Name: Maurina Lee Dervish Grady
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Race: Human
Kingdom: Prospit
Psychological Traits:
When Maurina was little she showed a great interest in helping people out. She was always cheerful and affectionate even towards people she didn't know. Even at a young age she knew right from wrong and always did what she could to correct others when they did wrong, or to show appreciation for the stuff they did right. When she was 7 her parents began fighting often. Although she was afraid to get into the middle of it, there were times when she intervened and told her parents that they loved each other and that “You shouldn't fight, because you'll make the other sad.” Her conversations worked for a while, both parents realizing just how bad it is to have your 7 year old daughter tell you not to fight, but soon, they stopped caring and separated.
Maurina lived with her mother primarily as opposed to her father -her father wanted nothing to do with her. Even with that truth Maurina continued to be chipper. One year for her 9th birthday, her father gave her a collection of porcelain Harlequin dolls. Her mother got angry at him for it, thinking that the creepy dolls would frighten Maurina and give her nightmares, but soon Maurina developed and obsession for the dolls.
At the age of 12 her father died of disease that had progressed too far. She was distraught, but remained with the facade happiness so as not to worry her mother about her own well being. Unfortunately her mother got over the death of her husband -they were still married, just living in different places- fairly quickly and moved out, leaving the house behind and Maurina to fend for herself.
Maurina didn't mind it too much, living on her own. She was getting money every week to keep the upkeep on the house going, to pay for food, clothes and whatever else the 13 year old girl wanted. Maurina used some of this money to buy herself more dolls, cloth to make outfits that resembled harlequin clothing and other random things. Soon her obsession developed into something morbid and she began doodling pictures of Harlequins murdering other people in detailed, beautiful but gory art. Eventually when no more dolls were to be found that caught her eye, and her closet was full to the brim of Harlequin clothes, she bought books about the history of Derse and Prospit. She enjoyed reading and learning about the two planets and soon began to search for more information on the history of the trolls and Carapaces. By the age of 16 she had vast knowledge in the history, government and society of Derse, Prospit and the trolls.
Physical description:
Maurina is average height, being about 5'5”. She has a slim build that is curvacious. She has an equally proportioned body, her torso being long and hour glass shaped. Her chest is fairly large but not humungous. She has bright baby blue with thick, dark lashes. Her hair is long, mid thigh length and wavy, almost curly. Her hair is a medium between platinum blonde and a very light yellow color. She rarely wears it all the way up except for when she's troubled or focusing.
Her outfit is a golden, almost ritzy rendition of a harlequins outfit. The but is covered by a light colored golden cloth that leads down. It dips down at the hips, creating a large strip in the front that looks almost like a knee length loin cloth, embroidered by gold. There is a section of the waist that wraps around, almost like a corset that is a darker goldish yellow and stops at the hips, where it then leads down into a frilly 3/4's skirt. She has detached sleeves that are a dark goldish yellow that pull up to the upper arms and go down a half an inch pass her fingertips. The entire ensemble looks a lot like an entertainer or princesses outfit in it's own right.
Background:
Maurina was born to a noble family towards the outskirts of Prospits moons city. Her mother and father would tell her that the day she was born was a blessing, as her mother was rumored to being unable to have children. From a young age her mother taught her the basics. How to say please and thank you, manners, how to ask for things politely, and to never drop hints or beg for something, and that if you were denied something, don't ask questions, just accept it and don't ask again.
At the age of two Maurina became interested in learning things. Her mother -having learned a lot of things in her schooling- began to teach the child small things that she felt wouldn't harm the child. Parts of the body, what each part does, how many teeth belong in a humans mouth. By the age of 4 Maurina had learned the scientific name for most bones in her body though a lot of them were difficult for the girl to pronounce.
At the age of 5 Maurina began to develop odd behaviors for most children her age -though not necessarily bad. She would be taken to play with other children, and she wouldn't fight over the toys, or argue, or fight with the other kids when they were being mean. If a child called her a mean name, she'd sit there and shrug it off. She wouldn't call the child a name back. And soon that behavior escalated. Soon she was trying to comfort other children who cried when their parents left, or if they hurt themselves. Other parents began asking her parents what their secret was to raising their child, and proudly they stated that all they did was teach her manners and discipline her if she did something wrong.
Unfortunately her parents didn't realize that with this behaviorism that their daughter possessed, soon she started stressing herself out, attempting all in her power to make the others around her as happy as she could. At the age of 7 patches of bleached hair started to appear in her black hair, though they were small at first, they started to get worse over time.
Feeling concerned for their daughter her parents took her to a medical specialist to get her checked out. The news they received was that the reason for the color of her hair changing was due to her body no longer was producing eumelanin (the melanin that produces brown, black and red hair). He claimed that it was harmless and that genetics could be a large part of it, but he wasn't sure why it was happening at such a young age.
