Chapter Text
You want to stay with them!
The words come into your mind almost unbidden, a culmination of every wish you could have made. To travel with Mirabelle, to wear clothes Isabeau made, to go with Odile to see her country, to see Bonnie reunite with their sister…those are only things that could happen if you travel together for just a little longer.
You barely notice the tugging feeling in your gut as you fold the leaf, nor the faint smell of burnt sugar on the air. They don’t mean anything to you, not yet, if ever they will.
You don’t notice at all the flash of light under the tree just as you turn away.
You have a sleepover to get to, after all.
“Um, everyone?” Mirabelle’s voice is shaky. “Can I…say something?”
“What’s up, Mira?” asks Isabeau.
“Um…” Mirabelle takes a deep breath. “We…we’ve all been traveling together for a while now. It hasn’t always been easy, but meeting you all…traveling through Vaugarde to get the Orbs needed to open the House’s gate again…there’s no way I could have done this alone. I…I want to say thank you…for coming with me this far!” She looks down, eyes welling with tears. “But tomorrow, we’ll go and fight the King…Someone who has thrown Vaugarde into silence and stillness. Someone who has now frozen almost all of Vaugarde in time. I-I’ll do my best to make sure this doesn’t happen to any of you, b-but if you don’t want to come, if you want to go back home, I would—”
“Kind of late for that, Mirabelle, isn’t it?” Odile cuts in.
“I know…” Mirabelle sniffs. “I—”
“And by that, m’dame Odile means that we’re with you!” A huge smile spreads over Isabeau’s face.
“Of course I do.” Odile nods. “We’ve come this far, after all.”
“Did you really think we’d leave you behind?” Isabeau adds. “Let you go alone?”
“We’ll follow you, Belle!!!” Bonnie cheers. “We’ll help!!! Don’t worry!!!”
Your turn. “We’ll stay with you, Mira.”
“Oh…” Mirabelle’s face lights up. “Oh, thank you!”
Isabeau, Mirabelle and Bonnie all join together in a group hug. You watch them, smiling. If any part of you wishes you could join, you ignore it. Mirabelle’s feelings are the ones that are important right now.
“Actually…on that note.” Odile clears her throat. “I had a question I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Hm?” Isabeau pulls back from the hug. “What’s up, m’dame?”
“It’s…hah. It’s a silly request, and obviously, all of you are free to decline.” Her glasses are spotless, and yet she takes them off to polish them on her shirt. Are her hands shaking? You’ve never seen her like this.
“It’s okay, Dile!” Bonnie puts a hand on her arm. “You can be silly!”
Odile smiles slightly at the gesture. “Well, I…hm.” She sighs heavily. “I’ve been thinking. Obviously, once the King is defeated, there will be no need for us to travel together anymore, and all of you have your own lives to get back to, but…ah. I do…I do really value getting to know all of you, and if by any chance any of you would like to continue traveling together for a while, I’d…I’d welcome the opportunity. I figured I might as well extend the offer now, before all the chaos of tomorrow.”
Oh.
She wants…?
You don’t know what to do. You’re frozen in place, heart beating in your throat. You’re not the only one who–?
Mirabelle is the first to speak. “Well, I…I can’t speak for anyone else, but I would love that, Madame Odile! Honestly, I’ve wished I could get to spend time with all of you without the looming threat of the King, haha…”
“Yeah, me too!” Isabeau adds. “Honestly, the Defenders don’t need me that much, I was kinda…thinking of quitting anyway after the whole situation with them not helping Mira. And I had some, um, some other plans, but that takes some figuring out, so it can wait! But I feel…I guess more than I ever did there, I feel like I’m with my people when I’m with you guys.”
“Yeah!” Bonnie smiles widely. “I wanna go home and see Nille and make sure she’s okay, but I also want you guys to be there for that! And we can hang out even more afterwards!”
“Well, yes, I assumed talking to your sister would be part of the deal.” Odile chuckles—if you’re not mistaken, a little wetly. “Kidnapping charges would be rather a damper on our victory.” She glances over at you. “And you, Siffrin? Absolutely no judgement if you’d prefer travelling alone like you’re used to, of course. I don’t want to pressure you into something you don’t want to do, but if you would like to—”
You nod, you nod, you nod. So hard your neck cracks and your head feels dizzy. Already, your wish is true. The…something came through for you. You’re not sure what, but you know it intrinsically.
