Her father's harsh tone made her jerk back in physical shock. His reprimand, his... demand... She went cold all the way to her toes. Ears went flat to the sides of her head, tail curved under her belly, and her lower lip quivered. Unforced, completely genuinely upset, tears sprang into her gold eyes. But He... Her daddy took the traitor's side over her? She'd been rejected.
Her first instinct was to fling herself at her mother for comfort, but she had seen her mother and father together long enough to know that Cas would take Valen's side - again - so that wasn't even an option.
Sit down, or leave.
"You care more about her than you do about us," she said through the threatening tears, her words a venomous hiss that would not travel very far beyond her father's ears. She was hurt, and lashing out with that hurt, and already regretted the mean words as they tumbled out, and the regret unleashed the tears, as she turned and fled for the very back of the group to throw herself on the ground and cry silently.
Her father's voice rolled over them, and she continued to sulk as he spoke with irritation to all of them and assigned them to people they had to patrol with. She was assigned to Sirius Armada, and normally would have been incredibly proud that they were being trusted to patrol without an adult, but was entirely too upset to care.
Until he assigned mentors.
And he assigned her to Rhythm Destruction.
Numb shock spread from her muzzle to her toes. No. No, he could not be serious. She had to learn from Rhythm? But Rhythm was a traitor. She'd betrayed Abaven and she'd betrayed Imperium and now she was supposed to be Evangeline's mentor? She wasn't even a real healer! She was just dad's girlfriend, and just one of a bunch. She wasn't special, she wasn't... This wasn't fair!
She lay frozen as the others drifted away in their pairs, tears forgotten as she glared down at her paws, shocked and hurt. This just wasn't fair...
""
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