Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A gentle breeze eases you awake. Currently tucked safely away in a hole in a tree, you rub the sleep from your eyes. You shift a bit in place, getting more comfortable in the makeshift nest you’ve created out of feathers, fur, and a mouse skin base. It’s nice. Cozy. Then, your stomach growls.

Hmm. Already hungry. You should probably get on that.

With a slightly frustrated sigh, you carefully get yourself ready, making sure not to leave anything behind. Who knows if you’ll be able to come back here? Better to not get attached to living spaces. Every time you have something has moved in shortly after.

With the cloak and hat that you’ve always had and needle you found on someone's floor, you have everything. Always best to travel light, easier to get away if you’re not weighed down. A peek out of the opening and you’re greeted with sunlight and slightly windier conditions than you’d like. You… should be fine. You only got carried off by a stiff breeze… a few times. You can’t remember exactly how many.

You carefully slide down the tree trunk, though not being too careful because you’ve rarely gotten hurt from a fall. Quickly tucking yourself into a particularly tall patch of grass, you survey your surroundings. Seems like a calm day. Birds are singing, the skies are clear, and you can’t hear any large creatures nearby. Should be a good day to get some food.

Using craft with a snap of your fingers to cross any particularly open areas, you dash through the grasses. You get quite a ways from your little camp, but you’re not too bothered. You have the things that matter on hand, anything else you can get with a bit of effort. You scramble over a tree root or two, finally catching sight of some edible berries above you, when you hear a scuffle in the distance.

Your ear twitches. It sounds like humans, the voices too large and booming to be from someone like you. A small shudder runs down your spine. You… do not particularly like interacting with humans. It usually doesn’t go well.

The last time, you were put in a glass tank and kept there for a week like some kind of pet while the human studied you. There was only a small place to hide, and she would remove it if you were in there “too long.” You would have used craft to get out but you had nothing to channel it at the time. Eventually, after hours of wishing for some way out, she got distracted by something crashing in the kitchen, leaving the lid open just long enough for you to jump out and run. You have not interacted with a human since. It was a deeply… unsettling experience. One you are very keen on not repeating.

But you also know that one individual does not define an entire species… thus, you are debating with yourself here.

Whatever those humans are fighting, it doesn’t sound like they’re winning.

It wouldn’t sit well with you if they died when you could have done something. Stars. At the very least you can check and see if they need help. If so, you can help from a distance. If not, you can just get back to your berries. Yes. Good plan.

You skitter juuuuuuust on the outskirts of the battle that’s been unfolding and analyze. Ah, it’s one of those things. You’ve noticed them cropping up recently, although you don’t know what they are, nor where they come from. They’re tall, gloopy, constantly crying monstrosities of some kind. They usually take some sort of vague humanoid shape, and they do not seem to have any real intelligence. At least, not the ones that you’ve seen.

This one in particular appears to be a paper type. Good! You’re scissors, this should be over with relatively quickly, as you can see that it is in fact beating the life out of this group of three humans.

You get into fighting stance and rush in. With a few quick swipes, you launch powerful scissors craft into the creature. It gurgles in pain and wails, swiping at nothing as it tries to figure out where you are. You know by now that is a futile endeavor for most of these things. With how big they usually are, even if their eyes do gloss over you, their gaze doesn’t linger because they think you’re too small to be a threat. Very foolish of them. You do a fun little flourish, just for yourself because no one should be watching, and land the final blow.

The creature disintegrates with a wail. You bow to no one. Stars, you miss watching the human plays. You might have to sneak into a theater again soon.

Suddenly, you hear the humans speaking. You honestly forgot they were there. That’s not good. You tuck yourself behind a nearby tree root as fast as you can. You feel the impacts of their feet as one of them approaches. Three distinct voices make themselves known.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” a blunt, practical voice cuts in. There’s an accent to her voice as well, likely Ka Buan from what you can tell. Her voice is the closest. You tuck yourself a little deeper into the nook of the root.

“There has to be, right? That was scissors craft. Hello? Can we at least thank you for your help?” A much louder, though more jovial voice cuts in. His voice is deeper, and it sounds like it’s coming from slightly higher up. This one is just native Vaugardian, you are quite sure. Which makes sense, as you are in Vaugarde currently.

“Please!! It was very kind of you to step in there! I’m not sure if we would have made it without you!! We would like to repay you if we can?” A slightly higher pitched, vastly more anxious voice, also Vaugardian. Her nervousness almost makes you feel bad for hiding, because as far as you can tell she is being sincere. But no. Not worth the risk.

The voices are silent for a bit as you can hear (and feel) the humans plodding around, looking for you.

(Blinding stars. Move on please. Why did you have to be a good person and help. If… If you count as a person. You’re honestly not entirely sure. You’ve only heard humans use the word, and you aren’t sure what all counts.)

The practical one speaks. “I do not see anyone here, Mirabelle.”
(STARS SHE’S CLOSE.) You instinctually still your breathing.

“It’s likely that whomever they are, they have already left.” She continues.

The anxious one, Mirabelle, you deduce, responds. “But we haven’t gotten to thank them!! They couldn’t have gotten far, right??” She sounds almost heartbroken. Nope. No. Not showing yourself. Even if you don’t want her to feel bad. Not. Worth. The risk.

You see the shadow of what you assume to be the practical one consume your entire periphery as she walks nearby. (Don’t let them find you, don’t let them find you, don’t let them find you.) You are now holding your breath.

“No sign of them. I suggest we move on, perhaps we will catch up with them later?” The practical one moves away, as does her shadow, filling your world with light once more.

 You wait a few more moments, as the group agrees and moves away, sounding disappointed.

You let out a shaky sigh as slow as you can to keep it quiet. (STARS. That was far closer than you would have liked. These people seem nice, you weren’t keen on being proven wrong.)

You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Might as well get some berries.

The gathering takes a bit, but you manage to snag three berries. It’s more than enough. Or at least you thought. You’re feeling kinda dizzy. It’s probably time for protein. Protein is just… inconvenient. Starting a fire is a pain and can get out of hand quickly. Then, a thought crosses your mind. A dangerous thought.

(Humans eat a lot of meat, right? Maybe you could steal a bit that’s already cooked?)

You have faith in your stealth. You could probably do it without getting caught. Yeah. It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine. It'll be. Fine. 

Tracking the humans back to their camp isn’t difficult. They leave gigantic footprints and destroyed twigs in their wake. You’re sure to keep yourself hidden once you start hearing their voices again, and approach much slower. You skirt right up to the edge of their camp and keep an ear out for any talk of where the food is kept.

“Crazy that we couldn’t find them, I didn’t even catch a glimpse of anyone! They must have been really sneaky to pull that off,” You catch the jovial one saying.

“Could it have been a different Sadness?” The practical one says. Huh, that’s a weird name for those things. It fits, though, and it’s a much clearer name than “things.” Might steal that.

The anxious one, Mirabelle, is quick to add to the conversation. “Sadnesses don’t usually attack each other though!! And whatever they were, they left as soon as the Sadness died. If they were another Sadness they would have attacked us!”

The jovial one corroborates. “Yeah, it would be really weird for a Sadness to behave like that.”

“I suppose you’re right, but it doesn’t make any sense to me that someone would jump in to help without showing themself. Isn’t that suspicious to you?”

“I mean. Kinda. It’s definitely not happened to me before, and I’ve had people help me a few times! I’m not sure… but whatever was going on, I’m glad they were there!! I don’t know what we would have done without the help…”

“Hmm, yes. Isabeau here might have… had a rough time of it.” Ah. So that must be the jovial one’s name. Now you’re only missing the practical one’s name (Why do you care?).

He chuckles, and although it’s humorous, you can hear the underlying anxiety. “Yeeeeep! Probably woulda been bad.”

You’re getting antsy. They are still discussing you and have made no mention of where the food is. At this point, you might as well check yourself. You sniff the air to see if you can get a general direction. Hmm. Yeah, to the left somewhere. You watch them carefully before and after you cross each gap, making sure they haven’t seen you. There’s enough grass in the way that you haven’t been able to get a good look at their faces, but it’s not so much that you can’t see where they’re looking. The smell is getting stronger. You dart around the trunk of a nearby tree and sidle up to a log on its side. You can see a plate up on top of it. You’ll have to be careful. You peek around the log and… Good. None of them are looking in this direction.

You hop up onto the log, keeping your gaze on them. None of them have noticed yet. You risk a glance at the plate. Looks to be some cooked chicken, seasoned decently for being on the road. Judging from the emptiness of the plate, they have already eaten most of it. One more glance at the party, still talking, still distracted. You take a piece that’s as long as you are tall, because it’s the smallest piece available, and you bolt back behind the tree.

You listen closely, trying to hear if they noticed.

“Probably best to get some rest. Isabeau, mind wrapping up the last of the food?”

“Of course, Madame!” Hmm. Not quite a name, you know that’s more of a title in Vaugardian. You hear him getting up and walking over to where you know the plate is, and your breath stills once more. He packs it up with no further commentary. Good, doesn’t sound like he noticed.

They spend several more minutes packing up and going to bed in their tents, putting out the fire right before. You wait for about ten more minutes. Once you are positive that they aren’t coming back, you settle. Finally, you can risk eating.

You take a bite of the chicken. Stars, that tastes really good, purely in the sense that you haven’t had chicken in so long. There isn’t all that much seasoning, but the chicken is juicy and it’s meat and that is more than enough for you. Chicken is never worth it for you to hunt because humans own pretty much all of them, and additionally it is way more food than you ever need. And a pain to cook to bat. But stealing a bit from humans works just fine! You just haven’t been in civilization for a while. Safer that way. For you and for them.

You eat half of the chicken, and the full feeling hits you out of nowhere. Good to stock up when you can, who knows when you’ll get another opportunity like this? That being said. Huh. You’re not sure where to put the rest of this. You don’t exactly have anywhere to keep it. Hmm. You very nonchalantly tuck it under some grass. Something else will inevitably find it, and hopefully those humans will be none the wiser.

You go to leave when you realize that it’s starting to get dark, and the makeshift camp you set up for yourself is… who knows where in relation to here. Stars. Maybe you should just… trail behind these humans? Borrow food here and there as payment for helping fend off Sadnesses? All without them knowing you’re here? It’s risky, but it’s pretty much the same things you’d do when living in a town or a city, just with even less risk because there’s even less people. Yeah. This could work.

