They're Not Me

[Demi Smith]

"You're the one who brought up sacrifices and kidnapping!" Demi insisted, waving her hands, again feeling some of her dirt rolling off her. She also thought she saw a bit of the ground in front of her lurch up slightly. There was the guy and the knocking out and the attempt at blinding and all that fun stuff. Roxana insisted on Demi stopping, further insisting that she hadn't said it when Demi had literally just heard it. The smaller girl was all but growling now.

And she heard the statement, the slander against how ready she was for this. Demi knew full well exactly what was going to happen: Roxana was going to drag her back, then fill out a report saying that Demi wasn't emotionally stable enough to go see these people or something along those lines. She'd insist that Demi be kept away from them, and Demi would be lucky to even be allowed to leave school grounds without permission. And that was if she went along with Roxana.

"I don't think so," Demi said instead. She kicked up a cloud of dust and, in a move that ran counter even to her own desire to start punching Roxana in the face, she took off running in the direction of the camp, moving as fast as her legs could manage.

[Roxana Strix]

“I never said that they did that. I said that was what we were looking for. Those are just a few of the many things you look for when you are looking into a group and trying to find out if they are a threat or not.” Roxana explained. She didn’t even know why she bothered to explain it to the younger girl. Clearly Demi was still being ruled by her emotions and was not grasping that Rox never said that about her people. All she said was what they were looking for and Demi was the young who had ended up taking it personal and hearing it in the way that she chose to.

Not to forget the fact that Demi didn’t seem too pleased by Rox’s ordering her to stop. Rox didn’t care; the younger girl was causing a problem and making this easy job complicated. While she did plan for them to leave, she was not going to put it down that Demi was still emotionally reckless; she didn’t need to. Demi displayed it enough around others for them to be aware of it. She actually just had it planned that once they got back she was going to have a serious talking to Demi and let her know that she would not be taking her down to the camp again and that if she were to ever go down there.

It would be with a group of the older staff and on their decision if she would be allowed to or not. That didn’t seem to be in the plan for the younger girl as Demi was quickly kicking up a dust cloud and was running off. Rox could not believe this was happening; well she could, she just didn’t want to because she had a little more hope for Demi. Clearly it had been wrong to put such faith in the younger girl and now she felt like a fool for trusting her. There was a choice then, chase Demi, fight her, and bring her back. Or call the school, have the school come get the younger girl, and deal with the punishment that would follow; including giving up being responsible and looking after Demi.

The latter seemed like the best idea; mainly because she was just so…disgusted by Demi’s actions. She took a deep breath, pulling out her phone, and dialing the number. While it started to connect and ring, she took that time to run after Demi, hoping that if she managed to catch the girl in time, then she would not have to do her later plan. “Demi, I trusted you. Stop, right now.” Roxana called out to the younger girl, not yelling but still speaking up loud enough to be heard. She really, really didn’t want to deal with this.

[Demi Smith]

Demi had already started moving, feeling some tears gathering in her eyes. This was all just so grossly unfair. Not even Roxana, who Demi had spent so much time with, who seemed to get it seemed to really understand. Murderers, cultists, Roxana talked about it like it was just something you looked for, but who went in thinking that? Roxana hadn't cautioned Demi to look out for people when they'd been entering the mall.

Demi actually felt her foot catch for a moment. She'd been so wrapped up in her emotions that she hadn't really been paying attention, not at all helped by the fact that she'd been all-out sprinting toward the camp. now she hit the ground hard, feeling blood gathering on her mouth before she hit the ground and rolled. Demi could feel Roxana almost immediately catching up to her, and she actually felt her body wrench with a sob.

"Trusted me?" she snapped, whirling, trying to get upright but almost too emotional to even manage that. "You've been looking for me to mess this up since you found me!" Demi actually found her own ability working against her, the dust connecting her to the ground. She sat there, looking up. "What about you? I trusted you. But apparently you think I'm a murderer just like everyone else!"

