Gabriel yanks a strand of Kissa's and she shrieks in return. "hEY, sToP!" She turns around, grabbing his arm and trying to bite him as he shoves her face away.
"YOU STOP!"
Cage giggles for a second before gasping. "No yelling!"
Thankfully by the time the kids had started to scream downstairs, Dio, Ben and Vi were already in the dining, the noises seeming very far off and faint. Violet pulls her phone out anyways and texts Miki.
A little quieter please.
Ben gives the sushi a nod and takes it to set on the table. "Thank you."
Violet pulls a seat out for Dio and sits down two seat away, her phone back in her pocket.
Silver crawled down to the bottom of the stairs. "GUYS. If he hears us we're dead, okay???"
Miki checked her phone and held it up, open to Violet's text. "Confirmed. Vi will kill us. See? She said 'please'. In Violet-ese, that means she'll kill us if we're too loud."
–
Dio settled himself in the chair Violet offered him. "This meal looks absolutely fabulous, darling. Benjamin certainly found a prize in you, didn't he?"
Gabriel and Kissa are silent and paused, both visible. She slowly takes her mouth off of his hand and turns around with a huff. "Freakin butt-face can't even take a joke." She mumbles.
He wipes his hand on his shirt and swallows, looking at Miki. "Sorry." He whispers.
Violet gives a small chuckle. "Well, I do cook but not this well. He made most of this. Did you make the sushi?"
Ben starts to fill Dio and Violet both plates, a little of everything, including the sushi.
Silver climbed back up the stairs and pressed her ear against the door.
–
Dio laughed. "Well, then darling," he said, blinking at Ben. "This meal looks fabulous. And I'm sure you wife is a prize, even if she couldn't cook a thing." To Violet he said, "Yes, I did. I do pride myself on my sushi-making skills. One of my favorite past-times. I probably make it a little too often."
–
Miki nodded at them, satisfied, and put her phone back in her pocket. "Also, Gabriel; I expect the world will end before you and Silver make out on the floor so… no one would have believed Kissa anyway." she winked at him and turned back to her and Cage's video game.
Ben's face flushes red and he sits after handing them their plates and making his own.
What is wrong with this man??
Violet takes a bite of his sushi and gives an approving nod.
Gabriel turns himself invisible again before retreating to the corner, his face red.
Great. Now I'm distracted. THANKS A LOT KISS.
Silver stared at the wall in front of her. Was this Diablo man flirting with Ben?
Oh my word, he's gonna die.
–
Dio ate in silence for a minute and then set his fork down, picking up his wine glass and surveying both of them. "So. Before Ben gets sick of me and buries me in your backyard, we should get our business taken care of."
Ben tries his best to stay relaxed but ends up tensing a little anyways.
Violet bites her lip, stopping a smile. "Yes, let's." She pours herself another glass of wine.
This outta be good.
-
Cage climbs up beside Silver (who is no longer invisible btw) "What do you hear?" He whispers.
Silver let out a shrill yelp, whirling around and smacking her hand over Cage's mouth. "Don't DO THAT." she hissed. "I didn't… I was… I couldn't… oh my word." she sagged her head against the door. "Cage, now we're gonna die."
–
Dio opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted but a sudden, sharp shriek, that died as soon as he heard it. He frowned, glancing toward the door and then back at them. "Was that…? Did you hear that or was that just me?"
Without missing a beat, Violet sighs. “Don’t mind it. The neighbor has three young children who tend to make those noises while outside a lot.”
Ben takes a bite of his food.
Silver, you’re dead.
-
Cage bites his lip to contain a giggle but fails and quietly giggles. “I even, whispered, Sil. That’s not my fault.”
Silver glared at him. "I didn't hear you sneaking up behind me. I was focusing on them out there and…" she sighed. "Just don't do that again." she paused and felt for the adults in the dining room again. "Cage, I can FEEL Ben planning to kill me." she whispered.
