Chapter Text
You and Loop sat at the favor tree in silence, neither really sure of what to say. It was after then that something had crossed your mind, so you used it to break the silence and make Loop a bit less uncomfortable, “Would a journal or agenda count as equipment?”
Loop paused, “Well, it depends. Are you going to start writing notes like the Researcher?”
You didn’t think about it much, but considering the slight issue you have with losing track of things… Notes about the loops you’re in would be useful, “I guess? Just… at least about the loops, what I’ve done already, what I should do next, other things like that.”
Loop’s eyes expressed slight curiosity, “With how scatterbrained you can be… then sure! I don’t see why not. Maybe you can convince the Researcher to share the notes she takes.” With the slight wink they gave at the end, they probably doubted that request would work. They were probably right. It wasn’t something you were thinking about doing anyway.
Off to the shop that Odile liked to hang around every loop!
You entered the shop silently, not counting the little ding from the door as you entered the building. Odile didn’t seem to hear the bell. Or if she did, then she probably didn’t care. You looked around the shelves for a journal that felt fitting.
You picked one from the self that looked… unique. Its cover was made of leather. There were 2 darkless lines bordering the top and bottom of the cover. The center was colored a lightless shade, with a set of 4 stars (in the form of buttons) surrounded by the outline of a crow traced in darkless thread.
Peeking at Odile around the corner, you thought this might be a good chance to talk to her, maybe get her to say something other than what she was scripted to before talking to the shop owner and leaving.
You approached Odile, greeting her. You haven’t tried being suspicious around her yet. Maybe you should do it sometime as a cry for help. Because well, just how long can you last, looping like this? Death, victory, and defeat have been stripped from you. All three of those words feel near meaningless right now. Perhaps, you’re scared of that time when even your family’s names lose their meaning and connection too.
Just as scripted, Odile starts, “Oh, Siffrin.” A smug smile encroaches on her face, “You look rested. Glad to see you this laidback on the day before the end of the world.” The smile falls back into her standard inquisitive expression, “Anyway. How can I help you?”
Time to break the script a little bit. You haven’t really had her comment on items you had on hand before. Did Odile even know you start little collections once you start wandering around Dormont? But well, a second opinion would be nice. You asked, showing her the journal, “What do you think?”
Odile looked at the journal. Its leather cover, the pages, the way the pages turned… almost like she was testing its utility and every aspect of its creation. It made you curious if she was actually a researcher, despite the knowledge that she wasn’t researching anything. A minute of examination later and she gave the journal back, commenting, “It looks nice. It reminds me of you. Who’s it for?” Sorry what?
You had to ask. Because that is a weird comment to make, “It’s for my personal use… But if you don’t mind me asking, why does it remind you of me?” Odile closed her eyes and hummed before tapping the crow on the cover, “Perhaps it’s due to the crow. You are very similar to crows, even if you don’t think so.”
You look at her incredulously, hoping for more details because you remember being compared to a cat mostly, not a crow. Odile chuckled at the look on your face, “Well, you are quite observant, I’ve seen you seemingly hold grudges against very annoying sadnesses, deliver or Craft little trinkets for those who you do like… you resemble a crow much more than you may believe.”
Huh. Even if you couldn’t remember things that happened before the loops very well, you did recognize those kinds of behaviors within the loops. You remember the joy that bubbled up when one of your friends accepted the bright flower that you gave them and thanked you. You remember the tutorial sadness and absolutely hating having to fight the thing every time you went through the house (come to think of it, you actually had a few sadnesses that you had some sort of vendetta with).
Though, you don’t quite know what to say to the observant part. If you were observant, you wouldn’t have missed the switch in the death corridor the 3 or so times you immediately walked past it. If you were observant, you would’ve found the crying mask key the first time you got through the second floor. If you were observant, you wouldn’t have made SO MANY STUPID MISTAKES.
But… if you weren’t observant, you wouldn’t have seen that Bonnie was upset after the conversation at the start of the second floor. If you weren’t observant, you wouldn’t have seen that Mira was extremely nervous about the King battle during the snack break before entering the King’s Floor. If you weren’t observant, you wouldn’t have noticed that Isa really likes spending time with you. If you weren’t observant, you wouldn’t have noticed how much Odile really cares for everyone. If you weren’t observant, you wouldn’t have noticed that you and your family were so much closer, that one loop where you decided to help everyone.
