And while you are sitting indoors
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain
waiting for the storm to pass
I will be outside dancing in the rain
❧
Today was a very important day. Maybe not seen as one to others, but for Astrid this may as well be judgement day. Because she was in fact going to be judged. Not by God or another spiritual force mind you, but by her mother. Though honestly was there really any difference between the two?
A few days ago, out of the blue, the woman had sent a letter to her daughter stating that she would be visiting to congratulate her on her new position as guild master. News traveled fast, apparently. Even people within her birth village of Mountain Village were hearing of all her accomplishments. Either that or her grandfather was bragging again, like how all of Peace Village ended up finding out through the old man’s big mouth. It didn’t really bother her much, as by now most if not all of Fiore knew of this. But at the same time, who really knew what exactly everyone else knew… That was the downside of being in the public eye, you never know what they could find out. Especially the things you wish no one else to know.
This is what made Astrid so uncomfortable. The silvernette could not help but think this would end up being more than a simple exchange with light hearted words. Her mother was simply not that kind of woman. Violet would not take the time to visit her without some sort of reason for her own self gain. She had not done this when her daughter achieved the highest ranking within the Rising Stars, nor when she became an ace of the guild. So for her to suddenly show up now? There was a bad feeling within the pit of Astrid’s stomach. She didn’t know what her intentions were and it was driving her crazy.
The Elvish girl stood in front of her bedroom mirror, her normally white skin pink and soft, body covered in only a single white towel, still slightly wet from the shower she merely took minutes ago. She picked up a few of the damp locks of hair and ran her fingers through them, testing to see if it was smooth enough to meet her raised standards. Deciding it was not she grabbed the head of her brush from the desk beside her and started combing it through her long hair feverishly. It passed through like it was silk, not catching any sort of tangles or knots in the process. This was of course because she had already brushed her hair. Ten times. But for some reason she kept doing it.
Sitting upon the edge of her bed Wolfgang watched the tense girl repeat the same actions over and over again. Brushing, tying, untying, brushing again. It was like a robot who was stuck in a loop with their programing. The white cat crossed his arms over his small chest, head tilting to the side as his ringed tail swished side to side.
“If you keep doing dat you’we not going to have any haiw weft to bwush” he commented, hoping the possibility of losing something precious would knock her out of this trance-like state.
But it was useless. The slayer continued, using one hand to hold back her hair while using the other to grab the tie from her mouth and loop it around the piece being held up. Purple eyes traced her work, bobbing the tied hair with the tips of her fingers.
“Chut” the French woman shushed him “i have to make this perfect.” Feeling finally content with it she looked down to her nails, humming in question. They were a little chipped. Would she notice this? Of course she would. She was going to notice every little detail she could. “Should i do my nails? Do i have time to do my nails? What time is it?”
Wolfgang looked down to the invisible clock upon his wrist.
“Two twenty six.”
“TWO TWENTY SIX?!” the guild master repeated louder, causing Wolfgang to flinch back. “Why didn’t you say sooner?! She’s going to be here in less than four minutes!” Leaping slowly across the floor, as to not let her towel slip off of her person, Astrid rushed behind the folding screen and began a scene of throwing clothes and various other items in hopes of finding something worth her mother’s eyes. Shirts, skirts, even a stuffed puppy or two were thrown all the way across her floor in a mess, cursing silently to herself as she could not find anything she liked for this occasion.
Quickly pausing Astrid poked her head out from behind the screen. “Wolfy, could you be a dear and put the kettle on?” she asked, figuring she’s maybe gain some points if she had tea ready for when she arrived. Her mother was coming all the way from Mountain Village after all. And even though she held the stamina of a Ruin Knight it was no journey short of exhausting.
Rolling his blue eyes the exceed shook his head. Maybe if she spent a little less time worrying about perfecting one thing and focused on the bigger picture she wouldn’t be like this. But he wouldn’t say his inner thoughts, for he feared getting smacked by an angry Astrid.
“Suwe.”
