EPILOGUE

[faentasy]

Epilogue

After all is said and done, in the wake of the void and sprinting through one final door.

You come out into light. Sunlight actually, a backyard in what appears to be a typical suburban town, if you're familiar with those. The sun shines cheerfully overheard, blissfully unaware of what everyone has went through. And this is everyone, as faces you haven't seen in weeks tumble out in one pile from a basement door.

Happy Saturday, everyone.

There's plenty of reunions and catching up to do, but you've utterly left Aira Niluc behind you after seven long weeks. And through the window of the house which looks like it has seen a better seen better days is one wall mural that reads "And they all lived Happily Ever After".

[[ Happy Golden End everyone, you've earned it! There's still the matter of sorting out where to next, but everyone is whole and alive and without button eyes. Using the knowledge from the object Phil had and the beldam's magic, they can also now world hop only one side effect...the portal that opens to everyone else's worlds here? Is made entirely of pixie dust. Everyone's powers will also restore fully over the course of the next few hours. ]]

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[ideismo]

[God.

For what feels like the longest time, Alexei isn't sure what he should do with his face, and it's incredibly obvious; for all that he's...sort of resumed having reactions like a halfway normal person, some things are still going to be beyond him, it seems.]

You kept your word.

[It's something that seems to come as a relief to him, at any rate.]

It's...good to see you again.

[reallyfishy]

[For what it's worth, Schwann's not exactly doing the best at keeping that smile from being a shaky one. He might be good at suppressing his emotions most of the time, but it's hard not to be emotional about this.

Coming back this second time around sure hits differently.]

I did. I couldn't have done it without you and the others, though.

[He saw the final confrontation, and how valiantly everyone fought against the Beldam. It makes being back feel all the sweeter.

But with that said, he'll just...approach Alexei but keep a respectable distance so not as to draw too much attention to their reunion.]

It's good to see you again, too. [...] Sorry, I... I had more that I intended to say, but I can't seem to remember any of it now.

[ideismo]

[The Beldam was the worst. The worst.

That said, he's...aware of the difficulties that Schwann seems to be having with this; this whole thing is just... It's a lot, isn't it? It's a lot.

That said, the distance isn't precisely striking him right, either.]

...I'm hardly going to reprimand you, you know, and the Council isn't here.

[reallyfishy]

[Well that's getting the forced stoicism to crumble somewhat as Schwann sputters.]

W-What is that supposed to mean? What does the Council have to do with this? All I said was I forgot...!

[He feels strangely called out.]

[ideismo]

It isn't about that.

[He'll close some of the distance then. Finds Schwann's hands with his own.]

I'm entirely too tired for respectful distance and acting as though others are watching. We can concern ourselves with that later.

[reallyfishy]

...Oh.

[Even without a proper heart, the sensation of it skipping a beat still occurs deep in Schwann's chest when Alexei takes the initiative like that.]

Yes, well...I don't think you realize how little Yeager will let me live this down if he sees.

[But that's not to say that he's embarrassed to have some PDA with Alexei, it's just. Yeager is merciless, please understand.

But now that Alexei's gotten close and has his hands, it's quickly becoming difficult to care. He shifts to intertwine their fingers and gives Alexei's hands a gentle squeeze.]

I can't argue with that, though. It has been such a long day, and...I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to being close to you after all of it.

[ideismo]

[The day that Alexei engages in proper pda with anyone is the day that hell freezes over. This is all he wanted on that front, and he's content with it, and that's all.]

Well, I'm hardly going to tell you no. You're going to have to tell me what happened for you eventually.

[...]

Yeager is going to be a menace no matter what we do. Though he's become somewhat less aggressively so recently; we...came to an understanding recently. It's something I wanted to discuss with you as well.

[reallyfishy]

[Holding hands in some rando's backyard is about the right amount of PDA for the moment, yes. It's more than Schwann thought Alexei would be okay with, that's for sure.]

Of course. It's actually a surprisingly long story, so we can sit down and talk about it whenever you'd like.

[Graveyard was also So Much.

As for the topic of Yeager, Schwann's eyebrows raise slightly. Of all the things he never expected to hear... He's certainly glad to have heard it, of course, but wow.

...]

I suppose that explains why I saw the two of you setting fire to something at the lake.

[HE SAW THE ARSON AND HE IS STILL SO ?????]

[ideismo]

[......]

Of all the things for you to possibly witness, you somehow saw that.

[reallyfishy]

[Schwann can't help but snort a little at that response.]

I saw some other things! But that was one of them, yes. Am I to assume inquiring about it further is off limits?

