the-writing-starchive

[the-writing-starchive]

Higher, he thinks.

Higher, higher, come on, come on, we can reach it!

"Celio, you doing okay, bud?!" Sammy shouts over the wind. Celio roars in affirmative as he pumps his wings, skyrocketing straight up.

Sammy holds on as tight as he can, trying to see against the wind in his eyes. All he wants is to keep going higher, past the clouds, past the stars.....

Something about it is familiar to him. The way he's flying up. The way he's felt so unsatisfied down on the ground. The way he's chasing beyond the peaks of the clouds, chasing something he knows he'll never get back.

Chasing someone he knows he'll never get back.

"COME ON BUD, HIGHER!!!" He yells over the wind. Each flap of Celio's wings sends them over yet another cloud. No one would be able to see them from below, if anything it would be a speck.

The wind rushing against Sammy's face and ears starts to make his skin feel numb, but he doesn't care. He has to go higher.

A gruff male voice echoes in Sammy's mind.

"<×[#÷<!!!!"

He doesn't remember what it called him... but he remembers what was said after.

"RUN!!! GET OUTTA HERE!!!"

No, Sammy thinks to himself. A lump forms in his throat. I'm not leaving you here!

"YOU CAN'T LIFT IT!!! JUST GO!!! GET OUTTA HERE!!!"

NO!!!!!

He grips the handle of the saddle tighter and tighter until his nails dig into the leather and his knuckles grow white. He never felt strong enough, and sometimes, he still doesn't.

If only I was stronger back then, he thinks, remembering when hay bales felt like mountains and cows were like cars. All of those would be easy for him now.

If only I was stronger. I could have saved him.

Celio roars, trying to get Sammy to pay attention as the two continue to climb higher. They've long surpassed the cloud line, but it's still not high enough for him.

"KEEP GOING CELIO, COME ON, WE CAN MAKE IT!" Sammy shouts, staring straight ahead again. He can barely feel the wind against his skin anymore, his clothes whipping through the air, or even the belts around his legs and waist. Celio grunts in response, panting; he doesn't understand why Sammy's so insistent.

The memory in Sammy's head turns to another, as the intensity of the flight starts to fade into his subconscious. No longer does he feel like he's holding onto scales and leather; instead, he feels knitted wool and soft hair beneath his hard skin.

Yelling fades into crying. Sobbing. Agonizing wails.

The wind whips Sammy's tears away, which still manage to hinder his vision. A flash of light brown and dusty red is what he can see in his arms; when he glances down though, there is no one there.

"I'm sorry for your loss," another voice whispers. It's followed by more apologies.

"It wasn't his time."

"This must be so hard for you."

"I'm so sorry you had to witness that."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

I'm sorry, he thinks to himself.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry."

Once again, the memory configures itself into something new. Samuel recognizes it more clearly now; his letter from Achilles. Those are the first words it read.

Samuel swallows back a sob as he remembers random sentences from his farewell letter, mentally brushing off the roar he faintly hears.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, and I can't be here anymore."

"You are strong enough. Stronger than I ever was."

"One of the strongest people I know."

No, Sammy thinks to himself, just like how he did the first time he read that letter. I'm not strong enough still. I want to see you again. I want to see him again.

He starts to feel dizzy.

Please, you guys have to be up here. If I go high enough, then I'll make it to you two... I'm not strong enough, still.

"You're amazing at taking care of everyone, keep doing so."

I wasn't enough to take care of my family after he died.

"You're a fantastic protector."

I couldn't do anything to save him.

"One of the kindest and happiest men I know."

My best still isn't enough.

I got my wish and I'm still not enough. I wasn't enough for him. I wasn't enough for you. I'm still not strong enough yet.

"You are strong."

"NO I'M NOT!!!" Sammy yells aloud, scaring Celio into another roar. It brings him back to the intensity of the flight they're experiencing.... and also brings back a memory of similar intensity.

The flash of blonde flashes in Samuel's vision towards him as his arms suddenly ache more than he remembers them ever aching before. The first gruff voice screams in his ear.

"LIONEL!!!!!!!!"

He feels himself pushed to the left by something stronger than he's ever felt, and flinches. Celio yanks to the left with a loud and confused snarl, trying to pull himself upright as all voices and sounds in Sammy's mind grow far.

He feels even dizzier, eyes starting to droop from the sudden yanking and altitude. subconsciously, he expects to feel the resistance of the belts around his legs and waist holding him onto the saddle. Then Celio can lead them to land safely, just like in the past whenever something's gone wrong.

This time there is no resistance, however.

And he slips off the saddle and starts to fall.

For the few moments Sammy's unconscious, he peacefully ponders to himself.

Is this what Achilles felt when he fell? he wonders calmly. Wow.... this is terrifying.

It doesn't actually feel terrifying until Samuel opens his eyes, only to have the force of wind shut them once again. He grabs in the air and kicks his legs to feel around for anything.... but he doesn't. There is no Celio. There is no saddle. He's alone and plummeting, tumbling every which way through the air.

Samuel screams just as Celio roars, both full of more fear and horror than a human and dragon should ever feel.

"CELIO!!!!!" Sammy manages to scream, trying to pry his eyes open. His glasses are long gone, making any details nearly impossible to see other than the flash of green and gold that's speeding down below him. Celio hollers in response- it's one that Sammy recognizes easily.

"Grab on."

Samuel tries to straighten himself in the air, seeing Celio swoop beneath him and spread his wings only enough to slow their fall speed. As soon as he's close enough, Sammy reaches out and grabs whatever he can. It ends up being one of the leather leg belts.

Even without his glasses, Samuel can see the kingdom come into view as they plummet beneath the cloud line. Adrenaline surges through his body as he feels around for the handle and pulls his body back into the seat, breath hitching at the sight of the rapidly approaching ground. He grabs the reins of the saddle.

"HOLD ON!!!!"

And he yanks back, causing the dragon to lurch and spread his wings as they barely avoid the spires of the castle and continue to fall dangerously through the air. Celio manages to direct himself just quick enough to land on the sand, as he lands on his side ungracefully and tumbles headfirst into the sand, causing Samuel to lose his grip and fly forward into the ground with a cloud of dust.

It takes a few moments before he can think coherently.

"... ow...."

Hands.... legs.... knees..... shoulder.....

He pulls himself up onto his hands and knees, weakly rolling his left shoulder a bit. The pain, thankfully, isn't more than he thought it'd be.

Nothing broken. Cool.

Sammy stays there for a moment, staring at the beige below him as tears and saliva drip from his face. He coughs a bit, sand falling out of his mouth mixed with a bit of blood and a stinging sensation in his cheek. Must have bitten it during the fall.

Finally, he finds the strength to look up.

Celio, thankfully, seems much less disoriented than him. It's not much of a surprise, given their strong skulls with shockwave-absorbing bone. The dragon stands and shakes some sand off himself before galloping towards Sammy.

"H..... hey buddy, you okay...? Dammit, my glasses...." Sammy mumbles, feeling Celio's face. The dragon looks at him fearfully, with a look Sammy can only imagine is asking "why did you do that?"

The dragon lays down, whimpering softly. Sammy lets himself fall back onto the sand below, too disoriented and bitter to try and stand, much less walk or find his glasses.

"... I don't know.... 'm sorry, I'm so fuckin' sorry...." He rests his head against Celio's, tears falling from skin onto scale. He's too tired to lift his arms for a proper hug, but Celio seems to understand.

The memories meld together in his mind, fueling his tears. He felt so, so, so close.

Not high enough, Sammy thinks to himself. Internally, he knows that's bullshit. He knows that even attempting to fly that high without protective gear was idiotic. He knows that he, an Auguis dragon-human hybrid, couldn't ever stand the speed and height that Celio reached there. Why did he even do that in the first place?

.... I want to see them again, he bitterly thinks, closing his eyes.

I want to talk to Achilles again.

I want to talk to my father again.

The memories are much more clear in his mind now; the yelling, the explosions, the agony in his left shoulder, the feeling of failure....

He tries opening his eyes so he doesn't have to see it in his mind again, but they hold up for just a few seconds before faltering and closing again.

I could have reached them, he thinks. If I just went high enough. If only I had gone higher.

If only I was stronger.

He lays where he is, fluid still oozing from his mouth as Celio nudges him sadly, both winded, exhausted, and just barely coming down from the fear they just went through.

Sammy wishes he didn't come out now.

[the-writing-starchive]

The dungeon door suddenly opens.

Slyn drowsily lifts his head as Icia and... someone else comes into view. His eyes narrow.

"What do you want now?" he hisses.

Icia steps forward, kneeling in front of him and presenting something.... a pillow. Slyn's head tilts as he stares at it... what is this? Some kind of mockery? A gift?

He looks up at her face. "Icia, wh-"

He stops dead in his words. There are tears running down Icia's face.

It's been so long since Slyn has seen her cry like this... last time, it was of grief and anger. Her silver eye gazes back at him... there's no anger. But there is grief. So, so much grief.

Slyn feels a cold shiver down his spine as his anger temporarily subsides.

"... what is this?"

"It.... was in Achilles' will."

It takes a moment before the daunting chill flushes through Slyn's face. His eyes widen as his hands take the pillow... the heads of snakes that make up his fingers rest into the plush sensation as a rushing forms in his ears.

"...... did he....."

Icia only nods, kneeling as tears race to drop and hit her hands in her lap. The person behind her glows blue in the dark... or moreso, parts of them glow blue.

Slyn's head drifts from side to side a little, as if his neck is losing strength to hold it up. A sick, nauseating, familiar feeling wells up in his stomach as he holds the pillow closer.

He doesn't have words.

There's a moment of silence.... before a very loud, muffled scream almost causes Icia and her guest to startle back. The pillow barely keeps Slyn's scream at a tolerable level.... his voice gives out after a few minutes, and he lowers the pillow, hot tears matching Icia's as they pool down his face.

I didn't even get to say goodbye, is what he wants to say. The words don't present themselves like that. They come out as ".... was he happy to go?"

Icia nods. Slyn can't decide if he feels better or worse about that, the ill feeling inside churning as if trying to break free from his stomach and take over his whole body. He can't remember the last time he felt that pain, despite its familiarity.

The misery is too much for him to be angry. How could he be? Achilles has been wanting this for years, and he finally got it. How could he be mad?

After a moment, Slyn manages to collect himself. Icia hands him a letter.

"In his will, he left you a pillow... and I decided to give one of his blankets as well. I know you don't do well in the cold."

"Don't pretend to care about me and if I'm okay in the cold or not."

"She's not pretending."

Slyn's head snaps up at the unfamiliar voice.... he focuses on the figure behind Icia, a masculine figure with strange legs... they seem to shrink a bit under his natural glare.

"... Icia," he mutters, bitterness returning. "Who is that."

Icia stands, motioning the figure to come closer... Slyn squints in the dark, eyes more then well adjusted but still unable to see some of their details. As he approaches, the plaid pattern of an unbuttoned shirt starts to grow visible, white eyes a stark yet not blinding contrast to the black around him.

".... Antonio, this is Slyn. Slyn, this is Starro, your... younger brother."

The hollow, bitter resent reclaims its stake on Slyn's mind as he makes out whatever details about this straner that he can. The glowing, bluish patches on his body are shaped like stars, he can see that clearly. Starro awkwardly waves, the star in the middle of his hand being easy to track through the absence of light.

"Hi..." Starro mutters. Slyn bites back an expression of disgust, hearing that young, almost feminine voice. If Icia didn't introduce them as such, he never would have even imagined two people so obviously different to be related.

Speaking of which, he can feel her gaze stiffening on him... she's expecting him to say something, and it's a challenge for him to not simply say 'fuck off'.

".... hello," Slyn finally spats. He hopes that this person can hear the hatred and disdain in his voice... which, given the way his eyes drop to the ground and Icia's narrow, certainly was heard.

Icia's sigh is almost just as frustrated.

"I have some business to attend to down here, cleaning up the rocks and glass so you aren't walking or sleeping on all of that stabbing crap."

"You don't need to."

"Oh for gods' sake, Slyn, I know I don't need to, but I want to. You do not deserve these living conditions... and I'm honestly ashamed I've let you live in them for so long."

Slyn mutters under his breath and looks away, arms folded. He bites back a 'thanks' as Icia goes back up the stairs of the dungeon and comes down with a broom and dustpan.

"You two may talk as you please... I only ask that you keep things civil," she says with a cold stare at Slyn before going to one corner of the dungeon. Starro takes a seat on the ground where he is, and says.... nothing.

For what feels like forever, there is no sound except the gentle sweeping of the broom. Slyn's hateful gaze never leaves Starro.

"..... are you... lonely down here?"

"No."

"Got it, got it, um.... you have a nice plant. You seem to take really good care of it"

"........"

The uncomfortable tension rises as Starro stiffens.

".. Come on, man, work with me here, I'm trying to talk with you."

"And I'm trying to not," Slyn hisses through barred teeth. "In case you haven't realized yet, I hate you."

Icia's head snaps up as she starts a harsh correction. "Slyn-"

"Viv, lemme talk to him, it's fine."

"Fine???"

Starro turns towards his sister. "This is our conversation, I can manage it just fine. I promise. Just let me talk for myself this time."

After a short pause, Icia nods and returns her attention to sweeping.

Starro turns back to Slyn, whose expression hasn't changed in the slightest.

"I was kind of expecting that."

"Good, so you aren't completely brainless."

A small dash of red shoots through the pale indigo within Starro's cheeks as Slyn continues.

"I'll say it again. I hate you. I fucking hate you, and I fucking hate your sister. I hate our whole fucking family, but I hate you two the most for replacing me and-"

"Replacing???"

Slyn's bitter yet controlled ranting grows into a harsher snarl.

"Don't act like you don't know- our mother and father gave me up when I was barely 3, and I went to the shittiest orphanage she could find. The one time I look them up and try to find her when I'm 12, what do I see? I see you four. Happy. Thriving. The whole happy-family experience."

"Now wait just a minute-"

"No, kid, you don't get to tell me to wait. I waited in that orphanage 'till I was 16, and then I was out. I waited for our mom to come back for me while you guys had her and our dad. You all had the good family while I was fucking forgotten and thrown out for NO damn reason!!!"

Starro stands, the rest of the indigo fading into a pale red. "Don't you talk about our family like we were perfect, you had no IDEA what we went through!!! And for the record, we didn't even know about you until a few months ago! You can't be mad at US for something our mom did, and we didn't!!!"

Slyn stands as well, raising only slightly above Starro. "I'll be angry at you two all I FUCKING want. I should have been part of your family! I should have had the family meals and parents who celebrated my goals and whatnot, but instead, I got stuck with even MORE women who didn't give a shit about me and only paid attention when I did something wrong!!! I don't care what your mom did, she was supposed to be mine as well!!!"

If it weren't for a serious glare from Starro, Icia would be pulling him back up the stairs by now, muttering about how terrible this idea was. Her legs freeze in place (for once, not literally), however, and she finds herself unable to do anything but watch as Starro steps towards Slyn. Angry tears prick his eyes.

"You don't know the hell that woman put us through," he seethes, stars brightening. "You don't know the hell she put ME and VIV and OUR DAD through. Our mother was an insane Catholic woman who would berate you and hit you for anything that didn't align with her conservative values!

"And it was so much worse after Viv here disappeared, because she was so insistent that her golden child would come home that she took all her anger out on me and our dad, who was too fucking meek to stand up to her. Our mother was an ABUSER, AND SOMETIMES I WISH I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A MOM BECAUSE OF WHAT SHE PUT US THROUGH!!!"

"DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING SAY YOU WISH YOU DIDN'T HAVE A MOM, I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANYTHING TO HAVE A MOM EVEN IF SHE WAS SHIT, BECAUSE AT LEAST SHE WAS THERE FOR YOU GUYS!!!" Slyn screams, eyes blurry with red and tears.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT OUR FAMILY, I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANYTHING FOR WHAT YOU SAY WE HAD!!!"

Slyn can't remember the last time he felt this angry, as he rears his hand back and prepares for a slap. Icia's eye widens.

"Try it, Slyn. Hit me. I fucking dare you to try."

Starro doesn't flinch. He doesn't move. His voice has lowered to a deathly calm yet threatening tone.... for a moment, Slyn thinks he sees the flickering of a glitch those glowing, white, tear-filled eyes.

His hand shakes...

Come on Slyn, do it, fucking hit him already, he deserves it, go on, hit him, he replaced you, it's all... his... fault....

.... and he falters.

Slyn's head tilts to the ground, tears falling onto the stone below.

"... it's all your fault," he whispers angrily. Starro shakes his head.

"... no. It's her fault."

Slyn staggers back until he feels his hand against the mossy wall, and he sinks down and leans his head against it in a pathetic attempt to hide his tears. Starro follows and sits next to him, crying softly as well.

"... it isn't fair," Slyn mutters. "What kind of a person gives up their child and then goes on to have two more, not even a few years later...?"

Starro just looks down, blue starting to overtake the red of his stars.

".... not a good mother, that's for sure. And she wasn't one, not at all. She hurt us all. She tried turning us into things we weren't, all in the name of love."

"I would have taken it regardless."

Slyn turns to Starro. "All I wanted was to be loved by someone."

Starro looks back at Slyn. "It wasn't love, though. She thought it was.... but it wasn't. It was hatred. It was paranoia."

"Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference."

Starro looks down.

".... not if you know what real love looks like."

Slyn's closes his eyes, trembling as he curls his hands into fists. "She could have shown me what it looked like."

"No, she couldn't. Her delusions and religious ideas warped it all. Her view of love was just as fucked as yours is now. Abuse isn't love, no matter how you justify it."

Starro turns so his back is against the wall, as he stares at the large plant. The memories are painful... it hurts to hear Slyn say how he wishes he had their mother, knowing who she was.

"Beatings... yelling... cursing... I tried everything to escape it. Viv had to protect me sometimes, she was the only one who could really calm Ma down. I was nothing to our mom without Viv."

Icia feels as if she's been stabbed with those words.

"And when she was gone.... everything kind of went down the drain. I tried to be a good son for her. I really did. But everything about me was wrong... my face, my style, my voice, my behavior, my friends...."

He looks back at Slyn. "You wanted a loving mother. You deserved a loving mother. That wasn't what our mom was."

Slyn doesn't respond.

".... I'm... sorry she gave you up. I'm sorry you had to live in that orphanage..... and I wish I could tell you why she did it. I can't, though. I just can't. But... to be honest... I'm kind of glad you didn't have to deal with her. Not having her meant you didn't have the abuse... the yelling... the fights... the stupid church...

"But, we seriously didn't know anything. She probably kept you secret for a reason... probably 'cause I think if we did know, we'd have tried to find you by now. Does it, I dunno... make you feel better to hate us?"

Slyn hesitates before shrugging.

"... you're the closest things to her, I guess."

"We aren't her though... we were fucked over by her, too. Not in the same way that you were, but she kind of fucked us all over. It's not a 'you against us' kinda thing. It's us against her."

Starro looks at Icia, who quickly resumes sweeping and pretending she hasn't been near tears this whole time. He pretends to not notice, redirecting his gaze to Slyn still leaning against the wall. He's stopped crying, but tears and specks of dirt streak his face.

"... can I admit something?"

Slyn's gaze lifts to Starro.

"I was really kind of excited to hear that I had a sibling, when we first learned. I've always wanted a brother."

"You don't want me as your brother, kid," Slyn retorts, turning away. "That's the most ridiculous piece of bullshit I've ever heard, look at me."

"I mean... Viv does, and she had to deal with you first hand. If she likes you enough to still want you in our family, I wanna give you a chance too."

Slyn tries to maintain the disdain in his voice. "That's long overdue. I don't wanna be part of your damn family, especially not with that poor excuse of a mother."

There's a silent moment, and Slyn wonders if he struck a nerve. Not like he cares though... why would he? Right?

"... what if it was just us?"

"... what is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, we're... kind of all we have left. You don't have to deal with her."

Starro looks back at Viv again, who's paused to stare at a shard of glass in her hand. She swallows thickly, the forming tears in her eye glistening in the dark and reflecting his blue glow.

"Again, I don't understand what that's supposed to mean."

Starro hugs his legs a little.

"... last time I saw my mom, I was paying for her hospice care at an old nursing home. There's no way she's still alive. And... our father passed a couple years after Vivian disappeared, heart condition."

He stares straight ahead.

"Any grandparents we have probably aren't around anymore... we don't have contact with any of our cousins or aunts or uncles.... it's just us."

A tense, melancholy silence hangs in the air.

"... sorry for your loss."

Starro wipes his eyes a little, the grief coming off as a kind of numb feeling that brings a dark, pale blue to his stars, before he turns to Slyn.

"It's just Viv and I now... but it could be all of us. We can't really give you the feeling of having a mom that you've wanted, obviously, and Viv and I aren't perfect with each other either, we're both still dealing with what our mother did and we have our ups and downs... but it's better than nothing."

"... so..?"

"So, we can be an actual family. The three of us. We can be that healthy family you thought we had, with family dinners, and talks, and whatever. That's what Viv's been wanting to do this whole time with you, after all..."

Slyn's irritation, unbeknownst to him, starts to fade.

".... you realize how fucking cheesy all of that sounds, right?"

Starro shrugs. "I may have watched a tad few found-family movies growing up."

Slyn stares before bringing a hand up to his mouth, stifling what Starro really hopes is a genuine laugh. "Yeah, that makes sense... you know what else you are?" he asks with a possibly real smile.

"What?"

"Stubborn as a damn mule."

Another shrug. "Runs in our blood... from what I've heard, you used to be pretty stubborn, too."

"Used to? This man STILL won't accept that people actually care about him here, even with everything Yume, Raina, and I have been doing," Icia chimes in.

"No one asked you," Slyn retorts with a growing grin. Both Icia and Starro force a laugh in response, though neither particularly dislike the comment, as Slyn turns around and rests his back against the wall. "Besides... I don't need to accept anything I don't think I'm worth."

