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]

[ 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.

[siffriend]

[ Yeah, the familiar sound of Urianger's footsteps (you could never forget someone from Water Lily's steps, ever; they're imprinted on your memory, just like your family members') already has them tense, and the call of their name makes them flinch just a bit

only, it... ends with a bow, and...

...

Siffrin stands there, uncertain, before stepping a bit forward. ]

Um. That's okay. I mean, you're fine. Forgiven.

[ ...

(You breathe in, and out.) ]

You... don't hate me?

[divineth]

[Urianger also breathes out, relieved. This is a bridge he genuinely did not want to let burn.]

Of course not.

[He makes it sound so simple, but obviously nothing is simple for Urianger so let him TL;DR a bit.]

In the moment, I was single-minded- focused on a fruitful conversation with hopes of formulating a stratagem to deliver us from our fate. I took ire with thine actions because to me, they only served to sew chaos and divide us when we needed to remain together the most.

However, Chara was correct in that it was cruel of me to disregard thy feelings for that purpose. I disagree with Ayaka and Richard's reactions, fervently so, but I did little to put that disagreement to proof.

I did wrong by thee, my friend, and for that I apologize once more.

[siffriend]

[ Of course not, he says, and

something in Siffrin cracks, just a little. While he prattles on, they shuffle closer to hug him tightly around the waist. About as high as they get on the elf comfortably.

... Physical affection, it would seem, has become something they're both practiced and craving. ]

It's okay. I was-- worried, since then, that... you did, and it scared me.

[ Because Siffrin really doesn't want to be hated by the people he cares about, and Water Lily is certainly part of that. All of them, Yoonhee. ]

I know it wasn't... the best time or place, but... I'd been mad, since the night before I died. Since they told me. I thought they'd say something before then. They didn't, and then-- no one cared, and I--

[ There's no tears, still never a drop, but their throat chokes up anyway. ]

[perfectpower]

[Aww. He sees Siffrin and will smile and wave.]

Welcome back.

[siffriend]

[ Huh... He's pretty much the same too, except the eyes and clothing...

(Actually.

His hair is like yours!)

Siffrin pulls a black lock to the front, staring at Bradley's two-toned with some level of happiness. ]

Thanks. Good work on the play. I liked your character a lot, she felt... very real, which is what you want. Have you acted before?

[perfectpower]

[Awwwwwww. Seeing the two-toned lock brings a smile to Brad's face.]

I had to pretend to be a big scary bandit king for decades. It took a long time for me to feel comfortable in that role. And nowadays I'm pretendin' to be a world-saving hero until I feel more comfortable with that too.

[siffriend]

[ Theirs is because they dyed it some months ago and it's been growing out since, but it counts! To them! ]

I think you don't have to pretend too much anymore, though. You've saved a lot of worlds now.

[thesharpestroy]

[Shiv notices Siff and their big old eyes staring.]

I don't know enough about space travel to tell if we can go find that tree after all. I might only get one trip.

[siffriend]

[ Them big old eyes!!!

Shiv doesn't look too different either, actually. Still bright. What a relief. ]

I don't know what space travel has to do with it, but it's alright. You can do it with any large tree.

[ Though, um. Sadly for Shiv. That sort of "magic" only works in Siffrin's world. ]

You remember the steps I told you?

[thesharpestroy]

[She doesn't think the magic will work in her world. If she's never seen any until now, that must mean that she's from somewhere that doesn't have it. She'll just be giving the thing she wishes she could have more than anything to the wind. It'll be a stupid and sentimental gesture.

Then again, some parts of the world look more kindly on stupid sentimental acts than what she's known her whole life, apparently.]

I fold a leaf from the tree and whisper the wish into it seven times, right?

[siffriend]

As many times as it feels right, yeah. Then you blow on it, and let it go.

[ And that's that! The Universe takes care of the rest. ]

I'll do it for you in my world, too. So that way the Universe really knows to listen for it.

[ ... Sorry, this has a high chance of actually working too, so Shiv should prepare to be given the chance to test out parallel world research in the future. ]

[ocenon]

[ Richard seems content with ignoring Siffrin – Ayaka's made no indication that she wants to start anything with them, and while he very much at least wants recompense for what they did to her, he's at least willing to keep the peace until his patience runs out, or someone tries something.

After a long while of staring, though, Richard has a Clearly Off-Screen conversation with someone, glancing over at them, before eventually sighing and making their way over to them. ]

Siffrin. You seem well.

[ It's very dry. ]

[siffriend]

[ (He's been talking to someone off-screen, like you do with Loop sometimes.




What a weirdo!!!!!)

