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 Posted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 8:07 pm
“Merry Christmas!” Claire greeted with nothing but pure delight as Michael, Peter, and Devyn finally arrived. Christmas dinner that year consisted only of immediate Gallo family, except for their guest of honor -- the person who Claire was absolutely not allowed to mention was from another world lest there be some potential catastrophic event, according to Peter. She thought he was being a little over dramatic, but she would do her best to indulge him anyway.
She wore a festive sparkly cream dress with a scoop neck that spoke of sophistication and grace, which was sometimes at odds with her bubbly personality. She ushered them into their house, which wasn’t much of a house as it was a mansion. But it was home and that was all that mattered.
“It’s so nice to meet you Devyn. Peter told me all about you. Well not all about you but--” she stopped herself when Peter lifted his arms in distress, his eyes wide because she was apparently doing something they discussed she shouldn’t do. “Oh, but there’s more important things to deal with. I’m Claire, but you can call me Momma if you’d like! Everyone does. Sometimes I don’t even remember to respond to Claire unless it’s my husband. Ah, there he is. Beau, darling, come over and meet Devyn. Look how beautiful his hair is. Oh, you should definitely tell me your secret--” “Mom,” Peter finally couldn’t take it any more and cut her off. He took Devyn by the arm, not hard enough to stop him from pulling away if he wanted to, but enough to direct him around his mother so they could actually get inside.
“Sorry, she gets excited easily,” he tried to explain, giving his mother an exasperated look, to which she smiled cheerily at him. “This is dad, Beau Gallo. And our other brother Chris and his wife, Paris. And they’ve got three kids. The oldest two are Abby and Henry, and the younger is Elsie.” “I got nail polish for Christmas! Do you want me to paint your nails?” Abby, six, skipped up to Devyn and the others when they arrived, holding up her messily painted nails and swishing her sparkly red dress around. “If you see sparkles all over the floor, that was from my dress. Mommy said I can’t sit on the couch in the Christmas tree room, but gramma said I could sit anywhere I wanted. And this Henry. He’s older than me by eleven minutes, but I’m definitely more mature,” she insisted.
“Thank you, Abby. Why don’t you go play with your other toys for a bit,” Chris suggested as he came to the rescue, mouthing ‘sorry’ to Peter and Devyn. And Michael, who was lurking behind everyone, obviously feeling out of place. Michael was just grateful that he wasn’t the complete odd one out. Devyn was the only non-Gallo there. And the only one from another world. But it was also important that he meet Paris and Chris and the rest of the family so they could decide if they wanted to break it to him that he wasn’t going to find what he was looking for.
He exchanged a hug with his mother, of course, before keeping to the side of the hall and following the rest in. Quote: I know this is kind of last minute, but I wanted to make sure you knew that Brielle, Elodie, and Allison are more than welcome to join! You can handwave and say they're there if you'd like! I don't intend on keeping this open for too long, so after a while they'll have dinner and talk and close when the kids fall asleep. Thank you!!
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 7:25 am
What a big family, gathered in one place, and everyone new to him seemed happy to be around each other. It was a lot to take in at once; he didn’t keep track of how many ‘Nice to meet you’s he went through, but he was polite to everyone as he was introduced, and so far he wasn’t having a difficult time keeping track of names and faces.
Generations of a family here.
He knew he didn’t fit in, but to be so warmly received by strangers was a pleasant, albeit strange, experience.
He didn’t know what to expect, outside of what Peter had outlined for him for a Christmas party. He wore borrowed clothes, thanks to Michael, and certainly didn’t mind Peter helping him navigate his way into the house.
Devyn did not shy away from Claire’s bubbly excitement, nor did he seem intimidated by Abby’s nails and sparkles. He was charmed by all of it, and more than once his eyes strayed from the family he was meeting to the decorations hung around the house.
Peter was known, so Devyn stayed close to him, but more than once, when he was looking around to admire the lights and decor, he took an extra second to make sure he knew where Michael was, too.
