"The girl's name is Emily Vermilion, the daughter of an old friend of mine" Thomas says as the three of them walk slowly along the stone path leading back to the house at the foot of the mountain
He glances to his right, where the small girl quietly clutches the edge of his coat. Her brown hair falls on both sides of her face, and a cloth covers almost all of it, leaving only a pair of quiet, sad red eyes visible
Thomas then turns to Cassius, his voice gentle.
"You should call her Emily, since from now on, you two will be living together"
Cassius nods obediently. His eyes light up, as if he's just been given an important mission. He quickens his pace, moving closer to the girl and waving his arm.
"Hello, Emily! I'm Cassius. Nice to meet you!" he says cheerfully, his eyes shining with the excitement of a baby bird meeting a new friend.
Emily freezes a little. She shyly looks up, still holding onto the cloak, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.
"H-Hello… Cassius…" she whispers, her voice as soft as a breeze through leaves.
Cassius tilts his head at the shy response, as if thinking hard about something. Then suddenly, as if he remembers something, his eyes light up again. He crouches down, gently lifts Rimi onto his arm, and happily introduces her.
"This is Rimi! She's my cat, she's really sweet and gentle!" he says, pointing to Rimi curled up lazily in his arms, the cat's eyes half-closed in her usual sleepy look.
Emily looks at Rimi. Her sad eyes seem to soften just a little.
"H-Hello!" she says again, this time, her voice is a touch clearer, soft and sweet like the sound of a leaf falling.
Cassius beams and takes half a step closer, holding Rimi out a bit more.
"You can pet her if you want! She doesn't bite, I promise! Rimi even sleeps on my head sometimes!"
Emily presses her lips together, unsure. But then her eyes fall on Rimi's round, chubby belly, her soft paws spread like dumplings, and her lazily flicking tail. The girl can't resist. Slowly, she reaches out and gently strokes Rimi's head. The fur is warm and smooth, carrying a calm comfort that makes Emily's eyes brighten just a little more.
"She's so soft…"
"See? I told you! Rimi's great at making friends!"
Emily nods lightly and glances at Cassius a little longer.
Cassius suddenly leans in and whispers something into Rimi's ear. Then he looks at Emily and says
"You can touch her belly now. Rimi says it's okay."
"R-Really?"
"Yep!"
Emily hesitates a bit, then carefully touches Rimi's belly with the tip of her finger. Rimi doesn't move, just keeps her eyes half-closed like she's giving her approval. Emily giggles quietly.
Walking beside them, Thomas watches the two children and the cat moving slowly toward the house. He lets out a small breath.
And so, the four of them make their way home under the softening evening light.
The little house at the foot of the mountain appears as the last sunlight fades. Thin trails of smoke curl up from the chimney into the deepening purple sky. As he opens the door, Thomas says with his familiar warm voice
"Welcome to my home, Emily"
The girl hesitates at the doorstep. Her eyes quietly scan the unfamiliar space: a cozy little living room, low ceiling, a neat kitchen with hanging tools, a few potted plants near the window, ones Cassius takes care of… It's simple, but there's a gentle warmth in the air that's hard to name.
Thomas places a hand gently on her shoulder "Don't be shy. Think of this as your home too"
Emily nods faintly, but her steps are still hesitant. Seeing that, Cassius quickly runs over and takes her hand, pulling her gently inside.
"Look, I planted those flowers there! And that chair, Thomas made it himself!"
Emily lets him pull her around without saying much, only looking up every now and then.
Eventually, they stop in Cassius's room, a small cozy space with a window overlooking the garden and a wooden bed in the corner.
"See? This is my room. Thomas says you'll be sleeping here too. Is that okay?"
Emily doesn't answer. She just lowers her head.
Cassius watches her for a moment, then tilts his head and asks innocently
"Um, you can take off your face cover now, if you want. It's safe here."
Emily flinches slightly, her hand tightening around the cloth covering the lower half of her face. She hesitates, then slowly removes it.
As the fabric falls, Cassius instinctively freezes.