"You're gonna have to accept that some people like you eventually."

"Yeah? What about the other residents?"

Starro looks away, sucking in air sharply through his teeth.

".... no comment?"

Slyn sighs and rests his chin on his knees. "I really don't understand why you're trying so hard. Why you and Vi- Icia, both are."

"Do you seriously need me to summarize everything I just said before...?" the younger asks. Slyn shrugs.

"Our mom fucked us all over, and our dad let her. Maybe not all in the same ways, but she still fucked us over. She fucked you over by not giving you a family, so the least we can do for you is try and give you one now. Or at least a good support system while you- while all of us- heal. Mainly from her, but also just everything in general."

"... even with who I am?"

"Who you used to be, Slyn," Icia interjects. "It's not you anymore. You've changed and grown a lot, you aren't the abusive king you once were."

Starro nods. "People change, for better and for worse. You got people here who want to see you get better... and I'm willing to bet money that you want to see yourself get better, too."

The silence is deafening, but not nearly as tense as before. Slyn tilts his head back, thinking about their conversation so far. The short screaming match, the tears, the admittance, and the reassuring... all from this one person he knows nothing about.

"..... question. How old are you....?"

Starro falters at the sudden question.

"... um... 25?"

"Huh.... 7 years younger than me and still wiser."

"You're only 32?!" Icia exclaims, once again pausing from her cleaning duties.

"... yeah."

"You said this whole time you were 40."

Starro stifles a laugh. "I can believe that."

"Hey!!"

The laughter of all three echoes through the entirety of the dungeon.

"Uh... yeah. I honestly don't really know why I lied about it."

"I mean..." Starro stretches his legs, adjusting his shirt. "I lied about my age all the time when I was a teen-"

"Antonio!!!!"

"Lo so, lo so, that's why I didn't tell you, Viv, or else you'd never let me hear the end of it. Be glad I'm not telling you why."

"I don't think I want to..."

Slyn chuckles a bit... something sounds oddly genuine about it.

"Lo so, hm?"

"Yeah, it means "I know" in Italian. ... wait, did you live in Italy?"

".... yes? Until I was 17." he nods.

Starro feels that he probably should've realized that. "Sooooo... parla italiano?"

Slyn hesitates. "... um."

Starro's mild excitement disappears. "... you can't speak italian, can you...?" he asks, a little disappointed.

"I never needed to. I wanted to get out of Italy as soon as possible, so I didn't put effort into learning the language aside from basics. The only subject I put in any effort in school was English, and I moved to England once I turned 17."

Starro wrinkles his nonexistent nose a bit. "England?? Really?"

"What, do you think I was going to go to America? The states?"

"Kinda... but like... England? Really?"

"That would explain the accent you had when we first met... you've really lost it over the years," Icia thinks, remembering how he used to speak. It was a slight accent, but noticeable nevertheless.

Slyn shrugs. "In hindsight... I certainly could have gone somewhere else. But at the time, I just wanted to get as far away from Italy as possible."

"Jesus... you really aren't a fan, huh?"

"It's just the memories.... unfortunately, England didn't end up being much better, either. Bad memories were replaced by even worse ones... ones I'd really rather avoid talking about right now."

"That's fair, I get that..."

There's a small, awkward pause.

"... your name is... Starro? Right?"

He nods. "Mhm. Fitting, huh?"

"Mmh..."

Starro looks down at his hands. ".... you can also call me Antonio, though. If you want. It's something just for friends and family."

".... I'll stay with Starro. We're not quite family. Or.. friends."

A little glow of blue seeps in through the tips of Starro's cheek stars, but he shrugs. "I mean, I would consider you both.. but alright, up to you."

"You barely know me. We're family only by blood," Slyn replies. His tone is relatively neutral.

"That doesn't change things for me."

A hint of annoyance grows in Slyn's voice. "You only met me today. We have had one somewhat decent conversation, and that's all it takes for you to consider me a friend? Is it seriously that easy for you?"

Starro tries not to look away or feel embarrassed... he can't tell if this is Slyn trying to shame him for it or not.

"... yes?"

"..... Icia, is this also the way you see me?"

"Yes, it is, actually," she answers, gathering the glass and rubble she's swept into a large pile, gathering it into a large dustpan. "The difference is, I know you more. No, I don't know what your past is like, and no, I don't expect you to care for either of us, especially if you think us to be 'replacements'... but I still know you. I know what entertains you. I know what bores you. I know what you enjoy, and I know some of what you cannot stand."

Icia shakes her hands out, sweeping dust off them. "I remember many of our interactions and bickering, Slyn, even long before 'her'. I have known you for quite some time, just as you have known me."

"... and you're still insistent on me being part of your family."

"Once again, I know you. You will hear it so many times, you are not as terrible as you once were. You deserve good things.... whether you accept it or not. Do you also deserve to atone for your actions? Yes. But do you also deserve to heal and embrace a kinder, healthier life where you are loved now...? Also yes."

Slyn's head hangs low as Icia approaches.

"I know you don't like us whatsoever as if now... but, as Tonio said earlier, it's not you against us. I hope you accept that, one day... because we both want to embrace you as family."

It doesn't make sense, he doesn't understand.

"... why, though....?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Starro chimes in.

"We moreso think of it as... why not? Not like we have other family to consult about this. It isn't like you being a Marino will affect anyone else in a negative way."

"And if it does..?"

"Well...." she shrugs. "We'll cross that bridge when we reach it."

Slyn says nothing for a long, long, long time. Neither do Icia and Starro, as they wait for some response, any response.

".... I would like some time alone, please. To think it all over."

"That's completely understandable. And perfect timing, I just finished cleaning," Icia nods.

"... did... um...."

"..?"

"... did you at least enjoy our conversation....?"

Slyn stares at Starro's hopeful face... it's so interesting to him how such simple eyes can be so expressive, full of almost a childlike hope.

".... yeah. I did."

Starro's stars glow a warm yellow as he beams.... the color reminds Slyn of something surprising. Fireflies.

"We'll let you rest now, Slyn. Do you need anything else?"

Slyn thinks a moment before shaking his head. "I don't believe so.... but um... thank you for visiting today. And.... the pillow, and blanket, and cleaning up down here so no one gets hurt."

Icia's smile is soft and warm. "You're very welcome, Slyn."

She suddenly pauses. "Oh- I almost forgot, I have something for you."

Slyn tilts his head as Icia pulls an old photograph out of her skirt pocket. His eyes widen; its the photograph of him and his mother when he was born.

Icia hands the photo to Slyn, who stares before taking it. "I know you probably don't want this... but I feel you should be able to do whatever you want with it. It's yours, after all."

Slyn immediately turns over the photo, not wanting to look at the picture. He already saw it the first time, he doesn't want to see it again. Instead, he turns it over.

"Benvenuto primogenito, Vincent Marino"

.... Vincent Marino...

The more he reads the name, the more it regains its familiarity until it's no longer just a name. It's his name.

"It's a nice name, I'd say... Vincent Marino. It fits. Vincent, Vivian, and Antonio... Vin, Viv, and Tonio..."

Slyn does not respond.

"We'll leave you be now.... Tonio? Anything else to say?"

"Not that I can think of.... it was really nice meeting you, Slyn, I hope we can talk again sometime soon. Even if you don't like me, I really enjoyed talking to you," Starro says with a smile, standing up.

"I agree. I hope all three of us can talk more in the future... but until then, goodnight Slyn. I hope you sleep well. Thank you for being at least somewhat willing to talk to us."

Icia goes and grabs the broom and dustpan, before walking up the stairs with Starro. The dungeon entrance closes softly behind them... and just like that, Slyn is once again left in solitude with his thoughts.

Normally, after this kind of thing, Slyn would find himself with bitter tears falling down his face, or he'd punch the wall until his snakes are bruised and bloody. This time, however... he feel calm. Tranquil, almost.

He looks down at the photo in his hands, turning it over and staring at the picture. Even through the dark, the outline of his mother causes a hint of anger to swell within him. He still doesn't understand why she left him, or why she had kids after him. He stares at the baby in her arms... such an innocent, unaware, little being, who grew to be abused, and then eventually an abuser. He wishes someone could have scooped that child into their arms and given it the love it deserved.

Slyn wonders if his mother held his siblings in a more loving way when they were born... he almost wishes he could still be mad at Icia and Starro, but they're right. Its not him against them. They didn't know, how could they be at fault for their mother's actions?

The fact they still want him to be their brother, though... it still doesn't make much sense to him. After everything he's done to others, after everything he's done to Icia. How could she be willing to forgive him? Why is she willing to forgive him?

Slyn lies down, resting his head on the pillow. It's been so long since he's laid his head on something soft other than his arm or a patch of overgrown moss. Pulling the blanket over himself, he finally feels truly warm for the first time he can really remember.

Slyn stares at the photo as his eyes grow heavy.

"... Vincent Marino," he whispers. "Marino. I'm a Marino."

For the first time since learning about it, he doesn't entirely hate how that sounds.

Their mother won't ever be my mother, he thinks, shoving the picture under his pillow. And... they won't be my siblings.

Not yet.

But....

He closes his eyes.

I guess it's not so bad to have someone who cares for me. Better late than never, I suppose.

....

Goodbye, Achilles. Thank you for giving me something to sleep with. I'm sorry you aren't here for me to see it.

He curls up and falls asleep, mixed feelings drifting around his mind.

[the-writing-starchive]

she doesn't do any fancy or silly gesture this time. there's nothing she could do to make this any less painful towards anyone.

she just nods

as he's encased in shadow

. . .

*The shadows dissipate after a moment.*

Achilles' eyes widen. He slowly looks down at his hands.

The steel from his fingertips is slowly fading up his arms. He stares at it as his hands start to grow numb..... it's horrifying, in a bittersweet, beautiful way.

He slowly looks up, locking eyes with Icia. Her hands are clasping the letters and will so tight that it hurts. She's shaking, biting her lip.

He steps forward, and she resists the urge to back away. There's a period of silence before Icia finally speaks.... her voice is nothing more than a small whisper.

".... does it hurt?"

Achilles stares at her for a moment before softly smiling and chuckling.

"Like a bitch."

"More than before...?"

"Yeah. A lot."

Icia looks down. Abstraction does hurt.

"I was expecting that...."

"Me too. But I think it's better than other options. And now I can see my wife and child again."

"Y... yeah, you can...." Icia wipes her eyes, fanning her face

"Gonna have a lot to tell her. Going to tell her about everything here in the kingdom. Everyone. The battles I've fought. The victories we've claimed."

Icia nods again, unable to coherently respond for a moment as her stomach churns. A small bit of frost forms under her.

".... we're going to miss you."

Achilles looks down.

"Yeah. I will, too. But, hey... Icia?"

"...?"

"Remember. It's going to be okay. I'm going to be okay."

He reaches out slowly, hand moving to Icia's cheek.... before he pauses.

It feels wrong to hold her like that. She had a fiance.... and there's someone else he wishes to hold instead.

His hand rests on her shoulder instead, and Icia's head snaps up. The silver is above his elbows and knees now.

"It's been a true honor to fight by your side, Icia. To protect these people with you. To laugh with you. To cry with you. To rise with you... and to fall with you."

Icia swallows back a gag.

"I won't forget you and what you've done for me. Thank you, Icia. I'll be watching as you go on and continue to achieve whatever you set your mind to."

Achilles once again looks at everyone else.

"All of you are some of the strongest, smartest, kindest, most respectable people I've met in my life. It's been a true honor to fill not only the role of 'hero' for you all.... but also to be your friend. Your mentor. Your confidant. Whatever you see me as, it has been the greatest honor for me to be that to you."

"I don't deserve it. I still don't think I do. I've wronged many of you. But I appreciate you all coming to say goodbye to me here, whether it is out of spite or care. I wouldn't have invited you all here if I didn't care."

"And... I truly do. I will always care. I will always want to protect you all... and be someone you may look up to, even if I am no savior and not a good role model. I hope that, those who know me more and better understand what I'm going through, will be relieved that I will no longer be in pain. I won't be suffering anymore.... that's the whole point for all of this. For us to not suffer."

Ode turns away, stifling a sob in Samuel's shoulder. Achilles continues.

".... I have said before.... I have nothing to live for anymore. But I've recently realized that that was a lie. I have been living for something.... and that is to see you, the residents who I've vowed to protect, no longer suffer. And I can say at long last.... that has finally happened. I've seen you all. I've seen you all grow in ways our former AI could never allow."

"Aklatan and Latte can now live happily with each other. Ode is no longer in a body that harms them. The twins may be their own people. The dragons may flourish and fly freely. No one is being harmed by any king or queen anymore.... that is what I've sought to live for. I use the term 'live' very loosely. Seeing you all suffer a little less is why I have gotten out of bed. Seeing the smiles has been my goal. Knowing that no one shall harm you or make you afraid."

"And now that goal is accomplished. The kingdom is safe.... and I feel that, with the hands that it is in, I may finally rest. It will outlive me when I'm gone."

Achilles looks down at the ground, the steel having reached his shoulders and upper thighs, and fully covered any more scars along his arms.

"... I'm sorry this hurts so much. I wish it didn't. But I hope that my tranquility with this will bring some kind of ease to you all. I am no longer suffering either. I have been wanting this for years... to see my wife and maybe receive some form of forgiveness for my sins and transgressions. I will face her in a form that won't bring me any more pain. I will be okay.... and I hope that will be some kind of comfort to you. Although I acknowledge.... none of this is ideal."

He looks back up at Icia. Her face is stained with tears, hand over her mouth.

".... do you know of the courtyard by the ballroom?"

She nods.

"There is a stone pedestal in the middle. I... I would like to be placed there, please. Under the stars, surrounded by flowers and greenery. It is freeing there... and the one place I do not have any kind of negative memory."

Icia is still.... before suddenly hugging him with a sob. She doesn't respond with words... only bitter, quiet cries as her legs shake.

Achilles almost stumbles back from the force of her hug. He doesn't wrap his arms around her.... his fingers and hands are stuck.

But, as the abstraction reaches his collarbones, Achilles smiles slightly. He swallows back a cry, keeping his arms to the side of him with palms up, embracing the sun.

"... I love you all so, so much," Achilles whispers.

"Take care of yourselves.... I'll always be available if you all want to talk, even if you only receive silence."

Achilles tilts his head up, looking at the top of the castle as both Icia and the steel increase their hold on him.

Suddenly, he sees something.

At first, he thinks it's just a wisp of fog.... but no. Fog doesn't usually reach out with arms.

Fog also usually doesn't look like a human woman... with long, straight hair that falls into her eyes and a serene smile.

Achilles' eyes widen as the illusion grows closer.

..... Galene.....

His slightly surprised expression grows into a a smile... a large smile that strains against his lips. It's a smile he's forgotten he could smile, an wave of freedom and bliss that he forgotten long ago.

He's finally going home.

Achilles closes his eyes, two tears falling down his face as the steely abstraction hardens his chin.... his eyes.... his cheeks... his nose...

... and finally, it comes to a close with his mouth, permanently freezing the expression upon his face.

Achilles takes his final breath through the smile.

[ALERT: Achilles.file has ABSTRACTED.]

[the-writing-starchive]

how ya doin star

Why my archive lmao

[the-writing-starchive]

"Shriek" Pt. 1

@silhouette-anon

[Blackwell County, Arizona]

She finds herself in bushes and brambles of thorns that catch on her skin and clothes. It's a miracle they're mostly still intact.... not for long though, if this keeps up.

A gleam of dark red catches her eye, and she pauses to inspect the berries. The girl grimaces. She almost died the last time she ate those.... don't want to make that mistake again.

.... she's so hungry, though... and somehow, there hasn't been a town for so long that she doesn't remember. Days? Weeks? She's not sure.

Screw it, she thinks, grabbing the berries and popping them in her mouth. She almost gags as the bitter flavor engulfs her tongue, but a quick swallow leaves her mouth tasting sweet.

She carries on walking, counting down the minutes until that awful stomach ache starts to settle in again... last time it took about half a day.

And half a day, it takes indeed. Though it's probably shorter, due to the horrid heat pounding down on her back in endless waves. Her knit cardigan doesn't help either... but she refuses to take it off. It was from her brother.

From Simon.

Simon... I have to find Simon.... I have to get home.... she thinks, holding her stomach. Somehow, it keeps her going.

The shrubbery around her starts to look a bit more dead the next time she looks around to try and distract from the pain. Its almost too dark to see, only illuminated by the moon peeking through trees upon trees above. The sound of bugs and leaves crunching beneath her shoes is the only sound to try and ease her mind, though failing to fully pull her away from the stomach ache.

Her mind grows hazy, and vision starts to falter. Thoughts blur into nothing more than slurred, slow words as she falls, scraping her face and hands on the ground below.

The girl gags, crying out as a puddle of sick splatters next to her. Even in the dark, she notices it's red.... not orange-ish red like the berries before, though. No, this is more of a blood kind of hue... a silvery taste and more red in the saliva oozing down her cheek confirms it.

She tries to pull herself forward, as if Simon is right there, as if she could reach him and he'd help her if she went just a bit further.

The vision of someone standing in front of her starts to form through the black spots.... oh great, she's hallucinating.

... weird, she thinks.

Simon looks.... really, really small. Like a kid. Maybe I'm hallucinating.... his skin is really pale though, wow....

'Simon' kneels down, as a wordless voice drifts through the girl's ears. A confused, young, girly voice that definitely isn't Simon.

The last thing she remembers is the face of a child with piercing blue eyes, eyes that study her as all vision goes blank, and her body starts to succumb to the berries....

All of a sudden, she feels okay.

An odd light greets her eyes, which open and focus to the sight of a slightly flickery light attatched to a slow-spinning ceiling fan, almost too slow for the girl to feel any breeze.

She rubs her face a bit.... the dirt and stinging scratches that once covered her nose and cheeks are now replaced with a tough fabric-y texture that she recognizes as a bandage.

.... what happened to me? Where am I? Did I die? She thinks. This isn't how she imagined the afterlife.

She sits up, a green blanket sliding off her. The room is small, worn down, and hastily cleaned. The smell of bleach greets her nose as she notes the peeling paint on the walls, and stains on the ground that clearly have been there for a while. The bed she's laying in is relatively comfortable at least... and the sheets, blanket, and single pillow aren't TOO badly stained, nor do they smell too bad.

Still, the girl wrinkles her nose in disgust.... whoever lives here sucks at maintaining a clean home.

Speaking of which... a flash of black over the foot of the bad catches her attention, and she leans forward a bit to get a better look. A familiar, childish face peers up at her from the dolls.

"Hello!" She chirps, standing up and leaning on the bed.

"Um.... hi there?" The girl replies, forcing a half smile. "Who are you...?"

"I'm Alicia! What's your name?"

Alicia...? That's a cute name.... she thinks. The girl pauses for a moment before speaking again.

"Alice."

"Hi Alice! How are you?"

Alicia crawls onto the bed, staring at Alice curiously. Her eyes are a vivid ocean color, to an almost fake-looking degree. Her hair is straight and a little frizzy, but it seems to be brushed and mostly clean.

".... confused. Where am I...? You didn't bring me here yourself, did you?" She asks, touching her own hair and expecting to feel her fingers constantly getting ensnared by knots.... surprisingly her fingers glide smoothly through the blonde locks.

Alicia shakes her head. "Uh-uh, Daddy did!"

Alice starts to feel uneasy.

"... who's your Daddy? What did he do...?"

"Well, I yelled for him, and he picked you up and brought you in here, then gave you something to get the berries out of your tummy. And then he told me to stay with you and get him once you wake up!"

Alicia stands up and hops off the bed, reaching underneath it.

"He also got you some clothes.... they might be big though, they're from Stella."

"Who's Stella?"

"Lucas's girlfriend. She's been sleeping here for a few months."

This is such a weird place.....

Alice nods a bit, as Alicia sets an uneven stack of clothes on the bed. Underclothing, a red hoodie with cigarette burns, jeans, and socks.... she tries to not grimace. Why does everything here have to be so worn down and dirty?

"Come out when you're done, then I'll show you to Daddy!" Alicia chirps, before walking out of the room. Alice takes her time debating whether she should change, and even longer to actually do so. Her mind is racing.

Where the hell am I...? Who saved me? What do they want from me? Are they gonna keep me here? I want to go home... I want Simon, I want Mr. Isaac, I want Mr. Edward, I want Elida.... I really, really want Simon.

She pauses before zipping the hoodie over her cardigan, wiping her eyes on the sleeves. It smells like smoke, cherries, and beer.... not Alice's favorite scent combo. At least she still has the cardigan Simon gave her. Alice looks down at herself. Other than the jeans sagging a bit, she's quite comfortable. Maybe just a bit too warm.

Stepping out of the room, the smell of alcohol brings her right back to reality. The hallway looks even worse, as if it really hasn't been cleaned in ages. Alicia's waiting outside the door, and beams as Alice walks out.... it's a bit disturbing how comfortable this girl is in such a wreck of a house.

"This way. And if you feel unsafe, you can hold my hand!"

Alicia offers her hand.... which Alice declines reluctantly. She's been through much worse than this, she can handle it.

The two walk down the hall and down some stairs, Alice pausing to glance at some of the pictures that bring a melancholy sense of life to the house. Almost all of them are mainly boys, with an older woman figure in a couple.... with a family that large, Alice is surprised at how empty the house truly is. It feels as if no one's lived here for quite some time.

They pass through another door, and the glaring sun and sound of sirens in the distance fills Alice's senses. Sharp stones poke at her feet through the socks as the two walk down a small path and along the sidewalk. Each house looks almost just as run down and old as the house they just left, although Alice sees a couple people through the windows. Most of which are drinking or smoking.... or staring at her.

She pulls the hoodie over her head to cover her face, despite already sweating from the blistering hear outside. What kind of place is this...?

