|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 12:03 am
WISH I COULD BE - SOLO
reflections on Part of Your World - Gypsum/Kallichore Gypsum stayed to finish the game, but found it difficult to concentrate. She was shaken, mentally and physically - at any moment that senshi could have probably just thrown her off the building. While she doubted the girl would try to kill her, it would probably hurt. Gypsum had had QUITE enough of getting hurt on duty, thank you very much. She was aware that she was a soft girl - not accustomed to the kind of hard work and sacrifice her new duties required. She sighed. The girl. She could be her age, could even be someone in her class, for all she knew. They were probably very alike. Maybe she even liked sports - that would explain why she'd chosen to patrol so close to the stadium. But the one thing they had most in common would be the thing that drove them the most apart - they were on opposite sides of the often bizzare war that was roiling just under the surface of Destiny City. And, according to her, Gypsum had chosen the wrong side. The dark side, the bad guys, whatever. But how could that be, the girl mused unhappily. After all, in the movies the bad guys were always rich, powerful, eloquent... She'd hardly met any of her fellow Negaverse agents, but they all seemed to live on a knife edge. No, there had been none of this proud strolling about in her faction. She frowned slightly - no, that wasn't fair. Gypsum might be impulsive but Geun was impartial as all hell, and she knew in her heart the girl hadn't really been posturing. She just truly believed every word she'd said. That was fair, she supposed. And considering half the time Guen herself didn't know if what Gypsum did was right, she couldn't even argue. But it was better than nothing. It was moving forward. She kicked a rock listlessly as she walked. The power, she was scared to admit, made her finally feel alive. And right or wrong, she didn't think she'd trade it for the world. She stopped suddenly in surprise. Was she really so close to home? But sure enough, a few streets down was the ritzy neighborhood in which her mother resided. Frowning, she glanced around - and ducked into the restroom of a local public park to power down. She berated herself silently - hadn't she already gotten in enough trouble tonight from not paying attention? The game had run late, and she made the rest of her journey by the guiding lights of electric streetlamps. She hoped none of the neighbors were out - they'd surely think something was amiss. She gaves the peaceful street final glance before slipping into the back door. It was just another night lost to her alter ego.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 25, 2011 9:34 pm
SOLO  Well, that had been... something else, really. She'd expected just a regular night at prom. A girl's night out with her friends - she scowled. Guen was pretty certain it had all come down to that stupid spiked punch. She'd changed back into her normal form, too tired from the fight to remain powered up. She had done her best to fix her hair and dress, and had had enough sense to catch a cab instead of walking home. She instructed the driver to take her to her dad's - after all, it was his weekend. Guen shifted in the seat, trying to ignore how the entire thing smelled of other people's bodies, and relaxed, letting the road noise wash over her weary mind. She woke up to someone shaking her on the shoulder. The cab driver's hot breath washed over her, and she reacted, jerking backward. "Sorry, miss," he responded, backing off to show his hands. "You done fell asleep in the back and well, we're here." Guen blinked at him for a few moments before coming to her senses. Goodness, she'd very nearly attacked him. She thought he was, well, coming onto her or something, not just- Not just being a good samaritan. She frowned unhappily, shuffling out of her seat and digging in her clutch for a few loose bills. "Don't worry about it," the man said gruffly, shaking his head. "I don't want no trouble." Guen stared at him open-mouthed as he climbed into the driver's seat, slammed his door, and drove off. She frowned harder, eyes burning. What was WRONG with her? The flashes of violence, images from the fight, occasionally surfaced, and she pushed them back. No. She couldn't break down. Had to get upstairs, to her room. She needed privacy to think. To remember. She wasn't going to get it. As soon as she opened the door, she could hear her father bustling around in the kitchen. He popped his head out cheerfully, giving her a big smile. "I wondered when you'd make it home!" Guen smiled uncertainly back. The living room was suspiciously clean, for once, and the table was set...what was going on? He came around the corner then, shutting the door behind her and ushering her into a seat. If he noticed how unkept she was, well... He refrained from comment. She only had eyes for the plate in front of her, however. The smell was divine, rich and meaty but with a hint of spice. "Curry." Was she drooling? "Celebratory curry," he replied, laughing. "Cele- what?" Guen looked genuinely confused now. "My restaurant. We're opening a new branch - a few towns over." He leaned on the back of his own chair, a disarmingly casual stance betrayed by the white of his knuckles. "I was thinking... next summer, maybe. Of moving." He wouldn't meet her eyes. At first, she smiled, elated. Right now, the idea of leaving Destiny City- of leaving all her problems behind, including this ramshackle sad little apartment - it seemed fantastic, almost magical. It took her several minutes to realize what that might mean for their little family, and her grin became strained. He already only had partial custody... Was he going to just leave her here? With her mother? Suddenly, Guen felt small, fragile- more so than she had even when her life had been on the line. "Oh, well, um." She bit her lip. "That's really good news!" She tried not to let him see how much it hurt her. "Oh, Guen..." He sighed, patting her on the head affectionately, but before she could get irritated, he added, "You would come too, of course." NOW she was really lost. "But...How?" "I've talked it over with your mother. You can spend the summer with me, and go back to Crystal to finish your junior year. After that, well." He touseled her hair one more time before taking his seat. "We'll see." He slid his chair into place carefully, sampling a spoonful of his own food. "Now, tell me what on EARTH happened to that beautiful dress your mother bought you." Oh, drat. In her excitement about the potential move, she'd nearly forgotten about how horrible her night had been. Time to roll out the excuses - each lie felt like another drop in a deep, dark well. She hated it. "Well, there was this punch..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:59 am
what dreams may come
It had been a long night.