From her neck up to her cheekbones and just below her eyes, dark red-purple veins trace beneath her thin skin like exposed roots. One side of her face looks slightly tightened, losing the softness expected of a child's features. It isn't horrifying, but it's hard for anyone to keep a neutral expression.
Cassius's face twitches ever so slightly, but Emily sees it.
A faint cut runs along the corner of her eye.
She turns away and murmurs "Sorry for being ugly"
The air goes still. Cassius panics and waves his hands.
"No, that's not it! I was just... just surprised! But it's not ugly at all!"
Emily doesn't reply. She turns her back and sits quietly on the edge of the bed. During dinner, she barely says a word, eating in silence with her head down, hands gripping her skirt, eyes never rising. Cassius keeps talking cheerfully to make her feel better, but every time he glances over, he catches that same quiet, sorrowful expression.
Later that night, the lights in the house gradually go out as Thomas prepares the kids for bed. In Cassius's room, a small wooden bed is placed next to his, just enough for a child to sleep on.
Cassius climbs into bed, hugging Rimi like always. Emily sits quietly on her bed across from him, wrapped in a blanket up to her chin. The room falls into silence. The sound of insects outside the window makes the space feel even emptier.
A while later, a soft sniffle breaks the quiet.
Cassius turns over "Emily? Are you okay?"
No response, only the sound of stifled breaths, as if trying to hold something back.
He sits up, sets Rimi aside, then hops off his bed and walks over to her.
Cassius sits on the edge of her bed, looking worriedly at the girl turned toward the wall.
"Emily?" he whispers, but hears only faint sniffles.
He pauses for a few seconds, then, gathering his courage, climbs onto her bed. The small frame creaks under his weight. Emily doesn't turn, but Cassius knows she's crying.
He gently pulls the blanket down a bit and leans in, whispering:
"Are you hurt somewhere? Or… do you miss home?"
Emily gently shakes her head, and after a moment, her voice comes out very softly
"I just... miss my parents…"
Cassius freezes. He doesn't know how to respond, but something aches quietly in his chest. He doesn't have parents either. Or… if he does, he doesn't remember who they are. But he understands that feeling. The feeling of not belonging anywhere.
"Um… I used to cry a lot at night too. I don't really remember why, but I always felt kind of sad. Sometimes, I just wanted someone to lie next to me"
He pauses for a moment, then scoots a little closer.
"If you're sad… you can tell me, okay? I'm not that good at this, but I'll listen"
Emily slowly turns her face. In the dim light seeping through the door, Cassius sees her tear-streaked eyes. She bites her lip and whispers:
"I'm not scared here but… if people see my face, they won't want to be near me…"
Her voice is tiny, barely a whisper, but Cassius hears every word. He freezes for a moment, then blurts out quickly, awkwardly:
"No way! I'm not like that! I… I still think you're Emily! You just have some, um… red lines. That's all! It's totally fine!"
She looks at him, not saying anything.
Cassius presses his lips together, then after a moment of thought, pulls Rimi from his arms and places the cat on her bed.
"Here, you can hold Rimi for a bit. I used to cuddle him to sleep all the time. He's really warm!"
Emily looks at Rimi, now reluctantly passed into her hands. The chubby cat blinks once, then burrows under the blanket like accepting his fate. Cassius continues:
"...Um, if you don't want to sleep alone, we can, uh… sleep together. It's cold here anyway, right? If we're close, it'll be warmer!"
This time, Emily stays silent a bit longer. Then, slowly, she nods.
Cassius smiles softly, pulls the blanket up for her, and lies down beside her, keeping a respectful distance. Rimi settles between them like a small wall of fur. They stay quiet for a while.
Emily finally whispers, her voice much calmer now:
"Cassius…"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"Mm… it's nothing" he mumbles "I'll show you the flower garden tomorrow. Some of the flowers smell really nice"
Emily doesn't reply. Her eyes are closed now, her hand resting lightly on Rimi's back. Cassius slowly drifts off to sleep too.
A/N: First female lead in next chapter