Chapter Text
SCENE XXXX - CONT. ACT 3, LOOP 70 - WHITE VOID
Siffrin: "Wait, wait--"
Siffrin reaches out to the ever-changing figure. The Change God stands casually yet powerfully in front of him. Their voice is so non-chillant yet commanding.
CG: “nope! bye! *hangs up the phone.*”
Siffrin starts sprinting toward the Change God. He doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he needs to do something. He can’t just stand around and accept that this all-powerful being is taking joy in his suffering. The Change God simply smiles at them with the stupid ugly cute face Mira made for them. Siffrin’s vision goes white and their ears fill with static.
BACK TO: INT. PRAYER ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Suddenly, they and Mira are back in the House, standing in front of the only intact Change God statue in the building. Siffrin’s legs buckle, and they fall to their knees. Their knees hit the hard ground with a thud. Their family rushes over to help them up.
Bonnie: “HEY!!!”
Isabeau: “Mira, Sif!!! Are you two okay?”
Mirabelle looks around, confused.
Mirabelle: “What... What happened?”
Isabeau: “I don't know, you both started looking weird! Like... Like you were about to faint, or something!!!”
Odile: “Are you both okay? Can you stand up?”
Siffrin feels well enough to stand up. Mira nods to Odile and stands up shortly afterward. Mira has a bittersweet look on her face, like an adolescent leaving their home town for the first time to explore the world. Siffrin understands, she just met her god, and they told her she’s doing a good job.
Mirabelle: “Yes, I... I feel like... I feel like I saw something incredible? I... I don't remember it anymore, though.”
Oh... she doesn’t remember. Siffrin still remembers. He’s the one burdened with remembering everything now. Odile makes sure Mira’s okay before they leave the room. Siffrin is lost in thought, replaying what happened over and over again as they head over to the nearest tear. They don’t even need to consciously try to end the loop. Siffrin’s family members are barely able to react before his glove touches the clear liquid.
CUT TO BLACK - END SCENE
SCENE 1 - OPEN: LOOP 71 - EXT. MEADOW - LATE AFTERNOON
Siffrin gently feels the darkless grass between his gloved fingers. The gloves stop most of the sensation, but it still helps him relax. After a few moments, his eye flutters open and he pushes on the ground to lift himself up. The sun shines on his face like always. The wind flows through their hair as the birds chirp (or rather “piou”) from the trees. They stare into the darkless sky, thinking about what had happened.
Wow! You met THE Change God! In person! ~and they enjoy your suffering~! Well, that might be exaggerating. Being stuck in time is the antithesis for a being of pure change, so of course they find this amusing. Whether you’re in a tragedy or a comedy, the Change God is having a good time up on the balcony. But... If the Change God knows about the loops, and can grant miracles, maybe they have something to do with the loops? They sounded like they didn’t cause the looping, but this could still be a lead! You need to talk to Loop about this.
He stands up and stretches back, hearing a few cracks in his spine. He takes a final few moments to take in the environment. They’ve been in this exact place dozens of times, but they forgot just how tranquil the meadow is. It’s one of the best spots to nap in—though Siffrin prefers it when the stars are visible—, and they are actually quite glad that the loops start here specifically. They yawn before walking into the clearing. He saunters down the path, effortlessly avoiding any collisions with the birds. He creates a mental list of things to do this loop in his head as he approaches the bridge where Mira talks to him. Okay, you need to talk to Loop, what else? You also have one more question to ask the King... maybe he’ll tell you more if you give him a flower? Why not? And, you found issue #86 of The Cursing of Château Castle, maybe that’s the last one, you should talk with the castle-loving person about that. By now, Siffrin has stepped on to the bridge and is ready to properly start the first scene.
Enter Mirabelle.
...
Mirabelle isn’t on the bridge. This realization pulls Siffrin back to full awareness. He turns to look back at the clearing, thinking that he could’ve passed her already without noticing. No, Mira would definitely see you! Why is the script already broken? Did you wake up at a different time? Siffrin frantically scans the town for both her and any other changes. His eyes settle on a short figure kneeling in front of the large Change God statue in the center of Dormont. It’s Mirabelle. Breathe, Siffrin. She’s fine. You just have to wing it a bit this loop. They take a deep breath in, and out—something that they’ve become slightly more embarrassed about since it was pointed out by their family. They hesitantly approach the Change God statue, and stand next to Mirabelle. She is gazing at the statue’s face, the one that changes every loop. Siffrin looks up at the face as well. It looks exactly like the face Mirabelle made for her statue.
Mirabelle: “Oh, hey Siffrin! I didn’t see you there!”
Siffrin: “Hey, uh, Mira.”
Mirabelle stares at Siffrin. She has her hands clasped together loosely, and she’s smiling at him. Her smile briefly confuses Siffrin. It isn’t a smile of excitement, like when she talks about the sleepover, nor a smile of humor, like when Siffrin tells her an especially good pun. It isn’t even a smile of love, like when she and Siffrin share that intimate talk on the bench. This is a smile of settledness, of feeling complete, like the one between an old bonded couple.
Mirabelle: “Could I... Can I talk with you, for a bit?”
Siffrin nods and sits down next to her. The ground he’s sitting on is well kept, with only a few rocks jutting out. Around him and Mira are dozens of Change God statues, each with different shapes, sizes, and expressions. A couple of the statues are sitting against Mirabelle, and another one comes up to Siffrin and hugs him. He gently pets the tiny statue.
Mirabelle: “Thanks. With everything that’s happening, I’ve been... feeling pretty stressed. A few minutes ago, I got a... a moment of clarity. My whole perspective of our journey has changed, and I need to tell these thoughts to someone, you know? It’s like, if I don’t say it, it doesn’t really exist!”
