Paper Thin (solo)

[Star Strike]

House of Cards, Leona's Room
Prologue~

Vincent throws open Leona's door, finding the hierarchy's esteemed leader cradling her head in her hands as she slouches forward.

"Leona what thefuck did you say to Stella?"

"Nothing she didn't already know." Leona sighed rolling her head up, eyes gazing past Vincent. She didn't need her future vision to know Stella had left the House of Cards for the first time on her own, Vincent's voice and the absence of Stella's shrieking hinted at such. Sitting up she reaches for the ten cards spread before her and sweeps them into the standing deck, hoping Vincent hadn't noticed the arrangement.

"Cut the shit boss." Vincent eyes peeled away from Leona and looked at the cards. "What did Stella ask? I know she was here and I know what you said is what made her leave, it doesn’t take a seer to figure that out.?"

Leona pick up the deck and extending it to Vincent, gestures him to sit down. Vincent grumbles, slouching down in the seat across Leona. Shuffling, one of the cards tugs on his fingertips, the Emperor no doubt. No, stop it Vince. Focus on Stella. What is going on with Stella?

Wearily he hands the cards to Leona. Slowly, she draws the first four cards off the deck and places the deck on the side. From Leona's left to right, she taps each card announcing what it means. "Past. Present. Future. Outcome." One by one Leona flips the cards over. "The World. The Five of Cups. The Star. Death." Leona's eyes avoid Vincent's as she picks up the deck. Removing the card out from under the bottom Leona turns it over.

"The Tower." Leona breathes. "This last card is the card that is beneath it all. The card that influences the rest of the cards."

Vincent shakes his head. “Fuck.”

[Star Strike]

I hate them!
I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!

I was never meant for this world. If I was meant to be a groundling I wouldn't have been created by Deneb. I had one purpose in this world and it wasn't even my fault that I failed her. Stupid groundlings with their stupid fear of night and their stupid bodies that need to eat and sleep. Why the Taurus do I need to be up at sunrise to see them? Can't they live under moon and starlight like us?

Being stuck on the ground is restricting. Being stuck inside underground is suffocating. What do they expect of me? Just the little happy Stella? Well I am sorry but that is just a mask.

[Star Strike]

Why do they seem so intent on keeping me here?! Do they not understand the severity of my situation? That this is killing me? Am I alone in my fears? Are they truly unfounded?

What if I never see Deneb again? What if by the time I do see her I am deemed a failure and am returned to stardust? Surely I will face a tribunal of the Summer Triangle. Surely they will vote for my demise. And if they do not Deneb will still revoke me for I am a failure unto them. I am a liability, not an assets and I cannot serve Deneb if I do not know their will. How I miss orbiting them, absorbing their light, listening to their will. Dancing with my Mentor for them as we presented our success.

I do not wish this to be purely my past. If I could... If I could... would I try to be both? A mortal and Psaróni. How would that work? I mean, the stars can do anything, they're all powerful. Much more powerful than that "tap" thing Vince obsess over so of course they could make me both if that is what they decided was best for them. But would be both mean living both lives? Or would I only become an outsider to both and drift from any world I once belonged?

The mortal Stella serves not their star but the hierarchy. Submitting to Vincent and Leona's whims. I could claim not doing so would ensure the death that groundlings know, robbing Deneb of my stardust. Doing that could end up causing a hunt of my kind with the discovery of our fo̱s too. But each day I'm here the chances my fo̱s will end up taken, labeled as a silly artifact for others to abuse.

However the Psaróni Stella was cold as space. If I am honest to you Deneb, I still am. I act like young groundlings for the full intent of getting attention. While it works they treat me like what I behave as, not for what I am. They do not know me as the person you made me, only the child robbed of your gift. But, but if I were a star and not your child I would not mind being their northern star and guiding light.

My purpose should be to serve you Deneb, and only you. But, I know in my light that the longer I stay with Vincent, the more I loose my worth. 'A starling that cannot follow their star does not serve their kind or star and is a traitor worthy of being stripped and scattered.' That is what my mentor told me. I did not choose to be this pale gross thing. If I could choose I would present myself to the summer tribunal now and accept my demise.