[COLOR=GRAY][CENTER][COLOR=tan][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/2QwObYJWyJTiozvs0RI7CF?si=w5RcjpReT0CES8gbuE1-iQ&context=spotify%3Asearch%3Astreet%2Bspirit][img]https://i.imgur.com/jtw2VGJ.jpeg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8A9A5B][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Strigidae Dorms[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=tan][b]Dance Monkey #4.029:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Pecking Order[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=tan][SUP][sub]___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][indent][sub][color=tan][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]Harper & Sierra [@Qia] [/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=tan][b]Previously: [/b][/COLOR][COLOR=GRAY][I]Passarine the Time & Infallible[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent]

[indent] Haven’s feet shifted as she heard the door’s handle turn, her body betraying the subtle awkwardness that she felt as she overheard the end of what seemed like an intense conversation. The stranger within seemed familiar with Harper beyond the normal visitor. Those whispered words before knocking had a depth and mystery to them. The exchange left Haven uncomfortable for a reason she couldn’t grasp.

She retreated a half of a step further into the hallway, still unsure of how to greet this stranger as the door whisked open to reveal dark red hair and piercing eyes. She’d been torn between stepping up to the woman for speaking that way to Harper, or merely allowing the woman to pass by with the hopes that it would be explained to her at a different time. Yet as her eyes met the woman’s, Haven was caught in an all too familiar game within her mind. An instinctual need to defend herself against someone who might judge her for her differences.

The stranger’s gaze hardly registered Haven’s face, passing right over her shoulders and towards her most precious and defended parts of herself. She’d seen that expression on so many faces before. The clenched jaw, the subconscious disgust and hate in the eyes, and the way their bodies seemed to tense was a telltale sign that they believed Haven was something unnatural. Her bent mind could almost see the word forming on the dark haired woman’s lips.

[i]Freak. Hypie.[/i]

Her shoulders squared themselves in response as her chin lifted higher into the air. Her eyes met the woman’s gaze with an intensity to them that she had carefully constructed since she was young. Her wings, even though her joints ached with the movement, lifted higher above her shoulders as she proudly displayed them. She stood there as the definition of strength, completely unashamed of the features that made most balk at her.

[color=tan]“Hey, Harper.”[/color] She began cooly, her eyes lingering on the redhead for a moment longer, sizing the shorter woman up, before they flitted over to the brunette. Her eyes were cautious, all of her questions about the stranger that stood in front of her evident within her gaze. They softened as she looked over the makeup that accentuated Harper’s features and reminded her of why she’d come to her door in the first place. Her tone warmed as she spoke to her friend directly. [color=tan]“You look beautiful.”[/color]

Harper’s eyes flicked between the two, feeling the tension ripple through the air like a static charge. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken words, each second stretching into an eternity. She could see the way Haven squared her shoulders, her wings lifting slightly in a display of quiet strength, a silent declaration of readiness. The sight was both awe-inspiring and intimidating, though Sierra’s gaze remained sharp and scrutinizing. Her eyes seemed to narrow as she assessed the situation, every muscle in her body coiled in apprehension. 

Neither of them were likely to back down easily, that was for certain. She had to do something. Say something. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“Hey Haven,”[/color] Harper greeted again, hesitating as she searched for the right words. [color=#8a9a5b]“This is Sierra. She’s… an old friend from back home. Just visiting for the weekend.”[/color] Her voice wavered slightly, the words feeling clumsy and inadequate. She added a small, awkward smile, hoping it would lighten the mood, but the effort felt forced. The silence that followed was heavy, filled with the weight of unspoken questions and the palpable pressure between the three of them. The brunette could feel the different currents of emotion swirling around them, each person caught in their own web of thoughts and feelings.

Remembering that she’d been complimented, Harper quickly tacked on, [color=#8a9a5b]“You look great too. I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here so soon.”[/color] 

The smile that Haven presented was anything but awkward, yet it lacked the usual warmth that it had in Harper’s presence. It didn’t reach her eyes; her cheeks were devoid of her usual dimples that appeared when she felt comfortable. It was just another defense mechanism among the many that reared themselves in the face of adversity. She glanced down at herself, feeling undressed and unmade compared to the glow that Harper radiated with her makeup on.

