She thought she heard the Radiance wrong at first.
She did. She must have. That, or this was a truly cruel prank. Because they were gone. They'd been gone. They couldn't just...they were gone.
"That's not funny," she said quietly, and turned away to leave, before the buzzing of wings stopped her.
Another, younger bug had landed in front of the group, folding her wings and creeping towards Amma curiously.
She...she looked like her. She looked like her. The mask shape, the black body speckled with white, the limbs, and most telling, the huge eyespots on her back. "You're not...from the village."
Amma stumbled back, her breathing becoming heavy. Speak. Speak. Say something. Say anything.
The other click beetle crept closer, looking Amma up and down, one of her hands wrapped tightly around a long wooden staff, the mirror image of Amma's metal one. "You look...different. You're not...you're..."
Amma pressed her hands to her mouth, stifling a sob. It's not real. It's a dream. It can't be real. It feels so real.
The other beetle blinked, lowering her staff slowly. "Come on. Come on, come with me, it's okay, we're just going to get you cleaned up." She extended a hand, carefully, to Amma, who nearly wailed in response. "I think...I think I know who you are. But just come with us, okay?"
-Mizello, meanwhile, was not welcomed so easily-
-Their Conductor's mantle wasn't reacted to very kindly, with everyone that was out flinching and glaring at the sight. Even the other beetle couldn't help but look at Mizello and tense up-
-Although, who could blame them? That wasn't a very foreign sight in Pharloom, so Mizello was pretty used to it at this point-
-Although, they wondered why and how they'd still remember a Conductor's mantle, why would a small village of clickbeetles and fireflies care about a Conductor of all people?-
-Mizello thought back a little. Hm... Well, originally, they did all live in Livewater, so it makes sense all these guys are together, but that was so many years ago!-
-well, a lot of the conductors were sort of at fault for bilewater. So maybe that's why?-
-Mizello stuck by the Radiance for a little. Before deciding to start walking around and looking over all the little houses and stuff-
*She feels a tad awkward. Such reactions from both sides, what is going on here?*
So . . . Is the place up to your liking you four?
@amma-of-pharloom
The younger click beetle led Amma into the village, and Saranya and Tamas did not follow. Saranya knew she would need time -- she'd never truly thought that this could have been...true, been real, but...she knew Amma would need to comprehend this at her own pace.
"You...have I not told you? The click beetles were all wiped out from Pharloom by the Citadel four hundred years ago...Amma truly thought she was the sole survivor."
--
"Elderbug?" The click beetle called, as she led Amma deeper into the town. "Elderbug, I found...someone."
Another click beetle appeared. She appeared older than Amma, though her life certainly hadn't been extended, and had a calm, soft demeanor about her. Unlike the younger beetle, she didn't carry a staff.
"I think she's --"
The Elderbug raised a hand gently. "Let's not...get ahead of ourselves, here." She approached Amma carefully, the latter of which was still sobbing quietly, the elytra on her back buzzing just slightly. "Your journey was long, wasn't it?"
She wasn't just asking about the journey from Pharloom to Hallownest.
Through her heavy, near-hyperventilating breathing, Amma nodded.
"It's alright. You're here now, and that's what matters. You've made it home."
-Mizello, meanwhile, was exploring the whole village while prancing around like a foal-
-Although, nobody liked that they were doing that-
-Mizello was very curious, they felt like a kid again! So much to see, so much to do, mizello wondered what native games they'd have to play! Hopefully it was more than just some variation of "sticks" or "memory", those games were fun but.. A little boring. Actually, a lot boring in Mizello's case. Ooo, maybe they had poker? Or blackjack! Maybe even roulette, that was always fun if you wanted to get mad!-
-Mizello peaked their head in a store and-
-They Saw Someone-
-someone who looked exactly like their mother.-
-Mizello stopped right there.-
"I saw her. And I killed her. My own mother, her blood on my hands. I had to do it, otherwise I would be the one looking to Peace. I felt my head and my heart pulsing with silken magic while I did, the Weavers ready to blow me up for taking too long. I saw her call out to me in her last moments, not realizing her baby boy was the one holding her while she bled out on the mud floor, trying to get me to protect her. I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry and I know I will never forgive myself. I hope nobody ever forgives me either."
-Mizello ran to find Amma.-
Amma was with the Elderbug, being slowly led down the path to a hot spring, where she would be cleaned up and talked to and taken care of.
She looked up, when she saw Mizello approach, her eyes widening when she saw the look on their face. "Mi...Mizello?" She whispered. For a small moment, she seemed torn, before weakly opening her arms to catch them in a hug.
The Elderbug stepped back, her eyes narrowing slightly at the mantle, but she didn't intervene. If this...if this was a friend of the lost child's, then she supposed she would tolerate their presence.
. . . . Oh.
If I had known that I would have brought up this place much earlier.
Yet . . Better late than never?
@amma-of-pharloom
Saranya sighed softly. "She made so many sacrifices for them. When the Citadel dumped their sewage into Livewater, years later, it...it destroyed all hope she had of ever being with the other click beetles again. She thought they'd all been murdered or poisoned. Never in a million years would she have thought..."
@mizellotheconductor
Oh . . . Oh . . I uh.
.
.
Damn.
