Archive World of Darkness: The Academy - Off to Mother's We Go [Complete]

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean led Lorelei and Frida out of Lancaster House and toward the student parking, keeping to the brightness of the flood lights. Sean's head twisted from side to side, trying to track every sound he heard in the cool night air. He warned the girls to keep an eye out - Relana of the Caramines was still out there, somewhere.

The trio made it to the student parking without incident. Sean's vehicle was easy to spot - the well used, dark grey, ten year-old Wrangle stood out from the other higher-end cars, though is was spotlessly cleaned. Sean opened the front passenger-side door, and helped Lorelei into the high riding Wrangler, then did the same for Frida in the back.

Sean climbed in the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition. His face was still pale from his forced healing, his knuckles white, holding to tight to the wheel. The engine idled as he prepared to leave.

[Ryan Jackson]

Ryan stopped at the edge of the roof between Juno and Persephone and looked down, best to check that nobody would see him leaping between buildings. He had no interest in getting in trouble. Below he saw a trio of fellow students coming from the direction of Lancaster and Diana. He recognized Sean and the blond girl from the quad. Frida he recognized as well, she was an odd one but had been around the school long enough that Ryan was aware of her. He Watched them silently, waiting for his chance to continue on his way. When Sean pulled car keys out of his pocket though Ryan frowned, how the hell did the kid think he was getting out of the parking lot? Two new kids and one of Dalton's more eccentric students were going out for a joyride after 9 pm, Ryan thought the whole thing was odd, and frankly it sounded more like something he would do. Or Deek, that kid had hacked every code lock they put on the parking lot, even the magnetic strip cards and the new RFID cards hadn't stopped him.

Ryan shrugged the decided to follow them, maybe they were just going to smoke some dope or something. That made more sense than anything else, a Jock, a Princess, and an outcast might do. Ryan doubled back on his path and took a running leap across the gap to the Science Annex before dropping down onto the roof of the so call "Learning Building". He laughed to himself at the lack of inspiration when they had named these buildings, but then they were no doubt waiting for some rich alum or parent to donate a fat wad of cash to get the building named after them. He watched as the three cross the quad and into the parking lot before dropping down to the ground as well and circling the perimeter of the lot quickly, staying low to keep the cars between them and him. By the time they pulled the car up to the card reader & number pad he was standing by in a relaxed pose. "Where you kids goin? You forget that they lock this lot down an hour before curfew?"

[Frida Ricci]

Frida accepted Sean's hand up gracefully, if a bit surprised. She had always been instructed that men should show such manners, but had never really seen them used to her in relation to Dalton, and often in the real world either, unless it involved other artists who were willing to overlook her eccentricities, or who had little room to judge because of their own. She offered him a rare smile, her lips tilting just slightly at the corners. She didn't even seem to recognize the slight snub of being helped into the car after the blond beauty, so startled was she to be assisted at all.

"Thank you, Sean."

She sat in the backseat, crossing her legs politely and buckling herself in with a seat belt. She studied the pendant for a moment, which was still pointing in Sean's direction.

"Sean, tell us a bit about your mother. Is she completely dismissive of men in general, acting as if they are inferior creatures and that she has no need of them? That seemed to be the general attitude of the other women of this race, so I'm just wondering if your mother has any of those traits, or if perhaps her time in our world has changed her personality-"

She had glanced up during her rambling, upon noticing that the car had yet to start. Her worlds cut off in mid-sentence as she studied him quietly for a moment.

"Are you quite alright? You seem not well. Perhaps one of us should drive.. would that be easier for you?"

Her usually creepy lack of emotion was, in a way, oddly comforting for once. It held no condescension or insult on his condition, only a sensible offer given the current situation. As Ryan approached, she studied him patiently as he spoke, and shook her head slightly, seeming to have completely missed the sarcasm behind the question.

"No, we haven't forgotten. We have acquired permission to leave campus during off-hours as a one-time courtesy in order to deal with a personal matter. Thank you for your concern though."

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean sighed, then looked over his shoulder at Frida with a tired smile. "Nah, I'm good Frida, just a little worn out, and," Sean's jaw clenched, "... surprised about what I've learned today. I wouldn't trust someone else with the Wrangler anyway, it has... quirks."