You find a hollow under the roots of a tree that leads to a small cave, big enough for a mouse and not much else. This’ll do. You tuck yourself away from the opening, settling in the crook of the dirt wall. Once you get in a comfortable enough position, you pull your hat over your face, and slowly but surely drift… off…

Chapter Text

You wake up to the ground shaking, several small earthquakes that are the evidence of the resident giants waking as well. It takes you a moment to even remember why you camped this close to humans. It reminds you a bit too much of the town days. But not scavenging food for yourself for a while should be worth it. Carefully leaving your hat behind you to not draw too much attention, you peek just enough to see out the mouth of the cave. One of them walks directly in front of your little hideout and every muscle in your body tenses. He’s so. Blinding. Tall. He’s almost as tall as a tree. That’s too much. How is it possible to be that large? He moves a bit further away, and some of that tension leaves your body. It’s… the jovial one. They’ll say his name in a bit and you’ll remember. And now that you’ve calmed down a bit, not as tall as a tree. But much closer to tree height than you feel comfortable with.

You sniff the air a bit to confirm and… Yep! They’re cooking eggs! It smells good but probably going to be too difficult for you to snatch some. Stars. You want some egg. It’s been a long time. Looks like they’re scrambling them. Scrambled eggs would be easier to steal a piece…

You wait patiently as they talk through their plans for the day. Luckily, they seem to have moved on from you being the topic. Now, they are discussing food (picking up some less perishable things, and apparently, they got the chicken and eggs from a farmer in the last town), talking about going to the next town and what obstacles they might face (mostly Sadnesses), and finding more orbs??? Maybe you aren’t remembering that word right. That seems like a very odd thing to need.

They’re still talking about plans. Maybe you could steal some eggs…

You verrrrrry carefully creep through the grass over to a plate of finished eggs. It’s up on a tree stump, so it isn’t that hard to jump up to, the real issue is being seen. You ensure that they are distracted enough, then leap.

Oh stars.

It’s an omelet.

You pull out your needle and quickly cut a piece off, not even bothering to try and be subtle about it because in the panic of trying to figure out what to do, you have already been in the open too long. You snatch your piece of omelet and slide down the stump and try to move stealthily back to your spot.

Back in. Stars. Did they see? You try to listen in.

“Madame? Did you take a piece of my omelet?” The jovial one asks, almost humorously so. Ok good, they didn’t see you, but bad because they noticed you took some. For now, at least, it sounds like they might blame each other.

“Isabeau, I have not even finished mine. Why would I take some of yours?”

“I thought maybe you took some by accident? It’s next to you. And I know I haven’t eaten any yet. Mira? Have any theories on this mystery?”

“Uh, not really??? It looks like someone cut it, so it would make sense if it was one of us?”

“Are you sure you didn’t take a bite and forget about it?”

“Yep! Pretty sure! Otherwise the slight toothpaste taste wouldn’t still be in my mouth.”

Blind that hope. They know that something’s wrong. Hmmm. You eat the omelet piece as you listen, might as well already have it eaten if you need to book it.

“Huh, odd.” Sounds of pencil on paper, followed by the snapping of a book being shut.

They continue talking for a bit as you eat, until you hear something that catches your attention.

“Do you all hear that?”

You continue chewing as you listen in a little closer.

“Uh, not really? What are ya hearin’ Mira?”

“Sounds like something chewing?”

STARS. You freeze.

The Madame speaks up. “I heard it until you said that.”

“I didn’t know what you were talking about until it stopped. But yeah, sounded like it came from over here somewhere?”

STARS STARS STARS BLIND IT!!!!! YOU’RE GOING TO DIE BECAUSE YOU WERE EATING TOO LOUD. Not only is this incredibly embarrassing but you’re going to die!!!!

You scramble to the deepest portion of the cave out of view of the exit (Which really isn’t that far) and hold as still as possible, holding your breath.

You hear them getting closer, the ground shaking slightly with each impact of their feet. Your heart pounds in a steady beat. The light is blotted out as one of them draws close. You can hear and feel each of their breaths as one of them is looking in.

Isabeau speaks quietly, but due to his sheer size it feels loud enough to almost stop your heart. “There’s a little hole in here. Looks like somethin’s living in it. Oh! And there’s a bit of my omelet,” He chuckles, the rumble you can feel in your chest.

Blind it all. You even left crumbs. Stars. You’re going to die here, aren’t you? And if you don’t, you’ll probably snatched up. Held hostage. Studied again?? You really, really hope not.

To your immense but not complete relief, he leaves the opening and light floods back in.

You take in a shuddering breath as you cannot stand to hold it any longer, desperately trying to keep the sound as quiet as possible.

“Probably a little mouse or something, looked like whatever they are they’ve made a little home in there. Should probably leave em be, they’re likely really scared right now,” he says with a gentle laugh.

“Hmm, a mouse that can neatly slice off a piece of your omelet? No jagged edges whatsoever?” the Madame cuts in.

There’s a tense pause.

“Wh… What else could fit in that little hole?” Mirabelle asks.

“That is a fair point. But it is odd.”

More sounds of pencil on paper.

“Either way, it’s best we get a move on. The mystery of the oddly precise mouse isn’t really on our list of priorities at the moment.”

It is at this point that the humans gather their things and start heading out. Thank the Universe. You take several moments just winding down from that close call. Stars. Should you really be following them anymore? After a close call like this it’s likely they’ll be more wary. But. You really don’t want to start hunting again. Hmm. You think, as long as you’re careful, it should be fine. You will just have to be quieter from here. You forgot that you chew loud… It’s been a while since you’ve had to be around other living creatures. You’re just rusty. You can get used to it again. Yeah. Should be fine.

There have been several close calls since the omelet incident. None as severe as that first one, but several near misses.

First, it was that Sadness. You took a few potshots at it and narrowly missed being discovered when Odile, as you have learned the practical one is called, immediately beelined in your direction, trying to find the source of the “mysterious scissors craft.” Sprinting into a patch of grass, you don’t think she saw you? It was close though.

The second wasn’t as close. They had just left out a small saucer of nuts and cheeses on the grass. Odile had said something like “I should take care of that” with an exasperated tone when she left it in the grass. After several hours, you figured that she had forgotten about it and helped yourself. However, you then heard Isabeau walking nearby and just barely dodged being spotted.

The third you were just being stupid. You walked out of your hideaway before remembering that there were literally humans directly outside of it. In your defense, you had just woken up and were not at the top of your game. They didn’t see as far as you know, but they were quiet right as it happened.

They seem to keep forgetting plates of food? Mostly Odile. Which is somewhat suspect, because she does not seem the type to forget this often? That being said, she has not poisoned you yet, and the food is good, so you are just going to keep eating it. Besides, in experimentation, you left a plate alone once, and they did pick it back up at some point. So maybe they really are forgetting and you’re just getting lucky!

Like right now. There’s a plate with a whole sandwich half sitting out a short distance from your current camp, little ways out from a tree. You double check and- yep! Mirabelle and Isabeau are talking in a tent currently, Odile likely in there with them. You dart over to it, and realize you are not at all sure how you are supposed to take this back. Stars. This is far bigger than you need as well. You start taking out your needle when a bit of movement catches your attention.

Tensing, you carefully shift your gaze in that direction.

And

Odile

is

right there

looking

right

at

YOU.

Your blood runs cold. You hold still, caught in a standoff. She looks surprised, but not as much as you would expect. Like she was suspecting this to some extent. She seems to recognize your terror after taking in the sight, then simply clears her throat and looks back down at her book that she has open in front of her. Immediately writing. Like she did not just discover you. After several tense moments of silence, she decides to break the spell.

“You know, you could just ask for food. It really is no issue.”

You continue staring at her, your heart pounding.

“I am guessing that you are the source of the mysterious scissors craft?”

You can barely hear her over the static overtaking your brain.

There is a pause. She glances up with a brow raised as if checking if you are still there, and when she confirms such, she simply goes back to writing.

“The plates of food have been left out specifically for you, you know. It’s the least we can do for your assistance.”

Stars. You should have known it was too good to be true.

“You are welcome to join us in a more official capacity if you desire?”

(HUH.)

You cannot stop the sputter that leaves you at that. “What??”

She sits a bit more at attention, now having properly heard you speak. However, she does keep her gaze on the book.

“You’ve been helping us for a while now, yes? Likely saved Isabeau’s life upon our initial encounter. If you would like to join us officially, the option is open.” She tries to go back to nonchalantly continue reading her book, but you can see the active effort it is taking for her to not look at you again.

You. Stand there for a bit. Eventually, you just. Settle and eat your portion of the sandwich while sitting there. If she tries to grab you, you’ll run away and not come back. If not? You aren’t sure yet, but you might consider it. Even as you eat, your gaze never leaves her. She glances up here and there but always seems satisfied at seeing that you’re still there, not saying anything else.

Once you’ve had your fill, you turn over the offer in your mind. It all just feels so fast. Instead of giving her a proper answer, you stand a bit straighter to get her attention.

She looks over her book to meet your gaze, brows slightly raised.

“Thank you for the food. I’ll… th-think about it.”

Blind it all you stuttered.

She pauses, then gives a nod at your words. Although, her gaze does not leave you this time. She seems to be taking in your features, your tail, your nose, your outfit. You don’t like it. Feels too familiar.

Uncomfortable, you give a curt nod back and give no warning as you bolt back to your spot, using craft and everything. Once you are tucked safely back into a low tree hollow, you simply spend the next hour calming yourself down, and thinking this over.

Chapter Text

You wait several hours in the tree hollow before doing anything else. They haven’t come over and weaseled you out. They haven’t even traced you back to your spot as far as you can tell. But stars. This is intimidating. Trying to think, you realize that you cannot remember a time that you interacted with humans on purpose (Not that your memory is very good). The times that humans interacted with you never really went well. Stars. It feels like something you shouldn’t do.

And yet. They haven’t hurt you. It seems like they knew you were here for a while. They haven’t done anything overtly hostile towards you. They’ve even gone out of their way to feed you, and if they wanted to harm you it would have been exceptionally easy to poison the food or trap it somehow.

It’s just scary. The idea of walking up to a human makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. They’re so big. You could fit in the palm of one of their hands. They can overpower you easily. Your one defense is craft. Which… you unfortunately are well aware works on them.

