█┆❜ ♛; FRIGID。

HHHEEEEEYO!! ~~ ☆   wow?? can you believe my last activity here was nicole’s birthday gift? that is how LONG i’ve been gone, & i haven't even been on discord in forever !! ;w;

sooooo ofc, i completely missed..... halloween & thanksgiving & christmas & new year but you know- real life has been rlly shitty for me. like, rlly shitty. the end of 2018 was a trainwreck; it took everything i’ve ever loved away from me (like my 3 cats) and honestly, i thought i wouldn't make it to see the light of the day. but youknowhwhat, now that we are here in 2019 --- i do hope to come back and write again soon.

                 therefore, to reduce my stress .... i am going to be revamping few things about this blog. this includes ships and bonds, of which i’ve already approached some of you about &&. really appreciate the understanding.♡

it’s been tough for all of us, but in spite of it all---  i really hope everyone is having a good start of the year. ;w; you deserved it, you know. so please cope with your sadness healthily, okay? take it easy and surround yourself with your loved ones.

   { @nighteluted. ♛ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ  THIS INSTANCE WAS no exception to the usual ❛ occasion ❜  one cannot help but succumb to with contact. And Gray was, needless to say, content enough to forestall himself from flinching upon the touch — upon the proximity; to allow his friend to rest a weary chin against the knob of his shoulder. To allow himself to become a CUSHION through his endeavors. After all, it was all too natural. A tired body craved heat &&. contact – so innately, Rogue gravitated towards the CLOSEST being he could latch around.

Gray just happened to be there.*

…

( &&. that’s all there is to it, right? )

            GRAY SWIVELED HIS head away, eyes of blue cascaded. His nervous hands clenched upon his own lap —— squeezing into tight fists as coldness manifested itself in fragile wisps of VAPOR that he did not take heed. Instead, the Ice-Mage was busy brandishing off the image of Rogue’s serene features out of his chaos-induced mind. 

 ❛ … ❜  

And maybe he was tensed—- too tensed, but it was difficult. Rogue’s hair was pretty and silky and long and Gray wanted to tuck the damn things behind his ear .  .  .  but he subsided. Instead, he took a staggering breath, then let his cheek nudged against his friend’s crown; tentative at first ——– but Rogue didn’t move, didn’t PROTEST. He seemed to fit nicely there, in the space between the Ice-Mage’s jaw and collarbone; the hollow he’d carved. His breathing was evening out, lengthening– &&. Gray could tell he was succumbing into a peaceful slumber…

As if it was natural; as if he belonged HERE.

So Gray reached over to close the book in the other’s lap —— ( &&. their fingertips touched. )

           “Oh I’m sorry, was that too rough on the poor sleeping boy.”

A tone filled with sarcasm was directed towards the others wounded act for Lyon knew that Gray had suffered far worse falls then that, on ice none the less. He’d seen several times the hits that Gray took, since the raven was a hockey player after all. Carpeted flooring was no worse then solid cold ice. 

                       “Being a bit over dramatic are we. I highly doubt that hurts as much as you are giving the impression to be.”

His words came out in a more hushed tone as a narrowed gaze of blue orbs was turned onto his roommate. Lyon took a step forward nudging the rolling chair out of the way with his foot, turning it so he himself could take a seat on the soft cushioning. Brims parted, mouth opening to speak again before clothed plush smacked him right round on the side of the head. 

     Another glare became directed at the midnight haired man, mostly in response to the pillow itself. Though he supposed he did deserve that in some ways from his earlier actions against Gray. So no words would be said against that. 

A small sigh elicited itself from Lyons lips, parting ever so slightly as the chair swiveled to face the desk. Elbow became placed upon the faux wooden surface, cornflower blue orbs directed to the opened book and pages that laid forth upon it. “Now isn’t the time to be giving our neighbors a reason to hate us even more then they already do. Especially at 1am none the less.”

His other arm moved upwards to rest upon the front edge of the desk, right hand laying flat upon one of the sides of the book. Digits moved to grip the ends of the page; proceeding to flip through the book little by little. 

          “Gray, had you asked for help to begin with. I would of done so.”

