Chapter Text
Mirabelle POV:
> “MIKI!”
Mirabelle runs to Miki.
Before Miabelle can reach her, Miki collapses into a pool of her own coolant.
(NO NO NO, YOU CAN'T LET HER DIE!)
> “MIKI! CAN YOU HEAR ME?!?”
Miki does not respond.
(You asked her to join you, you have to make sure she lives!)
The stranger who saved the party speaks.
???: “Don’t worry too much. She will be fine, the damage is pretty fixable.”
> “Really?!”
???: “Yeah, stuff like this happens, I've seen ‘androids’ come back from worse.”
(You haven’t heard that word before, is it even Vaugardian?)
(The sight of Miki in a pool of her own blood(?) still makes you very worried, but they seem confident, so you’ll trust them)
Odile looks a little solemn.
Odile: “So who are you?”
Siffrin: “Oh! Sorry, I’m Siffrin, he/they.”
He hides his face under his hat.
(Oh Change! You haven’t introduced yourself!)
> “I-I’m Mirabelle, she/her.”
(You are still a little shaken about that sadness and Miki, get a hold of yourself, Mirabelle!)
(You finally take a good look at him, he’s wearing a large darkless hat and cloak. They have lightless leggings and gloves as well. He is still holding a curved dagger in their hand. Their darkless face has what you think is a nervous expression, his eyes darting around between your party. The thing that stands out to you most is his hair, it’s lightless half way down and darkless at the roots, it looks so soft!!! It also reminds you of Euphrasie’s and Miki’s hair, you don’t see people with that shade of hair often!)
Isabeau: “Nice to meet you! I’m Isabeau! He/him!”
Isabeau has a wide, but worried, smile on his face.
Odile: “Odile, she/her.”
Odile’s face is painted with suspicion.
Isabeau: “Thanks for the save, Siffrin!”
Siffrin pockets their dagger.
Siffrin: “I heard the singing and fighting, so I decided to come take a look. That sadness looked tough.”
(You don’t think you would have been able to defeat it without someone else also doing what Miki did. Someone would have died… Thank Change Siffrin showed up!)
Odile: “It’s fortunate you just happened to be here and assure us that Miki would be okay.”
Odile’s eyes are narrowed.
Siffrin covers his face with his hat again.
Siffrin: “I guess so. Well! I’ll be off!”
(They’re so mysterious! And they seem strong… you should ask)
Siffrin turns around and starts walking off.
> “D-do you think you could join us on our quest to defeat the King!?!”
Siffrin stops in his tracks.
Odile: “Mirabelle.”
(Oh! You should justify this!)
> “You seem very fast and strong! And-and you seem to know stuff about Miki! We don’t really know how to fix her or what's normal for her…”
Siffrin turns around and just looks at Mirabelle.
Siffrin: “Uh-”
Odile: “We can’t just trust a random stranger, we are fighting the King, the consequences for failure are immense.”
(She has a point…)
Isabeau: “By that logic, we could use all the help we can get! And Mira has a good point about Siffrin seemingly knowing stuff about Miki! He also just saved us!”
> “But! Only if you want to! I wouldn’t want to drag you into this if you have something important to be doing…”
Mirabelle glances at Miki.
(You don’t want to put him in danger…)
Siffrin: “I don’t have anything better to do… So why not?”
(Yes!)
Isabeau: “Nice to have you join us!”
Odile: “We can discuss this more later, for now, I think the machine should be our priority.”
(Change! You had forgotten about Miki!)
Isabeau: “OH! We need to get her fixed!”
Siffrin: “I can take a look and see what she needs.”
Siffrin crouches down and takes a look at Miki’s wing puncture wounds.
Siffrin: “It’s a little worse than I thought, but only a few parts are too damaged to repair. All she needs is-”
(He says some things you have never heard of in your entire life)
Siffrin: “We will need to find replacements, fortunately they are all simple parts. But after that, I can pretty easily install them. The injuries avoided the difficult parts to replace.”
Isabeau: “Those are some pretty standard parts, shouldn’t be too hard then!”
(Wow! He’s able to tell just by looking!)
Odile: “It’s… impressive for you to be able to figure that out so quickly.”
Siffrin ignores the comment.
Siffrin: “A quick stop in a moderately sized town should allow us to get her fixed up.”