Sean turned back around, and began driving towards the gate and the card-reader. When he spoke about his mother, his voice was nearly as emotionless as Frida's. "I can just barely remember, when I was very little, Vanessa smiling at my dad. But she never had smiles for me - only... contempt. Regardless of how well I did in anything, it never changed how she looked at me. My sisters though, she doted on them, and they got everything. "

"When Vanessa and dad got divorced - I was ten - it got worst. So, yeah, pretty much, she seems to have little use for men. I've never seen her with one other than my dad anyway. Cassandra, my eldest sister, she just uses them. I'm not sure how many boyfriends she's had - she never had trouble tossing any of them away. And my younger sister, Savannah..." A note of sadness entered Sean's voice when he mentioned her. "We used to be close, before the divorce. After, well, she's seems to be turning into Vanessa."

Pulling up to the card-reader, Sean hit the brakes harder than necessary when he saw Ryan standing there. "Jesus Christ, man! What are you doing out here?"

Originally Posted By: Ryan Jackson

"Where you kids goin? You forget that they lock this lot down an hour before curfew?"

"Nah, I didn't forget, I got the code. We're - we're going to see my mother, in Denver. She was here when all the shit happened and she's - Look, dude, you missed a lot at the meeting in Lancaster House. Come with us, and we'll get you caught up on the drive down. Dalton is even more messed up than what we were told by Brahn."

Sean shared a glance with Lorelei and Frida. "Lori, Fred, he has to be told," he said, turning back to Ryan. "You should hear this stuff, Ryan, you got selected by that ass at the social too. You're in this whether you want to be or not."

[Frida Ricci]

Frida nodded quietly at Ryan, and moved over behind Sean so that the taller Ryan could sit behind Lorelei, where there was more leg room.

"He's right, you should come. I think it would not hurt us who were not there to be given information about what happened with the rest of you tonight. After all, we still know little of what happened while we were gone."

[Ryan Jackson]

Ryan rolled his eyes, "Jeeezus, you don't seriously believe all this shit do you? Somebody is fucking around with us. I dunno why, but the staff is in on it." He shook his head, "There's no such thing as magic and other worlds and all that crap, those kids were playing a prank!" Ryan was getting agitated, This is all just some elaborate hoax, he told himself vehemently.

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

"Damn it, Ryan! This is no hoax!" Sean rumbled, getting out of the Wrangler, but leaving it running. He began pacing the length of his Jeep, hands gesturing in his own agitation.

"Too much has happened for it to be a trick, man. One of those wolf-guys bite me - bite me bad - yet shadow-boy Brahn's sister healed it without a scratch. Micah stabbed himself, right in the chest with a fuckin' sword, then laughed and pulled it out, and he was fine. Ms. Dorn found a body in the stables, with a note, that had the keys for different worlds. Zack's father - who just drove in and was here thirty years ago - confirmed that the bad shit happened back then."

Sean stopped and pointed at Lorelei and Frida through the windows. "Lori and Fred - and some others I think - went to one of these other - went to Narnia, and spoke to the Chiderans, who only have daughters and don't need men to breed. Apparently one stayed behind, and they got the girls to promise to deliver a message. See that necklace that Frida is holding, with the claw point right at me? Well, the thing points to the nearest Chideran. Oh, did I forget to mention? The woman their looking for is my mother!"

Sean opened the back door and held out his hand to Frida. "Can I see the necklace for a moment, Frida, please?" She gave the nearly ranting football-player a long, considering look, then calmly placed it in his hand. Sean immediately turned around and thrusted it at Ryan. "Here, hold the damn thing, just in case you think the thing is a trick. It stays pointing at me."

Sean went back to pacing, chuckling with black humour. "And it gets better. Brahn and Brihn are Lhesks, who need to feed on life-force - Mr. Hunter called them Vampires and Soul-stealers. They talked my dad into going after the Lords of the Nine. It's because of that, that the Caramines have a hate on for Dalton. Deek's trying to look up the treaty to see if anything can be done that way."

Sean stopped in directly in front of the taller, older boy and glared at him. "So, Ryan, either I'm the biggest fool or the greatest liar you've ever met. But seriously, do you think I'm smart enough to make this shit up?"

Sean got back into the driver's seat, and slammed the door closed with more force than was strictly necessary. He rolled down the window and turned back to Ryan. "Either way, I'm going to confront Vanessa, and get the truth. You in or out?"

[Ryan Jackson]

"Oh, man, you have seriously got to be kidding. OK, I'll admit the necklace is a neat trick, how's it work? Magnets? But really I got bit by that dudes giant dog too, I know it was big but it wasn't no werewolf or sumthin'. That dude from the forest, he was probably wearing contacts and makeup. Heck, maybe it was a collapsible sword or sumthin' but you can't stab yourself an' just be fine, that's crazy.

