Application for APOS (Daughters of Mnemosyne)

[mnemosyneeater]

((Though I use 'he' Apos is actually a hermaphrodite. But since he seems to identify and dress like a male, I've decided to use it in narration. His voice, similarly, sounds male.))

A blond haired young man wearing black wandered in through the door of the sorting room, carrying a wicker basket of blue orbs in one hand, and a broad sword in the

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[sincethe900s]

Holy Roman Empire was passing by the Sorting Room in time to hear the answer to the sexual harassment question, and an exclamation of disgust slipped from his throat. The small boy pointed at Apos and accused, “You're even worse than France!”

He hadn't thought that was possible. But as much as France was a lecher and a bad guy (in Holy Roman Empire's biased opinion), the kind of wanton cruelty that enjoyed screams and blood didn't seem his style.

Holy Roman Empire glared. If he'd been armed, he'd probably have declared war on the stranger, never mind that Apos wasn't a nation.

[mnemosyneeater]

Apos stared. He pressed the tip of the broadsword's blade on the floor and rested his hand on the hilt. "Worse than France?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, sounding honestly curious. "All of France?"

[sincethe900s]

Holy Roman Empire nodded. "All of that perverted, bullying country. Maybe not much worse," he amended--because he didn't want to actually defend that bastard's character. "But he's evil enough all by himself."

He narrowed his eyes and continued to glower suspiciously at Apos. "Do you share other similar hobbies as well? Do you like invading other people's houses, and starting wars just because you don't like their bosses? Do you want to take sweet, innocent Italy?"

[mnemosyneeater]

He placed his hand to his lips, laughed. "Perhaps I should meet this France, perhaps we could become...mmm, friends?" He stood, keeping the broadsword in hand. He walked around the desk, made his way to the strange little creature that he could tell wasn't human, wasn't immortal and wasn't angel.

"I like taking sweet innocent things and making them hurt, if that's what you mean," he said, eyeing him contemplatively. "And before I came here I was well on my way to starting a war. It was all too easy."

[sincethe900s]

Like France needed any more encouragement. "You can't," he replied haughtily, "France is hiding and no one's seen him in a long time." At least, that was what Holy Roman Empire had heard from Austria.

Apos' creepy manner intimidated him a bit more up close, but Holy Roman Empire hid it behind more glaring. Thank goodness Italy hadn't appeared in this dream yet--although Holy Roman Empire would certainly protect her from this guy. "I won't let you get away with those kinds of terrible things here," he declared. "I'll protect this school like it's part of my own house!"

[mnemosyneeater]

"And how will you do that? I was told that you cannot die here. How will you protect this school if I cannot be killed, and you can only be killed again and again, and again." He laughed, changing his grip on his sword. "It's truly a blessing, to have been brought here by whatever whim willed it. Yggdrasill, perhaps."

He grinned, pointed his sword at the Holy Roman Empire. "You can't stop me from doing anything."

[sincethe900s]

"I'll stop you because I'm the one who's rebuilding the Roman Empire, the greatest nation in the world!" Considering how well that's gone, he's pretty much just proved Apos' point, not that Holy Roman Empire would ever admit it.

"And even if I'm going to die, it's not going to be thanks to you." Although his glare lost some of its intensity as he said so, before Holy Roman Empire visibly steeled himself again. "I'm not in the middle of all these wars because I'm weak, or ineffective, or incapable of being a threat."

He didn't flinch when Apos pointed his sword at him, but Holy Roman Empire was thinking that he really needed a chance to ask Austria if perhaps this magic school had a sword or some other type of weapon he could borrow. He hadn't minded being unarmed when this dream seemed peaceful, albeit strange. But now with this turn of events...

[mnemosyneeater]

His eyes widened, then he laughed. "The Roman Empire? The Roman Empire fell centuries ago, courtesy of Nero. I think you're a little behind on the times. Ultimately, you'll fail and then you'll die by your own fault." He seemed excited by the fact. "I'll take great pleasure in watching."

[sincethe900s]

Holy Roman Empire stiffened. "Of course I know that Roman Empire disappeared! But in his prime he was the greatest, and there hasn't been anyone else who's rivaled him since! At least until Italy and I work together to regain what her grandfather once had, and we'll make it last." That last bit lacked the confidence and indignation that had fueled the rest of his outburst. After all, Italy still refused to join him precisely because she thought Holy Roman Empire would suffer and disappear like Roman Empire, and here Austria had told him that the war would not end well. But he wasn't going to dwell on that, because this wasn't real, and there was a chance that things would end differently--he would definitely make them end differently.

Holy Roman Empire clenched his fists. "You won't get to watch anything, because I'm not going to lose."

[mnemosyneeater]

He smirked. "Well, we shall see."

He didn't lower his sword, didn't attack either, waiting for one more taunt, one more declaration of undying will. He so wanted to break that will. "Unlike you, I'll be around until the end of time. I will watch your end, one way or another."

[sincethe900s]

"Maybe that's true. Maybe one day in the future I won't have any more people who belong to me, and I'll just disappear," Holy Roman Empire admitted, his hands at his sides fidgeting against his tunic and twisting the fabric. But his voice gained strength as he continued, "However, watching would be the only thing you do. You can't kill me yourself, and there's nothing you can do to hurt me. That's not much of a victory to enjoy."

[mnemosyneeater]

Was that a challenge? The strength there, the bravado, amused him. He wondered if it would falter under pain.

"Oh, I can hurt you well enough," he said gleefully. He rushed forward, brought the sword up, and aimed for Holy Roman Empire's stomach.

[sincethe900s]

Well, he'd been defining “hurt” as “do anything that would leave lasting physical damage to a nation,” so pain was definitely still an option.

Holy Roman Empire had been distracted in his thoughts, so he was a little slow to look up at Apos' words. So while it didn't take any thought to twist away from the attack--he hadn't lost his wartime reflexes yet--he didn't react quite fast enough to miss the thrust entirely, and he couldn't stop his eyes widening or the gasp of shock that escaped him.

[mnemosyneeater]

The only long lasting effect Apos cared about were the memories of events. Painful memories tasted all the more sweeter.

So, even though this wasn't an immortal, and he couldn't eat his memories, he still drove the sword deeper, until it burst through Holy Roman Empire's back. He grinned widely, took a step closer to him until he could wrap his arms around him an lick his cheek as if he could taste his memories already. "Does it hurt now?" he asked, then reached for the hilt of the sword and twisted it.

[sincethe900s]

Somehow, the fact that he hadn't been feeling as badly in recent days made the pain all the worse. Holy Roman Empire shuddered, his eyes wide and unfocused, as Apos licked his cheek; then screamed when he twisted the sword.

He'd had a few nightmares like this over the course of the war. France cornering him to finish him off, France running him through, and then maybe leaning in close to whisper something like how Holy Roman Empire would never see Italy again. Holy Roman Empire squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push Apos' arms away. "I'll definitely, definitely--!"

[mnemosyneeater]

"Definitely what? Defeat me? Kill me?" He chuckled. Then clicked his tongue when he began to try to push him away. He twisted the sword again, pulled it out just a little and then forced it in further. His hands wandered, down Holy Roman Empire's sides, gripped at his ass as he tilted his head and placed an almost disproportionate sweet kiss to Holy Roman Empire's neck. "It's a useless venture, but I would enjoy seeing you try."