Reminiscing about the time we all met.

Ayalla had taken ages to get ready, constantly changing and trying on different styles, but she felt like she looked bad in everything. She didn't normally care about what she looked like, but Vanessa had been going on and on about Gareth, and she wanted to at least not seem like she was straight out the facility. Finally she had settled on a pair of cropped leggings and an oversized sweatshirt that looked more like a dress than anything. Popping in to her worn out sneakers, she noticed Vanessa's frustration with her phone. She didn't even get the fact that she was actually dating someone. Dating!? It just seemed too farfetched from the reality she had grown up with. "I don't get why you bother with guys ... They are nothing but trouble," she muttered a little grimly, but perhaps it was because the boys at the facility had always teased her about her green hair and freaky abilities.
As they arrived at the mansion, she was grateful to feel Vanessa's hand in her own, it gave her some strength. "Friends?" she repeated, sounding slightly worried. She wasn't a fan of the unexpected, and she hadn't prepared to meet anyone other than Gareth. How was she supposed to act now? However she followed her friend in to the mansion, keeping her gaze down as they entered a room.

"Oi, oi!" Ethan explaimed as Gareth had him pinned to the ground. "Give me ma fooking fone back, ya pillock, lemme go or I'll knock out ya Newtons!" he yelled, squirming. It was mostly because he had been bragging about some new girl he was seeing, and he wasn't showing any pictures, even though he had.

"Nah, nah you stay put, bro. I need to see who it is you're talking to," the daemon chuckled, holding the human down with ease while he scrolled through the messages Ethan was exchanging with this girl. It wasnt like he was interested in the context of the messages, he just wanted to see who it was. "God, you text so much," he groaned just as Vanessa and Ayalla stepped in, making him lift his head. By Vanessa's expression he could tell she was slightly displeased by what she was seeing. He let go of Ethan and let him take his phone back before he got up and went to the girls. "Sorry about that. Just guy stuff, Ethan's got a new girl and I couldnt help myself," he explained, a smile spreading on his lips. He ruffled up Vanessa's hair to her dismay and then looked at her friend. Squinting his eyes, he felt like he had the name on his tongue. "Ayalla, right?" he asked, his smile a mix of friendly and charming. "Well, there are drinks in the kitchen, I think Darren is making himself some food. The mop on the floor is Ethan," he said sending the human a sly smile.

"Some of them are worth it. I think. I just have to keep looking, dont I?" she chuckled. The boys at the facility hadnt really talked to her at all, but she wasnt really allowed the same privileges as Ayalla had, even if she carried the name of the man that owned the facility. If she hadnt been hanging out with Ayalla, she had been busy reading or being taught different things.
She had maybe expected a different sight than two men acting like boys. Eyeing Ayalla, she worried what she may be thinking. Then again, Vanessa didnt know all that much about being outside, so it wasnt like she could directly say what the hell is going on because she was sure. Gareth got up from the floor and came to them, she was guessing to play off whatever had been going on. Vanessa looked at the guy on the floor, frowning a little to herself. She liked how wild his hair was and how he wasnt like most people she had seen on the streets. "I think we'll go get some drinks," she said, looking at Ayalla before she started pulling at her hand to make her walk with her to the kitchen.

Ethan growled slightly, still squirming, but he couldn't really do anything against a daemon. Gareth was a strong guy, even though he looked like an uncooked green bean. He finally got his phone back as two girls entered, and he guessed that they were about the same age, give or take a few years. One had silver hair and the other green. They looked a bit like comic book figures. He got to his feet, scrambling a bit as he popped his phone in his pocket. The screen was cracked, but not too bad yet.
Ethan looked at the girls, sending them a boyish smile as he approached. "I ain't no fooking mop, ya slacker," he said, running his elbow in to the side of the tall daemon, giving him a challenging look. He then turned his attention to the two girls, looking them up and down, frowning as the green haired girl looked rather displeased by being here. What was her problem?

Ayalla wasn't used to socializing, at least not like this. So she was happy that Vanessa just held her hand. The guys approached, and Ayalla felt like recoiling away from them, but she stood her ground. Looking up at the man that introduced himself as Gareth, she looked in to his eyes and could immediately recognize those Prideux eyes. They always seemed a little cold, but she could see the softness underneath. She looked away as he guessed her name correctly, separating her lips to say something, but she could think of anything so she just kept it shut, nodding to let him know he was right. She wasn't really sure what to think of it all yet, and as Vanessa led them to the kitchen she felt like she could breathe out for a while.
She was not doing too well. "Maybe I should just go home," she said in a soft whimper, her eyes closed shut as she was trying not to freak out.  

