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Cress Winter

"That's not a Princess, that's my cousin!"

0 · 5,701 views · located in Noraneko

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

Description

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❝I am a hell in high heels. ❞
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【ɗιαƖσgΟ…Ρ” cσƖσя:#CD5C5C β™™ тнσυgΠ½Ρ‚ cσƖσя #C5E3BF】

|| Flaws || Bastille ||







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{β˜› β’»β“Šβ“β“ Ⓝ⒢ⓂⒺ ☚}
Crescent Violet Winter

{β˜› β“ƒβ’Ύβ’Έβ“€β“ƒβ’Άβ“‚β’Ίβ“ˆ ☚}
Cress, Vi, Vivi

{β˜› β’Άβ’Όβ’Ί ☚}
16

{β˜› ⒼⒺⓃⒹⒺⓇ ☚}
♀

{β˜› β“ˆβ’Ίβ“β“Šβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Ž ☚}
Undetermined

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ’Έβ’Ί ⒸⓁ⒢ⒾⓂ ☚}
Mayaka Ibara || Hyouka



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❝ INSPIRE US WITH A QUOTE ❞
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{β˜› ⒽⒺⒾⒼⒽⓉ ☚}
Petite

{β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Ύβ’Όβ’½β“‰ ☚}
Lolibod

{β˜› Ⓗ⒢ⒾⓇ ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
Her hair is a rich, milk chocolate brown, cut short so it falls just beneath her ears.

{β˜› β’Ίβ“Žβ’Ί ⒸⓄⓁⓄⓇ ☚}
An iridescent, unearthly pink.

{β˜› β’·β“„β’Ήβ“Ž β“‚β’Άβ“‡β“€β’Ύβ“ƒβ’Όβ“ˆ ☚}
Her ears are pierced and she'll typically wear little gummy bear earrings that come in different colors to match her mood. She also has a very large scar on her back from an accident when she was really young.


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

Cress has never thought of herself as feminine, as a child she was always playing in the mud, dancing in the rain, doing things that other girls typically did not do. Cress had no interest in dolls and tea parties, she wanted to be an explorer, someone who mapped the earth and charted the stars. Her hair used to be long and always messy, in pigtails that her mother would do for her every morning, or a simple elegant braid. Cress grew tired of long locks and so, spontaneously she cut her hair so that it now falls just below her ears. She believes that the style suits her more and it's easier to maintain.

As far as clothing go, they have to be something Cress can move around in and get dirty. She usually prefers a shirt and coveralls as they have pockets for her things. She's always believed in ruffing it, but carries around her phone in case of emergencies. It was Cress's father that gave her a love of adventure, being a nature photographer. Cress also uses her phone to document her trek, believing in the beauty of stillness and the sign of unturned soil. She mostly always wears her hiking boots, they're good for nearly everything and are incredibly comfortable. Cress's mother has been working to try to turn Cress into a suitable lady, forcing her to learn sewing and etiquette she believes she has no use for so Cress owns a couple of dresses as well.

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β™™ QUOTE β™™
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β˜› β“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š

β₯ Hiking || As mentioned before, she has quite a bad case of wanderlust.
β₯ Gardening || She inherited her green thumb from her father, her garden is incredibly precious.
β₯ Drawing || She's quite good at it, surprisingly Cress has the patience to finish what she starts.
β₯ Photography || Another skill inherited by her father, her camera is her most precious possession.





❧




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❝QUOTE ❞
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β˜› β’Ήβ’Ύβ“ˆβ“β’Ύβ“€β’Ίβ“ˆβ˜š
⌦ Pain || Cress has a very low pain tolerance.
⌦ People who hurt her cousin || Ellie is more like her sister, she's very protective of her.
⌦ Dresses || Whoever thought that dresses were a good invention is quite possibly the most idiotic person Cress has never met.






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Collecting || Cress has a collecting of bits and bobbles, sort of like Ariel from the little mermaid.
Camera || Cress takes it everywhere with her, it's her most prized possession.
Thunder Storms || Cress hates them and she'll do anything to make the sound go away.


[center]❧


β˜› β“Œβ’Ίβ’Άβ“€β“ƒβ’Ίβ“ˆβ“ˆβ’Ίβ“ˆ ☚
⌦ Clamor || Cress has a condition called synethesia, meaning she can taste sounds and hear colors. She is very easily overloaded.
⌦ Hallucination || Sometimes when Cress hears thunder she loses herself.
⌦ Will Power || Cress is incredibly stubborn.
⌦ Possessiveness || Cress is very possessive and protective of her family.


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β˜› β“ˆβ“‰β“‡β’Ίβ“ƒβ’Όβ“‰β’½β“ˆβ˜š
β₯ Lower body || Cress is a runner, she likes to clear her mind
β₯ Climbing || Cress's big brothers taught her how to climb and she still does it when she can.
β₯ Improvising || Ever meet someone who can use fishing wire to fix glasses? That's Cress for you.
β₯ Lying || Cress prefers to call it acting.


❧


β˜› β’»β’Ίβ’Άβ“‡β“ˆβ˜š
Here comes the thunder || Cress has a terrible fear of thunder storms.
Loss || There is only so much one can lose. Cress keeps her family close for this reason.
Her voice || Cress values her voice, she was very close to losing it.

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{β˜› β“…β’Ίβ“‡β“ˆβ“„β“ƒβ’Άβ“β’Ύβ“‰β“Žβ˜š}
When all of your flaws and all of my flaws
Are laid out one by one
The wonderful part of the mess that we made
We pick ourselves undone

All of your flaws and all of my flaws
They lie there hand in hand
Ones we've inherited, ones that we learned
They pass from man to man

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it, I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up; let's finish what we've started
Dig them up, so nothing's left untouched.

All of your flaws and all of my flaws,
When they have been exhumed
We'll see that we need them to be who we are
Without them we'd be doomed

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it, I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?




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❝QUOTE ❞
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{β˜› ⓅⓁ⒢ⒸⒺ β“„β’» ⓄⓇⒾⒼⒾⓃ ☚}
Sierra Nevada, California, USA

{β˜› β’»β’Άβ“‚β’Ύβ“β“Ž ☚}
Louise Winter || 45 || Mother || Alive
Marcus Winter || 48 || Father || Deceased
Fey Winter || 21 || Big Brother || Alive
Damian Winter || 21 || Big Brother || Alive
Ellen Winter || 16 || Cousin || Alive

{β˜› β’½β’Ύβ“ˆβ“‰β“„β“‡β“Ž ☚}

Cress was born on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Her father was a nature photographer, her mother his number one fan and biggest supporter. They both worked for the same magazine, one photographing, the other writing. They were a great team and an even greater couple. Cress grew up with two loving parents who encouraged her curiosity, enabled her to explore and parade around their backyard. They had a lovely home in New York, where they edited and published their explorations.

Then one day, when Cress was eight years old, she and her father went out to explore. They were driving upstate where the big park was, her father planning to take Cress on a three night camping adventure with just the two of them. They left later than planned and it was raining. Cress was babbling on, describing everything she hoped to see and encounter. She wanted to pet a bear, wrestle a mountain lion, and made fierce descriptions and sounds as she imagined grappling with it. She was going to become Cress the nature girl, the most famous explorer in all the world! Or at least, that was her plan until her Dad's laughing stopped. He started coughing, the car swerving. Cress jumped into the passenger side seat, trying to find out what was wrong when the car dipped off the road and down a ravine, rolling down to the bottom. Cress hit her head upon impact, body flying through the windshield and she landed in the bushes while the car continued down, sinking into a lake, her father still inside.

