(no subject)
[Friday]
[The day started out normal. Meriken pushing from the house, ready and rearing to take on the day. As she sets out, she stops by Bri's house--Something she would do if Bri was in the garden, which she was--And leans against the house to poke fun at the much older nation. It was strange, but it was Meriken's way of showing she cared.]
Hey, Bri, I'm--[She's cut off suddenly, the drone that had taken Bri-tans place had looked up, and Immediately Meriken noticed the difference. Noticed how her smile was off, how she tell her to stop leaning on the fence...
It wasn't something she was particularly bothered by, people got droned a lot here, and Meriken assumed Bri had just...done something to tick off Grady or the Mayor, and that she would be back the next day.
She laughs.] Man, what did you do? Talk his ear off? [And off Meriken goes, on her merry way.]
[Sunday]
[She wanted to check on her, to make sure she was okay, to make sure she was back to normal.
She wasn't.
A part of her worried, but the majority of her was still convinced she'd be back.] You'll have to tell me what you did, geez. It's been two days, Bri!
[Tuesday]
[Four days and she still wasn't back. Four days, and Meriken was starting to panic. Had people been droned this long before? Damn--Why didn't she pay more attention to these things?] Bri? Okay, this isn't cool anymore. What the hell did you do? You aren't...
[She forces a laugh, but her hand is a bit too tight on the fence.]
[Thursday]
Bri! Come on, snap out of it! You aren't supposed to be the one to get droned, I am!
You're...you're supposed to be the one who shakes her head when I do something wrong, wh-when I--[The drone's just looking in confusion, and Meriken's voice falteres, falling away. This wasn't Bri.
This wasn't Bri-tan, the nation that raised her. The nation that used to tuck her in at night and read her stories about fairies and magic. This wasn't the Bri-tan that she would argue with on a regular basis, that she would poke fun at and take for granted.
This wasn't her mother.
Because that's what she thought of her as. No matter how many jokes she'd make, or mean things she'd say, Bri would and always will be her mother. She raised her when Meriken had been alone. She'd taught her, and cared for her, and had messed everything up in the end.
But the woman sitting in front of her? The woman with Bri's face, and Bri's hair? It wasn't her any longer. It wasn't the person that had bandaged her arm when Roshia messed it up, and it most certainly wasn't the person Meriken loved and hated and missed.
And suddenly. Oh so suddenly, Meriken wanted to cry. To scream. To take that drone's face and screw it up beyond recognition.
Her hand grips the fence. She can feel the little pieces of wood poking into her skin.] This isn't right! You aren't...What the hell did you do with my mother?
[Saturday]
[She couldn't stand it. Every morning she would leave, she'd check on Bri and then go home to sulk. She couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand knowing that someone was sitting a house over, with Bri's face.
It broke her inside. Knowing her mother wasn't her mother. And so she walks by one last time. It's been a week. A week of hell.] Hey, Bri.
Oh, hello Mrs. Minamoto! Such a lovely morning.
Yea...[Something sinks in her gut. It's heavy and painful. Stop it stop it stop it..
She walks a little closer, sitting beside the Bri-tan that was no longer Bri-tan. Sitting beside the drone that didn't even know who she was anymore.]
Is something the matter, dear? [Dear. That word, she didn't want to hear that word from her. Because only she could call her dear. Not her imposer, not anyone.]
...Hey, you remember that one time? When I visited your house for the first time, and I saw that big clock, and I couldn't stop staring. I told you it was a magic clock, Remember? I though it was something special, a clock that would make sure things would stay the same. I thought: 'Me and mum'll stay here forever, because this is her magic place!'
And...I kept on believing that, you know? I kept thinking it was going to come true, that those damn fairies in your damn stories would work their magic, and keep us together...Even though we lived so far apart.
But...after the revolution, I hated you for a real long time. You were so damn stupid, and why couldn't you have just lifted the stupid taxes? We could have...and...[She trails off, wiping at her face. The drone speaks, but Meriken isn't listening. Why should she? It was just a stupid drone pretending it was someone it wasn't.]
And I got over it. I was determined, you know? I'd make you proud, and you'd think I was your daughter again...and then you'd make me scones all special like you used to. And... we'd go spend time together like all those families in my house, and you'd buy me something special, and tell me how proud you were and we'd be a family again.Two separate nations, but we'd be a family.
Why couldn't you have just...Why did you have to be so stupid? [She turns to the drone finally, but the drone looks scared. Like Meriken was acting crazy.]
