robowest | [ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...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?

Ah--

[a pause, and a frown]

I don't believe so. After all. . . [and then she lifts a hand and places it over her heart] That won't change what's in here, will it? It won't change my memories, or my experiences, or the nature of the bonds I've managed to forge.

[...no. It won't. Even when Luke lost his body to Kronos, he was able to fight back. He kept his memories and his experiences and it's what saved them from what he had caused. While Milla is nowhere that evil or in the dark, it's still a comforting thought.]

Especially not if you decide to keep everything. I haven't talked to many people who've decided to forget their time here. Maybe that's for the better.

[ DEPARTURE ]

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