iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

catch you… would you believe me? Or have you already decided the dead are the only ones worth trusting?”

000

world the poor girl probably hadn’t had the chance to step into herself. With his back still to her, he extended a hand, inviting her forward. “Come here.” His tone, while gentle, held no real warmth, only expectation. A challenge, almost. “If I told you to step off this edge, and promised I’d

100

“I see,” he said softly. “That’s a kind of strength, in a way. Or maybe a kind of surrender. Isolating yourself to the only company you’ve ever known when there’s a whole world out there waiting.” Turning back toward the edge, he looked beyond the base of the mountain, and further still into a

100

He’d look over the edge for a moment, taking in the silence as she thought about her answer. As he turned to face her, he could see she didn’t take the question lightly, actually thinking about her answer. While her words reflected acceptance, the sadness on her face told a different story.

100

go, footsteps breaking the silence behind her as he moved toward the edge of Mt. Pyre. After his last step, there was a brief moment of silence before his voice called back to her, calm and curious. “Tell me. Are you afraid to be alone?”

000

voice barely above a whisper. “I’d be careful. After all, who’s to say I’m not here for the wrong reasons.” His tone was soft, almost fond, as if he cared. “Loneliness has a habit of making someone cling to the first person that really sees them.” His touch lingered a moment longer before he let

100

His hand cupped her cheek gently, touching her with unexpected tenderness before pulling back, leaving only a single finger faintly grazing her skin. She’d feel that same touch as he stepped behind her, his hand lowering to her neck and collarbone, then resting on her shoulders as he leaned in,

100

find out you’re ordinary after all.”

000

“Don’t mistake me for the common types who spend their lives failing to understand you. You’ll only end up disappointing us both.” As he finished his last sentence, he stopped before her, his hand lifting without warning to brush back a loose strand of hair from her face. “And I’d really hate to

100

something you haven’t experienced.” With that, he began to walk towards her. With each step came a hush, until silence fell between them and there was nothing left but her. His eyes focused, almost isolating as he stripped the world down to one subject and made her the only thing that mattered.

100

TBD @ruinousnight.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

He didn’t laugh. Even his signature smirk faded. Instead, she was met with the faintest downturn of his mouth, paired with a flicker of dissatisfaction in his eyes. “I ask questions because I like answers. People tend to reveal more when they speak than when they stay silent… though maybe that’s

100

His tone remained steady. He didn’t treat her with pity, nor did he show awe. He simply believed her, accepting her experience as truth without question. “Do you just see them… or are they something more? Do they speak? Interact? Or are they silent echoes in your mind?”

000

TBD @ruinousnight.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Maybe this was the part of the conversation where he was supposed to be afraid of the girl who could commune with ghosts. Label her a freak, or off, or different, and move on. Instead, he tilted his head, eyes slightly curious. “I can’t,” he said quietly. “See them, I mean. Not the way you do.” …

100

“Because I was curious if you’d still hold yourself back.” His thumb traced her lower lip once, soft enough to haunt more than it touched. “To see what you’d do… now that you know where I could stand.”

010

Elric let her lips graze his jaw, his eyes half-lidded as he enjoyed the moment. enjoying the moment—but “That wasn’t bold,” he said softly, just beside her ear. “That was restraint. If I went fully for what I wanted…well.”

100

At that moment he decided actions would speak far louder than words. His hand slide back to the arch of her back and he’d pull her close before leaning into an unapologetic kiss. “If I were disgusted or uninterested… this conversation would have ended a long time ago.”

“I could say the same about you, little Rocket.” His fingers lingered just a second longer at her waist before easing back. “I’m aching to learn more… but maybe we save a little mystery for another day.”

100

what she said into consideration before he spoke again. “Sounds lonely. I’ve found most people aren’t very good at being alone for long. Makes me wonder how you’ve managed so far.”

000

Elric watched her as she spoke, filing away the details: Alola, Hoenn, movement, isolation. But it was the sigh that caught his attention. It told him that maybe there was some trouble in paradise as she sounded not exactly tired, but resigned from it all. He thought it over for a moment, taking…

100

His eyes stayed locked with hers, hands now resting at her waist as his eyes showed a new soften they previously hadn’t. “I’ve seen how I want my life to be lived. Not just the path I walk, but who walks it beside me. What I’ll give, and what I’ll take.”

without vision is reckless. Vision without power is hollow. But someone who has both…that’s someone worth burning for.”

