#already did isa and mira

[bogkeep]

reminiscing

[characters siffrin and odile are from in stars and time]

[hecksupremechips]

Btw I’ve started playing the funny stars and time game. The the one about the loopty loop and the white diamond ass shit

[abowlofsourcream]

⏳💫Congrats Stardust! You got Memory of Dreaming!💫⏳

I’ll make sure you won’t forget this!

…

Teehee! Sweet dreams, Siffrin!

…

If you got One Hat at the ending of the game, DO NOT READ THIS AFTERMATH! Get the secret in Act 6 and then you can enjoy this aftermath! If You got Two Hats, read on head! ;)

v Aftermath v

*…

*He should be here any minute…

*You can imagine them right now.

*The poor little thing probably is so confused…

*Their most likely aimlessly searching for the party, thinking the worst is happening!

*…

*You can’t help but pity him…

*…

*Finally, You see them come to the foot of the Favor Tree.

“H-Hello, guys? The villagers said I should go here… Is… Is anyone here?”

*They forgot their eyepatch and still wearing their undershirt and pants…

*…

*He looks so small…

*Were you this small? Back when it was you?

*Stars, has it been so long?

*That you don’t even remember what you look like?

“Mira? Isa? Madame? This isn’t funny!”

*You can’t help but stare.

*…

*Okay, you’re wasting the time you have…

*You did your part! Now, it’s their turn.

*It would be silly to ruin all your hardwork!

*You hop of the branch and put on your best performance!

“Oh! You finally found your way, Stardust?”

*They jumped at your voice.

“What the-?! Who… What?!”

*You put your hand to your face…

“Oh my, Stardust! That’s no way to greet someone! Especially someone who has been helping your friends!”

*That gets their attention, of course it does…

“You’ve seen them? Where are they? How can I get to them?”

*… Stars, you forgot how clingy you were…

“Stardust, you know where they are…”

*After all, They should remember now! Remember what they did to the others…

*They can no longer hide behind their ignorance anymore!

*They know it’s all their fault…

“B-But! W-will they be okay? Without me?!”

*What a stupid question.

*You imitate picking your nails…

“They were doing just fine without you before… Besides, are you really in any condition to do anything useful? Hm?”

*Ha! Even now… You can see how much the loops destroyed your body…

*No, it’s not your body anymore…

*They look down on the ground, ashamed…

“But… I’m the reason why we’re suck here… Shouldn’t I be the one fixing it?”

*That’s exactly what you were thinking…

“And how exactly do you plan to do that?”

*They rub their left elbow, looking defeated…

“I don’t know… I didn’t think that far…”

*…

*It’s amazing, how clueless they are…

*But it’s fine…

*That’s why you’re here!

“Well, I have an idea… You might want to try it!”

*They look at you, confused.

“Why? I barely know you, yet you somehow have me already figured out?”

*Ha, of course!

*How could you forget how paranoid you were!

*You roll your eyes.

“Believe me, I’m probably the only one who could understand how that silly little brain of yours… Unless, you want the others see how awful you really are?”

*Yea, that shuts them up.

*So eager to please, in hopes of getting people to stay…

*It’s funny how easy you are able to shift him into place…

*How pathetic…

*How disgusting…

“Hm… They should be nearing the third floor by now…”

“Hmm…”

“You want to hear my plan, now?”

*They chew on the inner part of their cheek.

“Hmm, okay… If it can help the other’s, okay…”

*You take a deep breath.

*Mira asked you not to do anything stupid.

*She made you promise to watch over them…

*She would be heartbroken if she knew what you were planning on doing…

*The others too…

*You would be betraying the little trust they had with you…

*…

*But…

*But that promise was for this Siffrin, wasn’t it?

*She’s not your Mirabelle…

*She could never be your Mirabelle.

*Your Mirabelle is long gone, you think about that every blinding loop...

*Just like your Isabeau, your Odile, your Bonnie, they are all gone!

*Why should you care about that mere copy of your precious family that you destroyed?!

*IF ANYTHING, THEY SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO YOU.

*For the fact that you’re letting them escape…

*For fixing this mess…

*Once and for all…

“You could… Make a new wish…”

*His eye grows wide…

“But-”

*You take the coin from their pocket.

*You roll it across your hand.

*They stare at you…

“You can use this…”

“How did you-”

“You know how. Stars, you can be so annoying…”

*You can’t hide the venom in your voice.

*Sorry, Odile…

“Come on, Stardust…”

*You hand them the coin…

“Let’s take this from the top, and get it right this time!”

*They look at the coin, conflicted…

“After all it’s the least they deserve,”

*You make sure that they can hear you.

“After what you put them through…”

*You see their face crumpled as you say that.

*Yep, that got them…

*They take the coin and looks at them…

*Looking at you for any guidance.

*They only have you.

*…

*How tragic…

”Make your new wish, Stardust, and free your family…”

*He looks at the coin, cautiously…

*…

*They close their eyes…

*Breathe into the coin.

*Repeat the wish three times.

*Holds it to his chest, to keep it safe…

*Then… They flip it to you.

“So… Now what?”

*You see them yawn… The affect of your wish beginning to show on their face…

*Part of you feels guilty, on how easy this plan went…

*How all your little actors played directly into your hands.

*But you in to deep now, are you?

*This is what the Universe wanted from you…

*…

*They should be near the king now…

*…

*You can’t help but laugh!

“Now we wait!”

[lunarmoff]

You're not alone!

Sooooo I got into In stars and time a while ago and I came across an Au by @tealgoat called in tales of time. And its awesome!! I highly recommend it!! This fic takes place between Siffrin blast and End of act 5 falling. Anyways down below everyone has their own color for when they speak!

Odile: Blue Siffrin: Red Mirabelle: Pink Isabeau: Orange Bonnie: Green

<You can’t let them find out! No, no, no, no, no, NO! THEY’LL HATE YOU.> <What did Loop tell them!? IT DOESN’T MATTER JUST LOOP BACK-> <You feel a tug on your stomach. . . <. . . !> <You feel something grab onto your coat before you can loop back…You glance down to see none other than Sffrin climbing on your coat.> “Odile! Please! Stop running! You’ve been through all of this many times haven’t you? The way you went through the house without any problems by yourself… You knew what Mira’s papers were about…How you knew about Isa’s dream to design clothes…You taught  Bonnie to stand up to that sadness…And how you got me to open up about my forgotten past…” <Suddenly Siffrin looks up with you.> “Odile! What did you wish for at the Favor tree?!” <! No, no, no, no, no, NO!!!!> <The others down below become determined.> <NO! YOU CAN’T TELL THEM IF YOU DO THEY’LL HATE YOU- YOU DON’T WANT TO!!!!> “Tell us so we can help you Madame!” <Isabeau..> “Tell us already Dile!!” <Bonnie..> “Odile!!! This is what I wished for! I wished for Vaugarde to be saved!” “I wished for Nellie to be okay!” “I wished to be able to find you! To help you!” “And I wished to be able to help everyone!!! What about you Odile?” “What did you wish for!” <Mirabelle..> “What did you wish for, Dile!!!” <PLEASE STOP!!!!- I’M JUST SO TIRED! IT WON’T MATTER IT NEVER WILL!  I'M TRAPPED FOREVER IN THIS BLINDING PLACE!!! IT��S NOT LIKE IT WILL EVER COME TRUE!!!!!!!> <THEY CAN’T MAKE YOU TELL THEM! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE- LET ME REST!!!> “Tell us!!” “Tell us!!” “JUST TELL US!!!!” “TELL US- whoa- wha- AAAHHH!!!-” <Siffrin loses their grip and starts to fall. No! You won’t let him die because of you again!!!> <You quickly catch them with your hand and he looks up at you.> <Then- > <A flash you feel yourself return to normal. Your hair tie come out of its place letting your hair fall lose…> <You feel air around you as your family link their hand with each other and you as the stars shine above you.>

Art does not belong to me! It belongs to @tealgoat!!! Go check out her Au named In tales of time!! If you want to read the rest of the fic I'll put it down here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/58817581

[vulpixisananimal]

(Ramos)

(Wren belongs to @fungal--wastes)

(You gripped the windowsill and looked out on the rainy courtyard. You, Bonnie, Mirabelle, and Siffrin had all returned not too long ago and the whole place was in a panic. After Sif and Mira left, you and Bonnie had convinced Wren, Vixul, and Polaris to help you with the eventual sadness after you fixed Pols mind craft. After that Bonnie got worried about Mirabelle and Sif, so you trusted the three strangers with keeping everyone safe and ran.)

(You found Siffrin passed out, Mirabelle protecting them, and that sadness fighting a couple of strangers.)

(Strangers you knew.)

(You knew their faces, but couldn't put names to them. You couldn't put memories to them. Whatever they did to your head, the connection of what they did and who they are was severed. You know factually they're the ones who controlled you, but. . .)

(. . . They're gone now, and everyone was safe. You had to carry Siffrin back, but that was alright. He was surprisingly light, actually, and his cloak was really soft!)

(There's a knock on the door.)

"Come in." (You sigh, and step away from the window. Isabeau opens the door.)

"Hey Rams." (He says with a weak smile.) "Uh, Sif's feeling better. Do you, want to, uh, visit him?"

(Isabeau had been acting weird, but once you were back he was same as always. You checked everyone for mind craft, but there was barely a trace. You could tell by Isabeaus tone he was asking more for his own nerves than for you to check on Siffrin.)

"Uh, sure!" (You agree.)

"Thanks. . ."

(You exit the shared room and walk down to Isa and Siffrins. Isa knocks on the door, and the curly haired, dark skinned boy called Wren opened it. He was wearing a scowl, but aparently that's how he always looked.)

". . Come in you two." (He left the door open and walked back inside. Following him in, you saw Siffrin lying in bed, his breathing shallow, and a few bandages where there were cuts. Wren walked to one side of the bed and picked up a book, standing to read. Mirabelle sat in a chair on the other side, she was adorned with more bandages than Siffrin. She stood when you two entered.)

"Oh- are you two okay?!? Is everything-" (She starts.)

"Sit down, madame." (Wren interupts, not looking up from the book.) "Or you may open a wound."

"S-sorry." (She sat down again, sighing. Isa walks over to her, you stay at the foot of the bed.)

"Nervous?" (Isabeau asks, kneeling down next to her.)

"V-very." (She took a breath.) "Scared, too, and still a bit angry."

"Because of. . ." (Isabeau prompts.)

". . ." (She huffs.) "Because of those two crabbing idiots who caused this."

(You can related. You want to comment, but you don't. It felt wrong.)

". . We'll catch 'em, Mira." (Isa reassures her.)

"I, I know, but, what if we can't beat them??"

"You beat The King. No?" (Wren comments again from behind the book.) "A man who not only broke a fundimental rule of crafts, but on a continent wide scale? Why are you worried about two overzealous archaeologists."

"Too true!!" (Isa chuckles, patting Mirabelle's back.) "We beat the King! So I know we can do anything!"

"By the looks of things, you already had Perci on the back foot when me and Bonnie showed up." (You finally jump in.) "So, then, I don't think he could beat everyone."

"I-I think most of that was the sadness, to be honest." (She replies sheepishly.)

"Speaking of." (Wren interrupts again.) "You are absolutly sure it isn't a threat? And that it really did just, dissolve into a sugary smelling stone?"

"I'm positive."

"Mhm." (Wren looks up finally, then looks at you.) "Hmm. Ramos, you know mind craft, I'm sure you could check inside Madame's mind to make sure there is no sadness ready to strike."

"H-HUH?!?" (You're taken aback.)

"W-woah! Wait a second!" (Isa waves a hand, worried.)

"N-no no, it's fine! I-I understand."

"But, it's, well-" (It's that you have a bad record with using mind craft on people.) ". . . Do I have to?"

