Chapter Text
“And this is my school! It sucks sometimes but I guess I sorta missed science class. And recess is cool since I get to play with my friends!”
Nille smiles from her place in the back of the group as Bonnie chatters on. They seem determined to talk at length about each and every mundane spot in Bambouche, constantly looking over their shoulder to make sure Mira and Odile are still paying attention.
Not that Bon should worry--the two women are clearly delighted by Bonnie's stories, following them along little beachside paths under the heat of the late morning sun. They laugh at all the right places and ask questions that make Bonnie perk up and explode back into conversation every time there's a lull.
Both Odile and Mira had arrived in Bambouche the evening before, exhausted after making the long trek from their respective homes and more than ready for a meal and a good night’s rest. Bonnie and Mira had, predictably, flooded the reunion with tears and an abundance of hugs, and even Odile had looked a bit emotional as she patted Bon’s head. It had only been a month and a half since they’d all last seen each other, but Nille wasn’t surprised that it was impossible to pull Bon away from them the entire night. Bonnie had even fallen asleep on Mira’s lap.
While Odile and Mira have technically seen Bambouche once before, when they brought Bonnie back home after defeating the King, Bonnie hadn’t been able to tear themself away from Nille long enough during that visit to show them around before the whole group set out again. Nille can tell Bonnie is thrilled to have the opportunity now, even if they keep glancing towards the main road out of town between each stop, obviously antsy. Isabeau and Siffrin are the last to arrive, and Nille hopes they show up soon so she doesn’t have to risk Bonnie launching an impatient search party.
“Oh! And I gotta show you the docks later! They smell gross sometimes but you can see lots of fish out in the water if you look over the edge. One time we found a lobster claw stuck between the boards! I took it home and put it in a jar.”
Mira gives Nille an amused look, apparently remembering her dislike for the disgusting bug-like creatures. “And what did Nille think about that?”
Nille sighs. “I told them they were to never under any circumstances take it out of the jar in our home.”
Odile smirks. “And?”
“Bon hid it in my bedsheets.”
“I said I was sorry!” Bonnie protests, cheeks dark. “Corr dared me to! Double-dog dared me! I couldn’t chicken out of that!”
Mira giggles. Odile stops, looking over her shoulder. After a moment, Nille hears what the older woman must have noticed first, barely audible over the sound of ocean waves.
“Bonbon!”
Mira and Bonnie spin around with matching gasps of excitement.
Walking into town, Nille sees the unmistakable bulk of Isabeau, waving at them with a huge grin. At his side is his much smaller companion, their white hair tucked away under a dark sunhat.
“FRIN! ZA!” Bonnie screeches, sprinting forward and kicking up puffs of sand. They manage to tackle both newcomers so hard that the whole trio is sent staggering backwards. Isabeau’s booming laugh drowns out Siffrin’s quieter one, but they both look delighted to have an armful of wriggling Bonnie, who is already talking a mile a minute.
As Nille gets closer, she looks over the two of them. Isabeau appears much the same, save for a stylish new outfit. Siffrin looks…different. But a good different. Their hair is back in a braid beneath their sunhat, though Nille can’t tell if they did it themself or if it was Isabeau’s handiwork. Nille catches the glint of silver jewelry dangling at their ears, too. The most obvious wardrobe change is the absence of their usual white cloak, though, replaced by something darker with a lovely looping pattern stitched in white around the edges.
Something else is different too, but it takes a moment for Nille to figure out what it could be. She smiles when it clicks. Siffrin no longer has those heavy bags under their eyes. They have a gentle flush to their complexion as they smile down at Bonnie, and they look well-rested for once.
Mira crashes into Isabeau next, the man laughing and picking her up to spin her around. Odile puts a hand on Siffrin's shoulder and says something to them, quiet. Siffrin nods with a little smile, ducking their head to nudge against the woman’s shoulder like an affectionate housecat. Then they swap, Mira pulling Siffrin into a gentler hug while Odile and Isabeau exchange a fist bump.
“You have earrings now!” Bonnie gasps once the excitement dies down. “Like us!”
“And I see you’ve acquired a new cloak,” Odile points out.
“It’s lovely!” Mira says.
Siffrin blushes and looks down.
Isabeau lights up. “You like it? I made it myself! Not as cute as the one wearing it, but I did my best. We've got Sif’s white cloak packed if it gets too warm, though.”
To punctuate that statement, Isabeau leans down to plant a kiss on the top of Siffrin’s hat. Siffrin reaches up to cover their eyes, flushing darker. Oh, that is disgustingly cute.
