I'm sure she remembers when Alicia's birthday is. If not they could always assign a date like when she first met Nanoha, or the day she remembers waking up from her creation.
And, uh... How would it not be connected to Precia?
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laith
That person is wrong because clinical depression is the best state of mind :crosses arms:
[humour]Then I guess I'm doing a good job for you! [/humour]
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
That person is wrong because clinical depression is a pervasive thing and not something you can develop by reading a sad story Though I suppose it might turn dysthymia into a major depressive episode (yay University education!)
Though if anything, it looks like Fate is suffering from schizophrenia (funny the Criminal Minds episode I just watched dealt with this) what with halucinating Precia being there. Something does feel off about the whole thing, though. If she really was gonna go off and kill herself like this seems to suggest, I don't think she'd flat out use the "celebrating with my family" line because she wouldn't want to hurt the others in that way. Though I suppose whatever's going on in her head could influence her behaviour like that.
Of course I'm all for a happier ending. Is Yuuno gonna go after her and stop her before she does something she'll regret? I hope so
LOL, Psych major here too XD, so I know the guy used it wrong--it was just hilarious to read him put it that way .
Ah, Fate didn't use "celebrating with my family", exactly--she hasn't really lied at all during this fic . And about the rest of the paragraph..... ^_______^ All (well, probably not ALL, but SOME) will be revealed in the second part .
Yuuno does play an important part (my counter to the discussion pages back, about how he gets barely any screen time in my fics! ) in the next part, but there's someone else I'm using instead to go after Fate ^^.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy C
Slight hole with your fic, I'm afraid. What day is Fate's birthday? How is that day connected to Precia?
I don't know what day Fate's birthday is (indeed, is that even ever mentioned in canon?), but Precia's presence doesn't have anything to do with it .
Ah, Fate didn't use "celebrating with my family", exactly--she hasn't really lied at all during this fic .
Okay, so I didn't go back and get the words verbatum, but you know what I mean. I know she didn't lie, but normally Fate wouldn't use those words, because it can easily be interpreted as "I'm spending the day with my family instead of you, meaning I don't see you as family." The pained expression on the others' faces were apparent enough. Being the kind soul she is, she'd never purposely hurt those she cares about that way.
Though I suppose it could lead to "Fate said she's spending the day with her family, but if she's not with you, or you, or you, or you, then who's she with?"
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
Okay, so I didn't go back and get the words verbatum, but you know what I mean. I know she didn't lie, but normally Fate wouldn't use those words, because it can easily be interpreted as "I'm spending the day with my family instead of you, meaning I don't see you as family." The pained expression on the others' faces were apparent enough. Being the kind soul she is, she'd never purposely hurt those she cares about that way.
Though I suppose it could lead to "Fate said she's spending the day with her family, but if she's not with you, or you, or you, or you, then who's she with?"
Erm, yes....that's exactly why I had her use those words .... I wanted Fate to say that phrase for 3 reasons: One, as a writer, I was emphasizing that Fate has many family units; two, that Fate was trying to misdirect everyone about who she's going to be with, and also to keep anyone from "insisting" and ruining her plans (although Nanoha did try anyway); and thirdly, so that the ending would have the required implication.
I was hoping that it was fairly obvious which "family" Fate was referring to?
Erm, yes....that's exactly why I had her use those words .... I wanted Fate to say that phrase for 3 reasons: One, as a writer, I was emphasizing that Fate has many family units; two, that Fate was trying to misdirect everyone about who she's going to be with, and also to keep anyone from "insisting" and ruining her plans (although Nanoha did try anyway); and thirdly, so that the ending would have the required implication.
I was hoping that it was fairly obvious which "family" Fate was referring to?
*raises hand*
I got the implication at the end, if it makes you feel better. I got the implication loud and clear in all its creepy, disturbing glory.
Erm, yes....that's exactly why I had her use those words .... I wanted Fate to say that phrase for 3 reasons: One, as a writer, I was emphasizing that Fate has many family units; two, that Fate was trying to misdirect everyone about who she's going to be with, and also to keep anyone from "insisting" and ruining her plans (although Nanoha did try anyway); and thirdly, so that the ending would have the required implication.
I was hoping that it was fairly obvious which "family" Fate was referring to?
Oh yeah, which family she'd be spending the day with was very explicit.
Anyways, like I said, it seemed off that she'd put it that way, but it works within context since clearly all is not right with her.
Location: Place of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks...and water.
