03-16-2009, 12:19 AM
Part of Sophia wanted to believe that she was just testing Rose. A game is still a game, and regardless of how many times she had come close to death in just the past several hours, she knew that something would have to go extremely wrong for her to die. Part of her wanted to believe that she had played Rosemary, that she had beat her at her own game. That part of her had been wrong. In reality, the priestess was the one that was played—the tall redhead had made it obvious to her that she had no intentions of killing Juno at all. She was revolted at herself for being misled like that, all for the sake of money.
That led to the question of whether it was possible for her to leave with the money. She knew that Rose didn’t want anyone to die, so there were very large doubts that there was anything inside that briefcase. Even if there was, there was still the matter of what she held in her tiny hand. Sophia looked at her reflection in the cold steel—her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Those blue eyes weren’t the eyes of a killer, and no matter how much she wanted the money, she knew that she couldn’t bring herself to kill the poor boy, but then again, she didn’t think she could bring herself to say “foe,” either. Now it was just a matter of stalling so she could figure out what she was going to do.
“You…can’t change the rules in the middle of the game like this,” Sophia spoke in between sniffles. “It’s not fair.”
“Juno is facing a life or death situation, and you’re complaining about what’s fair?” Rose scolded her, wavering between a stern demeanor and a soft expression. “He called you a friend, Sophia. He trusted you. For you to turn on him like that…that’s what’s not fair.”
Sophia opened her mouth to retort, but she knew the woman was right. The priestess could feel tears welling up again, but she choked them back. She couldn’t let Rose see if her words were getting to the priestess or not. The priestess took a step forward towards Juno, and gripped her sword. Her wrist twitched a bit, the prospect of all that money still lingering somewhere in the back of her mind. She consciously held back though, putting the sword behind her back a bit.
“Tell us what you’re thinking,” Rose’s flair for the dramatic was too difficult to resist as she inquired Sophia for the sake of the audience.
Us? Oh, the cameras, Sophia thought. She shook her head bitterly—she couldn’t care less about the audience or the ratings or anything other than the pained look in Juno’s eyes. Still, after a slight roll of her eyes, she obliged her request. “What am I thinking? You’re detestable. This man’s life isn’t something to be decided over a game.”
“Oh? But Sophia, you were the one who called him a foe. Are you saying that you wish to change your mind?” she chided, amusement prevalent in her voice.
“I’m just saying that killing someone is difficult,” Sophia sighed, her mind racing for a plan—any plan—to come to mind. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and although she was frightened and obviously distraught, it allowed her to calm down a bit in order to make clearer decisions. She continued. “Killing someone is to rob them of their future. Surely you understand…even you were unwilling to take his life.”
Her facial expression twitched, though it changed back too fast for Sophia to be sure of it. Juno’s sudden stifled shouts muddled Sophia’s thoughts; the tailed boy was obviously scared out of his mind, and much more than that, tired of Sophia’s speculation. The emotions that his eyes revealed were an odd mixture of extreme sadness and almost hatred towards the priestess. Those cold, penetrating eyes brought up an emotion that scared Sophia—it was his eyes above anything else that drove away any doubt of her decision. Sophia straightened up and looked Rose right in the eye.
“Hmhm…it seems you’ve come to a decision,” the lady-in-red laughed softly.
“I have.”
She raised the sword in her hand and pointed the tip at Juno. The tailed boy squirmed slightly, trying to position his face so that the point wasn’t aimed at his face. Sophia stood still, however, and the squirming stopped. The two pairs of eyes met once more, but no emotions were present. Cold, empty eyes stared into the others; the air was thick with anticipation. Juno’s breaths turned into rapid pants, feeling that his potential death may soon be imminent. The priestess drew the sword back, her elbows locked in a stabbing position. Sophia winced, almost hesitating, but eventually prevailed in her decision and suddenly stabbed forward. The priestess’ gasp combined with Juno’s terrified grunt as the point of the blade swung forward. The situation came to a head when the sword plunged into…
…the wall behind Juno. Dust flew out as the steel penetrated cold rock. Sophia surprised even herself at how far she had plunged the sword into the interior, but she thought of it only for an instant. The conscious miss put Sophia extremely close to the tailed boy; her hand was still wrapped tightly around the hilt of the sword, and her head was right next to Juno’s ear. The blonde woman began to sob as she whispered in his ear. “P-please…please forgive me!”
