Title: Decision to return
Author: SilverInk
Writing: story excerpt/ random writing.
Word Count: 1118
"Elysia, this is your decision," Alina Zephyr said, standing with one arm over the other and head slightly bent in questioning. The dark mark on the left side of her face gave a little twist before staying still again.
Elysia Kieran looked away. Even after traveling with Alina and learning to accept the Object of Holena, the Mark of Holena still bothered her. "We have to go back," she repeated, more to herself than anyone else. She set the newspaper down again and sat on the temple bench to keep herself from falling.
"Is there anything I can get you?" It was a temple apprentice, Elysia guessed.
"Tea please," She ordered. "Thyme and rosemary."
He nodded and turned to Alina. The Object hesitated and nodded to indicate she would have the same. The apprentice hurried off and Elysia fingered her Angelsign pendant feverishly. "We have to go back," she said. "Andromeda was my best friend."
"We are going back to Bryka Fields?"
"Yes--no," Elysia quickly amended. "Oh--" she hesitated, not sure if she trusted the Object so much yet. "What would you do?" She asked in a soft voice.
"If I were you?" Alina asked. Elysia nodded. Alina stretched her hands and folded them behind her as she stared at the temple's intricately carved ceiling. She squinted as if trying to read something carved on the ceiling. "Well," she said with a sigh, her arms swinging loose and her gaze returning to Elysia's face. "Andromeda is not dead."
"But it says here she was killed in a skirmish among the tournament participants!"
"Ferrezin casualties are turned into vaerlaxies. Their vaernima will be given as prizes to the winners," Alina countered expertly. "Andromeda is not dead. Now, if I were you, I would set that aside for now. The real choice is to either continue this journey, or turn back. If you turn back, you can either return to Bryka Fields or head directly for the Capital."
"Why would I go to the Capital?"
"The first round of the Ferrezin has not been held. You can still claim Andromeda's vaernima--assuming her parents have not yet."
"And what'd I do with it?"
"Sonora's power was vaerlaxies spellcasting, was it not?"
Elysia gapped at Alina for a moment before sputtering, "That-that's stupid! Why would I go to her for help? She's trying to kill me! She's the reason we're on this journey!"
Alina silenced her quickly as the temple apprentice returned with their tea. He left a hovering tray between them and scampered away quickly, obviously afraid of Alina's Mark, which had happened to swirl while he was there. Elysia poured for both of them with trembling hands and downed hers quickly. She refilled and drank another two. By then it seemed her nerves had calmed enough for her to speak again.
"Anyways, just because Sonora's power had something to do with vaerlaxies doesn't mean she can bring back the dead."
"Andromeda is not dead," Alina replied smoothly, sipping her drink. Her Mark stopped swirling around her eye and settled into a wavy circle design.
"I don't like it," Elysia retorted, taking another drink. The herbs in the tea seemed to do her no good, though Alina could feel them keep her from bursting out in agitated tears.
"As I said, this decision is up to you alone."
The two sat there for a long time, each occasionally pouring a cup of the quickly-disappearing tea. Alina closed her eyes and meditated and once Elysia had enough control of herself, she did too.
When the Object opened her eyes again, Elysia was still floating next to her, meditating and thinking. The tray of tea was gone, but she had sensed that mid-way through her meditation. Alina let her boots touch the floor gently and wandered away.
She made her way quickly through the halls, through the back gardens of the temple and to the temple Sanctum, stopping only to pick a blue and a white rose from a garden. In the Sanctum, she hurried to the back of the long hall and stood before the wall with a neutral expression. This wall was free of pedestals and offerings, and the only thing on it was a beautiful mural of the Angelsign.
"Ghosts," Alina said, holding the blue flower up to the sign. "Ghosts of the land, speak to me."
The stem of the flower vanished as a heavy breeze swept through the hall, leaving a handful of petals in her hand.
"What do you seek, Alina of Zephyr?"
"To speak to Andromeda of Corren. Species phantom-elf."
There was a collective hiss from the ghosts and the majority of them vanished in a gust of mist and air, some out of disgust and some to search for the mentioned person.
"Why do you seek a phantom?," one asked. "You are a half-ghost. What use have you of a phantom?"
"She was my friend and was recently killed," Alina replied, immediately identifying the speaker, though the echoing voice could have come from any one of the wispy figures.
"Then she is dead."
"No. I believe she was preserved in vaerlaxies."
Another hiss escaped the gathered ghosts and the small crowd thinned again.
"She was my friend," Alina repeated firmly.
