„Forgive everything, everyone, for the pain they caused, for the suffering they left you with. Forgive them for their cruel words, their selfishness, their betrayal. Forgive them for abandoning you, for making you cry, for failing to understand you. Forgive them for doubting you, for not standing by your side when you needed them most. Forgive them for not treating you as they should have."-Zaishah
Vivien, usually, did not enjoy overexplaining herself. It made her exhausted, overthinking if the other person she was talking to understood her intentions and words.
But, was overexplaining better than remaining misunderstood by others? If explaining yourself does not help since people don't listen or remember, what is the point in sharing your thoughts to begin with?
The two walked down the mountain and saw a bench in front of them. They did not notice it before, perhaps because they were walking up the mountain and disregarded it, or because it was not in their peripheral vision.
They walked towards it without thinking twice and sat down, taking a break from the physical extertion.
„About that deal we made... what was that wish you wanted to tell me about?"
„Oh, right. The Huldra hasn't attacked us, so you have to complete one of my wishes. Let's see... you can only choose from one of these ideas. Steal Grace's favorite pencil sharpener. Run through the school together shouting „I am love". Or, fake our disappearance. Just for fun."
The girl sighed heavily. All of the ideas sounded too crazy.
„You'll never change."
„Come on, you asked! You have to admit, they all sound amazing!"
„We're not doing any of them!"
„You're no fun... but fine... we won't..."
„Good. You have to listen to me for your own sake. My advices can be quite a benefactor for broken souls, such as yours."
„Careful, that ego of yours is showing."
„Sorry."
„I guess I'll have to suffer through your wisdom either way. Honestly thought we'd gotten over all those philosophical talks."
„Shucks... I thought you enjoyed philosophical talks..."
„Temper, temper, Vivien.", he pinched her cheeks, making the girl chuckle. „You're stuck having to deal with me and my awesomeness.", he said.
„Yes, indeed. There will be no self pity with me around."
„At this rate, you'll become my personal mood manager."
„Yes, it can be like a second job. I expect a pretty good payment."
„My, my, someone's got high standards! But... I pay in bad jokes, occasional cringey lines and bolo ties, which are, by the way, life saving. Is the salary still worth it?"
She nodded, happily.
„You've convinced me. You're hired to be my personal mood manager. But no take-backs!"
„No take-backs, sir yes sir! I will have everything under control according to the rules you will set. I can handle it all!"
„I will set three rules for you, since you agreed."
„Oh, what shall I do? How will I ever escape from my destiny of regulating Sylas' moods every single day? Oh no!"
„Hush, first rule is no complaints!"
„Oooo, okay!"
„Second rule, no running away when things get serious. I know you tend to do that."
„Uuuu, alright!"
„Third rule, follow the first two rules. I don't know..."
Silence enveloped the two. The both of them thought about what bothered them in that moment.
„Do you think that in a few years, we will be sitting next to each other like this, having broken this curse?"
„It's quite possible... but it's futile to meditate on the subject, because whatever happens... happens. We won't be able to change our destiny."
„I'm scared we won't make it. What if I won't get to see you anymore?"
The girl looked his way. She didn't want to let him know those were thoughts she also had a difficult time fighting with.
„I believe we will make it."
Vivien very seldom saw Sylas displaying such emotion. She wanted to comfort him, it felt appropriate to do so, but before she could say anything else, he scooted closer to her.
He took her hand and placed it on his cheek, holding it there. He looked at her with so much love, Vivien found it difficult to keep looking back at him. She was worried she would break the moment by saying something stupid or awkward, so she didn't say anything at all.
Eventually, the display of emotion was too much for her to handle. The way Sylas held her hand on his cheek and cradled it softly made her feel so many mixed sentiments.
„Have you gone quiet because you're afraid somebody passing by might hear you? Go ahead, sweetheart, say whatever is on your mind, I want you to feel comfortable. Do you want me to scream something here, in this forest, to help you relax? I can yell about how dear you are to me so loud, everybody walking down this path will find out about it. My lungs can hold up pretty well, I'll let you know. It's okay if you don't want to scream or talk... I know you care about me, too."
Vivien chuckled and did not break eye contact with him. His words tugged at her soul. She found them so funny, she started to laugh at his turn of phrases.
His hand continued to hold hers on his cheek, keeping it warm from the cold air seeping through their fingers.
When she finally stopped laughing, she gained enough courage to speak what was weighing her down. Her smile dropped, although there still was a hint of mirth in her gaze.
„I... have the same fears as you do. I am scared every day, Sylas... Every day, my chest hurts because of everything that's happened to me. Too much has happened."
Before she knew it, a stray tear found its way down her left cheek, and Sylas reached with his free hand to wipe it off. She sniffled, trying to cry as silently as possible. She did not want to let herself show emotion in front of him, yet she couldn't help it.
