The ocean creates a dull sound as it laps around her thighs and fingers, swaying her gently as she lies on her back, staring up at the sky. Slowly, the hues of the sky change until there's a pink and orange wash all above her. Blue blinks lazily, waiting for the time to pass. It should be soon.
Sure enough, after the last of the stars fade from the sky, there's a loud splash over by the coast line. Blue flips around so just her upper body is out of the water, and grins happily.
"My, my, you're as punctual as always," she says lightly, just as Crystal surfaces from the water. "And that landing was almost flawless. A perfect score from me."
"Good morning, Blue," the girl greets, already starting her swim back to the shore. "How are you?"
"Well…" Blue stops dramatically, flicking her hair. "That obviously depends on how you define okay. I mean, nothing's wrong with me per say, but-"
"Ah, that's okay then," Crystal cuts in, smiling. "Sorry Blue, but I really don't have the time to gossip. I've got a busy day ahead of me."
"Hm?" She raises her eyebrows, before smirking. "Ohoho, don't tell me. You have a date? My, dating mortal boys. So bold."
"O-of course not." Crystal rolls her eyes, before walking out of the shallow waves and stepping onto the beach. Water drips off her body, and Blue watches as she tugs her fingers through her dark hair with some effort. She supposes it must be awful to have to hair that gets wet. "I have to work today."
"But you've just been at work," Blue points out, still submerged in the water. "Why don't you let your hair down a little? Have some fun!"
Crystal shoots the girl a wary smile. "I don't think so. Sorry, Blue. I have to go."
She shakes the water from her clothes, before picking up her trainers from where she hid them yesterday (between two rocks; Blue saw) and slipping them on.
"Oh well," Blue sighs, dipping back down into the sea. "I can always have fun somewhere else. Maybe I'll go tease some sailors or something!"
"Don't hurt anybody," Crystal warns. Blue flicks her hand dismissively.
"Have a nice day, Crystal," she says, already retreating back into the deeper waters. "Ta-ta! See you later."
"Bye, Blue." She waves, before running off across the beach, leaving footprints as she goes. Blue watches her for a moment, eyes just above the water, before rolling back onto her back and sighing.
It must be so lively, living on the land.
They only have an Ocean Spirit festival annually. As in, once a year. That's it.
Blue disagrees with this greatly, and has insisted multiple times that they should maybe throw her a festival every month, or even every week. She also reckons the festivals should last at least a week each. It's a serious request, but the people just laugh and ignore her suggestions. It's no good. As the most beautiful and charming of all the Mystiques, she deserves far more celebration than she's given.
It's – so – lone – ly.
The girl watches a school of fish swim by, and waves her fingers through the group. It creates minor discord for a few moments as they scatter furiously, before regrouping a few moments later. They swim on on their way. Blue wonders where they're going.
"Ocean Spirit, please honour us with the gift of your knowledge!"
Grinning, Blue perks up, head turning in the direction of the voice. It's a little surprising, but she doesn't care. It feels like it's been so long since someone summoned her. People just don't seem to care anymore. But still! A summons! How fantastic! How amazing! Weird, but…great!
It's a call from somewhere off in the Kantonian Oceans. She likes Kanto. It used be her favourite place. The voice is too far away to identify much about the speaker, but she starts gliding through the water anyway. Crystal resides around Johto, so it's not too far a swim. Besides, even if it's just some dumb little kid that knows a little too much about summoning, at least it's something to do.
Before arising up out of the water, Blue gives herself a quick check to make sure she's at her most dazzling. Her cloak needs to just about cover her bare skin, over her breasts and wrapped around her waist. It really keeps the boys gaping that way. And her hair, that needs to be even on each side, waving around her shoulders rather than tucked away behind her back. It's probably fine though. It's not like she ever looks bad. Just sometimes she looks better than others.
It looks like the voice has come from the coast of Pallet Time. Very nostalgic. Time to answer this call though. It's been long enough already.
Blue rises carefully up out of the water, making sure to have a defiant expression that almost seems not to care, but to care enough to show them she's better than them.
"Your Ocean Spirit has emerged! Who dares to summon me?"
