Hey! It has been a while since I've posted at all. About a year actually. Things have been hectic like they have been for everyone else. And I have a sick feeling in my stomach at the fact that I left Time Swap off with Amos being forced to stay in the Russian Nome for a month. Don't worry, I am working on the next chapter for it, it might end up being two more chapters since I have more ideas popping in.

On that note, I might not update any of my other stories once Time Swap is completed. That includes, sadly, Lady Menshikov. Her story that I have mapped out in my head is incredibly complex and honestly makes her my favorite OC so far. I had some scenes written up for that story, mostly her interactions with a certain 'kid' that she 'hates', and of course important events with her brother Vladimir. I would love to go into the depth of who she is, especially since she stands as a human-like Set with the way she pokes Amos. This is the reason why the last couple of chapters for Time Swap are taking forever for me to write and post up.

So, since she does belong in the Time Swap universe, I chose to post up the few things I did have written up for Lady Menshikov since I may never actually finish it. If you feel inspired by any of this, you have my permission to use any of the ideas or characters. Happy Reading! Stay safe and healthy!

It had been a rough few hours of insults and facts being hurled in the Hall of Ages. Chief Lector Iskandar had requested a pause for lunch, but it was obvious that he was exhausted from the bullshit as well.

Vlad is still muttering under his breath, angered that they had brought Kane's youngest forward to 'testify against' him. I do not vocalize it, but I disagree with him on this. Yes, the kid is still a timid mess under his father's glare, but everything he has said seems to be valid points against Jabari.

The food court is practically empty other than us attending the meeting. We had missed the original lunch rush of the First Nome. Most sat at one table, including Desjardins. That's when I had noticed Kane's son sitting at the furthest table from them, despite Michel gesturing him to join them. That had clearly upset the older magician, but he had chosen to respect the kid's space.

Jabari had glared down the main table, considering it's composed of only enemies to him. I can tell he's considering joining the teenager, and I suddenly feel rather protective. Vlad goes to join the others, but I quietly dismiss myself for the far table.

I set my food on the table, earning a startled jump from the kid who apparently had been spacing out. I peer over at Jabari, and I catch the snarl he unleashes before he decides he'll eat his lunch in his own private office. "You don't mind, do you?" I finally address Amos as I go to sit. "I cannot sit with them; they will only talk of hatred of the man on trial. It's old and frankly disgusting to listen to."

He's practically speechless. I can tell he minds having company, I knew that way before choosing to bother him. I just figured my company would be preferred over his father. I can read the edge of uneasiness, and I understand why considering we belong to families that are feuding. So I take it upon myself to warm him up.

"Rumor has it that you're a statuary?" I pause to see if he might respond. He just directs his eyes to his food and tries to focus on eating. "My oldest brother was statuary. Kazimir made me a music box when I was just a child. The ballerina would make new dance moves, and I made it my nightly routine."

He made no reaction to my words. He's trying to scarf down the food in hopes he can get away from everyone. I cannot help but feel somewhat upset by this, but I do not blame the child sitting across from me.

"I think it's brave what you are doing," I decide to vocalize my feelings on the current problem as I stir my fork through my peas. I smirk as I process that I've caught his attention, but he's still uneasy. "I know I wouldn't step forward against my own father, even if he was in the wrong. I respect him too much to even give it a thought."

I look up to find he had paused eating but still has his eyes locked on the food rather than his company. "Does the rest of your family support you?"

He blinks before muttering, "I haven't seen any of them in weeks."

I nod as I take note of his defensive barrier wearing down. I worry that perhaps Jabari might be using them as leverage against his own son, I wouldn't put it past the man to do it. "You're a smart kid," I go to try and ease his mood. "Thank Thoth your mother raised you because your father is a full-fledged moron."

I went to eat the peas I had been swirling around. After two forkfuls, I pause when I notice the brown gaze on me. It takes a moment for me to register that he isn't angry for me dissing his father. He's upset, but I can tell he is getting lost in his thoughts as well.

I straighten my posture before addressing the kid again. "Anything you'd like to get off your chest? We can keep it a secret if you prefer."

He comes back to the present, and swallows before blurting out, "What if they hate me for this?"

I froze out of mere astonishment that he would be concerned. I highly doubt Nadia Kane would dislike her children, especially for standing up for themselves against their father. I do briefly consider the oldest child getting enraged, and infuriately I do not know enough about them to be able to certify if he should be worried or not.

