Apr19
EVERYONE: Something About the Night Sky
Hello, everyone! I thought I'd cross-post another fic that I posted to AO3 and still love to this day. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it; I hope you like it!
Content Warnings: None (besides the briefest gentle kiss at the end)
There was something so heartrendingly beautiful about the sky at night. It was something Shauntal had always known, but it was even more apparent now as she stood before one of the tall bookshelves in Lucian's library, gazing out through the window's narrow panes of glass to the small slivers of deep purple and navy blue, dotted with tiny specks of light, that were visible in the darkness.
The night brought with it a peaceful serenity, a gentle stillness, that stirred her creative spirit; and as she peered out at the few stars winking down at her, seeming close enough to pluck from the heavens and cradle in her palms, she felt the familiar urge to capture their beauty in verse. To immortalize this view, this vision... this feeling that permeated her whole being whenever she beheld the mystical allure of a dark sky illuminated by such beautiful lights.
It was a stark contrast to the usual chaos of her days: her role as an Elite Four member kept her constantly busy with challenges and other diplomatic and political responsibilities, and as an acclaimed novelist, she had even less time to focus on herself. But the night gave her permission to stop; to catch her breath amidst the daily bustle and think, and dream.
The soft twinkling of starlight never failed to make her wistful. Nostalgic for things not quite remembered—innocent moments from a childhood now lost to time's steady march forward. It reminded her that though time slipped through her fingers no matter how tightly she tried grasping it, the stars remained constant. They were ageless witnesses to the rise and fall of eras; they were silent observers, making their slow, endless treks across sprawling, endless skies as years gave way to decades gave way to centuries gave way to millennia and on and on and on... the darkness cradling their brief brilliance all the while.
The night made her feel very small, yet also, paradoxically, more connected. Both to forces larger than herself she could scarcely comprehend, and to every other wanderer across time who had ever slowed their pace long enough to crane their head back and admire the view revealed only once the sun began its slumber. The stars tied her to past, present and future in an overpowering way that none could match, glimmering high above petty terrestrial squabbles, a reminder that all who walked upon this Eartheventually faded into dust while the cosmos lived on unperturbed...
"Have you spotted anything on these shelves that's caught your interest?"
Lucian's gentle voice pulled Shauntal abruptly from her ponderings. She turned towards him with a rueful smile, a bit embarrassed to have drifted into such an imaginative reverie when he had given her his time and granted her access to his personal library. But she should have expected no less from the thoughtful gentleman that he was, always seeming to perceive when her thoughts wandered down creative avenues—and gracious enough never to begrudge her those mental side-journeys.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she answered, a light blush tinging her cheeks. "The sliver of sky visible through the window distracted me, I'm afraid. You know how I get sometimes... lost in romantic idealism when I behold nature's beauty." She blinked and gestured back to the bookcase. "But yes, actually, there are several books here that have piqued my interest—"
"No need to apologize," Lucian assured. "The view outside does have quite a mesmerizing quality to it. The way you appreciate such simple pleasures... it's a rare gift not bestowed on everyone." He drew nearer, following her previous gaze towards the window. "Tell me: what thoughts were dancing through that creative mind of yours as you admired the sky? I’d be delighted to hear which imaginative vignettes or verses it inspired..."
Shauntal’s smile warmed at Lucian's words. She was beyond touched by how he not only accepted her tendency towards fanciful musings, but actively encouraged it. She should have expected as much from a fellow logophile, and still... being seen and validated thus was a sadly uncommon occurrence for her. Most dismissed her as scattered and frivolous, never seeing the intricate inner scaffolding supporting her bubble-light exterior. But here stood a man peering past outward appearances... inviting her to give voice to her private dreams without judgement or censure.
She drew in a slow breath. She desired, for his sake, to gather her diffuse impressions into more concise vocabulary. "I was thinking how the night sky holds such a paradoxical quality... evoking both transience and timelessness concurrently," she began, softer at first, before finally letting the words flow unfiltered. "We mortals mark days by waking and sleeping, our lives proceeding in bursts of activity divided by rest. Yet the darkness and the stars it reveals predate us all—and will continue on long after we fade back into the void that birthed us..."
Lucian listened with rapt attention as she gave voice to the imaginative connections spurred by the night sky, offering subtle gestures of encouragement—a nod, an agreeing hum, the occasional murmur of "Beautiful" when her descriptive phrases turned particularly poetic. He kept his gaze fixed upon her face, captivated not merely by her words but the animation lighting her features as she delved into fanciful rumination. The shy woman he knew seemed to retreat when others paid her attention—but here, sharing her inner world with someone who would not judge, she utterly glowed, eyes alight with passion; one hand waving expressively as she wove inspiration into language.