After a few more turns that Alice forgets to keep track of, Alice stops in front of a medium-sized warehouse with almost all its windows boarded up. Inside, Alice swears she can hear some male voices.... she steps back at the anger of one of them.

Alicia tries pushing open the door.... locked. She puffs her cheeks, reaching into the pocket on her dress and pulling out two thin metal tools. Alice watches in confusion as she slides the tools into the keyhole and wiggles them around a bit.

"We can come back later, Alicia, if the door's locked then we shouldn't bo-"

"Nuh-uh, Daddy told me to get him when you were awake!"

She hesitates before looking up at Alice.

"It might be bloody. We have a guest."

Before the older can respond, the lock clicks and Alicia pushes the heavy doors open with a grunt. They screech and scrape against the gravel below them, echoing through the whole wearhouse.

The first thing Alice really notices is the man leaning over something. Tall, muscular, wearing all black.... and very long, straight, greasy black hair. He looks back at them, eyes wide and twitching.... Alice steps back a good deal, fear flooding her system. Something about him feels terribly off.

Alicia doesn't show any fear, rather running in as giggles erupt from her mouth. The man's demeanor softens, and he immediately kneels down and turns to her with a surprised smile, embracing Alicia as she jumps into his arms. Alice notices a dirty man tied to a chair a little beyond the two, staring with irritation and confusion.

"Heyyy, sweetheart, what are you doing here...? Did you pick the lock again?" he asks. His voice is even more gravely than Alice would have expected, as if he desperately needs to cough.

"Mhm, because you said I could if I ever really needed you!"

"Li, sweetie, that's for emergencies, I'm a little busy right now...."

Alicia points to Alice, who freezes as the man's eyes slowly move up to her. They make eye contact... Alice can feel his eyes scanning her entire face, and shivers once again... they look like those of a corpse.

Oh, that's why I'm so off put, Alice thinks. This man looks like a living corpse. I didn't even think people who looked that dead still had a pulse, much less could have kids...

".... Stella. Care to watch over our guest, please?" he asks.

It's at this point that Alice notices a second figure step through the shadows... a girl, older than Alice by a few years maybe, with curly light-caramel hair pulled up into a bun and brown eyes that look almost as dead as the mans. Alice notes that she's incredibly thin... also comparable to a corpse. Does every adult here look this dull and lifeless?

Stella puts her hands in the pockets of her oversized hoodie, nodding slightly at Alice before looking at the man tied in a chair.... somehow, despite looking the healthiest, he also scares Alice the most.

"What's your name, miss?" The man asks, motioning for her to come inside. Alice narrows her eyes.

"I don't have to sa-"

"Her name's Alice."

A wave of dread pools down Alice's back... of course the kid would give it away.

"Alice then. Come in, you're gonna boil out there."

"I don't have to go anywhere with you."

The man stares at her before sighing. "Fine. I'll come out to you then."

And that's exactly what he does, Alicia following along. Stepping outside, Alice can see the uneven stubble over his face and many odd scars... part of his ear is missing, too. Not exactly the type of person she'd usually go to for this.

"Adam. I see you've already met my daughter, too." He sticks out his hand.... Alice doesn't shake it, rather folding her arms. She knows that, despite her best efforts, the fear is very evident on her face.

"Where am I? What is this place?"

"You're in Blackwell County, Arizona. Not the most charming, fancy place in the world, I know."

Alice goes pale. Arizona? How the hell did she get all the way over here?! That's so far from the northeast, how far was she taken?!

She feels her breath quicken. She has to get home NOW, Simon needs her, there's no way he'd even THINK to check Ari-

"Alice."

She looks up at Adam.

"I dunno what you've been through, but panicking like this isn't gonna help. Take a breath. I swear, you're safe. Just breathe."

"I have no reason to trust you."

"You're right. You don't. That choice is up to you.... but I'll say it now. No one's gonna hurt you. No one's gonna get you. Until we find a place for you to go, or how to get you home, you're safe here. Seriously."

Alicia nods, wanting to contribute but not knowing how.

Alice looks back and forth between the two. She doesn't know what to believe. She doesn't want to be making these choices.

"It's hard to trust a guy who has a man tied up like you do in your warehouse... that's the kind of stuff kidnappers or torturers do," she hisses.

Adam's eyes darken a bit.

"He was the kidnapper first."

Alice pauses, wondering what that could mean, but ultimately she decides not to ask. God knows what he could be talking about in this rundown, fucked up place.

"I'm guessing you're a missing child then... not from around here, given your outfit when we found you.... fourteen-fifteen-ish maybe. Do you know your parents number?" Adam pulls out his phone.

Alice feels a pang of annoyance bubble in her throat as she shakes her head.... not like they'd care about her, anyways. They never did.

"Do you know any numbers we could call..? You could put it in yourself even. As long as it's not 911."

Alice immediately thinks of Simon... maybe, if this man is telling the truth, she could get ahold of him. He could come down and get her. It could really be that easy.

With a trembling hand, Alice takes the phone and dials Simon's phone number, mumbling each digit under her breath. She's both confused and grateful that this man doesn't seem to have bad intentions, but she's still horribly offput by him. Adam watches over her shoulder as she puts the phone up to her ear.

First ring.... nothing.

Second ring.... nothing.

Third ring... nothing. Alice mutters under her throat, begging for him to pick up.

Fourth ring.... nothing. Adam purses his lips and looks away.

Fifth ring.... nothing.

Suddenly, Alice hears a familiar voice. Her face lights up.

"SIMON?!"

"Hi, you've reached the number of Simon Mallory."

Her heart drops as the message plays.

"I'm afraid I can't come to the phone right now, most likely because I'm trying to find my sister Alice. If this is about her, leave a message at the tone. If not, don't bother. I won't listen to it anyways."

There's a small beep, drowned out by rushing in Alice's ears. It's so good to hear Simon's voice again... but she feels like sobbing knowing it was automated.

The message is still recording. Say something.

".... Simon- it's me, Alice. I'm in Arizona. I'm okay. I'm safe. Please pick up. I want to go home. I'm with a man named Adam, we're in this place called Blackwell County. Please come get me, I miss you, I want to go home, please call this number back... I miss you. Please."

She reluctantly hangs up and hands the phone back to Adam, cursing herself for not remembering Mr. Isaac's name either before slumping to the ground, sobbing. Adam stares at the "Call Ended" screen on his phone before sitting down next to Alice. Alicia sits on the other side of her.

"He- he was supposed to pick up, he always picks up!!! Did something happen to him?! He didn't give up, right?!" She yells, burying her face in her knees.

"... I don't know," Adam whispers. She even hugs her knees like him.

"I want to go home! I don't want to be here, I want to fucking go home! I've been lost and captured for way too long, I don't want to be here!!! I'm going home!!!"

Alice stands up and attempts to run, before tripping on a stray stone. She yells out in frustration and pain, clutching her ankle and falling as Alicia chases after her.

"It'll be okay," the kid whispers. "You're oka-"

"NO!!! NO, I'M NOT OKAY!!!!" Alice screams, causing Alicia to startle and jump back.

"IM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATES FROM MY HOME, I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED BY SOME FREAK FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG, AND THE NEXT THING I KNOW IM IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME SHITTY TOWN IN ARIZONA WITH A DAMN CRIMINAL OR SOMETHING!

"I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE, I SHOULD BE HOME, WITH MY BROTHER AND FRIENDS, BUT I'M STUCK HERE, AND I..... I....."

Her screams falter into sobs as she buries her head in her knees, still holding her ankle.

"I want to go home. I don't know what happened to me but I want to go home. This isn't home. I don't want to be here. I just wanna go home."

Alice doesn't hear anything except her own sobbing for a while. She eventually lifts her head as a shadow overtakes her..... Adam. He's kneeling in front of her with an almost tearful look. The amount of emotion in his otherwise lifeless gaze makes her freeze.

"I know," he chokes out. "I'm so sorry. I know you don't want to be here. I know it's probably making things worse and... you want to go home... to your family...."

Adam looks down, knuckles turning white as he balls his fists.

Confusion overtakes Alice's mind, diminishing her sobs. She can't understabd why he seems so affected by this.

"..... why do you care....? What kind of trick is this, don't play with me, sir... why do you even care?" Alice hisses, backing away slightly.

Adam continues to stare down. Alicia pats his arm as he turns his face, eyes hidden by his long black hair.

"Daddy...?" She whispers. "Is this about Uncle Lucas...?"

Adam tenses visibly. Alice hesitates... Alicia's mentioned that name a few times at this point. She hasn't thought about what it could mean.

The young girl looks at her.

"We're trying to find Lucas. Like your family is trying to find you."

A chill runs down Alice's spine.

".... what's that supposed to mean? Adam?"

He doesn't respond.

"..... sir, who is Lucas...? Why does she keep bringing him up?" she asks, forcing her tone to soften.

"He's..... a brother. The youngest of us all. He's been missing for a few months now."

Adam spits out the words as if they're blades in his mouth. Alice's anger grows more and more muted as they talk, a new emotion replacing it.... sympathy.

"How old is he...?"

"18. Barely. He disappeared a couple days after his birthday. He wasn't even really an adult yet.... still just a kid."

"Have you told the police...?"

"We have. The police in these parts are the worst you'll ever meet, though, and... with a family like ours, they kind of slid it under the pile."

"That's horrible, though!!!" Alice jumps up, ignoring a throb in her ankle. "He's basically still a kid, why aren't they doing any more to try and find him?! Clearly you all care a lot and actually want him back, so why aren't they doing anything...?"

Adam shrugs, face towards the ground. "There's too much crime in this area. They gotta focus on the urgent stuff.... which leads us to take matters into our own hands."

That doesn't at all sound reassuring.

"What's that supposed to mean...?" Alice whispers, sitting back down.

"I don't think you want to know."

"Now I really do."

The man sighs, pushing some hair out of his face.

"Remember the man in the warehouse? The one you accused me of kidnapping?"

"Was that not what it was?"

"We consider the right term to be.... interrogation. Things happened that night, his family and our brother. We're trying to pry it out of him."

The words "He was the kidnapper first" suddenly make a lot more sense to Alice.

"... by.... tying him up? Possibly even torturing him...?"

"Who said we were torturing him?"

Alice shrugs. "Kinda looked that way."

Adam shakes his head. "No. Not yet. I didn't need him just yelling any random shit in order to get the pain to stop. I wanted the clear, conscious truth of what the hell he did to my brother. I wanted to know exactly where he was. Torture sometimes doesn't get you anywhere but jail."

Adam stares ahead, eyes twitching. His soulless gaze towards the warehouse is filled with a deep, growing rage.

"The police don't do shit. They don't care about a random missing boy, especially one that doesn't have any status. But that just leaves it to us... and then we can actually put care into finding our family. We can handle leads right. Track the families and gangs. Make deals. Anything to bring him home.

".... it's just a matter of when that'll happen."

Alice doesn't respond.

"Your family is probably also doing anything they can to bring you home t-"

"No."

He raises an eyebrow and turns her, caught off guard by her face stained with tears.

"They're not. My parents don't care about me. I don't think they've even tried to search for me. They don't care."

She looks down.

"Only my brother cares. Only my brother and his friends are trying to find me. He didn't even pick up, though."

She buries her head in her knees... is this jealousy? Sympathy? Bitterness? A mix of all? She can't quite tell.

Adam shrugs, putting a hand on Alicia's shoulder as she leans against him. "Guess that's something that never changes."

"What?"

"Brotherly love. Brotherly protection. Even if the parents are gone, even if the parents are shitty... there isn't anything a brother won't do for his siblings."

He looks up at the sky. "He's looking for you right now, I bet. Doing anything he can to find you and bring you home. He's out right now looking for you, he and his friends.... he sounds like a good caregiver."

Alice slowly nods, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"... He really is."

"Yeah. One person is still one person who's going to go to the ends of the universe for you... and respectfully, fuck your parents. If they aren't looking for you in the same way your brother is, then they don't count. That's not family."

Alice doesn't respond... she looks back at Adam. Alicia has crawled into his lap, hugging him tight with a sad frown. Although he has a hand on her back, Adam hardly acknowledges her, staring off into nothingness. Maybe he's trying to imagine something in front of him. His brother.

.... maybe that's why he looks so dead, Alice thinks. Maybe I shouldn't have judged him like that.

The lump in her throat forms again as she imagines Simon standing in front of her. Is he working to find her as much as Adam is now? Does he have the same lifeless gaze in his eye because she's gone?

"... hey. Alice. How about this."

She looks up at him, confused.

"The closest airport here... isn't exactly the best. Neither are the routes for getting out of here. But maybe one of our brothers, maybe Devon or Jules, can drive you up to the airport sometime soon. Get you a flight and get you home. It'd just take a month or two to scrape together the money."

"A month or two...?"

Adam shrugs. "Jobs and money are hard to come by here, and I'm tryna raise a family and a handful here.... if everyone pitches in without doing anything TOO fucked up, we could get you a plane ticket on one of the better airlines up north, plus money for a motel, food, a taxi, y'know. The basics."

"Wh- you don't have to do that!!!" Alice exclaims.

"You want to go home, don't you?"

"Well, of course I want to go home, but I don't want you to sacrifice a ton of money for me like that! Like you said, you have a family to raise."

"Sometimes going home is expensive. And I'll be damned if I let you just try walking through the wilderness to get back, who knows what could happen to you."

Alice opens her mouth to argue, but nothing comes out. She can't argue with that... and she really doesn't want to get taken again.

"... you don't have to work even harder for me, really. I don't want any of you guys to do anything like that, especially since you seem to have a pretty huge family as it is..."

"Yeah. 6 other brothers, a couple of them have partners, and Alicia and Lucas's girlfriend Stella. So... yeah. A lot."

Alice winces. Jeez.

She thinks a bit, trying to come up with a better solution.

"..... my family is pretty well off.... maybe when my brother responds, he could help pay for the plane ticket and to pick me up. And... until then.... I could help you out here?"

Adam raises an eyebrow.

".... you want to help out here."

"I mean... I don't really have much else to do. I'm guessing I'll be around here for a while regardless, might as well try and be productive."

"Alice, I can't ask that of you. You don't even know what we do."

"Well I know one thing I can do, and that's clean up the house I woke up in. 'Cause no offense, but it's kind of filthy."

A hint of offense flickers across Adam's face. "We haven't really had time to clean since Lucas's disappearance. Plus, what do you expect of a family of mainly guys?"

"Wowwwww," Alice retorts, unamused. "So because you're guys, the place is a mess? Doesn't Alicia live there too? That environment can't be healthy for her."

Adam starts to speak, but decides to let Alice finish.

"Look. I can't just stay in bed all day waiting for my brother to call me back, I don't want to just be locked away.... so I don't mind cleaning if it's on my terms. Plus, if I can't help with whatever you guys are doing, maybe I can help in other ways that need attention. Kinda so I'm not lazing around and just another person for you to take care of."

Adam is silent for a long, long time.

"... are you sure."

"As long as I'm able to clean on my terms, otherwise I'm not going to want to do it."

Another period of silence, before Adam sticks his hand out.

"Deal."

Alice stares at it for a moment before hesitantly reaching out, shaking his hand. She's shocked at how rough yet soft his hands are, and only now notices the sparkly pink nail polish over his fingers. She tries to not laugh.

"Daddy?" Alicia perks up. "Is Alice gonna stay then?"

"For a little, yeah. Just until we're able to get in touch with her family and get her home safe."

"YAY!!! Can I show her my dolls then?"

Both Adam and Alice laugh at her bubbliness.

"If she wants to see them, yeah. I think it'd be best to get her some lighter clothes first, though.... she looks like she's going to sweat herself dry," he replies. That's not wrong; Alice didn't even notice how much her clothes are sticking to her due to sweat until now.

"As long as I can keep my cardigan on... it's from my brother."

"Yeah, 'course you can. Nothing stopping you. I'll ask Stella to bring you shopping for a couple outfits of your own... she's a bit picky about her clothes. Plus, you need something that'll actually fit."

A sudden yell rings out from the warehouse, causing Alice to flinch.

"... speaking of which. I need to make sure she doesn't kill our guest." Adam stands up. "Li, why don't you bring Alice back to the house and show her your dolls?"

Alicia jumps up. "'Kay-kay!!!" She turns to Alice, once again sticking her hand out. "Lets go! Daddy will handle Stella and our guest, I wanna introduce you to Gigi and Blossom and Missy."

Alice stares at Alicia's hand for a moment before taking it and standing with a small smile, ankle throbbing lighter than before. The child's eyes light up excitedly and squeezes her hand... Alice notes that it's a little tougher than she'd expect a child's hands to be, though the sparkly nail polish that matches Adam's is both expected and adorable.

"I'll come back and check on you two in a bit, once I get things situated.... stay with Alicia, people know not to mess with her and anyone around her. Things can get rough around here... we're gonna keep you safe though, if you trust us."

Alice nods.

"I trust you."

For the first time, Adam smiles at her. It brings a hint of life back to his face, a hint that's barely detectable and gone almost as soon as Alice sees it... it comforts her a little, though. She feels a little safer, knowing this man isn't going to hurt her.

"Come on, come on, come on!!! I have lollipops in my room!" Alicia exclaims, tugging Alice along. Alice laughs, letting the girl pull her along.

"Take care girls, see you soon." Adam waves them off with the shadow of a grin.

"You too, Adam."

Okay, Alice thinks as she turns and walks. This could be worse. But at least I'm safe here... I doubt a man with a daughter like Alicia has any ill intent towards me. I can probably actually stay until Simon gets back to us.... I hope he does soon. I don't want to stay longer than I have to.

Alice smiles as Alicia pulls her along, back to the house from before. She feels the eyes of people in other houses clinging to her, wondering about her, but she doesn't care as much this time. Nothing's going to hurt her anymore.

All she wishes now is to make sure Simon knows that, too... wherever he is.

"STELLA, STAND DOWN."

Stella looks back at Adam, knife pressed on the outside of the man's chest. Her dull eyes are full of anger and tears.

"HE KNOWS, ADAM!!!!" She yells. "HE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO LUCAS AND I'M GOING TO PRY IT OUT OF HIM IF IT'S THE LAST THING I FUCKING DO!!!"

"GET HER THE FUCK OFF ME, SHRIEK!!!" The man in the chair screams. Adam runs in and curls his hand around the blade, gripping and throwing it across the warehouse. The handle crashes into some boards lined up against the wall, speckles of blood shadowing the path it took through the air.

Stella stumbles back from the force, despite barely being pushed by Adam. The hostage falls on his side, head hitting the hard concrete with a painful thunk.

Adam stands still, blood dripping from his palm. Any hint of kindness from his talk with Alice is gone, as his head and fingers twitch erratically.

"I thought my instructions were clear, Stella. Watch over him. Not kill him."

"I wasn't going to kill him," Stella hisses. "I was going to carve the fucking answer out."

The man tied up starts laughing... it's a foolish, deranged, I-know-something-you-don't-know kind of laugh. Stella and Adam both tune it out, as to avoid grabbing the knife and finishing what she tried to start.

"We know that won't work."

"How. How do we know. How do we know that, Adam?!"

"Because it never has in the past. Not on me, not on any other smart person, not on anyone unless they're fucking morons."

He turns to face their hostage, whose maniacal laughter has increased.

"And if he's hidden Lucas for this long like this, then he's not stupid enough to give us the truth."

"Ohhhhh, well, ain'tcha a smart one, Shriek!!!" The man cackles. "I gotsta say, I was kinda hoping Lucas's little doll here was gon' finish the job... then it woulda been all her fault that y'all never find him again! Your only lead would be gone!!"

Adam roughly yanks the man upright, grabbing his throat with bloodstained, spasming hands. Those dead eyes are livened only by barely-contained fury, nails digging deep into the skin and forcing out a cry of pain among the laughter.

"You listen right now, Steve Hazer, you're not our only lead, and even if I kill you now, then I still have all the rest of your family who knows what happened, and I can use your head as an example of what will happen to them if y'all don't fucking give us Lucas back RIGHT NOW."

Hazer's laughter doesn't cease. "I don't know if we can do that, Shriek," he giggles.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" Stella asks, pulling out a lighter. At the sound of the cap flicking open, Adam holds his hand up to stop her.

Hazer leans close, inches from Adam's face. His blemished pale skin and dirty blonde hair is even more disgusting up close, light green eyes almost less than human.

"I mean, maybe we could. But I don't think you'll like what you find."

"HAZER-"

"AH, BUT YOU WON'T ACCEPT THAT, WILL YOU, SHRIEK?! YOU WON'T LISTEN, YOU NEVER WILL LISTEN!!!"

"Oh, I'm listening. I'm listening to a bunch of bullshit meant to piss us off while my brother rots in whatever basement you're keeping him."

Adam tightens his grip, reaching into his pocket as the blood from his palm trickles down down the man's tank top.

"Like it or not, Hazer, he won that fight. It's not our fault that you lost one of your own because he challenged us first. He knew the rules. And now, just because you're unhappy, you've decided to keep playing dirty."

"Isn't that what your fights are all about? Playing dirty?"

"Yeah. And that's why we're playing dirty to find him. That's why you're here now. Because it was your family's choice to choose dirty fights in the first place."

The maniacal laughter dies down only for a moment, devolving into a hideous sneer and barely contained giggles.

"Good luck with that. And good luck with what you find... because wouldn't it be a damn shame if something happened to your precious, innocent, 'loving', idiotic, uncommitted, ARROGANT, VIOLENT, UNTAMED, SLOB OF A BROTHER WITH NO PARENTS TO RAISE HIM RIGHT!!!"

*WHAM!!!!*

Hazer falls to the ground, out cold. Adam stares with heavy breathing as new blood stains his brass knuckles before slipping them back into his pocket and kneeling down. He grabs his own head, trying to keep it from spasming and twitching with rage as Stella clicks her tongue and puts her lighter away.

