Archive of Our Own

“Papa…” came Maelle’s voice once again, though it came out much softer than before due to how she was now desperately trying to hold back tears, “I don’t want to lose you either. I’m not leaving you forever. Just a little longer. Please…”

Renoir was quiet for longer than he wanted to be, feeling deeply conflicted between just how badly he wanted to scream in frustration and just how badly he wanted to lovingly embrace his youngest daughter. “I want to trust you, but…” he said slowly, though he was ultimately unable to finish his sentence. Not only did she already know what concerned him, but the mere thought was simply too devastating for him to vocalize, leaving him just standing there in silence once again.

Deep down, Renoir was at least partially aware of why his precious Alicia, or Maelle as she seemed to prefer to be called in this world, wanted to stay within the confines of the canvas. She had lived a kind of life that no one else in their family could ever truly understand in the same way, as they had all only ever really been outsiders looking in, even with all of their amazing powers. Meanwhile, she had been born again with a new identity and a new sense of what was real to her as she lived what was essentially a whole new life, except that one hadn’t been plagued by the same type of tragedies that their real family had.

On top of all of that, Alicia was gradually proving herself to be everything that he had ever hoped she could be. She had gained so much confidence in herself with the help of those around her while never losing her spirit, even if it seemed to have come with a certain sense of stubbornness too. Out in the real world though, she was still trapped within the vacuum of their family's grief, carrying an emotional burden that should never have come anywhere close to being hers to bear. Here in the canvas, no one blamed her for anyone’s deaths or treated her existence like a burden. Rather, there was a collection of people who he could tell loved her unconditionally, which he sadly couldn’t even try to argue when it came to the rest of their family.

Most critically of all, he couldn't deny that Alicia had been living a full life. He could see how the ends of her lips showed an expression of determination rather than guilt, how her eyes glinted with the spark of creativity that had long since faded in the outside world, and how she spoke her own truths with her own voice, possessing more power than he had ever seen her using before. It was truly the exact kind of strength and joy that Renoir had been yearning for her to find, but the fact that those things had only come to her within a canvas meant that he would never be free from the fear that she would eventually cave to the same trap that had nearly claimed his wife for so long. He really did want to trust her, but how could he when he understood the temptations of a beautiful fiction all too well?

All the while, Maelle was struggling to hold herself together, as she couldn’t say that she didn’t understand where her father was coming from. She had seen her mother as the Paintress with her own eyes and had seen how badly her mind had deteriorated over time. She also knew that no matter how much she longed for the truth to be different, she couldn’t change the fact that Verso's canvas wasn’t reality, and there would always be a chance that it could swallow her one day no matter how hard she tried to fight against it.

However, all of that knowledge didn’t stop her from feeling adamant that she just couldn’t leave the canvas quite yet. Not only did she just not feel ready from a personal standpoint, but she also didn’t have it in her to leave it in its current state. Even though she couldn't help but worry that Renoir would likely destroy the canvas anyway as soon as she left it, which would make everything that her friends and the other expeditioners had fought for basically amount to nothing, it just didn't feel right to force them to live in lonely ruins for any amount of time. If nothing else, she had to ensure that Lumière and its people were allowed to enjoy even a modicum of peace before they disappeared for good, as that was probably the only way that she would ever be able to come to terms with that grim reality.

Nevertheless, Maelle was determined to show her father just how serious she was about everything, so she swallowed hard despite how much her restrained sobs were still making her whole body shake. “You can,” she replied in response to the last thing he had said, making sure to look him directly in the eyes in her last desperate bid to make him hopefully understand her perspective.

The look on his daughter’s face temporarily made Renoir unable to meet her gaze, as it was genuinely difficult for him to know if he was looking into the eyes of his baby girl or of a young woman who was now growing up. Unfortunately, the fact that he was even having to ask himself that question at all made him realize what he considered to be a terrible truth. No matter how much it would eat away at him to do so, he would have to at least try to trust her for what would really be the first time ever.

