"I must admit, for a child of our enemy, you are not so bad, Barbatos. Which is clearly conveyed in the music that you produce.", Apep told him as soon as he finished playing, sounding and looking mostly serious, yet there was also a tint of appreciation..."I am merely stating the obvious, young god. If not for your skill as a music artist, by now I would have cast you out from this abode of mine.", she suddenly interrupted, as if reading his thoughts, before her expression turned thoughtful for a few seconds, "...I shall give you permission to hold your music performances here. Occasional visits are acceptable...And frankly appreciated...", her words suddenly trailed off, as her expression turned annoyed, before she audibly sighed, "As charming as you appear to be, you still remain the child of our enemy. One whose allegiances confuses me to this day. Does SHE truly wish to cross her own kin? Or perhaps this is no more than a ruse, a farse...? SHE even brought my old acquaintance back to life. Speaking of said acquaintance...", she added while turning to look towards Samir, an annoyed expression appearing on her face once more, "That...Display of yours, for the second time now. It was unneeded and frankly speaking, quite bizarre. Seeing as you appear not to be in your right mind, Amun, I have decided to cut today's meeting short. You may return when your mind has cleared."
Following these words, the great serpentine dragon borrowed into the sand,
Her majestic form moments later completely disappearing from his sight...
...
...
Oh, right, he...
*While marveling her great form,
As he performed songs to get her out of her daze,
And later on, as he patiently listened to Apep's words...
...
...
He forgot to take a photo of her!
*He forgot to immortalize this...!
-Apep didn't seem to understand what I tried to do, again. -His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the familiar voice of Samir, who was currently pouting, before his expression turned a little thoughtful. -...Well, at least she doesn't seem to be mad at me anymore for...The past...So that's good, right...? If anything...-He added in a mumble, his words soon trailing off, as his face started rapidly shifting through different expressions. -..."Desert Sightseeing", we should definitely continue that. -He said moments later, upon turning to look towards his fellow god. -Venti, where do you want us to visit now...?
He soon asked, both his voice and expression quite serious now,
But as for the question itself, about their desert tour...
*And considering how Apep already left...
...
...
"...Everyone we know thought that Jebrael would be one of the teachers, but he is currently acting as Temporary Leader for the (remaining) Tanit. Hopefully, he will succeed in changing the clan for the better."
"Even though, as Samir said, Jebrael is a good leader…
...How long do you think it will take for THAT clan to actually change their ways…?"
"Knowing how they are…? I am really not sure. It's a miracle that Tadhla is doing a lot better now, thanks to Jeht's help."
...
Yes, he already had a place in mind...
...
"Samir, can you take me to the Tanit camps...? It doesn't matter which one.
Not just to see how Jebrael is doing as the clan's head, but all of those kids...The former Falcons...
...As the God of Freedom and after hearing of their past, the childhood that they were so cruelly denied…I want to teach them how to have some fun!"
...
One he already visited before, and yet,
When he met those kids of varied ages...
*From Four years old to almost Thirteen...
...
"...'Playing...Around'...? 'Having fun'...? As a Falcon in training, I don't understand what those words mean.
...Is that...Even something I am allowed to do...?"
"It is not something which is allowed. But...Those words...They don't sound bad...
...As a new fully fledged Falcon, I shouldn't waver...And yet, why is it that...?"
"I can have a break from training...?!
...I-I wouldn't get whipped for that, right...? I-I am not a bad child for wanting to...T-to...!"
"...G-get…W-whipped…F-for "having fun"...!
I-I sorry…! I-I sorry…! I-I not bad…! I-I not…! I-I be good…! I-I be good…!
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
This was just some of what they told him and it made him "sick to his stomach"...
*They were still kids, ones which required love and affection,
They were not...Whatever they were made to believe they were...
...
Akin to emotionless pieces of wood,
Tools for the "adults" to use and then dispose of...
...
...
...
Him teaching those children how to have fun,
It was truly a..."Work in progress"...
