Small branches and leaves cracked and crumbled under the weight of someone's feet. The moon shone in the sky, though not too terribly high as of yet as the night had just begun. There was a breeze, but it wasn't too cold. In fact, the setting seemed to be just right.
Natsuki Subaru did his best to sneak away from the mansion undetected. He was less cautious once he reached the initial treeline, sighing in some form of relief as he passed and entered the woods. He made sure to keep track of his location and how to get back as he made his way through, a crunch continuously sounding under his feet with each step.
Things were really starting to look up in his life, maybe even looking good. Well, as good as things could be, he supposed. Learning to love and take care of himself wasn't exactly as easy as he thought it would be.
It'd only been a week since he officially became Emilia's one and only knight. Only a week. Yet, still, things were just so… stressful. Don't get him wrong, he really loved his new role position. Everything was just a lot for him to take in right now, considering what he'd gone through beforehand.
He knew that he had friends, people to rely on and talk to, but he never found the courage to actually spark an initial conversation. He knew that he needed to start confiding in his friends and surrogate family more, but it was just hard for him to take that initial step forward; he was scared to open up. That ended up making him develop some rather… questionable habits.
So, now, that led to him sneaking out of the new mansion, heading into the forest for some meager alone time. He wanted to clear his head and just relax — maybe by looking up into the stars for a while — without having to worry about his overly happy façade slipping and getting discovered.
He was honestly surprised at his ability to pull it off. The most problematic person to get by was Beatrice, who had taken to bunking with him since they'd made their contract. They usually clung together during the night, so he imagined that it would be difficult to slip past her. But, for some reason, he found himself able to. Fairly easily, mind you. From there, getting out and away from the mansion itself was easy enough, but he still found himself being excessively cautious, just in case.
Currently, he simply wandered the forest without much aim. He didn't know exactly where he was going — and he knew that he still needed to be careful because of the Mabeasts lurking in the forest — but he wasn't lost. If he just kept going straight, he would be able to get back easily enough… probably.
So he just kept walking for a while, quietly trekking through the forest and hoping, to whoever, that he wouldn't be jumped by Mabeasts. If he did get jumped, well… he'd been through worse. That didn't mean he liked dying, but nothing could ever equal the amount of pain those rabbits put him through. A shiver immediately trailed across his spine at the memory, quickly enabling him to forget about it.
He was surprised, though; he thought for sure that he'd be intercepted by at least one. Although he was curious, he didn't let the question linger for long as he continued on his way.
Eventually, he came to a clearing in the woods. It was something akin to a circular area in which no trees occupied and, when he looked up, not even branches and leaves obscured the sky. It reminded him of an oasis in the middle of a desert. He found himself momentarily mesmerized by the view of the stars, listening as the sounds of nature rung lightly, comfortably in the background.
Subaru found the will to pry his eyes away, glancing at the area around him. It wasn't too big of a clearing, but it was laid with perfectly cut grass that was without any sticks or leaves present on its surface. By the opposite edge, closer to the tree line, was a small pond of water. Other than that, there were only a few large rocks, each differently shaped, scattered around as a sort of decoration.
This new and mysterious area felt so calm, yet so unnatural. It was as if someone answered his calls and gave him the perfect place to relax. He approached the pond, the water clearer than he'd expected it to be, though he didn't see any fish or wildlife within it. That disappointed him a little, supposing that it only existed in this space to add to the peaceful setting.
Moving away from that, he looked at the rocks. All of them were oddly shaped, with each rock planted firmly into the ground; even if he wanted to, he'd be unable to move any of them. One in particular looked as if you could comfortably sit atop it. Subaru gently lay his hand against it, caressing his fingers along the rock's surface. While it wasn't shaped perfectly around the side edges, the rock itself was quite big, flat on top and overall smooth enough to sit on.
Well, Subaru didn't see why he couldn't indulge in this place a bit; he did come out to relax, after all. He began to bend himself down, nervously looking to his left and right as if he'd get in trouble for doing so. Then he pivoted, turning his body around and letting his butt meet the rock's surface. It was hard, of course, but it wasn't totally uncomfortable. After a moment of uneasily sitting there, Subaru finally resigned to let himself essentially melt into his spot.
