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 Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:17 pm
solo || Cold Splash
Kamla hummed a foreign, albeit pleasant tune as she shuffled between stirring a bubbling pot of broth on the stove and chopping vegetables into fine bits. Shakuntala was at her typical spot most of the day -- the dining table -- with a multitude of fabric pieces spread out before her and intermingled with pots of seasonings her mother used for cooking. Then, with a light hop in her step, she pranced over to her daughter and took a seat beside her.
Because she was too concentrated on her sewing, Shakuntala did not see her mother's arm stretch out over the length of the table and pick up a small jar from the side. Licking the tip of her thumb after removing the top, she dipped it into the vermillion powder to get a generous amount and turned her attention on her daughter. Gently, she cupped her daughter's chin and brought her face parallel to her's. Shakuntala could only blink twice to the same hand smoothing her bangs aside and the member of the other press lightly to the area between her eyebrows.
"There," Kamla smiled as she wiped the remnants of powder on the hem of her apron. "My little bride."
"M-mum...?" Shakuntala mumbled in confusion, unsure of what her parent just did.
Kamla looked dreamily at her child and sighed mirthfully, shifting her elbow up onto the table and sitting her chin into the palm of her hand. "To think you turn eight tomorrow," she said aloud to no one in particular, though only Shakuntala was in earshot. She looked to her next. "Just a few more years and you'll be able to marry. Ah, you're growing up fast, my dear."
Shakuntala could only shift restlessly to her mother's expectations. I'm not a bride, she thought worriedly to herself, but her thoughts snapped when her mother suddenly shot from her seat to the stove in a haste.
The woman screeched in fright as the pot burbled and spat violently. She beat at the fire underneath it with a towel, hoping to put it out, but her attempts came to no avail. It was the swiftness of Shakuntala who helped solve the dilemma when she grabbed up the wash bucket by the doorway and emptied its contents onto the cookware. While the fire was put out for good, the entire area was drenched in murky, dirty water. Kamla's eyebrows knitted together in frustration as she held her daughter accountable.
"Shakuntala!" she spat. "What were you thinking? This mess...!"
The young girl bowed her head; awaiting punishment.
Kamla was prepared to strike her, but after seeing her give in so readily, lowered her hand and shifted it to her hip. Bending at the waist, she instead shoved the bucket in Shakuntala's direction and pointed her to the door. "Go to the well," she commanded. "Get another bucket of water."
Shakuntala nodded her head and retrieved the bucket from her. Her steps were slow at first, but when Kamla rose her voice again, did the girl rush off outside. The day was chilly for the start of an early Autumn. Shakuntala felt a light shiver run down her back as she walked the distance from her home to the well down the bend.
I was just trying to put the fire out... she reasoned to herself. Mum didn't have to get mad...
On her way, Shakuntala noticed there was a throng of people lining the streets. At first, she didn't want to divert her attention, but couldn't help be pulled in to whatever spectacle was coercing them. The girl's eyes widened in fright and another shiver trembled her form to what she saw. Groups of women and men were tirelessly marching down the road; some on horseback, others leaning against their comrades. They were bloody, bruised, and beaten to such a degree, they looked as if they would fall over dead at any moment. Shakuntala's umbra eyes followed them without a single blink; even when a member of the opposing group threw a bottle at them and it shattered at her feet.
The girl stepped back in surprise when her eyes connected with a pair of familiar ones. That's uncle- The man had turned his head on a whim, but didn't break his holding glance on Shakuntala. His lifeless, pleading gaze spoke volumes to the girl. She could only stare for so long until her fear overcame her and she ran. Reflexively, her hand shot to her forehead to wipe away the sweat, and she smeared the maroon mark still bright against her pebble brown skin.
No, she told herself. No, never. No. I won't.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 2:48 pm
event || 100 Years of Peace
+ [ORP] - Taste Test - During the celebration of a century free of titan attacks, Shakuntala assists her mother in running a curry booth.
+ [ORP] - The Parade - Shakuntala helps and participates in a parade during the festival.
+ [ORP] - The Bonfire - Shakuntala attends a bonfire where creepy stories are exchanged between the participants.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:54 pm
solo || Innocent Curiosity
One time. One more time.
The wall...
The tall, tall wall that looms above me.
What's the view beyond it?
If even by one centimeter, one millimeter...
If I can see that summit, I will soar.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:55 pm
solo || Grey Justice
Shakuntala hadn't meant to track her with her eyes, but the grey-haired female aerated suspicion. She stalked the wares like a ghoul of the night delicately sliding her fingers over trinkets and things that, by her attire alone, she probably couldn't afford. At first, Shakuntala wanted to make her trip quick; her mother just asked her to buy a few rags to wash dishes. But her attention became occupied by the girl -- first by her unusual beauty, then by her unusual movements. Rounding the corner as the female slipped between the shelves, the copper-skinned girl watched the other scan her eyes up and down the nooks before stopping just before a well-packed section.
Those are... candies?