“Ah. Thank you. That…that means a lot.” Odile smiles a bit at you.
It…means a lot to you too. But you don’t know how to express that aloud, so you simply smile back.
“Well…on that note, we should probably get some rest,” Odile sighs. “These plans do hinge on defeating the King, which will be significantly more difficult if we’re all sleep deprived.”
Everyone else concurs, and you go upstairs in a daze. You can’t believe you get to stay with them.
You don’t even make it onto the first floor proper before Mirabelle screams out, “WAIT!!!”
“Gwah!!!” Bonnie squeaks. “What? What is it?!?”
“Sorry for screaming, sorry, sorry!” Mirabelle’s words come out fast and shaky. “Um, I, um…I…don’t know if this is relevant, but…I, um…I recognize this corridor.”
Odile raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I recognize it…” Mirabelle continues. “The Head Housemaiden of this House used to warn us about it…I think…I think she called it the ‘Death Corridor’!!!”
“Oh that sounds bad!” Isabeau remarks chipperly.
“So, so, um—” Mirabelle stammers.
“The House is supposed to be a safe building, but with the King here, some traps might be activated…” Odile remarks. “Is this what you mean?”
You can’t help but perk up at traps. You’re good at traps! “A job for me, then.”
“It IS your job,” Odile agrees.
“Protect us, trap master!” Isabeau cheers.
You do your job and check each and every pillar. It’s mostly just to assuage Mirabelle’s anxiety, but…you too have more riding on this, now you know you’ll all stay together after the journey ends. It’s a silly thought, a selfish thought, but it occupies your mind as you check each pillar. And…
Nope. Nothing. As you expected.
“So? So???” Mirabelle flaps her hands anxiously, jumping in place. “Are we safe? We’re not safe, are we, this is the Death Corridor…the older Housemaidens kept saying people died there!!! So there must be a trap—something weight-sensitive, or something! Or, or!!! Maybe it’s time-sensitive! If we spend too long here…!”
You smile at her, fondly, as you sigh. “There’s nothing weird in here.”
“But there must be!!!” Mirabelle insists.
“Aw, Mira…” Isabeau sighs, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Belle, Belle, don’t worry about it,” Bonnie reassures her. “Frin isn’t good at many things, but they know stuff about traps.”
Ah, right. With all that happened yesterday, you’d almost let yourself forget that Bonnie still doesn’t like you. They probably only agreed to travel with the group because everyone else did.
“Right,” Odile adds. “If we can’t trust the one who’s supposed to lead us THIS early, this won’t bode well for later….”
“But, but…” Mirabelle blubbers.
You sigh as you walk a little further into the hallway to demonstrate how okay and alive you still are. “We’re not dead yet, are we?”
“Well, that’s true…” Mirabelle admits.
“We HAVE been in this room for a while,” Odile points out. “And Siffrin has been walking everywhere, so if it was weight-sensitive, something would have killed him by now.”
“Exactly!” Isabeau adds. “It’s all fine!”
“Oh…” Mirabelle frowns. “...yeah! Yeah, okay! I’ll believe you! Sorry…for worrying…I’m a little on edge…”
You smile. Oh, Mirabelle. “We’re good, Mira. See? Everything’s fi—”
Something catches your eye.
Oh stars.
“What? What’s wrong?” Mirabelle’s anxiety seems to return with a vengeance. “You were saying everything’s fine, and then you stopped! Is everything not fine?”
“Hang on,” you mumble, taking a careful step towards one of the center pillars. You reach out, pull carefully down, and…
THUNK.
Everyone scrambles back as a rock crashes down just next to you.
“Whoa,” Isabeau breathes once everyone’s gotten their bearings. “So that’s why it’s called the Death Corridor, huh, Mira?”
“I guess it is!” Mirabelle’s voice comes out in a strangled squeak. “And…and it came down right where Siffrin was standing! Thank Change you noticed, or you would have…”
A shudder goes through the group. You’re really trying not to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t noticed.
Well, it was where you were standing, not anyone else. So it would have just been you that would have been squished like a bug. That’s a consolation, at least.
Oh, you should probably ask. “Any more Death Corridors, Mira?”
