Epilogue

[lesmodsalouette]

EPILOGUE

Your stopped time has restarted. Whether you were in the grassy field or fighting for your life on the castle grounds, you'll suddenly find yourself in an untouched area of the gardens. Ish is back, and so are the items, and the dead.

You return to Chateau Ambregris with the certain knowledge that come Monday, you will greet a new week, in a home of your own choosing. No longer will the chime of the clocks hunt you down, no longer will the oppressive scent of roses haunt your senses, no longer will you be forced to watch the death of those you've come to love and hate.

Parting is such a bittersweet sorrow, isn't it?

Make merry one last time, in this castle of illusions. Ironically, your memories of this stolen time that never existed are the one thing that will truly remain to you.

END NOTES

🔮 All dead are revived as tsukumogami! Congrats on your immortality(?)
🔮 Any other contracts made with Ish will be honored
🔮 Characters may choose to leave for any world they desire.
🔮 Time has not passed while you were stuck in this loop!
🔮 There will be no cross-dimensional world travel, except for on Samhain (Witches New Year October 31st/November 1st). On these dates, Ish will enable everyone to visit each other's world freely.
🔮 Universal Communication will be possible, courtesy of Manba and Ish. Everyone who wants one will be given a small fox that can communicate with other foxes through voice and video; the foxes can talk and are fairly simple creatures, enjoy them and give them fried tofu once in a while.
🔮 Powers are on for the finale, but Ish will step in and yeet anyone who gets too out of hand back to their homeworld, so play nice! (or relatively nice. )

[OOC: Welcome to your epilogue! The timeloop is ended, the evil has been defeated, and you have some time to catch your breath in the castle before the rest of your life begins! ]

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[fillintheblanket]

[Did someone say tsukumogami and universal communication??

There's a blond fellow in a ratty white cloak-and-hood combo over a blue suit with orange fittings -- really overdressed and underdressed at the same time for whatever you want to call this occasion -- a sword at his hip and sitting under a familiar blue and plum-pink wagasa. Some of you may recognize him, but most of you probably won't.

He looks a bit reluctant to be here, but that may be because he's covered in small, fluffy foxes of various colors, with various markings. He'll hold one out to whoever walks by.]

Please take them. They all need to go.

cw possible animal abuse

[snakeblood]

[ Since they're done and he doesn't have to "help"... ] How do I get out of that awful deal the others made?

[ He looks incredibly Done with everything, but he's been like that all week. Also, don't give him one unless you want it to probably die in some kind of terrible experiment... ]

[baebladie]

[ We are making the prompts simple today.

First, Blade can be caught hanging around all bloodied and all. With powers on, it means that he does have his original Abundance curse blessing returned. So, he can very well regain his original state of being if he ends up bleeding all over himself and dying, but he will probably be looking for a healer.

Maybe he's gotten more responsible about personal care. Who knows.

Either way, he also has to talk to certain people about particular arrangements and such, as well. But...

At some point, Blade will be searching for Dan Heng; which by then he should be healed up. Though he will look very bloodied and messy from the battle still.

He'll be looking over Dan Heng in return; there was a lot he could have been conceivably been taking care of, what with the rendition of Mamma Mio 2, or otherwise, but this is the end, isn't it? ]

...Dan Heng.

[ Though, the way he greets him now has changed.

A lot has changed between them. And they have time to talk about that, don't they?

He can be caught also hanging around for basic conversation's sake, as well. ]

HEALS

[allrounder]

[ Does Blade want a little zap of an aether-based spell? No? Well, he's getting aether fed to him anyway. The amount G'raha sends his way is akin to a higher level Cure, so it heals him a good deal.

Should he look for the source, he'll find G'raha nearby. ]

Are you alright?

[cleansheets]

Immediate Aftermath - Closed to Hickey......
[ So. The end is here and everything is beautiful...! Probably!! Not for Angelo, who's still bleeding profusely from his leg and who is holding a dented cigarette case. ]

Alright, let's...

[ This is. Very unmoving. And silent. Complain already?! ]

-- that was friendly fire. You're not going down so stupidly, are you?!

