#sheena thinks too much

[dany36]

Man, Fighting of the Spirit is like one of THE best battle themes I’ve ever heard in a video game. The first time you hear it in Symphonia is when fighting Undine, but hearing it right after Sheena finds the courage to face Volt, KNOWING all the pain and deaths her earlier failure caused, ON TOP OF having just lost her best friend, just hits so differently. Like, here is Sheena facing her biggest fear, for which she was ostracized by everyone in her village, but this time she is not alone!!! She is fighting alongside her friends, and she succeeds!!! Just ughhhhh I love this part of the game so damn much 😭😭❤️❤️

[lokisprettygirl]

My Love is mine, All mine (18+) (CEO! Daemon Targaryen x Female Reader) (Non Canon -Modern AU)

Read Chapter 3 here // Series Masterlist

Chapter 4

Summary : After you realise that you're the problem in this relationship, you come to a difficult decision.

Warning: 18+, smut, insecurities, miscarriage , mention of abuse, smoking, extreme insecurities and trust issues, mention of infertility, reader has anxiety, mention of infidelity.

He could hear the sound of faint crying coming from the closed bathroom door, causing him to wake up abruptly. He tapped on the side of the bed but you weren't there so he sat up and turned the lights on. As soon as he looked at your side of the bed his heart sank into his guts, there was a patch of blood where you slept and he knew what had transpired. He immediately got out of bed and rushed towards the bathroom door, only to find it locked from the inside.

“Y/n? My Love..open up ..I'm right here” Daemon begged as he knocked repeatedly on the bathroom door, eyes welled up as he spoke but all he heard in response was the sound of your cries.

He had to break the door to step in there and he knew the scene would haunt him until the end of his days.

You sat there soaked in your blood on the bathroom floor, your wailing shrieking through the walls. You were three months pregnant and the doctors had warned you and Daemon of the potential risks but you wanted to try, for both of you, but most of all for him. You knew how much he wanted to have children.

“Ohh my love” he immediately bent down and wrapped his arms around you to hug you as tightly as he could, nothing he could have said in that moment would have comforted you so he just stayed quiet and allowed you to let it all out.

“I'm sorry I'm so sorry I'm sorry dae.. it's all ..my fault” you mumbled between your broken cries so he shushed you gently, he won't allow you to blame yourself for this, never, none of this was your fault.

Daemon would always place you at the top of his priorities, nothing else would ever matter more to him than you.

He looked at you sharply as if you had asked him a question that was too ridiculous to comprehend for him.

“What?” He asked you so you sighed,a hint of frustration evident in his voice. You immediately regretted opening your mouth, knowing that nothing good would come of this.

“Sheena..do you think she's attractive? Are you attracted to her?” You tried to soften your tone as you repeated your question, but even you could hear how unreasonable it sounded after the question you had posed.

He looked down at the towel he was holding in his hand before he tossed it in the corner of the room.

“Is this what it is about hmm? That's why you're acting this way?”

He asked you as he stepped closer to you so you crossed your arms, eyes teared up as you found yourself on a spot. Your insecurities were getting the best of you, you felt unsure of how to express your emotions in a healthy way.

“You didn't answer my question” his jaw clenched as you said that.

“Answer what? Hmm? What do you want to know here huh? You want to know if I'm fucking my secretary behind your back?” Your eyes welled up as he said that, you could see his frustration spilling over as he spoke, his voice rising with each word. It was clear he was hurt, he never got upset with you, anger wasn't inherent in him, he only ever got agitated when he was tired and hurt, and right now in this moment he felt it all at once.

“Just answer the question” your lips trembled as you responded and his eyes teared up as well so he sighed and sat down on the bed, that white t shirt he had worn made you want to cuddle him and protect him from your insecurities, but you couldn't bring yourself to touch him in that moment. You had said too much to step back now.

“What do you want me to say y/n?” The longer he dodged the question, the worse you felt, all he had to say was that no you were being ridiculous, that she was hideous and he didn't find her attractive at all.

“Truth..tell me the truth”

You spoke as you sat down at the edge of the bed a feet away from him, you knew that this was a question that could cause more harm than good, and you didn't know if you were ready to hear the answer.

“You're my wife..i married you because I knew i could do this with you all my life” he answered

“That's not my question Daemon -”

“She's attractive yeah” he mumbled quickly and your eyes welled up as you looked down to keep your tears at bay, this was like your worst nightmare coming true and your heart would have ceased to beat if he hadn't finished his sentence “That is not to say that I'm attracted to her like that..it's just that I'm not blind y/n” he looked at you lovingly as he said that even though he was still agitated.

“I wish that it would have made me feel better but it doesn't” you said to him so he leaned down to grab your hand as he propped his weight on his elbows.

“You have nothing to worry about here..i promised to never hurt you like that and i won't..we have had this conversation before” his voice was soft as he rubbed his fingers over your skin, the warmth of his skin offered you a small sense of comfort.

“Fine..if you say so..I just know she's into you” you said to him so he sighed deeply.

“She's not baby..she's a capable employee and that's the only reason why she was hired”

“I see the way she looks at you Daemon and I'm never wrong about these things” he placed his head down on the back of your hand for a moment before he looked up at you again

“What do you want me to do then? Want me to fire her because you have a suspicion?”

“Don't do anything like that..I'm not trying to cut someone off their livelihood” you pulled your hand away from him as you got under the covers and pretended to sleep. He couldn't sleep that night, he knew you had trust issues because of your previous relationship but he didn't know the extent of it.

Sheena wasn't the first one, Daemon had to let go of an employee before as well because you had a suspicion that she had developed feelings for him but you weren't wrong at the time.

With Sheena however he didn't think she felt this way about him, she was very professional with him at work and sure there was a sense of admiration from both sides, he appreciated her capabilities in the field and he admired her zeal but that didn't mean that he wanted to fuck her or held any sort of sexual intentions towards her.

The moment he had proposed you he had made a vow that he'd never put you through betrayal, he knew the unimaginable trauma it caused and he would never become the reason for it, you were the love of his life and you'd be his only forever but in moments like he didn't know how to convince you that he wasn't out to hurt you.. that he just wanted to love you and take care of you all his life.

He got extremely blessed when you had stumbled upon his life by chance, before he met you he was not keen on relationships or having a partner but you came into his life and showed him that he didn't have to do this all alone , you stood by him when he didn't even have hundred pounds in his bank account, you became the beacon of hope for him, an ember in the darkness, when he was the lowest you kept encouraging him to move forward then how could you even think that he'd ever hurt you so cruelly and lose all of this, how could you think that he'd be okay after losing you?

Before you his invention and his business was the only thing that held any importance to him but now none of this would matter one penny if he didn't have you here with him, none of it would make any sense if he didn't have a home where his wife wasn't waiting to hold him in her arms at the end of the day.

Next morning when you both woke up there was a wall of tension between you two, like everyday you put out his clothes for him, you kept everything prepared for him, you made sure he had his breakfast but none of you spoke to each other in words.

The silence was deafening.

Daemon had planned to leave the house and give you some time to cool down, but he couldn't just walk out the door knowing that you were feeling so unsettled. He took a deep breath and turned back around, heading towards the bedroom and that's when he found you on the bed with your head down and knees pulled into your chest.

The sight froze him so for a moment he just stood there and watched you cry, the sound of you sniffling revered him back to reality so he loosened his tie and put down his laptop bag to walk towards the bed.

As soon as you heard the sound of his footsteps you looked up and wiped your tears.

He proceeded to sit down at the bed facing you, one leg still touching the floor while the other rested on the soft mattress as he turned towards you.

As his phone rang he picked it up immediately but his eyes were on your features, you looked into those hazel irises but found yourself unable to hold the gaze for long. The moment between you two felt so uncertain after such a long time, none of you knew what the other was going to reveal.

“Push it back..I'll be late today, something important has come up” that's all he said as he hung up the phone and turned it off altogether to give you his undivided attention.

“Are you going to talk to me now?” His voice was soft but full of determination as he tilted his head to pierce your eyes.

“I'm just not feeling good” you mumbled meekly so he nodded.

“Mmmhm ..what can I do to make it better?”

You looked down as he said that, you felt like a burden in that moment, he shouldn't have to bear the burden of your broken spirit and your insecurities, he wasn't the cause of it so why were you making him feel responsible for it?

“Nothing..I'm fine Daemon..you should go to work” you shrugged your shoulders as you spoke, though him leaving was the last thing you wanted,

“I don't want to”

“What do you want then?”

“I want us to talk so when I step out of here i'd be assured that my wife is not crying herself to a headache all alone” he replied gently, his eyes showing concern as he looked into yours.

“It's not your fault that I feel so …inadequate all the time, it's not your fault that you being in the presence of other women - beautiful women.. is enough to send me into a fury” his eyes teared up as heard your soft low murmurs, he didn't really show it but he felt his heart breaking at the sight of you feeling this way for days and not sharing it with him. A lump formed in his throat that rendered him unable to speak.

“Keep talking” his tone was gentle but firm at the same time, he wasn't going to let go of this matter until he had you happy and giggling in his arms again.

“Nobody has ever loved me the way you have..I didn't even know I could be loved so deeply before I met you but now I do.. and the thought of losing you and all this love you have brought into my life terrifies me every second. I fear that one day you'll wake up and regret this life with me, regret the time you have wasted on me, I fear that someday a better woman would just sweep you away and I'd be left all alone with a broken heart and no will to move forward”

As you finished your sentence you broke into another fit of cry, that's when tears rolled down his eyes as well, all this time you felt this way and he had no clue, he stays so occupied with the work that he has no time to consider that he's never here for you when you need him the most.

He grabbed your feet and dragged you closer to him until he had you in his arms, his embrace was tight and comforting, fingers scratched your scalp while his lips placed feathered kisses on your neck.

