Frankly it wasn't hard to find a dog the size of lucy, she was hard to miss, especially followed by the sounds of crashes and screaming down the halls. Celeste still guilt-ridden as she was dragged around like a slab of meat, wishing she hadn't even bothered. Truth be told forcing herself to be involved without informing the others was not exactly a great idea but even if she said anything, would they even let her do it?
Landon spent most of his time around his family, his friend, and now eclipsa and she wasn't sure she was thinking at all, she just decided to. Just decided to ask eclipsa, walked in during one of their sessions, landon had been busy practicing. But also talking to eclipsa talking about the plan and celeste could feel the tension as meteora was brought up, that they were suspecting herm that there was evidence.
She wanted to join in but she said nothing, she had nothing to say, watching her friend talk and work on his magic while she just stood there, watching. She had barely any involvement, she had little to talk about. She never did much investigation, especially not unless she just stumbled into it with other people, she had little ideas to bring up, she was barely even involved with the mystery and work.
She sat in her room, as if she had nothing if other people didn't come and get her.
She wasn't social like sunny and lexi, or as as involved as sky or luna, she was just...there.
Seeing eclipsa talk to landon, feeling so out of the loop, it had hit something in her. Was she not valuable anymore? Was landon moving on without her before she was even gone? Had her anger gotten the best out of her and she had already ruined their friendship? These thoughts she was keeping to herself, and she didn't know why, they would listen if she told them, they would get it.
But somehow she couldn't do that?
No it was easier to go to eclipsa and ask to assist her and help, it was easier to suggest using lucy to track a culprit with scent, especially if they were nearby. It was so much easier to do something like this and help in the smallest way possible then it was to just talk to her friends and work out her feelings. It was probably instinct, it was just as hard to talk about her feelings back home unless she was using passive aggressiveness to get them out.
Like she was just expected to deal with years of hiding her feelings so easily with these guys, even though she knew better and should have.
She shouldn't have tried behind their backs but she wanted to FEEL something, to feel like she was contributing as much as the rest of them, to be able to go to them and brag about it and add her own two cents instead of standing there like an idiot and saying nothing like she did. She never felt so...lonely before, she's never tried this hard to seek approval before, to want to be included.
It was always in the back of her mind, would landon even remember her if he was busy with bernard for the rest of his life? Does he still care? Her mind was getting cloudy, and she wished she wasn't like that. She was trying to make it simple, take the mask to the dog, she knew what it was capable of after all, see if she could sniff out clues or even lead her to the subject.
The person would probably flee if they heard the dog coming but if she was lucky she could get them off guard and unmask them before anyone else could. It was probably a idealized fantasy but it could have gone somewhere for her, it wasn't like she could just do anything to help, she wasn't allowed to even leave most of the time, and it would be better if she didn't have to ask to be useful to others.
She should have known better, she knew how strong lucy was, that she could get free often, that when she did this it would draw attention fast. She wasn't thinking and she knew it, she was just so eager to do her plan and make it work she didn't consider everything involved. Celeste had never felt more stupid then she did in that moment, as soon as lucy left her behind, splashing her water bowl all over her.
If luna were here she's probably snarl at her for making such a emotional choice without thinking.
Sky was not as angry as most people would and should be for her doing this, but at the same time it was rough to disappoint her, she'd been kinder then celeste really felt she deserved at this point, even now as she tried to help her without magic. Sky could be a dick but the fact she was not that mad was only making celeste feel worse for how she acted when they first met.
And when the others found out this was her fault, she was going to be in so much trouble, not even eclipsa could make any excuse to get hey out of this one. She gripped her wand tighter as she was run through the halls, she didn't want to hurt the dog she was just ready in case she needed to protect herself and sky and hopefully she could stop it from ruining all the décor for the party.
Well that and injuring someone, who knows how many demons had been accidentally crushed by the dog at this point in time.
Sky had pressed her against a wall, listening for any more noises when they had stopped, hoping just to smell the worst bit of bad breath. Lucy was a good dog though, she would never hurt someone in this castle, not on purpose, but having her run around the castle that JUST got fixed and was being decorated for a special event was still not a good thing to have.
"Maybe he'll catch her and we won't have to do anything", celeste mumbled, "He's used to catching her when she gets out, we'd be better off not getting involved and stepped back probably", and maybe she had a point, but at the same time this was still her fault. "Celeste, you let her out, you should probably take at least a little responsibility for it and fix your mistake".
Celeste grumbled, but fell into silence.
"Anyways, it's fine, we're just gonna be backup just in case, after all the castle is big and it's rare they catch her right away, if you're so uncomfortable you can hand me your wand and i can use it...that way no one will notice yours and maybe they'll just assume i got mine back for a bit. But this is kinda something you probably should help with since she got out because of you...besides...she won't hurt us".
"I don't really get why you insist on getting involved in things...that like, you don't have to be involved in", she muttered, "What ever happened to stepping back? Or whatever nonsense you tell judas?". She was starting to turn back into her closed off mean self again and she caught herself as she mumbled an apology, "Well celeste, i kinda have a responsibility to do something to help, especially since people wanna throw me in jail, not to mention i already have a low opinion from people before that".
Oh, right.
"And like, i don't have to get them to like me, but i also don't want my legacy to be me almost being thrown in jail either, i would kinda prefer to have done good things...and besides...these are my friends being hurt...i'm not going to sit aside and let all of you be hurt, not you or judas, or anyone. Like, i used to not wanna get involved in things to not draw attention to myself but...you guys are my friends".
