eastbound | un: starburst, toward the end of this arc.

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un: starburst, toward the end of this arc.

( Emilia di Carlo has seen better days, by the look of her. Her battle leathers are torn, soot and cuts still on her face — but she doesn't give in to the exhaustion just yet, nor the bile in her throat. First, she addresses the people of Alem, dignified and resolute. )

Prince Haiva sacrificed himself and leaves his sister, the young Cle-Florens, spared.

I was witness.

( A pause, then, as she allows that to sink in. )

Hell is sealed.

You fought with valor so others might live. I'm glad to have fought beside you, and will remember your fallen just the same.

If you've yet to evacuate, the time is now. Hassir awaits.

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Very much so.

( As different as Wrath and his brothers all are. Only a few months ago, she would have answered with uncertainty. She would have believed herself a stranger to the realms, unable to remember she'd stepped foot in them before. )

If I had my way, you would be joining me in my circle.

( Not returning to a life of chains. She'd like to believe she can make it so, somehow. )

( That makes Red smiles softly. Persephone in her world was only looking for an escape, but she did take her out through the river. Red just doesn't know if it stuck or not. )

...thank you. Your circle sounds so much better and definitely more interesting, and I'm sure you treat your subjects better too.

( From what she's told her already, from even seeing their affection towards Yadid - far more hellhound than she is, but Hades never treated her like that. )

But hey, maybe I actually made it out. The beacons had some crazy timing.

( Emilia would want to rule fairly, justly.

Still, Red is giving her far too much credit, and the future is yet to be determined. With both her and Wrath's siblings on the loose, not to mention Sursea and the witches, Emilia will be surprised if they make it to coronation day. )

There is something to be said of their timing. Where is it you were trying to go?

( Or did it not matter so long as it was out? )

...out.

I didn't even think I'd be able to make it.

( Red figured it would pull her right back in, and maybe it still will. She doesn't know. The important part was trying, the important part was not remaining the same for eternity, which is what would have happened if she didn't, if she hadn't found the... friends she did.

They barely even had time to be friends but she'd like to think that's what they were as they went through the river. )

It is my hope that you will.

( There is a fierceness to her answer that speaks not only of hope, but will. As though by merely stating her wishes she can make them so. It isn't how it works, of course, but Emilia has come far with nothing but sheer determination at times.

She'd had little magic then, and faced what she believed to be much greater foes.

Hades is a fox chasing its dinners. But the rabbit will be faster for running for its life. )

( Some brief time later, relistening to the way she responds with this fierceness like Emilia might rip apart Hades himself. Shit, she would like to see that - he's squirm.

Red doesn't even expect an immediate response, figuring Emilia probably had to rest after all those Hell shenanigans. )

...y'know, I'm just gonna say it's in part due to the fierceness of your hope that partly made it so. I sure as fuck wouldn't want to challenge it.

( Challenge her. A pause, because there's really no good way to warn anyone about this though she would have liked to try. ) Hey. Beacon swallowed me up.

( She can't place this raspier voice, not at first.

It feels a bittersweet dream. Emilia was never going to watch Red grow older, but there's a swift relief in knowing she did succeed, remembering their conversation now. Her voice is a tad thick when she speaks; it could be from the lingering sleep she chases away.

Could be the understanding something has been lost, even as Red gained. )

May I see you?

Yeah, of course.

( Her own smile is bittersweet. She reviewed the conversation they had here, remembers all their conversations and how very much Emilia reminds her of Persephone like no one else ever has. Beyond Persephone herself, of course, and it's been a very long time since she saw that particular goddess.

You have every right to be here - such a simple but powerful statement that she wishes she'd heard in the life she led, wishes she could remember those words. )

I'm at the bar, but I can meet you anywhere you'd like.

No, the bar is all right.

( Red is there for a reason, and Emilia won't make this any more disorienting than it needs to be. She needed a drink or two after her own experience with a beacon, and she only lived through days. She can't imagine decades.

It's unnerving to think of the possibility, but Red's experience makes it difficult to ignore.

Wrath purchased them first class tickets, so Emilia has access to most of the favored areas. In the end, it isn't difficult at all to find her, even as she looks so different. The color of her hair always gives her away. ) Red?

The one and only.

( Red confirms even as she turns and takes in the sight of Emilia before her with a low breath. Jesus though, the dress is beautiful as is she. It can kind of be hard to remember through all the hazy, funny details. )

And, Emilia, also the one and only.

( She smiles with emotion even as she's hit with a whole helluva lot of things at once, memories of things she forgot, things that shaped her. ) Damn it's good to see you.

( Emilia doesn't doubt Red, not truly. But she can't help wondering if it is strange as it is good. If this bittersweetness is shared, and she looks to Emilia in the hopes of recalling a memory, same as Emilia looks back at her to catalog the differences.

She steps forward, recovering some of the confidence she lost in her surprise. )

It's good to see you. I'd wondered if you managed to leave —

( Except she kept looking for the wrong person, one who had yet to shed girlhood. )

How ... long has it actually been?

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un: starburst, toward the end of this arc.

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