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Ayanna Filia

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

0 · 4,982 views · located in Noraneko

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

Description

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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
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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.

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) ||




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
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 ||




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!

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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) ||




"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."


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 ||




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."


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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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❝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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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 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.


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 ||




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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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) ||




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!"



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 ||




Cress rocked Aya gently back and forth. "Ellie is one of the good guys," Cress said with a smile. Yes, she was confident now that her cousin was secretly fighting as well. This act, even the smallest one of rebellion, was a show that she was still doing something, anything to fight against the evil mother. "She has to pretend that she's bad in order to trick the King and Queen into trusting her. She gets hurt too though," Cress was afraid for Ellie. What if the Queen found out she had done this? What if the Queen realized that the Princess was aligning with the rebels in order to fight? It worried her, she would have to tell Xion, they would just have to rescue her, hold her hostage or something so that the Queen couldn't attack them.

In war, innocents got hurt, bystanders died. They couldn't have a full blown war, else they wanted to kill those on the Rubble Tier. No doubt the Queen had spies in place and they would have to be careful as to who they trusted. Xion, she would know how to do it, who was trustworthy, how they could extract the Princess. "Ellie isn't ice, she's just a cool girl I guess you could say." She laughed at her own pun, how lame it was. "So don't worry about the Princess, she's on our side." Cress pat Aya's head, as though to assure her it was true. She wanted Aya to like Ellie, Cress thought that maybe, in another place and time, the two could have been good friends. It was sad to see that Aya hated Ellie so much.

Then they were back on the topic of the catheter. "Not all men hurt women, some are really kind and respectable. It's just that other times you get a bad egg who wasn't raised right. Itward is a victim too, one of circumstance. Most villains are." Cress sighed, shaking her head, remembering the fling she had, had with a boy over the fall. It had ended after Cress decided that her only true love was nature. She was just looking for an excuse to end the relationship though since he had started to get a bit too touchy. The only thing they had ever done was hold hands and yet, he kept trying to grab things that she didn't want touched.

Cress looked at the choker in surprise, smiling. "Thanks," Cress put it on to hide the collar, glancing in the mirror off to the side and raising her neck to get a better view. "It's beautiful, I'll have to thank Serpina. Did you pick it out Aya?" She asked, touching the beautifully studded piece. There was a knock at the door, a servant came in with lunch. Cress almost laughed when she saw the ridiculous bottle for Aya.

Once the servant left, Cress turned to the food. "I'll save some for you, so don't be upset." She said and took a bite, trying everything and leaving half for Aya. Cress sipped the tea that had come with it, she preferred her's without sugar and this one was perfectly sweet and warmed her insides. "I don't think it was Serpina's decision Aya," Cress shook her head and smiled. "I'm not a hero," she blew on the tea since it was still a bit too hot. "I like you too Aya."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


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

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




When the other servant came to finish cleaning the glass, Shiro went to stand by Nee's side as the Princess finished working on her new toy. Shiro was so glad to be praised, "Thank you Princess." She stood beside the desk, waiting for an order, for Nee to do something or say that she needed Shiro for something. Her tutor, Achron, seemed to think that they were having an illicit relationship but he couldn't have been more wrong. Shiro was simply her faithful servant, if the Princess asked her to do that sort of thing though, Shiro would have no choice but to comply. If it made the Princess happy... The thought made Shiro blush and she quickly looked at the ground. Shiro didn't think Nee would ever ask her for that though.

Then Nee told Shiro to hold on tight and not let go. "Okay," Shiro took her hand. She enjoyed the Princess's hugs, they were warm and it meant that Shiro was doing a good job, that she was keeping her happy. Even when the Princess squeezed her tightly Shiro didn't mind, she smiled and allowed Ellie to squeeze her as much as she needed. "I'm glad you're happy Princess." Shiro looked down, they were suddenly flying off of the balcony. Her eyes widened in wonder and she held on tightly to the Princess, looking at the sky. "Wow, this is amazing. You're knowledge is incredible!"

Shiro's eyes were sparkling, watering a bit from the wind. Shiro was still a bit unsteady, but she forgot all about her illness as they zipped over the castle. Shiro had heard rumors of the Princess being a technological genius but the last week had really proved it. Shiro looked over the castle in awe, wondering if this is what the birds felt like. Unlike the fake birds on Shiro's window, there were real ones up here. Her stomach had butterflies, she closed her eyes as they floated, her blonde hair falling out of it's neat ponytail. The ribbon slipped away, sailing downwards back towards the balcony until it was caught by the wind.

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) ||




Like this, they were free. Of course, they'd need more gear if they wanted to safely get to down to the bottom. Barrier shields would be useful to protect against the clouds and precipitation and maybe even automatic weapons that might've been installed around Ashia Palace as they descended to the other tiers, otherwise the journey would be dangerous. But for now, it was nice to be free from the prison, right? The sky extended outwards into the boundless horizon, the sky clear blue and awesome, just Ellie and Shiro, free from the nobles, free from the caste system, as close to paradise as could be.

"We can't do it too often, though." Ellie warned as they began the return trip back to the palace itself. "There's always the risk of getting caught." Narcia still was dazed in her head, not entirely there at all, but Ellie felt that the flying (well it wasn't technically flying, just manipulating gravity to pull in different directions )... but yeah, it seemed to be soothing the little girl inside of her. As much as Ellie disliked the princess, she knew that that was once her, so she had to tend to her and be there for her, right? Ellie thought encouraging thoughts to try and coax Narcia out, because if they were going to win, if she was going to beat the Queen, she needed Narcia's skills, Narcia's ice. Ellie had ice too, but nowhere near as much.