A few ghosts nodded reluctantly. Alina glanced down and saw that only two petals remained. As she watched, one of them withered and vanished, as if it were never there.
The ghosts that had gone to search began returning now; most just offered her a sorry shake of their head but finally one told her, "Andromeda of Corren is well. Her spirit cannot come with us, but it is in good health. She bids you and Elysia of Kieran to hurry in your decision." The ghost vanished then, as swiftly as it had appeared, and the last petal faded. Alina turned, bowed to the Angelsign, and returned back out the Sanctum. Before she exited, she stopped at one pedestal and left the white rose on it. "Thank you for your help, brother ghost," she murmured. The rose remained where it was for a minute before fading away, as if it had melted into the air. Alina bowed to the pedestal then, to thank its resident for accepting her offer, and left the temple Sanctum.
She returned promptly to Elysia, who had come out of her meditative trance and was packing fresh supplies into her pack. "I have decided," she said when Alina stopped before her. "We're going to the Capital, but not to lay claim to Andromeda's vaernima."
Alina nodded as Elysia stood, sweeping her white hair into a low ponytail. "I-I'm...going to speak to Sonora."
Artist's Note: HI! Sorry for super-late post (for last week) and for the suckiness of it. Erm... EtHR returns? (EtHR= Destiny's Edge: the Heart Reincarnation, my former NaNoWriMo 2010 idea before I randomly changed it.) Really I just felt like writing with Alina a bit and this is what popped out. I should be working on other writing >.<
Hopefully I get something decent posted on-time this week!
~SilverInk
Showing posts with label EtHR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EtHR. Show all posts
19 January 2011
22 October 2010
EtHR related: Sister
Title: Sister, how Yia, Hisho, and Kaori get in the Ferrezin backstory
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Background brief
Word Count: 1092
"I don't have a sister. Leave me alone."
"Hisho! How could you say that? Yia all but died for you! What's--"
"She's an Object, Kaori! Now leave me alone! I can do what I want!" The door to the small shack slammed, leaving Kaori outside, fuming.
Kaori's temper was no small thing to reckon with, but Hisho Nishanka knew he was an exception. No one could escape her wrath, but he was the master of the illusionist. He could decide who to punish and who to reward. The entire of Kaori was in his hands.
Hisho stared at the small shack his sister had built when their parents had been killed. How, he wondered, Yia of all people failed her Assignment of Destiny, was a wonder. If he was completely honest with himself, she embodied all that was praiseworthy. Yet she had been condemned. And Kaori, who was cold-hearted and cruel had passed.
But this reflecting got no one anywhere and Hisho shook his head, washed his hands at the handmade sink, tossed his backpack on the handwoven chair, and flopped on the handmade bed. Kaori would come over with dinner later, he hoped. He did not want to cook himself.
<<~~---~~>>
Upon arriving at her house, Kaori greeted her parents respectfully and then proceeded upstairs to her loft. She locked the door as usual, and finished her homework in the dark room. Within an hour of diligent work, she had completed her work and her studying.
"Mother, should I cook dinner?" Her mother nodded lazily and continued browsing the television. Kaori accepted this without comment and went to make dinner for the three-person family.
<<~~---~~>>
Homework lying abandoned in his backpack still, Hisho searched through the sparse closet for clothes that would suit him. He would be leaving all this behind when he went to the Ferrezin Tournament, but he wanted to see what he might take with him anyways. His weapon, a rather feeble metal bat was propped next to the bag he had bought specifically to bring. Hisho had thought his plan through carefully: If he lost in the Tournament, he wouldn't be alive to spend any of his money anyways; if he survived and won, he would be rich beyond measure and the small coin he had now would be useless. He supposed he might as well buy a new bat and armor but that could wait for a while. After all, he didn't leave for another week.
He turned at the sound of a knock on the door and stood to open it. He supposed he could have just opened it with his magic, as Yia always did--Yia did everything with magic, it seemed--but Hisho quite frankly didn't see the purpose. That, and magic didn't come quite as easily to him. That was what he told himself at least. But truthfully, it was that he simply didn't care enough for it to work at it.
"I made spaghetti for you," Kaori said, stepping inside. She set her dinner--now Hisho's--on the rickety table Yia had pieced together with help from a few temple folk. "Your favorite."
"Thanks," Hisho said and dove right in, thinking Kaori had already eaten--that's what she always told him anyways.
"In any case, Hisho. I want to talk about your decision to join the Ferrezin."
"Not again, seriously?"
