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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[siffriend]

[ (You'd gotten so used to Cain being able to see you first thing in the morning that it's strange, now, that he doesn't.)

And so as soon as he speak, Siffrin's footsteps swiftly bring him to Cain-- for a hug, arms wrapping around the knight with a shaky exhale.

(You missed him so, so much.) ]

One and only.

[ All they can say, right now, too much wanting to spill. ]

[fillintheblanket]

[Richard and Ayaka can each have one, as a treat. The fox's ears flick as it looks Richard up and down, and Our fur is a little alike!]

The foxes are linked to each other, like the crystals.

--The girl, Ayaka, has one too.

[Technically pet permission has been given--]

[fillintheblanket]

They're bootlegs.

[That doesn't explain anything.

The proffered fox gives an agitated swish of its tail, We're just here for a different reason! That doesn't make us fake!

Yamanbagiri pauses, as though he's about to start arguing with the creature, but ultimately shakes his head.]

You'll find them useful, and I can't take them home with me. We can't leave them here, either.

[siffriend]

[ A shame he hasn't, but Siffrin supposes people used to color wouldn't think to describe others that way. They grin down at the fox (you think it is so cute) and then direct a softer one at Yamanbagiri. ]

Then you should accept mine and say thank you back. They don't teach you manners in swords school, huh?

[ But it's just some gentle ribbing, don't worry. ]

[fillintheblanket]

[The fox sniffs a little, Is this one damaged?

.... It probably smelled lingering blood, but it's fine.]

The Witch Ish made them for someone's wish.

You can use them if you want to talk to each other after you all go home.

[diel]

[ there he is. cain cain cain. he stands there like a waiting sun. all of yoru’s feeling for him bloom fresh and beautiful, as though he’s never tried to kill them at all. as though time apart had allowed them to extent their roots deeper in his chest, spreading to all of him.

it seems true. all of him fixes on cain, his entire body tilts toward him.

yoru flies up the steps, taking them two at a time. ]

Cain.

[ - is all he says to warn cain as the force of his yearning, all of it, slams into cain when yoru throws himself into his arms. and yoru realizes that cain’s name had at some point meant ‘i love you’ on his tongue. it makes him tremble.

love love love. ]

[diel]

[ oh, is that how it is? he’s being pulled up this time instead of down down down down. there isn’t much difference, he’s just as breathless in either scenario. the sky seems to swallow him and there’s only one person who plays - no, had played with him in this manner. ]

Hwylryn.

[ soft as he holds back all feelings from the name.

he eyes hwylryn, head tilted curiously - and cautiously. he’s happy to see hwylryn, though he doesn’t want to be. they should be curled together, two creatures, in the air as they had in the water. this is the trap he’d allowed himself to fall into, letting hwylryn claim him only to find himself unwanted after all.

a great shock, a great wound, and yet he had expected it to happen eventually. it was just so much sooner than he’d predicted.

but he had accepted the reality of it in death. so what’s this? ]

Why? What did?

[arbalestrier]

[Honestly, the fact that the fox talks flusters him more than if it was a wild animal chewing on his clothes. Even putting aside the fact that the markings make it stick out like a sore thumb, he wouldn’t know how to do explain any of this to anyone back home. He couldn’t leave it in the jungles of Merida Island, either; the tiger he left there could very well eat the fox in a bite or two.

But also, uh.]

…Is it good at running?

[He’s imagining it being used like a carrier pigeon but on land…]

[arbalestrier]

[whomst]

[calamitish]

[ help.

ish smiles. ]

The correct answer is no, isn't it? But I think it's more complicated than that.

[snakeblood]

Hmm. Okay, that's unfortunate.

[ one last bothering the witch... He sighs about it as he goes off. ]

[calamitish]

We have Junior!

[ sorry he's bought into this insanity. ]

[calamitish]

Sure, I can do that. What can you offer me in return?

[antemeridian]

I don't know that I am.

[ kind, that is. she isn't. she's been called cold and callous and uncaring so many times. ]

I just don't think there's any point in being cruel. ... I did not mean to imply there's a need for you to change yourself, though. Just that if you want to understand more, and there's a way for it to be done, I hope you find it.

[calamitish]

It's not like she doesn't love us. [ didn't? it's still too raw. ] But she made us by cutting off pieces of herself.

I'm most of her emotions.

[ so this is why he will always be a Clown, in some form. ]

[snakeblood]

[ Does he look like he has anything on him right now? ]

Like what...?

[calamitish]

[ he smiles into the not quite kiss, sighs into the not quite whisper. his thoughts are fuzzy and his chest feels warm, but-

-here between the two of them, he shouldn't deny his feelings. it's safe for him here. ]

...I think the Witch will be better. eventually. [ better in the sense that he'll be more fulfilled, better in the sense that he'll have just happiness in his ribcage and not a dull ache.

he dips down not for a kiss, but to curl into hwlyrn's neck. very snake behavior, but he wants the warmth being humanoid provides. ]

[calamitish]

You have your abilities back, don't you?

[ sorry no freebies! ]

[antline]

...

[He glances down at the ground, hands trembling, before he clenches them into fists.]

I...don't know.

[Quietly:]

You said you did it out of love. But I was scared.

[snakeblood]

You want to curse someone? Seal something? [ Rolling his eyes in exasperation. He says the next part sarcastically: ] Or do you want some stupid singing?

[calamitish]

I'll pass on the singing. What do the curses do, exactly?

[coldseep]

( What a question. Hwylryn reconsiders his resolve not to drop Yoru, but Yoru remains aloft.

He instead begins to drift around Yoru in a circle, his heart full of ache.

He wonders if Yoru knows how hard it is for him to hold back his tears, how much he wishes to just throw himself at him and hold him so tight that he may as well crush Yoru into dust again. But - so long as Yoru seems to gaze at him like they're somewhat strangers, he can't. And that hurts him, too. )

... You don't think there's anything that's happened recently that could have hurt me? Anything at all?

[snakeblood]

Exactly as it says on the tin. It's a curse. You don't necessarily have to kill them, but you can bring them excuriating pain, delirium, hallucinations, etc. It's based on what your wish is.

cw suicidal ideation mention

[coldseep]

( Hmmm...

He was already on his haunches (kind of like when a cat is parked on the floor), but he seems to shift, so he's on his tummy - the elevation difference isn't significant, but he does drop a few inches, sure.

Then he seems to lower his head a little bit, so he's not looming over Sariel so much. He wants to remain a dragon right now, but he's trying to be a little less imposing... for once... )

... I'm sorry.

( The tone is sincere, even if the expression is vague. )

You were very fearsome and powerful. And you continued, despite everything. And I thought...

( He trails off here, considering. He shouldn't say he didn't mean to scare Sariel - it's true by technically, but that's a little deceitful to say: Hwylryn was going to kill him regardless of how he felt.

Hwylryn doesn't really want to deceive about these things. This murder was the foundation he's building his family life upon - he ought to be proud of it. And he has to accept what he's lost in so doing. Wasn't that the point of his exercise?

... )

... I think... I was hoping that you'd kill me. And so... in some way, I got excited. Even though that was cruel to hope from you, too.

( He wishes it were as simple as dismissing his desire to die the moment he began this plan - or, even now. He doesn't know when this will go away, if it ever will.

It's... complicated, and Sariel is a simple creature. He didn't deserve to be wrapped up in it. )

[spotsalone]

[ Oh cool that answers nothing. Hickey looks down at the living creature in his arms. He's self aware enough to know that giving him this thing is probably a bad idea. ]

And how would I do that, exactly?