Post by Swith on Jan 19, 2016 14:47:37 GMT -4
NOMINATION 1: Lyra's Parting
Nominated by: The Starlight
Notes by The Starlight: none
A melodious but frail voice at the twilight of life could be heard speaking softly inside the room.
"Oh, yes, that day. I remember it as if it was yesterday..."
It was a cool winter morning; on the northern half of Earth, at least. But I wasn't there that morning. I had wanted to take a small trip after designing a new engine for the ISSR spaceship model, and I had decided to visit some old friends in our Hell, so that morning I was at Hell's Garden, a park of sorts right in the middle of Pandaemonium, Hell's capital city, which was built to replace Dys after the Abrahamic War and contiinued to grow under Alastor's rule. Hell had prospered quite a bit under his rule even back then, really, especially after he married the Queen of another Hell. I've only heard stories of how it was before he seized power, and it's a paradise in comparison. But anyway, Hell's Garden is a very beautiful place, full of trees with leaves of many colors and all sorts of exotic plants. I'm pretty sure I've shown you all the drawings I made of it, oh, and Lillia, you've probably seen it yourself. I heard it was a wedding gift of sorts from the Demon Lord to his wife Alia, which goes to show love can literally trascend our reality.
Where was I? Oh, yes. I was at Hell's Garden talking to a friend who saved me a couple times during the war ten years ago, Ciel Taka, who was good friends with the Queen of Both Hells, apparently. You've probably heard of her; she quickly monopolized production of cannolies across the world. She introduced me to her child, though I was rather confused when she said she and her husband were expecting another, since she didn't seem pregnant at all. I chatted a long time with her, and also with the King of Both Hells, who was my old teacher at Elfen High, as you know. He had plenty of children too, I lost count of how many, to be honest. Lisa, you're engaged to one of them, aren't you? Yes, yes you are. I'm sure you'll be very happy together, he's a good man.
It was a pleasant morning at Hell's Garden, but like most things, it had to end- Oh, don't make that face, Liam. Come on, smile for your mother. See? That's much better. Anyway, I had a busy schedule with my new job as an ISSR engineer, and when I received a call about an urgent meeting with the rest of my team, I had to leave. Fortunately, as I was saying farewell to my friends, the Demon Lord offered to teleport me back to the center of Paris, so I wouldn't have to walk very long to get to the office.
What I didn't expect, though, was that it was raining in the city when I arrived. The streets were empty and the clouds were pouring waterfalls on the City of Lights, so I quickly put myself under the cover of the overhang of the entrance of a nearby restaurant and pulled out my notepad to draw myself an umbrella. From where I stood, I could see that it would only be a few blocks until I reached the office, so I began leisurely walking there while appreciating the sight, because Paris, as I had found out long ago, was a very beautiful city under the rain, though the numerous puddles weren't quite as beautiful.
As I walked, though, I noticed someone following me. At first I didn't pay him much attention; surely he's just another person with an unfortunately-timed appointment, I told myself. But soon I realized that wasn't it at all, and he seemed to notice as well, because he started catching up. I tried to pull out my notepad and draw a weapon to defend myself with, but my luck was such that I stumbled and dropped it on a puddle, making it useless. I stood there in shock for a moment before turning around, only to see that my stalker was right next to me by now. He was a werewolf- yes, Lillia, just like in the song, though this one was far less friendly. Most of them were adapted to society by now, but this one clearly wasn't, so I brought up my umbrella to try to defend myself, while shouting for help, because I knew I couldn't fight off that thing on my own. All my life I've been an artist and a designer; I was a soldier once, but never really a fighter, though I wasn't too bad with that umbrella, for some reason.
It still made a poor weapon, though, one that the werewolf easily tore apart after a bit, but just as I was going to try to bite my finger and draw something else to defend myself with, a bolt sailed past my head and into the creature's chest. It screamed before collapsing to the ground, and I winced at the sound, the death throes of a beast are not very pleasant to hear, after all. I was confused, wondering who had saved me, but then I saw him, wearing that silly red cape of his. His blond hair was long back then, tied up in a ponytail, but his moustache was just as absurd as it was eight years ago. To me he looked perfect, though. To me, he always looked perfect.
