Author Notes: The conclusion to Spoken & Unspoken Words has arrived. At the end of the previous chapter, Velvet and Eleanor had their duel, and they finally became a couple. What will happen next? Be sure to read the conclusion.

After completing this story, be sure to check out "Sorrowful Peace" since it acted as a concurrent continuation of this story's plot, and it too will reach its conclusion soon as well. If you enjoyed reading this story, you will probably like that story as well.

I hope you will all enjoy the conclusion to this story and provide feedback. It is always appreciated.

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Spoken & Unspoken Words

Chapter 8 – Final – Unspoken Dream

/

Dreams are wonderful

Dreams are not reality

You must be prepared

/

As Velvet and Eleanor walked back to camp they decided it would be for the best to spend the first night as a couple away from the rest of the Aifread Pirates and 'Magilou's Menagerie'. They decided it would be easier to circle around their camp to the ship. Unbeknownst to them, they were spotted by a few people they were attempting to avoid.

"Ohh!" Magilou slyly said with a smug grin on her face.

"I gotta say …" Rokurou seemed pleasantly surprised, "I wasn't expecting this."

"Neither did I." Eizen replied, "But I can't help but feel this is a logical conclusion."

"Sure." Rokurou was playfully sarcastic as he remarked, "From enemies to sorta friends to girlfriends. That seems completely logical."

"..." Eizen didn't say anything as he looked at Rokurou with his arms crossed.

"But …" Rokurou conceded, "Those two have become really close. Maybe I shouldn't be 'that' surprised."

"Exactly." Magilou was rather pleased by this turn of events as she smugly pointed out, "Their feelings were becoming 'way' too obvious."

"Girlfriends?" Laphicet spoke up. The other three turned around. They had been so distracted by the sight of Velvet and Eleanor that they had forgotten Laphicet was with them. Laphicet tilted his head as he asked, "Does that mean Velvet and Eleanor are together now."

"Wait!" Rokurou asked in surprise, "You know what's going on?"

"How would you know that?" Eizen questioned.

"Bienfu gave me some books" Laphicet explained, "Velvet and Eleanor confiscated most of the books before I could read them, but there were a couple they missed. One of them had two girls becoming more than friends."

"Really?" Rokurou rhetorically asked in a scary tone.

"Is that right?" Eizen did the same as the space between his eyebrows became smaller.

They both slowly turned their attention to their resident Witch, Magilou. Even she felt nervous by the aura they presented. She held up her hands as there was a slight unease in her voice, "W- Wait! I didn't give him the books. Bienfu did."

"You're just trying to pass the buck." Rokurou pointed at Magilou as he stated, "You should take responsibility for your Malak."

Eizen concurred, "I agree."

Laphicet spoke as he stood between Magilou and the duo. "You don't need to pick on Magilou. It was a really beautiful story. It kinda remind me of Velvet and Eleanor with how they started off as enemies and become friends overtime after they understood each other. The two found out they had a lot more in common than they thought just like Velvet and Eleanor." He smiled as he said, "I'm really happy they're together."

"Well …" Rokurou reluctantly said, "If the kid's happy I guess there isn't much to be upset about."

"Agreed …" Eizen then warned Magilou, "You're off the hook this time, but I'd be more careful next time."

"Heh … Heh …" Magilou nervously chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Bien." Bienfu materialized from Magilou's body, and he bowed his head, "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused."

"Hmph …" Eizen scratched the back of his head, "I believe the person who made a pack with you was an 'extremely' bad influence."

"Yeah." Rokurou stroked his chin, "There's sometimes no escaping that. I know I've had my fair share of bad influences. "

"Hey!" Magilou loudly protested, "I'm standing right here you know!"

"We know." Eizen and Rokurou casually said together.

Even Magilou couldn't help but feel annoyed as she mused, "Geez. He gets a free pass because he's a Malak? Talk about a double standard! Doesn't the saying, 'All's well that ends well', apply here?"

"Well …" Eizen reluctantly admitted, "Laphicet does look happy."

Rokurou then said, "It does save us an awkward explanation over what is going on here."

