Chapter 11: Kids and Parents

November 24, 2023 11:15 AM

Sanders looked out the window of the tram as it headed for the outskirts of New Atlanta. It had been nearly a full month since Doctor Manchent's death and his promotion. It still felt bitter sweet and no amount of pay raise or fun parties would change that. It didn't help that Aviel had barely talked to him after her drunken spill aside from when she had to, such as on missions. He wasn't sure if she was angry, embarrassed, or just unsure what to say but her silence was beginning to worry him.

Even worse, Aviel was making sure to wear her anger at the Captain on her sleeve whenever they were off mission with her. She did keep that anger hidden away while on duty, but once they were out of danger it was open season again... Understanding why the Captain had held her back didn't seem to make her any less angry about the result. At the end of the day, Aviel wanted to be a full-sized Society member and the Captain had gotten in the way.  

Thankfully, their last three missions were simply patrols and animal dispersal. Compared to their botched rescue mission, they were a nice easy break and let Aviel keep away from the Captain as much as possible. Flonne joining their squad in full made them all that much easier and Sanders had begun to like the big, sweet gir- err fairy. Aviel, however, seemed to be keeping her at arms length. Considering what she had told him that night at Giga Stomp, Sanders had a guess why...

The tram's intercom beeped to life and an automated voice told them they were approaching their stop. Aviel, who had been sitting next to Sanders taking a nap, stretched a bit as she woke up. Normally, Sanders might have been tempted to stare, but Aviel was covered up in a heavy coat to fight off the winter chill. Instead, he looked out and tried to see which of his parents had come to pick them up.

The tram pulled into the station and Sanders looked through the small crowd for either of his parents. He didn't spot either of them, however, and grumbled a bit under his breath.

"Think they might be running late...again," Sanders said as he got up to get off the tram. Aviel didn't seem to care as she shrugged an oh well and headed off the tram as well. The two of them got off the relatively warm tram to enter the biting cold of the winter. Even down this far south, old man Winter had come down hard. So cold that snow was not out of the realm of possibilities, a rare thing in this area.  Sanders tucked his hands into his jacket to protect them from the cold as Aviel slipped on her gloves.

The two headed down off the tram platform and toward the pick up area. A few people were here either waiting for their own rides or loading up into their rides. Normally this stop area was mostly abandoned with it being so far on the fringes of New Atlanta, but this was not a normal time of the year. Which was the only reason Aviel had agreed to come, most likely.

It had taken a bit of prodding and wearing down, but he finally got Aviel to agree to come to his parent's for Thanksgivings. The thought of her sitting alone in her apartment on Thanksgiving would have been enough of a reason, but he had other reasons for wanting her to come. Despite her aptitude with hiding her emotions, Sanders could tell she was happy to have some people to spend a holiday with. She had just the faintest hint of a smile on her face when he had asked and even had one when he had meet her at the tram. Here half hidden smile made him sure this was a good idea. He really hoped it would at least help her start healing, if nothing else.

"Do your parent's usually run late?" Aviel asked as she took a seat in the pick up area. Sanders shook his thoughts away before sitting down next to her.

"My dad does. Pretty much a known fact you tell him thirty minutes before you want him to show. But sometimes even that isn't enough." Sanders said grumbling a bit. He was going to continue on a rant about all the time his dad was late to important things, but spotted his dad's truck coming into view.

"Speak of the devil, and of course he is driving the truck..." Sanders said as he sighed in annoyance. His dad's truck was a, relatively, old model being about six years old. It was electric like all the new motor-vehicles, but didn't have some of the newer features that the newest models had, such as heated seats, TVs, and a cabin that could seat three people comfortably. Instead, most of the vehicle was taken up by its very large bed and engine leaving it with a small cabin even for two people, much less three.

"You have two cars?" Aviel asked in surprise.

"Yeah, most people do who live out here on the fringes. The trams only go so far so you need a way to get around without them. Not to mention a way to get out of the area fast in case of any number of things," Sanders answered as he stood up to give his dad a half-hearted wave.

"Didn't realize the fringes were still dangerous. The News and Society makes them seem perfectly safe," Aviel said before giving her own short wave.

"Well, its better than it was, but stuff still gets in under the Society's feet, so to speak. Just a matter of being prepared for the worst is all. Hence why we need two vehicles in case one gets taken or breaks down," Sanders said as his dad's truck pulled up in front of him.

