Alexandra & Evelina
"Under Pressure"
Under pressure she became a diamond.
Under pressure she became unbreakable.
- R.H. Sin
Location: The Barn (Ville au Camp) ⇢ The Colosseum, Rome (89 AD) ⇢ Ville au Camp
Skills: Mesmerize
It had been an interesting two months training Sophia but the girl had managed to hold her own. Now came time to train Alexandra. Belladonna had been keeping her updated about how the girl was doing and her special condition. This would be interesting. It was time to see just how far she could press the girl and teach her how to keep her cool in all situations. This could pose as a challenge with her but Evelina had some ideas. Some wonderful ideas in fact.
Alexandra was honestly a bit sad, in a bittersweet kind of way, to be changing trainers. Over the last two months, she had grown to enjoy Belladonna's company, and she had come to view the woman as something akin to a mother, a very unorthodox mother, but a mother nonetheless. The older paradox had helped her find herself, the real and the apparently Soulless, and to differentiate between the two opposing parts. Learning that you had unwittingly been infected by a Cargast and lost your soul shortly before death was a tough pill to swallow, but perhaps she had grown to accept it throughout the duration of her training.
Well, think again because she hadn't fully accepted it. She was just stubborn like that. She had more or less grown to at least tolerate it.
Brushing all that aside for the moment, she focused on the next adventure that laid ahead of her, training with Evelina, or as she liked to call her The Dice Lady. She briskly strode over to their assigned meeting place, the barn, with a coat draped over her shoulder. If her training was anything like Belladonna's, she would need something to keep her warm. She silently hoped though that cold weather would be the only similarity. She had had one too many revelations as of late.
"Here and ready for some adventure," she exclaimed with a somewhat confident air about her as she came to a stop beside Evelina.
Evelina glanced over to the young Paradox and gave her a small smile, the pipe clutched between her teeth.
"That is good to hear, I have plans for you." Her voice was more warm than it tended to be when she was addressing the Paradoxes as a group. Less authoritative and more motherly.
"I want to take you to the circus." Yet before they could go anywhere they would need to change their clothing. Pointing towards a small basket she motioned for Alexandra to open it.
"First things first, you must change." Evelina stepped out from behind the stall and pulled the pipe from her lips. She was dressed in a long tunic that reached her ankles, a stola, and sandals. What was in the basket was the same, just in plum instead of baby blue.
At hearing where they would be going, Alexandra's eyes widened before quickly narrowing. They hadn't even begun actually training and already she was feeling suspicious.
If this is another trip down memory lane, I think I'll pass, she thought, electing to keep that little sentiment to herself. If there was one person she didn't want to anger from the get go, it was most certainly the woman before her who held power over death itself. Yeah, that wouldn't be a fight she could win.
"Uh-huh," she replied with a hint of skepticism to her voice. However, when Evelina stepped fully into her view, thus revealing her outfit, her brows soon furrowed.
Well, that's definitely not from my timeline. She eventually shrugged and then retrieved her assigned outfit before darting behind the stall to get dressed. A few minutes later, she stepped out in her new ensemble.
"Okay, let's do this thing then." Maneuvering through a portal by this time was an old trick. Probably something the young Paradox was used to, at least Evelina hoped it was at this point. It was time to go through one again. Stepping through the sun was bright and the walls of stone were high around them in the narrow alleyway. The streets were loud with people speaking in a foreign tongue as they passed by without notice. Evelina turned and looked towards Alexandra.
"Welcome to Rome, 89AD." Alexandra lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight as she stepped through the portal after Evelina. Her inquistive gaze drank in her surroundings as the sounds of talking and laughter reached her ears. She switched hands as she looked back over at Evelina, brows raising slightly at hearing when and where they were.
"Huh," she murmured, but otherwise kept quiet. She decided to just sit back and let the Emendator do her thing.
Stepping out from the alleyway Evelina crinkled her nose a bit, she had done her best to forget just how strong the smell of a large city could be during these times. Especially in the summer. Turning she looked at the large structure that stood towering above most of Roman, it was the center piece and a marvel of engineering, even in modern times.
"The Colosseum, where we are headed." It was odd she didn't have a pipe in her hands but this wasn't an era where there would be one. As they strolled she pointed over towards a long stadium to their left.
