!! Perfectly Peaceful

[£NPC]

(( This thread is not open to everybody - spots were reserved in a journal in our deviantArt page, here: http://aalc.deviantart.com/ . If you want to participate in a plot thread, keep your eyes peeled for the next opportunity In the meantime, watch this thread closely, as its events will leave a mark on the history of AALC.

Okay, we need to lay down some rules for this thread first, sorries!

1. Three participants, aside from the NPC. No restrictions as to whether they're students or staff. This might change later.

2. Please try to post within 2-4 days. After that, I will start bugging you, and if I don't hear from you for five days, the thread will move on. Skip your turn twice, and you're out, the spot being freed for another person. This rule is experimental, we will see how it works out.
If it's some outside interferences/writer's block/any other problem preventing you from posting, please, please contact me, Roqi, about it. We can try to work something out.

3. I may be harsh, but ultimately, I am here for you. So don't hesitate to bug me, ask me, argue with me and suggest changes! I will love every second of your active participation. :'D I understand that some of you might not have much experience with this sort of a roleplay, so I'm prepared to handle all questions.

4. For the sake of convenience, we will stick to the posting order established on the first turn - so whomever posts first now, posts after the NPC for the rest of the thread.

Ready? Go~))



"I don't like this." was grumbled from underneath the clunky gray felt fedora. Peering around unhappily, the old man brought a cigarette to his lips and took a puff, then exhaled the smoke with a sigh. "At all."

The young, elegant woman, sitting beside her father on a bench, only rolled her eyes. It was a crisp and bright late morning, the sky was clear, and even though the trees were still naked, the birds sitting upon them were chirping merrily. On a day like that, it was hard to believe anything could be wrong. Her father, slumped down in his washed-out corduroys, seemed like a black hole intent to sap out all cheer from his surroundings. He had been that way ever since the incident.

"When are they going to do something about it? I swear, it's like once you don't live in a big fancy city, ain't nobody caring about you." he continued. His daughter remained silent, readjusting her grasp on the handbag in her lap for the lack of anything better to do. "Old Anderson wrote them about it, but nothing's happenin'. I knew nothing would. They won't believe us until we're all dead." He scoffed bitterly. "It's a dog-eat-dog world." Suddenly, he turned to his daughter to pierce her with a sharp, accusatory look, making her flinch. "You don't care either, do you? You ride off to your big town, just bidding your time until you make enough money to leave fer good, leave yer old man alone to... to..." His breath hitched. The woman's lips parted in shock. "Dad, I..."

The worst part was, it was true.

Her blue eyes flickered around quickly, panicked, looking for something - anything - to change the subject to. Any distraction... but the day was young, and Sindri's Cove was quiet, still half-asleep. Silent. Giving a perfectly deceiving impression of peacefulness.

If only.

[Risiko Bann]

Risiko walked the boardwalk, looking at the storefront. The air felt good, it felt nice to be in 'regular' society again, with it's familiar buildings, honest construction, and no worry about misadventures in magic, or slip ups in spells, or accidents in alchemy. No, just him doing a bit of shopping on this bright morning. Deciding to make it an event, he dressed slightly less casual than he normally would, forgoing his black hoodie, t-shirt and trainers, and opting for a more slick look of black loafers, black slacks, dark grey, long sleeved buttoned shirt, and slightly lighter tie. A messenger bag adorned his left side, while his right hand carried a handled shop bag, full of various goods.

The boardwalk was nearly empty. A few early shoppers, like himself, casually milling about, a couple on a bench, and a lone jogger. Risiko breathed a sigh of contentment. It was nice, being back with other humans. Or at least in their area. Shopfronted streets had a comforting presence for Risiko, like returning home after a long trip. Here, he could be around people, and with everyone going about their own business, no one paid to much attention to him. He sighed again as he looked at the civilization. It was good to be back.

[Zin]

Although Zin wasn't very fast, running in the mornings was an old habit. There was something addictive about the ache in his calf muscles, the rhythmic pressure under his feet, and the release in his chest as he was forced to take deeper and deeper breaths. As a result of his addiction, he hadn't missed a day of jogging in years.

But compared to the Amazon rainforests, even with the beautiful sunlight, it was freezing. To combat the breeze, the godfairy had elected to wear sweatpants rather than shorts, a black sweatshirt instead of a t-shirt, and two pairs of socks under his worn sneakers. A snug blue sweatband pressed his ears against his dark hair. It was a pain- normally he never would consider what to wear on a jog- but worth it. Running in the morning was almost a ritual by now. A way of making sure a good day was to come.

When the jogger came to a stop, his feet tingled pleasantly. He could have gone on much longer, but he wanted to explore the shops along the boardwalk and take in the people. Afterall, if he was to be living in the human realms, he should watch them and try to understand more of their strange ways.

