i promise we'll walk across the moon someday soon

[promittere]

FULL MOON CODA

The moon wanes, and retreats into the sky.

After a quick chat and a vote, the otherworldly wizards, their mentor, and their sage decide to hand Victor over to the Central government—to the young wizard who appeared later in the ordeal. As both a sage's wizard and Crown Prince to the Central throne, Prince Arthur is the ideal person to understand both the discriminatory behavior driving Victor against wizards and the political ramifications of his actions, both past and planned. He pledges to you to make sure that, even if you aren't around to see it, Victor pays for what he's done and then some, while respecting Tatara's wishes to avoid bloodshed. He'll manage his case, while making sure his uncle, Vincent, does not have too much sway, due to his relationship with the West. Ultimately, he'll be locked up for life, put to hard labor, and made sure his intelligence is not misused.

When the sun rises, everyone gets to work repairing the manor. The damage is pretty bad but not unsalvageable, and it's made a lot easier with the help of some of the other original wizards who trickle in as the day begins. So long as it hasn't been burnt into absolutely nothing, it's salvageable—hopefully your figurines are safe!

For the first time since you arrived in this world, things feel stable. The brittleness in the air is no longer there, and there's a serenity to the breeze and the sky. It's comfortable. As the previous sage and sage's wizards begin to go about their business as usual, they mention anomalies and other odd incidents they must take care of around the world, but it is nothing like what you initially remember. This is no longer a world a hair's breadth away from falling apart, and you fixed it.

Whether you noticed it in the chaos of the final fight, or you hear it from someone else, or you notice on your own in the days that follow, you will realize that your sage crest is gone. With the other wizards in place again, your job here is done. Quite literally. You are no longer obligated to Tatara or to this world. All that's left is to go home.

A day and time is chosen for the ritual, and you have a few days after the final battle before the ritual is ready. This would be a good time to wrap up loose ends before you go, perhaps for good.

And when the ritual is ready, you'll know.

OOC NOTES

🌙 This is the end of Lunae Calamitas! Thank you so much for playing! We hope you had fun ♥
🌙 This post will remain open, so feel free to play out what loose ends you'd like to resolve ICly.
🌙 If you have the time and energy, be sure to check out the love meme and the TL;CR meme!
🌙 Enjoy the journey home, and rest well. You earned it.

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[dadsandals]

[ Yamato is at the ritual, and he understands that this trip is one way. He hasn't offered up his world as an option, hasn't even officially asked Malice to go home with him yet, but somehow, the idea of them never seeing one another again hadn't occurred to him. After three months of seeing each other daily, from those he would just pass by in the hallway to the people he's grown to deeply cherish, it feels weird that he's going to go back to the life he once had. He's happy for it, but he will mourn what he had here.

When Yamato came here, he was angry, bitter and didn't believe in freely handing out his trust. While the latter is somewhat true, he's managed to connect with people here more than he has at home, and that must mean something.

He's also never been great at goodbyes, though, so he's sort of just standing off to the side while the ritual's being set up, not really knowing what to do with himself. All of this felt like a dream...and he's sure people at home will think it was if he told them, too. That's fine, though. This dream is unending, and he'll hold onto what he can of his wizard powers by leaving what's left of his room behind.

Pardon him, if he seems a little sad to be parting ways today. ]

...

[annihilator]

[Malice had been hoping for the opportunity to jump between worlds as he pleased. He has two very obnoxious vampires he needs to go kill - but returning to his world and staying there? It makes him feel all sorts of things, but mostly just frustrated. Leaving behind Yamato for that? It's not worth it.

No matter how much he wants his revenge, it isn't worth it. It's strange how easy it is to accept that thought, and Malice is left to wonder if maybe, somewhere along the way, he decided he didn't need his revenge as badly as he thought he did. Maybe he changed without realizing it. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened here.

So leaving behind his home world is acceptable. It's what he planned to do after killing Lotisse and Rosalie, after all. That really leaves only one option. He doesn't want to stay in a world without Yamato, and Yamato is going home. That's settled, then.

(Even though there are very valid concerns about going with Yamato to his world - like the lack of fighting, the lack of vampires, and Malice's general everything. They're going to have to work a lot out. He's going to have to change even more than he already has. But if it means being with his human, he'll do it. He has to.)

There are a lot of other things Malice has to get to before the ritual - goodbyes to say, things to gather and leave behind, and a few last fireballs for the road. He's going to miss this place, he realizes - or maybe it's just the freedom to show off the things he's learned along the way. Oh well.

