Chapter Text
Odile fancied herself an intelligent woman. She had done well academically her entire life and tended to enjoy learning things. Not enough to dedicate the rest of her years to any particular field of study, but she did find many things about the world around her rather fascinating.
Grocery shopping for the end times was not one of them.
Breathing a sigh, she tucked the small sack of flour she’d just grabbed under her arm and checked the list she’d written—with Boniface’s help, of course. Her eye was tiredly scanning the items when she noticed the ink on the next page.
‘Death Corridor:
Some traps may be activated under the King’s rule. Remain vigilant.’
“What the gems?” Odile muttered in surprise, the flour slipping from her grip and hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
“Madame, are you alright?” the shop owner called from around the corner.
She kept her tone calm when she answered. “I’m fine, I merely dropped something.”
“Well okay,” the shopkeeper said. “Let me know if you need a hand with anything.”
It was written in Ka Buan. Her own handwriting. Nothing seemed particularly off about the note, just something she’d jot down during their travels. Maybe the most concerning thing about it was the epithet of ‘Death Corridor’, but it was something else that had caught Odile off guard.
She didn’t write that in the first place.
Flipping through the next few pages, she found them all blank still. It was only this one note. So… So why was it here on a page in her book she had yet to make a mark on? Surely her memory wasn’t deteriorating that much just yet!
Try as she might, she couldn’t find anything else to suggest something was wrong, so she added a note of her own.
‘I didn’t write that.’
She was in the process of closing the book again when she noticed the familiar bright figure standing next to her.
“Hey, um, Odile,” they stammered in greeting.
“Oh, Siffrin,” she replied, then let a small grin slip onto her face. “You look rested. Glad to see you this laidback the day before the end of the world. Anyway, how can I help you?”
Siffrin looked uneasy. Maybe they’d had a nightmare during their nap and it made them skittish. He shifted his weight as he spoke. “Anything weird happen lately?”
“Weird?” Odile repeated, growing suddenly inquisitive. “Like what…? Have you seen something weird?” Had they seen her book? Had they read what was written? Siffrin understood some of her language, but she wasn’t sure to what extent. It was entirely possible that he had read it. But would he tell her that if he had?
“Nope! Nothing at all!” Siffrin said with an awkward chuckle.
Odile wasn’t fully convinced, but then again, this kind of behaviour wasn’t odd for Siffrin. Their naps sometimes left them feeling a little dazed if they woke up uncertain or startled.
“… Okay. I’ll keep an eye out. I do hope you’ll let me know if you see ‘something weird’.”
Siffrin nodded, then moved on. They mentioned a sleepover at the clock tower that she agreed to. Poor Boniface probably needed it. Gems alive, they probably all did. She knew she could certainly use a distraction from their impending doom.
Ah, perhaps she shouldn’t think like that, lest the Expression of Prophecy hear her and decide to ordain her the next oracle. Though she wouldn’t mind a little glimpse of the future if it meant she could keep everyone safe. Best not to dwell on that either.
When Siffrin left the shop, she finished up buying her supplies and headed off to the clock tower in the east.
Unsurprisingly, Siffrin was the very last to arrive. It had already begun to grow dark outside. She wondered to herself what had taken him so long. Knowing him he probably forgot to keep an eye on the time and was busy collecting trinkets, through both legal and illegal means. For the sake of Mirabelle and Isabeau’s moral compasses, she decided not to mention it, smirking silently to herself instead.
Also unsurprisingly, dinner was absolutely delicious. Even at such a young age, Boniface was an incredible chef. Or, chef cooker, as they called themselves.
She’d never liked kids much until Bonnie. Never had any of her own. Never took pleasure in caring for those belonging to her neighbours. Maybe it was motherly instinct finally kicking in or whatever, but she wanted to see them safe and happy. Return them to their sister, free of the Curse. They were far too young to be mixed up in such a calamitous event.
Siffrin was acting strange throughout dinner as well. They barely ate anything despite seeming to be a bottomless pit of a human being. Of course, Boniface noticed too.
“I’m just not very hungry.”
“But you’re always hungry?!?”
He panicked a little, eye bulging out of its socket before he hid his face with his hat. “I, uh, may have eaten some bread earlier.”
“Siffrin!” Mirabelle yelled accusatively.
“How could you do this to poor Boniface,” Odile deadpanned. “Look at them. They’re pouting so hard they’re about to explode.”
Boniface began humming loudly, squeezing their eyes shut and shaking violently before they burst out with a loud “KABOOM” that was very clearly meant to mimic the way Isabeau shouted when using his Craft. Even Odile had to admit that was a little cute. The man himself didn’t seem to notice, however, because he was too busy casting concerned glances in Siffrin’s direction.
“I exploded,” the kid explained succinctly. “Siffrin was destroyed on impact.”
“A beautiful explosion,” she commended with a wry smile.
“Siffrin…” Mirabelle chastised jokingly, shaking her head with a pitying expression. “You died because of your hubris…”
They smiled sheepishly, turning to Boniface. “Was it just me that died?” he asked.
“Yes. You were the only casualty.”
That seemed to satisfy Siffrin enough for them to dramatically reenact their own death. Coughing out their final words and everything as they lay on the wooden flooring of the clock tower. It was humorous to watch, but Odile couldn’t help the nagging feeling of concern that had weaseled its way into the back of her mind. They seemed fine enough to joke around at least. That was probably a good sign.
Mirabelle spoke about their quest. It didn’t take a genius to see she felt guilty for bringing them all into this. She even offered to let them all leave, for gems’ sake!
It was a bit late for that, Odile thought. She even said as much. It had been each of their decisions to join her on her journey. Each of them saw the misery the King was inflicting upon Vaugarde. Each of them heard the tales of his fearsome power. Each of them knew what they were getting themselves into. And yet they chose to accompany her anyway.