Siffrin knows that Mira wasn’t trying to hurt him, but that last line resonated with him. He stays silent as she continues.
Mirabelle: “Okay, so... all my life, I’ve been trying to change as much as I can. For the past few years, I felt like I was stagnating. When the King attacked, I was the only survivor. So... when I started my journey to find the Orbs and stop him, a part of me thought that it was... it was a sort of “test”, seeing if I could change even more. The problem was, as time passed and everyone else came along... I couldn’t tell if I was changing! I would see people like Isa and madam Odile changing, but not me. It came to a point where I felt like I was “messing up” somehow, “failing” by staying the same. Oh Change, I’m rambling, aren’t I?
Siffrin: “It’s fine, keep going.”
Mirabelle: “Alright. Well, earlier today, I suddenly felt... different. Like a fog in my mind was lifted, letting me see the truth!”
Siffrin: “Maybe the Change God gave you another blessing?”
Mirabelle: “No, they don’t- I mean... it’s possible, I guess? Either way, I had a sudden realization: This adventure isn’t about me changing, it’s about me saving Vaugarde from stagnation, allowing everyone to change. Then I had another thought: I don’t want change anymore, I want freedom, possibilities! I’m here praying to the Change God because... well... I don’t know if that’s me changing. I would never have thought about Change like this just a year ago, so I need to know, Siffrin. Do you think I’ve changed since we met?”
Siffrin is still trying to process everything Mira said. As he starts to answer, the words come naturally to him; Not because of memorization, but because of assuredness.
“I see you changing all the time, even if you can’t tell. You’ve grown so much since we ran into each other, and you’re never stalling. Even if you do stagnate, that’s great too, because change can be about staying still sometimes.”
Siffrin realizes that they and Mira are holding hands now. She’s facing him with a glimmer in her eyes. He sees a single tear go down her cheek, and he realizes that there’s a tear on his cheek, too. For a moment, everything seems still, with Sif and Mira being the only things moving. Siffrin’s face turns dark and they let go of Mira’s hands. They pull their hat over their face, mainly because of them not being used to touch, but also because they needed a break from holding up their charade, even if only for a few seconds, to feel like a real person. Mirabelle giggles.
Mirabelle: “Hehehe! It looks like you’ve changed a lot too, Sif!!”
She slowly stands up, and the Change God figures around her start to run around. Siffrin wipes away another tear and adjusts his hat. He takes a deep breath in, and stands up as well.
Mirabelle: “Well, that’s enough emotional breakthroughs for the day, I’m all tired out now! I’ll head to the clocktower, see you tonight, Sif!”
Siffrin: “Uh, yeah, see you later.”
Siffrin waves Mirabelle goodbye as she leaves to the east. A moment of peace occurs where he is left with only his thoughts. A second later, he is interrupted by a certain star person in his mind.
[Your Housemaiden got the “Holy Care Shield” skill again! Looks like you don’t need to do her friend quest anymore, Stardust! Wait, your Housemaiden learned ANOTHER new skill? I don’t recognize this one... oh here it is! She learned “Mystic Craft Change”! It’s a very special craft skill. When used, it can change one family member’s skills to all be a type of your choice for the rest of battle!! This looks strong, so it probably- What!? Your Housemaiden will ALWAYS know this skill now??]
[We need to talk, Stardust.]
Siffrin is also dying to have answers, so he sees this as his cue to leave. He exits stage right.
END SCENE 1
SCENE 2 - OPEN: EXT. FAVOR TREE - CONTINUOUS
Siffrin sits down on one of the Favor Tree’s roots, facing Loop. Loop is also sitting on a root, and they are staring at Sif with a look silently saying “Do you want to talk?”
Loop: “I suppose I’ll start, then. It looks like your Housemaiden did something new this time! ~How peculiar~”
Siffrin is still slightly put off by Loops over-the-top sassy voice. They know that Loop, just like themself, is putting on an act. At the end of the day, the both of them are no more than actors, following what the Universe writes in the script. So, to keep the show on track, they both have an unmentioned rule to not disrupt the other’s performance.
Siffrin: “Yeah, it might have something to do with what happened last loop.”
Loop: “Oh yes! I wanted to ask you about that! When your Housemaiden touched the statue, I saw your minds go somewhere else, somewhere I couldn’t see you. It looked like you were talking to someone? You didn’t get into any trouble without me to guide you, right Stardust~~?”
Siffrin: “Well, maybe? We met the Change God.”
Loop: “Hahaha!”
Siffrin stays silent.
Loop: “...WHAT!?”
Siffrin explains what happened to Loop. Loops stays mostly silent, but occasionally shows shock or confusion.
Siffrin: “...And that’s pretty much it, I think.”
Loop: “...Well, um, putting aside the whole "the Change God knows you're looping and thinks it's funny to watch" aside...It's so nice that the Change God talked to your Housemaiden! Speaking of, like I said, she was different this time around.”
Siffrin: “It makes sense. The Change God directly said that Mira’s heart would still remember their conversation, even if her mind couldn’t. So, she won’t remember the loops, but she might act differently this time?”
Loop: “That was my guess as well. The Change God seems to have a lot of knowledge of these loops, which makes sense given their status. They even knew about me...”
Loops shudders, likely uncomfortable with the Change God using their form to hurt Siffrin.
Loop: “In any case, you shouldn’t have to worry much about your Housemaiden. If you want, you could see what changes throughout the trip up the House, but it likely won’t get you anywhere.”
Siffrin: “Alright. See you later, Loop.”
Siffrin waves Loop adieu as they leave the shade of the Favor Tree.