Why is she speaking like that? Why does her breathing sound so tired? Why does she move her feathers like she is sick of me? Does she not know I did this all for her? Does she not know that it's because of all the pressure she put on me that I did this? Am I wrong? Is this my fault? Was I the one to mess this all up?
Gritting my teeth, I shout, "THIS ISN'T FAIR!"
"Watch your tone."
"I ONLY DID THIS FOR YOU, I DID THIS SO YOU'D BE PROUD OF ME, I DID THIS SO I WOULD BE ABLE TO GET AFFECTION FROM YOU, YET IS THAT ALL YOU CAN SAY TO ME AFTER I PUSHED MYSELF SO HARD! WHY ARE YOU SUCH AN AWFUL PERS-."
A slap rings across the side of my face, causing me to stop in my tracks. Then, as my face returns to normal, she says, "Shut up. We of the Ceaușescu family have a responsibility not only to our region, but to all the people within the country. We may have moved past the point of a single mistake causing deaths, but the day my soon come when the nightmares need this level of perfection to survive from the oncoming threats, and you know that as well as anyone else.
Yet instead of facing that reality with all of the privileges afforded to you, you instead choose to whine and complain, and devalue the very lives of the people who work tirelessly to build and maintain this nation, while enjoying the best beds, food, and care they have to give. Are you that much of a parasite, a scoundrel who wishes to enjoy the fruits of others' labours without giving as much yourself?
Then to think you can come in front of me and fail again, and again, then complain as if your failures are my fault. Your brother can do this work, your father can do this work, I can do it, and so can your aunt, your uncle, your cousins, your grandparents and your ancestors that came before you. Each of them did it all, no matter how gruelling or chaotic it was, and when we all ended up in beds like you, we fought through the pain, the sadness, the hopelessness, and completed the work. Because that is our fucking duty, you swine."
I know mother, I know it isn't easy on you, I know how much work you have to do. Yet I don't think it's right to force everyone to do this. It's why a person such as you can see my anger and rage and tell me to get over it. I know the country matters, I know the people matter, but more than that, more than any of that, I just want you to be able to say you love me, and that I am fine as I am.
Yet through all my rage and discomfort, I could never admit that's what I want; all I can do is simply scream and shout at how much everything is horrible. Argh, I hate this life and mind of mine.
-Present-
Location: Church of the Cursed Sea/Neetud Meri
Φ Standing outside a bunch of kids running around, Ivana, Wadim, and Gheroghe all skinning their heads low stare at the joy of the youth in front of them and feel a bitter energy spread forth, trying to suffocate the little kids.
Though as Elia pounds the three of them in the head, she says, "Calm yourselves, and don't let your bitterness overtake them."
They all glare at her, and she glares back, making the three idiots bow their heads out of fright. Confused, she says, "It seems even the joy of a bunch of orphaned kids playing isn't enough to cheer these people up?"
As they look up and see, Suzuka, Maple, Willow, Cyrus, and Iancu, a mini game of cursed chess with the orphaned kids using large stationary wooden houses as their monster trucks, they all scowl.
"Stop being so bitter; it doesn't make you younger."
Ivana starts crying and says, "This is your fault?"
Wadim says, "If only you were there, we could have fought back."
Gheorghe says, "It would have been fun to see a little girl making fun of her father."
"Oh, grow up. You're all a decade older than me, and yet you still call on me like I am your mother?"
Wadim says, "So you're going to start respecting us then. Since we are so old?"
She glares at him, and he lowers his head. Then she says, "I don't think a bunch of idiots who have their country on the verge of civil war have any right to talk to you idiots like that."
Ivana says, "Hey, father is constantly making sure people's food supplies are at their highest. As well as always making efforts to procure enough food for rescue missions."
Gheorghe says, "My dad's control over our maritime lanes has allowed us to continuously ward off pirates while keeping our trade networks alive!"
Wadim says, "The only reason you can wear all those clothes you like is because my mother makes sure everyone has everything they need right on time, don't look down on her efforts."
In unison, they all shout, "YOU GOT THAT!"
Elia pokes them all in the eyes and then says, "Now if only you guys could defend yourselves with such fervour, you wouldn't be lowering your heads."
With tears streaming down their swollen eyes, they say, "It's not that easy."
"Actually, I think it is. Besides, I would like you to know that despite my jealousy, there is one person here who looks up to the three of you far more than you look up to your parents."
Their eyes gleam towards Iancu, who many of the little nightmares climb up on.
Suzuka, seeing Elia, walks forward towards her and says, "You want to play?" with aggressive eyes.
Holding her hand against her face, Elia says, "Aww, you want to play with me that much?"
"I take it back!" Suzuka says as she turns around.
Grabbing her from the back, Elia says, "Aww, don't be like that. You're a rather cute and fascinating specimen, little fox. Far cuter than the stupid dumb dog."
Feeling a chill move down her spine, Suzuka moves away and starts looking around before staring at Elia and making a disgusted face. "You're just like Orb."
The veins on her head bulge, and Elia says, "Did you just call me deviant?"
