UC 0068, Side 3 - Munzo
Adrian Ral Hamon was awoken to a cacophony of rioting in the streets.
The young boy with white hair and red eyes blinked sleepily a few times before yawning and turning to the side, his shut curtains illuminated with the light of fires, and the shouts and screams of angry protesters seeped through the walls.
Unsure of what was happening outside, he slipped into his slippers and silently passed his still-sleeping younger sister, her fluffy blonde hair splayed out messily on the bed before heading out to wander the halls of his home and find his parents.
Adrian yawned again as he walked. The adults around him seemed to be panicked about something but paid the boy no mind.
Adrian finally found his way to a room where he could hear the voices of his grandfather along with other people.
"It was the Zabis!" He could hear his grandfather shout, as he poked his head through the door and peeked into the room nervously. "The Zabis I tell you! They're good-for-nothing snakes that poisoned Deikun and usurped his vision! Now they target Sasro too and try to pin it on us!"
Adrian looked around the room, watching his father adopt a thoughtful expression. "Is that really true, father?"
"What do you mean? You suspect me too, Ramba?!" Jimba cried out,
"No, but while Sasro is a bastard, he was also an adept statesman. Even for a plot like this, it's a little too much." Ramba explained.
Before he could listen in any further, he felt himself being lifted from behind by unknown hands.
"Wah~!" Adrian cried out in a mix of surprise and fear, kicking against the unknown assailant.
"Sheesh! Shouldn't you be asleep!?" The voice groaned, and Adrian finally stopped struggling.
"Mom?" The little boy asked tentatively,
"Of course, it's your mom. Who else would it be?" Crowley Hamon sighed, looking at her son with a sort of exasperated affection.
Crowley opened the door, entering the room with Adrian in his arms.
Almost immediately upon seeing the oldest of Ramba's children, the mood in the room immediately softened.
"Er…Crowley…how long were you there?" Ramba asked abashedly,
"Who is Sasro, dad? And why is he a bastard?" Adrian cocked his head in childish innocence as Crowley shot a glare at Ramba, who slunk back into the crowd.
"No one you need to worry about dear," Crowley said quickly, warning her husband with her eyes not to not say a word.
"Anyway, Astraia wants to talk to you," Crowley told her husband,
"Er - I'll be there right away!" He nodded quickly, desperate to avoid his wife's glare.
"Mom? What's a bastard?" Adrian asked in Crowley's arms,
"It's what you call those-" Jimba began to rant again, but was rudely cut off by Crowley's glare, who promptly left the room in a huff and slammed the door shut.
"A bastard is a person who is mean and rude, but listen here - don't ever use that word. It's a bad one." Crowley admonished her son once they were outside, who merely snuggled up closer to her.
"Now you should go back to sleep," Crowley stated,
"But I'm not sleepy!" Adrian shot up in her arms, and Crowley sighed.
"Well…" Crowley thought about it for a moment, before sighing.
"How would you like to meet some other kids?" Crowley asked,
"There are other kids?" Adrian asked curiously, "Why would there be other kids here?"
"They're mom and dad's friends." Crowley explained, "They can't stay at their home so they're staying with us."
"Mhm…" Adrian hummed for a moment, before accepting it. "Well, if they're mom and dad's friends then maybe we can be friends too!"
Crowley smiled, "Come on then, let's wake up your sister."
Rosary yawned as she carried a stuffed animal in one hand and held her mother's hand in another.
"What's going on Mom…?" She questioned, and Crowley smiled at her daughter gently.
"We have some guests I want you to spend some time with." She explained,
"People…?" Rosary slunk back behind her mom slightly,
"Don't worry about it so much, they're nice people." Crowley pushed open the door, where a blonde-haired woman with blue eyes was with her two similarly blonde-haired and blue-eyed children.
"Ah…you must be Crowley's children!" The woman stood up, approaching the trio.
Crowley nodded, "Adrian, Rosary. This is Auntie Astraia, she and her kids will be staying with us for a while."
Adrian stepped forward first, "Hi Auntie Astraia, I'm Adrian!" He introduced himself cheerfully, and Astraia patted his head.
"Nice to meet you, Adrian." Adrian flushed red a little, shy at the sudden contact, but he could feel a calming warmth from this woman, and so didn't shy away or resist.
Seeing her brother comfortable with the woman, Rosary finally stepped forward shyly, and Astraia kneeled down in front of the girl.
"Hi there…I'm Astraia, what's your name?" She asked gently,
"...Rosary." She said shyly,
"A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," Astraia mused.
Finally warming up to the woman, Rosary quickly settled in with the Deikuns, befriending their daughter Artesia. Afterward, Crowley and Astraia quickly took to talking with each other too quietly for the children to hear.
That only left Casval and Adrian.
The two boys said nothing to each other for a while, before Adrian finally coughed and spoke:
"I'm Adrian Ral Hamon, what's your name?" He questioned tentatively,
"...Casval." He said after a few seconds, "Casval Rem Deikun."
"It's nice to meet you, Casval," Adrian said politely, only managing to get a grunt of acknowledgment from the other boy.
Casval stood up and walked to the window, opening it to gaze at the protesters below.
"...It is their fault, you know," Casval stated,
"...Who's fault?" Adrian asked, "For what?"
"The Zabis!" Casval hissed, "It's their fault my father is dead! And now they're coming after all of us here!"
Adrian was taken somewhat aback by his strong words, he scratched his head. Unsure of how to respond.
Adrian had heard of the Zabi Family before, mostly through his father and grandfather, who were consistent in their neverending suspicion of their motives. Adrian recalled his grandfather's words:
"It was the Zabis! The Zabis I tell you! They're good-for-nothing snakes that poisoned Deikun and usurped his vision! Now they target Sasro too and try to pin it on us!"
"...Not like you'd understand, anyway." Casval sighed, returning to his seat and leaving Adrian at the windowsill.
Adrian looked out the window at the protesters, and he couldn't help but wonder just how exactly things had gotten this way.
A/N: As promised, this series has made its much-wanted return. Between writing my original story on Webnovel and starting college, the Diamond Edition rewrites have kind of fallen to the wayside, but no more! I - Solmanthe1st - have returned to writing! If you're a new fan, welcome! If you're an old fan - welcome back!