Prompt 7 ─ Happiness [END PAGE 6]

[Cyrano]

"I used to live for my matriarch and her life in the court I had to leave I was too engulfed
I was her favourite, the golden boy of the Court. I rose high from my beginnings as a pickpocket and con, then I was vain and was nothing more than the gold that adorned me. She would drape me in golden silks, and with bangles at my wrists and the bells at my feet that would ring softly as I walked. I do miss my bells.She would give me wondrous things magnificent gardens The court didn’t dare touch me for fear of her wrath, but she made it so they trusted me. To please he I became a player, like a pawn on a chessboard. Sometimes I betrayed friends and often I played allies but they all still "loved" me. She was the reason that I had no problems collecting the secrets of the court, all of which are directly whispered into her ear.

I did not seek status or power for myself; I only wanted status and power for her, just to see her fuffilled. I never wished to directly rule, and was much more into getting the Matriarch onto the throne. I did whatever it took to get her to Queen, but she didn't see the toll it had on my mind. The court only saw the Sun Queen and her golden boy. They couldn't see the blood that they’ve lined the path to divinity with. But I could that's why I left."

[Breado]

Without thinking, Jeremiah spat out, “I had sacrificed my happiness for him time and time again.”
The anger and bitterness just oozed from his lips. “But did he notice it? Hah. Why would he? He’s the important little shadow mage’s brother, after all, why would he need someone like me to help him? Besides,” he said, sarcasm mixing into his voice, “he’s too clever for everyone.”

He got quiet for a moment.
Sighing, he said, “He said he was my best friend.”
In a lower voice, he added: “… and like some stupid kid, I believed him.”

“You know, Meliodas isn’t really… uh… how should I put this… he’s a bit too full of himself; sometimes forgetting that his partner isn’t capable of most things he is. I wouldn’t have any complaints about this, but he left me alone too many times during investigations and chases.
“One thing I hate about him the most however is how I just can’t say no to him or leave him there for good. I mean, how I wasn’t able to back then.
“Because you see, he left me again during a chase, I fell into the severs and it took him two days and half to realize that I didn’t go to work the day after that. He didn’t even notice I was gone. After that, I never went back to work, I just quit. I felt like I couldn’t have taken any more of his crap and pretend I’m fine with him basically ignoring me. Why stay with someone who’d seemingly work alone and not care about his partner, huh?”

[Tanjiro]

"Yeah," Ken snickered, "when I was stupid." Pain briefly flashed across her face before she cleared her throat, softening her tone. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to sound so rude. Um, yeah, I once did. A girlfriend... Ugh... This is cliche," Ken said with a hint of unease in her voice. She seemed rather uncomfortable talking about her personal life, though something in Bao-Bao's quiet formality made her want to open up. Ken believed that opening up would help the two connect better, even if it was for a brief moment.

"I never really had much love. So when the opportunity came, I foolishly dived headfirst. I was so damn naive," she continued with a chuckle, "her happiness became my happiness, even when she loved me less than I loved her. I was ready to give up everything for her. I constantly tried to meet her many demands & be the person I thought she would like. I wasn't happy anymore because I was constantly criticizing MYSELF for something that was out of my control. I thought that if I could change myself to be perfect, she could finally love me." Ken's gaze focused sadly on the ground. "... I guess I was wrong," she whispered weakly as she anxiously twiddled her fingers. "I gave up my happiness for someone who didn't love me. In the end, I don't think I can do that again, even if I wanted to." She sighed as she let her mind wander for a bit. She soaked in the bittersweet moments of the past as the two sat silently.

"Ah, that was a mood killer, I apologize," Ken said it as if the mood was any different before she opened up. "I'm okay now! I guess the lesson I learned from that is to never give up your happiness for anyone. Perhaps that's cliche, but after so much heartbreak I love by that now."