Shakuntala twisted the sheets of thick fabric in her hands; both curious and frightened at what might happen next. The teen reached a hand out and clasped one of the ribbon-tied pouches. She joggled it in her palm for a second, as if measuring how many of the hard sweets were inside by sound alone, before peering over her shoulder. Shakuntala's eyes followed her line of sight. The store clerk was occupied with shelving items in another part of the store. With this confirmed, in one swift movement, she tried to pocket the treats. However, Shakuntala's small, surprised squeak alerted her. The black-haired girl watched as the pouch hit the floor with a small plop. Turning her head over her shoulder in surprise, the grey-haired girl's eyes connected with Shakuntala's. At once, the girl attempted to make a dash for it, but was halted by a shouted, "W-wait!"
The copper-skinned girl's sudden bellow alerted not only the girl, but the shop clerk as well. He narrowed his eyes at both of them as he sized up the two girls within his establishment. An awkward silence followed that nerved Shakuntala again. Swallowing thickly, she approached the counter and plopped the rags atop it. The girl hovered by the door, but continued to gaze at the two. Her attempt at flight was still halted by whatever Shakuntala had planned for her.
The man looked down at the rags and replied, "One bit."
"Ah- O-one more thing..." The Tischendorf muttered, before suddenly turning on her heel and and descending back into the line of shelves.
Watching her turn back, the clerk stared at the thief. "Can I help you with anything?" he asked her.
Quickly, the grey-haired female shook her head. Turning about, she walked casually from the shop as if nothing had happened. Shakuntala returned by the time the fingersmith had taken her leave. As she plopped one of the small pouches of candy on the counter, she turned her line of sight to the door and realized the thief had left. Blinking a few times, she looked to the man after he raised the total to two bits.
After paying him, she inquired, "T-the girl there... Where-"
"She just left," the man replied with a hook of his thumb to the door after sliding the two coins into a lock box under the counter.
Shakuntala did not have time to bid the man thanks and goodbye. Clasping the trio of rags an the ribbon-tied pouch in her hands, she raced out of the general store and rounded the corner the man had pointed in. She tried her best to dodge passing bodies with hopes of catching up to the girl. When the sight of her familiar short-trimmed locks came into view, Shakuntala hustled her gallops. She tried to cry out for the girl to stop, but her voice was halted by her breathless pants. Eventually, the copper-skinned girl caught up to the other. Running in front of her, the female shirked back at her sight and quirked a brow. Shakuntala tried to speak up, but eventually bent at the waist and clutched her knees to catch her breath. She stretched out an arm to the girl next and offered the pouch dangling from the ribbon tied about it.
"F-for... For... y-you..." she managed to force out between breaths.
The girl blinked a few times before her face morphed into one of distaste. Suddenly, she whipped her hand up and slapped away the pouch Shakuntala had tried to give her. The youngest Tischendorf took a step back and watched the hard candies fly from her hand to a few feet off to the side.
Fixing her glare on her, she snapped, "Listen lady, I don't need you effing charity."
"Ah-"
The girl pushed Shakuntala aside and continued to march passed her. She could only watch her leave with her hands clasping the rags to her bosom. That did not deter her though. Rushing back to the pouch, she scooped it up again, and returned to following the girl. The grey-haired girl grit her teeth and scowled to herself, but refused to look at Shakuntala. She knew she was being followed, but also kept in mind the giving her unwanted companion even a hint of attention would only feed whatever "good Samaritan" thoughts she had. Unfortunately, she underestimated the girl's persistence. Shakuntala had followed her for at least half an hour as she sought out other shops.
Eventually, her little tag-along started to sour her attitude. In between their trek to another shop, she made a sharp turn about on her heel and glared at Shakuntala again. With hands to her hips, she questioned sharply, "What do you want?"
Shakuntala pursed her lips and bowed her head a bit. The crinkle of the pouch clasped with the rags in the girl's hands caused the thief to look at it. She knew fairly well what the other was trying to do, but she still would have none of her generosity. Part of it was pride, but the other was also disgust at the thought of being a peasant. Sighing to herself, she scratched the back of her head and looked the other way. Trying to come up with a response to the girl without coming off an snooty this time took an arduous effort. When her mind couldn't craft a way to do so, the girl gave in. She reached a hand out and pried the small pouch of candy from Shakuntala's hand and pocketed it.
Before the skittish girl could open her mouth to speak, the thief replied, "Adalwolfa."
"E-eh?" Shakuntala tilted her head.
"It's my name," Adalwolfa huffed, crossing her arms. "Introducing's the least I can do, right?"
"S-Shakuntala..."
This time, Adalwolfa tilted her head in addition to a sloped brow.
"M-my name," the copper-skinned girl added.
Adalwolfa's lips tightened. "I... didn't ask."
Shakuntala raised her brows to the grey-haired female before bowing her head once again. Adalwolfa sucked her teeth and tapped a few fingers on the interior of her arm, casting her eyes off to the side again. She was never one to feel guilty, but just talking to the girl in such a manner caused the feeling to froth and bubble up like a overheated pot of milk. She let out a sigh before figuring it was best to leave her. Stepping back, she started to walk off, but another bellowed, "W-wait!" stopped her.
"What is it this time?" the farmhand asked.
"I... W-well..." Shakuntala fidgeted. "D-do you, u-um, well... Do..."
"Spit it out, would you?"
"D-d-do you w-want some... d-dinner?" Shakuntala looked up to her as if she were pleading she would say yes.
"Huh?" The girl blinked a handful of times before scratching under her chin.
