Post by Vyn on Jan 16, 2010 11:29:30 GMT -5
Since this fic has been gnawing on me for ages but I've only just gotten the time to write it, I didn't feel it was fair to let it sit and rot until I managed to fill in the rest of my 100 Situation Prompts So, here it is, a bit ahead of schedule. XD
098. Writer's Choice: Blind
Char: Vesper (8 and 15), Anatolius
Word Count: 1123
Every since she was little, Vesper was left feeling like the odd one out.
On one side of her family she had Brokat and Mommy - mostly Lowlander, trampled by the stigma of their region. On the other side she had Casanova and Daddy - mostly Morganberry, loud, outgoing, and fiery.
And then there was little Vesper - somewhere in between.
Though Brokat and Mommy loved her, she could never embrace being a Lowlander like they could. Maybe it was the Morganberry in her, or watching how easily Casanova skated through life without ever being touched by the blot in his heritage but she was never simply satisfied being... well, herself. Whenever she got the chance to she'd wrap her legs in bandages and try to just go out and pretend she was normal like Casanova... It never worked. She smelled of Lowlander, of rot, and no one ever overlooked it for her like they did for Nova.
Especially not the cute boys that Vesper had tried to ask out. They all sneered and called her names and, with time, Vesper would learn to build her callouses until she didn't feel it anymore. Now, however, barely eight and still painfully vulnerable to every stinging remark, Vesper found herself curled up on the floor of her room and bawling. She could understand the cute boys turning their nose up at her, she wasn't pretty like the other little girls, but why couldn't she even make a friend or two?
With the usual bounce in his step, Anatolius slipped into Vesper's room to tell her it was time for dinner and froze mid-step at the sight of the girl in tears. Ever since he'd met her she'd been terribly shy to him, always hesitant and distant. He never stopped trying, though, to make some sort of lasting bond with her.
"Vesper?" Immediately the little ratdog jumped up to her paws, eyes wide though the tears wouldn't stop so easily. They still flooded down her little brown cheeks and choked her bright orange eyes. When she tried to yell at him for being in her room all that came out was yet another choked sob. "Hey, sweetie... What's the matter?"
Vesper shook her head and tried desperately to swallow the lump in her throat. "Go away," she sobbed "Don't pretend like you know me."
Toli's heart clenched a bit and he eased inside the room finally, shutting the door. "You're right... I don't, but I really want to. Please let me in? Tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to help - just between you and me, alright?"
Vesper sniffled and the tears kept flowing. Nothing she could do would make them go away, she couldn't even be mad at Toli. All her thoughts just kept coming back to her, to her hatred for herself - for who she was, and finally she just collapsed onto the floor again in defeat. "They'll n-never like me," she gasped "I'll always j-just be a... a... Lowlander to them a-and n-nothing else."
Anatolius moved in closer, sitting down beside the miserable ratdog. "Who is 'they'?"
"Everyone! All the kids at school, p-people I pass in the street, the kids at daycare. I... I... can't make friends. N-None of the boys e-even give me a second glance."
Anatolius listened sympathetically, nodding a bit. Of course. Kids could be so mean, but then again Vesper also had a bad habit of making cutting remarks. The kids that weren't pushed away by her region were chased off by her crass attitude. Now, however, wasn't the time to criticize her on her attitude and Toli could see that like a beacon in a dark night. "Don't let what all those kids - even the adults - get to you. A real friend will stick by you, darling, no matter what. Like how you and Brokat are so close, you'll find other people who enjoy your company no matter your rank or region." He reached out lightly, stroking her head and softly furred ears. Slowly Vesper was letting some of the tension out of her small frame, looking cautiously up at Toli as he spoke. "As for boys, I'm afraid that's a bit harder. Boys your age can be mean, they tease girls they like and, half the time, they don't even like the right girls. When you're all older, they'll look back and see that it's the bright girls like yourself that they should've been chasing."
Vesper wrinkled her nose, a frown creasing her muzzle. "And what about my rot? Being smart isn't everything... Mommy's smart and he doesn't even have a real boyfriend."
Toli winced a little at that, though it was true. "Ah, well, that is true. Things don't always work out like you want them too, love is especially fickle... I have plenty of trouble finding a real boyfriend myself... But you'll see, when true love finally finds you nothing else will matter. Love is blind. It doesn't matter what suit you are or what region your from, even your breed. True love goes beyond all of that."
Finally Vesper was silent, her tears slowly stopping as she thought about Anatolius's words. Love was blind? She sniffled softly, unsure of whether or not she actually believed him, but she took comfort in his words nevertheless. "Thank you for talking with me..." Toli's warm smile even tempted a small smile from Vesper. Maybe the fiery wolf wasn't all that bad after all...
Vesper sat in the back of the room as Radz and Eurwen finished up an experiment. Never before had she felt such a strong need to hold onto a friendship, but she'd done a great job so far. It didn't even matter that Eurwen hated her or that Vesper still hated herself, Radz at least was kind to her. A real friend.
Sitting there and admiring the blind mouse-mix as he worked, Vesper was reminded of an old memory she hadn't thought of in years. Toli was sitting next to her, a large, furry hand on her head, and he was saying 'love is blind'. The memory brought a smile to her muzzle at last and she laid down, head on her paws, to continue watching Radz.
Perhaps he was right... Love really was blind. He was the first person to ever really accept her and it was true - he couldn't see her region or her hideous mug. He didn't notice the way her rat-like incisors protruded from her canid muzzle or how her legs were too long for her rodent body. He was the first person to really enjoy her for being her and, as Toli had suggested, he was blind.