Feeling as if their daughter would be made fun of for her sudden change of hair color or the patches of white throughout her hair, her mother hid her head in ridiculous looking hats. Her father found them to be tacky and when in his presence told Maurina to remove them. This eventually caused both of her parents to start arguing.
That single fight wasn't the last of them though, no. Soon as they began to argue and bicker, they unearthed untold feelings towards the other spouse. One fight after another broke out with careless words slung about. They didn't think of the impact it was having on Maurina, instead they ignored it when over the next few months more and more pale platinum blonde/white hair began showing up. They blamed it on her condition, never the fact that part of the reason for her hair bleaching was because of the stress of her parents screaming at each other every morning that they hated each other.
By the time Maurina turned 9, they were basically no longer talking to each other civilly. Every time one would walk by the other a foul name would be released in the others presence. The only person Maurina's parents would speak to in their household, was Maurina herself, and most of what they had to say to her involved slandering the other parent. But for Maurina's 9th birthday her father bought her a set of Harlequin dolls, feeling guilty to have put his daughter through the recent arguing him and her mother had been doing.
But it seemed as if even that little act had set her mother off. She hollered at him, saying how stupid he was and how he was a shitty father for scaring her with disgusting, freakish Harlequin dolls. But what her mother wasn't expecting was that Maurina would fall head over heels for her creepy, clownesque dolls.
A few months later, the fighting had gotten so bad that they filed for divorce, leaving Maurina distraught when her father moved out and suddenly she was alone. Her mother barely spoke to her. She left whenever she wanted, did whatever she wanted and came home whenever she wanted. Maurina became more stressed than ever, but that wasn't the pinnacle of her stress. 3 years later, her father was diagnosed with a disease that had progressed far beyond treating. He died on Maurina's 12th birthday.
Despite her mothers past with hating her father, she was distraught when she had learned that he was ill and that it was already too far to be treated. She stood by his bedside and sobbed, holding his hand. She cried, apologizing to the unresponsive body as he waited to finally pass on. Maurina watched on with a broken heart, crying silently. She hadn't known just how much her mother still loved her father, but seeing how she was reacting, it killed her inside knowing that the divorce was only just to spend some time away from each other. And now, they could never make amends and get back together no matter what.
The act of watching her father die before her terrified her, but not as much as the threats her mother made during the time it took for him to stop breathing. Her mother wasn't taking the occasion very well and multiple times a day could have been found sitting on the sofa in their home, crying. Maurina showed no real emotion, knowing that it wouldn't help her mother move on if she cried all the time as well. She was convinced that the best she could do to help now was to be strong for her mother. During those depression periods, Maurina's mother would tell her daughter that she couldn't live without her husband, and hinted towards committing suicide. That very threat frightened Maurina. She begged her mother not to, saying that it wouldn't be fair if she took her own life, making Maurina lose both parents so soon. At first, it didn't seem like Maurina's mother would listen. She kept making the threat and crying. Maurina would come home, or come downstairs in fear, afraid that she would one day find her mother dead from grief.
Luckily it never happened. Over time, it seemed as if the pain her mother was feeling was fading. Soon the threats of her committing suicide subsided. The number of times she burrowed herself in her room and cried dwindled, and once again she began smiling. Maurina was happy for her, but having bottled the pain of losing her father inside to remain strong for her mother had taken a large toll on her. She felt hurt, and paranoid. Everytime her mother so much as sniffled she panicked expecting the worst to happen. Such as finding out her mother was equally as ill as her father was.
As time went on she began to calm down, no longer expecting the small things to be something serious. When Maurina turned 12, her mother announced that she was moving in with her parents. Maurina, being only 12 years old, became upset, not wanting to move in with her grandmother, but Maurina's mother announced that Maurina wouldn't be moving in with them. She would be staying behind in their house. This shocked Maurina. She didn't know why her mother was moving out, and didn't really have the chance to ask her. She was unaware that most of the stuff that her mother wanted to keep had already been moved out. Upon returning home from grocery shopping, her mother left and never came back. Maurina was alone.
For a long time Maurina felt betrayed, abandoned by the woman she thought loved her. Over time she learned to accept where she was, and even enjoy it. She was receiving money to pay for her home by her mother. Money for food and bills were given to her, not to mention spending money for whatever Maurina wanted or needed. Being not much older than a child, not yet a teenager, Maurina spent a good sum of money on Harlequin dolls. Ones to finish the collection her father had started for her. Dolls lead to posters, posters lead to costumes, costumes lead to books. Soon there was no more to buy that was unique. So with some of the money her mother was sending her, she went out and bought a sewing machine and a few books on how to make clothes. She began sewing her own gold colored clothing. But that could only last so long.
At first, her excuse was that she had no clothes. After a while, when her hair had lost all of it's color, she used the color being incompatible with her outfits as an excuse to make more. Eventually, she ran out of room in her wardrobe and in the end had so many outfits that there was a good chance that she could have choosen to wear a different one, everyday for two months.
