into the night ;

multi-muse indie account penned by sarah - she/her

[cbsidian]

CLOSED STARTER ;

→ Casey → @antiiromanticx​​​​

                 THINGS BETWEEN CASEY and Blake were now probably the most simple they had ever been, but she knew that wasn’t necessarily the best for them. She had asked him for space, and he had given her exactly that. Their relationship had been put on pause and during that time they allowed themselves to figure out how to co-parent in the best way they possibly could. But other than that, Blake wasn’t entirely sure what to call him other than Ollie’s father. A friend? An ex? That question still remained unanswered, and tightly wrapped in a box. 

“Hey you.” she greeted Casey with a warm smile. “I know you’re working tonight but, I haven’t seen you crack a smile once.” Blake teased gently. “C’mon, what’s on your mind?”  

[cbsidian]

CLOSED STARTER ;

→ Mila → @antiiromanticx​​​​

                 "ARE YOU SURE I look good in this dress?” Blake’s fingers tugged on her dress to make sure it hugged her in all the right places, her eyes anxiously glancing around the room in an attempt to analyse what everyone else was wearing in case she stuck out like a sore thumb. She was acutely aware that she was at a ball with an array of men she had either slept with or had failed relationships with, and that didn’t bode well considering this was her first outing as a single woman. “This is the first time I’ve not been in my yoga pants in... Well, months.” she admitted almost embarrassingly.  

[cbsidian]

CAL ;

-

          His lips pressed together for a second, unsure how this was going to go. James accepted him. Bishop accepted him. And while she now seemed  to accept him, Asher’s initial reaction still made him hesitant. Then came Faina’s description of it, a power that he always saw as exploitive, and it was the complete opposite. He looked up at her, blinking for a second at the words - you saved me. There was the hint of a smile on his lips. He knew his touch could help someone calm down but no one had quite ever put it into those words before. At her question, Cal found himself letting out a small sigh. “I have a suggestive touch. That’s how I describe it, at least,” he leaned forward, “It basically puts someone in a bliss-like state where they’ll be more, er, agreeable. It can also make someone feel things for me that they normally don’t, depending on how much I put into the touch.” He realized that they hadn’t addressed what he was yet, causing him to look at the blonde with brows furrowed, “Do you not know why I’m under Ivar’s protection?”

.

                    FAINA FROWNED SLIGHTLY, but only because she was trying to understand what Cal was explaining. At the time when it happened, she hadn’t thought anything of it. She didn’t have time to try and understand what was happening or what any of it meant, she just knew she needed to get out of there. But what happened with Cal had been sitting at the back of her mind for months as she ran it through her head again and again. “So you are a witch..?” Faina had never met a witch with the abilities that Cal possessed, but she supposed it could be entirely possible? “No.” she quietly confessed, her gaze falling downwards. Thinking back, her actions that night only fortified how blind her loyalty was to Ivar. He had given her orders to protect Cal, and she had done exactly that without question or doubt. “That is part of the reason why I am here.” Faina explained softly. “I need to make sure he isn’t doing to you what he did to me.” she hesitated for a moment, knowing that she needed to open up to him if she was ever going to ask him to trust her. “When I was a child, he took me from the orphanage I had been left in, and I was raised with his family - the Nygaard’s. He gave me protection and safety, and anything I could ever ask for. In return, he had me. My power. He used me, exploited me-” Faina had to bite her tongue and stop herself from exposing her bitterness within. “I cannot allow him to do the same to you. I will not.”

[cbsidian]

NIESA ;

-        

          There was a deep inhale of breath, her gaze dropping as her lips pressed together. In reality, Ivar was the last person that the young witch would need protection from. Niesa knew that as a fact. “I agree,” she assured her. Faina did deserve the truth. Time and space could only do so much. Stewing in anger and heartbreak could not mend anything. “Faina,” she spoke, voice soft, “The dynamic between Ivar and the wolves is delicate and not entirely one sided. I was once good friends with Bishop’s brother and he ceased all contact with me when I chose to work for Ivar. Trying to care for both, they don’t make it simple.” The witch now tilted her head, looking over the blonde, “Have you spoken to Bishop at all?”

.

