ʚïɞ . . . continued from here with @soundstrike !
𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃, a rare moment of reprieve arrived — a treacherous stillness that settled over the usually bustling halls of the Butterfly Estate. What should have been a longed-for breath of relief — like air escaping parted lips after being held too long — instead carried a different kind of weight: it invited a silence into the sun-soaked rooms and tranquil gardens, one that nurtured the inescapable murmur of one’s innermost thoughts.
Watching her patients' path to recovery filled her with a potent blend of pride and delight, yet a part of her dreaded the day they would depart on missions once more. As soon as the beds stood empty, it felt as though all that remained was waiting — for the inevitable course of that cruel cycle which would bring them back again, if they were lucky.
Melancholy threatened to rear its ravenous head, to cloud the Insect Hashira’s thoughts in solemn reflection, when her lips gave voice to the wish that had evoked in her heart: to escape the stillness, for just a moment longer. It was easier to let the smile fade in the company of a trusted comrade than before the girls who looked up to her — a breath shared, a fragile reprieve in a world that allowed them few.
❝ Thank you. ❞ As the fading light outside caught in eyes of calm violet, Shinobu’s lashes fluttered briefly, as though holding back something unsaid. To voice her thoughts felt like a distant notion — as Sisyphean as trying to pluck the descending sun from the horizon. ❝ It’s strange, isn’t it? How loud things can get when it’s quiet. ❞
