#dancingxflames

TODAY , THOUGH , HE'D BEEN trying his best not to stare . there was an inkling tickling the back of his mind . a familiar feeling that meant memory drew near . and for whatever reason , it prickled back to life every time he looked at miss tae , with her bare feet in the grass and a cuckoo in her arms . she was smiling , and it made him happy to see .

MISS TAE CAUGHT HIM WATCHING HER this time .

❝ — sorry . . . ❞ he said around a small laugh , ears burning as he sheepishly rubbed the nape of his neck . ❝ have you ever almost had a thought , but then it gets away from you at the last second ? ❞

at first , byleth couldn't quite make sense of that. in some ways , it almost felt TOO FAR-FETCHED. ( a shiver crawled down her spine at thought thought . remembering — . . . remembering . ) but she had no reason to doubt marcellus' word. the only thing left to do was investigate herself. her visitation to no . 102 was met with relative silence compared to the effervescent presence of her neighbor. from there , it didn't take very long to wonder where lilith might have gone.

"tae." she greeted. a quick once-over revealed the girl's tension. aggression mounted in her , coiling in her shoulders and flashing in her eyes before recognition had settled in its place. "... i hope i'm not intruding," she said , pausing briefly before continuing. there was no need to mince words.

"— my partner , marcellus , told me the broad strokes about what happened. if it's alright with the both of you , i would like to ask her personally for more information. on behalf of the AIPD ... .... and as a friend."

The world was healing at last. The moss was resending, and normalcy was being restored. Though she was still shaken by the events, she knew it was her duty to continue to spread love and peace. The nightmares still lingered in her mind ( but what was new to that? Had she not had these dreams in the past. she often preferred to simply stay awake than relive days she didn't even remember ) and of them, she remembered someone who she needed to see.

She felt guilty for leaving her friends behind. It was a moment of panic for another, simply acting on instinct. But every time she acted with her heart, she failed to consider the repercussions her actions had upon others. ( Tae did not deserve such things. For even in Lilith's darkest hours, was not Tae the one who always remained? )

She approached the home of Tae, bearing with her a gift of fruits and veggies from her garden. With it was a heart that hurt with guilt and shame, but she knocked on the door, waiting for her.

@dancingxflames

Scene:  Axel  &  Vanitas  getting  drunk  on  alcoholic  eggnog.

---  Axel’s  house  was  small,  but  comfortable.  It  was  certainly  better  than  the  closet-sized  dorm  room  he  unfortunately  had  to  share  with  another  student,  so  he  liked  it  fine  enough.  He  had  visited  the  redhead’s  house  more  than  a  couple  of  times  now,  &  the  frequency  only  increased  as  December  trekked  on.

He  didn’t  care  for  Christmas,  but  neither  did  Axel.  While  the  campus  became  overbearing  with  childish  decorations,  they  took  refugee  in  Axel’s  living  room,  usually  with  the  company  of  booze  or  drugs.  There,  the  closest  threat  to  holiday  cheer  was  the  alcoholic  eggnog  that  Axel  had  concocted  in  the  kitchen.  Vanitas,  who  didn’t  like  eggnog  in  the  first  place,  made  a  face  upon  the  smell  of  the  creamy  drink. 

❝ Fucking  gross, ❞  he  muttered.  Still,  he  drank  it  down  with  the  hopes  of  getting  a  quick  buzz.  The  taste  was  foul,  &  he  grimaced  again.  ❝ Needs  another  shot.  I  can  still  taste  the  eggnog. ❞ 

From the distance she saw the now familiar green glow of the tower, Terminus, she believed it was called. At any rate, she was just collecting some food for herself and Myst to share, and headed home to deliver the goods.

She was just about to enter the streets of Eterna when a familiar sight caught her eye. Short brown hair, and mismatched clothes that Lilith recognized immediately as the ones she had chosen. She knew the figure so well, of the friend she treasured since she was a young girl.

"Tae..." She murmured, dropping her basket of goods ( spilling everywhere upon the snow-covered cobblestones. ) Tears began to well in her eyes, overcome with happiness and excitement upon seeing her.

"Tae!!" She cried running towards her, ready to embrace for a hug. She missed her so much, despite it only being a short while.

☀️-- The nigh reporter instinct to find out more had led Clark to the Arcanus Archives, the man wandering the immense library of information, looking for whatever he could find, tapping out notes on his phone. He was taking as many notes as possible about everything he could dig up on the Isles and how he had been sent here. He tried to be mindful of other people who might want the same books, but the table he hovered over was still loaded with them nonetheless.

He had gone up a level to the second floor, now, to look at folk tales. Maybe that would help him. As he perused the shelves and flickered through books to see if they might be useful, he caught sight of a young lady and changed course. She seemed to be struggling to reach something and he couldn't see any stools or ladders around.

Clark reached up easily to the shelf and picked out what it seemed she was going for. He held it out. "Here, miss. Is this what you were looking for?"

You feel stillness and motion pressing upon you from all sides. A familiar stirring draws you forward, and you wake once more from the long quiet.

You, TAE find yourself once more standing before the Terminus Tower. It has remained just as you once knew it, teeming with life. A guardian approaches.

Well, well, well. It seems that your time here is not yet over. You know the drill Echo. I'm sure you won't have an issue readjusting.

The guardian hands you the following:

A House Key. Emblazoned upon it is: 104, Eterna Village

Your former possessions, abilities, and emblems have been restored to you.

Welcome back to Aevum Isles.

⋆˙⟡ :- " There! Another one is complete. " Lilith smiled as she held up another wreath, adorned in flowers and ribbons. She had several scattered around her, each one for a repentant close to Lilith's heart. She smiled at Tae, holding her creation towards her.

" And this one is for you, Tae. " Lilith smiles cheerfully as she gives Tae the wreath. Jade green ribbons intertwine with light pink lace among the autumn leaves, dotted with little daisies.