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Ayanna Filia

"My name's Aya! Let's be very good friends, okay?"

0 · 4,919 views · located in Noraneko

a character in “Into The Woods”, as played by Ninja Bunny

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❝How nice a world without tiers would be! ❞
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【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||







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{β˜› β’»β“Šβ“β“ Ⓝ⒢ⓂⒺ ☚}
Ayanna Filia (Or is it Korhyia Filia?)
{β˜› β“ƒβ’Ύβ’Έβ“€β“ƒβ’Άβ“‚β’Ίβ“ˆ ☚}
Aya | It's shorter and cuter, duh!
Squid | It's her nickname with the rebels. Aya has no idea why,
{β˜› β’Άβ’Όβ’Ί ☚}
14

{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒹⒺⓇ ☚}
♀

{β˜› β“ˆβ’Ίβ“β“Šβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Ž ☚}
Aya has no idea!
{β˜› β’»β’Άβ’Έβ’Ί ⒸⓁ⒢ⒾⓂ ☚}
Chiaya Misono || The Rolling Girls



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❝Make as many people happy as possible!❞
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{β˜› ⒽⒺⒾⒼⒽⓉ ☚}
She's a tiny little thing.
{β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰ ☚}
She's tiny in this way, too!
{β˜› Ⓗ⒢ⒾⓇ ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
Honey blonde!
{β˜› β’Ίβ“Žβ’Ί ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
A shimmering amber!
{β˜› β’·β“„β’Ήβ“Ž β“‚β’Άβ“‡β“€β’Ύβ“ƒβ’Όβ“ˆ ☚}
She has one fanged tooth! Below her clothes are also a large series of bruises, some worse than others. She keeps them carefully hidden.


{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒺⓇ⒢Ⓛ β’Άβ“…β“…β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β’Άβ“ƒβ’Έβ’Ίβ˜š }

Aya is cuteness and bubbles mixed into one small package! You'd have trouble believing that she's a rebel warring against the Monarchy, due to her happy-go-lucky smiles and her radiant optimism. Hair of gold, heart of gold, as some might say. Aya's eyes shine with innocence and curiosity, and a desire to explore the world and see the people live happily. She's quite feminine, enjoying putting blue flowers in her hair, and almost always wears a dark green jacket for all-purpose travel.
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β™™We gotta find a reason to fight!β™™
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β˜› β“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Riding! | Aya's bike is her favorite thing!
β₯ Music! | Listening or playing to it is great!
β₯ Friends! | Friends make life worth living!
β₯ Happy Daddy! | Life is better when Daddy is happy!





❧




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❝Always know when to give up!❞
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β˜› β’Ήβ’Ύβ“ˆβ“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
⌦ Unfairness! | Everyone deserves happiness!
⌦ Pain! | It really hurts, okay?
⌦ Angry Daddy! | Angry Daddy makes everything worse.






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β˜›β“†β“Šβ’Ύβ“‡β“€β“ˆβ˜š
Vroom! | Sometimes, Aya makes bike sounds for no reason.
Twirl~ | If she's bored, twirling to make the world spin is fun!
Blink! | She blinks a lot.


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β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Άβ“€β“ƒβ’Ίβ“ˆβ“ˆβ’Ίβ“ˆ ☚
⌦ Innocent! | Aya doesn't really understand what war means yet.
⌦ Naive! | She still hasn't been hit by the darkness of the world.
⌦ Fragile! | Both mentally and physically, Aya's quite pathetic.
⌦ Self hatred! | Ayanna really doesn't like herself.


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β˜› β“ˆβ“‰β“‡β’Ίβ“ƒβ’Όβ“‰β’½β“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Friendly! | Aya is very good at making people like her!
β₯ Hard working! | She's willing to put in the effort for her goals!
β₯ Quick Witted! | Even if she's naive, Aya learns really quickly!
β₯ Talent! | Ayanna's an expert bike rider, and can play the guitar!


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β˜› β’»β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β“ˆβ˜š
Nebulaphobia | Fear of fog
Necrophobia | Fear of death/dead things
Hemophobia | Fear of blood

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β™™Who matters most!β™™
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{β˜› β“…β’Ίβ“‡β“ˆβ“„β“ƒβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Žβ˜š}
Naive | Witty | Idealistic | Delusional | Impressionable | Self loathing
Aya has two real personalities, one being dominant and the other only activating under certain circumstances. Most of the time Aya's bright, cheerful, and ignorant of the world around her. She likes making friends, she likes trusting people, and if she sees someone lost and scared, Aya would be the first to go and comfort them. She's genuinely nice and caring, and loves putting everything she has into helping someone. She's kind, she has an easy time empathizing with others, and like devoting herself to helping others.

But when it's time for discipline, when it's time for her Daddy to tell her the things she did wrong, Aya changes completely, becoming a self hating hollow shell of a person that accepts each beating. She truly believes she deserves it and doesn't even try fighting back, because her mind translates the pain as her Daddy's show of affection. It's difficult to say which side of Aya is the real one, or if there's a real Aya in the first place.




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❝I won't let it control me!❞
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{β˜› ⓅⓁ⒢ⒸⒺ β“„β’» ⓄⓇⒾⒼⒾⓃ ☚}
Ashia Palace lower tiers, The Kingdom of Ourania

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ“‚β’Ύβ“β“Ž ☚}
Loghain Filia | 42 | Father
Penoma Filia | 39 | Mother
Korhyia (Ayanna) Filia | Died at 7, would be 14 | Sister
{β˜› β’½β’Ύβ“ˆβ“‰β“„β“‡β“Ž ☚}
She was born to the Filia family, with twin sister who she loved very much. Aya and Kora were best friends even from the start, and they latched onto one another even as infants. There were differences, though, subtle differences that only grew as time went on. Aya was the bright child, the happy and energetic one that everyone loved while Kora was the quiet one that was always weaker and inferior to Aya. Even as the world and even their parents started preferring the loving and adorable Aya, Aya was so perfect that she even loved the quiet and shy Kora just as much. The sisters were each other's light in childhood, both unaware of their parent's involvement with the rebellion.

Aya was perfect and Kora was the unloved child. So when Aya turned up broken and amnesiac one day after school, life changed. No matter how her parents tried, they couldn't get anyone to care enough to help, and they didn't have the money needed to get her hospitalized. They had no way to find out who hurt her, and because Aya had no memories left, the bad guy got free. She died days later at home, in a house she didn't recognize, surrounded by strangers. Loghain turned to Kora and deluded himself into believing she was Aya, that it was Kora who died, and he put Kora's name in the death registry.

Of course, Kora resisted at first. She knew Aya would never have wanted this, so she tried to maintain her sense of self, but then the beatings started. Try as she might, Kora couldn't maintain her sanity and she believed, deep down, that she was Aya, and that it was Kora who died. She took on the traits that Aya had while alive and became bubbly and friendly and lovable to everyone, tricking the world that Korhyia had died instead of Ayanna. Over the years, if she messed up, if signs of the old Kora showed, the beatings would start again, and she never once fought back.

Daddy was right, wasn't he? Daddy was always right. So when he decided to give her a gun and teach her to fight, Aya didn't resist. She was excited, because she knew that fighting for Daddy's cause, fighting to create equality and to avenge Kora was something that Daddy would've wanted. So she trained, she practiced, she learned and even earned her own bike as a reward for her good behavior. And eventually, one day, when Aya was 14, she found a lost older girl on the street and invited her to her home...


{β˜› ⓄⓉⒽⒺⓇ ☚}






β’Έβ“„β“…β“Žβ“‡β’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰: ⓉⒽⒺ_β“†β“Šβ’Ίβ’Ίβ“ƒ



So begins...

Ayanna Filia's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress's blissful nap didn't last long, when the ribbons were removed, Cress jolted awake, struggling against her binds. A little girl was standing there, dull eyed and watching, holding one of the ribbons. The only piece left were the ones covering the essential bits and the girl yanked Cress to her feet, leading the kitten to a new room where that boy from the ball was and Aya, bleeding out, no doubt suffering some sort of internal wound. He spoke to her, but Cress wasn't listening. She was chained to the wall, the ball gag preventing her from yelling or cursing him out.

Finally she heard the bit where he wanted her cousin and an idea formed in Cress's mind as the little girl removed the gag and Cress coughed, able to speak once more. It was such a treat to be able to open her mouth freely, to not have a muzzle shutting it tight. "You idiot," she gasped, her voice a bit scratchy, but nonetheless strong. "Do you know who I am?" She asked, eyes like fire. "I'm the Princess's cousin, low and behold, if she dies, if they all die, I'm next in line to the throne." Cress grinned. "I'm much better than her too," she nudged her head in Aya's direction, hoping Aya could hear her, could hear that Cress was trying to free her. Cress wiggled a little, the ribbons falling off to reveal a peak of her mounds beneath.

"I'll tell you what, set the blonde free and I'll help you overthrow the monarchy. Unlike my pestilent cousin, I'll willingly become your bride." Cress tried for a smile, the expression seeming to warm up the entire area. "I'll even let you augment me. So what do you say?" Cress wasn't happy, not in the least bit, but Aya was clearly dying. There was no light in her eyes, the childish youthfulness gone as the girl lay limply on the mat. Hopefully, if Aya got out and somehow made it back to Xion then Aya would tell Xion that Cress was here and they'd somehow extract her. In the meantime, Aya needed to get to a Doctor. No doubt the internal wound would kill her if this idiot Itward didn't make a decision quickly.

Cress smiled, her tail swishing back and forth. She tried to appear pleasant, desirable. Her hair had grown a bit and was no longer super short, but at a moderate bob that melded well together with the ears and tail. The Queen certainly had good taste, Cress looked like a treat waiting to be opened what with the ribbons and all and she was offering herself up as long as Itward let Aya go. They had a word back on earth for his kind and it started with a P and ended with il.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro's stomach made a weird noise as the Queen left and for a moment Shiro was worried that the key was somehow poisoned and the Queen was going to kill her. Thankfully, Shiro did not keel over and so she watched the Princess tinker once more. "I'm sorry Princess, you wouldn't be in pain if I hadn't made a mistake." Shiro felt like she had betrayed Nee by indirectly summoning the Queen from having panicked. Now though Shiro was calm and she felt ashamed, looking at the ground, unable to meet the Princess's eyes. Shiro was unworthy and yet the Princess wanted to keep her around. She kept calling Shiro a friend but Shiro was confused, she was trained to believe that no one was her friend, that she was simply a tool for serving and pleasing, nothing more.

When the Princess called her over Shiro didn't hesitate, allowing Nee to shine the light in her eyes. Shiro winced, squinting at the light, wondering what it was meant to do. Her stomach rumbled dangerously and Shiro clenched, her behind, feeling it automatically. "Um, excuse me Princess." Shiro bowed and rushed off to the bathroom in her room, sighing in relief at the fact that she had made it and not shamed the Princess further by going to the bathroom on the carpet. After all that carpet was worth more than her, the Queen had made that clear. Unfortunately, since Shiro had just swallowed the key it would take at most a day for it to come out and until then they were stuck inside.

"Would you like me to get you some tea Princess? Or perhaps a warm towel to rest her hands with?" Shiro asked once she had returned. Even with her unstable bowls she would serve the Princess hoping to be able to do her job. This was a test, Shiro was sure of, swallow the key and continue ensuring the Princess's safety and taking care of every whim, even if it was the most outlandish request. If Nee asked Shiro to put on a bunny costume and do the macerena. .

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Ellie resisted the urge to empty her behind, as difficult as it was, allowing Shiro to go first and relieve herself. The princess felt incredibly uncomfortable, trying her best not to outwardly show her own troubles due to the sync pills, but once Shiro passed, so did Ellie, and she sighed in relief, the tension gone for the time being. Unfortunately the key hadn't emerged yet. "Sorry." Ellie groaned, flopping onto the bed. "I suppose it wouldn't be that easy, Shiro."

With that done, Ellie pulled out the stolen Gravity Drive. How had the fake Aine even received it in the first place? Furthermore, it was proof that the Dorones family was clearly not acting in support of the Queen, right? Narcia turned ideas over. There was no way for Aine to have survived - everyone who had power wanted and needed her to die, that much was obvious. What had Serpina Dorones done after her passing in order to prevent his own execution for treason? In most cases, such a thing would definitely have lead to his death. Treason was the worst crime in Ashia, after all. But perhaps the Dorones were under the protection of the Cherubim? This brought a whole slew of issues to the forefront. Assuming the fake Aine was working with Serpina, why would Itward take an interest in her if the Dorones were being protected by the Cherubim? That didn't make sense so Narcia dismissed the thought.

More plotting for now would lead to nothing, so instead Ellie reached over to touch Shiro's collar, trying to find the release. She pressed a button and felt a jolt of electricity pour through her, no doubt hurting Shiro as well and guilty flooded her. "Sorry, I thought maybe it was the same model as before." Ellie patted Shiro's head with a sad expression. "I guess it's an upgraded version so there's a more complicated release protocal. If I could remove it and replace it with a replica that fooled the Queen on every level, even with fake shocks, that would be good. It'll take a while, though, so I apologize."

Frustrated, Ellie flopped onto the floor, kicking her foot against the carpet, laying on her belly. "I only hurt you, Shiro. I failed at protecting you, haven't I?" Ellie shook her head, upset at herself. She was a failure, she was useless, wasn't she?




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Itward's eyes seemed to light up as the mention of her being related to Narcia, even as Aine tried to shake her head to tell Cress no, to just leave her to die and keep fighting on her own. Aine was prepared for it, she died before after all so it was fine, so why? Why was Cress risking herself like this, why was Cress doing this for a useless girl like her? Aine should just die, yes she should, it as all she was good for.

