Chernobyl

An unconscious stirring in her stomach alerted the shadow to a foreign emotion, something akin to friendship perhaps? She was unsure of how to cope with the feeling and instead turned her frail head away to fix her loose gaze on a small blossom that had somehow escaped winter’s kiss. It was tinged in brown against the pallid white of its petal. It was a strange thing to see and perhaps it helped her to gain a better understanding of Murdock’s incessant anxiety about his own tender weed. Though, it was hard to avoid him, smooth words of confidence stringing her along, despite her sense of unease in his company. Was it Psyche that had embedded this small seed of worry in the pit of her stomach? Or was it the small thread that kept the shadow in the Pegasus’ presence? Whatever her hesitance, it was quickly overthrown in the male’s final decision to stand against the frozen breeze. He was slightly taller than she and when he stretched his large appendages to encase his slender sides, she was slightly amazed. There was just something about him, something that kept her wanting to know more.

“Where is home to you then, oh just and righteous king?” The chuckle that followed seemed a bit more natural this time, as she had grown somewhat fond of his antics. It was in that moment that her thoughts began to churn, twisting and spiraling against the frame of her mind before trying to settle once again in their rightful place. But it would not be so. Instead she remained frazzled, taken aback by the mere image of him. Whatever strange emotions seemed to be broiling beneath the surface were no so easily quelled; despite her desperate attempts to tame them, they simply would not lie still. She stood before him now, clearly exposed and mildly uncomfortable, being that he now stood aloft above her.

On her lips, the words were quick, a mere slip of the tongue that seemed to pass so naturally that she felt at a loss with herself. Her black lips, satin against her yellowed teeth, parted into a playful smirk as condescending as it were upon such languid features. “Fascinating you are…” However, she did not regret this playful nature, this childish part of her that seemed to emerge in his presence. Whatever the cause, she didn’t take much time to delve into its definition, though it seemed that she had taken a liking to this self-proclaimed explorer.

Surprises were now becoming frequent as their banter continued and the minutes seem to spread into hours as smiles and laughter were exchanged. Though, it was not her intention to leave just yet, she was inspired to stay, inspired to learn. “Oh me? I see myself seeking out an explorer to help me investigate new frontiers some years down the road. You wouldn’t happen to know of any… would you?”

But oh, I'm staring at the mess I made
As you turn, you take your heart and walk away