blazingdawn

[blazingdawn]

✩˚｡⋆ 𝑰𝑵𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑.

send in 📋 , ( or ' incorrect quote ' if you don't see the emoji. ) & i'll use THIS GENERATOR & make an edit of our muses. ( or group if multiple names are given. )

[blazingdawn]

he's serious. she doesn't need to ask some rhetorical question, knowing all too well. they were so alike, after all. perhaps that's why everything felt so easy when it came to working together. yet even among those of the Astral Express crew, disagreements were bound to happen.

that's inevitable. there will always be differences in opinion and words that sting more than ever intended yet there is comfort in that she knows this won't break their bond. it would take far more than that to do it and even partners argue, don't they? not that she would call this a fight persay. Phainon is stubborn, as stubborn as her, when it came down to it. those words he wrote in his letter to her were utterly ridiculous– no matter what happens, Stelle wouldn't come to despise him. even now, as he believes himself too steeped in golden blood, she doesn't hate him.

but he was not responsible for her. the journey of the trailblaze was one filled with peril, but one she walked with both eyes open. however good intentioned his actions were, she wouldn't let that be taken away from her.

he sets her down and she takes a few moment to test her footing. stable enough and her legs weren't shaking which was a good sign. and though Stelle doesn't want to keep it up, she has to say it. " They aren't just your battles anymore, Phainon. It's thinking like that which makes their sacrifices mean nothing."

her words aren't sharp and barbed, but a sorrowful reminder. yes, he was the one who endured cycle upon cycle. yes, he witnessed and caused countless deaths. yes, it was a burden he had to carry in dutiful silence. but no matter the losses, no matter how many times he turned to find nobody behind him at the end, it didn't mean he was alone. that every battle fought was his alone. if that were true, then Hyacine and Mydei and Castorice wouldn't have gone to such lengths to try and remind him that he was more than the actions he had no choice but to take.

( but she recalls Cipher's words and how deep they cut even her.)

for awhile, Stelle says nothing more. she keeps pace a few steps ahead of the Deliverer (but not too far ahead), taking care to go at a pace that didn't exacerbate her injuries. yep, everything still hurt. part of her misses the adrenaline – at least it numbed most of the pain. but eventually, her nose isn't filled with the scent of fire and destruction. Yesteryear was a place of ruins but no longer did the area they reach show any signs of the previous battle. good.

" Let's.....let's stop for a bit." her upper back was burning. more than earlier, which was a little alarming. usually Dan Heng would have already figured out what was wrong and ushered her to Hyacine but, well, with the main city closed off....their wasn't much in the way of options. so she stops, places both her hands against a wall, bending at the waist so her eyes focused on the ground beneath her. did this help? not really. in fact, it only made it worse but she couldn't handle standing up straight another minute.

Stelle can already hear the urgent footsteps and she puts one of her hands out, stopping Phainon from panicking. " In my jacket pocket there's a– a travel first aid kit I bought a few days ago." who knew that it would come in handy? "Get it out and grab the burn cream."

Of course he trusts Stelle. Trusts her enough with Amphoreus’ fate, trusts her enough to show this ugly, unheroic side of himself, trusts her that she would be able to handle what fate lies in store. But he can’t help it — bad habits will always rear its ugly head, and sometimes continuing to being himself means you can’t stop being who you are. To be honest, if it was possible to keep going on without sharing his own burdens, he would. If he didn’t have to involve the Trailblazer in changing their fates, he would have continued to suffer alone.

Phainon winces, at the barbed words poised towards him. Stelle has a good point, and yet his pride doesn’t want to concede. “You know I do, partner.” It feels like cheating, using that word like this. “But that doesn’t mean I need others to fight my own battles.”

Because that is what this is. Cruel destiny forcing his hands to rely on someone to clean up his own messes. He could have dealt with Irontomb on his own — should have dealt with Irontomb on his own. Nobody is more practiced with killing himself more than him. If his hands are doomed to be forever sullied by golden blood, then so be it. That’s the fate that he has decided for himself ever since long ago, and truthfully?

