seen from Ukraine
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Argentina
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Jamaica
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Indonesia
seen from Jamaica
seen from Indonesia
seen from Nigeria
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
(Edit: as well as new characters too!!! Ignore Rosmarinus' hair it's supposed to be fully darkless)
BRAND NEW REFERENCE POST!!
Some of these refs have been updated since last time, and now there's added refs for some preferred outfits and look in headspace!
Edit: I should clarify with Null, he just doesn't wear the eyepatch and just goes with the glass eye, since you're supposed to have one even if you have an eyepatch
Happy Birthday, @vulpixisananimal !
[Loop] {Mal Du Pays} <Null> |Asterion| +Rosmarinus+ =Socks=
It had been a week since they saw Perci last, and no one trusted it.
Yes, they were safe. Yes, everyone now knew what Mental Craft was. And yes, Merlon had thanked them for their help. But it was more apparent than ever that enemies could be anywhere, no matter what they did.
Which was why Loop thought what they were doing was perfectly logical.
" 'Oop, you can't go out like that! It's weird!" [Bonnie seemed to disagree.]
"I…Don't mind you expressing yourself, but maybe something less obvious?" [And Mirabelle.]
"I could probably find a way to make that work…Give me a couple weeks, though." [Isabeau was trying to find the bright side?]
"Loop, you look absurd." [And Odile. That made it almost a full sweep…You glanced over at the newest member of your (Still present) party.]
"I get it? And…Sure?" [At least Ramos was on your side.]
[The outfit in contention seemed to be a full-body wrap. You'd had the design, at first, to help handle the cold, but after that situation had been handled you thought about what other ways you might be able to use it. This was, if you dared say so yourself, a rather brilliant solution to a very sticky problem.]
"See? Ramos understands. As much as I adore fashion, sometimes we must compromise our art for our life. With this ensemble on, I don't think even that Historian could land a single finger on me."
[Not that it was comfortable. First, it was mixing no less than three different fabrics - linen for most of the wrap, cotton for the face-mask and the tall socks, and silk for the scarf and gloves. Secondly, it was a mismash of what spare clothes your entire system had brought to express themselves - hastily improvised into something that was useful for a barrier. Finally, you couldn't imagine the way you looked, with everyone's shades clashing against each other - all of you preferred lightless, but it was a rare enough shade, and traveled poorly enough, that all of them wound up slightly darkened, and that led to a clashing cavalcade of shades.]
<But it worked, more importantly.>
[Shut up, Null. It'll work.]
=This sucks! Get rid of it! Clothes are annoying enough already!=
[Shut UP, Socks, it'll work.]
+Wasn't Siffrin's usual outfit pretty concealing anyway? All you really needed was the facemask.+
[Shut UP, Rosmo-okay, they may have actually had a point there. You let your shoulders slump, and gave a sigh.]
"Fine. Fine, I'll go change." [You allowed, stalking off to the other room. It's like you were the only one who gave a damn about the mind controlling duo who were threatening to attack you! Or…whatever that guy who came for Merlon was about!]
[You closed your eyes, let out your breath, and shook your head again. This time, you didn't open them right away.]
"Okay, group huddle."
---
[The mental space was big enough for all of them, even though it still felt like a tiny island with only a single tree on it. You decided to not worry about it.]
["You nixed my plans. What's yours? We can't just sit here and wait for them to make the next move."]
<"Easy. Find them. Kill them. If anyone protests, remind them what they did." You were direct as ever.>
{"No. Dangerous. Can't win a straight fight. They beat us once already." You understood, and you spoke Null's language.}
+"We could just…look into it? Like Odile was, already! If they're that strong, someone's got to have noticed them already, right?"+
["If only their power wasn't to make people forget them~" You intoned in a sing-song, dryly amused. "So nobody could write about them, after all!"]
+"You could just say it wouldn't work…"+
= "Hey!" Socks, of all creatures, piping up in the meeting! That was unusual enough that everyone paid attention - the little kitty cat usually found a catbed and curled up in it while everyone else thought it through.=
="We don't need to worry about it. In fact, we shouldn't! If you all learn to relax like me, it'll go better!"=
{"Hm." You started to see some virtue in the kitty's idea. "Explain."}
="Eaaaaasy." Socks gave the sort of stretch only a feline can, all spine and shifting and working down nyan's body a motion that made you more than a little jealous. "If they think they've already got you, they're not gonna try again! So if you all learn to relax, it'll make them think you're me!"=
["I don't think Socks is the right one for that, but nya has a point…" You didn't want to concede it. You definitely didn't want to get mentally one-upped by a cat. But. If you could pretend to be each other, or pretend to be under some sort of control, that might give you the opening you need. You looked around, and saw that everyone else seemed to be on the same page, with one little problem.]
["So, who are we going to pretend to be?"]
---
Isabeau recognized Null in an instant. The bland, almost empty look was distinct from Mal du Pays' flat stare, and he did admit, he had a decent amount of practice. Which is why the words he heard next, in a tone that almost sounded cheerful, were terrifying.
"Hello, Fighter."
---
Odile had been hoping to talk to Rosmarinius for a while now, and finally had her chance. Pinning down the memory-holder was difficult, but always rewarding, and the distinctly un-faked, un-feline smile showed that now was one of the rare chances.
"What can I do for you today, Researcher~?"
…She was wrong, then. Well, another day, maybe.
---
Bonnie didn't mind when 'terry was in the kitchen with them. He knew a lot of different stuff, even if he spent way too long washing his hands. You only needed to do it at the start, when you got them dirty, or when you were swapping between dishes! The rest was just putting the ingredients back on the food! It was alright, though, as long as he didn't cry into the soup. "Hey, could you pass me the olive oil?"
"Sure thing, bonbon~!"
" 'oop, get out of my kitchen!"
"But-!"
---
Mirabelle and Ramos were studying, as they often did together. Both of them had a lot of work to do to keep up with the others, but having a buddy made it fun! More importantly, a third had joined their little group, and both of them were willing to skritch nya ears and play with nyan hair while they worked. It was surprising when nya rolled over and looked up at them, and even more when nyan used nya words.
"Little lower, please~"
Watching them both jump was funny!
---
["Okay, this isn't working." You had to admit it. As fun as the idea was, and as useful as it would've been, none of the others were good enough actors. Or maybe they were too good of actors?]
["Let's just…let's just let it go for now."]
[A:4 C:67]
(Odile)
(A few months ago, you would never have guessed that Houses of Change had secret hidden libraries. Then again a few months ago you would have said wish craft was just a fairytale and that mind craft was, at most, usable as a cheap carnival trick.)
(You were here with Asterion. A few weeks ago when you first looked through this library, you found books written in a language that gave you a headache to read. It took you a second, but you remembered to get Siffrin for it. And Siffrin referred to, of all people, Asterion. Well, Asterion with Rosmarinus helping. Right now, he was sitting nearby with a pile of books, attempting to translate and transcribe the contents. In the meantime, you looked for more of those books.)
(You’re sure to transcribe every book here; it would take months, if not years. So really, Asterion was just transcribing enough to get a general idea.)
(. . . Maybe, once all this has wrapped up and all of you can actually settle down, you could help them transcribe more of these books. . . Enough musing, Odile. You searched this section, off to the next one.)
(What were you searching for, really? While yes it was to check the forgotten books, but what were you searching for inside them? Some notes on wish craft? Some hints to the origin of sadness? Gems you did not know, but you will keep searching, as you always have. You walk to the next section.)
(There was someone here already, but no matter. This was the histories section, and considering that the Monets lived here, it was surprisingly small. You walk to one of the shelves and begin searching through it. . .)
(. . . A history book on the island would be invaluable. . . Gems, if you’re lucky, you might finally find that book Percival wrote on his own family! “The Monet Family; When ego overtakes devotion.” A stunning title, even still. Where would you. . .)
“Looking for something?” (The stranger speaks to you. She sounds young, and familiar. You turn around.)
(And you freeze.)
(Your eyes glazed over the stranger at first, like she was just background noise. But now, you see her in a crystal clear view. The cap, the bag, and, most revealing of all, the eye wrapped around said cap. You, you remember this. Those with eyes, that’s, t-that’s--)
“おはようございます [Ohayou-gozaimasu]” (You quickly bow your head.) “[You- a-are you-]”
“[I am~]” (The stranger bowed back.) “[Ohayou-gozaimasu, Madame Odile. It’s good to finally to meet you.]”