She paused.
"And i think you'd do the same for me".
She was being genuine, and celeste twiddled her fingers, "You really have learned a lot of this weird junk because of all of this...haven't you? Heh, i'm not used to any of this, i'm used to like...not being social or wanting to be involved in people. It's kinda been my thing, people just tend to disappoint me, and i'm not used to having friends and dealing with what's that's like".
"You sure you don't have even one friend?".
Celeste sighed, "No i...have a friend back home".
She slumped back against the wall, "And...i miss her, a lot...sometimes i think about how she's living without me, or if it's better i'm not there anymore to ruin her life. If maybe it's even worth going home, back home i just got people mad with me, a lot. Do i even want to go back and bother them again? I could just...stay here with you all and try and make things work".
"Celeste, you have a family back there...".
"I also have a family here too, and they care about me more here then they ever did back there...", sky bit her lip, still listening out for lucy, this situation was not as predictable, she assumed all the kids would want to go back. Celeste herself had shown no opposition to even going back, so this must've been building inside her for awhile, something she never wanted to mention.
Probably because she knew people were going to say no and tell her otherwise.
There was no way her parents would allow for celeste to stay, not in any way shape or form. Not out of cruelty, but because she was probably more unsafe here then she ever would be back there. Sky sat down next to her, hearing lucy running close by, "Maybe it's always possible they care about you more then you let on, it's not exactly as if i haven't felt a similar way at times".
"But your parents listen to you".
"Not always, and to be fair, i've been kinda an idiot at times, it's probably for the benefit of everyone they didn't always listen to me", she smirked, laughing to herself. "Look, i know your family relationship is super complicated, but maybe it's worth giving a second chance, you're not the same person you were when you got sent here, so maybe things will be a little different when you are able to get back there and see everyone again".
"And what exactly makes you so sure of that?".
"I'm not sure at all, but at the end of the day, it's worth the risk then for them to think you're dead and lose you forever, you might be surprised how much people miss you back there.". She was shrugging to herself but she seemed to be considering it a little, "Look celeste, how you feel is how you feel, but this might be hurting you more then you realize...".
"What about you? What about my friends here?".
"We'll work something out, for the meantime though, if you really are so worried about you and landon i think you should just go up and talk to him, like this was not a better choice...and i think he might appreciate you being open to him as his friend a lot more". She had to agree, even if she didn't want to do so at all. "Landon has a new friend now though, you know? He's busy and he doesn't have time for me".
"Hey look, me and judas don't have a lot of time for each other either but we're still best friends and we hang out as much as possible, we never let this kinda thing stop us from being friends, you doubt yourself way too much. Like landon isn't just gonna dump you because he's getting along with his crush more and more, he can have two friends, you just need to let him do what he's doing".
She hung her head in shame and sky butted her to pay attention as lucy was finally coming around the corner, Celeste already getting her wand out and ready, "Maybe i was wrong about landon, maybe he should have this stupid wand over me, he's learning and getting better and using magic great...i don't even like my own wand that much and...".
She stopped speaking, quieting down, was she crying? She looked like she was on the brink of crying and sky wanted to reach out for her, only for lucy to show up, smelling the girls and barking in excitement. They had stopped running and bouncing around the halls, looking as cute as ever for a giant dog with three heads. Celeste barely had to do anything, magicking up a leash that wrapped around the dog and handing it over to sky.
"Here, let's just get her back before i screw up again".
"Celeste, c'mon, i'm only trying to help, you know that", and she did, she was just being her usual self. The girl slumping her shoulders and moving along, "I just...maybe i don't know what i want". Sky ushered the dog forward but she sat down and refused to move because of course she did, sky huffing and trying to tug her along, "Celeste, this is your wand, it belongs to you...i think once you figure things more about yourself you van use it super well".
"Like what...?".
Sky needed a moment to think about that idea a little more, before making a small suggestion, "Well, your wand is a rain maker right? And i think you've shown some signs before, maybe lean into weather magic?". Celeste didn't repulse herself from that suggestion, in fact she seemed mildly interested in it, holding her wand and clutching it tighter.
"landon is new to magic and hasn't figured out his thing yet, but you kinda have, you're perfect to do these kinds of spells. Besides, i think you can be super powerful when you put your mind to things". She didn't know how much this was getting through to celeste but she wasn't crying anymore so she had to hope this was a massive improvement.
As if she was trying to demonstrate, a cloud was forming above the girl thundering and lighting zapping out of it ever so slightly. It vanished quickly after, leaving the girl to think and contemplate her skills a little more. "Let's get the dog back before the king shows up and sees me like this..." She put her wand away quickly and started leaving but as if right on schedule tom popped in, in relief to see lucy calm and collected.
"Oh good you girls got a hold of her, thank you very much for that, not sure how she got out again but right now is not one of the best times for that.", sky eyed celeste who shifted in further embarrassment. Tom took hold of the leash, "At least things don't seem too damaged, we need to get her on more walks if she's going to cause that much trouble when she has this much energy".
Was she even going to admit to it? Was celeste really going to pull this right in front of sky? After all the stuff they just talked about? It's not even as if tom would be that mad at her, it would just be nice if she owned up to it. But as he turned around sky felt a sigh of relief when celeste actually spoke up, celeste was probably sure sky was judging her.
"She got out because of me, i-i'm sorry".