[color=tan]“Thanks,”[/color] she began, her eyes lifting to meet Harper’s anxious gaze, [color=tan]“but I haven’t done anything with myself yet. I was hoping someone would help me with it at Rora’s.”[/color] Her eyes shifted to meet Sierra’s harsh examination. Her own green and golds seemed to dare the visitor to speak her mind as she spoke again. [color=tan]“Your friend has done a great job so far, though.”[/color]

Harper blinked, only now fully taking in her winged friend’s regular appearance. The realization of her mistake hit her like a wave, a nervous blush creeping up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.

[color=#8a9a5b]“Oh right, I meant that…you always look nice,”[/color] the brunette finished somewhat lamely, her voice trailing off as she struggled to recover. In the moment, she’d completely forgotten about the plan to go to Rora’s to meet the rest of the girls. And to make matters worse, it seemed Sierra’s silence was officially over, Harper spotting a sly smile beginning to form on her lips.

[color=#8a9a5b][i] Please, Si, don’t make this worse.[/i][/color] 

Without a hint of malice but with an edge of judgment, the redhead said, [color=#fb0207]“You [i]do[/i] have quite the look to you. Your wings are…pretty. Though,”[/color] she held up her fingers, making exaggerated airquotes, [color=#fb0207]“I confess I’m still getting used to this whole hyperhuman thing.”[/color] She threw a glance at Harper before returning her gaze to Haven.

[color=#fb0207]“I’m not one of your [i]kind[/i], you see.”[/color]  

Haven’s heart beat faster with each word Sierra spoke. Her attempt at flattery, or was it outright mockery, brought forth the words of the last person to compliment them. His voice chilled the adrenaline that had begun to pump into her veins, yet the burning anger she felt in her gut battled the feeling. Tension coiled in the muscles of her back as she strained her recent injury with the effort to continue to display her pride.

Yet when she spoke again her tone was casual, as if the intensity in her eyes did not reach her voice. Part of her understood that Harper would never allow someone with such hate onto the island unless they had [i]some[/i] sort of redeeming quality to them, and so she was putting further effort into remaining composed only because the redhead was her friend’s visitor. Her friend’s increasing worry was visible in her peripherals. Haven couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Harper because she knew she would soften further with one glance. Her own instincts were telling her to keep her eyes on the potential threat, to continue to put forth the act of strength it was to even deign to give the woman a response.

[color=tan]“Well, I’m Haven, one of Harper’s teammates. Usually I would have [i]flown[/i] over myself, but I thought I’d walk with Harper tonight. She’s been a great friend since she came to the island. . I’m sure you know that already.”[/color] Of course, she couldn’t resist a subtle push against the visitor’s buttons. Even if she hid the fact that, currently, she was a flightless bird. Her wings tethered to the ground by an invisible chain of misfortune. It wasn’t something Harper was aware of either, and it certainly wasn’t something she’d share with her now. Not with the brunette’s old friend looking at her in that painfully familiar way.

Harper’s gaze darted between the two, her heart racing as she felt the air in the room grow warmer.  

[color=#8a9a5b]“Well, I’m glad you both had a chance to meet, but I’m afraid Sierra was [i]just[/i] on her way out. Isn’t that right, Si?”[/color] Harper’s voice was light, almost too casual, as she stepped forward, trying to once again lighten the mood. The effort felt strained, the words a desperate attempt to diffuse the situation. 

Her sister’s sly smile widened as she glanced at her, causing Harper’s skin to crawl. Why was she making this so hard for her?

 [color=#fb0207] “Actually, I was thinking…”[/color] Sierra paused, her voice lilting with playful mischief. 

Harper’s pulse quickened, her palms growing clammy.

[color=#fb0207] “Why don’t I tag along instead? If the rest of your friends are as…interesting as Haven here, I would [i]love[/i] to meet them.”[/color]

Harper’s stomach dropped, a heavy, sinking feeling that made her feel as if the ground had vanished beneath her feet. [color=#8a9a5b]“No, you can’t!”[/color] The words burst from her lips, sharper and more forceful than she had intended. The intensity of her own voice startled her, and she saw a flicker of what looked like surprise in Sierra’s eyes. The brunette’s heart raced as she quickly tried to soften her tone, her expression shifting from shock to a desperate apology. [color=#8a9a5b]“I mean… it’s just, I don’t think it’s really your scene. The girls… they’re not…”[/color] 

Sierra’s eyes narrowed, her playful demeanor hardening into something far more menacing. 

