wanted something out of him when she said the name, but it didn't ring any bells. Once again, she shrugged, just like when she said that she had admirers and nothing happened.

"Well, someone new, indeed..."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. So, tell me, what do you think of Min-Su?"

"Well..."

Havok couldn't help but start talking, feeling surprisingly eager to share his thoughts of the city. Admittedly, not all of them were good, but the red panda seemed quite eager to listen to him, her eyes intent on his, and she didn't interrupt once. He almost never had an audience as attentive as that, no matter what he was doing. It felt...rather flattering, he had to admit.

People came and went around them, getting up from the long tables capable of seating dozens of people, and going back to the front door to pay. The noise was ceaseless, and heavy, but with her company, Havok felt surprisingly welcome and comfortable. The constant din didn't bother him the way that it had outside, and he actually was starting to enjoy himself.

Their food came, presented on stainless white plates and bowls, and Jina only stopped him to take a couple of bites, situating herself so that she could lounge on her side of the table before gesturing at him to continue. He did so, happily, only interrupting himself with the occasional moan of bliss as he finally filled his belly.

Barbecue pork, sautéed vegetables, pickled cabbage, rice and soy, and various other things came together to make a strangely delicious sort of assembling of food. The dragon hadn't indulged in something so varied before, but he knew that he'd be coming back to this place. Or, at the very least, finding other places like it.

Throughout his story, Jina was rather quiet, though she did give occasional reactions like a laugh, or push him for a few more details with a question here or there. But it was always something that was done only a few seconds, and she was quiet again, letting him talk through his day.

By the end of it, he felt...surprisingly relaxed, and much more at peace with himself and his day, and even the city, than he had previously. The dragon leaned back, nudging some of his food out of the way as he rubbed his stomach.

"I don't know if it was the food or the company, Jina, but this has been a great meal. What can I do to pay you back for your generosity?"

"Oh, no need for that, I think. I've gotten plenty out of it for myself."

"But this can't have been cheap. Come on, let me do something."

"Hehehe, you have done more than you know. Besides, I think I should start heading out myself. There's more to do today, and I -"

The red panda paused, her eyes narrowing at something behind Havok's shoulder. She ducked her head down, and he blinked, starting to turn.

"Don't look!"

Her sudden hissed warning stopped him, and he turned back.

"What's wrong? Someone you know?"

"In a manner of speaking. Don't look over here, don't look over here..."

"Jina -"

"Shhhh."

He shook his head a little bit, trying to think. She must have seen something; why else would she be acting so strange? He looked around, and saw that the cups that had been brought to the table were a little bit reflective. Enough to see the shape of things, at least. He lifted it up, looking into the side to try and get an idea of what was going on.

As soon as he did, he saw several people standing at the front of the restaurant, talking to the person at the register. It was hard to tell in the cup, but they looked like...policemen? Or something like it, the way that they stood and were wearing uniforms.

"Uh...Jina..."

"Yes?"

"Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Something I'd like to keep quiet for the moment. Come on, come on, don't look - ooooh, they're looking."

"Looking? Jina, please, just -"

"Pyeha!"

One of them shouted, and immediately, Jina was on her feet. She looked down at him, and Havok felt like he'd just fallen into a movie as she offered her hand.

"Trust me?"

"Uh, I - I guess."

"Then come on!"

She grabbed him and pulled him out of his seat in little more than a second, and Havok started running behind her out of pure instinct. The red panda ran straight at the window, and his eyes widened as he realized what she was doing.

"You're gonna -"

"It's fine!"

And she jumped right through the glass. Havok yelped as he covered his face, feeling the splinters of the wooden frame following them out, while the people inside wailed over the broken property. He couldn't believe it; one moment he was eating lunch, and the next -

Jina didn't give him time to think. Instantly, they were on their feet again, and they were running. She pulled him towards a nearby alleyway, and pointed towards one of the rain gutters leading up to the roof. As she jumped on another one, he shook his head.

"You're insane!"

"Probably!"

Well, at least she wasn't arguing. He looked back, and winced as he saw a number of guards coming out of the restaurant. Considering how they were rapidly searching the area, something told him that they weren't going to give up easily...and with her dragging him along, he'd be blamed for the window as well as her.

Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, he thought as he grabbed one of the utter gutter pipes. He dragged himself up it, and got a hand when he reached the roof. Jina pulled him onto it, and they were off like a shot, running across the tiled middle of the roof top towards another building.

The police shouted at them from below, always using that word as they called for Jina. Pyeha. What the heck did that mean? He started to ask -

Only for Jina to suddenly throw a rope back at him. He barely caught it, looking down at it as she kept running. The red panda chuckled, her skirt flapping as they ran.

"Please tell me a good boy like you knows how to tie a lasso?"

"Well, I...I've done it, yeah."