Stelle sparing him one kill would not clear his conscience.

…It feels wrong, to be in disagreement with the Trailblazer after all this time. For as long as he remembered, they went along with each other well, to the point where they would joke about their unceasing list of similarities. My doppelganger, Stelle called him once. But perhaps this argument is another proof of just how alike they really are, being in conflict because they care about each other too much.

It makes Phainon’s heart sting. He doesn’t feel like he deserves this, knowing so many people who worry about him.

He almost loses his footing again before Stelle pipes up with her suggestion. It gives him some pause — she’s still hurt, isn’t she? What if walking would just make the wounds worse? What if she ends up tripping all on her own? Ah, he really is thinking too much about this.

Trust her, the voice in the back of his head quietly chides. She can do this much.

So silently, as if a show of peace, he gently puts her down, feet first. “The moment it starts getting too much you tell me, alright?”

[blazingdawn]

truthfully, she didn't think this far ahead. her body moved faster than her thoughts did, acting on instinct, as if she was there at the baths when it happened and not somewhere else, dealing with Caenis' thugs with Phainon. that's all those Cleaners were– thugs hired by someone who couldn't handle the fact that Okhema would never be under her thumb.

Stelle takes a moment to calm her own breathing, gaze roving over Aglaea's form. she looks.....exactly as she did when she last saw her. not a tear in the fabric of her dress, no golden stains on her clothes, nary a scratch nor blemsih on her skin. she's not entirely sure what she expected to find. it was the unknowing that was the worst part and she chides herself for even looking for a sign of what happened that day in the baths.

it didn't matter. Aglaea was fine– alive, breathing, and seemingly none the wiser as to why she was running. which.........says more than words ever could.

" It just looked like you were going to fall in." she lies as smoothly as she can. no, she can't do this. she can't act like this, not in front of her (or any of the other Heirs). such is the price of bearing the weight of the world for the one who could no longer, of having so many memories jammed into her head at once. she had no choice but to grin and bear it– not only for herself, but for everyone lost in the course of this journey.

and so, Stelle laughs awkwardly, hand reaching up to rub the back of her head. " Guess I overreacted a bit, huh? Sorry about that."

TO FIND ONE'S SELF AMIDST LOCAL FESTIVITIES, it was only proper to partake in them as you come across each and every one. though seemingly pointless to many, the goldweaver could only see it as a way to familiarize herself further with this island, let alone a vain attempt to connect with its people. hah, she knew well than any that she no longer can emphasize with them, though in this instance, perhaps there was a way for a connection.

many have lost their lives amidst the flame-chase journey, a byproduct of the black tide encroaching upon their peace, if not the sacrifice which one was to take. ❝ To light a candle for the departed.... I see, ❞ she mumbles to herself, chin propped upon the back of her hand as she contemplates it. then... what of those who have yet to meet their prophesied end, yet await it all the same?

perhaps they, too, could have a flame that flickers into the distance 一 one to chase into the waters' horizon of their new daybreak.

❝ Hm? ❞ just as a hand was to reach forth to pick up one of the boats, a voice as familiar as silk itself calls out to her. she retracts her hand, opting to address this voice than carry on with her initial whims. ❝ If it isn't our esteemed guest, ❞ she chimes, almost pleasantly, despite the notice of how stelle runs with an urgency, one with a telling gaze that she can discern just enough from.

❝ Pray tell, what troubles you so to run with such haste? ❞

[blazingdawn]

" Ah– right, sorry!" now is not the time, she tells herself. if Cipher doesn't want to point out the elephant in the room then neither will Stelle. there's always a place and a time and besides, Phainon said it was their secret to keep. the trailblazer shakes her head a bit too hard, pausing to fight off the dizziness before grabbing her squeaky hammer like it was a baseball bat. not the best method but it didn't matter– if getting answers meant winning then she'd just have to treat this as a life or death situation. her steps are careful and slow and out of the corner of her eye she sees a bench that wasn't there minutes ago tremble. with perhaps too loud of a yell, she swings the squeaky hammer down, crying out loudly in triumph.

