Snippet #2721553

Tallyho bit back a gasp as the woman left the room with her knife as quickly as she came. She blinked hard as she appraised the redhead— drawing a line from the blood on his shirt, to his wound, to her plate and back again. But she never made direct eye contact with him as he bounced back from his own maiming, apologizing for how much he had most definitely upset her stomach. He treated the display like passed gas in public.

She glanced at the young man who challenged him, curious as to what his response would be. Surely he didn’t think that Haru was an ordinary man by this point? And while Tallyho couldn’t confirm that all he had told them was true, she definitely understood that, from this encounter, they weren’t dealing with an unremarkable person.

He called her a Month Warrior, a reincarnation of a legend that made the bread and butter of her childhood. The blonde remembered weekly lessons where she’d recite their elements, homelands and battles in unison with her peers. The teachers always told them that the reason Sun People roamed the earth was to honor the belief that soil cannot be owned by man, and to celebrate the international roots of the gemstone demigods who were born and molded from different tribes and traditions.

She also remembered the full moon revivals where the caravan would perform dances reenacting the final fight. They’d tell the story through the strong, bounding leaps from the male dancers and effortless, floating twirls from the women. By the night’s end, the dancers would have charismatically demonstrated what it’s like to watch centuries pass from the inside of a diamond.

But after each performance, she became more and more skeptical about its meaning. To her, these traditions were outdated and foolish, especially when she could see the world around her living in freedom, owning land and living for themselves with no strings attached. But what an ironic turn of events it would be if she, a heathen of sorts, were to actually become a part of her ancestors’ wildest dreams? That she would finally gain independence from one identity in exchange for her undying allegiance to another?

It felt like forever as all of these things went through her head, all the while her eyes were glued to the blood-soaked towel slopping across the floor. She was becoming overwhelmed by the deep coppery smell and soon began to feel like she had eaten far too much. A wisp of air escaped her lips as she hoisted herself up from her chair clumsily. She tripped over herself as she stood, and the chair tumbled onto its side before she abruptly trudged out of the room. She could be found outside lurching and vomiting over the front porch.