Eizen crossed his arms as he pointed out, "Only because Magilou and Bienfu desensitized him first."

Before they knew it, Magilou was between the two of them. She outstretched both of her arms and patted them as she remarked in a sing-song tone, "Great. Then everything is okay."

"I guess …" Rokurou did not share the enthusiasm.

Eizen was even less enthusiastic as he said, "'Okay' might be a bit of a stretch."

"Hey." Magilou remarked, "A 'stretch' is all I need."

"I hate to butt in here," The three turned their attention to Laphicet who said, "but shouldn't we all be happy they're together?

Rokurou looked over to see the Daemon and the Exorcist walking hand in hand. While it seemed like a cliché moment in a play, it didn't change the fact it had a certain 'charm' to it. He stroked his chin as he remarked with a grin, "Well it's definitely a big improvement over how they started off as."

"That's not saying much," Eizen then stated, "however, it isn't an unpleasant sight."

Magilou remarked, "Well I for one am very satisfied with this outcome, but I think we've watched them long enough."

"Wait a minute." Rokurou raised an eyebrow as he inquired, "Is Magilou actually being considerate to someone? That's surprising."

Eizen inquisitively looked at the Witch as he stated, "Almost suspicious."

Magilou shrugged her shoulders as she replied, "What can I say? We'll get plenty more opportunities to see them together soon enough. For now, this is their moment."

Laphicet nodded, "Yeah. I'm sure they want to be alone. Let's give them some space." After the young Malak said that, they all went back to their respective tents. However, Laphicet briefly looked back at the couple and smiled.

/

After Velvet and Eleanor reached the Van Eltia, Velvet could tell that they had the ship to themselves. She was thankful that all the other crew members along with 'Magilou's Menagerie' remained on the beach. The two of them stood on the bow of the ship and looked up to the sky once again. As on the plateau, they could see more stars that they could ever dream of. It could always give them a sense of wonder.

As the two stood next to each other, Velvet glanced over to Eleanor before curling her hand around Eleanor's waist to bring them closer, which caused both of them to blush. Eleanor was especially flushed, but it didn't bother her at all. In fact, she leaned in closer to Velvet as they looked up to the sky.

"I don't think I could ever get tired of looking at the stars." Velvet said out loud.

"Neither could I, especially if I'm watching them with you." Eleanor replied.

"…" Velvet smiled as she glanced at Eleanor before looking up again.

"The plateau had a much better view …" Eleanor then realized, "You know what. We haven't taken Laphicet up there. If anyone could appreciate a good spot to watch the stars, it'd be him."

"You're not wrong." Velvet remarked, "That kid enjoys all kinds of things. We'll bring him with us tomorrow."

Eleanor looked to Velvet and said, "You know what? I'm glad we could be like this now."

"Yes …" Velvet nodded as she continued to look up, "Now I feel bad for always thinking how you wanted to steal Phi."

"That too, but I'm just happy we can be like 'this'." Eleanor pressed against Velvet more.

"Yeah …" Velvet held Eleanor closer in turn. "Thank you, Eleanor. Thank you for everything."

"I can say the same to you." Eleanor replied.

/

After looking up at the sky for a while, Eleanor suggested, "Do you think we should go to bed? It's starting to get really late."

"True." Velvet then stated, "Laphicet will want to go swimming in the morning, so let's be sure to be ready for that." When they were heading back to the ship hand-in-hand, Velvet suddenly stopped and shook her head, "No. There is something else I'd like to talk to you about."

Eleanor continued to hold Velvet's hand as she asked, "What is it?"

"It's about …" Velvet cut herself off as she let go of Eleanor's hand and said, "I was going to talk to you about this after we headed toward Logress, but I might as well talk about it now."

"I'm listening." Eleanor looked Velvet in the eye, and Velvet could see she was ready and willing to listen intently.

"Laphicet has been very happy so far during this vacation. I'm glad it's been able to go so well for him so far." Velvet then motioned to Eleanor, "And it is all thanks to you."

"Huh?" Eleanor tilted her head.