"Hey, Gray Mystery! You just gonna stand around, or are you gonna help me?" Equipped with a squeaky hammer and sheer determination, Cipher carefully begins to scan the room of the painting gallery, eyes peeled for any sudden movement. This wouldn't be easy, but she was assured that the prize would be worth it. "You have questions and I want a prize! Both of us can win something if we work together, maybe." No promises on Cipher's behalf, but she really wanted to win, and if Stelle could assist, then that's all the better.

@blazingdawn / prop haunt.

[blazingdawn]

" No, look, you're buckling it wrong–" and before Sunday can even protest, Stelle shoos his hands away, fixing the belts and buckles on the front of the life vest the event coordinators handed them to wear. she had to first get him to get rid of his long coat (why he was wearing it when it was close to triple digit temperatures was beyond her) but it's tucked aside somewhere safely. the last buckle clips and she gives it a once around to make sure everything was secure. the last thing they needed was the life vest failing and if Robin ended up in the city, the last thing she needed was having to tell his sister she almost ended up killing her brother–

" Okay now just get on. Don't worry, you're not gonna fall." she shoos him forward with her hands before turning to hop onto her own jet ski. was this perhaps the best thing to drag Sunday too....? maybe not, but as the only other Astral Express member here, she felt it was her duty to keep her eye on him. that and she wanted to see how handled some normal fun.

" Okay, now, that lanyard attached to your wrist? It has the key so stick it into the ignition and turn it on. " she does what she just said, revving her own jet ski a few times. " Now follow me out the starting line!" and she pushes on the throttle, the jet ski roaring to life as she drove toward the racetrack starting line.

@harmoniousorder _ I'M NOT SAYING IT’S SAFE, I’M SAYING IT’S COOL

[blazingdawn]

idk how she expects me to say no look at how happy he gets come on man it's like trying to say no to a puppy

[blazingdawn]

[PAY]

PLATONIC INTIMACY – accepting

"Hm?"

it happens before she can really register it. before Stelle can take out her phone, the cashier is already thanking somebody else and she turns to her right to see just who it was, mouth open ready to thank them but she pauses.

wow.

this city was filled with beautiful people but her hair was like the view outside her window, but far more colorful. Stelle can only stare for a few moments before she realizes what she's doing, laughing awkwardly.

" Ah, thank you! You didn't have to do that!" she still had some leftover from what Aventurine had given her. as thanks, she holds out one of the cake pops she picked out. " Here– as extra thanks."

[blazingdawn]

[FASHION] Sender brings over an outfit for receiver to try on (it's awful.)

PLATONIC INTIMACY – accepting

no wonder the people of Okhema told her that Aglaea was the one who made sure Phainon dressed properly. she thought that surely it wasn't that bad. that he had some fashion sense, that it wasn't a walking fire. she trusted her partner to pick out something good for the summer.

maybe that was her mistake.

it's horrible. the yellow and orange together isn't bad in of itself, but the material...............she'll look like a giant walking tutu. it looks itchy and why is the collar so high?! was the matching tights and cuffs not enough? Stelle quickly flashes a grin towards the other, carefully taking the outfit on the hanger. well, nothing left to do but go into the changing room and put it on! she's right– it's as itchy as it looks and there's tulle sticking against her mouth but she keeps the smile on her face. " Let's–let's take a picture and send it to Aglaea!"

taking out her phone, she takes a selfie with him before sending it to the weaver in question, hoping she could see the cry for help in Stelle's eyes.

" Thanks, Phainon, it's....pretty comfy!"

