'Three months into her sixteenth year..." [Rela]
Trying to get some more history fleshed out here.
Lest you think Schuu's actions are unnaturally precocious, know that SingKueh told him what to do.
Rela POV, angst, 519 words.
I’m standing in a river. It’s cold, and it’s strong. I don’t know where the water’s going, but it’s taking the dust and blood away from me. That’s all that matters. I don’t have to follow it. I don’t want to. It needs to be somewhere else.
I shot a guy today.
It’s cold. Schuu is standing on the bank beside me but he’s not looking at me.
I did not know I was going to. It wasn’t planned. Who wakes up in the morning and thinks Today I will put someone’s brain out with a piece of lead? Maybe some spacer fuckwits. Not this girl.
Schuu has killed before. He’s younger than me. The first time he killed he did it for me.
The shot was loud. I mean, I’ve shot guns before. Lots. I’m good at it. I’m used to the noise they make. I nearly lost my hearing from this one. Think I did, for a while. Can’t remember a damn thing. Right afterwards, it all breaks up.
The second time, too. Every time. I’m shivering. Schuu never broke up like this.
I remember right before it. I remember looking up at the guy. Ready to shoot if I had to - never had to before. Had to this time. He was aiming for Boss. I don’t take kind to that.
Schuu never had blood all over his hands. I do and it is not coming off.
I said I was behind him. Yeah. Just a foot behind, gun aimed. Saw his shooting hand come up. Fired.
It has soaked through my shirt. I take that off, toss it by my hip holster on the bank. Schuu jumps at the noise, looks at me, blushes, looks away. Doesn’t matter.
The sound, first. Loud like only a gun is. Then the smell. Gunpowder and copper. Death.
I’m sinking into the water, so only my head is above it. My hair is starting to float downstream. If I take one step forward I can go with it.
Then the feel of it. His blood all over me. I hit an artery in the neck from below. Blew the top of his skull out. Sprayed blood like a solar flare.
Schuu looks at me again. I will stay on land.
Don’t remember after that. I said that. I must’ve got out somehow. Didn’t see anyone from then ‘til I got home. Don’t remember getting home. I remember looking at my hands. Gunpowder and blood. Copper and iron and lead.
Anyway my feet are bare. If I move I’ll cut myself on something. And I can’t swim.
I didn’t put my gun down. Didn’t let go of it ‘til Schuu found me. He took it, took my hand, led me here. My hands turned the water red and grey.
I should strip the gun. It’ll get jammed. No, Schuu did that.
And now I’m here. In the river. The water’s not cold enough. I can still think. Schuu’s just motioned to me. I should get out, but I shake my head. I need to stay here. Until the blood comes off.
Lest you think Schuu's actions are unnaturally precocious, know that SingKueh told him what to do.
Rela POV, angst, 519 words.
I’m standing in a river. It’s cold, and it’s strong. I don’t know where the water’s going, but it’s taking the dust and blood away from me. That’s all that matters. I don’t have to follow it. I don’t want to. It needs to be somewhere else.
I shot a guy today.
It’s cold. Schuu is standing on the bank beside me but he’s not looking at me.
I did not know I was going to. It wasn’t planned. Who wakes up in the morning and thinks Today I will put someone’s brain out with a piece of lead? Maybe some spacer fuckwits. Not this girl.
Schuu has killed before. He’s younger than me. The first time he killed he did it for me.
The shot was loud. I mean, I’ve shot guns before. Lots. I’m good at it. I’m used to the noise they make. I nearly lost my hearing from this one. Think I did, for a while. Can’t remember a damn thing. Right afterwards, it all breaks up.
The second time, too. Every time. I’m shivering. Schuu never broke up like this.
I remember right before it. I remember looking up at the guy. Ready to shoot if I had to - never had to before. Had to this time. He was aiming for Boss. I don’t take kind to that.
Schuu never had blood all over his hands. I do and it is not coming off.
I said I was behind him. Yeah. Just a foot behind, gun aimed. Saw his shooting hand come up. Fired.
It has soaked through my shirt. I take that off, toss it by my hip holster on the bank. Schuu jumps at the noise, looks at me, blushes, looks away. Doesn’t matter.
The sound, first. Loud like only a gun is. Then the smell. Gunpowder and copper. Death.
I’m sinking into the water, so only my head is above it. My hair is starting to float downstream. If I take one step forward I can go with it.
Then the feel of it. His blood all over me. I hit an artery in the neck from below. Blew the top of his skull out. Sprayed blood like a solar flare.
Schuu looks at me again. I will stay on land.
Don’t remember after that. I said that. I must’ve got out somehow. Didn’t see anyone from then ‘til I got home. Don’t remember getting home. I remember looking at my hands. Gunpowder and blood. Copper and iron and lead.
Anyway my feet are bare. If I move I’ll cut myself on something. And I can’t swim.
I didn’t put my gun down. Didn’t let go of it ‘til Schuu found me. He took it, took my hand, led me here. My hands turned the water red and grey.
I should strip the gun. It’ll get jammed. No, Schuu did that.
And now I’m here. In the river. The water’s not cold enough. I can still think. Schuu’s just motioned to me. I should get out, but I shake my head. I need to stay here. Until the blood comes off.