|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:39 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:47 pm
 |
|
|
|
Since Bloodfest, the Civisect boardwalk had returned to its new normal – a hum of constant tourist activity. Faint sounds of registered buskers and professional ensembles tittered through the air. The artificial atmosphere was encouraged by the leaders of the prominent city. Keep out the riff-raff, the performers and the hiveless (hostels and the like were shoved into the overpriced midblood district and had a difficult time already staying open), usher in an experience. Civisect was a technologically advanced theme park.
Aerona sat with Sophitia on one of the Boardwalk’s many benches. Bright colors of souvenirs and saccharine candy floated by with their respective trolls while she waited, wearing her unseasonably warm Busthind outfit and waiting with a hitch in her breath for her invited guest to arrive. It was anyone’s guess if she would show up. She had sent her a formal letter (Sophitia had assisted her in her penmanship), but who knew how mail was delivered underwater? And even still, why would a royal troll respond to a message from a lowblood? It was thoroughly demoralizing.
Lorata lived in the Ocean, a fitting fact. Everything horrible lived in the Ocean. Aerona barely knew how to swim, herself, and her fears were aggravated by brightmares and reminders of her encounter with the seadweller at Bloodfest. Sitting on the bench was simply a reminder of everything wrong with the moment. The festival, the ocean, Lorata. She had no way of approaching her hive, however, and upon persistent urging by Sophitia, Aerona had given in. It was time to apologize.
Making her way down the city was slow and dreadful. Relegated to the redblood quarters of the train, staying in the same cramped hostel she’d nearly bled out in – Aerona even stood out like a sore thumb now. Her constant red blush and peppering of freckles across her face made her a target. Aerona was painfully aware of this. She had never before cared about the stares while she wandered through the city, or the segregation of public works. She used the facts as fuel for a vicious fire, playing pranks and releasing her energy through playing rough on the mountain. Now, the same gazes, slurs and inconveniences made her feel vulnerable. There were only a few other lowbloods around. They physically couldn’t live in the city. They were not welcome. Neither was she, but here she was anyway ready to kiss the dress hem of the troll whose lusus had bitten straight through her arm.
So, Aerona waited. “I dunno about this…” She mumbled. Sophitia offered a soothing coo and gave her a pat on the leg. She frowned and clutched at her arm.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 11:06 pm
|
|
|
 |
Lorata lifted her goggles away from her eyes, settling them in front of her horns, and shook her head fiercely. It wouldn’t be enough to get all of the water out, she knew, but it would take enough weight off her hair to give her curls back their usual bounce, and really that was all she was after. Normally she would have taken the time to make sure she was well and dry before venturing off on whatever adventure had caught her fancy that night, but tonight she had business that was very out of the ordinary and she was entirely too curious to wait.
The little seadweller paused long enough to watch her lusus rise out of the ocean behind her, and then set off across the sand towards the boardwalk that even now drew in tourists to Civisect City, though Bloodfest had passed. The fact of the matter was, she could count on her fins how many letters she'd ever received and so the newest one had garnered ten times as much interest than it otherwise might have.
There had been so many possibilities to consider before she'd even opened the thing. It could have been a note from a secret admirer, for instance! Or maybe a coded message from a spy, one that only she could decipher to save all of Alternia! The scenarios this one little letter could begin were endless! When she'd finally gotten it open (settled above the waves on a city pier, where there was no fear of the paper mushing), she'd taken in the very formal request to meet, the very red signature at the bottom, and wondered.
Aerona Scrall, it had said. She wondered if she was supposed to know the name. But there were only a couple of redbloods she could remember ever actually speaking to, and only one that stood out in her mind. Sniffing with remembered disdain, Lorata shook her head again. There was no way it would be that girl, not after how soundly MeduMa had sent her running. She could think of absolutely no good reason that stupid redblood might want to meet her and she-
Could ask her what it was, apparently, because there she was, right where the letter had asked to meet. The seadweller paused, considering, and then strode forward with her chin lifted. With Aerona sitting, it was even easier to look down her nose at her. "Alright, I'm here. What do you want?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:15 am
|
|
|
|
Suddenly, there she was. That was it. Aerona flushed bright red, and immediately her eyes darted over to her lusus for support. Sophitia was calm, but her vision was downcast. A shiver slipped up the redblood’s back, sending her into an unpleasant jolt. She cleared her throat. Channel Sophitia. It’s what her lusus wanted. She would do her best to try. Aerona stood up off of the bench and adjusted her hat. Her fingers retreated to carefully tugging at the bottom of her jacket as the unavoidable sight of Lorata’s enormous, deadly lusus floated behind her like a parade balloon.
