(Chapter Thirty-Six: A farewell)
She wasn't entirely sure this was a good idea, but it was the only one. All paths led to this one final moment that didn't seem unavoidable. Obviously, there was going to be a fight, but what if... what if they could turn the tide with this little group that seemed to give the Empress the runaround? Julia sat in a bed, her group was currently sleeping in a small motel that was here in the metro. She doesn't know why, but she's seen stranger things than this. How far can these metro trains go to need motels?
The room was bleak due to the lack of windows and sunshine... nothing but brick walls on all sides. This place was definitely not meant for people to stay longer, or perhaps encouraging the people to go outside. It wasn't easy to find a place like this, Julia had to do some snooping around to find a place for her group to stay for the night.
Julia looked at the clock that said six in the morning, she had woken up from a dream that she already couldn't remember, and for once she was glad. Bonnie, and surprisingly Zephyr, were sound asleep; the bow child having taken the second room and Zephyr slept in the small living area.
Kero took resident with his mother, but he didn't sleep, couldn't sleep. The boy... well, he felt something was off.
From the very start of the mission, he felt this sad feeling from his mother. Kero wanted to keep an eye on her and was awake with her in the room as she sat at the edge of the bed. Tilting his head at her from the armchair, he wanted this chance to talk.
He knew she was having problems, last night made that clear with her struggling thoughts with what she believed she had to do. Though he knows deep down there was something more to that.
As bluntly as Kero could say it, he wanted a straight answer no matter how much he already knew the answer to it.
"You're going to die... aren't you." He stated. No hesitation, no looking away. He stared right at his mother, his protector, his idol.
Julia pulled her hands off her face and looked over to him, a soft sad smile on it. The look in her eyes was all he needed, Kero's shoulders slumped down. The woman carefully made her way over to him, knelt.
"Sorry bud, I was trying to find an easier way to tell you..." Julia softly said, putting a hand on his head as the child leaned in.
"You don't have to; you always try, but I think I'm getting better at understanding," Kero said quietly, not even a wimpier, even though he wanted to. Crying here wouldn't be a good idea. Crying wouldn't solve anything.
"You really have gotten stronger," she chuckled "My son... I'm proud of you." His mother said, still astonished by the fact she has a wonderful child like him "but I promise you, Death is gonna have to try a lot harder to claim my soul."
"Because you'll be coming back?" The boy stated, making the woman nodded. "I believe you. You always come back."
A moment of silence went by when Julia debated on asking a question of her own. She knows she shouldn't ask, but... being on that line, she wants to be prepared.
"...What's it like though?" She asked quietly and carefully as if the words coming out of her mouth were daggers trying to harm her child "to... die and come back?"
Surprisingly the boy didn't take any offense to that question, about what it was like, Kero just leaned back in thought. He remembered being cold, due to the Queen's violently spreading frost. Trapped in ice and then it was... dark.
"The dark. It was super dark." He quietly said back, "there were voices, trying to lead me but... it didn't feel right. It scared me so much that I ran in the opposite direction..." the voices were distorted, and almost sinister. The worst part was, he's pretty sure he wasn't the only one in the darkness. "Next thing I knew, I was a dweller... floating around in the swamp. That was my experience."
Looking up quickly with a force that made his mother step back a bit, Kero stated "I didn't really know what that was about... but all I know is... don't follow the voices. No matter how familiar they sound."
Granted he wasn't sure if it would be the same for his mother, but this would prove useful to her if it did.
With a confused lopsided smile, Julia nodded "all right, don't follow creepy voices. Got it."
They were walking, it was close to noon before they knew it. Julia had gotten more rest after her talk with Kero, and both of them felt a little at ease. The entire group just seemed to have a small spring in their step, despite the looming threat.
Julia was starting to feel like her old self a little more and more, but those nagging thoughts still came at her now and again. She planned to find Jack's secret hideout and explain more from there. The woman wondered if they were being followed right now...
Suddenly, Zephyr grabbed Julia by the shoulder, stopping the group. Julia didn't need an explanation because she felt it too; a rift was opening. In the empty alleyway closes to them, that said rift opened up, to anyone else it would have looked like neon lights lighting up and going out.
