veilune's Links
Cradled against Mir's chest, the aprico stares up at the astrean with unearned affection and obvious expectance, as though his proximity to Mir will make him just as willing as they are to give it everything it wants — which is, presently, chin scritches.
"Yours is the face I see at night..." Mir's eyes are shut tight, their voice soft and breathy in the dark — trying to block out the world, and imagine what little glimpses of him they've seen in restful, restless sleep. "It's you, in my most lovely, pleasant dreams... in my most painful nightmares... in memories I don't remember having."
There's no one there to hear them. A shudder runs through their body, the way it often does when they try their hardest to piece together the visage of the figure in their mind.
"If I only knew who you were... I'm so convinced it must be you, out there, calling to me..."
"The mistress? Why, she's just an amazing woman! Strong, inspiring... so intelligent and beautiful... Somehow whenever I'm at her side I feel... Oh! Um- That's all!"
-she begins to frantically dust an old bookshelf-
"My darling maid... never has this house been blessed with such diligence, or loyalty." Her lips curl up, a subtle smile over the rim of her glass. "In my absence, I trust most everything to you; and I treasure the way your presence lights these halls. Do you know how well I'd like to thank you...? To keep you?"
It goes yet unspoken – the *to myself* that follows.
"What a pathetic little detective! But it is so fun to watch you struggle over every trail and clue I leave behind. Blissfully unaware of the circles you're running... hmm, I think I'll play with you a bit longer and see how long it takes you to trip over the edge."
"A no good thief! I've never met someone so cocky and wicked! We'll see who's laughing when I uncover your identity and make you pay for your crimes! It's amazing how his inflated ego and hubris hasn't caught up to him yet. We'll just see which gets to him first."
"Mazara seems to be a troubled soul... my heart aches for him... I only hope that he can find some solace when he stops by to listen to my music..."
So hers was the song he'd been hearing in his dreams, all those nights he spent in recovery? The gentle strum of her harp, an angel's music drifting from the tower stairwell as he faded between waking and dreaming... it'd stuck with him, carrying him through the first restful sleep he'd had in months, the only constant in his peaceful (albeit feverish) slumber. On a far more lucid evening he found himself wandering up those spiral stairs, drawn in by the celestial siren song, curious to know whose music had haunted him so; sweaty, disheveled, shirt half-clinging to his body, he found her there with stardusted hands playing over the strings, her nightgown fluttering in the cool breeze. Who was she...?
"Sagi is so kind... he makes my heart happy! I look forward to his surprise visits... at my window. You can stop by for a nap anytime you'd like..."
"I really wasn't expecting to meet anyone when I sneaked into the clock tower for a nap. Cress is really kind and sweet! But sometimes she's so naive and gullible! Though I can't blame her, she seems lost, having no memory of her past."