Upon Vestia: Chapter Sixteen

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"All those aliens, always hyping up how great they are, and it always turns out to be a lie," James said sagely. "I'm not like that though, I mean I've been known to punch minotaurs. I'd be a proper villain, I wouldn't lose."
He watched as the guy went back into the train, "Ooooh nooooo. They so should not have done that. It is ON!"

"Yeah, it's probably full of sweet, sweet justice," James mused. "Aww, she can't help it if she's hideous. Be nice."

~~
"And don't fly too high off the ground while the butterfly is on the loose!" Asher called after the hawks.

"What are they usually like?" Orel said, looking away from Skye so she wouldn't see him blushing.

~~
Asher smiled softly at Kay when the hawks left. "Well this morning just keeps getting odder, doesn't it?"

"if they weren't awful people i'd let it slide, but they are so... " Luka snickered.

--

Kay rolled his eyes. [Odd is one way to put it. If anyone gets hurt because of the guild's insistence of keeping dangerous creatures and not training their keepers to properly contain them, I will not be happy.] He huffed. At least Vestia was safe... probably.

Skye chuckled "Actually, most of the time they just stay in the medical room and don't get too involved with anyone else." She said as they headed for the ramp.

"Fair enough. These girls are awful," James agreed. Pretty soon they reached the part with the King and the Duke arguing about the prince's future marriage. "Hmm, the King's gonna be sad to have an android daughter in law," James said.

~~
Asher nodded. "This place is... worrying, to say the least. Despite all the advertising of great knowledge and such here, it seems best to stay here for the most part."

~~
"Oh. Huh. I'm flattered that they care enough to threaten me then," Orel said dryly.

Luka tried not to laugh. "Maybe they can adopt."

---

Kay nodded. [I suppose when you have such power you forget how soft and squishy and easily damaged and hurt other species are. Even so, the closer we get to the full moon, the more I think it's better I avoid the city anyway. If I stay here my mood should, hopefully, remain fairly stable. ] He smiled weakly. [Or as stable as my temper usually is.] He moved to tidy up the game.

Skye chuckled again and nodded. "Yeah, I didn't know they would act that much like dad's to you." She said and shook her head again. It was funny, now that they weren't getting those looks.

"Old Terran politics were weird about blood relationships and stuff, but yeah, maybe they could. Or he can find someone who's willing to let him knock her up, and then go on her way in exchange for riches," said James.

~~
"Yes, I think it's easy to forget just how fragile most of us are sometimes," Asher agreed. He smiled at Kay, "Sensible. It's very nice that this spaceport is on an asteroid, I must say."

~~
Orel chuckled. Yeah, it was kind of funny now that they weren't in the room with those medics. "You're lucky to have them looking out for you."

Skye nodded then frowned a little and looked away. "Yeah, having them take up for me is nice."

Orel unfurled one wing a bit to brush hers companionably. "Come on, let's fly," he told her, not sure what else to say to someone who had lost their parents. "Not too high, like they said."

(To the asteroid thread?)

Kay nodded. [It's an enormous relief certainly. We may be confined to the ship for the night, but at least i'll be myself.] He did feel a lot better knowing that. [It's nice to know there's other Artruvans here.] He smiled softly. Oh sure he'd worry about Skye, but at the same time it was good to know members of their race were here. it gave them some familiarity in this strange place.

---

Luka nodded sensibly. "that could work. " She chuckled. "Monarchies are so weird. This whole destined to rule because of who your parents were seems a really rather shit way to select your leaders. It's how you get complete tyrants, or incompetent nitwits."

"At least in that regard, this place is quite good. I assume there won't be any full moon influence here, I suppose we have a few days to go to be entirely sure the effect doesn't somehow come through the portals," Asher said thoughtfully.

~~
"One argument people use for monarchies is that they can groom the children to rule well," James said. "Of course in practice, you need a good ruler to raise a good child, and sometimes the child is just a turd anyway. Better to elect officials and have councils and stuff."

Kay chewed his lip, considering that. [The peacekeepers should know shouldn't they? It's something we do need to know for sure. I dread to think what might happen if we're wrong and somehow the effect does trigger.] He mulled that over.

---

"You can't educate out stupid, it's in the genes." Luka nodded sagely.

"The peacekeeps should know," Asher agreed, "And we'd better ask them at some point before the full moon. If you seem unusually moody while here on Vestia, we'll take precautions no matter what they tell us."

~~
"Very true," James agreed, "One reason why new politicians is much better than old families."

The invitation was sent out! Cinderella wanted to go to the ball!

Kay hesitated, then nodded. [If you're in any doubt, just throw me in a cell. If I protest, point out that I told you to do so. ] He nodded.

