Post by Eurydice on Mar 17, 2008 15:58:35 GMT -5
((Set in pre-invasion Akrontion))
The elder twin, a girl of perhaps sixteen years, burst into the apartment in a frenzy of excitement. Late afternoon sunlight peeked through the door briefly before being slammed out again in a rush as delicate feet pattered across the floor. The girl had been at school late, working on an extra-curricular service project. "Liv! Oh, Liv!"
The younger twin sat upright and sensible at the huge, ornately carved desk in her room, ankles crossed, long legs swinging from her high stool. A thick, leather-bound tome sat in front of her, and she quickly clapped it shut at her sister's approaching footfall. Her eyes were already on the doorway when her sister alighted there, wearing one of those neat little wrap-around dresses that she favored; they were, the elder sister said, supposed to look sensible and businesslike, but her younger sister knew that that kind of chaste, tailored look just made the elder sister look more appealing in the eyes of the opposite sex, a tightly wrapped present with a slender figure, long legs, and big, liquid-soft eyes.
Elder sisters were so stupid, sometimes. "What is it?"
The girl in the doorway, short blonde hair clinging to her face, looked positively radiant, despite being dishevelled, but a radiance tempered with nerves. "It's Kaidan! Kaidan Greene-- do you know him? He's two years ahead of us, but we're in the same service group--"
The bookworm at the desk nodded, non-committal. "I know him. About yea high, built like an ape."
"Oh, hush!" Her sister minced in and perched prettily on the trunk at the end of the bed. "Well, he asked me to stay after and look over some things with him, and... and..." She blushed and giggled and blushed deeper. "...he kissed me!"
The younger looked at the pixie seated at the foot of the bed, squealing with delight, and wondered how many men and boys she'd had in the space that it had taken her sister just to get to a first kiss. With considerable effort, she resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. "That's very lovely."
"It is! Oh, it really is! And he's so sensitive, too, so clever and kind, even if he is, you know, built like an ape..." Her legs dangled off the edge of the trunk, kicking it gently, softly rhythmic. "And he likes me. He really, really likes me, and I never thought someone like him would ever like someone like me!" She giggled again and flopped back onto the bed, cooing happily.
This time, her younger sister did not resist the urge to give voice to her exasperation. "Oh, for gods' sakes; you've been in classes together for years, and you almost always make eyes at each other from across the room. Everyone likes you. Everyone likes him. I'm sure the wedding is just a matter of time."
The figure languishing on the bed pouted, feet kicking the trunk in unison. "You're just making fun because you're jealous."
The girl sitting upright at the stool by the desk snorted and deliberately held back the memory of her last encounter with Kaidan Greene. A little over half a year ago, one of the Greene's servants had been mixed up in some sort of legal proceedings, and naturally, Liv had been desperate to know the details. The only one she could question, though, noble young Kaidan, wouldn't say the first word on the subject without powerful persuasion.
So, she had persuaded him.
Her sister, blisfully unaware, laughed. "Alright, never mind, that was stupid; you're not jealous, obviously. But..." She sat up again, the leather heels over her sandals dragging against the wood of the trunk. "...he really does like me." She bit her lip nervously.
"And this is a problem?"
"Of course it's a problem! He... he wants to come over here, spend more time with me..."
The younger digested this, thoughtfully. They never entertained visitors in their home.
"And oh, I do want to spend more time with him, really I do; he's so lovely and all, really, but..." The girl in the tight, tailored dress squirmed.
"But what?"
"You know what! There's... well, there's Mummy and Daddy's stuff, those books and little trinkets and all, some of those'd be a dead give-away... and then everything in my room... and then there's us, I mean, we'd have to talk all normally, like we do out there..."
"So, we hide the books in my room. I'll stay out of your way, so you don't have to talk at me. And as for your room... well, you can tell him that some obscure relative of ours is a sculptor or into weird art or something--"
"But he'll find out!" She slid off the trunk and stomped over to her sister. "He'll find out somehow, and I don't want him to know that I'm a freak!"
"Not a freak."
"We are--"
The younger twin slammed a hand down on the desk and stood toe to toe with her sister, their identical eyes burning into each other. "We are not freaks, Vi. We're stronger, smarter, we're better than the best that any of them out there has to offer. Mummy and Daddy made us strong and powerful and beautiful, and that's what we are, not freaks! Besides, if you don't want him to find out about us, you know full well how to do it."
The elder twin whimpered slightly. "But that's not fair... we're not supposed to use it like that! We're not supposed to use it for... personal gain! And I like him. I don't want to... manipulate him..."
"Then don't." She swung back to her reading. "And risk him finding out."
Vi looked down, hugging herself. "It's not fair," she repeated.
"Maybe," said the bookworm at the desk. "And maybe not. But that's the way it is."
Looking at her, serenely sitting there, the elder twin wondered how her sister could be so cold. She could have easily been just as popular among their friends; both sisters possessed the same brand of golden, unearthly beauty and the same knack for dealing with people. And yet, the younger never got particularly close with any individual or group, surveying all of them from a measured distance, interacting with them, to be sure, but never in the simple, pleasant conversation of girlfriends at lunch, complaining over the trials and tribulations of womanhood. Her younger sister always seemed to be studying them, making notes, and pocketing them for future reference.
The younger twin sat at her desk, wild mass of blonde hair contrasting sharply with the straight back, precise poise.
The elder twin took a few tentative steps over to her and put her arms about her shoulders, hugging her, lonely, bewildered. The younger twin paused in her reading for a moment and then returned the gesture.