"That makes things much more interesting." Itward squatted down, wrenching open Cress's mouth and defiling with his tongue, making appreciate noises. He broke it apart relatively quickly, licking up the saliva that had fallen, satisfied. "Very interesting, earthling. You're a fighter even after the tyrant Queen's games." Plots were already running through his head as he stroked the hair, pulling the tail appreciatively. "I wonder how the Princess would feel if I told her I had you." He snickered at that. "With you in hand, she'll be glad to be my pawn."

"No." Aine whimpered, weak and helpless, like a dying squirrel's last sqeak. "Cress..... no... okay?" She was trying to talk, to form thoughts but everything felt weak and cold and she was shaking as the red pooled below her, feeling like she was peeing but worse, much worse. This was death, Aine knew, this was the end, she wouldn't return home to Daddy or see the Rubbles or fly on her bike or watch the world change for the better. But Cress still could, Cress was still strong. "No..." She tried again, even as Nio tapped her and shook her head for her to fall silent. "Cress..."

Itward's face seemed to widen at that. "Cress, huh? It's a nice name, girl." He pulled out his holophone and dialed a number, and Narcia's face appeared, cold as ice as always, laying on her bed like a princess should. "I have a certain Cress here." Itward grinned and aimed the screen at the kitten. "So, how about you join my team? You'll do as I say, of course."

The Princess's expression was unreadable as she stared, hardly an emotion in those darkened eyes. "Fine, I'll cooperate, but only if you release her. You may use Aine as you wish, I care not for the traitor of the Untouchable Tier." Aine let out a weak desperate whimper, her breaths becoming harder and harder to come by, and Itward seemed to gleam in victory. "If you want her safety, you'll pledge your allegiance to me. With your body, Nee."

"We shall see, Itward." And the screen cut off. The head of the Cherubim house laughed, spreading his arms. "As you can see, Cress, Nee and I, we have a history. She's always been a thorn in my side, impressing more people than me, gaining more favor than me. Aine was trouble as well - the two girls gained so much favor that I was almost ignored! Luckily, I earned my recognition once I became head. But I will punish the Princess for making my life oh so difficult as a young boy."

He then motioned for Aine to be carted away so Nio pressed a button, a doctor entering the office to carry the bleeding girl to get medical aid. "And because you're so delectable, I'll save Aine for you. So you owe me your life too, won't you, Cress?"


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




If Itward had been a machine, Cress would have been able to see the gears turning in his head, weighing, thinking, trying to figure out his options. He mentioned things being interesting then kneeled in front of Cress and tilted her head upward, sticking his tongue inside her mouth, exploring, tasting, violating. Cress let him, she gave some resistance though, knowing that was probably what he wanted. His tongue flicked across her lips afterwards and she winced, he was pulling at her tail, his filthy hands running through her hair. She had to bear it though, for Aya. Cress was doing this for Aya, to get the girl out, to get her some help for the blood. How could Itward even think of defiling someone so young? Of sticking things where they didn't belong.

Cress would let him do it to her, she would let him do whatever he wanted with her body if he only agreed to set Aya free. She was hoping to get her cousin out too, determined to make Itward forget about Ellie. Aya was squeaking, making sounds of protest. "Hush," Cress said to Aya, her expression patient. "This is for your own good. Okay? Go back to Xion." Hopefully Aya would understand what Cress was saying, that Aya should tell Xion everything, to try and convince Xion to rescue Cress from her new prison. At least it was better than being tortured by the queen, muzzled and put into hallucinations to believe that Ellie was dying and there was no way for Cress to help her.

She heard Itward again, chiming in, saying that her name was nice. "My parents gave it to me," she replied, making a harmless comment. Cress was named for the stage of the moon the night she was born, a crescent. Her mother used to joke it was really because she had craved croissants during her entire pregnancy but her father wouldn't let her mother name her after a pastry and so they had compromised. In any case, Cress was very happy that her name was not croissant.

Itward took out a phone, dialing someone and her stomach dropped when her cousin's face appeared on the screen, eyes like ice. Cress didn't want anyone to see her in such a pathetic state, chained and mostly naked, especially not Ellie, her precious cousin, who Cress had always tried to be a guiding light for. Ellie never met her eyes and hopefully, she didn't see her. It was a relief to be honest, even if Cress wanted to scream at Ellie not to, that the entire thing was a trick, a plot to eventually lead to her capture. If things did get that far, Cress would bargain for Ellie's freedom too. Maybe this way she can get Ellie to go back to earth, to take Aya in Cress's place so that she could ensure no one would ever go after them again.

Ellie agreed to cooperate with him. Cress's stomach was doing flip flops. Itward asked her to pledge her body, but why did he still want Ellie if Cress said he could have her instead? He explained it, saying that her cousin was always a thorn in his side, troublesome from the start. Cress didn't doubt it, "my cousin has always had a way with words." Cress replied, her pink eyes seeming to glow as she waited. Then it came, he would free Aya.

"Yes, my life is yours." Cress replied, although her eyes said differently as fiery as ever while she watched as two servants came with a stretcher, placing Aya on it and walking out, presumably to where she would get medical help for the blood.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Again the Princess went back to tinkering with her tools, touching Shiro's collar lightly, sending a zap through both of them that made Shiro yelp, losing her composure, jumping away so she got the brunt of the shock. Thank goodness, the Princess only seemed to get a tiny bit of it. Shiro was relieved, if anything happened she wouldn't forgive herself for failing her job to protect the Princess. Nee was fighting too, in this way, rebelling against her mother by trying to augment the collar. "It's okay, I grew up with it." Shiro pulled the ribbon back up that covered the collar, her smile remaining pleasant despite her unease. If the collar was disconnected for more than five minutes, the chip would send a paralyzation agent into Shiro's body that immobilize her long enough for someone to find her and punish her for causing such mischief.

"I grew up with the collar Princess, it's nothing us servants aren't accustomed to." Shiro smiled like always, but this time there was something beneath it, perhaps a bit of sadness, a hint that not everything was as it seemed. Shiro could think back to any point in her life and realize she was still wearing the collar, except for when the new ones came and the Queen replaced the old leather one with a new metal one that formed to Cress's neck, almost tattoo like it blended in so well with her skin. The rose gold was a customized collar marking Shiro as a lady in waiting, not just any servant. There used to be a small charm on it to mark her as a trainee, but now that things were in full swing the charm was gone.

Shiro took the Princess's hands in her own and clasped them together against Shiro's desk. "Princess you have not hurt me, I deserve every punishment that comes my way. Please do not blame yourself," the Princess just came back from earth, she was still getting accustomed, Shiro told herself. Once things would be back to normal Shiro and Ellie wouldn't have this special friendship where Nee shared information with Shiro and Shiro provided all gossip she had heard. The holophone suddenly rang and Shiro scurried into the corner while the Princess picked it up. In the corner of the holograph, Shiro was surprised to see two figures, one that Itward called cress, the other the petite blonde from the ball, Aine.

What were they doing in Itward's house. One appeared to be an augmented cat, the other bleeding out on the ground. Shiro quickly exited the room, not wishing to eavesdrop and went to get the Princess's dinner. Shiro passed the Queen in the hallway and she was stopped. "Where do you think you're going?" The Queen asked, clearly not pleased by something, but by what Shiro had no idea. "To fetch the Princess's dinner," the Queen nodded, giving Shiro the thumbs up for the mouse to continue her scurrying through the maze.

Shiro pushed the dinner cart to the elevator, looking at her reflection in the silver surface. She composed herself. smoothing out her hair and pushing the cart to the Princess's room. "I have dinner Princess," Shiro placed it on the table, noticing that there must have been a mistake, there were two servings of everything. Perhaps the Princess had thought the portions were not big enough compared to those at earth? But diets were carefully calculated so that the Princess did not gain any weight.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




The sadness in Shiro's eyes made Ellie's mood worse, so she hopped back onto the bed, knowing there was nothing she could really do for the time being. She didn't have the tools to create enough heat to mold a fake key so escaping from the balcony was an impossibility. The princess was frustrated, she was upset, she wanted to somehow be able to help but nothing she was doing was working, and it seemed Shiro was only the tiniest bit closer to trusting her. The fact that the child grew up with the collar was an even bigger affront, no matter how much Narcia tried to calm her down by saying it was natural, it was destiny, that there was no hope to try to fight it.

'It's hopeless, Ellen.' Narcia whispered in her head. 'Give up. It's easier that way.' The ten year old girl seemed a little gentler now that they were becoming accustomed to inhabit the same body, every thought and sensation was shared. Ellie simply clenched her teeth, knowing not to vocalize her anger, her fury, because Shiro would suffer and so would she. "You deserved none of this, and the sooner you understand this, the sooner we can find a way out." The Princess's voice was sharp and anguished, and another jolt of electricity rippled through her, making her wince, but she kept the rest of it in. "...And I did it again. I'm so sorry, I'm no better than the Queen. I'm terrible."

Then came the talk with Itward on the phone and Ellie almost tossed her phone in rage at what had happened to her precious cousin. It was impossible to try to convey a message, though, she knew that very well. Cress was in danger. Cress was in danger and it was all Ellie's fault. If only she had never been found by Leona, if only she had never been born, then maybe things would've been different. Maybe, maybe if she had, as Narcia, supported Aine's efforts, maybe things could be different, and Cress would never have had to have been brought into this mess to begin with.

'Nee, please.' Aine begged on one of the last nights they ever spoke. 'You see, right? It's not right, this world is broken! People are being hurt, and we're living off of it! It's not right, don't you see? Please help me. I'm going to die soon, so I need your help, Nee, please...' And Narcia coldly brushed her off that night. Perhaps if she accepted the offer, everything could have gone better. Even if the effort failed and she was killed, at least Cress would have been safe.

When Ellie snapped out of her reverie, she was met by a meal for two, though it's deliciousness was marred by the fact that Cress was likely suffering this very moment, being hurt by that vile man. Ellie wondered how hard it was for little Aine, how much Itward must have broken her before she finally died. Was that her fault? Would Ellie have to add Aine's fate to her list of sins? In any case, she forced a weak smile, gesturing for Shiro to sit with her. "It's for two, silly. You eat this portion. My orders. I'll take the punishment if anyone comes in."

Ellie grinned a little. "Princess's word is absolute. Let me take the punishment this time."




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




With the fake Aine gone and being operated on, Itward patted his youngest sister's head and she stood there, blank eyed. He turned to Cress, sitting next to her once again, hand stroking her naked arm, appreciating her luscious body. Oh, how he wanted to break her then and there, but that would have to wait. Imagine Nee's face if he broke the agreement in front of her, breaking in both the Princess and her cousin? That would be a victory beyond any other. "You'll serve me, whatever task I wish, won't you?" The man spoke softly, like red velvet. "You should be happy, Cress. The Queen would never let a filthy human take the throne, so serving me is your best chance for a decent life. Heh, unless you want to squabble on the dirt like the Rubbles. Pathetic fools."

The man grinned at his kitten, touching her ears now, almost salivating at this gift - though he knew very well that it was a warning. "Can you believe that the original Aine actually wanted equality? What drivel, how ridiculous." The scion of the Cherubim family smiled nostalgically, nodding his head with pride. "She was a fool, trying to start a rebellion and abolish the nobility. She could have lived a wonderful, luxurious life, and instead, I was given the right to break her. She was twelve, if I recall correctly. Her eyes were like yours, Cress. Full of fire, full of spirit. Even in the end, she never screamed."

He licked his lips. "It shall be so fun to break Nee! Do you want to watch? It'll be quite the show, my kitten."

-------------------------------

Aya knew what she had to do, even weak as she was. She nodded at Cress, trying to force a grin. This was still a mission, she couldn't just give up. She was Aya, not Aine, she couldn't, she had a mission for Xion! But - but - everything hurt, everything was so painful, the things Itward did, she wanted to cry and so she became Aine again. If she was Aine, she wouldn't be punished, if she was Aine, she was safe.

Everything was gone, wasn't it? Was there even a way to fight the filthy pigs? Was it possible to just - no, no, Aya wasn't allowed to give up! Cress was counting on her, Cress needed her to go to Xion and get help! Aya was placed on an operation table, and they poked at her dead, unresponsive and numb hands, her broken wrists, her torn muscles in her legs, and the mess that used to be her delicate bit, now a mangled mess of pain and sadness and broken, shattered dreams. Itward stole it from her, stole her future, and Aya was broken, wasn't she? But at least if she could save Cress, get word and get help, maybe, maybe...

"Aya will.... will, Nio... you..." But the little girl shook her head and opened her mouth, silently forming a word that sent chills down the blonde's spine as the docs began stemming the blood flow, not bothering with painkillers or anything of the sort, not caring for how much it hurt, limbs strapped down to stop the struggle. Worse than the pain was knowing the truth Nio had somehow told her.

She wasn't going to be free. Because the word was "Liar". And Cress would believe the lie, so Cress wouldn't come to help again, would she?


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




If Cress wasn't chained and bound she would have attacked, not holding anything back, using the moves her brothers had used on her a thousand times. Choke holds, pinning, she racked her brain for ways she could hurt this stupid prince, to make him suffer for what he had done to Aya. The poor child hadn't deserved such mutilation to her insides, the defiling Itward had no doubt done. The thought of his hands all over Aya made Cress fume and her crystalline eyes were even more furious than before. If only she wasn't tied up, if only Xion hadn't sent Aya with her. The worst part was that Cress hadn't even known, she had assumed Aya would have gotten back safely after realizing that something wasn't right. How wrong Cress had been! If she had known sooner, then-then! Then what? Cress hadn't been able to break out of the Queen's torture chamber, how would she have saved Aya?

