Post by Jasmine Noir on Jan 28, 2021 17:30:13 GMT -4
look at me, i'm a reflection of what you wanna be
Queen on the throne, none of you pawns can humble me
Queen on the throne, none of you pawns can humble me
Propped up on her elbows Jasmine was rendered speechless. Mia admitted that she lost, but to Jasmine? What the fuck is she made of?! Yeah, this clearly didn't feel like a win. Damn it! She swore under her breath, slamming the side of her fist into the gravel below. The desire to win was unrelenting. It pushed her forward. Tried to force her back on her feet. Stand up! the girl yelled at herself, yet despite the ferocious spirit burning within... she couldn't. Every single inch of her body was crying out in pain, the ever receding adrenaline finally making her body vulnerable to the sensation... and holy fuck did it hurt.
The black and gold haired lass groaned and fell back onto her back, wincing slightly at the jolt of pain that sent crashing through her. Sprawled out on what remained of the grass below Jasmine's azures stared at the blue sky above. Her brows furrowed angrily as she felt her frustration reach a boiling point. All of her efforts, all of her strength, her power... it was all for nothing. Three years and she still couldn't beat her. Heck it felt like Mia was stronger than ever before and she didn't even seem like she could control her Red yet. In light of this Jasmine couldn't help but feel like a failure. She forced her eyes shut; I'm so fucking pathetic...
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Jasmine's eyes shot open wide. She suddenly found herself in a vaguely familiar place. A realm, rather. An entirely different world. The girl was standing upright, gazing at the seemingly endless horizon as the sun which hung above a lightly clouded blue sky shone its light and warmth onto her. Nothing around her but the calm ocean that she stood on and the open air above.
The teen knew where she was. This wasn't the first time she was here. As surreal as it sounded, an after effect of Jasmine sinking so far into her own senses and psyche enabled her to very literally enter a different realm of existence: her own consciousness. She didn't know how to do it at will. The last time this happened was almost half a year ago and it was also triggered by an intense desire to win. To prove herself. To...
"To beat Mia," the voice, all too familiar, fired off once again, this time seeming closer than it ever was before.
Jasmine quickly turned, her eyes widening as she stood face to face with herself, yet... not quite. She was a few inches shorter. Her hair was wilder. Her frame bulkier. And her eyes...
"Ember..."
Were a dazzling lavender.
"Y'know normally people don't create copies of themselves in their heads... much less give them different names and actually talk to them," the younger Jasmine said, chuckling all the while.
"She's been through a lot. Give her a break," yet another voice chimed in, this one just as familiar, yet a little deeper than the first. Jasmine guessed right; ashen white hair, scrawny build, emerald eyes.
"Okay, okay, Caldera."
"Hold on, hold on..." Jasmine quickly countered to her other selves, shaking her head and waving her arms in dismissal, feeling completely bewildered. "Am I fuckin' crazy? Why the fuck am I talking to different versions of me from my past?"
"Uh, aren't you more interested in where we are?"
"Weird as it is, my consciousness, right? First time I was here I was you!"
"Oh. Yeah, that's true."
"Christ, looks like I get weirder with age."
"Shut up."
Letting her hands fall to her sides, the tallest and eldest of the three Jasmines looked between her two younger selves, Ember and Caldera. She couldn't help but note the stark differences between them. While Ember looked strong and vibrant, Caldera... much alike her namesake, looked like the result of a massive explosion that took everything out of her; shriveled up, pale... weak. Jasmine sighed.
"We've been through a lot, haven't we?" She mused aloud, glancing down at the clear waters she stood on.
"That we have," Caldera confirmed solemnly, an idle smile on her face as she crossed her arms... a something she always started doing out of the habit of always feeling unsafe. That hadn't missed Jasmine's eyes. "But that isn't really why you're here, is it?"
"Why am I here?" Jasmine asked.
"Cause you finally did it, dumbass," Ember chimed in, a slightly annoyed huff leaving her. "You beat her."
"Huh?"
"Mia," Caldera explained. "Yeah, yeah. I know. By our standards that hardly counts as a win. Our standards, anyway."
"She blacked out."
"You saw it. You felt it."
"And now she's lying on her ass over there like a sack of potatoes looking all pathetic. It's actually kind of cute."
"Wow I was an asshole."
"That we were."
"Hey!"
"But yeah, what she said," Caldera looked up towards Jasmine, "you did what we set out to do all those years ago, didn't you? And, through it all, at the end of the day..."
"You stayed true to yourself." Jasmine froze for the briefest of moments when she noticed Ember's vivid lavender eyes turn crimson. She turned to Caldera, only to see her dim emerald greens adapt the same shade of blood. The eldest of the three blinked a couple of times taking a moment to process the whole situation. Was this... was her mind trying to tell her something? She faltered. Doubted herself. During the fight, for the briefest of seconds, Jasmine thought that she couldn't win. That it was hopeless... and she was doing the same thing again, berating and doubting herself.
It was actually kind of funny that her own subconscious decided to remind her of who she really was.
Jasmine could only smile as she closed her eyes, only to later reopen them, revealing the very same set of crimsons that the her other selves had.
Ember grinned. Caldera smiled.
"So... what should we name ourselves now?" The ashen wolf asked. No questions were needed between the three of them. They already knew where this was going.
"The vengeful spirit, from chaos and love born to protect a forest of steel."
"Yaksha... huh."
"Yaksha."
"Fitting."
The two younger Jasmines moved towards the eldest, placing a hand each on either shoulder.
"Never doubt yourself-"
"-and give 'em hell, Yaksha."
Yaksha smiled.
"Thank you."
