Chapter Text
It’s raining.
This is something of an unexpected change in weather that has otherwise been clear and sunny. First there were clouds, next a few droplets, and then it had started to come down fully. The group had quickly abandoned their outdoor activities and retreated into the log cabin they were using as a temporary campsite.
A week had passed since reuniting Bonnie and Nille. Since not much else was keeping them in Bambouche, both siblings were now an official part of the party. It was sort of nice to have a new face around, one who added an interesting twist to the team dynamic. Nille has a mix of Odile’s stern practicality, Mirabelle’s manners and caring nature, Isabeau’s humor, and of course, Bonnie’s cooking skills and energy.
She got along well with everyone.
…except for maybe Siffrin.
They don't blame her, not really. A stranger who never talks about their past, who dodges questions regarding it, who acts peppy and outgoing while seeming to have far too much to hide. (And it’s not like they can tell her about the loops and the dagger. It’s only been a week.)
She’s still extremely polite. And so, so grateful for Bonnie’s safety. But it’s easy to see she isn’t as much as a friend to him compared to how she bounces off of everyone else.
Pitter patter pitter patter.
Siffrin sits by the front door window, watching as puddles form and mix with wet soil. The sound is as rhythmic and soothing as it always has been.
He’s in clear view of the living room, where Odile is reading a book. Nille, Bonnie, Isabeau and Mirabelle are playing cards on the carpeted floor in front of the fireplace. They had invited him to join, but he’d declined.
Tap tap tap tip pitter.
The sound of stomps in splashing water echoes in his head. He hears talking, but not from the people in the cabin. Phantom laughter both from outside and from nowhere prickles his ears.
…
“Hey! [ ], that’s gross!”
“I’m a sea monster! I’m a [ ]! Rawr!”
“No, you’re not! You’re a crab-face!”
“I said, RAWR!”
“EEEEEK! I’m all wet!!”
“I’mma suck all the water from your body and unhydrate you!”
“You just OVER-hydrated me!! And neither of those is what [ ] do! Stoooooop!!”
“Get back here, [ ]!”
“No! Go away, stupid!”
“RAWR-”
“Siffrin, what are you-”
Rain and petrichor roars in his senses. He had gotten to his feet and opened the door. Lured by instinct and tantalizing memory, he strides outside despite the startled cries of his teammates.
Droplets hit and slide off of his hat and cloak. Now that he’s vulnerable to the elements, he strains to hear those echoes- anything, anything that will make it louder and answer him- but comes up short.
Siffrin tips his head back. Plump beads of water run in rivers down his cheeks. It’s chilly. Familiar, but not much else.
He’s just standing in the rain, now.
Are they upset? Hard to tell. They just feel…empty.
Then he got sprayed in the face.
“FRIN!” The culprit yells, and of course it’s Bonnie. “Are you playing without me?!”
Siffrin coughs, wiping his eyes. “Woah! Bonbon, what-”
“Bonnie!” Nille calls in surprise. “You’re gonna get soaked!”
“I’m playing!” Bonnie declares, before stomping in the nearest puddle and causing an obnoxious surge of muddy water to fly into the air. “Hey, Frin! Quit standing there like a weirdo!”
Siffrin is still befuddled, but seeing their eagerness, he grins and doubles back. “Play, huh? You’ll have to catch me!”
Accepting the challenge, Bonnie lunges forth. Siffrin sidesteps and breaks into a run. The two of them start going in circles around the clearing, shouting and jabbing and disturbing the collected rain. True to Nile’s words, it soaks their clothes; neither of them notice or mind. Siffrin is so caught up in evading Bonnie (who’s gotten pretty fast!) that he doesn’t notice anything else- until he’s bowled to the ground by someone bigger and heavier.
“Ambush!” crows Isabeau.
Siffrin shrieks and writhes underneath him. They’re feeling three conflicting things: embarrassment at being caught off guard, discomfort at the sudden contact, and that same cursed clinginess which has always been there. “H-hey! No fair!”
