Adjustment

(Note: For players new to DJ, this story follows the family of a villain called Zemar who the characters have encountered before on Shaila's homeworld, Origold. After this encounter he vowed to return to space and did so in the other short story on this forum called Pirate King. This takes place a few months after that.)

Akeelah sat across the table from her father, tapping her fingers on the table as she tried to comprehend what he was saying. One eye was narrowed as she tried to figure out why he would say such an incomprehensible thing.

Wait.

No, she knew what happened. She heard him wrong. Yeah, that's it.

"Wait," she said, holding her palms outward. The djinn paused to admire her silver painted claws, filed down for minimal terrifying factor.

"...yes, princess?" Zemar urged her on.

"Huh? OH!" She smiled, folding her hands and smiling. "I misheard you daddy. So I can make the television deal?"

"...no, my darling. You did not mishear me, I'm afraid," he told her with a regretful tone. "Now, I know you're not used to hearing that word from me, but I am afraid it's the truth. Our situation will be different here from Origold."

"But -why-? Can't I just get my own dimensiony ship? I don't know why I need to stay with you all, I was by myself all the time on Origold. I've proven time and again that I'm an independent woman!"

"Two key differences, my sweet," he replied, holding up two fingers. "The first is that the dimensional sea is not so easy to traverse as the waters of our world. Ye need special ships to do so, and unfortunately the most easily obtainable dimensional ships that I yet know of are still -damned- hard to obtain. That would be the ships of the Marshalship. We only have one so far, and it is very unlikely we'll get another for a good long while."

She began to speak, but Zemar cut her off with an abrupt wave of his hand.

"WHICH brings me to point two, darling treasure. Your face is known to the Marshalship, they've seen you and know what you are a part of. Ye don't yet have a Wanted listing but ye sure as hell have connections to those who do. The worlds we shall be visiting are for the most part either directly affiliated with the Marshalship or near Marshalship affiliated territory."

She folded her arms, looking away with a huff. "Can't we go to worlds that aren't? What do we care about the Marshalship? They're stupid."

He folded his hands, staying patient. "They aint stupid or we wouldn't be botherin' with 'em. Our focus in this...situation...is the same as it was on Origold. What was my policy on Origold?"

She sighed, leaning back in her chair and gazing at her claws once more. "Control the oceans to prevent nations from expanding across said oceans so as to preserve order and prevent massive wars from breaking out and devastating the world."

"Aye, that's about the size of it," he nodded. "Now here things are a bit different. In this case the ocean is the er..." he gestured with his hand, searching for the right phrasing. "...dimensional flow, let's call it. It engulfs all that we know, with space itself acting as the smaller seas of the multiverse bridging the continents that are the various worlds. Ye can already see, sweetling, that things are on a bit of a different scale here. We could afford to control the outpour of populations from a few continents, things as they were. But, this...far as I know -these- waters are endless. As high an opinion as I have of me-self, I aint a madman. I can't police the traffic of every blasted nation that I know of much less every nation in existence. So, we narrow down our focus. We focus on the two most powerful organizations that we know of. The Void and the Marshalship. Which means that the worlds we must stay close to are those of the Void and the Marshalship.

"And so," he said, leaning back in his seat. "The Marshalship knows your face. The Void in all likelihood soon will, and I regret to say my dear that as sweet and beautiful as that face of yours is, these organizations will grow to despise it and will seek it out. Ye can't be in the public eye. The flow of information these folks have is too sophisticated to keep your identity a secret, and I regret to say I am matched and even OUTmatched in power by a few folks in these organizations. ...at least for now."

Akeelah grimaced, then slumped down in her chair. "I hate this. I miss the crowds I had back home. So many people loved me...so many wanted to be me. So many would -kill- for me. And..." She choked, holding back fake tears produced to try to make her father feel sorry for her and fold.

"I am sorry, Akeelah," he said sadly. "Ye know I wish I could give ye everything ye desire and more. But we're new players on this stage. Someday we'll be able to afford you traipsing about everywhere in the open, showing everyone just how important ye are. But not yet. Be patient, and I'll do my best to grant your desires."

Her gambit had failed. Her father remained set in his view on the matter. She couldn't figure out why he was playing this game with her, it was almost as if he really -couldn't- give her anything she wanted. That was the scariest thought she'd had in a good long while, so she reacted the only way she knew how to react. She cried for real.

Izdi knelt down by her garden, tending to her flowers. The djinn-faun was frowning, a hint of impatience in the movement of her hands. She glanced over her shoulder, above her to the ceiling where the artificial light shined. She turned back to her flowers, snipping here and there. She continued this for a while, until she felt a presence enter the room. She stood up and turned, a pout on her face as she beheld the little girl that had entered the room.

The little brunette was named Lila, Izdi had learned. It was Izdi's opinion that Lila was extremely creepy, and this was only reinforced by the creepy little thing staring at her at this moment with vaguely sad half-lidded eyes.

"What do you want?" Izdi asked, in a soft voice with a hint of a greek accent.

Lila looked down, hurt apparently, then looked at a cactus that Izdi had planted. She walked over to it, then looked back at Izdi.

"Why do you nurture things that cause pain?" Her voice was monotone, and Izdi could not tell if she was being accusing or curious.

"It should be obvious," Izdi replied, annoyed. "Is it causing you pain now?"

Lila reached out and pushed a finger onto a needle. It went straight through, into the tip of her finger and out the other side underneath her fingernail. Though her face itself did not alter at all, a few tears began to emerge from her eyes. She looked at Izdi, who had since frozen in place with wide eyes.

"Why-why did you do that?" Izdi asked, alarmed. "You shouldn't do that, see, you're crying!"

"It's hurting me," Lila replied. "Will you continue to nurture it?"

"Yes, of course! It didn't hurt you on its own! It was self defense." She relaxed a bit, lowering her arms.

"I see. So it is okay if the harm comes to someone in self defense." She smiled. "Yes, that's how things go isn't it?"

"...yes, that's how things go." Izdi tilted her head and furrowed her brows at Lila as she approached her, gently taking her finger from off of the needle. "You should go get this healed, weird girl."

"Why did you look so annoyed?" Lila asked, looking up at Izdi.

"Because weird girls annoy me. See?" Izdi smiled.

"Oh." Lila considered. "But you looked annoyed already when you turned around."

Izdi leaned down, frowning. "I can smell annoying little girls."

"...you have nightmares too, you know." Lila said, before walking away.

"...yeah and you're one of them." Izdi muttered quietly, shivering and going back to her garden.