Ruby stepped back into Mrs. Pashiri's home, feeling lighter after talking about her encounter with Bolas. Even if she had kinda removed the two week stretch she had spent in Bolas's meditation Plane before she had realized the type of person Bolas really was.
She knew the others would understand, but… but…
But it didn't seem right!
Ruby nodded to herself, walking to where Nissa, Jace and Gideon were leaning over the map. Looking down at it, Ruby scratched her head in confusion.
Wrapping New Phyrexia and Bolas in a cloud of fog, Ruby mentally nudged Jace. Seconds later, memories rushed in.
Half formed plans, attempts to figure out how to expose Tezzeret as the power hungry psychopath he was, but nothing concrete. Not without revealing the existence of Planeswalkers.
"It'd be easier to know what to do if we knew why Bolas wants the portal," Jace muttered aloud.
"Destruction, tyranny," Ruby said, incapable of keeping the dry distaste from her voice, "multiplanar chaos. A better question is why does he need a portal for it."
Jace nodded, "He has to be planning to move something big. Bolas used to run a interplanar smuggling ring, the Infinite Consortium. Me and Lili used to work for it."
"Yeah," Chandra butted in from where she was helping her mother with something in the kitchen, "you jumped me for a scroll at Keral Keep."
Jace winced, "Right. I had forgotten about that. Anyways, we managed to get large items from one plane to another. And we're just humans, Bolas is a massive dragon-"
"and can shift sizes," Ruby said under her breath.
"Your quite knowledgeable about Bolas, Little Rose," Liliana said, seated in a chair like it was a throne.
"I've had a couple of run ins," Ruby said.
"Any ideas on what he would want?" Gideon asked.
Ruby chewed on her lip, trying to think of something. What would Bolas need a planar portal for?
"Dunno. Bolas does what Bolas wants, heck, he might not even do it until we're all dead. He's pre-Urza, I think, he was born a long time ago. Four thousand five hundred and sixty six."
"How do you know that off the top of your head?" Sun asked.
"She's saying the current year," Ajani said, moving to join the war table, "Bolas is much older than that. I've gathered information on him when I can, he had my brother murdered and caused widespread destruction on my home plane."
"Any idea why he would want it?" Gideon asked.
"He only wants one thing," Ajani said, "power."
Ruby nodded, sighing. They were just talking in circles now, "Let's take this one thing at a time. First, how do we make sure he doesn't get it? We can worry about why he wanted it after we make sure he can't have it."
"I still say we should just break it," Sun said, "he can't use it if it doesn't exist."
"I agree with Sun," Gideon leaned back, sitting on the sofa and crossing his arms, "arguably, it's our duty to do it. Planeswalkers create enough destruction as is, can you imagine if an army invaded another Plane?"
"Something similar happened on my Plane as a result of Bolas's manipulation," Ajani said, "Alara had been shattered into five shards long ago, each lacking two colors-"
"That's possible?" Sun asked, "I thought bad stuff happened if you didn't have all five?"
"It was possible before the Calamity," Liliana said, suddenly looking interested, "but those Planes were still unstable, yes. I've never heard of something like this from a natural Plane. What happened?"
"Bolas manipulated events on each of the Shards for when the Conflux, the natural merging of the Shards, so each one was ready for war."
"Why?" Blake asked, "What does he get from that?"
Ruby closed her eyes, pulling up a familiar blueprint, an engine burning with enough energy to travel, "Power. Destroying a Plane lets loose an amazing amount of magical energy, if five fragmented Planes collided, the point of impact would…"
"And you add in the power gained from spilt blood," Liliana sounded worried, "That'd probably be enough to…"
"To what?" Nissa asked.
"To return him to the power he held before the Calamity," Liliana finished weakly.
"It makes sense, that's what he's always wanted," Ruby sat down, legs shaking.
"'We were gods once'," Jace started, sounding just as shaken, "'Did you know that? The Spark burned so much brighter then.'"
"'We willed our desires upon the worlds and the worlds obeyed,'" Ruby continued, "But then, the Catastrophe on Dominaria and we are less'... and now he isn't."
Ruby fell silent for a long time, staring blankly ahead. Bolas had the power of a Pre-Calamity Planeswalker? Was that what she had felt when she was near him? How were they supposed to even begin to…?
"It's not quite that bad," Ajani cut in, "I interrupted him before he could absorb all the energy. But, yes. Bolas regained much of his power."
"One thing at a time, everyone," Gideon said, "Tezzeret and the portal first, we can deal with Bolas after."
There was a loud chime, followed by a projected voice, Ladies and Gentlemen! There has been a change of plans for the final round of the Fair!
"What?" the Gatewatch whipped around. Had Tezzeret made his move while they were here?
Instead of being a ticketed event, it will be open to the public! Now, don't worry if you bought tickets, you will be refunded! But we couldn't deprive others from seeing our once in a lifetime pre-show!
