Disowned.

"Father, just give me another chance! I don't lie to you, I help the girls with the sewing and cleaning, I'm polite --"
"And you're full of shit," my Father's low voice growled. He was an impressive man, standing a good head taller than me, with curly dark hair cropped close to his head. Unlike Salria and I, who had taken after Mother in our willowy forms, Father was a very big man, toned from his days of fighting which he would never talk about. But there were definitely similarities, I noted. The dark curly hair, for one, and the steely blue eyes, so like mine, which currently glowered at me, filled with disapproval and distaste.
"You're a lying coward and a disgusting whore," he snarled, his upper lip curling and his nostrils flaring, as if he was in the presence of some smelly dead thing.
I frowned and returned his glare. "I'm not a whore," I snapped indignantly. "And I do wish you would stop--"
"I don't care what you wish, I want you out of this house by sundown."
"But Father-" I began, but he cut me off again.
"Do not call me Father, you are not my son," he said, simple and cold, before turning and leaving the room.
"Not your son?" I echoed, filled with indignation and disbelief that quickly passed as the overwhelming reality of my situation "I'm being kicked out of the house..." I blinked several times and sat down on th bed, hanging my head in my hands and simply staring at the floor. I heard the soft footsteps obviously belonging to a femme and looked up, hopeful for Salria, but found instead my Mother at the door, looking at me. "Mother!" I shouted, jumping up towards her and looking down to her expectantly for help. "Please, don't let Father to this! It's not fair..." but I let my words trail off as I saw the look in her eyes, breaking my young heart into pieces. Like she didn't know me, but felt an extreme amount of pity for my soul. I frowned and took a step back. "Mother, no..." I pleaded softly, but she just looked down and walked away, closing the door behind her.
So I was left alone, in the room Salria and I shared, crying silently as I packed my things. I quickly dried my eyes as I heard the door creak open again, hours later, but I didn't look up. All of my things fit into one backpack, except my cello.
"It's like you haven't been here for the last sixteen years..." Salria said softly and I whirled.
"Gee, thanks," I grumbled, letting my tone become acidic. She blinked, frowning and and glided into the room, shutting the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, Darien..." she murmured, walking up to me and trying to put her arms around me.
I pulled back.
"I was willing to LIE for you, Salria, and you sold us out! Instead of kicking us both out, they laid blame on me and I'm the disgrace while you're the innocent, misguided victim because you're a GIRL," I snapped, back against the wall. My eyes were filling with tears again.
"Darien, I'm SORRY!" she cried, taking a step toward me.
"I broke my moral code for you, I loved you and took care of you and you don't even stand by me in our time of need," I whispered.
"My darling brother, I --"
"Father disowned me. I'm not your brother anymore."

Salria

Gorgeous blue eyes, deeper than any pool I've come across stared up at me and the bright smile playing on cherry lips swam in her eyes as well. It brought a smile to my face as well, and she laughed, her laugh like beautiful little silver bells tinkling, like the droplets of water falling into the pool. I gently moved a raven curl from her forehead and kissed the spot it had occupied.

"Oh Darien," she murmured softly, her voice sultry like the song of my beloved cello.
"Yes my love?"
"What would Father say if he saw what we're becoming?"
"I'd say he'd call blasphemy and kick us both out," I answered with a bit of a frown, nuzzling the girl below me gently.
"Oh, there now, that would be a tragedy!" she proclaimed in a mocking tone, a grin identical to the one I often saw on my own face gracing her porcelain features. "We two, out on our very own! My voice lifting in song with your beautiful cello supporting me like wings in the taverns to make a living!"
"Yes, darling Salri, that'd be a terrible tragedy indeed," I agreed with a smirk.
"You and your childish ambitions would lead to our not spending as much time in bed together though..."
I frowned, rolling off of the mirror myself in a female body to lay beside her. "Sal, do you think what we're doing is wrong?"
She frowned, her forehead creasing in concern. "What do you mean? Why would it be wrong for two people in love to worship, mm?"
I arched an eyebrow. "You make it sound so innocent."
"And you make it sound so sinister!"
"Well, have you heard of anyone else 'bahning their sister?" I asked with a serious frown. She let out a short, crisp laugh.
"Why no, I haven't! I don't suppose that would be something one would advertise, now would it Darien dearest?"
I sighed and ran a long-fingered hand through my dark curls. "What would Father say?"
She smirked, running a smaller duplicate of my own hand through the same path mine had taken, brushing back my black hair before resting her delicate hand on my cheek. She offered a small smile, sapphire eyes seeking out the metallic blue of mine.. "I believe I just asked you that."