[color=#fb0207]“Not what, Harper? Not my [i]kind[/i]?”[/color] The words were laced with an edge that cut through Harper like a knife, each syllable a clear challenge. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks, her mind scrambling for a response that wouldn’t make things worse.

Haven wanted to wipe that smirk off of Sierra’s face. Perhaps if she’d met this woman in a different place, and Harper hadn’t been around to see her friend act so rudely, she might have indulged her aggressive impulses. Her hand remained loose at her side to avoid giving her in her rage away. It was obvious that the visitor wanted to get a rise out of Haven, and even more obvious that she was intending to harm Harper with her words even more so.

She noticed how this seemed to break Harper’s usual cool demeanor. Her eyes risked a glance at her friend as she blurted out. What she saw there was panic, and a trace of fear. It awoke something inside her, her defensive mind yearning now to defend someone she cared for.

[color=tan]“Oh, I’m the only one with physical signs of the hype gene.”[/color] She began casually, even shifting her wings behind her to emphasize, her shoulders rolling with the movement. She shifted her weight onto one hip, feigning a relaxed posture. [color=tan]“Yet I’m still just as human as you are. As Harper is, too.”[/color] Her lips curled downwards into a small frown as her head canted to the side. [color=tan]“It’s disappointing that you talk to a friend like this. Harper is too good for that.”[/color]

Sierra’s eyes flickered with something dark, her smirk fading as Haven’s words struck a nerve. Harper could feel a shift in the room, the clash of wills that was about to unfold, her lip coming to rest on her teeth in response. The challenge in Haven’s tone, coupled with the protective stance she took towards Harper, clearly didn’t sit well with her older sister. 

[color=#fb0207]“Disappointing, huh?”[/color] Sierra’s voice was low, the playful lilt completely gone now. [color=#fb0207]“Funny, coming from someone who just met me.”[/color] The words were a direct challenge, each one dripping with disdain. She took a step closer, her gaze locked on Haven. [color=#fb0207]“But you know what’s really disappointing? How easily you think you can understand someone with just a few words.”[/color] Sierra’s gaze shifted to Harper then, the hardness of her stare making her feel exposed and vulnerable.[color=#fb0207]“Or maybe you think Harper needs protecting from [i]me[/i]?”[/color] The redhead shook her head in denial of the idea. 

[color=#fb0207]“She’s never needed any protection from me. Only from people like you.” [/color] 

Harper’s breath caught as she realized how close this was to spiraling out of control. The tension in the room was almost tangible, a thick fog of unease that threatened to suffocate her. She stepped forward, placing herself between the two of them, her hands slightly raised as if to physically keep them apart. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“Sierra, stop it,”[/color] she pleaded, her voice almost breaking under the stress of her emotions. Sierra’s eyes, however, didn’t waver from Haven, even as she stepped between them.

Haven met Sierra’s piercing eyes with her own, although her eyes were now narrowed with incredulity. She had to admit that there was a blurred line between truth and lie in Sierra’s words, but to say that all hyperhumans were a threat to Harper was a far-fetched statement that made her blood boil once more.

Yet when Harper stepped between them with her pleading words and raised hands, Haven relented. She took a step backwards, forcing her shoulders to release the tension as her wings rested behind her once more. She couldn’t believe that Harper was friends with someone who thought this way, but she couldn’t deny that it was obvious Sierra also cared for the brunette.

[color=#fb0207]”Stop what?”[/color] Sierra shot back still, causing Harper to flinch at the power behind her voice. [color=#fb0207] “Stop pointing out what’s right in front of you? Harper, open your eyes. Look at what happened to you before! This place is changing you, and [i]not[/i] for the better.”[/color]  Each word was a hammer blow, striking at Harper’s already fragile resolve. Sierra’s eyes finally turned to hers, locking on with a fierce intensity, daring her to challenge her words.

