Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You’re exhausted…your entire body hurts…

Your family surrounds you, awaiting your ability to actually form words.

“So, in the end... You love us so much you wished to stay with us so hard you almost broke the world?” Bonnie summed up. They weren’t wrong, but hearing it in words made you feel very very stupid.

“That’s not great, Frin.”

The stupid begins to leak. “Hmrf.”

“I’ve had stalkers with less issues than you,” Odile added.

Your face is in your hands already. “Hmrnghrgh,” is all you’re mustering.

Isa’s been trying not to laugh at your responses. “I think it’s nice,” he cheers you up with. Not working; you’re ready to explode.

“ I agree!” Mira happily says. “Ending the world for love is what good stories are made of!”

And, the joke book you are, conclude your speech with a “Rhghhmghmmghhrm.”

You’re attempting to bury yourself within your cloak…the embarrassment could be contagious at this point. You feel for your hat, but it gave up on you long ago. The act’s apparently very amusing to everyone, as you hear giggles from all around.

Stars…you love them all so much.

You slowly manage to stand up. You feel lightheaded, and you’re wobbling a little, but…you feel refreshed. You’re at least standing on your own. You still REALLY need to apologize…for everything you’ve put them through.

…

…Why is everyone looking at you weirdly?

You understood a little bit of weirdness…especially after everything, but the looks everyone are giving you…do you look that strange without your hat??

…Uh-oh. They noticed you weird look-ing their weird looks.

Isa was the first to speak up. “Alright, Sif, now, um…we’re gonna need you to stay calm, okay?”

You don’t even begin to unpack the possibilities of that line.

You must’ve reacted even weirder, because Mira scrambles to say “U-Um, I’m not sure he’s aware of the…thing, yet! But Siffrin! You’re going to be alright!”

Do you look really sick or something? You feel your face. It’s a little cold, but that shouldn’t compare to anything that happened before. Your body’s hurting, but nothing feels particularly injured…

“You’re going to give them a panic attack, you two.”

You glance over at Odile. She…tenses up a little as your gaze meets hers? You’re getting more and more confused by the second. And…tired…

She quickly composes herself. “Apologies, Siffrin. This is just difficult to explain.”

You look around at everyone’s weird expressions. But then…you notice something off when you look over at Isa.

You’re at eye level with him…

…What is happening…you’re struggling to remain standing…

“Hey, Frin, can you check your…face?” Bonnie asks. Compared to everyone else, they’re staring with more…curiosity than anything?

You fulfill their request. You have both your hands feel around. Make sure your head’s still attached. Check if all your features are still there. Ears are still under your darkless hair. Nose is where it should be. Eyes…eye…still in its socket. You’d be blind otherwise. All your teeth are intact. Nothing feels weird?

…You notice something weird under your left glove. Something…sparkly? Your family keeps watching your every movement as you slowly peel the glove off.

Underneath, it reveals smooth, lightless skin, dotted with bright, darkless sparkles. It’s almost exactly like…

You feel ill. Why…why is this happening? Is this part of your wish? A consequence?? Is the Universe leaving you with one final “gift”, after you’ve almost escaped???

Your legs quake, and proceed to give up on you. You feel more and more tired as you fall. Your impact against the floor is prevented by Isa quickly reacting. Everyone’s now so very close to you…

“S-Siffrin! You’re gonna be okay! Just hang in there!” Mira assures, as she casts wave after wave of healing craft over you. It’s nice and cooling, but your eyelids still feel like rocks.

You hear another set of footsteps running towards you?

Oh…it’s the Head Housemaiden. You…wanna apologize for throwing her, but words are refusing to leave your mouth. She tries casting some healing craft of her own, but abruptly stops herself. It probably wouldn’t help at this point, so she doesn’t need to waste it on you.

Ugh…your head hurts. You feel layering voices bounce off it, but you can’t make out any of what they’re saying. Not when you’re this tired. Your eyes start to betray you as they shut tight.

…You don’t want to sleep. You’ll wake up back there. Back in that cursed meadow. You’ll lose everything again. You felt so close to escaping, but guess it was just another joke! You’d laugh, if you could. That’s all you’ll ever be good for: an endless comedy routine!!!

…

You can’t…stop it now. Maybe next loop, you’ll simply stay resting. Don’t ever wake back up. Let the King’s curse slowly claim you.

…

…

You…stop processing…everything around you…and wait…for the tug…on your stomach…

…

…

…

You…don’t…feel…anything…

Chapter Text

You’d have rather been anywhere else but here right now.

