#...wait Mod also voices Poppy

[gwinver-art]

Friends on discord were doing the 6 fanart thing and I wanted to give it a go too! :D

[ch1zzie]

Joolets (and others)

No more (WHY IS ARTING NOT ARTING)

[syruckusnow]

List your Top 10 favorite albums

I was tagged by @biscuit-tornado I was supposed to tag 10 others, but I usually let folks self-select. No pressure.

In no particular order except for #1. Bruce is ALWAYS #1.

1. Bruce Springsteen: Darkness on the Edge of Town

Having to fight for three years to escape his slave-trade contract with his first manager wrung all the Dylan-inflected romance and wordplay out of his work. This is the mature Bruce writing of everyday life. This is his masterpiece.

2. Elvis Costello: My Aim is True

Blown away when I borrowed this from a high school classmate and heard the blend of rock/pop/soul hitched to the most entertaining turns of phrase I’d ever heard in rock music. I saw him on his 2019 tour—still crushing it!

3. The Wailers: Burnin’

The best album with the OG’s: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. I’m a big fan of Bob Marley’s later solo career, but it was better with all three.

4. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Ever put an album on and every single song is perfect? This is such an album. If anyone asks you “what’s Americana music?” sit them down and make them listen to this album. Poetic, funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking. Oh—and amazingly tuneful as well!

5. The Who: Quadrophenia

The better of the Who's two rock operas because it deals with real life rather than fantasy. The four separate musical themes, the majestic set against the quiet, this is Townsend at his best. Daltrey’s voice carries the bombast without breaking. Plus, has any band ever written so lovingly and eloquently about their fan base? They were after all the Mods band of choice.

6. Marshall Crenshaw: self-titled

Another out of nowhere debut album that just made me flip out. I’m a sucker for power pop anyway—I just played this and sang along for weeks after picking this up. I got to see him play a bar in Syracuse a couple albums into his career- just brilliant live as well.

7. Van Morrison: Tupelo Honey

Probably one of the untypical discs of his career—steeped in the American folk rock he was immersed in while living in Woodstock, N.Y. But I happened across a copy just as I was falling in love with my now wife. The title track was going to be our first dance song at our wedding—but both of us were too shy to dance to a 7 minute song in front of everyone. It was the second song though!

8. Z.Z. Top: Tres Hombres

I picked this up early in high school, one of the first albums I bought on my own. Bluesy rock stomp. They are the perfect band—although the MTV era sometimes got a little too poppy and synth-heavy. But MTV doesn’t play music anymore and despite the recent passing of Dusty Hill, that li’l old band from Texas is still at it!

9. J. Geils Band: Full House Live

The greatest rock/soul/blues band not named the Rolling Stones. Peter Wolf is the frontman every frontman wishes they could be. And of course, do not forget Magic Dick on the lickin’ stick! I mean, c’mon—how much more rock and roll does it get than a harp player who is only identified as Magic Dick?

10. Little Feat: Waiting for Columbus

They paired the slightly off-kilter sensibilities of Lowell George, with a tour-hardened band and THEN threw in the Tower of Power horn section—this document of the band at its peak is just amazing. Even after all these years, I get a buzz when I hear the band’s a capella coming-to-the-stage rave up “Join the Band” diving into the announcer doing the call and response F-E-A-T! cheer. It is no surprise that this was the first album I bought when I got a component stereo system. It was also the very first CD I bought when I moved away from vinyl.

[sean-gaffney]

Watanagashi:  Changes between the Original and the PS2/3 Version

This was harder, partly as the 07th-mod translations are a constant work in progress, and thus some minor kanji differences aren’t quite differentiated.  As a result, there was some machine translation guessing on my part.  Also, there’s just a lot MORE differences in this arc.

Part 1:

Satoko’s “Keikei hit me!” is changed to “Keiichi-san”.  This honestly seems more to match her characterization.

Some of Mion’s intro to the group is changed, but I’m not quite clear how.  “Come to attention”?

Millionaire is changed to Billionaire for copyright reasons.