“Death Corridor…?” Mirabelle repeats weakly. “Um, no! That’s the only one! I promise!!! This hallway had a trap, which Siffrin just activated…but I don’t think there’s any other ones in the House…”
“Good to know.” If you’re not mistaken, Odile looks a little shaken as well. “Let’s get going then…”
You keep going. You hope there’s nothing else stupid you’ll miss. If something happened to you, whatever, but to someone else…
Well. It won’t do you any help to worry about that.
Something else catches your eye as you make your way down a hallway. It looks like water, but suspended in midair, floating gently and wobbling just a bit.
“There’s something over there,” you mumble, then realize that sounds stupid. Thanks, Mx. Obvious, there’s something over there?
“Oh, yeah!” Isabeau walks closer with you, and the others follow. “Some weird water?”
“I’ve heard about it from people in Dormont!” Bonnie exclaims. “They call those ‘Tears!’ If you touch one you’ll be frozen in time, that’s what they told me. There were a few outside the village too…”
Huh. You bend down a little, squinting at it. How odd, that something capable of causing such a terrible fate looks almost…pretty, floating like this.
“Okay we get it let’s stop looking at it!” Bonnie huffs. “Can we go already?”
In an attempt to get you moving, they shove their little body against you, and—
Your boot slides on the floor.
The tear rushes towards your face.
You’re going to
…land face-down on the ground?
Ow. You push yourself up on your hands. You can feel something warm and wet on your face, and when you wipe your nose on your sleeve you see a dark bloodstain on your cloak. You’re pretty sure it’s not broken, but stars above it hurts.
But…you’re not frozen. You must have just barely missed the tear.
The silence is broken by Bonnie, who runs to your side. “FRIN!!!” they cry. “Are you okay? You didn’t touch it, right?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,” you groan. “A little banged up, but fine.”
“Okay! Okay.” Bonnie lets out a breath, their face turning to relief, then…fury. “Why weren’t you more careful, stupid? Didn’t you hear me say you could get frozen?”
You consider pointing out that they were the one that pushed you, but you don’t. They’re already upset at you enough. “Yeah. You’re right. I’ll be more careful.”
“You should be,” they huff. “Unless you wanna get yourself killed, dummy.” They cross their arms over their chest and step away from you.
Another long silence follows, before Mirabelle reaches out a hand. “Come here, Siffrin, I can heal your bloody nose.”
You push yourself into a wobbly standing position and go over to Mirabelle. She puts a hand in front of your face, and you feel the pain fade.
Her thumb accidentally brushes the tip of your nose.
“Ah!” Mirabelle draws her hand back rapidly. “Sorry, Siffrin! I didn’t mean to touch you?”
You don’t know why she sounds so concerned. You want to tell her it’s fine, you don’t mind at all.
You don’t say that, though. The words stick in your throat.
Instead, you tell the group, “C’mon, let’s keep going.”
“Don’t stay with your mistakes! Don’t be afraid to start over!”
You stare at the message on the board. It feels oddly…well, you don’t know, but it makes you feel uncomfortable on a gut level. Why, you can’t place. It’s such a sweet positive message! But it’s getting under your skin.
Well, whatever. No use in lingering. Time to move on.
As you start to leave, you bump up against a table. You manage to resist the urge to make any embarrassing catlike noises, but…ah, you’ve knocked something down. You stoop to pick it up.
“Marc’s Super Awesome Great Amazing Super Duper Cool Notebook (DO NOT TOUCH!)” Bonnie reads aloud from the cover. “We should totally read it!”
Odile rolls her eyes. “We do not have time.”
“And I’d hate to invade Marc’s privacy!” Mirabelle adds. “Once we beat the King and they’re back, and I see them in the House again, how could I live with the guilt of having read their diary when they don’t want me to?”
“Yeah, Bonbon,” Isabeau says, “let’s not make Mira drown in guilt.”
You’re just about to head out, when—
There’s something sparkling on the floor.
You squat down, and pick up…a key?
“What an odd place for a key,” Odile remarks. “But you’d best take it anyway, Siffrin. We never know if we’ll need it. If it’s Marc’s, I’m sure they’ll understand.”
You pocket the key as you leave. You’d never have found it if you hadn’t bumped the table, would you? What an odd coincidence.
“Oh, that’s the Head Housemaiden’s office!” Mirabelle exclaims as you all enter the small room.
“Someone like her definitely has some good stuff, right?” Bonnie asks. “Like keys! Like snacks!!!”