“The only way you'd ever lose me is if I leave this world before you, until then you have all my love and all my loyalty.. I'm all yours my darling”

Your fingers clenched around his neck as he said that, you couldn't lose him in anyways.

“I don't feel enough for you, I can't even give you a child” you cried in his arms so he pulled away a little and cupped your cheeks between his palms.

“I don't want one if it's not with you..we talked about this sweetheart, we agreed to adopt someday hmm? You remember that?”

He mumbled softly as his fingers caressed your cheek to wipe your dripping tears “Don't feel enough for me? Darling I'm nothing without you..all this work that I'm doing, the money that I'm making, it's for both of us, you're the only reason I wake up everyday and feel grateful about this life” he pecked your lips softly while you just stared into his eyes mindlessly, you were listening to him and as assured as his words made you feel a part of you feared he was saying these things just to comfort you because you had made such a big deal out of this thing that was nothing to begin with.

“What if you fall out of love with me Daemon, what if you find someone who makes you happier than I do and is able to give you everything you deserve” you asked him and he felt defeated, he felt as if you weren't even listening to him.

“What if you do? What if you find a man that would love you enough that you wouldn't feel as awful as you're feeling right now..do you have an answer?”

When he reversed the situation you realized how toxic and cruel you were being to him at the moment. Nobody would ever love you the way he did and perhaps that's how he felt about you as well but you didn't know how to reach that point in life where you'd start to believe that you were enough for him.

“You love me enough Daemon”

“And you're enough..more than enough, all these negative thoughts that you have about yourself, all such notions that you're lesser than every other woman out there, they're not true or real in any which ways, if you could see yourself the way I do you'd be able to see your true value”

His voice was soft and gentle, as it always had been with you, words dipped in honey melted in your ears, he was there, he was so close and he wanted to be yours all your life. So why couldn't you just let go of your worries and live in the moment? Why did you have to ruin your present thinking about the future?

“Don't you dare disrespect my precious wife this way, I'm letting it slide this time, I won't be so generous in the future” his lips latched onto yours as he finished his words, he laid you down on the bed underneath him as the kiss got heated with every passing second.

“You should go to work” you mumbled between the kiss so he looked you in the eye and shook his head.

“No..ask me to stay, tell me that you want me to stay here” he murmured against your mouth and the husky tone of his voice made you feel tingly all over..

“What about –”

“Ask me to stay y/n and be nice” he spoke again and whatever resistance you had was gone now as well.

“Will you please stay with me today?”

“That's my girl..see you could be polite and ask me when you need me here”

“I need you all the time dae..I can't expect you to drop everything and serve me everytime I'm having a fit”

“Why not? You're my wife..that's the least I can do for you”

He grabbed the hem of your dress and lifted it over your thighs, his fingers slid between your legs as he rubbed your clothed cunt, the ragged moan escaped your throat as you felt the sweet familiar sensation building.

“We need to communicate more often, you need to talk to me about these thoughts you get, why do you feel as if you can't share these things with me?”

He asked you so you sighed but that sigh turned into a gasp as he lowered down your underwear and slid his cock inside you, you felt every inch of his girth moving in slowly.

“You don't talk to me either, you hire a new secretary and don't tell me, you start smoking again and don't share with me” his lips pursed as you said that before he leaned down to kiss you.

“I'm sorry about that ok?”

“Okay I'm sorry as well..i didn't mean to accuse you of anything.. I'm just scared”

You truly wished everything was fixed after the conversation and that sweet sweet love making, you wished all your insecurities were magically gone after the efforts he had made to look after you but that wasn't true at all. You still feared Sheena, you still worried that she was out to steal your man, at times you felt a bit too full of yourself and your husband but then how could you deny your eyes, how could you not feel worried when you watched Sheena batting her eyelashes at him everytime he looked her way.

Daemon celebrated his birthday with the people of the office every year, they would get together and throw a party for him to show him their appreciation for being such a good Boss and this year Sheena had gone out of her way to make him feel special, she bought him a gadget that he'd most definitely appreciate, she invited people he hadn't seen in a long time, she did everything you should have done for him.

Throughout the party Daemon kept his eyes on you to make sure you were feeling okay so you gave him a fake smile but you couldn't do this anymore, you felt suffocated and you knew you'd combust if you had stayed there for a moment longer

“I'll see you at home then?” Daemon asked you softly as you stated your need to go home early, he'd have gone with you but that would have seemed disrespectful to the folks.

Your eyes moistened as you knew that by the time he'd come home you wouldn't be there, you didn't want to hurt him like this but you had to, you had to get away from him to protect both of you and this relationship that you knew would end if you wouldn't stop hurting him with your baseless accusations.

Before you left you held onto him as lovingly as you could and kissed him for all the days you won't be able to do so in future.

Daemon sighed as he watched you walk away, he didn't want you to leave but you insisted so he didn't want to put you under more stress.

After you left he had to finish some work so he excused himself and went to his cabin and Sheena followed him immediately, as she entered his cabin he looked at her a bit confused,

“I won't be needing you Sheena, you can enjoy the party” he mumbled as politely as he could but instead of leaving she closed the door behind her.

“I'd just like to sit in peace if you don't mind sir” she spoke in a tone that made him feel that she wasn't feeling well so he asked her to sit down.

“Everything good?” He enquired even though his eyes were focused on the laptop so she sighed and groaned in response

“It's just Carl” she mumbled meekly so he looked at her, Carl was the boyfriend she had told him about.

“Why do you suffer with him Sheena, you are capable enough of leaving this thing” he told her so she looked down and didn't say anything, her eyes teared up so she placed her palm over her eyes and now he felt bad. He had no clue what was actually going on in her personal life so he shouldn't have given unsolicited advice.

He pulled out his kerchief and got up to walk around the desk to console her. What was he supposed to do with a crying woman? He cared about all of his employees and never wanted to see them distressed.

She stood up as he approached her and grabbed the kerchief from his hand to wipe her tears

“If you need help Sheena, just ask for it alright?” He spoke in a gentle tone so she looked up at him and then out of nowhere she suddenly leaned into him to kiss him, he immediately grabbed her hands to stop her from doing whatever she was going to do further.

“What are you doing?” He asked her sharply, his brows furrowed in annoyance, he had defended his employee in front of his wife but it seemed now that you were right about your suspicion again.

“Y/n is a lucky woman to have you and she doesn't even appreciate it”

He had never heard Sheena speak to him in such a way so he was shocked and disappointed at the same time. Sheena was a smart and beautiful girl, he appreciated her but not in this way.

“What the fuck is wrong with you Sheena? Are you drunk? And don't you dare speak of my girl as if you know her” he warned her to watch her mouth, there's no way he'd allow an employee of his to disrespect his wife this way.

“I know her, and I see how she treats you”

“Shut up” he raised his voice and stepped away from her before she could lean into him again, he didn't want to get so angry like this but he knew he had this new problem that he had to fix now, he couldn't have a secretary working for him if she harbored such feelings towards him.He felt even worse when he thought about your intuitions regarding her, you were definitely always right about such things…

“I'm so sorry sir..i think i misunderstood our relationship and I'm very drunk right now.. please don't fire me..I'm really sorry” she spoke between her cries so he sighed in response.

“Just go.. I can't even look at you right now”

He just wanted to go home and apologize to you for this, he wanted to talk to you about this and let you know that you weren't wrong but as he reached home that night he didn't find you anywhere, you were gone someplace far away from him.

And you definitely didn't want him to find you anytime soon.

😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔

Taglist

@anukulee @erebus-et-eigengrau @daenny-t @123forgottherest @mcufan72 @dixie-elocin @shuichiakainx @ammo23 @stupidthoughtsinwriting @avalyaaa

[extremereader]

Team Red: A Carmen Sandiego AU I came up with yesterday

Basically, Sheena, Gray, Jean-Paul, and Antonio (Tigress, Crackle, Le Chevre, and El Topo) all defect from VILE with Carmen.

Since I don't have anything actually written for this AU, have some headcanons from it.

Sheena and Ivy are a couple

Gray's got asthma, it's really tripped him up on some cases

They tackle VILE's crimes in groups of two or three, so that they can get extra work done

The boys are CONSTANTLY competing over who's got the nicer home country. Whenever Carmen goes to Brazil, France, America, or Australia, Jean-Paul, Zach, Antonio, or Gray is constantly yapping about how great it is.

Player, Ivy, and Sheena think it's the stupidest thing in the universe

Since so many of them quit at once, VILE is trying harder to get them all back. This means the Faculty and the Cleaners are out in the field more.

I don't plan on actually writing too much with this, so by all means, make content of it so long as you tell people who made it.

