|
|
Post by lilywilde on Sept 10, 2016 15:24:29 GMT -6
Lily found herself once again cornered in an alleyway. This time was much different from the first time though. This time, the imagined bullies were real, and the insults were flying at a rapid pace. It had all started when she ate those stupid birds. How was she supposed to know that city folk didn't make do with what was available?
"What's the matter freak? Nothing to say?"
"Hey, it's not her fault she's a savage Faunus," says another boy with a chuckle.
The third boy doesn't say anything, just pushes her against the alley wall and laughs as she tears up.
"What'sa matter? Got some feathers in your mouth? Nothin' to say?" Said another student as he pushed her down.
The abuse was nothing. She was certain that she could pick the three of these students apart like the dogs that they were. She wouldn't though. She'd made a promise not to start any fights, and if she was nothing else, she was true to her word. She sat on the ground, waiting for them to grow bored. Full of regret that one little mistake was still haunting her. One of them kicked her in the ribs. Her aura was more than adequate to repel the worst of the damage, but this was starting to get a little dangerous. Perhaps she wasn't going to fight, but that didn't mean she had to stay here. She put a hand on the ground, in front of her, and moved to her knees. A swift kick from one of the boys sent her sprawling, but she recovered with catlike grace, shifting her weight from a hand to a crouched position. She jumped once, reaching about two thirds of the way to the top of the single story buildings the alley was cutting through. Another swift jump off of that wall landed her on her feet atop the roof of the opposite building. She slouched down against the parapet, holding her legs up to her chest and letting the tears flow freely now. She could hear the boys talking to each other below, one was angry that she'd refused to acknowledge them. The other was talking about chasing her up the building to continue where they'd left off, and the third sounded like he was already in the process of climbing up the wall. None of them could match her agility, but she was hardly the only student capable of scaling a single story building. Once they showed up, she would just use her semblance to jet off into the distance, but she knew that she couldn't outrun this forever. Would she forever be the pigeon girl? Would her actions not redeem her some day? She had no clue. In this moment though, she felt small, and insignificant.
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Sept 12, 2016 9:55:32 GMT -6
THE PRINCESS AND THE PARIAH
► lily + amber ◄
|
This was her design. Ever since she was brought to Vytal Island, whenever she wasn’t occupying herself with the company of Ferr Aesir or her new group of friends, Amber trained. Sometimes it was for a few hours, sometimes it was the entire day. The young aspiring Huntress, once the proverbial crown jewel of Rift - a coveted trophy among the Kingdom’s upper echelon - had hardened herself into a more than capable fighter. With the Hound in her hand, Amber had found the power - the ability - to achieve her dreams. She was going to fight for Remnant, for everyone, and help push back the darkness wherever it spawned. Amber had just finished a long morning of training, and decided to wander about the campus in an effort to get a better feel for the place - without any interference. Still sporting her Hunting attire - dark brown low-rise shorts, the blue jacket with the sleeves unbuttoned and left flowing like a small cape - she drifted through the courtyard, taking in the gentle breeze and smell of the ocean nearby. There was a time when Amber believed Rift was the most beautiful place in all of Remnant, but Vytal had already proven that old assumption to be wrong. The island - and the Academy - paled the Kingdom of Rift in comparison. "What's the matter freak? Nothing to say?"The voice of who she assumed to be a student caught her attention, and Amber’s blue eyes shifted in the direction the voice had come from. There she saw a girl, familiar - one who had helped rescue her from Setek - backed into a corner of an alley while a group of kids stood around her. Catching sight of one of the boys pushing Lily down, Amber’s brow furrowed, her teeth gritting slightly as she fought an onslaught of curses for the boys. Instead, Amber was quick and descended upon them all, tugging the boy - who had just finished the feathers-in-your-mouth comment - by the collar and pushing him aside. "Hey, leave her alone!” She snapped, standing between the group and the girl on the ground. Of course, Amber wasn’t quick enough to get there before Lily had bolted up the side of the buildings. Glaring at the students, Amber ran off in the direction she had seen Lily run - all while trying to find a way up onto the rooftops. She had never been fond of heights, and the thought of climbing up a building just to make sure a kid she hardly knew was okay seemed a little…unnecessary. Still, that was part of what made Amber the so-called paragon of empathy back at home. She couldn’t - and wouldn’t - allow someone to feel shamed for seemingly nothing. She knew exactly how that felt. Finally finding her way to the rooftops, Amber looked around for the girl - eventually finding her curled up and in tears. “H-hey…Are you okay?” She asked in a soft tone of voice, slowly advancing in her approach. “You’re name is Lily, right? I’m Amber, the - uh… - princess of Rift, I guess.” She paused for a moment, laughing nervously. “I never got the chance to properly thank you for your help in Setek!” She added, holding her hand towards the girl. “S-so…uh, thanks!” |
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Sept 12, 2016 15:27:23 GMT -6
