Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Isa!”

Just like Mira had said, Isabeau is here. His eyes open at the sound of your voice, and he smiles back at you as you approach.

“Sif!”

“Isa!!!”

“Sif!!!!!”

“Isaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”

“Sif!!!!!”

“Isaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”

“Okay, that’s it!!!” he says firmly, even as he's still laughing a bit, “I’m ending this bit!!!”

Aw. You boo him. How dare he end the bit.

“That’s how it has to be, Siffrin,” he laments, not looking very sorry at all, “Anyway, I was just looking at the Favor Tree! Isn’t this tree cool??”

Hm… 

Oh, you suddenly have a fantastic idea.

“Yeah, it is…” you begin.

“Glad you agree!”

“One could say it’s a pretty…”

You see his eyes light up as he recognizes what’s coming.

“Uh huh???”

“…Tree-mendous tree.”

He bursts into a laughter that you’ve become long-familiar with. The low timbre of it practically booms across the clearing, and you can’t help but snicker along with him. You like it when you can make your friends happy! 

“YEAH!!!!” he cheers, “YEAH!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!” 

He makes an odd gesture with his hand, as he continues to laugh boisterously. It takes a little while longer for you both (mostly him) to compose yourselves.

“I’m gonna go soon so you can do your thing with the tree,” Isa manages to tell you eventually, still chuckling, “But do you wanna talk before I go?”

Yes! You do!

The rest of the talk is pretty uneventful. You tell him about the sleepover, he explains what Favor Trees are, and he tells you about his secret dream to become a clothing designer! Huh, that’s interesting to know! You’re glad he told you, it made you feel… closer to him, somehow. You should… Ah ha!

“W-what? A flower? For me?”

…Why does he look so surprised???

“You’re the only one here, Isa.”

“Haha, yeah!!!!!!!!” 

He still has an… odd expression on his face, but he does take the flower! It looks small as he cradles it gently in his cupped hands. 

“Thanks, Sif… I… I’ll treasure it forever!!!” he stammers out after a moment.

He seems happy. Success!!

You can’t think of anything else to say after that, and he leaves you to make your wish at the Favor Tree. You stand in the shade of the tree for a while, trying to think of a suitable enough wish, and… maybe it’s because he was just here, but all you can think about is how much you like talking with Isabeau. After this, when he starts pursuing his dream in fashion design, you think you’d like it if he crafted something for you to wear. If you could see him smile as you wear something he made himself, something he made for you…

…

You make your wish.

Smiling softly to yourself, you turn and leave the clearing.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

You enter the clearing leading to the Favor Tree, eyes narrowed and with a wary gait in your steps.

It had already been a few hours since you were woken up, jolting awake at the feeling of large hands gripping tightly onto your shoulders, shaking you. Isa had let go almost immediately, but that hadn’t stopped the intent, panicked look on his face that you don’t think you’ve ever seen on a person before.

Or the what felt like minutes of frantic interrogations afterwards.

“You’re okay? You’re really okay???”

“Yes, Isa, I’m fine!! I'm fine! Did something happen?? Is everything-”

Luckily, you were soon saved by Mira rushing in and doing a much better job at calming Isabeau down than you were managing to. It was all you could do to watch as she led Isa back to the Clocktower to wash his face, clenching and unclenching the note that she had hurriedly pressed in your hands as they went off.

It was a good thing, you had supposed. You never were any good at comforting people.

And it wasn't like you and Isa were really close enough for him to…

Following the note, you had talked to both Odile and Bonnie, only able to shrug at their questions about Isa, having noticed the other two go by earlier apparently. You prayed at the Change God statue. You wandered around Dormont and talked to the residents. You collected random trinkets…

And then you had nothing else to do.

There had only been one last uncrossed thing on Mira's note.

…The Favor Tree. That’s where Isa was before all this. Had something happened there? Maybe he had also been taking a nap and had had a nightmare or something, but…

The way he had looked at you…

It…

You shake your head to clear the image from your mind, and continue stalking forwards, the dirt path crunching slightly underneath your heels. You feel your eyes narrow, your gaze flitting about.

Your instincts have never been the most reliable things, but somehow, you just know, that something is incredibly off here.

“Hello?” you call out, feeling a bit silly as only a few birds turn their heads to look at you. The grass continues to sway in the breeze, unfaltering, “Hello? Anyone here?”

The path leads you to a big tree at the end of the clearing. The Favor Tree, you guess, and not just from its size. Because, as you get closer to it, step by step, you think that it almost feels like someone is watc-

“Sif!”

You jump and make a rather embarrassing noise as Isa seems to appear out of nowhere, and he smiles sheepishly, making sure to quickly walk out of your blind spot. The earlier panic in his eyes doesn’t seem to have fully dissipated, as you can tell by the slightly strained corners, but he definitely looks a lot more… put together.

“Sorry, Sif! I just, really need to do something at the Favor Tree real quick, if you wouldn’t mind…”

Something at the Favor Tree? Hm…

“What do you need to do?” you ask.

“I- uh. Need to. Just, ask for a favor!” he laughs in a way that you doubt would convince even a half-asleep Bonnie, “I haven’t asked for a favor yet so, I wanted to do that now! Yeah!”

“...”

“...”

“Hey, Isa?”

“Y-yeah?”

“That’s a real…”

“...”

“Tree-mendous excuse you’ve got there.”

Okay. You can admit that it’s not your best work, but surely that doesn’t deserve the stunned look on Isa’s face?? Agh, Siffrin, you idiot!! Stupid! Isa had just had a horrible experience earlier, and is all you can think to do is subject him to an obnoxious-

Your thoughts are cut off by the incredulous sound of his laughter, loud and booming and genuine this time as he leans forward, clutching his stomach. Now it’s your turn to be stunned for a few moments, blinking once, twice, before you’re laughing too, even if more out of surprise than anything else.

Well. At least this was something you could still- Oh, wait!! You’d forgotten about your actual plan to cheer him up in the first place!

“Sif?” he asks as his laughter trails off, noticing you suddenly rummaging through your pockets.

Yes! You find it!

You quickly hold it out for him.

“Oh!” his face lights up immediately, “The flower!!”

“Yes! Flower for you!” you grin. Despite his enthusiasm, he takes the flower from you carefully. It looks small as he cradles it gently in his cupped hands.

“Thanks, Sif. I’ll treasure it forever,” he smiles back, sincerely, at you.

He’s happy!! Success!!!

You made him happy!

You wave at him as you leave, and you’re not even out of the clearing yet before he’s turning around back towards the Favor Tree. A very small part of you is miffed that you don’t have the time to make your own wish now, but whatever Isa needs to do seems important, at least.

It’s not a proper wish, but you send a hope out to the Universe anyways that he succeeds.

With this prayer in mind, you turn and leave the clearing.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

You finally enter the clearing west of town, and… Huh, was Mira wrong? You don’t see Isa anywh- Oh, nevermind! There he is, exiting from beneath an enormous tree at the end of the clearing. Your eyes are momentarily caught by a glint in the shade behind him, but that attention is quickly taken by the way he has to shake leaves out of his hair as he approaches.

Hehe.

Is-a-tree.

Smiling, you call out.

“Isa!”

He looks up at the sound of your voice, and you abruptly find yourself caught off guard by something in the way he’s staring at you, but…

“Sif!”

You… brush the feeling off. It obviously wasn’t anything important.

“Isa!!!”

“Sif!!!!!”

“Isaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”

“Siiiiffff!!!!!!!!!”

“Isaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”

“SIIIIFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!”

Oh? Okay?! Is that how it was?

“ISSSSAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“SSSIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

You are, incredibly sadly, the first to chicken out. You just can’t compete with Isa’s vocal talents.

“Okay, that’s enough.”

“Aw, boo!”

…

…

..?

Okay, you’re not just imagining it, are you? He is looking at you strangely. Like… like something about you is paining him?? Did you do something wrong? You don’t think that you did, but-

“A-anyway, I was just looking at the Favor Tree!!” Isa pipes up abruptly, the cheerfulness of it bordering on jarring, “It's, um, pretty neat, isn't it???”

“…Uh, yeah. It is?” You suppose??

“Yeah!”

