Accept Me, Please (Closed)

[Nako]

Mikael must have stared at that damned piece of paper for an hour.

Accepted. He'd hardly believed what it had said. For a while he wondered if it was some cruel joke.. some elitist Esterberry snob playing a trick on him and making him think he was good enough to go to a University there. Then again, no. Esterberries didn't necessarily have that defined a sense of humor. They derived enough of their pleasure sending out their well known rejection letters that made them infamous to many an aspiring student. He lifted it up, holding it up to the light to test for its validity. It was genuine alright, with its seal of notarization as flawless as could be.

Who would have thought getting accepted was the easy part? The difficult part would now be approaching his father with this news.

So often, Seth had made mention.. little biting comments in the way a Solandrian spoke of how he wished for his son to do, and how to act. Pick up a blade! Go rip someone's heart out! Haha! Why not go and train with me tomorrow! It'll be fun! You know, if you actually worked out, those fingers of yours might not be so damned spindly!

He knew his father didn't mean bad by it.. but it hurt. It hurt in a way that Mikael didn't want to admit. Mikael was weak. He was sensitive, he was fucking -pretty-... Hell. His sisters were less of a pushover than himself. For a moment, he wished he could punch a wall... but he knew that would just break his damned fingers.

And he still couldn't fly.. and he'd even grown wings. When that had occurred... his father saw it fit to let his son know that they were a far cry from bat wings.. and certainly not a pair that a man could be proud of. Of course, after such a harsh comment would a batty smile follow to ease the sting of it, followed by a clout on the shoulder. No harm done.. yeah, right.

Perhaps it was because he was a spade. He was the only one out of Heilyn that bore such a mark. Seth was always particularly proud of his son for that reason alone.. but it was also the reason that Seth always desired more from him. Perhaps if Hadrian had been born with the spade suit, the pressure would have been off of him. Mikael could then slip by unnoticed, to do as he wished.

There was a knock at the door of his room, and Michael jumped slightly, turning to the door to see who it was.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Seth had been standing outside of his son's room for quite some time. He'd spent most of the morning wrestling with Andrei and Sascha, and he was very much in need of a chance to just relax. But all the same, he felt like he needed to at least check on Mikael before he did anything else. The boy had been telling him about various Esterberry schools and Seth had half-listened all the while, hoping that they at least taught fencing at those bloody institutions. He'd said as much, stating that they weren't worth a thing if they wouldn't teach him how to fight and, more importantly, to win. The look on Mikael's face hadn't gone unnoticed by the bat, but there wasn't really anything he could think of to say.

It could be said that the burly Solandrian did feel some guilt over the way he'd treated his oldest Spade son.

He'd always had trouble connecting with the boy. Where all his other children had been tough and, at times, downright nasty and wicked, Mikael had been sweet and gentle. And he was pretty, even through the Solandrian blood, which confused the bat. And he was smart, but not just in the cunning way that most of his family was. They were such different creatures, it only made sense that Seth would have issues connecting. All the same, that wasn't exactly something you could tell your child without having them think that you didn't love them. Because Seth did love his son.

Not like there was a chance he would ever say it out loud, about any of his children.

When the door opened, Seth grinned awkwardly at the bat-coyote. "Hiya. You wanna go get a beer or something?[/b]" he asked. He wasn't giving up on turning the boy into a man just yet.

[Nako]

Mikael paused for a moment, looking at the man as if he were considering something bitter to say... but it was merely frustration bubbling within him, and it dissipated as quickly as it had festered. All that fury turned into a nearly forlorn sigh, reaching out to discreetly slip the paper into his desk.

"As long as you don't chastise me for drinking it through a straw." That was a touch too bitter. Mikael was in a foul mood and his father hadn't done a thing that day to arouse it... Other than bringing up alcohol at all. He'd already expressed his dislike for beer especially, but even he could realize that this was his father reaching out to him in a way, and even in his spitefullnes, he could appreciate the gesture. "I.. I'm sorr-... yeah, a beer sounds good."

He jumped down from the stool and gave a canine stretch, curling his fingers in and standing up on his knuckles. He'd need to get a biped form one day if only to make walking less cumbersome and painful.