                   THERE WERE SOME days where Faina wished she hadn’t been born a supernatural at all. She sometimes even wondered where her life would have been lead to had Ivar not taken her from the Russian orphanage, if she had been left there to grow up entirely unaware of her abilities. At least that way she wouldn’t have to deal with the absolute playground rivalries of the supernatural species. “And I am to be punished for who I fall in love with because of their petty rivalries?” the witch jabbed at her own chest with her fingers for emphasis, before huffing loudly into the chair behind her. “Yebanyye deti.” Faina spat as she angrily folded her arms across her chest. Niesa’s question caused her pause for a few seconds as she chewed lightly on her lower lip. She had no reason to lie about her time spent with Bishop, but yet she felt oddly protective over it. It was something that had been theirs, solely theirs, and something they hadn’t been able to share for a long time. “We have spent time together, yes.” 

[cbsidian]

CAL ;

-

          There was a small nod at the explanation of her absence. It had all happened so fast. He barely had time to acknowledge that Bishop had triggered before he was punching Ivar and words were being yelled and then the young witch in front of him was devastated. While his instinct was to follow after his mate, his feet had stayed glued to that spot. That was, until, that other witch was unable to calm Faina and it became clear that she was losing control of her powers. That was when his other instincts kicked in and he used his touch to calm her. Another nod as he took in a deep breath. “About Bishop or Ivar or,” he cleared his throat as his hand came up to rub his mouth lightly, “When I touched you?”

.

                       “WHEN YOU TOUCHED me.” Faina lifted her head, her gaze meeting his. Since that night she had been wracking her brain, trying to figure out how he had done it. If he was a witch, surely she would’ve known? “I could’ve hurt a lot of people that night, but I didn’t. When you touched me it was like...” she paused, desperately trying to find the right words to explain it but even now she still struggled to wrap her head around it. “It felt as if the world around me went quiet and my chest didn’t hurt so bad. You brought me back down, you saved me, Cal.” she leaned towards him, her voice softer with sincerity. “And I realised I never thanked you for that.” Faina’s lips pressed into a small smile as she paused, allowing the importance of her words to settle before continuing. “How did you do it?”

[cbsidian]

CHLOE ; 

@cbsidian​ Chloe to Rhys

          When was the last time she actually got to hang out with him? It felt like it had been weeks since she’d seen Rhys and just like with Mace, she was a little worried. She shifters had felt the hurt of New Years deeply, arguable deeper than most others. So tonight, she decided to just go ahead and surprise him. 

“No, no, no,” she brought her hands together like she was pleading with him, “It is your night off. We all deserve them and you definitely need it.” She held up her phone to show the food delivery app opened on it. “Let’s just order some good food, have a beer and have a couple hours where we aren’t worried,” she shot him a smile because that’s the only way Chloe knew how to really be there, was by trying to lift the mood, “Just a couple hours, Rhys? Please.”

.

                        RHYS’ MOUTH DROPPED open, but he had to swallow back his words. The people who killed Dot don’t have nights off, is what he wanted to say. “Just a couple hours?” he repeated with a small smirk, his eyebrow quirking upwards as if he were indicating that they both knew it would turn into the rest of the night, and the next morning too. “I’ll have you know me and my piano have plenty of nights off together, writing songs about satan’s asshole and this annoying brunette who won’t stop pestering me to eat Chinese takeout.” his fingers plucked the phone from Chloe’s hand as he selected their frequent Chinese takeaway, tapping away to find his usual order. “Y’know you didn’t have to bribe me with food,” Rhys called out from the kitchen as he grabbed them both a beer. “You coulda’ just got down on your knees.” he poked his head around the door, offering her a lazy wink. 

[cbsidian]

SERA ;

@cbsidian​ Seraphina to Rhys

        Four years. Four years of blissful ignorance and a belief that she would be able to move on with her life. But now it was like she turned around one day and the biggest demon on her past was there. Cassian, a name she didn’t let herself think about before, was now in the city. And the fear she felt, it had been one she carried herself for so long. It was more tangible now and after days of thinking it over - debtating whether or not she should add on to what her leaders were already dealing with - she finally decided that Lilah deserved their faction’s protection.

“Rhys,” she greeted him at his door, her four year old daughter standing in front of her for a moment before running over to the man who was essentially her uncle. It made sense to go to Rhys first. He was the third of faction but he was also her best friend and had been the only one to know what happened to her those years ago. Now she just had to tell him the rest. “I know you’ve been busy but can we talk?” she slowly followed behind her daughter, “I think I may need some help.”

.

