Yeah, alright. Guess we’re doing this again.
Celine is, in spite of everything she can do and has done, only human. After the Sunlight Sisters fell apart and she was left with a little girl to care for, she maintained the Honmoon alone, no small feat. More often than not, Celine came home bloodied, bruised, and a few times with a broken arm. Rumi learned to patch her up, despite Celine’s attempt at hiding the wounds. In spite of all of this, or maybe because of it, Celine still loved Rumi.
She couldn’t help it. Rumi had her mother’s smile, her laugh, the gentle way she would cradle a small animal whenever she found one. Celine would often have to hold Rumi back during events from running and petting every animal they saw. (It was almost a disaster when she pet the President of Swedens dog without asking. He had just laughed and let her play with the dog.)
But Celine is, despite everything, only Human. When she saw the two lines on Rumi’s arm after her birth, she knew what Rumi was. Her father’s accursed blood courses through the veins of an innocent child, who cried in her arms even as Celine mourned for losing the child’s mother.
When Rumi was small, she asked about her parents. She asked what her mother was like. Celine had smiled then, recounting the gentle way Mi-Yeong would talk with children. How she would inspire hope in parents and adults everywhere. She tickled Rumi as she told her how playful her mother could be, and listened to the echo of Mi-Yeong in Rumi’s laughter.
Rumi had asked about her father then. Celine has pulled back, feeling the familiar anger and shame. She told Rumi curtly that her father was a demon, a cruel creature that couldnt feel anything. Rumi had looked scared, and Celine tried to comfort her by saying Rumi is nothing like her father. (Celine lies. She is only human, after all.)
The next time Rumi asks about her father is while Celine is doing her hair. She asked Celine if all things with patterns had to die while looking at her own. Celine had panicked, her voice sharpening as she told Rumi to cover up. (She had to tell Rumi three more times before it stuck. She didn’t realize it at the time, just how deeply that would burrow into her little girls mind.)
Celine is overjoyed when Rumi meets the others. Rumi’s smile that day had been so wide, so genuine, that it made Celine’s heart ache. It was the same smile her mother would often have on late nights, when the three of them would stay up and whisper secrets to each other. It was a smile Celine had been seeing less and less. She told herself it was because Rumi is taking her training seriously. (Celine is lying, shes only human after all.)
She watches the last song of their world tour that year on tv, quietly cheering on her girls. During the training, shes found herself caring about Zoey and Mira. Not in the same way she does for Rumi, but something close to it. She cheered and celebrated by herself when she saw the hints of the Golen Honmoon. Soon, she told herself, soon Rumi could be free to finally love her girls fully.
She’d told Celine one night, after a demon had hit Rumi hard enough to concuss her. She’d told Celine she loved Zoey and Mira, and wanted to kiss them both silly. (Celine had to make sure Rumi was safely asleep before Mira and Zoey could see her. She didn’t want them to hear it before Rumi was able to tell them properly. )
It’s not long after that that she notices the Honmoon weakening. She sees it on her screen, when she’s looking through social media for any new hints of demons who’d managed to slip by her girls (a mistake they made only once. An empty house had greeted Celine when she killed it. She never told the girls.) The Saja boys. Celine scoffs, and awaits the good news that they’re dead.
She is shocked when she sees Huntrix congratulating the very same Saja boys on their debut on a variety show of all places. Celine could feel the Honmoon thrum after it ended. Rumi would lead her girls and take care of it, she always did. Celine feels more dread everytime the Honmoon pulses, as the weeks drag on before the idol awards.
The night came, unexpectedly. Celine woke up to the Honmoon screaming. It wasnt an audible sound, but it was so loud it felt like it was tearing her skull apart. Celine ran out of her house, blindly until she found the tree. She looked up in shock to see the Honmoon being shredded, like it was made of spider webs.
She didn’t know how long she stood there, shock and anger in equal measures running through her. She senses it before she spins, bringing up her blade.
Rumi, standing there, staring at the ground and covered head to toe in patterns. Pulsating a sickly purple, Rumi began soeaking. She’d failed. Zoey and Mira had seen. Celine watched in growing horror and dread as Rumi dropped to the ground, a starlight blade lifted above her head as if it bore the weight of the world.
Rumi demanded her death. Celine couldnt speak. Rumi spoke again, two words, that sent horrific, painful pulses through the Honmoon she tried to remind Rumi of their duty, but Rumi couldnt hear her. She helped Rumi to her feet, reaching towards her face, but froze before reaching it. Rumi looked broken.
Celine realized, in that moment, what had really happened. She didn’t know how, but Rumi had been destroying herself. Everytime Celine had reminded her that she had to cover her patterns, everytime she reinforced how evil demons were, Rumi had taken those words and made blades, using them to cut herself into pieces until all that was left was the image of an Idol, a Daughter, a Demon, a Hunter.
Celine is only human. She tries to fix it, telling Rumi she can cover up again, but Rumi refuses. Looking at Celine with such sorrow in her glowing eyes, Celine has to look away. She can’t see those eyes filled with such hatred and guilt, all directed inwards. Rumi asked Celine why she couldn’t love her.
Rumi screams as she says all of me.
