Arien watched as Arjen (gently) tugged Sora along by her uninjured hand, his tone carrying a mix of concern and reprimand as he said to her, "You should have kept the bandages on for longer."
"Blah blah blah, the wound has healed already, stop nagging me Arjen," Sora rolled her eyes and used, what she claimed, her 'completely healed' hand, to poke at Arjen.
"I would have never 'nagged' you if you'd just take care of yourself for once! I don't want you dealing with an infection, do you remember how annoying you were when you didn't listen to me and got the wound infected? You cried for days."
"Did not!"
"Did so!"
Arien glanced back and smiled sweetly at her siblings' banter.
'Some things just never change, do they?'
She paused in her steps when her attention was drawn to a man with purple(?) hair who appeared to be in a state of frantic agitation as he spoke to The Emperor.
"Who's he..?"
"Mh? He seems to be begging for something."
"He looks pathetic and demented."
"I don't need to listen to this anymore" The Emperor stated coldly, and the panic in the man's eyes was very noticeable.
"B-but Your Majesty!"
"Stop." The man shut his mouth. "Don't make me repeat myself, Count Clone." The deathly aura exuded by The Emperor's glare alone caused the man, Count Clone as The Emperor stated, to freeze, a visible shiver running through his frame as he instinctively began to back away.
He hastily bowed, before sputtering out, "I...I shall take my leave..."
Arien watched as Count Clone slowly backed away and turned his back against The Emperor, walking away with hastened steps.
Arien's gaze remained fixed as Count Clone, visibly shaken, turned his back and hastened away, the tension in the air following him like a shadow.
'That look oddly does remind me of a certain someone'
She thought to herself.
Count Clone's gaze swept over the siblings who watched the scene play out nearby as he hurried past them, his expression contorting into a twisted grimace as if he had caught sight of something unsavory. Despite the distance, his disdain was palpable, casting a shadow over the atmosphere as he continued on his way.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sora slipped a knife from seemingly nowhere and sent it flying in the direction of Count Clone. His body completely froze, eyes trailing down to his cheek where he felt a sudden warmth spreading across his cheek, the sensation of a clean slice searing into his skin.
His eyes shook, along with his body.
"Even peasants know how to address the royal family when at their feet, or have you never received even that basic of an education?" she asks condescendingly. "Well, I guess I can't be surprised, seeing how you acted in front of The Emperor like a bitching mutt."
Sora would have never called the old man by his title willingly, but seeing the mutt's reaction was almost worth the bile that was rising from her throat when she uttered the two words.
"Greetings, Your Imperial Highnesses." Count Clone bowed shakily, somehow smart enough to keep his mouth shut about Sora's comments.
She scoffed, another knife appeared in her hand. "Great, wasted my breath on a mutt... Whatever, shoo," she gestured with the blade in hand.
Sora's eyes trailed Count Clone's figure as he scurried off immediately at the invitation.
'Like a little bitch'
She meant it both literally and figuratively.
"Why'd you even bother with him, Sora?" Arjen asked with a raised brow.
"I wanted to test out something new. It's eyes were still intact and not melting out of his skull, so I guess the poison is reacting slower. Who knows," she purposefully replied out loud so that Count Clone could still hear her response.
It was a success as she heard the man muttering something along the lines of; "What did that little psycho do to me..!?"
Sora and Arjen shared a glance and chuckled.
"No but seriously, what did you do?"
Sora gave him a smile.
"I said what I said."
"Guys, can we go and eat?" Arien sighed bitterly, before noticing the pair of sleek leather shoes standing in front of her on the carpet.
She raised her head to see The Emperor look down at her with a softened expression, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. It was a complete 180 from what happened not even a moment before.
"You're here," he said softly.
Arien saw flowers and a light illuminating from behind him. It made him more blinding.
'B-bright..!'
"Yes, we can all see that old man. Unless along with your deteriorating hearing, your sight is also failing you," Sora quipped back.
The Emperor didn't look even a little bit offended. Arien had to guess he was already used to Sora's remarks.
