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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2020 17:24:45 GMT -5
. Isla nodded in solemn agreement, but before she could voice it, Seth spoke up. He didn't bother to look up from his drawing, nor hide the smirk on his face, as he said loudly, "Alright, ladies. Why don't you quit talking about me and come join us? You're being awful rude." He didn't sound particularly put out about it, despite his words.
One little girl, no more than five, had wiggled herself onto his lap. She was watching his pencil move with wide-eyed fascination, but when Seth spoke, she looked up at the two women and nodded smartly. "That's right. Awful rude." She paused. Blinked up at Seth. "What does awful rude mean?"
Seth huffed a laugh and tugged on one of her pigtails. "It means not nice."
"Oh. Okay." She went to poke his paper. He captured her hand before she could. That didn't stop her from asking. "Can I have that one?"
"We'll see," Seth said with a smile.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2020 21:56:08 GMT -5
. Her reminder had Seth muttering a curse that made all the kids gasp and shriek in outraged amusement. The girl in his lap even put her hands over her mouth and looked up at him with wide eyes. Then one hand shot up as she declared loudly, "Bring out the Swear Jar!"
Instantly, two of the older kids ran to the closest shelf and pulled down a large jar. It had been painted and decorated with dragons, glitter, and big X's and the word 'no.' It was about a third of the way full of money, the lid sealed shut with glue and had a hole in the top for dropping money in.
As soon as the jar came out, Seth rolled his eyes and sighed, resigned to his fate. "You kids are like vultures, lying in wait for my money." He finally put the pencil down to sit back and reach into his pocket. As he did so, he purposely leaned farther to one side then necessary, making the girl in his lap squeal in pretend terror as she was almost dumped onto the floor. She didn't even try to save herself; she just started falling until Seth swooped in and saved her with an arm around her torso.
She was giggling with delight as Seth sat normally again and dropped his money in the jar. "There you go, vultures. Now I'm broke. Again." They just laughed. No one believed him, and for good reason. Seth was far from broke. He just didn't have anymore cash on him. He had brought some for the sole purpose of putting it in that Swear Jar. He had yet to visit Island Paradise without having to put money in the jar at least once.
Isla came up and stood behind him, hands on her hips. "You would be," she said, "if you put money in a jar every single time you swore, and not just every time when you're here."
Seth considered that, then his rather large bank account. "Eh, I don't know about broke, but I certainly wouldn't be so rich, either."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 16, 2020 22:34:57 GMT -5
"Yes, I do. I'm helping him with his research on magic," Anya responded, not too sure why Ilsa would have such a reaction to the fact. Seth, she knew, had some cause to not like him, and even she had her issues with the man, but she didn't know anything about the other woman's dealings with Silas. "I mostly read books and write down anything that might look important. I don't actually do anything fascinating. Sometimes I run errands or deliver messages for him if needed as well. Nothing glorious, but he pays decently."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 16, 2020 22:56:21 GMT -5
. Isla just gaped at her for a good minute before turning her wide, incredulous stare to Seth. "You're letting her work for him? For him?!"
Seth just arched one brow. "Okay, first, I don't let Anya do anything. She's a big girl. She can make get own choices — and fight her own battles."
Isla blushed. "That's not what I —"
"And second," Seth continued, holding up a hand to halt her, "Silas knows what'll happen if he tries anything. He's an asshole, not an idiot."
Isla held his stare for a moment, then sighed, turning back to Anya with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that. I grew up with Seth and Silas, and long story short, Silas was the villain of my story. Seth the hero —"
"I was not," Seth tried to interject. Isla ignored him.