"Yes, I'll do whatever you wish." Her voice was steel, it was clear that Cress didn't want this, that she wasn't happy, but she had no other choice. Cress didn't agree with him, she had seen how the Rubbles lived, how they had to provide for one another the best they could. Cress had been there when that little girl had died, she had been telling her a story about a better world and time, to try and give her hope. Itward hadn't seen it, the compassion of the Rubble Tier, the devotion that people gave their lives for. Without the Rubble Tier, no doubt Itward wouldn't be sitting atop his castle in the Untouchable Tier, without the Rubble Tier these people would be nothing, but Cress dare not say it so instead she told him the truth. "You weren't there, you didn't see how they suffer while you sit here like you're already King and thrive on their misery." She was shaking, her anger apparent. "I was there, I sat with a little girl who couldn't have been older than your little sister while died because she didn't have access to your fancy doctors and medicines."

"Don't pretend you know what their suffering is like, you have no idea." It was a growl, she may have had to fulfill his wishes but it didn't mean she had to hold her tongue back. Then he started stroking her head, scratching around the cat ears that were hooked into her nerves. Cress stopped talking, a weird sound coming out of her that she had never made before, almost a cross between a purr and a mewl, the sound a cat would make when enjoying scritches. She didn't understand what this feeling was, it was nice, almost comforting, but it also made her feel disgusting, as though he was violating not only her body but her mind.

"Aine was a revolutionary," her voice was euphoric, her mind too distracted by the sensation coming from Itward's hand on her head. "Is that what you think I'll do? Scream and shatter so easily?" Cress opened her eyes, their fire restored now that his hand was gone. "Nee won't break so easily, she's stronger than you think." Ice and fire, that's what Itward seemed to want. He already had his fire, wasn't that enough? Cress would have to work on it, to convince him that her cousin was a lost cause and that he only needed her body.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Nee's voice was upset, the collar instantly picked up on it and sent a shock down Shiro's spine, which in turn, the Princess felt. Oh no! The Princess was getting hurt and it was all Shiro's fault. "Please Princess, don't be upset." The servant said, trying to be comforting. "You're doing excellently, you're nothing like the Queen." She was speaking truthfully, from the heart, which was where the best words always came from. Shiro tried to cheer her up, but after the holo call with Itward the Princess was even more upset. What could Shiro do to remedy this? She tried to think and an idea came to her, the Queen had always enjoyed her singing, maybe Nee would too?

So Shiro sang, a soft, melodious tune about being brave and staying strong even when the road was long. She closed her eyes, hoping it would make the Princess feel better, that she would like Shiro's singing, just like the Queen. If they shared that much then it was fine, Nee was much better than her Mother, she didn't hurt Shiro as much and Shiro could see that, but she also knew that given time, Nee would most likely get back into the swing of being back in Ashia Palace and would treat Shiro like any other servant, which was why Shiro was being extra careful. When Shiro finished, the Princess ordered her to eat a portion of her dinner and Shiro could feel her face heat up.

A-alright," Shiro stammered, she approached the seat where the Princess gestured for her to sit and cautiously sat on it, smoothing down her dress and picking up a fork, taking dainty little bites and only eating about a fourth of it since the portions servants received was normally small, but enough to sustain them until the next meal. Anything more and Shiro felt full, wondering if this is what it was like to truly be a royal. They had it good, Shiro already knew, what with servants catering to their every whim, they could have the entire planet if they wanted it.

This train of thought derailed and Shiro thought about what was beyond Ashia, why the royals had never so much as bothered about what was on the outside. If they could expand their reach then maybe the Rubble Tier wouldn't have to live in such destitute conditions. Unless, that was the point, make the people suffer to show them how lowly they truly were. The thought made Shiro sad, but she dare not show it on her face. "Thank you Princess, your kindness continues to astonish me." Shiro stood and bowed to show her gratitude, then began cleaning up once the Princess was done, taking the tray outside and going to retrieve Nee's nightgowns. "Would you prefer the heavy or the lighter one tonight Princess?" Shiro asked, holding them both up.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Narcia - Ellie's eyes seemed to sparkle a little as Shiro began to sing, her voice heavenly and beautiful as it echoed around the room. It was slow, soft, but full of meaning that resonated deep within Ellie, making her eyes water from the message in the song. She knew Narcia was touched as well, though she most likely took the meaning of the song to mean walking the path of fate, while Ellie knew it's true meaning, knew it to symbolize the long hard ordeal that was life, but to keep fighting regardless. Ellie - or perhaps it was Narcia, or maybe even both - took Shiro's hands in hers and held them, gently but fondly all the same. "You are a fantastic singer." The princess said sincerely, thankfully. "Much better than those on earth." But she also knew her mother, the Queen. How many times had Shiro been forced to sing to her, how much did the Queen hurt her to train her to sing so well? Nothing beautiful came without a price, and Ellie wondered how much Shiro paid for this talent of hers.

Thankfully she didn't put up much of a fight when Ellie told her to eat, so Ellie ate too, feeling a little happier that at least in some way, the two could be equals. One day when they were free, Ellie would serve Shiro food and pamper her and let her know that she deserved kindness, but for now, this tiny gesture of rebellion was fine, though Narcia knew very well that something was fishy, that it was odd for food to have been ordered for the both of them. 'Be wary, Ellen.' Narcia warned. 'Never expect things to be as they seem.'

Once the food was put away - Ellen feeling a little bad that Shiro cleaned without prompt, and without help - it was time to decide nightgowns again. "The heavy one, please." Ellie said, sitting herself back on the far-too-fluffy bed. She'd already gone used to Shiro seeing her in various states of undress, but then her mind flashed to Cress and whatever horrors she was facing and Ellie clenched her fist, nails digging into her palm, drawing blood. "People are getting hurt and there's nothing I can do to stop it." Her voice was quiet, full of anguish. "I'm a Princess, yet I'm trapped in this palace as horrible things happen all around me. I can't do anything to-"

Then Ellie had an idea. An idea that might've been brilliant. She dialed Serpina Dorones, new light coming into her eyes.




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Itward seemed impressed by Cress's resistance, by her will to fight and resist. Would she last as long as Aine did, he wondered. It'd be fun to find out, but not yet, not until Nee was in his grasp, under his thumb, so she could watch her precious cousin being defiled and ruined and know that it was her fault, that it was all her doing. The path to becoming King seemed clear, didn't it? Once Nee was his slave, and he had Cress tamed and forced into submission, - not to mention breaking the new Aine beyond recognition - he would have all the political support he needed to rebel against the Seraphim and take the throne for himself.

"Who cares about them?" Itward chuckled as he listened to Cress speak, clearly stating her position, once again showing another similarity with little Aine from long ago. He felt like a teenage boy again listening to this drivel, to this insanity. "They should've not been born as a Rubble if they wished for something better, it's that simple." The man was definitely amused. "Fate decided their lives, so isn't it worthless to try and resist?"

Suffering. She said he didn't understand suffering at all, that his life was all easy and painless. And that pissed him off, it did. It made him angry, so he gripped her throat, tightening in a flash of fury. "You think it's easy to be a noble, you earthling?" He growled. "Your every movement is seen by everyone, one mistake is enough to have you sent to be beat in order to be made perfect again. You can never ever have friends because everyone's out to try and manipulate you, to try and look better to improve their own lives. No one truly cares about you. Because of politics, my own father died. You'd have no idea the pain of losing your parent, do you, you stupid filthy earthling." Then he released, letting her regain her breath, when the man had a new idea.

So he tied the girl's limbs up and released her from the wall. He couldn't break her in yet, but he could have a little bedroom funtime, right? Making sure Cress was immobile, he lifted her and dropped her onto the bed, lust and hunger glowing in his eyes. He moved a hand between her legs to stroke. "We'll see if you're still fighting when I'm done with you, Cress. Will your fire still burn?" He climbed up on top of her, full of domination and might when he heard the sound of someone at the door. Of course, at the worst of times. "Nio, would you get that? I'm busy."

He heard footsteps and then a scuffle and then Itward had a horrible feeling in the pit of his throat. Who else but Serpina Dorones, wearing that snake-like smile on his face, gripping Nio's wrists behind her as a hostage. "You're having quite some fun, Itward, aren't you?" Serpina glanced at Cress, then turned his eye onto his target. "I wonder if I could have fun with little Nio here. She's quite adorable, isn't she?"

Itward stiffened, rage building as his little sister was threatened. But he knew he couldn't risk it, he had to play it cool. He couldn't let harm come to Nio, not after he protected her from her own silly ideas, from Aine's poison. "What do you want, Dorones?" Itward hissed, trying to look tough, to hide his fear. "Traitor to the crown. Should I order your execution?"

Serpina's smile widened and it wasn't a friendly one. "You already know why you can't have me killed." He said, voice light and calm. "So, give me my estranged daughter, as well as the girl that loves dressing up as Aine, and you can have Nio back. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Like this, Itward had no schemes, had no plots at all. So he reluctantly agreed. There was nothing he could do to gain an advantage, not for now at least. "Fine. Take her." He climbed off of Cress and pushed her towards the man, then pressed a button, speaking an order into the mic. A servant arrived with a shaking and shivering but no longer dying Aya. Both girls were scooped up in Serpina's grip and he whispered something into Nio's ear that Itward couldn't hear. "Thank you for agreeing." He whispered. "We'll save you soon one day."

Once they were back in the Dorones mansion, Serpina had Cress dressed and he glanced at her gently. "The Princess told me what was happening." He explained, looking sad. "...If I'd known, I would've come sooner, I'm sorry. I was supposed to protect the both of you." He ground his teeth, distressed. "I'll arrange for your augments removed, Cress. Don't worry." The man shook a little. "...If you both want to quit the rebellion, I'll understand. After an experience like that, it would be the smartest route to take."

He let out a hard sigh. "I would've liked to kill the man. He tortured my daughter to death, years before." Serpina glanced at the sleeping Aya, listening to her moans and whimpers as she turned in her sleep, most definitely suffering a nightmare of sorts, feeling more guilt in him. "But we can't. We will kill him one day, I promise you that. But for now, he has too many allies. We'd never escape alive."


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Should've not been born as a Rubble? He spoke as though they had a choice. It wasn't so simple, people couldn't choose to whom they were born to, but they had free will after. Not Cress anymore though, she had given up her will to save Aya and she would do it again without hesitation. Even now Cress was hoping that Aya was recovering, that Itward hadn't done anything beyond repair. Cress knew she had to do something to prevent Itward from becoming King, she would sabotage his plans, now that she could be close enough to him that she could get it done. She remembered Xion's words, to collect as much information on any noble they came across. Clearly Xion hadn't meant like this, but now they would have the proof they needed to hopefully bring the Rubble Tier together to join in the effort to overthrow the Untouchable Tier, to bring equality to Ashia.

Cress knew what true suffering was, she had gone through hell and back in her short lifetime, but Itward seemed to think his life was harder. He grabbed Cress by the throat, pinning her against the wall, his face so close she practically taste his vial breath. "Oh boo hoo you poor baby!" She choked as he lamented his supposed struggle. Cress wasn't buying it. "You think you're the only one that's lost things!" She gasped and his hand released her. Cress coughed, taking air back into her lungs, the black dots that had been dancing in her vision subsiding. "My father's dead! You don't see me taking out my anger on everyone!" That's right, even earthlings suffered. "Just because my struggles been different doesn't mean it's any less relevant." She growled, glaring daggers at him. "I was there when my father died, I was in the car when it flipped over and I lost him! You, your father probably deserved you stinkin-" she was silenced when he smiled, suddenly wary.

Why was he smiling? Didn't the insults hurt? Were her blows not hitting? Itward tied Cress up, using the ribbon that had been covering the important bits to expose everything in a knot that only sadist would know. He unchained her from the wall and threw Cress over his shoulder like a sack of flour, like property rather than human. Her stomach hit his shoulder and she gasped in pain, her tail standing upright from the pain. He threw her once more, this time onto the bed, climbing over her on the mattress, running a hand hungrily up her leg. Cress knew she couldn't resist, that this was what she had signed up for when she made the trade for Aya. So Cress would take it, even if her hairs were standing on end, even if it meant losing something she had never given anyone.

He was on top of her, breathing in her scent, biting, sucking, bruising, until finally, he unclothed himself and sat over her, his member positioned over where her juices were leaking from his fingers playing her like instrument, making Cress feel weird in places she herself had never touched. She closed her eyes, holding her breath, waiting for the pain, when the door opened. A sigh of relief, the little girl had saved her for only a moment. Itward didn't even turn towards her, addressing the little thing as Nio. He told her to get it, eagerly looking back at his prize. Cress felt like a pet someone would watch at a dog show, beneath human. He positioned himself again, stroking her skin. He was just about to do it, to pop the seal when Nio came back, this time captive. Itward turned, he was sitting, straddling Cress's nude body. The exquisite knot Itward had tied went over her mouth so she could do nothing but release muffled moans.

Serpina Dorones was there then, holding Nio by the collar of her dress, making Itward panic. He bargained for both Cress and Aya's freedom, taking the girls into his arms, into his pod, and back to his home. Serpina didn't dare attempt to touch the knots, he let his servant take care of it, probably figuring that Cress would want a female to unravel her. The servant cut away at the ribbon with scissors, releasing Cress from her bonds. "Thank you," she gasped, finally able to move, to speak, she curled onto her side, shaking. it had been so close, she could still feel his member pushed against her, his groin touching her stomach while he straddled her.

The servant waited for the spell to pass, she washed Cress's skin off, gentle around the spots Itward had tortured with his mouth. She could still feel his lips on her's, his tongue exploring her mouth. She should have bitten it, she should have bitten through it, taken that disgusting pig's tongue away so he would be mute like his poor little sister.

Cress allowed the servant to dress her, she laced up her own shoes, never having felt more relieved to have her hiking boots. She sat downstairs across from Serpina, Aya was asleep, shaking and whimpering and making Cress feel even worse for not saving her sooner. So it was Ellie that had saved them, her cousin had done well. "It's alright, there's no way you could've gotten me out of the castle anyways. I've gathered some information though, so my time in captivity wasn't completely wasted."

