Now and Forever

    Elly's return occurs sometime past sunset. She is grateful to curl up with her wife. The end of each journey is always a bit sweeter with Tae there.

    Elly does not take the morning off, though. She is up before sunrise and can be found, as usual, at a strangely lonely bench up on the mountainside. She likes it because it overlooks Eas. When the sun crests the mountain behind her, she can see the entirety of her home. It inspires her.

    As it is not yet known that she is back, somewhat fewer children will make the ascent for the morning prayer. Those that do will be pleased to find her waiting for them, with arms open wide.

    For a while, though, Elly sits in the darkness. Mist lies thick in the chill morning. So thick, that it is impossible to see her from far away. Or would be, if she weren't enjoying the use of light artes.

    This does help the children find her. As does the path here. A half dozen of them arrive just a few minutes prior to sunrise. After greetings are shared (which includes the new practice of hugging!), it is time to pray. The prayers seem to center around gratitude and wishing to do well in school. There are of course requests for divine assistance. Some pray that the crops do well or ask for things related directly to the family, such as having a new little sister or brother. When all the prayers are completed, the children depart, with the sunlight now guiding their return.

    As is her way, Elly raises her voice in song. She is home, and she is blessed. Singing words written by her wife, words that mean so much to her, makes it, in its own way, a continuation of her prayer to the Goddesses.

    Those who know the song (and the language) will understand it was and is being sung in Korean. The game, insisting vehemently on translation, renders it thus:

        Please let go of me
        So I can breathe
        So I can be free
        In this passing scene

        There are things I wanna tell myself
        As if I'm singing
        I love myself
        I trust myself
        Words that I didn't have before

        Trap me
         In this deep night
         With only
         Sleepless loneliness remaining

         There are things I wanna tell myself
         As if I'm singing
         I love myself
         I trust myself
         Words that I didn't have before

         See how I've endured through the long darkness
         Even if the night comes again, I won't hide
         I have myself by my side
         To the sky that will start to brighten
         I will become a spreading light and fly

         If only I can tell myself
         Some day
         I love myself
         I trust myself
         Will you remember?

         I trust myself
         Please remember

         I love myself
         I trust myself
         These are the words that will embrace me

"Beautiful song." It's Uta's voice, from behind Wake. "Beautiful voice."

One moment she wasn't there, the next, there she is. Sneaky like the Spriggan she is, she waited until everyone was gone before revealing herself. And she did so without giving out any sign of her approaching.

She just stands there, but instead of her usual gaze lost in the distance, this time she manages to focus on Elly. She would applaud, if there was a way to do so that makes it sound dignified and, most importantly, to make it not sound like she's mocking Wake

"And great acoustics too...", she adds, as she looks away, her usually distracted, wandering demeanour sneaking in once again. "It's impressive how well the voice carries from here."

    Elly rises calmly, her smile warming as she does. She looks over Uta and moves around her bench to offer her usual greeting. Warm hugs for the people she cares for. Even though that group of people has expanded so drastically over the past months, the love in that hug is not diluted in the least. If anything, it has grown in affection.

    "Good morning, Uta! I am so happy to see you this morning. And yes, it is a wonderful place to sing. I actually selected it for that reason."

    She offers a hand to Uta, then. "Would you like to sit with me for a while? The days are like a river down below in Eas, and the moment I descend that current shall sweep me forward. Up here, though, we can stand on the banks of that great river and relax for a time."

    If her offer is accepted, she will return to the bench. It is well made and quite comfortable. Which is to say, Elly did not make it herself. She has no clue by four talents.

The frog has been boiled to perfection.

Uta returns the hug, finally with the warmth and affection Wake was expecting from the first day.

