[ he asks such a simple question, and she cannot answer it. what happened? how long has her life been this twisted without her knowing? what happened is this: Iske loves her. what happened is that he chose her, accepted her, protected her in ways she never thought anyone would do in a world where Set wasn't there. what happened is Rudbeckia tricked Iske. she fooled a good, noble man into giving her something precious that she didn't deserve, just for the sake of her own survival. what happened is nothing more than the plot of the damn novel catching up to her at last. what happened is this: Cesare—
It'll always be you and me.
ah.
Ruby's mind fractures. it spirals into senseless hysteria, and she claws desperately away from her own memories, nausea rising in her. she's pathetic. she feels like a child, refusing to look because she doesn't want to accept that something is real. why did he do that? why did he have to ruin everything? a worse, and far more frightening thought – can she really pretend that was his intention in the first place? she saw the look in his eyes. it wasn't malicious, it wasn't a scheme to punish her. in that moment, Cesare de Borgia was just an ordinary man who— ]
no subject
It'll always be you and me.
ah.
Ruby's mind fractures. it spirals into senseless hysteria, and she claws desperately away from her own memories, nausea rising in her. she's pathetic. she feels like a child, refusing to look because she doesn't want to accept that something is real. why did he do that? why did he have to ruin everything? a worse, and far more frightening thought – can she really pretend that was his intention in the first place? she saw the look in his eyes. it wasn't malicious, it wasn't a scheme to punish her. in that moment, Cesare de Borgia was just an ordinary man who— ]
Can I come see you?
[ a small, weak voice. ]