October 8, 2015 - Thursday, Early Morning - Cloudy
Lydia was looking at her phone while eating some scrambled eggs and realized that she hadn't texted Lynne since their meeting last week in the hall. She had said that she would only respond to texts about normal things.
I wonder if her ankle's gotten better. I guess that would count as a mundane question, but she's probably heard it a hundred times by now. I guess I can ask her about the dance instead.
She sent her a text that read:
"Hey. What's up?" About a minute later, Lynne responded.
"Getting ready for school. And you?"
"Eating breakfast. I made myself some scrambled eggs."
"Sounds good. My dad generally does the cooking in my house."
"They're going to start selling things for homecoming today. Are you going to the dance?" There was a pause from Lynne as Lydia looked up at Gerald, who was watching the same channel as yesterday. This time it looked to be some kind of spy movie, as a man scaled the side of a building after shooting a hook into one of the windows. He got inside and immediately pulled up a holographic display from his watch, a virtual padlock being opened by a virtual key.
"Security cams are down. How are we doing on the patrols?" He asked. Lydia heard her phone's brief bell sound and looked to see that Lynne had texted back.
"It's not really my thing. I'd only go if I had someone to go with, and even then I'd probably just sit around most of the time."
"Are your friends not going either?"
"They decided to go to some Halloween party the night before instead. It's supposed to be this big thing, with $100 being given to the winner of the costume contest. It sounds more interesting to me than dressing up with an expensive flower arrangement pinned to your chest just to sit around." The way Lynne put it, she made it seem like wearing a homecoming mum was a complete nuisance - which was only the case if it was an overblown, unwieldy monstrosity of an arrangement that needed back straps to keep it on and was basically chest armor. Lydia chuckled at the thought of a slightly younger Lynne wearing just such a thing and hating every minute of it.
"Gotta go. See you at school." Lynne texted, leaving Lydia to finish her breakfast.
At the eastern entrance of the school, Lydia found Morgan sitting behind a table that had been set up by the doors. A few mums of varying sizes all bearing the school colors were set out beside her, with prices written on pieces of paper posted nearby. Another paper on the table outlined the prices of the tickets to go to the homecoming dance.
"Hey, Lydia!" Morgan called out to her. No one else was currently at the table, likely because this was the farthest entrance to the school and so was liable to see the least amount of people.
"Hey, Morgan. They have you here by yourself selling these things, huh?" She gestured to the mums.
"Yeah, well. The east entrance is kinda the furthest one away, and I'm pretty low on the totem pole, so this is where they put me. Wanna buy something? I bet you want to get your tickets early!"
Well, I plan on going to the dance regardless if I'm taking someone or not. According to the prices, it's not really that much more expensive for a solo ticket - but according to the paper, everyone who buys a couples ticket is entered into a raffle for some kind of mystery prize...
"Let's say I buy a solo ticket now... if I change my mind later and want to get a couples ticket, will I get a refund on the solo ticket?" Morgan shook her head.
"The tickets aren't refundable, pretty much because of what you just asked. It'd be too much of a headache to deal with that sort of thing, and most people only buy their tickets once they're sure if they're going with someone or not. But... there's nothing saying you can't buy a solo ticket for someone else. Like, you could give your solo ticket to another person and buy your couples tickets later - but that's only if you're willing to spend the extra money." She explained.
"I guess I'll wait then. I've still got the rest of this month to decide."
"Alright, that's fine. No need to rush just yet." Lydia wondered if Morgan herself was taking a date to the dance. She certainly seemed like the type who would at least be open to it.
"Hey, do you know who you're taking to the dance?" She asked. Morgan's attitude seemed to deflate a little at the question, though she still kept her smile up.
"Yeah. Me. I've already decided I'm going solo. That's kinda how it has to be."
"How it has to be? What do you mean?" Morgan's eyes shifted to something else, and Lydia turned her head to see that someone else was in the line.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Lydia got out of the way and let the guy behind her purchase a solo ticket from Morgan. Once he had left, Morgan glanced at the door to make sure no one else was coming in and then took out her phone.
