Hope everyone is staying healthy out there!
Waves rippled gently in the wind. The sun was low in the clear sky. It's last rays of sunshine were still warming two particular occupants who were currently wrestling to reel in an quite impressively large fish. Shouts of alarm and laughter filling the quiet air. Their voices full of affection and mirth. If one hadn't known better, you would have thought that it was have been just a perfectly ordinary day enjoyed by the two. But all too soon, the sounds of laughter died down, leaving only the sounds of a hollow world.
"..Atalanta, she by the house?" Berserker asked finally as he finally dropped the large fish into a bucket next to him. One thing that was good about all this. It gave what you asked. Well almost. He spared a glance at Rin who was looking at him slightly bewildered.
"Uh..how did you know?" she stammered. Berserker shrugged as he settled back down into his seat. To be fair, he had thought it was rather obvious. Of course, he had a small place to call his own in here. After all, Rin had come running to him from somewhere. He had assumed she had been at his house. A place where every problem was checked at the door. A place just to rest. While, he didn't particularly enjoying having to share it, it was probably best that Atalanta stay there.
"It's easy enough to sense her presence." He said simply as he went about recasting his fishing pole. A new lit cigarette appearing in this mouth as Rin fell silent again. Her posture becoming more and more stiff as he worked in the ongoing silence. Her small hands were curled into fists in her lap. The blue water reflecting in her eyes as they stared ahead. Taking a moment, he inhaled slowly, Berserker looked over at the girl and watched as magic rushed to cling to her. He could see the magic sucking up the energy she was expelling. At an increasing pace. It seemed the more time went by, the more it was drawing from her. Even with his catalyst, Rin was being stretched thin. She didn't have the knowledge or continued strength to keep this hoax up. Spells always fed into strength. Considering how botched up this spell was; he supposed it was simple luck it hadn't gone worse. At the very least, Atalanta and somewhat surprisingly himself had relatively "safe" desires. But he'd bet anything that Atalanta's wish even had a place for Rin in it. Yes, it could have gone a lot worse. But that wasn't to say it was going well. No, none of this was what he considered "well". He frowned as Rin turned her head as if something had caught her attention before turning back to the water.
"Shadows?" Berserker said casually as Rin tried to look over her shoulder discreetly. Blinking she looked back at him before shaking her head curtly.
"Do you see something?"
Rin for her part didn't seemed surprised at the question. In fact, it seemed to make her more tired. She unclenched her hands very slowly before answering in a flat tone. Small lines of concentration formed on her forehead as forced herself to stay still.
"No."
"Or were you hoping for something?" He questioned further. Rin's eyes stayed fixated on the water. Her face hardening into a blank expression.
"..No." she said again.
A Lie.
Except this time, her voice cracked slightly when she had said it. He didn't know why Rin was trying to deny it. She was disappointed. Upset. Angry. Though he wasn't sure exactly what she had been hoping to see. But he assumed it was her sister. Not him or Atalanta. As the spell wore on, it was clear that whatever Rin had wanted; she wasn't going to get it. And nothing in this world her belonged to her. Not enough to matter. Sure, the intent of her magic had started it all but it had twisted into something she hadn't planned on. It wasn't listening to her. Not in that way she wanted. Not even a little. Or perhaps it was the ongoing realization. That the spell had channelled their strength instead of hers because she was never going to be enough. The spell had more or less decreed she didn't deserve to see the thoughts that lurked in the darkest reaches of her heart. She was weak. Maybe even weaker than she had ever thought possible. Just as she always feared. This was probably the reason, Rin was trying to cut herself off from her emotions. Effectively shutting down till all this passed and then Rin could suppress everything entirely. Like the good little magician she had been taught to be.
Berserker flicked his cigarette into the air and watched as it faded into nothing. He considered whether or not to push further or wait until he had Atalanta around to have as a buffer. Not that he couldn't handle it himself but on the other hand- he was not sure he would enjoy some of the more emotional states of Rin. Atalanta loved to coddle the girl. She probably wasn't even that upset with the girl. But this wasn't a time to tip toe around the girl and her obvious issues. Doing it so far had clearly made it worse. Compounding into Rin trying to take hands in her own matters. Resulting in this giant mess. She needed to hear it. He wasn't trying to be unkind but magicians who messed with things beyond their comprehension didn't tend to last long. Not out there in the real world. And one day Rin would have to go back to that.
"It wouldn't have been her." Berserker said finally, keeping his tone as gentle as he could. He could see Rin try not to flinch at his statement.
Her hands clenching again in her lap. He raised an eyebrow at the sheer willpower it was taking the girl not to react more. Rin was listening he knew by the tension she was giving off. Her body coiled as if ready to strike him or pass out from exhaustion. Rin had already been straining before and it was simply asking more than she had to give. He had meant the words to ground Rin. To remind her. Even if it was hard to hear and harder to digest. For it was easy for magicians to get lost in things such as this. Rin would continue to live a different path than her sister. Now and the foreseeable future. That was the truth. Rin couldn't live her life chasing after shadows and dreams that wouldn't come to fruition. The damage it could have done. His words however seemed to have the opposite effect on Rin. Whether it was because Rin just didn't have the mental or physical energy to maintain everything or she decided it was easier to give up- she slumped forward her hands gripping the grass, tears forming in her eyes. Berserker inwardly cursed as he watched Rin say his words slowly.
It..
wouldn't..
have..
been..
HER.
"..I wasn't trying to.. but it doesn't matter anymore..." Rin said as tears streamed down her face.".. It'll never be her. Not that way it should be."
She let out a small cry of pain as she shook her head furiously as if trying to deny the tears that were flowing freely. Rin punched the ground. And then again. Again. Again. Again. If it had been real life, her hands and knuckles would have been bloodied and cracked but here, they stayed pristine and clean. At this sight, Rin burst into more tears. He moved to try to comfort her but unfortunately for Rin, time had run out. The sun's last rays faded over them as chunks of their surroundings started to break into pieces and dematerialize. Whatever words she was going to say next was lost as she disappeared before his eyes.
Her look of anguish stayed with him as the world faded around him.
Oh...it's going to get even more angsty up in here.
