Velonix Orako's Story

”It's okay to feel weak sometimes. It's okay to be afraid.
The important thing is that we face our fears.
That's … That's what makes us strong.”
Hex Code ~ #B43104

---

From the beginning of time, humans have worshiped some form of a deity. Where they got the ideology that another more powerful being existed, watching over them and also judging their every movement, their every decision - their every thought - is beyond the understanding of modern day scientists. Some speculate that humans do this as a coping mechanism for when thinking about their inevitable deaths, so that instead of the panic of the unknown, they have something to look forward to. All that is known is that they have worshiped some sort of ethereal being since the beginning of their existence.

Jesus. Allah. Moses. Zeus. God.

Those are but a few of the many, many deities and omnipotent beings that the humans have ‘thought’ of as their creators. Obviously, none of them came close to the truth - the truth that the Sun and the Moon, two ‘planets’, as they were deemed by humans, were the actual creators of all living creatures - but that was partially the doing of said deities. Ever since the humans began to wonder how they came to be, how they were created, or in general question anything related to such a subject, the Sun and the Moon have ventured to Earth to regularly spin stories and spread them across the world in an attempt to slow the discovery of their being. Once their children were born, however, they put far more effort into keeping their existence hidden, into preventing them and their children from being discovered. Any human that came close to the truth was promptly dealt with, usually by the Senior Star given her memory suppression capabilities, and thus far they believe that their web of lies and legends has held up.

The lies were put into place to not only protect the Sun and Moon, and not only their children, either, but also the human beings themselves. If they were to discover the true origin of their beginnings, there is no telling what the outcome could be. What could become of the children and their parents is unknown, seeing as the two deities never once claimed to be omnipotent, and they have lived in slight fear of their existence becoming known one day.

They don’t, of course, plan to hide themselves forever. Simply until they deem the humans to be capable of accepting their existences without any repercussions; and so far, they have yet to prove themselves worthy to know the truth.

The main cause of war in human society stems from religious views. The main cause of disputes between people is caused by their differences in beliefs.

Many, many issues in human society, both currently and throughout the past, can be traced back to religious differences. The Crusades are a prime example of holy wars, during which time countless lives were lost.

The witch trials across Europe and early America are another example of the religious influence that causes mass genocides to take place. World War II, in which Adolf Hitler attempted to wipe out all of those belonging to the Jewish faith.

To sum everything up, human beings as a whole are not ready to accept the truth. They are close - Gods, they are so very close - to being able to hear the real truth and accept it without negative consequences or outcomes.

But they aren’t quite there yet; and so the Sun and the Moon are not ready to take the chance of revealing their existence to any human being, out of fear of them spreading the knowledge of their lives to other humans throughout the world. And so we hide.

We always hide.

“Ms. Orako, the Headmaster has finished with your brother and is ready to see you now.”

Velonix glanced up at the Headmaster’s Assistant from the blank, old book that she had been writing in. It had been given to her by the owner of the bookshop that she had just recently been given a job at as a welcoming present. She had seen it through the window when she had been walking by, and it had prompted her to enter the store, almost as though it were calling for her. When the owner, Mr. Zwemmer, saw her inside and staring at it, he had removed it from its case and allowed her to look more closely at it. While she was studying it, they began a conversation, and one thing led to another, and she ended up with her first real job in the human world. After hiring her and observing the longing in her eyes for the book while going through the paperwork process, Mr. Zwemmer finally caved and gave her it as a gift, much to her happiness. She had promised vehemently to care for it as though it were a living creature, and he laughed in response, knowing that she would. Her first shift would be in an hour, after classes had ended, as she was supposed to be receiving all of her school information now and the boy who Mr. Zwemmer had assigned to train her on the way that things were run around the store was in the same school as her.

Setting down the quill - yes, she still wrote with a quill and ink, deal with it - she put the stopper into her ink bottle and pushed back her chair, rising from her seat at the desk that she was told to wait at in the teacher’s offices. She placed the book and writing utensils in her messenger bag, slung it over her shoulder, and rubbed her arms absentmindedly.

She could still remember the day that her siblings pushed her into returning to Earth, which was only two weeks prior to the present day. The idea had been hers - a decision that still surprised her, even though she was the one who came up with it - but she was nonetheless hesitant to follow through with the plan.

---

~’.’~Two Weeks Prior~’.’~

Soft whispers slithered beneath the door that led to the library. They could only be heard if one were to be standing directly outside of the door, and it was almost necessary to press one’s ear to said door in order to actually understand what was being said.

Not that there was anyone to listen to the discussion. Sun and Moon were currently overwatching the Earth, as they did at that exact time each and every new day, and The Senior Star was currently assisting them in their Earthly decisions. The Junior Star was at her side, attempting to intake any new knowledge to be gained from the actions that his more powerful Godly comrades were performing.

Now who, one may wonder, was making such noise in the library?

There could only be one group of culprits behind it; the four children of the Sun and the Moon.

The very embodiment of the Seasons themselves.

Beyond the large oaken door, the children of the Gods sat on the comfortable furniture within. The two eldest were on one couch, while the two youngest had taken seats on the armchairs on either side of the larger furniture. Harmonix had taken the liberty to start a fire in the massively beautiful fireplace that adorned the equally gorgeous library, which was quadruple the size of the area that they were currently nestled in, and she folded her legs beneath her bottom on the chair, tucking her skirt underneath her shins in an ever-present drive at modesty. A mug of her equally ever-present hot chocolate, decorated with whipped cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles of cinnamon, was clasped firmly between her oddly cold palms, which were damp with a nervous sweat. The same wetness was sprinkled across her hairline, both along her forehead and the nape of her neck, and a small tremble of anxiety resided in her grip. In addition, she was doing her bad habit of bouncing slightly as she sat, constantly shifting her weight in an obvious attempt to get comfortable, despite it being a futile effort.

After several moments of silence had ticked by, Harmony, obviously too nervous to start the discussion of why she had asked her siblings to join her in the library, squirmed a bit until her sister spoke.

”Harmy, I understand that you’re nervous, but you should know by now that there’s no need for you to feel that way around us. Whatever’s bothering you - whatever’s weighing on your mind - just speak.” Her voice was gentle, almost a coo, in an obvious attempt to draw her shy younger sister slightly more out of her shell.

In response, Harmony fidgeted a bit more for a moment longer, before forcing herself to settle and heaving a sigh. After a long sip of her delicious cocoa, she lowered her feet to the floor and leaned forward, setting the mug on the coffee table before her. She dropped her hands to her knees, drew in a long breath in preparation, and in one long heave, blurted out what she had rehearsed at least thirty-two times in her mind.

”I … I want to go and visit Earth!”

Almost instantly the girl squeezed her eyes shut, her shoulders hunching in readiness for her siblings expected outbursts of rejection at her wish. When nothing was immediately said, she slowly allowed herself to pry open one eye, and then another when she noticed the blank stares of surprise from her brothers and sister. Squirming a bit under their piercing gazes - they all had equally beautiful eyes in her mind, and ones that could unsettle even the most rigid of people - she gnawed on her lower lip, looking down at her hands on her legs. Her fingers were curled inwards, digging into the flesh of her knees, and she was bouncing her one foot anxiously.

A few more beats of silence passed before anyone spoke, and it was one word.

”No.”

Harmony’s head snapped up, her heart stopping for a brief moment before skipping a beat and regaining its regular pattern. Her eyes met her older brother’s gaze, which was dark and stern, unrelenting in its own way.

”But, Phoebus, at least let me explain wh-”

”No. Absolutely not. This shouldn’t even be up for discussion, Harmonix,” he interrupted, not even allowing her to finish her sentence. Her eyes welled up with tears in immediate response, and she lowered her head once more, her action holding all of the defeat she felt. She had known it was a long shot from the beginning, getting her siblings on board with her idea, but to be shot down so quickly and so assuredly definitely stung.

A soft scoff was heard from the girl that sat beside Phoebus. Her cotton candy hair was illuminated in the glow of the fire, and an eye roll could be seen.

”Oh, come on, Phoebus. At least let her explain [b]why she wants to visit Earth. You can’t just shoot down what she says without allowing her to tell us why she would want to do it. Harmony very rarely speaks her mind about issues that she knows are controversial, so you can at least respect her courage to do so right now, given the subject.”[/b]

Harmony glanced up slightly, looking at her sister through her lashes, her gaze holding the gratitude she felt towards the older girl. Aurora definitely wasn’t wrong, though; very rarely would Harmony bring up a subject or idea that she knew would cause an argument or negativity of any sort, so when she did, it was usually for a good reason.

