Kuoh.
The day at the amusement park was going pretty... fun, I'd say. Sure, I had to push my authority a bit on Griselda to keep me company on the rides with the spinning teacups and mechanical horses, but the look on her face was definitely worth it.
At first it was embarrassment and an extreme degree of awkwardness as young children and their parents watched with rounded eyes as an adult nun rode rides designed, as it were, for their age. Griselda didn't know what to do in such a situation and just tried to keep her face through a stoic expression, but then still broke down and spent most of the time with her head down.
This is how she behaved throughout the day as we went from one attraction to another, visited the food court, and generally did everything the amusement park existed to do.
At one point, the attention on us became too much, and some kids did decide to come up and talk to us. And, after a brief conversation about how adults were still kids, but big kids, I suddenly wanted to have a little competition among the random kids, where the prize was coupons for free ice cream and rides. Of course, there was nothing traumatizing or harmful, because I wasn't an idiot to begin with.
And, no, I didn't do it because I needed to stall. Absolutely.
It was noisy, infectious and, most importantly, fun, because while the kids were genuinely having fun in an atmosphere of friendly competition, the parents were also keeping up.
Of course, most of them were normal and just happy that their kids were having a great time. But, a small portion decided to participate as well, which added just incredible excitement to the kids. Well, and, in fact, untied my hands, including in the entertainment program quite adult games with appropriate prizes. And, perhaps, it was funny sometimes just to watch ordinary people, not gods, dragons and so on.
All this dragged on into the evening, when the sun gave way to a starry sky and the park began to be lit up by lanterns. And when I finished handing out the prizes and the participants began to disperse, I sat down on a bench to Griselda, who, noticing this, immediately changed her expression to her usual neutral one.
- "You could enter some kind of contest, you know. The Church's popularity would definitely skyrocket," I said snidely.
In response, Griselda remained silent and pretended she hadn't heard. Of course, that didn't stop me, because there was a reason for all this.
- "You know, out of the corner of my eye I noticed your expression changing," I continued, producing a cup of coffee and taking a sip. "You were watching them mesmerized. I would even say with envy. The children, the adults, everything. And they behaved the same way, even though they had jobs, problems and so on. They were openly enjoying this little event suddenly arranged by a complete stranger. You, on the other hand..."
I paused and stood in front of her, looking into her eyes.
- "Why do you cling so tightly to a shell that you're afraid to come out of?" I asked. "Condemnation, shame or irrelevance has no meaning if there is no harm to those around you. Everyone is entitled to their own life, but, for some reason, you're afraid to enter that number. Can you tell me why that is, hmm?"
Looking into her eyes, I could see her thoughts racing, even if she didn't show it outwardly. Griselda was intensely thinking about something, and doubt and indecision were as obvious as the color of a clear sky. So I didn't rush her, but only returned to my seat, immersed in relative silence.
In the course of the day she had already realized that I would not leave her, for the reason had already been stated. And the reason, moreover, was in accordance with her tenets, for caring for one's neighbors had never been condemned by Heaven or the Church. On the other hand, the question lay in her own desire, and....
- "Ever since I was a child I had been indoctrinated to be perfect in everything. Perfect behavior, perfect looks, perfect academic performance. Everything," she began suddenly, to which I was genuinely surprised. "And every time this perfection didn't meet their standards, it was time for punishment through pain."
Her face expressed no emotion and her gaze was blank, as if Griselda had deliberately shut off her senses. Absolute detachment from whatever came out of her mouth.
- "No matter how much effort I exerted, their demands grew and grew, as did the force of their blows. Both my mother and father didn't hold back, punishing me for just...being," she continued, and I noticed her fists clench and her mask give a crack. "On the outside, everything was perfect. A family held up as an example by everyone who saw us, and I was a marvel in the flesh. In reality, though, no friends, no acquaintances...no help."
I took a sip of coffee and handed the mug to Griselda, which she silently accepted, wrapping her palms around it but not taking a sip.
- "And, at some point, I began to... enjoy the pain..." she said almost in a whisper. "I don't know if it was a defense mechanism of my body or my mind, but at some point, I started doing things badly on purpose and getting more punishment as a result. Pain was probably my only joy, and when they realized it... They realized what I had become..."
- "I guess that's when your house was attacked by demons, killing them in the process?" I assumed, because I relatively understood where this was going. And in response to that, she... shook her head? "Huh?"
- "Realizing that their perfect daughter was far from perfect, they decided to take the simplest but legal route. Turned me in to the church and gave me up," she replied. "I hated them, but perhaps I was grateful to them at the same time, for it was because of them that I was lucky enough to meet Lady Gabriel. She was so kind, so gentle, so caring... so perfect... And for her sake, only for her sake, I decided to become like her... To become what they wanted me to be..."
She paused and looked at me.
- "Are you satisfied now, Mr. Archaman?"
At that, Griselda was silent, a single tear running down her cheek. I simply took a sip of coffee and let the silence take over the neighborhood, for there was literally nothing to say.
Usually the backstory of unscripted characters was extremely boring and had a lot of clichés, but I guess it was Griselda's case that was nice and... ironic. That said, it all matched perfectly with what her soul looked like. It was unexpected, since she was a character not that second, but third or fourth plan, unlike the same Yasaka.
However, it wasn't out of the question that Yahweh had something to do with this because of the recent circumstances surrounding the IV/S Beast. However, it didn't matter now, and there was no point in figuring it all out either.
Now knowing all of that, I could offer her something that could bring her out of her shell. However, there was one small nuance that could be affected right now.
- "Are they alive?" I asked casually.
- "I don't know," Griselda replied, her voice completely indifferent. "Why do you ask?"
- "Would you like to, well, let's say, to fulfill a tiny, very tiny act of revenge, eh?" I smirked, at which Griselda froze and stared at me in shock. "Oh, don't look at me like that. Everyone has the right to take pleasure in revenge if they can. And believe me, I know what I'm talking about."
- "I don't even know if they're alive, and you want to kill them?" she asked.
- "Kill them? You're literally insulting me for thinking that," I said, making a feigned hurt face and clutching my heart. "I think revenge through murder is the dumbest and most pointless thing in the world, because there are so many more creative ways to do it. And..."
At that moment, we were interrupted by a literal ice comet that landed near us, causing a loud explosion and a cloud of dust. Ordinary people who were in a relative distance from us immediately moved to see what it was, but I knew the answer to that question, because its presence could not be confused with anything.
- "You're coming with me," Serafall said in a tone as cold as Antarctica, taking me by the scruff of the neck. Her expression matched her tone, and her gaze literally said that she wouldn't take any excuses and would be willing to drag me along by force if she had to. And yes, that was considering I was much stronger than her.
- "Yeah, yeah. Anything," I shrugged and, as Serafall prepared to take off like an intercontinental missile, cast one last glance at Griselda. "Think about my offer and I'll take care of the rest, okay?"
-0-
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