Just a little kissing

[Incandesa]

Somewhere, in the back of Fiona’s head, she knew her father was going to kill her if he found out, but d*nm she loved kissing. Today, it was with a very nice looking boy. The son of some captain or other, he was average height with sharp cheek bones and a voice like honey. And what he did with his hands was just pain sinful. This wasn’t a serious thing, but she was considering it if the kissing was this good.

In theory, this boy was everything Emrys said he approved of: strong, intelligent, good-looking. His poor daughter was sadly under the delusion that, despite the other ten very similar boys he had rejected, her father would actually accept this one. And hiding in the corner of a forgotten hallway, having her tongue sucked out of her mouth was not helping her judgment skills. Luckily for her, this boy did not know who her father was and she had been very careful to keep it that way. It helped that she didn’t resemble him at first glance. Otherwise, it was unlikely he would’ve ever dared to touch her no matter how pretty. Emrys had gotten quite the reputation when it came to any sort of romantic relations involving his “favorite” daughter.

[Marjorie]

Emrys may not have been the best father, not that he would admit to that. But he did care about if not for his children... and especially Fiona. She had grown into her talent early, and he had pulled strings to keep her out of the Candidate program until she was seventeen or eighteen. He had been badly scarred by the training process, a thing he didn't want for his favorite daughter, even if he didn't realize he was doing it to her plenty fine himself.

Still, he wanted her well prepared for when she did go into the Candidate program, which would be soon... in another year or two, he would not longer have a choice. The government would simply collect her and take her off to the ATC and lock her in. Her only release would be threw graduation or trimming. So he did whatever he could to prepare her for her fate. Like all his children, she attended the best schools in Haviah; she had excellent tutors; she had trainers - she needed to be physically strong, have mental endurance, and be intelligent. Or else she wouldn't survive. Today he had acquired two new trainers for her - one to work on her physical strength and one to work on her psychic skills. When Fiona hadn't come home on time, Emrys had lost his mind.

The first place he looked was her school - maybe she was staying after to study... he sensed her there immediately when he arrived, and what he sensed did not please him. Emrys was in uniform, cover neatly tucked under his left arm as he stalked down the halls toward his daughter.

Sudden fear lanced threw the boy he spotted attached to his daughter's face. He went stiff and pale and started to sweat - and he hadn't even noticed Emrys was there yet. He was frozen in place though and couldn't move.

"Fiona," her father's voice was soft, but cool, "come here, now."As the words passed his lips he instilled a strong sense of obedience into her.  She would know it originated externally, he made no attempt at being subtle. She still wouldn't be able to resist her own desire to be obedient.

[Incandesa]

A chill ran down Fiona’s spine as she felt the familiar touch of her father’s power in her mind, calling her to obey. In truth, he didn’t really need to do it, she had been trained enough to obey without it. It was more for the intimidation factor. She felt the boy in her arms go stiff with a cold sweat, one she seemed to share. Slowly and deliberately, she extracted herself from him and cautiously looked up at her father. Oh dear. She thanked her lucky stars she was his favorite. Had she been her sister, Jilana, she would have certainly died the first time this had happened.

She dragged her feet as she walked to his side, head hanging down in shame. The green girl knew she had let him down. And for what? A boy? That fact hurt quite a bit. She couldn’t even imagine what could be running through his mind right now.

The more rebellious side of her was mad. What was wrong with a little kissing? Just because she was perfect didn’t mean she couldn’t have a boyfriend! In fact, shouldn’t her father be encouraging this? Finding the best partner to “carry on the genes?” Of course, it was at this point, she remembered her father was also a telepath who could very easily read her mind, and she switched to trying to solve calculus problems in her head.

[Marjorie]

Carry on the family lines, yes but not with this worthless... Emry's eyes narrowed on the boy in recognition. "You're Merik's boy."

He nodded.

"I understand you're supposed to be leaving for Candidate training next month," he gave the boy a pointed look. "You want to make it to Candidate training? Stay the fuck away from my daughter." He grabbed Fiona by the wrist and pulled her along with him as he headed for the exit.

[Incandesa]

Fiona internally grumbled all the way to the car. She wasn't quite sure what to open with: what was wrong with THIS boy? or I'm sorry. or I hate you. Alright, maybe not that last one. While deciding, she juggled a small ball of light inbetween her fingers, much like a marble. It was something she often did when upset. Occasionally, she glanced up, trying to gauge just how mad her father was.

[Marjorie]

Emrys’ anger started to cool the further they got from the boy and closer they got to the car. When he glanced at Fiona before getting into the car, it was disappointment he pinned her with not anger. “I’m sorry for that,” not about the boy and not about dragging her away from him, but, “Getting into your head like that.” Compelling her to obey. It didn’t mean he’d never do it again, but he didn’t like doing that.

