#a certain familys tea party
family is everything.
words that she saved within her heart and by which she lived by. After all, it she didn’t, she wouldn’t have been following his tracks for so long, would she? Mingled with the crowd and acting as a guardian of sorts (or so she saw herself as, at least, no matter howhypocritethat was of her), the ninth, the noah of dreams, for whom time didn’t seem to pass, stood at a distance; pensively observing the small performance that the infamous garvey troupe had put, in order to sell a few more tickets for their christmas special. or so they said, anyway, but she couldn’t be less interested about it.
no sir, for this young woman, clad in an elegant, warm cape, had only been gracing them with her barely perceptible presence for a single reason: and that reason, ironically, had a name ━━ albeit he couldn’t quite remember, could he?
and yet, even though she could feel the frigid breeze passing by unruly locks of navy, and even though she felt her visage being kissed by the falling snow, mentally at least, Road was no longer on the lively plaza of edinstown. She was no longer surrounded by the cacophony of laughter and voices, of excited applauses and loud whistles, no ━ golden orbs might have been set upon the pierrot that perfomed with utmost grace, but the petite girl’s thoughts was a thousand miles away; in dear remembrances that she adamantly refused to let go of.
it’s alright, no one will hurt you now.
the world had, in a matter of minutes, gone silent and aureate; only evenly lit by the twilight rays of sun that entered through clear window panes and softly bathed their skin.
━ ❝ apricot tea, ❞ the female offered, with a smile spread upon her lips as she carefully placed a porcelain mug on the surface in front of him. ━ ❝ it’ll do you good, you’ll see. ❞
ah, that sort of mellow teatimes wasn’t uncommon at all between the two, quite the contrary: long conversations, that oftenly stretched into late night ones by a fireplace or beneath the stars, were born between sips of tea and nibbles on cinammon biscuits. And up to this day, she remembered that one afternoon so vividly: it had been thirty-five (or was it thirty-six?) years ago, and little did she know at the time, life as she knew it was about to crumble down to earth; leaving naught but destructionandmisery on its wake.
━ ❝ thank you, Road, ❞ he ended up saying, as calm as ever, with a grateful smile across his lips. Mana still kept that very same kindness, didn’t he? she could see it upon the way he had adopted that dog, that pulled impressive tricks along with him; or by the way he took that orphan child under his wing without hesitation. But she was diverging in her thoughts, wasn’t she?━ ❝ what would I do without you? ❞
looking back at it, there were so many signs that she ignored (or that maybe he hid from her). And Nea, too … it was for her own good, she remembered the most mischievous of the siblings telling her in secret, one night, and that he was doing it for Mana’s sake … up to this day, those words hadn’t left her mind.
━ ❝ that’s something we don’t need to think about, isn’t it? ❞
she recalled the hints of bemusement at her own words, and the lopsided smile that had bloomed upon her chasms. As far as she had been concerned, it made no sense to dwell on unrealistic events she was there, and there he was, were they not? wasn’t that all that mattered? Watching as he briskly stirred his beverage and chuckled, so lightheartedly, did break her heart into a thousand pieces; each for a different reason. but it had still been a welcoming memoir.
it’s alright, no one will resent you now.
he was already suffering, then, wasn’t he? she cursed herself for not having been capable of soothing his pain, back then, when it was bearable. It wouldn’t change much, for prophecies are bound to happen one way or another, but she couldn’t let go of the idea that, maybe, just maybe, she could have postponed it for a little longer.
but it wasn’t worth crying over spilled milk, was it?
ah,at a first sight, the sheep that wielded the dreams of noah hadn’t changed one bit: a youthful visage, framed by short locks of navy hair and large, dark azure hues that seemed to hold an entire starry sky within. But oh, despite the fact that it had only been seventeen years ago, Road felt as though she had aged hundreds of years.
━ ❝ don’t get closer, ❞ she had threatened, and oh, had she meant every single word. No matter how uttering them had ripped her appart, back then. It still did. ━ ❝ or I won’t hesitate in fighting you, Nea. ❞
how could it not hurt? how could she not be pained,stained,broken, by the fact that she was cornered between the two people she hadlovedthe most in her life? The fact that she had to choose between one and the other, the fact that she held an unconscious Mana within her protective grasp while promising violence to a very upset Nea.
she remembered the silence that weighted between them and which lasted for what felt like an eternity, at the moment, and she remembered the betrayal in his eyes at her decisive stance. She didn’t want to choose,she never wanted to, but Mana neededher more than ever, then. She remembered the way he turned his back on her and left, and she didn’t regret her decision, she never had and she never would.
she only hoped that he’dforgive her, when the day came.
it’s alright, no one will curse you now.
or so she wished. Because with the cross he carried upon his shoulders, all she could do was to support him ━ whether he remembered who she was, or not.
and so, with determinate golden orbs set to the grey clouds above, road kamelot, the one who harboured within her core the dreams of noah, swore to find them, when the promised day arrived, before someone elsecould.
because family is everything.