100

“Keeping up is the bare minimum. I’d want someone running beside me without losing their breath. Someone who wants more… not because I do, but because they believe it’s theirs by right, and they’re willing to take it.” His hand brushed just above her hip, just reminding her he could. “Desire…

100

haven’t met anything close to what I’d consider an equal and have no use for broken toys or for those who only see the tree in front of them instead of the whole forest and what lies beyond it.”

100

“Maybe it’s because we’re not so different, you and I. I made assumptions about you because it’s what I expect of myself.” His eyes began to wander, outline her every curve before locking with hers again “I don’t think about love because no one I’ve met has convinced me they can keep up. I …

100

this place would find it… worth the trip.” His eyes would finally settle back to her, a soft smile on his lips. “And you? Have you always been part of the mountain… or did it call you too?”

000

“Elric.” His words for short initially as his gaze didn’t settle on her, but the scene around them. He took in the stone markers, the hollow shrines, the folds of mist curling low to the ground. “Of course the home of the red and blue orbs would draw attention. Anyone who knows the history of …

100

this time his body and his eyes offering her a challenge, confirmed by his next words. “But maybe that’s what scares you. Not that love doesn’t exist… but that if it did, it might ask for more of you than anyone’s ever earned.”

100

to take a moment to think about his next words, a courtesy he rarely offered. “The Ariana I see wouldn’t wait for the world to offer her love. She’d take it. If she wanted a lover… a true one… she’d claim him, keep him, and make sure the world knew exactly who he belonged to.” He stepped in again…

100

Elric didn’t smile this time. He watched her closely, catching the flicker behind her eyes. The pain, the truth she shared before she sealed it away again. “How tragic… if that’s what you believe, then maybe it’s only because you’ve never taken what you truly want.” He paused for a moment, as if…

100

lifetime, but just as his breath teased her lips, he shifted his head to the side, whispering in her ear one final time before stepping back. “If you’re the woman I know you are, then you should be able to tell me.”

100

He didn’t stop. Instead, Elric let her hand trail up his chest, his open hand guiding her palm to his heartbeat. He let the silence own the moment, the steady rhythm beneath her fingers saying more than words could. Leaning forward, he moved as if he were going to settle this with the kiss of a…

100

“Use it, then discard it. That’s not fire, Ariana, that’s an ember.” His fingers traced beneath her bottom lip, “Controlled, but never given the air to become more. No wonder you keep your distance. Let something linger too long, and it might actually catch.”

100

tragic in that.” His touch caressing as his hand moved from her cheek to her chin, keeping their eyes locked as his tilted his head slightly. “But you don’t want pity. So tell me, Ariana, what happens when the fire doesn’t chase you… but follows your command?”

100

He remained silent for a moment. His eyes piercing as if he were able to expose her bare soul. He didn’t know her well, at least not yet, but he had a feeling he understood her. “You wear danger like armor. Like it’s the only thing that’s ever made you feel untouchable. There’s…something almost …

100

almost graze hers as he whispered in her ear. “So the question is…Are you going to run, or show me how willing you are to burn for something greater?”

cheek, guiding her chin upward until her eyes locked with his. “But clever will only get you so far, little Rocket. I know you’re comfortable playing with fire. You’ve probably been burned a few times. But now you’re standing at the edge of the inferno.” He leaned in just enough for his cheek to…

drifting downward to follow the slow movement of his hand. It barely brushed her hip, fingertips grazing her skin with a deceptive gentleness that almost felt like he wasn’t touching her at all. Rising toward her face, his hand brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His knuckle traced her…

jumped at the opportunity. But Elric wasn’t weak. He took a deliberate step forward, closing the distance until the heat between their bodies was unmistakable. “You’re clever.” That was all he said at first, voice soft and meant only for her. His eyes held hers, focused and unreadable, before…

Elric didn’t flinch, an amused smile on his face, because he knew this was probably something she was very good at. Weak men would crumble at the thought of sharing a moment of intimacy with her. Build her up. Give her everything. And then watch her move on to the next victim. A weak man would’ve…