Restart.

[azumods]

HALL OF ORIGIN. The Hall of Origin isn't without its accommodations - after all, humans do live here from time to time, with at least one of them a permanent resident, and even with Arceus' release it doesn't see fit to just make the place into the glass-paned OSHA violation that it normally seems to be. The building itself contains more or less anything you would need after an encounter like this one, whether you want to sleep or locate something to eat, or simply exist around the others for a while; the large hall you first entered into is likely the best for the latter, and you're welcome to gather there for as long as you need. ...Any food is going to be vegan as hell, however, because no one is sure what else you expected. Cyrus and all three Commanders are present for the time being, and amenable to being approached; granted, Cyrus is going to remain outside with Arceus like the asocial individual that he is. Meanwhile, Saturn and Mars in particular seem...it's difficult to say whether they seem "better" or not, but they don't seem acted upon by the Red Chain's influence anymore. (Which is likely a good thing, whether they consider it to be such or not.) There are plans to be made, of course, and things to be done; for now, however, feel free to enjoy the present moment. It's been well-earned.

Comments

[anythingforyou]

[To put it very simply, Camilla has been in violent need of decompressing ever since this encounter has happened; it's certainly been better, and honestly, the decompressing isn't as violent as it normally has been after all of these things. She'll actually be relocating off to one of the bed rooms alongside Arion, though if one looks inside, they'll see she's got all of her team out in a giant cuddle pile, just kind of buried in a bunch of love and cooing. She does give a small wave to anyone who comes in, though, if they are looking for her, but there's no doubt she's gonna be here for a bit.

They're all okay. They've all made it out of this alive. Sure, she'll never be able to go home again for fear of what's to come, and she'll likely need to work around that sooner rather than later, she'll at least have the ability to look out for one of her siblings. For her, that's enough.

Eventually, she will absolutely be joining everyone in the Hall, much more rested looking and almost perky from how much joy this entire situation has brought her. Honestly, she'll be hugging anyone she's gotten to that level with as a greeting, or otherwise just placing a hand on their shoulder with a smile before speaking up--]

Well, what do you think? I'd say we've done incredibly well for ourselves, wouldn't you?

[Her tone is so warm and happy, and good gods it's almost disgusting.

Eventually, though, she is going to be seeking out someone in particular; Mars is going to be getting a bit of company, where ever she is, though it's certainly not without any sort of purpose. But for now...]

Mars, do you have a moment?

bedrooms

[niceoppai]

[You'll hear Chelsea before you see her, because her footsteps are accompanied by the shake-shake-shake of the seeds inside Lemonade's head. Chelsea knocks on the door and gives a smile to her starter before turning to Camilla.]

Hey, Camilla. Kinda amazing, huh?

[azumods]

[Given everything that happened, it's probably not surprising to find Mars tucked away in a room on her own. She's staring out a window again, her expression sort of blank for once. She looks tired, but that's probably understandable.

She looks up when she hears Camilla approach, and she tips her head a bit at the words. She's sort of smiling, though it isn't anywhere near as manic as it was earlier.]

I guess I can take some time out of my busy schedule for you.

[Hahaha. Anyway.]

What's up?

hall

[redbellion]

Yeah. We did.

[ keith's wearing a pretty big smile, considering it's...keith. it's a little dopey, too, because he's just so happy and his pokemon are having a ball, too. we're all smiles in this house! ]

You were great as always, Camilla.

Hall

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, pretty well.

[Michael grins, shrugging.]

But I mean, if Emmeryn wasn't gonna name the tiny godling after me, then what was the point of our quest?

[bloodspent]

[Hey, Camilla. Come here, you're getting a fucking hug, okay. It's sort of an awkward as fuck hug, but you're getting one anyway.]

I mean, we're not dead and that's got to count for something, right?

bedrooms

[divinedescendant]

[PURE......... Emmeryn's just sort of passing by, her team in tow, but stops and waves back at Camilla as she does, and comes into the doorway.]

Oh, my, I've never seen you so comfortable! You may not be allowed to move from there, you know.

[greydients]

[The thought of just....existing for a while is definitely a pleasant one, largely because Rey doesn't really want to contemplate the thought of having to leave just yet. It's comforting, allowing herself to just enjoy having helped Sinnoh as her and their little band always wanted to.

