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The Golden Courtyard was the paradigm of extravagance, this much was clear to all who entered.
The main hall’s expanse was unnecessarily vast, its high roof held by luxurious, intricately carved pillars. An air of opulence seeped through the space between every golden-colored brick, every overly lavish furnishing. Long banners of crimson accompanied the hall’s accents of vermillion, as if designed for royalty.
The Golden Courtyard was a breathtaking sight to behold, but Elysia would wager that there was one who could eclipse its elegance.
She was not difficult to find among the main hall’s offshooting rooms. Not when the fading moonlight filtered in from one of the room’s myriad windows, casting a heavenly silver glow upon her. Dark red hair shone a brilliant copper in the moon’s light, demanding all who witnessed it to revel in its magnificence. Elysia was confident that if there were any others in the room, their eyes would be fixed upon the woman, lost in her natural allure.
The world has cast an eternal spotlight upon you. For any others, it would be unforgiving, but you have always commanded attention well. You’ve always shone, Eden.
The steady click of Elysia’s heels resounded throughout the otherwise empty room, loud enough to make her presence clear.
“Ellie?” Eden’s voice was gentle, her tone honeyed as always. Still, she did not turn her head.
Elysia craned her neck. A slight glint reflected off of a metal that Eden twirled between her fingers, no doubt a lavish, golden chalice.
She was drinking at the ball. She always gets reminiscent when she’s drunk. A soft, sympathetic sigh carried itself from Elysia’s lips. How troubling.
She continued her approach, draping herself over the back of the couch next to where Eden was seated. There was a catlike languidness to her form, and when she spoke, it sounded as if she was purring. “Eden. What are you doing here?”
At last, the woman turned to face her. The moon’s backlight only served to enhance her divine appearance, highlighting the curve of her cheeks and the softness of her lips.
Her smile was gentle, its tenderness unmatched by anyone else in the courtyard. But its warmth did not reach the melancholy in her eyes.
You always smile too sadly. Was it always like this, or was there a time before the Honkai struck you, when the light in your eyes could put the stars to shame?
“I hope you didn’t come looking for me,” said Eden. A slight frown tugged downwards at her lips as she spoke. “I didn’t mean to cut your time at the ball short.”
Now that Eden was turned toward her, their faces were close enough so that Elysia could smell the wine on the woman’s lips. It took everything within her to resist the urge to lean in, to learn the exquisite taste for herself.
Instead, she only offered a playful smile and replied, “Don’t worry about that, Eden. Those things are far too formal for me, and they always get even duller when you leave.”
At that, Eden chuckled, an effortlessly melodic sound. “I’m sorry, then. I usually enjoy these balls.”
Her gaze shifted back to the goblet held between her fingers. There was something heavy in the air, a stifling air of sorrow that emanated from the chalice.
Its story weighs upon you. “Where’d you get this pretty little thing?”
As Eden twirled the glass between her fingers once more, a wistful smile tugging at her features, Elysia rounded the corner of the couch and seated herself beside her.
“This cup is from the same line as a chalice I once owned, gifted to me by another singer. There are a few minute differences, but overall, it is nearly identical.”
There it is. Your eyes always light up like this when you talk about the opera. She said nothing, urging Eden to continue. It’s beautiful.
“The singer was Dorothea Arnault. She was a self-made success, just as I was. What a talented songstress she was. Her voice could move an entire stadium to tears. When I was young, still struggling to find a foothold in the industry, she was one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I saw the hunger in my eyes mirrored in hers, and I knew if she could seize a place at the top, then so could I. She gave this to me at the end of one of her shows. I remember, she told me, ‘As long as you are confident in yourself and your abilities, you will find the means to succeed. With the proper resolve, you will have what it takes to go far as a singer. I look forward to seeing you on stage.’ I always thought that once I reached stardom, I would pass that same glass down to another upcoming star, perhaps one that reminded me of myself when I was younger.”
Elysia nodded. “And? Did you ever get to do it?”
Eden’s smile was bittersweet, her eyes reflecting an age-old grief. “I gave it to Hua.”
The deeper truth behind her response was left unsaid, looming uneasily in the air over them: “The Honkai has forced me to relinquish all of my dreams, even this.”
