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 Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 12:52 am
The sound of footsteps... slamming doors, raised voices.. was that glass shattering? The footsteps were coming closer, the door opens, the voices are screaming-- and suddenly he's pulled out of it. A hand on his, tugging him forward, he could still hear the voices but the footsteps were gone... Limply he moved along with Melisara's guiding, then found himself tucked up against her once more, safe and sound... He finally opened his eyes, blinking in the light of the cafeteria.
He still wasn't quite sure how to process what she was saying, he recognized that she'd said something but his brain just wasn't translating it. All he knew was that it sounded nice, maybe it was the accent... yes it was probably the accent. He leaned his head over onto her shoulder, but otherwise remained tucked in on himself, small as possible, the least likely target...
More questions were being asked... at least he thought they were questions... Athena was crying so much, it frightened him more but he really didn't think he could move at this point. He just hoped he'd be able to understand them soon.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 3:12 am
 Getting the towels had taken her longer than she'd expected. Still, Zahneel had managed and was at the cafeteria doors just as the male nixie who'd come as an ambassador was led out by a stern faced female nixie that the young Grimm certainly didn't recognize as one of the visiting party.
Golden eyes wide, Zahneel stepped aside and let them pass before darting inside and hurrying to where Athena sat crying. She didn't know what had happened or what was going on and right now she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Instead, she busied herself with gently draping one of the wet towels she'd brought around Athena's shoulders.
Given the circumstances, it was the only course of action her brain could settle on.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 8:22 am
 Kobe yelped and jumped from Athena's lap when her father pulled her shoulder. He backed up a bit in shock and fear, watching everything play out. What... was going on? Kobe's tail shifted between his legs when he saw another Nixie arrest the older one. The exchange between the Nixies was more than just a little confusing. Elena? That was what Myles had said Athena's mom's name was.... and.. what did Athena do that made that lady, her mom? Arrest her father....?
Kobe looked over to Myles, seeing his face just as shocked as him... well everyone really. None of them knew what was going on, not even Myles. How unsettling. Kobe looked around for his pack in the group that had followed them to the cafeteria. He could feel helpless whines trying to force their way out but he swallowed them down. He took a small breath and slipped behind Sara since he knew her. His ears perked at Sara's question, looking up to her. He tugged her pants to indicate he wanted the other to crouch down so he could talk. He whispered, "Myles said... that Elena was her mommy... b-but... She died?" He sounded a bit confused on the last part.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:14 am
 The feel of Neptune's head against her shoulder felt just right--it was a calming, almost a soothing influence. It made her feel...stronger. Better prepared. She could do this. She needed to do this. She gave Neptune's shoulders a squeeze. He was all curled in on himself--why? She had been frightened, too, but she felt as if this was something more. Something significant. She couldn't ask right now, she couldn't stretch herself too thin. She'd just have to find out later.
Someone was tugging at the hem of her pants. She looked down to see Kobe--she'd quite forgotten him in the fuss. She leaned in close, pulling herself slightly away from Neptune and listened to what Kobe had to say. She frowned. So...was the woman who had burst in really Athena's mother? But her mother was supposed to be dead. So Ryuuichi had thought she was Athena's mother, obviously. "Oh," she said softly. "Ah see."
She nodded gratefully at Zahneel for her arrival. Good...at least Athena would be damp...
