Chapter 111: The Coffee Shop
The coffee shop was quiet and decent, its shelves of vintage books lending the place a quiet nod to ancient history.
Julien had his coffee. Across from him, Purple was thoroughly occupied with her chocolate, the way she tended to be with things she enjoyed.
They sat beside the open glass window, and aside from the attendant moving sowhere in the background, the shop belonged to the two of them.
"I questioned your motives when you asked
out, but white chocolates? That confirms it; you’re definitely up to sothing. So... are you in love with
now?"
Julien sneered.
He hadn’t wanted to be here. That was the honest truth. But the conversation with Margaret had unsettled sothing in him that hadn’t settled back down. He wanted to know Purple more. And if nothing else, he wanted her to know that he’d always be there for her.
Tsk.
"Hey, go easy on the chocolates! They’re not going to disappear on us, you know."
Purple frowned.
"Why bother getting them for
if all you’re going to do is lecture ?"
He sighed. The sooner this was done, the better, that much he knew. What he didn’t know, despite spending several hours rehearsing it, was how to actually begin.
After an awkward, fleeting pause, Purple spoke:
"You spoke with my mother, didn’t you? And she told you everything about my childhood?"
Julien hadn’t seen that coming. He’d known she was sharp, that was never in question, but saying it outright was sothing else. Every carefully rehearsed approach he’d spent hours preparing dissolved on the spot.
"You saw us talking?"
Purple motioned negatively.
"You seem off, not like your usual self. My mother’s been acting oddly too, so I guessed that might explain it."
Now that the cat was out of the bag, Julien was ready to say what he actually felt.
"I’m certain you know your mom worries about you. Why cause her all that pain?"
Purple was silent for a mont before leaning back in her seat and locking eyes with Julien.
"What do you an? As I said, dwelling on the past robs you of the future. Whatever I was before can only touch
if I let it, and I have no intention of letting it. Not even what happened yesterday."
It was the argunt Purple always ca back to, and Julien had never been able to stomach it. The past wasn’t sothing you discarded on the way to the future.
History shaped the present. It shaped what ca after. Walking away from it wasn’t forward movent. It was just forgetting yourself and calling it progress.
He massaged his temples.
"What does that have to do with how your mother feels? She’s here in the present, isn’t she?"
Julien glanced through his mind for a mont.
"Oh, I understand. You believe your mother wants you to stay the powerless child you’ve always been. Hmph. But have you ever stopped to see what she actually desired? It seems to
you’re letting fear of the past control you."
Julien’s words sat in the space between them longer than he’d expected, and Purple left them there. No response.
Her expression gave nothing away as she finished her chocolate and, without any acknowledgnt of what he’d said, asked for another.
It was clear enough. Purple had no interest in discussing her relationship with her mother, and she wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. Julien let it go without much resistance. That hadn’t been the point of coming here anyway.
"Tell
about your childhood."
Huh?
Purple’s attention imdiately shifted to Julien.
"You heard . Had I not t you, I’d have found another way to reach my goal. But I did et you, and now... only death can keep us apart. I’ll always be here for you. You owe
at least that much.
"Besides, you know way too much about ... even when I was sleeping on the streets and begging for food, while I know practically nothing about you. And we’re really supposed to get married?"
Purple imdiately wore a teasing smile, blushing in the process.
"Does this an you actually want to marry ? You’re stubborn as ever... I didn’t expect you to feel this way so soon."
Julien massaged his forehead in disbelief.
Purple was eager from that mont, weighing her thoughts for what exactly to tell.
"Honestly, my childhood was unremarkable. I barely played with anyone; their minds were too immature compared to mine. That all changed when Lovis ca along. Four years older, yet he was my only equal, thanks entirely to his Inheritance."
"Uh-huh?"
"Tch, so botherso. Are you not satisfied?"
Julien shrugged.
"Why should I? You’re ant to be my fiancé, yet I know nothing about you personally. Tell , first of all, why you wear those locs."
Purple’s expression darkened. She stayed silent for a mont before speaking.
"What did my mother tell you?"
"Why does it matter? I’m more interested in what you have to say."
Purple ran a finger idly through her hair, and the disappointnt on her face was quiet but unmistakable.
She had no desire to explain the locs to Julien, that wasn’t sothing she owed anyone. But she’d already said sothing to Scar about her father, pulled out by whatever it was about Scar that made concealnt harder than it should be once in his presence. Given that, telling Julien this much felt like the least she could do.
"I’m sure she ntioned that I changed, beca distant or cold when I began wearing locs. That’s not far from the truth. I was a child being bullied and wanted to look more confident. Maybe, in a sense, my ancestors decided that for ."
She exhaled.
"I would have let it go before I ever entered the academy or even years before that... if my Inheritance hadn’t co with sothing strange."
Julien furrowed his brow. It wasn’t unheard of. So Inheritances changed appearance upon awakening. For so, it was the entire biology, restructured from the ground up. For others, just a few details, subtle enough to miss if you weren’t looking.
Purple’s eyes were supposed to shift to purple upon awakening. The problem was she’d been born with them already. If the Inheritance couldn’t alter what was already in place, and it had to have done sothing, then whatever it changed was sowhere else entirely.
"You’re close to the truth... but you rember that my Inheritance once disappeared for more than a century, right?"
Julien nodded positively.
"This is a secret not ant to be shared. However, you are now part of my family... or soon will be."
Purple wore a dry smile.
"Just wait a little longer. After we deal with the Heart and Vey families, I’ll explain everything to you."
Julien frowned.
He wanted to know what it was, badly. And now he had to wait until forever? If Purple was going to leave him hanging like that, the least she could do was compensate him for it.
"I don’t know why you feel this way, Purple. But if I could go back and have my parents worry over
again, scold , or stay awake just to make sure I was safe, I’d accept it without hesitation. It only feels botherso until they’re no longer there to care for you."
He exhaled deeply.
"If you can’t tell
everything yet, then let
ask for sothing instead. Spend so ti with your mother. You don’t have to pretend to be who you were or say anything back. Just listen to her."
Purple began snacking on her chocolates once more.
"And if I don’t?"
Julien shrugged.
"I’m not forcing you into this. I’m only asking because I care about you. Whatever you choose is up to you."
A soft smile tugged on her lips.
"If I do this, will you treat
like I truly matter to you... like your fiancé?"
Tsk.
"There’s nothing to negotiate. Do as you please."
Purple chuckled.
"I will do as I please then."
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