You lean back a bit in your chair, taking in the atmosphere of the infirmary. After everything that’s happened in the past couple of days, it feels almost uncannily quiet in comparison. If it weren’t for the occasional voices of passersby, you’d swear the building was abandoned. You could also hear the steady, soft breathing of the patients, including your current occupant of interest. It’s enough to put you at ease.

You could appreciate the House no longer being in its lightless, time-frozen state, at least. It was enough to assure you that your journey was successful. Still, you would’ve expected victory to feel less…empty. It likely would have before today’s events.

You look over, and Isabeau is making the secret craft sign again. You watch for a bit to see any sign of a response, but his arm eventually falls back down.

“Still nothing from Loop?” you ask. You already know the answer, but you’d like to break the silence a little.

“Still nothing…sorry,” Isabeau sighs.

It was expected at this point. None of you had heard from them since you reached the King’s room. They’re the only one you know that could have any information on Siffrin’s current state.

“Do you think they’re…gone?” Isabeau asks. “Like, they only were able to exist during the loops?”

It was sounding like a more and more plausible theory by the minute. “Hm…maybe,” you respond. “I would hate for that to be the case, as waiting’s our only option left then.”

“Hopefully Mira and Bonbon find something,” he mutters.

You had considered joining Mirabelle in meeting with all the unfrozen Housemaidens and such, but Boniface ended up accompanying her in your place. You didn’t want anyone going around alone, and Isabeau was insistent on staying by Siffrin’s side. It was completely understandable; none of you truly wanted to leave.

You don’t blame Bonnie, either. Seeing Siffrin in their current state, after how much they’ve scared you all…the poor kid shouldn’t have to go through that. No one should, really.

Gems, it was a living nightmare for all of you…

Siffrin waking up from who-knows-how-long of a timeloop, and upsetting everyone…

Waking up to find the orbs gone, the House’s entrance open, and a mysterious star person offering to be your guide…

The path of destruction left behind in the House…the subtle trail of blood…

Finding Siffrin unconscious in the wake of the King…them struggling to even stand afterwards…

The world nearly breaking, and Siffrin transforming into an incomprehensible being…

…You attacking them before they even did anything…

Finally getting through to him, only for him to surprise you all again…

The Head Housemaiden and Isabeau carrying Siffrin away…nearly stumbling towards that crabbing ledge…

Cutting through the crowds, getting Siffrin into the infirmary, only to get kicked out while the Housemaidens were performing emergency procedures…

Bonnie during all of it…

…Ow. You grumble a bit.

Isabeau breaks from his thoughts and turns back towards you. “Something wrong, M’dame?”

“Headache.” A bit of an understatement. Your entire head felt like it had been set on fire. Again.

“Ugh, yeah, me too,” he empathizes. “Too much to think about. Are you recovering okay from that anti-Time Craft thing you used on Sif?”

It had taken a LOT out of you to use that. Even so much as countering Time Craft used an exhausting amount of energy. “Tired, but we didn’t have to use much Craft scaling the House, so I’ll be fine.”

You earned the smallest of smiles out of him. “That’s good! I think we’re all tired as crab after today. What has it been, like, almost twenty hours since we had to wake up?”

You grumble again. “Don’t remind me.” Your eyebags have almost gained eyebags at this point.

You’ve now earned a chuckle. “I’m pretty jealous of those two right now,” he mused, pointing over to the patients. In addition to Siffrin, there was another person, covered in bandages, tucked in the other bed. You couldn’t tell how heavy their sleep was, so you and Isabeau were both whispering. Hopefully, the person’s time being frozen provided a peaceful rest.

You should probably take advantage of this first moment of peace in a while. “Mirabelle said they had beds ready for us, right? We can take shifts watching Siffrin, if you’re about to collapse on us, too,” you offer.

Isabeau was ready to debate you. “Nope, you should sleep first! You stopped a time looper, so you need it more!”

“Isabeau.”

“M’dame.”

…This stalemate would never be resolved if you continued. You distract yourself by rereading the familytale.

You look up after a while to give your neck a break. You ARE glad Siffrin knew where to find the book, otherwise you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself right now. Maybe count the bricks around the walls. Actually, that could be what Isabeau’s doi-

Oh. He somehow managed to sneak by you. He’s now over by the bed…how long has he been watching over Siffrin? With the face of a million thoughts racing through, too.

