Mistwoven Healer

Althia looms over the court proceedings like a queen looking down on her subjects. Her massive eyes are nearly the size of the back wall themselves, forcing her to have to hover a good distance back in her illusory void of sky and clouds.

[I greet you, human court of law. I am called Althia the Golden, a Centurion, and a member of The Nine. It is my understanding that I was called here because you have questions to ask about my daughter — I will do what I can to serve this purpose to your satisfaction,] Althia announces.

Once again, I'm forced to give Judge Carter my respect. She simply stands from her judge's seat and turns to face Althia. While I do see a faint tremble in her hands, she stands tall and straight. "Althia of The Nine," Carter starts. "You have been called as a witness in this trial. Do you understand and accept this duty, swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

[I understand and accept,] Althia says, tilting her massive head. [And swearing to tell the truth is a vow I've already held longer than your planet has held life.]

Yes, except she doesn't have to tell the whole truth. That's how Althia's vows work. Defend the defenseless unless you decide they aren't defenseless — then it's perfectly fine to abandon them, right? She might have bound herself permanently with her five vows, her Celestial Truths, but she left herself an out that only requires a shift of mindset.

I don't say any of this out loud, of course. Doing so would only hurt my cause. I do, however, think that it's important that I continue trying to understand Althia. How does she dodge her oaths? When does she? The answers to those questions could end up being extremely important down the line.

"Very well," Judge Carter says, then returns to her seat and faces the court. Honestly, this just makes me respect her even more. I wouldn't be able to turn my back on Althia, and I have more experience with her than anyone else. "Councilor Brooks, you may be the first to examine the witness."

Looking over at Brooks, I'm pleased to see that, for the first time, he doesn't seem in control. He signed up to deal with a trial, politics, and sentinels, all of which can be dangerous but are known quantities. Now, he's being forced to deal with a being older than the ground he stands upon. A being that has likely been a queen of her species for far longer than he was alive. I'm honestly not sure how anyone could compete with Althia in law.

Still, Brooks stands, straightens his spine, and moves to the lectern. He looks slightly like he wants to piss himself, and I highly doubt the man prepared for something like this, but at least he has the balls to stand there before Althia.

"Althia," he starts, giving her a bow. "As the mother of Serena's familiar, I'm sure you cannot be happy with the danger in which she has been repeatably placed. Would you agree with me that a safer environment for both Serena and her familiar would be beneficial?"

[I would not,] Althia replies instantly, and a chill runs through my body, knowing that she's telling the truth. She really wouldn't like us to have a safer environment.

[To struggle is to grow,] Althia continues. [Muscles do not grow stronger unless you work them, and trials work in a similar way with the soul. By facing what they have under so much strain, Serena and Celeste have clarified their spirits, allowing for faster growth.]

"And if they died instead of growing? You must understand that Serena has faced near death several times now," Brooks pushes, although I get the feeling that he isn't getting anywhere with this line of questioning.

[Sometimes, to break is to be built back stronger, and others, to break is simply to stay broken. I have total faith in my daughters that, no matter how broken they might become, they will return stronger for it. It could take a few thousand years to recover, but I am patient. However, in order for a trial to be true, there can be no safety net. No one to pull them from the flames simply because they got too hot; they must learn to endure… or learn to burn.]

Althia's words ring out loud and true, making me shift uncomfortably. No, Althia doesn't want me to be safe; she doesn't want me to be dead either, but in order to grow strong, staying safe isn't an option.

At this, Brooks's line of questioning is more or less proven moot. The man seems to flounder for a mere moment, attempting to come up with something to ask. However, he seems to understand that Althia will reply to anything with cold logic. His argument revolves around playing on emotions of love and fear, but it's debatable whether Althia actually loves me and Celeste or whether she is actually afraid of losing us.

From how Althia acts, I would say that she views us more as an aspect of her legacy rather than people that she cares about. Honestly, I don't mind that fact as much as I thought I might. I have a real family, a father who loves me, and friends I would do anything for. While Althia might call herself my mother, she'll never occupy that place in my heart. To me, Althia will never be more than a benefactor, maybe a mother-in-law that I really don't like that much at most.

The fact that Celeste was raised by this creature does answer some questions about her. While at times she seems to genuinely understand my emotions, sometimes they seem so foreign to her as well. But she's learning, and I know that she does feel emotions of her own. I fully believe that, with time, Celeste and I will be fully in sync.

With his most recent question answered, Brooks gives Althia another bow, then turns to Judge Carter. "No further questions, Your Honor."

A wise move; Althia knows how to play this game better than him, and without a prepared line of questioning built to deal with her specifically, letting her speak more simply isn't in his best interest. Now, it's time to see what Nakamura can do with his examination.

