allscalesfinal | CONTACT POST: WALDEMAR

We won the game several days ago and the memory I regained was... I'm sorry.

Don't apologize! [Geez, Lace!! Taking her hand and immediately starts to lead her... somewhere... to sit down]

What was it? The memory...

[she lets herself be pulled along, and once they're seated somewhere she takes a deep breath, wiping at her eyes to stop the threat of tears]

I wasn't... fast enough to save her.

What?! [She gets the context right away because it's impossible not to, but]

That's just not possible! You must be remembering wrong!

[starts crying in earnest, sry eveningstar]

I didn't think it was either. I thought - we were so close, but I remembered waking up after it was over, and...

[APPLIES HUGS IMMEDIATELY]

But... you're Lace! There's no way that....

[shakes her head]

You believed in me... I'm sorry.

[SHE STILL BELIEVES IN YOU]

What happened?

[clearly she shouldn't!!!]

I woke up again, and she was there, but it wasn't... her. She said that someone had found us, but by the time we did, it was too late to heal her. The only thing they could do to stop her from dying was to take away her humanity... To make her a different person. So even if she's not dead - the person I knew doesn't exist anymore. The girl I wanted more than anything to save is gone.

It's my fault...

But she's still alive? Just... different?

[She pauses to process this, but then Lace reaches the end and she gets a super firm frown]

It's not your fault! You did everything to save her! You fought off ogres and dragons with your bare hands, right!? Just because something went wrong at the end.... if it hadn't been for you, she would have died!

The person who's there now isn't my sister anymore. It's more than different, she's... gone.

I waited for a week after she got sick before I even thought of leaving. If I hadn't hesitated...

But.... isn't there a chance part of her is still there? [HOW DOES GETTING CURED MAKE HER A DIFFERENT PERSON what even]

You don't know what would have happened! If you'd left earlier, maybe an ogre would have slowed you down, anyway! You can't blame yourself for this, Lace!

[ya fantasy logic, sry star]

That doesn't mean I'll ever be able to talk to her, to be with her the way we were before. Even if some of her is still there... A bigger part of her is different. And we can't... We can't be together anymore. She can't live in the same realm as humans do.

[wipes the tears from her face]

Do you know why I left in the first place? It wasn't just to save her.

But.... There's got to be something you can do..... [ISN'T THERE?]

It wasn't?

No, there isn't, not anymore. I had my chance. I was too late.

When I left, I wanted to save her, but along with that, I knew how much she gave up for me. She wanted to travel, to go on adventures and slay monsters. She only stayed so I wouldn't be alone. I took her dreams from her, and then I couldn't save her...

Lace....

[TRAILS OFF INTO SILENCE]

It's not your fault. She stayed with you because she loved you..... you worked hard to save her because you loved her. You didn't take her dreams away... you shared them.

It didn't work out.... but you can't blame yourself for that. You ran out into a monster-infested world for her sake. Not everyone has that kind of strength.

[she shakes her head, still disagreeing, but she doesn't say anything as she moves to rub the tears off her face]

[WIPES HER TEARS TOO since she's still sitting. Take that, giant Lace]

Do you know how many people would be too scared to leave at all? Who wouldn't risk everything for their sister's sake? I know I never would have made it as far as you did. [....]

I know it hurts to lose her... but there's only one thing to blame, and it's that gross brown plague! [GREY DEATH, WHATEVER]

...It wasn't because I was brave. I didn't think for a second I would find it when I left. I thought I would be killed within hours, but that was easier to accept than having to live my entire life knowing I hadn't done anything. I left because I was afraid of having to go on without her, not because I was fearless.

So, what? Being brave isn't about being fearless! It's about being scared! Didn't you fight off dragons and ogres? Didn't you even get the cure? Aren't you here now, even though you lost her?

It's terrifying to lose your sister! I know that! You know that! Everyone with a sister knows that! You've been here this whole time without her. Maybe you started off because you were scared of just losing her, but that's not how it is anymore, is it?

[she takes a breath as she listens, trying to stop herself from crying]

You aren't wrong, but...

But....?

[Hugging in 3, 2....]

...How am I supposed to lead an entire country of people when I couldn't save the one person closest to me?

[1, HUGS]

[But haha she knows this feeling very well thanks to recent memories, but on a much smaller scale]

You're Lace, duh! Things got messed up at the last minute... but that doesn't change your Laceness! You're strong, and smart, and kind, and way tougher than any queen I've ever heard of! I mean, I bet if you took over here, you'd have this system bent right back into shape in a few days.

[returns the hug silently, taking a deep breath

after a few moments:]

Thank you.

CONTACT POST: WALDEMAR

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