You’ve always been too giving to us, Eden. I can only hope that one day, we will live in a world where you no longer have to.
“While I’m hurt that you didn’t give it to me, you made a good choice. She’s a good kid,” Elysia teased, smirking slightly.
Her remark achieved its intended effect. Eden giggled, and Elysia wondered if it was possible to grow addicted to a sound. “Oh, Ellie. You know that if you asked for any of my possessions, I’d give them to you.”
“How tempting. Ooh, actually, I have a request.” Rather abruptly, Elysia rose from the couch and stood before Eden. Leaning forward slightly, she extended a hand, her expression as inviting as she could manage.
“Will you dance with me?”
Confusion filled Eden’s expression, lifting one of her brows. “With no music?”
Elysia grinned. “You could sing for us,” she suggested, her tone playful.
Eden hesitated. Deep mourning resurfaced and dulled her radiant amber eyes, while her lips set into a thin, contemplating line. “You know I don’t sing anymore, Ellie.”
“Ah, if you don’t want to, forget I mentioned it.” She concealed her disappointment carefully behind an easy grin.
But much to her surprise, the woman shook her head, stood from the seat, and accepted the offered hand. “No, it’s alright. I will.” Elysia had felt Eden’s hand before, but even so, sparks seemed to dance along her wrist at the touch.
And when Elysia smiled, it was gentle, a stark contrast to her typical mischievous grin. I cannot bring the opera back to you, but I would love to see your face light up the way it did when you performed.
One hand settled on the curve of Eden’s back, while the other clasped her hand loosely. But they both knew no tender squeezes of quiet encouragement were necessary. Eden assumed the role of the follower not because she lacked confidence, but because it was the flashier position, and she was always drawn to the spotlight.
Elysia was no natural-born dancer, but she was practiced enough to know the basic steps of a slow dance. So they began, their bodies nearly flush, swaying aimlessly in the empty room. Eden’s cheek came to rest atop Elysia’s shoulder — if the alcohol on her breath had failed to reveal her intoxication, then surely this would; she was only this touchy when she was inebriated.
The contact sent chills throughout Elysia’s body, but even more divine was her voice, the woman’s gentle humming against her neck. If alcohol was not her vice, Then Elysia feared it might be this: the heavenly song that rose from Eden’s lips, filling her senses like a fine wine.
How lovely it would be to remain like this, to bury their troubles to the beat of the music. But the Honkai would continue to take, and sacrifices will continue to be made, even that of their own lives. The two of them knew, better than anyone, that all they had was the present moment.
You do well to hide your pain, but now, I know that there is something you are constantly yearning for. What can I do, when the only cure to your ailment is something beyond anyone’s reach?
You say that art has died. Maybe the Honkai has killed it. Maybe the poets will sing no longer, and all of them will be buried under the ashes of our once sprawling cities. But I see you, with amber eyes richer than any sunset mother nature could paint, with a face so heavenly that not even the most masterful of sculptors could capture its divinity, and I am inclined to disagree. If art is dead, then how could you stand before me, a picture crafted by the gods themselves?
How gorgeous you look when you smile. I wish I could offer you more than a temporary distraction.
But the only solace she could provide was this dance. So she resigned herself to raising her arm, leading the woman into a twirl, and watching the way her tight black dress hugged her curves deliciously.
“You’re good at this,” Eden noted, her eyes crinkling ever so slightly as she smiled.
“Me? You’re the one doing all the hard work. You sing like an angel.”
Eden chuckled into the crook of Elysia’s neck. “Stop it, Ellie. You’ll make me blush.”
“Aw, but Eden, you look so cute when you’re flustered!”
“You tease me too much.”
“But I can't help it! How could I stand not having the attention of a beautiful girl like you?”
Elysia could never lie, much less to Eden. So her words seeped with a sappy, genuine admiration, yet even so, Eden lifted her head and shifted her gaze. A light sigh escaped her lips, almost wistful. “When you talk like that, it makes me want to believe you.”
Elysia found herself unable to do anything but stare back, her lips pursed in a display of uncertainty, fighting desperately to hold herself from drowning in the honeyed pools of Eden’s eyes. “What makes you think I’m being disingenuous?”