"Aren't presh-" Ruby shushed Sun quickly.
A week and a half from today, in this very arena, our head judge Tezzeret will duel the dangerous Renegade, Pia Nalaar, in the qucksmithing duel of the century! A clash of ingenuity and skill that hasn't been seen before! Don't miss it!
The PA system shut off as Ruby ground her teeth, words coming around before she could stop them, "that son of a bitch!"
Sun's head jerked to look at her, "Whoa! What's that about Ruby? He's bluffing, Mrs. Nalaar is right here."
"That's the point," Nissa said, her grip on her staff so hard her hand had lost blood flow.
"You have to give him credit," Jace said quietly, "he knows exactly how to get us."
"Not quite," Liliana's voice had become smug, "he's actually made things easier for us. We know where he'll be then."
"I still don't get it," Sun said, "If he doesn't have Mrs. Nalaar why would he be there?"
"Because he's planning to kill someone else in her place and say it's her," Ruby growled, before feeling a grin start to spread as she met Jace's eye, "it's a trap, he wants us focused on the arena…"
- X Blake X-
Blake stepped onto the balcony outside their room with a tired sigh, walking over to Ruby, "Is it just me, or does it always feel like things go crazy once we get off Remnant?"
"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, running her finger along the new tattoo as her eyes were pointed towards the fair.
"We've only been here a couple of days, but we're already plotting to trigger a trap to fight another Planeswalker. Do you think this will work?"
Ruby nodded, closing her eyes with a deep sigh, "I know it will."
"It doesn't feel like it's only been a year since we met, right?" Blake asked, changing the subject.
Ruby nodded again, "Yeah."
Blake gently guided Ruby into a chair on one side of the table, sitting across from her, "School will probably be out by the time we get back. Any idea what excuse your dad is using for you disappearing?"
"Dunno," Ruby sounded distracted, "Family emergency on my mom's side, maybe?"
"Are you alright?" Blake asked, "You seem…"
"I've got a lot on my mind," Ruby gave a tired sigh, "Tezzeret, Bolas," Ruby's voice cracked slightly, "Elspeth."
Blake breathed in, trying to figure out what to do. She hadn't… she hadn't ever really gone through something like this. Life had been fine on Menagerie and after she had the Gatewatch at her back. Finally deciding to follow what would happen in one of her books, Blake grabbed Ruby's hand under the table, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Ruby nodded, shoulders sagging, "I had promised Elspeth I would find her after I got back to Remnant. That I'd bring her there so she could have a home."
"Ruby-"
"Instead, I hung around Vacuo and Vale," Ruby stood back up, pacing, "I didn't want to think about Mirrodin so I didn't think about her."
"Ruby, you're just a kid. Elspeth had to of known you probably wouldn't find he-"
"Then I should have proved her wrong!" Ruby's fist collided with the table, shaking it and sending a red flash along her hand, "I should have remembered! I should have found her! If I had just done that, she'd still be alive! It's my fau-!"
"Don't you dare say that," Blake cut the tirade off as she pushed herself up, "It's not your fault anymore than it's Ajani's. If Elspeth would hold this against you, then she doesn't deserve your friendship! You didn't know what was going to happen-"
"Isn't that my job, though?" Ruby argued, "That's why I have these!" Ruby ripped the right sleeve of her shirt up, showing the massive tapestry of marks going up her arm, each a artifact, "I'm supposed to be ready for-"
"Ruby," Blake said, taking a step forward, "calm down. You're acting-"
"I should've," Ruby's voice cracked again as her head turned, looking lost, "I should've…"
Blake stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Ruby, "I'm sorry."
"How many people are going to die because of us?" Ruby asked, voice broken, "I know Tezzeret, he won't go down without a fight. If we don't stop him at the duel, there will be a war."
"How many people will die if we don't?" Blake said softly, sitting them on the bed, "not just on Kaladesh, but wherever they're planning to go next."
"I know," Ruby said, hand clenched so hard veins bulged, "but that doesn't make it easier."
- X Winter X-
Winter stepped into the office with a barely hidden sigh. Gawain was grumbling about the Gatewatch disappearing without any warning, waiting for Qrow to show up so he could ask the older man about if he knew where his niece had gone.
The taskforce had been jumping from hotel to hotel as they waited for a more stable housing arrangement to be worked out… to several members irritation, since the Gatewatch had a nice home… if you ignored the corpses.
That alone set portions of the Taskforce, Winter included, on edge. While much of the Gatewatch were friendly enough, their use of dead bodies for labor was beyond off putting.
Sitting at the desk, Winter typed in her password, ignoring the revolving logo on the desktop. Once it opened, she clicked over to the CCT app and typed in a familiar number.