Shakuntala rubbed her arm nervously from elbow elbow to wrist and bowed her head one more time. "I-I'm mean... y-y-you're n-not really.... healthy looking..." Adalwolfa took offense to this and was about to correct the girl until she added, "A-and m-maybe if... if you eat, you w-wouldn't steal... J-just for today, o-okay?"
Adalwolfa let out a sigh. She didn't quite understand the situation. Why was this girl so concerned for her sake? But the chance at a free meal was not something she wished to pass up. For the second time in her life, she lowered her standards to that of a peasant.
Rolling her shoulders, she replied, "All right. Lead the way."
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:55 pm
private || Into the BlueShakuntala/Alec/Lloren
Shakuntala meets up with Alec to sign up for the military and happens to meet Lloren who assists them with the task.
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Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:56 pm
solo || A House, Not a Home
A crack of thunder trembled Shingashina as Kamla cried out in anguish. "Shakuntala, no!" she shrieked towards her daughter, tears streaming from her eyes like rivers. "Y-you can't! You just can't! Why would you decide this? Imagine the things you must give up! Family! Children! Sita-! L-look at your sister, Sita! Look at how happy she is! Are you prepared to give up your life?!"
Shakuntala shirked back with a step, clutching the table she bumped against as she averted her eyes. She couldn't look at her mother's face, but when her eyes drifted up from the spot in the floor she had never noticed until now, they landed on her father. He wore his typical stern expression without a hint of remorse, guilt, or anger written upon it. Just like her own. Her fingers clutched the edge of the tabletop and dug hard enough into the wood to leave small crescents. Gritting her teeth, Shakuntala finally shot her glance to Kamla, and she held it with a determined look etched into her features.
"Y-yes mum, I... am."
Kamla's eyes widened to the whites at the response she was given. Her legs shivered before they buckled under her own weight to the floor. Cupping her face into her hands, she sobbed miserably; her yowls echoing to all corners of the house. Abram, in acquiesce, stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off violently and lashed out at him. Suddenly, she was on her feet again, and she jabbed a finger at her husband. Abram could only blink at the member firmly stabbing his chest.
"This is all your fault!" she blamed. "If you didn't fill her head with tales, she wouldn't... She wouldn't be..."
"N-no!" Shakuntala suddenly interrupted, shaking her head. "This is not... T-this isn't pappa's fault... This is... This is m-my choice, mum... I-I want to... I w-want to live... I..." She gritted her teeth in between her words. The thought was ripe in her mind, but the statement was frozen on her tongue like Winter's first frost. Urging them out caused them to break the barrier of her soft tone and rise into a yell. "I want to be an adult, mum! I... I'm m-more than old enough. I-I d-don't want to live like this... To you... W-with you coddling me. I'm n-not a c-child a-anymore and it's... It's a-about t-time I-I start making a-adult choices. L-like this one."
Kamla's arm dropped to her side as she listened to her daughter. Even Abram was taken aback by Shakuntala's proclamation. Never before had he heard his daughter speak with such confidence. When she summed up her small speech with a heavy shy, he flicked his glance to his wife in expectation. Abram figured she'd have a strong reaction, but what occurred next was completely unwarranted.
Kamla stared unblinking at her daughter for a few moments before her right hand balled into a fist. She marched up to Shakuntala and stared her hard in the eyes before she brought a hand up and struck her across her face with all of the strength in her arm. The girl fell from where she stood due to the hit -- tumbling back onto the table before clutching a chair for leverage to only land upon the floor. Pain sizzled in her left cheek as she felt it swell, but no tears came forth. She bared the pain, just as her father had always taught her to. Clutching it protectively, Shakuntala shot her eyes up to her mother, but couldn't mutter a word. She was utterly speechless; both at Kamla's sudden action and the throbbing in her face.
That wasn't the end of it, though. Kamla bent at the waist and clasped a hand onto her daughter's collar. Tugging her to her feet, Shakuntala could only croak as her mother dragged her to the door. Shoving it open, she suddenly threw her daughter out into the downpour of the storm. Shakuntala's collapse was cushioned by the mud outside that slickly stained her face and clothing. Turning back to her mother, tears welled up in the copper-skinned girl's eyes this time.
"If that's the attitude you'll have in my home, you have no place here!" Kamla cried. "Go on, be an adult! From this point on, you're dead to me! You're nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
Shakuntala's mother continued to scream at her daughter until her voice was hoarse, but her yells fell on deaf ears. The copper-skinned girl was only caught on one thing: She was dead to her mother. Everything they had -- and everything that was to be -- was gone. Her mind flashed back to their time in the booth when she had mirthfully thanked her daughter for her help. It traveled back even farther to the memory of her pressing a thumbprint of vermillion powder to her forehead. And her smile -- Shakuntala recalled her smile. A smile she had brought to tears with a single utterance.
"M-mum..." Shakuntala pushed herself up from where she lay, slipping a bit from the mud as a crack of thunder marred the ebony sky. Her body felt heavy from the rain that drenched her from head to toe in seconds. "Mum, w-wait..."
Kamla had already turned her back on her and marched inside. She passed her husband who stood in the doorway, staring down to his daughter who was struggling to stand. Their eyes locked for a moment before he bowed his head and gently shut the door with a soft click. Shakuntala's eyes widened and, when she was to her feet, she staggered to it.
