Today was the day of the banquet and my security was raised to the max, my family didn't trust the guests that they were to be entertaining a single bit, I mean a few of the families already sent people to kill me. And as if that wasn't enough I heard they were also publicly shaming my family for keeping me alive.
While I was rolling around the hallway at a high speed laughing loudly, Boss Tili was following closely behind. I had many guards currently protecting me at the moment, but Boss Tili was the only one who was doing it in the open, the others were either doing it secretly or lurking in the shadows.
I don't like the ones lurking in the shadows, it's creepy. I told mom about this and she said I was hurting their feelings by saying that, grandma joined the conversation as well and told me it was necessary and not to worry, telling me to treat them like they don't exist.
But... how can I not! When I turn around I sometimes see a paled-skinned man with one eye peeking around the corner, I even saw the eyeless guy, I was scared out of my mind and fell out of my wheelchair. It's unnerving knowing that such people are following behind me and peeking around corners like perverts.
Back to what I was currently doing, a pretty dangerous thing to do for someone in a wheelchair, hey, speeding is a dangerous thing to do kids, I should've learned that lesson before I did this.
- "Young miss, please slow down and stop your wheelchair, it's far too dangerous to do this in the house."
Boss Tili was trying to get me to slow down, not speeding himself up, probably out of fear of causing something else to happen, as I was too focused on speeding. I didn't hear a thing, and just as he said, it was dangerous. My wheel got paused for just one second, but that one second was enough time to send me out of the chair like a small rocket, a firework?
Just as I was about to hit the wall my mind froze at the thought of the pain that would hit me. I was already expecting that I would experience an episode of phantom pain today, but on top of that, this would be added.
I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain that would overcome me... and it never came. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was suspended in the air, my whole body was turned around as I saw my grandma with a displeased look on her face. She was holding me up by the back of my collar as you would hold a cat from its scruff.
- "Lulu, haaa... How many times do we have to remind you to not act in such a manner when your body is so weak?"
As she expressed her displeasure towards my careless behavior while she was sighing and shaking her head while still holding me up. After waiting for a moment Boss Tili brought my wheelchair over and grandma carefully placed me back on it.
Boss Tili was looking at the floor in front of grandma he was too intimidated by her to look her straight in the eye after what just occurred.
- "Tilikum, didn't I order you to protect her. When I said to protect her I meant that you were to protect her from both others and herself. Ugh," Grandma grunted while she massaged the bridge of her nose.
- "I apologize Madam. I didn't expect the Young Miss to suddenly speed off like this, she even promised me that she wouldn't act out today." Boss Tili was apologizing to her with his head down, relaying what I told him.
She merely hummed to herself and started to stare me down with her arms crossed waiting for me to say something. The only thing I was left to do was avert my eyes and nervously giggle while rubbing the back of my head guiltily.
- "Lulu... just make sure you don't get seen by any of our guests ok? I don't want anything to happen to you."
- "Of course grandma! I don't want to die just yet, especially on my tenth cycle, that would be truly regrettable."
- "Do not speak about dying so haphazardly!.. Sorry, just don't mention your death or your dying ever again, understood?"
Grandma was visibly upset at my words, I didn't think a simple joke about my depressing situation would encourage this type of reaction. I guess for my family this isn't something to joke about, but it's the only way I can look towards the future with a bit of optimism. Due to that, I couldn't give her a confident response.
- "Ok... I understand. I'll be in my studio all day, er most of the day, during the entire banquet and ball." I rolled past grandma without another word while Boss Tili stayed back and received more orders from grandma. Ugh, this banquet was going to go on for a long time.
...
It was now the hour of the ball, the sun was midway in the pinkish-orange sky, if you were to gaze up you could see a largely faded silhouette hanging in the sky. The sky would stay like this for the next thirty-six hours, until nightfall, when all is covered with a veil.
The guests were beginning to arrive at the Bavel estate, the sound of a mechanical humming sprang out of a silver-plated vehicle that swung into the estate from the sky. Following the first, many more vehicles came in, some from the sky and others from the ground. The people that came out of these shiny vehicles were the spiffy influential powers of the twenty-nine cities, there were currently only twenty-six families present. The Bavels were the hosts so only twenty-seven were present, the Urnfoxes were yet to arrive and the Nexus family, well they were...
Just arriving. There was a continuous flash of an array of colors as three sets of feet stepped out of them revealing the figures of two men wearing matching clothing and a woman in a suit with her coat hanging off her shoulders, that had their family symbol on its back. The woman had a dead expression on her face as she merely overlooked the faces of the other families before she walked to the entrance with the two men following after her. One of them looked strikingly familiar, it was Lulu's father and the youngest son of the Nexus family.
Though her act of looking down on all of them was apparent, they could only keep silent and grit their teeth, because the only people that could look down on the Nexus family were the Bavel family and the Urnfox family.
When they got to the door they expected to just be let in, so after a moment they looked at the guard that was guarding the door. They looked at Boss Tili as if they were telling him to hurry up and open it.
"What are you waiting for. Open the door, you fool!" The taller man yelled out an order towards him, with his left shoulder twitching as he seemed to be preparing to throw a punch out at the humanoid dolphin. Not moving an inch Boss Tili spoke up, purposely loud enough for everyone to hear in front of the house.[1]
- "The Nexus family is not allowed on Bavel property! All relations with the Nexus family have been cut off permanently! The Nexus family are to leave the property, effective immediately!"
Shouting at the top of his lungs Boss Tili announced the Bavel family's cutting of ties with the Nexus family for all to hear, all while looking the Taller brother straight in the eyes, not breaking eye contact. The families present were shocked to hear this, they all knew things were going on in the shadows between the two families, but they didn't think it was something to this degree. It was big news for families wanting to collaborate with the Bavel family.
- "Who do you think you a-"
- "That's enough Brother Noxul,"
- "What do you mean enough Noxus!? They are trying to deny us the right to attend the Everion's anniversary!"
- "I know. Just calm down for now, " Interrupting his elder brother, Lulu's father, Noxus, laid his uninterested gaze on Boss Tili. He looked around at the others before returning his look to Boss Tili.
"So the Bavel family is planning to keep us from seeing our precious Everion on his once-in-a-cycle anniversary? Will the Bavel family take responsibility if we happen to earn the Everion's ire? It was already a miracle that he let you keep a child of Tyvetta alive bu-"
"Keep your mouth shut... brother, " This time Noxus was interrupted by their sister and her saying brother seemed to be said with hidden malicious intent. The eldest daughter of the Nexus family, Nellia, was known for being the coolest head out of the two. She started speaking to Boss Vili in an indifferent tone.
"I apologize for my brother's outburst, and the other's disrespect, I will come by later to give a formal apology to the Bavel family, my niece, and her mother."
Though he was slightly surprised he didn't show it on his face and just gave her a nod of gratitude and respect, watching her grab both her brothers by their ears and drag them away gave him a sense of fulfillment.
With the Nexus family finally leaving, the others let out sighs of relief, as the other families were starting to enter another flurry of lights came from behind them, rising the temperature of the area and releasing a flurry of red flames.