"I encourage it." (Wren replies.) "While I know a fair bit about physical, mental, and craftomical maladies, I cannot work mind craft. So I cannot make sure myself."

". . ." (Isabeau looked to the side.) ". . . If, if Mirabelle is alright with it. A-and, I trust Ramos."

"It'll be alright, Isa." (Mira reassures.)

(You sigh.) "A-alright. I'll, I'll try and be quick, and, not do anything."

(You walk over to Mirabelle and Isa, and kneel down next to her. The look on your face must have given away your nerves, because she smiled wider at you in support. You smile back.)

"Ready?"

"Ready."

(You reach up and make your hybrid rock/scissors sign, and place it against her temple. Show. Danger. Sadness. Show. Danger. Sadness. Show. Danger. Sadness-)

(In a click the world fell into a soup of sounds and sights that you had to focus to tune out. Show. Danger. Sadness. Mind. You focus. Signs of sadness. . .)

(. . . The ebb and flow of Mirabelles mind was chaotic and shifting. You felt like a deckhand holding onto a ships rigging for dear life. You saw glimpses of her memories, of schools, of sadness, of joy, of- stop that, focus. You reach a bit deeper.)

(. . . . . . . You feel something. You did reach to the sadness' mind when you first fought it, but it was nothing but screaming and emotion. You feel a bundle of that emotion, knotted, bouncing around her head at it's own will. But it didn't feel dangerous. In fact, it passed through you, and you felt. . . afraid? Afraid of what.)

(And just as it came, it passed. It wasn't a danger, just emotions. You let go of her mind.)

(Back to reality. You stood up, a faint smell of mint in the air. You shook your head.) "Whatever it once was, it's nothing now. Just a ball of emotions, I've seen it before in other peoples heads."

"Other peoples?" (Wren raises an eyebrow.)

"I-it was for a test!" (Isabeau jumps to your defence.) "Just, y'know, training and all."

(Wren didn't look convinced. Or at least you assume so, since his face didn't even change.) ". . . If it's not any trouble, would you kindly do the same for Siffrin?"

"Is, that nessesary?" (You ask, glancing nervously at the resting rogue.)

"It might be. He was fighting a master of mind craft, after all."

(He has a point, you look to your companions. Mira and Isa both gave you a nod, so you turn back to Siffrin, gulp, and place your hand to their sleeping mind.)

(. . . . Mind. Protect. Explore. Mind. Protect. Explore-)

(The world clicked again and everything melted away, you took a moment to tune your senses out, then focus on Siffrins mind. You had to look for-)

(You're standing at the foot of a favor tree. Bellow you are stairs leading to a black sand beach, above, the sky is lightless and filled with stars. Everything seems lucid yet foggy. It was so, so detailed.)

(Most minds you entered where abstract, some had a bit of physicality, but this was differen't. It was like a whole world inside Siffrins mind. You took a step, you looked around, you could walk. You could still feel your body over Siffrins bed, and move in this, mindscape. It felt like everything was flickering in and out of focus.)

(You reach out, focus, you had to focus. Mind. Protect. Explore. Mind. P-)

(You felt a hand around your throat and you felt yourself slammed into the favor tree. It was blurry, the world still flickered, but you could tell who was holding your neck and was looking at you with murder in their eye. Null.)

<What. Are. You. Doing. Here.>

(I, I was asked to, check, and make sure S-siffrins- your mind was- You feel the grip on you tighten, it, it felt so real how, how is this, possible?!?)

<Get. Out.>

(The figure got clearer. He, he looked like Siffrin, but, taller, and a bit more muscular. They had a a ponytail, a cloak only over one shoulder, and no eyepatch. You were terrified.)

(J-just, I'll be gone just, I need to check, if, there isn't, any mind craft here, or-)

<There isn't. Get out.>

[Oh my! Caught a rat, my dear friend Null?]

(Voice, you, almost recognised it. You look up, a figure jumped from the tree. A lightless body, and a bright, blinding head. They turned to you, eyes staring daggers into you. Loop.)

[Oh not even a rat, but a stupid, blinding flea!!!]

(P-please wait I'm-)

<Here to ensure we aren't effected by mind craft? I heard you the first time.>

[Oh is THAT why you're here? Well in that case then the only pests in our mind is you.]

(Loop walked towards you. You felt your legs quiver, you felt numb, your body felt numb. Loop reaches to you, a knife coming from nowhere and in your face.)

[I have so wished to be able to scream at you personally, Ramos~]

<Agreed.>

(I'll, I'll leave! I'll leave right now!! T-there's no need just-)

[Say, if I stab you, what would happen?]

(Your eyes go wide, breathing fast, you shake your head. Loop nods.)

[Oh yes, what WOULD happen! You see, we can't exactly die~ We just come back after a few days rest as peachy as before! But what would happen to someone like you-]

{Enough. Out.}

(You stumbled back away from the bed, falling on the floor, back to reality. That third voice threw you out, shoved you from the mind. You couldn't make it out, you could only make out, Null, Loop, some dark figure who appeared for only a moment, and, a-and, Siffrin? Did you see Siffrin peaking over the edge of the staircase?)

(You grasp at your throat, breathing heavily. Change, it, it felt so real. You felt like someones hands had been at your neck, someones knife at your throat, but, but your necks fine. Your bodys fine. It's, it's all fine.)

"R-ramos are you alright?!? Is Siffrin alright?!?" (Isabeau rushed over to you and helped you off the floor.)

(You shook your head, stars it felt hot.) "H-he's fine, j-just, I had, a-an interesting experience."

". . . Care to elaborate?" (Wren asks.)

(You look between Mirabelle and Isabeau. It was that private, personal thing you were all asked not to share.) ". . . I, well, it's private."

"My lips are sealed. Tell." (He was giving you A Look.) "I have already kept a number of secrets. If it's no danger to my friends, it wont leave this room."

(You hesitate, waiting for one of the other two to make the decision.)

". . . . You can say it, Ramos." (Isabeau finally speaks up.) "If, it's to make sure Siffrin's okay."

"A-alright. . ." (You breathe in, and out.) ". . . Siffrin has a mental disorder that, well, they have multiple differen't people in their head-"

"Dissasosiative Identity Disorder?" (Wren interupts. Again.) "Or some other non-specified identity disorder. Or do you not know." (You all shook your head.) "Reguardless, I know what this is and how important a secret it is to keep. Continue."

(Hmm, you wonder what that implies.) "Okay, well, when I went into their mind, it was, well, a place. A beach with a favor tree. Most minds are abstract but, not that. I started to poke around and I got slammed against the tree by, uh. . . I-I think it was, Null."

"O-oh!" (Mirabelle perked up.) "I-I mean, I'm, sorry that happened, b-but also, well, glad that, he's okay?"

"I don't think I've met Null. . ." (Isabeau ponders.)

"W-well, well, they told me that there wasn't mind craft, then, a star headed someone showed up-"

"Oh! Loop!" (Mirabelle smiled.)

(You nod.) "Yeah, Loop. They threatened me, I tried calming them down, I heard another voice I couldn't place and, I was kicked out."

"Fascinating. . . You will have to teach me mind craft, Ramos." (Wren looked back in his book.) "That's all I wanted to. . . . Are you sick, Ramos?"

"H-huh? No?"

"Really?" (Wren looked up again with the slightest of smiles.) "Your cheeks are off-shade, is all."

"H-HUH?!?!?" (You slap a hand to your cheek, burning hot?!?)

"Ramos?!?!?"

"A-are you BLUSHING?!?"

"N-NONONONO I'M NOT!!" (You hold up your hands and back away) "N-not blushing here!! Not at all no way now how I don't know why I'd be BLUSHING y-you guys must be seeing things!!"

(Isabeau looked at you, eyebrow raised, arms cross, and a slight smile.) "Do you uh, have something to talk about buddy?"

". . . . . I-I didn't think I did-" (You mumble.)

"Alright, that's enough you two." (Wren waves a hand) "Go have your lovestruck thoughts on the rogue away from me. Gods Polaris is already bad enough."

(You swiftly make your way out, head down. Once out you lean against the wall, panting hard. What, what the crab. Why are you blushing? WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING!?! You, y-you didn't, you weren't attracted to him like that were you?!?)

(You're so caught up in your thoughts you don't notice Isabeau trying to talk to you untill he has his hand on your shoulder. You jump, and turn.) ". . . S-sorry I- I- oh Change Isa I'm so sorry-"

"Woah buddy." (He put his hands up.) "Calm down, you're okay! I'm not mad or anything! Just, checking in!"

"You're, y-you're not?!?" (You were trying your blinding best to keep your heart under control.) "B-but, I, I, wasn't, didn't mean to-"

"Hey, breathe with me? Talk after."

(You pause, but nod. You follow his leade, and breathe in. . . . . And out. . . . .)

". . . Good?"

". . . N-no, but, better." (You rub your shoulder, looking away.) "I, just, o-okay. . ."

". . . . Soooooooooooo." (Isabeau leaned down to be face to face with you.) "He's cute, right?"

"H-HUH?!?" (WHAT?!?)

"What, am I wrong?"

"I-I, I mean n-no! I mean- well, he, uh, maybe, b-but-" (You had to take a second and shake your head.) "I, o-okay well, he, he is kind of cute." (You mumble out the last part.)

"Hmm?" (He was wearing that smug smile of his.)

(You cant look at him, tugging up your bandana to hide your face.) "I-I mean he's, he's cute but doesnt everyone think that?!?"

"Well, kinda?" (Isa put a hand to his chin.) "Sure he gets called cute, but for Odile she said it's more 'wow that's cute' then move on, same with Mira."

". . . ." (Oh no.) "A-and, they, don't dwell on it?"

"Nope!"

". . . A-are, you sure-"

"Positive! You got something in mind?"

(You sink down into your shoulders, tugging your bandana up more.) "U-uh. . . . Well, uh, how, how he, he holds a mug with both hands and takes a big drink?"

"And how he he always has a big stain on his face after?!?" (Isas eyes light up.) "Isn't that the cutest?!?"

(You laugh a little.) "Y-yeah! O-or how stretches before training or a long walk?"

"Oh be still my beating heart. . ." (Isabeau dramaticly holds his chest and mocks a faint, making you laugh a bit more.)

"What about when he's making a fire-"

"'Please be warm please be warm please be warm-'"

"Exactly like that!! It's so cute!!!"

"Oh! Don't forget those chubby cheeks!"

"How could I ever forget those chubby little cheeks-"

(You cut yourself off. You were about to list off every tiny little detail you had noticed about them. The hands, the legs, the hair, the cloak. The way he laugh, the way he yawned. The way they ran and fought. The way they carved. Just, just everything. Dread filled your stomach as it hit you.)

"O-oh, oh stars."

"Heh." (He had that smug smile again.)

(You turn around, headed back to the shared room.) "I'm going to go jump off the roof."

"No!!" (Isa catches up to you, walking side by side.) "How will you ever express your unrequited looooove~"

"Shut uuuup." (You sink down again.) "I'm going through the stages of grief give me a break."

"Oh absolutly not. I survived months of Madams teasing, it's about time I gave back."

"Months?" (You finally got back to the shared room, looking at Isabeau as you enter.) "It took you months to confess to him?"

"H-hey! We were all under a lot of pressure!" (Isa follow you in.) "And hey! That means if you confess to Siffrin soon you'll beat me byyyyyyoooohhiMadamegoodtoseeyou-"

(You turn around. To your unending horror, the Researcher was on her bed reading. Well, she WAS reading, now she was looking at the two of you.)

". . ."

". . ."

". . . Does being a defender make you particularly weak to short, white haired rogues?"

"Isabeau, please kill me." (You mumble.)

(Isa coughs into a fist.) "I don't think that'll save you."