[ideismo]

There isn't much to say about it, to be honest.

[...]

I was having difficulties, after everything that had happened. Yeager asked me to assist him with...projects of his, usually making things and setting them on fire after the fact. He said he thought it would be good for me to have some catharsis.

[reallyfishy]

[His bewilderment easily subsides after hearing more about it.]

It was strange to see at the time, but it helped, then I'm glad. I just didn't expect you two coming out of this on better terms.

[It's definitely better this way, though.]

[ideismo]

[He can see where that's a little inexplicable, honestly, but...]

Yeager is no longer serving under me. I terminated that arrangement after everything that happened.

[The trial, the execution. All of that.]

[reallyfishy]

[It's starting to become much less inexplicable now, whoa.]

Did you...? [He can't help but hide a small smile as he nods.] Good. It was a very heavy weight on his shoulders. I can imagine that's why he ended up voluntarily aiding you in the wake of everything.

[ideismo]

I did, yes. We discussed it briefly, but mutually decided it's for the best to try to move forward from it.

[......]

As for you - I want you to stay with me, but I don't want it to be solely because you're beholden to me. If remaining near me is what you want, then so be it, but I'm not interested in forcing the matter. Do as you will with that.

[reallyfishy]

[Schwann nods to that first bit. If they're looking to move forward, then he doesn't feel the need to discuss it further either. It sounds like everything is going to be okay on that front. At least, as okay as it can be!

As for what comes next...what he's going to do with that is laugh softly.]

What is there to force, exactly? We both want this, don't we? Enough to make a promise over it. [Another nod follows, more resolute than the previous.] My only request is that I don't give up Raven entirely. It would feel far too strange to lose that part of my life now.

[ideismo]

[He doesn't seem to react much to that, but the fact of the matter is that he is relieved; the past few weeks have been horrific, he's a little low on ability to handle things like a reasonable person, and basic things like facial expression can happen later.]

...Good. I have no argument with any of that.

I think, in the meantime, it would be best if Yeager and I returned with you. To try to prevent the events we remember from happening again, and to try again overall. Doing things properly this time.

[reallyfishy]

[Honestly, if Schwann wanted to display his full emotions over all of this, he'd have to switch over to Raven. But he looks about as elated as he possibly can through his usual stoic visage.]

That really does seem like an actual option now, doesn't it? I'm happier to hear that than I can properly express. You know that I will be with you every step of the way as you try another way to deal with the crisis that the Empire is facing.

[Because for all of Schwann's indifference, it's not like he was blind to the issues that Alexei sought to rectify. He wants to play a more active role in assisting him now, though. And hey, who knows, maybe Yeager will be up for helping too.

(Author's note: NOT IN THE WAY HE WOULD HAVE WANTED.)]

[ideismo]

[...YEAGER IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE HELPING...]

I know. You're the only one I would trust to do so.

[That said, oh god.]

...I'm going to have to go back to peace negotiations with Don Whitehorse.

[HE'D RATHER EAT LIVE BEES.]

[reallyfishy]

[Schwann had about two seconds to have a Feeling over Alexei trusting him that much, but then the Don is brought up and he very nearly loses it.

Stifling a laugh...]

Yes. Yes you are.

[It was so good in that precious brief moment before. He can't wait to see more of it, honestly.]

[ideismo]

[Honestly, he thought that level of trust went without saying; he did technically entrust Schwann with going back and saving the world, if the whole wish thing had come to fruition in any meaningful sort of way.]

...I know what we discussed before, but don't you dare make me actually go get drinks with that man.

[LIVE. BEES.]

[reallyfishy]

[it really should have, and yet Schwann was over there thinking Alexei wouldn't be scaped at the end of the day so the gravity of that didn't quite hit him...]

All right, all right, I won't personally suggest it. But what am I supposed to say if that's what he actually wants to do?

[He can't talk the Don down from something like that, Alexei!!]

[ideismo]

[...He knows he poorly explained the plan, but he was a little fucked out of his mind with everything that was going on at the moment...]

...I'll cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose.

[He's going to suffer so much, oh my god.]

[reallyfishy]

[As hilarious as it would be to watch Alexei have drinks with the Don, Schwann doesn't want him to suffer that much.]

If we have to cross that bridge, I'll try to soften the impact as best as I can. It'll work out.

[Smash cut to Alexei in the middle of drunken shenanigans despite Raven's best efforts.]

[ideismo]

[Oh, absolutely.]

According to you I'm not even that different when intoxicated. If anything he's just setting himself up for disappointment if he tries.