Waking up in the meadow after talking to the Head Housemaiden for the first time.

(You're back.)

Mirabelle --frin!

Mirabelle enters the scene from the north, stopping just above Siffrin.

Mirabelle Siffrin!

Mirabelle ...Siffrin?

Mirabelle (happy2) Good morning!

Mirabelle (awkward1) Well, more like, good afternoon, I guess...

Mirabelle (happy1) Were you taking a nap? That's just like... ...

Mirabelle (anxious3) Siffrin, what's wrong?

(You can't breathe.)

(You won, didn't you? Why are you back? WHY ARE YOU BACK?!)

Mirabelle (sad1) Siffrin, answer me, what's wrong?

(Your hands are shaking)

(Your stomach is killing you)

(The whole Universe is closing in on you)

(You're back to the start)

(You're back here)

(You're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here you're back here your journey was over and you're  back  here)

(Your journey was over, wasn't it!!!! You won, didn't you!!! You all survived, right!!!! And yet!!!! AND YET, YOU'RE--!!!!!!)

(YOU TRY BREATHING IN BUT YOU CAN'T BREATHE- YOU CAN'T BREATHE--)

Mirabelle (yell1) SIFFRIN!!!

Siffrin (what2) (AH!)

Siffrin (what2) Mira...

Mirabelle (anxious3) Oh, Siffrin, finally you answered! What's wrong, what happened?

Mirabelle (sad1) You weren't answering me...

Mirabelle (sad1) And you're so pale...!

(Slowly,  gently,  she touches your cheek.)

(You still flinch.)

Mirabelle (uwah!1) Ah, s-sorry!!!

Mirabelle (sad1) I'm sorry... ...

Mirabelle (wonder1) Did you...  have a nightmare?

Siffrin (hide4) (...) ...

Siffrin (hide5) Yes, that's exactly it.

Mirabelle (sad1) Oh no... It must've been a horrible nightmare...

Mirabelle (gentle1) But you're awake now.

Mirabelle (wonder1) ...Do you want to talk about it?

Siffrin (hide6) I...

Siffrin (hide3) ...

Siffrin (hide3) I... I was crying...

Mirabelle (anxious3) Crying...? Why?

Siffrin (hide3) ...because...

Siffrin (hide3)

Siffrin (fake1) ...I was making onion quiche.

Mirabelle (wonder1) ...

Mirabelle (awkward2) ...Um, why would making onion quiche make you--

Siffrin (fake4) I was cutting a lot of onions!

Mirabelle (uwah!1) SIFFRIN!!!

Mirabelle (angry1) SIFFRIN, YOU CRAB!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS WORRIED!!!

(You laugh in a very convincing way.)

Mirabelle (hmf1) Hmf! I'm glad at least your nightmare wasn't that bad, but... Hmf!

Mirabelle (hmf1) Hmf!

Mirabelle (awkward2) ...Okay, well...

Mirabelle (stressed1) I'll be waiting in the village, alright? Come talk to me later!!!

(With Mirabelle gone, your smile drops.)

(You're  back.)

(Why are you back...? You beat the King, didn't you? Did something go wrong?)

(It was the end of your journey, and yet you...)

(The Head Housemaiden... She said something about the world being rotten?)

(. . .)

(You should go see Loop.)

(They're the only one you can talk to... They might... know what's going on...)

Mirabelle (anxious3) Siffrin... You're up...

Mirabelle (anxious1) I'm, uh, I'm sorry I woke you up earlier. I know you joked about it, but are you feeling better now? I'm worried...

(...?)

Siffrin (fake1) (Well, this is new...) "Yes, don't worry about me!"

Mirabelle (awkward1b) Ah... Okay, but...

Siffrin (fake1) (You really have to talk to Loop right now...) "I have things to do, I'll talk to you later!"

Mirabelle (stressed1) Huh?! Um, Siffrin, please wait!!!

(What now.)

