Closing an old wound

Dahl and Marion spent a lot of time in the garden, taking care of the flowers together. I didn't want to interrupt, so I simply sat on a reclining chair and watched them. Dahl was so happy, seeing her smile like this was wonderful.

She deserves it.

We had about two weeks left before returning home, and I hoped she would be able to spend more time with Marion and maybe even Cecile, if things were to go well with her as well. But I trusted Dahl, I knew she'd be able to convince her former wife.

As the sun was starting to set, Marion's phone rang. "It's Mom, she's coming soon." She said to Dahl. "Are you... ready to talk to her?"

Dahl nodded. "Spending some time with you gave me the courage I needed. Thank you, Marion."

Marion blushed slightly. "I didn't do anything. You've... taught me a lot of things I didn't know. I should be the one thanking you..."

"You're already way more knowledgeable than Cecile and I were at your age." Dahl replied with a smile.

Marion paused briefly before speaking again. "I suppose... It's... still hard for me to get used to you being my father when you look like this..."

Dahl giggled. "I understand perfectly, don't worry. I don't expect you to start calling me father or dad, it'd be weird even for me considering who I am now. All I'm hoping is for us to become friends, at least."

"I... wouldn't mind that." She replied.

After that, the three of us went back to the living room to wait for Cecile. Dahl seemed less nervous than before, being with Marion really helped boost her confidence. While we were waiting, Dahl told more about some of the countries she visited. Marion seemed fascinated by her experiences, she only ever travelled to France and Belgium to visit her family.

She told Marion about her stay in Monaco, wearing the skin of the rich daughter of a CEO and enjoying the sun and the sea of the Côte d'Azur, of her brief but eventful visit in Saint-Petersburg, admiring the snowy city under the guise of a newlywed wife on a honeymoon, and of her time travelling through China before becoming the herbalist she mentioned, settling near Shanghai for a while.

Before she could continue, though, the front door opened.

"Marion, I'm back!" Cecile announced before walking in the living room and noticing us. "You're... the clients from last time..."

From her tone, she clearly was also suspicious of us, like Marion was at first. She probably connected the dots as well after seeing the picture inside the bouquet.

Dahl stood up and approached Cecile. "I am, yes. I... wanted to speak to you, Cecile..."

"How do you know my name? What do you want?"

Dahl looked away. "I have a lot of things to talk about... Ever since that fateful day fifteen years ago, I've never stopped thinking about you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I... don't really know how to explain everything... so please forgive me." Dahl said, taking a deep breath before stabbing Cecile's arm with the spines.

Marion gasped and jumped up in shock as Cecile started to deflate. Meanwhile, I was wondering what Dahl had in mind, but I had an absolute trust in her so I wasn't worried.

"M-mom!" Marion exclaimed, ready to dash towards them.

"Marion, calm down. Dahl would never hurt her." I said, trying to reassure her. "It is scary and disturbing, but I assure you that your mother is safe."

Dahl closed her eyes, breathing in and out a few times before suddenly falling on her knees, holding her head.

"Urg..." She groaned, gritting her teeth. "I never tried it... with a second one..."

After a bit, she opened her eyes. "W-what... What happened?" She immediately got up and took a step back when her eyes landed on Cecile's hollow skin. "I-is it... me?"

She looked down, observing her body as if it was foreign to her, examining her red strands of hair.

Did Dahl...?

"Are you Cecile?" I asked to confirm what I was thinking.

"Y-yes?" She hesitantly replied, still in shock, before looking around, as if she was searching for something. "Who's talking?"

"Dahl, probably. You two share a body right now." I answered.

"H-how?" Marion asked, unsettled by this turn of event.

"It's Dahl's unique abilities as a skinwalker, allowing her to awaken the consciousness of the people she has the souls of. At least, that's how we understand it." I explained.

"Memories...?" Cecile muttered seemingly to herself. "You want... to share your memories with me?"

I see... That's what she wanted.

Cecile closed her eyes and focused, breathing slowly as she seemed to be exploring Dahl's memories. I had no idea how long it would take, but if it worked similarly to the memory editor, probably not too long.

She winced, disturbed by something, but then started to cry, covering her mouth. "Oh my god... You're... You're really him...?" She asked before pausing, waiting for an answer. "After all this time, you came back... Why... Why did you flee...? I would have still loved you..."

Marion and I watched as she broke down, crying even more as she was probably recalling most of Dahl's life. I approached her and crouched next to her.

"She missed you a lot, Cecile." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I... I know... He... She showed me everything she's been through..." Cecile replied as she tried to stand up again. "She didn't... deserve this..."

