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rainbowfic2026-04-14 05:29 pm
paradoxcase) wrote in rainbowfic2026-04-14 05:29 pm
Light Black #28 [The Fulcrum]
Name: The Darkness Before the Dawn
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Light Black #28: Cry
Styles and Supplies: Life Drawing
Word Count: 941
Rating: T
Warnings: Discussion of Sex
Characters: Setsiana, Sapfita
In-Universe Date: Night of 1912.5.4.5
Summary: Setsiana dreams of Sapfita, and receives some comfort.
For the first time in a month, Setsiana dreamed of Sapfita. A simple, lucid dream, as she used to have of old, not the fuzzy and confusing shared dreams she’d been having of late. It was comforting in a way, but also seemed to seal the finality of what Qhoroali had said to her that day.
She lay on a bed of nothing, where she floated, weightless, her face and arms supported by one of Sapfita’s legs where she sat seated beside her, and cried. Vaguely, in the back of her mind where there still existed some thoughts that were not about Qhoroali, she was surprised to find that Sapfita seemed to be wearing trousers.
Sapfita softly petted her hair. “I didn’t realize how much this hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
Setsiana shook, and hiccuped a bit. “It’s not— it’s not your fault.”
Sapfita’s hands stilled in their motion, and quivered slightly. “You might someday be surprised to learn just how many of the problems in your life are actually my fault specifically.” After a minute, she resumed the motion of Her hands. “So, for your future self… for that future time… I am sorry.”
Setsiana couldn’t imagine how this could possibly be Sapfita’s fault, but didn’t feel up to the task of trying to figure it out. She blinked tears out of her eyes and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Was I wrong to try what I did?” she asked. “I wasn’t trying to do what she thought, but… I guess I was trying to manipulate her thoughts with the dreams. It was only to keep her from killing you and destroying the world. Was it wrong?”
“A little,” said Sapfita. “But you did not succeed in that, and you don’t have very much control of those dreams and how they might affect your waking lives. You weren’t some kind of evil manipulator, to try that tactic.” She gathered some stray locks that had fallen into Setsiana’s face and pulled them back behind her ears. “Don’t worry so much about how you are going to convince her not to do that. I know it seems to you that she is on the brink of discovering how to kill me, but she is not there yet. It is not for you, in this part of your life, to be the one to convince her. When it comes time for that, you will be more than ready. And you may never become the Setsiana who is called upon to do it. That Setsiana is very far in your future.”
“So the Nyecchea is not that answer, then?” Setsiana took some steadier breaths. Perhaps she had more time than she’d thought.
Sapfita was silent for a moment, and Setsiana still could not see Her expression when she looked up at her, cautiously; as ever, Her face was obscured by the blackness of the silhouette. “The Nyecchea will be an answer,” She said, after a moment. “But if you are worried that she is going to be able to take it to this place, and use it to destroy me, that is not the case. It plays an important role, but that role is not to kill me. Like I told you before, her attempt will fail. She cannot kill me.”
“She can’t kill you,” Setsiana repeated, calming herself with the words. “But can she still destroy the world, or a part of the timeline Tree?”
“There will come a time when she has that power,” said Sapfita. “But that is not something for you to worry about now.” She continued stroking Setsiana’s hair. “And I want you to know that you will wind up together with her. She will return your feelings.”
“Surely not in every timeline, though, right?” Setsiana asked.
“In every timeline.”
Setsiana blinked. “How is that possible?”
Another pause followed, longer than the last, but eventually Sapfita replied, “It is possible because I removed the timelines where she doesn’t.”
Setsiana sat up suddenly, the quotes from the paper she’d showed Qhoroali that day returning to her in a rush. She tried to look Sapfita in the face, but as always, was confronted with only the blankness of the silhouette. “Doesn’t that… remove her agency in the situation? Her ability to refuse?”
“Not in this case,” said Sapfita. “This is not about a decision she needs to make. Her actions will be driven by the actions of others.”
Setsiana blinked at Her, trying to guess the meaning of this riddle. “Is there something I need to do? Something I need to say to her?” She thought back to what Qhoroali had said to her. “Why did Cyaru lie to her like that? Why did he tell her he didn’t need sex when he actually did?” She felt a spark of anger alight in her chest.
“Do you actually know that he was lying?” Sapfita asked.
“What?” said Setsiana.
“Have you asked him about it? You have only heard one side of this story. Perhaps you should get the other side before reacting to what she told you.”
Setsiana calmed herself, grasping for this rational suggestion and tempering her anger. It gave her a concrete plan, a possible way to resolve the problem where none had seemed to exist before. “I will get answers from him.”
“Good,” said Sapfita. “You are on the right path from here. Always remember that I love you, and that I always will, because ultimately, Qhoroali cannot kill me.” As She said it, the dream began to dissolve, and Sapfita seemed to be impossibly far away for a moment before She disappeared entirely.
