Near at hand
Rain and a meeting again: under the umbrella, only half the sentence. For old friends and one unfinished matter.
A city at night, behind glass. For a gap in power, and things that cannot be said in daylight.
An appointment under the moon, kept later than the person. For a broken promise and a sentence delayed until now.
A step further
A hall and a low voice: the name outlasts the candle. Put titles, courtesy, and who may not be looked at in the library first.
A rooftop after school, the last train, snow and a hot spring, a masked room: few people, a deadline, the mask still on. Write the limit of the night before the feeling.
Three lines, then start
Where they are, what they are to each other, and the one thing that must happen before the night ends. That is enough for chapter one.
Add other settings when a later chapter needs them. A whole world at the start crowds the first chapter out.
Scene
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