Ellie felt a little dirty at the praise, though. It only gave her bad attention back on earth, when the government took her and made her make tech for them, weapons that would definitely not be used to save lives. It wasn't like she was especially talented or anything. Ellie just understood technology. She knew how to make certain components to certain things and add more complex sets of components together into a larger puzzle. Everyone had some gift, right? Ellie never considered it something special. It wasn't like she was tough or strong like Cress, or as gentle and loving as Shiro. It was just a thing. It didn't really mean anything. "It's not all that great, but thank you." Ellie said as they flitted back onto the balcony and she deactivated the gravity drive.

"Everyone has a talent, Shiro." Ellie collapsed onto the bed, flopping down. "In an ideal world, everyone would be able to strive using their talents, to grab the future they desire. That's what I want." She glanced over at her friend, hoping she enjoyed the flight. "Do you have any dreams for the future, Shiro?"



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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 ||




Aya puffed her cheeks out again when Cress addressed Ellie - or Narcia - or whatever it was. "...Well, fiine." She decided to trust Cress's judgment. She seemed to really love the princess after all, and family was family, right? Aya loved daddy and mommy and she loved Kora, too! She was sure Serpy loved and missed Aine. So it made sense, didn't it? "I hope Nar- Ellie doesn't get hurt by the bad eggs." Copying Cress's term made Aya feel a little more sophisticated. Serpy was probably one of the good guys. The doc - well, Aya wasn't sure yet. She didn't like him though. And she still didn't understand the tube thing.

When asked if she picked it out, the girl shook her head, a little sad. "No, it was Serpy's idea." She replied honestly, wishing she had picked it out, that she was thoughtful enough to try and help Cress a little bit. She sucked on the bottle, drawing out more of that weird fluid that she didn't really like. Better than the paste, at least. "Do you like Serpy more than me?" Why was Aya being so insecure, so clingy? This was weird, she wanted to be a normal good friend for Cress, she didn't want Cress to think she was weird or anything.

When Cress said she wasn't a hero, Aya's eyes lit up again. "But you coming to Ashia is a good thing!" She exclaimed, trying to sound chipper and enthusiastic. "I think - ah, sorry, Aya's a dummy." Aya tore her eyes away, feeling unsure and awkward. "...Cress probably wishes none of this happened, and that you and Ellie could have stayed safe and on Earth, right?" For some reason the idea made Aya sad and she didn't exactly know why it did. Wasn't it normal to want to avoid bad things like the pigs?

Then Serpy came, dressed for some noble meeting thing with some royal family. He held a packet of weird seed things. "I'll be gone until later tonight." He announced. "I heard from the doctor down on the Rubble tier, you started a garden? These might help. Spread green to the lower districts, so they won't be dependent on the nutrient paste. I wish I thought of that sooner, honestly." He had a smile on his face as he left the room. "Bringing agriculture to the Rubbles might be a good way to change everything."

Aya blinked and stared at Cress in awe. "Whoa. You even impressed Serpy! You're so cool!"


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 ||




"Don't worry about Ellie, she's strong. She's got the most mental fortitude I've ever seen," Cress smiled thinking about her incredibly stubborn cousin, all of the people she rejected, how she insisted on doing things on her own even when she knew she couldn't. Cress sighed and shook her head, "I guess it's a bit of a good thing you're not like her. Then I would have my hands full," Cress suddenly felt guilty, if Aya hadn't found her that day and Cress hadn't forced Aya to take her to the ball then Aya would still be whole.

Cress tilted her head to the side in question, "What would make you say that?" Cress wondered. "Of course I don't like Serpina more, he's nice and all, but he's not my savior." That's right, if it wasn't for Aya, Cress might have been collected by one of those trash compactors and get crushed to death. That wasn't a pleasant thought, "Remember?" Cress asked, sticking out her leg which was remarkably whole, without even a scar from the metal heating up. "I'm still in awe, I think that was the moment I really realized that this wasn't earth and I wasn't dreaming." That's right, in dreams you couldn't feel pain after all, whereas Cress had been in terrible pain from her leg being crushed, then reset and instantly healed.

Cress was quiet, "In some ways I'm glad I came. If I hadn't seen the conditions the Rubbles live in I wouldn't have been able to appreciate my own life." That's right, the trees and the greenery that she sometimes took for granted. "One day, if you ever come to earth I'll show you what Sierra Nevada is all about. You'll love hiking, there's lots of tall trees, some of the biggest and oldest in the world that reach the sky." She lifted her hands as though to emphasize. "And they're as wide as houses!"

Then Serpina came in, giving Cress more seeds. "Thank you, I'm glad you like the idea." She had given the doc instructions on how to keep the garden in pristine condition, whether he was actually following it or not was another thing. Hopefully he had realized the importance of having a garden, of how many people he could feed with all of those seeds. "I'll need a few more things," Cress said to the servant once Serpina had left. "I need soil, one with lots of nutrients, and some PVC pipes." Cress was going to create a hydroponic garden if she could. She had always wanted to try her hand at it and now was her chance.

Cress turned to Aya and smiled, giving her a two fingered peace sign. "I just learned from the best."


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


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

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




Shiro wanted to stay up in the clouds forever, but of course, all good things had to come to an end. So she savored her time up there, closing her eyes, basking in the wind, holding her breath every time a gust passed over them. "Thank you for sharing it with me. You're the best Mistress I could ask for." Her voice could hardly be heard over the wind. Shiro could see the entire Ashia Palace from up there, including the ocean and clouds that blocked their view from the rest of the lands. Ashia jutted out beneath them, the Rubble Tier the biggest of them all, its trash spilling over its sides. Shiro wondered if she would ever have to travel down there. She had heard the conditions were bad but she had never seen it until then. The city was stacked on top of it like a precarious set of Legos.

