literature

Duality Snippet--Win Next Time

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Linos had just been wandering in the rain, taking a lengthy drink from his wine sack every time the thunder rumbled or lightning streaked across the sky. He was more than slightly tipsy, but still sober enough to tell that if he stayed out in the rain any longer, it was going to take days for him to get rid of the chill. Ruth was back at the moors, and for all Linos knew, that was where Hazelnut was, too. Maybe the little rat had found his way into a tavern’s pantry, and was happily feasting on a wheel of cheese, somewhere in Castelia City.

The drunkard was not sure where he was. Nothing looked right. Everything was wet and slimy, unfamiliar terrain rolling out in front of him, and all Linos could do was squint as the rain poured down and take another drink.

Until the screaming began, that was. It was so high-pitched and scratchy that it matched the thunder’s roar, and Linos wince as it reached his ears. He took a finger and cleaned them out, making sure he heard right. It was silent except for the rain pattering against the road, before the scream returned, even louder and much more antagonizing on the poor man’s ears. Linos knew the sound of raw emotion when he heard it, a dying howl.

If it had been a man’s scream, Linos would have ignored it. A woman’s, he might have gone to investigate it.

But the scream was that of a child’s. Linos had heard many screams over the years, and he knew that this particular one belonged to someone young. After that second scream fell silent, Linos threw his wine sack’s shoulder strap over his person, and he started a brisk pace through the rain. Another scream sounded, hoarser than the first two, got louder and louder as Linos stomped through the foliage, until he finally found the pathetic and heartbreaking scene before him.

It was a child, standing in a small clearing in the trees and bushes. So small, it quivered and quaked under the rain, its back turned to Linos, but the way its shoulders heaved up and down with choked sobs made Linos wonder what in blazes had happened. With another scratchy shriek, the child spun on its—no, her—heals, and ran to a tree. Balled fists flew out and she punched at the tree trunk, screaming all the while. Then she abruptly stopped, and ran across the clearing with blinding speed, and repeated her action again to a different tree.

Then, with another garbled sob, she leaned against it, fists held up against her chests and her forehead pressed against the damp bark. In the dim light, Linos saw that her knuckles were bleeding, and that a giant yellowing bruise sat on her face. She wailed, and then screamed again, this time turning and running towards him. The girl’s shriek stopped abruptly when she spotted him, and she froze on the spot, slipping in the mud to a shaky stop.

Linos and the girl stared at each other for the longest time, rain pouring down, until the girl wiped her nose with her sleeve and spat, “What are you looking at?”

“You,” Linos replied bluntly. “What in hell’s blazes are you doing, child?”

The girl seemed at a loss at that, and then she laughed. It was more of a cackle, but she seemed so distressed that if she didn’t laugh, she would most likely break down crying or scream once again. “I’m training!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms out in front of her. Blood was leaking down her hands again, getting waterlogged by the rain, but she paid no notice. Her eyes were wide and wild. “What does it look like to you?”

Linos glanced around, at the clearing, at the girl’s disheveled appearance, and replied, “Well, if you were older, I would guess that you’re drunk. Yet you hardly look eleven, so unless you have horrible caretakers, I’m assuming that’s not the case.” He dared to take a few steps towards her. “Where are your parents? I’m sure they wouldn’t approve if their daughter were running about in the rain. You’ll catch your death.”

With another distressed cackle, the girl said, “I don’t have any. Mum died a long time ago, and my father hasn’t even noticed I’ve gone! You know how long I’ve been away from home? Do you?”

“No, I can’t say that I do—”

“Over two weeks!” the girl shouted. “Two weeks, and nothing from my father! My brothers never check on me because they’re too busy playing heroes in the city, and they don’t even know that I’ve left home, either!” She kicked at the ground, throwing mud up in the air. It splattered against her boots and her breeches.

Another few steps, and Linos was about an arm’s length away from her, maybe more. The girl was still shrieking, “—Nana said I should never had come, but I wanted to prove her wrong. I wanted to prove them all wrong. I could fight—I wasn’t just a kid. BUT I COULDN’T EVEN WIN THAT STUPID RACE!”

And with that, the girl burst into tears, wailing and sobbing into her hands. “I lost to that lady and her stupid bear and her stupid birds and now they won’t let me fight. Everyone says it’s better this way since I’m so little, but it’s not! I wanted to win! I COULD HAVE WON!”

Linos, tentatively, rested his hand on the girl’s shoulder. Maybe it was the wine talking, but he was concerned. His words weren’t even slurred when he asked, “Hey, it’s going to be just fine. Just take a breath—”

“It is not fine!” the girl shrieked, ripping her shoulder away. “I—I botched it all up. I am a failure. The one thing I’m good at, and I couldn’t even win!” Her face became very red, and she finally sputtered, “O-Oh, chestnuts and crumpets!” she shrieked.

The two stared at one another, until Linos repeated, “Chestnuts and crumpets? Is that your version of “fucking damn it”?”

“Close enough,” the girl replied weakly. “Nana always gets mad when I swear.”

Linos, despite himself, began to laugh. It was a deep, rolling chuckle. “Chestnuts and crumpets,” he said again, “By Arceus, child, you’re an interesting sort. It’s not the end of the world. You say you want to fight, right? You want to win?”

He poked her chest.

“Then do just that. Fuck what the other people said. So you lost a race, to a stupid lady and her stupid birds. Why does it matter?”

“B-because I’m supposed to be the fastest.”

“Then get faster. Win next time.”

The girl stared at him for a few minutes, and then she sighed. She wiped her tears and the boogers from her face, and she nodded, swallowing down any more screams and fears that were trying to bottle up.

“Okay,” she finally whispered. “I won’t lose next time.”

“That’s a good girl.”

Linos helped the kid to the road, and gave her a gentle push. “Now head home. Get your hands looked at.”

“Yes, sir,” she muttered, scratching at the back of her bright orange hair. “Thank you.”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

The girl looked back. “Yes?”

“If you need to, go ahead and shout and wail. It’s alright to let your feelings be known. Shout as long as you want, until you let it go. But promise me you’ll be wary of the wild Pokémon around these parts.”

The girl nodded. “I will, sir. Thank you.”

“Eh, I don’t need thanks. I’m just some drunk that doesn’t know when to quit looking out for the children he runs across. Stop hitting the trees and go home, child. Farewell.”

He didn't look back after that, but for a while, he no longer thirsted for wine.
:iconduality-oct:


When Linos and Satu first meet, Satu is rather distraught that she lost the race Lark. Linos, despite the fact that drunk, talks some sense into her, and Satu's just glad that someone cares. I'm sorry that Satu is a bit of a cry baby and goes to the extreme, but she's rather jumbled up for a ten year old...


Characters © ~andalsopineapples
© 2013 - 2024 kpssmithwrites
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JinxBiss's avatar
Poor Satu. Where the hell are her brothers?!!?!? And her father!?!?!? ARGH!