For days she walked around, her mind muddled from the concussion. Cress had walked nearly two hundred miles from the initial accident spot and so when the search and rescue team found her she was at the top of a mountain, bloodied footprints leading them right to her. Cress was in a coma after that for nearly six months. When she woke up her Mother stole her away to California to get her away from the city hustle and bustle, able to mourn her husband in peace near the national forest they had first worked together in. They moved in with her Auntie who had lost her husband to a heart attack.

Cress's family became overly protective of her as she recovered, starting at a new school, a new shot at life. She was still young and didn't understand there that she nearly didn't make it, that she had been on life support for three of those months with her mother in tears and brothers unable to do anything but blame themselves for not being there, for having been away at boarding school. When Cress returned to the world she was down one father but had gained a cousin, an ally who was exactly her age.

The two were quick friends and Cress taught Ellie everything her father had taught her about nature and gardening, she had never expected that her cousin would be a lunar princess from a far away planet.

{β˜› ⓄⓉⒽⒺⓇ ☚}
Cress has a rather large scar on her back from the accident and a few smaller ones from where glass cut her.






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



So begins...

Cress Winter's Story

Setting

Characters Present

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

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


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

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress 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
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

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

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

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




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
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 ||




"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.


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 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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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.


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


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

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress'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.

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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 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?"


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


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

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




Cress blinked, wondering what in the world Aya was talking about. Was she high? Had Aya gotten high off of the pain meds and was now preaching that cookies could cure anything? "Whatever you say Aya," Cress smiled, trying to be supportive. The bike was running smoother than before, she noticed. Had Serpina fixed it up a bit perhaps?The thought made her smile widen. Yes, Serpina worked in unexpected gifts of kindness. He was the best of the nobles, Cress decided. Besides Ellie herself of course. A pod whizzed past them and she turned her head, the world seeming to move in slow motion.

Ellie. Itward had her wrist. Her cousin, no doubt he was going to do those awful things to her too. They stopped, Aya looking forward, Cress looking back. There was a group in front of her, jeering, pointing, kicking, laughing. There was a servant on the ground, they called her a Rubble, said she was fresh meat. The image of the bullies at school ganging up on freshmen made her levels of anger rise. "Stay here," Cress warned. "I'm going to handle it." She slid off of the back of the bike, throwing Aya a reassuring look. "Be my backup okay? If things start to look shady, you can be the knight in shining armor."

Cress took three steps, pulled on the choker, took six more steps. "Whatchya doing?" She asked, rocking back and forth on her heels, remembering the wrestling she had done with her brothers, that she had tried to teach Ellie so many times. "New servant, want to help break her in?" A grin, it made Cress sick. "Sure," she smiled, cracking her knuckles. She kicked the closest noble to her left, sending him flying into another. Before they could react to what had happened, Cress lifted the servant up, sprinting back towards Aya and putting the girl on the back of the bike. "Fly! I'll catch up to you!" She yelled, pushing the bike so it got a flying start. "Drive!" She turned back to the group, the two getting up.

"So you pigs, which one wants to go first?"


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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 like she couldn't breath. "No..." She tried to cry out to warn the Princess away. "F-fine," Sweat beaded on her forehead, it was very obvious that Shiro was not, in fact, fine. Yet the Princess picked Shiro up, carrying her to her own bed. Oh no, Shiro would have to change the sheets. While it wasn't something contagious, she still didn't want the sheets to be sullied by her filth. Shiro wasn't deserving of the Princess's kindness, to lay in her bed, it felt like something forbidden. She felt a shock from her collar as the Princess grew further away, no order had been given for Shiro to go anywhere, to do anything and she was helpless aside from a whimper that indicted the pain. It could've been caused from other things though, specifically the pain that made Shiro want to vomit.

Then there was a man there, touching her. No, she couldn't let him, Shiro's body was only for the Princess. If a man touched her, she wouldn't be fit to serve. His hand went underneath her dressing shirt, some sort of device like a stethoscope used to hear her heart. It was beating rapidly and it felt as though it would beat right out of her chest. "Princess," she swallowed and he hushed her. "The Princess went to take care of some business, you've been given the order to stay and rest." Shiro nodded her head slightly, the smallest action making her whimper. "Just rest," he soothed, taking off Shiro's shoes, tucking her beneath the covers.

It was an ailment that inflicted many from her tier, the sanitary tier, the same thing that gave them their sterile spit, a mutation in her genes that would cause sudden, unexplained bursts of pain and illness. When Shiro was little she had at first been subjected to a few tests, but nothing painful, to see if they could figure out where this came from. When they figured out she was useless as a test subject at that age, the Queen found a different place for her. It was around that time when Shiro learned to sing.

There was a cool, damp cloth on her forehead, sometimes the oldest methods were the best. "I have to... go..." she mumbled in a fevered daze. "No, you need to stay, at least until the fever goes away." Shiro heaved, thankfully, there was a trash bucket next to her that Ahcron picked up and placed in her lap so that her body could dispense its energy into a bucket, bile and whatever else she had swallowed picking up, spilling into the bucket.

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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) ||




Stay calm. She had to stay calm, otherwise Itward would sense her fear, would feed off of it and take advantage of it. The moment you panic is the moment you lose, isn't it? It is, that's how it is. Because no matter how scary this is, Ellie knew others had suffered worse. There was something off with the man, he was more agitated and frantic than usual. Every word he said was full of paranoia, as if he were being hunted by someone. When had Itward changed from being the friend he was? Narcia watched his morbid curiosity. Was it similar to her spider incident, or was it something else entirely? Was there a way to fix him, did he even deserve fixing? Maybe it was selfishness or naivety or just nostalgia because they were once friends, but Narcia didn't want him dead, despite everything.

"What are you talking about?" She asked once she was tossed carelessly onto the bed. Itward was pacing around, and then he punched the wall, anger emanating from him like waves. "You know, don't play dumb, Nee." He glowered. "You did it, and now I'm a target, we were supposed to be working together! Don't you hate the royal family as much as I do?" He was desperate, imploring, betrayed. "You pledged your life to me in exchange for your cousin, Nee. You're mine." It wasn't that he'd gone insane, but he was afraid of something. Ellie didn't know what was weirder - Itward's paranoia or Nio scurrying into the room, bringing tea for them both to enjoy, eyes dull and lifeless.

"You just love being a thorn in my side, Nee." Itward grabbed her wrists before Ellie could reach for tea, and the girl simply placed the tea and pot down on a table and scampered off, feet pattering on the flooring. "Even as kids, you made things hard for me, and then you left and you made me fight against Aine all alone! Nee, you promised, you said we'd fix her together, that we'd make her see sense, but then you left!" He slammed her against the wall, fury building in his green eyes. "We were supposed to have changed her mind so she wouldn't have to die!" Something was changing in him and it was almost like art, watching Itward wrestle with his own mind. Narcia wasn't sure what exactly was happening, because wasn't he the one who killed her? "Why didn't she break? Even in the end, no matter how I hurt her, she never changed, she never stopped resisting! Why? Not even to save her life -"

Narcia smiled cooly. "Some things are worth fighting for." She said, a chilly expression as he didn't resist against his touching, his grabbing, his rough grip on her body. Ellie was panicked, she was losing so Narcia held on for the both of them. Body heat rose in both Narcia and Itward and he claws at her clothes, at that spot between her legs, sucking, biting, pulling, "I'll break you, I'll shatter you, Nee, so fight all you want. You won't win." Narcia ignored the tightening in her chest and grinned. "Do your worst, old friend."