Celine is only human, after all. She stands frozen as Rumi says shes glad the Honmoon is destroyed, stands frozen as Rumi vanishes, and stands frozen for a time after that before the strength left her legs. She dropped to her knees, tears falling freely as she realized what she’d done. Rumi was gone, the Honmoon was gone, Zoey and Mira were gone. Everything in Celine’s life that she cares about, stripped away in one night.
Celine is only human. Celine breaks. She doesn’t notice it at first, as she kneels there, shattered and sobbing as she is. The iridescent lights slowly swirling, an echo of recognition. Broken pieces, broken woman. Celine finally lifts her head, seeing it.
The Honmoon. Not the gentle blue she knew, but forged of hope, but a new one. One burning far brighter then its predecessor. Thousands of hues were weaving together, but Celine could feel it, even from there. Rumi is in danger. Celine tries to stand, to move, but her body refuses.
Celine thinks desperately, and tries to sing the hunters mantra. The Honmoon doesnt react. Celine sobs, desperate, and sings a different song. An echo of her past. The first song she ever sang to help Rumi sleep. Celine sings a lullaby.
The Honmoon reacts, twisting gently as it acknowledged Celine’s fears, her regrets, her hopes, her loves, every shattered piece of the woman who kneeled beneath the tree. She didn’t know if it had helped. She couldn’t feel Rumi anymore. But it was something.
It takes a month before Celine finds out parts of what happened. Huntrix had performed a new song, in some kind of massive PR stunt with the Saja boys as fake demons. Rumi had tatoos, and Celine froze as she saw patterns, glowing the same iridescent colors as the Honmoon in the photo. Celine fought with herself, before deciding that if this is how Rumi wants to live, Celine will do everything she can for her child.
Celine is only human, after all.
It takes three months before Rumi visits again. She brings Zoey and Mira with her, of course. She could sense it even before they got out of the car. Without the barrier of Rumi’s patterns (even if it wasn’t a barrier moved around, but one smashed apart), they had gotten together. Mira eyed Celine warily, Zoey glared with outright hostility. Rumi looked at Celine with fear…but with hope. Just a little. Enough to make Celine’s heart squeeze.
She doesn’t approach. She doesn’t deserve to be near Rumi. She talks, instead. Asking little things, trying her best to pretend that things were how they used to be. She didn’t realize until it was too late she was avoiding Rumi’s gaze. Rumi turned, saying their coming here was a mistake. Celine cried out, a single no echoing through the compound.
Rumi froze, not turning around, but not walking away either. Mira and Zoey watched Celine, though a hint of curiosity was now in their gaze. Celine looked down, unable to meet their gazes. (How could she after whay shes done to Rumi?) Celine’s voice is just a whisper, but she knows Rumi will hear her.
A plea. An asking not for forgiveness, but an agreement to come back someday. So they can talk, openly and honestly, about everything. Rumi, not trusting herself to speak, nods to her girls. Mira says theyll be back, but only after Rumi feels shes ready, and after Celine can actually look her in the eye.
They leave then. Celine feels that same hatred, guilt and shame, welling up inside her. Why couldnt she have faced Rumi, and asked for her forgiveness? Instead she’d asked for connection, however unstable it came. Celine would treasure the chance when it came, even as she hated herself for doing it.
Celine is only human, after all. Humans are selfish. Humans are foolish. Humans are greedy. Humans… are everything. Celine is only human in the truest word. She fails, she loves, she mourns, she hates. She makes mistakes, but she still try’s to be better. Rumi knows this. Celine knows this. That is why Rumi agreed to come back. This is why Celine didn’t ask for forgiveness.
It takes a full year before Rumi comes back. She seems happier this time, laughing as she walks through the gates with Mira in one hand and Zoey in the other. Celine doesnt miss the looks of total adoration on the girls faces as they look at Rumi. They don’t miss how Celine looks absolutely terrified at their sudden appearance.
Celine looks, really looks, at Rumi then. She seems faint scars, patterns, and makeup. She sees simple cloths, purple hair, and painted nails. She sees a gentle face, worry written across it, and gentle brown eyes watching her. Celine sees her daughter, and Rumi sees her Mother.
They don’t run to each other to embrace. This isnt some story where a reunion means all is forgiven. The four of them sit outside at talk for two hours, Celine using a fourth of the time simply saying how sorry she is. Rumi promises to come back, and Celine restrains herself from hugging her daughter. More trust has to be built first.
Celine hugs Rumi on the fifth visit.
Rumi hugs her back on the sixth.
Mira and Zoey ask for Rumi’s hand in marrige on the fifteenth visit, while Rumi is walking through the gardens.
Rumi introduced their adopted daughter on the twentieth visit.
Rumi forgives Celine on the second visit. She tells Celine she forgave her on the twenty fifth.
Celine is only human after all. Who could have guessed that that can be bad or good. Celine loves her daughters and granddaughter more than life. She tells Rumi everytime she sees her how happy she looks. She tells Mira everytime how loving she is. She tells Zoey everytime how amazing she is, being able to give so much light.
She tells her granddaughter every time that she doesn’t need to cover the patterns spreading on her arm.
Wow, this became a whole thing again. Heres my take on how Celine would view herself with a few liberties for it. Celine is more relaxed in this, but I like to think we only saw her more strict moments without the gentle. Or maybe I’m just completely wrong, who knows!
Thanks for reading. Bye 💜
jbbartram-illu
origamiaround
annaxmalina
pixelskylines
titsay
theartofmadeline
