Good Luck~

            the words that initially left the other, slightly confused her. the girl she had witnessed prior was not the one standing before her, yet her features do not alter, they do not change with the sudden shift of the other’s words, they remain calm and unpersuaded. after all, mavis was not petty, neither was she a rude individual, she was well cultured and educated. perhaps, this was the result of being on an island for seven years, surrounded by nothing but books upon books of knowledge. an insatiable desire to learn, to broaden the horizons of intellect, to build a mind palace beyond imagination. words that could not fathom the sudden change, were voiced by her actions. her smile remains, despite having turned into a grin instead as the other comments on her voice. ❝ you are quite defensive. ❞ her head retreats back to its original form,   ❝ perspective matters. i think pain is beautiful in its own right. pain is beautiful when it’s for the right reasons, it can also be beautiful when it’s worth something bigger. much like consequences. ❞ 

          albeit having always and will be, looked at as a child, mavis could well and truly assure anyone that has lived long enough to witness a millennium pass and go by, she has witnessed her parents passing at a young age, having witnessed her entire town being murdered under the hands of dark guilds, watch friends be harmed in the process of achieving her own selfish goals, see her own helplessness and yet still be able to throw her life on the line when needed most. she has seen mountains form, and seas washing them back beneath the surface, the planets colliding and the stars igniting beautiful drawings in the sky. it was too bad that she was cursed. perhaps death would have been the ideal resolution, had it not been for fairy tail. the flick on her forehead brings her back to reality, eyes immediately widen to hover back to the other. who hurt you ? why are you like this ? 

            ❝ i want a reason to why you’re so defensive ? i get a sense that you’ve lost hope… i see that you’re angry but… ❞ her head shakes for a moment,   ❝ never mind… the weak minded would never understand such a complex scenario. it would only hurt your mind to even fathom it’s fundamental concepts. ❞

          her palm extends before her, a faint orb glowing in her palm. light. without it, you can not see in the dark. without it, the darkness will not falter beneath your grasp, its knees will not bend, it’s hands will not loosen its grasp on your throat. without light, there is only darkness. a darkness that can not be contained, perhaps to an extent where you felt as if your life were in danger, it’s the kind of danger that makes your heart beat ever so faster, then… then, it skips a beat, perhaps two or three. and before you know it… life ends. without light, you’ve already lost. and mavis knew this all too well. countless times had she lost, the scores that she kept were ever growing in her reverie, a tally board that stretched on forever. but then, she found the light. her guild members, those who she could depend on without the fear of the darkness closing in on her. the orb in her palm ceasing to glow, as her palm clutches to a fist.   ❝ i do fancy some ice cream though ! ❞

Cece gave a sigh must this girl really bug her like this? Was there even a point to it? And now the girl was her defensive even though she felt as if she wasn’t really doing anything to lead to that besides hiding her emotions. As the girl continued to speak Cece did lend her ear if only hardly so, perhaps if she had listened fully maybe the words could have eased her mind, but at the moment Cece didn’t care and Charna didn’t trust the girl enough to remove the mask. Though as the girl spoke something struck a chord in her mind, the idea that pain could be beautiful if for the right cause, it was this idea that Cece would begin to question the course of her life, she had caused many injuries, what seemed like needless bloodshed at the time, could it all have been for a good reason? The first thing that came to her mind was the true Utopia her leader had envisioned for the Claws, but was such an idea of the perfect place changed when she was put in charge? Cece had taken some by persaussion and others by force when she had attempted to continue her role models dream for a world where they didn’t have to be afraid. Her mind was taken back once again to the situation as the girl continued to talk going on about how Cece seem like she had lost hope, honestly it was the truth by this point, it felt like a cell but on the other side of the bars it was just another empty cage with the same cold feeling, what was the point in trying to escape if she only ended up in the same situation as before?