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ    GRAY’S EXPRESSION WANED at the absence in his opponent’s incursion. He was rejected ----- but such was the rigid, uptight, &&. dour Lyon; smart mouthed, stiff-backed Lyon with his affected roughness and stupid smile. God knows Gray was an ounce of bravado away from lobbing the idiot a scathing remark instead of a PILLOW.  

           ❛ Neighbors, really? —– Since when do Grayson Fullbuster AND proper manners hold up in a normal sentence, anyway ?? ❜   He cut him off, plaintive and flat. Lyon’s declaration was so forward &&. horrifically brisk that he cannot presently manage to be upset. Gray stood poised against the table, pouting, sporting a thousand-yard stare that beamed through his friend, through the homework, through their corporeal worlds that suddenly seemed too despairing and bland to bear. Squaring his shoulders, he gathered the vestiges of his LENIENT self together--- once more attempting to heft the mantle of maturity.  .  .  only to lose it in a second’s time.

❛ Must feel nice ta have a stick-up yer arsenal all the damn time, huh? ❜   Were the words that came to him quick, scathing &&. somehow APATHETIC. Yet---  a reflex, instantaneous &&.  a foreign feeling of wanting to take back what he said made him CRINGED. 

❪  ...When did he become so soft? )

          Gray shifted groggily, turned his head &&. his gaze landed on Lyon. He had an elbow on the study table and his long legs traversed at the ankle, a touch of paper between his nimble fingers. Lyon was a year younger than him, but he looked two years OLDER---- something about his shoulders and his nose and his shrewd, assessing look. The boy lived to play up his hard edges, but like this, Gray could almost feel a SOFTNESS in him.  .  .  and it warmed him almost as well as the low, kindling flames by a flicking mountain fire.

Typical Lyon. Gray cleared his throat, ducking his head against a hot little flush of nervousness, and breathed. 

     { @sinshckled . ♡ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ    GRAY FLINCHED AT the agony that outstripped Jellal’s visage, at the breaking in his voice &&. the fracturing of his words ( which were usually so eloquently constructed that his sentences would leave the Ice-Mage’s rancor heart quickening with the sheer DEVOTION in his bones .  .  . ) ——– HOWEVER. Right now, it was a raw, ragged &&. an unbridled VULNERABILITY that Jellal showed; an admission of weakness. It made his heart tightened, made his stomach leadened—- a somber sentiment that skirted around its desired effect &&. imbuing him with an inordinate sense of empathy. 

Yeah, it was definitely EMPATHY.*

Because Jellal’s shoulders were like MOUNTAINS: unbowing, unbreaking, UNYIELDING —- yet, tension read in every line of his stance; it reminded Gray of himself. And what could have been a familiar, comfortable silence that shared between them became briefly skewed; overridden by something akin to an ACHE deep, deep beneath his rib cages .  .  . in which Gray recognized it as empathy.

                Perhaps there was no redemption for the heavy-hearts. No rest for the weary souls with hands stained red &&. black. Not ones that wreaked bloody havoc upon the HEAVENS  themselves and beg, beg, beg ——- for the guilt to stop. Not them who fought to atone endlessly, painstakingly with a DESPERATION that spoke of clawed dirt &&. restless nights. Not ones whose mortal entity became a container for too many tortured souls, living lives NOT theirs.

They both had been CURSED with twisting chests &&. tangled thoughts that were always a touch too dark. A touch too damp with guilt &&. shame that they both had bottled up inside until they couldn’t bear to gander at themselves in the morning. Yet, weary souls like theirs trudged on because they HAD TO. Seeking death would be far too much mercy for all the sins that they carried. They had to live —- they live to atone. 

(  God, he’d rather ICE for blood .  .  . if it meant he wouldn’t have to FEEL at all. )

        “— And they tell me that it wasn’t my fault.”

                GRAY’S EYES WERE unbelievably soft like an ocean of ice thawing when he sat next to Jellal. A hand came to rest on the Heavenly Body Mage’s shoulder, light enough that he could shake off if he didn’t desire the contact—- but heavy enough for warmth, what LITTLE there was, to seep into his tensed skin. It was something small, a simple gesture … as if he was attempting to ground them both in the touch. Something small &&. pure &&. radiant like the first star that had ever been born, or the LIGHT of the sun cresting over a snowy horizon after days in darkness.

