piou piou!

Did you want to talk about something?

...I keep thinking back to what we talked about.

(You can't remember.) (Something... about the future?)

I think... I've decided I'm going to try.

Try...?

Yeah. We'll be in survival mode for a while, but there'll be shops who'll need new apprenticeships. What do I have to lose?

That'd be great, Isa. Did you want to open your own shop some day?

Some day, maybe... A long, far, far away some day.

Well, I hope I can see it.

...

(Did you say something odd-)

(Oh.)

(How did you forget?)

...I mean, there's no guarantee I'll die tomorrow.

(There are only two games on floor three.) (You can make it.) (You WILL make it.)

So... even if things... get bad... I'm going to survive.

...Huh.

(He doesn't sound like he believes you.)

"Siffrin is stronger than you think."

"Stars! Siffrin is stronger than anyone you will ever meet, Isabeau."

"If anyone can survive this, it's them. Have some faith."

...Heh, I guess you probably know Sif better than I do.

Okay, you got me. I'll believe.

(The three of you fall into an easy silence.)

(It's nice.) (Everything just feels so nice.)

(You can faintly recall the horrible dread in your stomach.)

(The terror that made it so difficult to sleep.) (The finality of it all coursing through your veins.)

(It feels distant now.)

(You look at the same sky, and you know now you will see it again.)

(Except next time, it'll be clear.) (No more cracks.)

...Dusk, we've only just met, but you're really cool. I don't know if you noticed, but your ghost Curse scared me a little.

(It'd be hard not to notice.)

And I feel bad, because like, you're just a normal fella. You're mysterious, and yet so honest and thoughtful.

I don't know if you plan on staying for a while, but I'd like to get to know you. I'd like to be friends.

"I've only been friends with myself. It'd be nice to have someone else to talk to..."

...See? That's what I mean. That's such an interesting way of phrasing that. How could anyone not want to learn more about you?

And that's why... I'm sorry, Dusk. I hate that you felt you had to Curse yourself. That you ended up living like this.

I hope I'm not stepping in it by oversharing but... I can relate. To Curse yourself like that, you must have not liked the life you were living.

For the longest time, I felt like I was Cursing myself.

I've always wanted to be a fashion designer. It's something I denied myself for a lot of different reasons as I've changed in my life.

But at the heart of it, it's because I hate the person I am. That living my dream and being the person I wanted to be is something I couldn't do because I didn't deserve it.

I can't truly be friends with people. I can't bring justice. I can't protect anyone. I'm too late. Everything good is a sham, and I'm just another rotten piece of it.

...I still feel that way. Somewhat. But feeling that way tires me out. It makes me an even worse person.

So... I know you said you didn't want us to help you get cured. And sure, maybe that's more of Odile's thing than mine but...

I'd like to find a loophole and get you seen somehow. So you both could wear something I made.

Because... maybe... we don't need to Curse ourselves?

Maybe we're not as stuck as we thought. Maybe we're not as terrible. I don't know. I've been talking a lot.

"No, no, don't apologize. I liked hearing that."

"I don't know about forgiving myself. What I've done isn't something that'll be easy to live with. I don't think I'm going to get cured."

"But... I did discover it can get better."

"And I made a friend today."

"So... you did good. Good talk."

Hahaha!

Yeah, good words we spoke. Good chat. Good.

"Me perfect speaker. Oh my stars, dawn. Translate me better than this. You're failing your job."

Say better words then, stupid.

Woah! Was that a Sif insult I just heard? Aren't we lucky to witness such a rare event.

"Yeah. I'm so mean that I make Siffrin mean."