...all of the free vegan food is also...very much appreciated, and she will most definitely be taking advantage of it. Once a scavenger, always a scavenger...

So if you'd like to talk to her, she's seated herself at one of the tables in the hall (and NOT one of the ones out of the way, against the wall - character development!). Her Pokemon are around her, also helping themselves to the food on offer.

She'll also be keeping an eye out for Saturn, if he's wandering around.]

[azumods]

[Don't worry, he's around. He's kind of likewise a badly-socialized weirdo, and as such he's not too big on spending time with a lot of people unless there's some reason for him to, but he'll be in and out just...checking on people, because keeping halfway busy sounds like a good plan for the time being.

He still isn't too sure what he thinks about anything that just happened, but it certainly did happen, either way.]

[anythingforyou]

[Camilla's absolutely going to be joining Rey at the tables, once she's gotten herself decompressed; the weird vegan food isn't exactly a surprise anymore, but honestly, she can more than deal with it. Arion's just kind of floating alongside her, and once she's got a plate big enough for all three heads and her own, she'll take a seat nearby.]

How are you feeling, dear? You certainly had an interesting time of talking to Cyrus.

[Her words are gentle, though, ever the concerned big sister.]

[niceoppai]

[Chelsea needs to take a little time to decompress, so she's just going to sit over somewhere in the hall, letting her entire team out. Arbor wants to inspect everything, Rolly and, naturally, Sunflower are dozing off, and Lemonade sort of hides behind them and nervously stares at the scene. Chelsea sniffles and starts dramatically dumping her feelings on all of them, with some clearly taking in more than others.]

-- and isn't it the most amazing thing you've ever seen, I mean, even after leaning in so bad, they all really did decide to try the whole friendship thing out, an' no one'll ever really know what went on up here the way we do, you just can't describe it, it's like whoa and --

[This takes a while.

Later, she'll be wandering the building, coming up to basically anyone she sees with a wave. The rest of her team is put away, but she's got Lemonade at her side, and after six months, the shy Maractus is less nervous around most of you.]

Wasn't that amazing? I think it shaved ten years off my life, but we're okay! And we're gonna be okay next week! And two weeks from now! I don't think my brain's caught up to that part yet.

[And eventually, she does make her way to the kitchen, where she starts gathering up a stupid amount of food from the pantry into her arms... Well, she does have a Snorlax now.]

wandering

[divinedescendant]

[Chelsea is so cute all the time, and Emmeryn laughs, politely as ever but absolutely delighted.]

And the week after those ones as well—oh, dear, don't worry too terribly about catching up, love; we can take things one day at a time.

[fatalstrikes]

[Immediately after... well, all of that, Yuri will turn to leave. He doesn't say anything to anyone, he just ditches and heads downstairs until he finds an empty bedroom. It's got plenty of beds and more than enough space for him to let all of his Pokémon out, so he does just that and sort of flops down on one of the beds. Roc jumps on the bed with him, and Oran and Tsurugi follow and crowd around him. Dein Nomos and Rukeno obviously aren't fitting on the bed, but they're nearby and none of them seem interested in leaving Yuri's side right now.]

...That sure was a lot, huh?

[He'll be in here for awhile. If you come across him a little later, you'll find Yuri's sitting up properly and talking to his Pokémon. Whatever he's saying to them must be pretty serious, given his expression and how tense all of them are. You'll probably get close in time to hear the following exchange:]

—but when I can, I'll come back. I promise. I don't want to leave you guys alone for too long—

[This clearly isn't sitting well with any of his Pokémon. Roc and Rukeno are both bristling and looking like they're strongly considering wrecking something, Tsurugi has taken to whining softly (which is kind of painful given the noises Zubats make), and Oran has decided to eat the bedspread. At least she's not chomping down on Yuri's hand again?

Dein Nomos has decided to take another approach, however. The dual swords have grabbed Yuri's bag and after fishing around in it for a moment, he pulls a stone from it.]

What's that?

[Oh, it's a stone they got a while back, he had forgotten it was in there—

And that's about when Dein Nomos evolves from a Doublade into an Aegislash.]