With there being no more room in her wardrobe for clothes, and no need to make anymore, she quickly found herself bored. Though school kept her occupied, she no longer left the house, feeling very self-conscious about her hair color. Being one of the only -if not only- Dersite with blonde hair. And it wasn't even a blonde blonde, it was a pale, almost old lady white with a small tint of blonde, and even then she was sure that it was just the planet itself making it look that way. So the only reason she left was to get food or supplies, which then she would hide her hair with a hood or hat.
She needed to find something to do with the new found time between school and bed. So on a few trips out, she bought some books. Fiction at first, then she found through one of her favorite novels, an interest in the history of the two planets she lived on and Skaia. Soon she was spending money on history books and biographies. All the way until the age of 16 she spent researching the history and culture of the Carapaces, Derse and Prospit and reading any piece of literature that involved it that she could. When she ran out of possible reading material on the subject of Derse and Prospit, she pushed on, reading about the history behind the heirachy. The first Queen, what each kingdom was like, each war.
From there she read about the history of the humans and the parts that they took place. Different wars, biographies on different leaders and different important nobles. Though she was indulging in research, she realized one thing that made her curious. She had hardly read any stories about the trolls that inhabited the planet attached to her home. Feeling curious, she finished her work and grabbed a gold colored cloak. When she was younger, her parents had told her that going to Prospit was a bad place, especially for nobility such as herself. But she knew that if she was going to get any proper information on the trolls history, she would have to ask a troll. And that would require her leaving the safety of her home to the planet below.
She caught a shuttle down, hidden in the confines of her cloak and ritzy harlequin inspired gown. She slipped into the crowd unnoticed. People were going about their busy schedules, not careing whether or not a little girl was present. Some fights were picked between a few trolls here and there, and maybe one or two Carapaces. She tried to avoid scuffles like that. The last thing she wanted was to get involved in a street fight.
She made her way through the high district, to the low district. She knew that the best place to find a troll who wasn't too busy with whatever it was they did in the low district, yet wouldn't be as dangerous as a troll from the slums.
She wandered through the low district aimlessly at first. She was partially amazed at how much was going on, and partially horrified at how people had to survive. It was nothing like living in the palace she was living in now. There were no maids, no one seemed polite enough to really talk to anyone. There were a lot of trolls though. She watched as they walked on, pushing by each other, some getting into loud verbal spats over the crowds of other people. She continued on, wondering where it was she was going to find a troll who didn't seem angry enough to rip her jaw off?
Not too long after, while walking down past a larger shop, she spotted a single troll, about middle aged sitting on raised, cement foundation, acting almost like a sidewalk for the shop itself. He was leaning with his head against the wall, ignoring the people walking in and out of the door beside him. He had a single scar across his face but that wasn't what really caught her attention. Looking him over she saw that he was missing his legs from the knees down. She stopped in the middle of the street and stared at his stumps. She wanted to ask what happened, she wanted to ask if he was alright, if he needed help with anything, but she couldn't. Up until now, she'd only met one or two trolls and she didn't say a word to them. So she didn't move, she just stood there, not reacting as trolls bumped into her and cursed her for being in the way.
The troll didn't go long without noticing her though. Peering out between his barely parted eyelids, he watched as the child stood in the middle of the road. He knew she wasn't from the high district. He knew that for damn sure just by the fancy golden robes she wore. She must have been one of those wealthy rich kids from up there on the moon, living without a care in the world. He snorted and closed his eyes, hoping that If he ignored her she'd go away.
He kept his eyes closed for almost ten fifteen minutes, but when he opened his eyes again he saw that she was facing him, her hood down around her shoulders. Sighing he sat forward and glared at her. “What the fuck do you want kid?” He questioned with a gruff voice. She gasped, jumping a bit. She hadn't noticed that he'd noticed her and debated on leaving. But now that he'd addressed her, she felt that that would have been rude, and it was a good initiation into a conversation. Perhaps this troll would be able to tell her about his culture as well?
“I...I was looking for a troll.” She admitted. He didn't say anything, instead he stared at her for a few minutes as neither of them said a word.
“Well? It looks like you found one, congrats. What do you want?” She hesitated, finally, she decided to approach him, but when she did another troll ran into her, knocking her out of the way.
“Move your ass peasant!” He snarled, looking back at her. She looked up at him in shock as he turned and continued walking, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing his normal Gold outfit, like most Prospitans, but there was a cloth band around his upper arm that was a blue color with a black symbol. She noted a similarity it had to the arm bands worn in Nazi Germany. But what would a troll beg sporting it?
“Hey! You just knocked down an innocent girl! At least apologize, it's not like you're any better than anyone else here!” The legless troll snarled after the man, but the man didn't acknowledge, instead he carried on into the crowd. “You ok kid?” He turned, looking at her. Nodding she pushed herself up and crawled to the side of the street, sitting beside him. Reaching down she lifted her skirt and checked her skinned knees. “Even on a new planet people are going to act as if they're the top of the grid.” He snorted in disgust. “So what are you doing out here anyway? Where's your...” He hesitated then grimaced as he spoke, as if not wanting to say the wrong word. “guardian.”