[Morag]

Walking bare-footed through the town and taking her sweet time with it, Morag was enchanted. Now that there was time to actually look instead of skimming the landscape, it was astonishing. The details and quirk of the place seemed endless, even without the people around; she had tried to accommodate them while she dressed that morning- Her nicest green pelt-suit and a man's shirt. permanently borrowed from a washing line, it had the sleeves rolled up and it was belted around the middle with a string of pearls to keep it shut; although valiant efforts weren't doing much. An attempt at compromise had been made.

The boats, trees, shops, sounds. However the princess thought it better not to overwhelm herself. The cities were a no go until she acquired a set of human clothes and currency somehow. It seemed only how she was getting to know how hard this would be, but out of stubbornness she refused to go back with her figurative tail between her legs. She could do this, all she had to do was get to the academy without getting too lost along the way.

Her heart fluttered with excitement at even being here, and she picked up the pace to a normal walk although it did have a bit of a swagger; with a definite hip in the walk. Morag struggled to keep the corner of her lip from smiling.

The water- or lack of it- was less choppy than she was used to; it was the first thing she noticed. It was a gentle thing to swim in; Quite relaxing. Nippy but overall pleasant. Her hair wasn't wet though, her pelt was watertight when she took seal form. Over her body was a leather strap, holding a iridescently colored giant oyster; hollowed out to work as a bag and shut tight.

Along the boardwalk Morag wandered.

[£NPC]

The town wasn't a big one, by any means. Everybody knew everybody and their mother, and rumors spread like wildfire. In a place such as this, strangers simply cannot stay inconspicuous.

Not that they were particularly trying that hard, though. The young woman's eyes skimmed over a scantily-clad and heavily tattooed girl, lingering on her for but a moment. It wasn't a sight she - or any of the townspeople - were particularly used to, but since the old offshore island had been reclaimed, they learned to not raise eyebrows at any odd ilk wandering the streets of Sindri's Cove. Most of the visitors were harmless, behaving like tourists, gaping at the buildings and shopping in the stores, adding some life to the dusty town, bringing with them money and fuel for some good-natured gossiping. Both sides believed that the happy coexistence would continue.

And then, Jennifer, the Andersons' daughter, had gone missing. A huge pool of blood was located, leaving no doubt as to her dead or alive status, though the body was never recovered, no explanation was found, no culprit caught - or even suspected. Townsfolk started eyeing the Academy suspiciously, though still holding on to the faith that while the inhabitants of the Island were peculiar, they were still people.

Not monsters.

The woman's drifting gaze caught sight of a fine example of the less outlandish Lillegard dwellers, though with his elegant attire he stuck out in the fishing village almost as much as if he were sporting a tail. She glanced at her father, who was staring at her expectantly, though without much hope in his tired eyes. "Look," she finally said, impatient. They'd had similar conversations before. "it's not because of that that I work in the city. There just aren't any jobs here." She tilted her head, giving him a look that dared him to deny it. "Would you rather I--"

"No." he said firmly and bitterly. "I just wish I had the option." His head turned away sharply to pin a nearby pointy-eared sportily dressed man with a scathing look. "It's them who should leave." And before she could intervene, he yelled: "Hear me? Git out!"

One hand of the woman's shot out to grasp her father's shoulder, as if that could undo what he had said, the other clasped over her mouth. The wide-eyed look she gave the stranger was embarrassed and apologetic, the I-can't-believe-it-either sort.

But above all, it was full of fear.

[Risiko Bann]

At the shouting of the old man, Risiko turned his head to see who it was. And old man and a much younger woman. A brief glance, at most. Probably a father and daughter, given the time, place and how she reacted to his outburst. A gold digger and sugar daddy wouldn't be standing together like that. And neither of them were acting as she was a 'date'. Probably a father and daughter.

He glanced then at whom the elderly man was addressing. Risiko recognized the student from around the academy, though was not in any way familiar with him. Another look towards the pair. The younger woman was obviously shocked at the elder's behavior. Risiko turned around again and faced the shops.

Having lived with other humans for over twenty years, Risiko knew when to and when not to get involved. Though the 'get out' included him as well (being part of the academy), a big rule amongst them was 'act like you belong'. He looked down at what he was wearing. Alright, maybe not the normal town attire. Still, don't get involved, don't make a scene don't object. Nothing would be gained by objecting to a possibly crazy old man.

Words of wisdom Risiko thought, acting as if nothing had happened. Go looking for trouble and you will find it

[Zin]

Jarred from his contented musings, the godfairy jerked at the words, head snapping up like a gun had been shot. Thoughts fled his mind, and his mouth dried in recognition. For a moment, Zin openly gaped at the old man, nothing but shock registering across his face. And then that moment ended. Sickened recognition had lit his eyes.

Zin was only too familiar with men like this old geezer. The ire in the old mans gaze may as well have been lightning that surged between them. Zin's heart skipped a beat and his spine straightened. This was not an offhanded comment or the ramblings of a grumpy old human. This was something much worse.

Yet he hesitated, narrowing his eyes. Debating. The girl was frightened, and that alone made him hold back. He didn't want her fear. As he was about to relax, Zin caught eye of another student, who'd witnessed the exchange. And, like so many humans before him, he turned his back, perferring to look at the shops. Despite being included in the threat, Zin would find no help from this schoolmate. The cold anger blossomed into a consuming, icy fury. Humans be damned. His decision was made.