He relaxed there for a while, even closing his eyes and just letting the light breeze hit him, all while he listened to the sounds of nature existing around him. It was nice, peaceful… calming. It was moments like these that seemed so rare now, it seemed. It was funny; before being summoned to this world, he'd never have thought of doing something like this so casually. Well, he didn't think he'd want to do something like this so badly, either. Oh, how things have changed.
"Quite a nice night, is it not?"
Subaru in one moment was just enjoying the silence, then just snapped his eyes open in an instant, turning his head to face the source of the voice. There, sitting next to him, was a girl; more akin to being a young woman, to be precise. She wasn't looking at him — instead choosing to set her eyes on the pond ahead of them — but he could still see her features.
He didn't recognize her, but she was beautiful. Her long, straight platinum hair was seemingly transparent and gave off a soft glow akin to the shine of the sun. Similar to her hair, her skin glistened in the moonlight and shone beautifully to anyone that dared glance at it. To top it off, her eyes were as blue as an ocean, framed only by her rather long, platinum eyelashes. All in all, she was a very good looking girl.
Though, when he moved his head to look at her clothing, he grew concerned. She wore nothing but a simple cloth, a white sheet of fabric that went from her shoulders and covered her torso. Her right leg had been lifted from the ground, bent in and resting underneath her left thigh. This let him see her lack of shoes, with nothing to cover her feet, as well.
Maybe she was homeless? That thought, and similar ones, crossed his mind. What confused him though, was how he couldn't even see a single grain of dirt or filth on her. Not even on the bottoms of her feet. Other than that, she appeared to be in, at least, pretty decent health.
Subaru was concerned and worried for the girl's wellbeing, but also confused. How did this girl even appear next to him? He was sure that he would have heard her approach him before she even had a chance to sit down.
Letting himself refocus, he noticed that, while he had been pondering her looks, overall health and possible living conditions, she had turned her head to look at him. Subaru lifted his eyes to meet hers, realizing her thoughts through her eyes right away. She was looking at him calculatingly, analyzing his movements and criticizing his actions with buried anticipation. She didn't seem hostile, or anything of the sort, but he felt a hint of uneasiness begin to creep up his back for reasons he wasn't certain. Subaru thought it best to respond, before long.
He coughed into his fist, "Y-Yeah, it really is."
His head turned away from her, nervous and, quite frankly, a bit embarrassed. He hadn't meant to stutter, but he was glad that he was at least able to formulate a simple enough response. He just hoped that would satisfy her.
It really unnerved him when she didn't respond soon enough. As his eyes tracked to the trees, watching as the breeze blew the leaves, he could still feel her eyes drilling into his very soul.
Then he heard her hum, seemingly in some sort of agreement. At the same time he similarly, subconsciously felt the very moment she took her eyes off of him, alleviating some of his nerves, "It is peaceful. I often come here to clear my head."
Subaru hesitated bringing his gaze back to her, often trying but then pulling it away. He was unsure of what he should do, or what to say. Overall, this whole situation felt… awkward, to say the least. In the end, his eyes fell back onto her figure. Guiltily, he apologized, "I'm sorry. Did I- uhm… trespass? I really didn't mean to- I can leave, if you want."
"No, that is quite unnecessary," she looked at him again, her facial expression fairly blank or unchanging. It was hard for him to read her thoughts and emotions through her expression, but he knew that she was still evaluating him, in a sense. "This is an area to help settle oneself. I am willing to share this spot with you, for now, seeing as that you are here for the same reasons as I."
His head declined, but still looking at her, "I'm that obvious, huh?"
The girl hummed again, "You are stiff. You have bags under your eyes and you emit a rather depressing aura."
Subaru let out a single, heavy laugh, "That was a little harsh, don't you think?"