[Syd March]

claude
"I- I don't think I've done that." The pink kalon stammered out. He hadn't ever considered his life or actions to be that deep, or important. Just that he had done what had to be done, and, well, thinking about it now, maybe that had been at the sacrifice of his own happiness. He ran a paw through his blue mop of unkempt mohawk and said it again, with less conviction, voice faltering. "I don't know, I don't think I have." Flashes of his life filtered through his mind, a clip of him telling someone "it's okay, I don't mind," a snippet of him driving his friend to school and skipping a date. Small things, unimportant really, nothing Claude would have noticed had he not been asked, but sacrifices nonetheless. Maybe he had never noticed his giving side because it came to be what people expected of him.

Claude turned to leave. He had said what he meant to say. However, he couldn't get himself to leave. He felt like he needed to be truthful. If not for the other kalon, for himself. For his own good, to just once do what was best for him. He turned around once more, raised his gaze until he was looking directly into the eyes of the other. "I have given up my happiness for everyone. I have always done so. I don't even realize I'm doing it anymore. I have never put myself first. I'm okay with that." Having said his part, he felt relieved. Like finally getting that out of his system was what everything today had been leading up to.

[76heart]

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76heart ● taura ran ● 830 words

Before she began, Taura regarded the other kalon softly, her blue eyes searching and filled with softness and a mixture of empathy and sympathy, though she imagined the other would not want it. It was meant with the best intentions, truly, but Taura was aware that there were some who felt hurt when pity or sympathy was given, and from the way Bao-Bao seemed to show a form of displeasure she couldn't discern exactly from being here, and from the rare hesitant softness creeping into her voice, she had a feeling she was one. Regardless though, she had been asked a question, and she wanted to answer it and help the other how she could. This was one of the rare moments where she was able to do such a thing, because she could help without holding back the yearning- sometimes screaming- desire to share what she knew of their fortune, their future, their luck, so she did not condemn them with her words of warning meant only to help.

Softly, she swallowed, taking a moment to think and call forth her words. It wasn't long before her answer came to her; she had known it the moment the question had been asked, and with a small smile pulling at the corners of her lips at the thought of her mother, and the warmth of her fur and the cool stone of their cave, she spoke. "Like my mother, I don’t think I ever had a choice in giving it up for others, in truth. I can feel happiness, I know joy, but I must always give it up for another." Taura confessed, offering Bao-Bao a gentle smile. Something told her from her question, that she felt much the same, and that was why she was asking. What she could see of the other's luck was clouded, unclear, but from the way she held herself and had been, she knew there was a weight somewhere upon her shoulders, a heavy one that seemed to carry a pain and sorrow.

"Like Kings and Queens born as princes and princess as heirs to rule kingdoms, who never got to make the choice because it was chosen for them by their parents and by those who came before. They are born to the one position where they must give everything they are and sacrifice their lives and happiness for everyone else. They have to, for the sake of their kingdoms, and their subjects, the very people they are born to protect. From the moment of their birth they are sworn to serve their people. They must always live to serve their interests and always keep their best ones at heart, with no regard for themselves and what they want or feel. They live not for themselves, but for their kingdom and all within." She paused. "There are those who are selfish of course, the tyrants, but those are not good Kings and Queens, they are merely souls parading as leaders in a false mask and stolen crown. There are those who run too, but I could never fault them for following their hearts. It is a heavy burden, and I could never blame someone for passing it to one who could wear it."

"I am no queen, and I've never been a princess, but I know of the weight, of the lack of choice. I am able to see things about others no one else can, things that could help them, save them, even, but I can never say a thing." Her smile faded, and she looked down to her paws, a noticeable pain crossing her features as they tensed, her claws pulling at the dirt and digging into the soil. "I-" Her voice cracked. She gave a shake of her head, steeling herself to the words, to her reality. "I can never tell them what I see, or what I know, because if I do, I could doom them. I could condemn them to something even more horrible than what I see for them. I have to endure the pain, the burden of what is coming, so they never know worse. I could chance it and tell them for the sake of lessening the weight upon my shoulders, but that is not a choice I will ever allow myself to make. I was born with this curse, and I will not curse others with it too."

