Damnation Of Devotion ✔

7: Pretty Sounds Again

{ AHT }

Even while her mischievous nature pours out, there's an effortless elegance.

I've never seen this from other spirits but her because they struggle to maintain their divine image. Ki, however... With her wild cloud of hair, her not-so-innocent dress, and her dance around me who had a back straight posture with long silky hair, others might think I'm the elegant one. They couldn't be more wrong.

We're in the middle of her meadow after the sky turned cloudy. She sits with an open book on her lap and hasn't read for a while, because she focuses on the songs from the gramophone and wants to ingrain them into her memories. Her initial reaction was a surprise and turned gleeful when the first few notes reached her ears.

When I heard music for the first time, I was excited and completely lost my marbles. Now I reminisce about it... It's sad. I was definitely overjoyed to hear a rhythm aside from my own, but it showed how I spent eternity living without being alive.

"Billie again, my Aht?"

"That's right, love."

She is beaming like the stars, proud whenever she recognises their voices and what type of songs they made. Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, et cetera. She has been listening for hours. In all honesty, I hoped there would be music from other countries too when I searched for these records, albeit it's wishful thinking. These songs will do for now.

Meanwhile, I'm close to finishing braiding poppies, lavender, and daisies into a wreath crown. Learnt the method from craft books because my hands just keep creating. This is my fourth try and I think it's quite neat! With a last loop of the stem, I tighten it and inspect it... and realise that Ki's eyes on me have gone soft.

Clearing my throat when warmth surges to my cheeks and nose, I place the crown on her head carefully. "Here! It's for you."

Her eyebrows raise when she touches it. "Truly? Why don't you wear it?"

"I'll make another one, don't worry. You look like a flower goddess."

"Oh Aht..." She grins as her nose scrunches up, making me breathless. "You're a wonderment in crafting. It's beautiful, even the flowers match each other."

I can see the tip of my nose getting pinker and I nudge her. "Don't you want to sing or dance?"

"I want to savor these songs first."

Soon after, I braid her hair. It's impossible to do a waterfall one, so I'm doing a fishtail like mine. Going to be difficult because the texture is so soft and fluffy, but! I'm not Aht if I back down.

____________________

Despite the clouds and the town's polluted light floating across the abyss, they don't block the stars and the moon from us. We're still listening to music and its echoes, and I lit up the lantern hours ago.

I like watching her read while playing with her unruly hair. Majestic in the dim light when her thick brows crease and her tongue rests on the corner of her upper lip. When her strong jaw flexes from mouthing words, I study the rest of her graceful beauty, and a masculine firmness is found. She must've been shifted as a man before. Pfftt! As if her toned body isn't a dead giveaway.