(The words, like everything else about this situation, left you stunned and confused.) “[M-meet, me? But, why would you want to meet me? There are certainly others-]”
“[Oh stop it.]” (She held up a hand.) “[Please, let me introduce myself before we engage in your theological crisis. The name I’ve chosen for now is Rimae, and I am the Expression of Search.]”
“[G-gems alive.]” (It’s hard to breathe, your hands wont stop shaking.) “[I-it, it is, wonderful to meet you, Rimae-sama, an honor, even.]”
“[Oh no need to be so formal, Odile-hakase.]” (The God giggled behind a hand, walking over to you. She reached up and tilted your head to the side.) “[. . . You’ve aged well for someone almost in her sixties.]”
“[. . .]” (You weren’t sure how to respond. You are talking to one of your expressions, arguably the one you have been praying to for the longest of them all.) “[. . . It hasn’t been easy.]”
“[Ha! Oh it never is!]” (She let go of your chin and patted your shoulder.) “[How have you been?]”
“[I. . . I have been, stressed as of late.]” (Does Rimae not know? Oh, no no you remember Loop telling you about this; it’s just manners.) “[Between saving Vaugarde, making sure these children do not hurt themselves, and now those cutting Monets to deal with- a-ah, excuse my language-]”
“[HA!! Hahaaaa no by all means!]” (The god turned back to the bookshelf and traced a finger along it.) “[I have no quarrel with the Monets, they are nothing to me. This isn’t an insult, it is a state of fact. You, however, mean much more than they ever could, and thus the Monets are on the ah, shit list, excuse my language~]”
“[. . Pffaha!]” (That made you crack into a smile. Gems, you were feeling younger by the second.) “[Thank you, again, but. . . Why? Why me?]”
“[Isn’t it obvious.]” (Rimae stops tracing her finger down the books, and pulls one out.) “[We never expect those in Ka-Bue to stay loyal to one Expression, if anything, it is opposed. But you, you were not loyal, but passionate. Ever since you were young you would pray for my assistance, and search for what you needed most. Many a time, all I needed to do was nudge you in the right direction, and watch you discover yourself all by yourself.]”
“[The search for your many lost possessions, the search for your mother when she left, the search for your education, and of course the search to change.]” (The God winked, and continued.) “[And then, the search for family, for help, for people, for this country, for everything. You have always been a soul driven by missing puzzle pieces; you have never given up, not even once, that is admirable, Madame Odile.]”
“[But, I. . .]” (Rimae holds the book out to you. You take it. Its cover reads “The Monet Family; When ego overtakes devotion.” You look between her and the book.) “[. . . . I did give up. I let my sadness consume me.]”
“[As would any mortal.]” (Rimae retorts.) “[It was because you were searching for answer, it nearly killed you, yes, but that search led you to learn more, did it not?]”
“[. . . . I. . . . I suppose.]” (You hold the book close to your chest, and look away.)
“[. . . Odile Look at me.]” (You, hesitantly look down at the God. That eye of hers was looking right at you.) “[Do not listen to your inner demons, you searched hard for your family. You love them, they love you. You could do anything, and they would love you. This I know.]”
“[I. . . .]” (You take a moment to breathe carefully, so you don’t cry.) “[. . . T-thank you. . .]”
“[It’s my pleasure.]” (She pinches your nose.) “[How do you feel now?]”
“[Better. Much better.]” (You rub your eyes with your free hand.) “[. . . Although, while I understand why you are here, I want to ask why you are here looking as you do?]”
“[What, like some delinquent student?]” (She laughed again.) “[Ha! It’s becoming quite the trend, you see. In fact I believe it was a good friend of the Change God who started it.]”
“[You mean the Universe]” (You raise an eyebrow.)
“[Ah yes! That is the name, thank you. I probably won’t be the last God to take a step in your shoes. And I chose to look like this because what else embodies searching more than a rebellious university student! Ha!]”
“M-madame Odile?” (You turn at hearing Asterion's voice. He’s standing at the far end of the history section.) “You were ah, taking more time than usual. So I wanted to make sure that. . .”
“Asterion and Rosmarinus, yes?” (Rimae chimes in, speaking perfect Vaugardian.) “Where would I search for the Big Dipper tonight?”
“O-oh!” (You could see the gears turning in his head almost automatically.) “. . . Directly north of here, about 7 degrees from the horizon, what-”
“And the star Hamal?”
“Due. . . Due east, nearly straight above us.”
“Very well done.” (Rimae turned back to you, a toothy smile on her face.) “またね, [Mata ne], Odile-hakase, feel free to call any time.”
“. . . M-mata ne, Rimae-sama.” (You respond after a moment.) “And, I hope you enjoy your time in Vaugarde.”
“Oh I’m sure I will~” (She giggled, then turned to leave. On her way out, she paused as she passed by Asterion. She looked down at him, then patted his head.) “And it’s good to meet you all, Asterion-kun, Rosmarinus-kun.”
(With that and a confused look from Asterion, Rimae turned the corner, and was gone.)
(Ramos)
[A:3 C:55]
(The mood in the lobby of the medhouse was somber. You, Mirabelle, Odile, and of course, Nille, were all waiting for the news. Isabeau had volunteered to go back to the house and tell Siffrin. Mirabelle was biting her nails, no-one was telling her to stop. Odile was looking at her book, pen unmoving. Nille sat next to you, silent, and You were sitting alone with your thoughts.)
(. . . . . No, not just, your thoughts.)
(-curse, or a craft feedback thing, or some disease, or just, just something with their lungs! They'll be okay, they'll be okay! They, have to-)
(-I-it's, it's like the day we beat the King. With, with what the sky looked like. A-and, and-)
(. . . It could be any number of things. But. . . Gems, you're not sure how many more mysteries you can take.)
(Nille, Mirabelle, and Odile. In order. Stars, it was like you had cracked a dam and that skill was only getting stronger and stronger. It didn't help that the place was so quiet. . . Craaaaaab.)
(You need to break the silence, or find a distraction, or. . .) ". . . . Hey, Nille?"
"Huh?" (Nilles head jumped up, looking at you.)
". . . Can I ask you something?"
". . . I dunno, can you?" (You could feel the attempted joke, and how her heart wasn't in it.) ". . . Sure."
"I uh. . . When, we had that big talk in Jouvente, after Sif recovered, uh. . ." (You rub your shoulder.) ". . . I, I dunno if, I was just, imagining things. But when I talked about, running away. . ."
". . . Oh, yeah. Right." (She looks away.) ". . . Just, reminded me of me n' Bonnie."
(There was the silence of the implied "go on.")
". . . We ran away too." (She sighed.) "Boniface was too young to remember it. I don't want to talk about it."
"Oh. . ." (The awkwardness returned.) "Uh. . . Sorry."
"Sorry?" (She gives you a look.) "Don't be sorry, crabface. It's a fair question."
"R-right, sorr- t-thanks, I mean." (You laugh nervously.) ". . . Bonnie's, one tough kid then. With, just the two of you. . ."
". . ." (Nille looked away again.) ". . . They shouldn't need to be."
"Uh. . ." (You look to Mirabelle and Odile. They're both avoiding your eye, and her eye.) ". . . I-"
"They shouldn't need to be crabbing tough." (She grumbled.) "Or brave, or mature, or adult. They're a kid. Just a crabbing kid!"
"I just, wanted to give them a nice, stupid, crabbing life in a nice beachside town away from everything. Could enjoy being a kid, could do silly stuff and not worry about anything!"
"But, no. Of course not. First the King, me being stupid and getting frozen in time. Bonnie needing to go save the country. Bonnie learning how to cook, how to fight, how to deal with death! Bonnie, my little sibling Bonbon! My little sailor mouthed silly stupid bug loving Bonnie."
"And what the hell am I supposed to do when, when, something like THIS happens!! How am I supposed to protect Bonnie when-"
"E-excuse me, I was wondering if I could, visit. . . (The front door clicked open and an annoyingly familiar face stepped in.)
". . . . ." (You're all staring at him.)
". . . . . I'll, come back another time." (Perci slowly closed the door. You heard his footsteps as he walked away.)
(The awkward silence came again. You look over at Nille, then away again.) ". . . They'll be okay, Nille."
". . . Thanks, Rams. . ." (She sighs, pausing for a moment.) ". . . Sorry, about that. . ."
"It's okay, nothing to be sorry about."
". . . Yeah, thanks."
>>>
"It looks like the bleeding stopped as soon as it started, which is good. It's likely not Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, or other diseases."
(The four of you were in the room where Bonnie was staying. Dr.Joy was explaining what was wrong as Bonbon stayed fast asleep, breathing shallow.)
