#linari

Princess Lucia Marie Deux looked out over the battlefield. Calling it that was an exaggeration, really. A few houses were ablaze, but other than that, it could be mistaken for a normal, painfully boring afternoon.

Guards flanked her on either side as she crossed from their makeshift camp towards the church across the road. She walked with her head held high, cold, icy blue eyes meeting bleary grey ones. The figure standing across from her set the tattered white shirt they had been waving aside. Lucia signaled her guards to restrain them.

“You won’t even ask our terms?” The elf choked out, voice hoarse from shouting, as their arms were seized (one came off in the process, startling a guard who was, apparently, unaware of it being a prosthesis).

“Like you have any grounds to negotiate.” Lucia retorted. “The rest of your people are inside?”

“Like I’d tell you,” they snarled. The guard not preoccupied with their arm kicked them, sending their leg flying and causing it to nearly hit Lucia.

She sighed and glowered at the guard at fault, before turning her attention back to the captured soldier. “No more blood needs to be shed.”

“Then why the hell are you still here?”

Lucia bent her knee, crouching so she was at eye level with them. “You cannot protect them any more than you can stop the tides. Those who are deemed of value to Dubfort will be taken. The rest will go free. Those are our terms.”

The soldier glared at her. She waved the guards to drag them aside and allow her to enter the building.

The first thing that struck her was how few people there were. They were mostly children and the elderly. The few others scattered about were all either injured or disabled, limping or on crutches or otherwise immobile. They hadn’t been able to fight or evacuate, it seemed. It appeared that the group had been milling around, stressing, and treating their injuries before she had entered. The entire group, around forty people, froze in their spots as she did.

At the center of the chaos was a young elf, in their twenties at most, in a wheelchair and priest’s robes. Their eyes, shadowed by large round glasses, locked eyes with Lucia.

They pushed themself forward, posture confident and mouth set into a firm line. A younger girl, who looked a great deal like them, tried to stop them but was brushed off. Lucia noted that they both looked like the soldier from outside.

“Where is Nym?” they asked.

“Nym?”

“They were the one waving the white flag. We surrendered. According… According to code fifteen, section three point A-”

“No harm has come to them.” Lucia cut the priest off. “The rest of you!” she shouted, “Line up, hands where we can see them. Try anything and you will be shot.”

The group complied, save for some crying children who were coaxed into position quickly enough. Lucia watched them. A few of the younger adults looked particularly worried. She couldn’t find it in her to blame them.

The guards had dragged the soldier⚊ Nym, the priest had said⚊ in, and were forcing them to stand (or, well, slump, with their leg and arm missing) with the others. They moved to be next to the priest and teen who looked like them.

Lucia strolled up the line, considering her options, but found her eyes drawn to Nym. Their body was in rough shape, badly burned on one side. The wounds were old, but they still winced when the teen girl grabbed the stump of their arm to stabilize them. She looked over to the priest. They looked at Nym concernedly, gently guiding them to sit on the floor. Their eyes were beautiful, pale green and speckled with soft gold. Lucia had heard rumor of the Blessed priest of Garranuisce, one of the few who Solace had ever chosen as prophets. Linari, their name was.

“You.” she murmured. “You’ll do nicely.

They were given two days to pack their belongings from the female trainee dorms and then they’d be brought to BLACKPINK’s dorms, where they would be living until their debut.

The whole car ride Nari was in between Jisoo and Chaeyoung, which she was fine with, while Jennie and Lisa were in front of them. Most of the car ride Nari was talking to the two girls next to her. Lisa would mostly talk to Chaeyoung while Jennie was quiet, which Nari thought was a bit weird but only tried to talk to her a few times. The girl would answer with few words, so she thought maybe she was just shy.

Once the group got to the building where they’d be staying, Nari and Lisa were the fastest to get their things and into the building. A woman that Nari had never seen before recognized them and smiled, heading over their way. “Room 13, floor 13.” Nari’s eyebrows rose before nodding, grabbing one of the keys the woman had in her hand as Lisa grabbed a second one from out of the five.

The other three girls still hadn’t headed in by then so Lisa looked at Nari, “We should just go up already,” she bounced up and down from excitement, a grin growing on her face. “They’ll catch up.”

Nari grinned back, following her into the elevator and pressed number thirteen button. Lisa pressed the ‘close doors’ button and sheepishly laughed, “I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Nari giggled as the elevator slowly went up and tried her best to start a conversation, “How old are you? I was born in 1998.”

