- Wait, Elesia! That's you, isn't it, Elesia!?
She had scarcely entered the café before an unfamiliar voice called out to her. She hadn't really intended to drop by Farine Noix when she first decided to give her old hometown a visit. There wasn't anything particular binding her to it; while her family's bakery had provided the café with pastries and such sometime in the past, that had never seemed much of a connection to her. There were many others in the town she and her family had been closer to. Regardless, something about the café had drawn her in.
- Oh.
The woman before her greeted her with the same kind of smile as that of an old friend's. It had been some 13 years since she last stepped foot in the café, and so the person before her briefly escaped her recognition. What was her name again?
- Uhm, Noel?
- Yes, yes! It must've been ages ago since we last saw each other! I know you were always an early bloomer, so it doesn't surprise me to see you looking so much like I remember you, but I'm sure the same can't be said about me.
Noel giggled, almost self-derisively. Something about the mannerism provoked further pangs of recognition within Elesia's head. Right, Farine Noix's owners had a single daughter; Noel. The two of them had never gotten along particularly well, nor even interacted to any greater degree. Nevertheless, the exuberant greeting belied any such misgivings from Noel. During her 13 year stay in London, Elesia had been no stranger to the mask of civility put on by its most esteemed citizens, so the sincerity of Noel's emotions were clear to her.
- I suppose that must be it. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you at first, Noel. You've just changed so much since I last saw you.
Finally, she managed a smile of her own in return. A smile as earnest as she could. She had become accustomed to the facade of falsities that permeated the Clock Tower's culture; become steeped in its infectious deceptions. But here, in the countryside town of some Île-de-France outskirt, that venomous veneer was nowhere to be found. Whatever childish animosity she and Noel had held toward one another had dispersed in the passage of time, leaving behind nothing but a nostalgic impression of familiarity.
- Hahaha, I can imagine. I was much the opposite of you in that way. I mean, you almost seem to have not aged at all!
- Would you mind if I take a seat?
- Oh, of course not! I may as well serve you something on the house while I'm at it. We don't get many customers around these hours anyway.
As Noel scurried off back toward the counter, Elesia went to take a seat by a sunlit corner of the café. The establishment itself had seemingly not changed much since last she saw it.
- Hey, Darling, look! It's Elesia! Do you remember? Y'know, the daughter over at Arlequin.
Before Elesia could even settle down in her seat, Noel had dragged out a bewildered looking man from the back of the café, excitedly pointing him in the direction of Elesia. The way Noel addressed him made it clear who the man in question was. Or at least what his relation to Noel was. His features were decidedly not French, but rather of an East-Asian character.
- Right, right. I'm still grateful to the folks over at Arlequin; I wouldn't forget that face. Good day, Elesia, and welcome back.
The man, with Noel still dragging by the elbow, gradually made it over to Elesia's table, forced by his wife into exchanging a few pleasantries.
- T-Thank you. I'm surprised everyone remembers me, even though it's been so long. I'm starting to feel a bit guilty of how hard of a time I'm having recognizing everyone. If I remember correctly, you were... Tatsuya? From Japan.
- That's it, yes. Came here to study music, but you never know where life takes you, so here I am, helping manage the café I once frequented. Well, all thanks to my wife, of course.
Despite their limited interactions, Tatsuya had been a hard person to forget for Elesia on account of his peculiarity. Out in the french countryside, people of Asian descent were still a rare sight. He had been a few years above both Elesia and Noel, having just entered a nearby university. His gentle features and mannerisms had charmed many in the town, and he'd made quick acquaintance with the locals. None more so than Noel, it would appear.
- You wouldn't have thought that, would you, Elesia! It's Noel Aizome, now! Isn't that funny? Having a name like that here. It actually wasn't long since we married. Oh, it was wonderful. I'm sure you'd have loved it had you been here.
- I'm sure I would have.
- Oh! I should go get the pictures! We did the ceremony here at the church.
Before Elesia could comment, Noel had already burst off in search of her marriage pictures, leaving Tatsuya and Elesia in awkward silence. Noel's newly inaugurated husband eventually let loose a warm chuckle as he looked back toward where Noel had disappeared.
- I haven't seen her this excited in some time. Were you two that close?
- If I'm being honest; not as far as I can remember. Our parents were acquainted and we occasionally met on account of that.
- Well, that might have meant more to her than you imagine. She was always rather lonely back then. In some ways, I suppose she still is. She can seem extroverted at first, but at heart, she still finds other people hard to deal with.
- Really?
- Really. She values the bonds she already has a fair deal because of this.
- And here I almost didn't make the trip to this café... That alone gives me some feelings of guilt. I could have kept much better contact with everyone, but my life was just so busy ever since I went overseas that I suppose it slipped my mind.
Tatsuya's face lit up with the same kind of warm smile he'd so often brandished back in the day.
- Haha, I suppose so. I wouldn't worry about it though. The bonds we humans form are much like that. They're formed first out of convenience and happenstance. As for us, we just happened to live in the same city. But that doesn't make them superficial. Or well, that's at least what I think. Regardless of origin, our bonds are what define our place in the world. The world of man is built atop this invisible web of connections, and no matter how faint, they all serve their own little purpose. Whatever you and Noel's relationship may have been, it doesn't define what it is now, or what it can become. But it did bring you together, and that's precious on its own.
Elesia blinked, momentarily stunned, before returning his smile.
- I can see what she saw in you.
Before long, Noel had returned with pictures in hand. Upon seeing his wife come back, Tatsuya left the table.
- I suppose I'll leave you two to it. No matter how few the customers may be, someone has to man the café, and usually that duty falls on me when my dear wife isn't in the mood for it.