It was worth joining and checking up on them both. You slowly stand up, and your joints decide to give your movement away, those traitors. It snaps Isabeau out of his trance, and he silently shuffles over to give you space.

You carefully examine what you can now see of Siffrin, taking note of any change since last time. Their cloak had to be removed and hung up, and their undershirt changed out, so you could really see how much their body had been affected so far. His arms and hands have been affected the most, being nearly identical to those of Loop’s: completely lightless skin, with glowing lights speckled throughout. The change crept up his neck, fading away completely just before where his head starts. You weren’t about to remove the blanket to see how much the changes spread elsewhere.

You just remembered something, and check the arms again. While eavesdropping on the Housemaidens earlier, you could’ve sworn you heard them worrying over Siffrin’s arms. You don’t see anything out of the ordinary, though. Well, ordinary for Siffrin’s current state.

…You could ask about it when they wake up, you suppose. Add it to the ever-growing list of “Things You All Really Should Talk About.”

The blanket was making it difficult to get exact details, but you do think he’s grown taller again. It was low on your priority list, but it was still…interesting to see. Perhaps an aftereffect of that…being…they were briefly. Thinking of a more detailed description was worsening your headache. You worry for Siffrin if his body planned to slowly transform back into that being's. Not only could it worsen their Craft Exhaustion, but, if they were still in this room, they’d most likely suffocate.

“He looks happy,” Isabeau breaks the silence with. “Hope today’s at least giving him some pleasant dreams.”

“I’m surprised he’s so relaxed,” you remark. “That bed doesn’t look particularly comfortable.”

“Heh, yeah. You’d think…” He suddenly grins, and fails to hide a laugh. Oh no. “You’d think sleeping well would be total bunk on it.”

…

Something in you must be off, because you almost gave into that. “Save the puns for when your comedy partner’s awake, Isabeau,” you joke back.

Your mood did improve a bit, so you decide to have a little fun. “Hmmm, are you jealous you’re no longer the tallest of our group?”

“M’DAME?!” he shrieks in the loudest possible whisper. “W-We don’t know that for sure yet!”

“Uh-huh…start dreaming too, then,” you smirk. You’ve won the battle. If Siffrin wasn’t curled up, their legs would most likely be dangling over the foot of the bed.

Isabeau takes a moment to laugh it off, then regains his composure. “Actually, M’dame, I was wondering if you could help with something?”

“Hm?”

“Well, I initially planned on confessing to Sif after we beat the King, right? But then everything happened, and I wanna give him time to recover when he wakes up. Cause that’d be a lot to add on top of…everything!”

You nearly forgot that whole story. Boniface owes you a full-course meal.

“SO, my new plan is to try to say the thing to Sif during the celebration festival! It feels like a pretty good time; enough for him to heal up, but not too long a wait because, well…IThinkHeAlreadyKnows. And that I’ve never managed to in the loops. Based on something he said yesterday.”

Oh. That makes everyone in the group now. Isabeau’s “subtlety” could only get him so far. The celebration sounded like a decent idea, though, as Mirabelle got the people to delay it until the saviors were recovered.

He looks at you earnestly. “So, M’dame, can you…help distract everyone, so I can pull Sif away for a bit? I really really REALLY don’t wanna screw this up now.”

“...Of course, Isabeau,” you smile. Despite your teasing, you do want to see the big guy succeed. Especially if Siffrin also knows now. You could only imagine how they feel about the whole mess. “I’ll do what I can to keep the attention off you two.”

It shouldn’t be too difficult, right? Most of Dormont will be focusing on their local savior, after all.

“THANK YOU MADA-” he immediately quiets. “Thank you so much, M’dame! I promise I’ll make it count!”

You give a single chuckle. “You owe me a bar visit if you don’t.”

You both properly laugh. You needed this.

…You wish Siffrin could join in. Even if wishing was a terrible idea right now.

Watching over them for a little while, your mind begins to trail into worried territory again. “You know…”

“...I still regret how I handled yesterday.”

Isabeau looks back at you. “How so?”

“I knew something was wrong, and yet, I ended up letting my emotions get the best of me. I gave up on Siffrin before attempting to fix things. It could’ve killed him.”

Especially since YOU were the one to suggest abandoning him. Gems, if he was possibly eavesdropping on that conversation…

Isabeau interrupts your thoughts. “Don’t put all the blame on yourself, M’dame! I was told something was wrong BEFORE Siffrin even approached me! I should’ve kept pushing, but I let his words get to me, and then…” He grumbles into his hands.

