#𓅪 ❛ 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄. ‣‣ ( CATHARTIDIE. ) ❜

[nvghtingale]

𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋  𝐌𝐄  .

          ── from @cathartidie .

click.  flame.  isabele  toys  with  a  lighter  that  does  not  belong  to  her,  idly  watching  a  small  fire  gain  form  and  consume  nearby  air  (  if  she  looks  close  enough,  she’ll  see  it  shimmer  with  the  heat  )  before  she  puts  it  out  by  lifting  her  thumb.  brings  it  back  down.  click.  she’s  not  scared  of  fire  anymore.  not  when  it  is  hers  to  control.  she  has  tamed  the  fire,  turned  it  into  her  servant,  just  as  she  has  tamed  the  beast  that  lives  within  her  ─  flame  in  itself,  it’s  lit  her  up  from  within  and  sent  unprecedented  heat  through  her  veins.  it  is  raw  power,  the  fire,  begging  to  be  released.  it  is  her  own  to  wield,  and  the  others  have  no  idea.  if  they  only  knew  how  powerful  isabele  could  truly  be  ─  perhaps  they  would  stop  looking  at  her  as  though  she  were  some  two  -  dimensional  caricature  of  a  woman,  sad  woman  with  a  sultry  voice  and  entrancing  eyes  and  absolutely  nothing  else.  perhaps  if  they  knew,  they  would  learn  that  she,  too,  deserves  to  be  feared.

they  don’t  know.  and  this  is  why  her  plan  is  going  as  well  as  expected  ─  protectors  sent  on  a  wild  goose  chase,  targets  kept  nearby  so  that  she  may  strike.  those  who  would  guard  them  have  scattered,  leaving  an  expectant,  shadow  -  cloaked  isabele  there  to  ponder  her  actions.  if  only  she  had  a  glass  of  red  wine  right  now.  it  would  make  the  wait  easier.

she  hears  them  before  she  sees  them  ─  how  could  she  miss  roje’s  familiar  footsteps  ?  protector  and  guardian  by  excellence,  he  is  someone  who  has  managed  to  sidestep  the  traps  she’s  laid  out  on  the  path  and  instead  approaches.  this  is  wrong.  this  should  not  be  happening.  he  should  not  be  here  ─  no,  he  should  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  city  chasing  after  a  target  that  is  actually  heading  directly  towards  isabele,  prey  walking  directly  into  the  jaws  of  the  predator.  but  he  is  here  ─  and  she  can’t  let  him  ruin  everything.

she  will  not  let  him  ruin  everything  she  has  worked  so  hard  to  cultivate.  no,  a  single  obstacle  cannot  ─  will  not  ─  be  her  downfall.

❛  roje  ?  ❜  feigned  desperation  is  spelled  all  over  her  face  ─  isabele  wills  her  hands  to  shake  as  she  runs  up  to  them,  she  calls  his  name  as  though  his  footsteps  had  been  the  sound  of  salvation.  isabele  sees  the  worry  in  his  own  features,  his  arms  opening  just  in  time  to  hold  her  as  she  dives  into  them.  her  hand  finds  the  back  of  their  neck,  her  lips  his  ear  as  she  shakily  whispers:  ❛  i’m  so  happy  you  found  me.  ❜

she  pulls  away  just  slightly,  standing  on  her  tiptoes  to  press  her  forehead  to  his.  and  then  he  looks  into  her  eyes.

it’s  all  over  from  there.  

isabele  blinks  and  in  the  next  moment,  her  mind  has  reached  out  and  found  his,  and  roje’s  will  is  a  glass  sphere  in  her  hands,  catching  light  and  rotating  slowly  when  she  tilts  it  this  way  or  that.  it  is  all  hers  ─  like  a  shiny  new  toy.  the  fear  escapes  her  features  almost  instantly,  she  wipes  away  a  fake  tear  with  the  back  of  her  hand.  her  lips  have  pressed  into  a  line,  her  eyes  have  hardened  but  they  are  hypnotising  still.  they  maintain  their  hold  on  roje’s.  she  lets  the  glass  shatter.

❛  on  your  knees.  ❜

they  follow  her  instruction  ─  of  course  they  do.  there  is  no  way  that  they  could  avoid  her  power.  so  they  get  on  their  knees.

for  this  little  solo  mission,  isabele  has  traded  her  dagger  for  something  a  little  harsher,  less  graceful.  this  time,  what  is  strapped  to  her  thigh  is  her  gun  ─  the  one  blue  jay  once  taught  her  how  to  use,  the  same  one  she’s  shot  a  hundred  times  before.  isabele  is  no  expert  ─  but  good  enough  to  aim  at  roje’s  forehead  and  know  she  will  not  miss.  there  would  be  a  flicker  of  hesitation,  a  moment  of  humanity,  but  knowledge  of  their  power  keeps  isabele  as  cold  as  she  could  possibly  be:  there  is  no  wait  from  the  moment  he  gets  on  his  knees  in  front  of  her  to  the  second  that  she  raises  the  gun.

❛  goodbye,  roje.  see  you  when  you  return.  ❜

isabele  fires.

[nvghtingale]

𝐔𝐒𝐄  𝐌𝐄  .

