She found him hidden at the side of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, feet dangled precariously over the edge, his hands gripping the ground beneath him like it was a lifeline. For a moment, Buer was reminded of the shell he'd been when he'd first woken; she couldn't see his eyes beneath the brim of his hat, but the way his jaw tightened at her presence was familiar, betraying him with a show of emotion that she knew wouldn't quite reach his eyes. A feeling of wanting possessed her.
But it wasn't right to cling to memories the way she was. She of all people should have recognized that. The little puppet was right in front of her, as he always had been. She'd been so blind.
Buer came to stand beside him, hands held close to her chest, gaze turned to the distance.
The space between her eyes burned. She pushed her hands into her chest, as if to claw at her heart, wanting to offer more of herself in apology than she was capable of giving.
"You shouldn't have to be who someone else wants you to be. Not for me. Not for anyone. Not ever," she said, quiet. "I'm sorry."
The sound of stones cracking came from beside her and she looked at the little puppet.
His hands curled around stone from the now scarred ledge, his back stiff, the tilt of his head pointing his gaze at his treasonous fingers. His lips drew back, distorted with a combination of repulsion and guilt before he turned, resigned, back to the distance.
All apprehension left Buer. She sat where she stood, scooching forward until her feet, too, hung off the ledge. Her left hand inched toward his curled fingers until they were a hair's breadth apart. Even now, she couldn't see his eyes, just the tension in his jaw. The rest was skillfully hidden by the turn of his head, his wide-brimmed hat doing much of the work.
A heavy silence fell between them.
"I won't leave you," she said finally, resolute. "Not for anything."
Her hand moved to wrap around his. She felt it tense briefly beneath the weight of her fingers, his entire body shifting to let him hide his mouth, but his hand remained within hers.
She only dared to tighten her grip upon seeing something that caught the light fall to his lap, darkening the fabric where it landed.
She wouldn't call him [Saisei], not yet, but—
That was alright.
They would try again tomorrow.
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Palimpsest
Fanfiction-There's time unaccounted for between Scaramouche's fall from divinity and when he meets the Traveler once again.- Following his descent, Scaramouche has lost his memories and returned to the innocent state that had once been named Kabukimono. Nahid...
