We Wear The Mask

A Meeting We'd Rather Forget

Summary:

Hey Descendants,

We got a lot of work done yesterday! So in celebration, we hope you enjoy this chapter.

Barely an hour later...

Hyades storms through town, not caring where she was going anymore. Anything to get away from... Whatever that had been.

She lets out a heavy sigh, her angry driven stomps slowing until she slumps against a wall. What the hell had that been? What had she done?

She slams a fiery fist into the wall behind her. She just wanted to hang out! She had been quietly reading in the corner with Carlos. Everything had been fine. Happy even.

Then she was goaded into dueling T. It wasn't something she wanted to do, but it had been kind of fun. She felt more comfortable sparring if all she had to do was defend herself.

And just what was so wrong with that?

Why did she feel like she was completely the opposite of everyone when it came to stuff like this? Everyone wanted to practice to get better, get stronger. She was scared to use her full strength. And it took forever to figure out how much she could use while wielding a thin little strip of metal that could cut flesh to ribbons.

She growls in frustration as she slams her fists into the wall again. Did they want her to be a tool for fate? Did they want her to cut strings early? Be a monster?

"Ugggh!" She shakes her head as she shoves off the wall, pushing past all her anger and hurt until she felt the humiliation. What was going on with T's line of questions? And why had she felt the need to answer?

She never talked that much, maybe about something she was writing or something that had caught her attention, but never about herself. What had she been thinking, answering questions like that in front of Mal? She was never going to be able to talk to Mal again. Not without facing serious amounts of shaming and flaming.

Hyades brings her hands up to her face, discovering flaming tears on her fingertips when she pulls them back. She lets out a resigned sigh, "And things had been going so well." She'd finally gotten back into a rhythm with both groups. Things were getting easier. Like things were going back to normal.

She slides to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. As if normal was actually a thing she could ever have.

"Hyades." Atilla greets with a rakish grin. "Weird to find you on the edge of my territory." He continues as he languidly makes his way closer to her. "Not that I'm complaining..." He adds smoothly. "Just rare." He stops, giving her a good five feet of clearance before he leans against the wall. He tilts his head to the cracked and scorched cement behind her. "So who was stupid enough to piss off the fire goddess?"

"Atilla." Hyades nods. Great, one more check on her 'what could possibly go wrong today' checklist. She lets her head fall to hit her knees.

"Glad you remember me." Atilla smiles.

"You're not really someone people forget." She mumbles, not looking up. How did she get into these situations?

A low chuckle rumbles from the other boy's chest, "My reputation precedes me, I see." He studies her, humor not reaching his eyes. "But so does yours." He nods towards the wall. "So which is bothering you, the newt or guppy?"

Newt? Guppy? Hyades scrunches her face in confusion. Who the- Oh... "It's nothing like that." How the hell was she going to get out of this. If she burned Atilla, she could start a war. And she wasn't even calmed down from her last confrontation.