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 9:55 pm
 She felt like she was drowning in the ocean with no hope of ever seeing the sun again. It was her fault, she had messed up, she'd gotten her father taken away and that meant she was probably going to be charged too! Shaking, she wasn't sure what to say, the demands of everyone piling upon her one by one. She'd have to tell, wouldn't she? She'd have to admit she wasn't trustworthy and that she'd lied for her own needs...that she'd betrayed her own race. Shaking, she wasn't sure if she could stay here...maybe if she just ran away... "I...I forged the documents." She admitted, voice quivering. "I just...I wanted to see the world...I d-don't like j-just having to hear about it from the t-traders..." The tears welled up in her eyes as her fists clenched the fabric of her dress, "I didn't t-think it would hurt an-anything...The elders w-were already talking about c-c-coming out of hiding a-and...!" She wasn't supposed to know that little bit either, but spying in on her father's meetings was a bit of a pastime for her...ever since she was little. "I was sure they'd say yes anyway! T-The last of the council was f-finally starting to w-waver and--!" The girl barely managed to choke back a sob, curling into herself a little, not daring to seek comfort with Myles. He'd hate her, he'd never see her again, he'd find someone else to love and court. The identity of the other Nixie, as vaguely as it had been answered, still needed her input. She knew that. It took a few minutes of shaky breaths to finally calm down enough to speak again, clenching and unclenching her fists repeatedly. Even she wasn't completely sure what was going on, she was so sure her mother was dead. Her own father was so sure she was dead. Unless of course, he was lying to her...Had he tried to kill her? Had he gotten rid of her for all this time and lied to her? Maybe that's why he always would scoff at her that she's too much like her mother. Maybe that's why he never approved of her and scorned her so much... "I-I don't know." She admitted, "S-She looks like my mother. I think...It's...been a long time since I've seen any pictures of her. My f-father hid them away once I s-started asking questions." It took a few more breaths to steady herself before she continued. "She s-said her name's Elena...a-and that's my mom's name...B-but she didn't s-seem to recognize my d-dad at all...or maybe she h-hates him because of something, I-I don't know." Panic started to rise in her throat again, so unsure of what they wanted her to say. Could they even trust her anymore? "M-My dad said she was killed by a shark b-before I was born...A-all he found of her was her torn up c-clothing and her necklace..." She whimpered a little, running her hands carefully over his cane. "A-and then he made the p-pearl he gave her into this cane...s-since he got hurt looking f-for her..." Her fingers barely grazed the surface of the pearl before she started sobbing again, hugging it tightly, though was careful not to touch the adornment. "It's all my fault! It's my fault w-we're even here...! It's my fault Kestrel's causing so much hurt!" She curled into herself again as the towels were draped on her shoulders, wanting to shrug them off so badly. She didn't deserve the comfort of moisture, she shouldn't even be feeling anything that was vaguely a comfort!
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:28 pm
 "You forged the..." He was in utter shock. That was just, something so...beyond anything she'd ever done before. Yes, she and Ryuuichi had always had a strained relationship, but to go so far as to forge the documents to send them topside? "Athena how could you...?" he was barely keeping from tears himself. Of course he understood though, she'd always been the first to rush to the traders when they came to hear about all the latest news and gossip, whether they understood it or not. She always loved spending weekends on the floating towns instead of in the city beneath the water. He understood all that but...now...
He licked his lips and looked down at his paws. She'd gotten her father labeled a traitor and now a woman who had the same name as her mother and looked like her mother, was here to take her father away, the only family she'd ever had for better or worse away forever. He was angry, scared, hurt. He wanted to comfort Athena, but he wanted to go chase after that woman too. Demand to know why all of this was happening!
Ohgods, what to do! What to do!?
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:46 pm
Melisara stared at Athena. Her jaw was dropped wide open in shock--she'd...? She'd forged the documents? Then...then the Nixie hadn't wanted to be here at all...they'd wanted to be separate...even if Athena thought they hadn't, there was, oh, there was so much that could be misinterpreted! So she'd...she'd committed a crime...oh no...this was very bad... She finally closed her mouth--it was much easier to bite her lip with her lip in the vicinity of her teeth. Her hand on Athena's wrist squeezed gently, and she started stroking the back of the Nixie's hand with her thumb.
"Athena...oh, sweetie..." Sara looked up at Myles--he was just as shocked as she. He looked...nervous, exploding with unhappy energy. What was he about to do? Was he about to hit Athena? Or was he about to tear out of the room, attempt some daring rescue of Ryuuichi? If it was the former, she would have to lay out the young Grimm. If it was the latter, well...Sara...wasn't sure this was the time. Athena needed him here more than Elena deserved a kick in the shin. Elena...oh, there was a mystery and a half...and she wanted to solve it, but again, Athena was more important than anything else at the moment. "Ah'm sure there's a rational explanation for her appearance, Athena," she murmured. "We could ask her later, Ah guess. But Athena, sweetie..."
Sara took a deep breath and squeezed again. "Athena, whatcha did...wasn't the best ahdea. But Ah believe y'did it with the best o' intentions. Kestrel ain't yer fault. Far as Ah can tell, he's got a stick up his bum, and he would've come here to harass us all even if you and yer daddy hadn't come. Probably would've been worse, considerin' the decorum yer daddy's been actin' with. Y'can't hold yerself responsible for his actions, or anyone else's. Only yer own." Watching Athena like this was heartbreaking. Wasn't there anything she could do? Was there any more comfort she could give her besides the meager amount she'd already offered? Sara gave Myles a look, one that said, Step in here, NOW! Sara knew her own comfort was cheap and worthless--but Myles's, ah, his would hold more value than all the riches in the worlds.
