GKND: Operation FAMILY

[Sadie]

"Mortimer, I swear, if you do that one more time, I will pluck out your feathers one by one and make a very extravagant headdress out of them, which I will wear all over the base, every day, and everyone will know of your misdeeds and spurn you as a Hi'ota who didn't know when enough was enough."

The girl's stern voice was completely serious; despite the strange looks that she was getting from those she passed, she was having an utterly serious conversation with her bird, who actually appeared to be listening. Eyelids drooping a little, the bird's head ducked a little, remorsefully, and he let out a low, apologetic note.

"That's my boy." Happily, excited to have finally convinced him to stop chewing on her hair, the girl approached the table that was laid out with food and swept her critical gaze over it, trying to pick out something that was good enough for her favorite pet. Finally spotting a few sprigs of promising leaves, she fed the bird with the utmost patience, occasionally whistling something to him but mostly just letting him eat.

Her eyes lifted, just enough to look across the room, and suddenly orange lenses locked on two figures that were extremely familiar to her, plus one. Having heard much about the third figure, she guessed who it was immediately, and a smirking excitement rose inside of her.

Any normal person would have walked across the cafeteria to the trio.

Any normal person would have greeted them politely.

But Tala Ganmade was not always the most polite person, nor inclined to follow the normal rules that outlined social behavior when an easier (and thus lazier) path could be taken.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, the girl inhaled enough air to fill almost the entire space of her lungs and let out a shout that they would be sure to hear as it echoed far and wide across the entire room. "OIIII! THUNDER! LIGHTNING!"

The bird on her shoulder let out an indignant noise, apparently protesting the volume since he was perched so close to her, but the girl ignored him, lifting her free arm to wave exuberantly at the trio, her lips pulled back to show a wide grin. Even if her smaller frame might have gotten lost in the crowd, with a bird perched on her shoulder that was the same height as she, it wasn't easy to miss the lopsided tower that she and Mortimer formed as she waved once more and let her arm drop, just grinning lazily at the two that she happened to be acquainted with.

[ChyukiPastukiSuzuki]

“OIIII! THUNDER! LIGHTNING!"

Dengeki and Unagi turned their heads simultaneously to see the girl calling them from across the room. Instant identical smiles appeared on their faces as they yelled her nickname in reply. “AY SWIRLAY!!!”

Mizu looked from one brother to the other, confusion playing across his face. He assumed that the girl they were having a cross-room conversation with was another one of their friends, though unsure exactly who it was. With his tail, he nudged Dengeki, getting his attention.

“So who’s that?” He inquired, a grin quickly replacing the frown he previously held. “Your girlfriend?”

A light pale blue blush warmed Dengeki’s face. “Huh? Oh no, that’s Tala. We’re just homies. You’d like her.” The smile that he sent to his older brother held an almost childlike presence, like a young kid trying to impress his parents.

They made their way across the room to meet the jade-haired girl and her feathered companion. A wave of fear rushed over Dengeki, as the bird strongly reminded him of a creature he disliked the most. “Nice bird…” He muttered, hoping to mask the weak appearance he was showing.

Stepping forward, Mizu extended a hand, bowing slightly to show respect to his brothers’ friend. “I’m Mizu Kyuukikougeki. And you must be a Ms. Tala Ganmade? I’ve heard quite a lot about you from those little devils.” With that, he nodded towards the twins, an identical mischievous smile across his lips. “They’re adorable, aren’t they? Both of them neglected to inform me of how incredibly beautiful you are. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[Sadie]

Waiting patiently, or at least as patiently as Tala normally was able to accomplish under regular circumstances, the girl watched the figures approach with amused lenses, ignoring Mortimer's unhappy chatter. New people would distract his friend from feeding him; but this was easily corrected, he realized soon, and he began to simply pluck the vegetation off of the table himself.

Dengeki's mutter didn't escape Tala's notice, and her grin widened significantly. "My Hi'ota. Mortimer. Well, technically he's my entire family's Hi'ota, but I usually have to take care of him the most because he likes me, so I consider him mine." Realizing that conversation would be a little more difficult with her overprotective bird looming on her shoulder, she craned her head to glance up at him and pursed her lips, trilling a few high notes at him in a loud whistle. Although displeased at the idea of leaving, Mortimer obediently launched off her shoulder rather abruptly, spreading his impressive wingspan at the peak, and wafted across the room, taking to Dal's shoulder instead.