We both sat bolt upright in my bed as we heard the creak of the door.
"What in all the bloody Darkness..." began the deep baritone of our brother, Sethis. He simply stood there, frowning. You could see the gears turning in his mind, trying to comprehend the scene before him.
I simply turned my gaze to the smaller, prettier me at my side and said, "I believe we're going to find out, darling."
She frowned and looked up at me. "I believe you're right, dearest."

"What're you two doing?" he barked, slamming the door shut behind him and crossing his arms as he moved to stand at the end of the bed. He simply glowered at the two of us.
"If we said absolutely nothing, would you believe us?" I asked hopefully.
"Yes, we'll lie through our teeth if you believe us, dear brother!" Salria chirped with a grin. I turned a frown on her and offered an elbow to her ribs to remind her to be serious. She simply laughed.
Sethis exploded. "What would FATHER say?!" he shouted, throwing up his hands.
"We were just discussing that very thing!" she offered brightly. I shot her a pleading look.
"No we weren't, remember Salria dear?" I piped up, trying my best to save the moment and perhaps our skins as well. "We were, um, changing. Yes! That's it, changing..." I looked up at Sethis. "It was raining when we came home, we're waiting for our clothing to dry...see?"
Thank the Gods, it had indeed been raining. I had told the truth, for the most part.

"I'm not stupid, Darien," he snapped, tossing the now-dry clothing into our laps. "Get dressed, we're telling Father."
"Now now, don't be hasty!" Salria protested, jumping out of bed, completely nude in all her glory.
"PUT YER DAMN DRESS ON, YOU WHORE!" Sethis bellowed at her before turning to look away from her. I frowned as tears began to well up in her eyes, pulling my tunic on and then my pants before jumping to her side. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.
"You're not a whore, darling," I murmured to her, offering her chemise.
"I know," she snapped, snatching her chemise from me and tugging it over her head. "You've no right to barge into OUR room and accuse US of doing something WRONG when you've not a SHRED OF PROOF!" she shouted at Sethis. I stepped back, looking around uncertainly before crossing my arms over my chest and looking at the floor. "She's right, you know," I offered.
"YOU shut up, yeh spineless coward!" Sethis growled before rounding on Salria, stepping up to her and shaking a finger in her face. "I know what you two were doing, girl, I'm no idiot."
"No," she snapped, stepping closer to him to spit her next words with the utmost venom. "You're not an idiot. You're an intrusive arse, loyal lapdog to our overbearing Father!"

Sethis slapped Salria, which woke me up. I got between them, pushing Sethis back towards the door and shooting him an acidic look before turning to comfort my twin. My heart broke as the tears that had been threatening her began to trickle down her cheeks.

Sethis, however, had not had to deal with his heart breaking, and had recovered from my shove quite nicely. Salria tried to tug me out of the way, but simply wound up on the floor as our eldest brother tackled me to the floor.
Over the years, Sethis had actually trained with Father and Yven, whereas I had crept quietly away every single time. This resulted in him being quite a bit better at fighting than I was, and thus I was rather useless when it came to fending off the blows my brother had decided to rain upon me. Salria ran at him and tried to pull him off, and between my pushing and her pulling, I managed to squirm my way out from under him. Salria was instantly at my side, helping me up. Quickly, the 'conversation' escalated in an outright shouting match for all three of us, alerting the entire household that something was more than a little wrong.
Yven, nearly as large as the brute of a brother who'd originally tackled me, charged into the room, looking upon the scene with utter confusion. Our five sisters crowded at the door, the two closest in age to Salria and myself actually managing to squeeze into our tiny bedroom, shouting and demanding to know what was going on. Oh, this was turning into a lovely day.