White wings appearing upon his back the exceed slipped off the edge of the bed and began to hover until eventually flying into the hallway and down the stairs. He was still able to hear her flailing and whining even from downstairs despite being slightly muffled, causing him to wonder what the neighbors thought of them… They probably didn’t say anything out of fear from the wrath of a guild master, but yet again it wasn’t like these were paper-thin walls. They were made out of good quality wood. So to be able to hear her from even down here? Maybe it wasn’t really the house’s fault and more of just Astrid’s. Maybe they should get some sound-proofing done or something. Imagine what they thought every time one of them hit the wrong note in a song.
Knowing where the kettle was by heart from all the times he made her drinks the exceed landed upon the marble counter and turned the gas to the stove on with a kick of the knob. It took a few clicks to ignite the flame, but soon after it did spark to life another noise rung. The light chime of the door bell.
A dull thud came from the second floor, followed by a cry. She was too late.
The feline glanced to the grandfather clock across the space in the living room. Two thirty. On the dot. Well she sure kept to her timing. That was some magic if he’d ever seen any.
Guessing Astrid was going to take a little longer than she liked Wolfgang stepped off the counter and flew towards the front entrance, stopping just at the front of the door to peek through the eyeglass.
A woman covered in a fancy suit of armor stood at the door, seemingly impatient as she tapped her foot upon the pavement, hands upon her hips and gazing around. She seemed… Angry. At least with that cold and angry stare upon her features. It’d probably be rude to say, but she looked nothing like Astrid at all. Blonde instead of silver, green eyes instead of purple, a freezing cold appearance versus the warm and kind aura Astrid gave off. Unless he had been told otherwise he would have never known the two were related, mother and daughter even.
Having looked her over enough Wolf pulled the handle to the door, catching the woman’s attention as she stood up straight once more and turned her gaze towards him. Chills. They were the first thing to creep down his spine when she looked him dead in the eyes. And that was saying something, seeing as how Wolf could punch a dragon in the face and not flinch. But there was something about this woman that instantly gave him a bad vibe, like he wasn’t supposed to be looking at her. But if he didn’t treat her with respect Astrid, if not her mother herself would probably have his tail cut off.
“Hewwo. May i assume you awe Astwid’s mothew?” he forced an awkward smile, trying to reenact the way Astrid spoke with her fancy-sounding speech pattern. But the woman did not respond to his question. Simply, she looked to either side of him and answered with a retuning question.
“Where is Astrid?” she asked before looking back up to the exceed, her expression shifting blankly. Not even a greeting. She really wasn’t anything like Astrid.
Unsure of how long the violinist would be Wolf moved to the side of the door, gesturing for her to come in.
“She’ww be down showtwy. She’s having some… Twouble…”
Violet’s gaze hardened. “Trouble?”
Wolfgang hovered closely to the adult’s ear, using a paw to shield his mouth as if to make them more quiet.
“Dat time of da month.”
The mother’s eyes unhardened a little, letting out a simple “oh.”
The feline exhaled and hunched his back, happy his lie seemed to work. Maybe there was something they shared, an easily fooled nature.
“Well then i will wait for her down here. Excuse me.” Nudging the cat to the side Violet stepped in, green gaze looking about the large house the further she walked in. Wolfgang closed the door and turned to watch her scrape a glove-covered finger across the side table and bring it up to her face for inspection. She flicked off whatever it was she got on her clothing before continuing.
He crossed his arms over his small body, eyes narrowing. She already gave him bad feelings, the way she was so pushy and her words stuck into you like knives. She was one mother he wouldn’t want to cross. How could someone so sweet like Astrid come from… That?
Just as when Violet reached the bottom of the stairs the sound of pattering feet against hard wood thumped down them.
“Mother!”
Astrid, with a smile plastered upon her face stopped just before reaching her mother upon the second to last step. Violet turned with the same rather icy expression as before, not changing even slightly upon seeing her daughter. Astrid clapped her hands together, pushing a big grin. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Violet stared at her daughter for a few seconds longer than what could be counted as normal or comfortable.
“I would say the same if i was not just stuck at the top of a mountain for an hour until someone finally opened the portal leading here, and then was greeted by some flea-bitten cat instead of my own daughter.”
Her words dug deep into the girl’s skin, like a freshly sharpened dagger. Her smile faded and was quickly replaced with a thin, emotionless line. Head lowered slightly, purple eyes looking down and away from her mother’s cold stare. She had not considered the portal being a problem, and for that she felt foolish. Foolish that she had not been there and met her mother’s expectations.