“1997!” Lisa laughed, “You have to call me unnie now. Are you from Korea?”

“No,” Nari shook her head. “The USA, I moved here back in 2013.”

“Ah, I’m from Thailand,” Lisa looked at her boots, “I started training in 2011.”

“I’m glad we get to debut together then, unnie,” she emphasized unnie and Lisa laughed before gasping as she looked at Nari’s suitcase.

“Is that L from Death Note?” Lisa asked, pointing at the sticker on her suitcase. Nari looked down and smiled.

“Yep, he’s my favorite character ever,” Nari nodded. “Besides Sebastian from Black Butler, but yeah. Do you like anime?”

“I love anime!” Lisa jumped up and down, making Nari a little bit cautious but she didn’t speak out about it. “My friend Bambam doesn’t like Death Note,” she pouted. “Do you know Bambam? He’s in GOT7, under JYP.”

“Not personally, but I heard of him,” Nari laughed. “And how could he not like Death Note?” She scoffed as the elevator dinged, saying their arrival the the thirteenth floor. Nari stepped out first, glad to be out of the elevator as she rolled her suitcases down the hall. “Who’s your favorite character?”

“Matsuda,” Lisa followed behind. “He’s not really a main character, but he’s so funny to me. Which door did she say again?”

“Thirteen,” Nari answered. “I want a Death Note so bad, but I haven’t managed to get the money for it yet, and they’re honestly quite expensive even though it’s just a black journal with the words Death Note written on it.”

“Then why don’t you just make one yourself?” Lisa questioned, raising her eyebrows as they got to the door. Nari paused from unlocking the door and looked at her. “I mean, if you can--”

“Why didn’t I think about that?” Nari mocked a frown before saying, “Maybe you aren’t just a hag with memory loss like the rest of them,” she then rushed into their dorms.

“Thank y-- Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Lisa yelled after her, rushing in.

Nari giggled as she admired the rather small living room that connected to the kitchen, but she didn’t mind. She was finally debuting, with four girls, two she already knew, and one she was sure she’d be best friends with. The last one ... She’d make her crack.

“It means, everyone born in 1997 and older are old people,” Nari explained slowly to her like she was a child.

Lisa scoffed, “Hey! I’m your unnie, show some respect.”

“Respect is earned,” Nari teased, giggling as she dragged her suitcases into the hallway. “Want to share a room together?” She was sure rooming with her would be interesting and fun.

“Sure! We’re the two youngest anyway,” Lisa then paused, narrowing her eyes. “Don’t change the subject, you disrespectful brat!” She then gasped, eyes widening as she realized. “Oh no, I am sounding like an old hag! No!” She dragged out the ‘o’ in ‘no’ and falling to the floor as the other three girls arrived in the doorway, eyebrows raising in surprise at Lisa being dramatic.

Jisoo looked at Nari immediately, “What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Nari frowned at her, eyebrows furrowing. “What makes you assume I did?”

“Probably for the same reason I do,” Chaeyoung laughed. “Every time someone is on the floor near you, it’s because of you.”

“It was one time! And I didn’t even mean to,” Nari argued as Lisa stood up from the floor.

“What’d you do?” Jennie spoke up for one of the few times that day.

“A male trainee snuck up behind her and said hello,” Jisoo answered, rolling her eyes slightly. “She got scared and hit him where I’m sure no man would like to be hit.”

The other three girls began to laugh as Nari grumbled, “One time, and he learned not to sneak up on me anymore after that.”

“He didn’t talk to anymore after that,” Chaeyoung corrected her through her laughter. Lisa laughed harder at that, bracing herself on the wall near her.

“I see you all are bullies,” Nari huffed, grabbing her suitcases. “Lisa, I don’t want to room with you anymore!”

“No!” Lisa stopped laughing, emphasizing and grabbed her suitcases. “I’m coming! Don’t you dare--”

Nari smiled to herself as she opened one of the doors, finding two beds in the room and started to pull her things into it as Lisa followed behind.

“Thanks for giving us to the options of who to room with, too!” Chaeyoung called after them teasingly and Nari laughed loudly at her, making a face before shutting the door.

When she turned back, Lisa was already putting her stuff up and turned around to face Nari, smiling sheepishly. “So, you’re not allergic to cats or anything, right?”

“Uh...”