The wood creaked and her keys jangled as she entered her home. Sweeping her eyes, across the barely illuminated house, she smiled. How could she not, it was an amazing thing to see everything. It was as if she had been squinting about for many years and now, finally, a lantern had been thrust into her hands. Now she could see fully and it made her tear up.
Truly she had already cried, warm and happy tears as her boots crunched over the dirt path back to the city. And she couldn't stop smiling as she looked about the Willow, eyes filled with wonder and pure joy as each thing came into view and then seeing Kai followed by Molly and then her sister too. To see their faces, properly and without issue, she nearly started sobbing then and there. But she didn't, that was the last thing she needed: crying in public. In the Willow no less.
Now, as she mounted the stairs, she listened to the shifting and padding as her various pets moved about the upper floors. The peculiar colored fox darted past her long legs and scampered down the stairs to the sitting room. A chuckle escaped her as she watched it go before moving further up into the house. Through a hallway and up another flight of stairs, she was soon stepping into her bedroom.
Rubbing her eyes, she retrieved a pouch from within her satchel and tucked it away into the top drawer of her dresser where a small group of eyepatches was tucked.
"Hopefully I'll never need you all again."
She softly murmured, closing the drawer with a soft thud and stepping over to the bed. Not bothering to change, she draped her scarf over the headboard and kicked off her boots, settling into the clean sheets and closing her eyes. Nestling her face into the pillows, she hummed gently as sleep slowly wrapped its warm arms around her.
Blistering and biting cold air whipped past her as she trudged through the snow and ice-covered city. Her hands tucked deep into her pockets as her scarf covered her mouth and nose, protecting only a part of her face from the bitterness of the winter day. A small book wrapped in leather bindings with a pencil wedged between the pages was tucked beneath her arm as her trudging soon gave way to a slow walk as she entered the city park.
It had been turned into a winter wonderland one might think, at least if they enjoyed the wintertime. She did not. She loathed the cold weather and hated it even more as she set her exhausted eyes on the being that had called her out there.
Dressed warmly and snug in a thick fur cloak and dress, the peculiar deathling of her former wife was observing the icicles that hung from the side of the gazebo.
"I'm here. Happy?"
She heard her own voice croak, muffled and laced with sleeplessness. The rawness of her voice even in a dream still surprised her, but she knew that this was the way it had to be; her mind was reminding her, she reasoned.
"Such a loaded question, my dearest."
An annoyed breath escaped her as she sat down beside her and retrieved the notebook from underneath her arm. Flicking it open to where the pencil was wedged, she lifted it from the pages and began to scribble a few things down. A grunt escaped her as the other leaned against her, resting her pale chin on her shoulder and staring at her with haunting bright blue eyes.
"Have you missed me?"
"Like a southerner misses snow."
"Clever. I surely did miss your rumbled remarks. And your warmth."
The deathling of Eloise curled her hand upwards, touching her fingers over the skin that wasn't hidden beneath the other's scarf.
She felt herself pull away as if she had been burned, eyes narrowing and teeth-baring beneath the scarf. Raising herself upwards, she glowered down at her.
"What? Upset that I'm touching you? Getting in your personal space? You used to love it."
"Used to, that's the key phrase there. I only answered your missive to be polite, I didn't come here to be tortured with past memories. What in the name of Aloria do you want from me?"
Eloise pouted as Seraphina spat these words out at her, her temper clearly rising as her hands balled into fists at her sides. Her illuminated eyes shifting to eye them and a smirk played across her features.
"Ooooh, is there trouble in paradise then?"
"What did you say?"
"So that's a yes then."
"None of your damn business."
"Just make all of this ten times easier for me."
"Wha- Get awa-"
A confused expression appeared on her features as her hands went slack at her sides. Eloise, as Seraphina spoke, had risen from where she sat and moved to grab hold of her scarf. Pulling it down, she pressed her chilled and icy lips to her warm and very clearly living ones.
The kiss, even in dream form, still made her pause and close her eyes. Her hands shifted to take a hold of Eloise's arms, fingers curling tightly around her wrists before shoving her away. Spitting to the side, she shook her hands out and glared.
Eloise merely snorted and grinned, malice clearly present in her illuminated eyes as she slid and bumped into the snow-covered railing. The icicles overhead shifted at the sudden force being knocked into the gazebo they hung from.
"And you say I have a temper."
"Don't come near me. Don't touch me. Don't even fucking look at me."
"So cruel, Seraphina! And all that we've been through together!"
"Bitch."
The woman spat as she scrubbed the back of her hand over her lips, spitting some more and glowering at her.The deathling's lips drew back into a wide cheshire grin as she slinked forward, brushing a bit of her black hair back into place. It had always been a shade of black, but now it was the color of pitch and a starless night sky.