Mirabelle (anxious2) ...Well, I know you're busy, but...

("But help me tell everyone about the sleepover"?)

Mirabelle (worried1) ...Can you come talk to me later? So we can talk? I'll wait in front of the library...

Mirabelle (stressed1) ...Please.

(Oh.)

Siffrin (n-nya2) (...) "Okay...?"

Mirabelle (stressed1) Okay! Go do your thing, and then come back, okay? I'll be waiting!

(You nod again.)

(Habit takes over, and you tell her about the CARROT method.)

Mirabelle (stressed1) W-Wait, how did you know about--

(...And wink.)

Mirabelle (worried1) O-Okay...

(Mirabelle learned the Craft Skill "Adorable Moving Shield" again.)

(...)

(You can't...)

(You can't talk to anyone right now.)

(You have to see... You have to ask Loop... What they think...)

(...)

(You ran here to talk to Loop, to try to figure out what to do, but...)

(You can't look at them right now.)

(You can't.)

Loop (serious2) ...

Loop (lol4) So?

Siffrin (hide4) (...) "...I beat the King."

Loop (lol5) You did?!? Oh, stars above, I'm so proud of you!!! You did it!!! You succeeded!!! You--

Siffrin (angry1) "And yet I'm still here."

Loop (well2) ...Yes.

Loop (happy1) Indeed you are.

(...They don't seem surprised.)

(They don't seem surprised at all, do they?)

Siffrin (angry3) "Did you know this would happen?"

Loop (hm1) ...

Loop (happy1) I had a feeling, yes.

(...)

Loop (well2) But it felt cruel to tell you, so I didn't.

Loop (well2) You looked so...

Loop (teehee5) So happy and innocent and stupid!!! I just didn't have the heart to tell you!!!

Loop (sad1) ...I just didn't have the heart to tell you.

Loop (serious2) I knew from the start that the loops wouldn't end after defeating the King.

Siffrin (angry1) "Why not...?"

Loop (happy1) I don't know why it didn't end with beating the King.

Loop (happy1) I just knew it wouldn't.

Siffrin (hide4) (...) "I..."

Siffrin (hide4) "I never thought about the reason why I got this power."

Siffrin (hide4) "I just thought... It was to beat the King."

Siffrin (hide4) "That the Change God, someone, anyone, gave me this power to beat him."

Siffrin (hide5) "But if beating him made me loop back anyway..."

Loop (serious2) ...

Siffrin (hide5) "I don't know what to do now."

Loop (serious2) ...

Loop (happy1) So will you give up, then?

Loop (happy1) You're stuck in this loop, stardust.

Loop (happy1) Beating the King brought you back here. You don't know why. You don't even know how you even got this power.

Loop (happy1) You don't know if there's even a way to escape.

Loop (well2) So... Because there's no clear way to escape...

Loop (serious2) Will you give up?

(Give up...?)

(...)

(No. You're fine, aren't you?)

(Right now, you're alive. Right now, you can think. Right now, your allies are still here. Right now, you're not alone.)

(There's no reason to give up now, just because you're trapped.)

(If you're trapped, find a door, and open it.)

(And, you still have some doors to open, don't you?)

Siffrin (angry2) "The Head Housemaiden seemed to know something was wrong, didn't she?"

Loop (hm1) Ah... I guess she did.

Loop (hm1) She said something about... Something being broken? Failing?

Siffrin (serious1) "Did she mean the loops?"

Loop (oh1) The loops, breaking?

Loop (well3) ...That's possible.

Loop (serious2) Maybe the loops WERE supposed to stop after beating the King, but something went wrong somehow.

(And that's something you can find out.)

(You just need to talk to her again. Find out what she knows.)

Siffrin (angry2) "And the King..."

Loop (oh1) The King?! What about him?

Siffrin (hide1) "Something about his powers..."

Siffrin (angry2) "He can freeze people's time. And I can rewind time."