Odile: “The town we are heading to–Theseou–should work.”
Isabeau: “Got it! Let's go!”
Isabeau picks up Miki, which is becoming a very common event.
(You don’t feel so worried now, Siffrin really seems to know what he’s talking about)
The party starts walking to their destination. No one says much for an hour or so, then…
Odile: “Siffrin, I’m wondering something.”
Odile’s words come out intentionally and carefully.
Siffrin: “Yeah?”
Odile: “How do you know so much about–what was the word you used–oh, right, ‘Androids’? I’ve never even heard of something like Miki before meeting her, how are you so familiar with them?”
Siffrin: “I grew up around them, you needed to know this stuff.”
Siffrin looks relaxed.
Isabeau: “You grew up around them?”
(Where is Siffrin from?)
Siffrin: “Yeah, I did.”
> “Where are you from?”
Siffrin: “Oh, I’m… from…”
Siffrin stops walking, his face blank. Everyone else stops walking too, seconds pass before anyone says anything.
Siffrin: “...”
> “S-Siffrin?”
Siffrin seems to snap out of it.
Siffrin: “Huh?”
Isabeau: “Are you good?”
Siffrin: “Yeah, why?”
Isabeau: “You just kind of… stopped.”
Siffrin: “Did I?”
> “Y-yeah, you did…”
Odile: “So, where did you learn so much about ‘androids’?”
Odile’s eyes are narrowed.
Siffrin: “I don’t know? I just kind of know about them…”
Siffrin hides his face under his hat.
(That’s… different from what he said earlier?)
Odile: “You said before that you grew up with them.”
Siffrin: “I did? I don’t know why I would say that?”
(Did he just forget? Is he okay?)
Isabeau: “Siffrin, do you have memory issues?”
Siffrin: “Umm, my memory isn’t great, but I don’t think I have any memory problems”
(This… concerns you)
Odile: “Uh uh…”
Odile starts writing something in her book.
Siffrinn looks very on edge.
Isabeau: “Okay… well! What were you doing before you joined us?”
Siffrin: “Traveling.”
Isabeau: “Is that… it?”
Siffrin: “Yeah?”
(He’s so mysterious…)
(You doubt they want to share too much… that's fine, they saved all of you after all!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mirabelle POV:
Traveling to Theseou was uneventful, a relief to the party who had had enough events for the day.
They finally make it to the outskirts of Theseou, the fields of darkless wheat vast, a much calmer environment than the forest from before.
They start chatting about the gameplan while they travel to the heart of Theseou.
Odile: “So Siffrin, where would be best to find the parts we need?”
Siffrin: “I’m not really sure, I don’t see android parts all that much…”
(Last time Isabeau went to some general store, right?)
Isabeau: “We can just check some stores! Worked last time!”
Odile: “It’s worth a try, it did work last time.”
Mirabelle: “A store it is!”
Odile: “And while we do that, we search around for the orb.”
Isabeau: “Sounds good to me!”
(It’s nice to have that cleared up so quickly!)
More buildings begin to come into view, they look old and worn down.
Isabeau: “I assume that’s the heart of Theseou?”
Odile: “Indeed.”
(It looks kind of… decrepid?)
Siffrin: “I expected it to be… more put together?”
Isabeau: “Huh… last time I heard of Theseou, it was doing pretty good. Is this the fault of the Curse?”
(You don’t know, you all still haven’t seen much since the start of the Curse, it feels like this is not a new problem…)
Odile: “I suppose we’ll find out.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mirabelle POV:
The party entered a shop they found and are looking around for machine parts.
Isabeau: “Oh! I found some!”
(It’s a table with a bunch of random things sprawled out, neat!)
Odile: “Why are you selling a bunch of random things?”
Young Shopkeep: “We need to do whatever we can to make it by nowadays.”
> “How come?”
Young Shopkeep: “No one around here has much.”
Siffrin: “Why have you all stuck around?”
Young Shopkeep: “The only reason any of us are left here is because of the church.”
(A Church? You’ve only heard of such buildings in books)
> “The Church?”
Young Shopkeep: “It’s supposedly ancient, but our Pastor gives us all some semblance of hope… and sanity.”
(A Pastor? Is he a member of the House of Change as well? I wonder what they’re like.)
> “Your Pastor?”
