Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Umm Icarus didn't you tell me that the Below messed up your sleep schedule?? Are you telling me that if you had a Lunar infant you wouldn't try to change your sleep schedule cause you love them??" Ledie gave Icarus sad eyes, it was really sad that families couldn't stay together just because that was the way they were born. After all it wasn't the infants fault being born solar or lunar, just like it wasn't Ledie's fault being born an elf. "I'm an elf, but that doesn't mean I have to act like my parents."

“No your question did not offend me in any way. I asked you to ask any question you want after all” Yue replied. “I cannot say below is perfect. We still have a lot to work through. As I told Mr. Icarus growing up was difficult, but we are slowly changing and becoming more accepting. We want people to have homes and feel like they belong” It was here that she did actually glare at some of the people in the room. This was not how you treated people no matter what their social customs where.

“This was my fault and I’m sorry. I wanted you guys to have the chance to ask questions. I know it isn’t nice to just sit there and get poked and prodded. Everyone here is just really open about being able to love who you want. Instead I feel like we’re attacking you.” Yue replied to Icarus. her tendrils where starting to flash red as she turned to her fellow speakers and raised her voice a bit. “How are we going to show them below is different and even entertain the possibility of assimilation if we don’t try to understand their way of life? Of course it’s going to be different. Of course there are going to be things that we don’t agree with. I am sure there are things they don’t agree with here but nothing will happen if we don’t try to be more damn understanding.”

total points: 5

The simple act of touch was usually enough to make the Naiad flinch and shy away from touch.

At the induction of new magic, though, the feeling redoubled, turning from an uncomfortable buzz to a crackling, arcing thing. Styx blinked at the feeling of a touch, taking a moment to take stock of the situation before jolting back from the tiny cherub. "I–I'm-sorry-if-I-hurt-you-but-you-shouldn't-touch-me." It came out as a fearful blur of syllables more than a coherent sentence.

She was interrupting things, she should leave– but when she pushed her hands against the ground to start sitting up, she felt an uncomfortable swell of nausea and blackness.

...now was not the time for sudden motions. Everything felt distorted and out of place, and... she had to be misperceiving how large the cherub was. Usually, though, things that scared her seemed so much bigger....


Embi-lamb

The naiad was awake now. Good. Icarus got to his feet, turned away from them, ears perked and listening to their attempt at an apology as he walked back to the stage, ascending the stairs and making his way across the stage as if nothing had ever happened. Icarus took his seat, pulling his chair forward and resting both hands neatly on the table once more.
”Now, where was I ... oh, yes!” Icarus’ previous light-hearted demeanour returned, and the glittering seamed to start up again. Perhaps it was the lights catching on his jewelry?
”There is no need to apologize. When beliefs differ so vastly arguments are bound to occur. I just hope we are all able to move on and accept one another for their beliefs, as I believe we are all striving to develop a reverence among ourselves, correct? If anything, this misstep was my doing. Below has very much become a cultural melting pot, and to speak so carelessly about our strict hybrid laws in a place where hybrids are as expected as tomorrow was unwise of me. Again, I apologize for any ruffled feathers this line of questioning may have caused. Shall we move on?”

Icarus jumped at the next question. ”I cannot speak of what it is like to work beside my comrades. Solars rarely see the sluagh or the lunar cherubs. Lunars and sluagh work more closely together.”

Icarus then decided to return to a previous question. "Cherubs, solar or lunar, rely quite heavily on magic. We have different aptitudes when it comes to magic. Solars are have far better luck with healing and light magics, and not to toot my own horn, but I dare say Solars have some of the best illusionists among our ranks. Lunars tend to use more ... tactile magics? Its also a staple for us to learn common household magics. It's quite difficult for us to achieve daily goals without them."

Icarus' eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find the lady naga who had offered to host a small party for the three representatives. "To the woman who offered to host my friends and I, I think I'd very much like to take you up on that offer sometime. Perhaps we can share cuisines!"

That tore it. That absolutely tore it. Charon had decided from the first that xe didn't like Cillian, but referring to those like xyr as cursed?! Xe shot to xyr feet, fairly shaking with rage. It seemed this was a personal issue that hit a little too close to home to be ignored.

