family m a t t e r s {kaia/open}

[sarabi]

Sarabi had been wandering about all that Saturday in a complete daze over a letter she had gotten that morning at breakfast. She was thankful it had not come on a school day, otherwise she might have done very poorly in her classes indeed. The letter had informed her that her biological father, Jacques Gillette, was suing for custody of her. Sarabi wasn't sure what to think, she had only been around him a couple of times in her life, the msot recent time being when they had had tea together on Boxing Day.

Her relations with her biological father certainly weren't what she would call comfortable, as Sarabi had no idea what it was like to have a father figure. Try as he might, Blaise seemed awkward around her, having no idea how to parent a girl that wasn't really his daughter. Sarabi sighed, she was far too confused, she was even too lost in thought to hear the sound of footsteps coming from around the corner.

[kaia]

Kaia exited her dormitory and was rounding the corner when she spotted her half-sister, Sarabi, standing in the middle of the corridor. "Hello Sarabi," Kaia said warmly, though she was a bit confused as to why her sister, who was a Gryffindor, would be down in the basements. Perhaps Sarabi was just roaming, though; Kaia did that sometimes as well. "What brings you down here?" Kaia asked curiously.

[sarabi]

"Oh, um, hi Kaia," said Sarabi, being jerked out of her train of thought by the sound of her half-sister's voice. Out of everyone in the family, Kaia was probably her favourite, although she felt guilty for preferring one of her siblings over the others. But Sarabi knew that Hyperion didn't like her much, and she never really saw Zahra. "I was just thinking and my feet decided to take me here," Sarabi responded, knowing in the back of her mind that Kaia of all people would be able to tell that something wasn't quite right.

[kaia]

Kaia nodded, but she noticed that Sarabi, who was usually very sure of herself, seemed a bit troubled that day. Something was clearly bothering her, though Kaia couldn't think of what it could be. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, trying to sound simply curious instead of like she instinctively knew something was wrong with her half-sister.

[sarabi]

Not wanting to keep secrets from her older sister, who might even be able to help, Sarabi decided that she was going to tell. She just needed to find the appropriate words, that was all. She peered down at her shoes a moment before looking up at Kaia once again, her eyes clearly reflecting the confusion and the unsteadiness she was feeling. "My dad- my biological one- is suing for custody of me," Sarabi said quietly.

[kaia]

Kaia simply stared at Sarabi for a moment, half hoping that her half-sister would pipe up and say "just kidding". When Sarabi was silent, Kaia knew that she was entirely serious. Kaia let out a long sigh. "Wow," she said quietly, not knowing what else to say. "Does Mom know yet?" Kaia didn't know what would ever happen if Jacques was suing for custody, but it probably wouldn't be good. Either way, Kaia would do all that she could to get Sarabi to be able to stay with the Zabini's. She just didn't really know what she could do.

[sarabi]

Sarabi nodded, her expression grim. "I got sent a copy of the lawsuit this morning at breakfast," said she, "along with a note from Mum. There's going to be a hearing in June before school lets out." She sighed, eyes traveling down to her shoes. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about the whole thing. She just hoped that she would get some say in the process, as this was, after all, about her. "I'm not sure what to think, he is my real father, he has every right to see me as much as Blaise," Sarabi added.

[kaia]

Kaia nodded slowly, glad that at least Sarabi had notified their mother of the lawsuit. "What I don't understand is why he's doing this now," Kaia said, still a bit confused about the whole thing. "Mum and Dad have always let you visit him, but he doesn't often ask. Plus, you're fourteen now; why didn't he do this when you were younger?" Kaia decided that she didn't understand Jacques in the slightest. Who would file a lawsuit over custody of a child he had previously seemed uninterested in?

[sarabi]

She shrugged, making her slightly curled red tresses bounce a bit with her movements. Sarabi was not a natural redhead, she had been dying her hair from its previous blonde state since she was thirteen and her mother had allowed her to begin dying it. But as of now, she was a bit preoccupied with the impending lawsuit rather than her hair. "You've got me, I haven't a clue, it's not like he's been terribly interested in me before now," said Sarabi.

[kaia]

"No, not really," Kaia replied with a short nod to her sister. She made a face in confusion, still trying to figure why Jacques would pick now, of all times, to try to gain custody of Sarabi. It just didn't make sense to Kaia. What could he be after? "Well, no matter what happens, you're still my sister," Kaia said, giving Sarabi a hug.

[sarabi]

Sarabi hugged Kaia back, thankful for the embrace. Perhaps something like that was what she had been looking for all day as she had blindly stumbled about the castles in a daze. Truth be told, the boisterous and adventurous Sarabi was scared. If she thought about it, her future was at stake, so much could change as a result of the case. She didn't want to be separated from her siblings, but she did suppose her father had every right to see her- she was half his. "Thank you," Sarabi whispered, her eyes lightly stinging.

[kaia]

Kaia nodded, pretending not to notice that Sarabi's eyes were watering a bit. She figured that her younger sister was scared; Kaia knew that she would feel the same. She did, actually. Kaia didn't want her sister to have to leave, even though she knew that Jacques did have a right to see Sarabi. She just hoped that the two families could figure all of this out without too much arguing. Kaia didn't want to see anyone hurt. "No problem," Kaia said in reply, hoping she wouldn't start to cry.

[sarabi]

Sarabi attempted a smile, but it looked a bit too strained on her face, as if she were forcing it to be there, which she was doing. She turned her head away a moment so she could rub her eyes with the backs of her hands. Sarabi didn't want to start crying. It wouldn't be the end of the world if Jacques won custody of her, but she didn't want to leave her siblings. Although she did suppose that Hyperion wouldn't care if she were gone.

[kaia]

Kaia smiled back encouragingly at Sarabi, not knowing what else she could say at this point. She didn't think she needed to tell her sister any more than she already had. Kaia would miss Sarabi terribly if Jacques won custody of her, but at least Sarabi could still come to Hogwarts. Well, Kaia was fairly sure that she could, but she wasn't familiar with the whole custody process. "Do you want to do anything today?" Kaia asked kindly when Sarabi turned back around.

[sarabi]

"Yes," Sarabi answered without much hesitation, she most definitely wanted something to keep her mind off of what was going on. It would be nice to not think about it, but she wasn't sure if there was an activity in the world that would take away those thoughts. And then it hit her, she found herself marveling that it had taken her so long to think of it. "I'm going to go take my broom out for a fly, why don't you come with me?" Sarabi added. That was unless Kaia had a ton of homework, Sarabi didn't want to interrupt her.