Marcel was overwhelmed with curiosity.
Rimas, meanwhile, was still thinking.
After a few moments in silence, Rimas got off of her broom.

So... What's the improvement?
You can't just lead with that and then go silent.

I'm going to use the keytar as a weapon.

What, you mean like, whacking him over the head or something?
Watch out, here comes a skunk swinging a keytar... Wait, they're kinda weighty, right?
It would work fine, I guess. But it's kind of a waste of a keytar, isn't it?

Marcel...
Hitting people over the head is your thing.
I am a mage. I will blast him with fire. But like, from the keytar.

So... You'd just cast magic normally, but while holding a keytar?

No. No, not that simple.
Magic often is formed and activated using verbal components... Sound waves.
There's no reason I couldn't simply alter some spells in my book to use keytar riffs instead of my voice.
So I would actually be using the keytar directly in order to cast the magic.

You know, Reem... I don't know whether to be amused by you, proud of you, or terrified of you.

Aww... Thank you!!

I haven't decided whether I meant that as a compliment yet.

Well, first things first, I need a keytar.
This is the first step on the path to transcendental cool.

Wow, it's this easy, huh?

How did you even do that?
I refuse to believe you've studied electronics to that degree.

I don't need to know electronics.
When you made the sun, you absolutely were not thinking in terms of individual atoms.
I think that's how the power of creation works, see.
It takes the intent and then handles the minutia automatically.

So... We can just create anything we want?

Ooh! Great idea! I can just make more dreadwyrm heartscales so we can revive everyone that died!

Rimas snapped.
Nothing happened.

Nothing happened.

Hush! I know nothing happened. Maybe I didn't focus hard enough?

Rimas focused harder, holding both hands in front of her as she exhaled.
But, again, nothing happened.

You uh... You okay?

Yes. Just fine. Hold on a second, I'm going to get it this time.
I just... Need to focus...

Rimas glowed with arcane magic, as she attempted to brute force the synthesis into working.
Strands of reality gradually assembled in front of her.

Kyah!!

A dreadwyrm heartscale is an extremely rare object that can be used to revive any dead person or cure any ailment.
It is so rare, in fact, that only one is created every hundred years.
Wars have been fought over a single scale.
Rimas did not get one. Instead, a blue window appeared in front of her with unfamiliar symbols covering it.
After a moment, a handwritten message in the language Rimas could read appeared over the window.

Error... requested item exceeds maximum threshold of plot relevance.
Synthesis terminated... to preserve narrative coherence??
What self-righteous bullshit is this?
What the hell was coherent about an innocent 17-year-old bird girl being struck and knocked comatose by a drunk driver?
What was coherent about that??
You give me a keytar so I can do silly haha shit with it, but you won't even let me revive my dad?
My dad didn't even deserve to die!

Marcel winced and looked away.
He turned, and started walking.

Oh my god. What the hell did I just say.
Marcel, wait...
Wait!

I'm going to try very hard not to take that personally, Rimas.
I am going to try... very hard. Not to be upset with you.

Marcel sighed, and turned around.

You understand, right? I literally told you last night how heavily all that is weighing on me.
The fact that my dad died doesn't erase the fact that it happened.
I know my dad deserved to die. I already processed it.
But it still hurt! He was still my only dad and... At least yours deserved to mean something to you.

I didn't mean it like that!
I just... I got caught up. I thought I was going to get my dad back.
I thought... We could get... her back, too.

Her?
Yeah. I agree. She didn't deserve to die. A lot of people we've met didn't deserve to die.
We've got no choice but to keep moving. No matter what. For everyone that's left.

Right.

Do you have anything else to say?

No. Why, do you think there's anything else we need to talk about?

You can figure it out.
You're the smart one.

Rimas was shaking with fury.

Why can't you just tell me? Why do I have to "figure it out" on top of all this other shit we're dealing with?

You know how hard it is for me to take apologies at face value. You know that.
God, I trusted you. I trusted you to know what you're doing, Rimas. I'm more or less your prisoner now.
I have no choice but to follow your lead. So when you panic and start screaming... What am I supposed to do?
I feel like I'm not allowed to be scared or confused or upset.
I feel like on some level you know this, you know I'm at your mercy.
I can't use magic. I don't know how we got here. I can't get us out. You're the only one that can figure it out.
So, please, please tell me how we're going to get out.

Rimas took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
She forced herself to smile.

We'll get out. We have to.

You're the one who has to figure out the "how" of that.
I can offer you moral support but not much else. I don't even know how to describe the space that we're in.
Is this Mersia?
Are we going to die here?

Can you please stop.

Answer the question.

...
No, of course not. I promise, I'm going to find a way out.

Marcel turned his back on Rimas, and sat down.

I want to trust you to figure it out.
But please give me something to hold on to.

We'll just... We'll just fight the Author.
We'll fight the Author and beat him, and then once he's beaten, we'll ask him to send us two years into the past, into the year 541 when everything started.

Rimas...
What if he keeps us here and toys with us like this forever?
I... Rimas, this isn't the conversation we originally had here, is it? He's... He's rewriting our lives.
I'm scared. Rimas, I'm scared.

Rimas was now hyperventilating and rocking back and forth.
She wrapped her tail around herself and vigorously dug her fingers into it.
Marcel looked over his shoulder, saw the state his best friend was in, and scrambled to try to comfort her.

Oh, god.
Rimas, I'm sorry, I-

You're scared.
I wasn't even thinking about the Author rewriting our lives.
Do you have any idea how terrifying that is? Were you even thinking before saying that?
You just put the burden of figuring out this entire situation on me.
This isn't even what was supposed to happen! I didn't want this!
I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask for you to get trapped in it with me!
I wanted to sacrifice myself in a blaze of glory to give us all a second shot.
But I couldn't even do that right. And now we're trapped here.
And, you know what, I'm scared too. But once I'm done panicking, I'm gonna work this out.

Wait, what do you mean sacri-

Rimas slammed her fist on the ground and angrily looked up at Marcel.

Got it?

I'm...
I'm sorry, Rimas, I was being unfair.

Whatever.
I'm gonna start working out the keytar thing.
Leave me alone.

Marcel turned and walked away.
Rimas, fuming, summoned an amp.

No finer way to blow off steam than making noises.