Chapter Text
You first met her at an expedition meeting. Her brown hair tied in a messy bun, locks of hair falling on her neck messily. She was smiling like the brightest sun, laughing, a glass of wine in her hand.
"Sciel, concentrate"
She tilts her head toward the serious voice. Smile soft on her pink lips.
" Oui, Madame Lune, I'm listening."
The vice commander of the expedition sighs, looking back at the equipment plan. She starts talking again, quick, serious. You can't seem to concentrate, your eyes on the sun sitting on the other side of the room. Her delicate hand on her glass of whine, red, her other hand playing lazily with the bracelet on her arm. She didn't seem to give much attention to the meeting either as she looked around, everywhere but at the two authorities talking about their serious plan. She looked around the room, until her gaze fell on yours. As if knowing you were staring she winks at you with a smirk before turning her head to Lune once more, now standing with a kind looking man named Gustave explaining his invention. You feel heat coming on your cheeks without any explanation, quickly you lower your gaze suddenly shy. Why, though? Maybe because a beautiful woman just winked at you. She winked. Oh god.
"So, this converter will be the major advantage of our expedition"
Lune says.
Alan adds to her with enthusiasm.
"All this thanks to Gustave !! Everyone, let's drink to this !"
"WOUHOUUUU" Everyone screams, laughing, smiling. You join in with the celebration. Clinging youre glass against others with a smile. Meeting different eyes, different faces until you suddenly fall on hers. Her green eyes in yours in a moment... She smile, clinging her glass on yours, splashing a tiny bit of whine on the expedition documents.
"Tchin !"
"Tchin!" You respond in the same tone with an involuntary smile coming on your face quickly. You don't have the time to tell her your name. She disappears in the mass of people and you are given a task to accomplish for the expedition. As the sun disappears quickly, as the healing potion you are stacking into the box becomes almost inexistent you cannot seem to get her face out of your head. Her smile. Her cocky attitude. Her musculated arms. Her bright eyes. You shake your head, putting into the box the last potion with a sigh. There is no time for distraction, as weird as they can be there is no time to even think about why. In two days the gommage. In two days the expedition goes to the continent. And you are resolved to make it out alive, to kill the peintress, to carry the truth in the hope lumière gives to the expedition every year. You will show them.
***
"Well hello there." A lovely voice comes behind you. You turn weekly exhausted beyond expend as you trained all morning. Your eyes widened in surprise as you see Sciel standing beside you, weapon in hand.
"Hi, good morning Sciel."
She smirk taking few step forward.
"You know my name? And I don't know yours, care to give a name to this pretty face of yours?"
Your grip on your sword falter in the shock of being called pretty by an angel but you quickly take a grip, trying to ignore the heat coming to your cheek, turning your head on the side.
"(y/n), clearly less original than yours, yours got a nice ring to it."
"Compliment, compliment, when you should be receiving them lovely."
Oh god.
"So? What are you doing here?"
She comes to stand beside of you weapon in hand, gaze locking too seriously with the dummy used as punching bag.
"Same as you, I'm training." In a swift movement she close the distance between the dummy and her and with coordinated moment, using momentum she cutted it down. In a second. That must be why the punching bag have gone missing so often... Sciel DESTROY them. "Want to spar?"
"Of course !" You respond with a smile, taking few step back, standing in position.
"Ready ?!"
You grip your sword, taking out your dagger in your other hand, concentrating on the target.
"Ready."
Both of you lunge forward.
***
Your stomach turns at the sign of so many flower petals. The red, the white, its everywhere. A sign that people are lost. People are dead. You try to help with the expedition preparation the most you can, trying to forget all of the mourning people, concentrating on one goal. The paintress.
***
"Drinking alone ?"
You turn your head toward the woman who just entered the room, she smile at you putting on the table with a 'clang' two whine bottle.
"Two?" You cant help to say.
She only smirks in response, pouring you a glass.