The godfairy stalked forward, a soft, compelling sort of smile on his face. It was at odds with the barely controlled fury in his dark eyes. Zin spread his gloved hands wide, almost in a placating gesture. “But where would I go?” he asked, with a cold laugh. “Viejo, por favor...enlighten me- where would you send me? For such bold words, surely you must have a place in mind, yes?”

[Morag]

The selkie's gaze was caught by strange human writing on the side of a boat, she couldn't read it and that was a problem. The weird symbols were all joined up too, further obscuring the meaning. Brilliant. Then someone being hostile to another caught her attention, her head turned and she frowned toward the direction the harsh, hissed words.

She thought they were for her at first but it was to another person, relief washed over her like at command she would just have to scamper. But really, Morag had been warned humans had an array of tricks and violent ways to end a selkie. Not magic, but some things far more vicious. Flying balls of metal, nets, mechanical spears, poison. That's why Morag's approach was cautious; although the same speed as before, more on the balls of her feet in case she needed to dive into the water and 20 feet down. Or take someone with her.

Self defense, protection. Whatever was needed. Risiko went unnoticed in favor of the scene before the princess; it was much more interesting looking. The human looked like one of the covespeople anyway to her. A few steps closer.

Approaching quietly, she would stand a foot away from anyone else there. One person was a human, one was angry. Neither looked particularly safe. Getting involved int his little squabble wasn't her idea of fun. Neither did the selkie think it was a good idea but she needed the directions to the academy. Catching the eye of a scared girl, the selkie was worried slightly

Nervousness seeped down her spine. This wasn't really a great thing to do, but it was too late to not do it- She looked like she was about to say something but no words came out and Morag shut her mouth again. The princess would Let the situation unravel for a few more seconds before contributing. Her posture was lofty, but the fact her hands were being wrung was a show of nerves.

[£NPC]

The remark had been thoughtless, mostly, more of an expression of his emotions than a provocation; that much was clear was from the way he glanced away unsurely when Zin began to stare at him. It lasted but a second, though, and once the godfairy began to approach, righteous anger washed away all doubt the old man might've been feeling.

He was not going to bother getting up for that petty nuisance, however, so he merely glowered, his eyes shaded by the brim of the hat. His daughter's fingers tightened on the fabric over his shoulder, and her eyes darted around quickly, as if in search of either a route of escape or of salvation. For a moment, her gaze locked with that of the tattooed girl, but moved on without lingering. There was no hope to be gained from the dark-eyed stranger; there was little doubt as to whose side she would be on. The other boy was too far, too clearly uninvolved to address, and so, for the moment she was helpless.

The man scoffed. "That ain't my problem. Somewhere where you won't be a problem for us." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other two, as well, of course, walking around like they owned the place, standing there and looking sorry as if it would make a difference. He sat up straighter, almost as if wanting to stand up but reining himself in, still trying to appear as if the intruders weren't worth the hassle.

A chunk of saliva was gathered and spat to the ground. An angry side glance was thrown in Morag's direction.

"All of ye."

[Risiko Bann]

Risiko listened with his back turned. His head lowered as the scene progressed, and he thought about it more. Mentally, he went through a list of role models. Jesus, my father, Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Ghandi, Attila and an old brother from the fraternity. The general consensus was to get involved (except for Machiavelli, who said that he should wait to see who was coming out ahead). He went through the list again, polling how to approach (two deviants this time. Attila voted to challenge him to fight for his honour).

He sighed silently and switched his bags to his left hand. Risiko turned around and started for the man, with a very deliberate pace. Eyes were directed towards the elder's face, never wandering. He stopped and brought his feet together, half a meter away from the old man.

A pause.
He extended his right hand, open and facing left.
"Hello" Risiko said calmly and softly. No anger, no challenge, but no submissive or apology either. "My name is Risiko Bann. I am human, just as you are."

[Zin]

The gob of spit landed by his feet. Zin's smile got caught between a silent snarl and a choked laugh of disbelief, the combination decidedly inhuman on his pale face. For a moment, he seemed to have nothing to say. So the godfairy stared, in suspended shock, until Risiko strutted over as if to take control of the situation. Risiko extended a hand towards the old man.

And that's what tipped the scale. A vein throbbed in his forehead. His hands clenched and unclenched. Zin's blood went over boiling and back down into glacial, the contempt so strong that he was forced to look away. Wheezing in a solitary breath, he screwed his eyes shut, and started to count down from ten. The human boy acted so strong and confident, but his initial reaction lingered like a sour aftertaste in the Godfairy's mouth. The coward only stuck his neck out after two people had taken the initial risk. How...

Disguisting.

Only when he reached 'one' did Zin open his eyes. The first gaze he found was the selkie's, and it was a welcome sight after the infuriating humans. The godfairy gave Morag a little nod, acknowledging her presence and her courage- SHE hadn't hesitated to interfere, even though he could see her nerves plainly.

