Song listened to: 'I wanna get better' by ATC Ft. The Ready Set.
I'm Fine.
When asked how one was doing, and the response was I'm Fine, it was known that the truth was quite the contrary. It was something that they heard more then they wanted, the falsity of I'm Fine to the inquiry of someone's wellbeing.
There was no telling where to begin, as they weren't sure what was worse, what needed tending to first before all others. They had gone to Father and Aunt on the matter and They said to start at the very beginning.
So, they gathered the remaining fledglings and younglings in the Council Chamber, with their respective guardians, and they all sat curiously around the vast table in various perched positions.
The Healer looked the young ones over with worry, something that was open for all to see, and hummed sadly at the things that they had undoubtedly been sent to during their war. Poor fledglings who never had the chance to run around and play as fledglings should, and now were trying to live a life they didn't know, despite the help their guardians tried to provide.
"How are you, little ones?"
One shrugged, Akeelah had called him Jezaniah, from Jeremiah's knee, "We're fine.", Hazel was at his side and gave a sad little sigh as if to say something to the contrary. It was awkward, the young ones having heard stories of what happened to those called before the Council remained frightfully silent, even young Paul, who had regular conversation with Michael the Archangel during training while walking with Nisroc on his own days off as the Power surveyed the others.
Little Akeelah was staring at him, from her perch on the Choir Master's knee, and he shook his head minutely. They could take care of themselves, they always had, and couldn't rely on others to do so for them. One had to be strong to survive through what they did, it was a lesson learned really quick, and they refused to learn it again.
"I get scared.", the young fledgling looked away from her friend, averting her eyes at her admission, if no one else would start this meeting then she would take it upon herself to do so, "At nighttime. 'specially when it's storming. That's why I sleep with Luci cause if he's there then nothin' can get me."
Paul watched her for a long minute, at her confession, and nodded in turn from Nisroc's left "I have holes in my memory. I always hum under my breath because it hides the whirling sound of the drill echoing in my head.", the Power squeezed his shoulder lightly in comfort.
Jezaniah watched them silently, looking between the both of them as they made their admittance to their faults, and he looked down at the Elder's hands crossed in his lap "I don' like small spaces cause it reminds me of the room the mindbreaker kept me in." Jeremiah took a deep breath and Hazel jumped around at his admission, clearly neither knew of his secrets.
Another fledging, Raziel, raised his knee from Purah's lap, "Sometimes I cry when I see the Powers because they carry big swords and Theo cut me really bad when he caught me sneaky some ambrosia from the Infirmary."
"Sometimes I hide in the garden because I don't want no one to find me and take me back to the mindbreaker."
"I don't like thunderstorms cause it reminds me of the day that the Choir Master was shoved into the Abyss."
"I don't like going to the Infirmary 'cause I'm scared that I'll be sent back to the mindbreaker for fixing."
Michael closed his eyes for a moment, ducking his head, once the admissions came to a standstill. After a moment passed, he looked back up at them with sorrowful eyes, and he pulled an object hidden from view by a cloth to the front of him. He lifted the cloth away revealing the only remaining crown of spikes from the mindbreaker's workshop, and they all stared at the crown with wide eyes "How many of you know what this is?"
Seven hands raised in the air.
"How many of you know what it does?"
Seven hands raised in the air.
"How many of you almost wore it."
Seven hands raised in the air.
Hazel was crying from Jeremiah's side, softly into her hand, tears streaming down her face.
Nisroc had his face buried in his hands.
"How many of you don't think you're 'fine'?"
Hesitantly, seven hands raised in the air.