"The first circus. Circus Maximus. Chariot races." Alexandra covered her nose with her hand for a moment as her nose wrinkled at the rank smell. To think she thought a circus full of sweaty men stunk, but it certainly had nothing on this place. She grimaced before hesitantly lowering her hand back down to her side. She supposed that it wasn't the Romans fault that their plumbing wasn't as great as it could be. She would just have to get used to it, as this surely wouldn't be the last ancient civilization she would be visiting as a Paradox and all. Her nose twitched as she followed Evelina's gaze. Her eyes widened in wonder and her mouth fell slightly agape in awe of the magnificent structure before her. She glanced back at the Emendator, the corners of her lips pulling up into a smile, before her gaze went back to looking at the rest of the impressive architecture Rome had to offer.
Making their way up to the Colosseum, Evelina knew what was about to happen. She had lived through this time before. Coming up to the steps a guard came into their path and started speaking in Latin. Evelina just stood there, unmoving and eying the man as he kept talking. It wasn't clear what he was saying but it was clear he wasn't letting them through the gate.
"He says women cannot enter the arena." Her voice was calm as she spoke even though the man seemed to be getting more and more livid by the moment.
"I wonder what we will do about that." Alexandra's brows furrowed a bit as the guard came up and started blabbering on in some language she didn't understand. She glanced over at Evelina, arching a brow in question. Her brows rose when the Emendator translated, and she gave the woman a look that said "oh really, now?" She looked back over at the man, giving him a onceover through narrowed eyes.
Ugh, what an asshole, she mentally concluded. She rolled her eyes, before looking back at Evelina with distaste still clearly written on her features. The woman's next words however were quickly drowned out as the guard started screaming at them. Her jaw clenched in irritation before she spun on the man.
"Vhy don't you just shut your mouth, you sexist pig?!" she exclaimed sharply at him, her brown eyes lighting up.
"Sheesh." Evelina quirked a brow and for a moment was very glad that Alexandra didn't speak Latin or the man didn't speak English. Yet that didn't seem to matter, the mans jaw went tight and it closed. The quirk in the Emendators brow rose a bit more. This was an interesting turn of events.
"Calm yourself and tell him to let us in." The woman wanted to test something, if she was correct, the young Paradox had a very useful skill indeed.
"Oh," she exclaimed when the man's mouth suddenly snapped shut, before looking back over at Evelina.
"Did I do that?!" A devilish grin came to her features when she realized that she had.
Sweeeet! Apparently she had a new power presenting itself, and it wasn't much unlike one she had back in her timeline. The skill of Tizirovat' gave one the power of suggestion, not quite mind control but certainly very close to it. She looked back at the man with a sly glint to her eyes.
"Move it, loser," she commanded.
The man did as he was told but Evelina observed that he was resisting. She wondered if it was the fact that this seemed to be a new ability that the young Paradox was trying to use or perhaps the tone. Inflection counted for a lot when it came to these type of skills. Motioning for Alexandra to move with her she pulled part of her stola over her head. It would be easier to blend in if they weren't flaunting their gender. Last thing they needed was to have to depend on a new skill for every man and guard they walked past.
"Part of blending in means keeping a level voice and tone. Think of dealing with the living as dealing with a dog. You can say almost anything to someone if you use the right tone." Alexandra's grin grew even larger, basically turning her into the Cheshire cat, at seeing that her newfound power took hold on the man. She proudly glanced back over at Evelina, doing a doubletake when the woman motioned for them to get moving. Her overexaggerated smile diminished to a small, pleased smirk as she followed in beside the Emendator, pulling her stola over her head as well. She looked over at her, arching a brow before eventually sighing and nodding her head in seeming understanding.
"Especially when dealing with me." Was that a bit of a smile and a lilt of joking in the womans voice as she spoke? It could have been as she continued through the Colosseum. People were walking this way and that, many of them just speaking to each other. All were men. The wonderful thing about being in a crowd was that most people didn't take notice of anything that didn't concern them, this made it far easier to blend in that one would thought. It was obvious by the flow of people that they were making their way to their seats. Cheers from the crowds could be heard echoing through the place.
Alexandra glanced sharply back over at the Emendator's comment. She arched a brow in seeming surprise before amusement seeped into her features. She looked forward again with a small smirk plastered to her features. She glancing around, paying attention to their surroundings while trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. She was curious about what this place was all about. After all, Evelina had said that the other stadium was where the circus was held. So what were they doing here? She decided not to question it and to just go with the flow, and this flow was leading them to seats amongst the buoyant crowd.
