[Elwin's POV]
The Winter Cafe buzzes with its usual afternoon energy, the scent of cinnamon and coffee wrapping around me like a cozy blanket. I'm practically vibrating in my seat, my fingers drumming an excited rhythm on the wooden table. That's when I spot her. Saria glides through the door, her blonde hair catching the warm light like spun gold.
"Saria!" I call out, waving perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. She makes her way over, sliding into the seat next to me with effortless grace.
"You look so excited, Elwin," she says, her green eyes sparkling with curiosity. "And you called me to talk to you again?"
I can barely contain myself, words tumbling out in a rush. "Saria, you won't believe what happened! I've got the most incredible news, and I just had to share it with my best friend."
"Okay?" Saria says, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
I can't hold it in any longer. Leaning in close, I whisper excitedly, "Saria, you won't believe it. I found out the button belongs to Octavia, the hero!"
The effect is immediate. Saria's face goes pale, her usual ethereal glow dimming like a candle snuffed out. For a split second, I wonder if I've said something wrong.
"How... how did you figure that out?"
"Well, I was with General Sufri last night," I explain, practically bouncing in my seat. "And she recognized the button I showed you the first time we met. Can you believe it?"
"Isn't it amazing?" I gush, unable to contain my joy. "I mean, The stranger was Octavia all along!"
Saria nods nervously, her usual grace replaced by an uncharacteristic stiffness.
"And you know what's even better?" I lean in, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "I don't think she has a boyfriend or any sort of betrothals. So..." I pause for dramatic effect, grinning like an idiot. "I've decided I'm going to ask her out!"
But before I can continue spinning my fantasy, Saria's hand shoots out, gripping my wrist. Her eyes, usually so serene, are wide with what seems to be fear?
"Don't!" she blurts out, her voice tinged with desperation.
I blink, caught off guard by her reaction. "Don't... what? Ask her out?" I tilt my head, confusion replacing my excitement. "But why not? She's amazing, and…"
Saria's eyes dart around the winter cafe, her gaze flitting from table to table as if searching for eavesdroppers. The warm, cozy atmosphere suddenly feels tense and charged.
"Elwin, I need to tell you something."
I nod, encouraging her to continue, still baffled by her strange reaction to my news about Octavia. Saria takes a deep breath.
"I'm in love with you, Elwin," she blurts out, the words tumbling from her lips in a rush. "Please, give me a chance."
I blink rapidly, trying to process Saria's sudden confession.
"I... I didn't see this coming at all," I stammer out, my mind reeling.
Saria's delicate hands reach across the table, grasping mine with surprising strength. "Elwin, please," she pleads, her voice barely above a whisper. "One date is all I'm asking for."
I sigh deeply. "Saria," I begin, choosing my words carefully, "I think you are drop-dead gorgeous. I think you're kind and cool, and of course..." I pause, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "Of course, I've jerked off picturing what I imagine your perfect tits look like."
Saria's eyes widen, a deep blush spreading across her face. "My... tits?" she murmurs confusedly to herself as if the word is foreign on her tongue.
After a moment, she seems to gather herself. "Then why not give me a shot?" she asks, her voice filled with a mixture of hope and desperation.
"Saria, look... it's your long life thing."
Her brow furrows in confusion. "What?"
"It's a bit selfish, I know," I continue, my voice soft. "But if I married you and then died... even if I lived a long life, it would be just a drop in the bucket for you."
Saria's emerald eyes flash with annoyance, her delicate features hardening. "So what? Does that make my love any less valid?"
I shake my head quickly, realizing how my words must have sounded. "No, of course not," I backpedal. "Your love is absolutely valid. It's just..." I pause, searching for the right words to express the fear that's been gnawing at me. "The thought of being forgotten by someone I died revering... it scares me."
Saria's annoyance seems to fade away.
"Oh, Elwin," she sighs, reaching out to take my hand for what feels like the millionth time. "I understand your fear. But you must know, love doesn't work that way. Each person we love leaves an indelible mark on our souls, shaping us in ways that last far beyond a single lifetime."
I pull my hand away, shaking my head. "Yeah, no. Again, I get I'm being selfish, but let's say I died early with my human wife. I want her to be fucking gutted, distraught. I want her to have loved me so much she contemplates suicide."
Saria recoils as if struck, her emerald eyes widening in shock and disgust.
"You want your lover to commit suicide if you die before them?" she asks, her melodic voice now sharp with disbelief.
I shrug, meeting her gaze steadily. "I want them to consider it," I reply casually.
"I'm not saying they can't remarry," I continue, oblivious to her growing discomfort. "But I want them to compare that new lover to me constantly. You know, always thinking about how I would have done things differently or how I was better in bed."
As I speak, something shifts in Saria's expression. The adoration that once softened her gaze melts away, replaced by a cold, calculating look. Her posture stiffens, the graceful curve of her spine straightening into a rigid line.
"I see. So you want your partner to be utterly destroyed by your passing, to the point where they can never truly move on or find happiness again?"
I nod enthusiastically. "Exactly! That's the love I'm after!"
Saria's slender fingers, which had been idly tracing patterns on the table's surface, suddenly curl into tight fists.
"Elwin," she begins, her voice low and controlled, "do you have any idea how selfish and cruel that sounds?"
I nod, a wry smile tugging at my lips. "Yeah, I thought I made that clear."
Saria's emerald eyes narrow further.