The moment Risiko had stopped speaking, Zin laughed, cold and unforgiving of them both. "My oh my....You claim humanity with such pride," he commented, lip curling up. But those were the only words he cared to spend on a coward. Refocusing on the old man, Zin took one last step, sealing the distance between them into an intimate space, violating human boundaries. Refusing to be ignored.

“Viejo, you remind me of the last two humans I ever talked to before I came here," he said, sudden sadness fighting the hostility in his tone. "Their suggestion of where the undesirables should go, however, was called Auschwitz. ” His German pronunciation was perfect, but twisted in his mouth, the word stinging even as it left his lips. "Maybe you've heard of it?"

[Morag]

Morag stood back, momentarily surprised but then annoyed. She kept in reigned in behind a face; the one she used while addressing unloyal subjects. Head tilted up, in a suddenly all business manner with an expression that boasted an unshakable confidence. Something befitting for the crown, she often liked to think.

It quickly flitted from the shoulder clutching daughter, to the man himself. It was kind to the blue eyed girl, for trying to keep him down and calm. But her gaze turned hard when the respect- she felt was her birthright- was denied. The person who had even though of spitting in her direction wouldn't get anything other than an unimpressed look if he even thought about trying to make eye contact.

With a stride to the side of the two, at odds men. But she didn't want to go near the older man, lest he gob at her. Again. Temporarily was surprised at how inappropriate the action of Risiko offering a hand out was, a sense of unease washed over her at the uncertainty of his loyalties. He'd just spat at her like an animal; that didn't get forgotten so easily, did it?

So he took the side of humans over them, Zin and her. His choice; too bad it's wrong, The princess thought with a raised eyebrow. Making it so became a new goal in her mind, Morag thought contemptfully.

The mention of Auschwitz was lost on the selkie, who knew next to nothing about human history. She decided to place a webbed hand lightly on Zin's shoulder, as a show of support along with her nod but also a request to come away and think about what he would say in his anger. That he hadn't already. How he shifted his accent so easily was something that would be asked when the timing was better.

She cleared her throat loudly, after Zin was done talking. The sadness was registered, and the touch would touch became a slight rub without her even thinking. An attempt at comforting.

"Can we aw' simmer doon ahn' talk rationally?" Morag had doubts over wether that would happen, Still, she continued. "-but b'fore ya go'an. Be careful wit' you'r words, and try' yer best noah' tah be 'ffensive." It wasn't really aimed at Zin, but the two humans.

"-Oh and mah kind wiz' hea long before humans, sah, really. Youget outta oor hairs" Morag said, with a raised eyebrow, interested to see how he'd react to his logic being turned on him.

[£NPC]

It was an odd moment and an odd way to introduce one's self, he thought, as well as an odd name; so while his hand traveled up to brush his hat in greeting, he gave Risiko a strange look. "Frank Parker." Before he could even think of shaking the offered hand, though, his attention was drawn back to Zin. He sat up a bit as his personal space was invaded, but kept seated nonetheless. Both his and his daughter's eyes were on the godfairy as he spoke.

And then, when Zin was done, he kept staring, but the young woman had to bury her face in her father's shoulder to conceal an inappropriate snicker. Elves were not terribly aware of Godwin's Law, she thought. The amusement faded quickly, though, when she saw her father's reddening face.

She started up, raising a hand. "Would you please take a step back--"

But it was too late.

"Offensive!?" the man exploded, his voice harsh and enraged, an accusatory finger shooting up to point at Zin. "He called me a fucking Nazi for not wanting to live next to child murderers!"

His daughter slumped back onto the bench.

If it had only been Jennifer, things could have been smoothed out. There were bad seeds in every community, certainly, and while justice had not been served by humans, they trusted the school dealt with the problem. They believed that nothing like it would happen again.

What else were they to do?

But then, Halloween rolled around, and monsters roamed the streets alongside kids dressed as them. It was a risk, but the townsfolk decided not to forbid trick-or-treating. Certainly, nothing would be allowed to happen. Allowing it was, in a way, a show of trust.

Kids often tell outrageous stories, but when one runs home sobbing, babbling incoherently about their friend turning into something weird... with neighbors like these, you take it seriously. The search for Peter had proven futile; he not returned home from trick-or-treating, not on the same night, not ever again.
Months later, in the nearby forest, a few oddly-shaped, but still clearly human bones with marks of wild animals' teeth were found. The authorities would not be convinced and seemed intent on hushing-up the matter, but the inhabitants of Sindri's Cove knew.

No children were allowed out without an adult anymore.

[Risiko Bann]

Risiko turned his head and sharply arched his eyebrows as Zin started speaking. He was about to reply that being human and a Lillegard student were not mutually exclusive, and that lawns were greener when neighbors got along, before the reference to Die Endlösung was thrown out. His brows furrowed and his mouth hung slightly open in shock that a fellow student would be so hateful to someone they just met.

