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"Lady Niyambi has a point," Fieri said, her well trained voice ringing out so that she could be easily heard. "Since you say you've been in charge of the Elders for all this time, this can't be the first time you've encountered these problems with differing ideas and attitudes and class backgrounds. Why don't you just explain to everyone how you've dealt with it among yourselves. If it's something that people can accept, then won't that save a lot of time and arguments?"
The young monk waits patiently outside of the Del Sols apartments, and once invited in, almost immediately senses the somber mood. He stays quiet, not wanting to press whatever might be going on. Sorchan gave him a nod as he left. Fieri stopped briefly. "Hey. You can go in. There's plenty of breakfast left over. Nobody was feeling very hungry. And I think Raelle could use a hand entertaining Chara. Pyra's sleeping for now so Chara has to play quietly. Ignace doesn't mind that, but you know what Chara is like. I'll let Raelle explain the details. I'm going to have to hurry to catch up now. But there's no way I'm not going to be there," she said in a rush before taking off.
Smiling back, the young monk asks "Is it alright if I come in? Your room is already a little crowded, and I can wait till your sisters leave, if you would prefer" He says with a slight bow."No, don't go," Raelle blurted out and blushed. "Umm...please, come in." Fieri laughed. "Okay, girls, I think that's our hint that it's time to go," she said. Chara wrinkled her nose. "Because they're going to be all mushy? I don't like mushy stuff. It's gross," she pontificated, with all the wisdom of a seven year old. "We'll see you in the morning," Ignace said, primly, giving Raelle a quick hug before turning to go. Chara gave her a longer hug and a messy kiss on the cheek before taking Fieri's hand and letting herself be led out of the room. "Don't pout, Chara," Fieri said, amused. "You're already up past your bedtime anyway. We're all very happy Raelle is safe, but you still need your sleep." She turned back before they were all the way out the door. "Mom and Dad will be back to check on you in a little while, and if you need anything just call me." "Okay. I'm fine. Really." "Don't even bother telling us not to worry," Fieri said with a snort.
lucas chuckles "yes, I feel that the move was a difficult one for my sisters, I'll be sure to go check on her, if nothing else it will give me something to occupy myself with. If you could, I would appreciate it if you would send word to me when she is found""it was the least I could do. With our homes gone we must band together and aid each other in any way we can instead of squandering what resources we have in petty squabbles, besides, it was the right thing to do... Unfortunately I believe I am at the limit of what my creativity and power can help with here..." He seems somewhat lost but seems to be trying to draw strength from political pseudo philosophy."I'll let James know," she said, from where she was seated on the couch, with her arm around Chara. "That information might help them narrow the search area further.""I have confirmed that raelle was captured alive and by a group of firebirds. they numbered four guards and one who appeared to be a child."A series of expressions passed across Sorchan's face. Rage, sorrow, fear. But only for a moment. "Thank you once again for your help," he said. "We'll try to let all of her friends know when Raelle is found," Fieri agreed.
"I have confirmed that raelle was captured alive and by a group of firebirds. they numbered four guards and one who appeared to be a child."A series of expressions passed across Sorchan's face. Rage, sorrow, fear. But only for a moment. "Thank you once again for your help," he said. "I'll let James know," she said, from where she was seated on the couch, with her arm around Chara. "That information might help them narrow the search area further."
Hey, I should not have to be hearing about this stuff third hand! That's just not right! ;P
I think he's trying to warn you that it's not the easiest family to be a part of. They've got issues. Lots of issues.
Fieri resisted the urge to visibly face palm. "Vis, you can't just rewrite all the classifications like that and expect people to understand you. Not to mention just rejecting all extraplanars like that. It's isnt very nice. If you go by that logic we shouldn't have any influence here either since our ancestors originally came from the plane of fire. I'm sorry things don't fit the way you think they should, but life is a lot more complicated once you start adding other people into it. But it's a good kind of complicated if you give it a chance. Now, go back to your seat. No one is going to hurt you here."