He waited until her door closed them in and the driver pulled onto the street before he looked at her across the back seat. “You’re going to be taken,” wither rather of them wanted her to go or not, “into the Candidate Training Program soon. Next year, probably,” two at the latest, “I do t want you doing something foolish like getting pregnant. You’ll make the whole process more difficult on yourself. It won’t stop them from taking you.” He paused, glancing away from her, unsure if he should share anything further on the subject. When he looked back at her, his expression was earnest and concerned. “I’m the only reason they,” being the government, “haven’t taken you yet.” Because he didn’t want her whole youth to be burned away in training. He didn’t want her to suffer from it as he had, or at least hopefully not as badly as he had.

“You won’t be able to get to go outside while you’re training,” he added, “and if you don’t graduate...” he was t allowed to tell her what they really did, but, “They won’t send you home if you get trimmed.”

[Incandesa]

Fiona pursed her lips and refused to look him. She'd heard this story a thousand times before, and would probably hearit all the way until she was shipped off to Candidate Training. To be honest, she didn't really care about becoming a pilot, but it meant so much to her father. So she didn't say anything. Once home, she was probably going to shut herself in her room until tomorrow.

[Marjorie]

Emrys pressed the comm button on a panel and spoke to the driver. “Take is for a drive around the city before you bring us home,” he said.

He looked back at his daughter again and the concern on his features was real. Emrys and Fiona didn’t have the best relationship, he knew much of that was his own fault, and frankly he didn’t care. She didn’t need a great relationship with him, she needed the tools to survive and thrive during Candidate training. “Look,” he said, his tone taking on a bluntness, “I KNOW you don’t care about becoming a pilot, and I know you know that I do care about you becoming one. Neither of our opinions matters though, not a single fucking bit.

“The government - the DRAGONS demand it. You will become a Pilot or you’ll be shipped off never to be seen or heard from again. There’s a lot more than you just pleasing me at steak here.”   

[Incandesa]

Frustrated, Fiona snapped, "Since when did you care what happened to me if I didn't become a pilot?! You'd just have another kid, right?" As soon as she said the words, Fiona regretted it. Though she didn't know if it was because she was afraid she would hurt her father's feeling, or confirm them. "I'm-I'm sorry."

Immediately, she called her light to her and used it to turn invisible. In the car, she had nowhere to run, but it at least made her feel slightly less vulnerable.

[Marjorie]

Emrys took her words like a slap to the face, and his expression showed it: shock, hurt. He was rarely so open with her, even in a look.

"No one could replace you, Fiona," he said softly. Why would she believe that? She'd been his favorite sense she'd come into her abilities, but he'd never given her any indication that she - or any of his children - weren't replaceable.

Then, very promptly, she vanished. Oh, he knew she was still there. He could sense her in the car - her rolling emotions, fear, anger, regret, rolling around right on the surface. It was fear, more than anything else though.

"Why do you think I still put up with your brother Bevin, even though most days I think he's mostly a waste of air?" He changed tactics. That he cared about Fiona, and was trying to smack her over the head a little with reality didn't change the fact that he was an emphatic psychic with a lot of training in psychology. "If I really didn't care about him, I'd just let him run off and waste his life on drugs and girls and fast cars until they killed him."

Emrys looked in the direction he knew Fiona to be even if he couldn't see her. "If I didn't care about you I'd never have bothered to try and make you better prepared for Candidate training than I was. The worst of it is, I can't. Not really. I can't really prepare you - you're going to see and do, and worst allow horrible things, and if you don't or can't, you won't make the cut.

"Damn it, Fiona," he snapped, "I know I'm not the best father," hell, he was probably the worst, "my parents were all sweet and affectionate, and my childhood was fucking butterflies and rainbows -- and Candidate training broke me." He'd never said that out-loud before. The admission was terrifying, it made it all too real. He didn't even know why he was telling her, but something just pulled it out of him. "I've never been the same sense, and I didn't want that for you."

Emrys turned his gaze away from her, and looked out the window.

[Incandesa]

Fiona was in a state of shock, completely unprepared for the emotional baggage her father had just dumped on her. Should she feel happy? Sad? Scared? Relieved? She was very solidly confused, like she had just seen a crocodile speak english. She sank deeper into the chair, quietly processing everything he'd said.

[Marjorie]

Emrys left Fiona to contemplate in silence for several long minutes before he turned back toward her. "I don't want you to be concerned about me," that's not why he had told her, "I just want you to take things more seriously... consider the consequences of your actions. Think about your future... I can only do so much for you."