She's sure that the delivery was perfect and she looks very elegant and pretty, but when she looks around, there's no crowd gazing adoringly. Not even any applause. It's just some drab beach, and the only two people here are far away, just two young men sat a good while off. Blue frowns, and puts her hands on her hips.
"Hey!" she calls out, glaring. "Did you guys want me or not?"
"Ah, she's here!" one of the boys cries out, standing up and running over to her. The other follows, albeit a little slower. Blue feels a little annoyed that her grand entrance was ruined. They didn't even see it. "Green, c'mon!"
The two boys come running over to her, and she folds her arms, irritated already.
"So, what do you want?" she eyes, eyeing them closely. "I'm a very busy woman, you know. I'm not taking petty little requests from dumb country boys."
"Ocean Spirit," the other boy, Green, starts, before bending down on one knee. Blue likes that at least he has manners. "We come to ask of you a great favour."
"Oh, yay," Blue says flatly. "That's always it. Asking me for favours."
"You should have said please," the other boy whispers, poised in a similar position. "Gotta be polite."
"Shut up," Green growls, head still bowed.
"What is this," Blue groans. "C'mon, like. How old are you guys even? Like, sixteen?"
"We're both twenty one," he says, and Blue doesn't miss the way his eyebrow twitches in aggravation. She smirks, now amused.
"Well, what do you guys want? Money, fame, true love, friendship, bla bla bla. Y'know, if I was you, I'd go for the money. Or the fame. Fifty fifty maybe?"
"Uh, no," the first boy says. "We need to know the location of a girl."
"Ooh, so this is a matter of love. Two of you though? I-"
"It's nothing of the sort," Green cuts in. "We need information about the failed Mystique. The Doll."
"The Doll…?" Blue asks. "Why do you wanna know about her?"
"We have a task to carry out," he says. "To kill her."
Blue thinks about this for a few moments. First off, she can't ignore how disappointing this is. They didn't even care to ask her amazing stories of the ocean or come to worship and praise her. All they want is information. How boring. Secondly, the information they want is to aid a murder. To murder The Doll, at that. Blue doesn't know much about the girl, and not at all where she might be. The only way she would know would be if the girl was in the ocean. And she's not – Blue can tell.
"Well…" Blue starts. "Maybe I can help you. But why should I?"
"Please, it's really important," the first boy begs.
"Oh well, if you say so!" She bursts out laughing at the sheer absurdness of the situation. The boys seem a little off put. "You haven't even told me your names. This is all rather sketchy, I have to say."
"I'm Red," the first boy says. "And he's Green."
"Why do you want to kill The Doll, huh? That's a little extreme."
"We were ordered to," Green states. "We're under the orders of high up officials, experienced in both our physical abilities and intelligence. The Doll is a potential danger to the world. She has to be destroyed as soon as possible."
"Is that so," Blue says, glancing at her nails. "So…did you bring an offering?"
"Huh?" Red says, blinking. "That…that wasn't in the books!"
"Oh well. Looks like you'll have to-"
"Take this pendant," Green interjects hastily, tearing it off his neck and throwing it into the water. Blue leans down and picks it up, inspecting it carefully. The metal is purple and difficult to identify. She'll have to ask Crystal or some other smart person what it is.
"Hey, are you sure-" Red starts, before being cut off by Green's firm glare.
"Hmm…" Blue stares at the pendant for a moment longer, before looping around her neck happily. "It's original, if a little plain. I've never seen this type before, and I'm a girl who knows her jewellery."
"So you'll help us?" Red grins.
"Nope!" Blue sings, before slinking off into the water. This will be a fun game, she decides.
The light blinds her and Crystal has to squint as she furiously moves her hand around the fire, palms outstretched. It dims the flames a little, and Crystal nods in satisfaction. That's all the stars she needed to do. This should smooth things out a little more.
The night is just coming to an end, and Crystal gives a final glance back to the star. Then she looks back, and prepares herself for the morning – for the jump. All she has to do is dive and let things roll past her, unable to slow down until she hits the ocean. Blue will probably already be waiting, even though she's a little early this morning.
Time to fall.
The wind rushes past her and Crystal can feel her hair tug behind her, pushed back by her speed. She goes so fast that she can barely register anything around her, until being gripped by gravity as she enters the atmosphere of Earth, seeing the blur of colours around her – black, purple, pink, orange- then Crystal slams into the ocean with a powerful splash. It doesn't hurt.