"So I don't like Silas much," she finished. Then corrected, "Or at all. And you're way too nice to be working fir such a jerk."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 17, 2020 8:37:15 GMT -5
"It's okay," Anya assured as Isla apologized. "I've heard from Seth how he feels about Silas, and I have experienced some non too pleasant conversations with him myself. However, he hasn't done anything to really make me uncomfortable working for him, and, like I mentioned, he pays me fairly for the job I do. Besides," she added with a shrug, "I won't be working for him for a while. I'm going to be training with my mentor as we travel Alagaësia after tomorrow. So you don't have to worry about that.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 17, 2020 21:34:03 GMT -5
. Isla looked to Seth, not so much to ask for permission but to ensure he was on board with telling Anya. The Program wasn't a secret, but Anya was right that Seth didn't like talking about it. But he just sighed and waved Isla on, so she turned back to Anya.
"Genevieve founded it," she started, only to pause a moment before adding, "In part, to test Seth. She had — has, I guess — this — ack, what would you call it, Seth?"
"A flightful fancy," he muttered.
Isla rolled her eyes. "We'll just call it an idea, one that Seth thinks is bogus, though he would be the only one. Anyway, almost fifty years ago, Genevieve started wondering about Riders, and what it was about each individual that made the dragons hatch for them. She wondered what factors might influence the decision one way or the other. And she wondered if it was genetic, if the children of Riders had a higher chance of being chosen. So she made the first Young Riders Program, bringing in the kids of Riders and non-Riders alike to be trained and tested before coming of age to be chosen. The results of that original program are foggy, but I would imagine they weren't conclusive, since she started it again a few years later. Only this time, she made sure her own kid was part of it."
Isla glanced at Seth again. "All the kids in the second program — the one we grew up in — had one Rider parent — everyone but Seth. He has — had — two," she corrected with a wince, though Seth had busied himself with his artwork again. Only a fool would believe he wasn't listening, though. "So maybe the first program was successful, and the second was a test of a different sort. The Rider parent of all the kids were of varying ranks and powers, some stronger than others in skill or magic. I guess Genevieve wanted to see if that played a factor in their being chosen."
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 17, 2020 21:46:57 GMT -5
As Isla explained, Anya nodded slightly every now an then to let her know she was following the information. That made sense. Dragons were mysterious creatures, so she wasn't really surprised that anyone would want to try and attempt to gain some understanding in their thought processes. In all honestly, the creation of the Program seemed like a harmless and interesting idea. However, she imagined that it wasn't the concept of the program that was flawed, but rather how the training itself and the expectations set for the children that were the main issues.
The comment about Seth parents did not go unnoticed. As curious as she was on that subject matter as well, Anya knew better than to follow that rabbit trail. She was already on a testy topic. There was no sense in making things worse. So, instead, she asked, "Did it have an affect? Did the children of Riders have a better chance of hatching a dragon?"
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 17, 2020 22:01:32 GMT -5
. "It did seem that way for a lot of them, yes," Isla replied. "The program was divided into four age groups, each one year older than the other. Kind of like school, with grades and stuff. Anyway, the oldest kids — Seth's group — had the majority of the kids, and they were the main focus. That group included Seth, of course, plus Silas —" She made a face as she said his name, almost unconsciously. "— Morgan, Arianna, and Thomas and Roland, who are cousins. Of that group, Roland was the only one who didn't get chosen, and there are some who would argue that it was because his Rider parent — his mother, I believe — was the weakest of the Rider parents of that group.
"There were three kids in the next oldest age group, and only one of them were chosen by a dragon. Neither of the kids in the third age group were chosen. And then between me and my brother in the youngest group, I was the only one to be chosen." Her hand ran over the insignia on her palm, the motion unconscious and edged with sorrow. It was enough to bring Seth's attention back to the conversation in full.
After a moment, Isla finished with, "I don't believe having a Rider parent makes a difference about whether or not you get chosen. But I do think it might influence how powerful a Rider you could become. Not entirely, but... just enough to make a difference."