She relaxed, her claws easing, and gave a sigh of relief now that the words were out and done, and the pain could pass. She turned her gaze to the other Kalon again, who's cherry blossoms reminded her of her mother's flowers of sun, and offered a small smile again, one tinged faintly with a heavy sorrow with roots that caged her heart. "If you have had to make that choice, or if it was made for you, whatever it may be, I hope that you get the chance to chose your happiness one day."

[fuiuki]

Thinking for a good moment, Karpe knew that was an easy question to answer.

"Yes, of course. I'm a father, so there have been many moments where I've given up something for my children. An easy example would be all the snacks I've let my children have instead of keeping for myself" he says, with a light laugh. Though his eyes twinkle with amusement, if one looked closely, they could tell that there was more on his mind.

Yes, he’d given up happiness before for someone else. Not just for his children, however. Yes, seeing his eldest move away from home had been heart wrenching. And yes, spending his limited money on something nice for his family instead of getting something necessary for himself had been tough as well. They were all easy choices to make however. He had been forced to make choices that weren’t all that easy though, most of them occurring before he had kids.

Thinking back, he remembered his home. He didn’t live in his original country, as he had moved to where he now lived to be able to stay with his wife. He knew he could’ve convinced her to move to his homeland, where he’d be comfortable and have family and friends nearby. Where he’d made his life. But… he couldn’t do that to her. No matter how much he missed his old home, he couldn’t take the love of his life away from where she was comfortable, happy and thriving. So he’d moved. So far away from everything he knew, so far from what he was comfortable with. For a while, he’d been absolutely miserable in this new, strange place. He’d eventually managed to settle in however, finding new jobs and new friends, and his wife’s family was now also his own. It would never be the same as his old home, but… if he had a choice… he’d do it all over again. For her.

[deerbroken]

"The short answer is yes." He plays with the ring around his nose out of nervousness, straightening the small golden piercing before continuing. "The long answer... the easiest way to describe it is that I've given up happiness for my people."

"My father was a good man," he begins, a pensive look on his face. "But he became overrun with greed. A demon saw him as a worthy vessel, and with a king to control at its will, my home became a wasteland. Crime was rampant in the streets, war was on the verge of starting between our kingdom and another. My brother, born under the guise of the demon, only made things worse; he spurred on anger in our city, traveled to the outskirts and spoke words of the real demons being in our enemy's hearts, rather than our own. Our world fell apart, and many lives were lost. When the dust settled, my father had died in the skirmishing. Our home was in shambles, no one knew what we were going to do with what was left of our world. I was in line for the throne. I stood on the rubble outside of the castle, before the old fountain in the courtyard, and put a hand to my chest. I promised that as the new ruler, I would make things better. Bring peace to our torn-apart world. I put every ounce of energy I had into rebuilding our kingdom, in rebuilding ties with other monarchs and kingdoms and organizing efforts to reconstruct buildings and clear waterways. It took a long time to bring things into some kind of state of order. Even now, I still work tirelessly to keep the peace, to make sure our world holds together. I don't have much time to be my own person, anymore. But I'd gladly do it all again."

[310 words]

[✦ nemuri]

at the question, cyrene couldn't help but laugh out loud incredulously. "me? sacrifice something for others? perish the thought! it's so funny that you'd ask such a question ... right, anyways, what did you really want to know?"

when the other party remained quiet, cyrene's mirthful eyes turned dark, and she raised an eyebrow. "so you were being serious? about coming here for the sake of your village, and being interested in my response? well, sorry to let you down, but i can't think of a single instance where i've put other people above myself." there was a pause and the golden-eyed woman hummed to herself, pondering. she crossed her arms over her chest, and with a smile decorating her features, she opened her mouth again to speak.

"well, i suppose i should elaborate, right? in any case, i've never found a person worth giving up my happiness for. you can't expect a kid to understand selflessness, and by the time i'd grown up, my entire village was dead." she let out another laugh, but it was far different from the laugh before. it was low, almost like a growl. cyrene pinned the other woman with a fierce gaze in her eyes, and after a few seconds, she shrugged. "when i found the perpetrator, i made sure there was hell to pay. after that, i didn't really have anyone else ... i just drifted around, making a living for myself, swearing that i'd make the rest of the world feel the pain i experienced that fateful day.