"There's no signs of any dangerous substances, infections, or otherwise. This was a very acute case, which points to some sudden damage to the throat or lungs. I already checked, and it looks like there's damage from some sort of craft directly inside the larynx, the voice box."
"A craft did that?!?" (Nille asks, shocked.)
"It looks like it. Actually, it lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole." (The Doctor flipped through his notes.) "There were a lot of cases of this around, ten years ago. Damage to the larynx, all craft wounds, many claimed it was. . . Accidental self inflicted. Luckily, though, that means I know just what to do."
(He's smiling at you all.) "Bonnie just needs to stay overnight to see if there's any long lasting damage. After that? They can go home. Soft foods only for a few days, though. And no talking too loud. Most of the damage is more dramatic than damaging, this time."
"This time?" (Odile questions.)
"Well, it looks like in some of those old records. . . The damage was, far, far worse. Fatal." (He quickly holds his hands up.) "B-but Boniface isn't in any danger of that! You should just, make sure that doesn't happen again. Just, talk to them. Make sure they're okay."
"Right. . ." (Nille nodded.)
(You stood there and nodded along to all the words being said. This was, all a bit much for you.)
". . . If you want, someone can stay here overnight. And I have a copy of the medical plan I have written up for you too."
"Thank you, Gina." (Odile nods.)
"I'll stay." (Nille adds.)
"Alright- oh yeah uh, I'm mostly free tomorrow, so if Siffrin can come pop by too that would be, uh, great!"
"I-I'll pass it along." (Mirabelle says, tugging on her shirt.)
(Gina gave a copy of the medical plan to Odile. Nille made plans to stay the night. Mirabelle and Odile convinced her to at least come home for dinner. Nille made a short prayer at the little dancing Change statue on the table. The others walked out, Mira asked if you were coming. You just asked her to give you a second.)
(They were waiting in the lobby now.)
(Bonnie was still sleeping. . .)
(. . .)
(. . . Why?)
(You still couldn't get that out of your head. Why now? Why Bonnie?)
(That shade gave you shudders. Seeing Bonnie weak and lifeless like that sent a chill down your spine. Seeing their shallow breathing made your hands tingle. They didn't deserve this, no-one did. So, why? It's not fair. It's just. Not. Fair.)
(Bonnie had nightmares every night.)
(You walk over to the Change God statue. The little dancing clay figure continued on it's endless little jaunt back and forth across the desk. You reach out, then paused. Everyone would be asking the Change God for help; to make sure Bonnie would recover. But. . .)
(Every. Single. Night.)
(You look at the disc of copper hanging on the wall above the dancing statue. The symbol of the Dreaming One was engraved on it. A dreamlight. You knew Gina had one here, it's why you were always nervous to go to the doctors. It wasn't his fault, it's just. .)
(. . . You reach up to the disc, and close your eyes.)
(You tap once; to exchange your greetings with the Dreaming One. The soft chime of the dreamlight echoed through the room. The hair on the back of your neck stood on end, old memories struggling to gain attention. It had been a long, long time.)
(You tap it a second time; to give thanks for what the Dreaming One has done. You don't know if the Dreaming One had been looking out for you, but if so. . . Thanks?)
(You tap it a third time; to pray for aid from the Dreaming One.)
(. . . . .)
(. . . . . . . . I, I know I haven't done this since I was a little kid. A-and, and I know that you probably don't remember me, or, care about me. That's, that's understandable. After, running away and all. . .)
(I, I'm sorry. I've been okay, I got a new parent, Eri, who taught me about stars, they were nice. They're gone now. May they dream pleasant dreams and return as one of your messengers. . .)
(. . . I, made mistakes. I was a coward, I was a fool, a-and, and I got tricked. I'm trying to make up for all that, but, it's hard. I hurt my best friend, I hurt my best friends partner, a-and, and I hurt myself, too.)
(They've forgiven me, in fact, they've. . . Welcomed me into their family. We're traveling together now, but. . . There's this little kid, Bonnie. They've been having nightmares for, for months. Every single night a nightmare. Today they got hurt, and, a-and, I'm scared.)
(. . . Please, please help them. I didn't want to bother you after I ran away but please, just this once, please. Please let them have a nice dream tonight. I'll, I-I'll, make it up to you. I promise, just, please. . .)
(The ringing from the dreamlight slowly faded. Once it was almost gone, you opened your eyes and turned to look at Bonnie. Okay. Okay. . . It'll be okay. You walk to the door, you should get home.)
>>>
"I promise, Pétronille, Bonnie is going to be fine by the time you get back." (Odile reassured as you all walked home.) "If something terrible does happen to Boniface, we won't even realize it, with Siffrin around and all."
"Exactly" (Mirabelle agreed.) "We'll just be having breakfast again with Sif predicting everything we say!"
"I guess so. . ." (Nille rubbed her shoulder.) ". . . I'm still gonna be worried sick, but, thanks.
(Most of the trip back had been taken up by convincing Nille that Bonnie was still okay. And the rest was talking about what to do about dinner. Without Bonnie the master cook, you'd have to rely on. . . What, Nilles cooking? You never did ask who else could cook. You know some cookery, you're pretty sure Isa did too, but. . .)
". . . Hey does Bonnie have any, uh, favorite foods? Some treat we could get them?" (You ask.)
"Oh yeah!" (Nille perks up a little.) "They loooove pineapple, pineapple slices especially."
"Oh oh oh!!" (Mirabelle raised a hand excited.) "I know this one! Next is rice!"
"Yup!" (Nille held up a finger.) "And there's one more."
"Samosas." (Odile replies, smiling.) "Without cheese, with potatoes."
"Ha!" (Now she's smiling.) "You guys know just what they like, huh!"
"Y-yes, but actually." (Mirabelle tugged on her sleeve.) "I-it turns out that was one of the things Siffrin memorized, during, t-that time."
"Oh yeah?" (Nille raised an eyebrow.)
"Yes!! They wanted to try and make the day before we fought the King as special as possible!!"
"Oh that's sweet of them!" (You jump in.) "He's a nice fella, I'm not surprised."
"It is a shame we never got to see it." (Odile sighs.) "But then again, it would be a bigger shame if he was still stuck in that loop."
"R-right."
"Yeah. . ."
"Oh, right."
(You make it to the house. Everything looks all nice and in order, nothing crazy had happened while you were away. Good, you really, really didn't any other nasty surprises.)
(You lead the charge, opening the front door to. . . The sounds and smells of cooking food!)
"Oh gems." (Odile makes a face.) "Isabeau better not be cooking, or worse, Siffrin."
"I dunno, smells good." (You reply, making your way to the kitchen.)
"O-oh!" (Siffrin, Siffrin? Pokes his head out from the kitchen, smiling softly.) "S-sorry! I, wanted to make some dinner for us to help a-after, after hearing what happened and I hoped it would be done by now, b-but-"
"W-woah woah okay slow down, slow down." (You hold your hands up.) "You, you were, cooking?!?"
"I-I'm sorry I know we're banned from the kitchen b-but I wanted, to, do something nice!"
"Excuse me, did I just hear that right?" (Odile had made her way over, looking back you can see Mirabelle and Nille staring back from the living room.) "You, are cooking."
". . . Y-yes."
"And it smells, good."
"G-good?"
"Who are you?" (Odile smirks.) "The only thing Siffrin could make is burnt toast."
(He flinches, and looks away.) ". . . A-asterion. . . I'm, making clam chowder and, fried vegetables."
"Stars that sounds tasty." (You give a reassuring smile). "Need help finishing up?"
"N-no it's alright. Isabeau has been, a great help!"
"Gems alive." (Odile put her face in her hand.) "Our fates, and stomachs, are in your hands, Asterion."
"I-I'll, do my best!"
"It'll be great" (You give a thumb up.) "I just know it."
"We'll see about that." (Odile walked back to the living room.)
(A few minutes later, you did see about that. Creamy clam chowder, fried carrots, broccoli, and spinach, and a few baguette slices. You where the first one to take a hesitant sip of the chowder.)
(It was. . . .)
(. . .)
(So good!!!)
so if islanders are just Like That. then if Asterion & The King ever met. would. would they also.
Hey fun fact
Yeah that's King/Prince Charmless from @chimerical-daydreams. Yes these two are gay. Lol. Lmao.