K1’s rousing speech to the two boys removes “Little girls!”.  Interesting they remove “Little Girls” but leave “Loli”.  Probably as loli does not have quite the negative connotation it should in Japan.

When K1 gets the doll, the line about him being treated lke a pervert for carrying it around it cut from PS2.

Part 2:

Mion’s line is changed again.  It looks like “Come to order” might be changed to “listen closely/pay attention”.  I sort of like the idea of Mion as a CEO.

07th-mod has translated “carry everyone’s bags” as “schlepping”.  There’s a difference between the original and PS2 of this, but I’m not sure what.  I’m also not sure Yiddish helps here.

All of Mion’s discussion of forcing K1 to wear girls’ underwear and a garter belt with the maid uniform is toned down/removed.

In possibly the lamest censorship in the entire series, “Card Master Sakura” is replaced with Keiichi thinking it was the “famous lipstick brand Sakura”.  The idea that K1 knows brands of lipstick is far less likely than the idea that he watches anime from 10+ years in the future.  I understand it had to be changed for copyright, but man.  It’s also about 20-30 lines of dialogue, including Rika saying she likes Tomoyo best.  It had to be completely rewritten.

More censorship here (this may be the most censored section in all Higurashi), removing all lines of K1 wearing the underwear and garter belt, how it feels, etc.

Mion says it would fit better if it weren’t for the big thing between his legs in the original.  Toned down to “that one body part” in the update.

Keiichi says he’ll get revenge and condemn Mion to a “public shaming” in the original, this is changed to making her wear something crazier and taking her home in the PS2.

Mion has big breasts in both versions, but in the original they’re “about to spill out”, in the update he “might catch a glimpse”.

K1 asks “Shion” if this is her first time being a waitress in the original, but it’s “at this job” in the update.

Part 3:

Chie’s love of curry is described as almost paranoid in the original, this is made “passionate” in the update.

Chie’s curry high trip originally invoked the Michelin guidebook, this is cut for copyright in the update.

Part 4:

The update adds that K1 has been told about the festival before, presumably to correct continuity.  There’s actually quite a lot changed, as he’s made more intuitive and savvy, rather than having Mion and Rena explain the whole thing again.

The thug’s “You fucking bitch” (it apparently is “fucking” in English there) is toned down in the update.

In the original, “Shion” asks if he was surprised when everyone kept showing up.  It’s just “were you surprised” in the update.

Part 5:

The otaku’s conversation was already mildly censored in the original, in the update it’s rewritten to remove any suggestion of actual places.

The “Fatass” insult is toned down.

The otaku says wiping his crotch is Shion’s punishment for spilling on his pants in the original; this is cut from the update.  As is her wiping “right down to my underwear!”.

Most of the otaku’s bathroom discussion, including some fetish stuff, is changed.

More Keiichi fat-shaming cut.  Good.

Rena calling K1 a pervert is changed to a “Hau”.

Keiichi again thinks if he carries a frilly doll around he’ll be called a pervert.  Toned down in update.

Part 6:Nothing!  (It’s a small part…)

Part 7:When asked “what sort of Rena” Keiichi wants to meet, he says one with a “90 bust size” in the original, and that she be OK with him fondling said bust.  In the update this is changed to a “model class body” and waiting on him.  Toned down.

The original has him meeting Tomitake for the first time; in the update it’s shown they’ve met before.  There are several changed lines that spin off from that.

Some toning down of the sullying of people’s souls if demons came to the village.  Not quite sure how.

A reference to the Kindaichi series was changed to “mystery novels” due to copyright and also because it’s Ryukishi07 pretending he’s not in 1983 again.

The dismemberment discussion is toned down once more.

Satoshi goes from ‘disappeared’ to ‘vanished’, which I assume makes sense in terms of Japanese nuance.

Part 8:

There’s a villager described as “bedridden” in the original who showed up at the festival.  He’s even mentioned as being a Kimiyoshi.  It’s toned down to having an illness and getting better.

Another deletion of Michelin for copyright reasons �� changed to “food critic”.

