The Purest Snow

Chapter 29: The Fall Of A Snow

Coriolanus was aghast. "Why are you like this?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know... so morally superior."

"Why is it morally superior to believe women should be treated like people?"

"This is what I mean!"

"Ugh, Coriolanus! Be serious! Festus and Felix aren't exactly geniuses, you don't go attacking them and making assumptions about them because of it. Why is that?"

"Well... they come from important families, they're respectable people..."

"And Livia isn't? Are you trying to tell me she's more loud and opinionated than Felix?"

"No. No one is as irritating as Felix."

"But I've never heard you call him stupid or ugly."

"I don't know, Ro! You analyze things too much."

"Guys... no fighting," Tigris spoke up. They ignored her.

"It doesn't take an analysis, it's just observations," Rosella continued.

"Well... stop observing!"

"No."

"I hate you."

"Love you too..." she sang mockingly, and Coriolanus smirked and rolled his eyes.

Tigris had started to cry. "Tigris!" Rosella exclaimed in alarm. "What's going on?"

"Are you okay?" Coriolanus asked.

"She's not going to make it..." She choked out.

"Don't think that way," Rosella knelt in front of her. "I'm sure she'll be fine. People survive strokes all the time, and you caught it quickly."

"She's old, Rosella... her memory is pretty much gone already. We lost her long before this. Now it's certain."

"Then we'll survive," Coriolanus said. "We have each other, and the Plinth's. The apartment is safe. She'll be with grandfather and her sons."

Rosella nodded. "We'll get through this. No matter what." Tigris nodded and embraced them both.

"Snow family?" A doctor appeared in the waiting room.

"Yes, right here," Tigris spoke up.

"If you could follow me," he said.

"Of course," Tigris responded, and the three stood up. "Is she okay?"

"Right in here, please," the doctor ignored her question. He brought them to a secluded room, with two couches, a full bookshelf and a dim, warmly lit lamp. He gestured for them to sit on the couch opposite of him.

"I'm afraid your grandmother has died. Despite our best efforts, due to her age and the stroke, she did not make it through surgery, and died at 2347. We are so sorry for your loss."

Tigris gripped the armrest of the couch, and held back sobs as she nodded. Coriolanus and Rosella both remained stoic and composed.

"This room is yours for as long as you need," the doctor started.

"That won't be necessary. We should get home. We will make funeral arrangements in the morning," Coriolanus stood immediately, causing his sister and cousin to look at him in alarm.

"Are you sure? We do have a grief counselor on site who may help in processing this..."

"No. We're fine."

"Coryo, I think Tigris may need a minute..." Rosella said gently, looking up at her brother.

"I'll call the driver," he said, leaving the room.

Rosella looked at Tigris. "Are you okay?"

Tigris shook her head. "You know what this means now?"

"What?"

"Coriolanus is now head of the household."

"What do you mean? Of course he isn't. You are. You're the oldest."

Tigris shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He's not my baby cousin anymore. You know he..."

She was interrupted with Coriolanus's reappearance. "Driver's here," he said, gesturing for them to get up.

Rosella obliged, but Tigris remained seated. He strode over and took her by the arm.

"Coryo..." Rosella started.

"It's fine, Ro," he said. "She just needs to get home."

Rosella followed them wordlessly. She felt guilty for feeling so unaffected. She had never been close with her grandmother. In fact, they did not even get along until after the Hunger Games. But she felt potential had started, before the memory loss. She was very proud of her success with the symphony. And she never hit her again after she told her not to. The dress she had a few days ago had been very much her style, and she knew she would have had to spend time thinking about what her granddaughter liked, and taking her preferences into account. Still, Coriolanus was right about her being with her husband and family. She was old, and suffering with her memory problems and frailty. Tigris was the one who spent the most time with her, and was close with her.

The car ride was silent, and upon their arrival home, Coriolanus had his cousin and sister sit at the table.

"We're going to be okay," he said. "Grandma'am would want us to stay strong, and continue to make her proud. We'll plan the funeral for as soon as possible. Ro, you can sing and arrange other music. Tigris, you can do the obituary and flowers-"

"Coriolanus!" She snapped. "I can't do this right now."

Coirolanus looked up, and then looked to his sister. "Can you do that then? I'll call the funeral and make burial arrangements."

"Coryo... can you just chill a bit... Tigris is having a hard time."

"We need to keep the family together, Rosella," he said.

"We need to keep the image of the family being together. You're not actually worried about keeping us together."

"I am, Ro," Coriolanus insisted.

"You're not. I'm going to check on Tigris." She stood and went to Tigris's room.

"Tigris?" She asked. She found Tigris lying face down on her bed, so she sat next to her. "Tigris... it's going to be okay. Controlling everything is Coryo's way of coping."

"You were right. About Coriolanus becoming your father. The way he's acting with Grandma'am is the same way Crassus acted with my father, his brother and our grandfather, his own father. He didn't care at all, he only cared about making us all look composed. Not letting us seem weak. I was five."

"It's just a coping mechanism..." Rosella said softly.

"It's more than that. That assignment you showed me, his work with Gaul... he wants me to be a stylist, Ro. He wants me to dress up kids and make them look pretty for the cameras and parade them around before they're put to death. And the worst part is, I'll do it. I'm happy to do it. I'm not strong like you, I have no power to stop this, so it's the least I can do..."

"You're right, Tigris."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen... if I were forced into those games, I would want you to be here for me. Of course I don't want the games to happen, but if they must I at least want to make things easier for those children. Listen, I know that's not what all of this is about."

"I just... don't know how to do life without grandma'am," Tigris broke into tears. "And I feel like Coriolanus owns us now."

"That's not going to happen..." Rosella said, not overly convinced of her words.

"It already has."