Chapter Text
Okay. So. The Sadnesses were mixed up in the House, which wasn’t great, but you beat the King! Twice now! That was… good.
(Except that you’re still here…)
But it’s progress! It’s progress!
And you’re strong enough now that the Sadnesses being on the wrong floors is more of an inconvenience than anything, really. So. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
(…)
Just keep going.
For the past several loops, you’ve ignored the storage room, but with there being stronger Sadnesses on this floor now, the extra tonics would be smart to grab.
(The door is locked tight.)
(Look at it curiously.)
“Change.”
> “Stostorage roomoom.”
“Openphrase123.”
You ignore the confused looks on your allies’ faces.
“What.” Odile shakes her head. No reason to bother thinking too deeply about why you know an openphrase. She knows someone could have told you, thinking that the saviors knowing how to get past any locks would be important.
Isabeau tries to meet your gaze, but you tilt your head so that your hat keeps you hidden.
“Well, let's go inside, then…” he says as you head towards the tonics and juices, handing them all to Bonnie.
[Psst…]
You jump.
“Sif?” Isabeau gives a worried look.
[Oopsie! Sorry!]
You go to the bookcase and pretend to look at titles as you listen to Loop.
(They seem to be genuinely sorry whenever they make you jump around your allies, so it must be something important.)
[It is.]
(You wonder again if they can read your mind.)
[No I can’t, we’ve been over this, but. Uh… I think there’s a key in here?]
(What?)
> “What?”
“Hmm?” Odile looks up from the book she pulled out, and your cheeks darken.
Oops! Great going idiot for saying that out loud!!!
[I think there’s a key in here.]
Yeah, you heard them the first time.
[Just… check around? The… desk, I think? Maybe?]
Odile’s eyes narrow as you slowly put the random book in your hands back and turn to search the desk.
It doesn’t take long to find the egg key.
(???)
> “That’s an egg.”
(…)
You say this helpfully, because you’re too shocked to say anything other than your lines, even if it's in the wrong room.
Bonnie makes grabby hands. “An egg?”
This is… weird. You shake your head, and Bonnie narrows their eyes.
“Ah, so the next key should be a broken egg, right?” Isabeau smiles easily. It doesn’t get easier. How everyone’s reactions are like they’re saying everything for the first time.
(Because for them, this is the first time.)
Bonnie is still making grabby hands. Nothing bad happened before. It’s not like anything happens when they bite the keychain. Well, except that it got sticky.
(But this feels weird. Maybe don’t let the kid touch any of the keys and crests until you figure out what’s happening.)
(Pocket the egg without a word.)
> (Bite the egg.) “Chomp.”
Ick. Bitter. You didn’t expect that, since it smells pretty sweet.
Bonnie’s eyes widen as they straighten, corner of their mouth twitching. Seems they didn’t expect you to try biting the key.
“… getting out of the egg, change also means destruction, blablabla,” Isabeau continues.
“Well, um... Yes, pretty much,” Mirabelle murmurs.
Crossing their arms, Bonnie joins their conversation, “Can't make pancakes without breaking a few eggs.”
“It’s ‘omelettes,’ Bonbon,” Isabeau corrects them.
“YOU’RE an omelette, Za!” Bonnie explodes.
Isabeau raises an eyebrow. “A terrifying rebuttal from the preteen.”
The bitter taste from the egg spreads over your tongue, leaving it feeling tingly. It feels like when you ate some berries you mistook for the edible version. Thankfully you only ate a few and just got sick for a few days, but that was… rather embarrassing, even though you were all alone going through that. You really hope you don’t get sick like that in the House. The bathroom isn’t until the third floor.
Mirabelle gets everyone’s attention. “And! And! For every change, something needs to break. Maybe changing yourself will hurt someone.”
Isabeau says cheerfully, “Maybe changing means leaving a part of yourself behind!”
Mirabelle looks calmer as she says, “It's to remind us that before changing, we must stop and think about what will be irreparably destroyed. But destruction is just a part of change, and we must accept it...”
“Yeah! It'd be awful to keep yourself from becoming a person you feel comfortable with just because it would upset someone else.” Isabeau’s still smiling, but Mirabelle looks nervous. Well, she always looks nervous, but…
Thoughtfully, Odile says, “Huh… That’s a harsher belief than I’d thought.”