"It's because you became his vessel." Velvet crossed her arms and looked away as she continued her confession, "I almost got him killed because I was reckless … because I was selfish. But you were willing to be his vessel even though we were enemies. It's thanks to you he's still alive to enjoy all of this."

"…" Eleanor took a moment to close her eyes and then reopened them as she told Velvet, "You don't have to thank me."

Velvet shook her head as she casually replied, "A typical response from you. Don't forget that he would've been long dead because of me."

"No." Eleanor shook her head as she told her girlfriend, "Don't sell yourself short Velvet. Stop always doing that."

"…" Velvet remained silent as her mouth went slightly agape as she listened to what Eleanor was about to say next.

"He wouldn't have been able to enjoy anything if it wasn't for you. If it was up to me …" Eleanor pointed to herself as she clarified, "The 'me' back then, he'd still be that emotionless doll under Theresa. He wouldn't even have a name. They'd still be referring to him as 'Number 2'. You're the only one who gave him his freedom and a name after you took him from the Abbey."

Velvet replied in a deadpan tone, "You do realize I technically kidnapped him, right?"

"Um ..." Eleanor awkwardly replied.

"You were there." Velvet reminded her girlfriend, "A lot happened, and it was kind of an accident. He was holding onto my hand when I stopped him from blowing himself up, but it was still sorta kidnapping."

"You did sorta kidnap me too," Eleanor pointed out, "but I don't hold that against you. Not anymore. We already know Laphicet's fine with it. He said so himself."

Velvet nodded, "Yeah …"

"Sure you 'kidnapped' us for one reason or another, but it all worked out." Eleanor stated with full sincerity, "I'm pretty sure neither Laphicet nor I would still be alive if you hadn't kidnapped us."

Velvet reluctantly agreed, "I suppose …"

Eleanor stated with certainty, "Well I'm sure of it. Laphicet is sure of it too."

"…" Velvet remained silent.

Eleanor sighed as she told her girlfriend, "I've said it before, but I'll say it again, Velvet. All of us played a part Velvet, and we all made mistakes. Some bigger than others, but we all made them. As much as I hate to say it, I used to see Malakhim as tools to. I might've treated mine better than others, but I'm still guilty of what other Exorcists have done."

"No." Velvet insisted, "You don't need to lump yourself with them."

Eleanor then stated, "But I almost did something even 'worse'. I almost went through with it."

"But you didn't." Velvet stated, "Even if you tried to go through with your 'secret mission', I would've stopped you, but I never had to."

"Hmm …" Eleanor looked down as she didn't know what else to say.

"I think that's enough of that." Velvet sighed, "I didn't want to make things turn sour before we went to bed, we should get our rest, so we can enjoy the rest of our vacation."

"Heh." Eleanor chuckled, "I never would've thought I'd hear you say that."

Velvet crossed her arms. "I never would've thought I'd say that to you."

Eleanor grinned as she replied, "Touché."

"You want to go to sleep now?" Velvet offered.

"Y- Actually, there is one thing I've been curious about." Eleanor stated, "It kinda just came to me while we were talking."

"Oh really?" Velvet asked, "What would that be?"

"Velvet …" Eleanor hesitatingly said, "I know this is a 'sensitive' topic, but I've been meaning to ask … um …"

Before Eleanor realized it, Velvet was right in front of her. Velvet put her hand on Eleanor's shoulder and assured her, "You don't have to worry, Eleanor. Just think about what you want to ask me.

Eleanor put her hand on top of Velvet's as she said, "Okay … Velvet this is a bit …" Eleanor corrected herself, "No. This is definitely a 'sensitive' topic, but I've always been curious about Laphicet." Velvet was listening intently as Eleanor asked, "Why did you name Laphicet 'Laphicet'?"

"…" Velvet's eyes widened as she felt herself back away involuntarily.

Eleanor stated, "I know this might not be an easy question, but I just want to know. If it's too difficult, I understand."

Velvet softly replied, "… An accident."

Eleanor leaned forward and titled her head, "What?"

