[P] a silent, faulty feeling

[Manon]

The night was new, the stars making way to carry their young to the sky to show them how to shine. Winter hit softly that year, and the sky bent to the will of the chill; it parted, peacefully, unobstructively, a shimmering darkness blanketing those who sat in wonder beneath its pinprick lights. The living who stared in awe had their breaths drawn in pale clouds from their lips, hidden dreams, unspoken promises, lingering in their wake. And it was she who lurked in the shadows between it all--a friendly face, a dangerous mind. Waiting to pounce. Subtly planning moves while flashing haughty smiles to those who passed. She had an image to upkeep, a reputation: and it was that night that she would resurface to the outside world.

She had been on the run for quite some time; a mission to gather information for a client went wayward, and she was almost caught. Never, she would scoff at the idea, for she was better than that. Suspicions arose, her name was involved--she was tied, bound and stuck against a wall--so she went into hiding until skepticism faded as quickly as she had.

And yet, as she always would, she returned to continue down the only path she had ever known.

The Cliffs would be one of her first stops; the Dusk Court had fallen into the hands of a wrathful Vespera and the red-painted girl was curious to see if it even still stood. Lips curled in a smirk at the thought of how far it had both risen and fallen in such quick time; the first duel-colored queen couldn't uphold under the pressures it would seem despite all her so-called glory, and so she passed it onto a child Manon knew wouldn't last long... and again the crown would fall into hands of whose ability was questionable. Perhaps it was simply the curse of the Dusk Goddess, though, and all her passiveness-turned-aggression that ultimately caused her court to diminish in stature. None of it mattered to her, however, for one less functioning court was one less problem she had to worry about.

The tranquility that emanated that night was a welcomed thing, for it made spotting her target quite easy after all the trouble she had gone through for her last assignment. His nearly pure-white figure ghosted its way toward the heart of the court, and she knew she had to act fast. She had trailed him across the lines of the cliffs, waiting, watching, perhaps getting a little too distracted by the beauty of the swelling waves under a star-riddled sky. The sparse company around them meant fewer eyes to see her misdeeds, and so while the boy was distracted by the hanging lights she purposefully--audibly--tripped and softly cried out in pain while laying herself on the supple grass as if she fell. "Excuse me!" In a huff she called out to the winged boy, voice a seductive blend of raspy waves and delicate charm. "Could you help? I think my leg is sprained..." She trailed off while widened eyes begged him to go to her, multicolored hues glinting in the darkness.

Build me up just to bring me down

'Cause you don't want me to take the crown

CREDITS

@Erd c;