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 Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:25 am
solo || Stained Red John and Rin Shepard waved to Hanabi as they left the house, with the small blue eyed girl rushing back to give her mom another hug. The woman laughed cheerfully as her daughter pressed her head against her thigh. "Rin, you really should get going. It looks like it's about to rain, you know! That's a bad omen. Come home safe, alright?" The little girl nodded her head sharply. "Yeah!" With a wide smile, she ran after her father, who was jokingly threatening to leave her behind. From the doorstep of their home, Hanabi waved after them. "Ne, ne! Papa, we should get mama a flower!" Rin said joyously as she caught up to her father. John looked down at his eight year old daughter and smiled. "Alright, but only if you behave yourself." The girl nodded vigorously. "I will, papa!" She gasped as she thought of something. "Can I pick the flower, papa? Can I?" John Shepard laughed. "Sure, kiddo." The little girl cheered. "I'm gonna pick a lily, I think! Lilies are pretty!" The sky was heavily overcast by the time they made it to the Shiganshina Market. John Shepard turned to his young daughter and smiled. "Alright, Rin, we need to find tomatoes, potatoes, onions, leeks, carrots, and meat. Can I trust you to lead me to them?" He suggested it playfully, and Rin gave a salute, to which her father laughed. "Leave it to me, papa!" She began to look around the market, with her father in tow. "Um... potatoes.... There!" She pointed off to the left, where there was a rather large pile of potatoes on the ground. Her father ruffled her hair. "Good job, kiddo. Why don't you look around for the others while I buy some?" "Alright!" Rin ran off in search of the other items on the list, almost bumping into someone. "Sorry!" She called out to the man, and she was off again. After a while of searching, she had located everything on the list, and she ran back to her father to tell him as much. "Papa, I found them, they're over here!" She lead him to the carrots, then the onions, the leeks, the tomatoes, and finally to the meat. John bought each of the items in turn after inspecting them for a bit to be sure they were good. After he was through, Rin looked up at her father with big blue eyes. "Ne, ne! Papa, was I good?" The man smiled at his daughter. "You were very good, Rin. You can buy the flower." The girl cheered and ran off in search of a flower vendor, John Shepard behind her. As he paid for the single white lily that Rin had picked out, a drop of rain fell from the sky and hit the girl on the cheek. She looked up in wonder as the rain began to fall more plentifully. "Papa," she called, "It's raining!" The man nodded as he hoisted the bags containing their food. "Yes, it is, Rin. We should hurry home to your mother." The girl's hand shot into the air as she grinned. "'Kay!" They ran through the streets, Rin taking the lead as she spun around, dancing and laughing in the rain. Her father gave her a light scolding. "Watch out, Rin. The streets are slippery. You don't want to fall, do you?" The girl shook her head. "No, papa." She stopped her playing and walked carefully at her father's side. When they finally arrived home, John Shepard was the first to notice something amiss. As they stepped closer, they found that the door to their house was ajar. Rin went to open it, but her father grabbed her by the wrist. "Rin, wait here." The girl looked up at her father, confused. "But why, papa?" The man didn't even look at her as he responded. "Just do it." Letting go of Rin's wrist, he stepped inside the house. Rin stayed for about a minute before she entered the house as well. It was dark inside, but she could make out the faint outline of her father kneeling down. "Papa," she called out, "where's mama?" John said nothing as he got to his feet. Walking past her, he said in a shaky voice, "Don't go over there. Please, Rin. Just don't. I'll be right back." Rin turned and watched her father walk right past the bags of food, and she tilted her head to the side. Curiosity got the better of her, and she made her way over to where her father had been. The first thing she noticed was a faint trace of copper in the air. The second was that there was another person in the room with her. "Mama, we're home!" She said joyfully. "Why're you laying on the floor, mama?" When no response came, she shook her mother by the shoulder. "Mama, wake up." Rin looked up as a light spilled into the room as her father returned with a member of the Garrison. "Papa, mama won't wake up." She looked back down at her mother and her eyes widened as she saw the illuminated blood. John Shepard rushed over to her, pulling her away from Hanabi's lifeless body. Rin's body shook uncontrollably, still in shock at the sight. Her father screamed at her. "I told you not to go over there! You never listen!" But Rin wasn't really hearing him. Her eyes remained locked on her mother's corpse, and even as the garrison soldier stepped in front of her, it was as if she could still see it. The garrison soldier left after a while, promising to find whoever had killed Hanabi. It was probably an empty promise, but Rin didn't know that. She hardly even heard him. Her mother was dead - murdered. The lily she had bought lay forgotten next to Hanabi's body, now stained red with blood.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:32 am
