Rhia clenched her hands into her sheets. It'd been three days since….that. On the first day her voice came back. The second, her hearing. It was the third, and hopefully, hopefully, today would be the day her sight came back.
She blinked, multiple times, like she was getting something out of her eyes. He opened them, wide, and saw a faint, white glow. Possibly the fluorescent ceiling lights.
"Cristoph?" An arm around her shoulders answered her. She squeezed her eyes tightly, rubbing the heels of her palms into her eyes.
"C'mon… this has to work." Rhia muttered quietly, and gritted her teeth.
"Don't rush it, Rhia. It has to come on its own." Valerie said, pulling one of Rhia's hands from her eyes.
"Nyeeeeh." She blinked again, and looked up. There were two large, blurry shapes in front of her. "Almost there." Rhia closed her eyes one more time, and then opened them slowly.
There was one blurry shape in front of her now. She squinted, and the figure sharpened; black hair, a face, sharp grey eyes. "Cristoph."
Cristoph smiled. "Welcome back."
-
Rhia cracked the door open and peeked out. And then jerked her head back, the beginnings of fear on her face.
"Dear God," she breathed. "They're all out there. All of them." Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Is there any other way to get out of here?"
Cristoph pulled out a couple smoke pellets and rolled them around in his hand.
Valerie grimaced, "No, unfortunately, there isn't. Not that I know of." She shrugged. "I think you have to face them."
Rhia face palmed. "Ohhhhh boy."
She pushed the door open again or stepped out, Cristoph right behind her. She stood there, facing the whole Society, with a couple of the shorter ones—Miriku and Tyler—jumping up and down to get a better look.
A moment of silence so thick it put London fog to shame, and then, a clap. And another. And more until they gathered into a soft storm of applause. Rhia and Cristoph stood in awe in front of the gathered Society.
Tash waded through the crowd almost like Moses to the front and lightly hugged Rhia. "I'm glad you're back."
Rhia smiled into Tash's shoulder. "Me too."
-
Rhia surveyed her kitchen from the door. One hand was on her hip, the other ran through her hair, tousling it a bit. She huffed, and turned it into a sigh. "This… is gonna be a lot of work."
The stove/oven combination was still a melted wreck; it'd be a wonderful piece of modern art. What was worse was the faded rust red stain on the floor. Blood didn't come out of tile. Not completely. She'd have to pull the tile out and replace it, which equaled about a full day's work. And she still didn't know where she'd get the new stove.
A hand touched her shoulder.
Willie jerked his head back and blinked. Rhia's fist was a hairsbreadth away from his nose.
"Willie!" Rhia yelped and rubbed at her chest, just over her heart. "You should know better than to sneak up on me."
"Sorry." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I just… just want to say sorry… for all the trouble I caused."
A soft smile grew on Rhia's face. "Apology accepted."
"And, well, I also got you a new stove. Phoenixia helped me pick it out because I know nothing about stoves but I paid for it. I… I hope you like it."
Rhia's smile grew.
-
Her footsteps clicked quietly down the stone stairs. She stopped, and braced herself with a hand on the wall as her leg suddenly decided to ache along the break lines because of the change in pressure. The Basement's security had been upped ever since The Invasion, but on the surface it was still very much the unnerving, creepy place it had always been. Slightly darker than any other room, cooler, and the walls seemed like they were closing in.
There were fewer sues in the cells then there had been, but there was only one she was looking for.
"Hey. You. Wake up." The bars rattled as she shook them. Her voice was demanding, flat, hate simmering just underneath.
A giggle, girlish, and much too high-pitched to be sane came from the shadows. "Oh, hello, my dear. How are you? Bumped into any walls lately?" Roxelana sauntered to the bars, her face a few mere inches away.
Rhia narrowed her eyes into a glare that in some worlds did kill. "I'm not your dear. I have one question for you, and then I will be quite happy to let you rot here."
"What's that, then?" Her eyes were one large, deep, black hole that just went down and down and down and didn't stop. Rhia snarled and pulled her gaze away from Roxelana's, and paced back and forth in front of her cell.
The other sues and stus stopped whatever they were doing to watch the show.
Rhia charged forward again and reached through the bars to grab at Roxelana's shirt collar. She shook the sue roughly, which just made Roxelana grin.
"Why?" Rhia barked, her face a millimeter away from Roxelana's. The only thing saving Roxelana, it seemed, were the bars themselves.
"Why? Of all the questions you could have asked me, you ask 'why'. Wow. You're dumber than I thought."