He turned around and she mumbled further, "I was trying to have her sniff something and lead the way to someone important and i wasn't in control of her when i did it sp she got out i'm really sorry about that". Tom sent her a sympathetic smile and sighed, "Ok, just don't do that again, next time you get me or someone else before you try and do something like that".
"At least she was easy to capture, she stopped right in front of me with no issue", sky said, "I thought we were going to have to do something crazy to get her relaxed but she made it easier for it". Celeste looked over to sky as if she had said something odd and so did tom for a moment before he chuckled, "Well celeste, better return whatever you find, no more using the dog for that though, now come back and help finish setting more up, we still have a whole castle to do".
Celeste actually seemed to have been relieved to get all of that off her chest, though it always could've been her just being worried what sky would think if she chose not to say anything. But hey, that was still better then doing completely nothing, "See, i told you it wouldn't be too bad, king lucitor is super chill most of the time, he's just happy the dog and castle are safe".
"Yeah yeah yeah", sky looked over to her grumpy sister and took her hand, "Look, let's head back, the others are waiting". Tom was already heading out and they had no reason to be hanging out any longer as they started a move on. Celeste was silent though, and sky was not surprised about that in the slightest after they poured their hearts out to each other how they did, it probably took a lot out of her.
She likely didn't share this much information about herself, especially not so personally, the gears turning in her head to determine how sky probably felt about her really after hearing all of that. Did she think she was pathetic? frustrating for not saying anything right away? Or maybe she was so sympathetic all of celeste's issues were easy for her to overlook.
If she hadn't asked eclipsa to borrow that mask she-
The mask.
She stopped in her tracks,, forcing sky to do so as well, and the girl was quick to look at celeste as if already under the impression something was super wrong, "I-I dropped the mask...with the others, i was in such a rush to leave with you i completely forgot about it...". Sky's eyes widened, "Oh, oh shoot, we better go get it before we lose it or it gets damaged".
She started running, celeste tailing behind her, maybe one of her friends had grabbed it when they left? She could only hope because if they didn't things were about to get a bit messy, not because it was that vital, they had other evidence. But if someone spotted it, eclipsa would get in trouble or celeste would, not to mention what if someone knew who it belonged to?
Better they grab it and avoid having any serious problems then let it get stolen and get themselves in trouble for taking it out in the first place, though for as fast as they were going, they were bound to attract attention. And sadly it was the attention of Jackie's they got, the woman stepping right in front of them, most likely here to help and wait for judas to be done so they could train together.
"Girls? You good? You should be with the others, not running around on your own", she eyed around them suspiciously, and sky was quick to explain, "Yeah yeah we're heading over there now sorry, we can talk later bye". Jackie stepped in front of them again, "Wait, you need me to come with you, for safety reasons, you can't just be running around here by yourselves...you never really know who or what could be lurking around here".
It was the underworld after all, having creatures and dangerous things lurking was kinda the whole deal here especially, unless you were a demon you were pretty likely to die by just taking the wrong step. So much to the girl's dismay jackie was now leading the way, and she was in no rush to get them back, "Oh, and i heard lucy got out, at least it seems they got her back again, that dog is wild".
Sky and celeste eyed each other, jackie continuing to talk, "With his ceremony coming up we can't have anything else going wrong, i can tell he's so nervous though, and i can't blame him, this is one of the biggest events of his entire life and now he's at risk to be attacked during it. I really feel for him, i just want to make sure he's going to be ok".
She turned back to the girls, "He's doing ok currently right?".
"If you count messing up his speeches and stuff, ok".
Jackie shook her head, "Maybe letting this happen wasn't the best idea, we're the only ones who even know this is meant to be a trap, the rest of the kingdom do not, he shouldn't have to go through all of this and hurt himself in front of them for it", she cooled herself down, "Coming back was great, but it's somehow been more stressful then when i was out there hunting for criminals and completing missions.".
"Really?".
"Sadly yeah, because now i worry about you kids more then ever, something is not right about this whole deal. And i'll be honest, i'm worried our culprit is lurking, especially since she might of been last seen in the underworld". She reached into one of her pockets, feeling if there was one of her daggers in there for safety and sighing in relief, "I've been checking this place for safety purposes after it was repaired and something feels off".
Feels off? Sky had no idea about anything feeling off before?
"Wait, do my parents know about this, do the lucitors?".
"i've mentioned it, but they have yet to find anything, and they know this place from top to bottom, every secret room and level. Even the deep levels and caverns have yet to see anything". The girls exchanged looks, "What makes you so sure something is off?". only for her to send them a determined look, "A gut instinct and a keen attention to detail, something isn't right".
Well now she was just making them even more scared then they already were, and the girls were terrified plenty of being attacked in their sleep as it was.
"Is that one of the reasons you keep hanging around here so much?", sky eyed her curiously, "Like, i know you're helping judas and everything but you still have a command up on mewni so i was wondering why you seemed to have been spending so much time down here". Jackie kept moving, on high alert, "I'm not happy to leave them but this is just more important right now, i'm needed down here, the lucitors don't exactly have a lot of great knights who aren't kinda a mess".
"Actually, yeah that's pretty spot on".
Confused, celeste turned to sky and she explained further, "Demons have this weird fighting and bloodthirsty culture, so their knights tend to be...a little too hard to control, especially if you wanna focus on safety...it's kinda why you've never seen many knights down here. You got a few guards but we have far more up there then they do down here".