She didn't answer, instead directing her head forward toward the small pond of water ahead of them. Subaru took a deep breath, following her gaze with his own. The breeze picked up a moment after, hitting the trees heavily, creating a loud rustle with the leaves, and leaving small ripples in the water.
"Tell me, what is it you desire?"
Subaru could physically feel himself stiffen a little at the question, before relaxing himself as best he could. Neither of them directed their gaze at the other, but the question hung heavily in the air as they both awaited the coming response.
Even though he was under no real obligation to answer, in truth, the question made him think. What did he want? He knew that his overarching goal was to make Emilia the next ruler of Lugnica, but what else? Of course he wanted to save everyone along the way, too. To give them happy lives, free of pain and suffering. That was all, right?
He found himself answering her question, "I guess… I just want everyone to be happy. To have them all rise to the top and not have to worry about being hurt again."
"Does that include you, as well?"
She shot back rather fast, making him freeze. It was as if she saw straight through him, but how? Not even he fully understood his own feelings and thoughts, yet this girl was able to pick his response apart just like that. Again, it made him think. Did that ending really include him? While he desperately wanted to believe that it did, a part of him thought: perhaps not.
"I… don't know," he responded honestly, keeping his head down while his scrambled feelings invaded his mind. "My life right now is a mess. I want everyone to be happy, to not have to worry about me over themselves. I'd rather do everything alone, then ask for help and have them get hurt along the way," he paused, taking a breath. "Someone I really cared about called me a hero. I want to be able to live up to that, but it's hard. Sometimes I just want to give up, lay down and call it a day but I keep pressing on for their sake. I feel like I don't deserve to rest until everyone else makes it to the end." He paused again, albeit a bit shorter this time, "But it's just one thing after another. I guess that's just how life is, though."
This time, her response was not quick. She kept her eyes forward, staying silent and keeping her thoughts to herself until the breeze picked up once more. From the corner of his eye, he could see her long hair flowing gracefully in the wind, all the while glistening like that of a waterfall.
"I find life similar to that of the pond." At the statement, he picked up his head to better look at the pond ahead, same as her, albeit a tad confusingly, "At moments it is calm, steady and relaxed. You know how to navigate it, you feel safe and at ease. But, then…" she paused as the breeze picked up again, creating ripples in the water once more, "it is disturbed. It ripples… you feel a push, at times not knowing from where. Then, when things begin to settle, you become nervous, perhaps lost, unsure of where to go or what you should do. You struggle to regain the steadiness you once had. Sometimes you get pushed again, and it makes things worse."
Subaru nodded after a moment, understanding her words, "You feel like you'll fall. But, if you do, you don't know if you'll be able to get back up again, so you keep going and going until, at some point, you're too weak to go on."
That time, she nodded. She dipped her head down, directing her eyes toward the one foot she left close to the ground, "Yes, precisely."
A mutual pause momentarily rose between them, with neither willing to resume the conversation right away. Subaru in particular thought to himself, inwardly contemplating on what he was going to say next. Beside him was someone that actually seemed to understand something akin to his own inner turmoil. He felt as though he could finally, clearly vent some of his repressed, built-up, depressive feelings.
Finding some remnant of courage within himself, he took a deep breath and spoke, "Everyday, for a long time now, has just been one struggle after another. I rarely have much of a break, just one calm before another storm." He turned his head, looking over at her and taking in an unsure breath, "I don't know if this is too invasive to ask, but… what about you?"
"Yes, what about me, indeed," she responded rather simply, piquing Subaru's curiosity, interest and concern.
She turned her face toward him, their eyes meeting again. This time, Subaru noted that they were less calculating and more… contemplative. She took in a breath of air, tilting her head a bit to the side, as if thinking to herself.
Subaru waited patiently for her to be ready, which wound up not being too terribly long, "My past was never too kind. Ever since I was a little girl, things never necessarily aligned for me. Even now, I find myself struggling at critical times and unsure of where I find myself. Overall, I do not know exactly what I want, nor do I know how to find it. At times, I believe that what I aim for now is just an imaginary figment, something that I only wish to use in order to cope."
