It then unfolded from there on. The peacock instructed her to tend to the ones who were going to knock on her gates that afternoon.
The time arrived when the gates were knocked by a few poor children begging for a penny or a grain of rice. For a moment, she thought of getting rid of them when she recalled the promise she had made with the pheasant.
At last with a heavy heart, she ordered her servants to cook simple yet satiating meals for their stomachs and also gave them several small bags of pennies that might suffice for the whole family.
‘They were just simple meals accompanied by several bags of pennies. It was nothing worth of importance,’ she reassured herself when she saw the tears of joy streaming down the children’s sooty cheeks; their innocent, wide grins; and their little voices as they thanked her over and over again.
An odd, warm, and fuzzy feeling suddenly began forming inside of her heart for the very first in a very long time. She dismissed it of course, calling it the euphoria of doing something quite opposing to her usual self.
By the evening, she strangely felt ridiculously hungry and shuffled to the pantry to grab something to fill her aching stomach. Upon entering the dining room, she was beyond aghast that her dining table was flooded with a grand banquet. Spices and other thick fragrances filled the room, silver plates and platters decorated the table with all of her favorite delicacies forming a pageantry. It had been a while since she had been cooked meals as such.
However, the kitchen was eerily silent as her servants were nowhere to be found; during dinner the heiress would always eat her fill and the leftovers would be given to her servants and only then they’d clean up the dishes. They’d always be away from the dining area around 6 o’clock to prepare for bed meaning that somebody or something must have cooked her all these unbeknownst to her and the servants. The peacock was nowhere to be found too, much less its trail of feathers. She found it incredibly strange and was undoubtedly dubious at first, but the rumbling of her stomach said otherwise and she began digging in.
Days passed and the peacock instructed her with yet another request: she was to donate and sell some of her belongings to the ones in need.
Of course she wanted to protest, she felt as if those belongings had been her lifelong property in the mansion; generations of family heirlooms being passed down from countless of wealthy figures before finally being inherited to her.
Yet again, she recalled the promise with the pheasant. She wanted pure happiness more than anything in the world. More than the temporary one those treasures brought her.
So she searched her vanity, her cupboard, and her chambers. Scattered piles of old boxes and chests being brought out and opened. High and low she and her servants searched every nook and cranny for old and unused jewelry, garments, and even considered selling her personal collection of perfumes and cosmetics that still have a potential value to be sold to the market or donated to others in need.
She then wrote to her distant relatives that she would be needing help in distributing some of the belongings to the local marketplace and charities: ‘The belongings I’ve given away ought to be enough to make a struggling family manage through. Nothing more, nothing less,’ she again reassured herself as she wrote word after word in the letters to her relatives.
Then came the day when she ordered some of her servants to send those letters, again that same feeling of euphoria overcame her and she dismissed it strongly and thoroughly.
In the evening, as she entered her chambers stretching and yawning widely about to lie down her eyes were blinded by the mountain of gold, jewelries, and other whatnots taking up half of the room.
She was stunned, however this time, she was certain there had been someone or something doing all of this for her. Before she could go through all of the possibilities, fatigue had conquered her mind and she flopped onto the bed and fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.
The next morning, she immediately rushed to the garden after getting dressed and having breakfast, determined to confront her servants and unwillingly, her little pet bird about the strange events. As silly as it may sound, she hoped that it at least knew about who or whatever might have been the cause…
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The chimes of church bells rang in the autumn sky, cool air brushing against the bare skin of pedestrians as they made their way casually, not fast but not to slow, to attend their own personal businesses. The shuffling of the lively city life filled the hundreds of blocks that intersected throughout the city, bustling with activity of urban lifestyle. And every single resident wore a mask. Masks with different symbols marked upon the forehead of the white porcelain, hiding their faces but bearing the weight of their fatal sin.
No, it wasn’t anything to be ashamed about - a fatal sin that is. Instead it was something to be revered, to be self-aware and not to fall into the clutches of one of the seven deadly sins by instead tempering it with one of the heavenly virtues. As they said, true freedom was in self-awareness. True freedom first started with the individual.
To be free of guilt and regret by Tempering it. To be free of ugly desires by restraining yourself. Yes, Tempering was such a long and tedious process, but one that was worthwhile and took form on each of the masks that everyone wore. It took form on the mask that was being held by a little girl as she looked at it curiously, porcelain heavy in her thin fingers.
“Mother, why must I wear this?” Came the squeaky voice from the almost wiry body of the young child, wide owlish eyes staring up expectantly at her mother who had a mask of her own donned upon her face. One that was cupped by red rose locks of hair that spilled across her shoulders like dripping blood. The red only helped to bring out the carefully painted Coriander on her mask. The flower of Lust.