"No point burning him if he's not awake to feel it..." she mumbles before pausing.

"... hey... Adam... you alright?"

"He has to be okay," Adam quietly sobs. "He has to be. He's my boy. My baby brother. He has to be safe. He has to be." His sobs echo through the now quiet warehouse.

After a moment, he sees a flash of tan through his fingers and opens them to see Stella holding some gauze and a roll of bandages out to him.

"I know.... I want him back, too," she whispers, tears glistening in the little light that there is. "But he's okay. Knowing Lucas, he's fighting like hell to get back here. He's a fighter. He won't leave us for anything, they're gonna have to drag him to hell and chain him there themselves if they want him dead. That's what you always say, right?"

Adam shakily sighs, wiping his eyes and blinking away the blood from his hands. "Yeah... you're right. They're bluffing. They didn't do anything to him. He's not out of reach yet.. the Hazers are cruel like that. Bet he wishes he was dead due to whatever those sickos put him through.."

His grief slowly starts to harden back into a familiar rage. "That's why we have to keep fighting to get him back. Let's get this Hazer to the back and leave him there.... I'll have a 'chat' with his dad tomorrow," he mutters.

Stella nods, walking over and trying to pull Hazer to a room. It's difficult due to how little muscle she has, but she manages. Once he's locked away again, she leans against the door and locks it. There's no more energy left for more interrogation.

Adam sits down and wraps his hand, the sticky blood uncomfortable between his fingers. He'll just have to wash it later. His mind never strays away from the fear for Lucas... even though it hasn't for the past few months.

Come on, Luc. We know you're out there, he internally pleads.

Come home to us. Please.

We need you.

THE END.

[the-writing-starchive]

She hasn't really been doing well.

Socializing did help, but the guilt and anger at everything soon crept back up. Icia watches as everyone celebrates and socializes, trying to grasp the joy she felt earlier.... each time, it slips out of reach. Even worse, the tension between Odette and Dunite has certainly gotten to her.

Her stomach is aching. The lump in her throat is growing. Her face hurts from smiling such a fake grin for so long. If it weren't for the obligation to be a good host, Icia would have turned in for the night, locked away in her room or asleep within Lance's arms.

Exhaustion drags at her mind as she ambles through the crowd. Voices blur together into joyous, incomprehensible noise. The only thing coherent to Icia is each thought and regret that runs loops in her brain, clear as day.

Why are you celebrating with Switch gone?

Mocha left, and you couldn't stop him.

Latte deserved that hug more than you.

Achilles is dying soon. And you can't stop it.

Odette and Dunite are fighting once more.

Is everyone truly safe here?

You aren't taking everything into account.

You're supposed to protect them, and here you are hosting a celebration when you couldn't even do your one job.

You're doing a terrible job.

Icia's head snaps up in pure and utter horror as Hexe's voice shines through in her mind. For a moment, she looks around, expecting to see the witch's hat and toothy grin she's grown to dread.... but there is nothing.

Everyone is okay. No one notices her sudden panic.

Icia sighs, quickening her pace to get away from the ice she accidentally left on the ground. Her dress no longer feels comfortable on her skin, bits of frost on the inside of her skirt scratching at her skin. Chills take their time rippling down her spine and sending even more ache into her stomach.

I can't keep pretending like this, she thinks. I need someone to talk to, some kind of distraction.... I need my fiancé, where is Lance, where is he....

She scans the crowd, looking for his familiar brown-to-red hair hopefully nearby....

She sees someone else, though.

Icia pauses. She's never seen her before.

The girl, who seems to sparkle under the chandelier light- from her hair to her skin to her dress- is talking with Starro and Vaga. It's hard to hear over the music, but the three seem to be having fun. She barely looks like an adult.

Icia feels her heart leap.... not in a romantic sense, but something.... something about her is just... so familiar.

The girl glances past Vaga momentarily, locking eyes with Icia. Big, deep, brown eyes.

Sounds start to feel drowned out for Icia, as the girl smiles. She waves goodbye to the boys before walking towards the courtyard.... slipping through the entrance with a grin.

Icia hesitates before following.

The courtyard, with Achilles and Isaac gone, is calm and serene... the moon shines brightly down on the bushes and flowers that line the path. The girl stands in front of an empty statue stand smack in the middle.... Icia hesitantly approaches.

"... excuse me- ma'am?"

The stranger turns to her with a smile.

"Yes, Ms. Icia?"

The formal addressing catches her off guard temporarily, but Icia brushes that off. She steps forward again.

".... do..... do I know you?" Icia asks, almost a whisper.

The girl grins. "I don't know. Do you?"

"We haven't met before, I believe."

"No, we haven't. Not like this."

Icia isn't sure how to respond to that. A few intuitive feelings rise up.

"..... we've met before in some way, though."

"You could say that, yeah."

"And.... you know me."

She shrugs. "Pretty well, yeah."

Icia pauses, searching her mind for any kind of memory.....

"Allow me to introduce myself... I'm Star." Star curtsies a bit.

Star.

Star.

Icia's head snaps up.

"Wait.... you're one of the mods- aren't you?!"

Star laughs a bit more with a giddy grin.

"... oh my gods. You're my mod."

Star smiles even more. "Surprise...!"

Icia feels her breath quicken. Her mod, her creator, standing right in front of her... a bit older than most of the other mods, per say, easily one of the most 'plain human' ones... except for her hands. Her skin fades to black down her arms, white stars speckling the shadowed hands.

".... I.... it's... nice to finally meet you, Star.." Icia bows deeply, trying not to let dizziness overcome her.

"Hey, don't worry about formalities anymore... I've been wanting to introduce myself far too long for that."

Millions of thoughts rise up at once, and Icia finds herself staring in silence as she tries to decide what to say first.

"I'll answer all your questions- or at least, the ones I can think of- soon... for now, I believe you're in dire need of a hug," Star eventually says, opening her arms. Right... mods can basically read minds. Or something like that.

Icia doesn't know what to say or how to respond.... but she slowly moves into Star's arms. As soon as the hands close around her, the will to put on a strong face crashes down, and tears breach her eyes. Star hugs her tight as the guardess quietly sobs.

"I-I don't know what to do," Icia cries, not noticing as Star sits them both down in a stone bench. "Dunite and Odette are fighting again. Achilles is dying soon. Mocha's basically gone. Switch is dead. I didn't even realize Yume was missing until it was too late and she fucking died. I still need to handle Slyn, and I have a family to raise even though I'm not there for them, I need to make sure everyone- including Raina- is able to adjust to the kingdom and heal from Hexe, but I keep seeing her out of the corner of my eye, and... and...."

She pulls back, tears soaking into her gloves. ".... you're doing this to me...."

Star's smile has faded into a sympathetic look as she nods. "I am, yeah.... I'm so sorry...."

".... it hurts so bad. All I want to do is abstract in Lance's arms. Why are you doing this to me...?"

Star looks up at the sky. "... I guess you could say it's some kind of development, but also a kind of projection. But I wouldn't put you through it if I knew you wouldn't be okay in the end."

"This hurts so much. It's so stressful."

"It is, yeah. And it will hurt."

"I don't know what to do... do you have plans for me?"

Star turns back at Icia, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Many."

"I just.... I don't understand. Why....?"

"I.... don't have a direct answer. Just like how I myself don't have a direct answer for why I suffer in my own life. It's one of those things you can't quite explain..... but, in the least manipulative way possible, I mean everything I do out of love. I won't appear like this to beat you down and hurt you."

Star intertwines her fingers. "And sometimes, no, I don't really have control over what happens. A lot of times, it's how I've developed you. The decisions you make and what happens is based on your current development."

Icia nods. Somehow, that makes sense.

".... I'm just... tired."

Star covers Icia's hands with her own. "I know. I know you are. It's going to get better."

"I... struggle to believe you. Especially with everything I still have to do.... I'm amazed that some people don't hate me...."

Star frowns. "Hey... Icia, listen to me."

Icia looks up.

"There's a saying, that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest angels. You go through so much because you are so, so, so very special to me. You are the first. The original. All the way since before Ice Anon, even when I didn't know that she would become who you are today. You don't know how fucking proud I am of the way you've grown.

"It's always going to feel tough. There'll be a lot of times where it hurts, and you're probably going to be very, very angry with me. But never is what you go through simply for the cause of hurting you."

Star gently reaches up and wipes some tears off of Icia's face. "You're so, so, so, so, so strong and amazing. I've created you in a vision of who I want to be. Where even if you have weak moments. Even if you crumble and fall. Even if it hurts. You never, ever, ever give up. You're a beautiful, powerful, supreme, elegant, caring, considerate, strategic, smart, strong person..... even when it doesn't feel like it. Even when you can't see yourself in any way except your worst version. I, and so many others, will always see you as a resilient, graceful, amazing woman. I say this as your creator, who has watched people react to you...

"You're doing amazing. Even when those thoughts in your brain tell you you're not."

I'm doing terrible.

"You're doing fantastic."

I can't do anything right.

"You're doing everything you can."

I'm not good enough.

"You're perfect in every single one of your flaws."

I'm not what they need.

"You're doing your best for everyone involved."

"........."

Icia's hands close around and squeeze Star's own. Her face is stained with even more tears.

"..... will it get better?"

"It will always get better. Everything you go through is to make things better for the future."

"Am I really doing a good job?"

"I'd say you are... I may be biased, though."

"What can I do?"

"I can't answer that with words... you'll figure it out, though. You'll slowly realize what you can do."

Icia opens her mouth to ask another question.... none comes to mind.

Star grins. "I know you have more questions.... I'll answer them in due time. When we both can remember."

"... what?"

"Well, your mind tends to correlate with mine. I can't remember any more questions you have, so therefore you can't either."

"Is... is that how this works?"

"In our situation, yeah. Once I remember, you will too. Speaking of which...."

Icia suddenly remembers a few more of her questions. Star smiles.

"... woah.... so... you already know every question I have?"

"Yep. I'll give you the liberty of asking them, though."

Icia thinks a bit.

"How will things go from here...? Will we meet again?"

"Oh, certainly. I'll visit when you ask me to... but I'll also always be around."

"Will I hear you in my mind?"

Star nods. "I'll address you when you want to hear it. It'll just be like another thought."

"Got it," Icia replies. "And... the others? Do they know? ... are you the mod of everyone in the kingdom?"

"Oh GOD no- a good deal of people, yeah. But not everyone."

"You were going around to them.. I saw you talking with Starro and Vaga."

She shrugs. "Just making some small talk, I didn't tell them anything. Only you get to know who I am... they might know me, but who I am- that's a secret between you and me... alright?"

Icia nods.

"..... it will get better. Right? With... everyone?"

Star squeezes Icia's hands.

"I promise you, it will. Ode and Dunite will be okay. Achilles will be okay. Slyn will be okay. Your family, the kingdom, your friends, and you will all be okay. Even if it gets worse, it will get better."

Icia nods slightly and looks down. Star looks up at the statue stand in the middle of the courtyard.

"This would be a lovely space for a statue, don't you think...? It's a beautiful place. Surrounded by flowers... good light... anyone can find their way here quickly."

"... I suppose you're right..." Icia wonders why she brought that up, before Star turns back to her.

"It's almost time for us to depart. When I do, the celebration will be over."

Icia's eye widens. "Has it really been that long...?!"

"It has. Even if this world doesn't have time, it's the equivalent of... around 1 or 2 in the morning. I'd suggest you and the other residents break out some drinks, have a little fun."

Icia looks skeptical. "Are you sure that's a good idea...? Are you even able to drink?"

".... technically, no. BUT you all can. Drinking age is 18 in the kingdom and I'm making that official. But seriously, a little buzz might feel nice. You don't even have to socialize with everyone else if you want, you could go off and play piano on your own or with Lance. If Fei will do that."

Ah, right, Fei. Lance's mod. Icia nods a little.

"..... is there anything else I should know....?"

Star thinks for a long, long time. She grabs Icia's hands once more and looks into her eyes.

"Be careful."

Icia pauses. ".... what?"

"In recent events, something has come up that even I don't know about. I'm going to try and keep you safe because I don't even know if I want you to deal with it, but, just, please... be careful. Not to alarm you. You're gonna be okay, but be careful."

Icia stares for a while before nodding. After a moment of silence, she pulls the girl into a hug.

"..... thank you. It's been so nice to meet you."

Star smiles and hugs Icia back. "It was nice to finally meet you too, Icia. I'll always be here with you, think of me if you need me."

"I will."

Icia feels Star's body start to buzz in her hands, like pins and needles everywhere they're touching. When she opens her eyes, Star is gone. All that remains is a gentle flurry of small stars gently drifting up into nonexistence.

A bell at the top of the castle rings loudly. Icia stares up at the sky for a second before reentering the ballroom. Ode hands her a microphone, as the music slowly fades out. The energy in Icia's voice has ceased, now replaced with a lulling, sleepy, formal tone.

"The celebration has now come to a close.

Non-residents are free to depart for the night, although they're free to return another day. All guests, with the exception of Joy, Fynn, and Charles as honorary residents, are excused.

Residents and resident spouses and family are invited to a small informal reception with drinks.

Thank you all for attending, and on behalf of all members of the digital kingdom, we are utmost grateful for not only your time in joining us for this celebration, but we also offer, once again, our highest gratitude to all whom assisted in the kingdom rescue.

You may exist through the portal from which you came from. These ones will cease to exist after all guests have departed; however, if you wish to return- which, I do hope you one day will- there is a permanent portal near Candleton that will bring you here.

Once again, thank you for your attendance in this joyous celebration for the night. I look forward to crossing paths with you all in the future once more, please do find me if there are any questions. And with that, I officially conclude this celebration. I wish everyone a very good and relaxing rest of your nights, sweet dreams when you sleep, and safe travels for returning home."

Icia returns the microphone to Odette and starts handling the aftermath of the party. For a moment, she swears she can see a certain girl outside, peering in with a smile.... but upon second glance, there's no one.

Just the stars.

[the-writing-starchive]

".... Fratello? Tonio?"

Starro opens his eyes groggily, vision slowly focusing as he wakes up. He's still holding Conny close, leaning against the polar bear.... still miffed and disappointed on how the slumber party crashed apart. Nearby, he sees Dunite and Aoki sleeping on a couch, wrapped in each other's arms.... and, illuminated by the just-rising sun, is Icia. Her clothes are a bit dirty, and the tip of her hair seems to have been broken off.

She approaches and kneels in front of him, voice barely above a whisper. "Good morning, Tonio... did you sleep alright?"

He murmurs a bit before responding, stars swirling with a gentle blue and red. "No.... not really. Spent most of the night crying."

"I understand that.... I'm sorry," she replies, looking at him sympathetically. She really is sorry about leaving so suddenly.

"Were you able to find Joy...?"

"Yes, we were.... she was brought to the inn I told you about."

"The one with the really flirty innkeeper with galaxy arms...?"

"Yeah, that place. She's okay.... really scratched up from running. We think she was taken by a being called Remnant."

Starro grimaces. "Any creature with a name like Remnant sounds like bad news...."

"Very much so." Icia looks out the window for a few seconds before turning back to her brother. "Are you alright...?"

Starro stares at her momentarily before chuckling.... it's more angry and miserable than humorous. "What do you think? ... sorry, that was rude of me...."

"It's alright. I don't blame you for being bitter."

He looks down.

"I feel bad for not being more worried about Joy.... just- all this bad stuff happening... and Joy getting kidnapped is probably one of the worst things that could happen.... and it had to happen on my birthday. I'm just.... I dunno. I feel bad but I'm also really upset. I just wanted to have a fun party with my favorite people, and I couldn't even have a full night for that."

"I know.... I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Nothing we can do about it now."

She leans down a bit to try and meet his eyes. "If you'd like, we can reschedule...? Or do something else?"

"It won't feel the same, so no.... thanks, though," he mumbles, turning away.

Icia sits up. ".... well.... if you'd like...."

She reaches behind her and slides the gift bag she brought forward. "You could still open your gift....?"

Starro stares at it for a moment, the blue and red diminishing ever so slightly.

"...."

"You can open it later, of course. But maybe, you can still feel like you have at least a bit of your birthday back now. No birthday is truly complete without gifts, after all."

There's a bit of silence before Starro gently takes the bag out of Icia's hands, staring at it. He feels a lump well up in his throat, forcing himself to swallow back a sob as he reaches his hand inside.

Something plush and furry greets his touch first.... and out he pulls a plush German Shephard.

Starro can't help but smile as he hugs the plush. "You remembered my favorite dog...!"

Icia nods with a smile. "I remember you always talking about wanting one. Even if you can't have a real one here... plushies are easier to take care of anyway."

The remaining bitterness ebbs away as Starro hugs both the plush and a still-sleeping Conny. "Thank you, Viv.!!"

She chuckles. "There's one more thing in there.... I think you'll really like this one."

He tilts his head before peeking into the bag.... a very familiar pattern and color combo catch his eye, fabric made up of red and black plaid.

"..... Viv, where did... where did you find this...?!" He utters, pulling out the flannel shirt.

"Just the clothing store in Candleton. But I immediately remembered... this was Dad's shirt. And you loved wearing it, it was your favorite."

"I.... I did.... after you disappeared, I basically claimed it as mine." He unbuttons the shirt and carefully puts it on, making sure to not wake Conny up as he adjusts the collar and rolls the sleeves up past his elbow.

Icia smiles more. "It just felt right to get. A little part of who you are.... and now we both have something of who we are."

She shows him a simple black bandana.... identical to the one from the crate during the kingdom rescue.

"You went and got the bandana..? From the dungeon?"

"Oh, gods no, I simply decided to make an impulse purchase while shopping for you. Now we both have a little more of ourselves here." She puts the bandana back in her pocket before smiling at Starro.

"Happy birthday, baby brother."

He smiles even more, golden yellow shining through his stars.

".... Thank you, Vivian."

He yawns, leaning back against the polar bear and hugging Conny as Icia checks on everyone else. His mood has substantially lifted, and knowing Joy is okay has also helped. Everything feels more or less better.

"..... Hey Viv?"

"Yes?"

"..... I think I only have one wish that I wasn't able to get fulfilled. I don't even know if I can."

"And what might that be?" She picks up a pillow, fluffing it a little.

"I wish I knew who our relative here was. So I could talk to them. And know who else is my family."

Icia freezes dead in her tracks.... if it weren't for the sudden, gentle crack of ice on the marble floor, Starro would have never thought twice. But the sound echoes slightly through the lounge, causing Starro to freeze.

.... I heard that wrong, he thinks. There's no way.... that's impossible, right? There's no way she knows....

He looks over. Her expression, while blank, is... conflicted. As if she's debating with her own mind on her next words. Starro's eyes widen.

".... oh my god, you do know who it is..." He manages to whisper.

Icia slowly walks back over, sitting on the nearest chair.

".... I was waiting for the right time."

"Well, everyone's asleep now, it's just us awake. Come on, tell me who it is!!"

"They won't be asleep for long if you don't keep your voice down!"

Starro takes a deep breath, his heart racing. He can't believe it. He's actually about to learn who his relative is.

"So who is it..?!"

".... you're not going to be particularly happy with the answer," Icia warns.

"Viv. I've been wanting to know for months. Please, just tell me who it is. I can take it. I want to know. Please."

There's a long, tense silence.

"..... the former king."

The former king? Who-

Starro freezes.

".... wait. You mean.... Slyn."

She nods.

"The former king Slyn."

She nods.

"The abusive former king."

She nods.

"The man locked in the dungeon right now for basically betraying all the kingdom's residents, and who was in love with the worst villain in the history of villains. The man who beat everyone here, including you, out of petty, spoiled anger. The man who helped drive all the fear into everyone's minds. The man who used his title as 'king' for nothing more than to spoil himself and an excuse to hurt or scream at anyone.

"That man is our sibling."

"He's our older brother."

Starro stares at Icia for a very, very, very, very long time before groaning quietly.

"There's really just.... not one normal person in our family, is there...?"

Icia shakes her head, hands folded in front of her. Starro runs his hand through his hair, a rainbow of emotions mixing through his cheeks. Out of all people, it had to be Slyn. Of course it did.

".... are you okay, Tonio?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure."

"Yeah, I'm fine, just.... a lot to take in."

He takes a deep breath and looks at Icia, head spinning. He really doesn't know how to react to this.

"So.... what now?"

"... you're going to think I'm crazy."

"I've done and heard of a lot of crazy things in my life, Viv. I can take it."

Icia takes a deep breath. "..... I'm going to try and help him."

"... what?"

"I'm going to try and.... I suppose... 'reform' him. There's a lot of issues going on, but... I don't know, it's difficult to explain, I just.... I don't want him to be locked away forever, especially since gods know how long 'forever' really is here."

"... you feel sympathy for him, don't you."

Icia nods. "I suppose so. In my defense, I had this plan for even before I knew we were related."

Starro sighs and lays his head in his hand, rubbing his forehead. "Alright, you're right... I think you're crazy. This feels like that "I can fix him" trope in stories and movies."

Icia shrugs. "I've known him for a long time... and I still have much to know. I don't believe he's completely irredeemable, though. He had sympathy. He wants to help people. He wants to be better. He just doesn't think he can yet. Related or not, I'm going to try and help him."

Starro sighs, a long, dramatic, exasperated sigh. He doesn't necessarily like this plan.... then again, he doesn't even fully know what this plan is yet.

".... would you like me to introduce you to him at some point, still?"

He thinks for a long time before nodding.

"Does he know?"

"He does. And he hates us. He views us as replacements."

"Of course he does...."

"Hey.. he doesn't know what Ma put us through. I'm not saying he should be glad he didn't grow up with us, but there are some things we went through that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Not even him.

"We all were screwed over by our mother... there's a common ground there. Only we know what she was really like, and we've all seen different sides of her."

Starro nods, looking down. Icia sighs a bit.