Subaru's look softened as he listened to her words. He felt bad for her, or even guilty. It wasn't because he felt some sort of pity for her; no, it was because he could connect with her. He could relate to her words, as he felt those same things. Even now, he still did.
"Do you… have anyone? To help you, I mean."
She quietly processed his question for a moment, letting herself drift into her own mind as she thought. At the same time, she slowly, yet steadily, drew her eyes away from him. She shook her head a little, cocking her head up toward the sky, "I ever only had just one, true, genuine person that ever had the will to help me."
She paused, looking up into the night sky as she recalled fond, old memories. Subaru couldn't help but follow, his eyes similarly drifting toward the stars. He stared up at them, watching as they each shone their own unique light in the sky.
"I met him on a night similar to this," she began, speaking slowly, yet in a tone that conveyed her fondness. "He had never met me before, but, somehow, he knew that I was suffering. Just from a single glance." Her gaze softened as her eyes continued to focus on the stars in the night sky, "Out of all the people I met in my life, he was mysteriously different. He introduced me to the stars, telling me all kinds of tales pertaining to them and other constellations that filled the void of space; even of ones not a part of this world."
Subaru found himself entranced in her story. He patiently, eagerly waited for her to continue, pondering to himself on who this person is, or was, while his curiosity steadily rose. Who was this person she spoke of? From what her words suggested, perhaps this man was from the same place as him.
"I was enthralled by his initial tales. I wanted to know more…" she trailed off, her eyes never peeling away from the sky. "He spent that entire night teaching me of the stars. However, by morning, we parted and I never saw him again." Her eyes finally broke away from the sky as her head gravitated downward, as if she were truly sad or guilty. "Though I was once more alone, I could never forget that night. I still find myself fascinated by them, always willing to learn more," her head picked itself up, her gaze once again motioning toward the lights in the sky. "Now, at times, when I feel lost, I simply come here and gaze up at the stars. It helps me find some remnant of peace."
Subaru shifted his eyes away from the sky, all so he could look at her, feeling a pit form in his stomach. He felt genuinely bad for the girl. While he had people to confide in, to talk to whenever he wanted, she had nobody. In a way, he felt even guiltier because of how he would rather handle everything himself.
"I do that too…" he trailed off, initially unsure of whether he should proceed. Her attention had been gathered, though, her eyes starting to track to him. He lightly coughed, clearing his throat, "I, well- I look up at the stars too, from time to time. When I just need to clear my head, or something, I just tend to look up at them and relax."
She simply looked at him silently for a little while. It didn't make him uneasy, but he was concerned about whether or not his words — his attempt at connecting with her — were delivered at the right time. She picked up her head, her eyes looking at him thoughtfully, "You had a spark in your eye, when you spoke of this habit of yours. Do you share a connection to the stars, as well?"
Her inquiry frankly surprised Subaru for a moment. He was amazed that she noted, yet didn't let himself relent as a small smile made its way onto his face. Some part of him couldn't help but nod a little as he recalled old memories, "Yeah, you can say that I do."
His eyes settled completely on her so he could get a clear view of her wonderment. She seemed genuinely curious and attentive to his tale. Something in him fluttered, flattered that someone would be so engrossed in an interest of his that could be seen as mundane to many others.
"My first name is Subaru, which is related to a star constellation called Pleiades. You can't see that particular cluster from here, though," his head moved to look up into the sky, smiling a little as he spoke. "Because of my name, I ended up developing an… obsession, of sorts, with all kinds of stars. I ended up learning as much as I could about them, so you could say that I'm a true expert on the subject," he gave one, single soft laugh to his own statement. "It amazed even my parents… they were proud."
Subaru trailed off at the end, saddened at the memory of his parents and his home. While the subject of the stars was something he loved, the thought of his home and everything he left behind weighed heavily on his heart. Oh, how much his parents must have suffered after he disappeared.