Renoir knew that he would never be free from his lingering fear that the temptations of the canvas would ultimately prove themselves to be too much, especially for someone like Alicia, since a world such as this one could genuinely grant her a blissful escape from the reality that had been so cruel to her. However, he had been watching her over the course of her journey across the continent and he had seen her relationships with the members of her expedition, who also knew the truth about her and their world now. If all he did was push and push and push this point, it would likely only result in pushing his daughter away completely. He utterly hated to admit it, but perhaps letting her go in this moment and letting her realize the full weight of her decisions on her own was the only way for her to truly understand, and maybe it was these people who cared for her so deeply who would be able to help her reach that point.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Renoir eventually managed to lift his head just enough to lock eyes with his daughter once more, and he gave her little nod to show his acceptance of her pleas. It was barely even a response in the grand scheme of things, but Maelle understood what he meant by it perfectly, and her grip around his wrist tightened as she managed to smile ever so slightly. Her smile was enough to make Renoir smile too, giving him the slightest fragment of hope that maybe he was actually doing the right thing, no matter how much his gut was telling him that he wasn’t.

Wanting to cherish this one moment where they were finally standing in agreement with one another, Renoir moved his hand to the back of Alicia's head, feeling her wavy hair beneath his fingers. He then pulled her into a warm embrace, nearly overwhelmed by the thought of just how badly he hoped to see her truly soaring one day. “I’ll keep the light on for you,” he told her softly, hoping that the shift in his tone would be enough to convince her that he really did mean what he was saying, “I hope you find peace.”

Meanwhile, Maelle almost felt as though she was about to burst from happiness, and she returned her father’s hug affectionately. This was what she had been hoping and fighting for ever since she had regained her memories, and having her father’s blessing to keep moving forward in such a way really did mean the world to her. After all, he was pretty much the only person in their family who hadn’t made her feel like a complete burden on his life after Verso’s death, which made him the only person whose validation truly meant anything to her at that point.

Plus, maybe it was selfish of her to think in such a way, but Maelle really did want to prove her own words too. She couldn't deny that the canvas did hold what was probably her ultimate temptation in regards to living the kind of life that she might actually have a chance of enjoying, but she wanted to mean what she had said about not being like her mother in terms of how she had let herself become lost within the trappings of her own head. She wanted to ensure her father’s trust in her wasn’t misplaced, even if it would ultimately mean having to say a difficult goodbye to the people within the canvas that she loved so dearly. Ideally though, that would be a bridge that she would be better prepared to cross when the time to face it finally came, even if she couldn’t exactly predict when that would be just yet.

Sadly, the only way that Renoir could leave the canvas at that moment was for him to fade away as if being affected by the Gommage, which was a sight that still made Maelle want to cry by itself. Her heart heaved within her chest as she gently placed her hand over where she could her father’s own heart beating steadily, right as he started transforming into a flurry of red petals. “Hold on to each other,” Renoir said as he disappeared, though the way he was looking out at Expedition 33 as he spoke made it seem like he was talking to all of them, maybe even subtly requesting for them to help his daughter however they could now that he was leaving her in their hands.

In a mater of moments, Renoir was fully gone, fading into the wind just as every other member of the painted version of their family had over the course of their journey. Though Maelle was genuinely sad to witness him go in such a way, she managed to hold herself together, mostly because she didn’t want to seem weak after all of her declarations. This was the time for her to learn how to be strong in her own ways, and part of that was likely going to include having to learn how to let go of even those that she loved the most. All she truly wanted was some time to come to terms with it all, getting to say the proper goodbyes that she had been robbed of saying far too many times already.

For a few tense seconds, every member of Expedition 33 was quiet. The only audible sound was the heavy breathing of Aline that they could hear through the window to the outside world that Renoir had created, all in his attempts to show them what the consequences of staying in a canvas for too long could truly look like. However, it didn’t take long for that window to fully disappear as well, leaving them in true silence. Whatever they did with themselves next was truly up to them, and the people of Lumière finally had a true opportunity to shape their own futures.

