Cracked

Kill! Kill her! Her and her whole family and--

--maim, tear, claw, bite, maul--

--rotten, filthy, insulting--

Kill them all! Every last fucking one!

--can't believe this, what disgusting lack of control--

--she'll hurt us, she'll hurt us, she'll hurt us, she'll hurt us--

--horrible, arrogant, mud-faced--

--shutupshutupshutupshutupohMistresspleaseshutup--

He couldn't think. All he could hear were the roars, shrieks, moans, and cries of the shadows. They weren't inside, they were everywhere: in, out, above, below, left and right, in front and behind. They tore at him, trying to drag him right into the teacher-dragon's claws, trying to drag him away to hide, trying to drag darkness to him to lash the teacher-dragon with, trying to shout filth at her for insulting Sentio. He wanted to do all of it, each and every one, at the same time, and the conflict of every simultaneous desire held him immobilized inside nothing but hot rage and the cacophony only he could hear. What thoughts he could have were rushed, disjointed, smothered and dying beneath the force of the shadows and the fury that ran beneath it all.

--flay that horribly, ugly pelt right off her flesh, tear off her claws one by one--

--how dare she, how dare he, how dare you, how dare she--

--really am appalled that you've lost focus like this, really--

--kill them all--

--please run, run away, oh, it's so frightening--

--helpmesomeoneanyonehelpmeIcan'ttakemuchmoreofthis--

--maim--

--scream--

--kill--

--run--

--I'mdrowningI'mdrowninginallthispleasesomeonehelpmeplease--help--

Then, out of the blue, came the sound and sensation of a great vibration, a bell tolling with him inside of it, a scream of metal on stone, a roar from the throat of a dragon, a peal of thunder across empty spaces. He knew that feeling, that bellscreamroarthunder. The bellscreamroarthunder that was-- that was a bond. Cacopheny found himself sitting against the wall, with a sore rear and aching elbows, staring in shocked surprise at a wincing and anxious-looking Sentio, in the middle of the hall, outside the classroom. He didn't bother to wonder how he'd gotten there, or where the teacher-dragon was, or why he felt like he'd been slammed onto the floor rather than just sitting on it; he was too busy feeling relieved that he was free.

Free. Right.

Well, free to think, anyway.

For a moment, he and Sentio just stared at each other. From the way his shadow was whining faintly under its nonexistent breath, and from the way the little dragon cringed, he was nervous. Quite nervous. And, Cacopheny thought, he probably had ever right to. The last time he'd lost control of his temper and shadows, he'd very nearly killed him. This time, though, none of that anger had been directed at Sentio, so when the pause lengthened enough for Sentio to start to think that he migt be safe and gave him a timid little smile, Cacopheny returned it tentatively once he thought he could get his face to do anything at all.

"Sssssssank you," he said softly, and quite truthfully, surprising the dragon and making him all but go limp with relief. "I vass. I vass. Sssstuck. Zzhadowss. You know." From the way Sentio just blinked at him, no, he didn't, but Cacopheny didn't know how else to explain it.

"Cacopheny, you," Sentio began, but the movement and sound that heralded the door to the classroom being swung sharply open distracted them both. For a moment, Cacopheny was certain it would be that Light dragon-- he knew she had a name, but he couldn't remember it! why did he have such problems with names?-- come to shout at him for daring to even consider throwing magic at her. Sentio seemed to expect the same thing, from the way he cringed again.

To both of their surprises, though, the figure who appeared was small, bipedal, and bright red. "If you guys are skipping, I'm coming with!" she blurted the instant her eyes fell on them.

"Akizja, vat--"

"We're not--"

They glanced to each other, their exclamations overlapping, and Sentio gave a somewhat nervous giggle. "We just-- needed some air," Sentio explained, somewhat lamely. Cacopheny swallowed a snort.

You are a very bad liar, he told the boy silently and with a bubble of amusement that refused to pop and disappear. Sentio seemed embarrassed, but didn't answer him. On the whole, Cacopheny preferred that Sentio be a bad liar; it was hard to mistrust someone so honest.

"You and me both," Akija huffed with an irritable sigh, padding towards them. "If that's what that lot are like, then there's no way I'll--"

Then the door swung open again, and this time it was what they had both been dreading. The Light dragon stepped out and let the door swung shut behind her, staring down at them-- mostly Cacopheny and Sentio, if just because she was practically on top of Akija and couldn't look at all three at once-- with imperious, dark gray eyes. Sentio beside him gulped, and Akija just crossed her arms over her chest. She popped Cacopheny's bubble of amusement quite neatly.

"Excuse me," the dragoness said coolly. Taking in Akija's expression, she gave the daemoness a quelling look and said tartly, "I've outfaced more threatening people than you, young lady, so you may save your dark looks for another time and place." Before Akija could respond-- or before Cacopheny had time to get angry again for the tone taken with her-- the dragon had moved on, eyes on Cacopheny, pinning him to the spot. "I see I have somehow upset or offended you, boy. I assure you, that was not my intent. My scorn is for those who refuse to teach their offspring the simple skill of reading, not the offspring."

Sentio made a little squeak of surprise, which the dragoness ignored and Cacopheny only barely noticed. Akija's response was to mutter under her breath, "Better courtesy than literacy." At that moment, Cacopheny had to wonder what her shadow was saying, even if he couldn't hear it, but his own shadows were too quick to get in the way for him to wonder for long.

Scorn, is it?

Scorn!

For Her!

How dare she!

Let us rip her up, let us flay her, let us let us let us!

But-- she's trying to apologize--

What does that matter?