Rhia just shook Roxelana again.
"Oh, all right. If you must know." Roxelana grinned and ran her tongue over her front top teeth. "You asked for it. The one Society member so firmly against any gay or lesbian relationship… you were just begging to get messed with. I have to wonder… how against it are you in real life? Hmmm? How many friendships have you destroyed because of your hate? Well? I bet at least a couple."
Rhia pushed Roxelana away from her in disgust. "I hope you decompose slowly."
Rhia stormed out of the Basement before she did something drastic, like pulling a knife out and doing to Roxelana what she wanted to do to Rhia.
-
Rhia was in one of the various reading rooms, keeping out of the way of Jared, who was installing her new stove. She had promised him his favorite dish in payment.
Her nose was currently three inches into "Halo: The Fall of Reach," when she felt a weight settle into the couch next to her. Ossa.
"Rhia. I need to know. How far does your hatred of slash go in real life? It's just…the whole thing with Roxelana as a slasher sue and your dislike of slash plot bunnies… it's a valid question." Ossa's face was determined, serious, and perhaps a bit nervous.
Rhia saw the question for what it was. "May I take a moment to gather my thoughts?"
Ossa nodded.
"I…" Rhia paused, and then sighed. "My dislike of slash in fiction is rather wide spread. I understand fiction is where people can take any portrayal of anything, but to stick two characters together that would not normally form a romantic relationship does not sit right with me. I can handle it when it is canon, as the writers made it that way." She shifted on her spot. "I have a small weakness for puzzleshipping in the Yugioh fandom, however…"
"And… In real life?" Ossa prompted.
Rhia gritted her teeth. "Things are different. Hear me out completely before you make a comment."
Ossa nodded again.
"I am Christian. The Bible tells us that homosexuality is wrong. However, I also believe in free will, the right to choose, and tolerance. You may be a homosexual, or bi, or whatever, but you are also human." Rhia shrugged, "You have a right to a certain amount of kindness and respect. I do not like homosexuality. But I'm not going to walk up to your face and tell you you're wrong. You know what you're doing, and as long as you don't force others into your way of thinking, I don't mind." She let out a breath and the tension leeched out of her shoulders. "Does that answer your question?"
Ossa nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She walked off.
Rhia watched her go. "I wonder if Jared's done with the installation…?"
She blinked, multiple times, like she was getting something out of her eyes. He opened them, wide, and saw a faint, white glow. Possibly the fluorescent ceiling lights.
"Cristoph?" An arm around her shoulders answered her. She squeezed her eyes tightly, rubbing the heels of her palms into her eyes.
"C'mon… this has to work." Rhia muttered quietly, and gritted her teeth.
"Don't rush it, Rhia. It has to come on its own." Valerie said, pulling one of Rhia's hands from her eyes.
"Nyeeeeh." She blinked again, and looked up. There were two large, blurry shapes in front of her. "Almost there." Rhia closed her eyes one more time, and then opened them slowly.
There was one blurry shape in front of her now. She squinted, and the figure sharpened; black hair, a face, sharp grey eyes. "Cristoph."
Cristoph smiled. "Welcome back."
-
Rhia cracked the door open and peeked out. And then jerked her head back, the beginnings of fear on her face.
"Dear God," she breathed. "They're all out there. All of them." Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Is there any other way to get out of here?"
Cristoph pulled out a couple smoke pellets and rolled them around in his hand.
Valerie grimaced, "No, unfortunately, there isn't. Not that I know of." She shrugged. "I think you have to face them."
Rhia face palmed. "Ohhhhh boy."
She pushed the door open again or stepped out, Cristoph right behind her. She stood there, facing the whole Society, with a couple of the shorter ones—Miriku and Tyler—jumping up and down to get a better look.
A moment of silence so thick it put London fog to shame, and then, a clap. And another. And more until they gathered into a soft storm of applause. Rhia and Cristoph stood in awe in front of the gathered Society.
Tash waded through the crowd almost like Moses to the front and lightly hugged Rhia. "I'm glad you're back."
Rhia smiled into Tash's shoulder. "Me too."
-
Rhia surveyed her kitchen from the door. One hand was on her hip, the other ran through her hair, tousling it a bit. She huffed, and turned it into a sigh. "This… is gonna be a lot of work."
The stove/oven combination was still a melted wreck; it'd be a wonderful piece of modern art. What was worse was the faded rust red stain on the floor. Blood didn't come out of tile. Not completely. She'd have to pull the tile out and replace it, which equaled about a full day's work. And she still didn't know where she'd get the new stove.