Aerona tried to sense support from her lusus. A small nod came from the crustacean. Sophitia’s shell had finally begun to harden. It was all the reminder she needed that she had to play it cool, even after her apology. Finally, she managed a squeak.
“My – I … I came here to apologize to you.” Aerona began. She turned slightly to Sophitia, who had removed herself from the bench and who was still looking meekly at the cement beneath her chitinous legs. “I came to apologize for what happened at Bloodfest. I’m sorry.” Aerona finished off her concession with a sharp little bow, her words accelerating towards the finish. Let it be done. Let her never have to see this girl again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 2:16 pm
|
|
|
|
"You're sorry?" No, this was definitely not one of the scenarios that had crossed Lorata's mind, and she was more than a little thrown off by it. The redblood she remembered had been an awful, taunting and violent thing. MeduMa had put her in her place, but she hadn't expected her to actually learn her lesson. The villains in her stories never did, after all, they only got culled in the end like they deserved. The girl standing in front of her didn't seem like any of those things, now, though. She just seemed...meek.
She could think of two possibilities, well probably more actually, but two most likely possibilities. Either Aerona was trying to trick her somehow, or she was actually sorry for being a terrible troll. And if it was the latter...Lorata squinted, trying to see past all the red in her face, and found herself coming to a potentially very exciting conclusion. But first she had to do a little fishing, make sure it wasn't a trick after all.
The seadweller crossed her arms, tilted her head just so, and smiled. "Go on, then. What are you sorry for?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 4:27 pm
|
|
|
|
Aerona’s fears were realized. She stood there, clutching her hands together and waiting for Lorata’s response. The seadweller seemed to be looking at her, sizing her up. Aerona could only describe it as predatory. She pursed her lips in preparation, trying to come up with a plan for whatever would come next. She had gone over every sort of possibility in her mind trying to prepare her for a conversation with this seadweller, but it all seemed to slip away from her now. She was standing face to face with something bigger than she could understand. And, for once, she felt like Sophitia wasn’t there to protect her.
Lorata’s words went right past Aerona before she could catch up. The redblood caught her smile, and innocent gaze. Poisoned with a sense of superiority, of course. Blackness bubbled up inside of Aerona, but her fear won out. She looked from Lorata to her lusus, to Sophitia, and back again. She had no choice, and hopefully the choice she made would be better for her.
“I’m sorry for… Being mean to you… At Bloodfest.” Aerona began. It wasn’t enough. Sophitia gave her a push with one of her claws, nipping Aerona’s arm. She had to appeal to this purpleblood. She had to get her off of her case. “For stepping… Out of line.”
Out of place, more like it. Above her caste. Aerona wanted to vomit. She had lost her spine, but she also felt like she was betraying her blood color. She was selling out, and for what? She knew the answer. She was selling out to live.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:50 pm
|
|
|
|
"You were very out of line," Lorata agreed, nodding as sagely as she could manage though she was near to bursting with delight. "But I'm so glad you finally realized how wrong you were! If you'd kept going like that, you'd have been culled for sure, and just think of the all the chances you'd have missed out on!" She reached out to pat Aerona's arm sympathetically. "But it's okay, you don't have to worry about that now, because I've decided that I'm going to forgive you."
A couple of quick steps forward brought her alongside the redblood and as she made to sit on the bench, she wrapped a hand around Aerona's elbow in attempt to tug her back down with her. "In fact, I've decided to keep helping you! You've made lots of progress, but I think we can do even better together." Lorata smiled sweetly at her new project and MeduMa drifted slightly closer to account for the change in position. "Don't you think so?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 4:29 pm
|
|
|
|
"Um... Yeah," Aerona muttered. She wasn't entirely sure where Lorata was going with this, but the apology seemed to be going well. However, she still couldn't shake the sense that something else was going on. Highbloods. They always had an ulterior motive. Give you a pat on the head, then turn around and expect you to thank them for not culling you. Aerona cleared her throat and realized that Lorata was reaching for her injured arm.