[carcinoGeneticist]

So far, this meeting seemed to be turning out at least slightly better than most of their previous encounters. Seth absently ran a hand through his hair as he nodded at his son. "You know, if you feel like drinkin' it through a straw, I won't judge you.[/b]"

When the boy jumped down, the man smiled reassuringly at him. "We'll just head to the kitchens. I'd say that we should head to a bar, but it's pretty loud there and I'd like to have a chance to just spend some time with you, you know?[/b]" he watched Mikael stand and frowned slightly. That did look rather uncomfortable. Seth wondered to himself if as his child grew, his hands would pain him more and more. He would have to talk to Heilyn about it. The woman might have some suggestion to make walking more comfortable for Mikael.

Seth opened the door for his son, then lead the way down the hall. "You don't have to have a beer, you know,[/b]" he offered somewhat stiffly, but he was certainly trying at being friendly. "They've got lots of other things, too.[/b]"

[Nako]

He was being rather sensitive. Probably a bit too sensitive. Was the man suddenly wracked with guilt? Was there bad news in which he was to deliver? Mikael's expression was somewhat suspicious as he shrugged to what his old man was saying, but was instead looking at the frown on Seth's face. Was he that difficult to look at without feeling shame? It was an expression certainly misconstrued, but one that could slide off his oily back for now.

"Sure.. yeah. That's fine. I think you're worrying about it too much." And in truth, the man was. This whole 'sensitive Seth' was kind of scary. The man seriously needed to find a middle ground. (Hah! Can never make kids happy)

Mikael really didn't do much to invite conversation on the way down the hall. He kept his head down, watching his toes spider in front of him as he walked. Sure they were painful, and they were cumbersome, but he was used to it. Hell, he was even growing used to the occasional break he suffered because of some accident or another. His fingers were the last thing on his mind. Instead, he was wondering how his dad would react to his acceptance letter to one of Esterberry's Universities.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Seth had to grin at the boy. "Isn't that a parent's job? Eh, whatever, it'll work.[/b]"

His son had almost certainly picked up on the niceness. After all, Seth was having to work fairly hard to keep from blurting out what was on the tip of his tongue. From when he'd talked to Heilyn about things, she'd advised that he make an effort to keep from making Mikael feel persecuted, but the bat really wasn't sure if there was any way to truely manage that. After all, the news he was going to be giving the boy wasn't exactly kind, no matter how much he sugar-coated it.

So it wouldn't be sugar-coated. Seth had never been good at walking on eggshells.

When they reached the table, Seth sat down and indicated that his son should do the same. Once he was settled, he cleared his throat, lacing and unlacing his fingers. How was he supposed to start this damn conversation? "Mik, we need to talk.[/b]" he finally said, breaking the silence that had settled around them. Red eyes turned up to the boy and then stuck there, the man fixing his boy with a level gaze. "When are you going to do something with your life?[/b]"

[Nako]

Mikael had -almost- gotten relaxed. Perhaps his dad was just feeling like a total shit for stressing him out over the past couple of months. Perhaps, he just felt like a shit for -being- a shit. No, that wasn't the case at all. The whole 'Wee need to talk' crap gave that away instantly.

When a kid hears that kind of thing, they immediately feel like they are in trouble for something. Mikael all but heard his heart skip a beat, and it was his control over his own impulses that kept his tail from curling up between his legs.

The man kept talking, and Mikael hoped to the Suits that he'd just shut the hell up. But of course he didn't, and what came out of the man's mouth was probably the most insulting thing he'd heard in a while. The hackles along his spine actually rose up.

"So, mere months out of school and you're saying I'm doing nothing with my life? That's some really sick shit, dad. It really is." Bitter? Hell yes he was bitter. "Just because I'm not out shanking people for money right out of school doesn't mean I'm doing nothing with my life. What would you have me do?"

He pointed to one of the kitchen staff. "I need a vodka and orange juice over here, and for the love of the Suits, bring me a straw!" That sounded much less macho out loud than it did in his head. Either way, for the first time in his life, Mikael felt like he needed a drink. The man hadn't even allowed them to -get- a drink before opening his big mouth.

He sat there sourly for a few breaths, but before that man could open his mouth again, Mikael was quick to interject. "What would you have me do, then? Go into the family business? Maybe I should be an errand runner? Yeah, that would be a -swell- idea!" But even as his voice rose, he was quickly deflating, his hackles falling back down and his gaze dropping down to the counter top. "What would you have me do?"

