“Cassidy!”

Cassidy is startled out of their daze. It's a cold day in the park, though the air is still and the sky is blue. They turn to see the figure of their younger sister walking towards them, and they wave her down.

“I didn't expect to see you here, Cassidy. What brought you outside?”

Cassidy smiles good-naturedly.

“I was meeting a friend.”

“Was the park part your idea?”

“Yes! It was, as a matter of fact.”

The two of them seat themselves on a bench nearby. It's slightly wet, there was rain recently, but neither of them seem to care too much.

“So you're done with that Conference thing now, right?”

“Yeah that's right.”

“Was it good?”

They open their mouth to respond, and pause.

There's a surge of memories. A white hot rage, a desire to hurt, rising unbidden through their system. A terror at experiencing feelings that weren't their own. Feeling like their safe place had collapsed, that Museford was doomed, that there was some looming threat on the horizon that people were talking about. Some all-powerful psychic Entity apparently in their head. The nightmares. Drowning.

Yet there was also the party, the overwhelming happy desire to dance and laugh, to be with others. The kindness between friends. No matter how bad things got for them, people cared, not just for the conference but for their wellbeing. The sense of wonder at the inside of their head that filtered down. Vindication, triumph, silliness, music, speeches, love, warmth. No matter how bad things had become, they had always become better. And they'd made people's lives better for it.

And, for some reason, they had a strong desire to buy a hat. They smile and look at their sister.

“Yeah, it was.”