The Stone In The Woods, Sunday Night

[endsthegame]

A weekend could pass in the blink of an eye, couldn't it?

The stone waited patiently until the sun sunk beneath the horizon. Only then did it resume its song, a call as clear as birdsong, but audible only to a few.

It was time to return.

[[ your catch-all say-goodbye post ]]

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[future_sandworm]

When he was young he would have longed for something like this to happen. Even after his father had died, attacked by Alia's assassins, he regretted not having had more time with him. Perhaps it was just too late now, for both of them.

"Goodbye father."

[messiahofdune.livejournal.com]

Paul just looked at his son for a while, then shook his head. "I would wish you a good life if I could."

[future_sandworm]

Leto smiled a little. "No lies, at least." He hesitated, then added: "I spared Ghanima this."

[messiahofdune.livejournal.com]

"No lies, no excuses." Paul snorted, then turned slowly towards the stone, prodding the ground in front of him with his staff.

[uncertain_dume]

Just a couple of days ago, Kanan had been sure of a million things he'd say to Master Billaba if ever he had a chance to go back and do things over. A million and one things.

Now she had, and it was time to say goodbye again, and most of what he'd managed this weekend had involved either crying, stuttering, or apologizing. So, this wasn't exactly going the way it had been rehearsed countless times in his head while he was going over his list of 'Regret Greatest Hits.'

"It was... good to see you again, Master."

For example, he had been sure he'd be able to do better than that.

[death_yet_force]

Depa had a million things she'd like to say to Kanan, too. But for now, this would do.

She smiled and took his hands. "It was. I'm glad we had this time together, padawan. Kanan." She looked him over, committing it all to memory. "You should know, this is never the path that I wanted for you, but I am proud of you nevertheless."

[uncertain_dume]

"Proud of me," Kanan echoed, feeling so very much like Caleb just then that his more current name coming from her mouth felt wrong, somehow. "I..."

He looked down at himself, not quite certain anymore what it was that she saw.

"Sorry, Master. For what?"

[death_yet_force]

Depa laughed. "Because you still ask questions. Because you try to be the best you can. Because you survive, and keep surviving. Because you don't give in to your enemies, or the odds, or the Dark side."

She gave him a look. "I'm not saying there aren't some things you could stand to work on. Just keep trying, and keep working on them, and know that I am always with you."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy resisted the pull for as long as she could. But she couldn't resist it forever. "It's time to go," she murmured. "I'm sorry."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure?" Parker asked, sounding very hesitant. "Maybe just a little longer. Enough time for a milkshake, or another run..."

This never, ever got any easier. Even when they knew it was coming.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy shook her head, eyes filling with tears. "I wish I could," she said. "I...don't want to go."

[whoisalicewhite.livejournal.com]

"So don't," Parker suggested, wrapping one hand around Kathy's wrist. "We can try to fight this, if you want."

If you want a grown-up to help you with this, Kathy, you picked the wrong one.

[vdistinctive]

Eliot freaking hated this stone. He held back, knowing he'd want to keep a hold on Kathy as long as he possible could, and not wanting to keep her from saying goodbye to her friends. If that meant they ran out of time before he could talk to her, well. He was a grown man. He could take it.

Maybe.

. . .

Okay, probably not.

[spin_kick_snap]

Even if he could, Kathy couldn't. She couldn't bear to leave without saying goodbye to him. Not again. "I am so sorry for leaving you again," she murmured, clinging to him fiercely. "It's not fair."

[vdistinctive]

"It ain't." The words hurt coming out. "None of this is. I shoulda made sure --"

That she didn't die. That she had all the life she deserved and then some.

That she hadn't left not knowing how he felt about her.

"I love you, Kathy." There. Now she couldn't vanish on him again before he said it. "I love you so much."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante hadn't been planning to come here. Hell, if you'd asked him how to get here, he wouldn't have been able to tell you.

But he was there.

A little whiles away from her, leaning against a tree, but still: there.

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was hesitant to approach him, but if he were here, she couldn't just ignore him. "I guess this is goodbye," she said, awkward.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante's eyes darted from her and into the woods, then back.

"Guess so," he said warily. "... What does that feel like?"

[that_oldsaying]

"It's okay," Alluka said earnestly. "Remember? You'll come back again. So it's not too bad."

Not that she wanted Kathy to go or anything, however, but Alluka believed that since a Kathy had been here twice already that it would happen again.

"We'll miss you, though."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'll miss you, too," Kathy said, ignoring the impossibility of her missing anything. She knelt and held her arms out for Alluka. She really, really needed a hug and Alluka was great at them. "And any Kathy who comes to visit you will love you just as fiercely as I do. You were right about that."

[that_oldsaying]

Alluka flung her arms around Kathy and held on tightly.

She didn't want Kathy to go, and her hug said that more than her words. But Alluka was prepared for her to go--Killua always had to leave too and tantrums had never helped there.

"That's because all Kathys are like you," Alluka said, still clinging. "Even when they're not you."

[not_every_mage]

"Don't be," Anders said, his hands tight fists in his pocket. "We knew this was coming."

Was it terrible that he mostly just wanted this to be over so he could go someplace and cry alone?

[spin_kick_snap]

"Doesn't mean I want it to happen," Kathy said, her gaze somewhere at the vicinity of his feet. "I'm not--not ready yet."

She wanted to run away as fast as she could. She wanted to cling to people and hide and hope the rock would overlook her somehow. She wanted to throw up at the idea of leaving everyone again. She wanted to fling her arms around Anders and swear that she really had loved him and would for as long as she had breath.

Dammit, she wanted to keep breathing.

"Wasn't then. 'M not now."

[soniaroadsqueen]

Ringo wasn't sure what to say. She just sort of stood there, staring at her feet, trying to figure out the right words. The ones that would make Kathy feel okay. To assure her that Ringo was fine, and that it was okay that her senpai couldn't stay.

Ringo wasn't fine, and it wasn't okay, but she didn't want Kathy to know that.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I know," Kathy said, voice in her ear as she wrapped Ringo in a tight hug. "I'm trying to do the same thing." She offered Ringo a sad smile. "I want to be okay, but I'm not."