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 Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2015 10:22 am
Vremea had been cleaning off the leaking makeup and squeezing Odette back when Athene approached them with apologies, and all Vremea could offer was a teary smile. Instead of simply accepting the apology, Vremea grabbed the girl and pulled her into a big hug. Easily avoiding her baubles and her horns, the yellowblood gave her a large and comforting hug, feeling that her actions would instead, speak for her. Athene would always be forgiven. She would protect her team, and respect their actions better. Milieu had also given input during the trial, and Vremea needed to respect that. She was also in the wrong— they had their own standpoints as well. Releasing the greenblood with a bittersweet smile, she squeezed Athene's shoulder reassuringly. Right when she was about to respond, their leader spoke, prompting the yellowblood to look back at her and listen.
Byakko's words rung deep in her body, from beginning till the end. Her pump biscuit leapt at her words, and instead of the cold, disembodied feeling she had felt from before, sad and empty, all that was on her mind was how proud she was of this organization. Sure, it had... Bumps. Holes. A lot of sad situations. But... They always made it out of them. Even if they were only barely holding on, they were still... Together. To some extent.
Continuing to listen to Byakko, Vremea watched as she picked up a greenblooded wiggler from the group, nodding at her words. It was true. They couldn't treat them like she wanted to treat them— but she could always try and show them different ways. Maybe instead of automatically resorting to violence, they could look for a better solution, a peaceful solution. There was so much war and bloodshed already... Maybe, with help and guidance from them, they would be peacemakers, and not warmongers. Or maybe that is too much wishful thinking. While Odette was given the greenblood to hold, Vremea had gone to get a pin, and smoothly pinned it onto her breast, waking back over and quickly taking the greenblood into her arms. Vremea was being extremely careful with the wiggler, although mostly staring at it, dumbfounded. She lightly brushed the hair from its chubby cheeks, giggling a little at it's hissing and feeling tears rise to her eyes again. She forced them down— this was a joyous occasion! She needed to smile more.
Or rather, it would've been a joyous occasion. Hearing the blueblood from before quickly offer his own unwanted opinion, Vremea's expression turned sour and she straightened up, easily placing the wiggler on the ground and watching as it wiggled back toward the group. The yellowblood smoothly strode infront of Odette, as if to shield her from the blueblood. Her expression was unimpressed— Of course he would be the one to speak up. Her eyes were sharp as she stared at him, obviously not willing to be talked down by some jerk with a short temper— especially a blueblood. He may have been an important part of the organization, but just the fact that he was a blueblood made her blood boil. "Keeping her alive may not have been your first option, but if she was asking for it, that meant she had secrets she wanted to hide— information she could have told us. Either way, at least giving us the option to choose and the time to look away cannot be that difficult. What good is an organization that does not listen to its members?"
Continuing to hear his words— Vremea's teeth clenched angrily as he claimed they couldn't trust them. She squeezed her hand into a fist, digging her nails into her skin painfully before raising an eyebrow. "Killing should never be the first option. But I guess you do not understand that. Obviously it will not be easy. Considering the amount of times we have stayed— after the war, the jadeblood, the jadeblood part two, and saving you, I would say that we have been quite trustworthy. Leaving for a reason such as that one just meant we wanted our voices and opinions heard, something you seem deaf to." With her argument she did not mean to insult Byakko, but it was coming out that way. Throwing a tight and slightly guilty frown at their leader, she knew they were going to change, but this guy was honestly making things more complicated than they already were, and shoving mistrust down everyone's throats. He was basically fighting just to fight.
Listening to his last words, Vremea's lips pursed into a straight line, not wanting to lash out in front of the others. "How do we know we can trust you? Taking rash decisions like that— you could easily get us killed. We may not be the only ones to suffer loss, but we are supposed to be a team, an alliance that prevents it. Having it happen, even to someone we detest, should be something we should all think about seriously." This guy was getting on her last nerve. "When I say I will stand with you, I mean we will stand with you all, even you." She stated clearly, fixing her last statement and crossing her arms stiffly. She stared at the other with narrowed eyes, unimpressed. "It all depends on if you are willing to be loyal to us, too." She murmured, watching him with expectant eyes. Her expression showed she was sick and tired of fighting, but willing to rebuke whatever he would probably say. He was making a scene and Vremea was having none of it, especially during this type of reunion.