“Well, I wanted to learn about troll history, but we have so little of it in books. In a matter of fact, I don't think we have any books on your history.” She admitted, replacing her skirt down over her knees. He looked at her like she was crazy, then laughed.
“Wow, that's stupid as hell.” Her forehead crinkled as she watched him laugh, not understanding what was so funny. “You...a little girl...came down here to learn about trolls. HA HA!!” He continued laughing, snorting a bit. She couldn't help but notice that his tongue had a yellow hue to it and made a mental note.
“What's so stupid about that? You're members of Prospit, why shouldn't your history be equally important to learn?” He turned to her, looking at her seriously, then smiled.
“Because you'd be wasting your time.” He replied. “We have basically no say here, why should we try to push ourselves into this culture anymore than we are? It's not like any of us will be able to live up on that fancy moon up there in palaces and have the same opportunity of power and wealth that you humans have.” She looked at him quizzically for a few moments then shook her head.
“Should it matter? Does wealth and status really matter?” He groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Coming from a rich kid.”
“Coming from a rich kid with no parents and no history of her own. Coming from a rich kid locked behind golden walls like an iron bird cage while millions of trolls experience the thrills of having to work for their living. While people get out and shop, and work, and love while everything that I want is handed to me. I don't need to leave the house to get what I want, where is the thrill in that? You're only as corrupt as your pocket is shallow. When your pockets hold more gold than hard work is when you become nothing more than a wallet, and everyone’s wallet does the talking.” She explained. He looked at her and shook his head.
“Cute little poem there kid. I guess I could answer a few questions. Not like I have anyplace to be or anything.” He reached below him and pushed himself up, adjusting himself as he got ready. “Alright, so what do you want to know?” She hesitated for a few moments, then pulled out a pad of paper, getting ready to write.
“What is your planet called?” She looked at him. He hummed a bit before leaning back.
“Alternia.” She nodded and looked down, writing the name of the planet down.
“Tell me about your people, what was it like on Alternia.” He inhaled deeply and laughed, kind of regretting what he had agreed to do.
“This is going to take a long time kid.” He warned her, but all she did was smile and nod, resting the pad on her lap.
“I have time.” She assured him. Nodding he exhaled sharply and thought of a good place to start.
“Well, we were born on a gray planet called Alternia, bordered by a green and purplish pink moon. Our race was a relatively violent one, whether it had always been like that, I don't know. Dangerous beasts lived on Alternia, dragons, giant spiders, hermaphrodite cow-centaurs, sea-goats, fairy winged miniature bulls, multi-mouthed felines, biclopes's, crabstrosities, giant flying whale, flying seahorses and many others. We were separated into a caste system and were oppressed based on blood color which resulted in the adults leaving Alternia to colonize other planets, so the planet became ruled by mostly children. These children were raised by these dangerous monsters.
Of course there were always not-so-dangerous monsters as well. Cuttlefish, Aquatic hoofbeasts who look very similar to you humans horses. The sun on Alternia was so bright that looking up into it would cause instant blindness,” He smiled, seeming to enjoy talking about it. Maurina smiled as he carried on, talking about his hivebent, how the wrigglers are made, the mother grub, the trials they had to undergo. She listened on fascinated with the stories, writing them all down, taking notes, allowing him to carry on with his stories, not having the heart to stop him from reminiscing on his planet that no longer existed. After about an hour or two of talking, he slowly came to a stop and looked at her. Smiling she looked at her notebook, over 15 pages full of notes. He'd even gone into detail about how he lost his legs. When he was a wriggler they were crushed in by rocks, lost blood flow and fell off. Unfortunately, when he grew into the troll he became as a child, his legs stayed the same.
“So you all have different colored blood?” She looked up at him in amazement. He nodded.
“It's called the hemospectrum. Blue bloods are generally at the top, purple bloods usually belong to seadwellers and the red means your considered a 'peasant blood'.” he made quotes with his finger.
“Does the hemospectrum exist amongst you guys here on Prospit still?” He clicked his teeth a bit and shook his head.
“Not really. Some people, mainly the high-bloods, feel that it's wasn't a fair and equitable deal. They had gone from ruling over us to being knocked down not only from a position of power, but to the bottom of the rung all together. Some trolls show their dislike for these new terms by somehow showing their blood color and their symbol, although they have to wear Prospits colors.” He admitted. “Us lower bloods don't really care either way.”
“So that man earlier, than pushed me over, he was a high-blood?” She leaned back a bit, looking off the way the troll from earlier had gone.