I guided her to the couch. "Relax, everything is fine. Deep breaths."

She closed her eyes and did just that, breathing in and out a few times. "Okay, I'll try to calm down... It's just... a lot to take in..."

"Even if I've never been inside her mind, I can imagine." I replied. "Take the time you need."

As Cecile rested, Marion observed her mother in Dahlia's body curiously, confusion visible on her face.

"You're... Mom?"

Cecile nodded. "I am. It's... weird to be young again... even if only for a short time."

"Are you feeling better?" I asked.

"Yes. At least... we've met again... And she found a new source of happiness..." She spoke before turning to face me, smiling weakly. "I'm so relieved she has a good and kind person like you by her side..."

"You got that impression from her memories?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No, from the way you cared about her that time at the store. Her memories simply confirmed it. Thank you for helping her with Lia, Yun." She glanced at the ring on her finger. "Please continue to make her happy."

"I will."

"I should probably get back to normal now... I've... seen what she wanted me to see." She then smiled weakly. "And one headmate is enough for her."

She stood up and walked towards her own deflated skin, gazing at it for a moment.

"Even now, you still want to..." She muttered so quietly that even I had a hard time hearing it.

She crouched and freed the spines, observing them for a moment before stabbing her skin and restoring herself? Or Dahl restored her, it was confusing even for me.

Dahl almost lost balance as she opened her eyes, tears running down her cheeks. She stayed next to Cecile until she regained consciousness, holding her hand, looking at her with a mix of worry and tender love.

"I'm sorry, Cecile..." Dahl whispered as Cecile's eyes slowly opened. "I'm sorry for leaving you..."

Cecile rose up and hugged her. "Will you stop apologising? You've already done it far enough times earlier."

"I'm so-" Dahl started again, but Cecile put a finger on her lips.

"What did I say? You've... changed a lot since you left, but this part of you remained, I see." Cecile replied, smiling. "You know that I don't hold any grudge against you. We were in each other's minds, after all. Let's just... catch up more normally, now. I've had enough out-of-body experiences for the day."

Dahl closed her eyes and rested her head on Cecile's shoulder, returning the hug, a relieved smile on her face. "Thank you..."

"Are you... Are you alright, Mom?" Marion asked as she came closer.

"It was... surreal, but yes, I am alright." Cecile replied before looking at me. "Will the two of you stay for dinner?"

I smiled. "If Dahl wants to, I wouldn't mind."

"I'd... love to, Cecile." Dahl said quietly as she let go of the hug. "I'm... glad I was able to see you again, and that you also found happiness with a new partner."

"You should meet him someday, he's a kind man." Cecile spoke before giggling softly. "Although, we'll avoid mentioning you're my first husband. Not that he would believe us anyway."

Dahl laughed, relaxing more. "Indeed. You and Marion are the only ones who need to know. Let me help you with the cooking. I got way better in fifteen years."

While Cecile and Dahl went to the kitchen, Marion and I stayed in the living room, observing them work together.

"You're alright, Marion? Today has been quite... eventful for you." I asked.

"I think...?" She hesitantly replied, closing her eyes. "I'll need some time to get around everything I learnt. But Mom seems happy, so I am too."

"I'm relieved things went so well, even if I didn't expect Dahl to settle things the way she did."

"It really scared me..." Marion muttered.

"I get you. Even for me, who's been a skinwalker for a month already, it's not something I'm fully used to yet."

We waited for Dahl and Cecile to be done with the cooking and then, the four of us enjoyed a nice dinner together. Cecile and Dahl truly were great cooks, the food was delicious. Dahl talked more about her life as a skinwalker, something that Marion and Cecile were both intrigued by. We'd agree to visit a few more times before leaving, as Marion and Cecile wanted to both spend more time with Dahl and learn more about what she knew about medicinal plants.

After this very enjoyable dinner, Dahl and I got ready to leave. It was starting to get late and we had to drive back to our hotel, after all.

"Take care. Remember that you'll always be welcome here. It's your home too." Cecile said to Dahl as we got into the car.

"Thank you, Cecile. Have a good evening." Dahl replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I'll message you tomorrow."

We drove into the distance, ready to get back to the hotel. We were both pretty tired after this exhausting day.

"Are you happy to have come, Dahl?" I asked.

"Do you really need to ask?" She said, giggling.

"You're right, I don't. It's clear as day. We need to see them again soon. Maybe Marion could accompany us during my fashion shoots?"

She smiled. "If she's okay with it, why not."

After returning to the hotel, Dahl quickly fell asleep, a peaceful expression on her face. It didn't take long for me to follow, and I drifted off, holding her hand, and looking forward to the rest of our stay in London.