Then there was an explosion. Itward handcuffed her to the bed within seconds and grabbed at a sword from the wall, his own personal weapon as someone screamed, enraged. "This is Heron, fang of Ourania, bodyguard of Princess Narcia!" The girl with the fiery mane charged into the room, twirling her spear to generate energy for a second blast. "You've hurt enough people, Itward!" Unlike the playful and boisterous girl before, all Narcia saw was a valiant knight, willing to kill family for her duty.

"The world hurt me, so it's only fair I hurt it back, right?" Itward brandished his own weapon. If Itward had a skill, it was military and combat, but Heron was a warrior as well. Narcia had no idea who was going to win as their blades flashed and clashed furiously, Heron on the attack but Itward not giving up a single opening. It was so fast and rapid that it was hard to think of it as a fight but more as a dance of sorts as brother and sister waged war on one another. The room became a warzone, neither side getting the advantage, but then Nio ran in between them, shielding Itward and Heron just barely missed killing her. The shock of the little girl's interruption made Itward drop his weapon and Heron went for the kill but Nio refused, shaking her head, trying to block the weapon with her body.

Heron clicked her tongue and pain flashed in her eyes. "Fine. You live for now." She growled, panting. With a fluid motion she cut through the cuffs and wrapped Narcia in a blanket before carrying her the way one would hold a bride. "So this is your choice, Nio, isn't it?" The little girl nodded so Heron dashed out, leaving behind the Cherubim mansion. "Thank you for saving me, Knight Heron." Narcia said in a weak whisper, and the knight forced a grin. "It was my pleasure, Princess."




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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 ||




Be the backup? Doubt crossed Aya's mind - wasn't this risky, wasn't this dangerous? But Cress didn't care, because she was a valiant hero, even if she said she wasn't, even if she tried to deny it, Cress was a hero and was the fire to change this rotten world and make it into something better. "Yes!" Aya grinned, holding out two fingers. "Aya will be here, so do your best!" So Cress went to fight and it was awesome watching her show the pigs what they deserved, grabbing the little girl placing her on the bike. Cress told her to go, so Aya did, though she glanced back at her friend pushing the bike. "Be careful, please." The blonde urged, desperation on her face. "Cress, Aya is - I'd be lost without you, so please!"

Then Aya and the girl were soaring, and she was crying and whimpering and Aya knew it was better to distract yourself, to not think of it. She was a Rubble, just like her, and Rubbles had to work together, right? "Hello! I'm Aya, and I'm a Rubble too! We're going to save you, so what's your name?" The girl clung to her back, trying to hold on with weak arms. "I-I'm...Mia..." She said, still crying. Aya nodded understandably. "Aya will keep you safe, Mia!" The girl was still crying, though, so once Aya got out of sight she stopped the bike and squatted down to her height, hand patting her head the way Cress patted hers before. "I wanna go home to mommy." The girl wept weakly. "Mommy, she was sick and - and the nobles came so I asked if they could fix her, if they could help..."

Aya frowned slightly so she hugged the girl. This sounded all too familiar. Filthy pigs, picking on everyone, it was horrible, she'd never accept it. "It's okay, she's okay. But we can't go back to the Rubbles but we can bring you to Tower!" The girl was collared so she probably had the chip so the alarm would go if she went back home. That was sad to think about. Then one of the nobles caught up, with a weapon, smirking and grinning putting Aya in a collar too so the blonde pressed a button, activating the Gravity Drive to lift him up and she slammed him against the building, hearing a sickening snapping sound that made Aya want to cry, want to throw up, it wasn't meant to be like this, fighting pigs was meant to be fun!

Not yet, Aya wouldn't think about it yet, so she tossed the girl back onto the bike and sped back to Serpy's, activating the secret passage and telling the girl she was safe here, that she'd be fine here. Mia cried and tried to cling but Aya promised she'd be back and went back, trying to reunite with Cress, to take her and get back to her and to take her to the Tower Tier. She didn't kill the pig, right? That wasn't blood and broken bones, right? She only hurt him a little, it was fine, Aya didn't kill anyone, right? Her heart pounded as she flew, wanting Cress, wanting to be with Cress again, to take her to safety before things got bad.


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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 ||




"So, who's ready to have their butt kicked?" Cress smiled and the noble closest to her growled. "We'll teach you your place you stupid rubble!" Cress smiled and that made them hesitate. Smile in front of an enemy and it would scare them. They seemed rattled, hesitant, but charged forward. Cress kept her hands in her pockets, using the glasses to keep herself hidden in case they tried to report her. She kicked the first that came at her, jumped over the second and landed another kick, sending him into the first. Then she took her hands out of her pockets, grabbing one of them and spinning them around, throwing him towards the closest wall. Cress panted, something wasn't right, the collar, it felt like it was constricting around her throat. She straightened, she couldn't show weakness, not to these dogs.

"You call that a kick?" Cress panted and blocked, using his weight against him and flipping him. "I'll show you what true suffering is!" A shock went up her back that paralyzed her and Cress fell to her knees, crying out. She grunted, getting back up, the knife falling from her pocket. Cress hadn't noticed, she punched and kicked with all her might, but they kept getting back up. Of course, all the wrestling she had done with her brothers was meant to immobilize temporarily, not to put one out. Then she felt a terrible pain in her leg and fall forward, into one of their arms. The knife was sticking out of her thigh. The one holding her grinned, his grip on her arms tightening, nails digging through her jacket. "Let me go!" Cress twisted, pulling the knife out of her leg. Aya, she had to meet up with Aya.

Cress started running, but she didn't get far. "Bad dog," one of the boys said, standing over her. "I guess we'll just have to break you in instead." Hands grabbed at her, her clothes, they were being torn off. Cress tried to protest, but she was being held down. Then the knife, it was slashed against her, she couldn't even defend herself. "I guess you really are a dog," the laugh was harsh his voice grating against her ears as they removed the choker and revealed the collar. "You can try to hide what you are, filthy animal, but you'll always be a slave underneath whatever facade you put up." Her panties were being pulled down her legs and then-a miracle.

"Let her go!" Their heads jerked up. "Tch, it's a knight. We gotta run." They threw the knife to the side, getting up to go run. Cress grabbed the knife, getting to her feet, limping forward. She swung but her wrist was grabbed, feet swept out beneath her. "What's a beautiful maiden like you doing in a place like this?" Fiery red hair was the last thing Cress saw before the fight left her body. There was someone else there, driving a pod. "Take her back to my room, make sure she doesn't get scanned. I've got a Princess to save."

When Cress awoke, she was on a bed. She gasped, sitting up, her cuts stinging. "Aya, I have to get to her." The door opened as Cress stumbled towards it, the girl with the red hair walked in, carrying a tray of steaming food. "Oh good, you're awake!" She seemed happy as she put the tray down and placed her sword aside. "Don't worry, no one knows you're here. I've got a blocker around here so I can bring whoever I want into my room." She winked. "I need to go, my friend, she's waiting for me."

"Uh-uh, you can't go anywhere with those wounds." There was blood pouring from the stab in her leg. They had used the knife to give her cuts all over her body, having aimed for a hundred. "Please, you have to let me go!" The red head placed something over Cress's head, blinding her. Cress struggled, then realized it was simply a blanket. She pushed it off, watching as the girl went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. "First thing's first, let's get you cleaned up. Now, who do you need me to send that message to?" Cress told her to send it to Serpina, to tell Aya that Cress was fine and that she'd be back soon.