Fieri sighed. "Look, I know this can be hard to understand, but not all infernals are evil. Most sure, but not all. Just like not all celestials are good. Most sure, but not all. This is one of those rare safe places for non-evil demons and devils and such to be where they can be safe from their own kind and from the rest of us. So Professor Settro isn't the only one like him you'll meet here, most likely. They have to follow the rules just like everyone else. There are wards in place that prevent people from hurting each other here. The best thing you can do is not jump to conclusions about someone based on where they come from. Prejudice can be an ugly thing. It's better to judge people based on their actions."
vis halts in his run when told to stop, and turns to face feiri, before falling to the floor and covering his face, confused and afraid. Fieri sits on the floor next to Vis and rubs his back. "There, there. It's a lot, isn't it? Leaving home, starting a new school, dealing with classmates who sometimes have very dangerous problems? It's okay, Vis. I know it seems scary now, but we are here to protect you. You don't have to be scared. And if you are, that okay. You can build a book fort like Dara's if that will help you feel more safe. He thinks people are really scary too."
"My out can do that? If that's the case, great. I was just looking for a quick, temporary answer. I'll try and help more later, but there's a more pressing matter that needs more then just a quick fix. Do you need anything more from me?" "No, thank you for alerting me to the problem," she said, trying to catch Vis before he could actually leave. "Vis, wait! Running away isn't going to help anything!"
"Hold on a minute!" Fieri yelled, interrupting the excited flow of conversation between Jacob and Settro for the second time. "Before we go attempting any exorcisms, how exactly are you planning to draw out this demon? If it's bound itself to Jacob's soul, won't harming the demon harm him too? Do you have a plan for how to break the connection between Jacob and the demon? I'm not okaying this if it isn't safe. We can stop and research things first. I can set the wards to send Jacob to detention if they detect a rise in demonic energy centered on him, so he won't even have the chance to hurt anyone." "Kim, will you please sit down? We have this under control. Jacob isn't a threat. And you're going to have to get used to extra planar creatures here. And no jumping to conclusions based on how they look. Nobody here is exactly what they appear, including you judging by that glow. So, please, just calm down."
"Umm...slow down a sec here guys. So you're saying that Jacob has a demon in him? Of all the days for Ephebe to not be here....okay, so I'm just subbing today, but Ephebe will be back tomorrow. And she is definitely better equipped to deal with demon stuff than I am. Is Jacob going to be okay until then? Should I be worried about the demon trying to attack other students?"
Jacob nods to each of the students in turn, then bows to Fieri. He now has his scarf on again, although his jacket is still tucked under his arm. "Hello, Missus. My name is Jacob Forgehand." The boy then hangs up his jacket on a coathanger and takes his seat."Welcome, Jacob. I'm Mrs. Sunwake. Which of you would like to introduce yourself next?" "Welcome, Kim. Why don't you take a seat next to Dara there? He's somewhere behind that book fort. I promise you, he's more scared of you than you are of him."
Jacob nods to each of the students in turn, then bows to Fieri. He now has his scarf on again, although his jacket is still tucked under his arm. "Hello, Missus. My name is Jacob Forgehand." The boy then hangs up his jacket on a coathanger and takes his seat. "Welcome, Jacob. I'm Mrs. Sunwake. Which of you would like to introduce yourself next?"
Fieri smiled at the new students and stepped back from the door so they could enter. Inside the classroom only a few desks were filled. A small, dark-skinned boy peered out cautiously from the book fort he'd surrounded himself with. A girl in a ruffled dress with golden ringlets was practically hiding at the back of the class. A small red haired girl smiled at them with open curiosity. A small boy seemed too distracted by his book to notice them and there was a ...a....a....thing sitting next to him. "Come on in. Two other new students just arrived as well, and I was just going to have them introduce themselves to the class. You can join them."
Fieri sighed as they finally finished putting away all the equipment. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot to me," she said with a tired smile. She turned around and looked at the room again. "I almost don't want to leave....and what are we even going to do with all this stuff?" she asked plaintively. Pan put an arm around her and ruffled her hair. "Don't get all dramatic on me now, Fi. I'm pretty sure you get to keep the space. Just use it for jam sessions and stuff. Bet you can find plenty of musicians in this school who would love to be invited to that. Nobody is taking away your practice room."
The music takes a slight turn from the sad to the upbeat with the next few songs.