"Of course I'm not gonna quit the rebellion, it's my only way home. Aya though..." she looked down at the little blonde, afraid to touch her. "Can you get her out of here? Of this island I mean. She needs to get far away, where they can't hurt her anymore." Cress would come get her after it was over, once it was safe for Aya to return to Ashia Palace.

"I wanted to kill him, every word he spoke was infuriating and he talked down to everyone. He does have a few weaknesses though, he has an obsession with my-with the Princess. He wants to hurt her and kill the King and Queen." An idea struck in her mind, "Does this collar record things?" She tugged on it, "I'm no politician, but the things Itward spoke about, you could accuse him of high treason."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro glowed beneath the praise, smiling widely. "Thank you Princess," her heart swelled with pride. Singing was her best talent after all, it was the only reason that the Queen had kept her around all these years. Shiro's earliest memories were of being coached on it, then the first time she sang for the Queen and the woman had put her through a more intense training to make Shiro a skilled singer. Sometimes Shiro would have to sing until she coughed up blood, even on days where her voice was nearly gone she would have to sing. She had spent many nights nursing a sore throat with tea and honey, or hot water with lemon. One time Shiro had been forced to sing for so long that she couldn't speak for an entire week. It was okay though, Shiro had assured herself, this is what the Queen wanted and what the Queen wanted, Shiro wanted.

It was for Shiro's benefit, the Queen had said, she was molding her into a useful tool and as long as Shiro could sing she wouldn't be useless. Those were the days before training to become a lady in waiting, when Shiro had believed she would spend the rest of her life underneath the rule of a tyrant Queen that believed hurting was a way of teaching. Now things were better, Shiro was with Nee and Nee didn't try to hurt Shiro half as much as the Queen and when she did, it was by accident.

"I'm glad you liked it Princess, if you want me to sing to you at anytime I would be glad to do so." She smiled her first genuine smile at the Princess. Shiro helped the girl get changed into the heavier nightgown, taking off the silver dress and putting it on the laundry rack so that the servants would come and clean it. Shiro looked at the Princess as she dialed something on the phone, suddenly getting an idea. Shiro went to get ready for bed, going to her room and dressing in her nightgown. She returned soon after, waiting for the Princess's prompt to climb into bed.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Shiro was gentle as she undressed Ellie, preparing her for the night again, removing the silver dress as she spoke to Serpina, telling him about Itward Cherubim and his captives and the man smiled at her and said he'd take care of it and message her back once the girls were safe. Ellie felt good, she felt empowered. She'd finally accomplished something, she finally did something right. Cress would be saved, the fake Aine would be freed, and everything would work out, wouldn't it? Narcia wasn't celebrating, though, she was instead thinking, worrying. What exactly happened in the events to Aine's death? After she was forced to flee to Earth, and a power struggle began between Aine and Itward, what happened? How did he get the upper hand?

"You can sing to me whenever you want, Shiro." Ellie said, radiating warmth to her friend. "Whenever it pleases you, sing. I'll let you decide. Princess's orders." She didn't want to force anything on the girl, and the sooner she was used to making her own decisions, the sooner she could be accustomed to freedom. Choice was a scary thing, freedom was definitely difficult. But Ellie was determined to bring Shiro a better life, a happier life, one without the collar and without fear. Slow steps, it would definitely have to be slow steps, but one day.

Then Ellie felt the itch to work again, so she went back to her desk, picking her tools up to once again create something, hopefully something wonderful. She dissembled the gravity drive, then reassembled it again, replicated the tech within for her new device. But after a while Ellie's hands grew tired and she knew she was getting sloppy, so she stopped before she made a mistake. The girl had sweat on her brow and she wiped it off, cloaking her half-finished toy with the invisibility device, then went back to the bed, feeling incredibly light and fluid as the nightgown swished against her legs.

"Once we can, I'll show you the sky." Ellie snuggled next to the blonde girl. "We'll fly and we'll be free, even if only for a short while. Once the balcony is open. Until then, we'll have to occupy ourselves, won't we?" Ellie thought, then she decided. She was going to tell stories of Cress. The princess took a deep breathe, eyes sparkling with nostalgia, telling Shiro about her adventures with Cress as a child, how she welcomed her to the family, how she taught her things, tried to make her play outside, and many other wonderful things. About how Cress protected her from a wild dog one day, how she helped teach her how to refuse a date with one particularly annoying guy in middle school. So many things, so many wonderful memories.

"I miss her." Ellie turned away, covering her face so Shiro wouldn't have to watch the tears flow. "She's my precious cousin and she's trapped in this world, Shiro. I want to see her, I want to introduce you to her. She'd love you, she'd protect you, so you wouldn't have to live here in the Palace." Even Narcia was trying to soothe her, telling her that fate probably planned for them to see each other again, because otherwise Cress would never have ended up in this world in the first place.




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




The head of the Dorones family wanted to comfort Cress and Aya, to somehow help as the horrors of the Cherubim Estate had clearly hurt them badly, but he couldn't bring himself to touch, he was far too afraid of bringing them more pain, more memories. This was an outrage, it wasn't supposed to have happened, and even more shame burned in the back of his throat. He remembered four years ago when Itward had Aine delivered to his house, an unrecognizable corpse, the evil smile on his face as he brought his childhood friend's dead body to her father.

"You're really strong, Cress." Serpina said with respectful admiration at her will, at the fact that she still hadn't broken. "Not many could gather information while.... being hurt the way you have." It was a sad sort of admiration, because she was still but a child, not even fully grown, and she still resisted with all of her might. "Once you've recovered, tell me what you can. Don't push yourself if it hurts."

He was glad that Cress still had the strength to keep helping the rebellion, but he was also conflicted. Children fighting a war adults should be waging was never going to sit well with him. And it seemed both he and Cress were in agreement. Someone like Aya had no place in this war. She'd be best taken far away from everything, to be taken to safety where she'd never have to worry. "There is one city that would be willing to keep her safe for as long as we need." Serpina said thoughtfully. "I could have-"

"No." The blonde in question was awake, shivering and blinking and staring and realizing that she was safe, that the hurt was over. She heard Cress and Serpy talking about stuff, about taking her out of the fight but no, no, Aine - no, Aya, Aya wanted to help. She wanted to stay, she couldn't just be sent away and have others fight for her. "Cress, please?" She was having trouble speaking, still weak from her ordeal, curling on her side. No, she couldn't be sent away, she didn't want to be useless! "Cress... and Aya. Team. Aya - I'm... strong."

"Just rest, Aya." Serpy moved over to her bed, but Aya didn't, she didn't want to be weak, Cress was so strong so she wanted to, too! Aya wanted to prove how strong she was so she tried to step off the bed but her legs buckled and she suddenly felt incredibly scared that something inside her would rip but Serpy lifted her up and placed her on the bed as if she were made of glass. "Aya wants to help." She begged, crying, shivering. "Please."

When Cress made her suggestion, Serpy touched the collar and sure enough, Itward's voice sounded loud and clear. Unfortunately, Aya whimpered and squeaked and tried to block her ears to not hear it, to not have to hear the monster's voice, and Serpy chuckled, slightly impressed. "I see what happened. This is the Queen's plot. She wants us to give her the collar so there'll be proof and reason to execute him." The man paused for a moment, thinking. "...We'll keep the collar, hold onto it for now. If Itward dies, then the Queen can focus all her strength on crushing the rebellion. We need her distracted for now. But, good catch, Cress." He winked at her, pleased, and then passed a phone to her after dialing a number. "I'll get a doctor in to remove your augments. Talk to the person on the other end, okay?"

The phone was on voice-only but the voice that sounded was clear. Cold as ice, emotionless. "Dorones?" Narcia asked, tense. "What do you want? Did you save them yet? Are they alright?" Was Aya just imagining the worry and concern hidden under the ice?


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress looked down at Aya, she hadn't realized that the girl was awake. "It wasn't bravery, I was just doing what was right." Cress shook her head, she had a sense of justice that her parents had taught her, stand up for the weird kids, befriend the quiet ones, those are the values that were instilled with her. "Maybe if Itward had, had someone to guide him growing up he wouldn't have turned out like this." She remembered the boy's words, how he had thought he seemed to be the only one in the world that had suffered. It wasn't true, Cress, Ellie, Aya, the Rubbles, they had all suffered, they were still suffering.

Aya was awake then, begging not to be sent away. "Aya," Cress said and looked down at the petite blonde. "Yeah, we're a team." She smiled, giving Aya a light nudge. She turned to Serpina, "I don't think she can go back to her tier, not with Itward on the hunt." Maybe they could move to the middle tier, lie low. Xion had to have safe houses and fake ID's, right? Unless that sort of thing didn't work. Cress had another problem though, one that she wasn't aware of.

She hadn't had an ID chip before, but now she had one implanted in her spine, one that went along with the collar and if they took the collar off it would immobilize the girl. Of course, Cress didn't know about such things, there had been so many needles and machines that she had hardly been able to tell what was for what. "You can help Aya, you're already doing great okay? So just rest for now, get better." She crawled into the bed beside Aya, taking the girl into her arms and hugging her like a child against her.

She went back over to Serpina as he gestured and let him touch the collar for the playback of Itward's voice. She cut it as soon as Aya began to whimper and instantly felt guilty for putting her through that. "I'm sorry Aya," the blonde had no place in a war. As soon as she could, Cress would ask Xion to give Aya a mission that would keep her as far from the front lines as possible. Little children had no place in a battlefield. Hearing his voice, recalling how he had been touching her at those times, made Cress's hands ball into fists. She was furious, her rage practically leaking from her body. When his voice went away, she still wasn't able to relax.

"Thank you Mr. Dorones, you've already done so much for me." Cress said and sighed. Yes, it would be nice to get rid of the ears and tail. She looked at her hand, at the insignia burned into her skin. Cress was branded like an animal and she shivered, remembering the Queen's words. She took the phone from Serpina, hearing the voice on the other side, the cold as ice voice that belonged to her cousin.

"Hey Ellie," Cress said in response. She had never heard Ellie speak in such a snappy tone, like she was so high and mighty. Was Ellie like Itward now? Would she senselessly hurt those who didn't deserve it? Would she steal their will to live, just like with Aya. How had Aya even ended up with Iward anyways! It was Cress's fault, she should have just had her stand outside the room, to stay put and not look for the Princess's room, maybe then this could have been avoided. If the Queen knew that someone was waiting for Cress's return, then maybe she wouldn't have drugged her and Cress wouldn't be part cat.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to sing for the Princess whenever she wanted. She stood beside where the Princess worked, humming to herself, eyes closed, head tipped up against the wall. The humming turned into singing again and this time Shiro sang what she had once been told was an earth tune. This one was about dreams, or at least, that's what Shiro thought it was about. "I dreamed a dream in time gone by," she sang quietly, hoping not to disturb Nee as she worked. "When hope was high and life worth living."

The song mentioned God and Shiro wondered if earthlings worshiped the same deities they did. There were two main religions in Ashia, one monotheistic, the other believing in many Gods. Shiro had never been religious, but she did think there was some sort of higher power. How else would they have gotten here? Unless they were really some strange, lost earthen colony that had blossomed into something else? The thought was almost funny. Astronauts lost on a planet and deciding to produce an entirely new world.

When the Princess mentioned flying, Shiro's eyes lit up in wonder. She had never been outside of the castle, flying above it would seem like a miracle. She climbed into bed beside the Princess, listening to Nee's stories about her cousin, giggling where it was appropriate, clear wonder written on her face. "It sounds like you were really close." Shiro said with a yawn, she was finding it hard to stay awake and fought so that she could hang onto the Princess's every word. It was rude to fall asleep while the Princess was talking, but Shiro suddenly felt so tired....

Nodding off was easy, in dreams Shiro could finally be at peace, not being tortured by any Queen. In sleep she was flying, soaring through the sky like a bird, no collar tethering her to any one person or force. She could do flips in the clouds, breaking through them, believing them to be as light as feathers and laying in a bed just as soft. Then the dream changed, she was wrenched out of it in a horrible twist of fate, the Queen calling her down, mutilating Shiro's wings until they were nothing but a bloody, unrecognizable clump. "You won't need these," the Queen stood over her, grinning as she held up a knife. Shiro whimpered, trying to escape but her wings could no longer hold her.

She cried as the Queen cut her wings off, ensuring that Shiro could never fly again.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




She'd expected Serpina Dorones to answer but it wasn't him at all. Cress's voice sounded through the phone, almost startling the princess and making her wake up poor Shiro who deserved her rest. It was incredibly soothing to have her sing while she worked on her new device, but Ellie only hoped Shiro never felt obligated to do it at any point. Deciding not to worry about that now, there was a new problem at hand. Cress. How badly had Itward hurt her? How had the man even gotten his hands on her? The princess felt almost afraid to try and talk - what if Cress blamed her? What if the fake Aine told her of her involvement in capturing her, of her little temporary deal with Itward - trade the fake Aine for a whole bunch of the latest technology. She was a traitor, wasn't she?

"...Cress..." Ellie breathed, the ice taken out of her usual composed tone. "Are you... okay? Did he - did he hurt you? What are you still doing here, why haven't you returned home yet?" That brought another question. How, exactly, had Itward Cherubim even gotten her? But only one name came to mind. "...What did my mot- the Queen do to you?" There was a little whimper from the other end, another girl, undoubtedly the fake Aine. "Liar." She whispered to Cress. "Princess... sh-she... with Itward..." Ellie couldn't see it, but the girl was trembling and shaking again.

Cress listened, she could hear the tremble in Ellie's warble, the fear. "Hey, it's alright. I'm okay, he didn't do anything irreparable." Cress said, running a hand through her hair, touching the cat ears. "I do need your help though, there's these augments, they um... It's cat ears and a tail." It was embarrassing to admit to her cousin, as though she were harboring a secret she had never wanted Ellie to know. Cress didn't want Ellie to think less of her because of this. "I can't go home, not without you." It was more than that really, even if Cress wanted to she couldn't go back. She had no way to get there, no machine or magic teleportation device that could send her back to earth and no one, not even Serpina Dorones seemed to be aware of such technology.