Bonnie seems to share the sentiment, because they screw up their face with a loud, “Gross! There are young, im-press-ion-able eyes here!”
“Impressionable,” Odile corrects. “But excellent word choice, Boniface. You two have managed to become even more unbearable than when we last saw you.”
Bonnie cackles while Siffrin and Isabeau blush, the large man stammering out a weak defense that doesn’t hold an ounce of water. Mira giggles. Nille watches, warmed to her core.
She never could’ve guessed this to be the outcome of that horrible day when the Curse swept through their village. She never could’ve hoped for Bon to stumble across a second family, one that would love them like Nille does and that would put Bonnie’s happiness above all else, and stay in their life even now.
Nille never could’ve guessed it, but she is so, so grateful all the same.
After a few minutes, Bonnie tugs them back into tour guide mode, Isabeau and Siffrin waving off Nille’s protest to at least let them drop off their heavy packs. They’re clearly just happy to spend time with everyone again, falling into easy conversation between Bonnie’s infodumps about the town.
They’ve looped back around to the school when Bonnie remembers something and turns to Siffrin with an agitated point of their finger. “Frin! You have to show my friends how you can throw your dagger into an apple from a hundred feet away! They didn’t believe me when I told ‘em about it!”
Nille feels the dip in the group’s energy. Mira and Odile both look at Isabeau, the one who has been with Siffrin the last month and a half and who would be most aware of their mental state. Despite the progress Siffrin had made over the months of traveling post-Curse, Odile had still been reluctant to return the rogue’s dagger at the end of everything. Siffrin clearly notices the moment of uncertainty, because their shoulders rise up to their ears with embarrassment.
But Isabeau just grins, hands on his hips. “Well, that just won’t do, Bonbon! We must show the world how cool our dearest Sif is!”
“Yeah!” Bonnie cheers, as Nille relaxes.
Siffrin must be doing well, then. Nille knows Odile gave them strict orders to find a therapist in Jouvente once they settled in with Isabeau. Well, orders to do that as well as to “Just talk to Isabeau when you’re upset, Siffrin, for the Expressions’ sake.”
The conversation picks up again, and Nille finds herself falling effortlessly into the familiar dynamic of the group. She listens, mostly, but cuts in occasionally to elaborate on a vague Bonnie comment or to tease her sibling or Isabeau. She’s only a little surprised to realize that she missed this, too. While it was clear that the party had welcomed Nille so openly for Bonnie’s sake, she likes to think that they’re at least half as fond of her as she has become of them.
They arrive back at Nille and Bonnie’s home shortly after, the wooden single-story house nestled away at the side of the village, near the school but with a clear view of the ocean. It’s small but cozy, and Isabeau and Siffrin look just as charmed by the space as they were the first time they visited.
Nille shows Isabeau and Siffrin to the spare bedroom, where Odile has already claimed the bed for herself. Nille is about to offer that someone can take Bonnie’s bed and Bon can sleep with her for the duration of their visit when Bonnie gasps.
“Oh my crab. We should have a sleepover! Like when we were traveling!”
Everyone is immediately on board with the idea, even as Odile sighs and visibly mourns her peaceful night of rest. With such enthusiasm, Nille is tempted to leave her own comfortable bed to join them. Maybe she will.
After dropping his bag against the wall next to Mira’s, Siffrin flops onto the single bed, humming happily. Odile deadpans that she will roll Siffrin off if he tries that once night falls, and Siffrin gives her a smug smile in response. Isabeau starts unpacking right away, pulling out a small, wrapped box that he hands to Bonnie. Bonnie gasps at the gift and plops down on the floor to tear into it like a feral dog. Isabeau hands a second gift to Odile, and a third to Mira, before holding out a fourth to Nille.
Nille blinks, caught off-guard. She doesn’t know why she’s surprised—of course Isabeau brought them gifts from Jouvente. Even one for Nille. That’s just like him.
Except when Bonnie finally gets their box ripped open, they stop in their tracks, eyes growing wide. Reverently, they pull out a delicate cat carved from wood and painted with a complex arrangement of stripes. Even from a few feet away, Nille can see the beautiful craftsmanship of it. Its round shape makes her realize after a moment that it’s Soup, the cat from the inn a few months back.
“Sif wanted to make something for all of you, but it was a lot of work for them to do on their own. Since you already got a carving from ‘em, M’dame, they agreed to splitting the workload.”