“And by that, M’dame Odile means that we’re with you!” Isabeau cheerfully translated her thoughts into one remark.
“Of course I do.” She knew how Mirabelle must have taken her initial statement. May the Expressions teach her to be less blunt! “We’ve come this far, after all.”
“Did you really think we’d leave you behind?” The man beside her continued. “Let you go alone?”
Boniface, as energetically as always, was the next to jump in. “We’ll follow you, Belle!!! We’ll help!!! Don’t worry!!!”
“We’ll stay with you, Mira,” Siffrin added, smiling softly in the way that he did only when looking at any of them. It was comforting to know Siffrin was as fond of their little team as Odile was. Even with all their differences, they just… clicked. It felt right to be with them.
Odile wouldn’t trade them for the world. She would do anything for them. Anything…
Mirabelle made a delighted noise, something between a squeal and a cry, and thanked them. Boniface and Isabeau were on their feet immediately, pulling her into a sickeningly sweet hug. Odile was off to the side rolling her eyes, but smiling inwardly. Siffrin couldn’t quite keep the intense fondness out of his gaze either.
With all their emotions spent, they called it a night, changing into their sleepwear and turning in for what would hopefully be a restful sleep. As everyone was going about their nightly routines, Odile found herself staring at her book again.
Characters she never scribed stared back at her. A quick Examine proved they were written with her Crafted pen rather than an inkwell. It was something she’d picked up before she’d left Ka Bue to begin with. She needed something that dried quickly so she could take notes while on the move. It was her own handwriting and written in her first language. It couldn’t have been written by anyone in the room with her, even if Siffrin did understand some things in Ka Buan. Siffrin sometimes struggled reading Vaugardian! He couldn’t have possibly written in such a complex language like Ka Buan and been able to convincingly forge her handwriting.
As much as Odile stared at the pages, she couldn’t find an answer. Only more questions. She wondered why. And how. And why there was only one thing written on this page. What was the purpose? Did the Expressions give this to her? The Change God? Something else?
“Madame?” Mirabelle asked, leaning over her with concern in her voice. Odile looked up at her, seeing that same concern reflected in her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Mirabelle,” she assured. “Just making sure we have everything for tomorrow. It will be a big day, after all.”
Mirabelle hummed in agreement, then gave her a nod. “We’ll be okay,” she said. “We have to be.”
“We’ll make it through this, Mirabelle.”
She sincerely hoped it was true.
-
Odile awoke at some point in the middle of the night to the hushed sounds of conversation. Ordinarily, she would be able to shut her eyes and focus on her breathing until she fell back asleep. But tonight, a certain somebody made sure that wouldn’t be the case.
“SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!” Odile was sure they meant it as a whisper yell in hopes of not waking anyone else up. It didn’t quite accomplish that task.
“YEAH ISABEAU!” Mirabelle too, it would seem, could not quite control her volume. “SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND SLEEP!”
“YOU CLOSE YOUR MOUTH HOUSEMAIDEN! YOU’RE GONNA WAKE UP M’DAME ODILE!” Oh, poor man.
“I’m already up.” She spoke at normal volume and kept her voice completely devoid of tone. Everyone was already awake anyway, and even if Siffrin wasn’t, they’d probably sleep through an explosion. Wouldn’t be the first time.
“And if the noise continues I will stand up. You do not want to know what will happen if I stand up.”
A series of quiet apologies and everyone settled back down for bed. She could hear Isabeau quietly mutter a ‘Good night, Sif’ across the room. So he had been awake. She wondered what they’d been talking about. Maybe Isabeau… No, he was almost certainly saving that for tomorrow. It was the most romantic option.
Eventually, she fell back asleep. And awoke to explore the House the next day. Her friends by her side.
As they made their way through the Sadnesses in the halls, Odile kept thinking about what she had read. The words written in her book. ‘Death Corridor’ and ‘Remain vigilant.’ So far, nothing had stuck out to her as dangerous, but…
Siffrin paused as they entered the next corridor, head darting around nervously.
Cautiously, leading everyone as close to the wall as they could be, they approached one of the pillars and began searching. Ah, rogue’s intuition then. Whatever traps may be in this room…
Wait.
“OH WAIT!!!” Odile tried—and failed—not to jump at Mirabelle’s sudden shout. “Siffrin, I just remembered, this room, it’s-”
Something clicked quietly. Then something made a thunderous THUD behind them. Mirabelle and Isabeau both screamed. Boniface nearly jumped their own height in the air, backing into Odile by accident. She gripped their shoulders tightly on instinct. The boulder landed a little too close to the kid for comfort.
Siffrin breathed out a chuckle and grinned, a dark-gloved hand emerging from their cloak to give everyone a thumbs up. “Trap taken care of!” they proclaimed.
“I-I suppose it is?” How did Siffrin even know about the trap anyway?
“That was scary!” Boniface yelled.
The rogue of the group then turned directly to Mirabelle. “Any more ‘Death Corridors’, Mira?”
“‘Death Corridor’…?” she repeated.
“‘Death Corridor’,” Odile mumbled under her breath. Translated, that would mean… That strange note.
She wasn’t mistaken then. The note was a prediction. A correct one.
She tentatively added a note to her book.
“… I don’t think there are any others in the House…” Mirabelle finished her nervous explanation.
“Good to know,” she muttered. “Let’s get going then…”
Strange as it was, maybe Siffrin had managed a glimpse at her book yesterday. Maybe that’s what put them so on edge. Maybe that’s how they’d learned about this Death Corridor.
Maybe…
She’d have to ask them about it later. Not now. Not with everyone else around. He had a tendency to clam up when there were too many eyes on him.
For now, there was a House to explore.