Sanders opened the door to reveal his dad sitting in the driver's seat. Despite being upwards to fifty, his dad only looked about mid forties and was well toned thanks to his work in the fields. He still had a full head of slowly greying black hair and his large full beard had the same hints of gray coming in. His slightly wrinkled face smiled out at the pair and his big meaty hand motioned for them to hop in.

"Hey, there's my boy. Come on you two, get in so we can get back in time for dinner. Your mother will have my ears if we don't get back in time," he said in his usual happy tone. Aviel got in first, as there was no way Sanders would fit in the middle, and had to squeeze in to let Sanders get in. Sanders had to pack in like a sardine to get in and Aviel swore a few times at him pushing up too hard against her. He shut the door and didn't even try to dig out his seat belt.

"Dad, did you have to bring the truck? I told you Aviel was coming too," Sanders grumbled at his father. Mr. Cutter chuckled to himself before answered.

"That's exactly why I brought it. Thought you'd like some time to get close to her more," Mr. Cutter said giving Sanders a teasing look.

"That's...I don't.." Sander said suddenly at a lose for words. As if right on cue, Aviel seemed to come out of whatever funk she had been in. She pushed a bit closer to him and turned her blue eyes toward him with a look of longing.

"What's the matter, Sanders? Don't you want to be close to me?" she said in a pouting voice. Sanders felt his face turn completely red as he looked away and stammered out a few sounds that were definitely not words. Aviel's look of lust turned into one of trying to hold in a laugh as she pulled back away from him. She couldn't hold it back as she burst out laughing along with Mr. Cutter.

"HAHA, oh its too easy to get you relied up Sanders. I really needed that," Aviel said with a big smile.

"Haha, he has always been quick to get flustered by the opposite sex, ain't that right boy?" his dad added as Sanders embarrassment turned to anger.

"Dammit, I KNEW I should have asked mom to pick us up," he said before turning to look out the window. The two only laughed more at his outburst.

"Uh oh, now we made him mad. Going to give us the silent treatment now," Aviel said making Sanders all the more angry. And yet happy too that Aviel was joking around and cutting up.

"Just means we will have to make up for his lose in conversation. You ever been out to the fringes before, Aviel?" his dad asked driving the truck back toward their home.

"Well, depends. I pretty much have to cross it every time we go on a mission, but we are usually in a full-sized car then. So really, no I haven't," Aviel answered.

"Then this is going to be a good experience for you. Some people like to say people out here are crazy or act different, but that is just a bunch of hooey. The only difference between us and city folks is we know how to actually work and get up and ma-..." his dad began going into his usual lecture. His dad loved to make it sound like anyone not from out in the back-country was a lazy good for nothing, and Sanders had heard it way too many times to pay it any mind. Instead, he looked out the window and busied himself with his thoughts.

Frontier Farm Area 1209-something was the official name of this place. Unofficially, it was called Donnersvile by Exit 39 for the old, massive exit ramp that went right past its left most corner. The area had been just a small little undeveloped area between the exit ramp and a large suburb who's name he couldn't quite recall. The place hadn't been developed thanks to its proximity to the highway and all the noise it made back before the shrink, but now it was perfect for a large farming community. The only cars that went up the highway was the rare Society vehicle and the highway itself made for the perfect route for the tram to go down. It was not the furthest fringe community out along I-75 by any means, but it was far enough out to be a bit dangerous. He glanced up to see a large shape moving after them in the air and smiled to himself before it vanished behind a small ridge. He then turned his thoughts back inside just as Aviel was finishing up a joke. Apparently, she had done what he thought impossible and gotten his dad off his rant box.

"-the guy that if he wanted it he would have to take it up with Isabella's shoe cause that is where I left it," Aviel said as she started to laugh. His dad joined in with his usual boisterous laughter as he pulled them into the road leading to the house.

"Ho.. boy, you got a keeper there, son. Better hurry up, too, unless you want her snatched away by someone. Fine woman like this don't stay single long," his dad said before laughing again with Aviel.

"Yeah right, like I would settle for weak-kneed Sanders here. Can't even keep his food when he goes for a short walk on Isabella's hand," Aviel said causing more laughter. Sanders grumbled to himself in annoyance as the birds of a feather began to flock together. Figured his dad and Aviel would find picking on him as their common interest. AND it would be the thing to cheer her up... Thankfully, he was spared any further dating advice as his dad brought the truck to a halt in front of the house.

