Gray Nightingale (Aiya) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
experiencepoints) wrote2015-09-07 09:59 pm
experiencepoints) wrote2015-09-07 09:59 pm
(no subject)
Trivneu: Dinner party
Regained: Day 169
Units, memshare
You're frantically getting ready. There's a dress you barely know how to put on, you have to make sure you have everything you're going to want- but you can't bring a book, so you don't have anything to bring. Even so, your parents remind you to bring anything you're going to want... Your mother sits down and puts your hair up with a pin, and you rush out the door.
You're in junior high by now, and you understand these events well enough. You wish you didn't have to go- These are time you could spend studying (or talking to Yura, or getting to know Araj better). But they want you to go as a family- Rather, they want to show you off. That their daughter has already gained a few levels, how well educated and how polite you are, how well-raised... It's all status stuff.
You would never dare to think of anything your parents do as less than great, and you really are happy that they are including you and bringing you along. But, they never pay any attention to you at these things... You're to speak when spoken to, give all the polite answers, be very humble, you must never seem to think highly of yourself, and when you are not spoken to, be decoration. Which is right, since you're still a child. Wanting them to pay attention to you too is selfish.
You arrive, and it's a fancy party for... something or another. They explained it to you before. You think back, recalling what was told in perfect detail.
That's right. Your parents' adventuring friends had a child who had recently decided to leave school to travel the world- He was a Ranger. This was to be his farewell party- In reality, though, it was to show his parents' wealth, and the money and prizes he had won already. It was to show him off as he left, to elevate the social status of his parents even while he was absent. You don't understand why this is the case, but... That's basically what they want from you as well. A pretty girl whose presence is enough to boost their reputation... Right?
It's kind of suffocating. You have nothing but gratitude and respect for your parents, and for all the people around you, but you want to be somewhere else...
Mingling with the others doesn't help. You have to be nearby, so your parents can show you off, but you also can't hover around them, or you'll be seen as helpless. You end up talking with the other kids your age there, but... You can't connect with any of them. They seem at home in this kind of setting, and even though you're trying your hardest to act like this is natural for you too, you're certain they can see right through you.
One of them remains to talk to you a little after the others- A boy named Yutu. You Scan him reflexively, seeing his name, stats, and class- He's a Monk, a bare-fisted fighter? That's a strange choice for a child, but you can't say as much. Still, he's easier to talk to, but you're called away again as soon as you start to enjoy yourself. When you return, he's been called away elsewhere himself, and you catch him looking at you a couple more times, but you never have the chance to talk again.
By the time you leave, you're thoroughly exhausted. Your parents say nothing in the car home about how you were at the party- You try to take that as a good thing, and even feel a puff of pride. The fact that they aren't saying anything means you did it perfectly. But that's soon followed by guilt, because you had to act, and you don't feel like you really belong at that sort of thing.
You fall asleep, and dream of formal dinner parties, where everyone can see plainly how little you belong there, while you beg to leave.
Regained: Day 169
Units, memshare
You're frantically getting ready. There's a dress you barely know how to put on, you have to make sure you have everything you're going to want- but you can't bring a book, so you don't have anything to bring. Even so, your parents remind you to bring anything you're going to want... Your mother sits down and puts your hair up with a pin, and you rush out the door.
You're in junior high by now, and you understand these events well enough. You wish you didn't have to go- These are time you could spend studying (or talking to Yura, or getting to know Araj better). But they want you to go as a family- Rather, they want to show you off. That their daughter has already gained a few levels, how well educated and how polite you are, how well-raised... It's all status stuff.
You would never dare to think of anything your parents do as less than great, and you really are happy that they are including you and bringing you along. But, they never pay any attention to you at these things... You're to speak when spoken to, give all the polite answers, be very humble, you must never seem to think highly of yourself, and when you are not spoken to, be decoration. Which is right, since you're still a child. Wanting them to pay attention to you too is selfish.
You arrive, and it's a fancy party for... something or another. They explained it to you before. You think back, recalling what was told in perfect detail.
That's right. Your parents' adventuring friends had a child who had recently decided to leave school to travel the world- He was a Ranger. This was to be his farewell party- In reality, though, it was to show his parents' wealth, and the money and prizes he had won already. It was to show him off as he left, to elevate the social status of his parents even while he was absent. You don't understand why this is the case, but... That's basically what they want from you as well. A pretty girl whose presence is enough to boost their reputation... Right?
It's kind of suffocating. You have nothing but gratitude and respect for your parents, and for all the people around you, but you want to be somewhere else...
Mingling with the others doesn't help. You have to be nearby, so your parents can show you off, but you also can't hover around them, or you'll be seen as helpless. You end up talking with the other kids your age there, but... You can't connect with any of them. They seem at home in this kind of setting, and even though you're trying your hardest to act like this is natural for you too, you're certain they can see right through you.
One of them remains to talk to you a little after the others- A boy named Yutu. You Scan him reflexively, seeing his name, stats, and class- He's a Monk, a bare-fisted fighter? That's a strange choice for a child, but you can't say as much. Still, he's easier to talk to, but you're called away again as soon as you start to enjoy yourself. When you return, he's been called away elsewhere himself, and you catch him looking at you a couple more times, but you never have the chance to talk again.
By the time you leave, you're thoroughly exhausted. Your parents say nothing in the car home about how you were at the party- You try to take that as a good thing, and even feel a puff of pride. The fact that they aren't saying anything means you did it perfectly. But that's soon followed by guilt, because you had to act, and you don't feel like you really belong at that sort of thing.
You fall asleep, and dream of formal dinner parties, where everyone can see plainly how little you belong there, while you beg to leave.