Guen didn't normally drink and she honestly wasn't sure if she was giddy from the booze or the power-high. She hadn't won their little competition, but she hadn't been at the bottom either - it had given her an uncharacteristic swell of confidence. She'd climbed into her window that night, exhausted but proud, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
It was dark, and there was a steady, pulsing sound that seemed to vibrate through the walls. The walls- old, dirty tile - seemed to go on forever. Guen wrinkled her nose. She remembered a musky, acrid scent, but there was none here. Just the endless hallway of dank tile, a texture that oddly enough repeated itself on the floor and ceiling.
Echoing in the distancewas the sharp click of heels.
Guen trotted forward, her own heels sounding off. She hadn't powered up, but somehow she had on her red shoes and she was running, running toward the footsteps that seemed a pale shadow of her own. They were louder - they must be getting closer now. Why was it so important to follow those footsteps? Guen shook her head, and her sleep-touseled hair swirled around her face, catching on the collar of her Crystal Academy uniform. What a strange outfit, she thought, but the notion quickly slipped away as she felt an increased urgency to complete her quest.
It at first had seemed that the hallway was curving ever so slightly, and this gradual shift became more and more dramatic as she pressed on. Soon, it almost felt as if she was running in a tight, impossible spiral. The footsteps were everywhere now, neither ahead nor behind, almost painfully loud. She rounded a corner, covering her ears and wincing and-
The sounds stopped.
The room in front of her was perfectly round and lit with an uncomfortable white light. The tile from before was replaced with mirrors, endless mirrors reflecting her shocked visage. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair spilled over the front of her crisp blue-and-white school uniform dramatically. The red tips of her heels were placed just at the edge of entrance, nearly toeing into a dark black puddle.
Guen quickly stepped around it, grimacing in revulsion. What was it? If she stared at it long enough, it seemed to swirl and shine like an oil slick. It was strange. As she hopped into the room to avoid it, however, she nearly stumbled into something else.
Someone else, she realized.
Her stomach lurched, and her vision broke into pieces. A blond girl. A girl who seemed vaguely familiar. It was getting harder to focus, and Guen slid to her knees, clutching her abdomen. Large purple eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling. Something was wrong with her chest.It wasn't... wasn't moving. A dark stain, a red that was almost black. That wasn't right, she thought, panicking. She'd been fine- she'd even seen her stumble out of the bathroom later. Drained, but alive. No, she hadn't. Despite what they'd all accused her of, she'd never killed anyone...
A flash of light. Now it was the librarian laying against the tile, walking stick discarded and little dog nowhere to be seen...
Negaverse, a voice hissed suddenly. Guen curled into a ball. The light was too bright- it hurt, and she closed her eyes. Her shoes suddenly felt heavy, and the bright red patent leather clacked as her feet rubbed together. She could feel the cold, dark liquid seeping through her school uniform. She couldn't escape, couldn't get away.
I want to go home, she thought distantly.
And if by magic, she opened her eyes, and was in her bed. She could feel the bile swimming up the back of her throat and stumbled out from between her sheets, morning light lancing her eyelids and burning her vision as she nearly fell into the bathroom.
Her body voided the alcohol, but not the memories.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2016 3:30 pm
It was some time later that Gypsum finally dragged herself to her feet and began the long trek home, to the white picket fence, the large but sensible chateau; with it's carefully manicured lawn and the eerie hush of a house brimming with unrest. To her dresses and shoes and immaculate room; to the burden of knowledge that she wasn't and would never be the daughter that was wanted, the daughter everyone expected her to be.
Guenivere Evans, the disappointment.
Her parents had split up while she was still in school, you know. Sometimes they never really recover.
She had been such a good, smart girl.
Had been.
Wearily, she let the city lights wash over her, letting her feet lead the way as she brooded silently. Careless, she had been careless again - and now she sported a busted lip and a skinned knee. Some miscelaneous bruises. Just another long night that would lead to a long morning full of short excuses.
"I'm okay, mom."
"It wasn't a fight, mom."
"I just fell."
"Yeah."
"No, I don't know when I'll get a job."
"No mom, I'm not going to college."
And then, when she'd finally had enough, when the awful bone-deep chill of exhaustion overcame her once limitless patience -
Then the door would slam, and she'd pack a bag and spend a week at her dad's. She knew he was worried about her too, but somehow his concern was less- less grating, less intrusive. It was a quiet, brooding concern that colored the air and permeated their brief interactions. He'd give her space, in his quiet way, going and coming like a ghost. Like he'd always done. Absent and present mingling together in an odd pantomime. Is everything alright?, his eyes would ask, but he wouldn't say anything. Just -
"Hey sport!"
"Try not to give your mom such a hard time, ok? She tries."
"Need anything?"
Sometimes she'd answer - never the truth, always half lies, but sometimes she'd make an effort. He deserved better, she was sure, but she didn't think she could give it to him. Couldn't put him at risk. And besides, she was just so, so tired. Other times, when she was so full of nothing that she thought she would burst, she'd just nod and smile and walk up the rickety stairs to the small room he'd kept for her since they split up, and she'd lie in her bed and think.
Guen was weak and defenseless, and Gypsum was too, sometimes.
But once -
His glasses askew, he slid down to the pavement-
Her blonde blonde hair against the filthy tile-
Guen, tired and weak and useless and nothing Guen Evans, climbed through her bedroom window and fell into her bed. She stared off at nothing and everything, absently clicking her bright red heels together. Thinking about home - something she hadn't felt she had in a long time. About control, about -
Once or twice, she'd tasted it. That awful power. A drug that lifted her up even as it dragged her down, down, down.
Guen was weak, but Gypsum could be so much more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