Don’t think about it.

Hmm. And yet. You have wondered what it would be like to be a part of a group. As far as you know, there is no one else like you out there, so this might be your only shot at talking to people. Hanging out. Being a part of something.

Stars above.

You need to do this now or you never will. If it goes badly, you can run.

…

…

Come on. You need to get up and get out there. Try.

You… slide one foot closer to you, raising your knee off the ground.

(Good. That’s step one.)

You do the same with the other foot.

You use your hands to push up off the ground and get onto your feet.

(Almost there.)

Your tail swishes as you spend several moments just standing there.

(Why does this have to be so scary?)

You very carefully place one foot in front of you. Then the other. Then the first one again.

(You’re doing it!)

You make it to the exit of the tree hollow.

You peer out. No creatures that you can see. Just the grass, trees, and stars out to guide you.

You slide out and down the trunk.

(You’re really doing this.)

(Don’t think. Just do it.)

Walking quickly, you go towards the humans’ tents. You listen carefully to see which one they’re in. Sounds like the one on your right.

It takes conscious effort for you to go towards it. You make it right outside, hand on the tarp. They’re talking in there.

“Do you think they’ll actually take our offer?” Mirabelle.

“I hope so, although they did seem quite afraid. Might take more time for them to get comfortable enough.” Odile.

“What did they look like? You never said.” Isabeau, putting on a joking pout. Or at least it sounds like he is.

“You must promise to be quiet. I don’t want you to scare them, it’s likely that they’re close by.”

“Why would we be loud?? Were they scary????”

“…No. Quite the opposite, actually.” Hey. You can hear the smirk in her voice.

“Oh? So not the assassin with invisibility craft that we initially guessed?” He asks, voice heavy with sarcasm.

“No. They were about this tall.”

You wince at the sounds of squealing from both Mirabelle and Isabeau.

“Shhhhh what did I just say?” Despite her words, she sounds more fondly exasperated than angry.

“Sorry madame,” Mirabelle is quick to say.

“Oh Change, how are we going to be quiet when they actually get here?”

“Why do you think I was so insistent upon being the one to do the stakeout?” Odile deadpans.

A chorus of quiet ohhhhhhhhhhhs graces your ears.

Stakeout? Had they been trying to catch you?

No. They probably just wanted to talk to you, considering Odile never made any moves to get closer.

Stars. How long are you going to sit here eavesdropping like a weirdo? Just. Walk. In. It’s not that hard. They even left the tent unbuttoned.

You verrrrrrrrry carefully poke your head in. You can see them sitting in a circle, their legs folded crisscross. None of them have seen you. They have moved on from the topic of you and are now talking about their plans for tomorrow, how they are going to a nearby town. You haven’t really gotten to see their personalities yet. You’ve seen bits and pieces, but seeing them interact with each other is different. Usually, you would stand far enough away that they couldn’t see you and just listen in. It’s… endearing. Mirabelle clasps her hands in front of her a lot, sometimes biting her claws. Wait, there was a different word for what humans have, wasn’t there? You can’t remember. Isabeau is leaning on one hand, placed flat behind him, occasionally gesturing with his other or using it to pose dramatically in some manner. Odile sits very straight, and doesn’t move all that much, unless it’s to write something down. Very practical, just as you had originally interpreted.

You haven’t said anything yet. Now fully in the tent, you have just sat here staring at them with your back pressed against the canvas like a weirdo.

You’re just gathering courage. It’s fine. Just. Say something.

A gasp interrupts that thought. Mirabelle is looking right at you, her mouth open in surprise. Her eyes are wide and dilated.

Stars. Your back is now ramrod straight, and your breath is held.

Isabeau notices her looking and follows her gaze to you. He straightens in surprise, his eyes locking onto you. A very high pitched noise starts escaping him, like a kettle left to boil, both hands in front of his face.

Chills go up your spine. What does that sound mean??? Is he suppressing some kind of predatory urge? Do you have to run?

“Gems alive you two. Please be normal.” Odile huffs. She turns to face you. “Apologies, little one. You probably already know, but for politeness’ sake, I am Odile. This is Isabeau,” he gives a shy little wave, is he crying?? “and this is Mirabelle,” Mirabelle gives a nod, her expression suddenly turning serious. “Might I ask what your name is?”

A long pause.

Oh stars. As far as you know you don’t have one. Uhhhhhh quick what’s a name. You could… pick one from that play you liked? Yeah yeah good plan.

“S-Siffrin.” Stars. You need to learn to speak without stuttering.

Mirabelle and Isabeau brighten upon hearing your voice. It makes you nervous for some reason. You feel your ears tucking against your head under your hat.

“Good to meet you Siffrin!!” Mirabelle says, her voice several octaves higher than it was previously. Her eyes are sparkling.

“Y-yeah! Glad to finally see you! Thanks for helping out!” Isabeau says.

Unsure of what else to do, you give a nod. Yes. Socializing. You’re doing it!

“Oh!!! And my pronouns are she/her, Isabeau’s are he/him, and Odile’s are also she/her! What are yours?”

Uhhh. Another thing you’ve never really thought about. But. Something creeps from the back of your mind to the forefront. Something that sounds right. “He/they.”

She nods with enthusiasm, and Odile writes something down.

“Are you here to accept our offer? Or for some other reason?” Odile asks without hostility. You get the feeling she’s being extra gentle with you, and you aren’t sure whether to be nervous, take offense, or feel understood.

You sit there for several moments. Honestly you hadn’t really thought this far ahead.

You know what? Blind it.

“Yes.”

Mirabelle tilts her head in slight confusion.

(What did you do? Why are they quiet?)

Isabeau breaks the silence. “Yes as in you’re accepting the offer? Or yes as in it’s for a different reason? No pressure either way! We are on a rather dangerous quest.”

(Huh? You hadn’t really heard that before.)

It’s your turn to tilt your head in confusion.

“OH!!” Mirabelle yells.

You flinch and fight the urge to flee at the way it assaults your senses.

“Sorry!! Sorry so sorry! I didn’t mean to be loud…” she says in a harsh stage whisper. “I didn’t know you didn’t know!!” Her expression goes from frightened and apologetic to serious on a dime. “We’re going to kill the King.”

You… sit there in silence for a bit longer. You feel like from the way they’re saying that you should know who that is.

“… You know who the King is, right?” Isabeau offers.

You shake your head.

“Gems. How long has it been since you’ve spoken to someone?”

…

“You know what, that is answer enough. The King is the man responsible for freezing Vaugarde in time. This is what has caused the sudden influx of Sadnesses. There were some before all of this, but there is far more currently. The curse starts at various points in the border and is slowly moving in from there. It has completely frozen multiple cities at this point. I would have given you the details earlier, but you ran off before I could offer them.”

You feel your face heating up. Mirabelle makes a noise that sounds like awwwwwwe!!!

“Now that I have explained the circumstance, I need you to listen.” Her serious tone here makes you tense. “This is going to be immensely dangerous. None of us are sure to make it out of this. You are risking your life by joining us on this. That being said, I’m not sure how much more dangerous it would be than life already is for you. Living on your own out here isn’t exactly… simple, at your size. Until we fight the King, that is. That will most certainly be more dangerous. But honestly, you’re welcome to split off just before that point if you wish. None of us would judge you for that.”

Mirabelle leans forward taking advantage of the pause, her hands clasped and her expression intense. “But!!!! You’re really good at fighting!! And we could use a scissors craft user as skilled as you!!! I would really appreciate it if you at least helped us get there!!! Please??”

Stars. You’re… skilled? Your face heats up again, and you break eye contact, looking at the tarp floor. Your tail curls around yourself.

This has never happened before. They’re talking to you like you’re a person. Their equal. It feels… nice. You like this feeling. You want these people to be safe. You want to help.

“Yeah. Ok,” You look up again, nodding.

Mirabelle brightens, then almost immediately dims again looking worried. “Are you sure though?? You don’t have to. I don’t want to pressure you into something!!”

You hesitate for a moment. Did they change their mind? Do they not actually want you to come along? That wouldn’t make very much sense though. It’s probably fine. You nod again, more sure of yourself.

She makes a high pitched squealing noise and bounces slightly in place. “Oh thank you!! I’m so glad!!!”

Isabeau nods enthusiastically. “Welcome to the team bud!!”

Odile nods but without much flair or enthusiasm. “Yes, yes. But we’re forgetting something.”

Everyone looks to her, slightly tense.

She looks to you. (What did you do??)

“Have you had dinner yet Siffrin?”

Oh. “…No.”

“Oh Change!!! I’m so sorry! I should have asked!”

“Didn’t think so. Let me get that for you.”

You would object, but… food does sound nice. She sits up, straightening her back which pops loudly (ouch), and goes to the back of the tent where they have some kind of crafted container keeping their food fresh. She pauses.

“Any allergies we should worry about? Or things that are safe for us that aren’t for you?”

You pause. Are there? None that you can remember. And you’re not sure why but you feel with relative confidence that it’s fine for you to eat whatever humans eat. You shake your head.

“Alright then.” She pulls out a small assortment of fruits and sets them in front of you on a small cloth. Even so, it is far more than you are capable of eating.

“You all can figure out sleeping arrangements and such, I’m off to bed. It is far too late for me.”

“Goodnight madame!” They both say as she leaves.

You wave as she goes and look back at the fruit in front of you. Stars that is a lot. There’s a large strawberry, three blueberries, and a few pieces of banana. This is nearly an entire day’s worth of meals.

I’s been a long time since you’ve had strawberry, so you go for that first. It’s enormous, makes it about halfway up your frame, so you have to use your needle to cut a few pieces off. But it is more than worth it. The way the sweet and tangy flavor blooms on your tongue is immensely satisfying. You missed these. Before long, you realize you’ve eaten half of it and are now feeling rather full. You also have not been paying attention to the other residents of the tent. That wasn’t particularly smart of you.

A quick glance about the tent confirms that they are still here, and they’ve mostly been talking to each other as you ate, arranging their bedrolls and making nightly preparations. Isabeau notices you looking and smiles.

“All set?” He looks like he’s having a hard time not laughing, his brows slightly scrunched with the effort. You must be making a face back at him about it because he is quick to say something else. “Sorry, sorry! You’ve just, uh, got a little something, right here?” He gestures to his own face across his entire mouth and nose. Oh right. You hadn’t gotten a chance to wash up yet.

