Sage_of_Eyes

SSS: Primi Sanguinis Occisor: Date

Added 2018-11-30 02:52:38 +0000 UTC

…

Commissioned by Blue Flaming Wings

Word Count: 2561

…

A night with solely Li and myself was imminent and I knew not what to do, despite all my preparations.

I was wearing the proper attire for a night with the individual whom I wished to be with. It was a summer dress with matching hat and shoes. The artificial winter of humanity merited a shawl for the shoulders with a paler shade of yellow. Not too much, but neither too little fabric, as I wished to both appeal with my character and entice with my body. Li appreciated how I appeared, and I took pride in my features, so there was no reason for me to fear being rejected in that regard.

My disguise of false glasses and a braid allowed me to walk about in public with ease, though I attracted unwanted, salacious attention, there would be no media falling upon the two of us.

My planning of the night was meticulous. We were to go on tour to several museums, dine together in family-owned eatery, and the security detail was aware of everything a whole day ahead of time. Li would love learning more of humanity’s feats, the artifacts the age before Arcologies, and certainly adore the history and struggle of a family to be recognized as a national treasure that deserved to be lifted wholesale, rather than be forced into a crevice.

Everything was immaculate, yet I could not help but fear that everything was going wrong, while I waited for Li to arrive in the plaza before the museum.

Though there was no possible way paparazzi, enemies, or even friends would arrive to see us, since we were both to be disguised and guarded from afar, my nerves told me that I ought to be prepared for the slightest hint of danger. It took every ounce of my will to stay simply standing and waiting, instead of turning into a sword and searching every possible hiding spot at my fastest possible speeds, before Li arrived.

It was nerves working with my instincts as a sword. I was very aware of that fact. It was still difficult to resist, but resist it I did.

“Ah, you’re earlier than me, Lynn.” At the mere sound of Li’s voice, though, those nerves melted away into nothingness. I was drawn to him instantly, though he spoke to me with a different name than what I declared. I’d turned my nose upward at the thought of having to go by another name, but I found that it was a very nice name once it left Li’s lips. “Ah, I wanted to surprise you.”

H-how could I have been so foolish!?

In my excitement, I’d forgotten it was the man’s duty on a date to arrive early and make the woman feel that her presence is yearned for! While I most certainly yearned for Li’s presence, I miserably missed the opportunity to walk through the plaza towards him while he looked for me in the midst f the crowd! Primi Sanguinis Occisor, how could you possibly be so lacking in mental ability!? This was your opportunity to see Li brighten up and smile at you while you simply walked toward him!

AHHHH!

“Lynn! Lynn! Are you okay?” Oh. Li’s so close. He’s mere centimeters away. I can see his eyes, despite how they were supposed to be hidden behind shades. They were filled with concern and his lips were pursed in worry. He also holds me in firmly in his arms. Thank you, my penchant for drama and nigh-uncontrollable instinct to overreact, for this glorious moment. “Oh, you scared me. I’m glad it’s just that.”

Ah, Li is smiling at me whilst holding me in his arms.

The date has barely begun, but I have been utterly fulfilled.

I can pass on without worry or want.

“Ah, please don’t die on our first date, Lynn.”

…

Li was simple Li for our tour. Or, rather, Lee. It mattered not to me. I was referring to my wielder by his first name with his permission.

That was all that mattered to me in regards to his disguise.

It was expected that he would appear fantastic and handsome even while his identiy was concealed. Wearing a hat, shades, and with his hair in a ponytail, Li appeared to merely be a rather tall teen, especially with his accompanying wardrobe. Jeans, a simple white shirt, and a collared jacket finished his look simply, but cleanly.

Li was the very picture of a proper young man escorting a girl out on a date.

We must have been quite the sight together. Though we were a rather tall couple, even amongst the now-taller humans of this age, Li was beyond most men in terms of handsomeness and I was able to accentuate his features and stature with my own looks. Upon his arm, holding it against me, I was sure that he drew jealous stares… at least as many stares as I received for my great fortune.

Arm-in-arm we were simply two young adults walking through a museum, indulging ourselves in history, and drawing gazes of appreciation and envy. I was surprised by how much I liked being simply Lynn and Li. Though I was still Primi Sanguinis Occisor, and he was still Li Song, our current circumstances allowed me insight into my desires as well indulging them.

Spending time with him was more than enough for me.

Seeing his eyes widen in amazement made the silly things we found in the museum amazing to me in turn. Looking at his rapt expression while listening to the guide made me interested in everything within the museum too. Being with him simply made me more intent on enjoying as much of the situation as possible, though I would have been otherwise been bored to death with the trivial things humans called history.

Overwhelming Typhon, besting Reality, and defeating the Silver Maiden were feats that needed to be memorialized, yet there was yet to be a single museum that hosted such things.

It was a travesty.

But, Li liked what was here now, so I found it worth spending time within.

Li gushed over machines of the past with a smile. He was enraptured by all that mankind made. He was a being who could overturn the whole world with ease, yet he looked with wonder upon the simplest of things created by mankind. Be it one of the oldest telephones, the earliest of cars, or a simple refrigerator, he was astonished by the creations of mankind without distinction. I must have lacked understanding that he did, as I could only see object after object made by beings who could not be without said objects, but if he would not surely disapprove if I took interest in something solely because he was interested in them too.

I was me, he’d told me, and that I should make my own path and my own choices.

That meant that there was little need for me to like what he liked… but I was also free to appreciate that they made him happy nonetheless.

