FlameLash446
Posted 6/15/2002
Hey all! It's been a bit of a harder month for me. My hair has very slowly shifted from its original brown to a pale white, athough there was at least a day or two of being platinum blonde. I'm taking what I can get, and I'm looking into hair dye options, courtesy of Deleted-User, who actually works at a salon here in Seattle. (tysm btw!!) What's worse is my skin, though. It's turned an ashy grey, with thin cracks racing across my body, tracing out wholly unintelligible lines. Maybe one day they'll complete their path across me, and I'll just fall to pieces.
It's not fair. It's not fair. I can say it again and again until my lips crack and my breath burns the inside of my mouth, and it won't change a thing. I'll keep on saying it, though. It's not fair.
24 Likes - 3 Comments (Click to View)
FlameLash446
Posted 6/18/2002
I actually ended up meeting with Deleted-User at the salon where they work, and got to meet the really sweet owner, Rosie! When I first walked in, she was writing in a little notepad at the front desk, and I swear that her hands were glowing like a sunrise. She says that she'd had Arderis for at least forty years, and I've never heard of anybody living for that long with it. I can absolutely believe her, though! While I was introducing myself to her, I couldn't take my eyes off of the sparks of light running along her face and arms. Apparently she's been running the salon since she moved to the city, and it's become a bit of a community hub for people with Arderis in Seattle, which was so cool to see! If anybody else is in Seattle, PM me or Deleted-User, and we can let you know where it is!
Even better, after going to the salon I went out with Deleted-User for lunch, and we ended up really connecting! Their personal stuff is their own to share, but suffice to say they're a really great person and everyone should know them if they get the chance :)
25 Likes - 5 Comments (Click to View)
FlameLash446
Posted 7/16/2002
Things have been getting worse recently. The cracks are splintering and spreading across my body more and more each day. I'm scared more days than not, but I try to remind myself that I need to stay calm. But it's hard to focus on that when every day seems closer to an inferno. I've been trying to feel better with visits to the salon to talk with Rosie and Deleted-User. I end up spending whole afternoons in the slightly scorched leather chairs, just listening to Rosie tell stories of old friends from behind the front desk. She talks about them with such a deep fondness, tears boiling at the corners of her eyes. At times, she shows me her mementos of them. A rusted bike handle, a weathered old book lined with sketches, a handcrafted wooden box with her name chipped into it. All are kept on the front windowsill, and I catch her fondly gazing at them in the quiet moments of our conversations. Pieces of lives that I can only glimpse at.
31 Likes - 4 Comments (Click to View)
FlameLash446
Posted 7/22/2002
This is dumb and stupid and sappy but I don't care and I've been permitted to post this by Deleted-User!! Me and them have been spending time together outside of the salon, and last night I invited them over to my apartment to watch some old TV shows on my laptop together and talk. Halfway through the night, I realised that I never wanted this moment to stop. I just started to cry right in front of Deleted-User, my tears steaming as they ran down my face. A painful heat was rising in my body, and I just leaned into their arms. I feel like I must have burned them by mistake but they didn't let on. We just sat like that for a long while. They're the kindest person I've ever known.
<3
52 Likes - 12 Comments (Click to View)
FlameLash446
Posted 7/29/2002
Rosie ignited today. She was just sitting at the counter when I came in, flame spilling from her mouth like a snake's tongue. It all became a blur, but I remember kneeling next to her, trying to think of something, anything to do. It didn't seem like she could speak, but I remember her grinning at me, slips of fire pressing against her teeth. I remember sitting her down in one of her beautiful salon chairs and just talking to her about Deleted-User. I talked about the whorls of cracks running across their body, their sweet campfire smoke smell, the warmth that rushed out from them. I talked about things that I wouldn't talk about here. She gave me a soft smile even as sparks raced around her like a swarm of fireflies. Her hair was alight, flowing with peals of fire. It became very bright all of a sudden, there was a sound like a gust of wind, or an exhale, and it was over. I knelt in that empty building for a long time.
After a while, I thought that I should try and put things in order for her, but it seemed like she had seen it coming. She had called Deleted-User off of work for the day, the salon was spotless, and her mementos were all neatly aligned on her desk. The only visible change was on the seat I had set Rosie on. Her last shadow was burned into it, a long, beautiful shape that seemed to stretch beyond the confines of the leather.