[82.3] You did a bad thing, Brother Moni

Atta walked into the courtyard searching for her sparring partner after moving all the training dummies. Confused at being unable to find Alora, she found Asmonious and held up her chalkboard: 'Where's Alora?'

Asmonious forced a smile, "Don't worry Atta, we are safe now. I got rid of her."

Rose glanced anxiously at him, "Brother…"

He spoke in certainty, "You don't have to feel bad. You don't know the real her, but I do. Orphelio and the Holy Goddess gave her the duty of infiltrating us and killing us. I saw it all. She managed to trick Zephyr into bringing her back and somehow tricked Master, but I won't let her succeed."

Atta stomped over to him, her beautiful eyes turned down in a glare. She raised her hand.

*SMACK*

Asmonious stared in disbelief as a bright red mark appeared on his cheek.

Huffing in fury, she pulled out her chalkboard and wrote: 'Do you really think that?'

She shoved it in his face watching the blank look over his face. 

She stomped more furiously before rewriting: 'Alora was like me"

He blinked in confusion, "What-"

With tears stinging her eyes, she held out the board: 'A disposable weapon'

Frustrated by feelings she couldn't explain, she threw her board down and grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip.

Emotions infiltrated his body, and even though he could repel it, he chose to accept it instead.

He could feel apathetic eyes upon him as wounds slashed across his body. But he would keep standing up because if he didn't…

That would simply be the end.

And what was this feeling?

It was the feeling of being powerless.

Frustration at being viewed as something more akin to a tool than a living being.

Asmonious blinked rapidly, his orange eyes vibrating. His expression paled as he ignored the stares of his siblings. He casually walked past them to his room. Upon entering, he plopped down in a seat placed in front of a blank canvas and a table full of paint.

Asmonious tapped his fingers on the table anxiously as he stared at the blank canvas in front of him.

Rose silently appeared behind him, "Brother…."

His drumming fingers suddenly stopped, "Rose. I… Did I do something bad?"

Her broken eyes lifted from the ground and silently stared at him.

His nails dug into the chair as he trembled, "I… I thought it was better for everyone if I had chased her out… But… But I feel… I feel bad. I thought she… I thought she was just like him… But she's…"

As the shadows twisted at his feet, he spun around to stare at her. His orange eyes were vibrating as his nails scratched into the wood. His voice cracked, "-She's like me."

Rose lowered her eyes to the ground and walked over to him quietly. She sat at his feet and leaned her frail head against his legs. She spoke in a small whisper, "Then help her."