03 | Glutton For Punishment

It's late.

You trail close behind Linia and Pursena as they lead you down the corridor of the dormitory. The air is laced with a pungently sweet aroma, perhaps herbs or tea stirring from within someone's room. Mixed with the warm appeal of dark-colored tile flooring and the many windows lining the walls where silky curtains are draped overhead, it's truly welcoming.

Ahead of you, the two girls walk in perfect sync. Linia with her hands behind her head, Pursena's arms at her sides, though lacking the stick of jerky you'd expect her to be holding.

"I thought you'd just take the stuff from me and tell me to go," you say, breaking the silence. "Not invite me into the dorm, too. Let alone your room."

"Don't take it the wrong way. We're just getting some bonus out of you now that we know you ain't entirely useless, nya." Linia doesn't look at you as she speaks. Pursena, however, does. She glances nonchalantly at you with lidded eyes.

"Yeah, like, don't think we're getting buddy-buddy with you," she plainly states. "We're still in charge of you for now."

"For a while actually," Linia snickers. "I'm kinda enjoying having a pet fetch me whatever I want. Lucky for you, Y/N, those sandwiches smell pretty good."

You stare down at the bag in your hand. Just an ordinary pack made for carrying a few small things. In this case, Linia's sandwiches you made by hand and Pursena's dried meat you stopped by the market for. Granted it all came out of your pocket money, you're not happy. Never have you stooped so low that you actually spent money on your bullies.

Come to think of it, you've never been bullied. Until now. You don't even know why you're putting up with it anymore. All you are to them is a dog to play fetch with, where there is no frisbee or bone to bring back — it's all food and favors and "chores."

You think about your situation. It's sickening.

The pair of Doldia girls lead you into their dorm room. It's relatively small and dimly lit aside from the subtle spread of sunlight coming through the windows. Their beds are nestled snugly at opposite corners of the room, both of which not made, the blankets displaced wildly over the mattresses.

All in all, it's nice-looking but that fact alone doesn't make you feel comfortable in the girls' presence. You stand by the wall, rather than come further inside.

"I'll take that," Linia says and snatches the bag from your hand. You let it go without resistance. She plops it down on her bed, promptly digs in and starts pulling out the sandwiches. You made three so you expect her not to ask for more.

Supposedly you're asking for too much because one minute Linia is grinning hungrily at the food, and the next when she reaches in for more and does not find a fourth, her eyes land on you. She stares daggers into your soul.

"Only three?" she asks.

"You didn't say how many you wanted."

Your answer is disregarded. Linia sighs, takes her offerings, and sits down on her bed. She unwraps a sandwich and digs in, filling her cheeks with haste.

Now Pursena is approaching her sister, eyes on the bag of food. She sniffs the air. "Where's my stuff?"

"It's... it's in there," you say.

She fishes through the bag, retrieving a packet filled in with the dried meat you had purchased. It's not much.

Before too long, as you stand and wait for the girl's judgment, you're sweating bullets. It's not even hot in here. It's simply the lingering potential these girls have to blow up at you in case you do something wrong.

You're ready to feel guilty and you hate yourself for it.

Pursena unwraps the packet of meats. She examines the food for a moment, eyes bouncing to and fro her sister and to you and back to the meat before a grimace darkens her expression.

"Really, Y/N?" Her voice turns icy. "This is the cheap stuff."

You hold back a sigh in case they take it as disrespect. "And?"

"And I don't eat the cheap stuff."

"That's all I could afford. Meat is expensive."

Pursena groans like a child, her tail drooping lazily against her skirt. "Come on..."

"Ba-hah!" Linia laughs with her mouth still full. "Maybe Y/N is doin' you a favor. You really need to cut back on all that meat, nya-ha!"

"You calling me fat?"

"You're gettin' there!"

"Fuck you..."

For a while the room is peacefully quiet. Only the sound of the girls snacking on the food you brought them fills your ears. Thankfully Pursena came to terms with the cheap quality of the meat, although it took her a minute to observe and sniff the inexpensive stuff before she eventually dug in.

Somehow it's awkward. It's just you by the wall, fiddling with your fingers as you watch your bullies chow down next to each other. It's like you don't exist. You brought them what they asked for and they painstakingly accepted the offerings. Now...

"I'm gonna have you do my homework, nya," says Linia. She catches you off guard entirely, for your head had been absorbed in the calm silence of the room for some time.

You look over at her, still nervously playing with your fingers. "I don't... I don't think I can stay much longer. I have to get back to my room."