"Excellent! Tie one off for us."

He was utterly baffled, unable to do anything with the sheer confidence and weirdness that was happening. Any chance to ask questions seemed utterly overwhelmed whenever this lady started to speak, as if this was an everyday occurrence for her.

Then again, she was the one carrying a rope. Maybe it was.

He worked the knot as they ran and jumped to the next building, and then the next. The guards were running along on foot, unable to use vehicles in the narrow streets below, but he knew that they would probably be calling for backup.

Why so much fuss? What the hell...

"Do you have it?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, I think it's good."

"Throw it to me, then!"

Without thinking - again - he tossed the rope forward. The red panda caught it, and he finally had a chance to look where they were going properly. The sight...well, Havok's eyes had been wider before, but not recently.

It was a sheer drop, more than three stories down. They must have been leaping up successively higher buildings as they ran, because he didn't remember climbing that high when they got on top of the first building. The next rooftop was more than thirty feet away, separated across the opening of a town square or something, with only -

"You've got to be kidding me..."

With only a clock tower between the two, with pennants sticking out and flag poles bearing the kingdom's emblem. Jina had the lasso above her head, spinning around as they got closer and closer to the edge of the rooftop, and she was obviously staring at the poles. She let loose...and Havok's jaw almost dropped as she managed to snare the middle one, precisely halfway between their rooftop and the next.

She turned, holding out an arm.

"Ready for a ride, Havok?"

"I don't think I'm ready for anything..."

He still grabbed her, and she let his momentum carry them right off the roof. Holding tight to her, he was astonished to feel how strong she was under the silk clothes, feeling her muscles tense and squeeze to keep hold of it. They swung down, skimming over the streets, before coming back up...

And they stuck the landing. Jina threw the rope back, and off they went again.

Despite it all, Havok could feel a grin growing across his face. He had never had a chase like this before, never pulled off stunts like this in his life. Whoever Jina was, whatever kind of life she led, she obviously had one hell of an adventure going on.

And he loved it.

They ran for another ten minutes before they reached a sloped building, and he followed Jina down the side of it. They slid along the tiles before reaching the edge, and leaped from there to the ground. The red panda chuckled, leaning back against the building wall, and smiled as she caught her breath.

"You're quite a bit faster than the last person who did this with me."

"You make this a habit?"

"Oh, at least twice a day. Very good, by the way."

"No, no, you're much...much better..."

He groaned, leaning against one of the barrels piled in the alley. Despite having kept up with her the whole way, he didn't have much stamina left. His lungs ached, and he was barely able to keep himself upright.

Thankfully, Jina didn't seem to be much better. She was leaning against the walls as much as he was, and she was panting too. Oddly enough, the way she smiled and even giggled from their escape was...rather endearing, and seemed to enhance her beauty that much further. She really was a strange one.

As he fought to catch his breath, he shook his head at what they'd already done. Crashed through a window, evaded a police chase for almost twenty minutes, run from rooftop to rooftop, rope-swung across an open gap between them, slid down a building like stars from a movie...it was insane. He shouldn't have done any of that, but Jina's sheer exuberance for everything had pulled him along and kept him from questioning it.

He looked at her again, shaking his head, and she chuckled.

"What? What's the matter?"

"You're a...a very dangerous lady, Jina..."

"Believe it or not, I have been told that very thing."

She smiled, and he shook his head. He swore, she enjoyed this sort of thing...then again, so had he.

"So...if you don't mind me asking -"

"Stop, pyeha!"

"Not again..."

They said it at the same time, looking down the street. The ground had a downward slope due to a nearby canal, so it was like looking down a hill towards the guards down there. They stood shoulder to shoulder, presenting a blue-black barrier of people, and Havok doubted that the pair of them would be getting up on a roof again to get around them. He shook his head.

"Well...it looks like we're caught."

"..."

"Jina? I said it looks like we're -"

Thunk!

He jumped as one of the barrels fell onto its side, almost knocking him off his feet as it rolled into him. He stopped it, only to see her pull down another, and another, sending some of them rolling down the alley before getting on one herself. His eyes went wide as he realized her plan.

"You...we can't make that!"

"Two rupees says we can."

"...You're on."

Once again, his better judgment seemed to disappear as he mounted the barrel rolling behind her as they barrel rolled down the hill. They moved faster and faster, so quick that Havok felt like he might roll right off his barrel as they picked up speed. It didn't take long before they were close enough to see the guards up close, and particularly, their terrified expressions.

One after another, Jina and Havok slammed their barrels into the ones that the guards had already stopped, and used the momentum to leap right over their heads. They sailed through the air, over the intersection behind the guards, and over the railing into the canal. Havok went below the surface for a good few seconds, letting the current carry him along beneath it before letting himself surface.