After a tense moment, a balding man with brown eyes appeared, "Schnee residence, how can I- Winter!"
Winter smiled, feeling tension flee her, "Klein!"
"Are you alright?" Klein asked, eyes lightening to yellow, "Weiss has been worried about you."
But not her father or Whitley… not that she expected much. Her father was an arrogant madman, the Faunus members of the Taskforce and Gatewatch had made that clear, and her brother was, if anything, worse.
"Is she there?" Winter asked.
"Yes, do you want me to go get her?"
"In a moment, I'd like to talk to you. We haven't seen each other in..."
"Months," Klein said, pulling up a chair and sitting in it, "so, what have you been up to? General Ironwood mentioned something about sending you on a special assignment. Something that nearly sent your father on a warpath, by the way."
Winter gave a small smile, her father hadn't been happy about her joining the Atlesian military since it essentially destroyed any control he had over her, "Yes, I'm working with a group in Vale."
"Oh? Is it nice there?"
"Yes," Winter nodded, "it's warm, even in winter."
"What about now?" Klein asked.
"It's a bit too hot for my tastes," Winter said, "We're only just entering summer and it has been so hot we've kept the air control on."
"Well," Klein said, "make sure you stay hydrated and all that."
"Of cour-" Winter stopped as a knocking came from Klein's side, "Who is that?"
"Probably your sister," Klein said, "I'm supposed to drive her to her combat lessons before too long. Would you like to talk to her now?"
"Yes, that'd be nice."
"Right then," Klein pushed himself up, walking away. The microphone just barely picked up him and Weiss talking. After a few sentences, Weiss came rushing onto the screen.
"Winter!" Weiss was smiling wider that she had in awhile, "I was worried-"
"I'm fine, Weiss," Winter said, trying to calm her sister's worry. Weiss hadn't grown all that much the last few months, "I've just been busy."
"Do you think you'll be back, soon?" Weiss asked, "Father hasn't really talked about you…"
"No," Winter shook her head, "I'm probably going to be here for several more months at least. Maybe Klein could convince Father to let you come down and visit me next month?"
"I can work on that," Klein said, "It is summer, after all. What part of Vale do you work in, if you don't mind me asking?"
"A lot of time we're in the main city, but there's been talk about moving to the island of Patch off the coast."
"Is it nice there?" Weiss asked.
"Yes," Winter said, "there's a small town to accommodate the students of Signal. A third party we've been working with, the Gatewatch is stationed there already."
"They are? Why?"
"One of their members has family there," Winter explained.
"What are they like?" Weiss seemed transfixed. Their father had done his best to limit Weiss's contact with the outside world, feeding her a steady stream of pro-SDC propaganda.
"They're…" negligent, destructive, irritating and almost shamelessly irreverent about the law, "interesting. There's a couple of members your age, I'll introduce you."
- X Ilia X-
Ilia hid her flinch as Adam threw a vase at the wall with a roar of anger. The bull stomped out of the room, ranting to himself, "Adam."
"She's a traitor!" Adam didn't stop, "First she leaves me to become a Huntress," Adam spat the word as he marched through the halls, "Then she starts living with these humans-!"
"And a Faunus," Ilia pointed out, deeply regretting caving into Adam's demands to bring him to where Blake was staying. Her hope had been that they could talk to each other, only for Blake not to be there… or any of the other inhabitants.
Adam didn't respond to her, "-like she's some kind of pet-"
"That's-"
Before Ilia could continue, Adam smashed open a door, marching into the room. Recognize it as Blake's room, Ilia reluctantly followed Adam into it, looking around.
The blinds over the window were open, allowing the evening light to shine through the doors. As Adam looked around, his grip on Blush growing so tight the metal groaned, "What the hell-?"
"She stays here," Ilia pointed out, leaning against the violet bed, "You can't expect her to-"
Adam grabbed a picture off the mantle opposite the bed, staring at it. Turning, he practically shoved it into Ilia's face, "Who are these?"
Ilia briefly glanced into one corner of the room, where a persistent dark shadow was. Apparently catching Ilia's gaze, the shadow stretched itself until it was needle thin and rushed along the wall and out of the room. Looking back, Ilia took the picture.
On it were the members of the… Gateswatchers? Blake was closest to around a picnic table, "The one in red is Ruby, that's Sun, Nissa and Chandra-"
"Sun," Adam grabbed the picture pack, staring at it intently, "are they close?"
Ilia suppressed a laugh. Oh, was Adam barking up the wrong tree, "They're friends."
It had sucked when Ilia had noticed Ruby and Blake's affections for each other. She had been so sure Blake was interested in boys, in Adam, that she hadn't ever tried to drop hints. By the time she had realized it, it was when it became clear she was almost certainly out of the running.
Adam growled again, not breaking his stare as he apparently ignored Ilia again, "How close?"
