𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆.

𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒,   and  to  find  it,    how  often  i've  tried! my schemes are just like all my dreams, ending in the sky! some fellows look and find the sunshine, i always look and find the rain. some fellows make a winning sometime, i never even make a gain, believe me . . .    i'm  always  chasing  rainbows,    waiting  to  find  a  little  bluebird   in  vain.

𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟:   nobody being beyond redemption, the family disappointment, the disney princess archetype, the genre unsavvy ingenue, the manic pixie dream girl, the kindness of demons, like father, like daughter, defying expectations, the power of friendship, the nuance of morality, & destiny playing out as it always was meant to.    𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫:    religious themes, horror, drug use, sexual content, blasphemy,   gore  &  violence.     +18  followers  only,   please.

𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬.       laws.      dossier.     playlist.     board.     promo.

her hands smooth over the front of her jacket, a nervous habit, before she carefully lowers herself into the offered seat. posture straight. ankles neatly crossed. tail curls once around the leg of the chair like it’s deciding whether to behave.

❝ oh! well — when you say it like that, it sounds very dramatic. ❞

a soft, breathy laugh escapes her. too high. she clears her throat.

❝ i didn’t realize i’d… ah… been observed so thoroughly. i hope i’ve been a gracious representative of the family name. ❞

there’s a flicker there — subtle. she hates that she still seeks approval, if not from the beleaguered masses of sinners, then from supposedly closer ties. green eyes studying her. weighing her. charlie tilts her head slightly, considering his final question with earnest seriousness rather than defensiveness.

❝ redemption isn’t quite revolution. ❞ she says it gently, like she’s correcting a misunderstanding instead of challenging him. ❝ it only feels revolutionary because the current system doesn’t account for growth! ❞

hands fold in her lap now. composed. but her cloven foot taps once against the polished parquet floor, tucked politely beneath the chair. a small inhale precedes her explanation.

❝ eternal punishment assumes permanence. but people — souls — aren’t permanent in who they are. they change. they learn. sometimes it takes centuries, sure, but that doesn’t mean the possibility isn’t there! ❞

her voice grows warmer as she speaks, confidence knitting itself back together in real time. she leans forward now, mirroring him without realizing. ❝ i don’t want to overthrow the system. i want to prove it has room for mercy! ❞

a brief pause. then, her sprightly voice becomes softer, the passionate flame in her bright crimson eyes banked low:

❝ but if the only way to introduce mercy is to challenge the framework that excludes it… ❞ her smile returns — bright, almost sheepish. ❝ well. i suppose that depends on how... threatened the framework feels. ❞

there it is. not rebellion. conviction.

charlie straightens again, brushing a stray curl behind her ear. ❝ i’m not naïve about the scale of it. i know it’s ambitious. i know it upsets people who benefit from things staying exactly as they are. ❞ another glance at him — direct now.

❝ guidance would be appreciated, truly. resources too! but if you’re offering support, i would hope it's because you believe change is possible — not because it’s... an interesting disruption to manage. ❞

her tail, gently flicking, stills as she considers her next words. ❝ so, if we’re speaking as family… ❞ her expression softens — not pleading. not defensive. simply open. ❝ tell me the truth. do you think redemption threatens order? ❞

charlie freezes mid-motion, the phone slipping a little in her hand as her face flushes scarlet from hairline to collarbone.

“OH—OH MY—WHY—WHO—?!”

she slaps her other hand over the screen like she’s trying to physically suppress what’s already on it. her voice pitches up an octave, shaky but still painfully polite.

“um! that is—wow—that is not appropriate! i—wow!—i really didn’t need to see that! was this meant for someone ELSE?! did i open something private?! oh gosh, i feel terrible—this is— oh no no no—”

she paces, devil tail in a frantic zigzag.

“but also if it was meant for me that’s… actually worse?!”

she looks around as if the walls might judge her.

“i— i’m going to pretend i didn’t open that and— and i’m blocking this number now—okay! okay. deep breath. deep breath, charlie…”

she curls up on the couch and makes distressed, muffled noises into a pillow.