"Ah'm...actually...a little touched? Thatcha went t' such lengths to meet us," she added. "It...would've been nahce if it hadn't been interrupted bah legal proceedin's, but it's been a real pleasure to meetcha today. Ah know it hasn't gone the way y'wanted, Athena, or at least, Ah hahghly doubt it's gone the way y'wanted it to, but Ah think Ah speak for all of us here when Ah say that we're glad we met you. And we hope that you--and yer daddy, and yer entahr race--can be our friends."
What lengths would Sara have gone to, to see the Nixie cities? If she'd heard about them all her life, faint tales from exhausted travelers, worn long and thin? Would she have committed such a crime? Would she have defied the will of the Rexes? No. Probably not. But...she would have daydreamed about it. She would have thought about it every night before going to bed, just dreaming, and dreaming...
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 10:58 pm
 Tobias had, for awhile, been watching the action. He had trailed when they moved, and kept to himself. Honestly? He wanted to leave. He didn't care anymore. He didn't understand why this all mattered. One second some strange people were here, demanding and destroying the dreams he had built for years, and then the next there was screeching and loud voices vibrating through the school. Why now? Why, when Tobias had actually thought that maybe it was time to give up on his dream, did all this happen? Why did everyone come, demanding opinions and asking for sides? Tobias wasn't sure what he could do anymore. He didn't know where he belonged in this mess.
And then this man came in, started yelling, and then was yanked out. His mind screamed in protest. This was traumatizing. Especially for the Grimm. Especially for the kids in this very room. Everything was loud, unsure, scary, and now the strange man was yanked from his daughter forcibly and removed. His knees buckled slightly as his hands gripped one another, ears flopping against his head. The most pitiful whine escaped him, and he snapped his head to listen to the girl, Athena. Her tears caused him to whimper louder, tail flipping in-between his legs. What were they supposed to do? They were kids. They had no power. Ava did. The adults did. Everyone but them! They had been controlled their entire life. Herded towards one place and then directed to another. What now? What could they do?
Nothing.
He watched the girl, Melisara, speak, taking another step back. There. She could fix it. Not him. He could leave now, right? He wasn't needed! He could hide! Suddenly, an ear flicked, and his eyes trailed back to the door. If they didn't resolve this something would break, forever. They either would take the Grimm, or this girl would have lost her family. Something most of these kids didn't have, but could understand when family was removed.
Wasn't the academy family?
How would it feel to lose the academy? How broken would he be? What if Keegan was taken? His pack? His heart sped and, without meaning to, his mouth opened, moving faster than his brain.
"We can talk to them!" He almost shouted, shaking violently. "To the woman! T-to the person who took your dad! C-can't we? Maybe?" His voice began to falter by the end of his sentence, and suddenly he was unsure. He tried to hide before anyone could register his voice, whimpering in his throat.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:04 pm
 Eventually, the enormous crowd from the courtyard had migrated to the cafeteria. Well, bits of it, anyway--its core nucleus, including Fish Girl, Wolf Pup, Bossy Girl, Frosty Kid, Towel Girl, and Bossy Girl's Shadow. Quite a group. Actually a lot smaller than the previous group, really, that one had filled a courtyard. And as the crowd had dispersed, Batholith had suggested to his new friend Foras, a tiny freshling who was apparently a hybrid of every race in existence, that they follow along at a respectable distance. It was, after all, lunch time, and all of the stress of the day--being diplomatic, being threatening--had taken a lot out of the long-haired senior. He needed a break. He needed a long, serious discussion about art with someone a fraction of his age. He needed the filthy look the lunch lady gave him whenever he got a tall glass of orange juice at one o'clock in the afternoon. Hey, lady. Not Bath's fault that the juice machine was as well-stocked at lunch as it was at breakfast. Orange juice should be for all times. Viva la revolucion.
But what should have been an enjoyable, relaxing lunch, seated a few tables away from the giggle brigade was interrupted by the Nixie ambassador, Ryuuichi. He seemed pissed off, which was the first red flag to Bath. The guy hadn't seemed physically capable of being angry, let alone likely to be. What gave?
