Merry Disastrous Christmas!!

[Arianna Zhefarovich]

For the first time in so many years, Arianna Nightray was finally celebrating Christmas with the rest of her family. Each and every year she would nearly beg the doctors to let her travel to England so she could celebrate Christmas in the Nightray manor, and year after year after year, they wouldn't let her and all those times, all she could do was stay cooped up in her lonely hospital room and cry herself to sleep, often wondering when she'll get the chance to be in England once again, when she'll get the chance to spend not just a mere day or 12 hours with her two brothers. No. Arianna was not really a selfish girl, but they're really were certain times that she would feel that she was very selfish. But then again, it wasn't too much to ask really, wasn't it? After all, the Nightrays were rich and were magical, surely they would have the means to give her much time to spend with Armin and Rivaille in America, yet they would not allow it, and she knew the reason. Muggles. She spends too much time with them. She was practically being raised in a muggle hospital for crying out loud! And yet, it was also the Nightrays that had sent her there. Probably because it was once her parents' wish. Or maybe they just wanted to get rid of her. Either way, she was an outcast and was practically disowned by her family.

It was now time for the annual Christmas celebration of the Nightrays, and Arianna was quite glad that she was once again part of it. It had been years since she had joined the formal festivity. Of course, being as they were, the Nightrays celebrated the Yuletide with formality as they were quite the known family with there some people quite known within the society. And so, Arianna herself knew that she really had to prepare. It was only Aunt Red that knew of her arrival to the manor last night and they both thought that maybe it would be quite a surprise to the twins and to the family of her sudden arrival on the night of celebration. And so, it would be only now that she'd get to see the elders and all the other Nightrays which included her cousins and their parents.

Arianna had worn a dress, gloves and heels that she was sure Aunt Red had gotten for her in a jiffy. But still, it was of Aunt Red's choice and it complimented the fifteen-year-old's appearance and figure nonetheless that she happily thanked the woman. Ria fixed her hair so that her light red curly hair cascaded down her back and some on the front of her shoulders. She looked good in front of the mirror. She just hoped that the people downstairs would actually appreciate it though. Well, this was it. It was time for she had already heard the start of the music and chattering downstairs. A deep breath was all she took before she went out of the guest room and headed on to where the party was being held. One could easily tell, that the party was not just for anybody as all you could see were men and women and children all dressed formally, little to none acting rowdy. Many had begun to look at her, she had gotten much attention. Did she have dirt on her face? Or was it just a really long time since many of her relatives have seen her. Certainly, this was quite a surprise for everyone in the Nightray manor.

 

[Liam Nightray]

Liam Nightray hated having to attend any social events. He hated being surrounded by people, much more, by people he did not know. He hated it. He had already enough of having to spend his days surrounded by stupid people at Hogwarts, yet, now that he's back to the Nightray manor, he had to be surrounded by those kind of people too. The faces might not be the same but they were all stupid too. Sighing, the fifteen year old Nightray adjusted the scarf around his neck. It was winter in England now, definitely a change from the hot summer at New Zealand. He should have gotten used to the cold by now, after all, he spent most of his Cristmas at the country, and even the location of his own house at Hogwarts was cold too. Yet, oddly enough, he still couldn't stand the cold at England. In fact, he quite hated it. He adjusted the scarf again, by now, the black cloth was covering half of his face, that he was grateful. He didn't really want people looking at him then. These people know his past after all, he didn't want to see the pity on their eyes again. Perhaps, should he cover his face, they wouldn't notice him there.

He would have stayed on his room and read books, anything just so he didn't have to attend this stupid party hosted by his family. But alas, he couldn't, and thus, he found himself leaning against one of the pillars near the extravagant staircase of their manor. The Nightray manor was one of the grandest structure in their area. They belong to the upper class of the society after all. Most of the time, the manor was closed to anyone outside the Nightray family. Chritsmas was one of those rare occasions where the manor's gates would be open for visitors. It wasn't like it was Christmas that they were celebrating though. No. It was just that the Nightrays is a proud family and it was during this time of the year that they could boast of their wealth, and boast indeed they do.

At the left side of the room were long tables filled with different cuisines from different countries. At the middle of the room was an extravagant chandelier which seemed to glow every time it turned. It was snowing too. Yes, it was snowing. They were inside the manor though, perfectly protected from the harsh cold outside. But it was snowing. It was perhaps the doing of his extravagant aunt who loved drama. The snowflakes however, disappear before it touched the ground, thus making the floors perfectly clean. Too clean and polished in fact that one might even see his reflection on it.