Cress turned back towards Aya, "It's okay, Ellie's not gonna hurt you." Cress assured her with a smile, believing that Aya may have still been a bit delusional from what Itward had done. Her cousin would never allign with someone like that, especially after the way he had touched her at the ball. The thought made Cress's eyes burn, her hands clench into fists. "I miss you, you know. Why were you acting like that at the ball?"

Ellie felt sick. This was the world she came from, it was her world, and because of her, Cress had to suffer unimaginably. If things were reversed, Cress would never have let it happen, she would've found a way. But Ellie was still too weak, wasn't she? Before her emotions could overwhelm her, though, Narcia returned and then the princess's throat hitched as she realized. "...The Queen likely did more than simply give you cat features, Cress." Ellie informed her about the chip, about what it meant, about the collar. "I'll work on a way to remove it safely but for now.... I'll think of something." Her voice went quieter, softer as she clung to her phone. "...I'm sorry for all of this. If mum never found me, none of this - you could still be at home, with your family." Upon Cress telling the fake Aine that she wouldn't hurt her, Ellie felt more shame freeze her insides. "When they're watching, I have no choice. I have to play the role of the ice princess, else they might do something to remove the Ellie from me. They have ways, Cress, they could erase me and I'd be just as bad as Itward or the Queen. I can't..." She trailed off, not wanting to entertain that nightmarish thought.

Cress listened, ice running in her veins. She thought back to the servants at the ball, seeing them all wear this collar. They all had to go through that? To have this horrible device invading their bodies? The thought made her physically shake with rage. So she was stuck, bound like a dog until Ellie found a way to remove it. "Is there a limit to how far I can go? Can I still go back to the Rubble tier with Aya?" She wasn't going to let Aya return alone, no, Itward was most likely after them both as revenge for Dorones nearly threatening his little sister. "Our family," Cress corrected. "Ellie, if I didn't have you then, then I don't know what would've happened. I would probably have gone insane, or maybe I'm even crazier since you were there to torture me, I don't know." She joked, her tone light, but the meaning was there. Cress wouldn't have been half as strong without Ellie, she was only a half and Ellie was her whole. "It's okay, just do your best. I believe in you, alright?" Cress said, "They're not gonna erase you, not if I have any say in it."

Aya? Was that the name of the fake Aine, then? It didn't ring a bell, but it wasn't as if Narcia knew any Rubbles to begin with. Aya, Ellie didn't even know how to start to apologize to her, especially with Cress listening in. Her cousin would never, ever forgive her for what she did, for trapping the girl and taking her gravity drive and handing her to Itward like a prize. Itward wasn't just going to let it go, even without the chip, it wasn't safe for them in the Rubble tier anymore. "No, you can't go to the lower tiers with it, it'll set off an alarm." Ellie explained bitterly. "But the upper tiers are filled with scanners, they'll spot you anyways. Just stay in the middles, in the Tower Tier and others around it for now. I'll find a way to counteract them." Ellie took a deep breath, knowing she had to fess up to her crime. "...If anyone, it'd have to be me. I helped develop them before Earth, after all."

Sadness and tears threatened to clog her throat as Cress reminded her that it was still her family as well, waiting. "...Yeah, they're waiting for us." She lied, already deciding that she'd stay behind to make sure this world became one of equality and fairness for everyone. Ellie wouldn't be returning to earth with Cress. Ourania would be her last adventure with her dear cousin. Ellie knew the guilt would eat her alive, she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't confess.

"...I should go, Cress. But... apologize to Aya for me, okay?" Ellie knew the crying was about to happen, there wasn't enough time. "It was my fault. I'm the one who handed her to Itward in exchange for technology. You see, I'm already.... just like the Queen..." Ellie then shut the call, not willing to listen to Cress's anger, her rage, wanting to believe that her cousin still somehow loved, but also knew Cress's sense of justice was too strong to simply let it go. With that done, Ellie slumped in bed, snuggling against Shiro and she cried herself to sleep, the blankets dampening from the tears.




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




"It's impossible to say." Serpy said in a guarded tone. "When they were younger, Narcia, Itward, and Aine were really close friends. But as they grew, as they were made to accept their roles as nobles, a rift began between them." The man shrugged, trying not to remember his daughter's smiling face. "...Maybe he could have turned out to be a good person."

Cress then spoke about home, about how she couldn't go back to the Rubble tier, because Itward might find her, might do bad things again, might hurt her and touch her and Aya was scared, she was so scared, she couldn't let it happen, even if it meant Daddy would be sad, that he would miss her and love her extra hard once she could come home. Aya was terrified, the things the man did to her, she wasn't sure it could ever be fixed. Even as Serpina nodded and Cress moved to hug her, to encourage her, telling her to rest, it only helped a little, Aya knew the pain wouldn't ever stop. Even just peeing would feel like she was ripping herself from the inside, but there was no way to just try to never pee again, either, right?

Then Serpy left and a voice, that ice cold voice. Aya tried warning Cress, tried to tell her not to trust the princess, that the princess was an evil liar but she couldn't, her voice stuck in her throat and Cress just told her that Ellie wouldn't hurt her but she did, she really did and Aya hated it, she hated her, Ellie was one of the pigs, stepping over people, ruining lives for fun. Aya tried to block it out, to ignore it, Itward and Ellie were both evil monsters, she couldn't, wouldn't ever trust them, never. Xion would kill them, Daddy would kill them. Ellie and Cress might be cousins but Narcia was the only one here, she only pretended to be Ellie, to trick and hurt Cress and make more bad things happen.

And finally the call ended. "...Never." The blonde rebel whispered. "Evil. She's... it's a lie. She's... tricking. Not Ellie. Narcia." Aya was exhausted, every word drained her but she had to make Cress understand, she had to make Cress see that they couldn't trust the Princess.

Then Serpina came and people took Cress, putting her on a stretcher. "We'll take off the augments now." He said. "I'll have them remove the scarring from the brand, and we'll check you over to see if there's any other damage." He explained more and talked more but Aya couldn't hear, it was too far away. Now that she was alone, the rebel girl curled up again, shut her eyes, hoping that somehow she could be at peace in her dreams.


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress hung up, looking a bit dejected. "Ellie says she's sorry, she didn't have a choice." She tried to think of something up, a reason to defend her sister. "You know that tiny girl that follows her around? She said Itward threatened her so she didn't have a choice." It was a lie, but a good one, at least it was fathomable and hey, maybe it was the truth. Cress didn't know, she had no idea what had actually happened and so she wasn't going to take sides. "Ellie's really torn up about it anyhow," Cress said quietly, doing her best to comfort Aya.

That part didn't bother her so much as the part where Ellie said she was already just like the Queen. No, Cress had, had the displeasure of having a personal audience with the Queen for several hours in a tiny room with no windows. Ellie had no idea how bad her mother truly was, her cousin was nothing like that woman who was willing to hurt for no good reason. People like that, they needed to be put in their place. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you when you really needed me to," Cress grit her teeth, regret in her eyes. "But I promise it won't happen again." Yes, Cress would make sure that Aya stayed safe, she would shield the girl with her own body if she had to. Aya was so small and helpless she didn't belong in this war.

The Doctor came, wheeling in a stretcher. Cress knelt down, unlacing her boots and leaving them beside the bed. "Aya, you've already done a lot for me, but I need you to do one more thing." She winked, "Make sure the servant doesn't throw out my boots, she doesn't seem too fond of them." From the corner the servant scoffed. Cress was joking of course, she didn't think Aya would take it seriously. Cress laid down on the stretcher, giving Aya a salute. "I won't be too long, so hang in there. Alright?" Cress then put her head down, eyes to the ceiling as they took her away. She wondered where they were going.

Finally they reached a room and there was a Doctor there, putting a pair of gloves on. "Cress?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's my name, don't wear it out," she joked and he chuckled. "I see you're still in good spirits, that's a rare thing to find after the Queen gets her hands on someone." Cress pulled off the clothing she was wearing as they stuck electrodes to her and put a cuff around her arm. "She can batter my body all she wants, but my mind is my fortress." Cress tapped her temple, eyes twinkling. "My name is Dr. Benkov and I'll be your surgeon today, I'm gonna start an IV, is that alright?" Cress nodded her head and soon she was drifting off to sleep.

Removing augmentations was Dr. Bekov's specialty, he was a plastic surgeon so he took and gave these sorts of things all the time. It wasn't uncommon to see servants forced to take on animal qualities or teenagers who did it to please their significant others. Dr. Benkov worked quickly, removing the tail and ears as well as the neurological transmitter that made the two implants work. He stitches the holes they left shut and wrapped Cress's head and middle in a bandage. Next was the scarring on the hand, unfortunately, despite his best work, it was still apparent. The Queen had used something strong and underneath the scarring was what almost looked like a tattoo, so even when Dr. Benkov removed the surface it was still there. He cursed underneath his surgical mask and wrapped her hand up.

The surgery was done. He helped them place Cress on the stretcher and then Cress was on her way back to where Aya was, sound asleep. She was placed in the bed beside Aya and Cress curled up, hugging Aya against her underwear clad form like a stuffed animal.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro awoke shaking, the nightmares wouldn't leave her alone and she felt sick. Her hands trembled as she quietly tip toed out of bed, going to her room to prepare for the day's work. She ran the bath, sitting in the claw footed tub and hugging her knees. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders in its normal ringlets and she scrubbed them gently, washing off her tiny body as well. The bathtub was bigger than her, but then again, everything was bigger than Shiro. She climbed out of the tub and drained it, wrapping herself in a fluffy towel. As she went to the dresser (which had been specially made for her height), Shiro realized there was a note waiting for her. It was the Princess's schedule, there was a list of tutors coming to see her today and various lessons that Shiro had to ensure the Princess was on time to.

Okay, Shiro nodded her head, determined. Today would be the day that she was the perfect lady in waiting. Shiro went to her closet, dropping her towel to look at the rack of minimal clothing she had been provided. She wiggled into her cutest outfit, nearly forgetting underwear she was so excited. Once she ensured that was in place Shiro took care of her hair, brushing out her buttery locks and putting it up into a ponytail. She hid the collar with a ribbon, as always and put her shoes on. Shiro nodded in the mirror, smiling. Yes, today she would show the Queen that she could do her job better than any other servant.

Shiro tucked the schedule into her breast pocket and went to wake up the Princess. She tip toed into the room, gently opening up the curtain and going to announce that it was morning. There was a knock on the door and Shiro opened it up to find breakfast was already there. Oh no! She was running late! "Princess, it's morning." Shiro chirped, going to the bathroom to fill up the bathtub and picking the Princess's outfit for the day. Today it wasn't something super fancy, it was something a bit more appropriate for learning.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Narcia woke up feeling confused. It was Ellie that was meant to wake, wasn't it? Ellie controlled this body, she was the main one, so why was it her? Not that she minded, Narcia really couldn't care less either way. If Ellen didn't feel like being mentally present, then Narcia would be fine with taking over for the time being. That was fate's river's flow, was it not? If that's the case, then there's no problem. So the first thing Narcia did was walk crisply over to the bathroom after smiling at Shiro (it wouldn't do to have anyone suspect that two people existed in this body, after all. For now, Narcia knew it was best to keep it hidden, so she had to act consistent to how Ellen did) and then she closed the door to stare at the window.

Six years had passed, hadn't it? Narcia felt different. She looked different. Six years of her life, stolen from her by her mother, the tyrannical Queen. Narcia knew she was still mentally ten years of age - though a peculiar ten year old, if earthling children were anything to go by - and being in a sixteen year old body was not something that was natural to her in the least. It was foreign and strange, like waking up to see you were the opposite sex, something outlandish like that. While for Ellen it was probably the most normal of things, Narcia woke up one morning to see a ten year old face, and woke up the next morning to a sixteen year old face.

It made sense, in a way. The rebels were acting up, and Aine was gathering more and more support. The Cherubim family was still undecided - and since most of their family members were high ranked within the military, the Seraphim needed their support if they wanted to fight. As a safety precaution, Narcia was sent to Earth, and when she returned to Ourania she found Aine dead, Itward as the Cherubim head, and much of the staff were replaced with new faces - one of which was Shiro herself. What happened, exactly? What had changed so suddenly in the past six years? Narcia wanted to find out, though she knew the history tutor would definitely have been told not to answer that question.

Once she was done soaking her skin in the perfect-as-usual water, Narcia left the bathroom, nodding at Shiro to begin dressing her for the day, the outfit more suitable for sitting and studying. "...I was hoping to be able to continue working on the project." Narcia mumbled absently as she ate, aiming a glance at her work desk where her materials were carefully hidden under the invisibility device.

There was something she wanted done, though. And while she was bogged down with tutors and lessons, it made sense that the Queen might have her guard down, if only for a little. She still needed to work on the countermeasure for Cress's chip - if there was a way for Narcia to reach the mainframe database of Ashia Palace, she would be able to deactivate it remotely and free her. But also important was finding out something that was bothering her lately. "Shiro, while I'm busy with studies, I need yo-" Narcia shook her head, then relaxed her featured into a gentle smile. "If you wish, you can go research the connection between Xion and Aine. How did they know each other? How did they make contact without anyone's notice for years?"




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Itward forced the princess? Was it true? Aya remembered in the garden, she remembered the cold evil smile on her face as she stole the gravity drive and let Itward take her to that horrible place, that scary bad place. It made her shiver, it made her scared, but Aya's eyes were droopy and she wanted to sleep. But Cress kept talking and Aya forced herself to stay awake, somehow feeling safe with her friend at her side, holding her close like that, like she didn't want to let go. "Aya... protect too." She whispered, forcing the words out, fighting off sleep. They were a team, right? And team protects each other, that's how it works!