Eventually though, the silence was broken by Lune as she slowly approached Verso, who had been suspiciously quiet up until that point. “If I didn’t know any better…” she said somewhat apprehensively, “I would say that it looked like you wanted to jump through that portal.”

Verso’s hands clenched into fists down at his sides as he turned to face her, and he let out a heavy exhale. “I wanted to…and I can't help but wonder if a small part of Renoir was hoping that I would,” he admitted somewhat shakily, “I can't say I know for certain where that portal might have lead or what it could have done. But for him to blatantly leave it open in that way…Well, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that something on the other side could have led to the canvas being destroyed. I wouldn't know how that would work exactly...But I definitely think it was a possibility."

Maelle’s eyes widened in horror when she heard that. “What?” she questioned, her voice quivering ever so slightly, “You think that Papa would…Do you really think that he would just ignore everything we just talked about and still leave a window open for the canvas to be erased?”

Verso didn’t answer that question right away though, and he instead turned around and simply walked over to Maelle, putting himself close to her in a way that made him look tall and intimidating in comparison to her. “Be honest with me, Maelle,” he told her rather coldly, “Even now, you’re the one thinking about ignoring everything that you and your father just talked about. There’s part of you that intends for everything to become a lie so that you can stay in this canvas forever, with no regard for how you could die if you stay here for too long. Am I right?”

While Sciel and Lune both looked ready to step up and immediately start arguing with Verso, Maelle quickly held up her hand to stop them from acting too quickly. She understood that Verso would never be satisfied unless he heard an answer from her own lips, especially since she was the one who had originally implied that they shouldn't lie to each other anymore. “I…I’m afraid that if I leave even once, Papa will just erase the canvas,” she confessed, her expression becoming firm, “On top of that…You remember how Maman painted your sister. She spent every day of her life suffering the same pain that I'd be forced to endure out there, living a life of loneliness in a shell of a body...with no voice and no future. Tell me...Does that truly sound like living to you?”

Similarly understanding their previous accord about honesty, Verso shook his head in response to her direct question, as he knew that he genuinely couldn’t speak for the impact of her expereinces on her life. However, he also didn’t want those experiences to end up becoming that catalyst to creating what would essentially be a gilded cage for his sister, no matter which version of her that he was talking to. “I understand that there's so much that you want here...and I understand why you would fear what your father might do,” he told her, doing his best to be gentle even though he could feel that he was shaking as he spoke as well, “But, Maelle…You need to understand just how much trust is being placed in you to do the right thing here. By your father…and by me.”

Maelle’s lips pressed into a thin line of apprehension. “You would have done it, wouldn’t you?” she asked, her voice barely being louder than a whisper, “If you knew that you could have had the chance to do it, you would have fought to see the canvas destroyed…Even if you had to fight me.”

Verso nodded his head without even a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. “A small part of me is still saying that I should have tried to see if that was potentially true. That I should have trusted my gut and not allowed you to even take the chance for everything you said to eventually become warped into a lie,” he told her directly, “But…Renoir clearly saw the same things that I did, yet he still found the courage to try and believe in you. No matter what he feared may potentially come from that choice. So…I’m going to try and believe in you as well, even I end up spending the rest of my immortal life kicking myself for it.”

A slight hiccup escaped from Maelle’s throat as she took in a deep breath. “Verso…Thank you,” she responded, struggling to hold herself together.

“That being said,” Verso quickly cut in, his expression grim, “In exchange, I want you to swear to me that you will leave this canvas eventually. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but I want your solemn oath that you won’t stay here forever. If I’m going to trust you to be faithful to your word, then I want to have your word personally. So please, Maelle...Swear to me.”