The house was an old style home built by his family with some help from the Society. It was two stories tall and had six rooms inside along with a kitchen, dining room, and a large porch out front. It was, definitely, one of the nicer farm houses in the area and his dad was always bragging about it(like he was now to Aviel). A few yards from the house was their pre-built barn they had bought from the Society. It was pretty much just a normal barn save for a large tire swing dangling down from the top level's crane and being a bit larger than normal. Past the barn were the actual fields of crops they harvested along with the machines they used to harvest them. The machines had been given to them by the Society when they first moved out here to help them raise and harvest their crops. Those same crops then went to feed the people of Atlanta and other areas nearby, a win win for everyone involved. The machines were all silent, however, as the winter freeze meant there was little to harvest.

Sanders climbed out and had to stretch to get his body uncramped from the ride. Aviel hadn't fared much better as she spent a moment to get herself unstuffed in. Sanders had barely gotten himself sorta stretched out when a young voice called out, "BIG BRO!"

Sanders turned to see his three younger siblings all running up to him. The second oldest at thirteen, his brother Johnathon Jr., was leading as always. Behind him was the youngest at seven, his sister Lissa and the second youngest at eleven, his other sister Jessy, brought up the rear. They were all dressed in large coats to fend of the cold and some earmuffs for good measure. They all dog-piled him and he fell over in a heap of limbs and laughter.

"Oh no! I've been taken down! Help, someone help me!" Sanders said in a mock panicked tone as his siblings all tried to pin him down. He looked up at Aviel and saw her giggling at the sight of Sanders wrestling with his siblings.

"We got you, Sanders! You can't beat us!" Jr said as he grabbed his arm.

"Got you!" Lissa said as she wrapped around his leg.

"Going to beat you thi-" Jessy stopped as she noticed Aviel. She let go and stood up, looking a bit embarrassed at Aviel having seen her. Sanders pushed his way up, dragging his two still wrestling siblings along. Jr let got of his arm and jumped onto his back causing Sanders to lose his balance and really fall this time.

"OWW! Oh that is it, Jr, you're getting it now!" Sanders said as she brushed the dirt off his face and started to chase the fleeing Jr around. He finally caught his younger brother and put him in headlock as he began to give him a noggy in revenge.

"Ahh, no stop it! Let me go!" Jr said as he tried to wiggle out, but couldn't break Sander's grip. The noggying would have continued for a good while if Mrs. Cutter hadn't arrived at that moment.

"Sanders leave your brother alone. And all of you stop horsing around, we have a guest," she said as she tutted at them all, including Mr. Cutter for not stopping it sooner. Sanders let go of Jr. and was given a raspberry for his troubles by Jr. Jr. took off over to join his mom in welcoming Aviel before Sanders could get him for that.

"You must be Aviel Wolff. Its a pleasure to meet you," Mrs. Cutter said as she gave Aviel a big bright smile. Aviel returned the smile and shook Mrs. Cutter's offered hand. Mr. Cutter eyes suddenly lit up with realization as he looked a bit embarrassed.

"I..I forgot to introduce myself in the truck, didn't I?" he began getting an annoyed look from Sanders' mom, "I'm Johnathon Cutter, nice to meet you." Aviel shook his hand as Mrs. Cutter spoke again.

"I'm Abigel Cutter and these are my children: Johnathon Jr, Jessy, and Lissa," she said before the kids sounded off at their name.

"Hi," Jr said only looking at Aviel's eyes for a second.

"N-Nice to meet you.." Jessy said only looking up at Aviel once before looking back at her toes.

Lissa stared at Aviel for a moment causing Aviel to look a bit uncomfortable before saying, "Do you fight bad guys too?" Mrs. Cutter tutted at her rather direct question, but Aviel laughed at it.

"I do. And make sure your brother doesn't get himself hurt by them," she said causing Sanders to give her an annoyed look.

"Yeah he needs help, cause he is a big dummy," Jr. said before taking off running when Sanders made to chase him. Mrs. Cutter let the comments slid as she looked around in confusion.

"Didn't you say someone else would be arriving with you?" she said as she looked around.

"Yeah, but I have a feeling she is hiding," Sanders said as he began to look around. Aviel elbowed him and nodded toward the barn. Sanders looked over and just briefly caught a glimpse of Flonne's green hair and antennas sticking up over the barn. She quickly ducked back down behind it before anyone else noticed. Sanders sighed to himself and looked over to Aviel.

"You were the one who wanted to bring her," Aviel said before going to talk some more with his parents. They started to chat about the area and their work, and left Sanders to get Flonne. With Aviel being no help, he headed off alone to go talk to Flonne and try to get her out from her hiding spot.

