Even at sixteen she was very good at casting white magic and Shamanism
spells and she'd even began to expand her knowledge into black magic. She
figured that she could cure anything from blindness to the shakes and even
chronic illness- that is, anything but the empty ache in her heart.
She stared at her reflection. Her hair was long and dark violet hanging well past her knees in thick strands of wire braided firmly at the base of her neck to keep it mostly in shape. Her bangs always managed to free themselves from the braid and fell into her face in front of her pointed ears. Her eyes were icy blue but filled with warmth and love for everything except for possibly what she was looking at in the mirror. Her own reflection had horrified many of the people she'd helped but they thanked her afterward for her kindness. She fancied that she had a rather cute face, except that her skin was stone and she weighed about as much as a horse.
"Erisa!" someone called from downstairs. The girl in the mirror turned her head to look toward the door. A smile touched her lips. "Lunch is ready!" she heard the voice call once more.
She hurried downstairs, gathering up her white skirts to keep from tripping on them. The village was having a festival all week and Erisa had decided to take some time off from healing others to have fun for herself, perhaps find the cure for the ache in her heart.
Erisa came down the wooden stairs lined with pictures of herself and her dear mother. She paused at the foot of the stairs to regard a picture of herself when she was much younger in the arms of her mother. She'd never managed to be able to ask how it was that she didn't look anything like her mother. Her mother's hair was brown with locks of white here and there, she had brown eyes and her face was oval instead of angular like Erisa's face was.
She continued onwards and into the kitchen by turning left at the foot of the stairs. The walls were wood paneled and even more pictures decorated the walls of the modest kitchen. The floor was wooden as well with a small round table in the center. At the table sat Rei Pikina, Erisa's mother, with some sandwiches and a pitcher of iced tea.
"You look beautiful," Rei said with a smile at her daughter, "You're bound to be elected for the beauty contest tonight."
Erisa blushed, "Oh mother, I really don't think I'm that pretty."
Rei shook her head, gesturing for her daughter to have a seat. "Don't worry about your freckles, they make you look innocent." Erisa lifted her hand and rubbed at the specks of rock flecked across her cheeks and nose that were darker then her sky blue skin. Her mother reached over and gently took Erisa's wrist forcing the girl to lower her hand. She smiled at the younger girl, "Come now, eat your lunch, the festivities should be beginning soon." Erisa nodded and returned the smile, starting in on her lunch.
* * *
Siori cursed the tavern she'd left in a burning prier a few more times for being cheap and not paying her just because the man who'd made the bargain hadn't been there. That was many miles back though and she could care less if everyone had managed to evacuate in time. She was in a foul mood and she was determined to let everyone know that. What made her even more angry was the fact that she knew it was wrong.
"It's his fault," she stated stubbornly. Siori wasn't about to let her father off the hook for running off for some reason when she was only a year or so old. She only knew that she'd been left by both him and someone else, everyone had left her in the end so she left them. She would never trust them again even if it would save her from eternal damnation. She would never trust anyone ever again.
She continued onwards down the road, fuming angry and getting worse as she thought about her life and how she'd been handed a loosing hand and kept drawing even worse cards then before. Siori was determined to keep her face straight and play along until she could kill the bastard who'd fixed the deck. She suspected that it'd been her father somehow.
Sunset was coming and she could see a town in the distance. She planned on getting dinner there and camping somewhere, however, that wasn't exactly an option. The surrounding area of the town was fields. "Damn damn and double damn!" she cursed becoming even angrier, she would have to take it out on someone soon.
By the time she got into town it was early evening and apparently it was a harvest festival. Siori pulled her mask up and shoved through the crowd as if they were merely farm animals, even the children. Behind her, someone was yelling.
"Erisa!" They continued to call, following Siori along. "Erisa! Stop please! Erisa! What's wrong?!"
