[CRANKSHAFT RAFFLESIAN] Crankshaft Effect

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

A detour through evening light..

Your trek takes you through a maze of alleys and streets off the usual path for the two of you, the older more historical buildings preserved and refurbished yet maintaining a certain nostalgic feel.

You are left lost in someone else’s memories.

Dotty: Why are we here?

Lex: Good question. So like..

Lex: Had a little something planned.

Lex: You’ve been showing me a lot of those little sketches.

Dotty: Right.

Lex: And I know you’ve been trying to piece them together. What’s real, what’s not, who these people are, and what’s important out of all of it.

Dotty: Mm..

Lex: And I guess I managed to do just a little research of my own..

Lex: And well…

Lex: There’s a whole lot to unfold but uh..

Lex: You craving dessert?

Dotty: I mean we just ate but…

Dotty: I could go for it..

Dotty: You.. hmm.

Lex: Something wrong?

Dotty: Just thinking I guess.

Being here gives you conflicting feelings, you piece together whatever she’s scheming little by little but…

Dotty: We almost there?

Lex: Yeah!

Lex: So uh..

You’ve been to this place many times in the past.

But..

Lex: Corner.

Dotty: I know.

You stop the rabbit and take lead.

You cling onto her hand

Lex: Hope this was okay, I just..

Lex: Wanted to know I’ve always got your back on all this and..

Lex: Whoever you end up in the end of all this well..

Lex: We love you, you know?

Lex: That’s never going to change.

Dotty: I guess I know one day the dream’s going to end.

Dotty: I’m going to open my eyes,remember it all.

Dotty: And I don’t know who I’m going to be after all that.

Dotty: What name I’ll recognize..

Dotty: My whole personality could change..

Lex: Then let me be there when you wake up.

Lex: And even if you’re different, even if you don’t feel the same..

Lex: I’d care about you just as much.

Lex: Even if we were just friends-

Dotty: That’s never changing.

Dotty: No matter what happens, I’m not letting whoever’s there drop that.

Dotty: But..

Dotty: This kind of talk does make me feel like we’re reaching some kind of endpoint.

Dotty: I think I know it in my gut too.

Lex: We got plenty more left.

Dotty: It feels like they’re happening less these days…

Lex: Things are busy right now like…

Lex: Making a lot of big decisions, you know?

Lex: And like..

Lex: If we slow down for a bit, that’s gonna be okay.

Lex: We got plenty more left in us.

Lex: Even if they’re just mundane little things..

Lex: Life’s worth living.

Dotty: I don’t really want things to be hectic anyway like..

Dotty: Think I’m good on a lot of that.

Dotty: I just.. Don’t want things to feel less exciting for you I guess.

Dotty: Jam too, she there?

Lex: Listening a bit, just tired.

Lex: They’ll tag in for this.. Just…

She leads you through one last gap, up to a little table at the old spot.

A set of cutesy cold desserts that draw the eye in immediately.

Jam: Surprise.

Dotty: Switched pretty smoothly that time…

Jam: Giving her a bit of a break, she’s about to go full sappy.

Jam: Know wordy how that gets..

Dotty: Yeah..

Jam: Can’t let the whole thing melt, you know?

Jam: She’s peeking in too..

Dotty: Thought you needed a break?

Jam: I’m not missing out on this, you kidding?

Jam: Took a bit of work, had to call in some favors..

Jam: Kurt even pitched in. He’s back in town for real this time.

Dotty: Is he?

Jam: Yeah, was on tour overseas helping TCPs situate.

Jam: He’s decided they’re real actually. Strange career paths..

Dotty: We need to hang out proper..

Jam: We dooooo.

Jam: But.. enough of that. Just..

They lean into your shoulder.

Jam: Here to mostly say the same thing.

Jam: No matter what happens with ya’ll, nothin’s changing.

Jam: And I’m making sure we stick together through it all.

Dotty: That serious about it?

Jam: God knows I’ll throw hands if anyone tries to take you from me.

Dotty: Never seen you throw a punch..

Jam: I’ll learn, Lex’ll teach me.

Jam: Owes me a few solids.

Dotty: Yeah?

Jam: Yeah. And right now I’m cashing in on one quick.

They snuggled up to you.

Jam: We’re gonna be taking turns a ton tonight, that okay?

Dotty: Always..

Jam: Good. Right now we just need a day like this I think.

Jam: Remind ourselves of how good we got it.

Jam: Even when money’s tight, even when life’s a mess, we got you.

Jam: And we get to look forward to a lot more of that…

Jam: Love you… don’t really know a way to make it not sound corny but….

Jam: Feels like the point… what makes it so hard for people to say it the first time..

Dotty: We’ll get it right.

Jam: Think so?

Dotty: We’ll get a million changes to perfect that.

Dotty: That’s always something to look forward to.

Jam: Might goof it plenty.

Dotty: That’s fine, part of why I love you too…

Dotty: No matter how many adventures or how much time we got left..

Dotty: As long as I get to see you smile a little everyday, I’m happy..