"Hellooo," Blue greets as she emerges out of the water. The girl floats calmly, blue eyes watching Crystal carefully. "You're a little early today."
"I needed to check something," she explains, wasting no time in her swim back to the shore. "Whilst the stars are still in sight, I mean."
She times the decent perfectly. The day has only just begun with the sun still resting on the horizon, but the stars are still visible faintly, like a transparent sheet over the sky. Crystal knows just the place to get the best view too.
"Hey, but you'll never guess what happened!" Blue starts, playfulness sparkling in her eyes. "I got summoned yesterday!"
"Ah? That's nice." Crystal pulls herself of the water and squeezes the water from her hair. "Sorry, Blue. Can we talk later? I really have to go."
"Sure, sure," Blue says, sighing. "I don't want to keep you if you're busy. You probably have more fun things to attend to than whatever I have to say."
"…Sorry, Blue," she repeats, before taking off across the beach in a sprint. "See you later!"
Her pace increases after that, and she runs up the dirt path by the beach, aiming for the hills. It shouldn't take too long; she's a fast runner, after all.
For some reason, there's another girl sat up there already. Crystal stops and considers this for a few moments. There isn't usually anybody up here.
"Um, good morning!" she greets, wary of her unsheltered appearance. It would be even easier to figure out who she is, since her clothes are still dripping with seawater.
"Ah, good morning!" the girl says back, voice gentle as Crystal comes and sits next to her. "I didn't realise anybody else would be up here so early."
She smiles warmly at Crystal, and it make her feel a little more at ease. "Me neither."
"It's so pretty, isn't it?" she says, looking up at the morning sky. "I always think that mornings are the best time of the day. The way the sun rises just fills me with so much hope."
"I understand, though I'm more of a night person myself," Crystal teases, laughing. She can't help but wonder if the girl actually knows who she is. It doesn't seem like it.
"Oh, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself, how rude of me! I'm Yellow. It's nice to meet you!"
"Ah?" Crystal says, a little taken aback at the sudden introduction. "Um, I'm…Esther. Nice to meet you too."
"I really like this type of view," she continues, changing her gaze back to the sky. "The ocean, the hills, the sun, the stars…all together in one scene. The summer is such a beautiful season."
"The stars ruin it though," Crystal points out dully. "They're so…disorganised."
"Hm?" Yellow blinks, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"
"N-no, it's nothing!" Crystal laughs sheepishly. "Ignore me."
The next morning, Crystal waits until she's dried off before pulling her cloak around her body, letting the hood hang down into her eyes. It's not a great disguise, but it generally gets the job done without creating too much fuss. Unlike Blue, she doesn't like all the attention and fame that comes along with being a Mystique. It tends to make things so much more…difficult.
She wonders along the path, until she reaches the town. The market is relatively uncrowded for this time of the morning, but there's still a good crowd of people bustling around, trying to get the freshest fruit and finest clothes before anyone else gets the chance. It's nothing of Crystal's interest, and instead she weaves through the villagers, looking for a certain stall – a modest tent that very few people happen to approach. She makes sure to visit at least once a week.
"Ah, Crystal," the old man greets kindly, and she withdraws the hood from her face. "How are you today?"
"Fine, thank you," she replies, already a little distracted. Without wasting any time, the girl begins to shift through large scrolls made of thick paper, and takes the one with the most recent date labelled on it. "Is this it?"
"It is." He nods, and Crystal quickly opens it out and spreads it across the floor, slinking down next to it. Her eyes focus as glances across the map quickly, before letting out a sigh.
"This still isn't right," she says, frowning. "I thought the Western stars looked a little clustered, so I tried to dim them down a little, but now all the other regions of the sky just look too busy. It's still so uneven."
"It looks quite fine to me," the old man points out.
"I appreciate that, but as the Star Girl, I have a duty to make the night skies flawless. And this…it's definitely not good enough."
Crystal folds the map back up and holds out a palm full of golden pieces. "Can I buy this please? I need to study it in more depth."
The man seems to hesitate for a second, probably still thinking it looks acceptable, before taking the money and removing the label from the astrological map. Crystal thanks him quietly before pulling her hood back up and exiting the tent. She has work to do.