                      RHYS HAD BEEN busy. Ever since the events at the museum, he had kept his head down and worked hard. He worked hard to protect the shifters, to be there for Max, and to do everything he could to make them all feel safe again. They had all lost a family member that night, and Rhys would be damned if he would let that happen again. But seeing Sera and Lilah stood at his door brought a welcomed wave of relief, knowing he could take a breather for a moment. He huffed a chuckle as the small four year old collided with his legs, wrapping him in an excited hug. Within seconds she was demanding a kids show on Netflix, and Rhys bent down to scoop her up in his arms. “Course we can.” he outstretched an arm to squeeze Sera’s shoulder. “But first, let me set up Netflix for this little gremlin.” Rhys’ hand returned to Lilah, tickling her stomach as he took her to the next room.

[cbsidian]

CAL ;

@cbsidian​ Cal to Faina

          “Faina,” he greeted the blonde at his front door with a small expression of surprise. He hadn’t seen her in… months? Yes, he was a witness to that nasty mess between her, Ivar and Bishop. And while he was under Ivar’s protection, he could still see the vampire was a complete ass for what he did to Bishop and the couple. “Haven’t seen you in a while,” he commented, stepping aside to let her in, “Make yourself at home.” Taking his own place on the sofa in the middle of the living area, he gazed up at the witch with a smirk, “Where have you been?”

.

                    THERE WERE CERTAIN priorities Faina had before she could make her presence known to Ivar again, and Cal was one of them. If the vampire hadn’t torn a gut-wrenching hole through her life, then perhaps she would’ve been able to pay more attention to Cal and his plight on the night it all happened. Instead, it had caused her to retreat and pushed aside almost everything she once knew. But upon Faina’s reappearance, she first needed to know that Cal hadn’t fallen into the same trap she had. Ivar clearly had a keen interest in the boy, hence why Faina had been sent to protect him. “I needed to be by myself for a while.” she offered Cal only a brief explanation, but made sure her words were followed by a warm smile. She lingered for a brief second before sitting down beside him, shuffling the jacket from her shoulders. “I was actually hoping we could talk... About what happened.” Faina paused, her gaze dropping as it was still evident her wounds hadn’t began to heal. “At the museum.”

[cbsidian]

NIESA ;

x

          Despite her decision to leave the vampire faction being very much rooted in what Ivar had done to his young, adopted witch, she still cared for both dearly. And while, yes, her decision to help Faina get the time and distance she needed was essentially taking a side, she knew Ivar would be more so relieved to know Faina had been safe this whole time. Niesa stopped for a moment before offering a small nod to the blonde. “He knows now, Faina,” she came to sit with her, “I will not justify what he did, ever. But I do believe that in his mind, he was protecting you. Ivar has always felt conflict with the wolves.” She placed a hand on the girl’s knee, “Do you know what you’ll say?”

.

                  WITHOUT HESITATION, FAINA immediately scoffed as she leant back in her seat. “The only thing I needed protecting from was him.” she snapped with little regret. It wasn’t Niesa that she was angry at, it was the situation and the puppeteer behind it all. Three months had done very little to smoulder the fire within the young witch, if anything the solitude only added fuel. “I want to know why. I want him to look me in the eyes and justify what he did. I don’t want the sick twisted excuses, I want the truth. I believe he owes me at least that.” 

[cbsidian]

CLOSED STARTER ;

→ Ivar → @x-violentdelights​​​

                  EVEN IN HER own room, Faina felt like a stranger. She could see shadows of her former self in every corner she looked, she could see the naïve girl who used to live there. The girl who believed Ivar was the greatest man alive who could simply do no wrong. But now, three months later, Faina could hardly recognise who used to live there. Abruptly, she turned on her heel the second she felt Ivar’s presence - an innate ability that now made her want to shudder. “I’m surprised all of my belongings are still here. I would’ve thought by now you would’ve made room for the next witch you wish to dictate and control.”

[cbsidian]

CLOSED STARTER ;

→ Niesa → @xbeautifulmonsters​​

                   IT HAD BEEN three months. Three months of hiding, and processing, and healing - or trying to heal. Trying to figure out if the wound that Ivar had left was to be a permanent sore, a reminder that not even the closest of friends could be trusted. No - he had been family, which made the knife in the back dig that much deeper. But Niesa had helped the young witch, she had concealed her whereabouts so Faina could think everything through. She had been waiting for Niesa in the suite she had been giving, her hands folded on top of each other as she gnawed over her decision. “I think it’s time.” Faina announced once the other witch had entered the room. “I think it’s time I speak to Ivar.” she shakily exhaled, her eyes meeting Niesa’s to find if they would be met with agreeance.