(Siffrin) {Mal Du Pays} <Null> |Asterion| [Loop] [(Saffron)]
|. . . . Oh. . .|
|You're, awake. In a room, where ah. . . Oh you felt exhausted. Where, were you again?|
|. . . Right.|
|You're a stowaway, that's what you are. You're hiding from the others you share this body with for fear of what they will do to you. You didn't want to be here, but there was nothing you could do, was there? You're here, and so you must endure it.|
|As for where you are physicaly? You have no idea. You shuffle, and sit up in bed. It's a small room, a small room with some medical supplies on a table; there was a small dancing Change God statue on it too. Hanging on the wall above was a metal disc with some engraving on it. In the corner there was a chair with an asleep Isabeau in it. Cute. . . No, focus, Asterion.|
|Your pack is to one side, you lean over and grab it and begin rummaging for that journal. Ah, there it is. You check the back, no new headmates. Then you check the latest entries|
|Yesterday: "We got to Wolworth, it was being attacked by sadness. Looped twice trying to get it right. Won. Exhausted now and was dragged to the Medhouse. The Monets are in town. Eri died weeks ago. Don't get me out for a while, I need a break." -Null|
|. . . . . . . Concerning? Who was Eri again?|
|Two days ago: "Getting to Wolworth tomorrow! Stardust is excited to meet Eri, me? Less so~ Ramos hasn't shown any signs of being a danger yet, so as much as I dislike them Stardust might just get their happy ending, again. Ugh. I hope Eri was a good parent to Ramos." - Loop<3|
|Oh. . .|
|You feel something drip on your hand- oh, you're crying again. You close the book before you get the pages wet. You take a deep breath, and hold it.|
"Mhgh. . ." |Isabeau makes a noise from the chair, and a moment later yawns and stretches. He opens his eyes and looks lazily around.| ". . . Uh. . . Oh, g'morning. . ."
"Good morning." |You smile a little.| "Did you sleep alright?"
"Oh I slept great." |Isabeau chuckled, and rubbed his neck.| "What about you, all better after- oh yeah, who's up?"
"Who's. . . Oh" |You pause and look away.| ". . . . A-asterion. We've met, when I woke you in the middle of the night."
"Oh yeah!" |He yawns again and stands up.| "And you were trying make me breakfast that one time."
"I, o-oh!!" |Your heart skipped a beat, panicking, you didn't tell him who you were that time. Could, could he just tell anyways?!? Could he-|
"Hey it's okay!" |Isa chuckled.| "I've just been getting good at telling you all apart is all. I'm not mad or anything- oh hey is everything okay?"
"Wha. . Oh." |You rub tears from your eye again.| "I. . . Read the journal. Eri is, dead?"
|Isabeaus smile drops a little, and looks away.| ". . . Yeah. They are."
". . . Okay. . ." |You rub your shoulder, looking away. Oh Stars Above. . . . You need to, talk about. . .| "Oh. . . Oh! Ah, do you know, what that is?"
|You were pointing to the metal disc above the table. It had one curved line cutting through it, and three straight lines stretching out from the convex side. It was tilted to the side. Isa stood up to get a better look.| ". . . IIIII have no idea! Something to do with, Poteria? I think? It does look a little familiar. . ."
"I see. . ." |You look at the dancing statue on the table.| "And that is. . . A Change God statue, yes?"
"Yup!" |Isa chuckled, looking down and patting the statue.| ". . . I wonder if you had things like this. F-from where your from, I mean."
"Oh. . . Well, yes and no." |You lean back and talk.| "That's what the stars were for. The Universe asks not for us to make things to remember it, for all we need to do is look up. If anything, it's things like telescopes, orrery, and. . . ."
". . . And?" |Isabeau prompts.|
". . . . . . . . Oh?" |You shake your head, what a strange feeling.| "What was, I just talking about?"
"O-oH! D-don't worry about it!!" |Isabeau turns and quickly looks for a spare scrap of paper, before he even asks, you hand him a pen from your pack.|
". . . What are you doing?"
|Isabeau was quickly writing something down.| ". . . O-oh! Oh well sometimes you get moments where you remember stuff and then you forget it s-so, I just wanted to write it down! Y'know? So you, don't forget."
"Oh. . ." |You look down at your hands, arms.| ". . . Thank you."
"Don't mention it." |He was smiling at you.| "You guys are my buddy! Buddies? And I'm dating a couple too, s-so I just want to, help out! Y'know?"
"That is very, very kind of you. . ."
"Least I can do!" |He gets up and goes to the door.| "I'm gonna go tell the doctor you're up, okay?"
"Okay, Isabeau." |You smile at him. He smiles back, opens the door, and leaves.|
|. . . . You look down. Alone with your thoughts. . .|
|You didn't want to talk to them, but. . .|
|You. . . Breathe in, and out. In, out. In. . . Out. . . . .|
|You can see it, favor tree, stars, ocean, beach. Your mindspace, your shared mindspace, at least. It's very quiet, and your own breathing sounds like the oceans waves. . . It's nice.|
|You look down at your hands. Big, strong, scared, and bloody. You can never be rid of it. Tugging on the shackles on your wrists, the one on your neck, it's always so tight. . . Oh. . . You sit down at the tree. You felt your hair, long and heavy. Your robes felt familiar, the crown on your head was cold. . . But you wonder, why do you look like this?|
|Factive. That is the term.|
|Memories and such reaching out to form a personality, latching onto one it already knew. It creates an imperfect copy. Although it feels more like an impression of an imperfect copy to you. That's what you were. The King was frozen in the Dormont House of Change. What you were, was the memories Bright One had of the King mixing with parts of himself to make. . . You.|
|You had "memories" of being the King. You had "memories" of what happened before that you know is likely not true. You shouldn't be here, but you are. And as long as you are, you might as well try and make up for your actions.|
|. . . You cannot stay in bed all day. You move to sit on the edge of the bed. You pause for a moment, your head spinning a little, but it cleared quickly.|
|There's a quick knock on the door and it opens. Isa walks in, quickly followed by who you assume is the doctor? He had hair to the shoulders, a flower in his hair, and was holding some papers. Isabeau quickly comes to your side seeing you try and get up.|
"C-careful! Don't want you falling over all of a sudden."
"I'm fine, Isabeau." |You say softly- right! You should, try and mimic the Bright One, right?| "Besides, it's winter! Not fall."
". . . snrk-" |That was from the doctor, and a moment later Isabeau cracked up too. Ah, you probably took him by surprise. Have you told a joke like that before?|
"Thank you, thank you. . ." |You chuckle. This acting is hard.|
"Heh, glad your funny bone wasn't damaged." |The doctor chimes in.| "I'm Dr. Joy, but but just Gina's fine."
"It's good to meet you Dr. Joy." |You wave politely.| "Thank you for all the help, and sorry to be a bother. . ."
"No need to be sorry! You helped fight off a lot of sadness, it's the least I can do to help." |He positioned himself next to Isabeau and looked at the papers.| "Yoooouuuu should be all good! It was a relitvely minor case, considering how rare it usualy is."
"Really? Rare?" |You tilt your head.|
|He squints at you.| ". . . Do you get craft exhaustion often?"
"I-I, well, yes? Maybe?"
"Yeah, he does." |Isabeau says cheekily.| "This marks the fourth time actually!"
"Fourth?!?" |Gina makes a face and looks between you two.| "I- okay, I would have liked to know that a bit earlier but oh well! You do know getting craft exhaustion once makes it more likely you'll get it again? Kind of like heat stroke?"
". . . Nnnooooooo?" |You say questioningly looking to Isabeau. He shrugs.|
". . . Got it! Uuuh. . ." |Gina thinks for a moment, tapping a pen to his chin.| ". . If you're staying in Wolworth for a bit, could you come back in sometime so I can give you a more proper checkup?"
"Fine by me." |You say easily. You notice Isabeau give you a strange look.|
"Perfect! May I ask where you're staying? I could get some things sent over that could help."
"Oh. . . Ah, we're staying at Mx. Eris house, we've been traveling with their kid."
"Oh. . ." |He looked beteen the two of you, then away.| ". . . Do you. ?"
". . . We do, yes."
". . . And does, their kid. . ."
". . . Yes, they do."
|Gina goes silent for a minute, looking away. It almost gets to the point where you speak up, but he turns back to you two.| "I'll, be sure to drop by then. Give little Azzy my condolences myself."
"That's sweet of ya- Oh yeah!" |Isabeau perks up.| "They changed, actually! It's Ramos, now. They/them."
"O-oh! Well congrats to them." |That lightened the mood a little, Gina smiled.| "Well there's nothing specific for me to say right now other than eat, sleep, drink water, don't stress yourself, and get back here for a checkup!"