“Still though,” he eventually says. “It could’ve ended up helping, in a weird way? Maybe we wouldn’t have been able to find out about the loops, or his wish. It could’ve ended up as just a bad loop for him, and who knows what would’ve happened then?”

You agree with that theory. “You’re right. We’d have to pry the truth out of him, but the King would’ve taken too much of our focus.”

“Yeah…gotta think of the positives,” he encourages. “We can still do the information prying in this timeline, anyways!”

“Right. I still have many questions to ask. A number for long Siffrin was trapped for would be a start.” You promised yourself you wouldn’t blame them for how they acted, no matter what. Whether it was ten loops, or a hundred.

Both of you sit back down. It wasn’t worth adding more concerns with your hypotheticals on the loops. And you planned to win this war of sleep deprivation.

Before you got invested into the familytale again, Isabeau asks, “Oh yeah, M’dame. I wanted to ask about your research?”

You grin. “What’s your new theory? Siffrin-ology?”

“Actually, no!” he grinned back. “You’re not studying anything at all, are you? Like, we were wrong about you being here for that?”

“...”

Well then. “You’re correct. How did you find out?”

His smile grows even more. “Oh, I had a feeling for a while now. It was fun to imagine, though, so thanks for playing along! I’ll keep the bit going with Bonbon, if that’s okay with you.”

You smirk. You were proud of him. “Sure. Keep their imagination going strong.”

You nearly get cut off by a familiar voice approaching. Speaking of them…

Boniface and Mirabelle enter from the doorway, each struggling to carry a large stack of food, drinks, and other various goodies. Their faces are nearly covered up by all the gifts, but the picture is saying ten thousand words right now.

Isabeau made the mistake of speaking first. “Um, do you guys need hel-”

“YES.”

Chapter Text

“Um, do you guys need hel-”

“YES.”

Isabeau yelps and hurries to lift a good chunk of the gifts you were carrying…thank CHANGE. You still can’t feel your arms. You set the rest down, and steal the seat that he gave up. You’ll bring in more chairs…later. For now, you just need to rela-

…You AND Bonnie just need to relax! Both of you collapse onto the shared chair. Too much. Too much in one day.

“I take it everyone’s doing well out there? Given their…generosity.” Madame Odile puts the book she was holding to the side.

You put on your best smile. “Very well, yeah! Just…needed a little break. And to drop all this off.” You gesture at the collection you’ve gathered. Everything can be looked through later. “Seeing everyone unfrozen, after so long…it’s been really, really wonderful!”

“Everyone was being really, really sappy,” Bonnie adds. “Belle cried a LOT!”

HEY!!! That’s not a bad thing!! “I-It was just…surreal to finally experience. I…didn’t think I’d get this far…like, we DID IT! We won! Even with…all the crazy stuff that happened...”

You look over at the beds. “So, um…how’s Siffrin been?”

Isabeau slides his back down the wall next to you, and lets out a laugh. “More relaxed than any of us, I think! He’s been fine, besides all the weird stuff.”

“Well, to be fair,” Odile remarks. “We haven’t exactly been short on ‘weird stuff’ happening lately.”

“Yeah, hah…” Isabeau sighs, remembering the crowded events of today. “Oh, right! Did you two happen to find any sign of Loop? Or maybeeeee the actual them?”

You frown. “No…we searched near the Favor Tree when we had the chance, but they weren’t there, or anywhere around town.”

“Stupid crab…” Bonnie mumbles. “If they actually cared about Frin, then why’d they have to go crabbing disappear, huh?!”

“Language.” Odile gives Bonnie a stern look. “I think if they were capable of speaking with us, they would’ve by now. They’d have likely gotten fed up with Isabeau constantly using their craft sign.”

Bonnie still grumbles regardless. None of you have the energy to truly act mad at anything right now.

Isabeau punches into the air. “Well, don’t worry! The Tall Alliance shall not fail on our next search!”

…

“The…Tall…Alliance?” You give him a confused look.

“I didn’t agree to that name,” Odile judges.

“It’s a dumb name,” Bonnie judges further. “You’re calling us short.” 

“NO!!” Isabeau sputters. “Well, um, not exactly, but uh, well, you see-”

WAIT A MINUTE.

“WAIT!! You’re just calling it that to gain a numbers advantage! How could you, Isabeau!!”

