Hey, so, it's been a while since I mentioned romance for this fic in an author's note (or since I've had an author's note to begin with), but my stance on it hasn't changed. It isn't going to be a big part of this story. The way it's been (teasing, minor background relationships) is the way it's going to stay.

As far as other people taking scenes from this fic and spinning them in different directions... You do you. It's fanfiction. As long as you're not making money off it, feel free.

For some of the other things I've been asked recently... This is a T-rated fic on a website that specifically forbids explicit content in its posting rules written by an author who almost exclusively writes gen. There will be no lemon.

(Also: Hi 17! I see you!)

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Chapter 286: TFW Your Brother Calls You Out On Leaning Too Far Into Your Comic Relief Role

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They wound up returning to and staying in the Regency Council building, which was growing steadily into something more palace-like. Danny would have preferred to go to Long Now, or to his own lair, Refuge, but moving everything from Libra to the Regency Council building was much easier, and then there was the correspondence (Long Now was difficult to find and Refuge was obscure), remaining legal matters, Danny's desire to reformat and reform some of the more confusing parts of ghost law, his continuing argument with the council about adding more democratic elements to the government of the Infinite Realms, continuing efforts at diplomacy, and…

It was a lot.

The council seemed to relax somewhat, however, now that Danny was more directly under their supervision.

Oh, and making preparations for the Truce. As he had known, but hadn't really acknowledged, his new status meant that he was expected to be much more involved in the celebrations, and December was approaching fast. In the chaos, Halloween had passed without much more than a 'day off' for Fright Knight and Damien, Thanksgiving simply wasn't celebrated in the Ghost Zone (although several harvest and spring holidays had come and gone), and with Hanukkah not starting until the middle of the month, the beginning of the Truce was being marked by Advent Sunday, on the third.

Which was soon, darn it.

"Why do things have to happen so fast?" asked Danny, complaining.

Clockwork looked up from where he was shuffling powder-fine sand into a tiny hourglass. They were waiting for the rest of the council to come back from their respective tasks and responsibilities.

"The flow of time in the Infinite Realms isn't entirely constant," said Clockwork. "I would hesitate before guaranteeing that I could slow it significantly under these circumstances, but I could try if you wanted me to."

"No," said Danny. "That's fine. I was just, uh. Whining."

"I found a magician!" said Nephthys happily, entering the council chamber, wearing an unusually opaque veil over her face. She gestured behind her, where Dan stood, holding another ghost in a net.

"That's Desiree," said Danny.

"It's hard to find a competent magician in this economy," said Nephthys.

"You've got that right," muttered Moneta.

"She really doesn't like being caught like that," said Danny. "Can you let her out?"

"No," said Dan. "This is my revenge for the stupid memory thing."

"Didn't you already take revenge for that on your version of Desiree?" Also, Danny would like to retain the opportunity and the right to take revenge about that particular incident himself. He'd feel bad about it if Dan took his ire out on her first. It would feel bad to punish her for it twice.

(Although Danny hadn't had any intention of actually taking revenge for it until now. In fact, up until he'd been asked to recount his experiences with other ghosts for the trial, he'd mostly forgotten all about it.)

(However, Danny was feeling rather petty regarding whatever it was Dan was doing right now, so he was going to hold onto it.)

"I can take revenge multiple times," said Dan. "I'm backsliding."

"Are you actually, or are you—"

"I'm backsliding. I'm doing evil things."

"Why are you like this?" asked Danny.

"Existential crises," said Nephthys, flippantly. "Well, not, it's just because we had a fight on the way here. Nothing big."

"Evil," repeated Dan.

"He isn't," said Nephthys. "Anyway, you have no idea what I went through to find a magician. If they aren't traumatized by the Observants, they're pledged to some minor Realm—"

"Wouldn't call Prydain-Logres minor," grumbled Dan.

"—which isn't appropriate for someone on the council, they're frauds – which isn't what we want here – I don't have to tell you that, or they just aren't interested."

"I am in that last category," said Desiree.

"I thought you wanted to get on my good side," said Danny.

"I do, but I don't want any responsibility," said Desiree.

