Mist Continent ~ Swanna Inn

[Sudmensch]

"Heh. Tell me about it. But... 'mon. You think when we..."

The Feraligatr hesitated.

"...never mind. Just... heebie-jeebies, y'know. We've got a lot coming up, don't we, Sal?"

 

[IFBench]

"Yep...first training against our counterparts, then...we go up against the Eternal Blacklight," they said, swaying their leaf to the said.

"We can do it, though! I know we can!" they said, with a strained smile on their face.

They were saying it to themselves as much as they were to Dill.

 

[Sudmensch]

"...is it possible to just... not be able to leave the Voidlands? You know, after you...?" Dill asked, the bed creaking as he lied there frowning at the ceiling.

 

[IFBench]

Their leaf drooped,. "I...well, it might take a while, but...I don't think you can be permanently stuck there," they said. They really hoped that was true.

 

[Sudmensch]

"Whew... okay. I was worried," Dill said. The river monster kept lying there, anxiously flicking his tail some more as he prodded at a scar from his dorm-surfing.

 

[IFBench]

The plant dinosaur stood near him, glancing around. All their struggles, all their triumphs...it had all been done before.

"About the other team, I...I don't know how to feel about this all having been done before," they said.

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yeah... like, does it matter if we win or lose this thing? Could it just... happen again with some other bunch?" Dill mused.

 

[IFBench]

"...I don't know. We've come all this way, but...does it really matter, if it could all happen again?" they said. It was like Dark Matter, coming back again after being defeated. Maybe...maybe accepting it could defeat it for good?

But they'd already tried that, and it did nothing.

 

[Sudmensch]

Dill hesitated.

"Maybe... it's not that it's happened before, maybe they're just from another universe like we are?" he suggested. "Maybe that's what's so special about this go-round. You know, us."

 

[IFBench]

Their leaf began to perk back up. "Maybe that's it," they said, looking at their friend. "We couldn't have gone through all this for nothing! That...it just wouldn't be right."

"We're close. We know what our goal is now," Saltriv said. "We just...need to get there."

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yea, just gotta get there..." Dill nodded, a bit of resolve in his face. He gave a little smirk to himself as he sat back up. "Mon, I wonder what Mom and Dad would think. A-and Sinni, Rye, everyone else... yeah, just about to help save the world again, is all, don't mind me. I don't know, maybe Marowak'll give me a discount or something."

 

[IFBench]

"Yep...I wonder wait Acacia will think. I'm saving the world just like him!" they said, smiling.

And then they'd have to do it again once they're back home...

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yeah... if I do get to... go home," Dill said, his crocodile grin faltering a bit. "...huh..."

 

[IFBench]

They frowned, and laid a vine on their friend.

"I think you'll be able to. Even if you died before...you're helping save this world! Surely you can't go back to being dead after all that," they said, hoping it was true.

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yeah... maybe they'll do me a solid, right? Maybe I'll get revived. And if it comes to it... well, hopefully Cibus has some nice riverside houses I can buy. With some higher ceilings," Dill said, gesturing as his head scales rubbed against the room's ceiling.

 

[IFBench]

"Yep...well, there's definitely a lot of houses with high ceilings. There's a ton back in Destiny Village," they said, looking at their friend.

"I hope you can see your family and friends again, though."

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yeah, I... I hope so, too. Maybe after this, if we make it out, we could go to that Spirit's Edge place again," he suggested, though threw his arms up. "You know, we get there when we get there, but. Yeah."

He sat back, rummaging through his bag.

 

[IFBench]

"That sounds like it would be nice," they said, beginning to smile again. "I'm sure we'll get there."

 

[Sudmensch]

"Yeah."

As he keeps picking through his belongings, he blinks again.

"Is there... uh, anything you'd like to do before everything goes down? You know, just to chill?"

 

[IFBench]

"Maybe we could go watch one of Brisa's matches in the Colosseum," Saltriv suggested. "I heard she's been taking down legendaries in there!"