But it was the appearance of a third Nixie that gave Batholith pause--specifically, when she presented Ryuuichi with a set of shiny new silver jewelry. Bath ducked his head as she dragged the male Nixie out of the room. Running from crimes...That Nixie was one stone-cold mother. He shuddered. Remind him not to get on her bad side. He examined his plate and made a note to find out what had just happened.
He glanced up when the orange Grimm shouted. Talk to her? To that ice-cold creature?
...That wasn't a bad idea...
"Foras, stop me. I think I'm about to do something stupid," he said.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:11 pm
 Yue had been sitting on the side line for most of the time. She had shown up around the time that everyone had been sitting around the fountain but had stayed on the sidelines because Tobias’s pack had been there. This though…. This was not okay. In fact the glass that Yue had been holding shattered under the pressure she was now exerting. Who… who had the right to just come in and forcibly drag away some one right in front of their daughter. However no matter how angry she was at the nixie woman who had just appeared she had another job to do, her role as a big sibling always came first and she got up out of her hiding spot and walked over next to Tobias putting her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly showing that no matter what Tobias did she was going to be here for him. She knew how much the whole thing was weighing on him and it made her proud that he had seized enough courage to stand up and speak to the room that was currently just sitting there, most of them in seemingly shock.
“Tobias is right. We should go talk to them, that lady might think she was in the right, but ugh this is still our school no matter what and no one should lose their family. Let’s go make her see exactly what happened.” Yue replied.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:13 pm
She was starting to explain, at least he thought she was. The words blurred together, muddled in what felt like mind-jelly that made them nigh unintelligible. What was she saying? He squinted a little, trying to force his brain to unfuddle itself, to decipher the words and the voices and the feelings going on... something.. anything.. "I wanted to see the world..." There. In a moment it all came flooding in, he could understand again, pick up on the subtleties of tone and body language that he could see in his good eye, decipher what exactly was going on as far as they all knew...
And he hated it. Though, hate was not particularly a word he was familiar with, it was more a sense of crushing disappointment.
They weren't supposed to be here in the first place.
None of them were.
She lied and now everything was falling apart and that woman- that scary nixie woman- had come in out of nowhere and hurt them. It wasn't right... This wasn't right. He stiffened, feeling Melisara assure her that it wasn't all her fault, and no, maybe it wasn't but he couldn't bring himself to forgive the transgression.
This was not okay.
He pulled away slightly, ears pinning back against his head. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but comforting this girl was not it. He wanted direction... someone to turn to... a caretaker to ask what to do--
And then a loud voice caught his attention. He whipped his head in Tobias's direction, entirely focused on him for now... He had a point. That woman was scary, though... but if they all went, maybe they would be safe? Melisara seemed safe, but he wasn't sure if she would want to go with them if they left... But the boy over there was a fellow grimm, he didn't know him but he felt some sort of connection- something that made him want to go along with what he was saying...
Not only that, but others seemed to agree with him... this cemented that he had a good idea after all. He wasn't just being drawn in by the fact that they shared a common race. He nodded a little, slowly starting to pull away from Melisara again. If they were around, perhaps he could be courageous enough to go. This was important to him, he wanted to know more about his people even if he didn't fit in.
"I--.. I want to c-come too... If th-that's okay..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:15 pm
Myles hadn't realized how frozen he'd been until the sudden look from Sara. He'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that moving just hadn't seemed like an option. He sat back down on the bench and put his arms around Athena pulling her head to his shoulder. "I know why you did it, sweetheart, but this...why, Athena? Why go so far?" he sighed and rested his chin on her forehead. The giant blue pearl just barely touched the crook of his arm. It felt...warm...strangely warm for a jewel. Granted Ryuuichi had just been touching it, but it should have started to cool by now, but instead it felt warm, calming, like a hug, or a kiss...
His ears perked slightly and he got Athena to look at him as voices suddenly suggested going to talk to the mysterious "Elena." He brushed hair away from her face, carefully wiped tears from her face. "Athena, do you think that woman is your mother? Deep down, your soul, your instinct, what does it say? Is that your father's wife, your mother, is she Elena?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:27 pm
Tobias practically jumped when Yue touched him, hand raising and touching hers when he realized it was his Big Sister. His hand squeezed hers, tail wagging when Yue stuck up for him. He hadn't made a stupid suggestion? Wait... the others were listening? His heart hammered, mind panicking.