The original has Rika saying K1 would do well selling at Akihibara, and there is subsequent confusion.  The update makes it more generic.

When Shion shoves her breasts against K1, he’s called a pervert in the original, not the update.  In the original, Rika says “what about my flat chest?”, in the remake she just says it seems like fun and she’ll do it as well.

Shion’s description of Tomitake and Takano meeting is more “love love” in the original, in the update it’s meeting secretly.

Likewise, they accuse Shion and K1 of having a date, and the kanji is slightly different in the update.  This actually affects several lines.

Again, more toning down of the kanji that’s used to mean “impure” or “sullied”.

Takano says “Momotaro or Superman won’t be showing up to save everyone in this story”.  Superman is removed in the updated version.

Any line that has the demons “eating people” or cannibalism has been cut or changed to remove that.

There’s a LOT of cuts here, removal of the guts and dissection part of the description.  Takano would be so mad.

It also cuts a bit of the “do you hear it” stuff, which is a bit of a loss.

More torture cuts.  I had forgotten how much Takano goes ON and ON.

“Canned flesh” removes the flesh, of course.

“Splendid treasure trove of torture devices” is cut.

“You won’t get a Pulitzer Prize” is changed to “you won’t get a scoop”.  Removes specific reference.

Part 9:

“Mion�� telling K1 she was late as she was hung over is just changed to her being late as she stayed up late (which is, well, true…)  This affects several other lines.

“Yakuza” is toned down to “syndicate” throughout.  Expect that a lot.  It happens through the rest of this part.

Part 9 (2):This is purely a voice acting thing, but the Kimiyoshi who calls K1 late at night to ask if he’s seen the Kimiyoshi head is a “middle aged man” in the original, but a “girl who clearly wasn’t Shion” in the update.

Part 10:

Some more hangover censorship.

Something about K1 saying “stay up to read every volume in a manga series” is changed.  Not sure what.

Rena admiring Rika’s uvula is changed to Rena admiring Rika’s huge yawn.   She’s also not allowed to strangle Satoko, just have her hands around her neck.

Part 10 (2):

More yakuza censorship here, and Mion being responsible for property damage, threats and beating up the cops and dam workers is censored to remove the specific illegal acts.

Part 10 (3):Nothing!

Part 10 (4):Ooishi saying that as taxpayers “it’s like drinking our own piss!” is changed to “a soba chef eating his own soba”, which I can see why it was changed but it lacks impact.

A few other kanji reading changes that I can’t figure out.  Not major.

Part 11 (1):Nothing!

Part 11(2):

The original suspects a drug overdose “from a stimulant”, the update changes it to “drug addiction”.

Removal of Gifu, changed to a generic place.

One of my favorite parts of the original, Ooishi wondering if Keiichi saw psychotropic drugs, a poppy workshop, or Soviet and Chinese handguns in the Furude storage shed is completely excised.  Bastards!

Gifu removed again.

Part 12 (1):

I dunno what the word “rendezvous” is in Japanese, but it must be something racy, because it’s changed to “secret meeting” in the flashback here as well.  Does it imply Tomitake and Takano banging away in the woods or something?

Part 12 (2):

Implication the villagers were physically bullied is changed to “looked down on as weirdos”.

The rumor that the village was a haven for those with incurable diseases was cut.

The divorce trial going against the Hinamizawa resident because “they misrepresented their birthplace” was cut, probably to avoid attacking the government.

More removing the fact that Japan discriminated against Hinamizawa in the update.

Removal of the specific place Mion’s grandfather was stationed during the war.

More censorship of “canned flesh” to make it vaguer.

The original said Sohei’s research was more “realistic”, the update calls it “kinder”.  The update seems to be trying to show everyone’s swell deep down, really.

More cannibalism cut.

Part 12 (3):

“Mion” telling “Shion” to call herself a lowly, worthless sow is changed in the update to unbelievable fool.

“Mion” has a very detailed description of how she’ll put nails in K1’s fingers, this is cut from the PS3 (but seems to be in the PS2).

More torture removal.

The description of the stun gun as illegally modified is removed.