"Yia instructed me to take care of you. And by that definition I think sending you off to a dangerous fight thing is not at all good care."
"Well, leave it alone. It's been what, four, five years since she left?"
"...Yia undertook the Ritual of Holena three years ago, when we were 17 and you were 10."
"You're so serious about it."
"She was a good person."
"You mean, she believed your sob stories."
"No." Kaori's fist was balled up under the table in anger and frustration. Her stomach growled hungrily but she hid it under an illusion of sound. "No. I say she was a good person because she was selfless. Don't deny it!" she snapped at Hisho's rolling eyes. "She stayed up the night before her Assignment to take care of you because you were sick! And during her grace period, she did nothing but patch up the shack for you and sew you new clothes and make sure everything was stocked! How you could dare disregard everything she did is an amazement to me!"
"Yea yea. Yia was this, Yia was that. You don't listen to what the others say, do you? It's not like she was smart or good at anything really. She did her duty as a sister and that's it. You give her too much credit."
"Her duty as a sister was to see that you lived to the age of nine, Hisho! I've read the wills! She overdid herself. She was not a perfect student because she was always helping you with YOUR homework and studies. She never got the time to pursue her own interests because she was always working--running the mill, doing odd jobs--for you! Food, clothes, everything! You're an idiot!"
Kaori had stood up and was now pacing agitatedly. She sat back down in a huff and stared at the boy she had been asked to watch. "She should have left you to die. I should have left you to die. But neither of us did. And now you want to throw yourself into the most violent competition of all time?"
Hisho thought for a moment, looking down at his food. He let out a sniffle. "I-I- You know how Yia failed her Assignment... I'm already 13 too. Every moment I stay here is a chance for me to get my own Assignment...and I'm afraid I'll fail. But if I survive the Ferrezin, I'm granted immunity from the Ritual."
Kaori softened a little and sighed. "It won't be that bad. The Assignment should be do-able. It's nowhere near as hard as surviving the Ferrezin in any case. And you don't know that you get immunity. Just because Objects are granted amnesty doesn't mean you're granted immunity if you've never been an Object."
Hisho was silent. He looked up and though his eyes were dry, he had stuck his lip out in petulance and watched Kaori with wide, mournful eyes.
"That doesn't work on me." Kaori crossed her arms.
"You can't stop me anyways," Hisho said finally, dropping the act and continuing eating.
Kaori growled and stood up. She marched out the door in a huff. Outside, Hisho heard her say resolutely, "I'm telling Yia."
Artist's Note: For reference, this is about five years after "My Dark Haven," :) No, Kaori isn't supposed to be that nice.
So, another installment of EtHR related stuff! I haven't gotten around to painting Kaori's picture and posting it, but I'm almost done! >.<. I actually have a few preliminary sketches of Yia and Hisho as well, so I'll post them here when and if I actually get around to scanning, cropping, and fixing them a bit >.<
I'll try to finish Tsiyone's background story asap! >.<
Um.... there should definitely be a post next week... :/ I need to work on my college essays! >..,
Hope you enjoyed; please comment!
~SilverInk
P.S. Sorry I changed the background again! >.< It was too emo for me >.< I'm "bipolar" o.O Or, as Mr. Jacobs (former Varsity Biology teacher) put, in comment of my love of scrawling "dipole- dipole FTW" and my volatile nature: "Dipolar"
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Background brief
Word Count: 1092
"I don't have a sister. Leave me alone."
"Hisho! How could you say that? Yia all but died for you! What's--"
"She's an Object, Kaori! Now leave me alone! I can do what I want!" The door to the small shack slammed, leaving Kaori outside, fuming.
Kaori's temper was no small thing to reckon with, but Hisho Nishanka knew he was an exception. No one could escape her wrath, but he was the master of the illusionist. He could decide who to punish and who to reward. The entire of Kaori was in his hands.
Hisho stared at the small shack his sister had built when their parents had been killed. How, he wondered, Yia of all people failed her Assignment of Destiny, was a wonder. If he was completely honest with himself, she embodied all that was praiseworthy. Yet she had been condemned. And Kaori, who was cold-hearted and cruel had passed.
But this reflecting got no one anywhere and Hisho shook his head, washed his hands at the handmade sink, tossed his backpack on the handwoven chair, and flopped on the handmade bed. Kaori would come over with dinner later, he hoped. He did not want to cook himself.
<<~~---~~>>
Upon arriving at her house, Kaori greeted her parents respectfully and then proceeded upstairs to her loft. She locked the door as usual, and finished her homework in the dark room. Within an hour of diligent work, she had completed her work and her studying.