"Nonsense," Linia suggests with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You're here til I say you can leave. That's how this works. Now get to it — my homework is in my bag over there."

With an annoyed huff, you cross the room and pull Linia's homework from her bag which lies haphazardly next to the unlit fireplace.

"After you finish, I think I'll have you... hmm." Linia taps a finger to her chin, thinking. She must be trying to figure out what else she wants you to do. Seems like getting back to your room isn't happening anytime soon. You wouldn't even be surprised if the girls force you to stay here past midnight.

"I dunno," Linia continues. She turns to her sister. "What should I make 'em do?"

Pursena, looking bored, shrugs. "I guess this place could use, like, a clean."

Now hold on a second...

Linia claps her hands together, her eyes darting excitedly over to you again. "Yeah, that's it! You can tidy up our room after you're done doing my homework."

Pursena nods to you. "And we need new firewood for the fireplace."

"I might even have you give me a nice massage, nyaaa..."

You pause. This can't be happening. Bullies are pretty bad, you know that, but never have you heard of bullies going this deep to abuse their victims. Bringing food, cleaning up rooms, gathering wood for the hearth. All of this just because they believe you're weaker than they are.

"Seriously?" you croak.

Linia stands up from her bed swiftly, her tail flicking viciously against the air. "You got any complaints?"

You throw your hands up in defense as she approaches you, getting in your face. "No, of course not!" you say. "I mean, I can do it, but—"

"But what, huh?" Linia's voice falls deep, sending a chill up your spine. She's so close now that you're practically pinned against the wall. "If you wanna say no, that's fine. But don't blame me for the ass-beating you get because of it."

This close.

You are this close to snapping. You so desperately want to shut this girl down. You want to make her feel the same sense of fear and insecurity you've been feeling for far too long now.

"What's with that look on your face?" she says. "Got somethin' to say?" Only then do you feel your face has twisted into a nasty scowl. It's not enough to make Linia stand down.

"I'm getting real sick of this," you say. "You flaunt that sad status like you're a princess everyone has to worship — you and your glutton of a sister."

Linia's eyes narrow. Behind her, Pursena is watching from the bed. Both of them appear poised to strike you down for your bad mouth. But alas, you keep on going. Your anger slips out in hot, seething words.

"I'm not your toy or your maid or your servant, you got that? I don't care if you've been here longer than me. I especially don't care if you think your little animal tribe is all high and mighty."

You start to cast a spell. You don't even know what you're casting; you're just doing it because you're so angry.

"Instead of running your mouths like you're on top of the world, how about you focus on getting that dog on a diet?" Pursena's eyes widen, her teeth showing. "Yeah, I'm talking about you. Both of you make me wanna—!"

As fast as you had begun, you were done. Silenced. Linia swings, landing a clean right hook on your jaw. It's such a powerful hit that the thump of the impact on your face echoes. You stumble immediately after taking the hit, your magic faltering entirely as you fall on your butt.

Your face aches, the bones in your jaw screaming for sweet mercy.

Dazed. Just like that, Linia has put you back in your place. And she doesn't stop there — she bends down and picks you up by your neck, forcing you to stand again even though your senses aren't intact at this moment. Once you're hoisted high enough, she slams you against the wall.

"Anything else, dipshit?" she says. "Go on, keep talking. I dare you."

You can't even muster the energy to look straight at her, let alone speak coherent words. Her swing knocked everything out of you, including your flow of mana.

You go completely silent.

"That's what I thought."

Linia drops you to your knees and retreats to her bed once more, sitting down beside Pursena. The two of them stare at your weak self for a moment or two, pondering the fate of your safety.

Pursena glances at her sister. "Well?"

"I'd keep beating their ass but I don't want the floor to get all bloody, ya know," Linia sighs. "Oi, Y/N, get up and start doing what I told you to do. Chop, chop."

Your body shakes ever so slightly. Careful, you bring your hand up to your jaw, still throbbing with pain, and you wipe your finger along a bloody bruise. The sight of the crimson fluid makes you feel even weaker, helpless... stuck.

"Look at their face, nya-hah!" Linia bellows. "They look so scared!"

"Ugh," Pursena scoffs. "You didn't have to hit them so hard. Like, the sight of blood ruins my appetite."

"You heard what they said!"

The girls continue talking back and forth among one another, mocking your fear and pain. Soon, though, even the sound of their voices amidst the quiet is drowned out by an even louder ringing in your ears as you stare at the blood on your hands.