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Chaldea and Staff: Family
🕑 Added 2021-08-05 22:54:30 +0000 UTCMedusa was sure that it must have been a strange sight if anyone were to see her right now. Standing in front of her own room, hand raised for a knock, her hesitation caused her to be in the same position for the last five minutes. Why, though? It’s her own room after all, why should she hesitate? She knows full well why.
Her sisters were definitely inside.
Her relationship with her sisters has always been somewhat… unusual. At the very least, Medusa had never met any siblings whose relationship are as complicated as hers and her sisters’.
For starters, take her own self for example. While she doesn’t really have a hobby of comparing her looks to anyone else, she knows that she definitely looked like a young, but still fully formed woman. While her sisters looked like teenagers at best, barely eighteen even - and that was with a very generous assessment of their age. If someone were to say that they were only fourteen years old, it is unlikely that an ordinary person would be greatly surprised by such information.
However, in reality, Stheno and Euryale were both her older sisters - and they were much older than her in fact. And they always acted from the superior position as older sisters. For example, her sisters have always treated her not just in a patronizing way, but in a literally dominant way, treating her more like a slave. In the past, they could tell her to do almost anything they wanted. At least they did… in the past, that is.
After what had transpired with Ainz in the Singularity, the dynamics of the relationship between Medusa and her sisters had changed dramatically. And now, it was Medusa who was the one calming and protecting them from the ‘scary world outside’ by taking on the role of older sister. Considering the Grail, which also changed Medusa's perception of herself and her newfound relationship… The situation has only become much more confusing.
And this was only the beginning of the oddities and confusion in the story of the three Gorgon sisters.
And at this moment, due to the changes in the relationship between them… Well, it was complicated.
In any case, her sisters, although they could sometimes seem to act really cruel towards Medusa, really loved her, there is no count in that. Medusa also loved them very much.
Although she had killed them once. Just like her sisters had killed her.
And, of course, the main elephant in this china shop was the presence of Ainz. A man - or rather, even a creature, who the mere mention of which could make any of her sisters jump in place and look around in panic. Such a person was her… Lover, maybe.
A lover was probably the most appropriate term to use at the moment. Ainz is a person whom she, as the name implies, loved. He was also the same person that had done terrible things to her sisters, all because he wanted to avenge her murder and betrayal…
In general, how complex and confusing the relationship between the three Gorgon sisters was difficult to even overestimate or imagine. And therefore, to be honest, it was probably even easier for Medusa when her sisters were just intimidated and snuggled up to her at night, trying to find support and protection in her presence. Perhaps it is to be expected for a Monster like Medusa to feel relieved that her sisters were in such a deplorable mental state.
But she really couldn't help herself.
While her sisters were looking for her protection and support, there was no need to think about the difficult things. Things like their relationship and the situation around their past and future… She could just ignore the problem, hoping that it will remain in the background forever, until it is eventually forgotten.
Medusa knows that such a thing was just a dream.
Her sisters were Goddesses, and even if Ainz’s actions had inflicted a deep trauma that will forever remain with them both in their lives and in their reincarnations - one way or another, even if slowly, they will eventually recover. And, furthermore, after their conversation with Ainz, Medusa has no doubt that this process would accelerate.
Sooner or later, and, unfortunately for Medusa, rather too early - a serious, but most importantly - unwanted but necessary conversation will have to take place between the Sisters. Conversations about what had happened, about their future, about Ainz and… And a lot more things that Medusa would probably not want to discuss.
That is why Medusa was stuck in front of the door to her room, knowing that her sisters at the moment, just like all the days before, were occupying her room.
No, she did not know how to look into the future, and therefore could not guess exactly how and when such a mortifying conversation would take place. And that is why, she was always a little nervous every time before meeting with her sisters, fearing that such a conversation would happen today.
Therefore, after standing in front of the door to her own room in indecision for a few more seconds, time spent gathering her thoughts and calming her slightly nervous psyche - Medusa slowly stretched out her hand and opened the door, walking inside.
As expected, her sisters, Stheno and Euryale were inside.
And if in their early days in Chaldea Stheno and Euryale, when not with Medusa, usually simply lay on her bed within each other’s arms, trying to find protection from each other. Nowadays, as of the last few days at least, they were much more relaxed.
