archived!!

Behind you. The words come like a whisper wrapped in static, just as the ghost of a touch grazes her skin, tracing a shiver up the curve of her spine to the back of her neck. Ophelia turns swiftly, unsure of what, or who, she will find. Lixin, however, is the last person she expects to meet her gaze.

For a breath, the celestial blinks once, twice; light caught in the delicate prism of her lashes before her lips soften into a smile, gentle and radiant as dawn breaking over calm water. No emotion stirs sharp within her, no ripple mars the stillness of her composure. Yet the image that binds them, the one that refuses to fade, lingers like old perfume in the air between them.

❝ Are you tired of seeing me already? ❞ she asks, her tone airy, touched with mirth. ❝ I do not mind seeing you again... ❞ The words fall too easily, and she feels the faint warmth rise to her cheeks, betraying what her serene poise conceals. For all her divine restraint, there is truth in the softness of her voice: she truly does not mind seeing him again.

A pause follows—long enough to betray the uncertainty she tries to hide. Her gaze drifts briefly to the shelves beside them before finding its way back to him. ❝ What brings you here?” ❞she asks at last, her voice a melody subdued, threaded with shyness. ❝ Are you looking for a book as well? ❞

the way she appears now and the way she appeared that fateful day: it keeps overlapping with one another. the smile she wears now, soft, inviting and incredibly tender makes place for the sweet droplets of blood that marred them. the shimmer within her eyes, like stars reborn and moonlit glow stolen from the night skies, a sharp contrast to the dull, smokey quartz as she lay half - unconscious. he feels trapped by it: by the would be's, could be's and what remained for them now ━━━ but her reply is sweet as cinnamon and lixin is naturally inclined to be wary.

rare did sweetness treat him well, rare did kindness managed to settle within bones. it rattled him, it intrigued him, it made him crave something he rejected a long time ago. his hand still lingers upon her elbow with slender digits resting like phantom kisses upon her person. everything he touched would wither. his own curse. ❝ how could i ? ❞ a tentative curl of lips, then it shifts into something more permanent, something a bit more welcoming ( not the smile he wore at dark bars as he tried to forget the constant wailing within bones, never that smile, that smile he despised ). ❝ you are a sight for sore eyes, ophelia. ❞ her name is a song not yet known, a mystery upon his tongue.

while her gaze shifts, the vampiric dragon keeps single ruby hue upon her person. the gentle buzz of those that visited the poetry night &. those that came here for a new book to read mixing into a welcomed sound. it was clear that at this very moment ophelia was as unsure about this as he was ━━━ but she was much braver than he for she at least tried. ❝ no, as much as i like to read i am not here for the books. i am here for the poetry night. local writers, lovers of the medium and a few established names are here to talk about their shared passion. ❞

he pauses then, the hand upon her elbow glides across forearm where it lingers around palm before he fully retreats hand. ❝ i am the keynote speaker. ❞ simper upon visage now blooms fully, something inviting, teetering on the edge of a tease. ❝ you're in the presence of a celebrity. for you, i'll gladly sign your ━━━ well wherever you want me to sign. ❞ the tension slips, lixin allows to relax himself, leaning forward a tad before he bends down to her height, whispering in an ear. as if it were a secret between two. ❝ that was a joke. ❞ giving his autograph at least ... he did not joke about being a known name within the literary scene.