"That's alright, even just this one time was more than enough." Yes, after seeing that, Shiro could love the rest of her life in peaceful servitude, not that she had a choice. She would have loved to share more things with the Princess and she hoped the Princess would continue to see Shiro as deserving for praise. How could Shiro extend her gratitude to the Princess? She was already trying to be the best servant the Princess had ever had, but she was already failing at that. Shiro was sort of frustrated with herself, she wanted to be deserving of such a great Master and yet... She couldn't help but feeling like she was failing.

"It is," Shiro said, her eyes glowing as they landed. "Princess, what you have is a special gift and it's amazing that you're able to do things like this with such ease." Shiro smiled. "Don't demean yourself, I've witnessed your greatness first hand." Shiro took Nee's hands in her own, her eyes sparkling. "It was like a dream," then she realized what she had done and jumped back, bowing in apology. "I-I'm sorry for my abruptness Princess! Please forgive me!" She listened to Nee's speech, still bowing, waiting, wondering if this was her punishment.

"Yes, I think a world like that would be wonderful." It was impossible though, with the Queen ruling only people she saw fit made the social quota and no one else was allowed even close.

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) ||




Best mistress, huh? That didn't make Ellie feel any better, and Narcia seemed to not feel much from it either. The girl was still stressed from the spider room but she made sure to inform Ellie that it's simple flattery, that it wasn't to be trusted. Ellie sensed sincerity from Shiro, however, she felt as if despite everything, the girl was trustworthy. She would never be hurt again, not once Ellie took the throne. Sure, it was sad that she'd leave everyone behind, but this world was a horrible, ruined place. Ellie had to fix it, she had to devote her life to making it better for everyone. That was her duty as the Princess, as someone born in luxury.

"I don't want to be a mistress." Ellie admitted, flopped carelessly on the bed. "I just want us to be equals one day. To be able to do things for you, sometimes, to tend to your needs." Narcia scoffed, though there wasn't any power in her mockery, saying that servitude was a low that Ellen shouldn't lower herself to, and for some reason, Ellie felt a little reassured that Narcia had managed to return. They were once and the same in the past, after all. Even if they were now completely different people, they were stuck with each other now.

The blonde showering her in praise, trying to make her accept her gift as something special, as something to be considered great and Ellie wasn't sure how to take it. It wasn't something she earned, it wasn't something she ever put effort into, so it felt cheap. There wasn't any sweat, blood, or tears in this, it came naturally to her. Perhaps if she worked for it, if she slowly built up her abilities to this point it'd feel better, but just like everything else - like being a Princess, like living in Ashia Palace, it was something that wasn't earned, but passed on from the Queen. Ellie's hatred for that woman dirtied everything about her so-called gift. Unfortunately, it was necessary, but it was hard now for Ellie to consider technology her love and joy now that she knew where it came from.

She didn't even notice Shiro had taken her hands until after the girl pulled away, making an apology. "Ah, it's okay. You can touch as much as you like." Ellen hated being touched most of the time, she naturally drew away from human contact. But if it made Shiro happy, if she could reassure her like that it was fine, wasn't it? She could put her anxiety away and bear with it. Shiro and Cress and her mother back at home were the only ones she would let touch. "I promise, I don't mind. There's nothing to forgive."

An ideal world. How nice would that be? "...We need to kill the Queen, Shiro." Ellie clenched her fist, shooting the door a frightened glance and holding her breath. The coast was clear. "Once she's gone, once I've replaced her as the new Queen, I'll fix everything. Even if it costs me my life, I swear I'll fix everything. Do you believe in me?"




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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 Princess was strong, Cress said. Strong mentally, but then it was good that Aya wasn't like her? She didn't know what that meant. If Aya was stronger, she could've escaped the trap, she could've stopped Cress from being hurt and being sent to Itward like that, for him to touch her in all those bad places. Aya hated him, hated him more than the other nobles, he was the worst ever, he did such bad things, he hurt Nio for no reason at all! Nio, that little girl with no voice. "....Aya knows she's weak." She was surrounded by strong people. Daddy was strong, Captain Gallus was strong, Serpy was strong even if he cried when he thought no one was looking, Xion was strong even if she lost her whole family, Cress was super duper strong, and Aya was Aya, and even if Cress said she was strong, she wasn't, not really. Childish as she was, Aya was at least aware of that. Even if Cress called her her savior...

"If Aya - I was stronger, you wouldn't have been hurt." The girl wanted to hug her legs to her chest but she was scared to move down there, it was risky, it was dangerous. "...If I was stronger, It-Itward wouldn't have... done that...." She shivered, feeling the cold fear wash over her body again but she wanted to fight it, she wanted to be tough, to be reliable. "Even Nio's strong... a little girl like her... Cress, I hope we can save her." Aya squeezed her hand on the blanket, a miserable frown on her face. Back then, only a few days ago, the world felt like an okay place, but now Aya didn't know what to think. "Aya wishes it was a dream." She whispered in a monotone, almost hoping Cress didn't hear it.

Then Cress talked about things, about her home on Earth, in the Sierra Nevada, about nature and trees (those brown things with green hair, right?) about hiking, and the girl's eyes flickered a little with each word. A place where Cress came from had to be a good place, a fantastic place. "...Please take me there one day." Aya felt a little sleepy, her eyes drooped, but she pressed against her friend's side, feeling like she was on a cloud. "A place where Cress is from has to be great!" She tried to pour some of her usual enthusiasm into it but Aya wasn't sure how convincing it was.

She didn't understand the whole talk of Serpy and Cress that well, but Aya knew that something important was being said, that Serpy was impressed, and that made Cress even cooler, even better. The servant left to get whatever it was Cress requested, so Aya was curious, she wanted to know, but she also wanted to stay quiet so she could pretend she knew and look smart. Maybe she could impress Cress that way, that would be fun, right? If Cress learned from the best, how cool was the best? Aya hoped she could one day be cool, too.