"I guess that explains why when bad things happen, it's the dang royal family usually running to help out and not any fancy metal plated demons, i never really spent a ton of my time focuses on the guards so like...i had no reason to know". Sky laughed, "It's fine, the entire underworld knows how the fight, makes it quite different from the butterflies where pretty much no one can fight unless you're trained in it".
"Yeah, down here i'm needed, up there i'm much more replaceable", she said with a sad smile, "But frankly i needed the change in scenery, and i get to spend more time with you all, so that's not a complaint from me. Seeing judas become king though, must admit, makes me feel old, i remember when you were just babies, and now you're already becoming adults".
"I guess time flies rather fast, doesn't it?".
The woman nodded sadly," Part of me...has thought about what it would be like to have my own kids, to watch them grow and train them, but the job is too demanding for it, can't even really go on a date with the time i have, much less raise a family. They need me, either i'm here or i'm out there, you guys are the closest thing i've had to having my own kids".
Celeste looked at her intently, as if processing something sky could not quite understand, did she seem to look...guilty?
"Maybe you should take this uo with my moms, i bet they could change things up...you don't have to keep pushing so much", but she shook her head, "Without me things could be worse, i have this job for a reason, until i can train up someone to take my place i'm still sticking around...and kelly, well...i'm just not sure if she's ready to take my place".
"Why not? She's had this job for about as long as you, she's your second in command, she could totally do it".
"But if she takes over, who is going to take her place? Luna isn't an option anymore and she was our main pick, no onw has lived up to that kinda hype, and most of our best students get picked over and over. Besides, you all rely on me too much and me being there allows me to see you all over and over again, i might...not get to as much if i'm away".
"Them it doesn't sound like the problem is finding someone to take your place, it sounds like the problem is you're worried about losing us.", that actually made her stop in her tracks, sky worried maybe she had said too mcuh and now she might be in trouble for crossing a line. But if anything, jackie seemed more emotional at that line, and batted at her face.
"M-maybe".
Celeste butted sky with her elbow and sky grumbled, but needed to think on her feet, "Hey, we're gonna still talk to you if you retire or something, no way is the rest of the family gonna dump you to the side and never speak to ya again. We all like hanging out with you and you might as well already be part of the family. You can't like..torture yourself for our sake".
"It's more then that sky, when i moved here, i moved away from everything i had on earth. I prefer this life yeah, but i get homesick sometimes, i get worried i'll disappoint you all be leaving or put you in danger by thinking of myself first. I've...always been like this, trying to y'know, be the rational one who helps everyone, my job doesn't allow you to be selfish".
She quickly got herself in order, "And as much as you can say this or that, not much can really change that, this is my life and income, i'm not going to leave it so easily. This is still my job and still an important role i have to fill, i have to be here right now. Judas needs me now too, and with him growing up, who knows how many moments i might have with him left".
She was silent for the rest of the walk, sky wanted to speak up and say something else. But it was hard to think of much else to say. she didn't know the full extent in which jackie was going through, what she saw and what she had to deal with. Loving her job but also feeling trapped within her job without any way out, that sounded like a blessing but also a complete nightmare to be dealing with.
Sky nearly forgot what her main goal was by thinking about it.
She still had to get to the mask before anyone took note of it, she really wished she had grabbed it herself at the time, it would've avoided this whole problem from even being a problem. But if her friends had grabbed it, then she could breathe a little better, if they lost evidence they were going to be in much trouble. Well, celeste more so but they were still going to be in a lot of trouble.
Eclipsa really took her job seriously, up until a point didn't she?
But on the other hand, her wanting to help celeste was not exactly not like her either.
She was so going to have a stern talking to her once they met up again, between this and not telling her her idea of who was behind this she was going to lose it. But they had finally made it back, jackie opening the door for the girls as they were greeted with sunny and galexia running up to them, probably worried they had gotten in trouble or something.
"I heard you got her back in, she didn't damage too much right?", she looked over to celeste in particular, probably because this was her fault and she mumbled under her breath "I don't think so". Sunny patted her head and looked over to jackie who was entering properly, thankfully to sky jackie quickly headed over to marco to speak to them, giving her some space to talk.
"Sorry we uh, ran into her on the way back, but look, do you have the mask celeste had? We left it back here and we should probably return it before we get in trouble or something cause you know how people are already". That's when sunny eyed galexia, "She picked it up, like we were gonna let that sit on the floor, "She stuffed it in her jacket, so it's ok".
The girls felt a wave of relief.
"BUT i think marco noticed the commotion going on so they may of actually seen her it in there, i mean, it was hard to not notice you coming in all wet like that celeste", and suddenly the girls felt that relief fade. It was ok, they could explain it away, it's not even like marco knew what it was anyway, they had unlikely even seen it and whose it say it wasn't a mask they owned themselves that they dropped?
But then sky remembered jackie and marco were talking to each other and she suddenly felt a little more anxious. Especially since the two were now looking at them in particular, and sky really didn't wanna be grounded again. "Well uh, the situation is easy to explain, she just made a small mistake, it's nothing to get too freaked out by, and it was only one piece of evidence.".
"Yeah, i just don't want them to think we're breaking their trust and going off and doing our own thing" the demon mumbled, "They're on edge as is and if they find out about this they might think we're going behind their backs...also...you are kinda the last person who should be seen around a mask right about now, if anyone else saw it they'll tell more lies".
He was about to leave the girls to deal with the consequences of their actions before stopping though.