"Listen, I don't know what is going on here, or why, but you cannot seriously think I'm gonna start believing in magic and crap. I think you all have seen Narnia and Lord of the Rings one too many times." He shook his head again, "And you think your mom is an alien? Come on, don't you think that is taking it a little too far?"

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean sighed, then banged his head against the headrest, his eyes closed. "Actually, Vanessa being an alien would actually make more sense to me. And the dogs, Ryan, they weren't dogs. I know... I saw them... I... I killed them." His jaw was tight, holding in all that he was feeling at the thought.

He opened his eyes again, turning his attention from inward and back to Ryan. "And come on! Magnets? I'm sitting in a metal car for Christ sakes!" Sean blew out a sharp breath in frustration, then decided on another tactic.

"Okay, try this. Even if all of this is some sick joke, don't you want to see how far they'll take it? How dedicated they are? Come with us to my mother's and try to poke holes in her story. If nothing else, you'll get some time off campus and a chance to see my sisters. Most guys think they're pretty hot - Cassandra's a model for DevinityWear."

[Ryan Jackson]

"Fine! Fine. Sheesh, if for no other reason than because I can't believe you guys have bought this thing. I mean shit I got tomorrows winning lottery ticket numbers, you want em? I'll sell em to you, honest."

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

"You'll see," Sean said with promise. "Get in the back, and let's get going." As Ryan moved around the car to get in the back seat behind Lorelei, Sean punched in the code into the keypad. The gate had barely open before the jock with a crumbling world-view stepped on the gas, the heavy acceleration pressing everyone into their seats.

Lorelei's hand on his arm slowed Sean down to the speed limit, though his turns were still sharp, and every stop was a rolling one. When they got to the highway though, he picked up the speed, easily going eigthy.

His storm-shrouded eyes peered intently ahead, trying to see Denver through the deepening dark. With more than an hour of driving, he turned on the radio.

The Offspring's 'Stuff is Messed Up' began to blare from the speakers.

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[Frida Ricci]

Frida sat quietly, studying the necklace throughout the ride. At times Ryan saw her try to flick it or force it to point in a different direction, but it would always go back to pointing at Sean. Eventually, her gaze flickered back up to Ryan, and she tilted her head inquisitively.

"By the way, are they good books? The Narnia books, and Lord of the Rings, that is. I keep meaning to read them, but I've never gotten around to it. I sometimes think I would like to paint some of the imagery in the books, for I've heard that it's quite lovely. But there's so many beautiful things here to paint that it always seems to be low on my list of things to do with my time. I have so much inspiration around me, especially with all the new events happening here at Dalton. Would you care to see some of my sketches from the last couple of days?"

She spoke blandly as always, expressing only a slight note of curiosity in her voice as she requested his opinion on the books. It didn't even seem to have dawned on her that he had been referring to her as well when implying that they were in on trying to pull one over on him. Being the kind of person who hadn't ever tried to play any practical jokes, she didn't seem to fathom that anyone would suspect her of such a thing. That, or she was a really good actress.

[Ryan Jackson]

"Umm ... I've never really, uh, read them." Ryan was glad for the darkness as he turned somewhat lightish red. "I mean I saw the movies and stuff," he added lamely, "They were kinda cool and, um, stuff."

[Frida Ricci]

"Oh - well, that's lovely. I didn't realize they'd been made into movies. It's been a couple years since I watched one, you see. Perhaps I should try it again. I have an uncle who's fascinated with cinematography, maybe I should give it another go. The last movie I watched was the one about Frida Khalo. Mother insisted, of course. She's my namesake. The actress did a lovely job, she really caught her essence."

She turned to Ryan, and flashed him a rare smile. It was subtle compared to other girls her age, just a slight curve at the corners of her lips and a lightness in her eyes. But it was so unusual coming from Frida that it was unnerving.

"Thank you, Ryan. For letting me know about the movies, that is. Did you ever see that movie, about Frida Khalo? She had quite a devastating life, but her artwork held such depth as a result. She was quite amazing, I can see why my mother is so entranced with her."

[Ryan Jackson]

"Umm, no?" Ryan thoroughly confused by the entire situation at hand. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd spoken to Frida and he could have used the left over fingers to count the words she'd spoken back. He wondered to himself how it was that this evening had unfolded, who was behind these pranks and why. "How far to your mom's place?" he asked Sean, hoping to steer the conversation away from artists that he had never heard of.

