Scene #1774:

Owner	Pose
Sayaka Miki	After Sayaka called on her Witch self to rain down a wheely retribution on Drei and Chaar for killing Bow, things had started getting dire for her. She had a good stash of Grief Seeds, but the emotional overload brought on by his death had taken a severe toll on her, and magical energy was constantly bleeding out of Soul Gem exactly like an open wound. Only difference is this wound was psychological rather than physical. An uncomfortable mix of emotions had started swirling inside her, anger, guilt, sadness, all led on by the fact that this was it, she can say goodbye to him, she will never hear again the sound of his voice, the playing of his violin only lives on in memories, they will never kiss again, never patrol together again. She had been hearing Oktavia talking to her a lot ever since the whole thing went down, and the Mermaid Witch wasn't really consoling her any, sharing the way her heart hurt. Sometimes she kept dreaming of being Oktavia, but not like the gigantic curse, instead a more humanlike version. Of course, Ula was actually trying to console anything, but Sayaka wasn't really up to hearing her out. She usually ended it by patting the tiny mermaid's head and walk away to throw herself on patrol. There was some sort of cruel luck that Witches spawned here in Paris, despite the uncomfortable implications, because she was so limited right now, she had to make her magic count. The only thing she was using it for when not hunting is preserving Bow's body in her Labyrinth, because she wants to give him back to his fathers back to his home some day. They at least deserve him to see him one last time, even if it's a malevolent visit the one they will be getting. Bow would probably want to be buried in Etheria anyway. Carrying out that duty was Tramonto with its fire magic, while Attesa was playing out the sorrow of Sayaka's heart on the piano. The bluenette isn't currently in the Labyrinth, but rather out on patrol again.
Bow	Bow lay motionless, his body a testament to the devastation wrought by the explosion. His once vibrant form now a twisted wreck, barely recognizable. Sayaka had brought him in, hope waning as she gazed upon the shattered remnants of her love. It was a sight that would have condemned him to a closed casket burial, had he been any other. Meanwhile, in the outside world, the defeat of Beryl sent shockwaves through the realm. Yet amidst the chaos and despair, a glimmer of hope flickered. A soft, ethereal glow enveloped Bow's broken form, as if drawn to the purity of his spirit. Gradually, the light intensified, weaving around him like a protective cocoon. Then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the light dissipated, leaving behind a miraculous transformation. Where once there was ruin, now stood Bow in his entirety. His body, now pristine and unblemished, lay still for a few heart-stopping moments. It was a sight that could stir even the most stoic to action.
Sayaka Miki	A curious gaze is reserved from the familiar's eldritch visage to the miraculous restoration in front of them, neither of them ceasing to carry out their activity even as that mysterious phenomen is going on in front of their eyes. Tramonto and Attesa talk briefly to each other, discussing the uncertain event that has just unfolded. Should they talk about it to their mistress? The answer they settle on is no. They should her come to them when she feels ready. They really don't want to upset her precarious emotional balance any further. Even if Kyubey has paid his visit to twist the knife in, no doubt an attempt to push her to despair once more. To Tramonto's vindictive joy, it had been allowed to burn him good that day, reducing him to cinders so that there was nothing for his next body to eat. How is ''that'' for wasteful? The sorrowful tune keeps playing as each of them keeps to their position, their intentions unchanged.
Bow	After that pivotal moment, a tremor coursed through Bow's revitalized form, his chest heaving as if reclaiming the very essence of life itself. His fingers, once limp and still, clenched with renewed vigor, grasping at the air in desperate longing. The shudder that ran through him echoed the tumultuous journey his spirit had just traversed, from the brink of oblivion back into the realm of the living. With a sudden, ragged intake of breath, his eyes, once dulled by near-death, snapped open like a storm clearing after relentless darkness. The intensity in his gaze was palpable, fueled by a primal need to find her. "Sayaka!" His voice, hoarse and raw with emotion, rang out into the stillness, a cry echoing through the labyrinth. Struggling against the lingering weakness that threatened to hold him down, Bow summoned every ounce of strength. His limbs quivered with effort as he pushed himself upright, muscles protesting yet driven by an unyielding determination. Fingers trembling, he reached out, seeking her presence with an urgency that transcended mere physical recovery. "Sayaka!" he called again, the name a mantra on his lips, each repetition a fervent plea that carried the weight of his undying love and the depths of his soul's longing.