Epilogue 1:Nothing!

Epilogue 2:

Ooishi bringing Keiichi a basket of porn is made less obvious.

Ooishi suspecting Rika is a drug addict is changed to her being caught up in “contraband smuggling”.

Tea Party:

The description of this part as an “answer chapter” is changed to “weren’t the mysteries all solved?”.

TIP 1:

The Sonozaki business is much seedier in the original.  “loan shark, a land shark, a strip club, and a brothel” is changed to “financial business, a real estate agent, an apparel business, and in the amusement industry”.

Likewise, Mion having the blood of a loan shark in her is changed to financier.

So, this is complicated, the original has Rika saying she didn’t have money she was loaned from Mion, and Mion threatened to put her “in a bathtub”. The new MG translation made this slang phrase more explicit, saying she’d be thrown into the red-light district.  The PS update removes it entirely, making it innocent.

Likewise, Satoko’s comment about how laughable it would be to die in a bathtuib,. with all its tragic irony, is changed to “being thrown to the ground”, and Rika and K1 mocking her sexual naivete.  The PS update just makes it innocent, with no mocking.

TIP 5:

The description of the bike as a Yamaha is edited to remove the brand name

TIP 10:

Ooishi telling his fellow cops to “clench their asses” is toned down.

TIP 13:

A few minor changes that we’ve seen before:  eliminating the explicit “dismemberment”, removing references to Gifu.  Ooishi’s cigarettes are made more generic.

TIP 22:

Removing references to Russian brand guns and specific drugs.  Also changing “violent organizations” to “black market”, to remind us that the Sonozakis are kinder, gentler yakuza.

TIP 24:

A mention of the JAF is changed to the more generic “repairman”.

One more removed Gifu for the road.

[yoshizora]

ayooo

i wrote another mòrag/brighid fic instead of doing anything else productive

~2662 words, also at ao3 here as usual. largely spoiler-free i think, except for some allusion to a later heart-to-heart in fonsett 

“Word’s going round that a couple Jagrons from Godford Isle are wandering too close to Fonsett,” Rex says on an otherwise completely unremarkable morning. Of the entire group cramped around the kitchen table, only Mòrag and Tora seem to hear him, as the rest are too busy trying not to knock elbows while they help themselves to breakfast. “The village hasn’t really got any Drivers, and I already promised Mason I’d help him out with repairing that old building today, so I was wondering if…”

“Tora volunteers!” Tora eagerly waves a wing and smacks Zeke right in the face as a result. “Perfect opportunity to test out new mod for Poppi, too! What say you, Poppi?”

“Sounds like fun, Masterpon.”

Somewhat unexpectedly, Mòrag chimes in. “Brighid and I shall accompany you as well, Tora.”

“Great!” Rex smiles at them both. “That’ll take care of the Jagron problem, and we’ll still have plenty of hands for the work to be done here. Thanks, guys. Sorry to shove the task off to you.”

“Think nothing of it.”

---

Breakfast ends without any further incidents, aside from Zeke getting smacked in the face another couple times by accident, and the group splits in two for the day. Tora, Poppi, Mòrag, and Brighid set off for Ysheva Harbor, Tora leading the way with a merry march accompanied by Poppi’s mechanical rhythm.

“Tora knows that Mòrag and Brighid are super-duper powerful, but pleaaase leave some Jagron butt for Tora and Poppi to kick! Otherwise, won’t be able to test new Skill RAM properly. Okay?” Tora speaks as though they’re about to go fight some Bunnit instead, but he does have a point. If they wanted to, Mòrag and Brighid could have come out by themselves to exterminate the Jagron without any help.

“Of course. We’ll just divert their attention so you can attack them however you’d like,” Brighid says.

“What sort of modification have you whipped up this time, Tora?” Mòrag asks.

“Is called, Avenger II! Even Tora not quite sure what it will do.”

“…I see.”