Bonnie’s looking at the key again. Having gotten your dagger stolen right out from under your cloak almost twenty times, you’ve learned to notice when their fingers get sticky—metaphorically, not just literally from the candy and fruit in their pockets.
(Don’t let Bonnie snatch the key out of your hand.)
(Just lead everyone out of the room.)
“I already told you no.”
> (Bite the keychain again.) “Chomp, chomp.”
The bitter taste slides down your throat, feeling like a thick paste coating it. You make a disgusted face and cough into your cloak, Bonnie laughing as Odile gives you an exasperated look, even as the corner of her mouth twitches.
“It’s carved out of stone, Siffrin,” she says in the same light, almost teasing tone she uses with Bonnie when they’re the one biting the rock.
“HAHA!” Bonnie points at you, taunting.
(…)
> “Stupid blinding rock.”
Time to go. You pocket the key and swallow. And swallow. And swallow.
Your mouth still tastes bitter. The tingling travels all the way down to your stomach, and you flinch a little, expecting to feel that telltale tug.
“Oh, sorry, Sif!” Isabeau backs up a little.
(???)
You don’t think about it and consider whether to explore the other rooms or go straight to the egg door.
There’s no reason to waste any tonics fighting Nostalgie for nothing.
But…
On the way to the kitchen, you stop automatically where the tears should be.
“Siffrin?” Mirabelle asks.
You… keep walking, tense until you reach the kitchen’s door.
The tingling spreads further, but you assume it’s anxiety. It collects in your chest and hips. You’re still hungry, but the feeling isn’t exactly like that. It’s… weird. Like finding the egg key in the storage room weird.
“A Sadness?!” Mirabelle’s exclamation makes you jump.
On the other side of the stupid blinding counter is Nostalgie, floating ominously with its hands hidden as always.
“Aw, poor buddy lost its friends!” Isabeau’s hands are on his waist.
“Woah, this one feels weird,” Bonnie commented.
Taking her book out of her pocket, Odile says, “Boniface, it may look different, but it's still a Sadness like all the ones we've seen before.”
Bonnie crosses their arms. “Still feels weird.”
“I believe the preteen when it comes to the Sadness' weirdness, m'dame.” Isabeau gestures towards the Sadness.
Biting back a sigh, Odile grumbles, “Let's get the weird Sadness, then...”
The dialogue is the same, just as it was the same when they found the egg key. Just… it took place in a different room than usual.
This is… weird.
The tingling is getting even harder to ignore, but Nostalgie just noticed you all. It’s battle time.
Isabeau attacks first this time, but this Nostalgie is paper type, so his SMASH!!! skill doesn’t do much damage.
(… He doesn’t usually attack before you.)
The Drop Earring from the infirmary on floor two boosts his attack speed, but…
You feel bloated, suddenly. Your stomach is starting to cramp, and your clothes... feel tight? A little uncomfortably so? You're probably imagining it, because of the weird but oddly familiar pain.
Realization strikes, and you want to scream.
(Oh, stars, not now!!!)
Mirabelle attacks next. “Jolly Round Rondo!”
Odile send you a worried look. She knows you didn’t use Turn It Up. Like Isabeau’s Your Turn skill, you pose and snap your fingers when using that skill, to help boost the attack of whoever strikes for your turn.
(It’s just a blinding stomachache. Ignore it and fight.)
> “Knife To Meet You!”
“Too Cleaver By Half!”
“Make Up The Time!”
“Turn It Up!”
“Buy One Get One Three!”
“Done Heal!”
“In A While, Rockodile!”
Nostalgie curls into a ball and heals itself.
Stupid blinding Sadness.
Odile’s Scissor III finishes it off, and you notice your shirt is riding up…???
(Pull it down later.)
You take a breath in, and let it out.
“It dropped something!” Bonnie pointed, and you nearly stumble rushing around the counter…
… AND SMACK YOUR HIP AGAINST THE STUPID BLINDING CORNER AGAIN!!!!!
OW???? IT HURT EVEN MORE THIS TIME?????
“OH?” Isabeau blurts.
Odile smirks. “Siffrin. Did you really hit the counter and—"
(You clutch your sore hip, and, yep, you feel… more bloated you’ve been before, enough for your shirt to ride up partway over your belly button.)