Loop (hm1) ...Yes, that's...

Loop (hmmm1) Both powers ARE related to time, aren't they?

Loop (hm1) I don't think I've ever heard about anyone who could control time before...

Siffrin (angry2) "Isn't that something to find out more about?"

Loop (happy1) ...I suppose so?

Siffrin (hide1) "Maybe I just need to ask him."

Loop (oh my1) Ask the King?!?

Loop (ew1) Well, um, sure, I suppose that might work?

Loop (well2) Talking to the King himself... I do wonder what he'd have to say.

Loop (happy1) It's worth trying!

Loop (sad1) ...And, stardust...

Loop (happy2) I know you're not interested in talking to your party about the loops. If so...

Loop (lol1) You'll have to make sure to act so they don't find out anything is wrong.

Loop (lol5) And you already failed this loop by making your Housemaiden worried about you, teehee!

(Ah...)

(It's true. With the way you woke up, she's probably worried about you, even now...)

Loop (expressionnumber) She said she wanted to talk to you, didn't she? You should talk to her this loop, see what that's all about.

Loop (happy2) Add this to your brain list of things to do.

(There's quite a few things on it already.)

(Find out more about the King and his powers, to see if they're related to yours.)

(Talk to the Head Housemaiden, to see if she knows more about the loops.)

(Talk to Mirabelle this loop, see what's wrong. Might as well talk to everyone else after, too.)

(But see?)

(As long as you have paths you can follow... Questions to answer...Goals to strive for...)

(You'll be fine.)

(You're fine.)

Loop (serious2) ...

(...)

(But...)

(Why is Loop helping you?)

(They appeared after you looped for the first time... And said they were here to help.)

(And they knew about the loops. Knew this whole time beating the King wouldn't help.)

(And they picked that name, didn't they? "Loop"?)

(Aren't they... Related to the loops, too?)

Siffrin (serious1) "Loop..."

Loop (teehee1) Hm~?

Siffrin (hide1)

• "Are you really here to help me?"

  Loop (sad2) Stardust...

  Loop (serious2) Yes.

  Loop (serious2) If you can believe anything, believe that.

  Loop (subdued1) I asked to be here, so I could help you.

  Siffrin (serious1) "Why?"

  Siffrin (angry2) "Aren't you stuck here too, just because you're helping me?"

  Loop (well2) ...

  Loop (fake1) I reiterate, stardust: I asked to be here.

  Loop (teehee1) Don't worry about me. Being here is surprisingly restful!

  Loop (teehee3) I'm here to help you any way I can, and I mean it!!!

  
  

  (...)

  (If they're offering their help...)

  (It'd be stupid not to take it, isn't it?)

• "Nothing."

  (You don't really need to know, do you?)

  (You don't want to start doubting them.)

  (Loop said they're here to help you. That's all you need to know.)

Siffrin (hide1) "To answer your question, though..."

Loop (happy1) Hm?

Siffrin (angry2) "No, Loop."

Siffrin (angry3) "It's too early to give up."

Loop (well2) ...I'm very glad to hear that, stardust.

Loop (teehee3) Please don't give up, stardust!!! If the loops started, they can end!!!

Loop (lol6) It's just basic logic. I can guarantee that you won't be stuck here forever.

Loop (lol5) It's a Loop Guarantee!!!

Loop (teehee3) And as always, you can count on me to help you!

Loop (teehee3) If you need a refresher, or help figuring out where to go, I'll be here!

Loop (lol5) I'm here to help, stardust!!!

(You smile.)

Siffrin (hide1)

• "...Thank you, Loop."

  Loop (lol4) GROSS!!!!!

  Loop (well2) It's my pleasure, stardust.

• (Ew, no.)

  Loop (teehee4) ...

  Loop (lol4) Teehee, well...

Loop (happy3) In the meantime...

Loop (teehee3) How can I help you on this wonderful new loop, stardust?