[open] Where the smoke settles

[Livinia]

l i v i n i a such is life, such is death. Her bones remember this place. Fog and shadow meld into familiar shapes. Her steps do not falter as her eyes slide over all she once knew. If only the trees could tell her what they had seen.  What she had missed.  There was a time once where she could tell where she ended and the smoke began. It used to bend to her will. A soft shield. A comfort in the dark. But in time, things had shifted. She didn’t know where or when or why, but something had changed. Over time she began to fade.  Death didn’t frighten her. It never had. She couldn’t imagine a world where it ever would. But the thought of disappearing - that frightened her. The idea of losing herself piece by piece, thought by thought, until all that remained was smoke and mist and want.  It’s what had driven her from this place. A quiet exile. A mercy, maybe.  She drifted. The years blurred. Mera’s steady heartbeat had been her only companion. She didn’t know how long she’d wandered. For a time, the ground seemed to forget her weight. But time had provided her with much needed solace. Again the smoke seeped into her bones, leaving her whole. Leaving her wanting.  So she returns. The fog that follows her is thick here. It feels heavier, familiar in a way that aches. This place hasn’t changed, not really. It’s just grown quieter without her. Her tongue slides across pointed teeth, remembering those early days. Days spent with Jamie and Beyza in the smoke and the shadows. She can feel the burning of regret deep down, churning like bile. She hadn’t allowed herself to wonder what she’d left behind. But she hungers for answers. Hungers for something left behind in the past.  The fog trails behind her, as loyal as her guilt.

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