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Once the group arrived at the cafeteria, Athena found a table to settle at, rubbing at her skin a bit. It wasn’t as humid in here as she thought...Frowning, she decided to leave it to her new friends to come up with something that didn’t involve going back to the fountain, and folded her hands in her lap, patiently waiting.

Having finished his private discussion with Kobe, Myles lead the little Grimm back to where the group had been headed originally. Of course he’d had to defer to the child in order to actually find the right building as the cafeteria was clustered among several dorm buildings, but they eventually made their way in and he looked around for Athena. Not that she was hard to find, she was the only Nixie after all and he gently tugged Kobe’s hand having spotted the group and made his way over putting a hand on one of Athena’s shoulders. “Hey, back now.” He said giving her a smile and having someone slide down so he could sit next to his girlfriend. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, they’d taken good care of her obviously while he’d been gone, but he knew Athena would rather have him next to her, calming effect and all, this was still really overwhelming for the two teenagers.

She gave a smile back to him and couldn’t help but cuddle up to his side as soon as he sat down, closing her eyes as she hummed contentedly a little. It was nice to finally have some time to relax with her boyfriend on this excursion…

Lunch at the cafeteria offered several options, ranging from the healthy to the not-so-much. Soup, salad, and a main course were always available. Melisara excused herself from Athena and Neptune to fetch her--hopefully?--new friend some food. Clam chowder seemed like an appropriate choice, given the Nixie's home environment, and it was still hot from the stove. One of the main courses for the day was fish and chips--how appropriate! Had the kitchen known beforehand, or had Melisara just been so distracted she had failed to notice the menu outside? Thinking that perhaps Athena would appreciate some new cuisine, she added bread, fruit, a glass of juice, and another bottle of water to the tray and carried it out to the table where the welcoming committee, as it were, was gathered. By the time she had arrived, Myles had taken his place at her side. She smiled. They were rather cute together, weren't they? She set the tray in front of Athena, waved at Kobe, and made to sit down.

Then she saw Neptune. It wasn't that she'd forgotten about him, exactly--as a matter of fact, he kept sticking in her head. He was rather cute, and there was something about him that made her want to pick him up and take care of him. A sweet guy. She still hoped she could talk to him after this--alone, preferably. That would be nice. Which house was he in? She leaned over to his left side and asked him softly, "Neptune, wouldja lahk me to get yah somethin' t' eat?" After all, she was still standing up...

Smiling as Sara left to get her food, she couldn't help but look down as the small Grimm climbed into her lap. She wasn't sure exactly what to do about it, but smiled and wiggled a fin as it was touched. "Kind of." She smiled, patting his hair carefully. "I can swim like one and breathe like one~."

While she continued to wait for food, she smiled at Neptune, shaking her head a little. "We don't have a boarding school, no. Most of us live with our families and attend a local school. Sometimes some families send their children to schools in other cities, but they always have someone to stay with." She hoped that would help a little, but stared as food was set down in front of her. She'd never seen anything really like this!

"Oh! Uhm!" She blushed, looking at it. "Thank you...." She glanced at Myles, unsure she could finish it all. "Want to share?"

She sniffed a bit at the fish as it was offered to her, and nibbled a little, smiling for just a brief second before all hell broke loose. The opening of the door caught her attention, though the pure rage on her father's face made her blanch several shades. Ohno...

She wanted so badly to escape, but could only flinch when he grabbed her, staring up with wide eyes. She didn't know how to answer, what to say, she knew what she had done and now he knew. She just stared, still as stone, but voice silenced by the growing anxiety in her stomach. What could she possibly say?!

Myles was surprised at the sudden appearance of Ryuuichi. What was he doing here? His ears instantly went back, his tail still, the look of...fury on the Elder's face was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

When he grabbed Athena, his eyes widened, his body went stiff. Even if that was her father, that was someone being rough with his intended. His precious future mate! A low growl threatened to erupt from him, but he barely managed to stop himself from doing it. That most certainly wouldn't help right now, so instead in a low voice he looked pathetically at Athena. "What did you do, sweetheart?"

Athena had no time to answer, as the doors opened once more, the click of heels on the tiled floor becoming the only opposition to the tension in the room. The Nixie woman was clearly unamused, and held herself in a way far similar to how the headmistress did, eyes simply set on the elder. Soon enough, as he was distracted, she took one of his hands behind his back with a surprising force, then removed his other from Athena, the click of handcuffs almost deafening in the silence.

"You shouldn't run from your crimes, Elder." She frowned, voice firm. "Come along now. We'll get you somewhere to sit while we wait for transport to the capital."







The cane, no longer held by its owner, fell into a shocked Athena's lap as her father was led away and out of the building, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know what to do, what to say, and carefully held it as if it was the most delicate thing in the world before breaking down into a sob.

Sara had always thought of herself as being cool-headed, able to think and act in an organized, calm fashion, even in the midst of danger. She had back on the farm, certainly, where she was known as the level-headed one. But for the first time in a long time, Sara was panicking. It all happened so quickly--one minute joy and laughter and discussions about school and eating fish and chips--and the next minute, not one, but two angry adult Nixie stormed into the room. Ryuuichi she recognized, yes, and she was horrified at the way he grabbed her daughter--why did he do that? Why was he angry at her? What had just happened?!

But it was the second one--the second one! She hadn't seen this one, and she'd been at the front of the crowd, how had she failed to notice a third Nixie in the party?!--another Nixie walked over. Something was glittering in her hands. The glittery thing was on Ryuuichi. He and the Nixie woman were moving away. She...what...

Part of her knew what had happened, had heard what had happened. But the rest of her refused that information. It was wrong. It had to be. That sort of thing didn't happen, not at Asphodel Gardens! Silently, tremblingly, she sank onto the bench recently vacated by Neptune. She stared at the closing door, completely numb.

What a horrible day.

There was a slamming door and the sound of Athena breaking down into sobs, and Myles asking her again and again what she had done. And yet, Sara couldn't move, she just couldn't. There was too much going on, too much to react to, too many questions--

And yet it was one of the sounds in the melange that attracted her attention--a whimper. She looked down towards her right hip to see Neptune crouched under the table. He looked terrified, eyes squeezed tight as though to make them burst. Sara looked at him, then at Athena and the pearl-topped cane, and at Myles, and at Kobe, and at all of the students all around. And came to a decision.

Ryuuichi had been...arrested. And...by someone he thought he knew. She had to know why. First, she reached down to take Neptune's hand and slowly draw him out from under the table. She shifted, pulling him against her side with her arm wrapped around his shoulder. She petted his shoulder gently. "It's okay, Neptune," she murmured. "You ain't done nothin' wrong. No one's gonna hurtcha." She turned her attention to Athena. If Myles asking her what she'd done wrong had no effect, then she would have to ask something else. She reached out her hand and placed it on Athena's damp wrist. She squeezed it gently. "Athena," she said in the voice she used to ease her younger siblings when they were frightened. "Who is Elena?" She said it in a gentle, soothing voice, to cut through the panic and the sobbing. She had to restore calm--no one else was going to.