So he's late when he shows up to the ritual, and he's got his stuff in bags and ready to go - but he hasn't even talked to Yamato about this and they've only got a little bit of time before Yamato himself is sent home. Hopefully you weren't too worried about him not showing up.

(Malice arrives with his normal prosthetic hand - the claws are nowhere in sight. He's left them behind - a piece of himself that will always remain in this world. Besides, he won't need them where he's going.)]

Yama! [He reaches out for his boyfriends' hands immediately, regardless of whatever he may or may not be holding.] Sorry I'm late!

[dadsandals]

[ Yamato knew that Malice would say something, anything before he left. He knew that there was no way that they'd leave one another without saying anything. He'd hesitated on asking Malice to come back with him for a number of reasons, which he'll have to go over with Malice if the vampire wants to go back with him, but Yamato's wondered if his world would make Malice happy. It's why he's been avoiding talking about it, because the thought of Malice having to change himself to fit in hurts, but so does the thought of never seeing him again.

Still, it's a surprise to see Malice with ... bags. Yamato wonders if that's his answer. He squeezes his boyfriend's hands back. ]

You aren't. I wasn't going to go anywhere without saying something to you.

[ Malice knows Yamato has to return home, so he won't bother saying that part again, but - ]

... You've already packed, then?

[annihilator]

'Course, I know that.

[His grin still looks a little relieved, though.]

Sure am. I said my goodbyes an' left some stuff behind here too. So I'm all ready.

[He pauses, considers, and then amends it:]

I'm ready to go home with you.

[dadsandals]

[ That makes him incredibly happy. It brings a smile to his face, but it's a smile that mellows out as he runs through the circumstances in his head. ]

I'd like that...as long as you'd be okay with a few things.

[ He averts his gaze, but he keeps his hold on Malice's hands tight. ]

I won't be able to see you as often. My line of work won't approve of me seeing anyone, so it'd have to be something that'd have to stay hidden for a while.

[ Eventually, it may be more acceptable, but right now is not a good time. ]

I don't even know if we can live together right away – it's going to take a long while until things can go back to how they were here.

[ That being said, however... ]

I'll always find a way to talk to you every day, though, even if it's just through messages...and I don't want to stop making an effort, or anything like that. It's just going to be difficult for a while.

[ He already feels himself starting to get choked up, thinking about how much this is going to suck for their relationship. Honestly, if Malice doesn't want to deal with any of that, Yamato wouldn't blame him. Right now, he doesn't even feel like he deserves him, but ultimately, that's for Malice to decide. He'll wait for an answer. ]

[annihilator]

[Malice considers this carefully. It's going to be harder than he initially thought because of Yamato's work, but that work is important to him and he needs to make amends with his friends. So that simply means that Malice is going to have to adapt to the world as it is faster than he thought. Well, he likes to think he's capable of adapting fairly easily.]

There's a lot I don't know 'bout your world. I'm probably gonna make a lot of dumb mistakes. But I'm more than willin' to try, 'cause I'd do anythin' for ya, Yama. You know this.

[He says it with the utmost confidence. It's going to be difficult. That doesn't mean it's impossible.]

'Sides, I got this! [He hopes up his hand to display Yamato's emblem.] You poured so much damn work into makin' sure I wouldn't have'ta hurt anyone anymore. So I'll just pretend to be human. An' I'll make it work, no matter what.

Don't start givin' up on me yet, okay?

[dadsandals]

[ Malice's optimism is what Yamato needed to hear, he thinks. His willingness to try is really touching. If Malice is going to go that far for them, then Yamato will have to do that, too.

It's settled, then. ]

Heh...just tell me when those dumb mistakes happen, alright? I'll help you out as much as I can. We'll have to give you a disguise, too.

[ Yamato can make that happen. They'll stay wizards, after all.

Finally, he looks Malice – Ametrine – in the eye, and brushes his thumb over the ring he'd given Ametrine not too long ago. ]

Thanks, for saying all of that. We'll be okay.

[annihilator]

We'll definitely be okay, no matter how long it takes— Oh! Right!

[Give him a second to shuffle through his bags for something... Here! Malice grins as he holds up what he was looking for - a ring set in a sturdy silver band with a stone matching Yamato's eyes.]

This is what I've been workin' so hard on tryin' to finish!

[The band itself is a little plain, but the stone is polished to a sheen and the ring itself radiates Malice's magic. When Yamato accepts it, he'll find that it's naturally quite warm.]

