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A heavy burden settled in Kiwi’s chest. Nothing about the warm, sunny day and the light breeze that threaded in the branches of Delphi’s red and orange trees could lift it. Not like they expected the humble town itself to fix it, anyway. They need a release, and someone to help get it all out. And who else would be perfect for it, than Miriam? Sure, she wasn’t the nicest person ever at first. But after all that they’ve been through together while they saved the world, and even long after, who could be better?
Kiwi approached her house, hidden at the edge of town, with the blue exterior poking out among the reds and oranges of the falling leaves.
“Maybe it’s too much.” They thought. “Maybe I’ll be too much.”
At that moment, the doorknob clicks, and before Kiwi could react, Miriam’s voice snaps them out of their thoughts.
“I’ll be fine, gran- AGH!”
Both of them, startled, take a step backward, with Miriam reactionarily flinging the satchel she was holding out of her hands. “Kiwi?!”
“Oh, um. Hi, Miriam,” they greeted shyly.
“I was actually just about to fly over to Langtree looking for you. You haven’t stopped by at all this week, and I got worried…” She went and picked up the satchel, and brushed off the leaves and dirt from it. “Grandma Saphy wanted me to give you some tea, but I’m pretty sure you don’t have a way to brew it.”
“...I don’t.”
“Thought so.”
Kiwi looked at the ground, and at the leaves left the same color as they fell, when usually they would be vibrant as confetti from their singing.
“Well, I wanted to come over anyway. Maybe we could make it back inside?” They smiled, but only half-heartedly, without any joy present in their eyes.
Miriam squints, then leads them inside. “I’m sure you have something to talk about?”
Kiwi strained their smile even more. “M-hm!”
Sapphire was right inside to greet them, standing near the cauldron in the center of the room. “Well, look who it is! Miriam and I were just talking about you!”
Miriam mumbled something under her breath, looking away from them both.
“Is it okay if I stay for a while?” Kiwi asked. “It feels like a bit since I last visited.”
“Of course, you’re always welcome here!”
Miriam was already at the edge of the stairs. “C’mon, Kiwi.”
“Have fun, You two. But not too much fun!”
“Grandma!” Miriam’s face flushed, and Sapphire chuckled.
As Kiwi and Miriam made it up to her and Saphy’s room, Kiwi’s expression quickly faded. Miriam hadn’t seen this face since they were both in Chismest.
“Okay, something’s wrong. What is it?” Miriam asked nonchalantly, approaching the bard a little too close.
“A lot.” They admitted.
“Here, sit down.” They both took a seat on Miriam’s bed, and Kiwi leaned their head on her shoulder. They sighed, and Miriam reached over for their hand, and closed her eyes. For this moment, she managed to completely clear her head to prepare for whatever Kiwi had to unleash on her.
The storm brewing in their heart had gotten too strong, and made its way up to their throat. They could barely speak, let alone sing.
“Miriam, I- the world was so close to ending.”
“I know.”
Kiwi gasped, holding back tears. “We stared death in the face.”
“We did. But we’re here now. And everyone’s okay. We saved the world.”
Their breathing gets shorter and choppier. “But it hurts. Why does it hurt?”
“...There’s no short answer for that.”
Kiwi winced, and tears began to well up in their eyes, still tightly shut. “I don’t think I can keep it in anymore.”
“You don’t have to.” Miriam let go of their hand to put her arms around them, and leaned backwards on her bed so Kiwi could get comfortable beside her.
“I need to cry.” They choked out.
Miriam turned to her side towards Kiwi, and tilted her head up so they could bury theirs into her shoulder.
Kiwi held onto her for dear life, and the storm erupted out of their throat and their eyes. Their voice released the tension built up behind it, discordant, raw, and every vibration of it, anguished. It was enough to strike a chord in Miriam’s heart and make her tear up as well. Still, she held them tight and rubbed their back with one hand. If no one was gonna be there for them, it might as well be her.
Kiwi’s mind was so overloaded with everything that happened both before their journey and during it, every time their sense of justice had been shaken, every time their will had wavered, every time their body had taken damage, and when they were shown parts of their past against their will. It all hurt so much. Their chest surged with stinging pain as if they had been struck again. They hated that pain, they knew their complexion was ruined forever from the branching scars that spread out from the middle of their chest. They didn’t even know they were capable of hatred until getting struck by Audrey. Audrey. The mere thought of her made them seethe. They sobbed harder, with anger, and held on tighter to Miriam. It sounded more like a yell than a cry, a very painful yell.
Miriam winced. The sound of Kiwi’s voice in so much pain hurt her, too. But this release is something they so desperately needed. They laid there together, Kiwi letting their storm blow through, and Miriam taking deep breaths to remain calm. Slowly, but surely, Kiwi’s crying began to calm down, their breathing slowed down, and their voice became exhausted from crying for so long. They seemed to match Miriam’s breathing by the end of it all, and their grip on her loosened. They finally lifted up their head, and rose to their knees. They wiped their eyes and looked down at Miriam, who somehow maintained her composure the whole time, besides her dress getting wrinkled, and her shoulder getting damp from their tears.
Kiwi’s face and eyes were red and puffy, and they looked completely disheveled. They spoke for the first time since before crying, “Sorry.”
“No. Don’t be sorry.” Miriam sat up on her bed and adjusted her dress. “You really needed that.” She reached up to the side of their face with one hand, and gently stroked their skin with her thumb. “You’re stronger than you think, you know that?”
“...I guess.”
She kissed their cheek, careful not to poke them in the eye with her nose.
“Are you two alright? I heard Kiwi crying!”
Saphy ambled up the stairs with two cups of steaming tea. “I figured you two would like some of the tea I wanted to send over to Langtree.”
Kiwi perked up. “Oh, that’s so nice of you, thanks!”
“Anytime, dearie.” She set the cups down on the bedside table, then went back downstairs.
Kiwi looked back at Miriam, who was still distracted by the sudden entrance. “And thank you for letting me cry to you, Mim. You helped me feel safe.”
Miriam faced them again. “Oh. Uh…you’re welcome, I guess? But I’m here for you whenever you need it, Kiwi.” She looked back at the stairs again, then back to Kiwi, and whispered to them, “I love you.”
They smiled. A genuine smile. “I love you too, Miriam.”