There's a thick coating of mud splattered up Sapphire's arm and a stray leaf stuck to the sole of her foot. She continues to wander through the trees, trying to find an ideal tree to climb. Eventually she sees a thick and sturdy tree, and fluidly climbs to the top branches, eyes scanning below her through the layer of leaves. The bark is rough under her fingers, and she tightens her grip as she moves along the branch. There's a strong smell of earth, and she adores it.
From somewhere not too far away, there's a burst of childish laughter, and Sapphire waits. Another laugh echoes and she hears people talking, though too distant for her to be able to define any words. She tenses, a feeling of dread rising in her stomach. With a small grunt, she leaps across onto a nearby branch, darting between the trees. Even the weakest can easily support her weight.
"St-stop it! I think you're hurting it!"
Sapphire leans closer to the scene, teeth gritted. It's a group of young children, no older than thirteen. They've ripped a good deal of bark off the surrounding trees, and seem to be hitting each other with it. And hitting a badger too.
"What're you kids doin'?" she roars, jumping down from the tree. The group startle, and one of the girls bursts into tears.
"What- no-" one of the older boys splutters, dropping the bark briskly. "We ain't doin' nothin'!"
"I told you!" the girl cries, tears streaming down her face. "Now the Forest Guardian's gonna punish us all!"
"D-dammit!" Another boy throws his bar to the side, and starts sprinting as Sapphire takes a step forwards. "C'mon, run!"
"Yer come back here again and I'll make sure yer don't leave again!" Sapphire yells after them, as the children scatter in a mass of too many directions. She doesn't chase after them, instead bending down to pick up the badger in her arms. There's blood soaking through its fur.
One of the boys suddenly starts coughing violently, and falls to one knee. Sapphire hesitates, and wonders over to him. It's not like she cares about humans, but…
"Kid, yer alright?" she asks, bending down beside him. He coughs weakly a few more times before sitting up.
"S-sorry!" he gasps. "I have this problem with my lungs…um…please don't hurt me."
"Nah, I wouldn't hurt no kid," she says, stroking the badger gently in her arms. "Don't tell 'em that though."
"I-is he okay?" the boy asks, pointing towards the animal. "I-I didn't want them to hurt him, but they wouldn't stop! I'm really sorry."
"He'll be alright," she reassures him. "But what were yer doin' with them kinda kids? Yer look too soft to be their kinda friend."
The boy looks away. "I thought if I went with them they wouldn't pick on me as much…"
"Nah, that ain't no way to be!" Sapphire exclaims, frowning. "Yer gotta have your own guts, yer own strength! Can't be relying on any of those idiots."
"…Maybe," he says after a few seconds.
"What's yer name, kid?" she asks, and the boy flinches a little.
"W-Wally," he mutters. "Um, I really am sorry about the badger. B-but, my uncle knows a really good vet, so if you give him to me, I can help him get better."
"I dunno; you humans have pretty strange medicines," she says, and Wally looks up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. "…Fine. Take him. But if anythin' happens, yer can bet that I'll find out."
"R-right! Thank you, Forest Guardian!" The boy bows and carefully takes the badger into his arms. Sapphire raises an eyebrow; it looks like he can barely lift it up. Before she can say anything though, he nods and starts to run back through the trees. In the distance, she can hear him coughing. She's not sure that was a smart thing to do after all.
With a shrug, Sapphire turns around, carrying on through the forest and looking for any other scenes of mishap. For a while she just strolls in silence, enjoying the sounds of the animals and leaves around her. One tree rustles loudly as she walks past, and Sapphire stops and stares.
"…Anyone there?" she asks, narrowing her eyes. "If y'are, I'll know."
There's another rustle from the tree, and she bristles, ready for an attack. Before she can yell again, there's a yelp and a boy falls out of the tree, landing with a thud. Sapphire blinks.
"Eugh." He stands up briskly and brushes his clothes down. There's a notepad next to him and he picks it up and frowns. "Gross."
"…Wha…?" Sapphire isn't sure what to think, and stares at the boy. "What're yer doin'?"
"Well!" he gasps, looking highly offended. "I would have assumed you'd heard of me! You are the Forest Guardian, aren't you?"
"'Course I am," she retorts, crossing her arms. "And who're you?"
