Fantasy Guardians(Leopard&Svenny)

[svenny]

Adysin shot a glance at Ryder and shrugged, not really sure how to respond. She didn’t like Stella, she was loud and obnoxious, but perhaps that was because she didn’t like new people. Especially ones she didn’t invite to spend time with her. “You just met her, you can’t know that for sure.” She grumbled, her eyes trained on her feet as she walked a few more feet. Adysin didn’t understand why the girl’s presence irritated her so much. Instead of dwelling on it too long, she stopped and busied herself with grabbing things for a fire to roast the rabbit, trying not to focus on their newest member. “You want to help me?” Adysin looked up at Ryder a flashed her a pleading smile. They had traveled several hours before meeting Stella, and Adysin could feel her stomach protesting.

 

[Galaxxies]

"You're so cynical, Addie. She seems nice enough." Ryder knelt down and started piling up the items that Adysn was grabbing for a fire. After making a small mound, she stood and walked over to Zayden's packs. Digging through them, she produced her fire starter and walked back over to the area she had piled sticks and leaves together. So grabbed a handful of dry leaves and lit them with the fire starter. Once a nice little blaze was going, she used a stick to push the flickering flame under the pile of sticks. Within a few moments, they started to catch fire as the flame licked at them. It was about this time that Stella returned. She held a fish by its tail in one hand and was patting Fern with her other. The girl turned to Ryder and smiled. "Fern helped me out a bit!" Ryder nodded to her. "I'll say she did. Why dont you get to work cleaning it up and you can use the fire to cook it."

 

[svenny]

Adysin sighed slightly, knowing that Ryder was right. She was cynical, but she couldn't help what had happened to her. "Maybe you would be too if you went through what I did." there was sadness in her voice as she settled herself down in the grass and pulled out the pocket knife in her pocket. As she pulled it out, she became all too aware of the fact that they hadn't changed their clothes in days, not since leaving Ryder's parents. Suddenly, she felt crummy and dirty, wanting nothing more than to rip off her clothes and expose her tattoos to the world. But, she didn't. "Never again will I let "seems nice" be enough for me." she almost whispered it. The first man at the bar had seemed nice at first too. And so had Trevor when she had first met him. With her knife, she began to skin the rabbit. At the end of the process, she had blood and hair all over her arms and splattered over her shirt. Searching around her for a long stick, she sharpened the tip so she could spear it through the rabbit. It didn't take much longer for her to set it up such that the rabbit could roast over the fire. Adamaris had lain down close to her, her bags slipping into the grass.

Just as she walked towards her bags, Stella returned. Ignoring her like she had mostly done, Adysin pulled her shirt over her head and whipped off all the blood she could. She knew that her back was covered with many tattoos, the largest one, a howling wolf between her shoulder blades. Crouching in the grass, she pulled out some water that was still left over from the stock she had taken from Ryder's house, wetting the cloth and getting rid of the rest of it. While shuffling through her bag, she pulled out a pad and pencil, handing it to Annabel so she would have something to entertain herself with while the rabbit roasted. "Maybe you inherited some of my drawing skills." she suggested hopefully as she gave it to her, her little sword with a rose wrapped around it jumping out at her, matching her own. Standing up straight, she searched for a fresh shirt.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder stared after Adysin as she stood up. She felt her face fall as she thought over her words. Ryder knew what Adysin had been through. At least she knew all of what Adysin shared with her. She wanted to comfort her, but she had no idea how. Adysin wasn't one for physical contact unless she initiated it. Ryder, however, was very touch starved. She missed the times she had been curled up to Adysin. Or in her lap. Or simply wrapped in her embrace. She always felt safe and wanted. At least until Adysin deiced it was enough and shoved her away. She sighed and turned her gaze back towards the fire and watched as its flames flickered and danced, licking at the rabbit and fish that were sitting over the fire. Ryder was caught up in her thoughts when Stella settled beside her.

Stella had watched as Ryder's gaze followed Adysin. She could tell there was something there. But to an outsider, it seemed almost one-sided. Like Ryder was pining after Adysin. So, Stella thought she could butt in. She settled down right beside Ryder after checking on her fish. She started to reach an arm around Ryder, but stopped dead when she felt a large presence settle behind her. Zayden had laid down behind his master and lay his head in her lap after giving Stella a warning glare over Ryder's head. Stella nodded to the snow leopard. She got the message. Hands off. For now. The girl grinned and tried to strick up a conversation. "So, Ryder. What brings you all the way out here with Miss Grouchy?"