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana really didn't understand why Demi was talking this the way that she did, because Rox literally had said it in a way to say what they were looking for. She had not accused Demi's people for doing any of those things and would not until there was proof of it. Yet the younger girl had taken the words to heart and was now running off upset. Rox was thankful for her longer legs and overall training that would allow her to go fast for a long distance, but Demi still had a head start on her due to her hesitation on what to do and the whole 'dirt screen' the girl had put up beforehand.

She would not have been able to put the fact that she had not warned Demi about people in the mall would have made the girl feel some kind of way in this situation. She would have, had they been sent to the mall to check or look for those things in particular; but they had not. It was in part thanks to Demi ending up falling that had allowed Rox to catch up with her and thus hang up her phone and slip it away. Demi was...really upset. Rox could not help but to stare at the younger girl for a moment as her brain just tried to process the fact that Demi was showing all of these emotions so strongly and that it was affecting her to the point that her power was even acting up.

Rox had always thought Demi was a lot like her, but it was clear that the girl lying before her was still younger, and not all that like her as she thought. "I have not and stop yelling." Roxana said as she moved to stand in front of Demi and kneel down a little bit to sort of be closer to the level that Demi was now that she was on the ground. Dirt and now blood was on the younger girl and while Rox still was upset with her, she could not help but to feel...bad. "I don't think that about you. At all." Roxana responded, her tone still remaining the simple way that it always was before she let out a sigh. "I may not understand your...culture or why you view things the way you do, but that does not mean that I don't like you and it certainly does not mean that I think you are a murder." Rox said, glancing off for a moment.

"I don't even think that about your clan or this clan. I simply was stating what we were looking for. That is all" Rox said, trying to explain it and hope that Demi understood. She didn't really want to explain it here of all places, but she needed to get Demi to calm down a bit before she could try to move the girl. It was clear that Demi's power was giving her some difficulties when it came to getting up or the girl would have likely gotten up by now and possible attacked Rox.

[Demi Smith]

Stop yelling. Demi almost felt like sniffing again. She fought the tears, growing made that she even had to fight them. The anger she could latch onto, cling to, use. It made her shake, and she could swear it made the crying worse, somehow. It didn't stop her from hearing Roxana though, hearing every word. Just that simple: I don't think that about you at all.

Demi had to look up at that, blinking. Roxana continued, insisted that she might not understand Demi, but that she didn't actually think that. So Roxana didn't quite understand, but... she understood better than most. That made sense to Demi, even through her rage. She could actually feel that understanding eating at the heat within her, all that rationality that had all but been beaten into her bubbling to the surface now. Not even about her clan.

"Prove it," Demi said, still looking up at Roxana from the ground. "Don't turn me in, and don't let them take me off the squad for this. I--I need to see them," she turned toward the camp. "I just... do. And I can't do that if you turn on me," she looked up at Roxana, and she reached a hand toward her. "So if you really don't think I'm---all that stuff, then show it."

[Roxana Strix]

The younger girl was still upset, tears, yelling, and then clearly trying to fight those things; or at least Rox hoped she was trying to fight to get control over herself again. Roxana could only relate in terms of having lost ‘her cool’ only a few times in her life. Demi was still young so she supposed she had to allow the girl this chance to not be fully together and thinking logically. She should have and she was, but that didn’t mean that she was happy about any of this. Demi was still being disruptive of their whole plan and basically broke the deal since she had not remained at Rox’s side and obeyed what she said.

Rox looked down at Demi as the girl looked up at her, having clearly at least been hearing what Rox had been saying to her. Rox kept a close eye on the girl, waiting and wondering if Demi was going to listen to reason or if she was still going to let her feeling rule her. Prove it. Demi wanted her to prove it, and went on to say how to prove it without Rox even have to ask. Rox had been planning on turning Demi in, but would not have recommended Demi to be removed off the squad. Perhaps be on a probation but she thought the squad would do some good for Demi and Demi was able to be useful to the squad in return.