Age: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by RadiantBeam
*raises hand*
I got the implication at the end, if it makes you feel better. I got the implication loud and clear in all its creepy, disturbing glory.
*off to bed, for real now*
Creepy and disturbing are good .
Quote:
Originally Posted by 00-Raiser
Oh yeah, which family she'd be spending the day with was very explicit.
Anyways, like I said, it seemed off that she'd put it that way, but it works within context since clearly all is not right with her.
Ah, I see! Yes, the Out of Character-ness is kind of purposeful , since I doubt I'll be spoiling anyone by saying that yes indeed, there is something not quite right with Fate.
Spoiler for mild spoiler:
I hadn't given it too much explicit detail, but dropped a few hints here and there that Fate had been pulling away from everyone for the past few years. And clearly, Precia's presence isn't a very good sign... So Fate definitely is not acting normally here .
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathcurse
Fate was trying to misdirect everyone about who she's going to be with, and also to keep anyone from "insisting" and ruining her plans
^ This was the main reason for it, really. Would Amy or Erio or Caro or Nanoha really keep questioning Fate after she gave an answer like that? That was why Fate put it that way, to prevent further inquiries.
So to everyone having read the teaser for and is interested in The State of Affairs, I do plan on posting it on Fanfiction.net, since we all know you're not a real Nanoha author until you've pissed off the fanatics somehow.
... Someone help me check, has anyone flamed me yet? Or is Reinno so off-the-wall none of the mainstreamers bother?
Posted Chapter 3 of "Blood Calls to Blood" to Fanfiction.net ^^. I edited part of Precia's conversation with Vivio, so that hopefully now it doesn't seem like Vivio's just throwing out private information without a bit of guilty prompting!
Also, since people had been asking for it , I deliver!
Blood Calls To Blood
Chapter 4 once again for those who need to re-depress themselves ....
Spoiler for Blood Calls To Blood, Epilogue:
Blood Calls to Blood
[SNIP]
Spoiler for Author's Note:
Hopefully this keeps the whole fic from ending on an utterly depressing note? It's kind of a jump from Chapter 4, but hopefully it brings Vivio's internal development somewhere good and constructive...
Thanks to everyone who gave great commentary before!
I was actually expecting an even more depressing ending
Quote:
Originally Posted by Justin_Brett
I'd have put in something about her reconnecting with Erio and Caro, myself. She barely seems to see them alone IN canon.
Ah yes, a fic of Fate, Erio and Caro is very rare (does it even exist?). I certainly want to read that too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilentOutlaw
And I'm back! Sorry for the delay, I was basically working nonstop last week.
Location: Formerly Iwakawa base and Chaldea. Now Teyvat, the Astral Express & the Outpost
Age: 44
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tempy
Tempest is taken by a fey mood!
Tempest writes something strange!
Spoiler for Calling:
She knew the number by heart, dialing it in without even having to look at the screen. It rang four
times before the answering machine took over.
“Hi~! You’ve reached Subaru Nakajima’s answering machine! Sorry, I can’t talk at the moment,
but if you leave a message, I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! Buh-bye~!”
Teana sighed, smiling. Everything Subaru did was always full of life and heartfelt. Be it eating
lunch or rescuing a lost child, the cyborg girl put everything she had into her duties. It was
endearing, really.
She dialed the number again. It rang four times.
Pick up, dammit.
A click. For a moment, Teana was hopeful, but that hope was dashed.
“Hi~! You’ve reached Subaru Nakajima’s answering machine! Sorry, I can’t talk at the moment,
but if you leave a message, I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! Buh-bye~!”
Teana sighed, listening to the message in full before hanging up. She had no message to leave.
She dialed the number again. Four rings.
Pick up. Pick up already!
“Hi~! You’ve reached Subaru Nakajima’s answering machine! Sorry, I can’t talk at the moment,
but if you leave a message, I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! Buh-bye~!”
Teana watched the recorded video of her friend, so cheerful and bright. It was that life that
propelled her from mere private to become the Ace of the Silver. It was almost impossible to see
Subaru without a smile, and it was just as impossible to not smile back.
She knew the number by heart. She wished she had called more often. It rang four times.
Come on, Subaru! Pick up!
“Hi~! You’ve reached Subaru Nakajima’s answering machine! Sorry, I can’t talk at the moment,
but if you leave a message, I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as possible! Buh-bye~!”
Teana stared at the video. Subaru was irreplaceable, and she seemed so strong, almost invincible.
How could anyone forget a girl like her?