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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 a stab in her shoulder, he put something there, an IV or a tube, taping it down. "Don't move so much." He grumbled as Shiro wiggled uncomfortably beneath his gaze. Whenever he caught her eye she looked away, blushing. Or maybe that was from the fever. He felt her forehead, then rolled something across it. She winced uncomfortably, but there was no apology. "You're fever's risen. You need to take off that dress." Shiro's eyes widened. "No!" She squealed, using her hands to cover her special spot as though he had ripped off her clothes himself. He sighed, "you're not going to make any progress if you refuse to do everything that'll help."

"O-okay, but don't look!" Shiro unbuttoned her dress, letting it fall to the ground. She was wearing a white camisole under it and a pair of pink stripped panties. He covered her with a light sheet and placed a cool washcloth on her forehead. "I'm going to move you to your room. It would be quite scandalous if someone saw you in the Princess's room like this." Achron lifted Shiro, going right next door and placing the girl on her own bed. Shiro had clung to her dress, using it to cover herself and then allowing it to fall once they reached her room. "I have to take care of the Princess, she'll be back soon-" He lifted a hand for her to stop talking and Shiro looked down, clearly sad.

"The Princess has your best interest in mind. You need to rest," he attached something to the tube in her shoulder, warm liquid flowing through. It was around sunset, that meant someone else would have to serve the Princess dinner. Surely there would be shocks from her collar when it realized Shiro wasn't where she was meant to be, she needed to go and ensure that someone was there to receive and set up dinner. She needed to ask the Princess which nightgown she wanted to dress in. Otherwise Shiro would be useless. What good was a servant who couldn't serve? Achron left her for the time being, going to do something or another and leaving Shiro to stare out the window, cool water dripping down her forehead.

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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) ||




And once again, they were back in the castle, back in the cage. This time, though, Ellie was thankful. She thought for a second that Itward was going to have his way with her, that she was going to be taken and violated but then Heron burst in, full of fury and might, whisking her away but forced to, once again, leave Nio behind. Though Heron had her usual arrogant smirk on her face, it didn't take a genius to know she was in pain that she couldn't save Nio, that the little girl was still in her big brother's grasp. Ellie didn't want to ask why the girl didn't make a single noise, why she was silent. The girl used to love to sing and read aloud and her voice was almost angelic. What happened? Ellie wasn't sure she wanted to know, and even Narcia seemed disturbed by it.

"So, what the hell was that all about anyways?" Heron asked outside the knight barracks, arms crossed, weapon back over her shoulder. "Should've known not to trust him. He's a monster, Nee, I thought I told you to stay away." She wasn't her usual boisterous self, her eyes were narrowed as she spoke. "I mean, yeah I've always got your back, but that doesn't you should just walk into danger!" So Narcia gave her a little smile, a blanket wrapped around her to give her some modesty. "I needed tech so I can build." She couldn't say the real reason, obviously, not yet at least. Heron was still loyal to the Queen, she couldn't risk losing an ally this early on. But Heron then grinned and took her shoulder. "I should have a spare lance in my room. C'mere."

Heron told her to be quiet, that there was a servant girl sleeping in her bed. Ellie was surprised when the knight told her what happened, surprised a knight would fight nobles in order to protect a servant, but Narcia had no such feeling, having expected it. Above all, Heron was the ally to cute girls, even if it meant saving a servant, and that made Ellie decide that she liked the girl with the crimson hair. Heron bade Ellie farewell and Ellie returned to her room with a lance, folded up neatly into a small baton-shape you'd see in relay races back on Earth, placing it on her work desk for future disassembly. That was when Corren spoke up, seemlingly having waited.

"How is she?" Ellie asked, referring to Shiro. Corren Archon then updated her, finishing up with a light scolding about taking better care of her servants, especially one was young and fragile as Shiro. That brought up warning bells in Narcia's head and so the princess took control of the body, suspicious. She closed the door. No one needed to hear this. "Corren. You know about the current power struggle, do you not? Where do you stand in this situation?" Corren's face didn't change expression. "As my older brother married one of the Cherubim sisters, my family supports them." But there was something else he was hiding. Why was he so cooperative, then? "I don't mean your family. I mean you, personally, individually."

Then the young man gave a rare smile, an emotion in his eyes that Narcia couldn't decipher. "I'm not on any side." Corren said quietly. "I'm no fan of how the Queen is running things, but I also have no love for the Cherubim family. As for the rebels, they're far too weak. Only a fool would side with them." As the man left, there was only one word Narcia could really say. "Coward."

After dressing herself, Ellie then sat next to Shiro on her bed in the servant room, a mental map of who was on who's side forming in her head. For now, her only allies were Xion, Serpina Dorones, the fake Aine, and most importantly, Cress. Even if she wanted to rely on Corren and Heron, she couldn't fully trust them yet. And if it was possible, she didn't want to involve Shiro in the rebellion. The girl was already too delicate, too weak. So she pressed the button on her security module, making sure no one could overhear anything and Ellie patted Shiro's hair fondly. "I'm back. Are you feeling any better, Shiro?" She remembered how frightened the girl had been, how traumatized she was by Heron and so Ellie had an idea in her head. Her tutor, Corren, said it wasn't contagious, so Ellie knew what she had to do. "I'll overwrite the memory of what the knight did, Shiro. I'll take it away with something better. So don't be afraid." And then Ellie placed her lips onto Shiro's, but only for the briefest moment, and she withdrew just as quickly, hoping Shiro didn't mind.




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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 had no trouble taking her collar off. The chip wasn't in so there wasn't anything stopping her, really. So the girl whizzed back to where Cress was. Cress promised that she'd catch up, Cress said that it'd be fine, that she'd be okay, and Aya wanted to believe in her but she couldn't take away this horrible fearful feeling in her chest that something hadn't gone right at all. She found, in the place where Mia was being hurt, blood and Cress's choker and then Aya knew something horrible was happening. She couldn't return to the mansion, not yet, even if the magic cookie was wearing off and the pain was coming back. She had to find Cress, she had to get to her, but the sun was setting and the Untouchable Tier was draped in the dead of night, covering everything.

Cress was hurt, Cress was taken, this wasn't right at all. But it was scary and extra dangerous late at night, Aya knew this, so she decided to go back to Serpy's mansion, just in case, even if the tube was hurting and the skin under the pad was hurting because she needed more of the magic cookies to make it all better. And then Aya realized that she needed to pee again but she still didn't understand the tube thing that made her feel like a boy. And she knew it was going to hurt super bad again just like before, just like how Itward promised.

What Aya found when she got close - but still out of sight- of the Dorones Estate was a flaming-haired knight standing outside, then walking in. And Aya knew that it wasn't safe, Knights were teamed with the Queen, Knights were evil, Aya hated them all, she wouldn't trust any of them. It was too dangerous here, she had to find somewhere else to go. So Aya zipped away, but she whimpered because of the pain and the soreness and because she knew she had to pee, it was filling up in her, it was threatening to burst, Aya was scared, she didn't know what else she could do. At night the tunnels between Tiers was blocked so she couldn't easily go back to the Tower Tier, but there was a knight at Serpy's, she couldn't risk it.

So Aya decided to hide her bike in a tree and floated herself up into the green hairs, curling up, feeling her insides be all sore and sensitive because the bladder was there, crying out. Aya tried to sleep, tried to ignore it, using her jacket as a blanket and to hide her. If she could survive this, Aya would make Cress proud, she would be a big girl, right? Because she would've been able to hold it in, right?


