Chapter Text
Prologue
The small, dingy town of Dormont was always quiet and peaceful. Though most parts of town were poor and raggedy, the inhabitants were as welcoming as they were giving. It was the perfect place to settle in with a child.
Coming from the coastal Babouche, Nille and Bonnie moved into an apartment complex near the edge of Dormont. It was a little odd seeing such a large, city-like structure being surrounded by almost nothing but wilderness and a few stores. After speaking with the locals it made more sense. The people of Dormont did not want to disturb nature, as a sacred tree sat within that forest, as well as a strange, circular field. Nille figured they could take Bonnie to see the landmarks once they finished moving in and getting to know the neighbors.
Nille pulled into a parking space across from the apartments, taking it all in before stepping out of the car. The walls were colorful but dirty: an alternation of blue, yellow, orange, and peach with splotches of grey. An overgrown garden surrounded the perimeter of the buildings, each of which had three floors connected by an outdoor staircase at the end of each hallway. Bonnie simply stayed in the car, staring blankly at the window. They didn't seem happy about the move. They'd have to get use to it, Nille thought. It was much safer and cheaper than Bambouche. With mom and dad gone, Nille was left to be responsible for Bonnie. She simply wanted the best for them.
Having to practically drag them to their new place, Nille brought Bonnie to the front steps as she unlocked the door with the key she was given. The click of the lock was quickly drowned out by the sound of heavy footsteps and loud laughter coming from the door across from theirs. It got louder as someone approached and opened the door. It was a big man, with a muscular build that contrasted their baby-like face. They had a charming smile that glinted in the lamplight along with their rectangular earrings. Bonnie hid behind Nille as he turned to face the two, the laughter replaced with silent, gentle curiosity.
"Oh cr- erm, wow, you guys seem new"
His voice was like thunder, but not the frightening kind. More like the kind you fall asleep to on a relaxing rainy day.
He reached out a hand for a shake, which Nille hesitantly returned before answering his statement.
"Yup, we just got here. My name is Pétronille, but most just called me Nille. And this here-" she nudges Bonnie out of their hiding spot "-is my little sibling, Boniface".
The man squatted down in an attempt to get on level with Bonnie, though even then he seemed a little taller.
"Hey there little buddy, I'm Isabeau!"
Seeing how skittish the kid was, Isabeau didn't even try to reach out his hand. He simply gave a friendly grin before getting back up and pointing towards his door with his thumb.
"Sorry about the noise, me and some buddies were hanging out just now. We like to have book club meetings at least once a month."
Nille smirked, "Pretty loud for a book club, and who knew giants attended them."
Isabeau let out a barking laugh.
"It's mostly me who's loud, the girls are much more quiet than this scholarly giant".
He said the last two words in a mocking fancy accent as he titled his hand to his chest dramatically. Even Bonnie laughed at this.
Suddenly the door opened behind Isabeau as a small lady peeked out. She had big, fluffy curly hair held together by a big bow. Her face had a look of concern that quickly faded away as their gaze turned towards Nille and Bonnie.
She chuckled before speaking.
"Oh, so that's who you were talking to. Are you guys new?"
Nille nodded as she replied.
"We just moved from Bambouche. I heard Dormont is a lovely town, and the places here are certainly much cheaper than where we lived."
The young lady grinned in agreement.
"Most places here in this part of Vaugarde are cozy little spaces. I'm sure you'll love it here!"
Isabeau chimed in
"Indeed! And if you need any help with the move just let me know." He flexed his muscles, making the lady roll her eyes. "And Mirabelle here can show you around. She's been here much longer than me."
Mirabelle seemed startled about her assigned volunteer work, but nevertheless hummed in agreement.
Nille began opening their apartment door, which Bonnie immediately ran inside.
"Maybe tomorrow, me and Bonnie are pretty tired after the drive here. They need rest, and I need to start getting the place ready for us".
Isabeau started heading back inside too, giving them a thumbs up as both him and Mirabelle slid behind the closing door.
Once Nille grabbed their sleeping bags from the car, Bonnie laid down and slept as if it was their first rest in years. Nille brought what she could from the car and moving truck until she joined them.