"M-mum... Pappa... W-wait..." she cried out, but her response was unheard. "Mum... O-open the d-door... W-wait... Pappa..." Her eyes watered over before tears spilled from her eyes like the falling rain. Biting her bottom lip to muffle her sobs, she leaned her forehead onto the entryway and cried into her mud-caked hands. From that day onwards, the building she stood before was a house, not a home.
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Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:10 pm
The day finally comes. Shakuntala attends the orientation to Military School and is sorted into her dorm.
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Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:21 pm
private || Hoof BeatsShakuntala/Shun
During her first day on the job to care for the camp's horses and muck their stalls, Shakuntala helps out Shun with an unruly steed.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 12:41 am
private || Maybe She's Born With It...Shakuntala/Axel/Preacher
Shakuntala accidentally overhears a peculiar exchange between Axel and Preacher.
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Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2014 12:41 am
private || Muggy, Sleepless NightsShakuntala/Preacher/Lloren/Galacie
A stuffy, uncomfortable night prompts Shakuntala to discuss with some of her bunk mates the reasons why they joined.
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Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:08 am
solo || An Azure Paler Than the Sky
Shakuntala smeared perspiration from her brow. It was horrendously humid to the point the teen's companion, Velvet, whipped her tail in agitation. The girl smoothed a hand down the horse's neck, but that didn't relieve the old mare of her discomfort. In fact, it seemed to worsen it, and the horse shook her head violently to rid herself of the girl's copper fingers on her moist skin. Shakuntala withdrew her hand hesitantly. Of all of the horses on the campground, Velvet was the one the girl was most acquainted with. She knew the hoofed quadruped to be as gentle as a newborn kitten, but even the heat had her blood boiling.
Realizing that keeping the recently washed animal out in the sun to dry was proving to be more torturous than helpful to her, Shakuntala clasped a hand on the lead rope and led Velvet back inside. Due to the heat, one might've expected the stalls to smell pungent and fresh, but thanks to the efforts of Dorm Falke, it was tolerable. Having grown used to the stench since she dedicated most of her time to being with the horses, the youngest Tischendorf let out a sigh and closed the gate behind Velvet after taking her back into her enclosure.
Shakuntala returned back outside to the blistering sunlight that pierced her eyes like knives when she glanced up. Shielding the rays behind the crook of her arm, she narrowed her lids to thin slits, and suddenly found herself hit with a pang of nostalgia at the intense blue that graced her maroon gaze. Slowly, her arms lowered to her sides, and she started with an almost fixated trance as her memory took her back years in the past.
"N-Neil... W-wait! Wait for me!"
Little Shakuntala huffed and puffed as she tried to catch up to her cousin; her arms flailing wildly as if trying to flag down his attention. Neil, with his hands shoved into the pockets of his dusty pants, wore a perturbed expression that obviously signified his annoyance. He jerked his chin over his shoulder and cast his younger cousin a glare icy enough to freeze over all of Shiganshina. The girl was unaware of the look aimed her way, however; Shakuntala was too busy trying to keep up.
"N-Neil, heeey! Wait... W-wait uppp!"
Neil deliberately slowed his steps so Shakuntala could catch up with him. As she neared him with an arm stretched out to grab his shoulder, the boy suddenly made a heel face turn. This sharp movement spooked Shakuntala and she jerked back a step from Neil with her lips slightly parted and her palms held of innocently before her chest. Her voice croaked as she forced down a scream and calmed her beating heart. Neil studied her face for a single moment before straightening himself.
Next, he spat, "Why are you following me?"
Shakuntala laced her fingers together when she hooked her arms behind her back. Rocking back on her heels, she replied, "'C-Cause I w-wanna play..." Her maroon eyes widened in childish mirth as she shot her cousin a smile. "D'ya wanna... D'ya w-wanna play Neil?"
"No," he replied flatly. "Now leave me alone."
Neil began to walk off again, stirring Shakuntala again. Her hands seized his bicep and she wrenched his back. The elder Tischendorf tried to keep walking, but as his younger cousin began to dig the heel of her shoes into the dirt to prevent him from doing so, that's when he realized the girl wasn't going to let up. If he didn't play with her, she'd follow him to the ends of the Earth until he did.
Shaking her off, Neil said snidely, "Fine, I'll play with you." Wincing at the small yip she made at him, he added, "What... do you want to play?"
"Oh, I-I dunno!" she giggled at him, causing him to snort. "You a-always make me p-pick the game. Y-You pick this time!"
Neil's hands balled into fists inside his pocket as he kicked up the dirt before him. While his cousin's grating voice was irritating, nothing soured his mood more than the fact he had to come up with something she wanted to do. Bowing his head in thought, he considered the myriad of games they had played together, and couldn't decide which one sickened him the most. He almost gave in to the idea of Hide and Seek (where he would tell her to hide and then run off home), but another thought popped into his mind. Something that would surely keep her away from him for good.
"Hey, Tala... I've got a new game in mind. Want to give it a try?"
The girl's eyes sparkled. "Y-Yes!" she gleefully agreed.
"All right, follow me..."
Shakuntala happily tagged along after her cousin. But she soon began to regret the choice completely.
"N-N-Neiiil..." she cried out, clutching tightly onto the trunk of the tree. "C-can I come d-d-down now? I-it's r-really high..."