“Like information,” Odile adds. “Let’s look around…”
You walk up to her desk as everyone else talks, and open the drawer. You shuffle around, finding paper upon paper, but…nothing useful.
You sigh, and try to slam the drawer closed, but something catches.
You try, and try again, but it won’t close right. There must be something on the bottom that’s keeping it from shutting.
You squat to look under, and spot…
…another key?
“Oh!” Mirabelle exclaims. “I think I know where that goes! It’s the door just down the hall!”
“Well, it’s a good thing Sif found it, then!” Isabeau grins at you. “Otherwise, we would’ve had to waste more time circling back!”
As soon as you all get out of the office, a crash makes everyone jump. Another rock, this time coming down…
Right on top of the door to the office.
“Wow! So it’s really good Sif found that key!” Isabeau laughs. “You’ve been on top of your game today, Sif!”
“Hey, paying attention is the KEY to success!” You smirk.
Isabeau breaks into raucous laughter, Mirabelle laughs a bit as well, and Bonnie and Odile share an eye-roll. As per usual. And yet…you can’t shake a strange feeling in your gut.
This…sure does seem like a lot of really convenient coincidences, doesn’t it?
It’s fine, though. It works in your favor. Can’t complain.
The wall in the library feels…weird. You don’t know why, but there’s something about it.
“Sif?” calls Isabeau. “You, uh…you sure are staring at that wall, aren’t you? Can…I ask why?”
“I don’t know,” you mumble. “There’s something up with this wall, and I can’t figure out what.”
Odile raises an eyebrow. “Your trapfinder’s instincts, perhaps?”
“Yeah, that,” you hum.
“You should poke it a bunch of times,” Bonnie suggests. “Something always happens when you poke stuff.”
You’re…not entirely sure that theory is sound, but you shove your finger into a random crack in the wall.
Something clicks.
There’s a pause just long enough for Mirabelle to ask “Did that do anything…?” before…the wall slides away?
“I told you poking was gonna do something!” Bonnie declares triumphantly. “C’mon, secret passage, let’s go!”
The secret passage, as it turns out, leads to a hallway, at the end of which is a small room that appears to be another library. You all start looking through the books to see if there’s anything useful. Shelves do usually have interesting things, after all.
You’re just flipping through a book about something called “colors” when you hear Mirabelle cry out in surprise.
“You okay, Mira?” asks Isabeau.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Mirabelle promises. “It’s just…hnghhh.” She holds up a book entitled “Shields.” “I just remembered I was planning on learning shield spells, and I never got around to it. That’d be really useful, I wish I had…”
“Well maybe you could learn it from that book!” Bonnie suggests.
“I don’t think I could learn it right away from only one book,” Mirabelle murmurs, but still she opens the book. She scrutinizes it for a moment. “Wait…wait a second.” She gasps. “THAT’S ALL?!?!? THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT?!??!”
“Ah,” Odile mutters.
“Oh, this sounds fun,” Isabeau adds.
Mirabelle mumbles to herself for a moment, then takes a deep breath. “Okay, so…Siffrin, do NOT move. I’m about to try a highly volatile Craft skill on you that I’ve never tried before.”
….um!
There’s a sharp noise, and a warmth spreads over you from head to toe.
Then a thump as Bonnie’s fist slams into your stomach.
Bonnie stares at their hand with a grimace. “Owie.”
“Siffrin, did you feel something?” asks Mirabelle.
Nope! You shoot her a thumbs-up.
“CRAB YEAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” Mirabelle squeaks, bouncing excitedly and flapping her hands. You’re pretty certain her eyes are literally sparkling.
Odile smiles a little. “Well, that’s probably going to be useful. Let’s get going, shall we?”
You leave the secret library behind. You’ve forced yourself to stop worrying about all the weirdly helpful coincidences that keep happening. You shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth on a day like today.
The King looms in front of you, terrifying and towering, and yet you are not afraid. Everything has gone your way today. You’re not going to lose, you know it in your gut.
“Ah….Ah…” he cries. Even his voice sounds pathetic. “Oh…young ones…are you…here to kill me….?”
Mirabelle stares back at him. Her eyes are determined. She will not back down.
“Oh…young lady…you stand for Change themselves, do you not…?” the King asks her. “I…I…I just want the world to stay the way it is now…to be frozen in eternal beauty…a world of everlasting peace and rest. Young housemaiden…in a way…isn’t my wish a form of Change? Why aren’t you on my side…?”
