robowest | [ DEPARTURE ]

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game: end

[ DEPARTURE ]

DEPARTURE

It's time to go.

Most people are on the train by now. Settled into their cabins and among friends and loved ones. There are only three new arrivals left to board and once they do, Hal pulls a conductor's hat out from underneath the bar, tugs it on, and steps around it to the middle of the train. He opens his mouth to talk, voice filling the train.

"It's time to go. Stops happen once a day until everyone's departed and I already have your stopped listed. If you'd like to be prioritized, let me know, otherwise we'll go in order of death. Settle in and enjoy the ride. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask, folks."

This, of course, means that those who died earliest (Manfred, Higekiri) will depart first while those who died latest (Barnham, Damian, Percy) will depart last. There's a stop for everyone, though those who want to get off together are more than welcome to. Hal pulls a notepad and pen out of his pocket later and people will notice that he goes around the train confirming stops with everyone. Whatever feeling Hal may have had to a character back in town isn't noticeable here -- he is simply a robot assigned with a job.

After that, it's all a matter of settling in and enjoying the ride. If that's possible for you, at least.

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I promised I would. That was always the goal, Milla. Even if I maybe did it the wrong way. But I'm glad to hear your ribs are better. The train fixed everything, right?

[she hesitates when he says "wrong way," because. . . is there such a thing? perhaps this wasn't what they had wanted, wasn't what they were trying to work for at the end. but it's still over, and they're still all going home]

[and maybe, that's all that matters. at least, to her]

I suppose it's the last courtesy the Sheriff could give us after death.

[ha. another pause, and she changes the subject slightly]

I wish you would have told us about your role. I'm glad you told Natalie, but like Barnham, there was no need for you to carry that burden alone.

A courtesy. Yeah. Right. [He thinks there's more that could be done but it's not his call. And then Milla brings up his role and he curls into his chest. This is a complicated subject even now that everyone knows. He feels oddly like he's disappointed her.]

At first, I couldn't. It went against the job. And then when I thought about it the three people I did tell died in the same week. Seemed like a bad omen.

[disappointment certainly isn't the word]

Natalie said you were afraid.

[she shifts, leaning forward slightly, trying to tilt her head to catch his gaze with her own. to get him to look at her]

Did you think. . . we would hate you?

...yeah, I guess. Or at least he really mad that I've been lying since I met you guys. How is that fair? And I was worried what would happen to you guys if you knew too much. [He's still unaware to quite look at her, but he tilts his head enough.]

Percy. . .

[she shakes her head, and offers him a smile. it's warm. grateful]

We were allies. And although I can't speak for anyone else, I trusted everyone in that group for a reason. Not because I didn't think anyone in that group would kill, but because I thought that everyone in that group would ask for the best possible outcome to this game.

Your actions as a Coal Miner didn't affect my faith in you. Although. . . I do wish you would have trusted us more. Could have trusted us more.

I wish everyone wouldn't see it as not trusting you. I trust all of you a lot. That's why I wanted to keep you safe and why I kept bringing information as quickly as I got it. I knew this group would utilize it the most. Is it really not trusting?

I suppose it's. . . [she hesitates a little. how does she put this. . .?]

It's a different kind of trust. The trust one might have for an ally that they believe can help them shoulder a great burden.

[because killing certainly isn't easy. and she can't imagine that Percy remain completely unaffected by his final body count. she tilts her head a bit]

Although Natalie said that perhaps it isn't a burden that can be eased by. . . talking about it. She may be right.

[but still. . . considering how much she had come to rely on him, considering how vital she thought he was to getting their group together in the first place, she wishes she could have done something. just like she wishes she could have done something for Barnham]

. . . I suppose I wish there had been something we could have done for you. That's all.

...I'm not always good at asking for help. Ever. Annabeth is usually the only one I work with and that's because she forces the issue. I thought I should be the one handling it since I'm the one who said yes to the Sheriff.

You guys did more than enough by being my friends here. That's...really all I wanted. I wanted friends and I wanted you guys to survive. Death in this case is survival. It'll be fine now, Milla. I think we'll be okay.