"you could say that i'm angry, and you'd be right. i've been angry for a very, very long time. it's not something that i can easily forget or let go of; i literally have no other purpose in this world." cyrene raised a fist, and with a boom, black smog started to gather around her. the smog took on the shape of an evil yet otherworldly creature, and somehow, the brown-haired woman seemed right at home with it. "i didn't just take the life of the person who murdered my entire village. i also took control of his sins, and here we are, ready to kill the world."

silence echoed between the two women, and for a long moment, cyrene didn't speak. she merely waved a hand wordlessly and the smog disappeared. when she looked up again, her clock-faced eyes were exhausted, weary. "to tell the truth, i'm not fond of being the antagonist, but this is the role the world has set for me. this," she gestured to where the smog had been just moments prior, "is the only thing that brings me happiness these days, and i've not found a single person thus far who'd i'd give up this happiness for.

"maybe things might change if i did. maybe it won't. who knows? certainly not me. no hard feelings, but one day, the world is going to come to an end, and i won't regret a single thing. for now, the clock keeps ticking, and the sands of time will continue to slip until then."

without another word, cyrene spun around and stormed away, flicking her long hair behind her. it staring hard enough, one could almost notice the residue smog that floated off from her being.

[Thani]

You haven't truly lived until you've met someone who, beyond anything else, makes you feel something real.
You were the one thing in this world I wanted to protect, keep safe from any harm this evil world may throw at you.
Strangers to friends, to sisters..through and through. You were my family, regardless of blood and I would do anything for you. So when the time came for you to leave me, and I watched as your pretty face got stained with tears...I knew what I had to do.

"Lotte ! Lotte ! Your wedding dress came in!" My handmaid, excitedly stumbled into my room carrying a large bag with what I assumed was my wedding dress.
I smiled at her reactions, taking the large bag from her and hanging it on the corner of my changing rack.
"Can i see you in it?" She asked, trying to compose herself a bit. It wasn't working.

I unzipped the bag slowly, a satin white fabric showing through the small opening. I smiled a bit to myself, a bittersweet moment...
You see I was in this position for one reason and one reason only...because the happiness of my best friend, my sister... outweighed the happiness of my own. when my brother, the prince was set to marry a princess in the neighboring kindgom to establish a treaty of sorts. I couldn't let him go through with it...not knowing how they felt about each-other. It was a split second decision I made and I wouldn't change my decision for the world...no matter how awful and overbearing my soon to be husband was. My happiness would reside in the happiness of my family...And I would bare this feeling so they wouldn't have to..

[SilhouetteStation]

Briar-Rose frowned slightly; she hadn't been expecting such a full on question from a stranger. But she was intrigued by the sudden softness in her voice, and felt it only fair to reply as best she could.

"I don't think I've ever given up happiness for someone else..." she began slowly, choosing her words carefully. "But I think as a primary school teacher, I do give up a lot else. All of the staff do, really. I think a lot of people don't fully realize how invested we are in the job, how much we care for the kids, and how much we're prepared to give up for them.

So many schools are underfunded, and ours is no different. We don't get paid enough as it is, but what we don't get from the government, we try and pull out of our own pockets. We have to help pay for field trips, for school supplies. If a kid needs new shoes, we'll buy them a new pair. If someone's backpack breaks, we'll get them a new one. As teachers we understand what it's like to be short of money, and we know there are so many families who can't afford all these extra little things. So we step up, even if we can't always afford it ourselves, because it's all part of the job.

We do care about those kids, though. We're more than happy to help them out when we need to. They're like our own kids; everyone is like family. Students, staff...we care about each other. So...no, I don't think I've ever given up happiness for the sake of another. I give up a lot for others, but doing that makes me happy, so that's alright with me."

(290w)