Post by Bee on Jan 13, 2009 17:17:09 GMT -5
So Sera's letters prompted fic. XD In other news, Mnem's a bitch. Enjoy!
____
News spread quick. She knew that Shinrai was dead before she and her spawn got the letters. She knew when the brats got the letters because suddenly the apartment was being invaded by sobbing, shrieking, clinging children, attacking her from all sides, wanting love, love, love.
They should know by now that Mnem did not do love.
She pushed Helena away with disgust--Helena, who was clinging to her the hardest, while Iphis just sort of hung off her and clutched his stupid letter while he wept like a little girl. Didn't he have a boyfriend to do this? Why was he here? Why were either of them here? At least Venka and even Vishne had the brains not to be here.
"He's dead," she said, shortly. "None of your crying will help it. Get off."
Helena didn't let go; she sobbed harder, almost running out of air, her Hair flailing about wildly in distress.
"You don't care!" she wailed miserably; she was getting Mnem's shirt wet, and Mnem wondered how, even dead, Shinrai irritating the hell out of her. "You always hated Daddy! Why can't you just CRY about something?"
She repressed the urge to slap her oldest daughter. What, so if she pretended to care, Helena would let go and get lost? Fine. She could care. Mnem scrunched up her face. How did people look when they cried? All open-mouthed frowny and squinty eyes and wrinkly forehead. She did her best impression. Iphis looked up at her, mildly horrified.
"Mom, what's wrong with your face?"
"I'm crying, see? I am very sad. Look at my face. Sadness. I am sad that your worthless father is dead."
Helena jerked away. "Liar!" she accused. It didn't have a lot of force; the word got all choked on another jag of tears. "You hated him, you hated him..."
Mnem rolled her eyes. Perhaps if attempted sympathy wasn't enough to get her to shut up, cruelty was. "He was barely worth my contempt, let alone hatred," she said, coldly. "Straighten up, Helena. You're ugly when you cry."
Helena burst into a fresh round of tears. Mnem was about to let fly another scathing remark when the girl turned abruptly and fled the house, knocking into things blindly, groping for the door, her exit as graceless and inglorious as everything Helena ever did.
One spawn down. She looked at Iphis. "Why are you here?"
Iphis averted his eyes. "I wanted to make sure that...you were...okay," he said, voice small.
"Clearly," she said, "you've nothing to worry about. Go get a hug from your boyfriend."
Her son gave a tiny nod and slunk off.
And then there was quiet. Minh had locked herself in the lab. Thalia was off with Timon or Todd or whatever the fuck his name was. The apartment was devoid of life. She walked back to the kitchen and absently picked up her own letter.
Good kids. Sure. Great. Wonderful. The best.
She turned the heat up on the stove and moved her tea kettle.
She watched the dancing blue flames devour the letter.
She smiled.
____
News spread quick. She knew that Shinrai was dead before she and her spawn got the letters. She knew when the brats got the letters because suddenly the apartment was being invaded by sobbing, shrieking, clinging children, attacking her from all sides, wanting love, love, love.
They should know by now that Mnem did not do love.
She pushed Helena away with disgust--Helena, who was clinging to her the hardest, while Iphis just sort of hung off her and clutched his stupid letter while he wept like a little girl. Didn't he have a boyfriend to do this? Why was he here? Why were either of them here? At least Venka and even Vishne had the brains not to be here.
"He's dead," she said, shortly. "None of your crying will help it. Get off."
Helena didn't let go; she sobbed harder, almost running out of air, her Hair flailing about wildly in distress.
"You don't care!" she wailed miserably; she was getting Mnem's shirt wet, and Mnem wondered how, even dead, Shinrai irritating the hell out of her. "You always hated Daddy! Why can't you just CRY about something?"
She repressed the urge to slap her oldest daughter. What, so if she pretended to care, Helena would let go and get lost? Fine. She could care. Mnem scrunched up her face. How did people look when they cried? All open-mouthed frowny and squinty eyes and wrinkly forehead. She did her best impression. Iphis looked up at her, mildly horrified.
"Mom, what's wrong with your face?"
"I'm crying, see? I am very sad. Look at my face. Sadness. I am sad that your worthless father is dead."
Helena jerked away. "Liar!" she accused. It didn't have a lot of force; the word got all choked on another jag of tears. "You hated him, you hated him..."
Mnem rolled her eyes. Perhaps if attempted sympathy wasn't enough to get her to shut up, cruelty was. "He was barely worth my contempt, let alone hatred," she said, coldly. "Straighten up, Helena. You're ugly when you cry."
Helena burst into a fresh round of tears. Mnem was about to let fly another scathing remark when the girl turned abruptly and fled the house, knocking into things blindly, groping for the door, her exit as graceless and inglorious as everything Helena ever did.
One spawn down. She looked at Iphis. "Why are you here?"
Iphis averted his eyes. "I wanted to make sure that...you were...okay," he said, voice small.
"Clearly," she said, "you've nothing to worry about. Go get a hug from your boyfriend."
Her son gave a tiny nod and slunk off.
And then there was quiet. Minh had locked herself in the lab. Thalia was off with Timon or Todd or whatever the fuck his name was. The apartment was devoid of life. She walked back to the kitchen and absently picked up her own letter.
Good kids. Sure. Great. Wonderful. The best.
She turned the heat up on the stove and moved her tea kettle.
She watched the dancing blue flames devour the letter.
She smiled.