"It wont." (Odile responds flatly.) "Do you two know how loud you were being in the hallway? By now the whole inn must know your 'secret.'"

"I'll just wipe my own memory that'll work." (You put your head in your hands.)

"Oh it'll be okay buddy, you'll survive!" (Isa pats your back.)

"No you wont." (Odile was back to her book.) "Mirabelle alone will be talking your ear off. Isn't that an entire genre in romance novels?"

"Enemies to Lovers, madame!"

"Exactly."

(You stomp over to your bed collapse. You're doomed. You close your eyes.)

". . . . Who were those guys anyway." (Isabeau ponders.)

"From what Mirabelles description, they both seemed skilled and educated on Island history." (Came Odiles response.)

"Not a lot of people who know about the island."

"True, that could narrow it down. What were their names again?"

"Perci." (You reply, sitting up again. Thank change the conversation moved on.) "Perci and Merlon."

". . . . . Hah! Haha!" (Odile was, laughing?) "Perci had messy hair, didn't he? And a fancy looking vest?"

"Uh, yeah? How'd did you-"

(Odile closed the book she was reading, and turned the cover for you to read.)

("History and identity of Mwudus lost funeral rites." Written by. . .)

"WHAT?!?"

". . . Huh!"

"Percival Monet and Merlon Monet." (Odile reads aloud.) "They have some reputation in historical and craftomical studies. Publishing historical accounts, reporting details on old ruins; they're known to travel the world for their reports."

". . ." (You stare in disbelief.) ". . . They're historians?!?"

"In some way. Perhaps Perci got far too invested in his work."

"Maybe. . . ." (You lay back down and roll to your side. Facing away.)

(They were just, historians.)

(You closed your eyes. You had, a lot to think about.)

[auncyen]

"Disappear...disappear, disappear, disappear...don't come back, don't come back, don't come back..."

M'dame Odile was right. You should have said something sooner.

Siffrin had been acting strangely since yesterday afternoon. When the bathroom break turned much too long, Mira encouraged Bonnie to share with you and Odile what they'd already told her: that Siffrin had run up to them while they were looking at the field and nearly grabbed them, only backing off at the last second, trying to laugh off the uncharacteristic behavior while looking sick to his stomach. Mira confirmed that she'd found Siffrin waking from his nap with a disturbed look on his face, and that beelining to the field had been the first thing he'd done. At the time, the explanation of a nightmare was enough for both Mira and Bonnie to not push further, and Siffrin had seemed back to theirself in the evening.

But Siffrin wasn't acting right again. They'd been tense all through the House, attacking Sadnesses at the slightest sign they might get close instead of skirting around and evading as they normally did, and at the same time listless, barely present when you all stopped and talked about something. They chimed in, yeah, but their tone had been flat nearly every time, even when they were beaming. None of those smiles had been real. All of them dropped the second they thought no one would notice.

"Something's wrong," Odile said before looking at you. "Isabeau. You should talk to them."

"Me??" You'd been trying to figure out what would snap Siffrin out of the weird mood all day and couldn't come up with anything. For all the work you'd put into expanding your emotional intelligence, it apparently was still lacking when you really needed it.

And yet Mirabelle nodded too, apparently convinced alongside M'dame that you were the one for the job. "They might listen if it's you!"

You'd really like to think that but also you didn't think that at all. "I don't even know what I'd say..."

"It doesn't matter," Odile said emphatically before amending herself. "Well, what's said does matter, but how it's said is important too. There's a reason I'm not volunteering myself for this, Isabeau. With how on edge he's been, he probably needs someone...gentle, at the moment. But being gentle doesn't mean passively standing by." Her eyes narrowed at you.

You could figure out what she meant easily enough. She was afraid she'd be too forceful for Siffrin right now, and you could agree you'd be concerned if she tried. She wasn't afraid to push you on this, though.

Before she could say anything more, though, you heard one of the bathroom doors swing as Siffrin finally emerged. "There you are, Frin!" Bonnie shouted. "Did you fall in?"

Sif laughed in the empty way that didn't meet their eyes, offering no explanation for how long they'd taken. "Let's get moving," they said, and didn't wait for agreement before proceeding down the hallway. Mira looked at them worriedly, then at you. Odile's eyes were burning holes in the back of your shirt as you all followed Sif to a rather...unique-looking statue of the Change God. It...offered you a Keyknife? Or a Knifekey? And teleported you back to the start of the third floor, right in front of the door you needed to get through???

It was more than you'd ever heard of the Change God doing, and your surprise (and slight disorientation--you weren't sure what the mechanics of teleportation were, but they made your head feel floaty) almost distracted you from Siffrin's hands trembling slightly as he sharpened the blade: "please be sharp, please be sharp, please be sharp".

But you did notice. You knew you needed to talk to him. And you did try when you all took one last snack break before approaching the King. You hadn't let Sif dissuade you with more empty smiles and a chirped "I'm fine, Isa!", the tone just slightly wrong in the way everything had been wrong today.

But you'd let the matter drop for the moment when Sif looked away, frustrated, and his shoulders dropped. When he looked up at you again, it was with a slightly sad smile. "You got me, Isa. There is something wrong. Can we talk about it after the King?"

You'd been so relieved he was admitting something was wrong. That they trusted you to support them. As long as they knew that they could rely on you and the others, sure, you could talk about it after the King!

...They'd

frozen

at the King.

Not in time, but in fear, their breath starting to hitch even as you all walked toward the King in a way that would have made you grab them and run if you'd been facing any less of an opponent. You were pretty sure there was no running from the King. They'd stayed behind you at the beginning of the fight as you jumped forward to try hitting the King. Normally Sif would be right by your side, the two of you both close range combatants when not using Craft. Something was wrong. You had to keep the King's attention off of them.

But the King was overwhelmingly strong, shrugging off your blows, and his eyes narrowed at Siffrin after Mirabelle's shield saved you all from an attack that you could feel would've otherwise been fatal in your very heart, still shuddering from the dread it'd inflicted. Siffrin had choked out a cry for her to make the shield at just the right time, like he'd somehow known the fearsome attack was coming. ...The King waiting beforehand was suspicious. You'd made a mental note to look out for that, and thanked Change Siffrin had realized beforehand. But right at that moment, the King swung out to hit Siffrin--or grab him?--and you sidestepped to push Sif out of the way--

The King's huge gauntlet hit you, and--

You must have blacked out for a few seconds. You came back to a throbbing head, painful breathing, and a teary-eyed Bonnie who was patting your arm anxiously as they swam in your vision. You tried to force a reassuring smile and push yourself up and immediately cried out. Your arm was broken. You think--the King must have slammed you into the wall, and Change, what a beastly strength he had. You felt like a cracked egg shell.

"'Za, can you--I have--" Bonnie was crying too hard to get the words out, but the tonic in their other hand was explanation enough. They'd been trying to wake you so you could drink. You nodded, tilting your head to drink the tonic they lifted to your lips. The sour taste cleared your head a little, and you tried to look past Bonnie to find Siffrin...

Sif...

Sif...was...

Sif's earlier hesitation was gone now. They were--they were tearing into the King with savage abandon. The mysterious strength they'd found against the Sadnesses today had returned, double what it was before, maybe triple, Craft attacks being used with no cooldown, Scissors and Paper and Rock and sheer fury. Or maybe it was still terror.

Odile had pulled Mirabelle clear of Sif's range, and they were both assisting with their support Crafts slowing the King, shielding Siffrin. Both their faces were tense, Mira's betraying more of her fear at how things had turned out. Now that you felt a little less like a rolled-out crepe, you pushed yourself up with the one good arm, trying not to breathe too deep, and staggered back toward the fight. Mira startled at your limping approach, but both women looked at you only briefly, their attention focused on Siffrin.

"I'll heal you soon, Isabeau!" Mirabelle said. "I think...I think the fight might actually be over soon. I can't believe Siffrin is--were they this strong all along?"

"No," Odile said. "They're running on adrenaline. ...Maybe something else, as well. This isn't natural."

She could have been right. There was a strangely sweet smell in the air as Sif struck the King again, unless you hit your head hard enough to hallucinate smell.

Siffrin only seemed to calm down marginally once they'd reduced the King to his own panic. Then, he glanced to the side, to the three of you, and you could see the immediate relief on his face as he saw you standing.

The pain as his eye swept over, noting your injuries. It distracted him for a long enough second to scare you over his proximity to the King--and then, in the next second, Mira and Odile stepped in, taking Siffrin's hesitation as invitation for them to finally go back on the offensive. Odile started a Craft and a chant for the King to "disappear!" Bonbon was still crying, but managed to throw their wok and the Craft energy they know how to control into the spell. You made a rock sign limply with your good hand, mustering the energy you could spare. Siffrin somehow still had the energy to add to the Craft, the air spiking with sugar like you were at the boulangerie in early morning. Mirabelle finished the Craft, and the King, off.

"Disappear!"

The King disappeared. Light returned to the House.

Siffrin sank to their knees like a puppet discarded. "Disappear...disappear, disappear, disappear...don't come back, don't come back, don't come back..." He started shaking. "...No more...I can't...I can't do this anymore... I keep failing, I keep..."

"You haven't failed, Siffrin," Odile said, her tone both worried and confused. You wanted to say something as well, but every breath still hurt, even as Mirabelle used her healing Craft with a focus on your chest. There was only so much Craft could do in the short term; you needed serious bed rest.

But you were alive, you'd heal. So you weren't sure why Sif looked so devastated, shaking his head. "I got Isa hurt."

You understood even less at what he next said.

"Last time it was Bonnie, and it was--" A dry sob. He needed to calm down and breathe, he wasn't making sense. When had he ever gotten Bonnie hurt?

"Who next? You, Mira? I can't do this again, I can't, I can't..." He gripped his hair, nearly yanking at it. "Please, please, please..."

The air seemed to stand still around Siffrin.

You realized what was happening, even though the King was gone, just as Sif went lightless.

At the very moment they froze, their expression seemed relieved.

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 21-23

Spoilers for ISAT/Two Hats below!

"You sure you're good Sif?" (You give a nod and a slight, genuine smile. With plenty of rest and soft food you were mostly feeling back to normal. Your throat was still pretty sore, but Odile let you keep the journal for the time being incase you needed to give more long winded answers.)

"Alright, if you're sure then. How about you Bon? You sure this is the right way?"

"I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life." (They say with a very neutral expression, causing Isa to laugh heavily.)

"Well I can't really argue with that, now can I?"

"This didn't happen last time, did it Siffrin?" (Mira asks you curiously, you just shake your head, looking as confused as everyone else.)

"I wonder what would have caused such a difference? Have there been any significant changes that you think might be to blame?" (Odile asks you, that investigative glint in her eyes. You shake your head at first, but then think some more, your expression dropping some.)

"Well... Loop..." (You mumble with a sadder tone. Odile raising a brow.)

"... It is a star... Maybe they're still out there somewhere, somehow? Helping guide you along one more time?" (You know Odile was just trying to make you feel better, but there may have been some truth to it. Nothing like this had happened before...)

(You feel Isa's hand on your shoulder suddenly, snapping you out of your own head and looking up at him. He smiles brightly down at you, giving a comforting squeeze with his grip. You smile back happily, leaning against him.)

"Nille, here we come!" (Bonbon cheers, leading the charge down the trail towards where they last saw the bright star guiding them.)

------------------------------------------------------

"Why isn't Frin coming?" <You ask, looking around as you notice he didn't leave with everyone.>

"Sif's just tired after the hike yesterday, still kinda recovering, but he's fine! Besides, between you and me I think he liked breakfast so much he went into a little food coma." <Za leans down to tell you that last part, you give a giggle in response.>

"My cooking IS pretty amazing... I guess it's only fair he couldn't handle it all!" <You grin wide, proud of yourself. Za just chuckles and pats your head.>

"Be careful Isabeau, we don't want their head to get too big for their hat." <Dile teases, you just stick your tongue out at her.>

<You all keep walking along to the center of the town, looking at all the fancy ingredients and foods at every stall you pass.>

"Does everyone have their shopping lists and coin?" <Dile asks everyone like the responsible grandma as usual.>

"Yup! Got mine! Camping supply duty!"

