Chapter Text
“So, to get to Forzò, we could either pass through Gnorro or Palzo… Do you guys have any preferences?”
Isabeau stood in front of the map on the table, an open notebook next to it. He looked around at you all.
Travelling together is a lot more fun than travelling alone. Planning is easier, and if you're not feeling up to it, someone else can do it for you. You're travelling around Poteria after visiting most of the other's hometowns. Bambouche was cozy and the seafood delicious; Jouvente was big, but Isabeau could navigate in it well; the town you were staying in before your adventure had a library you still had to return some books to; Mirabelle didn't want to go back to her hometown, and you didn't question her about it.
You all decided to travel beyond Dormont, finding Poteria a good start. Siffrin had been there before, though they had no memory of it, and you also had spent a few nights there yourself. Some good, some bad.
“Hm… Palzo sounds familiar…”
Siffrin said from a couch where they rested their head on Mirabelle's shoulder as she crocheted.
“Oh? Good familiar or bad familiar?”
Siffrin looked up and scrunched their nose before shrugging. “Familiar.”
“We should go there! Maybe it'll help jog up some memories, or however you say it.”
Loop added while laying on Siffrin who was leaning on Mirabelle.
Isabeau looked at Siffrin, they continued to watch Mirabelle as she made a scarf, unbothered, but happy to be there.
“Ok, then! Adding Palzo to the list!”
Oh, wait, Palzo? You were so tired from all the travelling that you just registered the name of the town.
“We are not going to be spending a night in Palzo.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at you. So many eyes… Too many! You glared at them in the hopes it would intimidate them to look away. Boniface, Isabeau, and Mirabelle fortunately did.
“Mind sharing why with the class, Odile?”
Petronille asked. She wasn't as cold anymore, but she still wanted to be informed of everything. This was great for people who needed to open up more, such as Siffrin, but also terrible for people who needed to open up more, such as yourself.
Personally, you didn't want to share this bit of information about your life. If you could, you'd simply forget about it, but you're not as lucky (or rather, unlucky) as Siffrin.
“Bad memories.” It's a lot more than that, but saying it with so many people present would be detrimental to your mysterious old woman with a dark past aura.
Nobody says anything for a while, until Isabeau proudly exclaims “Gnorro it is, then!” and proceeds to change the topic.
It's only three nights later, when you're watching the campfire on a field in the middle of Forzò and Gnorro that Siffrin emerges from their tent and sits in front of you, beyond the fire.
You acknowledge them with a nod, but otherwise keep looking at the fire until your eyes burn, then you look into the woods and at the fireflies. You're still close to the Vaugardian border, so the vegetation isn't too dissimilar to the one you had gotten used to. Still, it's less windy and quite a bit hotter.
Siffrin looks at the embers in front of you and pokes them with a stick, releasing a few extra sparks. The light is nearly gone, but you have a little candle in the lamp next to you. You don't know whether Siffrin is here because he wants to talk to you or simply because he wants to be in your presence.
“So… We're going to Forzò tomorrow.”
Oh, so it's a talking kind of night.
“Unless you're here to tell me otherwise, then yes.”
“Are you… Looking forward to it?”
Honestly you're just happy to be with them, but you'd never actually say that out loud.
“I've heard they make delicious pastries there.”
“Mhm! And there's a big theater.”
Silence again.
Siffrin isn't one for small talk, especially not at night when they're meant to be resting.
You follow a firefly until its light stops shining. Right, communication time.
“What did you want to talk about?”
Mh. Perhaps you said that a little too harshly. It's quite late, you're a little grumpy during your night shifts. You hope Siffrin remembers.
They don't reply at first, too busy looking up at the sky. After a bit, they look at you.
“Why didn't you want to go to Palzo?”
Ah, yes. That.
“I've been there once, and have some bad memories related to the place.”
Not the whole truth, but it's what you said the other night.
“What kind of bad memories?”
Siffrin looks at you, no judgement in his eyes. Simply concern and friendliness. They’re lucky they're one of the people you don't mind telling.
“Well it's not only bad memories. I also cannot go there anymore.” You shift, pulling one leg up on your log.
Siffrin tilts their head.
“…Long story short, I got exiled.”
“YOU GOT EXILED?!”
You immediately shush them. “Keep your voice down, Siffrin, the others are asleep!!”
“YOU GOT EXILED?!”
They stage-whisper, looking at you with wide eyes and not closing their mouth.