“...”

“...”

“...Um, Isa-”

“I-I guess you could say it’s a pretty tree-mendous tree?”

Admittedly, it’s more out of bewilderment than anything else that a laugh escapes your throat, loud and sudden. Your hand automatically flies to cover your mouth but Isa is already laughing at your reaction, and you can’t help but chuckle along with him.

He really has such an infectious laugh.

“I’ll go and let you do your thing with the tree soon,” he says, after you’ve both managed to compose yourselves, “Do you need to say anything before I go?”

Right! Yes! You do!

The rest of the talk is pretty uneventful. You tell him about the sleepover, he explains what Favor Trees are, and he tells you about his secret dream to become a clothing designer! Huh, that’s interesting to know! You’re glad he told you, it made you feel… closer to him, somehow. You should… Ah ha!

“Flower!!” he cheers, grinning widely, “For me!!”

“Yeah, for you!” you cheer back, watching him carefully take it. It looks small as he cradles it gently in his cupped hands.

“Thanks, Sif! I’ll treasure it forever!!!”

He seems happy! Success!!

You can’t think of anything else to say after that, and he leaves you to make your wish at the Favor Tree. You approach the-

“Waitwaitwaitwait-!”

Ah-??

You startle at the sudden pressure on your shoulder, and by the time you turn around Isa’s already pulling his hand back with an abashed smile on his face.

“I, just, remembered that I still need to do something at the Favor Tree, sorry! Could you, come back late- Actually, this'll probably take a while, so maybe don’t come back today? Sorry??”

Oh? Okay?? You don’t know what Isa could possibly still need to do here after being here for hours already but… Then again, tomorrow is a lot more important for Isa than it is for you. This is his country and home at stake, after all. It makes sense that Isa would want to make sure that his wish is worded properly.

It is always vital to get the wording right.

You give him what you hope comes across as an understanding nod, and watch as he sighs in relief.

You. Suppose you can just head back to the Clocktower now. It’s going to get dark soon anyways.

Isa waves you goodbye as you turn and leave the clearing.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

You finally enter the clearing west of town, and just like Mira had said, Isabeau is here, probably pondering what favor to ask the tree.

Smiling, you call out.

“Isaaaa…?”

You trail off as you get close enough to see his face, close enough to be caught off guard by the expression in it. It’s… something sad? Something a bit angry? You don’t know what…

“Isa?” you say again, and he seems to snap out of it, turning to look at you.

“Oh, hey Sif! Didn’t see you there!” he’s smiling at you with his eyes closed. There’s something about it that… unnerves you, for some reason, “Did you come to tell me something?”

“Y-yeah,” you manage to stutter out. Did something happen? “Sleepover at the Clocktower later.”

“Cool,” he still has that same smile on, “Anyways, I still need to ask the Favor Tree my favor, so I’ll see you later, alright?”

That. Was definitely a dismissal, but…

“Hey, uh, is everything alright?” you ask, but he’s quick to laugh you off.

“Yeah, everything's good! I’m just nervous about tomorrow. But I know we’ll be fine, so it’s nothing to worry about!”

You… nod. Of course, it’s completely understandable that he’s nervous. His entire country is at stake, after all.

But…

“Seriously, don’t worry, Sif,” he winks at you, “I’m just having a tree-mendous time here!”

He begins to laugh, loud and booming, as always, and you…

You… frown.

He must notice something in your expression, in the way you’re not laughing with him, because his laughter trails off, falling into a discomforting, hesitant stare.

All you can do is stare back at him. It’s not just you being paranoid, is it? Something is off, and you can’t help but feel like it’s somehow your…

Should you press him? Maybe it's something that isn't any of your business, if he's not telling you about it. But he's your friend! You want to make sure that he's doing okay.

He looks away then, his mouth opening, then closing.

Then.

He looks back at you with a wobbly sort of smile.

“Hey, Sif? Can you promise me something?”

You blink.

“Um. I guess, it depends?”

He nods, and you give him a moment to seemingly mull over his thoughts.

“It’s going to get dangerous, in the House tomorrow,” he says softly, in as serious of a tone as you’ve ever heard from him, “There’s going to be a lot of traps and Sadnesses and… Can you promise me? That you’ll try, to not get hurt? Can you promise me that?”

You feel caught in his dark-eyed gaze.

“What? I-” despite your sudden nervousness, you do your best to smile reassuringly, “O-of course, I’ll do my best not to get hurt! Everyone needs me in one piece to help fight the King, after all, right?”

Something in his expression hardens immediately.

“Seriously, you don’t need to worry about me!!” you're quick to add. You don’t know what you said wrong, but obviously you said something wrong or else he wouldn’t be looking at you like that! Looking at you like- like-

“Okay, Sif,” he interrupts you, smiling again. The light doesn’t seem to reach his eyes.

“…” What did you do wrong? What did you say? How can you fix this? “S- see you later, Isa.”

Something within you whispers [coward] as you turn and leave the clearing.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

Chapter Text

Loop 13

SETTING: The Favor Tree

The Favor Tree stands at the end of a long clearing, its leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Bright afternoon light spills down over the grass, the birds, and the man standing off to one side, face pressed into his hands.

A starlit figure peeks out from beneath the Favor Tree’s shade.

THE GUIDE

(cheerfully)

Good job, Fighter! You've reached the King already, and after only thirteen loops too~ You know, they say that thirteen's an unlucky number, but hey, maybe this is the loop where you finally-

THE FIGHTER

Why doesn’t it bother you?

THE GUIDE

(caught off guard, blinking)

I- pardon?

THE FIGHTER

(crossing arms, glancing over)

Why doesn’t it bother you, whenever Sif dies? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re here to help me! It just… rubs me the wrong way a bit, how you don't react whenever they die, or get hurt, or-

THE GUIDE

(scoffs)

Tch. Fighter, I think you’re just biased towards them on account of your… you know. I already told you, I’m not all too bothered about it because it’s not like they’re going to remember it anyways. I’m s- It's unfortunate that you, evidently, get so affected by it, but…

THE FIGHTER

(discomfortably)

Uh-huh… Sure, Loop.

Nearby, the piou piou of a bird fills the resulting silence. THE GUIDE kicks their legs rhythmically where they sit on one of the Favor Tree's roots, staring blankly at the ground. They seemingly don't notice the way THE FIGHTER stares at them with a thoughtful expression.

THE FIGHTER

(clearing throat)

Well… anyways- did you see that attack? The one that took us all down at once?? How are we supposed to block that!! Even if we spent the whole day training in the House I don’t think we’d get strong enough to outlast it! And it was only one attack!! What if he has even stronger ones?!

THE GUIDE

Yes, it is quite unfair, isn’t it? Well, Fighter, this might be trickier to get through, but you -do- still have an entire town and an entire House left to explore. Maybe you could find something that could help counteract the King's attack? Like a special craft, maybe?

THE FIGHTER

(narrowing eyes)

Is this one of those things that you ~know~ even though you, for some reason, can’t just tell me outright?

THE GUIDE

Teehee! I have no idea whatever you could mean by that~

THE FIGHTER

...

THE GUIDE

…

THE FIGHTER

...

THE GUIDE

(groaning, aggrievedly)

Ugh, yeesh. Fine. Hey, Fighter- Here's a suggestion for you! Why don’t you go check out the libraryyyyy~?

THE FIGHTER

(amused)

Heh. Thanks, Loop.

THE GUIDE

Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.

(A pause)

You know…

THE FIGHTER

Hm?

THE GUIDE

It really is amazing that you made it this far in only 13 loops. You’ve made much more… Just, well done, Fighter, truly. I don’t think it’s long until you figure out how to get out now.

THE FIGHTER

(with a softness, genuinely)

Thanks, Loop. And thanks to you too, for helping me get through this. Even if you are suuuper secretive and mysterious~ I’m, glad you’re here with me.

THE GUIDE

(looking away)

….Of course, Fighter.

Chapter Text

You finally enter the clearing west of town. Despite what your note says, you know that Isa isn’t here, because you had actually seen him in town earlier! He had been running about between the party’s other two adult members, before eventually holing himself up in Dormont’s library. You had asked Mira what that was all about, but she'd just shrugged in a similar confusion and mentioned something about shields?