The fifteen year old then crossed his arms in front of him. The music began to play and slowly, the people around him started to move towards the center of the room. It was honestly making his head ache. Seriously, he should have a talk with his grandparents later and he'd try to convince them not to hold such event again. He knew, however, that he wouldn't be that successful. Madame Red, his aunt, after all, enjoyed this kind of events. Even his old grandmother with her red hair turned white enjoyed this kind of festivity.

He sighed and tried to block out the noise around him, to no avail. Some random guest would constantly try to get his attention. Perhaps, instructed by their parents to do so. The Nightrays were rich and powerful and it was no secret that there were people who were trying to get favor from their family. He paid them no attention though, and in fact, every time someone would try to talk to him, he'd shoot the poor stranger a murderous glare and said stranger would ran away.

Liam was still leaning on the pillar, his eyes closed, when he heard people whispering around him. Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes to look at the cause of commotion. Not far from him, in front of the stairs, was one of his aunts, one which he never did bother to know as she wasn't really a Nightray anyway, at least not to him. She just wormed her way into their family after all. She was stupid too. If she hadn't been a pureblood, perhaps, his grandmother would have thrown the woman out of the manor. The woman was holding another girl's arm. The older was smiling but Liam knew that it was forced. The woman then pulled the girl away from the stairs and into his direction. The woman might think that she was saying her insults towards the girl soft enough to not let anyone hear but Liam did. Despite the noise and the loud music playing, he did hear it. And though he didn't really recognize the girl then, he decided to interfere. He had been meaning to show the woman her place after all. The older had been getting on his nerves for quite some time and this was the perfect opportunity for him to show her that she didn't belong to their family. He knew not who the girl was, but the dress that she was wearing was enough to let him know that she was someone that Madame Red knew. It was the dress that she bought that morning after all.

He fixed his scarf and blocked the woman's way as she neared him. He pulled at the scarf to show his face to the woman before he gave her a cold look. "What are you doing?," he asked coldly. His face was blank but the look on his eyes was as cold as the weather outside. "You're embarrassing my family. A guest is a guest, and a Nightray would know how to treat one who his roof. But I guess you wouldn't understand that." he emphasized on the word my, glaring at the older woman. The woman tried to argue, saying something along the lines about the girl being the one who was embarrassing their family name. "Enough.," he said with as much authority as an older Nightray could get. He might be young and he might look innocent, but the way he spoke just then showed that he meant business. "Leave." With that, the woman left them, but not without throwing a disgusted look at the girl in the red dress. Liam let his scarf cover his face again and proceeded to walk away. The girl reminded him of someone from school and he didn't really want to think about it now. Besides, he knew her not. She might look familiar but he decided not to think of it further. He returned to his position by the pillar again and closed his eyes again.​

 

[Arianna Zhefarovich]

Arianna was unsure of whether to be glad, flustered or frustrated from the attention she was getting. Of course, anybody would be glad or frustrated from all sights set on them, but Ria feel uneasy and frustrated for she knew not the reason for their staring. Was it the fact that they did not recognize her? Or were they just surprised by the sudden arrival of the young Nightray? Or perhaps was there something on her face that they wish to make fun of but does not have the courage to because of the formality of the said event? In any case, it was completely confusing the fifteen-year-old. She did not wish to gain the majority of the attention but perhaps that was not to be as she may as well be nearly the center of attention the moment she started down the staircase, her head held high, elegance and poise shown as she walked yet her features showed her natural gentleness. Arianna was a Nightray except for her personality and it showed in the way she looked whilst she headed to the crowd.

Ria was quite surprised though when all of a sudden, a woman had approached her, looking at her wide-eyed and disgust was certainly noticeable on her face. She recognized the woman to be one of her aunts, which she had last seen when she was a mere child. The gentle girl though did not show any signs of struggle or violence when the older woman began to drag her to the side of the stairs and began to whisper to her harshly. "What are you doing here?" the old woman asked, urgently demanding for an answer which Arianna had failed to quickly give. "You are a disgrace to this family. How dare you even show your face here?" the woman uttered softly, making sure that no one could here their conversation. "You should just go back to the filthy muggles where you belong. No matter how well you dress, you cannot hide that filth within you whenever you associate yourself with those creatures," Arianna couldn't help but flinch at every word that her aunt had thrown at her. Words flowed out of the older's mouth as the young lady could do nothing but listen. "You just wait till the elders find out that you came here without their permission," her aunt whispered harshly before a boy had suddenly interfered.

