[PRP] The Last True Mouthpiece (Melany & Temperance)

[The Semblance of Unity]

A little suffering never truly hurt anything, she thought, but kept her mouth shut. It wasn't something Temperance would say. "Some people say it builds character, strips away everything but the instinct. But it's kind of my job to make sure people don't really suffer." What brand of suffering had molded this girl into the Spinel Lady?

"They talk about it a lot in ethics class - like when does struggling to live become suffering and stuff like that." She paused, suddenly realizing she'd have to cross back over later one, by herself. The Spinel Lady was one thing, Melany was another entirely.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"It's a good thing to think about," said Melany. "When Ezra got into his accident, I thought about it a lot. He almost died, you know... He was in a coma for almost a month, the burns were so horrid, the doctors all said he wasn't going to make it..." She fell silent for a heartbeat, but started up again once she'd ordered her thoughts. "I had to talk to his moms a lot about what he would've wanted. But I kept thinking about this thing he used to say, what is the difference between morally necessary and morally supererogatory. I still don't know if us keeping him alive all that time was necessary for him or something that we did for ourselves."

She sighed. "Sorry, that was... not good conversation. I don't really get to talk to anyone about it." Melany slanted a glance at Temperance. "I kinda feel like I could tell you anything, but like, if I overstep, let me know?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The difference is an emotional investment, I think. Whatever drives you to hold on, to do more, to hope even when it feels like it's not worth it. And supererogatory doesn't mean bad or prolonged or.." She trailed off. "In the end, I think perhaps any chance is better than giving up." Something Temperance would say; something she believed.

"It really makes you think - how long before your hope means another's suffering?" She shook her head, the flower crown slipping a bit. It was something she thought about a lot; a life for a life. "I don't mind talking about this kind of stuff. It's sobering... but good, you know?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"They said even if he lived, he'd never play again," said Melany. "I wanted them to stop trying then, for a little while." She looked away, tomato-red in the face. "He loves music, you know? He loves listening to it, and writing it, but he loves playing it the most. Even when we were little, he loved it. He used to say he'd rather go completely blind than even half-deaf..."

She reached up on her toes to straighten Temperance's flower crown. "I thought that even if he lived, he'd be unhappy. And I thought it would be better for him to be dead than for him to lose his ability to play... I still kind of do."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She wanted to ask if he could play, but the point was essentially moot. "You were endlessly thinking of him, but you aren't him - there's no way for you to know exactly what he wants. So you chose for him to live. There are a thousand thousand ways to die, Melany, and everyday is a fight against it." Temperance doubted she would take any comfort from a reminder that he could off himself anytime if he was unhappy with living.

Reaching up to touch her flower crown, she smiled a bit. "You didn't chose incorrectly; there wasn't an incorrect choice. Do you think he's truly unhappy now?"

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany sighed. "I know," she said. "I mean, I don't know if he's happy. Or even if he's okay. He won't answer my texts, so I just... left him alone. He'll reach out if he wants to talk to me again."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"How long has it been?" She knew who Ezra was, objectively, though she'd kept her distance. "He can reach out to you, but it's.. it's hard waiting." Temperance swished her skirt back and forth.

"I feel like you're pretty strong, you know."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"Almost four months," said Melany. "He broke up with me in mid-December." She was bummed about it, clearly.

She shrugged. "You think? My mom used to tell me that ballerinas looked pretty like spun glass but, like a swan, could break your arm in three places. I never really felt that way, though."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"The reset," she muttered. It made sense, especially since it seemed as though Ezra remembered and Melany did not. At least the listserv made it seem so.

"I think you don't give yourself enough credit, Melany. Though," she smiled widely. "I'd rather you not break my arm in three places, I need that."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany laughed. "I'll try."

She looked around them at the greyed-out otherworld. "How do we get back? I've only been here the one time..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Thanks." She paused. While she could see ways in, she couldn't really find ways out. Plus, she needed to not pop out at the same point as Melany. The Lady wouldn't mind, but this young thing would. Temperance sighed.

"I don't know. Go try some doorways and see if one boots you back? Unless you think you can magic up a door home. I'm going to try those on the other side of the street."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"I can do that?" Melany frowned. Then she reached out for those dust motes and drew a rough door shape in the air, pushed in the center of it, and--

Huh.

"That worked," she said. "Wow." Melany took a step forward, towards the Ashdown streets, and then stopped. "Suppose I'd better put all this away," she said, trailing off and looking down at her dress. "Want me to do you, too? Or I can preserve it, I think..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

She put her hands to her face, worried she'd feel melting flesh and skeletal cheekbones. But her face seemed as normal - the glamour persisted Temperance breathed out a sigh.

"I think..." she said slowly. "I want to feel pretty at least a while longer. Maybe just the flowers?" Temperance smiled, almost shyly.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany smiled. "Okay," she said, and once her own clothes were back to normal, she reached out to brush her sun-mote magic over Temperance. The gown faded, leaving Temperance in her day clothes. The flower crown persisted, and as they stepped into the mod cloth pop-up, they could smell something heavy like a summer afternoon as a storm rolled off the bay.

"That was fun," she said. "Let's go shopping?"

The Semblance of Unity

and wrap!