The next time Jasmine closed and opened her eyes again she found herself staring at the blue sky above. The smell of burning dirt and flesh assaulted her nostrils, making her realize she came back to reality. She smiled. A warmth filled her chest.
Jasmine begun to laugh. Loud. Boisterous. While still staring at the sky, she spoke, "How's it feel to be on your ass, number one?!" Jasmine's head rose, a smug look on her face as she challengingly stared down her older sister.
"Fifteen... to one."
The black and gold haired lass groaned and fell back onto her back, wincing slightly at the jolt of pain that sent crashing through her. Sprawled out on what remained of the grass below Jasmine's azures stared at the blue sky above. Her brows furrowed angrily as she felt her frustration reach a boiling point. All of her efforts, all of her strength, her power... it was all for nothing. Three years and she still couldn't beat her. Heck it felt like Mia was stronger than ever before and she didn't even seem like she could control her Red yet. In light of this Jasmine couldn't help but feel like a failure. She forced her eyes shut; I'm so fucking pathetic...
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Jasmine's eyes shot open wide. She suddenly found herself in a vaguely familiar place. A realm, rather. An entirely different world. The girl was standing upright, gazing at the seemingly endless horizon as the sun which hung above a lightly clouded blue sky shone its light and warmth onto her. Nothing around her but the calm ocean that she stood on and the open air above.
The teen knew where she was. This wasn't the first time she was here. As surreal as it sounded, an after effect of Jasmine sinking so far into her own senses and psyche enabled her to very literally enter a different realm of existence: her own consciousness. She didn't know how to do it at will. The last time this happened was almost half a year ago and it was also triggered by an intense desire to win. To prove herself. To...
"To beat Mia," the voice, all too familiar, fired off once again, this time seeming closer than it ever was before.
Jasmine quickly turned, her eyes widening as she stood face to face with herself, yet... not quite. She was a few inches shorter. Her hair was wilder. Her frame bulkier. And her eyes...
"Ember..."
Were a dazzling lavender.
"Y'know normally people don't create copies of themselves in their heads... much less give them different names and actually talk to them," the younger Jasmine said, chuckling all the while.
"She's been through a lot. Give her a break," yet another voice chimed in, this one just as familiar, yet a little deeper than the first. Jasmine guessed right; ashen white hair, scrawny build, emerald eyes.
"Okay, okay, Caldera."
"Hold on, hold on..." Jasmine quickly countered to her other selves, shaking her head and waving her arms in dismissal, feeling completely bewildered. "Am I fuckin' crazy? Why the fuck am I talking to different versions of me from my past?"
"Uh, aren't you more interested in where we are?"
"Weird as it is, my consciousness, right? First time I was here I was you!"
"Oh. Yeah, that's true."
"Christ, looks like I get weirder with age."
"Shut up."
Letting her hands fall to her sides, the tallest and eldest of the three Jasmines looked between her two younger selves, Ember and Caldera. She couldn't help but note the stark differences between them. While Ember looked strong and vibrant, Caldera... much alike her namesake, looked like the result of a massive explosion that took everything out of her; shriveled up, pale... weak. Jasmine sighed.
"We've been through a lot, haven't we?" She mused aloud, glancing down at the clear waters she stood on.
"That we have," Caldera confirmed solemnly, an idle smile on her face as she crossed her arms... a something she always started doing out of the habit of always feeling unsafe. That hadn't missed Jasmine's eyes. "But that isn't really why you're here, is it?"
"Why am I here?" Jasmine asked.
"Cause you finally did it, dumbass," Ember chimed in, a slightly annoyed huff leaving her. "You beat her."
"Huh?"
"Mia," Caldera explained. "Yeah, yeah. I know. By our standards that hardly counts as a win. Our standards, anyway."
"She blacked out."
"You saw it. You felt it."
"And now she's lying on her ass over there like a sack of potatoes looking all pathetic. It's actually kind of cute."
"Wow I was an asshole."
"That we were."
"Hey!"
"But yeah, what she said," Caldera looked up towards Jasmine, "you did what we set out to do all those years ago, didn't you? And, through it all, at the end of the day..."
"You stayed true to yourself." Jasmine froze for the briefest of moments when she noticed Ember's vivid lavender eyes turn crimson. She turned to Caldera, only to see her dim emerald greens adapt the same shade of blood. The eldest of the three blinked a couple of times taking a moment to process the whole situation. Was this... was her mind trying to tell her something? She faltered. Doubted herself. During the fight, for the briefest of seconds, Jasmine thought that she couldn't win. That it was hopeless... and she was doing the same thing again, berating and doubting herself.
It was actually kind of funny that her own subconscious decided to remind her of who she really was.
Jasmine could only smile as she closed her eyes, only to later reopen them, revealing the very same set of crimsons that the her other selves had.
Ember grinned. Caldera smiled.
"So... what should we name ourselves now?" The ashen wolf asked. No questions were needed between the three of them. They already knew where this was going.
"The vengeful spirit, from chaos and love born to protect a forest of steel."
"Yaksha... huh."
"Yaksha."
"Fitting."
The two younger Jasmines moved towards the eldest, placing a hand each on either shoulder.
"Never doubt yourself-"
"-and give 'em hell, Yaksha."
Yaksha smiled.
"Thank you."
The next time Jasmine closed and opened her eyes again she found herself staring at the blue sky above. The smell of burning dirt and flesh assaulted her nostrils, making her realize she came back to reality. She smiled. A warmth filled her chest.
Jasmine begun to laugh. Loud. Boisterous. While still staring at the sky, she spoke, "How's it feel to be on your ass, number one?!" Jasmine's head rose, a smug look on her face as she challengingly stared down her older sister.
"Fifteen... to one."
WC: 1152 || Mia Kearney || Notes: Jaz may need therapy...again
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