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Eden held the staff comfortably in the palms of her hand now, resisting the urge to tap the poll onto the ground, instead holding out the candle before her to light her way. It was a solid, comforting weight in her hands, and she patrolled with more confidence now then ever before. That didn't mean she was.... well... overly confident... it just meant she didn't look like a lost fawn trembling in the open. She walked delicately, her heels casting a faint crunch in the snow. It was so cold out tonight that a thing layer of ice seemed to create a solid frosting over the fluffy slow beneath.
The night itself seemed to be quiet, and she felt no auras about. Normally nights like this she found soothing and calm. It was comfy sweater, fuzzy slippers, and curled up with a cup of cocoa by the fire comfortable... but tonight.... It just felt melancholy.
Eden shook her head, sending a cascade of hair waving behind her Surely if someone caught sight of her they would think her a ghost, all white and pastels lit by the soft flickering light of the candle before her. She caught sight of herself in a odd sheet of ice that covered a building she was approaching. She had only a moment to think that it was unusual before she was once again dragged into memories of the past, thinking of friends that were lost to her yet all to close.
Of a tall cosmos page like herself, who had patrolled with her on a similarly snowy night. He had filled the night with levity for her, making her smile and feel comfortable, both of them new to their roles and duties as powered members of order. For a brief moment, a smile flirted with her lips before being scared away by the crushing weight of sadness that gripped her, thinking of him now. He was right there, so very close, but at the same time so far away from her. Just out of reach. Her mind kept going back and forth, between the memories of who she knew before, and who he had become. How he had dragged others like them down into the dark waters of chaos, another cosmos boy who had seemed so familiar to her, ripped away as soon as she had found him.
Both of them gone. She felt tears well up into her eyes, and found that she had stopped working entirely, gazing at the hazy reflection of herself in the ice, finding herself blaming that icy figure for the loss of two who had become so important to her so quickly. What pulled her out of the memories, the sadness and guilt… was an aching in her hands.
With a start she realized her knuckles, in fact her whole fingers were white. She was gripping the metal of her staff so tightly she could see a faint tremble in her hands, they delicate bones and muscles straining against the unwavering metal. She winced and unclenched her hands, gently shaking one and then the other, transfering the staff from one hand to another and letting the blood flow return to her fingers. She cast one final glance at her reflection in the strange ice, still sad and feeling strangely hollow…. But filled with resolve.
She had lost those that she loved, but she hadent lost herself, and THEY werent beyond saveing. She didnt know how but she would figure it out. Somehow. One day. She would get that strong and she would bring them back. She couldnt let herself be drowned by pain and what had happened… she could only remember, and make sure that it never happened again.
Eden took a deep breath, steadying herself and continuing on her path. This seemed to be enough patrolling for tonight, she had felt no other energies all night, and she desperately wanted to go home and snuggle Silas. Some cuddles would make her feel better, reminding her that some of those were still safe, that she had not lost everything, and that life continued to move forward.
Quote:
The Holidays are supposed to be a time for cheer, and yet there's something strangely dismal about tonight. You're out by yourself and you pass by a building completely coated in a strange sheet of ice. When you catch your reflection, you're trapped reliving your loneliest moment. The illusion can last for as long or short a time as you like, but the hollow sensation lingers even after the memory fades. What memory did you find yourself reliving and, now that it's over, what are you going to do to shake this mood?