Still, he sounds so excited that Mòrag can’t exactly begrudge him for that. It doesn’t take much longer for them to arrive at the neighboring island. The usual Bunnits are nowhere in sight, probably due to the presence of a pair of large Jagrons pawing around at the sand and grass. Mòrag draws her whipswords and Brighid automatically follows behind. It looks like there aren’t any people at the docks this morning, but it would still be best to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

“Tora, Poppi. Wait until they’re focused on me before you begin attacking.”

“Roger-roger!”

“Azure Striker, Form the Second: Blaze!”

True to their word, Mòrag and Brighid refrain from instantly burning the Jagrons into ashes, instead using the flames to draw their attention as Tora and Poppi run behind them. The Jagrons snarl and claw at Mòrag, so furious when their target deftly weaves around all their attacks that they hardly even pay any mind to the hits coming from behind.

“Wowow, friend Mòrag so fast, Jagrons can’t even touch her…”

“Tora! Less prattling, more battling!” Mòrag shouts. She strikes at the Jagrons’ feet with a flurry of flames when they turn just for a moment to see what’s been hitting at them from behind, and they both resume focusing all their attacks on her. Even Brighid appears somewhat concerned; with Mòrag purely on the defensive to allow Tora and Poppi to hit them as many times as they want, she’s beginning to wear out as the fight drags on longer than necessary.

“Friend Mòrag have very good point, Masterpon.”

“R-Right! Leave it to Tora! And Poppi! Steady Drill!”

“Lady Mòrag, watch out—!” Brighid calls out a split second too late. The Jagrons, now enraged, suddenly begin to move more erratically, and one of them spits something at Mòrag— and hits her, just as Tora and Poppi finally fell the first of the beasts. The remaining Jagron howls and strikes at Mòrag while she’s stunned, sending her tumbling to the ground. Brighid looks as though she’s about to rush right to her side but hesitates for some reason.

“Hold on, Tora and Poppi to the rescue! One more hit, Poppi! Big Boost!”

At last, the second Jagron collapses, dead. Mòrag is slowly sitting up, rubbing the back of her head and muttering something under her breath. “Urgh…”

“Tora so sorry! If Tora had not been distracted by Mòrag’s fancy footwork, would have been able to beat Jagrons much more quickly!”

“You make it sound as though it was my fault, Tora.”

Poppi flaps her arms as if she’s trying to fly off into the sky. “Please forgive Masterpon’s very poor choice in wording!”

Mòrag looks to Brighid, noticing that she’s keeping her distance and looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Brighid? What is…”

Then the stench hits her nose.

“… Ah.”

“That Jagron’s attack…” Brighid coughs into her fist, still making no move to come any closer to her Driver. “I’m sorry, Lady Mòrag, but the smell is unbearable.”

“Is true! Tora’s nose just about to fall right off! Peeewey!”

“Poppi doesn’t mind. Because Poppi cannot smell anything!”

“… Right. Thank you, Poppi.”

Maybe she should have told Tora and Poppi to stay with the others and come out to take care of the Jagrons alone with Brighid. Ah, well, too late to linger on poor decisions. Mòrag pushes herself up to her feet and tries not to gag, her mood taking a steep nosedive when she looks down at her ruined uniform. So much for an easy mission.

“On the bright side, test of new Skill RAM a complete success! Tora decide it is rather useless after all!”

Wonderful.

---

Thankfully, the others are still off on the other side of the village when they return, so Mòrag’s dignity is spared any jokes from Zeke or nose-wrinkles from the rest. Tora is quick to babble some excuse to get away from her and run off, supposedly to help everyone else, calling for Poppi to hurry along and keep up. It’s much more quiet now that she’s alone… with Brighid.

With Brighid, who is still walking several meters behind her.

“Is it really that bad, Brighid?”

“I wish I could say it isn’t.”

Mòrag sighs, and coughs. It really is bad, actually. She’s not quite sure why she didn’t jump out of the way fast enough, maybe it was because she was trying to keep an eye on Tora and Poppi, maybe because of other reasons, all of which are basically pointless to mull over now. Unsure where else to go, she heads for Corinne’s, half-hoping for Brighid to go tell her to swim in the Cloud Sea instead.

