( You can hear it in the silence || Imogen Temult ft. Laudna || @macabrepuppet )
The quietness had been a stranger to Imogen for a long time. Even as she got some level of control over her powers, the thoughts that surrounded her would still leak through to her mind. It made crowds insufferable, friendships overcomplicated and her feelings for Laudna all the more distressing. They had been inseparable for over two years, and Imogen had been in love with her friend for nearly that long. She couldn't consider saying or doing anything about it, though, not when she could read Laudna's thoughts and know she was thinking of anything but that. Not when she would have immediate, unfiltered access to a possible rejection. So she locked those feeling inside and focused on appreciating her luck to have met Laudna in the first place.
The circlet changed everything. Her mind was her own again, and she could choose to have privacy, and to give it to the people around her. When she first got the item, on a race to get to the Malleus Key in time, she had only started to appreciate what it meant. Then, chaos rained down on Bells' Hells and they were thrown to different continents. During the time they spent apart, Imogen could barely stand the thought of losing Laudna again. She needed to find her better half again, and she would take her shot if she could. If Laudna only wanted her friendship, Imogen would gladly move on (or try her best to), without having to hear the reaction in her own mind. She loved Laudna in more than one way, after all, and nothing could take that love away.
As soon as they were alone and free to talk, Imogen said those terrifying words, and Laudna said 'yes'. Laudna said 'yes'. Not only that, but, after their first kiss, Laudna kissed her again. Her Laudna. Her beautifully scary best friend, her savior, her tether. The world was possibly ending and Bells' Hells were jumping from one crisis to another, but that was the happiest Imogen had ever been. Watching Laudna glow in her new outfit on the way back to Zhudanna's, she would risk assuming she was not the only happy sorcerer around.
When they finally got to their shared room at Zhudanna's, the closest they had to a home, she couldn't stop smiling. Maybe she should take it slow and not overwhelm Laudna, but she didn't know when they would be by themselves again. This one peaceful night in their old room was a gift, and Imogen wouldn't take it for granted. She took Laudna's cold hands in her own and guided her dearest friend to sit by her side on the bed. "I just have to make sure, Laudna. Did you... Did you mean it? Did you want to kiss me as bad as I've been wanting to kiss you? I don't want you to ever feel pressured to do or feel anything that doesn't feel right for you."