solo || One Thousand Paper Cranes The weeks that followed Hanabi's death were miserable. John Shepard no longer smiled, or laughed, or even paid any attention to his daughter, caught up in his depression as he was. After the funeral, he began drinking. Heavily. He'd go to work, leaving Rin alone in the house, come home, and start drinking. And the yelling, always he was yelling. To the eight year old girl, it was as if a demon had come and possessed her papa. She didn't like it, but whenever she voiced her concerns, he'd yell at her more. "I'll drink if I want!" He'd yell. So eventually she stopped asking him if he was okay, or if he would stop drinking. She didn't want to be yelled at. Not by a demon, or her father. After a few months, he quit his job. Even as young as she was, Rin knew that without a job, they'd starve. When she told her father this, he yelled at her again, throwing a beer bottle at the wall behind her, shattering it. "You think I'm ******** stupid?! You want to eat? Go get a job yourself! I'm done!" Fearful of her father's rage, the then nine year old girl ran out of the house. Her father didn't follow. Crying, she went to the repair shop where her father had worked, remembering when her mother had taken her to see her father at his job, back when they were happy. The owner was a kind man who recognized her, and asked why she was crying. She told him that without a job, her father wouldn't be able to eat. She pleaded for the man to let her take his place working at the shop. "I - I'm not as good as papa, but I can fix things, a little! Please!" She choked back a hiccup. "Let me work here, Mister!" The owner was moved by her pleas, and acquiesced to her request. It turned out to be a good decision, as Rin was a quick learner, and soon came to be able to repair most things brought in with relative ease after being shown how. When she wasn't working or cooking meals for her and her father, Rin passed the time practicing her origami, remembering an old legend her mother had told her. 'Rin', she'd said, 'did you know? It's said that, if you fold one thousand paper cranes, the gods will grant one wish that you have.' She did at least one crane everyday, in hopes that someday she could have her mother back, and that everything would be alright again. All the while, her father continued to drink away his sorrows. As the years passed, her father grew more and more violent. If Rin made a mistake, even a perceived one, he'd smash a bottle and yell at her. "You should have died, not Hanabi!" He'd tell her, over and over, and slowly, the girl began to believe him. Stressed, she began to make mistakes at work, and while the owner was sympathetic at first, eventually the mistakes added up, and he lost his cool on occasion and yelled at her, too. Eventually she decided that perhaps it would have been better if she didn't exist. She'd scratch at her throat until she drew blood, and then stop, too fearful to go all the way. The wounds eventually healed, but each time, she'd open a new one, as if it were penance for sins she hadn't committed. No one ever noticed due to her wearing turtlenecks that covered up the building scars. At some point, she became able to work through the stress of her father's anger, and even improve so much to the point that, when she was fifteen, the owner complimented her on her work, saying she was almost as good as her father before the murder. She resolved to work harder still, to one day become as good as her father had been, maybe even better. She had long since stopped making the cranes, although she couldn't remember when she had stopped or why. She decided to start back up again, maybe do ten a day to make up for lost time. And so the days passed, uneventful for the most part. She'd go to work, shop for groceries, cook dinner, make some paper cranes, go to bed, then repeat the process the next day. When she was 16, she finally finished her one thousandth crane. She clapped her hands together, and wished to have her mother back. But, obviously, she never came back. Hanabi Shepard was dead, and nothing could change that.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:08 pm
