decoysouled

[decoysouled]

GOODNESS SO EASILY FADED — within the confines of an eternity, even the kindest of things could become nought but a tool for one's self-destruction; a festering wound that could not be stitched up with any amount of love or joy. In the end, every good thing ( every joyful moment, every beautiful memory, every ounce of love they held ) would slip through his fingers like grains of sand pouring out of an hourglass.

At the end of the journey, the universe would await him with open arms & those he once cherished would be lost to time. That is the destiny of one who lives too long.

( that is the fate bestowed upon me by the divine. )

❝His happiness is important to me.❞ & Aether does not allow himself to ponder the weight of those words, for there are few things of importance that he holds on to quite so tightly:

the memory of a sister bathed in shadows standing on the edge of a cataclysm as she walked away from him;

the gaze of an aeon who allowed him to stand at THEIR side & walk unknown worlds until THEY no longer existed at all & the remnants left behind;

a smile that rivalled the brightest of suns & did not wither beneath the weight of suffering, a cup of warm tea & the stars pulsating outside the windows of a train that could soar through every distant sky.

❝If he's happiest around me, then I'll treasure it.❞ He would sculpt a memory of tenderness like nothing else & allow its visage to haunt his dreams until it faded from his mind entirely, a precious shard of the past lovingly guarded well into the future that awaited him. ❝The happiness of the express crew... I'll protect it, so long as THEIR will is carried in those hearts. Kaveh included.❞

( & even when the meaning of my existence fades to dust, his happiness will remain close to my heart. )

❝I'll ask him about dinner someday.❞ When the time feels right & he does not find himself itching to return to a home he no longer remembers or walk amidst the edges of worlds fading to ash. ❝Maybe he'll let me help, I'm not all that hopeless in the kitchen.❞ If he could provide even the slightest bit of assistance, it would be worth everything to him.

❝You're right, you know? He deserves good things for himself.❞ There is a softness in those words, a ghost of fondness dousing them. ❝But that means having someone who can prioritise him. I'm happy being his friend, no matter what, but the path I follow in THEIR footsteps is one that will lead me away from him until the day comes that I find what I'm searching for.❞

( i seek the remnants of THEIR will, scattered throughout the universe, or confirmation of their death & the remnants left behind by fate. )

❝My feelings... They hardly matter at all when faced with the choice to stay at his side or continue my journey. My decision would never be fair to him.❞ For the trailblaze was seared into his bones & staying had never been an option.

❝... Do you really think I make him that happy?❞

He doesn't mean for this to be a trap. The thought had been setting on his mind for a few days. He had seen how warm and gentle Aether seemed to be around Kaveh when he wandered out of the back cars to the parlor car. He had seen how the engineer had once pined over the navigator before Aether had joined up. It was funny to see the engineer's silly crush on one person turn into an infatuation.

And he had also seen his sketchbook.

"For someone who makes good chai and has lived two hundred years, I do think that he could stand to have something good for himself. After he lost his parents and lost nearly everything, it's nice to see him so happy." He points out, almost pointedly. "And he's always the happiest, i've noticed, around you. But like you said, you talk often."

But he can tell that there's something there, the way that Aether speaks about him.

"You should ask him about having dinner sometime. He likes to cook for those he cares about, it's....nice to see him light up about food he loves. He would cook with his mom, it's a love language for him."

[decoysouled]

when i have the energy i am going to write a post abt that myriad celestia, it has been rent free all day

[decoysouled]

IF HE HAD KNOWN THIS WAS THE TRAP SET FOR HIM, Aether would have reconsidered this entire trip — for as much as he enjoys having someone to travel with, discussing his feelings with people had not been a strength of his. Perhaps once, at the start of his travels throughout the universe, he had worn his heart on his sleeve, but those days had long since passed.

He barely remembers that person: the one who didn't bury sorrow beneath optimism & let love guide him.