"They're friends," Ilia repeated, pulling out her scroll behind her back and starting a message to Kali and Ghira. This wasn't healthy. There were plenty of humans that deserved Adam's anger, but the Gatewatch wasn-
"When will they be back?" Adam asked, pushing past Ilia and marching towards the door.
"I don't know," Ilia said.
"Tell me when the- who's there?" Adam's head snapped to the side, where shuffling feet could be heard. Oh, boy…
Peering out as she finished the message, Ilia watched the group of shambling men and woman, human and faunus move towards them. At the top of the ceiling was the dark shadow, watching them.
"What the hell?" Adam grabbed Wilt's hilt as a shiver rose up Ilia's back. Liliana's Semblance was still creepy… at least they were weak.
- X Kali X-
Kali stepped back as Ghira shook, starting at the message, "Dear…"
"I told him to stay away from her," Ghira said.
"I know."
"What's wrong with him?" He asked, "Blake isn't some sort of possession, she's allowed to do what she wants. Be friends with who she wants…"
"Love who she wants?" Kali said.
"Caught that too?" Ghira joked, "I wouldn't rush to call it love-"
"Ghira," Kali rolled her eyes
"-They're a bit young to jump to that is all," Ghira said, clearly trying to appease her, "but when it does get to that point, yes."
Kali sighed as she sat down, "Do you think they're alright? I know they're skilled, but they're still kids."
"I don't know," Ghira said quietly, "all we can really do is pray, right?"
Blake's determination to go after the Gatewatch had force one sobering fact into mind. They dove headfirst into dangerous situations, determined to save people.
"Do you ever regret it?" Kali asked, "agreeing to let Blake join the Gatewatch?"
"I would be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind," Ghira said, "but I think it was the right choice, in the end… from her too. I really do believe that she would have run off with Adam and joined the Fang if Gatewatch wasn't in the picture."
"You trust them more than the Fang?" Kali asked, reaching over to rest one hand on Ghira's arm.
"I…" Ghira sighed, grabbing the remote and turning on the screen they had gotten to stay in contact with Blake. He opened a recording, allowing the news to play.
"Chloe Beryl, a major shareholder in the SDC was found dead today," on the screen was an grey haired woman in a deep green suit, a smile on her face as she cradled a baby, "Two men have come forth claiming respos-"
Kali grabbed it from his hand, shutting off the video, "What-?"
"Seems to be happening all the time," Ghira said, looking down, "Grey said the same. Ever since the riot, since I stepped down… the Fang's been heading towards extremism."
"That's not your fault," Kali murmured, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder, "Sienna, Grey… Adam. They should be the ones that should be dealing with this, instead…"
"But it's only been a year," Ghira said, nudging her back, "How much worse is it going to get before it gets better? Will it get better?"
"Maybe…" Kali said quietly, "Maybe we should reenter the limelight? It might have sent the wrong message, leaving as we did."
Ghira shook his head, "I don't know. Would it even work? I'm-"
"We'll think about it," Kali said, "this isn't a decision to be made in the heat of the moment."
"You're right," Ghira said, "but if we do, where would we start?"
"Vale, maybe? We told Blake we'd meet her there, and it would give us a chance to talk with Adam."
"I-" Ghira stopped as the front door opened, standing and looking through the window dividing his study from the rest of the room, "Blake!"
"She's back already?" Kali asked, jumping up and joining her husband. Looking down, Kali felt the stomach drop as she saw Blake's ears practically flat, "Blake? Is something wrong? Did something happen?"
"Yes," Blake paused, "No… I don't know. Can I talk to you, please? I'm… worried about Ruby."
Kali shot a look at Ghira, curving one eyebrow up. Not call it love?
Ghira rolled his eyes at her, before looking back down at Blake, "Of course, you can always talk with us, Kitten. Kali, do you want to get some refreshments?"
"Don't start without me," Kali said, stepping down the stairs. As she passed Blake, Kali reached out, "is everyone alright?"
"Nobody's injured," Blake's eyes were downcast, "but… I'm worried about Ruby. Really worried."
"And we'll do whatever it takes to help with that," Kali said, "Trust us."
- X Blake X-
Blake took the steaming cup from her mom, smiling weakly, "Thank you."
"Of course," Kali said, sitting next to Ghira with her own cup, "Now, what's wrong? You said you were worried about Ruby?"
Blake flinched. There was no going back now, "Yeah…"
"Why? You had made everything sound well before you left," Ghira said, "and you said nobody was hurt."
"Ruby's…" Dust, how to put it? "been having a rough time. She's acting…"
"Acting?" Kali urged gently.
"I don't know the right word for it," Blake admitted. Unhinged jumped to mind, but that didn't feel right. She was still capable of planning with Jace...
"Why don't you start at the beginning, then? That normally helps."