Maelle hesitated for a moment, even though she knew that probably wasn’t doing her any favors when it came to the concerns that Verso was currently vocalizing. However, her silence was the result of how his question made her consider the full weight of everything that she was currently facing, as well as what it would mean for her to give her word to Verso in such a way. While this painted version of Verso wasn’t truly the same brother that she had grown up with, he was the closest thing she had left to him, and they had always said that anything they swore between each other was a promise that could never be broken. She wasn’t quite sure if this Verso remembered that sentiment in the same way and was therefore using such verbiage on purpose, but it was affecting her all the same, creating a pit in the core of her stomach.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Maelle took another deep breath in and out, feeling a certain sense of clarity. She had already been thinking about how to prove herself and show that she could indeed honor her word even under such high stakes, and she could imagine that feeling discomfort like this was likely the first step to achieving that. After all, Verso was putting faith in her just like her father had done, and she wanted to ensure that faith wasn’t broken by her doing something stupid. “Alright…I swear it,” she finally answered, “I just…If nothing else, I want to make sure that if there's no way to stop Papa from erasing the canvas after I’m gone, then everyone here can have the chance to have truly treasured their lives, rather than feel them be so slowly and cruelly ripped away from them after fighting for so long.”

That was something that Verso couldn’t really argue with, especially since he had enough memories of the real Verso to understand that he likely would have wanted something similar if he had been the one in her shoes, especially since this was his personal canvas. There was unquestionably a difference between dying surrounded by good memories and loved ones and dying as a result of the cruel choices life often forced, as even those sorts of cruel choices and other harsh realities could be softened ever so slightly if people were more willing to be just a bit more empathetic to the people that were on the receiving end of them. Even if part of him still believed that making the cruel choice to destroy the canvas regardless of anyone else’s thoughts might have been the best thing that he could have done for Maelle's well-being, maybe there was hope that things could be handled in a different, gentler way, and maybe part of that would come down to his own willingness to be an active part of her path.

The lingering silence between the two of them was initially tense, but it was thankfully alleviated as Sciel strode up to both of them like she owned the place. “It’s so good that you've managed to find an accord with each other. Even when you both still have your own doubts and fears,” she told them, sounding audibly proud, “For right now though, let’s put a pin in all the serious talk. Our battle is finally over, after all the time we spent fighting it. So let’s go home and actually start thinking about what it will mean to be able to live a little for a change.”

That sounded good to everyone else, with Monoco in particular seeming quite eager to finally get a move on. So while Sciel and Maelle followed closely behind the Gestral as he led the way back to the main part of the city, Lune and Verso lingered back slightly, walking at a much slower pace. They didn’t need to call on Esquie since the walk back to Lumière wasn’t much of a journey, but Verso really wished that he was there. He felt that he could really use some of his silly yet ultimately wise words at that moment, especially since he still wasn’t sure if he had done the right thing.

“You did a good thing back there,” came Lune’s voice all of a sudden, which snapped Verso out of his thoughts, “You might not think so right now, but I can assure you that putting your trust in Maelle like that means an awful lot to her. Not to mention, this will give her some time to step away from all the fighting, which I think will help her eventually accept what is truly best for her. Even if she doesn’t agree with the prospect at the moment.”

Verso’s lips pressed into a thin line as he glanced down at his feet. “You really think so?” he asked in an uncharacteristically timid voice, “You think…she could eventually come to understand why leaving the canvas is good for her?”

To his surprise, Lune nodded calmly. “I understand that both you and her father just want what’s best for her. Even as an outsider to her family, I can see why you would be worried about what’s ultimately at stake for her,” she explained, though her expression then turned serious, “Think about all of this from her perspective for a moment though. She’s still coming to terms with the fact that she lived two separate lives, on top of remembering everything and everyone that she’s lost throughout the course of both of them, including you. Or...another version of you, I suppose. Losing even more is the last thing she needs right now.”

