A Collective Hive

Pierce stood alone in the long empty Heylin meeting hall. He knew that it would be soon, soon that everyone would be mobilizing. He came to meet a worthy evil partner, one that he knew had no power. He walked over to the grand window in the hall, drinking a tea of undetermined taste. Ying-Ying landed on his shoulder. "Ah, Ying-Ying. So glad you could join me.", he said, not turning around.

"Haruko, isn't it always a pleasure to see a friendly face, even if it's yours.", he stated, drinking the tea. "You are too dependent on the Shen Gong Wu, as always Priestess of the Heylin. But I think we can come to agreeable terms to form an alliance, at best an uneasy one.", he told her, as Ying-Ying took the bowl away.

Pierce Younge turned around to face Haruko. Ying-Ying returned and sat on his shoulder.

"Nice to see you as well, Younge." Haruko said. "I'd agree to an alliance with you, but I don't know what I, specifically, would get out of it." She said calmly, facing Pierce. "Considering I'm not yet at full power, you could easily take advantage of my remaining abilities." Haruko said calmly.

Ying-Ying flew over to her and landed on her shoulder. Pierce took a step forward. "We aren't the sole force at work here. As much as I would like to avoid the chance you could obtain that book, I'm willing to gamble that it won't activate for some time.", he statedd to Haruko as Ying-Ying let out a laugh. "Now now Ying-Ying, we should show respect.", he said.

"I don't expect you to fight off the Xiaolin Monks on your own in this condition. There's also one I have my eye on. He is, unhappy with where he is. Delivering him to the Heylin would prove to benefit us, but we must wait and see how the foolish monks struggle against us.", he added.

"And just maybe, if you promise not to turn your powers against me, I won't go all out to stop you from collecting you book.", he said as he was facing her, his fingers crossed behind his back as Ying-Ying flew back to his shoulder.

Haruko sat through Pierce's longwinded speech, then yawned. "I promise." She said. Though, with her hands concealed within her thick and long robes, she had her fingers cross, quite obviously.
(Please, he's not the only villain to lie.)

Pierce clapped his hands together as the candles in the room lit up and revealed a table, with food fit for a king. "Tonight, we feast in the name of the Heylin. Tomorrow, we'll pay the monks a visit.", he said, picking up a bowl that smelled of the tea he was drinking before. He drank from it before looking to Ying-Ying. "Ying-Ying, I want you to deliver that message to an old friend.", he said as Ying-Ying flew off.

"Indeed." Haruko said. She eyed the food as if something was going to pop out of it. There was always the possibility. Knowing Pierce. But, eventually, she succumbed to instinct and picked up what she assumed was a bowl of tomato soup and drank from it.

Younge went to sit down. "So, Haruko...", he said, drifting off to take another sip. "How is the food I had prepared?", he asked, unaware if there was anything wrong with it. He glanced to her, thinking that she was enjoying it. "So our first course of action is to test our competition yes? The first Shen Gong Wu to reveal itself can't possibly something like the Fountain of Hui or the Golden Tiger Claws.", he added, showing how little faith he had that a powerful Shen Gong Wu might reveal itself.

"Meh. Mediocre." Haruko said, although she rather liked it. She stopped suddenly, feeling a large pulse inside of her head. She set the bowl down and rubbed her temples. "It seems a Shen Gong Wu has activated." She felt another pulse coming from a different direction than the first. "What? Another?" She was surprised. Her expression became utter shock when another pulse came from once more a different direction. "Another! Three Shen Gong Wu!" Haruko had a headache from all of the Wu activating.

"It seems as if the world conspires to make us chose what Wu we go after.", he said to Haruko. "What Shen Gong Wu are they...", he said as Ying-Ying brought him a book. He opened it and flipped to a page.

"Ah, the Jetboostu, along with the Mantis Flip Coin and Tangle Web Comb.", he stated. "Ying-Ying also tells me we have three little monks as our competition. Haruko, go secure the Jetbootsu. The Mantis Flip Coin, I will secure that one.", he said, tossing the book onto the table. "As for the Tangle Web Comb, the monks can have a free Wu.", he said as he walked off into the darkness.

[Exit]