The room grew silent at the needed question, and Katie’s hands tightened at the possibility of Alisha leaving. She had decided she was going to stay out of it, it wasn’t her place to beguile her into staying or stop her from leaving - it was her decision through and through, and as sad as the outcome might be Katie had her back either way. Although it wasn’t fun seeing the pain in Alisha’s face as she tried to find the proper answer; Katie wanted to go to her, hold her tight and kiss her breathless, until nothing but her filled Alisha’s beautiful brain.

She wondered how she got here, crazy for a cute girl she hardly knew when a day or two ago she was at death’s door, and before that well, nothing good. Sighing she focused on the situation at hand, before she was taken by nasty flashbacks that would put her in a bad mood for weeks. Katie could worry about her future after this, after she knew if Alisha’s warm smile would stay forever safe in her hands, or if she was to never see her again...and for the first time in a long time, Katie was scared.

“I…don’t want to go back, but is it really my choice? Do I even belong here?” Alisha asked, fiddling with her hands, “What if when I decide to stay, I just wake up there again and have my heart broken for even thinking of the possibility of living here?”

“Ever think that maybe your fear is what’s making things go where they shouldn’t, and stay where they aren’t?”

“Riddles? Really?” she said, laughing dryly.

Max shrugged, teleporting to the couch behind Alisha to sit down, “Not riddles, more like nonsensical gibberish with a hint of truth. I’m not particularly good with riddles, weirdly enough.”

“You could have just walked there...which really doesn’t matter right now; my head hurts.” Alisha didn’t even feel like crying anymore, she was just exhausted.

“Why you? Why here? Why Earth?”

“I’m the one asking for help, so why are you asking me questions I can’t answer?”

“There are nooks and cracks in every universe and planet, some are easy to slip on, some near impossible, but they always answer to a person’s heart - to their pain and tears, to their true desires.” Max rambled on, seemingly disconnected from the conversation as they played with a nearby flower that was purring?

Alisha stayed quiet, hoping that if she made no noise Max would just never stop talking and eventually tell her something helpful. She looked towards Katie, and took respite in the small smile she gave her even if it was fake, it was needed.

“Things that don’t belong will be called to where they’re wanted, but a heart is fickle and so is the universe, convictions change. Fear is quite tasty for some, but disliked by others, the strings that pull you here or there will change Their mind at the scent of a 4 eyed toad eaten by a Wyvern.” Max had started talking faster than before, making it harder to understand their ‘wisdom’.

“What?” Alisha whispered, more than a bit confused.

Finally, as if they were back in the room, Max looked her in the eyes, “Belonging is truly a funny word, I belong there not here, because I wasn’t here but there - the truth is fairly simple, you make your place, you belong to where you want to be and the rest is your brain playing tricks on you.”

“I’m tired,” Max yawned, and teleported to the stairs at the other side of the room, “if you wanna know more about Wyvern, you can ask Katie, she knows how to survive here better than I do. If you wanna go back to Earth I can give you a push, and if you wanna stay I already gave you a bunch of nonsense to help you through it. Also, if you do decide to stay, please do come to visit, I enjoyed this one sided conversation immensely.”

Then they were gone, a big satisfied smile on their slightly childish face, and Alisha was still lost but somehow a sliver of knowledge had stuck, and maybe being lost wasn’t so bad after all.

“I belong where I want to be, and I want to be with you.” Alisha said, throwing her arms around Katie.

Hugging her back tighter than ever, Katie laughed, “You’re way cheesier than I could ever be, but yeah, you’re wanted right here with me.”