"Yes sir." |You say sarcasitcly. And go to hop off the bed, Isa insists on helping you off. Oh yeah! You point to the metal plate with that symbol.| "Oh. . .Do you know what that is?"
"Oh! That's a Dreamlight!" |He walks over and taps it, it makes a soft 'ding!'| "It's a Flickerism thing, Poterian religion, it's supposed to let Flicker into your home and give you nice dreams."
". . . . What?" |You looked confused.|
"Oh yeah!! Flickerism!!" |Isa snapped his fingers.| "I thought it looked familiar! Child of the sun, right?"
"That's right." |Dr. Joy turns around, smiling.| "I don't really follow it properly, just keep a few Dreamlights around and celebrate Pupalfast. You know how it is."
"You know how it is." |Isa crosses his arms knowingly.| "I woulda' thought to see more Curcelights than Dreamlights around. Isn't Flickerism kinda, niche?"
"Was." |Gina chuckled.| "More and more people have been converting from Soleanism to Flickerism. Child overtakes the mother I guess."
"Too true!!!" |Isa laughed.| "Man, I haven't thought about the Poterian religion stuff for a while, it's a nice reminder!"
"I've never heared of it, even a little bit." |You rub your head, confused.|
"Well I wont preache to you or whatever, not my circus, not my monkeys. Besides," |Gina pats the Change God statue.| "Vaugarde's religion is a nice change of pace."
|Now THAT made you laugh.|
>>>
"But it's a giant ball of superheated gasses and plasma." |You try explaining. You and Isabeau were making your way down the streets of Wolworth to where you were staying. There were people walking around all over.| "I understand it's a metaphor, and for a light deity it makes sense. . . But to worship one specific star just because it's closer than all the others is just . . ."
"It's like picking your favorite animal, they're all great!" |Isabeau replied.| ". . . It's not really a uh, ball of fire is it?"
"Oh it is!" |You said excitedly.| "It's a giant chemical reaction of sorts. A constant explosion emmiting heat and light! I don't think of community exactly when I think of the sun."
"Well it's also probably because moths are attracted to light, right?"
"Well, maybe. . ." |You were still stuck on that. The sun isn't even unique, it's one of thousands, it's, just another star. What a strange. . . You pause, is that?| "Is that, Odile?"
|Isabeau looked at where you pointed out.| ". . Oh it is! HEY!! M'DAME!!!"
"Oh, she didn't hear you, I think."
"Well let's catch up then!" |Isabeau took off, and you followed. You actually found yourself passing him soon enough, stars, this body WAS fast. . .|
|Odile dissapears around a corner. The two of you followed, and turned said corner just fast enough to see her walk into a building. It was a single story building with a big metal sign above the door.|
|You slowed down as you approached to let Isabeau catch up, and you read the sign out.| ". . . 'Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night, can stay these messengers about their duty.' Huh."
"It's a post office, Sif." |Isa pats your shoulder.| "See? Wolworth Post."
"O-oh. . ." |You look away, how could you forget. . .| ". . . I wonder what Odile is doing here."
"Wanna see?"
"U-uh, sure. I think." |It was just one of Bright Ones party. Another one of the saviors. It should be fine, right?| "Let me, as the sneaky one."
"Of course~" |Isabeau bowed dramaticly|
|Ah yes, the sneaky one. You were anything but sneaky. If you were lucky, maybe some of that skill could transfer over. You really hope it did. You walked forward and slowly opened the door and walked in.|
|It's a simple interior, quiet, a few places to deliver mail, chairs, and many lockboxes for people to drop by and collect. There was a desk with a few people behind it, that's where Odile was now. She didn't hear you enter. You look back and Isa was following.|
|You put a finger to your lips and smile, sneaking forward and hiding behind a row of chairs. Isa joins you. Listening time.|
". . . Right here they are!" |Strangers voice, the clerks?| "Like I said, lotta fan mail."
"And they just. . . Send it everywhere?" |That was definitely Odile.|
"Just to the bigger cities from what I've heard. Y'all have a lotta fans."
"Gems. Well, I suppose it would be rude not to take it. . ." |There's a little pause.| ". . . Did you see any mail arrive from Dormont."
"Oh yeah! A few letters. . . Ah here! A few from the town, some from the house of change, oh and one here for you directly! It says it's from the Head Housemaiden-"
"I'll take that, thank you." |Odile interrupts.|
|You and Isabeau give each other a look. From the Head Housemaiden. . . Oh. . . The one you- no, the King froze. You had some stray memories of her. . . Lady Euphraise.|
|Isa leaned in and whispered.| "A letter from the Head Housemaiden?"
|You whisper back.| "Are they. . . Exchanging letters?"
"Oh that's nice." |Isa chuckled.| "Odile did like talking to Euphraise while we were in Dormont."
"Oh. . . She, did?" |You tilt your head, trying to remember.| "Well, that's, nice?"
"Heh. . . Who knows, maybe those two are actually, well, y'know. . . U-uh. . ." |Isabeau slows down as he sees your face, and then turns around to see why you're looking past him.|
|Odile was there, glaring at the two of you.|
"O-Odile! Ah, g-good to see you!"
"H-heeeeyyy M'dame! U-uhhh, funny, seeing you here-"
"Ten." |She starts.| "Nine, eight, seven-"
|The two of you run for your lives.|
(Odile)
(Well at least they're not dead.)
(After scaring Siffrin and Isabeau half to death and guiding them home, you were off again for your next errand. Gems, you were hoping to relax for a day, but it looks like that wasn't to happen.)
(Ah libraries, where would you be without them.)
(Todays subject, the Monets. A the Inn, you didn't have many resources at your disposal. There were a few books writen by the Monets there, and you could get some information from that. But now that you were in a city with a library? It was time for research.)
(It was a sizeable two story library, with a desk up front with a librarian there. You walked up to them.) "Good afternoon."
"Good after- o-oh-!" (The librarian perked up.)
"Yes, yes, savior of Vaugarde. Please, just call me Odile."
"Oh well, good to meet you Odile! Anything I can help you find?"
"Yes, actually. Do you have books from the Monets? Or better yet, about them?"
"Don't even need to look that up." (The librarian chuckled.) "Historical section, the Monets actually live in Wolworth so they donate copies to the library."
"How kind of them." (You say as convincingly as you could.) "Thank you, but is that all?"
"Well. . ." (The librarian ducked down bellow the counter and came up with a book.) "Feel free to look through the library catalog, might take a while though."
"May I take it with me into the library?"
"Usualy I'd say no, buuuut you saved the country so sure!"
"Ha! Thank you, I'll bring it back in one piece."
(You make your way to the history section; two whole rows there were taken up by the Monets books. You select a few of them to peruse. "The Ychian Forgotten Legends." "Body Craft in Poteria; A history." "Curiosities of the Darkless Throne." All quite dramatic titles. You take the books, and the catalog, to a table.)
(You look at the little bios of the writers, printed at the back. Merlon Monet and Percival Monet. Doesnt say where they're from. Doesn't say who they were. Just that they're a bonded couple traveling the world searching for truth. Gems. . .)
(You could read through the books, but you already read some of their books, it would be wasting time. So what about the catalog? You open it up, looking up by author name; Monets.)
(History books, from all over the world. From the tallest mountain in Tour'bach, to the depths of the Mala'ka reefs. You found books reaching back to four, five years ago before they abruptly stopped. Hmm, usualy writers have some smaller, less ambitious books as their first few publications, but you didn't see any here.)
(Then what was the first book they published? Five years ago, and the only book listing just Perci as the author. And the title, well, it certainly caught your eye.)
("The Monet Family; When ego overtakes devotion.")
(You're sure you would have caught something with such a commedicly obvious title while looking through the Histories. You get up, then, and look through biographys instead. Nothing. You go to the front desk to ask where it could be.)
"By the looks of it, someone checked it out." (The Librarian was looking through book rental records.) "One. . . D.D.W.D."
(A bust. The librarian didn't even remember who this person looked like. Gems alive. . . But, that is a lead. Back to the catalog.)
(Last name, D. Look for last name D, first name D, middle names D.W. . . You had a theory, and. . . If you were right. . . Aha!)
(History section, a handful of booklets, written by "Daniel D.W. De'Worde." Ha, cute. You get up and look for one of the booklets.)
(Daniel D.W. De'Worde. You knew that last name easily, it was William De'Worde. The couragous journalist in the fantasy book "The Truth." Editor for the Ankh-Morpork Times. The spitting image of someone who cares about the truth. Ha!)
