Completed Pass the Knife

Perrine inspected the healed nose, smiling at her work.

Vittoria's hand had reached to gingerly handle her nose, perhaps still feeling the effects of a broken nose before her body registered that she had been healed. "We all had been trained out of being responsive to words before we even reached twelve years of age. She is a liability when left unchecked."

The Proctor wandered to her desk, taking a seat and lounging in it. "You are correct, Larrainth. Words should not bother you as Initiates ready for graduating, but it was not just the words that triggers Marcia. The rivalry you create Vittoria can affect how your peers view you. I told you to create challenges by encouraging your classmates to be better, to use your ability to read them and steer them down a path that will challenge you."

Vittoria straightened her spine, lifting a brow.

"How do you challenge someone when you are not lifting them up? The effect of your taunts do not help her." Perrine nodded to the other Initiate that sat on the other side of Perri's classroom.
 
  • Frog Sus
Reactions: Marcia
Immediately, her head popped back up as the word liability slipped out of Larrainth's mouth like some loathsome curse. Marcia's mouth moved to screech something less than proper in retort but found pause when she remembered that Proctor Urahil was in attendance.

However, she was incapable of leaving it at that.

Yes, she was reactionary, and the point of rivalry was to push your peers to greater heights, if only so you could improve yourself, leaping ever higher until only one was proclaimed the best. These weren't arguable points; Marcia was still stuck on that one word.

Liability.

"She's not fit to be a Dreadlord," the girl finally spat, drawing back her upper lip with a hideous quantity of venom. "She's a fucking sadist, and if the Academy allows her to graduate, it will be to the detriment of Vel Anir and us all. All she knows how to do is create suffering."

An accusatory finger pointed itself at Vittoria while Marcia's furious stare remained on the Proctor.

"She's a rogue Dreadlord in the making, and everybody here fucking knows it!"
 
Perrine sighed, her eyes rolling to the ceiling as she asked whatever deity to grant her patience.

"I am not going to entertain that with you, Initiate. There are many eyes on all of you in your class, because they believe you all to be the softest since you were just children by the time Revolution came about." Her eyes fell onto Vittoria, who had watched her with vigilant eyes. Perrine continued: "When you are young, the Proctors pick favourites to hone and sharpen. You were all made into weapons, you were all made to never be bested, and then they told you all to play nice and get along with every one else that you were pitted against."

"Even those that can heal has seen more blood than those that kill." Vittoria sat up straight, slowly turning to look at Marcia.

Perrine stared at the girl, brows furrowing. "And you forget, Marcia. Vittoria perhaps is one of the few of you that have a reason to become a Dreadlord. Her family are of a long line of Dreadlords. She was brought up to be the very same." Now she looked to the smaller Initiate and shrugged.
 
  • Frog Sus
Reactions: Marcia
Marcia was dumbfounded, shaking her head in disbelief that they did not see the tyrant in the making who sat before them, successfully pretending to be bothered by a pithy, broken nose. To add insult to injury, the Proctor reminded them how soft they were, as if they had any control over their training methodology. It was akin to the parents blaming their children for the inclusion of participation trophies. They needed a long, hard look in the mirror to find the problem.

The girl clenched and unclenched her fists at her desk, the innate desire to scream and slam her face into the wood growing under the flames of frustration.

"I forgot that having a surname made you exempt from being a monster," she seethed with enough sarcasm to kill a small horse. "That's why you shackle her in training because you clearly trust her not to maim and kill us all."

Her jaw clamped shut briefly, and brown eyes looked away from them both, boring into the nearest wall instead. Fuck, she could feel the bile in her throat.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'm just a, what was it, Larrainth? A rat? Fodder? Disobedient beast? What happens when she graduates isn't on me; it's on you and the rest of the Proctors."
 
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Vittoria smiled despite the sting still left reeling from her broken nose being repaired. "No, Marcia. A family gives me purpose. Something to work towards and something to remind me of why I am here." She slipped from the table she had sat on, standing tall and smoothing her attire. "All you have ever been is awful and angry."

Marcia would have died earlier on in her education at the Academy if the old ways were still present. And if she had survived? Perhaps none of the Great Houses would want a Dreadlord so reactive and hellbent on lashing out.

Vittoria looked down on Marcia, still smiling. "You should do something about that before your hurt someone else in our class."
 
  • Frog Sus
Reactions: Marcia
The notion of being awful and angry wasn't one that moved her soul to thoughts of violence. Denying she had temper issues would have been delusion beyond compare. Awful, well, it stung but it wasn't something the girl was oblivious to. It was hard to miss given her distinct lack of friends.