“Yeah. Some high-bloods wear those bands, some wear bandana's or tag, or earrings or belts to show it. It's a little more than a fashion choice though I'm afraid. It's a status, a sign for other high-bloods who don't support the change who is on their side if a revolt happens. If something happens and chaos were to break out...well I know damn well there's going to be a thousand dead low-bloods on the streets. And not just low-bloods, but any high-blood that supports them, and any Carapace who defends us.” Maurina frowned, looking at her notes worried. She thought of what it would be like if the high-bloods were to go rampant, and chills fluttered up her spine. Standing she turned and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He looked at her confused, wondering what the hell she was doing.
“I won't let that happen. I promise.” She whispered in his ear. He stopped, blinking for a second, then laughed, patting her back. The innocence of a child. Stupid, but it was a change of pace.
************************
She made her way back to the shuttles as it started getting darker out. The streets became more and more deserted. She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself as things started to get chilly. She was about a block from the shuttles when a harsh noise made her stop. She turned, spotting a troll sitting on the ground. He was sitting with his legs out straight, a crazed look in his eyes. She didn't want to go near him, but she wondered if he was hurt, or needed help.
“Are you alright?” She questioned into the darkness.
“You hear about them? Did he tell you about them? The ones who'll rule this planet?” The troll cackled. She hesitated, then took a step forward.
“No, no one told me about-”
“The clowns, the clowns will come!” he laughed, shaking as he did. She stopped, surprised. She enjoyed clowns, but...she had no idea what this troll knew of them, or what they had to do with anything involving the trolls.
“I don't understand.”
“You motherfuckers never do, you don't know until it's too late! You're all so oblivious to the mother fucking miracles, but the clowns will show you. Then you'll have a real SUBJect to write about, huh girly!” He cackled again, throwing his hands in the air, his horns scraping against the side of the building he was sitting next to. She backed up, her heart pounding, feeling frightened. “Join it now while you can girly,” the trolls face went serious as he leaned forward, one eye half closed. “Join it now and maybe they'll spare your life when it comes huh?” She stared at him, her eyes connecting with his. Turning she ran, letting the cackled echo behind her as she got to the shuttles.
*****************
She slept restlessly that night, the trolls words bouncing around in her head as she attempted to sleep. Without much luck she rolled out of bed and flipped on her lights. She was surrounded by Harlequins and clowns, normally, she loved her Harlequins and Clowns more than anything in existence, but as that crazy mans words repeated over and over again in her head, she felt uneasy. What had he been talking about? What did any of that mean?
Standing she paced the floor. She didn't understand it at all. He was probably drugged out, or ill, or on the verge of dieing or something. But the way he spoke, the insanity in his voice. It was just so--
“Uh I can't stand being in front of all of these dolls!” She shrieked turning on them. She grabbed them and started pulling them from her walls, growling. “I worship these things religiously, why are they bothering me-” She stopped, her eyes wide. She hadn't recalled the troll she'd spoken with earlier mention anything about religions. Before, she just wrote it down as they didn't have any religion, but is it possible that they did have at least one? Looking down at the little doll in her hand she examined it, feeling drawn to the thought of it. The one thing on Prospit that could have even passed as a religion was the Cult of Life. Though most humans didn't pay much attention to it, her mother had spent a great amount of her life practicing the ways of the Cult.
Many days Maurina would find her mother, praying for the souls of the dearly departed to find peace, for people to find peace in everyday life, and tried her best to help those in need whenever she could. Maurina thought that it was a waste of time, and that it was foolish for humans to worship something like that when half of the Prospitans don't even worship it anymore. But she did find that some of what the religion aimed to do was admirable and found herself also attempting to help creatures out who were in need.
But that was the only kind of religion she knew of on Prospit, and she wasn't interested in it. Perhaps these...clowns, were apart of a troll culture, something that isn't discussed amongst them because it has no weight about it, just like the Temple of Life with the Prospitans? She smiled, imagining what it could be like. Putting the doll in her hand on her dresser she made for the bathroom. She pulled out a box full of makeup -something she had spent a long time finding, especially in the shades she wanted- and rummaged through them. She located a gray, a black and white and eyed the other colors curiously, wondering if they would be needed.
She thumbed through the colors of gold, and different shade of yellow and reds. Not finding anything that felt right to her she turned to the mirror and gave herself a look over. She didn't know what she was doing, or what it would look like. She had no idea what it would possibly look like. Inhaling deeply she uncapped all of the makeup and just started going. Soon she found herself covering her entire body with gray, then her face with white. She hesitated, realizing how absolutely dumb it looked, and how plain it was. Grabbing the black she darkened in her eyes and around her mouth and the hollows of her cheeks. After she was done, she looked up and what she saw made her breath hitch.
She was absolutely amazed. She looked beautiful, just like one of her harlequin dolls only greyscale. She turned her head from one side to another, admiring the paint job, then grinned. This is what a troll clown would look like? Leaning forward, she gently touched the paint and brushed her hair out of the way. “I approve.” She turned and left the bathroom, walking to her bedroom nude to look at the rest of her gray painted body -which she no longer had anymore makeup of that color left- but stopped as the sound of footsteps reached her ears, echoing of the floor downstairs.