He came around the side of the barn to see Flonne on all fours barely keeping herself below the barn. She was wearing a pair of sweat pants she had gotten from Isabella along with a large, specially made, sweater to allow her wings to be out, but still keep her heat in. She looked rather scared and embarrassed as she hid behind the barn like a kid from a scolding mother.

"Flonne, why are you hiding back her?" Sanders asked as he moved toward her. She bent down more to lay her head on the ground to look him sorta in the eye. Her eyes were about a head higher than his eye level thanks to her head being taller than he was and far larger. Her big eyes darted between him and the ground as she tried to say something. Her large antennas stayed drooping down far lower than normal.

"Are you scared they'll think you're scary and freak out like I did that first time we meet?" Sanders asked trying to sound as soothing as possible. Flonne looked down again before slowly nodding, looking ashamed to admit it. Sanders cursed himself again for freaking out so bad back then. He wished he had known just how not threatening Flonne was back. He had no right to let his old scars and phobias affect her. But it was too late for that and all he could do now was try to heal them before they became permanent. He didn't want the sweet fairy to fear approaching anyone new because of him and his problems.

"Flonne, don't worry. My parents and siblings know you won't hurt them. I told them all about you and they really want to meet you, so come on out, OK?" Sanders said trying to coax Flonne out. Flonne frowned and looked down nervously again. Sanders sighed as he tried to think of some way to talk her into coming out.

"WOAH! Look how big she is!" Jr cried out from behind Sanders. Sanders whipped around as Flonne looked up and her antennas shot up in fear. Jr was standing at the edge of the barn along with Jess and Lissa looking at Flonne with mouths wide open. Flonne stared back at the much smaller kids with a deer in headlights look locked on her face.

"Her wings are so pretty," Jessy said as she looked at Flonne's large translucent wings. Flonne blushed a bit at the compliment and her wings went down behind her to hide them.

"Forget her wings, just look how huge she is! She's almost bigger than the barn even on all fours! That's so awesome!" Jr yelled moved up next to Sander to get a better look at Flonne.

"Awesome and pretty!" Lissa imitated as she followed Jr. Flonne's face flushed even redder as the two kids came up to her without the slightest hesitation. Jessy followed them up, but moved to the side trying to get a look at Flonne's wings again. Sanders let them go forward and moved back to let them try to get through to Flonne. Maybe a younger approach was better..

"Wow, her mouth's so big she could eat me in two bites. Just RAWR, RAWR!" Jr said as he made a big fake mouth with his hands and "ate" Lissa. Lissa giggled as his hands chomped on her. Flonne looked horrified as she leaned back onto her knees.

"I-I wouldn't do that! I-I don't want to hurt anyone a-and..." she stopped as she realized she had sat up. Now, rather than being hidden behind the barn, she was easily visible over it by a good two scale stories(about two inches above it in normal scale). Her entire torso was above the barn and Aviel and Sanders' parents were staring right at her.

The three people waved at her without any sign of freaking out and Flonne gave a half smile as she waved back. Sanders smiled as Flonne began to come out of her shell and got an idea to give her that last little push.

"You know she can fly too, right?" Sanders said out loud for the kids and Flonne to hear. Flonne looked to Sanders in confusion while all three of his siblings faces lit up like Christmas trees.

"REALLY?! THAT IS SO AWESOME! Come on, Fairy Girl, fly!" Jr said as he bounced up and down in excitement.

"That would be really exciting to see. Please Ms. Fairy, could you show us?" Jessy asked as polite as ever.

"FLY FLY!" Lissa added as she bounced around with Jr.

Flonne looked between them as they bounced around all excited and a smile began to form on her face. Sanders couldn't help smile himself as he saw his idea coming together. Seeing the kids so excited about her was getting her to come out of her shell and his siblings would NOT be able to get enough of her if she did fly.

"O...Okay, but my name is not fairy girl or Ms. Fairy," Flonne said getting more and more comfortable with talking to them. 

"Maybe you three should introduce yourselves?" Sanders suggested as he leaned against the barn with a big grin on his face. This was going better than he had hoped.

"Oh right, I'm Johnathon Jr, but everyone just calls me Jr," Jr said puffing out his chest and trying to act cool.

"My name is Jessy, its good to meet you," Jessy said.

"I'm Lissa, now fly, fly!" Lissa cried out. Flonne smiled down at them all in turn.

"I'm Flonne," she said with the same big grin Sanders had become accustomed to seeing on her face. Her antennas were now back to their usual upright selves and seemed to be just as calm as Flonne was. Flonne shooed the kids back a bit to get them out of the way and then stood up to her full height. The kids gasped as she rose high above them like a moving building. The two scale story barn barely reached her knees as she stood to her full height, and the kids barely reached her ankles.

