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+---- Thread: [o] If the world was ending, I'd... (/showthread.php?tid=10706)
If the world was ending, I'd... - Maea - 02-14-2025
The wind had died down, and it was quiet. Beyond the reach of torches, bonfires and lanterns the darkness lay absolute, a tangible matter that transformed the city below into a multitude of islets connected by those brave enough to cross the void. From her perch on a rooftop high up along the elevation, Haulani appeared a crazed gathering of fireflies. Their fearlessness in walking this dark night would never cease to amaze her. Even now, swigging from a bottle someone had shoved into her hands, the memory of terror lingered like an acrid taste on her tongue, that no amount of alcohol could wash away. Ironically, it felt both safer and more dangerous to be outside. No doors could be knocked on, to beg entrance by a familiar voice twisted by fear and desperation. But, if anything should happen, there was nowhere to hide, either...
Glancing over her shoulder, the ancient took in the underbelly of the building behind her. Likely an inn or hostel or maybe even a brothel, lights spilled out from windows up three levels or more. It wouldn't make for much of a shelter. Too many people inside. Too many drunken idiots running in and out. Their laughter grated on her and she stood from her crouch, swaying slightly as the buzzin her head intensified.
Maybe she was a little drunk too. Ha! Idiot.
With the bottle pinched between two fingers, Maea balanced her way precariously along the roof. Staggering occasionally, she tried to figure out which way the Fingers lay. Somewhere.... that way? And down. She'd have to make it down, down, down all the steps and bridges and ladders, and it seemed an awful lot of work. Stopping at the edge of the roof, her boots slipped on the rules and she stared down. The boardwalk below didn't look too far. She could jump it, right? It was landing that would be tricky. Especially since she didn't want to spill any of the rum.
RE: If the world was ending, I'd... - Maea - 02-27-2025
Time dripped by in a gentle sway. The ground did not rise up to make the jump any lesser, and as she watched the boardwalk swim in and out of focus, a thought niggled at the back of her mind. Waiting patiently for it to manifest through the haze of the rum, Maea raised the bottle for another swig. To her surprise, only half a mouthful remained. Tipping it upside down to prove herself wrong, one precious drop fell from the lip, spilling down, down, down to waste itself against the planks below.
Huh. Weird. She'd not even had that much. At least it hadn't seemed much. Where had she been going again? Oh right, someplace quiet. And dark. And safe. Except, darkness wasn't really safe at all, and she was not supposed to be hiding anymore. It had been a promise.
With a regretful sigh, Maea set the bottle down on the edge of the roof. Setting her sights on the flickering light of a bonfire, she willed herself to grow wings and took flight. Round and round she circled, down and down, until the crow was close enough to a pyre and its revelers that she could land safely. Shifting in mid-air, she dropped into sand, staggering as her feet made contact with ground that swayed counter to her milling thoughts. Before she could fall, warm hands caught her. A young man smiled at her, pulling on her arm to join in with the revelers. She didn't know who it was, but it didn't matter as much this long, dark night. She might as well dance. If nothing was as it should be and nowhere was safe, it didn't really make a difference what she did or didn't do. As one idiot among others, she would be in good company. Did more stupidity in one place increase or decrease the folly?
No matter. And she shouldn't be calling anyone an idiot; Maea was supposed to be nice to herself from now on. Understanding. Accepting. Tolerant.
Pulled by the stranger, by the pulse of music and by a painfully desperate desire for change, she moved her feet. Hesitant at first, then faster and faster, buoyied by hands in hers and other bodies that staggered and swayed in roughly the same direction, all thought bled away into a blurring kaleidoscope of darkness and light, as fire-bright sparks shot high into infinity. A heedless imitation of stars that would not emerge yet for hours and days. Flaring up only to fade away – so very brief an existence.
One day they would all fade. One day, but hopefully not today. Until then...? All they could do in the interrim was to hope, and hold on. And occasionally join the dance.
[FIN]