Arianna took a long, close look at the boy before her that was seemingly scolding her aunt. She recognized and remembered him. It was her cousin, the one she had always played with when she was a little kid, no more than six years old. Liam. He's changed, she thought to herself as she watched him and listened to his harsh words to the older woman. "Me? A disgrace? What are you talking about? She's the one disgracing the Nightray family," their aunt retorted but one glare from Liam and the woman could do no more. A disgusted look was once more thrown at Ria's direction and then the woman left, probably heading to the elders to tell them about the young girl's arrival. Arianna sighed and looked at her cousin who was now leaning on a pillar. She approached him quietly and stopped in front of him, her hands behind her back as she stared at him, her face a bit close from his own. A slight tilt of her head and then she used her right hand to give a poke to the boy's right cheek, then to the left, then to the forehead, as if checking if this was a real human in front of her. "Is this what Hogwarts New Zealand and other schools do to my cousins? If yes, I'd really rather disagree to have Armin and Riv be there," she muttered, unknowingly loud enough for the boy in front of her to hear. In any case though, she didn't quite care for she was also a Nightray and a brave one at that despite her frail health.

 

[Liam Nightray]

The noise was beginning to pick up, the music getting louder by the minute. Liam Nightray never did understand how people could enjoy such noise. He surely didn't. Noise only makes his head ache, and Merlin did he hated it. His eyebrows were furrowed in irritation as he forced his eyes close. He was terribly failing in blocking out the noise around him. The Nightray manor's guests seemed to not know the concept of personal space too as he was constantly being bumped by random strangers. If it was intentional or not, he didn't bother to know. Instead, he kept his eyes closed, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Should his aunt see him, he was sure that he'd be forced to socialize again. It was part of being a Nightray she would say. He had to build networks as he could possibly use these people in the future. To Liam, however, that idea was stupid. He was capable enough to tell whether a person would be useful to him or not. And so far, from what he had seen, these people are worthless. They're a waste of space. The world would be better off without them.

The fifteen year old tried to restrain himself from shouting. It would be too unbecoming of him. He didn't want to get on his grandmother's bad side for now. Perhaps later, he would try to make them see reason. But at the moment, he knew that he had to get along with their plans. His lips were pursed into a thin line as he willed time to pass quickly. But alas, all the higher beings favored him not, for as much as he wanted time to fly, it wouldn't. Murderous thoughts then began to invade his mind as he grew more irritated with everyone occupying the room. He should have known what would happen when he decided to spend his Christmas with his family. Sure, this had been the Nightray's annual tradition, but he never did pay it any attention, thus, why he hadn't been able to create an excuse for him to fly off somewhere away from this festivity.

The Slytherin's thoughts, however, was soon interrupted when he felt someone poke him. Great, the noise was making him unaware of his surroundings. Caught off guard, he quickly opened his eyes, only to find himself face to face with the unknown girl from earlier. "What-" he started but stop short when he heard the girl's statement. Now that their faces are only a few inches apart, he could clearly see the girl's features, and now, he was indeed sure that she reminded him of someone. No. It was not a person from school. It was someone from his past. Arianna. Ria. Ari. Ri. Frowning, he put his index finger on her forehead and pushed her face away from him. She was invading his personal space and he surely didn't like it. "Move." He told her shortly, flicking her on the forehead once he was sure that she was far enough from him. If Aaren knew not when to stop talking, Arriana seemed to not know what's the appropriate distance between two persons. "So you're still alive Ri." He unconsciously called her by the name that he used to call her before when they were barely six years old and he was still finding it hard to pronounce her name. It had been long since he last saw her. And the entire Nightray household doesn't really talk much about her either. ​

 

[Arianna Zhefarovich]

Arianna Nightray was quite glad to be once again reunited with her favorite cousin, Liam Nightray. She wasn't going crazy at all but the Slytherin really was her favorite cousin and they were quite close as kids, though she wasn't all sure about there relationship as of their current age. It had been years since she had last since seen the boy, after all, she had been in America after her parents died and Liam had been attending wizarding school. She knew all too well that something changed within the boy after he too, had lost his parents. They were kids when they lost their parents, and they all had taken the toll of it. It had been said that Liam had grown cold, and she had seen a demonstration of that just moments ago, the twins, Armin and Riv, had been different too while Ria, sickly Ria, had just been the same, seemingly not affected by what happened years ago at all. But that was not always the case, for she too mourned over the loss of both her parents although she tried to hide it a lot, but she too had feelings and most of the time she hated and was saddened by the idea of how the other Nightrays saw her as.