Mirabelle’s expression sets even firmer, and still, she stares back silently. Unflinching.
“Ah…” the King whispers. “Can’t you feel it, young lady…? The Universe yearns for everyone’s hopes to be encased in limitless ice…won’t you allow your fate to be ended…?”
The…the Universe? Something pokes at your insides like the strings of a harp. It’s familiar. Something just out of reach. It makes you want to dig into yourself and pull it out so you can see it for what it is.
Now is no time to get distracted. You have a King to defeat, and if he gets your attention, he’s succeeding.
At least Mirabelle is more with it than you. “Corrupting and ending people’s lives?” she yells. “You call this a form of Change? You DARE compare your dreams of ice and stillness to Change themselves?! This is NOT true Change! This is just you, acting as a god would, for your own satisfaction!”
“One would think keeping a whole country from changing and evolving is the farthest thing away from change,” Odile adds.
“P-pretty self explanatory, stupid!” Bonnie splutters.
“Seems like a pretty pathetic way to appeal to a Housemaiden’s good nature, huh?” Isabeau remarks.
“Is this what you want, then?” Mirabelle demands. “For us to peacefully let ourselves be frozen in time? I will never be on your side, King. Not in a million years!!!”
“Oh…” the King whimpers. “Ha…spoken like a true Housemaiden of Change…but…wait. You. Traveler.”
You and Odile share a confused look.
“Bright one.”
Your head snaps towards him.
“Do you remember…?”
You haven’t the slightest idea what he’s talking about, but…for some reason, your throat catches, and your voice comes out as a rasp as you ask, “Remember what?”
“Oh…oh, oh!!!” the King cries. “It seems you have not. And perhaps, in this version of events, you never will. What a tragic fate you will live.”
“This version of events…?” you repeat softly. “What do you mean by that?”
“I know nothing but what the Universe tells me,” the King replies. “And that is only that something that should be awry has been set right. There will be consequences. This is the way of things.”
“What…should have been awry?” you ask.
“Uh, Sif?” Isabeau says. “Don’t let him distract you, okay?”
Ah! Right! Stupid, stupid, stupid. You shake your head.
“Very well,” the King continues. “We shall fight. AND WE SHALL SEE WHICH SIDE THE UNIVERSE FAVORS!!!”
You draw your dagger. No time to waste.
The sun is out, and you are alive.
You stare at the huge window, taking slow, deep breaths. You’re alive. You did it. You beat the King. You’re alive, and what’s more, tomorrow you will wake up and your friends will still be by your side. Everything is as it should be.
“Traveling one?”
You turn. The Head Housemaiden is looking at you quizzically. “Hm?”
“You should talk to your companions before you all set out on your new journey,” she tells you. “Then come back to me, if you wouldn’t mind. I’d love to have a conversation.”
“Oh! Yeah.” You nod. “I will, thank you.”
She waves at you as you turn towards Odile.
“Ah, Siffrin.” Odile smiles as you approach her. “Woop woop, we did it, et cetera.”
You laugh. “Woop woop?”
“You heard me.” She stretches her arms, her shoulder popping. “That was quite a workout. My entire body is screaming.” She sighs heavily. “Perhaps we should all rest for a while before we set out again.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” You smile.
“And…” Odile looks at you for a moment, as if trying to configure her words. “I am…very glad we will be traveling together for a while. I would have really missed you if we’d gone our separate ways, Siffrin.”
“Y-yeah.” Your voice is starting to choke up! Ah, no, how embarrassing! “I’m glad we’re staying together too.”
“To be honest,” Odile admits, “I didn’t expect all of you to go along with my idea. I know you all have more to go back to than I do.”
“What about your research?” you ask. “Don’t you have to go…present it to your peers or whatever?”
“Hm?” Odile blinks. “Ah, my research. Well, I could use some more time to work on it.”
You laugh. “Are you sure you’re not just procrastinating?”
Odile raises an eyebrow. “Don’t be silly, Siffrin. I never procrastinate.”
“So you’re not studying procrastination-ology?”
“Ha!” The laugh that bubbles out of her is shockingly genuine. “You’re lucky you’ve got plenty of time to keep guessing.”
“I have.” You look down at your gloves. “And…to be honest, I’d been hoping we could stay together for a while. I’m glad you said something.”