Whoa, hey... Dein Nomos, look at you! You could've evolved this whole time?

[do you really think he was going to evolve before now??? you would've gone back to trying to use him as a weapon, yuri, goddamn.

Later on you can find Yuri hanging out near the kitchen; he's still got all of his Pokémon out, including the newly-evolved Dein Nomos. He's got some food with him (probably something one of you guys cooked, since you do that a lot) and he'll hold up a hand in greeting when he spots you.]

Hey! How are you doing after all that?

[He seems to be in a better mood now, even if his Pokémon aren't letting him out of their sight for more than five seconds at a time.

It's getting pretty late when Yuri heads out to find Cyrus. He's managed to convince all his Pokémon to get back in their Pokéballs except Roc, so he's got his starter out with him when he approaches. Is Arceus still hanging out here with you?]

[azumods]

[...It is, yes. Congratulations, your dog is about to meet God.

And also Cyrus, I guess.

Either way, he's just out here spending time with it, hands braced on the railing and his back to the doors; just the same, he seems aware that there's someone there - he doesn't glance back, but he does speak after a moment.]

Did you want something...?

Near the Kitchen

[anythingforyou]

[Hey there, Yuri! Camilla was about to get some food for herself and Arion, actually, so hopefully you don't mind the massive hellbeast following Camilla around like a puppy at this point. She smiles at the question.]

Better than I was expecting to, if I may be honest. I think that's the case for most of us, however...but the fact that we can plan for the future is something to celebrate in and of itself.

[And honestly, she does mean that.]

What of yourself, Yuri?

[discutio]

[...It wasn't a bad choice, he decided, to live for himself. It was one that left a lot of questions--'how', 'what now', 'where to go from here'...but that could wait, just a bit. They'd been working tirelessly for months--now was the time to finally rest before refocusing himself.]

[Or 'rest' in the sense of 'find a kitchen and start cooking'. Because no matter his reasoning for learning to do so...it was, in the end, something that made him happy. That was enough, for a start.]

...I hope this is alright. [He spoke under his breath as he worked, to no one in particular.] I don't think I can turn back time after all...then again, that goes against the heart of it, doesn't it? 'Moving forward, always. Never looking back.' [Ignis sighed with a faint smile, shaking his head. Long and uncertain though the path ahead might have been...it was laid out clearly, and his choice how to take the first steps.]

[A bit later on he sought everyone out with Hemera guiding him--including Cyrus and the commanders (yes, even you, Mars), with an offer of some by now familiar pastries. Relax, Saturn, no animals involved.]

I thought it...a bit unfitting, not to make the attempt at least once more. Would you like one?

[Once that was done...he stepped back outside with all his team in his general vicinity, sitting otherwise by himself--in full black Kingsglaive uniform, mirrored sunglasses off and hair hanging loose in his face.]

[And, very quietly, he started humming to himself, a calm smile on his face.]

[When the night has come, and the land is dark...]

[azumods]

[You'll find Mars in an out-of-the-way room, where she's taken to sitting by the window again. She looks up when she hears noise and she tips her head a bit when she sees Ignis. Huh.]

I didn't expect you, of all people.

[She doesn't sound angry or upset, she just sounds tired, really.]

But yeah, I'll take one.

[...she really likes sweets okay...]

[swiftasacoursingkawa]

[After everything, it's probably no surprise to everyone that Sena can be found in the hall, trying to corral his lively bunch of Pokemon. Admittedly, things are a little more subdued- and for good reason, once one can overhear what Sena is saying.]

Look, it's not like my world is dangerous or anything, but it's not somewhere I can take Pokemon with me either, people would ask too many questions, or try and follow me back here and cause more trouble or something - yes, I said follow me back, I'm not leaving forever! Ack-!

[Monta and Vee seem to be the ones taking it the worst, as they don't really stop jumping around him or give him much room to work with. They are the most...impulsive members of his team, after all. Nin kinda seems to get it, but is trying to "help" by picking fights with Vee and Monta, which understandably does the opposite; Shell and Portus completely get it and stand on the side solemnly, and Yan also gets it but seems more content to fly around in gleeful lazy spirals instead.