Vanessa was also feeling a little intimidated by the situation but she had also set her sights on not just leaving yet. This was just like another challenge to her, make it through the night and go with the experience it brought. That was why she shook her head at Ayalla. "We're not going to let inexperience scare us off. We can handle a couple of guys, the funny speaking one isnt that scary," she said frowning but in fact she did find Ethan a little too interesting, in like a way that she was unsure if he wasnt just going to cuss at her the same way he did with Gareth. It was like meeting a completely different kind of person.

"Who are you calling funny speaking, innit?" Darren said as he was preparing a couple of jam sandwiches. Looking up at the two girls, he frowned a little for a second before he sighed and pushed the plate of sandwiches forward. "You can have some if you'd like," he said, not knowing if they even ate. He had experienced before that girls that Gareth had over neither ate or drank anything, which he found a little weird. "I'm Darren," he said, looking at Vanessa but then Ayalla. He looked confused for a bit but just shrugged it off. "Hope the two dickheads aint giving you too hard of a time out there," he said, mostly looking at Ayalla because he couldnt read her mind like he could with Vanessa.

Ayalla just didn't know how to handle herself, and it was as if no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't just act accordingly. Vanessa mentioned the funny speaking one, but Ayalla had only seen an annoying loudmouthed guy, not really anything special. She however didn't dare think too much about Gareth, because frankly his smile and warm tone had made her weak to her knees. Even if she hated to admit it.
The guy in the kitchen spoke, and the hybrid turned her head to look at him. He looked a bit annoyed, but he seemed friendly enough. As he offered a sandwich she took one carefully, smelling it before taking a bite. It was very sweet, but she liked it, smiling carefully. She had always been told that smiling to new people were the best way to get a good impression, so she hoped it would work. "They aren't too bad," she muttered, taking another bite of the sandwich. Ayalla had always had a healthy appetite, but when all you got served at the facility were paste with nutrition and cubes of fiber, it kinda took the enjoyment out of eating. "I'm Ayalla," she introduced herself, "and this is Vanessa." She didn't know how much this guy knew about them.
"Are you a chef or something? This is really good," she asked, and couldn't help herself from chuckling a bit.

Looking at the two girls, Darren was definitely trying to figure out the corelation here. One looked much like Gareth, he'd say they were family and judging by her thoughts, it seemed that he was right to assume so. But the other girl who introduced herself as Ayalla, he heard nothing from her at all. It was definitely taken as a compliment that she was liking the sandwiches he made and as she asked whether he was a chef, he scoffed and pulled a smile. "Nah, aint anything like that, I just know my way around jam and butter, innit," he said, picking up a sandwich himself to bite into. "Well now that you've got food, you might as well also get something to wash it down with," he said, placing the sandwich on the table before he went to the fridge. Gareth had all sort of things that Darren considered exotic, and the daemon didnt even eat nor drink! He pulled a juice from the fridge and placed on the table, to then get two glasses that he put down. "Help yourself," he said as he picked his sandwich back up and took a bite. Chewing and swallowing he couldnt help his curiousity, "So what's your two's business here with G?"

Gareth came out into the kitchen to grab himself a drink. It took a few to get drunk so he just went for the strongest he had and poured it into a glass. "They're here to have fun of course," he answered Darren's question that he had heard on the way, looking up as he poured to look at the girls and then Darren. He flashed a short smile and finished pouring before he grabbed his drink and went back, taking the bottle with him. He placed his glass on the sofa table and sat down before scrolling through his phone to look for some sort of music. "Should we get a few more people in here?" he asked because he wasnt sure. He could feel the tension from the girls and he wondered if it was throwing the others off.

Vanessa was glad to see Ayalla seemingly open up to Darren, though he did remind her of some old grumpy grandpa by the way he had been staring at them at first. She wasnt sure what his deal was but she couldnt really indulge in their little moment of feasting on jam sandwiches. And her phone conveniently started buzzing as well, so she excused herself, telling Ayalla she wouldnt be long. She went out to Gareth and Ethan but went past them to grab Gareth's smokes on the way. The daemon told her that it was a bad habit but she just scoffed and shrugged. She got outside and popped a smoke in the side of her mouth, pulling out her phone that she placed on the railing while she got out the lighter. Reading the message while trying to light her cigarette was a bad idea because it slipped out of her hand and fell down on the ground, to her dismay over the railing and down into some bushes. "You gotta be kidding me," she mumbled, unsure if it was at the lighter or the message.

