Aurelia
hear those bells ring deep in the soul
chiming away for a moment
chiming away for a moment
He wraps her in his arms and she tucks herself in against him, her hands reaching up to clutch him to her as well. Her face presses in against his chest, breath clouding into his shirt, the wet of her tears soaking into it as well. She can smell smoke still clinging to its fibers. It's a harsh reminder of what's gone on.
He tells her it's going to be okay and she wants nothing more than for that to be true. The reality is that they can't be sure of that yet, but fatigue is an obstacle she can't make it through right now. Everything else will have to wait.
"There's... so much I need to tell you," she mumbles into him, shifting so that her mouth lifts over his shoulder, "but I'm so tired." Tired, nearly dead, nearly dead twice, and on top of it all this isn't over yet. Even if they weren't chased, this isn't over. There are things to be done.
But for now? For now.. she needs to regain her strength - or some of it, at least.
"Milo..." she wants to tell him before it happens, but as she gives in to her trauma-fueled exhaustion, her shift takes hold of her. A small red panda takes the place of the only form Milo knows her to have (and even that's unfamiliar to him).
Sinking low on her paws, her rounded ears fold down against her fur and she glances up at him with some hesitance. Slowly, shakily, she moves to crawl back into his arms and curl herself up in them.
Sleep doesn't come easily. She stays still for the most part, only moving when Milo does and nearly jumping out of her fur every time - as if each movement is a sign of something being wrong. Eventually her flanks will stop heaving and she'll lull into a shallow rest.
***
It's later in the morning that she rises once more, not having fully fallen asleep at any point. Especially when she realized that Milo had fallen asleep despite his best efforts (she knows this), she had remained awake, wide-eyed, never moving from his arms but looking around at every flicker of movement as if it might be a threat.
The initial panic of everything else has mostly faded away. She can process things more fully now, though she doesn't hardly know where to begin. So she stays in Milo's arms as her shift, thinking, until it occurs to her that she has to go and find Jack. To make sure that he's made it out alright. Perhaps he knows more than she does, too.
With this in mind, she gently picks her way down from Milo's lap and the couch. Turning back into herself, she gazes down at him, at the gentle contours of his face while he's at rest. She hates to interrupt it, especially because he must be so worried and tired, but she knows she has to tell him everything before she goes. And she hates that she has to do that, too.
So she kneels back down beside him and, with a touch that's featherlight so as to not scare him, she brushes her fingertips along one side of his face. Her brows furrow with concern.
"Hey..." she says softly, "wake up." She'll give him a moment to get his bearings, but she stays close, her hand not leaving his face. "It's okay," she tells him, before he might think otherwise. Reluctance twists at her features before she tells him, "I have to go," she swallows down the knot in her throat, "I have to find Jack. He was there, too. I think he made it out but... I've gotta make sure."
He tells her it's going to be okay and she wants nothing more than for that to be true. The reality is that they can't be sure of that yet, but fatigue is an obstacle she can't make it through right now. Everything else will have to wait.
"There's... so much I need to tell you," she mumbles into him, shifting so that her mouth lifts over his shoulder, "but I'm so tired." Tired, nearly dead, nearly dead twice, and on top of it all this isn't over yet. Even if they weren't chased, this isn't over. There are things to be done.
But for now? For now.. she needs to regain her strength - or some of it, at least.
"Milo..." she wants to tell him before it happens, but as she gives in to her trauma-fueled exhaustion, her shift takes hold of her. A small red panda takes the place of the only form Milo knows her to have (and even that's unfamiliar to him).
Sinking low on her paws, her rounded ears fold down against her fur and she glances up at him with some hesitance. Slowly, shakily, she moves to crawl back into his arms and curl herself up in them.
Sleep doesn't come easily. She stays still for the most part, only moving when Milo does and nearly jumping out of her fur every time - as if each movement is a sign of something being wrong. Eventually her flanks will stop heaving and she'll lull into a shallow rest.
***
It's later in the morning that she rises once more, not having fully fallen asleep at any point. Especially when she realized that Milo had fallen asleep despite his best efforts (she knows this), she had remained awake, wide-eyed, never moving from his arms but looking around at every flicker of movement as if it might be a threat.
The initial panic of everything else has mostly faded away. She can process things more fully now, though she doesn't hardly know where to begin. So she stays in Milo's arms as her shift, thinking, until it occurs to her that she has to go and find Jack. To make sure that he's made it out alright. Perhaps he knows more than she does, too.
With this in mind, she gently picks her way down from Milo's lap and the couch. Turning back into herself, she gazes down at him, at the gentle contours of his face while he's at rest. She hates to interrupt it, especially because he must be so worried and tired, but she knows she has to tell him everything before she goes. And she hates that she has to do that, too.
So she kneels back down beside him and, with a touch that's featherlight so as to not scare him, she brushes her fingertips along one side of his face. Her brows furrow with concern.
"Hey..." she says softly, "wake up." She'll give him a moment to get his bearings, but she stays close, her hand not leaving his face. "It's okay," she tells him, before he might think otherwise. Reluctance twists at her features before she tells him, "I have to go," she swallows down the knot in her throat, "I have to find Jack. He was there, too. I think he made it out but... I've gotta make sure."
feel your breath course frankly below
see life as a worthy opponent
see life as a worthy opponent
