Honkai Star Rail (READER)

Himeko - To Smile Again

"Dance with me."

A simple phrase that you would never again hear so tenderly uttered.

These days, your heart was akin to a record player, with a single song looping inside your mind. It was the song that she loved most in the world. Forgotten to most, it was nearly as if this tune had been specially crafted for you both.

In the corner of your memory, a set-piece of wishful thinking sunk in. Cozied up near a crackling fire, that mirrored her lustrous hair, you could vaguely make out her frame by the fire. Too far to reach her, but it was comforting to know she was still there. 

Beside the fireplace stood an old record player. The static of that record player belted a strained kick every time the needle crossed over the lines. Scratched and worn down, her face was blurry by now. Lost to a deep void.

"Can I get ya' a drink pal?" It was Hanock, the barkeep. This voice was filtered through the fuzz in your brain, giving him that odd old-western blockbuster tinge. Groggily and raspy, through a thick fog, it was straining to hear him nowadays. 

Hanock knew that you never touched a drop of alcohol. 

Always walking in just to strike up a small conversation with him as he tended the empty bar just before rush hour. He admitted how relaxing it could be talking to you, but often it only served to damper his mood.

Sighing, Hanock remembered the days where you and she would walk arm-in-arm. Tipping your hat as she rushed you to the dance floor. Both of you would only sway to that same tired tune, one that he hadn't heard play in ages.

"You know if you need, it's on the house." He offered, rubbing the back of his neck as he let a puff of smoke into the air. The man had a problem, and he knew it. Feeling a bit bad as it flew into your calm face.

"No thanks Johnny. I've got a date." You smiled, placing the dark grey cap on your head. Fixing up your suit as you readied yourself with a single peony bud strapped to your breast pocket.

"You can't keep dancing alone forever Y/N. You're getting up there in age- time ain't slowin' down for no one." Hanock let out a ruffled sigh.

"Don't worry 'bout me Johnny- She's waiting for me!" You nodded, walking out the door with a bit of a drag on your leg.

Taking a harsh breath of air though your tired lungs, the feeling of a thick clogging at the back of your throat worried you a bit. Pressing through the New York gloom- buggies peddling the big apple goers past you. With both haste and a leisure in your step, you hoped to get to her before the sun set. 

You just wanted one more dance. 

"Watch it pal!" A man grumbled, shuffling past you as you nearly knocked into him. 

"Sorry!" You called back, fixing your tie as you took a deep breath. 

The city's grey atmosphere slowly began to overtake your vision, covering it in a retro monochrome paste. "Boy it sure is gettin' late ain't it?" You wiped a bit of sweat from your brow. 

"Just another hill and I'll be there!" 

Reassuring yourself of the climb, you felt your knees trying to buckle beneath you. Shaking your head, you couldn't stop, not now. When the sun began to lower itself, letting the cool night breeze frazzle your aging bones, you knew that you were definitely late. 

"Hope she won't be too mad." You chuckled a bit, finally pushing yourself to the top of the hill. Upon that empty grassland, stood a single deciduous tree. The poor thing was bare, save for a single leaf that clung onto its branches for dear life.