Ayalla seemed to like this stranger that Gareth had called Darren. He seemed like a nice guy, and she kinda liked the fact that he wasn't just staring at her green hair or wrinkling his nose at her words. There was still so many things about this world that she couldn't understand, but she also knew that Vanessa and her would figure it out together. Darren went to the fridge, pulling out some things of juice and places a few glasses on the counter at well. She took a glass, filling it slowly with juice, but it looked good. Since getting out she had tried to try everything at least once, but this was her first time having juice; At least juice that looked like this. Smelling it carefully before taking a sip she smiled at the taste. The fruity notes dancing around her tongue as she licked her lips clean.
Darren's question made her open her mouth, but at Gareth budded in, she looked down. She knew better than to speak when a Prideux was talking, taking another bite of the sandwich to occupy herself a little. She wanted to go home, she could just feel that this wasn't something she could do - at least not without freaking out at some point. Vanessa was so good at this, and she herself felt like an outsider amongst outsiders.
Vanessa and Gareth left the kitchen, and she was just standing there with the sandwich in one hand and the juice in the other. She was shaking a little, not very noticeable, but it was just her trying to cope with everything. "I've never been to a party before," she confessed, but it must've been obvious.

Ethan was leaned back in the couch, scrolling through his text messages before he looked up as the grey haired girl entered the room again. Gareth had barely talked about his niece, but she seemed cool enough. The way the daemon even scolded her sounded funny to him, biting back a shit eating grin as he typed on his phone. Breathing out in a heavy sigh. "Yeah, we should fill this place to the brim ... Cause I just broke up with my girlfriend," he chuckled. He was always moving through girls like this, never really settling down. His longest relationship had lasted maybe a month, but it was an open relationship, so that meant he could see other people. But even that he had broken off, not liking to be held back or down. He wanted his freedom.
"She took ya smokes, didn't she?" he sighed, getting to his feet. Gareth always had the good shit, and being friends with a rich dude had it's perks; One of them was nicking cigarettes off of him. "Imma go out for a smoke, you figure out if we go clubbin' or stay in for a house party," he said, before moving outside.
And there she was, that beautiful grey haired girl. If she hadn't been Gareth's niece, he would be all over her, but he would need to be civil. Besides, being around a Prideux platonically was often times easier from what he had heard. "Hey, mind if I borrow one?" he asked, taking the packet and popping one out. He frowned as he saw her fiddling with the lighter, chuckling as he dug in to his pocket for his own. Lighting hers and then his own he handed his to her. "It has never failed me ... Keep it," he said, winking at her with his boyish smile. He then turned to look out at the city from here it all looked so small.

Darren did notice the change as Gareth stepped inside the kitchen. He didnt say anything but rather just ate off his sandwich till the tall daemon had left. He was a mindreader and he knew people well enough to know that something was up. Her confession made him chuckle as he nodded in agreement. "Trust. I'm the same," he assured her with a encouraging smile on his face. "Apparently I was born with the ability to read people's minds like an open book. Kinda like they say in the movies, except it's nuffin like that at all," he explained, taking another bite of his sandwich, washing it down with some juice. "I cant control it, so I just hear everything at once, and people think the weirdest kind of shit, innit. Is' all just noise at once," he said, motions circles around his head before he sighed and shrugged. "Jus' be chill about it. Dont talk to blokes that stare too much at you and come to me if anyone bothers you, I'll make sure they stop, trust," he said with a nod to confirm his words. But then his curiosity blew over. He had to know what was up with that since he couldnt read it himself. "Does Gareth give you the creeps?" he asked. It was not the usual effect the Prideux daemon had on women.

Ayalla couldn't help but smile as Darren said he hadn't been either. As he went in to detail she widened her eyes, looking at him with a slight smile. "What am I thinking right now then?" she asked a little excited, because she wanted to know if it was true. Not that she didn't trust him, she had met plenty of people with strange abilities, but this one had to take the cake. She really wanted to say what she could do, maybe show him, but she could almost hear the whispers of the other kids telling her she was a freak, so she didn't.
The question about Gareth made her shrug. "I just don't trust him," she said, although maybe that was saying too much. She barely knew the guy, and worst of all he was the brother of Samuel. She just had a bad feeling about them. If it hadn't been for Vanessa she would've probably denounced any relation to the Prideux family. "I guess I'm just waiting for Vanessa to say she's ready to go home ... 'Cause I'm not really feeling in the mood," she said, frowning a little as she wasn't sure if it made sense.