Young Shopkeep: “He’s a Member of the House of Change, he was sent here to Theseou by the Head Housemaiden ages ago at this point.”
(The Head Housemaiden sent him?)
Odile: “Why is this place so run down?”
Young Shopkeep: “It’s been this way ever since SHE abandoned us, this town didn’t used to be like this!”
> “She? Who-”
Young Shopkeep: “Look just… pay for your part and go, please.”
Mirabelle looks over and sees Siffrin holding up one of the parts they need.
Odile: “Okay, here, we’ll get going.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Siffrin POV:
The party comes to an open forge where an old guy at the anvil is hammering away, striking the hot metal over and over with a hammer in a metallic arm.
Old Smith: “You must be those saviors they be talking about.”
Odile: “That is us… Who are you?”
Old Smith: “Just a lone smith young in his craft but seeking to become a great mast- ARGH”
The man holds his back with his metal arm.
Mirabelle: “ARE YOU OK?!?!?!”
Old Smith: “Oh, just the old back…”
(You didn’t notice it before but… he has a metal arm)
> “A Metal Arm?”
Isabeau: “You don’t know?”
Isabeau: “It’s a new thing practitioners have been researching!”
Isabeau: “They’re limb replacements, although I haven’t seen one as advanced as this…”
Old Smith: “Fine craftsmanship, ain’t it?”
The smith looks proud of it.
(You suppose it’s similar to ‘androids’...)
Odile: “Did you make it?”
Old Smith: “Wish I could say I did, but I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
Mirabelle: “Who made it?”
Old Smith: “It was our good Pastor who made it for me! He also supplies me with the parts needed for maintenance!”
Isabeau: “From the little we’ve heard, he sounds like a pleasant person!”
Old Smith: “I wouldn’t still be smithin without em’. You should go see em’ if you get the chance, although he’s out right now, he usually gets back at dawn.”
Isabeau: “I think we will!”
Old Smith: “Sorry, what did you lot come in for?”
Mirabelle: “We came in to see if you had any parts.”
Old Smith: “Oh, take a gander at my spare parts, I can go ask the Pastor for some new ones when he gets back.”
(You see one of the parts you need)
(You grab it)
Isabeau: “Thank you!”
Old Smith: “No problem, now go save this country so I can continue smithin, I got a long journey here.”
(You leave the Smithy)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isabeau POV:
(Oh! There’s a kid riding a bike!)
> “Woah nice bike!”
Bike-Riding Kid: “I know right! My dad made it!”
(Their dad made it? Maybe he has parts…)
> “Does your dad have any machine parts?”
Bike-Riding Kid: “My dad has all sorts of parts!”
> “Could you show us the way, oh Bike Riding Knight.”
Bike-Riding Kid: “You bet, sir!”
(What a cute kid!)
The Kid rides his bike to the door and knocks.
A Limping Mother: “Who are all of you?”
Bike-Riding Kid: “Ma! They’re the saviors everyone is talking about!”
A Limping Mother: “Oh are they now? What are they looking for?”
Bike-Riding Kid: “They wanted to see Dad’s parts.”
A Limping Mother: “Ah… You continue playing. I'll show them to your Dad’s parts.”
Isabeau: “So his dad built that bike? That’s so cool.”
A Limping Mother: “Indeed he did.”
> “Sounds like he is an amazing person.”
A Limping Mother: “...Was…”
> “Oh…”
A Limping Mother: “...it’s okay.”
(Change…you're still not used to death, hopefully you never will…)
Odile: “If you don’t mind me asking how did he go?”
A Limping Mother: “I- don’t know… it was over a week ago now. There had been rumors of monsters coming out of the Crossed Forest at night…”
(The Crossed Forest…?)
Mirabelle: “What is the Crossed Forest…?”
A Limping Mother: “The Pastor says it’s an ancient test for members of Change. But recently he has been having premonitions of monsters in the forest…”
Mirabelle: “So he…”
A Limping Mother: “He went into the forest to quell the beasts… he never returned. His office is just over there. Sorry, I haven’t been able to step into that room since…”
(That sounds bad… it’s the kind of thing Defenders should handle)
Mirabelle: “I’m sorry for your loss…”
A Limping Mother: “It’s okay, I hope you find what you’re looking for…”
The Limping Mother walks away.
