Heroist
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Having somehow managed to usher the last contestant onto the stage, presented colorful certificates for prizes, shaken hands, hugged, applauded, and with a smile wished them the warmest farewell as if they were parting forever, Nirianna Melvans finally caught her breath: the event was successfully coming to its logical conclusion. Of course, their work wasn't finished with this: ahead lay the preparation of Gideon's photographs, design, printing, and sale of the magazine, but at least today's crazy day had filled her with impressions beyond measure.
Thoughtfully strolling among the rows of figurines on display for sale, Nira sadly noted that very few had been sold, even considering the generous discounts. A poor reputation was hurting their commercial partnership. On the other hand, it was hard to blame the impoverished peasants or students living on meager stipends: the prices were, to put it mildly, "bold." Well, that was their problem.
Thoughts of money, however, no longer filled Nira with the former pride and sense of self-worth. These funds turned out to be not a reward for her talents, but merely another family handout, which she could have easily obtained before. Apparently, while the other guys were developing and exploring new horizons for themselves, the girl herself remained stuck at the March introductory ceremony. And even the few "achievements" that she could attribute to herself were now claimed by the academic administration, leaving her with the role of a subservient executor, and that was the best-case scenario.
Her sister Rani was right, no matter how you look at it. Thoughtfully turning a Mana statuette in her hands, Nira bitterly noted that even in the role of a servant of Avaritia, she had been trampled into the ground. And why hadn't she devoted enough time to her own performance? Only one thing brought her joy that long day: among those who voted and gave her the highest score was Gideon. The girl didn't remember the identity of the second grateful viewer, but she could only wish well to that person, whoever they were.
Returning the statuette to its place, Nira moved on to her portrait. Perhaps even this work would look better at the competition than her own dull image. It was amusing that, judging by the cost of the work, the hopeless masters didn't value this piece very much. Fair enough. It would have been better if she had taken last place than to end up right in the middle again, just as her sister had said. The cursed Rani always saw her soul through and through, as if she could read minds or possessed some other dark magic.
Thinking about the last places in the competition, Nira remembered her friends with some regret. They, too, had not been lucky today. All that remained was to hope that this would not be another blow to Shera's emotional state. Despite Nira's past thoughts and inner ideals, now, looking deep within herself, the girl felt a certain degree of attachment to her friends and, in a way, worried about them more than about herself. It was hard to say what had caused this: many hours of heartfelt gossip over tea or some unexpected internal changes in the girl herself. Either way, if Shera or Cass took a prize, Nira would sincerely be happy for their success.
Finally, the girl reached Claudia's figurine. Unlike her sister, she herself liked the emerald princess very much, in addition to the Mana performance. Perhaps this was due to the club gatherings of the past few weeks, but despite the somewhat strange costume, the girl exuded royal grace and aristocratic charm – something she herself would one day like to achieve.
Noticing that the other organizers were beginning to gather near the stage, Nira hurried to pay for the princess figurine (if Revan allows) and hurried to join them.
“Great job, guys! 👍” she sincerely thanked her “colleagues.” “I think we ran the competition perfectly! All that remains is to wait for the closing, and…”
The girl's voice was drowned out by an indistinct, growing rumble coming from somewhere near the academic square. Turning back, Nira noticed a huge wall sprouting from the ground in the very place where she had been just a few minutes ago. A minute of anxious waiting passed, and from afar came the sounds of a desperate scuffle.
“What the…? But wasn’t there…?” – with a bitter gesture, the girl hopelessly sank onto a bench. “Everything was going so well, what is this, huh?… 😞”
Thoughtfully strolling among the rows of figurines on display for sale, Nira sadly noted that very few had been sold, even considering the generous discounts. A poor reputation was hurting their commercial partnership. On the other hand, it was hard to blame the impoverished peasants or students living on meager stipends: the prices were, to put it mildly, "bold." Well, that was their problem.
Thoughts of money, however, no longer filled Nira with the former pride and sense of self-worth. These funds turned out to be not a reward for her talents, but merely another family handout, which she could have easily obtained before. Apparently, while the other guys were developing and exploring new horizons for themselves, the girl herself remained stuck at the March introductory ceremony. And even the few "achievements" that she could attribute to herself were now claimed by the academic administration, leaving her with the role of a subservient executor, and that was the best-case scenario.
Her sister Rani was right, no matter how you look at it. Thoughtfully turning a Mana statuette in her hands, Nira bitterly noted that even in the role of a servant of Avaritia, she had been trampled into the ground. And why hadn't she devoted enough time to her own performance? Only one thing brought her joy that long day: among those who voted and gave her the highest score was Gideon. The girl didn't remember the identity of the second grateful viewer, but she could only wish well to that person, whoever they were.
Returning the statuette to its place, Nira moved on to her portrait. Perhaps even this work would look better at the competition than her own dull image. It was amusing that, judging by the cost of the work, the hopeless masters didn't value this piece very much. Fair enough. It would have been better if she had taken last place than to end up right in the middle again, just as her sister had said. The cursed Rani always saw her soul through and through, as if she could read minds or possessed some other dark magic.
Thinking about the last places in the competition, Nira remembered her friends with some regret. They, too, had not been lucky today. All that remained was to hope that this would not be another blow to Shera's emotional state. Despite Nira's past thoughts and inner ideals, now, looking deep within herself, the girl felt a certain degree of attachment to her friends and, in a way, worried about them more than about herself. It was hard to say what had caused this: many hours of heartfelt gossip over tea or some unexpected internal changes in the girl herself. Either way, if Shera or Cass took a prize, Nira would sincerely be happy for their success.
Finally, the girl reached Claudia's figurine. Unlike her sister, she herself liked the emerald princess very much, in addition to the Mana performance. Perhaps this was due to the club gatherings of the past few weeks, but despite the somewhat strange costume, the girl exuded royal grace and aristocratic charm – something she herself would one day like to achieve.
Noticing that the other organizers were beginning to gather near the stage, Nira hurried to pay for the princess figurine (if Revan allows) and hurried to join them.
“Great job, guys! 👍” she sincerely thanked her “colleagues.” “I think we ran the competition perfectly! All that remains is to wait for the closing, and…”
The girl's voice was drowned out by an indistinct, growing rumble coming from somewhere near the academic square. Turning back, Nira noticed a huge wall sprouting from the ground in the very place where she had been just a few minutes ago. A minute of anxious waiting passed, and from afar came the sounds of a desperate scuffle.
“What the…? But wasn’t there…?” – with a bitter gesture, the girl hopelessly sank onto a bench. “Everything was going so well, what is this, huh?… 😞”
Whatever