Blushing, you quickly use the handkerchief Odile placed the food on to wipe your face off, hoping she doesn’t mind. Wiping until the sticky sensation subsides, you turn back around.

“There ya go! Want me to put the rest up for you?” You nod. You would put it up yourself but you’re sure they don’t want your boots to touch their food, and you’re not sure how you would do it without standing in the container.

You back up to give him plenty of space as he takes care of it. Stars they really are enormous. You can feel the ground shake slightly as they move. Mirabelle seems to have finished whatever she was doing as she’s now in her nightclothes and has her bonnet on, and she walks up to you.

“I’ve set up a… sort of?? Bed for you?? Sorry, we really don’t have much. But!! It’s!!! Over here!! If you want it!” She gestures to the far corner of the tent where there is a single pillow with a blanket larger than you can wrap your head around tucked on top, as if it was a bed being made.

“Thank-th-thank you.” Stars, talking is hard. You nod in hopes of her understanding your sincere appreciation.

“Of course!! Thank you for helping all this time! And for coming with us!!” She says brightly. She then goes to her bedroll and starts tucking herself in, as does Isabeau in the other side of the tent.

He takes the candle they’ve been using to light up the tent and asks, “You all set there Siffrin? Or do you want to get to your bed first?”

Oh no you have just been sitting here watching them go to bed like a creep. You rapidly scuttle off to the pillow and start taking your cloak, hat, boots, and needle off and jump onto it. You almost lose your balance due to the squishy surface and just barely manage to right yourself. You look to see if they saw that. Isabeau has his lips pressed into a small thin line, his brows slightly pinched.

“Y-you good?” He says, his voice a little shaky.

“Fine,” you add quickly. You have embarrassed yourself more tonight than you think you have in your entire life. You tuck yourself into the bed and…. Stars above. It’s so soft. You might just be more comfortable than you have ever felt. It’s a little much, it feels a bit like you’re sinking into it, but you know what? This has all been worth it. They are gonna have to fight to get you out of this bed. You practically melt into the thing.

Isabeau lets out a small chuckle. “Goodnight Mira, night Siffrin!”

“Goodnight Isabeau! Goodnight Siffrin!!”

“Night,” you reply, already half asleep.

You’re not sure why this just feels right. Just an hour ago you were debating if you even wanted to do any of this. But this? This is incredible. You are so glad you went through with this. Your only hope is that you can be useful enough to them to justify coming along.

With these thoughts, you find yourself drifting into the deepest sleep you can remember having.

Chapter Text

Slowly waking up, you blink the sleep out of your eyes. Where are you? You don’t recognize this place. It’s dim, but more well lit than you’re used to. Whatever you’re resting on, it’s very soft, very comfy. You almost want to drift back off, but, no. Something’s not quite right. You force yourself up and a bit more awake. Oh stars, this is bad. You are out in the open, at least mostly. Not nearly as concealed as you would like. Wait. Are you inside the humans’ tent??? STARS. You’ve been kidnapped. You need to get out you need to escape-

Mirabelle is looking right at you. Oh stars oh… stars? She looks concerned. Why is she concerned for you?

“Siffrin? You ok?”

Siffrin??? Like the play character? Why is she calling you…

OH. 

OH RIGHT.

How did you forget the events of last night???

“Uh, yeah. Just. Getting used to it,” you sputter out.

“Getting used to what?” She asks with a tilt of her head.

“Uhm. Uh. You?” That… Might not have been the best thing to say right there.

“Oh!!! I’m so sorry!!!!!!” She immediately looks very guilty.

STARS, FIX IT! “N-no no its fine!! Not your fault! I just. I forgot.”

“…Forgot?”

“Forgot. I’m not hiding from you. Anymore.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re not anymore!! It’s good to see you!!! Did you get good sleep last night?”

(The sleep was actually TOO good last night…) “Yeah. It’s… comfy.” You pat the pillow.

“I’m glad!! We’ll probably be able to find something better later though. You should at least have something to prop your head up next time…”

(Huh? Oh, right they use pillows for that. As far as you can remember you’ve never used one.)

“That’s ok, this works fine. Probably the best I’ve ever slept.” That may have been too much information, you still don’t know if they have entirely positive intentions.

She looks… concerned? Why?

“Ok… I guess it’ll be fine for now.”

Isabeau ducks back into the tent, because apparently he wasn’t in here before. You weren’t paying enough attention.

“Oh! Morning Siffrin! Ready for breakfast?”

Stars. It’s still terrifying to have this many eyes on you. You give a hesitant nod.

You gradually follow the two. Once sightline is broken due to the tarp, you have a harder time falling in line because you could just dart away, and they would have a hard time catching you, but you don’t think you want to. So, you hesitantly walk out. Ah, they were waiting to make sure you followed them. Hm. Escape may not be as easy as you’d hope for it to be. Although, the smell of bacon greets you, and you no longer care about any sort of danger. You’re not sure if you’ve ever had bacon, actually. But you know you’ve always wanted to try it. Your mouth waters.

There isn’t really a seat for you like there is the others. They all sit on an overturned tree trunk like it’s a chair, which is genuinely insane for you to think about.

You’re pretty sure your people made houses in trees…

Where were you?

Oh right. Bacon. Isabeau seems to be the one cooking it, and he sets the pieces out on a plate when they’re done. You take a whole piece for yourself once it’s cool enough, but still warm.

“Woah buddy, you sure you can eat all that?” Isabeau says with a chuckle.

The piece may be longer than you are tall, but the bacon is cut pretty thin. You give a serious nod.

“I’ll be impressed if you can manage such a thing,” Odile adds, smirking. “Tell you what. If you somehow manage it, I’ll get you something at the market tomorrow. No catch, because I’m feeling nice.”

Mirabelle looks nervous, “Madame!! You shouldn’t pressure him! I don’t want them to get sick…”

“He said he could Mira! I for one believe in them. They can eat the whole bacon piece.” Isabeau nods seriously. “Besides, you can always duck out if you need, Siffrin.”

You’re not sure how to feel about all of this attention. It’s different than what you’re used to. It feels more playful, more respectful? You’re not sure. But it’s different, and you think that is good, at least for the moment.

You start taking bites of the bacon. It practically melts in your mouth, despite the slight crunch. Its salty and juicy. It’s really good. Before long you have eaten the entire piece. This time, you’re sure to wipe off your face with a nearby cloth.

“Gems alive, guess I’m getting you something at the market tomorrow.”

“That was… impressive! I’m surprised you can eat that much!”

You’re used to eating everything you can, when you can. Because there’s often large swaths of time between the moments where you can actually find food. But they don’t need to know that.

(It would probably dampen the mood.)

You shrug. “Just hungry.”

Madame Odile is writing something. She looks up with a bit of hesitance.

“Now, Siffrin.” You sit at attention. “Are you going to the market with us? Considering how hesitant you were to join this group, I doubt adding more people to the equation makes it better.”

Oh. You hadn’t thought that far ahead. You’ve been in cities and villages before. As long as you aren’t seen, it isn’t a problem. But, there’s always a risk. A risk that could get you or other people hurt, or both. Don’t think about last time. Don’t.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t mind staying behind to keep you company. But that means you two are going to have to be diligent with the list,” she says, pointing at Isabeau and Mirabelle.

Stars. One person staying behind with you also makes you nervous. Easier for something to go wrong. “No, I’ll go.” You’re getting better at keeping your voice steady.

They all look at you. Stars above, you know enough to know it isn’t the case, but it’s eerily similar to a predator sizing you up. Their expressions are of concern, however.

“You sure bud? You seemed real nervous when she brought it up.”

“It’s really no problem if you’re worried about us! None of us would mind staying behind!”

Odile clears her throat, “I would prefer to spend the night in a real bed, however, which would mean that they would have to come into town with us regardless.”

“Why can’t I just stay behind?” you offer.

Various winces and expressions of dread. What? Why?

Mirabelle is the first to speak up. “Uhm, Siffrin? Not to say that you can’t take care of yourself, because you clearly can!!! But, um, none of us would feel good leaving you behind like that.”

“… I was fine on my own this whole time, why would it be different now?” You’re starting to get nervous. Is this an elaborate ploy to study or experiment on you?

Odile seems to pick up on your sudden tension. “You have in fact, survived this whole time. But leaving you here is a risk. None of us would feel comfortable leaving you to fend for yourself.”

“I have literally saved his life before. Why wouldn’t I be able to handle myself?” you ask, tone verging on accusatory.

“It’s not a matter of if you can, because clearly, you can,” she says gesturing to you, “but a matter of if you should. It’s an unnecessary risk.” Her tone is becoming taut as this conversation goes on, the frustration just barely seeping through the cracks.

Your face crinkles in frustration. Why are they being difficult about this? Why would they care that much, even? You’ve only known them for a day.

“Fine. I’m going then. I already said I would.”

Mirabelle cuts in, her tone slightly frantic. “But!!! You don’t have to if you don’t want to!!”

You’re about to snap with something else when Isabeau holds up a hand, interrupting the argument. “If I may,” he says, tone carefully even, “I think we’re talking in circles a bit here. Siffrin, it’s ultimately up to you. We don’t want to make you do anything, but it would stress us out a bit if we left you out here. I for one wouldn’t mind spending the night out here if it makes you more comfortable, but if you would rather stay out here alone, that is up to you. If you want to go into the city with us, that is also up to you.”

You sit there and think for a moment. You’re still a little frustrated, but you also don’t want to stress them out. You’re not sure why they care that much. You’re not even human. You’ll just go with them. The question is how to do that without being seen.

“I’m going, but. Uh. Hm.”

“But?” the Madame asks.

You look each of them over. None of them have hats, that would have made this much easier. Too easy in the Universe’s eyes, you guess. You don’t really want to hide in their hair. That would probably make them uncomfortable (and you could fall out). You are NOT going in anyone’s bag, which leaves you with very few options here. Isabeau has some pockets. That sounds. Very close and overwhelming. But you don’t have much choice. Your other options are Mirabelle’s capelet (dangerous, easy to slip out), or Odile’s jacket pocket. Hmm. At least you wouldn’t be up against one of them that way. But pockets always feel a little… trapping. All it takes is a hand inserted to ruin your only escape route. You run around behind Odile to check if she’s got any pockets on the back of her jacket. Unfortunately not.