Turning her gaze to her older brother, she allowed her eyes to take on a puppy-dog look, and she jutted out her lower lip. This was her signature expression - something that she reserved only for times that she really wanted something - and her older brother instantly melted like butter.

Quickly averting his own eyes from hers, he looked away, his pale cheeks taking on a soft flush.

”By the stars above, Har - not the eyes,” he groaned. He flicked a glance at the girl, only to find that she was still holding the same expression, and slapping his hand over his eyes, he slowly dragged it down his face before heaving a loud sigh.

”Fine, I’ll at least listen to this insane idea that you’ve come up with,” he muttered.

Instantly Harmony brightened, her puppy dog look diminishing, and she leaned forward, her previous nervousness replaced with obvious excitement. A twinkle shone in her eye, and she had a gentle smile on her lips. She still did, however, speak with hesitancy, a slight stutter taking away some of the confidence she felt.

”I … I’m hoping that if I were to go to Earth … That it could maybe help me come to terms with everything that’s happened since … Since the incident,” she finished, her voice ending almost in a murmur. What little courage she felt when she began speaking had quickly faded as she finished, and she felt her shoulders slightly slump with dejection. She picked at her fingernails, suddenly extremely fascinated with her hands.

”I know that … I know that I’ve caused a lot of unnecessary trouble and problems over the years, ever since that day when we were children … And I know that because of what happened, I’ve changed a lot as a person ...” She trailed off for a moment, having to pause to garner a bit of bravery. Turning her face back upwards, she met each one of her siblings gazes before continuing.

”I’ve been keeping it hidden as much as possible, but recently … Recently, what Astraea did to help me contain Phoenix … The walls that she built to help seal my two separate minds, or identities, or whatever you want to call them … I can feel them beginning to crumble,” she said softly, her shoulders once more slumped, but this time instead of the cause being defeat, it was more so worry or fear. She pressed her lips together for a moment before continuing.

”I … I’m really scared,” she whispered, tears prickling at her eyes. ”I’m scared of what will happen if those walls disappear completely, and Phoenix is allowed out and into the physical world once more. I don’t expect any of you to understand … You’ve never had anything like this happen before … But I ...” Drawing in a shaky breath, she felt a ball of anxiety curl in her chest. ”I can hear her … I can hear her voice, in the very back of my mind, hiding behind those walls. She keeps telling me to do things … Things that I know I shouldn’t do, but things that I really want to do. So far I’ve been able to ignore her and push down my urge to do what she says, but … But I’m afraid of what might happen if I can’t get a handle on her.”

There was a lapse in words being said, before Phoebus once more spoke, his voice slightly heavy, given the equal weight of the current conversation.

”And how do we know that it isn’t Phoenix’s idea for us to go to Earth? How do we know that this is actually your own idea, Harmonix?”

Harmony hesitated before slowly responding.

”I just … It might be hard for me to resist the temptation that she gives me to do certain things, and I may not have been able to discern my thoughts and her thoughts before Astraea helped me, but … Right now, I can tell which thoughts are mine and which are hers. I don’t really know how to explain how I can, but … But I can. And on that, you’ll just have to trust me, Phoebus.”

Another moment of silence ticked by - there seemed to be a lot of those during this discussion, Harmony idly thought - before anyone responded to her words.

”I think … That if you think that it’s a good idea, and if you think that it really will help you … That we should do it.”

Harmony turned her gaze to her younger brother, her lower lip trembling slightly. She had known before even asking for her siblings to meet her that out of all of them, Halcyon was most likely to support what she thought was best, and he had definitely proved her correct in that assumption.

Turning back to her older siblings, she looked at them with her wide, umber eyes, which spoke volumes over her expectation for an answer. Aurora was studying her nails, and while filing at the tip of one of her index fingers, she shrugged and spoke.

”I think that if you think that it can help you, and that you can handle it, we should at least give it a shot. Who knows? Maybe it’ll prove beneficial for all of us. Wouldn’t you agree, Phoebus?” she dragged out, purposely doing so in order to annoy him.

The boy in question narrowed his eyes slightly at his older sister, a soft growl of sorts escaping his lips, before he turned to Harmony, his gaze a smidge less stern than it was before. After several calculated moments, during which time she could practically see the gears turning in her older brother’s head, he spoke.

”Seeing as I’m clearly outnumbered, I’ll have to say yes. What kind of brother would I be to just let all of you run rampant down on Earth? Someone has to be down there to corral you,” he sighed, rubbing his temples.

Harmony immediately brightened, her skin taking on a slightly golden glow, and she was across the gap between them in seconds, her arms thrown around her older brother’s neck.

”Thank you, Phoebus … You … You have no idea what this means to me,” she whispered into his neck, her tears soaking into his long hair.

---

Shaking her head to rid it of those thoughts, she smiled at the Assistant Headmaster and adjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulder. She strode after her, idly turning her head slightly to look forlornly out the window, inhaling deeply in an effort to gather herself.

The sun was shining brightly through the clear window, giving the interior of the building an ethereal glow. Dust mites danced in the sun’s rays, and for a moment, she felt an unwanted sadness in her chest.

Somewhere, far up in the sky and even further beyond that, her parents were looking down at the world below. She could picture her mother, wringing her hands and a worried crease between her brows, and her father pacing with long strides across the hall that enclosed the enormous, hologram-like image that showed them the entirety of the planet. It was used to view in on any place at any time, past, present, or future, and to interact with said reality. There were many times that her parents had altered the past in order to benefit the future - they went back and prevented world-wide catastrophes.

Why, then, did they allow certain events to occur? Why did they allow countless lives to be lost to the hands of evil humans who wished nothing but death upon the masses?

It was all for a better goal.

To think that they enjoyed watching the humans suffer - you couldn’t be further from the truth. Countless times had Harmonix ventured into the great hall, as a young child and beyond, to find her mother weeping over the hologram of the beautiful planet. She had seen unimaginable things in that hologram, and heard screams that still echoed in her ears to this very day. As soon as her parents spotted her they would shoo her away fairly quickly, of course, but that didn’t stop her from seeing things.

People being torn limb-from-limb by ancient Roman Gladiators.

Children being burned alive alongside their parents during the European Witch Trials.

Animals being killed by toxic chemicals sprayed down upon the humans by large flying machines from above.

Tears pricked at her eyes at the memories, and she squeezed the large umber orbs shut in an attempt to stem their flow, and to shield herself from the visuals flashing before her eyes.

Closing them only prevented herself from seeing, however. It didn’t slow what she could hear, not by a long shot; and the screams continued to echo inside of her mind. Pausing midstep, she dropped her face into the palm of her hand, pressing it against her forehead and letting out a soft moan of pain.

“Stop ... Stop it, please ...” she whispered, her lips a slight grimace.

After a few moments, the screams slowly faded and she had managed to calm her rapid breathing, having only just then realized how quickly she was panting.

“Ms. Orako? Are you quite alright my dear?”

Removing her hand, Velonix turned a small, slightly strained smile up to the woman. “I am alright, my apologies. My head pains me slightly is all,” she breathed out, resuming her stride.The Assistant Headmaster smiled once more and continued her walk as well, and they moved in silence for another minute or two before she paused outside a set of wooden doors.

“Right through here, my dear.”

With a slight nudge the door slid open and Velonix let herself in, announcing her presence as she entered. “Good morning Headmaster. My name is Velonix Orako and it is quite a pleasure to be of your acquaintance.” The Headmaster let out a chuckle, reaching out to pat her hand. “You may drop the formalities, dear, as I have no need for them.” Motioning for her to sit, she did so and he did the same, clasping his hands on the desk before him.

“Your siblings were quite pleasant to meet, and I can already tell from your demeanor that you’re no different,” he began, offering her a kind smile. “I do like to take the chance to personally meet each of my new students at least once - I believe it helps take away some of the frightening nature that comes with my title,” he chuckled, a slight twinkle in his eye. “Nothing to worry too much about, of course. As I tell everyone, I do hope you enjoy and value your time here, and take what you can from this place of learning. If you run into any problems or have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if it’s from me directly.”

Velonix nodded, a gentle smile on her face, and rose once more while adjusting the bag strap on her shoulder. “Thank you, Headmaster. I appreciate the sentiments,” she said softly, bending forward slightly at the waist in respect. When she straightened again, she gave him another small smile. “Have a pleasant rest of your day.” The kind old man gave her a smile and nod in response, and she turned on her heel and quickly made her way out of the office, pausing once she had closed the door behind her. Letting out a small breath, she groaned a bit. That was stressful and she was more than glad to be over with it. Social interactions, specifically with strangers, weren’t really her forte and she’d much rather observe from the sidelines than be the sole focus in someone’s conversation.

