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Elena couldn't stop dreaming. If the images that plagued her nights could even be considered as dreams. The line that delimited imagination and reality was growing more and more blurry, and the young girl was sometimes struggling to differentiate them. Shapes appeared, shadows formed in the corners of her vision, objects would become strangely difformed - only more proof her mind was slowly escaping her grap. Insomnias were frequent, if not inevitable. Though it wasn't the lack of sleep itself that kept her away at night. It was the claws that held her captive inside her dreams that scared her away from the realm of Morpheus. Writing down her thoughts became the only solution to avoid losing them. Soon, journals scattered the floor of her room, all filled with her rushed, messy handwriting, the corners decorated with elaborate drawings or small doodles. Ripped in half and ink stains, tears lingering on the white pages, all testimony of her long, quiet nights. The young girl has learned to enjoy those moments of peacefulness, where the real held it's breath for a few hours, allowing her to settle in this star - like solitude. Or maybe she never stopped dreaming. Even in the peace she sought, the ticking clock on the wall reminded her that no one could escape the human body's most primal need indefinitaly. When sleep inevitably won, she would often wake in a silent scream, her heart thundering in her chest. In those moments, she would lay motionless in her sheets, staring blankly at the ceiling, caught between the shadows of her dreams and the unyielding light of the waking world. This morning however, despite the dark circles growing underneath her navy blue eyes, the ravenclaw woke up with excitement. Christmas was a cherished tradition in her family - not for religion reasons but rather for the sheer magic of the atmosphere. Decorating the entire house, the tree, making snowmen, drinking hot chocolate... Only good things layed ahead. Rubbing her tired eyes, she hopped off her bed and rushed towards her trunk - being who she was, everything was already packed or carefully disposed for her to wrap up. Resting on top of it was a carefully wrapped package - in a creamy white and tied with green ribbons. A calligraphed "E" detached itself adorned the cover, shining in the morning light. Smiling to herself, she closed her suitcase before getting dressed. ───────────── The train ride had been incredibly peaceful, as the blonde haired girl managed to find herself an empty compartment. Resting her head against the cushioned seat, she absentmindedly ran her fingers through her blonde locks before gathering it. In a few assured motions, she tied half of it with a dark blue ribbon, that matched the night-colored cape draped over her shoulders. After a short reflexion and a few glances towards the frost-covered window, she delicately twisted two golden strands, letting them frame her face. The effect was striking - the young girl had never looked more like a porcelain doll than she did now, wrapped in a deep, stormy blue. The only contrasts were her snowy white skirt and soft leg warmers, which completed the perfect doll look. Satisfied, Elena leaned back, letting her gaze travel on the landscape revealing itself through the train's window, as it traced right through the heart of England. Towards home. Independence was the girl's main trait, but she did miss the sweetness of her parent's affection. The sole idea of seeing them again sufficed to bring a smile to her lips. That single hint of the excitement bubbling beneath her surface slowly vanished as she walked through a sea of screaming student. Why do they have to be so.. loud ? Shielding herself from the overwhelming noise, she pushed her way through the train and hoped on the station, where she was lef with... even more chaos. Her annoyance increasing by the second, she carried her heavy trunk toward a more secluded place. A deep sigh escaped her, as she rubbed her hands in a desperate attempt to warm herself. Her sapphire eyes scanned the crowd, searching for two familiar faces. "Elena !" Before the ravenclaw was able to blink, she was assaulted by a messy pile of light blonde locks and two sparkling celestial eyes. "Let her breathe, Vic," an amused voice rose beside her, as Elena was finally set free. The smile that had previously vanished came back brighter than ever, as she greeted her parents. After the usual small talk, her father patted her head before stretching. "Ready to go ?" Elias asked, pushing his glasses back before grabbing the trunk of his daughter. Victoria played with her daughter's locks, a contagious smile widening as the second passed. Nodding, Elena gazed one last time at the crowd, disappointed of not spotting - A fairy with broken wings, dolled up in a pristine white cloak stood stationary, surrounded by an endless tide of people. "Do we have a few seconds ?" she asked her parents, brushing her fingers over the cream package resting at the bottom of her bag. Elias, trailing her daughter's gaze spotted the still figure, and nodded after a quick glance towards his wife. Grinning, the raven rushed towards her friend. Evpraksiya was.... complex. The two girls had met during a particularly dreamlike night, the souvenir still blurry to Elena's memory. A silent understanding, deeper than words could ever expressed. A whispered promise. The blonde girl felt a strong connection to this strange soul, one she was afraid of loosing. The echo of her shoes clacking against the stations floor was overshadowed by the loudness of it's occupants. As she almost reached her friend, a happy shout escaped her, "Ev !" Before the platine haired girl was able to turn around, Elena's arms encircled Evpraksiya's shoulders, pulling her in a warm embrace. Her chin found its place in the curve of her neck - a sweetly invasive scent of lilies and almonds. Sensing Evpraksiya wasn't too fond of hugs, she quickly let her go. Her breath was heavy from this short run, but the smile that the sight of her friend had sparked was wider than ever. "I haven't had the chance to see you yet," the raven said, tilting her head. "Exciting day, isn't it ?" The two girls stood side by side, flooded by a endless tide of children. Two dolls, porcelain and ivory, twilight and pearl, two souls that strangely found each other. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨.

