Storm Shelter
Haila Grainne, age 9
Cheyanne Grainne, age 17
Koler Fargeau, age 17
Hayat "H" Nevan, age 18
Viar Dodd, age 20
Important Note; I'll likely end up posting Koler's version of this in the future. Actually, I 100% will, because, right before this, H and Koler had a major argument, and, the next morning, Koler found H's note confirming that they had left. So, my guy's going through a shit ton of stuff right now, lmao. Also, Koler, H, and Cheyanne were all pretty close to their birthdays at this point, so Koler and Cheyanne were almost 18 and H was almost 19. Not terribly important, but I thought I should mention it.
Enjoy!
*TW for physical and verbal abuse, victim blaming, usage of derogatory language, Viar, hinted character death, arguing, ummm, a sad child(?), and general angst*
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Haila sat in bed, glaring at her door stubbornly. She wasn't tired. She'd tried everything that Koler and her mama had told her. Counted sheep, sang herself lullabies, thought up stories, and even read one of the little picturebooks Ko had gifted her for her birthday! And it was all useless!
Instead of drifting off, Haila had only managed to run her eyes along the cracks in the pink paint of her bedroom walls. And now, she was so frustrated that she forgot to be tired at all, instead opting to grab her empty glass from her nightstand and creep out of her room.
She shivered slightly when her bare feet touched the ground, hugging her arms to her chest for a moment before making her way to the door and pushing it open cautiously.
Mama wouldn't be upset at her for being up late. Mama never got mad at her, but Koler might be. And Haila really didn't want to deal with Ko's disappointed face right now.
So she moved slowly, ducking in and out of the shadows, smiling sheepishly at one of the Watchers wandering the hall caught her eye and raised a curious eyebrow. He didn't say anything though, just dipped his head and moved along.
Letting out a breath, Haila continued on, heading toward the shared main kitchen space of the higher-authority building when the sound of raised voices caught her attention. This wouldn't usually warrant a response from her, people around here shouted all the time, but this time, Haila recognized the voices.
Hesitantly, the young girl rerouted, walking toward the source of the noise as she recognized Viar's office. She paused outside and peered through the small crack in the door, eyes swiftly locating her mother, who was standing on the opposite side of a desk from Viar, hands clenched at her sides. The leader across from her was leaning with his palms against the desk, eyes narrowed at Haila's mother as he shouted.
"How fucking dare you even suggest leaving me! After all I've done for you?! After everything I've given you?! You and your pretty little face would still be on the fucking streets if it weren't for me! Hell, you'd probably be dead by now! I gave you everything you have! Me! I gave you a home, I gave you a purpose! You are nobody without me!"
Haila felt her eyes widen, hand tightening its grip around her glass as her mother drew in a breath, unwavering despite Viar's yelling.
Which didn't make sense. Viar shouldn't be yelling at Haila's mom in the first place! They were good friends, she had told Haila they were good friends! She said that, without Viar, they wouldn't have anything to fall back on. Viar was great! He was perfect! Kind and generous and caring. Mama told her that!
"This is about more than just us now, Viar! I don't want a child, my child, growing up in this place! It's not fair! Not to her! I'm sorry, but I can't stay, not like this."
Viar slammed a hand against the desk and began moving around it, eyes glowing. "How dare you?!" Haila flinched back, covering her mouth with one hand and still grasping her glass with the other. Viar looked angry. Why was he so angry?! "After you betrayed me! I gave you so many chances. So many, Cheyanne! You only had two jobs. Two! Look pretty and be mine. That's it. That's all you had to do. And you failed. You cheated on me, you gave birth to a child that was supposed to be mine, and then proceeded to tell me that, no, rather than just stay faithful, you ran off and fucked some other guy like the vile whore you are!" His hand wrapped around her mother's wrist and Haila barely suppressed a cry as her mother stumbled backward, eyes wide. "And despite all of that, I let you live! I let you stay here, with me, taking shelter under my roof, under my protection. And now you want to leave?!" He laughed, anger seeping from his everything. And it didn't make sense. What was happening? What was the problem? What was Haila missing? Why did Mama want to leave? "Well, too bad! You're not leaving me! Not ever! You belong to me, Cheyanne! You're mine! And if you won't stay here on your own, I have ways to guarantee that you'll never, ever move again! How's that sound, you little slut? You wanna apologize, or should we play a fun little game of mine, hm?"
Viar's voice fell soft and Cheyanne cringed back, letting out a whispered response that Haila couldn't hear. Which was even more confusing because Mama never looked like that. She never sounded like that, she was always composed and happy. And she loved Viar's games! She said so!
So what was the problem? None of it was making sense, except that Viar was looking really scary right now.
And then a hand fell on her shoulder and she gasped, her glass slipping only to be caught by a glowing blue hand that could only be the work of one person she knew. Relaxing only slightly, Haila glanced up to find gentle brown eyes watching her. Koler put a finger to his lips and guided her away from Viar's office before smiling faintly.
"Hey, kiddo. What the hell are you doing up at this time of night? You should have been in bed hours ago."
Koler's voice was gentle but firm, as usual, and Haila grimaced, looking down. "Sorry, Ko. I- I just... I couldn't sleep, and- and then... and I went to get some water when I- I heard Mama and Viar." She sniffled softly, fighting against the tears that pricked in her eyes. "W-why are they yelling? Why is Viar so angry?!"
Koler sucked in a breath and knelt in front of her, reaching up to brush a strand of dark hair from her cheek. "That's nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Adults argue sometimes, there's nothing to fear."
"But- But-"
"Haila, I promise you, everything will be alright. Okay? Look at me."
She did. And Koler looked... So tired. Bags hung heavy under his eyes, his blue hair was unkept, and his skin seemed pale and sunken. But he also looked sincere, and, despite his obvious state, he was still smiling. Still gentle and kind.
"Promise?" Her voice came out as more of a whisper than anything, but Koler didn't hesitate to nod, reaching out to place a hand over her heart.
"I promise."
Haila sniffed and forced a pained smile, reaching out her own hand to place it over Koler's heart before shifting to wrap her arms around his neck.
"Okay."
Koler returned the hug immediately and soon lifted her from the ground, carrying her toward the kitchen where he refilled her glass. "Alright, kiddo, let's get you to bed. You have to be tired."
Haila nodded slightly against his neck and, even once they were in her room, refused to let go.
"Ko," She whispered, eyes still stinging. "I'm scared... can you stay? Please?"
Koler sighed, sat the glass on her nightstand, and perched on the edge of her bed. "Alright. But just for tonight, okay? And you have to promise you'll actually go to sleep now."
Haila nodded eagerly and pulled away, finally climbing back into bed and burrowing under the blankets. "Thanks, Ko. I love you."
Koler's tired eyes softened. "Yeah. I love you too, kid."
Spring 
Night Weather: 
Heavy Rain Moon: 