It's kinda loud in Sena's section of the hall, as you can imagine.]

Anyways, after we win the Christmas Bowl - [and isn't that strange, that Sena's able to say such a thing so confidently - no if, no sudden redaction a few seconds later. Is it because he's that caught up in the moment, or is he finally ready to claim victory for himself, to say that kind of thing out loud?] I can come visit more often - actually, there's something I really wanna try out with you guys, if you wanna-

[apparently, they wanna, if the sudden ruckus they're making means anything.]

-h-hey! Aha...

[anythingforyou]

[Camilla's honestly just walking in the hall with Arion in tow, when she sees what appears to be one hell of a coagulation of friends, and one hell of a ruckus. Honestly, it makes Camilla laugh just a bit.]

Plans for the future going rather interestingly, Sena?

[It's a bit of a gentle response, if anything, but it is genuinely good to see him so confident and happy!]

[thunderwolf]

[As everyone disperses, Eustace's first order of business is heading out to the hall to release the rest of his Pokemon from their balls. It...might've been a mistake to do this in one of the more public spots, because after he fills everyone in on how things went and goes to give them all a good petting, he gets picked up into an inescapable bear hug from Bolt. Eustace makes a strangled noise that is definitely not like him.]

Cut it out Bolt, I can't breathe—

[Not only does Bolt not cut it out, he ends up passing Eustace to Quake for a decidedly less suffocating hug but a similarly inescapable one complete with headpatting. His cool and collected image, obliterated. Get wrecked by love, Eustace.

After taking some time to rest and have something to eat, Eustace can be found around to (gasp) chat. There's still some time before the group inevitably splits up, but he wants to talk while he can. He has a question for those whom he meets up with.]

Thought about what you want to do from here on?

[Now that they can think about the future with absolute certainty, he's...curious.

Later on, he makes his way back outside with Rose. He didn't get to focus too much on the view during the confrontation with Cyrus, but he's definitely interested in seeing it. He can't help but smirk a little when he spots Arceus back with Cyrus, considering their earlier conversation. But speaking of Cyrus though, being a fellow asocial person, Eustace figures he should ask first...]

Cyrus. [He makes his presence known before anything (even though his entrance was probably very obvious).] Mind if I join you out here for a bit?

[discutio]

Me? Oh-...well, when I get home I've a fair bit of work waiting for me. My friends likely think I'm dead by now, so that'll be an interesting explanation on my part.

[as you do]

Once our own world's been put back in something resembling a functional order...that, I'm not certain about.

[enjoymyatelier]

[wow. They really did it, huh? What a wild ride that was. It’s enough that Kayneth just kind of retires to one of the bedrooms after things settle down, where he’s just going to leave his Pokémon to try and pile into bed while he writes in what’s now his third notebook. His door is open, so he’s definitely ready and willing to chat, he’s just... a bit tired, as well, and needs a breather before he’s ready to go back out and socialize.

Once he’s done there, he’s ready to seek out socializing a bit, so he’ll be around... well, mostly outside, as he wants to appreciate the view some more. It’s just kinda nice, you know... even if he’s talking to no one in particular.]

Hmm. I wonder if I can extend my sabbatical once I get back home... then again, there will be so much cruft to sort through. Hopefully my magecraft actually works>/I> again, too...

outside

[niceoppai]

I mean, if you got kidnapped, I think you got an excuse. But that's just me.

[perfectselfie]

[Aya is all smiles after that. How can she not be, after things ended the way they did? She's just going to take a seat in one corner of the room, taking her team out of their Pokeballs.]

So...I can't take you with me back home. I have school and practice and work, and I don't want to leave you at my house while I do all of that. I'm going to miss all of you a lot, but I promise I'll be back to see you as often as I can. I'll bring the rest of the girls from Pastel*Palettes with me! They will love you, I just know it. We'll do a live, and you'll have a lot of fun with it.

[And all of a sudden she is seeing a bright light, and Mochi the Munchlax is now almost twice Aya's height. She can't help but laugh.]

How long have you been waiting to do that? I guess for a while, huh?

[No response, but she thinks she gets it.]

I promise I'm going to leave you with a friend. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Okay?

[That sure is a hug from Ichigo.]

