ANGEL OF SMALL DEATH.

regina is not usually stopped in such a manner -- but does not mind, considering where they are. arms cross over her chest as she deposits her phone in her pocket. her search for proper service would continue later. " pardon me... but i can't help but be curious. " she begins, her lips curling upwards in a sly smile. " you're in a band... and you don't know the name? " after a moments pause, she motions for the other woman to follow. " in all honesty, the name doesn't come to mind for me either. but i did see a rather crumpled looking piece of paper tacked to a tree in the other direction. "

FRANKLY, REGINA FOUND HERSELF living in her own manufactured bubble ninety-five percent of the time. but, with the deaths and the arrival of anguish in portum, regina found herself unable to focus on much else -- something that thankfully, most did not seemed to be aware of. she swallowed it, the emotions the instances brought up. perhaps it's why she finds herself far more isolated when she ordinarily is at most social gatherings. ordinarily, she's in the center of the madness. not today. glass of merlot in hand -- a smirk blossoms as she listens to the other's cheeky remarks. well, this should be fun. " i am astounded you and i have never met. " regina laughs, eyes alight once more as she takes a sip from her glass. frankly, she was beginning to feel bored of the coming together bullshit. she needed a little fun. " oh caro -- i fully plan on drinking to the point where i can't remember i attended a town social function. as for a kiss.... you'll have to work quite a lot harder than that. "

i'm not one for chaos. they were certainly kindred spirits in that regard. while noa herself had wanted more when she was alive, a life of excitement and thrill, but she had felt accustomed to and comfortable with the slower pace of her life after death. it hadn't been the speed at which her world turned, but the lack of control she had over her own choices. " that i can most certainly understand. " the pianist nods, crossing her arms over her chest. " even when it feels like the chaos is over... there's always something gnawing at you. like it's searching for something else. " more chaos.

and  what  manner  of  solitude  accosts  a  ghost  ?  is  it  the  same  kind  in  which  a  phoenix  flies  ,  the  traipse  of  the  fire  of  their  wings  bursting  in  the  molecules  of  the  air  ?  rashmi  experiences  the  world  in  molecules  ,  in  trembling  atoms  brushing  up  against  one  another  ,  and  to  be  in  noa's  presence  ,  an  artistic  depiction  of  a  person  to  they  ,  was  to  become  aware  of  just  how  intensely  .  they  become  as  enamoured  with  the  ground  as  ,  in  previous  conversations  and  now  within  the  soft  lines  of  her  face  ,  noa  expresses  hers  of  the  stars  .  perhaps  ,  though  ,  rashmi  is  simply  too  sensitive  .  imagining  such  cadences  of  kinship  .  they  hope  not  .  it  would  be  hurtful  in  such  a  specific  way  to  realise  it  was  ballooned  in  their  head  .  “  this  family  is  one  who  overbooks  their  schedules  .  they  did  it  today  again  ,  nearly  forgot  the  personalised  tour  they  asked  for  .  but  since  they  paid,  i  still  went  through  with  it  .  ”  rashmi  knows  the  truth  means  some  can't  avoid  blame  ,  but  their  tone  holds  no  bitterness  . “  since  you  always  find  me  ,  i've  been  caught  .  you  know  i  spend  hours  in  here  and  avoid  going  out  there  .  ”  rashmi  gestures  to  the  whole  of  the  world  ,  the  town  ,  any  narrow  or  wide  space  which  awaits  them  both  .  perhaps  a  shared  reflection  ,  or  perhaps  a  separate  feeling  which  comes  to  meet  from  the  two  in  the  middle  to  grasp  hands  ,  but  each  word  almost  feels  like  too  much  .  as  if  their  implied  desperation  drags  the  whole  of  the  room  down  with  her  ,  and  interrupts  noa's  peace  .  so  their  frown  deepens  as  they  ponder  it  ,  and  more  :  the  change  in  the  air  .  “  the  piano  keys  .  the  stars  .  and  the  stars  as  keys  to  everything  else  .  with  these  changes  ,  i  try  to  think  …  about  the  things  that  don't  .  finding  comfort  in  the  constants  .  ”  one  of  the  older  star  maps rashmi  has  been  studying  from  stretches  across  the  wall  ,  attached  with  pins  ,  over  which  a  projector  of  a  newer  map  would  light  it  up  to  compare  the  image  on  the  film  .  the  film  part  is  turned  off  ,  but  the  paper  remains  .  there  are  wavy  lines  and  straight  ,  dotted  and  names  and  nameless  galaxies  .  “  these  are  melodies  that  never  go  wrong  .  ” she  traces  one  of  the  arcs  in  the  air  .  “  what  do  you  think  ?  ” they  face  the  ghost  now  ,  one  hand's  knuckles  draped  beneath  their  chin  .  “  of  the  …  constants  and  variables  ?  ” 

these are melodies that never go wrong. it's a sentiment that induces a smile across an otherwise contemplative face. her entire life was made up of melodies -- relationships, choices. but one has been just off-key enough to end her life as she knew it. portum had been the fresh start she had never quite understood that she needed, but the slate was wiped completely clean. " as difficult as the waters may be, when the skies are clear -- there is always a star there to guide you. " the ghost muses. " the piano exists. like i said, that in itself will forever remain the same. so will the melodies written on paper. who knows, they could exist long after the world turns over. but there is opportunity for improv. artistic choice. if you're playing for a singer and there is a mistake -- as an accompanist, you adapt. " she pauses. perhaps, her own instrument can be compared to the nature of life itself. more so than she ever gave it credit for. " i suppose... the universe outside these walls is forcing us to adapt. prepare for improvisation. "