Honestly, in the haze of pain and dying, she didn't register much of what Itward said to her earlier. So she put on a carefree smile, still feeling numb in her special spot, rubbing against Cress's side with her head, her hair becoming a frazzled mess of gold. "Once this is over, can we be friends? For a long long time! Aya would love to have her - have my kids be friends with yours one day!" It was a distant sort of dream, but one the girl didn't know was already impossible. She mulled over how fun it'd be to watch their kids play with each other in a free world when the servant returned with the things Cress asked for, placing them carefully on the table that rested on the other side of the bed. Aya was confused but she nodded and smiled and pretended she knew all about it.


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 ||




"You're not weak Aya," Cress said, patting Aya's head. "Some people are strong in different ways. While one might be physically strong, another might have a strong heart, or a strong sense of justice. See? So you're strong, you've got a good heart Aya. It's in the right place, if Ashia Palace had more people like you, then there's be less Itward's in the world." Just saying his name made her furious. Next time Cress saw him she wasn't going to hold back her fury. "Sometimes, the strongest and happiest are the ones who get hurt the easiest." It was the sad truth, Cress knew, she had experienced it first hand.

The strongest ones were the ones that lost the most, the ones who fought the hardest were often the biggest losers. The nicest ones, were often the loneliest. Ellie was like that too, she distanced herself from everyone, she was strong but thought she was weak. Now... Cress wasn't sure what Ellie was anymore. A Princess, too high and mighty to reach out to anyone. Ellie was a silent vigilante by night though and a cold queen by day. Sometimes she was so hot and cold that even Cress got tired of it. Now though, Cress believed that Ellie wanted to change, the gravity drive proved it. She didn't want to change herself though, she wanted to change an entire nation.

So Cress would help her, she would help Aya too. "I'll show you earth one day." Cress promised with a smile, "once this whole stupid war is over and you don't have to live like a a Rubble anymore." Yeah, it was a promise. Cress smiled, she would have loved to show Aya the world. "Say, what's beyond here anyways? I mean there has to be more than just Ashia Palace." Cress had no idea what was beyond the shores of the ocean you could only see from the Untouchable Tier. She was curious, were there trees out there? Was Ashia Palace the only inhabitable place on the entire planet? "On that note, what's this planet called? What solar system are we in?"

Cress could tell Aya was getting tired. "You should rest," it'd probably stop the girl from tugging on the catheter. Cress had never really thought about it until now, what did one do for that sort of mutilation? Could something like that ever be fixed? She hoped for Aya's sake yes, especially since it seemed that the girl wanted children. "Yeah, our kids will be best friends." Truth be told, Cress had never thought about having kids before. If she was going to be a mother though, she was determined to be the best mother earth had ever seen.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


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

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




"Princess, please don't suggest things like that. I'm here to tend to you!" The thought of the Princess tending to her made Shiro's cheeks flush a bright pink. It was odd that Nee didn't really seem to want to be a Princess at all. Meanwhile, Shiro would have loved to be a princess, or be born higher up on the social ladder. She had never known anything else though, but she was sure being a servant was better than being born a Rubble. Maybe in some ways she was lucky. The Queen always told her that she should feel blessed that the Queen had taken her in, had taken the time to train Shiro herself.

Then she blushed again, "No Princess! It's supposed to be the other way around. I'm not allowed to touch you but if you need to, you can um..." Her cheeks became even redder at the thought. The Princess's hands on her body, it made her feel weird. Most likely because she had been trained to react in such a way. She had never been touched though, Shiro was as pure as servants came.

And then those words. Shiro wasn't sure if she wanted to cry in relief or cower in fear. "But Princess, speaking of such things is treason." Her voice was a whisper, Shiro pointed to the collar. "It records everything," she said quietly, not audible enough for the collar to pick up on. Kill the Queen, was that a dream? Had she really heard the Princess say that? No, the Queen was the Princess's mother, there was no way. Shiro must have been hallucinating. Yes, that was it, the medicine the doctor had given her was causing auditory hallucinations. That was the only explanation for this.

"Thank you for thinking of my well being, but freedom isn't something that's attainable." It was then that the amount Shiro had been through, the punishment and training, it had broken her. She had been shattered to pieces and rebuilt in the image the Queen wanted her daughter's lady in waiting to be. Everything in Shiro's life had been regulated from her height to when she was allowed to speak. Freedom, it was such a distant and foreign thing, so imaginary that she couldn't even think of what life outside these walls was like. Some servants had been captured from the outside, some had come from noble families whose children had been kidnapped and forced into servitude as an example.

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) ||




Ellie's smile stiffened for a moment. It was incredibly lonely, being forced into the role of a princess. Ellie had a strange feeling Shiro wouldn't understand even after her victory, and would still demean herself and debase herself due to the brainwashing Nirana must have done. Ellie took a few deep breaths. It would be unwise to try and start a fit, something like that was futile and accomplished nothing at all. For now she would bear the burden on her own, until Shiro trusted her enough to fight against her training. "Why?" Ellie asked patiently, standing up again. "Because I'm the Princess? But what have I done, personally, to warrant being a Princess? I haven't earned it, Shiro, so it's meaningless to me." It was pointless, though, and Ellie allowed herself to sigh, a tiny bit of frustration leaking through. Narcia didn't seem to understand either, but at least Ellie could tell the girl was trying, little by little.

When Shiro mentioned the collar, Ellie couldn't help smiling, a little bitterly. "I already destroyed any spying technology." The Princess explained, referencing the first thing she built upon returning to Ourania. She still hadn't built in the sound drowning upgrade, but she made sure that any listening equipment was disabled. Just to prove a point she walked over to her work desk and pressed the security module, cleaning the room again, just in case. "The Queen likely knows I oppose her, regardless." She pursed her lips into a cold hard line at Shiro's next statement. "You don't have to believe me. I'll succeed with or without your help."