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Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2015 10:38 am
Odette fumed. Her face crinkled into a tight snarl, flinching from every obscenity the blueblood spat at them. Had Zeffer been insulting just her, Odette might have backed down. She had made mistakes, yes, and she was sorry for them and eager to atone for her misgivings. But no, she was not the only one being called a b***h. Vremea was being attacked here, and Odette wouldn’t stand for it. She opened her mouth to rebuke him, but Vremea quickly interjected, firmly planting herself between the two. Frustrated and embarrassed, Odette shut her mouth. Vremea was an adult, she reminded herself. She could handle these situations on her own. Odette couldn’t make half as eloquent an argument as Vremea could. The little redblood crossed her arms and kicked at the ground. Vremea probably didn’t even need a moirail. She was strong, balanced, supportive, and she always knew the right thing to say. Odette’s bloodpusher sank. What had she ever done to help Vremea, anyways? Any time she would scream, Vremea would rush to her aid. Yet, when had she helped Vremea in return? She frowned, biting her lip as tears threatened to escape her again. She had been so selfish, and the thought disgusted her. She glanced back at the other girls. Athene… Milieu. She never did anything to help them, either. Her hands bundled into tiny fists and her body shook. A weak sob escaped her and she quickly moved to cover her face with her hands. No. She couldn’t- She couldn’t make this about her. Vremea needed her. She had to be strong now. It was Odette’s turn to support her. It was her turn to be a good moirail. She needed to stop this fight and calm Vremea down. Odette inhaled sharply, wiping away the leaking makeup under her eyes. She held her breath for a few moments, exhaling harshly as she watched Vremea finish speaking. Placing a gentle hand on Vremea’s arm, she gave her a knowing look, wanting to show that she understood how she felt. She was furious with Zeffer— positively incensed. He was crass and violent and inconsiderate, and every minute being near him made her increasingly uncomfortable. She was certain Vremea felt the same way. But she knew they weren’t going to get anywhere by playing into his fight. This was not an argument that would be won by screaming back. Trolls like him were too stubborn. It just wasn’t worth it. She turned to Zeffer, eyes staring up at him dangerously. She squeezed Vremea’s arm, eyes narrowing. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had to be the bigger person here. At one point Byakko had considered her worthy of leadership. She had seen a glimmer of potential in her. Odette wanted to live up to that. She wanted to show she was capable of being important. That she could be strong and do the right thing. And most importantly, that she wanted to show she was a good moirail to Vremea. She squeezed Vremea’s arm and took a deep breath before speaking, regulating her tone into something soft and firm. “I think,” Odette said, scanning the faces in the room because she was too angry to continue looking Zeffer in the eyes, “that most of us here have had our fill of infighting. It is inappropriate considering the recent events, and I will take no part in it.” She looked at Vremea, giving her a look of apology and understanding. Odette didn’t blame her for fighting back, she was only trying to defend her and the other girls. Odette would have done the same if she hadn’t stepped in first. Vremea’s thoughts were in the right place, and Odette smiled knowing that. She gestured her gaze over to the rebel leader. “I will gladly speak with Byakko personally if she has concerns on the matter.” She said pointedly, turning back to Zeffer and watching carefully for his reaction. She hoped the fight would end with that, but she knew the blueblood was stubborn and unpredictable. Dangerous, as Vremea had pointed out. She wasn’t going to let her guard down until she was absolutely certain Vremea would be safe.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2015 1:40 am
As Odette shakily accepted the wriggler, another wave of relief washed over Byakko. While she merely nodded stonily in response to both the lowblood's thanks and Kursha's support, internally, she was elated; despite their disagreements, despite all the conflict, it looked like somehow everything had pulled together in the end. The Initiative had suffered so much loss over the last few nights, Akko was thankful that they had avoided even more, no matter how narrowly. It was clear enough to her from their impassioned reactions that Odette was genuine, as was Vremea- and although she still didn't understand or agree with their reasoning, nor regret Errade's death aside from any information lost, the mutant did recognize the importance of letting their voices be heard.