> “YES I SAID NYA WHO CARES!”
Everyone jumps at the volume of your voice. You’re pretty sure someone would have made a comment about you being taciturn if Bonnie wasn't too distracted by the key to read that word in the dictionary.
“Woah,” Isabeau says, and you feel a little bad.
“Frin, are you...” Bonnie looks sad, and now you feel worse.
But then they suddenly smirk as they meet your eyes. “Nyan-gry?”
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)
Isabeau laughed loudly as Mirabelle snorted. Even Odile smiled.
… You feel a little better, but the bloated feeling and… you feel like your center of gravity is… off? Your clothes are definitely tighter than usual. You're not imagining that.
Bending down to pick up the crest is more of a hassle than it should be, and it’s Odile who helps you back up when Isabeau and Mirabelle hesitate.
“You hit that counter harder than I thought,” she commented.
Maybe you did. Your hip still hurt, but your other hip hurt too? But not like you hit it? Like it was… pushing outwards? Sometimes your hips felt like that before you stopped getting periods, but…
They… couldn’t be coming back, right? If you were going to start getting them again, it wouldn’t be now, right? Your body resets when the loops do, so…
(Ugh. Stop thinking about it. It’s fine.)
You just nod and pocket the crest. It’s possible the wall of tears moved, too, so might as well keep it on you.
It’s… warm in your pocket. Weird. It was never warm before.
Whatever.
You’re slower than usual while leading everyone towards the egg door. Only Odile comments but with a muttered, “Thank gems.” You probably weren’t meant to hear her.
“That wasn’t there before,” Isabeau comments, nodding at the row of tears in front of the stairs leading up to the dais where the gate was.
Before anyone else can say anything about it, a nearby scissors type Misère spots you, and it’s time to battle again. Bonnie stays behind you all but readies their wok, just in case.
Once again, Isabeau gets the first hit. “SMASH!!!”
Misère strikes Odile just before Mirabelle can attack it, and Bonnie rushes over to Odile with a sour tonic as you swallow back a burp.
(Ugh, that bitter taste again.)
(No time to worry about it. Just fight.)
“Knife To Meet You!”
“Too Cleaver By Half!”
“Make Up The Time!”
“Turn It Up!”
“Buy One Get One Three!”
“Done Heal!”
> “In A While, Rockodile!”
Misère vanishes, and you all get a bit stronger.
You breathe in, and out.
You should probably find some more to fight, so Mirabelle can learn Lovely Moving Cure as soon as possible, what with all the Sadnesses being messed up. You can equip that Memory for her, but you’d rather have her keep Memory of Butt Kicking for now. Odile didn’t K.O. during that fight with Misère, but she came close.
The fight alerted Anxiété to your presence. They fly over, and you all get ready.
Stupid, blinding exploding Sadness…
Usually, you’d evade it, but its defeat grants too much Experience for you to ignore, so after you let Odile use Examine on it, you suggest everyone guard against it.
It explodes, and all of you slide back from the shockwave. Damage is dealt, and everyone else takes a bigger hit that you do.
(Breathe in, and out.)
Bonnie throws a super sour tonic for you all to share, and you shutter and make a face when you take the first sip. Bonnie laughs at you, then laughs harder when Isabeau’s face screws up even more than yours does.
The others are now level 46. Just one more level before Mirabelle learns Lovely Moving Cure.
You want to go straight to the egg door, but your attention is drawn to the row of tears again. Even though Isabeau’s the one who noticed it earlier, he still nearly runs into it.
(You keep Isabeau from running into the life-ending tears.)
Mirabelle and Bonnie speak at the same time. “Huh?” “Hah?”
“WAH!” Isabeau jumps back from your arm, as though you burned him.
(… The… crest feels warmer…? Than before?)
And… you didn’t eat anything different this morning, and you’re sure it can’t be your period coming back, so what was with the weird and tight bloating feeling???
“Wh-what? What is it???” Isabeau startles a little as the rest of you look at him. “Is it the water? Should I... not touch the weird floating water?”
“The same weird water as before…” Odile notes, knuckle against her chin.
Bonnie bounced on the balls of their feet. “Oh, wait, I’ve heard about those! The villagers in Dormont call them Tears, and if you touch them you get frozen in time!!!”
