🥈The Princess and the Pauper | No. 2's Desk Aesthetic Generator

𝐈.𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ━━━━━━

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￣￣  :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   ￣￣

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I've decided to enter the aesthetic generator event, and got the princesscore aesthetic. I didn't want to write an actual medieval AU, so I grabbed some of my OCs that I felt fit the roles.

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━━━━━━ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏.𝐒𝐈𝐒 ━━━━━━

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Tsubaki is dealing with the loss of her father and her inability to fulfill her family lineage. During her mopping, she comes across a girl with a very different story in a similar circumstance with a different outlook.

➥ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:

              Tsubaki Akaibara

              Miuna Kaito

➥ 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Slice of Life

➥ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2,083

➥ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 11,586

The blades of the fan slowly circled the bulb, keeping the air in the room moving. Green eyes lazily followed the blades. Tsubaki was lying on her back, her blonde hair draped over the arm of the comfortable couch. The TV across the room was on, playing some quiet show she had turned on in hopes of ing the time. The manor was so empty. Just her and her mother, and her mother never left her room.

Tsubaki turned to lie on her side, returning her attention to the show. Some pro hero's show that they undoubtedly started for publicity and some extra money. Tsubaki used to love these shows because she so badly desires to be a hero. But lately, the dream seems impossible. Since her father's death, her mother never left her bed. She was almost entirely unresponsive. Tsubaki had to care for her bedridden mother; how could she possibly juggle that and the life of a hero?

The Akaibaras were a three-generation-long line of heroes. Tsubaki would absolutely love to be the fourth generation. She adored and ired everything her father did, even the way he had died. It was a legacy she wanted to fulfill, it was her destiny. But that dream was growing farther and farther away.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of a bell echoing through the halls. She lowered her legs to the ground, sitting up and fixing her hair. She wore an off-white loose sweater and dark-wash jeans, and her hair was down in slight curls around her neck. She rose to her feet, meandering over to the front door. A small screen next to the door showed the footage of the camera on her porch. Standing in front of the door was a brunette woman with large blue eyes. Tsubaki opened the door with a polite smile. "Hey Jess," she greeted, stepping aside to let the woman inside. "Thanks for being willing to come today."

"Thank you for asking me to," Jess replied, taking off her shoes. "My husband's birthday is coming up, and we want to go on a nice, expensive date, so I'm not about to turn down some extra money. How's your mom?"

Jess was the home nurse who took care of Tsubaki's mother while she was at school. The Akaibaras weren't lacking in money, so hiring her wasn't an issue. "Uh, she's fine," Tsubaki replied. "I don't expect to be gone very long, but in the event that I am, how late are you willing to work?"

"Until midnight," Jess replied rather quickly. "I used to be able to stay up much later, but I'm all old now."

Tsubaki gave another polite smile to acknowledge the humor Jess was trying to achieve. Jess left the room, presumably to check in on her mother. Tsubaki slipped on her shoes, stepping outside into the chilly autumn afternoon. She lived near the center of a fairly large city, but the property was fenced off. She would be traveling to the outskirts of the city, by foot since she was too young to drive. After entering a code to the gate, she stepped onto the sidewalk, shoving her hands into her pockets.

The wind only made the cool air bite into her skin. She soon regretted not bringing a jacket and had to stop herself from stepping into a store just to buy a new one. She essentially had free range to her family's fortune at the moment, and she had to remind herself not to waste it. So instead, she kept her gaze on the sidewalk as she navigated to her father's old agency. The building itself wasn't anything impressive; just an office building like so many others in the city. She had to walk behind it to see what she had come here for.

She had to bite her lip and hold back tears as she saw the pile of dead flowers lying against the back wall. Part of her father's quirk allowed him to rejuvenate plants. The flowers that now lie dead and discarded had once made a beautiful mural he tended to each day. Tsubaki lowered to her knees, grabbing one of the flowers. The petals crumbled into flakes as she rubbed them. She released a deep breath, collecting herself before she could start breaking down.

"Not a lot of people knew about these flowers," a feminine voice spoke behind her, making her flinch. She quickly rose to her feet, discreetly wiping the beginnings of tears from her eyes before turning to the newcomer. In front of her stood a young girl with grey skin and long, blonde hair. "Didn't you know that the hero who worked here is dead now? Nobody's been taking care of those flowers for months."

"Who are you?" Tsubaki demanded. It was public property, but for some reason, seeing a stranger so close to the building seemed like a breach of privacy.

"Okay, nice to meet you too," the woman replied with a disapproving tone, her brow furrowed. "The name's Kaito. Was just ing by, saw you kneeling by the dead flowers like an edgy anime protagonist."

"Well, mind your own business in the future," Tsubaki mumbled, turning her back once more.

"You're his daughter, yeah?" Kaito continued. "It's been a while since I last saw it, but you look like the girl that was in the flower mural."

"Why are you still here?" Tsubaki spat over her shoulder. "I didn't come here to meet new people. I'm kinda having a moment here."

"Oh, sorry I'm not worth your time," Kaito sighed. "And here I thought you might want some company." Tsubaki had half a mind to continue scolding her, but luckily Kaito kept walking until her footsteps were no longer audible. Tsubaki dipped her hand in the dry flowers again, but the moment had ed. She stepped back, wishing she could do something. Maybe if she had more dexterity over her quirk, she'd be able to achieve a similar feat.