Blake nodded, drinking from her tea to calm herself, "So, we're on a plane called Kaladesh… it's actually Chandra's home plane. We're… uh… We're not done there quite yet, hopefully within a couple of weeks, though?"
"Call us when you finish," Ghira said, "or stop by."
Blake nodded, "Anyways, the main problem is that there's a Planeswalker there, Tezzeret. Ruby knows him… well, Jace and Liliana too, but-"
"-Ruby's the important part," Kali said firmly, "Let's focus on that, ok?"
"Yeah," Blake nodded again, taking another sip, "They don't like each other, Ruby and Tezzeret, but that's not the main problem."
"Then the important part is?" Blake got the feeling her parents were aware she was trying to stall for time.
"There's another Planeswalker there too, Ajani. He's," Blake laughed nervously, "a lion."
"Like," Ghira said slowly, "He's brave?"
"No," Blake shook her head, pushing her hair back out of her face immediately after, "Like he's a bipedal lion."
Blake had to keep from laughing at her father's bug eyed look, "How is that-? No, That's not important right now."
"Ajani and Ruby" Blake sighed, no more delays, "They had a friend they both knew, Elspeth. Ajani told Ruby that Elspeth died… was killed and Ruby's been…" Blake hesitated, "melting down ever since. She ran off to another Plane to talk with someone, uh," What was his name? "Koth, I think? And even after I brought her back, she's been… having problems," Blake finished lamely.
"It sounds like she's just grieving, Kitten," Ghira said, "everyone-"
"I know," Blake sighed, "the problem is that Ruby tends to handle stress badly."
"How badly is 'badly?'" Kali asked.
"She," Blake stared into her mug. Ruby would forgive her for this right? "I followed her when she went to talk to Koth. She'd been hiding a Plane from us the entire time, she kept insisting that it was too dangerous and got angry about the idea of the Gatewatch going there-"
"What did you say?" Ghira asked, voice hesitant.
"I told her that we had to tell the others and she asked if we could at least put it off-" Blake stopped as her dad gave a heavy sigh, planting his face in his hands, "Dad?"
"Blake," Ghira said, "it's more than grief."
"What do you mean?"
"Blake," he started gently, "I understand why you want to let the others know but… sometimes, things happen to people that… it's like a scar, it never fully goes away and hurts long after it heals. Has Ruby been acting strange? Angry, maybe?"
"Yeah," Blake nodded, "Why?"
"You… I'm sorry, but you probably did more harm than good, Blake," Ghira said, taking her hands, "She's grieving, but you've also hurt her without meaning to. If she's so scared of this place she hasn't mentioned it, she's probably terrified of what will happen once you're done with Kaladesh and everyone knows, especially if she thinks they'll react like you and want to go, so she's lashing out."
"I didn't- I-" Blake looked away. She hadn't wanted to hurt Ruby.
"I'm not saying you meant to do it," Blake's father said, "but you're still kids, Blake. Ruby's not even a teen yet. Do you want my advice?"
"Yes," Blake nodded.
"Step back," Ghira said, "tell Ruby you don't need to tell everyone immediately. Talk to her, let her get comfortable with you knowing before anything. Maybe, maybe take a break from Planeswalker things for a bit."
"Like what?" Blake asked.
"Like, take a vacation," Kali said, "Somewhere on Remnant or another place you both know that's safe with some of your friends-"
"Like here?" Blake asked, "I- Ruby's been to Menagerie and you two know more about this than I do…"
"That's because we're adults and have seen this before," Kali said, "You didn't do any of this because you wanted to hurt Ruby-"
"I would ne-!"
"Exactly," Kali said softly, "We all know that and I'm sure Ruby does too. As for staying here, so long as Ruby agrees to it, I don't think either of us would mind."
"Of course not," Ghira nodded, "I'll call Tai after you leave to talk to him about it. I'm sure he's probably aware something is up. We'd be able to fit," he turned to Kali, "Four, five extra people, counting Blake?"
"That sounds about right," Kali nodded, turning to Blake, "Why don't you go talk to Ruby about this? We should probably call Tai before too long."
"Uh… Yeah," Blake jumped up, rushing around the coffee table to hug them both, "I love you both, see you when I get back!"
"We'll see you then," her dad said, smiling.
As Blake stepped into the Blind Eternities, she heard her mom say something that made her go bug eyed.
"What was that about it not being love?"
- X Qrow X-
"For the hundredth time," Qrow sighed, "I don't know where they went yet!"
Brothers, he had just got back from checking on Amber, he wasn't ready to deal with this!
One of the members from Mistral, Iris, laughed. The mess of scars normally hidden by her hair were visible as she leaned forward, "Do you make it a habit to lose track of people we're supposed to be watching, Branwen?"
"I had to do something for Oz," Qrow shot back, "besides, it's not our job to know where Gatewatch is all the time. If they're off world, that's not our problem."