solo || Overwork Rin's breathing was ragged. She blinked a few times as her vision swam. She steadied herself on the bench where she was working on gluing a small statuette back together. The owner of the repair shop, Mr. Sergel, stepped over to her with concern in his eyes. "Rin, you don't look so good." He spoke quietly, or maybe he just sounded quiet for some reason. Looking up, she smiled weakly. "I'm.. fine, sir." Even to her own ears, however, she sounded pathetic. And it clearly sounded the same to the manager, as he took the figure gently from her hands. "Take the day off, Rin. You're overworking yourself." She opened her mouth to protest, but the manager cut her off. "I'll still pay you for the the day, don't you worry. Go home and get some rest, alright?" Rin slowly hung her head. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." She staggered to her feet, and out the door. Arriving home, she took off her shoes like always. Like always, her father was drinking in his chair. And, like always, she gave him a smile and a hello. "I'm ho...." Her words slurred together, and she fell. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- John Shepard wasn't feeling good. He never felt good, not since his wife was murdered. Thankfully, he had alcohol to solve that. The buzz ebbed at the reaches of his mind, dulling the pain of loss and sorrow. But it wasn't enough. Everyday, Rin grew to look more and more like a blue eyed version of Hanabi. It was a cruel mockery of his loss, and he hated it. Hated her. How could she look so beautiful? He tried to drive her away, but still she persisted. Haunting him. His only reprieve was when she left for work. And when the door opened, his waking nightmares began anew. There she was - the spitting image of his lost wife, saying she was home, but she would never come home. And then she was falling. Wait, falling? He looked over at the body of his daughter, that cruel reflection of his wife, and got to his feet with a start. "Hanabi...?" In his drunken stupor, he called out his wife's name rather than the name belonging to the girl in front of him. He stumbled over to his daughter's side and rolled her over. The girl was breathing heavily, face flushed. "No..." He whispered. "I don't want to lose you again...!" With strength he didn't realize he still had, he lifted the prone girl up and carried her over to her bed, setting her gently on top of the sheets. Once that was done, he stared at her for a moment, sweat forming on his brow. What was he supposed to do now? "Soup! I've got to make soup!" He rushed into the kitchen, banging around pots and pans looking for the soup pot, and began to cook for the first time in years. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rin opened her eyes blearily at the sound of pots and pans clanking together. With her foggy vision, she thought she made out the outline of her father's back in the kitchen, but slipped back asleep before she could think anything of it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The soup was kept boiling by the fire, and John Shepard replaced the wet rag he had put on Rin's forehead with a fresh one. "I'm sorry, Rin. So sorry. I've been a bad father. I promise to be better, so please, please, get well soon." Rin's eyes opened slowly, and her gaze drifted to her father. "Papa...?" Tears filled the man's eyes at the word. "Yes. I'm right here, Rin." The teenager's eyes widened, and she tried to sit up. "I'm sorry, I didn't make dinner.... I'll... do that..." She tried to get out of bed, but her father blocked her. "I already made it, Rin. Lay down." Rin nodded slowly and laid back down. "I'm sorry... I'll do it tomorrow..." John shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Rin. For these past eight years. It's been so long. I don't deserve forgiveness for what I've done, but I have to ask you anyway; is there any way you can ever forgive me?" The teenage girl closed her eyes, remembering everything that her father had been, everything good, everything bad, and smiled weakly. "I forgive you, dad." If I can do this much for you, she thought, then I want to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The days passed, and with her fathers help, Rin made a full recovery. She woke up and got dressed and headed for the door when her father stopped her. "Rin, you don't have to work anymore. I spoke with Mr. Sergel, and he agrees that you should still be resting." Rin shook her head. "But, papa, if I don't work, we won't have money for food. I have to go." John gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Mr. Sergel agreed to hire me back on. I've got my job back, and I won't throw it away this time. I promise. And with that said, I should get over there. I'll see you tonight, honey." Rin was silent for a moment, then nodded, smiling. "Alright, papa. Have a good day at work." The man left with a wave.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 3:35 pm
