Chapter Text
It is important to know how to handle the unexpected, especially when it involves an unstable time loop capable of jeopardizing an entire timeline.
Having studied the notes Albrecht had left behind, Fiona was able to configure the Höllvania central mall to be like the backroom, a place that doesn’t revert to its old state when the reset happens. With markings to show how far it reached, they were able to keep track of what materials were safe to use, as anything outside the barrier would revert to its pre-1999 state.
With the relief of not having to redo the repairs they’ve made to the Round Table and all the other rooms, everyone had more time to keep track of the different ways to approach the year.
They gathered data on Scaldra movements, cache locations, Techrot dispersion, etc. It not only helped Kaya with her research on the timeline but also helped the team find more efficient ways to do their missions, avoid unexpected changes, and mitigate butterfly effects.
Having some semblance of control helped the team feel more at home, more normal. But there was still the risk of Indifference cavities forming, which Kaya stressed to be a sign to come up with something fun or meaningful to do - to ward off the big bad Man in the Wall.
Quite encouraging to try not having a bad day lest an eldritch god-like being with a creepy grin noses around with existential threat.
Fiona had both power and freedom. The power to erase everyone’s memories; reset everything to how it was in any loop before, like a story to rewrite. And the freedom to leave, go back to the future she came from, with all its various advancements and exciting adventures.
Despite that, she chose to stay - even in this version of the story. No mistake or awkward moment had been enough to convince her to start over. Having things stay and grow just felt like the right kind of normal, the kind she hadn’t experienced since the Zariman.
And nothing really drew her back to the future, either. The simplicity of day-to-day life felt therapeutic. No flying through the vastness of space, no advanced tech and colony politics. Just basic warfare and pizza. …sprinkled with the odd temporal and Techrot shenanigans.
Life was good, despite everything.
Best of all, in this chapter of peace, she was able to take a breather and properly recover from the traumatic memories that resurfaced - and the dreams that followed.
She had her dream realm, a picture of peace to house the memories of the people she once knew, giving them a safe place to rest. It was an unintentional creation that helped combat the pain; to rely on her knowledge of eternalism and imagine a universe where the Orokin were destroyed, and the Zariman spared to live peacefully and independently.
And while her recent adventure in that dream realm led her to promise not to indulge it too much, in fear of it getting corrupted by the Void, she would still find herself visiting, albeit under much safer conditions.
To merely sit on a bench, look out at the grand hall where residents, old and young, roamed around. That was enough for it to be a good dream. She would wave back to those who greeted her, give directions to those who were lost, and play the shawzin she found leaning next to her.
But there was one individual who resided there who wasn’t from the Zariman. A little boy who would run up to her many times, excited about toys he found, friends he made, and words he learned.
A child she had watched grow up in this dream realm. A child she had named.
He fitted in so well, yet felt out of place. Akin to a Sunlight Dragonlily blooming in moonlight.
The small hands tried to stack cubes for a tower, the child’s brows furrowing with frustration as the cubes kept falling.
Getting up, she took another deep breath to focus, keeping the realm calm as she decided to help the boy. But just as she exhaled, she felt dizzy, a warm sensation on her cheek.
The child turned to look at her before her vision blurred completely.
Slowly, gravity rotated, and she felt her weight shift to her side as she was gently woken up.
As the haze cleared, her eyes met Arthur’s. He was admiring her and gently stroking her cheek.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
Taking in the change of situation and adapting to it, she smirked. “Good morning, hotsy-totsy.”
With a snort, he had to pull his hand away so he could support himself as he laughed. Looking at her, he had to ask to confirm he heard right, “hotsy-totsy?”
Rubbing her eyes, she chuckled. “Sounded cute. And that laugh made it worth a try.”
Keeping the grin on his face, he leaned close to her again, “…and you’re pulchritudinous.”
The odd word did successfully catch her off guard, very much amused. “What kind of word is that?!”