She seemed completely in her element: no longer was she the self-conscious wallflower hiding behind downcast lashes, but a confident visionary shining with enthusiasm. The transformation left him momentarily breathless; he was struck by the sudden insight that this was Shauntal in her purest form. Not the shy recluse who shunned direct eye contact, but the elated dreamer dancing through rich inner landscapes... welcoming another past her walls to explore those realms normally locked inside her head.
He wondered, not for the first time, how many people had bothered peering behind the curtain of hair concealing her downcast eyes... how many cared to look deeper, coaxing out this effusive woman who clearly longed to give shape to the poetry in her soul?
Far too few, most likely, else she would not still startle so at direct address, smile fading as her exuberant musings got abruptly dismissed as mere flights of fancy. He ached imagining that inner light being so often forced back into hiding through lack of appreciation... and felt profound gratitude that she deemed him worthy of sharing its radiance.
Even her speech patterns betrayed habitual self-censoring, words halting when passion momentarily loosened her tongue before second-guessing reasserted control. No—let them flow freely here, he longed to reassure her. You needn’t filter anything in my presence...
But he kept silent, letting her find confidence in his steady attention rather than imposed confirmations. She was like a timid deer, poised to bolt if he made any sudden movement...so he remained still and open, keeping his energy soft lest she startle and retreat back into her shell of shyness.
Eventually she wound down, words trailing off with an abashed little laugh. "I'm sorry... you merely asked about my findings, and here I’ve gone off on a tangent." Averting her eyes, she made to step back, though Lucian noted she did not shrink into herself, shoulders remaining straight. "I’m sure I’ve distracted you from more important matters long enough..."
Before she could slip back into self-effacing apologies, Lucian caught her chin, guiding her focus back up to meet his eyes. "Not at all. I asked because I wished to enter your world for a little while. And what a lovely world it is."
Slowly, giving her time to retreat—and slightly surprised when she did not—he bent his head and brushed his lips to hers with the lightest of touches.
"You are a paradox, my dear." His voice held tones of wonder, of truth. Of love. "Both ethereal and grounded... visionary yet pragmatic... boldly eloquent in creative pursuits yet endearingly shy in social niceties." He smiled, letting his thumb caress the line of her jaw. "And I am honored to be among the privileged few permitted behind the curtain."
The smile Lucian received in return no doubt outshone the very stars that had inspired her imagination.
Content Warnings: None (besides the briefest gentle kiss at the end)
There was something so heartrendingly beautiful about the sky at night. It was something Shauntal had always known, but it was even more apparent now as she stood before one of the tall bookshelves in Lucian's library, gazing out through the window's narrow panes of glass to the small slivers of deep purple and navy blue, dotted with tiny specks of light, that were visible in the darkness.
The night brought with it a peaceful serenity, a gentle stillness, that stirred her creative spirit; and as she peered out at the few stars winking down at her, seeming close enough to pluck from the heavens and cradle in her palms, she felt the familiar urge to capture their beauty in verse. To immortalize this view, this vision... this feeling that permeated her whole being whenever she beheld the mystical allure of a dark sky illuminated by such beautiful lights.
It was a stark contrast to the usual chaos of her days: her role as an Elite Four member kept her constantly busy with challenges and other diplomatic and political responsibilities, and as an acclaimed novelist, she had even less time to focus on herself. But the night gave her permission to stop; to catch her breath amidst the daily bustle and think, and dream.
The soft twinkling of starlight never failed to make her wistful. Nostalgic for things not quite remembered—innocent moments from a childhood now lost to time's steady march forward. It reminded her that though time slipped through her fingers no matter how tightly she tried grasping it, the stars remained constant. They were ageless witnesses to the rise and fall of eras; they were silent observers, making their slow, endless treks across sprawling, endless skies as years gave way to decades gave way to centuries gave way to millennia and on and on and on... the darkness cradling their brief brilliance all the while.
The night made her feel very small, yet also, paradoxically, more connected. Both to forces larger than herself she could scarcely comprehend, and to every other wanderer across time who had ever slowed their pace long enough to crane their head back and admire the view revealed only once the sun began its slumber. The stars tied her to past, present and future in an overpowering way that none could match, glimmering high above petty terrestrial squabbles, a reminder that all who walked upon this Eartheventually faded into dust while the cosmos lived on unperturbed...
"Have you spotted anything on these shelves that's caught your interest?"