As the boy, pushed her forehead away with just his index finger and added a flick too, Ria pouted, her features seemingly showing innocence that has not been lost since she was orphaned. "Jeeeeez! Yam-Yam you're so mean!" the young lady whined as she rubbed her forehead with her gloved hand. "And you used to like pokes and hugs too," the girl muttered as after a few moments, she was already once again smiling at the said cold boy in front of her. "Missed me?" Arianna asked innocently smiling, even wondering what the Slytherin's answer would be, although she already quite had an idea about it. The girl's smile slowly disappeared though and turned into a small frown as soon her cousin had suddenly commented about her being alive. Why is that? Did anyone know she was dead? Or did others not even know she was part of the family? Either way, it saddened her that the elders were treating her like some disgusting secret of the Nightray family. Ria tried her best to muster a smile though unsure if it was convincing in the eyes of the Slytherin. "Why? You didn't think I was dead somewhere, did you Yam-Yam?" she asked, calling him by the name she used to call him as a kid when she still had trouble forming coherent sentences. Arianna was just about to speak again when out of nowhere, a young lady had approached them.

The lady was just about their age, perhaps younger by a year but not older that she and Liam are. She was beautiful too, full of elegance and poise, and by the looks of it, she was from a Pureblood family and a proud one at that. The lady had approached them, all attention turned to Liam and only managed a glance of disgust towards her. Arianna sighed softly at this and then the other girl begun to speak. "Good evening, Mr. Nightray. My family would like to express our gratitude the Nightray family for their invitation to this celebration," the elegant girl said, her voice showing gentleness yet a tinge of authority that probably all Purebloods had gotten over time. "Surely, you'd prefer a Pureblood as a companion, rather than a half-breed. News had been spread moments ago of a girl dressed in red that is not even a Pureblood to be in this manor and that she had only begged to be let in the celebration," the lady seemed to be informing Liam, her words seemed to be ice cold as she looked at Arianna through the corner of her eye. Ria only remained silent though as she let her eyes wander slowly, she was the only one dressed in red. A lot of red. All were wearing shades of green, blue and white whilst she wore red. Maybe the reason why she was quite the center of attention when she entered, even Aunt Red was not wearing the color! Aunt Red must have wanted Arianna to have most of the attention as she had only gotten back from America after all the years she had not spent in the Nightray manor. It seemed to backfire though as she could slowly feel eyes dawning upon her in a not-so-friendly way. Great, people believed the stupid rumor that had been spread and now, Arianna wanted to shut herself and her emotions in, maybe act like how all Nightrays acted. Cold. "That was you, wasn't it?" the lady's attention suddenly on the frail Nightray whilst she spoke, each word laced with venom.

 

[Liam Nightray]

It had been years since the fifteen year old Slytherin had last seen his cousin. He couldn't quite remember when was the last time they talked. He couldn't even remember if they had said their goodbyes to each other. It was like he woke up one day to discover that the girl had left. She just disappeared without a trace. Of course, he had heard his younger cousins talking about her from time to time. But those times are rare. He didn't know why the adults had decided not to talk about her whereabouts nor talk about how she was. It seemed like she didn't exist in the first place. If not for Armin and Rivaille, he would have thought that the girl he used to spend time with was just a mere product of his imagination. Ria was sickly. That much he remembered. When he was a kid, he remembered the adults talking about how the girl was hopeless, how she couldn't survive at all. He remembered getting really angry then that he would ran into the room and tell those adults to shut up. He remembered that much, but aside from that, there was none. It was blank. The memories stopped there, and he couldn't recall anything else.

Liam frowned at the girl's pet name for him. Yam-Yam. It was odd hearing that name again. He had never really thought that he'd hear it again. He couldn't remember much but he was quite sure that the girl hadn't changed at all. She was still that kid from before. "It's Liam." He told her sharply, though honestly, he didn't really dislike being called with such silly name if it was her who was doing it. But again, he had grown to be too proud to admit that he didn't mind it. "You must have gotten the wrong person then." He couldn't really remember how he was before. Did he really like those things that she had just mentioned? He couldn't even imagine himself liking those things. It was ridiculous.