As Medusa opened the door, she saw Stheno lazily lounging on the bed, reading through a magazine of sorts. Euryale was sitting on a chair, one of her legs raised as she tried to gently apply nail polish to one of her nails. Where did the nail polish come from in a Chaldea shut off from the rest of the world, and why Euryale was doing it at the moment? Medusa was not at all interested. Rather, it bothered her that what they were doing was so… normal.
No matter how you look at it, what they’re doing was literally something out of a living illustration of an ‘activities one does when idle’. Such a sight, in turn, hinted that the situation was already so close to ‘normal’ that there was very little left before the ‘conversation’ happens.
“Medusa?” Stheno's unexpected voice knocked Medusa out of her thoughts. “Come in already, why are you just standing there?”
With wooden steps, Medusa robotically entered the room, closing the door behind her. With an exaggerated gait, Medusa confidently walked towards the bed before settling down and almost immediately, she started shuffling around as she’s not quite sure what exactly she was expecting to happen and what she should be doing at the moment. And what to do with her hands. And what topic was worth talking about now…
After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Euryale looked up from her nails, satisfied with the luster, before noticing the fidgeting Medusa. The older sister watched her younger sister acting strangely for a few moments before chirping in. “Medusa, stop being so nervous, please. Even we would get uncomfortable watching you.”
At her words, Medusa almost bit her tongue in annoyance at her failure. It seems that her desire to look not nervous, only made her look even more nervous than usual. Ha…
For a second, Medusa's thoughts were focused on her Master, Ainz, and how smoothly he handled his various Servants. Medusa could never imagine Ainz being nervous in any kind of situations, though seeing her Master being flustered might actually be quite a treat to see.
Such a thought slipped through her head before she brushed it off. It was Ainz, the all-knowing and all-seeing. Naturally, he probably never had anything to be nervous over in his life, he was too strong and smart for such a foible. But Medusa, unfortunately, did not possess her Master’s sterling qualities. And therefore she had to admit that she was still vulnerable to being nervous, so no point in thinking about it more.
However, while Medusa was silently pondering these thoughts, Stheno closed up the magazine she was reading, the cover of which Medusa had not even paid attention to. Euryale, after a couple of seconds blowing at her nails, had placed the nail polish aside. Then, with a coordination that only twins could pull off, the Sisters made their way to sit opposite Medusa.
Medusa, finally finishing her deliberations and emerging from her thoughts, immediately stumbled upon the studying gaze of her sisters. But before she could panic even more, her Sisters managed to take the conversation into their own hands.
“You know, we appreciate the fact that you respect our privacy,” Stheno spoke first, but as if thanks to some telepathic connection, Euryale finished her thought. “But we are very interested in something, you see? Is the door to your room really such an interesting sight, that you spend in front of it just staring, for ten minutes each time, before entering your own room?”
Medusa was silenced for a second by the unexpected question, before quickly catching on to what was said and instantly panicking inwardly a thousand times stronger than she had before. Almost immediately, her mind was paralyzed.
The Gorgon sisters, after waiting a couple of seconds and making sure that Medusa was actually unable to answer what they asked, continued. “Medusa, I think you yourself understand that we need to talk. If not for your sake, then at least for our own satisfaction.”
Medusa, hearing the words that she was most afraid to hear, felt as if some part of her mind had burned out and had short-circuited everything else. Her mind had stopped working completely, leaving only a feeling of emptiness and some sense of dread in her head.
The Gorgon Sisters, paying close attention to Medusa’s reaction, concluded something to themselves. “Yes, it seems that we really need to do it…”
Her sisters were looking at each other, wordlessly exchanging information that Medusa, even strengthened as she was, had no chance of comprehending. The twins spent some time staring at each other, before shifting their gaze to Medusa and nodding synchronously. “Yes, we have to…”
And then, there was only silence. Medusa, and her sisters too, fell silent.
For several seconds, Medusa silently waited with closed eyes for her Sisters to start questioning her on things that she didn’t want to talk about. Time passed in silence before Medusa opened her eyes back as no questions seemed to be coming. Opening her eyes, Medusa stared with no small amount of confusion at the situation, and looked up to see… that her sisters were silently looking anywhere else but at Medusa.
For a second, Medusa couldn’t think of anything as to the reason for their strange behavior, before suddenly realizing that… that her sisters were also nervous. Not less than herself did, and possibly… Possibly even more.
Medusa blinked owlishly once, pondering on her hypothesis, before realizing that it sounded… logical. Even, perhaps, it is too logical.