Aya had a mission as Cress went to leave, promising it wouldn't be long. The blonde girl kept her eyes trained on the boots, giving a warning stare every time the servant moved. After a while the servant decided to make a game of it, moving herself every so often to keep getting suspicious angry stares. It was better than having the girl dwell on what happened to her, so the servant played at trying to steal the hiking boots until finally, Aya drifted to sleep.

She woke up after what felt like years later, blearily, vision blurry. Someone was holding onto her, touching her and Aya let out a tiny squeak of fear, squishing herself together to be as small as possible, shutting her eyes to try and ignore it. After a while the hold wouldn't stop so she opened her eyes again, blinked, then turned onto her back to find it was just Cress. She let out a relieved sigh, slapping herself to try and get more sense. Silly, Cress is safe, she's not bad, she wouldn't ever. The girl then relaxed herself, enjoying the cuddles for a little until she realized there was a problem. Aya needed to pee, super bad. It seemed like everyone was asleep though, so Aya wriggled herself out of Cress's grip.

She was strong, right? Cress was super tough, and a teammate has to match. She saw a chair next to the bed, so Aya rolled herself onto it, letting out a pained whimper as her bottom hit it a little too hard, messing with the stitches inside her that reminded her of - no, no, best not to think about it. "I need to pee." She whispered, patting Cress's arm, then pressed buttons on the arm of the chair to control it. It wasn't as convenient as her gravity drive but Narcia stole it so she couldn't yet, not yet.

Finally Aya got to the bathroom, seeing another problem. The toilet was higher than the chair! Aya sat there in confusion for a moment before she decided to try to force herself up as best as she could. In the end, she couldn't do it, her legs were too shaky, so Aya fell back into the chair, feeling weak and pathetic. Too weak to even get up, how sad was that? But she couldn't hold it, she couldn't stop it, so Aya curled up her legs and took off her pajama bottoms, wincing in pain as she stretched a stitch inside. "Sorry, Serpy." She whispered and then decided to let it go on the chair when suddenly she felt horrible burning itching pain deep in her with every drop that tried to squeeze out. The girl buckled up, crying and squeaking, not wanting to wake anyone up. A horrible voice echoed in her head. Itward's voice.

"Big girls can hold it in, Aine." But Aya knew she couldn't, no one could hold it forever, right?


Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




She had been fast asleep when she heard the whimpering and tears. Cress sat up in confusion, wondering where she was and why she was wrapped in bandages. She stood, her behind a bit sore, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Aya?" Cress asked, looking around. She checked beneath the bed, but Aya hadn't hidden under there. She heard the whimpering again, the sobs too and Cress bolted towards the sound, entering the bathroom to find Aya in a pajama shirt sitting in a puddle of what appeared to be her own bodily fluids.

"Oh no, Aya," Cress felt terrible, once again she hadn't been there for her friend. "I'm sorry, why don't you wake me up? I would've helped you." She went over to the bathtub, filling it up. "Does it hurt?" She asked, noting that Aya didn't even have bandages. They had hurt her really badly, why? For fun? To see a poor, helpless girl suffer? It made Cress want to strangle Itward. The day would come, but for now, she would have to settle with thinking about how satisfying it would be to watch the life slip out of that awful, awful man.

"I'll take care of you, don't worry." She filled the bath up with bubbles and undressed Aya the rest of the way, being incredibly gentle and stopping whenever she whimpered. Cress scooped the girl up, not minding the pee and slid Aya into the bathtub. She would have to talk to Serpina and that Dr. Benkov, maybe there was something he could do to help ease the pain, like medicine or taking a look to see if it had been stitched properly. Cress cleaned up the pee while Aya soaked, hopefully the warm water would help ease the pain. Cress had some pain killers on the bedside that Dr. Benkov had left her, maybe she could give a half of one to Aya to see if it helped any?

She remembered the terror of Itward sitting on top of her, his fingers caressing her button, making it wet. The thought of him doing that to Aya, of destroying her insides so much, it made her so mad that Cress accidentally snapped the soap bar she was holding in two. She reached out to catch it, her expression changing from serious to funny in a matter of moments. "Sorry, I got distracted again. I'm gonna be right back, don't be afraid to call out if you need me." Cress was going to go find the Doctor, but low and behold he appeared in the bedroom, saying he had come to check on her. "I need your help," Cress said, her eyes wide and terrified. "Aya, she's in pain, they stitched her up but I don't think they did it well. Itward he... He destroyed her sensitive bits." Dr. Benkov's eyes widened and he went into the bathroom.

"Hello Aya," he knelt beside the tub, smiling reassuringly. "My name is Dr. Benkov, I'm gonna take a look to see if there's anyway I can help. If it hurts just say so and I'll stop." He put on a pair of gloves, waiting for Aya's answer. Cress held Aya's hand as the Doctor rolled up his sleeve. All he did was push the lid back a bit to see, but from his expression it wasn't good. Cress squeezed her hand a bit reassuringly, smiling despite the fact that the Doctor seemed worried. He stood and discarded his gloves, drying his hands after washing them. "Aya," he said slowly, "I'm going to be honest with you because you're a big girl. It doesn't look good. From here we have two options, I can put a catheter in and numb the area and hope it goes away on its own. Or I can try to fix it." By then Serpina had been called and was waiting with a warm bathrobe for Aya. Cress plucked her out of the water, being extra careful with her like she was a baby. "Take your time thinking, okay?" Cress pat her head, sitting beside Aya on the bed.

While Aya thought, the Doctor checked Cress's wounds and rewrapped them. "I'm sorry there isn't more I can do for your hand." He said as he wrapped it in gauze. "It's alright, just another battle scar," Cress replied with a shrug. "I've got a few of them."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




"The tutor should be here soon," Shiro said after cleaning up breakfast. Then the Princess said she needed her and Shiro perked right up, looking at the Princess eagerly. "I'll do my best Princess, I promise!" She skipped off to the library, wondering where information like this would be kept. Rather than using books, Shiro decided to try the best thing she knew of, the servant network. "Hello Shiro," the book keeper smiled, she used to be a frequent costumer at the royal library, but since her training Shiro hadn't had as much time to read. "Hello Thorne." Cress smiled, "I'm on an errand for the Princess, do you think you can help me?" She asked, knowing that at any moment the tutor would be arriving for the Princess, it was only the first one of the day too.

"Oh? What do you need?"

"I have to find out all relations and ties with Aine Dorones." Cress replied and his expression became thoughtful. "I promised the Queen I'd be good and do everything that the Princess asked," she added and he nodded his head. "Come this way, I have just what you need." Thorne led Shiro to a corner of the library where another servant was stacking books. "All the records of families with approval of the Queen are kept here, the Queen likes to keep tabs on everyone." He whispered and went through the books, going alphabetically. "It's not allowed to leave the library though." He handed the book to Shiro and the girl handled it carefully, like it was a precious baby. "I'll remember everything then," Shiro was determined. Thorne laughed and patted her head. "Do your best Shiro, we believe in you."

Shiro went to a table and began to read, starting from the beginning. "Name, Aine Dorones, age, height, weight, grades." She scanned it all, memorizing, compartmentalizing. This was an important mission, the Princess had said she had needed her and Shiro wasn't going to let her down!

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




"I believe in you, Shiro." Narcia said, trying to emulate Ellie's friendliness but only sounding aloof and distant in the process. Honestly, trying to befriend lowly servants was so much trouble. Why was Ellen so insistent on being nice to others? People who didn't have a choice, people who were poor, it made sense for them to work together, didn't it? If they worked together, then it helped mutual survival. But for people who lived at the top, when you didn't need anyone's help, trying to be kind was a waste of time. But Narcia, for some strange reason, couldn't bring herself to be cruel to Shiro.

She decided not to worry about it for the time being and stared at her work-desk with longing before getting up and cleaning it all off and hiding them on her bed, invisible as usual. She made sure to be extra careful when handling the unfinished project, knowing one mistake could break it completely. It was delicate in it's unfinished state, but once it was done, it was the key to freedom.

Finally the tutor arrived, looking similar to the old tutor that she once had, the one that died way back in the six years of absence. This was no doubt the son of Archon, another of the noble families that ruled part the Untouchable tier. This younger man had the same eyes, the same stern stare, and all of that. Narcia bowed to him and the man grimaced in distaste, though he maintained his composure in front of the Queen, a vicious smile on her face.

"Hello there, dear." She said, and Narcia simply nodded at her courteously. There were no fond memories with her parents - unlike parents on Earth, these ones were cold, uncaring, indifferent. They didn't care, they didn't really love her and they made sure she knew it even when she was young. Narcia never minded, not really, because it was simply the natural order of things. "Don't you want to sit on the balcony like you used to as a child, Narcia? It was your favorite place when you were but a tiny thing, watching the clouds go by." It was a mockery. While Narcia didn't approve of Ellen's desperate act, her threat to jump, she also despised that the Queen was willing to harm her and make her feel the horrible sensation of swallowing a key. "I believe studying indoors would suffice for the day, Mother." She kept herself emotionless and pleasant in a way Ellen might not have been able to do.

The Queen introduced the man as Corren Archon, the youngest of three brothers, and thus, illegible for being the head of the Archon family. Instead, it seemed, he was trying to raise his station by being the Princess's official tutor for most things. In the early days of her life, Narcia might have seen him once or twice, but not enough to remember him now. And as it seemed, Corren clearly already despised her, and it was obvious why. His father was killed by her family, after all. Hoping Shiro would be safe, Narcia began her studies upon the Queen's departure.

But funnily enough, Corren was willing to do one thing at Narcia's request. She handed the gravity drive to him and told him to have it delivered to the Dorones household, so hopefully the fake Aine would have her toy back - with a few upgrades.




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Cress came to the rescue, and Aya would have shriveled in shame at being seen so weak like this, like a tiny little child that couldn't control her own bladder, but the pain was taking over everything, burning and stinging her insides, making everything hurt, her whole body shaking as the last of the fluid leaked out. She tried to whisper a sorry and a thank you and other things but she couldn't, the pain was taking her breath away, her voice, so Aya sat there and trembled as Cress took her shirt off with as much care as she could. Aya kept her noises to the minimum as she tried to stay quiet, to prove that she could handle it, even if she was failing horribly.

At first, Aya let out a terrified little squeak as she was submerged into the bath, her sensitive bits being exposed to the water stung, it stung so much, it was like it was being ripped open again. "Hurts." The girl managed, fingers tight on Cress's arm, squeezing, squeezing, but she knew she needed to be clean, because pee was gross, it was disgusting. The bathwater tinted red as leftover blood mixed in. Clearly the Cherubim doctors were told to do as bad a job on the fixing as they could, worrying only about stopping the blood from coming, to stop her from dying. "Cr-Cress, sorry, it's... Aya's so weak..." She couldn't help like this, could she? And then Cress broke a soap thing and for some reason it forced a laugh out of the girl, temporarily making the pain stop. "I'll be here." Aya tried to make a joke when Cress said she'd be right back.

Then the doctor came and a horrible squeal of terror ripped through her mouth, Aya shoving her hands over to try and make it stop, eyes wide in fear and shame both. A man, it was a man, Aya didn't like it, she slid under the surface of the water, bubbles to cover everything, she hated it, she was scared, why did Cress do this? He introduced himself as Dr. Benkov, a doctor, but still, still, Aya was crying and shaking but then Cress held her hand and Aya sniffed hard to stop the tears. "M-my name is Aya." She nodded at the doctor weakly and quivered, shook, as he examined her special part, the part no one was allowed to see, the part that was destroyed by Itward forever and ever. Even with Cress there, even though she tried her best, Aya couldn't stop from shaking and she brought her free arm up to cover her eyes so no one would have to see, so she wouldn't look so weak.

Then Benkov told her, told her about the stuff, the catheter or trying to fix it and Aya shook her head at both, mewling and moaning. "No touch." She squeaked as Cress took her out of the tub, dried her, and placed her back on the bed, gently, super gently. "Please, no touch, Aya - it will heal by itself, okay?" No more, Aya didn't want anything touching it again ever, never. "It will be better by itself." She puffed her cheeks to try and look threatening.

Aya squeezed Cress when it was her turn to be fixed, for the doc to wrap something on her hand. "Is Cress okay?" Aya asked, wanting to distract herself, wanting to not think about the decision. "I'm... happy you aren't a kitty now though." She tried to make her voice stop shaking, to make it tough and supportive but it was like a tiny animal trying to be bigger than it was. Something sparkled in her eyes. "Aya will... save you next time. Promise."

Then Serpina entered the room, regarding both girls gently, kindly, full of warmth and empathy. He asked them if they were okay, how they were doing, if they needed meds for the pain, and once that was done, it was time for business. He turned to Cress grimly, almost hesitant to ask. "So, what information do you have on the Queen?" He asked. "If you're ready. Xion requests a report, anything's fine. If you're not ready yet, though... you don't have to. Don't push yourself if it hurts." He paused a little, then pulled out a bag of cookies, placing it on Cress's lap. "It doesn't make up for what happened, but I hope you know not all nobles are like him. I'm one of the good ones. I'm sure the Princess is, too."


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




It was almost physically painful to see Aya like this, so in pain and confused that even the smallest movement made her cry. She refused both treatment and the Doctor gave Cress a look that she unfortunately knew all too well, it was the look doctors gave parents when their child screamed and kicked and failed before a shot, the look that meant get them under control because they needed this for their health. "Aya doesn't seem to realize how much danger she truly is in," The Doctor said quietly, carefully. "There's internal bleeding, they didn't fix the wound, they just kept her from bleeding out." Cress knew what she had to do, it was completely unfair though, she would have to play the role of the bad guy.