     ── from @cathartidie​ .

part  i.  jealousy

the two of them arrived together at the gala, standing side by side. arms linked, they smile at each other like two parts of the happiest couple ── happy couple, famous couple, picture perfect fucking couple in their coordinated outfits. the two of them are giving interviews before the awards begin. they’ve had their picture taken again, and again, and again ── it would almost inspire jealousy within isabele, if she cared about overshadowing them. in truth, she’s been keeping her distance. she is not one of the stars to be gazed upon tonight, hers is a different portion of the night sky. he’s been invited, of course ── one of his movies was nominated, after all, and who was he going to bring to the event but his partner ? famed director meets them and falls for them, the famed composer, what a beautiful love story ── the papers have been eating it up for a while now, haven’t they ? after all, it’s how she found out about the two of them.

she can almost hear it, the haunting whisper in the back of her mind in a the nondescript voice of a fellow guest: ah, how did that one song go, the one released in 1991 ? the duet ? maybe they’ll play it tonight ! it must have been written about the two of them, sweet of isabele de azevedo to have performed it ──

part  ii.  utility

her grip on roje’s arm tightens at the thought of a certain song by a certain composer being played for the world to hear ( again ) , and they look at her with a frown.

❛ what’s wrong, isa ? ❜

it isn’t anything that they deserve to be burdened with. ❛ nothing, dear. ❜ she gives roje a halfhearted smile, gently rubs the spot on his bicep that she’d unintentionally held onto a little too tightly. ❛ just a little tense. i’m sorry, i should be more careful. ❜

they return her smile, except the kindness within it is amplified by a hundred, a thousand ── they’re one of the kindest people she’s known, someone so genuinely sweet and tender. she’s lucky to have them beside her ── acquiring her own invitation was not easy and had taken some careful maneuvering, especially when isabele was bold enough to request a plus one.

who do you intend to bring with you ?

a date. his name is roje lai.

she was met with a look of surprise ── for all of isabele’s bold flirtation, she’d never been seen with another in public. perhaps this is why her request had been met with approval, inevitable source of gossip. from the moment she dropped their name, isabele could sense it ── the turning of gears in journalists’ heads as they sought to put two and two together. to find said roje lai and track his movements to draw conclusions of his character. what could they glean from the way he moves, the clothes he wears or the way he smiles ?

❛ it’s okay, ❜ they answer, ❛ i’m glad you’re alright. ❜

from the corner of her eye, isabele spots a pair of paparazzi looking in their direction ── not one to waste an opportunity, she brings her hand to gingerly cradle roje’s face and tilts her head to the side so that hair spills down her back rather than over her shoulder, giving the cameras perfect view of the smile she’s painted on ── just giddy enough to depict a blooming romance, just sweet enough to carry reality. 

❛ certain. ❜ and a camera clicks, flash going off and momentarily blinding her. isabele much prefers the critics. but that may be because she’s well aware of how much they love her ── the cameras are more instantaneous, and it feels inelegant. abrupt. a click, and a story is half - written already. thus, let her spell out the other half for them.

this they know: isabele de azevedo unexpectedly shows up to the golden eye awards, and even more unexpectedly, she does so on the arm of a stranger.

this they don’t: isabele de azevedo and roje lai have an odd relationship, carved out of conflict but made soft to the touch by shared peace offerings. she still recalls the feeling of flying when he’d pushed her on the swing, the sliver of joy they’d granted her in the respite they’d both sought.

this they won’t: roje lai was not really selected as a plus one because of his kindness, gentleness or attractiveness. roje lai is also called vulture. vulture is strong and cannot be killed. vulture doesn’t immediately catch onto some things, and somehow, neither did their team ── she’s isolated them and kept them as a bodyguard while the rest of her team carries on with their plans. it hadn’t been easy, yet somehow, it had all worked out. it’s using them, yes … but it’s survival. and until they part, at least she and roje can have a nice time together. she does enjoy their company ── finds them beautiful in so many ways. 

huh. she hasn’t told them.

part  iii.  sincerity

they’re walking arm in arm down a hallway, as are others ahead of them, all making their way to an elevator at the end of the hall. the next part of the event is starting soon, after all ── but there’s no need to be punctual, is there ? there is such a thing as being fashionably late, in the end. but they’re too sweet to let that happen, so he’s started walking a little faster to catch the elevator in time, until ──

❛ i like you, roje. ❜ it’s spoken out of the blue, just loud enough that they’ll hear before they rush off too far. sure enough, the admission makes them freeze in their tracks, and the elevator leaves without them ── it’s only them in the hallway now.

❛ you do ? like … like - like ? ❜

god, he’s cute. she can’t help but giggle, cross the distance between them. in truth ── maybe it wasn’t just the inkling of jealousy that led her to suggest roje as her guest to the rest of magpie’s team; maybe it wasn’t just the pro of having a bodyguard she could easily hypnotise at her side. maybe there’s that genuine endearment. maybe she was happy to propose him and argue in her own favour before the rest of her team, convincing them that this was the only option for a date. maybe the best way to answer roje’s question isn’t with words, but by pulling him down and pressing her lips to his.

maybe she isn’t fully using them, after all.