cries violently

"Ah- thanks Ash!"

They quickly opened the letter, neutral stare slowly turning into one of curiosity as they finished reading it.

"Warlic has a daughter...?"

They set off to Warlic's tower immediately.

When they arrived, he was already waiting for them in front alongside someone that they presumed to be his daughter.

She blinked then squinted at Kairos, before moving in close and catching their face. She gently but firmly angled their face in her hands, getting a closer look. “Hey... wait... are... are we related? Dad is this my younger sibling?! Dad!” 

“Saya, can you please stop manhandling my friend? And, no, They’re not one of mine.” Warlic sighed. “I’m sorry Kairos.”

“Sorry,” Saya echoed, letting them go. “You look like you could be my little sibling though.

“Sayano,” 

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” she rolled her eyes.

“As you can see, she’s going through a little bit of a rebellious phase lately,” 

Saya snorted. “Dad, I’m an adult. It’s not a rebellious phase, we’re just not all that close.”

“Anyway, I’d like it if you could go with her to deliver a boxed lunch for me? It’ll be a good experience for you both.” He changed the subject rather quickly.

They shook away a small feeling pinching at their heart.

"Well, nice to meet you Saya! It's always reassuring to see another hard-working hero nowadays. I'd love to help out!"

They looked back to Warlic.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

She hugged them when they invited her in.

Well, that last promise sounded good at least.

"You're not going to be able to protect me all the time, don't feel bad about that. Just... just don't let me get forgotten and replaced again. I can handle being dead. I can't handle being replaced again."

Kairos felt like they hit some kind of unspoken word count. They released her, turning around and walking away without looking back. Maybe they should have. They should have. Why didn't...

The moment they broke line of sight, they started to run.

Once they hit the familiar staircase, they hopped onto the staircase railing and slid down.

"That... could have gone better." They sighed softly to nobody in particular as they descended.

Once they reached the sub-basement level however, the rail collapsed.

"Ack!"

Kairos fell the rest of the way down, hearing a few concerning cracks.

"Owwwww... alright that one was on me, haha..."

Setting their arm back into place with a groan, they limped towards the same blast doors from before. This time, they checked to see if there was anything obviously wrong with their appearance before pushing the door open with their good shoulder. It would probably be fine as long as they didn't walk much.

"Aaalright guys." They started, announcing their presence.

"Good news: Notha isn't going to kick Ponta out! And she agreed to talk with you guys later! Bad news: Notha's still clearly very emotional over things. "Later" is probably going to take a while. A long while."

They paused, looking over at Ponta.

"Any time, guys."

They straightened up, ignoring a sharp pain in their spine.

"Well, I'd love to stay for a bit but I think it's time for me to go back. Good luck! Hope you get your voice back soon, Ponta!"

They were teleported out of Key's headspace back onto the roof of the Serene Inn just in time to see the stars coming out. They brought out the container of cold leftover fish sticks.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

She hugged them when they invited her in.

Well, that last promise sounded good at least.

"You're not going to be able to protect me all the time, don't feel bad about that. Just... just don't let me get forgotten and replaced again. I can handle being dead. I can't handle being replaced again."

Kairos felt like they hit some kind of unspoken word count. They released her, turning around and walking away without looking back. Maybe they should have. They should have. Why didn't...

The moment they broke line of sight, they started to run.

Once they hit the familiar staircase, they hopped onto the staircase railing and slid down.

"That... could have gone better." They sighed softly to nobody in particular as they descended.

Once they reached the sub-basement level however, the rail collapsed.

"Ack!"

Kairos fell the rest of the way down, hearing a few concerning cracks.

"Owwwww... alright that one was on me, haha..."

Setting their arm back into place with a groan, they limped towards the same blast doors from before. This time, they checked to see if there was anything obviously wrong with their appearance before pushing the door open with their good shoulder. It would probably be fine as long as they didn't walk much.

"Aaalright guys." They started, announcing their presence.

"Good news: Notha isn't going to kick Ponta out! And she agreed to talk with you guys later! Bad news: Notha's still clearly very emotional over things. "Later" is probably going to take a while. A long while."

They paused, looking over at Ponta.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, you put a lot of time into this." "[Ponta] is distraught, because she built this laboratory." "You will have to stay with us for the time being." "I don't think Notha thought through," "We will have to keep her separate from Remthalas," "Agreed." "We don't want to see your canoodling."

Well, they did agree to be the middleman.

