Act 4

[untrueheart]

[The sun is on its way down, clouds moving to fill in the spaces left by fading light, when a tired, staggering Rue makes her way back home again. At first she can't tell which part of the village she landed in; after a while she recognizes the road leading south and trudges along. She isn't sure whether to be sour or grateful that she has shoes on.

Eventually, after a nice long walk and a thorough freezing, Rue wanders into Seventh Heaven hoping for warmth and relative peace and quiet. Of which there is never any guarantee, an astounding feat for a town so small.]

Comments

[untrueheart]

[While her inner voice repeats its fervent wishes for disappearing into hot water and sleeping for six years, her physical voice does nothing. Dropping her head back onto Mytho's shoulder and shaking it 'no' is all she manages.]

[soheartless]

Okay.

[And then the door is finally opened, and he steps through into Rue's apartment, holding her delicately. It's been tidied up as much as it could be in her absence.]

[untrueheart]

[Rue is hardly untidy to begin with, but her kidnapping did leave something of a mess; seeing it clean elicits a strange sigh.]

Are you...going to leave?

[soheartless]

If you want me to. [He says, now taking her towards her bed.]

I would leave if you wanted me to...

[untrueheart]

I don't. You shouldn't go.

[Rue does not want to be alone in this apartment so soon after being taken from it.]

[soheartless]

I won't leave you.

[A simple, automatic statement.]

Loneliness... [He pauses, as if trying to remember.] I don't recall liking such a feeling at all. You shouldn't feel that, Rue...

[untrueheart]

I want to be with you forever, Mytho.

[Was it wrong to want that now?]

[soheartless]

Forever...?

[He ponders softly to himself as he carries her towards her bed and moves to set her down there. He looks towards to her eyes; devotion and affection and hints of fear tangled up peeking at her.]

Rue... I'd want to be there for you that long. Could such a thing... be done?

[untrueheart]

[It's not just forever she wants. It's happily-forever-after, and most of the time it feels like such a lofty goal that she would need real wings to reach it.

As if to remind her, the tiny ones on her back flutter and twitch.]

I don't know. That's really what you want? [She hates this, when her voice gets stuck in a rapidly-closing throat while she talks.] Even after everything I've done to you?

[soheartless]

You've done good things for me, Rue.

[A soothing stroke at her shoulder.]

You've helped me.

The things that happened in the past... I don't think that I understand them. But... You don't act in that way anymore. And... I don't believe that I do, either.

[He just doesn't know why sometimes he feels a strange, burning sensation within him. Slightly more gradual with each emotion gained. It's never happened around another person.]

[untrueheart]

I just thought...we would be happy.

[I thought I could be happy. I'm a fool.

Rue tries to turn over without actually moving away from him, suddenly and thoroughly unable to keep herself from crying.]

[soheartless]

I don't recall the feeling of happiness. Not in that time... [The time when they were crows. He blinks, some brief pain at remembering it.]

Why aren't we happy, Rue? [He muses dreamily, now sitting at the edge of the bed. With one hand, he goes to stroke at her hair without thought.] How do we obtain such a feeling...?

[untrueheart]

I don't know. I don't...I can't ever be happy. Maybe you'll find yours somewhere again.

[soheartless]

[He shakes his head sadly.]

I don't understand. Rue... How could I become happy when you are not?

[untrueheart]

Somewhere out there is your heart shard of happiness. That's how.

[Meanwhile, his words are exactly what she would have wanted to hear, at home. Before things changed. They sting her now like a slap to the face.]

[soheartless]

I see.

If that's so... That should mean you already have such a feeling in your own heart, Rue. It should be there.

[untrueheart]

Happiness isn't part of my story.

[Maybe it could have been, if she hadn't been stolen from her real life.]

[soheartless]

[His own expression seems painted with sorrow at the possibility.]

I don't understand.

[untrueheart]

[It's better for her, then, that she isn't looking at him. Rue has her eyes shut; with Mytho stroking her hair like that, how could she keep them open?]

Don't worry about it.

[soheartless]

I'll try not to.

[He says softly as he goes through each stroke.]

This worrying that I now feel... I'll try to do away with it.

[untrueheart]

[Good, she thinks, hazy to the point of not feeling her feet or hands anymore. Left alone, she'll fall asleep; the bath can wait.]

[soheartless]

[He remains by her side, but he doesn't bother her anymore. He lets her pass into a peaceful sleep. No longer stroking her hair, he instead warmly clasps her hand, in thought about what she said. He speaks softly to himself.]

Rue... I don't want to stop feeling this sorrow for you.

I feel like I should try... I should try to help.

[It's that odd kind of feeling that started to emerge when he first was regaining his emotions. The feeling of making a choice of his own... even against the instructions of the ones who had watched over him.

He was starting to follow what he had of his heart.

Soon afterwards, he drifts off to sleep too, slumped over beside Rue, and still holding onto her hand.]