❀❀❀ LEGEND OF LUNARIA FLATSALE #1
Username : Flying Dicks
Lunarian Name : Sumiko
Path : Priest
Personality : Cold, Callous- Especially when it comes to nobles, Sumiko is often regarded as heartless for her utter lack of regard and emotion when it comes to others.
Spiritual- Sumiko and her family have a deeply religious history, and she continues to honor that heritage by living her life piously.
Endearing- Though cold to outsiders, once Sumiko has grown to trust someone she softens considerably. This gives her a vastly split reputation amongst classmates, some who she favors and others whom she does not.
Romantic- A trait Sumiko dislikes about herself is that she is romantic to a fault. Not merely as in wishing to be seen as a woman and to be loved, but she finds herself romanticizing things all the time, even war. She berates herself, saying that a woman who finds beauty in death could never find love in life.
Fearful- Hidden by Sumiko's cold attitude is a vast repertoire of fears, some irrational and some very rational indeed. A trait fostered by a strict upbringing and lack of mollycoddling by her parents.
History : Sumiko is an only child, one who grew up in a middle-sized shrine run by her parents. She was expected to carry their torch after they passed, and so her mother raised her with the dedication and reservations of a Priestess, and her father imparted his knowledge in ancient, natural medicines. Of course, though it all she had to attend the Academy and this led to her having to juggle many aspects of her life.
Her parents were very strict, though she loved them, they would often punish her for showing fear in any instance. They said that fear wasn't something she, as someone who aspired to honor their Goddess, should ever show. Not only that, but that it was a trait unbecoming to a woman of her stature. Sumiko became a very withdrawn, quiet child as she matured and did excellent in the academic aspects of school... But not quite as well in the social ones. She did gather a small circle of friends, based on their spiritual similarities and appreciation of the world their Goddess had granted them.
Unfortunately, as time went on and Sumiko matured, so did the conflict that had been resting for ages beneath their feet. Her parents held an undying loyalty to the Emperor, holding nearly as high a reverence for him as for their Goddess- attributing his long reign as a sign that he was truly chosen and favored by their holy maiden. Sumiko, of course, followed in their footsteps- while she doubted that the Goddess would dabble in day to day politics, she knew that their government allowed them to live their relatively comfortable life, and felt that such a system surely held similar benefits for others.
It was not long after Sumiko and her parents made that vow that it was tested.
As a family, Sumiko and her parents were all generally introverts, but of course trips to town could not be avoided forever. Since it was somewhat of a rarity, it was a given that whenever they ventured into town they would stop at the Oishiburo bathhouse and have a relaxing, hot bath. It was during one of these retreats that their alliance was tested.
Sumiko and her mother were relaxing on the women-only side of the bathhouse, and in a rare moment of tenderness, Sumiko's mother was washing her hair for her. She complimented Sumiko on the soft shade of it, musing over how her own hair was once as beautiful, and oh what a wonderful bride she'd make... Blushing furiously at the thought, "M-Mom!.." was all Sumiko managed to stammer out before their rare moment of bonding was interrupted.
A large splash, and the crash of a bucket falling to the floor could be heard from the men's bath, shortly followed by her father's screaming,
"Oh yeah?! Well then lets see just how 'Noble' you are, you treacherous pig!", followed shortly with another man's retort, "Feh! You think you have a chance, old Priest? Look at you! You have no shame!" In the excitement, her father's towel had fallen, and the public announcement of this lead to a heavy chorus of laughter from the other side.
Sumiko and her mother quickly got dressed, and her mother ran with Sumiko in tow to retrieve the now thoroughly shamed Priest. As they realized their lack of forethought, Sumiko turned bright red and covered her face with her hands, as her mother marched over defiantly and grabbed the old man and his clothes.
The instigator, now revealed to be a young, smug noble, couldn't resist getting in another taunt; "What!? Now you've got to have your woman and child come save you? I see now what kind of people our Emperor has supporting him! You're incompetent! A fool! Good for nothing! A man with no pride!.." The insults continued, fading away as the family collected themselves and retreated.
Sumiko's father dried and dressed quickly, hiding his face in light of the public shame he'd been subjected to, and they quickly went back home to the safety of their shrine. None of them thinking about the time- how the beautiful moon rose in the sky, bringing with it a death sentence.
It wasn't hard to find where they lived. Shrines were well known, and easily recognizable fixtures in the city. In the middle of the night, after Sumiko and her family were asleep, the troublemaking nobles from the bathhouse snuck in. Nobody, in light of the awkwardness of the days events, had latched the doors and the bells hung on the sliding panels that were meant to ward off evil spirits had no effect on other Lunarians- even ones with ill intent.
The smug noble, along with two of his friends, originally entered with the intent to pull some prank, to have some harmless fun.. But once they entered, and saw how easy it would be to eliminate yet another foolish family of legion allies... They could not resist.
Sumiko awoke to the screams of her mother, and she ran to her aid as quick as she could- yet she found herself face to face with three 'noble' bastards instead. Behind them, tatami mats dyed red with the blood spilt from her mother and father's throats. "I-I-I... It's YOU! The guy from the bathhouse!.." Sumiko, shocked and disgusted, seemed only capable of stating the obvious. "Yes.. Yes it is 'me', from the bathhouse. We.." Looking back and motioning to his accomplices, "..just wanted to come give you honorless whelps a good funeral. You know, re-acquaint you with that Goddess you love so damned much." The boy looked over Sumiko's bed-robed body, causing her to blush and cross her arms as she noticed what he was doing. "But you... You know, we shouldn't let your.. features.. go to waste, my dear. After all, what greater shame could be had by a young aspiring priestess? Impregnated, out of wedlock... and by a noble? Why, I'd be doing a disservice to my country to let such an opportunity go to waste!"