The truth was, he didn’t know what he was getting into. He was here for answers, mostly, and hadn’t expected such a friendly reception. Though, he supposed he was interrupting a pre-planned celebration, and they had obviously put a lot of effort into it.
So, of course, he couldn’t just blurt ‘who knows something about Percy’. Instead, he said, “You have a lovely house. And a lovely family. Thank you for having me over tonight.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 8:31 am
Brielle was wearing a green velvet dress. Her earrings were of the delicate, sparkling variety. Instead of just pulling back her hair, as she usually did, she'd spent a bit of extra time crafting an elegant updo. Her fingernails were hot pink and terribly streaky. She didn't join the swarm around the others when they arrived. Instead, she sort of hovered by the door to another room, watching from a distance and offering a quick, "Hello, welcome, I'm Brielle," when there was a moment she could get a word in edgewise. The family had only told her good things about Michael. Momma liked to go on about how he was handsome and wonderful, the picture of his father. She couldn't help but notice that he hadn't shown his face since she moved in, though. She couldn't help but wonder if he felt like she was intruding. He'd brought a friend, though, so perhaps newcomers were all right? She waved at Devyn, smile polite.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 1:40 pm
Paris wore pale golden leggings sparkling with sequins, and a cream colored blouse. Her heels were red, her nails were red, her lips were red, and she held a glass of red wine in her hand.
It was her second glass of the evening, and they’d only just gotten started.
She didn’t normally drink so much so quickly, not since her first holiday with the Gallos, crowded and overwhelming as that was. That occasion had involved the entire extended family, which made today a bit more lowkey in comparison. Still, there were decorations. Still, there was plenty of food. Still, they all donned nice clothes. (Momma would never miss an opportunity to dress up.)
And still, there was a guest.
Over the last few days, she kept looking at the picture Peter texted her, searching it for clues, or… something to explain what the hell was going on, to convince her that, no, this man didn’t look familiar at all, it was all her imagination. That he knew anything about Sessrumnir had to be a coincidence. It had to be. Nothing else made any sense.
Time travel, Peter suspected. Paris wasn’t sure. She knew nothing about time travel, whether it was possible or advisable or how it might be accomplished. There were those dreams she had years ago. Or visions. The ones that made the future seem so bleak, only none of that ever came to pass. Dreams, then, and nothing more. Certainly nothing compared to seeing a figure from the past in the flesh.
Paris tried to smile, but it sat awkwardly on her face, which seemed as pale as if she’d seen a ghost.
He should be a ghost, dead like all the others. Like Percy and Liesel and Serge.
So Paris drank. She offered a tense “Hello” to the newcomer (oldcomer?) and stood near Brielle, who seemed to feel just as awkward about the situation, but for different reasons.Beau offered an easy smile and a shake of the hand, arm curled lovingly around his wife’s shoulders. He, too, thought Peter might be a bit over dramatic about the situation. There were other explanations that had nothing to do with time travel. The need to be careful lest they inadvertently alter the timeline seemed exaggerated. (Even if it was time travel, the chances that Peter and Michael hadn’t already altered things was low. At this point, they might as well be open and honest with each other, and deal with the consequences as they came.)
“You’re welcome to speak freely here,” Beau said. “The only ones among us who’ve never had any experience with the war are the children, and they’re easy enough to distract.”
As if in demonstration, he asked the three youngest, “Who wants to watch a movie?”
Elsie, in her red and ivory dress, immediately jumped up and down and cheered, “Movie movie movie!”
Henry, less excitable than his two sisters, merely asked, “Can we watch the Grinch?”
Beau, ever the doting grandfather, smiled and said, “You can watch whatever you want,” and led the children to the nearest sitting area with a television, getting them set up for some holiday movie viewing.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 4:59 pm
Something about all of this felt achingly, painfully familiar to Elodie, in the way things that must have been from her old life did. She had lost all her memories of being a civilian when she purified, and so she couldn't recall any previous holiday celebrations, but there was something about the whirl of people, the lights, the smiles, and the laughter that made her feel both full of joy and full of the kind of nostalgia that ached, soft and warm, in the core of her chest.