Standing tall once more, she gathered herself together and began to walk while also pulling the map of the school grounds that was provided for her to navigate more easily. It was already two weeks into the second semester, Summer Break having just come to an end, so they weren’t transferring in frighteningly late thankfully. They would stand out a bit but no more than normal transfer students.

She flicked her eyes down to her map, pausing mid step to gather her bearings. Once she had figured out where she was, she pushed through the doors into a small side-courtyard on the side of the school. Inhaling the smells of nature deeply she followed through with a satisfied sigh, the tiniest of smiles turning up the corners of her lips. A small pond was situated nearby with an empty bench, and further down the path led to the back of the school building, shrouded prettily by the dense leaves of the orange and yellow trees that hung above it. She assumed it would feel nice on a hot summer day and looked forward to finding out if that was the case in a few months - hopefully they would still be there.

As she walked, Velonix tilted her head back ever so slightly towards the leaves, admiring their pretty, calming colors. A gentle breeze caused them to sway a bit, small dashes of sunlight peeking through every so often. The combination of everything brought a soft wave of serenity over her, and for the moment, she was content.

Until she found herself slamming directly into a wall obviously made from a person. Having not been paying attention to where she was walking, she had slammed into the person fairly hard, causing her to stumble back and nearly fall. She somehow managed to catch herself, albeit clumsily, and felt a small warmth of embarrassment seep into her cheeks. Velonix scrambled to straighten and bowed quickly, her hands clasped before her and her braided orange hair falling over her shoulder. “I-I apologize! I did not mean to bump into you! It was all my fault - I was not paying attention to where I was walking!” she breathed out quickly. Once she had finished her apology, she glanced up slightly to see who it was that she had bumped into, and straightened rather quickly when she found it to be two teenage boys wearing the school uniform. A bit of anxiety fluttered in the pit of her stomach but she cleared her throat and clutched the strap of her bag in an effort to ground herself. The boys gave each other a look before small smirks grew on their faces. The one that she had run into leaned slightly to the side to peer into her face as she was quite short as a girl, his own face getting uncomfortably close to hers. It was almost close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheeks and his dark eyes held an odd gleam to them that made her uncomfortable. The colors that glowed ever-so-lightly off of his skin were dark and coiled together with streaks of black and red, and when she noticed his aura a small shiver crawled across her body, goosebumps breaking out. He wasn’t evil by any means - at least not yet - but this type of aura was only associated with those who enjoyed being cruel. Not psychopaths or sociopaths, persay - just people who got off on being, to put it crudely, assholes. Velonix, however, preferred a more gentle route instead of violence and cruelty, so when faced with someone such as this, she grew into a nervous puddle.

“Well hey there …” his voice curled. He definitely had nice enough features, but they were marred with the underlying viciousness that he held about him. When Vel took a step back out of simple reaction it drew a chuckle from his friend who leaned against a bike rack a few feet away, hands shoved in his pockets. The two boys were clearly delinquents, as they wore their uniforms in rumpled messes, necklines popped open and jackets slung over their bikes. He held a similar air to him but not quite as dark, and she felt an instinctive curl of her toes in reactive fear. Tightening her grip on her bag and drawing into herself a bit, she attempted to shy away from him. With each small step she took back though, he seemed to follow with one that was slightly larger, until he had her cornered against the side of the building, hand planted firmly on the wall above her shoulder. Her skin crawled as his body drew a bit too close to her for comfort and she shrank away a bit more, a small tremble beginning in her legs. This drew an amused chuckle from the boy and he tilted his head a bit more, his tongue slightly licking his lips.

“My, my, my … Aren’t you a cute one .. You’d think I’d remember seeing you before,” he drawled out, tilting his head to the other side as he spoke. “Or are you one of the new transfer students that moved to town and took her sweet time joining us?” he inquired, his gloved hand lifting slightly. She supposed he thought he was ‘cool’ to wear gloves. “Well, I guess you were worth the wait for being able to see the mysterious new students … Because you’re real nice on the eyes,” he murmured, leaning even closer to her and lightly brushing his finger across her cheek and over her hair. He began to follow it down, causing her tremble of fear to overtake her upper body as well. She knew very well that if needed she could defend herself and that this boy didn’t stand a chance, but her years of courage and pride were long past. Even though she knew she was capable of taking care of herself, it was a very difficult thing for her to do as she feared losing control, so not only was she in fear of the current situation, but she was in fear of defending herself and losing herself at the same time.

A small burst of courage slid through her and she grasped at it desperately, flinging her hand up to slap his away from her face with a loud smack. “Do not touch me,” she snapped, attempting to push past his arm at the same time. Before she could get through, however, he snagged her wrist and yanked her back, his other arm twining around her waist. The touch made her skin crawl with disgust and a new wave of fear assaulted her. Despite her Senior Star’s suppression, a familiar feeling of acute terror washed over her when he touched her, his hand sliding slightly under her school shirt and grazing the skin of her stomach. She locked up for a moment before struggling against his grasp, all the while his friend laughing softly nearby. His one hand rose to clamp over her mouth, the same smirk on his face.

“I like them feisty,” he curled out, his smirk turning slightly sadistic. Her eyes widened, her sounds of protest muffled against his palm. “Playing hard to get, hm?” he drawled, pinning her once more between the wall and his body. Tears pricked her eyes as buried emotions from that time so long ago rose up and an innate sorrow filled her chest, a new bundle of fear hitting her stomach as the boy began to move his face down towards hers. She didn’t want this disgusting human boy’s mouth to touch her - she didn’t want any of him to touch her. ”Let me go or else I will scream,” she warned him, her voice low and dark, holding undertones promising things that he could not ever wish for. A small burning sensation began to broil within her chest, her eyes beginning to take on a slightly-red, somewhat-glowing hue. Her fingers curled inwards, clenching into fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. The ends of her hair picked up slightly in the breeze which began to swirl a bit more aggressively than before, and she felt her jaw clench in preparation for the release of her abilities.

”History would be boring without conquerers, bloodthirsty warlords, and saviors.” ~Miltiades Varvounis
Speech Code ~ #B43104 | Thought Code ~ #FE9A2E

---

As her power built, Velonix could feel a shift in the tension. It almost seemed to crackle with the power as it rose, and the air became stifling rather quickly. Something twinged inside her head, and for a moment, she saw nothing but red, her fingers stretching as she began to release-

"Hey, asshole!"

Just as suddenly as the two delinquents had appeared before her, the boy was suddenly gone, almost in the blink of an eye. Velonix barely registered the vision of fist connecting with face as she was roughly released. She stumbled back a step, bumping into the wall behind her, and looked up in time to see the boy who had so recently been holding her swing hard at the blond who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and knocked him away. Bewildered by the sudden turn and escalation of events, she didn’t have time to react and shout for her savior to duck, and she winced in sympathetic pain as she watched him take a solid hit to the head. Before she could do anything to even help him - she wasn’t used to these types of circumstances, so excuse her lack of reaction time - the blond had retaliated, striking her assailant several times until the sorry excuse for a boy had rolled away, groaning and whimpering at the feet of his stunned friend.

”Fuck you,” her savior snapped at the injured boy, and she felt a bubble of laughter threaten to escape her throat. She fought it back, knowing that the situation did not call for giggles, but would be lying if she said she wasn’t amused by the blond boy’s words.

It was at that moment that the one who had come to her assistance finally turned and looked at her, and when his fierce gaze settled on her own, she felt her breath hitch a bit in her throat. Eyes like those - ones that pierced into your very soul - and with such an intense hue were rare indeed. Velonix had her fair share of experience with humans, or at least with what they looked like, and it would be a lie to say that she was not intrigued by the unnaturally beautiful gaze.

So distracted by his eyes was she that it wasn’t until the boy spoke that it registered that he was injured. "Sorry, you okay?" He paused for a moment and as he did, she subconsciously lifted her hand a bit, taking a step towards him as she did. ”He didn't do any-" Before he could finish and she could move any further, a rather loud - and rather annoying - voice echoed throughout the courtyard from above, the name that it spewed ringing in the area. The boy’s reaction to the name as well as his wary gaze in the direction of the man who was clearly the perpetrator of such noise led her to the easy deduction that the name had to be the boy’s - or rather, Kazutora’s. Velonix watched as the teacher disappeared from the window, undoubtedly intent on coming down to the yard, and before he would have time to reach them she closed the distance between herself and Kazutora, her hand withdrawing something from the bag that still hung at her hip. It was a small hanky, and she unfolded it quickly, scrunched up one end, and before the boy could react, she had gone on her toes and gently pressed at the bleeding lip.