Lily had heard the somewhat familiar voice scolding the boys below, and was surprised with the speed in which she was followed. She wiped the tears from her face, and looked up to see the princess standing there. She scrabbled to her feet, tears still streaming, and gave the princess as good a curtsie as she was capable of from the description she'd read of curtsies. She bent her knees, bowed her head, and lifted the her tattered black dress up an inch or so. "S-Sorry, this..." She thought to the boys who had just been taunting her, "I don't want to make any trouble for you. I'm not exactly the most... popular kid. I've been adjusting a bit poorly, there are some things that I didn't quite pick up on quickly enough." She wiped some more tears from her face, and kept her head slightly bowed, trying to show reverence to her station. "It's entirely my fault that they're teasing me, if I weren't to blame, then they would not have been teasing me in the first place." Her hands were balled into tiny fists as the stood there. She kicked the top of the building sheepishly with her bare left foot, pushing a bit of dust around.
"I'm not afraid of them," she said. I am afraid of what I might do to them if they keep this up though, she thought.
She looked at the princess, wondering what she was doing here, and why she was even bothering to help Lily out right now.
"I'm sorry again, I just.. uhh, I know I helped you before, but you don't need to help me. I'm doing alright here. Once I learn more about how all of this works," she said gesturing to the school, and the various businesses in the area around them. "I'll be a lot better, and stuff like this won't happen." Her tear-streaked face curled into a weak smile. "If I hadn't promised not to fight, then I could have torn those three to shreds. I don't want to cause any more trouble though, and I understand that if I were to pursue action against them through the school, they might be expelled. They aspire to be warriors in the fight against the Grimm, so I can't really justify that just because they're being a bit mean to me." She hugged one of her arms, her ears flat against her head.
"Oh, and you don't need to thank me for anything. I'm uhh... I'm always happy to help. That's the kind of huntress I'm going to be. I'm not in it for gratitude, I just want to preserve this society that allows for people who are willing to protect the helpless to exist. I want this school to do well, and I want to protect people to pay back a certain group of people who extended the same kindness to me. I used to think... well, it doesn't matter what I used to think. Now I'm pretty certain the course that I want my life to take." The smile grew stronger, and looked a bit more genuine. Now that she wasn't focused on the stupid things she had done at the school, and was thinking about why she was at the school in the first place, her mood seemed to pick up a bit. "Oh, but where are my manners, you probably don't care about all that, I'm sure you've got far more important things to think about.. uhh... sorry," she said her last few words growing quieter. She didn't like the thought of wasting the time of someone who was so important.
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Sept 15, 2016 12:22:11 GMT -6
the princess + the pariah
► lily + amberleigh ◄
|
Amber wasn’t sure, at first, how she should respond to the younger girl’s curtsy. It was an uncomfortable reminder of her past, the one she tried so hard to leave behind. Still, out of respect for the girl - and her attempts at formality - Amber responded with a rushed bow. "I don't want to make any trouble for you. I'm not exactly the most... popular kid. I've been adjusting a bit poorly, there are some things that I didn't quite pick up on quickly enough." The girl apologized, wiping the tears from her face. Amber’s expression was one of concern, crooked in a mix of concern and sympathy.Poor kid.”I know I helped you before, but you don't need to help me. I'm doing alright here. Once I learn more about how all of this works.” She added, motioning to the surrounding area. Amber knew all too well how she must have been feeling, allowing her to empathize with the student before her. The younger girl’s expression changed to that of a slight smile, causing the heaviness in Amber’s chest - that feeling of dread and woe - to disappear completely. Watching as the girl - presumably - sheepishly hugging onto her arm and tucking her ears, Amber chuckled under her breath - quietly, but enough for the Faunus girl to make out.Looking around campus from the rooftops, Amber thought about how overwhelmed she had been when she first arrived - and how a helpful hand helped her get a feel for the place. That said, she was too old to be a student, so she would never truly understand Lily’s predicament. "Oh, and you don't need to thank me for anything. I'm uhh... I'm always happy to help.” The girl added, causing Amber’s attention to whip back to her with a large smile. ”I'm sure you've got far more important things to think about.. uhh... sorry.” Amber, again, chuckled quietly. Never had she met someone - other than herself - that apologized so much.She was starting to see why people often had a good giggle here and there about such behavior.“Don’t worry about it, like at all!” Amber said with a wide smile. “I’ve actually got nothing to do, and saw you getting into some trouble. Wanted to check up and see how you are, really. I figured you’d be fine physically, but being bullied is never a good thing - especially for the heart and mind.” Her right hand rose, hovering to her left side, her hand over her heart. “It definitely sounds super naive, given the state of the world.” She continued in a hushed tone. “But I think love and tenderness are forces that Remnant needs now more than ever.” Her arm gently dropped back to her side, her hand settling on the pommel of the Hound.“Would you like to hang out for a while?” Amber offered, grinning happily at the girl. “We could go grab a bite, chat, maybe spar and all that fun stuff. Moping around does no one any good, right?” |
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Sept 15, 2016 18:15:52 GMT -6
Lily was in a word, flabbergasted.
