Fin.

[shelley_winters]

[OOM: A Wind Dies.]

Out in the woods, a thin line of light brightens and widens into a shining portal from another age (called the Second Age by some) to reveal five women - the soft light of saidar brightening into existence around two of them as they step through

Comments

[mctrillian]

The Caned One, who happens to be Trillian, still has the coat on that she left with, though she couldn't tell you when that was.

Nor would she, if she did know.

She, surprisingly if you don't know her, and somehow expectedly if you do, is actually smiling.

Trillian's like tupperware.

[onehoopyprefect]

Ford really couldn't tell you why he was outside tonight. Maybe he just needed some air, maybe he needed some distance from the noise in the bar.

And maybe he's walked this path every night since she left hoping for a miracle.

This time, he gets one.

"Trill?" he asks the universe when he sees that familiar coat trudging up. He starts to run to her, but his legs rebel after about three steps, and he just drops to his knees, staring at her.

[mctrillian]

"Yes?" she asks utterly cluelessly, having either no idea how serious their vanishing was, or how long they've been gone, or how weird she must look with a cane and possibly only one glove.

[onehoopyprefect]

Possibly all of the above, even.

It takes just about all the man has to force himself to his feet and keep putting one in front of the other until he's closed the distance between them.

"Holy Belgium, it's really you! Trillian, what-- Where-- Are you--"

And then the questions don't matter because he's hugging her tightly, breathing in her scent and oh Bob she's real she's real and it's not a dream.

"I spilled your cocoa." he says stupidly into her hair.

[nita_callahan]

Well, for a given value of walk.

Nita is just concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other and not dropping Random.

[wizard_kit]

Until they're met with Kit.

(He is blue-lit, for some reason.)

"Neets! -- Lyrae? D'you two need help?"

He'll wait on hugging her, and saying about how worried he was, because she's got someone with her who looks Hurt.

[nita_callahan]

She looks up, and the expression that passes over her face . . .

It's indescribable.

But that doesn't mean Kit hasn't seen it before. He's seen something like it on Nita's face when they banished It from Darryl. It's tired, and a little startled, and above all, it's relieved.

She thought, for a minute there, she'd never see him again.

But for now, all she does is nod and jerk her head towards Random's other side. "Give me a hand?"

[shelley_winters]

Shelley Winters walks silently, arms wrapped around herself. She looks at nobody else in the group, just tries not to trip and fall on the skirts of her long black dress. One thing at a time, after all.

[faithful_slayer]

Faith is outside, meditating in the cold night air.

The feeling of people approaching makes her open her eyes, and she goes white as she sees them approaching.

All alive. Not all unharmed.

She swallows and stands, slowly, looking back and forth between them, noting the changes.

Shelley has the tattoo she remembers from her dream.

How very interesting.

"Shel," she says, quietly. "Need some help with those skirts?"

[shelley_winters]

Shelley inhales sharply, looking down at them after meeting Faith's eyes just a moment.

"Maybe. I- should get them out of the way. I'll get changed in a minute."

Her clothes, not ones he put her in.

"...Hi."

[faithful_slayer]

"Hi."

Faith swallows.

"Are you safe to hug?"

[agirllost]

Kim takes a breath.

Back. They're back. Out of Ishamael's world and back near the bar and Angie and...

She can still smell burning flesh and her back's sore, but she won't stop moving, not for a moment, have to reach Angie.

It's awkward now. She's somehow the leader in a way, the rest of them slower, and Shelley...she's almost afraid that she'll try to get back. No, the portal's closed. They're back. They're here. They...

She stops suddenly when she sees the door to the bar.

[angela_edmunds]

Angela is sitting by the lake, with her arms around herself, not really looking at anything.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always

What she's seeing is not the lake or the forest
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
it's fire and flies and blood.
I was much too far out all my life
What she's thinking is about her mother, and her friends, and how she should have done things differently.

She knows she won't be able to stand when he sends for her again. There's no way she can be that terrified again, and have any sort of normal life.
And not

waving

but

drowning.

When her Mother and Nita and everyone come back so suddenly, she just stares.

"M-mommy?"

[agirllost]

She stares for a moment in return, half afraid that she'll vanish.

"Angie?"

[angela_edmunds]

And Angela's running over to her, as if she were a child again and had hurt herself, running to her mother for comfort. She hadn't thought there'd be any tears left, but she's crying now.

"Mommy, oh, god I thought you were..." She hugs her mother carefully, as if half-afraid of her own strength.

[action_antihero]

The noise in the bar is aggravating Jack's headache and so he slips outside, walking toward the lake.

At least, until the light catches his eye.

For a moment he freezes, and then he takes off running toward it, his mind keeping up an endless litay of prayer with each step. PleaseGodletthembeokaypleaseGodpleaseGod--

As he gets closer he calls their names, half-afraid that they're going to disappear again, dissolve into a dream.

[agirllost]

Kim senses him before she hears her name, before she sees him. Her muscles tense and it takes all her willpower not to run in the other direction.

'If he knew what I did, what I let happen, what Nita gave up, what I let happen to Angie, the people I've hurt...'

[action_antihero]

Spotting Kim--looking whole at least--he make s beeline for her, wrapping his arms around her tightly one he reaches her. He's practically shaking with relief as he clings to her. Losing Kim is the one thing he knows he couldn't survive.

"Sweetheart I was so worried," he says, his voice rough, eyes stinging. He pulls back a little so he can look at her closely, cupping her head in his hands. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

[agirllost]

Her eyes fill with tears, but she's not sure if it's from the pressure he's putting on the wound or the fact that she knows she doesn't deserve his worry.

She doesn't quite hug him back.

"I'm okay." Looking at him, she knows he would have never given in, would have somehow been able to stop Nita, wouldn't have made a deal. 'I just don't know who I am anymore.'