You had supposed that made sense. A shield would be useful in fighting against the King, as well as any other lingering Sadnesses. You just wondered why Isa was doing the reading himself instead of asking Odile. He, frankly, doesn’t seem like the type to enjoy puzzling through finicky, academic texts.

Regardless, with nothing else to do, you'd figured that you could try and make a wish! You aren’t entirely sure if this is what a Favor Tree is used for, but, well, it’s in the name, right?

And…

Something about it seems so familiar anyhow…

…

Ugh, what were you doing again? Right, making a wish! And to begin, you had to find an appropriate leaf, one that you think can represent yourself!

You spot one that looks right, hanging above you, just out of your reach. You smile, and step forward to reach it, cursing your shortness as you’re forced to stand on your tippy-toes to-

You freeze as you hear a rustle, a muffled voice, and months of dodging Sadnesses and a lifetime of living in the wilderness immediately has you crouching and pressing a palm over your dagger’s hilt.

You stay near frozen-still, peering into the impressive darkness of the tree’s shade, searching.

Somehow, you know that there’s something, someone, there.

You can feel them looking at you.

…

After another minute of no response, you decide to take the risk.

“Hello?” you call out into the quiet.

There’s no response.

“Hey, I know there’s someone there,” you squint harder into the darkness, leaning forwards, “Show yourself!”

They don’t.

…

…

You… sigh, letting your cloak fall back down and walking away. While you would’ve liked to make a wish, you don’t feel comfortable with some stranger watching you do it.

Oh, well. You look up at the darkening sky, pursing your lips. Even though something about this whole situation is niggling at you, this is just going to have to be a mystery for you to solve after you defeat the King.

Ignoring the eyes you still feel on you, you turn and leave the meadow.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

You sprint into the clearing west of town, and you wouldn’t have even needed Mira to tell you that Isa was here, because you can hear him! You could hear him all the way from the boulangerie, where you were still licking the pastry flakes from out your teeth when the yelling had caused you to freeze up and then immediately start running.

You hadn’t even recognized Isa’s voice at first, with the sound being so muffled by the trees and having never heard him sound so… genuinely angry? Distraught? Either way, there was obviously something really bad happening and you hadn’t thought twice before you were barreling down the path and towards the big tree at the end of the clearing, a hand wrapped around your dagger and craft buzzing beneath your fingertips.

“ISA!!” you call out loudly, ready to defend him against whatever horror could make him shout like this.

Mere meters away now, you just about manage to make out two figures standing in the shade of the tree; the one on the right is distinctly Isabeau-shaped, and the one on the left is- wait, hold on, are they glowing??

But before your stuttering thoughts can catch up, suddenly the glowing one is grabbing Isa by the arms and shoving him-

You both shriek as Isa crashes into you, and it is only with a stupid amount of luck that you manage to avoid stabbing him as his full body weight slams onto you, ramming you into the dusty and, as you’re learning, hard dirt path.

“OW OW OW OW-"

“CRAB, SIF-!”

Isa rolls over off you almost immediately, and the sun is soon blotted out with his concerned face and large, hesitant hands hovering over you.

“Sif?? Sif, Sif, buddy- oh, Change I am so sorry. Are you okay? Hello? Answer please?!”

You. Try to answer, but you’re not sure if what comes out of your mouth is words.

“Oh, crab. Just, take your time??”

You make a noise that is probably affirmative-sounding, shutting your eyes tight as you try to figure out where the pain is coming from.

You never do manage to figure it out, as suddenly, fortunately, blessedly, you feel the familiar tingly lather of healing craft wash over you, and you sigh with relief as the pain melts away and coherency begins to return to your brain. You accept the offer from the wonderful, healing hands that are helping you up, and automatically begin to thank Mira for her miracles, but-

…

Isa flinches at your stare, and immediately takes his hands away from yours.

But you continue to stare at him.

Mira isn’t here.

Wow, nevermind. Apparently your coherency has not returned to you if you’ve forgotten one of your friend’s basic crafting abilities?? But- no, you’re almost entirely certain that Isa doesn’t know healing craft? Maybe?? Oh stars you couldn’t just ask now then, could you? It would be so mortifying if it turned out that-

Fortunately for you, you never get the chance to make an absolute fool of yourself because you’re interrupted by the sound of fast, dainty footsteps behind you and-

“Mira?”

“Siffrin! Isabeau!” she rushes up to you both, clutching her skirt above the path's dusty clutches. She seems slightly breathless and there's a concerned furrow in her brow, “Someone told me that they suddenly saw you run off, and that there was shouting, and- Sorry, is everything okay? You guys seem okay, it looks like, but-”

Wait, hold on- What happened to-!??

“THE GLOWY ONE-!!!”

Mira jumps at your sudden shout, but you don’t have time to apologize because-

“Siffrin?? What’s-”

“THE GLOWY PERSON UNDER THE TREE!!” you shout, spinning on your heel. You squint into the Favor Tree's shadow, but you don't see anything!! “WHERE’D THEY GO?!”

“GLOWY PERSON UNDER THE TREE??” Mira repeats behind you in surprise, “WHAT?!”

“THEY ATTACKED US!”

You flip your dagger out, and from the corner of your eyes see Mira approach and begin to draw her own weapon.

“THEY WHAT-”

“GUYS CAN WE PLEASE MAYBE CALM DOWN FOR A SECOND??”

“WH-" Okay, you can admit that maybe you guys are yelling just a tad too much, but- "ISA THEY PUSHED YOU! HOW CAN YOU-”

“There had better be a good reason for all this commotion or so help me.”

You all turn around and simultaneously shrink under Odile’s glare. Ah, there was the real adult of the group. And although her expression was as stern and composed as ever, you could tell by the flushing in her face, and the shifting in her bad leg, just how out of breath she was.

She. Must’ve been really concerned to willingly run over like this.

Whoops.

But, still-

“There is a good reason!” you quickly assert, “Someone was attacking Isabeau!”

“Someone was what?”

“No!” Isa protests, waving his arms frantically. His eyes are wide in a panic that mirrors how you're feeling quite well, “No one was attacking me, I swear!”

What??

“What? Isa-”

“We were just. Having a disagreement! And I think they freaked out when they saw you, Sif! They’re. Uh, shy, but they mean no harm! I think?”

???

“You think?” Odile raises an eyebrow.

“Lookit’scomplicatedokay?” Isa murmurs frustratedly into his hands. The rest of you can only trade unsure glances with each other, before-

“...Well, do you, think you can explain it to us then?” Mira’s the one to break the silence, walking forwards to place a reassuring hand on Isa’s arm, “We trust you, Isabeau! If you say it’s fine, then we’ll believe you that it’s fine. But…”

“But it’s the day before we have to go and fight the King,” Odile carries on. You can hear how she’s making the effort to soften her voice, “And if there’s someone going around and attacking a savior now of all times, then that’s something we’re going to need an explanation for.”

You don’t have anything else to add, so you just nod firmly when Isa’s gaze sweeps over to you, and he groans before straightening up again, meeting you all with a more determined expression.

“Right. It… It was… probably dumb of me to not tell you guys this before but… I guess I just didn’t want to worry you all, not if… Not if I could figure it out myself first.”

The words are said quietly, and with an insecurity that you had never heard from Isa before. You can’t help the frown that crosses your lips, and you step closer to him without thinking.

“Tell us what?” you find yourself asking, feeling your breath catch in your throat.

“I’m…” Isa chuckles slightly, as if he himself couldn’t believe what he was trying to say, “I’m. I’m stuck. I’m stuck in a time loop.”

What.

“What?”

“What??”

You distantly register the sound of Odile flipping her notebook open, but all you can do is stare at him and the way he averts his gaze.

It’s. Not that you don’t believe him! It really isn’t, you trust him far too much for that. But the very idea is just, so, out of nowhere that you can’t really process it??

“A- a timeloop?” Mira stutters. It seems that for once you’re not alone in your confusion, “Did- Do- Did we not make it through the House? Did the King kill us?!”

“Well- yes- No, we did make it through the House- well, not at first, but-”

“You have looped more than once,” Odile surmises, even as you see the skepticism in the furrow of her brow.

