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Verso: Alicia?
Maelle: Actually, I prefer “Maelle.”
Verso: I think I do too. But I’m not really Verso, and you’re not really Maelle, are you?
Maelle: You’re not Verso, no. You look and sound just like him. But you’re you. I’m still Maelle though. You should’ve helped me remember.
Verso: Yeah. I… I wanted to— but I… I’m sorry.
Maelle: I’m sorry too. If I’d listened to Maman— If I hadn’t trusted the Writers, Verso would still be alive, and you—
Verso: Wouldn’t exist.
Maelle: Wouldn’t be caught in the middle. Maman did a terrible thing, painting you into Verso’s Canvas. Giving you his memories. Pretending the fire only took me. But I’m glad you exist.
Verso: Your father was right to erase everyone. It’s better this way.
Maelle: Better for who? Verso would have never wanted his Canvas gone. He loved Esquie and his Gestrals and Grandis.
Verso: It was killing my… our mother, staying here so long in a make-believe world with her make-believe family.
Maelle: It’s not make-believe. It’s not… You’re not… To me. Papa’s here. He’ll help me fix Lumière.
Verso: Will he?
Maelle: Maman painted a rather unflattering portrait of him. He’s much warmer than the Renoir you know.
Verso: I bet.
Verso: Your father was the one erasing everyone. Why would he help repaint everything?
Maelle: I hid the Canvas before I entered, so Maman can’t come back again. There’s no need to erase the Canvas anymore.
Verso: He’ll want you to go home.
Maelle: I’m not at risk like Maman. I haven’t been in this Canvas that long. Besides, Papa has a soft spot for me, he’ll listen.
Verso: Hmm.
Maelle: Papa!
Renoir: Alicia. You’re safe. I thought I told you to stay home.
Maelle: Technically my body’s at home.
Renoir: Some of Aline’s finest work. I regret that it caused you so much pain. What Aline did was unfair, to you most of all. Please, accept the Dessendre family’s apologies. I know it seems absurd to offer oblivion as recompense, but perhaps that’s the outcome we both desire.
Maelle: What—
Renoir: I’m proud of you. Getting your mother out of the Canvas was not easy. But once we erase the Canvas, we won’t have to worry anymore.
Maelle: But she’s home now, why—
Renoir: You know your mother. Verso painted this Canvas, it contains a piece of his soul. She’ll never willingly part with it.
Maelle: No.
Renoir: For the sake of the living, we must part with the dead.
Maelle: No, Papa, see, I hid the canvas—
Renoir: She will always find it. This is our only opportunity, while she’s too sick from her prolonged descent into the canvas to return.
Maelle: But— No… Papa, Papa, please. This is Verso’s only Canvas. You can’t destroy the last piece of him that we have. This is my home now! You can’t just decide—
Renoir: Your home? After all that with your mother, you want to stay?
Maelle: You know how little remains of my life. Outside.
Renoir: Alicia. You’ll die. You’ve already been here longer than you should.
Maelle: But—
Renoir: No. Look at me, I said no. I am not letting my daughter risk her life. Alicia.
Maelle: I’m not Maman. I’m not going to lose myself if I stay!
Renoir: I know full well you will. And I am not doing this again.
Maelle: No! Papa, what are you—
Renoir: It’s time to go home.
Esquie: Mes amis!
Monoco: All aboard!
Maelle: Verso, come on. Come on! I can see them.
Maelle: Papa did it so easily. What am I doing wrong?
Monoco: Don’t be discouraged. It’s only been a day since you remembered your Paintress side.
Esquie: We believe in you!
Verso: Remember them. Painting isn’t about verisimilitude. It’s about essence. The truth of who they are. Your father made the Axons, right?
Monoco: She Who Plays with Wonder. He Who Guards Truth With Lies.
Verso: They’re the essence of your mother. And… your brother.
Lune: How did we—
Sciel: We gommaged…
Lune: Maelle… Your hair?
Maelle: We have much to talk about.
Lune: So you are her daughter. And you are a Paintress too.
Esquie: So cool, right??
Lune: And you. You knew this whole time. You fucking coward. You betrayed us. We trusted you and you—
Sciel: You can bring them back too, yeah? Everyone we’ve lost.
Maelle: I— Yeah. But I need chroma. And Papa controls all the chroma in the Canvas.