"A-And mine! Bonnie and I are food duty!"

"Yeah! I gotta find everything to make Nille's favorite!!" <You cheer, taking Belle's hand and heading off towards more of the food stalls.>

<You look around at what's available, looking for all the ingredients for a shrimp alfredo dish that Nille adored. You only get a little bit to browse before you suddenly hear her.>

"BONNIE!!" <You jump up, recognizing the voice instantly, looking around like mad to find where it came from. You finally spot her, Nille, running towards you with tears in her eyes.>

"NIIIIIILLE!!!" <You practically scream, sprinting towards her and tackling into her, wrapping your arms around her middle, her covering you with her own arms too as she kneels down to your height.>

"Oh Bonnie I've missed you so Crabbing much!!! I'm so glad you're okay!!! I can't believe you helped save the whole dang country!!!" <Your eyes were already pouring with tears, just so happy to finally see her again after so long. Her hug felt the same as it used to, you were so happy to feel it again.>

"I tried so hard Nille! I ran and ran and ran just like you told me to!" <You shout through your tears, sucking at keeping your emotions down even a little.>

"I know you did, I'm so proud of you Bon!" <She shouts back through her own tears. You were both kinda losing it, but it didn't matter, you finally had each other again.>

<After change knows how long of a hug, Nille finally sets you down and stands back up, wiping her tears with a shaky breath.>

"O-Oh! You gotta meet everyone!!" <You shout again, grabbing her hand and dragging her over to the others, they were already together behind you, having been watching.>

"Nille, this is Belle, Za, and Dile!" <Nille goes one at a time, shaking their hands.>

"Thank you all for taking care of Bonnie, and for saving me and the rest of the country of course!" <She cheered, like she was getting a little star struck. I guess we are kinda famous now, hehe.>

"Of course! We couldn't just leave the poor kid alone!"

"Y-Yes! It was our duty to take care of them, but they were a lot of help to have around too! I don't know if we would have made it without their amazing cooking, it really kept us going!"

"They're a real talent, aren't they? I can barely boil water without ruining it, they probably learned out of necessity." <Nille chuckles as you grin proudly.>

"I apologize for the interruption, but did you happen to see a bright star in the sky recently? Perhaps one that led you this direction?" <Dile pokes in, you turn to Nille with bright, wide eyes, wanting to hear the answer too.>

"Oh yeah! That's how we found you!! I saw a star and I just knew it was you!!" <You shout to help explain.>

"Yeah actually! Pretty sure that was my friend's doing, they made a little wish for us to find you and we noticed it a little bit later!" <Dile looks very shocked by that, you tilt your head some too since that was a weird thing to just have happen.>

"A wish? As in... Wish Craft?" <Dile asks after a second.>

"Oh, yeah! Hold on, this'll make more sense if they explain it I think." <Nille turns around, looking through the crowd and spotting someone, waving them over. Someone with a very pretty outfit walks over, darkless hair just like Frin, and... starry lightless skin on their arms?>

"Everyone, this is Vale, we've been travelling together for a little while. They saved me from a sadness that got the jump on me, about a week after y'all unfroze everyone." <The strange person waves a little, smiling really wide. Something about them feels familiar...>

"LOOP?!"

...

"Lead the way!"

<Nille whispers something into their ear before turning back to you. You smile so big, holding her hand tightly. You start to tell her about all your wild adventures as the saviors. Mirabelle coming along and holding your other hand as you all walked together.>

------------------------------------------------------

(You sit at the dining table, working on a little sewing project. You were never the best at it, but you still wanted to surprise Isa with a little gift. Besides, He'd probably cry over any gift you give him, even if it's complete garbage. The thought makes you chuckle to yourself as you work on the little bird plushie for him.)

(You suddenly hear a knock at the door. You perk up at that, wondering who that could be. If it were the others they would just walk in, the door was unlocked, it's Vaugarde after all, people don't do a lot of knocking. You get up from the table and walk to the door, peeking it open, met with the sight of a rather beautiful individual.)

"Uhm... Can I help yo-" (You start to ask, examining this stranger up and down, your words stop and you freeze as you notice the gradient shade of their arms, speckled with stars, looking to their face to see the slightly discolored eyes.)

"L... Loop?..."

[beneathsilverstars]

i do think it makes sense for isabeau and loop to kinda hate each other at first....

like loop tried to kill siffrin when he was already sick and weak. even though loop lost or decided not to go through with it, isabeau still witnessed the aftermath. and he's so protective!! yes loop is also siffrin but that makes it MORE of a betrayal. like if siffrin tried to kill mirabelle or smth yknow, it's fucked up for someone you love to attack someone you love. but maybe if it was actually siffrin he would find it easier to understand the weird situation and forgive them - but loop is a different person now, and they're a person who's mean to isa's siffrin!

and then on loop's side, you've obviously got the jealousy (isa likes siffrin, not me) and attempt to create distance (this isn't my isa, just a fake copy). but you've also got loop's feelings towards their own isa, which could be pretty complex at this point. kinda depends on your headcanons for exactly what loop's og timeline looked like, but. they could be mad that og!isa never tried to confess like new!isa did, was loop!sif not good enough? or they could be mad at themself for not realizing isa liked them in their own timeline even though he was being more obvious, like, i fucked it up worse than stardust did and this isa is just a constant reminder.

loop is just very upset about many things, and i think isa would make the next easiest target after siffrin, bc he's strong and kind - easier to lash out at than anxious mirabelle or young bonnie or intimidating odile. plus, since romance has more cultural precedence as a sharp dichotomy that leads to jealousy, it might be easier to channel their feelings through that simpler lens (isa will never cuddle me like that bc he's not dating me, and never will bc he already has sif) rather than the more nebulous concept of friendship jealousy with its wider range of possible conclusions (maybe mira would tell me secrets like that if i worked to become closer friends, but maybe she never would. oh god now i have to figure out what i actually want and what i'm willing to risk to reach for it). so it's easier for loop to focus on being mad about the more straightforward thing that they clearly can't have.

anyways what i'm saying is loop and isabeau keep glaring at each other over siffrin's head bc obviously they both sat next to him at the dinner table even though that regrettably means they're stuck being near each other.

[maryonmega]

You didn't ask

It's an idea that came to me in a dream and I posted on AO3 a few days ago: Vaugardians have the capacity to turn into dragons. There's some brainstormed lore too, but I'd rather leave it open for any future additions.

I call it Draconic Vaugard AU!

Again, thank you, @chimerical-daydreams for the designs

You wake up feeling like shit.

No surprise there. You heard the Head Housemaiden tell you to rest and not use craft for a while, then used craft again not even plural hours later.

Not that you regret it.

Your body is stiff and sore, but you can still move your neck enough to look out the window. It's clearly well into morning now. The House doesn't loom over you like a haunted castle anymore. The birds once frozen mid flight now cross the sky as free as nature intented.

On the bed besides yours, Odile is already awake and flipping through the familytale you got her two days ago. Her craft exaustion is not as bad as yours. She didn't loop through time hundreds of times then cut through the House alone then turned into a wish craft titan. But she did stop you from looping. That took strenght.

You hear footsteps up the stairs. Careful, but still noisy.

"Frin!"

Despite the soreness, you smile.

"Bonbon."

They're not as careful now, marching to beside the bed you're in. They have a tray in hands, and an excited look on their face.

"The tall lady said you need to rest, so I didn't wake you up, but you still have to get your strenght back, so you better eat too! But Dile also said you must have had my snacks a bunch of times, so I made a breakfast I'm sure you didn't have in forever school!"

My, someone's hyper. Not that you can blame them. You have to get better, than you all can get on your way to Bambouche.

"Thank you, snack leader, for providing."

Bonbon nods with pride, and puts the tray on your lap.

You try to sit up. Your arms give in before you can rise too much.

"Oh! Right! I have to tell everyone you're awake!"

You hear them rush down. The weight of the tray a tempting thing over your lap. What's this? Punishment?

Odile smirks at you. She must have noticed. Traitor.

"Good morning."

"Please, spare me. I just woke up."

"I haven't said anything. Yet." She marks and closes the book, her attention fully on you now "How are you feeling, Siffrin?"

"Like I got stomped on by many horses."

Odile nods, serious.

"Thank you for your honesty. Please be honest with the person taking care of your medication, too."

"I only lied two times!"

"You've been like this for a day and a half. And spent half of that time unconscious."

She's got you there.

There's footsteps again. More than one set this time. Bonnie bursts into the room like it's a competition. You're kind of scared they'll hit their face on the foot of the bed for a moment but they stop on time. Mira and Isa come in at a more reasonable speed.

"See? They're still awake! And tried to move, too!"

"Already?" Mira looks actually glad. Good "You really recover fast, Siffrin. Uhn, don't force yourself to get good faster, though. You might strain yourself."

You try to give her a thumbs up. Your arm is sore.

"Need help, buddy?"

Embarrassing~

You still nod. Isa gets beside you to help prop you up and sit against the headboard. You can see your breakfast now. No wonder there was good weight! Bread, jam, juice, cut fruit, even a couple chausson aux pommes. Someone takes the "regain strenght" expression seriously!

"Thank you." You offer your best smile and scoop up a piece of peach with the spoon "You're a peach."

You got a laught. Morning victory.

Chomp!

Stars, without the smell of burning sugar lingering all the time you can actually taste food!

"So, Siffrin..." Mirabelle sits on the bed, opposite side from Bonnie "Where are we?"

"In the clocktower."

"What happened two days ago?"

"We unfroze Vaugard."

"And why are you and Madame in bed rest?"

"Craft exaustion."

"He is conscious. Good!"

She claps her hands and straights her back.

"Am I losing something?"

On the other bed, Odile put the familytale on the headboard.

"You see, we intent to-"

"WE'RE GOING TO NILLE AS SOON AS YOU CAN STAND!"

"Boniface!"

"Sorry! But yes! You just need to get to stand again!"

"Well, being able to stand is just the The reference. Walking would be much better." Isa adds, and gives a half chuckle.

You swallow your food and look at him just to have a focus point.

You know just because you can walk doesn't mean you should walk long distances, specially as soon as you're able. Sure, if your friends want to go as soon as possible you can endure it, but...

"Isn't that a little risky?"

"A little, but it's faster." You can't argue with Mirabelle on that "That's why I think you should go on Isabeau." Wait, what? "He's bigger and his shape makes it easier to get a grip lying down. You can get some rest! I guess? You should probably do a test first? I know Madame Odile will be better too so she can go on me."

What?

Beside you, Isa nods.

"Right... Are you really okay with flying, Madame?"

What????????

"I'll survive, I guess. As long as Mirabelle doesn't mind getting more ties than a race horse."

"He, I'll survive too."

"Wait? What?! Fly?!?!"

Bonnie pouts.

"Of course we'll fly! The birds unfroze too, so it's safe now!"

"No! I mean, I know, just-!" You take a bite of one of the apple pastries. Delicious "How are you even going to do that?! And you're talking like it's no big deal!"

"Because, it's not?" Mira is looking at you with confusion "Wait, you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"We can turn into dragons."

...

You pinch your arm with nail.

Ow.

You're still here.

Wait a minute!

"You're pulling a prank on me!"

Odile opened her mouth. Before she spoke, Bonbon took a leap back, and-

It wasn't done in a flash, but, once it was, Bonbon was like a big eel with wings.

You think you're going crazy.