A surge of power flows through Suzuka, and she says, "Of course I did!" Before running off, with Elia slowly walking with a corrupt laugh behind her.
Wadim, Ivana, and Gheorghe all put their hands together and let out a little prayer to all the kids playing in front of them as Elia moves forward. Though interrupting them, Avram appears and wraps his arms around their throats and says, "Three idiots, I need you now."
Picking them all up, he rushes inside the church with them in tow.
-Break-
Sitting in the middle of the church with a series of items gathered around them, Ivana, Gheorghe and Wadim all sit in front of a series of kids and speak to each of them.
A young orange-skinned girl with metallic facial hair on the left side face that combines with a large amount of her hair forming a large spiral around her head, which functions as a type of birdcage keeping her from turning around without getting cut.
Putting on a series of metal gloves, Ivana takes a container of cream and rubs it throughout her hands before grabbing onto the girl's hair and rubbing it. As she massages the hair, little soundwaves are produced and little by little the metallic hair softens.
The girl holding a mirror in her hand says, "My hair is just like everyone else's. I never knew it could be like this?"
Ivana says, "My hairs actually have muscle fibres in them, so I used to feel a large amount of pain and strain when using my curse. This cream will soften up your head, and the waves from the gloves will relax your scalp, reducing the stiffness of your hair. If we give you this treatment enough, it will start making your hair softer and softer over time, allowing you to freely style your hair."
The girl smiles and says, "Thank you!"
Wadim, a few meters away, looks at a young boy with yellow lightning blots moving through every part of his skin forming a sort of intricate tattoo, along with hair that is composed entirely of lightning, and places two shoes on his feet.
Then with a smile, Wadim says, "Let it rip."
Frightened, the boy whose face is almost permanently shaped into a frown says, "I don't think I should. I always hurt my sister Regina and the others. If I do this, I might hurt everyone here as well."
Sticking his thumb up, Wadim says, "Even in the worst-case scenario, I will be the only one getting shocked."
"But still?"
"Eh, you don't trust a master at work? Are you telling me I am worthless? ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN AT ME!"
"NO!" He says, slightly scared.
Placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, Wadim says, "Then let it rip. Let all of your full shelves be out right in front of us all on display. Come on, I am sure it will be an amazing sight to behold!"
The boy, feeling the vigour of Wadim's word, releases a giant bolt of lightning, but instead of flying around the room, it moves directly into the shoes and boosts him towards the sky, but stops before he hits the wall.
Unable to keep his place, the boy's body constantly flips around as the lightning keeps boosting him from below, until he smashes himself right into a wall, and crashes down, causing Wadim and a group of the clergy to rush over towards the child.
Stopping in front of him, Wadim says, "Are you okay?"
The boy popping out of the crater, full of joy, says, "ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" With a face full of excitement. Then, grabbing Wadim, he says, "I was able to let it all out, and it didn't hurt anyone; it usually goes all over when I get excited! I WAS ALSO ABLE TO FLY, THIS IS SO AMAZING!"
Hugging Wadim, he says, "Thank you, thank you so much!"
"No problem. But I think we've got to work on your flying abilities so you don't get a concussion, maybe a helmet will be a good idea?"
A child who looks like a horrific amalgamation of sea creatures, with the most prominent piece of his body being his puffer fish-like face, has his head trapped in a fish bowl, and stares directly at Ivana and Wadim.
"It's probably nice to be able to act freely like that."
Gheorghe, sitting behind the kid, says, "You'll be able to do that eventually as well."
With a sad smile, the boy says, "It's not that easy for me. My curse makes it so I have to constantly take in seawater at different salt intensities that can change without any warning. Sometimes my body needs a lot, sometimes it needs a small amount; if not, I can't breathe. So I have to wear this fishbowl, and constantly change it. It stops me from hanging out with everyone else all the time; it's not something that can be fixed."
Gheorghe, holding two ellipses in his hand filled with blue liquid, says, "Sorry to say this, but you're not that special. Understand that there are only a handful of people like me who are truly lost causes."
He quickly breaks the fishbowl on the boy's head, causing him to panic, before he quickly places the two ellipses on the boy's neck. The boy starts to scream, but Gheorghe says, "It's ok. Just trust me and take it all in."
The boy starts to breathe in slowly, and as he does, his fears turn to surprise, as he grabs the ellipses and says, "What's going on?"
With excitement, Gheroghe says, "First things first, I kind of noticed you don't drink water, you just absorb it through your skin. So I kind of used some of the technology we got from Elpída. You see over there the space is so dense it forms into a water-like fluid, so I had to idea to use a similar method to pack high-density water into a cursed item. But that's not all, as you can see, the ellipses have these little dials, and if you twist them, you can increase the level of salt in your water. This, plus the toughness of these, should allow you to have way more mobility when playing and moving around, and don't worry, it's not hard to make spares to keep on you."
Completely overwhelmed, the boy in front of Gheorghe breaks down into tears as his face falls into his hands, and calming down from the fervour of his explanation, Gheorghe says, "Ehh, I didn't want you to cry, I am sorry!"