“Siffrin? What are you doing?”

You ignore her and check behind Isabeau. He tenses slightly and turns to look at you, utterly befuddled. Oh! His belt-sash thing has a pocket on the back. That will work.

You jump onto the sash and he goes stock still, holding his breath even, as you worm your way into the pocket.

“This’ll work,” you say, slightly muffled from the fabric you’re hiding beneath.

“Wouldn’t a front pocket be safer? I can’t imagine a pickpocket grabbing you would be pleasant,” Odile adds with concern.

“Eh, it’ll probably be fine,” Isabeau laughs, a little nervous. “Pickpockets almost don’t exist here.” It’s weird to be this close, the laughs shake your entire body, and you can feel his words vibrate in your chest when he speaks. They are so blinding huge.

“What about during a curse that is likely to push people to desperation?”

“It’s ok Madame!! I’ll just stand behind him when we get to town,” Mirabelle quickly adds.

“Hmm. Alright.”

With that, the party heads off to the town. You follow behind them until they get there, not wanting to be trapped for any longer than you absolutely have to. The closer you get to town, the more you have to duck into grasses and behind roots. More people walk by as you approach. It gets a little close for comfort a few times, but one of the party always steps between the stranger and you to act as a body block. It’s… nice. You feel kinda bad for being scared of them so much. But also. It’s been a day. You need to wait this out more to know their true intentions.

The stone wall of the village comes into view. You take that as your cue and jump back onto Isabeau’s sash and get yourself situated. He freezes, like last time. Is he trying not to knock you off? Probably. You button up the pocket yourself, not wanting any of them to get their hands too close. Fully hidden from view, this should work. Although it is a little stifling, and frightening because of it. You breathe in, and out. It’s fine. It’s a necessary evil.

“All set?” Isabeau asks, surprisingly quiet, likely just for your sake.

“Yep.”

You don’t say anything else. It isn’t needed, and it would likely stress you more than you already are.

You feel the world going up and down with each of his steps, and don’t have much to gauge where you are other than the small strips of light coming in through the cracks of where the flap meets the rest of the pocket. It’s dark and cramped. But you’ve been in plenty of dark and cramped places. Those are usually the safest. It’s just hard to be calm when you can tell you’re pressed up against another creature. You couldn’t ignore it if you wanted to, you can feel every time he moves an arm or straightens up.

That being said, it feels like he’s taking extra care not to jostle you too much. You appreciate it. This would be a lot worse if you also had motion sickness.

You overhear them talking to someone at the gate, but zone out as best you can because Oh Stars! Hearing a stranger’s voice is so much worse! It sends chills down your spine as you feel as though you are being carried directly into a lion’s den. Why did you agree to this?

After what feels like an hour of this, you overhear them discussing where to find an inn. Thank the Universe. Your hair has been standing on end this whole time and you are ready to hide forever. How did you live in a village before??? This is much more stressful than you remember. Several more minutes of talking to innkeepers, and finally you can hear and feel the group ascending stairs. There’s a click of a door being unlocked, and the sounds and sensations of the group settling in and taking off their things.

“All clear?” Your voice comes out much squeakier than you would like.

There’s a jolt as Isabeau jumps. “Crab I forgot you were in there bud,” he whispers. “Yeah, we’re in the room, should be all good.”

“Hold on a moment, let me lock the door to be safe,” Odile’s voice comes through, muffled past the fabric.

The very moment you hear the click, you unbutton the pocket and climb out and away. Instinctually, you tuck yourself behind the leg of a dresser and take a moment to breathe. In. And out. You shudder, releasing some of the tension in your body, and slump up against the furniture. Your tail swishes as you spend a few more moments gathering yourself.

It’s a little dusty back here, which means safer. If it’s not dusted, they don’t check back here. However, it does cause a rather harsh sneeze to force it’s way out.

You hear barely stifled squeals from two of your party members in response. You shoot a glare from behind your furniture leg.

Odile laughs, just once, loud. “Apologies, Siffrin. You’re going to have to put up with this,” she gestures to a smiling Mirabelle and a playfully guilty Isabeau, “to travel with us. If you don’t want them to react that way, stop being cute.”

Isabeau sputters slightly. “M-madame!”

“Mean to them!!!” Mirabelle replies with, though her response is riddled with barely held back giggles.

Your whole face burns. You can’t think of a response to dignify that with, so you just tuck back into hiding.

You overhear snorts as they laugh at you. Cruel. You shake your head gravely.

A few more moments pass before Mirabelle speaks up, “You ok back there Siffrin? You look pretty stressed.”

You take a deep breath to compose yourself (barely smothering a second sneeze), and sigh.

“I’m fine. It’s just. A lot.”

“Understandable,” Odile is quick to respond with. “Let us know if there’s anything we can do to make it more comfortable for you.”

You hate this. You hate feeling like you have to be accommodated. Like you’re inconvenient. You take another steadying breath, and step out from your hiding spot. You look at the room for the first time. It’s… big. Which, yeah, obviously. The room was made for humans. It’s still jarring to see that one of their beds is as high as a multi-story building would be for you. Not that you can’t jump that high, it’s just the scale of the thing. There are two beds in the room, the dresser that you hid under, a small kitchen on the far end, and several small tables. There’s also a bookshelf set up against one of the walls. That feels like your best bet.

You leap up onto one of the shelves. Carefully sliding some books further out, you create a nook for yourself. A bit of cloth and you should be all set. You lean out to look at them.

“This is good. I’ll stay here.”

“How are you going to sleep?? I can’t fit a pillow or a blanket back there...” Mirabelle complains, chewing on her claws again.

“It’s fine, I’ve slept in worse,” you add, because you really have. That one muddy hole takes the cake you think.

Isabeau’s brow scrunches in worry. “I don’t know, your back will probably hurt sleeping on a bare shelf like that. Can we at least get you a clean handkerchief? Maybe fold it up a bit so it cushions you?”

You had been planning on just taking something from the kitchen, like a rag, but that’ll work. You nod.

He wastes no time, pulling out and going through multiple as though deliberating on what would be the softest. He settles on one and folds it neatly, looking into your spot a few times to gauge size. You’re sure to move far out of the way for him to do that. Once he’s folded it in a way he’s satisfied with, he very carefully and gently tucks it in place.

“There ya go!” He places his hands on his hips looking proud of himself.

You give an appreciative nod, and quickly squirrel away into your spot. You have had enough socialization for the next year. You lay on top of the handkerchief, and it is surprisingly plush and soft.

Against your own will you find yourself slipping off to sleep. You were more exhausted than you realized, and the dark safety of the small alcove is causing it all to unravel. You’re sure to at least take off your hat and needle as you drift off.

Chapter Text

You’ve been trapped in this tank for a week now. She comes in and stares as you for several minutes each time, writing things down, studying you against your will. You’re tired of being stared at. You’re so tired. You want out.

(Get me out. Get me out. Get. Me. Out.)

She comes forward and starts moving the lid.

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no stars please no.

“Come on little one! It’s not that bad. You’ll live! I just have to know what kind of craft that is.”

You’re gritting your sharp teeth. Stars, someone has to get you out of here. You have no weapon. Channeling craft like this can hurt you. Please stars anyone.

Something crashes in her kitchen and she looks behind herself.

“What the crab was that?” she mutters, leaning to look.

This is it. Your one shot to get out.

You leap.

You are out of the tank.

“Crab—”

She lunges for you, you barely manage to dodge as her hand hits the tank with a loud reverberating noise. She hisses in pain and you stumble off the table, hitting the floor a bit harder than you would like, but you don’t have time to hurt. You run.

You make it to another room of the house before her thunderous steps echo behind you.

“Get back here! Stop running you little—”

Your heart is pounding. You can’t hardly hear anything else. A needle on the floor catches your eye. Grabbing it, you duck under a counter. She lunges for you, her hand knocking your feet out from under you.

You scramble back to your feet. You don’t have enough time to run properly before you feel a tug on your spine—

She has your tail, you feel your feet sliding out from under you as she drags you out from under the counter.

Your hand moves before you have time to think about what you’re doing. The needle swings, channeling all the scissors craft you can muster.

A squelching cracking sound fills the room.

Then, the next moment, you are doused in warm dark liquid. A wet thud that shakes the ground quickly follows, but you can’t see anything.

Frantically wiping the fluid from your eyes, you are met with a grim scene.

The scientist lays dead on the floor, practically split in half from your craft. Your mouth runs dry. Her blood continues to flow outward, expanding the puddle. You quickly put together that that is what you’re covered in.

Before you can even process what to do from here, you hear footsteps in the opposite room.

“Angela? Everything alright in there…?”

You hear the door creaking open-

-

You awake with a start. Stars. That was ages ago. You’re fine. You rub your hands up and down your face, noticeably shaking. In. And out. It’s ok. They don’t know you’re a murderer. No one saw you. It’s ok. You don’t even remember what town that was. In. And out. It’ll be. Fine. It has to be fine. White knuckling the cloth beneath you, you try to figure out where you are.

There’s books to your right, bookshelf back to your left, the exit to your feet, and bookshelf wall to your back. Above you, you can see the light from the room seeping in above the books.

Right. You’re with a human party now, in an inn.

You shudder, releasing some of the tension in your body with a wave of chills.

You shake out the last of it with your tail, and get up and peek past the books.

They are talking at the table.

“What’d you learn in town Madame?”

“The curse is a ways out, and there haven’t been many sadnesses about. But they did have a single, isolated incident where someone was killed in their home. Brutally.”

Your blood runs cold. No no no no you just got friends no—

“Oh Change!!!! Do-do they know what happened??!!?!”

“No. They don’t. But considering she was a scientist of some sort and she had written of some sort of discovery, it’s likely she got her hands in something she shouldn’t have. Who knows if it was the knowledge itself, or some sort of foul play.”

Ok. Ok, you can work with this. You have time. They don’t know. As long they don’t know, you can probably stay allies. Probably.

Stilling your expression, you walk out and leap up onto the table as they talk.

Isabeau jumps when you hit the table. “Woah!! Didn’t know you could jump that high!”

One of your brows raises, “I can jump a lot higher than that.”

“Really? With your height I wouldn’t think it physically possible,” Odile adds, perplexed but not disbelieving.