The next morning, Nille was awoken by a knock. Waiting outside of their door was Isabeau, Mirabelle, and an older lady who introduced herself as Odile. Mirabelle was holding a gift basket filled with essentials such as soap and fruits, while Isabeau wore workout clothing in preparation to help move many heavy items. Nille was unsure why Odile was there, since she mostly kept to herself, observing from a distance as she read a thick book. They were an odd bunch, and yet they made the two kids feel right at home from the day they got there.
A few months have passed since Nille and Bonnie started their move into Dormont, which went wonderfully thanks to the help of their kind neighbors. A friendship quickly blossomed with the group they met on their first day, as even once they settled in, gifts and hangout invites were granted often. They mostly hung out at Isabeau's, who was right across from them, or Mirabelle, who was to the right of Isabeau. Odile's place was as closed off as they were. Nille and Bonnie were not even sure which room was theirs, or if they were even on the same floor or hallway. Odile seemed to want to keep it that way. So far, all they know about her is that she works at the library down the street from Bonnie' new school, which started a few weeks ago, and she does some sort of research. Not even Isabeau or Mirabelle knew what research it was.
The two seemed to be more of an open book, especially Isabeau. Apparently he was a part of the local law enforcement, though in a country as peaceful as Vaugarde, his job consisted mostly of doing tasks that might be too dangerous or difficult for the average citizen. That, and the occasional wild animal terrorizing someone's home. In the many hours of free time he had, he'd either read or play video games. Now that Bonnie was here, they often did such activities together.
Mirabelle would come over sometimes, either to teach Bonnie how to read or watch the two play games. Though she had less free time than Isabeau. For the past few years she had been studying at the House of Dormont: a religious school directly attached to a church of some kind. Mirabelle admitted she wasn't studying anything in particular, dabbling in quite a few subjects ranging from history to gardening. Nille understood. She was a curious soul, and Nille admired their ambition to study so many subjects at once just to satisfy that curiosity. Bonnie, on the other hand, found it stupid that someone would willingly go to school for so long. Mirabelle simply shrugged when they commented that, saying she wasn't quite sure what else she'd do with her life. That is, besides her part time job at the local hospital. Apparently she learned enough at the House of Dormont to become a nurse assistant.
Nille managed to get a part-time job as well within 2 weeks of moving into Dormont. It was a simple retail job, but it pays the bills. She spent the rest of her time watching over Bonnie and applying to nearby schools. When she got accepted into the House of Dormont, Isabeau gladly volunteered to babysit Bonnie. Odile, though not nearly as enthusiastic, also offered for Bonnie to be in the library with her whenever Isa was too busy.
Nille felt guilty putting that responsibility on their new friends, but Isa insisted they enjoyed spending time with Bonnie, and Odile said it'd be good for them to be surrounded by knowledge.
It was safe to say the two newcomers were deeply grateful for the three locals. Neither were exactly religious, and yet they feel as if their new friends were a gift from the Change God themself.
Nille felt even more blessed seeing Bonnie settle in smoothly. They seemed happier here than they were in Bambouche. They had already made a few friends at school, which they seemed to be doing well in besides the trouble they get into sometimes. Bonnie and Nille even picked up a new hobby: cooking. One day at the library Bonnie saw a cookbook, and seeing how delicious the food looked, begged Nille to teach them how to cook it. Nille didn't know much about cooking, but happily learned alongside Bonnie. After checking it out from the library over a dozen times, Odile told them to just keep it. "The library could live without a single cookbook. It practically already is living without it." She said playfully.
Nille was sure they wouldn't be able to live without their help. All three of their help.
She smiled at this thought as she plopped onto the couch. They decided to get some rest before it was time to make dinner. She was beginning to doze off when the knocking of the door brought her to attention. Bonnie must have been home from school.
Once Nille unlocked the door for them, Bonnie kicked off their shoes and threw their book bag onto the couch. Nille was too tired to care about their messy entrance. Bonnie must've noticed her exhaustion, for they offered to cook dinner on their own today. They promised they wouldn't almost burn down the apartment this time. Last time they cooked on their own, Nille came out of their room to the smell of burning and the heat of flames from the oven. She figured as long as she was nearby it would be fine, so she gave a nod before laying back down on the couch. Bonnie puffed out their chest in pride and got right to it. It was silent for a while besides the sound of food sizzling on the clanging cooking ware. Bonnie eventually broke the silence.
"After dinner can I go to Za's to play on their console? I heard some kids talk about this sick new game and I want to check if he has it already."