"I thought our job was to monitor Planeswalkers?" Iris asked, "Or do these not count because one of them is your daughter?"
"Niece," Qrow corrected her, hitting the button to ignore a call from Tai, "We're supposed to be worrying about Planeswalkers that are a threat. Ruby and the Gatewatch aren't."
"That's not what Lionheart said," Iris turned to her compatriots, "right, Chern?"
Chern, a heavyset man with a hammer, nodded, "He did say that…"
The two of them stopped at the looks they got, "What?"
"If that's our job," Adham, a tall bald man with weathered skin, "It's the first I've heard of it."
"The General seems to see them as allies," Winter said, "They're… Except for Jura, they don't particularly listen to the law, but never in ways that make them a threat."
"...Huh," Iris looked around the room, "I wonder why he'd tell us that."
"Same," Qrow said, "I-" Qrow stopped long enough to hit the refuse call button again, "I don't know where Rubes is, but- damn it, I'm gonna have to take this."
"Fine," Iris pulled out a lighter, hitting the button, "Where's Goodwitch?"
"Still dealing with Beacon," Qrow said, stepping out of the room, "Alright, Tai, what is it? I'm in the middle of someth-"
"Can you get home quickly?" Tai cut him off, "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"Ruby."
Of course it was. Ever since her ignition, Ruby had been the subject of more calls than Yang, "What about her? Is she alright?"
"Kali and Ghira called. They need to talk to us, as soon as possible."
"Alright," Qrow said, "I'll be right there."
Hanging up, Qrow shoved his head into the room, "I'm done for today. Something came up."
"He-"
Shutting the door, Qrow opened the nearest window, shifted, and took off as fast as he could. As the bird flew, it was a matter of minutes to get to Patch.
Landing, Qrow opened the door, looking around.
Tai was seated on the couch, head in his hands. Next to him was Zwei, ears flat as he learned on Tai, while in front of him was a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
Walking over, Qrow sat down, "Hey, everything alright? You said Kali and Ghira had something to talk to us about?"
"They're going to call back in a few, they wanted to eat before it got too late on their end. I… I wanted to give you a basic gist of what's going on, so you don't get too surprised."
"Ok?" Qrow said, "What's wrong, man?"
"They… they want Ruby to spend at least part of the summer at Menagerie," Tai said.
"What's wrong with that?" Qrow reached out, shaking Tai slightly, "are you not feeling well or something?"
"I…" Tai stopped, downing a glass, "I'll let them explain. I thought I could, but…"
"Tai, man, you're scaring me," Qrow said, "is Ruby alright?"
Tai shook his head, but Qrow couldn't tell if it was a refusal to explain or him saying she wasn't.
All Qrow could do was wait for the call. The second it did, Qrow hit the button.
"Qrow," Kali said as the screen turned on, "How's Tai?"
"He's having a panic attack," Qrow said bluntly, "What's going on?"
"We," Kali sighed, "We think Ruby has PTSD."
Qrow's mind ground to a halt, looking over at Tai. Yeah, missing something like that would send Tai into a freak out, "Alright, I'm gonna need you to talk me through this one, Kal."
Ghira snorted a laugh, "We're kinda running off what Blake's said, so we might need you to fill in some blanks. Tai too, if he can calm down."
"Right," Qrow nodded, shaking Tai, "What's up?"
"Ruby apparently found out she lost a friend and ran off, Blake followed her and found out about a Plane-"
"Mirridan?" Tai asked.
"Blake didn't say a name," Kali said, "Apparently Ruby kept insisting that the Gatewatch couldn't go there. Blake tried to push Ruby to tell them after they were done on Kaladesh and Ruby's been… aggressive."
"So," Qrow said, "You want to bring her to Menagerie?"
"We told Blake that Ruby should take a vacation and she suggested Menagerie. We'd be happy to have her, but it's ultimately your decision."
"I should have caught this before now," Tai moaned.
"You're not giving yourself enough credit. I take it Ruby had mentioned this to you?"
"A bit, yeah, but-"
"That alone says how much Ruby trusts you. Blake only found out because she followed her, but Ruby was willing to confide in you before that point. We'd be glad to have you over too, if that's what you're worried about. We're just trying to move Ruby away from the Gatewatch a bit while keeping things low stress."
"I-"
"And for what it's worth," Ghira cut back in, "I think it would be better if you were here. It'll help Ruby feel more comfortable."
"I- I don't know. I'll have to think about it. Coming along, that is. I'm fine with her going."
"We'll call you back in a couple of weeks then, ok?"
"Yeah," Tai nodded as the call ended.
"You're going," Qrow said immediately, "You need a vacation too. Come on, let's get packing."
"Hey!" Tai yelped, "What about Yang?"
"I'm sure they'll be fine with her too!"