[color=#fb0207]“It almost [i]killed[/i] you.”[/color]

[color=tan]“Where do you expect her to go?”[/color] Haven asked from behind Harper. Her quiet voice still held its intensity. It was soft only for Harper’s benefit. [color=tan]“Surely there are people off of this island that would also wish to harm her just for being born different. At least here she is accepted for all of who she is. She doesn’t have to hide anything from us.”[/color]

Her gaze moved between Harper and the redhead as she wondered just how close the women really were. [color=tan]“I have to admit that this school has never been as safe as we hoped, but it is the only place that truly accepts us as people. What will you do to make sure that Harper is safe out there, where most hold so much judgment over people who are different than they are? When you look at [i]our kind[/i] that way yourself.”[/color]

Sierra’s eyes returned to Haven, then flicked to her wings, a look of disdain crossing her features. [color=#fb0207]“No…not your kind,”[/color] Sierra replied, her voice cold and dismissive. [color=#fb0207]“Just one.”[/color] 

Haven felt her lesser coverts stand tall as Sierra’s sharp look of contempt ignited her anger once more. A muscle in her neck ticked as her jawline went rigid. An inner battle waged within her heart as she mulled over the woman’s short answer. She couldn’t begin to understand what Sierra meant by [i]just one[/i], and yet it confused her that this one hyperhuman, or one type of hyperhuman, was the reason she had [i]that[/i] look on her face. It brought forth too many memories of being sneered at by the girls at the home. The ranger’s look of disgust in the forest. Sierra’s gaze reminded her of all the times when she was traveling that she was denied service by people who held that very look in their eyes. It made her recall the hatred in Daedalus's eyes as he told her she was lesser because of them. Her instincts were telling her to [b]defend[/b], but with Harper standing there between them she knew better than to act impulsively.

Though she still couldn’t hold her tongue.

 [color=tan]“Why do you look at my wings like that, then?”[/color] Haven snapped, her question nearly a demand, as her usual curiosity took control of her lips. She knew that she’d owe Harper an apology for it later, but it was too much to simply brush it off her shoulders like she should.

[color=#fb0207]“Because they’re a reminder,”[/color] Sierra replied, her voice cool and measured, each word now dripping with contempt. [color=#fb0207]“A reminder of what happens when people think they can play God. Of the heavy price that a person might end up paying for that.”[/color]  

Harper, still caught between the two, gaped at her sister, her mind reeling from the revelation. Is that what she really thought? That their father had been playing God all along? And if their father’s actions had truly been a misguided attempt to play God, then what did that make their efforts to uncover the truth? Were they chasing ghosts or trying to make sense of something that was fundamentally flawed?

[color=#8a9a5b]“You think it was all just about playing God?”[/color] She took a step closer to Sierra, her back to Haven now, her eyes searching for some semblance of understanding in her own. [color=#8a9a5b] “Why did you involve me in [i] any [/i] of this, then?”[/color] The words were a plea, a cry for answers that Harper wasn’t sure she really wanted to hear. 

Sierra flinched, her eyes narrowing as she apparently struggled to find a response for once. Harper watched her sister’s face, the flicker of uncertainty that crossed it. The silence stretched on, dense and oppressive, as Sierra opened her mouth but no words came out at first. 

[color=#fb0207] “Because I needed you,”[/color] the redhead finally said in a much lower tone than before, though Harper knew Haven could hear everything they were saying, regardless. She could see the flicker of something softer in her sister’s eyes, a glimpse of the person she used to know. Before death and her true nature rearing its head had separated them, turning their relationship into something different. Something less. 

And now….

Harper turned around, hazel eyes looking into ones like her own. Like theirs. 

This, what she knew, could completely break it. 

Furrowed brows and frustrated eyes met Harper’s. Feathers stood tall over the peaks of her shoulders, her emotions evident in the barbs. The mention of that name, of God, had sent a shiver down her spine. Hazy memories had flooded her, of her time spent hearing that name, and of the time she spent hating that word after. It wasn’t something she wanted to keep in her thoughts for the rest of the evening either.

She didn’t know what the two women were discussing at all, but it was obvious that it affected them both deeply. That their connection to each other ran on a deeper level than just friendship. She wanted to know more about what they discussed; about why Sierra held so much hatred for her just because of the part of her that she cherished so much. What kind of relationship did they truly have? Why hadn’t Harper mentioned Sierra before?