Siffrin doesn't seem too bothered to be approached, staring at what used to be dark streaks in his bright hair. Oh, so those are red too... ]

Like you wouldn't believe. [ Anyway. ] Is your hair naturally like that?

[ocenon]

[



Oh, that immediately catches him off guard. ]

What do you mean?

[coldseep]

( Oh then surely you'll have a very normal viewing experience once you'll catch sight of a familiar dragon in a more palatable size that's draped across much of the garden. His expression is a little hard to read, being a dragon, but as he spots Siffrin, his head seems to tilt, then rotate, his neck curving up. It might read as a little familiar, perhaps in a way not welcome: it's how Hwylryn would tilt his head in his other form, if restrained by human anatomy. )

... Siffrin.

( He hasn't harmed Siffrin directly, but he'd be a fool to think no one spoke to one another there.

His tone is hard to read - even? tentative? Not knowing what flavor of Siffrin to expect, maybe. Not the one he knows, he's sure, which makes him a little sad. And, like with certain others, his voice is carried by the winds to Siffrin - it does not come from his vocal chords directly.

He seems to be gauging their reaction. )

[siffriend]

[ (So, what will you do? Disregard him? Or will you lunge at him anyway?

You said you didn't know, then. That... at the very least you wouldn't stab him. Since, from your meager understanding, that would answer his call of love.)

Siffrin stares back, guarded, and remains standing where they are at least.

(...

In truth,

you don't feel like reaching for your dagger at all.) ]

I don't understand. Your reasoning, or why you went so far.

[ There are so many ways to kill someone and battering them the way Hwylryn had somehow managed was not one of the more ideal. ]

[coldseep]

( If only temporary insanity were a justifiable defense, but we are, unironically, all mad here.

Hwylryn seems to consider this question for a time. He also considers - where to begin. He considers framing it with a question. He considers - he probably doesn't have access to that interplay with Siffrin right now, and this stifles some of Hwylryn's common means of communication.

Ultimately, he comes to no good decision at all about where to start or how to tell it. Ah, he's always like this.

Finally: )

... Junior said he just needed a single shot. But, to do it, G'raha had to be still. And, if he wasn't still, then the lattice would stagger him until he was still enough.

( In brief, Hwyl just wanted to inflict a little +Bleed. It wasn't created to be used as anything but an environmental hazard so Junior could lineup a headshot.

Well, such was the plan.

...

And then, like a separate vignette: )

I've wanted to change all my life, but I haven't known how.

I admire G'raha. I think... he's suffered, and he's come to know how to move forward. When I speak to him, things feel so clear.

I think I wished I could be like him.

( In the slightly further distance, his tail fwaps lightly against the hedge - in contemplation? Agitation?

The wind carries forth another story: )

He scared me.

I felt I could change, doing what I did. But though I had chosen to betray him, he still told me I could turn back, and do better. He wouldn't kill me. He wouldn't even strike me.

I couldn't go back, because I didn't like who I was. But moving forward meant meeting his gaze.

( And that

was so hard, on his heart. )

... I made promises. I was going to have a family. ( Maybe Siffrin will see an unpleasant piece of themself there. ) And I wanted to keep them. So I had to meet his gaze. And I had to fail him.

( Grief compounding upon grief compounding upon grief, throughout the week, until G'raha looked at him, unwavering - even until they departed.

He could not imagine there being a creature with a heart who did not lose themselves to grief in so doing. )

[uiscebeatha]

[ Guess who is NOT staring back!

This guy!!

But there's a grin on his face as his head turns, vaguely in Siffrin's direction. He knows those footsteps, too. ]

Is that who I think it is?

[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. ]

[uiscebeatha]

[ Cain is already laughing by the time he hears the footsteps rushing towards him; his arms are already open and receptive by the time Siffrin finds him. His eyes aren't even open when they would normally pop into view for him.

Of course, he squeezes back. Of course, he rocks a bit on his feet, if only a way to show how relieved he is. ]

I'm so glad you're back!

[ He'll let go, if only to settle his much larger hands over their head and hat and ruffle their hair joyously, and aggressively. ]

[remainsilent]

[ He's staring back before he gifts a questioning tilt of his head ]

Is something the matter?

[siffriend]

[ (Oh!!!!)

Siffrin shakes his head, but resumes staring. Dan Heng... isn't too different, but the shades-- the colors of his clothing, maybe, match some of Isa's... ]

No, I'm... simply getting used to something new. You have stunning eyes.

[remainsilent]

[ Someone needs to get Dan Heng to show off his real form.

Whatever he was thinking of saying is quickly forgotten at the compliment. ]

I-ah. Thanks? [ Normally people do not compliment him to his face. ] What are you trying to get used to it?