[cbsidian]

BISHOP ;

                                    “So was my — dad.” Bishop attempted to relate and perhaps shouldn’t have ushered the word dad, it just – wasn’t that what Ivar was to Faina? “Uh, controlling I mean, before…” everyone knew he and Gray’s father was murdered, the old alpha running out of time as the secrets he kept began to drown the ageing wolf and was one of the reasons why Bishop tried harder than most to not keep secrets, to tell people exactly how he felt when those emotions should arise; his father was taken from him and they hadn’t held a proper conversation in over ten years and it would be one of his biggest regrets up until the day death came for him. The second Faina began to blame herself for not fighting, the wolf’s head began to shake quickly, brows knotting together angrily, not directed at Faina, never angry at her, just — how could she have known? “I broke your heart.” Bishop interjected quickly as those hands that shouldn’t have been so steady now continued to touch those cheeks, pulling his head backwards slightly as hands tilted her head upwards, forcing her eyes to look into his own as gaze pleaded for the witch to listen to his words. “You weren’t just going to think something else was happening, not with what I said, with — if you had of said those things to me…even though my head would have told me that wasn’t you; there are stronger things than logic at play is all.” attempting to reassure the blonde wasn’t going so well, which he thought was made even more evident as she only lingered in his embrace for a minute or so, pulling away from his arms that desperately felt the absence. Adams apple seemed to bob furiously as triggering — no, killing someone was brought up and as much as Bishop would like someone in the world to think of him as a strong guy who could just push shit down and get on with it; he wasn’t. Hands had dropped from Faina’s cheeks as arms now folded across his chest, the strain of this new reality written across pained expression while voice broke with almost every single fucking word. “I’m not okay, Faina. I killed someone. Someone is dead because of me and yeah, everyone kills in this city, its just so damn easy but..” voice cracking, nerves rattling his damn bones while Bishop attempted to find some semblance of strength to say what he needed to. “I had to kill someone to remember you.” a small realisation hit in that moment while the violently loud city around them stilled to a screaming halt as Bishop just stared at her, just — looked at the woman in front of his eyes as every single emotion he had ever felt seemed to be screaming at the top of their lungs. “And I can’t live with this, what I did but I’m happy, because it means you know the truth now, you know I love you. I had to kill someone to remember that.” 

                    PERHAPS AT THEIR core, Faina and Bishop weren’t so different after all. They both had father figures who had decided what was best for them, and what type of person they were going to become, leaving little to no room for negotiation. Thankfully Bishop had his mother who fought in his corner, who believed he had a right to decide. Whereas Faina... She was led hopelessly to slaughter, with Ivar smiling the whole time. “No-” the witch blurted out, her brows furrowing deeply. “You did not break my heart, you... You were simply doing what you were told.” Faina shrugged her shoulders, her lips pressing into a sad smile. It was the twisted truth of their break up, Bishop was only unknowingly following orders. And with Ivar being such an old vampire with strong compulsion skills, Bishop certainly gave it the performance of his life. It was strikingly obvious to Faina who was at fault for their entire situation, and it was neither of them. Her hands that rested upon Bishop’s chest swept upwards to his shoulders, already noting how much stronger he already felt even through the thin fabric of his clothing. He hadn’t been a wolf for long and yet he was already changing, transforming. “I know,” she spoke so gently, her brows softening to mirror her empathy. Faina couldn’t remember how how she was when she first killed, but she could still feel the horrid sensation that settled within her. It had been nauseating, but she knew that she wouldn’t have been able to get through it without the support of those close to her. “And I know that didn’t happen how you had always imagined it would, but you did it to save your brother.” she felt her fingers tightening upon his shoulders, as if asserting the assurance in her words even more. “What that says about you, at your core-” Faina moved her hand to rest upon his chest, directly where his heart lay furiously beating. “Is ten times more than the things you may say about yourself. You did a good thing, because you are good.” she almost pleaded, wishing that he would not focus on the loss of a life, but more so the protection of one. “You are a good person, Bishop.” Faina repeated, her gaze locking onto his to reiterate her point. Although his next words slammed into her like a punch to the gut, the pain ricocheting across her body. Was that what he would see from now on whenever he looked at her? A reflection of himself as a murderer? A stark reminder of the person he didn’t want to be. She knew that he loved her, but at what cost? “I am so sorry.” Faina half sobbed, her gaze having to flicker away from his to focus on anything else so he didn’t have to see the tears welling in her eyes. “I am so sorry that you had to do that... For-” she stumbled on her words, exhaling shakily as she tried to tackle back her emotions. Everything was still so overwhelming, so turbulent but the moment her gaze met his, Faina felt the world around them spin just a little bit slower, almost as if time itself waited for them. “Tell me what I can do to help.” she suddenly urged. “Because I love you,” Faina paused there for a brief second, allowing herself a small smile knowing that it had been too long since she had left said them and it had felt so easy. “I love you too much to let this change you. I will not let you carry this burden alone, please- I am here. Let me help you.” his pain was her pain, his weight was hers to carry too - she owed him at least that. 