Almost as soon as she had touched the cloth to his mouth she heard approaching footsteps and took a step back to glance around Kazutora. Oh, Gods - here comes Phoebus. Why am I not surprised that he already knows what happened? she thought bemusedly. Phoebus quickly made it to her side and grabbed her - gently of course - and seemed to give her a quick yet thorough examination before he suddenly rounded on Kazutora, a glare in his deep eyes and arms crossed over his chest.

"Care to explain what happened to my sister?” Frustration instantly bubbled up in Velonix’s chest. Why does he have to be like this? she internally groaned, embarrassment over her brother’s assumptions evident in her reddening face.

"Really, Natsuo, you have eyes, right? He's obviously not the one who hurt her. Did you see the two other thugs here?" Thank the Gods for Aurora - at least she gathered the immediate information before jumping to conclusions. What a great friend, Velonix internally mused as the one who hadn’t touched her turned and fled, clearly not wanting to face any of the smoke from the fire that his buddy had stoked. Suddenly she found herself wrapped in Aurora’s gentle embrace as the older girl murmured gently to her. As soon as she was in her sister’s arms, Velonix felt an uncontrollable wave of tears overwhelm her and she sniffed, a few of the tears escaping. She lifted her hand to rub at her face with her ever-present gloves, attempting to stifle her tears. After a few moments she had managed to collect herself and with an unattractive sniff she nodded at her older sister.

”I’ll be okay,” she said, speaking for the first time since Kazutora had intervened. Finally released from Aurora’s hug, Velonix turned a soft yet dark look on her brother. ”Natsuo, what have I told you about jumping to conclusions?” she huffed out, practically waggling her finger at him as she gently chastised him. If one didn’t know any better, they would think that she was the older sister, with the way that she spoke to him just now.

Deeply inhaling, she let it out slowly in an effort to gather herself and her wits. A lot had just transpired in such a short amount of time, and she felt frazzled as a result, but would be remiss if she neglected to thank the one that had come to her aid. With that thought in mind, she turned to face Kazutora and took a step closer to him so that they were a mere foot or two apart. Her expression softened as she took in his bleeding lip, and she internally winced at the thought of how a human had suffered because of her.

”I am so, so sorry,” she apologized, and it was clear on her face that the words that she spoke rang true. ”I attract a lot of bad luck, and it seems that this time, you were pulled into it as well.” Velonix grimaced a bit, lifting the newly-stained hanky back up, intent on helping him to stem the bleeding, but was cut off by a booming voice.

”Kazutora!

What could it possibly be now?

When Velonix turned her head towards the voice it was to spot a charging teacher - oh, it was the one who had yelled from the window earlier - headed directly for them. The man’s angered gaze rested solely on Kazutora, and with a flicked glance between the two, she moved forward a bit without a second thought, placing her short stature smack between her blond rescuer and the oddly infuriated teacher. She slipped the hanky into Kazutora’s hand as she did so, fixating a heavy gaze on their professor. Said teacher came to a sudden stop before her, almost as though he hadn’t seen her until the very last moment, and despite the anger in his gaze there was also confusion as he looked between Kazutora and herself.

Before he could speak, Velonix bowed forward at the waist, her hands clutched together before her.

”Please forgive us for the uproar, Senpai, she pleaded convincingly, and she peaked up at the man through her lashes and bangs. ”It was my fault, and if Kazutora had not come to help, I’m afraid that things could have ended up far worse. In fact, you should be thanking him and cut him some slack, do you not agree?” she asked, and as she spoke, a gentle breeze carrying scents of cinnamon and pumpkin slipped past the man, almost instantly soothing his anger. He seemed to relax a bit, his expression softening, and he sighed, rubbing at his head.

”Fine, but only this time, since you’re so new and seem like a good kid,” he grumbled. With that, he turned on his heel and stalked back towards the door to the school, muttering under his breath as he did. When he was finally out of sight, Velonix relaxed and turned back to face her siblings once more.
”I’m alright now, and I apologize for making you worry.” With that said,s he turned back to Kazutora, immediately repeating her actions that she had made with their teacher, yet this time more sincerely. She bowed before him, having studied the pleasantries in countries such as Japan, China, and the like before arriving, and when she glanced up at him, her face held remorse.

”Again, I am so sorry for everything that happened. I did not mean to involve you, and I am extremely grateful for your help.” She straightened, a small smile on her face as she looked up at him. ”My name is Orako - Velonix Orako, but most call me Vel. This is Kazumi, and this Natsuo - my older sister and brother.” she motioned to them respectively. ”We moved here a couple of weeks ago and they will be starting at the university, while I will be in your school,” she smiled at that thought and held out a hand in his direction, clearly intending to introduce herself properly. ”And from what I have gathered you are Kazutora, correct? Or would you rather I address you differently?” she tilted her head a bit, gazing up at him.

”The tongue weighs practically nothing,
But so few people can hold it.” ~African Proverb
Speech Code ~ #B43104 | Thought Code ~ #FE9A2E
Phoenix Speech Code ~ #FF0000 | Phoenix Thought Code ~ #DF0174

---

It would be a lie to say that she had missed the conflicting emotions flashing through the boy’s eyes, but before she could pinpoint what exactly those feelings were, Kazutora had averted his gaze, making it blatantly obvious that he was looking everywhere but at her. This caused an eyebrow to arch in interest - Why was he refusing to look at her? Did he find her that hideous and awful to look upon? Velonix shook away the thought, distracted by the warmth of his hand slipping into her own. His grip was firm but soft, and his palm was slightly callused, the little scars of his life experiences faintly dotting his pale skin - hands that belonged to someone who had seen the true difficulties of life. For a moment she felt a small rise of curiosity, and a fleeting thought to simply remove her gloves and force him to reveal his memories, albeit unbeknownst to him, flashed through her mind. Do it. You know you want to know. She winced a bit at the voice that spoke to her, one so similar to her own yet so vastly different in inflection and tone. She couldn’t focus on such a toxic inner voice; it could so quickly lead to her downfall. Instead she returned her focus to Kazutora, who was still making a drastic effort not to meet her stare, and she almost seemed to make it a game of sorts. When he looked one way, she leaned in that direction to meet his gaze - when he looked quickly to another direction, she would hop slightly to the side so that he had no choice but to meet her eyes.

After a few changes in direction, he seemed to give up, at that point his face turned somewhat to the ground as he peered down at it, almost as though he were intently counting each blade of grass. "Kazutora...Miyato. Just...Kazutora, is fine." Velonix couldn’t contain her smile and she beamed up at him, clearly pleased with his introduction. "Thanks, for getting Mr. Iwao off my back. Sorry, about everything else."

Now it was her turn to be confused over his words, for why in the world was he apologizing to her? If it weren’t for him, she would still be dealing with the disgusting excuse of humans that had been harassing her, and if it weren’t for her, he never would have gotten hurt or been at risk of punishment by the administration. Her confusion evident on her face, she quirked a brow and tilted her head a bit, tapping her chin inquisitively with her index finger. She studied him for a moment, a million thoughts flashing through her mind in record time. From his mannerisms to his words, it was clear that the boy was troubled for some reason - but, why? It wasn’t like she had done anything to him, but his weariness was clear in his features and the way that he held himself. She took a step closer and peered at his face, her own expression intent and serious as she studied his features.

Hehe, cute little pup, isn’t he? You should make a move - I know we’d both enjoy a little toy like him, especially when it comes to playing with his mind.

Velonix visibly blanched as the words slithered through her mind. It was true that the young man that stood before her wasn’t lacking when it came to his physical attributes, and he was clearly more than capable of holding his own in a confrontation. What Phoenix had said was at least a partial truth - he was attractive, physically. His actions, though, made her instantly nauseous at the thought of doing something to cause this boy pain, whether directly or not, and she couldn’t contain the broiling anger in her chest at the mere mention of it.

You know nothing, Phoenix - I could never do that to him. Go away!

The only response she received was a low giggle, one that held the promise of something unpleasant in the future. The sense of foreboding that she felt over this internal laugh gave her a dreadful feeling, and as she withdrew her hand from Kazutora’s, she absently rubbed at the goosebumps rising on her arms. At that moment, her siblings spoke up, informing her of their intent to turn in the remaining delinquent to the Headmaster for her before returning to their own classes. She watched in amusement as Natsuo seemingly flashed to the boys’ side, sword withdrawn, and mulled over the fact that while her brother was a bit of a stick in the mud, he was still protective and loving towards her and their siblings. He would definitely make an amazing husband to his future wife. A grateful smile crossed her lips and she stepped over to them, wrapping her arms around them both at the same time in a small group hug.

”Thank you so much - truly. I have no idea where I would be without you both and Yuki,” she spoke softly, and she released them just as gently. Once they had left with protesting troublesome boys, Velonix turned back to Kazutora once more and gave him a smile, despite her inner thoughts, and almost seemed to radiate sweetness to the point of tooth decay.