With Salria sobbing between Lina and Xia, with me backed into a corner by Sethis and Yven, with the three others crowding the door, the entire scene was silenced by Father's deep bellow calling for us all to shut our mouths. The girls at the door parted, wide-eyed as Father moved into the room and our brothers backed away.
"By Balor's swordarm, what in all the unholy Darkness is going ON in this ROOM?" he growled.
Sethis, ever the loyal lapdog, as Salria had so perfectly stated, opened his mouth as I responded with a weak, "Absolutely nothing at all!"
Yven glared at me, as he had been clued in to what had transpired and didn't approve.
With me silenced, our eldest sibling was able to reply.
"Darien and Salria were 'bahning, Sir. I walked in on them."
"YOU DID NOT!" Salria screeched, wiping furiously at the remaining tears. Everyone in the room flinched at the horrid, banshee-like sound. "You walked in on us in bed and jumped to conclusions!"
Sethis simply blinked at her before returning his gaze back to Father. "Sir, I know what I saw. I'm not stupid."
"Pfft, you'd like us to think that," I muttered, before cursing as Yven's fist connected with my arm.
Our Father, imposing man as he is, simply stood there, looking quite as Sethis had when he'd first walked in. His forehead creased and his dark gaze swept slowly over the small bedroom and it's occupants, lingering on Salria and stopping on me. As he fixed his eyes on me, I felt very small and looked at the floor until he barked, "Look at me, boy."
I didn't want to, but I slowly raised my gaze to meet Father's. "I plead innocent until proven guilty," I said, tossing my head of curls and eliciting a snicker from Salria. This caused me to smirk, which seemed to anger Father all the more.
"Don't be snarky with me boy," he snapped. "What happened here?"
"Well, we came in from the rain, took off our wet clothes and were waiting for them to dry," I responded truthfully.
"It's true you know," Salria chirped, but was silenced by him raising a hand.
"Answer me truthfully. What were you two doing?"
I frowned and looked away from Father, to Salria. She looked back, seeming at a loss. I couldn't lie. I didn't like lying, and what was I supposed to say? Well, I know exactly what I can say.
"We weren't doing anything, Sir," I answered. Salria frowned, looking sort of resigned to the lie. "We'd gotten under the blankets to be warm." Father was buying it!

"And we 'bahned," Salria snapped. Oh...game over.

A plot!

I'm going to be quite rich, I tell you. Quite rich, and it might even make Father a little more pleased with me....Maybe he'll call off the door guards next time I get home. I do so hate being treated like a prisoner in my own home.

But yes, my plot.
I am going to join the constabulary and then I'm going to scrub out the dirt in this city and within our own system one by one. Indeed I shall and it shall be a grand adventure, I tell you.
(Or maybe I won't...I am known to be quite lazy.)

This way I will get pay and to do things I need to do...like find a place to kick my boots off. Yes, that would be terribly wonderful.

But shh!
I may even buy my lovely friend Frederick off of dear Rose. He does seem quite unhappy...I wonder what she even has him do? Does he just stew in their little house all day? I mean, dear gods, that would drive me insane. Indeed, even stewing in taverns day in and out has driven me a little off the dirty path of sanity. Next time I see Frederick I shall have to ask him what he does each day...and then what he would like to be doing.

I've had slaves before and dear, sweet Elbahn, if I haven't treated them like equals then I don't know how to do so. It's only fair. I mean, they're breathing and living and thinking just as we are and many of them were once free. I can't imagine what it would be like to suddenly be property...Ah, bless my parents for being human.

Poor dear Frederick though...
I must find out what he'd like to be doing. If I can't provide it, perhaps I can't sweet talk darling Rose into providing it.

A....date?

After a long evening with Frederick and Rosina, I went to stew in my favourite spot to think, The Lyon. Well, lo and behold who would be sitting there drawing this morning! Yes, it was that adorable boy who I shared breakfast with a few days back. It seems he was exceedingly grateful and actually offered to buy me a sandwich.

He's so cute.

As I sat there drinking and listening to the boy ramble, I realized that you can read his every emotion across his face if you pay attention...so I started paying attention and I'll be a badger if he doesn't have a bit of a crush on me.

We're going gathering here soon...maybe I'll learn a thing or two. Silly boy was all embarrassed when he called it a date! Ah, and then he nearly dropped his sandwich when I agreed.

Did I mention he's cute?

Now that I'm impoverished and destitute again, I think I need to start making money. A little gathering never hurt anyone, and neither did spending time with a yummy morsel...
Well actually, that has.
But gathering hasn't!

And it was turning into such a lovely meal...

Well, Frederick is a doll, wakening me from a darling dream about Sweet, Sweet Salria and that day in midsummer...By Elbahn, that was a fun day.

But I digress, as it was not sweet, smiling Frederick that woke me, but a lovely /drunk/ Frederick who couldn't stand very well who was trying to be so sweet and make me a little more comfortable. He was quite upset and I did what any friend would and comforted him, despite the nagging voice in my brain that prodded me towards a bedroom. Let's slap at that, shall we? Yes. I think we shall.

He's more than a little broken up about his scar, I think, and I do believe darling Rose is flat out sorry about everything. Ah, but that's what happens when you open a can of worms. You see, she wanted to know where a trail of blood led in the refugee district and we all know that's a stupid thing to wonder, now isn't it?

I told her and it led to a lovely discussion with yelling and treason and it was quite a good meal, if I say so myself. The fish stew was fabulous...


But the entire thing was started because of that damned blood trail. Even my current problems...Which I have no idea how to solve, mind you.

Yet, I feel a little better, doing what I did.
I do hope she puts it to good use.