"Very well, Councilor Brooks," Judge Carter says, shifting slightly in her seat. I get the feeling that she is still keenly aware of the massive dragon hovering behind her that everyone else is staring at. Honestly, I would have just turned sideways or something if I were here. Maybe her seat is bolted to the ground, though, so that might not be… Agh! Serena, pay attention!

I missed Judge Carter calling Nakamura up to the lectern, but he looks oddly comfortable standing before Althia. I wonder if he knows that she may or may not actually be able to harm him without being fully present in our world. To be honest, he looks even calmer than I am.

"It is good to speak with you after hearing so much about you, Althia," Nakamura says, offering his own bow. "I'm hoping that you can clear some things up for us in order to get this trial wrapped up."

[Of course,] Althia says, nodding her head in a way that sends a ripple down her massive serpentine body. [I will always honor the pursuit of truth.]

"I would expect nothing less," Nakamura says with a smile. "Now, it is my understanding that you consider Serena to be a critically important asset to not just Shinara but Japan as a whole. In addition, your previous statements seem to imply that you also find her rapid growth to be important. Would you categorize this as accurate?"

[I would,] Althia responds. [Serena is to be my champion and my voice amongst humanity in the coming days. Let her words carry the same weight as my own.]

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Nakamura frowns, "And, as your champion, her presence in Japan and her training here are critical?" he pushes.

Althia nods once more, [Yes.]

Briefly, I wait for Althia to continue, but she doesn't, keeping silent as she waits. Apparently, like with me, she doesn't intend to reveal more information about what being her champion means until a later time.

"What would you say to the idea of Serena being moved away from Japan for her own safety?" Nakamura asks directly.

At this, Althia actually appears to take some time to consider. [Serena's current training environment is currently suitable for both relative danger and growth. In addition, there are plans in motion here in Japan that require her attention. I see no reason why Serena should leave Japan unless she herself desires it to be so.]

At this, Nakamura nods and steps back. "Thank you for your words, Althia. No further questions, Your Honor."

Judge Carter nods and finally allows herself to turn to the missing back wall. "We thank you for coming to provide your testimony, Althia of The Nine. At this time, I would ask that you leave… the witness stand. If you are able to move to the gallery, you are welcome to do so."

[I am more than capable of watching without causing a scene,] Althia says, dipping her head respectfully to Judge Carter. And with that, the back wall reappears as if it was always there to begin with.

Judge Carter sighs, glares at Councilor Nakamura, then slumps her shoulders. "Councilor Brooks, Councilor Nakamura, do either of you have anything left that you would like to share?"

When both men shake their heads, Judge Carter stands.

"At this juncture, I do not feel as if I am able to provide an adequate final decision to resolve this trial. As such, I will be calling in a member of the A Rank council to make the final decision on the fate of Miss Solace."

Judge Carter throws Nakamura one final glare before banging her gavel. "All present will be informed of when the results of the review and final decision are released. Until that time, this court is adjourned."

After an hour of dealing with sentinels, my father, and the crowd in general, I find myself back up in Baylee's apartment, surrounded by friends and mentors.

There is some measure of relief in knowing that it's all over, that Judge Carter didn't order me to pack my bags and get to America by next week or something. Indeed, if things go perfectly, Nightsong should arrive at the city perfectly in time to be in line with Althia's plans.

All of that is secondary, though, as my real relief is just in knowing that it's done. I got up on that witness stand and probably made a fool of myself, but at least it's over. Things are in motion and are out of my hands, for now, at least. And so, I can finally let myself relax — or at least try to as I attempt to deal with the fallout.

Honestly, Audrey following us to Baylee's apartment wasn't all that surprising — she's been acting more friendly and less aloof in the last few days — Kayne following us, though… Yeah, we're going to have another of those serious chats now, aren't we?

Once everyone gets settled in, I find myself crammed between Hayley and Akari on a couch, with everyone having piled on. Kayne and Audrey sit in two chairs across from us, their backs to the window and a small coffee table between them.

As is the norm for any gathering of sentinels, familiars scamper all around, seeming to be catching up and having their own conversations about their crazy sentinels. Although, I do note that Rain looks rather uncomfortable around all the other familiars. I wonder if that has something to do with our familiars' heritage.

"Well," Kayne starts, silencing other conversations and drawing attention to him — the big man has a tendency to do that whenever he speaks. "That didn't go as badly as it could have, but it also didn't go as well as it could have. It's time for us to discuss the fallout."

I nod solemnly, "This is going to put a lot of eyes on me, not all of them friendly."