[carcinoGeneticist]

Seth wasn't exactly surprised by his son's reply, and he kept his face perfectly level as Mikael began ranting and raving at him. Of course, he'd expected it. It would have been far, far too simple for the boy to just take the words at face value. By the time his son had finished his angry rambling, Seth looked almost tired, and his red eyes took on a slightly more harsh edge. This type of conversation was one the man was far too used to having, at least when he was younger.

"Mere months out of school and you've been spending all of your time looking for more school.[/b]" the bat explained calmly, raising one eyebrow as the servant quietly handed the boy the requested drink. "I have no issues with you going on to a univeristy, but I had hoped that while you pined away waiting for a response you'd get off your ass and look for an actual job. Raising you hasn't exactly been cheap, Mikael. Who do you think has been paying for the repaintings of everything you've "worked" on? And now you want your mother and I to shell out the money for an Esterberry school? Have you applied for a single scholarship while you've been drawing me naked in the halls?[/b]"

There was a sharpness in the man's voice that would be completely unfamiliar to Mikael's ears. Seth had spent a long time dropping the traits of the Glacier, but now he could see that his son had picked some of them up and it only seemed reasonable to return to his old ways.

"You'd never make it in the family business. Your fingers break way too easily.[/b]" The man stated simply, not caring to rub that point in too hard. He also wasn't ready to tell his children what it was that he really did. "No, I want you to go to our Court. There's a new Queen who might actually be capable of accomplishing something, I want you to make your presence known. Granted, it's not my choice to make, but I'll be damned if a child of mine becomes one of those court brats I've seen running around.[/b]"

[Nako]

Now, that was hitting a low blow. Mikael could only glare at the man for a few moments, taking up the drink that has handed to him and opened the slot in his mask so he could drink, only to nearly sputter the stuff out. It seemed he wasn't able to handle his liquor as gracefully as he wished.. even when it was watered down with orange juice. Seth was talking to him man to man.. for that moment, Seth wasn't talking as if he were just his father any more. He was dealing with an entirely different animal. "I'm not even going to compete with you when it comes to cutting comments. I'll never be able to cut a person down into nothing like you can."

At first, Mikael didn't know how to handle it. Above it all though, he felt deep within his very -soul- that Seth was completely wrong. They didn't understand him, and in his mind, he figured they'd never -tried- to understand him. Sure, Mikael had made mistakes... but then again he wasn't about to acknowledge them at that time when he felt so justified.

But there was no winning this argument, and as he glared over the rim of his glass which he clutched with his spindly fingers, slurping on the crazy straw they'd put in his drink... he knew that this would be a battle he'd have to retreat from. In no way though, had he lost the war.

"Fine." But even in his tone it could be read that he was not giving in. "I'll -get- a job there, and pay for my schooling. If I need any additional funds, I'll be sure to repay you and mother in full after the fact." Then, he scoffed, though it turned more into a cough as he tried to handle his liquor. "Yeah.. that's right. I was accepted. By Esterberry. I know that doesn't mean much to you, but Esterberry Universities sometimes don't even accept Esterberrians. It works out anyways. I'll work part time, go to school full time. It's not too terrible a commute to the Court from there anyways."

[carcinoGeneticist]

It was refreshing to see that Seth still had what was considered by some to be the Solandrian art. It had been a long time since he'd used it last and it would have been a real shame for the skill to have gotten rusty with disuse. He was sure that Mikael didn't see it in the same light, but that wasn't the most important thing in the bat's mind.

The news that followed actually surprised the man, and he was glad for his human form. It was much easier to keep his emotions from showing when he didn't have ears a foot and a half tall. As it was, he simply looked evenly at his son.

"If that's the case, then congratulations.[/b]" the words were said honestly and carried the weight they deserved, though that simple fact would likely be overlooked in the heat of the moment. He was pleased, but right now they needed to give him more than just a pat on the ass. "But I don't think you've really thought things through all the way. How will you have the time it takes to make the money such a school will ask for and fit in your schoolwork? No, your mother and I will help you pay for your tuition, but you will be responsible for other expenses. I will not have my flesh and blood flunk out. And you need to get a thicker skin. If you can't deal with my judging you, how will you even begin to cope with an entire school of haughty rich and overprivaledged assholes who aren't your family?[/b]"

It was something that the man was actually worried about.