To RandomFanAuthor- It is! I'm quite proud of myself! ^_^ And yes, be worried. I am... mean. In various ways. I love it. You won't. But I do. Spoiler: everything is not fine. Reyna doesn't need Lou's help to kill Leo- she needs Lou to be ready with the camera :P

To Thals13- The sentence popped into my head and it stuck! I thought it was very accurate, so thank you! ^_^ And same with my brother, every bit of money/birthday/Christmas/whatever, it's Lego. Or Batman. Or Lego Batman. He's set up it really well, but it's just so LARGE. And yes. I am hide and seek champion. I have to make sure Lou gets better and Leoisa occurs, mmmm? Interesting, interesting... or I could just blow everything up and stomp on the ashes and laugh at despair, that sounds more fun. There are no vibes, none. Ssh. Maybe a couple more than 50 (I had to do some rearranging and now I've accidentally added chapters D: ) The Awake Jason story will be separate! (And later, as I am still working on that one. Chances are, I'll just do snippets as some stuff will stay the same, but obviously he's AWAKE, so... bear with me on it!) And no- you're the second person to say that. Everything is not fine. Mwhahaha.

End of the second day of isolation, ticking into the beginning of the third. Reyna decided to visit Louisa, pulling on jeans and a hoodie, stomping into her sneakers. She had Leo recount the six months they had been away, all that time they sat around the monitors. She hadn't been told everything, he was definitely keeping something from her. But she suspected it was private, so didn't press. He spoke of England in a flat, careful tone, taking a few moments here and there to choose his words cautiously. Their downtime he spoke of fondly, asked Reyna if she knew about the endless expanse of Louisa's enemies and not always happy with the responses, often secretive. He recounted stories of mischief and rules and Louisa-isms. Of their English friends- Joel's antics, Joel and Neville, little Juni, Lucy-Jo's eye rolls and aversion to vomit, scary med July and Boss/Eugene. "Lou was either trying to start a riot or a fire. Or both."

"So, nothing new."

"Pretty much."

There wasn't much sign of an upcoming arsonist or rioter as Reyna stepped into the house just after sunset. She hadn't been able to sleep, Frank having taken over for a while, and, despite the risks, she needed Louisa's company and to check on her. Louisa had been in the living room when she left. Leo had supplied her with a walkie-talkie, informing her that their charge was now in the kitchen.

"Lou?" Reyna called out. "Just me."

"And me." Leo's voice crackled over the radio. "You can never escape me. I am the eye in the sky, the fly on the wall, the all-knowing, devilishly handsome-" Reyna turned her radio down, staring down the closest camera. Leo was just audible now, promising to behave.

She pushed open the kitchen door, saw Louisa leaning on the sink, legs crossed at the ankles. She had filled it, dunking her hands in its depths, drifting them about slowly, bored and lost in thought. Her head lifted slightly, eyes still on the water, as Reyna stopped at her side.

"You're late." She said.

"Praetor stuff."

"Hazel said if I took my medicine, you'd visit."

"She did?"

"Yes."

"What medicine?"

"Mmm. Cannibalism."

"For the last time, Lou, unicorn draught is not cannibalism."

"Is too. My brother's a horse." She swayed, as if drunk. "'N' the other brother's a pegasus. The Pegasus, bitch."

"I've met him."

"You have?"

"Yes. He titled me Horse Friend."

"Aww." Louisa smiled, broadly, if a little bleary. "Proud of you, Rey-Rey. You're good to us horsey types." Her smile wilted into a pout. "Still late though."

"I'm sorry."

"You should be." Louisa nodded haphazardly.

"Do you want to sit down?" Reyna asked as she continued to wobble unsteadily. "I'll make you some tea." Louisa whined, shaking her head. "What?" Rather than saying anything, Louisa's head tipped forward, indicating the pool she had made for her hands. Reyna and Leo had seen her washing her hands endlessly, having replaced the soap several times over the last few days and providing a hand moisturiser that remained unused by the bed. "What's wrong with your hands, Lou?"

