She followed in silence, feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything but the shrine was at least quiet, a place of a bit of privacy even if still within the general hub of the festival. She tilted her head at him, his position, the veil. It's different than anything she knows but she can understand the trappings of prayer.
She knelt down next to him, she could sit crossed legged, that was an acceptable way to sit during prayer but this was more than just an offering.
It's more than just a prayer to be honest, because she's not sure who she is praying to. Her god found her sister wanting, had forsaken her. She couldn't pray to the light gods, they would not accept prayers off one such as her.
So not really a prayer at all. A remembrance. She closed her eyes as Sanzo began to chant, letting the sound help her settle, to meditate.
And then she, very cautiously, reached out to open the doors in her mind that she kept slammed shut.
Her sister had been identical to her in every way and she was in almost every memory she had. A constant companion, they had scrubbed dishes together, learned their letters at Junie and Leana's knees, teased Taiwin just as much as he would tolerated and gotten into so much mischief together.
Long days filled with hard earned honeycakes and stolen moments of rooftops. Nights of training until they were too exhausted to do anything but collapse into blankets, tangled around each other for warmth and protection from bad dreams.
A girl a little shyer than she was but in many ways much braver. A girl sharp of wit and deadly good with a knife. The only person she could trust with her secrets and whose secrets she could trust herself with.
She had thought they would be together forever, just a truth of her world. How could they be separated? They ran together, they trained together, they hurt together and they killed together. Even on solo missions they came back to each other.
She had been taught her whole life that people she cared about could be used against her but her sister had always been an exception. Because how could she forsake her? How could she distance herself from someone who was so entangled with her life and had been from the moment they had first drawn breath?
The memories flooded her, her sisters smile, her sister on a rooftop, fingers sticky with honey. Her sister cold, hard as Taiwin showed them the best way to keep a man alive even whilst causing maximum pain. Her sister deep in prayer, her mind holding thoughts she couldn't even give words to because they were too dangerous.
Her sisters last whispered confession to her, her doubts about the life they were leading.
Her sisters face as she stood in that basement room, stood under the judgement of their guardians.
Her eyes as Buttercup had walked towards her, her knife in hand on Taiwin's orders, in obedience to their god.
Her god, who her sister had betrayed.
Her shoulders shook and she bowed down to the floor, forhead pressed against the dirt of the shrine as she fought against the surge of sadness, the tears that threatened to pour out of her face if she let down the final barriers that held them back.
cw: child assassins, mentions of torture and death and kin killing
She knelt down next to him, she could sit crossed legged, that was an acceptable way to sit during prayer but this was more than just an offering.
It's more than just a prayer to be honest, because she's not sure who she is praying to. Her god found her sister wanting, had forsaken her. She couldn't pray to the light gods, they would not accept prayers off one such as her.
So not really a prayer at all. A remembrance. She closed her eyes as Sanzo began to chant, letting the sound help her settle, to meditate.
And then she, very cautiously, reached out to open the doors in her mind that she kept slammed shut.
Her sister had been identical to her in every way and she was in almost every memory she had. A constant companion, they had scrubbed dishes together, learned their letters at Junie and Leana's knees, teased Taiwin just as much as he would tolerated and gotten into so much mischief together.
Long days filled with hard earned honeycakes and stolen moments of rooftops. Nights of training until they were too exhausted to do anything but collapse into blankets, tangled around each other for warmth and protection from bad dreams.
A girl a little shyer than she was but in many ways much braver. A girl sharp of wit and deadly good with a knife. The only person she could trust with her secrets and whose secrets she could trust herself with.
She had thought they would be together forever, just a truth of her world. How could they be separated? They ran together, they trained together, they hurt together and they killed together. Even on solo missions they came back to each other.
She had been taught her whole life that people she cared about could be used against her but her sister had always been an exception. Because how could she forsake her? How could she distance herself from someone who was so entangled with her life and had been from the moment they had first drawn breath?
The memories flooded her, her sisters smile, her sister on a rooftop, fingers sticky with honey. Her sister cold, hard as Taiwin showed them the best way to keep a man alive even whilst causing maximum pain. Her sister deep in prayer, her mind holding thoughts she couldn't even give words to because they were too dangerous.
Her sisters last whispered confession to her, her doubts about the life they were leading.
Her sisters face as she stood in that basement room, stood under the judgement of their guardians.
Her eyes as Buttercup had walked towards her, her knife in hand on Taiwin's orders, in obedience to their god.
Her god, who her sister had betrayed.
Her shoulders shook and she bowed down to the floor, forhead pressed against the dirt of the shrine as she fought against the surge of sadness, the tears that threatened to pour out of her face if she let down the final barriers that held them back.