[Mari]

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A deeply flustered and rather erratic looking Warle stumbled into Peach's castle, looking lost and a little deranged. She'd just taken a very unpleasant dip back into the void and needed something, anything to anchor her back in reality. She recognized the world she was in, but couldn't be entirely sure that the people in it were the same as before. No one had really had a chance to get to know her in the short time since she'd started attempting to make friends, which meant there were just a few people she could reach out to for aid. Someone who could tell her everything was alright, that they still remembered her. Someone she could hug without feeling like a creep when they inevitably asked her who the heck she was. Staggering deeper into the castle, Warle began her search. Lidelle, Amitwo, Amitie, Peach--...Even Rosalina. Any of them would do just fine at a time like this. She just couldn't be alone. Anything but that--Not now...

[TheSpatialWeeg]

As if a divine spirit took pity on her condition, Lidelle happened to be nearby and judging by the outfit of choice, it seemed like she was practicing some sword maneuvers. She seemed to catch on how...oddly disheveled Warle was and went to check on her. Sheathing her dagger, she quickly ran towards the magical construct, picking both of her hands in worry.

“Warle...what happened? You don’t look well...” the bab went on to ask.
She took it upon herself to look at Warle's face with a soft expression as if to welcome the other into speaking of her troubles. Now, whether or not this was going to work, she didn't know yet.

[Mari]

Warle caught sight of Lidelle and stepped toward the other, only for Lidelle to take her hands and call her by that name. She had to take a deep breath to help compose herself, taking solace in the fact that she hadn't been forgotten. Her hands trembled a bit in Lidelle's, but she gave the smaller girl's hands a little squeeze and it seemed to still her shaking for the most part. For a moment it seemed really hard for her to open up, even after she'd gone searching for someone to talk to, as if she were struggling to find the words to express her feelings. However, she eventually overcame this and moved to hug Lidelle rather clingily.

"...I was--...It happened again. I was torn away from this world. I thought no one would remember me. I thought..." she softly stammered out in an almost whisper-like tone. It was clear that she was terrified of the thought of being forgotten and alone again, an existential scare if you will, but she'd also managed to confront her fears and seek out Lidelle instead of trying something rash and insane like last time. Progress! Extremely painful progress.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Lidelle, noticing the other's nervousness and trouble getting words out. Hm. Guess this called out for a h--and then Warle happened to hug her instead of the other way around. The smol was surprised, to say the least, but it was a welcome development nonetheless.

She quieted down to hear Warle's issue. The mention of being 'torn away' caused her blood to run cold. She'd be scared too if she was in Warle's shoes, to be honest. The bab took it upon herself to hug back as tightly as she could. She wanted the hug to feel soft and welcoming, not to squeeze the other.

"Thankfully, you're still here..." she said to the other, taking the moment to snuggle into the half!Arle. "Let's go inside to get something to calm you down. ...Maybe...you and I can play some games as well? T-that is, only if you want to, of course..."

[Mari]

Warle definitely appreciated the hug, and she certainly didn't mind how tight it was. If anything the protective, almost possessive strength behind that hug brought her a lot of comfort and allowed her to relax a bit. A strong embrace meant not even the universe itself could tear them apart. --Well, not literally. It could definitely rip her right out of Lidelle's arms, but that was how it felt anyway. Her hugs were like duct tape for the soul, which was what counted. And then, there was a snuggling. Warle trembled a bit at the affection, but eagerly cuddled Lidelle in return. The way she was holding Lidelle felt clingy. One might even get the impression that she was a bit more hands-on than her other half, probably on account of the centuries of loneliness she'd entired.

The idea of playing with Lidelle was odd to Warle, though. She definitely wasn't a kid anymore--not even close. But at the same time, the type of life experience she'd grown up with had all but destroyed her mind. She knew she wasn't in a healthy place, that it was wrong to cling to the life she'd known and the experiences she'd had. They were important to her identity, but toxic to her sanity. There had to be some sort of happy medium between living in the past and beginning to heal as a person. Perhaps loosening up for a while and trying to find her inner child with Lidelle would prove to be therapeutic. It could help her remember what used to make her herself before she got wrapped up in all that cosmic drama. At worst, it would be quality time with Lidelle--right? "...I'd like that." she softly replied after a long moment's consideration, loosening her embrace and shifting to take Lidelle's hand so that they could move inside. "...Y'know, I bet you could play a really good game of hide in seek in there." she went on to softly muse aloud, imagining her kindergarten class running amuck and trying to find them all. It was so difficult to remember them clearly, but she was trying very hard to find her old self in there right now and refused to get frustrated with it.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

Lidelle wasn't the type to complain about Shin!Arle's clinginess. Not that she ever would, anyway. Goodness knows if she was in Shin!Arle's shoes, she'd feel the same way, or perhaps even worse. She'd give the other all the care possible if it meant giving the other some peace of mind...or perhaps happiness. It was then that the other accepted the offer to play with her, much to her surprise.  With a smile, she went alongside the other to enter the castle, listening to the musing of a game of hide and seek.

