Chapter Text
“Five minutes to curtain, everyone!”
Clémente took one last look at themselves in the mirror, fluffing out their golden curls. This was the night that the Lark would debut some rather personal songs (well, it was more like one whole song that they each sang a part of). Cole would be going first, and Clémente after them. They were honestly most excited for Kingsley’s part. It was so lively and upbeat, and it was still stuck in Clémente’s head. They couldn’t wait to hear Peregrine’s either. They had a beautiful voice, but not one lovelier than that of their honeysuckle.
“Where did it go…?”
Ah, speak of the Enkindled.
They stepped away from the mirror, leaning forward and watching Cole worm halfway under the bench. A smile broke out across their cheeks. “Where did what go, honeysuckle?” asked Clémente. The golden-haired child let out a startled yelp, hitting their head on the underside of the bench. They groaned in mild pain as they crawled out from underneath. “Ugh, my mask,” they replied, standing up. “Perrine said Kingsley hid it, but not even they’re cruel enough to do something like this so close to curtain time.” Clémente tentatively reached out to touch the spot on Cole’s head that had been hit. “Are you alright?” they urged. “Do you need something?” The composer sighed, glancing at the hand that they had rubbed the afflicted spot with. “No, there’s no time,” they said. “I think I’m… oh.”
Cole stared at Clémente with slightly widened eyes. ‘Oh’? ‘Oh’ what? Clémente’s head tilted to the side. “What is it?” they asked. “Is there something on my face?” They quickly patted their cheeks in an attempt to remove a bug or a speck of dirt or something. “No, no!” said Cole quickly, pulling Clémente’s hands away from their face. “I-It’s just… your hair. I’ve never seen it up before.” Oh, that. Clémente hadn’t liked the way it looked down with their costume, so they tied it up. “Oh, I just felt like trying something new,” they explained, twirling a loose curled strand. “But I’m thinking it doesn’t suit me. So maybe I should just--” “NO!” shouted Cole suddenly, startling Clémente. “I-I mean… no, leave it. It’s, uhh… it’s pretty.” Their cheeks turned bright pink, their eyes darting to the ground. Oh… Cole had never been that outspoken before. It was cute. Clémente smiled yet again. “Well, then,” they began. “maybe I’ll do it like this more often, honeysuckle. If you insist.”
They pressed a kiss to Cole’s cheek, sauntering away with newfound pride bubbling in their stomach. “By the way,” they added, stopping and turning momentarily. “your mask is on your hip.” Cole shook themselves out of their awed daze. They glanced down at their hip, seeing their hare mask hanging from their belt. Their cheeks turned from pink to red. “Oh, heh,” they mumbled. “So it is.” Clémente giggled, starting away once more. As soon as they knew Cole couldn’t see them anymore, their smile disappeared. This wasn’t the first time they’d colored outside the lines; that was several years ago. Back when things were very different.
The silence itself was deafening. But it was the only company poor Clémente had in their room. They stared at the floor under their bed, their legs slowly swinging back and forth. The sun was starting to set. They’d lost track of how many hours they’d been in there. Eventually, their train of thought was broken by the sound of a familiar set of heels clicking closer and closer to their room. The child didn’t even bother to look up as the lock clicked and the door creaked open. “Good,” said a gentle female voice. “You’re still awake.” She slowly approached the bed, sitting next to the child. “How are you doing?” asked the Baroness. As if that wasn’t completely obvious. Clémente just kept their eyes on their feet. “Fine,” they muttered, their voice mousy.
“Oh, Clémente…” said the Baroness. “I don’t like to punish you. I hardly have any choice. But I only do it because I love you.” It didn’t feel that way sometimes. “You’re a very special child,” she continued. “You’ve got a bright future. One day, you’ll be sitting among bright, cultured minds as part of their inner circle. But you need to build character. Quality. Decorum. Do you understand?” They looked up at her, wiping their eyes. “What does ‘decorum’ mean?” they asked. The Baroness smiled, placing a hand on their temple. “Manners, in layman's terms,” she replied. “Now you must come downstairs. It’s dinnertime.” She rose to her feet, whirling to look down at them. “Just a minute, Mummy,” said Clémente. “I need to do something first.” She nodded, heading for the door. “Well, don’t take too long,” she said. “You know your grandfather doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
The door finally shut upon them, and they let themselves break. Softly. Invisibly. So it wouldn’t get them into trouble. They slid back against the door, curling their knees against their chest as they cried. They barely took note of the strange, fragmented shadow that was cast through their concealed window.
Somehow, nobody burst into tears onstage. Clémente could feel the adrenaline rush even after they all took their final bow. It felt good to hear the departing audience whisper about how brave and strong the four of them were. And to be honest, they all felt strong. “I am wiped!” sighed Peregrine. “I say we have an early bedtime.” Well, almost all of them. “Don’t be ridiculous!” exclaimed Kingsley. “Cooper and Mx. Quest won’t let us go to bed without dinner! You know that!” That was true. Cooper would strap them down and feed them like birds if they had to, but they would sooner sell their soul than let the four of them go without three full meals a day. They meant well.
“Hey, there’s the superstars!” exclaimed a familiar voice. In an instant, Cooper squeezed all of them into the biggest bear hug any human being could manage, prompting laughter from the children. “You four really brought it tonight,” said Quest calmly. “That was our most sold show to date. You four deserve the rest that comes after. Come, sit. Eat. You need it.” The table was laid out with all sorts of delicious food that even a dietitian would salivate at. “Cooper said it was a ‘breakfast for dinner’ kind of night,” added Quest. “Whatever that means.” Cooper scoffed and released the children. “It just means what it means,” they said. “Come on, kids! Dig in! There’s smoked lamb~” Kingsley gasped dramatically at that admission. “Mine, mine!” they shouted. “Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mine!” They made a mad dash for the table, but Peregrine cut them off. “Kingsley, so help me,” they warned. “I will put you in the oven!”
The youngest screamed and ran out of the dining room and into the hall. The eldest chased after them, shouting like a warrior. Meanwhile, Cole had snatched a plate of kleinur and was munching away. “You wanna just snatch up everything and leave them the leftovers?” they asked. Clémente raised a brow, smirking. “Cole Seymour, a petty thief?” they joked. “I thought I knew you.” Cole’s cheeks flushed slightly as they grinned bashfully. “W-Well… maybe I like to keep people on their toes,” they muttered. Awww. They tried so hard to be ‘cool’, they just ended up looking like a dork. Clémente loved them no less, though. What they didn’t love was the sudden interruption created by Bin’s unannounced arrival. They panted heavily as they leaned against the doorway. “Quest! Cooper!” they exclaimed. “It’s an emergency! I--! Oh, uhh… hey, kids.” Cole and Clémente waved at the courier.
They shuffled across the dining room floor, speaking in a hushed tone to the couple. “Could I speak with the two of you for a moment?” they whispered. “It’s about...” They didn’t say anything, but Clémente knew it was something to do with them. So they tried to ignore it as Quest and Cooper followed Bin into the hall. “What could that have all been about?” asked Cole, taking their seat. Clémente shrugged, doing the same. “Probably nothing,” they replied. “Come on, let’s dig in before Kingsley and Peregrine come back! Teach them a lesson about leaving the table!” But deep down in their gut, Clémente was just as worried. Bin was scared. And it rubbed off on Cooper and Quest. Cooper never got scared. Something bad was about to happen.
And this time, they couldn’t run from it.