The Poppet Princess/Despite it All
With the group in a pinch, Prika blasts open the gate and leads the group in a retreat, stepping into the outside world for the first time. That night, she has a heart-to-heart with Stella, who helps her acknowledge that her good memories with the prince were real, even if the prince himself wasn't.
Razelt: D-did we win?
Alk: Doesn't look like it...
Razelt: Scoundrel! I shan't tolerate more unruly behavior!
Razelt: You shall not pass! Not before me!
Prika: N-no!
Prika: Stop this!
Prika: ...!
Prika: Let's get out of here, guys!
Alk: *pant* Did we lose them? Because I dunno how much longer I can keep going like this...
Light: It seems like the poppets aren't following. Perhaps they can't leave the town's boundary...
Alk: Prika, you all right?
Prika: J-just peachy! Why? What's with the worried looks?
Light: Please, don't take Simon's words to heart. We don't have proof that he was telling the truth yet.
Prika: I... I know that, but...
Prika: What even is the truth anymore?
Prika: Everyone's told me completely different things, and I'm just so confused about it all!
Razelt: I understand how you must feel. Even I, the great Razelt, cannot tell what the facts are.
Razelt: But if you can trust no one statements, why not search out the truth yourself?
Prika: Search... But how?
Razelt: The ruins of Mosnia's capital lie just outside this forest.
Razelt: We should be able to find the Mosnian coat of arms etched into the architecture and compare it to the ones that's in your letters.
Light: In any case, let's make camp here for tonight, and you can think on what you wish to do.
Stella: Prika? Why are you still awake?
Prika: Stella?
Prika: Ah... Just had a few things on my mind...
Prika: S-Stella?
Stella: I promise to stick by your side when we're out here.
Prika: Oh... You sure did, didn't you?
Prika: Wait, OUT here? Outside?! I didn't even realize... with everything that happened...
Prika: These woods are kind of amazing. They feel so alive, even at night, huh?
Stella: Yes. I felt the same way when I first camped out.
Prika: I saw a black blob go flying out of the trees earlier! I wonder what kind of bird it was!
Stella: Perhaps it was a bug. Bugs can fly too.
Prika: Hmm, like a rhino beetle? They can fly, right? That's so cool! I've never seen one before!
Stella: Those letters you're holding... Are they the ones you received from your prince?
Prika: Yeah, I... I brought them with me wen I left the castle. I don't know why.
Stella: He seems to have been an important pen pal of yours.
Prika: A pen pal? I've never thought of it that way before, but now that you mention it...
Prika: You know, I always looked forward to his letters.
Prika: I created the town and spruced up the castle just for the day he'd come visit.
Prika: Grey used to worry that I'd get bored, but honestly I was so busy that I never had a moment to relax!
Stella: You did a good job. The castle was beautiful.
Prika: Right? I had no idea when he'd show up, so I kept everything in tip-top shape!
Prika: ...But if Mosnia was already gone this whole time... That means the prince was never real. Our friendship? Poof. Never existed.
Stella: Well... I wonder.
Stella: If something never existed, it was never there in the first place. But that's not the case here, is it?
Prika: I mean, I guess? We definitely exchanged conversations in our letters- I didn't image that, so...
Prika: Huh... You're right. Just because Mosnia isn't real, doesn't mean the prince isn't.
Prika: I've made up my mind! I'm going to check out those ruins!
Stella: Then we'll go together.
Prika: Hey, Stella? Next time, you should tell me about the place you live! That, um... Starview? Starview Village?
Stella: I'm not good at talking, but I will do my best.
Prika: It's kind of been a dream of mine to chat like this. Just us and the stars...
Prika: Minus all the bad stuff that got us here, of course!
Stella: Then let's keep chatting.
Prika: You're up for it? Awesome! Let's blab the night away!