Post by Vincentia Crowley on Aug 23, 2013 23:24:02 GMT -6
Vin whirled around in a circle. Dummies were hewed in half by Stormcrescent's unnatural black blade. With a growl, she turned and split another dummy from its right shoulder to left hip with a single strike, then twisted the blade and brought it in an arc from in front of her to behind her.
Around her, dummies lay decimated, with their stuffing strewn around the entire gym. It was one of the smaller, less-used ones. Rumor had it that it was cursed and/or haunted--which Vin, in her dark, morbid humor, found hilariously appropriate.
"Maybe you should take a break."
She sighed at the scythe's voice in her head. Sometimes having a sentient weapon was a real pain. "I'm fine."
"You're obviously not. Now go take a break before you spend your family's fortune on repairing and buying new combat practicing dummies."
Vin complied grudgingly, trudging over to the bleachers that surrounded the small, dusty training area. She stomped up the stairs to the very top, propping the scythe up between the bleacher below her and the wall behind her, then sitting down and curling up on the seat, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them to her chest.
The scythe was quiet. It was obviously an invitation to talk.
"My day started out alright, you know? I mean, it wasn't that great. I didn't have any Operation Nevermore practice today due to some weird gap in my schedule, so I was getting a lot of free time. Which is usually pretty fun, right? I just go to the library and turn in overtime or curl up and read." She sighed, shutting her eyes. "But then my parents call me home. And you know what that means."
"Something serious. Raven Lotuses have a history of not getting along with their parents."
"Right." She sighed, rocking back and forth.
"Go on."
"So I go home and they're not even there to greet me. My nanny's there, though, and she pulls me away to go dress up. Again, not a good sign. And she wouldn't tell me why, but she did my makeup and hair and stuffed me in a dress."
A feeling of sympathy radiated from the scythe. Raven Lotuses also had a history of not liking makeup or dresses, whether female or male.
"She was being so excited and talking about how I was growing up. And then she led me to the parlor. You've been in there, right? Well, it turns out Aaron was there--that asshole I told you about?--well..."
There was a pause.
"Well?"
"Apparently he arranged for the two of us to be married."
Another pause.
"...If I wasn't dead and a scythe I would hug you."
Vin smiled weakly at the weapon.
"I take it that things got worse. You're usually pretty good about this stuff."
She didn't respond.
"Vin? It's alright. You can tell me."
Vincentia licked her lips and went on, voice considerably less strong than before. "And so he started dragging me around town and... stuff. And then he brought me to the edge of the city and..."
The telepathic equivalent of a heartfelt glance. "He blew something up, didn't he."
She nodded. One eye cracked open and looked down at the tailcoat she had on--Aaron's tailcoat. She'd managed to avoid him since then, but she hadn't taken off the coat. She wasn't entirely sure why.
"Oh, dearie. Don't be so sad."
"How can I not? I've failed the Ninth entirely."
There was the telepathic equivalent of a sigh. "Well, every Raven Lotus has to have something to live for."
"But..."
"Hush. See, the thing is, if the Raven Lotus cared about nothing in this world, they would slowly become more and more reckless. Eventually, they'd basically just kill themselves off after only a few years of the position or go completely insane--although that usually happens anyway. The Ninth can't have Lotuses keeling over left and right, though. It causes huge amounts of political turmoil with every turnover and uff. Just a huge amount of paperwork, you know? Besides, we're human. You've got the right ideal, Vin. You've strove for it every moment of your devotion to the Ninth and you've embodied it the best you can. But there's no way you can be perfect... only a god can."
Silence. Vin closed her eyes and sat in the quietude of her own thoughts.
Have I been working for an impossible goal? Or, at least, a goal that would bring me death? But death would mean that I would join the Ninth. That's what I want. But do I really want to be a burden by dying so early into my term as a Lotus? Would I serve the Ninth better as the embodiment of her will here, or another dead servant?
Suddenly, unbidden, footsteps interrupted her reprieve. She could hear them climbing the stairs, halting in front of her. She had a feeling she knew who it was without looking. There was only one person who'd been stalking her incorrigibly lately.