"Only the best for my brother," he said in a slight tease, bowing like an idiot and tipping his invisible hat to Gareth before joining Vanessa outside.
Chuckling at her words, he confirmed that it was indeed his name. "Fanks, I rarely get any compliments on it, so I thought it might be too boring, if ya kno," he chuckled, pulling out on his old band tee. It was a little dirty. He was rough around the edges, it was clear to see with his mess of a hair and his chapped lips. However he was a good enough bloke, as long as it stayed platonic. "I like ya hair, it's really sick," he returned the compliment, smiling as he took another puff of his cigarette. Turning his gaze to the city was always nice, it just seemed like all your troubles went away.
Her question came a bit out of the blue, but he scoffed softly. "Well she probably juss needa loosen up, innit, get a few drinks in her, maybe hook her up with a guy or sumfing," he said, as he had noticed how stiff she seemed as well. "And no, I'm not offering maself up for that, I ain't about to have ma nite ruined by some clingy gal," he said with a smug smile on his face, breathing out some of the smoke in his lungs. Turning his eyes to look at her, he found her very pretty, but he was also awfully aware of who she was related to, and he was not going to even attempt doing anything stupid.

"I never claimed to be a team player, sweetheart, I'm more of a lone wolf," he said, making a few barking and growling sounds before he chuckled, shaking his head because he felt stupid. It was like he was actually enjoying the casual conversation for once. He hadn't really experienced that before with someone besides guys. Girls it was always about getting their number or sneaking off to make out.
She got quiet, but he could see she was thinking something. He nagged her of course, pushing her q bit with his elbow until she finally caved in. Her words made him chuckle, shrugging. "Well to be fair she's a lil too scary to be ma type, if ya kno," he admitted. Those green eyes looked like they could kill him on the spot. And he was fine with staying alive. "Besides, I'm not everybody's type; most girls who want to be wiv me wanna try being a bad ass for the night, but I got a feel that you and her are another breed," he chuckled, "No offence," he added.

She rolled her eyes at his remark but it was all in good spirit. His barking and growling made her shake her head and sigh a little. "Guess I have to look into someone else for help then." she said, looking out for a bit before looking back at him. And of course he was curious to hear what was on her mind. But she hadnt even been serious in her words, though it might have come off that way. From the little experience she had, she only guessed that guys liked to be challenged. His confession made her narrow her eyes and hum. But his addition made her chuckle, because it felt like a backhanded compliment and she definitely didnt really enjoy that. "Okay first off. You cant just call us another breed when you're the one standing out the most like a sore thumb. Second, it's definitely offensive no matter how you put it." she said, before she scoffed and tilted her head. "And third. This is a good lighter, so thanks." she then said, snuffing out her cigarette on the railing before she headed for inside. She obviously didnt want to end on a bad note. She dumped the bud in an ashtray on the way, glancing shortly towards Ethan with a small smile before she went back inside. The sight that met her was a little crazy because people were already coming in and settling down.

Ethan was used to getting yelled at by girls, mostly because he hadn't given them attention enough or the fact that he wasn't good at being with one at a time. It was hard when he had grown up in a house where love wasn't something you wanted to have. She started listing off things that clearly annoyed her, and he couldn't help but cracking a bit, his boyish grin visible. Was he getting under her skin? And if so was she even a real Prideux? He just chuckled as she left, finishing up his smoke before heading inside once more.
He went in, people from all around greeting him and he quickly had a girl wrapped around his waist. With a drink in one hand and a bit of white powder up his nose he felt much better. All his worries disappeared and he could just let loose and have fun. Soon enough the drinking games began, and of course he was competitive enough to join in on them. "You're cheating, I swear G!" He yelled, chuckling as he got up from his seat and threw himself over the large daemon. The two always ended up joking around like that, but most people seemed genuinely scared on Ethan's behalf, seeing as the daemon was so intimidating.


Ayalla had found a more peaceful corner of the party, just sipping at a soda and playing with a coin she had found. Everything people passed she just hid it, not wanting to get spotted.