RE:WRITTEN

026: Golden Resilience

"Are you okay?"

I sit down at a table in the library. I hold my head in my hands as my Written Form fades away. A few tears drip onto the table.

"No. I'm not. Snowie, I'm not okay. I don't think any of us are okay right now."

The Kistune jumps up onto the table. I feel her nudge my arm a little. When I glance at her, the fox smiles and wags all three of her tails.

"It's okay to not be okay. Trust me. Even a happy fox like me has rough times. Want a cuddle buddy? I can just be here for you if I can't help much."

I feel my lips twitch for a moment. I move my arm up, and Snowie takes it as an opportunity to wedge herself underneath. I gently wrap my arms around the fox. Upon burying my nose into her fluffy white fur, I hear myself sniffle.

"Thanks Snowie." I sniffle again as tears run from my eyes.

The fox puts her chin on my shoulder. I hear her whimper a little as she nuzzles into my hold. "You're not alone, Sakasu. So many people care about you here. Just give it time, and everything should be okay."

I clench my eyes shut. "I hope so."

I hear a few footsteps come from the side. A few murmurs can be heard, but I can't make out the owners of the voices. I don't even know what they said. For all I know, it could be someone talking to Amai.

"Sakasu?"

That's not Amai.

I raise my head and look to the side. Snowie and I watch as Soveliss and Naomi approach the two of us. Neither one wears their Written Form. The Kistune's ears perk up a little as they get closer.

"Hey..." I whisper. I move an arm away from Snowie in order to rub my eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"That's what we were about to ask you," Soveliss sighs. "We heard the commotion near the Healing Tank. Ikimono told us a little bit about what happened before going to train alone. The two of us and Allisa wanted to check on everyone."

I shake my head.

"I'll be okay eventually. I just need to distract myself."

Naomi offers a hand to me. "Do you want to go on a walk with me? Maybe you and I could talk. Get your mind back in gear so we can all talk as a team."

I wait for a moment. Do I really want to do that right now? It could help me in the long run. Besides, a talk is really what all of us need, but we won't be able to do that if we aren't calm and in the right headspace.

I reach out for Naomi's hand.

"Sure. A walk and talk won't hurt."

Snowie stands up. She trots over to the edge of the table. "Oh! Oh! Can I come? Please? I wanna go on a walk!"

Naomi giggles for a moment. "Up to Sakasu. I don't mind." She pulls me up from my seat. "What do you think?"

I smile down at the fox. "Come on, Snowie. Let's go."

Soveliss smiles at the two of us.

"Be safe, both of you." He recommends. "I don't want you two getting hurt. Maybe stay in Vibrance or near the observatory?"

Naomi nods. "We'll do that. Don't worry, Soveliss. We'll be okay."

"Alright." Soveliss says. "I'll see you both when you get back. Hopefully we'll all be ready for a conversation."

Naomi, Snowie, and I all walk to the exit in silence. My heart begins to race while we enter the Forest of Vibrance. Snowie trots in front of us. The sun shines above, lighting the sky and trees around us. The scenery reminds me that we're safe.