Nille looks up to see that Odile has pulled out a lovely sash embroidered with a symbol that Nille doesn’t recognize. Something foreign. But Odile clearly knows it, her face soft and her touch a gentle brush against the fabric.
Mira coos as she pulls out her own little carving of a bird. It’s one of the species commonly seen all over Vaugarde, and Nille thinks of the many times throughout their travels when Mira, Siffrin, and Bonnie would feed leftover crumbs to the birds on the edge of camp. It’s just as well-made as Bonnie’s cat.
Nille, realizing that she’s the only one left, unwraps her own present. Her breath catches when she picks up the carving, delicate but heavy in the palm of her hand. It’s a fish commonly found in the bay here in Bambouche, and one of Nille's favorites to eat. She's pretty sure she'd only mentioned that to the others once, as a passing comment. There is an incredible amount of detail put into the scales, and a shimmer of paints swirl a deep pattern across its back.
“Thank you, Isabeau,” Odile says, voice hushed with emotion.
Nille looks up as Mira says, “Siffrin, this is beautiful! Did you—”
They all stop. Siffrin, still sprawled across the bed, is sound asleep.
Isabeau looks at them fondly. “They always did feel safest with everyone around. Sorry, guess I should’ve let them nap before handing out presents.”
Bonnie is still staring starry-eyed at the mini Soup in their hands. They look up at Nille and present it wordlessly. Nille smiles and gives the carving a stroke on the top of its head.
Not wanting to wake Siffrin, the group migrates quietly to the living room. While Bonnie and Mira interrogate Isabeau about their gifts and Odile subtly asks about Siffrin’s tools to carve said gifts, Nille quickly finds a place of honor for the beautiful fish she was gifted, on the bookshelf near the kitchen. Right next to a portrait of their mother.
It’s not long before it’s time for a late lunch and Isabeau is proclaiming that he’s starving after so much traveling. He drapes himself dramatically over the dining table, so Nille starts looking in the cabinets for something to make for the little group. Bonnie had removed all of the pineapples and bananas from their kitchen a full week ago, so Nille shouldn’t have to worry about avoiding any particular foods. If anything, she should just be glad that Bonnie is too excited to hang out with everyone to fight Nille for cooking duty today.
Although…
“Bon?”
Bonnie, still cradling Soup in their arms, looks at her. “Yeah?”
“Would you mind running to the market and seeing if Miss Salada has anything we could serve for dessert?”
Bonnie grins, running over to the bookcase to gently deposit Soup next to Nille’s fish. “Yeah! Dile, Za, Belle, you have to try Miss Sala’s tarts. They’re the best.”
Odile, who had slipped into the back room to tuck away her and Mira’s gifts, is clearly intrigued. “A local delicacy?”
“You should come with me to pick the flavor!” Bonnie says, bouncing on their toes. “Everyone should!”
“I’m going to stay here and cook the actual meal,” Nille says, light. “I think you can handle it without me, Bon. You know where the food money is.”
Bonnie nods and runs off to Nille’s room.
“Will Siffrin be all right if we go?” Mira asks, looking to Isabeau.
Isabeau hums, thoughtful as he watches Nille pull ingredients from the cupboards. She should be able to throw something together for an easy, filling lunch. And she’ll keep the spice level mild, for Isabeau’s delicate taste buds.
“I think so," Isabeau finally says. "Sif’s been doing good lately with the nightmares. And they actually do better in new places.”
“If you’re certain,” Odile says, not sounding certain at all.
But as soon as Bonnie comes running back out, coin purse and rolled-up burlap sack in hand, they pull both Odile and Mira out the open door and into the late summer heat with little resistance, calling for Isabeau to follow.
“Just a sec!” Isabeau calls back with a laugh. “Gotta grab my shoes.”
Isabeau disappears into the spare bedroom as Nille finally decides on a basic rice and bean dish with some vegetables and a sprinkling of dried coconut and mango. She wants to cook something more extravagant for supper—maybe something with Bambouche’s famous seafood as a base—but for now she cracks open a jar of pepper sauce to heat in a side pan.
The quiet creak of the spare bedroom heralds Isabeau’s reappearance, and he hops over to her as he pulls on a shoe.
“Sif’s still napping,” Isabeau says, finally tugging the shoe in place. Bonnie yells at him to hurry up from outside. “You mind keeping an ear open in case he wakes up? I’d be surprised if he did before we got back, but…”
While some part of Nille feels nervous about the responsibility—she saw firsthand on their journey how badly Siffrin suffered from nightmares, especially earlier on—she knows Isabeau wouldn’t leave Siffrin here at all if he didn’t think they’d be all right.