 

[svenny]

Annabel took the paper and pen from her graciously, "What should I draw?" she asked curiously, looking from her mother to the other things surrounding her. It was a question Adysin didn't have an answer to, so she thought of something. As she glanced around her, her eyes settled on Zayden where he curled up protectively around Ryder, and then to Fern who remained close to her own Master. Finally her gaze rested on her own Guardian. An idea came to her mind and she spoke to her daughter, "Why don't you draw what you want your Guardian to be?" She leaned down and gave her another kiss on the head before walking back to the fire, checking on the rabbit. Adysin turned the rabbit slightly so it wouldn't burn on the one side. As she settled herself down again, she adjusted her black shirt and pulled her hair up into a messy bun. Adamaris settled down next to her and Adysin spoke out loud, "Kann sie bitte, bitte wieder gehen?"

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder was answering Stella's question. Tell her that they were traveling to the school as well. Though Ryder did leave the part about why they were going to the school in the first place. And thankfully, Stella didn't get a chance to ask, because as Ryder finished talking, they heard Addie say something in German. Ryder turned to the girl. "You know, I've picked up a little German from you over our travels. But I can only make out about half of that." A grin followed her words, letting the other girl know that she had understood enough of it. Ryder rested her hand on top of Zayden's head and ran her fingers through his fur.

Stella simply decided to change the subject. "What brought both of you to a Master school in the first place?"

Ryder ducked her head for a moment and then turned sad eyes to Adysin. She was one of the very few to know the exact reason why she had found her way there. Ryder didn't exactly run around telling everyone that her father had disowned her and her mother had let it happen. Ryder sighed and turned back to the fire. "Needed somewhere to go," was all she mumbled as she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her folded arms on top of them and her chin on top of her arms.

 

[svenny]

Adysin looked up in surprise when Ryder suddenly spoke to her, claiming she had understood what she was saying. A flush came to her cheeks, and Adysin tipped her head towards her Guardian again so that she wouldn't be able to see it. German had always been a sort of secret language between her and her Guardian, one that only they could understand. But now Ryder claimed she could understand it, and the reality of what she said made her embarrassed. It made Adysin look petty and whiny. "Well, it's about time then." she spoke finally, turning her head back to the other two. When Stella asked a question, she almost winced for Ryder. Adysin knew how touchy that topic was, but it wasn't Stella's fault for asking that exact question. "I had to run away from home, no other option." It shocked her that she had spoken the truth without it being pulled out of her. It was the half truth, not quite the whole truth, but the truth. She had run away from home, because it had been burned down with her family inside. She had been next. "Well, actually, the school found me." Adysin rose to her feet the probe at the rabbit, making sure it wasn't getting too burnt.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder was suddenly quiet. She knew the question wasnt supposed to be from a bad place. Stella didn't know that there were bad stories behind that question. But that didn't mean it that it blocked the memories from Ryder. She had always been very close to her family. Before the whole Master thing came up, her and her parents were pretty close. Except for the times that her father could be... a bit on the screaming side. He was never violent towards her. But his words said anything but in those times. Then afterwards... well she had been tossed out like old food. She had been alone after that. Now she had someone. Someone who was slowly pushing her away it seemed.

While Ryder was caught up in her thoughts, Stella turned her fish and then settled back down beside Ryder. She had caught on to Ryder's quiet mood and wanted to say something. She put her hand on Ryder's arm and when the girl raised her head a little, Stella put a hand under her chin and made Ryder look at her. "You okay?"

 

[svenny]

Adysin rolled her eyes as Stella just completely ignored her, focusing only on Ryder. Her eyes then found the girl, studying her face. She knew what those eyes meant, she knew what she was thinking. Something, Stella didn't know. A small satisfied smirk crossed her face at that thought. She knew, and that girl didn't. Adysin rose to her feet once more and picked up the rabbit from the fire. Testing it, she knew it was ready to be eaten. "Just, leave her alone will you?" Adysin spoke in irritating as she walked towards Ryder, handing her pieces of the rabbit she had cut. Through roasting it, the rabbit had significantly shrunk, leaving only a small amount of meat left to eat. Most of it she gave Annabel, and then ate the rest herself. After eating what she could, she grabbed her bow and arrows, and stalked off into the forest. A mad mood radiated through her and she felt the need to kill something.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder gave a grateful look to Adysin as she hushed Stella with her comment. Stella seemed okay, but Ryder was not ready to share all of her past again. Adysin knew, and that was enough for her. Ryder quietly chewed the meat handed to her and watched as Adysin left for the woods. As Adysin left, Ryder glanced around for Annabel. "Hey Annabel, mind coming closer to the fire? So I can keep an eye on you?" Ryder always felt the need to keep her eye on the little girl when Adysin wasnt around. It felt like an unspoken agreement between the two adults.

"Sorry... I guess I asked the wrong thing.."

