Oliver paced during the break, huffing and puffing lightly.
He fluttered his wings involuntarily, and sighed. He leaned against
a tree for a moment, but nodded when break was over. He sighed,
still wondering about... Lots of things. He ran a hand through his
hair slowly. He glanced at the others before staring at the
ground.
Maria had just sat down and rested, and she stood up with no help,
though it was a bit difficult. She walked over, sniffling. She
glanced at Oliver, wincing when she noticed his feet that were cut
up by rocks.
Mystique was floating behind Avian,
carrying a now half-asleep Lauren in his arms. "Let's hurry along
then," he said while mocking the voice of Lauren's mother. The
human laughed at his attempt, but tried to rest up. Why she was so
tired, Mystique didn't know. Maybe it was the stress of recently
escaping her parents, who she had lived with for barely over
fifteen years.
Mystique hadn't lived with the Amiyas long, but he knew it was
stressful to live with them. 'Oh posture!' 'Shut up and get back to
work!' 'Oh Mystique you ugly brat.' were common things to be heard
by the demon. So he knew what Lauren went through.
Lauren was now wide awake and picking
at the ground. She hadn't anything better to do, since they paused
once more. Mystique was leaning up on a tree up ahead, tapping his
toes in waiting. She watched bugs scramble along the ground,
curious as they disappeared into little holes. A snake slithered
out, which Lauren recognized as a ball python. Strange, what's a
snake like this doing out?
She grabbed a nearby stick and pinned it below the Y-shaped piece
of wood. The snake seemed to stop moving, but then eagerly
slithered around Lauren's legs. "You found one?" Mystique asked,
walking over. "We call them demon snakes. Whoever traps them
becomes the owner. They secure loyalty to their owner unless abused
or set free."
Bean hissed quietly and slithered up
his owner onto her shoulders. He gestured toward the warehouse with
his tail. "Uh, Avian was it? Hurry her to the warehouse and take
care of her there!" Lauren called, cupping her hands around her
mouth to amplify the sound. Lauren was trying to stay calm, but was
panicking.
"Great," Mystique muttered. "So we have an oncoming kid and a
fifteen year old having a panic attack. Bean, try to keep her calm.
I'll go help Avian get the woman to the warehouse." The demon's
wings opened and he flew over to Avian, landing neatly. "Get her
into my arms, I can fly her there quickly. Or you could."