> “It makes me sick to my stomach…”
Mirabelle “...He tried to save his town and failed…”
> “We won’t let that happen to us!”
Mirabelle: “Yeah! For sure!”
Siffrin: “I looked through it and only found one part. Thankfully it’s the last part needed to stabilize her coolant, so we can boot her up.”
Odile: “Okay, let’s go get it-”
Isabeau shoots Odile a look.
Odile: “...Get her repaired.”
> “We get to go fix Miki now!”
Mirabelle: “Yeah! We do! We can’t let this bring us down! Let’s go!
(We can’t let our spirits down, gotta hold out hope!)
> “Yeah!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miki POV:
[Rebooting.]
[Rebooting..]
[Rebooting...]
[Consciousness is Suffering an Error]
[Repair Sequence Initiated]
…
This is not right, things do not feel right, am I dead?
I remember… I remember?
I… do not remember?
Where am I?
I need to figure out what is happening.
I look around and… I know this place.
The cabinets, the blank darkless walls, the lone neglected sofa, this is the Lab.
Why am I surprised I am here? I live here. This is The Creator's home.
But it all feels… wrong.
I should find him, I must be experiencing glitches again.
He is normally in the laboratory, he is always working.
I walk to the laboratory, passing rooms that I know well. Why does it feel like it has been a long time?
There is the door, it has seen better days, we need to replace it.
I open the door to the room. The room is trashed, blood and coolant are everywhere, multiple machines are completely ruined.
“C-Creator?”
I see him.
I see him.
…
“D-Dad?”
He doesn’t respond.
This… it can-can’t be…
IT ISN’T POSSIBLE
I run up to him and yell.
“DAD!”
“PLEASE DON̷̫͔̿̎̈́͊̉’̵͙̀͑T̷̜͇̓́͠ ̸͚͕̅̄̓̈̑B̸͔̮̎͒͗͝È̶̩̯̟̙͂͊̓ ̵̣̺̆͌̅D̴̮͒È̵̢̞͑͊̉̽-̴̬̞̦̿͊
[Error Fixed]
[Reboot Complete]
(…)
(You can see the world around you, this isn’t the lab)
(You’re on a workbench, you sit up)
(You’re shaking, you know that wasn’t real, but…)
Mirabelle: “Miki! You’re awake!”
(Mirabelle, you can barely tell, your vision isn’t fully up yet)
> “Y-yes. I’m con-conscious.”
Isabeau: “Are you okay? You’re shaking real bad…”
Odile: “Siffrin, does this have something to do with the missing parts?”
(Siffrin? You don’t know who that is, you turn your head to this ne-!)
Miki begins to shake harder.
(That hair, the clothing, you’re very familiar with it)
(BUT THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE, HE’S DEAD, YOU KNOW HE IS)
(You know he’s dead, your vision must be tricking you, just wait until you can properly see)
(You are okay)
> “I just had a nightmare. It is a consequence of the boot up process.”
Siffrin: “That makes sense, I knew nothing should be causing that shaking.”
Odile: “You… had a nightmare? I didn’t know you could dream…”
Siffrin: “‘Androids’ dream, it was built in.”
Miki: “‘Android’?”
Isabeau: “That’s the proper name for what you are!”
(You did not know that, does that mean that there are others like you?)
Mirabelle: “Do you want to talk about your nightmare?”
(…)
(You don’t look at Siffrin)
> “I do not-not.”
[Vision at 100%]
(...)
Miki turns to Siffrin.
(They do not look much like your Creator at all)
(He is shorter and his facial features are rounder, he also holds himself smaller and less confidently)
Siffrin: “I suppose I should introduce myself… my name is Siffrin, he/they. I’m the one who got you booted up.”
(There is something you do not get)
> “I am Miki Covelow SF-A2, she/her.”
> “May I ask a question?”
Siffrin: “Uhh, sure?”
> “Why did you all bother fixing me?”
Siffrin looks surprised, while the others just look sad.
Mirabelle: “First of all, we care about you!”
Isabeau: “Even beyond that, you sacrificed yourself for us! It’s only right to save you! Thank you by the way, we would have been doomed!”
(You still do not fully understand, but you do not think asking further will help you understand)
> “Okay.”
Isabeau: “Oh! And Siffrin here is part of the party now! He’s the one who landed the final blow and figured out what parts you needed!”