"They say that a man cannot step into the same river twice. For it's not the same river, and he's not the same man," Uta begins in response to Wake's offer. "I suppose the same Baroness cannot step into the same day twice, because it's not the same day, and it turns out that the day is actually a river. And like that river, time keeps passing." A sigh, and a bit of a wistful look. "So much spacetime has passed under the Einstein-Rosen bridges to this date." But then, she returns to be serious. "But on this bank, as you say, we can create the illusion that we can temporarily escape the ebb and flow. Time and tide wait for no man, or at least not the same man. Probably a different man. At which point time and tide apologize, in that order, and probably cry a river. Which is not the same river. You cannot cry on the same spilled river twice." She finally accepts the offered hand and moves to the bench, to sit down with a dignity unusual for her; after a moment of contemplation, she turns to smile at Elly. "It's good to have a place to run away from the tears and wears of the daily grinding."

Her expression quickly turns to a confused frown. "Wait, what have I just said?"

    Elly listens to it all, smiling and, yes, indeed loving it all for what it is. This is Uta sharing time with her. If anything can sum-up what has allowed Elly to be here, now, in this moment and feeling this way, it is the shift towards appreciating time for the precious gift it is.

    "You were telling me how important it is to treasure every moment, Uta. And you've been trying to teach me that for such a long time. I apologize for taking so long. And thank you for being so patient with me. Those who think they know so much make for poor students. Luckily assistant professor Haru helped me learn that lesson."

    That lesson, however, was very unpleasant. Having arrogance purged was quite painful an experience. It took a long time for her to work up the courage to apologize for it.

    "You are welcome here always and forever, Uta," Elly adds gently, raising her free hand to tap on her chest, right over her heart. "And my hand is always ready to holds yours." Which she demonstrates with a reassuring squeeze.

"I am the patient now?", Uta asks, confused. "I thought I was the Nurse." She knits her brow. "How the operating tables have turned," she mumbles, before breaking that with another "OH!"

She rubs her head. "Patient. Just... patient. Patience. Same etymology. Latin 'patior'."

And one, at this point, can see her finally noticing the red light she passed a few minutes before, hitting the brakes, and pulling into reverse.

"I... was?", Uta says, confused, and frowns. That pulling into reverse is slow. Scanning the scenery for a direction sign or some other subtle landmark.

Or, out of metaphor, trying to remember where the heck she's been, what direction her train of thought has taken, and where it's actually supposed to go.

Elly's late words and squeeze -do- seem to sort an effect. Not quite -soothe-, it's more like- jolt her back on track.

In the sudden focusing of her eyes, one can see consciousness and realization rushing in at once. "So... so you aren't mad that I sent you away?"

That isn't said with -guilt-, per se. It's more like wary, careful assessment. Poking at a rickety wooden bridge before proceeding.

Uta's eyes glance down, at the hand, and then back to Wake. Nothing is said yes, but a small portion of that weariness seem, even if slight hesitation, to melt away.

    Elly listens to Uta's musings. As she pays more attention, she can more swiftly sense when Uta is drifting off on a tangent and when she returns to the effort of focusing on the matter at hand. There's no intention to force any such a change on her, though. No demands.

    "You were, certainly. You have taught me that lesson so many times. I think I can say I finally learned it. I will of course benefit from little reminders along the way."

    The woman smiles warmly at Uta, then shifts her glance back down to the scene below them. A waking village, just starting to get to the wonder of its new day. Everything tends to look small from above, they say. And yet..

    "It all seems so wonderfully intertwined, doesn't it?" she says gently. She's not evading Uta's question. The one response she does have to that query is a growing smile. "From up here, I can see the importance and beauty of every act. You see, when you get too close to something you risk losing focus. A step back provides further perspective."

    "Sometimes that perspective needs to be gained from another person. In my case, Haru. I believe I mentioned before that I love you, Uta. That, I am happy to say, will not change. At first, I was confused and almost hurt. I struggled. In that moment of pain, though, something wonderful happened to me. Love freed me at last. I stopped fighting it. I realized that because of how I feel about you, I must go to Haru to learn more."

