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]

I could do that with my eye shut now.

[ Been there, done that. A lot. With Hwylryn's eyes closed, they let a fond look settle as warmth settles across their skin. An embrace, almost.

(Maybe you should try this on Raha sometime.) ]

... I'm close, probably. I have leads, at least. And... as long as I do, then there's something to try. That's what Loop says. It shouldn't be long.

[ Just another month and a half's worth. ]

[coldseep]

( Mmmm content with the skritchies, and yet, so at odds with the excitement he feels for Siffrin... they really sound so sure. )

The~n, if you're that close, you're practically there, right?

( He doesn't worry about advocating letting it get to Siffrin's head - they seem too cautious and determined for that! But Siffrin sounds certain, and he would very much like Siffrin to succeed, and didn't Hwylryn learn to use magic by believing his feelings with such certainty that they becomr true?

To some, it may seem like a jinx to speak as if it were decided fact - but, to Hwylryn, he imparts a good luck charm. )

When ( when! ) you succeed, and when you've had a million celebrations with your family and your dearest loves, ( g'raha ??? loop ?? belle besties ?? all of them!!!! ) you have to tell me, too, and you have to tell me all about it, and when I see you... we can throw you an even bigger celebration. I'll tell Ish all about it, and we can prepare... A departure from the past and a greeting for the future. You've worked hard enough.

( he just wants to throw siffrin a huge party, they deserve it, )

[siffriend]

[ (Oh no.) ]

Um. I'm not good with being the centerpiece. So a small departure for the future would be fine, Hwylryn.

[ Please do not throw them a big bash. ]

I... think I would like that, though. Saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new. I'll tell you when I'm out.

[coldseep]

( Amidst that pleased chuffing, there is a distinct huff - like an animal huffing when otherwise contently asleep on Your cozy bed, mildly inconvenienced. )

Not even a medium departure?

( He says in a sort of fiiiiiine tone, his eyes opening half-lidded. )

... But... okay. If it has to be something small, we can go somewhere fun to celebrate. And I'll make sure it's just as fun as a full festival.

( He has no particular idea of if this means he visits Siffrin's home or they visit Hwylryn's (new) home or this will be a celebration somewhere else entirely, but it doesn't matter all that much to him. He'd like to see where the wind guides them when the time comes.

Until then, he rolls his head, pressing a big cheek into Siffrin's little palm, his eyes squeezing shut in the process. Rubrub!! )

It's a promise.

[siffriend]

[ Such a large dragon, and yet so careful to make sure he doesn't overstep where it comes to weight and strength. Siffrin closes their eye to hide the softness that fills their gaze (Hwylryn doesn't deserve it so soon, but you can't help but feel it among the rest of your emotions,) and rubs their hands against his large cheek. ]

... I'll, um. Look forward to it. And... seeing you again, too.

[ ...

Siffrin lifts Hwylryn's head up a little -- or tries, let him do this, just to sort of be eye-level. ]

Do your best for Junior and The Witch, okay? Listen to them. And don't assume you know what's best for either. That's... how people get hurt.

[ How G'raha has hurt him, in some small ways. How many people get hurt. How Siffrin might hurt others in the future. ]

[coldseep]

( Ah... A vast great silver gaze, the color of an arctic sea, meets Siffrin's own. The breeze ruffles their hair, and the flare of sea-mane that runs along his ridge. )

... Okay.

( A simple answer, almost childish, but it's one he decided on after much thought. To say that he promises or that he'll try, to Hwylryn, feels a little weak - and to say he doesn't want to hurt them is redundant, as he's already shown himself quite capable of hurting those he loves.

Besides, Siffrin's words don't feel like accusation, though there'd be a rightness in them, even if they were. "Okay" sounds most sincere on his tongue, for what could be portent or advice; for someone who, despite the injury he's done, wants to see him again. It's not a warmth he deserves, maybe, but it's one he'll return. )

I love them more than anything... and I'm really lucky they love me as I am. You can go thousands and thousands of years without finding people like that. ( Long enough, that sometimes you wonder - was that it? Was that the last chance I had to love and be loved, forever? ) ... It's trickier to figure out how to live for someone than it is to die for them, but I'll figure it out.

( Death is easier than trying, he's figured. Trying to make up to Junior for what he's done will be a task far more complex than falling upon some sword in apology, and seeing that he doesn't bring harm to Ish or Junior - or these others he cares so deeply for, Siffrin included - will be a far more vigilant effort than finding some battlefield to die upon in grief.

It's part of what scared him so much about choosing to live. )

... I'll look forward to seeing you, too. We'll both probably make mistakes before we meet again, but I hope you'll be kinder to yourself for yours.

( As for Hwylryn's... well, he'll let Ish and Junior be the judge, jury, and executioner. He's all right with that. )

[siffriend]

[ ("It's trickier to figure out how to live for someone than it is to die for them," almost makes you laugh. Ahhh, isn't that the truth. It is so much easier to die.)

... Siffrin will pet him very gently again, truly actions speaking more than words in every case. ]

... I'll try. [ Sincerely. ] I... am not really kind to myself, but... I'll try. Since you're going to figure out something hard, I guess I could, you know. Figure out something hard too.