Work Text
Quiet sunsets in Floralia were the best kind. There were no birds to sing Taranza awake from his evening naps in the winter - instead, they would migrate to the warmer surface of Popstar, further from the cold atmosphere. Sometimes Taranza wished he too could float down to the ground, be less isolated from the rest of the world, but that would be too much to sacrifice.Instead, he would lay half-awake in his royal bed. The fiery rays of dusk would shine through his windows right into his eyes, prompting him to stir in annoyance. In spite of this, he would feel well-rested and happy.And there he was now, groggy but content. He sat up slowly but snappily, grabbing his reading glasses from his bedside and tucking them into his shirt like a pair of sunglasses. His plan was to find a book to read, and take it out to the deck to enjoy in the light of the sun, hopefully tiring him out enough to go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight… blissfully unaware that he had been asleep for the past while already. Taranza was dreaming.Although he had lived in this castle for most of his life, he often forgot where things were. The library, goodness, where is it… “You know, there’s a reason I set up bookshelves in our room. That way you don’t have to keep making the trip?”…Well, HE certainly didn’t say that. Blinking a few times in surprise, he turned around to see his beloved soulmate and life partner, Joronia, standing at the door to the back porch. Someone long deceased in the waking world, but this didn’t cross Taranza’s mind. Or, it did, but it didn’t particularly shock him to see her there.“...Was I speaking aloud?”“Yes, dear, you were.” She chuckled in teasing mockery, finding amusement in her lover’s airheaded nature. He was more embarrassed than anything, shoving his face into his hands and groaning. “Ronia…” he muttered, silently begging for mercy from her antics just this once. Surprisingly, she gave in and approached to stand at his side. He felt the warmth of her hand as she slipped a wooden object into his - a cane.“Taranza, if you were planning on going to the library, shouldn’t you have been taking this with you?”“I’m fine today. I don’t need it.”“We’ve talked about this…”“Yes, yes, I know…” Always use it when walking long distances, she would tell him. Even if you aren’t hurting, it will help you in the long term. There was a time he heard this every day, and as often as he would wish to hear it again, he was frankly too tired to listen to the lecture on this particular evening. He found himself feeling guilty about it, knowing she’s dead - maybe this is his last opportunity to experience anything with her. Even something as simple as being lectured about his persistent back pain.Joronia sighed. “Just take it. It’s not like your hands will be full.”“I know. ”“Sometimes I wish you’d appreciate what I do for you.”Taranza was struck with a pang of unbearable guilt and snapped. “I know!”Instead of arguing further, Joronia rolled her eyes and gave a cheeky smile. She took one of his free hands and guided him outside. “It’s nice out, you can appreciate it just fine without a book, can’t you?”“I… suppose.” Taranza sat at the edge of the deck, Joronia’s hand still with a loving hold on his own. She sat in turn. “It’s been a while since we spent time together like this.”“Are you feeling alright?” Joronia inquired about this instead of finding a relevant answer.Taranza found himself almost frustrated, like she’s further away than usual. Even if he’s touching her, holding her hand, it will never be quite real.He came to a conclusion of his own, but felt it would disturb her to share it. Once more, a feeling of longing or despair was trapped within Taranza’s locked heart and was to remain there until death did it part from him. Instead, he just told her he was fine, and they continued to sit in silence, as Taranza’s moment of lucidity would fade until it was relevant again. Which would not be for a good while.The dusk was lasting longer than usual, and it was unclear if he wanted it to last forever, or if he wanted it to just go away. By God, he loved Joronia. He loved Joronia so much. She was all he had going for him, his entire world and more. His only shot at a real future. The only reason he even got out of bed in the morning.And slowly, his reality was falling apart. A dream without a reason. A pocket watch without a set time.“It has been a while,” Joronia finally admitted. “How have things been for you, love?”“...They’ve been lovely.”She kept a cold stare on him, one that sent a shiver down his spine. One that felt all too familiar. One that would haunt him forever. As if she knew he was lying, but neither of them had the strength to say a word. She, made from his mind, could not confront this. He, himself, did not want to. He just wanted her. And yet, he wanted what she wanted more than anything else in the world.So he spoke. “I’m so sorry.”Joronia did not respond. She instead turned her gaze to the sky.“Why did you come back?”No response.“Is it that lonely wherever you are, to come back for me? Is this some kind of sick joke? Or have I reached a catastrophic enough low to finally summon you from my own psyche?”No response.“Is that how far I’ve come? Nowhere at all? Say something, dammit! It’s not fair - I grant myself some pathetic opportunity to get this off my chest, and you won’t say anything. I know you won’t tell me what I want to hear. What I want to hear isn’t true.”No response. Taranza contemplated his own words.“Or maybe, I just want to hear… anything.”Finally, Joronia smiled and nodded. She whispered to him. “I cannot give you what you want. I never could. I wasn’t long for this world, and I always knew that.”“Why not me?”Again, she did not provide a direct or satisfactory response. She just told him, “you should check in with Kirby. You’re missing out on something pretty important.”“...Okay.”Letting go of Taranza’s hand, she stood and hopped over the fencing to the deck, falling out of his view. This didn’t quite scare him. It just left him unsatisfied as his phone began to ring in his pocket.And as it continued to ring in the waking world. Oh. Oh, that’s real. Oh!Taranza nearly missed the call, jolting up in bed to grab his cell phone from his night stand, not even checking who was calling to begin with. “Sorry, sorry! Good morning! How may I help you?”A voice on the other end of the phone informed him that it was decently mid-afternoon, but that they were happy to hear from him anyway. It was Kirby.“Oh, Kirby.” Joronia’s words from Taranza’s dream rang through his head. “How are you? Did you… need anything? Help with reading? Fact-checking for some petty argument with the king?”Kirby went on to let him know they could exchange small talk later - they need all hands on deck for a mission. Supposedly, dark, evil hearts are possessing people all over Dream Land, and the mission has led them into space!…Oh, a typical Popstar Tuesday. Okay.Maybe he needed to get over himself for a little bit and see what this whole “space adventure” thing had going for itself. All things aside, surely nothing could possibly be more interesting than what he’d already seen.…Right?