by SunnyJustice » Wed Jan 11, 2017 2:30 pm
Cyprian wore a scowl that could easily rival his father's. He didn't know or care whether Jaai was acting or not anymore, but it looked real. Maybe she was just really good at acting, Cyprian wouldn't doubt that. But it still made him really angry. He pulled the girl into his arms protectively, as if to shield her from everything.
"We were going to report to my father," Cyprian said to Dawn with forced calm. "My princess and I have collected lots of information about the outlaws."
Alastair was on edge, his eyes blazing with their usual anger. Atalanta kept saying how she sensed Cyprian, and Alastair didn't know how to feel about it. He wouldn't allow her to search for him, either.
When Regina came in and asked for permission with her plan, Alastair would have killed her if it was someone else. Regina was another of the people who Alastair saw as his own child. Especially since both of them were under the same curse.
"You have my permission, but do not get yourself killed." He made a point of glaring sharply. "I need you... for my plans of course."
In the Clock Tower, nobody was disoriented from the darkness shrouding the country. The curse had started at 10 PM the previous day, and it was exactly 19 hours after that. Now it was 5 PM and the clock was still running perfectly, thanks to Adam working overtime with his electricity.
Ivana Lin was making sure everyone was working as usual, distributing electricity to its rightful place. With the solar panels down, the system was a lot weaker. Adam used to work a five-hour day, and the entire country would be supplied with electricity for more than 24 hours. He was that powerful, but now he had to work more hours every day just to keep things running. Ivana could see it taking a toll on her father, so she had even less tolerance for slackers.
She found one man asleep on watch. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on the power distribution to Sharlade City, but he had dozed off. Ivana tapped her foot impatiently, letting the loud sound of her high-heeled shoe ring throughout the room. Darius yawned and opened his eyes.
"What you want, girl?" he slurred rudely.
Zzzt...
"Get back to work," Ivana scolded. Her hair was always kept in a bun, but the loose strands were floating up from static electricity. This was why she never wore her hair down.
Zzzzzt...
"Disgrace off," Darius laughed, kicking up his feet.
Zap!
A sudden jolt of electricity through his body made the man convulse, then slam to the floor, smoking slightly. Ivana's hair floated back down to its normal place.
"Would you like Father to come punish you instead?" Ivana asked calmly, letting a ball of lightning dance in her hand. The eerie light made her face glow violent shades of purple, blue, and gold.
Squeaking something in an incoherently high-pitched voice, Darius returned to his seat and stared intently at the screens he was supposed to be watching. His entire body was trembling and smoke trailed off his clothes. Emotionlessly, Ivana turned on her heel and left him. Darius was always trouble.
She ignored the murderous glare he shot after her. He would be punished severely if he tried anything. Ivana could cook him thoroughly if she wanted to, and she wasn't nearly fully developed like her father. Adam was not even allowed to fight if there were people remotely near. Too much collateral damage. He was generally a civilized man, but he had a brutal temper that Ivana definitely shared.
Ivana returned to her family's living quarters, near the top of the tower. Dinner was already ready, and her mother Audrey wasn't home. Probably on guard duty. Ivana was just sitting down on the couch when the door opened.
"Daddy!!" her little sister Clair shrieked.
Ivana heard loud footsteps pattering across the ground, then a violent thud and a laugh. Ivana stood up and peeked into the kitchen. Adam (who had just been tackled by his tiny daughter) raised his attacker into the air with a laugh. Clair giggled as Adam practically threw her. "Up you go, kiddo!"
"Dad-"
Adam turned to Ivana. "I know about Darius. He has irritated me far too many times, and I will fire him tomorrow morning. I am proud of you for zapping his ass."
Ivana smiled and curtsied politely with her white dress. The Timekeeper's daughter was always dressed like a little princess. She was the heiress and loved to act like it.
Clove was getting sick of Celestial Tower, and she wanted to visit the underworld so she could swim in lava or something. She was really annoyed by this stupid place and the stupid dead people here. Her Grandfather Juniper wouldn't allow her on the top floor, which was even more annoying. What the disgrace was even up there? Clove had peeked through the cracks once, and she was blinded for two hours. It was incredibly bright in there.
"WHO DARES-" she started, then saw Jonah.
"Oh. It's you." She looked really disappointed, but only her eyes gave away her real emotions. She secretly enjoyed seeing him even though she wanted to kick his ass.
---
Extra: Attitude
Five years ago...
Cadence was going to disgrace up those insolent teenagers. They were all arrogant, and they dared to give her an attitude in front of her own children. She was sick of the back talk from Casedy, sick of the incompetence from Gavotte, sick of the cheating from Tacet, and she was even sick of being around Gwen. Cadence didn't have a specific reason, but she didn't need one. She was just sick of being crammed into that mansion with her family, since they were getting on her last nerve and she wanted to discipline them with violent methods. None of them were strong enough to stop her if she wanted to beat her irritating cheating husband with a broomstick. They could try, but nobody could even think of restraining her. Cadence had to remove herself because she didn't want to break her new broomstick.
She had used her telekinesis to painstakingly carve a fancy fountain in the middle of the village, and now she was moving it. The fountain was already on, but it needed to be turned slightly because it was irritating her. She couldn't stand how it was tilted and not perpendicular to the central paths. She focused with her telekinesis and easily twisted the huge sculpture of rock to the right angle. If some idiot dared vandalize her masterpiece now, she would twist their heads in the same way. She would break their necks slowly, under the sun's light, so Solara would see and disapprove of how improperly she would do it.
"You should move the sculpture a little to the left," said an annoying voice behind her.
Cadence spun around. It was Emmy, the little orphaned redhead who wasn't even a teenager yet. However, she thought she was some kind of wise old woman, and considered herself leader of the village's teenagers. She tried to peer pressure everyone into burning stuff. Cadence hated this stupid little freak.
"What did you just say, you disrespectful little brat?" Cadence snarled in her face. "You better repeat yourself. Differently. And I don't like your tone, young lady."
"You're not the boss of me, old woman!" Emmy said, putting her hands on her hips.
"You insolent brat! Have you come to desecrate this fountain?" Cadence saw the spray paint canister in the kid's hands. "Your mother has obviously not hit you enough."
"I'm gonna leave my mark on my village sculpture, and you can't do anything about it, old woman."
Cadence took a step forward. "Yeah?"
"You don't scare me." Emmy smirked. "I can see why your husband likes her better."
The little disgrace pointed up at the sun.
Cadence's voice was a roar of fury. "HOW DARE YOU GIVE ME THAT ATTITUDE!!!"
That night, the village had to clean up a big bloody mess in the central square...