(You grabbed one of the booklets and walked back. So, who is this Daniel D, then? Daniel D, DD. . . Who would have some personality similar to William De'Worde, inspire some level of. . . Hmm. . . .)
(You sit down and lean back, closing your eyes. Do the Siffrin thing, breathe in. . . and out. . .)
(You felt paper run over your fingers, a grand, never ending library of information. Book covers, names, Daniel D. . . No, not a real persons name. . . A book? No, not that, you walk, drift, hand tracing the covers of books. You pull one. It was covered in a soft darkless cloth. Siffrin, who leads to acting, to plays, and plays have characters. The characters Siffrin likes, you like, and it's. . .)
". . . So, it's all about trickery to you?" (You mumble the lines to yourself.) "Daniel Dankovsky."
(Daniel Dankovsky of the play "Pathologic." A story of a town suffering from a plague. Dankovsky is one of our protagonists, an idiot, but smart. Someone who means well, but fails at every step. Gems. . .)
(Perci Monet, you have some interesting heros.)
(You look at the title of the booklet. "Stories of Uldarmitch." A collection of histories and tales from a small town past Mwudu. Some of them were quite interesting; Daily life, history, tall tales. But one thing that you do note, is that the author was very dramatic. Familiarly dramatic. You chuckle, gems, and he couldn't have come up with any better pseudonym?)
(You hear someone talking at the front desk, oh whatever. You're just an old lady who likes history. So, Nine, ten years ago, Perci was publishing smaller books under the pseudonym Daniel D.W. De'Worde. Around eight years ago, he stopped. And then five years ago, he and Merlon traveled together and published history.
(. . . So, Perci, what did you do in that three year break?)
"Well, it was closer to four years."
(You look up, Perci Monet was standing a few feet away from the table you sat at. You glare at him.)
". . . May I sit down?" (He gestures to a chair out of arms reach from you.)
"Fine." (You put your pen down.)
(Perci sits.) "Enjoying my work, Madame?"
"I can admit good writing when I see it." (You hold up a hand and make a face.) "But really, Daniel Dankovsky William De'Worde? Of all things?"
"Aha. . . I-It was, quite the phase I will admit." (He rubbed his neck.) "One I am very much over, thank you!"
"You will not live this down." (You look back down at your notes.) ". . . What are you doing here, anyways."
". . . Funnily enough, I needed a distraction."
"Ha!" (You glance at him.) "You can't escape the saviors no matter where you go, it seems."
"Hahaaa. . . No, I can't."
"Mmhm." (You look over your notes for a moment, then look up at Perci. He's looking away from you. . . Who are you, Perci Monet? Or, a better question.) "Who was the Monet family."
(He glances to you, then away. A scowl planted on his face.) ". . . They're nobody important, not anymore."
(You look at the sea of books with his name on it.) "Forgotten by history, one could say?"
"Forgotten?" (Perci stands up.) "That's one way to put it."
"Leaving so soon?" (You rest your head in your palm.)
"If this is our subject of conversation, then yes." (He turns to leave.)
(You don't say anything as you see him walk out of the library.)
(. . . . . . . .)
(You look to your research notes, and write down a single line. "Who were the Monets?")
>>>
(Nille)
(THWACK. THWACK. THWACK. THWACK.)
(You wipe the sweat from your brow, it wasn't particularly hot, but still! You were working on a little gift for Ramos. One of the wooden gardening boxes in the front garden had broken and you were building a new one. It wasn't even that hard! A few pieces of wood, bang em' together, and there you go!)
(You get up and stretch, it was getting late in the day. The gardening box was nearly done, but you shouldn't push yourself too hard. You sit down in the grass and lay back.)
(. . . What the crab have you gotten yourself into.)
(Yeah absolutely you'd love to go on a big ol' adventure with the crabbin' Saviors! Your little sibling is one of them even! Best thing to happen after being frozen. Get to see the country, no, crab that, could see the world!)
(Theeeen first big destination Bonbon nearly got kidnapped, Siffrin nearly died, and had to fight off some guy who turned into a sadness!! And then that the same guy joins the group!)
(Oh and then there's the inn, where everything's fine until Mirabelle and Siffrin come back half dead saying you were mind controlled! You don't even remember most of that day!!!)
(Don't even need to get into yesterday. Ugh, Change really wasn't giving you a break, huh.)
(You turn to the sound of the door opening. Oh it was just Siffy with, wait no that couldn't be Sif could it, 'cause he had a couple cups of tea with him. You sit up and wave.) "Heya, uuuuuh Aster, right?"
"Y-yes, that's, yes." (Change, it sounded like he was about to cry! He holds up the cups.) "Tea?"
"Sure." (Was never really your thing, but why not)
(Aster walks over and hands you the cup. You take a sip, huh. Pretty good. He's still standing, awkwardly.)
". . . So how you like the new job?"
"The- what?" (He looks at you, confused.)
"Y'know, as a scarecrow. Since you're standing around all day, c'mon sit down."
"O-oh-" (He sinks down a bit, embaressed, and sits down. Taking a sip from his own tea.)
". . . Soooooo." (You turn to look at Asterion, resting your head on a hand.) "Ramos."
"R-ramos?"
"Yeah, Ramos." (You wave a hand.) "Way I hear it, Sif's the only one of your little group who likes them, right?"
"I-I, well. . ." (he looks away.) ". . . I don't, know. Saffron, Loop, Mal, Null, they all don't, don't quite trust them, but. . ."
"Buuuuut?" (You lean in a bit more.) "I didn't hear your name on that list."
". . . I am, undecided!" (He turned back to you, a very strained smile on his face.) "There's, oh, just ah, other things to, worry about!"
"Suuuuuure." (You roll your eyes and go to take another sip of your drink.) "Weeeell, y'know if Siffy made a choice yet?"
". . . I, maybe. ." (He looks away again.) "B-but, but he might, hold off on that. Because of, w-well. . ."
". . . Yeah, I gotchya." (You take another sip, and sigh.) ". . . Sooooo, did you uh, have another reason for comin' out with tea? Or no."
"Oh. . . W-well. . ." (He rubs his shoulder and puts the tea to the side.) ". . . C-could, you teach me how to do some protection craft?"
"Wha. . ?" (You tilt your head.) "First off, aren't you pierce craft? Second off, why not ask Isabeau?"
"Ah, well. ." (He shook his head and took a breath.) "I'm, not actually pierce, myself and Mal are both protection, somehow. A-and, I would, be intimidated by asking, Isabeau. . ."
". . . Heh, alright." (You stretch and hop up.) "On ya feet, Aster, training starts now."
"N-now?!?" (He jumped to his feet, surprised.)
"Yeah, right now. Think fast!" (You grin cheekily, and take a swing at him.)
>>>
(Bonnie)
(You yawn and rub the sleep from your eyes. Whuh. . ? You fell asleep?!? When did you crabbin fall asleep. You just sat down on the couch for a second! Stupid, stupid crabface Bonnie. Someone put a blanket over you, too.)
(Bleh, what were you even dreaming about? Just another boring walk down those same boring crabbing hallways? Stupid. Stupid nightmares were getting boring. Always the same stupid stuff!!! Bleh!!!)
(What time was it anyway, it looked late. Light from a sunset was coming through the windows, and you could hear someone cooking. Guess it must be close to dinnertime then- HEY WAIT.)
(You hop off the couch and walk to the kitchen. WHO was using YOUR KITCHEN!!)
(Uh, Siffrin, apparently.)
(Why was Siffrin in the kitchen, cooking? Yeah cooking. They were making soup?!? You walk up to them and they don't even notice you!!)
". . . CRABFACE!!!"
"WA-" (Siffrin jumped like a cat, taking a few steps back.)
"What're you doing?" (You get on your tip-toes to look into the soup pot. Some veggies, cream. . .) "Where's your crabbing meat crabface! And aren't you banned from the kitchen?"
(You turn to them with a smug look on your face, but that changes to worry real quick when you see how panicked they looked. It was like they a ghost, or uh. . .)
". . . 'Frin?" (You ask, They rappidly nod their head, you snort.) "Nuh uh."
(They sink down a bit, and look away.) ". . . I-I'll, just go-"
"Hey!!!" (You run over and stand right in front of them.) "Hey, hey!! You didn't do anything wrong, stupidface!!"
(He takes a step back and stammers out his words.) "B-but, I, uh. . ."
"Hey." (You wave your arms.) "Do the breathing thing, right? Okay?"
". . . A-alright. . ."
(The two of you breathe in, and out. You wave your arms again.) "Hey, you see me, right?"
