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Another Loop. It's, okay-ish, you think. You still can count the number in your hand. You're yet to reach the King, too, but, putting the two parts together could help see the silver lining.
You still feel bad with how deflated Mira is right now. It's not even late, the sky is still light, but you couldn't let her be alone in the Clocktower when she's so sad. You make sure she can hear you coming before opening the door to the bedroom.
"Mira?"
If you didn't know better, you'd think even her bow looks droopy. She barely lifts her head to look at you. The whole scene reminds you of a scolded dog. Not like you can tell her now.
"Isabeau."
You step closer, and sit beside her.
"We're a step closer. We just need to get the key next time."
"I know."
She won't look at you. She won't even look at the her own hands. She closes her eyes in a way that makes it clear that she's holding back tears. She doesn't have to. Crying is healthy, and you won't judge her.
"If we weren't looping, Siffrin would be dead, someone would probably be frozen by a older tear, and the rest would be stuck, maybe to death."
Oh Change.
"If it wasn't for something that nobody knows why is happening, I'd have dragged you all here to die."
You know. It hurts to think about, but you know. The journey was tough, yet nothing could have prepared you all for a single House, and it was nobody's fault because of Mirabelle couldn't know what happened inside her home after she got stuck outside, who could?
But you can't say all of what you think. It'll just make things worse if you do. Only a piece will be useful here.
You put your hand on Mira's shoulder, and pull her close.
"But we're still here."
"Because of what we couldn't know wasn't a fluke." She sounds so choked up.
"Mira." You try to not sound too hard. It could make it worse "What matters now is that we're here. Yes, it's bad and scary to think about, but it's not what's happening. We have those chances to make things right, and we'll make good use of them." You pause, and allow your comforting voice to come out "And we'll be here with you, every step of the way."
You watch as Mira's breath grows ragged for a moment, then slowly gets more stable. Before long, she stops crying long enough to wipe some tears.
"I'm... I'm scared... What if... What if we only have so many chances and run out before we can beat the King?"
Oh, Mirabelle...
You want to say it won't happen, but you don't think that's what she needs.
With a gentle nudging, she soon dives to your chest, and you hold her in a firm embrace.
"We just have to keep trying."
You thought you did everything right. Mira convinientely remembered how to disable the Death Corridor. Mirabelle and M'adame Odile both chose the right path blocked by tears so Bonbon could keep their joke of picking in spite of you. Bonbon opened Little Mac's notebook out of disrespect, and Mira remembered the key in the Head Housemaiden's office. M'dame found a secret library and it had a book with shields (the Dormont librarian told her about it because of savior privileges, you won't snitch). The second right path was chosen by Mira (what a relief that this path "felt familiar" even in the jumbled House). Nobody staying still for very long meant you got to build a bomb. The shield worked, and as soon as Madame was safe from the evil edges you all slumped in relief. Sif talked to each of you before heading to the Head Housemaiden.
And then she started panicking out of nowhere.
And now you're in the field of the Favor Tree, feeling a type of dizziness most feel from standing up too fast after lying down for a long time.
You... You need a moment to get your balance back. You need to wait untill your vision comes back from light and dark blobs and the bird and wind noises replace the ringing in your ears. It's only about halfway that you even realise that your hand is against a nearby tree.
You don't even waste time wondering if it really was a more intense looping or if it was psychological, you dart straight to under the Favor Tree to a Loop curled against the far side like they were expecting a butt whooping. Oh... Oh, of course. You try to get your breathing stable before speaking.
"Sorry, Loop. I didn't mean to spook you."
It takes a moment for them to slooooowly uncurl, string tail wrapped around their waist and paw-like feet touching the ground again.
"I'm fine. Just, didn't expect."
Exactly what is something you feel like asking might be too much like cornering them (more than Loop already is physically).
"Honestly, I'm not sure what I was expecting. Mira told about feeling the Change God's help with the KeyKnife, but not when we loop, so it's not that surprising that it wasn't them helping us beat the King."
Loop holds their own arms, and, although they don't look at you nor have a visible mouth, you have the impression of them giving you a nervous smile.
"I... I'm sorry too, Fighter."
They are?
"You're sorry? For what?"
They squeeze their arms and eyes, and you start thinking about getting them to let go before Loop hurts themself, but they loosen their grip before you can. They keep staring at the floor rather then you.
"I... I knew beating the King wouldn't break the loops. I'm sorry okay? I wanted that out of the way first and I didn't want something like that feeling like it could be for nothing specially when it will be important when we figure it out and the country will stay saved and I don't want you guys dying a bunch when trying stuff out and-"
"Loop! Loop! Slow down!" Sweet Change, they started talking so fast it was hard to fully form an understandable train of thought, but you got the gist, mostly "I'm not mad, I get it."
You don't like it, but you get it. You'd like to believe that you would appreciate having that information sooner, but, truth be told, you're not so sure.
But Loop keeps looking at you with big glassy eyes, and, yeah, they don't need extra pressure either.
You do the call sign to warn the others that it's your turn talking to Loop. You'll deal with the strong feelings in the Clocktower. For now Loop needs to be the only person ready to cry.
"Something weird? Uhn... I tried to talk to Odile earlier, but she was in a weird hurry. Something about the baker?"
Sif fidgets a bit, and moves their head in a way that makes their face less visible under the hat, but it doesn't last long.
"Did you see anything weird?"
Ha!
