Nocturne

☾ Chapter Five ~ Diurne ☽

Plink.

Plonk.

Ripples scattered out from the small pond near the center of the woods where Diurne was throwing pebbles, one after another, as relentless as time's passing. Her eyes were closed, as if opening them would open her to more than she could bear.

Splish.

Splosh.

"Diurne?"

Splash.

"Are you mad at me?"

The ripples faded, but Diurne did not look up. Aurora hated to be left unacknowledged. Diurne knew this. She didn't mean to play on Aurora's pet peeves, especially not now, but it did amuse her sometimes, how different they were.

This was not one of those times.

She heard a shuffling as Aurora sat down beside her. "Diurne? Do you want me to leave you alone?"

No response.

Aurora shuffled around a bit. She crossed and uncrossed her slender legs, played thumb wars with herself, and otherwise failed to stay quiet. Diurne was watching out of the corner of her eye, and was soon struggling not to laugh at the determined purse of Aurora's mouth.

Finally, Aurora had enough. "Diurnnnnnnnne!" she whined. "Talk to meeeeeee!!!!!"

She sounded like an indignant toddler and Diurne couldn't help bursting into a laugh.

"Hey!" Aurora recognized she was being laughed at and swatted the other girl on the shoulder in a playful and light motion. Diurne stifled her laughter and wiped her eyes with a single smooth movement. Aurora had to admit she was jealous of that grace.

Anxious yellow eyes met deep ocean purple. "I..." Diurne sighed. She wasn't very good at talking her feelings out. She wished she had her flute, hand-crafted from the darksong wood that grew outside the city. For some reason, they were the best trees for musical instruments, but most found them frightening and strange due to their obsidian black colouring.

Even if she did tell though, would the youngest Acolyte of Light in recorded history, the blessing of Sol clear in her amber eyes, understand her words, her heart? Would she get it, accept it, or just laugh it off as another quirk of this strange girl, the friend she had made out of pity? Aurora was so bold, so brave, but would she care for the delicate feelings of one who wasn't quite as strong? And if she did care, would she listen or just... run back to her parents?

Diurne sighed and turned away, staring at their reflections in the surface of the water.

Gold gleamed from Aurora's Sol-blessed eyes, and darkness swirled ever deeper in Diurne's cursed ones. Red flames haloed Aurora's deep gold shoulders, but only fraying black rope fell down Diurne's back, hidden from the reflection by her too-pale body. Though the both wore the day-light colours of Sol, Aurora blazed in them, a bright sun all her own, and Diurne was pale, sickly and wan, overshadowed by the same glorious Light that she needed to shine at all.

Could they ever be equals?

Aurora grabbed a rock and threw it full force into the still water, shattering the image. Diurne turned to her, surprised.

Aurora seemed as if she was frozen by anger. Her fists were clenched, and her eyes scrunched closed.

Diurne, for her part, was frozen between warring emotions of fear and concern. Should she approach, try and comfort the fifteen-year old girl, or should she run, flee the wrath of the girl everyone was sure would become the next High Priestess?

To no one's shock, Aurora moved first. What was shocking was what she did.

Aurora reached up and cupped Diurne's face in her own. She pulled it closer to her, and pressed a kiss to the other girl's lips.

It was warm, filled with the fire and warmth and passion that defined Aurora. But Diurne could taste anxiety there as well, fear coupling with love and hope. Diurne was too surprised to respond, but it didn't matter.

Aurora pulled away and stood, her eyes pleading.

"I love you, Diurne! I love you so much, and I only wanted to help you. But you don't need my help. You don't need me to force you onto a path that I thought was best for you! I'm not your mother, and honestly, your mother shouldn't be your mother either. Nor your father. Cowards and bigots, the both of them." Aurora coughed slightly, realizing what she'd said. Her heart had raced ahead of her head again. But a smile was beginning to creep onto Diurne's lips, and anyway, she was far from used to suppressing her thoughts.

"But I don't want to be your mother. I just want to be yours, Diurne, I want to be your closest friend, your dearest partner, your other half. And I want you to be mine."

She kept going. Words fell out of her as a waterful of feelings that had been contained for so long were finally able to realize themselves.

"I understand that you're mad at me. I understand if you never want to see me again. I even understand if you want to press charges for kissing you like that. But please, Diurne, please know that I never meant to hurt you."

Diurne remained frozen, and Aurora turned to leave, head hanging in shame for the first time in her life.

"Wait!"

Aurora turned around again to see Diurne standing there, one hand outstretched.

Diurne's mouth opened and closed once or twice, but unlike Aurora, words were not her strong suit.

She tipped Aurora's face up to meet hers.

"You're too good for me," she whispered, but she kissed her anyway.