She looked down at them before starting to beat her wings. A bit of wind and dust began to kick up before Flonne's wings glowed with magic to keep the noise and wind down. The kids watched with delight as she pushed off the ground and slowly rose up into the air above the barn.

The kids cried out in wonder and excitement as Flonne took off into the air and away from them. They ran out from behind the barn to watch her hover about in the air. Flonne's smile spread even further seeing how excited they were as she took off toward the fields at high speed. Even with her spell, a large gust of wind came blowing into them, or maybe thanks to it, which only made the kids even more impressed. Flonne raced out over the fields and quickly did a few aerial tricks such as loops, quick u-turns, and of course barrel rolls.

She came racing back toward them and quickly stopped just above them as she looked down at the kids. They all cheered and jumped up in down in excitement at the show and Flonne's face practically glowed in joy. As much as Sanders loved to see Flonne so happy, he knew he needed to put a stop to this before she decided to buzz the house or barn.

"Alright, that's enough showing off Flonne! You still need to meet my folks!" Sanders yelled up at her to be heard over her wings and the cheering. His siblings all awwed in disappointment and Flonne's shoulders and antennas slumped a bit too. But she came down all the same and landed, just as inhumanly softly as always, on the ground.

His parents and Aviel had seen the show and were walking over to the large fairy. Sanders was a little worried they might be upset at her air show, but they didn't look upset in the least. They both smiled up at the far larger fairy like she was just another guest and not a small office building-sized person kneeling down toward them.

"You must be Flonne. I'm Sanders' mother, Abigel Cutter and this is my husband Johnathon," she said as Johnathon extended his hand to shake. Flonne held out her finger and Johnathon managed to get his hand mostly around its tip to shake.

"I-Its nice to meet you," Flonne said letting a bit of nervousness into her voice as her antennas moved closer to her face.

"There's no need to be so nervous, Flonne. We ain't gonna bite or freak out on you," Johnathon said with a slight chuckle. Flonne relaxed a little bit at his assurances.

Jr, however, had had enough talking as he came bounding up. "Daaaad, I want to play with Flonne. Can we go now?" Both Jessy and Abigal gave Jr. a hard look, but Jr. didn't relent. Once he got something into his head there was practically nothing to get him to not do it.

"Alright, alright. I guess we can leave the talking for when dinner is ready. You kids go have fun now. Don't go too far," Johnathon said as he shooed off Jr. Jr and Lissa took off running toward the fields, waving for Flonne to follow. Jessy sighed as she went to follow them with a shrug. Flonne gave a short nod to the two Cutters before hovering up into the air and following after them.

"Wow, wouldn't have thought you would have been OK leaving Flonne alone with your kids," Aviel said as she watched them go. Abigal turned toward Aviel before she answered.

"Normally, I wouldn't have. But Sanders," she stopped as she brought Sanders closer for a hug, "considers her a friend and thinks she would never hurt them. And after meeting her, I agree that Flonne wouldn't hurt a fly without a good reason to."

"Hell she was more scared of us than we were of her. Besides, the kids have taken to her like dogs to bacon and ain't no way we could keep them from her, now anyway," Johnathon added as he watched the kids start to play with Flonne. Sanders glanced back as well and saw them using Flonne's finger like monkey-bars.

Aviel nodded in understanding, "True, and I would agree with Sanders that Flonne wouldn't do anything to hurt them, if that makes you feel better. Practically the opposite, actually, that fairy would rather get hurt herself than let someone else get hurt."

"It does a bit, yes," Abigal said as she smiled at Aviel. "Now, why don't we all head inside and get dinner ready while the kids play. Aviel, do you mind helping me in the kitchen?"

"Of course not, Mrs. Cutter. I'd be happy to," Aviel answered.

"Just Abigal is fine. Do you also mind if I ask what sorts of missions you and Sanders go on?" Abigal asked as they headed for the house. Sanders felt his color draining as he moved to stop that conversation when his arm was gripped by something. He turned to see his dad pulling him along to the barn.

"Come on, son, let the woman-folk talk. We got to set up the porch so your fairy friend has a place to eat too," he said with a knowing grin. He was doing this on purpose! Sanders tried to think of any kind of excuse to go and stop Aviel from spouting off about how they were in mortal danger basically everyday, but all that came to him was half sputters and nonsense. Sanders sighed to himself as he gave up and got ready to never hear the end of his mom's worrying.