Ryder looked up at Stella before turning her gaze back to the fire. "You didnt know. But right now, its something you wont know. Im... just not ready to share."

 

[svenny]

Adysin needed to get away from the campfire, needed to let her anger out with something. The trees rose up into the air and the canopy covered the majority of the sky, making the forest gloomy and dark. With her bow in her hand, she moved silently through the trees, her eyes trained on the bushes and trees to watch for any kind of movement. She felt uneasy to leave Ryder alone with Stella, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. If she would stay, she would be glowering all day, and this way she could actually get something done. Reaching up, she pulled an arrow from the quiver and held it tentatively over the string of the bow. It seemed like a while until she finally noticed something rustling in the thicket, completely masked by the half-darkness. Adysin froze, waiting for the animal to move into view. The black shadow shifted until it became the outline of a deer, its head bent over the ground, nibbling on the young grass. Without much thought, Addie drew back the arrow and released it, watching it sink home.

Annabel looked up from the sketchbook that her mother had given her when Ryder spoke to her. The sight of the other girl caused a smile to cross her face and, still holding onto the things Adysin had given her, she scurried off towards her and settled down a little bit closer. Adamaris rose to her feet and followed the child, making sure she was protected at all times. The Guardian knew that her Master would want her to be with the girl at all times. Annabel looked towards Ryder and turned the paper towards her, where a half drawn dragon was displayed on it, "I saw this drawgon in a book, I have to have!" It wasn't nearly anything like her mother's drawings, but there was potential in the lines.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder had kept her curled up pose, her chin still resting on her knees. Zayden had moved his tail to further separate her from Stella. It now curled around her side between the two girls. He had raised his head when Ryder curled up and now he was shooting daggers at the girl for upsetting Ryder. When Annabel spoke and showed the book to Ryder, Ryder felt her unease ebb away. "That's beautiful, Annabel. You want a dragon for your Guardian?" Ryder chuckled, "I'm not sure how your mother would feel about that. But I do know that she will be impressed by your drawing skills. And so very proud of you." She smiled at the girl, knowing her words were true. That kid was Addie's everything. Ryder had grown quite attached to her as well. It was amazing how quickly she could erase a sour mood.

Seeing that Ryder seemed better after speaking with the kid, Stella decided to try and apologize again. She placed her hand on Ryder's forearm and gently rubbed her thumb over the skin there. "I really am sorry. I didn't know it was a touchy subject. You don't have to tell me anything you aren't ready to."

Ryder simply nodded her head, but she didn't shake off the hand on her forearm. It felt nice. To be touched. Even though it was in such an innocent way. But Ryder was a touchy-feely kind of person. She craved the touch of someone she trusted and cared about. And the ones that came from Adysin were few and very far between. Could she settle for Stella? She hardly knew the girl. But Stella was obviously attracted to Ryder. Enough to blatantly flirt with her in front of Addie and all of their Guardians. But her touch wasn't Addies. And it never would be. It would be settling. Ryder knew that. She sighed and that caused Stella to move her hand up and across to wrap it around Ryder's shoulders. Zayden let loose a small growl, but Ryder shushed him silently and Stella didn't move her arm. Ryder wasn't exactly allowing it. But she wasn't moving away from it either. She just was at this point.

 

[svenny]

Annabel smiled widely at Ryder, knowing that what the girl spoke was the truth. Her mother would be proud of her, but she also wanted Ryder to be proud of her. In the short months they had spent together, Annabel had begun to see her as another parent. Someone else to go to, to lean on, and to talk to. The little girl nodded, "Yes, isn't he pretty?" gesturing to the almost finished drawing of the dragon. Mar watched the scene unfold closely, her razor sharp blue eyes on top of everyone's move. Nothing was going to happen to Annabel without her knowing.