During her life, Medusa got used to the fact that her sisters were her… Elders in everything. Always. They were the ones that took care of her, the ones that protected her from the outside world and the ones that supported her. The image was so ingrained that even after their collision with Ainz, when they literally hid behind her shaking in fear, Medusa could not change her perception of Stheno and Euryale as her older sisters. Until now there was definitely not an inkling of doubt in herself that they’re much more composed than her and think about the fact that they, just like her, might actually feel nervous from such a conversation.
And it was this realization, probably, that made Medusa suddenly realize that her nervousness was… not justified. Or rather, greatly exaggerated, and that now it was she who was to start a conversation.
And so, after a deep breath, Medusa started talking.
“Between us…” - Medusa sighed, finally calming her nerves and looking at her sisters, who immediately focused their attention on Medusa herself. After making sure that her Sisters was fully concentrated on her, Medusa continued. “I know that much has happened between us, I… I killed you and you also killed me…”
At Medusa’s words, there was no answer from Euryale or Stheno - they only looked away. Medusa could feel the discomfort wafting off of her Sisters, their unconscious recognition that the words of Medusa were the truth. These were the words that the Sisters wanted to avoid saying at all costs, something they wished to avoid with all their beings. But, it was the truth, a fait accompli, so there was nothing more they could do about it, yet they still wanted to avoid it, so they turned their faces away.
“And,” Medusa paused for a second, collecting her thoughts before continuing to speak. “I know that this fact cannot be simply forgotten or ignored, but I propose to just accept it, no matter how much it hurts. We… We’ve made mistakes that we regret - but we cannot correct them… all we can do is, accept it, and continue to live on.”
With these words, her sisters finally looked back at Medusa before eyeing her over carefully. Medusa froze at their attention, expecting some kind of adverse reaction from her words. But, what she received in response was not at all what she expected.
“You’ve really grown up”, - Stheno smiled, looking at Medusa… with love. True familial love, Storge, which is demonstrated by family members who love each other.
“Not at all like the little one that we used to chase around the Island,” Euryale smiled as beatifically as her sister, staring warmly at Medusa.
“I…” Hearing these words, Medusa blinked before looking at her sisters.
Medusa had no doubt that if anyone else were to see her Sisters right now, they would fall madly in love at their beauty.
Stheno and Euryale looked at her with expressions full of love, yes… but also with pride. It was some kind of hidden pride, as her parents would look at their daughter - if Medusa had such a thing they would no doubt be expressing the same emotion. At least Medusa considered such an analogy the most appropriate of things to compare what she’s seeing right now.
And yet, even lost in thought, Medusa could only smile and react in the only way she could. “Thank you.”
And, with just one word, Medusa had radically changed the atmosphere in the room. The uncomfortable silence of nervous people, about to discuss something embarrassing that they would probably prefer never to remember at all, was replaced by the atmosphere of adults discussing important issues that may have been unpleasant to them - but had to be done. And the family understood that it can only be a good thing, because, no matter how their discussion turned, they knew that in the end they would still remain a family that loves each other.
Medusa suddenly felt as if a heavy load had been removed from her soul, a weight that she did not even suspect existed. And so, with a much lighter heart, she nodded, indicating that she was ready to continue the conversation. And this time her sisters were able to answer her.
“I'll be honest,” Stheno exhaled, preparing to speak her words, “We really would like you to forget about Ainz altogether… But we are not blind.”
“And not so evil as to blackmail you with our relationship.” Euryale smiled at her words, laughing at her own joke, relaxed enough to know that Medusa would understand that it was just a joke and nothing more. “And… We will not forget what had happened, but we won’t hinder your relationship with him either. Just…”
“You really should mind your surroundings more, we really don’t need to know about how well you’re getting along… At least not that much”, - Stheno added, then sighed. “Really, Medusa, I think the whole of Chaldea heard what happened last night.”
Medusa, instantly realizing what her Sister was talking about, immediately blushed to the very tips of her ears and choked on air, trying in vain to hide her embarrassment. Something in which she, as could be understood from the teasing smiles on the faces of the Sisters, failed miserably in.
“Someone’s embarrassed…” Stheno added onto the pile, now much more relaxed, with a weight off of her shoulders, returned to a much more familiar state of mind with Medusa.