Great just great, something else for people to probably use against her in a court.
That sure made celeste feel worse though, judging by the look on her face, she looked up to sky as guilty as ever and hoping for her sake she knew how to apologize super well. Celeste eyed sunny, embarrassed, 'Look, i just wanted to feel...included, i never meant for this to get so out of hand, or get sky into trouble, you and galexia are so good at being friends with everyone...people don't approach me so i just...wanted to help".
Sunny, sensing the girl's distress, grabbed her hands, "Hey, we never meant to make you feel so unincluded, you're our sister and we care about you...things have been...busy and sometimes it's hard to know what you want if you don't say anything to us. You just have to work on opening up to us about your feelings, it's not something you do overnight...".
"You seem to have your emotions in check just fine...and you're younger then me", sunny seemed taken aback a little by that one, at a slight loss for words, "Well i uh, i really wouldn't say i do or anything like that, i mean...as flattering as that is and everything i uh...well...". She took a sharp breath before trying again, "Sometimes i just...make myself be happy for the sake of other's...when i'm not really happy".
Celeste seemed a little surprised by that, probably more then the other listening in, and granted, she rarely saw sunny not in a good mood, or saw her all that vulnerable. Though the thought of it sis seem to make her sadness grow a little, "That's a lot of faking how you really feel to make other people happy were you like...doing this...before you got here or just when you got here?".
Another hard question to throw right back at her huh?
"A while".
The fact she said it so bluntly seemed to make celeste feel worse.
But they had little time to ponder on that as finally landon showed back up, looking between the girls in utter confusion as to him, they never left the group at all in his time talking and it looked as if something important had happened without him there. Then he saw celeste and wiped it from his mind, "Cele, glad you finally made it, i was half worried you wouldn't show up".
The girl looked between all the disappointed faces and back at her friend, "Sorry if you felt that way, but no of course I'm gonna help everything,, i wasn't like, gonna ditch and everything. You did ask for me to come here and like, helo you out with this stuff". she felt herself sweat as she put away her contact "Well, glad you finally made it to help out".
"She also let lucy out and had to go all the way around the castle to go find her and put her back".
"You really couldn't let me ease my way into it could you?".
"No".
Landon looked over at her in utter confusion, "Don't worry, we got the whole thing sorted out, who were you talking to anyway?". But it became more apparent when landon started blushing from ear to ear, "Look, bernard called asking if we could talk some more, tonight, over dinner with his family, so i uh..i need to talk to mom and stuff about it, so...like...don't mess with lucy like that again and do...whatever it was you did.".
Celeste didn't have to say much to tell him she understood her lesson very well.
"Oh so are you gonna actually ask him out then?", sky asked curiously, eyeing marco and jackie, who were very much still talking, landon huffing. "Look, i got a place to be tonight so how about you-". But sky pressed a hand to his mouth, "Look, your mom's right there, you go and talk to her and figure out what they're talking about with jackie and i'll stop annoying you for two weeks".
He seemed to have his doubts but at this point why not, shrugging and shaking her hand, "Fine whatever, just stop bothering me about bernard, i wanna deal with this without you all breathing over my shoulder when it comes to this kinda thing right now". He strode over there, shaking his head, "You guys need to stop being so obsessed with my dating life...".
"Oh landon sweetie, you alrtight?", marco turned to their kid as he approached, jackie as well and sending him a wave. "Oh yeah, just wanted to let you know i was invited to dinner tonight with bernard, so i'm just here to make sure if i'm allowed or not, i thought it was better to ask you then dad since he's super busy with planning and you were just...over here and talking to jackie about-".
He then made a confused face, and he could only hope this got them to spill the beans about something. The two looked at one another and the queen laughed, "No need to worry landon, jackie was just letting me know about some worries of hers, just the usual, if you want to go to dinner tonight that sounds pretty safe, and the commission is there...but we're dropping you off to make sure you get in safe".
Oh right, the commission was there, and would be having dinner with them, that sounded like the most awkward dinner to be having with your crush and their parents.
But his interest now had peaked.
"Worries?".
Marco pondered a second as they leaned down and eyed the girls who were trying their very best not to stare, "You were just with them landon, are they hiding something over there?". Landon turned around and looked at his friends before eyeing marco, "I mean, are they? I never really saw anything, i was on the compact for a little while and everything".
Then marco asked something that made landon nervous.
"Ok, have you heard anything strange lately, in the castle?".
Well, that was not something you would simply ask someone after explaining what was happening was making you anxious. He heard things all the time of course, it was a castle, what did they expect, there were demons and pests always running around. But something strange? Like in the walls? The pipes? Did they mean strange conversations as of late?
Landon wasn't even sure if he wanted to ask what they were referring to, who knows how good or bad this might actually go. He simply eyed between the pair and made a face of pure confusion, "Um...like what? How strange? We don't have a pest infestation do we?". It wasn't even like he had been staying here that long either since he wasn't really sleeping in his won room till further notice, it was as good of an answer as any.
"Well, just let us know if you see or hear anything strange, we've just been keeping an eye out for anything odd that may be happening and we want everyone to keep an eye out.", jackie seemed especially serious on the matter, her eyes shifty among the demons around her. "Just report to us as soon as you hear something, tell the others and well, if you hear anything i suggest running if you can".