[niceoppai]

[Chelsea's own Snorlax waves. Sunflower was getting proud, but he guesses seeing others as big as him isn't so bad. And they're pretty cool. Sort of.]

Heh. Yeah, it's hard to let go of 'em, isn't it?

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael's Pokemon are all already out, so after everything seems to settle down, he herds them along until they reach the cafeteria. It's been a while since they've all had a proper food selection, after all, and he needs to chat with them anyway.

Putting together dinner is easy enough. The Pokemon tend to require a lot less meal prep than a human; even Michael can handle that alone. After it's done, and they're all out eating around one of the tables, he starts talking to them all. Anyone passing by can probably overhear part of it:]

See, I don't know what exactly would happen if I brought living beings into the afterlife, but it doesn't sound like the safest idea - no, no!

[It seems that, having caught on to the bent of Michael's words, Ky the Milotic has wrapped around him and is now squeezing him like an enormous boa constrictor. A boa constrictor of love, probably.

Later on, having extricated himself from that, he'll be hanging out in the Hall with everyone else. Normally he takes a little time for himself after one of these encounters, but just now he seems disinclined to part with everyone, even for a few minutes.]

So. What're your plans for after this?

hall

[discutio]

Past the obvious world reconstruction?

[Ignis' whole team was milling about in his general vicinity, his visor on a Scyther's face instead of his own. Hey, no reason to try looking cooler even when your arms are made of knives.]

...I don't know. In fact, I haven't the faintest idea. [He admitted that lightly, even smiling at the concept that he had no clue what the hell he was doing.] What about you?

[semistableman]

[After things have... settled, and Bucky's entire group of Pokemon have also calmed he can be found sitting with them for a while. Even Henrietta, usually a feisty bird, seems to have realized just how close they all came to certain death, because she's sitting calmly on his head.

He doesn't look opposed to company, but for now the man is just happy to still be alive with his gaggle of friends.

Later on, he can be found in the cafeteria making his classic "stew", looking happier than he has in... well. Probably ever. They're alive; he might even be able to go home, to see the people he's missed. To see his goats again. Hopefully no one is too angry, hopefully he can explain.

It doesn't take too long for him to finish, and then he offers food to everyone, including the members of Team Galactic. Cyrus especially gets a particularly large portion-- sorry about the default veganism, but dairy in stew would be pretty strange.

Once all of that is done, he'll be in the Hall with the rest of the group.]

Anyone got plans for when they return home?

cafeteria

[discutio]

Here, I'll trade with you.

[That was Ignis' response upon being offered food; he was just finishing up a batch of those berry pastries that had taken a decade to master in Lucis and six months to figure out in Sinnoh.]

[Warm, comforting, and a perfect balance of the different berries that had gone into them--without a doubt, they were the most resounding success they'd been to date.]

[radiantflame]

[Alrest has been at the back of Morag's mind for this entire adventure, but now that returning is a reality instead of a goal, she's not quite sure how to think about it. This world is safe, and recovering, but her own home is still in turmoil. What do the others believe became of her by now? It briefly occurs to her that she may not even have a home to return to, but she quickly pushes that thought out of her mind.

She needs to go back and fix this.

While everyone else is making plans and food, Morag wanders to the far end of the hall and looks down towards the Spear Pillar. She's flanked by her team, and speaking rather solemnly to them.]

I will leave it up to you what you wish to do from this point on. I won't begrudge you if you wish to remain here. I will return if...

[She pauses. She doesn't know what the coming months will bring in Alrest, and she wants to be realistic. But then Agatha nudges her hand.]

When I can.

[niceoppai]

Heading back home, huh? They must need you pretty bad.

[hyruglyphics]

[ So with all of that done Zelda's... well. She can't wait to go back (she is also overjoyed at the idea that they can come back, and her initial time is spent... well? She starts off sorting her books. The ones she's stolen from Team Galactic, the notebooks she's written out, and all sorts of other materials... which are necessary to bring back, which ones she should return, see if she can't consolidate some of the writing material down to a smaller collection of binders. It's nervous work she does for a an hour or two pretty much up until she can't focus anymore, and so with a stretch she and her Pokemon besides set off to meet with everyone.