Neil cupped a hand around his mouth and shouted up, "No! You have to reach the top to win!"
"B-But..."
"Keep climbing, Shakuntala!"
The girl's cousin had instructed her to climb to the very top of the tree. If she did, she would win the "game" he had planned for her. But the girl couldn't budge from the third branch and, as she glided her eyes up along the stretched of canopy up above her, she sure had a distance to traverse. Shakuntala glanced down nervously to Neil, who was staring at her determinedly, but she felt herself waver. Grasping the trunk tighter again, she sought out the closet branch that would take her higher and hesitantly stepped up onto it. Suddenly, she felt her knees buckle.
"N-Neil, I... I-I can't go any higher! C-can I come d-down, please?" she begged desperately.
Neil huffed and rolled his eyes. Giving in to her pleading, he replied, "Fine, just one more step! Then you can come down!"
Shakuntala whispered in some confidence to herself and took a deep breath. Exhaling sharply, she located the branch above her. Wiping the sweat from her hands onto her brick red overalls, Shakuntala clasped her hands tightly onto the branch and tried to tug herself up. She almost got her feet around it before she felt herself slip. A small cry escaped through the seams of the girl's lips as panic began to set it. She scrambled to keep her grip on the branch, but her attempt came to no avail. Her fingers slipped and, with gravity against her, she tumbled to the Earth below crashing through branches before hitting the ground with a heavy thump. Neil's eyes widened as the heap known as his cousin lay motionless before him. Nudging her provoked no movement and, with the large amounts of blood pouring from the deep gash on her chin, Neil rose and quickly ran to obtain help.
Shakuntala felt herself floating in and out of consciousness. Blobs of color swam and burst before her vision as she felt blackness overcome her. Before she slipped, she remembered a color that struck her most.
I've never seen such a shade of blue... An azure paler than the sky.
Suddenly, Shakuntala's eyes snapped open, and there she was in her seventeen year old body. Standing in the sun for so long had caused her to sweat a river that trailed all the way down to her bosom. Wiping a hand across the entirety of her face, she turned her head over her shoulder before her body followed toward the stalls.
Letting out a sigh as she ran a finger over the pink slice on her chin, she thought, No more reminiscing... If Santos sees me me, I'm sure to get chewed out... With that, she returned to her work.
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Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 11:14 am
Shakuntala fixes gadgets and sharpens blades in a 3DMG repair class.
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Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2014 10:46 am
Shakuntala attends training of the 3D maneuver gear.
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Posted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:48 pm
solo || Sisterly Ties
Three agonizing months had passed since Shakuntala agreed to sign-up for the military with Alec. The days were long, but the nights were even longer when muscles pulled and stretched finally had a chance to settle into the aches they had gained. With barely a few minutes until the sunrise, the seventeen year old rose with a creak from her bunk that felt more like a board of wood than a comfortable area of rest. Squinting her eyes against the first rays of the sun, Shakuntala tiptoed her way out of the dorm after putting on her uniform's boots to not wake her other bunk mates.
The area that was once swathed in a deep ebony slowly receded from a line of orange across the horizon. Shakuntala watched as the slowly creeping sun stretched her shadow far onto the buildings behind her. She cast her eyes to them when the sun became to bright too gaze at with a hand shielding her face. The girl couldn't help, from her position, how it looked as if she was a titan hovering above the training grounds.
No one is awake yet, she thought. I'm the first one up...
It should have come to no surprise considering it was the weekend and most would've preferred sleeping in to recover from their aches and pains rather than rising early to usher in the start of a new day. Shakuntala considered returning to bed when she started to favor the shallow pain in her left thigh, but her thoughts were dashed when she saw another female trainee emerge from their bunk room. At once, their eyes met. Not wishing to come off as odd for waking so early, she bid the girl morning with a nod, and walked passed her to the shower with a stretch. She couldn't go back to sleep now.
Shakuntala slicked back her wet locks as she emerged from the showers already dressed in her trainee uniform. Despite it being her break day where putting on the harness wasn't a must, the girl grew so accustomed to the act every morning that breaking the cycle threw her out on a legde. Tugging on the belt strapped across her sternum, she considered heading out to Shiganshina for a bit of shopping.
Unfortunately, when she got there, the girl realized she had forgotten her coin pouch. Cursing to herself mentally, Shakuntala didn't wish to return to the training grounds to retrieve it, but at the same time, she had no idea what to do in Shiganshina. Returning to her parents was impossible at the time, considering she was on bad terms with them, but there was one person: Sita. While she wasn't close to her sibling, she was a better option than her parents.
Shakuntala nearly became the victim to the wheels of an oncoming carriage had a passing pedestrian not suddenly grab her forearm and tug her out of the way. The driver of the vessel shot a barrage of curses and a balled fist in her direction for her mistake. The girl gawked and immediately turned to the grip on her bicep.
"T-thank you, sir..." she muttered in gratitude.
"Eh, whatever," the man returned, releasing after getting a good look at her from head to toe. "Don't thank me. You're gonna die like the others, anyway."
Then the man, with a snobbish snort, turned the other way and continued his trek. Shakuntala didn't quite understand but, upon repeating his action on herself, did she realize what he meant. It was because she was in uniform. She was a soldier -- such a role did not sit well with everyone. Her shoulders dropped at his words that was like a stab to the heart. Turning on her heel, Shakuntala continued her march to Sita's with the thought simmering in the back of her mind.