In the end, even his passion for travel had twisted into a need to keep on moving, never truly staying in one place for longer than he must, never forming a connection, never straying from the forced happiness that consumed his soul.

Even a heart that bled with love must be steeled against loss & he had learned that lesson long ago, on a world where his sister walked away from him & the stars did not shine like they once did.

( how little they remember of those days aside from the way being left behind had felt more like a stab wound than an ache. )

❝I didn't think interrogating me about my feelings was one of your preferred ways to pass the time.❞ Then again, maybe it was to be expected, for it was only natural for a person to busy themselves with the company kept by their loved ones — even if he didn't particularly enjoy people being invested in his personal life.

The defensiveness of his tone made that clear, as did the way Aether had taken to fiddling with the ends of the bow adorning his wrist as if to distract himself, or alleviate the void of discomfort in his chest.

( when did feelings become so difficult? )

❝I didn't know that was how you met them. It sounds nice.❞ A shake of his head accompanies the sentence, & there is a part of him that welcomes the deviation, the removal of srcutiny ( however temporary ) was appreciated. ❝Lucky, even: to meet someone like that. The chances of running into someone you knew in another life are pretty low, I imagine.❞

( or perhaps it was fate's design. )

❝You're right that he's an incredible engineer. I think... that I was lucky to meet him & have the chance to see his work on the express.❞ All of those plans to improvements that would outlast him... Aether could listen to Kaveh talk about it for hours, even if he didn't necessarily understand much about it.

❝There's not really much to wonder about. Kaveh & I talk plenty. It's no secret.❞ After all, it had been easier to keep a watchful eye over the crew if he wasn't a stranger to them, & while that had been part of allowing Kaveh into his life, Aether hadn't been prepared for the space he would fill in his life — one he hadn't even known was there. ❝He makes good chai.❞

( i can be myself around him in ways i haven't existed in too many lifetimes to count. )

❝We really are just friends.❞ It's a weak argument, for friends did not act the way the two of them did, but it was easier than facing the truth: that he yearned for the love of someone he couldn't have. That he had let someone back in after so many years of hiding away from that same thing.

( i doubt he looks at me the way i look at him. )

❝My eyes linger on him because he's pretty... admirable.❞ The thought that he is a fighting a losing battle goes unspoken.

Alhaitham knows many things, and one of them is how Kaveh acts. He knows how he acts around Decima, Alhaitham's partner. He knows how Kaveh acts when his feelings are being wrestled with; when the blond engineer looks far too long when he thinks no one's looking. He knows Decie's caught it if he has. And he knows exactly who those affections are seeming to be aimed toward.

But of course, Kaveh isn't someone who voices his heart immediately. If ever.

"Yes, actually. Since we're out in the middle of nowhere, might as well pass the time." He shrugs as he listens. Alhaitham raises an eyebrow when Aether talks. To ignore the obvious and then just deny it vehemently? How interesting, indeed.

"Did I ever tell you how I met my partner?" He takes a seat under a large tree. "Well, technically....I've met them in my past life." He doesn't want to mention the sword that his partner wields....that's a story for another day. "Decie found me while I was skulking around the Xianzhou looking for Kaveh, actually. He's a brilliant engineer, was looking for someone to fix my earpieces." He leans back.

"It's funny. You say all of that, but your gaze lingers on him more often than not. And it's also funny, because he does the same with you. So I was wondering if you both were talking in secret."

[decoysouled]

Hope everyone's having a lovely day <3

[decoysouled]

♡ / @divineingenuitys

THAT QUESTION IS ONE HE CANNOT ANSWER — the true answer is elusive, the defining lines of relationships long-since blurred. In some regards, Aether could say Kaveh was a friend, someone he could confide in without expectation & an ally he could trust to be at his side when needed. In others, he is a member of the express & thus, he is Aether's responsibility, just as the others are.

It is his duty to watch over those who carry on THEIR will, to allow them to experience their journeys & to embark on his own, just as he did eons ago. A guiding hand, a kind presence, not a saviour nor a friend.

