Queen of Disaster

CASS

The warm afternoon found Cassie walking down a narrow street. It bustled with artists and sellers peddling their trinkets, and she paused now and then to inspect some shiny thing that caught her eye. She was admiring a blue bracelet when her foot hit a snag and catapulted her towards the ground. Luckily, she caught herself on a bench before she could faceplant in the road, and she regained her bearings with a sigh of relief.

Again? I fuckin' hate learning to walk. No wonder babies scream all the time — as if being a bunch of tiny toothless freaks wasn't enough trauma already.

She looked up, meeting the gazes of several concerned passerby.
"I'm alright," she assured them, putting on a smile and standing straight again. She waved them on and continued further down the street, making sure to glance at her feet every so often.

As she went, she found herself marveling at the Settlement: an overfull storage shed of humans. Lives and families were strewn about on the floor, and dwellings were piled in heaps. In the dry rotted corners, stacks of cemeteries and shuttered shops grew cobwebs. Humans were a very strange lot, she decided. Horses didn't live nearly so close together.

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Zariah

Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. As Zariah walked through the settlement, she found very little to marvel at. The buildings were in disrepair. Everything was covered in mud. Some buildings had even been destroyed since she had last laid eyes on the place. It was a ramshackle town at best and a complete garbage heap at absolute worse (which was the more honest of her assessments). Chaos reigned and every second she spent in the place made her itch for her new home. The only thing the Hollowed Grounds had going for it was the weather. Zariah walked with a sense of entitlement and command, the heels of her shoes clicking on the hard ground, head held high and shoulders back. Those that recognized the former queen moved out of her way, others stared because my, was she audacious. But she didn’t care what they thought. Unless they had magic, they were worthless.

CASS

There was something about the woman that drew her eye. Maybe it was the way she puffed out her chest, but Cassie thought it had more to do with the fact that everyone else was staring at her. The lady had practically parted the crowd along the whole road. Cassie had no appetite for trouble. She tried to follow suit and get out of the woman's way, but unfortunately, her human body decided to be uncooperative. She found herself sitting on her ass in the street directly in Zariah's path, and she could already tell that this was going to be humiliating.

"Sorry! Cripple, here. Apparently, my legs don't fucking work. You might have to go around," she said as soon a Zariah was within earshot, her voice showing none of the fear she currently felt. All the while, she was attempting to stand up. She managed to get up after a few seconds, putting out her arms for balance as she rolled back onto her feet. She quickly stepped to the side and waited to see if Zariah would acknowledge that little mishap. She hoped not.

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Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. Oh, Zariah noticed alright. It was sort of hard to miss a woman sitting on her rear end right in the middle of the street after all. The Merciless came to a halt with more grace than the height of her heels should have allowed, her crown of wild curls the only thing about her appearance not perfectly pinned in place. She watched the woman struggle to stand, face a perfect porcelain doll-like mask, as wide hazel eyes stared at her blankly. Her gaze followed the woman as she rose slowly to her feet. "Cripple and klutz are two different things." she said, her voice low and velvety, a sultry undertone running through it. But Zariah was intrigued. It wasn't every day someone apologized and swore at her in the same sentence like that. "And just who might you be?"

CASS

To Cassie's horror, the woman stopped and actually spoke to her. Well, shit. So much for going unnoticed.

"Cripple and klutz are two different things," she said.

The clearly (in)famous woman, with her exquisite voice her exalted gaze, had stopped just to scold her? Cass held back an age-appropriate eyeroll.

Yes, there was nothing physically wrong with this body, but she longed for her large, strong, beautiful self; the self that she had left on the other side of that portal. Her magnificent red roan coat had shone in the sun, muscles rippling underneath. Her majesty had been complimented by the long, delicate horn just between her eyes. Even at 15" hands, she would have towered over this creature, (who by the way, did appear to be inordinately tall for a human). To have been so much and now to be so little: in this body, Cassandra would always be a cripple.

"I'm Cassandra Kaito," she said, inclining her head as was equine custom. She had no clue what humans did when they met someone of noble blood, so it would have to suffice.

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Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. She was young and there was a fire held behind her eyes. It intrigued the Merciless, who was not used to seeing such defiance shown to her face - even as small as this was. Then again, she was rather small. It was always the little ones with the biggest tempers. Zariah took a step closer, looking down upon her as she tilted her head. She reached out a hand, placing the tip of a sharpened nail just under the bone of the young woman's chin, coaxing her to raise it as she pressed against it. For a moment she remained silent, considering her. "And tell me, Cassandra Kaito, just why I should not kill you for your lies?" she asked softly, lips pursed ever so slightly, a perfectly manicured brow arched with curiousness.

CASS

"And tell me, Cassandra Kaito, just why I should not kill you for your lies?

The woman's nail might as well have been the edge of a knife pressed to her throat. Cassie's mind was racing faster than a whip being cracked through the air. Was it a bluff? No. This person could definitely kill her.

Crap crap crap... What do I say? It was just an exaggeration? I'll know for next time? I have a family? I'm not usually a liar? Would you hurt a kid?

