Post by Regatta on Nov 30, 2010 11:19:02 GMT -5
(Reggie's family is dead. Here's how she's doing mentally.)
“Do you know what it takes to come back from the dead, John?” Her voice was far away and limp.
“Well, I’m dead myself Regina, so, yes.”
“You came back from him, John. You came back into him. But not me. I rose, and there was nothing but me. They say it’s because of our will, you know. That I had the will, but she had the way.”
He went silent. She never talked about her death and rebirth. It made sense she’d start now, after the death of her family. Only three of her brothers survived, and of them, only Thomas was willing to formally sever the ties. Writing her a letter so cold, it was shocking. It had broken her in a way that death hadn’t. Leaving her empty.
“That sounds like the sort of propaganda that Sylvanas would put out.”
She laughed, and it sounded just as hollow as his own.
“How I envy you, John.”
“Why is that, Regina.”
“You don’t have to let go. You can still walk the streets you were raised on.”
“Not anymore. She made sure of that.”
She laughed again, and looked him in the eye. For the first time in a very long time, he felt unsure.
“She has never turned me away. Even when I turned her away. My own mother, who birthed me, and raised me, she turned away from me. To her, I wasn’t her daughter, I was just a monster in her daughter’s skin. So while I may dislike the execution, I still find the concept sound. We deserve to exist. We deserve a home. And if they won’t let us have one of their own free will, then we will take it with ours.”
“At what cost?”
“You don’t understand, John. Even with all the horrible things you’ve done, and yes, I know what you’ve done, they still allow you to walk their streets. They still claim you as a fallen son. But me? John, to them I am the worst kind of abomination. Because I died sickly, and had the gall not to stay dead; even though I rose and gave everything I had to the fight against the Scourge. Even though The Argent Dawn, and Tirion Fordring himself, have commended me on my work, my efforts. Even though I helped to kill the bastard that made me this way. That made you this way. I’m a monster unworthy of existing. Do you think that’s right, John? Do you think that fair? They wouldn’t let me in to help my family. They beat me and threatened my life. My hard-won life.”
“What could you have done, Regina? The whole world fell to Deathwing. What could you have done?”
She looked down.
“I could’ve tried. I could’ve died with them.”
“What a waste of your iron will, to die to a dragon.”
“That’s not funny.”
He sighed. He no longer had the tools to cheer her that he’d had in life. It was hard for him to understand why she was so crushed over the loss of a family that was so eager to shake her loose.
“I’m alone now, John. All alone. No one wants me.”
She crumpled, burying her face in her hands while she sobbed.
He slid closer to her and took her in his arms.
“You know that isn’t true.”
“It is. I’m alone, and I’m going to be alone forever.”
“Well, what about me? I’m here! And you have your pig. Repulsive as he is, he’s still yours. And he seems fondish of you.”
She let out a strangled chuckle. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
“Lovely. My entire family consists of a violent, ex-member of the Scourge and a psychotic pig.”
“Well that isn’t all. You have your friends. Your adventuring party, your guild.”
She grew quiet.
“If they even want to call me their friend. The Horde is turning away from us John. They’ve always distrusted the Forsaken, but now... they can’t understand what it’s like. To see your family turn and look at you with disgust. The Forsaken have had to scrape for every tiny scrap of land we have. We’ve taken the things the Humans threw away, and now that they’re fixed and clean, they want them back. The Orcs may understand, they’ve felt the aggressive hatred of the Humans. The Trolls may understand, they’ve had to scrape and scratch for every piece of land they have as well. But the others? The Tauren and the Blood Elves, who’ve had their homes for centuries? They won’t understand. And it’s not that we can just hand land over to the Humans and they’d let us go. They mean for us to be dead, period. They do not want us to exist. They make no distinctions between Forsaken. They won’t look at my works with the Argent Dawn or the Argent Crusade and say ‘Ok, this one gets to live. She’s not evil at all!’ To them I am as horrific as Putress. They would kill me just as they would kill an Apothecary. Burn me alive just to hear my screams die out. Oh and let’s pretend, for just a second, that the Humans would just send us on our way? Where would we go? Silvermoon? What! And ruin their lovely upholstery? Never! How about Orgrimmar? Maybe Thrall would’ve kept us for a time, but Hellscream would rather wear his own entrails for a necktie. Are the Trolls in really any place to take us in? Hardly, they’ve been tossed out of Orgrimmar themselves, and are just starting to stand on their own. And I know the Tauren wouldn’t take us in. We’ve repulsed them all along, and just because a handful have learned to tolerate us doesn’t mean they’re willing to put us up for an indefinite period. Should we find some lands to settle that no one else wants, the Humans will just come along and take them from us once we make them livable, starting the cycle all over again. But that is a fantasy, because you and I both know, the Humans have two goals. Reclaim “their” land, and kill every last Forsaken.”
He turned her around to face him, hands on her shoulders.
“Regatta. You have to give your friends more credit than that. They have propped you up when you were near death, and you have done the same. Feelings will be sore for a while, and there will be distrust and worry. But you are theirs, and they are yours, and you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s what you’d want from them.”
Quietly, she said, “You’ve never called me Regatta before. You’ve always called me Regina.”
“Well, you’re not Regina. You haven’t been Regina for years. Regina never fought for anything. Or for anyone. But Regatta does.”
“I don’t think I could take it if they turned on me too. I think it would kill me.”
“They won’t. And it wouldn’t. You’re made of stronger stuff then that.”