❝Is that really a question I have to answer?❞ Aether's smile fades into something that is slightly softer — its difficult, really, not to allow fondness into his expression when it comes to discussions of Kaveh. He sees no real need to hide that. ❝Kaveh is... someone who finds me, since you're so certain he will.❞

There are few people who can, these days, for it is easy to hide in the brightness of burning stars & to let stardust be the only marker he had ever been somewhere. It was easy, to Aether, to hide away from the rest of the universe.

Yet, Kaveh was not someone he ever felt the need to shy away from.

❝More than that, he's a valued member of the Nameless. So long as he travels with the Astral Express, he's mine to watch over.❞ He does not mention that some days, Kaveh is the sole reason he returns to the express, & he does not dare say that he is a treasured companion. Those sentiments are for someone who doesn't have a path to follow throughout the stars.

( but they are mine nonetheless. )

❝He's one of few who now carries out THEIR will, exploring beyond the known universe & forging a path amidst the stars, & I respect that. As a member of the crew, I would say he's... a good travel companion. There's not much more to our relationship than that.❞ The lie feels bitter on his tongue. He says it anyway.

He's grown used to that over the years.

[decoysouled]

♡ / @flamechased

PERHAPS ONCE, there was the strength to steel his heart & persevere through the darkest of hours. Perhaps once, he would not have given in to the way rage festered within him as if it was slowly carving out a home for itself — taking joy & love & laughter from him piece by piece & replacing it with sorrow & grief & hollowness that could not be shrugged off.

Phainon leans into her touch, as if it is the only thing left to ground him, a hand moving to grasp her wrist gently, as if to make sure that he isn't simply imagining things. As if to feel a pulse.

❝Memories... can't match up to the original.❞ There is a weariness in his voice, a tone of defeat that could not go unnoticed — as if he yearns to finally rest & nothing more. ❝The person you remember is gone.❞

Because while Phainon may stand alive, █████ has long-since become merely another victim to the Black Tide, replaced by a hero who could not protect a single soul.

❝█████ is dead, Cyrene. I'm just... the shadow that remains.❞ His words are soft, measured, as if he is merely delivering bad news to her rather than renouncing that carefree person he once had been. As if he hadn't been the one to put that child to rest & let anger consume him until nothing could be salvaged but hollowness.

❝I'm not the person you remember & I'm not stronger than this. You know that as well as I do.❞ All of this has been for nothing. Every sacrifice has been in vain. ❝I can't keep watching the people I love die while I stand idly by.❞

There must be something he can do, some way to escape this fate. Some way to rip the world to shreds.

[decoysouled]

♡ / @divineingenuitys

PERHAPS HE WAS RIGHT, in some way, that Aether had a tendency to worry too much — he has never been good at watching people fade away with open wounds or vanish when they should be within his reach. Even now, with Kaveh's return, Aether cannot help but fret over the way his chest has been slashed open following his sudden return.

After so long of being gone, he can't help but think this outcome is better than what he had expected his ( friend? companion? ) — Kaveh's fate to have been.

❝That's not the comfort you think it is.❞ Aether's words are gentle, caution taken not to sound as if he is scolding Kaveh. ❝You can tell me not to worry all you want, but I think I'm being reasonable, considering you're bleeding.❞ There is a gentle light that blossoms in the palm of his hand, one which he settles over Kaveh's, above the wound.

While he has never been good at healing, there is no harm in attempting to purify it in case any sort of corruption ( whether from a stellaron or something else ) is present.

❝I might be here now, but I should have been down there with you.❞ He can't help but wish he had been able to change this outcome. Amphoreus... It seems this world is far more dangerous than he had first thought. ❝We should deal with your chest before you continue with this line of thought. There's only so much I can do to help.❞

( & it is never enough. )

[decoysouled]

unprompted asks // always accepting // @divineingenuitys. "I had this dream. It was like....I was speaking to myself. I was older, more...I looked different. Like I didn't belong here." Kaveh muses. "This isn't my first life, is it? That me in my dream, he said that I was reborn into this world. And that he loved..." Rose colored irises focus in. "How long have you known?"