In its place, a boy appeared. A familiar boy that made Julia smile.
"Whoa!" Bonnie stood in awe "Somebody came through!" She pointed out, but Julia hushed her.
Zephyr visually frowned and the woman still wasn't used to that. "Zephyr doesn't like this." He hissed to Julia "it's magic is potent."
Julia rolled her eyes away from the jester, while Kero took a brave step forward. "I'll protect you, mama!"
Julia just patted her son on the head. "Everyone, relax. He's a friend."
The boy named Tie walked up to the woman, though it seemed like everyone else was ready to take a step back. "Hi, Julia."
Julia's smile never dropped, "Hello, Tie; You look happier."
"Do I?" The boy thought aloud, slightly tilting his head "You look better than last time too."
Julia couldn't believe how long ago that was, but the real question was, how long ago was it for him? "Yeah, thanks for the help."
The two reached out for each other's hand, a proper greeting as they shook.
"Nice to finally meet you in person." Julia couldn't help but laugh. Tie beamed at her while nodding and humming a confirmation.
Her group was confused, but Bonnie was the only one to voice out her confusion first. "Hold on, hold on..." the girl looked at them both back and forth "Mind introducing us, Julia?"
Julia bashfully scratched the back of her head "Sorry- this is Tie." She introduced the boy to them with a sway of her hand "He's my friend from another dimension. We've been helping each other out from time to time."
Hearing this, Kero immediately let his guard down. Surprised, but more thankful to him "You helped her? Thank you..." he smiled softly at Tie.
Zephyr made a hand movement as he stepped slightly closer "Ah! Zephyr remembers this boy-" his signature smile back on his face "the boy from our little chase. My... we had not realized he was strong..."
Julia punched his shoulder, but he didn't flinch.
"We did not mean it in a bad way, looks are deceiving after all!" The man with the yellow glasses winked, making Kero giggle; The irony of being in disguise.
Tie seemed taken aback, shrinking into himself. "Uh, hello." Julia wasn't sure if Zephyr was making him feel uncomfortable or the fact that the poor boy was surrounded by strangers by now.
"Everything alright?" She had to ask, just in case.
"Uh, yes, for once." Tie nodded at her "I just finished fighting a long battle, and now I'm on my way home to my own time and dimension." There was a little pause before he continued "I'm taking a few stops along the way, though."
Curiously, Julia tilted her head "did you come to see me?"
Shrugging, Tie looked up at her "I didn't know where I'd end up, but I was hoping."
Julia chuckled, "Well then, let me introduce you, I've been waiting for a moment like this..." motioning Kero to step next to her, "this is my son, Kero."
The hooded, dark-skinned boy with freckles, stood idle with a smile, "Hello!" Kero waved happily.
Tie seemed taken aback, "Uh... Hi." The boy nodded at Kero, then took a moment to think.
"And this," Julia grabbed Tie's attention again by dragging Zephyr over to her other side, who protested for a moment "Is Zephyr. For now at least..." she muttered that part quietly to the boy "he has a lot of problems, but he's trying to be better."
"Trying very hard!" Zephyr pointed out, as he reluctantly waved, smile still etched on his face
"And this," Julia moved aside to show the bow child "Is Bonnie. A friend of Melody's". Julia watched Bonnie proudly step forward.
"Heh, where I'm from, you're called Bow" Tie smiled as she became puzzled.
"Hold on, there's another me?" Bonnie groaned, "Don't tell me I've got to get a grip on space theory as well as time! Is there another 'Tie' back home I should worry about?"
Julia hummed, looking over at her "I think there's only one Tie."
"And there isn't a Julia in my dimension." He agreed with her
Zephyr balled his hand to his lips in thought, "Anomalies…" he spoke "unique elements to each dimension. Julia is ours, and Tie is his…"
"If I'm an anomaly, that also makes Gabriele…" Julia looked over at the jester in disguise, curiously "and you too- you're not from earth like me and him, but you and Allen are one of a kind."
Kero innocently tilted his head over to Tie, drifting away from his mother and uncle's conversion "How did you two meet?" He asked looking back at Julia.
