finding pockets of stillness has become an art form. when one stage loops into another, mcs reading from near identical scripts, and her body can't differentiate today's aches from last night's, vivi makes a habit of searching for things that demand less and stand out more. one bad incident shortly after debut lended itself to a strict no wandering rule that, for better or worse, she's prone to breaking.
the miniature aquarium at the comeback party lures her in when no one's around.
she doesn't close the door behind herself ⸺ it isn't her party, isn't her door to shut. but she slips inside unseen and prays that everyone's attention slides past the room without anyone feeling the same curiosity that she did. her boots quietly thunk against the floor, large and chunky and surprisingly comfortable, as she comes to a stop in front of the tank, mouth silently dropping open in awe. ‘ how did something as beautiful as you end up in a place like this ? ’ she whispers, crouching down to peer inside.
setting her hands on her knees, she lets her gaze latch onto the biggest fish among the bunch : a large white betta, swimming unhurried and unbothered from pane to pane. ‘ beautiful girl, ’ she murmurs, ‘ do you have any idea how stunning you are ? ’
and it's happenstance, mostly, that have her eyes focusing in past the betta fish ⸺ beyond the bubbles and the coral and the castle ⸺ to find human eyes peering back at her.
a gasp catches in her throat and she quickly drops her gaze down to the rocks covering the tank's bottom. of course. of course she'd run into her here. ( of course she'd get caught talking to the fish. ) vivi rolls her lips between her teeth, biting down for just a brief moment before she frees them. for reasons not past her understanding but far beyond her verbal capabilities, a faint heat pricks the skin of her cheeks and spreads right down to her chest. ‘ . . . hi, ’ she offers, meek and lame. ‘ your, um . . . congrats. on winning tonight. ’
ꕤ 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘳 @hypontize . . . 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 .ᐟ