"No at all. Both my hearing and sight are perfectly fine, but thank you for worrying about my wellbeing, Sora."
Sora looked at him as if he just ate shit from a dead carcass, and enjoyed it.
"Oh no... It's gonna get worse, isn't it?" Arien whispered.
Arjen turned towards her and responded with a nod, "Seems like The Emperor decided to go along with Sora's remarks...how fun."
"I sure do worry about your wellbeing alright. I mean, I wouldn't want you to suddenly choke up and die during lunch from poisoning. I would be so sad."
"Mhm, that is true. Though we do have people who check the meals before we eat, so I doubt we'd have to deal with our food being poisoned."
"I don't think I can be poisoned anymore..."
"I did assume you were at least tolerant to poisons."
"Nope, completely immune—probably."
Arien looked at Arjen for any comment, but he looked as if the conversation happening was suddenly a normal occurrence. He was humming a small tune, slightly swinging his arms, hands still intertwined with Sora's.
'...oh well, this is normal now'
The Emperor led them into the room where Lloyd, Alexander, and Eiji, already sat along the long dining table, seemingly waiting for them. The three immediately noticed them walk in and their expressions brightened.
Eiji shot up from his seat, pushing his chair back and ran up towards them with a wide smile plastered across his face. "Arjen, Arien!" His eyes landed on a certain heterochromia blonde and his smile sharpened into a grin and canines flashed sharply.
"Soraaa! I thought you died, are you alright? There was just so much blood! Not the good kind!"
Sora returned his sharp grin with a sly smile. "Eiji, I never thought you'd think so lowly of me! Dying from blood loss—I'd come back from the dead and kill myself before I'll die from such a boring death. How embarrassing for me to go out like that!"
"Ah, you're so right Sora! Wise words, wise words!" he chirped.
Servants began to lead Arien and Arjen towards their seats, pulling back chairs for them to sit on. Eiji had scared the servants away who tried to serve Sora, and went ahead and did their job.
He picked the chair placed right beside him and Sora sat on the seat he pulled for her without complaint. Eiji pushed her chair back in, and she ruffled his hair. He seemed to melt into the touch with happy giggles.
Arien, who settled across the table, could see familiar flowers and light beaming right off Eiji.
"Your hair is a lot like mine now!"
"No way, mine doesn't look like a bird's nest."
"Only because you messed it up!"
"I made it more presentable."
"If Sora says that, she might have to fix my hair every day then."
"That's not gonna happen, Eiji."
"Aww, fine," he huffs playfully. "Congrats on your manifestation though! Would you guys like me to get anything?"
The smile Eiji gave Arien made her chuckle awkwardly. "Ah, no thanks."
"I'm good. But thank you for the offer," Arjen said politely, though the tone of his voice didn't match his expression.
He stared Eiji's figure down, eyeing his hands sharply, watching each twitch of his finger he made.
Sora felt Arjen's grip on her hand tighten. He had not let go from the moment he intertwined their hands.
"I'll take note of that offer, Eiji," Sora said with a sharp glint in her eyes, which Eiji definitely caught and his grin widened.
Arjen caught Eiji's gaze in his and began to have a staring contest with him, Sora sat in between the two, seeing nothing wrong.
"Arien..." Lloyd began, his emotionless gaze staring her down. "You... didn't grow much."
"S-sorry?" Arien awkwardly tried not to sound offended, along with avoiding his cold gaze looking down on her.
"I didn't mean it in a bad way!" he quickly tried to add.
"How can you say that older brother? Arien is now even cuter and Arjen more handsome," Alexander said with a sweetly innocent expression. He looked towards Sora, who sat directly in front of him across the table and smiled. "Your eyes seem to be brighter, Sora, they're even more beautiful now. The new hair fits you well, I like it a lot."
"And you look worse from the last time I saw you. Yes, what a great day too, Alexander."
"I never meant to offend you," he said softly with a slight tilt to his head. "I'm just really happy that you guys were able to manifest, because that means the royal blood within you guys is strong."