"... Okay, wait. I'll try to talk to Notha once she comes back. Make her see that she's making a mistake. I'm... I'm her friend, so she'll be more likely to listen, right?"

They gave an apologetic look towards Notha.

Notha, meanwhile was up in the lab proper, doing some paperwork, going over lab safety reports. Sure, she should be kicking them out right now, but she doesn't feel like going back down there.

She was still mad at her alternate. She was still hurting.

"Notha, can you hear me? Can we talk?"

Still no reply. They picked up the pace.

"Notha! Sorry if I disturbed you but you didn't come back for a while, so I thought I'd go looking for you in case something happened."

They continued in a quick little circle around her just to double check that she was alright, coming back to a stop in front of her.

"But you seem to be uninjured, so that's good!"

They paused, straightening up and taking on a more serious tone.

"... Okay, listen. I can't pretend that I know how you feel. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this stuff myself. But I have had some time to think."

They took a deep breath in before continuing.

"You're angry. You came first, right? Then... you died, and Ponta took over. I... I can't imagine the feeling of waking up and realizing that someone else lived the life that was meant to be yours."

"But she lived a life too. She built this place. A lot happened while you were gone, and at this point, it's her life as much as it is yours."

"I... don't have an exact solution for you. But as of right now, I see two paths you can take."

"You go back down there and get rid of her in whatever way you see fit. Knowing that she will want to come back. Knowing that if you kill her, there's still a chance that she'll come back as long as you're keeping clones of yourself. Knowing that destroying them all will make you completely mortal."

"Or you can talk with Ponta. Find a solution with her. Maybe acceptance. If not her, then Lock and Key. They're a lot smarter than I am and well... they did want to save you before, you know. But they couldn't. They were too late. But they have another chance now."

They were right. She didn't like that they could see through her, that they were still trying to be kind. She hated that. They weren't trying to hurt her.

"I need time. I need to be away from her." She forced out. "I need time. I can't right now. Later, maybe. We can talk about it, later."

Then again softly,

"Oh y-yes, of course. Take all the time you need, actually! Sorry if it seemed like I was rushing you."

There was an awkward silence between them while Kairos mentally debated what to do next. She seemed a bit frustrated at them at the moment, so they probably should leave so that she could cool down. But they had a small, itching feeling in the back of their mind that there was still something left to do before they returned to the sub-basement.

"I- uh- I'm also really, really sorry for almost murdering you. I don't remember if I said that before but I also didn't fully understand why you were so afraid of dying at the time. Other than the fact that, well, death is scary. And I guess I was too. But now, I think I know better."

They opened their arms, inviting her in for a hug.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, you put a lot of time into this." "[Ponta] is distraught, because she built this laboratory." "You will have to stay with us for the time being." "I don't think Notha thought through," "We will have to keep her separate from Remthalas," "Agreed." "We don't want to see your canoodling."

Well, they did agree to be the middleman.

"... Okay, wait. I'll try to talk to Notha once she comes back. Make her see that she's making a mistake. I'm... I'm her friend, so she'll be more likely to listen, right?"

They gave an apologetic look towards Notha.

Notha, meanwhile was up in the lab proper, doing some paperwork, going over lab safety reports. Sure, she should be kicking them out right now, but she doesn't feel like going back down there.

She was still mad at her alternate. She was still hurting.

"Notha, can you hear me? Can we talk?"

Still no reply. They picked up the pace.

"Notha! Sorry if I disturbed you but you didn't come back for a while, so I thought I'd go looking for you in case something happened."

They continued in a quick little circle around her just to double check that she was alright, coming back to a stop in front of her.

"But you seem to be uninjured, so that's good!"

They paused, straightening up and taking on a more serious tone.

"... Okay, listen. I can't pretend that I know how you feel. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this stuff myself. But I have had some time to think."

They took a deep breath in before continuing.

"You're angry. You came first, right? Then... you died, and Ponta took over. I... I can't imagine the feeling of waking up and realizing that someone else lived the life that was meant to be yours."

"But she lived a life too. She built this place. A lot happened while you were gone, and at this point, it's her life as much as it is yours."

"I... don't have an exact solution for you. But as of right now, I see two paths you can take."

"You go back down there and get rid of her in whatever way you see fit. Knowing that she will want to come back. Knowing that if you kill her, there's still a chance that she'll come back as long as you're keeping clones of yourself. Knowing that destroying them all will make you completely mortal."