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean, focused on the road and what he was going to say to his mother, didn't hear a word of what Frida and Ryan had been saying. The headlights pierced the gloom of the highway, only the occasional car sharing the road. A faint klicking from the back left of the Wrangler could be heard - Sean assured them that it always did that.

The mention of mom grabbed Sean's attention, and he answered Ryan's question, though still distracted. "She lives in Denver, not really that far. Less than a hundred-and-twenty klicks. Er, about seventy miles, I guess?"

Sean's foot was heavy on the pedal, and the Jeep sped up a little further, the engine a soft roar, more felt than heard.

[Lorelei]

Wincing slightly as she glanced at the speedometer, Lorelei plucked at the plush fur trim of her cloak. The lines of the highway melded into a blur before her eyes, and the grim set of their driver's jaw was worrying.

"Sean," she cautioned quietly, "we'll get there. I'd prefer if we all arrived safely."

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Lorelei's golden soprano cut through Sean's anxiety, her lyrical tones soothing - at least for the moment - the turmoil raging inside him.

Sean's foot eased up on the gas, the vehicle's speed dropping till it was only going ten over the limit. Sean's grey-blue eyes flicked in Lorelei's direction, his lips bending in a slight curve, a bit sheepish.

"Sorry about that, Lorelei. It's just - It's... I not even sure what I'm gonna say to her... I'm almost afraid of what she's gonna say."

[Frida Ricci]

Frida let out a soft little sigh, and turned her head away from Ryan, letting her eyes gaze listlessly over the scenery as it sped by. She wasn't sure exactly why no one really wanted to talk to her - it wasn't as if she didn't try to be friendly. But vaguely she wondered how Mr. B though she was going to experience life, if no one was willing to interact with her about anything other than her art. Her fingers had stopped toying with the necklace, and it now sat pooled in the palm of her hand, waiting for them to reach Denver and Sean's possibly otherworldly relatives.

She didn't speak again for the rest of the drive.

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

After an hour, the open road and billboards gave way to the subdued lights of night-time Denver. Sean dropped even more speed, scrupulously going the speed limit as he drove through the city. Though a hesitancy entered his driving, still, at each red light, his fingers drummed an impatient beat on the steering wheel.

Sean drove through the various neighborhoods, always moving up the mountain. The students made it to Hilltop, all the houses large and impressive, expensive, most with their property fenced in by stone and wrought-iron.

Slowly, the Wrangler crept to a stop, its headlights illuminating a closed, iron gate. For a long moment, Sean just stared at it, and the small patch of driveway that was visible beyond.

Finally, Sean rolled down the window, and pushed the intercom button that was on a pole two meters from the gate.

"Vanessa, it's me, Sean. We need to talk. About Dalton..."

"... and Chiderans."

[Dawn OOC]

"Mother's in bed, dumbass." Savannah's cold youthful voice cut through the night. "And she told you not to come here anymore."

"Savannah, I have to talk to her. Go wake her up and tell her what I just told you," Sean insisted, rolling his eyes - even as he felt that small tingle of pain at the continued dislike from his sister.

The people in the Jeep sat in uncomfortable silence for a long moment, feeling awkward from witnessing what should be a private argument. It seemed to take forever before another voice came over the intercom. "Come up to the house." Only Sean recognized her voice, but from the older tone, it was easy to guess that it was his mother speaking.

Sean drove through the opening gates and up on the driveway. He parked on the horseshoe drive and got the door for the ladies again. Together, the four of them trooped into the house.

They didn't have far to go. Just inside the main hallway, three females waited for them. They sat together on a waiting couch, haughty and lovely. One appeared to be in her mid-twenties, one in her late teens and the last in her early teens. They all looked like images of the same attractive raven-haired woman, taken at different points in her life. Sean bore a definite resembalance to the three in coloring and general attractiveness.

"I see you brought friends," the oldest woman said. "What do you want, Sean?"

[Frida Ricci]

Without waiting for Sean to speak, Frida took a couple steps towards the four women, so that she was closer to them than she was to Sean. Then, she held out her hand, and let the necklace drop from it like a pendulum again, waiting to see whose direction it pointed itself in. All the while she looked at the three women curiously, her expression as neutral as always.

[Ryan Jackson]

Ryan slid out of the car and closed the door but didn't move from beside the vehicle. He waited quietly watching the less than Normal Rockwell moment unfold.

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean stared at his mother and two sisters (half-sisters?), and quailed at the look in their eyes, the look they always had for him - as though he was something distasteful they had to endure.

For the first time, he had an inkling of why, and it made him angry, furious. His hands tightened into fists, his defined muscles tense and rippling.