“Mmh, some fancy way of calling a lady beautiful. Part of the vocabulary mum tried to teach Eleanor.” He leaned over to wrap an arm around Fiona, pulling her closer, “...definitely worth remembering to make you laugh.”
With a soft chuckle, she closed the gap with a soft kiss. With their arms wrapped around each other, they enjoyed the comfort and warmth. A beautiful morning together.
Moments like that became treasured memories, and while they would have more ones like them, there would be a time when they both believed they’d lose that completely.
Duviri had been attacked.
Neci Rusalka had emerged from the unknown to claim the kingdom for herself, and Fiona had been surprised to hear Thrax practically beg for her to come reclaim it.
The Indifference had been fought back, but it left Fiona overwhelmed. Neci, or rather the Indifference speaking as Neci, made a lot of comments throughout the mission.
While most of it simply felt like taunts, some gave her a cold pit in her stomach. Questions that had her fear the answer. Hints of something dark. Things she had forgotten.
The Indifference knew a lot more than she did, and it was unnerving to remember that cruel smirk as he spoke like she was making a big mistake by letting her heart grow.
To let herself love someone.
“...Fiona?”
Snapping back to reality, Fiona noticed her partner’s concern. “Hm? Yeah?”
“Everything alright? You’ve barely touched your food.” He gestured at her plate, and she quickly remembered they were having a Star Days date.
They had cooked the food together and were now enjoying it in a little nook they had decorated in their living space. Low warm light, romantic music, and a bottle of good booze.
She cleared her throat, “Yeah, sorry, just… still trying to process what happened to Duviri and… well, I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”
He reached for her hand and rubbed circles on it with his thumb. “Not surprising. But know that you’re one tough cookie to be able to push back the Indifference, AND to have found something that gave Velimir and Minerva some closure.”
His gentle tone and comforting presence helped her calm down and return to enjoying their moment. His eyes expressed genuine appreciation and love, and she felt so lucky to see them like that.
“It does feel good to have done that…”
Returning to her plate, she took a few bites and chewed. While it was very tasty, she struggled slightly to swallow. She felt awful. The cooking part had been so fun, but her upset stomach could barely allow her to enjoy the results.
“...how bad is it?” Arthur asked, having studied her expression as she ate. “You look like you can barely keep it down.”
“I can keep it down,” she assured. “Just… not very hungry. …I can eat it up later.”
He nodded sympathetically and sipped up the last drop of booze he had in his glass, “I’ll get a container for it. You go and set up the TV, and I’ll clean up here.”
They relaxed for the rest of the evening, watching a rom-com they found. And while Fiona was comfortable, her stomach never really quite settled. So when the movie was over, she had to give Arthur some somewhat sad news.
“I think it’s best if we don’t… wrestle tonight.”
Rubbing her back, he watched her take deep breaths to try to help her stomach. “No worries, love, just having you in my arms is more than enough. …but hey, if this keeps up, you'd best get it checked, make sure it’s nothing serious.”
Snuggling up to him, she tried to be positive. “Copy that, partner.”
A few days later, Fiona received a KIM message from the future. She had been in contact with Rose, her younger alternate self, but this time it was Loid sending the message.
Three new protoframes had made themselves known, this time at the Sanctum. And Fiona was needed for an important, yet… controversial task.
“An Orokin? …as in those blue-blooded dictators?” Arthur asked to confirm.
Fiona nodded as she leaned back in her office chair. “The kid and The Lotus have… well, something serious going on… If there’s an Orokin in the same room, she might need me there…”
“Then you might as well go now, before the creep gets any ideas.”
Getting up to go signal for Umbra, Fiona stopped to look at her boyfriend, “…I doubt this will steal me away for too long. It sounded to me like Loid expects me to 'fix the problem' like I fixed it here: by talking, and I can do that from here… if they know how to use the KIM system.”
Arthur took a deep breath and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Still, don’t feel bad if it takes longer.”
They had discussed it before. As much as Fiona hated it, she could never change the fact that she was just a visitor, not truly belonging to the timeline. And Arthur had come to terms with the fact that she would one day go back to her own time.
