Editing Dissonance
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
| Latest revision | Your text | ||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
She turned away, and moved to the open doorway leading to Rina's workshop, standing there for a long moment. Though Rina could not see her face, she heard the shallow sobbing.<br><br> | She turned away, and moved to the open doorway leading to Rina's workshop, standing there for a long moment. Though Rina could not see her face, she heard the shallow sobbing.<br><br> | ||
| − | ''Like what?'' Alarmed by her mother's tears, Rina glanced down. Saw nothing but the usual dirt, grease, and ... ''Wait. Scars''. She yanked on on sleeves and zipped up to her chin. She'd become inured to most of her scars and Joshua wasn't bothered by them, but they might frighten the uninitiated. ''Keep it light. No big deal''. "Mama?" Rina closed the distance between them. "I know I'm a mess, but it comes with the territory. It'll wash off."<br><br> | + | ''Like what?'' Alarmed by her mother's tears, Rina glanced down. Saw nothing but the usual dirt, grease, and ... ''Wait. Scars''. She yanked on on sleeves and zipped up to her chin. She'd become inured to most of her scars and Joshua wasn't bothered by them, but they might frighten the uninitiated.<br><br> |
| + | |||
| + | ''Keep it light. No big deal''. <br><br> | ||
| + | |||
| + | "Mama?" Rina closed the distance between them. "I know I'm a mess, but it comes with the territory. It'll wash off."<br><br> | ||
"When you joined the Navy all those years ago, we fought but … I didn't put up as much a fight as I might. I was worried you'd be killed, but the thought crossed my mind: What general would send a little thing like you into battle? So I hoped you'd be working in communications, or intelligence, you're such a smart girl. That you'd be safe in the Core at some headquarters, you'd come back with a shiny purple uniform and that would be the end. When you waved being shipped out, I sensed a foreboding, but Papa brushed it off. Navy ships were practically invulnerable compared to the little junkers the Browncoats were using. Then we heard of your death, and people asking about you... it was hard. Then news came of your... of the accusations. People stopped asking about you. They may have spoken about it behind our backs, but they never brought it up to us. That was good, we too stopped talking about it."<br><br> | "When you joined the Navy all those years ago, we fought but … I didn't put up as much a fight as I might. I was worried you'd be killed, but the thought crossed my mind: What general would send a little thing like you into battle? So I hoped you'd be working in communications, or intelligence, you're such a smart girl. That you'd be safe in the Core at some headquarters, you'd come back with a shiny purple uniform and that would be the end. When you waved being shipped out, I sensed a foreboding, but Papa brushed it off. Navy ships were practically invulnerable compared to the little junkers the Browncoats were using. Then we heard of your death, and people asking about you... it was hard. Then news came of your... of the accusations. People stopped asking about you. They may have spoken about it behind our backs, but they never brought it up to us. That was good, we too stopped talking about it."<br><br> | ||
| Line 29: | Line 33: | ||
She pulled a silk kerchief from a fold in her outfit and dabbed at her eyes and nose, her carefully applied make-up running slightly.<br><br> | She pulled a silk kerchief from a fold in her outfit and dabbed at her eyes and nose, her carefully applied make-up running slightly.<br><br> | ||
| − | "And now you are back, after so long, and I thank God for that. But...," she trailed off, then straightened herself out. "Do you remember your grandmother, my mother?" she asked almost rhetorically.<br><br> | + | "And now you are back, after so long, and I thank God for that. But...," she trailed off, then straightened herself out.<br><br> |
| + | |||
| + | "Do you remember your grandmother, my mother?" she asked almost rhetorically.<br><br> | ||
"Baba Varvara?" Rina blinked, thrown. ''What does she have to do with …? Never mind. Focus''. "[[Dissonance#HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN|''Nemnoga'']]," she admitted. "A little."<br><br> | "Baba Varvara?" Rina blinked, thrown. ''What does she have to do with …? Never mind. Focus''. "[[Dissonance#HOW TO SPEAK RUSSIAN|''Nemnoga'']]," she admitted. "A little."<br><br> | ||
| − | "Your brothers might remember her better, by the time you were old enough to care, she was a shell of her former self. Despite her success, her youth shortened her life. | + | "Your brothers might remember her better, by the time you were old enough to care, she was a shell of her former self. Despite her success, her youth shortened her life."<br><br> |
| − | "No, I didn't." Rina remembered the stories at the dinner table, of her grandmother owning the small theater/cabaret where her mother met her father. It was part and parcel of the How-I-Married-Your-Mother story they all loved to hear as children, but Baba Varvara being an engineer? This was news to her. Yet, it made sense. Rina had always wondered why she, born into a family of artists, had her odd-duck affinity for machines. Were it not for the strong family resemblance, she would have concluded early on that she was adopted. Little else could have explained the discrepancy that was her. Rina followed her mother as she moved through the engine room, knowing there was more to the story.<br><br> | + | Natalia walked back into the engine room and knocked her knuckles against one the engine components making it ring.<br><br> |