"I don't remember you being so dirty," the boy says, looking her up and down. "I have to say, I'm not a
big fan of the whole leaf outfit either. If you give me your measurements, I can make you something much more beautiful- ah, imagine, the Forest Guardian wearing some of my designs!"
Sapphire stares incredulously for a few moments as the boy blabbers about fashion, feeling herself grow more and more irritated. "Who are yer?"
The boy sighs sadly. "I don't even remember the last time I had to introduce myself-"
"Get on with it."
"My name's Ruby!" he announces, and then narrows a single eye as if expecting some kind of reaction. "Surely you've heard of me."
"No," Sapphire says. "Now get out."
"What?" Ruby gasps again. "You- you can't just kick me out of the forest for doing nothing! I'm looking for inspiration!"
"I can kick you out for annoyin' me," she growls. "And yer seriously annoyin'. Get lost."
"I never imagined the respected Forest Guardian would be so rude," he mutters, scowling as he storms away. Sapphire feels a brief pang of guilt, but then remembers that human these days are all the same. They're not worth feeling pity for. She shouldn't care. She doesn't care.
Sapphire leans back against the tree, one leg dangling freely off the branch. She stares over the forest that is slowly changing from green to orange and yellow. There's a cold breeze through the air and it ruffles the leaves slightly, along with her hair. It's getting shorter.
There's a distant murmuring from somewhere below her, and the girl tenses. It feels like her duty to check on passers-bys is increasing as her energy drops, aware that soon she'll be falling asleep for the entirety of the winter, unable to manage the forests. She drops down from the trees and lands in the soil, glancing around. There's someone coming this way.
"Well...I'm not too sure about that," a girl says, and Sapphire follows the voices until she finds them. Two (smaller than average) blonde children.
"Nah, I'm speaking from experience," a boy says, and she notices something strange about him, narrowing her eyes from behind the tree. He's much shorter than the girl. "It's like-"
"Hey!" Sapphire exclaims, leaping forward. The two of them jump slightly, obviously unnerved. It's not particularly a reaction she likes but it's what's needed. "What're yer doin'?"
"The Forest Guardian!" the girl gasps, eyes wide. "Um, did we do something wrong?"
"Nah, it's not you I'm not likin'," Sapphire says whilst shaking her head. "You! Why are yer walking around with all that clunky metal coverin' your body?"
"Wh-what?" the boy splutters, face flushing. "I-I haven't got any metal covering my body!"
"Don't lie to me," she says, crossing her arms. "What is it, a weapon? If yer so much as even try to damage one of these trees, I ain't gonna go easy on you!"
"Wait," the girl says, looking confused. She turns to the boy. "Emerald, what is she talking about? Metal?"
"N-no, it's nothing," he says, and Sapphire takes a step forward, suddenly intensely distrustful. "Back off!"
"I won't let hurt this forest!" she barks, eyes blaring. "Show your weapons I'll rip 'em off yer!"
"Wait, don't fight-!" the girl cries. "I-I'm sure he hasn't done anything wrong…-you're probably mistaken!"
Sapphire feels highly offended that the girl would even suggest such a thing, wondering about retracting her previous comment. She's never mistaken about unwanted technology in the forest. Not once in all the time she's been watching over them. The boy is definitely concealing something all over his body, on his legs, arms, torso…the only place she can't sense it is his head.
She takes another step forward, feeling the soil underneath her feet, and is just about ready to tackle the short boy down when he holds up his hands in surrender, eyes panicked.
"F-fine, I'll show you," he mutters, before rolling his sleeves. There's some kind of prosthetic limb under the sleeve, and Sapphire stares, confused.
"What're those?" she asks, hesitantly reaching her fingers out to touch the metal. The boy rolls his sleeve down before she can, face fully red.
"I need them, 'cause…'cause I'm short," he says, eyes on the ground.
"Huh?" Sapphire blinks, looking the boy up and down closely. "Nah, this stuff is pointless."
"It's not!" the boy yells, and the girl winces beside him. "It's not like I'm hurting anybody…just lemme keep it! And don't tell anyone!"
Sapphire considers this for a few moments. "How do I know yer not gonna use it for hurtin' people?"
"Why would I even do that?" The boy gives her a strange look. "Why are you so distrustful anyway?"