The boy just shrugged at the girl's question. Did he miss her? He hadn't really thought about it. Sure, he would often wonder where she had gone off to every time he would visit the Nightray manor, but did it mean that he missed her? No. That was impossible. He wasn't sure though, thus, instead, he decided not to answer her. He gave her a blank look and leaned by the pillar again, closing his eyes as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"That seemed to be the case to me." He answered her question then, still refusing to open his eyes to gauge her reaction. She just disappeared on them without a word. There were no letters or anything at all. Though if there had been one, he doubt that the elders would have given it to them. They seemed to make sure that there were as little contact between the girl and their family after all. "But you aren't dead, are you?" He opened one eye and cocked his head to one side, his scarf sliding off a little to reveal the smallest smirk on his lips.

The fifteen year old was about to add something when a guest approached them. She looked like the typical kid that he would often meet at events like this. No. She didn't look like a kid at all. In fact, she looked quite like a mess with all those colors in her face. The boy frowned and gave the girl a glare. She, however, seemed to be oblivious to the definitely unwelcoming aura that the boy was giving off. He closed his eyes again, appearing as uncaring as possible. He was used to this. In the events hosted by his family, people would randomly talk to him and try to engage him into a conversation. He never did pay them any attention though. They were not worth his time. He doubt that they'd talk to him if he was not a Nightray anyway.

Usually, Liam would just glare at the intruder and afterwards, walk off. This time however, he chose not to do the same. It was not because this intruder was special. Or perhaps she was. He was feeling particularly annoyed at that moment after all. He pushed himself off the pillar and straightened his posture. He was taller than both the girl and with the way he stood, it would appear that he towered over them when in fact, he was just a few inches taller than them. "I appreciate your concern," he started, his scarf hanging loose on his shoulder, thus revealing his previously covered face. He appeared quite dashing then, with the tiniest of smiles appearing on his face. He looked far from the usual Liam. "Perhaps I should heed your advice. Half breeds, indeed, are filthy. They should just disappear without a trace" he continued, walking towards the girl just so there was little distance between them. He usually didn't like being in close proximity with anyone, but at that moment, he didn't care. He then reached for a strand of her hair and bent a little, just so they were face to face. The previously gentle face then turned into a menacing one. "You don't want to die, do you?" his voice was dangerously alluring, and his eyes held so much hatred as he glared at the girl.

He then straightened his posture and pulled at his scarf to hide his face again. "I assume you were talking about yourself when you spoke about half breeds." He told her, walking towards Ria and pulling her by the arm. "Or were you talking about me?" His back was turned away from her. He was looking at his cousin then, his face devoid of any emotion. He then began to pull his cousin with him. Sure, he wasn't the most caring guy around. He wasn't soft either, but it wasn't like he would just stand there when a member of his family was being humiliated. Not that the girl knew that. Besides, Ria was.... a remembrance of his past. He may not remember her that much, but he didn't like the tone that the girl used on her. He dragged the girl with him. He needed some space. The room was getting noisier by the second and that intruder's presence was not helping at all. He stopped a few steps away from the intruder. "Leave." He told her flatly before he turned around and continued dragging his cousin with him. There were quite a big number of people that they had to dodge, but soon enough, he caught sight of the glass doors that would lead to the balcony. Perhaps, he'd be able to have a quiet time for his self then. It wasn't like he left the floor after all. His aunt would have no excuse to reprimand him later. She had only told him not to return to his room. It wasn't like she told him to stay and mingle with those idiots.​

 

[Arianna Zhefarovich]

At first, Arianna had next to no idea on how she would approach her fifteen year old cousin. They were both suffering from the loss of their parents when Arianna had suddenly disappeared and went to America. She wasn't there for Armin, Rivaille and Liam. If it were up to her, she would have willingly stayed in the Nightray manor despite her illnesses. She would have been alright with just drinking potions everyday if it meant that she could have stayed by their side. But sadly, a little Ria was too weak to fight back. How can a little girl fight back against the elders of the Nightray family. She remembered well how Liam used to stand up for her and how she would always just stay silent. That was one of her weaknesses. She couldn't speak her mind out unlike her cousin. If she were able to do that, she wouldn't have to leave the manor and spend most of her life in America.