"Wh- I- You- Why didn't any of you do that all this time?!"

This time Isa responded.

"We didn't need to? Sure, flying is fast traveling, but you saw the birds, we didn't want to risk it. Tents and inns made to accomodate dragon forms are too expensive for long traveling. And, you saw Bonbon just now, it's not exactly puf and done, so not a good option when ambushed by an angry sadness."

This makes so much sense it's somehow making you feel crazier.

Little dragon Bonbon landed beside your legs on the bed, legless body slithering over the sheets. They look adorable.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Mira looks embarrassed. Oops, you said something wrong.

"I thought you knew." She looks away, fidgeting with her fingers.

How would you know when nobody tells you?????

"And, it's not like we talk about this all the time. It's weird!"

When your bafflement wears off, half of the breakfast is gone.

"How is it weird to talk about being dragons?!"

"Well Sif, think." Isa places a hand behind your back "It's just how Vaugardians are. Just another part of our lives. It would be like going to a place where people are like "Hello, I'm human", y'know?"

You nod.

...

No. You're not petting Bonnie like a dog. That's still a person.

You down the rest of your fruit.

"Why did you need the orbs, then? Couldn't you just, break down the gate?"

Silence. Were... Were those months of traveling for no reason?

Mira visibly holds back from picking at her nails.

"Siffrin, do you know what the orbs are?"

You're quiet, then shake your head.

"They're craft breakers. Very powerful craft breakers."

"Okay, what does that have to do with not breaking down the gate?"

"Houses of Change have shield craft on the outside. It's a particularly powerful craft, made by multiple people at once. So nobody can be made to break a House from outside. Even if multiple people do so as dragons."

... Oh.

"Combine with the time freeze, and it would be a lost battle. Thankfully, five orbs were enough to break the time craft. But, if they weren't, hopefully they would be powerful enough to break the shielding."

Oh.

Just... outside? Does that mean that the insides are breakable?

They are. You know they are. You broke that counter. Does that mean the other doors were breakable, too?

If... If you weren't so hasty to freeze yourself, would them decide that turning to try and break the door was an option?

"Something on your mind Sif?"

LIGHTLESS CODE LIGHTLESS CODE THINK OF SOMETHING!

"So all those stories about hoarding dragons are racist?"

Mira gives you an awkward smile.

"I, don't really want to say yes. Every tree bears bad fruit, and the loud ones get more noticed. If there's any type of predisposition, it's to get hyperfixations. For exemple, you can say I "hoard" classes."

You hear Bonbon make a noise, and see them wiggle and land on the floor. A bit of time, and they were a smiling human again.

"Oh! Oh! I guess I hoard recipes, then!"

"Interesting." Odile hums, and her gaze gets in your direction. What- "Do you hoard anything, Isabeau?"

Isa gives a big nod.

"Friends!"

Mira's face goes from awkward to pondering, and then realisation.

"Wait! So those cuddle piles after getting the orbs...?"

"Sleeping over my hoard."

You can't help but chuckle. He looks so proud, too!

"Why the surprise? Isn't your room on the last floor with dorms, Mirabelle?"

Mira starts stuttering. Poor lady. On the other side, Bonnie pouts.

"That's dumb. I don't sleep over recipe books."

"Maybe your time will come. You don't know."

Mira's turn to give a mischievous smile.

Stars, you could hear them for hours.

"Okaaaay, so, I'll have to see if I can safely ride Isa?"

You hear a squeak, and the hand on your back gets taken off so fast you hang way from the headboard for a couple of seconds.

"Sif! Don't say it like that!"

"Why? It's what I'll do, right?"

Odile is smiling so broard. What?

"Young one, you need to learn some Vaugardian idioms with urgency."

You blink.

You've been really left out, haven't you?

--------------------------------------------------------------

You're able of walking! A little bit. You need help to walk more than a couple of meters, but it's progress! Progress enough to do the test, it seens.

Bonnie lets go of your hand and gives you a pat on the side.

"Ask to get down if you need to, okay? Don't need you falling off and needing extra rest to recover from broken bones!"

Of course that's how they say it.

You nod.

"Alright, Za! Do the thing!"

"Your wish is my command!"

Just like before, it's not a snap of fingers.

You're not sure what you were expecting. You didn't expect Bonnie to be a winged eel. You think whatever came would take you aback.

Isa looks like a large lizard with wings, scaly and with a set of horns. Curiously, still regornizable. You... actually like that.

He lays on the floor, and moves his tail, inviting. Mira helps you get on his back, then backs off to where Odile is waiting with a saddle and chains. You can't judge her.

Another little scene, and you see Mira in all her glory. She looks like a mix between a snake and a bird, full of feathers. Regornizable. Bonnie too. All three are regornizable on those forms.

Hum, maybe that's why body craft is still prevalant. Maybe they don't really control how the forms will be without it.

You're unsure of what to do with your hands, then finally decide to just grasp the horns.

It's not so odd when you feel him lift into his paws. It is when he spreads his wings and starts lifting. And lifting. And lifting. You see the ground get farther. Without thinking, your grip tightens around the horns.

You... think there's an ulterior motive to choose this.

They must have missed flying.

[justdarklr]

In Stars And Time: Providence

An In Stars And Time x Persona AU

Created and Written by JustDarklr, Co-Created by mizzle-moths

CARD III — STARLIGHT

Bonnie’s here, looking out onto the field. You approach them from behind, offering a small smile. They greet you as they always do. You tell them to meet up at the clocktower, and talk to them for a moment — before walking off. But… before you can go talk to him, you hear Bonnie call out to you from behind. You spin around, confused — do they want something from you? You weren’t expecting that. They barely even talk to you ever since then. Why now? What could they possibly want? You wait with anticipation, staring at them for what seems like forever until they speak.

“... N–Nevermind,” They stutter, seeming a little… intimidated? Oh, stars, what did your face look like when you were staring at them? You probably made them scared!!! They probably think you hate them!!!

“Ah, um… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you?” You spit out, quickly— please fix things. How did you mess things up more than they already are?!

“I said it’s nothing!! Stupid!!!” Bonnie retorts, glaring at you. Ah. You’ve probably ruined this conversation, huh. Well… you probably can’t do much about it now, unfortunately.

You… nod, and turn around. If only you could redo that whole conversation. But that’s not possible…

Well, the only one left is Isabeau, The Fighter. You’ve saved the best for last! … nevermind, that sounds like you don’t like the others as much. You like every one of your allies equally! Isabeau’s just… you dunno. There’s something about him that flusters you. Really, really badly, sometimes. But, um, you don’t think about that. You’re just friends. Yeah. Mhm!

… ‘Stars, you’re helpless’, you think. You’re so stuck in your own thoughts you haven’t even walked away, yet, so Bonnie’s just… standing there, staring at you. Oops!! You quickly walk away, towards the favor tree. Quickly. Very quickly. You are so embarrassed, stars. It’s even more embarrassing because you’re supposed to be the one that pays attention to your surroundings!! You’re supposed to be good at this stuff!! Awareness, and all that!! Okay, okay, stop thinking, you’re already here. Right in front of him. There he is! Isabeau! The Fighter! Big, buff man! Oh, why did you think that. Um.

“... Hey, Sif, you okay? You’re just, um. Staring at me?” He questions, looking down at you slightly. This is… so embarrassing, stars. How could you let this happen.

“Oh! Um, yeah, yeah, I’m fine! Uh, sleepover tonight at the clocktower? It was Mira’s idea, not mine, so, um, yeah. Are you up for it?” You stutter out, in possibly the most embarrassing way you could’ve. Why are you like this?

“Sounds good to me! We were meeting up at the Clocktower anyways, right? Though… Mira and Bonbon are probably gonna be sharing a bed, and Madame Odile is definitely gonna want one of her own, so… guess we’re stuck sharing one, then?” He speaks, offering a smile to you. Oh.

“Right! If that’s okay with you, I mean. I can sleep on the floor, if you want! If you’re not comfortable with sharing a bed, I mean!”

“... Sif, you say that every time. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you– I’m fine with sharin’ a bed with you. So don’t worry about it! We’ve done it countless times, anyways.” He states, bluntly. Oh, that’s right. You have. You forgot. Like always.

“... Alright. Um– oh, while I’m at it…” You trail off, and have a conversation with Isa for who knows how long. The sun’s starting to set as you finally close out your lengthy conversation, waving at him as he heads off towards the clocktower. You wanted to look at the favor tree again, after yesterday. You didn’t really get a chance to admire it beforehand, so… you wanted to. It’s a beautiful tree, after all. The townsfolk often talk about how it… sometimes looks like it shines foreign shades, unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. You… hoped to see that, this time. Even though it’s unlikely. Very unlikely, actually– you doubt these rumors even have much truth to them. It’s probably just lies, or people genuinely believing they saw something, or maybe just a tactic to draw more people to the favor tree. Though, you don’t know why they’d do that, so… maybe you’re just overthinking things. Maybe there is some truth to it. It would be interesting, after all. New shades, never seen before by Vaugardian eyes… It's an interesting thought.

You stand there for what seems like forever. The sun setting below the horizon. Before you know it, it’s gone, and you stand there in the soft glow of the favor tree, basking in it. Something about its aura is… comforting. It’s a familiar feeling. A very nice one. But… you should get going.

You stand there for a moment longer, watching as the tree’s leaves sparkle in the starlight before you turn away. But… you hear a voice, as you do.

“Thy vows carve thy path. Take solace in them, lest you lose what thou hold dearest…”

You spin around quickly, but… you don’t see anyone. Was that in your head? Are you going insane?

Maybe you’re just tired. That’s… that’s probably it, yeah. That voice didn’t mean anything. It especially didn’t mean anything that it sounded eerily similar to yours. Nothing at all, you’re sure of it.

You take a deep breath, in, and out, before you turn once more and walk towards the Clocktower with an ominous feeling lingering in your gut. It feels like your stomach’s collapsing in on itself. Why is it getting to you so much? It shouldn’t be. It really shouldn’t be, right? It’s just in your head. 

‘But it felt so real,’ you think. Was it? It could’ve been. Was it the tree talking to you? No, that’s stupid, trees can’t talk, right? Or can they???? You don’t know much about Vaugardian culture– trees could talk here!!

You  take another deep breath. Calm down, Siffrin. You’re overthinking things. It’s nothing, so don’t think about it! You just need to focus on the Clocktower, and the sleepover. They’re probably expecting you… 

You enter the clocktower, seeing everyone waiting for you. They all turn towards you as you enter.

“Siffrin! You’re here!” Mirabelle exclaims, smiling brightly as you enter.

“We were waiting for you! C’mon, Sif, let’s eat! I am SOOOO hungry.” Isabeau fake-groans as they complain, patting the spot next to him as he waits for you to sit down next to him. You offer a smile, and sit by his side. You are pretty hungry yourself…

Bonnie jumps up and down as you sit. “I brought back a bunch of food!! Come on, Come on!! I’m hungry!!”

You all begin eating. Bonnie brought a lot of food, but you’re focused on one thing. The samosas. You scarf them down quickly– Bonnie looks amazed as you do so, offering you some more, and you happily agree.

After everyone is done eating, Isabeau lets out a loud sigh. “Phew, Bonbon… that was DE-LI-CIOUS!”

“You keep getting better at cooking, Boniface. Those samosas were indeed delicious.” Odile agrees.

“...Really? It wasn’t bad? You liked it?” Bonnie questions, before quickly switching their attitude. “I-I MEAN, OF COURSE IT WAS DELICIOUS!! I’m a master cooker, y’know!!”

“Chef,” Isa corrects.

“I’m a chef cooker!” Bonnie yells out.

Mirabelle lets out a small giggle before she speaks. “That was the perfect meal, Bonnie! We’ll all sleep well tonight and be full of energy tomorrow~!”

