The Exodus [Luca]

A smile, genuine if small, came to Surai’s face seeing Luca with the kids. There would definitely be no doubt about him being able to work with the orphanage after this. But that wasn’t something she was going to bring up. Not right now. She was more concerned with how Luca was currently doing.

There wasn’t really a “private” place they could go to discuss things, but Surai led him off a little ways into a spot that would be good enough. it wasn’t like she was telling him a secret or anything. She was just concerned for her friend.

”I just wanted to check in with you after…after all that. You’re doing a great job helping the kids calm down." And her eyes were once again drawn towards the group Luca had been helping. They seemed a little better now, but it was hard not to be worried at a time like this. ”But, well…. we went through a lot to get here." It definitely wasn’t a common occurrence for Surai to be staring down the barrel of a gun (and she sincerely hoped it would never become a common occurrence). ”Plus the law…..

The law had passed.

Surai wished she believed people weren’t really so stupid to agree or accept such a foolish thing. But she’d seen enough chaos and mayhem back home to know that people were capable of doing really foolish and scary things when they felt threatened. Now Ethea’s government was apparently acting the same. ”I….I’m sorry, Luca. For what it’s worth." The teach said quietly, her voice sincere. ”Magi don’t deserve this. You’ve already been through so much…." Luca certainly had, that was for sure. But all of magi-kind had as well. It wasn’t really known which Surai was referring to with that sentence.

The law itself was bothering her to no end, but there was something else as well on her mind. She glanced back towards the children huddled in the basement. Some of them human, but others were magi. What would happen to them now? What chaos and hostility was this law going to cause? Well they had already seen some of the backlash just passing it had done. How tense were things going to be now?

”And I’m…worried for the kids now. With this law I just….." She trailed off uncertainly. Now, more than ever, she wished she could speak to Baba. She wanted some guidance to make sure her little najmas would be alright.

by sixsmith.

Concern flit across Surai’s face as Luca shut his eyes. Oh Luca… The man had been through so much already. Having a gun shoved into his face surely wasn’t helping him much. The teacher was nearly overcome with the urge to reach out and pull the man into a warm embrace- like she would for one of her distressed kids. But despite all their progress, she wasn’t too sure how he’d do with physical contact. So while she did reach out, it was slow and hesitant as she placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze to convey her silent support. But she dropped the hand swiftly.

Soon after they both lapsed into silence until Luca spoke up. Blue eyes filled to the brim with worry and hints of exhaustion turned towards Luca. And as he pointed out what Surai already feared, the exhaustion got worse. Along with her racing thoughts.

”The rest will have to deal with being scrutinized by every officer that passes them." The teacher finished, rubbing her face wearily as she muttered the words. ”And being treated like possible criminals on top of being judged for merely existing. Something they couldn’t even control." Plus there were even worse implications. Possibly harmful ones to her children.

She hadn’t run through a riot to protect her kids only to see them get hurt by ignorant and hateful scum.

”Camlorn isn’t particularly bad." Surai finally said after standing there for a moment. She moved her face out of her hand, glancing back to the rest of the basement dwellers. ”Not in comparison to the other cities. But it’ll still be bad. And I don’t want my little najmas being exposed to the spiteful hatred of these….these…." For a brief moment a look of anger flashed across Surai’s face at the thought. She muttered something under her breath in surajan and shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to get angry.

They needed a plan.

Blue eyes turned back to Luca. ”…..I don’t think they should stay here either." She finally agreed, sorrow filling her gaze at the admission. ”As much as I wish it weren’t true, they would probably be safer away from here. But to move all of them is just….And where would they even go? We can’t just march them out and have them live in the Plains. Plus I’m sure the other cities would be just as bad, if not worse. And getting this many across the border would be…."

by sixsmith.

The reciprocated gesture helped draw Surai’s mind away from her anger. She placed her own hand on top of Luca’s and squeezed it again; silently thanking him and keeping it there.

As Luca began speaking, Surai’s expression turned curious. hat was he talking about? Somewhere away from all of this? Did he mean… Well Surai had heard rumors of a place in Ethea where magi could be safe. Only rumors, but when you worked daily with magi you were bound to hear a few things.

