Chapter Text
First came the sound of muffled footsteps, then came five rhythmic knocks. Dan Heng already knew who was on the other side of the door.
“Come in.”
The door of the Archives slides open and, surely enough, Dan Heng is greeted by the familiar sight of unruly ashen hair and lidded citrine eyes.
Stelle, their newest member of the Astral Express, offers him a small smile and raises her right hand to give him a friendly wave. Dang Heng acknowledges her arrival with a curt nod, taking note of the slight difference in her usual wardrobe as well as the slight tension of her shoulders.
“Hey.” She greets, still with her plain smile. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“You’re not.” Dan Heng shrughs, turning his attention back to the data entries he was working on. “As long as you’re here for the archives, and not for idle chit-chat.” Then, in a moment of light-heartedness, he adds; “That, or rummaging through my garbage.”
“Of course not.” Stelle replies, voice light and playful. “Besides, I don’t see any sparkly trashcans here.”
Dan Heng resists the urge to roll his eyes, opting not to relive the memory of the first time he and March witnessed the ashen-haired woman’s dumpster diving in Belobog as she scrambles to search for any valuables.
Sure, Dan Heng understood the need for resourcefulness, but something tells him that wasn’t the case for Stelle.
If anything, she seemed to be more interested in shiny objects that happen to take the shape of trashcans most of the time.
That and the very likeliness that she simply lives off the thrill of dumpster diving.
Dan Heng honestly doesn’t know and, given her track-record of answering certain questions with her dry-humor, will most probably never know her true reasons.
But enough of that.
“Are you looking for something specific?” Dan Heng asks after observing her looking through the shelves with a blank look on her face.
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was … looking for something related to Relics.” Stelle pauses for a moment, before averting her eyes. “And uhm. Aeons. As well as … er … creatures. And … uh …”
Dan Heng blinks, and Stelle scratches her cheek. After a few couple of seconds, she clears her throat and straightens her back.
“I … think I’ll just start with something related to Relics.” Stelle eventually says, squeezing her jacket that she slung on her arm. “Do you have any recommendations on where to start?”
“I do.” Dan Heng pauses, taping his finger on the table. “However …”
He gets up from his seat, and walks towards her. Stelle tilts her head in curiosity and, once in closer proximity, Dan Heng came to the realization that she had changed from her usual heeled boots into a pair of fluffy house slippers, thus explaining how she appeared slightly shorter than she usually does.
Without wasting another second, he rummages through the book shelf and hands over two old books to her.
“Here. This is one is about Relics and the other one is about the Aeons. While you don’t necessarily need to learn about one to understand the other, I think it would be highly beneficial for you to start with the book about the Aeons. They are the very center of our universe, after all.” He speaks. “It will be difficult for you to grasp a lot of concepts and information that we’ll encounter if you lack the sufficient understanding of them.”
Stelle blinks, her lidded citrine eyes locked on his pair of jade.
“Everything might appear rather overwhelming at first, but there’s no need to put unnecessary pressure on yourself to be an expert at every subject matter.” He reassures. “In time, you will come to understand what needs to be understood. These books are only one way for you to gain knowledge about the universe.”
“… You saw right through me.” Stelle lets out a sheepish laugh. “Was I that obvious?”
“Painfully so.” He states dryly. “Though, I wouldn’t have known if not for your fumbling earlier.”
She was, after all, always so lighthearted and care-free whenever they are on their journey. A tad bit air-headed, all the while having her strange quirks.
To think that, deep down, she felt this way … well.
He supposed it made sense, Stelle did, quite literally, woke up without her memories a while ago.
Who knew what other thoughts and feelings she harbored?
But, her thoughts and feelings were none of his business. So, he simply pushes the books to her once more.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand or need confirmation with, you can ask the others. I’m sure they’re willing to help.” He concludes.
“You’re right.” Stelle smiles, accepting the books from his hand. “Thank you, Dan Heng.”