Rolling her somewhat sore shoulder in its socket a little to ease the aching that had very slowly grown, Tala was able to now focus her attention entirely on the newcomer, which she did happily. Her hand met his firmly and she shook it, her own expression turning amused as he spoke. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mizu. So you are as handsome as they say. Yeah, but Tala works just fine. How's it hanging?" A light laughter bubbled in her throat. "Yeah, yeah, they are."

At his last statement, her eyes rolled a little to the side, still amused and somewhat dismissive. "Oh, you only say that because you haven't seen much of the other girls here yet. Trust me, you'll soon understand how it slipped their minds." Her lips never lost that graceful grin, the one that made her orange eyes dance and set an easygoing aura about her.

[Jas]

Eight pairs of gazes were set upon the smaller furry boy, seven of them looking curious, a single one looking quite flabbergast. They stood there for a bit, none of them saying a word, but kept staring at one another.

Until that moment had passed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

A lot of the Luminarian siblings jumped a bit, the youngest boy the most, all of them looking quite startled as the Ursa turned around and made a dash for it. Several pale eyes blinked in confusion as they looked after him, the light on their antennae brighter because of their surprise.
". . . What a jumpy little fellow." Vah'ku remarked, running a hand across his beard. "Who did you say he was exactly, Nebulos?" The father looked down at his youngest son, but that one still looked a little startled, and also a little violet. His mouth moved about a bit, but no sounds came out. He shut his mouth and cleared his throat, looking a little flustered. His ivory gaze moved up to meet that of his sire for a minute, then turned back into the direction Moxinosh had left. "He's, uhh... W-well, he's uhh... He's the--" He didn't finish his sentence, for at that exact moment the crowd shifted and a family of three was revealed, the little boy they had seen earlier clinging onto a very familiar girl. At the sight of them, Nebulos' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, his gaze shifting nervously between Moxinosh and the taller woman who had to be Lunira's mother.

Nebulos' own mother seemed to noticed the shift in her son's demeanor and glanced over at the bear-like family, who seemed to struggling with the little boy. A gentle smile curled on her blue face and she lifted a hand to place it on Nebulos' head, softly stroking his white shaggy hair in a soothing fashion.

"Hey, look! There he is!" the youngest girl called out, pointing over to where the Ursaminorian family was standing.

"Don't point, Sijzi. It's rude." Anaximander remarked, taking his sister's hand in his and pushing it down, which got a pout out of the curly-haired girl.

"It looks like one of them is coming over." Ma'hanne, Nebulos' mother said. Her voice sounded rather musical as she talked.
Nebulos, who had been slightly distracted due his siblings' minor quarrel, jumped a little and jerked his head the other way. The blush present on his cheeks intensified a little, something that didn't go by unnoticed by the eldest female Luminarians, but who were tactful enough not to comment on it.

"That's... It's Luni-- Lunira." The blue boy uttered, a smile curling upon his blue features as the panda-like girl came over. Each family member now looked over as Nebulos pointed her out. No one could blame Lunira for looking quite nervous as she came over. "Uh...Hello?" she began tentatively.
Nebulos glanced over at his relatives and then back at Lunira. He, of course, was familiar with his siblings and parents, but it did dawn on him how intimidating it must look when a single person approached them, as they were so large in number. He chuckled a little, looking quite nervous himself, but moved over towards her, his parents' watchful gaze trailing him, amused.

"Hey Luni..." he said softly, joining her at her side. He took one of her paws in his hand, squeezed it gently, and then turned around to face his family, each of them looking curious, some of them having their heads tilt in a fashion similar to the youngest brother. "Everyone, this is Lunira." he said, giving her hand another gentle squeeze. "She's my, uhh... my friend." His blush grew a little purpler, but he continued nevertheless. "Luni, this is my mother, Ma'hanne, and my father, Vah'kuh. Those are my older brothers and sister, Anaximander, Thales and Elishe. And those are my twinbrother and -sister, Novaes and Sijzi."
Each addressed Luminarian flashed the fuzzy girl a smile, lifting a hand to wave at her and flashing their antennae in greeting.


- - -


"...Very well then, Masurao. Your parents and instructors said that you were very trustworthy so I have no reason to doubt you. I apologize if I may come off a bit harsh toward you, I'm just concerned over my daughter's safety."

The response startled him a bit. Apparently, he had not expected for the King to accept his explanation without second thought. His initial surprise might have shown for just a second where he stood motionlessly, but he solved this quickly by swooping down into another bow. "I am not offended in the least, sir. I thank you for putting your trust into me. I will not abuse it."
Masurao sincerely hoped when Niji cracked the happy news about her boyfriend, the King would not consider this abuse of his trust. The wolf was quite certain this was going to be a tenseful day.

