Ripples

Balance IV

Includes cursing and mentions of death
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"What's wrong with you?" Passionate rubies glanced at his lover, noting the disturbing glimmer in her eyes. And when they turned towards him, Lucas could not help but frown after noticing the lack of emotions in those precious sapphires. Although he tried to suppress the thought that came to mind, mostly because he could not dare insult his beloved princess, it still spoke loud and clear. "As if she has become useless."

"Lucas," Athanasia began, never noticing the conflict in her companion's eyes. Even as she stared at the rippling surface of her tea, she could only wonder about the changes that she had already witnessed. And when her eyes met those rubies that she loved so much, they only served as further proof for her thoughts. "The ripples are much too chaotic now."

The neglectful maids and knights, whom were sworn to the crown, and even the crown itself, with its cold sapphires; every single one of them had offered their lives for hers, as if they had never drowned her in desperate remorse. Naive sapphires and bored rubies, both of whom sought her for their respective selfish comfort and entertainment, were now besotted to a fault. Neither could live without the princess.

And yet, despite such a group of devoted individuals, her deaths have simply gotten more and more stretched. Athanasia could not help but wonder if fate was even making a mockery of them. To think that the deity would give her favor, only for it to be so worthless. "Whoever said that a deity's favor can only be good? Truly, she is most useless, even more than that Alpheus dog."

Still, she understood now. Oh yes, after hearing and seeing just how much Jennet had changed, controlling the shadows which the princess had never even known existed, Athanasia understood far too well how this all began. Perhaps, why fate favored her was still such a mystery, but the undying maiden knew that every change began with her. As if the world spun around her, every change that she made created its own ripple. The more ripples that she made, the more that they began to clash together, creating a new tide, and changing the waves of fate.

"I feel that the cycle will end soon," Athanasia completed, taking a sip of her tea and smiling gently. "Yes, I just have to change something else. I have to lure him,

Anastasius."

However, so lost was she in her thoughts that she could not notice the surprise in her lover's face. Lucas was confident that he knew the princess best. In fact, due to their endless nights of simply holding one another and speaking comfortably, there was no doubt that he did. So he knew for a fact that the undying maiden was not one to try and predict the future, simply because they all believed themselves too weak and powerless in the face of fate, that bitch.

However, not only was his princess now making such a cold expression, but she was also stating such foreboding words. Truly, it made him uneasy, and the first thing that he thought was, "is it the influence of the chimera? Who else can it be?"

"I think that I'll ask papa to visit the Alpheus estate," Athanasia commented, thinking that there was no better place to begin her search than the place that Jennet once lived in. Such a shame, she should have initiated her plan during her debutante. Surely, that would have been interesting. With such regrets in mind, the young maiden finally lifted her head, greeting her companion's cold embers with a smile.

Lucas was shocked, and he felt a distinct sense of deja vu while looking into her eyes. How long was it since he last looked into the mirror and saw that same expression? The one filled with cold and bored amusement? And though his princess had been numb before, broken to the core, the mage believed that she had already healed. "So why is she showing such a cold expression?"

"What happened to you?" He whispered, pursing his lips. Though his companion was not meant to hear it, she did anyways and turned to her lover with a surprised expression. The cold amusement vanished, replaced instead with the same genuine gleam that he had always been familiar with. So expressive and clear, just like the calm depths of the sea. Truly, if that cold expression had not remained for such a long time, Lucas could have lied to himself and said that it was just an illusion. Still, he knew her best. And he wished that now would not be the time that she'll push him away.

"She really shouldn't be with that chimera."

"Why do you ask that?" Athanasia asked, placing her cup on the table. Since she was so lost in her musings, she could not quite understand what made Lucas so uncomfortable. Besides, although she had been a numb snake before, back when she could not help but view certain individuals as nothing but tools, the guilty habit had vanished after Lucas had become hers. When death had stopped being so terrifying and became more of a chore. She did not know, until now, that he had never witnessed her schemes before.

There was a moment of silence as Lucas simply gazed upon his princess, and the maiden kept her eyes on his. A soft smile blossomed on her face, noting how violent lava met the ocean calmly and warmly. And though they clashed, they were comfortable, just as they had always been. "Lucas... aren't you exhausted?"

Lucas blinked, deep rubies darkening with confusion. Exhaustion? How could he be when he had her? And, as Athanasia watched him, she understood exactly what he was thinking. How amusing that she had once considered Claude her addiction and Lucas her salvation. She had once reached for them, the sun and the moon, only to get burned by the sun and healed in the silence of her room. Now, what were they to her? What was she to them? "Haven't I become their addiction? All because of fate's favor?

Maybe, it is not Jennet that is black magic."

"Because I am. I'm tired of living and changing, only for it all to be worthless in the end. So I want to end this, even if I end up useless again."