(You are tired of the library.)
(Warning. Bellow the read more contains talk about self harm\suicide)
(No matter the library, you would always find one of those books. Be it Carpentry, fiction, Craft, sailing, whatever. There would always be just one book, one damn book.)
(Just let it die.)
(But you had to be there, And of course, it had to be you. Siffrin was nowhere to be found after yesterday, and Loop also disappeared soon after after that morning.)
(So. Here you are.)
(Yourself and Odile looking through the central Jouvente library for, what. Wishing stars? How could that help. You knew that whoever tried to grab Boniface had a wishing star emblem on their person. But that was it. What were the chances that you'd find something useful here.)
(But at least it was quiet.)
(Boniface, Pétronille, Isabeau, and Mirabelle had all headed off to the Defenders to ask them about any potential kidnappers in Jouvente. You didn't want to be around a crowd like that.)
(You sighed. Closing the book you were looking through. It was of your language, but it was just another cautionary tale. Be careful what you wish for, that sort of thing. You put it back.)
(You breathed in, and out.)
(It was probably a good thing only you could read these books. Wish craft deserves to be forgotten, with all the pain it's caused.)
(It was thanks to Wish craft that Vaugarde was nearly frozen in time. That Siffrin was trapped in a time loop. And you were pretty damn sure it was a wish that erased your country from history.)
(Stupid wishes.)
"Have you found anything, Siffrin?"
(Odile was here. She snuck up on you. No, that's not fair, you were just not paying attention. You turn to her, and shake your head.)
"Neither have I. Most of the books on wishes would probably be yours to find."
(You sigh. Of course it would be.)
(Wordlessly, you look back to the bookshelf, picking another paper of dead languages to look through. Odile standing next you, watching you.)
"... Is everything alright?"
(No. No it wasn't alright. But you know that, didn't you Odile. Odile Odile Odile. Always the smartest and quickest to work things out. Go on, say it. Say you've figured out you're not Siffrin, is so, so obvious.)
(You read the book.)
". . ."
(Odile is still there. Go away.)
". . . I acted, inappropriately, a few days ago. I'm sorry."
(Huh?)
"I understand if you don't forgive me. I knew something was wrong and couldn't wait for you to bring it up first. That was wrong of me."
(. . . Right.)
(She did know you weren't Siffrin, but she wasn't bringing it up. But she brought it up anyways by talking about how she menaced you a few days ago. So smart, so smart you are, aren't you.)
(You sigh, and close the book. You turn to her, avoiding eye contact.)
(You open your mouth, nothing comes out.)
". . . Siffrin?"
(You turn away, back to the book.)
". . . You can't speak, right?"
(You nod. You never could. The rare times you were here alone, you had to make do without talking. You could never get yourself to talk.)
(Well, you could, but it would give everyone a headache. You continue reading the book.)
"I can teach you sign language, if you want."
(. . .)
"I understand if there's some. . . Issues between us, but I'm still willing to help with-"
(You hold a finger.)
(There's something here.)
(Records of wishes. Wishes people made and what came from it. One person wished to find a rare fish, and could find they could fish for days at a time non stop. Another wished for true love, and was compelled to travel afar. A third wished their brother would recover from an illness, and they gained powerful healing craft.)
(Odile was talking to you. You ignored her.)
(Hmm. Siffrin wished to stay with his friends, and was given a time loop to do it. The king wanted to remember, and was given the power of time craft of all things.)
(There's a pattern here.)
(Keep looking. What else is there. What kind of wishes did people make. What did they get, did they always get their wish? Of course they did. What about the stars. What's with that star, you knew, didn't you? Did you? What was it-)
"Siffrin!"
(Odile places her hand on your shoulder.)
(Don't. Touch. Me.)
(Even without words you got the message across. Stupid. You're not friends. You're not even allies.)
(She's staring at you. Afraid.)
(You must look downright terrifying right now.)
(So what. She'll get over it, and if not, then you'll be tugged away just like you have hundreds of times. It didn't matter. Slowly, you put the knife to your side, there's no blood on it. You pick up the book again.)
". . . Sorry."
(Fine.)