You decided not to press further and thanked Odile for her input. She gave a nod, her version of a ‘you’re welcome’. She followed it up with “Anything else?”, just as the script handed to you dictates. You answered with “Nah, nothing”, failing to find the confidence to break the script again. She replied, “Okay. I’ll see you at the clocktower later then.” And with that, the conversation was over.
You approached the shopkeeper, not having much to pay with aside from that silver coin you always keep in your pocket. So it is a good thing that you were basically given the journal for free just by holding the title of savior. If you were Mira, you’d repeatedly insist on paying for it. But you aren’t Mira, so you thanked the shopkeeper and left quickly, maybe because you didn’t want to be a bother. But would you be a bother if you were there for 20 minutes maximum? Eh, no need to dwell on the details, even if your brain desperately wanted to.
You avoided talking to everyone again because well, you really didn’t want to think about the scripted dialogue more than you already did. Conserve their humanity for as long as possible, be it through ignorance or doing something to break the monotony. You already spoke with Loop, so no problem there. You looked at the journal, wondering when it would be a good time to start note taking. You’ve been having a lot more trouble sleeping, so maybe at night?
Once you got to the clocktower, everyone acknowledged your presence and you entered the clocktower without issue. Then came along the dinner scene. You zoned out during this part. You already knew the time and wording of your role, what you had to do, etc. So there was no real need to listen. You just needed to act like you did.
You went to bed, laid next to Isa, and waited for his next lines. You heard small whispers right behind you, “Sif. Hey… hey Sif. Siffrin. Siffarooni.” So insistent… but you didn’t mind. Isa’s voice, no matter how loud or quiet, was always music to your ears. You would probably despise the day that friendly melody lost its shine. That is, if you didn’t taint it already, you idiot.
You turned around to listen, trying to hold your gaze to Isa’s eyes. If you didn’t, then Isa would KNOW you did something. It was hard to, knowing that you were probably pushing too hard. Simple words would’ve worked but no. You just had to kiss him, didn’t you, Siffrin? And then you looped back to escape the consequences of your actions. Good lord, you’re a disgrace. His eyes glittered like diamonds. Oh, how unfair it is to adore the last person that should love you. Pay attention to what he’s saying. Focus on the melody spilling from his mouth.
Isa continued once you met his gaze with a fabricated expression, “Um… Sorry? To wake you up?” You weren’t sleeping anyway so it didn’t matter. But accepting the apology wasn’t part of the script so you kept quiet. He added, “I just have to tell you something. If that’s okay.” You nod, just as the script dictates. Now comes the first botched confession.
“Okay, okay, okay. Then I shall tell you the thing!” You like when his face brightens up. You could see him chatter with the wonderful look on his face for hours. You just wish you didn’t have to keep him at arm’s length. That’s what you get for what you did. He continued, “The thing I woke you up to tell you! Haha! Um, okay. So. The thing I have to tell you,” Here is where Isa starts to falter, “Is,” pause, “That”, pause. This one feels especially long, probably because you’re holding your breath, “I,” pause and then…. “Don’t have anything to tell you right now.”
He always chickens out, doesn’t he? Pity, but you know you don’t deserve those words. He continues, avoiding eye contact out of nervousness, “But I will, when uh, when we beat the King tomorrow. Okay?” You are never going to hear this confession, are you? It isn’t like you don’t care that they aren’t happening. You want to hear them! But well, you sure as hell don’t feel deserving of them. You did manipulate him, and you might as well still be doing so.
But the script dictates you speak, so you do, “That’s still SO ominous, Isa.” Isa replies, the same expression visible on his face, “I-it’s not meant to be??? I, uh, just don’t wanna tell you right now. It might distract you. And we wouldn’t want that, right?” Distraction? Your mistakes are distracting you. It would be nice to have a clear mind. But everything you do in the house has become routine at this point. Anyways, “So, um, I’ll tell you when we beat the King. Okay?” You won’t ever get to hear that one with a clear conscious either. Or at all in that matter because you won’t let it happen. But you gave a quiet “Okay”, to see that glimmering expression. He replied, probably too loud for the comfort of the others, “…Okay!”
And right on cue, Mira throws a pillow at you and Isa. She missed you, but it was a direct hit to Isa! Bonnie and Mira were up. You’ve heard this before. Mira and Bonnie would squabble with you and Isa and then Odile would silence everyone with a tired threat. Everyone apologizes and lays back down. You turn back to Isa and see his expression change from subdued to happy, “Good night, Sif!” You close your eyes… for 15 minutes.
