Rosewater Oasis marchitó

ximena did not answer right away. instead, she let the silence stretch, her golden eyes steady on him as though searching for the meaning behind his words. a spirit who stayed because he was meant to—how poetic. how tragic.   

a slow, knowing smile curled at the edge of her lips. meant to? she echoed, as if testing the weight of the words on her tongue. her gaze drifted upward, past him, past the fragile shimmer of stars beginning to waken in the deepening dusk. qué destino tan curioso. a curious fate indeed.   

she finally moved, shifting her weight, her body fluid as the desert wind. i stay because i want to, she mused, voice smooth, like water. because the sands are soft, the water is cool, and perhaps— her eyes flicked back to him, a spark of something unreadable within them, —because the company is intriguing.

her head tilted ever so slightly. but i am jealous. to know what fate holds you, gives purpose. i must learn how your gods can help me find one.