Another sigh filled the silence that had steadily expanded between them. Eden’s gaze shifted to the side, and Elysia found herself lamenting the loss of it. “In the industry, when people say I’m beautiful, of course they mean it, but there is always an ulterior motive. I would not be called talented if I was not usable to them, if there was nothing to be gained from my fame, or if they hadn’t wanted to pull me into their bedroom. It certainly didn’t bother me, and I was smarter than to fall for tricks, but it made me wary. And you are one of my best friends, but you are also mysterious. I trust you wholeheartedly, but I am still unsure of most of your motives. It’s complicated, isn’t it?” A pause followed, until she added, “I’m not sure why I brought all of this up. I suppose the drinks have just made me overly conscious.”
I do keep much from you, from all of the Flame-Chasers. But I would never be dishonest to you or any of them. I have no intention of using you against your knowledge, and I never will.
So Elysia halted in her tracks, much to Eden’s confusion. Their proximity did not falter, however, despite the abrupt stop to their swaying. Elysia’s hand remained, rather selfishly, on the small of Eden’s back, and though her other hand lowered, it soon found its way to the curve of the woman’s waist. “I do mean it, Eden. Look how serious I am.”
She did her best to stare into Eden’s eyes, her face held unsmiling and her gaze unwavering, as she stated in the sternest tone she could muster, “You’re beautiful.”
But when the thin line of Eden’s mouth cracked into a wide smile, one that pulled those overwhelmingly endearing wrinkles into the corner of her eyes, Elysia could not help but mirror her grin. A series of giggles escaped her unwillingly, despite her best efforts to rein them back in.
“I’m serious!” she protested when the singer began to chuckle as well. “You know I’d never lie to you. No pretenses. No ulterior motives. I just think you’re the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.”
Again, Eden chuckled, but this time there was a distinct redness to her ears, darker than the natural blush that the wine brought to her skin. Satisfaction blossomed in Elysia’s chest, if only slight. “You’re too charming for your own good, Ellie.”
“Although…” Elysia paused, her brows furrowing as if she was deep in thought. “There might be one ulterior motive, now that I think about it.” Her voice dropped into that of a conspiratorial whisper, but there was a playfulness to her eyes that told Eden, “There is no danger here.”
So Eden’s smile remained, and she simply raised her eyebrows in questioning. “And? That is…?”
“That I’d like to kiss you,” Elysia responded plainly, as if she was explaining the weather, or what she ate that morning, or anything remotely normal.
But Eden, confident, stunning, remarkable Eden, would never miss an opportunity that she could seize. So despite the blush that spread wildly across her cheeks, she lowered her eyes to Elysia’s lips, smiled, and murmured, “I suppose I’d like to kiss you too.”
As they drifted closer, Elysia’s hand gripped Eden’s waist a little tighter, as if to make sure that this, too, wouldn't be taken from her, not yet. She let her eyes fall shut, breathing in the lovely scent of Eden’s perfume.
And when they kissed, it was like Elysia could hear the opera in her head, the music surging as if to declare that she had found her peace, her heaven, her garden of eden. It was as if everything she had done had led her to this moment, as if this was her purpose, Honkai be damned, and she was to stay here forevermore. Nothing could have felt more right, more destined.
There was no way to describe Eden’s taste other than luxurious, elegant and rich and addictive. How Elysia longed to have it all for herself, to stay with her arms around Eden for the rest of the night and then some.
But they did not live in a world in which they could be afforded the luxury of time. As tempting as it was to abandon everything in pursuit of this woman, there was a war to be fought.
“As much as I’d love to stay with you, I have business I need to attend to. You know how it is with Dr. Mei, there’s always new information she needs and more work to be done.”
“I cannot give you more than a few stolen kisses on the brink of war, as much as I would like to. But I hope by showing you how I feel, I have at least lifted your spirits in this moment. I don’t know how much more of your gentle scowling I could bear,” is what she meant.
Eden understood. So she nodded, and when Elysia added, “Let me walk you back to your room?” she grinned and wrapped herself around the woman’s offered arm.
There is only one who can rival the magnificence of the Golden Courtyard, and I hope that your excellence will shine just as long as these walls continue to stand.
I can only hope that one day, our fighting will be over, and perhaps we can love each other in the way we both desire. Until then, this should be enough.