Personally, he agreed with the mermaid (or what was she, anyways?) that calming down would be for the best. He was surprised again (though this time, his mouth shut) that she suggested that humans leave. Oy Gevalt! Were he and the younger woman the only sane ones here? Everyone else seemed to want to claw each other’s eyes out. Honestly though, it was reactions like the faerie’s that gave wrong impressions of places. Risiko silently wondered what the other two had hoped to accomplish with their needling. One was an old man, and that allowed some leeway, but the other was an extension of the school, and as such, should behave himself!

Risiko flinched away at Parker’s outburst and took a step backwards. He gave an exasperated sigh and a matching look towards the other townie. So much for diplomacy. he though, as his posture faded. The only thing to do in a thunderstorm is to wait it out.

He started to wonder about the consequences for this exchange. The town certainly couldn't move, and the school would definitely resist it... and it wasn't like they could be forced out, if it came to blows with the village. Risiko didn't know where the school got it's food, but he wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of it was imported...which might stop (or at least be inconvenienced) if relations became strained.

[Zin]

The light touch on his shoulder by the selkie had a relatively grounding effect, allowing Zin to put some small distance between him and his fury. He glanced back at her, almost grateful, but with a touch of disappointment like a kid who had been promised a carnival but walked into a junkyard. The humans he read about were so much...well, likeable than the ones before him.

The moment passed, and the Godfairy looked back at the old man and his daughter. The girl had buried her faced into the elderly man's shirt, and her shoulder's were silently shaking. It took the godfairy only a moment to recognize the spasms as laughter, to the misfortune of the gathered company. A new cold wave flooded his veins, twisted his insides. Zin fought the urge to bare his teeth (which, lets face it, wouldn't have the same effect under the guise of normal human teeth), his hands going slack at his sides. When Parker rose his voice, seconds after Zin had recognized the girls laughter, he stumbled backwards, almost straight into Morag.

His turn to respond, then. Zin pressed his index finger and thumb to the bridge of his nose, squeezing hard. It was a habit of his when he was struggling to fish a particular language from the muck of tongues in his head. Forehead throbbing from his temper, the godfairy sighed forcibly, frustration welling. He was fluent in English, but had not yet had enough practice verbalizing it.

After a few seconds, he managed to find the words he needed. His speech was a bit more halting this time, an odd accent coming into play that sharpened his consonants and softened the vowels. To the girl, Zin said, with no lack of bitterness, “You laugh...after I tell you that...I have known Nazi's and their victims. Childhood friends of mine, who were murdered.” Shaking his head, he glanced at Parker. “And then you call me a child murderer.” The last human he turned to address, Risiko, changed the anger on his face to cold distaste. “And you- I saw you. Your first instinct is-was- to turn your back....when this stupid viejo attacked a whole group of people- a whole group of people to which YOU belong.”

Zin jerked his arms across his chest, defensive. Perhaps it hadn't been his most eloquently delivered accusations, but hopefully the message was received. The struggle with this language left him even more foul-tempered, the resentment clear in his eyes. “Tell me why you think a human couldn't have killed this child. Tell me, when you three have made it so...obvious that human violence has not changed within the last few...eras.” He wasn't sure the last word was the one he wanted, but he'd have to settle for it. He resisted the urge to sigh again, thinking of how much more effective this speech would have been in Spanish.

[Morag]

With all the outpours of emotion, the selkie was getting a bit nervous and awkward. This wasn't...really wasn't what she was used to seeing all that often. The meaning of 'nazis' was lost on her, so the selkie had no idea that Zin might have thrown the first stone of offence. Still; no apology came anyway. Already in over her head with confusion, uncertainty made her wary of any possible action to try and balm the situation.

She barely knew Zin, but bearing his heart on his sleeve and what seemed like horrible memories was something she couldn't sit back and watch. A plan of action didn't really appear in her head though...what to do? Thinking quickly she would try to take hold of this...mess. Before the fae boy spilled his heart. More than he already did. Morag had heard that humans were less emotionally restrained but...With a sigh she stopped thinking and acted.

Tried to, but it wasn't really effective. Just opened her mouth to talk and decided to shut it again. The last thing he said about auto-blaming the school she agreed with, but he talked too much. Showing too much emotional weakness for her liking. Morag, if she was sure Zin wasn't looking would make a slightly confused face with a raised eyebrow, shake her head. At everything.

Was hot bloodedness caused by something in the water here? She wasn't even going to look at Risiko, a passive aggressive tactic because Zin was right. The human abandoned them and he would get the treatment a traitor deserved. He might not look openly out of place, but Morag thought it no reason to abandon his own kind.

Crossing her arms lightly and playing with one of her pearls between her finger and thumb, the selkie would wait to see how this played out and looked to Frank to see his response to the question, with interest. She could see the humans side of this and why they would have cause to act this way but...Well, nobody spat at her and got the benefit of the doubt. Her mouth mashed into a line and she looked on with a dismissive and unimpressed look. Absolutely nobody.

[£NPC]

While the godfairy stumbling back was a minor victory, there was no satisfaction to be seen in Parker's face; he just glowered, fists clenching and unclenching. The young woman was clearly nervous, finding it hard to look up to see Zin's reaction.