"Don't apologize, I know it hurts, just bear with me okay?" Cress tried for a smile, covering Aya's hand with both of her own. "You're so brave Aya, just hang on a little longer." Cress brushed a strand of hair out of Aya's face, "I think you're probably even braver and stronger than Xion." She tried smiling again hoping that something, anything would make Aya's pain go away. The bottle of pills caught her eye, Cress would have to give Aya more than a half to knock her out so the Doctor could fix her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She wanted to tell Aya to worry about herself, that she was in no shape to be spending energy fretting over others. "Cress just needs to rest and she'll be better," Cress said, trying to sound as though she were joking by mimicking the way Aya spoke. "Meow," she suddenly said and acted surprised, looking around to see who said that. "Uh-oh, I don't think they got all of it." She said and leaned in, nuzzling her head against Aya's side. "You'll just have to protect me from now on. Mew," it was a joke of course, Cress would be doing the protecting. Then Serpina came in, handing Cress a bathrobe which she gladly wrapped around herself. It was nice and toasty warm too, Cress had always been a fan of warm things like the sun and hot water bottles.

Serpina brought cookies and milk, placing it on Cress's lap. This was perfect, "Thanks, I love cookies." Cress unwrapped the tray, emptying a capsule of the pain medicine, using her body to block Aya's view. She served up a cookie and milk, helping Aya into a comforting sitting position that didn't put any pressure on her bottom. "Eat up, okay? Serpy made them special for you." Cress watched, waiting. "I'm here, so no one's going to hurt you." She turned towards Serpina, wrapping the robe tighter around her. "The Queen has a system of jails and torture chambers, she does things, she removes her servants reproductive organs so that they can't have kids." That was only one of the few horrors the Queen had put her through. "She's also a chemist, she's a whiz with drugs. Don't ask me how I found that out though." Cress laughed bitterly.

"Itward, he's got no remorse, he's a monster. He thinks what he did to Aine, what he did to Nio, is completely justified." Her hands clenched into fists once more, "He has more than one weakness. Woman," she said and paused, "And men."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro had fallen asleep at the desk, having had nightmares the night before and not getting a proper sleep. She awoke when something banged on the table and startled, Shiro looked up. It was just Thorne and he was emptying out a mini rubbish bin. Shiro went back to reading, there was still a lot of work to do if she was to report everything about this girl Aine Dorones. If she was dead then how had she appeared at the ball? Shiro didn't understand. Her eyes closed, fluttering once more.

"Flower gleam and glow," Shiro sat upright, remembering a song, reciting it to herself in order to stay awake. "Let your power shine, make the clock reverse." The tiny blonde continued, feeling suddenly weak and dizzy. There was an illness that had afflicted her when she was younger and now, when Shiro looked at her hand, it was speckled in blood. Cress couldn't be hurt though, she couldn't be sick. Her legs shook, Cress would just have to keep it all in. If she was sick she would be deemed useless and then they would dispose of her in the way she had nearly died in the first time. The trash incinerated and it would gladly suck her up if the Queen found out Shiro was sick again then she would no doubt be sent away, or maybe used a sthe Queen't toy.

Shiro whimpered at the thought and she stood, rushing back to the Prinecss's side.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Ellie woke up... only to find herself already studying, already working, and the day was quickly passing. She was puzzled as she tried to piece things together - still studying tier economics - and Narcia filled her in on everything she missed. While Ellie was a little thankful for that, there was the bigger problem at hand of why she woke up so late, why was Narcia in control? Narcia's theory was that Ellie overdid it last night when she cried herself to sleep, so Ellie decided to simply let it be for the time being. Ellie internally thanked the ten year old Princess for being civil with Shiro earlier and it only made Narcia's ic smile grow, confusing Corren temporarily.

"Stop playing around, Narcia." The man said stiffly. "I don't know what's humorous about the economic state of the Gridiron District, and how it's going into a massive recession due to-" "Due to lowered price of manufactured steel, I'm aware, Corren." Narcia cut in, confirming that yes, she was absorbing the information. The man simply nodded and continued the lessons, voice droning on. The history portion of the lesson was already dealt with, and to Ellie's dismay it didn't speak about Aine or Xion at all.

It wasn't long until Ellie suddenly felt weak and dizzy and she buckled to cough into her hand, almost surprised that there was no blood. What was - Shiro? This was the sync pills, right? So Shiro, something was wrong with Shiro, and Ellie needed to get up, she needed to make an excuse, but what? A bathroom break wouldn't work - the bathroom was in her room, but she needed to get to ... to the library, if her mental map of the palace was accurate. But Ellie couldn't, she couldn't find a way to escape Archon's watchful eye but when she sensed Shiro was on the move, getting closer, closer, until finally, the door opened and the girl squeezed herself in, legs shaking.

Corren Archon did not look impressed as he blinked, watching the lady in waiting. "You should know that love between women is frowned upon in this world, Princess." He pressed this issue again, using her dancing with Auna - Cress - at the ball as evidence of her foolishness. "I don't believe you don't do nefarious things with your poor child servant, either. But it's just like the Seraphim family, I suppose." And with that, lessons were over, and she clearly didn't make the best impression on the tutor. Once that was done, Ellie stood, grabbing Shiro by the shoulders. "Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? What happened, tell me everything please." Her legs were wobbly too and it was hard to stand so Ellie more or less pushed Shiro onto the bed, making her lie down to try and rest.

"What did you find about Aine and Xion?" Ellie questioned, still unwell from the sync pills. "If there's a way for me to contact Xion, Shiro, I need to-" The door opened behind her and the princess fell silent, cold shivers down her back. She knew who it was but she didn't want to turn to confirm, she didn't want to see, maybe, maybe it wasn't but-

"That's an interesting name you're saying there, Narcia dear." The Queen of course, and Ellie felt as if she'd been dropped into a bucket of ice water. Her arm was grabbed in a vice grip by the Queen and her face was full of malice and sadistic glee. "Come with me, daughter. I must show you to your favorite room as a child." The Queen glanced behind Ellie at Shiro. "Take the servant to her room." And all Narcia could do was smile and say '"Yes, mother." As always.

Hoping Shiro would be find, that she wouldn't be hurt, that she wouldn't blame her, Narcia felt fear pounding deep in her chest. There was a blank in her memories, something that didn't make sense. Far in the past, Narcia and Aine and Itward had gotten along well, had been friends. Then there was a blank in memory, a lapse, and after that, Narcia had changed completely, changed into someone cruel and uncaring. What had happened? What caused the change?

And unfortunately, Ellie was about to find out, as she was pushed into a room and had a pill shoved into her mouth. Within instants, Ellie lost her sight - though temporarily she knew, it had to be, right? - and from the scritching sounds echoing all around her, from the crunch on her feet, Ellie knew. Ellie knew very well. It was this room that had changed Narcia, warped her into a monster and now - now- Ellie slumped to the floor, shaking, leaning against the now locked door, wondering how long she could last until she went insane from the sensation of the spiders crawling all over her body.




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Was she really strong like Xion? Was she? Aya wasn't sure but when Cress said so, it made her feel a little better even as the idea of someone touching down there, of someone looking at it brought a whole bunch of fear. Aya wanted to be strong, she did, and if Cress thought so, maybe, maybe. She didn't understand what "internal bleeding" was, the term didn't make sense to the girl but apparently she was in danger. That was bad, right? The doc only wanted to help but she still - still...

"...Strong..." Aya grit her teeth, hugging herself a little as Cress helped position her in a way that put pressure off of the special spot, onto her back, and the girl let out a sigh of sudden relief. It still hurt, it was a lot of pain, but it wasn't as bad, not so bad now. Aya was even more relieved when Cress said she was fine, that she only needed rest, and Aya wish she could act like that, be super - but then she meowed and the girl's eyed widened, frightened and worried. No, Cress wasn't fine, she was still - there was still some kitty in her? "No! Cress, I - Aya - I'll protect you!" The blonde rebel puffed out her cheeks again as she squirmed a little, wriggling, then managed to shuffle her body closer to Cress's. "No one will hurt you." Aya promised dutifully.

Then it was cookie time and Aya happily took one, but then Serpy took it back with a smile. "Hang on a moment, I need to add special powder to the cookie. You're a big girl, Aya, so you need special cookies." Aya nodded, that made sense. She was tough, right, she was strong? Though her body still quivered, she swallowed the pain and nibbled on the cookie, wondering what Serpy did to it exactly.

Once Cress was done making her report on the Queen and on Itward, Serpy patted her back, eyes full of sadness and empathy. "Thank you." His voice was low, almost scared to talk. "...And I'm sorry you both had to go through that. If there's anything I can do at all..."

Once the cookie was done, Aya felt dizzy and tired and strange, wobbling a little. What was happening? Why was she so tired, was it because of what Itward did? It was hard to think so Aya held her hand out for Cress to hold, blinking, eyes fluttering as she tried to fight it, to stay awake. But finally, the powder took effect and Aya drifted off into yet another sleep, and Benkov then lifted her up, placing her on a stretcher.

"Do your best, doctor." Serpina muttered and he nodded as he wheeled the girl out. "I plan to." Benkov then looked back at Cress and smiled at her. "Once I'm done doing what I can, I'll bring her right back."


Setting

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Serpina was going to let them stay until Aya recovered, then they were going to stay in the Middle Tier. Xion called through a holo and Cress told her all of the information she had gathered, "I just didn't expect Aya to be in the cross hairs, if I had known then...."

"I gave you an assignment and you did it, Aya knew the risks when she joined the rebellion, you did your best with what you had." Cress's lips were pressed into a line, "He defiled her. He tore up her insides. When I got there she was bleeding out and he was just letting her sit there in fluids," her hands balled into fists. Xion's expression changed to one of horror, no one had seen the torture aside from Nio, Cress, and Itward who had inflicted it, so Xion didn't know the extent of the damage done. "She'll never be able to have kids." It was a whisper. The two shared that trait though, they would both never be able to have kids. Cress remembered when she had been old enough to understand and her mom had told her the true extent of the damage. Cress had brushed it off, pretending she was fine with it, saying that kids were a hassle.

Really, Cress was devastated and she knew someone sweet like Aya probably was too. The girl's kindness had been taken advantage of. "Why did you send her with me Xion?" Cress asked, fixing the bathrobe. "Because I couldn't let you go alone," Xion replied. "We work as a team, leave no operative behind. We're not like those filthy pigs who don't care about who they crush." Xion's anger was very visible, even with the eye patch Cress could see the fumes behind her eyes, how disgusted she was. "Take Aya out of it, she wants to still be in the rebellion, but don't put her on the front lines. She's too gentle to be a soldier."

"And you? What are you going to do now that you've seen how hard we have it?"

"I'm going to change it of course." Cress replied, "My cousin is part of this tyrannical system, I have to get her out of here." A servant came in with real clothes for Cress, an outfit that would keep the bandages snugly in place. Cress didn't care about changing in front of the holo, but Xion coughed into her hand, blushing and looking away. When Cress sat back down, her eyes were full of determination. "There are too many innocents getting hurt, I can't stand for that sort of thing." Cress's hands balled into fists, pressing into her thighs. "When I was little, I used to see these heroes of justice that protected the little people. I've always looked up to them. I know there are no such things as heroes, but villains are very real."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro whimpered, she wanted to be useful and yet the Princess was now taking care of her, trying to figure out what was wrong. Shiro knew the sense link must have been making her feel awful and she regretted swallowing that pill. "I'm sorry Princess, I'm supposed to take care of you and yet..." she trailed off, the door opening. The Queen was there and Shiro stiffened. She didn't pay attention to Shiro though, thankfully, only demanding that Shiro go back to her room. The servant tried to get there on her own and she stumbled, feeling nauseous. Thankfully, one of the Queen's ladies in waiting led her back, tucking the girl into bed. "It's okay, Shiro, I'm gonna get the Doctor so just wait here." She pat Shiro's head and the girl shivered, wrapping herself in the blanket.

The girl felt something in her stomach quickly rising and she ran to the bathroom, quivering as breakfast came up. There was something else in it though, the key to the balcony and the pill the Princess had made her swallow. The piece of metal had been partially dissolved by stomach acid and Shiro reached in to fish it out, knowing it would cause the Princess pain. She gently washed it off and put inside of a plastic bag, fishing the key out as well. After Shiro washed herself off she went back to lay in bed, having stowed the pill away so that nothing could cause the Princess pain.

Shiro was shivering despite the fact that it was warm beneath her blankets. The Doctor came to have a look at her, giving Shiro some medicine that would quell her stomach. "It's okay, it's just a flair up, happens all the time." He gave her an injection of something orange and Shiro was feeling better within a few minutes. She went to wait for the Princess, getting bandages and such ready just in case she was injured.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Narcia losing her composure was something terrifying. The girl was calm and carefully bottled everything in for as long as Ellie knew her but the moment the door was locked and her eyes were taken, the princess was begging and crying and screaming but the room was soundproofed, no one could hear it, no one could stop it. Ellie was disturbed as well, but not as badly as Narcia was. Honestly, the earthling girl was too distracted with trying to comfort Narcia to really focus on the blindness, on the spiders crawling over every inch of her body. Still, nothing she said or did really helped and she knew Narcia's screams would echo in her nightmares for a long, long time. This wasn't as bad as what it could've been, Ellie knew that, at least it wasn't pain, it was just uncomfortable and a bit freaky and disconcerting. Narcia had lost control though, she was crying and shaking and Ellie understood why she folded as a child against the Queen's rule, why she changed from a nice girl into a coldhearted vamp. It made her wonder what Itward was punished with as a child that transformed him from the older brother figure in her memory to the man he is now.

Once it was done, the Queen returned and had her dragged to her own personal bathroom, scrubbing the spider filth off of her with wire, drawing blood with how she scrubbed, especially in sensitive areas. Ellie winced a little, made tiny noises, but what bothered her more was that she no longer felt any sensations from Shiro. What happened, what went wrong? She made the syncing perfect, it shouldn't have cut out?