the  mermaid  half  -  leaps  back  themself  ,  and  the  pitcher  of  iced  tea  sloshes  in  a  rather  elegant  arc  out  and  onto  the  sand  .  she  glances  down  in  there  ,  eyes  shutting  and  lungs  shoving  out  a  burst  of  a  sigh  of  relief  when  there  still  remains  about  two  -  thirds  of  what  she  had  arduously  made  from  scratch  .  she  has  huge  plans  of  combining  it  with  the  lemonade  at  one  of  the  drink  stands  .  but  then  she  and  dakota  nearly  faced  each  other  down  in  a  brawl  of  epic  proportional  beverages  .  “  ohhh  ,  shitake  mushrooms  !  no  ,  no  ,  we're  good  ,  we're  good  .  ” immediately  they  comfort  them  both  with  this  ,  words  quick  .  “  i  am  so  freaking  jumpy  ,  like  ,  i  get  it  .  you  will  not  hear  me  hating  .  i  was  just  on  the  way  to  deliver  the  goods  .  i  heard  the  people's  cries  !  …  i'm  people  .  ”  this  last  feeling  ,  she  flicks  the  back  of  her  hand  to  the  side  of  her  mouth  ,  funnelling  it  in  a  hoarse  stage  whisper  .  and  then  ,  they  smile  .  “  looks  like  i  was  too  late  .  or  are  you  ,  like  ,  shifting  out  for  somebody  else  ?  if  you  like  arnold  palmers  ,  then  we  can  just  say  this  is  for  us  .  ”  already  the  mermaid  shifts  gears  ,  excited  to  be  doing  something  outside  of  cleaning  up  messes  in  the  fitness  centre  .  she  will  take  several  months  to  recover  from  the  ectoplasmic  ooze  of  a  ghost  on  the  treadmill  .  “  and  then  we  can  totally  jab  off  and  explore  .  i've  noticed  they  have  a  lot  more  to  do  this  year  .  ”  already  lulu  obtains  cups  for  the  mixing  ,  the  pitcher  of  lemonade  with  the  fruit  floating  in  the  bottom  ,  setting  to  work  .  she  intends  to  offer  this  as  a  casual  observation  ,  whilst  also  knowing  that  at  the  same  time  …  well  ,  the  timing  could  not  be  freaking  weirder  .  she  hates  being  plagued  with  doubts  ,  but  it  really  is  impossible  to  not  get  swept  away  by  the  what  -  if  waves  .

this was a different situation than perhaps a shift at work -- because he was volunteering, there was no specific need to clock in or clock out. thus, they didn't mind staying as long as they needed to. perhaps it was best for him to work right at the start -- to ease himself into such a social event. from there, already immersed in his surroundings, they could find the right activity to engage in and the right people they could spend their time with. " yeah... technically i'm supposed to wait, but they're right there -- we're good. and i could never say no to an arnold palmer. " he waves to the next volunteer who stands just down the way. they follow up their wave with a motion that they intend to leave, before circling the booth to stand on the other side with a cup of ice tea in hand, as well as a fresh one -- so they could split the goodies evenly. it's clear that yes, their quick game of charades has been understood. " it's my first one this year... so i may need your lovely guidance. " they flash a shy smile. sometimes, they wondered if they had already woven themselves into the town's fabric, where longtime residents believed he had always been here. " my roommate was talking about it.. i got curious. there's so much going on, i don't even know where to start. "

OF COURSE, DAKOTA WASN'T stupid. even if they feared so much about the world, often preferring to keep to themselves -- they were well aware that most of what they were scared of was all in his head. nothing more than a figment of his inherently active imagination. but... this thing or whatever it was coming for them, was startlingly real, even as unknown as it all still felt. his mind was far too overactive for his own good. but how could it not be -- when he had seen nila like that? in his vision, which had thankfully not come true? teddy is a welcome presence as they make themselves known -- despite dakota's skittish reaction that is far too fitting for his character to ignore. " don't worry... i've always been like that. i could see a person clearly in my peripheral, watch them walk towards me.... and i'd still get scared. " they shake their hand in embarrassment, taking the hand that was offered to them. frankly, they were still amazed by it. that certain beings in town were ageless or had lived for centuries, seen what was now history come alive in front of them before modern advances. despite their differences in physical age, dakota felt a kindred spirithood when it came to them. " i've never been to one of these things before.. " he muses, burying one of their hands in their pockets. " portum, or otherwise. guess i'm just... excited to see everything. even if all of this... socializing isn't always my cup of tea. "

quintessa swindell on tasha reiko brown’s instagram (x).

after a moment, dakota finds themselves unfurling into gentle laughter. even if the banshee finds themselves living their lives in a near constant state of anxiety -- they are certainly aware that the man in front of him is someone they should fear. at least, in his eyes. he meant no harm. " oh yeah? was that the goal? " he laughs. perhaps it's because they wish to share the same confidence, learning from the wolf if you will, but he appears to be a lot more in his own element when they speak. " you're such a weirdo... " they shake their head, eyes scanning his surroundings for any missing belongings before their gaze returns to the other's. " i wanna see everything... it's not every day i find myself motivated to come to a social event. it's also my first bonfire. "