16

Picking up the pieces

District courthouse...

Aside from the angry faces glaring at him, King would say that he's had an alright morning. He sat in the center of the floor behind a long table dressed presentable. Nara sat to his right and beside her was a human size blue amphibian with a purple undertone wearing a gray suit.

Behind them were pews filled with total strangers. The floor was risen up so they could reach the judge, who was a giant yellow elephant like creature dressed in a red judge gown.

"All rise." A guard off to the corner of the floor ordered out and everyone stood to their feet and bowed, then returned to their seat.

"King Hindentt. Guild master of the Dove Clan guild. You have been causing quite the stir." The judge said and the layer of skin over her right eye arched up. Because of her size, her voice boomed down on the others.

"Your honor, if I may," the frog offered calmly from his seat. "My clients are the victims here."

"Victim?! That's preposterous, bugowwwkkk," a big rooster opposed from beside their table.

"Yes victims. The act on yesterday proves that my clients reacted out of self defense, NOT as the aggressor." The frog stated, emphasizing with an attitude towards the rooster.

"Bowk. That's what you say." The rooster hissed, glaring daggers at the group.

"Those are facts."

The rooster trotted towards the judge, then turned to face the audience. "It is because they are magics that caused all of this to happen. The problem was brought here because of them. It's for them that a monument built by our ancestors, which has stood for eons was destroyed."

"Which was destroyed in order to protect the lives of many." The frog argued back defensively, as he slammed his palms to the table and stood to his feet.

"At ease," the judge's voice rumbled loud and the floor went silent. "King Hindentt, because of yesterday's action, the District yard was left in shambles. Amongst those shambles was a slain man. You caused disarray that will surely have people forever affected."

King's eyes slid down to the table he sat at. He was pretty sure they were fed up now. He sighed, then felt a warm hand join in his which was on his jittering thigh. He looked at their twined fingers, then over to his wife, who was smiling his way.

"Jury?" The judge directed to her right.

The jury was a six headed man, with their long necks huddled into each other, until one head stretched out. "You're good your honor."

"Nonetheless, you handled a dire situation without any major complications and no citizens were hurt during the incident. Also the man found slain was acting with harmful intention and died by his own hands. For that, you are clear of any charges."

King and Nara gasped in relief and smiles graced their faces. They stood up and wrapped their arms tightly around each other.

"However," the judge pointedly furthered more, "you and your guild are responsible for having the District yard cleaned and repaired back to its former glory. Do not make this a habit." The judge stated sternly, and they all could hear the seriousness between the lines.

"Yes your honor." King and Nara said barely able to contain their joy.

The judge nodded her head and the floor suddenly shifted down until they were in the original courtroom. The crowd gathered up and started to exit the building. The rooster eyed the Hindentts as it passed.

"One day, bowk." It chirped and continued on out.

King ignored that comment and faced the frog, "Thank you so much, Mr. Chingy."

Mr. Chingy chuckled, "It was nothing, and enough with the etiquettes son. We're family."

King laughed and stuck out his right hand. "Still thanks. I owe you for everything you've done for us."

Chingy clasped their palms together and shook his hand. "Hey, nothing but love this way. You know I can't wait to see the tables turn on these prejudice assholes. They'll get theirs one day, am I wrong?"

"You're right."

"Don't remember a time I was wrong." Chingy boasted, flapping out his suit lapels with a cocky grin, which showed a row of silver plated teeth.

"King," a voice called out to the master and he turned around and instantly regretted doing so once he saw who was standing there.

Orishae Hindentt

The older man had brown skin with gray hair cut low and a trim beard. He was wearing a pale yellow robe.

"Let me speak with you, son." Orishae said, waving slightly to acknowledge the other two.

"Alright King, and good luck with the angry papa." Chingy joked and patted King's shoulder with a smile, then walked off.

"I'll see you at the house." Nara said to King, then pecked his lips and went to leave too.

King clenched his teeth, debating over his choices, then slowly started walking towards his dad. Orishae about faced and started to the wall where a giant flat metal disk was with King following.

When they reached it, Orishae bent down and pushed a button on it. A touch screen popped up with a textbox in the center. The man typed in a location and a blue portal light beamed up from the disk. Orishae straightened up, then stepped through the light. King eyed the contraption before walking through.

Stepping through, he saw that they were now in Orishae's office. The office was pretty spacey, being as wide as a mansion's master bedroom. It was nicely decorated too, the whole room just spoke expensive.

But then, that was expected of Orishae Hindentt, Head magic for Jasmine.

Once King was on the black marble tile flooring, Orishae bent down and shut his transporter off so no one could come through.

"That's a nice lil'gat you got. Mind lending me one for the house. It'll make visitation easier." King said feigning a innocent smile.

"Don't start," Orishae stated, shrugging off his robe and hung it on a coat rack. He now had on a black turtleneck with black pants. He walked towards his cherry-wood desk and motioned for King to take a seat in one of the provided cream cushion chairs.