"If you want to know, add me. I'll talk to you later." Lydia put in her info on Morgan's phone, and then took out her phone to let Morgan put in her own info.
Morgan Hale. A member of the student council who apparently has something going on under the surface. I might have to keep an eye on her; depending on what she tells me, she could be at risk for being pulled into the valley. If there's any chance at all we can actually stop someone from having to go through this, I'll take it.
Thursday, Morning - Cloudy
Lydia and her friends came across Lynne in the hallway talking to some guy they hadn't seen before. He stood a few inches taller than her, though her still being on crutches made her look shorter than she really was.
"Well, think about it. Let me know as soon as you can, alright? I'll see you around." The guy asked. He had brown hair that was spiked in the front, and wore a flannel shirt and tight-fitting jeans. No sooner than after he asked his question did he start walking in the other direction, briefly acknowledging Lydia, Allie, and Damien before leaving.
"Hey, Lynne." Lydia said, stopping to talk to her.
"See you later, Lydia." Damien said as he and Allie kept on walking.
"Who was that?" Lydia asked. Lynne sighed and looked down the hall where the guy had gone.
"A friend of mine. He just asked me to be his date to the dance."
"Wow, talk about not wasting any time. You said you weren't going to go unless it was with someone... but I guess since it probably came out of nowhere for you, you didn't give him an answer."
"Not exactly. I think if it had been anyone else besides him, I would've immediately said no. With Roy, it's different. He makes the dances actually fun. Or at least, he tries his best to do so."
"I guess he's one of those 'life of the party' types? Had you gone with him to dances before?" Lynne shifted her gaze towards the nearest window and looked out at the gray rain cloud that was hovering several miles away.
"Mmhm. He's... well, I've never heard him say this, but I wonder if he isn't trying to tell me something by always coming to me first when it comes to dance dates. I mean, the other guys I know either clearly show no interest in me that way or couldn't be subtle about it if they tried. And it's not like he's trying to hide something by always having a date to every dance. I've asked him that before. I remember what he told me then, he said: 'Lynne, I'm not gay. I'm also not a horndog either. I just want to have fun while I can. We don't get to do high school twice; I want to make as many memories as I can while I'm still here.' I guess I should have also asked him why he always defaults to me, but it didn't come to my mind then." She sighed, shaking her head as if she was reprimanding herself for saying too much.
"Enough about that. I'm finally getting this cast off today. It'll be great to actually walk properly again... and people can stop asking me when I'm getting it off." Lydia looked down at the white cast with various scribbles on it, most of them signatures.
"I see. Well, I know we need to get going, but about Roy... he sounds like an honest person. He doesn't sound like the type who would have ulterior motives for doing something. From what you've told me, he might not be all that straightforward, but I don't think you have anything to worry about with him. And if you don't want to go the dance, I don't think it'll bother him." Lynne glanced at her before looking at the ground.
"Yeah, I know. I just need to figure out if I want to do this again or not. I'll talk to you later, Lydia. I need to go." She turned around and began moving in the other direction.
This day's sure been full of partial stories. It's not even lunch yet! But speaking of inviting another person to do something with them... I think now's probably the best time to take Victor up on that offer of his. Next week will be the Idol event and the closer homecoming gets, the busier things are going to end up.
Thursday, After School - Cloudy
"So, Dawn... how long after our practice is over do you usually stick around?" Lydia asked. The green-eyed brunette was currently the only thing keeping her from jumping into the Velvet Room to go inform Victor that he'd be able to come to the football game tomorrow night. She did a cartwheel and stretched after landing.
"As long as I need to. Why, am I in your way?" Lydia pursed her lips. Yes, she very much was, but there was no way to explain why. There was the option of just going home and using the door there, but something had popped up that Lydia hadn't considered until earlier today.
