Yandere Toons x Reader: An Anthology of Headcanons and Scenarios

Lord Shen (Platonic Scenario - "Fallen Leaves")

Shen's gaze idled on the stairs to the throne for a moment longer before he offered the majestic peacock a look of tepid sincerity. "What is to be done about it, Father?" His voice carried no indictment or demand for action, merely a wish to understand the expected fate of the bandits.

The king approached his throne with a hand grazing the pristine metal of the armrest. It mirrored the grand tail of the peacock, with its many eyes and sharp feathers reflecting the sunlight pouring in from the ceiling. "These rabble-rousers are guilty of no more than petty thievery."

His short-sighted conclusion drew the makings of a scoff from the prince, but Shen placated his disbelief with an incredulous glance at the peahen approaching his father. The Soothsayer emerged from the same corner as she had a moment prior but chose to settle onto a green mat diagonal to the throne. The top of her head barely reached his jaw, and a silent weight burdened her walk that she neglected to share.

"Another farm was attacked last night," she lamented with the regal poise of a leader addressing the casualties of war. The edge of her violet robe, which imitated the shell of a giant tortoise, was lifted by her hands as she ascended the stairs. "This one, a member of our private supplier." Shen slowly raised his head, an appalled twitch gripping his left eye.

Standing beside her husband, the queen's plumage was a much duller shade of light blue and faded pink. Where the teal rose to just below the top of his neck and evolved into a royal blue, her face was the colour of a decrepit rug stained with dry wine. His crest protruded from the crown of his head like a magnificent folding fan, while her crest was an inconspicuous tuft of thin feathers that resembled acupuncture needles.

Like dogs heeding the dinner bell, the antelope wobbled up the stairs to the throne and doubled over in a series of pants. They recovered after a moment of wheezing and presented the dew of the ginkgo trees to the queen, who lethargically accepted it with a distrait glance across the room. His parents continued the debate in hushed whispers, but Shen turned with a swish of his tail and rushed to the balcony.

The tips of his hand feathers rested on the balustrade. A tapping began as he rapped his fingers against the wood, beak opening as if preparing to declare a grand message to an invisible crowd. Before he could reach a definitive conclusion on his words, the tired voice of his mother gave him pause.

"Shen, something troubles you?" Her tone of caution and hesitant approach, as though she expected a particular answer, startled the peacock. She joined him on the balcony, and despite her inquisitive gaze, Shen refused to look her in the eye. He merely hummed, a sound that brought a twinge of despair to the queen's sunken face.

A cool breeze that flowed from the marketplace swayed her short feathers and carried with it various aromas of cooked rice and dumplings. Watching the city, the peahen acquired a distant uncertainty in the affair that drew her gaze to the guardrail of the balcony. "I worry the raids will not end with gold."

Shen looked askance at her and blinked, his eyes drifting to the edge of Gongmen City, where the elaborate craftsmanship of the towers and cobblestone roads dissolved into wetlands and huts. "Fret not, Mother. This blight upon the kingdom shall be lifted soon enough."

The queen turned to her son with a distinct weariness but mustered a feeble smile. "I pray your words are true, Shen." She continued to observe him with her mouth slowly opening, but the prince strode out of the throne room before she could voice her thoughts. Hanging her head, the peahen allowed an anxious sigh to slip from her beak.