And so she does go out and tries to find everyone, going up to them and... well she wishes she had a fruit cake, but seeking everyone out (including Saturn) she sort of goes to them and, ]

What are you intentions from here?

[ Her own are obvious. ... Also ]

... Was there a kitchen? I ... didn't check, but I've not seen Saber so I presume she went there.

[azumods]

...That's a good question, isn't it.

[Ah, Saturn. As full of straight answers as ever.]

It depends on what Master Cyrus decides he wants, I suppose.

[divinedescendant]

[And here is the awful truth Emmeryn has been too cowardly to face all this time, the reason for the pit in her chest weighing down each unsteady step up Mount Coronet, the reality too close to ignore now: her heart is a boy she has been scared to call a man but has to now that she knows he has picked up the torch and crown she left behind, her heart is a girl with a soul made of sunlight shining in every smile who could never grow up to be anything like her elder sister and certainly for the better, her heart is in a world where her corpse is a symbol she would desecrate with a revival, her heart is twentyfold all around her and has spent this half year helping each other through the march and the dirt and the emptiness and the fear with such unceasing courage and closeness, her heart is returning to untouchable places universes away, and she will stay behind lose it all.

When she turned back towards Ylisstol, she told her siblings it was not goodbye, and even then, she knew she would never see home again. She handed Chrom the Fire Emblem and she knew—but she was not supposed to still be here long enough to feel the ache.

They will visit, and she is not the only one who will eke out a new home in the splendid meadows and mountains, but after the constant commotion and company, the trip back down the mountain will be so horribly quiet.

When all is said and done, she retires her regalia, folds up and puts away the capes and sashes and gloves, and puts a cardigan still a little dirty from the hike on over her nice white dress to keep her warm. That's about as much time dawdling as Duma allows her before he headbutts her all the way down the hall and outside. Instead of brooding, she gets to watch him launch himself off the balcony (from about as far away from the part of it literally actually God is just chillin' on as he can get), and fly straight and steady towards the sky. Something goes odd in her expression again, soft and smiling and strange, watching his silhouette against the sunlight. He descends but doesn't land, hovering close enough to the balcony's edge that Emmeryn almost worries he'll crash through the railing, and rumbles at her. She sets one hand on the railing, and grips it only a little too tight, and Duma calms when she leans forward and touches her forehead against his.]

Another time, love. We have so much of it now. [She settles back, scratches his fins.] Go on. I will watch from here.

[And up Duma goes again, all spirals and loop-de-loops and booming roars now, Heim chirping as he follows along behind. She spends a little while longer out here, watching them fly and keeping Mila occupied when Audhulma decides annoying Latona is more interesting than minding the god-infant from floating inquisitively into Forseti's stomach-mouth. Another moment, maybe a few, and once she's settled—once it would not be so easy to collapse—she'll go to them.

Her whole team follows her into the halls when she returns; they scatter and dawdle here and there, never too far off, but Duma only ever wants to be at her side, and she certainly can't let Mila float too far to pluck from the air and away from trouble. She calls for people by name as she approaches them, and smiles ever warm and wide.]

Is there anything you need before it's time to depart?

[She makes an effort to find the commanders, too, one at a time, and sets down steaming teacups on the nearest surface, if it's available, hands the tea over if it isn't.]

I've brought a small something, if you would like it. But I thought I might come see how you are faring.

[As the evening starts to settle, she goes to see Cyrus with only Duma and Mila in tow. Something about that seems right to her, a little distantly, the kingshield and the kingsgrail—except for the parts where Duma keeps walking with his whole face all but pressed to the ground, and Mila, floating by her shoulder, is stuck in her hair again.]

Cyrus?

[She bows her head low to Arceus as she approaches, but she comes to stand by Cyrus at the balcony without asking permission—never casual, but friendly.]

Eventually, I will remember that I do not much care for heights, but until I do, I had better take advantage of it.

[All that's happened, today and all this time, and she still says that so lightly.]

[azumods]

[He's about as distant as ever when Emmeryn approaches, though there's no coldness in his words when he responds to her; it is what it is, and he doesn't really bother talking to people unless he wants to in some capacity besides.]

Until you do, I won't stop you.