Even though it likely hadn’t been Lune's intention that particular time, her words ended up making Verso feel like something of an ass, since he really hadn’t thought about it like that despite all of the thinking he had been doing as of late. Generally, there had been two main things on his mind related to what would come next after defeating Renoir, and those had been trying to ensure Maelle's safety and seeing if there was any way that he could finally set himself free from his tortured immortality. Sending Maelle back to her family in the real world and destroying the canvas was theoretically a way that he could have killed two birds with one stone, but he didn't really know how to do either of those things, and searching for a way to do so might have compromised everyone's trust in him yet again. Either way, he genuinely hadn’t considered how having to keep fighting, especially if she ultimately lost to him and ended up being pushed out of this world she had grown to love so much by force, could potentially hurt Maelle even more.

Not wanting the silence between them to become awkward, Verso let out a deep sigh. “It’s times like these when I wish that I could know what the real Verso would do in a situation like this,” he admitted reluctantly, “I feel confident in saying that he definitely wouldn’t want Maelle to waste away in here. He would want her to go home, and I don’t think that he would consider his canvas to be too great of a cost if it meant saving her. But at the same time…I don’t think he’d be happy to know that she hates her life out there so much that potentially allowing herself to slowly die here still feels like a better alternative for her. What does that say about how the people out there treat his sacrifice?”

Lune’s frown pursed at the corners of her lips. “You can’t force yourself to try and mold the way you make decisions to always be based on what you believe that other Verso would do. For all of our claims about what we think the dead would want for those left behind, the sad truth is that we can never truly know what they would do in a situation that only exists because of their absence. We can only ever operate based on our best guesses. We still have to make our own decisions, and those that have died in the past can’t constantly serve as our excuse for how we make them,” she said firmly, though her expression then darkened considerably “Besides…How much of your desire to run into that portal was truly motivated by the thought of saving Maelle? Can you really say that talking about how life forces cruel choice doesn’t feel just a little bit easier when you know that you’re saying it while pursuing something you want for yourself?”

Those questions were definitely intended to make him feel like an ass, and the worst part was that Verso couldn’t even deny anything that she was saying. “I’m tired of everything that ultimately shaped this conflict, but...I'm also scared,” he confessed, “Immortality is already draining enough, but the mere thought of being forced to spend it watching my sister gradually fall to pieces right before my eyes…It still almost feels like too much for me to bear. If I'm being honest with you, I don’t know what stopped me from running through that portal. The idea of doing so was clawing at me with each passing second, like a wild animal desperately trying to escape from a cage.”

“You stopped yourself because you want to trust her. You love her, so you want to believe that she’ll ultimately do the right thing. Just like her father,” Lune replied, her demeanor finally starting to soften slightly as she spoke, “And you know what? Maybe things won’t work out in the end, and we’ll end up finding ourselves right back at this moment later. But if you never let someone face even the possibility of failure because you’re always too afraid of them making the wrong choice, then you’re only guaranteeing that a wrong choice will eventually be made. Having a tight leash constantly wrapped around their throat warps the way some people make decisions, as their thought process transforms into focusing more on their own desperation for freedom rather than their ability or even willingness to consider the full consequences of every available choice. By the time you've reached a point like that, they’ve probably long since stopped caring about the potential mistakes they might make along the way just as long as they don’t have to feel controlled anymore.”

A small scoff escaped from Verso’s lips, though the gruffer emotions behind the action were directed at himself more than anyone else. “You sound more like her family than I ever was,” he commented somewhat sadly, “I think I just became so tired of living this life because I always knew deep down that I was only ever brought into existence as an impossible attempt to replace the real Verso. To soften other people’s pain in a way that I would never truly be able to, no matter how long I existed or how hard I tried. So when I saw what appeared to be a way to potentially end it all…Perhaps that was my temptation.”

Lune reached out and gently gripped his wrist, which allowed them to keep walking while still giving her the opportunity to offer him some comfort, even if she was still keeping a bit of distance from him. “If you had somehow managed to go through with it…Erasing the canvas, I mean…I probably would have spent my last moments alive hating you. I would have been furious at you for making everything that we had just fought for feel like it had all been for nothing,” she confessed, “But at the same time, I don’t think I would be able to say that I wouldn’t have understood. You’ve suffered a lot too. Both from seeing so much death yourself and knowing the purpose that you were created for, unlike the rest of us. It makes sense that you would be ready for all of that to come to an end.”