Story: The Fulcrum
Colors: Light Black #28: Cry
Styles and Supplies: Life Drawing
Word Count: 941
Rating: T
Warnings: Discussion of Sex
Characters: Setsiana, Sapfita
In-Universe Date: Night of 1912.5.4.5
Summary: Setsiana dreams of Sapfita, and receives some comfort.
For the first time in a month, Setsiana dreamed of Sapfita. A simple, lucid dream, as she used to have of old, not the fuzzy and confusing shared dreams she’d been having of late. It was comforting in a way, but also seemed to seal the finality of what Qhoroali had said to her that day.
She lay on a bed of nothing, where she floated, weightless, her face and arms supported by one of Sapfita’s legs where she sat seated beside her, and cried. Vaguely, in the back of her mind where there still existed some thoughts that were not about Qhoroali, she was surprised to find that Sapfita seemed to be wearing trousers.
Sapfita softly petted her hair. “I didn’t realize how much this hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
Setsiana shook, and hiccuped a bit. “It’s not— it’s not your fault.”
Sapfita’s hands stilled in their motion, and quivered slightly. “You might someday be surprised to learn just how many of the problems in your life are actually my fault specifically.” After a minute, she resumed the motion of Her hands. “So, for your future self… for that future time… I am sorry.”
Setsiana couldn’t imagine how this could possibly be Sapfita’s fault, but didn’t feel up to the task of trying to figure it out. She blinked tears out of her eyes and wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Was I wrong to try what I did?” she asked. “I wasn’t trying to do what she thought, but… I guess I was trying to manipulate her thoughts with the dreams. It was only to keep her from killing you and destroying the world. Was it wrong?”
“A little,” said Sapfita. “But you did not succeed in that, and you don’t have very much control of those dreams and how they might affect your waking lives. You weren’t some kind of evil manipulator, to try that tactic.” She gathered some stray locks that had fallen into Setsiana’s face and pulled them back behind her ears. “Don’t worry so much about how you are going to convince her not to do that. I know it seems to you that she is on the brink of discovering how to kill me, but she is not there yet. It is not for you, in this part of your life, to be the one to convince her. When it comes time for that, you will be more than ready. And you may never become the Setsiana who is called upon to do it. That Setsiana is very far in your future.”
“So the Nyecchea is not that answer, then?” Setsiana took some steadier breaths. Perhaps she had more time than she’d thought.
Sapfita was silent for a moment, and Setsiana still could not see Her expression when she looked up at her, cautiously; as ever, Her face was obscured by the blackness of the silhouette. “The Nyecchea will be an answer,” She said, after a moment. “But if you are worried that she is going to be able to take it to this place, and use it to destroy me, that is not the case. It plays an important role, but that role is not to kill me. Like I told you before, her attempt will fail. She cannot kill me.”
“She can’t kill you,” Setsiana repeated, calming herself with the words. “But can she still destroy the world, or a part of the timeline Tree?”
“There will come a time when she has that power,” said Sapfita. “But that is not something for you to worry about now.” She continued stroking Setsiana’s hair. “And I want you to know that you will wind up together with her. She will return your feelings.”
“Surely not in every timeline, though, right?” Setsiana asked.
“In every timeline.”
Setsiana blinked. “How is that possible?”
Another pause followed, longer than the last, but eventually Sapfita replied, “It is possible because I removed the timelines where she doesn’t.”
Setsiana sat up suddenly, the quotes from the paper she’d showed Qhoroali that day returning to her in a rush. She tried to look Sapfita in the face, but as always, was confronted with only the blankness of the silhouette. “Doesn’t that… remove her agency in the situation? Her ability to refuse?”
“Not in this case,” said Sapfita. “This is not about a decision she needs to make. Her actions will be driven by the actions of others.”
Setsiana blinked at Her, trying to guess the meaning of this riddle. “Is there something I need to do? Something I need to say to her?” She thought back to what Qhoroali had said to her. “Why did Cyaru lie to her like that? Why did he tell her he didn’t need sex when he actually did?” She felt a spark of anger alight in her chest.
“Do you actually know that he was lying?” Sapfita asked.
“What?” said Setsiana.
“Have you asked him about it? You have only heard one side of this story. Perhaps you should get the other side before reacting to what she told you.”
Setsiana calmed herself, grasping for this rational suggestion and tempering her anger. It gave her a concrete plan, a possible way to resolve the problem where none had seemed to exist before. “I will get answers from him.”
“Good,” said Sapfita. “You are on the right path from here. Always remember that I love you, and that I always will, because ultimately, Qhoroali cannot kill me.” As She said it, the dream began to dissolve, and Sapfita seemed to be impossibly far away for a moment before She disappeared entirely.