"Mother, should I cook dinner?" Her mother nodded lazily and continued browsing the television. Kaori accepted this without comment and went to make dinner for the three-person family.
<<~~---~~>>
Homework lying abandoned in his backpack still, Hisho searched through the sparse closet for clothes that would suit him. He would be leaving all this behind when he went to the Ferrezin Tournament, but he wanted to see what he might take with him anyways. His weapon, a rather feeble metal bat was propped next to the bag he had bought specifically to bring. Hisho had thought his plan through carefully: If he lost in the Tournament, he wouldn't be alive to spend any of his money anyways; if he survived and won, he would be rich beyond measure and the small coin he had now would be useless. He supposed he might as well buy a new bat and armor but that could wait for a while. After all, he didn't leave for another week.
He turned at the sound of a knock on the door and stood to open it. He supposed he could have just opened it with his magic, as Yia always did--Yia did everything with magic, it seemed--but Hisho quite frankly didn't see the purpose. That, and magic didn't come quite as easily to him. That was what he told himself at least. But truthfully, it was that he simply didn't care enough for it to work at it.
"I made spaghetti for you," Kaori said, stepping inside. She set her dinner--now Hisho's--on the rickety table Yia had pieced together with help from a few temple folk. "Your favorite."
"Thanks," Hisho said and dove right in, thinking Kaori had already eaten--that's what she always told him anyways.
"In any case, Hisho. I want to talk about your decision to join the Ferrezin."
"Not again, seriously?"
"Yia instructed me to take care of you. And by that definition I think sending you off to a dangerous fight thing is not at all good care."
"Well, leave it alone. It's been what, four, five years since she left?"
"...Yia undertook the Ritual of Holena three years ago, when we were 17 and you were 10."
"You're so serious about it."
"She was a good person."
"You mean, she believed your sob stories."
"No." Kaori's fist was balled up under the table in anger and frustration. Her stomach growled hungrily but she hid it under an illusion of sound. "No. I say she was a good person because she was selfless. Don't deny it!" she snapped at Hisho's rolling eyes. "She stayed up the night before her Assignment to take care of you because you were sick! And during her grace period, she did nothing but patch up the shack for you and sew you new clothes and make sure everything was stocked! How you could dare disregard everything she did is an amazement to me!"
"Yea yea. Yia was this, Yia was that. You don't listen to what the others say, do you? It's not like she was smart or good at anything really. She did her duty as a sister and that's it. You give her too much credit."
"Her duty as a sister was to see that you lived to the age of nine, Hisho! I've read the wills! She overdid herself. She was not a perfect student because she was always helping you with YOUR homework and studies. She never got the time to pursue her own interests because she was always working--running the mill, doing odd jobs--for you! Food, clothes, everything! You're an idiot!"
Kaori had stood up and was now pacing agitatedly. She sat back down in a huff and stared at the boy she had been asked to watch. "She should have left you to die. I should have left you to die. But neither of us did. And now you want to throw yourself into the most violent competition of all time?"
Hisho thought for a moment, looking down at his food. He let out a sniffle. "I-I- You know how Yia failed her Assignment... I'm already 13 too. Every moment I stay here is a chance for me to get my own Assignment...and I'm afraid I'll fail. But if I survive the Ferrezin, I'm granted immunity from the Ritual."
Kaori softened a little and sighed. "It won't be that bad. The Assignment should be do-able. It's nowhere near as hard as surviving the Ferrezin in any case. And you don't know that you get immunity. Just because Objects are granted amnesty doesn't mean you're granted immunity if you've never been an Object."
Hisho was silent. He looked up and though his eyes were dry, he had stuck his lip out in petulance and watched Kaori with wide, mournful eyes.
"That doesn't work on me." Kaori crossed her arms.
"You can't stop me anyways," Hisho said finally, dropping the act and continuing eating.
Kaori growled and stood up. She marched out the door in a huff. Outside, Hisho heard her say resolutely, "I'm telling Yia."
Artist's Note: For reference, this is about five years after "My Dark Haven," :) No, Kaori isn't supposed to be that nice.
So, another installment of EtHR related stuff! I haven't gotten around to painting Kaori's picture and posting it, but I'm almost done! >.<. I actually have a few preliminary sketches of Yia and Hisho as well, so I'll post them here when and if I actually get around to scanning, cropping, and fixing them a bit >.<
I'll try to finish Tsiyone's background story asap! >.<
Um.... there should definitely be a post next week... :/ I need to work on my college essays! >..,
Hope you enjoyed; please comment!
