dreamcrystals | eight entry ⊗ bauble trip home

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eight entry ⊗ bauble trip home

Sender: Eustace
To: Everyone
Subject: Successful Use of Baubles to Return Home

For those who may not have noticed, recently the baubles used for the Wishing can be used to return to our home worlds and still be able to return. It was a risk, but given the prospect of this for the ongoing research of staying in this world permanently, I tried it myself.

It works.

I departed on the first of the month and according to Tifa, returned after three days here. As before, the time passed in my world was several months and as expected, I still did not retain any memories of my time in Songerein while in my world.

I had the researchers at the Observatory study the dreamotion energy during this process to see if they can learn more about our connection between this world and our world. If there are any who wish to try or plan to return to their home world through the use of the baubles, I would like to request if they could study your trip as well.

It does appear that the more common "random connections" is still occurring. Regardless, I hope this message eases some concerns others might have in wanting to temporarily revisit their world on their own will.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You mean here...?

[Tifa thinks back to the conversation.]

... A little.

[Though, everything that Sephiroth says is menacing and likely meant to be a threat, but there was one thing that sticks out in her head.]

He said something like... "do you remember the last time you faced me alone"...

[Immediately the tension rises again and Eustace starts to stand.]

He's the one who should worry......

[Tifa, stop your husband.]

Edited 2023-07-26 03:13 (UTC)

[And she's going to, lifting her head so that she can catch his gaze. Her other hand reaches out for his, wrapping over the ones that are already joined and holding tight.]

Eustace.

[Her voice is firm, commanding him to listen to her. This, right here, is what she had been the most afraid of. It's not Sephiroth that she fears the most, but Eustace trying to do anything to him and getting hurt in the process. For as much faith as she has in him, Sephiroth easily outmatches them both on their own.]

Promise me you won't do anything.

[He looks down at her, lips a thin line.]

...I can't.

[And she returns the very same look back at him.]

Why not?

[Why can't he promise her? It wasn't even that long ago that Sephiroth had bested them both... and that was only an illusion of him. This is the real thing.]

Because it involves you.

[She was afraid he would say that, but she was prepared for it anyway, which is why her gaze only hardens.]

If so, then I'm telling you... don't.

[Don't get hurt. Don't put yourself in that much risk. All for her. Not again...]

You saw what he could do when he wasn't even real...

And we weren't at our best.

[...

...

That said...]

...However, I'm not so foolish to try and hunt him down out in the open.

[Meaning he'll just do it on the sly—]

[Out in the open... Well, she knows what that means...]

Not even in secret.

[Are they really going to argue about this, though? Can't he just take her word for it that this is a bad idea all around? That they should just leave him be and go about their own lives until something does happen where they need to step in?]

Eustace... the things he's capable of... That wasn't even the start of them. If he catches you and he...

[She stops herself, the memory of how he'd looked back on the moon after Sephiroth had gotten him comes flooding back.]

It'll happen again.

It won't.

[It may be arrogance, but there's a firmness in his voice, a clear confidence in his skills.]

But fine, I won't seek him out. Just don't think I'll stand still about this, either.

[This would have been much worse if it was only Tifa from her world here... But with Cloud and Zack, there's already quite a few who will also be feeling the same, so perhaps he doesn't need to be so vigilant. Perhaps it's better if he stands down, let them handle. However what he says is also true—he can't just ignore it or leave it completely alone. Whether they like it or not, he's become a part of their problem and if he has to just stick to the shadows, then so be it.

Tifa's safety is his top priority, everything else be damned.]

That goes the same for you.

[A pointed look.]

[It's not that Tifa isn't confident in his skills—she is, but her fear of anything happening to him eclipses everything else. It has nothing to do with whose skills are better than whose but about the fact that Eustace would be putting himself at such a great risk when he doesn't need to. He may have fought Sephiroth, but that wasn't even his full potential.

She is not letting him risk himself for anyone.]

Don't worry. I don't have plans to meet up with him anytime soon.

[Her fingers tighten around his in a silent plea once more.]

As long he stays away, then... let's just leave it, okay?

[He still looks pensive, and there's a low rumble of thunder above them.

But eventually he sits back down.]

All right.

[Don't think she misses that thunder over their house, and she'll give Eustace a scornful look before she lets her head rest on his shoulder again and curls up against his side.]

If it came down to it... Cloud and Zack are here, too...

[She offers it quietly.]

But... I'd still want you by my side.

And I'll be by yours.

[His arm wraps around her, pulling her in close.]

...But why didn't you tell me earlier?

Because...

[She grabs hold of his hand, giving the arm that's around her a tug so that it wraps even tighter round her.]

I tried but... I didn't want to ruin the moment. [She did try in the kitchens to stop him, and then again in the bedroom, but it didn't feel like the right time. That, and he'd interrupted her with kisses—] I was so happy that you were back, and... I wanted that to last a while longer.

[...........Hrm.

There's a small disgruntled sound, but it's not as terse as before. He realizes he certainly didn't help matters and... It's true that it was such a happy and wonderful time then. It really would have ruined the mood if he had heard it then. So he's conflicted, but...]

...At least you told. I wouldn't have been surprised if you tried to keep it away from me.

[Pointed look.]

[...?

She lifts her head with a small, confused sound.]

Why would I keep it from you?

In the not so unlikely chance you want to try and "protect me" and deal with it on your own.

[Given various situations in the past—he has good reason to think this way.]

[It's true that—]

Maybe before, yeah... A long time ago.

[She's stopped doing that, though. After the many, many disagreements that they've had about it—about wanting to protect the other in that way, the wrong way—she knows that she shouldn't. No matter how much she would want to deal with this on her own, she remembers the things that she had said to Eria that morning in their room...]

I don't want to deal with anything on my own anymore... Not without you...

[He looks at her before letting out a small sigh and nuzzles her.]

Good.

[She turns to face him, so that she can return the gesture, nose bumping against and brushing over his.]

If anything happens... you'll be the first to know. And... if you ever run into him...

[Tifa opens her eyes and looks straight into his.]

... Promise me you'll come find me first. I don't think I could forgive myself if it ever happened again...

Edited 2023-07-27 03:16 (UTC)

...I promise.

[And because he knows he hesitated because he really thought about this, he'll give her a soft kiss.]

I mean it. I'll let you know if I ever meet him, and if I do, I won't start anything.

[She had intended to seal that promise with a kiss regardless, so when he leans in, she does the same, the two of them meeting halfway. Hesitation or no, she can at least be happy with this much. She knows how hard it is for him to make a promise like this, but she trusts unconditionally that he intends to keep it. No more doing things alone, they had said a long time ago, and that goes for both of them...

Once that's sealed, she can finally rest a little easier, all of that weight cascading off her shoulders. The room grows warmer and the flowers open their petals again, and for the rest of the evening, they can enjoy each other's company, be together, and of course, make up for the time that they spent apart.

And as they rest in bed together, the moons filtering through the vines across the window, she thinks back to those three days... and how they were just a painful reminder of what her life would be without him, how empty her heart felt when he wasn't near, just a call of his name away. Perhaps she would have found happiness elsewhere—maybe she would have opened the café, made all these friends, but now that she has this... what they have, she can safely say that she can't imagine what life would be like without it. This warmth, the strength he carries in his mere presence, the way he fills her heart with so, so much joy that she can hardly ever contain it.

All she can do is thank the stars a thousand times over for bringing him back to her. For always bringing him back... It's that thought and the familiar, close sound of his beating heart that she finally falls asleep to, the two of them wrapped up in each other's arms...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

eight entry ⊗ bauble trip home

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