Sample: Dance With Me?
Quite the grand occasion this wedding was turning out to be. Penelo had received an invitation by virtue of being a friend of the bride, and while she'd come to understand that the couple in question was royalty in their world, she couldn't turn down the offer so sweetly made. Thus she'd come, not dressed in the finery of the native Gaians, but closer to what native Dalmascans wore. Perhaps the choice was unsuited for the cooler climate of Gaia compared to her desert homeland, but familiar mode of dress made her feel more at home.
Rosa looked so beautiful and the adoration she held for her new husband shone in her eyes, lighting up her fair face. A wistful smiled settled onto Penelo's lips. Where once she would have privately envied her friend's good fortune, now there was little more than a pang of regret for dreams that would never be. No longer was she the young orphan swept off her feet by a sky pirate's gallantry, or even the fledgling sky pirate's partner with dreams of a quiet life on the ground. Her hair was longer, her face more mature, the world her home. Chasing behind Vaan to keep him in line consumed her daily life, and childhood daydreams of settling down and having a family were years forgotten now. For Penelo, it was just as good to share in another's joy.
The newlyweds were fully engrossed with each other, in their own little world as they shared their first dance. Penelo felt the voyeur watching them, and thus glanced away, taking in the guests present. Many of the faces she knew, others she did not. Among one of the unfamiliar was an attractive man, whose gaze lay upon Rosa and Cecil, yet bore an expression of melancholy. With a nod to herself as she decided to act, she crossed the room to approach him. Introductions were made, and when she heard who she was, she recalled being told of Edward losing the love of his life.
Rather than scold or nag him for bringing sadness into such a happy occasion, Penelo was moved to compassion and did not mention what she knew about the prince and his past. "A few years ago, I lost someone I cared about very much. I'd lost so many already to the plague and then the war. It felt like my whole world had been ripped out from underneath me. Knowing that you have to be strong, that you can't change the past, that you need to move on is hard. Sometimes it feels impossible. But I found a way."
"How?" he asked her. It did feel impossible to him. Each day was a new day without Anna. Another day not worth the living.
"I danced." Simple as that. It'd been with considerable pushing from the others, and she cried as her heart had broken all over again, but she'd gone through the steps, until she finally moved past the pain and lost herself in the joy of moving.
She extended her hand in invitation, head canting to the side with a small smile to follow. "Dance with me?"
Rosa looked so beautiful and the adoration she held for her new husband shone in her eyes, lighting up her fair face. A wistful smiled settled onto Penelo's lips. Where once she would have privately envied her friend's good fortune, now there was little more than a pang of regret for dreams that would never be. No longer was she the young orphan swept off her feet by a sky pirate's gallantry, or even the fledgling sky pirate's partner with dreams of a quiet life on the ground. Her hair was longer, her face more mature, the world her home. Chasing behind Vaan to keep him in line consumed her daily life, and childhood daydreams of settling down and having a family were years forgotten now. For Penelo, it was just as good to share in another's joy.
The newlyweds were fully engrossed with each other, in their own little world as they shared their first dance. Penelo felt the voyeur watching them, and thus glanced away, taking in the guests present. Many of the faces she knew, others she did not. Among one of the unfamiliar was an attractive man, whose gaze lay upon Rosa and Cecil, yet bore an expression of melancholy. With a nod to herself as she decided to act, she crossed the room to approach him. Introductions were made, and when she heard who she was, she recalled being told of Edward losing the love of his life.
Rather than scold or nag him for bringing sadness into such a happy occasion, Penelo was moved to compassion and did not mention what she knew about the prince and his past. "A few years ago, I lost someone I cared about very much. I'd lost so many already to the plague and then the war. It felt like my whole world had been ripped out from underneath me. Knowing that you have to be strong, that you can't change the past, that you need to move on is hard. Sometimes it feels impossible. But I found a way."
"How?" he asked her. It did feel impossible to him. Each day was a new day without Anna. Another day not worth the living.
"I danced." Simple as that. It'd been with considerable pushing from the others, and she cried as her heart had broken all over again, but she'd gone through the steps, until she finally moved past the pain and lost herself in the joy of moving.
She extended her hand in invitation, head canting to the side with a small smile to follow. "Dance with me?"