Demi needed to see them. Roxana didn’t understand that and was not sure if she should go through with this whole ‘prove it’. Especially when Demi had already broken her trust by running off and yelling all because she had let her emotions take over for what Rox said they needed to be on the lookout for. There was a hand reaching out to her; part of Rox saying to grab it and drag Demi back to the school, while the other part said give Demi this last chance. I’m going to regret this later. Rox thought to herself as she let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ll allow it on certain conditions. You will just go see them, no fighting whatsoever. Then after we see them, we will leave. No exceptions. Most importantly; you will listen to me, if I say we are leaving now we go or if I tell you not to do something, you won’t.” Roxana said as she reached a hand out to take Demi’s and help the girl to her feet. “If you break any of those terms, I’m done with you. I won’t stick up for you to keep you on the squad and I will turn you in.” Rox said. That was the ultimatum, she was going to give Demi this last chance and if things went south then she was not longer going to deal with this risk. It would just be foolish on her part.

[Demi Smith]

A sigh. Words. And a hand. Demi took the offered hand, pulling herself up, but she didn't let go of Roxana's. No fighting. No exceptions. None. Whatsoever. And an insistence on Demi listening to to her, again.

"Don't call my people murderers then," Demi replied, hotly. She bristled again, but still didn't take her hand off. in fact, she looked to it, considering, feeling Roxana's warm hand gripping hers, realizing that Roxana was sticking up for her... again, and after she'd just pretty well given her no reason. Demi wasn't quite that stupid: she could tell what was going on here, what it meant.

Roxana was actually on her side.

"Bind my hands together," Demi said, pulling her other hand up then. "I mean, I can still fight like that, but it'll be a lot harder, and we'll need that," Demi said. She nodded and extended her hands toward Roxana, knowing that her power would work better with the direct contact.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana was pleased that Demi took her hand because even if she didn't say it, that was basically like shaking upon the agreement; and of course helping the younger girl to her feet. Rox still felt regret about all of this and a larger part of her brain was still saying to just knock Demi out, carry her out of her, and never have to deal with any of this again. She didn't want to have to deal with emotions and weakness, especially when she was still having some difficulty managing her own. She didn't want to end up like Demi was a moment ago; unable to fully control her power and it working against her.

If that happened...well then she would be useless and didn't deserve the next breath of air. That was just how she thought, how she was raised, and the way she lived. "I never did." Rox pointed out, making sure that was clear. While she did feel that it was a waste of breath since Demi was still saying after she had made it clear several times that she never actually said that about Demi's people. She didn't care enough to keep going into detail on the matter and just left it at that as she did a quick look around before her piercing blue eyes looked back to Demi.

At least the younger girl had calmed down a bit more but it was odd that she was still holding onto Rox's hand. Did she just want that form of comfort? Then came a request, to bind Demi's hands together. Didn't that defeat the purpose of trusting the girl if she was going to bind her to ensure that she would not do anything? Rox looked confused for a moment but said nothing as she took Demi's other hand when it was offered to her. Placing Demi's hands together she used her power to coat Demi's wrist in crystal.

She had to make it thick enough to last a little while since when she coated living things her crystals didn't last as long. Demi would soon have something that looked like handcuffs, but she would not be able to move her wrist at all and if she tried Rox made sure that it would be uncomfortable to further deter the girl from trying anything. "There. Let’s get to it." Rox said as she gestured for Demi to lead the way since the younger girl was the one who wanted to go see them.

[Demi Smith]

"Yeah, you did, but whatever, it's done," Demi replied, shrugging. She didn't like the denial part of things. At least own up to the fact that you were being controlling and judgmental or had done something along those lines. Demi might have done her fair share of crap since coming here, but at no point had she not owned up to whatever it was that she'd done. That was part of what had gotten her to this point, part of why she was now willingly putting herself in what amounted to manacles.