The mood visibly dampened with Arien dropping her gaze into her lap and Arjen broke his staring contest with Eiji.
"Alexander, do you know you sound like a weirdo? 'The royal blood within you guys is strong', you're not really helping the thoughts I have on you."
"Wait—No. I never—"
"Sora, Alex ment that since you, Arjen and Arien all have golden hair and were able to manifest, there is no reason not to proudly accept you three as members of the imperial family," The Emperor quickly intervened.
"Yes, that's what Alex ment," Lloyd said with a nod.
"Can I ask what you meant by what you said before, Sora?"
Though Alexander's question went to deaf ears as Eiji talked over him, throwing compliments left and right for all three of them. Though Arien and Arjen knew that he was mostly focused on praising Sora and everything about her that only him and Sora would point out.
She did reciprocate back with each compliment upping the next. It was getting more and more gory, the details began getting too descriptive.
"Let's host a social debut for the three of you," The Emperor spoke over them before anyone threw up.
The single comment threw a wrench at the previous mood of the room. Arien's expression visibly dropped and Arjen's eyes narrowed, glaring subtly at The Emperor.
The four oblivious blond men waited silently with no response. The room's temperature dropped.
"Wow. I knew you guys were dense, but not idiotic-unable-to-read-the-room, kind of dense," Sora drawled. All pairs of eyes went to her.
"And you," Sora pointed with the silver cutlery in her hand (some servants shivered in deja vu) at The Emperor, "I thought you said, quote; 'was perfectly fine', before all this. Could have blamed you for pathological lying if I knew it ran in the family. So glad I didn't get any of that stupidity. Dumb blondes."
The Emperor hesitantly asked, "You...don't want one?"
"What!? Why?" Eiji cried aloud.
Sora deadpanned.
"You are asking for a bloody massacre to happen."
"Oh. I mean, we could go on a massacre together if you want to, Sora."
"Hypothetically, Eiji. It's a murder parade I might hypothetically take you up on. Hypothetically."
"Right! Hypothetically, if you want to join me in a hypothetical murder parade Sora, tell me. Your big brother Eiji is always glad to give you what you want! Hypothetically, of course."
He gave Sora a smart and sophisticated look. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, which sounded more like psychopathic cackles to anyone in the room.
Arien did catch the side glance Sora gave her, to which she smiled. Arien had worried about how to decline the idea The Emperor brought up, seeing how all the nobles she had met before were all...
The taunts of their voices resounded through her ears. All those nasty words they said to them, she watched as Arjen and Sora shrugged them off like it was nothing. She knew better than to actually listen to them. They were nothing but snobby kids.
Arjen stared them down coldly without a visible reaction to please them, and Sora scared them off and snapped back with ten times the fire.
(She was purposefully ignoring the fact that Sora was actually threatening them to the point it might be considered torture. She was her sister, her loving, caring, and over protective sister. She knew what she was doing...it was all for them. She never harmed anyone innocent...right?—)
Arien shook all those thoughts away. They were too much to consider right now.
But there was one voice that towered over the others.
"Nothing but dirty...You're better off dead!"
She froze.
Arien wanted to wipe her memory clean of that woman, but she seemed to be a stain refusing to be washed away.
Dirty
Dirty
Nothing but dirty
Better off dead
You'd be better off dead
Arien shut her eyes tight.
"I don't want to meet anyone."
The attention was brought off Sora and Eiji and towards Arjen, who wore an indifferent expression and sat with his chin held high in his seat. His eyes unwavering as he spoke clearly.
"All the people I've seen are...weird. And I don't like crowded spaces, none of us do."
"True, true," Sora quipped.
The Emperor stared at Arjen in contemplative silence - Sora was in the corner of his eye - before he opened his mouth to speak, "I'll postpone the party, for now."
"Wait, what about our murder spree, Sora?" - "Hypothetical." - "Hypothetical murder spree."
"We can plan later, Eiji."
"Yay!"
[]
question: u guys know Count Rosea? (minor villain in the story)
wtf is his kid's name
been trying to find it but nah, they just call him by his last name
help
sos