“May I remind you that no one is above sin. And to think so means a prideful man.” The Mother commented, off handedly, as if wishing to brush aside the topic. As if the innocent question had an obvious answer. A universal obvious answer - that is.
“But mother, I do not wish to wear the mask. I do not want everyone to see my Fatal Sin.” And with that said, the mother knew what was wrong. Her daughter with her rosy cheeks and sunset colored hair was embarrassed. Perhaps even ashamed of her Fatal Sin, when it was uncalled for.
“My darling, my lovely Gardenia,” The mother spoke pleasantly enough, kneeling before her daughter so that she could better see her eyes which held the entire expanse of the color of life within them. Such a lovely green. “What is the objective of Tempering?”
There was a brief pause before the child spoke once again, bending to the will and authority of her mother. “Self-awareness.”
“And do you know why?” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth lightly.
“Because true freedom starts from within.”
“And by that sacred basis we wear our Fatal Sin upon our masks. A reminder to ourselves of our hearts corrupted desire so that we can then Temper it. We wear the masks as a sign of acceptance, something not to be ashamed of but instead unabashed by. With acceptance comes the ability to gain spiritual freedom.” The mother said, a cool hand reaching out and lifting her daughter’s chin up so her gaze couldn’t avoid her own. “Acceptance leads to freedom.”
The daughter hesitated for a moment looking at her porcelain mask with uncertainty as her mother's touch receded from her chin. She stood still for another moment before raising her mask in an unsteady hand and placed it gently on her face, rosy cheeks hidden and giving way instead to a red carnation painted vividly on the forehead of the mask. The flower of Pride.
When the mother spoke again, her tone was sweet yet cutting like honey colored shards of glass:
“Freedom starts with accepting your own distorted desires and growing from them, just like a seed struggling to grow and blossom into a flower.”
Luck was Destiny's servant, and every day he played his tricks for his master. Every day he would turn cards, perform daring feats, all while coming away unscathed. One day, lord Destiny was told his kingdom was being invaded by King Tyranny; he had to lead an army to defend his subjects. Rather than meet his maker too soon, Destiny sent forth his servant. Knowing this would be suicide, Luck attempted to dissuade him. Destiny, however, was staunch and sent him away. Luck knew he would need a miracle to survive, and he decided to make one for himself.
That day, Luck built the army and prepared them to go into battle. That night, he visited his master one last time as a goodbye and performed his last trick in Destiny's court. Luck's trick needed a volunteer and Destiny offered himself up. In front of the whole courtyard, Luck encased Destiny in a black cloak and made him disappear. The Lord didn't turn up all night and Luck assured everyone that he would be back to see the army off in the morning. Because the jester had never shown evil intent before, the court disbanded and gave him their trust.
The following morning the army stood at the gates of the kingdom, prepared to meet the coming threat of Tyranny. The maids and princes and the lesser lords of the court came to see them off and wish them luck, and watch out for their missing lord Destiny. A chariot came from the castle and out stepped a robed figure in a black hood, but the onlookers knew it to be Luck from the hat he wore. A second figure, dressed in magnificent robes and a notable crown, though also in a hood, came after. The crowd cheered, for Destiny had appeared as promised.
The figure in the beautiful robes followed his servant to the lead horse. Luck mounted the horse and settled in, and his companion stood by. The figure standing by lifted his gloved hand, and in one swift movement tore off the black hood covering the rider. The crowd gasped, for their lord Destiny was seated upon the horse. Luck's hat fluttered to the ground and the court jester removed the king's robe, throwing it over the horse like a blanket, sending the crown up with it. He stooped to collect his hat and looked up at the king.
"Lord Destiny, this is your fate and not mine. Tyranny will meet you in battle, and not a fake like myself. And so, I send you off with your crown, your robes, and your sword, and I wish you the best fortunes."
With that, he sent the horse galloping off, causing the whole army to follow after. The stampede flooded through the gates and the stricken court only watched in shock as their king faded from sight. Luck sat his hat upon his head and looked around at them.
He smiled and said, "I promised he would be back to see the army off in the morning, and I have delivered well on my word."
He spoke his piece and went back to the castle. After all, he had another show to do that night.
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"Let me guess. I'm Ash the slacker, the time waster, the reckless one, the untrustworthy one, the unpunctual one, the one who you don't go to for help, the one who you try to avoid, and... I guess I didn't care for my charges either, right? But, hey, at least I'm honest."
Ash
Not gonna lie, he had some great lines and I can't wait to play him again.