I slouch a bit after sighing. "If they do, so what?"

I tensed to the door opening but relaxed upon seeing two rather familiar faces. One I would consider friendly, the other behind him is a mere shrug. Vlad stayed tense, since he cannot see them but obviously heard the door creak open and close.

"Vlad," Desjardins started, seeming a tad rattled to seeing his condition, "I heard you set yourself on fire?"

"Not on purpose," he immediately protested the thought. His strained voice earned an eyebrow raise from the French, while the American took a step to the left to take in my brother.

"He is blind," I go to explain the matter to our guests, "and his voice is a tad ruined."

"This is Kanes' fault," he squeakily spat out in rage.

My mouth partially falls open in surprise and immediately my eyes land on the thirty-year-old. He blinks in surprise at this but keeps silent as Vlad continues with his accusations.

"She claims that he'll come back. So I tried to use the scroll of Ra to summon him back."

I'm in too much shock right now to verify anything as I do notice Michel's eyes landing on me for a quick second. "How is it their fault?" Desjardins finally asks.

Amos Kane is still quiet, but I can tell he wants to hear whatever Vlad has for slander. "It's not," I quickly answer before his rant of total bullshit hits anyone's ears. "Vladimir is at fault for his own initiative, and his alone."

"No, that bitch of a diviner threatened us all! Running around claiming that the Lord of Chaos will be upon us. She can't honestly believe that nothing would come of that! Why should we trust their word anyway?"

I notice Kane clench his left hand in response. However, he had bit his lip rather than defend his sister-in-law. Michel has now faced Amos, and he notices the restraint of the child. He sighs and gestures him to leave the room. Amos nods and slips out, hardly making a noise with the door this time.

Vlad must have noticed this, his forehead scrunched up in thought. "Did someone leave?"

"How did you notice that?" I ask.

He sighs in frustration before explaining that it would appear he can sense us through our magic reserves. And he noticed that less power was coming from where Desjardins is standing. "Amos Kane was worried of your condition upon hearing the news, Vladimir," Desjardins decides to state the rather large mistake he had just made.

You would think he would be angry, or upset, maybe embarrassed. Vlad had just huffed the idea away, "I don't need his fucking pity."

I do a slow blink in response to my brother's bashing. To his credit, Kane is only above us in rank because Vladimir had chosen to show restraint against the oldest Kane brother. However, he should at least try to show some respect. The man just survived possession at the hands of the Red Lord, that is not an everyday feat.

Vlad sits at a table, and I go to join him. I freeze upon hearing someone yelling several feet over my right shoulder. I turn to see what the matter is, and I notice a younger woman is the source. Her hand seems pinned down by Kane's own on the table, and he had just let go of his grip on the fork he had stabbed into the same area.

My eyes wide, I quickly drop my plate on the table beside my brother and run over to them. Others had beaten me, but they seem spooked as they yell at Kane. I shove my way in past the onlookers who are not helping.

I stop for a second as I realize his eyes are rolled up into his head, but he's muttering something under his breath. He's beyond immediate assistance for the moment. My eyes quickly go to the woman's hand he has pinned down. Thankfully the fork had only made contact with the table and not her. I go to remove Kane's hand, but he has a surprisingly firm grip. I speak the divine word to loosen, and thankfully it's effective.

The woman immediately retracts her hand, take two steps back from the table. Terrified blue eyes on the man that is the source of her scare. "What happened?" I ask quickly of her, my mind racing to puzzle a way to stop whatever it is he is doing.

"I approached and told him that I was sorry about his brother. He was responsive, and suddenly this happened! Is he okay?"

Obviously not, the poor fucker still has his eyes staring at his brain, still muttering something that is incomprehensible, and I can tell he's struggling to breathe through it all. I remove the fork from the table and put it back on the plate before moving it far away from us. I wonder if I can stimulate him back from this state.

I plant my hands on his shoulders, and I flinch to realizing how tense his muscles are. "Kane!" I yell, keeping my gaze locked on his face in hopes of making any difference.

No change appeared on his expression, and I can process that he is muttering in Ancient Egyptian. It's considered a dead language, though the basic for spells. Not one magician knows how to speak it fluently, but I can register some of the words as part of the tongue.