She'd come in a pretty white blouse and soft green skirt edged with gold, hair done up and decorated with a gold barrette to hold it in place, makeup soft and understated. Her nails were the same green and gold as her skirt, and the appointment to get them done had been a joy. It was always nice to have an excuse to dress up, and honestly, the shopping for clothes beforehand was practically the highlight of the whole experience.
There were familiar faces, and unfamiliar ones too, and it all just felt...nice. And there was someone new to meet, too, which made all of this thoroughly curious.
She gave a wave to their newcomer, evaluating him thoughtfully--she couldn't help but find herself cautious of people, now. But the Gallos welcomed him, and so would she.
It was Brielle and Paris that she drifted to, them being the most familiar to her. As she stopped, she took a sip from her glass of champagne.
"This is...really something," she said, voice soft. "I can't remember what my family did before, but...I'm glad I get to be here."
Still, her eyes flicked to their visitor. "Thoughts on Michael and Peter's new friend?"
She could trust their opinions, for certain.
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Posted: Sun Jan 02, 2022 6:01 pm
Putting a lot of effort into the decor and food and everything was certainly an understatement. Although the newest additions to their family would probably take a bit of time to get used to things, they would soon realize that Claire always decorated for every occasion and season and holiday imaginable. She hired people to help, of course. But she had an eye for what she wanted and knew exactly how she wanted it done. In fact, she had a whole room dedicated to the decorations that went up around the house. Her favorite decorations, of course. A lot was rented to ensure there was something new and exciting every year.
“Oh, you’re so polite,” Claire gushed, resting her cheek against her palm as she smiled up at Devyn with a quiet sigh, and then looked him over as though making sure she wasn’t missing something. “I don’t suppose you’re single--” “Mom!” Peter whined in exasperation again, pushing Devyn a little faster through the front of the house so they could get to the living room and sit down and eat appetizers or whatever else his mother had for them.
“Ignore her, she has no idea what she’s talking about,” he insisted, but he paused to acknowledge both Brielle and Elodie with a lift of his chin.
“Look. Here is a whole plate of meat and cheese and vegetables. Help yourself,” Peter suggested as a distraction. Especially since dad was jumping into talking about the war. Did they not worry that talking about stuff like that in front of a potential time traveler could ruin the timeline? Unless they were in a multiverse, then he supposed it didn’t matter. But still!! “What?? How come Henry gets to pick! That’s not fair! We already watched the Grinch! I wanna watch Rudolph!” Abby bounced away, jumping up and down with Elsie but in a more demanding way than excitement.
“Henry asked first. You can take turns once it’s over,” Chris called to Abby, who was clearly displeased by the idea, as he watched his father get the children settled.
He paused by Paris to give her a quick squeeze of her shoulder before following after Peter as he hurried Devyn to the appetizers.
“So you’re not from Earth, I’ve heard?” he asked, making sure to pick up a piece of cheese for himself so Devyn didn’t think he had to hold himself back from eating. Michael both kept his distance and remained close to where Peter was leading Devyn. He didn’t just want to leave him alone with his family, but with his eyes to the ground it was probably obvious that he wasn’t super thrilled about coming out of hiding to interact with others.
Once upon a time he was able to disguise his discomfort better. He was cheerful and flirty and threw jokes around.
And then one thing after another happened that encouraged his continued reclusiveness.
He still smiled when he was greeted by his parents and Chris, but it wasn’t a comfortable smile.
“I was hoping we’d eat before getting into all that,” Michael admitted, knowing that talking to Devyn about things… well… he was still trying to decide how to tell him that he wasn’t going to find what he was looking for on Earth.
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 1:31 pm
Waves and smiles were easy to respond to, and Devyn returned each of them easily enough. In some ways, it felt like some sort of gathering on his homeworld. The outfits, at least, were refreshing. He didn’t get a chance to properly introduce himself, or shake hands, or compliment the attires, but he supposed if they were going to be here all night he’d have a chance after things calmed down a bit.
He’d been around groups on Earth recently–in the restaurants, in the ring, but these people were different. These people had names, and ties to each other, and some of them would have had answers–though, in looking at them, he really couldn’t tell who knew what.