And the crystal slid over Demi's hands. She felt her instinct kick in, insisting that she draw back or attack or resist or something along those lines. But she fought against it, just letting the crystal slide. She did wonder if she could control it or something, but again: she resisted. It didn't feel too bad, and she could still move more or less. Just couldn't instinctively use her arms. Her ability would still work, since it was technically mental and all.

"Right, let's go," Demi said. She took the lead, walking forward, but only taking a few steps before sliding into a more stealthy, creeping gait, getting closer and closer to the camp. Not like they really had that far too go. Already Demi could hear the people moving: they apparently had no reason to be quiet. She stopped, even as everything within her screamed at her to head forward, stopped and looked back at Roxana, giving her a slightly impatient, but still willing to pause, "now what" look.

[Roxana Strix]

Rox just let out a heavy sigh, not bothering to hide it at Demi's words. The other girl was set in stone; no pun intended, on thinking that she was certain Roxana had said those things. No matter, Rox had dropped it and now it seemed like Demi would drop it since she had the last word. It was best to leave it at that or Demi would likely get upset again and Rox would get upset to the point where she would just leave and forget about all of this. It had already been difficult for her to deal with Demi crying so to have to deal with Demi being upset with her; it was just something Rox didn't like to deal with.

She honestly didn't care if people didn't like her, she just didn't want to be around them if they were going to show it. Rox herself didn't like people and that was why she avoided being around them since she didn't see the point in remaining in someone’s company you did not like or didn't want to deal with if you didn't have to. It didn't take too long to get Demi's wrist nice and covered and stuck to one another like old school handcuffs. Rox knew that some of her hair had turned black in the process, but not enough that it would be something that would really stand out unless you were looking at the back of her head.

Rox said nothing and simply followed closely behind Demi when the girl was ready. Demi was the one who wanted to do all of this after all so it was best for her to lead if they were not going to do what Rox had originally planned. Roxana still didn't know fully what Demi meant by needing to see them but she would go along with it for now and just been on standby just in case. She just hoped that Demi showed that she could have self-control this time; even if past test she had failed. They both moved silently, back to their sneaking plan of sorts before Demi was pausing and thus Rox was pausing. Rox could not help but to raise a brow at Demi's look.

"You wanted to see them. Are you satisfied with this so we can go or is there something specific you want to see?" Rox asked in a whispered tone. She was satisfied personally a while ago just from having a look around the camp since she cared more about the setup/area itself and not so much the people.

[Demi Smith]

"No, I want to see," Demi reiterated. She swallowed, looking forward. These people had to have gotten pretty much the same training as her. Demi was fairly certain of that. Everything about the way they looked and acted just screamed Inherited. But she'd spent the last year or so training here, learning the ways of this school and these people, plus she'd done some stuff. So she could sneak forward, right?

She did so now, edging closer, getting a look at the edges of the camp proper now. Tents, but the kind that, if you looked, you could see actually were done with powers. There were some people walking around in clothing that looked really close to what Demi had worn before the school had come and picked her up. There were a few open gestures of power, but nobody was showboating.

The biggest giveaway, however, was the group of young children training in a smallish clearing opposite where Rox and Demi had sneaked up. They were facing someone and working their way through motions that Demi knew all too well. She could see the perfect form from the instructor, read each motion of the Flow as the man slid through it, and she saw everyone mimicking it.

Demi also felt something hot trickling down her cheeks, digging paths through the dirt, but she didn't really focus on that much.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana said nothing as Demi repeated that she wanted to see. That was why they were here and so it was up to Demi just how they were seeing. Rox was still satisfied, as she had been a little while ago but demi clearly was not. All of this was for Demi anyways, since Roxana would have been perfectly fine with coming down later on her own and getting a look around. She would have been done by now, have written up a report, and have moved on to other things that were more important to deal with at this moment in time. Never could demi say that Rox was not kind to her or ‘not on her side’ after what she was dealing with for the sake of the other girl.