“Hm.” Odile tilts her head slightly. “That’s nice to hear. I was honestly expecting you to be the least likely to join me.”
Huh? “Why would I be the least likely?”
Odile hums softly. “I figured you were used to traveling on your own, and that’s what you would want to return to. You’re young and self-sufficient and I assumed you’d miss the life you led before all of this happened.”
The life you led before…you don’t miss it, do you? You don’t even think about it. You can’t even remember the last time you reminisced about your life before you met your friends.
(Did you even have one? Who were you, without these people you’ve come to love? Shouldn’t you know something as simple as that?)
“No, I…don’t have anything much to go back to.” You shrug.
“Ah.” Odile is silent for a moment, and then says, “I’m…sorry to hear that, Siffrin.”
“You don’t have to be.” You twist your fingers tight, tight, tight. You don’t want to talk about this and you don’t know why.
“Well.” Odile clears her throat. “Regardless, I’m…glad, that this is how things are turning out. I really enjoy your company, Siffrin.”
“I really enjoy your company too,” you reply. The words don’t begin to describe enough how you feel about her, about all of them, but you don’t know what words would.
Odile smiles at you. It’s an oddly tender smile, one you haven’t often seen on her. “Alright, well, true as that is, I need some space for a bit, so, off with you. Go bother the other young ones.”
You smile too as you walk away.
Mirabelle is sitting on a bench, and you plop down next to her. Her whole face brightens when she sees you. “Siffrin! I…I’m not dreaming, am I? We won, didn’t we? Are you sure? We really won?”
“We really won, Mira!” you laugh.
“Oh, Change,” she breathes. “I don’t think I can believe it just yet, to be honest? W-we fought the King, and, and the last attack I dealt did the trick and defeated him, and…and better yet, we don’t have to part ways just yet! I’m so excited to get to travel with you all without, you know, the crushing weight of responsibility on my shoulders…”
Oh, Mirabelle. She’s carried so much this whole time. “I’m excited for that too, Mira.”
“You are?” She sounds…genuinely surprised. Did she really think you wouldn’t be?
“Of course!” you laugh. “We get to hang out more! How could I not be?”
“Oh!” Mirabelle’s eyes are…welling up with tears? Oh no!
“B-breathe with me?” you sputter out.
Mirabelle complies. You both breathe in….aaaand out.
Mirabelle giggles. You must look confused, because she just says softly, “Oh, no, I’m just thinking…you can be so nice, Siffrin.”
The words make your face heat up!!! She really thinks so???
“Oh, you’re blushing!!!” Mirabelle squeaks. “Siffrin!!! Oh!!!”
You just smile, so wide it hurts. You love this. You love that you get more of this. You love that you get to stay with her.
“You know,” Mirabelle tells you. “I’m so glad that I get to spend more time with you, Siffrin.”
“I feel the same about you.” Your voice cracks on the last word. Ugh, how humiliating…
“Oh, Siffrin…” Mirabelle’s brow furrows, and she lifts one hand.
You jump as her hand gently cups your chin.
“Oh no!” Mirabelle retracts the hand and clamps it over her mouth. “I didn’t think, I’m so sorry!”
Huh? Why is she reacting like that? She didn’t do anything wrong! “I-it’s okay!”
“...okay.” Mirabelle breathes out slowly.
“Are…” You have to ask. “Are you sure you’re okay leaving Dormont again?”
“I am.” She nods. “I was thinking of going on a pilgrimage anyway, remember? And…I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll return someday, but sometimes you need some time away from home to really appreciate it, you know what I mean?”
You…
You don’t know if you know.
You wish you could go h
“Siffrin?”
Ah! You were spacing out! You were thinking about…something, but you’ve completely lost your train of thought. How annoying! “Sorry, Mira, what were you saying?”
“I was just saying I want to make sure to get something for my roommate before we leave,” Mirabelle continues.
You raise an eyebrow. “The roommate you hate?”
“Hate is a very strong word, Siffrin!” Mirabelle exclaims. “I just said I don’t like her! And that she’s the worst!”
You snort. “Oh, wow. Very different, you’re right, my bad.”
Mirabelle sighs. “Still, though, she always gets me such nice gifts, and after everything, I am, you know, glad she’s alive and stuff, so…” She sniffs a bit. “And besides, I do need to get some…stuff from my room.”
“Stuff?” you prompt.
