shiori_makiba: name and butterfly (inoue tsubasa)
shiori_makiba ([personal profile] shiori_makiba) wrote2016-02-21 12:07 pm

Poem: Swarm

Poem: Swarm

by shiori_makiba

Also known as Tsubasa and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

After finishing all my pending prompts of Thank Muse, I figured people might want to know what happened just before “Common Ground.”

Part of the Polychrome Heroics series in the Berettaflies thread.

Time: Week 3, Directly precedes “Common Ground
 

Warning!: Anti-soup bigotry, attempted kidnapping

 

 

“Swarm”

 

'This day sucks,' Tsubasa thought.

 

She was outside, in one of the gardens

SPOON had put in as a quiet space.

It had been recently converted

from butterflies to night-loving species.

But even in daylight,

it was still pretty.

And more important, empty.

 

She had been tired of

dealing with people

when the day started.

It was making her irritable.

And nothing about today

was improving her temper.

 

First, she had received an invitation to a party.

It was obviously some kind of political thing

as it was filled with a plethora of

politicians, talking heads, and journalists.

 

Tsubasa couldn't think of anything

she would rather do less than stand in a room

full of staring strangers asking nosy questions.

 

They didn't really want her there.

They were just doing it to try to look good.

If they really cared about the Berettaflies victims,

they would have invited all of them.

Not just the ones that could look pretty.

 

Just to add a nasty topping to that

already unappetizing sundae,

she had been right to be worried

about the extended family.

 

That branch of the family

had declared her dead.

Complete with a funeral.

And expressed 'sympathy'

to her parents and siblings

for their loss.

 

Her family hadn't wanted her to know.

At least not right now.

A position that was supported by Mint.

Better to wait until things

were more steady.

 

Too bad she had overheard them.

Which was why she in the garden.

She didn't want them to know

she had heard.

They'd want to talk about it.

She didn't want to talk.

She wanted to be alone.

 

Then came a most unwelcome sound, a human voice.

“Ms. Inoue?”

The speaker was male and looked blandly polite.

“What?”

Too bad Tsubasa was in no mood to be polite.

“I need you to come with me.”

“Why?”

Because if it wasn't important,

they could kiss her winged backside.

“Just came with me.”

 

That set off alarm bells in her head.

Nobody from SPOON or SPAZMAT or similar

would just expect her to go with them

without telling her why

outside of an emergency

where there was no time to explain.

 

She backed up.

“No.”

“Miss, I really do insist.”

“Leave me alone!”

“Miss – ”

“Go away!”

 

The yell was accompanied

by a intense flash of light.

And suddenly the air was filled

with black and white wings.

 

The swarm surrounded the stranger

who fell to the ground, silent and still.

 

Tsubasa fled, trailing butterflies in her wake

She might have run.

She might have flown.

She didn't know and didn't care.

She just wanted to get away.

 

NOTES:

And no, the person who tried to take her wasn't with Kraken. Kraken isn't that stupid.