The Gargoyles fell silent as Nayeli approached them, and she felt her shoulders tense with nerves.
For a little while, she'd been able to forget what had happened earlier, waking to the strange man leaning over her with a pinching pain in her arm. Playing with the animals that Bindi had collected, each saved from some disaster or another, and letting them paint her skin, play with her hair, had been relaxing and fun.
But now that she was to speak to the adults, she felt her nerves kick into hyper drive.
What was she supposed to say? Or do?
Well, she'd just take her cues from the others, she decided. She straightened her posture and infused pride in her stride. She'd already witnessed a few varying reactions to her mother and father's relationship, but she was proud to be who and what she was.
As they got closer, Nayeli saw the clan move to sit in a half circle, elders seated in the front as it should be, and the younger members standing in the back.
Coming to a stop in front of them, Nayeli gave a deep bow of respect. It was a habit that she had gained from the more formal Asian clans, and one she had fully embraced. She stood, caught the smile on Bolin's face as he returned the gesture from his place behind the elders.
Having a familiar face in the crowd helped, she mused, noting that her nerves weren't nearly as bad now.
"I am Nayeli," she said in a clear and steady voice. "The youngest member of the Manhattan clan of Castle Wyvern in the United States."
"Greetings, Nayeli," The eldest female, the one Nayeli's father had pointed out to her who had wanted to meet The Promised One, rose slowly to her feet. "I am Nurrin, Eldest of the Red Rock Clan, and I am so happy to meet you."
Nayeli smiled at the gentle voice and the kindness in the female's eyes, reaching forward to take her hands in hers. "It is my pleasure," Nayeli said. "But please, you do not need to get to your feet. It has already been an eventful evening." As she aided Nurrin back onto her seat, she saw several pairs of eyes look to one another.
Nayeli felt a wave of irritation.
Just because she was young… really young, though she doubted that they knew just HOW young… didn't mean that she didn't have manners.
Once Nurrin was seated, Nayeli sought out and found the leader and her second in command. She greeted them as well, as was their right as the clan's leaders.
"Good evening," she said to the pair.
"Good evening," Talia said, a tinge of humor in her voice, though Nayeli couldn't understand why. "It is good to see you again, in better circumstances."
Nayeli felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. Wanting to change the subject, she said, "My father has told me that you may have some questions for me."
"How is it that one so young," Nurrin began, "has been shouldered with such responsibility?"
Nayeli shrugged, "It was time, I guess."
"It was time?" came a voice from behind her, and Nayeli turned to see Tau, the elder who had been in the clinic earlier. "You are asking us to believe that you are the foretold one?"
Nayeli shook her head. "I am not asking for you to believe anything," she said plainly. "Trust me, it has not been easy."
"And do you believe that you are the one to heal the wound caused when the three races broke away from one another?" Tau demanded, stopping a few feet from her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as her father and Bolin edged closer to her, their faces intent on the situation playing out.
Nayeli held her hand out to the pair, urging them to stop. Violence was not going to help the situation, and Tau had not offered any.
Yet.
Goliath and Bolin stopped, frozen on the edge of the group by her gesture, though neither wanted to.
Nayeli made a mental note to never complain about the negotiation and diplomacy lessons ever again, turned back to Tau and answered honestly. "I was born from a human mother a year and a half ago," she said, hearing the gasps from the others gathered there. "In that time, I have grown rapidly and been mostly isolated within my clan. I have been trained to fight, trained to defend and to be an ambassador between the worlds of the human, fae and gargoyles alike. It has not been easy, and it has not been especially fun. Do I believe that I am the mythical "Promised One"?" Nayeli held her hands out and gave a shrug. "I have been told that I am my whole life, so what else am I to believe?" She dropped her hands to her sides. "Do I think I can heal this rift? I have been told that, by the interpretations of the legend that have been made, that I may have already done so. Although," She stifled the urge to roll her eyes, "if I have, it was completely by accident."
The clan reacted with surprise, and even the irritated Tau gave a small jerk in reaction.
"You have…" Talia began, but seemed at a loss.
"Maybe," Nayeli said. "But legends, as I have been told, are notoriously tricky in their interpretations. What I do know is that a kind of healing has begun in Manhattan, and one that I hope will spread."
"With such a mix in you," Koa said slowly, "Do you have any special… traits that we should know of?"
"Uhm," Nayeli hesitated for the first time, her gaze seeking her father. At Goliath's nod, she returned her face forward and took a bracing breath. "A few," she admitted. "My mother is human and fae. I have enough human in me to not have to go into stone sleep." More murmurs, but she kept going. "I have enough Fae to be able to do minor magic," Nayeli raised a hand, turning it over to show a small ball of Faerie Fire cupped in her palm and closed her fingers to extinguish it. "I can do some pretty major things, as well, though that is usually in self-defense, unplanned and extremely draining for me. Finally, my Father is gargoyle," she said, giving her wings a small but dramatic snapping flare out. "And through him, I have the strength and power of a gargoyle."
"Impressive," Koa said, thoughtfully.
Nurrin scooted over a little, patting the empty space on the log with her hand. "Perhaps you should sit, little one," she said kindly, "and tell us of your adventures."
Nayeli grinned at the elder. "I am not sure about adventures, but it has been interesting."
Nayeli took the offered seat, and began her tale. "I don't remember much of the first incident, but I have been told that it started when I was only a few weeks old…"