King shook his head as he declined, "I won't be staying long."

Orishae let out a huff and reached into a drawer behind his desk. "Well, don't let me beat around the bush." He said and pulled out a folder. He opened the folder and grabbed a hold of a stack of papers, then slapped one stapled stack against his desk top.

King looked down and saw that they were pictures and reports.

"Bank fiasco." Orishae growled out then slapped down another stack beside the other. "Store damages." Another one. "Marketplace damages." The man chuckled as he looked down at the last stack he held and turned it around so King could see. King's face was plastered over that front page. "And let's not forget about being arrested for assault at the Lauza."

Orishae aggressively tossed the last one down and it twisted across the table top and fell off by King's foot.

"I can't keep cleaning up behind your mess, King. One of these days you're going to dig a grave too deep to climb out of."

"What do you want me to do, pop?" King asked, shrugging his shoulders indifferently. "Or, am I even talking to him right now, Head magic Orishae?"

"It's that attitude right there that makes you almost a menace to society." Orishae expounded pointing towards King.

King shrugged his shoulders again with a roll of his eyes. "What is it you want, pop?"

"Everybody are on their toes extra hard at this time. We've been experiencing high activity amongst the rogues. I don't know exactly what their motive is, but they're planning something big." Orishae explained, his voice spoking with severity. "That's why it's best you get your shit in order before you get into a world of trouble."

"What are you talking about? I'm really out there just chillin'. I know ya'll are not about to blame us for all of that!?" King exclaimed directing towards the reports on the desk.

Orishae raised his hand in peace. "I'm not implying anything. I'm just passing along a very persisted message from our king."

"Why? Because I won't completely conform to his bullshit ass laws. How they hate us, but want us to protect their precious lives and hand us the bill like ours isn't precious, on top of that treat us like crap."

Orishae took a seat in his black leather chair. "You are rewarded for a well executed operation. Not to run amuck and cause havoc. You wouldn't be this much to handle if it weren't for those kids you took in."

Did he just... "You keep my children out of this." King heatedly grounded out as he stepped closer to the desk and his dad. His dad was pushing at a very fine line.

"That came out wrong, son. If you and Nara would get a better handle on them, then it will help you and I both sleep better at night." Orishae calmly explained releasing a breath. He had nothing against those kids. He actually felt something for them, but enough was enough.

"Better handle- what?" King fumbled, too many words popping up in his head to cuss his dad out in all at once. "Me and my wife are raising our children the way that we want and I don't regret any one of them. There is nothing wrong with those kids. They don't deserve any of the shit they have to deal with on a daily. They've been through enough already and you want me to just tell them that they can't have fun and keep them house bound."

"A magic's job is not to have fun." Orishae argued back.

King licked his lips. "Well, I'll listen to your lectures on how to be a father when you learn to be one."

Orishae placed his elbows on the desk and cuffed his hands with a sigh, "King, in order to run a successful guild, you're going to have to separate being a father and a master. Your title is Guild Master and that title's responsibility is to guide their guild and make sure everyone is doing their job. If you stay in line, you'll be fine."

King's brows scrunched in as he stared at his dad. Like just really stared at him. "Ya hear yourself. You sound like one of them damn fools. I never thought I'd meet a magic turncoat, but here his is. My own pops."

"I am trying to help you, King," Orishae growled lowly as he intimidatingly stood to his feet. King could hear the threat behind his words. "All I do is help you, but they are starting to have no more of it. The mayor and guards of Berlim are keeping their eyes watching at all times and any little thing that they see they can use against you, they will. With everything going on with the rogue magics, people are starting to really point their fingers. I won't be able to protect you forever and one of these days they are going to lock you up and feed the key to a bluenose. I understand that you can't control what happens when trouble comes, but not all of these reports are on your battles. Most of them are you and your kids frivolous activities. "

King chuckled a little, "That's easy to say for someone who's living in the lap of luxury, while the rest of us are struggling to make it."

"I'm serious, King." Orishae expressed seriously. "If Dove Clan just mingle in with society, King Yamchi wouldn't make so many bullshit ass laws."

"Next thing you know, they'll invent a serum that strips away magic for good." King huffed, definitely fed up with his dad now. "They hate us dad. That's not going to change sadly, no matter how much authority they pretend to give us. Well, our dear King ought'll be glad that I have a family, cause if I didn't, I'd been slit his throat and the real King would be in that throne right 'bout now." King said with a cheeky grin.

Orishae just peered at King with what others would see as a poker face, but the master could tell that the man was edging close to being pissed off. He took the silence as his cue and started heading to the office's gold double doors.

