But... You look at the spot the girl had been in, the air twitching slightly as the sense of dread grows stronger. Something flickers in the corner of your vision, gone when you glance over. You are going to kill her aren't you?
Mother lets her silence speak for her.
I don't think... You bite your lip, pushing past your reluctance to speak out, feeling a little dizzy. I don't think you should kill her. A small screen flickers before your eyes, large portions of it missing, the edges cutting through reality in a way that makes your eyes ache.
Mother is silent, long enough for a horrible feeling to start creeping down your back. I didn't do as I was told. A strange feeling of excitement and fear hang in your chest, the little screen finally solidifying enough that you can read the fragmented words on it. New Quest Objective: Save The Princess. You smile slightly. Isn't that what Knights do? Your barrier rumbles and the screen shatters into pieces, but you nod to yourself. Mother. You wait for some sign that she's listening, even though you know she always is.
Your eyebrows crease when she ignores you. Mother. Nothing. Mother. You shift in your seat, the knowledge that Mother wasn't there both unsettling and comforting. [Gaia] You feel her attention shift to you abruptly and something twinges, but you ignore it. I've made my choice. You sit up. [Gaia, I want to know why you are going to kill her. I don't think she deserves to die]. A breeze from the window makes you shiver slightly. You ignore it.
She finally responds, voice flat. [I told you to forget her.] Your fingers twitch and you feel the urge to hide your head against Daiyu. Was I always this much of a coward? You clench your hands to control their movements. I won't just do as you say, I want to know why.
Your magic twinges again, moving uncomfortably in your skin, your barrier thankfully stretching over your body and pressing it down. Thank you. [Warmth]
Mother's body appears before you suddenly, slowly kneeling down to look you in the eye. [Are you disobeying me?] You narrow your eyes, the possessive tone scratching against your ears.
"Yes."
Gaia lets out a long breath, looking at you with pursed lips. [Why.] She sounds confused and hurt at the same time, the unfamiliar feelings agitating your magic more.
"Because I don't agree with what you are doing." The more you speak, the less wrong it feels to disagree.
She sits back on her legs, looking slightly miffed and... proud of you at the same time. [Is this what all Mothers feel when their children grow up?] You stay silent, letting her speak at herself. [I don't like the feeling.] She rubs her face, a small smile pulling at her lips, your magic calming as she stands up. The breath you had been holding escapes you slowly, body deflating like a balloon. [Alright.] A tiny part of the screen glitches back into your vision, a small box gaining a tick. "I was going to torture her until I learned what I wanted to know. But if you are so opposed, then I won't." She nods, sitting back in her seat as the girl suddenly appears on the floor of the room, gasping for air and crying.
You resist the urge to help her just long enough to hear her whimpering, the sight of her curled up in a ball and sobbing quietly... You pat Una on the head as you stand up, gently gathering the girl into your arms as you kneel next to her. "Shh, it's alright." She latches on to you as tightly as she can, experience with your sister bringing you to hug her back, brushing her hair as you whisper meaningless words into her ears. Daiyu helpfully nudges the armchair closer, enough that you can lean against it, the girl curled up against you. She was only gone for barely a minute... You breath slowly, doing your best to let your calm settle over her as well. She is so fragile, just like...
Your sister crawls up next to you, joining in on the hug as she worms her way around the girl. If Mother wanted to she could... You bite your lip hard enough to draw blood, forcefully pushing the image out of your mind. Una is here. She's fine. But... The girl in your lap looked nothing like your sister, but she was young enough that she hadn't hit her growth spurt yet, she fits into your lap just as well as Una does.
The two of you sit there, quietly calming her down until you hear someone coming down the stairs. You look over when they reach the bottom, Cuifen wearing her workout clothes and frozen in the middle of drying her hair with a towel, trailing a small bit of water behind her. She looks at the pile of people in the middle of the room, then at the awkward forms of Daiyu and Sabina, finally looking at Gaia, who was busy scratching her chin and staring into space.
She stands there quietly as the girl slowly calms down, a lightbulb seeming to form over her head as she hears her ragged breathing and she turns to the kitchen. You don't know what she is doing until you see her open the cupboard, opening your pot of hot chocolate powder. You subtly help her along, bringing the water to boil in the kettle as quietly as you can and keeping the drink at the right temperature as she brings it over. When she kneels next to you, you gently nudge the girl until she looks up, puffy face shiny in the fireplace's light. "Here, drink this." Una takes the drink from Cuifen since both of yours are occupied pushing the girl off of you and sitting her up.
It takes her a moment, but she eventually gets it and nods, reaching out with shaky hands to hold the drink, a quick motion from your sister stopping her from dropping it. Cuifen moves over to the sofa, quietly shuffling the rest of the room outside as the girl's hands stop shaking enough to grip her drink, taking a long sip. You almost panic when she starts crying again, but she takes another sip, hugging the mug to her chest in-between.
After her third, she sniffles loudly, the nasty sound of snot being pulled back into her throat before she speaks. "It's terrible." She takes another sip. "She forgot to put any sugar in." She takes a longer sip, licking the liquid from off of her lips and hugging the mug to herself again. "It's perfect." Her breathing slowly evens out as she gets further through the drink, your sister taking the opportunity to hug her like a limpet as she finishes every drop, looking nostalgic.
