#{scalde}

Gundar Jump - illustration 2/2

"..."

Breath catching in her throat, Scalde doesn't pull her hand away, instead stopping in her tracks. She doesn't turn to face her; she won't, she can't. Not now, after everything. One look at Nimbra's face, and she'd crumble instantly.

"I wish I could stay." It's a quiet admission, and a gross understatement. Her heart burns in her chest with yearning. And yet...

"They'd always have a way to bring me back. I suppose I gave in too easily. It seemed so much easier to give up in that moment, in the face of all i learned. In the face of how I failed the people I love."

She was so convinced their fates were sealed, that there was no point in even trying anymore. That they'd gone so far down the wrong road, that there was no turning back. But...

"You always have a way of making me believe in the impossible, you know," she laughs. "Of showing me that a better future is worth hoping for. Perhaps it's selfish of me, but I'm going to have to ask you to do it one more time." Finally, she turns to face her.

"Nimbra... tell me you'll do everything you can to get everyone out of here. And... I'll do the same." She lets out a shaky laugh, smiling as she wipes a tear from her eye.

"I need you to let me go this time, and trust that I'll come back to you. And, if I may make a selfish request..." she finally meets Nimbra's eyes.

"Is it just me, or are these things seriously creepy?" Scalde pokes one of the mannequins in the hall outside of her room. Yeesh.

death

“…that’s for me?”

"It's yours if you want it," Scalde rubs the back of her head. It's strange; she's never cared much about what others thought of her-- it's easier to just keep to herself, anyway. But with Nimbra...

...

'Is this... how it feels to have someone you want to impress...?'

"I wasn't sure if you were a flowers kinda gal, but these reminded me of you." A bouquet of red roses is traditional, but Scalde decided to mix things up; tradition was never really her style, after all. These roses are a delicate arrangement of purples, reds, blacks, and whites, wrapped in a lavender ribbon. With a small smile, and a moment to let the gift stand on its own, she actually turns her attention away from Nimbra, instead addressing Crow.

"And don't think I'd leave you empty-handed on Valentine's either, mister!" She grins, producing a heart-shaped box, absolutely filled to the brim with sunflower seeds. "Don't eat them all at once! The last thing I want is for you to get sick, you hear me? Crow! Hey! Slow down!" ...and there they go, in a playful tug-of-war for the box. It's a sweet scene, and Nimbra can't help but stare down at the flowers still in her hands.

💚: how does my muse feel about love? about falling in love? about being in love?

"Love, huh...?"

For Scalde, love wasn't something that was easy to come by when she was young; not from her father, at least. But it was her sisters that kept her from becoming a cynic. She knew that she loved them; she still does!

As for romantic love, it was something that she truly thought she'd never have. It was something she didn't have time for-- between keeping her sisters safe and being on the run, she'd just kind of accepted that it would probably never happen for her.

However, things happen when you least expect it, don't they? Scalde has come to realize that falling for someone can feel kind of nice, especially when that person is patient and understanding. Lately, she's been thinking that maybe it's not such a far-fetched dream after all.

She likes the idea of being in love, especially these days. To her, it would be all about having someone she could trust, and be herself with. It's about having someone to feel safe with, a home to return to. Maybe that's always what she wanted, really. Love to her feels like a home she's never really known.