After a moment of silence between songs, the next song starts. It was a good thing that this wasn't a stage performance because Fieri couldn't stop tears from sliding down her face as she sang. When the song was over she gave the signal to move to the optional song on the set list that she thought they might need to add, letting the others take over vocals for a song so she could regain her composure.
Fieri took a deep breath. "Okay, so James is pissed as hell, but I think that's a good sign. And he's got some big help coming. So, time to do what he asked and get on with what we were doing. And hopefully we won't have to cut this short." "Pan, turn on the signal." Once the signal was ready to broadcast, Fieri picked up a microphone. "Testing, testing...okay, so hopefully this thing is on," her voice was broadcast through the school and through several small speakers that fans of FAIN had hidden throughout the firebird refugee camp. "It's been a rough few days. For the school and for the firebirds. We've lost people we care about, we've lost a home, and it can feel at times like everything is falling apart and will never be okay again. But it will. We're all stronger than we give ourselves credit for and we'll get through this. We have to. So I'd like to do something that I learned about from the humans. It's called a wake. Tomorrow will be time for memorial services and saying goodbyes, but a wake is for celebrating the things we've lost as well as grieving for them and I think that's something we could all use. This isn't a performance. We're not even all from one band. It's just an expression of how we feel, and my hope is that these songs will speak to all of you as well and help express some of those emotions that have been so overwhelming for all of us." She set the mic back on the stand and nodded to Pan as she picked up her violin to begin the first strains of the first song.
"Well, you heard him," she said, voice shaking just a little. "Are you guys ready to play or what?" It had been a long, emotional day, and the last thing she needed was to be worrying about some dragon-hunting psycho taking pot-shots at her husband....but there also wasn't anything she could do about it. And James could be so prickly when his pride was hurt. Which it would be if she didn't give him the space to prove that he wasn't so easy to take out. Gods, this sucked. ::So help me, James Tyrellius Sunwake, if you get killed out there I will hunt you down in whatever afterlife you end up in and bring you back just so I can kill you again!::
All set up and ready to start playing Fieri suddenly gasped and froze in place.
"Nothing to worry about. Pan is just incredibly impatient....not what you'd really expect from a dryad, but there you have it..." "Anyways, I'm more than happy to include some extra songs. It's a pretty short set. We can get started as soon as you guys are ready."
"They do know where they're supposed to meet us right?" Pan asked as they started unpacking instruments and getting the room set up. "Yes, I told them where to meet us. Just be patient. They'll be here," she said.
Fieri and Pan arrived at the practice room, loaded down with instruments, ready to get all set up to play.
"Okay, we can work with this." Kam says after reading the list. "Great," she said, relieved. "Meet me in FAIN's practice space in the basement in a few minutes. I just need to track down Pan and then we can get this thing started."
"So, what do you think? Too many? Too few? I thought it was pretty safe to assume you guys could pick up new songs this fast, but if you don't agree..." She took a deep breath. "Will you help me with this? Please?"
"He heard you. Do you have any particular music in mind? Songs perhaps?""Somber music then, or upbeat? I hot Taron listening in now too. He says hi.""A little of both. Mostly upbeat, I think. I've got a few new songs I've been working on the last few days in what spare seconds I've had. And tell Taron I said hi back." She pulled out a somewhat crumpled piece of paper with song names scribbled all over it. "Well, these for starters. And a few more if you have some ideas about what else to add."
"Somber music then, or upbeat? I hot Taron listening in now too. He says hi." "A little of both. Mostly upbeat, I think. I've got a few new songs I've been working on the last few days in what spare seconds I've had. And tell Taron I said hi back."
"Kam...Uh, hi. One, that was awesome and I totally want to learn more about your technique there. Two, I need your help," she said abruptly. Her eyes were red and she'd obviously been crying. "For a...sort of a concert. Not exactly a concert. I need you and Taron. And probably Pan too. But that's it. This isn't about bands. And it...it needs to be family. I'm planning to broadcast from the practice space in the basement. In the school and into the camp....Firebirds set practically everything to music and this is no exception. Tomorrow is for moving on and starting over, but tonight I mean to have a wake."