For now, though, she needed more materials if she wanted to keep working. As much as Ellie hated it, she knew she needed outside help - and Itward was the most likely to cooperate. She didn't have any bargaining chips other than herself, though, none that she was willing to use. She would worry about that later, for now, Ellie needed to try and figure out where the chip database was so she could disable Cress's entry and free her from the collar. "You're free to follow me if you wish." Ellie said, knowing she was being mean but not caring for the moment. She'd feel guilty later, but for now she had a task to-

"Oh, hello there, Nee." A voice, vaguely familiar. "So? Did you miss me?" Ellie glanced at the figure waiting outside of her room and her eyes widened in sudden shock. This wasn't good at all, if she was here, it could only spell disaster. Heron Cherubim, one of Itward's sisters. Narcia knew her in the past, always boisterous and energetic. It was no surprise that she stood here, tall, proud, and sporting that arrogant smile she always had. "I have no need to speak to you." She replied tersely, returning to her room but Heron moved forward with trained agility - long red ponytail swaying - and blocked Ellie's path with her weapon that Ellie recognized very well. It was similar to a spear - long with a blade, but the blade could channel energy for ranged attacks as well. "You forgot our promise? Aww, that hurts a little, Nee! C'mon, invite me into your room. Just like old times."

So, somewhat awkwardly, Ellie was forced to invite Heron into her room. The girl seemed out of place in the fancy room - messy pony tail, large weapon slung on her back, and she clearly lacked any of the usual noble manners. Ellie's first move was to question her - if she was working with Itward, if the Cherubim family was making a move, this could only be disaster. Heron frowned a little and lay sprawled on the carpet floor. "Shiro, make us tea." Ellie murmured, to give the girl something to do.

"No, no, you got it all wrong!" Heron smirked cockily, giving Shiro a flirty wink. "Listen! Shortly after you left and the whole Aine disaster happened, Itward, my big bro, he went nuts! Now, I was always kinda dumb - you remember - I was only good for fightin' and stuff, right? But I knew something was wrong when he started marrying our big sisters off to other families. So I decided, hell no, I'm outta here! I wasn't having none of that, see." Ellie was glad for the information but it still didn't help her discomfort and distrust of the girl.

"Nio?" And pain was clear on the older girl's face, just for a second. "Yeah, about that." Heron took a deep breath, kicking the carpet flooring. "I tried to take her with me when I disowned the family. Nio wanted to stay, she said it was her job to fix Itward and bring him back to normal. Haven't seen her since I started my training." When Ellie tilted her head slightly, the girl grinned, just a tad, a fang poling through her lips. "Yeah! Remember before you left, I wanted to pledge my life to you, and you told me to come back when I was stronger, right? So your mother let me train as a Royal Knight of Ashia Palace!" She jumped to her feet, twirling her weapon to show off, even breaking a lamp in the process - glass shards flying everywhere - and did a war pose. "I am the fang of Ourania, the blade of justice!" She roared. "Knight Heron, at your service, Nee! I'll keep you safe from those filthy rebels and my brother's plots! For the Seraphim family!"

Ellie blinked at Shiro, completely unsure of how to take it in. But then Narcia rose to her feet and held her hand out, allowing Heron to gently kiss it, an almost wild gleam in her crimson eyes. "Then I welcome you to my service, Knight Heron."

"I'll always be around to keep you safe." And then she planted a kiss on Ellie's mouth and the Princess was too stunned to think.




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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 called her strong again, strong in the heart. Aya glanced at her chest and touched it, feeling the beat as it pumped blood through her body. Strong came in many ways, but it was hard to think, hard to focus. If there were more Ayas.... more Ayas? But - she had a twin before but the twin wasn't like her at all, Kora was shy and quiet and always hid behind her and no one really liked Kora, right? But then Kora went and died and- but wait, wasn't it Aya who died? She remembered, she remembered that Aya who was always so bright and radiant lost her light and was - huh? But...

Aya shook her head, no, that didn't make sense, she didn't wanna think about it. Cress said the strongest got hurt the worst, right? Right? Aya was hurt so bad, she was - no, her twin sister was hurt and she lost her memories and she was gone and stuff, didn't she? One second she was gone and then everything went - the whole world just suddenly flopped and Aya's head hurts, she wanted Daddy, Daddy always takes this confusion away he makes things better, doesn't he? "Daddy..." The girl mumbled though she wasn't aware that she did. She felt an urge to yank the weird tube thing, she didn't like it, it was weird.

Yes. Earth, focus on thinking about other stuff, focusing about earth, definitely earth."I want to go." Aya smiled, trying to make the head fog go away. Think about nature, about Cress, about yummy food, about being happy, yes, yes. A world where Rubbles could be happy and have fun and not worry, that would be great, she would really love that, she would! "Ashia Palace is... it's on an island, with water all over." The twin explained, wanting to be helpful, to distract herself. "There's... there's other places, smaller cities, none as cool as here, though." She blinked, trying to think. "U-um, people say Ourania but Kor- but Aya doesn't know if it's the planet or the kingdom or the country. Sorry!"

She pouted a little when Cress told her to sleep. "...Um, okay..." She murmured, shifting a little. Somehow, unknowingly, Aya had slipped back into her Kora personality, the quiet and reserved girl she once was before Aya was killed. "Our kids will get along great, Cress..." Her eyelids fluttered a little and she curled her legs up, wincing from the pain - the painkillers had worn off, it seemed, as a tiny whimper was let out. The girl didn't want to make a fuss, though, so she kept it in, even as one of the servants looked in, noticing the symptoms, debating whether or not to tell Cress the truth of the blonde girl.