"…I'm not," she says after a few seconds, even though she knows she is. "Hey, what're yer names?"
The boy exclaims 'why should I tell you?' at the same time the girl answers 'I'm Yellow'. Sapphire looks between the two of them.
"Um, we're sorry," the girl says hesitantly. "Next time, we'll go around the forest. We didn't mean to make you mad. I just really like forests, that's all, so I thought we could take the shortcut and it'd be fine."
"I'm not mad," Sapphire huffs. "I don't care 'bout humans. I just don't want any harm to come to the forest, and if that's what I think yer doin', I'm not just gonna let it pass."
"Well we're not! So just let us carry on!"
"Honestly, I'd never hurt any kind of nature," Yellow explains. "I love forests. I always feel so at home. You know, I think they said I was born in a forest…maybe that's why."
Sapphire considers this. "Really?"
"Nice save!" the boy hisses beside her.
"N-no, I'm telling the truth," she says, seemingly picking up on the frown Sapphire directs at her. "And we really wouldn't hurt you at all!"
"I don't like it," Sapphire says, sighing. "But fine. I'll let yer go, for now. But I'll be watchin' yer!"
"Yeah, thanks," the boy mutters, striding past her. Yellow nods and smiles, before hopping off after him. Sapphire watches them for a few moments again, another breeze brushing past her. Then she realises the question she forgot to ask.
"Hey, wait!" she calls after them, and they stop and turn. "Where are yer goin' anyway?"
"Town over," the boy says. "Got some stuff to do there."
"You too?" she asks Yellow. She shakes her head after a moment's hesitation. "Where yer goin' then?"
"…I don't know yet," she says eventually, before smiling. Sapphire thinks it looks quite sad. "Somewhere, I guess."
"…Somewhere, huh."
She says nothing else, and Sapphire lets them leave on their way.
Platinum pulls the brush through her hair smoothly, watching carefully in the mirror to see where her dark hair falls. It lies exactly as she wishes it to, and with that, the girl stands up, hands gliding over her white dress to make sure it is spotless and clean.
The room is simple but elegant, and Platinum walks over to the window and moves away some of the condensation blocking the view. Outside, the last of the trees are losing their leaves, and the sky is dark. It's time for her to exit the little house far up above the village, ready to bring her gift of winter to all the people.
She clicks her door open and steps into the outside, breathing in the fresh air. It's been so long since she was last outside; it's so nice to be able to experience it once more, even if it's just a little. Platinum trails along the path and down the hill. She smiles just a little, glancing at the tall gathering of pine trees around her.
There's something going on in the village. It becomes apparent once she reaches the gap in the trees that show the clearing of houses. A gentle fire leans up to the sky and there's a mass of people swarming around it, talking about something in hushed voices and then not so hushed voices. Platinum waits, curious.
"If we don't do something, it'll happen again!" a man cries, causing various replies to emerge from the crowd.
"I agree, but what is there to be done?" a woman asks. "We are powerless against her. It's a futile effort."
"I say we introduce her to our archers," someone else mutters.
There's another flurry of voices, and Platinum frowns a little. She doesn't know who they're talking about. It sounds like they harbour a lot of hate for the person however.
"I just can't deal with all this snow anymore," another woman sighs. Platinum startles. "If our only option is murder, I'm afraid I have to agree. Last year our harvest was so bad that we hardly had enough to feed ourselves, let alone create a surplus."
"You can't do that to a Mystique!" a boy calls out frantically. "Maybe you just need to learn to deal with the snow a little better!"
"Be quiet, Pearl," a man hisses. "This is no matter for a child."
"Child-? I'm seventeen-"
"Enough," someone else cuts in. "We need to make a decision as soon as we can. The Snowflake Enchantress could arrive at any time. There's no time for petty arguments."
Platinum takes a step back, suddenly feeling like she needs to run away. She holds a hand over her mouth, and trembles. This is…far above anything she could have expected.
"She's there!" someone cries, and Platinum jumps. "The Snowflake Enchantress is in the trees!"
The people turn to look at her, and all she can see in their faces is distrust and fear. It's too much, and she has to sprint back up the hill, away from the village and back to her home.
