you must burn brighter than ever
Considering it’d been her first channeling, the notion of staring down at a naked Kaisel or Flora, in the middle of the dark ocean, then taking a magical nap, had been the farthest from her mind. So the actuality made her eyes go wider than before, then she took a step back, considering multitudes throughout a mind so rarely impacted by thought. Instead of responding immediately, which would’ve just been a distorted semblance of confusion, she listened, head tilting, watching as his expression altered and changed from hesitant and awkward to sincere and ardent, devout. Her brow arched while he continued cleaning and spilling everything out – like it was the easiest thing in the world – her gaze beginning to narrow as if she’d seen a rare species of animal, and she couldn’t decide what to do with it.
Gawk, mostly, for the moment. Perhaps it was the way he simply said things with zero concern or guard. Sure, she could do that too, but it was mostly when contorted into rage or amusement. Not blunt honesty about things like…feelings. Which led her to wondering if her reaction was out of the norm. Was this what people did? Waxed poetical about their loved ones? To others? In public?! Her experience, at least with family, had been either abandonment, self-sacrifice, and survival; none of which gave any truly healthy aspects. And then the pondering went further, a rarer event, because if he was committing to all of this with Flora like it was the most natural shit – what the hell were her and Iskra doing?
She blinked to remove herself out of the mire, tried to maneuver out of the snares of her own whirling machinations, render back to what Kaisel had actually uttered. “Oh, well, uh-,” she offered before clenching her jaw, feeling the frustrations welling within and swallowing them down. “Good for you guys. I’m glad she has someone that will be there for her, and gives her what she deserves,” came on a grin, well-meaning and genuine, not curved, hooked, or fanged. “Especially after all of Jack’s bullshit.” Of which, she’d like to note, she never once approved of.
When the question rounded back to her, Melita suddenly found herself paying very close attention to a muddy spot on the wood paneling, pretending, initially, that she hadn’t even heard him. But if he could be so open, why couldn’t she? Not particularly drawn to analyzing that a moment longer, she huffed a little, cheeks turning the color of her hair and pretending not to notice in the slightest. “Maybe.” Perhaps she was a touch mad at herself too, wondering if she’d been taking things for granted and just letting it all filter out and not ask anything besides an initial ‘wtf’, carrying on as they were with no definite lines and – like, she obviously couldn’t plan for their birthday nonsense because it was already this season, so that was out. Not very content with the emotions rambling through her, she took big, deep breath, like she was preparing to march into battle. “So like, do you just…plan shit out as a surprise or…”
Gawk, mostly, for the moment. Perhaps it was the way he simply said things with zero concern or guard. Sure, she could do that too, but it was mostly when contorted into rage or amusement. Not blunt honesty about things like…feelings. Which led her to wondering if her reaction was out of the norm. Was this what people did? Waxed poetical about their loved ones? To others? In public?! Her experience, at least with family, had been either abandonment, self-sacrifice, and survival; none of which gave any truly healthy aspects. And then the pondering went further, a rarer event, because if he was committing to all of this with Flora like it was the most natural shit – what the hell were her and Iskra doing?
She blinked to remove herself out of the mire, tried to maneuver out of the snares of her own whirling machinations, render back to what Kaisel had actually uttered. “Oh, well, uh-,” she offered before clenching her jaw, feeling the frustrations welling within and swallowing them down. “Good for you guys. I’m glad she has someone that will be there for her, and gives her what she deserves,” came on a grin, well-meaning and genuine, not curved, hooked, or fanged. “Especially after all of Jack’s bullshit.” Of which, she’d like to note, she never once approved of.
When the question rounded back to her, Melita suddenly found herself paying very close attention to a muddy spot on the wood paneling, pretending, initially, that she hadn’t even heard him. But if he could be so open, why couldn’t she? Not particularly drawn to analyzing that a moment longer, she huffed a little, cheeks turning the color of her hair and pretending not to notice in the slightest. “Maybe.” Perhaps she was a touch mad at herself too, wondering if she’d been taking things for granted and just letting it all filter out and not ask anything besides an initial ‘wtf’, carrying on as they were with no definite lines and – like, she obviously couldn’t plan for their birthday nonsense because it was already this season, so that was out. Not very content with the emotions rambling through her, she took big, deep breath, like she was preparing to march into battle. “So like, do you just…plan shit out as a surprise or…”
Melita
