"You wore these ribbons so well in your hair, Arina," the temptation of crying grabbed a hold of his tender, broken heart--tears were never good friends for him, but tonight Antony felt like an exception could be reached if this kept going. "And they offered me some pretty God damn good advice when you left."
As if some crazy spell of bravery overcame Celestine's rapidly beating heart, the girl managed to call forth a simple question:
"Humor me, mind telling me what those...filthy laces dispensed as advice?" his ears caught a choked sob, fear was making claims--fast. All he needed was another small push, a truthful one at that. He lifted his head up this time, ignoring the struggling thick strands of wonderful silk in his grasp Antony answered her with the words that echoed through his mind every time he ever landed sight on those enchanting snowy white laces. He said this to her, recalling the phrase word for word--without fail:
"When you stand at death's door, the question is not: 'What do I have to lose?' Rather, it's: 'What can I gain if I sacrifice my life tonight?' And every single time I stared at death's ugly mug, I pulled these ribbons close and whispered this to myself as a reminder that if I were to die today, tomorrow, whenever: You would be waiting there for me at the foot of those gates. That's what I stand to gain, right?"
Silence. "Let's find out." Before he could even step forward, Antony stopped short at the notion of a sharp tug coming from behind. Thunder shook their surroundings and all only thing the heavens could think of doing were to continue their endless cries of rain. Antony's golden eyes remained half open, the realization of Celestine's silent call didn't exactly hit just yet.
"Don't...don't go." the girl struggled to let out, defeat seemed such a sour subject to her--it meant a lot opening a wound such as admittance. Her plans, every single one, lied in danger's way because of this moment. Was this person worth such a risky ordeal? Celestine wanted to talk herself out of that moment, find something that could explain her concern--Celestine wouldn't care if one person jumped and fell to their deaths, right? This city has seen plenty of death, an additional head wouldn't matter much to the masses.
"Tell me why I shouldn't." he still remained unconvinced, Celestine couldn't deny that. Yet she somehow found the ability to muse over her next few words when time became crucial. "Come on, I know you've got something to say to me so let's hear it; what's on Ms. Phoenix's mind hmm? The truth or another painful lie? Come on, tell me. Tell me!"
As if some crazy spell of bravery overcame Celestine's rapidly beating heart, the girl managed to call forth a simple question:
"Humor me, mind telling me what those...filthy laces dispensed as advice?" his ears caught a choked sob, fear was making claims--fast. All he needed was another small push, a truthful one at that. He lifted his head up this time, ignoring the struggling thick strands of wonderful silk in his grasp Antony answered her with the words that echoed through his mind every time he ever landed sight on those enchanting snowy white laces. He said this to her, recalling the phrase word for word--without fail:
"When you stand at death's door, the question is not: 'What do I have to lose?' Rather, it's: 'What can I gain if I sacrifice my life tonight?' And every single time I stared at death's ugly mug, I pulled these ribbons close and whispered this to myself as a reminder that if I were to die today, tomorrow, whenever: You would be waiting there for me at the foot of those gates. That's what I stand to gain, right?"
Silence. "Let's find out." Before he could even step forward, Antony stopped short at the notion of a sharp tug coming from behind. Thunder shook their surroundings and all only thing the heavens could think of doing were to continue their endless cries of rain. Antony's golden eyes remained half open, the realization of Celestine's silent call didn't exactly hit just yet.
"Don't...don't go." the girl struggled to let out, defeat seemed such a sour subject to her--it meant a lot opening a wound such as admittance. Her plans, every single one, lied in danger's way because of this moment. Was this person worth such a risky ordeal? Celestine wanted to talk herself out of that moment, find something that could explain her concern--Celestine wouldn't care if one person jumped and fell to their deaths, right? This city has seen plenty of death, an additional head wouldn't matter much to the masses.
"Tell me why I shouldn't." he still remained unconvinced, Celestine couldn't deny that. Yet she somehow found the ability to muse over her next few words when time became crucial. "Come on, I know you've got something to say to me so let's hear it; what's on Ms. Phoenix's mind hmm? The truth or another painful lie? Come on, tell me. Tell me!"