Why would anyone want to forget?
Teana had countless pictures and innumerable memories, dozens of videos and a handful of written
letters, but it would be a long, long time before she could see her friend again, to hear Subaru
speak again.
She dialed the number.
As the phone rang, she looked at the article clutched gingerly in her hand. It was the obituaries.
Killed in the line of duty, sacrificing her life so that others may live.
I think that would be sort of contradictory... Unless it's something like Nanoha and Fate wanting to spice up their love life so they invite Yuuno to join them.
I think that would be sort of contradictory... Unless it's something like Nanoha and Fate wanting to spice up their love life so they invite Yuuno to join them.
That's even better!
__________________
My fics Due to certain things, I am not here, find me over on TFF.
I'm just going to go with Because it's Always. And on another note, I have a title!
Spoiler for Ether Liners Day 1-2:
It's probably best for me to see what's going on myself. I can always question Fate later. Immediately, I charged down the stairs and pushed open the doors. Fate let out an 'eep' before yellow colored binds wrapped around my wrists and ankles. "I'm sorry but I can't let you interfere, Yagami-san." I frowned.
"Interfere what?" I questioned as I turned my head to stare at her. She looked nervous. I wasn't surprised that she knew I was a mage. We did sit beside each other for awhile now and I had a decent amount of magical energy. I turned back to the fight that was going on outside. "I may not be a trained mage like you but I do know the basics. The number one rule for mages is to keep hidden right? I don't think starting a magical fight at school is a good way to keep a low cover. The Bureau is pretty strict about that kind of stuff isn't it?" I smiled. I could practically hearing Fate going pale.
"W-will you not contact the Bureau if I tell you what's going on?" she asked.
"It might improve your chances," I answered. It wouldn't be too good to lose my advantage so easily and the faster I get out of these binds the sooner I can go help Yuuno. While I'm not sure how great he is as a mage, he didn't seem like much. I couldn't help but frown slightly. My life had become so unusual that the transfer student being a mage didn't surprise me at all.
Or maybe because it was one of the biggest cliches in anime.
"Have you ever heard of the Holy Grail War?" I shook my head. "A long time ago, a couple of mages had found a way to get the Holy Grail. In order to decide who would be worthy enough to have the Grail, they invented the Holy Grail War system. Seven mages would compete for the Holy Grail, they would be called 'masters', and each master would summon the spirit of a legendary hero. These spirits would be called 'servants'. Those mages had everything set and were about to start the first Holy Grail War when tragedy struck. One of the remnants from the Holy Grail War are the Class Cards."
"Tragedy? What happened?"
"Even I don't know. Anyway, mages can still use the Class Cards to summon servants. Alicia and I are doing our best to collect those cards but we wouldn't stand a chance against a legendary hero so Alicia summoned her own servant."
"Okay, but why are you collecting them? And how do you know about the Holy Grail War in the first place?" She paused.
Fate opened her mouth. And immediately shut it when we both sensed mana being gathered. This time it was on a completely different level then before. I immediately turned my head to the battle. The ball of black magical energy caught my attention. It seemed familiar, but there was no way for me to have seen it before. The binds disappeared just as the black ball of destruction descended.
Luckily, I was out of it's range. Or rather, the mage purposefully stopped the spell from expanding and engulfing the school. Once the 'Diabolic Emission' cleared, it left behind a card stuck in the ground and an unconscious Yuuno.
The spell's caster, who I assumed to be one of the legendary heroes Fate was talking about since any ordinary mage shouldn't have that much power, turned her head and glanced at me. Something about it sent shivers down my spine. "Damn it Caster! You should have warned me first! What am I going to do now?!" Alicia yelled angrily at the mage. That wasn't the mage's real name was it? I knew enough English to know the name 'Caster' for a mage was just...
No, now wasn't the time to think about trivial things like names! First off, why was Alicia so mad? I turned around to face Fate. She looked exasperated and had her hand on her face. "The barrier... they knocked down the barrier!" Fate grumbled.
I blinked. Now that she mentioned it, I didn't feel the barrier anymore and I could hear the sounds of students chatting. No wonder Alicia was angry, she was going to have a tough time explaining this situation. I sighed. "I'll let you off the hook right now but I'm definitely to get more answers later. You better be prepared!" I ran over to Alicia and 'Caster'.
Hopefully it didn't look too suspicious that I ran out so soon. "Testarossa-san, what's going on here? Who is that woman you're arguing with? And why is Scrya-kun on the ground?" I asked sounding as innocent as possible.