I grip his shoulders, though I feel bad for doing so as his muscles are trying to fight back. "Wake up, Kane!"

Still no response, my mind is listing off ideas. My thoughts halt upon a familiar hoarse voice speaking the word to focus. The blue hieroglyph burns between us, and Amos' body immediately relaxes, his head limply against the back of the chair and his body is evening his breathing. A few blinks and his gaze is forward now.

"Nothing to see here, go on your way," I finally process it to be Desjardins' voice that is firmly dismissing the grouping that had been of no help.

I swallow down the surge of energy that had been drilling through me seconds ago, forcing my hands to my sides. Kane is still blinking as if to try and clear his vision. His breathing is thankfully calmer.

"Are you alright?" Desjardins' directs to the young woman that had been unfortunate enough to trigger this episode.

"I'm fine," she acts as if she's insulted by the question, "what just happened? Why was he-"

"He's mentally sick, Dorothy. It's going to be a process, but he is going to recover." Desjardins is quick to interrupt her in hopes of calming her and everyone else, turning her gently away from her attacker who is still struggling to recover from the episode. "I want to apologize personally for what just occurred. He had not meant it, and I'm certain he will wish to express as much as soon as he is feeling better. For now, please do not interact with him. We're trying to get him accustomed to the First Nome, and it's been overwhelming."

Dorothy asks him another question, but I choose to ignore them. Kane slowly sat up, and I can tell he's feeling sore. A few more blinks and he realizes his plate is not in front of him, and that I'm sitting at the table across from him, probably with a worried look on my face. He seems a little more alert as his eyes lock on mine.

"What…?"

"Apparently you just had an episode, Kane," I answer, managing to keep my tone calm thankfully.

Upon the Kane children running with the snake following after. I watched the god of chaos summon another vase to immediately drop on my brother's head. I dispel my invisibility spell, and the god gives a fake gasp of surprise. "Oh, my luck! Another Menshikov?"

I cross my arms over my chest in annoyance as Vlad is still trying to get back up. Set doesn't hesitate to drop another on him, and I smirk slightly towards the chaos deity for it. He knew I was here, but he had known better than to use me as his bait. Sadie Kane is a much better target for the god to point towards. After all, I need to gather some more evidence, despite all I had heard already of my brother's treachery.

I move towards the desk, the very one I had watched the Kane children poke around in. I do not mind their theft of the Ra scroll. It dawns on me that I respect it as much as I respect Amos' ability to bounce back. Another vase shatters and my brother voices an angry moan in reply.

There are notes our ancestors had written of Apophis' imprisonment. I neatly gather them up and find the spell he had used to summon Set laying carelessly on the upper part of the desk. I gather it as well as another vase drops.

Looking up, I realize Vlad had uncovered himself from the pile of sand Set had buried him under initially. Set grins as he turns to me. "I'd say you owe me, Lady Menshikov. However, there is this tiny little thing you may or may not have done to spare someone else. So we'll call it even."

I had been confused before I realized he meant sparing Kane from being executed in the Hall of Ages. Which means Vlad had been correct that Amos would dart under the god for aid. Fine, he can have that too. Some reason I'm in a giving mood towards the family, perhaps it's the matter of my brother trying to destroy the world.

"You should leave," I speak up as another vase appears to drop on Vladimir's head again. "He's sent Kwai and Jacobi to Brooklyn."

A disgusted look on his face, but he kneels before Vladimir. "Well, I've missed you, and I think I will need something to remember you by." So he takes the rather bent glasses off his face and puts it on his head. He stands and he grins at me rolling my eyes. "If the world doesn't end, I think we'll be the best of friends, Vika. What do you say?"

I blink as I try to figure out if he's being serious or not. Then I realize he is teasing the thought of a possible date, and I scowl at the deity for even considering it. He just gestures a goodbye with his right hand before dispersing into a swirl of red sand. Good timing too, considering six mages had just entered to sweep the room, noting the chaotic mess the room is in.

"The Kane children are here! Find them, and bring them to me alive!" Vlad spat out quickly as he managed to sit up now.

They had quickly left before I could disregard his orders. No matter, they hadn't been handed orders to kill. If they do get captured, then I'll gladly release them back to their guardian without hesitation.

Vlad takes a moment to rub the top of his head, scowling upon realizing his glasses are missing, before getting up from the floor finally. He pauses after a moment, "Vika?"

