★ it makes you burn to learn i'm with another man | sobbing on emily ;;

[11ady]

[In the months following the fallout from the holodeck fiasco, Une's been a bit of recluse. She's hardly ever seen outside HQ and her contact with the network is always kept to text. Faceless. It's easier to hide from the world in the midst of all that's happened. She's been betrayed by those she considered allies, thrown into simulated realities and toyed with. To enslave her mind like that was beyond criminal.

But she doesn't have the luxury of prolonged sabbatical. It's October. The holiday gala will be soon. A fire and ice ball to improve PR. Her engagement party...

For the first time in a long time, she slips into a dress.

Not blue; it reminds her too much of His Excellency's stare.

Not purple; it reminds her too much of her lost one-eyed king.

Not green; it reminds her too much of the uniform she wears while facing the challenge of duty.

No, she wears black. The color of mourning. It's a tight fit, hugging her curves in all the right places, cutting far enough above the knee to bare some thigh. The straps are thin and the neckline dips to show off some cleavage.

For the first time in a long time, she wants to be seen.

Clutching her purse, she walks down the street of the commercial district with no particular destination in mind.]

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[11ady]

[Purged. Like some sort of poison. There's a fleeting pang of pain in her eyes but it passes. Brown stares into black. A dead leaf falling into a cold lake. Ripples emanate as it floats on the surface.

And when you get back, we could start a family, you know? Someone else you can teach how to swim.

She gulps down the lump in her throat, keeping her smile on even if as it starts to hurt. Her hand drops to her side, hanging limp.]

It was quite the epidemic, yes. We've done our best to compensate for the damage of my misjudgment.