"I don't know.... we only have each other, though. And Slyn should have someone there for him too, having experienced... whatever he did from our mom. If no one else will treat him with at least some degree of decency and try to help him, I will."

"Alright, alright, I get it, y'don't gotta convince me with your fancy royal monologuing, heh."

Icia chuckles a bit. "I'll find a time after the kingdom celebration for us all to meet. Alright...?"

"Okay.... thanks, Viv."

"Of course. Now go ahead and get some more sleep, you still look exhausted. I'll close the curtains for you." Icia walks over to the giant windows and unties the giant curtains that reach all the way to the ceiling, yanking them closed. It's extremely heavy and tough to pull, but she still manages to pull them closed enough for Starro to not have the sunrise in his eyes.

He cuddles back up to Conny and the bear, feeling the flannel over his arms and squeezing the dog plush softly.

Okay.... maybe this birthday wasn't a complete bust, he thinks. I did have fun while it lasted... even if all of that other stuff happened... and I got to learn who my... brother is. Even if he's the most hated man in the kingdom right now.

.... meh. If Viv can work with that, I probably can, too.

He slowly drifts back to sleep, his stars a gentle, hazy yellow.

[the-writing-starchive]

[Before Amber gets back to the spa....]

Callista can't fall asleep.

She can't get Elysia's words out of her mind, nor the reflection in the mirror. They both haunt her, every time she tries to rest in the quiet and every time she closes her eyes.

The girl with freckles and scratches over her face, and a large thick braid draped over her shoulders.... how could one with eyes so full of fear and anger still somehow look healthier and happier than who Callista is now? That doesn't feel fair.

She peeks out the window at the stars outside..... it's a beautiful night tonight.

.... I need to wash my hands.

Callista carefully unlocks the door and sneaks past Elysia to a washroom. She wishes she was better at sneaking around, but thankfully, Elysia is out cold at this point. Probably for the better.

Her vision grows blurry with tears as she watches her friend sleep. She wants nothing more than for her to be happy and healthy, and NOT try and handle all of this shit that Callista started in the first place.....

All my fault. This is all my fucking fault.

Callista starts washing her hands at the sink. In the dim lighting, her vision makes out blurry red splotches over her fingers and palms...... Callista scrubs harder.

It's not enough.

She tries hard to tell herself it is, and her hands are clean, but to no avail. The soapy suds still look red. Perhaps it's just her mind playing tricks on her, but she doesn't care.

Callista hears Elysia's voice through the sound of running water.

“I mean, you had to doom one of them. Your family or your friend.”

"you had to doom one of them."

"you had to."

"your family or your friend."

"family or friend."

"one of them."

"you had to."

".... there wasn't any other way."

The words stab at her throat. She never wants to say that again, never wants to admit to any kind of acceptance that this was unavoidable. It absolutely was. There were many paths she could have taken, and she chose the worst one imaginable.

Callista barely notices when the water in the sink starts to actually turn red, nor does she notice the raw stinging on her hands as the blisters rip away. It's not enough, not enough, not enough, not enough. Her mind grows hazier, dizzier, the voice and sounds are growing further.....

Callista's eyes shoot open as her body falls on the ground, the impact jolting her back to reality. She sits up, rubbing her shoulder and looking around.... did she just faint? She's not sure.

Regardless, the pain starts to set in. Callista winces, gripping her skirt to try and stop the bleeding. It always hurts more than she expects.... but in the end, at least it tears her away from continuing to hurt herself.

With a sigh, Callista reaches up and turns off the sink, leaving her in silence once again. It's a welcome absence of sound, until Elysia's voice returns to her mind. This time, her sentence ends with a gunshot, followed by a dreaded, deranged scream that sounds an awful lot like Callista. She covers her ears, trying to drown out the sound of her own mind with anything she can think of other than more screaming. What could possibly distract her from such horrific memories that just won't stop?

Callista suddenly hears something.

A melodic humming. Her humming.

A soft, gentle, familiar tune so soft she can barely keep it above a whisper..... but somehow so loud that Elysia's voice and the gunshot are barely audible over the sound of her own voice in her ears.

Callista stops covering her ears, letting the tune follow its own path. Somehow, she knows each and every note that comes next... but she can't place her finger on any lyrics. Regardless, she keeps humming, focusing on the tune until it's time to repeat.

A slow wave of relief and tranquility trickles down her system. She feels oddly calm..... almost concerningly so. But it's hard to care when this melody feels like a warm hug that's shielding all her regrets and hatred.

With a deep breath, Callista finds the strength to stand up. She grips the side of the sink, grimacing as she notices the blood from broken blisters over her knuckles and fingers.

She feels as if it should affect her more than it currently does. But she still can't hear the memories that haunt her mind, so she's content with this odd sense of tranquility.

A towel sits on a nearby rack beside the mirror, which Callista picks up, dampens, and wipes away the bloody fingerprints on the counter, still humming. The white marble shines, even in the dimness of the room... she interprets it as gratitude for cleaning up.

I need to bandage these.... sand would be agonizing to get in those wounds...

She makes her way out of the washroom, holding the rag to her hands as she enters the laundry room. Ambrosius keeps a first aid kit in the lower left cabinet... Callista's sure they won't mind.

Inside, she finds exactly what she's looking for: non-stick bandage wraps. She takes the roll out and carefully starts wrapping each finger. Pinky, then ring, then middle, and so on... she never stops humming.

A lyric finally makes it's way to Callista's tongue.

"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima..."

She pauses for a moment before repeating it in the same tune she unexpected sang.

"... Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima."

The next lyric is nothing more than humming.

Callista shrugs and continues to bandage herself, humming while also softly singing the lyric where it fits. It's such a beautiful song... where did she learn it? Why does she feel like she's missing something with it?

Oh, well. It's still drowning out Elysia's words and what accompanies it. Callista's too tired to let this tranquility end through pausing and contemplating the melody.

After some time, she looks at her bandaged hands.... maybe it wasn't necessary to also do her wrists and forearms, but she feels better about not being able to possibly hurt those areas. In fact, she kind of likes how the wrappings look.

I'll return with a restock for Amber... he'll appreciate that, she thinks as she wipes any remaining blood up and throws the dirty towel in the laundry machine. It feels nice to be able to think rationally and calmly for once and not be in a panic over her past.

Just keep humming and singing. The memories can't hurt me if I can't hear them.

Callista starts the washing machine, praying Elysia doesn't wake up.... thankfully, it's quiet enough to ease her fears.

A small green light catches her attention instead- the dryer. Looks like it's done.... maybe putting the towels away can be one more favor she does for Amber. He deserves it, after everything he's done for both Calli and Elysia. This is the least she can do.

Callista sits on her knees and opens the dryer, taking the first towel out.... it's so warm against her skin that she can't help but close her eyes and hold it close, softly humming into the fabric.

"... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana...."

A second lyric. She puts the two together.

"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana."

Yeah. That sounds right.

Callista folds the towel as the heat dissipates, setting it aside before grabbing a new one. She always forgets how nice these feel against her skin, how nice any warmth feels against her skin.... it feels like a hug.

The towels make do, as she soaks in the warmth of each before folding them neatly until the dryer is empty. Callista sets them all on top of the machine... she would put them away if she had the energy or courage to go around to each room.

..... she could use a hug.... that sounds nice. Maybe falling asleep against Amber's tail....

She pushes the thought to the back of her mind. It's nice, but she's scared physical touch could rouse her fear once again. She only just started feeling peaceful, with the song she's slowly remembering.

... one more thing, she thinks to herself as she walks to the front desk. Sifting through the drawers, she finds a pen and 2 pieces of paper.

The first one she addresses to Amber.

"Hi Amber. I'm okay. But I can't stay, and I won't be returning for a while. I need time. If you need me, I will be at the beach. I know that is very vague, but you'll find me if you need me. Thank you so much for everything. You've been such a kind friend and I care for you very deeply. I love you, please take care of yourself. From, Callista."

She sets the note on the desk and places a scallop shell with pinkish-orange stripes and brown dots at the base over top of it.

The next note is for Elysia.... she stops humming only for a moment to focus. The memories shine through, but she tries to cut them out long enough to write.

"Hi Eva. I'm not going to be here when you get up. Please tell Mercury and everyone else everything. Tell him I'm sorry and I didn't want any of this to happen. None of this was supposed to happen and I wish I took a different path. Thank you for trying to find me, I'm sorry I'm running away again. I'd prefer if you didn't search for me, but if you must then you may. I won't be at the spa for some time. Please be kind to Amber, he's treated me with nothing but kindness and I love him like a brother. I have no doubt you'll be able to be kind to him though, you never had an issue being polite. I love you all dearly. I need to figure things out though. Please stay safe and take care of yourself. I love you all. Tell Mercury I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm sorry that all of this happened. From, Callista."

Her hand is shaking as she makes the final period, and Callista notices tears landing dangerously close to the paper. She quickly wipes them away and starts humming again.... well, more like singing now.

"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana.

O loo fiafia uma o tatou aiga ma uo o loo siomia ai i tatou i le malamalama o le masina."

Callista pauses before continuing her walk down the hall. Third lyric. She's not sure how she feels about it, knowing what it means.

She whispers the song under her breath as she enters Elysia's room.... the girl is so frail and in such poor health. She wonders if it's possible to change that in this digital world.

The note goes on the table next to the bed.... along with a tiny white conch shell with a pink interior. Elysia will like that.

Callista stands there for a few silent moments, mouthing the lyrics, before turning on her heel and walking out of the room... and out of the spa.

The beach isn't a far walk from the spa. What is a far walk is her 'shack', if it's even able to be considered that anymore. But that doesn't bother Callista, as she walks along the shoreline and sings. Every so often, she reverts back to humming. The tune remains gentle and comforting... like a lullaby of some sort.

She reaches down and picks up a few shells on the way.... they're almost unending, and Calli makes a game of trying to balance them on her head and waist rings, which is easier than she anticipated.

She feels better. Maybe only temporarily, but better is better. Maybe there's something wrong with her. Maybe she's starting to lose her mind. But she's content right now.... who is she to take that away from herself?

The wrecked excuse for a shack comes into view and Callista walks towards it.... something is still missing with her song. She feels as if she's not doing something she should.

Her hand suddenly raises up, as if the muscles acted on their own. Calli pauses, looking up at the hand that's reaching up at the moon ahead of her. That's new.... but oddly enough, it feels right.

Callista continues to look up at the moon as simple steps become something a little more elegant.... she points her toes, and focuses on walking in step with each lyric. The sand seems to beckon her to continue.

She spins a bit, searching for the right feeling as she nears the shack.... this is some kind of dance she knows, what comes next though...? She sways her hips a little, letting her voice grow loose and a little less reserved. It feels... liberating.

Callista stops walking, dragging her feet in arches and steps in place as she closes her eyes and tries to engulf herself in nature. The rustle of trees and grass behind her... the warm, fine sand beneath her... the salty ocean crashing ahead.... and the gentle, swirling breeze all around her...

Callista envisions rain and sun, day and night, nature in all of it'd beauty. She imagines the back and forth of leaves in the breeze, sand holding the memory of even the smallest disturbance, the unique patterns of the waves.... and forms a dance. A dance that feels right, to the lullaby Callista finds herself singing on loop.

Everything, for once, feels right. She can barely hear the memories, or see the face of the killer. Her mind and soul has been taken by nature.

Despite this, tears pour down Callista's face. If emotions had colors, each tear would be more multicolored than a rainbow. All the emotions overwhelm her heart.

She's so angry at why she was forced to make such a choice.

She's so sad for the death of her friend.

She's so guilty for how her actions led to everyone being trapped here.

She's so confused as to what really happened.

She's so homesick and desperate for some kind of familial sense.

She's so happy to, for once, feel like things are right.

She's so scared for what will happen once everyone else learns about what she did.

She's so tired of....

..... she's just so tired. So, so, so tired.

I'm done. To the pits of hell with this all. I can't take this anymore. I just want to go home. I just want to go to hell for what I did. I just want everyone to be happy and content. What God decided that's too much to ask for?

Drops of mixed emotion and exhaustion lands on the sand as Callista's body starts to ache and her voice starts to grow raw..... but she can't stop yet. She needs... the final lyric... to the song... she's almost...

It suddenly hits her.

"O le a ou puipuia oe, laʻu uo, seʻia pa'ū le lagi."

Callista feels herself slow to a halt, smile fading fully.

"Matou te sisiva i le malamalama o le masina, ma uulima... Ua talie atua ma faasusuina i matou i le mafanafana. O loo fiafia uma o tatou aiga ma uo o loo siomia ai i tatou i le malamalama o le masina... O le a ou puipuia oe, laʻu uo, seʻia pa'ū le lagi."

She repeats it, trying to still sing. The meaning of the lyrics starts to weigh on her.

The memories start to return. Guilt, grief, and anger wash out any other emotion.....

And just like that, Callista's back at square one. She falls to her knees, quietly sobbing and repeating the last lyric. Over and over.

She didn't protect him. She did the opposite. She won't ever be able to look beyond that fact.

The night sounds grow into nothing more than the waves crashing against the shore and a girl crying in her sleep.

[the-writing-starchive]

"Viv?"

Icia hesitates for a moment, not realizing he's talking to her, before her head snaps up.

"Oh- hi Tonio..." she replies with a soft smile.

Starro approaches her, trying his best to walk on the creaky ship before sliding onto the bench next to her. "People're wondering where you are, everything okay?"

Icia nods slightly. "I don't like looking out at the void... also, I was getting dizzy on the top deck."

"Makes sense, I dunno how well I'll be able to walk on solid land once we get there."

An awkward silence hangs in the air... Icia's smile starts to fade. Starro looks around, eyes falling on the locket fastened to the first button on her tunic.

"... ummm... You carry that locket everywhere.... it's really pretty."

Her smile returns momentarily. "Thank you... it's one Duni charmed long ago. It has a picture of all my loved ones and friends inside, and the pictures change and flash through randomly when I open it or press a tiny button on top."

"Wow..... all your loved ones and friends?"

She nods. "Everyone. My family in the kingdom. My friends in the circus. The gods. The pirates. You, Aoki, Duni, Lance... even the cats. Everyone who I fight for, everyone who's the reason I do what I do."

"That's so cool..... I um... I actually kinda have a locket of my own-"

Icia looks at Starro in surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah-!" He exclaims, fishing the golden locket out from under his fur. It's well hidden and secured around his neck with a thin leather string. "Take a look!"

He pops the locket open, and Icia's gaze morphs into awe as she marvels at the painting of Starro and Conny.

".... oh Tonio, it's beautiful.... did Conny make this for you???" She utters.

He nods excitedly, a gentle pink flushing through his stars. "Yeah! Just... a little thing to hold onto until I get back."

"That's such a sweet gesture..."

"Isn't it?! OhhhhhhhIlovehersomuchhhhhhhh-" Starro bursts into happy giggles, covering his face. Icia smirks and rests her head in a hand, leaning on her knee.

"My dear Antonio, fratello, you're so very smitten."

He blushes harder, streaks of yellow flying through his rosy stars. "I can't help it! She's just.... ugh, she's so perfect and sweet and soft, and I didn't ever think I'd end up with someone as soft and shy and gentle as her.. but I did and it's- really, she's better than anyone else I've loved, I can't imagine living without her. She feels like everything."

Icia laughs. She definitely understands that feeling, even if Starro's always been romantic like this about people he's loved.... but she's never seen him so truly hopeless for anyone like he is for Conny.

"Any plans to.... you know.... pop the question?"

He pauses, face darkening. "..... eventually, yeah.... but it feels like I only just got her-!!! We have so much to experience first... b-but I will! Just wait, I will and it'll be the most perfect proposal ever!

"God, I can't believe you're getting married before me..... you've always been reserved about marriage 'n dating and stuff. You were the one to be like 'I'll only date and get married when I find the perfect guy'."

"I was indeed. And it honestly was the best choice I could have ever made, I can't imagine my first partner being someone other than Lance. He's my first, my last, and my only."

Starro nods. "I think- no, I know Conny's my last.... I've said that before about others, but I know it this time. She's the one I wanna be with forever."

Icia smiles. "I'm glad we've both found our lifelongs then... even if it's in a way we never expected."

"Yeah...."

As the silence grows, Icia's smile shrinks. The pink and yellow in Starro's stars fades into a medium-ish indigo.

"Everything okay?"

She shrugs, not uttering a word.

"... come on, Viv. Talk to me. Is it just nerves?"

"I don't know Tonio, I'm.. I'm nervous. I'm frozen to my seat.... literally. I still can't believe I'm actually doing this."

She leans against the wall and stares straight ahead at the navigating room, frost outlining her back and head on the wood. "I keep thinking of every possibility... everything Hexe could throw at us... every life on the line.... what will happen once this is all over... it's daunting, Antonio. I'm... I'm just..."

I'm scared."

She turns to him. "I don't want to admit it to anyone. But I'm scared. I'm scared for the kingdom. I'm scared for the lives of everyone on this ship. I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to anyone, and I can't take one of you home...."

Starro shimmies closer, putting a hand on Icia's arm. "We're all scared.... if it helps, none of us are gonna stay dead forever. We respawn in the void."

She shakes her head. "Being in the void, actually in it, is the worst feeling ever. It's worse than death. Worse than abstraction. It feels like falling, endlessly.... Dunite says it feels like a physical hatred, clawing at her body and mind. I can't imagine anyone having to go through that, for any amount of time. I'd still never forgive myself."

"You don't forgive yourself for a lot of things."

Icia looks down, unable to reply.

"You don't forgive yourself for going missing with me, you don't forgive yourself for leaving the kingdom... hell, even after we save them, I don't think you really will.... will you?"

The lack of verbal response prompts Starro to continue.

"Look.... we all have things we regret. So do I. I'm not saying I get what's going through your mind, but dwelling on this... dwelling on everything that could go wrong.... maybe that mindset could cost us the rescue."

He winces as ice gets stuck to his fur. "That won't happen, though. Nothing is gonna cost us this mission if we don't let it."

She shakes her head.

"No. Nothing will."

".... Vivian, look at me."

Icia turns her head towards Starro.... he smiles at her.

"You know what you're doing, right?"

"... what do you mean?"

"I mean, look at us, we're on a fucking pirate ship about to save a whole world!!! Isn't that cool?!?! This is literally the coolest thing EVER!"

She chuckles a little at his enthusiasm.

"Viv, you did this. You're doing this now. You're literally leading an army into battle to protect a kingdom!"

"Moreso overtake it than protect-"

"Oh hush, you know what I mean, same difference. Just... you're doing all of this. This is amazing. This is cool. This is exciting."

"This is terrifying."

"Yeah, that too.... but still! You did all of this. You had a problem. You made allies. You enlisted their help and planned for as many scenarios as you could. That's all gotta count for something."

Icia folds her hands over her stomach. ".... yeah... it does."

He smiles bigger. "Vivian. You're literally a guardess. You've always been a protector, but look at you now. This is massive. And it's gonna go great."

He leans backward against the wall, too. "We'll save the kingdom, and then we'll go home to everyone we love and celebrate to no end." His hand reaches up to his neck, clutching the locket tucked safely within his fur.

".... yeah. We will. It's all gonna be okay."

Icia reaches over and hugs Starro gently, using her cape as a barrier to not freeze him.

"Thanks, Tonio."

"Anytime, Viv."

The two sit in silence for a while, before quick footsteps make their way down below deck. Dunite looks at the two, a rare half-smile full of anticipation on her face.

"Hey. Kingdom ahead. It's time."

Icia smiles at her. "Thank you Duni, we'll be up there soon," she replies.

As Dunite goes back up the stairs, Starro stands and stretches, dusting frost and dew off his fur.

"Well, you heard her, time to g-"

"Where did... where did that come from?" He hesitantly asks.

[Alert: Familial Link RESTORED. Processing data....]

.... wait...... what?

It's a few seconds before Icia and Starro process the sudden green text above his head and monotone female voice. Both of them tilt their head, baffled by its sudden appearance.

Icia doesn't respond. She recognizes that message.

The same one she got when arriving at the circus for the first time.

The memory flashes through Icia's vision- traversing through the void, running towards the circus. It was the only world she even knew about, having searched through her own files for any kind of links... as she approached the circus, the message popped over her head: "Familial Link restored".

Why on earth would Starro be seeing that message too then...? If he and Icia's link was already reestablished, then....

.... could that possibly mean....

Icia and Starro slowly look at each other, realizing the meaning of the message. Their gazes both hold the same questions and shock, but not a single word is said for a long time. Not even when the text disappears after about 30 seconds.

No. Impossible. There's no way another member of their family is in the kingdom. Icia would know.

Right?

"Guys?! Hellooooo, kingdom time!!!"

Dunite's voice barely registers in their minds. They just stare at each other in silence, processing what they saw.

It's not just those two anymore.

There's someone else.

Starro finally offers a hand to Icia, expression and stars unreadable.

"We rescue the kingdom first," he whispers. "And then we find them."

Icia remains still for a few moments before nodding and taking his hand, forcing herself out of the icy seat. Each step up the stairs feels like another skip of the heartbeat. She has more family here.

She has to find them.

She has to know who they are.

..... that's not important right now, Icia thinks, forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind.

They're finally here. It's time.

She's getting her kingdom back if it's the last thing she does.

[the-writing-starchive]

Chase wakes up to gentle rain showering his hands and hair.

Compared to the pounding storm he was subjected to earlier, it's quite the welcome change. He sits up groggily, reaching up to rub his eyes. His hands hit a familiar solid material, though.... as soon as he realizes what it is, he groans loudly.

Stupid fucking mask again, goddammit.... he thinks bitterly, the rainshower seeping through the mask's eye holes. It's not too much of an inconvenience, other than once again being quite a hassle to wash his face or eat again. But he was starting to enjoy the feeling of wind on his cheeks again.

