False Gods

Book IX: Aegis

Chapter LXXI

Acacia woke up with T-Elos and KOS-MOS sleeping beside her, and it honestly made her feel a little weird. Was she really worthy of their adoration? She wasn't convinced, however she understood that her blades looked up to her, and expected a lot from her. KOS-MOS had patiently waited for Acacia to find herself, and now she had. There was absolutely no reason for Acacia not to be the best driver she could be, and she silently vowed to herself that she'd do whatever it took to be a driver worthy of their adoration.

Acacia carefully got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She took a good long look in the mirror, not really thinking anything, but just staring at herself.

"I look like a disaster," she finally chuckled out.

Her hair was in knots, she could smell her own breath, she had dried blood in various places, and she felt like she was getting old. She then remembered that she's actually a few hundred years old... and that honestly didn't make her feel any better. However there was one thing she knew of, other than alcohol of course, that could help her relax and loosen up; she took a nice, long, hot bath.

Traveling with a blade that was more robot than human most of the time and a slew of dudes with blades that kept to themselves made her forget that she could occasionally pamper herself. Although to be fair she never took herself as the "pampering type". She was about as girlie as barbed wire on a dollhouse and her current state definitely showed this.

She cleaned herself very thoroughly as the water went from clear to a red-brown, and it made her laugh a little

"You're always playing in the mud! Why can't you have... more clean hobbies?!" Violet had said to her back when they were kids.

"Oh quit being such a stickler!" Acacia had argued. "I don't know how anyone could dress up all prim and proper like you!"

Violet had huffed. "How do you ever expect to get a boyfriend like that? No charming prince wants his princess looking like she just jumped out of the sewers!"

Acacia had rolled her eyes and then had splashed mud onto Violet, who was less than thrilled.

Her face had gone beat red as she squealed. "YOU'RE THE WORST! GO CHOKE ON A BULOOFU TURD!" she had said as she ran away.

Violet had always hoped for some prince to take her off her feet like some fairy tale, but after their mom had died....

Acacia found herself crying again, much harder than she expected to. It wasn't fair... was Malos right? Was this world better off gone? Violet deserved so much more than what she was given, how could Acacia fight for a world like that?

She took a deep breath. The world wasn't like that for everyone, and it was for that very reason she'd continue to fight. Maybe right now, there was another girl just like Violet, who only wants the best in life but maybe was about to have that ripped from her. Acacia would fight for her, for the people that just wanted happiness, for the people that wanted something more than they have right now. Acacia wanted to make a world where anyone could fight for what they wanted, where people could make their own choices.

Acacia laughed a bit, she was beginning to sound like Silas. She wanted to fight, but today, she wanted to relax, and that's exactly what she planned to do.

As she got ready to get out of the bath, she heard a shrill voice from outside the door.

"Rafi going to take baaaath!" the nopon said excitedly as he opened the door without a single knock.

He was met with the cock of a pistol and a loud bang as a bullet slammed into the doorpost right by the doorknob.

The door closed quickly and "Sorry sorry! Rafi saw nothing!" could be heard along with hurried footsteps as he ran away.