ultimatum

She pulls her hair back tight, slowly threads the bobby pins in and secures them in place where her scalp should ache from the pull. She's so accustomed to it that the pain is secondary -- the worst of it is the initial yank but she's had worse when the claws of Shadows dig deep into her skin, bruising, tearing. Tartarus is priority but it's an afterthought when school comes first -- she dresses quickly like she's always late, whizzes by with her bag full of books too heavy and wastes no time because she's a bullet that ricochets off everything she does. She leaves a hole where she's been. Maybe she'll come back and fix it; she doesn't seal her promises off immediately because she's too busy bouncing everywhere else.

Her heart swells with pride underneath tight muscles and a constructed cage, fluttering and gasping to the beat of her drum. She ba-rum-pum-pum-pums her way through her classes, meets with friends, shares blinding smiles like she's used some leftover sunshine and sealed her teeth with them. She glows bright, like the Christmas lights already strung around the lounge of the dorm, adorned with a little red bow.

When she rises, she soars high in the sky like a paper airplane thrown by a curious boy clapping his hands together in amusement. When she falls, she does so delicately -- once, twice, maybe three times and she has a few cuts and bruises. A fourth and there are fractures; a fifth and she is on the verge of shattering. She is the leader; she is a constant beacon and without light, she turns into a variable -- a question to be solved, like what's x squared when it's divided by eight and the answer is two?

Consistencies are kept when she falls. She maintains her smile even if it dims a bit. She captures the light every morning, keeps it sealed within, stores some extra in her heart in case someone else needs it more than she does. She's that kind of girl -- the girl that will give you some sparks when you're wading in the darkness forever.

The moon cries for her in her desperate slumber.

She pounces upon stars, wobbling upon them.

She is lost to the night -- where she never belonged.

"It could be worse, but we dare not tempt anything correct?"

      「愚者 — The Fool. 」

   ❝ Positive. ❞And he reinforces his statement with a clear nod. Though he can see her protests in her expression alone, he still firmly intends to cover everything. With that said, there’s still the question of what to order. Maybe something light—he’s not that hungry. Or perhaps he should order something big and take it back to the dorm? Hmm…

   ❝ What are you getting? ❞

There are endless possibilities splayed out on the menu before her. She taps her finger against her chin, a low hum resonating in her throat. She hasn't had anything to eat all day, so her stomach growls in immediate protest of anything remotely light. Maybe a burger and fries would do it. A shake? No, that'd be too much..