The deer fell to the forest floor with a thump, enlightening Addie to the fact that she had successfully hit the large animal. She approached it cautiously, in case it was still thrashing with its last few breaths. But it was still, and Adysin pulled the arrow from its side, cleaning it quickly before slipping it back into her quiver. There was no reason for her to waste any arrows, not if she could help it. The thrill of the hunt and the success had managed to take some of the edge away, even if she didn't quite understand why she had such an explosion of anger. Adysin had lost track of how far she had traveled from camp, and knew she was too far from Adamaris in order use her as a location device. Unlike Ryder, Adysin didn't have any electronics. She was completely alone in the forest. Yet, she felt at peace. There was no pressure on her to achieve something, no one to look after except herself. She knew very well that Annabel was in good hands (and paws), and Ryder was capable of caring for herself, even if it was just on a preliminary level. Crouching, she grabbed ahold of the deer's hind legs and positioned them on her back so she could drag them back in the general direction she had come from. The ache from pulling the deer was a welcome distraction to the whirl of thoughts that occupied her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she never managed to clear it of Ryder's face, and for the life of her, she didn't know why. By the time she came close enough to camp to actually feel Adamaris in her mind, her body was screaming at her to stop. Sweat had soaked through her clothes and glistened on her skin, attracting the dirt from the deer and forest. She looked like a mess, probably smelt like one too, but she didn't care. When she pushed through the forest line into the small clearing they had chosen as their camp, she froze in her tracks. Her eyes focused on the arm that was wrapped around Ryder's shoulders. An arm that wasn't her own. In an instant, all the fatigue she felt, vanished replaced by a serge of anger. How dare this girl touch her. But Adysin couldn't do anything about it. Ryder wasn't hers, and she couldn't stop her from liking who she liked, even if she had just met this girl. Adysin threw the deer towards the two guardians, "I see you guys were very busy," gesturing towards the touching girls. Turning away from them to hide her pained expression, she ripped the shirt that was plastered to her skin from her body and then her pants, exposing the many tattoos on her back that covered the scars she had collected over the years. Clearly, no one cared anyway. Searching through her bag, she found a relatively clean pair of clothes. Addie only had a few amount of clean clothes remaining from the time they had left Ryder's house.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder lost herself in her thoughts but was still present enough to respond to Annabel. "Yes, he is very pretty, sweetheart. You did amazing." She tried to sound happier than she was feeling and felt that she had done a well enough job that Annabel wouldn't pick up on it. But had Addie been here? She would have known in a heartbeat. It made her let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
She was startled from her thoughts by Adysin speaking. Ryder turned her gaze towards the other girl in time to see her start to remove her clothing. Ryder caught herself staring at the tattoos that covered Addie's back. She wanted to run her fingers over them; to trace the patterns with light touches and grazes. But she couldn't. That wasn't okay anymore. Hell, it never had been. What little relationship they had had been forged only on Adysin's terms. Which Ryder was okay with. She didn't want to force the girl into anything that made her uncomfortable, but that meant that there was nothing between them. And Ryder knew she couldn't wait forever. But, Adysin's words had stung. For a moment. Then Ryder got angry. Adysin didn't have a right to get broody about this. Ryder had given her time after time to make something between them. Something more than the maybe's and one day's Adysin loved to hide behind. So no, she didn't get to be mad when Ryder found comfort in someone else. No matter how much it wasn't Adysin she was taking comfort in. She sighed and moved away from Stella, closer to Zayden. She curled into the snow leopard's side and didn't look at either girl. She didn't know what she was feeling, she just knew she wanted to be held. But neither option seemed like a good or realistic choice right now. Ryder looked up after a moment and turned a forced smile to Annabel. "Annabel, sweetheart, why don't you show your mommy your wonderful drawing?"

Stella couldn't hold back the glare that crossed her face when Adysin's words had made Ryder move away from her. Who did this Adysin chick think she was? It was clear that she didn't have feelings for Ryder. Or that she was choosing to ignore what she felt. Stella had watched as Ryder watched Adysin while she changed. However Adysin was treating Ryder and playing with her feelings, it wasn't right. And Stella was hell-bent on making sure that Ryder learned that. She'd make sure Ryder knew she was the better option. At least for now. Until they went their separate ways.

 

[svenny]

Adysin focused on her daughter, holding something in her hand. It took a moment for her to realize that it was a sketchbook, much like her own. Interest sparked in her as she crouched in front of the girl, looking at what was on the page. Before her eyes, swirling lines and intricate shading formed the body of a dragon. It stood on four legs, it's wings spread out with horns at the top, and on top of its head were little horns, waiting to grow to full length. Although there were parts of the drawing that could use work, Adysin was impressed by how a little girl could draw so well with almost no training or practice. It had taken her years to fine tune her skills. "This is amazing, Annabel. Have you drawn before? Is this what you want your Guardian to be?" Annabel smiled at her mothers compliment, "A wittle bit." she replied, "I want Guardian." Adysin frowned at the prospect of Annabel running around with a dragon. It was one thing having a wolf, a leopard, or a cat as your Guardian. But a dragon? A mythical creature? It wasn't impossible for them to make it happen, but it was a lot harder to explain why a dragon was following you around than a wolf. Addie couldn't imagine such a large and dangerous animal being tamable, let alone being controlled by her beautiful daughter. Her eyes wondered towards Adamaris, who had moved towards the deer and was tentatively taking some bites from it. The white wolf had been reckless and wild when they began their bonding training. Mar had had a mind of her own, testing Adysin every step of the way. She had been in despair in the beginning, loosing hope that it would ever work out. Now, when she looked at Adamaris, her heart filled with love and she couldn't imagine life without her. Perhaps it could be done with a dragon as well. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Mausi. But I'll see what I can do about it." Adysin leaned forward and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. Her eyes then traveled to the two girls, sitting separate now. She could see Stella glaring at her, and returned the look. They had known each other a few hours tops, and Addie already despised the girl. "We should probably get going soon, the sooner we get back to your academy, the better."

