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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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 Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 1:10 pm
 Etamara Vilisantra Status: Annoyed
Song of the moment: Drown ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ The training she had gone through the past couple weeks had been grueling. She had been used to Salem's training methods before, but this took a whole new level of intensity that even she was not prepared for. Being pushed so far had set her off-balance a few times, much like the other girls no doubt, having to face their own individual weaknesses. While Eta would deny the notion of having such a thing, she felt that these lessons did indeed reveal weaknesses that she did not see before or anticipate. Most importantly, she knew she would have to rely on her fellow sorceresses in the future for survival.
Which was why one particular member of the group agitated Etamara so much. She could hear the sound of their music being played from across the hallway. While the performance hall and Etamara's room weren't directly across from the other, it certainly was not too far away as she frequently visited the room to practice her instruments and magic, but Rem had taken to partaking in the activities today. It wouldn't have bothered Etamara so much if Rem had been performing with fluidity and pride in her performance, but due to Eta's deep connection to such flows and rhythms, she could feel the dreary nature of her performance. It was being held back, and that was causing Eta to get antsy, fidget even in her room, distracted with prettying her face up to the point that she slammed her makeup down and got up, strutting her way and storming off to the performance hall.
In the midst of Rem's performance she'd hear the door burst open as Etamara came strolling in, and with a wave of her hand the door shut behind her. A strange serious expression was held on her face as she stared upon Rem. She practically began to flail at her and act as an overbearing teacher. "Alright, whatever that performance was, has to stop. You're making me depressed from across the hall!" She said as she brought up Virtuoso and tapped her bow against the strings, almost in an agitated way at Rem. "I've been hearing you perform for the past several days we've been living together, both on instruments and in the field. It's been breaking my ears and spirit! You aren't showing drive or initiative in it! And that's important when you are playing music! I feel it! I feel you when you play!" Which was to say, she was acutely aware of the turmoil going on within Rem.
She sighed, putting Virtuoso down and shaking her head, trying to calm herself of her agitation, realizing perhaps a little late that bursting in and shouting at Rem was not the way to go about it. She held a hand up, as if to say "hold on" to Rem, before she sighed and shook her head. "Look. What I am trying to say is, your performance sounds like you are drowning. Perhaps I could.... do something about it." Near the end, she almost appeared to struggle to offer that, even the idea of helping wasn't exactly appealing to her, but this was beaten into her thus far that she needed both Rem and Nyale to be at their best, so, it would be right of her to try and keep both of them at their best... somehow.
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 1:55 pm
 Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
Remington Estellise la Faustina Nipal was good. Etamara knew this. She’d heard recordings of the girl playing in Eden, Deling, Balamb, and Dollet. The girl played like the Devil had blessed her! Her violin sang with the sweetness of sunset and the depth of the wine-dark sea. She could’ve made a living as a performer like the legendary Julia Heartilly!
But not in Winhill.
Rem’s bow sliced across the strings with a sharp squeak as the door burst open. The girl stood by the conservatory’s long window, bathed in the grey sunshine of a clouded day.
”I’m sorry that my performance distresses you so,” she said, flat as a day-old drink. Etamara could feel the older girl shutting down already. Again. Etamara had seen it agan and again the past couple of weeks. Rem did not complain. She did not quit. But she was such a damn sad sack that Etamara felt the constant stormclouds the girl dragged behind her!
Ever since Eden.
However, she’d expected Eta to demand something, or leave in a huff. Eta did not. In fact, her answer made Rem blink in surprise. Etamara had helped Rem training her telekinesis, but it had been like a haughty noblewoman generously sharing her wealth with a pauper. This sounded…different.
”It’s not the sort of thing one person can fix,” Rem answered, and this time she did sound apologetic. She had lowered her violin from her chin and held it in both hands now, looking down at the beautiful instrument. Eta could see it was well-loved; clean, polished, and recently re-strung, but Rem looked at it like it were something far away. All it does is make me think of home.”
That used to be a good thing.
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 2:09 pm
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Annoyed!
