23- Goodbye

[heal_theworld]

[Martel was wandering down to Yuan's room that afternoon, since she hadn't actually heard from him in a few days. He had a tendency to fall off the map, and then she would drag him out of his room. Maybe she could take him to that cafe in the city that she always seemed to frequent with people. First Zack and now Reborn. May as well take Yuan there, too.

Until she arrived at his door and saw the empty nameplate. For a moment she couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that she had come to the right room. But she walked up and down the hall, and always came back to that room with the empty nameplate.

She bit her lip, and could feel tears welling up in her eyes. This could not be happening, they were going to get married, she had bought them new engagement rings for Christmas... She and Ino had gone out and picked out the most beautiful wedding dress, and it was sitting in her closet right now. She would probably never wear it.

There would be no more teasing him, no more gentle kisses, no more hearing his voice or even seeing him. She was dead in Aselia. If he never came back, if she went home.... She would never see him again. Martel knew that their time was uncertain, even Yuan knew, but he had been here for so long... She had almost believed they could make it work. She had almost believed that they could get married and be happy.

She wiped at the tears that were on her cheeks, the ones that she hadn't wanted to fall, but they were anyway. She couldn't stay here and stare at that empty nameplate. She had to go somewhere, anywhere else. Somewhere where she could cry in peace, and that definitely wasn't the castle.

So she turned and ran back towards the stairs, only thinking of getting out of the castle and away.]


[She ended up at that self same cafe, having calmed down a fair bit on the way here and as she walked through the city. Nobody really knew to find her here, and that was good enough for her while she tried to pull herself back together. She got a small cup of calming herbal tea, sipping at it while she steadied her voice and opened her journal to make the announcement.]

I'm sorry to say, but... Yuan Ka-Fai has gone home.

[And there's that. She closes her journal and sniffs, wiping at her eyes, and sipping at her tea. She'll check it later, when she doesn't feel like she was going to burst into tears again at any time.]