His focus drew away from those thoughts and to the girl's expression. The fact that she seemed to be so fascinated by his words made him happy. When he looked up to her eyes, he saw how they contained a small sense of familiarity within them. Though, along with that, he could see hints of doubt, as well. After some time of silence, she spoke:
"May I ask you something?"
He didn't take too long to answer, "Sure, I don't mind."
She too took a moment to formulate her question, taking a breath before actually doing so, "Presume that someone is a dreadful person. This person has committed many atrocities and crimes for unfathomable reasons, yet, deep down, that person strives for some form of happiness. Do you believe that person deserves it? Do you believe that this person can ever deserve it?"
Subaru didn't know how to properly take that question, appropriately taking his time to digest and think about it. It took a while for him to ponder, but the girl didn't seem to mind waiting. When he was finally able to put his thoughts together, it took him a few more seconds to formulate words, "It depends. If… this person, say, realizes that what they did was wrong and genuinely wants to do better, then I'd say they can have a fair shot at it."
If his words affected her, she outwardly didn't react to them. Instead, she inquired, "Why do you say that?"
He looked at her genuinely, taking a deep breath and speaking from his heart, "Everyone that's bad was never always bad. They always have some sliver of good inside of them; even the worst of the worst. Of course, there are going to be people that are irredeemable, but there are also people that are. It's just a matter of finding the good, while also having the will to embrace it. Think of it as a seed; you have it in your hand, but you have to plant it and take care of it so it can grow." He shook his head a little, "Maybe that's a bad analogy, but if someone can really try to do that, to really try and become a better person overall, then I think that it's possible for them to have happiness."
At that, she could only look at him for a few, long moments. Eventually, she let a small smile grace her face, "You remind me of him." He was momentarily taken aback by her sudden statement. "He often seemed to view the good within everyone, even some of his enemies…" she trailed off. She whispered something in addition at the end, although low enough to where he was unable to hear it, but that didn't bother him.
After a moment of pause, with the breeze blowing against them both, his head bobbed in small nods while he spoke, "Well, he seemed like a good guy."
She nodded, agreeing, "He was." Subaru noticed how sad her response seemed. She tried to hide it, to keep her façade, but he saw through it. It took one to know one, he supposed. Although, with that, he could also see how her eyes reflected a grain of both gratefulness and respect toward this mysterious individual.
Subaru stayed quiet, letting countless moments of silence pass by peacefully. He wasn't sure about her, but he let himself listen and relax to the sounds of nature. His mind zoned in on the background, picking up even the small sounds while the wind continued to blow against the leaves. It was nice.
"Why do you wish to be the hero someone viewed you as?"
The sudden question took Subaru out of his relatively peaceful trance, focusing his eyes on her once more. Zoning his mind back into her, centering it on the conversation, he felt compelled to ask, "Sorry, I- I zoned out for a bit there. What do you mean?"
She only looked at him with a relatively neutral, yet curious, expression, "Earlier, you told me that you wanted to live up to being the hero someone viewed you as. For what reason?"
With the confirmation of what was being asked, it didn't take long for him to think of and form a genuine response to her inquiry, "For her memory, I suppose. She saw me as a hero, but I failed her. So, I won't let that happen again. I'll be a hero, saving as many people as I can… like she knew I could…"
He trailed off, satisfied yet saddened by his own answer. He only spoke the truth; he wouldn't let what happened to Rem happen to anyone else. It was one of the reasons as to why he tried so hard, fighting to his last breath in order to save everyone, especially during the events of the Sanctuary.
The girl nodded in a show of understanding, shifting her head a little to the side, "I see. Thank you, for telling me."
His expression formed to resemble that of curiousness, "Why'd you want to know, if I can ask?"
She glanced back toward him, her eyes laying to rest on his face, "One could say that I wish to understand people's hearts."
Subaru wasn't exactly sure as to how he should take that response, but he nodded anyway. "What about you?" he asked. "Do you try to live up to people's expectations of you?"
She hummed for a second in thought, "I do."
He examined her expression for a few seconds, determining his follow up question quickly, "Is it something you want to do?"
