Post by king fire on Jan 19, 2017 16:06:10 GMT -8
A Tale
of Two
Siblings
Guinevere limped along the halls on the way to her Kibo Unit History class. For the small span of time she was alone, she allowed herself to feel and act just as tired as she was. Pulling a double then attending class practically every day this week was exhausting. All too soon, however, she heard the approaching ring that she identified as a classmate of hers - meaning it was time to perk up and sort of disappear at the same time. Her classic plaid skirt and cream sweater combo could have fit in at any school while the heels boosted her height and the bows gave her a whimsical look...not too goofy, but definitely not a nerd. Her mood was brightened by the clearly girly eyepatch she wore, all purple and glittery butterflies - it was just a shame it clashed with the colors of everything else she had on. As the ring got closer, Gwen was able to pinpoint just who was coming up on her so quickly and adjust her gait and features into something the other girl seemed to like without being overly friendly. Gone was the struggling step and drooping shoulders; instead of a teen bound to work more than was healthy, there was a cheerful student eager to learn today's subject and gossip with her friend. Long ago it had stopped bothering Gwen that she couldn't see the way others did, and she'd made her peace with having to find other means of identifying the people she interacted with, with the rings being the most common. Though with as many Units as there were, there were an equal number of commons...most she identified by sound as well - footfall or voice - but occasionally one would have some other daily feature stick out for her to use. In this school there wasn't as much call for that, but at her job she cultivated it. Her boss once even commented that it was hard to remember she had a medical condition because she did her work so well.
Voice pitched to be a pleasant level without disturbing the classes around them, Gwen greeted the girl and began exchanging the gossip that seemed to be mandatory for socializing with her peers. Unlike the kids in her neighborhood, this classmate had money and connections...meaning she could help Gwen with her ultimate goal. A thing the criminal element just couldn't do. It sort of tickled her to imagine her remaining brother's reaction to finding out that his little sister had so many ties to the wrong side of the tracks. Sometimes she imagined he'd be overprotective (like Theo) or cold and distant (like their father), but there were times she'd imagine him just accepting her as she was (like her mom); often she contemplated offering him an in on underground intel and working to gain his trust before revealing herself. Not once had she ever given any serious thought to meeting Kamijo - the aborted hospital visit aside; as things stood, he had his perfect life and she could fade into obscurity when it came her time to follow her family beyond the veil. Which is what she wanted for the most part...but there was still this little demon buried in her heart that just wanted to meet him and his other sister. Finding her own Sacrifice was out of the question - just look what had happened to Theo and her mom! Both had found theirs and look where it got them. A pregnant stranger in a foreign country and dead. Not to say she was bitter; it was just the way the cards fell - and while she was grateful to have had her family as long as she did, there was also a piece of her that hated her Sacrifice. Found Sacrifices meant endings to Gwen, and that was all there was to it.
They chattered away about mindless topics as they were surrounded by more and more students; the rest headed to class, but Gwen had to make a small stop first and waved her 'friend' ahead calling that she'd just be a few seconds. Once clear of the brainless debutante, the Fighter made her way to sit in the restroom and catch her breath. The one thing she'd yet to figure out a solution to was her reaction to crowds. It was inevitable that if she wasn't ridiculously early then she was last one through the classroom door. Terror had a remarkable way of stealing the very air from her lungs. As the uproar outside died down, the teen washed her hands and removed her eyepatch to wash her face of the fearsweat. Staring into the mirror, her gaze naturally drifted to her Namesake - the part of her that would never, could never, blend in with the normals the way other Unit pieces could. How she envied them their hidden placements - especially the Blanks! Did any of them ever even ponder on how lucky they were? Did a single one of them thank whatever twist of fate had given them this gift? Of course they paid a price, she knew that - they all paid a price for this power...and somewhere out there was her other half, paying the same steep cost as Gwen. And yet...
Shaking herself out of the reverie, the teen quickly dried her hands and face and retied the patch back over the offensive sight with practiced ease. There might come a day when classes required she bare it, but that day was not today. Straightening her clothes, she left the restroom and hurried to class, head bowed to watch her feet to prevent tripping and becoming even later. Which meant she didn't notice the stranger until she bumped into him and began apologizing profusely before she even looked up. Not that his face would tell her anything, but she was curious as to why she hadn't noticed his ring in time to avoid him. Had she been that lost in thought?
Voice pitched to be a pleasant level without disturbing the classes around them, Gwen greeted the girl and began exchanging the gossip that seemed to be mandatory for socializing with her peers. Unlike the kids in her neighborhood, this classmate had money and connections...meaning she could help Gwen with her ultimate goal. A thing the criminal element just couldn't do. It sort of tickled her to imagine her remaining brother's reaction to finding out that his little sister had so many ties to the wrong side of the tracks. Sometimes she imagined he'd be overprotective (like Theo) or cold and distant (like their father), but there were times she'd imagine him just accepting her as she was (like her mom); often she contemplated offering him an in on underground intel and working to gain his trust before revealing herself. Not once had she ever given any serious thought to meeting Kamijo - the aborted hospital visit aside; as things stood, he had his perfect life and she could fade into obscurity when it came her time to follow her family beyond the veil. Which is what she wanted for the most part...but there was still this little demon buried in her heart that just wanted to meet him and his other sister. Finding her own Sacrifice was out of the question - just look what had happened to Theo and her mom! Both had found theirs and look where it got them. A pregnant stranger in a foreign country and dead. Not to say she was bitter; it was just the way the cards fell - and while she was grateful to have had her family as long as she did, there was also a piece of her that hated her Sacrifice. Found Sacrifices meant endings to Gwen, and that was all there was to it.
They chattered away about mindless topics as they were surrounded by more and more students; the rest headed to class, but Gwen had to make a small stop first and waved her 'friend' ahead calling that she'd just be a few seconds. Once clear of the brainless debutante, the Fighter made her way to sit in the restroom and catch her breath. The one thing she'd yet to figure out a solution to was her reaction to crowds. It was inevitable that if she wasn't ridiculously early then she was last one through the classroom door. Terror had a remarkable way of stealing the very air from her lungs. As the uproar outside died down, the teen washed her hands and removed her eyepatch to wash her face of the fearsweat. Staring into the mirror, her gaze naturally drifted to her Namesake - the part of her that would never, could never, blend in with the normals the way other Unit pieces could. How she envied them their hidden placements - especially the Blanks! Did any of them ever even ponder on how lucky they were? Did a single one of them thank whatever twist of fate had given them this gift? Of course they paid a price, she knew that - they all paid a price for this power...and somewhere out there was her other half, paying the same steep cost as Gwen. And yet...
Shaking herself out of the reverie, the teen quickly dried her hands and face and retied the patch back over the offensive sight with practiced ease. There might come a day when classes required she bare it, but that day was not today. Straightening her clothes, she left the restroom and hurried to class, head bowed to watch her feet to prevent tripping and becoming even later. Which meant she didn't notice the stranger until she bumped into him and began apologizing profusely before she even looked up. Not that his face would tell her anything, but she was curious as to why she hadn't noticed his ring in time to avoid him. Had she been that lost in thought?