"Well, shall we head toward the rest of the families? I must admit that I am eager to meet your family again, Masurao." Tanjio continued, smiling kindly at him. "They were kind enough to allow you to come and watch over Niji..."

He was rewarded with a pat on the shoulder, before the regal man drifted past him, heading out for the cafeteria. Masurao felt some kind of invisible load fall off his shoulders. He exhaled through his nose, closing his eyes for just a second. Though the boy preferred solitude every now and then, he wouldn't mind being surrounded by other people for a bit, where he was ought to feel at least a little less stressful. "I am sure they will be please to see you again too, sir." the guard replied, turning on his heel to follow after the liege.

Crossing the threshold of the large room, the Egriadanian's mane twitched, the noise washing over him like a tidal wave. He hoped there'd be an opportunity to find a more secluded room where his Sector's family members could interact, rather than in an overcrowded room where one almost had to shout to understand one another. He narrowed an eye, his concentrated gaze wandering across the many heads in the room, some which he recognized, some which he didn't at all. How was it even possible to--

"Gin-day, haneh-ssi."

The blue boy stood, rooted on the spot. He did not move, did not speak, but simply stood, not even attempting to follow after the colourful man in search of his daughter. He stood, rigid. Unmoving. Utterly silent.

And then, quite slowly, Masurao turned around, showing his face to the one who had called out, a face with widened eyes, displaying a mild case of shock.

Sure enough, there she stood. She had not changed at all, except maybe in length. The minty green fur was exactly the same. The mane was still well-groomed and curly, with several beads attached to it. Her light-brown eyes glistened joyfully as she looked into his green ones, her hands hidden behind her back, making her look like the picture of innocence as she stood there, smiling gently. The two of them stood there for a bit, in a moment where nothing happened except staring at each other, one looking almost disbelieved while the other seemed amused.

And then, something quite extraordinarily happened.

Without any hesitation whatsoever, without a second thought, the blue alien made a dash for it, heading straight for the smaller girl. Said girl let out an excited laugh, skipping over to meet the elder boy, holding her arms out. At the meeting point, Masurao threw his arms around the younger alien, lifting her off the floor and wrapping his tail around her. Suau laughed happily, her arms clinging around her brother's neck as her own tail wrapped itself around his torso. A gentle purring brew in the back of both Egriadanians' throats, which made a lot of passing people turn their heads in surprise; either at the peculiar noise both aliens were producing, or either at the rather affectionate behaviour the eldest alien was showing publicly.

They stood like that for a bit, hugging, and expressing though this gesture how much the one had missed the other. The girl then pulled her head back, simply beaming at her brother, whose face looked far from its regular stoic state. The mild surprise still showed on his blue face, but one could also detect the genuine contentment as he watched the girl in his arms. "I am happy to see you, big brother." she said, displaying a row of sharp white teeth as the tip of tail waggled gleefully. Remarkably enough, said big brother configured a smile of his own in an instant.
"I am, too." he added. He looked at her for a bit, as if he still needed a little time to register she was, in fact, here. "How was your flight? Got here safely?" he inquired as he put the girl back to her feet. Suau grinned up at him, her tail flicking out behind her. "It was alright. Dad was a little apprehensive. You know he doesn't like to travel with anything he can't control. He doesn't understand how you can keep up with that." She concluded this with a chuckle, while the boy in front of her lifted both eyebrows. "Gej-ni is here?" he replied, the term referring to their father as he looked past his sibling to catch a glimpse of a relative. The smaller girl nodded, her grin increasing. "And mom. They said no spaceship could be too unstable if it brought them here to see you. They should be getting here any minute now."

As if right on cue, two furry creatures emerged from the crowd, their gazes wandering across the immense room, looking a little overwhelmed. They seemed to be involved in conversation as they made their way through the crowd. It didn't seem particularly hard for them to do, as a lot of aliens seemed to move out of the way spontaneously, perhaps because of their physical resemblance to a certain Sector SUN operative. Masurao's eyes widened at the sight of them and at the exact same moment, the male part of the couple nudged his mate and hurriedly gestured over to where Masurao and Suau were standing. The female followed the appointed direction and found her children there. Her face seemed to lit up in an instant and both Egriadanians picked up their pace and headed over to their children.