He leaned closer to her and, in what felt like seconds, their lips touched. Their kiss was soft, conveying everything they'd been wanting to say to each other for so long, yet didn't have the courage to.
Maybe it was better to take that leap of faith and to finally say what has been weighing you down, because in those few moments, you let go of pain that's been present for months or years.
Once pulling away, Vivien smiled. She was over the moon, holding Sylas' face gently. She had never kissed anyone before, this was a new experience she enjoyed to the fullest.
„Did that help? I know it diiid."
The girl covered her face in embarassment, making Sylas laugh at her timid reaction. She always appeared so fierce and nonchalant, yet it was all an act she put up to protect herself from the world. He always appeared like he never cared about anything and only wanted to make jokes about situations, yet felt more than anyone ever knew. The two were very different from the way they believed they truly were.
Vivien and Sylas stood on the bench for a little while longer before deciding to make their way back to Elton University. They needed to confront Leonard and to find out who told the Huldra they would come in hopes of trying to kill her.
Vivien touched the same will which helped open the passage to Leonard's room. They stepped inside the tunnel hand in hand and walked through the narrow passage.
Once coming to the end of the tunnel, the passage behind them closed and they looked around, trying to assess their sorroundings.
The big office was almost empty, waiting for people to come in. Nobody else except a woman was there. The lady present was sitting at a desk, reading from a novel while smoking. She took a few drags from her cigarette, smiling slightly at something she was reading about. She had long, dark red hair and wore proeminent, red lipstick. Her outfit was elegant and stilysh.
When noticing Vivien and Sylas stepping inside, she set her book down on the table in front of her. Then, she put on a round, dark colored hat, which almost hid her eyes. She continued to smoke. The woman looked to be around thirty years of age.
„Visitors! What brings you to our humble abode?"
„Hi! Is there nobody else around here?", Vivien asked.
„It is Saturday. Nobody else except Leonard Lloyd and me work here during this time. Are you asking me because you want to find someone to guide you to work here?"
„No, we're only looking for Leonard."
„A secret meeting! Am I not allowed to attend to your affiliations? I will make a lot of conspiracies if I'm not."
„Who are you?", Sylas asked.
„My name is Frida Loren. I work together with Leo. You two must be Vivien and Sylas. Words spread fast around here, you need to be careful what you drop, because it can become the next headline."
„What?"
„Take it as a piece of advice for you, newbies."
The woman finished smoking her cigarette. She set it down on an ashtray and looked at them, the hat covering a part of her face.
„I enjoy seeing new faces around town, especially frail and young ones. Let us quit the pleasantries while we're at it, I don't want to keep you for long."
„Uh... what do you have to say?", Vivien asked.
„Kari Johanna was not very pleased to hear you wanted her head, but I talked it out with her. You made her so incredibly sad! That is why I tell you, careful what you do. You reap what you sow."
„You-", Vivien tried following after her, but the woman was already out the door of the office, walking farther away from them.
Vivien stepped outside the office and followed after the woman.
Outside, it was much colder. She came across a busy street, looking around through the crowds for any trace of the woman they met with. She could not find her, it was like she disappeared into thin air.
Sylas followed right behind Vivien. When realizing they would probably not find the woman through the busy streets, they went back and stepped inside the office building.
They searched for Leonard and found him sitting at his usual desk. He was focused on writing, and once they walked in, his gaze went up to them.
„Welcome! Sit down."
Vivien and Sylas took their seats positioned in front of his desk. Leonard closed the notebook he was writing in and offered them his utmost attention.
„You must be here to give me the news I've been waiting for."
„We managed to get rid of the Huldra, as you have instructed us. What's next?"
Leonard opened his top drawer and searched through it. There were many papers and pencils all tossed around inside of it.
Eventually, after a couple of seconds, he found what he was looking for. It was a small device, square shaped and grey colored. At first glance, Vivien would think it was a gameboy of some sort.
He pressed on a button and the radar showed no power in its vecinity.
„Congratulations, the Huldra is no longer with us, anymore! I knew I could count on you to solve my issue."
„Yeah, yeah, I'm still upset you refused to buy my bolo tie when we met a while back ago. I haven't forgotten you threw it directly in my face. Not even a wild monkey would have been that cruel.", Sylas responded.
„What do we gain out of having completed the deal we made?", Vivien asked.
„Come to my office in two days. I have a few words to adress."
The day after tomorrow would be quite stressful for Vivien. She planned to hold a free speech at a conference show, so the girl would be busy for about an hour.
She asked Leonard for the time, and it aligned perfectly with her schedule. She would be able to come to his office exactly after the conference would come to an end.