–
"Ahh," Dio said, with a sip of his wine. "I thought it sounded like a small human sound. Anyway, where were we." he stared at his wine, swirling it a little, and trying to set his thoughts in order. Finally he set his wine glass down and looked across the table at Ben, meeting his gaze evenly. "What do you want to know about me?"
Ben sets his own glass down and leans on the table. “I want to know who is after me and how on earth they’re so close. It doesn’t really involve you.”
Violet closes her eyes for a moment.
Benjamin, please stop talking.
“Do you know who it is, Dio?” Violet adds in a sweeter tone.
-
Cage giggles again. “Will you dye my hair though?”
Dio closed his eyes. Of course Ben would cut right to the heart of it. "Actually… it does concern me." he finally said. "I'm… As important as you are to him, Benjamin, I'm more important, if you can believe it." he glanced back and forth between them. "His name is Etienne. And he's my brother."
–
Silver popped her eyes open, glancing at Cage without moving from her position, fairly plastered to the door. "What? No, Cage, I can hear them! He's telling Ben who's behind all of this—augh, Cage, I missed it! Be quiet!"
Miki popped her head around the corner of the stairs. "Yo. What're you two doing up here?"
Cage shushes Miki. “I’m trying to get her to do my hair but she’s busy evesdropping.”
-
Already on the tipping point from anxiety knowing the kids are downstairs and this in danger, Dio’s words push Ben right over the edge. “Ah, well that’s just perfect. We’ve associated ourselves with the worst person possible.” He goes to stand but Violet puts her hand out and he sits back down.
“Wait, Ben! Hold on, Love, this is fine.” She turns back to Dio. “Etienne is who is after us? Because he’s your brother you know a good bit about him then?”
Ben rolls his eyes.
I hate him more.
Dio took Ben's outburst in silence and waited until they were both calm again. "Yes. I do know him, quite well. Which is why he hasn't captured me or those I chose to protect." he stared at Ben pointedly. "I know you meant well by moving here from the States, but somehow you managed to move closer to him, Benjamin. Spain and France have always been his epicenter. For the last seven months he's known, without a doubt, that you're here."
–
"SSSHHHHHHHH!!!" Silver hissed. "Yes, I'm eavesdropping! I want to know what's happening! They're talking about the bad guy and you're making me miss it!"
Miki rolled her eyes. "Hey. Cage. I'll dye your hair, kid. I have about as much experience as Silver, which is to say; none. So you're no better or worse off with either of us."
This time Ben pushes his chair out from the table, his heart rising to his through and anxiety pulsing through his veins, and starts to pace, running a hand through his hair. “ Я полный идиот. Он здесь, и я привел ВСЕХ детей сюда.” he mumbles.
Violet sighs, letting Ben pace off his anxiety. “Something tells me moving again won’t really do anything besides make us more vulnerable.” She leans forward to rub her forehead. “We’re not ready to face him head on though.”
-
Cage bounds down the stairs. “Alright! Just don’t turn my hair yellow. It has to be white blonde.”
Gabriel sits on the corner, silently feeling Ben’s anxiety rise and Violet begin to stress.
"You don't have to." Dio said. "I've lived here in the same country as him for almost ten years and somehow we're both still alive. I'm his main concern, even if Ben is among his top ten, probably." He sighed and pinched his nose. "I'm sorry, Benjamin. I didn't know how else to tell you but to just jump into it. You're… you're relatively safe, so far. I've been keeping him off your tail as much as I can since I discovered you were here."
–
Silver gulped and pressed her hand to her mouth. Ben is going to explode and then the house will burn down and we'll die in the basement.
Miki gave Cage a strange look. "Doesn't 'blonde' mean yellow??"
Cage shakes his head. “You’re not doing my hair. It’s decided.”
Gabriel glares at the ground and Kissa suddenly flies to the ceiling, grabbing a light fixture and focusing on the wall opposite of her.
Cage grabs Miki’s arm and whispers, “what’s wrong with them?”