There was a choice to make and this was normally the time where Evelina would just shove a Paradox into a situation and see how they dealt with it. Yet considering their choices it could go either way with either choice. Stopping as they reached a set of stairs, one going up and one going down, she looked over towards Alexandra.
"Would you rather watch the circus unfold or be part of the entertainment?" she asked. Normally when once asked about a circus there was a lilt in their voice, an amusement about amusements, but not now. Evelina looked deadly seriously, as if this a true choice of life and death.
"Up to watch, down to join," she added with a gesture of her hand.
Alexandra glanced back over at Evelina, brows furrowing in confusion as to why they were stopping. Her brows then rose at the woman's question, before her eyes then promptly narrowed as she caught the tone of the woman's voice.
"Is this some kind of trick question?" she questioned, giving the woman a onceover.
"Yeah, definitely a trick question." A pout came to her features as she looked down at stadium, up at the rows of seats, and then back over at Evelina.
"Vouldn't joining just drav unvanted attention? I-I think I'll just go up to vatch the shov unfold," she replied with clear skepticism in her voice.
Evelina kept her facial expression neutral as she was asked if it was a trick question or not. She wasn't Nancy but Alexandra would find out soon enough just what a trickster looked like. Tilting her head she motioned towards the stairs that lead upwards as several women were being lead in chains down the other set of stairs.
"Looks like act one just arrived, we should get good seats before they begin," she said but she didn't move, waiting to see if Alexandra was going to stand by her choice or not.
Alexandra's face fell as her gaze caught the chained up women being lead away.
Were they--slaves? she thought. Her jaw clenched as she felt a spike of anger within her. She closed her eyes, taking a deep, hopefully calming breath. Despite the urge to help those poor women, she knew the rules, and she knew that this was some kind of test, a sick, twisted one at that. In the moment, her free-spiritedness to do what she wanted warred with her stubbornness to not fail this test, and more so not to fail Evelina. She let out a small huff and stomped her foot in annoyance. She threw a stink eye at Evelina before marching up the stairs irritably.
"Interesting." The Emendators voice was clam as she uttered the single word before following after Alexandra. Gathering the front of her robes she moved up the stairs and came out into the sunlight. Shielding her eyes with her hand she glanced around and then made her way to find a seat. She found one in the front row of an upper level. It would allow them to see the full area without having to worry about anyone turning around and seeing their faces. Taking a seat on the stone perch she got as comfortable as one could with the sun beating down on them and the hard stone below them.
"This is what they call a Circus." No one was out yet but it did have a feeling of an arena, sans the tent covering.
Alexandra pulled her stola down a little bit more to hide more of her face, and hopefully to block out some of the sun, as she took a seat beside Evelina. She still looked unhappy with the Emendator if her facial expression was any indication. You could do a lot to her without a hitch, but playing with her heart and her humanity was something that definitely crossed the line. Perhaps a part of her understood the purpose of this exercise, but nevertheless, it didn't mean she had to like it. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared blankly down at the arena, only giving the slightest nod of her head in acknowledgement to what Evelina had said.
A man started bellowing across the Colosseum in Latin, dressed in white robes and gold. Next to him was the Emperor under his tented area to stay out of the sun.
"Every circus has a ring master and he is it. Getting the crowd excited. In the streets people die from poverty, Rome conquers, more die. Yet the mob but be kept in check. They do this here. Panem et circenses, bread and circuses. The slaughter of others to entertain the masses as they eat," she said giving a small history lesson as slaves started tossing bread from baskets up into the stands.
"Every nation in history has had their version of control. None did it better than Rome." Alexandra finally looked back over at Evelina, her lips thinning at the Emendator's words.
So, this vas some kind of fight to the death? And they have the gall to call it entertainment? Sheesh, she thought. She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back down to the arena.
"It's not peace they've attained. It's fear," she commented plainly. She attempted to relax back in her seat, wishing she could prop her feet up on something.
Evelina shook her head.
"I never said peace, I said control." Watching the arena, the doors opened up underneath where the ruler sat comfortably. A rush of chariots driven by one and another at the back came into and circled around.
"In the course of human history there are far more years with slaves than without. Even in your own time, even in the circus." It was a cold fact. Slavery was such a common thing during that time it was everywhere. Even places that didn't have slavery had indentured servants and in many cases. Slavery was better.
Alexandra glanced back over at her.