"Wait-!" a voice calls after her, but she keeps running, grasping her dress to make sure she doesn't trip. Once she reaches her house she makes sure the door is firmly shut before sitting down on one of her chairs and letting the tears fall. They hate her. They hate her.
A few moments later, there's a furious knocking on the door. Platinum stops, frozen. Nobody has come to her house before. Never, not once in all the time she's resided here.
"Snowflake Enchantress!" someone calls, not ceasing their knocking. "Please, they didn't mean what they said! We don't hate you!"
"Mmhm, we think you're cool," another voice says, slower and quieter.
"…N-no pun intended," the other person says after a brief pause. "Well, actually, maybe."
Platinum stares at the door for a few moments more, unsure of what to think. It could be some kind of trap – they just said they were out to murder her after all – but then she's a little doubtful that this is a trap.
"Are we allowed to come in?" the person asks. "We promise we won't hurt you."
"…How can I trust you," she says, sitting up straight instinctively. "I- There is no reason why I would trust you."
"We promise," the other voice says, and Platinum's sure by this point that the two of them are boys. It's still a little hard to tell from the muffled quality through the door, but despite that. "We can help you. You just need to show the people you're not all that bad."
Platinum hesitates, unsure of what to do. She's read many books about many different things, but right now she can't remember if this type of thing has happened before. Maybe. But then she can't remember what the character did. She wants to open the door and let them in. She doesn't want people to hate and be afraid of her.
The door opens with a click, and she's left staring at two boys (as she thought), their eyes wide as they look at her.
"Snowflake Enchantress!" the taller boy says, before bowing his head a little. "Uh, hello."
"Nice to meet you," the other says, smiling gently. "My name is Diamond."
"Yeah, and I'm Pearl."
Platinum just nods, unsure of what to say. She's not so sure about this anymore. "It is…nice to meet you."
"…Were you crying?" he asks, with a cautious face.
"I was not." There's a small silence after this, and the boy shoots her a doubtful look, which she tries to ignore.
"You- you don't need to hide away," Pearl starts suddenly, sounding like he's trying to get out too many words in a set amount of time. "We actually really like the snow. Those people just said all that stuff 'cause they don't know any better."
"They are afraid," Platinum says sadly. "The people do not like what I bring for them."
"It's not like that," Pearl says hastily. "Dia, you agree, right?"
"Mmhm, the snow's nice," he says, nodding. "Maybe they just don't know you well enough."
"Know me well enough…?"
"Yeah, that's it!" Pearl exclaims. "I think it's because we never really get a chance to talk to you. Like, this is the first time we've ever spoken. Normally we just see you stood around places. It's a little…haunting."
"…Haunting," Platinum repeats, feeling dull. "I see."
"B-but maybe we can change that!" Pearl says. "It can't be that hard! Right, Dia?"
"Right," the boy says with an affirmative nod. Platinum looks between the two of them.
"So…if I become friendlier, then the people will no longer wish for my demise."
"Yeah!" Pearl says with raring enthusiasm. "That's all you have to do!"
"Then I entrust myself to the two of you. Please teach me how to become more connected with the people, so I can once again leave and help the winter to progress."
The two boys nod, grinning at one another. Platinum still isn't fully sure about this, but she has no choice. If she goes out there, they'll kill her. And these are the only two people prepared to help her.
"Oh, uh, before we start," Pearl says. "Do Mystiques have proper names? Like other than their titles. I've always kind of wanted to know."
"Of course we do," Platinum says, frowning a little.
"What's yours?"
"I'm not telling you that," she says sharply. The boys falter a little. "Not yet. A name is a very personal thing, and I'm not sure whether you're worthy of knowing mine."
"Ugh," Pearl sighs, and Diamond just gives her a small smile, like he doesn't understand fully but won't argue.
Platinum has never had guests over before. She's lived in this house alone for very long time and is a little unsure of how to go about things. The two boys are due in an hour, and Platinum scans through as many books as she can find, trying to find suitable solutions.
Many of the books suggest preparing beverages and a meal, but Platinum cannot cook and doesn't care much for food anyway. There's no point in dressing up because she's always dressed up, and has no method of attaining any music. All in all, the house is just the same as it normally is in the majority of aspects. She sits on the chair and waits.
