#chloeint

[gloriouswhispers]

tuscany chloe and ines and felix

'are you okay? you seem a little...quiet.' chloe asks the shifter, question carried by an innocently curious tone. the witch floats closer to the edge of the pool where ines sits, only her feet swinging back and forth in the cool water. of course, chloe waited for when she noticed jakob wandering away. 'is it a cat thing? not liking water?' chloe's tone keeps light, glimmering with well-meaning intrigue. but it hides a seething that's embedded herself ever since the pink party. when the invite landed in her inbox for this trip to italy, chloe knew immediately. just something in her gut told her that ines would be here too. and it's fine...it's fine.

chloe's gaze has become critical over the years, inwardly mostly, from the pressure she puts on herself but also exasperated by her career. and of course, of course, one look at ines and the innate reaction is: she's tiny! words that drip with awe and ease from everyone who meets her. it's the highest possible praise in chloe's world. a perfectly tiny thing too, made precisely to be a precious treasure. ines doesn't need perfectly curated angles or filters to seem tiny, cute, something to protect. something to love. no matter how much chloe shrinks herself, there's always more to be chipped away at. it's fine, it's fine. but it isn't. 'you should come in, the water's really nice.' the witch smiles but it's a flicker, barely there before her hand reaches up and tugs slightly at ines' ankle. 'you kinda look a little rude, just sat there. like you're judging.' @rviner

[gloriouswhispers]

tuscany villa chloe & ines

chloe's guilt flickers between righteousness and regret. but if she digs deep enough, she can even find a sliver of happiness for jakob and ines. but those feelings are buried under layers of rejection and confusion. why did she do it? why did she let vindication cause her to stoop to a level she never imagined? chloe can't seem to find the answer and slips out of bed, padding quietly through the villa until she reaches the pool. she paces around it once before sitting and lighting a cigarette, savoring the sharpness of the first drag. even if it always reminds her of the constant promise to herself to quit for good. a faint rustle of movement disturbs a few moments of her silence, a sound coming just out of sight. chloe stiffens, eyes glancing to the villa just in time to see ines emerging with the same idea.

the belcourt refuses to say anything at first, and the distance between witch and shifter speaks volumes. but finally, she clears her throat. 'can we talk?' her voice wavers and she's hesitant to even glance to ines. 'i kind of...i feel like i need to explain myself.' chloe still isn't sure how she can, as ines knows what happened. just as well as she does. slowly, she moves from her seat. she fidgets slightly, scratching her nose as the uncertainty of the moment washes over her. 'about the other day. i just want to clear the air.' but how? she can't admit she was completely in the wrong without everything crashing down around her. 'i think it...well, it all turned into something it wasn't?' @rviner