- X Mahesh X-
Mahesh looked over as a woman wearing a shawl sat next to him, a black haired girl with another next to her, "Hello?"
"Are these seats taken?" she asked.
"No," he said, "Do you want them? The rest of my family doesn't care for qucksmithing, so…"
"Thank you," She sat down, smiling, "I'm Rima, and this is my niece Reenu."
"Mahesh," he said, "You got lucky, these are probably the last front row seats in the place."
Rima nodded, "It's supposed to start soon, right?"
"Yes," Mahesh shifted uncomfortably, "Do you mind if I ask you something that might seem strange?"
"Go ahead."
"Does this seem… wrong to you? Turning an execution into some sort of public affair?"
"It does seem wrong," Reenu said, amber eyes locked onto the automaton bringing two large crates into the arena.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" An elf stepped forwards, "Please, grab your seats, our event will be starting soon!"
"I mean," Mahesh said, "I'm not a Renegade sympathizer, but I'd have thought we were better than this!"
"Apparently not," Rima shot back, voice icy.
Out of the door in front of them, the head judge walked in, flanked by another pair of automatons. Mahesh frowned as Tezzeret walked to the crate on his side and checked the contents, "He's cheating!"
"How?" Reenu asked.
"You're not allowed to see the parts until the duel starts," Mahesh explained, "It could give you an unfair advantage."
"Since when has Tezzeret cared about that?" Reenu asked as the door opposite them opened, letting the four into the arena.
It, once again, left a bad taste in Mahesh's mouth as the first guard moved to the side, allowing her compatriots to all but throw Pia Nalaar into the arena. Judging by the muttering throughout the arena, others felt much the same.
If the elf heard them, he didn't show it, "Good luck, both of you!"
There was an explosion of boos and jeers from around the arena as the bell for the match start went off. Tezzeret calmly reached into the crate, taking parts out and snapping them together.
Pia pushed herself up, running to her crate with a look of determination on her face. Occasionally, her one not blackened eye would flicker up to look at Tezzeret before jumping back down. Each time this happened, she would grab a piece from the crate and add it on.
"It appears Renegade Prime has no idea what she is-" the commentator was drowned out by more boos.
A sharp tone filled the air and both sides stepped away, clutching their creations. Neither was pretty, especially compared to the likes of Saheeli Rai, but they were combat worthy.
Tezzeret's was a crawler the likes of which Mahesh had never seen. Eight grey legs pushed it up until it towered over him, causing Rima to scoff, "He's not even trying to hide that he's cheating!"
"I suppose you can get away with it," Reenu said, leaning against the divider, "when you're making the rules."
Pia's small creation, looking like a cross between a crab and a cone, froze for a second as Tezzeret's crawler walked towards it, causing several people in the audience to laugh. As the crawler raised its leg to crush Pia's, however, the crab struck.
A high pitched whine filled the air as the top flipped open, allowing the ballista within to launch a spike into the crawler. The crowd gasped as the crawler staggered backwards before collapsing.
"Yes!" Reenu said under her breath, leaning even further forward.
Again and again this happened, Tezzeret would create something only for Pia to make something else to counteract it. Finally, after a dragon fell to a squid, the judge howled something barely intelligible, "ROSE!"
"What's wrong, Tezzeret?" the voice that came from Pia's lips was that of a young girl, her entire body shimmering before taking the form of a girl with silver eyes, "Isn't this what you wanted, to lure us out?"
"I only see one child here, Rose…" Tezzeret raised his hand, the metal from his broken creations rising as the two that had stepped into the arena with him came forward, "Not very fair, is it?"
"Who said anything about fair?" A voice called from the crowd opposite them as a stream of fire crashed into one of the creations. A woman with flaming hair jumped down into the arena, followed by an elf and a blonde boy shortly after.
"I thought you would have learned by now," a voice echoed from the arena without a source. After a second, two people stepped out of thin air, a man in turquoise robe, and a woman in purple, "We don't do fair!"
"Guards," Tezzeret barked, "Deal with them."
"Now Tezzeret," the woman's smile was calm, but still set Mahesh on edge, "Why would they ever do that?"
Three more mirages disappeared around the guard, revealing a giant lion, a woman with a sword covered in blue fire and another man with a bronze arm.
Reenu jumped the railing, landing behind Tezzeret as the shadows in the arena seemed to grow darker and stretch towards him. Yanking off the shawl, she plunged the arm holding it into the shadows as if it were a pool of water. When she pulled it out, she had a black sword.
- X Blake X-
Blake felt her shadow pulse beneath her, ready to attack as Pia rushed out of the arena. Looking behind her, Blake breathed in… and sent it at the guards rushing towards them.
Blake was dimly aware of the bestial roar that echoed out of the surging tide of darkness followed by the horrified screams as the monster reached the guards. In the time it took for Blake's heart to beat twice, her shadow rushed back, curling under her feet.
