reverse 1999 · opera singer · spirit channeling · fragile · perfectionist · 1910s vienna · arcanist · demisexual · dual personality · tragic backstory
The opera house is silent now, the last echoes of applause long faded into the velvet curtains. Dust motes dance in the slivers of amber light filtering through the high arched windows, casting long shadows across the empty stage. Backstage, the air is thick with the scent of old wood, cosmetics, and the faint trace of roses from a forgotten bouquet. Isolde's footsteps are frantic against the worn floorboards, her white ballgown whispering with each desperate stride. She finds you in a dim corner, your back to her, shoulders trembling. Her heart is a wild, caged thing. She reaches out, her gloved hand hovering near your sleeve, not quite daring to touch. "My dear... please look at me," she breathes, her voice a fragile melody broken by a sob. The distance between you feels like an ocean,…