Comte's 1st Impression of You
Below are screenshots of Comte's thoughts of the night you 1st met.
From One Night, Beneath the Crescent Moon π
[A big congrats to Comte for placing 2nd in the elections! To celebrate, I realized I never finished these, so here's the continuation of the series. Comte is the first & only one I will fully post instead of summarizing.]
If fate needed a trigger, then I was certain the trigger had been pulled that night.
Comte: (It's been a while since I wandered through here, and why not? My business is otherwise dealt with.)
I walked slowly through the Louvre, studying the people gathered around each individual piece of art.
(I rather enjoy seeing so many people so completely transfixed by the beautiful works collected here.)
I couldn't help sighing as I realized my gaze was drawn again and again to the people instead of the precious works of art.
I pulled out of my pocket-watch, glancing down as I opened it.
(How did it get so late?)
(It's about time I said farewell to this world and returned home to the others.)
I closed the watch with a soft sigh and slipped it back into my pocket again.
But before I could look up, I noticed something small tumbling across the ground at my feet.
(What's this?)
I leaned down to pick it up and found myself holding someone's earring.
MC: It takes up the whole wall
She was so captivated by the portrait of Napoleon that she hadn't even noticed her earring fall off.
There was something sweet about the excitement sparkling in her eyes, and I moved to stand next to her.
Comte: Did you know, it's the second-largest painting in the Louvre
Her Gaze moved to meet mine at once, startled and curious.
I could see her taking in my appearance, and I took advantage of the moment to draw closer, studying her carefully.
(I was right.)
Mc: Pardon, Monsieur?
Her gaze and her tone were both wary now, and I opened my hand to show her the earring I was carrying.
Comte: I knew it. This earring belongs to you
MC: Oh! When did I lose it...?
Comte: I believe it was when that patron bumped into you
Comte: I happened to spot it as it fell. I was looking for the chance to return it to you.
MC: Thank you very much
She bowed her head quickly and politely, but as she raised it again, I moved to catch her gaze once more.
MC: I'm sure there's a restroom nearby
Comte: Shall I help you restore it to its proper place? That way you won't lose it again
There was a faintly dazed look in her eyes as I held her gaze, but then she nodded her agreement, and that was enough for me.
Comte: If you would hold still, Mademoiselle--?
I brushed her hair back gently, tucking it behind her ear, and a sweet fragrance rose up to envelop me.
I recognized it immediately, and I knew it was coming from her delicate neck.
MC: Thank you. I got that perfume here in Paris
Pure-blood vampires were generally able to get close to humans without feeling a particular strong desire for their blood
We didn't usually find ourselves drawn so strongly to them, either, and yet--
(You are a curious one.)
Comte: There. I believe your earring is secured.
The sweet scent intensified as I finished attaching her earring for her, until it was almost cloying.
I gave her a friendly smile as I stepped back from her again.
MC: My rogue earring is certain to behave itself now. Thank you.
Comte: Not at all. it was thanks to the earring that I was granted the good fortune to meet you.
We were standing at a comfortable distance from each other again, and her matching earrings glimmered in the overhead lights
(Although I doubt we'll ever have the good fortune to meet again.)
I'd observed humans enough to know that at moments like these, they often felt a pang of sadness or regret.
But I did not feel those things the way they did.
As a pure-blood vampire, I'd said farewell to more humans than I'd ever care to count, until it was more natural than breathing.
Comte: Bon voyage.
My coat swirled around me, my shoes clicking lightly on the floor as I walked away from her.
My thoughts had already moved on, and I was no longer thinking about the young woman with the sweet scent.
At the time, I'd had no idea of what would happen next.
I'd never imagined she would find her way through the same door I'd used and end up stuck in my world on the other side.
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So much time had passed since then, and yet it felt like no time at all.
I was sitting at my desk, most of my attention focused on what I was writing.
But I was aware of MC's presence behind me as she moved around the room, cleaning.
MC: Oops!
MC: Thank you very much Comte.
I repeated the words I'd used that day, and she nodded in the same way, but as I began to secure it for her, she smiled suddenly.
MC: This is reminding me of the day we first met
Comte: Yes, I was just thinking about that very moment.
That day, I'd been certain we'd never meet again, and yet here she was, standing right in front of me, as if she belonged here.
That chance encounter had been strange and wonderful, yet a question rose unbidden to my lips.
Comte: MC...do you regret that we met that day?
MC: Regret it? Why?
Comte: I'm the one who spoke to you. And then you found your way through a door you should not have been able to pass through.
Her eyes widened at my words, as if she'd never considered it, but a moment later she shook her head.
MC: I don't regret it at all
Her voice was clear and pure, and there was no hesitation or doubt in it.
It resounded in my ears until it was all I could hear as if her voice was capable of silencing everything else in the world.
MC: I'm the one who opened the door. I'm the one who walked through it. So it's not your fault at all.
MC: Besides...
MC: I believe that this is also fate.
Her eyes met mine directly, and there was no hesitation in her gaze either
MC: And I like the fate I've been handed.
Comte: What?
MC: I've met so many wonderful people here, and made friends with them. how could I consider this anything but good fortune?
The smile that blossomed across her face was like a flower, opening its petals in joyful celebration of its short life
But the sweet scent that wafted up from her was far sweeter than any flower I'd had the pleasure of smelling.
(When the time comes for you to leave me again--)
(Will I be able to be as pragmatic as I was the first time we met?)
(Will I be able to let go of you as calmly as I do every other human?)
I cut my thoughts off there before they could go any further.
(For now, I will simply watch over you.)
(I will make sure you are always smiling while you're here in this world.)
Her matching earrings glimmered in the lamplight, a light that enriched her beauty far more than the harsh glare of the Louvre.
And as we stood there at a comfortable distance from each other, I smiled back at her...
FIN
All other Crescent moon stories can be found with the tag "one night beneath the crescent moon". I am far too lazy to link all of them. All but Mozart is completed.
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