[ P ] Roses on parade

and sweetest
in the gale is heard

She sat amid the dying flowers and marveled at their beauty. Their petals had faded and curled like the pages of some old book, but they still had stories to tell. Eloise closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose, exploring the scents that lingered in the autumn air. Lavender and rose, still discernible beneath the damp scent of decay. She hummed softly, reciting:

"Ah little rose—how easy
for such as thee to die!"

And how easy for her to recite poetry that she did not write. Another hum—this one more wistful than the last—and then the girl opened her eyes. But she had already departed from the present moment, carried away by a memory. She could almost feel her father sitting beside her, his paw guiding her eyes to the book that lay open before them. His prized possession. That is solemn we have ended, be it but a play—

A volume of poetry she'd never learned to read. That was her only regret, that she hadn't learned. But she still remembered every word.

—or a leaving home; or later,
parting with a world
we have understood, for better
still it be unfurled.

And so the girl sat, surrounded by dying flowers and memories.

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@Nimue

M

elrose was an excellent place to stroll aimlessly, especially at this time of year. The meadows had lost their appeal as the spring blooms began to wither. A vast expanse of field and dying flora would crunch lightly underfoot as she padded along, the sound an the tempo at which she journeyed across the terrain leaving her in a meditative state.

Fall would soon bleed into winter...the cold would set in...and she would be alone and cold, through the season, no doubt. Nimue would muse on the future, recount the past, reflecting on every experience that was not the present. She was lost even when she knew exactly where she was and that is what frightened her the most.

The enchantress would glide across the plains with the elegance of a ghost until her ears flicked to attention, hearing the faintest words spoken in poetry to a rose. Nimue turned her head, the soft voice capturing her attention to what appeared to be a woman from far, laying among whatever remain of Melrose's floral beauty. She redirected her roaming in the direction of the stranger, noticing that she held a book open with a paw.

The dark wolfess leaned into her own curiosity on what contents were held there, sauntering ever closer until she was able to announce her presence, "A book is a rare treasure these days." She commented politely, drawing upon a pleasant smile as she regarded the younger woman with a ocean blue orbs that swirled with the gentle, chaos of an ocean's tide.

@Eloise

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

and sweetest
in the gale is heard

The deeper her memories carried her, the more she could feel her father's warmth. She leaned her weight ever so slightly to the right, as if leaning against him. His deep baritone chords recited the poetry from the page.

"...a rare treasure these days."

It took a moment for Eloise to realize these words hadn't come from her father. They'd been spoken in the present. Reluctantly, she freed herself from the snare of her memories and returned to reality. Her eyes gradually refocused, and she looked up at the stranger who had spoken. A dark female with ocean-blue eyes. She smelled faintly of honeysuckle and rain—her scent mingled rather pleasantly with the decaying flowers.

Several seconds had passed, and Eloise still hadn't responded. What was it the woman had said? Something about a treasure?

"Sorry," said Eloise, though she wasn't really. "What did you say?"

She noticed the woman looking at her book, and she closed it. It felt private somehow—something she and her father had shared. She wanted it to stay that way. Unless, of course, this woman could help her.

"Do you know how to read?" the girl asked, rather abruptly. "Or do you know anyone who does?"

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T

he girl simply stared at her and she remained just as pleasant, allowing her to collect herself. There must have been something on her mind when she'd interrupted. Nimue found that she could sympathize with this and when asked to repeat herself, the enchantress lightly chuckled. "I simply made a comment on the rarity of books is all. It's not every day that I see one beyond the crumbling walls of the College."

She gave a nonchalant shrug and then blinked when the young woman shielded the book from what she'd assumed were prying eyes. "Oh, not to worry, I wasn't reading it. Curious on the subject matter, yes, but nothing more than that." Nimue reassured the other, just before she'd blurted out an inquiry that sounded more of a plea than anything. Her brows rose and she slowly began to nod. "Why, yes...I know how to read. Though, I will say, if it is in another language I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to help."

@Eloise

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

and sweetest
in the gale is heard

The woman repeated herself, saying that books were a rarity outside the College. "Ah," Eloise said, feigning a bashful smile. "Yes, they are rare. But rarity is not the only thing that makes this book special," she added, "at least not to me."