[cbsidian]

CASSIUS ;

                                    Cassius always thought that when it was his time he’d do nothing but rejoice, to finally be welcomed with open arms into Valhalla was an honor and one he had been told about ever since he was a young boy– he wanted to die in battle with his sword, an honorable way to be sent home to Odin. Instead he would die in his bed, a toxic wolf bite taking every shred of dignity along with his life; Valhalla would not open to him, this leading for the viking to wonder why it turned out that he wasn’t worthy. It was hard to be happy with Vida back in his arms too, centuries wasted between the two of them leading for Cassius to want more time with her– this wasn’t enough, laying together reminiscing about their time together, they deserved more. “I wish we had more time..” he muttered, thoughts now escaping his lips because there was no time for regret now. “My dreams were not enough, this isn’t enough..–” His temper flared but vanished as quickly as it had come, her words spiking another hazy memory that he had hidden deep inside, unwilling to ever let himself remember their time together. “Yes– I tried to forget but I couldn’t.” A brow now furrowed at his own words, fingers finding their way to her face as they slowly studied every inch of it. “I couldn’t forget you– I even waited, but you never returned.” 

                    VIDA KNEW THAT Ivar was out there searching for a cure, or even something to alleviate his pain to ease Cassius’ passing, but that didn’t stop the lump in her throat from forming or the sting in her eyes. She wanted so much to remain hopeful for Cassius’ sake, but in her gut, she didn’t know if she had it in her. The gleefully strong and excitingly volatile man she loved had swiftly been replaced with someone who was frail, and weak. This was not the death he wanted for himself - not the death that he deserved. “I will stay with you, until the end.” Vida’s throat clenched around her words as she still refused to accept that there was going to be an end. They had a glorious beginning, but never did she believe they would truly have an end. “Hush, my love.” gently, Vida shifted her position so she could face him properly, her body still firmly beside his. “I found you many times, I came back to you.” tentatively, her hand moved to his cheek, to caress his tired skin and his rugged beard. “I just always stayed in the shadows, fearing what you would say, or do, if you saw me.” she had just never approached him because she didn’t think he would have wanted her to. “But I will always come back to you. Whether in this lifetime or the next, I will find you, Cassius. Because without you, I am simply not whole.” Vida reached upwards just enough to press a soft kiss upon his lips, lingering their for a moment and indulging in what may be their last kiss. 

[cbsidian]

CASSIUS ;

                                         It was easy for him in this moment, easy for him to fall back into step as though they were back in Spain all those centuries ago, easy for him to forget the were both on different sides– hell, he was dying and right now he didn’t care about any of that. Right now all that mattered was that Vida was there, she had shown up in his darkest hour when he truly needed her the most; she had shown her love for him and there was no way he was going to enter Valhalla without truly seeing her one last time. Feeling her head on his chest, his heavy arm instinctively draped over her in a protective manner, his palm resting comfortably on the small of her waist, a place he could remember his hand being as if it were yesterday. “Stay with me.” His own words were spoken just as gently as her own, his head tilting down to be able to see her, his fixed gaze full of fire for her– full of the cities he traveled without her, the battles he won without her by his side. “I have missed you.” A slow hand made it’s way up the curve of her waist, over her arm and shoulder and stopped at her dark hair in order to pull a loose strand and play with it. “We wasted so much time.”