“Gasp! I would never DARE, Mira!” He claims. With the biggest, dumbest, lying grin on his face…TRAITOR! Taking advantage of Siffrin’s sudden Change…

“Truly despicable.” Odile refuses to look at him, condemning Isabeau to eternal shame…

“Okay!!!” he admits. “It’s just that…Sif’s not the shortest anymore, and I wanted him to feel comfortable still!”

That IS fair. Such a sudden Change being forced upon them…you’ve heard stories of something similar happening to others, but you’ve never seen it happen in-person before. You’d HATE to be Changed like this…in such an unwanted way. You can only imagine how they must feel- wait.

WAIT…

“What do you mean shortest?”

“Huh?” Isabeau looks confused. “It was Sif, then you, right?”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M THE SHORTEST?!” You stand up to prove your VERY TALL height. “What about Bonnie?!”

Traitorbeau laughs. “Bonbon doesn’t count yet!"

“YEAH!!!” They’re ganging up on you! “I’m gonna be the tallest out of EVERYONE once I’m done growing! I don’t count yet! You’re now the group’s teenyest, Belle!”

You dramatically sniffle. Such a tragic fate… “I’m gonna be surrounded by trees…”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Odile chuckles, then gives an evil smirk. “You’ll have the combat advantage of kicking our shins easier.”

You would never do that, but okay!!! Your legs tell you to sit back down.

“Oh yeah, Dile…”

Odile looks up from her book. “Hm?”

“You said Frin was sticked in a timeloops, right?”

“‘Stuck’ in a time loop, and yes.”

“Hm…” They remain in thought for a second. “It’s…weird, but I kinda get why he was so hungry and sad. If I had to go through the same day, eating the same food, not even getting a break…I’d wanna blow up the whole world, too. But I don’t get something.”

“And what’s that?”

“How’s that make Frin grow really tall?! Like, they got all big and scary at the top of the House, but then they went back to normal-ish, but then they started growing AGAIN! If you’re really hungry, you’re not supposed to be able to do that!! I don’t get it!!!”

Odile took a moment to think of a response. “Well…hm. We don’t really have a good answer for that whole part. The time loops were most likely caused by the combined wishes of everyone, especially Siffrin’s. But as for their current state, we don’t have anything else to go off of.”

“And you know what that means?” Isabeau builds up with, bearing a big grin again.

…No one says anything, so you bite. “Um, what does it mean?”

“IT’S GROUP THEORY TIME!!!”

“Waugh?!”

“Oops, sorry,” he lowers his voice. “But anyways, what are everyone’s best guesses as to what’s been happening with Sif?”

You all think and form your own ideas for a little bit…

Isabeau goes first. “Alright, so we can all agree it was Wish Craft that caused the loops, right?” You all nod. “And it could’ve mixed with Time Craft to fully work? What I think is that using both those types of Craft can have MASSIVE side effects. You all saw how big and imposing the King was. It’s very similar to what’s been happening to Sif, right?”

The comparison did worry you a little. Siffrin wouldn’t ever be like that crabbing King, right?

“I don’t know why it basically uses Body Craft on the user, but it’s my best guess. Maybe…the combined Crafts do that to not use too much energy from the user or something? There’s still a few weird parts I need to think about.”

You stop biting your nails. “It’s not a bad theory! Siffrin did get to a similarly scary scale, and it seemed to stop when their wish did!” 

You frown a little more. “...It’s just…worrying. I don’t want them to be forced to be scary all the time. We don’t even know any other Wish Craft users who could help.”

“What about Loop?”

You look down at Bonnie. “Hm?”

“Frin’s skin is turning all dark and glowy and spiky like theirs is! What if they ALSO made a wish?”

“It’s certainly possible.” Odile didn’t exactly…like Loop, from what you could tell. “They weren’t very generous in providing all the details about them or Siffrin. To a suspicious point, if you ask me.”

Isabeau defends. “Weren’t they wanting to keep Sif safe? Why would they then be malicious towards him?”

Odile crosses her arms. “They always seemed annoyed when talking about their time with Siffrin. Whether it was some form of grudge, or just Siffrin also being a crab to them, I don’t know. It felt all-too-convenient for them to just show up and simply be ‘helpful’, as they boasted oh-so-much about.”

“Siffrin is still alive, thanks to their help!!” Loop WAS rude, but you wouldn’t have gotten through the House without them! “Even if they had some sort of ulterior motive, they still helped us that much, right?”

“I suppose…” You didn’t seem to change the madam's mind…

“If you ask me,” Bonnie goes next. “I think Loop COMBINED with Frin!”

“Whuh?”