I think you should go now.
No. I'm not going until...[And the drone stands, heading towards the house, but Meriken didn't want her to go yet. She didn't want to be left alone.
So she jumps to her feet and blocks the drones path.She's being so pathetic, and she knows it. Clinging to a person she pretended to hate. Someone she pretended she didn't care for. When really, Bri was the most important person she had in this place.]
I need to get inside, dear. [That word again. Dear.
It hit her hard.]
Stop it! You're not Bri! Stop pretending you are!
[On the ground in front of the house is a pair of garden shears. The small ones, the ones you could use with one hand. And Meriken bends over, grabbing a hold of them.
She had no reason to have them, really. Then again, she wasn't thinking. She was just acting to act. Because she didn't know what else to do. Didn't know how to deal with this, because she'd gone on so long not caring.
Funny, how Mayfield was the one place they'd started growing close.]
Just...stop. [And she cries. Big, empty tears stream down her face, staining her cheeks. And she forgets. Lost in a raging storm of emotion.] Stop it! [Even though her arm was inoperable, even though her other hand held a pair of scissors, Meriken was still strong, and she slams the drone to the ground in a mess of tears and anger.
This isn't Bri. She she's not here anymore. She's not Bri. Why does she look like Bri?
And the shears blade slices through her pigtails. It cuts through them messily, without any kind of planning. She just wanted the drone to stop looking like her. To stop looking like Bri-tan, because she wasn't.
The hair falls in pools until Meriken stands numbly, the drone left with a short messy haircut.] You're not Bri-tan, okay? You're not...and I don't ever want to see you again.
[On the Phones; not filtered.]
You bastard city! Why the hell...why the hell would you take her? She didn't do anything, you know. She didn't attack you, or fight your damn system!
So why? Why her? Why didn't you take me instead? I've done as much as she has! I've sat in my house complaining and...I'm the one who should have been droned! I'm...I should be...Take me instead! Make Bri normal again, just...
Bring my mother back!
[Action]
[A while later, Meriken's sitting on her porch. Her hair's straightened, and she's wearing the dress she tried to send back.
Might as well wear it one last time. To honor the mother she lost.]
((ooc: Still on Hiatus, but I had to post this. Also, this post spans a whole week, so feel free to run into her on any of those day.))
[The day started out normal. Meriken pushing from the house, ready and rearing to take on the day. As she sets out, she stops by Bri's house--Something she would do if Bri was in the garden, which she was--And leans against the house to poke fun at the much older nation. It was strange, but it was Meriken's way of showing she cared.]
Hey, Bri, I'm--[She's cut off suddenly, the drone that had taken Bri-tans place had looked up, and Immediately Meriken noticed the difference. Noticed how her smile was off, how she tell her to stop leaning on the fence...
It wasn't something she was particularly bothered by, people got droned a lot here, and Meriken assumed Bri had just...done something to tick off Grady or the Mayor, and that she would be back the next day.
She laughs.] Man, what did you do? Talk his ear off? [And off Meriken goes, on her merry way.]
[Sunday]
[She wanted to check on her, to make sure she was okay, to make sure she was back to normal.
She wasn't.
A part of her worried, but the majority of her was still convinced she'd be back.] You'll have to tell me what you did, geez. It's been two days, Bri!
[Tuesday]
[Four days and she still wasn't back. Four days, and Meriken was starting to panic. Had people been droned this long before? Damn--Why didn't she pay more attention to these things?] Bri? Okay, this isn't cool anymore. What the hell did you do? You aren't...
[She forces a laugh, but her hand is a bit too tight on the fence.]
[Thursday]
Bri! Come on, snap out of it! You aren't supposed to be the one to get droned, I am!
You're...you're supposed to be the one who shakes her head when I do something wrong, wh-when I--[The drone's just looking in confusion, and Meriken's voice falteres, falling away. This wasn't Bri.
This wasn't Bri-tan, the nation that raised her. The nation that used to tuck her in at night and read her stories about fairies and magic. This wasn't the Bri-tan that she would argue with on a regular basis, that she would poke fun at and take for granted.
This wasn't her mother.
Because that's what she thought of her as. No matter how many jokes she'd make, or mean things she'd say, Bri would and always will be her mother. She raised her when Meriken had been alone. She'd taught her, and cared for her, and had messed everything up in the end.
But the woman sitting in front of her? The woman with Bri's face, and Bri's hair? It wasn't her any longer. It wasn't the person that had bandaged her arm when Roshia messed it up, and it most certainly wasn't the person Meriken loved and hated and missed.