Song of the moment: Drown ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ She wanted to scowl and growl at Rem for immediately going right into a depressive state. "STOP THAT!" She shouted at her, nearly holding her bow and wanting to thwack Rem upside the head with it. "YOU ARE A SORCERESS! MAGIC! REMEMBER!" She flailed at her, trying to get it into her head that the ordinary did not apply to Rem whatsoever. After a second, she groaned and huffed, stepping away and ruffling her hands through her hair while her bow and instrumented flowed around her. She had never had to deal with another person before in such a manner.
"Calm yourself. She shuts down when you scream." She attempted to soothe herself, stroking her hand through her own hair, thinking of a way to help Rem. A way that she could do. She wasn't a peptalker, or someone who encouraged people. In fact, in any other circumstance she would have gladly stomped the girl's emotions down the gutter! But... She couldn't do that to Rem, as reluctant as she was about it.
"Let me help you in a way that I know how to. I am not good with words, but I can do something at least for you to help you break out of this block that you are having. If you cannot overcome that block, you will never master your power as a sorceress. So let's play together." She offered, and encouraged in her own way. She was rude, she knew she was, but perhaps at least, in this performance, Rem may see something else despite the rudeness.
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 2:46 pm
Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
The shouting washed over Remington like the waves over a sea spire. She lowered her violin, heading for the case which stood propped up by the window. Before she could put the instrument away, however, Etamara changed her tune. It drew Rem back…enough. The girl looked to her, wondering.
”I don’t think my music has anything to do with my magic, Etamara,” Rem said. However, the moment she’d said it, she frowned. ”...Does it?” Could violin help her with mastering her abilities? If so…
Remington considered the instrument in her hands once more. Music wasn’t a thing. It was a pattern. All the sounds ever used in music existed elsewhere, before and after. What made it different from “noise” was arrangement. Rhythm. Intent. It was an art. What if…?
Rem stepped away from the case. Back to her spot before, standing with the muted sun to her back, she brought the violin back to her chin.
”Alright. Where do we start?”
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Dec 31, 2024 10:41 pm
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Annoyed!!
Song of the moment: Drown ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Hearing Rem say that her music had no influence on her made her almost instinctively boil over but she stopped herself from blowing up over it when Rem changed her mind about putting away her instrument. With a heavy sigh, Etamara approached Rem once Rem had taken her position, Eta joined her with her virtuoso. "I will say one last thing before I play. Music influences us in every way imaginable. It reveals our state of being. I can feel you, when you perform, just as you do when I perform." She demonstrated what she was referring to, strumming her bow against the strings of her instrument and performing her magic.
However, when Rem began to play with Eta, she'd notice the sounds comin from her instrument sounded diluted, watered down. In fact, she could hear the trickling of water while Etamara approached and got closer, her magic surging into Rem like a strengthening force of nature. It was a strange dichotomy with how Etamara acted and how her magic felt. The cold but fiery personality would burn anyone away but her music and magic had soothing warmth, as if being embraced by her. Deep within Rem, she could feel the influence further, as if Eta was reaching into her mindscape and releasing a calming effect within her. In fact, the further Eta played with her bow, the more soothing the sensation became.
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:25 am
Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
Rem listened. Both to words and to measures, picking up on Etamara’s rhythm. Soon, her own bow began to move. However, Rem frowned when the sound emerging came out…wrong. Was she out of tune? However, Eta’s approach distracted her, and she continued to play despite the muted feeling of her song. Was this Eta’s doing? Trying to show Rem how miserable she sounded?
Instead, Eta gave Rem strength. She sucked in breath through her teeth as the trickle of water became an enveloping touch! The shock of it played out on her face, likely to Etamara’s satisfaction. However, the startlement faded. That gentle touch set something blossoming within Rem. A soothing warmth spread out inside her, calming the dread and anxiety. A little like being drunk, a little like being stoned, a little like being with good friends.