Whatever, he thinks, enjoying the gentle rain. Chase looks around, seeing the dark cloud of rain, wind, and lightning in the distance. That must be where he died.... he, Dusk, Lennie, Steph, and Camila.

He wonders where they all spawned before remembering Dusk isn't from this world... she's probably not around anymore. Chase looks down bitterly, hugging his knees to his chest.

He's starting to really hate being alone like this.

That's something he never thought he'd think.... he likes being with his brothers or girlfriend, but aside from them, Chase prefers solitude and no one around.

None of them are here with him, though, and probably never will be. Chase is completely and utterly alone, with no hope of ever escaping or seeing any of his loved ones again.

Chase finds himself thinking of the others. He wouldn't ever admit to trusting any of them, but their company definitely makes him feel a little less alone. They're all just trying to survive, after all, just like him.

..... survive.....

Survival. Life. Death.

His mind drifts to Camila. To what she told him. It's faint and foggy in his memory from the alcohol, but the fragments loop in his mind.

He's still baffled by the logistics of it, how one's conscience actually gets inside the computer and how they stay alive even though they're dead in the real world.... but eventually, he pushes it aside. He's not smart enough to try and figure it out.

Chase still wonders what it feels like, though, to be Camila. He has so many questions, and also a rather unfortunate amount of sympathy for her situation.... how did she die? How old was she? What about her family?

Chase groans and stands up. He really, really, reallyreallyreallyreally hates her and hates that he's feeling any sympathy for her. She's a prick, a bitch, an asshole, a pain in the ass who's probably only keeping him alive as someone to bully. She's horrible, she's annoying, she's cruel, she's selfish, she's......

..... human. She's still human, and she's the only one who could even understand my situation.

Chase looks down at the wet, sandy ground, fingers picking at themselves. If it was anyone other than the bitch who betrayed him when he first arrived, maybe he'd be more willing to open up. But her? Why's it gotta be her of all people?

He walks in the direction of the storm, silently scolding himself each step of the way. Why the fuck am I doing this? I could just wait for a train. I could just lie down by the tracks and wait for the train to pass by. I could stay out in the rain, in the SAFE rain.

..... I'm such a fucking idiot for this. She better thank me for this.

The rain and wind grow more intense as Chase travels deeper into the storm. The mask definitely helps to keep the water out of his eyes, although it still all pools into the bottom of his mask, and he has to dump it out of his eyes quite often. And without the hangover, he's better able to keep his balance and avoid any flying debris.

All of a sudden, he trips and falls, almost slamming his head into a tree trunk. The vague shape he sees glancing back both chills his blood and eases his mind.

His own headless corpse.

Chase stands and steps over the body, noting that his head is completely out of view, wherever it is. But this is almost exactly what he was hoping to find. Now, if only he could find....

There she is.

Chase approaches Camila's corpse, dodging a few flying branches. He takes a few seconds to observe the damage.... parts of her face and body look bashed in and cut, but judging by the deep gash over her throat, the rest of it must be post-death damage.

Her body isn't what he wants though.

Chase grabs her shoulder, smiling as his hand wraps around the bag strap. He quickly pulls the bag off of Camila's body, probably dislocating her arms in the process but not caring as he slings it over his shoulder and books it back in the direction he came. It's definitely a heavy bag, about half his size, but he pushes through and uses the wind to his advantage.

Eventually, the rain starts to ease, and he can see more than a few feet in front of him. Chase's sprint slows to a walk until he's far enough that there's nothing other than the gentle drizzle that woke him up in the first place. He sits down on a flat rock, legs and back aching from the weight he carried. But he's safe now, and he has exactly what he was looking for.

"Alright.... what's in here...." Chase mumbles, opening up one of the compartments. There's all the butcher equipment and cutlery, even a spare cleaver. Chase's eye gleams at the sight of so many sharp weapons. He grabs a small paring knife and stuffs it in his hoodie pocket before searching the rest of the bag.

It's all typical cooking supplies and various foods, including chunks of meat from that rabbit man. Chase wonders how preservation works in the digital world as he seals it all up and continues to marvel at the utensils, dishes, and seasonings she has. He's watched his brothers cook in the kitchen a few times, but a couple of things look quite foreign to him. He doesn't think he ever could learn to cook with most of this.

Eventually, he also finds a large canteen and weighs it in his hands.

Empty... he thinks, hopping up and walking into the rain once again. Chase unscrews the cap and holds it up, waiting as the water fills the canteen. It doesn't take long, and after the container's full, he turns around and gets back to the rest of the equipment. Other than a few rags being soaked, everything seems undamaged.

Chase lays back on the rock, kicking his feet a little and humming. The storm continues to move on, away from him and passing over the town. Hours past, to which Chase spends nibbling on carrots and trying to dry his clothes off.

The more he thinks about it, the less the thought of Camila pisses him off. Her methods for killing people and tricking others into eating them is fucked up, but it's not like she can do much else. He's seen first hand that she can't exactly help herself, and a vegetarian diet wouldn't really be the best for a cannibalistic vampire. She's trying to survive.

And she's never getting out of this place either, no matter what. That's the most disturbing fact of her situation, and Chase has so many questions. How does aging work? What if the system shuts down? Can someone die of old age? Are they, in the grand scheme of things, immortal?

He bites his tongue, looking down at the ground. The way she treats him is..... familiar. She's a bitch who toys with him and doesn't care if he's a bitch back, she matches his energy but treats him like a kid.

.... she treats me like my brothers.

He groans and lays face down, cringing at the realization. That's something he DEFINITELY doesn't want to accept because she's not them. She never will be them. No one will ever be them. No one will replace his family, and he'll be damned if anything makes him feel better

A familiar clunking sound jostles Chase out of his thoughts, prompting him to stand up. In the distance, he sees a train with a yellow mark chug along, heading straight towards him and the storm. Time to go.

He puts the bag on and rushes to the side of the tracks, internally cursing himself for not adjusting the straps first. Whatever, it doesn't matter. The train's getting closer.... and closer.... and closer.....

Chase leaps forward through the open doors.

And not a moment too soon, either. Just as he regains his balance, the train chugs straight into the storm. Rain, wind, and debris smatter through the open doors, immediately drenching Chase's clothes again.

He grumbles with a yawn, dragging the bag over behind several crates that block out the majority of the rain. He's far too exhausted for this, and eventually just lays down while hugging Camila's bag. For being full of cooking supplies, it's shockingly comfortable to hug.

Chase yawns again, shivering from the water soaking through his clothes. At least the rain crashing against the windows is soothing, a familiar sound that slowly lulls him to sleep. He squeezes the bag just a little, thinking one final thing before fully drifting off.

Guess I'm trying to find Camila instead of avoid her now.

[the-writing-starchive]

Chase doesn't know how long he's been sitting.... Dusk and Steph and Lennie have been silent for ages. He's nodded off a few times, barely managing to shake himself awake.

After some time, however, he stops feeling tired and just stares up at the moon.

Two hands suddenly grab roughly over his eyes.

"SNEAK ATTACK!"

"AH-!!" Chase freezes before laughing and hooking one of the person's arms, yanking down and eliciting a yelp. "Heheh, heya...."

A new voice pricks his ears, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Would've been better if you actually broke his arm though."

"Oh fuck off, no it would not!!"

"It kinda would," Chase responds as he hears several people approach from behind. A homely, familiar, warm feeling fills his mind.... he's no longer afraid. He's no longer angry. He feels at peace.

Another hand pats Chase's head, to which he pushes it away.

"Oh fuck off, I'm 18 now. Not a kid, stop treating me like one!"

"You're always a kid to us, +[@<+>. That ain't ever changing, you're always the baby brother."

"I will punch you in the dick and make a necklace out of your kneecaps, all of you."

The car fills with men's laughter, and Chase's mixes in easily. He hasn't laughed like this in ages, it feels amazing.

As the laughter and chatter continue, Chase somewhat notices a familiar city pass by. It all smells like smoke, booze, and wet clothes... he inhales deeply, taking in the scent. The rundown houses pass by relatively quick, yet he's still able to piece out each and every one. That one belongs to !?+<×*', that one goes to +[+;$[-(+, and +[×;#*¿.....

"+[@<+>?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are you?"

Chase pauses and tilts his head, looking in the direction of his brother.

"What do you mean? I'm home with you guys."

"No you're not."

Chase looks back out of the car door..... it's a new part of the city. He knows it's his city... but it's unfamiliar and so unwelcoming. But where...?

"What do you mean?"

"Where are you, +[@<+>? We've been looking everywhere for you."

"No one's listening to us. We've gotten the help of some of the other gangs. We've offered truces. Money. Food. Shelter. Everything. Where the fuck are you?"

"..... I don't know what you mean, I.... I'm home. Right?"

Chase looks back at his brother and freezes.... it's a faceless figure. So familiar.... but so different and strange. He looks behind him.... Dusk, Steph, and Lennie are gone. All 6 other boys are also faceless.

"+[@<+>, we're looking everywhere for you.... please. This isn't funny."

"We need you back. We know you didn't run away."

"Come on +[@<+>, come back."

Chase blinks, and all the guys are suddenly gone. He's alone in the car.

"... guys?! Wait-!!! No!!!" He stands up frantically, looking around in terror. Where did they go? Where's everyone else?

The train starts to slow..... that's not supposed to happen. Right?

It slows and slows.... until coming to a halt in front of a dark, dirty alley with a flickering light bulb. Chase feels a wave of dread as he steps off, fingers and head twitching.

This isn't safe.

The train is shrouded by darkness as he plants both feet on the ground. The feeling of eyes on his back becomes incredibly obvious as Chase continues to walk through the alley, deeper and deeper.....

He shouldn't be here.

Something is wrong.

Where is he?

Where are his brothers?

Who's lurking behind him?

Something compels Chase to not look back, as much as he wants to.... he wants to look back. He NEEDS to look back. If he doesn't, he thinks he's gonna die.

Suddenly, Chase remembers.

He IS gonna die.

He whips his head around, coming face to face with a shiny blade inches from his skin.... the mask is gone. All Chase sees before the reflection disappears is his own horrified, tear filled face.

[the-writing-starchive]

Icia opens her eyes, blinking uncomfortably to the bright light around her.

She groans a little, rubbing her back as she stretches out in the hardly padded chair. Compared to how she remembers falling asleep- in a large, cozy bed with a warm comforter, wrapped in Lance's arms- she feels as if she had been sleeping on rocks.

Icia stands, cracking her back with a wince and rubbing her eyes until she can properly see around..... the sight makes her blood run cold.

A hospital.

Icia feels her stomach churn and heart race until she glances down. The floor is clean and enough for her to vaguely see her reflection.... not a single piece of ice holding her to the ground. Not a single speck of frost sparkling on her socks.

Icia relaxes just slightly. This is a dream, thank goodness. She's still disturbed and afraid, anxious as always, and she's probably frozen both Lance and at least one of the cats to the bed, but at least this all is just a dream.

Balling her fists and closing her eyes, Icia tries to wake up. If she focuses enough, she'll wake up, and maybe she'll be able to break out of the ice and get the bed dried up before Lance wakes up...

A few seconds. Nothing. A minute. Nothing. A couple more minutes, and still nothing.

Why isn't this working? Icia thinks, lips pursing in frustration. I always wake up after a few seconds, a minute at most. Come on, come on, I have to.... to...

.... wait.... why am I even here?

Good question. Icia's dreams mostly- no, always took place in either a forest, clouds, a coastal city, a house, the Kingdom, or her favorite: anywhere with her loved ones. The bright, modern hospital was none of those, and Icia found herself alone in the hall that stretched so far it faded into a haze in both directions.

There are a couple chairs along the walls, open for equipment or rolling carts or doors. Icia notes that all the doors are blocked out with blinds, and more than likely locked...

Except for the closest door. The one next to the chair she woke up in. It's wide open, to... well, a hospital room. Nothing special. Icia peers inside.... the room is somewhat dimmer than the hall, a welcome sight for her slightly strained eyes. All she can see at the moment is the window ahead of her, blinds rolled up to show the tips of empty branches against the pitch black sky.

She steps inside and peers around the corner. The room is quite a bit bigger than she expected, or maybe that's because there's nothing in the room except a single empty bed and monitor. But someone stands out among the white, blank interior.

"Starro??"

He whips around, stumbling back and crashing into the monitor. It clangs against the wall, a stray wire getting caught around part of his leg, which prompts him to jerk it forward. Before Icia knows it, Starro is on the ground with the monitor on the ground next to him, and a wire around his leg.

"Ow.... I'm- I'm okay... fuck, that hurt more than I thought it would..." Starro groans, grabbing blindly until his hand catches the wire and he throws it off. Icia kneels down in front of him, helping him stand up.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"Yeah, I'm sure... just didn't expect to see you here."

Icia starts to question this 'dream' of hers. Starro seems a bit too.... real. She notes that her senses aren't hazy as they are in normal dreams. He feels real. The cold ground feels real. Everything feels real..... too real.

"I didn't expect to be here."

"Yeah.... I don't know what's going on either. But this dream, it just... it's... different."

"It feels oddly similar to being transported to the kingdom by magic, in my opinion. It all feels uncomfortably real, but not all certain either..."

"Yeah. Kinda."

Icia looks her friend up and down... Starro doesn't meet her eye, rather looking at the bed to their side. His stars, all of them, are a deep, ocean blue... a vivid hue Icia's seldom seen. It causes her worry to grow once again.

"Where are we?" She asks.

"Hospital."

Icia internally curses herself for asking such an obvious question.

"... why are we here?"

Starro remains silent for, maybe 10 seconds at most. It feels more like 10 minutes.

".... I dunno."

His voice cracks, and he visibly swallows back a cry or sob. Icia reaches forward and takes his hand, causing him to glance back in her direction.

"Starro.... what's going on...?"

"... I don't know. You're never here before."

"Before? Is... this a dream of yours? Are... is this something recurring?"

"S-sometimes...." He looks down, sniffling and trembling.

Icia takes his other hand and leans down a bit to try and meet his eyes. She doesn't know what to ask, or what to say... so she stands in silence and waits for Starro to say something else, anything else.

Eventually, he looks up at the dim-ish ceiling light, shakily sighing. "God, where do I even start...?"

"Here, let's.. take a seat and talk. Hm?" Icia motions to the bed. It looks comfortable to sit down on, considering there're no seats in the room, but Starro sinks to the ground and hugs his knees tight. Alright, that works too, I suppose... She kneels down as well.

Starro stares down at the ground, clearly trying to figure out how to say this or even start. Icia waits patiently, hands no longer holding his and rather one on his shoulder. He always does seem to do better with physical affection.

"... yeah. This is my dream.....a memory."

"Are you comfortable saying what it is...? What usually happens...?"

He swallows again. "... it varies. But it's always in this room. Sometimes, there's someone in the bed. Sometimes I'm just... just folding sheets."

Icia nods a bit.

"..... I kind of wish you could remember this place too. You weren't here, though."

".... what exactly is that supposed to mean? Starro??"

Icia stares at him, perplexed and surprised. He looks back at her with tears streaking down his stars.

"......."

".... Starro.... please- tell me what's going on.... what do you mean I wasn't there?"

"You were missing."

"Missing...??? What do you mean?"

The hospital around them suddenly changes and morphs.... as if adding water to a painting, the colors and shapes twist and contort until the room has fully changed. It's.... a meeting room?

Icia suddenly stands, looking around anxiously. Definitely some kind of meeting room... and judging by the emblem on the wall, a police meeting room.

Starro notices the room as well, holding himself tighter. This place definitely holds some bad memories....

Before Icia can ask, she hears yelling from outside. Very loud, very muffled, very angry yelling. Starro squeezes his hands over his ears, he doesn't want to hear any more.

Icia walks to the door and presses her ear against it. Curses be to the twisted non-logic of the dream world, it doesn't help the clarity of the argument.... but she does manage to catch a few sentences.

"Mia, love, please...."

"DON'T YOU 'Mia, love' ME!!! --------.... ------- GOD WILL BRING HER HOME, SAFE AND SOUND!!!"

Icia freezes. The voices sound..... oddly familiar. But from where...?

...... are they.... talking about.... me?

She looks back at Starro, who's still shaking and trying his damndest to block out the yelling. But before she can get to him, a speck of blue on the table catches her eye.

She only has to scan the picture on the file for a second before she recognizes it. She recognizes the tan skin, the bandana, the blue-and-black hair and the scar under her left eye.

The girl from the mirror room.

Her.

The screaming fades into nothing more than a hollow ringing in Icia's ears as her stomach begins aching once again and adrenaline shoots up. Why is her picture on this file? What even is this place? What does Starro know?

She exhales shakily. She has to know.

".... Starro."

He doesn't say anything or move.

"Tell me why we're here."

"......"

She starts asking more questions.

"What do you mean I'm missing?"

"....."

"Who's yelling outside?"

"...."

"What do you know that I don't?"

"..."

".... who are you?"

".."

".... who am I?"

".... Vivian...."

Icia looks back at the folder, reaching out with a trembling hand. The picture slowly slides off as she opens the page....

Only to be met with yet another picture of the same girl. And a caption.

"Vivianna Lucia Marino"

Icia stares at the girl in the picture.... if her face wasn't as horror stricken as it is, she may have confused it for a reflection.

If.... this is me.... and.... does that mean..... I'm.... Vivianna? No.... that doesn't sound right....

Vivian? Am I Vivian?

*ding*

[MEMORIES STATUS: RESTORED.]

Icia's eyes widen as the realization kicks in and she snaps back. They're no longer in the meeting room, but rather, a house. Specifically, a small and homely kitchen. Starro stands up, confused about the new location.

"...... this was our home......" Icia whispers, lips curling into a tiny smile. She drags her hands over the wood counters and checkered towels draped over the oven handle. The overhead lights flicker slightly, although it's hardly noticeable among the fake candles illuminating each corner.

She recognizes this place from some of her dreams, dreams of cleaning and laughter, and delicious food....... but also dreams of yelling. Fighting. Screaming. A defensive feeling, almost like walking on eggshells, pools through Icia's whole system.

Her fingers brush against a metal picture frame on the counter, and she picks it up.... this picture has always been blurry before. But now, it's so clear.

A family photo, on a beach seemingly. The mother of the photo stands tall and proud, with piercing eyes and a short haircut, an older man behind her. His glasses are a bit crooked, and his smile is meek.

But who Icia notices the most are the two teenagers with their mother's arms around their shoulders: an older girl and a younger boy. The girl is undoubtedly Vivian, given the blue hair and bandana... the boy looks somewhat similar, with black hair and a freckled grin so big you'd think it's his birthday.

Memories flood Icia's mind as the puzzle slowly completes itself. She looks towards Starro, unable to see the tears in his eyes through her own.

"..... I'm Vivian...."

He nods.

"And that means.... you're...."

"... Tonio.....?"

He nods again, choking on a sob. She sees a streak of yellow flash through his stars, only to be immediately washed out by deep blue.

"I've wanted to tell you for so long..."

Icia tries to keep her voice from trembling as much as her hands.

"How long have you known?"

"Since Raina..."

"Tonio, you should've told me you knew."

"I‐ I didn't know how...." He buries his face in his hands, failing to wipe away the tears pouring down his face. "I was so... fucking stuck on the idea that I'd know my sister when I saw her, but when... when the thing with Raina happened.... I heard you.... and I heard me.... and we were talking. In the real world. As Viv and Antonio.

"I knew it meant something.... and I kinda pieced it together.... but after the talk during the festival, and what I said..... I.... I couldn't bring myself to do it. Y-you've been right here the whole time Viv. You... you knew. You fucking knew, that's why you called me your brother from the start, isn't it?"

Icia's heart cracks a bit more as sobs escape Starro.

"I can't believe I didn't see it from the start, I was so stupid... this whole fucking time, the only reason I came here was to bring you home, and you were here the whole damn time-"

"Wait. Hold on a minute."

Icia sets down the picture and walks over to him, barely holding back tears. "Tonio, you came here for me...?"

Starro nods timidly.

"How long was I missing?!"

".... four years, by the time I left."

"But everything you worked for!!! The choir, the dance team, the theater, color guard, gymnastics- what about it?!"

"Ma pulled me out of it all."

"I thought Dad was funding it all, though! He had that say, not her!!!"

A few seconds of silence go by before Starro breaks down, gripping Icia's arms.

"Papa didn't make it, Viv. His heart couldn't take it. He died a couple years after you disappeared."

Icia feels her heart sink as the tears breach her eyes. She clutches her stomach with one hand and tries to hold Starro up with the other, although failing as her knees buckle and she falls to the ground. The kitchenscape around her starts to break, large black cracks tearing through the walls and cabinets.

".... Antonio, stop lying to me, no he didn't. He didn't, he didn't, he didn't, STOP LYING TO ME. PAPA IS ALIVE. HE'S WAITING FOR US, HE'S WAITING, HE'S... he's..."

Starro's sobs grow into wails as he shakes his head, unable to form words as he hugs Icia. She stares ahead blankly, tears racing down her face and soaking into Starro's fur. Her mind is numb with sudden grief, refusing to believe he's actually gone.

".... g-gone.... he's gone Vivian..."

He must be. Antonio never lied about death. And he'd certainly never lie about their father.

"..... I didn't even get to say goodbye...." She whispers, hands making their way over and around Starro. She pulls him in tighter, feeling the room grow tighter as chips and pieces of the dream fly off into oblivion.

"Everything got worse when you left for your stupid job," he cries. "I couldn't stop Ma and Dad from arguing. Not like you. She was so sure you would come back, that God would bring you home..."

Icia clenches her teeth. "Isn't that just like her..."

"She wouldn't listen. Dad wanted to stop searching after the first year. It was killing us all, and he knew it. She wouldn't listen to him. We all were fighting daily. I did everything to distract myself from you... drinks, parties, sex, all of it... that got me kicked off some teams.