Siffrin: “We still need a few parts, but we found enough to get you booted up.”
(You are only missing three parts, you appreciate how robust your system is to be able to tell you which ones)
Isabeau: “I fixed up your coat! Again!”
Isabeau holds up Miki’s coat proudly.
(Your coat)
(…)
(You want it back)
Miki holds out her arms and does grabby hands.
Isabeau hands it to her and she quickly puts it on, hugging her arms to herself afterwards.
Isabeau: “We still need to find those remaining parts, where do we have left to look?”
Mirabelle: “Oh I know! The librarian might be able to tell us where to find more parts!”
Isabeau: “Oh! Good call!”
(A library… You have only ever seen glimpses of a library)
(Of his library…)
(What will it be like…?)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miki POV:
(It is nothing like you imagined)
(It is a normal place just like any other)
Mirabelle: “Hello? Is anyone home?”
Isabeau: “Huh, weird… Oh! There’s a bell!”
Isabeau rings the bell loudly; Siffrin jumps.
???: “AH!”
(You hear a head thump against something…)
???: “Ow! Ow!”
Mirabelle: “AH! Are you alright?”
(She has circular glasses, dark darkless long unkempt hair and is wearing obviously unwashed clothes. Is this a style?)
???: “Oh I’m fine… I’ve been through worse… What can I do for you?”
Isabeau: “Oh, we were wondering if you had any parts or knew where we could find some.”
???: “Oh! Where have you checked so far?”
Isabeau: “We checked… the shop, the smith, and a nice lady gave us parts but we still need three more…”
???: “Hmmm… I might have a part you need, I buy a lot of random things from that shop. The shopkeeper is a downer though…”
Odile: “What’s your name by the way?”
???: “Ah… everyone around here just calls me Humble, as in a humble librarian. My name is… unimportant so let’s go with Humble!”
Humble: “Don’t worry about introducing yourselves! I already know who you all are, everyone’s been talking about you!”
Humble: “Now where did I put those parts… ah here it is!”
Humble hands a box of them to Isabeau who hands them to Siffrin.
Siffrin starts sorting through them.
Humble: “By the way, want to rent any books while you’re here?”
Mirabelle: “Oh! Do you have any of The Cursing of Chateau Castle?”
Humble: “YOU READ THE CURSING OF CHATEAU CASTLE TOO?!?!?!”
Mirabelle: “Of course! It’s one of my favorites!”
Both of them light up.
Humble seems to get embarrassed.
Humble: “Sorry, it’s just no one else out here really enjoys books.”
(It seems like this will take a while… You want to take a walk)
> “I’m going to take a walk and see if I can find any other parts, I’ll be back.”
Isabeau: “Oh! I’ll go with you!”
> “No thank you, I want to be alone for a little while.”
Isabeau: “Oh… Okay, meet us at the church if you can’t find us!”
> "Affirmative."
(You want to take some time to think)
Miki walks out of the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mirabelle POV:
Humble: “Oh, I should’ve asked earlier, how far have you read?”
> “I’ve read it all except the most recent one…”
Humble: “Oh! I have that one! Let me go grab it!”
(OH CHANGE, YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU WOULD GET TO READ IT!!!)
> “WAIT REALLY?!?!?!”
Humble: “Yeah!”
> “YOU WOULD REALLY GIVE ME SOMETHING SO RARE?!?!?!”
Isabeau: “Rare?”
> “The Author was frozen in time right after it had been released so only a few copies were produced…”
Humble: “Here you go!”
> “I-I can’t…”
Humble: “I’ve copied it down, so it’s completely alright!”
> “Okay… but I have to pay you back somehow!’
Humble: “Oh, you really don’t have to…”
Isabeau: “I have an idea, the final issue never released right?”
Humble: “Yeah…?”
Isabeau: “When we free everyone from the King ,why don’t you both read the final issue together?”
> “That’d be lovely.”
Humble: “Alright then! It’s settled!”
Odile: “I have a question…”
> “Oh? What is it? Are you interested in The Cursing of Chateau Castle too?”
Odile: “No, it’s about the Pastor. What do you know about him?”
Humble: “He’s the greatest! You’ve probably heard all about it from people around here.”
Odile: “Has he ever helped you?”