[ackerifle]

Thoughts on the type of reader that Yandere Levi would fall for?? Headcanon’s if possible!

yours sincerely!

yan. levi ackerman x fem. reader

+ CW. — headcanon’s: reverse power dynamics/power imbalance deadlock, abuse of power & authority, mass enablers; awfully casual in comparison to previous works; not proof-read.

if i were to be so blatantly honest, i’d always thought levi would truly only be prone to falling in love with the first person who taught him how to read.

an absolute requisite quality, and there are far too many (unnecessary) layers to this particular headcanon that i simply must go into because i’ve overthought this concept an unfathomable amount of times. for one, it locks into every trope i enjoy, so forgive me because this will be extremely self-indulgent; someone who is literate would have likely had a good upbringing, perhaps hailing from wall sheena or even the royal capital, or someone in a position of power. it’s plausible to think that those living in wall maria, the underground, and even certain regions in wall rose are illiterate due to the fact that reading and writing is, in itself, a display of wealth and power during this time. and naturally, those who would have understood any cohesive form of text would have (presumably) been raised or lived in the more affluent areas within the walls.

however, all of the ranked officials of the survey corps are required to know how to read, for rather obvious reasons. the commander, section commander, captains and vice captains, even the squad leaders; it’s near indisputable that they all must know. and considering that levi is promoted to a captain position later in his life, it is needless to say he does eventually acquire the skill that is: learning the written language. i find it highly improbable that he was ever taught to understand it prior to becoming a legal citizen of the three walls, both due to lack of need (as there were more important matters that took priority), and because who would have taught him? surrounded by a populace that is already struggling and competing for basic necessities, traditional educational values such as reading and writing would never come of use when the main objective has always been to live.

aside from his upbringing and origins, i think levi’s lack of literary knowledge would be an insecurity of his, at least initially. levi is praised time and time again for being strong, but writing can be such a sophisticated skill— a stark contrast to what he has known, and it does something to his pride. so for someone to take the time and effort, especially if it were someone of importance to the corps. one who is already quite busy and most certainly has better things to do than lend a hand to a complete stranger who has been nothing but insolent and unpleasant, one who gets absolutely nothing in return but still takes the time to teach him, to be understanding, to be unprejudiced and to not mock him for something he couldn’t help, something he cannot be faulted for not knowing; then i think levi would fall hard for them. the act alone demonstrates patience and a genuine kindness, with a touch of respect, and levi hasn’t gotten much of any of that in his life.

additionally, someone who is emotionally intelligent with good judgment. how come? because we always want what we cannot have. now, that isn’t to say levi isn’t emotionally intelligent, he is quite in touch with his own feelings and that of others, but it is the fact that he has difficulties— or rather, lack of means to express them that he has issues with. levi is greatly accustomed to being misinterpreted by others, his intentions and sentiments aren’t always clear because he grew up in an environment where they weren’t allowed to be; so to be met with acceptance, even if it may not be fully grasped, or perhaps indifference entirely, it would be something new, something different, but something levi would be okay with.

after the passing of furlan and isabel, the only two people who would ever come close to being family to him, there are only a handful of people levi maintains any sort of strong bond with (in fear of losing even more), and only very few will ever witness such rare moments of vulnerability from him. but if someone were to read him in such a way where he simply couldn’t deny his emotions and feelings, where he just couldn’t hide from them, then just maybe they could teach him how to love as well. and perhaps i (mis)characterize levi too much like a scared little boy in spite of the fact that he’s a whole grown ass man pushing forty, but really, that is how i perceive yandere levi. he has faced too many losses to count, and levi is not the type to fall victim to love’s clutches so easily, but when he does, he just won’t let go.

and as for good judgment? someone who is decisive, confident in their own insight, with enough forethought to have the best interest of others in mind, but is pragmatically self-aware. as much as i can appreciate and acknowledge the insane potential of levi having a darling who is on the innocent side, naïve and even possibly sheltered, i personally find it much more appealing to pair him with someone who has witnessed and withstood the horrors of the world first-hand; as that alone would strengthen the chemistry between you two, a shared experience that truly touches the heart. a darling who is not instilled with false hopes, nor blinded by a romanticized picture of life to the point of delusion, but one that can balance their rationality and compassion. you’re mentally sound, until you’re not. because while i’d imagine his darling to be, bluntly, a very sane person, one who is begrudgingly tolerant to his antics and peculiar mannerisms, that also doesn’t have the heart to push him away; i simultaneously believe that levi would engage in borderline childish banter with you. he wants to be the reason you feel things because you cause him to feel things.

levi may be regarded as a man of brute force, but that isn’t to say he won’t delve into the intricacies of the human mind. taking into account where he was brought up and the survival skills necessary to navigate life, manipulation may not be his preferred method but if it is the one that works, then so be it. and it’s more so cunning if anything, he works you well because he knows you well. and this has been a long time coming, but let me just outright state my fondness for: the utilization of reversed power dynamics specifically with levi’s darling. someone who should logistically have more power than levi. whether that be in the military, socially, politically, or even financially; but simply cannot win because levi is irreplaceable and literally that in demand for humanity’s success. it makes it all the more hurtful when the enablers to his behavior are your equally respected peers who have no intention of helping you. ultimately choosing to feign ignorance because a single person’s suffering is worth keeping levi.

would he be able to bother and pester you had you been of lower ranking to begin with? most definitely, but as nice as it is to have someone — like a cadet, per se — follow his every whim because they have to, because that’s how the hierarchy intends, it is so much more rewarding and gratifying to bring someone above you to their knees— literally and figuratively. conquering you— no, having you, is the greatest gift there is. and just like everything in levi’s life, it is an achievement well earned, something he has worked hard for, rather than handed to him on a silver platter. of course, you are an individual, he does not strictly see you as a possession to be won or prize to be had, but you are also his. so in a way, you are, recompense for the hardships and miseries (amongst other atrocities) that levi has had to endure for god knows how long. and as humble as he is, levi’s a little entitled to some sort of compensation, no?

[richea]

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of "paths" in Symphonia and how it impacts each of the characters, so I wanted to talk about this a little bit. It's such a big theme of the game and it's pretty interesting just how much the narrative hinges on it, with Mithos' final line talking about how he would never sway from his.

Leaving this under the cut because it's long.

Lloyd: His path is something that he carves with his heart and resolve. It is resolute but not to the point where he would make sacrifices to reach his destination. Essentially, he sets a destination but is willing to take detours if the situation calls for it. When there's a split in the road and when he must make a choice, he will forge a new path if he doesn't like either option. The path he paves can be a form of salvation to those who are lost and cannot find their own.

Colette: Colette's path was set in stone from the minute she was born. It is something unavoidable. Even should she lose herself, she must take each and every painful step down it. While it's a beacon of hope to others, it is one many would turn around and run away from at any cost, should they know what lies at the end of it. It is stained in the blood of those passed but at the end of it, Colette hopes to find peace.

Genis: There are many branching paths on his road. Some lead to Mithos and some lead to Lloyd. Perhaps in a different world, he would have his own, drowned in tears and loneliness, spiraling in various uncontrolled directions, but thankfully, the beacon known as Lloyd's helps prove he's going in the right direction.

Raine: Of everyone in the game I would argue Raine has the most agency in her own path. Of course her mother placed her on the road she walks, but from there, Raine paved her own way. She takes guidance when necessary, but ultimately she trusts herself enough to do what she believes is right with the things that she has learned. Rather, she has to be the one to carve her own path. Not only is she doing so for herself, but for her brother too. For all of the people who trust her. She is a role model, but not without her own struggles.

Sheena: This path has many branching points but there are pressures that set her down in certain directions. It's one not unlike Lloyd's, though the expectations placed on her decisions are far greater. When it comes down to it, no matter how resolute she may feel, she never fears running down a different path if the situation calls for it. If her emotions are screaming to her that "this isn't right". Perhaps some may call her a coward, but is there any such thing as a wrong walk of life?

Zelos: What Zelos wants is change. He is being pulled in different directions. He cannot decide whether to go with his gut, or to listen to his friends, or to follow his fate. That is not an easy choice to make. All he knows is he wants change. He wants to break the status quo no matter what, and if that means going down the dark path, so be it. But, like Sheena, is there any such thing as a wrong path to take. No matter which road he goes down, there are people who are going to resent him. That is the price he must pay for being alive. Or so he believes.

Presea: This path started with many, many branches, but tapered into one, stagnant, incredibly dull route. There were no other options for her but to keep pressing down it in hopes that eventually, maybe, there would be something at the end. It was not due to her resolve, but rather a lack of direction. A lack of agency. If you don't like the path life hands you, why not find a new one? This was an ability that had been robbed from her. Cold, steel gates were put up around the path, after all. However, perhaps at some point, she would―with her excellent strength and crafting skills―forge a new one for herself after coming to her own conclusion of where it should lead to next.

Regal: Like Presea, this path had many options at the start, but Regal himself put up a wall to block it off. Why would he do this? Surely there is no need to? It was because he wanted to trap himself within the path he had already taken. Should he press forward would mean presenting himself with new options, and new opportunities to forget. He wanted the blood behind him to seep into his very skin. He wanted it to always be in sight. He did not feel he deserved to press down the path further out of risk of losing sight of it.

Kratos: Kratos has no path. He lives in an aimless existence, only looking to tread down the paths others have long paved. Like Genis, he looks to Mithos and Lloyd's as beacons. However, unlike Genis there was a time where the only path he knew of was Mithos', despite the horrors that he could see strung along it. There was a brief period of time where he discovered Anna's, but it unfortunately reached a dead end. Where else could he go, but of the place he had known prior? Where could a man with no path of his own belong if not to the one he knew of horrors?

Yuan: It feels as if he's reached a point in his life where he rejects the idea of having a path at all. He's almost going through the motions. Rather, he's trying to roadblock off other paths. His own does not lead to anything that personally benefits him but he does not care. He believes he's lived for too long. If anything, he wishes he could go back and take a different path than the one he did. To start over. To not abandon Mithos in his time of need. However those are merely pointless thought exercises at this state. The road he is on is firm and there is no deviating from it. He will get his hands dirty in whatever means necessary to reach the end of it.

Mithos: His path is resolute. It is blood stained. If you look back, you may squint and see some flowers budding around it, but looking forward all you can see is a heap of bodies. Despite this, he stomps down the path, fist clenched in his hand. If there are any branching points, he kicks over them with dirt. While it is adjacent to Lloyd's the two will never touch. There is a fork that extends in its direction, but nothing will make him waver enough to tread it.

[andrewmsaidso]

i neeeed to know more abt jack from neil’s following years at palmetto u don’t understand. i have so many questions. why sheena? is he a major douche bag to everyone or just neil?? does everyone not like him or just the upperclassmen (being everyone excluding the 6 new recruits)?? just how good is he? better than neil was when he first arrived good or what…? (i think that’s lowkey implied)

just how complex is his character? what’s his back story? if the fandom, with the help of information from the ec, paint him as this condescending nuisance, why did wymack make him vice captain? and so early too? cus we know wymack doesn’t just make the best players captain, he looks for leadership potential or whatever. so how much of that does jack have?