     ❛  —— … they also tell me that i shouldn’t feel bad; that their deaths isn’t my fault—             but i just couldn’t forget their names, their faces. their SMILES. all of them.  ❜

The Ice-Mage’s lips furled inward, furrowed brow plummeting against somber features as he fixated his gaze upon the Heavenly Body Mage’s dejected form. He allowed a fleeting SILENCE  to encapsulate them for a moment, curling around their presences like a phantom feline’s tail. 

❛  it hurts.  ❜    It should’ve been me.  A breath released, frosty mist sliding from gelid lips. Gray’s eyes, too, were burned with TIREDNESS—– but his heart thundered like a drum in his chest, like starlight building within his thorax; glittering &&. shimmering .  .  .   

His gaze careened up towards the vacant sky.*

 ❛  —— … but also, it hurts less. it hurts to know that there is         someone OUT THERE who we can share this pain with…❜

                         ❪ t- thump. ❫

       { @sinshckled  ♡ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ   GRAY ELICITED A blink, and his nonchalance expression quickly wilting to one of concern when he turned to Jellal. His eyes were widening in alarm in response to the utterance before it could evaporate under his lover’s anxious, warm, buttery GAZE. Gray allowed himself a second to immerse in the sadness in his eyes — &&. a convection of sorrow tightened within the burrow of his chest at the SIGHT.

             ❛ —–Hey. I’m not going to let you say such thing about yourself. ❜

There was hesitation, but when his cold thumb came to tuck a wisp of blue locks behind his ear—– Gray saw the SOFTNESS in Jellal’s face cut through the dim light .  .  .

                                     &&. his heart sped up.

                                                               he just couldn’t unsee it.

           Because even when Jellal greeted him with eyes rimming with deep weariness, bones shaking with quiet exhaustion &&. a voice roughening by unsung tragedies. He still finds him— beautiful. Jellal was beautiful in the way his tattered hands still hold himself up every morning, despite the weight of his past. He was beautiful in his shattered shards, in his tired, but luminiferous SOUL—— and in the flicking light that still resides within him. He was beautiful in the way he smiled, in the way he laughed- and in the way he gazed up at the stars in the sky.

Even if they could not fix each other, there was SOMETHING in the way their weary fingers laced together .  .  . like atoms to their preceding parts, and there was no end to their entanglement. 

      ❛ Sometimes, the MOST beautiful things are tragic. ❜

Gray stepped ever closer &&. encircled his strong arms around him, keeping Jellal within the security of his embrace—– encompassed, safe, protected and whole.

                   ❛  .  .  .  But it was what made FIGHTING for you worth it.  ❜

(  Because he loves him even when                 there are sadness in his eyes —–      &&. ache in his heart.

He loves him       when he feels at mostUNLOVABLE.  )

Even Gray himself, was unholy. He was IMPURE, and the demon that lodged within him was all he ever wished to tarnish. It was like a claw of soul-absorbing black, like fractals of flesh that he knows isn’t his own. The marking consumed half his body &&. served as a tangible imprint of the hideous tendrils of darkness that still clings to his wintry bones. There was no relief to something that bound to him, like shackles; likes chains. 

BUT JELLAL —- was the redemption that he sought in every heartbeat. He had shown Gray more love &&. light than he could ever dream could be his. He made him feel less tainted. He made him.  .  .   FEEL. And a brittle, vulnerable part of Gray has never felt something so completely, so utterly that it took his breath away; purloining the life from his very frost-laced lungs —- 

        And before he’d even realized,                          this broken man had become             EVERYTHING TO HIM  .  .  .  

 Jellal was galaxy unbounded,         &&. the very star that carried his spirit home.*

                The Ice-Mage’s fingertips were nimble as they reached out to tumble down the contours of his lover’s visage; freckled skin only lighter than ALABASTER, cobalt hair as deep as the night sky. For a moment, there was a cracking gleam in Gray’s eyes—– a glaze of candid fondness across the glacial hues. There was just .  .  .   something about seeing someone at their weakest; they could see past all the defenses they put up &&. see them as a WHOLE. 

And what Gray had seen was something tender, something endearing.

Something BEAUTIFUL—-            in all of his stardusts &&. flaws.