"I-I, I do, yes?" (He looks confused.)
"Okay! I'm gonna hug you, then."
(Before he can respond, you wrap your arms around them. They felt so soft, cloak was soft, real soft and nice. It actually did feel familiar. . . The nice part of those nightmares, where Sif would teach you how to fight.)
(Notfrin very, very slowly returns the hug. Hold it for a few second, and let go. Your cheeky grin was back in place.) "Heh, better?"
". . . A, a little." (He rubs his shoulder and looks away.)
"Good, stupidface." (You walk back over to the soup.) "Uhm, youuu're not 'Frin, right?"
"N-no it's, it's Aster. . ." (He walks next to you, still a couple steps away though.)
"Well you're acting like a scardeyfrin, 'Ster!!" (You sneer and look into the soup, giving it a stir.) "Why 'ymaking soup?"
"I ah. . . Wanted to, make, something nice?"
(You squint at him.)
". . . F-for, well, Ramos, and everyone?"
"Uh huh?" (You go back to the soup.)
". . ." (He sighs and takes another breath.) ". . . I want to know how to cook, just in case, or so I could, help around with some things."
(. . . HUH!)
(Yeah that's different than 'Frin. Why though? You're the cook after all!!)
(But that doesn't mean he can't cook too!! C'mon!! You should show him some basics.)
"Mmmm okay! Hold this!" (You hand Aster the cooking spoon.) "Keep stiring, I'll get spices and show you how to make a really good soup!!"
[A:3 C:62]
(Siffrin) {Mal Du Pays} <Null> |Asterion| [Loop] [(Saffron)]
|Bring to a low broil, stir periodically, and wait. That was easy enough.|
|You place your hands on the counter next to the stove, and breathe. You could hear the rest of the party in the other room, they were giving you space. Stars. . . You appreciated it, a lot.|
{. . .}
|. . . The Shaded One was staring at you from across the headspace. It stood there, glaring at you. You had gotten to know this one quite a bit more ever since. . . W-well, even with how, intimidating it was, it was still much kinder, compared to the other one-|
{Stir.}
|Y-yes- you stir the pot a bit more. Making food was nice, distracting. It helps you think, relax, focus. It gives you time to. . . To figure out how to fix all this. Bri- Siffrin had refused to front, Loop was hiding in the tree, and Null was nowhere to be seen. You were here, as was Mal, as was Saffron.|
|. . . . . You lean back, breathing, you will be alright. Just focus on the food. You lean down close to the pot and take a sniff. Ah. . . Delicious, creamy, hearty, tomatoes, sweet, sugary, you’re sure they’ll like- sugary? You didn’t add sugar.|
{Sugar?}
|Yes, sugar. You step back and snuff again, sugar, strong sugar, burnt- THAT’S-|
{You bolt into the living room, the smell is getting stronger, everyone’s here, Bonnie, Nille, Mirabelle, Isabeau, O-- Odile? Where is Odile?}
“S-siffrin? What’s-” |Mirabelle starts.|
“SUGAR!!” |You reply, your stomach turned.| “B-burnt sugar I’m sure!! It’s, i-it’s-”
“I TOLD YOU!!” |Bonnie yells. Your stomach hurts.| “I TOLD YOU I WAS SMELLING SOMETHING!!”
“W-where’s Odile?!? Where-” |Too late.|
|You feel a tug on your stomach.|
|You bolt up from Isabeaus lap, gasping for air.|
“S-sif?!? Are, are you alright?!?” |Isabeau leans close, hand on your shoulder. It makes you jump.|
“L-loop, looped, l-loooped again I, I-I looped and it was, was-” |You’re trying to breathe.|
“Okay, breathe with me, breathe, breathe, okay?” |His hand is still on you. You keep breathing. In, out, in, out, in. . . . . . . . Out. . . . .|
|Just, just, breathe. . . Oh, dizzy.|
{You reach up and put your hand on Isabeaus. Warm, safe.}
|??!?!?!!!?!? M-mal? Ah, you-|
{Don’t say anything. Don’t look. Don’t tell others. You need this. You lean onto Isabeau, and hold on tight.}
“O-oh-!” {You place a finger on his lips. No talk.}
|. . . . .|
{. . . . . You take a breath, then shake your head. Take over.}
|You shakily pull away.| “. . . S-sorry, Mal, needed. . .”
|Isa smiled and waved away the statement.| “I gotcha, okay, so! Should I get everyone?”
“P-please.”
|Isabeau got up to get everyone together. You sat on the couch, and tucked your legs in close under your cloak. Stars. . .|
{. . .}
|. . .|
{. . . I believe you.}
|Wh, what?|
{I knew you were here from the moment you existed. I believe in your innocence.}
|T-then, why are you-|
{Mean to you? My job is to protect us. Being stern, controlling, menacing, all tools. You are new, need to learn.}
|. . . . .|
{. . . I will not hesitate to hurt you.}
|Your head snaps back up at some other voices, Bonnie and Nille were already here. Isabeau was walking down the stairs with Mirabelle. You blink, how long were they there?|
“I-is everything alright Asterion?” |Mirabelle asks, sitting down next to you, Isabeau was on the other side of you.| “What happened?”
“O-ohah-” |You didn’t expect her to tell who you are.| “I-I, looped back, o-out of nowhere.”
“Wuh oh.” |Nille grumbled, sitting up.| “Out of nowhere?”
“Yeah. . .” |You look away.| “I was making some food, and then. . . I’m back here.”
“Oh that is strange. . .” |Mirabelle put a finger to her chin.| “I wonder could have happened?”
“Wish ‘Dile where here.” |Bonnie grumbles, crossing their arms.| “Stupidface ‘Dile.”
“Woah, that’s a first.” |Isabeau chuckled.| “No-one let M’dame know Bonbon said that.”
|Bonnie stuck out their tongue, then pouted.| “I just wanna know why ‘Frins looping again!”
“W-well, Siffrins wish was to stay with us, right?” |Mirabelle was bouncing her leg.| “And the loops reset when that can’t happen! So then. . .”
“So, like when they believed we would split up at the end.” |Isabeau added on.| “And if they said something mean enough that. . . They’d think we don't want to travel stil?”
“And when ‘Frin died.” |Bonnie mumbled.|
|Everyone was quiet for a moment, before Isabeay coughed and spoke up.| “U-uh, yeah. That.”
“What about, if something happened to one of you?” |You ask aloud.|
“That would do it.” |Mirabelle was still bouncing her leg.| “Do you remember where everyone was?”
“The four of you were here.” |You count on your fingers.| “Ramos hadn’t moved, and. . . Where is Madame?”
“Oh yeah.” |Isa perked up.| “She said she was going to the library?”
“Really?” |Nille rolls her eyes.| “It’s not really the best time for that! Why didn’t you stop her?”
“I was sleeepyyyyy! I’m sorrryyyyy!”
“Forgiven, for now.”
“S-so! Ramos and Odile, something happened to one of them? |Mirabelle stands up.| “We should move fast then!”
“R-right!” |But, you needed a plan, uh. . .|
{If Ramos died, it’s medical, and just needs someone around. If it’s Odile, it’s the Monets.}
|S-so, then-|
{Nille and Bonnie here, low level and a child. Isabeau and Mirabelle with us.}
|R-right.| “Pétronille and Bonnie stay here in case Ramos needs help. A-and, Mirabelle, Isabeau, and I will take off after Madame. If we loop again, then we’ll have a better idea of what to do.”
“Smart stuff!” (Isabeau stands up too, he smiles at you encouragingly, before turning to the siblings.) “You two can deal with Ramos then?”
“Sibling squad’s got it covered!” (Nille jumps up.) “Y’think it’s those crabbing history nerds again?”
“I don’t know,” |You stand up confidently.| “But, let's prepare like it is!”
>>>
|By the time the three of you were running to the library, the sun had set behind the buildings. Oh. . . If only you knew what time it was when you looped, aha, maybe you should get that pocket watch sooner than you were planning. Stars. . . Enough of that. Isabeau and Mirabelle were right at your back.|
|You turn to look at them. You. . . Oh. . . You could not tell them who you were. When you tried, over the past few days, it was like a coldness overtook your heart. They all said it was alright, to say in my own time, that they were supportive, but. . .|
|The Housemaiden of Change who froze the real you in time, and the Defender from Jouvente who would throw himself in front of danger for you. You. . . Stop! Just run, Asterion. Oh, leave these thoughts for later.|
|You were coming up to the library now, you were sure it was this way. You didn’t know how much time you had, but you had to be as fast as-|
“Blind it all!” |You mumble to yourself, slowing to a jog.|
|Merlon is sitting at the top step of the library. When they see you approach, they stand.|
|She looks. . .|
“Oh, crab is that-” |Isabeau starts|
“Merlon!!” |Mirabelle shouts, stepping past you, sword drawn.| “What have you and Perci done to Odile!!!”
