Violet Shadows (FFVII)

XLI) Scattered

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I wince, hunched over as I lean against the wall. I have to go.

"David, can you please open the door?" I plead.

The sounds of the shower continue without interruption. There are other bathrooms, of course, but they're all too far away. If I straighten, I will pee my pants. I'm going to explode, I swear to the gods...

"David!" I whine, bouncing impatiently.

Finally, I can't take it anymore. I take the toothpick I brought (just in case) from my pocket and push it into the little hole in the doorknob. The shower shuts off; I shrug and push the door open slowly, hardly able to see through the steam. I freeze, horror-struck. Lightning fast, Vincent grabs the towel off of the countertop and wraps it around his waist, obviously both startled and angry.

"Violet..."

"I think I peed myself," I squeak, turning tail and running back to my room. I will never get that image out of my head.

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"David, can you get him?" I mutter around the paintbrush I hold between my teeth, peering over my canvas to get a good look at my reference—a big, blossoming cherry tree in the front yard.

"Huh?" David looks up from his book. "Josh, come to Daddy!" The crawling infant doesn't acknowledge that he even heard his father speak, reaching a fat little hand up toward my paints. Huffing, I pick the baby up and set him beside David.

"Keep an eye on him."

"Yup." He doesn't even look up.

"Joshua," I grit, trying to catch the cup of blue paint that he pulls off the table at my side. I fail, taking a deep breath to calm my anger when my hand and the floor are splashed with bright blue. I reach for my son with my other hand; my stool teeters over and I grab hold of my easel to keep from toppling over. When I straighten, the perfect brush strokes of greens and pinks are smeared with a smudged blue handprint.

At my breaking point, I leap to my feet and tug at my hair. The stool goes flying across the room with one swift kick from my foot. David jumps, finally returning to the real world. He sets aside his book, standing and carefully reaching toward me.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"What's...?!" My voice cuts off and I stomp my foot like an angry toddler. "Are you kidding?!" I jerk my hand out of my hair, groaning when I realize there must be a blue handprint on my head now. "Can you just... get out of my sight?"

"Violet—"

"I don't want to see you right now. Go."

"C'mon, Violet, don't be like—"

"No," I snap, waving him out of my way and picking up my son, resting him on my hip.

"I think you're the one who needs a breather," he says, stepping in front of me.

"Go!" He pushes his hair out of his face and rests his other hand on his hip.

"Just give me the kid and you can go somewhere else, okay? Just go take a walk."

"You couldn't even manage to watch him for five minutes!" I protest. "Why the #$%^ would I leave him here with you!?"

"I'll watch him, I swear."

"No. Get out, David."

Shaking his head, he pries Joshua from my hands.

"Go settle down and then we can talk," he says sternly. I scoff, pushing past him and slamming the door behind me as I storm through the house. Lucrecia spots me heading for the garden and starts to speak, stopping upon seeing my face. I'm fuming and it's best that she stays off the warpath.