Julia looked around again to make sure no one else was still around, then back to her son "For me, it started when I was returning here. I saw him when I was riding back with Gabriele." She answered.
"It's a bit more complicated for me." Tie added in, making Kero look back over at him once again when he started talking "when I was younger, I was in a really bad place." The boy said, then looked up at Julia with a grateful smile "Then I suddenly had the idea that Julia existed, and her accomplishments. Maybe it was some cross-dimensional dream or something, but it was enough for me to continue living."
Julia didn't know what to say to that, she just softly smiled, spacing off with the thought that… 'you're making a difference by just existing' and she was grateful for that.
Then it clicked for her; if she meant so much to Tie, how do the others truly feel about all the things she's done? The ones who have actually whitened what she'd done. It gives her more of a resolve to help the metro even more.
Folks look up to her, appreciate her, believe in her, that's more than she ever had as a child.
Julia wants to help, and she gonna do it with her group backing her up all the way.
Bonnie groaned startling Julia out of her thoughts, "that's too much to understand."
"After that, we kept seeing each other. Usually when we were down about something." Julia sighed, putting her hand on the back of her neck.
"My fault, I think." Tie raised a finger "the battle I had did a lot of damage to the dimension walls, which I think explains why they've been so weak lately." He scratched his head idly "thankfully we managed to rewind it."
"That's what the whole deal was? I just thought I was a magnet for dimensional portals…" Julia shivered remember how she fell through a portal with an elevator.
"Very dangerous." Zephyr hissed at Tie
"No more dangerous than Melody and I." Julia half-joked, half-comforted him; all he did was make a face a nodded.
"I don't really understand all of it" Kero spoke up with his arms crossed "but… you're one of Mama's friends, so that's good enough for me." He smiled.
"I'm gonna have to let Melody know about all of this." Bonnie said, "and the CEO as well… if he doesn't already know." The bow child has a feeling he might though.
"The CEO of Time is in this dimension?" Tie gasped, it almost sounded startled to Julia "Hey, you have to make sure he doesn't try to control time!"
Bonnie looked at him like he was nuts "what? He regulates time! Why would he do that?" The thought of the CEO messing with time reminded her of her planet's history, it wasn't impossible, but Timmy's grandfather has been doing a good job so far. "What's with that worried tone…? Do you know something?" Bonnie pressed.
"It's, a long story…" Tie backed off.
"Do you have time?" Julia asked as he looked back to her "that's what you've wanted, right? Time to talk."
He continued to stare off, then looked down at the ground and nodded sheepishly "yes."
She smiled at him, "we were just about to grab some lunch, wanna join us so we can talk?"
"…I'd really like that." He agreed.
"Come on then, everyone." Julia offered, as they all started to walk off. Finding an empty place was going to be a bit difficult.
A good area was found, no eavesdropping cats, no danger, just quiet ambiance and sounds of trains running on their rails.
The group sat down at a table with metro food; it had been a while since Julia had some green tea and absentmindedly reached for some fries that she ordered, centered at the table. Bonnie was eating the food she had made, along with a drink she wanted.
Kero and Zephyr sat idly as Tie and Julia thought of where to start.
"So… there's just so much to talk about that I don't think I can fit it all together." Julia smiled, rubbing the back of her neck bashfully. "I could tell you a story on how I met Moonjumper, but I think I'll save that for another time…"
"Then… tell me how your adventure here started." Tie curiously looked up at her, arms folded. "And I can tell you mine."
Julia let out a breath, remember exactly how she started. Definitely, something she could never forget. "Ha… well. Waking up with amnesia was startling, then I guess I was going to be taken in by the Mafia if I hadn't met Melody, My hat kid."
"Well, I guess it was less destructive them my start," Tie thought back "the ship was broken into, and chaos just everywhere after that…" the boy looked back at her with a raised eyebrow "the mafia wanted to take you in?"
"Look, they kept calling me Mafia Girl at the time, I didn't know my own name then, and I just… looked like one?" Julia shrugged at him. "Lynn, our Mustache girl, really hated my guts back then too, I still remember when she stomped me on the face for leverage."