Still, if Luca was serious and this place really did exist…

Surai took the hand on her shoulder into her own, holding it between the two. She didn’t want to get her hopes up too much just yet, only for them to be dashed. Yet she desperately wanted to believe there was a place her children could be safe. ”Luca…" She began slowly. Little inklings of hope were arising in her expression through the weariness and sadness there. ”Are you sure? Because I do want the kids to be safe-" More than anything really. ”-But if… if you’re talking about what I think you might be then… I wouldn’t want us to upset anyone bringing all these kids in. And we would need a few of the other co-workers to come along, so that means others might then know. Would that be ok?" Because if it really was, and they could get the children to a place where they wouldn't have to worry about the law or the prejudice ever again, then Surai would jump at the opportunity.

And if Luca really did confirm it, then Surai knew they had to act. "We'll need to speak with my boss before doing anything else. Because we're going to need some form of transportation to get all our kids over there. I don't think walking the whole way would be a good idea. We could possibly rent out a bus or two. Then talk with some of the other staff to see who would be willing to go. Of course we'd have to keep some here to watch over the rest; we can't all go." The woman was already rattling off, her mind going a mile per minute as she tried figuring out what steps they would need to take to ensure the journey would go as smoothly as possible.

by sixsmith.

Surai nodded her head. Initially her first thought was that ’of course they could be trusted. But immediately after she knew that cautious was good to have even now. Because, after all, this was giving away a very big secret. If Luca was serious- and he completely seemed to be- then this was something very important to magi. And soon her kids. They would have to pick people especially for this, and already Surai’s brain was racing through those of her fellow coworkers who were the most trustworthy. Preferably magi staff to cause the least amount of issues.

”That should be fine. We could contact the company now while we’re stuck down here. They know us so it shouldn’t pose too much of an issue. As for food though…" All that was upstairs, and it still felt a little too soon to be walking around up there so close to when the riots started. Was it still going on? Were looters still out there? They needed to be safe. ”We can pack up some food to prepare for a longer journey. Though we might have to wait until later today to be able to do that. We want to make sure no fighting is going on before we start having multiple people head back up to the surface. But we will need to go up there. For food and for…"

Surai trailed off for a second as she realized. Her eyes drifted over to her kids. All of them huddled down there in the basement, trying to get and give as much comfort to one another as possible. They really had become something of a family- which was exactly what Surai and her coworkers had wanted. To give the kids the experience of a loving, happy family that they should have had. But now…

”…For the kids to get their things." The teacher continued on softly. Her heart was positively aching now; it’s dull thumps bringing a sorrowful pain with each beat. Their family was being split apart. For a moment, the hurt of that realization was freely displayed across the woman’s features. The pure regret and anguish of having to pull these kids away from yet another family. But soon it was covered up. Sorrow replaced with steely resolve and stubborn determination. This was no time to mope. As much as it pained her- positively stabbed her through the heart- she knew this was best for them. They had to do this.

”I will talk with my coworkers about who will be going. While I trust everyone here," Her eyes turned back to Luca: watery but not leaking, ”I think it would be easier for those living…there if it was mainly magi coming. No one here wants to put that place at risk of being discovered. Especially if it’s going to house our kids now." That much she could be completely certain of. ”I will be coming along though." She said firmly, in a voice that brooked no argument though she doubted Luca would. ”I want to make sure that my little namjas have all the accommodations they could need and get settled in once we get there. I imagine it’s going to be….hard for them to transfer to a brand new place and say goodbye to most of their friends. We need to make it as close to home for them as possible."

by sixsmith.

The hug was entirely unexpected. Hadn’t she just been wondering if it would have been alright to give Luca one? Yet here he was, initiating the embrace. One that Surai didn’t realize she needed until it had been offered.

She only hesitated for a moment before she dropped his hand to actually hug him back properly. She buried her face into his shoulder. Inhale. Exhale. It came out shakier than she would have liked. There was a subtle tremor to her body that was quickly stilled. She was hurt. Deeply hurt. Her body wanted nothing more than to express just how much its heart was aching. But she couldn’t cry; not here and not now. There was so much work to be done and they all needed to be strong. She needed to be strong. For her kids.

For her kids.

So the moment of weakness was made only temporary. No tears managed to escape her eyes as she moved her head to rest it on Luca’s shoulder instead. She could at least smile a little at the fact he wasn’t arguing about her going. She hadn’t expected one but still; the agreement was nice. She simply had to. Had to. ”Good.” She said with a shaky little laugh. Though now she pulled her head back so she could look her friend in the eyes.

It was amazing, the changes Luca had gone through. When they first met he could barely look her in the eye. Now here he was hugging her and helping her save her family. Her smile grew just a little stronger. Thank you, Baba. She thought.