Approaching the single story building, Shakuntala stretched her hand out to the door to give it a few knocks. Her fingers hesitated just before the panel of wood upon discovering it was slightly ajar. This, joined with a sudden bawl, immediately set off red alarms in the seventeen year old's head. She tugged the door open and dashed inside to the source of the cry. Rounding into the arch that separated the living area and the kitchen, Shakuntala caught the edge and stopped a few steps before entering at the sight she saw.
Her elder sister was crumpled on the ground in a heap of spilled flour that littered the kitchen in small plops. The powder also plotted her bronze-colored skin and the dark, heavy fabric of her skirt. Priya, her daughter, was laid out on a blanket a small distance away. Both she and her mother were sobbing uncontrollably. Shakuntala was unsure what to make of the scene. Throwing off concern for herself, she rushed to her sister's aid.
Gently placing her hands on her sister's shoulders, she asked, "S-Sita?"
The woman jerked back at her sister's touch and swiftly turned her head to her. With eyes as wide as dinner plates, Sita blanched and then rose to her feet. "Shakuntala?" the woman gaped, smearing a tear from her face. "What... are you doing here? I thought you... had training..."
Shakuntala's arms dropped to her sides. Nodding her head twice, she responded. "I-I do... B-but we get... b-breaks... I-I initially came to Shiganshina f-for shopping, but I forgot... my m-money... S-so I decided to p-pay you a visit instead. B-but when I went to knock, the d-door was open and... And..." She spread her arms out slightly before her as if presenting the scene. "I saw... this."
Sita went to answer Shakuntala, but because Priya was still crying, she tended to her daughter instead. She hefted the infant up and bounced her playfully with hopes of calming her cries.
"I see," the eldest Tischendorf replied, cupping her daughter's head to her shoulder to slightly muffle the infant's whines to be heard. Then, as if shooing Shakuntala off, she added, "I didn't need you of all people to check up on me. Priya and me are just fine."
Shakuntala pursed her lips and shot back, "I... I wasn't checking up on you... I-I just wanted to visit my sister."
It was actually half a lie, but the girl would never admit that. She knew, after Roland left his wife and child, life had been difficult for Sita. She got by with whatever money Abram, their father, parted on her. He was the only one who knew of her spouse's leaving; Sita couldn't work up the courage to tell their mother. She knew, if Kamla found out, she would immediately seek out another husband for her; reasoning a woman cannot raise a child alone. That was her answer to everything: Marriage.
Sita walked from her sister and departed into the living room. Shakuntala could only watch in acquiesce as her sister laid her daughter in a crib in the adjacent room before returning to the kitchen with a broom in hand. She began sweeping up the spilled flour without paying her sibling any mind. The soldier wrung her hands together and looked about the kitchen.
"D-do you need... help w-with anything?"
The sweeps from the broom halted. The two sisters eyes connected for a brief moment before Sita averted her glance in thought. Bending at the waist, she scooped up the mess and shoved the dustpan in the girl's direction.
"Take this outside and dump it," she commanded. "Then come back inside. I'll have something else for you to do."
Shakuntala dipped her head at the older woman's want. Taking it from her, the trainee departed the home and dumped the flour to the side of the home. The powder splattered about just as it did in the kitchen, so the youngest Tischendorf swept her boot over it to mix it in with the dirt. Returning inside, Sita snatched the dustpan from her hands and replaced it with a handful of soiled clothes. A quick sniff immediately made Shakuntala gag. She was just handed a bundle of diapers.
"There's a washboard and bar of soap in the den. Get a pail of water and scrub all of those clean."
"R-right..."
Holding out the diapers at arms length, Shakuntala maneuvered her way into another room that she thought to be the den. When the narrowed hallway actually gave way to what looked to be a playroom, she returned to Sita only to see her breastfeeding Priya. She withdrew herself back into the shadows of the corridor to not be seen (she was positive her sibling would snap at her for dawdling), but she continued to watch the calming act and the foreign look of peace on her sister's face. Sita smoothed a hand through her unruly curls and, through her thinly pursed lips, Shakuntala could make out the faintest hint of a smile tangled with relief. Giving another glance to the diapers in her grip, she turned on her heel and returned on her search for the den.
Shakuntala's search wasn't long when the room happened to be the next one over. Nabbing a metallic bucket and washboard that was sat on a shelf, she dumped the pungent pieces of fabric and the bar of soap into it and made her way outside. Just as she would do it in her youth, Shakuntala dumped out the contents onto the sod, pumped water into the pail, then sat on the grass with the bucket between her legs, rolled up her sleeves, and got to work. She scrubbed hard to remove the stains from the diapers and went through each one by one; getting up from her spot every time one was done to hook onto the clothes line.
Eventually, her hands were akin to prunes by the time she was done. As she got up for the umpteenth time, she stretched her back and groaned from the aches that pained even more from her assistance to Sita. That wasn't the end of her duties, though. Sita put her to work with several other chores from dusting shelves to wiping down trinkets and valuables and packing them away for safe keeping. Shakuntala kept working until, during her washing of the dishes, the tangerine rays of the setting sun filtered through the curtains of the window just above the sink. Realizing it was about time she returned to the camp grounds, she set the dish she was washing to the side, wiped it dry, then unrolled her sleeves after pulling the plug to let the water drain.