A TOWER OF LIES WAS DESTINED TO TOPPLE EVENTUALLY — even if his omission was not borne out of something malicious, Phainon's deception was likely clear now that Kaveh had come to discover the truth for himself. Even in this world, painstakingly sculpted from the Okhema of his memory, it seems that the things he wanted were still far away.

Still intangible. Still unreachable.

There is a part of him that finds itself gripped by fear, the sort that is near-paralysing — for would he not lose Kaveh, now that everything was out in the open? Would that trust he had been given not fade, now that it had been broken? Would that love not vanish, now that it was revealed it was built on a life that Kaveh did not know?

If love was destined to be an open wound in the depths of his heart, then he would welcome it with open arms.

They are questions that rest on the tip of his tongue, yet Phainon ( not the worldbearer who burned for creation's sake, not the nameless hero who sacrificed in vain, not the carefree child who wished to protect all he held dear ) finds himself unable to ask, the words stuck in his mouth as if he has swallowed a tablespoon of honey.

It's rather sudden, this feeling of unease, yet familiar all the same.

❝I...❞ He takes a moment, eyes downcast in an attempt to avoid the gaze of his companion, as if hiding would absolve him of his wrongdoing. Even burning could not cleanse him of destruction, of grief, & he wonders why he ever believed it to be a possibility at all. ❝It isn't, no. This is your second life, as far as I know.❞

( you died he does not say. you died & it was my fault. your life was a sacrifice & it was in vain. )

❝In that life, you came from beyond the sky.❞ Phainon's words are quiet, as if he's uncertain of what to stay — as if he awaits judgement at the end of this, as if he expects to face Kaveh's ire. ❝You travelled with a train that went between stars, from what I learned of you. You were-❞ Beautiful. Otherworldly.

( you were everything i wish i could have been back then. )

❝You were someone I held dear.❞ He settles for, that gentle sorrow drowning his voice, yet ultimately, a tint of fondness leaks through. ❝I didn't realise I loved you until...❞ you were already gone.

Until there was nothing to love but ashes.

❝You were reborn, in some ways. This world... Can it even be called such a thing?❞ He isn't so sure, for it is a construct purely borne of the mind, in which shadows did not fade & suns were destined to burn. ❝All of this is just a memory. Even Okhema itself. Even you.❞

& it was painful: the way he was forever stuck in time, with the places & people he once adored, yet unable to let go of that past.

❝I've known this entire time.❞ Phainon's admission is hesitant, his voice small, as if afraid of being met with fury or hatred or accusations of betrayal. All of which would be more than fair, even if they would carve open what little happiness remained in his heart. ❝This world is built from my memories, even if it isn't quite the same.❞

& it never would be, not really, because the world he loved was gone & so were the people he once knew.

❝I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It was selfish of me, but I wanted a chance at a peaceful life by your side. To be the worldbearer, the one who remembers... is impossibly lonely, so when I saw you- standing there like you said you would be. I needed to speak with you, even just one last time.❞

( i needed to carve you into my memory once more before you faded away. )

[decoysouled]

EPIC: THE ITHACA SAGA change pronouns as needed!

i'd rather lie than allow them to think they've won.

i never thought i'd resort to this.

i don't know how much longer i'll last.

it was far from the norm.

could it be some kind of sign?

is it finally time?

i'll be here, buying you time.

time is fleeting.

time to be the man of the house.

let the arrow fly.

i'd rather die than grow old without the best of you.

i would not have it any other way.

i never thought that it would end like this.

i'll be here waiting.

we've been here for hours.

can't you see we're being played?

haven't you noticed who's missing?

i heard he's on a diplomatic mission.

channel the fire inside your soul.

i've suffered every punishment and pain.

i have had enough.