"Or you can talk with Ponta. Find a solution with her. Maybe acceptance. If not her, then Lock and Key. They're a lot smarter than I am and well... they did want to save you before, you know. But they couldn't. They were too late. But they have another chance now."

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, you put a lot of time into this." "[Ponta] is distraught, because she built this laboratory." "You will have to stay with us for the time being." "I don't think Notha thought through," "We will have to keep her separate from Remthalas," "Agreed." "We don't want to see your canoodling."

Well, they did agree to be the middleman.

"... Okay, wait. I'll try to talk to Notha once she comes back. Make her see that she's making a mistake. I'm... I'm her friend, so she'll be more likely to listen, right?"

They gave an apologetic look towards Notha.

Notha, meanwhile was up in the lab proper, doing some paperwork, going over lab safety reports. Sure, she should be kicking them out right now, but she doesn't feel like going back down there.

She was still mad at her alternate. She was still hurting.

"Notha, can you hear me? Can we talk?"

Still no reply. They picked up the pace.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, you put a lot of time into this." "[Ponta] is distraught, because she built this laboratory." "You will have to stay with us for the time being." "I don't think Notha thought through," "We will have to keep her separate from Remthalas," "Agreed." "We don't want to see your canoodling."

Well, they did agree to be the middleman.

"... Okay, wait. I'll try to talk to Notha once she comes back. Make her see that she's making a mistake. I'm... I'm her friend, so she'll be more likely to listen, right?"

They gave an apologetic look towards Notha.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

As much as they would have loved to help Ponta's soul transfer in some way, Kairos had no idea what was unfolding in front of them and did NOT want to screw up any part of the process because of their ignorance. Lock and Key seemed to have it under control at least.

"Difficult to learn? You mean the coagulation spell? Heh, when you're a young, dumb teenager that never went to a real school and barely knows what a platelet is, you're bound to have some trouble grasping the theory."

Kairos leaned back into a wall, staring at their gloved hands.

"Picked it up quickly though. I had a lot of... opportunity to practice."

They closed their eyes for a few seconds before looking back at Notha.

"Glad it worked though! Er- well it should have either way. If it didn't we would have a problem."

There was a short pause before they continued.

"Soooo, you seem to enjoy surprises. Usually. What was your bit going to be anyway?"

Notha looked at him. It wasn't pity exactly, but something in the same family. "That must have been difficult."

She patted Dave before transferring him to her inventory, something that probably boggled the hell out of Kairos, because wow Dave was not a pet....right?

She stood and dusted her lap off. She looked away, not wanting to tell Kairos how far she was going to hurt Ponta after Ponta had stolen her life. She knew how petty it was, but dramatic irony was funny to her. "Hey, I got some more fish sticks in the uh, re-heater... you want some?"

"Soul Transfer Successful." Lock chimed in.

"Waking her up," Key added.

Notha looked over, watching her alternate, waiting. Ponta's eyes fluttered and soon she was slowly sitting up, like she was waking for the first time in a long time.

Ponta looked around then met Notha's gaze and glared. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out but noise. She cut off with a squeak. She was horrified.

"Yeeeeeeeeah, so that's the best one I've got on hand right now. Larynx is paralyzed. It'll wear off," Notha shrugged, "Eventually. Take this time to reflect on what you've done, and appreciate what you had, what you stole and what you lost."

She turned and walked a few steps before looking back. "And get the hell out of my lab."

It's not even your lab! I built this one! Ponta wanted to scream.

They were about to accept the offer for fishsticks, since it's been a while since they ate anything other than bread and that probably wasn't healthy, but Lock and Key caught their attention.

She's awake.

... And mute??

They looked back towards Notha one more time as she left.

"Um, okay N- Ponta, just stay calm. Lock, Key, please watch over her, I'm going to get her some food and water."

Leaving the three alone to talk (well, two technically), they ran off in the direction Notha went last time to get fishsticks. They doubted that food and water would even remotely fix a paralyzed larynx but they figured food and water might help her regain strength.

Nobody was around to supervise them, so they had to be very careful.

They stopped right in front of the doorway, searching for what they were looking for. There was a water filter jug between the sink and some sort of machine labelled "coffee maker <3", and lights still illuminated the slightly open re-heater. Blood was still visible on the counters and floor, so they had to watch out for that.

Okay, grab the fish sticks, look through the cabinets for a glass, pour water into it, then shove everything into the inventory and leave. Simple.

