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31_days2009-10-17 10:57 am
seta-suzume.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2009-10-17 10:57 am
[Oct. 17] [King of Bandits Jing] The Mask of Death
Title: The Mask of Death
Day/Theme: Oct. 17, 2009 "Solemn talk of distant rain"
Series: King of Bandits Jing
Character/Pairing: Countess Dubonnet, Stir
Rating: PG
Related to the story about the "mascorrida" in Zaza.
The countess' sorrow turned to rage. If the men preferred fighting to living, even at the expense of the life of a child, they could have all the battles they wanted. Making this resolution with deep determination in her heart, the Countess Dubonnet became a demon.
She awoke the next morning devoid of feeling. She greeted her daughter with a monotone, "Good morning," and adorned herself in a gown of black and onyx-studded jewelry to attend to Lemon's funeral where she did not cry one tear.
"The countess is in shock," the servants said. "This blow, coming so close on the heels of the death of the count, was far too much to handle." Her subjects turned toward her in a show of collective sympathy, joining silently in her mourning by donning masks of black, but the countess wanted no pity. And as the days turned into weeks and she continued to show no sign of sorrow or relief or anything at all, for that matter, the people's sympathy for their ruler faded away. No one could relate to a woman who could not feel and those furthest to the countess were the first to stop trying.
Stir could not claim to understand what strange currents moved her mother, but she hold out hope that someday she would see her mother smile again. However, gradually this tiny hope found itself buried under layers and layers of depression as her mother's cool emptiness wormed its way uncomfortably into the heart of the young girl. She became quiet and withdrawn, wondering how she could ever expect to regain the once soft touch of her mother's love. She watched in fear as her mother replaced her beautiful countenance with one mask after another, substituting carefully chiseled imagery for real feeling. The masquerade of Zaza became a year-round feature on its ruler's face.
And the countess was not content with changing the cheery festival into a perpetual funeral in her own life- she planned to make it so for all who came to Zaza. Stir was filled with worry at the talk she heard of preparations being made for Zaza's first "mascorrida." "We will find an heir to replace Lemon," the countess said, "And to do so, we must first drench all of Zaza in blood."
Day/Theme: Oct. 17, 2009 "Solemn talk of distant rain"
Series: King of Bandits Jing
Character/Pairing: Countess Dubonnet, Stir
Rating: PG
Related to the story about the "mascorrida" in Zaza.
The countess' sorrow turned to rage. If the men preferred fighting to living, even at the expense of the life of a child, they could have all the battles they wanted. Making this resolution with deep determination in her heart, the Countess Dubonnet became a demon.
She awoke the next morning devoid of feeling. She greeted her daughter with a monotone, "Good morning," and adorned herself in a gown of black and onyx-studded jewelry to attend to Lemon's funeral where she did not cry one tear.
"The countess is in shock," the servants said. "This blow, coming so close on the heels of the death of the count, was far too much to handle." Her subjects turned toward her in a show of collective sympathy, joining silently in her mourning by donning masks of black, but the countess wanted no pity. And as the days turned into weeks and she continued to show no sign of sorrow or relief or anything at all, for that matter, the people's sympathy for their ruler faded away. No one could relate to a woman who could not feel and those furthest to the countess were the first to stop trying.
Stir could not claim to understand what strange currents moved her mother, but she hold out hope that someday she would see her mother smile again. However, gradually this tiny hope found itself buried under layers and layers of depression as her mother's cool emptiness wormed its way uncomfortably into the heart of the young girl. She became quiet and withdrawn, wondering how she could ever expect to regain the once soft touch of her mother's love. She watched in fear as her mother replaced her beautiful countenance with one mask after another, substituting carefully chiseled imagery for real feeling. The masquerade of Zaza became a year-round feature on its ruler's face.
And the countess was not content with changing the cheery festival into a perpetual funeral in her own life- she planned to make it so for all who came to Zaza. Stir was filled with worry at the talk she heard of preparations being made for Zaza's first "mascorrida." "We will find an heir to replace Lemon," the countess said, "And to do so, we must first drench all of Zaza in blood."