 

[Galaxxies]

Around a week's worth of travel let Ryder grow closer to Stella. The little Guardian Fern had even taken a liking to Ryder. Zayden still had his concerns and often voiced them to Ryder, but he was content to let Stella make Ryder happy. Stella offered Ryder what she wanted. Stella was someone to comfort Ryder when she needed it most. She often offered up the touch that Ryder was so starved for. Now the two girls strode hand in hand with Zayden on Ryder's left and Stella on her right. Fern sat atop Stella's shoulders, facing Ryder.
"Here we are!" Stella piped up as a large gate came into view. Wrought iron bars made the grand looking gate like they were coming up on a castle wall. On a large iron plate at the top, the word Klement's had been etched in elegant script. Past the gate, a large stretch of courtyard went back as far as Ryder could see. Beyond that, sat atop a hill, a huge brick building of many floors rose. Ryder turned wide eyes to Adysin. They had made it. They had been traveling to this place for so long. And now they were finally here. But before she could speak a work to Addie, Stella ran forward, pulling Ryder by the hand. "Come on, I'll show you the dorms! Maybe you could enroll here. I could use a roommate." She turned a flirty smile to Ryder and winked at her. Ryder blushed and turned her head away from Stella. The girl reached up with her free hand and pulled her Communication Gem from her neck and reached the crystal towards a box on the gate. One the crystal made a connection with the box, the gate unlocked and started to swing open. Stella then started through the gate, Ryder in tow. "Every master with a Communication Gem has access to the grounds. Though an actual ID card from the school is needed to enter any of the buildings."
"That's awesome." Ryder started to follow Stella through the gate, but Zayden stepped in front of her and held her back as he took a deeps sniff and surveyed the area. Zayden then stepped between Ryder and Stella, effectively separating the two. "You stay close to me until we know this place better." Ryder looked up at her Guardian and saw the protective glint in his gaze and knew there was no arguing with him. Ryder looked at Stella and the girl looked offended. "Sorry... Mr. Protective here overdoes it sometimes. But there's no arguing with him when he's like this." Ryder reached up and placed her hand into the fur of Zayden's leg and the two followed Stella into the gated area.

 

[svenny]

As they broke the forest line in front of the gate, Adysin scooped Annabel into her arms, resting her gently against her hip. Adysin's mood had significantly decreased since the arrival of Stella, and she had begun to talk less and less. The whole time she had to watch them grow closer, watch Ryder begin to open up to her. It bothered her and kept her up at night, worrying that she was loosing the person she trusted most in the world. Everyone else had left her. Her parents were dead. Her siblings were dead. Her best friends were dead. The only people she had left were Annabel and Ryder. And now, she felt as though she was loosing her too.
The gate stretched up in front of them, causing Adysin to tilt her head up to take in the entire metalwork. It was beautifully crafted, intricate designs swirling upwards towards the sign that read 'Klement's'. Adysin had to remark that it looked fancier than the gate that had guarded them until the attack. However, the building that was behind the gate looked much different than the one they had lived in. How many miles were between the two? How many miles had they traveled, on foot? They had traveled for months, she knew that, but she had no way of knowing just how far they had actually come. Noticing that Ryder was looking at her, the girl turned her head to look at her. They made eye contact for a moment, and for the split second, an involuntary smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. They had made it to their destination. The gate swung open, and Adysin followed the two through the gate, the final stretch looming in front of her. It was a short distance compared to what they had been traveling, yet it seemed so much farther than anything they had ever walked. Addie looked at Stella when she mentioned something about a roommate and her continuing going to school here. It was impossible, she knew. Especially with the reason she had come here for. It was to warn them of the attack, to prepare them for the fight that was to come. To give them a fighting chance. "We will need to speak with the people in charge right away." Adysin spoke her first words in over twenty four hours. As much as she wanted to rejoice in the fact that they had made it to civilization, to their own kind, she knew that they couldn't live in the fairytale forever. She needed to tell them right away.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder nodded at Adysin's words. Stella, however, scowled. They hadn't told Stella of their real reason from coming to this place. Ryder didn't want to worry her. It was better this way. Stella was the first to reply to Adysin. "Soon enough. You can take a tour of the campus first. We'll get you enrolled soon enough." She turned a smile to Ryder. "Didn't think this one would be so quick to jump into classes." She jerked a thumb at Adysin.
Ryder sighed and stepped away from Zayden, much to his agitation. Ryder reached out and placed her hand on Stella's arm. "Baby..." Ryder used her hand on Stella's arm to hope up on tiptoe and press a quick kiss to her lips. "We really need to speak with the people in charge as soon as possible. It's very important. There is a reason we came here." Ryder gave Stella a pleading one, one she had learned in the short time they had been together that could get Stella to do damn near anything she wanted.
Stella looked down at Ryder and nodded. She leaned her head down to Ryder's height and returned her kiss, along with a smile. "Of course, Munchkin." Stella turned her gaze up towards Zayden. "I'm gonna take her hand again, okay? She can still stay near you." Stella then turned a grudging look towards Adysin. "Come on. The main office is this way. The principal is there. He runs this whole thing." Stella grabbed Ryder's hand again and headed off towards the large building.
Zayden grumbled and turned towards Adysin. He glared after the two girls and then followed them, throwing a comment meant just for Adamaris, that Ryder couldn't hear. "Tell your Master that I don't like little miss know it all, either."