“Maurina?” She gasped and turned, looking at the stairs. It was the sound of her mothers voice. Turning she ran back to the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. She couldn't let her mother see her like this. For one, her 16 year old daughter was spending copious amounts of money on makeup that no one seemed to really wear on Prospit, 2 she was spending money on makeup instead of food, and 3 she would be called a “cultist” and her mother would blame her father. It wasn't something a girl of her status and age should be doing.
“I'm just about to get clean!” She shouted through the door, as she began stashing her makeup away, hiding the box in a cabinet. Getting the water set she quickly began to scrub the makeup off, even though her skin remained a little gray, it wasn't terribly noticeable After scrubbing for 20 minutes she rinsed off and climbed out. Getting dressed she left the bathroom and headed downstairs to talk with her mother, only to find a note on the stand by the sofa on top of a book. She picked up the note, feeling depressed and read it.
“I just wanted to drop this off to you. I figured you would enjoy it. Love mother.” She swallowed hard and picked it up, seeing that it was a cheap notebook. Her bottom lip quivered a bit as she put the notebook down and placed the note back on it. “She only came to drop off a cheap notebook. Why didn't I guess?”
***********************
She spent a few days upset with her mother, but soon got over it. She knew that her mother loved her and meant no harm by it, so she used the notebook to categorize all of the information she had learned about the history of the humans, Carapaces and Trolls as chronologically and informatively accurate as possible (Information about the Hemospectrum, Wars, Religions etc.)
Once everything was categorized, she realized that a lot of the Trolls had alienated themselves from the rest of the population on Prospit. Not wanting to be stuck inside, she got together a few notebooks and grabbed her cloak again and made for the shuttles. She wanted to try and see if her troll friend was there still, the one with no legs.
As she landed on the planet below, she climbed out and began walking. As she passed the spot where that troll had been -the crazy one- she couldn't help but think about what he'd said. What what he was referring to an actual religion? Or was he just insane?
She continued to think about it as she walked. She passed a few shops who were closing up their business on account of someone breaking in and stealing money the owner forgot to seal away. That money was necessary to pay for the rent of the building, without it, they were forced to close down. She heard a few people complaining that that was the only store within the area that sold certain items, and that the next store was almost an hour walk through shady parts of the city. A few other people complained that the prices were really well, and when they close down they'd be forced to pay what little money they had for necessary items and risk going hungry.
Maurina wasn't sure just how the rent system worked -seeing how her mother paid for most of the bills- but she felt bad just letting these people go without the items in this shop. Walking up she tapped the owner on the shoulder. It was a Carapace, he seemed shocked to see her but greeted her kindly anyway.
“I'm sorry, but I've encountered a great misfortune. I must close my shop.” He turned and began locking his shop again, sounding heartbroken.
“How did it happen?” She questioned. He turned, looking at her confused, then looked at the door.
“Well, I was tired and not feeling so good. I forgot to lock the money away in a safe place before I went home. Someone broke in and stole it. They gave me two months to pay it all back in full. So far I've only been able to pay back a quarter of it.” He admitted.
“Only a quarter?” he nodded.
“I attempted to boost the prices a bit to get more revenue, but not very many bought after that.” He swallowed. “It's all over now. At least, I can spend some time with my family.” She frowned. Biting her lip she reached into her pocket and pulled out some money, more than enough to cover it.
“Here.” He stopped and looked at her shocked, his eyes wide. The group of bystanders began chattering amongst themselves as they watched her put the money in his hand.
“I...I can't take your money.” He insisted, trying to give it back to her, but all she did was smile and hide her hands behind her back.
“I can't let your shop close just because of an accident. A lot of people would be inconvenienced by it, and you have a family to support.” He looked at the money dumbfounded. Smiling she turned and made her way through the crowd. Although there wasn't much of a reaction, she felt good. Perhaps, there was something she could do for the people of Prospit after all? Even if it was small.
***********************
She began finding odd jobs to do throughout Prospit and talking to the youth found in the streets about how it was important to be tolerant of people. She found little things to do, like history lessons, and stories with small morals hidden in them, and she devoted her time to helping out the needy. Although they were large acts, some people began to show their support for her. Carapaces would make her sweets, or supply her with a place to tell her stories that she'd made up in restaurants as entertainment. She volunteered at stores and restaurants and soon was spending more time out of the house than in her house. After a while, word even started circulating her home, although it wasn't a big deal. Some people heard about her deeds, some people spoke to her about them. It was just like down on the planet. Some people really appreciated her for it, some people admired her for it, and just like every civilization, her good deeds even made her some enemies, but she shrugged them off and handled them maturely when a troll would get into her face, calling her a kiss ass.