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Flonne smiled as she watched the three other kids have so much fun with her fingers. She was squatting down and had here hands flat out in front of her for Sanders' siblings to play with. It made her feel so happy to see them have no fear of her at all. It was almost like she was just another kid wanting to have fun...except she was still really, REALLY big compared to them.

Suddenly, Jr lost his grip and slipped off one of her fingers before falling square onto his butt. Lissa, Jessy, and Flonne burst out laughing as he rubbed his backside and gave them all an angry look.

"Shut up, it's not funny!" he yelled as he slowly stood up. The three girls only laughed harder at his anger causing him to blush in embarrassment. Flonne felt herself lean back from the laughing only to realize too late that she had leaned too far. She tried to lean back forward to stop her fall, but it was no use. She cried out in surprise as she fell back onto her butt causing the kids in front of her to lose their footing and nearly fall over from the small quake she made.

Flonne winced a bit at the hit before she realized what she had just done. She panicked a bit as she looked down at the kids hoping to stop them from freaking out. Instead of scared faces, however, she saw them just gawking up at her as they got back up.

"Whoa, she caused a quake just from falling down. That's awesome!" Jr. said as he smiled up at her like she had just performed the best trick in the world. Lissa was beaming just as brightly and repeating "awesome" over and over. Only Jessy looked worried, though her looked quickly turned to annoyance.

"You guys, stop it! Flonne, are you OK?" she said with a concerned tone. Flonne felt a wave of happiness wash over her as the little kids were not scared by her little quake in the least. In fact, two of them seemed to want her to make more and the other was concerned for her! Flonne felt some tears beginning to form as she realized they really think of her as just another person.

"AWES- Flonne? Oh no, you didn't hurt yourself did you?" Jr said as Flonne felt tears beginning to run down her face. She shook her head as she rubbed them away on her coat.

"No, I'm fine I...I just got something in my eyes," she lied as she got the biggest smile she could manage. "Let's play another game you guys know, one I can play too!" she said as she whipped away the last of her tears of joy.

"Umm....OKAY! Lets play....uhh....umm..." Jr said as he tried to think of something.

"Tag!" Lissa said before smacking Jr. and taking off running. Jr yelled angrily at her before taking off after her, but the two were stopped by Jessy.

"We can't play tag with Flonne, she is too big," she said causing Lissa to huff and flop down in a pout. Jr smacked Lissa upside the head anyway before taking off from her with a laugh. Lissa's face twisted into a full on cry as she held her head in pain. Flonne felt a bit of anger come over her at Jr for picking on his smaller sister.

She moved her hand forward and pushed the still running Jr with one of her fingers causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. Lissa's cry turned immediately into mocking laughter as she found Jr's face-plant the funniest thing ever. Jr jumped back to his feet and started to stomp back toward them. Lissa moved over and hugged herself to Flonne's side for protection. Flonne brought her hand around Lissa to shield her before she turned a glare at Jr, he would have to pick on someone a lot bigger than him with her around. Jr's advance stopped once he saw Flonne's glare and he couldn't hide his fear.

"Y-you can't hide with Flonne forever, Lissa!" he said which seemed to make Jessy's eyes suddenly widen.

"I know, why don't we play hide and seek!" she said. Jr looked at her in confusion before getting a big smile and nodding in agreement. Lissa nodded too and started repeating hide and seek over and over.

"Yeah, that's perfect!" Jr said in an excited tone. Flonne felt a surge of excitement come over her as well at the thought of being able to really play with them like a normal kid. She didn't know exactly how hide and seek worked, but she could guess it had something to do with hiding. Hopefully, it wouldn't be her having to hide cause that would be hard to do...

"Alright, Flonne you're it so close your eyes and count to fifty then come find us," Jessy said as the others got ready to dash off once Flonne closed her eyes. Flonne nodded and rolled over onto her chest and buried her head in her arms. She started counting up to fifty as she heard the kids feet running off away from her. She shifted a bit in the field in excitement as she counted ever upwards. It didn't last, however, as it became obvious to her that counting numbers was really boring. She hoped she got to fifty soon as she passed twenty...


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Aviel watched through the window as the kids all took off running from Flonne.  It was good to see the kids treating Flonne like just another person rather than a giant fairy capable of crushing them like a bug. Seemed like Sanders really could have a good idea every so often.

Aviel went back to helping Mrs. Cutter with the last few dishes for the Thanksgiving dinner. Part of her wished she was outside helping set up whatever Mr. Cutter had in mind rather than in here with all the delicious smelling food. Mrs. Cutter was certainly an accomplished cook if the meals smell was anything to go by. It brought back memories of when her mom used to cook before she was...

