Aurelia
Aurelia's nod was slow, "I know," she admitted, her voice a hushed echo in the bustling tavern. Excuses felt hollow in the face of Melita's judgment. Self-imposed exile and a gnawing fear of rejection – these were the chains that had bound her, not the void's encroaching darkness.
Melita's wrinkled nose spoke volumes, a silent accusation that cut deeper than any spoken word. Aurelia's heart ached with the sting of her friend's disapproval. Was her fear justified? Had she lost her place in this world, in their hearts?
A bitter taste of self-reproach lingered on her tongue. No one was more disappointed in her than she was in herself. The memory of Milo, the knowledge that she hadn't been there when he needed her most, haunted her every waking moment. And Jack... his cold dismissal earlier had left a raw wound, a reminder of the trust she had shattered.
Well, at the very least Melita wasn't telling her to fuck off. That was a start...
They're upset with me now but maybe they won't always be, she thought.
"Not anymore," Aurelia echoed Melita's words, her voice tinged with a bittersweet acceptance, "And there's no way Jack will take me back now." She turned to Flora, offering a tentative smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"So you're the one taking care of this place now?" she asked Flora, her curiosity genuine. It was a simple question, a way to shift the focus away from herself and her tumultuous homecoming. Yet, beneath the surface, a deeper question lingered: Was there still a place for her in this changed world?
Melita's wrinkled nose spoke volumes, a silent accusation that cut deeper than any spoken word. Aurelia's heart ached with the sting of her friend's disapproval. Was her fear justified? Had she lost her place in this world, in their hearts?
A bitter taste of self-reproach lingered on her tongue. No one was more disappointed in her than she was in herself. The memory of Milo, the knowledge that she hadn't been there when he needed her most, haunted her every waking moment. And Jack... his cold dismissal earlier had left a raw wound, a reminder of the trust she had shattered.
Well, at the very least Melita wasn't telling her to fuck off. That was a start...
They're upset with me now but maybe they won't always be, she thought.
"Not anymore," Aurelia echoed Melita's words, her voice tinged with a bittersweet acceptance, "And there's no way Jack will take me back now." She turned to Flora, offering a tentative smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"So you're the one taking care of this place now?" she asked Flora, her curiosity genuine. It was a simple question, a way to shift the focus away from herself and her tumultuous homecoming. Yet, beneath the surface, a deeper question lingered: Was there still a place for her in this changed world?
looking in the mirror, drop of rum on my tongue
with the warning to help me see myself clearer
with the warning to help me see myself clearer