~SilverInk
P.S. Sorry I changed the background again! >.< It was too emo for me >.< I'm "bipolar" o.O Or, as Mr. Jacobs (former Varsity Biology teacher) put, in comment of my love of scrawling "dipole- dipole FTW" and my volatile nature: "Dipolar"
15 October 2010
EtHR related: My Dark Haven, Kaori Koga Backstory
Title: My Dark Haven, Kaori Koga Backstory
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Background brief
Word Count: 1577.
"My mom and dad fight at home. He cuts her sometimes. And then she gets mad and sends him flying across the room."
"Miss Koga, please stop telling lies about your parents. I cannot for the life of me imagine them disagreeing on anything, much less fighting. Now, does anyone have a true story to share with the class?"
"But Ms Eviteen, they do fight. And then they get mad at me when when I try to stop them. I'm not lying. I have bruises to prove it."
"That will be enough Miss Koga, see me after the meeting."
Ms Eviteen ended the meeting there and for the rest of the period the kids sat around and played cards. They were all there because they thought they could use peer discussion about their personal or social issues.
When Ms Eviteen wasn't looking, she said again, "My parents really do fight though. I just need help. I'd like somewhere to go, where I won't have to deal with my parents beating each other up and yelling at me for no reason."
"Listen," one of the card players said, folding his hand. "It isn't anywhere near Avril, so don't be pulling jokes on us, ok?"
"Technically," another said, adjusting his glasses, "It doesn't need to be the Month of Comedy for someone to be funny. I mean, "The Aidapak" is a year-long show. I raise ten."
"Well, fine. And anyways Kaori? I live right next to you. I never hear them shouting. I never hear anyone from your house shouting."
Kaori shook her head, sending the brown-black mass that was only tied up by a few red ribbons flying into a mess. "The walls are soundproof, don't you know?"
The person with the glasses smiled, delighted he had won the round. Putting the cards away, he said, "Yes, but it doesn't seem very like either of them to quarrel with anyone or anything. And I'm sure your parents would never hurt each other. They're always very cordial and sweet."
"In public," Kaori protested, but the hour had ended and the occupants began leaving the classroom to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Kaori sighed in defeat and retied her hair more securely.
"Miss Koga, you are very convinced that your parents are violent at home."
"Yes, Ms Eviteen."
"I have sent word to your father asking to join your family for dinner. I do not think what you say is true, but if you are so insistent, then I would not mind spending a night in investigation."
"Thank you Ms Eviteen!" Kaori said. The counselor only nodded and waved her out the door. "I'll see you at dinner!"
---
"KAORI KOGA. You dare to shame your name and complain to outsiders about a family issue?"
"But mother--!"
Kaori ducked as the couch hurtled towards her. It landed a few feet away, caught between the stair rail that led up to the one-room loft and the other wall. Kaori flung out her hands and concentrated on a mental picture of her as a baby. Her mother was caught aback for but a moment though and soon a lamp shot itself at Kaori, shattering and scratching her arms and cheek. Kaori yelped and staggered backwards and was saved by the sound of the doorbell. "Go change," her mother ordered, sending the lamp shards into the trash receptacle and the couch back to its original place with a few swipes of her hand. She looked into the mirror by the door, smiled pleasantly, and opened the door, "Ms Eviteen, how kind of you to join us. Dinner is almost ready. Please, do come in." Mr. Koga appeared from his workroom and shook Ms Eviteen's hand amicably. "Yes, please. Would you care for some drink?"
Seeing Kaori still standing defiantly on the stairs, her father stepped out of view of the door and under the guise of fetching a cup, sent a few magical bolts at his daughter. Kaori jumped and the bolts only tore her dress, slightly and silently. Kaori slipped upstairs before anything else happened to her.
"Forgive me," she said, entering the dining room, where the adults were already eating. "I overslept," she lied, seeing the expressions her parents were throwing her over Ms Eviteen's head. She had not decently covered the cut on her cheeck and Ms. Eviteen noted this.
"She tripped and broke the lamp," Mrs. Koga explained politely, offering to treat the wound as she poured some soup for Kaori. "Are you sure you don't want me to look at it dear? You're sure you feel fine?"
Kaori suppressed a grimace and nodded stiffly. "Yes mother, it is perfectly fine. Although you are quite wrong about the detail. The lamp flew at me and was intentionally shattered."