"Ah! Yagami-san! I didn't see you there," Alicia replied obviously trying to buy herself some time to come up with an excuse. "Well, you see..." Other students began to take notice of the situation outside and stared at Alicia expecting a suitable answer. "It's just that... well, um..."
"All of this is just a misunderstanding," Caster said suddenly. "I'm Alicia's servant, and she forgot her lunch today and like a diligent caregiver, I came here with her lunch. That's when I bumped into the person you called Scrya-kun and both of us fell to the ground. He um... touched me when he fell and I overreacted. When he wakes up I must apologize to him."
Damn that Caster. Her cover story works, the pause and the accompanying blush that came to her cheeks were just too perfect. There was just one little flaw. "Oh I see, what a kind servant you have Testarossa-san. May I ask where that lunch is?"
Caster tensed for a moment before she smiled. "Right here," she reached into her jacket and pulled out a bento box that was neatly wrapped in a blue cloth.
Another point for Caster. But I wasn't going to lose so easily! "That's good, I was worried it might have been damaged in the fall. If you don't mind me asking, why are you wearing such a strange cosplay outfit? The wings look very real as well, where did you get them?"
She didn't even flinch. "I'm a huge cosplay fan. I was in the middle of trying on a few outfits when I noticed Alicia forgot her lunch. And thank you, I worked on these wings myself. It took awhile to make them look realistic but I'm glad I did a good job on them. Now if you excuse me, I still have things to take care of at home. Please have a good day at school master. It was a pleasure to meet...?"
"Yagami Hayate and the pleasure is mutual. And your name is?"
"Caster, and I'm certain that we will meet again," she winked before dropping the bento box into Alicia's hands and running off leaving Alicia with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
Damn, I wasn't even able to get a single point from that conversation. It was a complete and utter failure. Oh, right Yuuno was still on the ground. I moved over to him to see if he was still alive. An attack like that was just overkill, I'm not even sure if an ordinary mage like me could survive something like that. I checked his pulse, he was alive, his pulse seemed normal.
In his right hand, a small red jewel laid in the middle. It had a few cracks through it. I picked it up and examined it. Something was odd about this jewel, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
"Come on, I'll help you get him to the Nurse's office," Alicia offered as she put one of Yuuno's arms over her shoulders. I quickly did the same.
"You have a rather interesting servant," I said idly as we headed over to the nurse's office.
"Ah, yes. Mother has some... interesting tastes when it comes to servants," Alicia replied. "I hope Caster didn't hit him in the head too hard." The rest of the trip was spent in silence.
We dumped Yuuno into a bed and headed off to class. I'm sure the nurse will be able to take care of him just fine despite the rumors about her. They're probably just rumors though, some of them are just plain silly. But now wasn't the time to think about things like that. I had a decision to make.
I could go see what Yuuno knows after class, or corner Fate and get the rest of the information on what she and Alicia are doing. But maybe I should see how Vita's doing, she did say she was going to check up on those Bureau mages. Hopefully she didn't get in too much trouble...
A)Talk to Yuuno!
B)Talk to Fate!
C)Talk to Vita!
Whoa! I wonder if Caster is Reinforce, or if Archer-like she's Future!Hayate... And, um, C got no love last time so I'll try that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deathcurse
And here is my plot bunny to my little Tangent last night, all typed up :
Spoiler for Spread Thin:
Spread Thin
“So, Fate…who will you spend your birthday with this year?”
“Nothing has changed over the past few years, Mother. With my family, of course.”
“So, that’s what you’re calling it now, huh?”
Fate sighed, keeping her eyes focused on her task. It was rude to ignore her Mother, but today was not a good day. And Mother had become more and more persistant over the last few months, until Fate could barely get through a day without hearing some remark from her.
“It’s good, this way. Why can’t you just accept that?”
“Accept the fact that after twenty years, you’ve finally come crawling back to me? That you’ve finally come to understand what I had meant, all those years ago?”
Fate stiffened, her hand pausing over her weapons kit. She always packed that last in her suitcase. Just standard Enforcer training. Not that she needed to follow her training so strictly where she was going, but years of habit were hard to break. “You don’t have to say it. I know. I’ll always remember.”
Precia Testarossa laughed, sitting on the edge of Fate’s workdesk, her red nails flashing a bloody reflection in the awkwardly placed sink and mirror crammed into the small warship room. Even being an officer didn’t get Fate a room larger than a glorified closet on the warships, but it wasn’t like Fate minded, normally.