”Just help our kids." The teacher replied simply. ”You’re wonderful with them, and right now what they need more than anything in the world is comfort. Especially if we’re going to be doing this. I’ll take care of everything else." With that promise made, she pulled the man back in for one last squeeze before she had to slip away. ”And thank you, Luca. Was the last thing she said with heartfelt sincerity before going into action.

The first few hours were spent mainly tending to the orphans. they couldn’t do too much yet considering they were still afraid to go upstairs. But Surai started to lay the groundwork of the plan by conversing with the other workers. They would need to get upstairs and immediately start preparing for the journey. Her boss was understanding of the situation, and even called the bus company himself to get them set on an emergency notice. The whole staff worked in tandem, and Surai had to say she was impressed by and blessed to have each and every one of them. Though there was definitely a mournful feeling passing between each, their children’s safety came first. They were going to do this and do it right so it would never happen again.

Eventually it started to get later in the evening. Late enough that they felt it was safe to start sending larger waves of people upstairs. They still weren’t quite as comfortable having the children stay upstairs, so there was an impromptu sleepover called for. Only now, half the kids weren’t going to be there.

It was… heart wrenching, to say the least. Standing there having to announced the plan to the children with her friends, Surai felt tears come to her eyes once again. Because there were certainly tears among their audience. These weren’t just their friends being taken away; this was their family.

It took an hour before everyone could say their goodbyes. Even then, it didn’t feel quite done. There were promises and assurances made that they would see each other again and keep in touch, but truthfully Surai and the others weren’t exactly sure what to expect once they got to their destination. Surely their kids could still talk with each other, right? Surai would at least try her hardest to make sure of it.

The march to the buses- having been brought in despite Camlorn’s current state due to a strong friendship and understanding between her boss and the company’s owner- was a solemn one. Not a single face was smiling. But after the madness of the riots… they understood.

They shouldn’t have to, though. Surai thought as she helped usher the leaving group into the vehicles. They shouldn’t have to be doing any of this. But life had a funny way of not caring. So there she was getting the children ready to be moved. Other staffers were helping as well- a handful of men and women (mainly magi) who had agreed to come along. The rest were staying back at the orphanage to look after and tend to the others. They would definitely need it now.

Once they were all in, Surai followed suit and let her other worker call names. She was seated up towards the front, where she’d be able to see where they were going. Which meant Luca was going to be sitting with her as well. ”You’re going to have to point the way and give directions on where we’re going.” She informed him once they were loaded up. She reached out to give one of his hands a squeeze. Her eyes were slightly red from tears that had managed to shed themselves, but the water had been wiped away. ”Ready?"

by sixsmith.

Surai nodded before turning to their driver and conveying the directions to him as well. It was going to be a long journey for sure. But as she gave Luca a small side hug for support (for him and for her), she could at least rest easy on one thing: they were going to make sure their kids were safe.

The travel towards the hidden haven was indeed a long one. There as a certain downtrodden air about the buses and their occupants that clung. Considering the violence and consequences that had just transpired within Camlorn, it made sense. That didn’t mean no one tried to lighten the mood somewhat. Once everyone woke up the next morning (with a pit stop for gas, bathrooms, and other things), Surai and the other staff tried their best to kept spirits up. or at least as up as they were going to be. It was hard trying to entertain a crowd of saddened faces, but damn if they didn’t try. They played games, sang songs, and did anything they could to crack a smile.

For a time it even worked some. If Surai could just convincing herself for the ride that this was some field trip rather than a one-stop voyage for the children, then she could get through it a little easier. At least until they reached their destination. Though she still found herself having trouble falling asleep as the silence surrounded her and gave her space to think. Already she knew she was going to be a mess by the time this all was over. Already, she didn’t care.

After what felt like an eternity but was actually fairly fast considering they barely stopped other than bathroom breaks and getting gas, they arrived. Though then they were going to have to walk the rest of the way, which was going to be challenging as well. But walk they did, with Luca taking the lead for this once again. The further they went, the more Surai’s mind buzzed. How were they going to be received? Would they be received at all? They had brought the least amount of humans they could, but even then would that be too much? They didn’t want to make any enemies here. Especially if their kids were going to be staying here.

She couldn’t help but ask: ”Luca….How do you think they’re going to react to this?" Worry had been sitting with her this whole journey. It weighed on her like a load of bricks.

by sixsmith.