When the cup is empty, she rubs her nose with her sleeve, smearing snot and coco over it before looking up to you. "I'm sorry, it just... My mother made me one just like this before..." You lean forwards slightly, knowing that Gaia is paying rapt attention. Come on... "Before I got taken." You make comforting noises as you continue stroking her hair, letting her speak at her own pace. Just a little more. A tear makes its way down her cheek and you brush it off as tenderly as you can. "It's not like I wanted to go!" She curls up around herself again, but your sister worms her way into her grip. "They just... I was home and then I wasn't and they said I was going to do stuff or I'd never get back."
You nod, making an encouraging noise. "I don't even know what they wanted me to do! They just gave me this thing," she glares at the air, swiping her hand through nothing. "and they told me to go save the world. They didn't tell me where I was going or how or why or anything!" You gently slide the mug out of her grip before she breaks it, a quick touch of reinforcement making sure she doesn't crack the floor when she punches it. "And I just..." She turns to look at you with bloodshot eyes. "I got dropped in after you melted that entire base of people, this stupid game thing giving me a quest to 'Resolve hostilities'. They shot at me." She rubs her side, hand brushing over perfect skin.
She drops her head forwards, playing with the end of her shirt. "'An I did what it wanted me to, used the game thingy to make them not hate me, followed the markers where it told me to go and I was so close." She looks back up at you, breathing harshly. "I was never supposed to survive, was I? Just supposed to be there so they can make Gaia know what I know and what I know isn't even fucking right." She points at something in the air, a tiny flicker of that screen appearing to you, then jabs her finger at you. "See! You shouldn't exist but you do. The war shouldn't have started already but it has and there is this fucking barrier thing and mages already exist?" She looks like she wants to cry again, but quickly rubs her eyes with her hand. "Nothing fits 'an I don't know anything anymore." She looks down. "I just want to go home."
You press your lips together tightly, hands twitching in your instinctive desire to hug her and squeeze her and say everything will be ok, but you resist. She could be lying. Your chest aches as she starts crying again, your sister being the only thing stopping her from curling into a ball again. Fuck, she's only a kid. Your hand twitches again. She can't be older than twelve. Your sister's eyes plead with you over her shoulder, hugging the other girl as tightly as she can.
Fuck. You rub your face, looking at the girl just barely holding herself together on the floor. You try to imagine her living on the streets like you had, just without any of the knowledge you had. The first 'friendly' gang to offer her a roof over her head to get out of the rain... "Alright, she can stay." Your sister lets out a delighted squeal, throwing herself at her new guest. "She can't stay in here, the place is already full." Una makes an angry noise, but you raise a hand. "Gaia had that village for a reason, she can stay there." It takes a moment, but she gets what you mean, pouting a little but nodding.
You sigh, closing your eyes. Why did I do that, I should have just... put her back on the street. Let Gaia put her somewhere. The eavesdroppers creep back into the room, Daiyu looking immensely pleased as she leans over the back of the sofa, hugging the back of your head. "I am proud of you, you did the right thing" She doesn't say anything else, just letting you rest your head against her chest. You let out a long breath, listening to the sound of your sister poking your guest. You try to fault yourself for your weakness, but... It feels good.
A little while later, you hear the sounds of cutlery being moved and peek an eye open. Sabina is somewhat clumsily moving through the kitchen, preparing a meal of some kind while Cuifen watches on from the table with a smile. Can she even cook? Watching her stare at the apron like it is a live viper is amusing, but it doesn't ease your worries over her inexperience. I should probably... Daiyu begins gently brushing your hair, making your one open eye droop shut. Or, I could not.
You ignore her for a while longer, the harsh ting of glass being smacked against something prompting you to open your eyes. Cuifen was holding a bowl of something, a cheese grater having fallen to the ground, Sabina blushing awkwardly as she ties the apron up. Pff. Daiyu nods and whispers. "She looks adorable, but that is much too big for her." Considering the apron nearly reaches her feet, you would have to agree, the thing was really Daiyu-sized.
Mmm, apron Daiyu.
A throat clears some time later, Mothe-Gaia, Gaia looking over at you from her seat at the kitchen table. "It will be done soon, take your places." You reluctantly stand up and take your seat and wait for everyone else, until the only person who isn't sitting down is... Umm. The new girl. I need to ask her name. She looks incredibly awkward standing there, seeing as there aren't enough seats for her. You glance at Gaia, expecting her to magic a new chair from wherever she gets them, but she is busy nibbling on her pancake, rather intently ignoring her. Oh for- You pick up your plate and stand up, guiding the girl to your seat with your other hand. "You can sit here for now."
She looks even more awkward in your seat, the frame barely smaller than she is, but Sabina pushes the plate of pancakes towards her, the girl flinching before hesitantly accepting them. Oh. You remember Sabina's little display earlier, and the girls reaction to it. Ah, yeah, need to sit them down and talk about that... Later though, for now, you enjoy your pancakes, leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen.
The Girl finishes last, hesitantly eating as she is and does her best to both hide in her seat and look at everyone with a sense of wonder at the same time. Ok, I really need to know what her name is. You slide your plate into the bowl, amused at Sabina's annoyed grumblings, sounding awfully like an angry cat as she gets through the plates at an impressive pace. Now. You cross your arms, looking at the girl. You see a flicker of something and she turns to look at you, a worried look forming on her face.
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+15xp Saved A Princess
+15xp Adopted a stray