Humble: “Oh uh… I guess I can tell you…”
Humble: “It was about a year ago now… It happened deep into the night.”
Humble: “I was carrying up a bunch of books down the stairs, way more than I should have.”
Humble: “I’ve always been a klutz who can’t do much right… I fell down the stairs.”
Humble: “Both my legs were all mangled… but luckily I wasn’t alone. The Pastor, whenever he can, comes in at night to read and ask questions.”
Humble: “He went over and said “Don’t worry it’ll be all right.” then he picked me up upon his back.”
Humble: “Then he raced over to the Church. He put me to sleep using some of his magic.”
Odile: “Magic? Don’t you mean craft?”
Humble: “The craft he works I can only consider magic, it’s exceptional.”
Humble: “When I awoke, my legs were fully healed, they felt good as new! I immediately asked how I could thank him.”
Humble: “He said—and get this—he said “Don’t mention it, it’s my job.” and I haven’t mentioned it to anyone since, it’s been our secret.”
Humble: “Isn’t our Pastor so great?”
Odile: “What books does he often ask about?”
Humble: “They’re always craft theory. They’re complex stuff. It took me a long time to figure out those books but he figured them out in no time.”
Isabeau: “It’s because he had your help! He had a master.”
Humble: “Oh… I’m definitely no master, I haven’t really tried anything in any of the books…”
(...)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miki POV:
(You looked around but could not find anything)
(You want to sit down and rest for a moment)
(Where is a good spot?)
(This tree looks like a good spot)
(You sit down and look around)
Miki looks up to the sky, glances towards her hands, then notices the garbage at the side of a house.
(It is a long shot but there might be a part in there)
(You look through the garbage and in the garbage you notice something)
(It is a machine like you, just sitting there, broken)
???: “Disgusting isn’t it?”
> “Affirmative…”
???: “A dream thrown to the wastes.”
> “...”
???: “We can only imagine their history, their life, and their wishes.”
> “...”
???: “Oh, sorry, I didn’t introduce myself did I?”
(You initially thought you were talking to yourself)
(But no, there is someone next to you)
???: “I’m Antikythera.”
(They reached out their hand, you realize their hand is like yours)
> “You are a machine?”
Antikythera: “Naturally.”
(Looking at their hand more, you realize something odd)
(Their hand is pale and there is no heat coming off of it)
> “Is there any way to bring them back?”
Antikythera: “There isn’t, I’m afraid.”
> “...”
Antikythera: “Let’s bury them, give them a proper burial, so they can move on.”
> “…”
Miki picks up the poor broken android and follows Antikythera.
They find themselves in the graveyard, it looks old but handled with care.
Antikythera: “Where is a good spot you think?”
(You look around and see a beautiful tree, you point to it)
Antikythera: “If I may ask, why here?”
(You can’t get the words out, but it reminds you of where the party found you)
Antikythera: “Ah, I understand, you don’t need to say it.”
(They… do?)
Antikythera: “Here, help me dig.”
> “Ok.”
(For a human, this would be hard work, but you are so much stronger)
Antikythera and Miki dig the grave.
(The hole has been dug, now they go in…)
(Antikythera covers the hole with dirt, you can no longer see the buried android)
(Antikythera places a tombstone inscribing their serial number into it)
(You don’t know what to do, but you think you should honor them)
(You decide to sing)
Once there, everything comes true
I've heard of such a dreamy place
Do you think my broken wings will heal
Hope so, 'cause I can't fly well
I wonder if this rain will stop one day
Someone's been crying all along
No worries, there's only one road so I can't get lost
All I have to do is walk
Place by the name of heaven, the promised land
Everyone is waiting in a very long line
Place by the name of heaven, there's a comfort in that
I don't hesitate, just be guided
I wonder how far I have come
And what have I ever done
All right well, I'm sure I'll be there soon
All I have to do is walk
Place by the name of heaven, the promised land
I wonder what words are waiting for me
Place by the name of heaven, there's a comfort in that
I don't hesitate, just be guided
I haven't talked to my heart for a long time
When did I stop flying, is it my wings that are crying
Place by the name of heaven, the promised land
Can I find myself again in that line
Place by the name of heaven, there's a comfort in that
(Freedom in my hands means that I can get lost)
Place by the name of heaven, wings I'm sorry
I may suck it in, but I should have flown
The name of heaven, I can get out of line now
Freedom in my hands means that I can get lost
(Freedom in my hands means that I can get lost)
Antikythera remains just standing there, holding out their hand with something inside it.
