[ it's strange: the festival is so loud, and yet Rudbeckia can't hear a thing. she must have been able to hear it earlier, she had been part of the noise herself, talked and laughed and danced, and then she had been walking away from some meaningless conversation with a half-finished drink in her hand and she had seen him standing there and at once all the sound had stopped. he isn't looking at her. he's angled away from her, but she recognises him all the same: a tall, strong figure, the tousled sweep of his hair, his disciplined and confident posture. does everyone else know? have they found out somehow what this means for the poor Lark of Sistine? is that why they all went so quiet?
ah—no, she can still hear it faintly. music and laughter, muffled like she's far, far underwater, a place where she can't breathe or move or speak. wouldn't that be nice? deep down somewhere he won't find her and can't reach her. but the deafening sound of water in her ears is only the rush of her blood. there isn't anywhere she can hide.
no matter what she says, he's going to be angry. the best thing she can do for herself now is mitigate the damage, and that means walking straight into his grasp like a foolish and unafraid little bird. she has to let the viper wrap its coils around her neck without a flinch so that maybe it won't bite. it's alright. this is the thing she knows how to do best. (everyone here has been so confusing, so exhausting. isn't it nice to have a little familiarity? isn't it better?) she knows: you should always just get the painful part out of the way first, and then deal with the rest as it comes. it feels like walking off a ledge, but she approaches him. ]
Cesi, you're here?
[ the words are accompanied by a familiar young lady at Joonghyuk's side, where she curls a hand around the crook of his elbow. the touch is casual and familiar, her smile wide. something is already wrong: even when she sees his face, Ruby doesn't react with any confusion or recognition. in her other hand, her drink is forgotten. ]
I didn't know—I mean, I hadn't seen... I'm really glad to see you, Brother!
—YOO JOONGHYUK. (pre-emptive cw for implied abuse)
ah—no, she can still hear it faintly. music and laughter, muffled like she's far, far underwater, a place where she can't breathe or move or speak. wouldn't that be nice? deep down somewhere he won't find her and can't reach her. but the deafening sound of water in her ears is only the rush of her blood. there isn't anywhere she can hide.
no matter what she says, he's going to be angry. the best thing she can do for herself now is mitigate the damage, and that means walking straight into his grasp like a foolish and unafraid little bird. she has to let the viper wrap its coils around her neck without a flinch so that maybe it won't bite. it's alright. this is the thing she knows how to do best. (everyone here has been so confusing, so exhausting. isn't it nice to have a little familiarity? isn't it better?) she knows: you should always just get the painful part out of the way first, and then deal with the rest as it comes. it feels like walking off a ledge, but she approaches him. ]
Cesi, you're here?
[ the words are accompanied by a familiar young lady at Joonghyuk's side, where she curls a hand around the crook of his elbow. the touch is casual and familiar, her smile wide. something is already wrong: even when she sees his face, Ruby doesn't react with any confusion or recognition. in her other hand, her drink is forgotten. ]
I didn't know—I mean, I hadn't seen... I'm really glad to see you, Brother!