datadiving | CALL ME OUT, 2019 EDITION

[ Time passes, in a way. And then again, it doesn't.

Funny how the actions of one person can change an entire future.

He's spent much of his time here; given up all his other duties. He'd like to say he argued with his masters to let him be here, but they'd understood, like they'd always did, and he'd felt...ashamed, in his own way, for thinking they would ask him to continue in the face of this.

(He is sentimental and guilty and weak, or at least he says he is, and his lord scolds him for it.

"If your thoughts are elsewhere, then how can you work? We'll handle it from here."

He accepts the judgement, even if it's entirely in his own head.)

She does need a bodyguard, from time to time. Daemons and errant fae and other things, attempting to siphon off magic, to break the seal. But mostly, he just keeps her company.

He doesn't know if she can hear anything. Still, he sings to her, occasionally. And he tells her stories, never the same one twice.

("The counterspell is ready. Just wait for the signal.")

He waits, with an immortal's patience, for the day when she'll be called to wake, once again. ]

[Despite being imprisoned this way for so long, Puella still never knew if her plan had actually worked. That it had made a difference to anyone for such a long time, or anything. It had all happened so suddenly, that had she waited any longer then it would be already too late. If just trapping herself with Nightfall for even just a short while could buy time for everybody else, it all seemed worth it.]

[She just also never expected that she'd wake up again. It was not really something Puella wanted to mention to anyone else either, fearing that they might try to stop her. And what difference would it have made when dealing with the apocalypse anyway?]

[The spell needed to break her out had to be strong indeed. Not too fast or slow either, so that she could retain whatever ounce of magic she still had left, otherwise unfreezing her might expel it all and this rescue would be all for nothing. Just very carefully isolate and remove her. Although without that central anchor, it won't be long for the rest of Nightfall to thaw out too. But perhaps in a smaller, weaker state than it would have been before.]

[But for the first time in what already felt like an eternity, Puella could finally move again. She could actually breathe. Her own time was able to resume at long last. Though it was unfortunate she could never hear Ekkehardt's voice while frozen, but at least right now, she could finally start to feel his presence again.]

[It hadn't felt so much like she had been pulled into movable time again, but rather just waking up from a long, very long sleep.]

[ He notes the thawing, those subtle changes in the spellwork that indicate it's finally starting to come apart, time unweaving itself.

There's relief, there. They wouldn't have released her unless things had changed. He doesn't pay much attention to the outside world these days, but for once he thinks he can assume the best, or something like it.

Just this once.

But she's not unfrozen yet, so he continues his vigil. Mostly silent, but sometimes he'll speak to her, pulling yet another story from his memory or a lullaby he once used to sing to the children he took care of.

He thinks it's just to keep track of the days, more for his benefit than hers. But he does it anyway, like he's been doing all this time, because he has nowhere else to be and nothing to do, and only one obligation to fulfill. ]

[After more time had passed, the moment Ekkehardt decided to sing again, she could actually hear it. She remembered it. It had been something she used to hear sometimes at the academy, and it reminded her of that place.]

...Ekke... [She barely muttered, slowly extending on hand out as though trying to find, or reach him. But it doesn't go far. If she had just a bit more of her strength back, then maybe.]

[But it was an effort. And before long, her eyes could finally open. ...There was just the problem of figuring out where she exactly was. This wasn't anything like the long dream she just had.]

[ He notices the movement; it's impossible to miss, when everything else has been still for so long.

He closes that gap between their hands, taking her small one in both of his, watching her in silence. Words feel like an intrusion.

So he hums a song she's heard before, and holds her hand. And waits. ]

[The song had been more familiar than ever now, and jolted her further awake. She could feel her hand in his, and for a brief moment tightened the grasp a little more, being the only comfort she had in this strange place. While at the same time trying to get her bearings right.]

...Ekke? But how...? [Where was this? How did she even get here?]

[...Wait, the time freeze. Did it actually...]

I've been here for a while. Waiting to see if you'd wake up.

[ He leaves the exact specifics of time vague. It's hard to tell so close to the origin of the spell, but his internal clock of sorts is accurate.

As for 'how'...he doesn't have much of an answer to that. He's here because...he came in and never left, as simple as that. ]

How do you feel?

...A bit tired, I guess. [If she had been 'asleep' for years now though, there seems like there's no excuse for it. And yet, here we are. And if Puella could have it her way, all she wanted right now was to spend more time with Ekkehardt right now, but there was more urgent things at hand.]

N-Nightfall. It's still coming?

[She must have not stopped it at all if she could move freely again.]

[ It's not truly restful if it's a continuous drain of power, really. It makes sense that she'd be tired.

He shakes his head. ]

Considering they found enough time to release your spell without draining you of power completely, I believe that it's been handled.

[ The seal had bought them time. Enough time to win a war, enough time to save the world. ]

You've been asleep for a very long time, you know.

...I have? [She wanted to see how much has changed, how exactly Nightfall was being 'handled' now, that she tried looking straight up. ...Well, they were enclosed in, so that wasn't exactly going to work.]

[Still, that means Puella's magic work then? She had done it. More surprising so was that she even 'woke up' at all. She had been fully prepared that day would be her last...]

[Puella checked into her other hand. She was still content with keeping her other one with Ekkehardt at the moment. It made her feel a lot safer. And not just that, it was a constant reaffirmation that all of this was really happening.]

It feels the same to me...

But.

...I dunno why I also feel like I miss everybody.

[ They're in a protective chamber, built around Puella. Carefully constructed not to interfere with her own magic, but to defend against everything they could think of. ]

It has been a while since you've seen anyone else.

[ Even if he was right there beside her, it's unlikely, from the way she acts, that she was aware of it. Such a heavy burden for a child. ]

Perhaps that's why you feel like you're missing them.

I could hear you just now, and I thought I was back at school again.

...

I really wanna go back there.

[If she misses everybody, then they probably all miss her too. So it'll be like tackling two things at once!]

If you feel well enough to walk, we can certainly try.

[ He checks her over with magic, wondering what the state of her body is after being drained for so long. He can't help but feel overcautious, considering it was their lack of preparation for Nightfall that led to this situation in the first place.

(He can't put her in danger again.) ]

[The physical effects were surprisingly not that extreme. In fact, they were practically nonexistent. Though it could be only because she was technically frozen in time, so it would have been hard for the strain to catch up. Who knows how bad it would have been if she wasn't.]

[Hard to say what the status was for everything else though. Her Flame had been thrown for a major loop, after all. If Ekkehardt even could detect it, it had a much smaller glow than usual. Then again, that little ounce left was exactly what the counterspell wanted to save.]

[Puella sits further up, scoots, and slides a foot down to touch the ground. Gotta make sure she could actually stand first before trying to walk. So far though, it seems to be working.]

...I think I can.

CALL ME OUT, 2019 EDITION

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