But having her mother in the same room as her had been making the room feel more claustrophobic than usual.
Precia inclined her head. “A call for you.”
A holoscreen popped up right then over the desk, the screen blank and waiting for her confirmation. “Incoming video call, Location: Harlaown Residence. Caller: Amy Harlaown.”
“You know what she’ll be asking.”
“I told you, I know what I’m going to say.”
“You’re not going to wimp out, are you?”
“No,” Fate said angrily, slamming the top down on her suitcase. “Accept call.”
Amy’s smiling face flashed onto the holoscreen. “Fate-chan, how are you?” From the background noises, the kids were out of school—Fate could hear arguing and yelling coming from the living room door behind Amy, but as the tone of the inaudible voices was still in the harmless teasing zone, both of them ignored it.
“Well. How are you and the kids?”
“Karel and Liera loved the bicycles you got them—thank you so much for getting two blue ones; I think those two would have resorted to wrestling otherwise!”
Fate smiled slightly, her gaze drifting from Amy’s face to her mother, who was smirking, so far refraining from saying anything aloud. “It wasn’t any trouble. I’m glad they like them.”
“Lindy-san is coming over for the weekend.”
The room tilted suddenly—Fate grabbed for the desk chair to steady her weak knees. “Oh, Kaa-san is?”
“Yes,” Amy said, a hopeful light in her eyes. “So will you come home for your birthday? If you need to see Nanoha and Vivio, you could go see them today, then come tomorrow on the actual day? Lindy-san would love to see you again.”
Her breath caught in her throat for an instant. In front of her, Fate saw Precia open her mouth. “I’m sorry,” Fate said first, cutting her mother off. “I’ll be spending the day with my family.”
She saw Amy flinch, a mixture of hurt and anger in her face. Not as much on her own behalf, but on her husband’s and her children’s. And on Lindy’s. Fate felt a second twinge of remorse, but she didn’t like how Precia was rising from her seat, moving closer with a dark smile on her lips. “Sorry, Amy, I have to go. Good bye.”
The holoscreen winked out before Amy could reply.
“Now, that was just cruel of you.”
“Who are you to judge me?”
“Ha! You’re right. Besides, you’re not lying, huh Fate?”
“No. I’m not.”
Precia moved forward, and Fate retreated, turning to face the wall in a childish attempt to block her mother’s presence from her mind. But she could still hear Precia’s low voice as her mother said, “How ungrateful of you, to treat your second mother that way. Did I really teach you so well?”
“I guess you did, yes.”
Precia snorted. “I never thought you would put so much value on the lessons I taught you.”
Now it was Fate’s turn to laugh mockingly. “How could I not? You’re my mother, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Incoming video call, Location: Supools Wildlife Preservation Base Camp. Caller: Erio Mondial.”
Fate checked the time display on Bardiche. Good, she still had time. “Accept call.”
“FATE-SAN!!!” Both Erio and Caro shouted delightedly, wide grins on their faces. Erio had grown again, but this time it looked like Caro had shot up a few inches too. Caro had cut her hair—Fate liked it. When had Erio gotten that scar by his eyebrow?
“Fate-san, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
She laughed softly. “You’re one day off, but thank you.”
“Erio, I told you we had to subtract 3 in the date conversion equation, not 2!”
“But that’s even better!” Erio turned to look at Fate, his eyes peeking earnestly through his red bangs. “You’re on leave right now, aren’t you Fate-san?”
They hadn’t caught her with a call while Fate was on break for a while. She couldn’t lie to them. “…Yes.”
“I managed to get time off, but Caro couldn’t…” Erio shuffled in place, sharing a look with Caro as she nudged him encouragingly. “So…could you come here to visit? It would be your birthday! We could celebrate?”
“I wouldn’t want to…” Fate froze as she felt the brush of Precia’s long hair at her back. She rotated in her seat, the holoscreen moving with her. “…impose.”
“No, you won’t be imposing!” Erio bit his lip. “We really want you here, honest. Will you?”
“Please?” Caro added, looking at Fate imploringly.
Fate took a breath.
She heard Precia cough once behind her.
“I’m sorry,” she told them both, smiling gently and doing her best to spread the motion to her eyes as well, so that it would look convincing. “I’ll be spending my birthday with my family.”
Caro grimaced briefly before putting on a pained smile, while Erio just stared at Fate forlornly, clear heartbreak on his youthful face. He looked stunned and hurt, before he also tried to smile. Fate was so proud of them. They’re doing well already without her.
