Aight guys today I'm gonna introduce your new favorite character _________________________________________ "Thora? Are you okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine." "You sure? You don't look okay." Thora sighed. "My family found out about Stasis. They think I'm bad." "Do they, though, or did you spend so long telling yourself they would that you've convinced yourself that it [i]is[/i]?" "What?" "I mean, I've been kinda worried about you myself." "Not you too!" "Well, Thora, you aren't always right about everything. Maybe they just want to protect you too." "Ugh. Arjaan, you know how I feel about you. But that doesn't mean my family is the same. Honestly, I'm so sick of them." Arjaan shrugged, stirring his oatmeal. "Sure. I mean, I'd give anything to have a family. But the Techuens are my family, now." "I lived with just my family until I was ten years old. Didn't have any friends. Just my little siblings who are currently twelve and eleven. They're a lot younger than me and they're total butts sometimes. This is the only place I've ever had friends my age, who understood me, and now my parents are going to take that away because they think I can't control a little ice." "What?" "Yeah. I heard them talking last night. They're not going to let me come anymore." "But... but you'll fall behind!" "I've searched the future, and I can't find a winning argument. They're too damn stubborn," Thora said wearily. "So after today... bye. Until next year." "I won't see you for the rest of the year? Can I come hang out?" Thora snorted. "They'd never let me have a boy around." "Yeah, I wouldn't wanna cross your parents. It's not just that they're both perfectly capable of murdering me," Arjaan decided, "It's that they also have the complete jurisdiction to do so. And nobody would miss me anyways." Thora giggled and punched his shoulder. "I'd miss you." "Oh, good. That's always good to hear." "I guess at this point, I may as well salvage what I can. Play nice about staying home and stop learning Stasis, and hope they'll be reasonable about you. I'm sure Dad would be reasonable. Mom is the problem. She has a lot of opinions about getting your heart broken... it's not my problem that clingy, manipulative megalomaniacs were her type!" Arjaan laughed into his napkin to avoid spraying her with milk. "What?" "Yeah, she went through four guys before Dad. And you're right about the murder thing, cause where are they now?" "Are you trying to scare me?" "No, I'm dead serious. She killed every single one of them, all with the same gun. Well, except one. Prince Uldren was her first boyfriend- she killed him because he killed her second boyfriend after he went insane. The third one tried to blackmail her into giving him more power over the Reef, and the fourth one made it a few months after dumping her before Mom found him torturing another guardian to death, and killed him and his Ghost. The Ghost was just as bad. Well, the one that was being tortured was my dad of course." Thora wiped her face. "Love at first sight. Well, not really. Still took him a bit to win her over, with his past and all." "I bet. Wow, that's a really dramatic love life. I would never have expected that from your mom." "Yes, you must keep it to yourself. The media would be all over it- 'Petra Venj's Secret-' What did you call it? 'Secret Love Life.' Then they really wouldn't let you come over." They both laughed again. "I'm gonna miss you." "No you won't. We have to see each other somehow. Since you like to draw so much, why don't you start going to the park to draw as a hobby? And I'll just happen to be there at the same time?" "Ah, a genius plan, my friend. Really, the master stroke. They'll never see it coming. Oh, until they decide the park is a great place for family time, and decide to come join me without warning." "Hmm..." Arjaan pretended to be thinking. "Or you could just tell your dad about me first, and then tell him to tell your mom once he's already okay with it. Unless your mom tends to run things?" "They're pretty balanced, but actually, that could work. She listens to him. I'll do that when I get home." "Milohl! You're late for your first session!" A scowling Mother Ylaia came up to them. "Princess Thora. The Queen is waiting for you as well." "Alright, I'm going," Arjaan said good-naturedly. "See you around,[i]Milohl.[/i]" Thora followed Ylaia. "Really, I don't know why you spend so much time with that troublesome boy. He'll ruin your reputation if you let him drag you down. What about Miss Val? She comes from a very nice family, good student, and-" "Oh, and our moms had a thing. Didn't like each other much. You know what they say, apples don't fall far from the tree. Why do you hang out with that troubling frown so much? It'll ruin your face if you let it drag you down. What about a smile? You should smile more. No, not frown more. [i]Smile.[/i]" Thora grinned as Ylaia's scowl deepened. "Miss Sov, just because your father is a Prince-" "-Yeah, however much he denies it-" "-and just because your mother is Queen Mara's second-in-command-" "-Can't argue with that one-" "-Stop INTURRUPTING me! Just because your parents are important doesn't mean you get to talk to us however you want to! Would you talk to your parents like that? Would you talk to Queen Mara like that?" "Parents, yes, Aunt Mara, no. My parents are good humor people." "Pardon?" "They think I'm funny." Thora suddenly realized with a pang that for as long as she could remember, her parents had understood her and agreed with her and been there for her. Now all the sudden they were against her. She hurried down the hallway toward the room where Mara had been training her almost every day since she was ten years old. "Come in," Mara called, before Thora could even knock. Thora approached her cautiously. The Queen was sitting cross-legged on the air, eyes closed, hair floating up. She was deeply concerned by a future she saw. "The Traveler wants to talk to you," She murmured. "What?" "You are destined for greatness, Thora. The Traveler has recognized the power of the Weaver. You have immersed yourself deeply in the Dark. If you wish to stay in balance, you must also immerse yourself in the Light." "How do I do that?" "That is for you to discover." "Oh, alright then." "Today we shall commune with Starlight. You will only learn if you are ready." It was a confusing lesson, and Thora must not have been ready, because she didn't learn much. She could feel the hum of starlight in her skull but she couldn't comprehend the words it spoke to her. "I know that after today you shall not be returning for a long while. Do not let the skills you have learned go. They are everything you need to survive your next trial." "Alright... sounds ominous. I guess I'll try not to."