Nille laughed to herself at the thought of Isa buying a game as soon as it came out. The funniest part is it's very likely true.
"Once you do your homework and make sure Isa isn't busy, yes, you can."
They groaned in response.
"Homework is boringgg, and Isa is rarely too busy for games at this time".
Nille heard the sound of the stove turned off as the sizzling died down. Dinner must be almost ready.
"Homework is important, Boniface. If you don't do it, I'll ground you from going to Isa's for a week."
Nille seated herself at the dinner table while Bonnie set the plates.
"Za would never allow that! They enjoy my company too much" they said smugly.
That got an eye roll in response.
"Isabeau is a full grown man with other friends, they'll survive."
Bonnie snorted in annoyance and began eating as they silently glared at her.
"I wish I had my own TV and console so I don't havta go to Za's."
Nille did not respond as a tinge of guilt hit her. They both knew such things were too expensive. She could barely pay for the rent and groceries.
Bonnie had a look of shame as they saw their sister's internal conflict.
"Sorry Nille... I'm just soo borreddd. Dormont is almost too quiet. Plus I just don't feel like reading sometimes. That gets boring too after a while. Especially when the words are so big and long and com-lick-cated."
Nille corrected them, and they repeated the correction in response. Then she nodded in understanding.
"Well, you must've forgotten your birthday is coming up soon. Knowing those three, you'll certainly get a cool gift or two."
Bonnie's eyes light up in excitement and realization.
"OH YAH! It's only a week from now. How could I forget?".
They both laughed as they ate and Bonnie listed ideas for their birthday.
Nille couldn't help but feel pride. Bonnie was happy, and they were managing to survive on their own. Things could be better, sure, yet at the same time things felt perfect just the way they were.
The week before Bonnie's birthday was a blur of excitement and chaos. Isa and Mira revealed to Nille they had some surprises for them. Odile said nothing about it, though Isa reassured she would still get Bonnie something. Something about the way he said it made Nille think they were working together on a surprise.
When the day came, Bonnie came home from school to a cake, some wrapped presents, and even a few decorations in the apartment. They gawked at the very large present in the corner of the living room, even more surprised learning it was from Odile. Their reaction made her smile warmly.
"Can I open it now? Please please please?"
They begged Nille to no success. Dinner and cake first, she commanded. Bonnie seemed like they were going to fight on it but withdrew and sat at the table. Isabeau brought some chairs from their place so the others had somewhere to sit. Bonnie sat at the head of the table, with Isa and Nille on each side. Mira and Odile sat across from each other at the other end of the table.
For dinner, the four friends made Bonnie rice with samosas, as well as a pineapple cake. To no surprise the kid devoured their plate. Even Isabeau didn't eat as much as them.
By the time everyone else finished, Bonnie was already by the presents, tapping their foot impatiently. Isa was the first to join them, followed by Mira and Nille. Odile was the last to come, which of course prompted an old lady joke from Isa.
Bonnie opened the biggest one first. It was an old and somehow functioning CRT screen. Odile explained they hadn't used the TV in ages, and figured Bonnie would appreciate it more. Isabeau's present was some old VHS tapes. It was no console nor video games but he figured it'd be enough to keep the kid entertained for a while. Bonnie must've been complaining about their boredom to him too.
Mira's present completed the set, with a VHS tape player. She said she's been too busy to watch TV anymore, so she didn't mind letting Bonnie have it. If she wanted to watch TV she could always visit Isabeau anyways. Finally, it was Nille's gift. It was a notebook that even had a little lock and key with it. She knew Bonnie valued their privacy. They seemed confused with what to do with it until she explained they could write new recipe ideas or draw in it. Odile mentioned they loved to draw when bored at the library.
To say they were overjoyed by the gifts was an understatement, for no word in any language out there could describe it. Bonnie gave a big hug to everyone, including Odile, thanking them all again and again. The rest of the night was spent setting up the TV and vhs player, then looking through the old tapes Isabeau brought. Most were old children's shows and movies from his time. He tried his best to explain the plot of each of them. It was hard to remember something from so long ago. There was even one Isabeau didn't remember at all. Him and Bonnie inspected it. On the tape read Siffrin the Traveler, with a small pointy hat on the S and a weird shape on each side of the title. Bonnie, out of curiosity, decided they would check this show out first thing tomorrow.