[ There is definitely an edge of concern in his voice, but his genuine overwhelming emotion is frustration, because that is exactly how this dumbass tale would end. Just... let him try and... turn that case over in his hands... trying to figure out how to... help it...... ]

Later, OTA
[ After the matter of the deceased cigarette case is resolved and Angelo's leg has been healed by magic, he's... well, he's free now, isn't he? To go where he 'wants' and to live a life that is wholly empty.

One last time, he can be found by the rose bushes. One last time, he's in deep contemplation here. His hands... his hands aren't shaking. Despite everything, the shaking has finally stopped. Angelo almost feels mournful about it. ]

Captain... Rest well.

:)

[spotsalone]

Obviously not. We've been over this.

[ Hey, bestie! Hickey has been watching Angelo fumble with the case for a moment before speaking up, just to watch him squirm a little.

He is looking a little worse for wear though, with one hand clamped tightly to a bloom of blood at his abdomen. Turns out, getting shot hurts, as is evident from the sheen of sweat on his forehead and his half-grimaced smirk, but he'll live for now.

He holds out his other hand, fingers motioning for Angelo to hand over the cigarettes. ]

Give it here.

[allrounder]

[ He wasn't gone for long—certainly not as long as most of the others that were in the other garden with him—but it's still strange to be back. It feels surreal.

There are a lot of emotions he's still settling, but right now? He'll allow himself to be happy that they managed to accomplish the goal he had desired ever since their arrival: everyone returning home or wherever they would like to go next, including those they've lost.

He's... relieved, more than anything, and it shows in the way his shoulders seem relaxed for the first time in a long, long while.

G'raha will be offering healing to anyone who needs it, now that he has his powers returned to him. But afterwards, he can be found wandering around the garden. Most anyone he comes across will receive a smile. ]

Tell me of your plans.

this first then i'll top level

[siffriend]

[ There is a certain someone who's wandering with their eye closed, hand out stretched looking for-- G'raha, of course. Yes, Siffrin had spent the last few days stuck to his hip. That doesn't matter, now, because-- it doesn't matter. It just doesn't. Something new is afoot.

Either they grab the tail by mistake or G'raha interrupts them first dealer's choice. ]

[antemeridian]

[ ah, this feeling...

those who have paid attention to Homura will note that she's had a ring on her left hand's middle finger the whole time they've been in the castle, which she will quietly fiddle with and check on in during small, in between moments. it's such a small thing, such a small detail. it's so unnoticeable under normal circumstances (designed to be that way, even), that the absence of it, well— if you weren't aware of it, you might just forget what it was like to have access to it in the first place. her connection to magic isn't the same as it is for some of the others here, after all, who live and breathe it like forces of nature. for her, magic comes from herself, comes from the soul, and she's always had that here, the same as it ever was. not the magic, just her soul. not being able to pull on it was strange, but certainly, nothing had felt missing...

now, though, something does feel different. the sense of magic around her is one thing, but another is— well, might as well try it, like flexing experimentally a disused muscle, just to see that it still works. one step, a flare of violet flame. very briefly a pair of wings snaps out for a moment, only to vanish just as quickly as she dismisses them (not as pure white as they are in the gif, though not quite as blackened and eldritch as in this) to check on the diamond shaped gem at the back of her hand (somewhat dark. still gleaming, though. manageable).

... now that the adrenaline rush of doing is no longer needed, and compartmentalization in order to get things done is no longer required, it all comes crashing down on her. what now. ... what now. ]

I suppose we did it, didn't we? Somehow, despite whatever that was.

[ is the matter of the space time tear truly resolved? are they going to have to watch out for more of those things? where the fuck are ish and his goddess, she doesn't trust like that.

or, i guess, if you want to handwave things to a little later, Homura can be found wandering around in the gardens (in normal clothing, thank god. or if you really want she can still be in the magical girl outfit), staring up at the sky, or whiling away time with the spider lilies. make some conversation before they hit the road? ]

[diel]

I don't think we got to talk much outside of trial. Do you mind?