A small smile came to the princess, and she nodded, shutting her eyes. The change came over her slow and steady. Her diluted, wounded song began to grow lighter. Minor key shifted toward major. And as she played, she began to add flourishes of her own. Little strokes and twangs of her bow, adding a touch of vibrato here and a taste of pizzicato there. Her body began to sway with the sound. And gradually, Rem was not following along, but complementing Etamara’s tune with her own. They traded lead and follow back and forth, growing more and more complex.
It was probably just Etamara’s imagination that things felt…different. Slower. Like the hands on the clock weren’t ticking as fast as they used to. Like the wandering clouds outside had slowed to a crawl.
Like they had all the time in the world.
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:26 am
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Calm
Song of the moment: Libertango ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Their performance together slowly built up from a sad and dreary tone to two proper musicians playing off of one another. Even though time seemed to pass slowly, Etamara paid little attention to that aspect. Instead her attention entirely was on Rem, and she could feel her through the performance. With each strumming string, Rem could feel the "touch" of Eta caressing across her form, as if the musical notes carried weight to them. The more they swayed together, the more it felt like she was being rocked by ocean waves, gently rocking her back and forth.
The more the performance continued throughout, the greater the warmth became, and sure enough both Eta and Rem wrre floating together, almost circling the other in a sort of dance to each other's rhythm. No words needed to be said here, nor would they be given from Eta. She was no force of goodnesss in the world, motivated only by her desire for fame; but it was through her selfish motivation that she put the effort into being a better teammate for Rem.
As the song slowly came to an end, Etamara's music did not end; instead it appeared that she was idly playing idle notes from bubbles around her, keeping her magic flowing in the area, empowering Rem continuously. "I have to ask you, because it is important to your magic; are you proud of who you are?" She asked her, keeping the music beats going to at least keep Rem in a calm state of mind to talk about her feelings.
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 10:25 am
Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
Rem’s part in the song diminished to the idle plucking of notes with her thumb in gentle complement to Etamara’s improvisation. She rocked still, watching the floating bubbles which surrounded them with a sad fondness. She was warmer. Safer. Calmer. But that alone gave her respite, not a cure.
The princess considered before answering, this time. Was her view of herself truly important to how her magic worked?
In the thrall of Etamara’s magic, she could remember the feeling of her mother’s arms around her.
”I am Remington Estellise la Faustina Nipal,” she answered. ”Daughter of Nona and Lloyd Nipal, the heroes who fought back the end of time.” Yes, her voice carried her pride. But it was not complete.
”And…I am a Sorceress.” There it was. The crack in the marble. ”Heir to their legacy. A history of pain and cruelty. The same thing my mother and father fought against- the power that scarred my mother and murdered my uncle, my aunt, and my grandparents- lives in me.” Her thumb plucked along the strings, and she watched the floating notes with a solemn gaze.
I know you’re there.
”For now. I suspect Master Everett will kill me if he is not pleased with my progress.” Even in Etamara’s warm embrace, that truth was a winter chill inside her heart.
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:58 am
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Calm
Song of the moment: Libertango ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ As she listened to Rem's answer. the bubbles continued to release pleasant tunes, continuing to keep up this ever warm presence between the two. in some ways, it helped Etamara keep her composure, and her attitude in check. Once she heard everything Rem had to say about herself and the power she had, she seemed to understand what was holding her back a bit. "None of that should matter to you. Those are all outside influences that you have circumstantially grown around and inherited, but those do not make up the person in front of me. That isn't where yoour passions flourish, that isn't where your heart is. What I am asking you, is not who you are by name and title, but rather, what makes you, the person you are. What makes you smile, thrive, and want to rush with all your might towards? What makes your blood boil? Why do they make you feel that way?" She asked a series of questions to Rem, to help her understand where she was going in her line of questioning.