Victor sticks out like a sore thumb even without the Velvet Room's bellhop outfit. Homecoming is right next to Halloween, so while he wouldn't stand out as much then, I'm going to be too busy that night to keep an eye on him. I need to get in there to ask him what size clothing he wears so I can buy him something that will help him blend in, but the longer Dawn hangs out here, the less time I'm going to have to head to the mall before someone at home asks me why I've bought men's clothes.
"If you want to practice here, go ahead. I don't care as long you don't get in my way." Dawn said, before rehearsing her part in the upcoming routine again. Lydia was about to turn around and leave when her phone played a particular loud jingle that could only mean one thing: Gerald was calling.
"Take that crap outside! It's distracting!" Dawn shouted. Lydia rolled her eyes and left the practice room, answering Gerald's call.
"Hello. What's up?"
"Hey, you're gonna have to take me home. Don got grounded, so he's not allowed to have any friends over until he's out of the slammer. Don's mom was the one ferrying us around, so I'm not gonna be able to hang out with them for a while."
"Okay... well, I guess I'll see you at the car."
"'kay, bye!"
Well... I'm not going to give up on this. I'll just go after dinner, then. That means I'm going to have to knock out as much homework as I can to make sure my parents actually let me go out to the mall two days in a row.
Thursday, Evening - Cloudy
After about an hour and a half of powering through next week's history and physics homework, Lydia put down her pencil and marched into the Velvet Room, where she immediately stood up and pointed at Victor.
"I need you to tell me what size clothing you wear. If you're going to go somewhere with me in my world, you need to be able to blend in." Victor blinked at her, stunned for a moment by how quickly she spoke. He then nodded and snickered, moving from his spot at Igor's side towards the drawers beside the Velvet Wardrobe. Rather than open one of the drawers to pull out one of the pieces of clothing inside, he merely took hold of one of the handles and closed his eyes for a second before letting go.
"I believe that according to the United States customary system, the measurements of my clothing would be as follows." He began to list off numbers that were exceedingly precise - Lydia had to tell him to round it to the nearest whole number after he had gotten past the sixth decimal place. After she had made sure she remembered the numbers, he smiled at her and put his hands together.
"I believe this is the first time a guest has ever deigned to dress up one of us. My siblings' uniforms did not seem to cause any trouble when they were invited to spend time in your world alongside their respective guests, but if you believe my uniform would cause problems while I am visiting then I will defer to your judgment. I am looking forward to seeing what you choose for me."
"Don't worry. I think I can find something that'll suit you." Lydia said, and left the Velvet Room as quickly as she came. She then gathered her things, put the measurements in her phone, and went downstairs to where her parents were in the living room watching TV.
"Lydia? Where are you going?" Her dad asked.
"I wanted to do some more shopping at the mall. I just finished a lot of homework, so don't worry about me falling behind."
"You just went yesterday with your friends, didn't you? Did something go on sale today?" He asked. Lydia's mom got up from the couch and moved to go to the kitchen.
"I don't mind you going as long as you come back home before it gets too late. I guess you didn't notice, but I peeked into your room earlier and saw you staring into one of your textbooks." Lydia's mom said as she reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bag of popcorn from a box.
"As long as you keep up with your schoolwork and don't get into any trouble, I'm fine with you going right now. Now if you start going shopping every single day..." She trailed off as she put the popcorn into the microwave.
"That's what my computer's for. Don't worry, I won't be out late!" Lydia said as she glanced over at her father, who nodded in acknowledgment.
"Be careful!" He said as she grabbed her car keys and left the house.
Since Victor would wear whatever she decided was appropriate, that meant she could head into the American Falcon store and quickly pick out something that fit. Victor's normal outfit was a dark blue vest with black pants, with only touches of gold here and there. That led her to pick out a short-sleeved button-up shirt with a faded red color, with a pair of khaki shorts. She was in the middle of looking at another shirt when her phone's text notification sounded.
It was from Morgan.
"Hey! What are you up to right now?" Lydia looked at a black, long-sleeve shirt, took it off the rack, and then responded.
