Another sigh escaped Ariel, but this time, it wore away the frown that had claimed her face. A tiny smile, barely an upturn of her lips but noticeably sparkling in her eyes, spread in its wake. It was like there was a knot building in her stomach, and it suddenly released; a cool wave spread throughout her body even though she hadn't realized how tense she had been over the evolving situation. [i]Thank you, father, and any of you others that may have been watching us,[/i] she thought. She turned slightly, just to check on what might happen with Press walking toward Walker, and was pleased to see it was nothing more than a reprimand. She would probably get to trying to convince him not to pester Adrian in the future, but for now - it looked like everything was relatively calm and cared for.

She turned back and - despite her brother's pleas for her to just sit back down and eat - headed over to the Ares table. Mean or not, he still just broke a tray with his fist. She stopped relatively near him, subconsciously stopping outside of arm's reach. "Pardon me, but may I please see your hand? It should be examined for broken bones and other damage that may prevent use." She offered him a soft smile, and held out her own hand slightly as a physical indication of her request.