Chasing the Sun || Solo
When, Where, and What: 1500s Sweden, before Vic was turned. A happy memory. Contains: Brief allusions to emotional abuse
The world felt brighter.
Victoria sat in the garden, cross legged and content, as she studied the flowers that danced in the wind before her. Her father would have told her it was an unbecoming way for a lady to sit, but it was the easiest and most comfortable way to do so while she painted. No matter, she was no longer under his roof or his thumb, anyway, and it wouldn’t be long until she forgot about him and no longer had to be bothered by his nonsense opinions. She couldn’t wait. She mixed the paints on the canvas in front of her, sucking her teeth in disappointment when she continued to fail to create the perfect purple hue.
The Linnaea were such and interesting flower- like her, they preferred to keep their faces down toward the ground. Perhaps the sun or the disappointment of others was too much for them to bare. The other flowers must have insisted that the sky was so fascinating, somehow filled with brightness and gloom all at once, but the Linnaea must have known the truth that Victoria had only just discovered- you don’t need to look to the sun to find the universes brightest creation.
“You’ve been out here so long, is this all you have to show for it?” Victoria jumped at Lyra’s familiar, playful tone, causing her brush to jump on the fabric as well. Not out of fear, like she might have with her father, but simply because she hadn’t expected her so soon. Was it already so late in the afternoon that her music lesson was finished?
She turned around. Any excuse to gaze upon her face. The look she was met with was bright and playful, just as she had expected.
“You made me mess up”, she chided, though her smile betrayed her tone.
Lyra met her eyes for a moment, and Victoria swore the world froze around them. Her breath caught, but then Lyra was giggling, and the moment was over. She came closer to her, sitting on the blanket behind Victoria to study the painting. Victoria forced herself to turn back around, beginning to mix more blue into the flowers she’d created.
“I can’t get them right”, she said, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she worked. Lyra pushed herself closer to her, so that they were practically flush against one another. She rested her chin on Victoria’s shoulder, and the painter’s every sense was filled with the other girl.
“What’s wrong with them?”, Lyra asked. Her words vibrated against Victoria’s cheek. “They’re lovely.”
You’re lovely.
“They’re too subdued”, she responded, wondering how Lyra might react if she let her body relax and lean back against her. The two of them seemed to be risking things more and more lately- longer, softer touches, letting their eyes linger on each other’s lips, hugs that lasted for far too long to seem normal. But no one else on the estate seemed to notice- not even Lyra’s brother, who should have been expecting that type of affection from Victoria for himself. Maybe Lyra was this affectionate with everyone. “Too surface level... like your brother.”
Lyra let out a loud, snorting laugh at that, moving away from Victoria and sitting up on her knees instead. She missed the warmth, but felt her shoulders relax as Lyra elected to play with her hair, instead. Another gift of affection Victoria hadn’t been used to before meeting her.
“Perhaps you should try something new. Your blues and reds are nearly diminished” It was true. Victoria had been alternating the two colors since she’d come out in the early hours of the morning, sure that it was just the wrong amount of one or the other that was off with her purple Linnaea. Her eyes settled on the bright, unused yellow next to them- a color that reminded her so much of the gentle soul behind her.
“Are you giving up your music to become an artist, Lyra?”
Another giggle from behind her as a braid was gently worked into her hair.
“Perhaps I should... it seems I’d learn faster than you could complete one flower.”
Victoria let her head lean all the way back, giving Lyra a stern, silly, upside down look. Lyra smiled down at her, a beautiful smile resting on her face. It seemed so at home there.
Suddenly, and without notice, Lyra leaned down, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
Victoria felt heat rise to her face as she sat up straight again, pressing her lips together. She turned around to face Lyra, to get a better look. The other women looked flush, as if heat had risen to her own cheeks. As if what she had just done surprised her as much as it had Victoria. Their eyes stayed locked, and despite no physical activity from either of them, neither seemed able to catch their breath.
Lyra looked down at the blanket, picking at it, as if anxiety and shame were suddenly overtaking her. That emotion just didn’t match her- it didn’t look right on her face. Without thinking, Victoria leaned forward, pushing their lips together again, and giggles vibrated from Lyra as she did so.
She wasn’t sure how long they sat there, kissing and giggling, but it was a marvel that no one had walked up on them. When it was over and she turned back around, she let herself lean against Lyra. They fit together like a puzzle. Her eyes fell back on the bright yellow, and she grabbed a little with her brush, mixing it in with the blues and reds on her canvas. At first, the colors looked muddled and strange together, as if they didn’t fit. But after merely a moment of mixing, they swirled together into the deepest purple, one that matched the flowers in front of her perfectly.
The Linnaea didn’t need to lift their faces to see the bright yellow of the sun. It had already mixed so well deep within their hearts.
