With shortness of breath // open+intro // you explained the infinite

[vellichor]

THE MOON'S WATCHING OVER— Maybe she hoped the monotony of it all would make it hurt less. Every day she did the same exact thing. She got up, carefully pulled her hair up, put on a dress that covered her legs, along with stockings that would hide the vine-like marks on them, and go out the door. Her dresses weren't anything particularly special for her, she'd been forced to dress in such a way from when she was young. Her family was well known and influential and they wouldn't have a daughter running around dressed as a hooligan, as her mother would say. She would've preferred pants then but, at some point, she had resigned to what they said and even now, in her adulthood, she fell into their habits. She wore pants if she was planning on doing anything particularly athletic but given she visited the church almost everyday, she preferred more formal wear.

When it was warm out, she would stop and tend to the flowers. She knew she could make them grow even in the cold but then there would be suspicion. Eliora adored flowers of all sorts and it was one of the few hobbies she'd kept even following her husband's death and her daughter's abduction. Even if she was the only one in their great, empty house now, she couldn't bear to let the garden go to waste. So she still tended to it dutifully. That and church kept her sane even in her grief. It'd been a long time now since she'd heard of her husband's death in the line of duty. That had even been just after her daughter was born and she was two- no. With the time that she'd been gone, she'd be three now. Still, Eliora never missed a week of visiting his grave and leaving fresh flowers before visiting the church to light a candle and pray that her daughter would someday be brought to safety. Eliora knew that it was dangerous for someone such as herself to live in Griffingate but it didn't always feel dangerous. Her family had become established and they were safe. All that was shattered now. Perhaps before they'd taken everything from her, she would've considered siding with the rebels but she knew she was safer here. Even if her family was gone, she still had stability and a respectable reputation that kept her from too much scrutiny.

So, today was like every other. The woman made her way into the same church she always found herself in. She lit her candle and breathed the same prayer she did every single day. "Please bring my little one home and, if You can't, then please grant her safety-" It was the same thing every single day. Today, though, she lingered in the church standing before the tiny candle. She still grasped a few flowers in her hands, despite having already visited Vincent's grave earlier this week. She felt tears building in her eyes and she let out a shivering breath as she leaned down and placed them by the alter. "Happy birthday, dear," she murmured, her words barely audible. She rose a hand to wipe her eyes, taking a few steady breaths. She told herself she'd only stay a few more moments to compose herself before leaving to look through the market. She needed something to distract herself today but she'd let herself feel the pain now. —YOU AND YOUR DREAMS

"SPEECH"

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