“Yeah. This is the, fourteenth loop, I think?”

“FOURTEENTH?!” Mira shrieks, her face taut with horror, “How do we die that many times???”

And Isa’s.

Eyes.

Dart towards you for a split second before-

“Look, the details don’t matter, I’ve already figured out how to get through the House safely by now, but-”

You don’t hear the rest of what he says. You can’t, because all you can think about it that split-second glance towards you, filled with so much unidentifiable emotion and-

(Was- was it your fault? That you didn’t make it through the house on the first try? You’re supposed to be the one leading tomorrow, the one looking out for traps! How badly do you fail, for Isa to have to repeat the day so many times? You’ve gotten them, your friends, your party, killed, several times. You got your friends killed! You got your friends killed!!!)

(You-)

(You-)

(Y o u - )

“Wait, so we defeated the King?!” Mira’s wringing her hands, glancing between Isa and Odile frantically, “Then why are we back here? Was defeating the King not the purpose of the timeloop?”

“Apparently not,” Isa replied, both sounding and looking absolutely miserable, “We were all resting up in the last room, and everything seemed normal, when suddenly…”

“When..?” Odile prompted.

“...When Sif, started talking to the Head Housemaiden?”

Huh?

“Siffrin?” Mira asks, sounding flabbergasted as they all turn to look at you. You can’t help but panic at the sudden attention, and the words spill from your mouth without you even thinking about it.

“I don’t know the Head Housemaiden??” you protest frantically, “I’ve never even been here before!”

“Well, obviously,” Odile responds, deadpan, “I’m guessing that Siffrin’s incessant need to talk to everyone in a new area must have doomed him to whatever unfortunately happened upon speaking to her.”

Hey.

“Yeah, maybe…” Isa adds, looking thoughtful, “It was so weird. It just suddenly felt like the air was heavy? And everything was frozen? I think the Head Housemaiden was saying something, but I couldn’t hear it over all the pressure. I’d tried running towards them, but I couldn’t reach them in time. The only thing that I could make out was that Sif looked…”

“Looked what?”

“Looked… scared.”

You are starting to get a bit tired of the heavy, unidentifiable stares that Isa keeps sending your way, but you can't seem to bring yourself to avert your gaze, even as a prickly, nauseating sort of feeling starts crawling up your-

“...And then I woke up here,” he finishes, “Like I always do when I loop back.”

A silence fills the meadow. You can hear the piou piou of a bird somewhere in the distance.

You jump at the sound of Odile’s notebook snapping shut.

“Boniface is probably wondering where we are by now,” she states, looking far more composed than you think any of you have the right to, “It’s a wonder that they haven’t tried to come looking for us already.”

“They did say they wanted to prepare a grand dinner feast for us,” Mira giggles. You can hear that she’s trying her best to smother her nervousness.

“It really is a gigantic feast,” Isa adds, chuckling, “I honestly have no idea how such a small kid can cook like that.”

“Oh, right! You’ve already seen it before, haven’t you?” Mira giggles again, then pauses, then pauses, “Wait, you’ve been eating the exact same thing every night then, haven’t you??”

Isa really does try his best, but the cringe is obvious to all of you anyways.

Mira glares up at him.

“...It really is good food,” he squeaks out in protest. You see Odile grimace in sympathy.

“I’ll lend you some of my secret Ka Buan snacks.”

“Thank you, Madame,” he responds in immediate, genuine gratitude.

“You’re welcome, Isabeau. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you conveniently left out who this ‘shy’ person who attacked you is.”

To this, Isa groans in a rather melodramatic way. Next to him, Mira giggles behind a hand. Odile smirks a little.

“We will be talking about that later.”

“Yeah, okay.”

As the others begin to walk off, already brainstorming ideas on what they could try to look into in the House tomorrow, you can’t help but linger, your gaze caught towards the Favor Tree and the shadowed area underneath it.

That… person…

“Um, Sif?”

“S-sorry, coming!”

You turn and follow your party out of the clearing.

(You get the sense that someone is watching you.)

…

…

…It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

Chapter Text

Loop 15

SETTING: The Favor Tree

The Favor Tree stands at the end of a long clearing, leaves swaying gently in the breeze. Bright afternoon light spills down over the grass, the birds, and the man standing off to one side, looking about in abject surprise.

A starlit figure sits beneath the Favor Tree’s shade, leaning their head against a hand, donning an expression that appears more resigned than shocked.

THE FIGHTER

Wait, huh?? Loop, did we just loop back?

THE GUIDE

Yes, Fighter, we did just loop back in the middle of our conversation. Looks like leaving without talking to the Head Housemaiden didn’t work after all.

THE FIGHTER

(upset)

Crab! I- But we made it out of the House! We partied for like, hours!! M'dame Odile was already starting to pack her bags! I… really thought…

THE GUIDE

(sighing)

Me too, Fighter. I mean, I told you that it still felt like something wasn’t finished yet, but… we’ve never made it out of the House before, afterwards. That's something, at least.

THE FIGHTER

...You really don’t know more than I do, do you?

THE GUIDE

(guiltily, rubbing arms)

I’m sorry, I wish I could be more useful, but…

THE FIGHTER

(despondent)

It’s okay, Loop. I’m not going to hold it against you if you’re in the same position as me. I just… find it hard to trust you when you’re obviously hiding things from me.

THE GUIDE

I know. I… I’m trying, I promise, to tell you everything that I can. Believe me, I don’t want you stuck here any more than you do.

THE FIGHTER

...Back to the drawing board then, I guess. I should go tell the others about the loops now.

THE GUIDE

(mildly surprised)

You’re going to tell them again?

THE FIGHTER

(questioningly)

Why wouldn’t I? They helped me come up with a lot of good theories, and with their help we found all of that information about timecraft!

THE GUIDE

(giggling behind a hand)

Right, like how you learnt that different craft types give off different, specific scents! ~Very~ useful information to know!!

THE FIGHTER

Heh, right. And also that, you know, timecraft shouldn’t even be possible to use, let alone on this big of a scale! The King… if I can figure out how he’s freezing things in time, maybe I can figure out how I’m traveling back in time too.

THE GUIDE

(with distaste)

Ugh, ew, you want to talk to him?

THE FIGHTER

I don’t -want- to, but it just seems the most logical thing to try first? Do you have other ideas then?

THE GUIDE

Sure, plenty! You could keep exploring the House, talk to more people in town, train? There are plenty of things to do that don’t involve talking to that Universe-blinded tyrant.

THE FIGHTER

Pfft- Wow, your face! It's like you hate him even more than… Wait, what was that word you used?

THE GUIDE

Huh? Tyrant?

THE FIGHTER

No, no, the other one… ‘Universe’. Am I saying that right? It's the… Ugh, I swear the meaning is on the tip of my tongue-! The King always uses that word too, remember?

THE GUIDE

(standoffishly)

Like I've already told you, I can’t really see what's happening by the time you reach the King.

THE FIGHTER

“The Universe yearns for everyone’s hopes to be encased in limitless ice." That’s what he says, every time. "The Universe Itself follows my will." Is that what’s letting him use timecraft, this… Universe?”

THE GUIDE

...

THE FIGHTER

(annoyedly, a frown)

Loop.

THE GUIDE

(disarmingly, eyes closed)

Yes, Fighter?

THE FIGHTER

You’re doing it. Again.

THE GUIDE

Hm, doing what?

THE FIGHTER

(a disgruntled stare)

…Like I said, if it's something that you -can't- actually tell me for mysterious timeloop reasons, I get it! But I'd appreciate it if you'd just, you know, say that?

THE GUIDE

(dismissively, waving a hand)

Tch. It's not that, there's just really not much to say. The Universe is the Universe! It’s the encompassment of everything that ever was, ever is, and ever will be- Idiots like the King worship it. That's all.

THE FIGHTER

It’s… it’s like a god then? This Universe? Is that who sent you?

THE GUIDE

(surprised)

I- however did you come to that conclusion, Fighter?

THE FIGHTER

Well, if the Universe is powerful enough to let people use timecraft, then it’s probably also powerful enough to send ‘guides’ to deal with said timecraft too. And…

THE GUIDE

And..?