You nod and decide to demonstrate. Walking off the edge of the table (everyone flinches, you don’t know why) you stand at the bottom of the bookshelf and look up.

(Jump high, jump high, jump high.)

You feel the slightest rush of craft in your legs, and you leap to the top of the shelf. A puff of dust immediately greets you, causing you to cough and sneeze several times. Shaking out your hat, you turn to the rest of the party with a little flourish.

They politely clap, Isabeau and Mirabelle looking very impressed, Odile still politely clapping but looking somewhat pale (Why?).

“Wow!! That was impressive!!”

Mirabelle leans forward intensely. “How did you do it??”

“I jumped?”

Isabeau suddenly bursts into booming laughter. It momentarily feels as though it might stop your heart, but you manage to gather yourself. And once the fear has passed, it actually feels nice! You didn’t mean to joke, but it’s nice to be appreciated.

“Yes, yes, please get down from there Siffrin? And be careful,” Odile asks, her voice uncharacteristically tense.

Usually, you would just leap all the way down, but you have a feeling that would freak them out. You can take more of a fall than they can, both proportionally and not such. Weighing as much as a mouse has a few advantages. Hopping down each shelf is tedious, but you’d rather not stress them. You shake the rest of the dust off once you hit the floor, and hop back onto the table.

“So, um, what are we doing? How long was I asleep?”

“Oh right!! Well, you were out for a few hours, but!! It’s evening now. So, um, we were about to go to sleep. We have some leftovers from dinner!! I’ll get them!” Mirabelle rushes over to a cabinet before you can say anything else.

The leftovers seem to be bread, cheese, and sausage, and not much else. You get a little of everything, and it’s very good! The bread is a little stale, but the cheese is heavenly. The sausage is about like you’d expect. Still very good! But not outstanding or anything. You feel bad about taking so much though, so you stop it there.

Isabeau raises a brow with some concern. “Not feeling as hungry?”

You shake your head. It’s a lie, but how would they know?

Besides, you’re feeling a little nauseous from… the dream.

You’ll get more later if you have to. Maybe from a room next door.

It isn’t long before the party gets ready for bed, brushing their teeth, changing into bedclothes, taking baths and such. You realize you don’t really have means to do any of these things, so you just go into your makeshift room and pretend to be doing the same things. In reality, your routine mostly consists of removing your needle, hat, and shoes. You fluff up your hair a bit to shake out any particulate that may be present, and also to pretend as though you’ve done more than you have.

Peeking back out, you say your goodnights, and then the humans go to sleep. You, however, do not go to sleep. You mistimed your nap for that. So, you wait until they all sound asleep and just prowl around the room a bit. You explore all the corners, making sure there are no threats present. Threats to you at least. Threats to them would not be able to hide in corners.

Except for maybe you.

DON’T. Think about it.

After a bit, you hear the loud song of a cricket somewhere in the room. Mirabelle stirs with a groan. “Change. Of course there’s a cricket.”

Oh!! This is something you can do! You can be useful! And get a snack out of it. Cricket is pretty good, you just don’t usually risk going out at night to get it. Owls can fly in from behind before you know they’re there. But this one is right there, safe in a room!

“I got it,” you whisper up to her before darting off.

The trilling is easy to locate with how loud it is, it’s tucked behind the bookshelf somewhere. It takes a little sidling to fit back there, but you manage to scare the cricket out. You rush after it, and with one needle stab to the back of the head, you’re able to wrench it over and kill it properly.

You give it a look over to check for parasites, and it’s all clear! “Got it,” you whisper, and proceed to tuck in. It’s good, it’s got a bit of a nutty flavor. Some of the carapace gets stuck in your teeth, but you don’t care so much. It crunches nicely.

You continue to eat your cricket when sudden light catches your eye. You freeze, then you realize it’s just Isabeau. You get back to the cricket.

That is, until the candle light illuminates you and Isabeau stops dead in his tracks. You freeze mid bite. He looks. Mildly horrified.

“Bud. Are… are you eating the cricket?”

Your eyes flick down to the half-eaten cricket, and back up to Isabeau. Your mouth is still open and poised for another bite.

“We… we have food, bud. You don’t have to eat the cricket.”

Your mouth closes, and you look down at the cricket. There’s so much left, it’d be a waste to stop now. This cricket will have died for nothing more than being an inconvenience, and that doesn’t feel just to you.

“But… cricket is good,” you argue. “And also, it’d be a waste. It’s perfectly good cricket.”

His expression pinches in disgust and exasperation, shutting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “You don’t know where it’s been though.”

“And? You don’t know where anything you hunt has been.”

He is about to refute when he looks up for a moment in thought. “You know what? Fair.”

He continues to the bathroom as originally intended, and you finish your cricket in peace. Usually, you would leave the shell wherever you ate it, but you’re in a group now, a group of humans who could probably step on it on accident. They would probably be grossed out. So, you jump onto the lip of the trash bucket and toss the shell in there.

After that, you settle yourself in bed. It’s easier to fall asleep with a full stomach.

Although. The dream still eats at you in the corner of your mind. Or rather, memory. If they took you off guard too badly, would you hurt them like that? You really hope not. As far as you can tell, they wouldn’t deserve it. You would never forgive yourself. Stars, you don’t even really forgive yourself for that. She may have been keeping you against your will, but you genuinely didn’t mean to. It was all instinct. Are you a monster? Isabeau was certainly grossed out. Maybe you are and you just haven’t realized it yet. You’re definitely not human, that much is certain. You pull the cloth up over your face and hide underneath. The books already shield you from view, but you don’t even want to exist. Stars.

Maybe… maybe you can learn to be human. Or at least almost. Maybe you can learn to be a person. Maybe they’ll help you with that.

You really hope they will. You’re tired of having nowhere to go, and no one to talk to. You’re tired of feeling “other.” You want to know what it feels like to exist as they do. Maybe they can show you how.

You breathe in, and out.

Maybe, it will all be ok.

Your stomach isn’t as settled as it was before, but after a few minutes of controlled breathing, you manage to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

You wake up feeling slightly uncomfortable. Oh, right. You forgot that using the bathroom was a thing you have to do. You can’t really use their crafted toilet, too much risk of falling in. That would be gross. It’s still dark in the room and you can hear them all breathing as though they’re asleep, so it’s likely the middle of the night. Well. You’re gonna have to deal with this the way that you used to.

You slip out of your little hideaway, bringing your needle just in case. Jumping up to the window, you look for a way out. Unfortunately, this one seems to be well sealed. You barely manage to unlock the thing and try to pull it open, but it’s too tight in the frame. And heavy. You aren’t actually all that strong.

Blind it all. You’re going to have to go through the inn, aren’t you? That is not at all what you would prefer but you’re not sure what else you can do from here. Stars. Well, here goes nothing.

You hop back down onto the floor and tuck yourself under the gap in the door. It’s a bit of a tight squeeze, but you manage. Before fully exiting the gap, you peer in either direction of the hallway. No one’s there, the coast is clear.

Picking a direction that you hope is correct, you hug the wall and sprint between furniture items, glancing in either direction before sprinting to the next. You narrowly dodge a mouse trap that you simply weren’t paying attention to (that would have been bad), and make it to the stairs. Good! You picked the right direction. Each step is a bit taller than you, and you don’t feel like diving down the whole flight (that would be stupid), so it’s a tedious process of lowering yourself down each step in order to avoid making too much noise with your boots.

You make it halfway down before you hear voices of people in the inn. You’ll have to be careful here. Ever so carefully inching across the gap between the stairs and the door, you slowly but surely make it to the exit. You slip out of a small flap in the door (you wonder what that’s for), and you’re out! Stars, there’s road in every direction out here. You hug the wall of the tavern and look for a quiet secluded place. Ah, there’s a patch of tall grass. That’ll work.

Once you’ve taken care of your business, you start on your way back to the inn. You only make it a few steps before you stop and find yourself instinctually tucking yourself behind a barrel.

Something feels off. Like you’re being watched. You lean out just enough to see past the barrel and into the street.

Nothing.

You look up and at the rooftops, trying to see if any owls or other such creatures are up there.

Nope.

Both lengths of the alleyway?

Nothing at all.

Maybe you imagined it.

Shaking off the feeling best you can, you continue your trek back to your friends’ room.

… And immediately get pushed facedown onto the street, something with clawed paws pinning you in place. STARS.

You squirm, trying to get ahold of your needle which is threaded into the back of your cloak, but your arms can’t reach. The claws dig deeper. Ow.

You crane your neck just enough to see the face of a lightless cat looking down at you, bright eyes staring deep into your soul, fully dilated.

Of blinding course. It was probably on top of the barrel.

Sitting still, you wait for an opportunity where it loosens its grip. At the moment, it just seems to be watching you with curiosity. It sniffs you a few times. Then, the pressure releases ever so slightly, and you take the opportunity to shove it off and book it.

Bad idea, you realize, as mere moments later, both paws are now pinning you to the street.

Stars. You really don’t want to kill someone’s pet, but at this point you aren’t sure how much choice you have.

That is, at least, what goes through your mind before the blinding thing bats you directly into the stone wall, slamming your head against it, and all coherent thought comes to a halt.

Your head is throbbing. You just barely stumble to your feet before it bites you. One of your arms is pinned to your side, the other still unable to reach your needle.

You squirm fruitlessly, but the teeth dig in more as the cat bites down. Stars, that blinding HURTS. Nothing to do but hold still and hope it loses interest. You’re panting from the pain as it strolls along on its merry way, seemingly proud of itself for catching you. There’s now blood trickling from several puncture wounds on your body, but you can’t do a blinding thing about it.

(Please don’t let this be how you die. Please don’t let this be how you die. Please don’t let this be how you die.)

The only thoughts with words behind them that go through your mind.

You feel yourself beginning to slip into unconsciousness.

“Oh? Caught yourself a mouse, little Midnight?”

A muffled meow vibrates through your body. You cannot process what the human is saying.

“Wait, no… Is that someone’s toy? Did you steal this from someone you little rascal?” They’re saying something in a playful tone. You wince when the second meow sounds directly into your ears.

“Oh Change, it’s alive. Is… is that someone’s pet? Does someone have a pet mouse that they dressed up…? Here, drop it, Midnight. Give it here.”

The cat grips harder and you let out a pained yelp. Growling overtakes any other sound you can hear.