Everyone was asleep by then. You were quiet as you walked out of the room. You grabbed the journal you had obtained earlier and walked into the dining room and silently sat down on one of the seats. That seat was your own of course. You didn’t want to get hounded for sitting in seats the others had claimed.
Looking at the pen in your hand, you really hoped that Odile wouldn’t blow a gasket. You had forgotten to get yourself a pen, so you took Odile’s. You collected your thoughts, and started to write.
~+~=^=<>•{<>}•+•{<>}•<>=^=~+~
Odile was not super known for waking up at the crack of dawn. She usually awoke around 8, around the time Isabeau would. Yet here she was, groggily opening her eyes to the dawn light peeking through the blinds. Realizing it was probably best that she didn’t get more shut eye, she changed her position from laying down to sitting on the edge, bed creaking slightly with the change of position. She stood up and looked at the line up.
Boniface was somehow sleeping sideways, legs hanging off the edge of the bed and arms stretched out wide. They were taking up about 85% of the bed, with poor Mirabelle sleeping on the remaining 15%. She was sleeping on her side, hands under her pillow (probably to keep her hands still since today is going to be quite the day). Isabeau was laying on his back, snoring lightly. And Siffrin… was missing? She got up and grabbed her essential items, noticing that her precious fountain pen was gone. She walked over to a separate room to get ready. Once she was out, she left to the dining room.
Thankfully, Siffrin was found sleeping on the dining table, her pen behaving as a bookmark in the journal she saw that Siffrin had the day prior. He was treating their arms like pillows and hunched forward. Their back absolutely would not enjoy that sleeping position. She grabbed the notebook, preparing to fold the corner of the page bookmarked and removing her pen, before being met with an interesting list:
Things to do in the House:
- Investigate Mira’s Change God statue (Floor 3)
- Sharpen the KeyKnife
- Investigate the “ghosts”
- Investigate Wish Craft
- Get out
It was an interesting list indeed. It gave her many questions. Siffrin never visited Dormont’s House of Change, so how did they know that there were at least 3 floors? What made Mirabelle’s change god statue so special? What did Siffrin mean by KeyKnife? Was the House of Change haunted? What was Wish Craft? She… wanted to get answers soon.
She put the pen back in its place, closed the journal and placed it where it originally was. She shook Siffrin a tad, but that was ultimately a futile effort, thanks to Boniface’s entrance.
That entrance consisted of Boniface exclaiming, “GOOD MORNING!” In the hall at a volume that is just below a scream. That was not the best way to wake up, as it startled Siffrin awake (and Odile too, admittedly). It must’ve woken up the others, because muffled groans were heard afterwards.
Breakfast was done and eaten, with Siffrin looking out of it as time pressed on. The entire team was gathering their supplies while Odile did her little ritual.
She didn’t quite believe the myth about the Favor Tree granting wishes. But she did believe one myth related to wishes.
Odile was young when this happened, but she never forgot it. An acquaintance of hers started going around saying that the myth about the 1,000 paper cranes was true. She wanted to tease them about it, so she asked for proof.
That acquaintance said that their mother had a illness that was most likely terminal and it was certainly starting to look that way. Not quite wanting to lose her yet, they began folding 5 paper cranes per day. When they finished their 1,000th crane, they wished for her to recover. Lo and behold, the next day, she was much better than before. Doctors called it a miracle.
Odile did not tease her acquaintance about it, but the story did stick with her. So when she started to travel with the group, she began to fold around 10 paper cranes per day. It was a task that kept her hands busy.
This? The crane she was folding is supposedly her thousandth. So she should make a wish, right? She wished….
She wished to be there for Siffrin.
Siffrin was a self sacrificing person. Their lack of concern for themselves was evident. This was especially evident when Siffrin lost their eye. Their concern for Boniface holding priority was understandable… but the fact that they didn’t ask for any help despite the obvious struggle added more evidence to that statement.
They ignore so much so the rest of the group could be as comfortable as they could be.
Odile… wanted to be there to help everyone.
She wished to help Siffrin in whatever individual plight they were facing.
The air was… sweet… for a moment.
Odile stretched as everyone gathered.
It was time to go to the house.