“Yes, yes, I got exiled from Palzo, it happens to everyone, we can move on now”
“Absolutely not, Odile. You have to tell me the story now.”
“No, I do not.” It's not a very fun story, anyways.
“I'll wake the others up.”
“You wouldn't.”
Siffrin takes a deep breath in.
“Alright!! Alright!!! I'll tell you the story, just– Be quiet!”
Siffrin shifts closer to you. You chuckle.
Well, the real story isn't a very fun one, but it's really just the ending that turns sour. You could pretend that it's a fun and entertaining story, one that's actually worth telling.
You put your leg back on the ground and lean forwards a little bit, trying to look more dramatic. You smirk. You put the lamp under your face for dramatic lighting.
“Alright. This story takes place a long time ago, around two decades. I was younger then; bolder, stronger, faster” stupider “and I was running a little low on cash. There weren't many odd jobs that I found interesting in Palzo, but there are other ways to find money in that town.”
You pause and look at Siffrin. Their eyes are beaming and they probably don't even realize how hard they're smiling. For a second you think about how it'd be nice to have the others listening in on the story, just as a fun campfire activity, but then you remember that this is a personal story, and you have your boundaries.
“Do you know what Palzo is well known for, Siffrin?”
You know Siffrin loves audience participation.
“What? What is Palzo well known for?”
You can't remember the last time they were this excited.
“Well, dear Siffrin, in the small town of Palzo, there is one attraction that brings people from all over the world, even as far as Ka Bue, close: a casino.”
Siffrin can barely hold in their excitement. They’re bouncing on their seat and covering their mouth.
“And when you're running low on cash, and there's a casino in the town you're staying in, well…”
Siffrin looks at you with his mouth open. For a second you're worried a bug might fly into it, which would be hilarious.
“Let’s say that I had a few aces up my sleeve.”
He kicks his legs and tries not to scream too loudly.
“You went to a casino and cheated??”
“Oh, no, I would never lie about anything.” You lie. “I went bigger. You see, Siffrin, during my travels, I met a lot of people who helped my research.”
Everybody knew what you were really ‘researching’, but you can be a little dramatic if you want to.
“So I made a lot of connections. Good people, bad people, politicians, defenders, travelers…” You smirk at Siffrin. “Criminals…”
He gasps. “No…”
“Oh, yes. If you're already running low on cash, you shouldn't test your luck by gambling what little you have left in a casino, oh, no. You should go all in.”
Siffrin gets up and jumps in place. Yes. An ultra rare Odile pun. You wait for Siffrin to calm down before continuing your narration.
“I had heard rumors of a ‘life-changing job’ in a bar. Hushed whispers. I used the little money I had left to learn more about this plan. They told me it was risky, they told me I should stay away from it, but… Well, when you're young and down on your luck, you’ll do just about anything. Trust just about anyone.”
You could tell Siffrin was starting to put the pieces together.
“So, I met this person, Mordred, and they decided I was the perfect fit for this job.”
You think about leaving a detail out, but then think about what Siffrin's reaction could be if you decided to reveal it, so you choose to be even more honest.
“‘After all,’ they said, ‘we shared the same blood.’”
Siffrin is so stunned that they don't say anything at first. You're really hoping a bug flies into their open mouth.
“WAS THAT YOUR–”
“Volume, Siffrin.”
“WAS THAT YOUR SIBLING???”
You smirk. “Half sibling.”
Siffrin gets up and paces around the campfire. Worth it.
“So not only could I get some money, I might also have been able to reconnect with family.”
Siffrin makes quiet amazed sounds. You snicker. Oh, you could add another pun here.
“You could say it was an absolute steal.”
Siffrin halts and turns to you, smiling.
“Stop…”
“We were about to commit a heist, after all.”
“Stooop!!!!”
Siffrin jumps in place.
“Alright. Story time over, thank you for coming out here tonight.”
“No, Odile, that's not what I meant pleeeeaaase you have to tell me everything!!!”
You laugh again. It’s just too easy.
“Sure, sit back down and I'll continue the tale.” You bring the lamp closer to your face.
Siffrin scrambles to a log and sits down, eye focused on you and mouth shut. They're really interested in this story, huh?
Actually, you wonder how he thinks it went... He's always been a good storyteller, but he'd never admit it. You've seen him reading stories to Boniface on particularly bad nights, you remember the intonation to their words. Recently, they've started giving you their takes on certain plays. They've criticized plot points they wern't fond of and even proposed alternative endings to some theatrical shows.
You really do wonder how Siffrin would have told this story...