Her mother put on a confused expression and Mr. Koga stepped in. "It is all my fault really," he said, setting the spoon down. "I accidentally left lamp in a bad location and when she came home, she accidentally triggered the catapult I was building, sending the badly-placed lamp at her. But enough of this. I apologize--to everyone--for my negligence. Kaori, could I make it up to you by offering you your favorite dessert tonight? Ms. Eviteen, I hope you do not mind strawberry shortcake."
"But I hat--" Kaori started but capitulated at the dagger-like look she saw on both her parent's faces. "Thank you father."
Dinner proceeded quietly for Kaori, though the adults chatted amiably on quite a range of topics. Not once did her Mr. or Mrs. Koga say a cross word or indicate any sign of disapproval with each other, their daughter or their guest.
Ms. Eviteen stayed for a few hours after dinner to continue her examination and was then offered a tour of the house by Mr. Koga, who apologized profusely for neglecting to do so until so late. With the eye of a teacher, Ms Eviteen examined the furnishings. The one-story house was very neatly decorated, with nothing that so much hinted as to damage or wear. Since both Mr. and Mrs. Koga did not rely on weaponry in their careers, there were not even the most basic weapons lying around. The kitchen knives were securely contained and showed no signs of being thrown or used as anything but a tool for chopping vegetables. Up rickety stairs in Kaori's bedroom loft was the only sign of disturbance:
Kaori's room was not messy--no, it was clean and orderly--but the color scheme was quite disturbing. The entire of the room was painted black, with a few stripes of a creamy pink here and there, showing where the black desk, the black bed, the black-framed mirror, the black closet, the black door to the black bathroom. The light from the room came from five pink lamps. Bottles of sand, both colored and not colored and corkboard-size sand-painting canvases were tucked in a corner but loomed dangerously in the room. Kaori's main weapon, a dagger the length of her forearm, was resting conspicuously on her dresser.
---
"Kaori, don't be upset, but I think it isn't your parent's fault that you are feeling these emotions. I think your powers are occasionally slipping from your grasp, causing you to see things that aren't real. Illusion imposition is a difficult skill and power to master, so do not be deterred. I'm sure you will one day master it perfectly well."
---
Kaori Koga, fifteen, pinned her hair up neatly in two curled loops. She combed her bangs to the now-normal cute style and the two long strands at either side so that they would not bother her vision. Finally, she set a scarlet ribbon in her hair, a strikingly elegant look. Her dress was pretty, but also somewhat practical and her dagger was strung inconspicuously on the inside of the coat. She washed off any traces of blood, bandaged the cuts she could and arranged her dress so it would cover the scars. The ones on her face she cleaned quickly but throughly and then expertly applied makeup around the area to conceal it as much as possible. Only then did she dare leave the comfort of her black room.
"Good morning, Miss Koga," her teachers greeted. "Good morning," she replied.
"Such a nice little girl now," her teachers commented. "that Ms Eviteen sure knows her stuff. Why only last Fril Arg she was freaking out and telling foolish stories about her parents. And now--a mere week and a half later--it seems she has drastically improved her life. How fortunate."
The students seemed to think the same. "Hey, Kaori. I was wondering--would you go to the dance with me?"
"Don't you have a girlfriend?"
"We broke up."
"Oh." Kaori smiled pleasantly and locked her scarlet-hazel eyes on the boy's. Subtly, Kaori moved her hand. There was no indication that anything unusual was happening; the first sign came from the boy, who staggered backwards and howled silently
"Why'd you show me that?!" he demanded, shaking his head to keep the images that plagued him.
Kaori laughed as if he had said a joke and then continued her way for a few steps. Her polite little smile turned upwards in a knowing smirk and she turned back to the poor boy. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
Curses returned her words. Kaori set a comforting hand on her new victim and a channeled more images to the person, some true, some imagined, all haunting. She leaned towards him and whispered, "I know what you fear. But be comforted. Reality exists within the mind, and I have your secret locked up in my dark haven."
Artist's Note: I wrote this in 88 minutes, as a part of a quickwrite.
The main character is one of the minor characters in my to-be NaNoWriMo 2010 project, "Edge: the Heart Reincarnation". Hopefully everything makes sense?
(Yes, I know book titles are supposed to be underlined or italicized. But since it's still in plan-form right now, I think quotation marks will do XP)
Please rate! On a scale of 1-5, how soon in the story should she die? (6 if she should not be killed at all). For any reason you'd like; for example, Lewis said one of my mean characters should not die just because it would be so ironic if the mean one lived. :)
~SilverInk
P.S. I was going to post the second and probably final (really because I just don't feel like writing it much longer) part of Tsiyone's character background, but obviously didn't XD Maybe next week?