Well, no. The children didn’t know anything, so that was three less people that he had to worry about. Well–no, again. He was worried about stepping on them, but that was different kind of worry. He’d just move slowly. He’d just be careful.
His heart was beating a little faster than usual, not because he was anxious, but because–
Well, soon was getting sooner. A part of him hoped that Percy was waiting behind some corner, ready to jump out and surprise him, but–
That was impractical, Percy wouldn’t have been able to wait this long.
Chris knew something, because Michael had told him as much the other night. Beau also knew something, he decided, because he was straight forward enough about it and maybe he was sitting on information that he was very eager to share because he’d said they could speak freely about it. Peter pushed Devyn on before he could think too much about all of his questions–and then distracted him with food, so he’d bought Devyn’s attention for at least a moment or two.
Chris spared him any social awkwardness of helping himself first, and he followed suit and picked up a piece of cheese as well. Really, it didn’t even seem like he’d chewed it before he was gone. He had manners enough not to speak when his mouth was full, so when it was gone he answered, “I am not,” because Chris had asked.
But Michael wanted to eat before they spoke, and maybe that was some secret clue on social etiquette. Devyn would adhere to it; he knew Michael more than most of the people here, anyway.
He didn’t ask about Percy. He didn’t ask about Sessrumnir, or Jupiter, or Ganymede.
“But I am enjoying it. It’s very different. And very busy.” He looked towards the children for a second and seemed thoughtful; he had a little smile on his face when he returned his attention to Chris. “But a good busy, I think. And there seems to be good people everywhere I wind up, so I can’t complain.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 6:56 pm
Brielle was surprised to see the children ushered off and hear the word war brought up so quickly. It wasn't a bad surprise, exactly. Most of the people in the room probably knew that although Brielle had been working hard to feel human again, she still felt more comfortable fighting monsters in the skin of Cybele than she did, say, introducing herself to a stranger who was her adopted brother over cocktails. She just had not been expecting the topic of those monsters to be brought up at Christmas Dinner. With that thought in mind, she walked over to grab her own selection of ham and fancy cheese. If they were talking about this, on top of the rest of the situation, she was going to talk about this while being sustained by a top-notch charcuterie board. While she was there, closer to the others, she heard an interesting tidbit. She noticeably stiffened, just for a moment, shoved a piece of cheese into her mouth as an excuse not to talk right away, and then scuttled back to Elodie and Paris. Once there, she said, voice low, "So it seems like the one Momma is trying to set Michael up with is an alien." She glanced over his shoulder at him, and her eyes narrowed just slightly. "Do you think he's one of those aliens?" Even if he was, Cybele would do her best to be good and understanding so they could have a nice evening, but that didn't mean she was happy with the Velencyans.
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 7:44 pm
Paris’s thoughts kept twisting in on themselves. She wanted to ask Devyn what he was doing here, why he was here, how he was here, what he remembered, but Michael thought they should eat first and, yes, that was the polite thing to do, wasn’t it? Better let him eat his fill before telling him everyone he’d ever known or loved was dead and gone. Reborn, in many cases, sure, but also definitely dead, little more than ghosts and memories.
She couldn’t trust herself not to say something stupid, not to reveal what she knew and expose the truth, so she took another heavy swallow of wine and answered Elodie in a low whisper, “He shouldn’t be here, for starters. Not just here as in Earth, but here as in present day.”
Brielle’s swift return brought a pensive frown onto Paris’s face. “I suppose if any of the older Velencians had access to different worlds in the past they might be able to impersonate someone from that time, but...”
How convincing they could be would be up for debate. Surely Michael or Peter would have noticed something was off about Devyn if that were the case. Still, a Velencian impersonator might be as likely as a time traveler.
“I don’t know what they’d hope to accomplish by doing so,” Paris concluded.
The thought that Momma might be trying to set Michael up with him…
Assuming Devyn was who he said he was, that could very well end in disaster.It took some convincing in the form of festive M&M cookies, but Abby eventually settled down beside her brother and sister to watch one of the Grinch movies. Beau wasn’t entirely sure which one. Weren’t there several now?