... Actually, while you're here, would it be a bad thing to, you know, try again? Probably better than being "ominous".
"Not really, but, if you don't mind, can we meet one on one, before we go to the clocktower?"
Sif seens to think for a moment, but then nods.
"Just, make sure you got everuthing done first, okay?"
"Okay, I'll see you soon."
Clearly they wanted to do a lot, because you get to watch Bonbon brute force their way into Madame's "secret quest".
It's a nice hangout. Even if you end up chickening out, you got so much off your chest that you feel lighter, and the clearer head helps you get into a clearer line of thought.
You're stronger now. It's an interesting feeling. To have it happen with just getting some noisy thoughts out.
You're... not the only one. It seens like Mira is the only one who didn't use this loop to get some affairs in order. Poor lady.
It takes a few goings, and the itch about a whole country that vanished from memory instead, of getting scratched, gets worse. Something deep into your brain, like an injure that got filled with scar tissue that doesn't seen to fully fit.
So much about stars, too. Stars, stars, stars. Now that you pay attention to it, stars seen to appear everywhere.
Stars, like Sif sometimes says, like they sleep outside to gaze at.
In the very next loop, you confess under the stars.
It's not some huge mission, and your chest feels heavy knowing that it's likely to get erased unless you're lucky and it turns out there really is a limited number and just happens to be the last one now, but it feels good. You feel over the moon to find out he likes you too.
Looping around the entire crabbing House seens to be the best tool for now, but it also makes clear as water something that is very obvious in hindsight: Siffrin doesn't have a lot of self preservation.
From sadnesses to the King, again and again, you watch their blood spread on the hallways, sometimes other things too. It puts the taste of bile to the back of your throat, but you can't really argue with the idea once the full image is laid out: getting beaten to death is painful, if you're not careful with how you find the stuff, Sif feels like dead weight. "Accidentally" freezing him in time untill you beat the King is the closest to a good route you can offer him.
You walk down to the floor where the used tear was - kind of. The House being scrambled around makes it a little harder than it should. Mira would probably have an easier time, but she's having a moment with the Head Housemaiden. Well, no other option, it seens. You call for one of the unfrozen housemaidens.
"Hey, can you help me real quick?" They nod, nice "Have you seen my friend? Kind of short, big darkless hat and cloak, one eyed?"
The housemaiden thinks for a second, then nods, and indicates the exit door with their thumb.
"A few minutes ago. They left in a rush, so I didn't get to ask much. But they looked kind of upset, so you'd probably do well to check on them."
Oh, crab it all. Crab bucket cancer.
"Thank you. I will."
It feels kind of bad, you know you're not usually this dry, but with how fast Sif can be, you better hurry.
You don't make it out of the House when you feel the tug on your stomach.
You knew it was wishful thinking, you never actually expected finding them before they dip out to be any easier when you confess again. You also know it's a selfish way to think, but it feels like a bit of a damper on it. You know it's probably just the looping frustration looking for an outlet.
You still can't help but wonder if he just says yes to be polite.
You didn't really pay as much attention to the articles about the King as you probably should, after all, you were in your way to beat him, not have an interview, or the information in the Head Housemaiden's office. You don't really know the woman, but it's amazing how she figured how to craft a blessing to counter his curse with that amount of info in her hands.
But there's only so much that looking around can do, and, from what Mira told after her turn talking to Loop, they don't like the idea of asking the King questions directely, but that seens to be the logical next step.
You need to be careful on how you do it, or it'll sound too weird, but the four of you (you need to act like it's the five of you) bounce around what info you all do have.
The King and the Island have a lot of overlapping, but circunstancial evidence is not everything. By the time the third snack break and small fruitcakes are over, you have your set of questions ready.
Maybe going all at once in a single loop wasn't the best idea.
"Bright One........... Can't you feel it?.......... The void it left behind?.........."
"We are the ones speaking to you." Odile steps forward, putting herself between Siffrin and the King "He has nothing to do with this talk."
"He does..........." The King lowers his hands, leaning down and on his hands, uncomfortably close, but Madame doesn't back away "You understand, don't you? I can see the longing in your eye......
"You want it too, dont you?? To see it...... To picture it..... We need to remember..... We have to.... WE'RE THE ONLY ONES HERE WHO CAN!!!!! YOU NEED TO MAKE IT REAL AGAIN!!!!!!"
The King says something.
Sif drops to his knees.
The sounds he makes are heartbreaking.
But you don't get to actually check on him. Despite the obvious pain it causes, he says it too - and it's like a bomb went off inside your head.
Everything is blurry.
You head hurts, your vision is misty, the ringing in your ears is so loud it's painful.
You still register when they both go limp, blood flowing from their throats like water from broken faucets.
There's still some phantom pain when you wake up in the field again.
You... You need a moment. For... everything.
Breeeeeeeeeath... Breeeeeeath... Do'nt panic. You can't panic. You don't know if everyone else is.
...
The itching in the back of your head feels like it's finally been scratched.
Translate, brainstorm, and keep the screams all in. You need a calm face, Mira always needs support after being the one to talk to the Head Housemaiden in the end of the loop. She doesn't need to worry about you.
You can rest easy. You know Loop won't snitch, if they even see you, with how deep they burrow into that tree.
Keep moving. You'll rest in the Clocktower, and it'll be enough. It'll have to.
Keep moving, Isabeau. You don't know what will happen if you stop.