#uhhhh hopefully this puts more of odette into perspective? i never actually wrote in her perspective in specific so...

[gilfodile]

First Impressions

(You've been walking along the road for a good while now. It's been hours since you left your last stop. To be honest, you haven't decided on an exact destination—You're just headed for wherever people say the saviors are at.)

(And sure enough, you see them, on the side of the road—Funnily enough, they're faced opposite of you. If you didn't look, they might've walked past you.)

(They're talking amongst one another, all hunched over the smallest, an open map in their hands.)

(And you see her.)

(You see her with them.)

(You haven't seen her in so long, yet her appearance is unmistakable. Short, lightless hair, glasses adorned with hanging gems, that book of Craft she always carried around—There's no doubt it's her.)

(Your old rival, Odile.)

(Your old friend, Odile.)

(Your first love, Odile.)

(The person you'd give up everything for, just to see her again.)

(And you are seeing her again, she's practically right in front of you, and she's—)

(She's smiling.)

(Odile rarely ever smiled. The last time you remember she did was when…)

(…When she said goodbye to you, all those years ago.)

(When she promised you she'd come back.)

(When she gave you something to believe in, knowing you'd be lonely without her.)

(…But she never came back.)

(Instead, she found others to spend her time with. A whole group, even. You heard they called themselves a family, too.)

(…)

(Your grip on your staff tightens.)

(How lovely, how quaint, for her to leave you for a group of other people to enjoy her time with. How wonderful for her to find others to show her apparently not-so-rare smile as she did with you.)

(You should be happy for her, shouldn't you? She deserves this. She deserves to have herself a family who loves her.)

(Why do you feel this dryness, this tightness in your throat? Why are you clenching your jaw so harshly? Why do you feel such a pain in your chest?)

(It's been two decades since she last saw you. Of course she'd find replacements in that time. Quit being so ridiculous, Odette. Quit being so selfish.)

(…)

(They don't notice you. They're too fixated on their discussion.)

(…)

(She's happy without you. She'll probably be just as happy if she never sees you again.)

(You can leave them be, right now. You can simply pass by and leave her to her friends, her family, perfectly content without you.)

(It's tempting. More tempting than you imagined.)

(…)

(But, you could also savor what little time you may have with her now. You've traveled so, so far from Ka Bue, and just for her—What point would there be to let that time go to waste?)

(…)

(…You loosen your grip, mask your expression, and step forward.)

(If you're going to greet your best friend, you should give her family a good first impression, as well.)