“Crab. Uhh, here. Midnight? Do you want a treat? You’ll have to give me that if you want it, ok?”

Its grip loosening, it lets out another quieter meow. You hold as still as you can in hopes of the cat letting go altogether. You at least remember that struggling makes predators hold on tighter.

Eventually, you are dropped to the ground with a dull thud, causing you to wince into fetal position, your tail curling around yourself. Pains that rapidly shift between dull and sharp wrack your body where the cat’s teeth dug in. Your breath comes out in pained wheezes. You’re not sure how deep the wounds are, but if you’re feeling this bad, it was probably pretty deep.

Something shoves you. You jolt, but don’t have the strength to do anything else. Your head is still throbbing. You still don’t know where you are.

“You alive little fella? What are you…”

Oh stars. You forgot there was a human here. You force yourself to open your eyes, trying to see who it is. Pain stabs into your skull with the light that filters between your lashes, and you wheeze. But, you can barely make out an enormous figure. Seems to be a man as far as you can tell, with an apron on. He’s looking down at you with concern.

“Hey little buddy, you’re still kickin’. Here, lemme get you to someone with healing craft.”

Before you can object you are scooped into the human’s hand. You let out a terrified (and embarrassing) squeak, but you are fully encompassed in his hand. Just the one hand. That’s how blinding big he is. You start breathing heavily. Shifting painfully and pinching your eyes shut tight, you try to leave his hand—

It closes around you, pinning your torso in place.

“Woah! Careful! You’re gonna get hurt fallin’ from that high. It’s alright little guy we’re almost there…”

You still can’t make out any of the words, but it sounds like he’s trying to be reassuring. It’s really hard to be reassured when you are entirely and absolutely overpowered. He may be being gentle, but that is doing nothing for your mental state.

(Please. Please. You don’t want to be trapped again. Please. You don’t want to be treated like a blinding pet or science experiment again. Stars. All you wanted was to go to the bathroom.)

It isn’t too long before a sort of menthol warmth washes through you, and your pain mostly clears. The headache subsides as well, but in its place is a dull fogginess. You groan.

“What is it?” A new voice asks. Oh, you can understand them now. Though it does feel like that understanding has to push through molasses.

“I have no crabbing clue. Midnight brought it in from outside.” The first voice.

“… Is it safe to be holding it like that?”

“Hasn’t bit me yet!” He says jovially. Oh right. You have teeth. If he doesn’t let you go soon, you’ll definitely be using them, since you can’t get to your needle and all.

You squirm under his grip, trying to free your arms.

“You should probably let it go outside, if that’s where Midnight found it.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, poor thing’ll get eaten up by something else. Besides. With the clothes on it, it’s probably someone’s pet, yeah?”

“I guess. What’s with the needle then?”

“Crab, didn’t see that. Maybe got it stuck in there from the street. Here let me get that—”

STARS. Before he can touch it, you bite his finger. Not too hard, but enough to scare him.

He drops you with a yelp, and ow, the ground hurt a bit landing on your side like that, but you make a beeline for the nearest furniture object.

You quickly tuck yourself behind the furthest leg.

There’s a tense pause.

“Doesn’t bite, huh?”

“I said ‘hasn’t bit me yet,’ not that it couldn’t.”

“… Did it run away on two legs?”

“… I thought I hallucinated that…”

Well. That’s not good. They’re onto you.

“Hey little guy? We don’t mean ya any harm. You alright back there?”

They know where you are too. You can tell from the way that their voices sound that they’re talking in your direction. This is where you die, huh.

“You think it’s going to talk back?”

“I dunno. Maybe.”

A third voice suddenly enters the fray. “Why are you guys looking at that table like that?”

“There’s a little… thing, tucked between one of the legs and the wall.”

“Ye, looks kinda like a mouse or cat, but it ran away on two legs and had clothes on for some reason. Like a little doll of some kind, but it was bleedin’. Midnight brought it in from outside.”

“Wait. Like a fairy?”

For some reason, your head is throbbing slightly again.

“OH RIGHT, I completely forgot about those stories. Yes, pretty much exactly like that! But real.”

“I dunno what you folks are talkin about.”

“I don’t remember much but I feel like my parents told me stories about them? Didn’t know they were real though!”

“I doubt they are. I’m sure it’s just an odd mouse, someone’s pet most likely.”

You tune the humans out, and begin planning your escape. At the very least, they seem sufficiently distracted at the moment. Tucking around the table leg, you make sure they aren’t looking, then book it for the stairs.

Oh! Apparently, the cat at least had the decency to bring you back to the same inn. Which reminds you. You scan for the cat. No mysterious patches of lightlessness here. Good. Up the stairs you go, hopping two at a time to get up faster.

Before long, you’ve made it back to the room. It took a bit of trial and error to find the correct one, and you had to dodge those humans again, but you found it. You rush back to your spot in the bookcase, and sit there for a bit, catching your breath. You shake the tension out of your body and hide under the handkerchief this time. It’s not comfortable, but it feels safe. You take off your hat, needle, and shoes after, shoving them out of your little sandwich.

Oh, right. There’s still teeth-holes in your cloak. You hold the pins of your cloak and mutter under your breath, “Fix what has been broken, mend it as new.” A small pulse emanates from the pins, and you feel the cloak stitching itself back together, as well as your clothes underneath it. With that surge of craft, you are now exhausted. You close your eyes and try to sleep on your stomach.

After many hours of uncertainty and jumping awake at every noise, you drift off.

You are awoken to the sounds of giants moving about the room. It feels far too early, but that’s probably just because of last night. Groaning, you leave your spot without bothering to get your things. Everything hurts, even more with the position that you slept in last night.

“Good morning, Siffrin,” Odile says with a raised brow. “Sleep alright?”

You do your best to put yourself together. “Yeah, slept fine.” You rub your eye.

The single brow raises ever higher. “Indeed? Doesn’t seem so. You have eyebags as deep as they get.”

You squint at her, annoyed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” You think about what to change the subject to. “Breakfast?”

“HA! Have your priorities straight, I see.”

It’s a relatively slow morning. You eat a quarter of a slice of jellied toast. The strawberry and butter melt together in a very good way. Mmmm.

“So, I’m headed off to the market today to restock. Siffrin, as per our agreement, I will get you something. Anything you have in mind, since I doubt you would like to go with me?”

Squinting at the table you’re sitting on, you think. You are genuinely at a loss for what you could possibly need. With them here, you have pretty much all you’ve ever wanted, even if you’re still adjusting to such. Maybe there’s a food you could try. Hmmm…

Oh! You were always interested in croissants. Humans seem to eat a lot of them around here, you want to know what all the fuss is about.

“A croissant?”

Mirabelle blinks from across the table. “That… That’s all?”

You think for another moment. One croissant is enormous to you. Yes, that’s plenty. You nod.

Odile snorts with a barely held laugh. “Alright, simple enough.” She writes it down.

As Mirabelle and Odile discuss the market and what to get, Isabeau reenters the room, giving you a start. He looks concerned, and quickly scans the room, landing his gaze on you, looking relieved the moment he does so.

You tilt your head in question.

“Sorry, sorry. The innkeep mentioned something about a creature that sounded an awful lot like you, and I got worried for a moment. Said his cat brought them in last night and they had to heal them up, and then they lost them. He had a bite on his hand where they bit him, apparently. But! You’re still here!! So it wasn’t you! Right?”

Oh no.

“Oh Change!!! Are there more of you?” Mirabelle asks in your direction.

You pale. You can’t think of a response to any of this.

“Siffrin. Did you bite a man.” Odile asks this firmly but is unable to hide her amusement.

“I-I uh, I-I-I,” you choke on your words.

“Crab, are you ok bud?? Isabeau immediately starts powerwalking in your direction, and you freeze up entirely. He notices and quickly backs off. “Sorry!! Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Can Mira look you over please? It’s important to make sure nothing gets infected.”

You still feel as though you’re frozen in place. You rapidly look between the three human members of your party, terrified of whatever’s next. There’s too much happening. Too much movement, too many eyes on you. Your breathing begins to pick up.

Odile gets up, and you jolt away from her.

She raises her hands in an attempt at peace. “Siffrin, none of us are going to hurt you. I think it’s best if we give you some space, alright? But Mirabelle will have to look you over soon. Additionally, I will have to ask that you don’t take anymore midnight excursions. At least, not without one of us.”

You. You try to still your breathing. Everyone gives you more space, which is appreciated. In. And out. In, and out. In… and out. Once your head no longer feels like it’s full of gnats, you manage to calm down a bit. Not entirely, mind you, but more.

“Can I check now please?!?! CHANGE, that was loud I’m so sorry!!” Mirabelle belatedly lowers her volume to a stage whisper. “Sorry!!!”

“Y-yeah ok,” you sputter, frustrated.  

She very purposefully and slowly approaches. You tense, but hope that it doesn’t show. She hovers her hand above you, and at that you cannot help but go deadly still.

You feel the warmth of healing craft wash through you, and stars. That is massively better. You feel like you can actually think straight again.

Once she pulls her hand back, you give a nod. “Thanks.”

“Now that you’re with us again, mind telling me why you left the room last night?” Odile cuts in with a mildly accusatory tone.

You wince and lower your head so that you don’t have to look at any of them. “Had to… use… the bathroom…” you mumble.

“Huh?” Isabeau asks, still somewhat across the room.

“Mind repeating that?” Odile asks once more.

“Had to use the bathroom.” You say with another wince.

Tense silence.

“Gems alive. We should have thought this arrangement through further.” Odile says, exasperated.

You feel yourself tense. Does she not want to be friends anymore? Are you too inconvenient? You didn’t even wake any of them! Why—

“I forgot he can’t really use a toilet…” Mirabelle adds, sounding very guilty.

“Yeah. No. That’d be a bad idea,” Isabeau says with a nervous chuckle.

Odile thinks for several more moments.

“Alright. Siffrin.” She turns back in your direction.

You fully tense once more. You’re getting sore by this point.

“From here on out, ask one of us to accompany you. Any one of us.”

That feels very inconvenient. You don’t really want to ask that of them. “At midnight???” you ask, incredulous look on your face.

“Yes. I’d rather have my sleep interrupted any day than find that you’re dead.”

Isabeau splutters, caught off guard. “Madame! There has got to be a gentler way to put that…”

“But!!! I agree. I can fall asleep pretty easily, you can always wake me up if you need Siffrin!! It won’t bother me,” Mirabelle contributes.