She doesn’t. Corinne, tending to the garden out front, puts a hand over her nose as Mòrag approaches. At least she doesn’t look too bothered.

“Before you say anything, it’s alright, I’ve smelled much worse from the children,” she says, an unsaid and Rex strongly hinted at the end. “Go on, then, the washroom is all yours.”

“… Thank you.”

They head inside. Mòrag pauses at the washroom and turns to Brighid, who’s still keeping her distance. “You don’t have to stay with me. Go join the others, if you’d like.”

Perhaps the hurt in her voice was too evident, because Brighid’s posture suddenly appears rather sheepish for a very brief moment, her flames flickering. “I’ll heat the water up for you.”

“There’s no need. If the smell truly is bothering you, I won’t keep you here.”

“You’re too gracious, Lady Mòrag.”

Assuming that’s that, she enters the washroom and closes the door behind her before she can see the look on Brighid’s face. Better just wash up and pretend like the whole thing never happened, then. Still, for the Empire’s most powerful Driver to be hit with such an affliction is just… undignified. Embarrassing. Mòrag runs a hand over her face with a long exhale and quickly sheds her uniform, still carefully folding the pieces even though it’s in dire need of a washing.

She’s just finished drawing the water and settling down in the tub when there’s a soft knock at the door. “Lady Mòrag? If I may come in?”

Ah. Mòrag pulls her knees up to her chest and half-heartedly glares at the surface of the water. The fact that this bothers her more than it should is only exacerbating it even more, which is wholeheartedly annoying all in itself. In the end, it’s like she’s just bothering herself, isn’t she?

“You may.”

Brighid offers an apologetic smile as she enters, carrying a bundle in her arms. She closes the door behind her and sets the bundle down on a small wooden stool. “I hurt your feelings, didn’t I?”

“Not at all.”

“You’re pouting, Lady Mòrag.”

“What?”

“It’s because I wouldn’t come near you, isn’t it?”

“That’s not…”

But Brighid just chuckles and sits on the edge of the tub, dragging her fingers through the water, too close to Morag’s skin. “I’m sorry. Really.”

“I never said it was something to apologize for.”

“The look on your face said enough.” She dips her hand in, and Mòrag can feel the water already getting warmer. “It’s actually kind of funny. You’ve never been this open before. The influence of the Aegis and her Driver knows no bounds, apparently.”

Mòrag knows exactly what she’s talking about, but. “What are you saying, Brighid?”

“What I’m saying, is that the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain would have pretended like she didn’t even notice the smell, and expected me to act accordingly as well. I believe you’ve changed, Lady Mòrag.”

The water’s getting close to scalding now, but not uncomfortably so. Mòrag watches the water bubble around Brighid’s wrist and pulls her knees to her chest more tightly. “I am still the Special Inquisitor.”

“I know. You’re still Mòrag Ladair.” She pulls her hand out of the water and smiles at Mòrag. “And I still enjoy your company quite a lot.”

“Even when I stink of Jagron breath?” Oh, great, that sounded like a child’s retort. Perhaps Brighid is spot-on after all. Mòrag slips down lower into the water until her mouth is submerged.

“Yes. Even when you stink of Jagron breath.” Brighid kneels on the floor beside the tub and rests her arms along the edge. “Also, if you don’t mind me saying, you look quite good with a pout like that.”

Mòrag slowly shakes her head and extends her legs as far as they’ll go in the cramped wooden tub. “I am not the only one who has changed, seems like.”

“Mmh. We both have, haven’t we? Even though we’ll always be the same people, really…” They go silent for a moment, pondering the implications behind those words. Then Brighid quickly grabs a washcloth and bucket. “Here. Let me wash your hair for you, Lady Mòrag. It’s the least I could do. I even bought some herbal shampoo and a set of clothes for you to wear while your uniform is being cleaned.”

The washroom is small, and old, and not terribly clean in the corners, but Mòrag is still reminded of their days in the luxury of Hardhaigh Palace when they’d bathe together in Mòrag’s private baths. She misses a great deal of things even though their group’s been visiting Alba Cavanich frequently enough, but those days had been so vastly different from the nows when Mòrag takes a Jagron Corpse Frenzy attack head-on for the sake of a Nopon and his artificial Blade, when said Nopon and artificial Blade are just trying out new modifications.