Well. Fair enough.

"I wish you joined the Regency Council," said Nephthys, blithely.

"I hate you, and when one of you fools trips up, I'll destroy you."

"Welcome to the club," said Skulker.

"Your seat is over there," said Nephthys.

"I feel as if I should object," said Lancer. "If she doesn't want to join…"

"It's temporary," said Nephthys, waving a hand. "Subject to change. Until we find someone more suitable."

"I wish your wish was undone," said Danny. He floated over to the net. "I'm so sorry about this, Desiree."

"We do need a magician, though," said Frostbite, rather apologetically.

Danny sighed. "Maybe we can come up with some sort of agreement? Instead of kidnapping people?"

"I would accept the fealty of a small kingdom."

"We can get you a castle," said Danny. There were many floating around in the Zpne. "Attracting subjects would be on you."

"I can do that."

"Good," said Frostbite, sounding exhausted already. "Then, let us begin." He tapped the table. "Great one, you had some things you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes," said Danny. "I want us to go to Walker's prison."

"The one we sent the mind-controlled people to?" asked Mr. Lancer.

"Yes," said Danny. "I want to be able to participate in efforts to free them."

"Isn't Walker the one who invaded Amity Park the first time?" asked Mr. Lancer. "Are you sure we should be going there?"

"He isn't going to attack us now."

"Never underestimate a fanatic," said Fright Knight, darkly.

"We're ghosts," said Danny. "We're all fanatics."

"I'm not entirely sure that definition holds up," said Mr. Lancer.

"Politically speaking," said Themis, "I do not believe moving towards Walker's prison would be a wise move."

"I agree," said Moneta. "Bound to be expensive."

One of the ravens took flight and flew around the room.

"Indeed," rumbled around the tower.

"Yeah, I don't see how it could be expensive, either," said Danny.

"Changes are always expensive," said Moneta, glaring at Nephthys.

"Regardless of monetary matters," said Ma'at, "I agree with Themis' political assessment. Already, asking him to house Freakshow's victims gives him legitimacy he didn't have before. In the interest of justice, I cannot recommend giving him more."

That was a good point. Law reform was one of Danny's goals, and Walker was a big obstacle to it. Making him a bigger one wasn't on Danny's to-do list.

"Perhaps," said Clockwork, softly, "he could instead come to us."

"What, can we make him do that? Move his Realm like that?" asked Danny.

"You could send a summons," said Fright Knight, enthusiastically. "I would deliver it myself."

"He'd listen to me about that?" asked Danny. He didn't have the best relationship with Walker, to understate things to a ludicrous degree.

"Even if he didn't, there are a few actions you can take to rectify such defiance."

"Can he do that?" asked Desiree, whom had finally been let out from the net. "I thought he hadn't gone through the Rite of Ascendance."

"He hasn't," said Clockwork. "But I do not believe it would be impossible for Daniel to alter the orbit of a single island, given the proper support."

"Wait, like, push it?" asked Danny, uncertain. Sure, he could bench press a bus, but moving Walker's entire prison seemed a bit ambitious, even for him.

"No," said Clockwork, "I mean, you may be able to tell it to move."

Nocturne jerked up from a dead sleep. "Hm?" he asked. "What did I miss?"

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"You need to stop doing that," Clockwork said to his sister.

"Doing what?" asked Nephthys, innocently.

"This… variety of…" Clockwork waved his hand. "You are acting foolish and careless on purpose."

"Causing chaos is part of my job description."

"Not all change is chaotic," said Clockwork. "Death can be quite peaceful, as is the gradual erosion of mountains."

Nephthys had designed this section of the Regency Council's meeting place. Murals of flowers and butterflies decorated the walls, along with sequences of harvest and decay. She pressed a hand against one wall, and the images began to move and pulse, flowers withering, their fruit swelling, ripening, falling, rotting…

"That depends on your perspective," said Nephthys, primly. "I think they deserve a little fun, don't you? I'm allowed to be the fun aunt."

"You have, in all essentials, adopted Daniil. You are a regent to Daniel. I know you do things with plans in mind. Could you not let that show? Just a little more?"

