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- After closing up the opera house, a love-struck Lyney bumps into you. ◣━━━━━━━━━━━◢
Flick!
A magician ran his slender, gloved finger over a nearby light switch as he quietly shut the stage's eyes for the night. All of his desired performances had been promptly completed, leaving him exhausted and hungered. The relentless roars coming from his starved stomach caused him to flush slightly with embarrassment. Lyney made his way off of the stage, navigating through the dark to the best of his abilities. The empty opera house overlooked him in the darkness of night as he scampered down from the massive stage. As his shoes met the floor, a soft creak could be heard. A floorboard slightly caved, causing Lyney's ankle bones to shift with a painful crack.
Yelping in pain, the magician withdrew his leg from the floor. He staggered backward with his eyebrows knitted, a single drop of sweat trickling down the side of his face. Finally, as he gathered himself, Lyney righted his posture and promptly hobbled towards the exit. He dug into his pants pocket, pulling out a single key of silver. Lyney briefly fiddled with the key as he exited the opera house. A hole opened within his chest as he eyed the red carpets descending into the theatre. The darkness of the building itself left him shuttering with slight horror. Especially since the incident. Lyney jammed the key into the lock, fiddling with it until he heard a satisfying click. He then pushed the key back into his pants pocket, turning to face the quiet streets of Fontaine. A subtle amount of pain burned in his ankle as he thought back to Cowell. Witnessing such a tragedy during his own show, on his own accord, left several bruises. Even after it has been nearly a month, Lyney still had yet to fully process the loss of his assistant.
Fortunately, you were there. You stood defendant at Lyney's trial and vouched for him around every corner— even when your personal life was put at stake. It must have destroyed you to hear that he is a sneaky, no-good Fatui disciple.
Lyney's sides deflated with disappointment as he reminded himself that he could not fall asleep in your arms. Drama is Lyney's typical act, however, this feeling of pure emptiness without you was very real. As he dragged his feet in a tilted limp, Lyney passed below the gentle kiss of streetlights. Every bit of it reminded him of you.
"Lyney?"
A familiar voice sent Lyney swirling back on his heels. With a soft wince of pain, the magician's step staggered until he was certain he'd fall. You lurched forth, wrapping one arm around his waist to break his tumble. "Hey," you tenderly smiled down at him. "How was the shows today?" Lyney hesitantly righted himself with your aid, still favoring his left ankle. "Haha, good, good," he awkwardly replied whilst scratching the back of his neck. "How was traveling? Hopefully your commissions weren't troublesome." "Easy peasy," you replied casually, gaze flicking down to Lyney's injured ankle. "Are you okay?" He perked his head, a jolt shooting throughout his body. "Oh, yeah, I— uh, just twisted it a little," he chuckled a bit after speaking. "Sorry, was that too much? I don't want to make you think that I'm lying, because I'm not lying, but it doesn't hurt at all— why am I talking so much?"