She stood there for a second, processing everything that had been said, before finally deciding how to respond.
"Well... I think you're right that remnants needs more of those things. Uhm, I used to not care at all. I owe a group of people a deep debt for showing me how wrong I was. It's a big part of why I'm here, training to be a huntress. I'm going to help protect this world which allows for people to grow into the sort of person they were, the sort of person you seem to be. These kingdoms are.. well, honestly amazing. I..." She almost started talking about the wilds, and her life before, but she felt ashamed. The princess wouldn't care, and she wouldn't want to hear about something so boring as that anyway.
Then the realization hit her that the princess was willing to spend some time with her, as she thought of what they could do, she nervously squeaked out "Buh, y-you wanna hang out with me? But you're a princess, and I'm... well," She looked a little crestfallen as she looked over the waters and thought of the wilderness beyond. "I mean, if that's really what you want, well, I'd be more than happy to spend as much time with you as you want." Though her words were formal, her tone was excited, she was eager for the coming events, the brief drop in her mood was already gone.
"Let's see... well, my friend Aegle showed me this really good food place with lots of stuff I've never eaten before," she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial tone "She called some of their food hot, but it's not like, fire heat. It's more like... mouth heat. You gotta feel it to really understand it, but it's really yummy."
She recalled the night in Aegle's room, the sour mood that she'd left things at, and the yummy food she'd shared with her friend just before their fight. She hoped that Aegle wasn't still mad. She needed to apologize. That was a worry for another day though, for now, she should focus on the company she was keeping.
"I uhm... I had planned on going there after a while, but I don't really have any money, or uhh.. a functional grasp of the who concept of money. I just know that people need it to give you things." She was excited by the prospect of everything else, but worried that her basic ignorance of how things really worked in society might be a damper on the day. Which was sad, she had tons of things that she wanted to ask the princess. She was really looking forward to the day ahead. Thought of an eventual sparring match, of a discussion over spicy meals, it sent a warm feeling through her chest. She really wanted this, and really wanted the princes to like her for some reason.
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Sept 19, 2016 12:27:26 GMT -6
the princess + the pariah
► amber + lily ◄
|
With a fond smile, Amber listened to Lily as she spoke about her debt, about the kind of Huntress she wanted to be, and then a brief comment about the Kingdoms. She was absolutely right, though. All four of the Kingdoms of Remnant were gorgeous beyond words, each one as beautiful as - and in their own way more so - than the others. Mankind had gone far since emerging from the wilderness and taking back their home, enough so that - at least in her opinion - they dwarfed what Old Remnant was. It gave the princess a great deal of hope for the future. "Buh, y-you wanna hang out with me? But you're a princess, and I'm... well…” Amber grinned at the girl’s words, regarding the nervousness in her voice as completely normal. Unlike the majority of Remnant’s inhabitants, Amber was in a unique position as Princess of Rift. To some, her title alone was intimidating - the legends behind her family added to that. Watching as Lily’s expression grew sad, she tilted her head - slightly curious by the sudden shift in the girl’s mood. "I mean, if that's really what you want, well, I'd be more than happy to spend as much time with you as you want.” The girl added, prompting Amber to snort a bit as she suppressed a giggle. She went on to speak about a friend of her’s - Aegle, a girl Amber was unfamiliar with - that had showed her a restaurant within the city. It sounded like spicy food was their trade, the thought of which caused Amber’s mouth to salivate. Ever since leaving home, she had found that she loved foods that others often declared “hot” - so long as the spices that went into them were applied correctly. Hopefully this place would be similar, and being that it had been some time since Amber enjoyed a spicy meal, she figured that the place Lily spoke of would be a great place to start. Lily finished by mentioning money, which was a little concerning. Didn’t she have any? The thought left Amber looking a little puzzled. “Well, don’t worry about money and all that stuff for now, kay?” Amber replied with a wide smile. “I’ll take care of that for today, so no fussin’!” She bounced happily on her heels, sticking her rear out as she leaned forward. “Hot food it is! Lead the way, Lily!” Amber added, standing up straight with an enthusiastic grin. “Because I have no idea where anything is around here!” |
No colors cuz Proboards is being fucktarded. |
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Sept 20, 2016 10:55:19 GMT -6
Lily nodded, reassured that the princess would handle money. She wasn't at all familiar with the need for it. Then again, she had only been a part of her tribe until she was eight, and her parents never exactly charged her anything for the service they provided. She needed to spend some time reading up on economics.