Setting

Characters Present

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


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

|| Flaws || Bastille ||




By the time the knight returned the water had gone cold. It was stained with the pinkish tint of blood and Cress hissed as she eased her leg up out of the water, watching both liquid and blood gurgle out of the wound in a way that made her feel sick. "The message was delivered, Serpina said he'd give it to her." Cress sighed in relief, leaning her head back against the wall. "Ready to come out?" The Knight asked with a grin, far too happy for someone that served the Queen. "Yeah," Cress said, getting up, leaning her weight on her good leg. She could feel the knight's eyes looking over her nude form. A warm towel was wrapped around her shoulders and the Knight carried Cress back to her bed. "What's your name anyways?" Cress asked as the Knight rummaged through her belongings for something.

"Heron," the girl said, turning back towards Cress. "And you?" She came over, easing the towel off of Cress's shoulders and addressing the many cuts the group had given her. "Crescent, but my friends call me Cress." Heron seemed to ponder which to work on first, deciding on the small cuts. She rubbed something on that stung and made Cress hiss with each touch. "I like it, Crescent I mean. It's unusual," Heron seemed to be deliberating something, then smiled. "Normally girl's make that sound when I touch them in more delicate places." Cress's cheeks heated up and she placed her foot on Heron's forehead, pushing the girl back. "I can dress the wounds myself." The Knight laughed and came back over.

"I promise I won't do anything lewd," she said and got to work on the deeper wound. "This is gonna take at least another day to heal, so don't go anywhere alright?" She reached over, touching Cress's collar. "What did you do?" The girl asked, the sensation in her legs ebbing away. "Making sure you can't sneak away." Heron stood, "Can't having that injury reopening. It'll also help with the pain. I've set the collar so you can leave in exactly 24 hours but until then, if you try, it'll set an alarm off and something tells me that's the last thing you want."

"Why you!" She growled, attempting to lunge but Heron moved out of the way and Cress simply flopped over uselessly. "Uh-uh," Heron tutted "It's for your own good. Besides, now I get to spoil you." Cress stuck her tongue out and Heron worked on the wound, sewing it shut. She put more of the salve that burned and finished by wrapping Cress's leg. "You're about my size, I'll lend you some clothes." Heron went to he drawers and pulled out some lacy looking undergarments and a large tee shirt. She helped Cress wiggle into them and then picked up the tray she had brought in. "Dinner," Heron explained and uncovered it. "Open wide," she smiled and Cress frowned. "I can feed my-" Heron shoved the fork into Cress's mouth. "My room, my rules," Heron said with a wink.


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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 nauseous, she had skipped lunch and had only eaten a small portion of breakfast before she went off to find the records for the Princess. Shiro's mind felt fuzzy, everything had turned blurry, as though her eyes wouldn't focus. She felt too hot and so she weakly tried to kick off the blanket, but then it was too cold and she dragged it back on. If she laid down it was hard to breath, but if she sat up her head hurt. She whimpered every time she moved. Archon returned for only a moment to put something in the tube and then Shiro drifted off to sleep, wondering where the Princess was and if she was going to be punished.

"What a wonderful drawing Shiro, did you make this?" Shiro looked up, the Queen was watching over the little girl curiously. "It's you!" Shiro said eagerly, her collar covered up by a ribbon with a little bell on it. She held up the picture and the Queen knelt down with a smile, taking it from Shiro. "This is wonderful," she droned, handing it to a servant. "Hang this up on my dressing mirror. I want to see it everyday," the Queen scooped Shiro up, carrying the toddler to her favorite garden. It was clear as to who the Queen's favorite was. While Shiro was useless at her age she provided entertainment for the Queen who was suffering from a terrible bout of empty nest syndrome with her own daughter gone. Normally, the Queen was cold and cruel but with the recent sending away of her own daughter she was being awfully kind.

"I wrote a song!" Shiro chirped happily as the Queen placed her in the seat opposite. A servant served them tea and cakes and as the Queen drank, Shiro never having been fond of tea, Shiro sang. "That's lovely, what inspired you to write such a piece?"

"The flowers!" Shiro replied, her blonde curls bouncing. She nibbled on her cake, a servant coming to tell the Queen about a visitor. "Yes, let him in." Itward came then, bowing with a flourish, a sword at his side. "My Queen," he said, standing only when she prompted him to. "Itward, what a pleasant surprise. I'm afraid I need to go to a meeting though, would you mind keeping Shiro company?"

"It would be my pleasure." Once the Queen left he took her seat, watching the little servant. "You remind me of my little sister," he said, idly poking at a cake with a gloved finger. "She loved to sing."

"I like singing too." Shiro smiled and then burst into song. Not the one she had sung the Queen of course, that was special for the Queen. Itward touched the cheeks, seeing his tears. "Don't ever do that again!" He lunged, grasping Shiro by the throat and pinning her to the wall. Shiro cried out, her chair falling out beneath her. The thorns from the roses pricked her skin. "Nio, only she can sing that song! Don't you dare-!"

"Itward!" The Queen barked and Itward blinked, letting Shiro fall to the ground. The blonde whimpered, running over to the Queen and hiding in the skirts of her dress. The Queen pat her back, "There, there Shiro. Itward simply can't stand anything that reminds him of his dear little sister. Such a tragic thing." Shiro looked at him, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry,"she said quietly, "I didn't mean to make you cry."


Shiro awoke when the door opened. The Princess was there, coming in and sitting on Shiro's bed. "Yes, I'm feeling much better Princess." Shiro replied, realizing she was indecent. "Please pardon me Princess! I'm not dressed befitting your presence." She pulled the covers up higher and suddenly the Princess kissed her, saying she would overwrite the bad memory. It was soft and tender, full of hesitance. Shiro didn't resist, she was the Princess's doll after all. If this is what the Princess wanted then Shiro wouldn't resist.

When the Princess pulled back, there was still a bit of spit lingering between them.

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) ||




It was Ellie's first kiss. Honestly, while she always expected it to be with a boy her whole life, it wasn't as if she minded it being with Shiro. The girl was sweet and adorable and Ellie wanted to protect her, to keep her safe. The kiss itself wasn't what she expected - softer and gentler than she expected - but she enjoyed it nonetheless. It was strange, but it was new, and - and then Ellie came to her senses and pulled away, eyes widened, chest pounding. What was this, what was she doing? Even Narcia herself was confused, wondering what had even happened, saying that such relations were improper and that girls shouldnt be with girls unless one of them was Heron who basically counted as a man anyways. Just like Itward, wasn't she? Taking advantage of someone who didn't have the luxury to refuse.

"...I'm sorry." Ellie said in a faint, wavering voice, wiping the saliva from her mouth. "I'm - I didn't... I should've asked first, I - " No, no, asking wouldn't have mattered, because Shiro would've acquiesced regardless of how she felt personally on the matter, right? Ellie's cheeks were flushed even as Narcia tried to calm her down, to tell her that it was just a kiss, it wasn't like an assault or anything, but Ellie still felt horrible. So she leaned in and touched Shiro's collar, unlocking one mechanism. "You're free from service for the next twenty-four hours to do as you wish." The Princess said. If anyone questioned it, they would see Narcia's fingerprint seal approving of the temporary relief, though that was as long as she could extend the period. If she did it too often, Queen Nirana would've noticed, after all. "...I'm going back to my room now."

Disassembling the lance was the easy part, taking the components apart bit by bit. One particular bit she needed was the lens that was in the lance that helped channel the energy for long ranged attacks, almost like a particle gun. Though she didn't want to make a weapon, Ellie had another use for this piece. It took a little bit but she managed to make a tiny camera and the princess fastened it above her door and made it invisible so no one could see it. She then flopped onto her bed, fiddling with her phone, writing codes and programs and then connecting to the camera remotely. So now she could look through the camera whenever she wanted to always see anyone outside the safe room. She also reluctantly added a laser gun function to the camera that she could activate upon pressing a button, but she'd only use that in emergencies.

