The effect is instantaneous ; genuine, unguarded curiosity overtakes whatever composure the otherworldly kami’d been wearing. The world may’ve known her radiant and timeless, but in that moment +
- drink. And to eat. . . I'll make it a surprise.❞
A breakfast platter of fried plantains, refried beans, Salvadoran crema and a fried egg. The finest feast for all.
❛ You are very attentive, ❜ she said, the corners of her star-lit eyes crinkling just slightly. The warmth of his words were not lost on her, despite the sudden shift into another language.
❛ …Perhaps, something warm +
+ A strange feeling accompanied the simple assurance, less like hearing someone’s voice and more like . . . standing within it.
❛ It is kind of you to ask. ❜
Her lips curved at that, small but genuine this time, and with it the uncharacteristic dimness to her light . . . steadied. How easily kindness disarmed her.
❛ I am, ❜ the kami answered gently. +
She turns her head slightly toward him, and though her thoughts are elsewhere, her eyes softened.
The glow at her edges smoothed out in response to his attention──always ensuring whatever burdened her did not spill outward.
Little changed concerning the frigid winds, but the dotty rays of light aid in warming the flesh. It offers comfort and hope. Even through her physical being, it remains constant.
That is what draws the attention of the off-duty Gun for hire.
There is something in her chest that would not settle, today. So to the trained eye, her radiance flickers incessantly… much like sunlight caught behind thin clouds would.
She’d endured loss more times than there are stars scattered across the winter sky overhead.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 . . .
Each parting still strikes with the same breath-stealing ache as the very first.