As she exited the kitchen, Sita was about to enter, and the sisters bumped into each other. With widened eyes, the elder Tischendorf sized up Shakuntala and questioned, "You're leaving?"
Shakuntala dipped her head in affirmation. "I... I have t-to return to the camp... I-I have to w-wake up... early tomorrow... B-bye, S-Sita..."
As the seventeen year old maneuvered passed her, Sita suddenly clutched a hand on her bicep and jerked her back. Glancing to her, Shakuntala blinked. The woman averted her eyes before looking to her sister and muttering, "D-do you have to go? The military, I mean... Why don't you stay with me, Shakuntala? I could really use your help here and-"
Shakuntala pulled herself from her sister's grip. "I-I'm s-sorry, Sita," she replied when she cut her sister off. "I... have to go..."
Sita pursed her lips with a small frown. She was reluctant to let Shakuntala leave but, upon holding her eyes on her sibling's face, she realized she couldn't fit the determination etched on her features. She's matured so much... the woman thought when she stepped back and nodded her head.
"All right," she replied. "Goodbye, Shakuntala."
As Shakuntala headed toward the door, she stopped just before it and mentioned with her grip on the knob, "I... I can come back next time I-I have time... And I c-can h-help... Like today..."
Sita's eyes grew gentle and she nodded her head with a small smile. "I'd like that very much," she replied before the door click shut.
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 3:12 am
solo || An Unknown World
Sita pursed her lips. "If you're going to vomit, please do it in the bucket next to you," she told her sister.
Shakuntala swallowed thickly. "I-I... I won't..." she replied with a puff as she peeled the cloth diaper off of her niece, Priya.
Her eyes were averted, but when the white, triangular sheet was slid off completely, her maroon orbs widened like dinner plates. The fumes that fluttered up from Priya and were caught by the younger Tischendorf's nose seem to physically thrust her to the bucket next to her as her gags morphed to deep upchucks. As the girl relieved herself of her early morning breakfast and recent lunch, Sita stepped forward and started where her sister had left off.
An hour later, Sita spooned some sugar into her tea and mixed it in. Gently placing the spoon beside the cup's saucer, she took a sip, and commented, "How odd it is you can face the pain of training in the military, but can't stomach changing a baby's diaper..."
Shakuntala's face was level with the dinner table with her arms splayed out on the tabletop as she mumbled something incoherent to herself. Shifting her head up to where it was balanced on her chin, she replied, "I-it's not... like that... The smell... The s-smell is terrible..."
Sita muffled a small chuckle into the palm of her hand. "Anyway, you should eat something. Go on."
The seventeen year old slowly raised herself to a proper sitting pose. Reaching a hand across the table, she pulled a platter of loaves over to herself. Breaking one in two, she buttered the smaller half and ripped a small chunk from it. Chewing slowly, she swallowed as her sister began to speak again.
"Thanks for your help, Shakuntala," Sita told the teen. "It's been tough lately without Roland, but with you coming around... Things have been a little easier."
The girl smiled at her sister. "O-of course..." she replied.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask... How's mom and dad? It's been a while since I've seen them."
Shakuntala glanced up at Sita before sliding her eyes off to the side. "It's... I-it's been a w-while since I've seen them... as well..." she said hesitantly. "I-I haven't seen them... since... since I've s-started training..."
Sita quirked a brow to Shakuntala's claim. Gently setting her cup of tea down back onto its saucer, the elder Tischendorf tilted her head. "What... do you mean by that?" she queried with a hint of concern in her tone. "Did mom do something...?"
Shakuntala dipped her head several times slowly. "Y-yea... S-she, um, m-mum kicked me... out..."
Sita's eyes stilled on her sister in slight disbelief, but when she started to shift uncomfortably under her sibling's stare, that's when the Tischendorf realized that what she muttered was verity. The longer-haired female pursed her lips and scratched a thumb nail on the handle of her teacup. She couldn't believe her ears; Kamla doted on her second daughter as if she were a goddess. What drove her to such a thing? Sita narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment as she took this into consideration.
Suddenly, the answer dawned on her at the appearance of her sister's uniform. The answer should've been obvious to her from the get-go, but even the idea of Shakunatala joining the military was hard to fathom. It was not until, a week before, that Sita was given her answer: She was tired of Kamla mapping out her life. For once, Shakuntala wanted to make an adult decision and, despite being a callous one, she stuck through with it. That, alone, was enough proof that she had matured. But her first flight of freedom left her with a broken wing; Kamla kicked her out. So now she was grasping onto a person who needed her as much as she was needed -- her sister.
Shakuntala seemed to have abandoned her bit of bread; the half dropping from her hand and rolling from her as she too was taken with what was either deep thought or rumination. Sita was not sure which -- her sister was infamous for both. Breaking the silence that was birthed between them with a clink of her teacup against its saucer again, she suddenly rose, drawing Shakuntala's eyes up to her.
Pushing in her chair, she said, "Well, I still have a few more things to do... Can you take care of the pantry, please? It's overflowing with knickknacks and things Roland used to keep around... I may be able to sell a few things for a copper or two and trash the rest if they're junk."