However, Larrainth's idea that being from a family provided her with purpose was more irksome. Marcia had never been sore about being an Academy baby; how could she miss parents she didn't even remember? However, that made her no less determined than any of the others, if anything, the Academy was her motivation, inspiration, and the institution that she desired to do proud with her performance. The thought made her sneer, although it turned more into a snarl as the other Initiate deflected about who was really capable of causing harm.

"Fuck off. Don't you have some kittens to go and tear apart for fun?" Marcia replied, making defiant eye contact with the loathsome girl before looking to Proctor Urahil.

"By the way, Proctor. You should know that the restraints you use aren't working as intended. Initiate Larrainth is not bothered by the pain in the slightest," the girl said, pivoting into grassing her peer up like a vindictive, petty weasel. "A stronger deterrent is required."
 
  • Frog Sus
Reactions: Vittoria Larrainth
Vittoria snorted.

"Oh, they are aware, Marcia." And let her make of it what she will. It may even make her angrier, make her lash out at the Proctors for trusting Vittoria. Because even as the girls had come to physical blows earlier, Vittoria still kept her cuffs on. It was difficult for the Academy to keep her chained to a morsel of her power, but giving her power meant she had time to slowly unmake the bindings of whatever runes they put on each new cuff.

Every puzzle would be pulled apart and put together again.
 
  • Cthulhoo rage
Reactions: Marcia
Of course they knew.

Why wouldn't they know?

Marcia's exasperation was clear, her teeth clenched together to try to keep uncouth words from ripping forth into the world. However, the more she refrained from screaming, the more thoughts filled the void of strained silence.

There were no allowances for her, no, not for Marcia. She wasn't some statuesque, inexplicably beautiful Initiate equipped with a nepotism-powered surname and regarded as if she had no flaws. No, she had to actually face the definition of the Academy's pathetic excuse for consequence, with Proctors as bloody soft as the students they moulded. Just thinking about it boiled her fucking piss, prying teeth apart and loosening lips.

"Fuck this!" Marcia exclaimed, standing up suddenly and flipping the desk over in one swift movement. Let her be the savage beast, they'd probably chastise her more for breaking furniture than they would Larrainth for all of her future massacres. "And fuck you!"
 
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Reactions: Vittoria Larrainth
Her brows furrowed, and the mask she wore as a Proctor fell as she sighed deeply and took a seat on her desk. She did not look to Marcia, at least not yet.

Perrine's eyes fell on the knocked desk. "Initiates like Larrainth, unfortunately, know how to play by the rules. I know she is capable of mass destruction, but everything she has done has been on orders or follow the outline to any mission she is tasked with. You will not like my answer, Marcia, but having her part of the ranks once she graduates will be a great advantage to Vel Anir. Perhaps you will be happy to know you may not even cross paths with her again once you graduate."

The Proctor looked exhausted, and not because of talking to the girls. She had been exhausted for some time, had no spare moment to rest or sleep because her duties pulled her in all directions.

"What do you want to do once you graduate the Academy? Join the Guard as a Dreadlord, go into the reserves, or... exile?"
 
  • Thoughtful
Reactions: Marcia
The instant gratification of an outburst was fleeting, only lasting for seconds before quickly disintegrating into the ashes of regret.

Marcia stood, heart in her mouth staring angrily at the upturned desk as they were dismissed and Larrainth swanned out of the room as if they would cease to exist once she was no longer there. It wasn't much of a stretch to think that such a loathsome creature would hold that belief.

It took her time to claw back some semblance of composure as Proctor Urahil reiterated the departed Initiate's worth. Marcia herself didn't entirely disagree with the assessment, if Vittoria was entirely focused upon their enemies then she would be a great boon to Vel Anir, but the Academy's foolish notion that she could be controlled was laughable at best, and totally fucking negligent and delusional at worst. Not to mention the words themselves felt pointed. Did Marcia not follow mission orders with due diligence? Would she not be an advantage to Vel Anir and her territories upon graduation?

Or did the Proctors themselves view her as fodder too; a walking, talking pile of miserable flesh made to feed the Larrainths of this realm?

"Proctor," she began, her voice shaky in the aftermath of anger and in the shadow of doubt, "All I know is the Academy. My only reason to be is to join the Guard as a Dreadlord." She moved to pick up the desk, returning the furniture to its proper place and tucking the chair underneath. "I can't imagine my life otherwise."

Marcia opened her mouth to continue, but upon looking at the Proctor's fatigued expression decided against any attempt to bare her soul.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused," she instead said quietly, before following suit and departing.
 
  • Spoon Cry
Reactions: Vittoria Larrainth
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