"Wow, this brings back memories, doesn't it Foster?" Keefe stage-whispered, pointing around Alvuterre, the Black Swan's headquarters. "Remember, that's where we stayed?"
Sophie nodded, looking somewhat mystified as she laced her hand into Keefe's happily.
Arella glanced at Oralia and rolled her eyes. Parents.
The Collective was waiting for them near Alvuterre's waterfall- the cliff of sparkling turquoise water splashing off the surface of the pond. Mr. Forkle was standing in the middle, with Wraith and Blur (who still refrained from revealing their true identities) Tiergan and Jocelyn one either side of him.
"Mrs. Sencen," Mr. Forkle greeted curtly. "Er... Ms. Sencen, and Ms. Sencen? And Ms. Song and Mr. Sencen..."
"Really confusing," Braelynn agreed, shuddering. The abundance of confusing surnames was making Arella's head hurt.
"I trust you enjoyed your adventure?" Mr. Forkle asked.
Arella glanced at Braelynn and Oralia, who simultaneously admitted, "Nope."
"Should've figured as much," Wraith added pointedly. "At least Jocelyn did a good job covering up."
"Squall chose well," Tiergan agreed, giving her a familiar warm smile.
Arella knew why they were avoiding the subject- probably for the same reason she wasn't asking.
"Mallowmelt, anyone?" Blur asked, offering a tray full of the Elvin dessert. The gooey chocolate marshmallow cake mixture was hard to resist- especially when Sophie agreed almost instantly and everyone else chimed in.
Arella frowned. Were they really not going to talk about the fact that she'd turned the Lost Cities into a dictatorship, killed half the people currently surrounding her, and ruled the evil organization that her parents and dozens of other Black Swan members had struggled to defeat for years?
An hour later, there was still no mention...
"I thought you said they were going to talk about it," Arella whispered to Jocelyn when she couldn't take the suspense any longer.
"They were," Jocelyn said quietly. "But isn't chilling in the sun with mallowmelt so much better than discussing consequences?"
Arella couldn't disagree with that.
They can't punish you for something that hasn't happened yet, can they?
Arella had never quite appreciated just how delicious mallowmelt was.
YOU ARE READING
TAKE TWO, kotlc
Fanfic𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 arella sencen is tired of her life being defined by her parents' legacy - ready to win the next elvin war , even if it means starting it.
