𝐼𝑁𝑁𝑂𝐶𝐸𝑁𝐶𝐸 𝐿𝑂𝑆𝑇 // 𝐴. 𝐷𝐸 𝑅𝑈𝑁𝐸

𝑉𝐼𝐼

| VII. Professional Fool |

—

Marion awoke feeling as if someone had stuffed a rag into her mouth. She didn't remember being in a bed– where was Amicia? The girl sat up, and looked to her side when she noticed a small dip in the bed. Hugo was curled up next to her, wearing a fresh tunic. She gently stroked the sleeping boy's hair, before eying the rest of the room.

It was small, the only lights came from a candle atop a wooden dresser, and the moonlight that creeped in through the holes of the closed shutters. Marion wasn't sure if they were still in the village, but if she had to guess they probably were.

Her eyes shot to the door when it was opened, thankfully it was just Amicia. The brunette was also wearing a fresh tunic, though her hair was still just as disheveled as it was earlier in the day.

"You're finally awake..." Amicia smiled, "Hugo refused to leave your side, you know."

Marion let a small smile grow on her face, and she let out a quiet chuckle.

"Where– Where are we?" Marion asked, she furrowed her eyebrows at the raspy state of her voice.

"We're in Clervie's house, she's letting us stay for the night." Amicia explained quietly, mindful of the sleeping boy next to Marion.

Marion nodded her head, and took in a deep breath. She laid back against the bed, and stared at the roof above her. The events of the day played through her head, she had the blood of not just one, but two men on her hands. She closed her eyes, and frowned.

"There is some leftover stew downstairs... you must be starving." Amicia spoke up, seemingly noticing how her companion was starting to drown in her mind.

Marion smiled, and nodded her head; she didn't bother to use her words, it hurt to speak. She pushed the blankets off of her body, and stood up. Her legs trembled, but she paid them no mind. Amicia led her downstairs and into the main room, where a bowl of stew and cup of water awaited her on the table.

The dark haired girl grabbed the bowl of stew and the water, and sat down on the floor in front of the lit hearth. Amicia sat down next to her, the air around them heavy. The stew was cold, but Marion didn't mind– it soothed the burn in her throat.

Marion quickly gulped down the water as if she was dehydrated, some of the liquid dribbled down her chin. Her face flushed to a bright red color when Amicia wiped her face, and she averted her eyes to the fire. Her mind wandered off to what they were going to do after they brought Hugo to Laurentius.

They had no one, nothing. Robert, Béatrice, her father... all gone. Her eyes burned and her nose started to grow stuffy. She took in a deep breath, glaring at the fire seemed like a better option to bawling her eyes out. Amicia gently wrapped her arm around the dark-haired girl, gently rubbing her bicep.

Marion bit her quivering lip, and wiped at her eyes. She took a deep breath, her glare at the fire intensified. She didn't want to cry, especially not in front of Amicia.

"What are we going to do once we find Laurentius?" Marion asked, after the rock in her throat disappeared.

Amicia stayed quiet. Marion knew that the brunette was just as clueless as she was.

"We... we will figure that out when the time comes." Amicia responded, her words quiet.

Marion turned her head to look at Amicia. Dirt was smudged on her freckled face, but that didn't make her any less comely. The light reflecting onto her dark blue eyes made them all the more vibrant– it was the little things that Marion loved about Amicia.

The way her lips would quirk up when she was doing something she liked, and the way her nose wrinkled whenever she was angry. The hundreds of faint freckles along her nose, and cheekbones that Marion could spend hours tracing her fingers over.

The dark-haired girl felt herself unable to hold her companion's gaze when the latter turned to look at her, her face flushing bright red for the second time.

"Why did the duck cross the road?" Amicia asked out of the blue, and Marion let a smile grow onto her face.

"Amicia I swear to God..." Marion huffed, and leaned into her companion.

Amicia raised an eyebrow, and silently waited. She wasn't going to stop until Marion answered her, she'd done this a million times before.

"Why did the duck cross the road?" Marion asked back, as she leaned her head against Amicia's shoulder.

Amicia smiled, "To prove he's no chicken."

Marion clapped her hands together, and let out a quiet giggle.

"Hardy har-har... at least if all goes to shit we can make you a professional fool." Marion joked, and Amicia's jaw dropped.

"Marion!"

—

| Glossary |

N/A

| A/N |

Just a short and sweet filler to give my girls a break from mental torment 😭 I was contemplating making this longer but eh

Amicia and Marion are so friggen cute oh my fbewififuwofb

I think im going to make this book have three parts: Part I would be Innocence, Part II would be Requiem, and I have an idea I'd like to do for Part III after both games

I'm praying that I can get a PS5 for Christmas so I can actually play Requiem

WAIT A MINUTE THE "you're finally awake" IS GIVING ME SKYRIM FLASHBACKS