Lucian's gentle voice pulled Shauntal abruptly from her ponderings. She turned towards him with a rueful smile, a bit embarrassed to have drifted into such an imaginative reverie when he had given her his time and granted her access to his personal library. But she should have expected no less from the thoughtful gentleman that he was, always seeming to perceive when her thoughts wandered down creative avenues—and gracious enough never to begrudge her those mental side-journeys.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she answered, a light blush tinging her cheeks. "The sliver of sky visible through the window distracted me, I'm afraid. You know how I get sometimes... lost in romantic idealism when I behold nature's beauty." She blinked and gestured back to the bookcase. "But yes, actually, there are several books here that have piqued my interest—"
"No need to apologize," Lucian assured. "The view outside does have quite a mesmerizing quality to it. The way you appreciate such simple pleasures... it's a rare gift not bestowed on everyone." He drew nearer, following her previous gaze towards the window. "Tell me: what thoughts were dancing through that creative mind of yours as you admired the sky? I’d be delighted to hear which imaginative vignettes or verses it inspired..."
Shauntal’s smile warmed at Lucian's words. She was beyond touched by how he not only accepted her tendency towards fanciful musings, but actively encouraged it. She should have expected as much from a fellow logophile, and still... being seen and validated thus was a sadly uncommon occurrence for her. Most dismissed her as scattered and frivolous, never seeing the intricate inner scaffolding supporting her bubble-light exterior. But here stood a man peering past outward appearances... inviting her to give voice to her private dreams without judgement or censure.
She drew in a slow breath. She desired, for his sake, to gather her diffuse impressions into more concise vocabulary. "I was thinking how the night sky holds such a paradoxical quality... evoking both transience and timelessness concurrently," she began, softer at first, before finally letting the words flow unfiltered. "We mortals mark days by waking and sleeping, our lives proceeding in bursts of activity divided by rest. Yet the darkness and the stars it reveals predate us all—and will continue on long after we fade back into the void that birthed us..."
Lucian listened with rapt attention as she gave voice to the imaginative connections spurred by the night sky, offering subtle gestures of encouragement—a nod, an agreeing hum, the occasional murmur of "Beautiful" when her descriptive phrases turned particularly poetic. He kept his gaze fixed upon her face, captivated not merely by her words but the animation lighting her features as she delved into fanciful rumination. The shy woman he knew seemed to retreat when others paid her attention—but here, sharing her inner world with someone who would not judge, she utterly glowed, eyes alight with passion; one hand waving expressively as she wove inspiration into language.
She seemed completely in her element: no longer was she the self-conscious wallflower hiding behind downcast lashes, but a confident visionary shining with enthusiasm. The transformation left him momentarily breathless; he was struck by the sudden insight that this was Shauntal in her purest form. Not the shy recluse who shunned direct eye contact, but the elated dreamer dancing through rich inner landscapes... welcoming another past her walls to explore those realms normally locked inside her head.
He wondered, not for the first time, how many people had bothered peering behind the curtain of hair concealing her downcast eyes... how many cared to look deeper, coaxing out this effusive woman who clearly longed to give shape to the poetry in her soul?
Far too few, most likely, else she would not still startle so at direct address, smile fading as her exuberant musings got abruptly dismissed as mere flights of fancy. He ached imagining that inner light being so often forced back into hiding through lack of appreciation... and felt profound gratitude that she deemed him worthy of sharing its radiance.
Even her speech patterns betrayed habitual self-censoring, words halting when passion momentarily loosened her tongue before second-guessing reasserted control. No—let them flow freely here, he longed to reassure her. You needn’t filter anything in my presence...
But he kept silent, letting her find confidence in his steady attention rather than imposed confirmations. She was like a timid deer, poised to bolt if he made any sudden movement...so he remained still and open, keeping his energy soft lest she startle and retreat back into her shell of shyness.
Eventually she wound down, words trailing off with an abashed little laugh. "I'm sorry... you merely asked about my findings, and here I’ve gone off on a tangent." Averting her eyes, she made to step back, though Lucian noted she did not shrink into herself, shoulders remaining straight. "I’m sure I’ve distracted you from more important matters long enough..."
Before she could slip back into self-effacing apologies, Lucian caught her chin, guiding her focus back up to meet his eyes. "Not at all. I asked because I wished to enter your world for a little while. And what a lovely world it is."
Slowly, giving her time to retreat—and slightly surprised when she did not—he bent his head and brushed his lips to hers with the lightest of touches.
"You are a paradox, my dear." His voice held tones of wonder, of truth. Of love. "Both ethereal and grounded... visionary yet pragmatic... boldly eloquent in creative pursuits yet endearingly shy in social niceties." He smiled, letting his thumb caress the line of her jaw. "And I am honored to be among the privileged few permitted behind the curtain."
The smile Lucian received in return no doubt outshone the very stars that had inspired her imagination.
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