"I can show you where it is," she said walking towards the edge of the building they were on. "It's not far. I haven't been inside yet, but I've got this area of town pretty well mapped out now." She hopped off the building while still facing the princess, a smile on her face as she jumped backwards. She did a front flip for style on the way down, landing on her feet with feline grace. She looked around the street, the curry place was only about a block away from here. when the princess eventually joined her, she led her to the store in question. "This is it," she said opening the door. She was immediately assailed by a torrent of meaty scents and spicy flavors that hang about in the air, so much so that she almost recoils at first. "Hehe, that's strong," she comments as she steps inside. She spends a few moments admiring the art on the walls. It was interesting, and featured long lizards and different dishes. She held the door open for amber, and walked up to the counter, much to the chagrin of the sheepish looking clerk.
"I want uhh... One of these spicy ones," she said pointing at the menu to one that looked similar to the Curry that Aegle had eaten the spiced food in her room not three days prior.
"Uhhh miss? You gotta get out of here." the sheepish clerk said a bit nervously.
"What? What'd I do?" Lily asked as her ears flattened. Her voice was trembling slightly. The desk clerk sighed, apparently not enjoying this aspect of his job.
"Look, you can't come in here with no shoes on. That's unsanitary, and frankly you should know better. You're what, seventeen? Eighteen?"
Lily grew quiet, and shuffled towards the door. Today was not her day. Whether a princess was going to play with her or not, she couldn't catch a break with most of the other people. She sighed as she walked back out the door. Trying her best not to let it get her down too much.
"Sorry Amber," she said kicking at the concrete with her feet. Showing no signs of pain as her feet contacted the hard material. "I'm uhh.. I'm not really used to this stuff yet," She said gesturing to the buildings around her. It was a slip of the tongue, she didn't actually plan on telling Amber about her unpleasant history, but when she continued to make social faux pas like this day in and day out, it was hard not to explain herself to some extent. "There aren't so many rules where I'm from,"
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Sept 21, 2016 22:39:32 GMT -6
the princess + the pariah
► amber + lily ◄
|
Following Lily with a grin, Amber looked around the city as they traveled towards their dining location. The thought of food made her stomach rumble, and as they drew closer, the churning sensation grew more and more intense. "This is it.” Lily finally said, opening the door to the building they had walked up to. The smell of the food within hit Amber like a brick wall, forcing her tired mouth to salivate. Oh, god, all she wanted to do was eat. As her new friend entered, the Princess followed, wandering up to the counter before browsing the selection."I want uhh... One of these spicy ones.” The Faunus girl said, pointing out an item that - in Amber’s opinion - looked rather delicious. Amber prepared to give her own order, only to be cut off by the voice of the clerk. "Uhhh miss? You gotta get out of here." He said, a slight hint of shame or embarrassment in his voice. Amber wasn’t quite sure which it was, but it didn’t appear to her that this man was trying to be heartless. "What? What'd I do?” Lily responded in a shaky voice, her ears flattened like a shamed pet.It almost broke Amber’s heart to see her like that."Look, you can't come in here with no shoes on. That's unsanitary, and frankly you should know better. You're what, seventeen? Eighteen?" The clerk added. Amber’s expression grew crooked, finding it difficult to empathize wholly with either of the two. All that considered, she felt a bit of responsibility to lean more on the side of her friend, regardless as to whether she understood the clerk’s motivations. Watching Lily with a slight frown as she walked away, Amber shot a quick glance at the clerk with a smile before waving and running after the girl.Lily seemed a little distraught, and rightfully so. Her apology, however, was unnecessary. Amber panted quietly as she caught up, looking at Lily with a wide smile. “Don’t apologize, Lily! This gave me a wonderful idea!” She announced gleefully. “Let’s go shopping! We can get you some new clothes, a few pairs of shoes - maybe even a dress for the Festival, if you’d like!” Pausing for a moment, Amber struck a confident pose and nodded, the wide grin still set on her face. “So whaddya say, Lily?” She inquired. “Ready for some shopping?” |
|
|
|
|
Post by lilywilde on Sept 22, 2016 0:14:56 GMT -6
Lily's face turned a deep red as the princess offered to take her shopping. A part of her really wanted to grow closer to the princess. She seemed so nice, and was a shining beacon of everything she thought a huntress should be. On the other hand, how could she justify someone spending so much on her? She didn't know much about money, but she did know that it wasn't easy to come by. Maybe a princess has more than most people, but even if that were the case, then shouldn't she be spending it on other people? People who needed it more? Lily didn't quite understand exactly how poor she was compared to other people.