Velvet repeated, "It was an accident. Since Phi didn't have a name, Rokurou told me that I should probably think of a name for him. For a while, I referred to him as 'Number 2', but even I thought that didn't seem right. I honestly couldn't think of a name for him, and a part of me … well I wasn't sure if I wanted to name him. I'm sure you can take a guess."

"…" Eleanor silently nodded her head.

Velvet scratched the back of her head as she said, "That started to change when Phi was starting to gain emotions after I separated him from Theresa's control. Then when he was in danger … When I saw him falling, I … I just forgot everything. Since he looked like Laphi, that was the first name that came to me. My head just went back to that night, and I called out Laphicet's name. After that, I decided to go with calling him that. It may not have been fair, but that's what happened."

"I see." Eleanor wasn't sure how she should feel, but she did her best to understand as she replied, "That is quite a story."

Velvet asked, "Are you saying Phi never told you any of this?"

Eleanor shook her head, "Not exactly. Bits and pieces, but I never knew the whole story. I basically knew that he was referred to as a number when you saved him."

"I guess that was Phi's way of wanting you to hear the rest from me." Velvet remarked.

"And I'm glad he did." Eleanor grabbed Velvet's 'human' hand with both her hands as she said, "I want us to be honest with each other like this. I want us to fill in the gaps. That way we can always know what we need to do next."

"…" Velvet smiled before telling Eleanor, "This will take some getting used to, but I will do my best."

/

After they entered the ship, Velvet decided to bring Eleanor to her room. Her bed was a little bigger than the one that Eleanor had. The two of them were getting ready for bed when Eleanor was starting to feel a little nervous.

Eleanor was undoing her pigtails as she asked, "Are you really comfortable with me sleeping next to you?"

Velvet merely replied, "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well ..." Eleanor jokingly replied, "Aren't you worried I might put a spear through your heart?"

"Heh." Velvet laughed it off as she told Eleanor, "That's ancient history. I'd rather focus on what we are now."

Eleanor absentmindedly remarked, "You can be oddly forgiving."

"…" Velvet lacked a response to that.

"Um …" Eleanor's eyes widened when she realized what she said as she bowed her head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like …"

"It's fine." Velvet interrupted Eleanor as she stated, "Some things are far easier to forgive than others."

Eleanor nodded, "Yes that's true …"

Velvet happily told her girlfriend, "Me, Laphicet, and the others all trust you with our lives now, especially after everything we've been through. We're glad to … I'm glad that you're here."

"That's just …" Eleanor's face brightened up as she told Velvet, "It really makes me happy to hear you say that, Velvet."

Velvet smiled as she said, "Believe it or not, I'm happy to say it."

Eleanor only found herself capable of saying, "Velvet …"

"Anyway," Velvet held out her hand to Eleanor and told her, "it's been a long day."

"Yes it has," Eleanor accepted the offer and spoke as Velvet's human like hand held hers, "But it's been one of the best."

Afterwards the two girls cuddled together in Velvet's bed. They embraced tightly, and their faces were in front of each other. Velvet turned her head to blow out the last candle. After the lighting was down, Velvet told Eleanor, "I'll see you in the morning."

Eleanor happily replied, "Good night, Velvet."

Shortly afterwards, the two girls drifted off to sleep. It as a peaceful sleep for Velvet. No nightmares of her past were plaguing her. Nor was Velvet plagued by the illusions or spirts of those she had previously consumed with her Daemon arm. She slept contently with a smile spread across her face. It had been too long since something like that had happened, but that didn't matter to Velvet in the slightest.

/

When morning came, Velvet could feel the rays of sun shining through her window and hitting her face. It caused Velvet to wince as sleep began to lose hold of her. Her eyes struggled to open. She put her left hand up to shield her eyes. As Velvet's eyes opened, she immediately noticed something wrong. Her left hand was not bandaged.

Velvet's eyes widened as she catapulted from bed. She grabbed her left wrist and she saw that not only was her arm not covered in bandages, it did not turn into a Daemon arm. It remained human. That meant she was 'human'.

"About time you woke up." Velvet's ears perked at the sound of a family voice. Her eyes darted to see someone who looked like Eleanor standing in the room. "You still half asleep?"

