Ludus

:)

Ludus is playful or uncommitted love. It can involve activities such as teasing and dancing, or more overt flirting, seducing, and conjugating. The focus is on fun, and sometimes also on conquest, with no strings attached.

She was beautiful. That was my first thought of her, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. The way she walked, talked, hell, even the way she breathed, were all beautiful. I remember when I first saw her it felt as though time froze, as though everything up to that point was irrelevant. It felt as though there was a voice calling to me, connecting me to her. I watched as she let out a soft laugh, covering her perfect mouth as though she was embarrassed of her own smile. She reminded me of a beautiful red spider lily, a bright reminder of summer. I longed to know who she was, what her thoughts were.

I watched as her head turned toward mine and I saw her green eyes, my favorite color, meet mine. In that moment my entire world seemed to become more colorful. She turned back to the person she was talking to and I felt my entire body relax, that was an odd experience, I must be tired. She truly was the epitome of all things beautiful. I turned to go to the spread of food that was being offered when I felt a tap on my shoulder. A chill went down my spine and filled my entire core as I turned to see the beautiful woman standing behind me.

"Oh, hello there." I said, hiding my hands behind me so I could fiddle with my fingers. She was even prettier up close, her eyes were enchanting, the most beautiful thing about her by far. Her other features were nothing to sneeze at though. Her skin was pale, almost white, her lips were a beautiful pink and looked soft as satin, her cheeks were rosy, and she had long black hair pulled into a low ponytail which made her curtain bangs frame her face. I watched as she stuck her hand out to me.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kako." I timidly took her hand and shook it, trying to hide my sweaty palm. Her skin was smooth, silky, and cold; it reminded me of milk. A soft smile danced on her lips as she made eye contact with me. "You're quite pretty for someone ogling me like that." I felt as though my jaw hit the floor, a raging fire consumed my cheeks as I pulled my hand back and covered my mouth. She only looked at me and laughed, her laughter was so soft it felt like a fairy's whisper, I wanted to hear it 24/7 in my ear on repeat. I barely managed to compose myself enough to speak.

"I'm sorry about that, you must think I'm really strange," I said nearly whispering, my voice was so hushed. I avoided eye contact and turned to go, to escape this awkward situation I'd found myself in.

"Weren't you listening? I said I thought you were pretty." I stopped in my tracks, my legs suddenly feeling like they would snap in two. I felt her hand play with a strand of my hair as she walked in front of me to face me. She smiled and leaned into my ear, whispering for only me to hear, "You're drop-dead gorgeous."

I felt my heart rate increase more than I thought was humanly possible. This angel had just told me that I was pretty and gorgeous. How do you even respond to that? I thought fainting sounded like a valid option at the moment, but that's too easy a way out and she'd for sure lose interest.

"My name's Zoi, like Zo-ee but with an i." My face stayed emotionless, too scared to show any for fear of her running away. Kako's smile only widened.

"Zoi. I like it, it's modern yet unique at the same time. Say Zoi, why don't you and I ditch this lame party and go on a walk, just the two of us." I gazed up into her eyes and could've sworn I'd seen them change color, she really was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, and that made me want to give everything I was to her. I was filled with carnal desire as I looked deeply into her eyes, for the first time in my life not wanting to break the eye contact.

"Sure," I mumbled, barely an audible response. I watched as Kako grabbed my hand and dragged me out the back door to the garden without a word. I was completely enchanted by her. I had been watching her for what felt like seconds but when I shook it off, I realized we had walked all the way to the beach, nearly a two hour long walk, and the stars were glistening so vibrantly. I came to the conclusion that the only reason that my trance had been broken was that she had let go of my hand. I watched as she removed her shoes and turned back to face me.

"Come on, take your shoes off, we're going for a bit of a swim." Her voice made me feel like I was stepping on a bed of rose petals, soft and endearing. I took my shoes off and stood next to her, she took my hand and we stepped into the water. I felt her shake and assumed it was from the cold. I giggled, we probably looked like two little schoolgirls sneaking out. As we took more steps into the water, I felt her hand begin to form callouses and squeeze mine tighter. When I was up to my knees I decided to turn and look at her.

Her skin that had been so soft and smooth squeezed to her bones and looked as though it had been left out in the weather for months on end and put back on her. Her lips which had been so full and soft were still warped into a smile only they were all cracked and had blood oozing out of them. Her hair which had been so beautiful and full was thin and looked like wires sticking out of her head. The thing that terrified me the most were her eyes. Her eyes that had been a beautiful green, my favorite color, the eyes that had made me feel like I was losing my mind, I wanted to stare at them so much, were so hideous I couldn't look at them for more than a second or I felt like I would die on the spot; they were red and yellow with no pupil. When I had thought I saw her eyes change earlier I must've been right, just not in the way that I thought.

Where I had felt like I had been walking on rose petals I had suddenly found the stems with the thorns. I tried to pull my hand away from hers, but it wouldn't budge. I felt these sharp hooks come out of her hand and pierce my skin, forcing us to stay connected. I felt hot tears burn their way down my cheeks, but my throat was so dry I couldn't make a sound. She dragged me farther in to the water until I had to fight to keep my head afloat, but I was no match for her strength. She wrapped me in her arms and submerged us both.

The salt water burned my throat and eyes, making it feel as though thousands of pins were pricking at me. I managed to keep my eyes open long enough to see an energy escape her body and shroud her in a red glow, returning her back to her beautiful form for only a second. I watched as her lips returned to her soft smirk and she made eye contact with me. I looked up to her eyes and saw they were still red only this time it was like looking into a sparkling ruby. When I saw her eyes the last bit of oxygen escaped my body and the darkness consumed me as I lay in her arms and gave her my life.

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The amount of foreshadowing and symbolism in this- exquisite

Anyways thats it lol