[okkos-ferrum]

Hot take maybe but like i feel the vile crew are a much more fun, dare i say, dynamic of a dynamic.

Like dont get me wrong i think zack and ivy are a fun duo that contrast carmen's badasssery with player acting as intel and shadowsan as a stoic support

But antonio, jean-paul, gray, and sheena (mime bomb too ig??) played off carmen better. (Tho to clarify not at all saying the writers shouldve had carmen hang around vile instead, they def were all bad influences on one another due to vile)

Like to me, cuz carmen is the mainly hyper-competant moral good of team red, she somewhat stands alone for it. Player is highly specialized, while idk what zack and ivy contribute specific to the team aside from extra manpower. Shadowsan may rival carmen in skill, but he has his own mistakes he's working to fix, so he's in no moral place to argue against her. As much as team red is filled with good wholesome family moments, carmen still feels kinda treated as the leader, and thus, seperate from the group. I wish sometimes there would be a conflict (no im not including the s2 conflict with the car and stuff idk that one was too inconsequential to me) between team red splitting hairs on how to approach a problem. Itd add some variety to each specific relationship carmen has with each rather than a generic friendly terms

The vile crew works as a more entertaining group cuz there are actual unique dynamics carmen has with each of the group members, as well as the group members themselves having unique relationships with each other. For the first point, cuz everyone is on the level playing field of some kind of competant thief, its not like carmen has the immediate, no-questions-asked role as the leader. Theres more of an underlying feeling she had to make a good impression aside from her skills to gain their respect, which to me is more realistic than zack and ivy suddenly attatching themselves to a then dismissive but skilled carmen during the boston caper. Like as contrived sheena just being a hater to carmen is, theres still something interesting abt her still tagging along with carmen as a reluctant friend/rival. As such, it challenges carmen to show a different side to her, like her constant need to prove herself, to the forefront, which in turn, helps also flesh carmen out more. In comparison, antonio is quite the opposite, being literally so nice to everyone regardless, which also makes him stick out (like for example, in the cs interactive game, he will readily help carmen out if u choose him to be an ally)

Each character in the vile crew have also unique groups. Unlike one blob of general friendliness like team red (aside from the over it dad energy from shadowsan lol), we see that antonio and jean-paul have a closer friendship within the group, similar to how carmen and gray also have a closer bond. Tell me the unique relationship zack has with player that is different from how anyone else treats player? Like its not much.

Theres def more banter within the vile crew as well, with sheena always being the sour one of the group. Moreover, there is the group collectively finding mime bomb to be the "weird guy in class" that is so endearing to me. They all challenge each other, like how they all judge gray's pun vile name, or how they sometimes make fun of sheena during their first mission. Yet admist all that, they still care and enjoy their company together, as seen with them still reminiscing the water balloon prank in season 4 or how antonio and jean paul are relectant to fight carmen the first time they see her again.

Idk i find it so funny how the show was able to make the vile operatives so endearing as characters, especially in comparison to tesm red whos a bit lacking

[pigeonsgrame2]

Decided to make a complicated diagram of the main people in RB but it’s not gonna fit words so I’m writing everything here. All of the info is going to be the basic info for lack of spoilers and lack of time to write.

Long infodump under the cut:

Obviously, we have the siblings; Hamatos, Umigames, the step siblings. But how are they with each other?

The Umigame twins have a very rocky relationship with each other, but they do need each other and have been each others safety for years.

The step siblings… well. The usual. Kendra manipulates Jase etc. eventually Jase stands up to her though, after mutation.

The Hamatos are mostly the same, but now have new concerns for each other: Leo’s avoidant behaviour, Donnie’s smoking, Raphs meltdowns, Mikey’s tremors. Also, Frida isn’t a Hamato

Then we have the romantic relationships

Aris and Donnie go from strong loathing to severe codependency. They’ll get antsy if they haven’t seen each other for a more than an hour. Jason and Aris go from friends to partners, but Donnie and Jase are very jealous and often are competitive with each other, sometimes even after actually getting together themselves.

Kitsune and Chizu ran away together in their early teens, as Kitsune was homeless already and Chizu was suffering in the Neko Ninja clan. Very in love. They’re wholesome. Judge people together.

Leo and Usagi, the stars of the show, have a very shit relationship. They’re very loving and caring in human form, at first not knowing the other wasn’t truly a human person. Leo struggles with saying I love you, and it hurts Usa a lot, but he tolerates it for his comfort. But in their natural forms things are really… Okay they’re just really complicated and you’ll see

While also dating Sheena, Jennika eventually ends up with Frida and Plato as well. The two end up together as a frenemys to lovers first, and Jenny is an eventual addition. Jenny and Frida work as big mamas assistants together, Frida having worked for her since childhood

Other Relationships

Plato is best friends with Raphael. They wrestle, have feelings jams. She’s also the person she ends up sharing a room with when the Umigames are forced to move in. Aris, however, is intimidated by Raphael, and tries to leave her alone. She scares him.

Plato isn’t too close with Mikey, but they sometimes cook together. Aris also isn’t too close with them but they give him little Dr Feelings sessions, which he used to ignore until meeting Dr Delicate Touch.

Plato is also pretty close with Leo, but they tend to make fun of each other. Since Leo reminds Aris of his twin, he finds him annoying and doesn’t like his company… much. Sometimes he’s tolerable.

Plato doesn’t like Donnie at all. He went from hurting her brother and now he’s in his pants? Hell no! She annoys him a lot. He doesn’t like her either. She’s worse than Leo.

Leo and Donnie don’t trust Frida, and neither does Raph but she… tries to be nice. Mikey LOVES her and considers her family even though she isn’t related to them in the slightest. It’s a lot like the Draxum situation.

Aris doesn’t just not trust Frida, he HATES her. Which sucks, cause if he got past his Big Mama Trauma TM, they’d probably be close friends.

Mikey is very close friends with Jennika and goes to her for intel on Big Mama, Leo thinks she’s dope, Raph sometimes spars with her. Donnie doesn’t like her but they’ll tolerate her presence. She’s useful.

Everyone fucking hates Kendra. Except Kitsune, Kistune thinks she’s cool as fuck.

Donnie has Kitsune steal things for him, and he’s pretty good friends with Chizu because Autism to Autism Communication.

Gen and Raph are also pretty close! They met before the rest of their little teams met each other. Small world.

Mikey likes Usagi, but nobody else in the family trusts him. The boyfriends get NO trust in those families.

Gen took Chizu and Kitsune in when they were younger. His parents were never home anyways. Eventually he decided he was adopting Usagi as a little brother too. They’re family now. You can’t stop him from collecting siblings.

Aris and Chizu made out once when he was 15 and she was 16 and then never talked about it again. They’re casual friends now. Don’t really talk much.

[frayed-symphony]

Once upon a time I had a Tales of Symphonia OC called Reimi.

It was the early noughties. I was a teenager obsessed with 2 things - Tales of Symphonia and Full Metal Alchemist. I had seen on my favourite website at the time; DeviantART, that people would sometimes self-insert themselves into their favourite shows/games and even though I'd thought about it before, I loved these two things so much I finally decided to do the same and 'Reimi' was born.

She was my ideal version of how I looked and because I was being bullied almost every day at school, the world of Symphonia in particular was a great comfort to me. Anytime I had a particularly bad day I started to draw Reimi.

I did have one real life friend, my best friend from primary school and we'd chat on the phone every night. I convinced her to play ToS with me and the two of us fell down this rabbit hole and I made her an OC too. We called her Beatrix and she was Reimi's older sister. It was your typical 'human girls fall into fantasy world and crush on their favourite character' story. I liked Lloyd and my friend liked Kratos. We would roleplay them together and write stories for each others birthdays and Christmases. It got me through the horrible things happening at school.

In time we started to make other characters. I decided I wanted Reimi to have a summon spirit - a polar bear called Meikai who could change between human and bear form. My friend had a similar 'devil' summon, Kainashi and I started to draw them as well. (Totally stole this from Sheena but it was very fun)

The final character we designed was Harvey - he was the only one we tried to give a canonical link to Symphonia. He was the Prince of the Tethe'allan royal family and Hilda's brother. The reason you never saw him in the game, we reasoned, was because he didn't want to be a Prince and left to travel the world in secret. He runs into our heroines and becomes a part of the group. I also wanted to write some love triangle stories at that point so he has a crush on Reimi.

For a long time these characters were my whole life. They filled my brain and I would always be thinking of stories for them. The ToS characters always factored into these stories but I was too embarrassed to draw them or have anything romantic happening and that might have been because of the backlash I saw a lot of self-insert authors get. I kept my stories mostly off the internet.

But I kept drawing them as the years went on, even designing bosses and creatures for them to fight, this was one such creature - 'Malcolm' the robot. One of Rodyle's machines.

In time life got in the way. My friend and I didn't get to speak as much so the drawing motivation started to fizzle out.

I still thought and cared about these characters but there was no fresh ideas forming for them. As I got older I started to have less time for them.

This is the last drawing I ever made of them and though you might still see me draw Reimi from time to time, its been years since I drew any of the others.

I did use them for animation practise on my University course though

So that's where we are today. I had a lot of AUs for Reimi. You may have seen this potion shop picture before, it's one of my favourite ideas where Reimi is living in the slums in Meltokio, working to keep her family's store open by selling potions. It even got a Daily Deviation on deviantART! I'm sure most people didn't know it was a self-insert drawing.

Another idea I liked was Reimi being the daughter of Kvar. She's grown up in the human ranches (though largely away from their brutality) and Lloyd's group visit is a wake-up call to her that what her father and Cruxis are doing may be wrong.

I came up with way too many stories to list here.. but uh... maybe I did draw some Reimi/Lloyd art occassionally...

and thats all you're gonna see!!