"So...you wanna play hide and seek?"  Lidelle inquired. The bab assumed the other wanted to play that judging from the musings aloud. "I could do that~ Though be warned! I was crowned the 'Seeker Champion' in my school!" She playfully boasted, getting a confident smile on her face. "...We'd need to limit ourselves though. The castle's huuuuuuuge, so it'd be better if we limit ourselves to one or two areas at most." The smol went on to state, beginning to brainstorm some locations they could use for such a game. There were so many possibilities...!

[Mari]

"That's right~" Shin!Arle replied in mild amusement. Honestly, she wasn't too concerned about winning. "You're probably right, though. Perhaps we can use the bedroom areas, since there's lots of places to hide up there and not a lot of wide open areas." she mused aloud. "--...You wait here while I go hide! Gimme two minutes!" she requested, becoming more cheery already.

...

Once Lidelle moved to pursue Shin!Arle though, she would find that the other girl was perhaps difficult to find. She wasn't in any of the bedrooms, no matter where Lidelle thought to look. However, that wasn't to say no clues were there to be found. She might see it right away, or it might take her a while. But eventually, she might come to notice that, at the end of the hall just past the last bedroom, was a meditation area lined with stained glass windows. One of those stained glass windows, bizarrely enough, depicted Shin!Arle. ...That had definitely been Princess Peach if Lidelle had previously checked out the room.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

It'd take a while for Lidelle to enter Shin!Arle's hiding room.

If the doppelganger would pay attention to the seeking smol, her ears kinda perked upwards. Was she onto something...? Well, she was, but Shin!Arle probably wouldn't know it just yet. Lidelle would glance around the place, but not quite look at the other's locale.

"Hmmmmm...I wonder where could she have weeeeent...~" she asked in a singsong manner. Hmm, something didn't feel ri--"Got~cha!" she said, suddenly pointing at the place Shin!Arle was hiding. Was she...aware the other was there this entire time? ...Nah, that probably wasn't the case.

"I guess the score's 1-0 now!" Lidelle exclaimed with a warm smile. "...Nice hiding spot! Some people wouldn't normally bat an eye there."

[Mari]

Shin!Arle poked her head out from the glass that depicted her visage. She took a moment to look down at the glass in bewilderment, as if checking to make sure one couldn't see through it or just noticing what it depicted. The other side, of course, had been see through. "...Huh! You really are good at finding people. I thought you'd at least have to inspect the glass before you found me~" she replied, smiling somewhat light-heartedly. The intensity in her gaze had vanished some time ago. "Y'know there's a big huge slide in here? It's some kind of secret storage space." Shin!Arle explained as she slipped over the edge of the windowsill and sat there where she'd be clearly visible. The window shimmered, changing back to its normal depiction of Peach. Apparently she hadn't thought it fair to hide in there without giving a hint.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

"Hehe~ It's thanks to my amped-up senses that I have such ease!" Lidelle replied with a smile. From the way she was talking, she was actually proud of her 'seeker' status at the game. It was probably refreshing to see her like this, seeing as she was almost always so insecure about her talents.

The mention of a slide picked up her interest, however. "A slide? Over there?" Lidelle questioned, hopping a bit to try to reach the glass window Warle was sitting on. Whether Warle would either help her get up or she'd find her own way, it'd end up with the same result: Lidelle poking her head in the stained glass. ...One could tell she was a tidbit too curious about the slide to even pay attention how the glass suddenly felt like it was not there at all. "--Ah! That really looks like a big one!" she exclaimed, removing her head going through the stained glass. After a moment, she turned to Warle and with a grin on her face, asked one single question:

"...Wanna race down the slide?

"

[Mari]

And there was a smile that could melt hearts. Shin!Arle smiled back, a weak smile which betrayed an inner weakness that didn't normally show itself. The urge to give Lidelle a big hug washed over her, but she resisted--At least until she noticed Lidelle hopping and grasping at the ledge. It was a somewhat lofty windowsill for her, wasn't it? Shin!Arle leaned over and took Lidelle's reaching hands in her own, gently pulling her up onto the windowsill with her. Inside the window pane, a massive slide awaited them.

"--It's hard to believe a place this big could be hidden in the castle walls." Shin!Arle thoughtfully remarked. The thought of falling off occurred to her, but she knew she had enough magical aptitude to correct any falls as long as she kept an eye on Lidelle. A bright smile crossed her face. "Sure~! I'll race you to the bottom!" Shin!Arle chirped, shifting over to plop herself down at the top of the slide. Waiting a moment for Lidelle to get situated, she set off!



It was a twisting ride that took the girls far and wide, with little golden coins seeming to appear before them, bouncing along the slide and begging to be picked up--if not because they were shiny. Shin!Arle seemed to be relaxing and letting the curve of the slide take her where it pleased, giggling as it slung her around the bends. And then, something larger and sparklier caught her eyes. Not far down the slide...

