There is no character bashing or hate intended. Since this is a PoV, it's from HER VIEWS on events.
Constructive criticism is appreciated.
Time, such as timeskips, flahbacks, and memories/dreams.
Sign language.
Television or scroll voices.
Writing.
Light. A blinding, infuriating light. What? Where am I? Blinking, my eyes finally adjust. The heartbeat in my chest freezes. Then suddenly, it bursts into a rapid pounding that could likely be heard by any others present. Slowly, my sneaker rises from the wooden floor. Pace quickening. Everything grows in height. Or am I getting smaller? Colliding with her leg, my face burries as my arms squeeze tightly. A light chuckle. Her warm arm wraps around me.
... Huh? Why does this seem familiar?
Her voice is just as soft and kind as I remember. "My precious babies."
Babies? Why would she?
Turning my head left, it hits me. Ruby. Young, clingling to her other leg. Quickly, my head cranes down to look at myself. White neakers, black skirt, pink top. No. No no no no no! Grip tightening, I beg her not to leave. Her eyes. Her wonderful eyes smile into my terrified, traitorous ones. It doesn't matter how much the pleads pour from my unscathed throat. My arms fight to keep her here. To keep her safe from the mist that floats in from the windows, engulfing everything. No matter how hard I fight, those words, her last words, strike my ears like a bolt of lightning.
"Thus kindly, I scatter."
Fog slowly fades from the bathroom mirror as those damn silver eyes stare back at themselves. Grunting angrily, fist tightening around the brush, my arm works in a flurry to fix the mess of hair atop my head. Never had to fix my hair before. This fucking reflection is killing me. Should I just get a wig? I hate this look. Looking like her... it's too much. As soon as the black bristles of the brush touch the white countertop, the cover is thrown back over the glass. Spinning on my heels, my palms pat the fabric covering my knees. When was the last time I ever wore a dress anyway? They used to dress us up alike when we were younger, but I never cared much for dresses or skirts. At least it's not red. I'd look way too much like Ruby that way. But I'm not sure how I feel about navy. Doesn't really suit me, and it doesn't compliment my scarf either.
While my feet carry my body to the door, the fingers on my hands fumble with the strings of a white apron behind my back. The soft, black socks hug my feet as they find themselves surrounded by the walls of some loafers matching in color. Well, let's see what's in store, shall we? Cool morning air flows through the hall, and the metallic clanging of stairs bounces around before dispersing into the clear blue sky. A shiver climbs my spine whilst the blue above fixates my gaze. Honestly, standing on a floating city and not seeing clouds... Another shiver attacks my body. Head shaking, cold rests on my palm. A click. Warmth immediately provides comfort and my body moves on its own to rush inside.
Emerging soon after my entrance, the tired sound of my boss' voice gathers my gaze towards his desk.
"I take it you're not used to this kind of weather?"
My freshly combed bangs wave in resistance to the movements of my head while the crackling fire does the actual talking for me. Skin as close as it can be to clambering inside the flames. Sadly, it doesn't take long before a lady enters the building as well. A pale hand brushes aside the auburn bangs covering one of her two brown eyes.
A chipper tone flows from her mouth. "So sorry I'm late! My daughter was a bit insistent on having pancakes this morning."
"Day's just starting, Pam, no need to rush as of yet. Besides, shortstack here's a bit preoccupied with the fire... Not that it'll do her much good."
Wait what? The warmth of the flames leaves my face as it turns to the two adults in the room. While Birch is focused on his desk, the sounds of scribbling reaching my ears, a gentle smile is given my way by the woman. ...Honestly, any idea of what to say escapes my thoughts. Never before had I seen a faunus with my own eyes. She doesn't look anything at all like what the TV shows. But, is she really a maid like me? She's stuck in the same outfit, but did Birch really hire a faunus?
It would seem that she takes notice of my posture based on what she says next after a click of her tongue. "It's okay, I get it." Turning to the owner, she continues. "Birch, can you find another maid to train her? I don't think she's really comfortable with..."
Ah crap! Did I offend her? I-I didn't mean it that way! Unsure of what else to do, and not wanting to escalate things, the sound of my fingers snapping surprises even myself. Though I don't have time to dwell on that as my hands fumble with my notebook.
I didn't mean to offend you. I've just never seen a faunus before.
Both pairs of eyes seem to blink in unison, and while the big guy's expression remains unknown to me, the woman's seems to brighten.
"Oh, well in that case, my name is Pam! I'll be your trainer, if you're alright with it that is."
Even though my head moves in a nod, my eyes still find themselves watching the fluffy ears on top of her head.