Antikythera: “Here, I think they’d want you to have this.”
(It’s the part you needed)
> “Thank you.”
(Antikythera is just looking at the sky)
(You hear footsteps…)
(You turn to look)
(It’s your party)
Odile: “Miki? What are you doing here?”
Mirabelle: “We heard singing?”
> “I was burying this ‘android’ with this person named Antikythera.”
Odile: “Who?”
(You turn around)
(Antikythera is not there)
> “They were just right here…”
Isabeau: “Miki, you buried them alone…?”
> “Negative, I was with…”
Mirabelle and Isabeau go in for a hug.
Mirabelle: “You could have just asked us to help, you know.”
Odile takes a deep look at the grave and then at the tree.
Siffrin looks blankly at the grave.
> “I got the part we needed.”
Odile: “Where did you get it?”
> “...”
Isabeau: “Did you…?”
> “It is what they would have wanted.”
Everyone is silent.
Odile: “It’s almost dawn…”
Mirabelle: “We should head to the Church and see if the Pastor we were told about is there…”
(...)
(You could not have imagined you would ever meet another ‘android’, but you did)
(It was very different from how you imagined)
(It felt so…)
(...cold)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mirabelle POV:
(The Church… you’ve only heard about the old Churches of Change)
(Your hand’s on the doorknob)
(What if the Pastor knows?!?!?! They said he’s performed miracles!!! So he has to have met the Change God right?!?!?!)
Isabeau: “Mira? Everything ok?”
> “AH!”
(YOU FORGOT EVERYONE ELSE WAS THERE!)
Odile: “Mirabelle-”
The door creaks open.
???: “Sorry, I heard a scream, is everything out here alright?”
Isabeau: “Are you the pastor?”
???: “Yes? I’m the pastor Raguel. And you all are?”
(Phew so he doesn’t know…)
Raguel: “Oh wait, are you the ones everyone has been talking about? The saviors? Then you must be Mirabelle.”
(...Change…)
(Although he’s different than you thought he’d be)
(His eyes are closed, and he has rugged hair, not the perfect picture of a Pastor… He’s wearing a darkless cloak like you’ve seen in the old books!)
(It’ll be fine…)
Raguel: “Why don’t you all come inside, you came here to talk to me didn’t you?”
Odile: “We did.”
They walk inside.
(You couldn’t see it well from the outside but the glass, it’s stunning…)
Raguel: “A beautiful thing isn’t it? The last beam of hope in our town.”
Miki: “The rest of the town says that’s you.”
Raguel: “Oh…! …I can’t accept that kind of praise… I’m just doing my job…”
Odile: “Mirabelle, why are you being so quiet?”
> “OH! UH-”
Raguel: “I’ve heard a lot about you! You’re probably a better member of the House of Change than I. Seeing as I’ve only met the Change God myself just recently.”
> “YOU HAVE?!?!?!?”
Raguel: “Can’t say the Change God picked me like you though.”
(So he doesn’t know…? Thank Change…)
Raguel: “Well anyways, what is it you all need?”
Isabeau: “Our friend here needs a part and we heard you were proficient in that sort of thing so were wondering if-?”
Raguel: “Ah gladly! It’ll take me a while but I can get that done!”
Odile: “Sorry but we only need the part. We have someone who can do the repair.”
Raguel: “I don’t keep any parts on hand except the ones people in the town need, but you’ve already asked all of them, so I’ll have to make a custom part, which will take a while…”
> “That’s okay, we can wait here for a while! We have something to find here anyways!”
Raguel: “Here, tonight I’ll work on the part and get it installed. You all can stay the night here! The Church has some rooms down in the basement, they’re typically for… the sickly… but they’ll do if you want them.”
> “We’ll take them.”
Raguel: “They’re just down the hall on the right. Let me know if you need anything.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isabeau POV:
The party finds themselves in the “basement,” which is more like a natural cave turned into a facility. Many clean medical beds line the room the party was told to enter.
> “Huh, I didn’t expect something like this down here!”
Odile: “Was this a common feature of the old Change religion?”