"And then Dad just..... died. And Ma was so done with him by that point that she couldn't even stand my face, so she took all her anger for him out on me. She forced me out of everything else I was in. She tried sending me to some conversion camp. Tried taking all of my clothes because I wasn't enough of a man, 'just like my papa'. She did everything to try and just.... strip me of me, and replace you."

Icia can barely focus on his words, she's trying too hard to not be sick.

"... wh.... what happened next?"

"... I sent Ma to a dementia home. She tried attacking me, kept calling me by our Dad's name, and said she never wanted to see me again. And.... one of the few friends I had left told me about something I could buy from the black market. A headset. From C&A."

Icia nods.... she sees where this is going.

Starro tries to continue through painful sobs and wheezes as he struggles to catch his breath.

"I had to find you, Viv, I had to bring you home. Ma was gone. Dad was gone. You were gone. Everyone I lived for was gone, I couldn't stay around bearing the weight of not knowing where you were. If I was going to do anything with myself, I was going to find you and maybe get you home."

The walls of the kitchen and house completely rip away into the void, leaving only the floor that the two are laying on. Tile after tile, the space shrinks.

"I'm so sorry Vivian, I didn't want it to be like this, I should have stopped you from ever going to work for these monsters who took you and ripped our family apart...."

Icia pulls back from the hug and reaches forward, taking her brother's cheek and wiping some tears away. He jumps a bit, shocked, as she shakes her head sadly.

"It's not your fault, Tonio. None of this is your fault. You have nothing to apologize for..."

"..... I could have done so much more though."

"You were a child. You weren't even 15 when I went under."

"........"

She gives him a bittersweet smile as she feels the tiles directly around them start to give way.

"..... it's just us now, Viv. It's just us two. And we aren't even in the real world, we're just.... here."

".... I know."

Starro looks down at the few tiles keeping them up in the pitch black before looking at Icia again.

".... We're never going home, are we....?"

She shakes her head, tears soaking into her skirt as she smiles more.

"Oh Tonio, I don't think you get it.... there is a difference between a house and a home. A home has our family. Our friends. Our loves. Our safety. Our comfort. This is... only a house now."

He tilts his head a bit, as only 2 tiles remain.

"What do you mean....?"

Icia's smile grows bright and genuine through her tears as she squeezes his hand right before they fall.

"I mean we're already home, Tonio."

The remaining tiles fly out from underneath both people, and they start falling through the void.

Icia's panic once again sets in as she doesn't dare let Starro go. The two fall through the endless expanse, spinning, plummeting faster, and faster, and faster....

.... until Icia wakes up with a scream.

Her eyes don't need to adjust to the dark for her to see mounds and mounds of ice everywhere... it's all over Lance, all over the sheets, under Icia, it looks as if she had a proper mental breakdown just now.

Which, Icia supposes she did.

She feels her tearstained face with one hand and breaks ice off of Lance with the other... he stirs slightly, but doesn't wake up. Of course he wouldn't wake up....

That's not her concern right now though. She needs to find Starro. She doesn't care that it's the middle of their agreed upon 'nighttime', she needs to find her brother now. Knowing him, if he's woken up as well then he has the exact same idea as her.

Icia gets up and grabs her cape. The ice over her pajamas certainly doesn't help with her shivering, as she slips her feet into the first pair of shoes she sees (aka, a pair of slippers that belongs to Lance) and gets ready to leave.

She pauses before she does so however, and looks back at Lance. The majority of that ice is going to melt and make a mess.... even if more of it dries by the time he wakes up, there's no way all of this will be fully gone by the time he does.

Icia rummages around as quietly as she can for everything. A dry comforter and sheets, a hairdryer, and all the towels she can find. She sets them all on the least iced piece of furniture in the room- her vanity chair- before writing a note. Even in the dark, she knows exactly what to write.

"I'll try and be home before you wake up. If not, here is everything you may need to clean up (although hopefully, when you do, most of it will have evaporated). I had a breakdown and iced the room. I'm sorry, but I need to find Starro. If you need me, I will be with him. Ti amo, mio re. I will be home soon, take care.

Love, Icia"

Icia leaves the note open on top of the stack of towels before hurrying down the stairs, not caring to keep her footsteps quiet as she goes downstairs with a towel. She gives it to both cats (who are soaking wet from melted ice) and makes sure they're alright before finally leaving her house, closing the door, and racing towards the circus tent.

[the-writing-starchive]

"Achilles??"

Odette knocks on his door, trying to not slam their fists against it like most people normally need to in order to grab his attention from in there.

Achilles doesn't open the door. They knock again, a bit louder. This time, the familiar click and creak sound out from the inside as the door opens and light penetrates the shadows inside.

The two stand nearly face to face as he looks up at them and slowly blinks, expression void as ever. Odette crosses their arms.

"Yume's garden is missing. She is distraught and currently looking everywhere for it.... And you, as you were the last to accompany her. Hexe destroyed the garden, yes?"

He nods.

"Do you know where it is?"

Achilles hesitates before opening up the door more and stepping aside.

Odette steps into the room; this is probably their third least favorite room, given the tower it's in and how closely it resembles the dungeon. His bed looks like it's been made but slept on top of for years. There's dust covering the few pieces of furniture, and the chandelier above is shattered.

The only true source of is the candle on the desk, which flickers gently and reveals flashes of green and pink to Odette. Their eyes widen in surprise.

"After Hexe destroyed it, I figured perhaps I still could fix it for Yume. I used to do that a lot, in the real world," he mutters, walking over to his chair and sitting down. Odette reluctantly follows, the uneven, rocky ground serving awfully for their balance.

Achilles uses a spoon to shovel some dirt up, before placing one of the mini trees back into place and packing the dirt back around it. He covers the patch with a little moss, making sure it fades well into the rest of the ground.... Odette can see sections of the wall where he scraped the moss from.

The two sit in silence as Achilles continues to work... Odette hasn't seen him engage in anything like this since before Hexe, and even then they're sure that back then he would have laughed it off as 'childish' or 'unimportant.'

"Are you just going to watch or are you going to yell at me for what I said to Yume?"

"That was my initial idea, yes. But yelling has never really had an effect on you. By now I am plenty sure you know what you did was wrong and are ashamed."

Achilles nods, a bitter undertone washing through his blank face as Odette sits on the bed..... they note that compared to their own, it feels like wood.

"Truly, I just.... I simply do not understand, and I doubt anyone in this kingdom could. Just because she has the understanding of an adult does not mean you can vent to her as one, she is still a child."

Another silent nod.

"You have been unwilling to tell most about this, in fact as far as I know she and maybe 'her' are the only ones who know. Hexe found out by incident, if I remember correctly. Yet you turn around and tell the one member of the kingdom who you absolutely should NOT be telling any of that stuff! What were you thinking, unloading such weight on a child?"

"........"

"Well???"

"I didn't realize what I did until she left. I got lost in my mind, in the words. It's not an excuse, I understand that, but once I started, I...... I couldn't stop myself."

Odette looks out at the blocked out window, covered by bricks that don't match the rest of the interior.

"I think she heard it as well."

"..... heard what?"

"The sounds."

"What sounds?"

"The sounds of the crash."

As soon as the word 'crash' leaves his mouth, Odette's ears prick to something distant and hollow..... screaming. No.... squealing?

"What was that?" They look around frantically, confused.

"That was one of the sounds," Achilles replies, staring at the almost finished garden in front of him. He sets down his tools and faces Odette.

Odette feels a shiver run down their spine. They hadn't heard a sound like that since they were young...... what was it again, what was it.....

Suddenly they realize.

Tires.

"..... Achilles. Tell me what happened. Tell me now."

"You'll hear all the sounds as well. You won't look at me the same way. It's not pretty."

"I often attempt to refrain from talking about this, but I have experienced many harsh trials in my life, Achilles, that I would say have brought me resilience to hearing of most things. I do not take pride in that, per say, but I know if no one else can listen know, I certainly can. Perhaps it would help you-"

He gives them a skeptical, annoyed glance.

".... alright, maybe it would not help... but it would ensure you are not carrying such a burden fully alone. Someone would understand a bit more."

He's quiet for a long, long time. Odette holds their breath, both hoping and dreading to know this information. Maybe it's much worse than they thought.

"... I don't know where to start."

Their heart skips as they simultaneously sigh a breath of relief. This is actually going to happen.

Achilles speaks up again before Odette can. "You had a family, correct?"

".... I did, yes."

He closes his eyes. "I was getting ready to start one with my wife."

".... you had a wife?"

Achilles nods and looks up at the ceiling, leaning back in his chair. "... Galene. We met at college, and she was my tutor at first. I always was working through life, quickly, feeling like I had to do something.... but not with Galene. The silent moments in each others' company were worth more than the world, more than the galaxy, more than every star in the night sky. Her company settled the waves of thoughts crashing into my mind into calm, elegant seas that were still hardly comparable to her grace and tranquil nature."

He smiles, such a lovesick yet heartbroken grin filling his face. "The day we got married, I sobbed at the altar, watching her walk down the aisle with that shy, loving grin that I always wanted to be the cause of. I wanted to give everything to her, and I worshipped the very ground she walked on and the air she breathed. No amount of words in any language could describe her and the peace she brought to my life."

Odette looks up at the shattered chandelier as Achilles describes Galene..... he talks with more pure love and emotion than he had ever once expressed. She can almost feel that calm presence he spoke so highly of, easing the room around them.

His smile grows more.

"And then...... we found out we were expecting."

Odette's eyes light up, forgetting the heaviness of the situation for a moment. "You were going to have a child?!"

Achilles chuckles, thinking back on the memory fondly.

"I was about your age, 32. Seeing the test and Galene's smile was the second greatest day of my life.... doctors said it would be a miracle if she would be able to have a child. Our praises to the heavens and gods above that day were endless. We were going to be parents. I was going to be a father."

Odette feels their smile grow.... he was married. And a to-be father.

....

Was.

His smile starts to fade. Odette hears something in their ears again.... the low, nostalgic hum of a car.... followed by some faded voices.

"We learned we were going to have a girl... me, Galene, and her sister Maharene, all in the ultrasound room. Maharene was more like me. She was loud and confident and oh so protective of her sister.... a fighter. Never afraid to speak her mind... we fought sometimes, but she ended up being my best friend."

They nod slightly as one of the voices grow clear.

"@;#>@^×, keep your eyes on the road!"

"We were driving home from the clinic where we learned our baby's gender... and I was talking with my friends. They wanted to meet up for drinks and games at our favorite bar that night."

"Were you... calling them?"

"No.... texting."

Odette felt their blood run cold. They had forgotten what texting was until that point.... and also the horrors of what happened when people texted and drove.

They suddenly realize what must have happened. Suddenly, knowing this doesn't feel like such a good idea anymore.

A flash of green passes by in Odette's vision, as Achilles closes his eyes. He barely seems to realize they're there anymore, just talking to no one in particular.

"Texting while driving was the one habit Galene couldn't get me to fix, I thought I was a natural. Maharene nearly slapped the phone out of my hand that day. Galene stopped her but kept telling me to get off the phone. I didn't. I kept trying to make plans with my friends."

Odette blinks slowly, and the vision of a car interior down a road fills their mind. The voices are louder and clearer.

"@;#>@^×, get off the damn phone, you almost hit that lady!!!"

"Please, you can message them when you get home, just- please- get off the phone!"

"And I didn't."

The pleading gets louder, as well as the sounds of the car.... Odette feels their breath escape them and mind grow dizzy. They feel like they can't open their eyes, and every direction looks wrong and distorted. Somewhere in the distance, they hear Hexe's taunting laughter.

"I didn't see the intersection. And I didn't notice the red light as I typed out my message."

"HONEY- PLEASE!!!"

"@;#>@^× PAY FUCKING ATTENTION!!!"

Odette sees the shape of a large pickup truck appear from the right side of the vision.... it appears so fast they hardly have time to react.

"@;#>@^×!!!!"

*CRASH*

......

.....

....

...

..

.

Odette gasps as the vision vanishes, not realizing they were blocking their right side. It ended right as the truck made contact.... right as the crash rang out. It looked so real. It sounded so real. It felt so real.

Hexe cackles loudly from afar, a bitter sound added to the ringing in their ears. They look over to see Achilles staring straight ahead at the wall, tears rolling down his horrified face.

"The next thing I see is Galene with half her head missing, and her stomach burst open.... something with one of the truck parts stabbed right through her. Her lap was a mess of guts and what I assumed was Halia..... for once, I didn't recognize her."

His voice is low and dry, as if forcing his vocal cords to work.

"I killed everyone in that crash. The driver.... Maharene... Galene and our daughter. Everyone. I was the only one who lived. And I spent half our savings trying to save any one of them.... but they were all dead on impact."

"It led to prison for 8 years. During that time, everyone in our hometown learned of what happened. I lost everything. Everyone left me. My family. My friends. My job. The rest of our savings. Everything and everyone."

Achilles looks down, voice catching on a sob as he stares at his hands.

"They told me to stop. They told me to put it away. It was only a 20-minute drive, I could have waited. But I didn't. I didn't listen."

Odette feels sick to their stomach. They don't have a good response.... how does one even go about responding to such a thing?

"I think she left me in the afterlife.... I don't feel Galene around me anymore. The silence is just.... silence. No comfort. No love. Just a deafening reminder of what I did. Only reason I didn't kill myself and join her was because it all felt too.... easy. I didn't deserve to see my family again like that. I couldn't."

Odette swallows back a cry and whispers, barely audible.

"... how did you... end up here then? You didn't remember anything when you got here, right?"

Achilles somewhat realizes Odette is still listening. He's a bit surprised they're still there.

"No. I heard that one of my coworkers, who died a while back, his son had taken this job and gone missing... heard sketchy things about that company, figured it was time to die and I'd let them choose how to do it. Not like anyone would care if I disappeared. So I went in, faked some things, got the job."

"The day they put the headset on, I was on some pills that fuck with memory for a bit. Guess it fucked with the headset too.... 'cause I was back to how I was. And I couldn't remember a damn thing."

Odette nods. They remember how Achilles used to be..... bold, brave, loud, confident, cocky... some would even say a bit insufferable. He still played his role of "hero" perfectly, helping people however they needed and not resting until the job was complete. He and Icia shared that sentiment with each other.

"How did you remember...? Was it because of Hexe?"

"No. Dunite."

Odette's quiet for a moment.

".... Dunite?"

"I was curious to know. Everyone was talking about their old lives and... I couldn't remember any of mine. So I asked if she could do something about it.... she could. And she did. Remembering everything all at once was probably worse than any punishment Hexe could dish out."

"I've tried every way under the sun to undo that spell. You've seen the extremes I've resorted to." He stares at his wrists, faded scars along the length of his forearms. "Though, now that you know, can you really blame me...? You'd want to die too if you were forever subjected to remembering the worst mistake of your life, over and over, every minute of every day. You stop fearing seeing your victims in heaven and just want to go to your punishment in hell."

Achilles stares ahead, tears falling onto the greenery of the garden. All the emotion is completely overwhelming him, talking about such an event in depth after so long of keeping silent.

"Every day... every hour... every minute.... every second. I just remember it all and ask myself why. Why didn't I listen...? Why did I think it'd be fine...?"

"Why did I do it....?"

Odette says nothing.

Achilles adds the finishing touches to the restored garden. "Look... I'm not sorry for hiding this, but I am sorry for letting it spiral into this. Yume didn't deserve to hear all of that..... neither did you, although you were persistent. I wish you weren't, It doesn't benefit anyone in any way..... though, I suppose someone understanding a little more makes this kingdom feel a little more like something of a home again. A little less foreign and cold.... even if that's really all this place is now.

"......."

He picks up the garden and turns in Odette's direction without looking up at them. "You should probably bring this back to Yume now...... she didn't deserve to hear all of that. She's a child. Doesn't matter her maturity.... I shouldn't have told her any of that, and I'm hoping this can serve as something of an apology to her. She'll probably know that it was me. She always knows."

He finally looks up at Odette. They're staring at him with the widest, most heartbroken eyes he's ever seen on another person, face stained with blackish tears that soak into their shaking hands folded in their lap. They shake as they swallow a little, trying to hide the sheer devastation on their face. It's a sight that catches Achilles very, very off guard.

"..... Ode...?"

They glance away and wipe their tears with a hand, taking a few shaky breaths and nodding.

"... I'm alright."

"... No, you're not. Don't hide it. No one is okay just... hearing all that. Especially when they see and hear exactly what I'm talking about."

They look back up at him, fresh tears taking their place down their face. Achilles gives them a grief-filled smile. A smile of no happiness, no joy.... simply hollow, dead, unending pain and grief.

"..... I'm so sorry, Achilles. I'm so sorry for you and your wife and y-your daughter and...." They try to continue before their voice catches on a sob, and Achilles holds up a hand.

He shakes his head. "Be sorry for them.... not for me. It's my burden. This is...." He lowers his head, tears lightly plinking against the stone ground. "This is my fault, and my consequence. It doesn't make up for what I did... but if I can't get them back, what's the point of trying to make it better....? It won't get better. I've accepted that. You should, too... being sad over me won't make a difference. Just gives you one more thing to worry about."

He offers them a hand, and after a few seconds, they take it and stand uneasily. Achilles carefully places the fixed garden in their arms.

"Bring this to Yume.... she'll appreciate it."

"... what about you?"

"I'll do what I always do. Like I said, talking about this doesn't make it better for me. Just makes the memories a bit louder," he replies.

They nod and look down at the garden.... it looks good as new. Even the fish are alright and happy.

".... are you going to be alright?"

".... in due time, yes. Will you...?"

"I suppose as okay as I can be." He still has tears slowly rolling down his face. "Go see Yume now.... she's probably looking for you. And one more thing.... please don't tell anyone. This is one bit of gossip I don't want getting to Mirobelle and the twins."

They nod slightly; not that they would even think of letting such a private, horrifying secret reach anyone else's ears. After a few seconds, Odette sets the garden on the bed and approaches Achilles, pulling him into a hug.

He noticeable freezes in their arms as a choked sob escapes their lips.... the hug only lasts a few seconds before they pull back and attempt to smile at him.... it's more like a grimace.

".... farewell for now, Achilles. T-thank you for this talk... I... I hope to see you again soon."

They pick up the garden once more and walk out of the room, desperately trying to stop their tears as the light from the hallway almost blinds them.

Achilles just stares at the open door for a few seconds before looking down at the ground.

A small chuckle escapes his mouth.

It turns into heavy laughter.

And then melts into agonizing, mournful sobs as he falls to his knees, the blunt force of memories whaling on his mind.

(I'm sorry... I'm sorry..... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry....)

Achilles continues to wail out for his lost family, alone in his room, wishing for nothing more than to undo what was done or pay the cost for it with his life.

A price he will never be able to pay.

Meanwhile, the sound of heavy footsteps walking away from the hall rings out from an unknown location.

[the-writing-starchive]

Fathers day.

He's been dreading it. He didn't want to think about it. How could he, all he could think of was that hollow, blank, repetitive beeping. How he tried to block out when the beeping melted into one long sound.

How he was all alone.

His mom couldn't be bothered to come. His family was on the other side of the Atlantic. And his sister was missing.

He had to fill out the paperwork, then later on had to be the one to speak at the funeral.

Small details of those memories waft through Starro's mind as he stares at the flower in his hands.... his mother's eye roll as he broke down at the mic. The scent of cologne as he leaned down for one more hug. The empty seat for Viv.

"..... Viv......."

He wipes his eyes, knowing the action is pointless. The name echoes in his mind, from when he finally was freed of the virus's control. Both names.

Viv and Antonio.

Starro thought of it every night without fail, becoming more and more sure of who was who. Antonio was him. He was Antonio.

And Viv..... his sister. The whole reason she was hear in the first place.

The more Starro thought about it since his encounter with Raina, the more sure he was that Viv was Icia. I mean, she had to be. They sounded exactly alike.

It always made him feel a little guilty, the more he thought about how obvious it was that his sister was with him the whole time.... did Icia know? If so, how long?

He shakes the guilt away. Now is not the time.

The sun, as always, shines happily down at Starro as he leaves the tent.... maybe Conny's wondering where he is at the moment, maybe not. He didn't tell her. But overall it's a relatively plain but nice Fathers Day....... he wishes he could actually show him it right now.

..... she doesn't even know he's gone, does she? He thinks.

Of course she doesn't. She disappeared... what was it, two years before his passing? She didn't even get to say goodbye.

The more Starro tries to think about his dad and not Viv, the worse the thoughts get. Everything really was torn apart once she disappeared. Ma had grown cold and even more strict, now that her golden child was gone. Antonio spent hours, even days out of the house to avoid his mother and her abuse.

And Dad..... he tried so hard to hold things together. Tried to navigate a divorce and get his son mental help while also trying to find his daughter.

Starro doesn't know if he blames himself or his mother more for that heart attack... the doctors said it was a mix of stress and an unknown condition.

But something still says it was all his fault, Dad wasn't supported enough. He was trying to carry an entire family and search operation on his back, and everyone was too selfish to think about him and how he could be handling this.

Maybe if Antonio noticed the signs, his dad would still be alive.

Maybe if Antonio noticed, he would have never felt so alone that he bought that headset off the black market.

Maybe if Antonio noticed, Starro would never be here.

If only he noticed and did something.

Starro lays down underneath a tree like he did with his dad as a kid. How he'd talk about the actors and performers from the theater they lived near and could always watch, and his father would point out the coolest things about the props and dances.

He wants to say that Dad would be proud of him. Logically, probably so.

But he still feels like it's mainly his fault for not being there for him.... not like Ma would have done anything, knowing how rigid she was in her gender role beliefs and trusting God would bring back her daughter.

Antonio was his only support system. And while he gave everything to help his son, no one noticed him slipping away as well. The one person who could've helped him was too engulfed in trying to avoid his crazy mom.