Bonnie let’s put a triumphant cry and barrels into them both. “JOINT ATTACK! COMBO!”
“HEY!”
They resort to tussling, wrestling in the puddles and dirt. It’s a mess of tangled limbs, breathless laughter, and misty breath. Siffrin’s conflicting feelings dissipate as the touch continues, and he realizes he’s having fun.
“You kids are going to get sick,” states Odile from the safety of the awning.
They have the gall to pause fighting for a moment and look up at her, like a trio of puppies caught misbehaving. She clicks her tongue, but there’s an underlying tinge of amusement. “Check a mirror. You’re all filthy.”
Mirabelle and Nille seem equally appalled.
Bonnie groans loudly. “OKAYYYY MOMMMMMM!”
Odile just raises an eyebrow while Nille coughs frantically. Some mud trickles into his eye at that moment, so he can’t see much more as he yelps and tries to wipe it off, only for his gloves to turn out to be dirty and add to the mess.
“For the love of Change,” groans Mirabelle good-naturedly. “I don’t know where to start with you three.”
Bonnie wraps their arms around Siffrin’s neck, beaming at him. “Feeling better, Frin?”
He smiles back, returning the hug, which Isabeau also joins in on. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Nille knows she has not been very trusting of Siffrin.
Yes, these are Vaugarde’s Saviors she’s talking about, but she’d found the other three to be much easier to get along with. They are kind and honest- even Odile is open to questions and doesn’t dodge them without good reason. Or maybe to keep a running joke. Nothing sinister.
To Nille, it was possible that Siffrin had a past to hide.
She doesn't doubt his sincerity. He is half-blind due to protecting Bonnie, after all. If that isn’t telling of the fact that he cares, nothing else could be. But she just found it hard to put faith in someone who flippantly waved off prying eyes, and made jokes so often that they distracted from the real issue at hand.
Siffrin had met the team and joined the crusade against the King for no reason aside from the fact that they’d had nothing better to do. They are a savior of Vaugarde. They hate croissants for whatever reason, like bad puns, love Bonnie’s cooking, and are allergic to pineapple.
(See, Nille doesn’t even know how they found that last part out. No one tells her how.)
The point is, she knew Siffrin, but didn’t really know him. He’s more like an awkward acquaintance. Has Nille entertained the idea that he had maybe done something illegal or bad in the past? Yes, she has. But as she kneels to dry Bonnie’s hair after everyone has come back into the cabin, she can’t stop thinking about his face.
He’d just gotten up suddenly and ran to the door, then thrown it open. When the others asked what was happening (because they had no idea, either), Siffrin had darted into the rain. Everyone followed, but stayed under the cabin’s canopy. He hadn’t gone any further than the clearing, and went very still. Nille had peered through the falling droplets, and glimpsed his expression.
It was just…sad.
Etched on his features was the face of desperation and disoriented confusion. As if he’d searched for something and had come so close to grasping it, only to forget what he’d been endeavoring to find. It was such a tragic sight that it made Nille question herself.
Maybe it wasn’t that he was hiding something bad. Maybe he was hiding his own worries. Maybe he was looking for something. Maybe there was a past he had left behind, one that still reverberated in his mentality.
Maybe it was something that, as an acquaintance and not yet a friend, she shouldn’t pry into until they were closer.
“Nille, I like playing in the rain,” declares Bonnie.
She laughs. “But you’re a mess now.”
“Worth it.”
“Even if you get sick?”
“Ehhhhh….less worth it.”
“I’ll get some hot cocoa for you and Isabeau.” She stands and dusts off her pants. “Siffrin, do you want cocoa or tea?”
He blinks. “Um…cocoa, please.”
“Great. You all can match. Just like how you match in your levels of dirtiness.” She gestures airily to their muddied clothes.
Siffrin chortles. Nille smiles.
It’s a start.