7'th fragment

[shred_the_sky]

I and Sho have cut open the path to the battlefield. The duel has ended as the sun approached the horizon, and it was my blade that dealt the final strike. Miss Windia can serve as a witness. She is a bride of neither of us, but she ended up overlooking the process by accident

Comments

[derniere_dragon]

Mr Ether! Why did you do that!? Are you okay? Is he okay? What happened!?

[shred_the_sky]

He wanted to fight. I felt like exercise. We went at each other. He ruined my uniform. I crushed his badge and disarmed him. I won and he lost.

Isn't that obvious?

[derniere_dragon]

B-but fighting! Just like that, Mr Ether! How can you be so calm about it!?

[shred_the_sky]

Why not? People fight all the time.

[derniere_dragon]

That doesn't mean it's normal!

[shred_the_sky]

It's normal enough for me.

[derniere_dragon]

I just want you to be careful...

[shred_the_sky]

Telling me to not fight is not the way to do that.

[derniere_dragon]

...

[2 minutes later, there's a knock on his door]

[shred_the_sky]

[~*****~]

Another fifteen seconds later, the door opens. Serenade has his best curious expression on his face, and he's actually dressed in a black sleeveless shirt for a change.

The ensemble of cuts and a severe lack of buttons on the shirt lying on the bed might provide an explanation for why.

[derniere_dragon]

Melusine is standing there, doing her best not to look too upset. Her fists are balled next to her, and she's pouting at him.

"Hello, Mr Serenade. Can I come in."

[shred_the_sky]

He is confused by her reaction to his words... Both because his perspective is so different from hers, and because he simply fails to understand why she worries about him so much. Even if they knew each other before, were they truly that close?

Her convinced voice proves that she wouldn't take a rejection even if he'd be willing to give one. Thus, instead of answering, he simply steps away from the doorway and lets her walk inside.

[derniere_dragon]

She swiftly steps inside, and then just stands there, in the middle of the room. Her fists are clenched and she's looking at her feet, chewing on her lip.

After half a minute of complete silence, she takes a deep breath and suddenly seems to have decided.

"Mr Serenade, please let me be your Rose Bride!" In hindsight, her voice comes out smaller than she'd intended, more nervous, but at least the words are out. She wants to protect him, if he's going to fight-- and she knows he will. If he's going to fight, she wants to be there for him, all the time, at his side.

[shred_the_sky]

He leans back on the door behind him, making the lock squeak in its attempt to force the door open. His eyes widen and his fingers twitch, letting two of them scrape the wood of the door, and then a small shocked sound escapes his throat.

"You...", he finally manages to force in a soft, barely audible, voice. "Do you understand what you're asking?"

[derniere_dragon]

Melusine's teeth release her lip, and she looks up again.

"I want to help you. You're going to fight anyway, so I want to be there! What if you get hurt? I could help. A-and the letter said duelists needed brides, didn't it? S-so if you don't have anyone yet, I'd like to be your--- your Rose Bride. ...Please."

[shred_the_sky]

"You idiot," he mutters in response, his voice blank as if he's vocalizing his thoughts instead of meaning to insult her. His hand clenches into a fist as he pushes away from the door and makes a step forward in an attempt to confront her.

"That's not about it at all!", he continues, his voice growing louder this time, and sweeps his arm between them in a dramatic gesture. "Do you understand the implications of this? The weight? Do you just expect me to accept you becoming my bride for my sake, like that's all that important? Listen to yourself!"

There is a moment of silence as he pauses, takes a deep breath to calm his anger, and finally finishes in a duller voice.

"If a woman becomes a bride, she should be going after someone she loves. She should be going after someone who would make her the happiest, truly happiest woman in the world, even for a moment. She shouldn't be choosing men like this."