"No," she responded fairly fast, slightly shaking her head. "I do it because I have to. Because it is expected of me."
Subaru nodded a little, understanding what she said. Another question crept up his mind, prompting him to ask, "Do you, though? If it hurts you, why keep going; why fill a role that you know isn't meant for you? Can't you just… be who you want to be?"
The girl stayed silent for a while. He wasn't sure of what could be running through her head. Soon enough, she looked at him with a neutral and unwavering expression, "I could say the same to you."
At that moment, Subaru thought it best to stay quiet. Both of them seemed to surrender to their inner thoughts, each digesting their last dialogue in different ways.
For Subaru, he knew that she was right. As someone who spent most of his childhood trying to live up to his father's greatness… as someone who still had trouble being himself, unwilling to even love himself and properly rely on others, he had no right to talk. He had no right to criticize someone's choices like that, when he was making those same mistakes himself.
But it did make him realize something: he wasn't alone in what he was feeling. All of this time, he thought that he was alone… that nobody else would be able to understand his true feelings, the pain of life and what he'd been through. But he wasn't. There was someone else, right here beside him, that understood; someone that knows what hell looks like, just as he does. He may not know who she is; he may not know exactly what she's been through, but that didn't change how similar they were. In essence, underneath everything, despite their different circumstances, they were the same.
"Maybe we both need a crutch," he muttered to himself, his eyes watching as he fiddled with his hands in his lap. The girl had heard him, shifting her head over so her eyes laid to rest on him. His head moved too, looking at her, his expression clearly conveying his realization, "Like we talked about before… life pushes you, sometimes really hard. It makes us want to fall, because it's hard to keep standing." He paused, taking a breath of air and examining her expression. While still neutral, she seemed both interested and unsure. He continued, "So, what if there was a crutch? Something to help keep us steady, to help us stand, when we're pushed and threatened to fall."
She blinked, her eyes tracking down for a moment before quickly coming back up, "What are you suggesting?"
Another deep breath followed, "I'm saying… we can help each other." His expression fell, becoming more pleading. It was probably very pathetic looking, he thought. But, even so, he did his best to pick himself up and ask, "Is that possible?"
The girl didn't answer, only periodically blinking whilst he waited for her to say something, anything. Funnily enough, some part of him didn't even know what he was doing. How ridiculous, pleading to some girl he didn't even know… and for what, mutual help? Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was ironic, comical even. But another part of him felt something and he desperately wanted what that part of him felt, even if he didn't know exactly what it was.
Almost suddenly, her mouth opened, "I… very much enjoyed this conversation, Subaru." Her voice was soft, containing something akin to regret. But why? "I truly wish that things could be different, but…" she trailed off, her voice softer. It confused him; he didn't know what changed with her. Did he do something wrong; was it what he suggested?
She leaned forward, one of her hands raising from her side and making its way toward his head. He didn't move, not knowing why. Her actions didn't emit an aura of hostility, not even a hint of uneasiness… just regret.
When her hand reached his face, her fingertips lightly touched the side of his head. They were cold, almost tempting him to move away. Not too long after the initial contact, something changed in her expression. Her eyes momentarily widened, her mouth slightly moving in odd motions at the same time, while her fingers slowly, shakily retracted. "I see…" she muttered, her head aiming itself downward as she moved herself away from him. When she settled back into her original spot, her eyes came back to him, "You truly are an anomaly."
He was confused, massively so, "What- What happened? Are you alright; did I do something wrong?"
She took in a breath through her nose, waiting a moment before her head began to shake from side to side, "No. It was not you. You did nothing wrong." She paused, her gaze moving away from him and finding itself lost. It tried to settle on the trees, but it began shifting to many different places around the area. "And…" she began timidly, "And thank you… for your concern."
Subaru could only look at her after that, blinking once or twice before a small, genuine smile formed on his lips, "You're welcome."
The silence resumed, eating away at the space around them whilst weighing heavily in the air. But, it wasn't completely unenjoyable. While things may have been a bit awkward, the environment around them broke whatever stupor they found themselves trapped within.