Now if she could just cover up the smell of rot then maybe he really could fall in love with her...
098. Writer's Choice: Blind
Char: Vesper (8 and 15), Anatolius
Word Count: 1123
Every since she was little, Vesper was left feeling like the odd one out.
On one side of her family she had Brokat and Mommy - mostly Lowlander, trampled by the stigma of their region. On the other side she had Casanova and Daddy - mostly Morganberry, loud, outgoing, and fiery.
And then there was little Vesper - somewhere in between.
Though Brokat and Mommy loved her, she could never embrace being a Lowlander like they could. Maybe it was the Morganberry in her, or watching how easily Casanova skated through life without ever being touched by the blot in his heritage but she was never simply satisfied being... well, herself. Whenever she got the chance to she'd wrap her legs in bandages and try to just go out and pretend she was normal like Casanova... It never worked. She smelled of Lowlander, of rot, and no one ever overlooked it for her like they did for Nova.
Especially not the cute boys that Vesper had tried to ask out. They all sneered and called her names and, with time, Vesper would learn to build her callouses until she didn't feel it anymore. Now, however, barely eight and still painfully vulnerable to every stinging remark, Vesper found herself curled up on the floor of her room and bawling. She could understand the cute boys turning their nose up at her, she wasn't pretty like the other little girls, but why couldn't she even make a friend or two?
With the usual bounce in his step, Anatolius slipped into Vesper's room to tell her it was time for dinner and froze mid-step at the sight of the girl in tears. Ever since he'd met her she'd been terribly shy to him, always hesitant and distant. He never stopped trying, though, to make some sort of lasting bond with her.
"Vesper?" Immediately the little ratdog jumped up to her paws, eyes wide though the tears wouldn't stop so easily. They still flooded down her little brown cheeks and choked her bright orange eyes. When she tried to yell at him for being in her room all that came out was yet another choked sob. "Hey, sweetie... What's the matter?"
Vesper shook her head and tried desperately to swallow the lump in her throat. "Go away," she sobbed "Don't pretend like you know me."
Toli's heart clenched a bit and he eased inside the room finally, shutting the door. "You're right... I don't, but I really want to. Please let me in? Tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to help - just between you and me, alright?"
Vesper sniffled and the tears kept flowing. Nothing she could do would make them go away, she couldn't even be mad at Toli. All her thoughts just kept coming back to her, to her hatred for herself - for who she was, and finally she just collapsed onto the floor again in defeat. "They'll n-never like me," she gasped "I'll always j-just be a... a... Lowlander to them a-and n-nothing else."
Anatolius moved in closer, sitting down beside the miserable ratdog. "Who is 'they'?"
"Everyone! All the kids at school, p-people I pass in the street, the kids at daycare. I... I... can't make friends. N-None of the boys e-even give me a second glance."
Anatolius listened sympathetically, nodding a bit. Of course. Kids could be so mean, but then again Vesper also had a bad habit of making cutting remarks. The kids that weren't pushed away by her region were chased off by her crass attitude. Now, however, wasn't the time to criticize her on her attitude and Toli could see that like a beacon in a dark night. "Don't let what all those kids - even the adults - get to you. A real friend will stick by you, darling, no matter what. Like how you and Brokat are so close, you'll find other people who enjoy your company no matter your rank or region." He reached out lightly, stroking her head and softly furred ears. Slowly Vesper was letting some of the tension out of her small frame, looking cautiously up at Toli as he spoke. "As for boys, I'm afraid that's a bit harder. Boys your age can be mean, they tease girls they like and, half the time, they don't even like the right girls. When you're all older, they'll look back and see that it's the bright girls like yourself that they should've been chasing."
Vesper wrinkled her nose, a frown creasing her muzzle. "And what about my rot? Being smart isn't everything... Mommy's smart and he doesn't even have a real boyfriend."
Toli winced a little at that, though it was true. "Ah, well, that is true. Things don't always work out like you want them too, love is especially fickle... I have plenty of trouble finding a real boyfriend myself... But you'll see, when true love finally finds you nothing else will matter. Love is blind. It doesn't matter what suit you are or what region your from, even your breed. True love goes beyond all of that."
Finally Vesper was silent, her tears slowly stopping as she thought about Anatolius's words. Love was blind? She sniffled softly, unsure of whether or not she actually believed him, but she took comfort in his words nevertheless. "Thank you for talking with me..." Toli's warm smile even tempted a small smile from Vesper. Maybe the fiery wolf wasn't all that bad after all...
[7 Years Later]
Vesper sat in the back of the room as Radz and Eurwen finished up an experiment. Never before had she felt such a strong need to hold onto a friendship, but she'd done a great job so far. It didn't even matter that Eurwen hated her or that Vesper still hated herself, Radz at least was kind to her. A real friend.
Sitting there and admiring the blind mouse-mix as he worked, Vesper was reminded of an old memory she hadn't thought of in years. Toli was sitting next to her, a large, furry hand on her head, and he was saying 'love is blind'. The memory brought a smile to her muzzle at last and she laid down, head on her paws, to continue watching Radz.
Perhaps he was right... Love really was blind. He was the first person to ever really accept her and it was true - he couldn't see her region or her hideous mug. He didn't notice the way her rat-like incisors protruded from her canid muzzle or how her legs were too long for her rodent body. He was the first person to really enjoy her for being her and, as Toli had suggested, he was blind.
Now if she could just cover up the smell of rot then maybe he really could fall in love with her...
