A Cassarian Story
Varian always knew that he cared for Cassandra. But he didn't realize how much until she was gone.
Six long years after Cassandra leaves Corona, she finally returns. Varian is overjoyed, but she comes bearing terrible news. A stran...
After such an exhausting event, plus the added encumbrance of Eugene's injured leg, the gang decide to make camp right where they are. The destruction didn't reach this far, so the area around them is still green. But Varian can perceive the silhouette of the dome encircling the Dark Kingdom... and he imagines his father within.
As Eugene rests against a nearby tree, the others attempt to salvage what they can from the balloon's wreckage. Varian discovers his Truth Ray amongst the disarray, a bit banged up but still in tact.
"Thanks, Owl," he hears Cassandra say. He faces her direction, and sees that her avian friend has uncovered her stuffed bag of belongings within the mess. She opens it and digs through it to insure its contents are secure, but before she ties it shut the sparkle of a familiar piece of jewelry flops out...
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The necklace. The Cassandrium necklace he gave her all those years ago, when he discovered the element and named it after her. He last saw her wearing it the day she left Corona, but she still has it now? He is stunned.
What am I doing? He realizes, pondering his behavior ever since Cassandra returned. He has been acting shy, timid, and childish around her. Heck, even when he was a kid he didn't act this way around her! He recalls the day he gave her the necklace, how he undertook the task of impressing her, confidently and openly. And successfully, if he does say so himself. What happened to that Varian?
He silently resolves to channel this younger version of himself, from now on. Observing that Cass has kept that necklace all this time gives him hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe, if he can play his cards right, he might actually have a chance to win her heart.
"So... You still have the Cassandrium, I see," he says as he approaches her.
Cassandra pauses, momentarily taken aback. "You're snooping in my stuff, I see," she replies.
He shakes his head. "Nah, just saw it when you opened your bag," he explains. "I, uh, honestly can't believe you kept it this long."
"I kept it as a reminder," she says. "A reminder of a friend who means a lot to me."
Friend. Not his favorite term, but better than others she could use. "I never got to tell you how much I missed you while you were gone."
"Really?" Cassandra seems genuinely surprised. "You've been acting kinda strange around me ever since I got back. I thought... I thought you were still mad at me."
"Mad at you? For what?"
Cassandra raises an eyebrow. "Seriously? Stealing the Moonstone, using it to take control of the kingdom, kidnapping you... the list goes on and on."
"That would be a bit hypocritical, wouldn't it?" Varian points out. "I mean, I stole the Sun Drop flower, used giant automatons to attack the kingdom, and kidnapped the queen." He shrugs as he says this. "It's all in the past."