Her eyelids popped open. It took every single shred of willpower inside of her not to yank her arm away, hoping that Lorata was satisfied. She just said she forgave her -- what else did she want? Sophitia remained silent, and Aerona's blood pusher began to race. This reeked of danger. Everything inside of Aerona told her to run. To proclaim a mistaken identity and get out of there, away from the child and her lusus. She came to the beach afraid of her guardian, but now something in Lorata's smile paralyzed Aerona.
She numbly found herself being pulled onto the bench. Lorata had taken hold now, but what she said now made Aerona start. "Even..." Better? Aerona tried to pull away now, but MeduMa's tentacles were closing in. Her eyes flickered between her many heads and Aerona's chin wobbled. No signs of movement from her lusus. "H-how? I don't know... What you're talking about..." Aerona pleaded. "I mean, I--" she tried to work up her old charm, "I think I'm all better... I don't need help any more, so..." She tried to subtly tug her arm away from Lorata.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:01 pm
|
|
|
|
"What?" Lorata tilted her head, looking puzzled for a second, and then giggled as if she'd only just understood the punchline to some joke. "Oh, don't be silly. Of course you're not good enough yet! That's what you've got me for now." Maybe, she decided, it was just hard for the redblood to wrap her mind around how lucky she was in that regard. She supposed she could understand that, it really must have seemed too good to be true, being forgiven and given a chance at greatness both in such a short time.
"It's going to be a lot of fun, though, Aerona. You'll see!" The seadweller finally released Aerona's arm in order to wave hers in demonstration of just how much there would be to see. "We'll go shopping for really cool outfits, and we'll figure out what kind of story fits you best, and then we'll start your training! That might be hard, but I'm sure you'll get through it since you have such a great coach, right?" She glanced back Aerona's face expectantly for a reaction to this good news, but then got carried away again.
"I wonder what you should do. Are you any good at anything? It's alright if you're not, I can think up something really great for you to do, you'll see. Something really really inspiring for everyone!" She paused suddenly, considering her captive audience's face a little more attentively, and then hummed. "Ah! We should get makeup when we go shopping too, make sure you don't forget, okay? It might not matter toooo much in the end, but it's no good being so red in the beginning."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:49 am
|
|
|
|
Sophitia seemed to settle, much to Aerona’s chagrin. As Lorata went on, her strange words and confusing ideas had Aerona in a tizzy. As she put the pieces together, she looked more directly at her seadwelling companion. Lorata had an air of confidence and nothing to back it up but pomp and circumstance – Aerona was her first victim in this ludicrous game. Whatever she was playing at, it was clear that her goal was to create a trophy for herself, and that trophy was an unwitting lowblood eager to reform. A taste of bile tinged Aerona’s tongue. She was released (though she could not escape), now sitting quietly and watching Lorata’s grand gestures.
Shopping? Training? Aerona’s boldness seeped back in as her curiosity grew and her fear receded. She was in a precarious position, but knowing that Lorata needed her to prove something made Aerona feel more secure. But if she played along, she’d be locked in for sure.
“What would I be, some kinda performer or something?” Aerona asked. All of this talk about outfits and training made her think of the circus – violent purplebloods included. She spared her “talents” for Lorata, but fortunately she was already off about something else of interest.
Aerona’s freckles. Reflexively, the redblood covered her nose and cheeks with her hands. “What’s wrong with being red?” She exclaimed, blushing past the covering of her face. Sophitia gave her a stern hiss at her outburst suddenly, and Aerona whipped around in horror. The moment of eye contact between child and lusus was definitive. Sophitia knew her and Aerona’s place. Lorata was here to teach her that. Stunned, she was unable to find words for a further retort. There was a spot between self-protection and subordination that she couldn’t place without fear, and if she didn’t learn it fast she was culled. Or worse, a pet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:09 pm
|
|
|
|
Lorata startled at Aerona's outburst and then frowned, shooting a confused glance from her half-covered and now even more red face to Sophitia and then back again. The seadweller had lost too much steam now to launch back into answering the question with as much enthusiasm as she'd had before, but it pretty obviously needed answering. "Well," she settled on finally, drawing out the first word thoughtfully, "isn't that kind of obvious?"
She'd sort of thought it was, but maybe Aerona didn't get it? That wasn't quite as promising as she'd hoped, and didn't bode particularly well for training. How many sweeps had she had to understand how the Hemospectrum worked, anyway? Oh well, she'd figured out well enough that she needed to come apologize, and her lusus was obviously still trying to get her into better shape. Lorata would help her further along the way, and the difficulty of the challenge would make the victory even better!