“Well…” Caro coughed, giving her partner a worried glance. From the angle of her sleeve Fate knew that the pink-haired girl had taken Erio’s hand in hers off-screen. “Happy early Birthday, Fate-san…we’ll do our best to drop by anyway, okay? I’m sure the boss will understand, it’s such a rare chance, he’ll definitely be okay with it.”
“Okay then,” Fate answered mechanically, glancing over her shoulder again. Precia was leaning on the sink now, waving at Fate. Snapping her attention back to the screen, hoping that Erio or Caro hadn’t followed her line of vision, Fate said, “I’ll see you then. Bye.”
“Lying to your children, now?”
“Shut up.”
“Don’t talk to your mother that way.”
Fate’s hand twitched. She tucked it into a pocket.
“Really, how disappointing. After loving you for so many years, and this is how you repay me?”
Fate breathed in ten times, then walked over to her desk, delicately manuvering around Precia so that she made it into her chair without touching a fold of fabric or a lock of hair. She opened her drawer and pulled out a stack of white letters, shuffling through the envelopes.
“Have many of those, do you?”
“I’ve gotten to become a good letter writer.”
“In a time of holoscreens and video calls, you write letters?”
“Well, you know why I write letters. Don’t you? How could I have tried harder if you weren’t always there, getting in my way!”
Precia laughed, her low chuckling making Fate duck her head and count the letters again. “You’re worse than me. At least I was a bad mother to your face.”
“Incoming video call, Location: Takamachi house. Caller: Nanoha Takamachi.”
Fate quickly stuffed the letters under her bed covers, moving as far away from Precia as she could. “Accept call.”
Behind her, she heard Precia snicker. “Speak of the devil.” But thankfully, her voice was soft, so Fate didn’t think that Nanoha had heard anything.
“Fate-chan!” Nanoha beamed at Fate through the screen. She actually looked like she was relaxing—Fate had heard from Vita that Nanoha had been overworking herself recently, and no one could make her stop except for Vivio, at times. It was good that Nanoha was taking care of herself. Fate hated to see her looking wan and strained, as she had heard Nanoha was appearing often of late. “Did your mission go well?”
“We found the traffickers, and just finished all the trials.”
“So you’re free now?” Nanoha’s tone sounded forcibly casual, but Fate saw how her knuckles had turned white as she clenched at the collar of her shirt. Fate noticed these things about Nanoha. Some habits never changed.
“Yes,” Fate admitted.
“Good…” Nanoha hesitated, staring Fate in the eyes for a moment.
Shifting, Fate awkwardly glanced to the side, to make sure that Precia was still out of sight. If she stared hard enough, maybe she could goad Precia into staying silent a little longer.
“If you have some time, then Vivio wants to talk to you.”
Fate trembled, closing her eyes for a moment. She could feel Precia leaning in and chuckling into her ear.
“Fate-mama?”
Vivio was a little old to still be calling her Fate-mama, but Fate couldn’t make herself correct her. Even Precia stayed silent.
“Hi, Vivio.”
“Did you get the video of my graduation?”
“I did. Your speech was great.”
Vivio gave her a wide smile, her red and green eyes twinkling. “I think Sister Schach wanted to faint when I added that last bit, and even though Carim was trying to look stern I could tell she wanted to laugh. Sein was just openly laughing, it was really funny.”
“I’m sorry that I was on a mission during that time.”
“It’s…okay,” Vivio said, but she was clearly lying. She hadn’t even really been trying to hide it. “I understand. Fate-mama always has important things to do, right?”
Fate heard a tapping sound, and flicked her gaze quickly to the side to see Precia tapping on Bardiche’s form, where the time display would usually pop up.
“You can’t miss the time. If you do, you know what will happen.”
“I still have lots of—”
“Fate-mama?”
Vivio’s voice cut through the haze of Precia’s words, making Fate jerk back to look at the concerned young woman’s image in front of her. “Sorry…I’m sorry. I don’t mean to.”
“Liar,” Precia laughed terribly.
“It’s okay,” Vivio lied.
“Are you taking care of Nanoha-mama?” Fate asked. She tried to convince herself that it was only because she wanted to distract Vivio.
“Yeah,” Vivio said. “But I think she misses you a lot. Will you come home tomorrow?”
Precia taunted, “Will you?”
Fate’s jaw clenched.
“Fate-chan?” Nanoha had joined Vivio on the screen, both of them watching her with the same hopeful expression. Clearly mother and daughter.
