Chapter Text
Lunch was still a couple of hours away, but Siffrin agreed to do some light exercise with Amelia. The two of them went out into the non-smoker's area, where there were various vivid flowers in large pots, as well as a single wooden bench. The air was crisp, cool, and Siffrin took a deep breath in.
Amelia got in front of him so he could see her, and she stretched her arms out by her sides. Siffrin did the same, smiling nervously.
"I actually used to be a yoga teacher." Amelia shared with him.
"Oh, stars." He thought to himself with a tinge of annoyance. Amelia wasn't about to preach about yoga, organic food, and essential oils, was she?
"I...uhm. I don't want to do anything extreme." Siffrin forced out a laugh.
"Oh no! I won't make you do anything like that. We're just going to do something light to get your blood flowing."
Amelia led Siffrin into some basic stretches. Toe touching. Side to side. Jumping jacks.
"Thanks, Amelia." Siffrin smiled after the stretches were done. "I'm definitely warmer now."
"I'm glad!" Amelia grinned.
Siffrin sat on the bench, and glanced at the vibrant blooms next to him. He gently extended a hand to the petals, stroking one. Siffrin never really knew much about flowers; just that they were pretty and people enjoyed receiving them as gifts.
"Do you like the tulips?" Amelia said next to him, "I planted these a couple weeks ago. Every week, someone gets put on watering duty."
"They're lovely." Siffrin said, meekly. "They're sunrise colored."
Siffrin pointed to the orange petals gradually turning yellow on the way down.
"Here, have one!" The florist in Dormont's voice rang in Siffrin's ears, prompting him to cover them tightly. No no no no! "You could keep it, or gift it to someone special!"
"Someone special!"
"Someone special!"
No no no no! No!
"Siffrin...?" Amelia looked at them with concern, she reached to touch their shoulder.
Siffrin shrieked, batting her hand away harshly and scooting backwards. Unfortunately, he fell over backwards too. He glanced upwards at the clear early-spring sky, cloudless as can be.
He was back in that meadow, wasn't he?
His whole family swore up and down that he was out of the loops. Why now was he back at that cursed meadow?
Siffrin grabbed his sideburns, pulling them hard and gritting his teeth. His lungs screamed for air that couldn't get in. Black spots danced in his vision and he took off running. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had to get away.
"Siffrin!" A voice shouted from afar. But that...didn't sound like Mirabelle. "Siffrin, come back!"
Hot tears streamed down his cheek as he asked the Universe "Why? Why? Why?".
Red hot pain seared onto his forehead as he collided with the trunk of a large tree. The favor tree? He looked up, hyperventilating. He groped his belt for a dagger that wasn't there.
Someone gripped his shoulder firmly, making him freeze up.
"Siffrin," A different voice said firmly, "You need to calm down."
Siffrin whipped his head around, only to find his reflection staring back at him.
Wait, what?
"Breathe with me." The reflection spoke, then raised a hand to their chest. Siffrin mimicked the gesture, despite doing it hundreds of times in the past.
Deep breath iiiin...
And sloooowly back out...
Siffrin blinked. Why was his reflection talking to him? He reached a hand out, gloved fingertip gently touching cool skin. The reflection stared numbly at him in return.
"Y-you're not...a mirror." Siffrin choked out, taking a step back and rubbing his throbbing forehead. "Ow..."
"Of course not." The reflection pointed at Siffrin's hair length, "Your hair has gotten longer since our last...altercation."
Siffrin took another deep breath, then took a good look at what may as well have been his twin.
Short white hair with black tips, white cloak, identical to the one he had at home, the very same gloves...
"Loop?" He whispered.
"If not me, who else?" Loop quipped with a light-hearted smirk.
"Loop!" Siffrin lunged towards them, enveloping their body into a tight hug. "Holy CRAB! You're back!"
"Yeah, against my will." Loop huffed. "I don't know why I'm back, though."
Siffrin wrung his hands nervously after releasing Loop from the hug.
Siffrin looked at the large tree he had crashed foolishly into. No, this wasn't the Favor Tree back in Dormont. He had seen it so many times during his loops that he memorized how the trunk looked. Not once had a spider been spotted, seemingly annoyed at having to remake it's web.
"This isn't..." Siffrin trailed off.
Loop crossed their arms.
"We're not in Dormont anymore." They said.
"But, the florist." Siffrin spoke, "I heard his voice."
"The florist isn't here either."
Siffrin sighed, somewhat with relief, as he looked around the open field...and the small scraping of blood on the trunk of the tree.
"When did you...show up?" Siffrin asked nervously.
"...I came to be around...thirty minutes ago. It's...a strange feeling." Loop stated
Siffrin sweated nervously, tilting his head. "Huh...? But..."
Loop gestured to the field, and the mental health building in the distance. "What building is that? I don't recognize it."
"So...I got enrolled into a program..." Siffrin meekly smiled, "Because I've blindingly messed up."
"You and me both." Loop stated plainly.
"...oh crab," Siffrin looked off into the field one more time. "People are probably looking for me after I ran off..."
Sure enough, there in the distance but approaching quickly, was Amelia, and the lady in charge.