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


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

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress frowned, Daddy? That was a strange thing to cry out at a moment like this. It almost made sense though, she was in pain, so she wanted her parent. Cress felt terrible, Aya was so young, she still called out for her parents. Cress's lip trembled as she remembered her own father. She hoped Itward had suffered the way she did, in a terrible accident that he almost didn't make it from. It was a shame that sad, sick man hadn't been put out of his sorry, miserable life. That's it, Cress couldn't take it anymore, she was going to kill Itward. But Serpina said not to, she reminded herself. Maybe she wouldn't kill him, just hurt him the same way he had hurt her and Aya.

"I'll be back Aya, I'm just going for a walk." She smiled as the girl fell asleep to reassure her that nothing was wrong. Cress had never been one to sit around and do nothing, she wouldn't kill Itward, but she would do something to make sure he was no longer a threat to them. Her cheeks burned in shame at what he had almost done to her. "I'm gonna go for a walk," Shiro said, grabbing a coat and pulling the hood up over her short hair. "I'll be back, so tell Aya and Serpina not to worry." Shiro smiled comfortingly, "Oh also, please give Aya her next dose of pain medicine." Tucked in Shiro's waistband was a steak knife from lunch that she had taken off of the tray, at first intending to use on the PVC pipes when she returned to the Rubble layer.

Cress knew it was dangerous, but she didn't care. Her hands curled into fists as she stepped out the door, her disguise in place. She had no idea where she was going, but it didn't matter. Cress walked down the road, moving to the sidewalk when she realized you couldn't hear the pods coming. Finally, she arrived at Itward's home. Cress raised her hand to knock, then wondered if it would be more effective to use the window and take him by surprise. She hesitated on the door step, her plan not completely thought out. After the walk her rage had faded a bit, but now that she was back on his doorstep, his mansion standing brightly in all its glory, Cress's fire was back. She pulled the steak knife from her belt, her heart racing.


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


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

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




Shiro felt ashamed of doubting the Princess. "Please don't say that Princess! You are a gift! I'm sure Ashia will be much better with you as its ruler." Shiro could say no more, lest she wanted to be accused of treason. Even if the Princess had knocked out any spying gear, you never knew who was standing right outside the door. "I believe in you," Shiro squirmed, "It's just strictly against the rules to speak against the Queen. You understand don't you?" Shiro was putting her job at risk by saying that much. Due to the Princess's words the color assumed Shiro had done something wrong and she felt a small zap at her neck. The girl jumped, so taken aback that her normally composed exterior melted into one of shock.

There was a visitor and Shiro instantly went back into servant mode, her posture straight, smile bright, but not too light so as not to overshadow the Princess. She smoothed down the wrinkles in her dress as the Princess said she didn't care whether or not Shiro followed. Of course she would, that was Shiro's job after all. The door opened, there was a girl with fiery red hair and a sword Shiro had never seen before. The Princess told her to make tea. "Right away," Shiro left, bustling out of the room since she could tell the Princess didn't want her to stay for the ensuing conversation. Shiro went downstairs to the kitchen, taking the elevator in the back that servants were allowed to use. It was only when she was out of sight that Shiro allowed her posture to slump, breathing hard. The shot had worked for a while but it was wearing off.

"Hey Shiro, what are you doing down here?" One of the cooks asked and Shiro smiled, rising to her feet. Time to be herself again. "I'm here to make tea for the Princess." She went over to the stove, putting a kettle up she put a few scoops of a good blend into a glass teapot. When the kettle whistled, Shiro poured the hot water into the teapot and closed the lid, transferring it to a pushcart with two teacups. She prepared cakes too, little and big ones, only cakes that would compliment the flavor of the tea of course and ones she thought that Nee would like. Thinking of the praise for her selection Shiro smiled and pushed the cart to the elevator and down the hall.

Once back inside the Princess's room, Shiro prepared the tea, pouring two cups. The knight turned away from the Princess and grinned, prompting Shiro to look up. Suddenly she was backed into a corner, the knights two hands on the wall so that Shiro couldn't escape. "And what do we have here?" She asked, eyes wide.

"My name is Shiro," she said, trying to remain composed but it came out as more of a whimper. "What are you doing with a little rabbit like this Princess?" The knight asked with a laugh, head growing closer. She buried her face in Shiro's hair, sniffing it. Then she backed away and laughed. Shiro was horribly confused.

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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) ||




Ellie wasn't sure how she felt about this, even as Narcia assured her that Heron was a simple idiot, but a friendly and trustworthy idiot all the same. While she appreciated a kind face around, she also knew that Heron was loyal to the Seraphim family, loyal to Queen Narina. If push came to shove, the girl would certainly turn her blade against Ellie, right? If she knew Ellie was working with the rebels as best as she could, this new friendship could only go horribly. Even if Heron pledged allegiance to her, Ellie knew very well that this wouldn't last. Heron was another enemy she'd have to take out before the end, as much as it hurt.

Of course, maybe a part of this bad feeling was knowing that she had shocked Shiro earlier, unintentionally. The girl probably knew it was an accident, that she didn't mean it, but the Princess still felt horrible about it. She was supposed to protect her, to keep her safe, and she snapped at her earlier. Ellie pulled away from the kiss, not liking it whatsoever, but knowing it was harmless and only meant for fun.... according to Narcia, who as a ten year old girl was probably not the best source for these sorts of things.

Ellie decided to pretend the kiss never happened. "So were you planning on standing there all day, Heron?" She asked. How long had she been waiting outside the door, how much had she overheard? Heron shook her red mane with a chuckle. "As long as I needed! I avoided the ball cuz I knew Itward was gonna be there, so I didn't get to see ya then! But I've got ya all to myself now!" She flexed her muscles proudly. "I got stronger, like you said, Nee. I'll be able to keep you safe now, so you won't have to leave us again. You can count on it."