She spoke to him politely and asked if there was anything she could help with, but in the end that seemed to only anger them more and send them storming off. One day, a few aristocrats headed down to the planet. What their business was no one really knew, shopping or what not, but a few trolls became furious with them -for what was also a mystery. As Maurina made her way back to the shuttles, she caught the skirmish and saw that no one attempted to help. She became furious at the lack of guts and dropped her plate of sweets that were prepared for her and charge in between the two, separating them.
“Enough!” She screamed as they batted at each other, fists colliding with her shoulders and head as she held them apart at arms length. She closed her eyes so as keep her eyes from becoming damaged in the process. The royals stopped and pulled back once they realized that she was in the middle and attempted to gain their composure. Turning she held the trolls back the best she could, keeping the leader from barreling through her to get to their guests. “I said enough!” She shoved him back, ignoring a set of knuckles to the nose as best as she could. The trolls looked at her enraged, but didn't attempt to attack again. “What in the name of GOD is wrong with you people!” She snarled.
“Get out of the way human or I'll cut you down too!” The leading troll growled. His lackeys howled in excitement behind him, agreeing with him, which incited a growl of hatred behind her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before opening them again, calming herself down.
“Enough, stop.” She lifted her hands.
“Why should we listen to you girl?” the troll snarled.
“We're all Prospitans here, as much as you like to deny it, we're all Prospitans now.” She looked at him, her voice calm. “Fighting each other won't get your planet back. It won't get your lives back and it won't get you anywhere you wish to be in life any faster. You're angry. You think that I'm here to prove how wealthy, and how important I am based on my status. You're wrong.” She slowly lowered her hands. “I want to help you, I want to make your lives more comfortable, but it'll be difficult for me to do so when you're attacking everyone. Who knows? Maybe one day the rules will change and trolls will be allowed into the position of nobility, but that day won't come anytime soon if you prove that you can't even handle living down here.” She reached up, wiping away blood that trickled down her face, looking down at it. “Maybe that's not what you want, maybe you don't want to be accepted into ranks of Nobility, or to saunter up to the top run of the the caste system, but why ruin the opportunity for other people? Why ruin your chance for equality amongst the humans and Carapaces with your violence?” She looked at him for a few moments then shook her head. “Prove to us that you're not all violent monsters. Like it matters to you, we're just a few royals, but prove to us that you're more than just violent monsters and you'll get what you want.” She turns and looks at the rest of the royals and shares a glimpse with all of them. “The same goes for you. Don't instigate fights with your position on this planet. You come down here, you're to expect no better treatment than they would you. The best way to end as many fights is equality and understanding.” She stumbles a bit and hits the ground, the blows to the head finally catching up to her.
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When she awoke she was in her own home. She sighed, pushing herself up. She wondered if that was all just a dream of if it really happened. Slipping out of bed she grabbed a nightgown and slipped it on. A quick glance in the mirror confirmed that she hadn't dreamt it. Groaning she touched her black and blue nose and winced. “I was really hoping that that cheesy ass speech would have been a dream.” She muttered. Turning she headed downstairs. Grabbing a cloth she soaked it in cold water and pressed it to her nose, attempting to make the swelling go down. A knock interrupted her, making her jump. Turning she groaned. Keeping the cloth over her nose she made her way to the front door and opened it. A young human male was on the other side. He smiled at her and bowed his head lightly.
“Miss Dervish?” She nodded, looking at him confused. “I had heard about the incident a couple days ago, I came to see how you were doing?” He stepped in. She stumbled a bit, stepping backwards as she let him in and shut the door behind her.
“A couple days ago?” She mused, then gasped. “I've been out for a couple days!?” He turned and looked at her and nodded.
“My cousin was among one of the men you saved from that savage-”
“No,” He stopped, looked at her confused. She gave him a stern look, her jaw tight. “If you're going to insult the trolls, get out of my house and take your thanks with you. I don't care what you do with them, shove them up your ass or something.” She turned her back on him and made her way back to the kitchen to get the washcloth wet again.
“I'm sorry. I'm just...a little wound up from the whole thing still. She could have been killed, I don't feel very hospitable for them.” He admitted, frowning.
“Your cousin was among the group that was in that situation, but what will keeping the embers alive after the fires been put out accomplish?” She turned and looked at him, dropping the washcloth in the sink. “The only thing it'll do is create another fire, and this time you'll run the risk of being burned twice as bad.” She turned to him. He stared at her for a bit then nodded, smiling.
“I suppose you're right. Thank you, for helping her. Thank you for putting yourself in harms way to peacefully find a solution to that.” She nodded and turned.
“No problem.” She began cleaning up the space around her. Being 17 years old, she sometimes had a hard time keeping her place around her spotless.