 

[svenny]

Adysin’s grip on her daughter tightened when the girl began to talk back, but before she could say anything, Ryder had jumped in. It was probably better that way, because the words that had begun to form on her tongue were not friendly ones. Addie knew there were so many things she’d like to say to her, tell her to back the hell away from Ryder, but she couldn’t. It wasn’t her place. In the Academy, Adysin had actually enjoyed going to classes and learning things. It had been a while since her last time in any kind of schooling, but she had enjoyed every second of it. School had brought a welcome distraction from what had been happening in her life, had brought stability back into it. Had the circumstances been different, Addie would have been thrilled to continue classes. But she knew that would never happen. It took everything in her being not to smack the grin off of Stella’s face when she called Ryder Munchkin. A part of her believed that Stella did it on purpose, because she knew it bothered her. When they kissed, Adysin looked away, grinding her teeth together. She never thought it would hurt so damn much. “Finally. We don’t have all day.” As Stella and Ryder began to lead the way, Adamaris paused her in her tracks. Zayden and I both don’t like her. He just told me. Addie looked at the large snow leopard and laid a hand on him appreciatively. This was going to be a long day, she knew that much.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder strode hand in hand with Stella. A few days ago, she had shoved Addie to the back of her mind. It had been hard. It had hurt. But she couldn't wait around for Adysin forever. Stella was here. She was now. And that had to be enough for Ryder. Though being in her arms felt nothing like being wrapped up in Adysin. Thoughts of all their past moments flooded her whenever Stella did anything similar. A couple of nights ago, Stella had noticed Ryder in a down mood and drew her into her lap. She had curled into her like she had that one night forever ago with Adysin. But it wasn't the same and she didn't offer the same comfort. That wasn't what mattered though. What mattered was that Stella was willing to hold. She was willing to comfort. She was willing to kiss and claim. And that was what Ryder needed right now. She needed someone to be for. She needed someone to be there for her. So Adysin was pushed away from the forefront of her mind, no matter how much it hurt.
A squeeze to her hand brought Ryder back to the present and away from the thoughts in her head. "Lost ya there for a bit, Munchkin."
Ryder looked up at Stella and smiled. "Sorry, lost in my own thoughts. I'm here, babe." Ryder looked back ahead of them and realized they were right in front of the building. Stella stepped forward, swiped a card she dug out of her pocket and opened the door. She even held it open long enough Adysin to enter the building. It was large and extravagant. Much more richly decorated than the one Ryder and Adysin had been driven away from. Ryder was a bit taken aback. She felt filthy and lowly walking into such a place with her dirty and sweaty clothes. They really looked like they had been living in the wild for months. It would be fine though. It had to be. They had to warn these people as soon as possible. Stella lead them down hallway after hallway and finally stopped in front of a large oak door. It looked massively heavy and Ryder felt like she was in a movie. Stella knocked once on the door and within moments an elderly lady with a large owl perched on her shoulder opened the door.
"Miss Harrington, I was wondering when you would show back up. Principal Gallent would like to speak with you. Right, this way. You know there will be repercussions for wondering off such as you did." The lady spoke with a thin and wiry voice, making her sound even older than she looked. She was easily a Master that had made her way past 100.
"Wait, Mrs. Shusters, I found two Masters while I was away. They say they urgently need to speak with Principal Gallent. They have something he needs to know." Stella spoke quickly and started to push Ryder forward a bit.
Ryder wanted to shrink under the woman's gaze, but forced herself to speak, even if it was with a shaky voice. "Please, we come from Bruster Academy!" This seemed to catch the woman's attention and she looked Ryder over carefully. Ryder motioned to Adysin and spoke again. "Her as well. She can better explain than I can." Ryder watched as the woman eyed Adysin up and down, giving a quick glance to Annabel as well. Her gaze then traveled over the large leopard and wolf.
"Very well. I will let Principal Gallent know he has company. I will return in a moment."
Mrs. Shusters walked back into the room and shut the door quietly. Ryder turned a worried glance to Adysin before she remembered that Adysin wasn't her comfort anymore. She caught herself and turned her gaze to Stella who simply smiled at her. Within moments the door was opened again, this time, far enough to allow entry.
"Principal Gallent will speak with you now."