He pulled his tempestuous gaze from Vanessa (Vena?) and studied his sisters - the older Cassandra and the younger Savannah. Sean couldn't avoid a pang of sadness when he realized how much like their mother Savannah looked, acted.

He wondered if his sisters knew, or if they should know. To hell with it!

"V-" Sean stopped what he was going to say when Frida stepped forward, the necklace dangling from her hand. His eyes immediately went to the damnable claw, then quickly shifted to see his mother's reaction.

"I want to know what happened at Dalton thirty years, what dad did, and what you are... Vena!" Sean had never used such a tone with his mother, the open anger and note of demand clearly evident.

Sean added to himself, staring at his hands - hands that had killed - his voice a bare whisper, "What I am."

[Dawn OOC]

Vanessa - Vena's eyes went to the necklace, and there was a hunger in her eyes as she saw it. The necklace shivered, then pointed at the three women. Vena let out a shaky breath. "So the Door has been reopened," she murmured. Reaching out, she squeezed her daughters' hands. "We can go home, darlings."

Vena lifted her chin and looked at her son. "Your father did the right thing, despite being villainized for it later," she said. "He struck a powerful blow against the Caramines, something no one else had ever done. They had a bounty on his head after that. He was a warrior and a man, something I'd never seen before.” She stopped and composed herself again.

“Thirty years ago, strangers came through the Door to our lands,” Vena said. “They came asking us to go to war against the Caramine. We had long been tired of fighting them every year for the Harvest, but we didn’t think we could defeat them. But some of us young fighters wanted to be heroes. So we agreed to help Dalton. They snuck us through the gate and hid us in their world.”

Vena paused. “Your father and I loved one another. I was ostracized from my family for it. And his love was enough, until he betrayed me.” Her expression hardened, and she drew herself up haughtily. “He had to have his son, no matter the cost.”

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean's heart beat in time with the heavy pounding of his head, a complex tangle of emotions warring within him. On one hand, he was proud that what his father had done was the right thing - Sean didn't know why he believed Vena, he had every reason not to, but he did.

On the other hand, he had just found out that he was the cause of his parents divorce, purely on the basis that he was born a boy. It didn't help matters that it seemed he was the only one in his family who didn't know just how strange the world really was.

"They knew?! Savannah, Cassandra? Am I the only one who wasn't told anything about the events around Dalton? Since you knew I was going there, don't you think I should've been told Van - Vena? Or did you arrange it?"

Sean's knuckles cracked as his fists clenched even tighter. His eyes were a maelstrom of fury and he barked a laugh, heavy with contempt and dark humour. "Yes, Mother, the Door is open, the Caramines are back, and they're once again preparing the Harvest. Some of those at Dalton have already been chosen... I've been chosen as the first. I've faced some the Sa - Sha - damn it! What's the word? The Shovat's minions already... I.. I killed them." Sean's face was stone as he stared at his fists, his jaw clenched so hard, they could hear his teeth grinding.

With a shake of his head, Sean turned his attention back to his mother. He stepped forward until he was slightly ahead of Frida - the claw on the necklace shivered, then changed direction.

"Do you even care? Or was this what you were hoping for? I've never been less than a good son." He spared a glance for his sisters - for moment, grief piercing his rage. "A good brother."

Sean stepped yet closer, looking down on the woman (?) that was his mother, his eyes glistening. "I'm your child too. Was the price really so high? How could Dad have been at fault for me being a boy?"

[Lorelei]

Lorelei hesitated at Sean's outburst, reluctant to get involved in what was obviously a heated- and intensely personal- moment. These were old wounds being reopened, ones that had never quite healed, and she fidgeted with the plush fur lining of the cloak she'd never bothered to remove. Its weight and warmth were a comfort as she looked first at the eerily similar trio of women, and then again at Sean.

She was at a loss for words, unable to summon up some phrase or advice that might defuse the tempers that were flaring. Fretfully, she chewed at her lower lip, hoping that the situation didn't escalate further.

[Dawn OOC]

"You are not Chideran, Sean, and cannot understand what it means," Vena said, standing from the bench she'd been sitting on. "Your sisters were told because they could feel the loss of their home, in their bones and their blood. They knew that they didn't belong here. They are Chideran, while you..." Vena paused, and there was a touch of pity in her eyes. "I don't know what you are."

"What Mother is trying to say," Cassandra, the older daughter said, "is that a Chideran child is born a daughter; her mother decides it is time to have a child, and she quickens. She doesn't need to have a man, and indeed, the seed of a man means nothing. But somehow, Dean managed to get her pregnant." She reached out and put a comforting hand on her mother's arm.