(You didn’t really study Change much, especially not the old religion, so you honestly have no clue)
Mirabelle: “I don’t think it was common, but it did happen.”
(Mira shocks you with the things she knows!)
> “Wow, Mira! You sure know a lot!”
Mirabelle flusters.
Mirabelle: “I-I don’t know that much!”
(Your time to strike)
> “Why are you being so… cavey!”
Mirabelle and Odile just look at Isabeau, trying to figure out what the pun was supposed to be.
Siffrin laughs.
(YES! SOMEONE WHO LAUGHS AT YOUR PUNS!)
Odile buries her face in her palm.
Odile: “Gems…”
Mirabelle: “I… still don’t get it…”
(That one may not have been your best work…)
> “Like, cagey, cavey.”
Mirabelle looks disappointed.
Mirabelle: “I… really?”
Siffrin: “I thought it was funny…”
Isabeau: “And I really appreciate that!”
(He’s hiding under his hat again, Change that’s adorable!)
Odile is looking at Isabeau inquisitively.
Odile: “...let's talk about what we need to do tomorrow. We didn’t find the orb, do you have any idea where it is, Mirabelle?”
Mirabelle looks downtrodden.
Mirabelle: “I-I can sense that the orb is nearby, but not where…”
> “That’s okay! We’ll find it in no time!”
(You know that your goal is the orb, but…)
> “I think we should try to deal with The Crossed Forest while we are here.”
Odile: “If we don’t have to, I would advise against risking it, we have a job to do.”
Mirabelle seems to regain some confidence.
Mirabelle: “I-I agree with Isabeau! We can’t let the people here suffer…”
> “Not to mention that the orb could be there, they do strengthen sadnesses that take them…”
Odile looks like she’s contemplating something.
Odile: “I don’t like Raguel, something about him feels off.”
(...)
Mirabelle: “Wh-what are you talking about? We’ve heard nothing but good things!”
Odile: “I don’t have great evidence yet, but something about it puts me on edge, it’s all very convenient.”
(You… actually don’t disagree, but you won’t let that affect your judgement)
> “I think it’s fair to be cautious, but I’m willing to trust him.”
Mirabelle: “He seems like a really nice guy! He even met the Change God!”
> “I think he's nice too!”
Odile looks like she wants to say something, but drops it.
Mirabelle: “...”
Mirabelle: “I’m glad Miki is going to be okay soon…”
(You too)
> “Same here.”
(It was quick thinking on her part, you were trying to stay positive, but it looked bad)
(If she hadn’t taken that hit and held it in place, if Siffrin hadn’t been there, if any of you were just a little bit weaker…)
(...)
(If one sadness could give you that much trouble, how will you defeat the King?)
Odile: “That Sadness was strange, it didn’t act like a normal Sadness…”
(You noticed that, but what could that even mean?)
Mirabelle: “What do you mean?”
Odile: “It was far more intelligent than Sadnesses should be. The way it looked was unnatural too.”
Isabeau: “But what could that even mean?”
Odile: “... I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to figure it out.”
(The mood in the room is low, that can’t stand!)
Isabeau: “…Sadnessology?”
Isabeau smirks.
Odile: “Gems… no Isabeau, I’m not studying Sadnesses.”
Isabeau: “Aw man! I thought I had it that time!”
Odile: “You will never figure it out, I'm too good at my research.”
Odile has a sly smile across her face.
SIffrin: “...”
Siffrin: “Secretology?”
(YES!)
Odile: “Shattering Gemstones, we have two… no, it’s not ‘Secretology’, what would that even mean?”
(Mira is smiling again, SUCCESS)
Siffrin: “I don’t know, discovering all there is to be discovered?”
Odile: “That’s far too broad to be a field of research. You’re going to have to try harder than that.”
Odile: “Anyways, we should get some sleep, who knows what ordeals we will have to go through to get this orb.”
> “Yeah, gotta get our beauty rest!”
Mirabelle: “Hehe, indeed!”
(Mira looked so stressed before, you’re happy she looks so much more relaxed now!)
> “In that case! Good night!”
Mirabelle: “Good night Isabeau! Good night Odile! And good night to you Siffrin!”
Odile: “Good night.”
Siffrin mumbles his words.
Siffrin: “Good night…”
(You all can do this, it’ll all be fine!)
The party gets into their bed of choice and drifts off to sleep.