"Shopping. You?" She went over to look for a pair of jeans.
"Being bored. Listening to music." Victor seemed like the type who would appreciate a regular fit more than a slim fit, and the faded look would go well with the shirt. She got the pair of jeans and then decided to look for a pair of shoes. It occurred to her while she was walking across the store that Morgan had texted her sooner than anyone else she had met so far.
"What kind of music?" A pair of black sneakers would do just fine, Lydia thought. She then looked around for something for herself, so that when she was inevitably asked what she bought she could have something to show that wouldn't raise too many questions.
"A little of this, a little of that. Currently listening to some electronica." A black t-shirt with a starry background and a silhouette of the moon caught her eye. It probably wouldn't hurt to look for a jacket - it wasn't quite cold yet, but sooner or later it was going to be...
"So, have you gotten used to Quartz yet?" Morgan asked. Lydia looked around the store for a jacket that suited her tastes, but was disappointed at the selection they had. She'd have to find it some other time, then.
"I'm starting to get comfortable with it. I'm still surprised at seeing all these people around sometimes." Lydia responded to Morgan's text while she was in the checkout line. The Halborne Mall might not have been terribly large, but to her it still felt like a luxury - a novelty that hadn't worn off yet. There were more people gathered at this place on Friday nights than there were people in the entirety of Crystal Rapids; here, she was just another face in the crowd, able to do what she wanted without worrying about the prying eyes of other people.
"Cool. We should hang out sometime." Morgan texted as Lydia went up to the cashier. After paying for the clothing, she left the store and responded to the text.
"Sounds good. When are you free?"
"Will be easier to call you and tell you. Is that alright?" Morgan asked.
"If you can wait until I get home." Lydia responded.
"'kay." At least Morgan bothered to type out more than one letter, she thought.
Lydia returned home and found that her parents were in the middle of watching a movie. There was a bowl with leftover popcorn kernels between them, and the lights had been turned off. On the TV screen, a young woman rolled over in her bed and stared at the ceiling while a flash of lightning briefly illuminated her bedroom, following by a loud crack of thunder.
"Hey. Did you find what you wanted?" Lydia's mother asked.
"Yeah. What are you watching?"
"It's called Dearly Departed. It's about a woman who survived an accident that killed her newlywed husband and now he's haunting her because she was responsible for it." She answered. The young woman on TV sighed, putting a hand to her forehead and saying,
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
"Is it a horror movie? It sounds like one." Lydia asked. Lydia's father shrugged and reached for the popcorn bowl only to find there were no more edible kernels inside.
"I wouldn't say so. It's more of a supernatural drama. It's been worth the watch so far. Could use some more popcorn..." He got up from the couch and went over to the kitchen to get another bag.
"Do you want to watch it with us?" Lydia's mother asked.
"I was going to call someone I just made friends with the other day. I was texting her while I was at the mall."
"Oh, okay. I'm glad you've been making so many friends here. You and your brother, the both of you have settled in really well since we came here. I was worried that since this is such a different place you might have had a hard time adjusting - but it looks like the two of you have been just fine." Lydia's mother smiled at her.
"Yeah. It's been... it's been really good, so far. I like having a new start. I think it's probably been good for all of us." She said, looking over at her father who had just started up the microwave. He turned around and walked over to her.
"Remember, we're here for you. There isn't anything you can't talk to us about. I mean it. You shouldn't have to worry that we won't try to understand, or that we'll think it's too insignificant. We'll do our best to listen to you, to make sure you have someone that will support you no matter what. We want you to be able to trust us with anything that you might be keeping to yourself, okay?" He had folded his hands together. The popcorn began to pop in the background, and on TV the young woman had gotten out of bed after seeing a shadow illuminated by the lightning.
"That means we promise we won't be judgmental. Now, that doesn't mean we're going to be anything less than completely honest with you, either - but I know I've been too impatient with you and Gerald in the past. I'm trying my best to work on that. What I'm saying is that I'm not going to make assumptions, I won't say anything until I've heard you out in full. Okay?" Lydia gripped the bag she was holding tighter and nodded.