Isabeau takes an abrupt step back. “Wait, so I almost DIED?!?”
“Maybe you should pay more attention, distracted one,” Odile says, looking annoyed.
“I'm keeping my eyes open for all threats except the ones in front of me!” Isabeau sounds calm again, speaking breezily.
In contrast, Mirabelle’s anxiety grows. “We should be more careful... We wouldn't want to touch those!”
Arms crossed and looking proud of themself, Bonnie exclaims, “Also, also! I also heard that being frozen makes you go to sleep, and gives you a super good dream!”
(…)
You grip the crest in your pocket as the others speak and Bonnie says a nice lady in Dormont told them that.
The crest is warm through your glove.
Your stomach cramps, and you do your best to hide your face. Your pants feel tight. They’re digging painfully into your hips, still tingling. Your chest still tingles, too, and you swear you can… feel your breasts? Rubbing against your biceps? They’re too small to feel them like that, though?
You resist the urge to pull up your cloak and check. You toss the crest into the tears. There’s a bright light, and they disappear. Okay, so that part’s normal at least.
Your chest suddenly aches?? The skin feels like it's stretching??? Oh, stars, your nipples are sore...!!!?? Okay, that's not normal.
(Ignore it. Keep going.)
Once it’s determined that a different key is needed for the gate, you lead your allies through the other door and past the armory, where you quickly defeat a paper type Tristesse. You’ll pick up the sharpening stone and tonic inside the armory on the way back.
Key time.
You find yourself holding up your round belly as you jog in front of the others, already starting to grow warm and winded.
“… Tired already, Siffrin?” Odile sounded more concerned than amused.
You open your mouth to answer, but Mirabelle spots the approaching Rancoeur and Amertume. Battle time.
This time, you’re slower than even Odile, and your breasts are now heavy enough that they pull down your shoulders and leave your back aching. Your chest… bounces as you move, feeling heavy and… warm. Something leaks, and your face is dark by the time Amertume is defeated, leaving Rancoeur floating just above Isabeau’s eye level.
At some point, the button on your pants popped off, and the zipper is pushed down as your belly continues… growing. You trip and hit the wall, sliding down and gasping as sweat beads down your face.
“KABOOM!!!” Isabeau roars, and Rancoeur is defeated, everyone awarded Experience as Mirabelle rushes over.
Her hands are already up, ready to heal, but you’re already catching your breath.
(You need to put her at ease.)
(Let her use Healing Craft on you.)
“I don’t know what happened.”
> “I’m fine, Mira.”
“Haha, whoopsie~”
“You don’t seem fine,” Odile observes, watching you with narrowed eyes as you try your best to get up without your pants falling down around your knees.
Stars, your lower back hurts! And the pressure behind your nipples is making them painfully sore.
And your thighs are stretching the fabric. The seams are close to ripping.
You waddle more than jog to the artist’s room. You’re trying your best to act normal, but you tripping over blinding nothing earlier doesn’t help with that.
[… The key isn’t in here.]
Loop sounds like they’re… panicking? They’re out of breath and sound like they’re in pain.
You can relate. You’re still sweating, and the cramps are getting worse. And... your shirt is wet.
Oh, stars, oh stars, what if you blinding leak through your blinding cloak????
(WHAT IS HAPPENING???????!!!!!?????)
You open the drawer you always do but don’t see the key, and Loop’s words finally sink in.
(… Stars.)
[It’s… it’s in that other room. With the candles.]
They’re breathing heavily, sounding like they’re either in a lot of pain or on the verge of a panic attack.
Once again, you can relate.
You lead the others into the other dorm room, the pie smell candles making your face scrunch up and your stomach churn. Ugh, suddenly apples and cinnamon sound really gross??? You usually like it???
“Siffrin?” Mirabelle sounds worried “H-here, just sit down for a moment.”
“You are really pale,” Isabeau notes.
“What’s wrong, Frin?” Bonnie takes out the peach they gave you once time in Mirabelle’s classroom.
(Reassure them.)
“I’m just peachy, Bonnie.”
“I didn’t sleep good. I’ll be fine after a few minutes.”
> (Scream.)
You can’t help it. The scream rips out of your throat as pain shoots up your spine. Your legs spread automatically as something... starts... pushing... out???!!!?????
You're not sure if you take off your cloak or if someone removed it for you.