Sayaka Miki	The sorrowful music stops when Bow starts moving again, the two Familiars staring incredulous at the evolution of that change. They start speaking to each other again, in that Witch language that only a few can understand, occasionally staring at the boy screaming Sayaka's name. Neither of them wants to be the one to break the news. Can they really say they are able to avoid messing it up? Nevermind the fact they aren't really sure how to start explaining any of this. Eventually they resolve to have Attesa talk with Sayaka while Tramonto stays close to Bow, putting a hand on his shoulder to communicate him to stay put, flaming numbers appearing in the air besides him to communicate it is currently the 16th of July. If nothing else, he can see for himself he is in the Concert Hall Labyrinth.
Bow	As Bow attempts to sit up, his muscles protest with each movement, a sharp reminder of the recent battle. He grits his teeth, determined to rise despite the pain coursing through his body. His hands find purchase on the ground, pushing against it with all his might. Tramonto's numbers is taken in, but they are overruled out by a single, burning question. "Thanks for the info," he manages to say, his voice strained. His legs tremble as he fights to stand, each moment a testament to his resolve. "But where is Sayaka?" he reiterates, his eyes blazing with determination, even as he finally stands on unsteady feet.
Sayaka Miki	Tramonto understands nothing of what Bow is trying to tell it. That is the limit that separates its kind from humanity. The best it can do is tell Bow has pronounced Sayaka's name, because it has heard that sound often being addressed towards its mistress, but even so, any reply to tell him she is coming would be completely unintelligible to him, so all it does is nod, hoping that would suffice as a reply. It is only a matter of minute, before Sayaka arrives and freezes, staring at Bow like she is looking at a trick of her imagination. Those faintly reddened eyes swell up with tears again, not taking any step towards him, a frown the welcome he gets. "So what are you then? A ghost? A figment of my imagination? I certainly did not expect I'd be going crazy so soon." She takes a deep breath, her pained speech not stopping there. "Why did you have to go and die like that? That isn't fair. What do you think your family is going to think once I bring you back and a dead body is the first thing they see from you in possibly years? What am I going to do now? Do I just go ahead... and what, try to get over it? You could have stayed close to other mahous, not just rush into the enemy like that!? You are an archer! What is an archer supposed to be doing at close range, anyway? The closest you have come to using swords was when you fired mine from your bow!" The Labyrinth shakes and trembles like a light earthquake in response to Sayaka's distress as she sits on a chair, feeling her legs starting to betray her. "I should have been there for you. That is my fault. All of this was too late. If only I had been there a minute earlier, I could have helped you. Instead I have been a complete failure. What a joke I am."
Bow	Bow clenches his fists, realizing that trying to convey any useful information to Tramonto is an exercise in futility. Frustration boils over, and he smacks his fist against his thigh, a futile attempt to channel his growing agitation. But then, as if answering an unspoken prayer, Sayaka appears before him. His heart lurches, a torrent of emotions crashing over him. He longs to rush to her, to sweep her into his arms, to kiss her and confess how deeply he loves her. Yet, before he can act, an unseen force from her words strikes him, a blow more painful than the one that had killed him. "Saya... it's me," he says quietly, his voice trembling with emotion. "I don't know how, but I was revived." He searches her eyes, desperate for understanding. "They must have defeated Beryl. It's the only explanation that makes sense." He takes a hesitant step towards her, each movement filled with yearning. "Someone else was in danger. I needed to protect them. Yes, I'm an archer, but I was out of arrows. I used whatever I could find," he continues, his voice earnest and pleading. He can't bring himself to tell her she wasn't there. "I did what I had to do so everyone could survive," he insists, closing the distance between them. "Stop berating yourself. You couldn't predict what happened any more than I could. None of this is your fault, or mine. It's a war. Crazy things happen in a war. I don't understand how I was restored, but I'm not questioning it. You are no joke, Saya," he says, his voice filled with a mix of firmness and tenderness. He kneels before her, his hands gently covering hers. "I'm here. Alive. Whole and hale. Can you not just accept that?" His eyes search hers, hoping for a sign of acceptance, of reconciliation, of the love they share.
Sayaka Miki	"Beryl is dead, yes", Sayaka shrugs as if that is inconsequential to their situation. "She had turned gigantic and could be seen from anywhere in the city, and then she disappeared. She was probably defeated then." Why is she even going along with the tricks her mind is paying on her? "This contract is more of a sham than ever", Sayaka shakes her head, not moving from the chair she had conjured. "I didn't take part in that fight at all, Bow", Sayaka admits. "I am just a liability only good for hunting Witches, and your death really has shown me why." She converts her Soul Gem from ring form to egg form, that is half filled with corruption. "The heroine of justice that has to stay in her lane otherwise she goes back to being a monster. This is the best I have been able to achieve with a constant supply of Grief Seeds. I miss you so much, and thinking about you is like being stabbed." She slams her arm against the wall of the Labyrinth. "I miss you so much, but I don't care if you say this is war. We are supposed to look out for each other, and that is precisely what did not happen. I should have been faster, or suggested everyone to get inside a Labyrinth, so we could avoid being split up. And now what? Let's say you are real. Wanna go ahead as if nothing had happened? As if I didn't just see you die? I would be happy if you were alive, and I wouldn't want you to leave me ever again. But you were only doing the right thing."
