Post #2769190 in Assassin's Pledge: Devastation, a roleplay on RPG

As the sky was smeared with various colors of twilight and evening, Xia never moved from her position on the fallen log which served as her bench.

So much had happened recently she could hardly wrap her head around it. Her eyes shut tightly, her hands gripped hard to her sleeves, and her top row of teeth bit into her lower lip.

“How could you?” She whispered.

Everything blurred together save the look in that crazed woman’s eyes as she enveloped Xia in darkness. A horrible retching sound accompanied by splashes of liquid all around her gave way to the light of day and the knowledge that this woman had just tricked Quinn into throwing away Xia’s life in favor of saving Kade’s.

Her knuckles turned white as she curled forward on the log, her face drooping just past her knees and tears dripping to the grass below.

Why? She thought.

It was the recollection of Quinn’s stoic green eyes and the confidence in the choice she had made which caused Xia’s body to tremble.

She wouldn’t have done this without a reason, Xia… Right?

She released her grip and made her way back to the wagon to retrieve her pack and promptly made her way to the inn to rest. As she entered and sat down on the edge of the bed in her room, she noticed a pen and ink bottle on the table beside a stack of paper. Taking a seat and taking the pen in hand, she began writing.

My Lady Dezantro,

I humbly request an audience with you upon the morn. There is something I must know, and you’re the only one who can provide an answer. Please meet me in the flower fields just outside the East end of the village at sunrise.

Sincerely,

Xia Crescalla

Folding the letter and placing it in a small envelope, she delivered it to Quinn’s room and slipped it beneath the door. And with that, Xia returned to her room and laid down on the bed. Unconsciously her hand went to where her katana usually rested as she mimed the act of pushing it with her thumb out of its sheath to check the blade, and a subtle frown appeared on her lips.

She was transported back in time and standing inside the entrance to the medical tent in the old base. Linde was lying on the bed with her stomach wrapped after the events with the Assassin, and Xia’s blade was a thumb’s distance outside its sheath ready to be drawn. However, it was clicked back into place as she strode up beside the wounded doctor and pulled up a stool to sit on.

Linde’s eyes fluttered open and met Xia’s, and the two shared a long and uncomfortable silence.

”You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

No response.

”Of course you do.”

Linde broke eye contact.

”You haven’t the courage to even look at me, now?”

Silence.

”Why did you do it?”

Continued silence.

”You knew he was no threat. But you killed him anyway. Why?”

Linde closed her eyes.

”Fine. Ignore me. But you can’t run from this forever miss Almna.”

Linde’s eyebrows furrowed.

”… Must I force the answer from you?” She asked, pushing her blade out of the sheath with her thumb.

Linde’s eyes opened and locked on Xia’s.

”I thought that would get your attention… Even with the serum you still feel and fear pain, don’t you? You claim to be a doctor and desire to heal people. And yet all you do to me is let my pain fester and grow because you refuse to answer for what you did!”

Linde’s silence was met by Xia bursting into tears of rage and frustration as she stood up and gripped Linde’s lapels shoving her against the mattress.

”Answer me! Why did my brother die? Give me some closure, dammit!! Please!!”

Xia broke down into near uncontrollable sobs as she leaned down and cried into Linde’s shoulder, still gripping her lapels. Linde closed her eyes and sighed softly.

”Xia.” Her voice was hoarse and weak.

”I took no joy in killing him, despite what you remember of that day.”

Xia’s head slowly rose. Her eyes dark and filled with ire.

”That’s a lie. You smiled when he died. I remember that very clearly.”

”I was smiling at Shadow.”

”But you smiled. My brother died, and your first action was to smile. I don’t care who it was at. You felt nothing for my brother’s life. You simply brought it to an end and moved on as if he was nothing… What kind of ‘doctor’ throws away the life of another human being so casually?”

Linde’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. It was promptly shut.

”Your silence speaks volumes, miss Almna.”

As Xia let go of her and started to leave the tent, Linde coughed.

”Xia.”

Pausing with an exasperated sigh, Xia turned around.

”Tomorrow, I will tell you everything that happened from my perspective.”

”I don’t care about your perspective. I just want to know why my brother died.”

”I… Okay.”

”I will hold you to that, miss Almna. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Linde nodded, and Xia departed the tent.

Back in the present, Xia placed her hands on her stomach and heaved a sigh. Linde had disappeared that night, and the answer she was promised never came. She still didn’t know why her brother died.

But more than that she wanted to know why Quinn chose to throw her life away. Was she truly so useless that it was just that simple to say “take her” when it came down to her life or someone else’s? How did Quinn even see her? Quinn was everything to Xia. Her role model. Her source of strength and the kind of person she wished she could become. But Xia… What was she?

Tomorrow she’d find answers, because she knew Quinn wasn’t the type to run away. And that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Snippet #2769190

located in Cre' Est, a part of Assassin's Pledge: Devastation, one of the many universes on RPG.

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