The person who appeared to be Eleanor, but her hair was not tied up into the trademark pigtails. It was worn straight down which reached past her shoulders. She also wasn't wearing her Exorcist outfit either. They appeared to be clothing commonly worn by those who live in Eastgand, specifically Aball. Velvet's eyes then began to slowly rotate around the room to see she was not in her cabin. The room was much bigger and so was the bed. Velvet also realized that based on how the room felt, she wasn't on a ship either.

"Hello?" The girl who looked like Eleanor leaned toward Velvet who then became stiff when this 'Eleanor' asked, "Something wrong?"

Velvet warily asked, "Eleanor?"

"Huh?" Eleanor raised an eyebrow as he backed up, "Of course it is."

"Wh … Where am I?" Velvet asked as she looked at the room."

"Home … Where else" Eleanor asked her in a nonchalant tone.

"I don't …" Velvet began to say

"Is your headache still bothering you?" Eleanor asked as she leaned forward, "Let me check."

"Huh?" When Velvet looked in Eleanor's direction, Eleanor's face was in front of hers. Before she knew it, Eleanor's forehead was touching her own. Velvet's remained silent as her mouth was agape at the feeling of Eleanor's hard skull and soft skin touch hers. Velvet could feel her cheeks heat up as Eleanor pulled away.

"Hmm … You seem okay, but just in case." Eleanor leaned forehead again and gave Velvet a peck on her forehead.

"…" Velvet felt completely dumbfounded and lightheaded by what happened.

"Are you still out of it?" Eleanor asked, "Don't worry. I've already started making breakfast. We're going to be having guests remember?"

"Guests?" Velvet tilted her head.

"You must be feeling lightheaded. You should get dressed and go outside." Eleanor advised before leaving the room, "You'll probably feel better." She left behind a still confused Velvet.

/

As dumbfounded as Velvet was, she decided to take this 'Eleanor's' advise. As she was getting dressed she saw a comb on the dresser. It was the comb Laphi gave to her before the fateful day. Velvet held it in her hand before putting it back on the dresser.

As Velvet left, she could smell the wonderful aroma of whatever Eleanor was cooking. There was no mistaking this sweet smell as it entered her nostrils. Eleanor was making them waffles and pancakes. As much as Velvet wished to enjoy the aroma, she felt the need to leave. The feeling that Velvet was experiencing in this 'home' was simultaneously familiar and foreign.

When Velvet closed the front door behind her, she leaned back on it, and she had to tell herself out loud, "This is just a dream."

No sooner had Velvet left the house she was greeted by another familiar voice, "How are you doing, Velvet?"

Velvet's ears perked up as she looked toward the source. It was someone Velvet could never forget. "Niko …?"

Niko winked and said, "That's my name. Don't wear it out … Wha …?"

Velvet hugged Niko before saying, "It's good to see you."

"Hey Velvet," Niko patted Velvet's back, "I appreciate the 'extra affection', and I know you moved out of your old home, but you don't need to be so dramatic. You only moved like ten minutes away not a continent."

Velvet let go as she asked, "How long ago was that?"

"How long? Hmm …" Niko thought for a moment before replying, "Hasn't it been about three years since you got back?"

Velvet rubbed her head as she asked, "From what?'

Niko tilted her head as she asked, "What going on with you?"

"I umm …" Velvet pointed to her head as she said, "Had a bit of a headache."

"Oh." Niko replied, "That's too bad. Well I'll be happy to give you a refresher for your memory. You went on a journey to save Laphicet and Eleanor helped you do it. You met her during your journey."

Velvet merely replied, "I see …"

"Heh." Niko nudged Velvet's arm as she remarked, "I know we made jokes about it when we were kids, but I honestly didn't think you swung that way."

Velvet asked, "Is that a problem?

Niko shook her head, "No. Of course not. I was just surprised. Eleanor is a great girl, and I'm happy you found someone you love."

"Love …" Velvet couldn't help but smile as she repeated that word.

Niko replied, "The rest of your family was pretty good about it too. I thought for sure that Arthur would hate it, but he was surprisingly cool with it.

Velvet crossed her arms as she remarked, "He can surprise you in a lot of ways."