She thought about the encounter just now with the uncomfortable shop keep. She thought about the way that some students at Vytal regarded her, how some had their eyes drawn to her tattered dress and lack of footwear. How she very clearly did not fit in with anyone else around her in school. If the princess was willing to help with that problem, if even a little, then shouldn't she accept that kindness?
She self consciously grabbed her right elbow and looked at the princess with uncertain eyes. "I mean, if you're okay to take me shopping, then I probably should be a little more... normal... in the way that I dress." She paused to think about what she should buy, and what might look good on her, before saying "Uhm... Honestly I don't know what to buy though. Could you help me pick out the outfits that would look good on me? I could use a more practiced hand to guide the way, and you..." she said gesturing to the princesses' appreance. "You look really good."
Now that she was warmed up to the idea, her mind began to wonder. She started thinking about some of the pretty dresses she'd seen others wearing, the nice shoes, the cute accessories. She tried to imagine herself wearing some of them. She imagined the ribbons in her hair, soft clothes and scented oils. She had never really given herself time to think about this stuff in detail. Partly because she hadn't previously seen the issues with the way she dressed, and partly because she never really imagined herself normalizing. She had difficulties fitting in with people in general. Though part of that was her manner of dress, that was a very small part of the problem. She had a lot to work on, both in herself and with her appearance. This would be a good first step for her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Amber Sablier on Sept 26, 2016 11:07:45 GMT -6
the princess + the pariah
► amber + lily ◄
|
"I mean, if you're okay to take me shopping, then I probably should be a little more...normal...in the way that I dress." Lily said, grabbing onto her elbow as if trying to hide herself. Amber could feel the corners of her lips begin to curl into an excited smile, anticipating Lily’s - presumed - acceptance of her invitation to go shopping. "Uhm...Honestly I don't know what to buy though. Could you help me pick out the outfits that would look good on me? I could use a more practiced hand to guide the way, and you…" She added, gesturing towards Amber. "You look really good."The Princess’s grin grew, her eyes almost glistening with excitement at the thought of helping doll up the younger girl. “I would LOVE to help you out, Lily!” She cheered, hopping with excitement. “We can get you some shoes, a few different little outfits, a dress or two.” Covering her mouth, Amber gasped quietly as her grin because almost devious. “Speaking of dresses, the Vytal Festival is in a few months - we can get you a dress for that, too!” She added, giggling excitedly. “It’ll be soooo much fun, Lily! Let’s go, let’s go, let’s gooo!”Without giving the girl much time to respond, Amber grabbed her by the hand and started running through the city. Though she wasn’t one hundred percent sure where they were heading, she hoped the sudden sprint would help to hype her new friend up for the evening ahead. It was going to be a pretty awesome experience - for both of them - she could feel it! “So, Lily, tell me a little bit about yourself.” Amber said in an effort to start some conversation. “Where are you from and all that? My brain thirsts for knowledge!” She added with a giggle.Internally, the Princess began anticipating the Festival. First a tournament, then a dance - she was so excited. She had attended a couple times before with her parents, but with the state of the world as it was, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to be like this year.Hopefully it went smoothly. |
|
|