“It was almost too much, to be honest… I don’t think I can even move…” Isabeau fake groans.

…Was it too much? Honestly, you could have eaten more. 

“Aw, Sif, are you still hungry?” Mirabelle asks.

“Frin, you ate a lot, huh!!! You liked my cooking a lot, huh!!! Here, have some more food since you’re so hungry and like my cooking so much.”

… Bonnie gives you a singular carrot slice. Chomp.

“How can you still eat…? How can a small body… eat that much…?” Odile groans.

“I’m a growing kid.” You say, with a grin.

“A growing kid that drinks alcohol?!” Mirabelle looks shocked.

“You’re older than most of the people here?!?” Isabeau matches her shocked expression, and you can’t help but laugh. And wink cutely, of course.

Mirabelle stands up, and looks at everyone, before speaking. “Um, everyone… Can I... say something?”

Isabeau perks up. “What's up, Mira?”

“Um… 

We... We've all been traveling together for a while now. It hasn't always been easy, but meeting you all… Traveling through Vaugarde to get the Orbs needed to open the House's Gate again… There's no way I could've done this alone. I... I want to say thank you... For coming with me this far!” She clasps her hands together, pouring her heart out to all of you. But then, she looks down.

“But, tomorrow… we’ll go and fight The King… someone who’s thrown Vaugarde into stillness and silence. Someone who has… has now frozen almost all of Vaugarde in time. I–I’m going to do my best to make sure this doesn’t happen to any of you, but… but if you don’t want to come, if you want to go back home, I wouldn’t–”

Odile chirps up. “It’s kind of late for that, Mirabelle, is it not?”

“I… I know, but… but I…!”

Isabeau stands up, smiling at Mirabelle. “And by that, M’dame Odile means we’re with you!”

“Of course I do. We’ve come this far, after all.” Odile adds.

“Did you really think we’d leave you behind? After all this? Let you go alone?”

Bonnie hops up as well, joining Isabeau. “We’ll follow you, Belle!!! We’ll help!!! Don’t worry!!!”

You smile. “We’ll stay with you ‘til the end, Mira.”

… Mirabelle looks like she’s about to cry. “Oh… Oh, everyone… Thank you!”

Isabeau and Bonnie rush to Mirabelle’s side, hugging her tightly. You and Odile stand a bit away from each other, as always. This is when the audience at a theater would say “awwwww”.

“... Let’s go to bed!”

“We have a big day tomorrow!” Isabeau adds, and Odile nods. “Indeed we do. Goodnight, everyone.” 

“G’night!!” Bonnie nearly leaps into bed as they say this. You should follow their lead… so, you go lay down in bed, next to Isabeau. You have to face away from him. You couldn’t handle being face-to-face!!

… As you’re drifting off to sleep, you suddenly hear something. Isabeau’s voice, in your ear, whispering your name. You turn around and look at him.

“Um… Sorry? To wake you up? I just… I have to tell you something. If that’s okay.”

He dares interrupt your beauty sleep… How could he. He knows you value your sleep, so this must be important, though… so you nod.

“Um… okay, okay, okay! Then I shall tell you the thing! The, um, thing I woke you up to tell you! Haha! Ha… um, okay, so. The thing I have to tell you

 

Is

That

… I… don’t have anything to tell you right now. But I will, when, uh, we beat The King tomorrow. Okay?”

“That is so ominous, Isa…” You respond.

“I… I just don’t wanna tell you right now, is all! It might distract you, and we wouldn’t want that, right? So, um. I’ll tell you when we beat The King. Okay?”

What could he want to tell you? It seems important to him, but… he doesn’t want to tell you right now, so the only thing you can say is “Okay.”

“...Okay!” Isabeau responds, at a louder than average volume. Uh-oh.

Isabeau is hit square in the face with a pillow. Bullseye. Ouch.

You turn to see Mira and Bonnie glaring at the two of you.

“SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!!” Bonnie quietly yells, as to not wake Odile.

“YEAH ISABEAU!! SOME PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND SLEEP!!” Mirabelle whisper-yells at the large man. He looks embarrassed, but musters up a response.

“YOU CLOSE YOUR MOUTH, HOUSEMAIDEN! YOU’RE GONNA WAKE M’DAME ODILE!”

“I’m already up.”

Uh oh. Everyone’s eyes dart over to Odile, who’s laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. “And if the noise continues, I will stand up. And you do not want to know what will happen if I stand up.”

Everyone quickly apologizes. First Bonnie, then Mira, and last but not least, Isa. You turn back around to see him looking at you, embarrassed… but then, he locks eyes with you. And smiles.

“Good night, Sif! I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

You can’t help but smile back.

You feel… safe, surrounded by all your friends. And so… you slowly drift off to sleep.

In the morning, you all stand in front of The House’s entrance, as you all offer up your orbs to open the gate. As it shutters open… you all enter, with you leading the charge.

You all rush through the beginning of The House, avoiding all the Shadows you can. Mirabelle seems nervous, but… it’d be best to avoid all the fights you can. You need to conserve your energy. That is… until you reach a certain hallway. As you enter, Mirabelle yells out.

“WAIT!!!”

Bonnie looks startled. “What?! What is it?!”

Mirabelle immediately tries to recompose herself, but… she’s sweating bullets. “I, um, I’m sorry for screaming!! Sorry, sorry!! But, um, I, um…! I…. don’t know if this is relevant, but I recognize this corridor. The… The Head Housemaiden used to warn us about it all the time… she used to call it the “Death Corridor” !!! 

“Oh! Oh, that sounds bad!” Isabeau starts.

Odile thinks for a moment, before speaking. “The House is supposed to be a safe building, but with The King here, some traps might be activated… is that what you mean?”

Traps? Traaaps? You immediately perk up. “Sounds like a job for me, then!”

“It IS your job.” Odile smirks.

“Protect us, trap master~!” Isabeau says, playing along.

To be fair, it’s not the first time you had to deal with traps. Or reassure Mirabelle. So– you take a look around. Mostly at all the pillars. But after a while of searching, you don’t… find anything? Huh. Was she wrong? You can’t find any traps, though, so… you return to Mirabelle.

“So? So??? Are we safe??? We’re not safe, are we? This is the Death Corridor… oh nooo… the older Housemaidens said people died here!!! So– So there must be a trap, something weight sensitive, or… or something…!! Or maybe it’s time–sensitive!! If… If we spend too long here…!!!”

You try your best to calm her down. “There’s nothing here, Mira. Don’t worry.”

“But… But there has to be!! It’s the Death Corridor!!! There has to be something!!!”

Bonnie approaches her, giving her a small hug. “Belle, Belle, don’t worry about it!! Frin isn’t great at a lot of stuff, but they know about traps. Trust ‘em on this one!”

Okay, hey, ow!

Odile chimes in as well. “Right. If we can’t trust the one who is supposed to lead us THIS early, that won’t bode well for later, will it?”

HEY…!!!

“But… but…!!” Mirabelle retorts, clasping her hands together nervously. She’s picking at her nails.

You take a step forward, now standing in the middle of the hallway, smiling.

“We’re not dead yet, are we?”

“W–Well… that’s true, but…!” She retorts once more. Odile places a hand on her chin.

“We HAVE been in this room for a while, you know. And with Siffrin walking everywhere, it’s clearly not weight sensitive. If it was, it would’ve killed us all by now.” Isabeau nods, and Mirabelle looks around nervously, before letting out a sigh.

“Oh… well…

Okay! Yeah, okay! I’m, um, I’m sorry, I’ll believe you! … And, um. Sorry for… worrying. I’m a little on edge…”

You shake your head. “It’s all good, Mira.”

“See?”

“Everything’s fine–”

You hear a whooshing sound, and everything goes black.

As you live through the novel experience of having your body crushed by a giant rock,

You feel    like you’re    drifting through the stars

Where   are you?    All you can see     are stars            bright,   bright stars

You hear    that voice      again

“Are you simply going to give up and accept your fate?”

Who     …?

“Vow to me that thou shall not give in.”

You can’t         speak

“Show thy strength, and overcome this trial. We shall meet again soon, lest thou lose thyself in the stars…”

You feel

A tug

On your stomach...

Card III — END

[ack-cough]

Writing down meow!sabeau thing while eepy bare with me bare with me

During one of Mira's meeting with the Change god (the one where she rocks their shit) They just kinda lay it out plain and simple something along the ones of

"Well, I noticed you weren't doing so well with the whole 'Savior of Vulgarde' trauma, so I wanted to do something to give you a lil help! (⁠人⁠*⁠´⁠∀⁠｀⁠)⁠｡⁠*ﾟ⁠+

And wouldn't you know, a certain wish granter just received a wish from your pal Isabeau. He was already planning to capital-C Change again anyway so why not do my specialty and give him a little nudge.

So boom a therapy cat for my favorite little cutie, everyone likes cats right? ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\"

And Mira is just Horrified this was done just to make HER feel better.

I'm still debating why Mira was turned cat too- Maybe as a misinterpretation or CG trying to prove that what did to "Isa wasn't that bad"

[basilpaste]

Love Sick

(Hey! There are themes of romantic coercion in this this drabble! Stay safe!)

… You've asked Sif to date you in six loops now. Six times, knowing nothing mattered — that in the end you'd just go back and he'd never remember, you asked him to be yours. And… he said yes. Every time. They said yes. You went through six loops with Siffrin as your partner.

Is it comforting? To know that they return your feelings?

The first time you were overjoyed! The others were still… nice. Weren't they? It was nice! To see them look at you that way! In the bashful, giddy sort of way you look at them. It was fun to watch Bonbon win their bet with m'dame Odile, to see Mira's shock. Holding Siffrin's hand never stopped being something that made your heart swell.

Six times is… a lot, though. You've been doing this whole thing a lot, to be fair! It was just different with this! And maybe it's not actually different, but it feels different.

Because… it's not fair to them, is it? That you get to do this over and over again? That you get to learn all these details they'd never share with you if you weren't looping? You love them. That's what you tell yourself. Would someone who loves somebody do this to them? Use them like a model? Tweaking the details until it's perfect? You say all the right words in the right order, make them feel loved, hold them close.

But do you love them still?

"Um… Isa?" He speaks, drawing you from your thoughts. "You wanted to ask me something?"

You did. You do. You want to ask him to be yours. Again and again and again. To feel loved by someone so dear to you. Always.

Change. How awful is that?

You're a monster. How could you ever do this to someone? Force them to be with you so many times? How could you! Sif doesn't have a choice! You've entirely taken it away from him! Stitched his mouth and tugged at the strings until they said exactly what you wanted them to. He has no option but to say yes to you!

This only happened...

because

you

MADE

IT.

You open your mouth to say something — anything.

You choke on your tongue. You can't breathe. He's staring at you, he looks so worried. You forced them to feel like this. In a world already so devoid of change you gave him a new option and turned it into the default!

You don't — you can't—

…

You are kneeling in front of the Favor Tree. Your throat burns from the taste of sugar.

[abowlofsourcream]

⏳💫Congrats, everyone! You got “Memory of Regret”!💫⏳

You will never forget this!

…

Your experience will increase tenfold! Wow!!! So useful! Well, all except for you traveler. Oh, you all look so nervous! So cute! Don’t worry your little heads! They will be just fine! Trust me… You won’t even notice a thing. :)

v Aftermath v

“Isa… You’re crying”

*They look at you, worried.

*Oh Change, despite your best efforts, you can’t stop.

“I-I’m just worried… About beating the king and all.”

*Lair, it’s not the king you are worried about.

*Sif blinks, you can’t help but think about the stars when you look at them.

“Oh… That’s fair, I had a weird dream about beating the King…”

*You rub your eyes with your gloves and stop.

“Really?”