"Yeah. I bet he can. Anyway," Niko gave Velvet a thumbs up before taking her leave. "I hope you'll feel better.

As Velvet watched Niko walk away, Velvet mused to herself, "Niko will always be Niko …" Velvet looked down and bowed her head as she said, "I'm sorry …"

Velvet's ears perked at the sound of the front door when she heard Eleanor call out to her, "Velvet! Time for breakfast!"

To describe the 'breakfast' as delicious would be an understatement. However, it was more than enough proof that this was in fact a dream since Velvet could taste how delicious the food was. A taste to savior.

/

After breakfast was over, they took care of their respective chores. Eleanor tended to their garden. She was checking on a tomato as she said, "Look at this, Velvet! They're coming along really well.

Velvet smiled as she remarked, "You've really got a talent for this, Eleanor."

"Heh. Heh." Eleanor appeared to notice something when she excitedly said, "Hey Velvet! Here they come!"

Velvet turned to see their guests were almost here. When Velvet saw them, it was difficult to describe how she felt. 'Complicated' would probably be the best word she could use.

All four of them were people that Velvet had known well. Her older sister, Celica, was holding a bag while the man walking alongside her was none other than her husband, 'Arthur'. He was not 'Artorius'. He was the 'Arthur' she had known most of her life. The fact he was smiling and had two usable arms was proof enough.

In those arms, Velvet saw that 'Arthur' was carrying a young boy. Velvet immediately knew who he was. He was the human version of 'Phi' that was never born into this world. He was a little boy. No older than eight or nine years old. Velvet couldn't help but laugh as she saw him cling to his father.

There was one last person in the group Velvet was most surprised to see. He was older and taller, but Velvet knew who he was. It was Laphi. He was walking fine on his own without any shortness of breath nor exhaustion. This truly was a dream.

When 'Phi' looked in Velvet's direction, he asked his father to be let down. As soon as his feet touched the ground, 'Phi' was off like a shot. He was running straight for Velvet. He even shouted, "Aunt Velvet."

Hearing the words 'Aunt Velvet' filled Velvet with such warmth and joy. She couldn't help but smile at the boy running towards her. Instinctively, Velvet knelt down and held out her arms. Phi ran to them. He wrapped his arms around her neck while she lifted him up.

"Hey." An unfamiliar voice spoke up. "You don't need to be so dramatic. It's only been a few days. You're acting like it's been forever."

Velvet looked to see the source of the voice. It was none other than her younger brother, 'Laphi.' His voice had changed. In this world, he lived passed childhood, and he made it to adolescence. He was slowly becoming a man. The man he should've become.

"What's the matter 'Laphi'?" Eleanor teasingly asked, "Jealous that you're no longer Velvet's favorite?"

"Wha …?" Laphi was taken aback by the unexpected question. "No! And I told you to stop calling me that!" He indignantly insisted, "My name's Laphicet."

"Yeah. Yeah. Laphi-chan." Eleanor waved off her future brother-in-law to his dismay.

"Hey!" Laphi loudly protested.

"…" Velvet couldn't help but feel amused by the exchange between her girlfriend and little brother as she continued to hold her nephew in her arms.

"Heh. Heh." Velvet heard her older sister chuckle as she said, "They get along so well."

"You think so?" Arthur asked in amusement.

"I know so. Just like a brother and sister." Celica put her hand on her stomach as she said, "Someday that might be our children, too."

Arthur placed his hand on his wife's stomach as well, "Let's hope so."

Velvet didn't notice at first due to the bag Celica was holding, but there was a 'bump' on Celica's stomach that was showing. She was pregnant with a second child. A child that was never allowed to exist.

"Hmm …" Velvet remained staring at Celica even as she placed 'Phi' on the ground until she heard her sister's voice.

"Is something wrong, Velvet?" Celica sked in concern.

"Oh um …" Velvet snapped out of it as she nervously asked, "How are you feeling, Celica?"

"Me?" Celica happily told her sister as she placed her hand as her stomach, "I'm fine. In fact, I've never been better."

"That's …" Velvet hesitatingly replied, "That's great to hear."