---

"Is she gonna sing a song about this?" Luka asked skeptically.

Asher smiled softly. "Hopefully it won't come to that; I'd rather not. But if it seems necessary, I'll do it and be very apologetic about it."

~~
"She doesn't actually sing at this part. She's not like some of the other princesses who sing about everything," James said. "But the mice and the birds sing about making her a dress soon."

"Rodents and birds... make a dress? How is that even possible? arghh forget it, it's a cartoon right?" Luka rolled her eyes and continued to shovel chips into her mouth.

---

Kay nodded. [I know. At least I can rest assured that even at my most agressive you can more than likely overpower me. ] Well unless he shifted, but when he was particularly mad or out of control the concentration to do that was rather lost. Thankfully.

"Talking mice, so it's perfectly logical," James told Luka.

The mice and the birds were all going all over Cinderella's mother's dress, sewing pretty ribbons and modifying the sleeves and stuff.

"That's not her biological mother's dress," James said sagely, "It's an adoptive relationship."

~~
Asher winced a bit at the idea of physically overpowering Kay. First Law or no First Law, the idea of doing that to an organic was repellent to his programming, and his conscious mind hated the idea even more when it involved Kay. "Yes, I suppose that's true," he agreed, a bit reluctantly.

Luka snickered. "of course, because she's an android right?"

--

Kay smiled softly. [I know you'll only do what's necessary for the protection of everyone else on this ship, including Vestia. It's unlikely to come to that, I'm usually fairly lucid right up till the end anyway. ] He chewed his lip nervously. [I think i'd like confirmation that we're safe up here.]

"Exactly. Her mother can't be biologically related, might be an older android or a nice Terran or something. Still totally her mom!" James looked pleased with the mental gymnastics he was performing here.

~~
"We'll go ask around once this butterfly is apprehended," Asher told Kay. It sounded odd to say that, but yeah, it was the truth. "Regardless of what happens, I'll make sure everyone is safe," he smiled back a bit weakly, wishing he didn't feel the need to elaborate further than that, "including you."

Kay nodded and patted Asher's arm. [I know] he told him. [Shall we continue that walk?]

---

Luka smiled, James' leaps of logic were kinda adorable. If he wanted to believe the cartoon lady was an android, well why not?

Asher looked uncertain. "We don't want to accidentally encounter that butterfly," he said. Of all the people who shouldn't meet this thing, Kay was definitely in the top five.

~~
The stepsisters tore up Cinderella's dress when she came down to show it off!

"Noooo," James wailed.

"Told you they were bitches, kick them!" Luka insisted. "to be fair though, a well made dress shouldn't be that easy to tear up. Shoddy bird and vermin sewing." She nodded.

---

[Vestia hasn't seen it yet. We could always keep hiding out.] Kay smiled softly. [This room is currently butterfly free, and has games. ]

"They'll be alone and hated forever, don't worry," James said.
"But the dress! It was so nice! And the mice and birds worked so hard, even if they did a crap job."

Cinderella ran off to cry by a well. As she was sobbing, an old lady sparkled into existence by her!

"Magic aunt! Magic aunt!" James cheered.

~~
"Maybe we should stay here. There are worse places to be stuck, and it's better now there aren't two teens blushing every time the make eye contact," Asher looked very amused. It was funny, okay?

"man that would scare the shit out of me." Luka remarked. "just popping outta nowhere. "

---

Kay smirked. [Teenagers are stupid, you're lucky you never were one.]

"Cinderella's having a crap day, she's past the point of caring if old ladies randomly materialize," said James. "I also don't think she was ever in the military."

The magic transformation scene started! A pumpkin for a carriage, mice for horses, the dog and the horse became human attendants! And finally the lady remembered Cinderella needed a new dress. This lady was a bit slow, apparently.

"I never got why the horse didn't just become a younger horse for this," James confided to Luka.

~~
"Oh yes, I'm very glad for that," Asher said. He peered at the board games. "Hmm, see anything you'd like to try?"

"wait.. they HAD A HORSE but turned him into a person rather than... WHY!??" Luka sputtered. "the old lady's nuts clearly. "

---

Kay shrugged. [I don't recognize any of these.] He admitted. [And you are, very fortune. Hormones, as I mentioned earlier today, are horrible.] He looked amused. [At least Skye's relatively sensible for a stupid teenager. ]

"And the magic only goes until midnight. What if Cinderella wants to get laid after the party? It's terrible," James grumbled. "She's an android, she probably doesn't, but STILL. RUDE."

~~
Asher found Checkers. Might as well play that. "Yeah, and the guy didn't seem too terrible. Other than being a bit embarrassed and silly," he said.