Chapter five: Can I Keep Her?
"ARE THE TWO OF YOU UTTERLY NUTS?" I bellowed. "You didn't kill her?"
It was impossible. Surely even Vivi wouldn't be so naïve...On second thought...
Dagger shook her head, "No, she was...helpless. We'd have been no better then her."
"Uh-huh. And you don't see a problem with letting it LIVE?"
Vivi raged, "SHE! OKAY, SHE! SHE'S LEARNED SO MUCH FROM ME IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, I DARESAY SHE'S HARMLESS!"
We stared at him. To this day, I think he saw a little of himself in the She-Waltz. I think it showed in the way his temperament and speech abruptly changed. It was as if...she controlled part of his mind. Part of it scared the little guy, part of it *liked* it, liked the beast.
I wanted to talk to IT, not to them. I had no pity for the monster that destroyed my home. I just wanted it dead. I ran down the stares and heard...
"...I whispered in his ear, death is but a sleep..."
What? Could Waltzes sing? "...It pains nonetheless, it burns with an eternal white-hot flame..."
What could she possibly have to sing of?
"...The pain of waking up and finding that you're wrong, the pain never ends and it is time to die..."
Oh.
"...I cause pain, 'tis all I am. I must repent for my sins. Forgive me, for I have murdered..."
A song, a prayer, or both? She heard me and stopped her singing. She spun around and stared at the full length of me. Her hat was down and tied around her neck with cords designed to keep it from flying off. Her face was beautiful, pale with green eyes and red hair. I could see slightly pointed incisors. She toward over me a full six feet. A... red tail...dangled through a small hole in the back of her tattered drab black dress. Her knee-high slender boots buttoned and a spiked flail (mace for those of you fond of Hollywood, spiked ball chained to a rod) dangled upside-down from her belt.
"You have a tail," I muttered, shocked and numb. I was the only one who had a tail on Gaia. At least, I seemed to be. In all my sixteen years, not one fair senoirita I have flirted with had one, and trust me, that's a lot.
"As do you," she answered.
"Yeah, but I... I don't really know what I am."
"Neither do I, except a murderer."
"You were singing." I chose to ignore her. A tail? Did she...know where I came from? There was only one way to find out, and it was utter foolishness.
"Is that a problem?" she blinked. Could it be..? She was so innocent sounding. Perhaps...No.
"Why? What did we do to you?" I demanded.
She turned away from me, "You did nothing. I was ordered."
"Ordered. You were *ordered* to level Lindblum and you didn't see a problem with that?"
"Not until a week ago, no."
"What happened a week ago?"
"Vivi and Dagger spared me and therefore taught me mercy."
:30~
I went back upstairs and glared at them, the princess seated in a chair while the mage sat on a dusty, partially burned table.
Vivi ginned sheepishly and then asked, "Zidane, can I keep her?"
I found the nearest kickable thing: a chair. I sent it into the wall with such force that it broke. The girl SEEMED harmless, but...Perhaps, just perhaps...
"Fine!" I shouted, "But if she sticks so much as one feather out of line, I'll make sure she never sees the light of day again."
"ARE THE TWO OF YOU UTTERLY NUTS?" I bellowed. "You didn't kill her?"
It was impossible. Surely even Vivi wouldn't be so naïve...On second thought...
Dagger shook her head, "No, she was...helpless. We'd have been no better then her."
"Uh-huh. And you don't see a problem with letting it LIVE?"
Vivi raged, "SHE! OKAY, SHE! SHE'S LEARNED SO MUCH FROM ME IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, I DARESAY SHE'S HARMLESS!"
We stared at him. To this day, I think he saw a little of himself in the She-Waltz. I think it showed in the way his temperament and speech abruptly changed. It was as if...she controlled part of his mind. Part of it scared the little guy, part of it *liked* it, liked the beast.
I wanted to talk to IT, not to them. I had no pity for the monster that destroyed my home. I just wanted it dead. I ran down the stares and heard...
"...I whispered in his ear, death is but a sleep..."
What? Could Waltzes sing? "...It pains nonetheless, it burns with an eternal white-hot flame..."
What could she possibly have to sing of?
"...The pain of waking up and finding that you're wrong, the pain never ends and it is time to die..."
Oh.
"...I cause pain, 'tis all I am. I must repent for my sins. Forgive me, for I have murdered..."
A song, a prayer, or both? She heard me and stopped her singing. She spun around and stared at the full length of me. Her hat was down and tied around her neck with cords designed to keep it from flying off. Her face was beautiful, pale with green eyes and red hair. I could see slightly pointed incisors. She toward over me a full six feet. A... red tail...dangled through a small hole in the back of her tattered drab black dress. Her knee-high slender boots buttoned and a spiked flail (mace for those of you fond of Hollywood, spiked ball chained to a rod) dangled upside-down from her belt.
"You have a tail," I muttered, shocked and numb. I was the only one who had a tail on Gaia. At least, I seemed to be. In all my sixteen years, not one fair senoirita I have flirted with had one, and trust me, that's a lot.
"As do you," she answered.
"Yeah, but I... I don't really know what I am."
"Neither do I, except a murderer."
"You were singing." I chose to ignore her. A tail? Did she...know where I came from? There was only one way to find out, and it was utter foolishness.
"Is that a problem?" she blinked. Could it be..? She was so innocent sounding. Perhaps...No.
"Why? What did we do to you?" I demanded.
She turned away from me, "You did nothing. I was ordered."
"Ordered. You were *ordered* to level Lindblum and you didn't see a problem with that?"
"Not until a week ago, no."
"What happened a week ago?"
"Vivi and Dagger spared me and therefore taught me mercy."
:30~
I went back upstairs and glared at them, the princess seated in a chair while the mage sat on a dusty, partially burned table.
Vivi ginned sheepishly and then asked, "Zidane, can I keep her?"
I found the nearest kickable thing: a chair. I sent it into the wall with such force that it broke. The girl SEEMED harmless, but...Perhaps, just perhaps...
"Fine!" I shouted, "But if she sticks so much as one feather out of line, I'll make sure she never sees the light of day again."