Thread: //.ghost/ECHO::Murphy_Was_Right:// [ClockworkCadence x Ryees]

RE .ghostECHOMurphyWasRight Blue, green, black. Little green, black. Mostly just black. Infinite, endless black. Yet every once in a while, a pop of color faded in. Not quite vibrant or spectacular by any means, but it held a muted beauty to it. There was a mini fireworks display going on, and she was the only one who was lucky enough to watch its splendor. A sound. There was an indistinguishable noise that invaded her silent show, but what it could have been was anyones guess. Not that she caredshe wanted to just stay here. Enjoy the silence, the color, the Hand. The last bit of color looked like a hand. Soft and gentle, with a little diamond ring, its lower left prong slightly bent off to the right. It was a ring shed seen on the pale countertop as the hand chopped vegetables. It was a ring shed seen while a Sunday-and-flowers sort of laugh floated through the air, ringing with a simple grace like the chimes outside the window. It was a ring shed seen shining brilliantly, even though its background was hospital sheets and pallid skin. It was a ring shed seen even when the hand no longer moved. Mom. Mom. There she was, painting the mountains she always wanted to explore. It was a bright morning, with all of the windows and curtains opened because she loved the breeze and the natural light. How many paintings did she do, just like that? In her old sundress spotted with red the color of the strawberries she grew outside, with green like the grass stains she always managed to get on her jeans? There she was, lying in her bed, enjoying some of her favorite pieces of music, smiling even though she was too sick to do much else. Her laptop on her stomach, her head and torso propped up with too many pillows because she liked how squishy and comfortable it all felt. Waltz No. 2 was always one of her favoritesit had that proper yet saucy and fun feeling, as she described it. There she was, unresponsive and cold, the flatline a high-pitched drone that seemed to drag on for years after it ended. Shed worn her favorite socks that day, the ones with the cat faces on them. It was over before anyone was ready for itshed whispered I love you, and then left her broken body behind. Left Lyra behind, head buried in her mothers chest, hands gripping her shoulders as if she could hold her soul down, tell it to just wait one more year, one more day, one more second . Just not now. Not now. She wouldnt let anyone come near her. If she did that, that meant it was all over. That would mean she accepted this, and that couldnt be further from the truth. Theyd take her awaytheyd take it all away. Their movie marathons, their weekend smoothies, their nights of music-sharing. Everything. So she kept them away. She didnt know how long it had taken for them to give up and leave, or how long shed stood there afterwards, her eyes still hidden from the world she didnt want to face anymore, clinging to someone she tried so hard to save. She would have stayed there forever if it meant she didnt have to face reality. Yet she only stayed there until the world wasnt there anymoreat least, not the world she knew. The perfume scent of vanilla and roses faded. The cold skin under her hands disappeared. And when those bloodshot eyes opened, she discovered her reality didnt want to face her anymore, either. For a moment, she just stood there, taking in the odd sensations, the dark sky, the place that looked like her world but just felt off. Then the question came. Where am I? Wait. Where? .DUALITY snapped back to reality, her body darting upward as vertigo once again threatened to drag her under. A sharp popping sound made her jump to her feet, her head still whirling with spikes of pain as her gaze locked onto the man with a gun, lying on the ground littered with .WRAITH bodies. Somehow through it all, she was still alive. But unfortunately, he was too. Unsteady footsteps carried her closer, emeralds locked onto the pale aquamarines exploring the sky. Her first instinct was that the threat of .WRAITHS was goneshe could kill him without interruption now. Yet was it really gone? They were still lost in the middle of the badlands, an unknown distance away from any .ECHO that could bring them to safety, and it would take at least an hour for either of them to be able to create another .ECHO since they just recently traveled through one. .WRAITHS wouldnt normally be an issue, but wounded as bad as they both were? She carefully laid her knife down on the ground at her feet, the tip pointing in his direction in a mixed signal of a temporary cease-fire. With a heavy sigh, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her resolve burning dully behind her eyes. Were not done. Im not done. Her tone was blunt, matter-of-fact as she stared at him, assessing his reaction. But unless we both want to die out here, we need to watch each others back. I know damn well I wouldnt have survived without you, but that same fact is true vice versa. If one of us goes downwith these wounds?hah, the other would be lucky to get farther than a few hundred feet, at most. Leather boots scuffed across the earth towards him, a rough hand outstretching in a fragile truce. So, .LAPLACE . Im willing to cooperate if you are. Just until we're able to open another .ECHO and get the hell out of here.