P.P.S I have a few drawings of her! I'll submit it once I'm done scanning and editing them :) So check back on this post sometime later on! :) :)
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Background brief
Word Count: 1577.
"My mom and dad fight at home. He cuts her sometimes. And then she gets mad and sends him flying across the room."
"Miss Koga, please stop telling lies about your parents. I cannot for the life of me imagine them disagreeing on anything, much less fighting. Now, does anyone have a true story to share with the class?"
"But Ms Eviteen, they do fight. And then they get mad at me when when I try to stop them. I'm not lying. I have bruises to prove it."
"That will be enough Miss Koga, see me after the meeting."
Ms Eviteen ended the meeting there and for the rest of the period the kids sat around and played cards. They were all there because they thought they could use peer discussion about their personal or social issues.
When Ms Eviteen wasn't looking, she said again, "My parents really do fight though. I just need help. I'd like somewhere to go, where I won't have to deal with my parents beating each other up and yelling at me for no reason."
"Listen," one of the card players said, folding his hand. "It isn't anywhere near Avril, so don't be pulling jokes on us, ok?"
"Technically," another said, adjusting his glasses, "It doesn't need to be the Month of Comedy for someone to be funny. I mean, "The Aidapak" is a year-long show. I raise ten."
"Well, fine. And anyways Kaori? I live right next to you. I never hear them shouting. I never hear anyone from your house shouting."
Kaori shook her head, sending the brown-black mass that was only tied up by a few red ribbons flying into a mess. "The walls are soundproof, don't you know?"
The person with the glasses smiled, delighted he had won the round. Putting the cards away, he said, "Yes, but it doesn't seem very like either of them to quarrel with anyone or anything. And I'm sure your parents would never hurt each other. They're always very cordial and sweet."
"In public," Kaori protested, but the hour had ended and the occupants began leaving the classroom to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Kaori sighed in defeat and retied her hair more securely.
"Miss Koga, you are very convinced that your parents are violent at home."
"Yes, Ms Eviteen."
"I have sent word to your father asking to join your family for dinner. I do not think what you say is true, but if you are so insistent, then I would not mind spending a night in investigation."
"Thank you Ms Eviteen!" Kaori said. The counselor only nodded and waved her out the door. "I'll see you at dinner!"
---
"KAORI KOGA. You dare to shame your name and complain to outsiders about a family issue?"
"But mother--!"
Kaori ducked as the couch hurtled towards her. It landed a few feet away, caught between the stair rail that led up to the one-room loft and the other wall. Kaori flung out her hands and concentrated on a mental picture of her as a baby. Her mother was caught aback for but a moment though and soon a lamp shot itself at Kaori, shattering and scratching her arms and cheek. Kaori yelped and staggered backwards and was saved by the sound of the doorbell. "Go change," her mother ordered, sending the lamp shards into the trash receptacle and the couch back to its original place with a few swipes of her hand. She looked into the mirror by the door, smiled pleasantly, and opened the door, "Ms Eviteen, how kind of you to join us. Dinner is almost ready. Please, do come in." Mr. Koga appeared from his workroom and shook Ms Eviteen's hand amicably. "Yes, please. Would you care for some drink?"
Seeing Kaori still standing defiantly on the stairs, her father stepped out of view of the door and under the guise of fetching a cup, sent a few magical bolts at his daughter. Kaori jumped and the bolts only tore her dress, slightly and silently. Kaori slipped upstairs before anything else happened to her.
"Forgive me," she said, entering the dining room, where the adults were already eating. "I overslept," she lied, seeing the expressions her parents were throwing her over Ms Eviteen's head. She had not decently covered the cut on her cheeck and Ms. Eviteen noted this.
"She tripped and broke the lamp," Mrs. Koga explained politely, offering to treat the wound as she poured some soup for Kaori. "Are you sure you don't want me to look at it dear? You're sure you feel fine?"
Kaori suppressed a grimace and nodded stiffly. "Yes mother, it is perfectly fine. Although you are quite wrong about the detail. The lamp flew at me and was intentionally shattered."
Her mother put on a confused expression and Mr. Koga stepped in. "It is all my fault really," he said, setting the spoon down. "I accidentally left lamp in a bad location and when she came home, she accidentally triggered the catapult I was building, sending the badly-placed lamp at her. But enough of this. I apologize--to everyone--for my negligence. Kaori, could I make it up to you by offering you your favorite dessert tonight? Ms. Eviteen, I hope you do not mind strawberry shortcake."