I inhale and step towards my brother, "It is me, Vladimir. What happened here?"

"I caught Carter and Sadie Kane sneaking around in my office," he sneers at the idea of it.

I chose to ignore the obvious signs of a certain storm deity having been here, instead offering my brother my right arm to help guide him out of the room. "We will find them then, and they will have to answer to us."

"I strongly believe that Amos brought them here for the scroll of Ra," he explains angrily.

Of course, I highly doubt they would have known about it on their own. It also doesn't hurt that he is in contact with the Lord of Ma'at's lieutenant. Set would know where each piece is exactly, just as much as he would know how Apophis' prison was built and Kane's defenses.

My left hand is in a fist, getting far more pissed off at the details he would rather not share with me. I thought he considered us equals, and that we will make the Kane family rue the day they ever looked upon us and laughed. Yet everything is crashing upon my thoughts like a tsunami of why I am a fool. I never tolerate my brothers treating me lower than them, and I silently thank Kazimir for the strength and wisdom he had shared before he had been ripped away from us.

Mikhail is the first we see, and the panic he had in his eyes disappear upon seeing the first tear escape my eyes along with my fist. "What happened?" He asks, but his eyes have not left me.

"Kane children broke in," Vlad answered quickly. "You should be more responsive, Mikhail. We already have our finest six out to retrieve them."

"Let it be, Vlad," I managed to keep my voice calm enough so he cannot read how shaken up I am.

"If he wants respect around here, he should be alert at all times. Not just when he feels the Nome Leader's sister needs his assistance." How can my brother have the energy to scorn another after having so many vases dropped on him?

"He has my respect," I defend swiftly while glaring at my brother. Because he has lost mine tonight, and it hurts knowing that I would rather evacuate our nome to aid New York instead.

We enter the main room, and most of the adults are awake, readying for a possible attack. Vlad can sense the panic in the room, and he releases my hand to fully display his rage to his nome. "The Kane children have broken into our home tonight. They will be captured, and we will demonstrate why they should have never crossed us."

My eyes land on Mikhail, who still is hyperaware of my movements as I take a step back from Vlad. My anger is in full force, and I'm readying to unleash all hell upon someone I had trusted for most of my life. Mikhail has no idea, I've kept him blind through all of this realization, but he nods as if he can still understand what I'm about to do.

"What will be done with the summoner of the Red Lord?" I start smoothly.

Vlad reacted as if I had instead sent a volt of electricity through him. "W-What?"

"There was a large amount of red sand in your office, brother. I would assume it meant the god of evil was there as well."

"I hadn't noticed, perhaps the efforts of Amos Kane?" Vlad had tried to play it off, but I can tell he's surprised by what I know.

I hum and decide to pull out the scroll he had used to summon the god into our home. I then hand it over to Mikhail, who quickly goes to absorb its information. "T-This is on how to summon the god?"

"You left it on your desk, Vlad. Along with the notes on the Lord of Isfet's prison." My eyes narrow dangerously on him as he finally turns to face me.

"Planted!"

"Then why were you demanding information from Set on the ingredients used to make it?"

His hands are in fists, and the rest of the nome takes note as I stay my ground. "The world will be swallowed, printsessa. My friend is offering us safety from the chaos. Follow me, and we will watch our enemies burn."

Silence wins for a moment. I'm livid, and I want to strangle the idiot before me. "Your attempt to have Kane murdered before the Chief Lector betrayed you, Vladimir. You've provided more evidence of your treason tonight. You no longer honor the Menshikov name, and you are forced to give up your title of Nome Leader of the Eighteenth Nome."

"You would rather die than be spared?" Vlad attempts to threaten, but my eyes narrow instead.

"We are not your birds, brother. You cannot summon us by a mere whistle to kill us all. You can die alone in your ignorant hope that your problems can be so easily solved. We will not miss you."

He starts to move his hands, and I am quicker to lift the ground under him, forcing him to land on his back. Vlad sneers and I watch as the others seem ready to attack him if he continues. "Fine," he stands up and dusts his white suit off. "I'll laugh as you all perish and beg for my help. You've doomed them all, Vika."

"You've doomed the world, Vladimir. For once, I hope a Kane strikes you down like the dog you are! You've shamed Otets, and you will answer for it when you face Lord Osiris."