Her hands folded into one another, intertwining her fingers.
“Je suis profondément désolé, mère. My mind was elsewhere. It will not happen again.” She apologized, formal bow and all.
Violet frowned. “What else is new? You always were rather thick, even as a child. I see some things never change… Sadly.”
Wolfgang silently hissed at the woman, taken aback by how Astrid could just sit there and take her insults. If he could have this woman would be torn to shreds by now. But he did not move. He respected Astrid’s wishes for him not to intervene more than acting on his own impulses.
Violet turned from her daughter to the kitchen, spotting the whistling kettle.
She walked over, turning the knob to cease the noise. The blonde then grabbed the handle and poured the steaming water down the drain next to her, dropping the metal appliance into it with a crash.
“Tea is not necessary. We will not be here long.” She turned back to look at the silvernette. “I am taking you back to Mountain Village with me. Pack your things, we leave within twenty four hours.”
The unexpected words caused Astrid to flinch in place. Leave? For Mountain Village? This is not what she had said in the letter.
Wide eyes slowly turned to the blonde, mouth parted open in surprise.
“Mountain Village? Are you… Planning on taking me back?” She couldn’t take her back, not now. Maybe near the start of her adventure, but not when she has done so much to get where she was today.
“Leaving you with your grandfather was a mistake. He filled your head with these imaginary thoughts and ideals. You were not and never will be prepared to deal with the dangerous life of a mage. You are living with me and your father from now on. Feel free to say your goodbyes to your guild mates if you must, but you are leaving, kicking and screaming or like a woman.”
None of this made sense. Astrid knew her intentions were not as she said in the letter… But this… This was so sudden and out of the blue. She couldn’t accept this without some sort of explanation.
“But… Why? Haven’t i proven myself to you yet? I-I became the number one Rising Star. An official ace of my guild, and now a guild master! So, why? Why must you take me away from a life i have proven i can live?”
Green eyes stared into the girl’s soul. “Living? I hear you died, on camera too, for the whole world to see.”
Died… She meant the time she gave up her life for Erika’s plan. It was unmistakable what she was referring too. Almost everyone around the world saw her die. Though of course she had convinced the rest of the world she had not died, but was simply knocked out. But it seems as though somehow her mother knew that was not the truth, it was like she could see right through her, like always.
Violet took a few steps forward until she was beside her daughter, pushing her own face into her’s so their noises were almost touching. Astrid winced back slightly, starting to breath quickly as she stared into those green pools of ice.
“Do you know what it’s like to watch your own daughter die? Unable to do anything but watch helplessly until she takes her last breath?” she retracted her head and stood back up straight, looking away to the front door. “You are not prepared, and you never will be. You can’t do anything by yourself. Now unless i have to pack for you too i would suggest getting to it. I will be back in a few hours to retrieve you.”
And just like that, the woman walked towards the door and left, leaving nothing but stinging words in her wake.
Wolfgang, who had been hanging out near the entrance the entire time, stuck his tongue out at her as she left before flying over to a frozen Astrid who seemed to be on the verge of tears despite her overall emotionless state. He reached a paw out to place it upon her shoulder for a comforting pat.
“Hey… Astwid… You okay? You’we… Not actuawwy going to weave, wight?” unmoving for a few more seconds Astrid turned in place, making Wolfgang drop his paw back to his side and watch as she began to walk up stairs.
“... Astwid?”
Without saying anything the slayer stopped in the middle of the stairs vanished in a white light. Most likely into her room, if the exceed had to guess, using her white dragon slayer speed so he would not see her in this depressive state. She wanted to be along, and he could do nothing about it. He knew what this meant. She wasn't going to even try to fight her mother. She was going to leave.
Frustrated at her, her mother, and this situation in general Wolfgang scowled and kicked the air of nothingness in front of him. “Dammit!” he cursed. He could do nothing, nothing at all. She wouldn’t listen to him. Once that girl had her mind set she was too proud to listen to anyone else.
But… Maybe there was someone. Someone she would have to listen to. And if not Astrid herself, than at least her stuck up mother. Wolfgang had the perfect person in mind. If he couldn’t do anything, then maybe she could.