“Look at them!” They jump up and point at Siffrin’s arms. “Frin’s body looks like theirs, and he’s also been getting really really tall! Like their heights got added together!”

Isabeau gives a chuckle. “The math checks out!”

“Frin was so tired and hungry…that Loop had to make a wish to keep him going! And whoever’s in charge of wishes decided that smooshing those two together was the best way to! It HAS to be what happened!”

You’ve read some stories like this before! “Ooooooh…becoming a permanent part of the other, as a form of sacrifice, now sharing your fates forever! I like your idea a lo-”

“Ew,” Bonnie interrupts you. “You’re making it sound gross."

WERE YOU???????

You try to remain normal. “But um, I had a different idea of Loop’s motivations. It’s kind of a weird, dumb one, though…”

“Hit us! I like weird!” Isabeau isn’t seeming ingenuine…

“I don’t think any of us could out-weird today,” Odile adds.

…

“Okay, well,” you resume. “What if Loop…is actually Siffrin?”

…They’re all just staring at you. Crab, crab, stop. No. KEEP GOING.

“Like, they were Siffrin, but from a future point in time? They used some Time Craft of their own to travel BACK in time to change how things happened! Maybe Siffrin’s Change was too deadly, and it needed to be cured? Maybe he gained cool powers, but used them for evil? But no matter what, in a cruel twist of fate, Loop trying to prevent whatever it was only ended up perpetuating the cycle for an eternity!”

…They’re still staring. “Um…something like that.”

Odile finally frees you from the silence. “Well…I could believe Loop is Siffrin. Those two shared quite a few traits, from what little time we spent with the former.”

Isabeau nods. “Yeah! Their mannerisms, when they weren’t acting all dramatic, DID feel a bit similar. Would also explain why they were both looping.”

“Yeah, Belle! It’s not a stupid theory at all!” Bonnie gives your shoulder a light bump.

Hooray for not being stupid? You give them all a smile.

Odile sighs. “You know, it’d help narrow down our imaginations if we could find ANYTHING more on Wish Craft. Or if anyone else in this entire country knew about the type. Besides our comatose and missing friends.”

“I did…ask around,” you respond. “No one else has even heard of it! The only idea I have left is that the House libraries could have something on it, maybe??? We picked up quite a few books!”

You feel Bonnie shudder next to you. “Heavy books…”

“...VERY heavy books. Maybe there’s a chance one of them has something useful!”

You slowly slide off your chair, making sure Bonnie can readjust. You tiptoe over to where all the stuff was dumped, making sure not to “ding-ding” too loudly. Sorting through everything, you carefully stack up every book, and bring them back to the group. You all quickly get to work, checking every title and description.

“Ooh, a cookbook………nevermind, already know all this.”

“The story of two people who- nope nope, not around Bonbon.”

“Uhhh, Paperasse Familyta-” “GIVE THAT BACK.”

“Another Château Castle…”

You perk up. “OOH, which one?”

Odile looks at its spine. “Looks like…issue number…87? Gems, how long did they stretch this series fo-” OH, CHANGE. IT’S THE ONE.

“THE LAST ISSUE OF ‘THE CURSING OF CHÂTEAU CASTLE’?!?!?!?!”

Odile does not ask questions, and simply hands you the book, yes YES YES YESSS!!! You’ve been waiting for this your ENTIRE JOURNEY!!! “Do we finally get to learn about Lord Joséphandre's true lineage? What about Pierre-Jacques-Erneste, will he survive?! And most importantly... DOES THE SIDE CHARACTER WHO APPEARED ONLY IN ISSUE #43 APPEAR AGAIN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!”

“High stakes, I see,” Odile chuckles. “Go ahead and delve into it. We’re in no rush.”

“THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLESSING, MADAME ODILE!!!!!” You used your loudest possible whisper for that, because you finally get to finish the story you’ve BEEN WAITING MONTHS FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

…

…ooooh…

…

…NO WAY?

…

Lord Joséphandre…was just a guy? Not even a lord?? A normal everyday person, not even chosen by fate??? A hero to everyone, yes, but JUST A GUY????

…You have many things across the series to think over. You need time to process your opinion on this…SO MUCH time…

RIGHT. There were people around! You honestly forgot where you were! 

You look over at Isabeau and Odile, both focusing on the same book. “Um…what are you two currently reading?”

“It’s a craftonomy book.” Odile looks up from their current page. “It had a section on Time Craft, so we thought it could have given us a start. But…it’s mostly been repeating information we already know.”

