Goodbye Valentine
By Mokora
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"It's pitch black. I just can't see anything."
Her voice wasn't shaking with fear, or defeat. It was shaking with a sort of reluctant relief.
She wanted her world back. Her room, her dreams, her mum. She wanted to rip those drawings off the walls herself, instead of that fiendish doppelganger that wore too much eyeliner and far too many silver chains. She wanted her life back, but she wanted to bring him with her.
She knew it wasn't possible.
Just hours ago, he'd thrown her to the drooling dogs of the Queen, waving goodbye with a smile on his face and a fist full of jewels. She couldn't remember quite what had happened after that. It was all simply grey, like old film, with bits and pieces of her acting just as the Queen desired. Then, he'd returned. He'd coaxed her out of that trance.
"Well, this is just divine. What're we going to do now?" He inquired through the black of their crumpled fantasy world.
"Valentine," She began, ignoring his previous statement.
"Yes?"
"This might be the end for us. We're still in your tower, right?"
There were some fumbling noises, the sound of nails on wood, rubber soles sliding across tile. The floor was uneven now, presumably because Helena's counterpart had scrunched the drawings up in a fit of childish rage.
"Yes, I believe so. It feels like we're still here. Everything's just a little bent out of shape, that's all." His voice seemed matter-of-fact, as if he'd expected they'd been tossed into an abyss as well.
"Look, we might still be able to get out. I still have the mask." Her clever mind was coming up short as she pondered what could possibly save them now. She needed a window. Just one window.
"Well, at least you're optimistic."
She could hear his robes swishing around as he searched for some sort of light.
She swallowed hard. If she found a window, any at all, it would be the last she'd see of Valentine. Forever. She'd known him for such a short time, but she'd become so attached. He was her partner, her comrade, her unlikely friend.
"Valentine?"
She heard the swishing stop, and presumed he was squinting behind his mask in the direction of her voice.
"Yes?" He was further away now.
"...T-Thank you, for everything."
"Oh, c'mon. I sold you out to the Queen. No thanks needed."
"No, really. I'm going to... to really miss you when I find a way out of here." There. She said it. And though she didn't feel so bad about disappearing with words unsaid, she still felt rather sick about the matter.
"...Well, I, uh," He began, obviously choosing his words carefully, "I suppose I'll really be missing you too." His voice softened tremendously in response to her affection. His tone wasn't goofy or lackadaisical. It was almost sad.
There was a silence between them as she heard his footsteps shuffling towards her. Even as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she couldn't see a trace of anything. His hands grabbed the sides of her arms, making her jump a little in surprise. They felt upwards clumsily until they rested on her shoulders. He pulled her into a consuming hug, swinging her lightly side to side.
Helena hesitated, blinking furiously into his coat. He smelled dusty, like an old book. He was significantly taller, so she had no choice but to link her arms about his belly.
He quickly lifted her off the ground and spun her in an ungraceful circle, as she yelped in shock.
"Valentine!" She protested, unadmittedly relishing the moment like it was her favorite food.
Placing her delicately back on her feet, he said nothing.
And she said nothing.
And she found herself staring up at where she imagined his mask would be. She thought for a moment just how much she'd love to see that mask one more time. Or moreso, what was beneath it. His true face.
Suddenly, a small amount of light poured in through various windows in the walls of his tower.
"One of the drawings must have opened up a little! I think she's moving us." She mused aloud, looking around. "Look! More light's coming in!"
He could see her smile now. This was her last chance.
"Go, Helena! The window, there!" He ushered her to the window against the far wall, barely light enough for her to maintain the mask's transaction. She whirled around and gazed at him, chewing her bottom lip. It was agonizing, seeing her face like that again. It was the same face of reluctance he'd seen when she'd heard of his betrayal.
"I don't suppose you could take me with you, hm?" His wit was still alive, though barely as snide.
She grinned, eyes watering a tad. "Then who would be Valentine?"
"Aha. Good point you have there. I am a very important man, you know." He smirked, and after the ground gave an impatient lurch, he urged her closer to the window. "No more time to waste!" He announced, stooping to place a chaste kiss on the top of her head with an extravagant 'Muah!'. He stepped back as she stood before the mirror, leering at the girl who had ruined nearly everything. After her twin's declaration of defiance, she placed the mask over her face and just like that, she was gone.
Valentine stood before the window for a long moment, and through it, he saw only dabbles of light, splotches of darkness. His world had been nearly destroyed. What now?
"...Alright, Tower." His enthusiasm had waned significantly. "It's time to find another business partner. We can't just sit around and be all sad. We might as well be makin' money."
He sighed as they began to move, his tower's bird-like leg propelling them forward. "You know," He began, patting the wall of his shelter and friend in an affectionate way. "She was a very important girl."
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I love that pairing so much. D;
I was so anxious to know what became of Valentine when she left. I'm glad she didn't burn the papers, so that maybe the drawings could be salvaged. By the way, where did they go when she just sort of woke up on the balcony? oo
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I wish I had my very own Valentine with such a funny personality and a gorgeous accent. Especially if he looked like Jason Barry. ;