"Heeey, you've reached Yang! Well, actually, you didn't reach far enough, 'cause I'm not here right now! But don't yang up! Just leave a message on this baby, and I'll get back to you soon enough, okay?"
... [ Now there's a question she didn't expect, and she blinks slowly, cradling her glass between her palms. She never thought she'd be discussing her family more than once today. ]
[ Yang smiles back, just as soft-- and nods with a sigh. ]
To make a long story really, really short, Ruby and I are only half-sisters. My real mother left after I was born for no apparent reason, and Ruby's mom, Summer, raised me instead. I never knew the truth until after she'd disappeared while on a mission.
... I got pretty stupid for awhile after that, trying to find my mother, but I've learned my lesson.
[Natalia blinks, taking it in and nodding slowly. To have a mother who left.... Natalia looks at her hands and slowly considers it. She doesn't know who her birth parents are, but she's so happy with her father - at least now she is, since he hasn't tried to kill her and all that.
[Natalia smiles gently at that, down at her hands as she considers her words.]
I see.... The Queen passed when I was very young, so I never quite knew my mother either. [She shakes her head faintly.] I suppose the dreams just made me rather... curious. Thank you for telling me.
[Quite the understatement. She gives herself a moment before she looks down at her hands as she speaks.]
.... I found out perhaps no more than a few months ago that I am not the blood relative of the king. For a time, I was stripped of my right to succession and was labeled a traitor to my country, blamed for a disaster that sparked a war.
[ . . . . . She closes her eyes as she admits:] I was to drink poison under his orders.
[Then in a tenuous attempt to keep Yang from reacting strongly, she speaks quickly and follows with that sentence.] I am fine now, naturally. Everything has since been smoothed over but I.... [She turns to Yang and attempts a smile.] I'm fine.
[ ... Why do most of her friends have these deep, terrible pasts where horrible shit happens to them WHY?? Poison?? Treason? Her dad had tried to have her killed??
Not that Yang says that, and she can't even hug Natalia when she's got this stupid cold to avoid spreading, but the look on her face is clearly unhappy. ]
... I'd believe that more if it didn't bug you enough that you'd want to talk parents with me.
A point that makes Natalia cross her arms, more defensive than aggressive as her fingers curl around her own arm, even as she gives Yang a sheepish smile.]
It has since been mended and he has accepted me as his daughter and the princess again--
.... I suppose it's still just something that's hard to forget.
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... I wish I could say that, but it was actually pretty bad.
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Truly....? Well, I suppose it would make more sense than for it to be an isolated incident just for myself and a stranger.
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It wasn't just you. It happened to me, the person I dreamed about, Naoki...
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At the very least, it's nice to confirm that I wasn't alone...
[And she pauses then, as if trying to gather her thoughts. At the very least, that's the original reason why she came to see Yang.]
Have you ever... thought about your relationship with your parents, Yang?
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That's... kind of tricky, honestly.
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I'll do my best to keep up if you're willing to share.
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To make a long story really, really short, Ruby and I are only half-sisters. My real mother left after I was born for no apparent reason, and Ruby's mom, Summer, raised me instead. I never knew the truth until after she'd disappeared while on a mission.
... I got pretty stupid for awhile after that, trying to find my mother, but I've learned my lesson.
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Politics is just messy stuff.]
I see.... Then are you no longer looking?
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I see.... The Queen passed when I was very young, so I never quite knew my mother either. [She shakes her head faintly.] I suppose the dreams just made me rather... curious. Thank you for telling me.
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[ Your turn, Nat. ]
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[She pauses, trying to find the word.]
... trying experiences, particularly involving my father.
[Y'know. The king.]
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... Trying?
[ SHE'S LISTENING... ]
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Can't.
So instead she pauses for a moment again before giving Yang an apologetic smile.]
I have... more secrets than I thought. Please be patient with me, Yang.
[Though... she supposes she'll tell her. Who can she trust here if not Yang?]
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[Natalia just offers a sheepish smile then and the closest she ever really gets to a shrug of her shoulders.]
it's more... that I've never told anyone before. Everyone at home already knows - they got the news just as I did.
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[ Understatement. ]
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.... I found out perhaps no more than a few months ago that I am not the blood relative of the king. For a time, I was stripped of my right to succession and was labeled a traitor to my country, blamed for a disaster that sparked a war.
[ . . . . . She closes her eyes as she admits:] I was to drink poison under his orders.
[Then in a tenuous attempt to keep Yang from reacting strongly, she speaks quickly and follows with that sentence.] I am fine now, naturally. Everything has since been smoothed over but I.... [She turns to Yang and attempts a smile.] I'm fine.
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Not that Yang says that, and she can't even hug Natalia when she's got this stupid cold to avoid spreading, but the look on her face is clearly unhappy. ]
... I'd believe that more if it didn't bug you enough that you'd want to talk parents with me.
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A point that makes Natalia cross her arms, more defensive than aggressive as her fingers curl around her own arm, even as she gives Yang a sheepish smile.]
It has since been mended and he has accepted me as his daughter and the princess again--
.... I suppose it's still just something that's hard to forget.
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[She waves a hand vaguely.]
What can I do about something that's in the past? I can only reconcile it in my own heart, can't I?
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[ . . . but she does hum softly.] Perhaps when I return home, then.
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