      { @sensorybound. ♔ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ   A TOUCH, soft &&. non-threatening. Its gentleness was so unlike all the others he had known before and he barely suppressed a shudder, barely resisted pressing into it ( barely managed NOT to flinch away .  .  . )

He was shaking, and he didn’t know how to stop. He was aching, and he didn’t know how to make it stop. But her dainty hand found his SHOULDER, and the tears were too many—– &&. too pressing to crystallize before they eventually thawed into the soft, snowy ground. 

         “Meredy.”

A breath released, frosty mist sliding from gelid lips. His taunt muscles gradually loosened beneath the weight of her palm &&. Gray allowed himself to bask in her familiar warmth—– in the lightness that had his pulse calming, his thoughts SETTLING. That had his trepidations easing, for minutes– like fragments of seconds that bled into the eternity. And yet .  .  . in the contrary of their peacefulness, the cold of Isvan was ruthless around this time of the year. The mountains were implacable—– and the snow spared no one, offered NOT an ounce of sympathy.

( But such was the kind of coldness that he knew so well.* )

             Eyes behind the cover of raven-feather locks seemed to glow with liquid moonlight, assessing his and Meredy’s handiwork in the snow. It was a REMEMBRANCE; a memorial marked by wood &&. stones that their battered fingertips could fabricate, next to the sepulchre of her mother. The initials had been engraved by the extremities of their mourn, and they need not pronounce her name.

                                   ❛ 𝒰𝓁𝓉𝑒𝒶𝓇 𝑀𝒾𝓁𝓀𝑜𝓋𝒾𝒸𝒽 ❜

Gray &&. Meredy, a pair both born of pain and loneliness. Of loss and ruined villages. Both hardened by the environments they were forced into. Both crossed path as enemies, and then as FRIENDS. They shared a common bonding with a woman: Ultear —- who was a mother, a daughter, a witch, an atoner, and also .  .  . a hero.

A HALF-SMILE weaved across his features, simple &&. calm. Isvan sky can hold a thousand tears tonight, but it remained dry && clear. Not even a cloud obscured the pin-pricked veil releasing heaven’s aurora light. Ultear has history, a story —- and not even time itself can erase her LEGACY. Wherever she is, and they might have an infinity of night skies inbetween them- but she was not forgotten. Even if her mortal existence is still present somewhere in the world, a monumental remembrance was what they had forged for her. It was the least they can do to commemorate her SACRIFICE. It was what she deserved.

Gray rose to his full height &&. remained by Meredy’s side; the back of his hand faintly grazed hers.

         ❛❛ But we’ll still be alright… ❜❜

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ  GRAY’S VOICE WAS gruff amidst the cold scattering of snow &&. the mournful grown of metal barricades. He stood close enough to be heard; almost close enough for their shoulders to brush. From idle to war with no go-between — a stillness to their weary limbs was betraying the tension forever present, even at REST. 

A fight might be ALL Fairy Tail knows. A fight might be all Fairy Tail is, but…

      { @musiceluted. ♔ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ  GRAY BLANCHED AT the unwarranted scrutiny that he could practically feel singing into his cold skin. He felt exposed, albeit clothed, but the menacing claws of self-consciousness was stipping him BEARER than he’d ever been. 

Suddenly, the Ice-Mage had never felt more stark in his life━━ &&. his gaze tried to divert, but eventually his brows sloped in a defeat .  .  .

    { @diablecharmant. ♛ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ    AND GRAY KNEW he’d been staring — it wasn’t his fault, he just couldn’t help it. At this point, his composure had already gone astray &&. sent asunder so early in the day, how pitiful. 

Nevertheless, his eyes continued to soften at the man across the Guild Hall &&. his heart thrummed lightening fragments throughout his thorax at how IRIDESCENCE Freed appeared … beneath the dimming light. Gray watched as his nimble digits furled into the soft entanglement of emerald strands ( &&. the way he collected them so deftly, so effortlessly into a high ponytail ), until it revealed the tender flesh that was the back of his neck. 

━━ and Gray continued to watch … without realizing that he was being presently encumbered by the realm of the other’s undeniable CHARM.

           &&. IT WAS STUPID, because even a beat of contemplation allowed him another moment of greedy perusing– a not so subtle scrutiny at Freed’s currently NEGLECTED profile. Gray unabashedly drank in the artful nooks of his aesthetics —- the pale exposure of his nape, and the way his vibrant locks fanned his shoulders like a settling dust cloud.