And suddenly. Oh so suddenly, Meriken wanted to cry. To scream. To take that drone's face and screw it up beyond recognition.
Her hand grips the fence. She can feel the little pieces of wood poking into her skin.] This isn't right! You aren't...What the hell did you do with my mother?
[Saturday]
[She couldn't stand it. Every morning she would leave, she'd check on Bri and then go home to sulk. She couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand knowing that someone was sitting a house over, with Bri's face.
It broke her inside. Knowing her mother wasn't her mother. And so she walks by one last time. It's been a week. A week of hell.] Hey, Bri.
Oh, hello Mrs. Minamoto! Such a lovely morning.
Yea...[Something sinks in her gut. It's heavy and painful. Stop it stop it stop it..
She walks a little closer, sitting beside the Bri-tan that was no longer Bri-tan. Sitting beside the drone that didn't even know who she was anymore.]
Is something the matter, dear? [Dear. That word, she didn't want to hear that word from her. Because only she could call her dear. Not her imposer, not anyone.]
...Hey, you remember that one time? When I visited your house for the first time, and I saw that big clock, and I couldn't stop staring. I told you it was a magic clock, Remember? I though it was something special, a clock that would make sure things would stay the same. I thought: 'Me and mum'll stay here forever, because this is her magic place!'
And...I kept on believing that, you know? I kept thinking it was going to come true, that those damn fairies in your damn stories would work their magic, and keep us together...Even though we lived so far apart.
But...after the revolution, I hated you for a real long time. You were so damn stupid, and why couldn't you have just lifted the stupid taxes? We could have...and...[She trails off, wiping at her face. The drone speaks, but Meriken isn't listening. Why should she? It was just a stupid drone pretending it was someone it wasn't.]
And I got over it. I was determined, you know? I'd make you proud, and you'd think I was your daughter again...and then you'd make me scones all special like you used to. And... we'd go spend time together like all those families in my house, and you'd buy me something special, and tell me how proud you were and we'd be a family again.Two separate nations, but we'd be a family.
Why couldn't you have just...Why did you have to be so stupid? [She turns to the drone finally, but the drone looks scared. Like Meriken was acting crazy.]
I think you should go now.
No. I'm not going until...[And the drone stands, heading towards the house, but Meriken didn't want her to go yet. She didn't want to be left alone.
So she jumps to her feet and blocks the drones path.She's being so pathetic, and she knows it. Clinging to a person she pretended to hate. Someone she pretended she didn't care for. When really, Bri was the most important person she had in this place.]
I need to get inside, dear. [That word again. Dear.
It hit her hard.]
Stop it! You're not Bri! Stop pretending you are!
[On the ground in front of the house is a pair of garden shears. The small ones, the ones you could use with one hand. And Meriken bends over, grabbing a hold of them.
She had no reason to have them, really. Then again, she wasn't thinking. She was just acting to act. Because she didn't know what else to do. Didn't know how to deal with this, because she'd gone on so long not caring.
Funny, how Mayfield was the one place they'd started growing close.]
Just...stop. [And she cries. Big, empty tears stream down her face, staining her cheeks. And she forgets. Lost in a raging storm of emotion.] Stop it! [Even though her arm was inoperable, even though her other hand held a pair of scissors, Meriken was still strong, and she slams the drone to the ground in a mess of tears and anger.
This isn't Bri. She she's not here anymore. She's not Bri. Why does she look like Bri?
And the shears blade slices through her pigtails. It cuts through them messily, without any kind of planning. She just wanted the drone to stop looking like her. To stop looking like Bri-tan, because she wasn't.
The hair falls in pools until Meriken stands numbly, the drone left with a short messy haircut.] You're not Bri-tan, okay? You're not...and I don't ever want to see you again.
[On the Phones; not filtered.]
You bastard city! Why the hell...why the hell would you take her? She didn't do anything, you know. She didn't attack you, or fight your damn system!
So why? Why her? Why didn't you take me instead? I've done as much as she has! I've sat in my house complaining and...I'm the one who should have been droned! I'm...I should be...Take me instead! Make Bri normal again, just...
Bring my mother back!
[Action]
[A while later, Meriken's sitting on her porch. Her hair's straightened, and she's wearing the dress she tried to send back.
Might as well wear it one last time. To honor the mother she lost.]
((ooc: Still on Hiatus, but I had to post this. Also, this post spans a whole week, so feel free to run into her on any of those day.))