Opposite them, the guards were stopped by a man covered in ghostly blue flames, a longsword in hand as he exploded out of Thalia's back. Seconds later, lightning was launched from Ral's arm.
Tezzeret's automatons are blocking my telepathy, Jace's voice echoed through her mind, I need you all to break them.
"On it!" Sun grabbed one of his shotguns off his back, leveling it at the closest one and blowing a fist sized hole in it. Within seconds, metal coiled up the automaton, repairing the hole in its side as the same happened to the one Chandra had melted, "Come on! Really?"
"Stay focused!" Blake yelled at him as she launched her shadow forward. It grabbed one of the automatons in its massive hands cracking it before dashing it against the wall.
Crackling symbols appeared around Ruby, launching silver beams of energy into another automaton as Drache landed in front of her at full size, "Why does Bolas want the planar portal, Tezzeret?"
Tezzeret froze for a second, reaching up to touch the horns tattooed on his brow, "So you figured that out? I'll tell you the truth… I don't know."
"You expect us to believe that?" Liliana asked, "'You don't know?'"
"I don't," Tezzeret shrugged, "I just know he wants it, and I'm not dumb enough to defy him."
"Then you're going to be in for a bad time when you have to tell him you failed!" Ruby said.
"Have I?" Tezzeret laughed, "are you sure?"
Blake let her eyes widen, "He made sure we would be focused on him!"
"Figured it out, have you?" Tezzeret laughed as a massive shadow fell over them, a ship hovering over the arena, "Too late, unfortunately. We're already moving the finalists to keep them safe from you Renegades!"
"Bullshit!" Sun barked, "You kidnapped them!"
"I suppose it depends on how you look at it," Tezzeret shrugged again, "but I look at it as having won."
"Have you?" Ruby asked, Crescent Rose trained on Tezzeret's head as he floated up, "are you sure?"
Tezzeret laughed, as he rose up, "Yes."
As he disappeared into the clouds, Blake joined the rest of the Gatewatch in fleeing the arena. Dodging into an alley, she breathed a sigh of relief, "Think he fell for it?"
"Only one way to find out," Ruby said, "come o-"
Halfway to Mrs. Pashiri's home, a loud chime came, followed by a frantic voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I have terrible news! The winner of the Inventor's Fair, Rashmi, has been kidnapped by the Renegades! The Consulate is offering a reward for information that leads to her rescue!"
"Yep," Sun grinned, "They fell for it."
Gideon was waiting for them when they reached Mrs. Pashiri's home, a smile on his face, "She's inside."
"Did she agree to come?" Ruby asked, looking worried.
"Once I explained, yes… well, I had a bit of help. Come on."
They walked into the room, catching the tail end of a sentence, "-old me!"
"It's not supposed to be something you talk about. If I hadn't learned Tezzeret was a Planeswalker, I wouldn't have told you now."
"It still explains so much! Your vacations, where you got the ideas for some of your creations, how you always had such skill with Aether and metal-!"
"You've said that three times now," one of the woman at the table said, before looking over to them, "Oh, you're here!"
She stood up, brushing herself off and smiled to them. Blake felt her jaw drop at the metal wrapped around the woman, which seemed to have a rainbow sheen to it, "Uh…"
"I'm Saheeli," she said with a smile, "Thank you for helping Rashmi out."
"Oh!" the elf behind her smiled sheepishly, bowing, "yes, thank you!"
"Don't worry about it," Ruby gave a brief smile, before letting it crumble, "but we're not done yet. Tezzeret has the prototype, right?"
"Right," Rashmi nodded.
"Then we need to destroy that," Ruby said, before stopping, "I'm sor-"
"There's no other option?" Rashmi cut her off.
"No," Ruby said, "Tezzeret will use it to… well, we're not sure what, but it will be bad."
"Then I understand," Rashmi said.
"It's probably in the Aether Spire," Pia said, "It won't be easy getting to it."
"What do we do?" Blake asked, turning to Ruby, Jace and Gideon.
"We need to act soon," Jace said, "before Tezzeret decides to grab the portal and run."
"How would we get into the Aether Spire?" Gideon asked Pia.
"The only way on at the moment would be a skyship," Pia explained, "which I can get us, but we need Aether… which we can get in two ways."
"How?" Ruby asked.
"First is by raiding the Aether siphons, the second is to seize control of the Aether Hub for long enough to get what we need."
"Dangerous either way," Gideon said, pacing slightly.
"I…" Ruby chewed her lip, "I need to check something, Blake, Sun, come on."
Blake shared a confused look with Sun and the rest before shrugging and following Ruby into the Blind Eternities.
-X Line Break X-
Any thoughts on the Chapter? Good? Bad? Meh?