“SCARY information I didn’t need to remember,” Isabeau whines. “I really didn’t wanna be reminded of the fact that Time Craft could instantly kill its user.”

You all glance at Siffrin.

“Though, I think that proves it was mostly Wish Craft that affected Sif. Which means they’re probably gonna be okay! There’s no section for that type, though.”

Odile snaps the book shut. “We do have one more thing to read. Or, well, attempt to.”

She pulls out an old-looking book from the pile. “Do any of you know this language? I’ve never seen it before, and my head has felt too heavy to try to understand it.”

Isabeau was passed the mystery book first. He flips through the pages, looks at the cover from all sides, and then winces. “Ugh, my head’s killing me, never mind. Mira?”

He then passes it to you. The title and description are in a language you’ve never even seen before…you’d think one of your classes would’ve covered it! On the spine, there looks to be what could be…a number? Can’t tell which one it is, though. You skim through the first few actual pages, and your understanding still isn’t improving!!! The oldness and oddness of this book are so compelling…what forbidden knowledge does it contain?!?!?!

…OW. Your head’s starting to hurt, too. You quit trying to read the book, and try to put it back in the pile, but Bonnie quickly snatches it from you. They repeat the same process you and Isabeau did, growing more frustrated by the second, until…

“...Owie. I think this book just hurts your head.”

“I honestly kinda agree.” Isabeau massages the back of his hair. “My brain felt like it was being boiled trying to read it.”

Bonnie lifts the book into the air. “BAD BOOK!!! Get outta here!!!” They then chuck it out the doorway?!?!

You do NOT need you all to get in trouble! “Bonnie!! That’s still House property, even if it’s mean house property!!!”

They huff, then rejoin you on the chair. Not worth wasting further energy on more bickering…Change, you’re ready to fall asleep…

The silence is not helping…you could just about close your eyes…and instantly start dreaming…no one’s going anywhere, so it’s not like Siffrin could sneak away…but you really should be awake for when he-

“Mrrp.”

You snap towards the direction the noise came from. Siffrin’s bed.

“Heheh, that’s a good noise!” Isabeau giggled.

Odile doesn’t follow you all to the bedside, but she still looks amused anyways. “He’s embracing his inner cat.”

Siffrin treats you all again. “Mrrrrrrrrrrp…”

You echo! “Mrrrp!”

“Mrrrrrrp!!!”

You look back and forth between Bonnie and Odile, hoping for one of them to continue the chain. NOTHING…

Siffrin shifts slightly, and they begin to…mutter something? “Hey……hey Mira…”

“Me?!?!”

“Have you…have you……”

…Have you? HAVE YOU? HAVE YOU WHAT?!?!?!

“………………………carrot…………………”

…What. “Carrot?”

“Carrot!”

“Is Frin eating dream carrots?”

Siffrin rolls on his left side, and their face slowly forms a smile. “...Thhhank you snack leader…” 

The leader in question perks up, as Siffrin rolls again. “...for this delicious mealllll…mrrrghh…”

You hear Bonnie quietly mumble. “...They should be eating real food…”

Siffrin’s face gets slightly more serious. “...All you need……right now……is disappear…rgrgrrgh…”

Odile walks up next to you, and takes out a notebook and pen. “Siffrin could possibly be remembering things from the loops? Or…just a weird dream.”

Suddenly, Siffrin’s entire body tenses up, and his expression gets…angrier.

“Odile…”

Madame prepares to quickly write down what they say, but then…

“…it’s…it’s too late…it’s too late…it’s always too late!!!” You all jump at their volume increase, going from mumbling to near-yelling.

“…You have to figure it out now…it’s all about to end…”

“You can’t help me!!! You’ll start hating me!!!”

“What?? We wouldn’t, right?” Isabeau looks to you all for reassurance. You give him a big nod, but Odile’s gaze remains fixed on the bed. Neither her nor Bonnie have said a word…

But, as quickly as he was aggravated, Siffrin goes back to being relaxed, shifting around the bed again. It…doesn’t look like the comfiest sleeping position.

“...maybe…tee-heeeeee…” His voice trails off.

“Gems. What happened to them…” Odile breaks out of her trance, and she quickly writes down everything heard so far.

“...eee…eee…eeeeeeeessssaaaaa…”

Isabeau’s eyes widen. “Sif?”

“…isa…”

“Sif.”

“…isaaaaaa…”

“Sif!!!”

“You two, I swear.” Odile rolls her eyes.

