⠀⠀⠀❛ ⠀— Aah...⠀ ❜⠀THE ⠀noise that left her was only a slight improvement on a squeak, caught somewhere between a gasp and a sob. If she had control over her hands right about now, they'd probably shoot up to cover her mouth — but as is, they're overcome with a tingly feeling and twitch uselessly at her sides. Summer Rose stands less than fifty yards away, looking only somewhat confused with her familiar predicament. In some ways it's like seeing a friendly ghost; in other ways, it's like looking in an old mirror.
⠀⠀⠀Ruby thought a lot about how she'd react if she saw her mother again. The last time she'd been in this place, Ruby had done... a lot of things she regretted. Scared to lose her again, she couldn't keep a clear head. Overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings that had been buried for years, and with Salem's words ringing in her ears, she'd said things she couldn't take back. And unfortunately... that was the last time she'd seen her. It was something she thought about constantly when last she was in Spirale, trying to think of all the right things to say if Summer ever returned to her. That list grew longer once she emerged from the Tree. And now, with Mom right in her line of sight... All of that thinking and planning suddenly seemed like the biggest waste of time in the world.
⠀⠀⠀❛ ⠀Mom—!⠀ ❜⠀
⠀⠀⠀One burst of petals was all it took to close the gap, zooming through the air in a streak of crimson before wrapping her arms tightly around Summer's middle — the way she'd done a million times before that unfulfilled promise. Immediately she feels enveloped by her mother's familiar scent, the one that became harder and harder to keep ingrained in her memory, and the relief threatens to wrack her frame with sobs all over again. In that moment she could care less about whether her mother was still hurting from their last conversation, or what she'd been doing sneaking onto a mission with Raven Branwen of all people, or any of the other thoughts that'd raced through her mind; the instant they made physical contact, it all became white noise anyway.
⤷⠀⠀@rosefcll.