"Ow." Tie slightly cringed at the thought, "yeah, things weren't all… good… when I first met Mustache Girl too. Of course, Hat had hit it off right away." He smiled, but also remember how Mustache Girl in his world started on her rivalry with him and his captain.
"Was she alone here…? Did… Lynn have any friends?" He asked, trying out the girl's name for the first time.
"From what I can remember… yeah she was alone. No friends." Julia sipped on her drink "I don't remember meeting her that often during our adventures though; why?"
"There was a person named Voice in my dimension, they could travel around realities with their tuning fork." Tie mentioned absentmindedly, remember them. "They wore a hood and were completely covered in bandages."
Julia's eye widened, remembering that description until Zephyr huffed "seems like everyone can do that now, oh yes… foolishly dangerous." He muttered, "but Zephyr is thankful for the holes, in reality, it helped us travel from place to place searching for… the diamond child." Zephyr halted in saying anything else. Thinking back to how he wanted to find Moonjumper and kill Julia.
Tie looked over at him confused, "Diamond child…?" He asked, the woman took his attention back over to her.
"Yeah, apparently the roles we were given were all supposed to be based on playing cards? I'm the diamonds, Zephyr and Allen are spades, Gabriele is hearts, and Benjamin, or as you know him as the badge seller, is the clubs." Julia pointed this out, finding it odd, but she slowly grew to like it "we were all connected to Moonjumper at some point. Some stories more tragic than the last… I've yet to hear Ben's story though."
Julia then shook her head, "but enough about that; Voice! That was their name?! I saw them while I was on the arctic cruise!" The woman thumped her hand down on the table, bouncing everything on it for a second
"What?" Tie leaned in, surprised "they were there? You saw them!?"
"Well, there… but not really? I saw them the moment I took off my eye patch." Julia demonstrated by taking off her patch. Her eye that was covered look just as it was before; black sclera, normal green iris, and neon green pupil. Neon green lines decorated around and inside of said eye.
"I never thought too much on it really…" Julia ponder back "Voice looked like a ghost and I think they were looking back at me too?" She remembered how they looked at her "I think they were surprised I was able to see them, they raised their weapon for a moment before disappearing."
Tapping her chin for a moment Julia spoke up again "I think… I think my eye can peer through realities? But I… haha… I'm slightly subconscious about people looking at." She nervously chuckled as she put it back on, but she didn't mind showing Tie.
They chatted for a while longer, she told more stories about her adventures with Melody, how often she had been beaten around by the elements and scars to prove them. How she had met with a few other beings that weren't in his reality, like Doppler, or as Tie would know them as the shapeshifter.
"Oh, I had told Markus this but… uh- If you see a blue floral vase floating around in between worlds… don't open it. Doppler is in it and I doubt they'll be happy." Then explained how that whole fight happened and how she lost them to reality itself.
Tie was at a loss for words, Though it was nice to see that Julia had also meet Markus as well.
The conversation continued as Tie told her about Knit, and he was happy to know that Julia really wanted to meet her someday. Knit was basically a sister from a different dimension! Another member to add to the ever-growing family! Sweetie was also another person, a rogue minion that liked to collect treasure from all over the place.
Talking and joking around with everyone made Julia incredibly happy, so happy she hadn't realized that Tie looked away for a moment with a somber face.
She then remembered; If she would have known she'd be seeing Tie again, Julia would have personally handed over the journal to him instead of receiving it in the mail. She sighed as the woman held her head making the boy look back up at her with wonder.
"I honestly didn't know when we'd see each other again." Julia lowered her hand and propped her arms on the table "Tie, there was something I wanted to give you. Something special." She looked at Tie almost tired like "But I can't tell you what because I want to remember back on this moment… how we're all smiling and just… being here." Julia softly smiled at him.
"It's something heavy, isn't it." Tie calmly said, reading her face.
"Pretty heavy, yeah…" she nodded.
Zephyr looked back at the two, then at Julia with a surprised face "he is that friend? You wanted to give him the journal?"
"A journal?" Tie asked, curious.