“I don’t know what you’re expecting twerp, but i’ve got nothing to defend anymore.” Cece was angry, she was annoyed, she wanted to think on her own, but this girls words just kept bringing things to her mind, and now she just felt...empty. The next part would strike her anger up like there was nothing that could have made her angier, the fact that girl saw Cece as weak minded was somewhat close to making Charna break her facade, but Cece was supposed to seem like that, it was to make people doubt her so she could show them up later. Cece’s right hand had moved towards the back of her skirt where the holster for her most trusted weapon had been a thought to end the girl right then and there in her mind, but with better judgment Cece held back on her instincts and good for her that she had as the girl had done something interesting immediately after. Cece gave a soft breath as the girl produced an orb of light in her hand, magic, it had to be magic and it wasn’t the first instance of it that Cece had seen even rare people had mutated such powers in her world making the Fallen Land that much more dangerous as no one knew how to fight such a power beyond the human limitations she knew. “Perhaps you are referring to others with statement in which case i could find that true, but the Killer Claws would beg to differ that their leader would be weak minded.”

          returning… it felt like a dream. a mirage that easily shattered before her eyes, viridescent hues that took for granted the life she had, a happy life, a life where her guild members felt like family… because they were family. now, all that stands before her, was a reflection of weakness, an equally devastated print that shone back at her. blonde, long hair that wavered beneath the glistening sun, who slightly hid behind the clouds. majestic. a blissful, second that dazed her for a moment as she stood, staring up at the sky. an azure that seemed to melt all her worries away, the kind of view that sets your reverie to ease. but only for a moment… 

          if she were to return to magnolia, a life of flourishing awaits her, though time stops for no one, what has she missed out on ? more important, how much older would she be if she was able to return ? do the dimensions work the same ? is this an alternative universe or was it just a place that hidden away from prying eyes… or was this all but a dream ? perhaps, she had already been laid to rest… maybe this was the after life ? what is this place ? a finger, unknowingly comes to rest on her chin, dazed orbs that scan the sky before falling onto the ground beneath her, coincidentally landing onto a girl with glass in her hands. mavis’ head tilts to the side for a moment, fascinated, confused and curious. 

          her voice was soft, but loud enough to caress the ears of those close enough, mavis watched in fascination as the other spoke to herself… to the shattered glass that reflected the hidden sun. there was so much sadness… so much angst that sat and bottled up in one person that it felt almost unhealthy. an insatiable desire of fetishising sadness, perhaps it was a generation of acceptance. a small smile grazing at her own features before seeing the girl drop the piece of broken glass into the trash can. 

          everyone seemed normal from the outside. everyone has friends, family, people who they can turn too in their time of need, a place they felt comfortable enough to call home. but in a world of reality, normal does not exist. normal was but a shell everyone hid behind, attempting to show the toughness of their own shells, but when they shell shatters… all that is left is the reality of their lives. loneliness, defeat, and distress. a hand moving up to comb back untamed strands, pulling them behind her ear. and how badly did she wanted to approach the other, to confide in her… to become friends. perhaps, it was the nature of mavis to be nurturing. her footsteps pick up, they pace quickly as to match the other’s speed. 

           ❝ you know… shattered glass can still look beautiful… it just needs the right light. ❞ a small smile gracing at her lips, as she tilts her head, viridescent hues meeting the other.  ❝ sorry, but i couldn’t help but listen to you talk about shattered glass ! i also think it’s quite fundamental for humans and monsters alike to contemplate about existence, it’s what gives them a drive to pursue something they have yet to discover ! simple things like what to eat for breakfast, can be something some people look forward too, i’m sure monsters look forward to eating too ! ❞ 

At first it wasn’t very obvious that someone had been observing this odd behavior of Cece’s, it was not often that she would let such thoughts flood her very being, but eventually it became obvious she was watched. The sound of steps behind her tipped her off on that and the first words out of the girl mouth was clue enough that the girl had overheard Cece’s little exchange there. Cece saw the smile on the girls face as she spoke about beautiful glass even when it was shattered, it was close to needless to say that Cece had been ignoring her at first, but now with that she could feel her anger rising once again. The girl was wise for what age she looked like, perhaps she was short just like Cece was, or maybe it was another of the ones that were pulled from their world, though for a moment in the first statement Cece felt as if she could hear a bit of her mother’s voice. Cece’s hands, ripped gloves and all, moved to sit gently along the waistband of her skirt once again as she listened to the girl go on about the question Cece asked trying to give an actual valid reason for asking it.