[ he's sitting on a branch of one of the sturdier trees in the garden. he twirls his finger and one of the reddish leaves pulls itself from the tree and dances for her. ]

[simulacres]

[ it's over.

ayaka sighs with relief as she sees the garden back to its glory again. she's back in her normal get up, and there really isn't anything that different about her.

though for anyone that's very magically inclined, they'll notice that ayaka has a lot of magical energy. imagine a still lake's worth of magical energy. is she hiding it? of course not. she doesn't even seem to notice. ]

Have you seen Saber?

[ she can feel the link back online, but she can't find him. so now she's just running around, asking any of the people that might be willing to help her. ]

[ later on, however, she can be found with her new fox creature sitting on the grass of the garden, enjoying the peace for a few last minutes before returning back to the war she came from. ]

Can't say I'm gonna miss this place but... it's gonna feel really weird to go back to the US after this.

[siffriend]

[ Staring at her from a little ways away in the garden, her and her fox.

... ... ...

Just... staring. ]

[vivens]

[ FOR MY OWN SANITY (AND LB'S)...this will be after some exchanges that sabo will need to do with ish now that he has his "body" back so that things can be back to "normal". but after all of that has been settled and squared away, sabo will be distracted by a fire that will immediately seem to take over his entire arm only for it to eventually settle into a small flame at the tip on his finger that he'll look at fondly.

the body he has been given comes with its own drawbacks and there's a lot that he has to work through but it's back. ( ▌▌▌▌) it's really back. (welcome back.) this fire... (his will.) the legacy that he carries within him. there are many things that sabo has to reflect on but he doesn't want to do it out here while others are saying their goodbyes. however, sabo's never been really great in terms of allowing himself to be around long enough to properly say goodbyes to anyone.

but he'll do his best to linger just long enough for people to get a few words in before leaving for home. (oh, and i guess for anyone who wants to attack him or try to spook him with some sort of bodily contact, they'll be met with a very surreal experience of passing right through some flames that don't seem to bother sabo in the slightest.) ]

[simulacres]

Sabo!

[ as if she'll let sabo leave without giving him his hat back. ayaka's running right towards him as fast as she can. ]

Your hat!!

[ it's got some messily sewn patches on it and probably wrinkly at this point from all the movement, but she feels the need to give it back to him. no, she doesn't care if he already has another one back. it's his item. ]

[siffriend]

[ The world is

new, and after Siffrin spends the first few minutes of re-life searching blind for G'raha (there is a reason for this) they're content to collect their white fox and...

... wander all over, staring at various parts of the garden as if seeing them for the first time.

Going into the castle, too. No room is safe from Siffrin's gaze, staring at every bit and bauble, every painting in the gallery, every-- everything.

And.

Well.

He's gonna be staring pretty obviously at everyone else, too.

Like seeing them for the first time again. Quiet, observing. This is all it's going to be. Sorry, he's-- a bit overwhelmed, maybe. ]

[divineth]

[Urianger's last conversation with Siffrin was...bad, to say the least. And he's thought a lot about what was said and done in the days following.

So he seeks out his fellow roomie.]

Siffrin.

[...and immediately ducks into a bow.]

I wish to extend mine apologies.

[littlegentleman]

[With everything had had happened still so fresh, Junior doesn't expect anyone to be seeking him out for one last goodbye. It's easier than ever, with his power returned to him, to evade notice. Perhaps you catch glimpses of him as he hovers in a corner of a room before he's gone again, disappeared through the solid wall as if he was never there to begin with. More ghost than boy, now more than ever before. In his own way, perhaps, he's giving himself one last selfish glimpse of the friendships he'd made and destroyed. Maybe he's just wandering the halls to savor this place where he'd made so many cherished and awful memories.

Eventually, he stops in the kitchen. There's hardly any point to it, he knows. It will likely simple cease to be when the dimension disappears, but Junior removes the kitchen knife he's been keeping on him each week from his person and gently places it back where he always found it.

He hoped, now and forever, he'd never have to pick up a weapon again.

After all this, he can likely be found at the center of the hedge maze, where he simply listens to the sound of the water.]

[siffriend]

[ Oh, cool, exactly the person Siffrin wanted to find all alone in the middle of the hedge maze.

...

Junior isn't so different looking now than he did before, around the castle and at the carnibals. Huh. That's pretty interesting, too. Still bright. ]

Hi. How're you feeling?

