The End...

[strangerpeople]

THE END...

[When the Titled wake up next, it's to void darkness.

There is nearly nothing left after what has happened, save for the blackness. Save for themselves, the Dragonborn and Serana as they hold each other, the Thalmor prisoner (who is clearly in shock), the body of the dragon they had attacked in the distance, the tower in the even further distance...

and an old man, sitting on nothing, clapping wildly.]

Bravo! Bravo!! Encore!! That was just amazing.

[Confetti starts to fill the air. It catches fire mid-way to the..ground. Whatever counts as ground now.]

Nothing like a good old world-ending riot, I always say! You all deserve an award for ending the universe as I knew it. Have some bread!

[Bread that looks like Papyrus' pops into their hands. It smells like chicken and god only knows what it tastes like.]

Go on, have a bite!

[This was probably not what anyone was expecting when the world ended.]

Comments

[strangerpeople]

What? Was it something I said, dear?

[socialhacktivist]

I thought you were just some crazy old guy in my head but you're-- you brought us all here.

[She's known the person all this time... It hadn't really sunk in when she was drunk, but--]

...you never did tell me your name.

[strangerpeople]

Oh, I didn't bring you here. That was the Dragonborn. My Thu'um is too rusty to even sound out fus ro dah right!

Ah, but where are my manners.

I am Sheogorath. The Mad God!

[socialhacktivist]

Oh my god...

[That name... it's true... holy crap... if she'd just been paying attention... or just asked the right questions sooner, maybe-- well. She doesn't know. Still, it's frustrating to have it click now.]

But if you're a god... shouldn't you be able to fix this? Or-- I don't know. Isn't there something we can do? We survived somehow, there has to be SOMETHING... right?

[strangerpeople]

What? And lose of the power and glory of my station! No can do. I don't do selfless sacrifices like 'fix reality back to normal after the end of it', pffff!

[Waves hand dismissively.]

But...that said, I hate being bored. And the Void? Boring! So I'll help you out with some adivce, just this once.

[socialhacktivist]

Anything! I'll take it.

[It doesn't matter if they have to do it alone, she just--]

Just tell me what to do.

[strangerpeople]

See that tower over there? It's got itself a little unassailable spike of physical law inside, that needs some recharging. Send a thought of what you want to see over to it!

Preferably something fun.

[socialhacktivist]

What I want to see...

[Futaba thinks about it for a long moment. What she wants to see the most...

No. Maybe she should try something a little more... concrete... first.

She closes her eyes and thinks about her palace. The sprawling, hot sands leading to the steps up to a large pyramid. Cool inside with an elaborate stone structure and stylized Egyptian sarcophagus' and murals--


...is this really going to work?]

[strangerpeople]

[Somwhere in the south, a light appears. Though its too far away to truly see the details, Futaba can see it in her own mind's eye - the very thing she thought of.

It is real. It is there.]

[socialhacktivist]

We can... build the world again.

[The magic works. But how much can they do...? She turns to Sheogorath. The first thing she thought about--]

Is... is it only limited to landscapes?

[Because the first thing that came to mind were their dead comrades. Most of all... she wants to see Yusuke again. Find a way to go home together. It's crazy but... this is magic, so... she has to try.]

[strangerpeople]

Well, if it was, we'd be the only ones here! Ha!

...

If you have any ideas, I'm open to them. Please don't let me be alone with Mr. Personality.

[Pointing to Eric]

[socialhacktivist]

Right...

[Yeah no, she likes the people here but it would be a pretty empty world if it was just them.



AND SHE'S NOT REPOPULATING THE WORLD WITH ANY OF THE GUYS HERE SORRY.]

I want to bring back the other Titled.

[So she thinks really hard about all of them in as much detail as she can for all of the ones she was less familiar with. And she won't stop until she's sent thoughts of all of them to the Tower.]

[strangerpeople]

[For a moment, there is silence.

Then, there is a faint, female laugh, followed by murky, purple shadows, as they seem to convalesce into a portal.

The question is, what will come out of it?...]

[pursuitofbeauty]

He hears voices. Familiar ones. It makes him run forward into the shadows, past McBurn, his throat clenching with a feeling he can't name. He calls out before he even clears the violet fog, his voice echoing.

"Futaba!"

Yusuke bursts from the portal, eyes wide, hair rather disheveled, panting from exertion and emotion. Instantly his gaze darts from person to person, wondering if this is a dream or if he really is alive.

"Futaba...," he breathes. There's brightness in his eyes that might be tears. "Rubedo... everyone... you're all still here...."

[carries_war]

[That voice. The voice he never thought he'd hear again, after condemning him to death. He doesn't even think to correct Yusuke about his name. He just runs forward over the nothingness to lunge forward into a relieved hug. Futaba's idea worked...they're all going to make it out of this.]

[pursuitofbeauty]

"Rube-- oh!"

The redhead slams into him with what feels like the force of a small car. Yusuke reflexively hugs back, still wearing that quietly stunned expression. He doesn't even care that he's being squeezed like there's an anaconda trying to crush him.

"This is the second time I've been brought back from some form of alternate existence. The warm welcome is rather nice, though."

[socialhacktivist]

Her eyes are burning before she even realize there are tears there. Yusuke's here. He's okay. Her legs are frozen in place, shock plastered all over her face for a long moment before everything just snaps. She runs across the distance and jumps on him; arms tight, squeezing him for dear life.

"...Inariiiiii..."

She's wailing, tears streaming down her cheeks, but it's the happiest she's been since they saved her. "You idiot..." She mutters, weakly pounding his chest. Of everything they've done this... this is the best. They were able to save them. All the uncertainty, all the scares... it was totally worth it.

[pursuitofbeauty]

And then there's Futaba's tiny arms around him and her weight hanging from his torso. At least she can't squeeze as hard as Rubedo, his ribs are still protesting a bit. Yusuke smiles down at her, one arm around her back and the other stroking her hair.

"Yes, I am rather idiotic, aren't I? But you still saw fit to help bring me back." His voice cracks and his vision blurs. Is he... crying? But he never cries, not when Madarame revealed his true colors, not when the uncertainty over his future weighed on his shoulders, not when Akira returned home after all they'd been through together.

But this... it's okay if he cries over a happy miracle.

"I missed you, Oracle. Forgive me for being absent for so long."

[defriendestration]

[SKELEHUG INCOMING]

YOU'RE BACK!!!!

[pursuitofbeauty]

Oh that is a bony hug.

But it still feels really nice. Yusuke smiles warmly at Papyrus, returning the hug before leaning back to look at the skeleton.

"Yes, I am. I am glad to see you're well, Papyrus."

[bythewaves]

Welcome back, Yusuke.

[ A hand on his shoulder, Maglor smiling gently ]

You have been missed.

[pursuitofbeauty]

"Maglor...!"

Yusuke reaches up and settles his hand over the elf's, offering a gentle smile. He hasn't smiled this much in ages, and honestly he never wants to stop.

"I missed you as well. Your singing lived in my thoughts every day I spent on the other side."

[almightyconflagration]

[And not too far behind Yusuke is McBurn. Except he's not exactly going to say anything right off. Hell, he's sure a few people are displeased with him for having all the fun against the dragon and dying on them.]

[poorlovefool]

[Well Eric will just be amazed in both of their general directions then.]

They're really coming back...

[IS THERE HOPE AFTER ALL?]

[carries_war]

[Once he's done crushing Yusuke's poor ribs, Jr. walks over to McBurn and...gives him a solid punch to the side.]

What's the big idea, dying all heroically without giving us a chance to say goodbye?