    "I want to improve your life, not make it more difficult or painful. I realized then that love has no room for demanding a certain path. Love is not about always knowing what is right. That's.. that's arrogance. The hurt I felt went away. I met Haru, and he told me what happened. He also forgave me for something I did wrong. And.. here I am. Back with you, Uta."

    Now and forever, as she has said.

"Perspective," Uta confirms, with a nod. She is trying to be nonchalant about it, but it doesn't take Wake's ridiculous levels of social finesse to notice the corners of the Spriggan's mouth instinctively tensing into a hint of a smile. Right now, like most of the time, she doesn't seem to be -actively- working her Etiquette skill into hiding her feelings.

"You wanted to know about me, but the first rule of Uta Club is, 'wait, there's a Uta Club?' Rule #2 is, of course, 'Wait, there is a Uta Club?!'" She inhales deeply. "The answer to both of those questions is, 'No, there is no Uta Club." A slight cock of her head, while she looks up and away. "Or, well... there is an entity Uta is part of, if one wants to get technical, but it's not called that." She returns to give Wake a level gaze. "Haru and I. Brother and Sister." She leans forward. "I know you have questions. But we're inextricable. Exposure to Haru is a prerequisite for this course. I hope you'll soon understand this additional reason why it was necessary for you to speak with him." Uta tilts her head downwards. "My story is not my story, it' spart of our story. And I think it was best told by that part of us. Perspective." Uta looks up, and glances at Wake. "He's uniquely positioned to give a more objective account of my predicament, without the inevitable bias I'd add. Serve you those tasty morsels. Meanwhile..." her head sinks in her shoulders, slightly, and returns to look down. "...getting the story from me would have been like serving soup in a broken bowl."

Perhaps afraid to linger on such thought, out of modesty or perhaps embarrassment, she turns her gaze to the village. "They look like ants from up here." Silence. "Oh, wait. They -are- ants," she squints, unnecessarily shielding her eyes from the weak rising sun; but one -has- to put a hand over their eyes when looking afar, right? It's a necessity! "Giant Dire Ant. Someone seems to be Monster Handling them."

Uta keeps looking for a few moments, but then, slowly, she turns towards Wake, and asks The Question. "You've been mentioning this the last time. Love... how? What kind of relationship are you thinking of? Can you... put that into words?"

    So, without a doubt, the preamble to the one question that Elly can speak to with expertise is... somewhat less than clear. Roughly as transparent as depleted uranium, honestly. But what is clear is that Uta is almost smiling. Which is a good thing.

    As for the text of what she shares, it is relatively hard to penetrate. Elly draws on her experience and opts to do the wisest thing she can think of. File much of it away for later conversation. She wasn't a therapist, exactly, but she sure knows how to be one, when needed.

    "Ants can lift many times their own body weight. It's extremely helpful in moving loads for us. Some of the terrain is very hard to traverse for grunties or wheeled carts. Pekos aren't great for bearing heavy loads. So it is a good fit."

    With that rather mundane bit handled, Elly feels Uta return to the general conversation at hand. One about relationships and each other. Uta asks a very important question. Elly doesn't flinch. What is there to do but tell the truth as effectively as possible?

    "I love you like a mother loves her child." She laughs softly as she adds, "I do not ask nor expect any return of such affection in kind. I plan to be mindful of what you need and want. Importantly, I will balance those things before I act. You are not a child, obviously. I will not treat you as one, Uta. But grown-up children have parents and those parents can still love them dearly and provide guidance, when needed and desired."

    Elly is careful to meet Uta's gaze as she explains this. It's not a long stare, though. Everything is carefully measured, not by some machine-based etiquette engine, but by Elly simply knowing how to speak with someone. She looks away from time to time, then returns her full attention to Uta again.

    "What do you think and feel about this?"

"Ecosystem."

That is the first thing Uta replies to Elly. Distracted, distant, faint. "Not perfect, but still a better word than 'entity'. I meant 'entity' as in 'government entity'. As in 'Group.' Hm. 'Group.'" She considers the word. Rolls it in her mouth, "Grooooouuupp....", then makes a bit of a face. She doesn't seem to quite like the taste. "Set?"