"Masurao!" Daun-Jani, exclaimed, pulling her rather flabbergast looking son into a hug. This son did not protest in the slightest and returned the gesture with as much fondness as the female did, following a pattern similar to hugging Suau. Arvore, the male part of the couple had a serene smile on his face as he beheld the happy reunion.

- - -

I'll stop here, it's getting WAAAYYY too long again ;;

[Paula]

"Hey Nebbie."

It may have seemed cliché, but Lunira had certainly felt a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling once Nebulos had stood next to her, taking her own hand into his.

She didn't want to see rude, but at the same time, she wasn't exactly sure of what to say. Fortunately for her, Nebulos had spoken first, identifiying each one of them to her. She waved to each one of them, saying hello--which she must've realized that she had been saying it over and over for about seven times. Upon noticing this, a pink tone grew itself on her cheeks, but the girl smiled all the same.

"I-It's very nice to meet all of you." Even though with Nebulos by her side, Lunira still had the sense of anxiety all over her, but they did seem nice. Taking a deep breath, she spoke again.

"Well, I-I wanted to bring over my mom and brother, but..uh...well, you've probably met him already." She smiled sheepishly, giving an embarassed chuckle. "H-h-h-he's shy, sorry about that." In a nervous habit, she looked over her shoulder back towards Halora and Moxi, wondering if they were going to come over or not, before looking back towards the Luminarians. She didn't mean to seem nervous, but at the moment there were seven--well, technically eight, of them and only one of her. Call it a bit silly, but she was afraid of doing something foolish.


Over on the other side of the room, Halora ran a paw over her son's head, keeping an eye on her daughter as well. Very briefly, she looked over towards whom she guessed was the mother and caught her eye for a moment. She smiled and nodded her head in regard towards her.

"See? They're not so bad, Moxinosh." The older Ursa whispered to her son.

Moxi, who now resumed his clinging position but on his mother, had looked over with one eye, wondering what the fate would be of his sister. However, he didn't expect to see this: her sister holding one of their hands....one of four of them, to be exact. The look of fear had vanished completely from his face and replaced itself with one of confusion. He knew that Lunira was pretty social when she wanted to be, but this was a little unexpected.

He looked up to Halora, wondering if she might be able to explain, but instead she only asked, "do you want to go over, now?" The boy looked back to his sister, keeping an eye on her and then to the boy that was holding her hand. He didn't give a response nor did he even move at all. He just kept...staring.

Halora noticed he was tilting his head a little, which she figured must've meant he wasn't ready to go over. She sighed, but said nothing. He'd let her know when he was ready.

----

"Er...."

"Zoelin?"

"Yeah, Pop?"

"You have no idea where we are, do you?" Felis stood behind his daughter, watching her as she kept whipping her head about from one side to the other. Evidence that she had no idea where she was going, nor any idea where they were.

"I do," she protested. "It's just...eh..there's too many people in here, that's all." The teen turned around, facing him with a smile. The green-haired man raised an eyebrow at this, while casually placing his hands into his pockets.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure as I'm red." Zoelin turned back around on her heel, attempting once again to find someone for her father to meet. "Hmm...well, I can't find him, so let's look for someone else."

Letting out a chuckle, Felis nodded. "All right, t'laa-meh. Lead the way--" Without any hesitation, the blond grabbed the man's hand, now heading in another direction in the crowd.

------

crummy post is crummy. -__-

[Sadie]

If he could have his way, Etoile would have sent the families home and dragged Nalo away for some private cuddling time without the stress of families.

But no, the idea was not likely to happen. Beside not being able to escape his parents' happy gazes, he wouldn't be able to even bring himself to suggest anything like that to Nalo. She was ecstatic to have her family around and he didn't intend on ruining that for her, not in the slightest. He could last a little longer with the parents if it made her smile as wide as she was, a smile that he often wished he himself could bring to her lips.

His arm tightened around Nalo's waist although his facial expression made no change whatsoever, continuing to observe the parents with a polite quietness, not really interjecting unless anything was directed at him. He was more than content to just listen, and he had already spoken the important words to Nalo's parents.

Just as he was starting to become dazed, not really listening anymore, a sudden presence made itself known on his other side, a face that he had not expected. At all.

"Etoile," Mercedes cooed, in a voice that was dripping with affection. Her fingers wrapped around his lower arm, twining into his open hand and binding her to the startled boy. "You didn't tell me that your adorable parents were here."

