Chapter Text
Odile was tired.
‘Maybe a walk will help?’ She found herself thinking. A sigh escaped her as she sat up from her desk, cracking her back in the process. The young woman turned to leave her room and spared a glance at the clock on the wall that read 2:18.
A look out of the window as she walked her hallway showed the lightless night outside. Odile found herself reaching for a cardigan she had hanging by the door as she shook the slippers from her feet, replacing them with a pair of boots she’d owned for years. She was painfully aware of how cold the town she found herself in would get at night, something not helped by the fact it was nestled in a small cove by the Ka-Buean coastline. It was beautiful, though, something she thought to herself often.
She stepped from her home, closing the door, and pulled a pair of gloves from the pockets of her cardigan. A small smile formed on her face when she looked up and noticed the stars in the sky. Oh how Odile loved the stars. There's a reason that was the topic she had chosen to study and dedicate so much of her time to. Nothing would ever beat the late night walks she found herself taking more and more often, with nothing but the stars to keep her company.
It wasn't uncommon for the fishermen in the town to be setting off early for a day at sea, or even to just be leaving the small drinkhouse when she found herself on her small journeys. Small pleasantries and expressions for luck would be exchanged if she crossed anyone's path, though tonight the young researcher found herself alone.
Not that that was a bad thing. Not at all.
Odile enjoyed being alone. She had never had many friends, and it was much better than having to justify her every move to someone, something she was glad to find out when she moved away from home. She wondered if her father was asleep in his bed, or staying up as late as she was, or even sitting on the same porch he watched her grow up from. She gave a soft laugh thinking about the possibilities before making a turn along the path she was walking.
Her favourite stargazing spot was almost within sight. A small rocky outcrop set to one side of the cove, free from sand and eroded just perfectly to have formed a cradle she could lay in. Her father always said that no gem on earth would be perfect, some metaphor that even when things go wrong fate would surely make something beautiful out of it, but Odile thought that her stargazing spot was pretty perfect.
She could already hear the soft crashing of the waves hitting the beach as she started the small hike down. It always brought her peace when working, and she found herself regretting that she didn't bring her notebook alongside her this time.
Ah. There it is. Odile made quick work of the walk to the rocks, swinging one leg over into a foothold and hauling herself up the rest of the way. The dampness of the air almost immediately hit her, small flecks of sea spray settling on the young woman's glasses. She made a grimace before using the back of her glove to wipe them clean.
A soft sigh as she settled down into the natural cradle and Odile turned her sight skyward.
The stars were always beautiful.
Odile could spend hours like this, with nothing to bother her except the fishermen's noise that always started before dawn. She respected their hard work but wished they were a little quieter, though she wouldn't complain when they passed by and would express ideas of having a good day.
Another sigh. She could almost fall asleep like this.
She thinks she actually did fall asleep. The next thing Odile knows is she's sat bolt upright under the slowly turning sky, awoken by a spluttering cough.
The lack of sun made seeing where the noise originated a difficult task, and Odile wiped her glasses in an attempt to clear the fog that had settled. The hacking continued only now it was accompanied by loud sobs.
Very loud sobs. And what sounded like pleas. Pleas that she couldn't understand.
‘Oh gems,’ She began to scramble down from the rocks. ‘Oh gems, please don't let me witness something criminal.’ She lost her footing on the descent, landing askew in the sand.
A better look down the beach. A small, darkless lump huddled in the waves. Odile found herself hurrying along the sand. Another stumble and the small lump looked up as she made contact with the ground and the sound of snapping metal resonated through the cove.
“Curse these BLASTED boots!” She yelled, the sound muffled by the sand now coating the poor woman's face.
Odile pushed herself up onto her elbows, leaving the now snapped frame of her glasses in the sand. The small figure had moved closer and was looking at her wearily.
A small voice started, speaking a language Odile couldn't understand. She squinted at the blur that was now standing in front of her. More sounds leaving the mouth of the child leaning down and offering a hand. She moved with hesitance, taking the hand before her face.
It didn't take a genius to discover the sobs had originated from the darkless blur. She began to rub the sand from her eyes as the figure pulled her into sitting upright. They were both, what odile assumed, to be eye to eye, though it's not like she could exactly see.
The figure was observing her.
“Are you…” her words had to be thought out carefully. the figure cocked their head to the side as she spoke, untamed hair bouncing with the motion. “what happened to you?”
Odile was puzzled. This child was clearly lost and it seemed had no understanding of the language she spoke. A silent curse kept in her head as she thought about how best to communicate with the child.
“Your,” both hands pointed flat towards them. “home?” Odile used both hands to make a pointed gesture resembling a roof, hoping that her message would get across.
The child stood in contemplation for a while before their face almost lit up, nodding furiously as the large hat they wore slipped to obscure their face. A small hand lifted from the damp fabric pointed towards the sea, to something far beyond it.
“Uh.. huh.” Odile looked towards where they were pointing, seeing nothing except a blur of shades forming something like a sunrise. Glancing back at the child she took note of how freezing they must have been. The shivering was easily noticeable, even by her bad eyesight.
The young woman placed both hands on her chest, trying to articulate her words in a way easily understandable.
“My name is Odile,” hands pointed towards herself. “I live,” Pointing at her chest before moving back to the gesture of a roof. “In the town.” She pointed over her shoulder towards where the faint lights and sounds of a community awakened could be found.
The child stood silently looking to where Odile had pointed. A glance back at the woman sitting before them, who was now picking up the remains of the frames that had sat on her face.
“Siffrin.”
Odile was shocked. For many reasons, the whole situation itself was bizarre, but the name clearly wasn’t one she was familiar with. She hummed before standing up and brushing the sand from her clothes.
“Okay, Siffrin. Are you…” she paused. The child, Siffrin, turned their attention towards the town before looking back up at Odile.
Siffrin pointed towards the lights in the distance.
“You’re going towards town?”
Siffrin nodded. Odile figured the language they spoke must have some common words if they could understand her. She nodded in turn.
The child was now looking up at her before glancing to her hand. Odile held it out to be taken, and Siffrin quickly took it and looked up at her.
Odile hummed, a small cold hand clutching her own as she took the first step of what she thought would be a very long journey.