”Mm, I believe it to be only fair that I extinguish the flames that I helped to create, no?” she asked, referring to helping with the teacher, who she now knew as Mr. Iwao - she would have to remember his face and name for later, should he continue to cause any trouble for this boy that she was quickly considering to be a friend, her first friend on Earth, if she was being completely honest. She peeked up at him through her lashes at that thought, remembering something that Phoenix had said, about his ‘cute’ features. Her alter ego was not far off, but if she were to pick a word to describe the boy before her, cute would be an understatement. She studied him, taking in his porcelain complexion and blond locks that were so vastly different from his intense, dark eyes. His face was narrow but not unhealthily so, and a darkening spot on his cheek gave her a harsh twinge in her heart that she couldn’t quite explain. Was it pity, guilt, regret - or something else? He was lean and not necessarily muscular, but certainly was not lacking in his build.

So into her study was she that it wasn’t until she looked back up at his gaze that she realized how long she had been eying him down. Almost instantly she turned a bright, crimson red, and she quickly turned her face away from him, digging through the bag at her waist as a coverup for why she looked away so quickly. When she removed her hands once more, it was to reveal an instant cold pack, which she crackled quickly before it was held in Kazutora’s direction with a dainty, gloved hand. Her expression bespoke her remorse over him being injured because of her, and before he could refuse the pack, she gently took his hand once more in hers and slid it into his palm which still held her hanky. She closed his fingers around the items before pressing his hand to his abdomen insistently, somehow knowing that he would be the type to reject them.

”Please, make sure to ice your face well. It looks quite painful, and is already bruising and swelling a bit. You should visit the nurse before class,” she advised, her concern evident in her eyes. She was nothing if not the type to wear her heart on her sleeve, and she refused to change that fact about herself.

Ri-ii-ii-iing.

Jolted from her thoughts, Velonix felt panic rise up inside of her. They had been so distracted by everything that she had lost track of time, and now the warning bell was chiming, signaling that they had five minutes to get to class before they would be marked tardy. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t exactly know where class was.

With a slightly panicked look at Kazutora, she bent at the waist once more before quickly breathing out,
”It was nice meeting you, I hope we can become close friends!” before she was off, not waiting for a response. She did, however, cast one last glance over her shoulder back at him, unable to resist a final glimpse of the boy that had saved her - Kazutora.

The name stuck in her mind as she searched for her class, and the events that had brought them to meet played behind her eyes as she jogged. The second bell eventually chimed, signaling that students were to take their seats and prepare for homeroom, and it was then that she finally found her room - 3C. The homeroom teacher was just about to step through the doors when she noticed her approaching somewhat out of breath, and an amused smile crossed the woman’s lips as the teenager came to a stop before her, attempting to catch her breath as she scrambled out an apology for being late.

Mrs. Satō simply smiled down at her reassuringly, giving her a light pat on the head. ”It’s okay, don’t worry - today’s your first day, so it’s understandable if you got a little lost. Just don’t let it happen again, okay?” she told her kindly. ”I’ll be your homeroom and History teacher, Mrs. Satō, so feel free to come to me if you have any troubles.” She slid open the door a bit further, still speaking as she did so. ”Just let me tell the class that you’re here and I’ll introduce you.” With that said, she disappeared through the door, sliding it almost completely shut behind her.

A few moments ticked by as Velonix stood in silence, listening as Mrs. Satō gave her morning greetings and began to introduce her as the new student. She couldn’t help but wonder where Yuki was - he should’ve beaten her to class, seeing as his meeting with the Headmaster had been before hers. He must have run into some trouble along the way, and at the thought of that, she sent a quick prayer to her parents that he was safe.

When the introduction had finished, Velonix plastered a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes, her concern over her brother’s absence too difficult to entirely cover, and with a slide of the door, she easily entered the room. Her heart hammered in her chest, thundering in her ears as she moved, an entirely unfamiliar feeling for the young goddess. Was this ... Nervousness? She had never had anything to feel nervous about, so the emotion was foreign, but from what she knew, the closest thing to explain the feeling would be either anxious or nervous. Soft whispers floated across the room as her new classmates gossiped amongst themselves, and her slightly superior hearing easily picked up the words, which ranged from praise to disdain towards her appearance. They say that it only takes 27 seconds to make a first impression, and to her that seemed a bit of a disappointment, as it was clear most people made their decisions on their views upon one another based entirely on physical qualities alone. Things like, 'What a babe', 'Wow, what a tryhard skank' and 'She's so pretty!' slithered through her eardrums, and she felt a bit of hurt mixed with embarrassment over their words. What a fantastic first impression she'd made.

Velonix was jerked from her thoughts as her teacher began to speak, lightly touching the girl's upper arm as she introduced her. ”Class, please give a warm welcome to Miss Velonix Orako. Her brother is the other new student that you all have heard about and I’m sure that he’ll be joining us shortly, but as for now, Miss Orako is the only one here, so please make sure to be kind and helpful to her as she adjusts to our lovely school,” the teacher said, and Velonix was impressed by the woman’s ability to speak so much without taking a single breath. It was clear that the woman was well-practiced in public speaking, she’d give her that much.

A bow and a smile, and Velonix straightened once more to face her class, giving them that same cheerfully false smile.

”Hello, I am Velonix Orako. I enjoy books, the arts, and sweet things. I am so happy to meet you all, and I cannot wait to become friends with everyone here. Please, treat me kindly,” she introduced herself sweetly, ignoring the odd stares that she was receiving from the other students - a mixed pool of piqued interest, jealousy, and lustful gazes littered their features, and none of those things really sat well with her. Their auras clung to them desperately in an attempt to not meld with the sheens of auras belonging to the others; there were far too many people in the one area for her to be able to make out the individual hues, and doing so would undoubtedly cause her eyes to hurt. She would have to tread carefully with these human students - who knew what type of things that adolescents were capable of?

As she glanced over the group of her new peers, she idly heard the teacher saying something about where she could sit, and when the woman pointed at the three empty desks surrounding a rather familiar individual, Velonix felt her heart quicken a bit - this time she knew it was due to excitement though. Before she could stop herself, a genuine smile bloomed across her face.

”Kazutora!” she called cheerfully, giddiness obvious over seeing the boy once again. So involved in her enthusiasm was she that the expressions of her classmates were entirely missed by her eyes; how they changed from interest to mixes of confusion and disdain over the mere mention of the boy’s name. Before the teacher could say anything else, Velonix had slipped through the desks and begun to approach her blond savior, when she was suddenly stopped by a hand tightly gripping her wrist through her sleeve. Surprised, her head snapped to the side, her eyes settling on the boy who held her in place.

”Excuse me, but I do not believe I gave you permission to touch me,” she said coolly, her voice sugary sweet but holding dark undertones. The boy simply smirked at her, his eyes showing an underlying hint of malice. A pause as he almost seemed to eye her up and down, and she felt her skin crawl a bit under his gaze. Despite the mesh of auras, she could instantly pin point the darker hues swirling around him - This is someone I have to make sure to avoid.

”Hey, hey, hey, no need for the hostility. I was just trying to help a new classmate out. Trust me, you definitely do not wanna sit by that … thing over there,” he warned, tossing a thumb with his free hand in Kazutora’s direction. At the boy’s words, Velonix’s expression visibly darkened. As he moved, his finger idly brushed across her bare wrist, and before she could control it, a barrage of images flashed before her eyes. It happened quickly, almost instantaneously, and she felt an instant pain flash through her skull at the onslaught of moving pictures and sounds. Snippets of interactions between the boy and who he assumed were his parents, giving him money as though it were the most normal thing in the world; the boy smoking cigarettes behind buildings and joking around with his friends; and finally, him looming over a very familiar blond male, foot connecting repeatedly with the downed boy as Kazutora laid curled on the ground before him, his friends more than happy to help him in the beating. The sight wrenched at Velonix's heart and before she knew what she was doing and the boy could react, she tore her wrist away from his grip and rubbed at her skin, as though attempting to get his disgusting touch off of her body, and fixed a revolted glare on him.

”I appreciate the advice, but maybe you should learn to mind your own business,” she bit out, her eyes narrowed and hard. She glanced around a bit, noticing that almost all of the other students had similar expressions to the boy who had stopped her. They were staring intently at the interaction, as though it were their entertainment for the day. Their teacher ignored the drama between the students as it was common for teenagers to have spats, instead focusing on preparing for their lessons. Another boy who sat beside the first leaned over in his chair, looking up at her earnestly.

”Seriously, he isn’t joking - that guy’s a real monster, so you’d be smart not to go near him.”

At that, Velonix took a step back from the duo, a look of awe and repulsion on her face.