"Wh-. . ." Barely any sound escaped his throat at all; he gaped at her as a confused purple flame roared across his cheeks. His arm twitched in an attempt to lightly pull his arm away, but she had a firm grasp on it, her shaped body leaning in to curve against him a little. "Wh-what are you doing here?" he finally blurted out, his voice a little higher than usual. And what are you even doing?

She laughed, a tinkling sound that sounded like chimes in the wind. "I came to visit you, silly! My parents aren't here yet, so I thought I'd come see yours! I can see why you're so handsome!" That beam that looked so, so real was spreading across her perfect lips.

Thoroughly confused, but even moreso panicked, Etoile tried again to pull his arm away and failed once more. His mind had erupted into a haywire of panic and fear, knowing that Nalo's parents were seeing the entire thing. "Sh-shouldn't you be with D-"

"Hi!" she practically gushed to both sets of parents, cutting him off quite efficiently, still curved against the flustered boy, who had no clue what was going on, at all. "It's so lovely to meet you all! Etoile here has told me all about you. Isn't he just the cutest?"

Meeting his parents' suddenly uncertain eyes, the boy's blue lenses widened with fear as he sat there terrified, unsure of what to do and desperately wishing that it was socially okay for him to just shove the girl away, or send her flying across the room.

[RohaHat]

The girl had been in something of a daze, blissfully happy, what with being in the presence of both her dearly missed parents and her incredible boyfriend. But when she heard an unfortunately very familiar voice, she snapped back to reality immediately, a steely glare settling onto her features, especially as she observed the girl's fingers weaving between Etoile's.

The amount of self control it took to prevent herself from lunging at Mercedes was incredible, and as she watched Etoile's weak attempts to push the girl away, her anger at the ex-girlfriend's actions only bubbled up alarmingly quickly.

"Etoile here has told me all about you. Isn't he just the cutest?" The sharp sound of something slicing through the air was heard as several silvery limbs separated Mercedes from the confused Telarian, her fingers ripped from his in what must have been painfully quick movements, and her arms bound by the ends of the metallic tentacles. Moving away from the boy and completely ignoring the reaction from the parents, Nalo advanced on the girl, a gutteral growl sounding in her throat as she carted the girl away, craning her neck to locate the feline-featured female's current partner. This Chiz didn't care what her boyfriend's parents thought of her actions; she wasn't going to stand around and have the boy molested by his unpleasant ex.

It didn't take long to pick out his face from the crowd, and he seemed less than pleased when his disgruntled girlfriend was shoved into his arms. "Keep your animal on a leash from now on" were the words she presented the boy with, formed from dark, angry letters, before she turned to leave again, finally drawing the metal limbs back into her body. She could hear conversations of complaint rising from the couple behind her, and for a moment, she couldn't help but consider if Mercedes had any parents at all. But even if she hadn't, Nalo didn't have a drop of sympathy for the girl.

[Renee]

Numnuh Infinity watched happily as his girlfriend and his mother happily conversed about...Whatever it was that women talked about. He glanced at his father, "So, do you both of approve?"

The man chuckled lightly, "Relax, Jamal. We approved of your girlfriend long before you introduced her. From your letters and the photo you've sent of her, she seems like she's something special." He placed a fatherly hand on his son's broad shoulders. "Most important of all, your mother is growing quite fond of her." He tilted his head toward Cheryl and Niji, the older woman admiring the royal Orgamian's dazzling hair.

Jamal let out a little laugh. "I just hope she doesn't try to take Niji home with you guys."

Niji humbly bowed her head before the human lady who seemed to enjoy throwing her compliments, "You're much too kind to me Ma'am." She took a lock of her hair and stroked it, "I don't do much to my hair except wash it with herbal fruit shampoo and conditioner." She shrugged slightly. "But I'm glad you like my hair so much." The colorful Princess looked back up at her nodding her head. She then walked over to Jamal's side. "Your mom is very nice." She whispered into his ear.

"Yes, she is. My father is worried that she might want to take you home with her though."

Both teens laughed at that.

Niji covered her mouth with her hand, "Well if that's the only way that I could visit your home planet, then I'm all--" The colorful inhaled a shard gasp, and moved a few inches away from the human boy.

Jamal sunglasses dropped to his nose as he beheld the girl's peculiar sudden behavior, "Niji, what's the matter?"

Niji's features were pulled into a nervous frown, as she swallowed the large lump in her throat. "...M-My dad is coming." She nodded toward the regal man's entrance.

