The Prince of Hearts

||Aiko's Goodbye||

It was so easy to get lost in other peoples tales and lives. Observing their longing stares and secret emotions.

For so long, she's had to count the days she's been alive and force herself to remember her painful memories, so she wouldn't get lost and forget her self. No matter how much she wished she just would.

Helping Caraval players over so many years, played a toll on how she saw herself. Some seeing her as only just a person in the game, some seeking the idea of her as a friend or more. But she never indulged, it would become too real for her.

Caraval and its foolery of believing it's real, was why she stayed. But that wasn't the case anymore.

The fates lost and that boys gentle hands and flashing smile was ingrained in her head after it. Perhaps it was time for her to move on, create her own story she always refused to delve into.

Maybe she would take Finn up on his offer. The fact that she was considering it surprised her. She thought after Elain that she would never fall in love again.

She clutched her book as she continued walking watching the sunset before her.

So many stories. All of it she's observed over the years, that she could create her new escapism if she ever needed to evade her reality. She could take the stories and weave them into her fictional fantasies of tales.

"Aiko?"

Surprised she turned around to face Legend, although he was more dressed to look like Dante. Today he was seeming calm, collected casually. Perhaps the fact that he drew her in for a hug was the most surprising part.

She never saw herself close with Dante, but he was kind to her and she enjoyed herself over the years of participating in watching over his games.

Perhaps his happiness sparked a subconscious need in her too. If the incredible, notorious, immortal legend could find his love and happiness to live out his life, maybe it's a sign she should too.

His hands rested on her arms gently. "Take care Aiko, and fun, you deserve it." No mention of being careful, or stay safe, maybe she looked too in it. But she knew he used those words carefully.

Because she knew her instincts would've kicked in at any mention of needing to be safe would link to threats and danger, and that would've stopped her and led her running back to Caraval.

She nodded, a pleasant smile on her face.

"If you ever need us, we'll always be here to help."

She felt like she needed to say goodbye to her other friends, but she was afraid that once she did that she'd never been able to leave.

For a split second, she closed her eyes and saw Elain and her charred body. Her screams ringing still after, as not far before she was being burnt alive as Aiko was forced through her own strangled screams to watch after Elain cursed down the fates and the village reacted to it so harshly and because of that the love of her life was gone.

A village far nonexistent by now still haunted her dreams, still chased her thoughts as she ran and ran until she found Caraval and ran straight into Nigel who said she was right to stay.

"Take care, Dante," she said.

He slightly nodded as she turned away readjusting the bag on her shoulder. She wasn't surprised to realise that she still barely had anything after all these years.

She used to be so scared of life moving on and growing when she wasn't ready. She was still scared, but she was ready for change.

"Wait!" She remembered as she turned around to face him, "in my room, I left some draws there for you. There's something special for you and Donatella."

It was just art and stories of their tale unfolding together, she was sure they'd like it, even the images Tella never would've imagined of him gazing off daydreaming about her.

Legend nodded with a hint of a smile.

And then Aiko walked out and she never looked back.

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Posted: 21/August/2020

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If you can't remember who Aiko is I'll copy and paste a Caraval Wiki information about her.

Appearance
Aiko is described to be "as pretty as watercolour" and dressed "as bold as a trumpet" in a golden gown with daring sleeves and a bright chartreuse bustle in Caraval. She has strawberry-blonde hair and gold-rimmed eyes.

Personality
While kind most of the time, Aiko has been known to be helpful to players during Caraval, but her help also can come with formidable costs.

Plot
Caraval
Scarlett first meets Aiko when waiting in the tavern of her hotel for Julian. She tells Scarlett to have more fun with the players asking about Donatella before Scarlett leaves upon noticing Dante's black heart tattoo. Aiko returns after Scarlett is tricked by a boy selling cider, and when Scarlett wants to look in her notebook, Aiko tells her she must give her something valuable in return. They come across a man asking for a song for donation; Aiko agrees, and this causes Scarlett to notice a distinct man walk by. Scarlett then asks Aiko what she will be gaining from looking in the notebook. Aiko just says that lots of things are possible. Eventually, Aiko explains that her notebook has a history of Caraval in it. She allows Scarlett to look in the notebook because there is magic preventing her from seeing things that could help her. When Scarlett wants to see more, Aiko says she will allow her to if Scarlett will purchase 3 dresses for herself. Scarlett says she will buy 2, and Aiko agrees. When Scarlett purchases the dresses, she ends up losing one day of her life (the cost was 2 days; Julian gave her a day of his life so Scarlett would not lose as much time). She also has to say her greatest fear and desire, but what Scarlett says for her desire does not work, so she must lose 2 days of her life instead. This proves that Aiko is quite a force to be reckoned with.

Legendary
Aiko reveals that Tella and Scarlett's mother is Paradise Lost, a master thief and suspected murderer. She took Tella's last memory of her mother in exchange for the information that changed everything- Paloma's Fated Deck housed the Fates. The final memory Aiko took was so important that it made her notebook a lot thicker, and housed terribly powerful info. Aiko knows everything about everything, and will *always* find a way to get what she wants.

Finale
Aiko was in the council of Legend's most trusted Caraval players as they tried to decide whether or not to trust the Assassin and the Maiden Death. Other people on the council were Julian, Tella, Jovan, Caspar, Armando, and Nigel. Honestly, people underestimate and under-appreciate Aiko.