Lune: No. Not all of it. The Expeditioners, the ones killed by Nevrons. Gustave noticed their Chroma remains in their bodies. They never dissipated, like the Gommage.
Maelle: Hmmm. It’s old chroma, not pure. It won’t be like bringing the two of you back, but… we could use it in other ways.
Monoco: Time for the greatest Expedition in history.
Back at camp
Esquie: Oooooh, everyone’s mad at you.
Verso: Are you?
Esquie: Esquie can be sad or bad or even rad! But never ever mad. Bad things happen when we get mad.
Verso: Oh, I know.
Esquie: But I can never be mad at you.
Sciel: Save it.
Verso: …
Sciel: I don’t need your mea culpa. You did what you felt you had to. Of course, you were wrong, but… oh, well.
Verso: I thought you’d be more upset.
Sciel: I was. I got over it.
Verso: …
Sciel: Everything I knew about our world is wrong. And you know what? I don’t care. ‘Cause death isn’t death anymore. And that means, I can see my husband again.
Verso: Sciel…
Sciel: Oh, please. I’d sacrifice you in a heartbeat to get him back, so… I understand. We’re good.
Verso: Thank you.
Sciel: As long as you help me bring Pierre back. You owe me.
Verso: You got it.
Verso: Lune…
Lune: I was right not to trust you.
Verso: And what would you have done in my position?
Lune: I wouldn’t have betrayed my expedition. I would have warned them that everyone they cared about was about to be erased. That THEY were about to be erased. I would have told them the truth. Because after everything we’ve been through, we deserved that.
Verso: So you’d choose your expedition over your mother?
Lune: That’s your problem, you think in false dichotomies. It wasn’t an “either/or” situation. Other solutions were possible, if you’d only trusted us enough to ask.
Verso: Knowing what you know now, would you have helped me force my mother out of the Canvas?
Lune: …
Verso: I don’t apologise for saving her. But I am sorry I broke your trust. And I will do everything I can to help bring everyone back.
Lune: I guess we’ll see…
Monoco: Not to say I told you so, but I do believe that I did in fact… tell you so.
Verso: Thanks for the support.
Monoco: Was it worth it?
Verso: …
Monoco: What will you do now?
Verso: I’ll do my best to earn their trust back.
Monoco: Quite a steep hill to climb.
Maelle: We have to push Papa out of the Canvas before he erases everything.
Verso: I’m surprised he hasn’t already.
Maelle: He’s been weakened by his battle with Maman. That’s probably why he hasn’t come after us. But it won’t stop him for long.
Verso: If you and your father keep fighting, you risk breaking the world again. Another Fracture, but this time, it might be you trapped inside the Monolith.
Maelle: What’s the alternative?
Verso: Maybe… Maybe you should go home.
Maelle: Verso…
Verso: You’re fighting each other, but you’re all doing the same thing.
Maelle: No.
Verso: Aline wants her son back. Renoir wants you and Aline back. You want Gustave back. The cycle we needed to break wasn’t the Gommage. It’s your family’s cycle of grief.
Maelle: …
Verso: Our whole world carries the burden of your family’s grief.
Maelle finds a spot where she can write. She spends some time writing in Gustave’s journal, to honour his memory. She writes about everything. The Painters, Aline, Renoir… So no matter what happens, the truth will be written somewhere. Maelle immerses herself in Gustave’s journal, poring over every detail. She will forever cherish his memory. The memories of Gustave inspire Maelle. She is sure that when she brings the apprentices back, they will want to read this story.
Sciel: Nice hair.
Maelle: Oh, yeah, that.
Lune: I can’t believe there’s another world out there. A world I’ll never get to see.
Maelle: I’m sorry. I didn’t— My memories— I would’ve told you if I’d known—
Lune: Don’t apologise. You were trapped too. You lived among us. You’re one of us. Even if you’re also one of them.
Maelle: It’s… so weird. I have memories of two childhoods. Two homes. Two Lumières.
Sciel: You’re not an orphan anymore. You just found your family. Don’t you want to be with them?
Maelle: I love my family, but… they’re all gone. In one way or another. And you’re my family too. So are Gustave and Emma. And I didn’t see it at the time, but all the families who took turn taking care of me…
Sciel: Maelle.
Lune: This is a lot to take in.
Sciel: Yeah. But for the first time in a long time, I have hope.
Maelle: Once we’re ready, we can head to Lumière.