“Well, that and all of us having a picnic! Ha ha! Kind of silly dream huh?”

*They hide their face with their hat, with a sad smile.

*You stare at them. They really don’t remember it at all do they?

“I don’t think that sounds silly, Sif…”

* He look up at you…

“Hm?”

* You look at them in their eye, focused.

“You- You know we care about you, Siffrin… Don’t you?”

* They look at you, staying silent.

* It’s just now you see the dark circles under their eyes… Where they always that dark?

“… Uh, Yea… Sure.”

* They turn away from you, wait-

“Mira is having a sleepover at the clock tower! See ya, Isa!”

“Wait Sif-!”

“I’ll talk to you later! Don’t worry!”

* And just like, he’s gone…

* …

* You think back to when you and Sif were looking at the stars. It was a spur of the moment idea of an activity so that the other’s get the picnic ready!

* At first, you didn’t really knew what to say. You thought that they could tell you about the stars. But, that didn’t really went that far.

* However, somehow you started talking about how you were before you changed.

* You don’t know why, but you did. You never really told the others about your childhood, especially how smart you actually are! You even told them that you were thinking about changing again! You even tried to confess to them again. So embarrassing!

* But… They listened to you, smiled at you, comforted you. Oh, how he looked at you with that beautiful eye of his…

* Then, the others came with the picnic! Oh, how wonderfully happy he was at that moment.

* You didn’t think you could have fallen even more in love with them than you already have…

* …

* But, even that didn’t work…

* Not only did it not work, the look on their face.

* Oh Change-

* The

* Look

* On

* Siffrin’s

* FACE!

* …

* …

* …

* You don’t know what to do…

* Maybe, you could ask the others…

[gamerbearmira]

Isa and Mira...idea...

Uhh, Mirabel is trying to show Isabela something/give her something. Isabela keeps cutting her off and tells her to go away. Eventually rolls her eyes, flips her hair and hits her with flowers. Isabela hears sniffles. And something drop and break. She turns to see Mirabel wiping away the petals and tears. Mirabel whispers a quiet apology or something and runs off to the nursery.

Isabela kinda just??? Stands there for a minute. And processes what happened. She looks down and sees a small box and like. It's obviously been decorated by Mirabel (similar to one she later gives Antonio). At first she things she hurt Mirabel physically, but sees no thorns so she takes the top off the box and like. It's a small potted plant with flowers (the pot also was decorated by Mirabel). And there was a small book (a small scrapbook probably) and some piece of clothing. Isaela picks up the clothing, it's a skirt, all embroidered by Mirabel. Ironically it fits Isabela's purple/pink theme, but also has other things. And then the scrapbook is all the flowers Mirabel saved over the years, mostly from before the ceremony, that Isabela gave her. And Like. Isabela looks at these things and realizes that Mirabel was just trying to be nice, and mend their already straining relationship. And Isabela kinda has a revelation that???

She hurt Mirabel's feelings. Really badly. And Mirabel was just being nice. She didn't do anything to deserve that reaction.

Anyway after that uhhhh, idk I think Mirabel locks herself in the nursery and Isabela goes amd bangs in the door begging Mirabel to open it and she can hear her crying, but Mirabel won't open the door and Isabela can't get Casita to open it lol

I think Isabela would have sat outside the nursery, but eventually had to go, out to town probably. Later on, she sees Mirabel at dinner, but the girl refuses to talk or look at her. Her eyes are puffy too. Isabela probably goed back to her room and spends all night gluing the pot back together and repotting the plant. And after she puts the skirt on (she loves it so much she realizes), she looks though the book <333

Did any of this make sense. Idk. As for names of this au uhhhhh it’s really only canon divergent,,,,idk. Rn, I have is: Orchids, Lilies and the Valley Between Us

[vulpixisananimal]

<Null> {Mal Du Pays} [Loop] (Siffrin)

. . . .

Ha. . .

HahahahahahahahahAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Yoooooooou're fine!!! You're fine!!!!! Look!!! Everything's fine everything's fine everything's fine everything's fine everything's fine everything's FINE!!!!

You're sitting back at the favor tree with the stupid rain raining on your STUPID STUPID FACE!!!! HAHAHAH OF COURSE IT'S NOT THAT EASY!!!

Oh nieve little Siffy~ naive little cute little STUPID LITTLE SIFFRIN!! You're so stupid so stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!!!!

You want to go home.

You're stupid. It would never be so simple. Stupid, stupid, stupid. . . You just, just, j-just wanted to, fight that stupid blinding sadness and what happens?!?

Mirabelle, she, she, s-she--

Someone's calling your name. You can't, can't, can't make out what, w-what they're saying. Your whole body hurts, everything hurts. You're crying, you're shaking, you can't, can't, can't, t-think or. . .

Mirabelle died.

Mirabelle died and its your fault. YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT YOUR STUPID STUPID FAULT!!!

You're being talked to.

Isabeau hates you Odile hates you Pétronille hates you Mirabelle hates you Ramos hates you Bonnie hates you everyone everyone everyone hates you you're stupid STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID-

"SIFFRIN!!!"

You snap back to reality. You're hyperventilating and sitting there. Mirabelles hands are on your shoulder, she's worried, panicking, no, she's, she's crying.

"M-mira. . ."

"Siffrin!!! Oh change you're okay! Y-you weren't responding, a-and, I thought you were hurt, or-"

"M-mira. . ." You feel weak, but. ". . . hug, please. . ."

She blinks at you, then wraps you up in a soft hug. She's warm, she's alive, she's okay, she's, she's not dead. You're crying. You, move your arms, around her. You cry. You just, cry. . .

You're, okay. . . You're okay. . . . .

". . . Siffrin, what, what happened?"

You're mumbling. "I-I, it was, w-was. . ."

"You don't need to answer right away, okay?" She responds, holding you close, you're safe. "Oh! Uhm, who are you right now?"

"I. . ." Who are you?

". . . I don't, know."

"T-that's, that's okay." She pulls away from the hug, smilling, softly in that was she does. "Do you need a minute?"

"N-no I'm, fine-" You try sitting up and instantly are hit with a huge wave of dizzyness and nausea. You fall to the ground, Mirabelle and, and, what, was, their. . . Ramos. They're both next to you.

"C-careful! You look like death, j-just, lay down for a minute, okay?" You feel Mirabelles hand on your head. It's so cold.

"O-okay. . ."

"Craft exhaustion." Ramos finally speaks up. You close your eye.

"R-right, it, looks like it. Have you been looping?" Mirabelle asks.

You nod.

". . . Rest up, Sif, can't have you dying on us, okay?" Ramos' voice. You nod again, breathing steadying. You feel a vial at your lips, medicine, you drink it. That concoction for this kinda thing, right? Okay, okay. . .

. . . Your breathing. . . It's like waves. . . .

Black sand beach. . . A path to a tree. . . Looking out to the lightless sky. . . You're, shaking. . . You're alive. . .

You want to reach out to a star and eat it.

You breathe in. . . And out. . . . .

Who. Are. You.

. . . . . . . . . . .

"So, they probably already know, huh?"

"About Isa? P-probably, oh Sif. . . Just, how many times have you gone through this."

"It looks like a lot already. Stars, they're such a savior for being able to give us a second chance."

"Y-yeah. . . When, when we were going to fight the King, when Siffrin was stuck in those two days. We, we had to chase after Siffrin up the House."

"Chase him?"

"Y-yeah, they ran off because, uhm, it's not important. B-but! Going up the house, all the traps were disabled, sadness beat, everything."

"Woah. . . Did, did Siffrin do that, all by themself?"

"Yes it was! It was, well, impressive! A-and, terrifying-"

"'Belle!! 'Oz!!"

"Bonnie?!?"

"Why's everyone acting so WEIRD. Za's weird, 'Dile's weird-"

"It's mind craft again, kid. Did they grab you at all?"

"Nuh uh, I'm okay. I-Is, 'Frin okay?"

"Oh! They're exhausted, looping again. It's, well. . ."

[You take in a deep, deep breath, fill your lungs, before errupt into a coughing fit. You're okay, your body hurts, where, were you? Favor tree? It's raining. It's raining? Oh right, it's, raining. You feel a hand on your back.]

"A-are you alright?!?" [Mirabelle asks. You nod. You're just peachy~]

[You sit up, holding your head with a pounding headache. What the, stars, you're, what, where, uh. . . Okay. . .]

". . . Better?" [Ramos asks.]

"Oh stars no." [You chuckle.] "My head's been cracked open like an egg."

[They laugh, you smile. Well at least you can still do THAT. You look up at them.] ". . . Sorry, I'm, not entierly sure what's been happening, aha. . ."

"Uhm. . ." [Mira tilted her head.] "Do you know who you are now?"

"Oh! Loop, just your good ol' wonderful loop~" [You wink.] "What did those blinding idiot other me's do."

"Looped a lot, by the looks of things." [Ramos comments. You noticed they scooted away from you a few inches.] "Are you sure you're, uh, okay?"

"Ah just give me a few minutes and we'll be set to go!" [You rubbed your neck. Looking between Mira, Ramos, and. Bonnie, Bonnie was here. Was Bonnie always here? Stars. You close your eyes, and think.]

[. . . No, no they weren't. Have you really been out here that long? Usually by now you had been inside, right? Well when you went through the kitchen they were gone. And you had only ever seen them when the sadness appeared.]

[You shake your head, stars, wait, what on earth did you miss? Break ins? Sadness? Strangers? Stars. There's so much. Last loop, what happened. You fought a sadness, yes, beat it, everythng went fine, then. . .]

[. . . Something terrible happens. You can't remember what, just that absolute fear. Just that, you shouldn't, kill the sadness.]

[Concerning!]

[You shake your head again, back to attention. You smile at your companions.] "All good, now, I think."

"Don't push yourself, okay?"

"Yeah you CRAB!!!"

"You're our key player here, can't have you getting KOed."

[You nod, sheepishly.] "I'll do my best, can't say the same for the others~"

"Well that'll have to do!" [Mira huffs, and nods.] "If they keep being like that I'll have a stern talk with them. Now! What happened."

"Well. . ." [You start explaining what comes to mind. Suspects, who's affected, the sadness, it came to mind like. . . Like you were asking the questions to someone else, and you got an answer. Then you relayed that answer to Mira, Bonnie, and Ramos. What a strange memory to have. You don't remember, you more, remember remembering.]

"And, last loop, we were able to beat the sadness, but then. . ." [You squinted, trying to remember, but. . .] ". . . I don't remember, but something bad happened."

"Oooooookaaaaaaay." [Ramos rubbed their neck.] "Don't kill the very dangerous big scary sadness, got it."

"Uhm. . . What about those two who left?" [Bonnie asks, finally speaking up.]

"About. . Oh right! I never met them." [You try to think, could it have been them?]

"Uhm. . . I asked Jan about m' this morning." [Bonnie shrugged.] "Some traveling, uhm, researchers. Going to Worlworth, left early. Stayed a few extra days, so uh. . ."

[Hmm. . .] "How far could they have gotten?"

"In this rain? I dont know. . ." [Mira looked out to the woods.]

"Well, there's some chance they're still near. Mind craft has a bit of a range limit, I think that's what that star I had was for." [Ramos quiets down sheepishly at the end. Good, feel ashamed~]

"Well then I have a plan~" [You stand up, stumbling a little, then stretching your legs. You needed to get feeling back in them.] "Ramos, Bonnie, you two stay here. Those two random travelers, Vixul and Wren, they can help fight off the sadness, I think. Polaris too if you can undo the mind craft."

[You stretch your arms next.] "Me and Mirabelle, we're going to find that couple, hopefully they're right down the road~"

"Are you sure about that si- Loop?" [Asks Ramos.] "If they ARE the people who caused this, then, maybe I should-"

"We can't leave the inn undefended~" [You stick your tongue out. Plus, you didn't want Ramos around. And Bonnie should be out of harms way.] "Mirabelle and I can handle it."