"You don't want to love someone, Elwin. You want to possess them."
The words hang in the air between us, heavy and accusatory.
I meet her gaze steadily, unflinching in the face of her judgment. "True," I concede with a casual shrug. "But I also want my lover to feel the same way about me."
Saria's brow furrows, confusion momentarily replacing the disgust in her expression. I lean forward. "I want them to possess me, Saria. I want them to want me so badly they consider kidnapping me."
The confession sends a visible shudder through Saria's slender frame.
"Elwin," she breathes, her voice barely audible over the gentle clink of cutlery and murmur of conversation around us. "Do you even hear yourself? This isn't love. This is... this is madness."
I can't help but chuckle, the sound dark and tinged with a hint of self-deprecation. "I'm not looking for a healthy relationship, Saria," I admit. "If I was, I'd jump on you in a heartbeat."
"You need help, Elwin," she says, her voice soft but firm. "This isn't normal. It isn't healthy. You're setting yourself up for a lifetime of pain and disappointment."
I can't help but laugh, the sound hollow and tinged with bitterness. "No, Saria. I'm not accepting what I don't want. Just like Sufri. This is who I am."
Saria's emerald eyes widen, a storm of emotions swirling in their depths. Her delicate hand shoots out, grasping my arm with surprising strength.
'Why does she keep trying to grab my fucking hand?'
"Let me fix you, Elwin," she pleads, her voice cracking with desperation. "I'm sure I can. We can work through this together. I can show you what real, healthy love looks like."
"I don't need fixing," I say softly but firmly, gently prying her fingers from my arm. "And I think Octavia is like me, too. I could sense it when I met her. That same intensity, that same all-consuming desire."
Saria's hand falls away, landing on the table with a soft thud. Her shoulders slump, the fight seeming to drain out of her all at once. The sight tugs at something in my chest, a twinge of regret for the pain I'm causing her.
"Does this mean we can't be friends anymore?" I ask, unable to keep the frown from my face. The thought of losing Saria's friendship, despite our differences, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
"I..." She pauses, swallowing hard as if trying to dislodge the words stuck in her throat. "I don't know, Elwin."
"Fuck."
*****
[Saria's POV]
I walk into my dorm, feeling dazed and off-kilter, as if the world has suddenly tilted on its axis. My hands tremble slightly as I close the door behind me, the soft click of the latch echoing in the silence.
The Head Mistress is there, waiting for me. Her tall, imposing figure is silhouetted against the window, the late afternoon sun casting a golden halo around her silver hair. As I enter, she turns, her piercing grey eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that makes me want to shrink back.
But then her stern features soften, a wide smile spreading across her face. It's an expression I've seen so rarely that, for a moment, I'm taken aback.
"Well, girl," she says, her voice rich with anticipation, "out with it. Are you two compatible?"
The question hits me like a physical blow, driving the air from my lungs. I stand there, mouth opening and closing uselessly as I struggle to find the words to explain the disaster that was my meeting with Elwin.
"I..." I clear my throat and try again. "Master, he found out the truth about Octavia."
The Head Mistress's smile vanishes in an instant, replaced by a look of shock so profound it would be comical under any other circumstances.
"How is that possible?" she gasps, her usual composure shattered.
I shake my head, feeling lost and small. "I guess Sufri told him," I explain, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
The Head Mistress nods slowly, her brow furrowing as she processes this unexpected turn of events.
"I tried confessing to stop him," I continue, the words tumbling out in a rush. "While it wasn't earnest of me, he rejected me."
The Head Mistress's obsidian face pales, her usually composed features twisting with a mixture of fear and desperation. She takes a step towards me, her hands trembling slightly as she reaches out to grasp my shoulders.
"Saria," she says, her voice low and urgent, "you understand they cannot be together. With enough time, they will be the end of everything."
The intensity in her grey eyes is unsettling, a storm of emotions swirling in their depths.
I hear her words, understand the gravity of what she's saying, but my mind is elsewhere. It's stuck on Elwin's complete dismissal of me, replaying our conversation in excruciating detail. Something about the way he wouldn't even give me a chance... it hurt. I didn't even have romantic feelings for him, not really, but he just seems so broken. So lost.
The pain in my chest isn't from unrequited love but from the realization of how damaged Elwin truly is. His words about possession, about wanting his lover to be utterly destroyed by his passing, echo in my mind.
And yet, despite everything, I find myself wanting to help him. To save him from this path he's set himself on. The urge is overwhelming, drowning out even the Head Mistress's dire warnings. I feel utterly captivated by Elwin.
Suddenly, when I think about Elwin's face, a warmth enters my chest. All I can see is Elwin's face, all I can feel is this overwhelming urge to protect him, to guide him, to... rebuild him.
I look up at my master, my emerald eyes shining with newfound determination.
"Master, I think I can fix Elwin."
The Head Mistress's brow furrows in confusion, her grey eyes searching my face. For a moment, she seems taken aback by the intensity of my declaration. Then, slowly, a flicker of hope ignites in her gaze.
She reaches out, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. The weight of it grounds me, anchoring me in the midst of this emotional maelstrom.
"Try your hardest, Saria, okay?" There's a note of cautious optimism in her tone, as if she's allowing herself to believe, just for a moment, that there might be a solution to this seemingly insurmountable problem.
Her eyes shift back to concern. "If Elwin gets too chummy with Octavia, the anxiety curse I cast on her will break. So please act swiftly."
"I will, Master."