"Silver-tipped crossbow bolts, they never fail putting down these beasts. Oh, some werewolves think that it's unfair for us to keep these in stock when they're trying their best to blend in with our society, but what do they have to say about these incidents, hmm? Ah, but where are my manners. I am Alexei, a pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle. I hope that this beast has not caused you too much trouble."
Don't laugh, Lisa. Yes, that's exactly what your father said, and he even bowed to me at that last part. I was speechless, barely able to thank him and say my name. I must have been blushing furiously as well, because he caught on instantly and offered to walk me home, saying that I was probably scared after such an incident and that it would be very ungentlemanlike of him to refuse to offer his support during such time, that sort of thing. His boss and some of his associates appeared soon after, though- Yes, Lisa, I'm talking precisely about that man. I probably wouldn't have noticed him there, focused as I was on trying not to make a fool of myself in front of your father, but I recognized him. I recognized that steely gray hair of his, that stern gaze, the aura of power that seemed to surround that man at every moment.
Oh, yes, the machine gun tipped me off, too.
I think he recognized me too, because he did a double take and then told Alexei not to take too long in heading back, instead of taking him away with the rest of his apprentices and going back to the Society's headquarters. Your father looked at him, nodded, and then turned to me with a smile, offering his hand. I was still surprised from having met that man in Paris, it was a stunning coincidence, but either way, I smiled back and took his hand as we started walking back towards my apartment, chatting awkwardly at first but warming up to each other very quickly.
I nearly got fired that day, but to this day I still look at you and tell myself it was worth it.
"And that's the story of how I met your father. I know I've told it a lot, but I felt like telling it again." The voice concluded with a tiny laugh.
But then came the coughing. Lyra's health was quite fragile now. She was old, after all. The hair on her head was still white, but now it was thin, frail, and her skin was wrinkled and creased, though she smiled even through all of this, she smiled for her children, who sat beside her as she lay in bed.
Three in total, they were. Two of them women, and one of them a man. Lisa, Liam, and Lillia were their names. Liam and Lisa were twins, nearly identical to each other, one sporting short hair and the other long. They took after their father in both looks and hair color, though they had Lyra's eyes. Lillia, however, was the living image of her mother when she was younger. She had the same soft features, the same white hair. She was the youngest of the three, being five years younger than her siblings. All of them were Lyra's beloved children, though all of them had lives of their own by now.
Liam had taken after his mother, in a sense, as he was a world-renowned artist, famous for his uplifting depictions of how the world was progressing, having healed after the myriad of wars and destructive conflicts Earth and Hell and the other realms had gone through in the past several decades, wars that he had not seen, but whose longer-lasting effects he was able to observe. He had been in many a relationship, but none of them lasted very long due to his fleeting nature, and so, he remained alone. A new muse had visited him as of late, however, so perhaps that was the one?
Lisa on the other hand, had taken after her father Alexei. Alexei had taken the mantle of leader of the Slayer Society after the death of the first High Executioner and founder of the society, Frederick, and now, that same mantle had fallen on Lisa's shoulders, as her father had died eight years earlier in an unfortunate accident. Whereas her twin brother was emotional and artistic, she was stoic and sarcastic, making many a person wonder how they could look so similar yet be so different. Years of leading an order of hunters of supernatural threats to humanity had hardened her, though she still had a soft side, as evidenced by her engagement to Aldurn, twenty-seventh prince of Hell.
Finally, the youngest, Lillia, had taken a far simpler path than either of her siblings, settling down in Pandaemonium and setting up a convenience store. She was fairly successful in her endeavors, simple as they were, and lived comfortably in the capital city of Hell, dating a police officer. She was also the only one among her siblings to have inherited Lyra's gift, as even though the others had some of her artistic savvy, she was the only one who could will art into existence. Of course, her mother had taught her extensively about the uses of this power and the responsibility of having it, and Lillia was a woman of strong morals, so she never abused her power, and only used it for the benefit of her community.
All of them sat beside Lyra on that day, that fateful day when her story finally came to an end.