"It had to be magic," Vena said, her fists balling tightly shut. "I don't know how he did it, but it eroded the trust and love I had for him. And that is why I don't know what you are. You can't be human; I am not. But you can't be Chideran, either, for you have a father. My people would call you an abomination."

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

Sean saw the look in Vena's eyes and flinched - the pity hurt more than the disdain ever did. For a moment, an image flashed through his mind: his lashing out and connecting with Vena's arrogant, beautiful face, again and again. Let her look at him with her cold eyes when she looked no better than the Caramine Shovat's minions. But hurting her wouldn't make the pain go away, only spread it around - besides, despite the circumstances, Vena was still his mother.

Sean whirled away from his mother, not wanting her to see the emotion in his eyes. He took several steps away from the women of his family, and stopped next to Frida, the Chideran Necklace once again pointing his way, mockingly. His eyes were closed, and the flesh of his face quivered with the effort of maintaining a stoic expression as the words of his sister and mother washed over him like a piercing rain of arrows.

He swallowed, and when Sean spoke, his voice was eerily calm, but hollow. "The Harvest is beginning again, Vena. I know, I have the blood and bone and brains on my hands because of it. If you go back home, to the Chiderans, will Cassandra and Savannah have to worry about the Harvest too?"

Sean turned his head so Vena and his sister's could just make out its shadowed profile. "I came here to learn about what happened at Dalton thirty years ago, and expecting to hear that my mom was from another world, making me not entirely human. I guess it's just a bonus that I'm really just a... a... fuckin' magical byproduct. Savannah and Cassandra may feel like they don't belong here, but it seems I don't belong anywhere."

"Excuse me... I need some air."

Sean strode to the front doors, each step faster than the last; he was just short of a run when he shoved open the heavy doors with a crash. He ignored Ryan leaning against the doorframe - didn't even see him - as he ran around the house, heading for the poolhouse, the only refuge he had when he visited his mother.

His shoulder crashed through the door, nearly knocking it from its hinges. The rage and pain inside him needed to be released and he opened the gates with savage cry.

A chair was thrown across the room to smash through the window; a table was kicked and stomped into splinters; the dressers and shelves were torn from the walls. With a furious scream, Sean picked up the heavy TV stand and threw it at the wall - the end tables followed, broken in flinders. He flipped the bed, and when that didn't satisfy him, dragged the mattress outside and threw it into the pool. His powerful fists made large holes in the walls - hitting a stud only made him howl and spurred him on in his mindless destruction.

Later, Sean could be found sitting amidst the wreckage of the room, covered in drywall dust, his knuckles bloody, his knees pulled to his chest.

For this first time since he could remember, Sean let himself cry freely, deeps sobs wracking his muscular frame.

[Ryan Jackson]

"Jeeezus, that is one frigid woman," Ryan muttered to himself. Ryan couldn't believe that Sean's mother had taken this whole bullshit so far, and yet there it was, she'd basically told her son he wasn't wanted and wasn't loved. "Taking this whole thing too damn far don't you think lady? He's your damn son, and you ... shit you shoulda just sent us away." Ryan shook his head in disbelief of the whole situation. He pushed off from the doorjamb and started to trace Sean's flight slowly.

[Dawn OOC]

"You cast judgment when you don't understand," Vanessa or Vena or whatever her name was said to his back as he left. "Typical man - thinking with your ego instead of your head." Her voice was scathing, filled with nothing but contempt, and her daughters' expressions echoed her own. "You are human, and you are male. This is beyond you."

[Lorelei]

With Vena/Vanessa's last venomous remark, Lorelei found her voice.

"Whether he is human, male, or otherwise is irrelevant," she began, fixing each of the three females in turn with a sharp, steady gaze. "How dare you say, 'This is beyond you,' when you have so little of understanding yourself? Your people and ours are alien to each other; similar in appearance, but so far apart in culture, physiology, and simple ideology that it seems equally likely that we are beyond you." There was a slow, quiet anger in the tightness of her jaw, the rigidness of her slim shoulders, but she didn't stop there. "The only judgment cast against you was the one logical conclusion to be drawn from your tirade against Sean. Against your son," she pressed relentlessly. "And he is your son. But you, and you, and you," she glared at the three Chiderans, "you deny him even the simplest nod of acceptance, the meanest, tiniest scrap of empathy, despite being your blood. Or is it because he's your blood? Is that it? No matter what his personal worth, his torments, his loyalty and devotion, his courage, he's still not good enough, and... maybe, if you deny him, it won't stain your honor when you finally get to return to your people?" Her hands were clenched at her sides, livid roses of colour blooming in her pale cheeks. "Maybe if you hate him enough, they'll forgive you for spawning him, for being part of his family? Or maybe-"

The music student broke off suddenly, curtailing the steady rise of her voice as it grew louder. She exhaled sharply and shook her blonde head before looking back up at Vena/Vanessa levelly.