"The doctor says this little girl will be just fine." Celica happily rubbed her stomach.

Velvet's eyes widened as she asked out loud, "Girl?"

Celica's hand remained on her stomach as she replied, "You told me you thought this baby is a girl, remember? You were right about my son, so I figured it'd be best to go along with what you thought."

"Oh um …" Velvet awkwardly asked, "Have you decided on a name?"

"We have." Arthur spoke as he held Celica's hand, "We decided we'd name her after your mother."

"You …" Velvet felt an odd sense of relief as she asked, "You did?"

Celica nodded, "Yes. We know you and Laphicet didn't get to know her like I did, but we're hoping things can be different this time around."

Velvet nodded, "Yeah …"

Eleanor spoke up which caused eyes to focus on her, "Velvet, are we going to keep our guests standing outside all day or are we going to invite them inside?"

"Right!" Velvet nodded her head, "Welcome."

Celica chuckled, "Heh. Heh. You don't need to be so stiff."

"Heh … eh … Right …" Velvet smiled as she and Eleanor welcomed them into their home.

/

The following events felt as if they were played in fast-forward or rather the dream felt that way. Everyone gathered at the table. Velvet and Eleanor served dinner and a good time was had by all. Everyone would talk about times that Velvet could remember and could not recall. Eleanor even brought up about how she and Velvet met when Velvet went on her journey to get the ingredients to cure Laphi after Celica talked about how she found Arthur resting under a tree. Then, everyone teased Laphi for being the last of the 'Crowe Siblings' to be single.

Eventually, Velvet asked to be excuse herself, but she didn't stay in the house. She left. As she walked away, she eventually found herself at the Cliffside ruins. The very ruins that housed Innominat. Velvet walked passed the hole Innominat should be in, and she starred out to the ocean.

What she experienced on this day was a glimpse of a wonderful life. An older sister still alive with her loving husband. A clingy but lovable nephew who Velvet cherished with a possible niece on the way. A younger brother who would live to reach his potential. Most of all, a loving girlfriend who loved Velvet just as much as Velvet loved her. They lived in their own home in a peaceful village near family and friends. It would've been a wonderful life if it was real.

As Velvet continued to stare out, Velvet's ears perked when she hear a familiar voice, "I shouldn't be surprised that you're here." Velvet turned to see it was Eleanor.

"…" Velvet turned around to face 'Eleanor' before telling her, "I know this is a dream, Eleanor. You've not going to convince me otherwise."

'Eleanor' shook her head, "I'm not."

Velvet was surprised by the response as she asked on impulse, "You're not?"

'Eleanor' confirmed, "You're right. This is a dream."

"Then …" Velvet looked from side to side before looking at Eleanor, "Then … what's going on … It couldn't have been Melchior … Is Innominat or …"

Eleanor held up her hand as she assured Velvet, "No one has done anything, Velvet. No one but you." Eleanor pointed at Velvet's chest.

That surprised Velvet even more which caused her to ask, "What?"

Eleanor appeared happy as she informed Velvet, "This is just a normal dream, Velvet. You'll wake up from this. However, before you do, let me ask, 'Did you have a good time?'"

"Yes …" Velvet smiled as she told Eleanor, "This has been a wonderful dream … I wish it was real, but I know it's not. As much as I wish it was real, I'm not going to let a dream take me over. I will fight to move on."

Eleanor smiled as she said, "That's just like you. Not that it's a bad thing." Afterwards, a light radiated from Eleanor's body that forced Velvet to shield her eyes.

/

Velvet opened her yes to see she was in her room on the Van Eltia. It took Velvet a moment to remember what she had experienced was nothing more than a dream. A beautiful dream that she could remember every detail of. However, it was a dream nevertheless. Velvet couldn't help but feel disappointment. However, Velvet turned her head, and she could see at least one aspect of her dream was not fake which caused Velvet to smile.

Sleeping next to Velvet's left side was none other than her new girlfriend, Eleanor Hume. The Exorcist was soundly sleeping with a few strands of hair covering her face. It was probably the messiest that Velvet had ever seen Eleanor's hair. Even so, she was still beautiful.