She sighed and smirked at him, “And don’t ever think for a second I’d abandon you willingly.” Leaning up, she pecked his lips and let him hold her for a moment longer before watching her walk towards the Helminth.
It was the first time she went back, but not the last. She kept Arthur updated through the KIM and returned a couple of days later, having a rather interesting story to tell about the three new protoframes. …or rather, old protoframes, as they came from a century or two before 1999.
“Problem is…” Fiona hesitated, “While I can talk to them through the KIM, I still need to go back now and then to go through the Orokin guy’s memories. And it’s… a tough job.”
Arthur nodded, sensing the sincerity, “No worries, count yourself out of any missions here; the others can pick up your shifts.”
“Don’t count me out completely,” she tried. “I’m sure I’ll still be able to jump in when I can.”
He shook his head. “If you’re gonna be poking around in that guy’s head, then talk to him about it; you’ll need all the time you can get. Trust me, we got it handled.”
She nodded, no way to argue with that. “Okay.”
“Good. …by the way, you still good? Got over the stomach bug?”
“Yeah, I… I feel okay.”
That remained the case for a week.
Then, she no longer felt okay. In fact, it got worse.
Arthur didn’t even have to remind her to go; she headed straight to the clinic as soon as she felt well enough to walk.
He couldn’t deny that it worried him. She had never gotten sick before. And now was a pretty bad time to get sick, with them both having so much to do.
It wasn’t until the next day that he finally got to see her again. He woke up to see her sitting on the edge of the bed, taking deep breaths.
He sat up and wrapped an arm around her. “You okay, love?”
She relaxed in his embrace. “Yeah, just tired.”
“Did you get the meds for your stomach bug?”
“...yeah. Got it under control.”
“...good.”
He leaned in to kiss her. The taste was strange, a hint of something rather vile. And when he leaned back, he saw her eyes, tired and lacking a bit of that spark she used to have.
Seeing his reaction, she got a bit embarrassed. “Oh, eh… sorry, I must’ve missed a spot when I washed my mouth…”
“No worries,” he chuckled. “It’s not as bad as Techrot splatter.”
She let out a weak chuckle, then glanced down a bit with shame. “Look, I’m sorry I left without saying anything yesterday, and… I’m sorry if I seem a bit distant. You were right; this… my mission is taking a lot out of me. But hey, the first week is usually the most difficult one, yeah? Heh…”
It hurt, seeing her like that, so he planted a kiss on her temple before getting up from the bed, turning to fluff her pillow. “Get some rest… before Gallagher starts biting you.”
She smiled at him, glancing at her Kexat, the creature jumping up on the bed to lie down in Arthur’s spot, patiently waiting for Fiona to do as she was told.
Pushing back the curtain to leave the bedroom, he glanced back to see her get under the covers. “Sleep well, love.”
He let the curtain fall back as he took a few steps forward, then froze as he heard her tired voice through the curtain.
“I love you, Arthur.”
He glanced back, the curtain keeping her hidden from him, but not taken away.
“Love you too, Fi.”
Despite her agreeing to take time to relax and recover from her mission, Arthur found himself spending less and less time with her as the days went by.
While he too got busier with work, having to fill in the gap she left in their usual schedule, it almost seemed impossible to schedule time to relax together with his girlfriend.
It became a challenge to even find her when he did have the time to catch up. The short time he had was spent looking, often only to end up finding out she had gone to the future.
He found himself sleeping lightly in hopes of catching her either just arriving or about to leave. Must be bad luck with the timing, he figured. Never seemed to be anything troubling her, other than the expected.
There was no denying her mission was taking a massive toll on her. The less he knew about what she did in that Dark Refractory, the better. But he had a scary feeling that she was avoiding him deliberately, and had no good way to fully disprove that.