Anyway I just wanted to revisit these characters since I've been doing that with my books this month. Maybe you already knew about this, maybe you didn't!! It's just a fun look into my teenage self. I am trying to draw a new outfit for Reimi now, to see how much I've improved drawing her. I hope I can post it soon.

Thanks for reading!

[anaquariusart]

Fuga Melodies of Steel Headcannons

!Spoilers for the first game!

Boron has the Felineko equivalent of a primordial pouch. (Shout out @small-toast for coming up with this one )

Chick and Hack have British accents. (I know they are supposed to be French, but their corgis and I can practically hear Chick saying “I want to be a proper lady” in a cockney accent).

Hanna is the least squeamish of the Fuga kids, she still gets scared but it's not like she will faint at the sight of blood or anything.

Wappa is the kind of kid to make mud pies, much to the older kid's dismay.

Kyle lets his bangs cover his eye to match Hanna's hair, she didn't notice.

Mei leaves out little snacks for the ghost girl (Jeanne)

When it gets too hot in the Taranis, Jin will wiggle is head to make his ears flap. Think of what an elephant does to cool off.

Some of the kids are still scared of the dark so Sheena uses her Nono/spells as little nightlights.

Malt's harmonica came from his dad.

Whenever the Taranis rolls into a town Hack would trade trinkets and treats with the town kids for issues of "The Adventures of Sucre".

Sheena talks to Bluette when she's by herself. But when the other kids saw her do this, they started talking to Bluette, so Sheena doesn't feel weird for doing it.

Chick really doesn't like it when people think she’s Hack.

Socks wished he could talk to Jeanne again to learn more about human technology, but even if he could he'd still be scared of girls at that point. (and yes, millennia old AI count too)

Britz favorite food is anything with apples.

One time Kyle told Wappa that she has a bit napoleon complex to her face, and she said "...so what?". (She doesn't know what that is)

It doesn't snow a lot in Shetland, so Jin doesn't know what to do when it does. "What?...Oh it's snowing...uh cool."

When Malt was a toddler, he got a really bad case of fleas when he was learning to tend to moosheep. So he takes extra care to make sure Mei doesn't catch them when playing with moosheep.

Yawns are contagious, but when Boron yawns the effect is multiplied by twenty.

Hanna is farsighted and needs glasses to read.

[kevinsdsy]

Who is jack? And why am i already in love with him

jack is a future fox from the extra content!! i had an anon ask me about including robin in the socmed au and i decided yk what why not include the other future foxes too

we don’t know much about him (including last name), but we know that he’s a little asshole (and i love me some little assholes LMAO). he’s an asshole towards everyone, but especially towards neil.

kevin is the one who picked him for the foxes lineup (andrew picked robin and neil picked sheena)

hmmm can i think of anything else? not sure? so summary: future fox from the extra content, no last name, asshole, jealous of neil and he needs to make it everyone’s problem ig

rip seth gordon you would have loved jack no-last-name

[jackie-shitposts]

is it just me or do i feel like there aren't enough Sheena simps or stans in this fandom? maybe i'm in the wrong place or maybe i'm just stupid... but like i always see Jeantonio posts and Crackle appreciation/simp posts (not complaining hes my fav) but i literally NEVER see people simping over Sheena and WHY??? shes so badass literally the Pacifica Northwest of CS

and instead of stanning her we gotta make fun of her in fanfics and art and i just-

not to mention some ships with her are...pretty mid imo. dont get me wrong i think Papertiger is really interesting, but i dont get Tigred (i cant see enemies to lovers working out here) and Graysheen is just. like there's no chemistry, and men and women CAN be friends. also is Tigrivy a ship? i really like that dynamic, but my personal hc is that Sheena's had so many exes that she turned into a self loving badass lol

also the show (and book adaptation) REALLY mistreats her. i hate the fact she's the only "main operative" (out of the four; Crackle, Le Chevre, El Topo, Tigress) that gets jailed. i wanna learn more about her!! shes really interested in jewelery, even in the book shes like "ooh bling bling" maybe we could have seen a shot after VILE's takedown of her working with jewels? maybe a fashion designer (she clearly liked Countess Cleo the best out of the faculty.) maybe in the Rio caper she could have been more relaxed and in her element??

ik shes a "mean girl," but she deserves to change. there are people in this show who have done so much worse (*cough* Chief *cough*) and the show lets them walk away, but someone with just bad manners and a snobby personality is OH SO HORRIBLE?? i would have liked to see her and Carmen resolve their shit, not let Carmen win every damn time. besides, we saw it with Pacifica and Mabel - it cant be THAT hard. (i know criminals have bigger problems than petty rivals but let me have my moment.)

so yeah, sorry for the anon rant. but what are your thoughts?

The sheena stans and simps are certainly not the majority, but over time I’ve seen a not-insignificant chunk of them. I think the biggest sheena simps are the animators though because they always animate her like she’s serving cunt (because she IS)

If youre looking for tigress fans, papertiger is where youre really gonna need to look. I disagree with you on the ships you consider mid, but to each their own in that regard. I do think Graysheen couldve worked and im honestly surprised its such a rarepair. I also think that Sheena’s far too insecure by the end of the show to truly love herself yet, but she could totally get there.

I do think that she had SO MUCH MORE potential than she was given in the show, while at the same time being one of the more interesting VILE operatives (once again thinking about my Sheena Mindwipe AU that simmers in my brain). Sheena does deserve to change, but she needs to WANT to change and by the end of the show she wasn’t in that place yet, and there wasnt anything to push her to that place (in fanfic, a lot of ships are what ultimately do push her to be better, such is the case with redtiger). But at the same time we gotta understand that Tigress is a supporting character, and even if there were further plans for her the show wouldnt have had time for them. If only i had the money to make the show myself smh

[otherworldlygate]

Tales of Symphonia is a really great game. I feel like in terms of general themes and character arcs, ToS gives us a cohesive and frankly timeless story. This obviously isn't unique to ToS, but it's nice that it has staying power.

Just don't look too closely at anything or a lot of the worldbuilding and character arcs start to fall apart!

Obviously I don't mean this in a terrible, bitter sort of way. I've been in this fandom for 20ish years and ToS is at the tippy-top of my list of favorite games; it really feels tailored to me in these small and oddly specific ways.

But good grief it can be frustrating, sometimes. You're telling me that 4,000 whole years have passed and this is the world the characters live in? Four thousand years? Four? Thousand? 4k? That's a lot of years. I'm not saying Aselia, let alone Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, would advance the way our modern society has, especially with the little mana tug-of-war they've got going on, but it's very hard to believe that there isn't a very deep and rich history in both worlds. (I do understand that the game isn't really able to go into detail on all of that, but you'd think it might have influenced the storylines a bit more, especially for Kratos and Yuan.)

The one thing 4,000 years has going for it is the fact that Mithos managed to make Martel into a believed-in goddess. That probably did not happen quickly. But in terms of language? Turns of phrase? Clothing?

The divide between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant almost feels like a mere 100 years instead of 800 years of Tethe'alla being able to flourish. Sheena gawks a bit at steam power but Tethe'alla doesn't really have anything truly mind-blowing, either. No automobiles, no airplanes or airships. Sylvarant feels like the year 1800 and Tethe'alla like 1900. I'd find that perfectly believable in some regards, but the fact that all of these characters speak without accents and such is just...

Well, I just feel like there's SO MUCH room and potential within the world to really highlight big differences between Tethe'alla and Sylvarant, to truly set all of the characters apart from one another. Raine's abandonment was traumatizing, but you're telling me that she never noticed anything weird about it? Sure, she might have focused hard on those ruins she remembers being abandoned at, but what about when she landed in Sylvarant? She didn't have an accent? She wasn't speaking a different language or dialect entirely?

I really feel like there should have been some major culture shock between the two worlds, especially with Tethe'alla flourishing for so long. 800 years is a long time, after all.

And don't even get me started on the dumb lore for elves and half-elf lifespans, especially when, according to that logic, there should be an absolute assload of half-elves still alive who have been alive since well before Tethe'alla started its long flourishing period. Where's the tea from them? Where's the history and lore about them?

When viewed from a more general angle, I think ToS holds up pretty well. It has a lot of good stuff in it. But sometimes I'm just chomping at the bit to see the complexities that could be a part of it realized.

A lot of the character arcs were good...but they could have been great.

And yes...I am aware that the solution to this is, as always, to simply novelize the entire game as I imagine it to be, complete with the complexities that should be present in the worldbuilding and character journeys.

But that does not sound like a very good use of my time, so I will write blorbo nonsense and complain on Tumblr, instead.

[iobartach]

PEOPLE I'D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW BETTER !

alias / name : nix birthday : march 13th zodiac sign : pisces height : 5'10" / 178 cm hobbies : writing, gaming, coding, building lego & model kits favourite colour : purples & blues favourite book : oh man, i've got a few! gonna give it to uprising / the cross duology by scott g. mariani, this time. a good ol' vampire tale! last song : match made in hell by benny mayne & dutch melrose - quickly becoming a new fave of mine, too! last film / show : oh man, last film, probably... dune part 2? and last tv show, i'm at the tail end of watching the night shift's 4th season ... soon i'll be needing something new to binge 😔 recent reads : i started reading eyes like mine by sheena kamal. supposedly it's for fans of the girl with the dragon tattoo, which i read a long while back... so we'll see! inspiration : *hand wave* a bit o' everything, these days! lately i've just been drawing from bits and pieces of stuff, that's not necessarily scifi / dystopian. and even though my miguel is atsv based, i still kinda love drawing inspiration from the comics, and just kinda mashing things together! it's been so much fun! 😁 story behind url : to quote atsv!miguel, 'Being Spider-Man is a sacrifice. That’s the job. That’s what you signed up for' ... and well, this had me thinking, even to this day, that well, miguel puts his all into monitoring the multiverse, trying to keep it intact, to the point that it's consumed him 😢 hence, íobartach ( EE-uh-bur-tukh ) , which, when translated to english, can mean, sacrificial / sacrificing / victim (of sacrifice) , seemed fitting! fun fact about me : dragons have always been my favourite fictional creatures! if you tell me there's a dragon in something, there's a stronggg chance i'll check out that piece of media, be it a book / game / tv / movie, etc!

tagged by : @untales (cheers!)

tagging : anybody! steal it!!!