"I mean, like I was saying, maybe later when you're done training to be better and all, people will look past it. You'll have earned your place by then! But right now..." She gave a little 'what can you do' shrug. "No one's going to expect much at all from a redblood, are they? Your blood's just so warm!" And the less lowblood she seemed, the easier it would be to build her up into something statue-worthy. She just knew there was something there.
Sypon I'm sorry I let meta distract me so looong
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 4:31 pm
|
|
|
|
“You’re…” Aerona sputtered. Behind her hands, her lip twitched. This was the definitive moment. The moment where, much earlier in her childhood, she might have struck out. Her lusus wouldn’t protect her now, of course. Her terror had long subsided, but quiet fury had replaced it. Hate for everything that Lorata stood for, the way her lusus was treated and how her subservience commanded Aerona to submit. Dark bubbles of disgust simmered inside of Aerona. Lorata’s careless elegance outlined her entitlement. Everything about her opulence and charm made her want to retch. “Right.”
Something inside of Aerona snapped. Sophitia blinked and looked between her charge and the seadweller with nervous caution. Hands slowly removed themselves from Aerona’s face, and her lips were pursed but did not betray her thoughts. She swallowed a lump in her throat, ignoring her lusus’ gaze. Sophitia chittered quietly to try and get her attention, but Aerona was steadfast. Aerona pulled her braids over her shoulders and blinked, pressing her lips together. “You’re right…!”
Aerona scooted closer to Lorata and put her hand on her wrist. She slid her hand down to tangle her fingers in Lorata’s bracelets and shot her a small smile. “Will we get pretty things like what you wear when we go shopping?” She toyed with the jewelry and shifted to close the gap between them.
She understood, now. Lorata’s sick standards would fuel Aerona’s fire. She was much too warm? Ha. Just you wait, Gorgos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:37 am
|
|
|
|
Lorata lit up again, nodding her approval. There really was no quicker way to her heart than reaffirming she was completely right about something, was there? And she could tell, as Aerona slid in closer, that the redblood really finally got the idea of what she was offering here and, most importantly, had realized she had to take the chance! That was probably the first part of climbing the way up to becoming a hero, she figured, seeing what you had to do to become the best you and accepting the help you needed to get there!
She laughed delightedly at Aerona's question, nodding with excitement as they considered the bracelets on her wrist. "Of course! We'll get you so many pretty things, you'll see! Jewelry and clothes and- Oh, you'll probably need something nice and practical for the adventuring but there's lots of times you can wear dresses and-" She could have gushed forever about shopping, really, but she fell short of that goal when a new idea came to her suddenly.
The seadweller reached for her bracelets and, careful not to get Aerona's fingers caught between them, tugged one of them off. "Here, we'll get you lots more, but you can even have this one to start with." Without waiting for a reaction, she took Aerona's hand to slide it on and then lifted her head to smile at her. "As appreciation for such a nice apology!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:41 pm
|
|
|
|
Aerona cooed with false excitement. “Wow! Gosh!” She interjected at the appropriate moments. As Lorata went on and on, she conceded to let herself grow more excited herself. An opportunity had presented itself to her that was more promising than the idea of forgiving and forgetting. That opportunity hinged on secrecy and indulgence. Uncharted territory, but all the same there was a tinge of familiarity to it. An injection of adrenaline that Aerona had felt on the mountains was now pumping through her veins. She allowed herself a gasp of real enthusiasm when, suddenly, Lorata slipped a bracelet onto her wrist.
She immediately brought her other hand to the sparkling metal. It had already begun to warm up on her warm-hued arm. The smooth, finished feeling was so peculiar. There was a particularly tactile sensation of richness, and as she shook around her arm to place the bracelet comfortably Aerona smiled.
“Oh, Lorata, you’re wonderful. We got off to a bad start. Thank you for finding it within yourself to forgive me,” the redblood explained. Aerona recollected their time at the Bloodfest Booth. She blinked and slowly, Aerona tried something new. A quick but subtle flutter of the eyelashes. A flush of her naturally red cheeks and she smiled behind the bangled hand that she now covered her face with.
I’m better than you, Gorgos. I’m smarter than you, and I’m going to win.
“So… When do we start?”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
