[AW] Painted Souls

[Aislinn]

HE USED TO CALL ME DN THAT STOOD FOR DEADLY NIGHTSHADE CAUSE I WAS FILLED WITH POISON BUT BLESSED WITH BEAUTY AND RAGE What I must. His reply is a spark, a flame that is almost snuffed out by the winds that ensnare them in this in-between plane of light and shadows. But she desperately holds onto those words, clinging to them with a recognition of her own damnation. Her own fate. What Aislinn does not realize, as she cradles those words of truth, that they will become a mantra. A war cry when her guilt, her darkness, her demons come knocking. And now, she can not be more glad for it. That here before her, her friend stands and is so incredibly honest to her. She does not know how to express the sheer weight of the gift he has given to her in just three little words. I fear.. My heart found it's fire again, and I fear there are consequences for it. She takes his confession carefully into her palm, like a precious gold coin turning over with tender fingers — realizing the weight of it. Where she had cradled her new affirmation, now she stands with the heaviness of both longing and knowing upon her shoulders. The diadem upon Isorath's crown is a symbol of both status and growth, but now, she can see the line that has been drawn in the sand between their Courts. And her heart.. oh, her heart is torn. Reichenbach's curse of empathy might not be her own, but it is her undying loyalty that may very well become her undoing. Aislinn knows Florentine's heartbreak all too well, and her anger still simmers because of it. She can feel it's crimson fires blaze and burn, and her lightning crackles in answer. But it is also the other half of her coin that mourns, and understands. For once upon a time, she had also been Isorath.. in love with a man born from shadows and smoke and stars. A man who was just as much a wild, untamed soul, as she. As Isorath. "No one should apologize for the whims of their heart," she tells him; a murmur, an even whisper that is like the kiss of a sea breeze after a storm. A blessing. "You can't help but fall in love." You should go, enjoy the festival and all it has to offer. There is much to see and I'm sure there are others who would be pleased to see you. Yes.. perhaps then, he is right. Perhaps now, with the shreds of her guilt carefully chained in the far reaches of her, may she be able to find her lover at last. In their short reunion, Aislinn's shoulders no longer bare the weight of cowardice, or shame, or regret. She is a light creature of lithe bones and a warmth of pinks and gold and Dusk that swathes her in both the colors of her kingdom, and also a kingdom who now held part of her. Now, they stand at a crossroads. Befitting of the highways in her own soul, that have been carved from both Calligo's shadows and smoke and Vespera's world of twilight and dreams. Together, they stand at the cusp of choosing which road to walk on. Except, before she turns, her gaze catches onto the lilac pools of the man before her. He is porcelain and flames and ice and gold, and yet, she still cannot quite believe how much her heart has swollen in this time they have been reunited. It is because of this, the stormsinger finds that her smile wobbles, and silver threatens to prick at the blue of her eyes. She does not allow her tears to fall, however joyful they may be. Instead, Aislinn dips her crown, bowing and rising with a grin that does not shake upon the bronze of her lips. Her voice is velvet — velvet and sweet. A promise made on the stars that slowly begin to cling to her, much like the painted night sky across her skin. As she looks at him, her gaze is unfaltering. Strong. Her. "I will see you again soon, Isorath, my friend." Her smile grows with that promise, before she fades into the darkness of Calligo's shadows, with only a wisp of stardust and silver left in the memory of where she stood. Because now, her heart is open. Now, she has her prince to find. But not before a whisper trails behind her, unspoken and hidden within the weight of her words. Thank you. I CAN HEAR SIRENS, SIRENS HE HIT ME AND IT FELT LIKE A KISS I CAN HEAR VIOLINS, VIOLINS GIVE ME ALL OF THAT ULTRAVIOLENCE @isorath thank you so much for this thread!! <3 "Aislinn speech."

SPACEGUESSWHO +