And then Shiro returned, with tea and cakes. It was a little strange how informal and casual Heron was, how she acted like someone much more suited for the Rubble tier than the Untouchable. Ellie took a modest sip and a nibble of the cakes, nodding in approval. "Thank you, Shiro. You've done w-" But before she could finish, Heron stood and cornered the poor girl at the wall, sniffling her and laughing after she squeaked out a name. Ellie stared for a moment, but then she walked up and pulled on the bladed weapon, waving it to force Heron away. "Stop it, you'll scare her." She warned, but her grip slipped, the weapon was way too heavy but Heron grabbed it before it could fall and do any damage, smirking. "Oh? But I might be serious about this one!"

"Shiro, don't mind her." Ellie muttered flippantly. "Heron is well known for messing around. She is good in a fight, though, so it's nice that we-" And yet again Heron interrupted her, plopping herself onto the bed. "Wow, you changed. I remember before, Nee, you refused to talk to the servants. I think I like you better this way. You look much friendlier to just hang with."

Ugh, it was impossible to talk to her without her steamrolling all over you, wasn't it? Heron was so overbearing, so forceful, but in her own way, Ellie felt the girl was genuine and kind. She just expressed it more outwardly than most did. "Go back to the military barracks, Heron." Ellie said stiffly, and the girl grinned in response, slinging the weapon back over her back. "Gotcha, gotcha. Just gimme a call whenever you wanna get out. I'll be the best escort you could ever ask for!" And with that, Heron was gone, and the room was a mess. Ellie turned to Shiro, easing her to the bed.

"Are you okay?" She asked, eyes full of concern. "Did she scare you? Please, have faith in me. Heron will be an invaluable ally in the times to come." And Nio was the key to gaining her allegiance. If Ellie could somehow get rid of Itward and free Nio... but no, it was too soon yet. They needed Itward as a target so that the rebels could move mostly unnoticed by the Queen. The rebellion wouldn't stand a chance otherwise.



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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 ||




Aya wasn't sure how long it was that she slept, but she knew she didn't feel good at all. Her special spot was hurting again, the numbness gone, and she didn't like it at all, it hurt, it was bad, and it reminded her of - of the fact that she needed to pee again. She glanced at the clock on the wall - it hadn't been very long at all but Cress was gone, Cress had left and Aya shook again. Where was she? Why wasn't - no, Aya didn't want this, Itward might've gotten her again and Aya would have to go and fight and rescue but she was too weak, even if Cress said she had a strong heart, her heart couldn't win against Itward or the evil filthy pig Queen or anything like that! Cress was gone, gone and Aya wanted to be there, Aya wanted to find her. The scanners could find her easily without the gravity drive 2.0 to block them, this was bad, this was horrible! "Cress?" Aya called, hoping she was still around. No response. "Cress, I need you. I need to pee, okay?" Still nothing. She felt super uneasy. So Aya decided that she would go and find her! After she peed, of course.

This time it was easy to get to the bathroom. Aya just had to float herself over and plop herself onto the seat. The problem was that the tube dangled out of the bowl and it hurt and she didn't understand how to make it go. Aya whimpered and squeaked as she tried to force pee out but nothing happened, the tube felt warmer and heavier to touch but still nothing and she didn't like it. The pain was like the first time, it was bad, Aya didn't know what to do. "...Please help me." She wanted Cress to come and make it go away like last time, but no, Aya had to be a big girl, she had to try and be strong! But how-

Then a servant walked in, alarmed by the sounds. Her eyes went to the tube thing and she smiled a little. "I'll show you how, don't worry." The servant touched the tube despite the rebel girl's protests and she felt awkward and violated and weird and exposed but then she pulled something off the top of the tube and aimed the tube down, and pee flowed out, causing more pain and then a strange pinching sensation right where her pee-hole was. Aya squeaked again. "Cress just went for a walk, Aya, don't worry. Here, I have another cookie for you." The servant wiped and disinfected the catheter and then helped Aya back to the bed, cradling her like a baby. "Thank you." The girl called and she chewed into the cookie, not knowing it was laced with tasteless painkillers to try and make the pain stop.

About ten minutes later, Aya felt stronger already, the numbness went back to her special spot under the padding. So the girl knew what she had to do. She grabbed her green jacket, put the flower clips back in her hair, and floated herself out of the Dorones mansion as quietly and as sneakily as she could, placing herself onto her bike, feeling weird and bad pressure as she tried to find a comfy position to sit. Then she revved the engine and decided to look for Cress, making sure to turn on the short-range anti-scanner function on her gravity drive. "Aya will come for you, Cress. Aya's strong." She whispered to herself as she zipped through, wondering where her friend could have gone.


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 ||




Cress's hands were stained red, she was panting, the fumes enough to make her vomit. She stood to pick up the knife that had fallen, its warm red surface sticky as she tucked it into her pocket to get rid of later. Get rid of the evidence, no one could see, no one would know it was her.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

The message was clean and clear, red paint staining everything she touched. She had found a can of it against the side of the house, had pried the top open with a knife and written her message carefully in large letters on the lawn to ensure that no one would miss it. Yes, this was her revenge. A message that would draw the eye to Itward, to have the Queen watching him more closely. This was her gift to the rebellion. Cress adjusted her sunglasses, shoving her hands into her coat pockets. She couldn't help but smile as she walked away from her piece of art. The grass had made a noble sacrifice as her canvas, she hadn't wanted to do it there, but she also knew it was the most visible place. The color, red, impossible for the eye not to draw in.