Well, Demi could and it was possibly that she would the next time things did not go the way she wanted but one could hope she would do some more growing and really think about this day in particular. They were moving closer, Rox following, and still not saying anything. There was nothing to say or really do at this moment in time. She honestly was just in observation mode at this moment and she was observing Demi. They could see people training, moving in ways similar to how Demi did; which made sense. After all, Demi had said that the clans were similar in a lot of ways so it made sense that their training methods would be the same.

Rox watched them in their movements for a moment, catching something at the corner of her eye that had her looking at Demi now. The younger girl looked to be crying yet again. She must have missed training with her people or just seeing them train just reminded her of how she missed her clan in general. “Have you seen enough?” Roxana whispered, reaching a hand out to gently place on Demi’s back.

[Demi Smith]

Every bit of Demi cried out to go and join. she could feel her muscles twitching, her hands flicking in their crystal barriers. Just to join in, not to correct or have to tell someone they were doing something wrong or anything like that. Just... run over there and start moving along with them. but she couldn't. They'd pulled her away, forbidden her for at least the time being, and she had to keep playing along. Some day all those children would too.

"Yeah," Demi finally said, nodding. She felt the hand on her back, just that gentle reminder. Demi swallowed hard, pulling an arm up to rub at her face. This smeared dirt all over her face, but she didn't care, almost couldn't care. Demi took another trembling breath before nodding again. "Let's get out of here. You've seen enough, right?" And she looked up to Roxana, waiting for the approval to leave, for the confirmation that they'd seen what needed to be seen, that they were done here.

[Roxana Strix]

Roxana could tell by the look in Demi's eye and the way that the girl's body looked like it was practically twitching with her just sitting there. Demi wanted to return to them, even if they were not her specific clan, they were still her people. People that she missed and probably felt abandoned by on some level. It was in that moment that Roxana fully understood why she had allowed Demi another chance and why she even cared to try and make Demi feel better. Demi did actually remind her a lot of herself, even with the few difference between them. This situation specifically Rox could relate to her a lot.

She too had been sent away from the place she was familiar with, people that were her family...her clan, and was sent to a place she didn't really know much about besides the facts that were presented to her. Yes, she had left home before but it had always been temporary and only for say a week at the longest and never how long she had been at BA. She missed home, longed to be back there, and when she was back there she had not wanted to come back deep down. Allowing Demi to do this...it sort of allowed her to live vicariously through Demi and at least have that connection to being so close to home.

"I have. Let me get that off of you too." Roxana said as she gave a small nod. She was then reaching out with one hand to use her power on the crystals around Demi's wrist to cause it to start to crack and eventually start to flake off given a little time. She hesitated for a moment before she moved to start to sneak their way back to the school, keeping a close eye on Demi. "A piggyback ride is available if you want it. Not like I'm going to tell anyone about this." Roxana spoke up. The main reason she offered was because it would ensure that they really were going to leave and she would have a hold of Demi.

[Demi Smith]

Demi was actually surprised to find Roxana removing the shackles around her wrists. She'd pretty well been figuring that those would be on her for at least until they got back home. She let her arms fall when they could, swinging down by her sides. Her head turned slightly as she gave the group one last look but, well, something in Demi just felt... sad. She couldn't help it. She kept wanting to just curl up somewhere and cry or something along those lines.

Rox was offering a piggyback ride. Demi looked up at her. "you just want to make sure I don't do anything stupid," Demi said, not realizing she was pretty well reading Roxana's mind in that regard. She sighed, gave the group one last look, and then held her arms up. "Sure, whatever, let's do this. I don't want to walk back anyway."

Because she was quite tired. And she did happen to be quite small. And now she was quite sad, and maybe she could just sort of curl up on Roxana's chest and forget everything for a while. Because like Roxana had said: it wasn't like anyone was going to see them.