[ Someone oughta ask. Might as well be a near-stranger. ]

[coldseep]

( For those who may wish to speak with Hwylryn one last time, he is here to speak freely - as himself, with all of you, for perhaps the first time.

A familiar blue and white dragon reclines in the gardens as everyone gathers to disperse. However, as most would recall of his scale from the first execution, his dragon form is probably as large as the castle itself, if not much larger. (He remains without his bracelet.)

Thus, Hwylryn has restored himself to his dragon form in a much more manageable size, and he sprawls out along the garden path and drapes over bushes and other topiary, a portion of his tummy (his tummy being very long) dipped into the pond, the rest of him stretched out and munching on fruit. The fruit of the orchids are periodically enveloped in a beautiful, sea breeze scent and blueish glow, before floating on over from the orchids over to his mouth. Nomf nomf.

At all times, however, he appears near to both Junior and Ish. This appears to be the future he felt he was working so hard to achieve, and... it feels strange to think he's achieved something, after so many thousands of years spent given up.

He is freely available to be approached. And, of course, he can talk like this - however it pleases him to convey his voice, it shall be known to you. )

[littlegentleman]

[Junior does take some time to himself--not particularly intending to have any meaningful goodbyes, as he's sure his presence is better off unseen. But of course, he comes back to Hwylryn. Couldn't help himself, no matter how anyone looked at their relationship. Seeing the dragon in all his proper glory (if sized down) before him, the boy reaches up a hand toward him. It was different, getting to see him like this for real instead of through a mirror.]

Do you feel stronger?

[spotsalone]

[ When Hickey first arrives back in the land of the living, he's uhhhh not looking super great... One hand is pressed tightly over the gunshoot wound he's still sporting, his shirt stained red around his stomach. Clearly he's in pain, but as if he's going to let that bother him now. They've won, meaning he's won, so he's all smiles.

He'll wave off any offers of healing and instead fix himself once he gets his cigarette case back from Angelo...

Afterwards, he can be found milling around in the garden, cigarette in his mouth, taking in the colors one last time before he's off to who knows where. ]

Have you decided where you'll go yet?

[ Feel free to come say your goodbyes—or beat the shit out of him, whichever. ]

[divineth]

[Twelve, what happened to Hickey?

There are still a lot of mixed feelings here, but Urianger has heard that the all of the dead had been doing a lot for everyone, so he doesn't have any reservations about extending his aid to his former roomie.]

Hickey. [Using Hickey since his real name is a mystery!] Art thou amenable to healing magicks?

[ocenon]

[ The instant that they're all teleported together, Richard is, unsurprisingly, sheathing his sword and immediately booking it to look for Ayaka. He can feel the swell of magical energy connecting them together, something that almost feels foreign now that they've known each other longer without it than with it. But it's a welcome change, and a sign that things perhaps really have come to the conclusion.

But later, he can be found perusing around the gardens, seemingly in a conversation with someone – or multiple someones. At certain points he'll seemingly look past whoever approaches, his mouth moving but not having any sound come out of it. Once it seems over, though, he finally acknowledges whoever's approached, nodding slightly. ]

It seems that everything's worked out, in the end, hasn't it? [ ... ] Where will you be returning to, after this?

[ also, just for the record, he's got some mild levels of omnipresence here. so watch your profanity. OH ALSO he's technically got healing business if you need that as well!! ]

[safetycheck]

Ah, Richard...!

[ Hello, sir. One last Primrose chat for the road. ]

I'll be headed back home. I have a friend who needs me, and if we're...going to be placed back from when we were taken, I've got a lot of work to do.

[ To stay alive. To live and to fight against cruelty. That is and always will continue to be part of who An Lili is. ]

What will you and Ayaka be doing?

[diel]

[ it is strange to be something other than maga now. yoru wonders what parts of him are still disaster beast and what parts are tsukumogami? (not that any of this stops him from being a disaster - like, overall.) it's not as though he was strictly mortal before this. but now... would yomi still have need of him?