So Nille offers what she hopes is a reassuring smile. “Of course. This shouldn’t take long to make, anyways.”
Isabeau gives her a grateful look, leaning forward with his arm out, as if going in for a side-hug, before catching himself with a blush. Nille laughs and gives his arm a pat before shooing him out the door. She doesn’t want Bonnie charging in and tracking sand all over the living room.
Isabeau heads out the open door, shouting to Bonnie about a race to the market. Nille smiles and turns back to the stove. It only takes her a few minutes to prep and start cooking the easy meal, seasoning it according to instinct rather than a strict recipe, as her mother taught her.
It’s all going perfectly well until the sauce in the second pan bubbles and pops with heat, splattering a bit onto the wall beside the stove—and right onto the portrait that Nille had gotten made of her and Bonnie.
Shoot. She knew that was a bad place to hang something, but the wall had looked empty and it made Nille happy to see it when she cooked. At least there’s a glass cover, so no permanent harm done. Still, she frowns at the image, now splattered with dark sauce. It really got Bonnie. She’d like to wipe it clean, but her hands are full.
Later, then.
Just as she's about finished preparing the meal, the soft jingle of jewelry catches Nille’s attention. She glances up, surprised to find that Siffrin managed to slink out of the spare bedroom without the door or floorboards creaking. If not for their earrings, she wouldn’t have noticed them at all. Siffrin trudges over with a yawn. They’re rubbing at their eye, but they don’t look upset.
“Good afternoon, sleepyhead,” Nille teases, plating the food. “Just in time for a late lunch. The others ran out to grab dessert, but they should be back any minute now.”
Siffrin blinks slow, processing that, before nodding and leaning against the counter to watch Nille work in silence. Nille, used to their quiet nature, starts putting cookware in the sink to soak and returning spices and ingredients to their rightful cabinets. Nille doesn’t realize something is wrong until she bends to open a lower cabinet and Siffrin doesn’t move out of the way.
“Siffrin? Could you move?”
No answer. With a bad feeling in her gut, Nille straightens up.
Siffrin is staring past Nille, at the framed portrait on the wall. They suddenly look much more like the Siffrin she remembers, pale and tense. Nille follows their gaze to the picture. The sauce is still smattered across the glass, the dark liquid covering half of Bonnie’s grinning face.
“…Siffrin?”
Siffrin doesn’t answer, sweat beading at their brow. Finally, they mumble, “S-Stardust. Stardust.”
Nille’s heart stutters in her chest. She’s known about the codeword for months—while Siffrin had seemed hesitant to loop Nille in on something so intimate, Odile had insisted that everyone be aware of the phrase so they could help Siffrin out of a potentially dangerous mental space—but this is the first time they’ve used it around her.
“Okay,” She murmurs, voice low and soothing like she’s speaking to Bonnie on a particularly rough night. She dumps the rest of the spices back onto the counter. “Okay, you’re okay. Here, why don’t we go outside?”
Nille slides carefully in front of Siffrin, breaking their eye contact with the picture. She holds out her hands, palms up.
Siffrin sucks in a breath, and releases it with a shudder, dark eye focusing on Nille. Slowly, like they’re moving through molasses, Siffrin rests their trembling hands in hers, clinging weakly. Nille suddenly feels like she’s been entrusted with something precious, like a fresh sprout pushing through the dirt or a priceless gem. She won’t mess this up.
“Here, just step with me, all right? Let’s get you into the sun. It’s a great day outside, isn’t it? Almost too warm. But at least there’s a nice breeze! As long as you like the smell of salt, that is.”
While Nille talks, she walks backwards and leads Siffrin step by step to the open door of the house, glad now more than ever to have the familiar layout memorized. The quiet crash of the waves and the distant shrieks of Bonnie’s friends playing in the schoolyard reach her ears.
Siffrin’s nose twitches. “Smells…beachy.”
Nille laughs, relieved to hear them speak. They must not be too far gone, then. She’s blinded by sunlight as she steps out of the shadow of the porch and onto hot, soft sand. “Well, it is a beach.”
Siffrin doesn’t respond, but they do jump when they step onto the soft give of the sand, blinking in the harsh light. Their grip tightens on Nille’s hands. She wonders if it’s harder for them to adjust, only having one eye.
