Back at Eris’ suite…

I return triumphantly, Lady Mezalune’s servants following behind me. They carry everything they need to clean the suite. Per the Oracle’s instructions, they’ve also prepared a large bucket filled with ice and beer bottles.

When I knock on the door, Anna greets me with a weary yet peaceful smile. Eris is nowhere to be seen in the chaotic living room nor in the little sanctuary we made earlier to pray.

We say nothing at first, simply gazing into each other’s eyes, our hands gently intertwined as the Oracle’s servants move past us to begin their work. As they busy themselves tidying up, we embrace. Anna smells wonderful, her arms as firm and steady as ever… and I’m glad she’s here. I truly am.

“Eris is asleep in her room,” Anna whispers softly, and I smile in response. “Just a short nap… or however long she needs. She needs this.”

“Awesome! How about you, though?” I ask, my voice edged with concern. “Holding up good?”

“I’ve had better days, Arisa. It’s been a long one.”

She sighs, then gives a knowing glance at my smile.

“But you… that smile of yours tells me things went well with Miss Mezalune, didn’t they?”

“Yes, indeed!” I exclaim, excitement bubbling over as I pull out the Lesser Shard of the Oracle. “Look at this! Impressive, eh?”

“Oh my! It is!” Anna exclaims, her eyes wide with wonder as she echoes my enthusiasm. “It’s so beautiful…”

“I know, right!? It’s the first of six. Only five more to go!”

“Are they all like this?” Anna wonders aloud, her eyes fixated on the gleaming purple shard. “Shining so brightly, even in the darkness…”

“I’m not sure, to be honest…” I answer with a slight frown, my eyes also upon those pretty shades of purple. “It wasn’t like this in my timeline, y’know?”

“What do you mean?”

“This Lesser Shard was dull and bloody in the previous timeline when we got it. So were the others…” I recount ruefully, a touch of unease creeping into my voice. “And uh…”

“You’re thinking it might have something to do with Eris being alive,” Anna wonders out loud, cupping her chin thoughtfully. “I remember you said in your previous timeline that we… umm… you know…”

Her brows furrow and she frowns, the weight of her thoughts clear. She doesn’t want to say it. The mere thought of it unsettles her. As it does me. Eris may be alive and well in this timeline, but one timeline ago… that memory of what we had to do to her remains at the back of my mind, clinging to me like a shadow. It haunts me, even though that reality no longer exists.

“Perhaps there’s someone we have to help for each Lesser Shard to have each and all of them glow beautifully like this?” Anna asks softly, her mind lost in deep contemplation. “If so…”

She meets my gaze, nodding determinedly. Fire blazing in her eyes.

“We have to do it! And we’ll do it together, Arisa.”

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“Hell yeah! We sure fucking will!” I declare enthusiastically, pumping the air with a fist, catching the attention of a few servants. “But for now… thank you, Anna. You did great for Eris back there. I didn’t know you had such a way with words!”

“Oh, Arisa!” Anna exclaims shyly, her face red like roses as she presses a hand against her cheek. “Really now…”

I chuckle heartily as Anna shyly averts my gaze, watching the servants busy at work around us. She recovers quickly, shaking her head before meeting my eyes again, smiling warmly.

“I learned all of that smoothness from you, Arisa. You inspire me!”

“Hey now, I’d love to take the credit, but not all of it...”

“You’re right. I should take some credit for my words…” Anna answers sweetly as she nods in agreement. “I meant every word I said to Eris and Miss Mezalune.”

“Wading through hell and nothingness, to smile again one day…” I muse out loud as I think of Anna’s words to Eris. “It’ll be possible… because time is possible.”

“It will be for her. Just as it shall be for me.”

I nod, my smile tinged with bittersweet solemnity. Helping Eris may have given Anna some measure of peace with the emptiness of her missing memories. Perhaps, in time, I’ll find that peace as well.

“I’m glad I could be there for Eris in her time of need,” Anna adds softly, her smile tender. “I lost an idol… but gained a friend. And I’m happy for that.”

“Sounds about right,” I tease with a cheeky grin. “Friends are way cooler than idols, so you’re winning!”

“I think so too! And I…”

She shakes her head, choosing not to finish her sentence. Instead, she leans in, kissing me gently on the lips. It’s soft, it’s warm… it’s everything I want and more. Damn, that’s good!

“I love you, Arisa.”

“I love you too, Anna…” I reply, resting my forehead against hers. “I’m glad you’re here.”

We smile at each other, lost in the moment. And for a while, we stay that way. Rinnah willing, we can remain like this for a bit longer… for as long as we can.

“I’d like to stay by Eris’ side for a bit,” Anna says, her smile as warm as the setting sun. “Just for a week, perhaps? I know we’ve got your Prophecy to fulfil, but I want to ensure she’s okay before we leave the Holy City.”

I nod. We both know we can’t stay here in paradise forever. There’s a world to save… and a Demon Lord to slay. But what she wants to do – what she feels is right – I feel it too. Eris needs us, and uh… I could use some time to gather my thoughts before the next step of our journey.

----------------------------------------

Later, past midnight…

The Oracle’s servants have left, and the suite is tidy again – so damn clean it’s hard to believe what Eris did ever happened.

Eris, Anna and I sit on the floor, our backs to the sofa and our eyes on the wall. Ice-cold beers in hand. Drinking. There’s still more from where that came from, all of it fizzy and cold as if straight outta the fridge – the ice in that bucket is enchanted to last for days, even under a blazing hot midday sun. We’ve also got some snacks to munch on – nothing too fancy, but enough to nibble on.

“Mister Roland… he was crude, smells funny, and talks too loudly… ah, and his table manners were awful…” Eris remarks wistfully, closing her eyes as she takes a long, deep drink of her beer. “And he… used to sneak into my laundry and sniff my panties when he thought I wasn’t looking. I never said anything, but I knew.”

She says that last bit with a sad, bittersweet smile, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. She doesn’t mind him doing that, not in the slightest. Not in the way it might for anyone else.

“He was there for me when I was training to join the Studio, believed in me when I was still a newbie afraid of the stage and the sound of my voice. He refused to give up on me, all because I told him I dreamed of being a Bard,” Eris whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stares into the golden hue of her bottle. “He helped me write my first song. And after he’d taught me everything he knew… we spent hours together, well into the night, sometimes until dawn. Writing, rehearsing, just the two of us.”

Her eyes soften, lost in the memory – her memories of him.

“He was so patient with me, never rushing, never pushing. Those late nights were ours… a space where everything else disappeared. It was just music and us."

Slowly, she places the bottle down. The gaze of her eyes remains distant, as though she’s seeing those moments play out again before her eyes… one last time.

“He was kind, gentle and sensitive, and he listened to every silly thought I had. I miss him, Anna. Arisa. He loved me unconditionally, and I… love him too. I always will.”

Her voice fades into the room's quietness, leaving the weight of her words hanging between us as we drink our beers.