He drew in a trembling breath before his attention finally wavered – threatening to sink back into the slouching liquor within his glass. As his caged heart begin to clamber, Gray was spiraling into a realm of endless wondering regarding how LONG it’d been … since he last finds himself losing touch with his ( carefully forged ) self-control.

It was frustrating. Freed was frustrating—– frustrating him in the MOST frustrating way that the Rune Mage wasn’t even aware of it himself. Briefly clutching at the bridge of his nose, Gray banged his head against the wooden surface of the counter as a reddened hue fully manifested his features.

    He’s just so… he’s just so goddamn pretty.

          ❆ █  ▌▌ 𝕄𝕪  𝕚𝕔𝕖  𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕤   ( 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅 )  ࿐ᐤ               【  𝑀𝐸𝑀𝐸𝒮  】⇢  not accepting.

   { @xfulmen . ♛ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ    IT WAS SURVIVAL:  the only tool they all had against the untameable waves of madness that inundated every habitat. It was a source of light, everyone has them; a manner in which to imprison diablerie —– its properties so vast, so TRUE, so luminiferous, they might have spent a life guided entirely by the pulsing energy within.

Such was Fairy Tail. Like an imperishable light; the guild has been a constant, stable force. Thier First Master, Mavis, serving as their Polaris that shines so bright as a guide to LIGHT those that are lost home.

Because this place, this guild- is everyone’s home.*

                It was not to say Gray was a man devoid of emotion, he had merely learned to bury them. Pain was no DIFFERENT. Yet, apathy was a cruel thing; it was also tiring — the constant front that was required of him utilizing it. It felt like a weight, a heavy cloak that veiled away the tempest which dwelled within. Qui-vive. Life had not treated anyone kindly, yet wrath &&. vengeance lay under lock and key. Fairy Tail brought broken people together. 

But this —– it was something unfamiliar; the compassion of Laxus &&. the conveyal of an utmost semblance of EMPATHY. 

It seems like his uneasiness was not lost to him. 

                For a man who was known to be an intimidation around the Guild, Gray does not know how to properly respond to a sudden declaration of thoughtfulness. Nevertheless, he had never discerned those words or anything with such a tone of immense SINCERELY — and it caught him off guard … in a good way.

                 ❆ █  ▌▌ 𝕄𝕪  𝕚𝕔𝕖  𝕓𝕚𝕥𝕖𝕤   ( 𝒹𝑒𝑒𝓅 )  ࿐ᐤ                      【  𝑀𝐸𝑀𝐸𝒮  】⇢  not accepting.

    { @mareanguiis.♔ ━━  *

█▐ ❆ ࿐ᐤ        ONE.  A heavy swallow. The Lacrima felt HEAVY in his hands as was the heart that hung beneath his ribs. He hated the hollow feeling within his chest, it was like a pit of regret that instantly broadened —– and Gray felt like he could implode; no forceful slap could compare to the STIFLING sensation inside his throat. What she said struck him … shattered his resolve, purloining his facade of ice with just a roughness in her voice —

&&. the tears that (no doubt) surfaced in her EYES.* 

Very carefully, Gray breathed through his nose as if measuring the output of carbon dioxide from his frost-laced lungs &&. into his throat. He breathed in. 

TWO.  Steel-edged eyes of blood hardened. Erza had asked him to do it. It had to be only him for this operation to be successful. There was darkness lodging within him already, and she knew his light was STRONGER ( —— or so he hoped. he is still scared ). But it was an undercover mission, and it is a safer move to not comprise more people than absolutely necessary. 

After all, Avatar is an undoubtedly VAST organization —– and it is inevitable that there are spies acquiring intel about people who are trying to infiltrate them &&. tear them down. Not that he hadn’t navigated the bleaker sides of magic already…

But they could easily have used Rayne to threaten Gray. 

THREE.  When you love someone, you’d want to keep them safe no matter what. He knew she was hurting. And he knew … that he had filled every crevice of her willing heart with EVERYTHING that is him. It was cruel. It was cruel that he became the gaping numbness that wrapped itself around her bones; that he became the loneliness that defined her darkest nights. 