"This is for your own good, Narcia." The Queen said with her usual vicious smile once Ellie was dressed up again, kneeling at her mother's feet. "The sooner you accept your role as the Princess, the happier you'll be. Don't concern yourself with silly things like that Xion. I'll have her taken care of." Ellie gave a stiff, blank smile, feeling empty and soulless. "...Yes, mother." She tried to keep her frozen tone but it seemed the Queen wasn't yet satisfied, so she presented her foot. "I'll give you the honor of licking my foot, dear. Then you can return to your room."

By the time Ellie made it back to her room, Shiro was there with bandages. After washing her tongue off multiple times, and punching the mirror hard enough to draw blood from the glass, Ellie forced her icy smile back on, wondering what was happening to her. She yanked glass shards out of her wrist and returned to Shiro's. "Sorry." Ellie whispered, grabbing her friend with her not-injured hand. "Did they hurt you? Did they take out the syncing chip? Why can't I - " Ellie averted her eyes and lightly pushed Shiro onto the bed. "I should've noticed you were sick. Get some rest, okay?"

Ellie couldn't focus on working on her project for now so she wandered back into the bathroom, staring at her reflection in the broken mirror, wondering why she looked so pale, why her eyes were blank and lifeless. What was happening? Was she still Ellie? Would Cress recognize her?




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Once the operation was over, Aya woke up, feeling weird and heavy below. She was scared to look down, she didn't know what happened, why had she fallen asleep from a cookie? Was it a trap, was Itward taking her again, was the hurt going to happen again? The girl let out a weak mewl and tried to hug her legs but she was scared to move them so she just hugged her arms instead. Serpina then walked in and Aya recoiled a little, eyes widening. He did it, he tricked her, Itward was going to hurt her again and Serpy wasn't gonna save her again and Aya just wanted to cry and whimper.

Well, until he pulled out something interesting. The gravity drive bracelet was back somehow? "Here, a gift from the Princess." He said and slipped it onto the girl's slender wrist, adjusting the size so it fit once again. "A reward for being so good. She added a few upgrades, according to Archon." Who was Archon? It sounded like a family name of one of the nobles, but not one of the big three, not Seraphim, Cherubim or Dorones. He winked at Aya. "Press this button once you go outside. It'll make scans stop so Cress's chip won't get her caught." He then pulled out something else - it looked like a tiny belt buckle thing. "Give this to her, she'll know what it is."

Serpy moved to place Aya back on the chair to bring her to Cress, still feeling weirdness in her special spot. It was numb, and so she glanced down and felt sick immediately. There was a bunch of padding all over, almost clinging to her skin, and in the middle of the cast-like material was a tube thing that had a plug. It was weird, Aya thought it was weird so she pulled and felt extreme pain making her yelp and squeak. What was this? What the heck was this thing?

"Don't." Serpy warned, patting her back. "Just leave the catheter in for now, okay?" Then Benkov came and spoke to Serpy, saying things about reversing the worst of the damage to her urethra but that peeing would always be a little painful, looking sad and apologetic, and that the other problem, about the cervix and womb, that there was nothing he could do. It made Serpy look sad but he gave Aya an encouraging smile but Aya didn't, she didn't want to listen anymore. So she lifted herself up using the gravity drive and floated out of the recovery room, navigating the familiar halls until she found Cress.

"Cress, I'm back!" Aya did her best smile - though it was shaky and not even almost as bright as it used to be. "Don't worry about the kitty in you, Aya will help make it go away, okay?" Though she spoke childishly and plopped herself down on Cress as gently as she could to avoid hurting anything under her, it was clear from her eyes that Aya had been forced to grow up a little bit, that she wasn't as much of a child as she once was. "Let's be a team from now on. Stick together! We're invincible if we're together!" She took Cress's hand in hers with laugh, then pointed down at her pants.

"Cress, am I a boy now?" She asked, letting Cress see the padding and the tube thing. "Is this a boy thing?" She was curious, she didn't understand what it was.


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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝Let your soul take you where you long to be.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress had hung up with Xion, rubbing her eyes. She was incredibly stressed from this whole ordeal and she knew that the longer she waited, the more Ellie would disappear. Cress had decided that if she ever did return home, she would be taking Aya with her. There was no way that Cress would allow Aya to stay here and suffer. How was the best plastic surgeon in the world unable to fix her? Maybe they had better ones on earth, they did touch ups like these all the time. Yes, Cress would bring her there and have them fix her.

Then Aya was back, floating into the room. "You got your gravity drive back!" Cress said in surprised delight. She ruffled Aya's hair, "Don't worry about that, I was only trying to cheer you up." Cress was not actually still a cat, she had never really been a cat, "It was a joke," she wrapped her arms carefully around Aya, leaning her chin on Aya's head as she rocked the girl slightly. "Yeah, we're a team. We'll protect each other," Cress smiled. She and Ellie used to be a team, now Cress wasn't even sure if Ellie ever wanted to see her again. She kept trying to push Cress away, but without Ellie, Cress didn't even have a way home. Even if she wanted to return to earth without her cousin, there was no way to get there and the Queen didn't seem too keen on sending Cress home.

What if the Queen had brought Cress here on purpose? The girl wondered, as a way to keep Ellie from acting out and doing something drastic. She was leverage, a pawn, and it made Cress furious. So that's what this was really about then? Or maybe it really had been an accident. Cress normally liked giving people the benefit of the doubt but on this planet anything went. She was a toy for the nobles to move around as they pleased. If they treated visitors like this, then how were they treating their servants. Then Cress had an idea, if she had a way to contact the American government, Cress could tell them that they had taken earthlings hostage. Then Cress remembered, that was nearly an impossibility.

Besides, she wasn't someone important, earth would never care. Sure her mom, auntie, and brothers would cry, but to everyone else her disappearance made no significant difference. Then Aya asked her a question and Cress's eyebrows raised. She looked down to see where Aya was pointing and laughed in relief. "No, you're not a boy." She had been worried that the Doctor had done something not authorized. "It's a similar concept, but no. Why, are you disappointed?" Cress asked teasingly.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя: #FFAEB9 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #63D1F4】

|| I'm on Top of the World|| Imagine Dragons ||




Shiro was still feeling a bit unwell, but it was bearable enough that she could serve the Princess and meet her needs. When Nee came back, she walked over to the mirror and punched it. Shiro jumped in surprise, running over. "Nee are you alright?" Shiro asked, but Princess Nee grabbed Shiro's shoulders, asking frantically about the chip. She cut herself off and pushed Shiro back onto the bed, much stronger than Shiro but the blonde didn't resist anyways. Shiro stood, she couldn't rest there were things to take care of. "Please Princess, let me help you." Shiro took her wrist gently and led her to the couch. She used a pair of tweezers to fish out the pieces of broken glass in her fist. "You shouldn't hurt yourself like this," she gently chided, disinfecting the wound.

"I have a surprise," the girl smiled and she finished wrapping the wound. Shiro took the key out of her pocket and showed it to the Princess. "I cleaned it off of course, but now you're free to go on your balcony again." Shiro handed it to the Princess, closing the girl's fingers around it. "I'm going to clean the bathroom, lunch should be here soon Princess." The servant straightened and walked into the bathroom, carefully cleaning the broken glass. There was a knock at the door and Shiro stood, letting in a servant who would sweep up the rest of it. Behind him was lunch.

Cress took the tray and placed it on the table, uncovering it and setting up the delicious food for Nee to enjoy. "I collected a lot of information on Aine, but because Xion hasn't passed her information in the citizen registry is restricted to only law enforcement." Shiro said and stood at the Princess's side. "According to Aine's last few ID check ins, she was taken as a servant and given to Itward Cheribum as a present, afterwards she was marked as deceased. Her body hasn't been found though, so there's suspect of fowl play on Itward's part." Even for servants, outright murder was illegal.

Due to this their punishments were limited to certain kinds of infliction. Shiro could be beaten, but not to death.

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Character Portrait: Shiro Character Portrait: Ellen Winter Character Portrait: Cress Winter Character Portrait: Ayanna Filia
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❝A bridge shall be built to bring us together.❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#4ca2b8 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #8b4cb8】

|| Secret ~Black Vow~ || Rin/Len (cover by SirHammet) ||




Shiro was disinfecting the wound, picking out the last of the glass shards and Ellie wondered what was happening. She was stunned, almost, by her reflection, by the face that stared back at her. Who was that girl, and why did she look as if she were going insane? This body wasn't right, it didn't feel right at all, back on Earth her eyes were almost always cool and calm, not this strange frantic almost mindless thing. Ellie was agitated, frightened, twitchy, but she let Shiro clean the wound up, hissing slightly at the stinging of the cleaning agent. "I shouldn't have, and I'm sorry, Shiro." She admitted, a low mumble. Punching a mirror was definitely not the way to seem mentally sane in the least. The blonde child would never trust her at this rate.

When Shiro presented the key as a surprise, Ellie understood. She knew what happened to the chip and most likely Shiro wouldn't easily re-ingest it, not now that she knew what it was. Still, the balcony was open now, and Ellie gladly unlocked it, patting Shiro's head. "What an idiotic punishment." The Princess tried her hardest to do her warmest smile and Shiro went to tend to the bathroom. With that said, Ellie went back to her work desk and started working. She hardly noticed the servant enter with food and then Shiro gave her report on Aine.

Yeah, that didn't help the Princess's mental state at all. A little girl like Aine was taken by Itward, and unlike now, there wasn't anyone to save her. She was a kind, loving girl before, and she must have died horribly, frightened and alone, in the worst ways imaginable. Ellie balled her fists, trying to force the rage out, to not let anything show and she bit hard, hard on nothing, grinding her teeth. He was going to pay, he was definitely going to pay. She couldn't vent her rage, though, not unless she wanted Shiro to suffer once again. So instead Ellie hugged Shiro close, maybe squeezing a little too hard, but the warmth and the softness of her friend was enough to take the edge out of the pain of knowing Aine's probably fate. It didn't explain why Serpina was allowed to live, but nonetheless. It seemed the Cherubim and the Seraphim were working together back then, but in the years since Aine's death, something happened to cause a split between the alliance. Otherwise, the Cherubim family wouldn't have done some of the things they did, marrying the many daughters off to other noble families, gaining support and power over the years. Something was brewing under the surface and Ellie wanted to know what. "You're a good girl, Shiro. You're a very good girl, and I'm proud of you."

Once she was done eating, Ellie went back to work until finally, finally, she finished the replica gravity drive, built to be much more stable and to hide them from electric-based sensor systems that might be spying on her. She slid it around her wrist, looking indistinguishable from any of her small silver bracelets and beckoned Shiro to her side. "Take hold of me and don't let go. Let's test this new toy, shall we?"

Ellie pressed a button, lifting the two girls off of the ground and out the window. This weightless feeling was great, it was fantastic, and they flew around the external palace a few times, watching the clouds move by, feeling the sun shining down on them, as if there was nothing wrong at all. This brief, brief freedom. "Isn't it nice?" Ellie grinned, pinching one of Shiro's cheeks lightly. "How are you feeling? Sick? Just say the word and I'll fly us back in."




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❝We'll break the night, and burn the pigs!❞

【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#30b818 β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #d1ca00】

|| Hope of Morning || Icon for Hire ||




Being nestled in with Cress made things a little better, it helped keep the fear and the pain away and made it almost like it used to be, back when things were fun, back when she was showing Cress the Rubbles and everything else. That's how it was in the beginning, and it was fun, it was nice. Aya liked it, she liked being with Cress. It helped make things calm again, and that was always good. She glanced absently at her wrists, feeling a little uncomfortable. Even if Benkov fixed up the scars and fixed up the nerves in her hands, she still remembered the feeling of her hands growing cold and numb in the hanging torture game.

"A gift from Ellie." Aya nodded sagely, taking in as much of Cress's warmth as she could. "Ellie found a way to give it back to me. Is she good, then? Is she on our team?" She still remembered the ice, the cold, the cruelty and it was confusing. "Why is she ice, then, Cress? Why doesn't she fight back?" They were cousins, right? Why was Cress fighting her best and getting hurt but the Princess got to live all fancy up in that tower, where she never has to get hurt? It's not fair, not at all. "Thank you." Before she would've poked fun and acted outraged at the joke, about Cress not really being a kitty, but she knew. Aya understood and she was thankful, accepting the care and protection. Hopefully she'd be able to return the favor one day.

When Aya brought up the new thing on her body, the weird tube, Cress seemed almost amused by it, saying that no, she wasn't a boy. Aya wasn't sure how she felt about that, but then decided that maybe it was for the best. "Not really." She mumbled, releasing her pants so Cress wouldn't have to see. "I mean, Itward says men are stronger and stuff... but Aya doesn't want to be a boy if it means I have to hurt someone, no way. Aya doesn't want to make another girl hurt like he.... like..." She shook her head, deciding she didn't want to talk about it anymore. Then she remembered something and pulled out the choker, handing it to Cress. "A present from Serpy!" She exclaimed with excitement. "It can cover your collar for now, and it looks cool, doesn't it? Doesn't it?"

A servant entered the room, bringing them lunch and drinks, rich people food, super yummy food. Aya's eyes sparkled as she smelled it and reached out - but the servant gave her a look and put a bottle in her face. "That's for Cress, Aya." The servant scolded, making Aya pout and whine. "You get the bottle until you're feeling stronger. Doctor's orders."

"Pooo, no fair." The blonde whined, sucking on the bottle without much thought. It tasted weird and dumb and probably not as good as the fancy food on Cress's plate. "Serpy likes you better, huh? Huh? That has to be it!" Then Aya grinned, rubbing her head on Cress's arm. "I like you too, though. Cress is like a hero!"