"Kid's name is Peony." Birch says for me, looking at his paperwork once more. "She's not really a talker."
"Well, I bet you two get along just fine then, huh?" comes the teasing sounding remark, followed by a grunt from the boss.
My hair shifts to the confused tilt of my head, but that doesn't last long however, as Pam's eyes meet my own. "Ready to go?"
Go? Go where? A jolt of regret at my life's decisions freezes me in place, or it would if the blowing air from the open door didn't get me first. Giving me a curious look, Pam doesn't seem at all fazed by the cold wind. I on the other hand, find my eyes squeezing shut and my arms flailing up and down. Why the heck are we going outside?! Am I not a maid?! Maids clean INSIDE! Noticing that she still didn't get the memo, a finger of mine points at the door.
A moment of realization. "Oh, honey, we don't really clean the office. Birch is a bit... peculiar in his personal organization. Our job is to clean the apartments."
WHAT?! The pages of my notebook flutter as it springs forward
Shouldn't people be in charge of cleaning their own places?!
A snicker. "Ordinarily, yes. But this isn't a typical complex. Most of the clients here are high class and don't mind shelling out a bit of lien to have everything from a cleaning crew to breakfast being brought to the door."
Needless to say that the only warmth I have while trekking through the freezing winds of Atlas comes from my inner rage. For three hours, comfort is only momentary as we go from room to room. Making beds, sweeping and vacuuming, feather dusting, and folding towels weren't exactly things that I thought I'd be doing at eleven years old. Thirty, maybe. Not eleven. Honestly though, it isn't horrible. At least I'm not cleaning toilets or stuck at a desk all day. Pam is a nice lady too. She's been very patient with me and helping out when needed, not snapping as soon as I mess up or taking over when a mistake is made. ...I've almost forgotten what that was like.
Not to mention that we've hardly had to interact with anyone at all. Apparently, the guests just leave a tag on the door if they go into town for a moment, asking for service. Only times they've spoken to us is if they're just stepping out or returning before we were gone.
... And then we met this prick.
"You're joking right? Faunus service? What kind of scam is this?!"
Honestly, I have no idea how Pam is able to put up with this guy. The tag was on the door when we walked by, but the man hadn't actually left yet. He opened the door right as we were stepping up and has been running his mouth ever since. Pam even started to leave so he could have a human maid, but he told us to stay just so he could yell at her. God, I want to punch his stupid glasses-wearing face! But somehow, someway, my trainer is just standing here with a smile on her face like it's just another day. It only ends when a burst of wind hits our faces while the loud slam of the door involuntarily makes my body flinch.
Pam's soft voice causes my eyes to spring open in surprise. "Are you alright, honey?"
Standing straight up, my hair flies around at the harsh shake of my head. Her eyes close as her smile remains when I point my finger at her.
"Oh, it's quite alright. I'm used to it. Thank you for worrying about me!"
... The light radiating from this woman is enough to make anyone go blind.
The sweet, sweet warmth of the fireplace finally kisses my skin once more upon our return to the office. Grabbing a blanket off the back of a chair, my butt finds itself placed by the flames once more. Laughter fills the room as my body shivers. The scowl forming from my lips reseeds when my eyes reach the fanus woman. Originally, my mind thought the chuckles were at my expense, but it would seem by the brow furrowed on Birch's that it was at his own. The gaze of her brown eyes cause my silver ones to whip around back to watch the flames. Does she think I'm weird for watching her? The clicking of her shoes. Oh, God, she's coming over here. Why? Did I upset her somehow? I didn't really write much to her today, does she think I'm being mean?
Her voice doesn't seem to hold any anger. "Mind if i sit by you?"
Slowly, my head moves up and down. Wait. Is it supposed to shake for 'don't mind?' Upon swinging it side to side, another thought strikes. It is nod, isn't it? So another nod... wait. Okay, it's probably best if I just give up. My palm just pats the floor beside me. The only noise for a while is the crackling of the fire until the sound of her calming voice reaches my ears once more.
"You don't do well with social interactions, do you?"
A shake of the head.
"I just wanted to let you know that you did good today. I'm not really sure why you chose to volunteer here, but I think it's pretty cool that someone so young is able to adapt so quickly. Your parents must be proud."
Crackling of the fireplace. A half-hearted shrug is the only answer i can offer. Proud? There's no way. Mom wouldn't have approved of me running away. Taiyang... well, it doesn't matter what he thinks.
Apparently noticing my body language, instead of immediately asking what's wrong or anything annoying like that, Pam's tone simply softens.
"Do you need a ride home?"