-Lord Rhadames, Lord Barbatos, I am grateful to have you visit us again. -Jebrael respectfully told them as soon as they teleported in.
-How are the children...? -Venti couldn't help but ask right away, as he was looking around the camp. -...They are...A little better now, right...?
He added in some unease, already feeling concern about what he might hear,
And considering Jebrael's reply, or rather, a lack thereof...
*And the way the other adults around reacted to his words,
While at the same time, the children looked so...Conflicted...
...
As if they were happy for his and Samir's arrival,
While at the same time, afraid to accept any kind of affection...
*Things were still pretty bad, weren't they...?
Those poor kids who were denied a childhood and...
…
…
"...I-I wouldn't get whipped for that, right...? I-I am not a bad child for wanting to...T-to...!"
"...G-get…W-whipped…F-for "having fun"...!"
...
...
They were...
...
By those BASTARDS!
-Everyone involved had already been punished, yes...? -He heard Samir ask by his side, his fellow god's expression very cold and tone of voice as enraged as his current feelings. -...In case they did not get adequate punishment, I would like to enact judgement myself.
-...I would not dare stop you, if you do. Those...Scoundrels had done too much harm. -Jebrael answered moments later, looking and sounding mad himself, before he deeply sighed. -...But not now. You are here to show the children what their childhood should have been like all along, right...?
'Gliding:
An ability to freely move between the air currents with the use of a glider.'
This is what he decided to have them experience this time...
*Or rather, that's what they thought that they were currently doing,
While in truth, he was using the Power of the Thousand Winds to have them fly...
...
...
And he wasn't sure if he should tell them the truth or not.
*If they knew he was using his "godly power" for this...
...
They might decline flying outright, aren't they...?
...
...
"...Those "Wind Gliders"...Are they truly for...?
No! I can't accept something so precious!
For someone like me, such a thing is...!"
"...I-It looks fun, but...B-but...
C-can I really...Play with it...?"
"T-that's right...! T-this much...I-it's okay, right...?"
"No, for those like us, such a thing is not allowed.
I apologize, Lord Barbatos, but we have no right to accept this gift.
...For us, simple tools to be used and then discarded, this kind of generosity..."
...
They were horribly mistreated for far too long, after all...
*To the extent that they were reluctant to accept even the tiniest bit of kindness...
...
...
-Woohoooo! This is fun! It's so fun! The wind! The sun!
-And everyone's so small! They so tiny! Very very tiny!
-..."Gliding" feels nice...Don't feel afraid...N-not anymore...
But even so, at least the younger children,
They seemed to be having a lot of fun right now...
*But as for the older ones...
...
-...If we are to be punished for this, I will take the blame.
-No, I should be the one to get punished. I am a lot older than anyone else and should know better.
-You just became a fully Fledged Falcon. If you accept the punishment...
-It's fine. I'm well prepared. The whipping...I am used to it now. It doesn't hurt anymo...
He decided to stop listening to this kind of..."Discussion"...
*To think that a Thirteen year old can get used to being whipped,
It was equally tragic and at the same time...
-...It makes you feel mad, right...? This is one of the reasons why, back then, I wanted the Tanit to become extinct. -Samir soon ended for him, his fellow god looking and sounding very cold. -...If not for the victims, I would have already obliterated the whole clan myself. With or without Nahida's approval.
...
...
"...As crazy as Samail was, I have to admit that he did something good for once. That place was full of dirty sinners and their marionettes, after all.
...What is wrong with what I just said, Traveler...? You know as well as I do that "reprograming" someone like the "Falcons" is bound to be incredibly hard, if it even works to begin with. Especially during the current crisis...
They have been taught to "serve their master with all their heart and soul" from a very young age, for way too long. Without any intervention, it would be impossible for them to suddenly be able to live for themselves and even with intervention, they might just latch onto you as their "new master". A life like that...You understand why it can't be called a good one, right?"
...
Right, this is what Samir admitted before,
And now he understood the other's opinion clearly...
*Even if he still couldn't agree with it...