"So crude, so cruel, have you ever thought to consider my heart?"
"What bloody heart? You crushed mine because you didn't have one."
Eloise placed a hand on her chest, taking on a look of mock hurt and shock as she continued to step closer. Seraphina, in turn, began to backpedal, teeth bared and hands clenching once more at her sides."I do have a heart, Seraphina. Just because it no longer beats, doesn't mean I still cannot be hurt by the words that come from those lovely lips of yours. I think I deserve an apology kiss, what do you think?"
"I think I should put you back in the ground."
"Kill me once, shame on me. Kill me twice, shame on you."
Seraphina's boots crunched and then slid slightly as she came to the small stairwell that led back down to the snow-covered path of the park. Glancing over her shoulder, she steadied herself before glaring back at Eloise who had drawn ever closer. Their chest nearly pressed together as the deathling woman leaned closer, illuminated eyes glittering with malice and a demanding gaze.
"Just one mo-"
"Get away from her, you witch!"
A third and familiar voice interrupted Eloise's demand.
Seraphina felt herself being yanked backwards and soon found herself standing beside her wife, Catalina.
The horned ex-possessed mage glared with irritation at the Deathling, sharp nailed hand wrapped tightly and quite possessively around Seraphina's bicep. She glanced slightly in worry towards the larger woman who merely stared at her, expression tired and irritated.
"Oh ho, the great Seraphina has to have her precious Altalar of a wife save her? How delicious!"
"Do you ever shut up?"
"Spirit, no. She just loves hearing her own voice."
"You love hearing it so much more, adm- AH!"
Eloise let out a terrified shout as Catalina suddenly lurched forward, talons bared and eyes glaring.
"CATALINA, NO!"
And before any of them knew what was happening, it was Seraphina who was crying out in pain and stumbling away. Blood dripping down her clawed open face as she pressed a hand to her face before pulling it away. Her palm covered in her own blood as she stared blearily towards her two wives. The swipe that had been intended for Eloise had been taken by poor, protective Seraphina.
"Cat…?"
"Sera- I… Oh S- SERA!"
Her wife's voice grew distant as she found herself suddenly falling through the blackness. Her arms waving and flailing about as she tumbled down through whatever or wherever the dream was taking her. Closing her eyes tightly as she continued to feel the warm dribble of blood trickling over her skin, the dream continued to pull her down and deeper into the pitch blackness.
Soon enough, her back made contact with something firm and she heard the gurgle and bubbling of water. Slowly, her eyes opened and she grimaced as her body ached. Shifting into a sitting position, she looked about the area she had been deposited. The pain and blood were still present, strangely enough. Raising herself slowly to her feet, she pressed her hand to her face once more.
It was a lush filled grotto, but clearly it had been left unattended and nature had taken over once more. An overgrown but still working fountain bubbled a few feet from where she stood and she slowly approached it and sat down on the lip of the fountain.
Lifting her hand slowly away from her clawed open face, she dipped her bloodied hand and non-bloodied hand into the pool of water. Scrubbing the blood off, she watched as it slowly dissipated into the water. Frowning as the pain slowly began to subside, she lifted her hands from the water and gazed at her reflection.
The surface of the water was distorted and rippling causing her reflection to appear contorted and all wrong. However as it began to settle, not two but only one eye gazed back at her in her reflection. The other eye socket remained empty and raw looking, the scars puckered and only recently healed. A slow breath escaped her as her shoulders slouched and she stared at the water.
"What do you seek, Miss Seraphina?"
"To see again. I have long since lost my eye. I want to be able to see the world in all its beauty once more."
"Then you must pray, ask the Spirit."
"Pray? Is it truly that simple?"
"Have faith. The Spirit will provide."
The sound of her own voice caused her to raise her head as she watched through the fountain's water a pair of translucent figures talking across the way. One was most certainly herself and the other a finely dressed woman in purple. She watched as the two stepped away from the fountain and soon disappeared altogether.
Trailing her gaze back down to the water, she smiled as she soon saw that her eye had returned. Two bright sapphires tucked into tanned and scarred skin. Cupping her own chin, she drew her thumbs across her eyes and nodded.
"Thank you."
Her eyes fluttered open as the grotto from her dream faded and she was brought back into the land of the waking. Letting out a slow sigh, she rose from her bed and stepped over to the window. Unlocking it, she opened it wide and stood before it. Lifting her eyes toward the star-filled sky, another smile spread over her features as she leaned forward on the windowsill. A shooting star glittered across the cloudless sky and yet, she did not wish upon it. For all she could have ever wanted was within her grasp, as long as she had a little faith.
