If he stayed here long enough, there wouldn't be any ashes left for him to rise from. Arthur knew this with clarity despite the fog of the laudanum. Under other circumstances, the thought may have been enough to shove him into motion — but Esther sounded right, and the click of the laudanum was alluring, and he was still so fresh off of the fight with Desdemona.

Art reached for the laudanum bottle. Just a drop. Maybe he'd even still make it to practice later.

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