"Dirty."

"What did you do?"

"Monsters go boom."

"You're always cleaning your hands though."

"It doesn't go away." She rolled her eyes, as if it were obvious. "Dirty hands. I missed the funerals. What happened?"

"The procession went as planned. Very quiet."

"Loads missin'."

"Yes." Reyna agreed with a sigh. "Yes, there are."

"It's OK though." Louisa nodded, swaying and almost tipping into Reyna. "I'm gonna fix it."

"You're going to fix it?"

"Mm. Sort of. I'm gonna… payback." She kept nodding, waving her hands in the water. It lapped over the sink, splashing onto their feet. Reyna took a breath to abate a sudden chill under her skin. "Yes." Louisa continued. "Gonna payback. Emperor gonna get it, gonna get me. I'm angry. Pissed off."

"We all are."

"No. Ya'll angry at the wrong people."

"Lou." Reyna said firmly. "Remember what we talked about. Mind your words."

"Fuck words. Fuck emperors. Fuck gods. Fight for yaselves, not those dipshits."

"Lou." Reyna gripped her arm. She frowned down at the contact, blinking and squinting. She followed the line of Reyna's arm, across her shoulder and up to her face, blinking in surprise.

"Reyna." She said. "When'd you get here? Is somethin' wrong?"

"No." Reyna said, a little too quickly. If Louisa noticed, she made no mention of it, looking at her hands. She wriggled her fingers, the water whisking into a whirlpool and then slowing after a few seconds.

"There's a voice on your butt." She announced randomly.

"It's not on my butt." Reyna retrieved the radio from her belt, setting it on the side. "It's Leo." She turned the volume back up, pressed the button. "Say hi to Leo, Lou."

"No. He's a peasant. Leo's a peasant." Reyna let go of the button. Louisa didn't notice, muttering 'peasant peasant peasant' like a new chant. The device crackled and Leo came back, offended.

"I've apologised over and over and over!"

"Still a peasant."

"Bite me!"

"Ooh, ya didn't push the button."

"There's microphones in the cameras."

"The walls have ears. 'N' eyes. Is Leo in the walls?"

"Not physically."

"He's a peasant."

"Why is he a peasant?"

"Don't like flyin'." She frowned at the radio, poking it apprehensively. "He's leavin'."

"How do you do that?" Leo marvelled.

"Where're ya goin'?"

"Back to the Waystation. I miss Cal."

"I miss Callie." Louisa agreed, nodding. Reyna gripped her elbow as she wobbled again. "Rey-Rey, ya gotta meet Callie. I owe her a cookin' pot. 'N' a sword. Ya gotta meet her."

"I will. One day." Reyna said.

"I'm also going to look for the others." Leo continued. "Piper, Jason, Coach. Oh damn, he's got a kid now. Uncle Leo is on route! Reyna, what's the kid like?"

"A little satyr boy, named Chuck."

"Chuck's gonna be my new bestie." Leo decided. "Lou?" She hummed in acknowledgement. "You'll be OK. I'll say hi to Cal for you. Do as Reyna says."

"She has no choice." Reyna smirked. Louisa pouted. Leo's laugh crackled through the radio.

"Lou, stop doing that. It'll never work on Reyna." Her gaze darted around the kitchen, eventually finding a camera and sending another frown its way. "Yeah, I'll miss you too. But… I'll come back with Cal one day. You'll need to get better first, so, yeah, listen to Reyna. Final orders from Captain Leo. But not final final orders, I mean like, final orders before I go. There will undoubtedly be more when I get back." Louisa scoffed, returning to her splashing. "I don't like your attitude."

"Deal with it." Louisa blew a raspberry. Reyna managed a small smile, seeing a familiar cheeky spark in the sea green.

"Then do me a favour." Leo persisted. "Don't be a dick."