”I’m sorry, but last I checked, I had a mind of my own that was perfectly capable of making its own decisions and judgements. The last thing that I need are a couple of simple-minded children whose intellect is on par with that of a Neandrethal telling me who I should or should not associate myself with. Perhaps next time, you should think carefully before speaking, lest you publicly embarrass yourself any further by judging another person without getting to know them first,” she snapped out - her voice was cold, entirely different from how it had been a mere few moments before when introducing herself, and she made her anger over the boys’ words oh-so-very-clear.

With that said, she made her way to the back of the room and rather matter-of-factly dropped her bag onto the floor beside her chair, a loud thud sound reverberating throughout the space, having chosen a desk directly beside Kazutora. The other students stared at her in a mixture of shock, surprise, and awe at her boldness, to which she met each gaze firmly, ready to bite out another retort at their rudeness, but before they could begin whispering amongst themselves, Mrs. Satō cleared her throat and called for their attention, slipping easily into their first lecture of the day. Velonix withdrew a notebook, pencil, eraser, and her textbook, smoothly flipping open to the page written on the whiteboard. As she settled into her seat and parted her notebook to a blank page, she cast a sideways glance over at Kazutora, a small smile on her lips, and she gave him a small yet clear wink, already beginning to take notes as their teacher spoke.

”Real magic in relationships
Means an absence of judgement in others.”
~Wayne Dyer
Speech Code ~ #B43104 | Thought Code ~ #FE9A2E
Phoenix Speech Code ~ #FF0000 | Phoenix Thought Code ~ #DF0174

---

The lack of response from the boy she already considered to be a friend did give Velonix a bit of a pause as she took her notes. At that moment, a petite, rather adorable girl with large-rimmed glasses suddenly appeared, matter-of-factly plopping into the seat in front of Kazutora. She didn’t say anything, simply moved to that desk without a word, and Velonix felt herself grow intrigued over the girl’s actions. Does she know Kazutora as well? A small twinge of jealousy clenched her chest, catching her by surprise. She was … Jealous? Of what? This girl possibly being friends with Kazutora first? That was just … Silly. As their teacher droned on about the Muromachi period, she found herself flicking periodic glances in Kazutora’s direction, her notes becoming slightly less detailed in her distraction. Despite her attempt to remain subtle with the looks she was giving him, she honestly couldn’t care less if he caught her staring; perhaps it was her lack of social interaction with humans, perhaps it was just a personality trait of hers - who knew, who cared.

She did catch him, however, peering in the direction that she had come from with a somewhat stricken expression on his face. Nonchalantly as ever, she turned her face to the front of the room, as though listening to what their teacher was saying, but instead followed his gaze until it landed on the boy who had stopped her and insulted Kazutora. His glare was evident, and when he noticed her studying him, he dropped the menacing look and replaced it with what she assumed he thought to be a charming smile - instead, to her, she felt a chill sweep up her spine, and she was unable to stop the disgusted look that crossed her face.. Combining his aura with his actions since she entered the room alongside the visions that she received when he touched her left Velonix with a horrid taste in her mouth. Instead of responding to him with a smile, she hardened her eyes and fixated a surprisingly intense glare on the boy, her pretty features not negating the intensity of the look whatsoever.

Surprised, the boy lost his smile and instead raised an eyebrow inquisitively at her reaction; she clearly hadn’t responded the way that he had expected or hoped for, but that didn’t seem to bother him as much as she had hoped it would. Instead, he looked even more interested in her than he had before. When the smile returned and he cast a wink in her direction, she was unable to contain the sound of disgust that escaped her lips. This garnered a giggle from a girl who sat in one of the desks separating Velonix from this boy, and she had been watching the interaction up until then. When the laugh tore her attention from the annoying boy to the girl, she caught her casting a smile in her direction.

Humans are so odd, she thought idly to herself, unable to contain her confusion over everything that had happened throughout the short day so far. At that thought, though, she turned her attention to Kazutora, flicking a subtle glance in his direction. He looked lost in thought and wasn’t taking his notes - I will have to chastise him about that later. Education is important, especially for humans! - but she could easily share her own with him after class. Amused with this observation, she forced herself to focus on what their instructor was saying. She already knew all of this - she had been watching the Earth with her parents when most of these things happened, and had even visited once or twice during this time period. She could recall it almost as though it were yesterday - the villages, the handmade clothes, the lack of electricity, the smells of the most homemade food physically possible - the world was such a vastly different place compared to then.

Rather abruptly, Mrs. Satō cut off in her lecture, the door to the room sliding open with a loud woosh to reveal none other than her snowy-hued brother. At the sight, the room was instantly filled with hushed whispers as the girls gossiped over how cute the new boy was, while the boys murmured grumpily about the new competition. Her ears twitched a bit, unable to miss the familiar voice of the one that had spoken to her earlier in defense of the boy who had grabbed her, both of whom were quite quickly climbing to the top of her No-List, an internal list that she kept of people she simply refused to fraternize with due to various reasons. ”Yo, check out the new meat … If we can’t get him to join our group, we can always teach him a lesson. He looks preppy … Like he’s got money … We could always get him to give us any money he has.”

Velonix bristled at the mention of any harm to her baby brother. Just who does this human child think he is? her inner goddess raged. As her anger simmered just below the surface, she felt her cheeks grow hot despite her strained control. I really need to do something about my temper. She is beginning to push me too far. With a look that made it seem as though she had tasted something bitter, Velonix returned her focus to her brother as he finished his introduction. The whispers continued and she felt her ears warm as they gossiped about her brother, both good and bad things. These bold mortals need to be taught a lesson … Let me do it, come on … A clenched hand was her reaction to these internal purrs, her fingertips whitening around her pencil. Get out of my head!

The movement of hand to forehead was slow, subtle, and she rubbed it a bit as though she were hot. The touch was comforting and she felt herself cool a bit, the fiery rage that she felt - literally - subsiding slowly. I will handle it later. Relax. With that inner instruction, she forced herself to focus on her notes despite not really needing to take them.

Before she knew it, class was over and their homeroom teacher had packed up her things. They had a little break between teachers to give them time to eat a snack or go to the restroom while the teachers switched rooms, and she took this opportunity to turn to lean forward slightly, elbows on desk, knees on her chair to boost her small stature, and one arm stretching so as to tap her brother lightly on the shoulder. She wobbled a bit but caught herself and giggled, ever the clumsy girl, and when he turned to face her she fixated a serious look on her face. ”You were late,” she stated - it wasn’t a question, but more so an order that he tell her why he had been late. Instead of waiting for an answer, she broke out into a sweet smile and giggled once more. ”Let me guess - you fell asleep again?” she teased. She knew her baby brother well; if they were to pair off the siblings for any reason, Halcyon would certainly be paired with her, while Phoebus and Aurora would ultimately be paired with one another. Perhaps it was because of the fact that they were the two eldest, and Harmonix and Halcyon were the two youngest. Either way, despite how she considered all of her siblings as well as the Junior and Senior Star her best friends, Halcy was definitely her best friend and closest confidant of them all. She flitted a glance over to the girl that had moved to sit near them, her infectious smile now fixed on her. ”Apologies for my baby brother interrupting your education - he can be a bit of a nap fiend," she joked.

A tilt and she had dropped back into her chair, satisfied with her check on her brother, and turned her attention to Kazutora, her ever-present smile on her lips. His cheek looked better, if only a bit red from what she assumed was the ice pack, and despite the bruising the swelling had gone down tremendously. Unable to stop herself - would she have even if she could have? - Velonix leaned over and reached out a hand, ever-so-gently touching her hidden fingertips to his cheek.

”I am so happy that the swelling seems to have gone down. The bruise is a bit dark, but if you ice it throughout the day it should heal quickly,” she told him, lowering her hand from his face and sitting back a bit in her chair once more. ”I noticed that you were not taking any notes earlier. You can copy mine, if you would like to,” she easily offered, a sweet tilt still lingering on her lips.

At that moment, a small group of girls approached her desk, a pretty one with ponytails stepping close, seemingly unperturbed by her current conversation. The other three flicked glances at Yuki and Velonix could almost see the hearts floating in the air between them and her brother, and she suppressed a gag and an eye-roll. Jokes on them, because Halcyon probably could not care less - if he even noticed their looks, she thought with amusement.

”Hey, Orako,” the girl said in greeting - could that really be called a greeting?

Velonix turned a bit so that she could face them better, confusion evident in her features. She responded uncertainly, as though shy, but in actuality she was busy studying their auras - they were harmless girls from what she could tell, but that could easily change.. ”Um, my name is Velonix - not Orako,” she corrected, tapping her forefingers together in embarrassment. ”If you call me Orako, people might be confused, since my brothers and sister go here as well.” She spoke quickly, as though nervous in the sudden social interaction, and when she studied the girls features, she only felt her anxiety heighten a bit. What could they possibly want with me?