The moment they stepped into the room, the coffee maker exploded, some stray debris cutting their arms as they shielded their face.

"Are- ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Ohhhh no, she's going to kill me..."

No time to think about that though, they still had to get the fish sticks and the water.

Quickly opening the re-heater, they grabbed the container of fish sticks and shoved it into their inventory right before the re-heater also exploded. This time some lose shrapnel got stuck in their side.

Ignoring the pain, they reached up towards the cupboards to find some glasses when a bowl fell out and shattered on their head. They closed their eyes and shook off the pieces before snatching the nearest glass, ignoring the blood dripping down their forehead. They shuffled over to the water jug, pouring as much as they could into the glass, spilling a bit from shaky hands.

Pocketing it into their inventory, they dropped to the ground and rolled out of the kitchen before anything else could go wrong. They pulled out the piece of shrapnel from their side before running back, a panting, bloody mess.

"H... hey guys! I- I brought... brought yummies!"

She wiped their face with a cloth, almost in a professional fashion for the speed and force she was cleaning him up with.

She smeared healing gel into the wounds with skilled practice, and quickly stitched them up. She cupped their face, turning their head this way and that to look at him, before letting go.

They were pretty surprised to see how she had quickly regained her strength back on her own, pulling them over without issue.

"Um- you can eat or drink something first if you want..." they suggested, but Notha didn't seem to listen. "Er- I can actually- ah, well a-alright."

She was already hyper-focused on fixing them up, so they decided to let her do it. At least they could confirm that this was indeed the Notha they were familiar with, remembering the last time they were injured in her lab.

"Eheh, thank you." They smiled.

They stood up and walked after her as she skipped back to Lock and Key, pocketing the rest of the fish sticks. They decided not to tell Ponta about the kitchen for now.

Compilation of my askblog art, I'm back on my bullshit with Dragonfable, mostly Warlic, Cysero, Notha and Remthalas So I guess I'm putting this all in one place

No, Never.

I never gave up on him. The idea that he wouldn't one day open his eyes wasn't a possibility I could entertain. Nothing Else mattered.

Even if he didn't remember me. Even if he hated me. Even if he wanted nothing to do with the life we'd led, it'd be okay as long as he woke up again.

I didn’t mean to upset you I didn’t know it was a test I was asleep before I met you And now you’re gone and I can get no rest

So goodnight, my favourite dream To share your air, share your air ‘til dawn So goodnight, my favourite dream To share your air, share your air once more

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

As much as they would have loved to help Ponta's soul transfer in some way, Kairos had no idea what was unfolding in front of them and did NOT want to screw up any part of the process because of their ignorance. Lock and Key seemed to have it under control at least.

"Difficult to learn? You mean the coagulation spell? Heh, when you're a young, dumb teenager that never went to a real school and barely knows what a platelet is, you're bound to have some trouble grasping the theory."

Kairos leaned back into a wall, staring at their gloved hands.

"Picked it up quickly though. I had a lot of... opportunity to practice."

They closed their eyes for a few seconds before looking back at Notha.

"Glad it worked though! Er- well it should have either way. If it didn't we would have a problem."

There was a short pause before they continued.

"Soooo, you seem to enjoy surprises. Usually. What was your bit going to be anyway?"

Notha looked at him. It wasn't pity exactly, but something in the same family. "That must have been difficult."

She patted Dave before transferring him to her inventory, something that probably boggled the hell out of Kairos, because wow Dave was not a pet....right?

She stood and dusted her lap off. She looked away, not wanting to tell Kairos how far she was going to hurt Ponta after Ponta had stolen her life. She knew how petty it was, but dramatic irony was funny to her. "Hey, I got some more fish sticks in the uh, re-heater... you want some?"

"Soul Transfer Successful." Lock chimed in.

"Waking her up," Key added.

Notha looked over, watching her alternate, waiting. Ponta's eyes fluttered and soon she was slowly sitting up, like she was waking for the first time in a long time.

Ponta looked around then met Notha's gaze and glared. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out but noise. She cut off with a squeak. She was horrified.

"Yeeeeeeeeah, so that's the best one I've got on hand right now. Larynx is paralyzed. It'll wear off," Notha shrugged, "Eventually. Take this time to reflect on what you've done, and appreciate what you had, what you stole and what you lost."

She turned and walked a few steps before looking back. "And get the hell out of my lab."