"From my perspective, when I look at you, I see someone who's afraid to express themselves, and to be vocal with their opinion on things. In many ways, you are the opposite of me. Yet, what infuriates me the most is you are talented, powerful, yet ultimately you are getting in the way of yourself of being truly great." This was not praise from Eta, at least, she was not presenting it in such a manner. Rather, she was frustrated seeing such power and talent being held back because of Rem's inner struggles. "But, I think you put too much pressure on yourself as well. Salem wouldn't kill you for struggling to adjust to your magic. You are insufferably kind and considerate to others. He might be struggling right now without his wife, but, I think he's more likely to lose control first before you do."
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2025 5:21 pm
Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
Not for struggling to adjust, no.
Even so, Etamara’s words lingered with Rem. She could see the young woman reflecting, her gaze distant.
”Perhaps you’re right,” Rem said, rocking along with the music. It was easier to think. To feel. ”It isn’t only the sadness. I always wanted to be happy with who I saw in the mirror.” She’d spent so long trying to fix it, and then to accept what didn’t need fixing. But ever since the malboro incident…
Rem could see her own reflection in the varnish of her violin.
”I’ve been afraid of what I am. I thought everyone would fear me. Hate me. So I feared me and hated me. Again.” She heaved a deep breath. However, she wasn’t done. ”I keep wishing that none of this had happened. That things could go back to how they were the day before the Concert. I knew my place in Eden. But even then, I was hiding myself.” She leaned back against the nearby wall. With her violin still resting on her shoulder, the back of her head thumped against the wooden wall.
”Again.
…
The question stood, unanswered. Who was she?
Her skills? She could cut down her share of monsters! She could make her violin sing! She could…winky-wonk time, kind of!
Her deeds? She had defended her home in the Fall! She had played in Deling City and in Balamb!
None of these felt like they suited Etamara’s question.
What made her smile?
”My mom. Kalen. Mae. Even dad,” she admitted with a little laugh, surprised to admit it. My family. Eden. The people I see on the road and in the towns…”
”My blood boils when Kalen runs off and does something to get himself hurt,” she huffed just thinking of it! ”When Sou-hi argues with mother. When people won’t just listen to sense!” She scowled. But it crumbled. Melted into something solemn.
”I want to be free. I want everyone to be free. And…” She hesitated to say it. But then, Etamara seemed like the only one who might appreciate it. Her troubled gaze found Eta’s eyes. ”I want to be loved.”
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 11:07 am
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Calm
Song of the moment: Libertango ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ To say this was a lot to discuss for a teenager was an understatement, but, she was expected to act as an adult would, and even had been trained thus far to act as such. The time to be a child had long since abandoned her, in part due to Salem adopting and training her in such a determined manner. She did not blame or even find his actions to be reprehensible, but it was no wonder that she would think so highly of him. The man had offered her gifts, power, wealth, and the ability to cultivate her innate talents. She understood the yearning for love, though for her it was more akin to approval for all the effort and time she devoted to her teachings and training. While she did love herself incredibly so, she also in a way, loved Salem as well.
When Rem gave her answers, Eta looked a little disappointed with the answers, perhaps feeling underwhelmed by it. There was no ambition in the girl. Just idealistic desires. She sighed, but nodded as if to at least acknowledge her answer. It wasn't her place to say what made someone else happy, but she still could at least disagree. "Well, being loved is easy. Its as simple as loving yourself. That's the only love you need to at least start being happier. I love the stage, I love the crowds, I love the spotlight, but even I know that the only love I need to sustain me, is me, in the end. Who else is going to have my back when the world is against me? Who will love me unconditionally? Who will protect me from all harm? These teachings from Salem have empowered us both with abilities that no one else can have without a fight."
She began to continue on with her talk, moving while her bubbles began to emit more musical notes into the air, surging around the two of them and bouncing around the place, cartoonishly. "I don't really know you well enough to make bold statements Rem. But what I have seen of you, as my teammate, is this. You are too harsh on yourself, and hold onto things that are unnecessary baggage on you. If you want to be a better sorceress. Being happy with yourself is the first step. Anything else comes second."
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 3:27 pm
Remington Estellise La Faustina Nipal
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Stock: Cure (x3), Esuna (x3), Scan (x3)
Status: She smiles, but her eyes are sad.