She insulted Her!

Her!

You can't let that go unpunished--

--you can't--

..... Why not?

In the sudden silence, he could finally free his voice to answer, thankfully distracting him from the question he'd asked without thinking about it, the question he didn't know how he had asked, the question to which he did not want to know the answer. He shook his head rapidly to clear it. "Vass't-- vassn't-- ssat," he said haltingly, shaking his head one more time, now in negation. "You-- Sssssentchio-- rrrr." His tongue didn't want to obey him, so he took a quick, deep breath, and started again. "Inssssssult me all you vant to. I am koot-- goot for ssat. Not him."

"There was no insult intended there, either," the teacher said blandly, her shadow murmuring with surprise.

"Really and honestly," Sentio affirmed fervently, catching his attention, eyes wide and earnest. "Most teachers're like that, Cacopheny. It's normal. I wasn't offended at all, promise."

Cacopheny blinked at him slowly, trying to wrap his mind around that: teachers usually spoke in that tone? And it wasn't an insult or a disrespect? But since Sentio didn't lie, and his shadow was extolling the virtues of strict teachers, he had to believe it was true. There were still a lot of things he didn't know, apparently.... All he could do was nod faintly and say, "Oh."

Cacopheny was ready for a long, quiet curl-up in the dark, but Sentio still had things to say. "Excuse me, ma'am," he piped up again. This time, wisely, the lady-Light didn't tell him to hush. At that even that scant encouragement, Sentio continued, "Did Lady Aloia tell you about Cacopheny?"

"Just that we would have a half-demon on our classes," she admitted. "Not much beyond that; the bonding mistress is a busy woman, after all."

Oh-ho-ho.

She's warning people about you, now.

Doesn't surprise me....

"Maybe," Sentio gulped, "maybe you should hear. It might be better, and all, if you knew. You'd understand, then, you see?"

The dragoness hmphed lightly, eyed Cacopheny a moment, making him shrink in on himself just a little, then nodded. "After class come speak with me. I do need to finish assessing the rest of the class, though that shouldn't take long. As for now, if we are finished here...?" She glanced from face to face in askance. When none of them said anything, she nodded, and added, "After class, then," and opened the door to go back inside. She did not, Cacopheny noticed with relief, request that any of them try to go in after her, and he gave a soft sigh, settling back limply against the wall behind him.

"Ssssat. Vas bat," he stated frankly. "I am. I am. Sssssorry. Ruin't virst day off ssschool."

"It's all right," Sentio told him, trying to sound unconcerned, but he didn't quite make it. "There's still two more classes after lunch; maybe they'll be better."

Cacopheny's eyes popped open with surprise and dismay. "Ssere is more?" he exclaimed, and even to his own ears, he sounded like a petulant child. Sentio cringed a bit, apologetic and chagrined.

"He doesn't have to go," Akija pointed out, drawing both their gazes. Her own eyes were on Cacopheny. "Sure," she continued, "yer encouraged to go to class with yer dragon, butcha don't have to go, if you really don't wanna." She flashed him a smile, and he was torn between shrinking back and smiling back. "If'n ya don't, I kin keep ya company while Sentio's in class. I already had school, m'self, back when I was littler. I just came ta keep Chario company. But I could hang out with you instead, if ya wanted."

For a moment he came very close to saying yes, to agreeing, to letting her give him her time while Sentio enjoyed his school and his classes and his learning. The thought... it was very, very tempting. No suspicious dragons, no nervous kits, no black daemon, no books-- just Akija, willingly keeping him company. He could live with that, and happily. He nearly opened his mouth, nearly said yes, please, whatever you want, I'll be happy to. But--

See? She does like you.

The words died in his throat when he remembered that she didn't know anything about him, didn't know what he was like, didn't know what he did and what he didn't, and certainly wouldn't want to spend that time with him once she knew.

No, she doesn't. Not really. She just thinks she does. Besides, I need to learn things, and that is what school is for, is it not?

So instead, he smiled, slowly and carefully, and shook his head. He had to say no, because if he didn't, if he said yes instead, then very soon she wouldn't even think that she liked him; she would know that she wouldn't. And he had promised himself he would be a better bond for Sentio, and that meant trying harder, learning how to be more normal, learning how to read. "Ssssank you," he told her, sincerely but a bit sadly. "I vood-- it vood be. Be. Eassyer, nicer. But not rrrright. I must rer-learn. Be more-- more-- normal. Sssat is vy I am here."

"But you don't have to, today," Sentio broke in, trying to be gracious and helpful, only making it more difficult. "It's been a rotten morning, I know-- and you probably wouldn't like the next class, anyway. It's applied magic, and you'd probably hear people screaming all over the room." He remembered, of course, that first bonding meeting and the first words they'd ever shared together, about the dragon and her shadow screaming. Cacopheny remembered, too, and if that was what worked dragon magic was like, he didn't want to endure that again, not today, not right now. So, at least today, Sentio was right: he was not going to go.

Then Sentio suddenly winced, flooded with discomfort and the echoes of what was unmistakably a summons, and he said reluctantly, "Kenjista wants me...."

"Sssen ko," Cacohpeny said gently. "I vill be fine."

"You sure?" At the look in his eyes and the quirk of his lips, that said even more clearly than words just what Cacopheny thought of that over-protective question, Sentio grinned sheepishly. "All right, you're sure. I'll see you after classes this afternoon, in our room, then." Cacopheny stroked the fur on his nose once, then let him scurry back into the classroom, slipping inside as quietly as a little dragon could, leaving Cacopheny alone outside... with Akija.