"You were the cutest little baby, and I mean that. Most people won't admit this, but the majority of babies look like processed pet food personified at birth."
She chuckled. "Anyway, fun fact: your father, Marcelo Bordeaux, named you the day you were born."
Jackie let out a full laugh. "It took him all nine months just to condense his list of names down to his top five—with the supervision of your mother, Mona, of course." She laughed again. "You'd probably thank her if she were here. There were some questionable names that made the finals; you'd definitely resent him for."
Her tone softened as the memory washed over her. "I remember every detail about the day they brought you home to Delphine. When I showed up, all the neighbors were already swarming the house with gifts. Baked goods, baby clothes, diapers—you name it. Your parents didn't have to come out of pocket for any of your needs for at least two months."
Man, they sure did love Mona and Marcelo, she thought. Even after finding out what they were capable of. The protectors of Meteor Kingdom, their small community, had called them. They had such high hopes that Noir would one day be just the same.
"Sorry, I suck at telling stories." Jackie let out an awkward laugh, rubbing a hand down the back of her neck. In truth, she just wanted to make sure he knew even the tiniest bit about his parents—despite his lack of interest.
"For the most part, you were a quiet baby, but that changed once you started walking and talking. As a kid, you loved chatting with anyone and everyone, and you were always off on some little adventure. You were such a good boy. Your parents used to bring you over to my place every other weekend for family night to–"
"What's family night?" Noir interrupted.
"Stop interrupting and I'll tell you," Jackie said. "Family night is when families get together to do stuff—like watching movies, playing games, eating good food, and dancing to music. It's like a little party just for the people you love."
"Food?" Noir echoed, as if that were the only word he'd heard.
"Oh yeah, lots of food," Jackie smiled. "Tell you what—how about we work hard for the rest of this week, and then we'll have one at the end of next week? That'll give me time to plan and give you something to look forward to."
"I accept," Noir replied, firm and serious.
I accept? Well, I guess I did basically give him a quest. She imagined being some ruler, sending a knight out on a mission to rescue a princess in a faraway land.
As Jackie continued telling stories from the past long into the night, Noir would show signs of interest whenever she mentioned herself or him—but grew distant whenever his parents came up. Still, as the stories began to wind down, Jackie asked the one question she hadn't yet said aloud.
"Noir, how did you end up in the swamp? We had the whole kingdom looking for you, but no one could find anything. Eventually, we assumed the worst had happened. But somehow, all this time, you were deep within Mille Dan. I don't understand… why didn't you come back?"
Noir took a moment, trying to recall even the faintest memory before waking up aboard the abandoned vessel in Mille Dan—but nothing came.
"I'm not sure. Anything before waking up on that boat is unknown to me. I've wandered all over Mille Dan, but that place is endless. I had no idea there was anything else but the swamp."
I know he had his mother protecting him, but there's no way she would've sent him there for safety. She would've brought him to me. No—someone had to have taken him there. But who? I wish I knew all the details of what happened that night.
"Well, I could tell you stories about who you were for days, but it's getting late. So, I'll leave you with this: the past is the past. Now that you've finally come home, you have a decision to make. Will you become the man you want to be, or will you remain what your environment told you to be?"
Those words struck a familiar chord in Noir, as if he'd heard something like them before. It felt like déjà vu, but he couldn't say why. All he could think about were the words The past is the past as he recalled the vessel around his neck burning away. The sensation had been warm—strangely comforting. Despite the flames, it hadn't been painful.
Noir placed his hand on his chest, where the vessel once hung.
"I never thought much about it before, but… do you know what that thing around my neck was? I never took it off. It was the one thing that'd been with me since waking up. I hoped that if someone ever found me, they might recognize it."
"I–" Jackie hesitated. She knew the truth might one day tear him apart the same way it had been gnawing at her. So instead, she watered it down.
"It was a gift from your mother. A good luck charm she made for you."
"Why'd it catch on fire? And why didn't it burn me?"
"Woah, woah, woah, again with the barrage of questions. Slow down. I'll tell you everything you need to know, but overloading yourself with new information isn't good for the brain. Let's take a break for tonight, and we'll pick back up some other time, okay?"
As much as Noir wanted to keep talking, he accepted Jackie's decision. After all, he was home now. He'd found someone who knew him, someone who knew who he was. And there was always tomorrow—and the days to come.
"Well, you take these." She handed him the bags from the store. "I'm going to head back to my place and get some shut-eye."
Before she left, Jackie made sure to give Noir a hug. As she wrapped her arms around him, Noir stood there, arms at his sides, reluctant to hug her back. But Jackie didn't mind one bit.
"Well, see you tomorrow, fiyo."
"Yeah, tomorrow." Noir stood there, unsure of what he was feeling. The beat of his heart had quickened, and the warmth of Jackie's hug lingered on his body. He could still smell her scent and feel the memory of her arms around him.