For a moment, Dan Heng’s eyes lingered on the sight of her smile, before he curtly nods.
“Do you mind if I stay here to read?” She asks.
“As long as you remember the rules.” He replies, walking towards the desk and pulls out the chair. “You can sit here.”
Her citrine eyes widened slightly. “I don’t mind sitting on the floor …”
Dan Heng sighs. “Just sit.”
She frowns, but eventually abides his offer-slash-command. She plops onto the chair and uses her jacket as a blanket to cover her legs. She looks at him, but Dan Heng has already turned his back and continues to work on the newest data entries while standing.
Unknowingly to the dark-haired man, Stelle smiles tenderly; grateful for his small, yet kind and sincere gesture.
She flips the book about the Aeons open and begins to read, just as Dan Heng picks up the pen and begins scribbling once more.
Thus, the silence in the Archives was filled by the sound of pages being turned and words being scribbled on a piece of paper.
Moments passed and by the time Dan Heng was done with his work, the hour (or at least, the Astral Express’ hour) had gone late.
He yawns and stretches his limbs, then he turns around and … sees Stelle sleeping on the chair.
It wasn’t much of a surprise, really. Dan Heng had predicted this outcome, especially considering that she already looked sleepy when she first came to the Archives – well, actually, she looks sleepy most of the times thanks to her lidded eyes.
The slow rise and fall of her chest, the stray strands of ashen hair covering her face. The book she was reading was still on her lap; a hand placed above the current page, acting as a bookmark all the while keeping the object in place.
She looks peaceful like that. It reminds Dan Heng of the first time they met.
He carefully approaches her and gently pries the book from her hand. She stirs slightly, but her eyes remain close. Dan Heng grabs a spare bookmark from the shelves and places it in between the pages she was reading.
After setting the book on the table, he considers his options on how to proceed.
Should he wake her up and tell her to go back to her room? Or should he just let her be?
She looks like she’s having a nice rest, but at the same time, he was sure that sleeping on the chair wasn’t the most comfortable way to sleep. Take it from him, the very man who had fallen asleep on that very chair more times than he can count.
So, he comes up with a third solution; carry her back to her room.
It wasn’t a hard task, really. Dang Heng possessed the physical strength to do the task. Luckily, Stelle seemed to be a deep sleeper and only occasionally shifted her head as he carried her in his arms.
And once Dan Heng arrived in his destination, he pushes the open button to her room with his elbow and walks towards her bed.
Gently, carefully, he places her on her bed and uses her jacket as a blanket to cover her form.
And it was then that her citrine eyes opened.
“… Dan Heng …?” She calls.
“Rest.” Is all he says.
She stares at him, her eyes clouded with sleep. Then, the corners of her lips curve into a small smile before she closes her eyes once more.
“Goodnight, Dan Heng.”
Her voice was tender and soft, like thin clouds on a bright summer day. There was a strange sensation blossoming in Dan Heng’s chest; like flowers blossoming on a spring day.
“… Goodnight, Stelle.”
She does not reply, her soft snores filling the silence of her room. Dan Heng takes one last moment to observe her before getting up and walking towards the parlor car.
“Oh, Dan Heng!” Pom-Pom, the conductor greets. “You’re up late! Do you need anything?”
“I’m just here to grab some water.” Dang Heng replies, making strides towards the Omni-Synthesizer.
“Ah, alright! If you need anything, just tell Pom-Pom alright?”
Dan Heng nods without sparing the conductor a glance, something that seemed to annoy the little creature.
“Hey! Show some respect, young man!” Pom-Pom shouts, stomping towards him. “What’s so hard about a little smile or — Dan Heng? Are you alright? Why is your face so red?”
Dan Heng freezes and takes a moment to feel his cheek with his hand. It was burning hot, was he running a fever?
Ah, no. He was just dehydrated, that’s all. Nothing a glass of water can’t fix.
Yes.
Nothing a glass of water can’t fix.