Uta is like that. She's lagging a few sentences behind; her mind meandering, cycling through branches of the discussions. With her, time is like a river on a highway cloverleaf interchange. And the river has a flat tire.

Her tributary of consciousness eventually merges back into the main stream, and when she does catch up with the end of the discussion, belatedly, one can see a range of subtle expressions shifting through her face. Vague, fleeting, evanescent.

She's chewing on the words. Understanding. Internalizing. Until the process seems to hit a snag.

"What about Haru?", she asks. "We're brother and sister. We come as a set. Not sold separately."

Once again, the stream-of-consciousness way Uta rattles out the last part implies no sarcasm or rebuff. It's just how she rolls: occasionally somewhat out of control; and after Haru's explanation and in light of recent events, this should be pretty obvious to Elly.

    "Well, that does make it a bit easier to understand. A pair, then."

    Elly is looking out again over Eas. There is an ant pair being used in tandem to carry a heavy stone away from someone's back yard to be used to anchor the beginnings of another level of a rice terrace.

    "I'd like it to be both of you, honestly. I have to be a little more gentle and cautious this time around, though. But as for my feeling about Haru? It's the same. I'm not sure what he would think about it, but the nice thing about caring deeply for someone is that you can do it without hurting them if you know what you're doing."

    She kicks her feet idly, leaning forward to study the distant castle. It doesn't last long, though. Her attention returns to Uta.

    "So, knowing that... what do you think?"

Uta takes more time to think. Think and feel. Let the guts, or, who knows, perhaps the heart, if one wants to be cliche, get into a debate of unknown heatedness.

"If I were to ask myself the same question I've asked you: 'What kind of relationship are you thinking of? Can you put it into words?', my answer would be a distinct 'no.' No as in, I can't put it into words." Uta would begin to intertwine her hands, but she didn't take into account that Elly is still holding hands, so she ends up in a curiously awkward hand sandwich with interwined fingers. "I treasure your Love," she begins, looking straight at Wake, with earnest affection. "It's overwhelming and great, and I'm sure you're overflowing with the stuff. I'm not sure I can understand what's going on there, inside you. But-"

...Aaand there comes the 'but'.

"...but I'm... I mean, I don't really feel like a daughter? If that makes sense?"

There's silence. Uta cocks her head. The gears are spinning in there. On neutral. On grease. Next move, next thought, next feeling, next batch of words...

"...but that said..."

She bites her lower lip.

"...as said, I have no idea of how to word it. When you want to date someone, you ask them out. When you want a job, you undergo an interview. You also undergo something like that for adopting orphans, I suppose -- except that I'm not an orphan at the moment. I have like..." She looks up and away and counts on her fingers, silently. One... two... three...

"...Four people who've already claimed parenthood over me. I'm overadopted already."

She looks at Wake, partially sad, and partially hurt -- but not because of what Wake told her; it's because of what she had to tell Elly. "However..."

Wait, there's a second "But?" The plot twists don't stop coming!

"However, despite this, I'm..." Silence. "I'm willing to give it a try, if you want."

The wringing finishes, and the hand sandwich is sorted out. Uta's free hand gently on top of the Baroness', and the Spriggan's golden amber eyes fix into Elly's "I am going to let yo buy me a drink. Give you an unsolicited interview." Uta hints at a smile, then raises her hand vertically, in a hint of a blocking motion. "I can't promise I'll become like your daughter, in the end. In fact, I can already say I probably won't. But..."

Head tilted, lowered, hesitant, "But maybe... perhaps... we can develop a sort of undefinable, sui generis, possibly dysfunctional relationship involving mutual care and possibly annoyance?" She nudges her head slightly towards Elly, lowering it in an even more subdue stance. "What do you think and feel about this?"

    "What will be, will be."