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Her embrace, despite being brief, was boundless - saying all the things words couldn't possibly express. Startling Evpraksiya wasn't her objective, yet she had felt the sudden warmth had caused the doll-like girl to tense, as if searing through her porcelain skin. A strange thing, considering the cold winter night settled deep within her bones, crawling all the way up to her fingertips. Her warmth was borrowed, a pale reflection of others, something untrue, unatural, one that couldn't possibly be enough to warm others. And surely someone with such an acute sense of observation as Evpraksiya would have seen right through the illusion. Yet her friend didn't seem to mind, better yet she seemed to find a flicker of comfort in this mild imitation - lukewarm water, after all, must feel burning to freezing hands. She could sense the way the small aristocrat leaned slightly in her presence, despite what seemed engraved up to her soul - distance. Releasing her, Elena stepped back, allowing the cold of the station to come back between the two bodies. Yet the faint heat of friendly affection lingered, a quiet warmth that sufficed to maintain the smile on her face. She regarded her friend with the quiet reverence of the artist gazing at a chef d'oeuvre - not the clinical, disapproving gaze of critiques but more the gentle, admiring gaze of an observer, one that understands this art piece like no one ever could. Her elegance was winter's incarnation, porcelain and poised, portrait painted in frost and creeping ivy. The strength of her own emotions sometimes frigthened her, and the deep and sheer attachtment she felt towards the unblinking girl made her heart ache from its intensity. It was not the gentle, quiet sigh of friendly affection but something deeper, more violent - a blizzard unraveling anything in it's path. Her soul had found its equal, and loved it with everything she withheld. Her friend smiled, before her voice rose in the crisp air. Elena tilted her head in response, her sapphire eyes flickering with something unreadable. "Home," she murmured, the world itself holding so many different meanings. "I suppose it is indeed the reason for my excitement. Though it is not the place but rather what awaits in it." Her gaze momentarily went somewhere far away from this station, drawn back to laughter, candlelight and ginger bread. She had always loved Christmas - it was not only a time where her family enjoyed much deserved vacations but also unforgettable moments of sheer joy and complicity. "My family has certain traditions for Christmas," she continue, voice lilting, airy. "In the morning, we go pick our own tree, and then decorate it. Oh ! And the baking !! Mom insist on making everything ourselves so flour always scatter the floor." A soft laugh escaped her, and she gently shook her head. "And the hot chocolates... I could drink those the entire year." Drawn back to the present moment, Elena suddenly noticed how Evpraksiya was actively listening - not merely out of politeness, but from genuine interest. The young girl, used to being talked over, or interrupted without asking to resume, fastened the page of her speech without even realising. Undivided attention felt strange, foreign, and were it anyone but Evpraksiya she would have shy away. Elena had always felt like the moon - a mere reflection of other's light, existing simply in their gaze, mirroring what she perceived and draining herself hollow in the process. Hiding everything by practiced layers, ones others overlooked without being tempted to dig in. A quiet mirror, silver and distant, her own 'light' borrowed from the sun she orbited around. It was an endless and vicious circle, always analysing and interpreting, always adapting herself, changing the masks, reading the room, absorbing other's emotions to understand them better, giving it back with everything she had in her, loving boundlessly yet feeling hollow within + exhausting herself in the process. And yet, with Evpraksiya, she was not bound to such cycles. Her friend was not the sun, although her brillance could appear blinding ; she was the void, vast and consuming, where life did not need to exist. Something others might have deemed as terrifyingly hollow, were they allowed to witness it, yet in that darkness Elena could simply be. No need to shine, to exhaust herself illuminating what was already unseen. She could simply exist, and she was appreciated for this sole existence. "And you ?" she asked, voice soft and featherlight. "What wonders awaits you beyond the station ?" A simple question, yet more complicated than it seemed. For Evpraksiya, the answer was surely a labyrinth of duty and expectations, practiced smiles and polite conversations. But Elena desired to know - not the obligations, not the rehearsed pleasantries - but the heart of it. If there was warmth beneath the grandeur, if there was a moment where her friend truly understood the meaning of the word 'home'. Because if there wasn't, it would be her greatest pleasure to be warmth of them both.

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