“I’ve got you,” Nille soothes, letting her voice ease into something more casual. “Here, why don’t we go over to the water? I’m sure the waves aren’t too cold to dip your feet in if you’d like.”
Crab, please don’t have any trauma associated with oceans.
But Siffrin jerks a nod and follows willingly to the shore. Nille settles them both on the sand, just at the edge of where the waves reach. She digs her toes in, unearthing damp chunks. Siffrin hesitates, then pulls off their boots and socks to follow her lead. Nille can see them reach under their cloak to grab their prized flower necklace as they take a deep breath, like Bonnie does nowadays when they’re upset.
Slowly, Siffrin calms down under the heat of the sun. The salty ocean breeze plays with the flyaway hairs around their braid. The waves form a soothing, rhythmic background sound. Nille tries to keep an eye on them without making it obvious, eventually moving her gaze out to the distant sails of fishing boats once she’s sure they aren’t about to spiral.
Which leaves Nille with her own thoughts. She decides almost instantly that she doesn’t want to know what just set Siffrin off. She can take a wild guess, and none of the possible answers are good ones. She doesn’t need the details of what was likely a loop gone horribly wrong, and she doesn’t think Siffrin would feel comfortable enough to tell her about it, either.
Minutes later, Siffrin speaks up, voice so soft Nille almost misses it.
“Sorry.”
They tuck their chin into their cloak. Nille is glad that Isabeau thought to keep the collar included in their new outfit’s design. Even Nille can tell Siffrin has grown a lot over the past few months, in talking about their feelings and dealing with things in a healthy way. They don’t need every bit of comfort ripped away.
“For?”
Siffrin’s pale face flushes. “For, uh…freaking out. Panicking, I mean. I’ve been doing a lot better lately.”
Nille tries to play it off. “Psh. That wasn’t a freak-out. You ever seen Bon when they don’t want to go to bed? Now that is a freak-out.”
Siffrin snickers and nods. “Once or twice.”
Nille thinks she should be used to it by now, after knowing Siffrin and the others for months. Should be used to how casually and fondly they talk about Bonnie’s eccentricities, like they’ve been around the child all their lives. She’s not, and she’s not sure she ever will be, but it’s not a bad thing for Bonnie to have more people to love them, especially after the two of them lost their mother and Nille decided it was time to leave their awful father behind. It actually makes Nille’s eyes prickle with heat if she thinks about the group's affection for her sibling for too long.
“But seriously,” Nille says, voice softer. “It’s no trouble, Siffrin. You know that. You’re part of Bon’s family, so that means you’re part of mine too. If you’ll have me.”
Nille probably should've expected the tears that fill Siffrin’s eye at that, but she still panics for a moment. Oh, Bonnie would kill her if she upset Siffrin. Mira would help. Isabeau would give the eulogy and Odile would hide Nille’s body.
Siffrin laughs wetly at her expression, wiping his face. “S-Sorry, you’re fine. I’m not upset. At least not about that.”
Nille knows she’s going to regret asking, but… “Bad memory?”
Siffrin winces, then nods. They look out at the bay, something dark passing over their face like a wave. “I…don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Have you talked about it with anyone else?”
“Isa and Mira. Odile. My therapist in Jouvente.”
“Do you want to tell me?”
Siffrin’s hand tightens in the sand. “…No.”
“Then I don’t want to know. I can take a guess, and I don’t need the details.”
Siffrin seems both relieved and surprised by that answer. “Really?”
Nille shrugs. “I’ve had enough nightmares about Bon getting hurt. If it’s not going to help you, then I really don’t need yours as well.”
Siffrin nods, slow. Then they duck their head, looking almost shy. Nille waits for them.
“I…” Siffrin visibly collects themself. “I would love to have you as part of my family, Nille. I-If you’re still offering.”
Nille smiles, heart warming. “Of course, Siffrin.” Her voice takes on a more playful tone. “But I’ll need my own flower necklace, or it’s not official.”
Siffrin smirks. “I don’t know—you’ll have to ask Bonbon and Odile about that. They really rose to the occasion the first time around.”
Nille laughs. A pun! She’s been blessed with a Siffrin pun! Bonnie may pretend to hate them, but Nille has no need for such lies.
“You’ll have to tell Isabeau about that one later. He’ll love it.”
Siffrin’s face softens as they look out over the water, one hand drifting up to play with an earring. “Yeah.”
There’s a moment of silence, punctuated by the waves. It really is a nice day.