- Yeah, yeah, poor lil Tatsuya having to actually do his job. Oh and get us some coffee too, Darling.
Noel shot back at her husband without turning her back, still concentrated on laying out the photos before Elesia. Tatsuya let out a chuckle at the remark, but dutifully followed her command.
With the collection of photos as ammunition, Noel began to expound on the marriage, occasionally veering into asides of who was who in what photo. There were some Elesia recognized, and some she didn't. Nevertheless, Noel would carefully explain the relationships of each person as they came up, while Elesia would try to show interest in the few people she still remembered.
- Oh, and look who we have here! See, there, in the upper-right corner!
Those were Elesia's parents.
- I was thinking it'd be a good photo to show you, look how they...
How they were killed by their own daughter.
Their throats slit open, and their blood consumed.
Never suspecting a single thing.
- Oh, and remember Maribel? She was our classmate in...
She was the classmate I killed by folding her inside and out,
letting her guts spill out of her mouth as she was reduced to a twisted piece of calamari.
- And this is...
This is Gabriel.
I expanded his body until his skin became so thin it ruptured,
letting the blood and gore of his insides shower the rest of the people in the pit.
- Next to him you can see...
Louis and Charlotte.
In my boredom, I had wanted something to sit on, so I'd made Louis into a chair.
As it happens, furniture is more difficult to construct than what first glances would suggest.
Charlotte was much more comfortable.
- Oh, I love this photo. Maybe I shouldn't say that, but I mean look at how good I look here! Obviously, next to me are my mom, who...
Who had been pressed down to human juice by my compatriots,
as we all looked on in delight.
- ...And my dad. Did you know he was actually super against my marriage at first?! Can you believe it, someone so...
Someone so frail.
Someone so small.
I had wanted an apple, but his flesh had been so fatty, it had ruined the texture.
"Give them back..."
- So you know what I said to him?! I said I'm not...
"Give me back my dad..."
- But my mom always supported it. God, he was so stupid, but at least...
"Give me back my mom..."
- Anyway, to make a long story short, we ended up taking over Farine Noix since they were approaching retirement age anyway, and both me and Tatsuya...
"Give me―give me back my life!"
- Huh? Elesia? What's wrong? Ah-uhm, d-did I say something stupid?
She couldn't contain it any longer. She had known, of course. Known that it could never be undone. Known that this future could never materialize. Known that the person before her would never attain happiness.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and with them, the warm landscape began washing away. The gentle rays of sunlight transformed into indistinct blots of colors. Gradually, it was coming to an end. The watery brushstrokes reduced the reality before her to nothing, lashing at her body as it did, rendering her naked, and still crying before a dumbstruck Noel. They bit deeper, causing blood to flow forth, opening wounds she long since chosen to forget, and with the pain came more tears.
If she had just stayed a machine, this would never have happened.
She would never have had to feel this way.
If she had just kept on killing her emotions in the same way she killed vampires, this would never have happened.
Noel would never have had to end up like she did.
If she hadn't returned to being human...
Then she wouldn't have to spill these tears.
"It's okay. You can apologize to her."
- I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save you. I couldn't give anything back to you.
She looked up at the fading Noel sitting in front of her. But what greeted her wasn't the fury she had confronted earlier. There was only a knowing smile. Not warm, but not cold, either.
- I know. I mean, wasn't it obvious?
- Wha-wha...
- Had you not been sorry, would you ever have done all that? You killed your own self so that the things that happened here would have a point. So that they would never be forgotten. I know how much that plagued you. I always knew. Therefore, I forgave you. I told myself I could forgive you as long as you took responsibility. But really, that wasn't important to me. It was just what I told myself. What I wanted wasn't for you to suffer; it was for my life to be the way it had once been. Happy. That's all I wanted. So don't worry; you haven't betrayed anyone...
- ...And you know, what I found most frustrating about you wasn't your sins; it was that you chose to bear them when you never needed to. Do you really think I could have done that? Do you really think just anyone could have endured what you did? What makes you strong isn't your body; it's your heart. I know for certain that I wouldn't have been able to bear those sins. I would have created a reason why I wouldn't have to. I would have convinced myself that there wasn't any need to. That, and nothing else, is why I admired you. It frustrated me, because I had no choice to admire you; because you did what I could not...
- ...So it's fine. Even if you feel like your atonement continues, you can still leave us behind. We'll be fine here. So please, go. Go and don't look back. There is nobody here who wishes you ill anymore.
- But, this isn't real. This future will never come.
- I suppose from your perspective, that's true. But the world is large. Infinitely large. Larger than mankind could ever imagine. Out there, somewhere, far off in the distance, I'm sure it exists.
- Could that really be true? Is that really okay to believe in? For me?
- Yes, definitely. So go, and become what you were always meant to be; alive.
With a last smile on her face, Noel faded from view, the wind whisking away the last strands of color that had given her form. With her, the white canvas that had been left started crumbling, and before Ciel stood once again the crumbled remains of the catacombs uncovered beneath Souya after the cave-in.
- Tohno... why do you think this happened? Where did it all go so wrong? Neither she, nor I, wished for this outcome, and yet... and yet, here we are. Am I at fault? Is Roa at fault? Is she at fault?
- There is no such thing. You were just unlucky. That's all. Misfortune doesn't befall those who deserve it; it simply happens. What's important isn't how it comes to be, but how we choose to deal with it. You know... maybe you'll think less of me if I say this, but I'm thankful for what happened over these last two weeks. I mean, how could I not be? I would never have met you otherwise. Regardless of how it happened, I'm thankful for the bond we have now, and I'm hopeful for how it will develop in the future.
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Originally Posted by Dullahan