“Yes,” replies Mirabelle briskly. “Stuff.”
“O....kay then,” you say. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“I’m glad you’re alright too!” Mirabelle grins. “Have you checked on Bonnie? Um, n-not that I want to get rid of you, of course! It’s just—”
You get it. You smile at her. “I’ll see you later, Mira.”
“See you!” She waves enthusiastically.
Okay. Bonnie time. Surely this will go nothing but well.
“Bonnie?” you call as you approach them.
Bonnie just…stares at you. Silently. Awesome.
“What’s wrong?” you ask.
“It’s…” They frown. “It’s really over, right? Like, for real for real? It’s over? The King is gone?”
You smile. “For real for real, Bon!”
“So, so then…” They turn their body fully to you. “So I can go back to Bambouche and see my sister again? She’ll be okay? She’ll move around?”
“I’m sure of it,” you reply. “How about this? If she’s not moving when we go see her, you can punch me three times.”
Bonnie is silent for a second, and then they say, “...yeah! And you’re coming with me so I can! Everyone is!”
“We sure are,” you tell them.
“You better watch out, Frin! I punch hard!” Bonnie punches the air a few times to demonstrate.
“I have nothing to worry about,” you laugh. “Because your sister will be okay, remember?”
“Oh! Yeah, she is!” Bonnie smiles widely. You can see the gap in their teeth, and you remember how proudly they showed it to you the day they lost it. They’re so young. They’ve had to grow up too fast.
“Yeah.” You smile. Your chest hurts. You’ve missed hanging out with them.
Bonnie squints at you. “Why are you looking like that?”
“Huh?” you ask. “Like what? I’m just smiling.”
“Yeah, but you’re not smiling like a happy Frin,” they insist. “What’s wrong? Do you need snacks?”
You laugh. “Yeah, Bonbon, I might need a few snacks.”
“Okay! Snacks snacks snacks!” Bonnie shuffles through their pack. “Oh, I have some pineapple!”
“Oh, that sounds good!” You’ve never actually had pineapple that you can remember. You’d considered taking some in the House, but opted for the fish head instead.
“Well too bad, ‘cause I’m gonna eat this!” Bonnie says. “Pineapple is my favorite and I gotta eat something to tide me over until dinner! I’m a growing kid!”
You laugh again, just a bit. “You sure are.”
“But here!” They shove a peach at you. “You can have this!”
You take a bite. It’s delicious. You have to put your sleeve up to your mouth to keep the juice from running down your chin. “Thank you, Snack Master.”
Bonnie’s face lights up, the way you used to be able to make them smile. But the moment passes, and they come back to the present, retreating again and crossing their arms. “Whatever. I’m just doing my job. Go away.”
And so you do go away, wandering towards the last person you haven’t talked to.
“Sif!” Isabeau calls as you come over. “We did it!!! We did it, Sif, we did it! We did it! We stopped the King!”
You grin. “Sure did!”
“Yeah!” He clears his throat. Is he blushing? “I…uh. I said. Do you remember what I said? At the Clocktower?”
Ah, right. “You wanted to tell me something?”
“Yes.” Isabeau’s face flushes even darker. “Um…yes. Okay. Phew…Sif. Siffarooni…Siffrin. I…I…I…I…I lo—”
“ARE YOU GUYS DONE TALKING ALREADY????” Bonnie yells. “CRAB!!!!! I wanna go so I can eat dinner!!! I’m super duper hungry!!!!”
You turn around, laughing. “Didn’t you just eat that pineapple?”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t enough!” they huff. “Didn’t you hear me say I’m a growing kid? Don’t you listen, Frin?”
You roll your eye as you turn back to Isabeau, who…has his face buried in his hands and is making a lot of weird noises. “You okay, Isa?” you ask.
“I’m fine,” he replies. Or at least, you’re pretty sure he said that. He still has his face covered.
“What were you going to say?” you ask.
“Ah, it doesn’t matter!” His voice comes out squeaky and forced. “We’ll have time later, now we gotta go have dinner! Bonnie’s orders!”
“We do have all the time in the world now,” you point out. As soon as you’ve said it, you’re aware it’s not true. Eventually, no matter what, they won’t stay with you forever, will they?
And yet, Isabeau replies, “Yeah! All the time in the world! I’ll tell you sometime soon! No deadline, right?”