    Elly has listened to all of this quietly, but without a sign of pain or sadness. At least, not until Uta appears to look sad and hurt. Then she leans in to gently bump foreheads.

    "None of that worry or sadness for me, dear. I don't expect it in return. You aren't a child, anyway. You might benefit from my help though. There are things we can talk about. Honestly, whatever you like is fine. I will probably ask annoying questions. And I will always make sure you have good food, a warm bed, and safe place to stay and work. If you want it. If you have your own, well, I will take comfort in that and feel joy whenever you succeed."

    She diverts her attention for a moment. Looking to the horizon. The mists have burned off, save in a few little spaces here and there, where light will only reach closer to noon. The sun drives the mist back so quickly in Eas. On many days, it burns off like a slow moving wave.

    "I don't want you to feel pressure. That's not why I am telling you this. I want you to know that you have a safe place. You always have a patient ear, as well. Whenever you want them. So honestly, there's nothing you have to try, really. I just hope you understand that you are loved."

    She laughs softly, her eyes turned down for a moment, to look at their hands. "No matter what, I'm in your corner, Uta. And I'll be there for Haru, too. In whatever ways the two of you wish me to be."

Uta, once again, goes silent. She isn't the type who is much into physical contact, so the fact that she undergoes the headbump without pulling away or protesting is... a lot.

"Thanks." It's quiet. It's sincere. "Your affection, and your readiness to include Haru, means a lot to me. I will always be happy to stop here whenever I'm around. And..." She trails off, defocusing. She's looking towards the castle, and somehow, she seems unable to come to terms that she might have such an important part in something so large, so imponent.

"I am a bit of a corner case," she smiles, playfully, once she regains focus all of a sudden, mostly by abandoning the previous line of thought. "and to be honest...", she begins, hesitant, looking away. "...I...I won't 'be trying' entierely out of attempting to please you." There's a hint of embarrassment there. "I think it's important to be honest here." She scratches her head. "If I'm supposed to focus on living my new life here, well, there's a problem..." She gestures in the air. "Who is the new me? It's... a question I've been asking myself. Hear me out:"

"Let's take Theseus's Ship. Except that it doesn't get replaced. One day, the crew just can't find it. Is it gone? Destroyed? Impounded? Nobody knows. Where the ship was docked, there's land and an inn that wasn't there before. And turns out they're the owners. So, like, a good chunk of the crew decide to open an inn, called 'Theseus's Inn.' Not all of the crew stays though -- some simply leave; new staff with appropriate skills, conversely, joins the enterprise."

She clasps her hands. "Question: are "Theseus's Inn" and "Theseus's Ship" the same thing?"

    Uta's way of thinking is unique and profound. It's something Elly has learned to appreciate more over time. There is something that tickles her fancy, too. She's essentially going to be an empty nest mom at best. Inwardly, she hopes she doesn't end up chimming Uta and Haru all the time to just see how they are.

    "Well, honestly, Uta. Haru is already there. He's special. You know, he did make the wedding rings for Tae and I. We've been close for some time. I wonder what he will make of it all, though. I'd rather be delicate and careful there, honestly. He has a lot on his mind. He doesn't need me making it harder for him. Besides, I... kinda messed things up with him before. I was very pushy when I was trying to help him. It ended poorly. That's only freshly forgiven. So while I can love him the same way, I need to be more delicate, more patient, and earn his trust all over again."

    She smiles when Uta says she isn't entirely acting out of a desire to please her. She also waits patiently to hear the entire matter of Theseus's ship. "Well, that's good. You don't need to do things to please me. And you are right, of course. There is much to adjust to in this world. Whatever our hopes are in the future, we stand here now. Or, in our case, sit here now."

    She lets the scenario play out in her mind. She takes her time. Then takes some more. The reason for that is actually not because she struggles to answer. The ansewr comes so easily she's suspicious of it.

