Violet

The Nymphs

"It talks, Arche," Seth says as he sits beside me, carrying with him a tray full of fruits. Hmm. Seth on a twentieth floor canteen--not a very common occurrence. 

"What talks?" I ask him as I put down the bread I am just about to devour before Seth arrived.

My class had just finished thirty minutes ago and i decided to eat a little snack on the canteen. A few people has gathered here, some eating alone, others by group. The twentieth floor canteen is just the same as all the other canteens from the 59th floor and below--it is small. Ten good-for-six-people red tables are spread over a small contained area. There are two cooks, who are very good cooks, working here--Martha and Poles. Martha and Poles are my favorite cooks in the Guild not only because they are awesomely good in making delicious food, but they're also one of my few friends in this fortress. 

"The Nymphs," says Seth curtly. 

"The what?" 

"The Nymphs," he repeats then after a few seconds, adds, "oh yeah! You didn't know. Of course, how careless of me."

I have always thought that the longer I stay here on the Guild, the people are getting weirder and weirder. Now, I think my little theory is indeed right. 

"Since we don't have any names to call those morbid beasts we so hate and love to kill, Jet decided we should just call them Nymphs," Seth adds.

Nymphs? Of all the names, why Nymphs? It's like calling a cockroach a rose. Every time I hear the word Nymph, the images that enter my mind are always that of angelic little creatures with wings and is spreading glittering dusts as they fly around, not those ugly heck of a creature. 

Weirder and weirder. I have been right all along, and it irritates me.

"I don't understand, Seth. You exert the extra effort to come down here only to tell me that thoseNymphs talk, which actually implied that you are done torturing them, and in case you haven't noticed, I do not like the idea of torturing them. So, what were you thinking, Seth?"

Seth falls silent. He looks down to his tray, to his untouched food, his eyes hurt. I know I shouldn't have said it that way, especially not in that harsh tone. I do not like getting into fights with Seth. He's the only serious friend I've got left. However, the idea of torturing those beast--it's like we're just like them, more beastly even. 

"You're right, Arche. I'm sorry."

"Is that why you're here? To tell me that?" I have completely lost my appetite. It's a good thing I'm almost done. I stand up, pick up my tray and turn to leave.

"Wait, Arche," Seth stands up too, and moves to block my exit, "that's not it."

I stare at him. Well, maybe more like glare than stare, but Seth refuses to look into my eyes. Sometimes, his green eyes would meet mine for a second, but then they wander around--in the floor, the ceiling, the windows, the people around. 

Seth sights and says, "I just came here to see you."

Yeah right. Great.

I walk away from him, making sure our shoulders don't touch. There he goes again, telling me those kinds of remarks just so he can avoid the real topic, the real problem. Using those excuses to make me smile while doing something that completely hurts me.

When I'm beyond his reach, I look back. 

"You came down here because you found a major discovery about your so-called nymphs. They talk! Ooh, they talk. I'm gonna go tell Arche. You, completely overwhelmed, went down to our levels, went through the people's stares, maybe asked around where I am, and then you found me only to discover that I am absolutely against the tortures. Poor Seth," I tell him then turned back again to start walking out.