“Nope,” you agree. “In the meantime, though, are you gonna start looking for a designer apprenticeship while we’re on the road?”
“Oh, right!” Isabeau’s eyebrows shoot up. “I told you about that! And…yeah, I think I will. I haven’t really brought that up to everyone else, but hey, if m’dame Odile of all people is being vulnerable with all of us, what’s my excuse, right?”
You smile. “Well, if you ever need a model, I’m right here.”
“OH!!!!” The flush returns to Isabeau’s cheeks. “Y-yeah! Wow! You, wearing clothes I made! Wow! What a concept that I am very normal about!”
Huh. He seems to like the idea. “I’d be happy to.”
“Okay!” Isabeau nods. “Should we, uh…should we get everyone together and head back down? Greet the town and all that?”
“I promised the Head Housemaiden I’d talk to her,” you explain.
“Ah! Go ahead, then!” Isabeau grins at you and gives you a thumbs up.
You take a breath, and approach the Head Housemaiden.
“Traveling one!” she exclaims when she sees you. “Are you done talking with your companions? Yes, wonderful, wonderful! I’d like to thank you for accompanying young Mirabelle this far. I’m very grateful. Siffrin, yes? If there’s anything I can do to thank you, please don’t hesitate to let me know! I know you will all go back on your travels soon, but I do hope…I do hope…”
Her eyes go glassy. She’s looking through you more than at you. What is happening…?
“U-um?” you call to her. “Are you okay?”
“Hm?” The Head Housemaiden blinks hard, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened there. I must have spaced out for a moment, ohoho!”
“That’s…that’s okay,” you mumble, trying to shake off the feeling of foreboding that’s settled in your stomach. It was nothing! What’s wrong with you?
“But I was saying, I’m very glad you will continue to travel with Mirabelle. If you ever need someplace to rest for a while, know that this House’s doors are always open to you.”
You smile. “Thank you.”
The Head Housemaiden puts a hand on your shoulder. Stars, it feels so nice. “Now you should all go down to the village! I hear they’ve got quite the party in swing. You deserve to celebrate your victory!”
You breathe slowly as you turn back to your friends. It’s over. Now, you can start your new journey.
You’re too tired and happy to talk much.
All you can do is sip on the bowl of soup that may or may not be your third and watch everyone around you talk. All safe, all moving around again. You still can’t quite believe it’s really happened.
And now, you get to travel more, with these people you’ve come to care about so much. Now, your wish is true. Now—
[Pst. Stardust.]
Okay, what the stars was that?
[You should come by the Favor Tree.]
The…the Favor Tree? Why is there a voice in your head telling you to go to the Favor Tree?
You know you probably shouldn’t follow mysterious voices. Particularly as this one has a barely disguised hint of…is it malice? Whatever it is, it shouldn’t make you want to go toward anyone who talks to you with a tone like that.
But your curiosity is piqued, and you find yourself slipping away from the party.
✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧
You wait.
You’re used to waiting. Waiting and waiting for something to change, until you couldn’t anymore. Until you had to make those changes your own blinding self.
And what did you get for it? You came back as this. This…barely human being, this cursed form.
And for all that, Stardust didn’t even loop.
That’s the worst of it all! They didn’t even have to try, their Researcher did all the work for them! He doesn’t even have to suffer, he gets everything he wanted! EVERYTHING WENT HIS BLINDING WAY!!!!! AND YOU WILL NEVER GET IT ALL BACK!!!!
You grit your teeth. Or…no, you don’t even have those anymore. The thought makes you want to laugh and laugh and laugh. What a stupid thing to lose. You don’t even have a mouth anymore! Hahahahaha!
Okay, get ahold of yourself, Si—
You freeze. You can’t even refer to yourself mentally with that name anymore. You want to, you try with all your might, and it won’t work.
Who are you, if you don’t even have a name anymore?
Well. You’ll figure something out.
There’s a crack of a snapping twig. You see, from your perch under the tree, a pair of heeled boots. Then a thick, darkless cloak. Then—
Stars, it hurts to look at their face.
His big, quizzical eye stares at you. He looks so innocent. He has no idea what he has so narrowly missed. Lucky him.
“Hello, stranger,” they breathe. Even their accent is no longer yours. It hurts as much as if they’d thrust the dagger clutched in their hand directly into the star on your chest.
And yet, you reply. Because you have to. Because the Universe wills it so.
“Hello, stranger.”