But it will bother you. Not that they’re giving you much choice here.

“It’s not like it’s suddenly more dangerous than it was before?” you say with a huff.

“It doesn’t have to be dangerous anymore, Siffrin. The whole point is avoiding unnecessary risks.” Odile is getting exasperated.

You’re not getting anywhere. “Fine. Okay.”

“Good. Also, it would be wise to get rooms on the ground floor from here on out,” Odile says, pointing the butt of her pen at the other two.

They nod.

“Right, with that sorted,” She grabs her bag from where it was hooked on the hat stand, “I’m off to the market. I assume that you three can handle yourselves from here?”

“Of course madame!” Isabeau salutes.

“Absolutely!!”

You just nod.

“Right then. No one bite anyone while I’m gone,” She finishes with a smirk, and leaves.

Stars. This stuff is harder than you thought it would be.

You hate this. You hate that you’re an inconvenience to them. You hate that you have to be watched like some blinding kid. This is blinding stupid. There’s gotta be a way around this.

Chapter Text

Odile

You head off to the market. It’s surprisingly busy due to people getting pushed into Vaugarde by the curse, which is busier than you would like. It’s difficult to not run into them as they hurriedly buy supplies. You go down the list of things you need to get. Isabeau requested fabric, Mirabelle requested that you check for issue #83 of The Cursing of Chateau Castle, and Siffrin requested… a croissant. Just the one. Nothing else. Hmm.

On that topic. Siffrin is a confusing topic to you. You aren’t sure what he is.

There are the obvious things. They’re very small. Roughly ten centimeters. They have a tail with a small tuft at the end, a wide cat nose akin to that of a lion’s, and pointy ears, though you see those rarely due to his hat. He hardly takes it off. He has clothes, and from what you can tell they were made by someone of his scale. The craftsmanship is too even and precise to be made by someone like you. Additionally, he knows Vaugardian. Even speaks it fluently. And yet, you get the impression it is not their first language. Their craft effects are also just as powerful as a human’s, if not more so on occasion. Despite his size, he has the capacity to cause great damage.

Then, there are a few other things. Not obvious, but not all that subtle either. His extreme discomfort around humans. Surprisingly, within the few days you’ve known them, they already seem far more comfortable with you. He started terrified, but these days he seems to be perfectly calm with your group. Unless, of course, something has already set them off. This behavior implies to you some sort of trauma. It is very likely a bad experience with someone made him hesitant to interact with humans again. But that is just you theorizing.

Another thing is that they have some sort of unknown craft. You didn’t pick up on it at first, but when he jumped up the bookshelf, it was very hard to miss. The craft had a different signature. It physically felt different. You think that this likely has something to do with why his craft is as powerful as it is, it may be being supplemented by this other craft.

Finally. The recent death of Angela Cordeau. The wound was made with scissors craft, cleaved her nearly in two, and with not a Sadness in sight. Scissors craft, same type as Siffrin’s craft. Not to mention her journal discussing “Possible New Craft Discovered.” All of it lines up a bit too neatly.

You do not wish to harm your relationship with Siffrin, but you are tempted to see if you can find out more about this. Well, if you look and find out otherwise, you will have no reason to suspect him. Maybe it will benefit.

Hmm. The market can wait. You want to investigate a mystery.

~

After a few hours, you’ve managed to gather more information. By interviewing one her friends, you have found that she had a glass tank in her room, set up with a thin layer of wood shavings, but with no furnishings. Or, sometimes it had a small cave in it, but it would only be there about half the time. This friend was never allowed to see what dwelled within, just that it was “a secret.”

This unfortunately confirms what you already suspected.

At the very least, with the implied context, you think it is very likely that Siffrin was justified in reacting this way. You certainly would not appreciate being kidnapped and studied with no privacy to speak of. And judging from the fear and panic they clearly get from being in proximity from humans now, they were likely terrified when it happened. Possibly acted on instinct.

You are not going to pry any further, he will tell you if he wants to. And if they were a threat to your party, they would have killed you all ages ago. Expressions know it would have been easy for them to accomplish.

You will be on your guard, just in case, but you feel you have no reason to fear him. You will simply keep an eye on him, for his sake and everyone else’s.

Ah, right. The market. Might as well get back to it.

Siffrin

Odile has been gone for a bit. Mirabelle and Isabeau have resorted to playing checkers, and you’ve been watching from the sidelines in order to learn. The pieces are enormous, but Isabeau said he would move the pieces for you, so you could still get a good vantage point when your turn rolls around. The game itself seems relatively simple, you just haven’t the slightest clue how you would strategize in a game like this.

Before you know it, Isabeau leans back dramatically to punctuate his loss. “NOOOOOO the great Mira has bested me!” He puts the back of one hand against his forehead and clutches imaginary pearls with the other.

“Isabeau, that game was really bad. Were you even trying?”

“Of course I was!” He bats his eyelashes.

She rolls her eyes with a halfhearted huff, then looks to you expectantly. “Are you ready to try Siffrin?”

You think for a minute, then nod. You think you know what’s going on enough to try.

Standing on the table while they sit on the floor, you point at the piece you would like to move, then the square where you want it to go. It’s not the best system, but you get decently far with it. Before long, Mirabelle wins.

“Heheheh, good job Siffrin! You almost had me!”

You’re pretty sure you didn’t, but you don’t really care that much right now. You hop up to the window and look out to see if you can find Odile.

“Odile’s been gone for a bit, hasn’t she?” You ask.

“Yeah, must be a bit of a rough market today. I know she doesn’t like going on busy days,” Isabeau adds.

“You don’t think the curse has caught up, right??”

“Nah, it was a ways back before, it would have had to speed up a lot to get here that quick.”

“Hmm. Ok. I hope nothing happened… Change, I still can’t believe I forgot my meds in the House…”

“Oh crab! Do you remember what medicine it was? Maybe we could find some somewhere.”

“No… I don’t… I’ll just- I’ll learn to deal with it.”

“… Ok.”

You haven’t contributed to the conversation in a while, you’ve just been people watching from the window edge. You see people walking their dogs, talking to each other, eating at the table in front of the restaurant across the street, but no Odile. You’re getting antsy. Your tail swishes back and forth.

You don’t like when a member of the party is missing, you realize. It feels wrong. Dangerous. Every time someone in the traveling group would split off, they would at least have a buddy. With the world being as full of animals and ill-intentioned folk as it was, it wasn’t safe to be apart for extended periods of time. And Vaugarde is even more dangerous than you’re used to, far more dangerous than—

…

…

What were you thinking about?

… Oh, oh yeah. You don’t like when someone’s missing from the group. What if they need help?

Right as you have that thought, you spot Odile walking back to the inn.

“Odile’s on her way,” you call to the others.

“Oh? Do you see her out there?”

“Yep, not too far, she’s heading back.”

You hop back down from the window and make your way back to the spot behind the books. Just in case. You don’t really want to be seen if someone happens to walk by while the door is open.

A few more minutes, and you hear the door open. You tense instinctually, but you know it’s probably Odile.

“Find everything in the market alright?” Isabeau asks, a good-natured tone to his voice.

“Yes, yes. Found everything, except for the book. I genuinely don’t think it’s out yet, Mirabelle, and if it is, no one is going to distribute it in these conditions,” a voice that you are confident is Odile’s answers.

“I know, I know, it’s just worth checking!!! I know it was supposed to be out just a little bit before the curse hit, and it would be really nice to get my mind off things every once in a while…”

The door shuts with a click. You peek out just in case. No one you don’t know, good.

Hopping down from the shelf and back up onto the table, you immediately investigate the dark paper bag that likely contains your prize. However, you find that you are too short to actually see into the bag. It will be difficult to actually get it open in a way that you can see into it.

Mirabelle gets up rather quickly, in a manner that briefly startles you. “Oh!! Let me help you with that Siffrin!”

You… don’t particularly want help, but you’d rather not cause a fuss. You give a small nod and step back, hoping that the frustration isn’t showing on your face.

Stars. Are you just their pet at this point? You’ve hardly done anything helpful since they got into town, and you’ve already caused them several problems here. You’re likely more of a hinderance than anything else here. You need them to get back on the road, where you can actually contribute somehow. Killing Sadnesses, or hunting, or scoping things out. In any form of civilization, you just slow them down.

Before long, Mirabelle sets the croissant down in front of you, and you give a nod in what you hope is interpreted as appreciation, despite the fact that you are now plagued with how much of a burden you are. You blinding hate this. You need to be useful.

You break off a piece of croissant and eat some of it. It doesn’t taste like much of anything, but you’re not sure if that’s the croissant or the brain fog that you currently have.

“So? Whatcha think?” Isabeau asks.

You do your best to conjure up a response.

Nodding quickly, you respond with “It’s good!” and leave it at that.

They even got something for you, and you can’t even enjoy it? Stars. You need to do better.

Isabeau looks skeptical and concerned. “…Ok bud.”

STARS. BLIND IT. You forgot he was there and continued staring off into space after saying that. Now they’ll know you don’t like it. You don’t have enough energy to argue back, so you end up doing nothing about it.

Once you’ve finished chewing, you give a nod and hide back in your place once more. You lay flat on your back in starfish position, thinking about how you’re supposed to fix this. If you’re going to stay in this group, you need to learn to be useful. No one will want you to stick around if you don’t pull your weight.

After a few moments, the palms of your hands start to sting. Holding them in front of your face, you realize you were digging your claws into them. Of course. It helps to do something with your hands when you’re like this. You cut a thin strip of paper from one of the books (no one will notice) and start folding a paper star. You don’t remember where you learned this, but it feels… Instinctual. Like you’ve been doing it for a long time.

Continuing to think while you fold, you try to brainstorm something productive for you to do while the party is in town. You could find some way to get them money? That would likely just be stealing. Maybe finding them food? No, same issue. Most animals don’t stick around towns. Could you scope it out? Not really, too many humans around. You aren’t keen on getting seen again. What are you supposed to do? None of your ideas make any sense.

Once you pinch the corners to inflate the star into a three-dimensional shape, you tuck it into one of your cloak pockets.

There’s not much of use you can do while they’re here. You need to remember to think on this, so you’ll probably keep the star on you to give you an anchor point.

You need to be useful.

You will always remember this.