And then, her gaze caught Risiko's, and she couldn't help but frown apologetically. Meager comfort as it was, the glance exchanged gave her some confidence, enough to sit up and face Zin when he talked.

It became easier and easier to look at him, actually, so much that eventually she outright stared at him with wide eyes. Her gaze flickered to both of the other islanders, and as she noted Morag's confusion she was further reassured in her opinion of Zin.

Somewhere along the way, anger seeped out of her father's face, and now they both stared at the godfairy with a similar mix of emotions. There was not much family resemblance between them, with Parker's chunky features and bushy eyebrows and his daughter's delicate face with gently arching, thin brows, but their deep brown eyes were the same.

For a moment, they seemed to be speechless, and then the older man scoffed and shook his head, looking away. She wasn't about to. It took her obvious effort to gather some words and regain control of her emotions. When she finally spoke, her voice was curt, but firm and clear, despite cracking once or twice.

"We're Jewish." she said calmly.

"And if you think that a man yelling at you for associating yourself with murderers is equal violence to the methodical torture and slaughter of millions of people -- the murder of those friends of yours -- then not only you're a barbarian, but what's worse, an idiot." Her eyes narrowed coldly. "I -- we -- have got nothing more to say to you."

Ms Parker stood up, arms crossed over her chest, fear from moments before forgotten in light of Zin's ridiculous impudence. She glanced to Morag without much hope, then to Risiko with slightly more of it. "Please tell me you have more sense."

The man simply kept sitting on the bench, not looking at anybody, his face full of the bitterness of somebody aware how helpless they were; how pointless trying to fight was. "I told you so." he muttered, barely audibly, then took out and lit a cigarette.

[Risiko Bann]

Risiko folded his arms and settled on his right leg as Zin went on. He was growing weary of the general attitudes of ‘Us Vs Them”. It didn’t help that the school’s representatives were making him choose which side he belonged to.

“My first instinct, as you call it, was to keep the school’s image from being tarnished, something which you have certainly mucked up in your attempt to defend it. Really” he added, an accusatory tone leaking in slightly. “was the opinion of one man so offensive that you felt it was worth the school’s reputation to be able to sit on your high horse? Do you also attack the fish vendor when he calls out prices you don’t care for? Or the busker when his music isn’t to your liking?”

Risiko adjusted his glasses to sit more properly on the bridge. He made stern and solid eye contact with the fairy. “And should this have slipped your memory, I can be both human and a student. I now see you attacking a member of my group, as is Mr. Parker. Is it necessary that I choose one over the other?”

He moved his gaze to the mer-person, or siren, or whatever she was. Her toying with jewelry might have been an adapter to the situation, but her facial expression said to him that she expected to be entertained, or catered to… a Roman Emperor, watching slaves fight to the death whilst on his couch. I’m glad to see we’re entertaining to you princess. May I dedicate my next victory to you? He thought sardonically. He wondered what her game was. She didn’t say much, but she seemed to agree with Zin. Just not as outspoken.

Risiko’s right eyebrow raised, as Ms. Parker shifted from meek to bold. Honestly, he did not figure that would have happened. She had been pegged as a foil to her father. The yin to his yang, as it were, the meek and feminine to his bold and masculine. Seeing the family resemblance pop out was a strange thing to witness so suddenly.

The left eyebrow joined its twin at what she said. Oy he thought Plot twist! As she stood up, his face relaxed again, and he looked up at the two academy students. He was an academy student… but human too. Where did that leave him? He thought about the classmates in front of him. Frank threw the first stone, but they had only made it worse. And now they wanted him to give up who he was because of one man’s prejudice!

“Yes, I would think so” He said as he pivoted to the Parker’s side of the bench, facing the students. The academy treated him well. These two did not.

[Zin]

Zin merely spared Risiko a disgusted glance, finding him unworthy of further response. Zin had pointed Risiko's behavior out to make a point; not to engage in any sort of communication with a back-turner. And as if he had such low self esteem to take the insults of a coward personally- please. Ignoring the human was as simple as breathing, especially when there were bigger fish to fry at the moment.

So while Risiko talked, Zin took the small window to consider his situation. Thinking through a problem, rather than acting out of impulse, was quite a foreign practice. But for the first time in his life, he had good motivation to take pause and weight his options. If he pushed too far right now, his parents might come back into town. And there was more reason to fear them than all the humans in the world put together. Hurting these fools (albeit satisfying) would not prove his point or bring back dead friends.

But still, it was tempting. Especially when the girl opened her mouth again and called him an idiot. The godfairy reacted thoughtlessly; baring his teeth as a warning not to get too close. The action probably came out more as a grimace than any thing; under his human guise, his teeth would appear dull and even, not sharp and powerful like they were in reality. But there was a warning in his eyes that she was getting close to some invisible line. He relaxed only when she turned away again, still too focused on his dilemma to bother voicing a come back.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. A mental compromise with himself; a way to punish without giving either of his parents enough reason to pay tribute to the academy. The godfairy waited for his moment, unsurprised as Risiko quite physically aligned himself with the other humans. Cowards always sided with bullies. Even so, Zin took a moment to remember the student's face; Risiko had chosen to be enemies, and godfairies never forget neither friends nor enemies. Just as he would remember Moraq's courage and alliance.