[blazingdawn]

JRR TOLKIEN QUOTES. a collection of jrr tolkien's novel quotes. change verbiage and pronouns as needed.

where there's life, there's hope.

there is some good in this world and it's worth fighting for.

the wise speak only of what they know.

false hopes are more dangerous than fears.

courage is found in unlikely places.

moonlight drowns out al but the brightst stars.

i would rather spend one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone.

i will not say do not weep, for not all tears are evil.

little by little, one travels far.

the world is not in your maps and books. it's out there.

all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is give to us.

it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.

no, the journey doesn't end here.

death is just another path, one that we must all take.

all that is gold does not glitter.

not all those who wander are lost.

i would have gone with you to the end.

it is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit.

a man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a shortcut to meet it.

faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.

i would have followed you my brother, my captain, my king.

many that live deserve death. and some that die deserve life.

no man can kill me.

don't go where i can't follow.

do not spoil the wonder with haste!

you can only come to the morning through the shadows.

[blazingdawn]

𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑐𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑠

Feel free to add context if needed! Add "Reverse" to any action to swap the roles!

[BRUSH] Sender offers to brush receivers hair

[STYLE] Sender offers to style receivers hair

[ADJUST] Sender straightens/fixes receivers clothing (Tie, coat, hair accessory, etc.)

[FASHION] Sender brings over an outfit for receiver to try on

[EAT] Sender brings receiver food while they're focused on another task.

[KISS] Sender kisses receiver on the cheek

[FOREHEAD] Sender kisses receiver on the forehead

[HUG] Sender suddenly hugs receiver

[REST] While out on a walk, sender guides receiver to sit down somewhere and rest.

[OPEN] Sender opens something for the receiver (pickle jar, package, etc.)

[GIFT] Sender gives receiver a small gift (Make sure to name what it is!)

[PAY] Sender pays for receivers meal

[HOLD] Sender hugs receiver and holds them close.

[LIFT] Sender picks up receiver princess style

[HIGH] Sender gets something off the high shelf for receiver

[WATER] Sender brings receiver a water bottle

[HAND] Sender takes receivers hand so they don't get lost in a crowd.

[blazingdawn]

"Listen. I'm gonna let go of you, and then we're gonna run for it, okay?"

sudden action & partnerships – accepting

she's about to ask if that's a good idea but this is Phainon– he could tell her to close her eyes and leap across a gap between two cliffs and she'd do it, trusting that he had a plan. and they did have one before sneaking into the Forest King's castle....and before the dragon here even saw them. but what's a plan without a little improvisation? it was only the very loud stomping of the dragon growing closer that had Stelle shaking her head in agreement, bracing herself. he let's go and she lands well enough, hardly stumbling. just in time too because the creature roars far too close for comfort.

Stelle looks back to make sure Phainon isn't trying to buy time, sighing in relief as he starts to make a dash along the large stone wall. she sprints alongside him from below, thinking this is far too close to that time that dromas ran into her in Okhema–

"I told you not to touch his nose!" she shouts, leaping over a knocked over tree. " Since when do dragon statues breathe smoke!? Come on now!!"

[blazingdawn]

Sentence prompts for sudden action and partnerships.

Something big has gone down and now sender and receiver are forced to team up to survive. How're you two gonna get out of this one? These are meant to initiate first time interactions, but can be used by anyone! Feel free to change wording/pronouns as needed!

"Alright, shut up and listen, I've got a plan."

"What now, hero?!"

"Yeah, yeah, cut to the chase, what the hell do we do?"

"Quit screaming, they'll hear us!!"

"Keep your head down."

"You've got five seconds to explain what the hell's going on here."

"Hey! Over here!!"

"If you wanna survive, you'll do exactly as I tell you."

"Think you can make it to that door?"

"I need you to trust me."

"Can I trust you?"

"Yeah, cool, good for you, now's not really the time. MOVE!!"

"Shhshshshh SHUT UP..."

"YOU have to be more careful."

"Keep your head on a swivel."

"Here, take this [Insert Weapon] and watch my back."

"You could've been killed, idiot!!"

" Listen. I'm gonna let go of you, and then we're gonna run for it, okay?"

"Heads up!!"

"You comin' or what?"

"And why the hell should I trust you?"

"You've got a lot of gall to ask me that after everything that just happened."

"Hold still, you're bleeding."