Shakuntala rose after her. "L-like what?" the girl blinked. "I-I've seen... so much things there..."
"Oh, like books or jewelry or whatever," Sita replied with a wave of her hand. "Just go with whatever you think may be able to sell."
Before Shakuntala could speak up again, Sita was gone. Drooping her shoulders, she simply trudged to the back of the house. Basing a judgement on her own decision was easier said than done; to her, anything was a treasure if sentimentality was attached to it. Tugging the door to the pantry open, she stepped inside with a look of wonder on her face. Despite having entered the room before multiple times, it always surprised the girl of the hoard her brother-in-law had amassed since his stay with Sita. Shelves upon shelves of baubles, trinkets, and things that could fetch a pretty penny or not lined all four corners of the area. There was enough books to keep one reading for years and toys to present to every orphan in Trost. The girl even nearly tripped over a barge in a bottle that seemed to have rolled off the shelf had she not quickly spotted it.
Straightening herself to her feet, Shakuntala scanned her eyes over the rows. Sighing, she choose to work right to left, and began on the farthest end of the lowest shelf. A musky pair of lace-up boots littered with holes were held in one hand and a snow globe fashioned from a jar in the other. Flicking her maroon eyes between the objects, she quickly labeled them as junk (despite thinking the boots just needed a simple sprucing up to be used and the globe being a quirky little trinket to keep around), and set them against the adjacent wall. She continued on to the next pair of items -- a bag of marbles and a balled-up hymn -- that soon joined the two before them. Shakuntala continued about halfway through the shelf piling up a myriad of items in her junk pile before her elbow hit a book. The water-stained tome clattered to the ground before turning open to a random page. The trainee tilted her head at the item before settling the bottles she held in her hands back on the shelf and bending at the waist to pick up the reading material. She scanned the item curiously before a familiar sparkle illuminated her eyes.
The time she should've spent doing what was asked of her was instead occupied with her marveling at what she read. In her hands was forbidden material that spoke of locations outside of the walls -- seas of salt, lands forever blanketed in snow, fields of fire, flora that snap at insects, and fauna has large as titans themselves, but gentler than a breeze. Shakuntala couldn't believe what she was reading and, like her sister, thought at once it had to be of fantasy. But the more in-depth the details became, the more she became convinced that, outside of the walls, there was a world once known and owned by humanity. And, for the first time, Shakuntala felt a need to steal it back. Flipping through a few more pages, the trainee came upon a few rough pencil sketches. Smearing one, she discovered that they weren't prints; they were drawn directly into the last few blank pages of the book.
Huh... These aren't like the other pictures...
They seemed to be more drafts of flora and fauna Shakuntala had never seen before. And, unlike the ones she read about, these were more stranger. There was a plump quadruped drawn in the top corner of the first page with a curved horn protruding from the end of its snout. It reminded the girl of a mutated cow. Underneath it were large cats; one which seemed to wear a fuzzy headdress about its face like a crown. Turning a page, she was then greeted with a plethora of flowers drawn on each page. She could recognize none of them due to her little knowledge when it came to the plants; to her, all of them looked like roses. Finally, upon the last page, she was given a full page sketch of what appeared to be a horse, but it was covered in a myriad of stripes. Of all that she saw, the girl obviously decided this was her favorite.
I would love to see this one in person some day..
After staring at the sketch a bit more, the girl noticed there was an etching of initials in the corner. Squinting her eyes, she managed to work out the letters "A. V." Closing the book shut, she compared them to the name on the cover: Antonio Velazquez, and surmised the compositions were definitely works of the author. At least, she thought they were.
Shakuntala didn't have time to dwell on the matter for long though. Sita cranked the knob of the pantry open and entered without so much as a knock of warning. Her sister quickly scrambled the book off of her lap and pushed into the side of keepsakes. The elder Tischendorf glanced between the shelves and the small piles her sibling had made before she frowned. At first, Shakuntala thought Sita was cross with her. But when the woman's hands graced her hips and she let out a puff, that's when she realized she wasn't mad, just frustrated.
"There's so much junk here..." Sita sighed. "It'd take years to check everything out... I see you've managed to clear a few things though. They're all junk?"
"A-ah, yes..."
Reaching into the pile, Sita grappled up an armful of the things. "All right, let's take them out back and burn 'em."
Nodding her head, Shakuntala followed with a number of the items as well. When they exited to the back of the house, the trainee realized that sun was soon to set. She cast a glance to Sita, who returned her stare as a look of disappointment overcame her features. She knew Shakuntala had to leave, but like every parting on the days she visited, Sita was reluctant to have her go. Dumping the items into a pile, Shakuntala bowed her head to her sister and started to leave, but Sita caught her arm before she did.
"At least wait until I light everything up..." Sita said as she removed a box of matches from her skirt's pocket. "Just a few moments."
Nodding he head, the teen watched as her elder sibling stroke a match on the edge of small carton she held and dropped it onto the pile of burnables. As the smell of tanned leather, paper, and wood combined into a musty smell as they were eaten by flames, Sita and Shakuntala watched a spiral of smoke build a tower into the tangerine sky.
"It's moments like this I feel so small..." Sita randomly commented as she wrapped her hands around her waist. "Like there is so much more to this world... Like there are things we will never know."
"Y-yea..." Shakuntala couldn't have agreed more.
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