With no time to spare the white exceed flapped his wings and escaped through the open door and began his journey to Rose Garden.
A few days ago, out of the blue, the woman had sent a letter to her daughter stating that she would be visiting to congratulate her on her new position as guild master. News traveled fast, apparently. Even people within her birth village of Mountain Village were hearing of all her accomplishments. Either that or her grandfather was bragging again, like how all of Peace Village ended up finding out through the old man’s big mouth. It didn’t really bother her much, as by now most if not all of Fiore knew of this. But at the same time, who really knew what exactly everyone else knew… That was the downside of being in the public eye, you never know what they could find out. Especially the things you wish no one else to know.
This is what made Astrid so uncomfortable. The silvernette could not help but think this would end up being more than a simple exchange with light hearted words. Her mother was simply not that kind of woman. Violet would not take the time to visit her without some sort of reason for her own self gain. She had not done this when her daughter achieved the highest ranking within the Rising Stars, nor when she became an ace of the guild. So for her to suddenly show up now? There was a bad feeling within the pit of Astrid’s stomach. She didn’t know what her intentions were and it was driving her crazy.
The Elvish girl stood in front of her bedroom mirror, her normally white skin pink and soft, body covered in only a single white towel, still slightly wet from the shower she merely took minutes ago. She picked up a few of the damp locks of hair and ran her fingers through them, testing to see if it was smooth enough to meet her raised standards. Deciding it was not she grabbed the head of her brush from the desk beside her and started combing it through her long hair feverishly. It passed through like it was silk, not catching any sort of tangles or knots in the process. This was of course because she had already brushed her hair. Ten times. But for some reason she kept doing it.
Sitting upon the edge of her bed Wolfgang watched the tense girl repeat the same actions over and over again. Brushing, tying, untying, brushing again. It was like a robot who was stuck in a loop with their programing. The white cat crossed his arms over his small chest, head tilting to the side as his ringed tail swished side to side.
“If you keep doing dat you’we not going to have any haiw weft to bwush” he commented, hoping the possibility of losing something precious would knock her out of this trance-like state.
But it was useless. The slayer continued, using one hand to hold back her hair while using the other to grab the tie from her mouth and loop it around the piece being held up. Purple eyes traced her work, bobbing the tied hair with the tips of her fingers.
“Chut” the French woman shushed him “i have to make this perfect.” Feeling finally content with it she looked down to her nails, humming in question. They were a little chipped. Would she notice this? Of course she would. She was going to notice every little detail she could. “Should i do my nails? Do i have time to do my nails? What time is it?”
Wolfgang looked down to the invisible clock upon his wrist.
“Two twenty six.”
“TWO TWENTY SIX?!” the guild master repeated louder, causing Wolfgang to flinch back. “Why didn’t you say sooner?! She’s going to be here in less than four minutes!” Leaping slowly across the floor, as to not let her towel slip off of her person, Astrid rushed behind the folding screen and began a scene of throwing clothes and various other items in hopes of finding something worth her mother’s eyes. Shirts, skirts, even a stuffed puppy or two were thrown all the way across her floor in a mess, cursing silently to herself as she could not find anything she liked for this occasion.
Quickly pausing Astrid poked her head out from behind the screen. “Wolfy, could you be a dear and put the kettle on?” she asked, figuring she’s maybe gain some points if she had tea ready for when she arrived. Her mother was coming all the way from Mountain Village after all. And even though she held the stamina of a Ruin Knight it was no journey short of exhausting.
Rolling his blue eyes the exceed shook his head. Maybe if she spent a little less time worrying about perfecting one thing and focused on the bigger picture she wouldn’t be like this. But he wouldn’t say his inner thoughts, for he feared getting smacked by an angry Astrid.
“Suwe.”
White wings appearing upon his back the exceed slipped off the edge of the bed and began to hover until eventually flying into the hallway and down the stairs. He was still able to hear her flailing and whining even from downstairs despite being slightly muffled, causing him to wonder what the neighbors thought of them… They probably didn’t say anything out of fear from the wrath of a guild master, but yet again it wasn’t like these were paper-thin walls. They were made out of good quality wood. So to be able to hear her from even down here? Maybe it wasn’t really the house’s fault and more of just Astrid’s. Maybe they should get some sound-proofing done or something. Imagine what they thought every time one of them hit the wrong note in a song.
