>>16456674"They're waiting for you... wanna call it a day, bud?"
Suddenly, Amelia stabbed her cane into the sand deep enough to allow it to stand on its own, taking Calli by surprise. Without her cane to support her, Amelia was now shaking at the legs as she struggled to keep herself upright. She almost toppled over but Calli caught her, her right hand supporting her back and her left gently grasping Amelia's thin, cold hands.
Calli wanted to scold Amelia, but she let herself calm down before speaking; Amelia was more fragile now, after all, and she looked as if she'd turn into dust if anyone were to raise their voice against her.
Amelia surprised Calli once more when she muttered something. The words that shook out of her thin lips had the reaper at a loss for words and nearly moved her to tears. Had she begun crying, she might've ended up dropping the fragile old detective, so she held her floodgates closed, for now at least. Thankfully, the reaper was skilled at hiding her emotions, her eyes only widening unnoticeably, even to the gaze of the once eagle-eyed detective.
Calli shook her head, gave out a soft yet irritated "Guh...", and stood Amelia up, this time holding her closer, the reaper's arm resting over the detective's shoulder, the detective's left arm settling around the reaper's waist.
Well, Calli could bottle up most of her emotions, but she couldn't help but do this one little gesture. Amelia Watson was going to be the death of her if she didn't.
"Hey, Watson," said Calli. As soon as Amelia’s face turned to meet Calli’s, the reaper gave Amelia a quick and soft peck on her forehead. The detective sighed, but a blush colored her pale visage, the old shit-eating grin plastering itself on her face like the good old days. Calli rubbed Ame's back as the detective covered her in the tightest embrace a tired old lady could give. Sniffling could be heard from the detective, but the smile the reaper came to admire and adore over the years still lingered on her face.
Calli looked up and watched as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. “You’re the architect of a perfect timeline, Watson… it’s about time you stepped into the palace you’ve built for us. And last time I checked, they wouldn’t stop asking me when I’d come to fetch you, so…”
Her voice trailed off as her gaze returned to Amelia. When she looked back down at Watson, she was surprised to find that the detective was frozen in place as tears ran down her face, her thin, dry lips trembling as they curled into a soft smile.
“Th… they really didn’t forget me, Calli… even if I thought they would… I… I didn’t believe they’d still r-remember me but…”
Amelia’s voice began to crack and fade as she was hit with the realization that, even after all this time, her sacrifices had not been in vain. For once, she finally let her heart open to the reality that, all this time, she had been loved for, cared for, appreciated. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she had allowed herself to feel loved, only doing so now since she believed that someone like her would be frowned upon and cursed if she accepted so much love without giving as much in return or even tenfold.
“...we could never forget you, Watson…” began the reaper. “You were the stubborn, unyielding human girl who stood and fought alongside the world’s most powerful individuals not as a mythical creature or a superhuman being, but as… but as a simply extraordinary human. You had the least to offer yet you gave your all many times over… for each and every one of us. To us, you were the sun that drove the darkness away, Watson. How could we, your family, ever forget you…?”
Tears would cloud Amelia’s eyes as Calli held her close as if Amelia would turn to dust if she let go, offering the comforting and soft hug that Amelia had grown attached to even after all these years, the reaper gently running her fingers through the detective’s soft, silver locks to calm her down, encouraging her to just let loose all the feelings she had repressed for their sakes after all this time.
“They do remember me... I miss them so, so much... please... let me join them, Calli...” Amelia would shakily repeat in a voice that grew fainter and hoarser as she hugged her reaper close, her face buried in Calli’s chest as she wept tears of joy and relief.
Calli held Amelia in her embrace silently and solemnly as the warm, orange sky gave way to the cold, starry night, the light of the moon now blanketing the earth in its gentle, white glow as the sea breeze cooled the sands on the beach. The waves softly lapped at the seashore and its fizzling was all the noise one could hear alongside the rustling of the palm trees and the squawking of seagulls, but if one listened intently enough, one might’ve found the sole swish of what sounded like a large, sharp blade to be out of place at that time of day, at that kind of place.
