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Castorice sits in a field of flowers and breathes.
This… is her home now.
She knows that she cannot sit here forever. She has duties to attend to that stop for nothing– not even death itself. She needs to prepare to welcome the souls of the dead, needs to offer assistance to the Flame-Chase where she can, needs to tend to the field that Thanatos– no, Polyxia– so carefully cultivated.
She needs to do all of these things, but right now, she can’t.
The Trailblazer is gone. The hug they shared had provided exceptional warmth, but that warmth hadn’t lingered much longer past her trip to the Land of the Dead. Even now, she hugs herself tightly, desperate to hold on to it for just a little while longer.
She tells herself that she just needs a moment to collect herself… and breathes.
“Little Cas! Found you!”
Castorice doesn’t have time to react before a small yet very excited body flies into her.
She instinctively grabs on to the childlike figure in her arms. A second later, she registers just who she has encountered in this realm, and she panics.
She instantly lets go, icy terror spreading through her veins.
“Lady Trianne, what are you–?”
Castorice stops. She stares in bewilderment at the sight below her.
Trianne does not dissolve in her arms. Instead, she smiles playfully and snuggles deeper into Castorice’s side.
“Trianne was looking for you!” she giggles gleefully. “And we found you!”
The realization comes suddenly.
Trianne has no reason to fear her touch anymore. Trianne… has already found her place of rest.
“Yes,” Castorice says faintly. “You certainly did.”
She tries to relax into the embrace. She is not well-practiced in the art of hugging, so she’s surprised at how naturally it comes to her to wrap her arms around Trianne. A shudder runs through her as she lets the feeling sink in.
Trianne is so, so warm.
It’s no surprise, really. Trianne has always been a bundle of energy– it’s somehow even better than she had ever imagined to finally get to confirm it for herself, though.
“We’re glad we found you again,” Trianne says, her eyes shining. “Trianne hates being alone.”
Castorice stifles a choked laugh. “Yes… I know,” she murmurs. She remembers how reluctant she had been to leave behind Trianne’s doll for that very reason.
Who knew that they would be reunited so soon, after all?
She startles as she suddenly remembers the gift she had left behind in Okhema.
“Oh… I had something for you. I wish I had thought to bring it with me,” she says regretfully. “Your gift for me was so lovely.”
“Getting to hug Cas is the best gift of all!” Trianne declares, and she squeezes Castorice even tighter. Castorice chokes slightly, taken aback by the strength in those small arms.
“And besides,” Trianne continues. “Trianne felt Tribbie’s gratitude to you. So we know it was a good gift.”
That’s right… Connected, even in death.
“Still…” Castorice frets. “I would’ve liked for you to see it.”
She pauses as Trianne suddenly looks up at her, fixing her in place under a fierce glare.
“Don’t worry about that!” she orders. “Just hug Trianne!”
Castorice’s eyes go wide. Of course, Lady Trianne is right. Hadn’t she just been wishing for just another moment of warmth? And now, as much as she would’ve liked for Trianne to be safe on the other side of the veil, she has to admit…
She doesn’t mind the idea of this warmth staying by her side forever.
“You are truly wise, Lady Trianne.”
In this moment, she lets her worries temporarily fall away, and she carefully gathers Trianne in her arms.
“We knew it,” Trianne hums happily, settling herself comfortably into the embrace. She doesn’t seem to have any intention of moving any time soon. “Cas is so kind, we always knew that she would give the warmest hugs. And we were right!”
Castorice winces on instinct. The last time she heard such a sentiment, she lost someone very near to her heart. To this day, she struggles to believe that anything about her could truly be warm, not when she has been the cause of so much pain and suffering.
“Do you… do you truly mean it?” she asks shakily.
Trianne’s expression softens just slightly, though her smile doesn’t falter. Castorice admires her more than ever– even in the Land of the Dead, she remains as brave as she has always been.
“Of course,” she answers easily. “Trianne never lies!”
Castorice lets out a watery laugh. She really ought to stop doubting Trianne, shouldn’t she?
“I know,” she murmurs. “Of course you don’t.”
Trianne grins proudly, and Castorice is all the more grateful for her presence.
She really is incredibly warm. It’s almost unbelievable that such a small body could produce this much heat, and yet the truth of it is undeniable. It’s almost as if… the warmth between them is shared.
As if there is not just one person producing warmth, but two.
Maybe… maybe Castorice really does have warm hands, after all.
She wonders, distantly, if her old friend might make her way to this field of flowers in the days ahead. She wouldn’t mind sharing their warmth for a little longer next time.
But there’s no need to worry about the future. For now, Castorice focuses on this moment, this embrace. She can’t deny that as the warmth of the Trailblazer had faded from memory, this is exactly what she had needed.
She has spent a millennium yearning for, needing this, but never getting it. She had no reason to believe it would turn out any different this time.
And yet…
“Thank you, Lady Trianne,” she whispers. “This is… yet another gift that I cannot repay.”
“The only way to repay hugs is with more hugs, silly!” Trianne giggles. “So you will just have to hug Trianne lots from now on!”
At that, Castorice can’t help but smile. “I think… I think that can be arranged.”
She holds Trianne ever closer and hopes that it stays just the two of them for a very long time.