“Humph.” Cece gave a huff or a groan either way it wasn’t a good sound, no in fact she sounded annoyed, the girls voice, her words, it brought back memories, the ones that Cece buried in her head to never think of again. Her mother’s voice and the lessons she tried to teach Cece among most of all, the perception of normal in her world at the very least and what her mother used to tell her about ‘acting normal.’ “Your voice is annoying.” Cece said bluntly, though it was not a false statement in her opinion, it wasn’t the only reason she wanted to stop the girl from talking anymore. “Shattered glass can only cut, poke, and just generally harm. There is no beauty in pain, enjoyable as it may be, it is true. You remind me of people i knew...the words they would share with others, you give the air of a leader yet you look...” Cece would stop for a minute to think before shaking her head pushing her thoughts back, though her hands gave away her current feelings as both hands had balled and gripped onto the bottom of her shirt. “So what? Just coming to drop a bombardment of wise sounding words on me just because you heard me talking? Boring.”

💓=Listening to their heartbeat

“God fucking damn it.” His expression fell a tad more strained, and he had a very slight red tinting his cheeks, but otherwise Gerald’s expression had changed little. “…Whatever. I’m an adult. Such activities are to be expected, if anything.”

@leftoverrage replied to your post: “That’s not what i saw last night~!”

“…And what about it?”

🐇- For a secret item they keep (stuffed animal, comfort object, etc)

The questions flooded and each attempt to have any reason to seek a way back was blunted and answered just as quickly as they came, she had no friends, no family, no romantic partner, Cece had nothing back there. Yet the same could be said for here, she had no friends, no family, and no chance at a lover with how she was going about things in this world, what was the point of existing here that she didn’t have there? Cece’s eyes shifted to only find a piece of broken glass laid about the ground away from the normal walking path and curiosity brought her close her to it, until her gentle hand touched the glass. Cece picked up the glass piece and simply stared at it for a minute as it reflected the light of a partially hidden sun, she turned the glass in her hand her glove covered fingers gently gliding along the edge just enough to tear the cloth of the gloves. Upon seeing the tear in her glove several horrid and harmful thought flooded her head, yet she stood unflinching as she looked at the glass, it was broken and had no reason to even be anymore. An object made of glass was broken here, it was shattered and all that remained was single piece of glass while the rest could only be assumed that it had been picked up and repurposed of disposed of. “Sharp as a blade...” Cece would say sliding another clothed finger against the glass edge to test if it would cut again and it did, “What is your story? Is it as odd as mine? Were you used and abducted as well? I guess i’ll never know.”

“…I see. Keeping negative thoughts bottled up behind a cheerful facade is unhealthy for the individual, the effect it must have had on an entire kingdom doesn’t bear thinking about. The crystal you speak of seems to have mirrored the actions of the common man.” For such a young man Gerald spoke with a air of wisdom far beyond his years, the reason all the more apparent with his next words. “With great power comes great responsibility… It’s a saying one could argue is overused, but time and time again it proves to be true. A monarch has a God-given duty to serve and represent their people, not control them. Humans are not a brainless collective.”

“Ah… I see. You’re from that kind of world.” He could be arrogant, yes, but Gerald had at least two brain cells to rub together and some kind of heart. He knew when to be empathetic.

“I don’t know how I can explain it properly. The best way I can is to say this kind of land is similar to my own, minus the magic or whatever the fuck. Do you know anything about your own homeland before disaster hit? If you feel up to speaking about it.”

Well, ‘Cece’, at least you’re self aware.”

“If Wonderland’s architecture is anything to go by it seems to be based on Europe, specifically England. So, logically speaking, if said candy can be found in my country then it should be available here too. Our best bet is an Asian market.”

“I haven’t forgotten about your damn snacks. And, right, whatever your real name is I understand the sentiment. But a name is a name regardless. If we were in my home you would put more respect on mine, I assure you.”