Snippet #1527086

Like the sea, Yani seemed to retreat into herself and sighed, long and hard. Breathless with her whale-sized rashness, even she couldn't help but feel like the ocean was claiming her, dragging her towards the only gravitating force that held them all. Within Mother Nature's gentile, guiding palms, she felt like she should grab Lalita and Noah's wrists and pull them inside of Nike's chambers, if only to hear her enchanting concerto. Her mouth formed a tight, indecisive line that suddenly twisted into a sharp scowl; who had hurt her so? No—who could hurt her, with all of her kindness and hopes and dreams filling them up like that, who could possibly hurt her? Nike felt like home. She was vast, seemingly endless, with a beauty so wild and intoxicating that she couldn't possibly believe her to be frail; even if her skeletal fingers and shallow cheekbones told otherwise, even if she admitted that her powers were withering. Teeming with life, it was all Yani could do to cling onto shore and reach some kind of conclusion; and yet, she stood along side her fellow descendants with dubious hesitation. She had to continuously remind herself that she couldn't feel the grating, warm sand squishing between her toes, and the hooting gulls weren't crying in her ears—but even then, Nike's hold on her was true and genuine and so complete, it made her feel like she was beside the ocean.

Noah's drawling voice caught her by the ears, dragged her back to the ornately decorated hallway with all of those historic paintings and vases displayed only for them. Her eyes locked with his and she'd suddenly forgotten what they'd been taking about, what the previous small confrontation had been. The small bird fluttered before her, puffing out his chest as if searching for a means of looking bigger and more intimidating than he could possibly become. Halfway between a proud sea hawk and a preened bluejay, the Avian descendant didn't shy away from her diligent gaze. Hadn't he just threatened to hang her from her bandana two seconds ago? Her eyebrows knit, agonized by the magnetic pull that begged her to carry herself into the next room—though, she didn't want to admit to this urgency. Nike's berating melody sounded like the most beautiful, lamenting wolf howling of it's sadness. It was hypnotizing. Whatever slight Noah felt was melting as quickly as her resolve, and she found herself wanting to apologize; for what? Stealing his wallet was never initially a malicious act. It was just how she was—once a thief, always a thief, wasn't that how it went? A jest of sorts. Her mouth hung open for a moment, searching for words that made little sense above the loud, clamorous music thrumming in her mind. “Sorry. Let's go,” Yani spluttered, less conviction and wholly forced; a pinch of genuineness, if you squinted hard enough.

Heels slapping against the linoleum floor announced the Snake's entrance, and Yani had to look in her direction. All charisma and mystery, the Shark Descendant had already decided that she liked the alluring woman. Perhaps it was because she constantly surrounded herself around burly men, and was unused to seeing other females. Sometimes, she hardly considered herself a woman; strip herself of those curves, long eyelashes and purring accent, and she was little more than a brash young man striking out to port. “Yer' right, Lali,” The Shark Descendant finally lilted, her voice suddenly drained. She exchanged a knowing look, nodded her head in agreement. Her bottled ship-heart sang when Lalita suggested that they seek out Nike, and make sure that the commotion was nothing but simple commotion. She knew better than that, she knew that it wasn't simple. Nothing was going to be simple anymore. Frantic emotions hurtled forward, though she controlled her swaggering steps and allowed Lalita to take the lead, lingering a few paces behind the fluttering bird. Waves hungry and full-belied slapped against the rocks, she couldn't even muster to return any seething glares back in Noah's direction. She stared straight ahead, her expression as solemn as a sharks. Nike's blow felt like all the strength had been sapped from her, as if the sun had somehow dipped beneath the clouds and they were left with an ugly darkness.

Yani followed without another word, trying her best not to clamber ahead of them. Where had the sudden happiness gone—it was as if all the beauty in the world had gone—, disappeared and drained. Her bright eyes dissolved in the pulse of the ocean, pressing into monotone, blind shells and all that was left of the fire was smouldering ash. Her fierceness was soft; weak but strong enough to penetrate rock and more importantly, their hearts. Now, Yani's heart sang for her, reached out and wrapped itself around Nike's feet, if only to comfort her. As Lalita and Noah lingered near the doorway, Yani couldn't help but fumble forward, legs suddenly weak from a hammering grief she was sure everyone could feel. A quiet whoosh of elevator doors, and the solemn emptiness followed it; it wasn't important.

Anxious servants surrounded Nike, anguishing and coddling and whispering words in hushed undertones. In spite of all of her strength and reckless endeavors, her lip quivered. Foolish she may be, but she believed in displaying her emotions openly. Nike's creased eyes bellied her concern, and Yani found herself kneeling next to her, calloused hand lingering softly on her forearm. She wanted to repeat Lalita's question; what could they do to comfort this woman, whose sadness weighed the world down? She understood what true loneliness felt like. She understood what it meant to grow up without a family, and what it felt like to build your own reason for living; she understood that so much that it hurt. She couldn't possibly understand what this felt like, though. A responsibility so great, it was devastating.

Machai was nowhere to be found, and that in itself was confusing. The Shark Descendant's expression soured, bared back protectively against a force she could not understand. How could she protect this woman, and better yet, how could any of them? Her light was what decided their fates, and she'd be damned to believe that any of them doubted the story. Even she, asking her questions about Humanity, had already placed her fealty in the frail woman, because she believed. She believed in something. “They came here, didn't they?” Her voice wasn't as calm as the sea anymore, it rose and fell like a tsunami, threatening to destroy whatever threatened Mother Nature.