No matter. The important thing was that the children were content and, at least for the time being, unlikely to interrupt.
Beau returned to the adults, sliding easily back into the conversation.
“How is it you came to be here?” Beau asked, friendly enough, but curious, too. “Until recently, I don’t think many of us were aware that there might still be much in the way of life out there. The Velencians certainly took us by surprise.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 1:31 am
Paris's answer made Elodie's eyebrows shoot up, and she dropped her voice equally low in response.
"So, like Satine? Someone who actually lived a thousand years ago?" She lifted up her champagne glass to take a drink, and to cover her giving their visitor an evaluating look. She'd spoken about her ancestor, and this clearly was not simply a ghost from a Wonder. He was flesh and blood, and solid, and on Earth.
So why? And how?
Brielle's theory made her hum. "Seems unlikely, yeah. If he was, I don't think they've bothered to hide from us; though I guess I haven't directly dealt with any since..." Since everything went wrong.
She hadn't gone to the hill that night. She wished she had. Not that she thought she, personally, could have changed anything--she would just have risked her neck--but it felt like she sohuld have been there to risk her neck.
She sighed, softly, and moved to take some food for herself before returning to Paris and Brielle. Too many possibilities. Elodie wasn't a fan of too many possibilities.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 9:24 am
While the others were busy chatting, Claire stepped away for a bit to make sure the food was still cooking properly and that the children had enough snacks to keep them entertained during their movie. She was happy to see everyone together of course! Even if Peter didn't seem all that happy about her questions.
She snuck back in by ducking under her husband's arm, circling her own around him because she had to know more about their mysterious guest.
"Oh! I'm also Paradise of Cosmos!" Claire thought it wise to introduce. If their new guest was also involved, it was only polite to tell him who they were, right? "You're a Senshi, aren't you? That's what Peter said-- that's what you said!" she pouted as Peter looked like he was going to have a meltdown. So dramatic.
"I mean, yeah, but… it's complicated," Peter hissed at his mother, looking up at his father for some help in keeping her from asking too many horrible things. What if they were all expected to go around and introduce themselves. And what happened when it got to Ganymede and Valhalla?
He already knew Michael would keep to himself, but…
"He already knows I'm Oberon," he said with a sigh, figuring there was no point in holding back now.
As much as he would have liked the others to hold back, he knew it was inevitable that Devyn would find out just what he was dealing with.
His smile faded and he took a step back. He certainly wasn't going to introduce himself as more than Michael Gallo. And as far as his new sisters were concerned, he was just Michael Gallo, too.
Chris wanted to hear Devyn's answer to his father's question. How did he get there. And what did that mean for everyone? He knew from Ganymede that this was someone out of time basically, and that he'd somehow known both Ganymede and Vahalla's past lives.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:32 am
If Devyn was uncomfortable being surrounded by people he hardly knew, he didn’t show it. He seemed relaxed, easy-going. Aware that Michael was further away now, but Devyn suspected if he didn’t have any other side to reveal, he was just making room for the others. Because someone knew something, and he didn’t think it could have been Paradise or or Oberon.
Those weren’t names he knew, and those weren’t names Percy had ever shared.
Of all of them, Beau and Chris seemed the most likely to know something, but he didn’t know about any of the girls.
He was a little more aware of his heart; it kept a steady pace but it beat a little stronger in his chest.
“I am a Senshi, yes,” he answered, because the only ones among them who’d never had any experience with the war were the children. “Alastor,” he introduced, just in case his name hadn’t been shared. He wasn’t shy about it, not in this company. Michael or Peter would have warned him if he’d needed to be careful. “Is that complicated?” he asked, because it hadn’t been before. He didn’t think.
Unless they knew more about him than he’d said, but he hadn’t been keeping any dramatic secrets. He wasn’t at war with anyone, and he didn’t recognize anyone here as an enemy.