THE FIGHTER

(politely)

And… I’ve noticed, those symbols on the King's armor… They're the same as the one on your…

THE GUIDE

(with great disgust)

Eugh, don’t sound so cautious. Let me assure you that I am -not- affiliated with the likes of him in the slightest.

THE FIGHTER

But you both worship the Universe?

THE GUIDE

(quietly)

I don’t… Not anymore, at least.

THE FIGHTER

?

THE GUIDE

(cheerfully)

STARS, you are nosy~ Do all Vaugardians enjoy prying into people's pasts or is that just you?

THE FIGHTER

(horrified)

Wh- No! No, I didn’t mean- I-

THE GUIDE

(a pause)

…No, I know you didn’t, Fighter. And it's not like you're wrong. It -does- seem like it's the Universe that put the King and I both in this situation. I don’t see what else could have.

THE FIGHTER

...Thanks, Loop. Is there anything else you can tell me?

THE GUIDE

(shrugging)

Nothing that I can think of. And if you -really- can’t find anything else, then maybe you do need to talk to the King. Just… Be careful. He might have an answer for you, he might not. But either way, that doesn’t mean you can trust him. Ever.

THE FIGHTER

(darkly mutters)

Oh, believe me, that won’t be a problem.

THE GUIDE

...You really are smarter than you pretend to be, aren’t you? Not a lot of people would have put things together so quickly.

THE FIGHTER

(surprised, flustered)

Wha-! Huh- I- I mean- Aww, thanks, Loop! Haha- That's really nice of you to say. It's mostly just been luck and guesswork on my part, though? I'm- I'm sure anyone else could've-

THE GUIDE just raises a brow at him. THE FIGHTER trails off and averts his gaze with a quiet grumble under his breath, face slightly dark.

THE GUIDE

(laughing)

Ha, well… Regardless, you should probably run along now~ The Traveler's going to be here soon.

Chapter Text

You, Isa, and everyone else enter the clearing leading to the Favor Tree. Your head is still reeling from what Isa had told you all, having intercepted your path earlier to call an emergency team meeting.

A timeloop! Repeating the same two days over and over again. This was the fifteenth time, he had said. Odile had been disbelieving, Bonnie had been confused, and Mira… Well, Mira had been reasonably panicked at the thought that you were all trapped in an inescapable timeloop, but Isa had reassured her that he was definitely making progress! And that he was planning to talk to the King this loop?? You weren’t sure about how much someone who froze an entire country in time would be willing to talk, but Isa was evidently the smart one here, having made all this progress by himself. You think that if it were you in his position, you wouldn’t have made it nearly as far.

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Odile is quick to point out, raising an eyebrow at the Favor Tree's empty shadow. And before any of you can stop them, Bonnie has run ahead, boots clunking against the dirt path as they weave underneath its drooping branches. You see them disappear around the tree's thick trunk and pop back up on the other side, shrugging.

“Bonnie!” Mira scolds, her wringing hands betraying how she’s still a little on edge.

“What?” they yell back, looking disappointed, “There’s not even anyone here. Za, you said that there would be a glowing person!”

“There is, usually!” Isa insists, “They just, seem to disappear whenever I bring anyone else here.”

“Hm, how convenient.”

“M'dame,” Isa whines, “I swear that I’m-”

“Oh, don’t worry, looping one. You’ve told us more than enough to convince me that you are actually in a timeloop,” Odile’s eyes narrow slightly, “But this… ‘Loop’ character. Has it not occurred to you that them appearing as soon as your timeloops started is quite suspect, no? Surely they’ve told you more than just they’re ‘here to guide you’?”

“I… yeah, I definitely have my suspicions,” Isa hems, “But, they are actually helping me, most of the time, when they’re able to. I don’t think pushing them for answers is going to help much.”

“Wouldn’t it?”

“Look, I already told you that I’m planning to talk to the King this loop. And then if he doesn’t tell me how the

“Siffrin?”

“Huh?” you do your best to blink away the static that you hadn't noticed fogging up your mind. Why was everyone suddenly staring at you?

“Siffrin,” Mira says your name again, looking worried, “You were just talking about how the 'Universe' could grant wishes?”

…You were?

You can’t do anything but look back at her with a sheepish attempt at a smile, feeling your face warm uncomfortably. Stars, you hated when this happened. It was always mortifying for other people to see what a sieve you had for a brain.

“Frin! Did you forget what you were talking about while you were talking about it?!” Bonnie yells at you. Odile and Mirabelle are quick to join in with their own concerned comments, one of them being decidedly nicer about it as you resisted the urge to bury yourself in your hat.

You can’t help but notice Isa's oddly contemplative expression from the corner of your eye.

“But, what Siffrin mentioned about wishes!” Mira brings back up, “In most of the timeloop stories I’ve read, the character gets trapped in the first place because of some desire they secretly want to fulfill! Do you have any secret desires, Isabeau?”

You are all then witness to Isa’s face flushing a remarkable shade of tomato-dark, as he sputters some wordless denial out immediately.

“Yeah, Isabeau,” Odile is smirking, with a… knowing glint in her eye? “Do you have any secret desires you’d like to share with the class?”

“No!” Isa says like something’s lodged in his throat, “I just, want to defeat the King, obviously! There’s nothing else I-”

“Oh!” you turn to see Bonnie’s eyes on you, wide. They then turn back to Isa and their face falls into a grimace, “Oh, ew, Za. That’s a dumb reason to get trapped in a times-loop.”

????

“Oh? Odile, Bonnie, do you know what Isa’s secret desire is?” Mira asks curiously. You tilt your head at them expectantly alongside her. You’re curious too!

“Nothing even in-ter-esting,” Bonnie pronounces, pouting, “Just that-”

“NOTHING! IT’S NOTHING DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT!” Isa lets out a panicked laugh, speed-walking away from a worryingly smug looking Odile, “C’mon, Sif! We need to get back before it gets too late to have dinner!”

“Oh? Just Siffrin should go back with you?” Odile notes.

Isa buries his face in his hands and lets loose a string of pained sounding gibberish.

You and Mira look at each other, and she can only frown and shrug back at you.

You’re so confused.

…You guess you have a sleepover to go to??

◀◀

“Isa!”

Just like Mira had said, Isabeau is here. He's already facing you, rocking on his feet as you approach.

"H-hey, Sif!" he grins back at you, the shape of it… just slightly too thin for a normal Isa expression. Huh, did something happen? Why did he seem so… nervous? Fidgety?

"Isa?" you ask.

"Sif?" he repeats in the same questioning tone. You can't help but snicker. Okay~ so that's how it is.

"Isa??"

"Sif??"

"Isa????"

"Sif??????"

"Isaaaa?????"

"Siiiiiifffffffff???????"

You take in a deep breath.

"I-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"Snrk- Sif!!" Isa snorts, his posture seeming much more relaxed now! "Okay, that's enough! You win!"

Yay, you win! You stick your tongue out at him for good measure. Victory secured.

"Heh, well done, Sif," he chuckles, "Anyways, so, uh. Did you want to tell me something?"

Yes! You do!

"Clocktower. Sleepover."

"Cool, cool. Sleepover. That sounds fun!"

Ugh. See Siffrin? That's the reaction you should've given Mira. You're still cringing over the fact that you upset her with your careless remark. At least you haven't blinded up any of your other interactions today.

…Well, it's not like your talk with Bonnie went particularly well either. So, uh, two out of four was still a passing grade, at least?

…Okay, maybe it was only one out of four, considering the way Isa was now not looking at you?? You don't even know how to describe the expression he has on as he stares at the ground, posture tense once again. Does he seem expectant? Anxious? And why is his face so dark? Is he feeling ill?

"Uh, Isa?" you ask, "Do you have something you want to tell me?"

You were pretty sure that that wasn't an inappropriate question, but you're now second-guessing yourself by the way he seems to practically jump out of his skin.

"NOPE HAHA NOTHING I NEED TO TELL YOU, BUDDY-! POTE. PAL. FRIEND."

?????? Okay??? What?

Isa coughs roughly behind a closed fist.

"A-anyways- I, uh- did have something I wanted to give you? If that's okay?"