Great, at this point they were just asking for him to panic right here and right now, if they had said this to judas he might of just left the entire scene and locked himself somewhere safe. landon could only nod and agree, turning around to the others, he had to start getting ready for himself soon on his kinda sorta date. He wanted to look good and he didn't need this beating on his mind while that was going on.
The girls were quick to start surrounding him, sky first and landon mumbled under his breath ,"Not sure what's up with that mask but i suggest getting rid of it when you go the chance. Because they did see it and they're kinda annoying about it, so maybe you all need to stop running around with things that make you seem super suspicious next time".
He was about to head out before stopping himself, "Oh and uh, something about something being heard running around here, so i guess if you hear anything odd just report back or something next chance you get". The girls looked at each other in worried confusion before landon headed on his way, clearly with a lot of prepping in mind to impress his crush and family.
Meanwhile sky was thinking maybe they better get out of here before they stirred up any more drama, especially to get rid of the mask, if sunny and lexi wanted to stay and help , sure, but she needed to get celeste out of here fast. She could go find eclipsa and chew her out even more for letting one of her sisters end up in this situation and they might be able to sleep tonight without getting in serious trouble for what had just happened.
So she quickly nodded to celeste, and to the door, sending a wave to judas as she made an attempt to get her sister freed of the dangerous of seriously being grounded, but naturally, things could not be just that easy. Star coming through the door, with janna in toe, nearly hitting her own daughter in the face with the door on the way in as she quickly said sorry and checked the girl for injuries.
Her mom was just great at showing up at the times sky did no want her there, it was like she almost knew it, and was planning for it. Her other mom was no better, though as scheming was jut kinda her thing at this point. But it figured they'd both show up eventually, even if they showed up at some of the worst times possible for the girls who just wanted to go right now.
Marco was sure excited to see her though, going in for a hug, maybe now that they were distracted talking to each other they could get out. After all, now marco was occupied talking to her, so this was the perfect time to find their way out without drawing too much attention-
"hey girls".
Janna just a walking pain wasn't she?
Frankly it seemed she was doing this on purpose, and getting utter joy watching them not get what they wanted from the situation. She was smirking and eyeing them up as if she was looking for why they were trying to leave so fast. Of course janna had to come with, of course she did, she couldn't just stay behind and not be a menace when they wanted her to show up the least.
Guess on the plus side she wasn't saying anything, but that almost made it worse.
Marco and star had finished their greetings as marco went to show star around the ballroom and janna was sticking in place, blocking their exit and smirking at the girls, eyebrow raised and waiting for them to explain themselves. Though it seemed clear celeste was just not in the moon for any of this and stepped forward, putting on her best angry face to the woman blocking them.
"Move".
"Aw, now is that any way to treat the queen of mewni? Where are you girls heading? Thought we were all here to help set the place up today so we could get a head start on everything? You aren't trying to bail or anything are ya?", sky hated this more because technically they were kinda bailing, but it's not as if they needed them there today anyway, they had other things they could do elsewhere.
This was just to annoy them.
"No mom, we aren't bailing, we just have other important things we need to do, that's all". She sometimes really hated her mom's stupid smug face, and sky was tempted to bring up the prank she pulled that got her injured to wipe the smirk off her face but celeste was again, in hot pursuit. "Well, if you want is to help out, having us stand here and not get where we need to be is not going to help anyone at all, you're wasting our time right now."
"You girls aren't sneaking away to get in trouble are you?".
"Mom, we aren't always getting into trouble, we have other things to worry about right now, if it makes you feel any better we'll come back after we finish taking care of this one thing real quick.", but that wasn't the end of it, now she had drawn attention to them doing something, so what is janna to do? oh right, ask more about what they're doing.
"I could escort you".
Mom, we don't need you to take us anywhere, besides, you came here to help with the party and-", then from behind jackie came up and hugged janna, janna winking to the girls in amusement at their situation further as jackie let go. "Hey janna, don't worry about these two, they just got out of taking care of our dog issue. I just took them back here, they might just be worried since tom's not back yet".
Sky silently thanked jackie for covering for them, though her tone was definitely implying she was not letting them out of this room. It was not helping that now both of them were blocking the door and they couldn't even try to sneak out or something without one seeing. She was losing her patience, that was for sure, she was about to push past them herself when again, celeste spoke up.
"Yeah, we have something else to handle, so can we go? Janna is blocking the door like a menace and it's driving us crazy", jackie looked at janna who shrugged, "Just making sure they weren't up to anything too weird, they say they got something else to do, you know anything about it?". Jackie shook her head, "No otherwise i would've taken them, girls, is something up?".
Great, now they were onto them and suspecting something was wrong, all because her own mom had to be a big ole pain and make things so much worse on purpose. She was hoping they wouldn't check her person, but that was pretty unlikely all things considered, she just didn't wanna have to explain the mask. Man, landon got to leave so easily without any issue but as soon as they try to do the same they try and ruin them fast.
"No jackie, nothing is up, we're going on a stroll right now, what else?", she was not holding back, celeste had a bite to her. But sadly, that bite did not make them worry any less, in fact, it made them worry so much more. Celeste must have noticed their expression change cause she quickly tried to fix it, "Look, we just have something to do, can we just get by without you all hovering over us like vultures?".
"Then we'll come-".
"No, we don't need your help all the time, we're not babies, we can do something this simple", janna raised an eyebrow and jackie eyed her a bit more closely, "You're trying to sneak something past us, aren't you?". Guess it figured the one expert with criminals would figure something like this out so easily. She was way too used to people trying stuff like this to pull off crimes, and celeste's lack of denial told her everything.