Jina was already there, clinging to a raft that a very surprised mouse was piloting, and was in the process of pulling herself in as he swam over. She smiled.

"You lose."

Shaking his head, he rooted through his pockets, pulling out some coins and tossing them to her before joining her on the raft. He dripped from the canal dunking, and he shook his head a few times as he flopped out.

She gave some whispered instructions to the mouse, and soon they were off, heading towards some other part of the city. Havok looked back, seeing the guards shouting at them, and shook his head.

"Just...why are they chasing after you, anyway?"

"Oh, a number of reasons. I probably have irritated some advisor to the throne or another; it seems to happen daily."

"You..."

He groaned, flopping back against the raft. The idea that he was dealing with someone that actually could piss of the royalty of the kingdom wasn't something that he'd considered. He thought maybe, maybe, she might have done something to tick off the local police chief. At most, maybe she was wanted for something that wasn't her fault. The idea that this might go all the way to the top of the kingdom?

She sat down beside him, and he unconsciously scooted over to make room. As she leaned over him, dripping along his face, he shook his head.

"I'm gonna be locked up for this, aren't I?"

"Oh, I doubt it."

"Hmmph. And why's that?"

"Oh, Havok, Havok. Trust me when I say that I have my ways."

He rolled over a bit, looking up at her. He must have looked rather incredulous, because she chuckled.

"You don't believe me?"

"Somehow, I don't think someone that's running away from the cops all the time has all that much authority over them."

"You...don't actually recognize me, do you?"

"Should I?"

The red panda's eyebrows went up, and she sat back a little bit more. For the first time, he realized that she actually looked shocked. Not startled, not surprised, but shocked.

"And here I thought that you were just playing along with not recognizing me. Goodness, but that is different."

"You keep saying that, but I really don't know who you are. And what the heck does 'pyeha' mean, anyway?"

A sudden snort from the side interrupted the red panda in mid-answer, and he slowly turned to see the source. A great black bull stood on the bank of the canal, along with four dozen guards. Each one had a rope or a net, or something that would be useful in snatching someone. Havok stared, his jaw dropping as he looked back at Jina.

"Who...the hell...did you piss off?"

The bull interrupted before he could get an answer, pointing at the mouse.

"Bring pyeha to the bank. She is due at the palace."

As the mouse bowed, Havok looked back and forth between the bull - who was dressed up like a high ranking officer in the military, rather than a member of the police force - and Jina. They definitely looked like they knew each other, and he was at a complete loss of what to say, what to do.

They hit the bank, and the police leaped forward, pulling Jina out of the raft and using their ropes to tie her hands behind her back.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised that she only rolled her eyes at that.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?!"

"Oh, Havok. They're just upset that their queen ran off, that's all."

"Queen?! You...you're saying..."

"Yes, I am the Queen of Min." She turned to the bull. "Which one called you this time?"

"Minister Yin, pyeha."

"Hmm, we will have a talk. Now, colonel, if you would take my friend out of the boat, and bring him to the palace with us? I believe that he and I need to have a long talk..."

"And the damages to the restaurant?"

"Take it out of the treasury, as usual."

"Yes, pyeha."

The bull gestured, and two more of the policemen - a tiger and a crocodile - darted down to the canal. Havok was too tired, and too flabbergasted, to protest as they grabbed him by the arms and pulled him out of the raft. At least they didn't tie him up, letting him walk behind Jina...no, behind Queen Jina...

Belatedly, the word 'pyeha' penetrated his mind, a word that his friends back home had mentioned. It meant 'your majesty' in this land, a title that he was supposed to remember so that he didn't address royalty the wrong way in case he met them. The white dragon shook his head, hardly believing that he wasn't dreaming at this point.

Still...

"Do you have to tie her up? You've caught her already..."

Every guard looked at him like he was crazy, and Havok blushed, looking down and away. Jina smiled, patting him with the end of her tail as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Don't worry. It's almost part of the tradition at this point. Last time, they were much stricter with the ropes. I think someone was practicing shibari on me at that point..."

Her eyes shifted over to a lizard at the back of the group, who ducked behind some of the other officers as they started laughing. Havok, on the other hand, just shook his head. More insanity. He wasn't sure how much more his brain would be able to deal with at this point.

Soon enough, they reached a car, and Jina, himself, and the bull stepped into the backseat. Several other officers took the front, and soon they were driving away. The bull looked at the queen, and then her bindings, before shaking his head. Havok supposed it made sense; considering how many different escapes she must have pulled by now, it was probably their only way to get her back to the palace.

Which brought up another question. He turned to her.

"So...why were you running away?"

"That is a longer story than we have time for. But...perhaps if I can convince you to stay in the palace tonight, I will tell you over dinner."

"I...guess that would be okay?"

"This time, however, it's your treat."

"WHAT?!"

The End