"Follow me, there's people taking shelter over this way."

"Are you hurt? Can you walk?"

"What the hell was that thing?"

"What the hell were those things?"

"...I'll just run ahead, the rendezvous point can't be that far."

"Man am I glad you were here."

"No need to thank me, just doing what I do best!"

"Are you TRYING to get yourself killed?!"

[blazingdawn]

" Maybe I should keep my phone closer to me...."

[blazingdawn]

permanent plotter/relationship ad

it's been a long time since i've done one of these so forgive if it's a little messy/all over. but i am here to offer to the masses one (1) protag to get to know and have cool interactions with and make some neat bonds! it's nothing too in-depth confusing, just some bullet points for ideas but feel free to speak up if there's an idea you have that's not on here!

by liking this, you're letting me know that it's okay for me to reach out to you to discuss possible dynamics between our characters, as well as be free to throw memes around on meme day and the like! do keep in mind that it'll probably be over tumblr im, but if you prefer talking over discord, feel free to let me know and i'll hand it over!

platonic

friendship. congratulations, stelle would now die for you! okay that's about half true but she's genuinely a good person to have as a friend! she can be serious and help when needed in such occassions, but she also has a tendency to try and lighten the mood if you're feeling down. stelle is someone who is a very live in the moment person, preferring to focus on the here and now above the past. and if that means sneaking into your window at like 2 am to take you to see some fireworks so you don't feel so down or just sitting together in a quiet spot with no talking, then she can do both for you. she cares, is incredibly loyal, and probably would fight a god for you.

rivalry. i just think this would be incredibly funny. wanna have a fun and playful rivalry with the galactic baseballer??? wanna lose to her at every gacha game on the boardwalk and lament in your failure as she does an oujosama laugh with like 20 gacha items???? don't worry, stelle's the type in which she'll take the rivalry with the same intensity as the other but she'll also play it up a bit with the sole purpose of giving the other more drive and motivation to reach their goal. it works like that!

found family. think of stelle as being that older/younger sister type figure in such scenarios, the one who would say that you didn't ask for pickles when your order is given to you wrong, the one who would go to a corner store at 3 am to get you ice-cream because of a bad break-up. those she considers her family aren't really here in spirale, so i think stelle deserves to have some found family stuff going on

fellow protagonists. hey i think they should make a club, a club for those who have to save the world again and again and use humor to also cope with such things! come on they can compare battle scars– but on a more serious note i think it'd be nice for stelle to know more people in a situation like her so there's that unique understanding there

enemies/antagonistic. let's go baby i know the law!! if you genuinely want to be enemies with stelle then there needs to be a reason for it, she's not just going to point to someone and decide they need to Go. for as unserious as she can come off at times, stelle is a threat and if you pose serious danger to either the people she cares for or innocents, then she won't hesitate to take out her bat and knock it upside your head. she will absolutely through herself into the fire first to protect someone from a hit or threat as well, so there's a degree of recklessness there that can be played with too

romantic.

crushes. honestly if your character ends up having a crush on stell then i'm all for it. whether it's a week long thing or a month long thing, i love crushes and feel they should be used more. just keep in mind that it's not an endgame sort of thing, just a small momentary indulgence

one-sided/unrequited. should your character end up falling in love with stelle, i am an absolute sucker for the unrequited stuff. it won't be reciprocated on stelle's part – something she'll make clear if a confession ever happens– but like with crushes, i think one-sided/unrequited is not used nearly enough dynamic wise.

love. this is typically endgame stuff, like a serious ship. when it comes down to it, i prefer chemistry above all else. stelle herself is someone who is kinda oblivious if you're flirting with her. she's the type to casually flirt with friends at time so she won't take it serious really, not at first. if anything she'll think of it as just a small crush which happens and won't really think much on it. this is also the sort of thing that will take time. along with me loving the build-up to a ship happening, i like to see how they work together as friends first as well! also given stelle's current canon point (laughs in amphoreus pain) she's not really gonna be thinking about love like that (which makes it better for it to hit her out of left field)

[blazingdawn]

Stelle can't be mad. hadn't she just told him that he didn't have to pretend for her sake? that nobody else will know the emotions he lets show, away from the eys of those who knew him all his life? no, she can't be made, but that doesn't stop the hurt– however brief it may be. that wasn't the truth, far from it, and they both knew it.