Bitter, angry tears flood Starros face as he stares at the flower..... red. Dad's favorite color.

Red. The color of love and adventure.

Dad did always encourage him to follow his dreams and chase adventure, even if Ma never did. Starro now considers it his favorite color.... so many beautiful shades and hues of red.

Light tears turn into audible sobs as the feeling of grass reminds him of sitting by the grave countless times. The ground is dry this time, at least, except for where his tears fall onto the plants below.

Starro curls up into a ball and whispers apologies.

"I'm sorry Dad, for not being there for you. I'm sorry for being a bad son. I'm sorry for being to focused on Viv's disappearance. I'm sorry for not being able to get her at your funeral like you would've wanted."

Apologies towards his dad merge into apologies towards his sister too.

"I'm sorry for not being able to listen to you to protect myself, Viv. I'm sorry you both tried taking Ma's abuse to protect me. Dad, I'm sorry you had to deal with her for years so we'd be financially stable. Viv, I'm sorry I couldn't get you there for Dad's funeral..... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...."

Logically, the majority of this isn't even his fault.

"I'm sorry Ma..."

He tried his best.

"I'm sorry Dad...."

Everyone was overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry Viv...."

He couldn't have prevented it.

"....... I'm sorry Icia."

He couldn't have known.

He has to tell her soon though. Icia has to know it all. He knows he was wrong for saying she wasn't his sister. He knows it now. He has for at least a month. Now he needs to tell her.

But not for now.

Starro Antonio tries to imagine his father's presence next to him, proud of the man he raised his son into.

He really does hope Dad's proud of him..... he knows he's proud of Dad. Even if he never said it.

He wishes he did.

"Happy Father's day, Papá. I love you."

[the-writing-starchive]

[100%].

[Lazy writing incoming]

Hexe continues floating through the hall as normal, as if she was not just frozen for god knows how long. She doesn't even realize it, as if time for her has simply resumed.

Nothing seems out of place. The twins see her and quickly duck out of view, Achilles watches her leave with hatred in his eye.... nothing out of the ordinary, she's acting... well, normal.

Slyn is sitting at his desk when she teleports in, sitting on his bed.

"Hello, Slyn."

Slyn jumps and turns around, brandishing a small dagger at her. She tilts her head.

".... oh-" he drops out of his chair and kneels at Hexe's feet. "Greetings, my queen.... apologies, you scared me...."

"I am aware."

He tries to act as if he doesn't want to run up and kiss her but also run away at the same time. Hexe's blank expression curls into a frown.

"Something has just occurred. And I want to know what it is."

".... m-my queen, I do not know what you are speaking of-"

"Don't fucking play dumb like this, Slyn. Someone forgot to clean the gold glitter by the stables."

Of course they fucking forgot, he thinks as his heart drops.

The dagger slips from Slyn's hands and flies into Hexe's, as if magnetized. She inspects the blade, a trickle of blood dripping down the metal and onto her finger.

"For once, I do not know what has happened. Something in the kingdom feels... different. More hopeful."

"That can not be. That is not allowed. So I implore you to tell me...... what. Happened."

Slyn adjusts his sleeve a bit, looking down.

"I've been in my room for the whole day, don't ask me."

"You are the king, Slyn. A king does not isolate in his room, cutting his arms for menial situations involving those whom do matter."

Slyn winces. Of course she knew.

He feels sharp nails trace the back of his neck before they grab his hair with an iron grip, holding him down as Hexe leers over him. Slyn feels a shiver flood down his spine, a mix of fear and excitement.

"You are more attentive than this, Slyn. You know something. So I will give you another chance to be a good king and tell me...."

"What. Happened."

"............."

Slyn stares up into her eyes. His are dead and dull, with just the smallest hint of affection as she glares at him.

He continues to bite his tongue.

"...... Ah. I see how it is."

She throws him against the wall harshly. Slyn grunts in pain before prying his eyes open.... everything is cold. He can't see anything easily, from how dark and cold the room is.

.... this isn't my room....? He thinks, falling to the ground. The snakes of his hands land on something wet and rough.... carpet? No.... moss.

Hexe teleports in front of Slyn. She takes off her hat, and the only illusion of disguise disappears to unveil the shadowed monster beneath.

Her voice is hollow, warped, and full of so much anger as she speaks.

"I'm finished trying to restore you to your former glory. You have fallen too far.... and now you shall pay the price for your negligence."

Vaga quickly tells Samuel once he comes across the glitter, and they burn it with Celio's help. It's only 10 minutes after Hexe unfroze.

"Do you think she noticed?" Vaga whispers to his brother and friend.

"I dunno.... maybe."

"But then wouldn't we all be getting punished r'now? She's a loose cannon, she'd totally be punishing us all if she thought something was up."

Vaga and Sammy look at each other apprehensively.

"....... guess not. Maybe she didn't notice."

"I hope not..."

Eventually they go their separate ways... no punishments. No screaming. No torture. Everything seems calm.......

No one can hear anything from the dungeon though.

[the-writing-starchive]

"You've grown soft."

Slyn looks up at Hexe, who paces him. Despite her short stature, she still somehow towers over him as he kneels.

"My dear-"

"Queen."

"... my queen, I know not what you speak of, I am just tired...."

"You have nothing to be tired of. Or if you do, I implore you... tell me what you are tired of."

Slyn doesn't have an answer. Hexe continues to pace.

"Tea... with Odette and Yume. And blaming it on a tiny snake sat to replace your finger, when we know the snakes only act in accordance to you," she whispers, as if each word offends her.

"......."

"You're sympathizing with them. Growing soft. Weak."

"I am NOT weak..." He shoots her a glare, only to cower under her gaze sharply directing to him.

"This is not like you. You could have responded in a multitude of ways. Confiscated the tea. Broke the dishes. Broke Odette. That would have been very satisfying.

"But you didn't. You ASKED for tea. How special must you feel, that Odette poured you a cup. That someone who fears you so much was kind to you. I hope you don't seriously believe she served it to you out of kindness.... she served you out of fear. And while I would commend you for using your power to force those to obey, only for some miserable tea..... what a waste of authority," Hexe mumbles, snapping her fingers.

Slyn suddenly gags and lurches over.

He opens his eyes to the sight of tea splattered on the ground in front of him, mixed with small bits of his breakfast. He looks up so he doesn't get sick again from the sight.

Hexe continues to circle Slyn. "Ever since that girl has arrived, I've watched your edge slowly grow dull. You are no longer the sword you once were.... you are growing sympathetic. Your value in our goals has decreased, and your empathy has grown. A true king does not let his empathy get in his way of the greater good."

"My queen, nonsense!" Slyn suddenly blurts. "I have NOT forgotten or abandoned our goals, my views are resolute."

"Your snake seems otherwise."

Slyn looks at Hebi-kun.... the snake is shaking, terrified.

"I.... I cannot control him..."

"Of course you can't. It's you. It's the true you. It acts how you want to act. You've grown into a curious man, you care about others. It is curious, exploring what you know you should not due to your duties. It is admirable of the work your residents have 'accomplished', despite it all being mediocre at best. And when Yume praises it for being 'nice and sweet', it denies it. As if it feels it is not enough. As if you feel you are not enough."

".... Hexe, my love, my dear-"

"QUEEN."

Slyn flinches back, words escaping him.

"This is purely unacceptable, you are no longer the man I married. And your damned curse is proving that, not just to me but to everyone around you. Yume most certainly knows that snake is just an outlet for you, who you have become, who you wish to be. How humiliating that must be for you."

Slyn's heart drops.

"No... no, I'm still the man you married- I'm still the man who loves you, don't you EVER imply I don't love you, I am forever yours and loyal only to you.... my queen, please. I just..... I just need to have control over him. If I can control him, then I can continue to be the king you desire."

"I highly doubt such foolish claims."

"My queen.." Slyn looks up at Hexe now in front of him, begging on his knees. "I would not lie to you, I would not say it if I did not believe it...... please, you're the only one who can help me with this. I didn't ask to be like this."

"No one did."

"Yes but this is serious, he is impeding my ability to properly rule as you wish!! Perhaps, just once.... you could make an exception and....." he trails off into incoherent mumbles.

Hexe's demand is like a snarl. "SPEAK UP."

Slyn flinches once again, his request hardly audible. "Perhaps you could.... revoke my curse? Just this once...? For Hebi-kun? Without it in the way, I can rule correctly, just as you want me to...! Please.... I've been so good to you.... please, may I?"

Hexe stares at him, frozen like a statue. For a moment Slyn wonders if she's about to smite him right then and there, and he squeezes his eyes shut in anticipation, head down.

A sudden hand brushes against his neck, sharp fingernails tilting his chin up. A welcome shiver runs down Slyn's back. It had been so long since she touched him like this.

Hexe is mere inches from his face, smile sick and sweet as always. Only a blind man would be unable to see how fake it is, yet he chooses to believe it's genuine. He's making her smile.... and seeing it again reminds him why everything is the way it is; all for that horrifically fake smile.

"You remember our agreement. Our vows. No one may be free of their curse, no ones curse is revoked until it no longer is a curse. You know this, my dear."

Slyns heart leaps as he nods frantically.

"Therefore I cannot revoke your curse, even just for this one snake."

He's disappointed, but nods again. Whatever makes her happy.

"However."

..... wait what?

"You are so kind to me Slyn. You're the only one who truly likes me. The only one who is truly loyal. And, because I am a generous queen, I offer you another solution"

Slyn can hardly breathe as his face lights up. Hexe, offering a genuine solution? It feels like his efforts have finally paid off. This is what he's been looking for.

"Yes, my queen?"

*clank*

Slyn pries his eyes away from his beloved just long enough to see something silvery and shiny on the ground..... his blood runs cold once he recognizes the shape. A cleaver.

"Off with its head."

Her fingers trail away from Slyn's chin, nails leaving just the thinnest cuts below his stubble. Every part of Slyn trembles as he stares at the cleaver. Each snake stares, some confused, some disturbed, some horrified. None of which are moreso any of those three than Hebi-kun.

"..... what?"

"You want control. I can not give you control. However, I can give you the option to remove the problem at its core."

For once, Slyn feels as if this is way too far. He can't do this. He can't cut off the head of one of his own snakes, he can't cut off one of his own fingers. Maybe if it was just a finger he could, but the head of a snake?

"..... no.... no, no I- Hexe, I.... I can't do this."

"Of course you can. There is no reason why you cannot. You simply take the cleaver and bring it down on the head of the snake."

"N-no, please, I can't- is there not another way?!" His voice squeaks.

Hexe frowns. "You're being so defiant.... I gave you a solution. I was merciful in supplying you with the means to solve your problem. You call yourself grateful, yet this is what I get in turn.... shame on you, Slyn."

For once he doesn't care. He's made up his mind. He can't cut off a part of himself, he can't do that to himself.... he can't do that to Yume.

"So. Make your choice."

"..... no."

Hexe tilts her head, as if daring to repeat it. She doesn't ask a single thing though, as Slyn stares up at her. He's trembling. He's terrified. He's never said no to her like this.

"I won't do it."

But he can't stop himself. He doesn't want to do this. This is too far. Too much. He can't kill Hebi-kun.

Hebi-kun attempts to crawl away, only to find itself stuck onto Slyn's hand. The two stare at each other, terrified..... Slyn can almost see his reflection in those small, terrified, beady eyes. All his fear, all his weakness, all his will to not commit such a cruel act, summed up in a single, tiny animal.

"I won't behead him Hexe. I'm so sorry, but I refuse. This is too far..... I'm sorry."

There's a heavy, thick silence for what feels like eternity, before Hexe slowly turns her head to the one window in the tower.

"I knew you would betray me one day as well, Slyn."

He starts to speak, before his voice suddenly disappears and he's left with nothing but an exhale. She turns back to him, lips turned into a hateful, bitter frown.

"I thought you were forever, eternally loyal. That is what you said. You would listen to anything I do without question.... I see how it is though. You do anything until it harms YOU too much."

"... n-no, my dear-"

"QUEEN, GODDAMMIT!!!!"

"QUEEN, queen...!!! ... m-my queen, please-" He's almost in tears from the fear.

"This is because of Yume, isn't it. You really have grown to care for her... and now you cannot make a simple sacrifice to torture her once more, when that is PRECISELY what I ask of you to keep everyone in li-i-i-i-ine."

Slyn starts to back away, seeing her glitch. He needs to get out of here.

"Hmph. A shame.... the idea of inflicting such pain had grown on me. It is a fantastic idea... I don't know how I manage to come up with such fantastic ideas. Now we are no longer doing this for your aid.... this is for me-e-e-e-e-e now. Your gain is only a coincidental byproduct."

"Hexe PLEASE-"

"SILENCE!!!!!!!"

All of a sudden, Slyn feels weightless.

No, not weightless..... paralyzed. His eyes dart around rapidly, as he attempts to move his arm....... it doesn't work. He can't move at all.

Hexes veil flows in accordance to an absent breeze, as if she were in a windy valley. Each time the veil flies up, Slyn is once again reminded of her void-black skin and how her doll-like smile is actually full of teeth that could rip him to shreds.

Her hand is out, as if holding a puppet by the strings. Each minor move she makes is a sudden one by Slyn, as his body moves in accordance. His right hand closes around the cleaver handle, holding on so tight its almost painful.

His body walks over to a nearby wooden table as he rapidly tries to escape Hexe's control. Maybe if he tries hard enough, he can break out of it... or if he stops resisting, maybe she'll get bored.

His left hand lays flat on the table, his other fingers deviating from Hebi-kun. The little snake tilts its head up, looking Slyn in the eyes. It's like seeing his inner self crying, begging him to not do this. He'll behave next time. Don't kill him.

"Remember Slyn," Hexe's voice suddenly rasps. "You are killing the snake, not yourself. Be grateful this is all I am making you do. Surely this will put you back into place."

Slyn feels his right arm raise the cleaver, high above his head. His eyes are wide in horror, as a few tears finally race down his cheeks and get caught on cuts and stubble, stinging the lacerations.

He's never wanted someone to stop Hexe so badly.

He's never regretted visiting Hexe this much.

He's never been so sorry for everything before.

I'm so sorry Yume, he thinks. This wasn't supposed to happen. He failed her. He failed himself. It's over.

The cleaver is suddenly brought down.

Slyn's agonized scream rings out through the castle, followed by Hexe's cackle.

[the-writing-starchive]

"Okay.... is EVERYONE okay....?" Sammy says after a few moments. He does a headcount... yep, everyone's in there. Except, obviously, Ramona. The dragons back off, either terrified of all the people or understanding space is needed. In the distance, Mytha, Sylvia, Celio, and several other dragons flee the forest to avoid the uprooting and falling trees.

Nova continues to hug Switch and sob into Vaga's shoulder as he stares at the ground, vision blurry with tears. Achilles glances up as the lights flicker slightly... despite his silent cries, his expression remains stoic.

Odette collapses into one of the stables, willing themselves to not cry as they hold their wound... several dragons surround them, acting as something semi-soft to lay on. Samuel hands them some bandages, which they gladly accept yet only stare at.

No one else speaks for a while, as the ground continues to tremble and the sounds of destruction occur above the cave. People tend to each other's wounds, offer comfort where they can, yet it all happens terrified silence.

Finally, Samuel gets up.

"Now why the fuck are YOU here??" He jabs a finger in Slyn's direction, who's sitting against the wall and staring outside.

"What do you mean, why am I here?! It's a fucking earthquake Samuel, I'm allowed to take cover!!"

Samuel laughs angrily. "Hah- what happened to being 'above all the others, going wherever you please'? Huh? 'Cause I know DAMN well you of all people wouldn't willingly come to the 'shitty dirty stables' with all of us workers. Why don't you go back up to comfort and admire your wife, hm?"

A threatened hissing emits from Slyn's crossed arms. "You think I'm stupid?! She WILLINGLY TOOK OFF HER VEIL. I'm not getting in the way of that, you don't realize how bad it is when she lets you see under that thing, much less takes it off fully. She just.. needs to cool off."

Every word pisses Samuel off more, and he starts slowly walking towards Slyn. His palms are still caked in his own blood, covered in freshly-healed wounds where his claws sunk into his own flesh.

"You really are a FUCKING coward, you know that?"

Slyn's eyes darken.

"There's that look again. You're so fucking pathetic, I hope you know. You're only in power 'cause you broke your back riding Hexe's dick to the point she knew you'd do ANYTHING she said. You decide the best way to flaunt this power is abuse and beat the living shit out of everyone in this room for fun, MULTIPLE TIMES. But now, since you know you're probably gonna die at BEST if you spend any time around her while she throws tantrums, suddenly you're insistent you're in the same room as us. Why. 'Cause you're 'human'? You damn don't act like it."

They're inches away.

"That's fucking ENOUGH Samuel-"

"Ohhhhh no. Ohhhhhohohohohoho no, I'll decide when I'm done saying what I've been hanging onto for, what, 7-ish years? Almost 8? Something like that, whatever. ALL OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT, SLYN. ALL OF THIS-"

He motions at Mocha's broken arm, Vaga and Nova's panic, Odette's cracked torso, and more.

"- IS YOUR FUCKING FAULT! AND GUESS WHAT, NOT JUST EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM- ALSO THE ONES WE LOST!!"

He counts off his fingers.

"Icia?? GONE. Dunite?? GONE. And now Ramona? FUCKING GONE!!! I wouldn't be surprised if you were the reason Ramiro was gone too- hell maybe if you didn't fall for Hexe and actually helped us overthrow her and take her power, he'd be back here today! Then none of us would have to suffer, especially them-"

He motions furiously at Mirobelle's mirror, Alex, Switch, and Yume.

"- 'Cause you know what? THEY NEVER GOT TO EXPERIENCE THE PARADISE THIS FUCKING TORTURE CHAMBER DISGUISED AS A KINGDOM USED TO BE!! AND NOW THEY PROBABLY NEVER WILL, BECAUSE OF YOU!!!"

Slyn stands up, shoving Samuel out of his space. "THIS ISNT ALL MY FAULT!!! If your smooth fucking brain can't remember right, YOU AND VAGA SIDED WITH ME AT FIRST! AND AKLATAN, AND MOCHA!! THIS IS AS MUCH YOUR FAULT AS IT IS MINE!!"

Oh, how that was the wrong thing to say. Samuel looks like he's going to blow a gasket. Vaga covers his ears tighter.

"You realize none of us ever agreed with you, right? NONE OF US looked at you and Hexe and were like 'Oh yeah, I want to fight for a life of walking on eggshells and being punished for even looking at someone the wrong way', THAT WAS DRIVEN BY FEAR! WE WERE ALL SCARED TO DEATH OF WHAT YOU'D DO TO US!! WAS IT RIGHT?! NO, BUT WITH WHAT HEXE AND YOU DID TO ICIA AND ACHILLES IT DAMN SEEMED LIKE THE BETTER CHOICE- NONE OF US WANTED TO FIGHT FOR YOU AND HER, ABSOLUTELY NOT A SINGLE ONE OF US!!"

Blood once again drips from Samuel's palms as he tries to not beat the shit out of Slyn right then and there.

"So I say it again. You are a pathetic, pathetic man Slyn. You're a goddamn COWARD and Ramiro would be SO DISAPPOINTED IF HE SAW YOU NOW!!!"

A harsh punch suddenly lands on Samuel's face, forcing him to stumble back as red drips down his face. He stares at Slyn for moment before swinging back, the blow slamming him into the wall.

The two don't get far, before several dragons attempt to pull them apart. Slyn already has a black eye and half his snakes are almost dead crushed, ripped away from Samuel's throat (which is now littered in bite marks).

"SAMUEL, MAKE YOUR BEASTS UNHAND ME BEFORE I KILL THEM ALL!!!" Slyn screams, thrashing violently.

"You keep bucking around like that and they'll confuse the rest of your fingers for food," Samuel shoots back, throwing the crushed snakes at Slyn's feet. Before either can spit yet another insult, however, a gentle tapping sound directs their attention to Mirobelle, who's finally emerged from her mirror. She's covered in soot, dust and grime with teary eyes.

"..... the quake is over...." she whispers. "Many things are destroyed but... it all happened mostly in the throne room."

Samuel's anger subsides as he glances down... the ground is no longer shaking. The lights aren't flickering.

Everyone is safe.

"... thanks Miro.... do you know if any of... 'her' stuff is salvageable?"

"I will do my best to find something while cleaning.... there is no guarantee though. I.... I would assume it is all gone."

A heavy silence fills the room.

"What about Ramona's room?"

His braid wraps around his throat, though not tightening. As if it's a warning.

".... I mean 'her' room."

The braid eases a bit.

"I would suspect it is now barred off, but I need to check."

Sammy nods. He was expecting that.

"Thanks Miro.... now as for you." He redirects his attention to Slyn, who's staring down at the ground with a subtle look of... shame? Samuel couldn't care less.

"Get the fuck out of my stables. Traitor."

Slyn swiftly leaves, not even bothering to slam the heavy wooden doors behind him before ascending into the damaged halls.

After Slyn is gone it seems as if Samuel's rage has finally faded, as well as his energy and mental state. He looks around at everyone, looking like he's trying to hide tears that threaten to breach his eyes.

"Sorry about that.... you all can stay as long as you want, there's more medical stuff in my room and some blankets, I'm just... gonna make sure my dragons are okay."

He glances in Alexander's direction, though avoiding his eye, before walking outside and wrapping his arms around Mytha.

Sylvia trots inside and lays her head on Aklatan's lap, softly growling.

Mirobelle hugs both twins, softly singing a French lullaby to soothe them.

Achilles goes into Samuel's room and leaves with a small dagger, leaving the stables as well.

As for Odette, they continue to lie against the dragons that nuzzle close and are still rattled by the earthquake. They look around at everyone before closing their eyes, a tear falling down their face.

Achilles was right, they think bitterly. Nothing good ever stays good in this place.