"Yes," Kayne says simply. "While your team members should be safe, Serena, you and your father certainly won't be. To put things simply, we need to take some security precautions today."

At this, Akari nods sharply. "We cannot trust anything that happened in that trial not to leak, especially with Serena's grandfather and his slimeball of a lawyer having seen it." She glances towards me, "Sorry."

I just shrug, I know exactly how far my grandfather can be trusted, that being not at all. Instead of addressing that, however, I ask, "What precautions do you recommend?"

"A few days ago, I would have told you to move into a GDF apartment," Kayne says. "However, recent events have proven that we have enough corrupt individuals within the GDF that even our headquarters isn't totally safe. Instead, I've been looking at a skyscraper compound."

My eyes widen, "Like… one of the big ones at the top of skyscrapers that uber-rich people live in? Kayne, I know I get paid a lot, but there's not a chance that I can afford something like that."

"I'll get Karma to agree to pay for it," Audrey chimes in with a smile. "It was her and Nakamura's plan that got you in this situation."

"Yes," Kayne says, nodding to Audrey. Then, he turns his hard gaze back on me, "Serena, you should know that even this new location won't be totally secure for you. Even if you didn't go galivanting through the skyway with your familiar on your shoulder from time to time, it wouldn't be rocket science for someone to follow you and your father. As such, you're going to need guards. Both at your residence and to guard your father and you whenever you aren't on a mission."

I groan, "Kayne, I'm a sentinel. I don't need a guard! The rest I understand, but-"

In a mere moment, a gun appears from violet flames in Kayne's hand, and he levels it at my head, then casually flips it around to hold it out towards me.

"It can be that fast," Kayne says. "One moment while you aren't paying attention, and you're dead — no time to shift. I understand that you are a sentinel, but you're also a seventeen-year-old girl. A proper guard will have the training and expertise required to be able to react in time and save your life in a situation like that."

Kayne continues proffering the gun toward me, and… with extreme hesitation, I take it. The metal of the pistol feels cold and solid in my grip. "W-What is this for?" I ask nervously.

It's Audrey who answers for Kayne this time, "Sentinel powers are all well and good, but sometimes you aren't in a position to shift. Maybe you're injured, maybe you're too high on mana toxicity, whatever. But, as long as you're conscious, you'll be able to pull a gun from your inventory and protect yourself."

"It wasn't loaded, by the way," Kayne says, gesturing to the coffee table where a pile of ammunition appears in a flash of violet flame. "Even so, I apologize for pointing it at you. Even with an unloaded weapon, that was extremely poor gun safety. Still, it got my point across nicely. Sentinel powers don't make you safe if you're not using them, especially when you might become a target in the near future."

"This… is all kind of a lot," I say, still looking at the gun in my hands with a mixture of fear and revulsion. I've killed before, but unlike my bow, this is a weapon built for killing men, not volcora.

Audrey shrugs, "We just threw you into a mire of potential political consequences by using your connection to Althia and your status as a… What is that phrase you hate? A 'special cookie?' Anyway, we got you into this; now we need to get you out of it alive."

"Technically, my grandfather got me into this," I say, placing the gun into my inventory with a swirl of blue-white mist. Or… is it just me, or does the mist have just a tinge of gold now?

"A suit would have likely cropped up against one of your team members regardless," Kayne explains. "Trying to get you kids to America or China is just too tempting. And, now that it's a bit more out in the open that you are indeed more than just a standard sentinel, it's going to be even more tempting for other branches to try and recruit you."

This statement leaves us all silent for a few moments as we contemplate. Honestly, despite my speculation, I don't think any of us are quite sure what the blowback from using Althia in the trial might be. We know it could be bad, and so we prepare, but who knows what will actually happen.

"You know," Baylee says, "there is actually one bright side to all this."

"And what is that," I ask, peeking around Hayley to see her on the couch.

"Well, moving house is a lot easier when you have an inventory. I bet that if Kayne already has your new place secured, we could get you moved in by tonight!"

Kayne laughs, "You kids have fun with that, but be careful. Serena's new guards won't be ready until tomorrow morning. I don't think that anyone will try anything so quickly, but who knows. What I'm saying is, take transports, don't walk the skyway. Serena, I'm fairly certain I can purchase your new place within the hour. I'll send you the address and the bill to Karma — Audrey, you can handle explaining that one."

Audrey winces, likely imagining trying to explain such a massive bill to Karma, but just silently nods.

I nod, then stand. "I'll call my dad; I guess we have some work to do tonight."

I feel a touch down about having to leave our old, homey apartment behind. Yet, home isn't about any set of walls; it's about the people within them. If this new place will keep Dad and Akari safe, then I'm all for it.