untrueheart | Act 3

[Once upon a time, there was a girl who noticed that every single day, she had to track down her dearest love from wherever he happened to wander at the time. He could meander quite far if left to his own devices, which he was, more often than not, because establishing him a 'permanent' place to sleep at night? Had been overlooked.

That's not going to go on any longer. Rue leaves her room in the morning with some serious intent: first to find Mytho, then to convince him to get a room. His own room. ...Somewhere nearby. She has the perfect spot in mind. Of course, she has to find him first, a journey which takes her all over town and back again. Thinking of the only two things he's shown a real interest in doing, and with an eye out for anyone acting particularly odd and emotional, she'll stop a few people she happens to pass with a question:]

Have you seen a white-haired boy pass this way? Or perhaps he was dancing somewhere?

[Once all the hunt-and-find is over and done with (it is a long day), she might be forgiven for overlooking something upon her return to her own apartment. In truth, she doesn't get a good look until she starts to get ready for bed.

There on the living room chair is a pair of terrifyingly familiar black toe shoes.

That is all it takes to turn a frustrating but decent day into a rising nightmare; Rue screams once, turning to run out of her apartment and out of community building seven, as well. Distance, she wanted distance. If she could get far enough away they would not be real.

It is her particular brand of destiny that takes her on a collision course with at least one other person in her flight. Hopefully whoever they are can manage to stop her doing something foolish and irrational.

After all, it's just shoes.]

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Do you really want to know? [Rue looks right at Makie, intense and hooded.] It's a grim story.

[Makie's voice is quiet, as she watches Rue over her cup with curiosity.]

Will it hurt you to tell me?

No. It is a tale. [And it isn't quite hers.]

[Makie nods slightly, and puts her teacup down. It's empty now, anyway.]

Go ahead.

[If you say so. Rue looks out the window momentarily, before beginning her tale.]

Once upon a time, there was a prince who loved everyone and was loved by everyone. There was also a giant monster raven, who terrorized the kingdom. The prince fought the raven, and they were locked in a seemingly endless fight. When all seemed lost, the prince used a forbidden technique to shatter his heart and seal away the raven forever.

[Not all of this story is entirely true, but those are the almost-facts.]

[Interesting. In her own country, there are legends about ravens. Makie tries to equate one to the other, but discards it fast. They're from different worlds, anyway.

Why did shattering a heart trap a raven? Such a bare bones story.]

Did it work?

Yes. The battle ended and the Raven would remain sealed for as long as the prince's heart kept him at bay.

[The trade-off, of course, is that the prince stays heartless.]

That's Mytho.

The prince without a heart.

[It still sounds fantastical.

...but it's no more absurd than several others that she's met here.]

That's why he is so... non-existent, then. Can he get his heart back?

Yes. [That was sour.] He can.

[Sour, indeed. Where on earth do you fit into this, Rue?]

Is he in danger here, then?

[And from the tone of her voice, she's not all that interested in the answer. But that's just Makie.]

What does it matter to you? Unless you intend to cause him harm.

I don't intend to cause anyone here harm. Am I not allowed to be concerned?

He shouldn't be. Not from the Raven. There are other dangers in this town instead.

A great many for someone without his full capabilities, I imagine. [Oddly, Makie has always thought being without a heart would make life that much easier. But Mytho is...not how she had envisioned that to be.]

Do you protect him?

When I can.

[When she isn't busy destroying him.]

You must care about him a great deal.

I love him, and he also loves me.

[She blinks.]

He feels love?

Not right now. His love is still missing.

[Such similarities between them...but Rue's story is vastly different. It doesn't stop Makie from feeling a faint sense of grief on her behalf.]

Must he remain like that while he is here?

Some of his heart shards found other people here. [Another wrench in the plans, though the plans are so different now.] So, no.

[...]

What do you mean "found other people"?

People going through the same emotions the shards are...they'll latch onto them and make it worse.

[Makie isn't sure she understands. Possibly, she won't be able to. It's more of the magic that so upsets the balance here.]

Can they be...retrieved?

Yes. [And after all this time, Rue doesn't quite know how it happens. Some magic and dance combination of Tutu's.] If they can be convinced.

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