Knowing where the kettle was by heart from all the times he made her drinks the exceed landed upon the marble counter and turned the gas to the stove on with a kick of the knob. It took a few clicks to ignite the flame, but soon after it did spark to life another noise rung. The light chime of the door bell.
A dull thud came from the second floor, followed by a cry. She was too late.
The feline glanced to the grandfather clock across the space in the living room. Two thirty. On the dot. Well she sure kept to her timing. That was some magic if he’d ever seen any.
Guessing Astrid was going to take a little longer than she liked Wolfgang stepped off the counter and flew towards the front entrance, stopping just at the front of the door to peek through the eyeglass.
A woman covered in a fancy suit of armor stood at the door, seemingly impatient as she tapped her foot upon the pavement, hands upon her hips and gazing around. She seemed… Angry. At least with that cold and angry stare upon her features. It’d probably be rude to say, but she looked nothing like Astrid at all. Blonde instead of silver, green eyes instead of purple, a freezing cold appearance versus the warm and kind aura Astrid gave off. Unless he had been told otherwise he would have never known the two were related, mother and daughter even.
Having looked her over enough Wolf pulled the handle to the door, catching the woman’s attention as she stood up straight once more and turned her gaze towards him. Chills. They were the first thing to creep down his spine when she looked him dead in the eyes. And that was saying something, seeing as how Wolf could punch a dragon in the face and not flinch. But there was something about this woman that instantly gave him a bad vibe, like he wasn’t supposed to be looking at her. But if he didn’t treat her with respect Astrid, if not her mother herself would probably have his tail cut off.
“Hewwo. May i assume you awe Astwid’s mothew?” he forced an awkward smile, trying to reenact the way Astrid spoke with her fancy-sounding speech pattern. But the woman did not respond to his question. Simply, she looked to either side of him and answered with a retuning question.
“Where is Astrid?” she asked before looking back up to the exceed, her expression shifting blankly. Not even a greeting. She really wasn’t anything like Astrid.
Unsure of how long the violinist would be Wolf moved to the side of the door, gesturing for her to come in.
“She’ww be down showtwy. She’s having some… Twouble…”
Violet’s gaze hardened. “Trouble?”
Wolfgang hovered closely to the adult’s ear, using a paw to shield his mouth as if to make them more quiet.
“Dat time of da month.”
The mother’s eyes unhardened a little, letting out a simple “oh.”
The feline exhaled and hunched his back, happy his lie seemed to work. Maybe there was something they shared, an easily fooled nature.
“Well then i will wait for her down here. Excuse me.” Nudging the cat to the side Violet stepped in, green gaze looking about the large house the further she walked in. Wolfgang closed the door and turned to watch her scrape a glove-covered finger across the side table and bring it up to her face for inspection. She flicked off whatever it was she got on her clothing before continuing.
He crossed his arms over his small body, eyes narrowing. She already gave him bad feelings, the way she was so pushy and her words stuck into you like knives. She was one mother he wouldn’t want to cross. How could someone so sweet like Astrid come from… That?
Just as when Violet reached the bottom of the stairs the sound of pattering feet against hard wood thumped down them.
“Mother!”
Astrid, with a smile plastered upon her face stopped just before reaching her mother upon the second to last step. Violet turned with the same rather icy expression as before, not changing even slightly upon seeing her daughter. Astrid clapped her hands together, pushing a big grin. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
Violet stared at her daughter for a few seconds longer than what could be counted as normal or comfortable.
“I would say the same if i was not just stuck at the top of a mountain for an hour until someone finally opened the portal leading here, and then was greeted by some flea-bitten cat instead of my own daughter.”
Her words dug deep into the girl’s skin, like a freshly sharpened dagger. Her smile faded and was quickly replaced with a thin, emotionless line. Head lowered slightly, purple eyes looking down and away from her mother’s cold stare. She had not considered the portal being a problem, and for that she felt foolish. Foolish that she had not been there and met her mother’s expectations.
Her hands folded into one another, intertwining her fingers.
