Outnumbered ~ I Am Number Four ~ Invite Only!

[SunnyJustice]

With a grin, Vincent paused for a second. "I would hug you, but personal space!" he laughed, remembering Erin's reaction to Richie. Vincent didn't know why Richie was so disrespectful, but Vincent feared the wrath of a girl if he irritated her; Cedar taught him the ways of Lorien, whose council was predominately Adamsons and Bries. It was hard to believe Richie's Cepan had been an Adamson. Richie acted very unlike one, and Vincent hoped he would get better someday.
"Anyway, thanks Erin -- want to race me home?" Without warning, he said, "readysetgo!" and took off like a hare through the forest.

[honeybee.]

Erin had about to mention that she wouldn't mind being hugged by Vincent, it was only the way Richie did it so impolitely that made her think about personal space, when he raced off. "Hey," she cried though she was grinning, "That's not fair!" She sprinted after him.

[SunnyJustice]

"It is so fair!" Vincent insisted arrogantly, leaping over fallen logs and dodging rocks. "I am gonna win, 'cause I'm so awesome and cool-"
Suddenly, he tripped over a leaf of all things, and his loss of balance made him go flying into a puddle. He landed face first, and got up quickly, but the entire front of his shirt was soaking wet and dripping. It looked like he had just thrown up on himself, and he made a disgusted noise as he tried to squeeze the water out.
"This is not fair!" he laughed.

[TheFae]

Esme
35
Location: Inside the Mansion
Tagged: The Adamsons

Esme's face paled, and she immediately looked at Rowan, concerned for his well-being.
"Oh Gingko, I'm so sorry." She stated, immediately walking up to her and hugging her. She knew the woman wasn't touchy feely, but she knew what it was like to lose someone. She remembered almost everyone she lost, and she takes it to heart. She leaned back, and then looked at everyone, backing up into Rowan. "We just wanted to announce our engagement." She smiled sadly. She looked up at Rowan, concern filling her eyes.

Amber
16
Location: Kitchen
Tagged: Alder

She was laughing at Alder. He brought much more joy into her life than anyone else. "Sure, klutz." She teased, getting up and fetching him a glass of water. "What does the little scaredy-cat say?" She teased, mocking him. She loved teasing him, since he took it so well. He would even try and tease her back. She loved talking to him.

Eboni
9
Location: Training Center
Tagged: Acacia

Eboni nodded, taking everything in of what Acacia said.
"I just met you and I love you already."
Eboni squealed and launched herself at Acacia, clinging to her. "I love you too!" She cried, so happy. She then detangled herself and took her spear.
"Alright, let's fight!" She cried, picking up her spear and about to knock the socks off of Acacia.

[honeybee.]

Erin stopped running and started laughing. "It is so fair!" Erin giggled mimicing the earlier words of Vincent adding, "So then, what happened to being awesome and cool? And how come it's always you who falls into some kind of water?"

[SunnyJustice]

Vincent groaned, but he couldn't help but laugh. "In Canada, we lived near the Great Lakes. I won't be surprised if I start, like, getting fish Legacies or something that allows me to breathe underwater." He shook his hair like a puppy that had just fallen into a lake.
"Speaking of Legacies," he said, beginning to walk again. "Do you have anything but the brain communication thingy? I don't have anything yet, period."

Alder smiled gratefully, but made a face when Amber called him a scaredy-cat. "I am not a cat. Cats spit and hiss, and I'm allergic to them. If a cat really 'got my tongue', that would be pretty bad, 'cause I would get allergies and you'd have to take me to the hospital and I don't think there's a hospital anywhere near here," he complained. Taking the glass, he drank the entire thing in one go, then set the empty cup down on the counter. He had spilled water all over his collar. "Thanks!" he said, wiping his mouth with a sleeve. "Besides, cats hate water. As you can see, I love water." He reached for the empty cup, about to dump the few droplets left on his head to prove a point. He accidentally grabbed the full cup of milk he had been about to use for the pizza, and dumped it all into his hair.
"Cats love milk," he grumbled, folding his arms with a childish huff. "I hate milk!"

From the ridiculous force of Eboni lunging at her, Acacia went crashing into a wall, and she laughed. She didn't expect someone so small to be that strong -- but she should have, because hadn't she known someone like that? She anticipated it, but the blue light didn't come this time.
"Oh, no! I'm not ready for this!" Acacia said dramatically, pretending to be afraid. She grabbed an extension pole from the nearest janitor's closet. "Oh, dear! I'm a scared Loric Garde, and I'm against the most formidable General in Mogadorian history! What on Earth will I do?"
She jabbed her makeshift 'spear' at the girl, missing on purpose.