"Okay. I understand. Thank you." She stared at the microwave instead of him, watching the bag of popcorn expand as its kernels exploded from the radiation, releasing their buttery smell. She watched the bag slowly rotate as the tray underneath spun around and around, silent until her father turned around and stopped the microwave before it began to burn the popcorn.
"Did you want some? We might not be able to finish it all." He said. She nodded, looking away from the microwave and towards the stairs.
"Sure. Let me just go put these up."
"I'll take it up to you." He said as she went for the stairs.
They want me to be able to tell them everything? Does that really count when that would include telling them how I risk my life on a regular basis to save people I don't even know? There's no way they would just let me continue if they found out. They already had to go through the horror of almost losing me once; there's no way I can let them constantly live with the fear of losing me every single month. I can't just stop doing this, though. There are too many people counting on me now for me to stop.
She went into her bedroom and put the bag next to the Velvet Room door before falling over and landing on her bed. She took her phone out and looked at Morgan's name on the screen, hoping that the call would take her mind off of things. Her father came up with a small bowl of popcorn.
"Feeling tired?" He asked. She took the bowl of popcorn from him and put it on her stomach, eating a handful of it as he placed a couple of napkins on the bed next to her.
"A little. I might go to sleep early tonight."
"Okay. I'll tell Gerald not to make too much noise, then. Good night."
"Good night." He leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.
"I love you."
"Love you too."
When he left, Lydia raised her phone above herself and called Morgan. She put the phone next to her ear and ate another handful of popcorn as she waited for her to answer.
"Helloooooo?" Morgan said happily.
"Hey. You said you were going to tell me when you could hang out."
"Yeah! I know you're going to be busy tomorrow with the game and stuff, but how does the weekend look for you? I'm not doing anything then."
I think we're supposed to be training on Saturday. But that's only in the morning; we probably won't push ourselves so hard that we can't do anything the rest of the day.
"I've got something Saturday morning, but besides that I don't have anything else planned for the weekend. When would be best for you?"
"Ummmmmm... I guess in the afternoon. Do you think we could eat lunch together?"
"Where at?" Lydia ate some more of her popcorn.
"I was thinking Arnie's? Is that okay?"
"That's the place that sells the roast beef sandwiches, right?" She had heard of the chain, but had never stepped foot in one before.
"Yeah. There's one over close by Quartz East. Apparently people from there hang out a lot after school, but I don't know how busy it is on the weekends. Just call me whenever you're done and I'll head over there." Lydia ate some more popcorn, closing her eyes and taking a breath before speaking again.
"Hey, I know you wanted to tell me about what you said this morning, but... I need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Have you... ever had something going on in your life that you want to tell other people about, but you're afraid that they won't... understand?"
There was a moment of silence on Morgan's end of the line. Lydia heard something ruffling in the background before she responded.
"I think everyone feels like that at some point. I know I have a few things I'd rather keep to myself, too. Why do you think that people won't understand?" Lydia ate some more popcorn and closed her eyes.
"It's... if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. It's not something people normally go through - I don't think anyone has ever experienced something like this before."
"Really? Well, now you've got my attention. The way you're talking, you make it sound like it's a bad thing, though." Another handful of popcorn went into her mouth.
"It's... both good and bad. It's just..." She trailed off.
I don't know if Morgan would believe me, either. I just met her yesterday, and she's connected to the gossip network at school. She doesn't seem like she would blab to everybody, and yet... I don't know if I can trust her.
"I need to be very careful about who knows. If the wrong people learn what's going on, it could turn from being both good and bad to just really, really bad. I don't mean to insinuate anything, but that means I can't tell you what it is. Not yet. I have to be certain you won't tell anyone." She ate some more popcorn.
"What is that? Are you eating something?" Morgan asked.
"Popcorn. Movie butter flavor."
"Right, okay. The 'wrong people'? It sounds like you're in some secret spy group or something." Morgan paused for a moment.
