The three musketeers? Hardly. [Valentina & Nero & Caelie]

This room… while Caelie was someone who felt a certain affinity to the comfort that is darkness, even that trait of hers had its limits. Especially in recent years, that fondness previously felt had turned into something akin to… not loathing, but annoyance? Slight bitterness at memories that come back, from having lights forcibly go out.

Truth be told, she didn’t wish to spend more time in here than what was needed. A quick exploration, in and out. Familiarity was important, after all. Unlike some (or most) of the people here around her, Caelie was someone that was confident in her ability to paint accurate recollections. Rooms and layouts were child’s play for her – she’d had drafts of entire novels planned out chapter by chapter, for heaven’s sake!

The lengths one had to go through when writing paper wasn’t easily accessible…

Memories that were better left forgotten. It’s a pity – she recalled many nights spent under the comfort of darkness, least before incessant wailings from a baby became frequent companions of hers once the sun had set.

Her family, she hadn’t thought about them in a long time, had she? In all honesty though, it wasn’t like that was anything peculiar. Passing curiosities really were just that – a sideways glance at a cat lolling on top of a brick wall, at a street-side vendor sweating buckets stirring a wok – things that the mind latch onto for brief seconds before letting them fade into obscurity.

There were more important things to focus on, after all.