@coraurix answered:
Oh, how the blond recoiled. How jaw fell slack as shoulders haunched, rounded & automatic in how the perplexed gunslinger’s frame was tilted on its axis. A huff of air all that slipped slitted lips; a startled sound,a hushed sound, whilst he leant away from the youth as if that would settle the discomfort to rouse within the pits of nerves set alight. Was he defensive? Ha. How tense he’d grown, over what was fact. Over what even he knew to be true, betwixt thoughts envious & doubting. Betwixt tendrilsoozing & p o i s o n i n g to the mind till it was swept up in the current & swayed to the negative, to the predator that was darkness. Ever-lurking,ever waiting for its prey. He was not perfect, oh no. Inside of him, heavywithin a cage of bone & flesh, was not a heart brimming with light; of carefree smiles & laughs such as the mask he presented to the stage that was the world surrounding. Round & around & around haduncertainty wound its coils, grasping, tightening its barbs till fears unable to be shaken or thrown threatened to suffocate all he was.
He knew what was within him, what ensared thoughts of hope & mirth the second he slipped- what caused eyelids to droop & movements to falter amongst even those not but warmth, belonging, radiated from, except… that was what made him human, wasn’t it? Humans were not without their faults, their insecurities, their darkness.
&…
yet…
Just how much was to much?
“ Ahahahhh… ” ( well, that’s not very nice, ) found itself upon the tip of waiting tongue. Though, the joke fell flat. The thought snatched just as swift as it’d formed, dissipating, leaving not but a question in its wake. “ And what place is that- er, this- exactly? ”
♤ bяαт
The flat of two tiny palms clap together in ardent kiss. A flash of ruby, one wild streak of thunderous lightning flares from the rose-haired child’s hands. And the realm in which the two reside morph in dizzying tunnel of vividly swirling colors ‘til it settles in a nighttime boulevard of a sleeping and desolate Lucis. ❝ You amuse me, mortal one. ❞ The girl chirps her giggling song as she snaps milky thumb and index digits together. At once, the sun steals a glance o’er the horizon, smiling its radiance ‘pon the many heads that amble about in the bustling streets of the busy city. ❝ It’s a dream. Not mine. But not quite yours either. ❞ She skips on steady feet that carry her with prim and proper poise, gracefully leaping atop the wooden bench by the streetlight. With the assistance of the bench, she meets his eye level and beams her childish satisfaction, all the while poking the flat of his sternum with a daring index finger. ❝ Care to guess whose dream it is? ❞ Cunning smirk slithers like evergreen serpent up the slope of her full petal lips. ❝ You are not welcome in the spirit realm however. So here you are as you abide in the world of dreams. Think of it as a state of limbo. A midway, crossroads for communication, between your world and ours. For when the human vessel sleeps, the spirit does not always rest. And if the chink in the armor that guards your heart is weak, it makes it all the more attractive for Daemons to influence your soul. ❞ With a single plop, she takes her seat on the laminated, smooth surface of the mahogany, dangling her legs and she kicks her feet to and fro. ❝ Though, I wouldn’t know why you’re here in this dream in the first place. They say that the heart and spirit are two different entities. I’m made of the former. Borne of forgotten childhood memories. A brotherhood of one shared dream. But also influenced from the King and Oracle’s faithful intercession on behalf of Noctis. ❞ Like a little pup, she cocks her head to one side, and bright cerulean hues fix their steadfast focus ‘pon his fascinating orbs. ❝ So tell me. Is this darkness in your heart fear, o’ noble and daring child of man? What are you afraid of? From what I’ve observed, you mask your fear behind daredevil risks and humorous jokes to be taken lightly. ❞