They spoke for a moment- Hours, perhaps, but it was but a moment, an instant in her long life. But then, her children looked at her with sadness. They had displayed remarkable emotional fortitude in the face of such an event, as it had been long in coming and she had discussed it extensively with them, mitigating the impact, but even then, she could read the great pain they bore by just looking at their faces. None of them said anything anymore, and she wondered why, but then, after a moment, she understood everything.
There was a fourth figure beside her.
"I TRUST YOU HAVE LED A GOOD LIFE?" The fourth figure asked. Lyra nodded, a smile on her face.
"I know that this is probably the last thing you expected to hear, but it's nice to see you again." The old woman stated. It was Death's turn to nod.
"I DID NOT EXPECT THAT, NO." The shrouded figure conceded. "ARE YOU READY TO COME WITH ME, LYRA?"
"Yes, I am. But could you give me just a moment?" She said as she sat up on her bed- a feat that she would never have been able to accomplish in her frail state, had she still been alive. But this was only her soul now.
"IF YOU WANT MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY, I'M AFRAID I CAN'T-" Death began, but was swiftly interrupted by the old woman's giggling.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. I have had more than enough time, thanks to many people, you among them. No, what I wanted was to give you a parting gift." She said.
Death paused. "A PARTING GIFT?"
"Yes, a parting gift. I imagine your job is very lonely, and while I can guess you have grown accustomed to it, I still want to ease your burden, if I can. Of course, if you don't want to think of this as charity, then you can think of it as me replacing what I once gave you." Lyra said. Then, she pulled a white crayon from behind her ear. Nobody ever noticed it there, concealed as it was by her snowy hair, but she always kept it there, right up until her death. She knew it would be useful to her one day, and indeed, it was.
Using this white crayon, she drew something on Death's somber cloak, and willed it into reality. A humanoid figure, of stony skin to withstand eternity, with long strands of hair black as Death's hood, and bright beads of glass for eyes.
"It can make terrific tea." She smiled, recalling a servant she had long ago, a servant that Death was well acquainted with. "It is bound to you now, so it can be with you forever." Her smile grew wider. She had helped a friend.
"We can leave now."
And so, Lyra left this world with a smile.
Nominated by: The Starlight
Notes by The Starlight: none
ENTRY BEST HEARTWARMING OR TEAR-JERKER SINGLE POST
A melodious but frail voice at the twilight of life could be heard speaking softly inside the room.
"Oh, yes, that day. I remember it as if it was yesterday..."
It was a cool winter morning; on the northern half of Earth, at least. But I wasn't there that morning. I had wanted to take a small trip after designing a new engine for the ISSR spaceship model, and I had decided to visit some old friends in our Hell, so that morning I was at Hell's Garden, a park of sorts right in the middle of Pandaemonium, Hell's capital city, which was built to replace Dys after the Abrahamic War and contiinued to grow under Alastor's rule. Hell had prospered quite a bit under his rule even back then, really, especially after he married the Queen of another Hell. I've only heard stories of how it was before he seized power, and it's a paradise in comparison. But anyway, Hell's Garden is a very beautiful place, full of trees with leaves of many colors and all sorts of exotic plants. I'm pretty sure I've shown you all the drawings I made of it, oh, and Lillia, you've probably seen it yourself. I heard it was a wedding gift of sorts from the Demon Lord to his wife Alia, which goes to show love can literally trascend our reality.
Where was I? Oh, yes. I was at Hell's Garden talking to a friend who saved me a couple times during the war ten years ago, Ciel Taka, who was good friends with the Queen of Both Hells, apparently. You've probably heard of her; she quickly monopolized production of cannolies across the world. She introduced me to her child, though I was rather confused when she said she and her husband were expecting another, since she didn't seem pregnant at all. I chatted a long time with her, and also with the King of Both Hells, who was my old teacher at Elfen High, as you know. He had plenty of children too, I lost count of how many, to be honest. Lisa, you're engaged to one of them, aren't you? Yes, yes you are. I'm sure you'll be very happy together, he's a good man.
