Chapter Text
You have always been a very private woman, out of necessity as well as your own comfort. You simply don't like people knowing more about you than you do about them. And as such, it has always served you well to be as observant as possible. Memorize notable details. File them away. Write anything important down and discard the unnecessary things.
Some call you paranoid, but that paranoia has gotten you this far. Vaugarde is not friendly to things like you, Unchanging things. Hungry things. Things that depend on the lives of others to sustain their own. You always travel alone because of this, less chance of anyone questioning where you're headed so late at night, or at least, you used to.
You never intended to join a group like this, but leaving these children in charge of saving the whole shattering country would give you an ulcer. So you decided you'd treat it like a job. Don't get attached. After this is done, they'll move on, and so will you. You were never supposed to get attached. You were never supposed to care about them. You were never supposed to feel more comfortable than you've felt since your father's passing, just sitting around a fire with them. You were never supposed to love-
And yet here you are, shopping for necessities and everyone's favorites, the day before the end of the world. You can pretend to be calm and collected all you want, but your heart, even with how it beats slower than a human's, is racing. You need to calm down, Sachiko. Center yourself. Take some breaths like Siffrin does and focus.
You close your eyes, extending your senses further than any human could dream of, filtering out the cacophony of the townspeople's hearts, so you can zero in on those you know so well.
You find Mirabelle's first, her heart, like it so often is, beating quickly with anxiety. She's the closest.
Next is Isabeau, a bit further, heartbeat as steady and dependable as he is.
Then there's Boniface. A child, whose heart beats strongly with the energy of youth. You're a tad bit jealous. What you wouldn't give to have even a fraction of their seemingly endless reserves.
And finally, that brings you to the party's rogue who, last you knew, was taking a nap in the field south of town. Isn't that just like them? A chuckle starts to form, only to abruptly cut off as your eyes snap open. Something's wrong. Very very wrong. You rush out of the store, making your way to the field, calling out to Mirabelle as you pass closer to her.
"Mirabelle, with me, now."
She follows immediately, papers slipping from her grasp, scattering across the ground as she runs to catch up. She knows better than to hesitate when you're like this. She asks several questions in rapid succession, all of which you ignore in favor of reaching Siffrin faster. You can already hear him, even if Mirabelle cannot. His heartbeat is... wrong. Wrong in a way that anyone else in this town but you may not understand. Despite it being slower than his average, you know his heart is racing. You hear his ragged breaths, his stifled whines, and you can catch a whiff of a cloyingly sweet smell, like someone cooking caramel for too long, undercut by a different sort of burning smell.
Burning... Shattering gems, this is bad. Before you even reach him, you're removing your jacket. The sunlight irritates your skin a bit, but you can grin and bear it. He needs it more than you do.
You hear Mirabelle gasp when she sees Siffrin's writhing form, attempting to run past you, only for you to grab her shoulder. She looks back at you in alarm.
"Madame???"
"Go get Isabeau. We need to get Siffrin to the Clocktower and out of the sun as quickly as possible. Isabeau will need to carry him. Siffrin can't walk in this state."
Before Mirabelle can ask any follow up questions, you point back towards town and repeat "Go!" sending your Housemaiden running, lifting her skirt to keep herself from tripping on it. Good. Excellent. Now to the main issue.
Despite your knees' protests, you kneel down next to Siffrin, who you now know for certain to be a fledgling. He grits his teeth to keep himself from screaming, allowing you to see his newly forming fangs, barely long enough to pierce skin. You lay your jacket over his body, the garment large enough to cover him up nicely, leaving only his head exposed. The Craft stitched into the fabric should help with the worst of the sun's effects. You knew that there were some "breeds" Gems, you hate that word. that are more susceptible to the sun's rays, but this is... this is a lot. This is new to you, despite how familiar it feels. You tuck the jacket around him, seeing him flinch at the contact. In an attempt to soothe you both, you start to speak, making sure to cover as much of his exposed skin as possible.
"I apologize for touching you, but I wouldn't be doing it unless it was completely necessary. I am aware you don't enjoy it..."
You adjust his hat so it shields his head, catching a glimpse of his eye. It looks like... you... you're not quite sure. The four pointed shape shining there is familiar but the word slips your mind.
"Gems, Siffrin... What happened to you?”