"Go away," she muttered, leaning her forehead against her knees so that she was even more curled up than before.
Around her, dummies lay decimated, with their stuffing strewn around the entire gym. It was one of the smaller, less-used ones. Rumor had it that it was cursed and/or haunted--which Vin, in her dark, morbid humor, found hilariously appropriate.
"Maybe you should take a break."
She sighed at the scythe's voice in her head. Sometimes having a sentient weapon was a real pain. "I'm fine."
"You're obviously not. Now go take a break before you spend your family's fortune on repairing and buying new combat practicing dummies."
Vin complied grudgingly, trudging over to the bleachers that surrounded the small, dusty training area. She stomped up the stairs to the very top, propping the scythe up between the bleacher below her and the wall behind her, then sitting down and curling up on the seat, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them to her chest.
The scythe was quiet. It was obviously an invitation to talk.
"My day started out alright, you know? I mean, it wasn't that great. I didn't have any Operation Nevermore practice today due to some weird gap in my schedule, so I was getting a lot of free time. Which is usually pretty fun, right? I just go to the library and turn in overtime or curl up and read." She sighed, shutting her eyes. "But then my parents call me home. And you know what that means."
"Something serious. Raven Lotuses have a history of not getting along with their parents."
"Right." She sighed, rocking back and forth.
"Go on."
"So I go home and they're not even there to greet me. My nanny's there, though, and she pulls me away to go dress up. Again, not a good sign. And she wouldn't tell me why, but she did my makeup and hair and stuffed me in a dress."
A feeling of sympathy radiated from the scythe. Raven Lotuses also had a history of not liking makeup or dresses, whether female or male.
"She was being so excited and talking about how I was growing up. And then she led me to the parlor. You've been in there, right? Well, it turns out Aaron was there--that asshole I told you about?--well..."
There was a pause.
"Well?"
"Apparently he arranged for the two of us to be married."
Another pause.
"...If I wasn't dead and a scythe I would hug you."
Vin smiled weakly at the weapon.
"I take it that things got worse. You're usually pretty good about this stuff."
She didn't respond.
"Vin? It's alright. You can tell me."
Vincentia licked her lips and went on, voice considerably less strong than before. "And so he started dragging me around town and... stuff. And then he brought me to the edge of the city and..."
The telepathic equivalent of a heartfelt glance. "He blew something up, didn't he."
She nodded. One eye cracked open and looked down at the tailcoat she had on--Aaron's tailcoat. She'd managed to avoid him since then, but she hadn't taken off the coat. She wasn't entirely sure why.
"Oh, dearie. Don't be so sad."
"How can I not? I've failed the Ninth entirely."
There was the telepathic equivalent of a sigh. "Well, every Raven Lotus has to have something to live for."
"But..."
"Hush. See, the thing is, if the Raven Lotus cared about nothing in this world, they would slowly become more and more reckless. Eventually, they'd basically just kill themselves off after only a few years of the position or go completely insane--although that usually happens anyway. The Ninth can't have Lotuses keeling over left and right, though. It causes huge amounts of political turmoil with every turnover and uff. Just a huge amount of paperwork, you know? Besides, we're human. You've got the right ideal, Vin. You've strove for it every moment of your devotion to the Ninth and you've embodied it the best you can. But there's no way you can be perfect... only a god can."
Silence. Vin closed her eyes and sat in the quietude of her own thoughts.
Have I been working for an impossible goal? Or, at least, a goal that would bring me death? But death would mean that I would join the Ninth. That's what I want. But do I really want to be a burden by dying so early into my term as a Lotus? Would I serve the Ninth better as the embodiment of her will here, or another dead servant?
Suddenly, unbidden, footsteps interrupted her reprieve. She could hear them climbing the stairs, halting in front of her. She had a feeling she knew who it was without looking. There was only one person who'd been stalking her incorrigibly lately.
"Go away," she muttered, leaning her forehead against her knees so that she was even more curled up than before.