I wanna taste love and pain, I wanna feel pride and shame
The last time I was here was half a year ago, give or take. Me and Mom had decided—her idea, surprisingly—to do something lighthearted. “Some damn fun for once,” she’d said, and I caught her laughing in the hedges before I did. We got lost on purpose, ran in circles, and somewhere in the middle of it, I lost a ribbon and scraped up my leg, and she looked happy in a way I hadn’t seen in months.
So I came back.
Just to see if some piece of that joy might still be tucked between the roses.
I’m just inside the maze, I haven’t gone much further than the entrance. But the second I spot a flicker of purple movement near the hedge maze entrance, all the warmth drops out of me. I crouch instinctively, fingers slipping around the hilt of a dagger as I move through the sloped brush. Quiet, steady, eyes tracking the unnatural motion. It winds through the leaves.
Not joy between the roses. Void serpents. Why not.
Then I see him. A familiar figure, sharp and solid, standing just beyond the opening, staring at the same movement I was.
Jack.
I blink, startled—and grin. I step into view, dagger hanging at my side.
“You always sneak off to rose gardens when your ship’s not looking?”
So I came back.
Just to see if some piece of that joy might still be tucked between the roses.
I’m just inside the maze, I haven’t gone much further than the entrance. But the second I spot a flicker of purple movement near the hedge maze entrance, all the warmth drops out of me. I crouch instinctively, fingers slipping around the hilt of a dagger as I move through the sloped brush. Quiet, steady, eyes tracking the unnatural motion. It winds through the leaves.
Not joy between the roses. Void serpents. Why not.
Then I see him. A familiar figure, sharp and solid, standing just beyond the opening, staring at the same movement I was.
Jack.
I blink, startled—and grin. I step into view, dagger hanging at my side.
“You always sneak off to rose gardens when your ship’s not looking?”
Theea
I don't wanna take my time, I don't wanna waste one line