Siori realized that the person was speaking to her when she felt a hand grab her arm. She stopped and turned to gaze at the blonde haired blue eyed girl holding her arm. "If you don't remove your hand... I'll remove it FOR you." Siori's sword was unsheathed and held at the girl's throat in a blur of motion.
The girl let go and backed up a few steps. "Erisa- what's wrong!?"
Siori snarled, following after the girl who was wearing a pink dress as she backed up slowly. "I am not who you think I am, apparently. I'll introduce myself then. I am the Stone Princess, Black Hearted Bandit Killing Bitch who's rather pissed off right now. You just volunteered yourself for appeasing my anger."
The girl didn't get the chance to scream and her blood splashed upwards almost thwarting gravity. Siori smirked as the girl fell to the ground, if not dead then near enough. The crowd had retreated from the scene, a few even ran away.
"Oh gods! Bekka!" another voice screamed as a figure dashed through the crowd, staggering forward and kneeling at the blonde girl's side. Siori gazed upon the scene with contempt. The girl who'd screamed was wearing white with what looked like black hair tied into a braid. Siori turned to make her way through the crowd, she'd just killed her chances of getting a meal there. She didn't care really, her anger was appeased so to speak and that was really what mattered.
The girl kneeling beside the blonde slowly got to her feet and turned toward Siori, "H-how DARE you come into this village and just kill someone! Damn you! Turn around when I'm talking to you! Coward!"
At that dread 'c' word, Siori spun around, casting a throwing dagger in the same movement, her words died on her lips when she saw the other girl lift her hand and catch the dagger in mid air as if it weren't moving faster then a snail's pace. "Resorting to violence to solve your problems. You coward! You killed one of my friends!"
"Friends are only people waiting to stab you in the back later anyway," Siori retorted, her anger rising but she forced herself to stay where she was, her sword in it's sheath still.
"You don't deserve friends anyway!" the girl was crying, she turned toward someone else, "Kevin, Frank, come take Bekka to her parents. I'll take care of this- so-called Princess."
"That's STONE Princess, slut."
"Hai Erisa," stated the two men spoken to and they nervously came forward to take up Bekka's body, bearing her away and out of sight.
Erisa clenched her fists, chanting the spell in her head as she spoke aloud. "You judge people two quickly. It is impossible for someone made of stone to be a slut."
Siori paused, "Stone?" Suddenly the black-clad figure sprang forward stabbing and bashing the girl in white frantically, causing the other girl to lose concentration on her spell, "No!" Siori said softly, "No!" She stopped and grabbed the girl's face, turning her toward the light of the torches, her eyes widening when she saw the features of the girl. "You're an impostor! Trying to discredit me!" Siori shoved the girl back. "You just have an illusion cast on you! You're not real!" Frantically, she stabbed at Erisa, trying her hardest to kill the girl.
"DIE DAMNIT!" Siori screamed at the girl swinging her sword toward the girl once more.
"Wind Barrier!" Erisa countered, throwing up the barrier before the sword hit her and blowing it and its owner back. "Digger Volt!" she rapidly cast after she dropped the barrier, the people of the town fled when their local sorceress began defending herself, fear of her once again forming in their minds. Siori screamed in pain and rage, turning it into a fireball and countering the attack.
It was amazing how short the battle was, but in the end they were locked in an embrace, hands around the other's throat. "Die!" Siori croaked.
"No!" Erisa gasped, determined to defend her town and friends. She closed her eyes, knowing that it might be her end. Summoning up her remaining strength, she focused her will into a spell, "SLEEPING!" she cast.
Erisa opened her eyes when she felt an extremely heavy body falling forward onto her, pinning her to the ground. She sighed in relief when she realized that her attacker was merely asleep and not dead, she wasn't going to have anyone else dying when she was around.
Slowly, someone came forward, "Erisa?" the voice was choked with worry.
"Mom," Erisa replied and smiled, pushing the other girl off her and gently laying her down on the ground. "I think it's time you told me who I really am," she said sadly, gazing down upon the face that was an exact mirror of her own.
