you must burn brighter than ever
They could dance and laugh and cajole through the petals, through the world that should’ve been for mourning – but not now, not when there so many other things to be had and held. Ebullience and exuberance, wild, chaotic fringes, a balance of warmth and effervescence that she hadn’t felt in such a long time. In between Sunjata’s constant shitty decisions, breakdowns, blood and death, there’d been few moments where she could peel away the girl who survived, and not be an inferno all the time.
For she was still an ember, but not so readily ablaze.
Another round of giggles emerged and buoyed, contorting the surroundings on her wiles and wills, capricious and mercurial, whimsical and amused, as the stems and fronds curled into her locks, cascading and rippling through. They were both fey in these instances, sprites and fiends and without trial, without tribulation –
She circled and spun until she fell into the earth beside Aurelia, dress draped across curled limbs, her arms still full of her laden wares. Melita gasped with some insatiable delight at the joke, and only leaned downwards to extract and pluck at the stems she’d gathered, beginning to intertwine and nestle them together – old habits from years before. “You know, I absolutely would!” A contagious grin, lopsided smile, and then her eyes widened over the thoughts of swamps and witches and fortunes. “What?!” Her mouth rounded, the exclamation nearing stretches of excitement. What an amazing notion – and she was slightly envious. “I probably won’t. So you’ll just have to tell me everything.”
For she was still an ember, but not so readily ablaze.
Another round of giggles emerged and buoyed, contorting the surroundings on her wiles and wills, capricious and mercurial, whimsical and amused, as the stems and fronds curled into her locks, cascading and rippling through. They were both fey in these instances, sprites and fiends and without trial, without tribulation –
She circled and spun until she fell into the earth beside Aurelia, dress draped across curled limbs, her arms still full of her laden wares. Melita gasped with some insatiable delight at the joke, and only leaned downwards to extract and pluck at the stems she’d gathered, beginning to intertwine and nestle them together – old habits from years before. “You know, I absolutely would!” A contagious grin, lopsided smile, and then her eyes widened over the thoughts of swamps and witches and fortunes. “What?!” Her mouth rounded, the exclamation nearing stretches of excitement. What an amazing notion – and she was slightly envious. “I probably won’t. So you’ll just have to tell me everything.”
Melita