[illustrious-rocket]

Find the Word Tag Game

I was one again generously tagged by @blind-the-winds, so let's do it. The words this time are jump, jerk, just and jam.

Jump

“Once upon a time I held a Jewel of Life in my hands, and I have to do so once again…” Discussing her goals brought Sheena a sense of determination that helped her focus. “Saeko Oryo misused one and destroyed the Tenganist holy land at the site that’s now known as the Sinjoh Ruins. But what was once used to destroy can be used to repair, I’m sure of it. If I can find the lost Life Orb and turn it back into a Jewel of Life, I can restore the Sinjoh Ruins back to their original lush state, just like Shaymin did for La Ciudad Dorada. Once that’s done, I will declare that area to be a sanctuary state for my people. Towards those goals, and for the sake of diplomatic ties being established once they are, I want to form an alliance with you and La Ciudad Dorada, Rosalita. But before that, I have to find the legendary Navel Rock in the Sevii Islands. If I can get there, I can meet Ho-oh again and forge an alliance with it. Then, for my people…” Sheena had been staring at the food in front of her while she spoke, so she failed to notice Rosalita stand and walk over to her. She jumped slightly in her seat when she felt Rosalita embrace her again. “Sheena, I understand,” Rosalita said, her voice soft and gentle. “I understand everything. The weight you are carrying is far too much for any one person’s shoulders. Please, I hope you will allow me to help you lift it.” “Rosalita, there’s…” Although she felt guilty for burdening Rosalita with her own problems, Sheena again found her friend’s embrace far too comforting to ignore and settled into it, allowing Rosalita to stroke her hair. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

Jerk

Pulling away from Lisia, she quietly said, “Thanks for being my friend, then… but, do you get it? My dad, he… he was always there. When he wasn’t anymore… it just… everything fell apart. I never got a chance to say goodbye to him, and then before I knew it my mom wasn’t dealing with it all… and I had to go to Rustboro so Matt could look after me. I know it was what my dad wanted, but… I was so mean to him, too, and he didn’t do anything to deserve it…” “Your mom told me about that, too. I might not know Matt myself, but… if your dad trusted him to watch out for you, I think he understands." "That's the thing." Still gripped by feelings of shame, Olivia looked downward. "Dad did trust him, and all I did was act like a jerk. If Dad saw what I did he would hate me for it." "Olivia, no," Lisia firmly told her. "Your dad might have been a complicated guy with a rough past, but I feel one hundred percent certain when I tell you that he loved you more than anything, and nothing could change that. Honestly, I don't even think death could change it. Wherever he is now, somewhere in time and space with our Sootopolitan ancestors… wherever he is, he still loves you."

Just

“We aren’t heroes, that much is true. But I do believe that in our own way, we really are keeping much worse things from happening in this world, too.” Leaning her head back, Rosalie shut her eyes and reflected upon her own past. “I used to be like you, Gabriel, a starry-eyed prodigy at the Pokémon Institute. I thought I was going to change the world with my work on the medicinal properties of plants, but my dreams were just too big to stay within the Institute’s lines. I want to do good things, I just want to make my discoveries on my own terms and get the credit, instead of having others meddling and taking credit themselves. Since there wasn't a place for me in their environment, I ended up here, with all the other misfits Team Rocket takes in. And ever since Nekou invited me to join her little group, I feel like I've found my place. I guess what I’m saying is, it’s thanks to her that I found where I belong. I know it’s hard to see, but there are good things that came from what you did. We just have to keep working to preserve them.” “You’ve got a point, Rosalie,” Zager conceded, “but I don’t think there’s anything I could ever do to earn her forgiveness, either. I put her in the situation she’s in right now.”

Jam

Father sadly shook his head, briefly causing the hologram to distort. “I don’t blame you for not believing me. You have absolutely no reason to. I also know that it’s too late to undo what you went through, but… I want to make amends for it, Renzo, I truly do. I want to make amends for everything this world did to you. That’s why I sent Finansielle to fetch you… I want you to go with her. She’ll bring you to Polaris’s temple… where we can finally meet face-to-face. Please give me this chance. With Polaris, I can fulfill all your wishes.... Lorenzo Milovy.” Renzo froze at the mention of his true, full name. “How would he know that’s my… there’s no doubt, it has to be him. There’s no other way… he couldn’t know… it would be impossible…” “Well, Renzo, what do you say?” Finansielle playfully asked him. “Or should I say Lorenzo? What a cute name…” Renzo’s whipsawing circumstances had his head in a spin. He’d started out the day supremely confident that the beginning of his long-sought revenge was finally at hand, only to be crushed mercilessly under Anabel’s proverbial heel. And yet, just when all avenues to his lifelong dream seemed completely closed off, here were Father and Finansielle jamming that window right back open again.

[darkhymns-fic]

Their Gifts

Presea, the girl left behind by time, is finally getting older. So, naturally, she needs an outfit change. Her friends help her along the way.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Presea Combatir, Regal Bryant, Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel, Raine Sage, Genis Sage, Sheena Fujibayashi, Zelos Wilder Rating: G Word Count: 5174 Mirror: AO3 Notes: A gift for @slammingsuns for a Symphonia secret santa! Presea always needs more fics.

--

Her shoes no longer fit her.

Presea tilted her head at the realization. She was sitting on the foot of her bed, pulling on the leather before she felt the resistance. The sunlight streamed through her window, bringing a warmth to her skin to offset the morning chill. She struggled for another moment or two before she finally relented, dropping her hands onto the sheets while letting the boot fall to the wooden floor.

So. She would need new shoes.

But perhaps that wasn’t the only thing.

Presea had noted other things too—her dress continually had rips in them, and even with the amount of sewing and stitching, it was soon becoming clear that her clothes were getting too small. She had tried to deny it, remembering her dress being a gift from her father. Still, a quick look at a nearby mirror, just a small one fitted onto the wall, showed that there were differences now. She had grown an inch within the past year, or perhaps more. The twintails for her hair now reached just past her shoulders, and even something in her face looked quite different.

She was getting older, and so, her body was finally changing. It was finally aging.

Presea had to sit there silently, soaking in the revelation along with the morning sunshine.

--

Regal turned to her, his expression curious. “New clothes?”

He visited Ozette often, his funding efforts helping move along the reconstruction of the village. And as always, he visited Presea, who aided in such efforts.

She passed him his cup of black tea across the dining table. It was a comfortable routine whenever he came by, one that she could honestly say she looked forward to. Even as Ozette was slowly being rebuilt, she rarely had any other visitors.

“It would be suitable, wouldn’t it?” she reasoned, taking her seat opposite his. “Especially since I have worn these same clothes for much longer than intended.”

“True. I suppose the only new things you purchased on our previous travels were weapons and armor.” He held the cup gingerly by its handle, watching the tea leaves on the bottom shift with the motion. “I think even Genis got himself some new shoes.”

“He complained that they were too loose,” Presea recalled with a smile. Then paused. “I believe Colette gave me a ribbon once…but it was lost during a battle.”

She tried to recall its appearance, what color it was, if it had any unique designs on it. But, the memory was hazy, perhaps because she was still regaining her sense of self back then—her humanity. It had been hard to appreciate those small things just yet.

Unconsciously, she reached to tap against the Key Crest she wore, surrounding her Exsphere. For over a decade, this gem had kept her body in stasis, had stripped away her memories until all she could do was follow simple commands, could only see things in black and white. And then, one day, suddenly it was like everything had bloomed into color.

Even so, it had been a steady process; of unlearning her emotionless manner of speech, of only assessing things for their use, not for their pleasure. Years of staying in one place had stagnated her growth in so many ways. Even now, she still lacked in many ways.

But she was growing. This was an indisputable fact.

“If it’s new clothes you need, I would always be more than happy to help.” Regal’s voice brought her out of her musings. He had changed too from when she first met him. His hair was carefully arranged in a loose knot, and he wore a clean-pressed suit instead of the prison rags he once had—and, of course, the shackles were now gone. Still, she saw echoes of his own stagnation, imprisoned for as long as she was trapped in her very own self.

“Though, admittedly, I have never been very apt when it comes to fashion,” he added with a small cough. “Perhaps that would be more of Zelos’ forte, if you would like to ask him.”

Presea silently thought on his words for a bit. She then took a sip from the tea she poured for herself, the warmth making its way through her limbs. A few years back, she wouldn’t have felt this. She wouldn’t have even comprehended the sensation of it, the desire to drink pleasant warm tea with a friend, in the comfort her own home.

“Alicia had always been the one to know more about clothing and accessories. Are you saying she didn’t rub off on you?”

At that, Regal paused, the fluttering of a bird near the window heard as it flew towards a nearby tree. Then, he chuckled, his eyes far off, recalling. “Unfortunately not, though she tried many times to teach me color coordination.”

Once, mentioning her sister would have brought her waves of pain and guilt—the first feelings she had felt when she finally woke from her prison. But, maybe this meant time was finally moving for her. Saying Alicia’s name now brought warm and pleasant memories, of her father coming into the house long after dark, of Alicia setting up pillows on the floor for her and Presea to play dolls on, of the stove crackling with fire, for the nights, alive with the sounds of birds and insects, would still be chill.

For Regal, it seemed to do the same, with pleasant memories of Alicia of his own. Time moved for him as well as for her.

