[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

[survivaltricks]

[jesus christ his blood pressure has gone up like a billionty and five points from this palace alone]

[crouching next to Minato, Akira reaches for that hand, clasping it tightly in his own]

[. . .]

. . . I think that's enough being stabbed for a lifetime. . .

[messianic]

Yeah... no arguments from me.

[ Minato just kind of... flops back to the ground. He knows he needs to get up and see what's going on now, but...

in a minute. ]

I'm... pretty tired.

[survivaltricks]

[it's only when Minato speaks that Akira feels relief flooding through him.]

Y. . . yeah. Haaaah. . .

[drawing that hand up to press a kiss against the back of Minato's knuckles]

. . . let's see the end of this, and then go home.

[messianic]

Yeah... okay. That... that sounds good...

[ They have to see this through to the end. They have to.

So, exhaustedly--he pushes himself up a little bit, leaning heavily on Akira, so he can talk to Shadow Nessa. ]

[survivaltricks]

[and he hoists Minato up into a sitting position, allowing the other wild card to lean heavily against his shoulder]

[he's got you, boyfriend]