Maybe it was silly for him to think in such a way, but hearing her acknowledge all of that in such a candid way actually did bring Verso a certain degree of comfort, as he had genuinely begun to wonder if his desires were too selfish and unique to his personal situation for anyone else to truly understand them. However, he could see now that his circumstances were just somewhat difficult to talk about in general due to how complicated they were, especially since both he and Maelle were on the verge of drowning in years of pent up emotions in their own ways. Maybe they both needed some time away from all the fighting like Lune had said, and maybe that’s what would finally grant them the clarity needed for how to move forward.

“Thank you…” Verso said after a moment, genuinely sincere in his gratitude, “I…I think I’m starting to see things in another way.”

Lune nodded once again, unable to stop herself from smiling slightly. “You’re welcome, and I’m willing to bet that Maelle will eventually reach that same point with time,” she told him in a matter-of-fact manner, “That is…As long as you can manage to not betray us again any time soon.”

Verso turned to look at her with an unamused glance, only for Lune to use her lightning magic to zap him slightly as she released her grip on his wrist. “Ow! Hey!” he exclaimed as he rubbed his now tender forearm, with Lune just smirking at him in response, “Was that really necessary?”

“Hey! You two better be behaving yourselves back there!” Sciel suddenly called out, though she sounded like she was trying to stop herself from laughing all the while, “If you aren’t, I’ll suppose I'll have to send Monoco back there in order to knock a little bit of sense into you. I’m fairly certain that he wouldn’t mind jumping right back into some fighting.”

Monoco, who was still leading the group, chuckled slightly in response to the threat. “She’s right, you know,” he replied in a practically monotone voice, “I would be especially eager to kick your ass while you’re still a bit weak, Verso. All I’m waiting for at this point is permission.”

Those words made everybody laugh at least a little bit, which did wonders to help lighten the mood after everything they had just gone through. It honestly felt rather nice to laugh, because it helped them to feel a little bit hopeful about what was to come next. Allowing themselves to feel that kind of happiness made them feel a bit more okay with saying that things actually were about to start getting better, and that all of their fighting had ultimately paid off. Maybe it was silly, but it was a pleasant kind of silly, and that wasn’t something that anyone could say was unwelcome at such a time.

After she had managed to recompose herself though, Sciel noticed that something seemed to be slightly off with Maelle, as she actually looked somewhat sad despite everything. “Hey. What’s wrong?” she asked her gently, “Is everything still weighing on you?”

Maelle hesitated to answer for a moment, but then nodded her head ever so slightly. “It feels strange to consider that we’re actually done fighting. It almost doesn’t feel real,” she admitted softly, “That, and…Well, I’m afraid. Afraid that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.”

Sciel’s eyebrows raised slightly, though she managed to keep her expression neutral. “Already? But you haven’t even done anything yet,” she said in her lighthearted teacher voice, “Are you worried about the future then?”

Maelle folded her arms in response, though it was clear that she was trying to withdraw into herself rather than feel upset. “I gave my word to Papa. I swore to Verso. I don’t want to let them down, and I want to prove that I can do everything that I said I would. That they can trust me,” she said slowly, “But at the same time…What if I can only make promises like those now because no one is forcing my hand and I’m getting what I want? What if I won't be able to keep them when it’s time for me to actually consider leaving the canvas because I’m still too afraid of what might happen if I do? What…What if I’m not as strong as I think I am?”

However, Maelle was snapped out of her momentary trance when Sciel wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “You’re being far too hard on yourself,” she told her with a little smile, “Making a promise for the future doesn’t mean that you have to meet the standards that you’re aspiring to eventually reach immediately. It’s perfectly okay for you to not feel ready yet. You can take the time you need to sort yourself out and figure out how to move forward from where you are now to where you ultimately want to be.”