It was late now, so Ellie changed into her heavy nightgown, somewhat missing a certain servant's presence. Ellie sighed and once again cloaked her tools with invisibility, climbing into bed and huddling under the sheets. She did something unforgivable, something horrible. She'd make up for it, though. Tomorrow, Ellie would make sure to find the chip database and wipe the entire system. She'd start a servant rebellion and end the Queen's rule tomorrow.




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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 knew she was in trouble when she rolled out of the tree in her sleep and woke up, letting out a squeak of pain as she did. But Aya couldn't move, she was huddled in pain, moaning, trying to not pee, trying to ignore the blood that she felt leaking inside of her, trying to do anything. But it was too late and a noble found her before she could recompose herself, grabbing her by the wrist. pulling her head back and checking her throat. No collar. "What tier are you from?" He asked but Aya didn't know what to say, she couldn't say Untouchable but she knew this was bad, this was super bad. This sandy-haired pig was evil, he had to be.

The noble gave her another look, hearing the whimpers and moans so he sighed a little and scooped her up, but Aya cried and shook as he accidentally touched her behind as he lifted her and Aya was scared, it was going to happen again, wasn't it? It was, it really was, Aya didn't know what to do. She was trying not to cry, but her whole body was stuck and this noble, though he looked thin, almost like a twig, he was still a noble and he wouldn't let her go. "You're clearly in pain." The man muttered and he started walking, trying to adjust her position to one with the least amount of pain whimpers. "I don't know which house you escaped from, but I will take you back for now."

"...I need to... peee..." Aya panted, knowing she couldn't hold it but she'd be punished bad, really bad if she dirtied him - if she could ever find out how to make it work, how to make the tube thing let her pee out. So the man set her down near a bush after poking where her bladder was, feeling the swell. "Don't use this as an excuse to run off." The man warned. "It's dangerous to be caught in this tier. Anyone should know this." Aya wanted him to look away, wanted privacy but there was no such thing so she tried to pull her pants off but she couldn't because it hurt to try to bend. The man sighed, clearly annoyed, and removed them for her, and then his eyes widened, seeing the tube. He quickly regained his composure and despite Aya's squeaks and pleads he took the stopper off of the tube and urged her to pee no matter how much it hurt. He muffled her mouth so her screams wouldn't be heard and finally Aya felt the same weird pinching feeling somewhere inside her and wiped the edge of the tube with strange strong-smelling paper, and then he plugged it up, picking her up again with a faster pace. "I should take you home. Whoever you are, don't say a word to anyone. I'll tell the house that you're mute."

But then someone called out a name, called out Corren Archon and the man stopped and turned and Aya squeaked and trembled because she knew that voice. "Out on another late night stroll?" Itward didn't look happy at all, but he wasn't looking at her either. "You shouldn't be out so late. There was a vandal earlier, someone's clearly plotting something." This man, apparently named Corren, tilted his body slightly so that Itward couldn't see her face, somehow knowing she recognized him and likely realizing what happened. "Sorry, brother." Corren's voice was low and submissive. "I was just tending to one of my escaped servants. I'll have her punished accordingly."

Itward nodded, as if accepting that answer, patting Corren's head and walking past, grinding his teeth. "You do that." Aya was holding her breath, she couldn't, she couldn't have him notice her, she wouldn't, even if her body was hurting. "Corren, you shouldn't act so guarded all the time. We're brothers by marriage now, we should be close friends, shouldn't we?" There was a clear underlying threat, and Corren lowered his head.

"My apologies, brother." He said and kept walking. "Perhaps next time. I'm quite tired from tutoring the Princess." So Itward said a farewell and Corren kept walking at a brisk pace and finally they were home. Archon had her moved to his room and put a strange pill into her mouth. Aya was squirming, she wanted to spit it out but the pill was dissolving and she felt sleepy on the bed. "Sleep, and don't say a word." Corren warned. "Itward won't find you here as long as you remain silent. I'll bring you to the Tower Tier once you're healed."

Aya couldn't keep her eyes open but for some reason she sensed she could trust this noble.


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 ||




"I can do it myself," Cress insisted but Heron held the toothbrush over her, an evil glint in her eyes. She scrubbed Cress's teeth then made her gargle water and spit it out. "Honestly, I've never had such an unruly guest. If you're this stubborn, I can only imagine that you'd make a terrible servant."

"That's cause I'm not one." Cress wiped her mouth on her arm, "I'm from earth." Heron froze, looking at her, then she laughed. "There's no way, not with those eyes." Speaking of which Cress narrowed her fiery orbs, wondering what the Knight meant. "Am too, I can prove it. I'm from a place called Sierra Nevada, in California." Cress tried to explain, saying that she was the Princess's cousin, that Ellie, or Narcia as they called her here, had lived with her for six years. As Cress explained Heron was quiet until finally, Cress finished. "That's quite some tale, no wonder you've got bandages around your forehead. You seem to be confused." She unraveled the bandages on Cress's hand, seeing the mark of the Queen inked into it. Cress pulled back but it was too late. "So why don't you tell me what really happened Rubble?"

"I already told you! I'm not from here!" Cress snapped, leaning forward. If she could have kicked Heron, knocked her out somehow and escape she would have. "I'm from earth! Why don't you just ask the Princess! She'll tell you. Her cousin, Cress, the earth girl she seems to be trying to push away at every damn chance as though she wants to forget about everything! That stupid Ellie doesn't she know that if she... If she leaves I'll be lonely too?" Then the truth came out, Heron could see it. She made a cup of tea, mixing in a teaspoon of something she called her secret brew and handed it to Cress.

Hesitantly the earth girl took a sip. It was sweet, but unlike normal tea it didn't have an overly flowery scent. "Mm, what kind of plant does this come from?" She finished it quickly. Cress's head swam. "What... what did you... do?" She asked, laying down. Cress fought to stay awake, but the harder she fought the more her mind slipped away. "Don't worry, it's something to make you sleep easier."[/color]


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❝Yes Mistress.❞


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

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




"No Princess! It's okay!" Shiro waved her hands, trying to convey that it was alright. Her collar made a strange sound, almost like a beep and then the Princess walked away. Shiro watched her go, wondering what she had ever done for such kindness. Her head was swimming again, Archon had ensured that there was plenty more of that medicine for tonight and so she silently slipped off into sleep, unable to keep her thoughts straight for much longer. Her cheeks burned from the fever and she shivered beneath the blanket.

"Sing for me Shiro," the Queen said, closing her novel. Shiro had been singing all day, her throat was raw, only sustaining off of hot water with a bit of lemon. Despite it Shiro cleared her throat, knowing what would happen if she didn't. She began her song, warbling a bit off key and she felt a shock, crumpling to the floor. "You're going to have to do better than that." Shiro stood, smoothing down the skirt of her dress. Yes, she had to do better. She opened her mouth, beginning again, being more careful. When she was done, Shiro was breathing hard, her throat burning from the effort of having to sing so much. "Good girl, you can take a rest tomorrow, heal up." The Queen pat her head and Shiro glowed under her praise.

They were sitting outside for afternoon tea, the little girl nibbling on cake. "Shiro, sing for me." The Queen folded her arms on the table, leaning forward. Shiro swallowed, she had been told that she would get the day off. She opened her mouth, hardly a squeak and winced. The Queen seemed perplexed and so Shiro tried again, hardly able to wrestle out a note. "I-I'm sorry my Queen, I think I overused my voice." The Queen smiled, as though she understood. Shiro felt a shock to her spine, but there was no sound. "I see, then you'll have no need of your voice for the time being." Shiro tried to tell her differently, she tried to beg saying she could sing, she'd try again, to give her one more chance but no sound came out, not even when Shiro coughed.