"Why do I have to call you Liam like everybody else?!" the fifteen year old whined. She wasn't really one to follow everyone else since she had already been isolated so what was the point of being like everyone else was? She had already been alone so what would be wrong with being unique right? And besides, she had quite liked the idea of calling her cousin by the name she used to call him years ago. It seemed like nothing had changed although, she could tell that an awful lot had changed. "Besides, the name Yam-Yam is cuter and suits you better," the younger of the cousins said as she stuck her tongue out like a little kid in front of her cousin. Indeed, it seemed like nothing had changed within the frail, little girl. Yet, it was far from being true.

"Hmmm... I don't think so," Arianna said as she took a closer look upon her cousin's face since he had muttered things about her getting the wrong person. Well, she was pretty sure that there was only one Liam in the Nightray family and that he had no twin or whatsoever so Ria could have been pretty sure that she had not mistaken the boy she was talking to right now. Although, the change of attitude was a factor to be considered but all in all, she was sure that the Liam in front of her right now was the Liam she had used to play with years ago. When the Slytherin though had refused to answer her question, Ria beamed a playful smile and began to speak, "I knew you'd miss me!" Although she knew that it had quite little to no possibility at all, well, she was at the very least hoping. Silence meant yes after all, right?

"I'm sorry, I tried writing letters the first two years, but I really didn't get any replies the whole time," Arianna said sadly. It was really the case. Almost every week, she would write letters to the Nightray manor and for two whole years, she had expected, wished, hoped for at least just one reply that could show her that she still had a family. She would write letters to Armin, Rivaille, Liam and even Aaren and the elders. But not even one letter came for her in the span of two years. That was why she was surprised when the twins had suddenly appeared in their relative's house where Ria stayed at whenever she was out of the hospital. They had told her that they were allowed to visit her once every month and the girl was already very happy with that and never said a word about the letters to her brothers. The girl suddenly smiled a small smile at her cousin when he said that she wasn't dead. She shook her head and she could have sworn that she had been trying to stop tears of joy from leaking from her eyes. "I'm still alive and kicking," she said with a smile.

Arianna was already close to tears with what was occurring at this very moment. Why the heck did Aunt Red set her up?! Well, she knew that the woman had no intention of harming her since they had quite a good relationship but then again, she should have been properly dressed for the event with the appropriate color instead of being the only one dressed in red! It would have seriously saved Ria from so much trouble. But then again, she couldn't really bring herself to get mad at the woman since she had been so kind to her. She only wished though that this guest would stop bothering her. And aside from that, she couldn't believe what her cousin was saying! Does he think of me as a filthy, lowly half-breed? was all Ria could think whilst Liam slowly approached the guest and being all gentle and seemingly thankful for the information.

The fifteen year old Nightray was surprised though when Liam had, out of nowhere, began pulling her by the arm towards the guest that had been previously insulting her. Ria bit her lip, she had no idea what to say but, by her cousin's words, she now understood. He had stood up for her once again. Like her always did back when they were kids. The intruder's expressions couldn't be read from confusion, anger, humiliation and other things. It was like all elegance and poise had suddenly been lost. "That's preposterous! She's the filthy half-blood! She should be the one to leave this place!" the guest suddenly shouting, nearly screaming, obviously insulted by Liam's words and Ria could do nothing but follow her cousin as he maneuvered his way into and through the crowd. And since the girl was a bit shorter than the boy, she could do nothing but just trust that he would not lead her to anywhere but safety.

Arianna was quite surprised when both of them had reached the balcony. It was quite wonderful outside and much more peaceful too. It seemed that Liam liked it better here since he was more relaxed in comparison to when he was just leaning on the pillar. Sure she had been gone for years and had lost almost all communications with the Nightray family. But then, she knew some of her family members too. Enough to know when they didn't want her around. "Yam-Yam... I mean, Liam... Sorry if I got you into trouble," she said a bit softly, "I'm pretty sure that it will reach the elders soon and I dragged you into the mess." There were a lot of times when Ria was brave and courageous and fearless, but then, she really wasn't one to want to drag family into her mess. And now, she had done it again. Maybe this was the reason the elders had decided to cut all communication between her and the other Nightrays her age. Because she would always drag them into her own trouble. Shaking her thoughts out of her head for a while, she approached her cousin and smiled at him. "Thank you though, for standing up for me again."

Out of Character:

Continued here.