we have the advantage.

somewhere in the shadows lurks an agile, deadly foe.

we've the numbers and the might.

you don't understand it.

this man plans for every fight.

keep your head down.

the odds can be tilted.

you don't think i know my own palace? i built it.

our leader is dead.

the rest of us are no longer a threat.

let's have open arms, instead.

he's more cunning than i assumed.

let's make the bastard rot.

throw down those weapons, and i'll ensure you'll be spared.

i don't want to hurt you.

i've come prepared.

your very presence has doomed him.

come and arm yourself.

mercy? mercy?

my mercy has long since drowned.

all of you are going to die.

you've filled my heart with hate.

i've dreamt of how i'd greet you.

i can't find the words.

i wish i could show you.

i never could outgrow you.

how time has flown.

i'd make the storm clouds cry for you.

i'd capture wind and sky for you.

i'm finally home.

how i've longed to see you.

i'll be there in a moment.

is it you?

have my prayers been answered?

am i dreaming once more?

you look different.

your eyes look tired.

is it really you, my love?

i am not the love you knew before.

would you fall in love with me again?

i know that you've been waiting.

what kinds of things did you do?

i traded friends like objects i could use.

all of it was to bring me back to you.

i am not the person you knew.

could you do me a favor?

a symbol of our love everlasting.

do you realize what you have asked me?

i will fall in love with you over and over again.

no matter how long it's been, you're mine.

don't tell me you're not the same person.

how long has it been?

[decoysouled]

IN PIECES ( sentence starters from the musical by joey contreras )

YOU NEVER KNOW

"You know, some of them scare me."

"Sometimes, it's easy to fall apart and run."

"I'm done with making excuses to say that I'm not the one."

"You never know until you take a step, maybe a leap."

"You never know until you make a choice."

"One little moment could change a day."

"You never know until you say hello."

"You never know how it's gonna be."

"I wanna give you my all."

ME AND MR. POPULARITY

"Me, surprisingly, I'm doing great."

"For me this is the closest thing to having a friend."

"Sometimes he waves to me on the street."

"That's only when there's no one in sight."

"It's fine, I understand my role."

BLOOM

"Unless you're regretting this whole date thing?"

"First dates are allowed to be awkward."

"Let's enjoy each other's company."

"I'm not tryna play games."

"You're charming. That's dangerous."

"Whoa, wait, so now I'm giving off serial killer vibes?"

"It's just dating can feel so high stakes."

"We could start getting a little bit closer, going beyond what's on paper."

"Unexpected life can happen when you make room."

"Keeping up the composure, but probably not for much longer."

"Being with you seems a little dangerous."

"Hit by a car right as we're finding love."

"I promise I'm not hearing wedding bells."

"I mean, we barely know each other."

OHIO

"I should have known it right away."

"I felt it when you walked inside the room."

"What is it you're doing to me?"

"I kind of have it all made up in my mind."

THIS IS NOT ME

"How are you today?"

"Deep down I feel that maybe we are real."

"I'm the one who's surviving."

LIKE YOU DON'T MISS ME

"Run and tell everyone how you've gone and moved on."

"Once upon a time you had my heart."

ANOTHER NEW YORK LOVE STORY

"There's too many people around."

"We kind of look like zombies."

"Why are we all here so late?"

"Part of me wants to thank you."

"Let's quickly get to the goodbyes."

"This city's full of you."

"Holding onto fear only makes me more insane."

"There are things I'd never tell you 'cause you wouldn't understand."

LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT

"What you don't know is that I would do anything for you."

"Stop being so afraid to let our love become more."

"I won't let you down."

"You can think what you want."

"You don't see all I'm giving away."

"I'm asking for you to stay."

SINGIN' THE SAME LINE

"We did it again, let 'em back in."

"Why do we act like it's fine?"

"If we keep going back then they've won."

IN PIECES

"I can't keep skipping through this life."

"This won't last forever and our lives are only passing through."