”We decided that you can join our group for lunch today, so make sure you’re ready to go when the bell rings.” It was the same girl who had said her name, and Velonix was a bit baffled at her words. Were they … Telling her that she had to hang out with them? Like she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

How she absolutely abhorred being told what to do.

A quirked eyebrow and Velonix sat back in her seat a bit, giving them a sweet smile. Better to not cause any further scenes for today. ”I appreciate the invitation, but you see, I have already made plans for lunch.” At that statement, the girls looked confused, the smallest one with a light curly bob taking a step closer to her. As she did, she flicked a nervous glance in Kazutora’s direction, a look that Velonix certainly did not miss. What is with these humans teenagers? She couldn’t help but feel a bit disgusted by the mixture of fear and uncertainty that she had seen in the group of girl’s eyes - and really, all of the students now that she thought about it - whenever they looked at the blond boy in question. Who did they think they were to judge someone so harshly? They probably do not even know him. I doubt they have even spoken to him. At that thought, Velonix felt her anger bubble a bit in defense of the one who had helped her, and who was rather quickly becoming an important friend to her, much to her surprise.

”Ah, may I ask what those plans are, Orako-san?” she asked, her voice light and soft, matching with her gentle features. This girl seemed sweet - why is she associating with such people?

In a bid to control her temper, Velonix plastered a new smile on her face. As she did, she slid her chair to the side and lightly grabbed Kazutora’s upper arm, pressing it to her chest. She would have chosen her brother, but the gaggle of girls were in her way, and besides - seeing the looks of utter shock and horror on their faces at her actions was far too satisfying to pass up. ”I will be eating my lunch with my closest friend from here, Kazutora,” she beamed, hugging his arm a bit. She cast a look up at the blond boy, her eyes attempting to portray her emotions - Please just agree, I really do not want to eat lunch with these girls, it practically screamed. When she looked back over at the girls, she found them standing there in silenced shock. She wasn’t surprised, but … Were they … Awestruck? Why? Simply because she was friendly with … Kazutora?

Just what exactly is going on with these people?

The girl with braids hesitantly stepped forward, tugging at one of her locks of hair. ”Uhm, Orako-san … The boys earlier were really scary, we know, but …” She hesitated, giving Kazutora a … Fearful? … Glance. When she didn’t continue, the girl with straight hair and an intensely purple aura sighed and stepped forward, arms crossed. She was clearly the one in the group who considered herself to be a leader.

”What she’s trying to say is that even though those douchebags were being, well, douchebags, they weren’t wrong to tell you to stay away from this guy. He isn’t exactly grade A material, if you catch my drift.” Her voice was dark, almost angry as she seemed to bite out the words. In response, Velonix immediately bristled, her grip on Kazutora’s arm tightening a bit, fingers pushing into his bicep.

Who do these girls think that they are?

Her face flushed with anger, she fixated a glare on the group of girls as a whole. ”I believe that I already said before that I am perfectly capable of making my own judgement of the people that I choose to surround myself with. I appreciate your concern, but it is unneeded and to be frank, unwanted. It would lovely to be friends with all of you, but not at the expense of my own moral compass. I form my own judgements based upon my experience with others - not on what I have simply heard. I would rather not associate myself with people who make rash judgements and gossip about those that they know nothing about. Who is to say that you will not do the same to me?” she said eloquently. She chose her words carefully, not wishing to offend them but at the same time refusing to stand down from her ethics. She would be damned if she let these people get away with stomping all over someone as sweet as Kazutora.

Before the girls could respond, the bell rang to signal that they would have to move on with their classes. At that moment, the teacher from earlier sauntered in - Mr. Iwao, if she remembered correctly? It was obvious he cared little for his job nor the students that he taught, and when he spied Velonix sitting aside Kazutora, her chair slid over to be closer to him, hugging his side, his expression darkened a bit in annoyance and confusion.

Quickly, she released his arm, only then realizing how close she was to the boy. Almost immediately the parts of her that had been touching him felt chilly, no longer in contact with the surprisingly comforting warmth of his side. A furious blush slid across her cheeks, embarrassed over both her actions and her thoughts, and she slid back over to her desk hastily, the group of girls having returned to their own.

Well this should be fun.

”A flower does not think to compete with the flowers next to it;
It just blooms.”
~Zen Shin
Speech Code ~ #B43104 | Thought Code ~ #FE9A2E
Phoenix Speech Code ~ #FF0000 | Phoenix Thought Code ~ #DF0174

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As Velonix settled back into her seat and began to withdraw her math textbook from her bag, she patted her brother’s soft white locks in a comforting manner. ”A pleasure to meet you, Reiya; you have no idea how nice it is to hear that Kazutora has good friends to watch over him,” she told her with a somewhat relieved smile, despite the pang of jealousy that hit her chest. Heehee, jealous, are we? But you just met him … You sly vixen, Harmonix. Velonix grimaced a bit, turning her face so as to hide the expression. Do you ever stop talking? Moving on and choosing to ignore her alter ego, she refocused on the conversation at hand; here she was beginning to think that Kazutora had no friends, but fortunately he had at least two; Reiya and this ‘Iphi’ girl that she had mentioned.

As Mr. Iwao spoke, drawing their attention to the beginning lecture, she frowned a bit. The words of the purple-hued girl resonated within her mind and she found herself unable to rid her thoughts of them. ’I hope you know what you're getting into. If you change your mind, we can help you get away from him.’ What is that even supposed to mean? ‘Help me get away from him’? Why would I need help to get away from Kazutora? Her eyes flicked to the boy in question for a moment, immediately being snagged by his own intense gaze, and she felt her heart leap into her throat, unable to tear away. What was this feeling? Anxiety? Why would I … Need help to get away from Kazutora? Why do they - everyone - treat him so terribly? H-He is no monster … I know monsters; I have seen so many of them born throughout time, from Hitler to Osama Bin Laden, there were far more monstrous humans born over the course of history. So why … Why do they treat someone who is clearly so gentle, so horribly? Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them fervently away, finally able to pull her eyes from his. Before she could turn back to pay attention to Mr. Iwao, though, Kazutora was speaking, his soft whisper causing goosebumps to pepper her flesh.

"Velonix, I'm sorry, I … You shouldn't have to do so much, for someone like me. What they're saying isn't..." He paused, and when he bit his lip, she felt her cheeks warm a bit. Focus, Har! What is your problem today? "What they're saying isn't…all lies. You're too nice of a person to stick around someone like me, okay? You shouldn't get yourself hurt over me...sorry." The words stung her a bit and she felt her heart plummet. Was he saying he did not want to be friends with her? No, that wasn’t it - there was something else at play here - something far bigger than she was. Perhaps the monster is not Kazutora, but instead, he has a monster buried so deeply within him that he cannot find a way to escape it? She really knew little about human nature but quite a bit about the human psyche, having studied them enough throughout time to understand how they tick at least a bit, and she knew that there could be deeper reasons as to why they say and do the things that they did. The thought comforted her a bit - at least she had reassured herself that it was not her that was the problem.

Flicking a glance at Mr. Iwao to ensure that he was deeply engrossed in his lecture - he was - she popped up her textbook so that it appeared she was hard at work but instead turned her face back to Kazutora. When she spoke, her voice was a hushed whisper, barely loud enough to carry to his ears.

”You say ‘someone like you’ as though it were a bad thing, which confuses me. I already think that you are an amazing person; why would I not do whatever I can to ensure your happiness? We are friends, after all.” Her voice portrayed her confusion, making it ever-the-more obvious that she was nothing if not an open book. ”Does it really look like I care about what anyone thinks?” she paused, an eyebrow quirked upwards in question at him. ”No, I do not believe it does. I really could not care less about anyone’s opinions.” This was true, to an extent. She would be lying if she said she didn’t care about her families’ opinions as well as the Stars, and already she could feel that this human boy’s opinion mattered to her, if only a little. ”Also, I can take care of myself; I will not be hurt anytime soon, especially over something involving these bullies and you,” she reassured him, tossing her hand up in a small peace sign - cheesy but cute when combined with her sweet smile. ”Besides, is it not a bit hypocritical to worry about me somehow becoming hurt because of you, when you have already been hurt because of me?” she asked, her voice a bit teasing.