“Let me make this clear: I have never killed a child and I never will.” His eyes were refocused, the ire suddenly gone, strangled back for the moment behind a thin wall of calm. The sudden switch in mood was a dangerous sign, but Zin was willing to bet none of them had met someone of his kind before. “It slipped my mind that since you humans die so quickly, what you think is old and what /I/ think is old are two very different olds,” he continued, carefully weighing the words to make sure he could voice them. They didn't have to be completely true; just true enough that he could give them voice. “It makes sense that you think it's fine to laugh-” he looked at the girl here, “-considering you weren't there yourself. It's history to you, not life."

The godfairy rocked back onto his heels, almost thoughtful. “I am assuming that, since you sit here and spit at strangers, the case of this murder was never resolved.” The godfairy tilted his head, a few dark locks sliding in his slanted eyes, refusing to look at either Risiko or the old man. She had laughed; a far greater offense than the spitting or even the back-turning. So the daughter of the old man was the only one he'd accept an answer from now. “I am correct?”

[Morag]

Thing seemed to be going from bad to worse for the Lillegard folks- Morag could register that Zin embarrassed them with some tactless statement, Someone had switched sides already and things looked bleak. When Frank's daughter mentioned Zin being the barbarian, Morag arched an eyebrow at her. While she was aligning herself with the animal that spat at her she had no right to call anyone that. And muttering, how mature.

"Excuse me?" Morag said, icily at him, giving him a hard stare. However it didn't last for long due to Zin taking her attention with giving her a case of second hand embarrassment. Trivializing human life because if it's length wasn't giving them high ground to work with; Moral or argumentative.

Risiko's switch of sides was...The selkie hated to say it, but she could see the logic. Even if it was going to bite him later- or sooner. Going for the side of the winner seemed a good idea, but it was better if a turncoat did it sooner than later. Practically a favour.

After Zin's question she spoke with an urge to move the course of the conversation. A sort of desperation. "Students fae' the academy ahr' dangerous, s'pposedly- they're gawn' roond murd'rn folks. The lot ah' them; obviously took shots wi' the bairn and obviously aw' s'pported it. But y'ain't feert tah gob at us. If that's noa' the braw description of'n idyat or a barbarian, what is? Sorry lassies-" She was adressing Frank and his daughter especially. "-Senseless if whit you are."

Zin's liked to run his mouth, Morag noticed. She'd noticed before but couldn't predict the extent. Meandering to get to the point wasn't really her style and she didn't think that making lifespan comparisons was a good idea, or continuing with the theme of nazi's and mass murder. He did have a good point at the end though- did they have a shred of proof? She looked on expectantly for thier answer.

[£NPC]

Risiko's support was a relief, and she gave him a brief, grateful smile. Her father just sat, occupied with his smoking, as if there was nobody around at all.

And after all that happened, Zin still didn't understand. She couldn't help but stare at him, still offended but slowly ceasing to be surprised; Zin seemed to be the type that would not comprehend he and his experiences were not the centerpiece of the universe. It was understandable that he would not grasp he was never called a child murderer.

Despite having stated that they had nothing more to say to the godfairy, the young woman couldn't resist answering.

"I wasn't laughing at the Holocaust." she said slowly, as if explaining to a child. "I was laughing at your questionable decision to bring it up."

She started as if to speak more, but decided against it in the end. Arguing would be an exercise in futility, serving only to further aggravate the potentially dangerous man. The brief expression on his face was startling, and who knew what atrocities he was capable of when angered...

"Murders." corrected the man, still staring ahead blankly as if he was talking to himself. "Multiple."

Ms Parker rubbed her temple and looked to Morag. "Yes. I'm sorry for that. You're right -- but..." She looked down. "The deaths weren't explainable by human means, and you people live so close by." She looked back up, something hard in her eyes as she looked into the Selkie's. "We never got a word from the school. It's hard not to put you all into one bag when you don't even claim you do not harbor murderers under your roof."

[Risiko Bann]

Risiko nodded briefly at Ms. Parker’s smile. Zin’s words sounded odd to him. By his own admission, he viewed humans as having short lifespans. Perhaps, to him, a human was not much. Sort of how a human might view a bird or something else. Pretty while it lasts, but nothing worth fretting over.
I might have to start treating my avian friends better Risiko silently mused.

Multiple murders, and the school didn’t respond. If we don’t, we’re assumed to be killers. If we deny it, we’re killers and liars to boot Risiko thought pessimistically. Quite the no win scenario there. Although, upon reflection, it occurred to him that the new janitor was quite the suspicious one.

Regardless, the school had many strange people, not all of whom Risiko was familiar with. This was probably a matter best left to the heads of the school, who (hopefully) knew their students better. With information about the deaths, they might even be able to pick out a student capable of such a thing.