"I made a mistake, i just want to return something...promise".
"Celeste, you're meant to trust us...we're all supposed to trust each other, it's going to be hard to pull all of this off if we can't be honest with each other and about what's going on", jackie was talking about the mask but it did hit sky she still had no idea about the full truth of the situation. There was some serious irony in this talk when no one was being completely honest with her.
But that was something for the adults to tell her, not them.
"We won't be mad, we just want to know what's going on".
"You guys want me to trust you but no one really trusts me, i never get told anything, no one lets me do much or be involved or-", she was starting to cry again and sky reached out to touch her shoulder, "Look, today was a bit of a mess, celeste broke down because everyone has kinda been isolating her, so she might of got involved in things hoping to prove herself to be useful and got in trouble...".
Celeste seemed to appreciate sky was making this less embarrassing for her, mumbling and nodding gently.
"Celeste doesn't really have a lot of friends and people tend to look down on her, and landon has been so busy she feels a little alone, she didn't mean to hide anything or what now...she just wanted to fix things so she didn't have to feel embarrassed about what she was dong to get attention. We had a talk about it earlier, she isn't up to anything and means no harm...she's just...hurt".
The adults looked at each other and janna actually seemed kinda sorry for her mocking smile and tone earlier, jackie sighing and opening the door for them, "I won't ask further, just come back quickly...and celeste...". The girl eyed her as she wiped her tears. "I'm sorry you feel so alone, i promise, when we can, we'll get you back home and make sure you get whatever you need to help...in the meantime, we'll work on keeping you more included with everyone else".
Celeste nodded before going through, sky after without so much as another word from her, though sky sent both women a thanks.
Her mom especially rarely backed down like this so this was honestly something sky kinda liked seeing from her, even if she didn't expect it to happen super often from this point on. Regardless, sky wasted no time in getting them to eclipsa, who had not even left the castle yet thankfully, making her so much easier to track down as she found her talking to someone nearby.
Wait...she knew that voice.
"Meteora, sweetie, the camera's are clearly yours, i know you've been spying, if you're not going to tell me what you found at least tell me why you're spying on us like that". It was very much meteora on the other end, she she sounded super annoyed, guess it figured she'd come here too for the party planning, good time as any to spy on others, but truth be told she seemed to be worrying eclipsa.
Wait, was meteora the person eclipsa wanted to suggest? it would make sense if she didn't wanna suggest her own daughter without more evidence, so that was fair enough to work off of, though the spying thing is new. Well, not the spying, the cameras, making sky question if she needed to check all of the rooms more thoroughly from now on just in case.
"Mom, it's my job, spying on people is kinda the whole point, you all are not exception to that rule, if i gotta keep an eye on you it means i have to keep an eye on you"., she could just picture the monster crossing her arms and huffing, "This is a investigation and me and katrina need to look at every square inch of this place, party or no party, we're so close".
I know you are sweetie, i just worry because you might get yourself in trouble doing all of this, people are already worried about you as is, and you are not easing their worries. I just care about you and i don't want anything bad to happen to you again, even if you might be a little upset with me over me telling you the truth.". There was a bit of silence after that and sky wondered if meteora was pondering something.
"This is not just about you, it involves this entire family meteora and if you're not careful you could get seriously hurt".
"Mom i know what i'm doing, you don't have to worry about me so much anymore, they aren't locking me up and brainwashing me anymore, i can handle this on my own, katrina is handling her thing and i am handling my own". But this answer did not seem to satisfying eclipsa, "Meteora, i know you have good intentions but maybe you need to step down, you might get hurt".
"You don't trust me anymore? I'm anything but helpless, i can't just back down from my job and work just because you asked me too, this is important mom, and you know it's important. If you were me you would do the same, you need to let me focus on what i need to do and let it be, because you following me around and making complaints on every single thing i am doing is NOT helping".
"Meteora, you need someone like me to look over you, what if something happened and i wasn't here", but this answers did not seem to sway meteora, grumbling and starting to walk away. "Meteora, if you walk away right now i cannot promise you i won't do more drastic things later, i am not going to stop until we get this thing resolved. This is no laughing matter, people are scared and they might get hurt if you and i don't sort this out".
"I don't know what there even is to sort out, i have a job to do and you need to let me finish it mom, that's about as simple as it gets, and if you don't back down there might be more issues then there needs to be. This place is not full of trustworthy people and you know that as well as i do and i need to take measures into my own hands and help sort this out and if you don't like that you can take it up with someone else".
"Meteora...".
"We've already been through enough as is, if i can keep things from getting worse again i am going to prevent it, no one should have to go through any of that again, not you or me or anyone in mewni, these measures are for the best in the long run and i'm not just gonna stop because you're asking me too. These are for you too, and i'm getting them done".
She was met with complete silence, eclipsa rather unsure how best to respond it seemed, this was a private conversation and they probably shouldn't be listening in but how could they even help it? It was worth wondering if eclipsa was keeping this secret or not but for now that didn't matter, she was clearly trying to keep meteora from doing some unsavory things and that alone was quite crazy.
Was meteora really on their side or not? Should they keep a closer eye on her when the day comes to ahead?
"I don't think it was your fault...".
Hmm?
"I know what happened was an accident, but you don't have to push so hard to make up for it".
