The flower that blooms in adversity
Their mom appears exactly as she always remembers her, powerful and resplendent in the glow of starlight. Love and excitement blossom in Nova as she takes in the goddess, smile widening as she barely manages to contain the urge to rush and greet her. Bouncing on her toes, she lets Safrin praise the offerings - always happy to find their gifts welcome. But it's when she's finally in her mom's arms that Nova breathes again, a gasp of anticipation reaching its peak to be followed by a sigh of relief. When she's running around Caido, chasing her siblings, and finding chaos, she never ceases to miss her mom, but the emotion shines brighter in her presence, a rightness that feels like threads of light weaving together in an unbreakable bond.
Holding the goddess a little tighter, she promises of Vesper, "Don't worry! We won't let him!' She hadn't planned to let him before, and she didn't plan to do it now. He was stuck with them no matter where or how far he tried to run. And with the Sunbean thriving, he'll have to accept that King's End is where they'll drag him back to. She shares a grin with her sister, throwing Caly a playful wink for the cafe they've built, the one Caly has worked so hard to make a success.
Nova couldn't be prouder of her sibling, and when their mom reaches for her bracelet first, there's no jealousy in watching the starlight pour into the jewelry. Her eyes are full of unbridled delight, a warm glow to the brightness of her gaze as she meets those of her family, sharing in the loving moment. Excitement swells in her chest as their mom turns to her, ready to finally be able to reach Caly when she needs her, to protect her when -
But the bracelet doesn't glow.
Her eyebrows furrow, confusion tainting the happiness as she starts, "Mom, why - " But as her eyes turn up, the disappointment she sees there is enough to steal her breath, sucking the life from her. The world seems to tilt, the bright tint of it all turning darker than a starless night. She feels cold, broken, shattered by the look on her mother's face. It's one she's never seen before, one she's never wanted to see, one she can't bear to look at.
She steps out of the embrace, tears blurring her vision as she stares down at the dullness of her bracelet.
Realization prickles at her thoughts like tiny knives, a warbled reminder of the tasks, the one she's failed. She has not words or excuses. She failed her mom, she failed her sister, she failed; and that failure marks her in a way that nothing ever has, casting a shadow over her sparkling demeanor so dark it might as well be a void. The color leaches from every pore, leaving her pale and gaunt with devastation, and for the first time in her life, Nova wants to run and hide - to escape the disappointment in her mother's eyes, to cut out the part of her that had fallen short. Like a star hovering before the fall, she trembles, winking out of existence.
Holding the goddess a little tighter, she promises of Vesper, "Don't worry! We won't let him!' She hadn't planned to let him before, and she didn't plan to do it now. He was stuck with them no matter where or how far he tried to run. And with the Sunbean thriving, he'll have to accept that King's End is where they'll drag him back to. She shares a grin with her sister, throwing Caly a playful wink for the cafe they've built, the one Caly has worked so hard to make a success.
Nova couldn't be prouder of her sibling, and when their mom reaches for her bracelet first, there's no jealousy in watching the starlight pour into the jewelry. Her eyes are full of unbridled delight, a warm glow to the brightness of her gaze as she meets those of her family, sharing in the loving moment. Excitement swells in her chest as their mom turns to her, ready to finally be able to reach Caly when she needs her, to protect her when -
But the bracelet doesn't glow.
Her eyebrows furrow, confusion tainting the happiness as she starts, "Mom, why - " But as her eyes turn up, the disappointment she sees there is enough to steal her breath, sucking the life from her. The world seems to tilt, the bright tint of it all turning darker than a starless night. She feels cold, broken, shattered by the look on her mother's face. It's one she's never seen before, one she's never wanted to see, one she can't bear to look at.
She steps out of the embrace, tears blurring her vision as she stares down at the dullness of her bracelet.
Realization prickles at her thoughts like tiny knives, a warbled reminder of the tasks, the one she's failed. She has not words or excuses. She failed her mom, she failed her sister, she failed; and that failure marks her in a way that nothing ever has, casting a shadow over her sparkling demeanor so dark it might as well be a void. The color leaches from every pore, leaving her pale and gaunt with devastation, and for the first time in her life, Nova wants to run and hide - to escape the disappointment in her mother's eyes, to cut out the part of her that had fallen short. Like a star hovering before the fall, she trembles, winking out of existence.
Nova
is the most rare and beautiful of all.