"But they're trying to attain some form of 'peace,' aren't they, no?" she stated, arching a bit of a brow before looking back down at the arena. She let out a small sigh when she saw that something was finally happening. She was getting a tad bored just sitting there idly staring at the sad realities of life. She glanced sharply back over at Evelina, sticking her bottom lip out a little at her.
"You certainly know how to ruin a good mood," she commented with dry sarcasm.
The chariots kept racing about, the man kept bellowing, and more poured out of the gate beneath the emperor; this time on foot.
"If a single sentence can affect your mood to just a point you purse your lip out like a child who has been denied desert after supper how will you learn to keep a level head when it counts?" Men and women, who could only assumed to be slaves, found their way to the center of the arena. They were the pre-show. They were crudely armed, looked to have little to no training, while those in the chariots could have been seasoned trained soldiers if one went just off their looks alone.
"You have to remain status quo, at least outwardly." A spear was thrown and landed in the chest of one of the women they had seen on the stairs,
"no matter your personal opinion." Her scream echoing out as Evelina stood and gave a fist of cheer just like the crowd.
"No matter how horrid the scene." Sitting back down as blood poured from the womans mouth.
"To you blend in." Falling forward her dead eyes stared out blankly until the chariot ran over her skull and crushed it.
"Because there are greater evils in the world than this. That is what we fight." Alexandra's mouth fell open, and she let out a small sound of astonishment at Evelina's reprimand. She glanced around as if to see if anyone else heard the conversation, before closing her mouth.
"Sorry," she murmured. Her gaze went back to the arena just in time to see what transpired next. She jumped up out of her seat onto her feet, but it wasn't for the same reason as the Emendator's. Her breaths came in and out sharply just like her now racing heart.
Stay calm. Stay calm, she told herself. Glancing over at Evelina and seeing what the woman was doing, she then attempted to imitate it. She stiffly raised her fist and gave a more halfhearted cheer before sitting back down. She gulped as the slave woman's head was crushed, and it took all the strength in her not to look away. She shakily looked over at Evelina, raw emotion in her eyes.
"It doesn't get any easier, does it? You just grov more numb to it for the sake of the greater good," she spoke quietly, although it wasn't quite clear if it was more of a question, a statement, or simply both.
Evelina stood from her seat before the next
act began and motioned for Alexandra to follow her. Quickly with her head down since they were moving against the crowd she found a dark and empty area where they were out of sight. Finally lifting her head there was a well of a emotion in her eyes and a flow of tears spilled from them, rolling down her cheeks and dampening her attire.
"It never gets easier, you just learn to hold back the flood until you cannot be seen." The woman did feel, she felt deeply every time she watched someone hurt. Letting out a ragged breath she dotted her cheeks to dry them, and quite literately sucked it up. Another breath came, this one more calming, and the another until she was the stoic Emendator once again.
"Now, let us go home. You've earned a rest." Alexandra sprang up and followed the Emendator without hesitation.
You don't have to tell me tvice. I'm more than ready to get out of here, she thought to herself. After finding a secluded place to reconvene, she stopped short at seeing the raw emotion suddenly spill out of Evelina's once stoic expression. The corners of her lips tugged down into a small frown, and she felt a pang of sadness for the woman. She opened her mouth before quickly closing it again. She wouldn't to say something, anything, but she didn't know what words could possibly console someone who had seen such unspeakable horrors for a millennium. There wasn't a word suitable for that kind of grief. She nodded her slightly when the woman finally recomposed herself and said they should go home.
Turning, Evelina remained quiet and made her way to the portal. Somethings were better left unsaid, somethings were better shown. This was one of those times. Evelina had to remain stoic, constantly. If she didn't, if she didn't control herself, the grief would never subside, she wouldn't be able to function. Seeing death was something each Emendator knew well, it was not something they grew used to, they just all had different ways of dealing with it. Even a Paradox would have to learn, the ones that learned it the best were the ones that tended to live the longest. Belladonna was a perfect example of that. It didn't mean they didn't care, that they didn't feel. It just meant they had found ways to keep living despite it. Finding the portal, Evelina stepped through back to what was currently known as home.
Alexandra remained quiet for the rest of the duration home. The gravity of her new reality was now finally sinking in. She could already feel the weight of it pressing down on her and the weariness that accompanied that feeling. And when she stepped through the portal back into a Ville au Camp, she honestly felt like a changed woman. However, with that said, she knew full well that this was just one of the first steps of many in this journey of transformation.
Member