    "To me, they are not the same. I believe that every day that dawns is full of potential and with that day, we are renewed. Just like Theseus's Inn, we may have many of the same features. Some of the crew remained. Perhaps the inn was made of the very timbers of the ship. But ultimately, it is and we are, different each day. And you can of course extrapolate that to say we are never the same, we are always changing, always new, always different. And that's a valid point. However, it is also diving so deep. And so, I ask you in return.."

    She pauses, then, waiting for a moment as she studies Uta's expression. Elly wants to know, as much as she can, how Uta reacts to these things she says. To read without having to force constant explanations from Uta.

    "Why do you ask that question? What do you truly wish to know?"

This time there is no hesitation from Uta. No need to think. As if she had already prepared for this. Likely, she thought out this line of reasoning in full, and she's taken Wake's question as an invitation to proceed.

"Our past experiences, successes, failures, shape who we are," she begins. "I was deep into European Renaissance literature back in my old life. There's no such thing in this world. My collection of books, which was all my world? Not one exists in this reality. And yet, we have slimes. And Lore. And the Alv Language."

She lets some time pass, possibly to give Wake some time to process that, possibly to collect her ideas herself. Or possibly for dramatic effect. She is a Bard, after all. "What I am trying to say is, some of the seeds of what we later become are planted in our childhood; during our teenage years we often engage in all sorts of random activities: joining school clubs, forming a band, perhaps playing sports or maybe being all about exploring the neighbourhood; parties if you're social, or maybe, like in my case, piling up books on interesting subjects. Through a combination of how our families shape us, what our friends are like, our adventurousness, inclinations, and the circumstances of our upbringing, more seeds are planted, more growth is directed. A good chunk of the crop fails, but what remains, usually lasts."

"The first time around, I obsessed over reading stories. That led me to pursue a degree in literature. Then the Flash of Death came. And Pluto's Kiss." There's still a shiver down her spine as she says this, as visible in her wings. "...That did not pan out, and I ended up waiting tables until the Apocalypse. But here? I'm a healer who's been offered a Path to becoming a Moonlight Doctor. I'm back in business- or, uh, academia?" She looks up and away, and taps her lips, thoughtful, then shakes her head. "I'm back onto my path to earning a degree. Albeit in Medicine this time around."

After all the circling around, Uta begins to close in on the main point. "How much else is similar, yet different? I refrained from doing so many things because I was so obsessed with only sticking to what is 'real', that, without actually -knowing- what is 'real', I fell victim to inaction. It's time to go through that teenage phase again. Try things. Even things I've already tried in my past life. See if based on my new skills, this time they stick around. For instance."

She reaches into her gi/uniform, and extracts an envelope, addressed "To Elly."

If the Baroness were to open it, it would be written in Uta's handwriting, so neat it looks printed: it's an official invitation to resume the formal dance lessons, with time and date and all, in the same ballroom in Eas, at roughly the same time of day. Interestingly, the date marks it as having been written the day immediately after the ill-fated lesson, likely as soon as Uta was properly rested, and the use of a special official seal, which is created and destroyed daily, serves as official proof that the date is accurate. "There was some sort of interruption last time. I don't exactly remember what happened," Uta begins, but the tone of her voice makes it clear that this particular 'I don't remember' is the nudge-nudge-wink-wink type. "And I still haven't figured out whether, in this life, I like formal dance or not." She lowers her voice, and more gentle, asks, "Would you like to help me find out?"

    Elly listens quietly as Uta goes through her explanation. There's a lot to think about, but she doesn't try to do that. She understands, first. And confirms.

    "It's a question of genetics and experience, basically? And you want to try things here, to explore to see how you feel about experiences now. Is that right?"

    She waits for that confirmation. When it comes, she will turn her focus to the envelope.. She says playfully, "I do love getting letters."

    She opens it with care. There's an excitement in reading something from Uta. The mention of dancing has Elly smiling more warmly. She opens her mouth as if to respond, but says, "One moment please. I must write a formal response to this inquiry."