It's not even your lab! I built this one! Ponta wanted to scream.

They were about to accept the offer for fishsticks, since it's been a while since they ate anything other than bread and that probably wasn't healthy, but Lock and Key caught their attention.

She's awake.

... And mute??

They looked back towards Notha one more time as she left.

"Um, okay N- Ponta, just stay calm. Lock, Key, please watch over her, I'm going to get her some food and water."

Leaving the three alone to talk (well, two technically), they ran off in the direction Notha went last time to get fishsticks. They doubted that food and water would even remotely fix a paralyzed larynx but they figured food and water might help her regain strength.

Nobody was around to supervise them, so they had to be very careful.

They stopped right in front of the doorway, searching for what they were looking for. There was a water filter jug between the sink and some sort of machine labelled "coffee maker <3", and lights still illuminated the slightly open re-heater. Blood was still visible on the counters and floor, so they had to watch out for that.

Okay, grab the fish sticks, look through the cabinets for a glass, pour water into it, then shove everything into the inventory and leave. Simple.

The moment they stepped into the room, the coffee maker exploded, some stray debris cutting their arms as they shielded their face.

"Are- ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Ohhhh no, she's going to kill me..."

No time to think about that though, they still had to get the fish sticks and the water.

Quickly opening the re-heater, they grabbed the container of fish sticks and shoved it into their inventory right before the re-heater also exploded. This time some lose shrapnel got stuck in their side.

Ignoring the pain, they reached up towards the cupboards to find some glasses when a bowl fell out and shattered on their head. They closed their eyes and shook off the pieces before snatching the nearest glass, ignoring the blood dripping down their forehead. They shuffled over to the water jug, pouring as much as they could into the glass, spilling a bit from shaky hands.

Pocketing it into their inventory, they dropped to the ground and rolled out of the kitchen before anything else could go wrong. They pulled out the piece of shrapnel from their side before running back, a panting, bloody mess.

"H... hey guys! I- I brought... brought yummies!"

The Hero: Aw, thank you. I haven’t been killed yet.

Remthalas: To your knowledge.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"That's neat, I've not experienced this kind of healing magic," She looked up at Kairos, "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

then after a pause while Dave was being the most adorable brat ever, "Kairos.... are we.... friends?"

"Ow- uh- *cough* Spells like this usually just close wounds. Not a lot of people use this type of magic since it comes with... haha, well, it's probably more efficient to use a normal healing spell. I heard those... hurt less."

Notha's next question caught them off-guard. She... she wanted to be friends?

SHE DOESN'T HATE ME WOOOO-

The silence was only broken by Lock and Key, doing whatever they were doing. Apparently putting a soul in a body was a comicated maneuver. Weavers and necromancers made it look so easy!

Or maybe she or the body was rejecting the other. The readouts didn't explain the problem and Notha was too busy with observing Dave being adorable to help or do anything, even if she wanted to.

They were making progress, as her vitals stabilized, and soon tried to wake her slowly.

As much as they would have loved to help Ponta's soul transfer in some way, Kairos had no idea what was unfolding in front of them and did NOT want to screw up any part of the process because of their ignorance. Lock and Key seemed to have it under control at least.

"Difficult to learn? You mean the coagulation spell? Heh, when you're a young, dumb teenager that never went to a real school and barely knows what a platelet is, you're bound to have some trouble grasping the theory."

Kairos leaned back into a wall, staring at their gloved hands.

"Picked it up quickly though. I had a lot of... opportunity to practice."

They closed their eyes for a few seconds before looking back at Notha.

"Glad it worked though! Er- well it should have either way. If it didn't we would have a problem."

There was a short pause before they continued.

Kairos jumped at the sound of Lock's voice in their head. They had just been eating bread on the roof of the Serene Inn after running a few errands for Gaelan, not really having much planned for the day. To be fair though, they stopped setting schedules a long time ago. Trouble just seemed to come to them when they least expected it.

Exhibit A.

"That's neat, I've not experienced this kind of healing magic," She looked up at Kairos, "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

then after a pause while Dave was being the most adorable brat ever, "Kairos.... are we.... friends?"

"Ow- uh- *cough* Spells like this usually just close wounds. Not a lot of people use this type of magic since it comes with... haha, well, it's probably more efficient to use a normal healing spell. I heard those... hurt less."

Notha's next question caught them off-guard. She... she wanted to be friends?

SHE DOESN'T HATE ME WOOOO-