Oh? New souvenir for your pockets? You quickly nod, and watch in bafflement and mildly growing concern as Isa stiffly walks and kneels behind a rock to grab a…

…Was that a bouquet?

"Here-! For you-!!" he's still not able to meet your eyes, shoving the flowers in your general direction. You take them, confused, but still appreciative. The flowers are pretty, and have a slight, pleasantly sweet scent to them. You don't recognize the species, as you count six short, mid-shaded petals on each one.

"They're, uh. They're tulips," Isa stammers, scuffing the ground with his foot, hands held behind his back, "I, uh, heh, wanted to get roses, but the flower seller didn't…"

As you trace a finger along the soft petals, something in your chest feels warm.

You look up at him, and he finally looks back at you. His eyes almost seem bigger than usual.

"Isa… I…"

"Y- yeah?"

"I… I can't be-leaf you got me flowers," you smirk, delighting in how you seem to have caught him off guard, for once, "You've really rose beyond my expectations."

One second.

Two seconds-

Isa bursts out laughing- a quick, sharp and high pitched thing that immediately has him covering his mouth with his hands- wide, surprised eyes stare down at what you're sure is an expression being mirrored back from your own face.

…

…

You both collapse into loud giggles, doubling over.

"Noooooo-! Sif- don't laugh at meeeee-" Isa struggles to say, wheezing. You don't need to say anything back. You just get yourself under control for long enough to shoot a pointedly raised eyebrow his way, and then you're both succumbing to a new round of frantic laughter again.

Stars- you can't even get a full breath in! Okay- okay- deep breaths, Siffrin. Phew!

"Tha- thank you, for real though," you manage to get out between the last few breathless giggles, smiling, "They're lovely."

"O- of course!" he grins widely through his own, teeth showing. You can't help but note how much brighter than usual his eyes seem, about how fond they look, "So… So, Sif! Does that mean you-?"

"What did you get everyone else?"

"Ah-"

Oh, whoops. It seemed like he wanted to say something. You hadn't meant to interrupt him, but you're curious!

"…Everyone else?"

"Yeah! Did you get them all flowers too?" you tilt your head, thinking, "I didn't see any of the others carrying flowers. Did you get them something else?"

Isa. Just. Stares at you?

And stares.

And stares.

Um?

"Isa?"

He's still just staring at you. Is he okay??

You're contemplating waving a hand in front of his face when you hear a sharp sound coming somewhere from your left. You startle, and turn towards the big tree at the end of the path. Was that… a voice? A cry? A laugh?? You don't see anyone there, but-

You turn back to ask Isa if he heard that, but are caught off guard at the sight of him burying his face in his hands.

"…Isa? You good?"

"YeahI'mfinedon'tworryaboutit."

…

"You sure?"

"Mmhm. Yup. Just. Go ahead, I'll meet you at the Clocktower."

"O…kay?" Did… did you do something wrong? You don't think you did, but…

Maybe if you returned the favor?

"Hey, Isa?"

"…Yeah, Sif?"

You take your hand out of your pocket.

"I, uh, also got a flower for you." It wasn't as nice as a whole bouquet, but you thought it was quite pretty anyways.

"…Thanks, Sif."

He has to take his hands out of his face to take the flower from you. It looks small, gripped in his large hand. He… still looks mildly pained, his cheeks still dark, but he did accept your return gift, so, moderate success?

Isa doesn't say anything else, and you've already told him about the sleepover, so…

As you turn to leave the clearing, you can hear Isa whispering to himself. You could almost swear that it sounded like- 'Yeah no we're trying the other theory next', but that didn't really make any sense, so you shrug it off.

Giving the pretty bouquet one last confused look, you put it safely, carefully, in one of your bigger pockets, resolving to ask the others yourself what they got since Isa never actually answered your question.

It's late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

◀◀

◀◀

"-if!"

"-figured out where you-!"

"-r accent, and-"

"-makes sense, wouldn't it? The Univer-"

"-with the stars-!"

"-can help you find it, after we beat the King!! If you-"

"Si-?"

"S-"

(You’re running- You’re running and you’re running and your heart is beating in your ears and your mouth tastes like nothing and you can feel that stupid blinding coin burning a hole in your pocket as you run and run and-)

(Why was he telling you about it-? Why was he making you rememb-)

(You don’t want to! You can’t you can’t you-)

(You’re running you’re running you’re running away from the pointed questions and the horrified look on his face and the-)

“Wh- you??”

A sudden voice snaps you out of maelstrom that is your head, and you blink to realize that you don't recognize your surroundings. There's a large tree in front of you, its heavy shade interrupted by a bizarre, moving light within it.

No, not just a light. That light is attached to a figure- a figure with a body made from the night sky, and eyes amidst their star-like head that stare at you with some pointed emotion you can't put into words.

(Stars stars stars stars thousands and millions and billions of stars staring down at you-)

“Hey- hey, stardust- stop-!”

You jump at the sudden, hard jab to your chest, and you're once again yanked back into your own body. You can hear your pulse in your ears, your mouth feels dry, you're breathing entirely too much, and your scalp hurts. Ah. It hurts because you're currently pulling at your hair. You should let go.

…

Slowly, you ungrip your fingers, and you lower your hands.

The star-headed being is unmoving, silently observing, from where they now stand directly in front of you. Their eyes are almost near perfectly level with yours, and they continue to stare at you with an uncomfortable intensity that you can't seem to make yourself look away from. There's something… curious, searching, in that stare, too.

"Breathe, stardust," they say at last. What? Oh, right. You were still breathing way too fast. Your lungs hurt, a bit.

You try to breathe slower.

You try to breathe slower.

You try to-

The star, watching you struggle, starts to exaggeratedly breathe with you; an easy, slow-paced rhythm of innnn- and out.

Innnn- and out.

After a few moments, you manage to haltingly follow along.

It. It helps. Your pulse starts to fall quiet. You can feel your body begin to untense, your shoulders loosening.

“There we go, stardust. That’s it,” they murmur quietly. You breathe out one final time.

Pheeeeeeeeeeeeeew~

The star just watches, patiently.

You're calm. You're fine.

You're fine.

…

“...St-stardust?” That's the first thing you can think to say to them, to ask them, the sound coming out embarrassingly groggy and strained. You knew what the word meant, but what…

The star looks away then, finally, chuckling lightly to themself.

“You… I look away for just an hour, and you’ve already managed to make a mess of things. Typical.”

“I…” Despite not knowing what that meant (when do you ever?) the comment stings anyway, “Who are you? What are you?”

They seem to. Pause at this. Expression going blank for a moment as-

“Ha, isn’t it obvious?” They step back away from you so suddenly that you almost stumble, and somehow manage to shoot you a grin despite not having a visible mouth, “I’m a star! Can't you tell? And what are you, stardust? Someone who can’t handle a conversation without developing a complex about it? You really should just get rid of that coin, you know.”

“What?” How do they- What is happening? Is any of this real? The edges of your brain are still awful and floaty and fuzzy, but you don’t think that any of this isn’t real.

“Stars, you’re remarkably slow for the supposed speed-crafter of the group,” they huff, bringing an indignant hand to their chest, “Maybe it’s a good thing that the Fighter was the one to be here, whatever the reason. Universe knows you’d still be dying to the King if you were the one they were stuck with.”

“What?”

They just laugh at your confused expression, the sound like tiny bells, and hop back to sit down daintily on one of the tree’s big roots.

“Teehee~! The face you’re making right now- It’d almost be cute if it wasn’t so obnoxious!”

“Cute-?”

“Come, come!” they chirp, waving to the tree root across from them, “Come sit! Who knows how long it’ll take your Fighter to find you! Let’s try and get you coherent by then, hm? No need to make him feel any more guilty over your freakout.”

(…)

“I… Yeah, okay.”

You sit down. It’s surprisingly comfortable. Almost like you’ve sat here thousands of times before.

You look up. They are still staring at you with that unreadable gaze, intense and searching like they’re trying to find something.

And then, just as soon, the moment's over, and they’re clapping their hands together with a whimsical air and grinning brightly at you.