King Tanjio opened the doors to the cafeteria and scanned the crowd for his rainbow daughter, she shouldn't be too hard to spot, and she wasn't. He found her among another family. Two adults and a teenage boy. His eyes narrowed slightly at the male teen. 'Why would Niji be in the company of a boy?' He thought to himself as he made his way over.

Niji quickly turned back to her human companion, "You don't think your mother and father will tell about us, do you?" She asked frantically.

Jamal gave a quick glance at his parents who were talking to each other, most likely about them. "I-I don't think so, but then again we can never be too sure about--"

"You could never be too sure about what?" A male voice rang out behind them.

The two teens turned around with all the enthusiasm of facing a teenage army.

Niji was the first one to speak, "Oh, nothing Papa." She said innocently. "Umm..." She seemed at a lost for what to do or say before she remembered her secret boyfriend's parents were standing a few feet away. "P-please, allow me to introduce you." She turned to the human family. "Everyone, this is my father, King Tanjio of Orgami."

The family from Earth bowed respectfully.

The King returned the bow with a small one of his own. "It is an honor to meet Niji's friends and their families." He addressed both adults. "May I have your names please?" He placed his arms behind his back as he smiled pleasantly.

Cheryl spoke first. "My name is Cheryl, and this is my husband David Vast, and of course you know of my son Jamal." She lifted an arm to gesture to her boy.

Niji felt as if both her hearts stopped. "Oh, sweet Saturn..." She mumbled shakily.

Tanjio was a bit taken a back at the 'of course you know of' part of the woman's sentence but nevertheless nodded toward the family, "It's very nice to meet you, all."

Cheryl nudged Jamal slightly, "Jamal, where are your manners?" She scolded slightly, "Say hello..."

Jamal adjusted his sunglasses and cleared his throat so that he could speak, "I-It's an honor and a privilege to meet you, Sir." He bowed.

Tanjio narrowed his eyes slightly at the boy, "Likewise, I'm sure."

"I think it's wonderful that are all able to meet one another since our children are an item."

Jamal's sunglasses nearly fell of his nose as he gave his mother a helpless look. He then glanced at Niji, who's face was the picture of panic.

Tanjio lifted an eyebrow quizzically. "I...I beg your pardon Madam, but I'm afraid I do not understand. An "item"?" He looked down at his daughter.

David could sense the tension in both teenagers, "Allow me to clarify. What my wife is saying is that Jamal, and your lovely daughter, Princess Niji have quite the friendship."

Jamal was able to release the breath he did not even realize his was holding.

Tanjio's different colored eyes shifted from the two teens, "Is that so? It appears that I was unaware of this friendship between our children."

Cheryl laughed, "Well Jamal has taken quite a shine to Princess Niji. Not that I blame him, she is an absolute delight." She winked at the princess.

Despite the circumstances, Niji couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment. She looked up at her father, he did not looked too pleased, instead he looked a bit bewildered. She looked down at her shoes.

Tanjio blinked, and narrowed his eyes at the human teenager, "Oh, he has, has he?" He looked at Niji. She looked guilty, as if she were hiding something.

[Sadie]

Even more confusion was dumped on top of the Telarian boy as suddenly both sides of him, previously occupied, became completely empty. But when that was added to the dangerous noises coming from his current girlfriend's throat and the unhelpful, indignant protests from the intruder, it became clear what was going on, and Etoile was left standing there in front of four parents, his eyes following his thr'rin as she directed Mercedes elsewhere, which he soon recognized to be Divad.

He didn't know what it was that she wrote to Divad, but the unhappy look on his face and the muttered conversation between the couple that followed told Etoile that it wasn't happy. He himself was still a little befuddled, although there was a hint of relief on his face now that Mercedes was removed. It only disappeared, replaced by a bit of fear, when he turned back from the scene and realized that he was still standing in front of both his own parents, and the parents of his girlfriend. . . . Crap.

"Who was that?" His mother's voice sounded slightly uncertain and mostly confused, causing Etoile to twitch. Perhaps he should have told his parents what had happened with Mercedes. . . but it had seemed smarter at the time to just forget about it to avoid the risk of worrying his parents.

"That was, uh. . ." Would it be worth it to lie? His parents would believe him if he said that it was a girl that Tala had pissed off that was seeking revenge. His younger sister practically asked for fights at times. "She was. . ." No. Better not to lie. ". . . my ex-girlfriend. From a while ago. Mercedes."

"Ex?" The prefix added with the affection that the girl had been gushing out like vomit was a bit perplexing for his parents.