I enchanted it with a spell that'll keep ya warm, which... probably won't be all that useful where we're goin', but! Should help ya think of me whenever we're apart, yeah? An' I made the whole thing myself, with a lotta trial an' error.

[He sounds so proud...]

[troublereduction]

[ It's a while before Day stops to stand next to Yamato, having noticed him waiting off on the side. There are many people he has to talk to, and things he needs to put in order before the (very likely final) good bye. ]

Hey, Yamato.

[dadsandals]

[ This really is a final goodbye, isn't it? Day has another place he's going to, and it's a place where Yamato won't be. It stings, thinking about it, when he looks at Day for what is likely the very last time. ]

Yo, Day. ... Somehow, this doesn't really feel real.

[troublereduction]

To be expected, yeah? Ain't the kinda goodbye we have to say every day.

[ Even as someone who works (or worked, he supposes, since he's made his decision) in the trade of fated encounters, this whole experience has been exceptional. ]

...Gonna be headin' home? [ To the people who love him. ]

[dadsandals]

Yeah, I am. I've gotta make things right again.

[ It'd eat away at him every day if he didn't. He wants to see his friends again, too, even if he's been happy here. ]

You're going back with Phil, aren't you?

[troublereduction]

Yeah.

[ He says it instantly, without missing a beat. ]

Didn't think I'd ever be sayin' somethin' like this three months ago, but things change.

[ If Day was being honest, this decision is probably a logistics nightmare of a kind as far as the bureau is concerned, not to mention it doesn't erase the other worries he had before, but...

For once, he is choosing his happiness over duty. ]

[dadsandals]

They sure do. They've changed for a lot of us.

[ He knows this, too. ]

I hope your new home treats you well.

[troublereduction]

Well, I'm gonna be real busy with a bunch of stuff once I get there, that's for sure.

[ A bit of a wry smile. ]

...You still got the bracelet I gave you?

[dyingtohealyou]

[Watching Yamato skulk about, those smiles of his, however wry, noticeably diminished in light of recent news.

All told, it's not surprising in the least.]

Sucks, doesn't it?

[dadsandals]

...Yeah. Yeah, it does.

[ He can't even lie about that. It hurts to have to say goodbye to so many people here. ]

It's tough. We've all been through a lot together. Almost feels surreal that it's all over, you know? Haha...what do you think about it?

[dyingtohealyou]

I'm not looking forward to it, either.

[A hand drifts over his right eye, hovering for a moment like he's about to remove the shades before ultimately deciding against it.]

...But there's a few things I need to look into, first. Before I resign myself to never seeing any of you again.

[dadsandals]

[ Ah... ]

I heard you talking to Robin earlier about traveling. Is that one of the things you're looking into?

[dyingtohealyou]

Yeah. He can probably do it - I'm willing to bet Solomon could, too. Those two are probably among the most powerful mages we've got.

As in, like, actual mages, that is.

[dadsandals]

Ah, yeah. Solomon did say something like that, too...

Hopefully, then, this isn't goodbye forever. I think it'd be nice if we could all see each other again.

[dyingtohealyou]

Mm.

[One can hope.]

Though it sounds like people will need to trade charms of some kind to actually be able to locate each other in other worlds.

[lustro]

[ He's also standing off to the side because this ritual is not... for him, but. He bites back the feeling of loss, new and full. Somehow it fills his stomach and his heart and he'd thought it something so small at the start of this day, but it keeps rising and rising. This is... goodbye?

Eventually, he makes his way to Yamato. ]

This is not a promise. [ BUT. ] We will be friends forever.

[dadsandals]

[ Yamato was hoping to see Ginger before he left. He's holding onto the flowers Ginger asked him to pick, because he wants to give them to Malice once they get in Japan. Still, though...

It's bittersweet, seeing his fellow Eastie standing here. Someone so strong and yet so gentle and delicate in how they care for the people they love. ]

This isn't a promise. [ JUST SAYING, WIZARD GODS.... ] But..yeah. We will be. It's been a pleasure, Ginger.

[ Does Ginger like hugs? Yamato would like to give him a hug. He opens his arms, asking for permission. ]

[lustro]

[ Somehow, he still manages to laugh a little awkwardly as his eyes shine with emotion and he raises his arms to hug Yamato back. It’s the loss that’s welling up, he’s sure, rather than the tears he’s usually prone to shedding. It’s just… loss. ]

It has. Will you both visit - if you can?