| + | |||
| + | "She was an engineer of sorts herself, did you know that?"<br><br> | ||
| + | |||
| + | "No, I didn't." <br><br> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Rina remembered the stories at the dinner table, of her grandmother owning the small theater/cabaret where her mother met her father. It was part and parcel of the How-I-Married-Your-Mother story they all loved to hear as children, but Baba Varvara being an engineer? This was news to her. Yet, it made sense. Rina had always wondered why she, born into a family of artists, had her odd-duck affinity for machines. Were it not for the strong family resemblance, she would have concluded early on that she was adopted. Little else could have explained the discrepancy that was her. Rina followed her mother as she moved through the engine room, knowing there was more to the story.<br><br> | ||
"My mother's family business, automation systems, was ruined by bad business decisions and a dubious partner. Mother made some money working as a dance hall girl in that same theater you remember visiting. The girls were popular with the boys in town, and a girl could make a little extra money... entertaining them. Her family was so poor, she had to do it. One night while celebrating, one boy tried to have his way with her. She fought back, he is the one who cut her face."<br><br> | "My mother's family business, automation systems, was ruined by bad business decisions and a dubious partner. Mother made some money working as a dance hall girl in that same theater you remember visiting. The girls were popular with the boys in town, and a girl could make a little extra money... entertaining them. Her family was so poor, she had to do it. One night while celebrating, one boy tried to have his way with her. She fought back, he is the one who cut her face."<br><br> | ||
| Line 46: | Line 58: | ||
"As I grew older I wanted to work with her, but she forbade me. Once I sneaked in after her one night she couldn't finish her work, and started to apply grease to the massive cable spindle that controlled on the main curtain. Mother found me and slapped me so hard, I fell to the ground." She rubbed her cheek wistfully. "I can still feel it."<br><br> | "As I grew older I wanted to work with her, but she forbade me. Once I sneaked in after her one night she couldn't finish her work, and started to apply grease to the massive cable spindle that controlled on the main curtain. Mother found me and slapped me so hard, I fell to the ground." She rubbed her cheek wistfully. "I can still feel it."<br><br> | ||
| − | |||
| − | |||
"She made me swear that I would never do that again, that I would not except a job that would get me dirty or involve physical labor. She was so adamant, I made the vow."<br><br> | "She made me swear that I would never do that again, that I would not except a job that would get me dirty or involve physical labor. She was so adamant, I made the vow."<br><br> | ||
| Line 71: | Line 81: | ||
You can't always get what you want, or so the wisdom went. But sometimes you get what you need. Rina knew her mother was overwhelmed and needed something to hold on to, some reassurance that they would all make it through this, all while mourning for a son she'd lost even as she tried to accept a daughter she'd thought dead was still alive.<br><br> | You can't always get what you want, or so the wisdom went. But sometimes you get what you need. Rina knew her mother was overwhelmed and needed something to hold on to, some reassurance that they would all make it through this, all while mourning for a son she'd lost even as she tried to accept a daughter she'd thought dead was still alive.<br><br> | ||
| − | In her memories, her mother | + | In her memories, her mother had always been indomitable, was always young and beautiful—a child's vision of her parents—but she can see the years had taken their toll. There were lines on her face that hadn't been there when she last saw her. Silver kissed her hair and her skin had that translucent delicacy that spoke of age instead of youth. Her blue eyes were still clear and sharp, if clouded by the current what-ifs that plagued her, and Rina had faith that her mind and spirit remained unbroken, even though her mother felt otherwise. She wanted to hug her, to give her the comfort of touch … but she was too filthy for it and her mother didn't have the clothes to spare the ruination of what she wore. So Rina held her hand and hoped it was enough.<br><br> |
"As for the rest, we've been through worse and we're still here," Rina said "We're not alone. We have a ship and we have a crew, damned good ones. We have friends and contacts, places to go. We will win through, Mama. It won't be easy but we will win. Sasha knows this, else he would never have gone back. You and Papa know this, else you never would have left. Come," she added, tugging her mother gently for the crew lounge. "I'll make some tea. You look like you can use a cup."<br><br> | "As for the rest, we've been through worse and we're still here," Rina said "We're not alone. We have a ship and we have a crew, damned good ones. We have friends and contacts, places to go. We will win through, Mama. It won't be easy but we will win. Sasha knows this, else he would never have gone back. You and Papa know this, else you never would have left. Come," she added, tugging her mother gently for the crew lounge. "I'll make some tea. You look like you can use a cup."<br><br> | ||