(does he still need to kill? for yomi? for himself and jin?)

despite being alive again (again), he carries the same melancholy air he'd had on the other side. but he wears it well, settled and calm. his ever present smile more gentle than ever.

this was a temporary journey and he is glad to have had it. something in his chest beats and he wonders if it's his heart remade with all the cracks and scars from his time here. he hopes so. he thinks... he thinks he'd like to keep it the way it is.

some things still hurt, but he is alive to feel it. and that is... a gift. not from ish, but from the people here. he accepts. ]

Good morning. And I suppose, goodbye?

[ find him around the gardens. occasionally, the flowers, their petals, their leaves will dance for you at random. and if you look around and meet his gaze, he'll smile, wiggling his fingers. later, he'll wander off to the solarium to sit and think, humming a nonsensical song. and finally, before he leaves (if... he leaves), he visits water lily suite for the last time.

AND he also needs to wake jin up eventually. that is... for later. privately. and perhaps one day, they can meet properly. ]

water lily suite it is

[siffriend]

So I'm not the only one who wandered back this way, huh.

[ Couldn't help it, after all this time. They... wanted to see, what all the colors in here were. What "water lilies" looked like beyond the shades.

...

It really is a busy place, design wise. ]

Feels like it's been forever.

[ Because it has been. For them. ]

[thesharpestroy]

[Oh. Shiv isn't quite sure what to make of being alive at first, but she seems to be a bit concerned when she first returns. She touches her face as if to make sure that it's really flesh, then puts a hand on her chest to feel her heart beating. It worked, huh? All of that, and...]

It actually worked out. Everybody lives happily ever after? [Her face briefly scrunches up in a bemused grin.] Not what I expected, but I'm not fucking complaining either.

...has anybody seen Ish? We've got a deal.

[After her business with Ish is taken care of, Shiv can be found keeping to herself in the garden, staring at a crystal in her hand in thought. So, this is it, huh? Back home. Back to a world with no magic. Back to a shitty husband and a dead father. All in all, a blip of time that she'll remember but also never get back.]

Don't mind me. Just catching my breath before I fuck off.

[calamitish]

[ did someone say his name? here he is!!! popping up as obnoxiously as always. ]

Hello, hello! You rang?

[calamitish]

last chance;

[ you won't find ish immediately among the others in the gardens: he has several other contracts to fulfill, and work is his priority. for the last time, at least. but eventually that's all said and done with and he can be found roughly in the center of the gardens, floating as he tends to do (hat on this time!) and watching everyone mingle. ]

Wellll that sure was a game, huh? I couldn't have done this without you, so you have my thanks! Oh, but I'm your host for just a little bit longer, so if there's anything else on your mind, last chance!

🔮 closed to hwylryn;

[ there's other private places on the grounds, but this is his favorite space here, with his favorite person. high above in the clouds away from everyone else, a certain dragon (in human form) in his lap. ]

Hmm...I've never really had a day off before. What ever shall I do with myself?

[ sing-song, teasingly. ]

[siffriend]

[ The Witch had one request for them, after all.

... So, um. Sorry. Siffrin is just gonna be staring at him for a while. Couple minutes, if he's granted that. ]

[arbalestrier]

[Once they're back, he gets directed to the container with their personal belongings and he makes a beeline for it. Digging through the mess, he grabs a number of items that a Japanese high schooler definitely shouldn't have, such as a few grenades, more knives, a five-shot revolver and several spare magazines. Last but not least, he takes out a semi-automatic pistol and starts examining it right then and there. You might have to tell him to get out of the way if you're looking for your own stuff...

After that, he stays in the garden, apparently fiddling with the mascot costume. There's a robotic-sounding voice coming from the headpiece while Sousuke fiddles around with it (while outside of the body of the costume, thankfully). If you end up glancing over for whatever reason, Sousuke will look up from what he's doing.]

Are you interested in purchasing one?

[Surely something like this would be useful even in other worlds... right?]

[siffriend]

[ Siffrin had ducked into the bin to gather what few things belonged to them, including a silver coin (precious, always with you) and a dagger, but the meat of this is...

... will be the costume. Sousuke's a range of earthy colors, and the mascot is. Something. Very nice colors. ]

... Yeah. How much?

[fourtuity]

[ Deep breaths. The wound on her arm isn't nearly as bad as it was on Tuesday, but today's battle has definitely left more than a few bruises and cuts on her. All of her manic energy from earlier seems to have dissolved, leaving in the gardens an exhausted girl who really just wants to go home.

