Shay's smile was somewhat bitter. She didn't want to be cute. Cute wasn't respected. When you're cute, young, and president, who was going to take you seriously? Adults humored cute kids, but they didn't respect them. "I didn't say I couldn't win because I was young. Being cute and young has it's advantages, especially when you're a girl, but I don't want to be viewed as cute."
Shay wished she could think like Klaus or Vito. She wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, but she tried to remind herself that she'd never done this before, so some blunders were expected. The perfectionist in her hated that answer.
"Firstly, you hear Lucas' speech? He brought up support groups like the DSU and SSNA and the creation of an anti-bully program," here Shay paused and let her eyes sweep over Milo, real slow. "Manta Carlos is strict about prejudices but that doesn't stop people from subtly, or not so subtly, snubbing other races. With people from all around the world and hearing fairytales, it's no wonder the water is murky on this subject. An actual program to educate people on the misconceptions and facts about the different creatures on the island would be a good idea, and I'd like to be a part of that."
Holy shit, how had she gotten here? Okay, Shay may have been moved by Lucas' suggestion. She was somewhat passionate, would have been more so if she wasn't trying to hide it so much now. Trying to act so adult and failing so miserably. She felt her cheeks heat, just a tad. Barely noticeable, she hoped.
This girl seemed like someone much older, and far more bitter, stuck in the body of a child- and quite frustrated over that fact. Milo wondered how she'd end up growing, which aspects might change and which would stay or intensify. It was interesting to ponder.
Milo flashed an amused smile when she gave him that look over. It was significant, but he wasn't sure if it was over his own activities and certain ironies around that, or the fact that he'd be more invested thanks to taking regular time out of his life to kick the asses of known shitty punks. Otherwise, he nodded along to what she said.
"Of course. We already have pamphlets lying around, but really, they could use updates and more diversity, and it's not like they're mandatory or all that pushed. Not to mention, they're too… clean. I like education. I don't like respectability politics, because that turns into condescending 'oh, you're not like the other, bad kinds of your race, you're a good version!' very quickly. Sometimes there needs to be a little more insistence with treating others correctly, because it's been lacking for a long time. I'd say we need a mix of a lot of tactics, and we need to be bolder with it in such rapidly changing and adapting times. There's a serious opportunity that can't be allowed to slip by, not with any hesitation or awkwardness."
Milo wasn't one to half-ass passion when it showed up. Although he mellowed himself down otherwise, when in the moment, it tended to be all or nothing. "Anyway," he said, sighing. "This sounds fair and appropriate enough. Welcome to the team, Shay."
Milo flashed an amused smile when she gave him that look over. It was significant, but he wasn't sure if it was over his own activities and certain ironies around that, or the fact that he'd be more invested thanks to taking regular time out of his life to kick the asses of known shitty punks. Otherwise, he nodded along to what she said.
"Of course. We already have pamphlets lying around, but really, they could use updates and more diversity, and it's not like they're mandatory or all that pushed. Not to mention, they're too… clean. I like education. I don't like respectability politics, because that turns into condescending 'oh, you're not like the other, bad kinds of your race, you're a good version!' very quickly. Sometimes there needs to be a little more insistence with treating others correctly, because it's been lacking for a long time. I'd say we need a mix of a lot of tactics, and we need to be bolder with it in such rapidly changing and adapting times. There's a serious opportunity that can't be allowed to slip by, not with any hesitation or awkwardness."
Milo wasn't one to half-ass passion when it showed up. Although he mellowed himself down otherwise, when in the moment, it tended to be all or nothing. "Anyway," he said, sighing. "This sounds fair and appropriate enough. Welcome to the team, Shay."
Shay fell back in a sitting position beside Milo with a long, drawn out sigh. She looked him over again; this time, it was light-hearted. "You're kinda intimidating." Typically, Shay would have kept it to herself, but she didn't see a reason to. What, the bully beater was gonna wail on her for saying he was scary? Sure.
Eroshay didn't leave, even as the silence grew. She had something else to ask, and no way to ask it yet. How did she go about this? She should probably just jump right in. Right. Breathe.
"Your fiance, he'd kill me? Something. My dads told me to stay away and not talk to him, but he doesn't seem too bad. Weird, but not bad. You're biased, though." Shay hadn't looked his way again as she spoke. She stared at the ceiling as if daydreaming as she spoke.
Shay felt she was missing something important on the subject of Vincenzo, but if he were a bad person, she just didn't see it. Not like the rest of the school seemed to. He wasn't harmless, no, but he hadn't given her a reason to hate him. That might change now.
Apparently she wasn't being as cautious over being close to him anymore. Milo accepted this, and opened his notebook to a new page, leaning back and starting to draw out an elegant but thorny rose pattern. "Hm. You're definitely not the first to tell me that." It always made him both a little amused and confused. He was just minding his own business and talking at times like these.
