To Talk With the Ocean (( belated day of the dead story! ))
((For anyone following Cristianno's posts, this comes after Day of the Dead:Ghosts and before Final Chapter because I am slow sometimes!))
Part of his hair had dried blue, there were still streaks of purple and red on his neck, his torso, even one across the bridge of his nose. Her hand print rested on his chest, faded but still so very visible. She'd cleaned herself up once they were done while he'd fallen asleep. Her fingers shifted now feather light over his profile and into his short, spiky hair, soft and silky and so pale that only the faintest warmth in it's color made it something other than white.
He shifted a little, seeking her in his sleep perhaps, but she'd tucked a pillow there in her place and padded silently from the cabin once she was certain he was sleeping. She packed something with her, tucked beneath her arm. At the railing she unrolled it and let it drop, watching it hover a few inches above the deck before she held a hand out to coax it higher.
She climbed atop the blue carpet, cloak pulled tight about her for she had no robe and little in the way of clothing here. They did not soar up into the sky but passed over the railing and down, down to the water below. For long minutes she stared at that blue expanse, gazing down as if she could see their faces there beneath the waves.
A reflection of moonlight, one pale, silver sliver, drew her attention back to now. Her fingertips brushed the surface of the water, dipped in to capture those salty, crystaline droplets on her fingertips.
"I know you're here," she said so softly.
"I know you're always with him. Even when he's not on the water."
"But I wish I could see you."
"I don't know if you would like me or not... I hope you would. And I just... I wanted... I wanted you to know that I love him and I won't ever hurt him or leave him. That I'll take care of him. And I'll do a good job and I'll give him everything that I ever can. I won't try to change him or make him do anything he doesn't want to do. And I'll do my best to keep him safe and happy and... he'll be so loved. As long as I'm alive he'll know it too. He will always, always know that. And I just... I just wanted you to know that... this isn't fake and it's not a crush, that I'm not here just because he's the captain of his own ship or because he's dashing and beautiful. I love him. Without all of that, I love him. I always will."
"And I'm sorry that you're not here. But I hope... I hope, I hope... I hope it will be easier for you with me here. And if it's not, I'm sorry but I promise I won't mess up. I love him, flaws and friends who don't like me and all. I love him. Please be ok with that."
"Please, please, please."
Such a soft, wavering sigh left her lips then and for the longest time she simply knelt atop her carpet with her head bowed and listened to the ocean. And when the breeze finally began to stir her hair she lifted her head and plucked a rose from it's coppery lengths and placed it so carefully in the water for the mother-in-law she would never know.
Part of his hair had dried blue, there were still streaks of purple and red on his neck, his torso, even one across the bridge of his nose. Her hand print rested on his chest, faded but still so very visible. She'd cleaned herself up once they were done while he'd fallen asleep. Her fingers shifted now feather light over his profile and into his short, spiky hair, soft and silky and so pale that only the faintest warmth in it's color made it something other than white.
He shifted a little, seeking her in his sleep perhaps, but she'd tucked a pillow there in her place and padded silently from the cabin once she was certain he was sleeping. She packed something with her, tucked beneath her arm. At the railing she unrolled it and let it drop, watching it hover a few inches above the deck before she held a hand out to coax it higher.
She climbed atop the blue carpet, cloak pulled tight about her for she had no robe and little in the way of clothing here. They did not soar up into the sky but passed over the railing and down, down to the water below. For long minutes she stared at that blue expanse, gazing down as if she could see their faces there beneath the waves.
A reflection of moonlight, one pale, silver sliver, drew her attention back to now. Her fingertips brushed the surface of the water, dipped in to capture those salty, crystaline droplets on her fingertips.
"I know you're here," she said so softly.
"I know you're always with him. Even when he's not on the water."
"But I wish I could see you."
"I don't know if you would like me or not... I hope you would. And I just... I wanted... I wanted you to know that I love him and I won't ever hurt him or leave him. That I'll take care of him. And I'll do a good job and I'll give him everything that I ever can. I won't try to change him or make him do anything he doesn't want to do. And I'll do my best to keep him safe and happy and... he'll be so loved. As long as I'm alive he'll know it too. He will always, always know that. And I just... I just wanted you to know that... this isn't fake and it's not a crush, that I'm not here just because he's the captain of his own ship or because he's dashing and beautiful. I love him. Without all of that, I love him. I always will."
"And I'm sorry that you're not here. But I hope... I hope, I hope... I hope it will be easier for you with me here. And if it's not, I'm sorry but I promise I won't mess up. I love him, flaws and friends who don't like me and all. I love him. Please be ok with that."
"Please, please, please."
Such a soft, wavering sigh left her lips then and for the longest time she simply knelt atop her carpet with her head bowed and listened to the ocean. And when the breeze finally began to stir her hair she lifted her head and plucked a rose from it's coppery lengths and placed it so carefully in the water for the mother-in-law she would never know.