Truly in love with the a Life To Paint ending if Sciel was romanced cause I got the idea of Pierre feeling cucked by Verso.
Like, what the hell do you do if you die, your wife goes on an impossible quest to avenge all her losses, fucks an 100+ year old demi-god, finds out she can bring you back, breaks up with him, and then brings you back?
Verso doesn’t care, he’s stuck dealing with existential dread, the fact he will never have true personal agency because he’s the phantom of a man his gods will never let go of. Also in the last year he’d watched all 2-5 members of his family die depending on how many optional dungeons you do and “died” in the arms of a woman who looks just like his little sister.
Pierre just gives him an awkward have you fucked my wife? look and cut to Verso, emotional security obliterated, every piano note he plays a scream for help escaping the memory of a dead man, and hanging on by his last puppeted string.
Sciel assures him it was a fling, sex and friendship, nothing more. And sure, maybe for her. But he married his wife for a reason, she’s beautiful, breathtakingly kind, and so strong. Surely Verso wanted more? He’s handsome, plays the piano like a god (or the Painter who once played), and apparently helped save the world??? With his wife???? While they were fucking????
Back to Verso, head in his hands, he tugs his white hair too hard and he’s having flashbacks of holding Aline as she “died”. A child runs past with a rose in hand, a petal flies into his lap. Renoir and Alicia stare back at him, consumed in the flowers of the Gommage. The sun reflects on the gold buttons of his vest, and a thousand golden armbands fly past his vision, a thousand people he watched die, dozens he’d lied to and betrayed.
Pierre, squinting from across the way yeah look at how he broods. Definitely wants to fuck my wife again, not on my watch pal
This could make the funniest crack taken seriously/genuine angst and horror fic I’ve ever seen