She relaxes and closes her eyes as Brighid’s fingers work at her scalp. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you, in these tumultuous times.”

“Change isn’t so bad when you’re able to face it with a loved one, isn’t it?”

“Mmh.”

---

Despite their polite protests, Corinne takes on the laundry to allow Mòrag and Brighid time to relax in the village together after such a hectic morning. Mòrag doesn’t feel quite like herself in the clothes that Brighid had provided for her; they’re simple and the kind of thing that someone from Fonsett would wear, not the most powerful Driver of the Empire. But Brighid says that she looks soft in a nice way, so Mòrag has no objections.

“Who on Alrest is that with Brighid?” Zeke is the first to point her out when they go to regroup with everyone else. “Is that the Flamebringer? Really? Wearing the outfit of the common village folk?”

“Shut it, Zeke,” Mòrag calmly responds.

“Never said it’s a bad thing, Mòrag!”

“Hey! Mòrag, Brighid! Tora said you guys were a great help with taking down those Jagrons!” Rex waves from the rooftop, brandishing a hammer. “Thanks a bunch! We’re just about finishing up here, actually.”

Nia strides up to Mòrag and narrows her eyes, scrutinizing her up close. “… You’re like a whole different person, without that hat and uniform. S’weird.”

“Come now, Nia, surely you didn’t think I was permanently affixed to that one set of clothing.”

“‘Course not! I’m just saying! … It’s not a bad look at all, actually. Makes you look less imposing.”

“Is that so? Well, perhaps I could benefit from softening my image around the rest of you from time to time.”

All work on the building stops. Rex would have fallen off the roof if not for Pyra’s quick reflex to grab his arm. “Really? Y’mean that, Mòrag?”

“Well, why not?”

“Because you’re so… you?” Zeke scratches his head. “I mean, you’re the Special Inquisitor of Mor Ardain, for crying out loud.”

“Well, I like that!” Pyra declares. “Mòrag should do whatever makes her feel more comfortable. We should all support that too, right? So let’s not push her in the spotlight whenever she’s out of uniform.” She smiles down to Mòrag, still holding onto Rex’s arm. “You look lovely, Mòrag. I mean it.”

“That’s— also what I meant. I guess,” Nia turns away, arms crossed. “Not word for word, but you get it.”

“Yup, never hurts to go casual now and then,” Zeke says.

The conversation naturally lulls off into something else— something about Tora eating too many Tasty Sausages for his own good— as work on the building continues. Pyra insists that Brighid and Mòrag go enjoy the rest of the day by themselves since they already have more than enough hands for the work, and with not much else to do they take her up on that offer.

Mòrag slips her hand into Brighid’s once they’re out of sight and alone amongst the trees. The breeze gently tousles her hair, unrestrained from her usual hat, and Brighid wonders if she’d ever seen a lovelier sight in all her previous incarnations.

“You’re right. I’ve been changing.” She looks out at the Cloud Sea, a small smile on her face. “I will always be true to my duties to the Empire and His Majesty, but someday… perhaps, if it’s allowed, I’d like to live in a place like this. With you, Brighid.”

Something in both their chests flutter and Brighid squeezes her hand, her flames gently licking at Mòrag’s skin without burning. “Is that how you really feel?”

She nods. “It is exactly as you said. I can face any changes that are yet to come, as long as you are by my side.”

When they’re like this, together, fingers entwined and the heat of their hearts beating as one, it’s almost difficult to imagine that the end of the world is a very real possibility that creeps ever closer. The days of peace are not to be taken for granted, they know. They can banter with the others, run tasks for the villagers, fight Jagrons, hold hands, act like everything is okay— and everything will be okay. The future doesn’t seem so bad, at this moment.

Brighid leans into her, her smile wistful yet warm. “Someday then, Lady Mòrag.”

“Yes. Someday.”