Risiko did not voice any of his thoughts. It seemed to him that everyone present had their own agenda going, none of which lay in the lady Justice’s scales.

[Zin]

Well, they most certainly hadn't mentioned unresolved murder cases in the brochure.

Zin rocked back on his feet, tapping his fingers against his sweats, suddenly full of more nervous energy than rage. The stark difference between his homeland and Lillegard was unnerving in this instance. In the Citedal, justice would be served scalding hot, even if it took a full search by the GD guard. Every fairy would be out for the monster's blood. Dragged back to the wrath of the courts, the murder would be splayed open with iron and left to rot slowly in the criminal cages (assuming the parents had not opted to make the kill themselves.) There would be no rest or excuses. No mercy.

If the monster hadn't been caught, if no massive investigation was underway, then it was clearly and indisputably winning. And yet the Academy wasn't investigating? And the most this town seemed to do was spit at strangers on boardwalks, throwing accusations around blindly? Where was their legendary organization and their beautiful intelligence? How...how on earth did human societies survive?

The godfairy's first instinct, despite his rage, was to drop the subject and attempt to forget what had transpired. He'd sworn he'd learned his lesson; no more serious stuff, only pranks and fun times...and yet here he was, snarling at people he knew wouldn't learn. A thousand sane, intelligent reasons to leave...and only one to stay. Maybe he really was hopeless.

Of course, one matter had to be settled before he said anything further. Without another word to any of the gathered humans, Zin turned to the Selkie. One did not simply jump into a war without consulting one's allies. Hopefully, he could convey to her a certain respect for her that the humans had lost. At the very least, she had earned the right to his full attention, even if he already knew his answer.

“What is your opinion of what we should do?” Zin asked.

[Morag]

A slight frown appeared at that logic. Innocent until proven guilty only applied to humans around here according to the girl from the cove. Although it was to be expected, Morag guessed- Multiple odd murders would make a community curl up on itself. It made her think about how far she should try to restore faith though, in the school. Would doing so without permission or forethought to what next made the selkie pause; was it such a good idea? When her actions could be held to her name later- If this came to a head a known sympathizer wouldn't be trusted. 

The princess responded to the fae boy's question with a quiet tone and a sharp movement of the head so her hair created a sort of curtain along with a slight turn away. Let them lipread through that. "Figure out whits gawn' on, play nice and bear'n mind how ootnumbered we are." Morag gestured to the village houses. There wasn't only 2 humans here. 

The internal battle won with a convulsive 'yes, let's defend'. There was always time for Morag to consider using her lefty and righty. Logic and diplomacy. With a relaxed posture and a gesture of showing her bare palms by her side in a show of not wanting to attack. 

Risiko's silence wasn't noted but his nod was. But there was more pressing matters. She began turned and began talking with a shake of the head.

"Didn't claim a thing about the school and harborin' killers, because ah'..." -have no idea. "dinnae' hay clearance  t'answer on behalf of the academy. I'd suggest contact'n one ah' the heeds' if you would like to know that. If you'd trust that answer at all, if it were given." Morag said even headedly, with a critical eye to Ms Parker. Who was talking about the lack of Lillegard cooperation, but there was doubt in her mind any contact had bee attempted with the school at all.

"And if yah' don't mind me ask'n- how did...how much does the cove know about Lillegard?" The humans knew about the nature about the academy, but to what extent? She'd not been informed of this and it was making her nervous- was the place as safe as she assumed? Morag looked between Frank and his daughter. It was off topic but it would get to her. If, to them, it was a mysterious school with 'non-humans' then the blame would automatically get put on them. As expected.

[£NPC]

It seemed that Morag had inadvertently become the middle man that everybody chose to address, though from Ms Parker's expression, it was easy to gather that the selkie's secretive talking did not garner her any sympathy. She stared back, unflinching at the challenge. "Of course somebody contacted the school. They said it wasn't any of their students. You will understand the questionablility of that statement."

She looked at her for a moment longer, chewing her lip, then shrugged helplessly. "It's complicated. Nobody really knows anything, it's all rumors. The official version is that it's a school for 'beings with magic', right?" She put air quotes around the phrase. "Some think it means it's basically a Hogwarts, some think you're a camp for the mentally ill, some think you're a government facility for developing bio-weapons... or the containment of mutants..."

The most popular version certainly grew worse over time with the number of incidents.

Behind her, Mr Parker exhaled smoke, then put out his unfinished cigarette against the back of the bench. Flicking the butt aside, he cleared his throat, then as his daughter turned to him he spoke in a neutral tone. "We need to go. I have to take my medicine."

They exchanged hard looks for a moment, then finally the young woman relented with a sigh. She turned to face Risiko and Morag again -- ignoring Zin as much as he did her. "I'm sorry, we do need to go. Now if you'll excuse me--"

She shuffled aside to help her father get up. Before he accepted her hand, he acknowledged the three students for the first time in a while, giving them a wary look. With obvious effort, he pulled himself up, then tipped his hat to the three with a coldly polite expression on his face.

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