“Melita the Selfish, Shifting Reality.” The voice sounded kind of familiar, like she’d heard it, once upon a time.

Melita’s head really hurt. But of course they would start without giving her the decency of a good rest. Frowning and looking up, she saw the guy she’d met at the warehouse. Though it was never a good idea to think you could assume someone’s age, she hadn’t met or heard of a youngster like him. He was either an apprentice that was like Teresa, or not one of them. “You called?”

Now that she was captured, his young face held a sneer, though the curls lessened the intimidating effect he was trying to go for. “I can’t believe someone like you was given a title and recognized enough to graduate, let alone holds the insignia of your branch. I thought I was chasing a red herring when I saw you. Even for boars, how low would your branch even go?”

So it wasn’t an interrogation. He just wanted to gloat. Sighing at the huge waste of her time, Melita looked about. Seated, her hands were cuffed behind her and her legs strapped together. She had so many bandages it seemed like a fashion statement, though they were hastily wrapped. It looked like they needed her alive, though not necessarily well-or perhaps they were afraid that she'd wake up.

“Then again,” The boy continued, having not realised that she’d stopped paying attention. He’d done the same at the warehouse too. “They were boars, so it wasn’t like they had to fall that far.”

“Look, I don’t really care, but if you’re that mad about it, ask Meino to give you a title. She’s your guide, right?” Melita shifted slightly. These bonds were pretty tight, and she could use her magic, but the multiple cameras focused on her would be a problem if she tried to trick the boy. “She used to one of the best teachers, too. Before you needed to graduate, but with how everything is now… Lucky break, right?”

The boy flushed at that, stepping forward to grip the bars of her cell. “I’m not mad! I’m just making a point.”

“Sure.” Definitely an apprentice, then. He really had to learn not to be so easily baited. He didn’t deny Meino being his guide, and Melita wondered if the other’s taste had deteriorated. Back then, everyone had doubted that she would ever take an apprentice. No one seemed to meet her standards, after all.

“I don’t even understand why you had the insignia. Leon was way more suited for something like that, he was more respectable than a drugged up fool whose trait is selfishness.”

At his words, Melita slowly drew in a breath, forcing herself not to react. Leon’s name was not fit to rest on such a child’s lips. She thought back to when she broke into his execution, how he’d crawled over to her and given her the insignia even though he couldn’t have seen her. The small smile on his lips as he faded away, the feeling of his magic entering her system. Had this boy been there? The background had all but faded away, only leaving her with the despair of being too late.

“Oh?” She said instead, a cocky smile coming to her lips. She didn't know enough yet. “You speak like you know him well, child.”

The guy frowned, baring his teeth as he spoke, not noticing as Meino entered the room. “Of course I did, I-"

He flew across the room, and Melita winced, remembering the strength of that kick. He’d be feeling that for a while.

“Who authorized your entry?” Meino’s voice was cold, and Melita grinned, sticking her tongue out at the boy. “Go.”

The guy struggled to stand, shooting Melita a baleful look before he walked away.

“You used to have better taste.” Melita said.

Meino waited till the guy closed the door, letting out a sigh. “One of the conditions for my joining was to take one of their sons under me. He was the best of the lot.”

Melita let out a soft laugh, though some part of her grew weary. The apprentice may have been careless, but Meino was not. What did she want? “So you helped them knowing they plan to have you gift the insignia to him and kill you once he gets strong enough?”

Then Meino let out a chuckle. “Him? Strong enough?”

“True.” Melita looked down, hating how easily they were speaking, how much she didn't hate the other-that would have been easier. “So why haven’t I been run through and extracted? Does the extraction need me to be conscious?”

“I told them to offer you a position as well.” Meino ran a hand through her black locks, not asking how Melita knew that they had the ability to extract insignias. “You have good skills and powerful abilities, and it would be a shame if more of us were to die. If the last of the boars died, they wouldn't be able to use it anyway.”

Was that why they thought they could kill Leon? Because he wasn't the last boar? She'd been called worthless many times, but Melita would never have guessed that it would be having worth to someone that broke her in the end. The self-hatred roiled deep within her, and she felt herself struggling to stay afloat. There was time for that later.

What did Meino get out of helping her? “You want me to help you take out the boy?”

Meino looked up at that, too quickly to mask her caution, assessing Melita carefully. “Don’t touch him.”

How surprising. “Why did you join them? You were stronger than many of us were.”

“We aren’t strong enough to fight them.” The ‘yet’ hung in the air, potent and tangible. How typical. Horses were great evaluators and adaptors. They were always watching, always waiting, always testing. Unlike the snakes, it was not born out of malice but practicality. The strongest horse got to run the herd.

Until, of course, they were no longer the strongest.

It wasn’t all that bad a plan, to hide under the radar and sabotage operations wherever one could. Perhaps even their trouble finding her for quite so long had been due to a little tampering as well. 

For someone like Meino to acknowledge their strength meant that they were definitely a threat, and it would be the smartest path to make. Two Liviae would be able to handle things more smoothly, and take control of the situation more easily if it came down to it. It was a plan that benefited both parties, handed to her on a silver platter. 

Meino wasn't known as a strategist for nothing.

But if she joined them, it was only a matter of time till they found that she wasn’t holding the insignia. Then again, if she refused they could just stab her through to find out. Both choices had consequences, and all in all, it seemed like quite a lot of work. “Maybe later.”

Meino frowned. “You’re removed from most of your branch. What is there to save? You aren’t one who would do something like this for pride or justice.”

Melita smiled to herself, sighing as Teresa popped into her mind, unbidden as always. “I didn’t say no, did I?”

“Leon is dead. Our life spans are shortening.” Meino stepped closer, a foot squeezing past the bar to tap on the ground of the cell. “I don’t need to see yet another familiar face get slaughtered.”

“So stop it from happening.”

“What do you think I’m trying to do? You have something they want, you can bargain with it.” Did she try this with Leon? Or did she know that he would never have agreed?

“Who do you think you’re talking to?” Melita said as she arched an eyebrow, leaning back with a chuckle. “I’m selfish, remember?”

Meino grimaced, staring at Melita. Unbroken, Melita raised her chin, giving the other woman a winning smile, one of the many things she'd gotten from Larissa. “I’ve never been one to let someone else take something I want.”

Silence.

Meino turned around, walking towards the door. “I’ll tell them you’re still considering.”

Melita looked down, not bothering to watch her leave. When the door slammed, she closed her eyes, looking to the cameras as if she was deliberating, or had fallen asleep once more. Without any pressing issues available to push her body's concerns away, the headache that had been pulsing at the periphery screamed its' way back into the forefront of her mind. Her body ached, and the world swam, though whether from exertion or withdrawal (could boars get withdrawal?), she couldn't tell.

This time, when the self-hatred returned, she did nothing to stop it.