                    VIDA HAD ALWAYS hated goodbyes, they were too clingy and emotional, and she had no time behaving like either of those things. Instead, she said goodbye like ripping of a band-aid, painful for only a short heartbeat and mercilessly quick. She wasted no time in leaving and looking to the future, but with Cassius... She couldn’t do that. He was the closest semblance she had to her human life, not to mention he was the first man she had ever fallen for. He hadn’t been the last, but all these centuries later, and she hadn’t been able to forget him. It wasn’t very often at all that Vida let her guard down, but with Cassius, she relaxed into his embrace, exhaling gently as she shivered under his touch. “I have missed you more.” she confessed as she turned her head upwards to look at him. “We did,” she began, her voice remaining soft. “But I dream of you almost every night. I have never truly been without you. Nor have you been without me.” despite their immortal lives, only now was Vida realising how precious and fickle time was. She needed more with him, but the sand was slipping through the hourglass at an alarming rate, and she didn’t know how to stop it. “I wish we could dance once more like we used to, do you remember?”

[cinemagifmaker]

Grey’s Anatomy: Piece of My Heart | 4.13

[cbsidian]

CASSIUS ;

                                      My sun and stars. Those four words had the viking being pulled back in time, his eyes gazing at her for the very first time, something deep inside of him igniting. He’d had many woman both as a human and a vampire, but the day he had laid eyes on Vida, he had finally felt what he had heard so much about. “Moon of my life…” he whispered, a heavy hand immediately reaching for her, not something he would do if he were in his right mind, but now… now only death awaited him, so why not allow for his needs to arise? “You’re here.” His voice was low and rough, even somewhat breathless, though his gaze was attentive and soft– usually an animal, it seemed she had manage to somewhat tame him. His hand only continued to reach for her as his mind showed him the very first time their lips touched, the first time he knew he would kill for her, the very first time he felt love. Unable to move, unable to do what he wanted, he simply said– “Come to me.”

                    SHE COULDN’T HOLD herself from smiling at his response, the man she loved was still there. Despite his cold stares, his stark comments, and his unwavering distrust in her - Cassius was still there. “I’m here.” Vida confirmed again, wanting him to know that this was no trickery of his imagination. He was on his deathbed, and Vida was a proud woman, but she wasn’t foolish enough to deny themselves of each other one last time. She tended to hold grudges, but how could she when he was at his weakest, his most vulnerable? She shifted at his command, and gently moved so she could rest beside him. She didn’t want to bring Cassius more pain, and so each movement was soft and slow, her head resting on his good arm. Her hand moved to his chest, noticing the way his breath seemed to be so shallow and laboured. God how she willed she could take away some of his pain, even suffer it herself if she could. “What can I do for you, my love?” Vida spoke gently.

[cbsidian]

CASSIUS ;

- starter from Cassius to Vida - @cbsidian​

                               Everything seemed to come in stages, the sweating and the hallucinations, sometimes it was as though he was completely fine– now, however, pain seemed to surge from the bite upon his shoulder and shoot straight down into his arm, this causing for Cassius to let out a loud and angry scream of pain. He hadn’t even noticed when someone walked into the room, followed by a compelled helper that he easily grabbed by the neck and threw harshly into his bedroom wall, a loud CRACK being heard as her body hit the floor. Angrily gulping down whatever alcohol was beside him, he threw the now finished cup at the dead body near the wall for good measure. It wasn’t until he actually saw who was in front of him that he began to involuntarily calm, body slumping back into the headboard as his mind began to get hazy once more. “You’re not real…” he muttered, his eyes closing and his head lulling back. “I only wish you were here.”

                    VIDA KNEW THAT any visit with Cassius would cause suspicions and whispers regarding the nature of their relationship. A non-faction vampire so utterly attached to Ivar’s progeny? Well that seemed questionable. But once Vida had learned of Cassius’ condition, she was quick to visit him. As she approached the room, she could hear his ferocious yells, she could almost feel his pain through them. She may have even allowed herself to hesitant at the door, exhaling slowly in preparation for what kind of state he was going to be in. She had been warned about his erratic behaviour and the fluctuations of his moods depending on his hallucinations, but nothing could have prepared Vida for seeing him so... Broken, and tired. This was not the man she knew and loved, this was a frail man, weakened by toxins. A ghost of his former self. “I am real.” Vida’s voice was soft as she didn’t want to startle him further. She moved further into the room, even daring to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m here.” her hand twitched, wanting to reach for his but she hesitated. “My sun and stars,” a small smile flickered upon her lips, knowing they were the only two who were aware of what they had once called one another with so much adoration. “I’m here.”