"It has some of my stories and adventures in it, a diary of sorts." Julia shrugged, "I wanted you to have a piece of me if… something happens."
The boy was nervous after hearing that, but Julia never picked up on it. the mood had shifted harshly, as everyone grew quiet.
"But I want you to know that… I'm not scared of my future." Julia smiled fully again "I'm going to face it head-on with my friends and family here." She tapped her heart.
They sat there for a moment longer, no one was sure of what to say after that, but it brought a slight wave of ease over the group. Suddenly, a green portal opened up in the distance, hidden away between walls.
Julia exhaled a sigh "I think that's for you." She nodded in the direction
Yeah." Tie agreed, scooting up and out of the chair. He watches Julia do the same.
Taking a few steps forwards, Tie then turned to Julia and her group "Kero, Bonnie, Zephyr… Julia… thank you for putting up with me."
Bonnie chuckled "'putting up with'? Wow, still shaking off that pessimism." Bonnie sighed with a smile, shaking her head. She hopped off her chair and walked over to him, playfully punching his shoulder. "Thanks for all the stories! And hey, if other me is ever mean to you again, you have my permission to punch her!"
"I wouldn't go that far." He said, as Bonnie smiled and gave him a look as if saying she definitely would… if it didn't alter reality doing so.
Tie watched her walk away as Kero flailed his arms around the table to grab his attention "we're all friends now!" The boy cheered "Can I come to visit you sometime?! I wanna meet everyone!"
"Everyone on our crew would love to meet you, Kero. Trust me." Tie smiled at him, lightly chuckling at the boy's antics.
Zephyr had his head propped up on his hand looking back at the boy, an indifferent face was all Tie could see "Zephyr… still doesn't like you." He muttered "but… Allen does."
"And I'd be honored to meet you again someday," Allen spoke up with a smile, startling Tie by suddenly hearing a different voice. It was calmer and wasn't spoken in the third person. "I'm curious about the magic you've learned as well as the others."
Tie nodded at him, not sure how to give a proper response.
"Oh, he's awake!" Bonnie smiled.
Julia stepped forward, smiling at him "After everything you've told us, I reckon you're going to be more than fine."
"I think I will be too." Tie nodded "I'm glad I finally got to know you."
"Same." Julia kept her smile, "you should be really proud of yourself."
"Thank you," the boy slowly nodded "So should you; for everything you've done for everyone, and for me."
Julia's smile became softer, her eye misty "I haven't done much." She laughed lightly, but everyone looked like they were about to protest behind her.
"You've been you." Tie said, "that's enough."
"…that goes for you too, then." She tilted her head.
It was all bittersweet, the two lingered there for the longest moment until Tie spoke up once more.
"…Goodbye, Julia…" he whispered.
"…Bye, Tie…" Julia softly replied.
Julia didn't want to believe this would be the last time, couldn't believe it. She watched Tie turn around and walk towards the portal. Truth be told, she didn't want him to leave. She wondered what life would have been like if they grew up together in the same hometown, he'd be one hell of a sibling to her. Someone she could depend on when her grandfather passed away.
They'd have each other's backs, definitely. She always will now.
She had to say something, they can't just leave with a simple goodbye!
"Hey, Tie." She called out, making him stop and turn to her. She found herself running up to him, kneeling so that she could get closer.
Placing a hand to his head, she said "you're a part of the family too." She told him.
The boy froze up hearing this. Tie's eyes suddenly filled up with tears. The two hold onto each other in a tight hug, she didn't want to let go, but… she had to.
"I'll never forget you, Julia." Tie whimpered.
"We'll always be here, and I'll be here waiting." She told him, breaking away. Both wiped tears out of their eyes and smile once again.
Tie stepped through the portal and it closed behind him.
Julia stood up, adjusting her trusty hat, and sighed.
No way in hell will she forget.
The long-awaited response chapter, to my friend who has finished their story! A Hat and Tie in Time finished a while ago and it defiantly felt like this chapter was going to take forever to edit and work on- but I'm surprised it's only around 4,000 or so words.
I've also come to terms that chapters will come out when they come, but I appreciate all who wait patiently for them to come out. Thank you, everyone.