Phil takes only a moment before he surges upwards with his bloodied sword pointed at the one holding Ludwig.


That, he only tries once. Sneaking past is something he tries more. He'll get it right.


Going directly up to Cassandra is surely not the best path to resolving this entire mess, but knowing what's going on in every place will help him in the long run, and anyway it's only a thought he has at the end. He always forgets exactly where she is, at the start. Always forgets Anders' betrayal until he does it. Something about this loop isn't very sticky. That bothers him; but like the faint impressions of an overworked sketch you couldn't quite erase, things begin to pile on, impressing a shape. He'll make it work. Eventually.


Killing Anders stops being a priority after the 5th time. It's already starting to get easier to focus.


Phil (finally) slips into the minstrel gallery, silent as he can will it, his lone owlish eye gleaming red in the dark with reflected light. He's miserably aware in the darkness; all of her petrified form is visible to him.

He crouches low, keeping distance. Whispers: "Your Ladyship."