She sank to her knees, her shoulders heaving as tears began to hit the ground below. Rose sighed and shook her head, taking a few steps towards the pair. “So you’re not going to kill him, eh?”
“If even you didn’t have to stomach to do it, how can you expect me to!?”
Juno and Sophia were friends once again, but only in the most technical of terms.
That led to the question of whether it was possible for her to leave with the money. She knew that Rose didn’t want anyone to die, so there were very large doubts that there was anything inside that briefcase. Even if there was, there was still the matter of what she held in her tiny hand. Sophia looked at her reflection in the cold steel—her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Those blue eyes weren’t the eyes of a killer, and no matter how much she wanted the money, she knew that she couldn’t bring herself to kill the poor boy, but then again, she didn’t think she could bring herself to say “foe,” either. Now it was just a matter of stalling so she could figure out what she was going to do.
“You…can’t change the rules in the middle of the game like this,” Sophia spoke in between sniffles. “It’s not fair.”
“Juno is facing a life or death situation, and you’re complaining about what’s fair?” Rose scolded her, wavering between a stern demeanor and a soft expression. “He called you a friend, Sophia. He trusted you. For you to turn on him like that…that’s what’s not fair.”
Sophia opened her mouth to retort, but she knew the woman was right. The priestess could feel tears welling up again, but she choked them back. She couldn’t let Rose see if her words were getting to the priestess or not. The priestess took a step forward towards Juno, and gripped her sword. Her wrist twitched a bit, the prospect of all that money still lingering somewhere in the back of her mind. She consciously held back though, putting the sword behind her back a bit.
“Tell us what you’re thinking,” Rose’s flair for the dramatic was too difficult to resist as she inquired Sophia for the sake of the audience.
Us? Oh, the cameras, Sophia thought. She shook her head bitterly—she couldn’t care less about the audience or the ratings or anything other than the pained look in Juno’s eyes. Still, after a slight roll of her eyes, she obliged her request. “What am I thinking? You’re detestable. This man’s life isn’t something to be decided over a game.”
“Oh? But Sophia, you were the one who called him a foe. Are you saying that you wish to change your mind?” she chided, amusement prevalent in her voice.
“I’m just saying that killing someone is difficult,” Sophia sighed, her mind racing for a plan—any plan—to come to mind. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and although she was frightened and obviously distraught, it allowed her to calm down a bit in order to make clearer decisions. She continued. “Killing someone is to rob them of their future. Surely you understand…even you were unwilling to take his life.”
Her facial expression twitched, though it changed back too fast for Sophia to be sure of it. Juno’s sudden stifled shouts muddled Sophia’s thoughts; the tailed boy was obviously scared out of his mind, and much more than that, tired of Sophia’s speculation. The emotions that his eyes revealed were an odd mixture of extreme sadness and almost hatred towards the priestess. Those cold, penetrating eyes brought up an emotion that scared Sophia—it was his eyes above anything else that drove away any doubt of her decision. Sophia straightened up and looked Rose right in the eye.
“Hmhm…it seems you’ve come to a decision,” the lady-in-red laughed softly.
“I have.”
She raised the sword in her hand and pointed the tip at Juno. The tailed boy squirmed slightly, trying to position his face so that the point wasn’t aimed at his face. Sophia stood still, however, and the squirming stopped. The two pairs of eyes met once more, but no emotions were present. Cold, empty eyes stared into the others; the air was thick with anticipation. Juno’s breaths turned into rapid pants, feeling that his potential death may soon be imminent. The priestess drew the sword back, her elbows locked in a stabbing position. Sophia winced, almost hesitating, but eventually prevailed in her decision and suddenly stabbed forward. The priestess’ gasp combined with Juno’s terrified grunt as the point of the blade swung forward. The situation came to a head when the sword plunged into…
…the wall behind Juno. Dust flew out as the steel penetrated cold rock. Sophia surprised even herself at how far she had plunged the sword into the interior, but she thought of it only for an instant. The conscious miss put Sophia extremely close to the tailed boy; her hand was still wrapped tightly around the hilt of the sword, and her head was right next to Juno’s ear. The blonde woman began to sob as she whispered in his ear. “P-please…please forgive me!”
She sank to her knees, her shoulders heaving as tears began to hit the ground below. Rose sighed and shook her head, taking a few steps towards the pair. “So you’re not going to kill him, eh?”
“If even you didn’t have to stomach to do it, how can you expect me to!?”
Juno and Sophia were friends once again, but only in the most technical of terms.