All my favorite colors

Sylvie was bored.

Mamaranth was sleeping, that horrible woman called 'Valeska' was somewhere off trying to find food for her ten thousand puppies (ugh), and no one was paying attention to her. It was awful. Everything sucked.

She missed @Krakarak and his loud, boisterous ways of making her feel better - and not to mention, important - but he was off trying to keep his wolves in order back in Northfall far to the west, and she had no other raven-friends to talk to. @Dimitri was afraid of her, @Narcissa didn't have a single reactive bone in her body, @Alder was usually somewhere else, and @Sreda frankly unsettled her.

That left @Violet.

Sylvie hadn't interacted much with the little shit, but she'd heard enough round the pack that her reputation preceded her. Perhaps she might be a worthy opponent...

Flying down from her perch, she took a few laps around Fate's Respite before finally spying her fluffy white target near some berry bushes.

“Hello, brat,” she said by way of greeting, coming to a landing on top of the bush in question. She stared down at the child with beady eyes, suddenly realizing there were smashed berries all over the ground. “... What are you doing?”

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In a squeeky voice, "Eat shit wormbrain." Where did she learn her swearing? Only The Five would really know ; maybe the occasional swearing from both her aunt and her moms had rubbed off a bit too well, and she gradually been picking up this language more and more. Something about it was enticing, especially the way others looked at her in disapproval, it felt awfully.. Empowering.

The bird came by in the midst of her dying. She was trying different ways to smash the berries without having to use her own paws, and waiting for @Mordecai to do it was awfully slow. He was often patrolling, out of bounds that Violet couldn't properly call for him.. At the moment she was using a rock to try and smash it, but much of the juices either ingrained into the dirt of the rock itself. She was scrapping it, seeing if the colors would come to her claws but alas, it only sprinkled it lightly and made a gross splatter onto her white paws.

"Making my nails pretty," she said with a humph, looking back down to her mess.

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“Eat shit wormbrain.”

Sylvie frowned, ruffling her feathers uncomfortably, wondering where such a small child learned such nasty words - even though she herself had been a fledgling of colorful vocabulary.

“Not before you do, dump truck,” she shot back quickly, all while scooting closer to have a better look at Violet's busywork. She was making an absolute mess of the thing, using her clumsy, oafish paws and huge, unwieldy mouth to try and crush the offending berries into a disgusting paste. Apparently she was trying to make her claws 'pretty', but Sylvie eyed them with some skepticism, wondering how on earth such fat, blunted claws (unlike her own elegant talons) could ever be anything less than unsightly.

Nevertheless, it bothered the perfectionist within her.

If she was going to do something, she needed to do it right.

“First of all, that's impossible,” she said in regards to Violet's spoken desire. “Secondly, you're totally ruining what slim potential they had.”

Sylvie fluttered down from her perch, landing with noiseless grace amidst the disaster area. She glanced around at all the smashed berries - wasted attempts, perfectly good berries gone to shit for no reason - and sighed, shaking her head. While she absolutely despised every single one of Valeska's brats, they were still progeny of her own Mama (ugh) and though she had every intention of killing them all one day through various 'accidents', at least they could learn something useful before their collective demise.

“Here - move, let me get that,” Sylvie squawked impatiently, using a wing to push Violet's face away from a half-smashed berry. The raven bent down and picked it up delicately within her ebon beak, applying just a small amount of pressure until a thin rivulet of juice began to spill - perfect. Hopping closer to Violet's nearest forepaw, she leaned over and squeezed again, watching carefully as she dribbled the juice over a single claw with the concentrated precision of an artist.

She stepped back to admire her handiwork.

“See? Much better,” Sylvie praised herself. “Want me to fix the rest? They look like shit.”

She paused.

“I'll still murder you one day, you know.”

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Violet stuck her tongue out at the other, the absence of insults was all used up previous days and moments that she lacked the proper language grasping to do more. Young mind, young thoughts ; although slowly was more wolves were introduced and others altogether, the young child would slowly have quite a colorful grip on insults and alike. She was slowly grasping what hit the most, but the other just insulted back that let her huff in annoyance.

But even if they sucked.. At least their nails were better ish. She flexed her paws, the splattering of what was a bad nail compared to the rest was albeit better, as an eye gazed to the smashed up berries she attempted to do. Her tail even brushed over to hide such mistakes a bit, otherwise a flickering them elsewhere, "I guess it's pretty good," a reluctant compliment but it neatly avoided most of her fur.

"Yeah? You doing my nails says otherwise," there was a childish giggle that was a bit unlike the mean little girl.

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Sylvie dropped the exhausted berry at her paws, casting a scornful look up toward the brat. Ungrateful, every single one of them. It was a miracle they had managed to survive for as long as they had already - Valeska's whelps with Amaranth were strong-willed but weak-minded, unlike herself.

Sylvie was Amaranth's own and only true child. Adopted, yes, but she they were both ravens*, and she shared far more in common with the golden wraith than did any of her abominable hairy beasts she called children.

Disgusting.

“"I guess it's pretty good.”

Sylvie huffed and stepped backward, looking affronted. 'Pretty good'?