"Hold on! If you really didn't want me to know, you wouldn't have said anything about it. You would've just skipped straight to asking me what I was talking about this morning. So you do want to tell me - maybe you even want to recruit me - but I have to pass your tests to make sure I'm a good fit, is that it? Oh ho ho, that is so cool. Alright, I'm in. Tell me what I have to do in order to gain your trust. I swear on my collection of fuzzy dice that I won't tell a soul." Lydia sighed, opening her eyes again.
"This isn't- it's not a game! There are serious consequences associated with what I'm involved with. Even I don't fully understand what's going on with it, I-"
"Are you being forced by someone else to do it?"
"What?"
"I said, is someone else making you do whatever this is you're not telling me? Because if not, and if you're doing this of your own free will, what makes you think there aren't other people out there who would also want to join in? You don't sound like some crazy conspiracy theorist; whatever it is you're involved with is probably something that really needs attention!" Lydia reached for some more popcorn, but decided against it. Damien was a prime example of what Morgan had said about people wanting to help once they found out, and just like he insisted on seeing it for himself, Morgan was determined to find her way into this mess one way or another.
"The only person making me do it is me, okay? And... you're not going to let this go now, are you?"
"Nope!" She chimed. She followed up with,
"There's a chance you might be making this all up. I don't care if you are! I'd be impressed at how well you pretended, actually. But you've piqued my interest now, and I can't resist the idea of something actually cool happening in this world. I get it, it's not a game. You probably take a lot of risks, and you probably also think I have no idea what I'm getting into... but you'd be surprised at what I'm willing to accept. Please, Lydia. I know I'm being annoying and pushy, but... I really want to give you someone else to tell, someone you can confide in. That's what you wanted, right? That's what you asked me a minute ago?"
It's more like I want to be able to tell my family about what I'm doing without hurting them. But Morgan can't really help me do that. She wants to get sucked into the valley, have us beat up her Idol so she can get a Persona, and then join us because she has some kind of lust for excitement and adventure. There are too many factors now for her to just do what Damien did - Sycophanta always shows up now when people face their Idols and I didn't plan on doing anything other than routine training this weekend! She just can't butt in like this!
"Would you still be willing to listen if I told you I didn't want you anywhere near my business?" Lydia said, moving the popcorn bowl off of her and sitting up in her bed.
"W-What? Where'd that come from?" Morgan said, perplexed. Lydia clenched her phone and briefly considered just hanging up on Morgan and never talking to her again, but fell back down on her bed and groaned.
"It's... I'm sorry I said that. I've been really stressed, alright? I can't even tell my parents about it even though they just got through telling me that I should be able to talk to them about anything! It's stupid!"
"I think it sounds like you've been bottling up that frustration for a while, like you've had to deal with this all alone. You don't have to go it alone. Hey, what about Allie? Does she know about this thing you can't tell me?" Lydia blinked, putting her free hand on her forehead.
"I... yes, she does. We both got involved at the same time."
"So... okay, so why you haven't you talked to her about this? I mean, is there something allowing her to tell people about it but not you?"
"No, I just... you know, you're right. The rest of the group has to keep their mouths shut just like I do. I don't know how they deal with it; none of us have ever really brought it up - I guess I just assumed they never had any problems because of it."
"A whole group, huh? So it really is like some kind of spy thing, isn't it? That's so cool." Lydia could hear Morgan trying to hold back her excitement.
"Listen. You're not the first person to want to join for those kinds of reasons - but the thing is, the... initiation process is more dangerous now than it used to be. I don't know that it'd be safe to let you join us directly. But if you really want to know about it, I'll have my friends show up at your table tomorrow before school starts. You'll still be there, right?"
"Yeeeeep. They wanted me to do it every day both before and after school until the dance, but I was like, 'No, there are like six other people that aren't tied up and there are only three entrances we have to worry about.' So they have me doing just the mornings while someone else handles the afternoons."