"Could I be more than another person off your list to do?"

"Can we only love in pieces?"

"I'm tired of closing each chapter all on my own."

"A warm bed doesn't mean I'm not alone."

"I'm not saying I'm incomplete."

"How are we constantly just chasing a momentary high?"

"We all need a connection."

"I'm worth more than pieces."

FORK IN THE ROAD

"I'm having a hard time lately."

"Maybe it's because of you."

"I'm on a path that's changing."

[decoysouled]

❝If not me, then who else would be?❞ Who else would bear the weight of the world as divine duty until they were crushed beneath it? Who else could hollow themselves out until they were merely a vessel for the wishes of the people? Who else would become a hero: a tool moulded by suffering, a burning sun in the sky above, a deliverer? There was no one else.

Only him. It had only ever been him.

❝After all, humour helps people feel more at ease.❞ & he had found solace in it, some days: in friendly rivalries & teasing & the type of laughter that let him forget, for just a moment, the weight of a past he could not forget nor forsake.

❝There's a lot about me that's changed, whether you see it or not. I'm not the person you once knew.❞ For he is no longer that carefree child who played in the forest & practised swordplay by the sea. He hasn't been in a long time & he isn't sure he's capable of becoming that person again, of letting his sorrow fall from his shoulders. ❝& I'm sure you must have changed, too.❞

For nothing could stay the same except illusions & memories, the sort of which had haunted him for a long time.

❝There's no need for you to carry my burdens, Cyrene.❞ His voice is soft, despite his insistence & the stubbornness that was likely to follow, & he wonders when that had changed — when he had become full of harsher edges before she returned to this place, standing before him like a mirage of better days.

❝This weight is mine to carry & I'll continue to hold onto it.❞ Until the day I am finally buried beneath it. ❝I can handle it, don't worry.❞

"And I suppose that has to be you." She can tell something's wrong, though as if she doesn't know. In this realm, at least, he has no idea how she craves to pull him from the strings of fate. She's done so much to protect him as much as she can; even from outside the walls of the simulation. She drops her hand to gently pat his cheek. "You're still the same person you were all those years ago. If only for a moment, let me carry some of that weight."

[decoysouled]

❝One of us has to be the funny one.❞ If only because falsified happiness is the only way to continue forward on his path, the one where he has grown up due to loss & not learning — where he towers over an old friend, yet feels impossibly small in the grand scheme of fate.

❝I’ll never be too old to talk to the fairies., don't worry.❞ The laugh he lets out is not a perfect reflection of joy, instead it is something subdued, almost sad. ❝It's been a long time since I've had the chance to. That's all.❞

“Did you learn some jokes while you were away?” Cyrene’s expression is fond as she ruffles his hair. “Little Phainon, all grown up. You might break my heart if you tell me you’re too grown up to talk to the fairies.”

[decoysouled]

❝Maybe you just stayed short.❞ He leans down as requested, a smile resting on his face. ❝I had to grow up sometime, being taller than you was all down to luck.❞

When it's Phainon, perhaps, Cyrene has no ability to be truly upset. Still, she's worried about that little tidbit of information. Still, she crosses her arms with a fond expression. "You're going to need to lean down so I can ruffle your hair. Since when did you get so tall?"

[decoysouled]

❝You didn’t?❞ Spoken teasingly, with an expression that one might be able to see as serious if he wasn’t trying not to laugh. ❝Not all knowledge is learned, Cyrene. This is- divine revelation, surely.❞

Cyrene is just shaking her head. "I promise, I didn't teach him this. I don't know who taught him this, actually."

[decoysouled]

❝Some people might tell you that insecticide is bad for humans. In my expert opinion, it's one of the five food groups.❞ Poison counts as one of those, right?

[decoysouled]

PHAINON // MODERN (V4)

Cliffnotes version:

He's an author under the pen name of 'Snowy'

The main subject of his books are his dreams of a life he never lived (i.e canon Amphoreus but he doesn't necessarily connect it as a past life, unless that's been established with the other muse) which he's had since he was a child. He can never make out names or faces in those dreams.