"Whether you believe it or not, I have done everything in my power to be on your side." Orishae said causing King to pause. "You're wrong, King. I fight everyday trying to do whats right for all of us so that we can finally be treated the way that we deserve. Do you really think that I sit amongst the high ups without having to fight? I refuse to continue to nurture your feelings on the matter of me accepting my position. I did what I did the same reason you do what you do."

King let out a irritated grunt. "Ch, don't you ever compare us."

"You mind what I tell you son. Control the bs." Orishae gave a final warning.

"I'll leave you to return to your good life. I'm going to join the suffering us rebel magics endure in the real world. We'll see you next time you remember you have a family." King grabbed the doorknob and wrenched it open, but paused before he walked out. "Oh and pops," he said, but didn't turn around to face him. "Really 'preciate you for asking me about my day." He bit out scornfully and left, slamming the door behind him.

Orishae let out a deep breath.

DC guild...

King pushed the door to the guild open, then closed it behind himself when he heard voices coming from the main floor. He listened closely, then smiled when he heard it was the kids, letting his day melt away. He was surprised they weren't outside somewhere. It was the middle of the day. He started down the stairs.

"And then," Rockie exclaimed as he climbed onto the picnic table top and motioned with his hands as he spoke, "the doll squeezed so hard that his head just popped and blood and guts went everywhere." The boy ended with big explosion hands.

Maya, Belle, and the twins, who sat across from him, all made a disgusted face at his active description. However, Triton was all ears.

"Oh yeah," K.O chuckled from his spot, "it was gross."

Nara was sitting on the end. She swatted lightly at Rockie's arm. "Mind your manners."

"Yeah kid." King said with a wide smile while he approached the table. "That's no way to talk to the ladies." He reached down and side-hugged Nara. "Hey babe."

"Hey. What he want?" Nara greeted back.

"Wasted my time." King said, shaking his head.

"Then what happened?" Triton asked, wanting to hear the rest of the story.

"Where did I stop, oh yeah," Rockie started back with his tale.

King peered over and noticed Parker sitting across from Nara with a depressed face. You could almost see the dark gloom cloud around her.

"Why so sad, Park? We won." King enthused and stepped over to her.

Parker's mouth twitched into a fake smile, "We did win and I'm happy really." She said with an unconfident nod of her head.

King glanced at the necklace she wore. "That's nice."

"Thanks. It is pretty, it's just, I don't deserve it."

"Pssh, you earned it."

Parker just sighed. "I don't necessarily agree with that. All I did was get captured and become the magic in distress. It was wea-"

"Savage!" Rockie shouted, staring at Parker with his idolizing eyes. "That was so savage, Parker. You fought Dollhouse, got taken and then saved yourself. Like a superhero. You also didn't run like some pussy we know." The ginger laughed thumbing to the narcissist staring at himself in his mirror.

"Language," Nara chastised, squinting at Rockie.

"Do you not see this face," Pretty Boy started, admiring his face from all angles. "What did I look like letting those robot warriors mess up this chiseled work of art?"

The room rolled their eyes.

King turned back to Parker. "You see that. That's not weak in my book." King sweetly said.

"When do I get my chain?" Rockie asked King.

The master chuckled, "A chain does not get got. It gets earned."

"I wish things would've turned out differently." Parker said dejectedly.

King sighed lowly. "Yeah, I wish the same thing. I wish I could protect you kids from the outside world, but sadly all wishes don't come true. Stuff happens and that's just how it goes. You're still new to this. One day, you just won't think about it."

A loud wiring noise echoed loud as the old jukebox in the corner of the room came to life. There was only static blaring at first before a voice started coming through.

"Was...up...ches...Guess who?" The voice managed to get through.

"STARR!" The kids exclaimed and ran over to the jukebox.

"Damn right. And you won't believe I'm with the grumpy bear right now."

"Hey Quint." The floor greeted, getting a grunt in response.

"Ya'll won't believe what happen." Rockie started, but was interrupted.

"I think I should tell it." K.O said, shoving the boy aside.

Parker looked up at the master and started to say something, but decided against it. They were still recovering after all and needed no added stress. She just smiled and looked at the kids trying to retell the story over the other, causing the rest of them to laugh.

...

"He failed, my liege." the standing slim figure voiced out to the other.

The two were situated in an open room of some sort which was completely dark. The sound of galactic whooshing could be heard in the distant.

The other one sat on the edge of his seat with his chiseled face planted in the screen, which had clear images on it. "A pity." He said with no real emotion behind.

"And the ornaments were returned."

"That is fine, my dear. Small loses for greater outcomes."

"I did manage to recover this." The one standing then lifted up a gray orb. A soul.

The man sitting smiled then grabbed the soul. "That man's death shall not be in vain. I have gathered something more compelling." He leaned back and gulped it down.

"Mm, the more wrong they are the sweeter they taste." The sitting figure squinted his eyes as he peered at the figures on the screen. "Dove Clan. Who really are you?"

Outro: Apparently, J Cole