A shake of the head. My ears pick up the sound of shuffling as she rises. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then?"
After giving a small nod, Pam's footsteps grow quieter and quieter until the door closes shut. The flickering flames of the fire dance in my eyes as they dim.
"Your parents must be proud."
Suddenly, I'm surrounded by nothing but white... except them. Their gazes all fall upon me. My mouth opens to speak, but of course, nothing comes out. A mirror floats gently above them, showing a little girl that's long since been gone. Irises falling to Mom, she smiles, her hands on Ruby's shoulders. Then, she fades, leaving the rest if us behind. What was once a happy family, dies. The little girl in the mirror turns into a disheveled mess. Taiyang, previously a loving father, raises a bottle to his lips; dead eyes looking at nothing in particular. Yang grows weary, her gaze cast downwards. But it's Ruby's scowl that keeps my gaze. I give one in return, and it suddenly shifts to a look of... regret?
Glancing towards the mirror, the reflection looking back is cleaner, but now, the familiar ugly scar is there. Water rises in Yang's eyes, her face turns, not able to look at me. My older sister then fades away, just like Mom. Wind blows and Dad no longer looks drunk, but the hammer in his hands makes my blood boil. My reflection seethes in rage... and he leaves as well. Near the point of snarling, a quiet, timid voice gathers my attention.
"Peony?"
The last thing she ever said to me. What causes surprise however... is how scared she looks. Those eyes look begging, pleading. Her posture, trying to look strong, but full of fear. Regret stains her face as my irises stare into hers. Our clothes and hair, blowing in the steadily rising wind. A splitting crack sounds from below as the earth breaks apart between us. Suddenly, I find myself drifting farther and farther away. The mirror spiderwebs. A shatter.
A soft whimper escapes my throat as I push my upper body off the couch, a blanket falling down my shoulder. Ugh, what the heck was that? It was so... vivid. Not to mention entirely incorrect. What would Ruby and Yang even look sad for? Wait. Wasn't I just sitting on the floor? When did I...? The sound of scratching on paper reaches my ears once more. Head poking over the couch, Birch doesn't seem to notice I'm awake as he writes away. Did he move me? Not sure how to describe it other than something 'feels' in my chest. Standing up, my body moves to my boss, who doesn't even notice my presence until my finger taps the counter after a moment. When his eyes fall on me, my arm extends the blanket back to him and my head gives a slight nod. My heels pivot, and I have my way back to my apartment.
One week later...
For some reason that I can't explain, my thoughts keep drifting back to that dream. It's been following me. Taunting me. ...And it pisses me off. Just what is it? Why can't I forget about it? Why do they seem so upset?
"Fold over, not under, Peony." comes the gentle reminder from Pam.
Nodding, my head does a system reboot so that my hands can work properly. I'm grateful for the fanaus woman. She's nice company and caught on rather quickly that I didn't want to discuss family. As a matter of fact, she never brought it up again after the first day. Says a lot about my family, actually. They never even bothered to pay attention, and if they did, I couldn't have a moment's peace. But these two, Birch and Pam, treat me better than my own blood does, and I barley know them! Just thinking about it makes me boil. My life was going so great too! I felt happy! I felt safe! And then my brain gives me a stupid dream about those assholes! Slamming a fresh towel by the sink, the grinding of my teeth overtakes any other sound that may be present at the moment. Why does this bother me so much?! They're out of my life! Shouldn't that be enough?!
"Peony." The God forsaken name pulls my attention away to my coworker, who seems to be a bit unsettled. "Are you alright?"
Sigh escaping my lips, my rear flops down on a bed, face falling in my hands. A gentle movement of the mattress beside me. The warmth from my hands pulls away as they meet one another by my knees. For a moment, my body remains motionless. The feel of my hair almost seems foreign to my fingers as they reach for my pencil. The familiar, and yet taunting, scribbles of lead on paper.
I've had the same dream several days this week. I keep thinking about it when I just want it out of my head!
"What's it about?" she asks, curiously.
Something I know is impossible.
"Does it make you sad?"
Pissed off.
... Why did she go quiet?
"Well, I'm not sure if you believe this kind of thing, but have you thought that it might be your inner self trying to tell you something?"
... What? Inner self? The hell does that mean?! I KNOW that they don't give a shit about me! Of all the...! Feet hitting the floor, I quicken the pace to get this day over with. Things remain quiet between us as the hour passes on by. Eyes hitting the clock, a sigh of relief graces my lungs as only another sixty minutes remain. Wrapping the coat around my form tighter, several words come to mind for whoever decided to make Atlas a flying island in the coldest region of the world. Using my coworkers body to shield myself from the wind, my eyes look up at her face as we approach the door of the prick. Ever since that first day, this grown ass man has made it a point to ask for service and not leave his room. All just so he can mock Pam. Her knuckles tap the door, and glasses opens it with a scowl.
