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]

[ ... ]

Not really. There was a room that had a starry door, so I'm pretty interested in that... and there was a book in one of the storage rooms that hurt my head to look at. So I think that one, too. It was just a plain book with a title I didn't know how to read. And...

[ And... ]

One with a sparkly tree on it, that gave me a headache too. So I'll probably check them out and see what they are. The last one might be about Favor Trees, though. They're the center of every town in Vaugarde, but their story is pretty universal.

[ (That's why you know how to wish on them.) ]

[allrounder]

So you will begin there.

[ He sounds placated by that. ]

I do hope that they can assist you in breaking the loop itself. [ But there's a heaviness to his words, a reminder of their conversation not even a week ago. ] Perhaps provide a means for you to find the specific moment that will unwind time and allow it to march forward again.

[ ... ]

You know the reason, at least partially. The rest should be somewhat easier for you to solve.

[siffriend]

... Well, reason aside... I don't know how it happened, so I can't undo it. That's how magic works.

[ Curses, blessings, whatever... this is. It's formulaic across universes.

(You remember too, now. That Loop was trying to help you figure it out. And...

... You already had the idea, from that, that... maybe, something else was afoot, too. You just don't want to think about it until it's important. But you, and The King, can both at least manipulate Time Craft.

You just don't know why! But it's connected, after all, to--

you.) ]

Time Craft is... impossible, after all. There's theories, but that's all they are -- theories. Because it takes too much energy out of someone to use, if they managed it somehow. They'd probably die even going back a few minutes.

[ And yet, somehow, Siffrin survives literal days. Finding out the how and why are important; they don't think that telling their family members will solve everything. But... they can try, anyway. A little. One of these loops.

... A beat, squeezing G'raha slightly. ]

I... think you'd like Loop, you know. They're more closed off than me, but... they've been helpful, and they aren't so bad to talk to. You'd have fun figuring them out. They'd hate it.

[allrounder]

[ So Siffrin can manipulate something that just about no one else can, huh? It's clear that he is the one doing it, after all, though he doesn't state it outright.

Now isn't the time to say something about how they're unique and special in their own way, otherwise he very much would. ]

I've half a mind to believe you want me to figure them out for you.

[ A jest, but he sees where Siffrin is coming from. G'raha does like a good puzzle and it's not really a large leap for them to make. ]

They must be similar to you in that way, at least. I imagine that is the point on which you two relate.

[ Because he knows Siffrin hates every time he tries to figure them out. ]

1/3

[siffriend]

[ Funnily enough,

Siffrin would not count G'raha as particularly dodgy, though G'raha and Loop certainly share that trait. He's always been quite open, in their opinion. ]

... Maybe. They're pretty dodgy most of the time, and always remind me there's no point in getting to know them when I've got my hands full with my looping problem.

[ (Actually.

Would Loop still be around, after you break the cycle? Or... would they disappear?

...

Huh.) ]

But I...

[ ... ]

2/3

[siffriend]

[ (Oh.

You can do that now, can't you!

You didn't think of it sooner, and everything was-- everythinging before, but--!) ]

3/3

[siffriend]

Raha, let me go a second. I just remembered something I wanna do.

[ Wiggle wiggle. Release the beast.






What conversation. ]

[allrounder]

[ G'raha pulls away, but gives Siffrin an unsure look. What the hell is he going to do...? Much to G'raha's chagrin, he's entirely unpredictable.

But... that's kind of why he likes them anyway, even if he's loathe to admit that, even to himself. ]

What is it that you want to do?

[siffriend]

Stay here and close your eyes. I'll be right back.

[ A beat. ]

I promise.

[allrounder]

[ Siffrin has no grounds for calling G'raha exhausting when they do things like this.

...

But with a sigh, he'll close his eyes. ]

[siffriend]

[ (Oh good, he still trusts you.

That'll be useful later.)

For now, though...

Siffrin makes sure their footsteps are heard as they walk away, since they're aware of the ghostly silence otherwise...

... ... ...

... and within another minute the footsteps return, Siffrin's familiar grip gently taking G'raha's hand as they open it and set something light inside it. ]

Okay. You can open them, now.

[ It'll be a flower. A peony for the curious, so lightly pink it might as well be white with a hue. ]

[allrounder]

[ He's patient because he does trust them in spite of many, many things. It's why his eyes are closed when Siffrin returns, and he only slips them open when commanded.

The light weight in his palm was difficult to discern, so when he spots the flower, a smile blooms across his face, surprised and delighted in equal amounts. ]

A flower, as you promised.

[siffriend]

I do try and keep them, my Raha.

[ Throughout any and all the bad... that's still true. Siffrin does try and, as it turns out, succeeds.

(You're happy you can make him smile. You know... you aren't the only one who can, and... there's smiles that aren't just for you, but...

...

Maybe, someday... there will be. One just for you, and no one else.) ]

I'll make you a ring sometime, if you'd like. I'm not half-bad with metalwork, and... it'll last longer, too.

[ Even if they can't always remember the parts of a forge, ]

[allrounder]

[ They do and he's seen proof of that now, what with their determination to escape the other garden and all, but...

...

Give him a moment. ]

A ring?

[siffriend]

Yeah.

[ What? ]

[allrounder]

[ Oh. So it's...

He gazes down at the flower thoughtfully. ]

You would not craft a bracelet or an earring instead?

[siffriend]

[ (...?) ]

Would... you like a bracelet more...? We're already doing earrings, so...

[allrounder]

Indeed we are.

[ So... hm. ]

What... sort of ring would it be?

[siffriend]

[ (Are there other types of rings?) ]

A flower one?

[allrounder]

[ Oh. A flower one is nice... he holds onto the peony a little tighter. ]

Would there be... um. A purpose for the ring?

[ Or is it just to have it? ]

[siffriend]

[ (A purpose...

...

Oh.

Oh!!! He thought you were proposing, didn't he!!!

Haha. He already accepted, that.) ]

Just to have. Unless... you'd like it, to mean something?

[allrounder]

[ HELP ]

Well. Um. If you would like for it to, then...

[ That would be fine. He isn't opposed, honestly, and he feels like he's beginning to realize the significance of the peony right now. ]

[siffriend]

Raha.

[ (How many times have you said his name, and only his name?)

The tone for this one is fond, a huff of laughter running though two syllables. ]

What do you want?

[allrounder]

[ What does he want indeed? He finds it a difficult question to answer, only because he so rarely allows himself to answer it. ]

I… want nothing more than to lay side by side with you as we gaze upon the night sky, perhaps near an ancient excavation site or on our way to remote location marked upon a treasure map.

[ However that can be translated into a ring… that’s what he wants. ]

[siffriend]

[ Boy. ]

You're always so indirect.

[ That wasn't direct enough??? Apparently not. Siffrin'll take his hands, careful with the flower. ]

For now, it can be a promise. Okay?