"Uhm, yeah. . ." His eyes darted to Nalo's parents, wondering what they were thinking of their daughter's boyfriend now, before fleeign back to the familiar lines of his own parents' faces. "She, uhm. . ." Why was it so hard to say? ". . . cheated on me." It came out in a mumble, a quiet one that was hard to hear. "Things have been, er, rocky since then. . . Tala got revenge on her and then I guess things were bitter for a while. . ."

His cheeks flushed with shame. "We haven't spoken in ages. I don't know what that was." The words sounded so feeble and thin on his lips but he wasn't sure what else to say, nothing else was as honest. He didn't know what she was trying to do, even though he had a fairly good guess after being able to think better now. Most likely, it had been an attempt to trash him in front of his girlfriend's parents.

"I-I-I would never," he began to blurt hastily, before the phrase suddenly died on his lips. It wasn't necessary to tell them. They knew him, or at least his parents did, and they didn't need him to tell them that he would be with something like . . . that while he was dating Nalo. But his form was hunched a little out of embarrassment at the display while he waited for Nalo's return, eager to have someone back that he knew he could lean on in a situation like this.

[Paula]

That's right, Nalo. Show that Mercedes who's Etoile's girl, now. X3

------
"Found one! I found one!"

"I see--ah!" Zoelin tugged on her father's arm, now more sure of which direction to go as she saw one of her friends in the distance. By the way it looked from a different perspective, Zoelin resembled that of very young child trying to show their parent a new toy...or in this case, a new friend. He didn't find this out of the ordinary, however, though when she started to take to the air, it was then that he had to react.

"Calm down."

"I'm calm. Just excited," Zoelin smiled at him, setting foot on the ground.

"Of course you are." Felis sighed. It wasn't long before his daughter finally stopped in place, signifying that they had reached their destination. He had to crane his head a bit, not expecting to feel quite as short next to the other males, but he was certainly tall enough.

Zoelin's gray-toothed beam was still on her face as she looked from her dad to Niji and Infinity, which then soon grew into a confused one. "You guys all right?"

From the way that the two teens had looked, Zoelin had almost guessed someone had either made it public that the two were dating...or that someone had forgotten to refill the ice-cream machines again. The scarlet furred girl took a quick glance over at the breakfast line, now seeing a small boy trying to get some multi-colored swirled ice cream onto his plate. This reassured her, but then a worried frown made it's way onto her face again, now realizing it was the first assumption.

That, and it faltered slightly when she noticed 3 other adults standing nearby. "Oh...Hello, there." She waved to them.

[RohaHat]

But he didn't see her return, because she drifted over from behind, her arms sliding around the boy's waist, under his arms. Her head resting on his shoulders, her gaze was cast towards her parents, who had heard every detail about the Mercedes' Saga as it happened, and now they knew who the girl was, weren't entirely surprised about what had just occured.

"Sorry about that, I have a serious problem with that girl's face," she wrote, although which set of parents it was more directed towards was unclear, "And most of the rest of her body." All the rage that had previously defiled her features had vanished, replaced with a quiet calmness, no trace of sound in her throat and every movement was soft and silent. The only detail that hinted to her uneasy state of mind was the thin tendril, moving back and forth behind her, something rare to happen outside of battle.

She didn't know what Etoile had told them, but she assumed it was the truth. "Etoile and I have unpleasant experiences with that girl, I think you can understand why I wouldn't want her to ruin this day." Her parents certainly seemed to understand, but the violent essence they had just viewed in their child was a little worrying. She had been almost entirely docile when she had departed, all those years ago, but in an organisation such as this, maybe it was only inevitable.

Suddenly, anyone stood near the door was showered in golden feathers, as what looked like an army of Cyril's zoomed in through the doorway, all squawking the boy's name. The actual Cyril, still chowing down on his breakfast, was up and away in seconds, and a grand reunion was held near the ceiling of the room, yellow feathers spiralling down onto the heads of families below. A much calmer, much older pair of birds sauntered in through the doors atop their feet rather than in the air, grinning a little to each other as their children wreaked havoc in the sky. The shouts from each individual bird was almost indistiguishable, but they were all definitely pleased.

From the side of the room, the magenta irises of the Cykrian watched the reunion in the sky, a faint smile resting on her lips. It was difficult to be sad at all in a room full of so much europhia, even if the pangs of loneliness still twanged vaguely in her gut. A single feather, carried by the air currents in the vast room, drifted over, landing lightly in the thick bangs of her fringe, and she carefuly pulled it out with a forefinger and thumb, examining it with her eyes, turning it back and forth between her fingertips.