She hesitated for a moment, but the stranger seemed friendly enough. And she hadn't attempted to pry when Eloise had closed the book. "Curious on the subject matter, yes, but nothing more than that." With a small nod, she pulled her paw away from the cover so that the stranger could read the title if she wished. The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson, it read. Eloise couldn't read it herself, of course, but she knew the title. "Poetry," she said. "I'm a poet."

Suddenly feeling quite talkative, she added, "My father... he was a poet, too." Even now, it pained her to substitute is for was. "This book belonged to him. That's why it is so precious to me."

Eloise listened—this time with genuine interest—as the woman told her she knew how to read. "That's wonderful," she said. "How did you learn?" And could you teach me, as well? The question caught on her tongue, and she bit her lip. She didn't want to seem too eager, like a child. She wanted to regain some of her poise.

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@Nimue

T

he enchantress' eyes seemed to light up with the mention of poetry. "Certainly that is the best kind of book...I've heard it said that poetry is a form of magic. The way one masterfully weaves words together to produce an elegant art form could only be such." Nimue's eyebrow quirked, wishing for the girl to fill in the blanks. "You're a poet...tell me, is it true?"

At the explanation of her protective nature over the book, the woman's smile faded slowly and she lowered her head. "My apologies for your loss...the sentiment is lovely, though. Are they his poems?" When she peered over, she caught a view of the authors last name. "Ah, Dickinson..." She cleared her throat and sat up a bit straighter, trying to recall one that she knew:

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -"

She gave a sad smile, the poem she knew as a younger girl having a far different meaning in her life than it had before. Pulling herself back into her pleasant smile she chuckled softly, "This rest of it is lost on me presently, I dare say." Nim shrugged nonchalantly and she blinked at the girl, glancing towards the book and then back to her. "Why, I learned from my Aunt...my Father, may he rot, did not permit me to enjoy a proper education. Clearly, I did not let a thing in this world stop me from learning...and neither should you." Nimue winked at her, understanding the underlying question without it having been spoken aloud.

@Eloise

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

and sweetest
in the gale is heard

Hearing the other woman speak of poetry lit a fire within Eloise. Her eyes were shining with it. She wiggled on her haunches—poise be damned. "It is," she agreed emphatically. "It is magic. I never feel more alive than when the words flow through me. At times it feels as if they've been written by someone else entirely—someone divine." Or perhaps she was the divine one. She rather liked the thought of that. A dreamy smile graced her features.

The woman offered her condolences, and Eloise's smile wavered. "Thank you," she said. "They're not his, but they're some of his favorites." Oh, what she wouldn't give to have her father's poems immortalized in ink.

'Hope' is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

The rest seemed to be lost on the woman, but Eloise was more than happy to pick up where she'd left off.

"And sweetest in the Gale is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

"I've heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet – never – in Extremity –
It asked a crumb of me."

The magic that was mentioned before seemed to ripple down her spine as she completed the poem. That dreamy smile had returned. At the woman's words of encouragement, it only grew. "How inspiring," she said. "Thank you. Really. And... if you know anyone who would be willing to teach me, it would be greatly appreciated."

—
@Nimue

template by bean

H

earing the rest of the poem recited so beautifully and so eloquently...Nimue closed her eyes and basked in it. "Mmm...that was lovely...thank you for that, ehm...what was your name, my dear?." Her eyelids opened with a flutter of lashes as she peered over at the young woman again with a genuinely warm smile.

It was truly never to late to learn and the girl seemed keen on this as she asked Nimue if she knew someone who could teach her. She chuckled lightly and held a paw up to her chest, over her heart. "Love, you do know where we are don't you?" She asked, giving a tilt of her head before gesturing towards the forests that cradled the school she attended. "Beyond those woods lies the College of Eòlas."

She glanced back over to the darling girl and then lifted her chin rather haughtily. "I actually happen to be best friends with a rather gifted Poet and he is also a Professor at the College as well." She gave the girl a once over a smirk settling on her maw. "I would also be inclined to...assist you in your studies, as I am a student there as well. I was actually on my way back if you wished to tag along and I could give a formal introduction on your behalf as you wish."

@Eloise

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck