Rent is Due! Part 2: The Art of Shipping

With the contract sealed by a small flare of magic, Althea claps her hands together, delighted, and presses a dreamy pencil into each of their palms. "Before we write anything real, I want to see how your powers work. Draw something. Anything at all."

Sebastian shows how dreamy pencils work for bigger scenes, by recreating an old hobby of his, mini-golfing, and the second Alaric, Ginny, and Arvin step into the scene, their clothes change to match Sebastian's imagination. Alaric attempts to hit the ball through the odd loop-de-loop, yet perhaps this activity wasn't meant for him...

Follow Sebastian's lead, Alaric sketches a quiet cottage that comes alive with his children playing in the yard; Arvin doodles a peaceful camping trip; Ginny, flustered, sketches a beach picnic she immediately tries to hide, blushing hard enough that nobody needs to ask what — or who — she was thinking about.

With their new dreamy ability established, and a little bit of experimentation, the group turns to writing an actual story, and after a lot of back-and-forth they land on their opening act. They picture a scene of two warriors fighting side by side, one wounded, one nursing him back to health, feelings blooming somewhere in between.

The group has some difficulty agreeing to who'll play the parts, eventually settling on Meadric, who's already there. And a Hordeling warrior named Gurak. Althea explains that she can in limited fashion bring in another consciousness from "The collective pool of Sparks & Dreams."

Sebastian feels something's off about all of this, he tries to get Althea to intervene, yet she dismisses him as 'worrying too much..."

Alaric, Ginny and Arvin draw up an ancient battlefield, and prepare the four deputies, Meadric and Gurak to act in the scene, becoming the directors of this dream. By using the dreamy pencils they gain the ability to influence the dreams and experiences of the participants.

While Alaric, Ginny, Arvin, Sebastian and Althea are fully aware in the moment, the others remain in a dream-like state, following along with the scenario as if they were dreaming. Arvin, Ginny and Alaric realize that the other people are acting in a way more free and honest to their true selves instead of being held back by their societal expectations.

The scene plays out fine right up until the battle actually starts.. Gurak and Maedric fall into an easy camaraderie almost immediately, trading banter and lingering a beat too long on eye contact before charging off into battle — "brother," Gurak calls him, in a tone that felt little bit off script... however Alaric, Ginny, and Arvin feel the swell of a good story taking shape.

Then it all goes wrong.

As part of the story Maedric gets hurt, — a genuine, horrific wound (but imaginative)— and Gurak isn't performing anymore. He grabs his head, yelling "Not again! Not again!" and it becomes horribly clear that this isn't fiction to him; some real, buried trauma has surfaced and the dream is reacting to it exactly like a nightmare would.

Flaming, spectral horses erupt onto the field, and Althea's confidence collapses in an instant. "I didn't know he'd!—" she stammers, genuinely worried for the first time in a long time.

What follows is a desperate, ugly fight: Alaric taking a stampede to the chest and refusing to go down. Arvin sniping from cover and finishing one nightmare with a honeyed arrow that crystallizes it mid-shatter, Sebastian frantically triaging wounds while muttering reassurances that convince absolutely no one, least of all himself. Alaric manages to trap one of the nightmares in a cage by using the dream pencil. By the time the last nightmare dissolves into smoke, everyone is breathing hard, and nobody is in the mood to celebrate the victory.

Althea rushes up to Gurak, who's still on the ground suffering a massive headache, unable to move. She speaks an incantation and tells him "You'll be going back to your body now, and you'll sleep peacefully..." and his conconciousness disappears into fog.

"You said nobody was going to get hurt!" Ginny says, furious, the moment it's over.

"Not physically!" Althea's usual glow has dimmed. "I didn't know that this mortal has had an experience like this! You chose this scenario, I didn't!"

"Why did this happen?" Alaric asks, "We are in a border between dream, fiction and reality... It's possible that sometimes... Some of mortal's memories leak into the dream world, causing... nightmares..."

Sebastian steps between them before it turns into a real argument. "Enough! Althea, you should have warned them better... But you all agreed to this scenario. This one's on both of you." Nobody's happy about it, but everyone agrees: no more war stories. Just something simple, romantic... something safe.

What follows is a genuinely chaotic hour of false starts and discussions how to move forward.
Perhaps a cottage romance? A disastrous mini-golf date? A beach tryst embarrassing enough that Ginny asks in complete sincerity whether the sand is "a little coarse."

Things nearly go sideways again when Althea casually suggests Ginny play out a romance with Marie Louise. Ginny freezes up completely, insisting too quickly that it'll be fine because

"I know her so well. Yet I'd rather have her be aware than in this dream-like state." — and it's obvious to everyone, especially Sebastian, that "knowing her well" isn't actually the problem.

He pulls her aside. "You don't have to do this with her like this."

Before Ginny can answer, the door swings open on its own, and a huge grin arrives before its owner does — Gemma, looking unsettlingly like Althea but... hungrier, dressed for trouble...

"Oh, I see what's going on here," she coos, delighted, eyeing the two of them. "You naughty girl."

"What? We're just talking," Ginny says, too fast.

"Mm-hm. About your very good friend, I'm sure." Gemma's grin doesn't waver.

"Come on. I see it in your spark. Why don't you just admit it?"

"Gemma..." Sebastian says, sharp, stepping half in front of Ginny, "This isn't your conversation."

"Everything's my conversation, darling, that's rather the point of me." She leans in toward Ginny anyway, conspiratorial. "You could get anything you wanted in here, you know. This is a dream. Nobody has to know but us..."

"I—" Ginny falters, going pink straight up to her ears. "It's — it's complicated, it's not — we're friends—"

"Friends," Gemma repeats, savoring the word like it personally amuses her. "Mm. Sure."

"That's enough." Sebastian says, firmer this time, and for once there's an edge under the usual fuss. "Go bother somebody else, Gemma."

She throws up her hands, all mock offense, backing toward the door in no particular hurry. "Fine, fine. I know when I'm not wanted." A last look at Ginny, softer than her usual theatrics.

"But you're going to keep lying to yourself about this in front of everyone, aren't you? That's the funniest part." And then she's gone, as suddenly as she arrived, leaving Ginny flustered and unable to look anyone in the eye.

"I'd rather have my best friend playing pretend with me," Ginny says quietly, "than this alternative feel like — I don't know. Like it's not really her saying yes."

Sebastian feels differently. "No, Ginny. You're missing the point. We all feel very differently on the inside, in the privacy of our own minds and hearts. Marie Louise is dreaming right now... she'll make her choices based on the belief that she's alone in that dream... But if you have Althea pull her out of that state, she might feel completely differently about it. What if she rejects it once her own feelings and insecurities are involved?"

She doesn't answer that directly, and they quietly swap the pairing out for something safer...

A story of two mining co-workers, Bardragon and Maedric, easing into an unplanned romance over a boat ride and a beach dinner, and then into a future wedding. It's meant to be the safe option.

It doesn't stay simple, because nothing does tonight: At the end through the first scene, Maedric already breaks character, because his memories leak into the scenario. Bardragon invites Meadric for the romantic boat-ride, but the scenario alters itself into inviting Maedric's adopted daughter Lilly along, which wasn't the plan.

Ginny tries to intervene into the scene by playing the role of a babysitter for Lilly, but initially it seems that Maedric's subconsiousness goes along with it, but when Ginny leaves the scenario, it shifts back and Meadric changes direction again. Alaric, Arvin and Ginny hear Meadric's mind speak "I cannot leave her alone, she already lost her parents, I cannot do that to her."

The boat scene is meant to be simple, and for a while, it almost is. Ginny's father, Alder takes the role of the boatrider. Bardragon arrives first, giddy with nerves. "Everything's perfect," he mutters to himself. "I'm going to tell him how I feel." He nearly loses his nerve twice before Maedric even shows up — and when Maedric does arrive, he's brought Lily along, unable to leave her behind, which throws the whole "romantic boat evening alone" plan into chaos. But it's too late to back out now.

It's obvious that Lilly's subconsciousness is keenly aware of her adoptive father's situation, and tries to make herself practically invisible during the boat ride, to give Meadric and Bardragon some space.

The scene continues, the boat is drifting slowly over calm water, lanterns lit, the conversation turns unexpectedly domestic and sweet — Bardragon offhandedly mentioning a leak in his roof, and that he's considering moving away, which saddens him. Maedric suggesting, half-joking, that he could just move in, and it's clear something real is building between them...

The second scene worked out quite well, all things considered. The group seems keen on keeping the moment for the beach scene truly between Meadric and Bardragon, as it feels to the group that having Lilly nearby is preventing Meadric from being more vulnerable. Ginny suggests that Marie-Louise acts as Lilly's babysitter. Sebastian seemed like he had something to say on this, but decides not to speak up.

Alaric feels conflicted seeing Lilly's behaviour, it's clear she wants her adoptive dad to be happy, but he's holding himself back for her concern. Which... is a strong parallel to his own life.
The others notice Alaric's unease and asks him if he's okay, but Alaric storms away in frustration from a growing headache seeing all of this unfold. Sebastian goes after him.

"Ah, it's nothing," he said. "It's this place. And memories. The situation's a bit unusual."

"It's not my place to say anything..." Sebastian mutters, though it's clear he wants to. "But seeing that scene — it hurts, doesn't it?"

"As a father," Sebastian went on, "your children are your number one concern. I imagine it just reminded you of a tough period you've gone through."

Alaric admits, haltingly, that yes — he misses his wife terribly, and yes, some part of him is lonely in a way he doesn't let himself look at directly.

Sebastian asks Alaric "Do you want to keep going? If it hurts you—"

"Don't worry about me," he said. "We just need to get this whole play done, and then send this story away with Althea, and this whole situation can come to a resolution. We can move on back to our normal lives, hopefully."

"I understand where you're coming from, Alaric," Sebastian said. "But if you're hesitant, maybe you should quit."

"I can't just let Ginny and Arvin get stuck in this situation," he said.

It was right then that the scene shifted around them, the beach scene they were preparing dissolving into a lovely garden square that neither of them had drawn.

"Wait," Alaric said. "That's not what we drew up."

"Oh no... Another hurt spark appeared."

"Who is that," Alaric asked, "and why does she look like Althea?"

"Oh, I'm Gemma," she said brightly.

"You're the other one Althea mentioned."

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, annoyed.

Gemma ignored him, tilting her head at Alaric instead.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Alaric

"Sorry. I got lost in those eyes." Gemma said with the intent to get a reaction.

And a reaction, she got. That remark hurt Alaric more he realized.
It was something that Ruby used to tell him..

"Those eyes are none of your concern," Alaric said.

"It's tough alone, isn't it," Gemma said, ignoring him entirely.

"You have to make do," he said.

"Putting yourself in second place." She smiled.

"Gemma—" Sebastian cut in, tired: "Can you leave? I'm getting quite tired of you being here."

"Sebastian, how could you say that," Gemma said. "You didn't even introduce me to your friend."

"Anyway," Gemma said, turning fully back to Alaric, "To be surrounded by so many people and not have what you desire — there's loneliness in companionship."

"What I would want." Alaric said stiffly, "Is simply impossible. No need to try and tempt me, Fae."

"I'm not tempting you," Gemma said. "If I were tempting you, I would do this." She snapped her fingers, and a large, hulking, distinctly underdressed dragonfolk man appeared out of nowhere with a rose in his mouth.

"Hey..." he said.

"Uhhh... That is entirely not—" Alaric awkwardly blushing.

"I can see right into your spark!" Hama said.

"It's just warm in here," Alaric muttered.

"Enough, Gemma" Sebastian said, done with the whole display.

"Yes. What he said," Alaric agreed quickly. "I am just getting a headache."

"A desperate father who pushes everyone away to ignore his own feelings," Gemma mused happily, "And refuses to accept that he's lonely... — and then eventually finds love! What a beautiful story."

"Get out, Gemma!" Sebastian said fiercely.

"All righty, then!" Gemma said, entirely unbothered. "I hope you think about that." She vanished, taking the hunky dragonfolk man with her.

Alaric let out a breath. "Why does she do that? That's very unpleasant. And she's crossing a few boundaries, even though—"

Even though she's right, in some way. It might be how Alaric is feeling on the inside, just gravely and unfairly exaggerated. But there's a part of it in there....

"I hadn't considered a hunky dragon man," Alaric said, "but — what is she doing to me. Anyway. I am not here to have this conversation, thank you very much!"

"You can walk out of this scene. I can't stop you," Sebastian said. "But think about yourself, too."

"What I want right now," Alaric said, "is to help my friends get out of this place."

"Alaric. Don't lie to yourself."

He didn't have an answer for that one right away.

Sebastian doesn't push further than that, only offers one thing before stepping back:

"My wife used to tell me... Just because something's gone doesn't mean something new isn't allowed to grow there. Don't neglect yourself, Alaric — that negligence affects the people around you, too..."

It's not comfortable to hear. But it doesn't leave him either.

As the third scene on the beach is being prepared by Alaric, Arvin and Ginny, something odd happens. The dream materializes an entirely new scene that they hadn't prepared. An exchange between Marie-Louise and Meadric in the streets...

Unsure of what's happening, Alaric, Arvin, Ginny, Sebastian and Althea decide to keep watching for now. Arvin catches sight of an old tattoo covered up with another huge flower tattoo — the unmistakable shape of a panther — and the headache becomes worse.

In the scene, Meadric and Marie-Louise agree that she can watch her, but only while she's within sight on the beach. Meadric seems extremely keen on this, Marie-Louise attempts to persuade him to let her watch her so he can have his time-off, but Meadric breaks character, shouting with quite some aggression "I know who you...!" before the dream snaps back to the agreement of having Lilly be on the beach in line-of-sight of Meadric...

It felt like a suppressed memory surfacing, and Sebastian comments that perhaps they know or... rather knew each other...

Arvin feels a weird twist in his stomach... The headache that's chased him all day finally snaps into place around a fragment of memory that isn't fully his own: a voice saying "Phineas Everglow won't be a problem for our business anymore.", and the only face he can picture is Marie-Louise's.

Shaken, he pulls away to think, and it's Sebastian who goes after him.

"What's going on?" asks Sebastian, while the two of them wandering into the wedding scene that Alaric was preparing... Arvin hesitated. "When I got to this town, I went to sit down and eat at a stall. And whenever Lily appears, I get headaches."

"Okay. You get headaches..."

"With something about Phineas. That he wouldn't be a problem anymore."

Sebastian's expression shifted. "Phineas Everglow was dangerous. And is indeed Lily's father. He used dangerous materials — exploited his workers... That's the story that was told to me."

Arvin frowned. "But Marie-Louise doesn't know me."

"You feel like you know her, but she doesn't feel like she knows you?"

"I don't have memories of it?" Arvin admitted.

It was right about then that a familiar, delighted voice cut in from nowhere. "I mean, isn't it quite obvious?"

Gemma appeared, mouth full of cake, entirely unbothered by walking in on a serious conversation. "This cake is great," she added, to no one in particular.

"That's obvious," Arvin said flatly. "I know I have memory problems, but—"

"I mean, isn't it obvious?" Gemma repeated, delighted with herself.

"My memory of Lily is missing..." Arvin said.

"I don't think it's a memory of Lily that's missing," Gemma said carefully. "But you said something about Lily's dad... Maybe that's what missing here..."

"..."

"Sebastian, can you do plus one plus one?" Gemma said sweetly. "Maybe he's not smart enough."

"Come on... Gemma... " Sebastian muttered.

"Think about it, Arvin" Gemma pressed, floating closer to Arvin. "Whatever happened to you is the explanation why you don't remember. I think you must have done it willingly. Think about it. It's like a reset for you, isn't it?"

"What...?"

"Well..." She went on, savoring it, "You desired so greatly to be gone of your past that you maybe did it on purpose!"

"Wait..." Arvin said. "How — how would I even do that?"

"Well, how, I don't know," Gemma said breezily. "But it does make sense, since Meadric said you looked like the Nighttail family..."

"..."

"I mean — the rogue that sacrificed his memories after a great misdeed, and then eventually found love. Wonderful story! There's a lesson there — Could you sacrifice your own memories to reset your life and make everybody forget. But I suppose some stories are a bit taboo."

"It's real...?" Arvin said quietly.

"Oh, I don't know that..." Gemma said. "I'm just theorizing. It could be completely something different! But — oh, this cake is so good."

"So, to find out," Arvin said, "I need my memories."

"I need to get this guy Alaric guy on my side," Hama said to herself, delighted. "He designed this cake. So good."

"Sebastian, who the hell is this even?" Arvin asked, exasperated.

"I'm sorry. I'm Gemma," Sebastian said dryly, playing along. "Just like Althea. I'm a Ljósálfar, but of Desirable stories. Not lovely stories — just what the heart really wants."

"And for me... that's this cake, right now" Gemma said happily, ignoring all of this. "I love this cake. It was made with love, probably! I need to stop before I get fat! And then what will Knightly think of me?!"

"Well... Anyways!" Hama said cheerfully. "I did what I had to do."

"Wait, hold on!" Gemma added, already halfway gone. "If this hadn't happened, you probably would have never met Sval!. So — Bye Bye!" And she vanished.

Sebastian let out a breath. "Do not listen to her."

"I understand why Althea wants to win from her... " Arvin muttered. "And hates— I guess it's not the point."

But... Arvin's going over what Gemma said in his head... What if she's right? Maybe Arvin chose for this... His life did go in a different direction after that one mission... He got a thousand gold. He changed your life. He doesn't remember anything, found a new job, and eventually met your new crew. So who was Arvin before...?"

Arvin was quiet for a moment. "She's probably right, though."

"Just because she may be right..." Sebastian said, "The question is — do you want to know? Because your memories might influence your future, and your relationship wit others. Maybe that's the reason Marie-Louise is the way she is now."

"You say you knew her," he went on. "Gemma says you've perhaps sacrificed those memories because of something you did. It's possible whatever happened to you caused people to forget who you were. So what if Marie Louise was also affected by that?"

Arvin didn't answer right away.

"I can't choose for you," Sebastian said. "I can't say what you must do. The only thing you can do is to think about it. The question is — is knowing the truth worth more to you than remaining ignorant?"

"Just make sure..." Sebastian said, "that whatever choice you make, you make it with conviction."

"Yes," Arvin said finally. "Definitely. I'll be thinking on it."

When Arvin and Sebastian return to the others, Ginny and Alaric are still considering how to alter the story scenes so the focus remains on Bardragon and Meadric, they consider Ginny's father to watch them, but Ginny doesn't like that idea, he's quite forgetful after all... However Alaric points out that ever since entering this dream, that hasn't been a thing, something that Ginny doesn't seem to want to acknowledge or think about too much....

Alaric and Ginny decide to speak to Meadric to prepare him for the next story sequence. They walked up to Meadric. "Everything is set. My father will take care of Lily, while you guys have this nice little time for yourselves."

"As long as I can see her," Meadric said, still hesitant. "I must be sure she's never alone."

"We'll keep her on the beach," Ginny said, "just a little bit further away. You can keep her in your vision, just far enough that you can have a private moment. And she won't be alone."

Ginny continued. "My father has great stories."

"I hope that happens to me too..." Meadric responds, "that Lilly can maybe take care of me so I won't be alone."

"I know she will," Alaric said.

When Alaric decides to find Ginny's father to prepare him for the scene, they find him and Alaric's kids in the boat from before, as the dream conjured up another scene, but instead of interrupting it, Alaric, Ginny and Arvin watch it unfold.

The boat rocked gently as the three of them settled in, half-watching the lanterns bob on the water, half just glad to have a moment that was theirs, with Alden slowly moving the boat forward.

"Oh, I love this little boat," Saph said, bouncing slightly.

"Yeah," Nova agreed. "It is actually kind of fun. It's also kind of fun just — Just us."

"Yeah," Ati said. "Like brothers... and sister."

Saph perked up. "I know a game! What if we play a game? Who can hit that lantern first?"

"Now, now, children," Alden's voice drifted over from nearby, "we're not going to damage the beautiful dream scene my daughter made."

"I'm going to do it!" Saph said anyway, already winding up. He missed. "You're always so overexcited..." Nova said, half-fond, half-exasperated.

"Well... I wanna to hit it first," he said, "so I could show Dad."

"Why?" Nova asked.

"Just so that he... you know... Isn't.... " He trailed off, not quite able to finish it.

Nova was quiet for a moment...

"But I don't want to hear dad sad in the morning."

"Just because he's sad doesn't mean he'll forget her," Nova said.

"I don't want him to be sad!" Saf said. "It just makes me sad too."

There was a pause. "What do you think, Ati?" asked Nova.

"I don't want to talk about it..." Ati muttered.

Nova reached for something — the Ruby dagger, maybe, out of habit more than anything. "Don't touch that!" he said quickly, pulling it back.

" Nova said. "I lost my dad too. You know."

"It's not the same," Saph said.

"Why is it not the same?"

"I don't know," Ati responded, unable to find the words.

"You know, I'm so happy that I get to spend time with you two now, and that Alaric took me in. Otherwise I would've been.... somewhere else. But I'm afraid to tell him that. Because what if I forget my own dad?"

"I just want... — because.... I don't want to be alone. Because I hate it when my mother comes to visit and I have to see her leave again, because she has to do her work. But I know it's important, because she's doing it to protect everybody.... But it makes me sad."

Nobody said anything for a second.

"And I don't want you to be sad either," Saph said.

"Me neither..." Ati added.

"Well, why don't we promise each other..." Nova said, "...that we don't be sad."

"I don't know if I can do that," Ati said honestly.

"We have each other," Nova said.

"And we have dad!" Saph said cheerfully.

"And we still have Jade, too." Nova added.

"Yes," Ati said. "And we have to make sure we stick close together."

He was quiet a second. "I don't want you to be sad. I don't want to be sad. Then— maybe I should tell Dad that."

There was a small pause, and then, so quiet it was almost lost under the lapping water:

"Did you just—" Ati reacts..

"Yes, I did," Nova said. "Okay. It's been three years, and maybe it's time that I just start doing it too."

The boat drifted on, and none of them noticed — not right then — that someone had been listening the whole time, standing very, very still just outside the edge of the scene.

The group decides to continue the beach scene, Alaric remaining quiet for a while...

The group had set their sights on a proposal, this scene would take place in the story after weeks or even months of lingering gazes, friendly dinners, and deepening their connection. Bardragon would propose to Meadric during a beach picnic and their ending could be a grand wedding. So Bardragon was already on the beach preparing himself to pop the big question.

The sun was starting to dip low over the water when Meadric finally arrived. Bardragon looking nervous in a way that didn't suit a man his size.

"Hey..." Meadric said calmly. "Hey!" Baragon responded, too brightly. "Meadric! So good to see you. Come, come, come — I've got so much food, everything's ready!"

Meadric joins Bardragon on the beach, settling down...

"Did you try to make my recipe?" Midri asked, eyeing the plate.

"I might have. I don't know if it's — fully right." Baragon winced. "It's your pink cake thing. I made it green! Maybe so you'd like it more, because you're great."

Meadric laughed despite himself. They ate. They talked. And for a little while it was easy — two friends who food had always come naturally to, teasing each other about kitchen disasters, about a mutual friend named Viger who apparently just "shoved things in a bowl" and somehow made it work.

Then Meadric said, quieter: "I do really appreciate you inviting me here. It's been a while since—" Meadric stopped himself. "Wait a second..." Something in his face shifted.

Sebastian murmured, watching from the side. "We have to act. I think a memory is coming back."

Alaric, standing just outside the frame, felt something twist in his chest that had nothing to do with the scene in front of him. He'd been meaning to just watch. Direct from a distance. But watching Bardragon do a confession knowing the other side may not be ready... Watching a father drag his daughter across town rather than leave her alone for one evening...

Perhaps they shouldn't force a proposal, let it just be this moment...

It felt less like fiction with every second that passed.

Something had already shifted in Alaric's head... He thought of Nate, once, asking him for a drink, and Alaric saying no because there were kids to get home to. He thought of every kind offer he'd turned down in the last three years because it felt wrong to accept them.

He thought of what he'd just overheard in the boat. He stepped into the scene.

"You need to relax a little," he said to Meadric, and his voice wasn't as steady as he wanted it to be. "Lilly is going to be fine.... the children are going to be fine."

But as he says so, something happens... To Alaric, to seems as if he has to tell himself that, as Meadric's form for a moment shifts to resemble a reflection of Alaric himself.

"And maybe," Alaric went on, "it's nice, if you're close to someone again."

He swallowed. "It's better than being alone."

Alaric feels conflicted, it was the most honest thing he'd said all night.

Then, quiet enough that it barely carried the reflection responds...

"Being happy again doesn't mean we loved Ruby any less."

He felt it land somewhere he hadn't let anyone touch in three years. He stepped back out of the scene before he could say anything else, and let it play out...

...
...
...

"Hey," Baragon said, looking back at Meadric, steadier now. "Did you know there's an old story — that if you kiss someone at the exact moment the sun sets—"

Bardragon couldn't finish it. Meadric just leaned in and kissed him, right as the light dropped below the water, and neither of them let go until the sun was gone.... And as the dream, and their story comes to a conclusion... Everything slowly resolves to white.

Arvin, Alaric, Ginny, Sebastian, Althea and everyone else landed back in the restaurant all at once, blinking, off-balance, the noise of this shared dream fading out from around them.

Ginny was still turning everything over in her mind — the sight of Alaric talking to himself through someone else's mouth, the strange mirror of it. It wasn't comforting exactly, watching someone else's grief laid that bare. But it settled into her slowly as something closer to permission than pain — the sense that everyone in that boat, in that restaurant, in that whole ridiculous dream, was carrying something they hadn't said out loud yet, and that waiting for the "right" moment to say it might just mean never saying it at all, and that's not what she wanted.

Arvin felt three things at once, tangled together in a way he didn't try too hard to separate. There was a new, quiet instinct to watch more closely over the people he cared about — to not let things slide unnoticed the way it clearly had for Alaric. There was Svala, and the things he still hadn't figured out how to say. And underneath both of those, steadier than either, was the decision he'd been circling all night finally settling into place: He wanted his memories back. Whatever they turned out to hold.

Alaric stepped back into the room and saw his own three children curled together in the corner, quieter and closer than they'd ever been, something in his chest simply let go. He was still crying — not quietly, not with any dignity, blowing his nose and everything — and for once he didn't try to stop it or apologize for it. It felt, for the first time in a long while, like the start of something new instead of being stuck in an ending — like maybe there was still room ahead of him for good things he hadn't let himself want yet.

And once everything comes back into perspective, Althea holds up a large quill and write the last of the scene into the book...

"And... FIN..." Althea said.

"Why do we say, fin actually?" She continued. "Oh well, never mind..."

"I'm so proud of all of us! And you know what this means?"

The three didn't answer, but they all knew what was coming, there's still a performance to give during the Jubilee. Tonight was just the rehearsal. And next is...

The performance of a lifetime.

To be continued...