“You know,” He took a step into her kitchen, continuing, his hands behind his back. “a lot of people have heard about your work. Your interest in peace is an admirable thing. You see, I search the Queen, and well...” She turned and looked at him, interested in what he had to say. “Word has reached her, and some members of the court see you as an asset. You have similar wishes as the Queen herself. Peace, harmony between the humans, Trolls and Carapaces. As of recently, the Queen has been exhausting herself in wishing to make life easy for all members of Prospit. Some of us fear, that she'll over-encumber herself and make a mistake, or become emotionally distraught. In the end, something bad could happen and while we haven't run it by her yet, we feel that having two people, with two similar outlooks and goals will dramatically cut the stress in half for her.” He explained.
“So wait,” Her forehead crinkled, her eyebrows furrowing. “You're asking me...if I want to be like...the Queens Adviser or something like that?” She was shocked and confused at the same time. “I didn't know you recruited for that, isn't that like...handed down to the best scholar or smartest, oldest person in like...I don't know, the court or something?”
“Something like that. The Adviser could be chosen from candidates by either the Queens parents or the Queen herself if one is suitable enough for the position. Right now, we don't have one. Right now, we believe you could be a valuable candidate.” She mulled it over. She thought through the pros and cons. Pros, she could have a little more sway to help out as much as possible. Cons, she didn't see herself leaving the palace too much.
“How am I supposed to carry on what I'd started if I accept this position.” Maurina questioned, looking at the man curiously. “I'll be the Queens Adviser or, whatever we're going to be calling this. I won't be allowed to leave the Queens side.” He nodded, looking at some knickknacks on her counter. Picking them up he looked them over.
“No one is aware of an Adviser advising the Queen right now, and no one has to know just yet. Or they'll know that there is one, but your name will remain out of it. You'll be allowed to do your normal trips to the planets surface to do what you need to there. She'll handle most of her decisions, but when it comes to important events, you'll have to make an appearance. Important situations, you'll need to be there to make a decision. Other than that, you're free to do as you desire. It might change in the future, but until then.” He explained.
“But I'm only 17 years old, I'm not old enough or mature enough. Not to mention smart enough.” She protested.
“You've studied humans, Carapaces and Trolls. You have more knowledge than most people right now, and as for age and knowledge of the part goes, you'll be entered into schooling of course. You'll be brought through the same expected training as a Queen would as well.” She bit her lip as she thought it over. As if reading her mind, he added. “Think of all of the people you could help. With a position closer to the Queen, peoples needs won't be over looked anymore.” She looked at him, not sure whether to believe he was bribing her or not, but figured it didn't matter.
This was a once in a life time opportunity, either take it now, or never take it. Inhaling deeply, she sighed and closed her eyes. He waited, watching her. After a few minutes she reopened them and looked at him, nodding her head a bit. “I have every duty to my Queen, if it will help the Kingdom, I'll do it.” He smiled and bowed.
“Thank you, both the Queen and I are eternally grateful.” He turned and made for the door.
“But the Queen doesn't know about this.” Maurina countered.
“No, but she will thank you immensely when the time comes.” And with that, he was gone.
***********************
Maurina received her summon and materials. Packing up she went to the palace and began her training as the Queens “Adviser Thing”. She felt nervous at first, wondering if she would have to take any tests to prove that she wasn't going to do anything malicious, but apparently a few people had vouched for her. It was difficult at first getting into everything, but as time went on, she found that she began to enjoy it more and more.
She'd spent 2 years in school, training for the position. Unfortunately, in that amount of time, all hell had broken loose. The Condesce had taken over Derse. She had received news that Derse was in a state of chaos. Trolls were murdering each other in the streets. She knew that the religion that she had clung to blindly these few years wouldn't help her, but still, she clung to it.
Upon finishing her schooling, she was introduced to the King first as the Royal Adviser. He was a bit confused and admittedly a bit angry. He asked her what had taken so long to enter the part and she told him truthfully “I wasn't ready.” She was introduced to the Queen next during her time of darkness. Maurina had been working on presenting herself as a strong and able woman in hopes that her presence would give the Queen strength as well. She vowed to the people of Prospit, and to the King and Queen that she would try all in her power to find a way to end Condesce's Tyranny and bring peace back to Derse and Prospit.
Since she accepted the position as Royal Adviser, she took time to go to the planet, but with the war going on, both planets shroud in darkness, chaos in fear -Derse more so than Prospit what with the Condesce and the low-blood massacre- she had to keep herself hidden. She sank down below the radar, listening to the people of Prospit from a distance, trying her hardest to help out in anyway she could.
One day while traveling through the slums, she overheard a conversation. She debated on going forth, not bothering to stop and pay any mind to it, but a single word caught her attention. A troll was talking about “Clowns”. Hiding behind the wall, she eavesdropped, listening to the conversation. She didn't get much from it, except that it was a group of “psychos” and that they were called the Subjugglators and that there was a couple in the city. Or rather there were a couple claiming to be them in the city. She found the information fascinating and found a passionate old flame rekindled. She decided. She was going to find these people and request to be accepted among the Subjugglators. It couldn't possibly interfere with her work as Royal Adviser, would it?
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