Sumiko had long since stopped listening. Her face, as she took in the fact that her family was dead, changed from one to embarrassment to one of rage. In an instant, all her years of spiritual training seemed to be so worth it, so rewarding.. as she looked at her enemies face and saw their souls.
Feeling a bit of a pang, the two accomplices shifted a bit, nervously, and the leader.. "H-huh.. Of course, a magic user! She lives in a shrine, how could she not know... magic...?" His speech slowed as Sumiko's rage instilled within them a certain type of fear. A deeper fear than they had ever known. Fear fueled by rage, by betrayal, by sorrow.
A hard swallow, one that could be heard clear across the room, was the last noise that 'noble' leader made before fleeing, his allies in tow. Sumiko blacked out, drained by the act of using something she wasn't yet meant to, and by the loss of her family.
It took her some days to collect herself. To clean up the mess left by the bodies, and to arrange a 'burial' ceremony for them. She became the head of her household, and inherited the spiritual burden that had been placed on her families' shoulders every day. Soon enough, she returned to school. Colder, quieter, she didn't really tell anyone why what happened had happened. "This is war," She would say; "Killing needs no explanation. This is war.... and it is beautiful."
Prompt : Quote:
With the moon reflecting brilliantly against inky surface of the Gu Jian River, the Lunar Festival is finally drawing to a close. Hundreds of Lunarians have gathered at the river’s banks, carrying in their arms the lanterns that once hung from the paper chains throughout the Imperial City’s marketplace. One by one, they set the lantern on the surface of the water and give it a light push, sending it bobbing on the river’s light current. Heads bowed in prayer, they say one last good bye to the dead. You and your family/posse/friends notice that your lantern collides a bit with the one floating beside it. Looking over you see that the lantern belong to a noble/legion family/posse/group. You're a little bit irritated that you have to share the night with them for once and the water with their stupid little lantern-- though it probably because of the wind-- dared to bump into yours. You figure it was an irrational feeling of dislike but you're caught staring at the other group anyway. What do you do?
Sumiko had stepped away from her friends and classmates, coming to this festival alone, on purpose. Her story was one that she did not want to share with anyone, anyone but her parents, anyways. Unfortunately.. her solace had been intruded on. 'Nobles,' she thought, 'Why can't they just leave me alone? Tonight, of all nights..' She glanced over at the group to see that it was the very same collection of Nobles who had brought an early end to her family. The ones who destroyed the fragile home Sumiko had lived in her whole life... She couldn't help but stare.
She was noticed.. By the leader of the group no less. "Hey.. it's you! You're that girl! The one with that cowardly pig of a fathe-" "SHUT UP! Just shut up!" Sumiko cried in response. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her cheeks reddened. To think she'd have to confront these beasts, these cretins, and on a night like this.
Two of Sumiko's friends, having heard the scream, came running down the riverbed, towards her. One began to speak, "Sumiko, what's wrong..?" but she was quickly silenced by a harsh glare in her direction.
"You... you dogs! You monsters! You beasts! With no respect for life, much less dignity or morals! You.. What is it like to be such an uncultured piece of filth?" Sumiko's rage was building again, a cold tug being felt in the minds of all those around her as her training rose up, unbidden.
Nervously, the leader tried to cover his rear, "H-hey... C'mon now, no need for that again.. It's war, you know..? Just war.. Nothing.. p-p-personal..." faced once more with that feeling, he and his friends backed up a few paces. "We wont.. we wont tell anyone... Ah-I mean we haven't.. "
"Liars!" Sumiko rose up, taking a few marching steps closer to them, with her friends petrified behind her- They'd never seen her act like this before. "I see the way people you... associate with look at me. I've seen it. Felt the laughs they hide back behind their eyes, as they remember the shame you imparted upon my family.. Most certainly you've told them of your threats to me, as well..? Were I such scum as you, I'd tell them you were too impotent for the task.." Her mouth contorted into a sickening grin, "It's war... war indeed... Isn't it grand? Don't you love the feeling..? The hatred? The power..?"
"Lady.. you're creeping me out.." The leader shook his head, regaining a bit of his composure, or attempting to, at least. "Look.. we'll just.. we'll leave, okay? The festival is over anyways, and.. and you're not worth the trouble! .. C'mon, guys.." Turning around, the bunch felt a final pang of fear, like a stab into their hearts, echoed by Sumiko's words "Yes.. Leave. Don't desecrate such a sacred event with your presence any longer! Fools... "
As they left, Sumiko collapsed onto her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. The cold air of terror blew away with the wind, and her friends rushed to her side. "Are you.. are you okay?" Sumiko shook her head lightly, continuing to sob, whispering "..fools.. fools.. fools.." and referring not only to the Nobles.. but her parents. Leaving her, barely a woman, to fend for herself. After a few minutes, she wiped her tears, sniffled, and collected herself. She had an image to uphold, after all.. and there was school tomorrow. School... where she would learn even more techniques for making Noble louts like those regret their choice forevermore.
((Whew. Sorry for the long history, but the history and prompt answer combined are still under the word limit I think, so I hope its alright! *hasn't rped in a while..* ))
200
250
200