 

[svenny]

Adysin followed them silently into the large entry hall. It was much larger than she had expected from the outside. Outside it looked bland, but the entry room had a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling almost twenty feet in the air. At the opposite end of the room a spiral staircase made its way up along the wall, the railing gleaming gold. The floor was made of marble that matched the stairs. Addie automatically began to move towards the stairs, but noticed last minute that Stella had taken a different route. The walk through the hallways felt like forever, ceilings decorated with deigns of light paint to contrast the marble floors. Chandeliers hung every few meters, giving the hallways an evenly distributed light. At Bruster the lights had been patchy, flickering lights, creating shadowy corners in the hall. It was almost too bright and blinding for Adysin, so she focused her attention on the walls. The walls adorned on one side floor to ceiling windows, the view leading out to the long courtyard between the gate and the building. On the other side were paintings and pictures, mostly of important people in the Master community. It was fancy, that was for sure. As they walked through the halls, she noticed that some heads peaked at them from open doors, curious looks on their faces. It wasn't every day that unknown Master's entered Klement's, especially accompanied by someone who had gone missing for at least a week. When they reached the office, Adysin didn't speak any words, just allowed Ryder to handle it. Her eyes were fixed on scene outside the windows. She smelt, her hair was probably a mess, her clothes had rips and covered with dirt. Yet, she didn't care. She didn't long for a shower, she just longed to be in the open air again. Away from Stella, away from the pain that she brought. But, Addie had important business with the Principle. When the door opened again and they were allowed to enter, she nudged Ryder in before her. Before following, she turned around and faced Stella, "This doesn't concern you, so you can leave." her tone was harsh, unfriendly and unwelcoming. She didn't even try to hide the fact that she didn't like her. Seeing Stella with Ryder made her angry, made her want to be in her place instead. "Don't bother waiting, it will probably take a while." Entering the room, she slammed the door behind her. Setting down Annabel on the floor, she turned her attention to the Principle, walking across the room with squared shoulders and an outstretched hand. "Hello Principle Gallent, thank you for speaking with us."

 

[Galaxxies]

Stella stood, offended. How dare Adysin speak to her that way! Well, she would wait. She would wait right here. Stella found herself a seat on a small fancy looking bench and plopped down. She would wait for Ryder to come back out. Then she had a plan.

Ryder glared daggers at Adysin. That wasn't right of her. Sure, this meeting wasn't any of Stella's concern, but why would Adysin tell her not to wait? She sighed, turned another glare at Adysin and spoke quietly before Adysin spoke to the principal. "I do not appreciate that." Her whisper was gruff and clearly showed her frustration. But that frustration was replaced with anxiety as Adysin started speaking to Principal Gallent.
Principal Gallent was a large and imposing man. He seemed like a battle-hardened man. It reminded Ryder of Adysin. Gallent had scars on what she could see of his forearms; his black business suit had the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. She assumed it did it on purpose. Aside from the scars, he seemed like a clean-cut man, with his hair buzzed short and a no-nonsense kind of look on his face. Behind him stood a very impressive stag. It too seemed battled scarred and imposing. The Guardian towered above the man, and even above Zayden. The stag wore what looked like a dog collar, however, where the dog tags would usually be, a large green stone sat against the throat of the beast. Ryder noticed a ring with a similar gem set on the principal's thumb when he reached out to shake Adysin's hand.
"I hear you two come from Bruster Academy? How can that be? Every master has heard what happened there a couple of months ago. Infighting among that many Masters in such a small space tore the place to the ground. How did you two make it out?"
When he did speak, his voice filled the room, though he did not seem angry, the loud voice still made Ryder want to cower as it brought up memories of her father. Ryder found herself taking a step closer to Adysin before glancing around to see where Zayden had gone. The large leopard had taken up position behind Ryder, sitting down and towering his head over her own. He was staring at the stag and seemed slightly offended at not being the largest Guardian any longer.