When Shiro awoke she looked at the clock, her eyes widening until she remembered that the Princess had given her the day off. Shiro had never had a day off, she had no idea what to do. The girl sat up in bed, going to run the bath. Maybe she could simply sit in bed and read? Or perhaps it would be alright to sit in the library?

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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 felt lonely as she ate her breakfast. Shiro wouldn't want to spend time with her, obviously, so it was just as expected. Still, the room felt much emptier now that it was just her. It was probably better like this, in any case. With Shiro on her day off, she wouldn't get involved in the plot Ellie has cooking up. She needed to find the database that held information on all of the chips and she had to destroy it however she could. After eating and dressing herself in a dress the color of ice, Ellie went to her bath, developing a virus on her phone and transferring it in a dormant state to a storage device she created out of what materials she had left. Once her bath was done, she then created a small knife that could generate electricity out of the sharp edge of Heron's lance, so she had a weapon just in case something went wrong. Making a weapon made Ellie feel sick. Technology she made, she only ever intended it to be harmless and fun - doing things to help people instead of hurting them. But now, all the joy of inventing was gone - all that mattered now was taking out the Queen and taking control.

And now it was time. Knife hidden in her arm's sleeve, Ellie set off, Narcia waking up and congratulating her on finishing the work without much time spent at all - only about two hours. The Princess (both halves) still missed the company of the servant, though Narcia wouldn't ever admit that she felt affection for the girl, as prideful as she was. So Ellie walked down the halls, keeping her usual neutral-but-pleasant face on. Then when she turned a corner she heard footsteps. Ellie spun and whipped her knife out, squeezing the hilt to activate the electric blade only for her wrist to be turned away and be pinned against the wall. Ellie tried to kick but then she saw the red hair in the corner of her eye. Heron. Ellie relaxed.

"Haha, just like a tiny cat!" Heron grinned, patting Ellie's head in a way one would pet a baby animal. "You looked so cute trying to fight me! With this tiny knife of yours. Seriously, someone might think you're an assassin instead of a Princess!" Ellie's gut clenched for a moment as Heron spoke those words. If someone was listening - but it seemed no one was. "I needed to practice. One can never be too careful." She tried to twist out of Heron's grasp but it was impossible. "C'mon, let's go to my room! I've gotta train you up a little, work those skinny arms of yours!"

What Ellie saw next ruined her plans for an attack. She couldn't start a war with Cress here. But why was Cress even here in the first place? Seeing her cousin in person again was something she wasn't prepared for and she rounded on Heron with suspicious eyes. And those eyes seemed to confirm whatever it was Heron was trying to do. "Hah, okay okay, your story is proven. She definitely recognizes you." Heron smirked in victory, arrogant as always.

"What is she doing here?" Ellie asked, annoyed that her plans were ruined and frightened that something had gone wrong. She shot Cress a significant look - a look that clearly meant to absolutely not talk. "...Heron, she shouldn't be here. My mother might mistake her for one of those disgusting rebels." Heron just laughed and grinned, shaking her head. "Hah! No way, the Queen's nice! I'll just tell her that I'm taking this girl as my own servant. I mean, I am technically a noblewoman." Heron swayed her hips suggestively. "Still, Cress here's a cutie. Might even train her to be a knight with me."

Ellie grimaced at the idea of Cress being made to join the army. "She's my family. So technically, she's royalty." The ice girl glanced at Cress's collar and sighed at the flashing light. "...Was it really necessary to lock her in here for the day?" To that, Heron grinned cheekily, laying lazily on the floor. "She'd totally escape otherwise. She was hurt, nobles were beating on her. I'm the blade of justice! Can't let that happen, y'know? Not a cutie like her."

So Ellie decided to sit next to Cress. "...It's good to see you again." For some reason it was difficult to talk to her. Was a part of Ellie already slowly losing to Narcia? Were the two halves being blended together? Ellie didn't know, but the idea frightened 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 ||




When Aya woke up she was terrified. She was trapped in a noble house, stranded, with no way of finding Cress at all. Cress was probably being hurt, being tortured and the blonde rebel just wanted to cry because she knew she was being useless again. Corren Archon, the noble that had kept her safe from Itward, gave her another weird dissolving pill that made the pain go away and helped her go pee. He surprisingly didn't try to touch her much at all - it seemed he already knew what was done, just by looking. She didn't understand it, not really, how could the doctor noble know just by looking? It was filled with pads that seemed glued to her special spot, and the tube was in it, making her look like a boy.

Corren had injected her with something when she cried for Cress, and it made her neck feel weird and she couldn't talk because her vocal chords were paralyzed. "Only for now." He promised in his usual emotionless voice. "It'll wear off eventually." Aya didn't like it, she didn't like being unable to talk at all. It made her feel even weaker than usual. Worst was that Archon seemed to completely ignore her - leaving her chained in his room with nothing really to do at all. Her gravity drive was on his desk and he was reading things, studying things, as if that was all he did.

Aya was restless. She wanted out, she didn't want fancy food or for him to have a maid wash her down, Aya just wanted to be gone, to be able to go and get her bike from the free and to find Cress and save her from Itward or the Queen. She wanted to cry because she was so helpless, she couldn't even get up from the little mattress on the floor. Corren seemed to notice Aya's agitation so he placed a book in front of her for her to read and he went back to his studies. Aya stared but she didn't understand these strange letters. She didn't like the pictures either - they were all surgical stuff, like cutting open someone's neck to fix what looked like elastics in the throat, the cut lines reminded her of the lines on Nio's neck, though. Was Corren the one that hurt her? But Itward said - Aya didn't understand at all.

"So you're a Rubble, then." Corren murmured, sounding incredibly disinterested. He then sat down and took out a much more colorful book with more pictures and less words and decided to teach Aya how to read.


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 ||




When Cress awoke she was alone. She tried to roll out of bed, but ended up taking the blanket with her and groaned on the floor, pushing herself into a sitting up position. Her legs were still numb, but the cuts were mostly healed thanks to the weird salve. "Oy, what are you doing on the ground!" Heron asked, coming in with breakfast. She lifted Cress with ease, putting her back on the bed. "Now, let's see what this looks like." She undid the bandages on the two deepest cuts, one on her face and the one on her thigh. "It's healing nicely," Heron said with approval as she tipped Cress's face to look towards the wall. She put more salve and a new bandage on both. "Thanks," Cress murmured and Heron grinned. "I didn't quite hear you!"

"I said thank you!" Cress repeated, louder this time and glaring. Heron nodded her head, satisfied, and uncovered the breakfast tray. The smell of steaming delicious food filled her nose and Cress's eyes widened, her mouth watering just a little. Heron tucked a napkin into Cress's shirt and fed her like the night before. This time Cress was a bit more willing, knowing that the next morning she would be gone. Hopefully Serpina had delivered the message to Aya, hopefully Aya was making friends with the Rubble they had rescued or maybe she knew her and already the child was on her way to a safe house in the Tower district, it was a nice thought.

"I'll be back, don't go trying things again! At least not without me," Heron winked and Cress blushed, pulling the blanket over her head as Heron walked out. She waited, plotting, hoping that maybe she could knock Heron out and use her fingerprint to undo the sequence since Heron was the only one that could. The door opened, Heron returned and Cress sat up, her eyes widening. Ellie motioned for Cress to remain silent and Cress returned it with a subtle nod to show she acknowledge the request.

