Farah shook her head. "There must be someone. There… there has to be…" As she trailed off, her voice grew weaker. After a pause, she blinked and looked determinedly around the bustling sidewalks. "And I'm going to find them. You can help, if you like, but I'd prefer that you don't." She turned her back on them and began to walk away.
The twins sighed and glared at each other for a moment before they started off after Farah. They stayed behind her on either side, glaring at anyone who dared to look at her. "I'm just saying… you don't want to get your hopes up. It might not be possible without that ring, and we don't have any here."
"There has to be something," Farah insisted, not looking back as she walked. "And I'm going to find it."
"I just don't want you to be dead set on something that might not be possible." Eiji continued as he followed along.
Farah rounded on him quickly. "I can't contact anyone from the Otherworld. There is no one to stop Rosalind. For all I know, the worst case scenario could be happening at Alfea. And you're telling me there's nothing I can do?" She flexed her fingers, keeping her mounting magic at bay. "I will say it again. There has to be something."
"Yeah, I'm telling you there's probably nothing you can do! I'm sure your friends are doing everything they can to get ahold of something to get you back, okay? But we haven't found any evidence that someone with an interdimensional power exists in our realm at all, so I don't want you to get into the mindset that you're sure to find a solution here."
Farah reacted to Eiji's words as if she had been slapped. She flinched, took a step back, and remained silent.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be harsh, but it's not a good situation. I don't want to give you false hope only for you to get let down, you know? I'm just not sure it's actually possible."
"I know," Farah replied, avoiding his eyes. "But I can't stop trying. I just can't. Not until I've exhausted every possible option."
"Alright. If you want to keep looking, that's fine. Just know that you're not super likely to find anyone." Eiji sighed and kept following.
Farah continued walking. "Do you… Do you know where we could start? I haven't the faintest idea."
Eiji shrugged. "We've checked the internet, weird corners of the city… asked around for connections. All sorts of stuff, and we've come up empty."
Farah sighed, her frustration showing clearly on her face. "There's nothing?" she asked for about the hundredth time. "You're positive?"
"I mean, you're welcome to keep looking, but the odds aren't good." Eiji sighed, looking exasperated.
Farah sank onto a bench. "I don't know how much longer I can do this. I miss him."
"I know… and I'm sure he's doing everything he possibly can to get you back, okay?" Aiki said softly. "Saul's determined."
Farah nodded. "Oh, I know," she replied fondly, a small smile gracing her stressed features.
"I'm sure everything will be okay. We'll do what we can do get you home, okay?" Aiki smiled weakly.
Farah nodded. "Alright," she said softly. Her warm eyes met Aiki's. "Thank you. I'm sorry for snapping earlier."
"It's fine…" Aiki insisted. "I'm sure I was snippy with you at times when I was in the Otherworld too."
"You were very brave," Farah recalled. "You handled it well, given the circumstances."
Aiki smiled weakly. "I was mostly pretty stressed from what I remember. Hyperfocused on trying to go home, yeah?"
Farah smiled back. "Yes, I can't blame you. But that doesn't mean you didn't handle it well."
"Glad you think so…" Aiki sighed. "Is there anything we can do to help while you're here?"
Farah shook her head slowly. "I don't think so."