Bow	"Why do you think I'm not alive? Talking to me in the past tense. I'm here. I'm alive," Bow's voice rises, tinged with a mix of frustration and desperation. "I know I was killed. I don't know how I'm back... dammit, bluebird." His grip tightens as he takes her hand, pressing it firmly over his heart. "Feel this," he demands, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat under her palm. "Stop this, Saya. I'm alive. I'm here. I'm present." His eyes bore into hers, trying to break through the haze of her disbelief. But Saya continues her dangerous slide, her gaze distant and filled with turmoil. Just as she is about to slam her wall against the Labyrinth, Bow acts. With a swift, decisive move, he catches her by the wrist, yanking her from her chair and into his arms. "What happened was not your fault," he insists, his voice softening yet still urgent. "Do you want to pretend I'm dead? Do you want to live your life without me?" His lip quivers, revealing the depth of his hurt and fear. He holds her tightly, his eyes pleading with hers. "Because I came back for you. And I can only promise to give you what time I have, Saya." His voice cracks, the vulnerability raw and unmasked. He searches her face, hoping for a sign that she understands, that she still cares. "Please," he whispers, "let me be here for you."
Sayaka Miki	Sayaka doesn't really know what it means for him to be back, because she doesn't really know why that would happen. She has seen magic do crazy stuff, but nothing that would be directly responsible for Bow's return. And yet he is really keen on proving to her he is in fact real, when he presses her hand against his beating heart, and she can feel his warmth radiating out from his skin. The incredulity is broken when Bow removes part of the physical distance between the two of them, and Sayaka's heart trembles, getting any distance that was left out of the way when she hugs him tight, staining his shirt with tears. "I am sorry, it has just been a day, but I have missed you so much", she whispers against him. "Don't go anywhere like that ever again, Bow. I will do my best to always be there, it's a promise this time, but I don't think I could stand it if this were to repeat." She looks up at him, registering his now immaculate face. "Miracles don't happen twice. If whatever brought you here isn't around next time, what then? I want you to be here. For as long as eternity."
Bow	Pressed against Sayaka, Bow's arms enveloped her, drawing her close in an embrace that spoke of relief and longing. He could feel the rapid beat of his heart matching the intensity of the moment. The warmth of his body against hers affirmed his existence, reassuringly real despite the recent horrors. Sayaka's tears left a damp imprint on his shirt, a tangible reminder of her emotions. Lowering his head, he buried his face in her bluenette locks, inhaling her scent as he nuzzled her gently, pressing a tender kiss to her crown. "It's only been a day," he murmured softly, his voice filled with both reassurance and a hint of vulnerability. Her embrace was powerful, overwhelming in its intensity, and he returned it as best as he could manage. "And now I'm back," he continued, his tone firm yet tinged with the weight of their shared experiences. "I'll do my best to avoid getting hurt again, but I can't stay sheltered. This is war. I learned that on Etheria, fighting alongside the Rebellion even as a child. I understand now that I have this lifetime, and I'll make every moment count." Looking deeply into her eyes, he paused for a moment, the gravity of his words hanging in the air. "I'll give what I can," he vowed quietly. And then, without warning, he kissed her. It was a kiss filled with all the warmth and affection he felt, a silent promise conveyed through the touch of his lips on hers, his eyes closing in blissful surrender to the moment they shared.
Sayaka Miki	"It hasn't only been a day", Sayaka says between Bow's gesture of affections. "It has been a whole day in which I had to deal with the fact I would never see you again, all the while my Soul Gem kept building up corruption, and I was trying to avoid any negative thoughts, but I couldn't because you were ''there'' and you were dead and I had to look after my Soul Gem." She undoes the hug and starts walking about, clearly anxious and agitated. "And every time it got more polluted, I had more flashbacks to your death, and every single use of magic was calculated because I didn't want to go over the edge, but I still had to fight in the catacombs because there were youmas everywhere, and then I started looking for Witches to get more Grief Souls. Kyubey was here once too. He was trying to get me to become a Witch again, but I can regulate myself, and I made my stance clear, but I couldn't help the others, because then I would just revert to Oktavia, and would do more harm than good." Sayaka stops, a glance towards the Soul Gem, and then the application of yet another Grief Seed. "And now you are back. And I just can't deal with the fact you are so accepting of throwing away your life. I don't care if this is war! I don't want to see you die. And yet you did. And I wasn't there to help you. And I probably won't be there again either." She shakes her head. "Why is it ok just because it's war, do I have to be all "Oh, yeah, it was war, so I shouldn't mind that he died". I love you, Bow, and I don't want to hear any of it." She lets him kiss her, wondering how long will this last, before he dies again in the name of war.