Gingko muttered something that sounded like a Loric profanity when Esme hugged her, but she didn't react violently. It was a start. Maple nodded at her best friend gratefully for defusing some of her mother's anger. Olive was the one who smiled through his tears first, upon hearing news of the engagement. "Wow," he said softly. "So much bad stuff has happened, now a good thing. I'm so happy for you, Esme," he said, getting emotional, and it was hard to tell whether it was sorrow or joy.
Rowan felt the painfully familiar rush of horror and panic that accompanied his grief, and he was about to turn and bolt out the door, before Esme walked back to his side and leaned into him. He disguised his sob as a cough, and wiped at his eyes before gathering his composure.
"Yes," he confirmed Esme's statement. His voice was less shaky than he expected, and he took a deep breath. With Esme, he could get through anything. He would never have to be alone again. She was the cure to his crippling anxiety, the light through the darkness, and he needed her with a passion beyond anything else. He would never want anything more than he wanted to be hers.
"Congratulations. I'm not surprised, but I'm happy as a Chimera," Olive said, tearing up. Maple was holding him now, and Rowan could tell by the pain and joy in his eyes that he was thinking of Mia, and the life they could have had together. The love that was stolen from them by the Mogadorians in one night. Maple was completely expressionless, but her eyes looked just a little less harsh than normal. Was she remembering Leo, their cold departure, and the reunion they would never have?
And there was Willow, who had watched her fiancé Lewis get slaughtered before her very eyes. Rowan would never forget the savage hatred in his sister's unforgiving eyes as she attacked the beasts the Mogadorians had set upon her partner. Her sister had to pull her away from the bloodied, broken beasts after Willow had killed them all, and was viciously mutilating their bodies in rage, not realizing they were already dead. She had never been the same, and anger was her only friend after that day. Rowan had always thought of his sister's death as nothing but a tragedy, but with Esme by his side, he could look back and remember her love and her loss. If there was any mercy in her death, it was that she could at last reunite with the man she loved. But her mother and all her siblings had lost their lovers.
Except Rowan. He and Esme still stood here, alive and together, two hearts beating in perfect rhythm until they beat as one. The only pair in which both hearts could still beat.
Gingko seemed to realize this. Even she heaved a sigh, and decided to contribute. She crossed her arms, and a tight smile formed on her troubled face, but it was still genuine. "Good for you," she said grudgingly, but sincerely, if there was a way to.
"Yes," Maple chimed in. She wasn't smiling, but her eyes were intent and showed care, opposed to her typical apathetic disinterest. "Great."
And it meant a lot from Maple, but from anyone else, 'great' could hardly describe the situation. At long last, Rowan and Esme were united. The first glimmer of hope since the darkness fell, twelve long years ago. It was the beginning of a new chapter of their story.

[honeybee.]

"Nope, only the brain communication thingy." Erin sighed, "And that weird memory swapping thing you did. You're probably going to end up getting a really, really cool legacy, you'll be able to control water or something."

[SunnyJustice]

Vincent nodded excitedly, eager about the thought of manipulating the elements. "Yeah, I bet I'll get to do stuff like walk on top of water, too," he boasted. "But I bet you'll get something cool too! Probably something to do with fire. You know how Nine's a fiery redhead? No offense to him, but I can kind of imagine you turning him into a literal fiery redhead!"

[TheFae]

Amber
16
Location: Kitchen
Tagged: Alder

Amber was laughing so hard, her stomach hurt. She hadn't remembered a time when she was this happy and laughing. It didn't matter that she had just found her legacy. It didn't matter that she was the leader of a race almost doomed to fail. It didn't matter that her head was on the chopping block. All that mattered was Alder.
"Good thing you aren't a cat. I'm more of a dog person anyway." Amber giggled, trying to flirt. She didn't know if she succeeded, she's never tried before. It was definitely interesting: the butterflies in her stomach and the sweaty palms. She really liked the feeling.

Esme
35
Location: Inside the Mansion
Tagged: Rowan and the Adamsons

"I'm so sorry." She murmured, staring at each one of the Adamsons. She couldn't help but yawn from exhaustion. She had been pushing herself constantly, and she hadn't had one second to even consider a nap. "I'll leave you to grieve." She murmured, slowly backing up. She looked at Rowan, not knowing if he wanted to stay with his family or come with her. She wouldn't mind either way, she just wanted him to be happy.

