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One of the many hobbies Cirrus and Cumulus often enjoyed doing together was stargazing and watching the sun set on top of hills not far from the Ministry, sharing a couple of drinks and chatting or even gossiping about the latest embarrassing secrets they had found out about Siblings of Sin or even about their own fellow ghouls. Their favourite place was on a hill that had a big oak tree nestling on it, the same exact tree the ghoulettes had carved their initials onto with their sharp ghoulish nails with a loving heart surrounding them. When it came to stargazing, Cumulus would go on to tell Cirrus every little thing she knew about certain stars or planets. Cirrus would always listen, loving the way she would ramble on and on about the littlest of things and or get excited whenever she'd spot constellations and shooting stars.
But tonight, something felt off. Cumulus didn't seem like her usual self at all. She was silent, no longer communicating about the stars or other interesting things like normally. Clearly, she was suppressing something that was mentally bothering her.
Cirrus seemed to notice her strange behaviour instantly, her eyes softening with concern. "Penny for your thoughts, dearie?" Cirrus asked, laying her back against the trunk of the oak tree before taking a sip from her drink. But Cumulus remained silent, staring into the distance and at the beautiful sun currently setting on the horizon, appearing to rest on the line where the sky meets the earth as it does. The sky was covered with layers of deep orange, fading softly into a blushing pinkish reddish hue. Cumulus was then snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a hand blanketing her vision from the sunset. Cirrus waved a hand over Cumulus' silvery blue eyes, hoping to bring her back to earth. "You doing okay, sweetheart? You seem...out of it." She tilted her head to the side, studying Cumulus' face as if to find any sort of clue that could help her figure out what was up with her beloved ghoulette. Cirrus looked down for a moment--but then it clicked, and a flicker of sadness washed over her. "Is it about... you know?" Cirrus didn't want to finish her sentence, afraid that she would stir up some hidden trigger in Cumulus. Cumulus only responded with a nod of her head, bringing her legs up to her chest and hugging them while her tail snaked around as if to hug and protect herself. Cirrus' heart sank as she witnessed Cumulus' pain right in front of her, instinctively reaching a hand out to her shoulder and rubbing it gently as if to try and attempt to soothe her. "Do you...want to talk about it?" She asked hesitantly, keeping her tone gentle and soft. Cumulus didn't respond and without thinking, Cirrus said: "Come on, it can't be that bad, right?" Which made Cumulus' head rise up and her eyes finally focusing on Cirrus' own with an incredulous expression, eyes widening and mouth dropping in disbelief, unable to form the right words without stuttering. When she finally found her voice, she gestured with her sharp-nailed hands.
"Can't be that bad? Can't be that bad?!" She let out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head. "Easy for you to say, Cirrus! You're still running happily in the band with the others unlike me who is now having to undertake endless lists of chores and errands the Clergy have assigned me to do!" She exclaimed, the words feeling bitter in her mouth, as if she hadn't expected herself to ever utter those words out in that order out loud in her lifetime. Her fluffy cloud of hair bounced softly as she turned to face Cirrus fully. "I have given everything into my performances, and now I'm being cast away and forced into cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and even doing taxes like some.. like some ghoulette version of Cinderella!" She exaggerated, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout, flopping back against the trunk with a huff. Soon, a wave of guilt washed over herself at the sight of Cirrus' shocked bewilderment, noting the way she felt guilty and how her gaze landed on the ground. Cumulus put her drink down on the grass and turned to face Cirrus. "Fuck, C. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to snap." She dragged her hands down her tired face, taking a deep breath of the chilly evening air before continuing. "I shouldn't take it out on you; It's not your fault." Cirrus looked back up, eyes softening. "No, I shouldn't have said that. It was wrong of me." She wrapped her arms around Cumulus, pouring all her love and sympathy into it. After a short moment, Cirrus let go to gently cup Cumulus' chin in her palm, locking eyes. "Hey, look at me. We'll work this out together." She promised, Cumulus only exhaled in response, a flicker of uncertainty crossed her eyes. "How can we possibly do this together?" She questioned with exaggerated gestures. "Tour is starting soon for you, and then I'll be all alone..." She lowered her gaze, finally spilling out what really scared her the most. She knew retirement well from witnessing it happen to other ghouls, but the main thing that scared her was being separated from Cirrus. She then felt a sudden ache in her heart as she realised that in a couple of weeks, Cirrus will be gone with the others for months--maybe even a whole year or two.
"I don't want to be alone." Her voice cracked with emotion on the last word, lacking the sharpness in her tone from earlier. Cirrus instantly embraced Cumulus again, hugging her tightly while trailing her fingers through her soft hair. Cumulus' lower lip trembled, and when they pulled apart, Cumulus was quick to look away, afraid of Cirrus seeing any of her tears that might have started to form. Cirrus' long, black, spaded tail curled around Cumulus' waist protectively. "I promise to text and facetime you everyday, 'Lus." Cirrus carefully lifted Cumulus' head up to look into her eyes, smiling tenderly as she brushed a stray tear from Cumulus' cheek with her thumb. Cumulus smiled and laughed, leaning into Cirrus' warm hold. "You better." She teased, adding some light banter that caused them both to laugh. "Even when I'm not around, I'll always be just a message or call away." She reassured. The two closed their eyes, pressing their foreheads against each others affectionately. "I love you, Cirrus." Cumulus said warmly, staring into her eyes with love and admiration. "I love you too, my gorgeous cloud." Cirrus responded gently, her words carrying the same kind of love and admiration as Cumulus' own.
"And you won't be alone. You'll have all the other ghouls who will show and guide you through it all. Like....Sunshine, Aether, and- oh! Remember Zephyr? The one we met one time during evening mass who is also an Air?" Cumulus smiled brightly as she remembered how sweet Zephyr was when the ghoulettes first met them, offering the two help when they desperately needed it. A wave of nostalgia hit her in the chest when remembering Sunshine and Aether who were once in the band too, recollecting all the memories of their antics on stage. Like the time Aether had to intervene and stop it when Dewdrop used his sustainer pickup to create a high pitched annoying siren noise, further irritating and riling up the other ghouls which would then end up with Aether muting the guitar but then getting a pick thrown at his face. Thank Satan for those masks. Then the time her and Sunshine danced in sync together while playing tambourine, the way Cumulus instantly felt appreciated and cared for when Sunshine would hug her. Cumulus couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, her eyes crinkling with amusement and happy tears as she relived the moment. Sure, she'd miss being on stage and with her mates, but now at least she'll have the chance to create new memories with the ghouls and ghoulettes she hasn't seen in a while and has missed dearly. "I guess you're right." She chuckled, laying her head on Cirrus' shoulder while continuing to watch the last remaining moments of the sun going down. Then, it would be a long night of looking at stars and gossiping. Cumulus wanted to make this moment last.
"Say... did you hear what happened to Dewdrop last week?"
"I'm listening."