“Nothing, yet.” |They hold up a hand.| “But I’ll assume that to you, we already did once.”
“Well it won’t be twice!!” |Mirabelle rushes forward to strike.|
|A spark of red comes from Merlons hand, and Mirabelle’s attack slams into a wall of pale white light. You can see sparks of red where her attack landed. She jumps back.|
|Merlon, she. . .|
{You think you recognise something.}
“Mira!!” |Isa rushes to her side.| “Are you hurt?!?”
“I’m okay.” |She takes a few breaths, glaring at Merlon.| “Why are you fighting us anyways!! You’re nice people, I know it!! So, s-so why. . .”
|Her grip tightens on her rapier, she takes a breath.| “Just, just why!! You told us when we first met all you wanted was to record the history of the island! Then, then why are you hurting people like this!!”
|You know that cloak, it’s like yours, it MEANS something! As does the star! But, but WHAT!!|
“I’ve not hurt a soul.” |Merlon replies, face steady.| “Neither me, nor my bonded. In fact, we’ve only helped, no?”
“That isn’t true!” |Isabeau steps forward now.| “It was because of you that Ramos got hurt!! That they turned into a sadness!! That, t-that they died once!!”
{To. . . Stay in isolation. Read, no, no to follow, translate, stars and. . .}
“We just-”
“NO!! |Isabeau cuts them off.| “I’m not listening to that helping excuse!! You didn’t help them change into who they want to be, or accept who they are now!! You just manipulated a vulnerable person into trusting you!!!”
|Merlon winces, you see her hand twitch.| “Don’t blame me for the blood on your hands.”
“We all have blood on our hands, Merlon.” |You step forward, next.| “Deny it or not, you are as much a guilty cog in this machine as the rest of us.”
|Merlon stares at you, that stare, that stare that means-|
{-Hope of being chosen? But, for what?}
“What is your name?” |She asks.|
“Asterion.” |You answer, words flying from your mouth.| “My name is Asterion, and I remember the names of the stars just as much as you. I make mistakes, like you. And I miss home, like you.”
|You glare at them, gritting your teeth. The words came to you faster than you could think.| “Our home is gone, Merlon. So, please can we just-”
“It’s NOT!” |Light crackles around her hand. Her mask of neutrality, cracked but for just a moment.| “. . . It’s, not, gone.”
“But, how do you know! How are you so sure!” |You feel some sense of dread within you.|
”I just know.” {Her sight is that of a teacher looking down at you. No, not a teacher, a housemaiden, head housemaiden. No, they’re not of Change. Someone in charge?} “I look to the stars and I see the truth, it’s out there, it’s still out there, waiting for us, calling for us.”
|Your legs feel like jelly, yet, you swallow your cowardice and continue. Merlon was someone important, but the memory of what exactly failed you.| “You, you’re not here to record the island’s history, you want to bring it back.”
“. . .” {Merlon is silent, Isabeau and Mirabelle had given you space. This was a talk between you, and her.}
“Merlon, Merlon you know that’s madness!” |You look up at her, summoning as much confidence as you could.| “A wish cannot be broken, you and I know that! So why even try!!”
“Because trying is all there is, Stargazer!”
{The word takes you both by surprise, stargazer, stargazer, you mouth it to yourself a few times. You knew that word, it fell onto your tongue as naturally as your own name. Stargazer. You glance down, then at them. Their face is neutral again}
“. . . Merlon-”
“That’s enough talking.” |She held a hand up, pointed at the three of you.| “Leave or die, that is your choice. If you do not wish to exhaust your Stargazer’s body to death with that time craft, I would recommend the former.”
|You look at Mirabelle, then Isabeau, they share the same look at you. You nod, then draw the pin knife, Mirabelle her rapier, and Isabeau taking a fighting stance.|
“. . . I see.” |A sigh from Merlon.| “Since accidentally killing any of you will just restart this fight, I won’t hold back.”
|You smell the sugar, the hair on the back of your neck stood up. Every part of your being was screaming at you to not fight them. You ignored it, and held out a fist.| “And, and neither will we!!” |[Begging, pleading.] Three tears gently dropped from your fist and landed on you and your party. Speed up!|
“. . . Interesting.” |Merlon held out a hand and skipped her turn.|
|Mirabelle gives you a glance, then looks back to Merlon.| “I. . . I’m sorry for this!” |She held out her craft sign and stared daggers at Merlon. You smelt sugar.|
|Merlon’s eyes widened and that hand clenched into a fist. In a blink, there were sparks and cracks of red right in front of their face, and frozen tears glancing off of it.|
|Mira fell to a knee, and looked up in shock.| “Wh, what?!? How!!!”
“I wished to copy your shield spell, Mirabelle.” |Merlon says flatly,| “It’s a simple wish, if you know what to do.”
“But, that’s. . .” |Impossible! That, to, to word a wish, on the spot, and, so precisely!|
“C’mon Aster! Mira! Focus!!” |[WE! WILL! WIN!!!] You hear the faint sounds of cheering as you feel yourself boosted.|
“Right!” |You grip the pin knife and rush in, stabbing at Merlon. She deflected your attack with a hand and that light.|
“. . .” |Merlon skipped their turn.|
“I-it, doesn’t matter if you have my shield! We’ll still beat you!!” |Mirabelle held out her hand sign, [Jolly Round Rondo!] Spinning discs flew at Merlon, while a few were blocked by that light, some found purchase, making the sage wince.|
|Isabeau rushed in right after, going to strike Merlon. But they deflected the blow with ease. Isabeau jumped back, glancing at you.| “Why aren’t they fighting back?”
“. . . I. . .” |You looked at her, how she was standing, looking at you all.| “I’m not. . .”
{Time.}
{You’re running, out, of, time.}
“She’s stalling us.” |You ready your knife.| “It’s all a play to stall for time.”
“O-okay, new plan then. Me and Isabeau will-”
|Mirabelle is cut off by a snap of fingers, and then the ground explodes.|
|As you tumble back, you barely hold in a yelp as you feel the sharp pain of a burned leg. You sat up as soon as you landed. Merlon was walking down the steps, Mira and Isa were a few feet to your left and right. The debris of the road was scattered everywhere.|
|You stand up.| “Merlon! I-”
|She snaps her fingers again, and this time you have the sense to jump forward as the stones erupt into light.|
|You need to think FAST!! You rush at them again with the pin knife. They block with that light, yet you keep pushing.|
“IS IT WORTH IT, MERLON!” |You yell.| “ALL THIS, IS IT WORTH IT?!?”
“What kind of stupid question is that?” {The pain in their voice cracked through the mask as she flung you back.}
|You land on your feet. Mirabelle rushes in with her sword from the side, Merlon moves back and with a slice of their hand hits Mirabelle back with that light. Isabeau holds out his fist for [SMASH!!!], and Merlon withstands it easily.|
|Oh. . .|
|It’s starting to dawn on you far, far too late, that Perci is easily the weaker of the two.|
{You take over and run in, dagger moving as fast as the air would allow. [Scissors.] The lightless slash of energy gets past their shield, cutting into her shoulder. She stumbles back before backhanding the air.}
{A wave of force pushes the three of you back. You and Mira land on your feet, but looking over, Isabeau was K.Oed. Stars.}
{Merlon stood there, arms held in front of her, waiting. She had their eyes trained on you, waiting for the next move. Waiting to decide how next to pick you apart like a spider she found on a windowsill. You [Breathe] and heal Mirabelle.}
“N-not good.” {She’s panting, you nod back.} “S-sorry, we might need to try again.”
{You nod again, quickly twirling your knife around and-}
{Snap, explosion. You’re thrown to the side, knife flying from your hands. You look up at Merlon, a twitch of a smile on her lips as she speaks.} “I won’t make that an easy trip. Get. Up.”
|You get up to one knee, you’re already starting to feel exhausted. Isabeau was out cold, Mirabelle was shaken, and you were being kicked around like a cat's favorite toy! It was three versus one and still you were but flies in a storm! You reached down and felt the burn on your leg, and winced.|
|You stand up, drawing Null's sword, the Airy Katana. All you can do now is try. And you won't give up until The Universe pulls you back through time!|