It made him wonder how they'd feel when presented with him actually making an effort to be scary. Well... Really, that was exactly why he was as mindful as he was when not in those situations. His regular behavior intimidated others, and a slip up into even slight true maliciousness could outright damage them. It was difficult. He worked with and around it as much as he could.
He let her sit with him in the quiet comfort of the art club room while he sketched. He'd personally set it up for this purpose, after all. He didn't need to go back to his dorm yet, and he'd be the one to lock up when leaving today. She could stay. Milo wasn't hostile, nor was he overly pressuring in terms of social interaction in general, and just being around him in your off time was like taking a huge break from the rest of the world.
Milo gave Shay a side glance, eyebrows raised. "Kill you? Oh no, no no. Not kill you. It'd likely be outright kidnapping with a side of questionable influence, at best. I'm biased in terms of my own personal feelings, Shay, I don't condone his actions however much I may sympathize with him- and how current things stand, he isn't safe for you in the slightest. That may change in the future, but… your dads are smart. Please, do me a favor and don't approach him without me around. If he approaches you first, then--"
Milo ripped off a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote down his phone number, beautiful script showing even then. He offered it to Shay. "Call or text me about it anytime, yeah? I get it. He's smart, pretty, extremely witty and creative-" He flushed a bit. This wasn't the time to gush. "but not a good option for you to interact with right now. It isn't about you being a kid, or weak, understand? People in general, even the strong ones, have a hard time with him and get hurt, bad."
"I think you're very strong, Shay. Keep yourself and your admirable strength safe. You've got people who'd really miss and struggle without you if anything happened." His expression was very sincere then, not demanding it, but asking and speaking to her with heart. He finished up his complex rose pattern and handed it to her. "Here. Keep it."
It made him wonder how they'd feel when presented with him actually making an effort to be scary. Well... Really, that was exactly why he was as mindful as he was when not in those situations. His regular behavior intimidated others, and a slip up into even slight true maliciousness could outright damage them. It was difficult. He worked with and around it as much as he could.
He let her sit with him in the quiet comfort of the art club room while he sketched. He'd personally set it up for this purpose, after all. He didn't need to go back to his dorm yet, and he'd be the one to lock up when leaving today. She could stay. Milo wasn't hostile, nor was he overly pressuring in terms of social interaction in general, and just being around him in your off time was like taking a huge break from the rest of the world.
Milo gave Shay a side glance, eyebrows raised. "Kill you? Oh no, no no. Not kill you. It'd likely be outright kidnapping with a side of questionable influence, at best. I'm biased in terms of my own personal feelings, Shay, I don't condone his actions however much I may sympathize with him- and how current things stand, he isn't safe for you in the slightest. That may change in the future, but… your dads are smart. Please, do me a favor and don't approach him without me around. If he approaches you first, then--"
Milo ripped off a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote down his phone number, beautiful script showing even then. He offered it to Shay. "Call or text me about it anytime, yeah? I get it. He's smart, pretty, extremely witty and creative-" He flushed a bit. This wasn't the time to gush. "but not a good option for you to interact with right now. It isn't about you being a kid, or weak, understand? People in general, even the strong ones, have a hard time with him and get hurt, bad."
"I think you're very strong, Shay. Keep yourself and your admirable strength safe. You've got people who'd really miss and struggle without you if anything happened." His expression was very sincere then, not demanding it, but asking and speaking to her with heart. He finished up his complex rose pattern and handed it to her. "Here. Keep it."
Shay's eyes widened. "Kidnap?" Shay subconsciously wrapped her arms around her torso and hugged herself tightly, head tilted downward. Milo's words were streaming passed her, blurry and unfocused.
"I --" Shay's voice cracked, forcing her to restart her sentence. For once, she wasn't embarrassed by her blunder. This was all so much, everything was so much. Shay didn't understand any of it. She should have, but she didn't. "I wouldn't disobey my fathers; it's just --I don't get it, Milo." She looked up at the tear of paper, gingerly reaching out for the slip of paper and eyeing it over.
And then, there the changeling was, cutting right to the root of the problem. Strength. Growing pains. Shay's eyes bore into the number before she took out her phone and added it, sending him a quick text to ensure it was correct. When the young girl met Milo's eyes, she had to blink away discouraged tears.
"I don't understand any of this. I'm out of my element," Shay admitted once she'd taken the rose drawing. She wanted to hold it close and wished more than anything that it smelled of roses, too. It was nice to admit it finally out loud to someone. She was out of her element. She was struggling to keep up. She shouldn't have been saying this to a --
What was Milo? Not an enemy, but he was the fiance of someone Shay wasn't supposed to talk to or be around. She was willingly stepping into that mistake. She couldn't tell Klaus or Vito. Supportive as they were, she didn't want them thinking she was more delicate than she already was. Trying to keep up with immortals was tiring, more so when they acknowledged your inability to do so.
"How do you do it? Are you immortal? Super strong? What even are you?"