She pulls away wiping tears from her eyes and nodded. And then stopped as if considering. "No, I don't think it can wait for tomorrow," she said, looking suddenly determined. "Excuse me, Ardiente, but there's something I need to do. And this time you're not going to be able to help me...you're not exactly musically inclined," she added with an apologetic shrug. And with that she took off back inside, nearly running as she looked for Taron and/or Kam.
Fieri couldn't help herself. Her tears just kept coming faster and faster. She was sobbing too hard to answer him by the time he spoke. It wasn't just the loss of the sun. She knew her grandfather was a terrible person. She knew it. But she had loved him. Yes, it was all based on lies, but did that really wipe away her whole childhood? And now he was gone forever. And he deserved it, she knew that. He didn't deserve tears. But she needed them. She hurt and she needed to mourn. Her home was gone. Half of her family was gone. And she couldn't keep all of that bottled up anymore whether it was okay or not.
Fieri stood and watched the 'eclipse' happen, tears falling down her face. It was a necessary change, but there was a part of her that couldn't help but mourn for the loss of her home. Even though she'd already lost it long before this.
Fieri stumbled out of the teleportation room. "There shouldn't be much time left, if any....whatever is going to happen I want to be outside to see it."
Fieri shook her head, trying to hide her exhaustion. "There's no time for breaks. We only have an hour or so left. I can keep going. It's only a little bit longer."
"I think Fei might present some other interesting equipment interface problems...but it's worth asking him."
"Not exactly. I don't think any of the Sunwake kids trained with Master Quo that way. At least, not that they've told me. James probably could do martial arts, but of course he'd knock himself out if he pushed too hard. Reality bending isn't as great as you'd expect. But I bet he'd know who would make a good sparring partner...or would want to. Those are the kind of people he's trying to recruit for pilots.""Speaking of that, did you mention to him that I am willing to learn and be trained?" Ardiente asks, as they make their way into the teleporting room, and he nods to the dwarf there. "I need to keep my skills sharp, after all." "Yeah, he wants to talk to you tomorrow probably. So far Mithros and Jeran are the sum total of pilots in this program so he's more than happy to consider more applicants. And if you know of anyone else who might be a good fit for it, let him know." "Alright, let's get this over with and hope we can finish before things go boom."
"Not exactly. I don't think any of the Sunwake kids trained with Master Quo that way. At least, not that they've told me. James probably could do martial arts, but of course he'd knock himself out if he pushed too hard. Reality bending isn't as great as you'd expect. But I bet he'd know who would make a good sparring partner...or would want to. Those are the kind of people he's trying to recruit for pilots."
"He was an old monk. He raised Aananda. And I guess he spent a lot of time with the triplets when they were little too. Before he died of old age. Well, he was like two hundred years old, which is pretty impressive for a human," she said, making sure to lock the door behind them as they left the hatchery and headed for the teleportation room. "Not exactly. I don't think any of the Sunwake kids trained with Master Quo that way. At least, not that they've told me. James probably could do martial arts, but of course he'd knock himself out if he pushed too hard. Reality bending isn't as great as you'd expect. But I bet he'd know who would make a good sparring partner...or would want to. Those are the kind of people he's trying to recruit for pilots."
"He was an old monk. He raised Aananda. And I guess he spent a lot of time with the triplets when they were little too. Before he died of old age. Well, he was like two hundred years old, which is pretty impressive for a human," she said, making sure to lock the door behind them as they left the hatchery and headed for the teleportation room.
He sighed into the hug, trying to shake off the depressed feeling that had suddenly overtaken him. He takes comfort in knowing that he was surrounded by new beginnings. "I know, I know. It's just... hard. You can't deny that if I hadn't have done what I did, they'd be alive right now. Among other firebirds who were killed in the riot." "Maybe so," she agreed. "But the truth is that you can't know what would have happened. It's possible that the alternatives were worse. It's possible that we could have had a long drawn-out devastating civil war in which a great deal more people died. James would quote some weird mixed up saying about pebbles and avalanches from the collected sayings of Master Quo, but I can't really remember it right. But the gist of it is that blaming the pebble for the avalanche is useless because it wasn't the pebble's fault that things were ready to tip or something weird like that. You were just one piece of a much larger picture."
