Eyes to Idolize (Elyss/Abalia)

“Enemies? Just like that?” She couldn’t help but turn her gaze towards Abalia, shock evident on her face.

It makes sense, it does. But, for some reason, to Elyss, it still doesn’t make sense. Yes. Abalia is the Captain Commander, the Queen of Vastime. It’s her duty to protect those under her, so someone consorting with the enemy would warrant they be treated as enemies. But, still! It doesn’t make sense to the redhead. What is it? What exactly is it? And then, it clicks just like that. Those eyes… Those oh so familiar eyes. Those emotionless, hard, and purposeful eyes.

“So, you’re just going to throw it all away, just like that? Yeah, Ulv is an idiot…” Ah, she stops there, biting her lower lip to silence herself, but that only lasted for just a moment before her black eyes narrowed, her brow wrinkling with frustration. Her fists clenched harder than before, her nails biting into her palms, but this time, they didn’t shake out of fear.

“Yeah, Ulv is an idiot, but she’s an idiot with a big heart. Yeah, she’s messing around with Algos, but that’s because she sees something in that damn demon that no one else can. I, personally, would like nothing more than to see the woman who attacked my home strung up like a pinata and beaten to death, but Ulv sees something! I don’t know what, but there’s something. I pray every night that it isn’t just that bastard’s hormones acting up again. I hate it. I hate this. But, I can’t just label her an enemy, not like that!”

“She’s your friend, right?! Does that mean nothing to you?”

She didn’t mean for her emotions to grow so enormous just like that, but this subject has been in her head for so long, warping her thoughts and sense of right and wrong. So long she’s sat thinking if what Ulv is doing is right or wrong. Should Algos have another chance? Will the demon change? Will this actually better the world? She had wanted to give Ulv a chance. However, it seems that Abalia doesn’t. Those eyes. They’re the same as Elyss’ own. That dead calculating gaze reminds her of the days where she showed no emotion, cared for no one, simply did her job and that was that. She couldn’t help but shut her own eyes close and shake her head away from Abalia’s gaze.

“Yeah, Ulv is a shortsided idiot who can barely see beyond her own two feet, but I don’t want to discard her just like that! She’s dying! Do you not fucking care!”

And, there’s Abalia’s answer. And, there goes Elyss’ sense of self preservation. It’s not the fact that the woman is wrong. No. By all means, Abalia is absolutely correct. Ulv is a danger to the world. Algos is not a being that anyone should ever hope will change for the betterment of life. No. Demons have proven themselves as a whole to be a danger, excluding the few who cast aside their demonic ways. But those eyes. How can she just say that and not care?! At least stutter, cry, something! Dammit!

She’s hit by that pressure, and her immediate response is to gasp. Professional? Professional her ass! What does that matter when everything you believe in is being questioned? Death is but a risk, and she’s a risk taker. However, she is unable to shake this pressure. It holds her down, causing her to cough and lean forward on Abalia’s desk. She’s carrying the world on her shoulders. That’s what this feels like. She can’t move, she can’t think, she isn’t alive. She’s just a part of Abalia’s thought process, a fleeting thought to be forgotten and disposed of, but that won’t stop her. Her body is rigid, her dropped head rising slowly as her red hair lay a mess about her skull. Sweat pours from her body as her arms struggle to even lean against the only solid surface available. With gritted teeth, she focuses her eyes on Abalia. There, her gaze is a contrast to her whole body. Her eyes are unwavering, red and clear. They stare Abalia down with an unshakable resolve. She may be literally dying and going braindead, but she has just enough to speak her mind. She has to know just how deep this goes, just how unmoveable Abalia is. Even if she’s speaking out of spite, she has to understand this woman. She’ll never be able to finalize her thoughts on anything: on Ulv, on Minatumi, Algos, The Gotei, Soul Society, Seventh Division. She’ll never understand herself unless she looks at the extreme representation of her past dead on.

“Is that what you said when your husband died?”

“I… sometimes ask myself that question.” Her voice ragged with exertion, each moment under Abalia’s presence another moment closer to fainting. “Would… I kill… one of my friends.. For the world? If I could save everyone by sacrificing one… Would I?”

She’s seeing both sides of the spectrum. One who would throw away the world for one, and another who would throw away one for the world. It’s eye opening really. Even with her battling consciousness, there’s a strange clarity all of a sudden. What is her answer? Ulv has her answer. Abalia has her answer. What is Elyss’? There is a pause between the two, Elyss’ eyes still looking into Abalia’s. Ah. Abalia’s eyes hurt. It’s like the Captain Commander is looking at her like she’s a little fly. That’s fair. After that question, Elyss is nothing more but a measly nuisance.

“Captain… Commander. I’m sorry, but thanks. I… I understand… Both you and Ulv… Would I bet on Algos? No. I just wish the world was as simple as black and white, and even then, there are different shades.”

She tries to move, but her body refuses, her eyes closing from the strained effort. When they opened once more, they were back to being black. She’d huff and puff, letting a sigh slip out.

“Ulv is a danger to the world. If it’s not Algos, then who next? That woman has shown she’s willing to abandon us all for one irredeemable person, someone who has enjoyed causing this world pain. I’ll never forgive her, but Ulv is my mother. I can’t simply discard her as an enemy, but I also can’t let her put my home and my friends’ home at risk. If it ever came down to it… Yes. I would sacrifice her or anyone else. It’s the least I could do so that they don’t tarnish their names any longer. I’ve wanted to fight it, have fought it…”

Her eyes moving back to Abalia, that anger gone and replaced with another raw emotion that Elyss hates even more. Her fist on the disk is suddenly wet, her cheeks stained by rolling tears. It’s hard to turn your back on what they cared for you, but there seems no other option now. She would have fought and fought to protect Ulv if it had made sense, but with what’s going on, the Ulv she knows is but a memory. This Ulv, the sick woman consorting with demons, she’s Ulv too, but she’s an Ulv that is foriegn to Elyss.

“I want to speak with Ulv... one more time, before she’s declared an enemy, please. I have to ask her a question. Don’t worry. I’m not turning my back on the world. I’m not my mother’s child. I just… have to know something, something really important.”

With the pressure lifted, Elyss would literally just fall back into her seat, gasping for air. God. Who is this woman? What even was that? It wasn’t even energy. Well, ignoring the adrenaline pumping through her veins, the desire to say more sort of died out as she was let go. It seems she’s been given the green light to meet Ulv one more time before Minatumi is no longer her home. It feels weird to even start thinking of the harbour as enemy territory, but as long as Ulv continues doing what she’s doing, that’s all it shall ever be for now. However, by some miracle things ended in a satisfying manner. Her outbursts haven’t gotten her killed just yet. She should really stop pushing her luck.

“Thanks…” She’d mutter rising from her seat, her legs still a bit wobbly. “...And, even if ya tell someone to not look up, doesn’t mean they won’t. Neither of us are blind, even if we don’t see eye to eye about everything.”

It’s hard for Elyss to not see Abalia as a figure of importance. The woman is literally her boss. Elyss may never want to share the same eyes as Abalia ever again, but that doesn’t mean she’s just going to ignore everything the woman is about. There’s something special here, even if brutal, and the redhead has become fairly interested. However, that’s a thought for another time. Her feet would carry her towards the door. She has a dying woman to meet.

“Oh…” At the door, she’d turn once more to Abalia. “...You know Big bro- I mean Alex, right? If I may, could you tell him to meet me at Minatumi, please? I think I might need his help.” She’s not expecting Abalia to answer one of her requests again. She won’t be surprised if the woman does or doesn’t. But, that’s all she has to say before stepping outside of her Captain Commander’s office.