“OH, CHANGE!!!” Mirabelle covers her mouth with both hands. Her eyes are blown wide.
Everyone stands in shock at the sight of you. Your pants are below your much wider hips, your enlarged ass hanging over the beltline and pressing against the cold, cold stone under you. Your hands press either side of the massive belly you’re surprised your cloak managed to hide earlier, and your shirt has ridden over the top of it, the fabric straining against your chest. The dark fabric's wet, liquid dribbling over your belly.
It’s… colder than it should be, you think. It doesn’t feel like milk. It feels more like water but a little sticky…??? EW???
Odile starts barking orders. Mirabelle yanks Bonnie out of the room to see if the sink in the kitchen runs. They need water. And towels. Regular cloth works too.
Bonnie left behind some tonics for you. Just in case. Stars, you really look that bad, huh?
Isabeau coaches you on how to breathe. You want to laugh, but you just scream again.
“Let him take your hand,” Odile orders as she starts lighting candles. The pie-smelling one has sparkles on it, showing that there’s a key… inside? Of blinding course. “Isabeau!”
He jumps and offers you his hand. He’s halfway through spluttering that you don’t have to hold it if you don’t want to when he shuts up and goes so still, you pause to wonder if there was a tear in here you forgot about.
Honestly, with how everything else has changed, you wouldn’t be surprised.
But he’s still breathing—shallowly. He hisses when you squeeze his hand harder as your other hand presses against the floor. You see stars when you hit the back of your head against the wall. You grit your teeth to bite back a scream as Odile swears under her breath while pulling off your shoes. Your feet swelled at some point. Your ankles, too.
“How did this even happen???” Isabeau’s eyes are wide. He winces as you squeeze his hand again as pain racks through you, condensing in your pelvis.
Oh stars, oh stars, oh stars, and you thought dying to the King hurt!!!
Odile has to use your dagger to cut your pants off your legs, apologizing as she does so.
“I was going to ask you that,” she said dryly, making Isabeau bristle as his face darkened. She sighs, casting a worried and confused look your way. “However, I know for a fact they did not… look like this last night. And I’m unaware of any Craft that can hide a pregnancy until labor starts, though that makes more sense than him getting this pregnant so suddenly!”
The room smells like apples and cinnamon, vanilla, and other sweet things. The room gets hotter and hotter.
“It’s… kinda warm?” Isabeau sounds abashed for complaining when you’re in this much pain, but you’re glad it’s not just you.
Your hair is plastered to your head. You wonder where your hat is.
“It… is…” Sweat beads along Odile’s brow, making her bangs stick to her skin. She sounds troubled, gaze growing unfocused. “It’s alright to scream, Siffrin. I’ve been told it’s even helpful at such a time as this.”
Despite what she said, you try to hold in a scream, but it rips out of you, your throat growing sore. You shutter against the aftermath, hands slick inside your gloves. Isabeau and Odile pull them off you, followed by your shirt. Blech, you really are leaking. A lot.
Isabeau licks his lips, cheeks getting darker and gaze growing distant. He shakes his head as if fighting back a thought.
Odile removed her coat while you were screaming, and her shirt’s unbuttoned. Isabeau keeps pushing up the sleeve on the hand you’re holding.
Heat condenses between your legs, and your lips part for what you think is a scream, but you moan instead and cringe as mortification washes over you in a huge wave.
“M’dame…” Isabeau gestures towards something behind her but she’s busy spreading your legs and telling you to shift so that you're laying down.
You don't want to move. You want to find the nearest tear. You want a Sadness to kill you. You want one of your friends to bend you over and use you. You want to bash your head against the wall for thinking that.
Your thighs quiver. You’re pretty sure most of that wetness isn’t sweat.
(Touch me. Touch me, touch me, touch me.)
You bite your tongue to keep from begging. You scream a guttural moan as another wave of pain strikes. More of the weird liquid leaks from your tits.
Odile stares between your legs, and you wiggle as you grunt and moan, shivering as you feel something get pushed out. It hits the floor with a gentle tap. It... rolls across the floor. Stops when it hits Odile's knee.
It's... an egg...???!!!???
Blinking fast and hard, Odile tries to focus as she continues to stare. When she talks, it sounds like her tongue is sticking to the roof of her mouth. “… That’s not a baby.”