“I haven’t been able to reach anyone offworld for a while. We lost our ability to communicate and travel. Some Chaos has moved in, it’s messed everything up. We’re trying to get control of it, but I can’t figure out where it’s coming from. Yet,” he clarified, because he wasn’t giving up any time soon. He was going to find it.
He was going to take care of it.
He just needed the right tools.
“I haven’t seen a clear sky since it got bad. But there was an opening in the clouds, and a light. Purple, and rolling. I don’t know, it felt like it was calling to me. I thought it was someone trying to reach out to me.” Thought it was Percy, specifically, but he still hadn’t found him.
“I don’t know where it came from, or what it was. But I felt it, I reached back, and I wound up here on Earth. It wasn’t like anything else I’ve ever felt before. And I’ve never seen anything like it, either. I was hoping I’d have answers once I got here, but I haven’t found them. Yet.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:42 am
Chris frowned as he listened to Devyn's explanation. He glanced over his shoulder to where Paris was standing with Brielle and Elodie, and to the children in front of their movie. He caught the grimace on Peter's face, and the distance at which Michael put himself, and not just physically.
"It makes things a little complicated, yes," he said with a quiet sigh. He knew Michael was hoping to eat before, but… they had a lot to talk about. Hopefully Devyn would have enough questions to keep him in one place while they figured things out. Long enough to not upset his mother by having an empty place setting at the table.
"I'm Valhalla of Jupiter," Chris said, keeping an eye on Devyn's expressions, trying to determine how much to say and how long he should wait for the information to sink in. "Serge Martel was my starseed's previous life."
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 11:12 am
For a few seconds, Devyn’s expression did not change. He looked at Chris as if he were making any other normal, pleasant conversation. As if he weren’t telling him that Serge Martel was dead. As if he weren’t telling him he had taken over Valhalla.
He hadn’t been gone for that long.
He knew he’d been stuck on Alastor for a while, but he hadn’t been gone for that long. Not long enough for Serge to be reborn, and grow up, and have children.
When his face finally changed, it was subtle, maybe even not immediately noticeable. His brows had lowered just slightly and his eyes had narrowed, only minimally. He wasn’t smiling, and despite not seeming to move, his posture seemed a bit more guarded.
He seemed defensive for the first time since he’d arrived on Earth.
There was another explanation, obviously. If this was a trick, he wasn’t going to fall for it. If it wasn’t a trick–
Well, no. How could it not be a trick?
Chris had to be–what, at least twenty? Which would have put Percy in his fifties.
Beau didn’t look anything like Percy, and Devyn would have recognized him if he’d aged five, or ten, or fifty years. So that didn’t check out. And, Beau was married to someone else, and Claire really wasn’t Percy’s type, anyway.
So, no.
He felt cold, though. Unnerved. Maybe he’d misheard.
Yeah, that made more sense.
He was just so eager to hear something that he recognized, he must have misunderstood.
Maybe a part of him knew he hadn’t.
Michael said Chris knew something about all of this, that he’d tell him how involved he was if he felt like it. Devyn resisted the urge to look at him, or Peter. He kept his eyes on Chris, but seemed a little more aware of everyone else around him.
Maybe it was only a few seconds, maybe it was a minute. Maybe it was an hour. Devyn didn’t have a very good concept of time, and something about that made him shift positions just slightly.
“I don’t follow,” he finally said, brief and unemotional. It was a statement, and a question, and maybe beneath all of that, a warning.
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2022 1:34 pm
Not a Velencyan, then. He was a different sort of alien, a senshi of some other world from the sound of it. One from another era, Paris had said. Brielle hadn't known. She had not, in fact, known that Michael might know something about the war, much less that someone he was bringing over for the holidays might be involved. It seemed that Brielle did not know a lot about what was going on right now. She did not know why Chris announcing that he was Valhalla would make such tension fall over the room when they'd already said they were going to talk about the war. It seemed too tense now for her to ask more questions. She didn't want to go whispering about their guest when he was obviously already upset about something. Part of her felt like this was something too personal, something for the real family, and that she should go watch The Grinch with the kids for the fifth time. Only, that felt rude too, and so all she could do was offer, unhelpfully, "I'm Sailor Cybele."
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