Author's notes: This tale, penned by me, Nachtsider, is based on the excellent anime/manga known as 'Gunslinger Girl', which is the brainchild of Yu Aida, and also utilizes the continuity of my two previous yarns, 'A Day in the Life of a Gunslinger Girl' and 'Battlezone'. Told from Triela's point of view, it documents our heroine's relationship with Elsa; her reaction to the latter's death and unofficial investigation into the incident, culminating in the discovery of the shocking truth behind it. Bearing in mind that all original concepts, characters, their distinctive likenesses and related elements featured in this publication are my property and may not be used without my express permission, enjoy the story, and feel free to drop this author a line at the relevant electronic mail address (nachtsider at yahoo dot com)!
ICEBERG
CHAPTER ONE: CONFRERE
It's been some time since I saw Elsa walking sullenly through the Agency grounds. Had her eyes been blue instead of green, her hair done up in ponytails instead of braids and her expression not so harsh, she could easily have passed as my younger sister. Throughout the time that we shared the same environs, I never saw evidence that she had any true friends. Elsa went about her business alone.
My initial meeting with Elsa took place one cool and overcast autumn day, on which Hillshire took me to the firing range to practice my marksmanship skills. There she was, blasting away at the targets with her Sig SG551 and knocking the black out of all the bull's-eyes at a hundred yards' range under the watchful eye of her supervisor, Lauro – a stocky man who looked as intractable as the Rock of Gibraltar.
When I stopped to observe Elsa, she lowered her rifle and looked up at me warily. I was struck by her aforementioned resemblance to me, but what really transfixed me was her cold, soulless look.
Putting on my best smile, I gave her a cheerful greeting and waited for a response. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and strode purposefully towards me.
"Don't bother me," snapped Elsa, biting the tip off each word. "I'm preoccupied."
Then Lauro joined in. "You there," he roared at me. "Get back to work!"
I grudgingly complied. Hillshire frowned at Lauro, who held my supervisor's gaze until they eventually broke eye contact after what seemed like an eternity. Being a girl who is usually eager to be friendly and hospitable to those around me, I was left entirely confused about what I had done to educe such a tirade.
A week later, when Angelica and I were walking home from a mission, a familiar figure strode past us. "Who's that?" I whispered.
"It's Elsa," Angie said. "She's real nasty. The other kids say to stay away from her."
"What's the matter with her?"
"I've got no idea, and I'm not keen on finding out," Angie said as we parted. But unlike Angie, I was determined to probe the matter to the bottom, and eventually found out the reason behind Elsa's unpleasant behavior. Children tend to reflect back what they absorb, and Elsa was no exception. Her conduct was the result of being under the influence of the disagreeable Lauro. Receiving brusque treatment in exchange for her extraordinary devotion to him indubitably worsened the situation.
This sobering revelation made me view Elsa in a different light. The unhappy predicament that she was caught up in was truly heart-rending, and I now felt nothing but sympathy for her.
END OF CHAPTER ONE
Here's P.S - 'Battlezone' has a related illustration now. Go re-read the author's notes for that story to obtain further details on this special update.