"Okay. We'll talk more about it then. Oh, man. All of this and I still haven't asked you what you meant this morning. You said you weren't taking anyone to the dance, that you said that's how it had to be. Are your parents not letting you do that, or something?" Morgan giggled, a reaction Lydia didn't expect.
"No, that's not it. It's just... well, there's only so much I can allow myself to do."
"Huh? What does that mean? You have some kind of personal rule that says you can't take a date to a dance?"
"Or go on any dates at all, for that matter. I can have as many friends as I want, but even potential romance is just out of the question for me."
"Not that I think it's a bad thing, but why? Is it because you're worried you'll have to break up once you graduate? Or maybe you've got enough going on in your life already? Just not ready for a relationship yet?" There was still some popcorn left. Lydia pulled the bowl over and ate some more.
"Mmmmm... those are all good points, but nope! It's something else."
"Are you going to tell me what it is, or is this going to turn into a quid pro quo exchange? I tell you what I'm hiding and you tell me what you're hiding?"
"No, no, I'll tell you. It's because I made a promise to myself a while ago. I promised that I was going to abide by my own boundaries with people, because when I overstep those boundaries, bad things happen. Relationships get ruined, people start hating me for putting myself where I shouldn't, and eventually I just end up alone." There was a moment of silence between the two before Morgan picked up where she had left off.
"I know it sounds hypocritical, me saying how it's bad that I'm nosy while I'm bugging you to give up one of your biggest secrets. I won't blame you if you really want me to stop pestering you about it. It's just... it sounds like you really need someone to talk to, and I'm just a sucker for the idea of going on an adventure. Please stop me if I'm just rambling, because I'll probably just keep talking until I have no idea what I'm saying anymore."
Well, Carla was certainly right about one thing. Morgan is kinda weird. I didn't expect to have a talk like this with someone that hasn't already faced their Idol. I wonder if that happy demeanor is really masking some kind of sorrow she doesn't realize she's holding in. Maybe she just wants a friend she can have a heart-to-heart with. If nothing else, she really does seem like someone that might get pulled into the valley. Getting to know her can only help, even if that doesn't happen.
"Lydia? Are you still there?" She said.
"Yeah. Morgan, you don't have to worry. You're not a bother to me. You can never have too many friends, and I'd be glad to have you as my friend." A piece of glass shattered in her ear, startling her and causing her to almost knock over the bowl of popcorn. Time slowed to a standstill as a new tarot card appeared floating above her head, this one with a golden border instead of the off-blue all the others were. In the middle was some kind of large-bellied figure with a headpiece and a staff, with some kind of ruby emanating energy underneath it. At the bottom of the card was the Roman numeral for twenty, and then she heard these words:
Thou art I... and I am thou...
Thou hast established a new bond...
In thee, the Beholder's sight grows ever clearer...
Thou shalt be blessed when creating Personas of the Aeon Arcana...
Another strange Arcana... I don't even know what this one is supposed to mean. It has the same number as Judgment, but considering Lynne had a pretty different number eleven card with Hunger, whatever this Aeon means is probably not the same thing as Judgment. A golden border, too. Not even Lynne's card had that. But then again, I haven't even seen half the Arcana yet. For all I know they have the entire rainbow covered by the borders.
The flow of time resumed, and Lydia immediately heard Morgan's voice through the speaker.
"I'm glad to hear that. Well, I think we've had a pretty good talk. I should let you go; I've got a lot of stuff to do and if I don't get to sleep on time, I'm going to be really groggy in the morning. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Even if I can't join your group, at least we can still hang out together."
"Mmhm. Yeah. Good night, Morgan. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow. Bye."
Original upload date: April 20, 2016
A/N: I didn't even intend on writing this chapter at first. I was going to go straight to Oct. 9 from Oct. 7, but then I realized I need to make sure Lydia had an opportunity to get Victor some new clothes and only had one other day to do it with. Then I started thinking about some other things I haven't addressed in a while and that's where this chapter came from. Fun stuff.