Aviel shook the thought away, having no inclination of delving into her painful memories while the Cutters were doing so much to try and give her new good ones. Instead, she looked over at Mrs. Cutter and decided to focus on the conversation they were having.

"I would be lying if I said we were completely safe, but Isabella, our giantess leader, does all the real fighting. We are just there to find the problem and tell her where it is," Aviel said. She was trying to lessen Mrs. Cutter's fear over her son's line of work. Telling her the truth would have just caused her to worry and making the older woman worry herself to death wasn't worth the fun of her constantly nagging Sanders.

"So you and him stay out of the fighting?" Mrs. Cutter asked. She was adding a few more spices to the turkey before putting it back into the oven.

"Yes. We only get into fights when there is no other choice. Isabella does her best to make sure that rarely happens," Aviel said without giving a hint that she was kinda lying. It wasn't too hard because they rarely did get into fights, doubly so after the train incident. Isabella had gone full on overprotective mom since then, much to Aviel's annoyance.

"Thank goodness. It's a shame Isabella could not be here too. I would have loved to thank her in person," Abigal said looking to have bought Aviel's lie. Aviel was less disappointed that Isabella had not been able to come. She had no wish to see her leader anymore than necessary.

"Yeah...a real shame..." she said trying her best to hide her annoyance for her superior. Abigal, however, picked up on the change of her tone and gave Aviel a curious look.

"Did something happen between you two?"

"No," Aviel answered a bit too quickly, " just...a disagreement between us. Worked related things."

"I see. Something you want to talk about?"

"Not really," Aviel said as she turned away from Abigal to make sure the point got across that she wasn't going to talk about it. Abigal relented and there was a moment of silence in the kitchen, save the occasional rumble of Flonne's footsteps as she looked for the other kids.

"Sanders has told me a good bit about Isabella. He seems to respect her a great deal and, I hope you aren't jealous of me saying so, I think he might have a bit of a thing for her," Abigal said ending the silence. Aviel laughed at Abigal thinking she would be jealous of Sanders having a thing for Isabella. Even if she cared, its not like Isabella would be any real contender. The sheer size difference meant any sort of relationship was going to be, basically, impossible. Not to mention Jeremy...

"No need to worry about that. Sanders is a good guy, but not my type. More like a kid brother I never had than boyfriend material. As for him and Isabella, he has always been a bit...awe-struck with her. He probably does have a little thing for Isabella, but it won't work out," Aviel explained as she turned back to Abigal.

"Why not?" she asked.

"The size difference for one and then there's..."she paused for a second. She considered how to answer the question before continuing, "There is the personal stuff. Stuff you'll have to ask Isabella about."

"Oh dear, I didn't mean to pry into such things. I wa-"

"No, its fine, Abigal. I was the one who started talking about it. Let's just talk about something else. So, how long have you and Johnathon been together?" Aviel said trying to keep the mood light.

"Hm...I think it will be thirty-three, or is it thirty-four? Well, somewhere in that range," Abigal answered.

The conversation stayed focused on the Cutters for awhile. Aviel learned that they had owned a farm much further outside the city back before the shrinking disaster. Once it came, they managed to use their horses to get to Atlanta only to find it in utter chaos. Once the Society came and got order back, they were some of the first to sign up to go further out to make the first farms. In fact, they were one of the first people to settle into this little area.

Aviel listened with some interest to the story. While some of it was rather boring, she didn't lack for distractions as Flonne keep up her search. She had managed to find the youngest, Lissa, already, but was way off with the other two as she began to search over the parked machines. She really was just like a kid.

"What about your family, Aviel? How long were your parents together before they...passed on," Abigal asked causing Aviel to double take at her.

"Wh-Wha...I don't want to talk about that, Mrs. Cutter," Aviel said letting a bit of her anger come through. Sanders had to have mentioned what had happened to her family and for Abigal to bring them up out of the blue made her furious. She was going to make sure Sanders keep his damn mouth shut about her personal issues when this was over.

Abigal stopped her preparing as she turned full on to Aviel. "Please, Aviel. I can see how much it still bothers you and if you never talk about it, you will never get over their lose. Please, just tell me about them and I promise you will feel better," she said with a soft tone Aviel had only know her own mother to have.

Aviel closed her eyes as she turned away from Abigal. Damn Sanders and damn herself for that night at Giga Stomp. Bastard just HAD to play the white knight and try to get her help didn't he? She really didn't want to talk about them, but...but some part of her was so desperate to talk about them. It was the oddest feeling she had ever known and it refused to go away. Thinking about it hurt so bad and yet she was like a bottle under too much pressure.