On instinct, Velvet moved her bandaged left hand to her girlfriend's face, but she stopped and pulled back. She shifted her body on the bed and he held out her right hand to move the hair strands to have a better look. She was careful not to wake Eleanor up.

Velvet smiled upon seeing Eleanor's face. She appeared so adorable and innocent. Velvet could only imagine what Eleanor was dreaming, but Velvet was sure it must have been beautiful and peaceful. If the Lord of Calamity could dream of something like that, then Eleanor most certainly could.

Velvet then laid her head back, and she looked up at the ceiling. She then figured she couldn't go straight back to sleep. Instead, Velvet decided to carefully get out of the bed to avoid disturbing Eleanor. She then changed into her regular clothes since she figured she wouldn't be coming back right away. For some reason, even though her nightwear was less revealing than her regular clothes, she didn't want to be seen outside in them.

The floor creaked on her way out but Velvet looked over the shoulder to see Eleanor's slumber remained undisturbed before heading out.

Velvet walked onto the deck of the Van Eltia. Even with the ship remaining docked by their vacation island, Velvet could still feel a light sea breeze that caused her hair to more. Even though everything should feel the same, it didn't. Quite a bit had changed for Velvet in the past few days. Everything that was familiar now felt completely different to her. Not different in a bad way. Just different, and Velvet didn't mind it at all as she leaned on the railing to stare into the starlit horizon that laid before her.

The 'Lord of Calamity' knew that there was more to the world beyond that horizon. She had been to many places of the past few months of her journey to her revenge. She had encountered and experienced many things. She had met many people, and they all had their own impact on her. The two that would always stand out to her would be Laphicet and Eleanor. Without either of them, she wouldn't be alive nor would she have been able to come to the decision of what she had to do.

As the wind continued to blow in her hair, Velvet saw that the night sky was beginning to wane. The sunrise to a new day was beginning, but Velvet could still see some stars in the sky. She could only imagine what it must be like up there or what it could be like seeing their world from such a height. Of course, Velvet wouldn't have to imagine that for long.

Soon it would be time for Velvet to meet her destiny. She had every intention of meeting it head on.

Velvet raised her bandaged left hand in the air. She said to herself, "Phi … Eleanor …" Velvet closed her left hand and said, with a smile, "I'm glad I met you. I'm going to miss you." Velvet then closed her fist.

~Fin~

/

Author Notes: Finally, "Spoken & Unspoken Words" has come to an end. Anyone who has played the game is aware of what Velvet's canonical fate will be. It is a truly bittersweet ending.

While Eleanor and Velvet became a couple in the penultimate chapter, it doesn't mean all their insecurities are going to magically go away. Additionally, while I wanted to show them having some affection for each other, that doesn't mean they will become completely comfortable being more affectionate beyond normal girlfriend stuff. At this point, the most affection they can give each other is a light kiss and that would be it.

Personally, I'm glad that I had this chapter acted as a Denouement for this story. As I've mentioned in my other stories, I feel like producing a Denouement allows the story to reach a better conclusion since the story isn't forced to wrap up immediately after the climax. It gives the story or the arc a little bit of breathing room to conclude.

For those of you who gathered, the follow-up to this story is 'Sorrowful Peace' which was being produced at the same time as this story. The rough draft of the final chapters for this story were completed shortly before I also finished the rough draft conclusion of that story. If you liked this story, be sure to check out Sorrowful Peace too.

A part of me would be interested in producing a mid-equal that takes place between "Spoken & Unspoken Words" and "Sorrowful Peace" to showcase some of the time Velvet and Eleanor were a couple. However, the lack of review for either of these stories is a major deterrent. While the number was not bad, it wasn't good enough to make me feel that producing another story set in this continuity would be worth the effort.

For those of you who supported this story, thank you very much. Be sure to leave a review regarding your final thoughts of this story. Feedback will always be appreciated. If you could provide reviews for more than this chapter, that will make me very happy. I also would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas 2018 and a Happy New Year.

I hope you'll continue to support my future updates for my other stories. Until next time.