"Or maybe," she added more calmly, "maybe if you deny him enough, you'll eventually really believe everything you just said. We judge people on their merit, in this world. Men and women are equally brave, equally brilliant, equally foolish. If you genuinely mean everything you have said, and feel no remorse for the way you've treated Sean, I will do my utmost to see that you are escorted back to the Door to your world. There is no reason for you to remain in a place not your own, if other options exist."

Finally, she took a long, deep breath and tilted her chin upward, waiting for the inevitable outburst and demands that they leave. At least they had their answers.

[Ryan Jackson]

Ryan made his way through the apparently labyrinthine house until he started to hear the sounds of Sean's breakdown from outside. He located an pair of French doors leading to the pool area in the rear and saw the light in the pool house on. He approached slowly until but waited outside. Better let him work that out on his own, I don't much feel like getting in a fight. Ryan put his back to wall and slid down to the floor sitting and waiting for the sounds from within to die down.

[Dawn OOC]

Of the three lovely women, only the youngest, Savannah seemed to look unsure at Lorelei's words. "All we want," Vena said, her voice framed in ice, "is to go home. If the Door is open, all we need is aid getting to it. We can leave here, and never trouble you again.

"As for your claims of equality and value, child," Vena added haughtily, "you have much to learn about your own world. I have seen women passed over so that a man can have a job. I have seen a woman steal a position using her body and sex as a weapon. There is no equality in this world.

"As for how I treat Sean... imagine you had a child with three arms, but everyone around you insisted that it was normal, fine. That they wanted to medicate you because you were trying to tell them it was wrong. And your husband, the man you gave up everything for, is thrilled that your baby has three arms." Vena stared at Lorelei, years of pain and anger burning in her eyes. "That is what it was like to give birth to that."

She glanced down at her daughters suddenly. "Go pack. Only those things which define you, darlings. We're leaving this world behind tonight." The three woman stood and began to leave the room, moving with purpose.

[Lorelei]

"If that is all you want, then none here will stop you," Lorelei replied to their backs, her voice strangely, eerily calm despite the turbulent flare and flicker of emotion in her eyes. She did not bother to address the woman's comments on inequality, as they were obviously coloured by the culture in which she was raised.

"Whether or not you want to admit it, Vena... Vanessa... Sean is as much your child as Dean's. There is nothing wrong with him, and, perhaps, his birth and life should not have been considered a hateful abomination, but an opportunity for change, for mutual understanding, for miracles. Whatever your husband did or did not do, none of that is Sean's fault. I realize that what I think, as an outsider, means little to you. I will say this, though," the girl added, a vague undercurrent of entreaty in her voice. "You owe your son more than this. More than abandonment. More than enmity. Whatever the circumstances of his birth, he did not ask for it, and for the error of another, you have made him the victim of your spite. If there is anything of empathy in you, of compassion, I hope you choose a better path before it is too late."

She passed the silent Frida and turned to follow in Ryan's footsteps, but paused, her normally melodic voice oddly childish and choked with tears as she spoke again.

"I've spent so long, regretting that the last thing I said to my parents was that I hated them for not taking me with them on their trip. I was such a stupid, selfish girl, thinking only of the fact that I'd have to be stuck in school and bored out of my mind. I didn't care about what they wanted or deserved. They- they never came home, and now there isn't a day that passes that I don't wish I could have that day back again. I hope you never..."

It was too much. She couldn't remember the last time she'd made such an open admission, particularly to a stranger. She made an odd, strangled sound, like a hiccup, and strode rapidly out of the house with her head down and shoulders shaking.

[Ryan Jackson]

Finally the sound from within died down and with a sigh Ryan pushed off the wall and got to his feet. He took a moment to stretch his legs out before knocking on the door and sticking his head in. "Hey Sean, you ok?"

[Tatiana di Jadzian]

After a time - he had no clue how long - Sean's tears ceased, his quakes stilled. His breathing was long and slow, steady.