"Thanks."
You drink, you talk. You drink more than you talk as some of Sciel's friends come to join. You give some comments, sometimes participate but stay silent most of the time, never finding your perfect words. All goes on until late, when finally people realise the mission they have tomorrow. Most stand leaving, waving goodbye. Too drunk you let yourself sink into the table not realising the presence of a woman by your side before she puts a comforting hand on your shoulder.
"Come on love, let's get you home."
She helps you get out, sliding an arm on your waist to support you.
"I can– I can walk."
She takes her hand off your waist and you almost crumble to the ground in surprise before she catch you again with a smirk.
"Your were saying?"
You feel too tired to protest and... her hand on your waist feels oddly comfortable.
She walks you home then leave you at youre door. Waving at you as she walks away.
"See you tomorrow !"
"Good night" You say back, smiling softly as you enter your almost empty house. You fall on the bed without strength, curling into the soft blanket. 'See you tomorrow'... even if you feel apprehension for tomorrow you smile at the tought of someone wanting for you.
Its Sciel she probably as a hundred of 'friend' like you shes just sociable.
You quickly push the thought aways twisting yourself onto the other side, fully submerging your face into the blanket.
***
"HEYY!!!"
You look up to the people in the boat. It's Sciel. She smiles as bright as the 33 in the dark sky of yesterday. Today the sky is warm and blue almost as bright as the women calling your name.
"Bon matin"
"You made it !" Her expression darkens a little as she ask more carefully this time, but its subtil. " Scared?"
You let out a laugh putting both of your hand on the boat railing, looking at the peintress. She seems so far yet... so close. You tilt your head to Sciel responding with sincerity.
"A little?"
She comes at your side, sad smile as she watch the same god you watched. A 'god' killing us all. Sciel then let out a small laugh tilting her head towards me.
"Same goes for me."
Theres silence before you decide to speak again, more conviction this time.
"We're going to kill her."
She looks at you with a soft expression, a melange of pity and sorrow, but she hides it so well.
"You know that right?" You say again. "Were going to do what all the expedition coudnt do."
She smile a little, putting her hand on your shoulder as someone called for her from the other side of the ship, they were leaving lumière, sailing to the continent.
"I hope you're right." Is what she respond.
***
The moment we pose our feet on the cold sand you know something is wrong. You are proved right in a blink of an eyes. When the head of Alan falls almost a meter far from your feets. In a splat the body falls, almost immidiately drowning in his own blood. Your blood run cold as panick start to grip youre heart. You take out youre weapon ready to attack the man, the old man, but suddently fog falls onto the beach. You squease your eyes trying to see whatever you could see but all you hear are screams. You get violently pushed onto the ground by expeditionners in panic. You see them get taken away. You see the sand become tick and red with red crimson blood. You take a few step back until you see light coming from the fog. You just know this cant be good but before you can even higher your weapon a clawed hand reach for you and you are send crashing into the ground. The claw coming deep into your chest, close to your heart. Your hand comes to your chest that as been torn open, flesh visible, your blood mixe with the blood of the other expeditionner. Barely recovering from the fall that your bleeding out on the sand.
"(y/n)? Shit."
A form comes into your vision as reassuring and familiar eyes fix on yours. You trie to talk but only word that comes out are mouthful of blood you are shocking on.
"Putain, dont talk, breathe with me its going to be okay." Sciel tell you quickly, trying to cradle you into her arms. Youre head come without strength into her chest as she take you into a princess carry. She lets you down few second later, leaning you against cold rock. Sciel looks around her for possible treat before turning back to you, twisting weekly in pain. She quickly take out a potion but your vision is already fading.
"Hey" She shakes your shoulder trying to make you look at her. "Youre going to be alright okay, just breathe."
Breathe?
You feel cold. So cold. You should have known... no expedition did it... why would yours do.
You fall into darkness. Ignoring Sciel plea and accepting the silence.