[You guys did more than enough by being my friends here. and that was all he needed and wanted, huh. . .]

[she thinks back to the final conversation they had before her fight with Damian. thinks back to the hug he had left her with, which struck her as odd at the time but made sense in retrospect. wordlessly, she stands up, steps towards him, leans over, and wraps her arms around his shoulders]

[this time, it's her turn to hug him]

I know we will be.

Thank you. For everything.

[There's zero hesitation this time when he returns the hug.]

You were brave to the end. That helped all of us. Especially me and Noctis. So...thank you, actually. I don't know if we could have come this far without that.

[she still feels like, somewhere deep down, there was more she could have done. but he's definitely making her feel like she's done enough, and that?]

[that's okay]

[after a few seconds, she pulls away, although her hands remain on Percy's shoulders]

What will do you know, Percy? Now that you've won and sent us all home.

[He's at least capable of looking at her now, though he looks more subdued and serious than usual. It's okay though. This is the way things have to be.]

Now that I've won...I have to keep fighting. There's another war Annabeth and I have to end. We have a few weeks to figure it out before our deadline.

[another war. more battles to fight. even though he may be exhausted, somehow, she thinks he'll be okay]

Then you'd best make use of the down time you have for the rest of your journey home. It sounds like you'll need to be well-rested once you get there.

I'm gonna try. [A smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes follows.] I have a lot of people I want to talk to and a lot of things to figure out before I get off here. I need to get everything in order just in case something else comes up before Annabeth and I can really get back to where we need to be.

[He tilts his head though.] What about you? What's next for the great Milla Maxwell?

[she sits down again, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms over her torso]

I'll be going home, of course. There was never any other option for me. There are no wars or great battles awaiting me, but I have much to accomplish there nonetheless.

Like that? [This is probably the most engaged he's been since boarding the train, eyes lit with curiosity as he rests his chin in his hand.] I don't think I really know that much about your world anyway.

I never really had the chance to talk about it, it's true.

[and she only gave bits and pieces of that information to random people who asked. nevertheless! she seems quite okay with discussing it now]

I've taken up the duty of protecting the humans and spirits of my world as Maxwell, the Lord of Spirits. Upon returning home, I'll spend most of my time in the spirit realm, overseeing the birth of new spirits. But if I'm needed to prevent the world from spiraling into chaos, then I'll leave it and act.

[Thank you Styx for understanding my typo because I'm an idiot whoops. Anyway, he's busy listening because he gets the whole spirit thing. It's normal where he's from, and he doesn't seem to think anything's strange about what she's telling him. On the other hand, he gives her a puzzled look at the end.]

Does that mean when you return to the spirit realm though you're going to lose your human body?

[TYPOS HAPPEN TO THE BEST OF US!!]

[her expression sobers quite a bit at that question, and she nods]

That's right.

I'll have to exist primarily in the spirit world when that happens. I could, theoretically, exist on the human plane with another human body, but creating one would eat up the world's precious mana resources. And those are far too limited for me to use for such a selfish purpose.

I don't get it. Why couldn't you just keep the one you're in now? It's already created and it's a perfectly good one. [Wait.] You know what I mean. You wouldn't have to create a new one if this one was just stored while you were in the spirit world.

[it probably says something about Milla's dedication to her duty that Sara and Percy have to be the ones to bring this option up with her]

. . . I don't know if that's possible. I hadn't thought about it, honestly.

It's worth considering. You've done way too much good as a human to let the whole thing fall apart don't you think? [Milla, he knows a thing or two about duty, but come on.]

[she needs people like him to push her to be a little selfish sometimes!!]

Oh, I don't think things will fall apart just because I no longer have a human body. I have too much faith in my human friends back home.

[she doesn't pick up on the fact that she might be talking about the humans she met here]

[He rolls his eyes.]

Milla. I meant you. You and everything you've accomplished as a human and everything you've learned about humans. You're sure that won't go away?

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