"But I hat--" Kaori started but capitulated at the dagger-like look she saw on both her parent's faces. "Thank you father."
Dinner proceeded quietly for Kaori, though the adults chatted amiably on quite a range of topics. Not once did her Mr. or Mrs. Koga say a cross word or indicate any sign of disapproval with each other, their daughter or their guest.
Ms. Eviteen stayed for a few hours after dinner to continue her examination and was then offered a tour of the house by Mr. Koga, who apologized profusely for neglecting to do so until so late. With the eye of a teacher, Ms Eviteen examined the furnishings. The one-story house was very neatly decorated, with nothing that so much hinted as to damage or wear. Since both Mr. and Mrs. Koga did not rely on weaponry in their careers, there were not even the most basic weapons lying around. The kitchen knives were securely contained and showed no signs of being thrown or used as anything but a tool for chopping vegetables. Up rickety stairs in Kaori's bedroom loft was the only sign of disturbance:
Kaori's room was not messy--no, it was clean and orderly--but the color scheme was quite disturbing. The entire of the room was painted black, with a few stripes of a creamy pink here and there, showing where the black desk, the black bed, the black-framed mirror, the black closet, the black door to the black bathroom. The light from the room came from five pink lamps. Bottles of sand, both colored and not colored and corkboard-size sand-painting canvases were tucked in a corner but loomed dangerously in the room. Kaori's main weapon, a dagger the length of her forearm, was resting conspicuously on her dresser.
---
"Kaori, don't be upset, but I think it isn't your parent's fault that you are feeling these emotions. I think your powers are occasionally slipping from your grasp, causing you to see things that aren't real. Illusion imposition is a difficult skill and power to master, so do not be deterred. I'm sure you will one day master it perfectly well."
---
Kaori Koga, fifteen, pinned her hair up neatly in two curled loops. She combed her bangs to the now-normal cute style and the two long strands at either side so that they would not bother her vision. Finally, she set a scarlet ribbon in her hair, a strikingly elegant look. Her dress was pretty, but also somewhat practical and her dagger was strung inconspicuously on the inside of the coat. She washed off any traces of blood, bandaged the cuts she could and arranged her dress so it would cover the scars. The ones on her face she cleaned quickly but throughly and then expertly applied makeup around the area to conceal it as much as possible. Only then did she dare leave the comfort of her black room.
"Good morning, Miss Koga," her teachers greeted. "Good morning," she replied.
"Such a nice little girl now," her teachers commented. "that Ms Eviteen sure knows her stuff. Why only last Fril Arg she was freaking out and telling foolish stories about her parents. And now--a mere week and a half later--it seems she has drastically improved her life. How fortunate."
The students seemed to think the same. "Hey, Kaori. I was wondering--would you go to the dance with me?"
"Don't you have a girlfriend?"
"We broke up."
"Oh." Kaori smiled pleasantly and locked her scarlet-hazel eyes on the boy's. Subtly, Kaori moved her hand. There was no indication that anything unusual was happening; the first sign came from the boy, who staggered backwards and howled silently
"Why'd you show me that?!" he demanded, shaking his head to keep the images that plagued him.
Kaori laughed as if he had said a joke and then continued her way for a few steps. Her polite little smile turned upwards in a knowing smirk and she turned back to the poor boy. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
Curses returned her words. Kaori set a comforting hand on her new victim and a channeled more images to the person, some true, some imagined, all haunting. She leaned towards him and whispered, "I know what you fear. But be comforted. Reality exists within the mind, and I have your secret locked up in my dark haven."
Artist's Note: I wrote this in 88 minutes, as a part of a quickwrite.
The main character is one of the minor characters in my to-be NaNoWriMo 2010 project, "Edge: the Heart Reincarnation". Hopefully everything makes sense?
(Yes, I know book titles are supposed to be underlined or italicized. But since it's still in plan-form right now, I think quotation marks will do XP)
Please rate! On a scale of 1-5, how soon in the story should she die? (6 if she should not be killed at all). For any reason you'd like; for example, Lewis said one of my mean characters should not die just because it would be so ironic if the mean one lived. :)
~SilverInk
P.S. I was going to post the second and probably final (really because I just don't feel like writing it much longer) part of Tsiyone's character background, but obviously didn't XD Maybe next week?
P.P.S I have a few drawings of her! I'll submit it once I'm done scanning and editing them :) So check back on this post sometime later on! :) :)
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