Unfortunately, those words ultimately did very little to soothe Maelle’s conscience. “I just…It feels like I only have this one chance to prove myself, and I can't deny that Verso was right,” she explained, “Everything I want is here, and there's a part of me that doesn’t want to care about what promises I may have made before when I think about what my life is like out there. I remember how I failed before…and that makes me so afraid that I might fail again.”

Sciel was barely even fazed by her catastrophizing though, and she gently rubbed her shoulder in a comforting way. “I can’t say that I know exactly what path you’ll end up taking as we work on going forward from here,” she admitted, “But I can tell you this. If you ever want there to be even so much as a chance for something good to happen, then the first thing you have to do is start actually believing that it could happen.”

Those words got Maelle’s attention, and she cautiously turned her head to look at her more directly. “What does that mean?” she asked, since she genuinely didn’t understand where Sciel was going with her current line of thinking.

A little smirk appeared on Sciel’s face. “It means…that people can be quite messy, and we all make mistakes sometimes. No matter how old or supposedly wise we manage to grow to be. But we’re also capable of doing amazing things, especially when we have the right people surrounding us,” she replied confidently, “So if we truly want to focus on creating something good for both ourselves and for those who come after, even if we did some things wrong before, then we have to hold strong to a sense of hope about what we’re doing to play our part and the good we’re ultimately trying to achieve.”

Maelle couldn’t help but let out an exhale that sounded ever so slightly like a chuckle. “For those who come after…” she mumbled softly, though she then looked up at Sciel with the kind of eyes that could easily remind someone of a begging puppy, “Do you really believe in me, Sciel? Do you believe that I can figure out how to bring life back to Lumière without losing myself in the way Papa fears I will?”

“I do,” Sciel replied without hesitation, “From the moment you told me everything you discovered about who you were and what you could do as a Paintress, I just had this feeling that you were meant to be the bridge between these two worlds that exist. Maybe our lives within this…canvas aren’t what we could have ever expected them to be, but that doesn’t mean that we should ever stop fighting for them. No matter what other people might say about how there’s no other way to reach a proper resolution to any given problem…Well, let’s just say that I very rarely find that to be true.”

That was enough to finally grant Maelle the slightest amount of peace of mind, and she was able to smile ever so slightly as she considered everything Sciel had just said. For the longest time, her father had believed that there was only one way to bring things to an end in a way that would be good for the people around him, and she couldn’t really say that she blamed him for thinking in such a way after seeing what he had been seeing when it came to her mother’s deteriorating health. However, both he and Verso had somehow found the courage to give her a chance despite their persistent beliefs. If that was true, then they clearly believed in the possibility of there potentially being another way to resolve things, even if only faintly.

Therefore, it was now up to Maelle to not only show them that she was capable of sticking to her word, but to show herself that she was never automatically doomed to fail. Having this chance was about more than just trust alone, especially when she remembered that her father had apparently been hoping that she would be able to find some way to stretch her wings and discover her own capabilities. She couldn’t deny that she was still frightened about what was potentially to come, but maybe that would turn out to be a good thing, because it would give her the chance to learn what it meant to truly stand on her own and make hard decisions on a scale that was just large enough for her to be able to draw an understanding about what the consequences of her choices could really look like.

Most crucially of all though, Maelle didn’t feel alone anymore. This wasn’t like the outside world where her mother currently couldn’t even look at her, her father couldn’t prioritize her, and her sister couldn’t always filter her words due to the fact that she was already handling so much on her own. This was a place where she was surrounded by people that she loved and that she knew loved her, even if she didn’t always agree with how they thought about showing it. Perhaps having such an opportunity would grant her the time she needed to actually find some modicum of peace, which she genuinely hadn’t really believed would be possible for her before. If that was why her father had ultimately set his own feelings aside in order to let her stay, even for just a little while longer, then perhaps she owed him an extra long hug of appreciation once she finally did return home.