Nephthys turned, raising an eyebrow. "Are you saying that I'm a bad influence?"

"No," said Clockwork. "I'm saying that if you continue to kidnap people and act like it's meaningless, the children may lose faith in you. Never mind the rest of the council."

"They've known me for thousands of years. A few months of acting silly won't make a difference."

"You kidnapped a woman to force her to be part of the council and then acted like it was a joke."

Nephthys eyed Clockwork with some concern. "It was a joke. She was in on it. You couldn't see?"

"Yes," said Clockwork. "I did see. I saw several thousand possible universes we could be existing in, and I had no idea which one was true. You know my sight is not what it has been. I could only rely on what I was actually looking at – which is also the case for everyone else in the room."

"Except for Desiree," said Nephthys. "She really was on it. So was Dan. That is, in fact, what we argued about."

"Thank goodness, at least there's that," said Clockwork, his shoulders slumping. His form shifted younger.

Nephthys squinted. "What did you see?"

"It doesn't matter."

"I don't believe you."

"It is not something that is happening, or something that happened, so it doesn't matter. What does matter is you, and whether or not you are going to keep acting like this." His expression turned to something more pleading. The skies in the paintings on the walls began to rotate. "I am not humorless, Nephthys. You know this. Nor am I opposed to you being the 'fun aunt.' You have been that for Daniel and Danielle. You've brought plenty of fun into my own existence under the Observants. It's only…"

"Perhaps it's time for a small change?" suggested Nephthys. She sighed. "I'll explain the joke to Danny and get Desiree to back me up."

"Thank you," said Clockwork, slumping further.

"I'm not getting rid of my sense of humor, though," she said, raising a hand of caution. Behind her, the painted grasses sent up new shoots. "You know I tried that a few hundred years ago."

"Hm, yes. That was awful."

She turned back to the paintings. "I was considering making an expansion with more frescos like this," she said. "What do you think?"

"I think these are quite lovely."

They stayed quiet for a moment.

"That wasn't all you wanted to talk to me about, was it?"

"No," said Clockwork. "I… needed your opinion on a certain matter. Regarding the elder Fentons."

"What about them?"

"Daniel wants to resolve the matter of the mind control as swiftly as possible, and I agree that to allow so many ghosts to remain in such a state is a threat. Perhaps not an existential one, but even so."

"So, what's the problem?"

"Aglaophotis," said Clockwork. "It would be a boon."

"Not a magic bullet, though," said Nephthys, tilting her head to one side, her veil shifting to reveal the edge of her cheek. "It only increases mental strength."

"Yes, yes," said Clockwork, with a wave of his hand. "But it is part of the Fentons' penance to reintroduce them to the ecosystem. As useful as aglaophotis would be, I am hesitant to assist them in this."

"It isn't as if it'll make their ten-year review come more quickly," said Nephthys.

"Ten years is a blink of an eye."

"You're jealous," said Nephthys.

"Of course I am," said Clockwork. "Daniel is my child, and they hurt him. I supported them through the trial. I've helped them as much as could be expected. More than, even. I tried to help them understand, I worked to get their sentence reduced, argued for a penance they should know how to do in theory… I'm tired of it."

"Before that, can you even help them with this? I know gardening is your hobby, but is bringing back nearly-extinct plants really in your wheelhouse?"

Clockwork stared at Nephthys blankly for a solid minute, before glee swept over his usually placid, stoic features. "You don't know?" he asked.

"Don't know what?"

"Oh, no," said Clockwork, "if you don't know yet, let it be far from me to enlighten you."

"Okay," said Nephthys, "what hell plant did you manage to bring back to life, and when?"

"Suffice it to say," said Clockwork, smugly, "I am confident in my ability to help, although I cannot do so to the extent I might have been able to in the past."

"Well, then," said Nephthys, slightly put out. "I think you'd better do it. Cut them out as much as you can, but do it."

"I thought you'd say that," slumping dramatically so that he was practically hanging off his staff.

"What, did you think I'd tell you to go against your conscience? When was the last time I did that?"

"Absolutely constantly," said Clockwork.