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Letter Bee
Rune_Alchemist
Creative Chaos
cosmiccowgirlVashya Rafflesia
w/ Menzai @samreaperThe child serviceman smiled down at the little girl excitedly jumping around him. For the first week after they had found her, she was catatonic and unresponsive, and they had honestly worried for her health going forward. She wouldn't eat, her sleep was sporadic and often she would wake up screaming. It broke the orderlies hearts and frightened some of the other kids that were nearby.
It didn't help that whatever magic her mother had taught her caused things to simply break around her. For someone in her mental state, broken objects meant sharp things were always nearby, and the staff often found that she had cut herself - not on purpose, but because she simply ignored the broken shards around her and carelessly walked, fell, or touched them.
Then suddenly she was just fine. She began to respond to questions, and her mood lifted up rapidly. It was almost eerie, how quickly her personality changed. Still everyone was too relieved to care about the whys and hows of it, just as long as the girl was okay.
Vashya Rafflesia, a victim of abuse and apparently magical experimentation. Though the investigators were unsure of what exactly transpired in their household, evidence suggested that her mother was a practitioner of black magic, which in itself was already troubling information. That she subjected her child to harsh training in order for her to learn the same magic was beyond cruel. Her death however, was a mystery.
Vashya wouldn't say what caused her death, only that it was her birthday on the day her mother took her aside for 'one final training session'. The results of said training were evident: her mother was reduced to a puddle. The coroners were barely able to identify the woman, with her body so severely decayed and mutilated. With lack of information, the investigation on the cause of her death simply halted, and they focused on taking care of the girl that was left behind.
Said girl was now excitedly rambling on about how awesome the city was.
"Look! They even sell books here! S'many books!" she cried out. "Y'know back at home, there were houses smaller than that store!" She turned to the serviceman. "Are th'store owners rich? Did they get rich sellin' books?"
The earnest question got the man to laugh, and he responded. "Well, maybe. That's a pretty big bookstore chain. They have stores in nearly every major city Fiore."
She gasped. "Bookstore chain?!" The very idea sent her head swiveling back and forth, as though trying to find said stores chained together. The serviceman laughed again.
Soon enough, they reached their destination. Fenixtear. Local mage guild in Crocus and the current hot topic of Fiore after their prodigious feat of slaying a Dragon. That there was an actual dragon attack was amazing enough, but that they had responded so quickly and defeated it, it was no wonder they'd achieved overnight fame.
And there on the papers was the man they were here to meet. Marduk Girga. Member of Fenixtear and apparently the father of Vashya. That the man was sixty years old was concerning, but they didn't have a choice. It was clear that the mother had prepared for her death, as her final request was for her daughter to be placed into custody of her father.
They hadn't simply acquiesced to the request. The woman was clearly mentally unsound, and therefore they considered why she would make that request. They did a quick investigation of Marduk: former wizard saint, former independent mage, and currently something of a hero for some people, after the events at era. So far, the picture painted was that he was a morally upright and responsible man, and therefore someone they should have no problems leaving Vashya with.
But a child was a huge and altogether unique responsibility. Did the man even know he had a child? How would he react? And even if he did accept her, how well of a father would he be, at his advanced age? Vashya was 11 years old. It was highly likely that Vashya could be left an orphan soon after getting to know her knew father. Such a development would be a critical blow to a child in their formative years.
So that's why he was here. He wouldn't just be dropping her off. He'd also be observing and gathering information on the man, and based on his report, would decide whether or not to leave the child in her hands, or to move her to an orphanage.
It was when he stopped his musings that he realized that Vashya suddenly went silent. He looked down at the girl, a who was looking at the door of the guild with her eyebrows scrunched together, her mouth pulled down into a small frown.
"What's the matter?"
Her eyes darted to him quickly. "What if he doesn't like me?" Her small hands grab his, and she trembled slightly. "Mama loved me, but she still hurt me. What if he doesn't like me? Will he hurt me more?"
He swallowed. That was a fucking heavy question. Still, he answered her with a smile. "Don't worry Vashya. That's what I'm here for. If he looks like the kind of person that would hurt you, I'll take you away, somewhere safer."
She smiled, looking a little relieved. As they approached the guild, a barefooted man knocked loudly on the guilds entrance. The pair of them stopped, waiting just behind him to see if anyone would open the door. Vashya fidgeted in place, a little bit of her apprehension returning and also from impatience. The girl looked as good as ready to barge in herself.