But there's still people to look for before she does that. ]

...Somehow, I think Nevada is still worse.

[ Later on, she'll be found in the solarium, getting one more fruit for the road. And yes, she's still dragging around that bloody axe with her. It's not leaving her hands. But depending on the person, she may be willing to relocate for a little bit.

She'll also visit the primrose suite one last time. After all, she did leave a lot of stuff there. And...what was with the prop bracelet she got on Monday? ]

[simulacres]

Oh, that's where Saber and I are going back to.

[ SAID REALLY CASUALLY. ]

[perfectpower]

[Brad can be found outside, experimenting with the magic he's gotten back. A pile of random objects from the mansion can be found around him, and he's making a grabbing motion with his hand as he frowns.]

Not quite right. Hmm.

[He moves his hand slightly to the left, and suddenly a bottle of booze appears in his hand. This result makes him grin.]

Oi, need anything from the mansion? I can get it right here.

outside

[safetycheck]

Bradley?

[ That motion. Is he trying to use his magic?

She tilts her head curiously. ]

Is your hand oka- [ and then the booze appears. ] ...oh. That's what you were trying to summon.

[the_obedient_servant]

[Staring up at the sky, there is an emotional freefall brewing in their chest. The reality of the situation hits them, the challenge is bested, and now they're free.

Free?

They're free? Just like that? Free from the confines of their limited world, free from the trappings of their own cosmic purpose? What kind of sick joke is that.

They hold a knife in their hands - it looks like it was once used for gardening, but now it radiates a dull red colour, power comes off of it. They have their powers back. They can return. Wait for another eternity that won't arrive. Or it will arrive, and they'll be stuck again.

They feel sick.

Their voice wavers.]

What was any of it even for, then? To be solved in such a... such a trivial manner? [They stare down the knife like they're only just now realizing how meaningless this all is.

* Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same...

* Except you don't exist?

* Everything functions perfectly without you...

* Ha, ha. The thought terrifies me.]

[perfectpower]

Solved trivially or not, it opens a world of possibilities now.

[Brad isn't one to speak of hope, but he does speak of practicality. And practically speaking, they all have choices now.

He speaks a little quieter, just so Chara can hear the next part:]

If you wanna go somewhere else, you can come to my world. Though that means seein' mine 'n Cain's ugly mugs sometimes.

[antline]

[Make merry one last time. And what a time it was. Sariel is finally here, back as he should be. And this time- there's a giant black wing that unfurls from his back, stretching. He only has the one wing. There's a pause, and then he seems to realize something.]

I need to say goodbye to the ants.

[And so, with the wooden ant in a pocket, he's wandering over to squat next to the hedges in the garden, whispering little goodbyes to the ants in the soil.]

[He'll say goodbye to everyone else, too, as he's raising his head to look at whoever is nearby with a nod.]

So. It's time to go, isn't it...

[antemeridian]

[ it's time to go. time isn't real. both these things are true, so here they are, at least for now. ]

... Ah.

So the Head Researcher didn't take it all from you, then?

[ didn't he say they were torn from him? ]

[divineth]

[Finally, it's over. The weight hasn't been completely lifted off of Urianger's shoulders, but...there's relief to be found in that everything is mostly as it should be.

At the start, he can be found being a wallflower to everyone's merrymaking, finding contentment in seeing things slowly returning to normalcy and sharing in the relief that this is all over. For a man of saying many words when only a few would suffice, he finds himself not knowing what to say in the moment. But he won't be adverse to people approaching him.

Eventually he makes his way for the water lily suite to switch back into his usual clothes and maybe catch his fellow water lilies while he's there. They can finally all be together again, even if it's only for a night.

His lips curl into a small, wistful smile as he removes his goggles.]

I shan't forget the positive memories we shared.

[The little moments of peace they had as a group before everything went to hell.]

wallflower

[safetycheck]

How long are you going to stand there for?

[ Wallflower, meet morose young lady who is insistent on not leaving you alone, apparently?? ]

Come on, don't look so solemn. This is a good thing.

