♚ lithe aubergine -- d2 -- fin ♚

♔ litheness aubergine ♔



when all of your flaws
and all of my flaws
are laid out on by one
a wonderful part of the mess that we made
we pick ourselves undone

My name suits me. Litheness, Litheness, Litheness. Most people call me Lithe, though. I wear that name like a badge, because that is what I am. ( lithe [lahyth] adj. (esp. of a person's body) thin, supple, and graceful ) I really don't think many people outside of the family actually know Litheness is my name. I just like Lithe. It sounds more like a name and less like a word my parents simply found in the dictionary. ( for all i know, they did ) But, if they did, they chose well. My frame is thin, flexible, it is lithe. I don't under eat ( mom says i must eat a lot to keep me strong enough for the games ) but I don't  necessarily eat as much as the what the plate holds. The habits have kept me slender, but my parents disapprove immensely. "Eat, eat! You need the nutrition and the fat! You'll never win being the twig that you are!" Sometimes I want to protest that it will better prepare me for food shortages if I'm used to having barely anything in my flat stomach. But it has done some damage. I have barely any muscle on my long legs and arms, not even wiry. But lithe doesn't mean strong, does it? No, it means graceful and elegant. It means I am quick, and that is what I am. It means I am light on my feet, and that is what I am. And though my strategy would be a lot different than the rest of the Aubergines', using my nimbleness instead of brute force, I like me for who I am. And "me" is a pretty cool person, if I do say so myself.

I guess you could say I look like the rest of my family. ( i guess ) Eyes, stormy blue disks that are alive with alertness and bright with curiosity. Not color, though. They are lacking a good deal of saturation unless light just so happens to hit them right. Dark brown hair that grows in thick waves down to my chest. It has a deep contrast to my pale skin, and brings out each fine, dark eyelash. "I can't believe how irresponsible you are with everything, and still you manage to untangle your hair every morning!" Yes, mother always got on my back when it came to my appearance. She does my hair every morning in a tight bun, but after I leave the house,  I tend to wear it down, in front of my narrow face. My face isn't much of a sight to see, but I might as well describe it anyway. ( it isn't hideous, i'll tell you that ) I have a dainty jawline, curving down smoothly into a narrow chin. A small nose that doesn't stick out or in too much. Slender eyebrows that stretch in a dark arch on my forehead, ( those of which tend to move expressively across my face ) My full lips seem to always be curved at the corners into a ghost of a smile. Quite annoyingly, as I have been told. 

"I am Lithe Aubergine."

all of your flaws and all of my flaws

they lay there hand in hand

ones we've inherited

one that's we've learned

they pass from man to man

My mouth doesn't let many words pass through it. I am not shy. Not even close. I would not define myself as an introvert or an extrovert. But, if I were to choose one, I would be an introvert. It's not that I'm too afraid to talk; I just don't want to. Most people find it offensive. ( but you're reasonable, right? ) I always tell people never to take it personally; I barely talk to anyone. Most assume I am either contemptful or shy. Ha, neither. I guess it's just always been easer to shut people out. Never to talk to anyone, never to deal with complicated relationships. "You should get out more, Lithe. Go meet some people, make some friends." Yeah right. Any social contact I would rather avoid. Even with family. To be honest, I'm not even sure how any of them are feeling at the moment. ( does that make me a bad sister and daughter? ) And, maybe it is because I'm scared. I'm scared someone might get in close with me, and then tear me apart from the inside. But I never tell anyone. Sometimes I wonder why I even do this to myself; terminate anything that was even close to caring. And when I ask myself, the answer is: I'm sorry, I don't know.

The games? I'm not exactly sure. ( don't tell my parents what i'm about to say, they'll kill me ) I couldn't really care less. There, I said it. No one else really knows. I would have zero confidence going into the games. I get queasy at the sight of blood or infection, which really doesn't help. I'm fine in the Labyrinth Games; no maiming, no killing. But I'd be scared in the arena, knowing I probably wouldn't make it out alive. "You have to go to the training center today, Lithe." Silence. "Of course, Mom." I never like going, but I still have to. ( surprisingly, i happen to be very good at archery ) I guess I don't exactly hate the games, they're entertaining. But I'd rather watch than be watched. I have a feeling I would fail miserably and bring shame to the Aubergines. I would never dare. I don't want to be remembered as a failure. So I try really hard for my own sake to be a good career, to be a good daughter. But I know I probably will never be completely satisfied with myself if I become sadistic, and my family will never be satisfied with me if I don't want to make them proud. Oh, what a wonderful life I live. 