“Je suis profondément désolé, mère. My mind was elsewhere. It will not happen again.” She apologized, formal bow and all.
Violet frowned. “What else is new? You always were rather thick, even as a child. I see some things never change… Sadly.”
Wolfgang silently hissed at the woman, taken aback by how Astrid could just sit there and take her insults. If he could have this woman would be torn to shreds by now. But he did not move. He respected Astrid’s wishes for him not to intervene more than acting on his own impulses.
Violet turned from her daughter to the kitchen, spotting the whistling kettle.
She walked over, turning the knob to cease the noise. The blonde then grabbed the handle and poured the steaming water down the drain next to her, dropping the metal appliance into it with a crash.
“Tea is not necessary. We will not be here long.” She turned back to look at the silvernette. “I am taking you back to Mountain Village with me. Pack your things, we leave within twenty four hours.”
The unexpected words caused Astrid to flinch in place. Leave? For Mountain Village? This is not what she had said in the letter.
Wide eyes slowly turned to the blonde, mouth parted open in surprise.
“Mountain Village? Are you… Planning on taking me back?” She couldn’t take her back, not now. Maybe near the start of her adventure, but not when she has done so much to get where she was today.
“Leaving you with your grandfather was a mistake. He filled your head with these imaginary thoughts and ideals. You were not and never will be prepared to deal with the dangerous life of a mage. You are living with me and your father from now on. Feel free to say your goodbyes to your guild mates if you must, but you are leaving, kicking and screaming or like a woman.”
None of this made sense. Astrid knew her intentions were not as she said in the letter… But this… This was so sudden and out of the blue. She couldn’t accept this without some sort of explanation.
“But… Why? Haven’t i proven myself to you yet? I-I became the number one Rising Star. An official ace of my guild, and now a guild master! So, why? Why must you take me away from a life i have proven i can live?”
Green eyes stared into the girl’s soul. “Living? I hear you died, on camera too, for the whole world to see.”
Died… She meant the time she gave up her life for Erika’s plan. It was unmistakable what she was referring too. Almost everyone around the world saw her die. Though of course she had convinced the rest of the world she had not died, but was simply knocked out. But it seems as though somehow her mother knew that was not the truth, it was like she could see right through her, like always.
Violet took a few steps forward until she was beside her daughter, pushing her own face into her’s so their noises were almost touching. Astrid winced back slightly, starting to breath quickly as she stared into those green pools of ice.
“Do you know what it’s like to watch your own daughter die? Unable to do anything but watch helplessly until she takes her last breath?” she retracted her head and stood back up straight, looking away to the front door. “You are not prepared, and you never will be. You can’t do anything by yourself. Now unless i have to pack for you too i would suggest getting to it. I will be back in a few hours to retrieve you.”
And just like that, the woman walked towards the door and left, leaving nothing but stinging words in her wake.
Wolfgang, who had been hanging out near the entrance the entire time, stuck his tongue out at her as she left before flying over to a frozen Astrid who seemed to be on the verge of tears despite her overall emotionless state. He reached a paw out to place it upon her shoulder for a comforting pat.
“Hey… Astwid… You okay? You’we… Not actuawwy going to weave, wight?” unmoving for a few more seconds Astrid turned in place, making Wolfgang drop his paw back to his side and watch as she began to walk up stairs.
“... Astwid?”
Without saying anything the slayer stopped in the middle of the stairs vanished in a white light. Most likely into her room, if the exceed had to guess, using her white dragon slayer speed so he would not see her in this depressive state. She wanted to be along, and he could do nothing about it. He knew what this meant. She wasn't going to even try to fight her mother. She was going to leave.
Frustrated at her, her mother, and this situation in general Wolfgang scowled and kicked the air of nothingness in front of him. “Dammit!” he cursed. He could do nothing, nothing at all. She wouldn’t listen to him. Once that girl had her mind set she was too proud to listen to anyone else.
But… Maybe there was someone. Someone she would have to listen to. And if not Astrid herself, than at least her stuck up mother. Wolfgang had the perfect person in mind. If he couldn’t do anything, then maybe she could.
With no time to spare the white exceed flapped his wings and escaped through the open door and began his journey to Rose Garden.
word count ● @tag ● notes