It was a pleasant morning at Hell's Garden, but like most things, it had to end- Oh, don't make that face, Liam. Come on, smile for your mother. See? That's much better. Anyway, I had a busy schedule with my new job as an ISSR engineer, and when I received a call about an urgent meeting with the rest of my team, I had to leave. Fortunately, as I was saying farewell to my friends, the Demon Lord offered to teleport me back to the center of Paris, so I wouldn't have to walk very long to get to the office.
What I didn't expect, though, was that it was raining in the city when I arrived. The streets were empty and the clouds were pouring waterfalls on the City of Lights, so I quickly put myself under the cover of the overhang of the entrance of a nearby restaurant and pulled out my notepad to draw myself an umbrella. From where I stood, I could see that it would only be a few blocks until I reached the office, so I began leisurely walking there while appreciating the sight, because Paris, as I had found out long ago, was a very beautiful city under the rain, though the numerous puddles weren't quite as beautiful.
As I walked, though, I noticed someone following me. At first I didn't pay him much attention; surely he's just another person with an unfortunately-timed appointment, I told myself. But soon I realized that wasn't it at all, and he seemed to notice as well, because he started catching up. I tried to pull out my notepad and draw a weapon to defend myself with, but my luck was such that I stumbled and dropped it on a puddle, making it useless. I stood there in shock for a moment before turning around, only to see that my stalker was right next to me by now. He was a werewolf- yes, Lillia, just like in the song, though this one was far less friendly. Most of them were adapted to society by now, but this one clearly wasn't, so I brought up my umbrella to try to defend myself, while shouting for help, because I knew I couldn't fight off that thing on my own. All my life I've been an artist and a designer; I was a soldier once, but never really a fighter, though I wasn't too bad with that umbrella, for some reason.
It still made a poor weapon, though, one that the werewolf easily tore apart after a bit, but just as I was going to try to bite my finger and draw something else to defend myself with, a bolt sailed past my head and into the creature's chest. It screamed before collapsing to the ground, and I winced at the sound, the death throes of a beast are not very pleasant to hear, after all. I was confused, wondering who had saved me, but then I saw him, wearing that silly red cape of his. His blond hair was long back then, tied up in a ponytail, but his moustache was just as absurd as it was eight years ago. To me he looked perfect, though. To me, he always looked perfect.
"Silver-tipped crossbow bolts, they never fail putting down these beasts. Oh, some werewolves think that it's unfair for us to keep these in stock when they're trying their best to blend in with our society, but what do they have to say about these incidents, hmm? Ah, but where are my manners. I am Alexei, a pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle. I hope that this beast has not caused you too much trouble."
Don't laugh, Lisa. Yes, that's exactly what your father said, and he even bowed to me at that last part. I was speechless, barely able to thank him and say my name. I must have been blushing furiously as well, because he caught on instantly and offered to walk me home, saying that I was probably scared after such an incident and that it would be very ungentlemanlike of him to refuse to offer his support during such time, that sort of thing. His boss and some of his associates appeared soon after, though- Yes, Lisa, I'm talking precisely about that man. I probably wouldn't have noticed him there, focused as I was on trying not to make a fool of myself in front of your father, but I recognized him. I recognized that steely gray hair of his, that stern gaze, the aura of power that seemed to surround that man at every moment.
Oh, yes, the machine gun tipped me off, too.
I think he recognized me too, because he did a double take and then told Alexei not to take too long in heading back, instead of taking him away with the rest of his apprentices and going back to the Society's headquarters. Your father looked at him, nodded, and then turned to me with a smile, offering his hand. I was still surprised from having met that man in Paris, it was a stunning coincidence, but either way, I smiled back and took his hand as we started walking back towards my apartment, chatting awkwardly at first but warming up to each other very quickly.
I nearly got fired that day, but to this day I still look at you and tell myself it was worth it.
"And that's the story of how I met your father. I know I've told it a lot, but I felt like telling it again." The voice concluded with a tiny laugh.
But then came the coughing. Lyra's health was quite fragile now. She was old, after all. The hair on her head was still white, but now it was thin, frail, and her skin was wrinkled and creased, though she smiled even through all of this, she smiled for her children, who sat beside her as she lay in bed.