And then Zeffer opened his mouth.
Her head whipped over to frown at him disapprovingly as he soured the moment, vehement stare rapidly dissolving into a scowl as he spoke. He didn't understand. They didn't have the luxury of picking and choosing who was invested in their cause, especially now, and the girls were just in their outrage. Their opinions differed, but Byakko supposed that diversity could potentially be spun to be one of the Initiative's greatest strengths. Potentially. Byakko tightly folded her arms over her chest as she seethed at his outburst, but remained otherwise motionless. Everyone deserved to be heard, after all. Byakko wasn't one to hold grudges unless she deemed something unforgivably abhorrent, and while Errade fit perfectly into that category, the girls fell far from it. Why was Zeffer being so defensive- for her sake? He really didn't understand. Byakko had never placed herself above the needs of the rebellion, and wasn't planning on changing that now. The Phoenix Initiative meant much, much more to her than any of her own fleeting emotions, and Byakko was eager to put that night behind her and push forward if they were. She wasn't sure Zeffer was as willing to let it go.
Running a clammy hand through her bangs, Byakko took a few steps back to watch as Vremea jumped at Zeffer to retort, glancing between the three as tensions rapidly returned. She couldn't blame Vremea for getting defensive, but the mutant's unfaltering frown remained as she studied the yellowblood. She exhaled slowly out her nostrils, eyelids fluttering vaguely at the words fired at the Initiative. So much for putting it behind them. Akko firmly pressed her lips together, calculating her response to the outbursts in her thinkpan as Odette spoke up. She nodded at the birdlike girl's final comment, finally opening her mouth to speak after it seemed each of them were through unloading.
"Agreed. For now, it's probably best that I deal with any concerns more... directly." Dropping her arms loosely to her sides, Byakko took a lone step forward as her stern gaze flitted between the three trolls. "But, I will say this. To me, actions speak louder than words. Words can be thrown around carelessly in the heat of the moment, they can be twisted, exaggerated, misinterpreted. Lies. Things are said one wishes they could take back... They aren't necessarily the best way to measure someone."
Byakko fell silent once again, eyes hooded as her vision slid to stare at the ground, deeply absorbed in thought. After a few moments, she glanced up to meet Vremea's eyes, shaking her head lightly. "Zeffer understands that killing shouldn't always be the first instinct. That jadeblood you speak of- the first battle, the first time you encountered him. He and his team refused to fight, disagreed with engaging him in the first place." She paused, looking briefly over to the blueblood for reconfirmation before turning back to Vremea. "His values may not match your own, but he does have them. Regardless, he may have swung the axe, but I gave him permission." She supposed their subtle interaction may not have been caught by everyone amidst the frenzy, but if there was blame to be placed, it was on her. Byakko's tone audibly softened as she continued. "I never claimed for the Initiative's purpose to be geared towards protecting life. It may be a desirable by-product of our ultimate goal, surely, but the ideals I have always presented are those of hemoequality. That lowbloods are grossly mistreated, and someone needs to act on their behalf while there's a sliver of opportunity. That who you are should determine your successes and crimes, not your blood." She couldn't fathom how they were supposed to reach that goal without bloodshed. Lots of bloodshed. "I don't believe I've acted outside of that... but that's not to discredit your own opinions. As I said, your voices should have been heard, and I intend on making good on that." After all, should they accept, Byakko wanted to promote both of the girls. And Zeffer. She dryly noted to keep their meetings separate, should everything go according to plan.
Turning her attention back to her friend, she visibly stiffened. "And you. I am going to 'let them off'," Byakko airquoted with her claws as she spoke, unwavering stare narrowing as cocked her head. "You're not questioning my authority, are you?" Her voice was almost dripping with a venom that matched his own- it wasn't a tone she would have used with anyone else in that cavern, but it seemed fitting for Zeffer. He thought they were weak, but they were just different. "Don't forget that both Vremea and Odette fought a battle you refused. Their actions lead to this far more directly than your own," Byakko gestured behind her to the Mother Grub, who was much too busy with her eggs to bother giving the rebels so much as another glance despite their spike in volume. "Like Vremea said, they've fought for us countless times. Even now, they're here with us. Does that not say anything to you? They deserve to be listened to."