The rage and grief had flowed out with his release, leaving him feeling oddly empty. He had gone from being ashamed of what his father had done, to proud, to ashamed for something else he had done. The way his mother had treated him still hurt, deeply, but he didn't - quite - hate her, instead feeling a welling pity. That he had apparently been twisted into a boy through magic at his father's behest, he tried to ignore.

Originally Posted By: Ryan Jackson

"Hey Sean, you ok?"

Sean slowly turned his head till he was looking directly at the older boy. He took a deep breath, held it, then let loose a long sigh. Smoothly, he jumped back to his feet, brushing splinters from his clothes. Striding over to the small sink in the kitchenette, he began washing his bruised and bleeding knuckles.

"I'm better than I was, but okay...?" Sean said over his shoulder. His voice was once again amiable and confident, but there was a brittleness to it as well - he was holding on as best he could. "I'm not sure if I'll ever - I think I'm numb."

Sean began heading for the door, kicking rubbish and debris out of his way. "Come on. Let's go back and see if Vanessa can give us any details on the Caramines or the Harvest, then head back - it's gonna be real late by the time we get back. I swear, I'll be better this time, I'll keep my anger in check."

The distraught jock walked outside, and started his way around the pool, Ryan beside him. "I'm gonna have to reach my dad too - he has some s'plaining to do!" Sean told Ryan in a hard voice. "But he hasn't answered his cellphone and I don't think the profs will let me just up and leave for Whistler, if he's even there and - Lorelei?"

Sean saw the elfin form of the blonde limned by the soft glow of the pool lights, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. His brows lowered in concern, worrying about someone else letting him take his mind off worrying about himself.

He moved a little more briskly till his closed with the delicate blonde. He wanted to hold her, to ease her trembles, but he wasn't sure if she'd want that - he wasn't sure what he do either. So he just stood close, letting his presence be a comfort.

"Lorelei, are you okay? Did Vanessa or my sisters say or do anything they shouldn't have? They can say what they want about me, but my friends..." Sean's voice rumbled like ominous thunder, as he turned to glare at the house that had never been his home.

[Ryan Jackson]

The younger man was moving quickly and speaking the whole time, Ryan barely had a chance to think let alone get a word in edgewise before the two of them were back out next to the pool and Lorelei appeared. The young woman was in tears and apparently on the verge of her own breakdown. Ryan's brow furrowed and he frowned not sure what to do. Sean doesn't want to talk about this, probably concerned with his tough guy jock image, and now Lorelei is crying. Where's Frida, is it her turn next? Why did I come along on this trip? I don't know these people, and I don't want to be involved in whatever mind games their parents are playing.

[Lorelei]

Mortified at suddenly being caught out weeping like a fool, Lorelei vehemently shook her head, dashing away her tears with the back of her hand as she forced herself to smile.

"No, no," she protested to Sean, "I'm fine, really. I upset myself, honestly, it was really quite silly... Your m-" She narrowly caught herself, but not before it was quite obvious what she'd intended to say. "They're packing their things now," the girl amended a moment later. "Where did you go?"

Before he could reply, she grimaced, sighing as she looked back at the front door.

"I completely forgot about Frida."

[Frida Ricci]

Frida watched the interactions all with a form of quiet detachment. She listened silently to Lorelei's words, and watched as the girl hurried out of the room. Even after that, she sat, quietly observing Vanessa and the three girls for a few moments. Finally she spoke, and both her voice and gaze were calm, and in contrast to the others, starkly lacking in emotion. After all, it would seem this woman couldn't help who she was, and she imagined that the things she said about men must seem as natural to her as being appalled by them came to the others.

"You know.. there are very few people in this world, if any, who are able to do anything resembling magic. The women of your tribe have lived in a world in which it was not necessary, nor to their liking, to mate with men - and so none ever have, and you have no knowledge of what happens when it does, other than your own experience. But that does not mean that your bodies are incompatible with ours. You certainly look like any other human. It may be that through your relations, assuming they were that of a normal couple, you just.. conceived. The human way. If that is the case, then Sean's father had no more control over that than you did.. shy of refraining from marital relations, of course. Which I assume you didn't choose to do, seeing as how you were willing to leave your tribe in the first place for him, and chose to stay here. The three of you should pack warmly, by the way. It's quite cold there, as I recall, and they don't exactly have central heating, do they Vena?"

She watched the faces of the three females, her dark eyes flickering from one to the other, waiting to see if there was any response to her words from any of them. In the back of her mind, she also wondered how these three daughters would adapt to such primitive lifestyles after having been raised in such luxurious settings for their whole lives.