" You're not 'something', Phainon, you're a person. And you carried so much by yourself alone for so long already. It's not that I don't want to burden you but don't you trust me to be able to handle it?"

she knows he does, otherwise Amphoreus would never had been entrusted to. even so, she can't help but to wonder briefly. it had to be her and she had to be able to do it on her own. it was the only way for Stelle to be sure that she could do what she had to as the next Deliverer if the worst came true.

even if Phainon were there and he could actually hurt Irontomb, she would still do everything to make sure she dealt the final blow. he didn't need another death on his hands. that is the one thing she won't make any sort of apologies for, no matter how much he wishes it wasn't so.

she finds her hand to be a far more interesting thing to look at, eyes never moving beyond it. Stelle is someone who has never been too fond of silence, particularly the heavy kind. it's why even after learning she was just a walking memory before having her soul returned, she joked around with Dan Heng. if she didn't, he'd get too deep into his own thoughts again. but her throat burns and her chest hurts and she doesn't want to talk anymore. matter of fact, she just wants to go back to her bed, lay down, and take a week long nap. but that's not possible right now and there's the worry that falling asleep again would make him worried even more and she wants to avoid that.

Stelle doesn't like to cause those she loves pain of any kind if she can help it. this is just the situation in which she can't.

he's worrying too much. not that she can blame him– were their positions reversed, she would be doing the same thing. yet after him almost tripping a few times, she comes to a decision. " ..... If you keep looking between me and the road then you're going to end up running into something." her voice is softer, hoping it'll help ease the strain on her body. "You can put me down now. I need to walk myself before everything starts to cramp up."

Bitter words leave his mouth before he can help it:

“You make it sound like I want you hurt for my sake.”

It is a cruel thing to say, and the moment the words left his lips he regrets them. A wince, as he looks away. Suddenly the road in front of them is very interesting. But it is a sliver of the frustration that he feels, the helplessness that seeps into his bones when he hears more of Stelle’s tale. It is unfortunate, this hero complex of his: he knows he can’t be everywhere, can’t save everyone, but a part of him still wants to try.

“…Sorry. I know that’s not what you meant. But I’m not something to be kept safe. Not when the least I could do is to share the burden with you.”

Stelle might be the perfect hero in his heart, the savior that Amphoreus needs, but that doesn’t mean he could just leave her to her own devices. He, too, is a hero, no matter what kind of life he finds himself living in here — not someone used to rest or to sit helplessly by. He sees the burns and the injuries splayed all across the Trailblazer’s skin, and he cannot simply find an occasion where he would be alright with it, regardless of whether or not Irontomb is involved.

Today, he has failed in watching over her back. But that doesn’t mean they can’t put their teamwork to the test against another adversary in the future.

The ensuring walk is painfully slow: he can’t move as fast as he could, in risk of making Stelle’s injuries worse, but each ticking second they take is another second where they are left untreated. He can’t help but look at her every now and then, sometimes almost tripping at the road, just to make sure that she is still okay.

Her words and actions give Phainon much pause. It’s clear that she is doing her best to comfort him, but shouldn’t it be the other way around? He’s not the one who almost died fighting Irontomb. If only there’s more he could do. And as he tries to think of what else he could do, he ruminates on what she has said.

He doesn’t know if the good will ever outweigh what he have done — and yes, that is him now, for he would have done the same thing as the other Khaslanas, would have traced back the same steps, and because with the memories swimming in his head the line between hero and reaver is severed — but he hopes that what Stelle says is true. That clinging onto what humanity he has left would be enough, that it could lead him home back to that place scented with wheat fields.