“Better than what your fat mouth could do,” she said tersely, rummaging with her beak in the accumulated berry-pile once more. The stupid child had already used most of them up with her clumsy attempts at artistry, and Sylvie had a hard time trying to find one that wasn't already dried up or smushed to pieces.

Ah-hah!

“"Yeah? You doing my nails says otherwise,"” Violet teased, the sound of a giggle being almost foreign on her lips.

Sylvie shrugged.

“Mamaranth would want you to look nice laid to rest,” she said flippantly. “Besides, your weird sister will want good material to make her eulogy with. Now hold still or I'll stab your fucking paw.”

Gripping the berry carefully, she moved to apply a coat on the next nail, head cocked nearly parallel to the ground as she performed her work with utmost care and diligence.

More juice dribbled out, splashing gently against the proffered claw in a pink wash.

“Why the hell are you so mean, anyway?” she asked boredly before moving on to the next canvas. Sylvie eyed the pup accusingly. “You have a great life for a brat. Honestly? You're spoiled rotten - that's probably what it is.”
 

---

 

*Sylvie would never cease in her belief that Amaranth was just a big weird bird.

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Violet lacked any insults to be given back and hmphed, except she.. Notably froze for a moment when mentioned her golden mother. She actually was attacked by her own mother some days ago ; not literally, there was no fangs or claws, but she tried to put God's Fear into Violet. It didn't work though, at least so she thought. It just made her uncomfortable around her, a instinct that didn't feel like a parent anymore but like something trying to grab her throat. She was becoming visibly uncomfortable at the mention of her, and didn't reply on it as a silence fell.

"I'm not mean," Violet said speaking up some moments, "it's only the truth. Truth is half are ugly and annoying." She turned her head away with another humph, truly believing there was nothing wrong with that, "most are ugly inside and out, and that's a sin." She saw them as lesser, if they were ugly, they could at least be useful otherwise.. But most were not, such as Dimitri, Harper, all her children.. Only Mordecai was okay because he let Violet do whatever she wanted.

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To the untrained eye, Violet's brief moment of seizure would have gone unnoticed. However, Sylvie's entire existence depended upon her being observant - mostly to avoid angry swipes and various attempts to end her life (for she was determined to live as long as bitterness would allow) - and she saw otherwise. If she had possessed eyebrows, she surely would have raised one, wondering what she'd said to trigger such an unusual response from the girl.

Violet was well-known to be fearless, given the way she ran her mouth. What could instill fear into -

- ah.

Mama.

Sylvie allowed the faintest ghost of a smile to creep up her feathered cheeks, although she said nothing about the matter. She was content to keep painting Violet's claws, squishing out globs of berry-juice in her skillful manner, wordlessly filing away this tidbit of intel for later use. I mean, it made sense. Amaranth was terrifying when she wanted to be - but Sylvie was safe. Sylvie was her favorite. She would never harm her first (and only rightful) daughter, but perhaps she could use the golden woman's distaste for the spoiled brat.

“I guess the truth can be mean sometimes,” Sylvie affirmed, taking a pause in her work to admire it and check for flaws. She only had one paw to go. “But I've always been told beauty is in the eye of the beholder - sub-jec-tive -” she enunciated the word carefully, having only learned it recently. “And what's ugly to somebody can be beautiful to the next person.”

Oh, gods, that almost sounded like she was trying to play Devil's Advocate there for a second.

Sylvie harrumphed, ruffling her feathers in a dismissive motion.

“Anyway, you call everybody ugly,” she said after a moment. “So what's your definition of 'beautiful'? And don't just say yourself,” the bird amended quickly, raising a wing to silence the girl. “You gotta think of something else.”

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"I think my moms are pretty. My siblings are okay look-wise but their insides are fucked up. Like Dimitri, y'know? He goes more about The Five then mom and the way he creepily looks.. Like he's gonna snap and kill us all." Violet's definition of beauty was surprisingly more then just the looks overall. Although she did harshly judge over beauty, such as finding Sreda and Harper rather distasteful, but it was the more concept she thought darker colors were rather crude, and the more pale one was, the more beauty she saw. Her mother's were especially light in color, a silver fox and a golden seductress. However now Violet is lectured by one, and the other gives an eye as if she was going to murder the child. The lacking of warmth felt.. Uncomfortable.

Violet however, truly believed her brother was psychoatic. There was a clear liking about him that she looked to be obvious, but maybe it was simply due to his devotation to the Gods that the rest of the litter wasn't extremely keen over, or devotated like so. But she thought he was crazy.. The way he spoke the way he was, at least her thoughts were always out in the open. But she knew, that he had to have some devious ways behind that fake mama's boy act. Violet felt it in her bones.

She truly detested him.

"You're okay," she then said with more reluctance, "most just.. I don't know," she thought about it, humming with closed eyes for a moment, "like why is everyone just so barbaric? Like just insult back, not attack. Or like just constantly lecture. Not like I actually hurt anyone. It's just words." It was a struggle to put it into words, but she tried to let the bird in on the bits of her inner thoughts. She didn't think she was an angel, no one was an angel, but she also didn't believe anyone could truly be hurt with words. Just suck it up? It's not that hard?