Rei bowed her head. "Perhaps we should get her inside?"
* * *
She stared at her reflection. Her hair was long and dark violet hanging well past her knees in thick strands of wire braided firmly at the base of her neck to keep it mostly in shape. Her bangs always managed to free themselves from the braid and fell into her face in front of her pointed ears. Her eyes were icy blue but filled with warmth and love for everything except for possibly what she was looking at in the mirror. Her own reflection had horrified many of the people she'd helped but they thanked her afterward for her kindness. She fancied that she had a rather cute face, except that her skin was stone and she weighed about as much as a horse.
"Erisa!" someone called from downstairs. The girl in the mirror turned her head to look toward the door. A smile touched her lips. "Lunch is ready!" she heard the voice call once more.
She hurried downstairs, gathering up her white skirts to keep from tripping on them. The village was having a festival all week and Erisa had decided to take some time off from healing others to have fun for herself, perhaps find the cure for the ache in her heart.
Erisa came down the wooden stairs lined with pictures of herself and her dear mother. She paused at the foot of the stairs to regard a picture of herself when she was much younger in the arms of her mother. She'd never managed to be able to ask how it was that she didn't look anything like her mother. Her mother's hair was brown with locks of white here and there, she had brown eyes and her face was oval instead of angular like Erisa's face was.
She continued onwards and into the kitchen by turning left at the foot of the stairs. The walls were wood paneled and even more pictures decorated the walls of the modest kitchen. The floor was wooden as well with a small round table in the center. At the table sat Rei Pikina, Erisa's mother, with some sandwiches and a pitcher of iced tea.
"You look beautiful," Rei said with a smile at her daughter, "You're bound to be elected for the beauty contest tonight."
Erisa blushed, "Oh mother, I really don't think I'm that pretty."
Rei shook her head, gesturing for her daughter to have a seat. "Don't worry about your freckles, they make you look innocent." Erisa lifted her hand and rubbed at the specks of rock flecked across her cheeks and nose that were darker then her sky blue skin. Her mother reached over and gently took Erisa's wrist forcing the girl to lower her hand. She smiled at the younger girl, "Come now, eat your lunch, the festivities should be beginning soon." Erisa nodded and returned the smile, starting in on her lunch.
* * *
Siori cursed the tavern she'd left in a burning prier a few more times for being cheap and not paying her just because the man who'd made the bargain hadn't been there. That was many miles back though and she could care less if everyone had managed to evacuate in time. She was in a foul mood and she was determined to let everyone know that. What made her even more angry was the fact that she knew it was wrong.
"It's his fault," she stated stubbornly. Siori wasn't about to let her father off the hook for running off for some reason when she was only a year or so old. She only knew that she'd been left by both him and someone else, everyone had left her in the end so she left them. She would never trust them again even if it would save her from eternal damnation. She would never trust anyone ever again.
She continued onwards down the road, fuming angry and getting worse as she thought about her life and how she'd been handed a loosing hand and kept drawing even worse cards then before. Siori was determined to keep her face straight and play along until she could kill the bastard who'd fixed the deck. She suspected that it'd been her father somehow.
Sunset was coming and she could see a town in the distance. She planned on getting dinner there and camping somewhere, however, that wasn't exactly an option. The surrounding area of the town was fields. "Damn damn and double damn!" she cursed becoming even angrier, she would have to take it out on someone soon.
By the time she got into town it was early evening and apparently it was a harvest festival. Siori pulled her mask up and shoved through the crowd as if they were merely farm animals, even the children. Behind her, someone was yelling.
"Erisa!" They continued to call, following Siori along. "Erisa! Stop please! Erisa! What's wrong?!"
Siori realized that the person was speaking to her when she felt a hand grab her arm. She stopped and turned to gaze at the blonde haired blue eyed girl holding her arm. "If you don't remove your hand... I'll remove it FOR you." Siori's sword was unsheathed and held at the girl's throat in a blur of motion.