"But-"

"We'll be alright, Ramos." [Mirabelle replies.] "We wont even need to fight if they are, and, if it is then we can beat them easily."

[Ramos looks between the two of you, unsure, then shrugs.] "I-if, if you're sure."

"Hey!" [Bonnie stands up.] "Just, don't get hurt okay?! Crabface."

"Not a scratch, Boniface, teehee~"

[The others stand up as well. You say a quick goodbye, Bonnie hands you some tonics, and that's it. You and Mirabelle went to the road leading to Worlworth, you had no idea how far you'd have to go, or if those two were even there, but. . .]

[. . A few minutes pass. Mirabelle speaks up.] ". . . . Loop, what's going on?"

"Hmm?" [You turn to look at her, smiling as you walk.] "Apart from the looping? Oh nothing~"

"Loop." [There was that stern voice again.] "I know you didn't promise to talk about your feelings, but you're still in my friends body, s-so."

"Nothing's wrong, Mirabelle." [Mask in place.]

[She stops in the road. She's looking at you, glaring at you. You feel a shudder run up your spine.]

". . . Mira-?"

"Loop. Please."

[. . . Your mask slips for a second.]

[You can't trust Ramos you're tired of looping you're paranoid about mind craft Isabeau yelled at you Isabeau kissed Mal you don't feel right in your body everything hurts all the time you still can't remember so much and they'll never know.]

[They all must never know.]

". . . . . . . . . . . ." [You look away.] "I'll. . . . Try to tell you, sometime."

". . . . Alright." [She sighed, then smiled.] "That'll have to do, but rememer, we're feelings buddies too, okay?"

[You nod, and smile.] "Okay, thank you, Mirabelle."

[She offers you a hug. You hesitate, then take it. She offered you a hug. You. You. Remember that. You hold the hug for a moment before stepping back.]

"Better?"

"A little~ Shall we?"

[The two of you headed off again at a steady pace. The rain didn't hinder you, if anything, it made you more determined to get this done- wait! You look down at the path, sure enough, there's a pair of footprints in the soft mud.]

[That makes you speed up. Maybe this was it? Maybe this was who you were looking for! Maybe you could get this all resolved and not tiptoe around everyone. Maybe you could finally relax.]

[Looking behind you, Mirabelle was keeping pace. Her expression. . . It was determined. She was a good friend. Is a good friend. She's, she's not your Mirabelle. But, she's family.]

[And she's strong.]

[One of the strongest people you know.]

[You don't know how long it took, but you soon came to a fork in the path. One to Wolworth, another leading to the Poterian border. There's a tree at the fork.]

[There's a couple sitting at the tree.]

[You feel a knot in your gut.]

[auncyen]

SO WHEN I STARTED Sif having a bad King fight and then freezing (which lead to Isa and Mira being sad), I'd. kind of wondered where that left Loop, and that's like the one part I wanted to get to, even if I don't plan on writing past that.

Loop is...not doing that great. I'm still figuring out how exactly this conversation would go (Odile wasn't planned at first LOL) but yeah there's a lot of "UM":

You got better. You got to leave the infirmary, though they still wanted you to stay in the House itself for a bit, just in case something happened, rather than being all the way out in the clocktower. You didn't mind, because you felt you needed to be here.

Sif wasn't getting better. They were still frozen on the highest floor of the House. You started helping M'dame with the research she was doing in the library, including the secret library after Euphrasie entrusted her with the knowledge. She raised an eyebrow when you started skimming through tomes and summarizing the chapters aloud to judge if you should give it a closer look, put it back on the shelf, or put it in the 'maybe' pile--only tangentially relevant to healing Craft or Time Craft, but sometimes writers do go on illuminating tangents. "I, uh, used to be a huge nerd," you muttered, because it didn't feel like the time to hide your smarts when Siffrin needed a cure.

Odile looked surprised for a few seconds. "Interesting. I'd wondered."

"You'd…wondered?"

"You're the only man I've ever heard sound smarter with three drinks in him. I'm curious, but it's fine if you don't want to talk about it. We've business right now, anyway."

You did indeed have business. Unfortunately, it was a bust; none of the books you found had an insight into healing a powerful Time Craft curse that M'dame or Mira hadn't already considered. Mira looked increasingly tired and miserable by the day, and at the end of the week Bonbon came in the House to visit Sif and came down yelling because someone had left flowers at his frozen form and that wasn't right, it wasn't right, because Frin was going to unfreeze and be greeted by dead flowers and that would suck, and if someone had left them flowers the way you would at a grave that was even worse because Frin wasn't dead. Bonbon was very clearly more worked up at the idea of Sif being considered 'dead' than Sif waking up to see dead flowers, but you promised them that yeah! You'd tell everyone to wait to give Sif flowers until they were able to appreciate them again. Because of course Sif was going to be able to appreciate flowers again.

You didn't want to think about the other possibility any more than Bonnie did.

The four of you were all stuck in a painful limbo. The Housemaidens and townspeople didn't seem to know if they should treat you as heroes to be celebrated or glass vases ready to shatter, and as much as you tried to smile you felt increasingly brittle. It was kind of a relief when a new issue popped up: there was a stranger at the Favor Tree.

So, strangers usually weren't a problem. Most strangers are nice! Accepting the change that strangers may bring is a key part of the Change faith!

…Most strangers, even if they had different ways of dress and custom, still looked…well. People weren't sure if the stranger was even human? According to the scattered descriptions, they had a human-shaped body, but the skin was like the night sky stuck over the House when it was frozen, and on top of the body was not a head, but a spiky orb radiating light. Some people were scared the stranger might not be a person at all, but some new kind of Sadness left over from Vaugarde's ordeal, or even the King's creation, since…well, yeah. He'd pinned the night sky over the House while he was controlling it. And he'd had stars on his armor. And the night-sky stranger was lurking at the tree, hiding, which unnerved people once they noticed the new and unusual presence. One of the kids had gotten bold enough (he'd been dared) to approach the tree anyway, trying to call out the stranger to talk, and had gotten frightened by an inhuman voice snapping at him to go away. So. Even if this was a human stranger who'd done extreme Body Craft beyond what anyone in Dormont knew to be possible, they were a rude human stranger who'd decided to take over a town's Favor Tree.

…That was the best case scenario. At worst, they were something created by the King.

You decided that as an ex-Defender you were probably the most qualified to have a talk with the stranger and try to figure out who (or what) they were, why they'd taken over the Favor Tree, if there was an alternate arrangement you could work out… or to take them on if they proved hostile.

M'dame decided you were under no circumstances to do this alone, regardless of how well you'd been feeling lately, so she was accompanying you to the Tree. Which you had no complaints with! M'dame was good backup. You got to the base of the tree, standing under its crown. You didn't see anything yet, but the small handful of townspeople who'd seen the stranger had said they'd always ducked behind the tree or had already been hiding behind it, allowing only glimpses of them. They must have already hidden. "Hello, stranger?" you called. "I'm Isabeau, a Defender from Jouvente. Well…ex-Defender, but, um! My colleague and I would like to talk with you?"

"So now we're colleagues?" Odile murmured to you, smirking even as she scrutinized the tree ahead of you.

"Well!" You lower your voice, flustered. "That's how I was used to approaching people on the job."

"I'm teasing, Isabeau."

You know, you know. It still flustered you.

…Although the lack of response was quickly growing more concerning. "Stranger?" you called. "Are you there? Can you talk?"

Still nothing, except for the faint sound of grass being stepped on, like someone was shifting their weight. Odile huffed. "You go right around the tree, I'll go left--"

"Go away!"

You jumped at the voice. The kid's description really hadn't done it justice, mostly because it was inhuman, crackling in a way you'd never expect from a human throat. But after the brief shock, you moved to stop Odile from going around the tree. "M'dame, wait."

"What?"

"I think they're scared." The way the kid had described it, the voice had been threatening, but the kid had probably already been scared himself. Underneath the strange crackling, the intonation, the way the pitch had wavered… it sounded like the stranger was panicking. You didn't want to make that worse; you might force a confrontation where none was needed. "Listen," you said, raising your voice again. "You don't have to come out right now if you don't want to, but we still need to talk. Okay?"

"…Fine."

"First things first, are you all right?"

"That's your first concern?" The crackling voice was tight, almost sarcastic.

"Um, yeah?" It was now. "Look, people have been getting worried about you hiding out here, but… it's not like you've been trying to scare anyone, right? You've been keeping to yourself."

"I didn't mean to scare that kid. I haven't scared anyone else, unless people are scared of beautiful stars!"

So the stranger…didn't consider themself a person, but a star? Like in the sky?

"People are, in fact, a bit wary of strange stars after the King," Odile pointed out, which! 100% true!! But not something to point out right now!

The stranger immediately got upset, the crackling in their voice sharpening. "So, what, the King has a monopoly on stars now? Isn't he dead? It's not like you beat him with the power of friendship. Oh, King, I'm sure there's a reason you're doing this! We don't have to fight!" The stranger scoffed. "I know that didn't happen."

"The King is dead," Odile confirmed. "You didn't know?"

"You think I can just walk into town and ask questions looking like this?"

You and Odile looked at each other. Some of the tightness left Odile's posture. "They're acting scared," she said, and you knew from that word choice she hadn't ruled out yet the possibility that it was only an act. But she was willing to give the benefit of the doubt for now. "Isabeau, you're better at this, you talk to them."

…Well. Hm. They didn't seem all right, but they also hadn't answered straight when you asked about that. Maybe they weren't ready to talk about themself yet. "If you've got any other questions, we can try answering?" you offered. "I'm Isabeau, he/him, and M'dame Odile uses she/her."

"…They/them for me."

Odile arched an eyebrow. "But no name?"

"No, my turn for questions!" the strange voice said, but then it fell silent for a moment. Were they still scared, or struggling to think of any? You folded your arms and waited, not wanting to rush them. "You're…two of the Saviors. Is, um, the Housemaiden--Housemaiden Mirabelle okay?"

The question made Odile frown. "Why do you ask?"

"It's a little strange that you came out here to talk to me without her, if you thought I might have anything to do with the King. Not that I do!" the voice said quickly. "Good riddance."

"Three-on-one would be pretty intimidating," you point out. That's exactly the reasoning you would have told Mira if she'd asked to come along, too… but the truth is, she didn't know you were out here. Even though her long quest was done, the stress hadn't disappeared, and Siffrin's condition wasn't helping anyone. You hadn't wanted to toss more on her plate. "We were hoping for a nice talk! Anyway, she's fine." Burnt out, but time would surely help.

Time, and Siffrin getting better.

"And the kid traveling with you? They're fine too?"

They knew about Bonnie? "They're fine too. We kept them away from the fighting."

"I know, but--" The voice stopped abruptly.

"You know?" That…was kind of odd, especially with how quickly they'd shut up, like they hadn't meant to let it slip. You'd reassured more than a couple people that Bonnie didn't actually fight with you, was only tagging along with your group because even if they weren't old enough to fight they were old enough to decide where they wanted to be and they'd made it very clear they'd chase after the group if they were left behind. So the star could have learned that secondhand, but that seemed unlikely if they were afraid to approach people with their appearance. Along with the slip, it made you wonder… "Did you, um. Did we meet you before the Body Craft? …Is that Body Craft?" You cringed a little. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but--"

"It's okay. I, uh, I've been told how I look right now."

You immediately felt a pit open up in your stomach. They hadn't seen for themself how they looked? There was no way this could be Body Craft, then, at least not the way you knew it. No one in their right mind would Body Craft themselves without being able to track the process. But 'right now' implied there had been a Change. Odile had caught that too, her expression torn between wariness and alarm.