by SunnyJustice » Tue Apr 04, 2017 12:31 pm
The Sanctuary
Gavotte wasn't even out of breath after sprinting to the cabin. He was just taking inventory. Not everyone had died in the fight against the basilisks. Most of them were still here.
Just not his family.
He didn't know how he was keeping it together. His sisters were gone; Gwen was dead, and Casedy had been captured. His father Tacet was dead. His mother Cadence had been getting angrier and angrier, and Gavotte had a feeling she was slowly losing her mind. Their family had once led Windwoods peacefully- aunts, uncles, cousins, all living benevolently under the protective leadership of Mayor Cadence. Those days were over.
This must be how the Adamsons felt, just on a smaller scale. The Adamsons had ruled Hesenia, which was safe under Solara's watchful eye. Now the only survivors were forced to take refuge here. Alastair's leadership had truly hurt Hesenia where it mattered most. Family. Everyone here had lost family because of his tyranny.
When Jen called him, Gavotte was more than happy to go to her. He found her at the fridge, and he immediately hugged her. "Are you alright?" He asked, not caring about his own troubles right now. Jen was hurt.
Rowan closed his eyes as well. He couldn't see Olivia even with his eyes open; he was blind, and she was... she was gone. The healer could only see the presence of the living. He couldn't help Olivia anymore. Or Travis, or Blaze. Just like he couldn't help Gwen. She was like a baby sister to him, and he had let her down. He had linked pinkies with her, and promised to be there for her whenever the darkness threatened to consume her.
He had promised...
Whenever you feel the darkness, I'll be here to bring you back to the light...
... I'll be here to bring you back to the light...
... I'll be here...
... I'll...
He was silent for a long time, breathing deeply to regain his composure. When Lily finally let go, tears still glistened in Rowan's eyes and stained his cheeks, but he had no shame to let them be seen. He was emotional, but his emotions made him who he was. He loved his people so deeply it hurt.
"Can you teleport us back to the cabin, please?" Rowan asked. He was exhausted after running around, keeping up with Cilan. He didn't think he would be able to make it up the stairs.
"And, Lily... thank you," He whispered. Just her presence made him feel so loved. No matter what happened, he would persevere through anything. For her. For those they had lost. For those who were still fighting.
For all of them.
---
Capital City
Cyprian had wanted to leave this destroyed place immediately, but Jaai was just staring at it. Cyprian's eyes were morbidly drawn to it too. He didn't want to stay here, but he couldn't look away. The cracked marble countertop, with pieces crumbling on the floor. The blackened burn marks that outlined the doorframe leading to the kitchen. The stains on the window, the floor, the walls. August Aguado had a reputation for keeping his store perfectly clean.
Cyprian didn't even want to know what happened to August himself.
He didn't speak for a moment, and then he lashed out. His fist smashed a hole in what was left of the window. Realizing what he had just done, Cyprian pulled his shaking hand back and stared at it. Blood ran down his knuckles from the glass shards. He didn't know why he had just suddenly become so angry. Seeing the destruction of a simple, homely store he had grown up to love... it made him more sad than anything. But he didn't know how else to express his emotions.
"Let's go," He said to Jaai as he plucked a glass piece out of his skin. He was scowling, yet trying not to tremble. He had just ruined that place even worse. With how badly the place was already wrecked, it was just a straw on top of a haystack. But it still made Cyprian feel wrong. How could he have further vandalized August's shop?
Maybe I am my father's son, after all...
---
Ravineside Forest
They were away from the Capital City now. Solara would be able to keep them safe away from civilization, or in its heart. She knew crossing the decrepit Ravineside bridge would be dangerous with her power, though. One wrong move and the consequences would be dire. Even if she went first, and the bridge collapsed with only her there, she would be leaving the children alone for a short time before she revived. That short interval was all Agatha would need.
Solara knew that Agatha was a lot faster than she was. She knew from painful experience.
So she was leading them towards the beach. The ravine was only a slow river at that point, and Solara knew of a sightseeing bridge that extended over it at that point. She would stay close with the teenagers; Celeste's momentary sprint in the wrong direction had almost sent Solara after her. Fortunately the girl had regained her bearings and rejoined the group quickly. Solara could not let them become separated.
As she walked, she noticed Kale was moving closer to her. Solara turned her head towards him, and opened her eyes about halfway, since nobody else was directly in that direction. Her eyes could blind someone if they didn't photosynthesize like Kale and his family.
"... Thank you, Kale. It means a lot to hear this," She said after hearing his words. It was good to be appreciated. Solara would hug him, but she was already holding Amber so closely. She could easily hold her with one arm, but she wanted to keep the girl comfortable. Amber was very tired.
Behind her, the Aguado brothers were behaving interestingly. After apologizing profusely to Celeste, Waverly was now following Vivien and his brother. Samuel seemed to be telling a story.
"So once when I was in the seventh grade, I was doing a speech in front of the entire school. I wanted to become Queen of Student Council. It's almost always the girls who get chosen, so even if a boy does get elected, he still gets called the Queen... but I was gonna change that. It was part of my plan, to make genders equal in our council."
Ivana giggled in a cryptic way. Solara didn't know what it meant. Probably only Ivana (and possibly Amber) knew.
"Well, I was doing my speech, and I was doing great." Samuel just kept going. "But suddenly, down drops this giant brown spider the size of my big toe! It jumped on the front of my shirt and I pretended not to notice, but then people started screaming and running for the door. I was wearing a white shirt. After the speech, I heard people speading some dumb rumor that I have such bad hygiene, creepy crawlies were attracted to me."
"Did you get elected for Queen of Student Council?" Ivana asked. Solara could hear the smile in her voice.
"Yeah," Samuel said. "Totally. I was elected and everyone loved me. Girls were all over me."
Now this did not seem to fit with the logic... Solara found herself getting very confused.
"Oh, sorry Luno." Samuel blurted out. "Sorry guys. I shouldn't use sarcasm around Solara. I did not get elected, and everyone called me Spider-Boy for a month!"
Solara still did not understand. Why would he say something that was obviously not true? And...
"... What is a 'sarcasm'?"