Don't listen to him!
What if he was wrong?
What if his idea made it worse?
No. Stop. Stop. Could he just sit there and let the world go by? Let this go by? Speak up, damn it! He needed to speak up! Shivering, the boy shifted, removing himself from Yue as he attempted to see Myles and Athena, instead bumping into Neptune. Ears flicking, he apologetically began to raise his hands, mouth opening and then shutting promptly.
This boy was just as afraid as he was.
Something drew him to Neptune, and the boy found it comforting to know he wasn't alone. That someone, right next to him, felt the same fear. He found himself leaning towards Neptune without consciously trying to, head raising to view the others. Swallowing thickly, he chose to keep pushing the subject before Athena could respond. Whether or not the woman was her mother he didn't find himself worrying over. The woman was taking her dad, who was, without a doubt, Athena's family. The more they pondered the further she got.
"T-then we should go! Before she gets too far away! B-Before we can't help!" He practically squeaked, eyes shutting as his face turned red from the fear and embarrassment. This was the bravest thing he had ever done, and his heart was hammering.
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:28 pm
Sara's attention was snapped away from Athena by the feeling of Neptune first going stiff, and then pulling away. He looked... angry. She frowned. What was he angry at? Or...who was he angry at? This...well, she couldn't say this wasn't like him, on account of she'd only met him half an hour ago, but this...was very unexpected! She looked at Tobias, and then at Yue and Neptune. Go to Elena? Confront her now?
She wasn't sure that was such a good idea. Elena should not be allowed to leave campus, but she said she'd wait for the authorities. So she'd stay for a while...they had time...right now, tempers were running high...And besides, Athena was still a wreck, and there was...oh, this was shameful to admit, but there was still more to learn about this situation. More questions to ask! Sara didn't want to make a move until she had all of the information, and she was just now beginning that she didn't have even a fingernail's worth of the information! She didn't know who the authorities were, or where they were going, or what would happen, or what the punishments were, or where she was...
But then again...a Grimm's sense of smell was keen. If anyone could track down where they were going, surely the young Grimms could...
Certainly she couldn't hold them back if they wanted to go--and furthermore, she wouldn't. She nodded at them. "You can go," she said. "Ah thank Ah'm needed here." She looked back at the two young lovers. Good, Myles had gone back to doing his duty. Good boy.And now those excitable other kids were about to leave to confront the Big Bad Fishie. Bath frowned. Sure, he wanted to confront her, too, but...Hm, he wasn't sure this would go well at all. Should he go? Or should he stay? The end of his tail twitched, but his face remained entirely passive. Heroic this endeavour might be, but stupid as Above. Rush in now and confront this ice-cold shark and she would arrest them all on the spot. Or give them a sound beating. So, should he go with them? Give them back-up? The support of someone who'd lived on the streets? Hm. No. He was going to sit this one out. Never join a mob.
You lot go do crazy things. But don't you dare ruin this for later negotiations...
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2015 11:46 pm
Myles didn't seem to be hearing anything the others were talking about, but he supposed maybe if he had someone he cared for that much he might not listen either. But these other things were important. Going after the scary woman - he refused to use that name they'd been using - was important.
A bump at his side drew his attention back to Tobias, at first it was startling, he jumped slightly in reaction... but soon realized the other grimm was shaking just about as much as he was. So he wasn't alone... he didn't have to be self conscious about being so frightened but still wanting to go forward- still wanting to stop all of this bad that was happening...
He leaned back, not entirely aware of it either, but being closer to someone just as scared as he was felt better... Melisara was saying that she didn't want to go, she couldn't be a shield to make him feel safer - though he wondered why he felt safer in the first place - so maybe this boy could do the same...
"W--..we should g-go... before... um.. th-they go too far away... a-and we can't find them.... o-or they go where... all the a-adults are... s--since we're not allowed.... to go there..." He nodded a little. Admittedly he felt a bit sad that Melisara wasn't coming, but she needed to do what she felt was right... and so did he. This was his culture on the line, even if the current problem was a Nixie problem. What if they forced the other Grimm to come back with them?
What if they forced the Grimm at the Academy to go with them?
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