A starman??

...No. A Power Star.

Shin!Arle's eyes glimmered. Hey, wasn't Peach looking for those? It was hanging in the air just past a ramp. If one made a jump, they could probably catch it! However, Lidelle was in the lead. She had the opportunity if she were so inclined. Shin!Arle didn't doubt she'd seen it also, assuming her eyes were open.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

And the girls were off! Warle had a head start, but the smol caught up and eventually overtook the other, though Shin!Arle's more casual riding probably had something to do with it. Midst the whole slippy-sliding, Lidelle noticed the shiny Power Star near the end of the slide. "Hold on, I got this!" Lidelle warned the red-clad mage before nearing the Star and leaping to attempt a catch!

Once grabbing the Star, the green-haired girl landed on the ground and made a silly, but charismatic little pose. "I've done it~" she commented as she held on to the shiny Star. Once Warle'd catch up with Lidelle, she'd talk to the other. "We should go see Mom and give her the Power Star!" She said...before scratching her head. "Though...how do we get back to the castle floors from here?"

[Mari]

The star glittered in Lidelle's grasp. She could feel power radiating from it into her arms. Like little pins gently poking at her skin before fading away. It was an odd feeling, but not a painful one. The star seemed to resonate with her. She wasn't sure why, but Lidelle could feel a subtle pull in the air, as if it wanted to be closer to her somehow and was calling out to her. Moments later, Shin!Arle slid past her, laying on the ground for a moment before sitting up and smiling at the other fondly. "Nice catch." she remarked. "--You're right, wasn't she searching for those..?" she asked, absent-mindedly searching her memory for a moment. And that was when it hit her. A wave of pain, right in the heart. "I think we're on the ground floor now. But maybe I can just ... War--" Shin!Arle toughtfully replied, only to cut herself off rather abruptly mid incantation. Tears had just welled up in her eyes, and she began to gently clear them with the back of her hand. "I can just w-w--..." she tried to continue, only to find that she was choking up and the tears wouldn't stop flowing. She could barely see the roof!

"W-Warp!" Shin!Arle blurted out, pointing to the ceiling where a magical hole opened up in the floor above, creating a pathway directly back up. She sniveled, struggling to find her composure. A little chuckle that didn't sound entirely natural left her lips. "...D-Do you ever start crying without really understanding why?" Shin!Arle asked Lidelle, offering to scoop the smaller girl into her arms for a hug and a carry, cuddling the other slightly possessively as she leisurely rose into the air and floated on up through the hole in the roof with Lidelle in tow. It wouldn't stay open forever, after all.

Shin!Arle is heartbroken. All of the defenses she built up to protect herself and keep herself stable have been broken down with it. Although it's probably for the best in the long run, this is the most vulnerable stage of her recovery.

[TheSpatialWeeg]

As she felt the Star's warmth and the red-clad mage's cuddles, Lidelle found herself face-to-face with a sight she was not really prepared for. Shin!Arle started crying. The smol, however, committed to try to find a way to cheer the other up. She went on to try to help Warle clear her tears first, then answer her question.

"...I think I had my share of those, yeah...though, I know that we never cry without reason. Something must've happened that caused this, and...well, I-I don't know what could it be, b-but...please...if you must...keep crying." Lidelle advised, becoming silent for a brief moment before continuing. "Because...only you know how much you had to bottle up to reach this point.  And...to be honest...I-I don't think crying is weak! If you feel sad...I-I find it important to show...so...i-it's okay to cry!"

Her mind flashed back some grievances she long had buried as she spoke about this. And naturally, such occurrence made Lidelle sad as well. She buried her head on the other's stomach, and flashed a tiny reassurance smile in contrast to her glimmering eyes, threatening to let out tears as well. "Y-you know...I haven't felt...sad in a while..." she quietly commented.

[Mari]

Shin!Arle flinched slightly at first touch, probably because her own tears had blinded her. However, she quickly relaxed as her brain caught up with what was happening. She seemed to take comfort from the affection, a weak smile persisting. " . . . You are so much wiser than I was at your age." Shin!Are softly replied in between sniffles and little sobs. She knew plenty of adults who couldn't accept, let alone think up, a wisdom bomb like that. "I think I finally understand why Princess Peach wanted you specifically to take care of me..." she went on to add. "It wasn't because I needed to learn how to act like a functional adult. ...It was because I needed to learn how to open my heart and be dependent... like a child." Shin!Arle explained, her eyes welling up with tears again. It was a lesson that most adults, not even Peach herself, could still teach.

" . . . I hope you're not sad because of me. . . . Because I'm glad to call myself your--" Shin!Arle breathlessly whispered, only to be cut off by a fresh batch of tears that stole her breath away. Giving up on control, she decided to take Lidelle up on her offer by curling around the smaller girl and letting loose the floodgates. She might be a little while. What was it she'd been about to call Lidelle? Well... That didn't matter very much, at least not right now. That was just a label, and this brief moment of emotional intimacy... was their relationship.