While it might seem that Ainz’s presence was the only reason for the stress the two Gorgon sisters were in, this was not actually the case. The main one, probably, but still not the only one. The one thing that had stressed the Sisters more, was their inability to talk with, and the complex jumbles of emotions with Medusa. Something that hung over their heads like a sword of Damocles, something that was slowly dispersing as this conversation turned. Perhaps even more than Medusa herself, the Sisters feared the conversation more. Yet, they really loved their sister, even if sometimes their love took on unusual forms, so they kept talking.
“Children grow up so quickly,” Following her sister's joke and perhaps as a way to release her nervousness, Euryale exaggeratedly brushed an imaginary tear from the corner of her eye. The duo’s actions caused Medusa to sigh and roll her eyes good-naturedly, which in turn caused a fit of laughter to burst from the sisters.
“I'm not much younger than you two.” Medusa pursed her lips, before a smile broke on her face, causing Medusa to look down to hide just how happy she is. As the laughter died down, Medusa started talking again.
“Still I… I'm glad that we managed to talk.”
“Medusa,” To Medusa’s unexpectedly somber words, the two sisters spoke at the same time, repeating each other's words as if they really had one mind. “You are our sister, our family, and we will always accept you. We just hope that you do too…”
“Of course I will,” Not allowing the two sisters to finish their thought, Medusa immediately hurried to answer them with a smile, “We are family after all.”
A comfortable silence was established for a second, after which, in a coordinated gesture, the three sisters embraced each other at the same time.
In the end, they all did stupid and terrible things. All of them, one way or another, were guilty of each other's misfortunes.
But, probably, this was the essence of the family - not only to do good to each other, but also to forgive the bad.
And therefore, when Medusa pulled away from her sisters, there was no more nervousness, no fear, no indignation inside her. Although, perhaps, there was a little of the latter when she noticed the ‘prank’ that her sisters had played on her.
“Euryale”, - Medusa looked at her sister, then turned her gaze towards her soiled jacket, It was marked with a somewhat gaudy color, exactly the size of a finger. “Your nail polish is not dry.”
“Yes, I see it, you know. I’m not blind.” Without even trying to offer any excuse or feel any embarrassment, Euryale looked at Medusa's clothes, and apologized insincerely. “I'm very, very sorry.”
At these obvious lies, Medusa only rolled her eyes, but still with a smile on her face. “You have always been the meanest of us all.”
“What?!” - With an air of offended innocence, Euryale pulled away from their embrace, bringing her hand to her heart in a gesture of mock offense. “How dare you say such a thing! I am a small and innocent girl! See this innocent face, and see the face of magnanimity!”
“Who also just stained her dress with nail polish,” Medusa noticed something as she saw her sister’s bad acting with some slight vengeful pleasure. She had noticed that her sister had unknowingly left a mark of nail polish on herself. Her exaggerated movements had left a small and obviously very hard to erase mark on her own clothes.
Euryale, realizing her blunder, immediately lifted her hand away from her dress in a panic. Gawping with shock at the stained marks, she sighed and raised her hands in mock surrender. “I'm only a hundred years old, I'm still so young!”
“Actually, aren’t you… ” Stheno, sensing blood in the water, hurried to speak about Euryale's real age, before Euryale rushed to shut her mouth. Though if Stheno realized that, being twins, they would have the same age and her joke would only result in an own goal, is up in the air.
Looking at this soul-warming scene in front of her, Medusa smiled once more before nodding slowly to herself.
Really. Family.
It was the family that she always thought about and, probably, dreamed of.
It must have been funny, but not only terrible things had happened to her in the past. And, in what might seem like a strange dream from a past life, she remembered her life with her sisters on the Shapeless Island. And while it might sound strange - but for her, accepting the good that happened to her in the past was perhaps even harder than the bad.
Medusa eventually embraced the unsightly sides of her life, but until that time, she had concentrated too much on the bad parts of her life and never actually even thought about the good things that happened to her in the past. About her happy life surrounded by her sisters and the love she had received from them.
It's funny, but Medusa quickly and easily accepted the fact that her life was terrible, that her life was nothing more than a tragedy, ignoring the fact that she, too, had her own bright moments.
It probably spoke of something about her - but Medusa was not sure about what it was.
And this scene in front of her… for Medusa it was the last push she needed, to fully take in, not only all the bad things that had happened to her, but also all the good that has ever happened to her - and to accept it as a part of her life.
And only after realizing all this, Medusa could truly say that…
She was probably happy.