Cress sighed, shaking herself out. She couldn't look guilty. Already she could hear people stopping, people getting out of their pods to look at the wonderful cursive that wrote out what could potentially be a salute or a threat. This was how Itward would pay. He would probably know it was her, some sort of perverse revenge that would leave him cowering at night, wondering, waiting if this was the worst part. The best type of revenge was the kind that made your enemy sleep with one eye open. Cress shook her head, imagining that poor twerp laying in that large bed, none of his toys at his side for fear that they would betray him.

Then she stood, that little girl, Nio. She was still there. What if he lashed out at her? Tried to steal her innocence like he had her voice? No, he loved her too much, she was his little sister, there was no way he would do that. The fact comforted her. Then Cress saw a familiar figure, floating towards her like a ghost, blonde hair shining in the light of the afternoon. "Aya?" Cress asked, lowering her sunglasses so that the girl could see her fiery eyes. "What are you doing out here? I told the servant that I was coming right back." She took Aya's hand, leading her away from the main street so as not to attract attention.

"I was just going on a walk." And then she remembered, the red staining her hand now stained Aya's. Cress quickly hid her hands back in her pockets, it was too dangerous to be out here, where a scanner could check their ID chips.


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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 gone stiff, standing fearfully in the corner. No, she couldn't be unsullied by anyone, she was for the Princess only. The feel of the touch, the hand and nose buried in her hair felt wrong. She felt disgusting, the Knight's dirty hands staining her blonde hair with invisible hand prints. Finally, the Princess broke them out of the spell and Shiro returned to the tea, her hands shaking so badly that she nearly spilled it as she placed the teapot back on the cart. She couldn't be unnerved by something like this, what if it had been an emergency? Shiro surely would have failed and the thought made the shaking worse. She pushed the tea cart outside where another servant would pick it up. When the Knight passed the doorway she waved, waggling her fingers at Shiro in a way that made the girl quickly turn, her heart racing in a way that made her uncomfortable.

The Princess was far more important than some knight, but still, Shiro felt violated. "Yes, it's fine." She lied, putting on a smile. "After all a servant's standing is much lower than that of a knight." She went to fix the mess the knight had made, cleaning things up, putting them away. She frowned, picking up what looked like a stray sock and threw it into the laundry basket. "What an odd Knight to add to your roster Princess, not that I have any say." She stood, bowed, "I hope the Knight becomes your sword and shield."

Then Shiro collapsed.

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) ||




Ellie went back to her desk once the door was locked again, but instead of trying to build something she was trying to count how many of each component she had, how many she still needed, she also ran maintenance on her tools to make sure they were still in top condition, very much noting Shiro's anxiety and fear from Heron's... overly flirtatious ways. "I don't care about standings, Shiro." She murmured as she jotted down the numbers into her phone for reference later. "You both have your uses. Heron can help in battle, while you provide companionship and comfort each day." When Shiro called the redhead odd, Narcia had a tiny little smile on her usually expressionless face. "She was always unlike the other nobles. Rude, brash, honest. She means well, Shi-."

And then Ellie heard a slumping sound. Shiro! Shiro had fallen, she was still sick, of course, how stupid was Ellie for forgetting about it! She had grown used to the sync chips that the lack of it made it harder to tell, and that frustrated the Princess even more. Ellie, while she was an expert on tech, she knew less than nothing about medicine. But she knew someone who did know, and so the princess gave that person a call, tapping her foot nervously after placing the blonde on her bed. And as expected, Corren Archon had arrived. Ellie didn't trust any of the Queen's staff to truly take care of her, but she knew that since Archon was willing to give the gravity drive to Dorones that he wasn't completely an enemy. "Please, help her." The girl asked and the tutor nodded, starting the work. "...See, this is why you shouldn't have illicit relations." He scolded as he checked Shiro's fever. "You aught to be careful you don't exhibit similar symptoms, Princess." And that made Ellie angry but she didn't want to argue and have Corren change his mind.

"Fine." Ellie murmured and she left the room, not wanting to interrupt. "Don't let any of my mother's people enter. Is this understood?" When Corren nodded she shut the door and instantly called Itward on her phone. She needed more materials for work, after all. They arranged to meet up and Itward picked her up in his pod not too long later, but from the look on his face, the ice girl suddenly had an odd suspicion that this might not have been the best idea.

But it was too late. His grip was rock hard on her wrist, clearly not intending to let her go. "It was you, wasn't it?" He growled, but Ellie had no idea what he was talking about. "You did it, didn't you?"




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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 ||




Luckily Aya already knew all the main scanner locations and knew the blind spots for weaving through them without too much effort. She remained silent, quiet, and as out of sight as she could as she floated through the district, keeping her eyes peeled. She had to save Cress, she had to find her and keep her safe in the anti-scanner barrier just in case, right? Right? Aya couldn't lose her, she didn't want her to be hurt again. Still, what was in those weird cookies, anyways? Were cookies magic? Cookies had to be magic, definitely, right? Yes, that had to be it, Aya decided. Cookies made everyone better and stronger.

Finally she found Cress and so Aya drove her bike closer, patting on the back for her to get on, just like old days. "We're a team, so we go together." Aya whispered, pressing a button to widen the range of the anti-scanner shield to accommodate for Cress on the bike. "Did you know that cookies are magic?" Aya beamed brightly at her cool and awesome friend, it was easier to be how she used to since they were back on the bike. They could pretend none of the horrible things happened, right? "Cookies make pain fly away!"

As Aya brought them back to Serpy's place, she suddenly froze in her tracks at a scene in front of her. A servant girl was being shocked by her collar or by the chip or whatever it was and other nobles were laughing and jeering and being jerks but she was crying and Aya didn't understand why this was happening. One of the nobles said something about the girl being "a new catch from the Rubble District" and something about "training" but Aya didn't understand at all. "Why?" Aya asked, wanting to help but knowing it was too dangerous. She glanced helplessly at Cress. "...What do we do?"