The elder twin, a girl of perhaps sixteen years, burst into the apartment in a frenzy of excitement. Late afternoon sunlight peeked through the door briefly before being slammed out again in a rush as delicate feet pattered across the floor. The girl had been at school late, working on an extra-curricular service project. "Liv! Oh, Liv!"
The younger twin sat upright and sensible at the huge, ornately carved desk in her room, ankles crossed, long legs swinging from her high stool. A thick, leather-bound tome sat in front of her, and she quickly clapped it shut at her sister's approaching footfall. Her eyes were already on the doorway when her sister alighted there, wearing one of those neat little wrap-around dresses that she favored; they were, the elder sister said, supposed to look sensible and businesslike, but her younger sister knew that that kind of chaste, tailored look just made the elder sister look more appealing in the eyes of the opposite sex, a tightly wrapped present with a slender figure, long legs, and big, liquid-soft eyes.
Elder sisters were so stupid, sometimes. "What is it?"
The girl in the doorway, short blonde hair clinging to her face, looked positively radiant, despite being dishevelled, but a radiance tempered with nerves. "It's Kaidan! Kaidan Greene-- do you know him? He's two years ahead of us, but we're in the same service group--"
The bookworm at the desk nodded, non-committal. "I know him. About yea high, built like an ape."
"Oh, hush!" Her sister minced in and perched prettily on the trunk at the end of the bed. "Well, he asked me to stay after and look over some things with him, and... and..." She blushed and giggled and blushed deeper. "...he kissed me!"
The younger looked at the pixie seated at the foot of the bed, squealing with delight, and wondered how many men and boys she'd had in the space that it had taken her sister just to get to a first kiss. With considerable effort, she resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. "That's very lovely."
"It is! Oh, it really is! And he's so sensitive, too, so clever and kind, even if he is, you know, built like an ape..." Her legs dangled off the edge of the trunk, kicking it gently, softly rhythmic. "And he likes me. He really, really likes me, and I never thought someone like him would ever like someone like me!" She giggled again and flopped back onto the bed, cooing happily.
This time, her younger sister did not resist the urge to give voice to her exasperation. "Oh, for gods' sakes; you've been in classes together for years, and you almost always make eyes at each other from across the room. Everyone likes you. Everyone likes him. I'm sure the wedding is just a matter of time."
The figure languishing on the bed pouted, feet kicking the trunk in unison. "You're just making fun because you're jealous."
The girl sitting upright at the stool by the desk snorted and deliberately held back the memory of her last encounter with Kaidan Greene. A little over half a year ago, one of the Greene's servants had been mixed up in some sort of legal proceedings, and naturally, Liv had been desperate to know the details. The only one she could question, though, noble young Kaidan, wouldn't say the first word on the subject without powerful persuasion.
So, she had persuaded him.
Her sister, blisfully unaware, laughed. "Alright, never mind, that was stupid; you're not jealous, obviously. But..." She sat up again, the leather heels over her sandals dragging against the wood of the trunk. "...he really does like me." She bit her lip nervously.
"And this is a problem?"
"Of course it's a problem! He... he wants to come over here, spend more time with me..."
The younger digested this, thoughtfully. They never entertained visitors in their home.
"And oh, I do want to spend more time with him, really I do; he's so lovely and all, really, but..." The girl in the tight, tailored dress squirmed.
"But what?"
"You know what! There's... well, there's Mummy and Daddy's stuff, those books and little trinkets and all, some of those'd be a dead give-away... and then everything in my room... and then there's us, I mean, we'd have to talk all normally, like we do out there..."
"So, we hide the books in my room. I'll stay out of your way, so you don't have to talk at me. And as for your room... well, you can tell him that some obscure relative of ours is a sculptor or into weird art or something--"
"But he'll find out!" She slid off the trunk and stomped over to her sister. "He'll find out somehow, and I don't want him to know that I'm a freak!"
"Not a freak."
"We are--"
The younger twin slammed a hand down on the desk and stood toe to toe with her sister, their identical eyes burning into each other. "We are not freaks, Vi. We're stronger, smarter, we're better than the best that any of them out there has to offer. Mummy and Daddy made us strong and powerful and beautiful, and that's what we are, not freaks! Besides, if you don't want him to find out about us, you know full well how to do it."
The elder twin whimpered slightly. "But that's not fair... we're not supposed to use it like that! We're not supposed to use it for... personal gain! And I like him. I don't want to... manipulate him..."
"Then don't." She swung back to her reading. "And risk him finding out."
Vi looked down, hugging herself. "It's not fair," she repeated.
"Maybe," said the bookworm at the desk. "And maybe not. But that's the way it is."
Looking at her, serenely sitting there, the elder twin wondered how her sister could be so cold. She could have easily been just as popular among their friends; both sisters possessed the same brand of golden, unearthly beauty and the same knack for dealing with people. And yet, the younger never got particularly close with any individual or group, surveying all of them from a measured distance, interacting with them, to be sure, but never in the simple, pleasant conversation of girlfriends at lunch, complaining over the trials and tribulations of womanhood. Her younger sister always seemed to be studying them, making notes, and pocketing them for future reference.
The younger twin sat at her desk, wild mass of blonde hair contrasting sharply with the straight back, precise poise.
The elder twin took a few tentative steps over to her and put her arms about her shoulders, hugging her, lonely, bewildered. The younger twin paused in her reading for a moment and then returned the gesture.