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Jan 18, 2020 12:00:38 GMT -5
Arianna does have a mean streak, it's just not that kind of mean, especially when she was younger. She liked Seth (still does, actually) and she knew that to take Silas's side and start bullying the younger kids would make Seth dislike her and he never would have even considered dating her. So if/when she ever felt the temptation to bully, she resisted in order to get what she really wanted: Seth. ;P As if he could sense the thoughts on the matter of 'lovely,' or perhaps he simply knew her well enough to guess, Seth glanced at Anya and smiled. "I brought the lovely Anya because we've been together most of the day, celebrating her approval for that traveling. And I came here early because we are on our way to the final part of it: dinner at my mother's."
Isla's eyes went wide. She looked between Seth and Anya, then asked in a stunned whisper, "You introduced her to Cresseida?"
Seth sighed. "Yes. Why is that so surprising?"
Isla blinked. "Oh, well, I don't know. You're just... such a private person. It usually takes you years to trust someone enough with knowledge of your family."
Seth just held her gaze with a steady stare until Isla looked away. "So, anyway..." he drawled. "I won't be able to teach the kids tonight."
That finally elicited a reaction from said kids. Most had scattered as the adults talked, though many were still in or around the art corner. Some were playing a board game at a neighboring table, others drawing or coloring their own artwork. One was even reading in the corner. The girl on Seth's lap hadn't moved, but she had stolen some scrap paper and was drawing shapes in bright colors across it.
But at Seth's announcement, they all stopped what they were doing with cries of "Nooo!" that made Seth laugh. As they all came over to swarm him again, he shifted in his seat to face them. "Relax, guys. It's not like you'll never see me again. I'm coming back next week, and I will come early and stay an extra hour, okay?" He ruffled the hair of the girl in his lap. "Sound good, kiddo?"
The kids all gave their reluctant agreement and slowly went back to whatever they had been doing before. Several gave Seth a hug first. Then the girl in his lap sat forward and poked his drawing. "But you're gonna finish my picture first, right?"
Seth sat forward too to study his drawing. "Hm. Not sure I have time, kiddo. Dragons take time to draw with any decency." When the girl pouted, Seth chuckled and tugged her braid. "I'll finish it tonight and drop it off first thing in the morning, okay?"
She instantly brightened. "Okay!" And then she finally hopped down off his lap and went to join the board game, only to stop when she was halfway there, run back, and hug him. Then she was off again, and Seth was smiling as he stood up, drawing in hand, and turn to the waiting women. "Well, that was more painless than I was expecting."
Isla rolled her eyes. "I don't know how you did it, but I'm pretty sure they like you more than me. And they only see you once a week!"
Seth's smile widened. "There's no 'think' about it, little island. They do like me more, and it's because they only see me once a week. Daily exposure would likely sour their opinions eventually."
"Hmm..." was Isla's only response.
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*Nightwhisper
"And guilty I may be, but don't give up on me... We will still be thick as thieves."
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Post by *Nightwhisper on Jan 18, 2020 16:54:58 GMT -5
(Well, I guess she's got one redeeming quality if nothing else. XD It's not a big one, but it's something.)
Anya didn't know what to do when Isla cast a surprised look her way. Was it really that strange that she would have met his mother? Yes, Seth was a private sort of person, and he had made it clear that his top priority was keeping his family safe. But the odds of her running into Cressida wasn't that slim. She was sure she would have stumbled upon the bakery at some point and have meet the woman and daughter duo who ran the business, regardless of Seth's introductions.
The disappointment that spread throughout the room was very vocal at the news of Seth's not being able to draw tonight. It made Anya feel a little guilty. These children had been waiting all week to get to be able to have their art lessons, and they wouldn't get it because he had agreed to accompany her for the day. Even as he smoothed things over with them, she kind of wanted to tell him he didn't have to go to dinner if he didn't want to. In fact, she was a little curious to see what his art lessons were like herself. Now, she couldn't draw and doubted she would have participated, but she would have enjoyed watching Seth with the children and talking more with Isla. "I doubt anything would sour their opinions of you," she commented, smiling slightly as the children went off to do their own things.
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