Three in total, they were. Two of them women, and one of them a man. Lisa, Liam, and Lillia were their names. Liam and Lisa were twins, nearly identical to each other, one sporting short hair and the other long. They took after their father in both looks and hair color, though they had Lyra's eyes. Lillia, however, was the living image of her mother when she was younger. She had the same soft features, the same white hair. She was the youngest of the three, being five years younger than her siblings. All of them were Lyra's beloved children, though all of them had lives of their own by now.
Liam had taken after his mother, in a sense, as he was a world-renowned artist, famous for his uplifting depictions of how the world was progressing, having healed after the myriad of wars and destructive conflicts Earth and Hell and the other realms had gone through in the past several decades, wars that he had not seen, but whose longer-lasting effects he was able to observe. He had been in many a relationship, but none of them lasted very long due to his fleeting nature, and so, he remained alone. A new muse had visited him as of late, however, so perhaps that was the one?
Lisa on the other hand, had taken after her father Alexei. Alexei had taken the mantle of leader of the Slayer Society after the death of the first High Executioner and founder of the society, Frederick, and now, that same mantle had fallen on Lisa's shoulders, as her father had died eight years earlier in an unfortunate accident. Whereas her twin brother was emotional and artistic, she was stoic and sarcastic, making many a person wonder how they could look so similar yet be so different. Years of leading an order of hunters of supernatural threats to humanity had hardened her, though she still had a soft side, as evidenced by her engagement to Aldurn, twenty-seventh prince of Hell.
Finally, the youngest, Lillia, had taken a far simpler path than either of her siblings, settling down in Pandaemonium and setting up a convenience store. She was fairly successful in her endeavors, simple as they were, and lived comfortably in the capital city of Hell, dating a police officer. She was also the only one among her siblings to have inherited Lyra's gift, as even though the others had some of her artistic savvy, she was the only one who could will art into existence. Of course, her mother had taught her extensively about the uses of this power and the responsibility of having it, and Lillia was a woman of strong morals, so she never abused her power, and only used it for the benefit of her community.
All of them sat beside Lyra on that day, that fateful day when her story finally came to an end.
They spoke for a moment- Hours, perhaps, but it was but a moment, an instant in her long life. But then, her children looked at her with sadness. They had displayed remarkable emotional fortitude in the face of such an event, as it had been long in coming and she had discussed it extensively with them, mitigating the impact, but even then, she could read the great pain they bore by just looking at their faces. None of them said anything anymore, and she wondered why, but then, after a moment, she understood everything.
There was a fourth figure beside her.
"I TRUST YOU HAVE LED A GOOD LIFE?" The fourth figure asked. Lyra nodded, a smile on her face.
"I know that this is probably the last thing you expected to hear, but it's nice to see you again." The old woman stated. It was Death's turn to nod.
"I DID NOT EXPECT THAT, NO." The shrouded figure conceded. "ARE YOU READY TO COME WITH ME, LYRA?"
"Yes, I am. But could you give me just a moment?" She said as she sat up on her bed- a feat that she would never have been able to accomplish in her frail state, had she still been alive. But this was only her soul now.
"IF YOU WANT MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY, I'M AFRAID I CAN'T-" Death began, but was swiftly interrupted by the old woman's giggling.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. I have had more than enough time, thanks to many people, you among them. No, what I wanted was to give you a parting gift." She said.
Death paused. "A PARTING GIFT?"
"Yes, a parting gift. I imagine your job is very lonely, and while I can guess you have grown accustomed to it, I still want to ease your burden, if I can. Of course, if you don't want to think of this as charity, then you can think of it as me replacing what I once gave you." Lyra said. Then, she pulled a white crayon from behind her ear. Nobody ever noticed it there, concealed as it was by her snowy hair, but she always kept it there, right up until her death. She knew it would be useful to her one day, and indeed, it was.
Using this white crayon, she drew something on Death's somber cloak, and willed it into reality. A humanoid figure, of stony skin to withstand eternity, with long strands of hair black as Death's hood, and bright beads of glass for eyes.
"It can make terrific tea." She smiled, recalling a servant she had long ago, a servant that Death was well acquainted with. "It is bound to you now, so it can be with you forever." Her smile grew wider. She had helped a friend.
"We can leave now."
And so, Lyra left this world with a smile.