(Damn. You lost your place. Fine. You started walking to the entrance with the book in hand. You could check the book out or steal it. They wont miss a dead language. You needed out of this dusty, disgusting place. Odile followed.)
(You paused at the exit. It was bright outside.)
". . ."
(She wanted to say something. What, another apology? A scolding?)
(. . . No, something's wrong.)
(She must have picked it up too. You heard something, felt something, smelt something. But you couldn't make it out. There was too much information, too much at once. You gritted your teeth and stepped outside.)
(You winced at the light. The streets were busy. It was loud. Stars, what was going on, something was off, something was wrong.)
"D-dile!"
"Gems- Bonny?!?"
(You turn, Boniface was running to Odile. Why were they here? They were holding tight to Odile. They were crying.)
"There!"
(You look up. A couple of Defenders were jogging over to you two. On instinct, you put yourself between them and Odile and Boniface.)
(Odile seemed just as suspicious.) "What, what happened? what do you two want?"
(The defenders seemed unremarkable, by Vaugarde standards that is.) "That kid ran away from their sister, we're trying to get them back to her."
(Hmm...)
"They ran way from Pétronille? Did something happen?"
(Boniface wasn't responding.)
"Well they were almost kidnapped yesterday, but we caught the girl who tried it, I bet they're still spooked."
(Girl?)
". . . Who was it?" (Odile asked, stone faced.)
"It wasn't her..."
(You turn around, Boniface...?)
"Belle didn' do it... Za told me to, to get you, and, and Nille..."
(You draw your dagger.)
"Siffrin! No need for that!"
"Hey easy kid, we're here to help."
(Help. Ha. You looked at the two defenders. When Mirabelle asked for help all those cowards chose to stay here all nice and comfy. It didn't mater that Vaugarde would freeze. Help, they only helped themselves.)
(Something was wrong. Something wasn't right. Isabeau, Pétronille, and Mirabelle were undoubtedly in trouble.)
(. . . No, it was past that.)
(You didn't need some star in your ear or some annoying jingle. You knew what this was. Wrong choice then, after all.)
(You turn to look at Boniface and Odile. They looked worried, confused, maybe angry. Odile, oh Odile, holding Boniface and telling them its ok even if the world is stabbing them both in the back. Oh whatever, it didn't matter anyway.)
(Well, here comes the hardest part. You twist the knife the other way.)
(Odile. She looks confused. And then, she looks horrified. Oh Odile, always the quickest to work things out.)
(She can't move fast enough to stop you.)
(It hurts.)
(. . . It took longer than usual.)
(. . . The other two would show up soon. They can deal with it.)
(. . . You're going to throw up.)
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Prompt 11: Those Screaming Elders
This is my NaNoRebel thing for 2023. I explain what it is here. The prompts are here.
FROM AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE MUSEUM
It has been requested that the artwork Old Men Yell at Clouds and the Clouds are You, by Mariah Harding, be removed due to, quote, extremely offensive content.
The Museum intends to be a welcoming and fair place where all may appreciate art. However, the Museum also intends to be a place where artworks presenting viewpoints differing from the norm can be freely expressed.
The Museum agrees that the comments made by the piece in question are abhorrent and not in line with the Museum's beliefs. The Museum also agrees with the artist that the piece, as a whole, is not intend to reinforce these comments, but rather to bring into relief the pain it causes to those who are exposed to it.
Therefore, The Museum will maintain the piece on its current configuration until the end of the present exposition. However, we will place a trigger warning at the piece's entrance so patrons are forewarned of its contents and may choose not to engage with it. The Museum apologizes for not having done so from the outset.
FROM MARIAH HARDING'S SOCIAL NETWORKS POSTS
can't believe the museum actually sided with me on this one. we did it folks, transphobia is defeated
look i'm sorry abt the dude who had a breakdown but if you enter a piece about being shouted at bc of the ways u break society's norms and then you get shouted at bc of the ways u break society's norms i dunno what to tell u
anyway. turns out i do think the museum is right and i shouldve put a trigger warning from the start. but now everything is fixed so go see and help pay my salary
ps i wasnt gonna reveal my secrets but wth i will. the pieces magicks actually take the things it screams from ur thoughts. so techincaly the guy who had the breakdown was shouting at himself. sth to think about
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