-
Violet stares at the table for a second.
Should.. should I tell him about the kids? Because I think we’re in more danger than he realizes.
She folds her hands in her lap and looks back to Dio. “No, thank you for letting us know and keeping his off as much as possible. We haven’t had too many issues since coming here but they’ve become a regular thing lately.” She pauses for a moment, but Ben seems to ignore them, staring at the ground as he paces and probably tries to keep himself from catching something on fire. He’s sweating already.
“Who…” she starts, “who do you think is on the top of his list besides you and Ben?”
Miki jumped. "Probably… a lot. But we already knew that." she looped her arm around Cage's neck. "It's okay, kid, Kissa's just staring at a wall. You know. Like normal."
–
Dio sucked his teeth. "He wants me, because I'm the original Water. There are a few very valuable Kavi that escaped, who he wants back. And he wants Benjamin because Ben is the most powerful Fire besides Etienne himself. He already has Airrow, his Earthling. He's looking for all escaped Elementals, obviously, but the most powerful ones are always his higher priority. He can use the perfected, powerful ones to make more. Without me, and without his favorite Kavi, he can't make any more Water or Airs. And most of his Fires burn up or go insane before they finish recovering. Ben was… Ben was always his favorite. He was very proud of himself for creating Ben."
–
Silver slowly started backing away from the door, almost tripping down the steps as Ben's emotions overwhelmed her. I can't do this. Not right now. I can't freak out now when Ben is freaking out and the sushi guy is up there.
Cage shakes his head. “Not normal. She normally stares at her phone, Mik.”
-
Ben tries to steady his breathing, but the news just keeps getting worse. His hair is wet and ringlets form around his hot face. Violet turns her attention from Dio to Ben and stands. “Benjamin?”
He puts a finger up and shakes his head leaving the room with a strangled “I’ll be back.”
She watches him leave and quietly sits back down when she hears the bathroom door close. She looks back to Dio. “He’ll be alright.” She reassures with a soft and momentary smile. “You said Etienne is looking for Kavi? Those were the first air elementals, right? Do you have the names?”
Kissa is going to be one, I know it.
Miki shrugged. "She is related to Gabriel, Cage."
–
Dio sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to tell you without it sounding as bad as it is." He swirled his wine again, but didn't drink it. "I don't know their names. He's been very secretive about the Kavi. I know several–other ones, not the two he really wants–but they don't know much." He shook his head. "I'm sorry. There's a lot more." He looked up at her. "Is he okay? Tell me truly, Violet: is Benjamin okay?"
–
Silver tumbled to the bottom of the stairs, almost in tears, and wailed, "Ben's gonna burn the house down!!!"
Violet opens her mouth to answer, getting ready to stand and go check on him, when the basement door slams open.
“Where is he, Sil?!” Cage shrieks, not waiting for her response and running to check the living room and kitchen.
Violet’s face goes pale and she closes her eyes.
It was bound to happen sometime.
Cage bolts to the dining room doorway, then slowly slinks back, biting his lip. He opens his mouth to ask where Ben is, but Violet answers first. “In the bathroom. Get him a glass of water please.”
Cage nods and jogs back to the kitchen grabbing some ice water.
"NO, NO, NO, CAGE!!!" Silver yelled, bolting after him. "NO, THE SUSHI MAN IS UP THERE YOU CAN'T–" she slid on the hardwood outside the dining room and crashed to the floor just as Cage raced away.
Dio froze, his dark eyes flying wide as first Cage, and then Silver appeared in the doorway. He glanced at Violet. "Are these–"
Miki groaned and rolled her eyes, trudging up the stairs to stand at the top. "VIOLET I'M SORRY." she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Dio's face paled more and he stared at Vi. "How many do you have?" he breathed.
Violet puts her face in her hands, groaning the word “four”. She rubs her temples before making eye contact with him again. “Don’t tell me. It’s bad.”
Cage bounds over to the bathroom and slowly opens the door. “Beni? I got you water.”