    She will pull a pen and paper out of her inventory, as well as a simple board to support the paper in her lap.

    Dear Uta,

    Your request to enroll in the Bosche Academy of Dance has been reviewed. Your credentials and performance during the evaluation make you an excellent candidate. We are delighted to accept your application and look forward to meeting you in the ballroom.


    May Your Heart and Feet Always Be Light

    -Ellette Hannah Bosche

    She folds the paper after it is dried, then slips it into an envelope. A candle is taken out next. Eventually, she has a suitable glob of red wax on the envelope. She presses a signet into it, marking it with a bouquet of roses held together with links of chain. This being done, she offers it to Uta.

    "I bear a message for you, Lady Uta!"

"That's the general idea, yes." As Wake begins to work on her reply, Uta, after overcoming the initial amusement, takes the interval of silence to elaborate. "I'm trying to make snese of what's happening to us. This whole new reality... one has to somehow frame it. Make it manageable. Especially when one's grasp on reality is as slippery as it is for me."

She holds her hands in front of her, parallel, as if she was holding an invisible box. "Reincarnation. I think that it is not unreasonable to think of this as reincarnation. Not necessarily in a literal, metaphysical sense. But in a practical, functional sense. This experience is functionally equivalent to a reincarnation, so I will start treating it as such." She looks up from the middle of the invisible box, at Wake, and adds, "And some takes on reincarnation say that only part of you migrates to a new body. A bit like only part of your genes show up in your children. The rest is new. So..." she leans back, finally with amusement, the discussion, at this point, having become more light-hearted and carefree, not as heavy, "...so, I guess, it's time to figure out what my next self is like."

Uta watches enthralled as the wax is melted; and when Elly refers Uta as 'Lady', there is a moment of confused hesitation: it starts as amusement, but then it must dawn on Uta that Elly, as a noble, -might- be able to bestow actual noble titles; so... is she kidding or not?

In the end, common sense triumphs, and she releases the brief moment of tension with a liberatory laugh and a shake of her head; she accepts and opens the offered envelope with the care and poise that befits the status of the sender. "Why, thank you, Lady Bombast!"

There is amusement in the whole ritual, but no mockery. The humour comes from the whole thing played so straight a passing noble unfamiliar with the status of and relationship between the two women might find no fault in their actions.

Uta's amusement only grows with each line she reads. It's a moment of intimate tenderness, which turn to surprise as she reads the last line. She looks up at the Baroness. Down at the signature. Up at the Baroness. "That's not-" she stutters. "It doesn't say-" Pause. ".../Wake/," she points out.

    "Reincarnation. It is a good word for it. Whatever framework helps you approach this change we have been going through over the past two and a half years is a good and healthy choice. I believe you've made a really good approach to this for yourself, Uta. I am so happy that I am part of it. I will think about things that might be tried here and what materials would be handy to support them. That way, if you like, you can try all sorts of things, whenever you've an interest."

    It's a castle and a village, there's justification for darn near any resource, when you consider it. Including, oddly, giant ants. Elly remembers signing off on that at some point, but it's still a bit of a shock to see how useful monsters can be.

    "Oh? Well, yes, it does not say Wake. Wake is... not me. I mean, yes that's the name I put in for the game. But my real name is Ellette, middle name is Hannah, and well, you got the rest. Hmm."

    She looks off for a time, thinking to herself. Why does this matter so much to her? Well, there is a good reason.

    "I picked that first name for myself. The rest draws on both sides of my family. The mothers of both my grandfathers each have a part of it. I want to remember them. And if I achieve anything worthwhile, I'd like their names to live on."

    She rises from the bench then, turning to Uta. She offers her hand again. At some point the grip slipped. By now, the day is already starting to get pleasantly warm and it's working its way towards hot.

    "I imagine you are super busy. But... maybe before you go work on whatever it is you are going to do today, you can share a meal? I haven't told Tae anything, so no harm if you don't. But, you know, please do remember to eat."