——— It was cruel to leave her behind.* 

     ⠀⠀⠀

FOUR.   His grip intensified slightly as he contemplated, mind reeling to gather his thoughts; words becoming unspeakably HEAVY on his tongue… but Gray steeled his resolve, and—–

       “I’ll call you again soon.”

     ⠀⠀⠀

     ⠀⠀⠀

     ⠀⠀⠀

BOLD all that applies to your muse! Feel free to add more! Italic means somewhat applies.

Eyes:   Blue | Green | Brown | Hazel | Black | Grey | Other Hair:   Blonde | Brown | Black | Red | Ginger | White | Multi-colour | Other Body Type:   Skinny | Slender | Slim | Built | Curvy | Athletic | Muscular Skin:   Pale | Light | Fair | Freckled | Tan | Olive | Medium | Dark | Discolored |

Gender:   Male | Female | Trans | Cis | No Gender | Other Sexuality:   Heterosexual | Homosexual | Bisexual | Pansexual | Asexual | Demisexual | Species:   Human | Undead/Vampire | Shapeshifter (Weres) | Demon | Angel | Witch / Wizard / Sorcerer | Incubus/Succubus | Other

Education:  High School | College | University | Higher Education | Other Living Situation:  Lives alone | Lives with parents/guardian | Lives with significant other | Lives with a friend  | Lives with siblings | Drifter ( not by choice ) | Homeless Parents/Guardian:  Mom | Dad | Adoptive | Foster | Grandparents | Family friend | Orphan Relationship:  Single | Crushing | Dating | Engaged | Married | Separated | It’s complicated

I’ve been:  In Love | Hurt | Sick | Abused I have a(n): Learning Disorder | Personality Disorder | Mental Disorder | Anxiety Disorder | Eating Disorder | Substance-related Disorder Things I’ve done before:  Drank alcohol | Smoked | Done drugs | Stolen | Self-harmed | Starved myself | Had sex | Had a threesome | Gotten into a fist fight | Gone to the hospital | Gone to jail | Used a fake ID | Gone to a rave | Killed someone |

Positive Traits:  Affectionate | Adventurous | Athletic | Brave | Careful | Charming | Confident | Creative | Determined | Fearless | Generous | Honest | Humorous | Intelligent | Loyal | Modest | Patient | Selfless Negative Traits:  Aggressive | Bossy | Cynical | Envious | Fearful | Greedy | Gullible | Jealous | Impatient | Impulsive | Insecure | Irresponsible | Possessive | Sarcastic | Self-conscious | Selfish | Unstable

era aesthetics bold the aesthetic that applies to your muse. italic is somewhat applies.

M E D I E V A L . tired eyes. coffee stains on the table. listening to the bustle of the city. unmade beds. loose ponytails. sunlight seeping through the curtains. chapped lips. walking barefoot across the floorboards. dusty dictionaries. black and white reruns. huge sweaters. the ticking of the clock. hearing birds in the morning. fireplaces. falling asleep during class (v. modern)

R E N A I S S A N C E. freckles. the sun rising. watching the sea. taking shots of the city. historical museums. bright eyes. looking up at the clouds. walls covered in artworks. drawing in the middle of lessons. tracing your fingers on the sand. painting for hours. staying in uncrowded coffee-shops. worn paperbacks. messy braids. going to bed with your knee-socks on.

B A R O Q U E. dark hair. a little sophisticated. observing the world around you. intricate designs. high ceilings. extravagant musical pieces. dim lights. colorless photographs. fancy furniture. pale skin. hearing soft footfalls coming from outside the room. mischievous looks. bitten nails. candlelight dinners. dark shades of lipstick.

C L A S S I C A L. chandeliers. the clinking of a teacup mug. laced clothing. modern architecture. light hair. watching the view from the terrace. hidden birthmarks. drinking tea in the morning. wandering about in an empty building. botanical gardens. old films. ancient marble sculptures. expensive perfume. breakfasts in bed. reading about mythology.

R O M A N T I C. compassion. short writings on scraps of paper. blushed cheeks. a bouquet of roses. reading collections of poetry late at night. loose hair. carpeted floors. attending operas. faint music playing in the background. staying under the covers until midday. the night sky. streetlights. picking flowers. dancing around in silk dresses. scented candles.