 

[svenny]

The comment that Ryder made went ignored by Adysin. She didn't want to bother letting her mind wonder to that topic at a critical moment like this. Especially when she had to focus all her strengths and ideas on the Principal. Principal Gallent was quite an impressive guy that left an impression, but not quite enough to intimidate Adysin. He had a presence in the room unlike any other man she had met. Even Principal Cordero hadn't been like this. Cordero had been of a smaller build, but stockier. Whereas Adysin had known Cordero had a soft spot in his heart for misfits, she got the sense that Gallent was not so open hearted about a lot of things. His Guardian, however, would make her hesitate attacking him in any battle. Horns almost half her size rose from its head. Adysin knew that they could easily stab right through Adamaris, and that was a sight she'd rather spare herself from. It was when Gallent spoke did Addie tear her eyes away from the stag, focusing her attention on the man with the buzz cut, briefly noticing the ring on his hand. A frown formed on her face at his words. Infighting? What was he talking about? "Infighting? I'm sorry, I don't think I quite know what you're talking about. There was no infighting at Bruster." she finally spoke, her words almost matching his in presence. No one made Adysin loose her stance, her sense of self in a room. Not even the intimidating stag that bore its black eyes into her. "It was the Government. They sent hundreds of men to our gates and they slaughtered all of us. They destroyed everything. The only reason I'm alive is because of my power, I've got the ability to produce a shield." Adysin didn't bother mentioning how Ryder survived. She knew that the girl was embarrassed about it. Hiding had been cowardice, but it had saved her life. If she wanted to tell him how, then she'd let her, but she wasn't going to bring it up herself. "That's actually why we have come, sir. We have reason to believe that the Government has found out the location for Klement's as well, and that they're preparing for a second attack." The whole time she spoke, her voice didn't raise with anxiety. It was cool and steady, just like the gaze that Adysin and Gallent shared while she was speaking.

 

[Galaxxies]

Ryder watched and Gallent eyed Adysin carefully.
"You mean the two of you survived against hundreds of specially trained government officials?" He shook his head. "If that were true, why wasn't that the story being spread through every community of Masters instead of the one that is going around?" He crossed his fingers on his desk and sat back. The stag started to step around his Master and push the two girls and their Guardians back towards the door. Gallent stopped him with one raise of his hand. "Not yet, Felix. Let's hear them out a little more."
Ryder felt the growl rumbling through Zayden more than she heard it. When Felix had moved, Zayden had as well and stood himself right behind Ryder with a leg on either side of her. "Stand down, Zayden." Ryder's voice was still shakey, but the large leopard dropped his growl anyway. However, he did not budge from his position.
"He's fine. I've seen my fair share of protective Guardians. Kids in trouble come in here all the time with them hovering about. He is simply doing his job. He is also a very impressive specimen. I haven't even seen tiger Guardians that size. How did you manage that?" Gallent was eyeing Zayden with a glint in his eyes. Having such a large Guardian is probably how this meek child survived an all-out attack, whether from her own kind or from the government as they claimed.
"He was created this way. When I arrived at Bruster, I was given the option to pick my Guardian. I chose a snow leopard and this is what appeared." Ryder turned a grateful gaze up to the leopard but was quickly brought back to her anxiety when Gallent spoke again.
"Well, it seems that there were some powerful people at Bruster Academy. So, that begs the question. How was an academy full of powerful staff and students reduced to rubble by simple government officials?" His tone was very condescending and directed towards Adysin.

 

[svenny]

Adysin ran her hand through her hair in frustration. How had this rumor spread? Everyone had died, who had spread it in the first place? She had a suspicion that it could have been the government whispering rumors in other's ears to make sure it got back to Klement's. Adamaris's hackles rose as the Guardian advanced on her, a growl forming in her throat just like Zayden's. Although, when Addie placed a hand on her neck, the growl vanished in her throat. The last thing they needed were two Guardians on the attack, especially when Adysin was trying to convince the Principal to come to their cause. "That's a good question, Principal Gallent. One that I do not know the answer to. But one thing I do know is that if it this rumor were true, why would we have traveled all this way here? I mean look at me. I haven't taken a shower in months, my clothes are ripped, dirty, and smell like garbage. We haven't eaten regular meals in weeks. If that rumor were true, why would be put ourselves through that? Our Guardian's? My daughter," she paused, gesturing towards Annabel who was standing in the corner watching the whole thing go down. "Answer me that, Principal Gallent. Why would we do that? We walked hundreds of miles to come here to warn you to prevent the same fate from happening to Klement's." The whole time, her voice remained calm, diplomatic. Raising her voice and letting her emotions getting in the way would only make the matter of convincing the Principal even harder.