She stuck around for a few more minutes before leaving. She wasn't sure where she would go; maybe window shop to some time before heading home. Go to a cafe and get a drink. As she was thinking of plans, she paused when she saw Kaito standing in front of the agency. She must have been waiting for her, for she walked right over the moment she saw her. "Wow, that didn't take very long," she noted.

Tsubaki was beyond the point of being mad. Now, she was just filled with confusion. Why was this girl so adamant about interacting with her? Was she a stalker? Was she a fan of her father's? A hater? "What do you want?" she asked, this time, her voice devoid of antagonism.

"I already said," Kaito replied. "I'm here to give you company. I recently lost a parent too, albeit to less...heroic means. It's not fun to have to deal with it alone."

"It's been months since he died," Tsubaki reminded her. "I've been doing fine."

"Okay, well maybe I'm the one who wants a friend who's experienced something similar to me," Kaito said apprehensively. "I mean, I don't think we'd have anything else in common, but maybe this is an opportunity to make a new friend. Have some silver lining to all this...depressing stuff."

Tsubaki blinked, surprised. She had never met a stranger who was so open about their true intentions, regardless of how personal they were. "Well, I guess that makes sense," she said. "But, what do you mean we wouldn't have anything else in common?"

"Can I ask your name first?" Kaito asked. After Tsubaki introduced herself, Kaito revealed her first name was Miuna, and if they were to be friends, they should refer to each other informally. "Anyway, the Akaibaras are a pretty well-known and famous pro hero line, right?"

"Yeah, three generations long," Tsubaki confirmed, her chest swelling with pride for how long her family had been helping the community.

"Right, and I figure you live in that mansion in the center of the city?" was her next question. The possibility of her being a stalker popped back up in Tsubaki's mind. Upon seeing her expression, she rolled her eyes and explained. "It's pretty obvious. The walls of the property used to be covered in vibrant flowers, but they've all died like the mural. It's a pretty noticeable difference."

"Well, yeah okay I live there," Tsubaki confessed. "Why do you ask?"

"It was part of the explanation about what I meant when I said we have no other commonalities. Walk with me," Miuna replied, motioning Tsubaki over as she started walking down the street. "That gas station up there - that's where my mom worked." Tsubaki observed the gas station as they ed it. There were a few cars filling up, but it looked relatively run-down. Trash was littered across the parking lot, and the changeable letters on the sign were rearranged to form an obscene sentiment. In short, it looked disgusting.

"My dad works at a Lotteria," Miuna continued. "I live in a trailer outside the city. My dad and I are living on one income, and he's unsure if he can keep me, with the amount of debt mom left behind."

Tsubaki regarded the girl in front of her with a new perspective. She did not behave as if these burdens were worrying her. She behaved like an average middle schooler with an average life. She was not dressed as if she were impoverished, although Tsubaki was unsure what she thought impoverished people dressed like. "Why are you so willing to share such personal details?" she inquired.

"Because the way I see it, there are two ways this relationship can go," Miuna replied. "Either we become good friends and confide our feelings in each other, or you decide I'm too depressing and decide not to be my friend. Even with the latter, what are you going to do with the inner thoughts of a complete nobody? Nothing I'm worried about."

"And why are you so optimistic about everything?" was her next question. "How can you be so chipper after losing a parent?"

"It's been a couple of months," Miuna shrugged. "And, when I saw you crouching at the flower mural, I honestly just thought that I didn't want to end up like that."

"Wh-what, dealing with your emotions?" Tsubaki asked incredulously. Miuna chuckled but didn't seem to have a response. "Where are we going?"

"I dunno, maybe Cloudwalk Cafe. It's pretty cheap," she replied, pulling out her purse and checking to see how much money was in it. "Hmm, maybe not. I didn't bring much. We can just window shop."

Not even enough money to afford a cafe? Tsubaki pulled out her phone to check the time. It was nearing seven. "Have you ever been to Xing and Xu's?" she inquired.

"What, that fancy restaurant?" Miuna asked. "I heard they match the napkins they give you to your outfit. How insane is that?"

"The food's really good," Tsubaki said. "Let's go there?"

"Are you asking me on a date?" Miuna chuckled. "Kinda expensive for a first date."

"No, just, thought it might be an interesting new experience for you," Tsubaki shrugged.

"Well, thank you for the offer, but I despise being in debt to others, even if you insist I won't need to pay you back," Miuna shook her head. "I'm perfectly content with my fast-food and convenience store diet."

"That sounds...unhealthy," Tsubaki said, concerned.

"It's okay, I get decent meals from the school, so it's not all junk," Miuna dismissed her concern.

"So, you just want to window shop? That's kinda boring," Tsubaki said.

"Have somewhere else to be?" Miuna asked. "Last I checked, you had enough free time to hang out near an abandoned building."

Tsubaki considered the question. She had never been window shopping; any time she went out to shop, she'd just buy what she wanted. She had no place she needed to be; she had only been gone for about forty-five minutes. "I guess it wouldn't hurt," she mumbled.

"Wonderful," Miuna said, throwing an arm around Tsubaki's shoulders. "See? You and I will be fast friends."

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 ━━━━━━

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￣￣  :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   :hearts:   ￣￣

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#No2Aesthetic