falling / water !

 she  studies  maeve  ,  bouncing  her  leg  against  the  hardwood  beneath  their  feet.  a  beat  passes  and  a  bitter  smile  begins  to  grow  on  rue’s  face.  and  she  doesn’t  know  why  ;  maybe  she  sees  that  maeve  is  being  genuine  and  can’t  stand  it.  it’s  an  unfortunate  pattern  ,  for  rue.  she  does  the  same  to  even  the  best  of  friends,  pushes  them  away.  “don’t  you  have  other  friends  or  a  boyfriend  to  party  with  tonight  ?  don’t  really  need  you  to  babysit  me.”

 how  she  wound  up  wasting  time  with  the  brunette  she  isn’t  sure  ,  but  hayden’s  taking  life  day  by  day  lately.  she  plucks  a  pickle  from  tessa’s  basket  and  pops  it  in  her  mouth.  she  chews  thoughtfully  ,  but  it  doesn’t  take  long  to  know  she  hates  it.  “those  are  fucking  gross.”  one  day  she  may  have  appreciated  them  more  ;  sour  foods  are  not  the  only  type  that  don’t  do  the  trick  anymore.  spicy  foods  ,  desserts  thick  with  sweetness  ,  they’re  all  victims  of  dulled  taste  buds,  another  product  of  death.  she  holds  out  her  own  basket  :  cheese  curds.  “your  turn.  these  taste  good  and  smell  good.”

 she  doesn’t  react  as  katara  spots  her  watching  what  appears  to  be  the  magic  show ---  rue  remembers  this.  “yeah,  i  still  don’t  get  that  whole  thing,”  she  says  ,  stepping  closer  to  the  river  where  the  kids  are  bubbling  with  joy.  rue  misses  that  feeling.  she  was  higher  than  a  kite  the  first  time  she  saw  katara  'bending'  in  the  water.  she’s  sober  now.  it’s  still  crazy  to  witness.

 as  faye  speaks  ,  hayden  can’t  help  but  think  that  this  is  her  person.  “i  fucking  love  you.”  the  thought  alone  relieves  something  in  hayden  ,  for  her  entire  body  has  been  aching  for  anything  thrilling  or  chaotic  ,  and  no  matter  what  it's  a  feeling  that  hasn't  been  satiated  since  her  spirit  separated  from  her  physical  body.  "what  do  you  got?"  she's  come  close  getting  into  antics  with  faye.

 there  isn’t  a  trace  of  amusement  on  hayden’s  expression  as  she  watches  the  air  light  up  in  every  color  imaginable  ,  but  she’s  awestruck  by  every  firework’s  spark  and  the  sound  that  accompanies  it  ;  even  if  she  flinches  every  time.  hayden  can’t  explain  it  ,  but  it  probably  has  to  do  with  the  cheerful  tree-climbing  almost-stranger  beside  her  ,  who  is  looking  at  her  now  (  also  probably  the  bottle  of  beer  she’s  been  sipping  at  )  ?  “you’re  talking  to  me?”  she  squints  &  makes  a  face  ,  unable  to  help  the  smile  that  grows  in  stark  contrast  to  the  scowl  she  wore  seconds  before.  “sure  ,  okay.”