The girl let go and backed up a few steps. "Erisa- what's wrong!?"
Siori snarled, following after the girl who was wearing a pink dress as she backed up slowly. "I am not who you think I am, apparently. I'll introduce myself then. I am the Stone Princess, Black Hearted Bandit Killing Bitch who's rather pissed off right now. You just volunteered yourself for appeasing my anger."
The girl didn't get the chance to scream and her blood splashed upwards almost thwarting gravity. Siori smirked as the girl fell to the ground, if not dead then near enough. The crowd had retreated from the scene, a few even ran away.
"Oh gods! Bekka!" another voice screamed as a figure dashed through the crowd, staggering forward and kneeling at the blonde girl's side. Siori gazed upon the scene with contempt. The girl who'd screamed was wearing white with what looked like black hair tied into a braid. Siori turned to make her way through the crowd, she'd just killed her chances of getting a meal there. She didn't care really, her anger was appeased so to speak and that was really what mattered.
The girl kneeling beside the blonde slowly got to her feet and turned toward Siori, "H-how DARE you come into this village and just kill someone! Damn you! Turn around when I'm talking to you! Coward!"
At that dread 'c' word, Siori spun around, casting a throwing dagger in the same movement, her words died on her lips when she saw the other girl lift her hand and catch the dagger in mid air as if it weren't moving faster then a snail's pace. "Resorting to violence to solve your problems. You coward! You killed one of my friends!"
"Friends are only people waiting to stab you in the back later anyway," Siori retorted, her anger rising but she forced herself to stay where she was, her sword in it's sheath still.
"You don't deserve friends anyway!" the girl was crying, she turned toward someone else, "Kevin, Frank, come take Bekka to her parents. I'll take care of this- so-called Princess."
"That's STONE Princess, slut."
"Hai Erisa," stated the two men spoken to and they nervously came forward to take up Bekka's body, bearing her away and out of sight.
Erisa clenched her fists, chanting the spell in her head as she spoke aloud. "You judge people two quickly. It is impossible for someone made of stone to be a slut."
Siori paused, "Stone?" Suddenly the black-clad figure sprang forward stabbing and bashing the girl in white frantically, causing the other girl to lose concentration on her spell, "No!" Siori said softly, "No!" She stopped and grabbed the girl's face, turning her toward the light of the torches, her eyes widening when she saw the features of the girl. "You're an impostor! Trying to discredit me!" Siori shoved the girl back. "You just have an illusion cast on you! You're not real!" Frantically, she stabbed at Erisa, trying her hardest to kill the girl.
"DIE DAMNIT!" Siori screamed at the girl swinging her sword toward the girl once more.
"Wind Barrier!" Erisa countered, throwing up the barrier before the sword hit her and blowing it and its owner back. "Digger Volt!" she rapidly cast after she dropped the barrier, the people of the town fled when their local sorceress began defending herself, fear of her once again forming in their minds. Siori screamed in pain and rage, turning it into a fireball and countering the attack.
It was amazing how short the battle was, but in the end they were locked in an embrace, hands around the other's throat. "Die!" Siori croaked.
"No!" Erisa gasped, determined to defend her town and friends. She closed her eyes, knowing that it might be her end. Summoning up her remaining strength, she focused her will into a spell, "SLEEPING!" she cast.
Erisa opened her eyes when she felt an extremely heavy body falling forward onto her, pinning her to the ground. She sighed in relief when she realized that her attacker was merely asleep and not dead, she wasn't going to have anyone else dying when she was around.
Slowly, someone came forward, "Erisa?" the voice was choked with worry.
"Mom," Erisa replied and smiled, pushing the other girl off her and gently laying her down on the ground. "I think it's time you told me who I really am," she said sadly, gazing down upon the face that was an exact mirror of her own.
Rei bowed her head. "Perhaps we should get her inside?"
* * *