"You're late!" his bratty tone irks. "Don't you animals know how to tell the time?!"
"My apologies, sir. We simply got held up." the faunus woman says it a calm tone.
The man tsks as we walk right on by him and start cleaning. Normally, I have a hard enough time not jumping on him when he taunts Pam... but today, he chose to pull me into the mix.
"And what's with the brat anyway? She a freak too?" Tension crawls underneath my skin at the word. It's no stranger to my ears. Children can be cruel. That title has been given my way for just being a look alike of Ruby. For my personality. For breaking those damn schoolgirls.
The shocking response from Pam gathers my gaze. "She is human, and I would appreciate it if you didn't speak about her with disdain."
She stood up for me? Why? I... never did anything like that for her.
... But this just causes the man to laugh. "Oh, you'd appreciate it? Do you think I give a shit about what would make you happy? You animals are a blemish on this world! You bring nothing but destruction and mayham!"
Shuffling of paper, the man's face burns red at my words.
Says you. Even I know that you're the real blemish. I'd rather spend time with a kind beauty then an ugly asshole.
"WHY YOU LITTLE...!" Taking a deep breath, a smile then hits his lips. "What could you possibly know? What are you? Eight? You still have a lot to learn about the world. And if your mother makes you volunteer to work with this rodent, then you obviously have a skewd understanding of the definition of kindness. The fact that she's even making you do this says enough. Poor woman's ashamed."
Blood broiling, my vision blurrs as the wood of the broom nearly digs into my palm from the pressure emitted. Grinding teeth, my arm starts to raise, but a hand keeps it in place. Gaze tilted up, Pam's soft eyes loosen my own a bit. The broom moves to her grasp when my fist lightens up. Then, without a word, she leads me out the door, her hand in mine. The fire is warm. Blanket wrapped tightly, the two adults in the building let me stew in anger. Looking to them, they seem to be talking. About what, my ears can't pick up. I'm so tired. Work is hard. Thoughts are hard. ... I want to go home.
Both of their eyes fall upon me as I approach. Sending a small nod to my boss, my signal for 'I'm going now.' Raising my hand, it waves Pam a gentle 'goodbye as I move for the door. However, Birch's voice catches me.
"Wait a minute, kid."
Shuffling. Turning around, my head tilts in confusion as he hands me a letter. My eyes watch it, before raising an eyebrow at the large man.
"It's your pay."
'Pay?' What pay? Aren't I working in place of rent?
"I know it's volunteer work, but go out and do something fun. Get some ice cream, and take the day off tomorrow."
Ummm, what? Looking over his shoulder, Pam sends an encouraging smile my way. Did she tell him what happened? Did she ask him to give me time off? He still said 'volunteer work,' so she doesn't know? My eyes hit the envelope again. Slowly taking it, I give a small nod and smile of appreciation before heading outside. Once inside my apartment, my body starts to just get ready for bed when my thoughts turn back to the letter. Should I go out? Ice cream does sound good. But Atlas is freezing! But it would also be a waste if i didn't use the lien. Birch didn't have to give it to me after all... and Pam would be upset if she found out. Aww... screw it. Throwing on some sweat pants and a heavy hoodie, I pocket the lien and head to town.
Let's see. Ramen. Clothing store. Clothing store. Pet supplies. There we go. The blue and red lights of the sign flicker in my eyes. Saber Cat Cremery. A little bell chimes in response to the door, and a clerk gives a greeting. Oh, those are fun hats. Little Saber Cats with ears, and fangs on the bill. Scanning past the glass, my eyes light up upon seeing my favorite blend. Pointing, I ask for a cup with lots of sprinkles. As they prepare it... an image comes to mind.
Yang's smile looks into my eyes, a bowl of ice cream in each hand.
Shaking my head, I force the memory away. What the hell?! Why can't I forget?!
"Neapolitan."
Hearing the name of my order snaps me out of it. Thank you, cashier lady. After paying for my treat, I turn towards the door. Shrugging, my brain decides to eat with some scenery. There was a park nearby. Life actually seems good again as my legs swing from the bench. Thank goodness the wind decided to let up, I wouldn't have survived this experience otherwise. ...And then, unfortunately for me as I take my next bite, life seems to take my statement as a challenge. Two pairs of arms grab my own, and a boy's voice speaks.
"Drag her down to the alley!"