She leans back against a wall and sighs.
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?”
“Do you know what it takes to come back from the dead, John?” Her voice was far away and limp.
“Well, I’m dead myself Regina, so, yes.”
“You came back from him, John. You came back into him. But not me. I rose, and there was nothing but me. They say it’s because of our will, you know. That I had the will, but she had the way.”
He went silent. She never talked about her death and rebirth. It made sense she’d start now, after the death of her family. Only three of her brothers survived, and of them, only Thomas was willing to formally sever the ties. Writing her a letter so cold, it was shocking. It had broken her in a way that death hadn’t. Leaving her empty.
“That sounds like the sort of propaganda that Sylvanas would put out.”
She laughed, and it sounded just as hollow as his own.
“How I envy you, John.”
“Why is that, Regina.”
“You don’t have to let go. You can still walk the streets you were raised on.”
“Not anymore. She made sure of that.”
She laughed again, and looked him in the eye. For the first time in a very long time, he felt unsure.
“She has never turned me away. Even when I turned her away. My own mother, who birthed me, and raised me, she turned away from me. To her, I wasn’t her daughter, I was just a monster in her daughter’s skin. So while I may dislike the execution, I still find the concept sound. We deserve to exist. We deserve a home. And if they won’t let us have one of their own free will, then we will take it with ours.”
“At what cost?”
“You don’t understand, John. Even with all the horrible things you’ve done, and yes, I know what you’ve done, they still allow you to walk their streets. They still claim you as a fallen son. But me? John, to them I am the worst kind of abomination. Because I died sickly, and had the gall not to stay dead; even though I rose and gave everything I had to the fight against the Scourge. Even though The Argent Dawn, and Tirion Fordring himself, have commended me on my work, my efforts. Even though I helped to kill the bastard that made me this way. That made you this way. I’m a monster unworthy of existing. Do you think that’s right, John? Do you think that fair? They wouldn’t let me in to help my family. They beat me and threatened my life. My hard-won life.”
“What could you have done, Regina? The whole world fell to Deathwing. What could you have done?”
She looked down.
“I could’ve tried. I could’ve died with them.”
“What a waste of your iron will, to die to a dragon.”
“That’s not funny.”
He sighed. He no longer had the tools to cheer her that he’d had in life. It was hard for him to understand why she was so crushed over the loss of a family that was so eager to shake her loose.
“I’m alone now, John. All alone. No one wants me.”
She crumpled, burying her face in her hands while she sobbed.
He slid closer to her and took her in his arms.
“You know that isn’t true.”
“It is. I’m alone, and I’m going to be alone forever.”
“Well, what about me? I’m here! And you have your pig. Repulsive as he is, he’s still yours. And he seems fondish of you.”
She let out a strangled chuckle. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
“Lovely. My entire family consists of a violent, ex-member of the Scourge and a psychotic pig.”
“Well that isn’t all. You have your friends. Your adventuring party, your guild.”
She grew quiet.
“If they even want to call me their friend. The Horde is turning away from us John. They’ve always distrusted the Forsaken, but now... they can’t understand what it’s like. To see your family turn and look at you with disgust. The Forsaken have had to scrape for every tiny scrap of land we have. We’ve taken the things the Humans threw away, and now that they’re fixed and clean, they want them back. The Orcs may understand, they’ve felt the aggressive hatred of the Humans. The Trolls may understand, they’ve had to scrape and scratch for every piece of land they have as well. But the others? The Tauren and the Blood Elves, who’ve had their homes for centuries? They won’t understand. And it’s not that we can just hand land over to the Humans and they’d let us go. They mean for us to be dead, period. They do not want us to exist. They make no distinctions between Forsaken. They won’t look at my works with the Argent Dawn or the Argent Crusade and say ‘Ok, this one gets to live. She’s not evil at all!’ To them I am as horrific as Putress. They would kill me just as they would kill an Apothecary. Burn me alive just to hear my screams die out. Oh and let’s pretend, for just a second, that the Humans would just send us on our way? Where would we go? Silvermoon? What! And ruin their lovely upholstery? Never! How about Orgrimmar? Maybe Thrall would’ve kept us for a time, but Hellscream would rather wear his own entrails for a necktie. Are the Trolls in really any place to take us in? Hardly, they’ve been tossed out of Orgrimmar themselves, and are just starting to stand on their own. And I know the Tauren wouldn’t take us in. We’ve repulsed them all along, and just because a handful have learned to tolerate us doesn’t mean they’re willing to put us up for an indefinite period. Should we find some lands to settle that no one else wants, the Humans will just come along and take them from us once we make them livable, starting the cycle all over again. But that is a fantasy, because you and I both know, the Humans have two goals. Reclaim “their” land, and kill every last Forsaken.”
He turned her around to face him, hands on her shoulders.
“Regatta. You have to give your friends more credit than that. They have propped you up when you were near death, and you have done the same. Feelings will be sore for a while, and there will be distrust and worry. But you are theirs, and they are yours, and you have to give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s what you’d want from them.”
Quietly, she said, “You’ve never called me Regatta before. You’ve always called me Regina.”
“Well, you’re not Regina. You haven’t been Regina for years. Regina never fought for anything. Or for anyone. But Regatta does.”
“I don’t think I could take it if they turned on me too. I think it would kill me.”
“They won’t. And it wouldn’t. You’re made of stronger stuff then that.”
She leans back against a wall and sighs.
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?”