Matters of understanding were… difficult. There were complexities to thought and liking someone that was barely understandable, yet the more I overcome the challenges they provided, the more I could appreciate Li and everything that he has done for me. His treatment of me, through all this time, was because he wanted to do right by me. I wouldn’t have known that if he hadn’t taken a step away from me and taught me all that he did.

So, I would forgive humanity for not giving Li at least one museum to showcase all his doings and goings.

And, I will gladly protect them now too, because they helped me understand Li.

…

I found myself watching after a child while Li searched for her mother. The tour in the museum had been disbanded, with groups splitting apart to look at what they wished, and a child was separated from their mother in the chaos. Li, being wise and observant, easily tracked the mother and went to her while having me stay in place to ensure that the child would not wander away and make things difficult.

Before everything I’d been taught, I’d have been quite cross with the child sat beside me for interfering with my time with Li, but I knew better now.

This was the perfect time to show him my maturity and this child had provided it for me!

I was more than happy to look after the small, frail human that sat by my side now.

She was an adorable child with sharp eyes and long, ebony hair. Her nose was straight and jaw sharp, while her high cheekbones gave her a dignified bearing. She wore her hair straight and long as Li did… and she wore a dress and shawl as I did.

In short, she looked like a daughter that Li would have, so I found it not difficult in the slightest to care for her!

“Lynn-san, do you think my mom is looking for me now?” The answer to that question was quite simple. Given how weak humans are, and their penchant for caring for their own past reason, it would have to be yes. So, I was unprepared for the girl’s following words. “She usually just lets one of the Drone-kuns bring me home if I’m lost.”

The notion of a parent being irresponsible was something I’d known existed, but being confronted with it directly left me without any thought whatsoever. Looking at the sweet child sitting by my said, I found myself incapable of uttering any words. I was both amazed by my reaction and overcome by the reaction itself. Was this perhaps a test by Li in regards to my ability to empathize with humans?

I tossed that silly notion aside in an instant, but I couldn’t shake the strangeness of the situation that I found myself in.

I fell upon what Li taught me before I realized that I did.

I asked the girl why her mother wouldn’t search for her, but instead have a Drone look for her.

“Mother is very afraid of being outside ever since father left. She only leaves the house when I tell her to. Without me, she’s very afraid and runs home.” This could not be a test for it was far too complex for me in my current state. Expecting neglect, I was instead faced with a child who worried for her mother. “Shouldn’t we look for a Drone, Lynn-san? They can take me home really fast. I want to make sure mother is okay.”

The child was undeniably strong. I could respect such motives and strength without the slightest hesitation. Or, I used to be capable of such a thing. However, instead of congratulating the child in front of me, I did not know what to do. Nothing was as it should be and it was frightening. The mother ought to have been neglectful, instead she is sick and frightened of the outside. The child by my side should be frightened and afraid, urging me to look for her mother, but she seeks to leave me and find a Security Drone to look after her mother as swiftly as possible.

The girl by my side was being nothing besides heroic and capable, much like Li, but my only wish was for her to have no need speak, act, and act as she does.

“Lynn-san? Are you okay? Are you worried about your partner?” The child tugged on my hand, while I could do nothing besides think and ponder my current circumstances. She was acting, as other could only watch and worry, much like Li. But, how could I care about this stranger being brave while being so happy when Li was? Why did I prefer Li being afraid to this girl I’d just met? “Lynn-san?”

I did not know how to approach my current situation with what I knew about humanity and myself, so I acted as I wished to act.

I picked up the child with ease.

“Lynn-san!?”

I will bring her to her mother and speak my mind.

That was all I knew to do now.

So, I shall.

And, hope I could do the same with Li when he faced me.

…

The building was now swarming with drones. The skies were filled with dozens of helicopters. Fifteen news crews were present, some from other Arcologies, and the girl whose name I’d never asked for has been found to be quite the intellectual and is being sent to a prestigious university free of charge and at an accelerated pace. Her mother was being seen to by therapists, is being made better by being comforted and supported, and has accepted that she has not been an adequate parent and will strive to do better. Meanwhile, the father who abandoned the two has been found to be a layabout who prays upon women, but was capable of thwarting the surveillance systems of the Arcologies, getting a semblance of justice for all the women whose hearts he crushed after he had his fun with them.

But, my date with Li was ruined, the museum has been closed, and we were now eating our usual dinner at our usual time in our usual place!

I… I ruined our date!

“Our date did go unplanned, but I’m proud of you for Occisor.” I should be happy with Li’s praise, but I wasn’t. Everything that had occurred happened took all the time planned for our outing. Then, we couldn’t continue because no amount of counter-surveillance could have concealed us with all the media swarming into the scene. Though Li smiled at me and patted my back, I could only bite my lip in frustration while gripping the hem of my dress. “It’s okay, Occisor. We can spend time together on another day.”

But I wanted to spend time with him today! And, I did everything the best I could and did things right too! When there was a human who needed to be taken care of, without thinking about the consequences to myself, I helped them! Where was my reward for my actions, like the pride and accomplishment I felt when Li wielded me in combat? Instead of the joy and ecstasy and rightness of being wielded properly and achieving victory in battle, all I felt was misery at what I lost in exchange for my action!

I helped!

I did good!

I did things right!

But, my perfectly planned date was now perfectly ruined, and Li would have to be busier at a later time when I’m finished.

Where was my reward for being good and following all my lessons!?

“Here.”

I barely registered the word, before Li tilted up my chin and pressed his lips against my cheek.

“It isn’t much, I know… but I mean it when I say I’m proud of you today, Primi.”

Primi?

That’s my name.

And, he’s smiling at me so earnestly

Ah.