He has a degree in creative writing and outside of novels, he publishes poems inspired by various mythologies

He keeps his personal life separated from his work, often keeping any talk about it quite vague amongst friends

He has a cat. That is all.

He has a Minecraft world that he's been building on for years. It's his comfort game.

Then more below, a little less happy stuff - cw for mentions of parental death.

He still strives to impress others and struggles to show his true thoughts and feelings. This stems from the death of his parents, after which point he moved from his hometown to a larger city to live with a relative, who took him in out of obligation.

After moving, Phainon was neglected emotionally and slowly grew to believe that his own feelings were worthless, and others preferred his company if he pretended to be in more positive moods

Nowadays, he struggles to recognise his own emotions and tell them apart from how he thinks he should feel.

He tends to vanish completely for several days around the anniversary of his parents' death. He doesn't really speak about it to anyone else.

He was 12 when his parents died.

[decoysouled]

IN PIECES ( sentence starters from the musical by joey contreras )

YOU NEVER KNOW

"You know, some of them scare me."

"Sometimes, it's easy to fall apart and run."

"I'm done with making excuses to say that I'm not the one."

"You never know until you take a step, maybe a leap."

"You never know until you make a choice."

"One little moment could change a day."

"You never know until you say hello."

"You never know how it's gonna be."

"I wanna give you my all."

ME AND MR. POPULARITY

"Me, surprisingly, I'm doing great."

"For me this is the closest thing to having a friend."

"Sometimes he waves to me on the street."

"That's only when there's no one in sight."

"It's fine, I understand my role."

BLOOM

"Unless you're regretting this whole date thing?"

"First dates are allowed to be awkward."

"Let's enjoy each other's company."

"I'm not tryna play games."

"You're charming. That's dangerous."

"Whoa, wait, so now I'm giving off serial killer vibes?"

"It's just dating can feel so high stakes."

"We could start getting a little bit closer, going beyond what's on paper."

"Unexpected life can happen when you make room."

"Keeping up the composure, but probably not for much longer."

"Being with you seems a little dangerous."

"Hit by a car right as we're finding love."

"I promise I'm not hearing wedding bells."

"I mean, we barely know each other."

OHIO

"I should have known it right away."

"I felt it when you walked inside the room."

"What is it you're doing to me?"

"I kind of have it all made up in my mind."

THIS IS NOT ME

"How are you today?"

"Deep down I feel that maybe we are real."

"I'm the one who's surviving."

LIKE YOU DON'T MISS ME

"Run and tell everyone how you've gone and moved on."

"Once upon a time you had my heart."

ANOTHER NEW YORK LOVE STORY

"There's too many people around."

"We kind of look like zombies."

"Why are we all here so late?"

"Part of me wants to thank you."

"Let's quickly get to the goodbyes."

"This city's full of you."

"Holding onto fear only makes me more insane."

"There are things I'd never tell you 'cause you wouldn't understand."

LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT

"What you don't know is that I would do anything for you."

"Stop being so afraid to let our love become more."

"I won't let you down."

"You can think what you want."

"You don't see all I'm giving away."

"I'm asking for you to stay."

SINGIN' THE SAME LINE

"We did it again, let 'em back in."

"Why do we act like it's fine?"

"If we keep going back then they've won."

IN PIECES

"I can't keep skipping through this life."

"This won't last forever and our lives are only passing through."

"Could I be more than another person off your list to do?"

"Can we only love in pieces?"

"I'm tired of closing each chapter all on my own."

"A warm bed doesn't mean I'm not alone."

"I'm not saying I'm incomplete."

"How are we constantly just chasing a momentary high?"

"We all need a connection."

"I'm worth more than pieces."

FORK IN THE ROAD

"I'm having a hard time lately."

"Maybe it's because of you."

"I'm on a path that's changing."