I don't like anyone's help. ( again, don't take it personally ) I'd rather do things myself. I guess pride runs in the family. Help makes me feel weak, like I can't do anything myself. And I always feel guilty whenever someone does something for me when I could have simply done it myself. They just wasted their time, and time is precious. But, it is mainly because I am a girl. "Girls can't do this, girl's can't do that." It's annoying. Guys thing they can do anything and girls can. I can be strong, I can be tough. They think I can't, but I can. Well, I guess I'd be more okay ( if okay at all ) with a girl offering help rather than a boy. But usually I turn anything down. I don't need help. I am independent, and usually if I want a certain job done, I'm the only one who can get it right for me. Why do I do this to myself?

Clever, clever, clever. That is what I am best known for, except for, perhaps, being so lithe. Deception, it seems, is my specialty. ( and, i hate to admit, i lie quite a bit )  I tend to be very keen to find loopholes. People really hate being outsmarted by a fifteen year old girl. Tricks are fun, if you know how to carry them out. It takes timing, precision, effort. And, of course, a lot of prediction. Trying to guess where a certain person may go, what they may do, how they do it. ( no, i'm not a stalker, shut up ) Somehow, after watching them for a few minutes, I get a small idea of what their habits might be. Weird, right? I guess it's just something that happens when I'm bored. I see small details and use them to my advantage, they seem to pop out and no one else really sees them. Opportunities that seem to just scream out at me when everyone else just hears a whisper. "She has a way of knowing how to trick anyone. She's trouble. Watch out." Those words, which actually come quite often, make me smile. Yes, watch out. Lithe is a force to be reckoned with.  

"If you get to know me, you may like me. And, you may not."

you have always worn
your flaws upon your sleeve
and i have always buried them deep beneath the ground
dig them out, let's finish what we started
dig them out, so nothing's left unturned

'Aubergine' is a surname that seems to spark something in everyone's mind. Everyone knows us. We're a wealthy family ( not wanting to brag ) that has equivalent infamousness of 'Birch' or 'Antionette'. Or, at least, I hope it does. The Aubergines are a widespread family, with several cousins ( nineteen, if i remember correctly ) I am of a family of five. I don't connect very well with my siblings or parents. We sort of just live along with each other. Well, my mom carps on me all the time, but I usually ignore her I usually ignore everyone and hide away in my room or simply outside. Yay.

Ten. That is the age at which all of the Aubergines start the Labyrinth Games. What are the Labyrinth Games, exactly? They're weird and odd and exclusive to the Aubergines. ( oh, you wanted to know what one does? my bad. loopholes ) The Labyrinth Games are basically our family's Hunger Games, but with pretty much no violence. It's to prepare us for the arena, it helps with our stealth, speed, intelligence. ( all of which i have a fine supply of right now, thank you very much ) There's a whole points system that I really don't feel like explaining right now. Subtracting a point from 100 with every wrong move you make. Getting past obstacles and dummies. The only thing I've really been good at in the Labyrinth Games is hiding. It's rare I ever get a 'seen' stamp. Getting the trophy has never been my main goal. It was just to make sure I didn't come in last place. It's underground, held in the woods. Oh, and it's illegal, too. Just thought I'd mention that. 

When I was young, my parents seemed to love me dearly. The whole family would sit down, watch the games together. I was oblivious to killing back then. ( anything with the word 'games' in it sounded appealing to my young ears ) I was cherished by my parents until I was forced to train. They seemed to be like whole new people. People who were icy and unattached to me whatsoever. I went from being a daughter to some kind of tool, just for them to get glory and fame. All I could think to myself was, I should have known. Career training never came naturally to me. I was awkward at first, not knowing what to do. Of course, I was a born archer, or at least they would say. "We barely had to correct her positioning," They told my father. "It was like she was shooting arrows already in her mother's womb!" He was proud, and that was really the only attention I could ever receive from him. My mother, on the other hand, always got on me, pointing out my mistakes as if I didn't seem them before. One big, happy family. 

Nothing eventful really happens besides the Labyrinth Games. My family and I continue to coexist, or at least my siblings and I do, I train as a career. My parents, on the other hand, are another story. We all live in a nice house, I can always count on dinner on my plate. It would be a perfect life if it weren't for either of the games. But, nothing can be perfect, can it?

"The Aubergines have odd traditions. And, I assure you, there are nothing like you've ever seen before."

all of your flaws and all of my flaws
they may have been exhumed
we'll see that we need them
to be who we are
without them we'd be doomed