"So is this a sign of maturity or did you just remember promising Elle that you wouldn't go out by yourself?" she asked with a grin.He shakes his head, just a little mournfully. "No, I just... the last time I said I could do something alone... I got my parents killed." She hugged him. "Ardiente, it's okay, that wasn't your fault. The one to blame for that was my grandfather...both of them. Not you. You were impulsive, yeah. You should have talked to someone about it first, but that....it should have ended with abjuration not execution." She stepped back. "It's good to realize that you can't do everything by yourself. But not if it's because your blaming yourself for things that are not your fault."
"So is this a sign of maturity or did you just remember promising Elle that you wouldn't go out by yourself?" she asked with a grin.
"I don't really know Elle as well as I wish I did...I mean, I met here for the first time less than a year ago. But she strikes me as a very decisive person. Once she knows what she wants, she just goes for it." She smiled an gently touched each of her eggs in turn. "Given how active they are already, I'm a little bit dreading how much trouble they'll get into once they hatch. But I'm also looking forward to finally getting to hold them...." "Well, enough sappy new mommy stuff...we have work to do. I guess we should get to it, right?"
Fieri couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, gosh, yes that does explain the goofy grin. Glad to hear you two worked things out...apparently my little sis is much quicker on the uptake than Jiminy," she added with a wink. "It took him more than a year to figure out that I was the right one for him...I mean, I knew that from the first week. It was so obvious." "Anyhow, these four are my little ones. My daughter, Solana, and the three boys, Fintan, Aemun, and Gwydion. Kids, this is your cousin, Ardiente. I'd introduce the other seven, but I don't have their names straight yet...we should probably put up nametags or something." Ardiente has the strangest sensation of several someones trying to talk to him telepathically at once, though mostly it was just an expression of curiosity and happiness.
"I can come with. Taron or Kam or Krays will be along soon. After yesterday we're trying to not leave the eggs alone if possible. Would you like to come in and say hello to the babies before we head out? They can't really manage language yet, but they're surprisingly aware of their surroundings considering. And they communicate pretty well even if it is just emotion," she said a touch of pride in her voice as she looked fondly at her children.
The arrows lead him to a room that he hadn't known about before. The door seems to blend in to the wall and there is no visible way to open it.Ardiente peers around for a moment, looking a little confused. He could probably Bend his way in, but he didn't want to be rude, especially if this was Fieri's room and she wasn't decent. So instead he knocks on the 'door'. As a last resort he would try shifting into his Firebird form and attempting to communicate telepathically with Fieri. Fieri opened the door looking confused and then smiled. "Oh! It's you! I was worried for a minute because most people can't even see this door. But you're family so no wonder it led you here...this is the hatchery. I was just spending some time with the babies....they're in a better mood since we were finally able to tell them their names this morning before Jiminy had to leave."
"Well, hopefully not." he says simply and with a smile at the retreating Tryko'Sam. Ardiente buses his tray and then heads off, searching for Fieri to see if she'd want to continue with their work now that she had rested and dealt with the crisis. The arrows lead him to a room that he hadn't known about before. The door seems to blend in to the wall and there is no visible way to open it.
"Holy crap! Uh...yeah, maybe it's better you were here Ardiente! Umm...evil alternate timeline Vai apparently is who tore up the school....Yeesh. That's...disturbing. And she was apparently really efficient at it. Wards down, Infirmary blown up, EMP pulse took out all electronic systems....Yeah, stand by for teleport, there is no freaking way I am not going back there now," she said, getting that stubborn look that was so very common for her. She reached out and grabbed his wrist to make sure he didn't get left behind.
"I don't know! I don't even know if James knows! I'm trying to convince him to teleport us, but he's being stubborn. He won't do it until he knows the current situation is safe....Sorry, Ardiente. My husband can be a little overprotective sometimes.""Alright." Ardiente says, though he obviously doesn't calm down in the slightest, pacing back and forth. "Of course, you'd have one of the finest del Sol bodyguards present." he says with a forced smile, trying to make light of the situation, and utterly failing to do so. "I think that might be more reassuring if you weren't currently going mad with worry over my little sister," she said wryly. "Anyways, I'm trying to convince James to bring us back. He's being stubborn, but I'm wearing him down."
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