Their eyes went forward, looking back toward the pond. At times, when the breeze picked up, the water created small ripples and waves just as it had done many times before. After watching it for a short while, she came to a decision, "Perhaps it is time to build a dam; something to help keep the ripples away from the calm." They looked at one another. It was then that he finally saw her neutral face truly, genuinely break as her lips forming a small smile, "However, a dam cannot stand by itself. It will need support and reinforcement to keep standing."
After he registered his words, he smiled too. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until he casually stated, "You know, that smile really suits you."
She pulled her head away from him, shaking her head as if denying his sentiment. Though, throughout the entire time she did that, her smile never left. After a moment she settled, deciding to fire back, "As does yours."
At that, he let himself let out a hearty laugh. Soon enough, as if it were natural, the two of them ended up looking back up to the stars. They shone in the sky no differently than before, but they were still just as spectacular to look at. "You know," Subaru began, "if you want, I can teach you more about the stars. Well, at least the ones from where I come from."
She was tempted to take her eyes off of the stars. They momentarily shifted to the side but her head refused to turn, so they ended up staying focused on the sky above. "Are you sure?" she questioned, somewhat uncertain.
He shrugged with one shoulder, "Well, I dunno how much you already know, but- you know- I can always try to teach you whatever you don't know, probably."
She snorted a little, amused by his little rant. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod, "I would very much like that. And, to return the favor, I may just have to teach you about the stars from here." He laughed at that. Both of them would end up looking forward to these moments.
Before the silence could return, the girl reluctantly pulled her head away from the sky. She looked at him with a neutral yet more positive expression, one which still contained the small smile she developed before. Her voice filled the air, "As I mentioned before, I very much enjoyed our conversation. However, I do believe that you have somewhere to get back to, no?"
Her comment made Subaru snap out of his trance, eyes widening in shock and disbelief whilst coming to his feet, "Oh- Oh no, I've been out for so long already! I hope Beako didn't wake up…"
He turned around to directly face her, getting a clear view of her still very much amused expression. She tilted her head, as if curious.
"So, I gotta hurry back- but, uhm… this was great. I- thank you, for talking with me," he stuttered out, both due to a sense of nervousness as well as his panic. "Do you- Do you want to meet here again? Like, maybe next week? Same time?"
She laughed. For a moment it made him even more nervous, but, when he listened more closely, he realized that it was a genuine, caring sounding laugh. It reminded him of Emilia's… angelic, in a way. She nodded only once, "Yes, that sounds wonderful."
Subaru smiled, chuckling nervously, "Great- that's great… I really hate to leave so suddenly, but…"
She shook her head, still clearly amused, "Do not worry, it is quite alright."
He nodded, slowly starting to backpedal away, "Alright, then. I'll be going then. I'll see you next week." With that, he turned his back to her and started to make his way over to the tree line — having remembered which way he'd come from — in a hurry. Though, just before he reached it, he turned around. The girl still sat on the rock, watching him, "Oh! I wanted to ask you something, if I can."
"Feel free," came her reply.
He took a breath, "Well, you know my name… but I don't know yours. So… what's your name?"
Her head tilted to the side, her eyes drilling into him calculatingly; though, it wasn't the same as before. It took a moment, but she gave him an odd look, one in which held many hidden emotions under its surface, and said, "My name is Pandora. Just Pandora."
Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to close his eyes. He did so, not seeing any harm in the action, but when he opened them, she was gone. It certainly threw him for a loop, his eyes dancing around the entire clearing in search of her.
It took a few moments for him to stop, settling his mind back into the moment. Come to think of it, she had done something similar when she first appeared, too, didn't she? A part of him reached to believe that everything had just been a hallucination; that everything was just a factor of his mind and imagination that ended up conjuring a mysterious figure for him to talk and vent to. However, a far larger part of him knew that the experience was real.
He remained there in silence for a few moments. Although he stood alone, he certainly didn't feel as though he was. He huffed, "Pandora, huh? Pretty name."
Needless to say, he was greatly looking forward to next week.