Barf - you call that flirting? Vel forced herself not to scowl in reaction to the words, keeping her lips upturned instead. Despite herself, though, she felt her cheeks reddening once more as they truly registered to her. Stop pulling at strings, Phoenix - I am simply making friends! Pfft, if you call that making friends, then I’m the good one and you’re the bad one. Velonix turned her face away from Kazutora for a moment, one hand reaching up to press over her mouth and hide her red features from view. Once she was calm again - and ignoring Phoenix fervently - she once again moved so that she could peak over at Kazutora. Her sweet smile turned teasing and she tossed him a wink. ”Besides, you cannot get rid of me that easily,” she joked.

”Hey! Pay attention back there, or I’ll send you to detention faster than you can say rice patty!”

Velonix flinched at the shout, specifically aimed in her direction, and with a scrambled apology, her features once more red with embarrassment, she dropped her book to her desk and began to take notes, chin resting in her hand and elbow propped on her desk.

The rest of the class passed rather uneventfully, and since Mr. Iwao was their biology teacher as well, they only had a long enough break to run to the restroom or stretch if needed. This gave the bullies and the rest of the classmates no time to make idle chit-chat with the new students - much to Velonix’s relief, she was not a social butterfly, despite her kindness and draw - so she spent the time going through her things. Lunch would follow biology and despite the fact that she as a goddess wasn’t technically required to eat to maintain sustenance, she found that she quite enjoyed human food and had taken to their three-meals-a-day and snack schedule rather fast. That, and it was less suspicious if she were to eat lunch than if she were to skip every day - the human students would undoubtedly begin to question why she never ate in front of them.

Once everyone had settled back into their desks, Mr. Iwao resumed his lectures, this time of course in sciences instead of maths despite the two subjects' similarities.Velonix found herself bored almost immediately; she had never enjoyed maths or sciences and she doubted she ever would. Instead, she found herself drifting in and out of daydreams, occasionally flicking a glance over in Kazutora’s direction. Stop staring at him; you are acting like a prepubescent schoolgirl. You are a thousands-of-years-old goddess, for god's sakes. The thought helped her to regain her senses, and she forced herself to focus on the class once more, albeit with some difficulty.

Finally, lunch had arrived, the bell ringing sharply to indicate the end of their morning classes. She was more than happy to be free of the torturous subjects of math and science, and eagerly hopped onto her chair once more so as to lean forward and tap her brother’s shoulder. ”You know I would never leave you behind, baby brother. Join us for lunch? Unless you have already made alternate plans?” she invited him. After extending the invite, she jumped to her feet, her chair scraping back a few inches in the process, but she simply snagged up her bag without a care in the world. After rifling through it atop her desk for a few moments, she procured a cute bento box as well as a bottle of water. Lightly hooking the bag onto the side of her desk, she daintily grabbed the box and water, turned to face Kazutora, and with a beaming smile aimed directly at him, she held the wrapped box out towards him.

”Let’s have lunch together, Kazutora! We can share; I made more than enough, and Yuki has his own,” she almost seemed to sing, her excitement evident. ”I am sure you know the best places to eat, so lead the way.” With an easy switch of the bento box and bottle to one hand, she easily reached out and snagged his hand with her free one, finding herself wishing that she could actually hold his hand for real - without her gloves on. Velonix quickly shooed the thought away - she really needed to get a grip - and easily ignored the whispers and stares that their peers were slinging their way. She did, however, flick a glance without turning her ahead in the direction from which the most intense sensation of being eyed came from, and she caught the boy who had stopped her from joining Kazutora staring them both down, his friend at his side doing the same. With a glare tossed at them, she returned her focus to Kazutora and beamed up at him, awaiting his guide.

”A good friend is like a four-leaf clover;
Hard to find and lucky to have.”
~Irish Proverb
Speech Code ~ #B43104 | Thought Code ~ #FE9A2E
Phoenix Speech Code ~ #FF0000 | Phoenix Thought Code ~ #DF0174

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The blank yet frazzled look that crossed Kazutora’s face almost made her giggle in amusement. Humans are so funny and cute! Velonix absolutely adored their reactions to different circumstances, as well as the effect that not only she but also her siblings had on them. With this human, however, it felt a bit different; more amusing, perhaps? She couldn’t place exactly what it was, but something made her want to see him flustered more often, as there was something - adorable? - and incredibly real about the reaction.

With that thought at the forefront of her mind, she found herself suddenly moving, barely able to snatch up her bag as they began to walk. At the sensation of the hand in hers tightening around her palm, she felt her pulse quicken, a small skip in her heart following. What was that? Puzzled, she found herself quickening her pace to keep up with her new friend, and unable to control herself she cast a final glance at her new classmates. Their mixture of shocked and interested looks were not something that she missed, nor were the few disgusted features twisting some of their faces. Instead of feeling embarrassed, she felt her own equal revulsion, but instead over their judgment. Who were they to pass any sort of critiques onto Kazutora, or even her?

A head shake and they were out of the room, slipping through the crowded hallways as students milled about on their various breaks. Velonix found herself squeezing Kazutora’s hand in an attempt to not be separated in the crowd, her small frame just barely able to keep up with him given the students crowding the passageways. When they finally broke through the thick of it and found themselves passing fewer teenagers, she felt herself relax a bit, a small sigh of relief escaping her lips. She wasn’t one for large crowds and hadn’t expected there to be so many people in such a small area when enrolling at human school, so it had caught her off guard, to say the least.

The stairs were easy enough to climb, with her adjusting the grip on her bag and bento box in one hand, Kazutora still holding the other. As they broke free onto the rooftop, the gentle spring breeze brushed her cheeks, a sweet relief to the stifling warmth of the school. She much preferred the outdoors - something that she had in common with her siblings - but it was a bonus that they had decided to visit Earth just after Spring and Autumn came to the world. Luckily, the two seasons were quite similar in temperament, if Spring only being a bit warmer, so she felt more than at home in the current climate.

Her thoughts were cut short as she felt the warmth of Kazutora’s hand abruptly disappear, leaving her own oddly cold despite its cloth covering, and her with an equally baffling sensation of missing the soft roughness of his palm, despite the thin material separating their flesh.

Did I not get enough rest last night for my mortal body? What is going on with me today? A head shake sent the thoughts from her mind; no need to focus on what she could not understand. "Keep away from those edges; it's dangerous." Velonix flicked a glance at the rails in question and was unsurprised to see their haphazard state. Anyone with eyes could tell that the makeshift guards were simply thrown together with obvious little care, but simply noting that fact for later, she found herself looking over the rooftop with piqued interest. It was clear that not many people came to the place, and for some reason she found herself questioning if they were even allowed up there, but it was also peaceful and more importantly, outside. So she was more than happy; the only thing that could possibly make the location better were if it were in the grass or under a tree. She wasn’t one for concrete and metal, but instead preferred nature, flowers and animals.

"This is it; find somewhere comfortable to eat, I guess."

The words jerked Velonix from her thoughts, and she was definitely guilty of having jumped a little in surprise. With a sheepish giggle and smile to go along with it, she turned to glance at Kazuyuki. ”Let’s have a great meal, shall we?” That said, she almost seemed to skip over to join Kazutora. Her brother sat a little bit away from them, clearly intending on taking a nap once he had finished eating, and she lowered herself to the ground beside Kazutora, her bag coming to rest behind her. Her fingers deftly began to unwrap her bento box, a soft hum resonating up from her chest. She moved a bit closer to Kazutora as she opened the box, revealing three sections containing adorably crafted onigiri accompanied by various sides. It was more than enough for her, and it wasn’t like she needed the food to survive anyway, so there was no harm in sharing with him. As she broke apart the two pairs of chopsticks that sat inside of one of the sections of the box - she always brought two just in case she dropped the one set - she held out a pair to Kazutora.

"Thanks for inviting me. I'll try not to be a bother.” Pulled from her current focus, Velonix cast a smile over at the girl who had spoken - Reiya, she had introduced herself as earlier. Without a second thought, Vel leaned forward on her hands and knees, reaching out to pat a spot closer to the three of them, even if Kazuyuki was a bit further away as well.

”You are absolutely no bother at all. Please, join us. I would love to become close friends,” she invited with a sweet smile as she dropped back to a sitting position. ”Feel free to ask us any questions, as I am certain you are both curious about my family. Yuki is not the most talkative so he may not answer, but I will do my best!” she said excitedly. ”I know that after this we have Japanese and English followed by our elective courses. I have home economics first. What do you both have?" ​She plucked up her chopsticks once more and snagged up a mini sausage that she had placed as a side, popping it in her mouth and almost purring over the flavor. She savored the juiciness of the meat and couldn’t contain her sound of happiness. Food was her absolute favorite thing about the mortal world. Damn, she was good, too. Grabbing another, she turned to face Kazutora, holding it out towards him with her free hand underneath to prevent anything from dropping onto the ground. ”Try it, Kazutora! I think you will like it a lot!”