Eboni
9
Location: Training Center
Tagged: Acacia

Eboni was so happy, on cloud nine in fact. She was beating Acacia. She was going to be just like her idol. "Watch out!" She cried with laughter as she leapt at her idol, spear in hand. The spear whacked with Acacia's, and it sent an uncomfortable jolt through her arm. "I'm going to beat you! And then I'm going to the best fighter in the world! Like you!" She cried, shrieking in delight.

Rori
36
Location: Training Center
Tagged: Acacia and Eboni

Rori accomplished everything she wanted, and more. The ship was doing excellent, and she even saw her close friends and family residing on the ship. Shay and Jett were doing great, as well as everyone else. She was happy, for once. Icaron wasn't even around, which meant that this was really special. She stopped at the door, only to find Acacia laughing. She was actually laughing, and so was Eboni. It warmed Rori's cold-dead heart. She hated to break it up, but Acacia and her really needed to get on their way. She walked in, walking confidently, and noticed that they were mid-spar. "And the little one goes in! She's fighting for her life against the Beloved Leader! Is she going to win?" She cried, laughing along with them.

[SunnyJustice]

Alder honestly didn't know how he was going to react to this comment, because he wasn't sure if Amber was trying to flirt, or if he was just hearing what he wanted to hear. He could be a pretty big idiot, so he didn't know. He just stood there, unable to even hide the ridiculous blush on his face. "Well- uh- I'm a people person," he stammered ridiculously. "I'm not allergic to people, which is good, because I won't sneeze on you!" He knew he was doing an awful job of maintaining a conversation.
Maybe he wasn't sneezing, but he definitely was sick. He felt like he had a fever, his stomach felt funny, and his hands were sweating like he had just seen a Mogadorian. If he wasn't coming down with something, he didn't know what was wrong, beside the other possibility...

Gingko was highly offended by the yawn, and she was about to shout something awful, when Maple grabbed her arm and shook her head. It was Olive that spoke. "C'mon, she's had a hard time, what with being in charge of the hotel stuff and all. Besides, not everyone stays up as ridiculously as us Adamsons. She's not being rude, she is just really tired."
"Yes," Maple confirmed solemnly. Her russet gaze swept to Esme, and though she looked stern, she was actually quite concerned. "Sleep. Now."
Rowan opened his mouth to speak, but before he did, Gingko fixed him with a furious glare. She looked about to shout at him, but then she turned right around and left the room without another word. Maple followed her, probably to keep the angry Cepan from killing someone.
"Sorry about mum," Olive apologized to Rowan and Esme. "She'll be like this for a while. Hey, it could have been worse. Her 'wayward daughter' finally made peace. It wasn't Maple's fault though, mum just didn't read into the situation... like just now. I'll see if I can try to calm her down."
Rowan opened his mouth to protest again.
"Nuh uh uh, I know what you're gonna say," Olive sighed. "I know you like to be a counselor and all, but Maple and I have lost the one we loved too. Sorry, Rowan, Esme, I just hope it never happens to you." He smiled apologetically at the two. "And no offense, but you two look terrible. Didn't get any sleep on the ride, huh? Go upstairs, you have the big room at the left end of the hallway." The other large room to the right had been for Gingko and Cedar. One room had been intuitive planning on Olive's part, the other was a reminder of the tragedy that should never have happened.
"Sorry," Rowan said softly, watching his brother leave. He turned to Esme. "Can we talk?" he asked in a quiet voice which wavered slightly.

Acacia couldn't help but laugh, because Eboni was using the spear like it was a broadsword. She was so adorable. Acacia allowed the force of the younger girl's swing to send her flying across the room -- of course, she did it on purpose, but it looked believable. She skidded to a stop in the corner as Rori walked in. Definitely it was time to leave. She winked at the Lieutenant before feigning severe pain. "No, this can't be!" she gasped dramatically, enjoying the show she was putting on for Eboni. This was the most fun she had ever had, in a long time at least. "I'm only twelve, I am too young to die!"
Basically, she was being the opposite of herself; a frail, melodramatic teenager. It was an interesting part to play, but it was actually quite fun. She struggled in an attempt to get up, but didn't move her legs at all, giving the impression that she had broken her spine. She then allowed herself to collapse back onto the ground. "I give up," she said in the best hopeless voice she could find. She was still keeping a straight face, but it was getting harder not to laugh. She was succeeding, though. "You might as well finish me off. Now we all know who is the real Beloved Leader, her name is Eboni Lamia!"
Secretly, Acacia was anticipating Eboni to come up with an excellent one-liner as she ended the 'fight.' It was the only reason she wasn't already playing dead, to be honest. The most fun thing about kids was when they came up with witty sayings. Acacia wanted to see if Eboni could.