"Did Sanders tell you how my parents died?" Abigal suddenly asked as she finished the last of the preparations and left the food to cook for the last few minutes it needed. Aviel turned back toward her and shook her head.

"A car accident. A drunk driver swerved into their lane and hit them head-on. Killed them both on impact, the other driver survived. I was only twelve when it happened," Abigal said as she looked out the window. Her tone was a mixture of old pain and the barest hint of anger.

"My Aunt and Uncle took me in. They did more than raise me, though. They talked to me and, in time, got me to talk to them about the accident. They helped me to get past my sadness and anger. It took me many years to come to terms with it, but I know somewhere deep down that talking about it was the first step to coming to peace with it," Abigal said, her tone shifting to one of soothing peace. Of acceptance...acceptance that some part of Aviel desperately wanted.

Aviel knew where she was going with this and a part of her felt angry about it. However, hearing that Abigal had gone through the same thing was...comforting in some small way. Just having someone else who knew sorta what it was like and looked to have gained a wonderful life was nice. It gave her hope that somewhere past her lust for revenge she could find peace and maybe...just...

"That is why I asked about your parents, Aviel. I want to be to you what my Uncle and Aunt were to me. I don't expect you to talk about them today. But if you want to talk just ask and I'll be ready to listen," Abigal finished with an understanding smile. Aviel felt tears beginning to form, but held them back. She knew she couldn't talk without letting her emotions show through her voice so she just nodded instead. Abigal looked happy enough with that answer as she gave her a knowing smile and turned to leave the kitchen.

"I wonder how the men are doing getting the porch ready," Abigal said as she left the room. Aviel didn't follow as she turned back toward the window and closed her eyes. It was taking all her willpower to hold back the tears, but she refused to cry about her parents. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry about their lose anymore. Instead, she would turn her sorrow into determination. Determination that maybe...maybe should be put to something other than revenge.

She took in a deep breath as she got herself back under control. She opened her eyes just in time to see Flonne reach into a tree and pull Jessy out from its branches. She smiled as she watched the fairy celebrate, yet having to be so careful not to hurt Jessy and Lissa. Was that really what she wanted? Flonne was only a foot tall and still could barely play with kids her own age. Aviel would be titanic compared to that...

"Aviel? Hey Aviel come check this out!" Sanders yelled from outside. Aviel pushed her thoughts back down as she put on a mask of good cheer. At least the mask would only have to be fake for a little while. Sanders always did find some way to cheer her up and boy did she need it. Maybe...maybe he was enough. She gave one last look at Flonne before turning and heading outside.

    Article on Frontier Towns
Frontier towns are those settlements that are beyond the old city limits of Atlanta. While not all towns classified as Frontier Towns actually sit at the border, most are close enough and generally undeveloped enough to seem as if they do. It is not uncommon for most building to be built of wood and the rest of the land turned to farming.

Almost all Frontier Towns are farming communities founded on land that was once far too small or far too noisy to accommodate anyone, such as exit ramps, medians, and other such areas. These farming communities provide most of the food for the city, all of which is delivered by the Society thanks to their ability to transport far larger loads.

Frontier Towns are not without dangers, however. It is not uncommon for predators, such as wolves, bears, and other such animals, to move into the area. Most are driven off by the Society, but there is always the danger of some slipping past them. Resistance raids and attacks are not unheard of, especially on those towns that are on the border of Resistance-held territory and more than a few towns have been wiped out by them in the past.

Weather can also provide no small amount of danger as well. Where as Atlanta citizens have the massive city's structures to provide cover, Frontier towns must weather the storms and rains that come. To help with this, the Society has given all Frontier towns a weather screen to help them. The weather screen is a deployable screen that goes over the town to protect it from the worst of the rain. The screen breaks the falling rain, forces it to separate to pass through the screen or wash off the side into reservoirs and other such things.This turns downpours that could flood a Frontier town into mild showers that are able to survive the rain. It even acts as a lightning rod and many towns have even set up generators to capture the energy and use it for any number of needs.

Sadly, it is not unheard of that the screen fails or is ripped away in particularity large storms. The town of Malcomville suffered such a fate in 2019 when its screen was ripped apart by the high winds and the town simply washed away. Of the thirty residents, only five survived and only thanks to the timely arrival of a Society Shield member who carried them back to safety. Since then, Shields are often sent to patrol Frontier towns when large storms hit in case such a disaster should repeat itself.