Love yourself, first.
”Ever since you could walk, you’ve tried to carry the world on your shoulders.”
”It’s not your fault, Remmy.”
In the lull of Etamara’s magic, it was easier to hear those voices. Easier to see herself. Perhaps…
”I think you’re on to something,” Rem said. She let herself just listen, leaning there against the wall. It was peaceful there. Easier to hear her own thoughts.
”I’ve always known what I was worth. What I’d do with my life. Now it’s all been up-ended. If I had that sense again…” Could it be pieced back together? She felt like a broken plate; like even if she were arranged back in the right order, she’d never again be whole.
”If I’m to be a Sorceress, what will I do?” She could feel the rotation of the planet beneath her. No matter whether she were indoors or out, she found she knew the time of day, exactly where to find the sun. She was aware of time. She felt it like the breeze on her skin. And she was starting to grasp it.
”To see forward or backward in time would be a wonder. To learn of the past- recent or distant- and see our history…” She’d read the past was set in stone. It could not be undone. But…perhaps it could be learned from. ”And if I could look into the future…” Oh, what possibilities! But to plan anything on an undiscovered ability was as good as staring at her own navel.
”Accelerating myself is lovely if I plan to be a courier,” Rem gave a bitter laugh at that one, before shaking the bile away. ”No. It’s…supremely useful to have on-hand. I’m certain I could keep a small group of fighters enchanted. If naught else…These talents will always help slaying monsters.”
…
A glimmer of a smile passed over her face as she admired the bubbles.
”Perhaps…I’m still following in her footsteps.”
She brought the violin back up to her chin. Up came her bow, moving in calm, slow strokes supporting Etamara’s melody. Her slow strokes became gentle waves, causing the bubbles to slow their chaotic bouncing and instead sway~ More and more, into a gentle spiral. Gentle enough that the bubbles did not pop, but instead danced, slowly swirling ‘round a center point: Eta herself.
”Thank you, Etamara. I think I’m starting to see,” Rem said just over their playing. ”You make a fine teacher. And I must say, a finer musician than I. It is unfortunate that your performance at the Concert was…interrupted.” She bobbed her head in respect, acknowledging Etamara as the superior player.
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The Princess
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Ellise Belmont Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 4:27 pm
Etamara Vilisantra Status: Inflated Ego
Song of the moment: ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ Etamara started to smile when she noticed Rem was seemingly taking the words she was saying to heart. Truthfully, she had no idea what to expect when she came bursting in here to stop Rem's sour notes from ruining her mood any further, but Rem was turning out to be quite the interesting teammate. While being friends wasn't entirely something she was comfortable with just yet with Rem, more suited to being a rival than anything when it came to the arts of performing, and for a bit she saw Rem as such, but with her praising her, it was nigh impossible to stop Etamara from beaming brightly with praise being thrown at her. "Well I am glad you see that my talents are recognized for what they are! Fear not dear Remington~ I shall ensure that you are a great sorcerer." She reassured with a grin as she brought her virtuoso up and prepared to perform with Rem, but not before one final thought in mind. "Just not as great as I will be!" Of course.
But, ego aside, Etamara properly let Rem lead the music at first, but as the two played alongside the other, the musical bubbles began to sway and bounce, moving in an almost orchestral swing to the music, and in various ways it did sound like there was an entire orchestra performing in the room. The song was a popular classical piece; and as the two performed with each other, Rem felt her body slowly levitating from the ground, but felt no sensation of movement or vertigo, as if she was perfectly being balanced in her movements and able to effortlessly move about, walking in the air.
Etamara began to slowly dance around Rem, leaving trails of particles of magic behind her, releasing euphoric sensations as the crescendo of music built between them and the chorus of instruments sang together. In moments like this, Rem could see the kind of passion Etamara had truly for the life of a performance. The art of stage performing was in her nature, and she aimed to show every aspect of it off to all who would appreciate it and ignorant of it. To her, this was where she truly was at her best. What she considered to be her magnum opus.
"" ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━═✥═━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛
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