It pained her to think that, that might have been how Ellie thought of the rebels. As disgusting rubbles who seemed to have far too much time on her hands. She knew it was a lie though, that Ellie was working with Xion to overthrow the Queen and once that happened they could return home. Yes, Auntie and Mom would be waiting with fresh lemonade like every summer day when they ran inside after playing in the mud for too long.

Heron swayed her hips teasingly and Ellie sat on the edge of the bed. "Ellie," Cress reached out, there was no hesitation. She hugged her cousin tightly, noticing that her scent was different, her posture changed. "I was so worried they were hurting you here, trying to turn you into a Princess." She laughed, "You look good in dresses, you should wear them more often."


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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 in the bathroom when her collar went off, electrocuting the water and shocking her into unconsciousness. When she awoke the bath water was cold and she was shivering. A servant had come in and wrapped Shiro up, taking her to the sick bay where she proceeded to pee on the bed in fear. "I-I'm sorry," Shiro whimpered as her collar went off again, which only served to spread the pool of warmth beneath her. "Your collar is broken," the Doctor explained as it went off again, making Shiro lose her voice. "I'll get you a new one, just bear with me." He said and went over to a drawer, bringing over a tool kit. He had to cut the collar off with a pair of bolt cutters, the metal falling to the floor, the sound ringing through the room. He took out a new collar and pressed it against her neck, closing it and then fixing the material so that it molded properly to Shiro's neck.

"Oh my," the Queen stepped in, shaking her head. "Shiro you poor little thing, had I realized your collar was faulty I would have it replaced right away." She was smiling, no doubt the Queen had known. "I thought you were a big girl."

"I-I am." Her voice had returned with the new collar. "But big girls can hold it in." Shiro tried to explain why she had peed on the bed, because she was scared, but the Queen wouldn't have it so she brought out a punishment of a different kind. Rather than the collar going off, she made Shiro wear an embarrassing cloth diaper underneath a dress that was just long enough to cover the bottom so that if Shiro moved or bent you'd be able to see it. "I-I'm a big girl! I can hold it!" Shiro squeaked but the queen only shook her head and sighed. "I should have known you were still a child, unfit to take care of the Princess."

Shiro was sent away, down the hall. She ran to find the Princess, wanting to be by Nee's side so she wouldn't have to be alone.

Setting

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

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

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




Just as Ellie was afraid that she wasn't all Ellie anymore, once again Cress came to the rescue with a hug, a tight embrace of cousins. Finally someone wasn't treating her like a princess, treating her like someone she was in the past. It felt like forever since she was called Ellie, since someone looked at her and didn't initially think of Narcia for once. Was it selfish? Should she have been thankful to have been a princess? She wasn't sure, honestly, but the hug was nice, so Ellie returned it, ignoring Heron's giggle of amusement.

When Cress expressed her worry about her being hurt, what came to mind was the room of spiders, and Ellie stiffened against the hug momentarily, fear flashing in her eyes, scritching echoing in her head. She wouldn't tell Cress, obviously, there was no need for that. Cress was hurt more, fitted with augmentations and held by Itward as well as being tortured by the Queen. If anyone, Cress was the one who suffered, and it hurt Ellie's chest to think about. "I'm the princess." She explained, possibly being over-cautious with the knight in the room. "Why would they hurt me? But thank you for worrying." Then Ellie grimaced, hating herself for her distant speech. She used to be really close with Cress, they could talk for hours. How could she go back to that? What could she do to bring that back? She tried for a smile, for a joke. "And I thought you hated dresses with a passion, Cress. Aren't you the one changing the most?"

Even if Heron was a friend, it was hard to really feel comfortable with Cress being stuck in the room. Heron was incredibly over flirty with pretty much anyone of the female gender - to the point that most nobles simply let it happen even if it was seen as inappropriate - and she hoped that Cress wasn't added to the list of girls Heron has kissed. "I hope she didn't touch you too much." Ellie said, frowning a little, making Heron laugh and smirk. "Shoulda heard the noises coming from her, Princess! Music to my ears!" And then Ellie gave her a cold stare of disappointment. "She's my cousin. Off-limits." The red haired knight raised her hands in mock surrender, arrogant grin decorating her face. "Yeah, yeah, I didn't do anything but look. Spoilsport." Heron stuck a tongue out as she lay on the floor lazily.

Then Heron blinked in confusion. "Hang on, wait. Why is there an earthling here, anyways?" She asked, tilting her head, ponytail swaying. "The Queen was only meant to bring you back, Nee." And then Ellie felt a hitch in her throat, but she knew she'd have to say something or other. Her mind raced as she searched for something. "...She isn't meant to be here. It was an accident, and she has family back on Earth." Ellie gripped Cress's fingers in her own, locking them together. "Heron, I'm trying to find a way to send her back without anyone noticing. Could you help me?"

Heron chuckled. "Yeah, since you asked so nicely." But then she blinked again, still a little perplexed. "Why not ask your mother to do it? She's really nice, I'm sure she'd love to send her back!" Ellie felt at a loss so she let Narcia take over. Her posture straightened and her eyes grew a little colder. "My mother put a collar on her, as you can see. I'd like to send Cress back without her help. So please don't tell her about this."

"...Yeah, yeah. Everyone's got their rebellious stage at some point." The knight smirked, relaxing on the floor of the room. "Sure, I'll keep your secret! But I want a kiss as a reward!" Without warning the knight hopped up and kissed Cress on the lips, then kissed Narcia again for the second time, posing in victory. Ellie felt like she forgot an appointment she had scheduled, but she wasn't sure what it was.




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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 letters still didn't really make sense but Corren worked slowly, helping her understand each one, understand the sounds they made. Aya already knew how to talk so once she recognized each sound based on the letters used, she knew what the word was most of the time. It was odd - learning to read was odd but for some reason it seemed the noble enjoyed teaching. He was patient and kind even if he was a filthy pig, and that made Aya question everything she knew. Corren Archon was still a pig, right? So why did he save her from Itward? Why was he being so nice to her? The girl didn't really comprehend it at all.

"I should go." Corren said after a while, a satisfied look on his face with Aya's progress. "I have to tutor the Princess again. Would you like to come as my assistant?" Aya nodded, still feeling numb in her throat, feeling like she still couldn't speak. The gave her another pill to swallow to take away the pain that was slowly coming back and then gave her back her gravity drive. "Carry the books for me." And so she did, using her gravity drive to float the textbooks and papers just above her hand. Corren announced that he was off to the rest of the Archon family and he put Aya in the pod. Aya still didn't like the collar he put on her, she hated it, but she was also thankful that there wasn't a servant chip in. She'd be able to take it off once she was free to. It felt weird being dressed in servant clothing - Aya missed her green jacket - but at least she wasn't being hurt, right? It'd be nice to be able to talk, though.

In the palace they found a tiny blonde girl with what seemed to be a diaper under her dress. Wasn't this the girl that followed the princess around? Aya glanced at Corren but he gave her look that clearly meant not to look at the diaper, and then he addressed her as Shiro. Yes, Shiro was her name, Aya remembered her from the ball. "I'm glad to see you're feeling well." The man said in a neutral tone, and Aya wondered if Shiro was hurt or sick or something. She smiled and waved at the girl, hoping she was okay. Just another person the rebellion would save once Xion won.

But the Princess turned out not to even be in her room. Aya's voice felt a little bit better now, kinda. The man sat down and began organizing books and other things. "Go find the princess for me as I set up the lesson." Corren said so Aya nodded, scampering out of the room. Aya didn't really want to find Narcia, though. What she wanted to find was Cress, she needed to get her friend back and save her and take her back to Tower.