She didn't understand why Harper got offended calling her kids ugly, she didn't get why Alder kept being upset when others thought he was ugly.

Though she did hope now it hurt their feelings because she didn't like them. Although she says this, there been cases she has been upset about what others call her ; she just a hypocrite that doesn't realize it. Or has she?

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Sylvie had reached down to yank another berry out of the pile, but hesitated before her beak could make contact. How intriguing that Violet could accuse her siblings of looking murderous, but she herself couldn't see the foul reflection she cast upon those in her company. If anyone could be accused of homicide, it would surely be the brat.

Then again, Violet probably lacked the conviction and follow-through. In some ways the two were very similar, in that they could both be equally full of hot air - though Sylvie, however, had at least tried to off some of the other pups already.

Practice makes perfect, or so they say.

Sylvie shrugged and allowed the girl to continue speaking, figuring it was a good avenue for her to explore some other mode of operation besides 'bitch'. Violet was not one to self-reflect very often; it did not matter how she reached her destination, only that she got there.

The raven grabbed one of the last few berries, squeezing it firmly as she smeared its bright pink nectar across Violet's hind claws. She was getting rather good at this - perhaps she should start charging for her services.

“Some folks have these things called feelings,” she began sagely, discarding the exhausted berry with a snort. Only one paw left to do. “And when you hit 'em with the right words, they hurt like a bite to the jugular.”

Sylvie would not publicly admit to possess any such thing herself, but she knew she could be butthurt on occasion.

“Sometimes all they know how to fight back with is their actions. Especially when words can't penetrate the immeasurably thick, vicious, cruel, single-minded skull that insulted them in the first place. It ain't fair otherwise.”

She took a step back to assess her styling skills, holding up a wing as if measuring a painting on an easel.

“Almost done. You know, maybe you could use some religion,” she ventured, giving the girl a sly look. “Maybe the gods can make everyone as ugly as you think they are if you pray hard enough. Hell, Dimitri thinks he can summon demons.”

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"Then like.. Don't care about it?" Violet scoffed, she had feelings of course — somewhat, but she found it idiotic that everyone was getting so hurt in their feelings by these truths. They didn't know how to say it, or accept what was, that's why they resorted to violence. Because their words have failed, because they are failures. She looked away with a grunt, paws stretched out and the continuation of these colored fangs. Far more precise then she could do, and would admit.. That at least Sylvi did just so.

Still a shitty bird.

"Dimitri is like, a sociopath. If it means being anything like him, i'll pass. I'm sure he'll kill everyone in their sleep, everyone is just blind because of his so-called devotion." Her paws stretched and curled, a satisfied smile upon her face to see so. She would have to return, Mordecai didn't do it too well, and she didn't either alone.. There wasn't enough servants to do so. She doubted any of her brothers would help.

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Sylvie stopped completely, regarding the girl with the sort of expression that could only be read as "are-you-serious-right-now?".

“Oh?” she said skeptically, raising the bird equivalent of an eyebrow. “Like how you can totally just not care about getting filthy or stepping in mud, right? It's just so easy.”

The raven rolled her eyes up so far she nearly glimpsed her own brain.

Tut-tutting impatiently, Sylvie used one talon to brace the last paw for adornment as she reached down to squeeze the final few droplets of of berry juice over her claws. All in all, it had been a valuable learning experience, and the crafty bird wondered if this skill could somehow be used for... nefarious purposes.

Poison, maybe.

Just a few small pinches, sprinkled in the ribcage of an innocuous deer carcass...

Sylvie grinned to herself, tossing the berry away with great fanfare as she spread her wings and motioned for the child to witness her great work.

“Check if there's any mistakes. Well, if he's a sociopath, then you're something else entirely,” she scoffed. Violet might not have the ability to commit murder herself, but Sylvie wouldn't put it past her to enlist someone else to do it for her - Dimitri was crazy, sure, but he seemed harmless enough in his delusions.

“Anyway, your nails are done, brat. Now run off and scream 'ugly' into the void or whatever it is you do,” the bird returned flippantly, waving a wing. “I got other shit to fuck up.”

Turning decisively on her heel, Sylvie took to the skies, flapping away as quickly as her wings would allow her.

 

{Exit Sylvie}

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She only hmphed at the bird, Violet thought she was getting somewhere, someone could understand what she means. It didn't matter if their feelings were hurt, it was like.. Get over it? Not like she scarred them or anything, or put them in any real danger. Well, sometimes. She did push others into the lake, but wasn't like with the intention to kill. She was just annoyed by them, they were pests.

Violet lifted her paw to see the work, smiling as she did. She would admit that the bird did quite good work, there was barely any on her fur.. Near perfection for once, and any that there was, were such small droplets that Violet licked off the remaining speckles. The sweetness unable to be tasted how meager it was, solidifying the cleanliness of her claws, "Well, you do good work at the very least," so she said, as the bird flew up.. Leaving but a bit of their lose feathers behind.

To finish her rather glamorous look, Violet took them, plucked it on her pelt, and was on her way. Felt like a Queen.

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