A hand touched her shoulder.
Willie jerked his head back and blinked. Rhia's fist was a hairsbreadth away from his nose.
"Willie!" Rhia yelped and rubbed at her chest, just over her heart. "You should know better than to sneak up on me."
"Sorry." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I just… just want to say sorry… for all the trouble I caused."
A soft smile grew on Rhia's face. "Apology accepted."
"And, well, I also got you a new stove. Phoenixia helped me pick it out because I know nothing about stoves but I paid for it. I… I hope you like it."
Rhia's smile grew.
-
Her footsteps clicked quietly down the stone stairs. She stopped, and braced herself with a hand on the wall as her leg suddenly decided to ache along the break lines because of the change in pressure. The Basement's security had been upped ever since The Invasion, but on the surface it was still very much the unnerving, creepy place it had always been. Slightly darker than any other room, cooler, and the walls seemed like they were closing in.
There were fewer sues in the cells then there had been, but there was only one she was looking for.
"Hey. You. Wake up." The bars rattled as she shook them. Her voice was demanding, flat, hate simmering just underneath.
A giggle, girlish, and much too high-pitched to be sane came from the shadows. "Oh, hello, my dear. How are you? Bumped into any walls lately?" Roxelana sauntered to the bars, her face a few mere inches away.
Rhia narrowed her eyes into a glare that in some worlds did kill. "I'm not your dear. I have one question for you, and then I will be quite happy to let you rot here."
"What's that, then?" Her eyes were one large, deep, black hole that just went down and down and down and didn't stop. Rhia snarled and pulled her gaze away from Roxelana's, and paced back and forth in front of her cell.
The other sues and stus stopped whatever they were doing to watch the show.
Rhia charged forward again and reached through the bars to grab at Roxelana's shirt collar. She shook the sue roughly, which just made Roxelana grin.
"Why?" Rhia barked, her face a millimeter away from Roxelana's. The only thing saving Roxelana, it seemed, were the bars themselves.
"Why? Of all the questions you could have asked me, you ask 'why'. Wow. You're dumber than I thought."
Rhia just shook Roxelana again.
"Oh, all right. If you must know." Roxelana grinned and ran her tongue over her front top teeth. "You asked for it. The one Society member so firmly against any gay or lesbian relationship… you were just begging to get messed with. I have to wonder… how against it are you in real life? Hmmm? How many friendships have you destroyed because of your hate? Well? I bet at least a couple."
Rhia pushed Roxelana away from her in disgust. "I hope you decompose slowly."
Rhia stormed out of the Basement before she did something drastic, like pulling a knife out and doing to Roxelana what she wanted to do to Rhia.
-
Rhia was in one of the various reading rooms, keeping out of the way of Jared, who was installing her new stove. She had promised him his favorite dish in payment.
Her nose was currently three inches into "Halo: The Fall of Reach," when she felt a weight settle into the couch next to her. Ossa.
"Rhia. I need to know. How far does your hatred of slash go in real life? It's just…the whole thing with Roxelana as a slasher sue and your dislike of slash plot bunnies… it's a valid question." Ossa's face was determined, serious, and perhaps a bit nervous.
Rhia saw the question for what it was. "May I take a moment to gather my thoughts?"
Ossa nodded.
"I…" Rhia paused, and then sighed. "My dislike of slash in fiction is rather wide spread. I understand fiction is where people can take any portrayal of anything, but to stick two characters together that would not normally form a romantic relationship does not sit right with me. I can handle it when it is canon, as the writers made it that way." She shifted on her spot. "I have a small weakness for puzzleshipping in the Yugioh fandom, however…"
"And… In real life?" Ossa prompted.
Rhia gritted her teeth. "Things are different. Hear me out completely before you make a comment."
Ossa nodded again.
"I am Christian. The Bible tells us that homosexuality is wrong. However, I also believe in free will, the right to choose, and tolerance. You may be a homosexual, or bi, or whatever, but you are also human." Rhia shrugged, "You have a right to a certain amount of kindness and respect. I do not like homosexuality. But I'm not going to walk up to your face and tell you you're wrong. You know what you're doing, and as long as you don't force others into your way of thinking, I don't mind." She let out a breath and the tension leeched out of her shoulders. "Does that answer your question?"
Ossa nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She walked off.
Rhia watched her go. "I wonder if Jared's done with the installation…?"
No comments:
Post a Comment