--

“You want to take fashion advice from Zelos?” Sheena grimaced, then shook her head. “I wouldn’t risk it. Before you know it, he’ll try to dress you up to be like the rest of his weird fan club.”

Mizuho was a village that Presea visited often, it’s closeness to Ozette a welcome retreat, and Sheena always eager to host. They walked together by the small stream that cut through the village during the early evening, hearing the occasional clack of the deer scarer that echoed in the air.

“It might still be worth a try.” Presea watched her steps carefully as she walked. She’d had to grab another pair of shoes for herself—a leftover that was her father’s old work boots, leaving her the result of somewhat loose-fitting shoes that plodded a bit as she walked. “I can’t continue to keep wearing the same thing.”

“I suppose so… I wish I could help you out, but we only have Mizuho-styles clothing here. Which would be perfect if you’re planning on living here.”

There was a certain pride in Sheena’s voice as she said so, one that hadn’t been as plainly obvious before. Once before, Sheena would walk through this village with her eyes lowered, enduring whispers that even Presea, in her muted state, had noticed and overheard. But time had moved on, and Sheena held an air of confidence, and grace, and gentle happiness as she walked through this village that she vowed to protect.

Presea smiled at the sight of it, as well as her kind offer. “It would be an interesting change of style, at the very least.” Her eyes traveled to homes nearby, to those within with pins in their hair, or an occasional charm wrapped to their wrist. She couldn’t help but also sneak a glance at the purple ribbon that was still tailored to Sheena’s gi, even in her new role as Chief. Small things that brought out a person’s inner feelings. Perhaps she could carve a charm for herself to wear, but would it be suitable enough for someone who was growing?

She felt something press into the palm of her hand, and looked down. A brightly-colored bracelet made of threads, the ends of it forming a ribbon-shape. “Sheena?”

“I know this isn’t exactly a new outfit but, maybe a small accessory to help out?” Sheena laughed with a flush in her cheeks. “This is popular with a lot of the young women here. Supposed to bring you a fair amount of luck. Heck, maybe it’ll help you deal with that blockhead later.”

Presea quietly slipped it on over her wrist, gazing at the alternating colors of red and violet, with the occasional gold-colored stitching. It fit her well, not too tightly, but not loose enough to slip off her hand.

“…And you know, I heard Raine and Genis are heading to Altamira pretty soon.” Sheena tried to say it as nonchalantly as she could, but the red hadn’t left her face. It even matched the bracelet that she was wearing herself, half-hidden within the sleeves of her outfit. “You’re heading there next soon, right? Maybe they can help out.”

--

Before she met both Raine and Genis in the lobby of the Altamira hotel, she wondered then just how Genis must have grown. It seemed that for elves, and even half-elves, time moved slower for them than most.

But Genis seemed to have the same question in mind, his eyes scanning the top of Presea’s when she arrived. “Hey! You’re taller than me now!”

“Only by half an inch,” Raine helpfully supplied with a half-smile next to him. There was a very subtle difference in Raine, a bit surer in her posture, the ends of her hair curving to frame her face. Genis himself had almost reached her shoulder, his hair now longer, catching the rays of the sun with a silver sheen. In fact, it was tied back, similar to Regal’s own hair, though with a little less finesse.

It took a while for her to say anything—following to their room on the top floor, the suite given to them by Regal and his generosity, despite how much Raine had tried to decline. Even as Genis spoke about his and Raine’s travels, Presea couldn’t help but keep noticing something about him.

Eventually, Genis noticed. “Do I…got something on my face for you to keep looking at me like that?”

Room service had brought up a lunch platter for the three, and perhaps Presea may have paused in her eating for a full minute to stare, her food already getting cold.

“Your hair,” she said softly. “It looks different on you. But very nice, too.”

Genis blinked, a slow and creeping red rising to his cheeks. “Th…thanks! Your…hair looks good too.”

She tilted her head. “But I didn’t change anything about it.” Then idly pulled at one of her twintails, the hair feeling a bit heavier than it used to. “I still look the same.”

“Not that much! Um… did you want to change it? M-maybe…maybe you need a new style too!”

Presea blinked. “What do you mean?”

Genis’ face was bright red, which was something that hadn’t changed much, she realized. She was so used to that expression on him, complete with some stutters, even though he was older now. Genis tried to clear his throat, and then patted down his hair as if it had just caught on fire.

“You know, f-for your hair! You should let it down! Or…maybe a ponytail…like me…”

She considered, but it did intrigue her. How long had she fitted her hair this way?

“You think I would look good with my hair down, Genis?”

A furious nodding, followed by an ecstatic, “A-absolutely!”

She placed a finger on her chin. “Loose hair might get caught onto branches and such, but a ponytail would be safer.”

“I-I mean… you can always let your hair down when you’re not cutting down trees, too.”

Still, she was grateful for the idea, and even more so when Raine offered to help her find her style.

“I’ve had to fix up Genis’ hair quite a bit myself.” She carefully untied the hidden ribbons that held up Presea’s hair, running her fingers through the strands, untangling any stray knots with ease. “So, a ponytail? Or maybe something a little more?”

Presea thought on it, her hands placed on her knees. “Like… a braid?” she asked.

“Oh!” Genis stood up excitedly. “A braid would look amazing!”

Raine was a little less high energy, but Presea heard the softness in her tone. “That sounds lovely.”

And it was quite relaxing, to just sit in the suite room with Raine gently fixing up her hair, arranging the pleats with small explanations to Presea so that she could do it herself later on. The weight on her head seemed to shift, and she could feel better the sea breeze on her neck that blew in from the open balcony.

It didn’t take long, for in the end it was just a simple change. But when Presea turned to look at Genis, he seemed speechless before he finally had the idea to hand her a small hand mirror. “C-Check it out! Even Raine can’t mess this up.”

Presea didn’t really hear the two siblings playfully bicker with the other at the comment, but she examined the pleated braid that was thrown over her shoulder. She could see more of her face, and how her hair caught the sun’s rays in the alternating patterns that were made. The end of the braid was tightened with a small hair tie that had a tiny star charm hanging off it. A small gift from Raine?

She looked different, but not unrecognizable. It suits me, she thought with a smile.

--

It was eventual that she would happen to be in Meltokio later on—she acted as a sort of middleman for the Lezareno Company and their cooperation with the kingdom there for minimizing Exsphere usage. So, it only seemed logical that she would finally seek some advice from Zelos, even if it somewhat contradicted Sheena’s own advice. But she still thought it was worth a try.

Though even she was surprised by Zelos’ enthusiasm when she knocked at his front door.

“My precious rosebud!!” he said in such a lilting tone that at first, she had no idea what to say. Zelos solved that for her by taking one of her hands and immediately guiding her down the steps. “Nice new hairdo. Also, Regal told me everything. Let’s get you some new fancy threads!”

“Regal?” Presea asked, but then connected the dots in her head. It was fair to assume that Regal must have sent a letter to Zelos in the interim, as he regularly sent information to the ex-Chosen. “I only meant to ask about what would be best—”

“That’s right! We’re going on a shopping spree!” Zelos spoke as if he hadn’t heard her, which was very possible. “All the best for my rosebud. This shop down at the market is what all my hunnies are raving about these days, so I’m sure we’ll find something for you. Money is no object!”

Well. It was quite nice that Zelos was far more enthusiastic about this, even as she still wondered about just what it was she exactly wanted for herself. Her dress still fit her, though it tightened around her shoulders, and she was being careful not to accidentally rip it in her travels.

…Although, she soon realized that she and Zelos had very, very different tastes in fashion.

“Zelos, can I make a suggestion?” she asked, holding up the dresses he had deposited into her arms. He was taking whatever he could from the racks around them in a shop that looked much too fragile in its white décor and fanciful chandeliers up top. She had truly thought at first this had been someone’s mansion instead of a clothing boutique when they first arrived. “Can I not have any clothes with sequins on them?”

“Huh? You don’t like them?” He pulled at another dress from a nearby rack, a flick of his hair sending a nearby servicewoman in a swoon. “But this one’s pink! Or do you want more of the ruffles then? That seems to be more of the trend these days.”

Presea looked back at the clothes Zelos offered her; much of it reminded her of the dress she wore at that party back then for rescuing the princess, decorated with ribbons and frills, and how light it had made her feel. But, in the end, such a dress had been for a child, as fancy and expensive as it was.

And though the clothes she held now would fit her well, their fabrics felt too soft, their brightness a little too distracting for the eye. The sequins would easily fall off when she needed to work, or catch onto the bushes she had to traverse through to delve deeper into the forest. The frills would be ripped, the ruffles unraveled, and anything shiny would soon lose its luster if she tried to wear it for daily use.

Or, perhaps she was still thinking in practical terms.

“…This ain’t working out for ya, huh?”

She looked up to see Zelos look at her in full seriousness, which might have been a bit of a ludicrous look on someone who was holding fancy fur cloaks on his shoulders, which also sported pearl necklaces and other shiny accoutrements.

“I suppose our tastes are just a bit too different. Sheena did tell me so.”

At that, Zelos sighed, then shrugged his fur-covered shoulders. “Aw, you’re just gonna let her cloud your opinion of me like that? You know my clothing choice is impeccable and I look damn good!”

He did have a point—his own clothes did suit him very well. Though that also made her reach a certain conclusion. “Is that so? I noticed the lack of sequins on your clothes.”

“I mean…they’re a little flashy for me, you know?”

Presea looked at him blank-faced with all the sequined dresses she could physically hold.

“Hey, I thought they’d look nice on you! But fine, fine.” Zelos quickly put away the fur, along with the diamond-studded cloaks he had also been carrying. “So does anything in here look good to you?”

She thought it was fair to at least give this store a bit more of a chance, so she scanned her vision across the floor. Some women were trying on large, feather-topped hats, while others had wrapped fur scarves around their necks. Others were putting on high-heels, which looked quite fragile, with ruby-red jewels in its center, and even more swirled around dresses with those popular ruffles.