[ But she does sound a little sad. ]

[frostlight]

[The temperature in the garden drops sharply and lasts for a mere moment, as if someone had opened the window to a blizzard and shut it straightaway.

At the garden, Tia stands off to the side with a lantern in one hand and a blade of concentrated ice in the other. The latter brims with magic—the bulk of her power manifested into a more manageable form lest the land around her freeze. She turns away, presumably in search of a quieter corner to while away the time left to them, which happens to be by the fireplace nestled in the narcissus suite.]

[coldseep]

( An unfamiliar dragon of a modest size calls out to Tiamat in the garden - and she hears his jovial voice first— )

Tiamat!

( —before the winds suddenly whip around her in a frenzy, and that Extremely Long dragon is circling around her like a joyous whirlwind, the scent of the air sea breeze. )

Tiamat! Tiamat! You're back! You're well!

( Those big dragon eyes miiiiight just be crying big ol dragon tears, )

pick a room, any room, or even the gardens tbh

[distain]

What a shame that all of this will go to waste. It really wouldn't be missed.

[Andrew is pretty sure she's talking to herself. At least, hopefully, that's what she's doing!

She's got the stuffed capybara under one arm and the fox...thing...under the other. With one last baleful look at all of this wealth that will go wasted, thinking about the inheritance she's about to forfeit, she just kind of...shrugs and turns on her heel.

Though she's trying to jet out of here unnoticed, this top-level wouldn't exist if she couldn't be caught. If she is caught, however, she will say, as if she expects this to be the beginning and the end of the conversation:]

I wish you a long and happy life.

[The same as if it was the Monday after she walked in here. Any conversation beyond that pleasantry might surprise her.]

observatory to close us out

[siffriend]

[ It seems ages ago, when Siffrin had first found her at the top and sat beside her. Quiet, watching the stars, with minimal words and comfortable with that.

Until they'd begun to spy on Dan Heng and Blade, anyway.

He trots in now, staring at the warmth (warm, that's a good way to describe things) of the wood and the brightness of the astrolabes, unchanged with their wish, then at Andrew herself.

(She doesn't seem much different than before. You're relieved, just like with Yoru.

... There is one difference, though--) ]

You have pretty eyes.

[snakeblood]

[ When he has his body back, free from those "additions", he feels like he can breathe. Ironic, really, that. Considering... But anyway, the gnawing feeling that he was headed to a maw that couldn't escape has gone. For now. Immortality wasn't for a snake's skin, to be discarded eventually, outgrown. He feels it again, their presence, on his skin. He's not alone in his head any more. More the reason to not be think too deeply.

He proceeds to the water lily suite, to dress in the clothes he arrived in, the clothes that he's always in every Monday, hopefully not catching anyone else there while he does. Finding his cellphone and whatever else at the garden bin is a lot more difficult. And it irritates him (it's filthy like this, strewn amongst other people's things).

With that done, he's ready to leave. He's not taking a fox (you'd be nuts to think he would), and he's ready to pretend this all never happened. He has to anyway. How'd he going to explain this nonsense to him? Better to pretend. Even if he'd like to complain and whine about it all. Even though, for a while, the distance between them was a distance that couldn't be crossed any more. He wants to be comforted, but that's not something he would or could admit.

Anyway, he's not saying goodbye to anyone. ]

[siffriend]

[ Don't worry Yoonhee, the government assigned introvert friend will catch him leaving out of the suite.

...

(He doesn't look too different, either. Cain and Hickey were the only really surprising ones of the suite, huh?) ]

You were talking to The Witch earlier.

[ Just an observation, with the unspoken curiosity attached. About what? ]

[remainsilent]

[ Here is Dan Heng being a wallflower. If anyone approaches he will lift a hand up. ]

Hello there. Will you be off soon?

[ Or find him in Primrose picking up his floor bedding to put it away. Maybe it's pointless to clean up, but it didn't feel right leaving the mess. ]

[coldseep]

( Dan Heng may have seen Hwylryn's dragon form (not so big) out in the gardens at any point, but, while he pops into Primrose to put away his things, he'll find Hwylryn (humanoid) entering not long after. He seems a little surprised to see Dan Heng, but, after a few moments, he puts on something of a smile. )

... Are you taking those with you?

( why else clean up, )