There were too many questions, and too many secrets, and not enough time to discuss them.

Her throat bobbed as she swallowed her anger down into her stomach. Feathers relaxed an inch as she took a measured breath. [color=tan]“We should get to Aurora’s soon.”[/color] She said to the brunette. Her eyes flitted to the dress draped over her arm. While she was still excited to be with Rory at the dance, she yearned to be beside him again for that familiar comfort and safety that she felt near him. This encounter had only left her frustrated with the cards she’d been dealt, and while she still adored who she was and remained prideful of her wings, she could still feel that weight of being different, of being a freak, a hypie, [s]a sub-class[/s], on her chest.

[color=tan]“I’ll wait inside while you see your [i]friend[/i] off.”[/color] The word was emphasized solely for Sierra’s sake, though Haven worried that Harper would take the brunt of it where she stood between the intensity of their conversation as she brushed past the two. Her steps swift as she made her way into Harper’s room. Wings tucking in tightly so that they wouldn’t come near the redhead that despised them so.

Harper watched as Haven slipped into the room, her wings brushing against the doorway in a hurried retreat. Turning back to Sierra, who stood defensively as if bracing for the next blow, Harper took a tentative step closer. Without giving Sierra a chance to react, she wrapped her arms around her, the laptop between them a solid barrier that softened the intensity of the embrace. The fragile attempt at reconciliation was hesitant but clear. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“We’ll…talk later,”[/color] Harper murmured, her voice soft but resolute. It was a promise that the conversation they needed to have wouldn’t be avoided, that there was still space for understanding and maybe healing between them.

A beat passed before she responded. 

[color=#fb0207]“Sure,”[/color] Sierra said, a small frown crossing her lips before she turned and began to walk away. Some distance away, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. [color=#fb0207]“Enjoy the dance,”[/color] she added before continuing on. The words were casual, almost dismissive, but Harper could sense the underlying emotion. She watched her sister’s retreating figure, the familiar form shrinking with each step until it was lost to the distance.

Harper took a deep breath as she reentered her room. The door closed softly behind her, muffling the distant sounds of the evening and creating a cocoon of quiet. She glanced at Haven, who was already inside, clearly waiting for her. Harper’s heart still pounded from the earlier confrontation, the adrenaline making her feel jittery, but she forced herself to focus. Clearing her throat, she offered a tight smile. 

[color=#8a9a5b]“Sierra… she’s practically family,”[/color] Harper began, her voice steady but tinged with an edge of defensiveness. [color=#8a9a5b]“We’ve had our share of problems, but we’ve always looked out for each other.”[/color] Both a truth and a lie, because it was easier to tell a lie with a bit of the truth sprinkled in. 

Haven tore her eyes away from the unlit string lights that lined the ceiling to meet Harper’s gaze only when she began speaking. Her hands hovered around her waist, a cap carefully clutched in one hand while the liquor bottle it belonged to in the other. Not a drop was missing from within, but it was clear that Haven had been about to partake in some pre-pre-gaming where she’d taken a seat on the edge of the bed. Her bag and dress rested beside her as a reminder why she’d come to Harper’s in the first place.

Her emotions were waging a war within her chest as she listened to Harper speak. Her eyes cast themselves downwards to her feet when the brunette had finished. She didn’t like Sierra one bit, and she couldn’t understand why Harper sounded so defensive as she tried to explain the odd friendship they shared. Haven knew perfectly well how easily a friend could become family. Her friends were the only family she’d ever had, really.

What Haven did understand was that Anabel would have never looked at Harper that way. Her old friend wouldn’t have allowed any prejudice to guide her actions. Even if she had become someone resentful and quick to judge during the years the two of them spent apart, Haven wouldn’t have allowed her to brazenly display those feelings.

It was painfully obvious that Harper and Sierra’s bond went farther back than she thought. Since it clearly overruled anything Harper may have shared with a teammate, Haven decided to let it pass by unquestioned.

Slowly, Haven held the liquor bottle out in Harper’s direction. The emotions in her eyes softened, becoming something troubled and yet relaxed. She just wanted to continue the night unbothered. [color=tan]“I think we both need a drink after that.”[/color]

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