“Well, isn’t this certainly turning out to be a novel loop~” they sing-song, “I’m frankly shocked that it’s taken this long for me to meet you, stardust. Though, then again, what would really be the point?”

Um, okay. You feel your brow crease. What did any of that mean?

“Oh, stars, look at me getting into it all without any context,” they giggle, “You poor thing, you must be soooooo confused!”

Despite their… divine appearance, you’re quickly finding yourself becoming more and more annoyed at this star’s grating attitude.

“Right, right, just where are my manners? You can call me Loop! Your Fighter’s helpful ally! Here to help him with the loops! And as for pronouns-”

“My 'Fighter'?” you interject, frowning. Did Loop mean Isa? That was the only 'him' you knew here, but you personally think that 'Defender' would be a much more accurate title if you had to give him one, “You keep mentioning these ‘loops’. What loops are you helping him with?”

They look at you with a slightly irritated expression, which you think is rather hypocritical of them.

“Oh, please, if anyone’s the hypocrite here, it’s you. Now, if you'll stop interrupting me for-”

What- You- You're pretty sure that you hadn't said that last bit out loud?? How were they-?!

“How do you think? What kind of star would I be if I couldn’t see what a single itty bitty little traveler was thinking in that fragile little head of his?”

That’s- You’re pretty sure that’s not how it works???

“And who are you to ever know how things work?” They are starting to look genuinely annoyed with you now, but you… don't really care that much, actually? You're getting a stronger and stronger impression that Loop is in no position to be judging you. “Ugh, whatever, blind the dramatic reveal- your Fighter is trapped in a timeloop! Forced to restart and relive through these two accursed days over and over and over again~ There, there’s your information! Stars above, I don’t know why I thought getting to meet you would be any-”

Huh.

Wait.

What?

What?!

“HE’S WHAT???”

(What what what-)

Loop is truly glaring at you now, head tilted slightly to one side, scrutinizing.

“Oh, don’t bother looking so concerned, stardust~” they say mirthlessly, a hand coming up to cover where their mouth should be in a coy manner, “Not when it’s your fault he’s trapped in the first place.”

(…What?)

You can feel yourself gaping slightly. Too… there is too much information being handed to you right now. Your fault? It's your fault Isa is trapped in a timeloop? Is that why he suddenly told you all those things earlier? How did you even get him trapped in a timeloop? You don’t know how you could’ve possibly gotten anyone trapped in a timeloop.

“Well, as has been established, it’s not like you ever know anything anyways.”

Stars above, what was their problem??!

(Your fault your fault your-)

“AGh- SIF??”

“Ah-!?”

You startle up at the yell and immediately find yourself tripping over your own feet. Fortunately for you, you’re caught before you hit the ground, feeling the warmth of Isa's hands though your sleeves as he hauls you upright by the elbows. You look up on instinct; his face, his dark eyes and dangly earrings, his round jaw lined with new stubble growth… You can’t help but flinch at seeing him, and he immediately lets go with a frantic, breathless apology (overreacting overreacting stupid-)

And you can’t bring yourself to meet his eyes. It’s all just too- too-

“Sif…” Isa starts, voice strained and quiet. You watch a large hand, faint freckles and perfectly applied lightless nails, rubbing an arm, “Sif, I am so, so sorry. I was so focused on making progress that I didn’t even notice how you- I should’ve known that it was a bad idea to-! I just-”

“And why are you apologizing?” Loop pipes up, almost sounding bored, and Isa snaps towards them so fast that you don't even have the time to flinch again.

“Loop! How could you of all people say that?” he demands, sounding… betrayed? “Didn’t you see how distressed Sif was? It was awful of me, to not even notice how overwhelmed he was getting! And I wouldn’t blame him if he never…”

“Isa,” you frown at his dejected tone, and he looks back at you with such a guilt-ridden expression that it makes something in your chest feel heavy and awful. You need to fix this, “Don’t worry, it’s fine! I’m fine!”

“Are you??”

(Water rocking beneath you the texture of sanded-down wood beneath your small, gripping hands-)

He looks at you disbelievingly. Stars blind it, you know whatever expression you have on right now is not convincing, but you can’t just stand here and let him continue thinking for even a second that you’re someone he needs to feel guilty over!

“No, really! I just overreacted, that’s all!” you laugh, but he just looks more upset- “Really, it’s fine! You were just making conversation! You couldn’t have known that-”

“He literally could have though,” Loop interrupts you, scoffing, throwing their head back, “It's not like you were the first person he started asking about this stuff.”

“Whose side are you on?!” Isa snaps, standing above Loop in a way that made him tower over them. You find yourself almost irrationally upset that they don’t reply in anything more than a languidly raised eyebrow.

“Yours, obviously,” they scoff, “You’re just both being such blinding idiots about this whole thing that it’s hard not to give my input.”

They stand up then, jabbing an accusatory finger across you both.

“Fighter, face it, you’ve reached a dead end. You're not going to get anything else out of the King without figuring out how to press him further. The only way to progress right now is to get answers out of this one, and to do that you can’t just back off every time he starts sniffling a little about-”

“Wh- no. Absolutely not!” Isa begins yelling, “Sif’s obviously not comfortable with-”

“Then what, Fighter?!” Loop is yelling now too, sparks skittering off their head that seems brighter than before, “Are you just going to try going through the House again? Look at everything again? Talk to the King, talk to the Head Housemaiden again?? Face it, Fighter!! Your only way out of this stars-forsaken timeloop lies behind a simple blinding conversation with this-”

“What is your problem with them?? Why do you always- What did they ever do to you??! And what could they possibly tell me about the Island that you couldn’t just tell me yourself?!”

He looks so, so angry.

“I- Fighter, are you serious-”

“No, really!! I want an answer, Loop! Sif’s. My. Friend! Not just some- some stepping stone for me to get-”

“UNIVERSE'S SAKE!" their starlight flares and frizzes like an out-of-control campfire, "WHAT DOES IT MATTER?? THEY WON’T EVEN REMEMBER ANYTHING NEXT LOOP!!!”

(Not that you can even remember anything now.)

“And that changes anything, how??!”

"OH, don't you start with this AGAIN!! I've already made my opinion-"

"Well- SORRY if I'm repeating myself!! But it's because I've already told y-"

“Isa, they’re right.”

Isabeau stills, the aggression seeming to drain out of him in an instant and quickly replaced by something akin to horror at your words.

“Sif, what do you-”

“You’re really trapped in a timeloop, aren’t you?” Why did it suddenly feel like you couldn’t breathe properly? Focus, Siffrin!! “And the only way to get out is to, ask me, about that? Then ask me, Isa! I can’t be the reason you’re trapped here!” (You really, really can't.)

“Sif, no. Whatever happened to the- to that place, it obviously hurts you to even think about. I haven’t actually read every book in the House yet, you know. I’m sure that I'll find the answers in one of-”

“But what if you don’t?” you’re almost caught off guard yourself at how pleading your voice sounds, but you don’t stop. (You have to convince him you have to-) “If there was anything written anywhere then people would already know about it, right? But they don’t, and I’m right here. So ask me!”

“Wh- no! I can’t-” His eyes are so wide and so bright.

“Loop’s right, Isa! You’re in a timeloop! It’ll just return back to normal the next time, wouldn’t it? It’s not like anything that happens to me actually matters-!”

“What is wrong with you!!?” Isa yells, and you find yourself abruptly frozen in a tight grip under his hands, forced to gape at the fervor in his expression. He looks like he wants to shake you. “What is wrong with you- that you always say things like that?! That you always hide what you’re actually feeling, that you never care about your own life!!? Do you think you’re not important? Do you think that it wouldn’t devastate me, that it doesn’t devastate me every time something happens to you that I should've been able to save you from?”

You can’t speak. You find that you can only stare. Isa searches you for another silent moment, and then drops his gaze, almost slumping over from where he is still clutching you, fingers digging into you, like he’s trying to stop you from running away.

“Because, it does, Sif,” his breath is quiet, and hoarse, “It does. Every single time.”

…

…

…

You.

Force your eye away from from his pinched expression, finding yourself looking back towards where Loop was standing.

…

They're not there anymore.

Isa's still got a death-grip on your shoulders. You can feel his hands lightly trembling.