“…amazing…wonderful…funny…buff…Isabeau…heh heh…”

“Oh!” He looks a bit conflicted at that. “Um…ha, ha?”

Isabeau’s nearly leaning down at this point, when suddenly, Siffrin rolls back towards him and…grabs his arm?!

“WHUHUHAH?!?!?! SIF?!?!” Isabeau freezes for a bit, then tries lifting the arm away. But Siffrin’s hold does not budge. “You’re…pretty strong, huh? Haha…”

“Gems alive, Isabeau. You might as well say it to him right now.”

“MADAME?!?!?!?!”

You don’t understand. “Um, what should he say?”

Isabeau’s eyes have a back-and-forth with Odile’s. She gestures at you and Bonnie, and gives him a very specific look.

He decides to force the words out. “It’s probably better that you know, so…um…I wanna………confess…to Sif…”

WHAT. WHAT WHAT WHAT. “AAAAAAAAH?! Everything makes SO MUCH SENSE NOW!!!!!”

You get shushed. Too loud. You feel so very stupid.

“Congrats on finally finding out.” Odile is taking SO MUCH amusement in your slowness. “I think that makes everyone in the group now, including Siffrin himself.”

…You could understand Siffrin knowing, given how much time he and Isabeau must’ve had in the loops, but you were the LAST ONE?????? You could’ve helped so much!!!!!!

Odile turns back to Isabeau. “If you wanted, you could try practicing it now, if you need. We’ll all give you space.”

Bonnie sticks out their tongue. “YEAH! It’s super gross, and I’m STILL MAD I lost the bet!”

They were holding bets on this???

“M’dame, with all due respect, no. I want it to feel special, and it’d be just my luck that Sif would wake up right as I say it. I’ve already been pushing it, talking about this near him.”

“My apologies. Do what feels right.”

“…Plus, my arm’s getting kinda numb. Sif…um, please, haha…” Isabeau tries to tug away again, but there’s no escape left for him. He nervously laughs, growing more flustered by the second. How did you NOT notice all this????

Odile laughs at his plight. “You know what? I’m becoming an honorary member of the Short Alliance.” She walks over between you and Bonnie.

“You’re BETRAYING ME, MADAME?! HOW COULD YOU???” Isabeau uses his free arm to reach out to her.

“You two are enough on your own. I want no part in this.” She doesn’t even pay him a glance.

“Welcome to our humble team, Madame!” You give her some light applause.

“YEAH!!!! TAKE THAT, ZA!!!!!!!”

“WILL YOU FOUR BE QUIET?!”

You all jump at where the noise came from. The other bed. Uh oh.

“Some people are trying to SLEEP around he-” The Sleepy One freezes as they look at Siffrin. “…Ugh, I don’t even care. Just go to bed already.”

They roll back over, and almost immediately start snoring again.

…You all exchange glances with each other, and slowly sit back down, save for Isabeau. None of you dare speak a word. You can clearly tell you’re all very very tired, but no one wants to potentially miss Siffrin waking up. Then again, it’s not like he could go very far, with how taxing the change must be on their body…

Bonnie suddenly yawns. And then Isabeau. And then you. And then Odile. It’s spreading…

Bonnie was the first to fall, trying to fight their sleepiness, but they eventually lay down and curl up in front of Siffrin’s bed. You grab a spare pillow and blanket, and gently give both to them. They look so cute, but they’d never let you call them that.

Isabeau, with his arm currently held captive, has no choice but to sit down and lean on the bed, taking great care to make sure Siffrin remains comfortable. Both of them look so peaceful, as they hopefully share the dream world together.

You look over at madame Odile, and…she somehow fell asleep in her chair, leaning her head back. You carefully tuck a pillow between her neck and the brick wall. You don’t want her to be sore in the morning. She eases into it nicely, her face becoming slightly more content.

With everyone else asleep, it was only a matter of time before it claimed you, too. It’s been such a long and overwhelming day…you wanna sleep the entirety of tomorrow. Maybe it’s already the next day…you’ve lost track of time. You grab the last set of pillow-and-blanket, and prepare to lay down next to Bonnie. The floor’s not the comfiest, but you’ll take just about anything right now.

You give Siffrin one last glance. They’ve remained cozy since their sleeptalking session, but you just wanted to check. Just in case.

…You’ll talk everything out with them. You’ll make sure of it. Whenever you’re all awake.

You rest your head, and you quickly…start to fall……asleep…

…

Unbeknownst to you, a certain someone…begins to stir.