[blazingdawn]

unfortunately for everybody i will keep doing whatever i want

[blazingdawn]

and if he were to ask more of her, she'd agree without complaint. Stelle has found that it's easier to tackle any problem with someone else by your side. that too applied to the Flame-Chase Journey and perhaps, if it weren't under such false pretenses that it even happened in the first place, maybe the Heirs could have reached that dawn. she likes to believe that to be true.

regardless, the secret of it all is something she'll help him carry, saying nothing until he decides to. she'll carry it and lie to those she trusts, if only to make sure they continue to experience what they couldn't back in Okhema.

" Just take it one day at a time. That's the best anyone can do, really." nobody could predict the future and know what will come tomorrow, how easy or how difficult it could be, but that's how one has to live life. never in the past, always in the present, and moving towards the future. the slightest flap of a butterfly's wing can change the trajectory of the future forever but it's Stelle's hope that their future here won't be one full of so much strife.

of course, the unexpected is always welcome.

like how out of the corner of her eye, she can see two people off in the distance approaching them. they seem to be saying something but she can't really tell what it is. but their arms are waving around almost....angrily and the last time someone did that in her direction, she had to flee with the others into the Fragmentum.

hm, it may be time for another hasty escape.

there's a long pause before she takes a few steps back slowly, almost languidy. however, each step was to not attract any sort of suspicion, as it was becoming harder by the moment to keep a conspiratorial grin from growing. it's only when she's a few steps behind Phainon that she quickly scoops of her wiffle bat, pointing with her free hand at the slowly approaching duo when he looks back at her. with a quick wink, she turns on her heel and breaks into a run back the way they came, shouting over her shoulder with a laugh.

" Of course, that'll only happen if we get out of here! But you won't if you keep standing there!"

It’s been so long since he thought he could look forward to the future. Back when he was back a hollowed shell after Aedes Elysiae, where his eyes were filled with nothing with hatred. Back when they fought against Nikador, thinking that his duty was that of Strife, not Worldbearing. Back when everything slowly fell apart around them, when all that mattered was to bring everyone forth to Era Nova, not thinking what could have been in them. Back when he repeated this cycle of the Flame Chase again and again, knowing that the future was filled with damnation and ruination.

You can’t save everyone. Even Khaslana accepted that, once he started killing the people he has ever loved. But still: he has to try.

“I’m not sure if I want to tell them the truth.” Telling them wouldn’t change anything — he tried before, so many cycles before. “They deserve to know, but is this really a burden they should shoulder? They, too, can live normal lives here. Did you know? Castorice can touch without the fear of the deathly curse affecting them now. There’s no other place where she can do that.”

It’s the one reason why he can’t hate Spirale at all, even if he hates the thought of going from one prison to another.

“It could just be our secret. Protect them from this burden.”

He just needs to practice his expressions more. No wonder the Flame Reaver wore a mask — he would have to keep smiling in front of them. Pretend that he’s their young perfect vessel, their beloved Deliverer, not the person who has witnessed their deaths a million times. Not the person who has sent them to their deaths a million times.

Phainon hasn’t told Stelle what he has done after they separated, either. Of fighting Nanook and THEIR legion and burning himself to ash. Of how Lygus got to him, in the end.

There’s a lot of pretending to do, it looks like. But at least there’s one burden he can share with his fellow Deliverer.

The bracelet feels a bit lighter in his hands, even if it still bore the weight of the world. He’ll keep it somewhere safe, where it could no longer be burned to cinders ever again.

“Keep moving forward….I don’t know how to do it, but it’s the only choice we have, do we? It would be a shame to waste the opportunity we have been given here.”

It really is a beautiful canyon — nothing in Amphoreus looks like it, either. He’s already experienced the twilight and the dawn, things that never existed in his lifetime. Despite everything, despite his worries, the curiosity of the adventure this place calls out to him.

Perhaps this, too, is the art of Trailblazing?

“You do that too, partner. There is much that I ask of you — but we don’t need to worry about any of that here. Let’s just. Let’s just do our best, here.”