Bow	As Sayaka pulls away, Bow sinks heavily into a nearby seat, feeling the weight of the emotional chasm between them. He struggles to find the right words to comfort her, caught in the midst of his own turmoil. "What do you need me to say, Saya?" he begins, his voice tinged with a mix of exhaustion and earnest concern. "I died. I was separated from my body, became a spirit. I helped Jolly when we were stranded. And then she sacrificed herself too. Tuxedo and Sailor Moon have been through similar trials." Watching her pace with agitated steps, he furrows his brow, grappling with the memories clawing at the edges of his mind. "I'm overjoyed to be back, Sayaka," he continues, his words edged with frustration born from reliving the harrowing details. "But dwelling on death... on my shattered bow, being hunted by Drie after she took Daifuku's life to get to me... running out of power and resorting to a rose, given to me by Tuxedo, to confront her." "Do you want me to recount the look of sheer terror on her face as her henshin broke and she realized the end was near? To relive the explosion, the searing pain, those agonizing seconds before everything went dark... where my last thoughts were of you and Glimmer?" His voice trembles with the rawness of his recollection, the memories vivid and painful in the present moment. Tears start to fall down his chocolate colored skin. "So yes, I can do that," he says firmly, his gaze unwavering. "Or we can acknowledge that it happened, I've returned, and I want us to move forward, Sayaka." His frustration softens into a quiet plea tinged with vulnerability. "But if you need me to keep reliving those moments... if that's what you truly want..." He pauses, his heart heavy with the weight of his next words. "...then maybe it's better if you do it without me. Because loving you means I'd rather let you go than see you in pain."
Sayaka Miki	Sayaka didn't really want to hear all that misery, of all that it meant for him to go through that, of all that he had suffered. It accentuated her gulit, and she didn't know what to reply either, because her joy to have him back was strangled by the fear to lose him again. "I don't... need that. I know that you went through your own things. I wouldn't feel this bad about it if it was just something painless. But it happened, and as much as I don't want you to keep reliving those moments, I can't just will myself to get over it", she replies, drying some tears from her eyes. A sorrowful smile is given to Bow. "Do you really think that getting out of my life will make me feel any better? Losing you again after you just came back? If you need a break from me, go ahead and do it. But I don't want to lose you. I want to be with you for as long as I can." She bites her lips, her face clearly showing the turmoil of her heart. "Promising to be there for you is one of the first thing I did, so I don't want to be such a burden for you. It hurts hearing that you saw Daifuku like that. It hurts that Drei was chasing you down. It hurts that you stayed with Jolly instead of giving me any sign you were around. It hurts that you had to see her die too", Sayaka cries out, tears descending like rivers. "I want you to stay. Is it really so cruel for me not to get over the fact that your body was laying there dead? I want the both of us to be happy, but I don't get why you think leaving me will make it any better!"
Bow	Sayaka made it painfully clear that she wanted Bow to acknowledge the haunting specter of his past, to admit that nightmares would forever stalk his sleep, that the trauma would replay relentlessly in his mind, leaving him helpless in its grip. Guilt and hurt warred within him as he reluctantly shared his ordeal, pressured by her relentless demand for emotional disclosure. His hands trembled uncontrollably, desperately grasping at his trousers, his head bowed in shame. "Then we're at an impasse. You won't release your hold, and I can't move forward with you clinging to my past," he murmured, voice strained with emotion, tears staining his cheeks without restraint. "I had hoped you understood I needed to move beyond this. Why would you insist on dredging it all up?" Listing the sacrifices made in haunting detail, Bow's voice cracked with frustration and sorrow. "Daifuku gave her life for me. I died to save everyone. Jolly was the only one who truly saw me. Even my music couldn't reach you. What more can I do? Should I have let Drie take me? What do you want from me, Sayaka? What do you need? Another descent into darkness so you can revel in your grief? To spiral closer to Oktavia, with no chance of return?" He took a shaky breath, struggling to maintain composure. "If you prefer to keep seeing me as a ghost, rather than as the person standing in front of you..." With resolve, he pushed himself to his feet. "I need to leave. Before words escape us that we can't take back, I need space. Open the door and let me go."