Dusk in autumn. A soft bluish-gray swathes the world as the sun teases its own death. Nikola leans against the metal railing of the balcony, staring at the distant and dimming horizon. The air is cooler than it usually is at this time of year, making everything seem crisper ——— clearer. Pulling the cigarette away from his lips, Nikola exhales a cloud of smoke. His hands are shaking.
“Some questions will ruin you if you are denied the answer long enough.” Beside him, @ambice stands unacknowledged. He does not have to look toward her to discern her unwavering presence, her astute and piercing wisdom ——— and he does not want to.
Ash breaks off his cigarette, scattering in a sudden gust of wind. He squints, the setting sun a white eye that returns his gaze, piercing through his narrowing pupils. Finally, Nikola turns toward Sofia, if only to avoid the harsh, vanishing light.
“So ——— you do understand, then. Why I cannot stop.”
He sounds resigned and relieved at once.
“If I do not keep going, I feel ——— I know that I will go mad.”
Inside him, the faint stirring of something inhuman has already taken root. An eye opens in his anatomical heart, its blown pupil accepting his blood. He realizes, belatedly and suddenly, that he has laid bare too much of himself. Embarrassment colors his cheeks.
“… You always know what to say, so that I will say more than I mean to.”
