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esotheriasims) wrote2025-08-24 12:07 am
Gladwyn Week 4 - Story Post 1
Tall, thin, with long white hair drawn into a tired bun, Marcus Blackbird was unmistakable. The soft, flickering aura around him illuminated the evening air. He stood by the marble balcony, arms folded across his chest, gazing out into the distance.
Phillip hesitated. He hadn’t seen Marcus since the search. Had meant to visit. Had drafted a dozen letters, sent three, gotten no reply. Truthfully, he was still a bit sore from Marcus' no-show for his birthday party. Still, he should’ve gone to visit. He knew that. He approached him tentatively.
“Marcus.”
Marcus didn’t turn. Phillip laid a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder. The bone beneath felt sharper than he remembered.
At last, Marcus looked over. His eyes were sunken and hollow. He looked like someone who hadn’t slept in weeks. Phillip’s stomach twisted.
Phillip: "I heard about your father. Is he…?”
Marcus: “He’s alive.”
A pause.
Phillip: “And Annika?”
Marcus’ mouth tightened. He didn’t answer.
“I…” Phillip fumbled. “I’ve written. No one answered."
Marcus didn’t look at him. The wind tousled his silver hair, and for a moment, with his eyes upturned and far away, he looked almost serene. Like he belonged more to the sky than the ground. “You should’ve come,” he said flatly. Phillip swallowed.
Phillip: “I didn’t know when. You weren't responding to my letters, and I didn’t want to impose. I thought maybe you didn’t… want to see me.”
“We didn’t,” Marcus snapped. Then, quieter: “I did.”
Somehow, that landed heavier than it should have.
“I’m sorry,” Phillip said with genuine regret. “I should’ve visited. I should’ve been there.”
Marcus looked at him for the first time. Really looked. His reply came in the same flat voice, slow, deliberate: "Yes, you should have." Then he stepped back and turned to leave. The moment had passed. Phillip watched him go, his glowing outline slowly swallowed by the setting sun.
"I'll be there", he thought. "I won't disappoint you, my friend."