Even if bad things happened to her, in the past or in the future, there was still good in her life. And it was also not just from a beautiful dream created exclusively from beautiful moments that she would wake up from. It was real. And, even the bad things that happened to her, in the end, served to make her life real and her emotions real.
And it was at the junction of such things that Medusa could say that, probably, right now…
She was indeed happy.
Medusa's thoughts, however, were interrupted in a very unexpected way - from the contact of something soft, cold and wet with her cheek. The strange sensation made Medusa turn to the side to look into the eyes of a grinning Euryale, holding a bottle of nail polish in her hands, the brush of which was the reason for the wet sensation on her cheek.
When Medusa noticed the offending item, Euryale immediately pretended to pout. “Why did you turn around! Now the mustache will not be pretty at all!”
Medusa blinked at the nonsensical words, before realizing what Euryale was trying to do to her right now, and why exactly Stheno was trying to keep her unrestrained laughter from bursting out.
“Very adult-like, Nee-san.” Medusa stressed just how childish her older sisters’ actions were, before getting up from her seat and, with a sigh, walked out of her room towards the nearest sink, hoping to wash off the nail polish from her cheek before it had a time to dry.
Euryale and Stheno stayed silent as they watched Medusa leave, before exchanging glances and smiling.
Sometimes even the oldest of people need a little childishness in their life.
Then, as if their smiles were never there, the two sisters embraced each other with trembling hands.
Indeed, the two Sisters were more worried about this conversation than even Medusa did. After all, the situation they’re in was more complicated. What happened once, many centuries ago, with Medusa and the sisters was just a part of the legend that is the ‘Gorgon sisters’, nothing more. And they’ve never blamed Medusa for what had happened anyway, so there was no need for Medusa to apologize in the first place.
What the sisters had done to Medusa, on the other hand, was unforgivable. The two Sisters had hurt Medusa in the worst way possible. They had betrayed her.
They were afraid, they were really afraid of losing Medusa.
Ainz alone could destroy them, yes - and the memories of what he did alone was enough to make the sisters tremble in fear. But, the thought of losing Medusa scared them even more.
There were three of them, always three. Three sisters, three Gorgons, three goddesses. They were three. When they had nothing but the three of them, this was the only eternal constant of their life. How could they live if Medusa, their beloved little sister, hated them? If she decided that she would never like to see them again?
Even spending an eternity in the stomach of the Gorgon was better than that.
And these were the thoughts that stewed in the Sisters’ head as they started the conversation. Such nervousness naturally led to their exaggerated actions to delay the dreaded conversation. They were almost catatonic in worry and fear, just like Medusa did - the Sisters were just much more experienced in hiding their feelings.
And yet, in the end, the cat was out of the bag, and with it, a huge load fell from their backs. They were family. They were still a family. And they will continue to be a family.
The two sisters smiled at each other… Before Stheno felt something small, soft, cold and wet on her cheek.
Moving away from Euryale in shock, the sister stroked her cheek with her finger, only to find a trace of nail polish on it. Stheno immediately returned her attention back to her twin, who was grinning the most malicious of all possible smiles, and the open bottle of nail polish clutched in her hands.
In other conditions, Stheno would probably have been outraged by such behavior from her twin, but in the current mood she could only breathe a feigned sigh and stick out her tongue. “Medusa was right.”
“About what?” Euryale, pleased with the success of her prank, closed her bottle of nail polish just in case, before looking at Stheno with an interested look.
“You really are the meanest of us all,” Stheno grinned before jumping off of the bed and running after Medusa, hearing Euryale throwing curses at her from behind.
Really…
Stheno rubbed her hand against her cheek, feeling the wet nail polish on it, and grinned.
They were really family.
***
Name: Euryale
Race: Heteromorphic
Title: The Meanest of Us All (The other two Gorgon Sisters) \ Cupid of the Shapeless Isle
Occupation: Servant of Ainz Ooal Gown
Residence: Chaldea, Medusa's room
Karma: +50 (Neutral ~ Neutral Good)
Comments
ryan tay
Beautiful chapter
Russian Reversal
Most of them knows, but their reaction is "eh, it's Ainz, honestly not surprised"
Micheal Scott
A nice heart-warming chapter, nice. I liked it, and its a good way to start your return. A question, though, does everyone in Chaldea know Ainz fought Goetia, and if not beaten him, atleast stalemated?
Luis Zepeda
Ma heart and damn medusa got of a set lungs if everybody heard her and aniz making love