"We likely wouldn't be standing here tonight if it wasn't for the efforts of all of you. Understand this- you may differ in many ways, but at the end of the night, we're all tied together by the same goal." Byakko returned her piercing stare to the girls, although by now her passionate words were meant for everyone in the cavern. "For the time being, anyway... you don't have to trust each other. You just have to trust in me, and in the Initiative." She'd be the adhesive that held all the kicking and screaming parts of the Initiative together, if need be. It would have been ideal if the rebels could find harmony; but they were trolls.
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Posted: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:19 pm
As Byakko jerked her gaze over to glare at him, Zeffer could only grin, the same stupid look he always wore when he knew he was being a piece of s**t. It had been easy to avert his eyes from the bantering yellowblood, barely granting her eye contact as she made her quibbling arguments, most of which she had made before, and were therefore not worth his attention. Was she not aware that Akko had given him the go, as far as the execution was concerned? He snorted softly to himself, knowing that he didn't need her approval, or her policing. Glancing over for a split second, he happened to catch Odette's glare, and smirked darkly, winking cheekily at her to show how cute he thought her menace was.
Before long, Akko was speaking, and he let his arms fall to his sides, burying his hands into his jacket pockets as he listened and watched. His smirk only widened as she talked down Vremea, fangs flashing with glee as she defended his actions, eyes glued to her for as badly as he wanted to sneer over at the yellowblood and her moirail. Akko was always so good with words...a quality Zeffer admired, even as she turned to address him in turn. He lifted his hands, gruff laughter escaping him as she posed her question.
"'Course I'm not." Zeffer confirmed, though the s**t-eating smirk remained firmly plastered across his countenance, mismatched eyes glistening in the dim light. They both knew where his loyalties were, so there was no sense in making a big deal about it. He wasn't interested in challenging her control, and he acknowledged the points she was making, even if he was still confounded by his teammate's anger over their decision. There was the unusual question of why killing was so abhorrent to Vremea when she was so willing to fight, but he didn't care enough to seek out answers. He only nodded to Akko as she finished up her speech, and chuckled quietly to himself.
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Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 1:45 pm
Odette seethed. She couldn't see how such an immature, self-interested troll like Zeffer found their way into the rebellion, let alone make their way to a higher rank. And of course Byakko had to remind her that he had abandoned a fight that he himself had instigated. One that never would have started if it wasn't for his poor attitude. A fight that she nearly lost her friends fighting to defend themselves.
She hadn't forgotten about what happened with the miracle elixir, either. Physical altercations with her moirail, after they were trying to have a rational discussion. These situations seemed all too similar. Odette narrowed her eyes, frowning. No, she didn't trust Zeffer after what he did then. She never had, and she wasn't going to any time soon, if at all.
Odette couldn't believe her eyes. Three times he had done wrong to her and her friends, and now he had the gall to wink at her? What an absolute p***k. Tightening her grip on Vremea's arm, she had to fight to not dig her nails into the yellowblood's skin. Just when she thought she was hopeful to be a part of the rebellion, Zeffer destroyed that thought with a literal bat of an eye. She scoffed, turning her sniffnode in the air away from him.
She fought her words down, resolute in keeping her word about infighting. There wasn't a single ounce in her body that wanted to work with Zeffer, but she bit her tongue from lashing out. It wasn't the right time or place for a screaming match.
Turning to Byakko, Odette's expression softened. "I trust you," She said quietly, almost a mutter. She was tired now. Tired and scared. She understood that Byakko's speech was supposed to inspire her, but it only reminded her how sorry of a state the Initiative was in. A handful of trolls of all different beliefs, barely threaded together under a teenager's watch? There was no chance that something so broken and small could recover.
Then again, she thought, leaning on Vremea and smiling faintly. I'm still here, aren't I?
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