“Oh. Thank you, by the way. For the beautiful carvings you made for Bonnie and I. We didn’t realize you were already asleep by the time Isabeau passed them out.”
Siffrin shrinks into their cloak. “You’re welcome. Did Bonnie like theirs?”
Nille snorts. “Oh, they’re obsessed. I can already tell they’re going to carry that thing everywhere. Especially to show off to their friends at school.”
Siffrin curls a bit tighter, but they look happy.
They stay like that in companiable silence for a while, just out of reach of the waves, until they hear Bonnie’s voice yelling from the house.
"Nille! Frin! What’re you doing down there?! We got the goods!”
When they look back, the others are clustered near the front door and looking their way.
Nille smiles and turns back to Siffrin. “You ready?”
Siffrin takes one last bracing breath, then nods and climbs to their feet, leaning over to grab their socks and shoes on the way up. Nille leads the way back across the sand and to the front door.
Bonnie is impatiently swinging the burlap sack they took to the market, chanting for them to hurry. The others, however, have just the faintest hint of worry on their faces, eyes skimming over Nille and focusing on Siffrin.
Siffrin gives them all an embarrassed smile and tucks himself into Isabeau’s side. “Sorry, Bonbon. Had to check out the waves again.”
“You’re forgiven. But only because of that awesome carving you made of Soup.”
While Isabeau squeezes Siffrin into a hug, Odile glances at Nille, as if to ask how truthful Siffrin’s statement is. Nille tries to give her a smile that conveys that it's been handled. It seems to soothe the older woman’s anxiety a bit.
They all file inside and start unpacking their market haul at the table, conversation bubbling up again into a happy clamor. While they're distracted, Nille slips over to the sink. She wets a rag and wipes the picture of Bonnie sparkling clean.
The following lunch is a boisterous affair. Bonnie and Isabeau spark a loud but playful argument about the merits of coconut versus melon tarts, the two flavors of dessert they’d brought home. Odile sides with Isabeau on Team Melon, eliciting a gasp of betrayal from Bonnie. Siffrin, after some prodding, admits they prefer coconut. Mira chimes in with a thoughtful look that she really thinks plum is the superior flavor.
“That wasn’t even an option!” Bonnie shouts, slamming one hand on the table and pointing the other at Mira. “Besides, you only like plum stuff ‘cause it’s your name!”
“Bon,” Nille says, a light warning in her tone. No Table Slamming has been a rule in their household for years, after it became necessary to make it a rule.
“It’s true, though!”
“Boniface does have a point,” Odile muses. “However, even if we did have a plum flavor, you are still outvoted.”
Mira’s cheeks puff up. “O-Only because Nille hasn’t voted yet! Nille, you like plums!”
Nille takes a long sip of her water while everyone waits for her answer with a silent intensity. Finally, she sets down her cup. “I’m quite fond of mango tarts, myself.”
Mira, Isabeau and Bonnie give an outraged cry as Siffrin laughs and Odile smirks. Nille enjoys the chaos.
After lunch, the group gravitates to the spare room where they’d officially decided to sleep tonight, piled together on the cramped floor. Odile clearly isn’t going to relinquish the coveted bed, but Nille doesn’t think anyone will fight her for it. Nille almost apologizes for not having spare beds for all of them, but they just look so happy to be together again that she doesn’t even bring it up. Bonnie has already dug out their bedroll and is unrolling it between Mira, Siffrin, and Isabeau’s own sleeping bags, even though it’s only 2:00 in the afternoon.
As soon as everyone is settled, Bonnie decides to show them a card game they’d made up with their friends at school and taught to Nille years ago. The others listen with rapt attention as Bonnie (poorly) explains the rules. Odile is already asking too many questions about the flimsy guidelines, a playful gleam in her eye. Siffrin, Mira and Isabeau are nodding along seriously to Bonnie’s scattered answers. They all seem content, bathed in the warm sunshine pouring through the open window.
Nille is sure Bonnie will call her over in a moment to help explain the rules properly, but for a moment she just watches. She leans against the doorframe with a painful amount of affection spreading through her chest.
Siffrin, ever perceptive, notices Nille's presence first. They smile and scoot over to make room on the floor, tilting their head in wordless invitation. Their earrings jingle faintly with the motion.
That's all the encouragement Nille needs to join them. For years, it's just been Nille and Bonnie on their own, but now that's changed. Now they have the others. They have Siffrin, Mira, Odile and Isabeau.
A new family of their own.