theafflicted | 08

EPILOGUE

So.

Juniper is dead. Lorelei and Florence are alive. And the rest of you, thankfully, are also alive and kicking.

The building is kind of a mess right now, and a lot of the citizens are in kind of disarray, confused and uncertain of what exactly is going on in the Camellia tower. Things are a bit of a mess right now, but what matters is that you’ve stopped things. The cycle of these experiments, suppression – it’s over.

Your markings are still here, however. You are free to try and figure that out, too (though the answer is, indeed, quite simple with the "B" toggle, and may be hand waved). Other than that, though, everything seems to be...stabilized. As good as they can be, anyway. Lorelei and Florence are around, for any last conversations. When you emerge, the sun is out, perhaps brighter than usual – though whether that’s because of joy from the citizens or confusion is anyone’s guess – and some of you are covered in blood, but you are here.

And you are ready to finally, finally return home.

---

(OOC: For anyone who's willing, Lorelei will be able to configure tablets to synch up with the portal here at Estelline. From there, they will be able to world hop to someone else's world; so the Estelline portal is now a hub, of sorts. It's not a direct world hop and it's a bit inconvenient, but it is a way for you guys to see each other again.

She will also ensure that those who are currently sleeping will be sent home in one piece.

All of this can be handwaved, or threaded out in the Lorelei thread.

Happy Good Ending, everyone!)

FULL NAV

(CODE)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He laughs. ]

Alright. It's a deal.

[ Fai squeezes his hand. ]

After that world, I want to go somewhere fun.

Are you saying baby animals aren't fun enough for you? I see how it is.

[ hmph!!! ]

They're plenty fun, but I want a world with a lot of fun technology or a big city...

[ Hmmm. ]

Let's go to Piffle.

Sure. We can go there after.

[ He looks over at Fai, thinking. ]

... You're not cursed anymore.

Cater didn't turn that power back on.

[ He smiles, but there's a hint of weariness in it. ]

Of course, it might come back the moment we step into another world.

Well, even if it does, I mean what I said.

[ He holds onto Fai's hand tightly. ]

I'll let you kill me, just once. I wanna get it over with as soon as possible. But also, I don't want that happening around baby animals.

...I don't want to kill you if I can help it. I know you'll come back, but...

[ That doesn't mean it won't leave emotional scars. ]

Kill me with a blast of magic from a distance so you don't have to feel or see it so clearly.

[ 👍

He's not very comforting, huh... ]

You idiot.

[ Fai lets go of his hand and shoves his shoulder. ]

[ Hien just grabs Fai's hand with his other hand. He's got two. ]

Hey. It's not like you'll get a say in it anyway.

[ He squeezes his hand. ]

I know, but… I still don’t want to kill you.

[ The thought of it is incredibly upsetting, and even though Hien can no longer feel those emotions coming from Fai, it’s all over his face. ]

I know, but your curse won't let you have your way if it'll be activated outside of this world. Either that or you get stronger than me.

[ By using his magic, of course.

He leans in and lightly bumps his forehead on Fai's. ]

If you're gonna regret it either way, pick one that you'll regret less.

Getting stronger than you is impossible.

[ Hien is similar to a god—Fai can’t match that. There’s no catching up. ]

At least… you would come back.

If my teleporting isn't as borked in whatever world we go to settle this, I'll come back in a minute.

[ Don't got a choice, but he'll always come back!!

He gives Fai a quick peck on the lips. ]

[ He smiles at the peck before moving in to wrap Hien in a tight hug. ]

Make me wait no more than a minute, please.

I'll do whatever it takes.

[ He returns the hug, just as tight in an attempt to reassure Fai. ]

I know it won't be easy, but let's make it as painless as possible.

[ It works as he relaxes in Hien's hold. ]

I don't think I'll have any control over it, but I hope that whatever I do is quick and as painless as possible.

[ After all, he knows Hien hates physical pain. ]

I mean, it'll be nice, but I won't count on it.

[ He hates it, yeah. But it just kinda happens. He's long since accepted it. ]

But don't worry. It won't hurt that long anyway.