Even here, even now, even after everything... there are bells. Innocent, chiming, dancing, curious bells. She cannot hear her own heartbeat. Because there are bells. Ringing, singing, amateur bells. She cannot hear the sound of blade connecting on bone, she cannot hear the whimpers of the most precious person in her life as the threads holding her together are snipped, one by one. 

Because what fills her ears instead are hopeful, happy, bells. The nonsense music of a child with no lessons to their name. Beautiful, serene, nonsensical bells. Every ring is closer than the one that came before. In the pauses, there is only silence. Aphrodite is beyond speech. Bella is too tired. Redana cannot open her mouth, or she will fall to her knees. 

So the music is all there is. 

But she can see him coming. She knows that stance. She knows the arch of that back, knows that this is where he'd thrash his tail if he'd felt the need to grow one, she can [i]feel[/i] the sensation of his talons quivering in the air as though they were her own. She can smell his frustration, the crackle like pure electricity that means his nerves are burning above their capacity. The heat of his strike is already in her lungs, though he has not moved. 

But still, there are bells. Moving closer, getting louder. She feels him twitch at their approach, a quarter second's hesitation. Less, perhaps. It is beyond contemplation; she is already moving. 

She is grateful, little bell. If it wasn't for you, this wouldn't be enough. Being closer wouldn't matter, anticipating his actions would be worthless. She is, in the end, nothing more than the child learning that her father had been holding back for her sake all this time. Now she knows his true might. Now she knows she was never a match. But, because of you... she can...

The air shudders where she steps. She has never moved faster in her life. Every tortured muscle in her body is screaming with the effort, but she drowns it in the music. Only for a moment, Bella. Only you can do this. The tendons in her legs snap; she feels them dangling inside her skin, but she is already off the ground. 

Her grip is strong. She seizes Redana by the waist in the space afforded to her by that little chiming miracle, and she howls above it all. Her hips twist, her muscles stretch and contract one last time. Redana goes hurtling across the ruins of the throne room. Bella watches her fly, and she grins. 

"Ghhhhk! Fffffft, a-a-aah."

She cannot feel it. Her neck is heavy; she has to fight to twist it down. Even now that she sees it, she still can't feel it there. She tries to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but what comes out is ugly, undignified gurgling. 

Haaaaaaaa. That's so... fucking funny. Father, you moron. You... stupid... limp-dicked... bastard. With talons that large you... you went right through her spine. You couldn't make her suffer... at all. If it... if everyone else at least... felt like this... that's... that's not so... bad. Heh.

Bella wants to look up. She wants to smile. She wants to reach out toward her wife. But she is still. She dangles on the end of Aphrodite's wrist, arms and legs limp and useless, tail drooped low and lifeless, neck bouncing as he shakes her. She wants to speak, wants at least to breathe, but her body won't move. Is her heart still beating. Weird. She can't... tell. 

He lifts her up with a snarl she can't perceive and flicks her to the ground. Bella's body bounces off the floor, floppy and useless. Only one thing proves she hasn't died just yet. Only the music. Her eyes well with tears. Not bloody, not messy, but clean and pure. They wash her face free of filth. As much as they may. She lies there, still. Listening. 

...Hey.

Her mouth does not move. She has no voice to speak with. Even the music is becoming dull and distant now.

Hey.

Hey?

Do you...?

Do you think?

Do you think that?

Do you think that our daughter?

Do you think she?

Would she have made music this beautiful, too?

No way... right?

She'd have been...

So much better.

Right?

Re... Da... Na...