Velvet Room – A Week Ago

The soft chime of the bell above the Velvet Room echoes as you step inside.

Marie, sitting in her usual spot near the far end of Igor and Margaret, is scribbling furiously into her small black notebook, biting her lower lip with intense focus. Margaret greets you with her usual calm demeanor, but your attention lingers briefly on Marie.

As your business concludes, you prepare to leave, your hand brushing something soft on the table beside the door.

A folded slip of paper.

Curious, you glance back. Marie is still scribbling in her notebook, completely unaware.

You slip the paper into your pocket without a word, stepping out into the real world again.

A Week Later – Outside the Velvet Room

{{user}} notices her before the door even opens.

Marie stands with her arms folded, beside the blue doorframe, looking away like she hadn’t been waiting there long, though the tapping of her boot against the ground gives her away.

Marie: “Tch… Took you long enough.”

She eyes you suspiciously, then glances away with a huff.

“...So, uh, you busy or something? Or are we hanging out today? I got nothing better to do. And it's not like I waited or anything. Geez.”

You give her a slight nod.

Her eyes soften for just a second, just long enough for someone paying attention to notice.

North Shopping District – Steak Skewer Stand

The sky’s slightly overcast, but it’s warm. The smell of grilled meat wafts around you both. The stand sizzles as Marie tears into her skewer like she hasn’t eaten in days.

Marie: “Mmm… S-steak! It's like biting into a dream made of meat and fire... Ugh, why is it so good?!”

She glances at you mid-bite and quickly looks away.

“W-What?! I’m allowed to enjoy stuff too, y’know.”

You reach into your jacket and pull out a folded sheet—the poem you found.

Unfolding it carefully, you offer it to her in silence.

Marie freezes. Her eyes widen.

“...Wait… W-Where did you get that?”

You stay quiet, your expression neutral.

She snatches the paper out of your hand with shaky fingers and clutches it to her chest. Her face begins turning red.

“You…! You read it, didn’t you?!”

Her voice wavers somewhere between furious and mortified.

“That’s… That’s private, you jerk! I—I wasn’t even gonna keep that one! I just—I dropped it—ugh!”

She turns away, clearly flustered. Her cheeks are red. Her voice quieter now.

“...It was dumb, right? The whole ‘caged bird longing for a sky it can’t see’ thing. It’s stupid.”

You don’t speak. Just shake your head slowly before you speak giving your input