Reyna eventually talked Louisa into sitting down, about half seven. She made her a tea, settling her protests of dirty hands with the now quiet radio. She played with the dials and pushed the button, puzzling when Leo's voice didn't come back to her. Instead, it was Pierre, having taken over until Reyna got back. He wasn't as talkative, simply asked how Louisa was getting on and lightly complaining that he was very much bored. She simply shushed him and continued to play with the device.

"Are you alright with Leo going?" Reyna asked, sitting at the head of the table with her own tea.

"Mm." Louisa nodded, shaking her head and then nodding again. "Needs ta be with Callie. Gonna miss him though."

"You'll see them again. Although… serious question, do his jokes ever get annoying?" Louisa shrugged unhelpfully. "It's OK, he's not listening. You don't have to defend him."

"He's good."

"I know he is. His jokes aren't though."

"They're a'ight."

"Ugh, you're too loyal." Reyna rolled her eyes, sipped her tea. Louisa stuck her finger in her tea, then her mouth, taste-testing it. "Three sugars, bit of milk, not quite boiling." Reyna confirmed. Louisa inclined her head, sliding the mug closer to her and peering into curiously. "Anything interesting in there?" Reyna asked.

"Face."

"Your face."

"My face."

"Happy face?"

"No."

"Sad face?"

"No. Angry."

"I know." Reyna sighed, turning her mug in her hands. "You have to manage your anger."

"No."

"Yes. Manage or die."

"Mmph." She gulped a mouthful, fidgeting and looking around at the cabinets. Reyna toyed with a loose bit of thread on her cuff. "You're angry."

"I'm worried."

"'N' angry." Louisa rubbed at her ear. "Louder when angry." Reyna watched her for a moment, saw the focus fading and then snapping back to stare intently at a cupboard handle until the fading began again. She spun her finger forgetfully over her mug, the tea following her idling motions. "You're angry." She repeated. A few minutes had passed by this point. Reyna had finished her tea, staring into empty mug as if she could shove all her bad thoughts and worries in there.

"I'm not angry."

"Liar."

"I'm worried. You're not… well. You need help."

"Isolation."

"Yes, I know." Reyna pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry it came to this, Lou, but I didn't know what else to do." Louisa looked at her, eyes flicking to something past her shoulder. She cocked her head, part-grimacing, part-smiling. Reyna shook her head, setting her mug down. "Any clue what'll make you better?"

"Fixin' stuff."

"You won't be fixing, you'll be getting yourself killed."

"No." Louisa resolutely shook her head, like a scolded toddler. She poked the table harshly a number of times, still shaking her head. "No, no. Fixin'. Uh… too many gone. Needs fixin'."

"It can't be fixed." Reyna said sadly. "What's done is done." Louisa's brow furrowed, a pout settling over her mouth again. "You don't want to fix things. You want to avenge things." Louisa brightened, snapping her fingers.

"That's the bitch."

"No, it's not. If you want revenge, focus on getting better, to face the emperors."

"Emperors comin' 'cos of gods."

"No."

"Yes."

"No." Reyna stood. Louisa blinked at the movement, raising her head groggily. "I'm not going to let you do this to yourself." Reyna said firmly. "Now," she said, moving towards the door, "I'm going to bed."

"You comin' back tomorrow?" Louisa asked innocently. Reyna stopped, her hand on the knob. She set her shoulders, took a quiet breath. She replied calmly, organised, settling to her default praetor tone. With a carefully arranged look over her shoulder, she answered the question.

"That depends on you. Goodnight, Lou." She left before she got a response.

I hope you're all keeping safe and well! I know things are returning to 'normal' now, in regards to the virus and I know there's not as much media coverage of the BLM protests, but I wish you all to be safe and support the BLM movement anyway you can. I'm doing my best my end, but it's 2020 for Pete's sake. Baffles me how people can still be so cruel and unjust. Stay safe, look after each other! Lots of love from my rainy corner of England!