“I’m sorry…” Fate hesitated. She looked up, meeting Precia’s eyes. Eyes that were empty and cold, unsmiling. “…I’m spending my birthday with my family.”
“We’re—” Vivio burst out, before Nanoha cut her off with a hand on her shoulder. She had a good daughter.
“Fate-chan, why…” Nanoha swallowed, her eyes gentle and begging. A shiver of cold bristled inside Fate’s stomach, rising up her chest. And indeed, Nanoha slowly asked the question they had always avoided before. “…why don’t we come with you? Then we can all celebrate your birthday…together.”
“Yes, isn’t the dear right? You can have everyone together, one big happy f—”
“I don’t deserve that.”
“What?” Nanoha asked, leaning forward to try and hear better.
Precia smiled at Fate. “I know. But you needed to say it aloud for yourself, didn’t you?”
“Nothing,” Fate said to Nanoha. “I’m sorry, it’s not…I need to go.”
“Fate-chan, I know you asked for space, but we want—”
BEEP! Fate turned off the screen. Any longer and she knew Precia would have done it for her, and the very least Fate owed to Nanoha and Vivio was to make those kinds of decisions herself.
“You know that they won’t understand.”
“What…what if they do?”
“Do you really think so?”
Fate sighed, putting her face in her hands. She was so tired. Did she think so…on some days. But not today. “No.”
Precia rose, waiting by the door. “It’s time to go.”
With a soft crinkle, Fate drew out the letters from under her blanket, shuffling through them once again. She laid them on top of her suitcase, then after a moment’s thought, turned them face down. Straigthening, she surveyed the room. A lifetime of travelling had given Fate the ability to personalize and depersonalize a room in minutes, and this room was thoroughly clean. Only her suitcase remained on the bed, with the stack of letters balanced on top.
“Yes.” Fate laid Bardiche down on top of the letters, letting her hand drop from her old companion. “Time to go…”
Beep. Bardiche flashed yellow.
“Don’t read it,” Precia warned.
Fate trembled.
“Don’t.”
“What if it’s important?” whispered Fate.
“There’s no time! If you give in now, your chance will be gone. You had everything timed out perfectly—are you going to give it up now?” Precia’s voice turned into a low, savage growl. “All your promises meant nothing, Fate?”
“I didn’t promise you anything!”
“Didn’t you? Ever since the day you took Nanoha’s hand, didn’t you feel the sting of an oathbreaker? You promised to be with me until the end—your own mother! And yet you just let everything we had—you, me, Alicia—fall away into memory.”
“I never forgot you. Never! You know it.”
“No, of course you never forgot me…you tried to be better than me in every way you could. But in the end? Look at you, Fate—are you any better?”
“I…I tried to be.”
“But in the end, you failed where I failed. And remember Erio’s face…you succeeded where I did, Fate. Congratulations.”
“I wasn’t always like that! I…” Fate ground the heels of her palms into her eyes, gasping. “Before…before, I wasn’t…”
“Few years too late for regrets, isn’t it?” Precia said snidely.
“You’re right.” Fate quivered. “…you’re right.”
“At least, now you have the option, right? If you still had her, you couldn’t be doing the right thing now.”
Blood welled on Fate’s lip—she had bitten through the skin. “Don’t say that…how could you say that!”
“Oh, by this point, you can stop lying, can’t you? You know that you’ve wanted to be with us many times, long ago. But she’d always held you back.”
“I loved her, Mother.”
“Yes, you did. And where did that love get her?”
“Dead.” Fate let her hands drop. She must look terrible, if her face was just as pale as her bloodless hands. “She’s always protected me from you.”
But her protector was gone. It always surprised Fate, in a dull, impassive way, how long Fate had lasted against her mother without Arf’s protection. In the end, though, Fate knew that she couldn’t hold out forever. And indeed, she had been right.
Precia had been waiting for her.
“Yes, Arf drove me away before. The others helped, a little, but she was the only one who truly knew what I was. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes.”
Silence. Blessed silence for a moment.
Silence had always been a double-edged sword with Fate. Hearing Precia’s voice always hurt Fate inside. But hearing nothing at all meant that there was space for old nightmares to drift into Fate’s head, whether she was sleeping or not.
Some days, Fate feared the nightmares more than Precia.
Thankfully, Precia spoke again, her voice soft…as soft as when she spoke to Alicia. “It’s for the best, you know.”
“I know. That’s why I’m doing it.”