Kissa lands behind Mik, invisible, and quickly makes Silvers wings invisible as if Dio hadn’t already seen them.
Stupid girl.
Silver backpedaled out of the dining room, still on the floor, until her back hit the wall. She gasped for breath, staring at the ground in front of her. I haven't met another person outside my family for over two years.
Dio swallowed and nodded. "I thought you had more. No, Violet, it's alright. There's nothing wrong with protecting our own. I've done it a million times too." He leaned forward and touched her arm.
Miki strolled into the dining room and leaned against the door frame. "So you're the sushi guy. I see what she meant."
Dio stared at Miki, looking her up and down, a frown furrowing his face. He opened his mouth and turned back to Violet. "She's not an Elemental?"
Violet shakes her head. “No, no. Her and Silver are sisters. Silver is air and,” she turns a little to glance back at the bathroom. “Blonde boy is Cage. He’s Ben’s half brother. His element is water.”
Kissa stops in the doorway, gulping and staring.
Etienne's brother.
She grits her teeth.
(She’s still invisible)
Dio stared at Miki again and she stared back, giving him an obstinate look. "She's normal?" Dio asked, again.
"Yeah, dude, I am." Miki snapped, arms folded tightly. "Got a problem with that?"
Dio sighed and dropped his head. "Did you mean four as in four Elementals, or four including her?"
Miki shoved herself off the doorway and crouched in front of Silver. "Hey, babe. It's okay. We outnumber her, like a bunch. We'll be okay."
Silver shook her head. "No, it's not–I don't care that he's–" she dug her fingernails into her hands and pinched her eyes shut. "I can't."
Miki stroked her hair. "Can't what?"
She lifted her head and looked into her sister's eyes. "I can't meet him."
Violet sighs. “Elementals. It’s not good, trust me. The other two aren’t keen on new people but it’s best that way.” She stands and pours herself another glass of wine.
Kissa habitually tilts her head up a little, raising an eyebrow at him.
Hes weaker. I could take hi-
Gabriel shoves past her, invisible, and sits by Silver, turning her invisible with him.
He cups her face in his hands. “Hey, hey. It’s alright.”
Kissa rolls her eyes.
Oh please, all you’re gonna do is encourage her to run away.
Dio glanced toward the doorway. He could hear some of them out in the hall, but couldn't see them anymore. "Do you mind… if I meet them?" he asked slowly, still seated. The last thing he wanted to do was make any of them feel threatened. His own house bore the marks of multiple panicked Elementals and their reactions.
Miki snatched her hands back, feeling Gabriel and knowing it was him. She left her sister in his care and went to find Cage.
Silver gasped as Gabriel suddenly appeared, and crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "He's a person, Gabe." she whispered into his neck.
Miki knocked on the bathroom door and peeked her head in. "Hey."
Violet nods. “It’s up to them, not me. They haven’t met anyone in a while, but Silver is the most likely to need a moment.”
Gabriel’s cold arms embrace Sil and he tries his best to soak up all her anxiety. “Listen, listen.” He quietly whispers, petting her hair. “He’s just a person. It’s okay. Just talk to him like you do us. Pretend you already know him, okay?”
Kissa steps out of Dio’s way, waiting for him to enter the hallway.
Cage waves to Miki, a few of his hairs singed and a few small, mild burn marks on his shirt, pants and arms. He gives her a smile. “Hi! It’s really hot in here you might not wanna come in. But he’s almost cooled off!”
Ben throws a scrubby after him, “DONT DUMP FREEZING WATER ON ME YOU IDIOT. Ugh. I had it under control!”
Dio cocked his head, pointing toward the door. "…Silver? The… the one with wings?"
Silver nodded, trying to calm her breath and stop gasping. "People are scary." she whispered.
Miki held her hands up. "Yo. Cage has freakin' burns, man. I don't call that 'under control'. Considering the sushi guy is still sittin' at the table? What did he even do to you?"