And then, one cloudy day in the middle of March, he got back from a mission and figured he’d go and see if Fiona was home. He felt ready to pry a bit, see if she was willing to talk, give him some assurance. And sure enough, she was at the Pom-2, chatting away.
He quietly walked over to sit on their bed, letting her spot him without disturbing her too much. She seemed very focused, so he quietly watched her type on the computer. She was taking a couple of deep breaths, glancing around on the screen and at the keyboard.
The typing soon stopped, but she kept her eyes on the screen. After a while, she sighed.
“Difficult conversation?” Arthur gently asked.
She shifted in her seat. “Not really, was just asking Marie about Lyon; he’s a bit difficult to talk to sometimes.”
Trying to lighten the mood, he chuckled, “As difficult as I was?”
She finally looked at him and smiled, “...admittedly, yes, just that you weren’t-...” She hesitated and thought for a moment, “...let’s just say he’s not the kind who needs a good laugh, just… a kind ear.”
He nodded, understanding the situation. “...how much have you rested lately?”
Her smile faltered, and she turned away again, “I… I’m not sure about the hours.” Turning back to face him, she gathered some confidence. “But I’ve done some work in the garden, taken a few naps, and helped Velimir with a few things at the bar.”
Studying her face, he could tell she didn’t seem too tired, so he let it go. “...okay. Just promise me you’ll stay put for today.”
She nodded and yawned, confirming his worries. “I promise.”
He wanted to take this chance to spend time with her, snuggle up, and fall asleep together. But, shooting a glance at the time, he remembered he had some more work to do before he could call it a day. So he leaned in and pecked her cheek.
“Get ready for bed; I’m almost done for the day.”
Heading back out to the mall, he caught his sister on her way to the cafeteria for an evening snack. Exchanging glances, he could feel her taking a peek into his mind before he could hide his lingering concern.
“Can confirm, she has taken breaks,” her voice echoed in his mind.
“...but why only when I’m not there?” He couldn’t stop the thought.
Eleanor tilted her head with a pitying look. “You’re on her mind enough as it is.”
What to make of his sister’s vague assurance…? No time to dwell on it now, he had to get his work done. First things first, check with Velimir about a mission. …and get a drink to help him sleep.
“Evening, Nightingale! Business or one of the usual?” The bartender cheerfully asked as Arthur entered the Round Table.
Taking a seat at the bar, Arthur nodded. “Both. Double the brandy.”
“Ah, better get the business over with quickly then so you can retreat to a booth. Don’t want to take any chances while I’m working here.” The middle-aged Libertatian man turned to his cabinets to prepare the drink.
Taking the chance to quickly glance over at what Velimir was working on, Arthur spotted some small ice sculptures, small enough to fit in a glass. “Working on your hobby?”
Mixing the drink, Velimir smirked, “It’s for Minerva’s birthday tomorrow; I’m warming up for the one I’m gonna put in her drink. …though I shouldn’t warm up too much… or else the ice will melt away.”
Arthur rolled his eyes and glanced around a bit as he waited for his drink. “I take it you’ll be busy tomorrow then? Could use help with a supply run.”
Handing over the drink, Velimir thought for a moment before shrugging and turning back to his sculpting, “I've got time if we can do it before the evening. Got some things I need to pick up anyway.”
“Running low on something already?” Arthur raised an eyebrow, glancing at the shelves they had managed to stock up just the other day.
“Oh, no, it’s for some jerky I’m making.”
It was then that Arthur recognized the weird smell in the air: “...don’t tell me you’re still trying to make Techrot edible.”
Glancing up at the Brittanic man, Velimir looked a bit sheepish, “...maybe.”
Taking a swig to try to distract his senses from the smell, Arthur sighed. “It’s a waste of resources. If you’re insisting on doing experimental cooking, you’re better off coming up with actual food.”
Wiping away a puddle from the melting ice, Velimir shook his head. “Sorry, cap’n, but I’m on a secret mission. The jerky must be made.”
Too tired to argue, Arthur sighed and retreated to a booth to enjoy his drink, away from the smell.