[Sadie]

The gentle fingers of the Telarian male fell to rest lightly on the thin arms that had wrapped around his waist, gently stroking them with a thumb as his head tilted a little to the side to rest against Nalo's. He wasn't sure what Nalo was writing to the parents since the paper was turned toward them, but it seemed to relax his parents, at least, and they seemed to understand, at least a little.

"Je'n poai un tiln weyana quom'm an'diu," he said quietly to them quietly, not quite meeting their eyes. I'll tell you everything later. His hand curved around Nalo's and he gave it a squeeze, before suddenly shifting just a little in her arms so that he could turn his nose into her thick hair, murmuring there to her.

"Go spend time with your parents. They've met me, now, and you've been waiting to see them." His lips held a reassuring smile and he gestured towards them a little, urging her to go.

He could give up time with Nalo if it meant that she would smile like she was brimming with happiness for the rest of the day.

[Jas]

((AKPSHFSST ;; Sorry I didn't leave another post here before I left DX; I meant to do it, but I got caught up in preparations and everything. But maybe it's not that bad, because I wouldn't have been able to reply for another week anyway XD;

YOU GUYS TAKE CARE, STAY AWESOME <3 ))

[RohaHat]

Glancing up at Etoile as he spoke to her, she needed a little extra motivation to leave him, but eventually did so, pecking his lips lightly before nodding to her boyfriend's parents, then gliding over to her own, a message in her language already written upon the paper of her notebook. She would make up for staying away from him for most of the day, he would be with her again later that night. But for now, this was the day she had been looking forward to for a long time.

(okay so this post is tiny and I should mention Lester and Vibe and Cyril BUT I'M LAZY. if I don't post this now I'll probably forget about it. ;; *fails*)

[Sadie]

Sweeping another bow to Nalo's parents respectfully, Etoile gave Nalo a fleeting warm smile before leaving her to her family, knowing that she had been waiting for this day. Blue eyes were guarded as he turned to his own parents, who welcomed him to them with open arms. After chatting with them for a few minutes about unimportant things, he finally came to a decision and suddenly straightened before them.

"I have to go do something for the base," he told them in smooth D'thlanyian, smiling. "I know I'm leaving you alone, but would you mind excusing me for a few minutes? Maybe you could eat?"

"Don't worry about us," Dal said serenely, waving a hand. "We'll see you again soon." The teen gave Tsuki's hand a light squeeze, widening his warm smile before sweeping them another bow politely and slipping backwards into the crowd, weaving his way through the aliens that were still enthusiastically greeting their families.

His target was the blonde across the room, now clinging to the muscular arm of her boyfriend. There was a irate feeling smoldering in his system, a feeling that he kept from boiling over so that it only churned in his core.

The unimpressed arch of her eyebrows as she spotted him was meant to scare him away, but he had long grown unfazed by it and simply came to a stop in front of the couple, lifting his eyebrows a little when she snapped out an impatient, "What?"

"Shut up," he responded sharply, startling her into silence. Etoile rarely used the phrases that his little sister threw around so easily, but they were perfect for situations like this, when he needed to make a point. And it worked; she blinked, unsure of how to respond.

Finally, her voice came again, dangerous. "Divad, will you leave us for a few minutes?"

"No. He doesn't have to." Etoile shook his head, before giving a light nod to Divad in greeting. "Would you mind if I talk to her for a minute?"

Divad looked confused and could do nothing but shrug, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, since his girlfriend hadn't exactly explained the situation to him from earlier.

"Fine. What do you want?" His girlfriend looked like she would rather be anywhere else.

Blue optics, narrowed, focused on the catlike eyes that stared right back at him. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, but cut it out. Now. I don't know why you think it's fun to try to ruin my life, but I swear to you that if you try anything like that again, I'll let my little sister have her way with your face."

"Or your girlfriend," came the sneering response with the girl. "What, you always let her fight for you?"

A faint, amused smile. "You're just pissed because you know she can pound you into the ground."

Divad snorted, a move that earned him a scathing glare from his girlfriend.

"I could beat you myself," Etoile added lazily, his hands in his pockets. "But I don't hit girls." His voice took on the same dangerous edge that hers had carried earlier. "Don't do it again. Leave us alone."

Talking straight, he had found, was the only way to get a message into the girl's skull.