When Tina decided to do that certain thing, the others had to be sure that she would do it, no matter what the cost. She was like that, stubborn and determined not to let anything pass under her nose in order to fulfill her word.
From her, on the surface, you could generally expect a heavy provocation, a quarrel, perhaps miraculously ended with a handshake... and instead, under that personality as calm as it was benevolent, the true essence of the woman was hidden.
The warrior spirit that you wouldn't think to find in the last person you'd think of.
Yes, because when you think you've gotten to know her well, in truth you've only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.
So ordinary that she's even taken lightly, and then shows you a plethora of different abilities, to your dismay.
It has always been said among humans, in fact, that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and in fact, Aslik was unexpectedly still discovering this concept.
There were nuances of her personality that when he less expected them, came to the surface, making him stone every time.
He cursed himself because it had become obvious that with Tina, surprises were just around the corner.
There was no need to be surprised. But he couldn't, the feeling was stronger than him.
Whether it was his human side that took over when episodes like that happened, he was never 100% convinced.
The fact was that, without hesitation, he watched dazedly as Tina was once again waiting on the gangway for the train to arrive.
The die was cast: silence Mingot once and for all.
The frown and crossed arms suggested a certain determination, but Aslik knew that the woman also felt a certain annoyance in a veiled way.
To fail - even slightly - in her moral principles made her blood boil in her veins.
Harm a minor. Abhorrent. It was like committing one of the worst crimes.
The girl's irreverent nature, however, did not help, when since she had learned of the connection with the Glukkons, she had begun to label the woman unfairly and rudely as the heartless cannibal beast thirsty for human blood, when in reality Tina was reluctant even to eat the meat served at the table.
The story therefore only supported the growing friction rather than marking the meeting point.
The possibility of a collaboration was so high that no one had ever expected a burning disappointment.
Both were human, same blood, same genetic line, but divergent in thought.
Even the environment in which they lived played another clear role in what their current general condition was.
One lived in luxury, with gourmet meals, efficient health services and happily assured travel; the other lived crammed away from prying eyes in Abe's village, in the middle of the forest where only the most fearless had the courage to enter the thick foliage.
And yet, despite this, the detail that united them was the same, although to an inexperienced eye it might not appear so.
Tina also hid from the hostile world of Oddworld, the industrial one to be precise.
If one paid attention, one would have noticed that the woman's excursions were mainly in rural areas, populated by local tribes, far from the danger posed by cartels and corporations.
If by the utmost bad luck they had spotted her, those sharks would have engaged in a dangerous manhunt.
Something to be largely spared.
Finally, the train whistle blew, appearing a few moments later.
Tina, without showing it, had a feeling of unease in the form of a knot forming in the pit of her stomach.
Was it possible that she really had to stoop to committing such foolish things?
She was ashamed of wearing the armor that she had so aspired to obtain.
The first time she had put it on, she had been struck by a violent attack of euphoria.
Beautiful and shiny, suitable for any type of situation, with an aesthetic modeled on the basis of an ancient praetorian soldier.
All the honor and belonging of millennia synthesized and inserted into a high-tech armor that she wore proudly on her chest.
She felt ridiculous and wrong, the principles she carried high suddenly seemed to her something fragile, that could break at the slightest stress and slowly fade into thin air.
But as they said in her parts "desperate times call for desperate measures."
The enormous locomotive screeched on the tracks, stopping exactly in front of Tina. As the door of the first carriage opened, she sighed.
This time Ivory could not accompany her: Friedrich was receiving business associates and the Slig had to stay by his side by necessity, so he had entrusted his second, Bull, to keep her company.
One step after another, the woman embarked followed by the creature.
Something of the frenzy remained: her eyes had returned to their original green, but when the sun hit her face, the irises lit up with reddish reflections, a sign that it's had not completely passed. No big deal, for sure her energy would have waned after the meeting with Mingot, and with her morale at rock bottom, even the last remnants of the altered state would have faded away.
«Bull, let Ivory know when you’re done. I’ve had a walkie-talkie installed in his mask so you can keep in touch»
Aslik said. Bull just nodded.
Tina remained silent the entire time, only slightly returning the Glukkon’s greeting just before settling into one of the velvet chairs that made up the cars of the Vice President’s personal train.
«I’ll make it quick, hit and run. While I’m here, it’s wrong, if I waste any more time I might not forgive myself»
«Just think that this is not a repetitive episode, but a unique and definitive one. It will settle every disagreement and if it can help to not have another obstacle in your path, so much the better. We have to clear the way, get rid of the pebble in our shoe, Tina, every action we take for our own good will be useful the day this whole rigmarole comes to an end.»
Aslik's throat tightened.
Like every beginning, stories also have an end.
The end is still far away, but inevitable.
He was finally reunited with his brother Ludwig, and Tina would return home.
She gave him a sad smile, then put her arms around his shoulders.
Physical contact was rare between the two of them, it happened when something important or personal was at stake, and the warmth in that small, fleeting gesture contained more than a thousand words.
The two broke away from the embrace shortly after, with Tina taking her place again on the armchair, near the large window with arabesque frames.
When all the preparations were completed, Friedrich, now outside the train, signaled the engineer with a gesture of his head to leave.
The furnace was still burning, so two shovelfuls of coal were enough to start the race again. The wheels scraped on the tracks until they gained speed, replacing the terrible screeching with the softer, rhythmic, measured hum of the train on the rails.
So Tina left the station again (with her frustration), hoping that it would go as planned.
No physical struggle, just a painful warning, hoping that it would silence the girl for ever ...
@normal-girl-in-an-odd-world she is coming!
As: As I said in my New Year's post, I wanted to give Tina's armor an official design, and I think I found it.
After a bit of browsing, I found some stuff related to ancient Rome and, specifically, the legions of soldiers who conquered vast territories facilitating the expansion of the empire (in most cases by scorching the earth, but whatever). I focused especially on the military body that answers directly to the upper echelons of the empire, these elite royal guards who protected the emperor.
And since Tina and her colleagues are an elite group at the service of the population - part of a private army to boot - I wanted to paint her officially as a modern Praetorian, for mirroring and for the connection with Italy.
I hope you could like it ♡