She turned back to Zelos and shook her head.

“What?! Man, is it the whole country thing that’s…?” He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. It’s the whole country thing. I should have known.”

Presea tilted her head. “Where I’m raised has an effect on my taste?”

“Of course it does! At least, it certainly does for those two lovebirds…” Zelos sighed. “I know some country gals that would have leaped at the chance to get one of these new dresses or shoes, but you ain’t one of them. And here I was, thinking I would show you a world full of beauty and be transformed into a lovely lady that would rival even the princess’ beauty!”

Presea knew that if Sheena were here at this moment, she would have rebuked Zelos for his words (or slapped him). But in the bravado, she heard a genuine kindness, an eagerness to help, a longing for it. “Maybe I need to grow a little more before I can do that?” she offered as a vague hope.

Zelos brushed it off. “Nah, I know when I’m beaten. But hey, can I at least do one thing for you?” He pointed at the boots she wore, their heels more than scuffed and still threatening to fall off her feet. “Let me buy you new shoes. You can choose them. We have plenty of regular, boring-looking ones down the street if you really can’t stand the ones here.”

How could she refuse it? Still, she made sure to carry along her father’s old work boots, even as she wore new ones outlined in fur trimming, with thick leather soles that could endure miles-long treks through the wilderness. Zelos insisted on paying for the new boots himself, already predicting she would get this certain pair over the other, more decadent-looking footwear.

But she knew he was grateful that he could at least help add to her new outfit now.

--

Perhaps, though, the boots had been an example of Zelos’ foresight. It was colder than usual in Flanoir this year, and even on the slick roads she was able to keep her footing without any tumbles into a nearby snowbank.

She clutched at her cloak to wrap around her frame—a simple traveling one, the same she had worn back on their search for the Tethe’allan seals. It had unfortunately frayed since then, no longer as thick enough to shield her from the chill and brief winds, and her hair was soon growing wet from the drizzling snowflakes overhead, the hood a bit too small to fully pull over her head.

But even in the mini snowstorm, she could never miss the bright red in the distance.

“Hey! Presea!! Over here!!”

Lloyd’s voice carried with the wind, bringing it so close that it almost felt he was right next to her. Through the flurries, she headed in his direction, just near a balcony that overlooked the entire snowy city. The wind picked up his cloak, which was just clasped at his collar, revealing his red jacket like a fiery sunset in a field of white. She had almost missed Colette, who was more bundled, with some extra white trim around her collar.

They were…taller as well, Presea noted. Lloyd was closely ever reaching a height that she associated with adulthood, his hair growing out and nearly falling over his face, with Colette not far behind in height. But there was something else; like the newly fashioned belts along Lloyd’s waist, the brown leather a bit darker, and new gloves that sported a black stripe along their sides. And what she could see of Colette’s dress, it was no longer just the pure white of her once Chosen outfit. Though she could see the familiar overcoat, there were other colors of the dress hidden underneath. A hint of green that would form the hem of her dress, filigreed with gentle gold. It was more bold—braver, in a sense.

“We’re so glad you wanted to come visit us! Oh! And you even changed your hair a little.” Colette smiled wide, reaching to grab Presea’s hand with hers. “It’s hard to meet up with the others when we’re traveling. I hope it wasn’t too much of a hassle.”

“Regal helps with the expenses. I’ve had to come here on behalf of the company anyway.” A bit of a white lie—she had just really wanted to see them, and she wondered if either of them would suspect a little.

“Oh yeah, we got Zelos’ letter too,” Lloyd said. “Something about getting you new clothes? He said we could help but not like…how, exactly.” He moved the hair away from his eyes with a bit of a huff. Did he just neglect to get a haircut for a long while? “It’s mostly winter stuff here to wear, I think?”

“It can get chilly in Ozette,” she said. However, maybe Lloyd had a point. Was it really that logical to have traveled such a long way just to obtain an outfit, and one that would probably not even be suitable for back home?

Or, maybe she had just really wanted to see more of her friends that badly.

“Oh, but I’m sure we can at least get you something really pretty!” Colette was on her tiptoes, eyes brighter than Presea was really used to. She seemed more open than before, something freeing in her voice, a smile that held no air of caution. Because Colette used to have her own shackles, didn’t she? “Like a really shiny bow! And maybe some mittens, too.”

“Oh yeah, you probably need those for here at least,” Lloyd interjected. “I know they sell those ones with those paw pad designs at that one shop.”

Presea’s heart beat a little rapidly then. “Paw pads?”

“Yeah, paw pads!” Colette jumped a bit on her toes, as if she would soon start flying. “They also have very cute winter hats with those doggy ears too.”

“Does the hat also have a paw pad design on it?”

Lloyd paled a bit. “Isn’t that…kind of a bit much maybe? It’s already got the doggy ears.”

“Ohh, but what if it also has a little doggy tail?” Colette clasped her hands together, a small silver bracelet hanging from her right wrist. It was so detailed, and it made Presea wonder if this was Lloyd’s handiwork. “Wouldn’t that be great? Lloyd, let’s get some for us, too. Maybe there’s one that looks like Noishe!”

Lloyd looked like he was about to protest until she mentioned Noishe, which made him pause. “Huh, well it has to have the right ears for sure…”

But as Presea continued to listen, another concern rose up in her. She shifted her new boots on the pavement, then said, “Is this type of clothing usually meant for children though? I doubt it would even fit me…”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “Hey, you can still wear whatever you want! If Zelos said anything weird, don’t listen to him. He still makes fun of my jacket but I’m still wearing it anyway! And my dad fixed it up with new buttons and stitches, so it’s even better now!”

“Yep! Lloyd looks even cooler!”

“Twice as cool even! Haha… Huh. That sounded better in my head.”

Presea giggled, despite the cold she was feeling. Even so, something about Lloyd and Colette’s talk was comforting. Just as it had been with Regal, as it had been with Sheena, and Zelos, and Genis and Raine.

She adjusted the threaded bracelet around her wrist more securely, staring at how the snowflakes caught onto it. They didn’t melt, not just yet.

“I think I would still like a doggy hat,” she said, then raised her eyes to them. “And one with a tail.”

At that, Colette grinned so brightly, and so new. It looked wonderful on her. “We can even match!”

In the end, it was a simple thing she did, and nothing worth any true fanfare. The shops in Flanoir were, as Lloyd had mentioned, really meant for winter. Knitted hats that hung on the walls, along with scarves dyed a bright red (to Lloyd’s approval) or fanciful blue, with frills at the end for certain ones. She did buy mittens for her stay in Flanoir, the paw prints exceptionally made, as well as a hat with flaps for the ears, and a small, knitted nub on the back that served for a tail.

Oh, it had been so very cute… but then Colette waved her over, holding something in her arms.

Presea walked towards her and was then handed over a cloak, one of a dark green color, with white trimming at the top. It felt so very warm in her hands, and the threading was professional, where rips or tears could easily form.

“I noticed your other cloak might be a little old now, so, how about a new one?” Colette smiled as she tightened the one she wore herself. “It’s a bit similar to mine, but I think you’d like it? Oh, and the top of the hood is made from Penguinist quills! So it’s really warm!”

Presea looked at the clothing before she finally wrapped it around herself, making sure to unclasp the old cloak beforehand. It settled on her shoulders comfortably, and surprisingly not too heavy. The quills did feel so nice against her neck and chin, and she raised up her gaze to Colette with gratitude. “I love this. But…” Then, she giggled. “I also still want the doggy hat.”

She had probably never seen Colette look so happy then. “Yeah, of course! We still gotta match!”

Then, off near the back of the store, they both heard Lloyd’s voice give a tremendous shout.

“Whoa!! Come check this out, Colette! They really do have a Noishe hat!!”

--

Curiously, when she arrived back in Ozette, still wearing her new hat (which really was well-made. It survived the turbulence of a Rheaird that Lloyd and Colette had loaned to her), she saw something at her front door.

It was a package, fitted in an oak box that she could already tell had a familiar logo on its front—one that belonged to the Lezareno Company.

Regal? she thought. Is it for the reconstruction project?

It was early morning as she took the box inside, the weather making her skin raise goosebumps from the chill. The wind seemed to cut right through her dress, only helped by the cloak she still wore around her shoulders.

She didn’t really understand what Regal could have given to her until she finally opened the box, and saw the carefully arranged treasure inside.

It wasn’t an outwardly bright piece of clothing, like the ones Zelos seemed to favor. But the blue was deep-set, a pink ribbon pinned at the center. Also, unlike her current one, this was long-sleeved, which felt inviting to see on a cold morning. There were also stitches of designs at the hem, such as trees and flowers, the same kind that were from Ozette itself. As she held it in her hands, the fabric wasn’t as fragile as she feared, despite some of its embellishments. It could endure a day-long trek or more through the forest, with enough insulation in its threading to keep her warm for when the fogs of the deeper parts of the forest were too chill.

Most importantly, though, it was just in her size.

At the bottom of the box, she saw a note with Regal’s handwriting.

Dear Presea,

I hope this present finds you well. After some discussion with our friends, I had this dress tailored. Please only accept it if it suits your needs.

P.S

Also, I hope I have finally gotten better at my color coordination.

Presea couldn’t help but laugh a little at the comment.

It was only kind to at least try on the dress, with its braided leather belt, and the clasps at the collar to keep it well-fitted. But she had already decided what she would do before she even finished brushing out the hem of her dress. It wasn’t flashy, but it wasn’t dull either. There was life in the stitching, and the colors that could fit well against Ozette’s greenery. Presea stood there in the morning sunshine, looking at herself—at how she had changed, with all the gifts she had received from her friends.

Still, when she looked at herself, she saw someone who wasn’t left behind by time, but slowly going along with it. Older, more comfortable, and content.

“Thank you,” she said, already wondering when she could go see her friends again.