She probably would.

She grasped wildly for her next sentence, but nothing seemed right. Then, the answer struck her.

"I never lied,"

Cass declared, her voice trembling.

"Just because you can't see that I'm telling the truth doesn't make me a liar. The fault is in my chest, in my lungs. So you see, you can't kill me for lying because I never lied to you."

I guess my shitty breathing finally came in handy, huh Gal? Guess you didn't get all the good traits. She would tell her brother about this if she survived long enough to find him.

Cass held her breath while awaiting the woman's response, her eyes wide and her hair standing on end, quite literally. Without her knowledge, Cassie had charged a few of her red locks, causing them to lift skyward.

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Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. The girl was terrified, but she stood her ground, speaking as boldly as she could given her nerves. Hm. How cute. A small smirk curved Zariah’s lips. Usually she was only lenient with fellow Abandoneds, and she didn’t know if this girl was or not, but her spirit was admirable enough. And she was feeling generous. Cassandra’s lucky day. But that didn’t mean she would get off scot free. Oh no. Not with a frozen citadel she needed to fill. With her finger still against the girl’s chin, Zariah began to course her Suggestivity magic through Cassandra’s veins and mind, a silent, imperceptible touch to tug and mold her will with the liking of the Merciless. ”Clever girl. We could use more girls like you in Halo, clever and with backbone. It would be nice to live somewhere where your bite and mind were equally valued, wouldn’t it?” she said, planting the seed to bloom under the influence of her magic in Cassandra’s mind.

CASS

Cassie hardly got a second to rejoice in her not-deadness when she felt something strange coursing through her veins.

Well, yes. Of course it would be nice to live somewhere where people valued her quick thinking and will to survive. Plus, Halo was a beautiful name, certainly prettier than The Hollowed Grounds, and lacking worldly possessions, Cassie saw no reason to not just pack up and go tonight.

Wait, but what about Mom? Cassie's train of thought stopped dead in its tracks.

What about my mom, Hotaru? Can she come too? Halo sounds lovely, but I could never leave her, not even for..." Cassie gasped, her vision suddenly swimming and a dull pain sprouting in her head.

"What," she choked, "what's happening?"

Cassie staggered backwards in her blindness, very nearly falling over a second time.

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Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. Zariah’s hand shot forth, steadying the girl on her feet, the barest hint of a smirk on her lips. She reveled for a moment in the pain the girl felt for even her tiny hint of denial of her command. But she wouldn’t let it last long. The Merciless would shepherd the young girl’s mind down the right path, and the pain would be but the tiniest reminder of the debt she owed for the life the Archmage had chosen not to take this day. ”Of course your mother can come, sweet girl. If she raised such a girl as you, I am certain she will thrive in Halo as well.” she cooed, dulcet tones coaxing her towards the right path. ”Now, calm yourself. It can be difficult to be faced with hard choices, but it really isn’t so hard, now is it? Bring your family to Halo, where you will all be prized for talent and skill.”

CASS

Cassie leaned into Zariah's hand, as it was the one thing keeping her from falling at this point. As Zariah said her mother would be allowed to come, Cass nodded slowly. As she once gave into her compulsion to go to Halo, her vision cleared and the pain in her head ebbed.

What just... happened?

The suggestion still rang through her thoughts, but as the pain subsided, Cass started to catch wind of what was happening. Disobey Zariah? Pain. Follow her willingly? It's gone. It didn't take a genius to put the puzzle pieces together.

Run.

To Halo, she added internally, hoping to offset the surge of pain she'd felt a moment ago. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I went to go tell her now?" Cass asked. "And I'm going to have to pack my things, of course. I should really get to it while there's still daylight!"

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Zariah Be dangerous darling, for the world rises and falls at your feet. Zariah smirked, watching the girl's thoughts play out on her expression. Pain, confusion, realization - not that the last part mattered because every time she was around the Merciless, the pain would return with each act of defiance. She was trapped, and Zariah doubted one so young would find the will to defy her for long. No, she would do nicely, slowly molded into the perfect little follower she and Neron needed - loyal to the Launceleyn Family, amongst the commonfolk of Halo, spreading good tidings of their rulers. Really, this walk had become quite productive. She ought to do so more often. "Of course, my dear. Run along now and pack your things. Halo will be waiting for you." she said in a velvety sweet tone. But she would not stay long, brushing past the girl and continuing on her way.

CASS

A chill went down Cassie's spine at Zariah's cool smirk. It's like she enjoys this or something... As Zariah brushed past her, Cass played her part. Her thoughts were abuzz with fear and a strange seed of longing for the mountains as she took off towards home. She yearned for Halo. However, it was possible the archmage had underestimated her: the universe had been trying to crush Cassandra from the moment she was born into it. Never a physically strong child (she tripped three more times on the way home), it was only through willpower and a shitload of luck that she'd managed to survive this long. Cassie wouldn't leave her mother. If Hotaru would not go to Halo, Cass wouldn't either. But still, the snow and ice were calling her name.


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{FINISH}

_{Base Code by Skylark!}