(Your fault.)

[Your fault.]

"…Isa-"

He pulls his hands away.

(Like flinching from a stove-top.)

He crosses his arms as he steps away, gaze distant.

"Let's just… go to the sleepover."

(…)

You follow him away from the Favor Tree, and out of the clearing.

(Starlit darkness as far as your eyes can see.)

(Infinity surrounds you.)

You…

Have.

A sleepover. To go to.

◀◀

You finally enter the clearing west of town, and… Huh, was Mira wrong? You don’t see Isa anywhere. You make sure to walk the entire length of the clearing, all the way to the big tree at the end, but nope- there's definitely no sign of the man.

Huh, how odd. The town of Dormont isn't that big, and unless he'd wandered off into the surrounding wilderness, you think that you'd have seen at least some glimpse of him. Ah well- you shrug to yourself. He already knows to come to the Clocktower later anyways.

Regardless, now that you're here, you might as well make a wish. That's what this tree is, isn't it? The Favor Tree? You aren’t entirely sure if making wishes is what it's used for, but, well, it’s in the name, right?

And…

Something about it seems so familiar anyhow…

…

Ugh, what were you doing again? Right, making a wish! And to begin, you had to find an appropriate leaf, one that you think can represent yourself!

You spot one that looks right, hanging above you, just out of your reach. You smile, and step forward to reach it, cursing your shortness as you’re forced to stand on your tippy-toes to-

But instead of picking the leaf, you find yourself pausing instead. Something… something's wrong. You don't know how or why you know this, but something is definitely wrong. Slowly, you lower yourself down into a more cautious stance, glancing around, hovering a hand over the hilt of your dagger.

…Peering into the impressive darkness of the tree’s shade, somehow, you know that there’s something, someone, there.

You can feel them looking at you.

…

After another minute of no response, you decide to take the risk.

“Hello?” you call out into the quiet.

There’s no response.

“Hey, I know there’s someone there,” you squint harder into the darkness, leaning forwards, “Show yourself!”

They don’t.

…

…

You… sigh, letting your cloak fall back down and walking away. While you would’ve liked to make a wish, you don’t feel comfortable with some stranger watching you do it.

Oh, well. You look up at the darkening sky, pursing your lips. Even though something about this whole situation is niggling at you, this is just going to have to be a mystery for you to solve after you defeat the King.

Ignoring the eyes you still feel on you, you turn and leave the meadow.

It’s late, and you have a sleepover to go to, after all.

◀◀

“Isa!”

Just like Mira had said, Isabeau is here. His eyes open at the sound of your voice, and he smiles back at you, eyes closing again as you approach.

“Sif!”

“Isa!!!”

“Sif!”

“Isaaa!!!!!”

“Okay, that’s enough,” he chuckles lightly.

Aw. You boo him. That was nowhere near enough.

“Anyways, Sif. I was, uh, wondering-" he's not meeting your gaze, instead staring somewhere down at his own feet as he talks. You tilt your head. This was, unusual behavior from him? Was everything alright?

"Wondering?" you prompt.

"Wondering. If you'd… Like to, hang out? Maybe?"

Oh?

"O-only if you want to! If you're busy with something else, that's fine! Just. If there's anything you want to do? That I can help with? But again, it's totally cool if not-"

Why did he seem so nervous?? You and Isa have hung out often, just the two of you, whether when exploring a new town, gathering supplies, or just during overlapping night watches whenever your party has to camp outside. Your hangouts have always been casual, light-hearted things, filled with idle conversation (though, admittedly, mostly on Isa's side) and, of course, the trading of terrible puns.

So many puns.

"-just thought that it could be fun, so, um…"

"Sure. Why not?" you interrupt him, shrugging a bit. Why would you have any objections? "What did you want to do?"

"Ah- No, Sif. Like I said, I wanted to do whatever you wanted to do, remember?" he corrects you.

Oh right, he did say that, didn't he? Things that you want to do? Well… uh…

…

You're suddenly remembering why you never join plan-making sessions.

You really don't mind tagging along with whatever the rest of the party feels like doing- it's not like you have any strong desires to go somewhere in particular, to do anything specific. So, if someone else does actually want to do something, it's easier to just go along with it. It's convenient, in fact, to not have to be the one to make those decisions! Even the few times that the party has gone somewhere for your benefit alone, it was because Isa had noticed you lingering by a poster advertising a play, or with Odile commenting that a nearby store probably stocked the woodcarving supplies you'd misplaced. It was never anything you actively sought out.

All that to say…

You… have no idea what to do!

"There isn't anything I really feel like doing though?" you say honestly. Isa grimaces at this, and you can't help but feel a little embarrassed.

"Nuh uh, none of that. I'm the one who asked, so-" he manages to put on a playful tone, despite the… something still in his eyes, "So- you have to actually tell me something you want to do!"

"No, really!" you insist, "I really just don't have any ideas? You guys always have better ideas than me anyways. I'm up for anything you want to do."

"Sif."

Agh!! Why is he doing this you you?!

Okay, okay- Maybe you're… being unfair, to Isa, making him decide what you guys do all the time. Was that it? You know that you don't like being asked to make decisions, but… Isa had always seemed so confident! So self-assured. Surely he wasn't… annoyed at you, for making it his responsibility all the time, right?

…Okay, think, Siffrin. Think of something Isa would actually like to do. He… likes… fighting? Probably? And he used to be a defender, right? And you know that he tries his best to keep up with a training regiment even with all the chaos of your party's schedule, which you'd probably be able to guess just by his burliness alone, so-

"Maybe… maybe we can… train, together?"

"…And that's something you want to do?"

Not really. You're still kind of sleepy and want to gorge yourself on a large meal.

"Yes?" you squeak out in a very convincing way.

"…Yeah, try again, buddy."

Stars blind it.

Ugh, fine. Something you actually want to do.

Something you actually want to do…

…

…

Isa's extraordinarily patient as you try to sort through the list of hobbies you've collected over the years. Adventuring through an old, booby-trapped building? Yeah, no, you'll be doing more than enough of that tomorrow. Seeing a play? It's the day before the end of the world. No one here is hosting a play.

… You're still hungry. Maybe a picnic? But you definitely don't have enough coin to buy the food. And plus, you know Bonnie would be (even more) upset at you if you'd filled you and Isa's appetite up before even seeing the dinner they'd declared they were making for everyone.

As you think and try to stop panicking, your gaze flicks mindlessly to the sky. The bright shades of afternoon are starting to fade into something darker, the sparse clouds drifting by smoothly in the mild breeze. You know that if you give your eyes time to adjust, you could probably begin to start seeing some stars.

…

"What about stargazing?" you hear yourself suggest before you can think yourself out of it.

Isa doesn't answer. You turn your face back to him to see that he looks- uncomfortable?

Oh.

"Ah- nevermind. That would- keep us up too late, wouldn't it?" you're quick to backtrack. You know that most people find anything to do with the stars utterly boring. You know. "I can think of something else."

"No! Stargazing's great!" Isa is just as quick to protest, tone insistent, "I've, always, wanted to go stargazing with you, actually!"

??

"You have?" you blink.

"Y-yeah!" He looks a little embarrassed now, rubbing the back of his head and not meeting your gaze, "I've, uh, noticed that stars are important to you, probably because of… Whenever we sleep outside, I've noticed that you spend most of the night looking up at the sky. And I thought that was super interesting, because I never thought about what's up there before! But, um..."

…Oh, wow. He, noticed that? About you?

You…

"So, uh. You're really alright with looking at the stars?" Isa asks you with an, oddly serious tone.

You feel your head tilt slightly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" you ask, "If you're actually alright with it, then…"

"Well, if you're sure, then I'm more than okay with it!" he chuckles lightly, nervously, "I know the way to a nice field near here if you'd like to..?"

You nod. This was just about the most awkward conversation you can recall in your recent memory, but Isa's smiling softly at you, and beginning to lead you off through a gap in the trees, and so, you find that you can't bring yourself to feel all that embarrassed about it.

You follow him wordlessly.

…You guess you'll be a little late to the sleepover. And also the dinner. You hope that Bonnie won't be too upset by it.

◀◀