There's a sharp knock, and when Platinum opens the door, it's (of course) the two boys, holding an array of different things in their arms. She blinks.
"Hello again," she says after a few seconds. "You may enter."
"Thanks," Pearl nods, followed by Diamond. They sit on her chairs without permission. "Ugh, it's so hot in here. Why's it so hot?"
"It is too warm?" Platinum asks, glancing around at the lit fire. It's been lit since yesterday.
"It is very hot," Diamond agrees.
"How long have you had that fire on? Shouldn't you put it out? Seriously, it's crazy hot!"
"Temperature is not a sensation I can feel," Platinum says, leaving the fire to burn out. "…I apologise."
"You should ease up a little, y'know."
"Ease up?"
"Just chill out~!" Diamond grins.
"Was that another pun?!"
"Hmm…"
Platinum stares in awe, completely unsure of what to make of this. She feels a little like she wants to laugh, but isn't sure if she should.
"Uhh, anyway, should we start?" Pearl says, crossing his arms. "I brought some paper so we can make notes and stuff."
"And bread!" Diamond announces happily, holding up a basket.
"Dia's a baker," Pearl explains.
"Enchantress, do you want any?" Diamond holds up a roll before she can say anything about the shortened title he's given her.
"Mystiques do not need to eat," she says after a few seconds. Diamond's face drops.
"You should at least take it out of courtesy," Pearl hisses. "Wait, lemme write that down. 'Be…polite…'"
"I am not polite?" Platinum feels highly offended, then reconsiders. "…Very well. I accept your offer."
She takes the bread, making Diamond smile once again. She notes – it seems taking does not always cause distress as previously assumed, and then hesitantly bites into the roll. She hasn't eaten since she was mortal, centuries ago.
"…It is…nice."
"Ah, thank you~." Diamond beams. "I'll bring more next time."
Platinum nods, wondering about this aforementioned 'next time'. Pearl takes out his paper again.
"Let's begin!"
Platinum feels at last like she is up to date with the times. Pearl and Diamond introduce her to new vocabulary, new concepts, new attitudes.
As the winter rolls on, she feels at last ready to leave once more. The snow will be coming soon.
"I'm so excited!" Pearl grins. "I love winter so so so much, even since we were kids I always loved all that stuff. You remember it, right, Dia?"
"Yeah-!" Diamond says, tone laced with enthusiasm, if a little slow.
Platinum tries to concentrate once more, checking her appearance once more. She has a plan this time – introduce herself to the villagers at initial contact, and talk to them each day. Help out with any farm work and give advice to those who require it – and those who actually ask for it, not just whoever Platinum deems in need. Accept any offerings with a smile and show gratitude, appreciating the hard work and effort. She has it all down. Nothing can go wrong.
"It's really easy; you don't have to be nervous," Pearl says as they walk down the hill. "Just…y'know."
"Be friendly," Diamond finishes. "It's simple~!"
"Yes," Platinum says, taking a breath. "Yes, this will be okay."
They venture into the village, and she gets ready to introduce herself. They must be waiting – Pearl and Diamond said they would be, gathered together in a crowd. Ready to meet her, ready to give her another chance.
The sky is dark, and Platinum glances around, noticing a fire lit in the centre of the town. There are figures gathered behind it – the villagers.
"They are here," Platinum gasps, a wave of nervousness suddenly hitting her.
"It'll be fine," Diamond says, voice gentle.
"Go on, 'Chantress," Pearl insists. She resists the urge to correct him.
"Then I shall," she says. Platinum takes another step forward. Someone yells something but she is in unable to decipher it in time, as something sharp cuts into her chest. She stops and looks down, moving a hand to the arrow embedded into her flesh, watching the blood spill out around it.
It hurts. It hurts a lot.
Platinum sways before collapsing to the ground, mind blank, deaf to all around her. As she stares up at the sky with darkening vision, she sees the first snowflake of the season fall.
ehehe, I haven't published a fic in fooreevveerr
so here's this little story I wrote (kind of) for Christmas!
it should be about…three…chapters long, hopefully publishing the last chapter on Christmas uvu
i'm sorry that Crystal got kind of left out in this chapter, but don't worry – she has more limelight in the next chapters, along with other characters that haven't had much or any focus yet
construct crit welcome and hope you enjoy!