Fate glanced one last time at the blinking message on Bardiche’s core before turning her back, opening the door and shutting it behind her with a decisive click.
“Alicia and I are waiting,” Precia said from beside her.
“I know.”
“At least now, you won’t have to worry anymore. You know where you stand, with us.”
“Hey, Fate?” A voice called suddenly from behind.
No one was supposed to be here! Fate jumped, shaking badly as Yuuno trotted up to her, carrying two thick texts under one arm. He must have been heading towards the teleport pad at the end of the hall by the huge glinting windows on the underbelly of the warship.
Precia had been right.
She should have left on time.
“What are you doing here?” Fate demanded, staring at him with horrified eyes.
“Uh,” he stuttered, startled at her vehemence. “I was picking up the reference texts we had lent Admiral Lowran for your last mission. Why are you still here? Weren’t you all given leave time?”
“I was finishing packing.”
“Oh.” Yuuno frowned at her, and Fate kept her face as blank as possible.
“I can’t believe you’re going to get caught because of him,” Precia groaned.
“I won’t,” Fate ground out.
“Fate?” Yuuno asked, pushing his glasses up and narrowing his eyes.
“Nothing. Sorry.” Fate took a half step around him. “I have to get going now.”
“Are you going back for your birthday with Nanoha and Vivio?” Yuuno inquired, a flash of emotion crossing his face as his body twitched, as if to follow her, but he ultimately stayed put. “They were talking about wanting to spend the day with you…”
Fate blinked distantly, her gaze drifting over to Precia again. Her mother was standing down the hall in front of the glass windows, watching Fate with intent purple eyes. They flashed red.
“I’m sorry,” Fate told Yuuno absently, walking towards Precia.
“I’m going to spend my birthday with my family.”
Spoiler for Author's Note:
.........DON'T WORRY, THERE IS A PART 2!
I had originally wanted to end the short here, with all the lovely implications that go along with it , but I was re-reading some of my reviews yesterday...and someone had said that reading my stories gave him clinical depression all the time , so I felt guilty and therefore I planned out a nicer ending to this story .
But I'm posting this part like this first (and give myself time to finish the extended ending ), just to show you guys where my original ending should have been, hehehe!
Spoiler for Things I'll be asking my therapist.:
That clinical depression line in the A/N was funny 'cause reading fics like this one make me wonder if it's not some plot to eliminate my status as the only person I know who hasn't had depression issues. Now I'm going to have to hunt through your reviews to see who it was who mentioned that...
Seriously, deathcurse, that was awful (not in the "bad writing" sense, but in the "ripping my heart out by the roots" sense). The way Fate used the "...with my family" line to take a slap at everybody (I like how you have Vivio react the third time, just so if the reader missed the impact of it on their own there's a cue), the way Precia is working on her, the way you subtly killed off Arf in the background. I can say that had you ended here this would definitely be the most miserable, depressing, and tragic of your generally-trending-towards-misery-and-angst fics. You know, I think comparing you to RB is missing the point. She's the Queen of Angst, but you're more like the Queen of Tragedy: whereas she puts her characters through emotional hell on their way towards (usually) Earning their Happy Ending, you just break them down and...leave them broken. *looks around for the invading Norweigans*
Regardless of the depressing-tragedy-or-not question, I am rather glad that you're writing another chapter because some answers to what Precia is doing there would be nice. Leaving the resolution open-ended or bringing it to a definitively tragic conclusion is one thing, but I tend to react badly to stories which leave me asking "WTF just happened here?" about the events themselves. Is Precia a ghost? A hallucination of Fate's troubled mind? The product of deliberate enemy action? Hopefully, we'll find out what's going on...
Well, no one's flamed me yet, but one person's commented on how Fate feels the need to confess to Nanoha... wondering if it was either with someone who wasn't free, or if she felt like she was cheating on Nanoha. Asked why she'd dread Nanoha's reaction--well honestly, why wouldn't she dread it?
Another person asked for clarification on if Nanoha and Fate aren't together yet.
But other than that, no flames. I'm almost disappointed, but I'm sure they'll come in with the next chapter.
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Last edited by Rising Dragon; 2011-03-31 at 14:08.
2011-03-30, 22:45
Author
[/humour]
. And about the rest of the paragraph..... ^_______^ All (well, probably not ALL, but SOME) will be revealed in the second part 
.
That was why Fate put it that way, to prevent further inquiries.
), just to show you guys where my original ending should have been, hehehe! 
