act10d5

For me, the best person is Anna. But you'll do.

Mmm... Rosalind is too direct and open. While Lada is too honest and kindhearted. They won't do.

Surely you feel the same. Which means you have only me, I'm afraid. I'm honestly not surprised you came to me.

Does that mean you want to talk to me?

Yes.

Why?

...Sonya, these last two months, how do you feel, fighting as an operator?

What do you mean 'feel?' It's just fighting. I guess it does suck to have to listen to that Doctor.

Your talking back to the Doctor even made it up to Logistics. You're quite something.

...I'm not like you. I don't talk fancy.

What I really want to ask is, after all we've been through, do you not struggle to pick up a weapon?

...I like fighting.

I see... Still, I think it would be in your best interest to learn some 'fancy talk.' It could save your life.

You don't have to worry.

We may not be friends, but we've been through so much together. I think it's normal to care about you, as a colleague.

And to tell the truth, I do quite like you. I would like to be your friend.

...Huh?

To be more precise, I'd say I envy you. Because you do so easily what I could never do.

Now then, Sonya, won't you tell me what made you seek me out?

...I've been having nightmares lately.

Can you describe them to me?

...No.

Alright. Let me guess. They must be something you can't talk to Anna about. Otherwise you wouldn't have come to me, right?

...Right.

I figured it out while we were still in Chernobog.

You two have an understanding. You each know what the other needs, but you avoid talking about it.

None of your business.

Relax, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm in no position to be giving advice to others right now.

Let's talk about something else, Sonya. Do you plan to live your life as Zima now?

What do you mean?

I mean are you going to stay at Rhodes Island?

We don't have to. The people here are very understanding. If we wanted to leave, they would send us off somewhere peaceful.

There are many survivors like us, rescued at the same time, already on their way back to Ursus.

If we wanted to, we could go to another city in the Empire and start new lives.

So why haven't you left?

I don't know.

Nice weather today. Isn't it, Sonya?

Perfect for a picnics.

Hey.

Back when we were combing through the ruins, desperate for food, stretching a single bottle of water to last an entire day, I often thought to myself:

'If I survive this, I'm going to find a lovely garden on a sunny afternoon and have a sumptuous picnic.'

Hey!

But far more often I thought——

'I wish you killed me that day.'

Don't hesitate. Don't pity me. Don't think to save me. Look down at this wretched aristocrat girl, and swing your axe.

It may have been the very best thing for me, had you just ended my life right there.

There's still time.

You really could?

We left that place, Sonya. We've returned to the civilized world.

We must think as civilized people. We must use civilized methods to solve our problems. Those things that happened back there cannot happen again.

Who cares.

You care. You're a good person, Sonya. 'General Zima,' Protector of the Weak, Bane of the Bullies.

Don't make me puke.

That's the Sonya I heard rumors about.

I just can't stand those punks who get a little bit of strength and think it's a license to bully.

You must hate the aristocracy then?

Duh. A bunch of a fake-ass self-important shitheads.

Yes. They, or rather, we are 'fake-ass self-important shitheads.'

Since you brought me back, I don't think I've ever told you what happened to me before you showed up, did I?

Nope. I just know you were in charge of that gang of nobles.

I'll tell you the story sometime.

Whatever.

Most of the nobility and wealthy people fled the city when Reunion came, or even before.

They know they were coming?

Yes. They did.

...sons of bitches.

Indeed. But you know, nobles are selfish.

You too?

Yes.

So why did you stay?

My family was just too slow. We were trapped with some other noble families. Some houses didn't take the threat seriously, of course.

Oh.

Come now, don't give me that face. This background is important to frame the story. We'll get to the good part.

In short, the students who were sent to your school fell into either the 'slow' or 'stupid' categories.

We were at first meant to stay with our parents, for Reunion to use as hostages to bargain with the Empire. But in the end, we were separated and sent to the school.

That's kinda weird.

It was. Nobles make good hostages in a time of war. Not to be wasted.

The aristocracy is elegant, noble, and should command respect. Even as a captive, one must never forget her house.

You're all screwed in the head.

The old me would have locked you in a two hour debate for saying that, Sonya. Because that's how I was raised.

But now, I agree.

There is no real difference between nobles and commoners. It's all window dressing. Scrape off the veneer and the aristocracy is truly ugly.

We talked about how if it weren't for the first fire, if we didn't lose that food store, things wouldn't have gotten so bad.

But Anna said even without the fire, something else would have happened.

If I had been through that, I would have thought the same.

But in any case, it's post-hoc—— 'What needed to happen to cause all that came after.'

The funny thing is, nobles don't need anything to happen. Put them together and they fight.

Why?

Should I get into the differences between new and old nobility? The mayor's political leanings? How many factions there are in the Chernobog aristocracy?

Could you, like, not do that?

But then you won't understand why they fight.

I guess I'll just never understand.

I'm not really interested in these things either. But as a daughter of the House of Rostov, I had to learn.

All you need to know is that from the very first day we were locked up in the school, the noble students were backstabbing each other.

I had no choice but to step forward as the Student Council President of #4 Secondary School and use my status to bring order.

You mean you organized them to put an end to the infighting?

Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? In order to stop my classmates from fighting, I stood up and took charge.

Uh, ah...

Don't think you rule the roost just because your father owns a mine, Pavel!

A mere baron dares to take such a tone with me. He's lucky he doesn't find my blade in his chest.