A misty black tendril poked out from behind her and snaked under the hooded man towards the door, and the serviceman narrowed his eyes.
"Vashya..."
The girl looked sheepish at his chiding, and the tendril dissipated into the air.
It didn't help that whatever magic her mother had taught her caused things to simply break around her. For someone in her mental state, broken objects meant sharp things were always nearby, and the staff often found that she had cut herself - not on purpose, but because she simply ignored the broken shards around her and carelessly walked, fell, or touched them.
Then suddenly she was just fine. She began to respond to questions, and her mood lifted up rapidly. It was almost eerie, how quickly her personality changed. Still everyone was too relieved to care about the whys and hows of it, just as long as the girl was okay.
Vashya Rafflesia, a victim of abuse and apparently magical experimentation. Though the investigators were unsure of what exactly transpired in their household, evidence suggested that her mother was a practitioner of black magic, which in itself was already troubling information. That she subjected her child to harsh training in order for her to learn the same magic was beyond cruel. Her death however, was a mystery.
Vashya wouldn't say what caused her death, only that it was her birthday on the day her mother took her aside for 'one final training session'. The results of said training were evident: her mother was reduced to a puddle. The coroners were barely able to identify the woman, with her body so severely decayed and mutilated. With lack of information, the investigation on the cause of her death simply halted, and they focused on taking care of the girl that was left behind.
Said girl was now excitedly rambling on about how awesome the city was.
"Look! They even sell books here! S'many books!" she cried out. "Y'know back at home, there were houses smaller than that store!" She turned to the serviceman. "Are th'store owners rich? Did they get rich sellin' books?"
The earnest question got the man to laugh, and he responded. "Well, maybe. That's a pretty big bookstore chain. They have stores in nearly every major city Fiore."
She gasped. "Bookstore chain?!" The very idea sent her head swiveling back and forth, as though trying to find said stores chained together. The serviceman laughed again.
Soon enough, they reached their destination. Fenixtear. Local mage guild in Crocus and the current hot topic of Fiore after their prodigious feat of slaying a Dragon. That there was an actual dragon attack was amazing enough, but that they had responded so quickly and defeated it, it was no wonder they'd achieved overnight fame.
And there on the papers was the man they were here to meet. Marduk Girga. Member of Fenixtear and apparently the father of Vashya. That the man was sixty years old was concerning, but they didn't have a choice. It was clear that the mother had prepared for her death, as her final request was for her daughter to be placed into custody of her father.
They hadn't simply acquiesced to the request. The woman was clearly mentally unsound, and therefore they considered why she would make that request. They did a quick investigation of Marduk: former wizard saint, former independent mage, and currently something of a hero for some people, after the events at era. So far, the picture painted was that he was a morally upright and responsible man, and therefore someone they should have no problems leaving Vashya with.
But a child was a huge and altogether unique responsibility. Did the man even know he had a child? How would he react? And even if he did accept her, how well of a father would he be, at his advanced age? Vashya was 11 years old. It was highly likely that Vashya could be left an orphan soon after getting to know her knew father. Such a development would be a critical blow to a child in their formative years.
So that's why he was here. He wouldn't just be dropping her off. He'd also be observing and gathering information on the man, and based on his report, would decide whether or not to leave the child in her hands, or to move her to an orphanage.
It was when he stopped his musings that he realized that Vashya suddenly went silent. He looked down at the girl, a who was looking at the door of the guild with her eyebrows scrunched together, her mouth pulled down into a small frown.
"What's the matter?"
Her eyes darted to him quickly. "What if he doesn't like me?" Her small hands grab his, and she trembled slightly. "Mama loved me, but she still hurt me. What if he doesn't like me? Will he hurt me more?"
He swallowed. That was a fucking heavy question. Still, he answered her with a smile. "Don't worry Vashya. That's what I'm here for. If he looks like the kind of person that would hurt you, I'll take you away, somewhere safer."
She smiled, looking a little relieved. As they approached the guild, a barefooted man knocked loudly on the guilds entrance. The pair of them stopped, waiting just behind him to see if anyone would open the door. Vashya fidgeted in place, a little bit of her apprehension returning and also from impatience. The girl looked as good as ready to barge in herself.
A misty black tendril poked out from behind her and snaked under the hooded man towards the door, and the serviceman narrowed his eyes.
"Vashya..."
The girl looked sheepish at his chiding, and the tendril dissipated into the air.
