AUBREY'S PALACE

[moodwrecker]

♪ ♫ ♪

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FINALE

[moodwrecker]

Eli makes his way up to her, and while she dully thinks Oh, I should defend myself-

She doesn't.

And, it turns out? ...She didn't have to.

The mask cracks and breaks away, and Eli will find himself hugging not a Shadow, but a regular girl with bright pink hair, dyed in memory of a friend no longer with her, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

"...I didn't mean to." Her voice shakes with horror. "I just... wanted them to leave me alone. I didn't realize... the lake was right there..."

The dull roar of judgment seems to fade away. In fact, so does the rest of the Church.



BGM: By Your Side ♪

Like grime gently cleaned off the surface of a photo, the church seems to melt away around them, leaving everyone standing in a peaceful cemetery.

Behind Aubrey, a headstone can be seen, the words engraved upon it clearly visible still:

“OUR DEAREST MARI; THE SUN SHINED BRIGHTER WHEN SHE WAS HERE.”

There are no flowers to adorn the grave. Only the nearby sobs of a girl who was left behind.

Re: FINALE

[beathollow]

...

Aubrey...?

[moodwrecker]

[Ugh... She's so pathetic, crying like this. But... she can't seem to make herself stop, either.]

[beathollow]

...

( mafuyu quietly pulls her over, gently holding her hand. )

Your heart can't heal if you don't let it all out. It's okay.

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Oh no, noooo, she's crying and he's right here, hugging her, and that means... it's impossible... he can't help it... It starts as a sniffle, then that telltale struggle to hold it together, but, as it turns out, Eli is... a big fucking cryer.

While Aubrey is crying, so is he. He can't help it. He'll even stay and hug her for as long as she wants. ]

H-hey, we know... we know you didn't mean to...

[ Eli doesn't really know at all, but that's just what you say, alright?! ]

[moodwrecker]

Sunny and Kel were there... I just-

I really hope they were able to save him.

[But she can't know for sure as long as she's here. And it's driving her nuts.

Sorry Eli you're getting hugged a little tighter now. She really needed this.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ There, there, Aubrey. He'll just... keep on hugging. This is fine. ]

I mean, probably? They should know how to swim by now if they're your age, y'know?

[supherb]

[With teary eyes of his own...]

...Who would've guessed you'd be such a big softie?

[Arven can't help himself but poke a little fun. That was a really heartwarming display though. And hey, look where it got them.]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ HE SHOOTS A DIRTY LOOK ARVEN'S WAY WHILE STILL CRYING. WHAT DID YOU SAY, HUH?! ]

...don't push your luck...

[ Growled softly through clenched teeth. Grrr. ]

[supherb]

It's...over?

[With the oppressive judgment gone and a gentle silence washing over the scene, Arven finds a spot to sit nearby the group. He needs to recuperate and just...take this all in while he listens to the others.

Phew.]

[moodwrecker]

[The cemetery is a peaceful place for it, at least. Even if it's a place to mourn, the sun is shining and the grass is a healthy green. It's a worthy place to put loved ones to rest.]

[supherb]

[...it really is, huh? The more he absorbs these vibes and all the gentle mourning going on around him, he finds himself crying into his arms for a little bit.

After getting himself together, he approaches Aubrey herself.]

Hey, Aubrey? Um...I'm sorry for, uh. Seeing all of that. But I hope we were able to help in some way.

[strawsandals]

There you are...Aubrey...!

[ Aubrey and Eli aren't the only criers in the group, because Yoon, too, bursts into tears. He'll hug Aubrey when Eli's finished. He'd like to meet his new friend when she doesn't have her trauma on display for everyone to see.

But, like Arven, he'll find a spot to sit nearby, bring his knees up, and bury his face in his hands. ]

[moodwrecker]

[Oh... She looks over, a bit distracted, but finding him eventually. ...And then immediately looking away again.]

...Sorry about earlier. For some reason, I was just... so angry all of a sudden.

[strawsandals]

[ Sorry, Aubrey, did you not want anymore hugs...because you are getting a very tight one from Yoon. Just like this. ]

Stop that. I don't care about it anymore.

[bloodandstars]

...That's more like it.

[ Maika isn't getting anywhere near the crying and hugfest, thanks. But she will make her way over towards the grave when everyone else is occupied.

There's no point, right? Gone is just gone. But whatever this place is, maybe it has some kind of meaning to the people left behind. So Maika digs in her pocket for her journal and tears out a blank page. Working briskly, she folds a little paper flower and sets it down lightly in front of the headstone. ]

[moodwrecker]

[The sun seems to shine brighter for just a moment - a warmth in the air, almost like a soft "thank you" for Maika alone.]

[pointzeropercent]

[once everything changes, Sou breathes a sigh of relief.]

There you are. We've been looking for you.

[moodwrecker]

[Ugh... she's still crying. Why can't she stop?]

...Sorry. I've made a real big mess of things, huh?

[pointzeropercent]

It's alright. Everyone makes messes sometimes.

[He reaches out, and at first it looks like he's going to pat her on the head, but then he moves to pat her on the shoulder.]

Ready to go back? Or do you want some more time here?

[moonshaded]

[So that got through to her... There was someone who could still pull the kid back.]

Got that out of your system now, huh?

[Half-softly; Aubrey is crying and surrounded by people who are more touchy-feely than Kainé is and who probably know her better, so if she doesn't hear it, that's not really a problem.

Kainé definitely took a beating from that fight, but instead of dwelling on it, she turns to go. Time to return to being a cryptid. Over her shoulder:] Don't listen to assholes like that. [It's not too late for someone like Aubrey.]

[privatedomicile]

[Well, holy shit. Thank god that’s over.]

Yo, Aubrey! You ain’t hurt, are ya?! You got turned into a giant rabbit-thingy and—-

[Jesse sees the gravestone. Ah, so this is the person she was talking about before.]

…Mari musta been pretty cool, huh?

[moodwrecker]

[Sniffling.]

I'm- fine. Mostly.

[Probably? ...She'll have to check sometime when she's not crying in front of God and everyone.]

...Yeah. Mari... she was really amazing.

[imperiosity]

[Well, that was an incredibly sappy way for things to end, but considering everything that Aubrey had already gone through, this was probably for the best. Like a few of the others, he's going to keep a certain distance from the teenager pileup, just shaking his head a little in mock embarrassment as he watches all the hugging and crying. But for all that he tries to play it cool, a touch of relief still manages to make it into his features.

Once things have calmed down somewhat, he does step closer though.]

Had a lotta people pretty worried there for a bit, y'know.

[moodwrecker]

[Looking away. She is also embarrassed by the sappiness.]

...Yeah. I could hear everyone. I was just... so angry, it's like it didn't matter anymore.