@proazpizo / * A STRANGER IN THE GUISE OF HIS DEAR SISTER
it felt like centuries for phoenix to hear that their youngest was returning, and honestly, he couldn’t take the anxiety. after hearing the news of the fall of beacon - a school so proudly proclaimed as one of the best - he and the rest were so stunned. soon the bewilderment evolved into worry and then into a manic panic over the unknown fate of pyrrha. he’s very knowledgeable that she can take care of herself - of course! she’s trained with their father and phyllis and even without any of them by her side, she can take on an army (maybe, that’s wishful thinking on his part). so color him surprised when their father brings her home - broken, scarred, fallen to the point that she returns their warm welcome with the coldest of glares and the curt turn of her shoulder.
father and mother reassured them that she needed time - losing your school and seeing friends getting hurt would shock anyone! - but, that’s not it. phoenix couldn’t leave his sister alone, not when it was obvious that she locked herself away from them. before this chaos, the siblings would become an inseparable trio and be able to confide in one another, and he had a firm belief that it would never change. sure, growing up can mean drifting apart, but he knew that the three of them would always remain close enough to rely on each other.
so why did pyrrha turn away from him?
softly, he knocked on her door, a basket of fabric and sewing equipment hanging by an arm, and a heavy sigh leaving his body. if he knew pyrrha, then he knew she would talk to him no matter what. so with confidence driving him forward, he opened the door with a soft warning, “pyrrha, i’m coming in,” and entered with a giant grin. “hey so it’s been pretty cold lately! how about a new outfit from yours truly?”
it felt like centuries since she had last been home, had seen her siblings in person and not just over the scroll, but she was not happy. what had happened over the past few days --- the pain, the loss, the immobility she was now left with --- had changed her, perhaps beyond repair. she knows that they must have been worried, and her beloved elder brother likely more than the rest (save their mother), but she can hardly bring herself to talk to anyone or accept such warmth. it feels as though what has happened has left her with a bottomless pit, a vacuous black hole, inside her very body where her heart once beat. when Mpampas brings her home, she looks everyone in the eyes, averts her gaze immediately, and turns away. she does not want this right now.
she locks herself in her room, refusing to see or talk to anyone, as her thoughts plague her mind. i’m a murderer. i don’t deserve this. and she doesn’t deserve to still live. the scenes of that horrific night were replaying in her head once again, bringing her back to the bottom of her pit of despair and keeping that void ever-present, when she heard it --- a light rap on her door. who could be coming to bother her now?
ah. it’s ... it’s Phoenix. i should have expected no less.
she moves quickly to retrieve her crutches and is just standing when he enters. the first thing that she notices is the basket he dons on his sleeve, full of materials for his craft, no doubt. she only offers a soft sigh before pulling herself up fully. ❝ ... yes, it has been cold for Mistral, hasn’t it? i ... ❞ and she pauses, as if wanting to deny him the chance but desperately needing him to understand. she cannot deny him anything --- not her beloved older brother. no matter how bad things are, he has always been on her side, there for her when she needs him.
she thinks about it a moment. ❝ isuppose that wouldn’t be so bad. ❞ you’ve nailed it, Pyrrha. truly.