Once Rey took a step forward, a voice emerged from beyond the door that stood before him.
It had been a little over two weeks since he heard that voice.
The moment if came forth, Rey felt something shift in his heart. The melodious tune danced in his ears, and he felt his body grow lighter.
At that instant, the tension in his body vanished.
Rey felt relief.
"Is that you, Rey? Please come in."
Those words propelled him to take more steps forward as he twisted the doorknob and finally gained access to the sanctuary beyond.
'Ahhh…'
The first thing that occupied him was the lovely aroma that was swept out the instant he opened the door. It overwhelmed his senses, causing him to close his eyes as the entire ambiance embraced him.
It felt like nature had come to visit him, granting him the gift of countless flowers with the best flavors to please his nose.
It was ecstatic, just standing at the entrance.
"What are you standing there for? Come in."
Rey snapped out of his reverie, and perhaps it was muscle memory, but his legs began to move on their own despite his mind still not recovered from the pleasant breeze and amazing scent he recieved.
He closed the door behind him, and once again, the wonders of Esme's room made him gleam with delight.
It was cool and spectacular, just like the Elf who sat on her bed… waiting for him to come to her.
Her long white hair felt like clear clouds, spilling over her shoulders to the point where they hearly reached her knees. She currently donned an oversized shirt, with shorts and was barefoot—the usual casual wear that Esme preferred.
Everything about the experience felt like the very first time he entered her room. He didn't know why, but that was the vibe he felt.
Her clear blue eyes shone like gems the moment she stared at him, and soon as their eyes met, she beamed.
Rey felt a wave of energy, mixed with emotions rush towards him.
'She looks the same. Yet… something has changed about her.'
Perhaps it was because she looked more elf-like now, thanks to her pointy ears. Maybe it was because this would be the first time he saw her smile in her room while donning her white hair.
No… just the mere fact that he was seeing her for the first time in two weeks made him leak out a smile.
'I guess I missed her more than I thought.' Rey thought tp himself.
He steadied his pace and took his seat right next to her, right under the watch of her azure eyes. The moment he did so, however, he found his entire body plopping on the incredibly soft mattress.
"Ahh… this is really comfortable. I should ask Rebal where he got it!" He found himself speaking first as he faced the ceiling.
Inhaling deeply and closing his eyes, he whispered.
"I've missed this."
"What? The bed?" Esme's voice proceeded naturally, almost as if they had been talking for a while now.
"You." He responded almost instantly. "I've missed this… with you."
The moment he said this, he saw her smile a bit more, drawing her hand to his mask forehead to poke it.
Then—
~TUT~
—She did exactly that.
"What was that for?" Rey answered, returning to his seated posture.
Her actions didn't hurt him at all, but he worried that she might have done something to the mask.
"Nothing. Just wondering when you learned to talk like that." She said, very smoothly too.
"Talk like what? How am I talking?"
"I don't know. You tell me." She giggled, much to Rey's pleasant surprise.
Her soft laughter was even more amazing than her mere smile. Rey wanted to make her laugh even more, but he was still confused about what he said that was so funny.
"In any case, I'm happy you're here, Rey. I missed you too."
Almost as soon as she said that, her laughter vanished, and only a somewhat sad smile remained.
She still looked incredible, but Rey knew that she had a lot to get off her chest. He just wanted to hear her out.
"I'm sorry about the other day. There was a lot on my mind. A lot of things that I had to process… you know?" As she said this, she looked away.
"Yeah. I get it."
For a moment, there was silence.
Rey was tempted to speak, but he stopped himself every time his lips were about to part. This was Esme's time, and he had to respect it.
Even if she didn't say anything, he would just sit there in silence.
That was what he decided.
"I thought about it a lot, Rey. I questioned my beliefs, ideology, everything. After seeing everything crumble before my eyes, and seeing myself comitting the very atrocities I condemned… I had to ask myself the difficult questions."
Once again, Rey waited patiently.
Esme turned to look at him, her face now completely serious.
"I used to think that all life is precious. I didn't want to hurt anyone or anything… even if they hurt me back." She said.
As her soft voice flowed, so did the tears from her moist eyes.
"Ah, excuse me."
"N-no, its fi—"
"One second…" Esme raised her hand and reached out for a nearby linen of white.
She cleaned her tears and even blew her nose—all right in front of Rey. He could only watch in silence as she did all of this.
Once she was done, she sighed and turned in his direction once again.
"Where was I? Ah, yes… I no longer think any of that, Rey." Esme's words took a somewhat dark tone.
Her tone was still calm and soft, but there was a certain bluntness about them that Rey couldn't quite explain.
"Rey, I want to punish those who bring about evil and cause suffering. As long as my actions will bring about better good than suffering…" Everything about her words and demeanor rang of resolve.
"... I am more than willing to do whatever it takes."