Down Under

"A trail of sweets." Rochelle suggested.
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Jackson followed her.
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"It's ok."

"He'll probably get to the door and flinch."

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Auriele looked at him as she heard him come him, her head hanging off of the end of the sofa with how she was lying on it, so she was upside down.

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"Sorry. Most people aren't as nice as you are to me." Nidawi nervously rubbed her thumb against his hand.

Jackson watched her from the doorway.
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"Well I could carry him outside."
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He held her hand in his. "Dont worry about it."

Auriele smiled widely at him, wiggling around to lie on her stomach so she could see him better.

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"Well, if you want him to scratch, kick and punch you in the face go ahead and try."

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"Can we g-go and have my wings cleaned then?"

"I can try."
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He smiled at her.
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"Yeah." He made them appear back at their flat.

"Have fun." Damion chuckled softly.

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Auriele shuffled to sit up, patting the couch next to her with a tilt to her head.

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Nidawi smiled softly, squeezing his hand in thanks. "Where's is the bathroom?"

"Down the corridor to the left."
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He moved to sit next to her.
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"I will."

Nidawi nodding, absently flexing her wings to see if she could reach the tips. Even with curving them around, she was a few centimetres off being able to reach them.

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Auriele leaned into his side with a happy noise, rubbing her cheek against his arm.

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"Just call if you need help."

Kaidan had ended up leaning around the doorway, wondering why his parents hadn't followed, staring at them wide eyed and unassuming.

"Do you want me to do it?"
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He smiled and moved his free hand through his hair.
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"I will." She walked to the door with Kaidan. "Come on Kaidan."

"No! No, no. I'll just fill the sink and dip them in." Nidawi tucked her wings in as quick as she could.

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Auriele hummed happily before pausing as she heard Mathias start crying.

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Kaidan moved to take of hold of her hand, looking up at her happily.

She rbought him outside.
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Jackson looked at her. "Do you want to see to him? Or is it my turn?"
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"Ok, OK calm down."

Kaidan immediately flinched and scrambled to get back inside.

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"I'll go!" Auriele got to her feet and walked towards Mathias room.

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"It's not you fault. Fairy wings hold all our magick and are full or nerve endings. They're sensitive to pretty much everything but my touch so..." Nidawi shuffled, rubbing her cheek and looking almost embarrassed.

Rochelle kept hold of him. "Hey now, come on just look around Kaiden, everything is fine."
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Jackson nodded and watched her go.
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He nodded. "Ok."

Kaidan hadn't seemed to hear her. He was scratching and clawing at her hand, trying to make her let go.

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Auriele walked quickly towards Mathias' room and froze in the doorway, as there was someone leaning over his crib. Immediately, she shrieked and threw herself at the person.

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"I think you'd understand what'd happen if I let you touch them..." Nidawi rubbed her cheek more firmly to try and stop herself blushing. "N-Not to be distrusting or anything but...I-I haven't...y'know...before. Most species are scared of me..." She tucked her wings in firmer, looking almost anxious and upset now.

"Don't worry about it, I haven't either."
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Jackson heard her and he walked over to the room.
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Rochelle held him so he couldn't hurt her.

Nidawi nodded shortly, though she looked a little surprised before she gestured weakly. "I-I'm going to try and clean them then so...if I do end up needing help I'll ask...hopefully I can clean them myself..."

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The person, a man, had twisted around to catch Auriele, pressing her against the wall with his hand tight around her throat, even as she kicked and struggled against him, face twisted in a snarl while she wheezed for air. He was holding her high enough that she couldn't get her feet on the floor.

Mathias was still crying, even more frightened than before

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"I wanna go in, I wanna go in, I wanna go in," Kaidan was whispering over and over, nearly hyperventilating with panic. "They're gonna get me if I'm outside."

Thane nodded.
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Jackson suddenly shifted and tackled the man away from Aurielle.
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"Kaidan, look at me." She sat on the ground with him, they were literally two feet away from the front porch. "No one is going to get you, I'm never going to let that happen."

Nidawi wandered to where had pointed the bathroom was, staring at the sink as she tried to figure out the taps. Eventually, she managed to get water flowing, slowly moving to stretched her wings out as far as she could make them go as she sighed in relief.

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Auriele slid down the wall before darting to pick up Mathias and backing towards the door with him, hissing fiercely from the back of her throat.

The man obviously hadn't expected Jackson, getting to his feet as quickly as he could.

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"I-I don't need to be outside. We can go in because I don't need to be outside, ever!"

He watched her.
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Jackson snarled at the man.
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"Kaidan, how else do you expect to see your brother?"

Nidawi gripped the edge of the sink, leaning over and giving a soft noise of content at being able to stretch so far without worry of her wings getting hurt. When the sink was full enough, she turned off the taps and twisted one of her wings around to dip the tip into the water. Her other wing was hanging lazily, drifting just above the floor.

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"She has a guardian." The man said, mostly to himself as he watched Jackson, head tilted. "We didn't account for that."

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"He can come here and see me. I don't need to go out. Or daddy can do that appearing disappearing thing when he takes people places without going outside."

Thane watched her.
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Jackson just snarled.
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"Even then you will be going outside." Rochelle made him look at her. "Kaidan, what's scaring you?"

Nidawi didn't seem to realise he was watching as she pulled her wing from the water and picked up a towel, trying and failing to dry it.

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"Sorry for startling you. I am the Archivist. I'm here to mark the birth of our newest Prophet, the boy."

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"Those things mom! Those things that came from the other side because I'm the key. They want me so they can open the door. They're everywhere but inside so I can't go out or they'll see me and get me!"

Jackson shifted human, and he slid his arms around Aurielle, letting her deal with this.
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"Kaidan, no one is going to get to you, look if I let you go back inside, will you come outside for something to drink?"
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Thane stayed quiet.

Auriele relaxed slightly, though she didn't stop hissing in the back of her throat at the Archivist, holding Mathias close.

The Archivist sighed, tilting his head slightly as he murmured, "I don't mean to cause any harm. Simply to mark him down. Auriele should have her own, on the back of her neck and so Mathias should have his."

Auriele twitched at him knowing hers and their son's name.

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"But they are! Uncle Stefan got beat up by them when we last went out! I'm staying inside!"

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Nidawi sighed softly, before twisting to call for Thane, pausing when she saw him.

"I would prefer it if you left, and I'm sure Mathias and Aurielle would be happy if you done the same."
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"Kaidan calm down, but you only have to come to the porch ok?" She looked at him, kissing his forehead. "I will get you what you need to drink."
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He looked at him. "You were about to call."