solo || New Beginnings The next seven years passed without incident. John Shepard grew more and more into the kind, caring father he had been before the murder. It was a near idyllic life, but not free of its troubles. Rin's father was over 50 years old now, and was slowing down considerably. As for Rin, she was 23 years old now. She stared at the paper crane she had just folded, thinking about her mother. The scene of a young girl finding her mother laying in a pool of her own blood replayed endlessly in her mind. Even though it was obvious to Rin that it was her own memory, she couldn't help but think that, somewhere, the same thing could be happening to someone else. Picking up the crane, she twirled it around in her fingers before setting it down. A tear trickled down the woman's cheek. I miss you, mom. The door opened, and Rin hastily wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. Her father stood in the doorway, smiling. "Hey, Rin. There's someone I want you to meet." He stepped inside, ushering in a woman behind him. The woman looked to be in her mid-to-late forties, with silvered-blonde hair and green eyes. She bowed as she saw Rin, smiling. "Hello. You must be Rin. John has told me so much about you. You're an extraordinary young woman." Rin was confused, but nevertheless got up and bowed back. "It's nice to meet you, too, Miss..." The blonde woman smiled. "I'm Felicia Grey." She said, introducing herself. John Shepard took the opportunity to speak up. "Felicia is one of our regulars at the shop." The woman laughed. "I'm a klutz, obviously. I can't stop breaking my things." She winked conspiratorially at Rin. "It's a good thing your father is good with his hands." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The three talked for a few hours before Felicia decided to leave. When she was gone, John turned to Rin with a serious expression on his face. "Rin, I have a question, and I want you to answer truthfully." Rin nodded, and he took a deep breath. "Felicia lost her husband years ago, and we bonded over our shared loss. We have a lot more in common than that, of course. She's a remarkable woman, and she reminds me of your mother. What I'm asking is... would you be opposed to me re-marrying?" Rin was dumbstruck. Her father wanted to replace her mother? No, she knew that wasn't a fair assessment of the situation. Her father wanted to be happy. Who was she to tell him not to be? She forced a smile. "Go for it, dad." John searched her expression, finding nothing. "Are you sure? You aren't forcing yourself?" Rin's smile faltered for just a moment, but that moment was enough for him to know something was up. "What are you really thinking, Rin?" The woman looked down at the crane on the table. "I miss mom." Her father wrapped her into a hug. "I do, too, sweetie. Really, I do. Everyday. But Felicia isn't going to take away my love for her, or for you, if that's what you're worried about." He smoothed the hair on the back of her head before separating from her. "Just say the word, and I'll call the whole thing off. I don't want to upset you." "No, dad, it's... it's okay. I want you to be happy, and if this, if Felicia will make you happy, then I want you to go for it." She suddenly hugged him again, pressing her chin against his shoulder. "I love you, dad." "I love you, too, sweetie." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another year passed, and Felicia Grey became Felicia Shepard. John Shepard sold their home, and he and his daughter moved in with his new wife. One night, shortly after her 24th birthday, Rin knocked on her father and stepmother's door. "Are you awake?" she asked. The door opened to reveal Felicia in her nightgown wearing a worried expression. "Rin, honey, it's ten o'clock, what's wrong?" Rin swallowed. "Can I speak with you and dad?" The woman nodded, and went to get her husband. A few minutes later, they were seated in the living room. "What's wrong, Rin?" Her father asked. Rin took a deep breath and exhaled. "I want to join the military. Is... is that okay?" John laughed loudly. "Is that all? Absolutely, honey." Felicia smiled reassuringly. "It would have been a tad hypocritical for him to say no, anyway. I'll take you down to the recruitment center tomorrow, Rin. Is that alright?" Rin nodded. "That's fine. Thank you. Both of you. I'll see you tomorrow." Rin could hardly sleep with the anticipation for the next day, but eventually she did.
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:10 pm
Rin attends orientation and is sorted into the Falke Dorm.
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:39 pm
Rin helps a young girl named Lenore cope with her parents' deaths.
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