"Hallowed are not cursed." Xe snarled through xyr teeth. "We are not blights and we are not mistakes! We might be awakened at the time of year that makes us Hallowed, but we are still people and we do just fine! Being a bit different from others of our races doesn't make it wrong for us to exist and most of us do just fine!" Xe had to sit down hard afterward, feeling lightheaded and disjointed. Charon patted xyr binder, wondering if it was too loose or too tight.

She was just about to ask about familiars thinking that should be a safe topic when things exploded. She’d just have to find another time to ask it.
Okay… she was going to break a promise to her self. When the hallowed hybrid to her exploded her face met with her hand in a classic face palm expression and she sat there just shaking her head. So far they had shown Below was a horrible place to live and that the representatives should run from the auditorium screaming. They had done the same with the nixie situation and from what she had heard they had done the same with the kumiho. Yes everything had worked out in the end but one day it wouldnt. One day everyone's constant need to rectify any belief that wasn't on par with their on would back fire and they'd drive any new race trying to join them away.

She opened her mouth to defend what Cillian had said when Icarus did it for her. How where they going to get this situation back under control. "To a lighter topic, although I guess a bit of a forced topic change. Do you guys like familiars... or nezubats? If its okay to ask if Sluagh or Cherub have any new types?"She made a note to find a way to send all of them mail for a idea that was running in their heads
points=5

"Fair point Cillian," a small smile formed on the Hallows lips, Styx swearing she heard a gasp from someone who had been watching her. Styx next to never smiled, or showed much emotion at all. These Cheurb and Sluagh were really getting her attention ", Yes we were taught about it. Sorry if I somehow included Hallows into the fix. To me I feel like Hallows are treated in the same regard as hybrids here, so I tend to include them as kind of the same whenever someone brings one or the other up in a sort of negative sense. The two are accepted and treated as equals to purebred. It would appear all three of your races accept each other as equals with different responsibilities. Would I be right in assuming so?" She meant that last bit as a question to all of them, even if she was just looking at Cillian at the moment

It soon came to Styx's attention that another hallowed individual had thought that the Sluagh had meant the Hallow were a curse, Styx not thinking that had been the case at all. The reason the Hallows were a thing was because of a curse, not because they were a curse. Big difference ", Sorry if there is any confusion from us Hallows or others on the matters of a curse. We... try and not use those two words so close together without it being well explained so situations like this do not happen."

Icarus sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes and leaning back in his chair. He had been up for over twenty-four hours, and he was feeling incredibly exhausted. His usual saintly patience was beginning to run out. Part of him just wanted to pack up his things and go home. Take the children that were rudely awoken in such a hellish place and return to Elysium where it was safe, where the children could be raised appropriately .

Very few people in the crowd seemed to have their wits about them, and their heads screwed on correctly. It was a shame. Icarus had advocated for allowing the children to remain in Below, and came with the intent of opening their borders to the people of Below, and allowing Cherubs to attend the Academy.

But, after the wave of emotions that had come crashing down upon the three representatives for their beliefs, for their way of life, Icarus was suddenly unsure he wanted any part of Below.

Why, oh why had their ancestors stashed the stones in those bloody caves?

”I don’t know if this is worth it … “ Icarus mumbled, unaware he was close enough for the microphone to pick up and carry his voice. ”Let us just collect our children and return home and be done with this … “ It was meant as a private commentary for Cillian and Daedalus. Icarus desperately wanted Daedalus’ input on the matter. He was a cherub, he surely agreed with him. He understood. Didn’t he? Perhaps, even, the lunar cherub might see something that Icarus was missing.

Icarus leaned back in towards the mic and resumed his answers. ”Yes. We understand that we need one another to keep ourselves safe and to keep our way of life going. In this, you make a correct assumption.” Icarus’ answers were becoming less verbose as the tiredness began to hit him full-force.

The elf child was speaking again, and Icarus slowly turned his attention to them once more. ”Can you rephrase the question, please?”