There was hesitation in the monster's voice, she clearly wanted to deny whatever was being stated or wanted to dismiss it outright, the woman sighed, "But it was my fault, if i don't handle this right, i'm never going to be able to live it down. You've never had to worry about this, you leaving home never resulted in you making up for anything, you held the throne briefly but that's not enough".
"Meteora...i promise you that no one will hate you for it. If anything i think people will be far more relieved then you think they will be, if you're not careful you just might make things worse and i'd hate to see this happen to you. You're a very strong person meteora, and know where you're coming from, i just think that maybe this might be too much to put on your shoulders".
"Mom i appreciate the advice, i really do, but i don't think you're going to be able to stop me until i feel i've completed my mission, this is important to me whether you like it or not". And before eclipsa could do anything else meteora started walking off, the girls listening and hiding against the wall as the monster left without another word to her worried mother, leaving the girls with a number of questions.
Should they still go out and talk to her? While she was clearly upset? She was probably not going to tell them about the talk she just had or even explain any of it, she most likely didn't want anyone to even know about it. But they had to get answers and she was right there, and who knew she she would be available next. Sky was hesitating, unsure of her next best move, not wanting to make the situation any worse then it was.
But then celeste started for her, clearly deciding she needed to make some moves on her own if she was to ever be involved in this group.
"Hey eclipsa".
The woman actually looked scared to see her, clearly not expecting this to happen at all as the girl strode out from around the corner and spooking sky. Celeste wasn't putting on one of her more angry expression this time though, she actually seemed kind sympathetic for celeste, clearly able to read the room about how upset she was about her daughter and not wanting to make it even worse for her.
Eclipsa then sighed, she probably should have known better then to think no one would hear any of that, of course someone would hear something, they were in a castle full of people right now after all. She then put up a weak smile and hesitated, "How much of that did you actually hear? I want to know how ashamed i should be and how much i need to explain".
Celeste held out the mask.
"Start by taking this away from me".
Eclipsa grabbed it and that's when sky finally came out of the corner to further her embarrassment, "Oh uh...sky! I had no idea you were listening in either, sorry to make this whole thing far more awkward but um...how much of that did you hear?". Sky's face was one of annoyance as eclipsa coughed into her hand, "Look, she came to ma hoping to help out and i thought it was a good idea".
"Right, you thought it was a good idea to give celeste something that could get her in serious trouble because of you right? You do know this is evidence you shouldn't be throwing around right? Like c'mon, i'm 15 and even i was careful not to really mess with the evidence, you can't just give it up like that...you know what everyone is like around us".
Eclipsa gave her a sheepish smile, "It was one mask, i figured it was better to check then not, i didn't think it would mean the dog would rampage around the castle, it was just to make the investigation slightly quicker, you know how useful it is to have a large dog able to find anyone it wants through it's scent, would've saved me some work while i handle things with my daughter".
"Yeah yeah, not really making me any happier with you after you decided not to spill what your ideas on who is up to this are, you know...everyone wants to talk about trust here and yet you don't seem to trust any of us. Sure, we can just try and not tell you what was going on but you don't seem to trust us with anything, not to handle the threat on our own, not to make our own choices, and especially not in regards to knowing this".
"Oh sky, you know i have no malison about-".
"Yeah, we know you don't, but you're a hypocrite, you're putting us in more danger then you were before at this point. You wanna claim this and that but despite saying this is for our safety you're just getting us into further trouble, i8 know we never had a close relationship for a long time eclipsa but I'm asking you to actually care about us, care about me and what happens to me".
"Sky dear...".
"You're selfish eclipsa, everyone knows that, even your own daughter can clearly tell, you only think of yourself while pretending to care about the rest of us, that's the cold hard truth of the matter, and we are all sick of it, if you wanna be of help i suggest finding a new way of going about it because you are not helping anyone here, not me and not my family".
Sky was not holding back, eclipsa had finally hit her last nerve with her, she not only fudged her job, but almost got her sister in serious trouble. At this point of course she was mad, how else was she supposed to react? Eclipsa had some nerve trying to lecture her when she was doing stuff like this, when she was putting her own needs in front of those of her sisters and their work.
Did she want them all to fail? Was she trying to make things even worse for them? It sure felt like she did. Eclipsa, who was always going off about caring about the girls, who had stopped sky from getting into trouble, who had hidden away their secret from everyone for their safety, who prided herself on helping them. She had done this to them, and sky was hitting her finale straw at this point.
Eclipsa had clearly been able to tell that too, and she was struggling to figure out the best way to apologize to her , but it was unlikely apologies were going to do much at this point, she had broken sky's trust a few too many times. Sky was furious, and eclipsa was left quite speechless. Sky herself was about to turn away butt celeste of all people spoke up, grabbing sky's arm.
"Hey, this was more on me...i insisted, i just...i really wanted to feel included, so i pushed it".
"Yeah, but she agreed to it!", she send a dirty look to eclipsa, "My moms gave her an important task and she still managed to screw it up and...i can't stand risking you all being put in danger again, what if you all got hurt? What if we lost another wand? We can't keep laughing this off and pretending it's not a problem celeste, you know it's not just your fault".
She eyed eclipsa, tears forming.
"It's not that i don't think you love me, but how am i supposed to trust you when you keep doing this to me and to people i care about? You never seem to take it as seriously as you want me to think, you just care about your needs eclipsa, not my needs or the needs of my friends...at this rate they're never going to get home, and not because of us but because of you".
Eclipsa took off her hat, sighing, "I know, i...i made a mistake".
She said nothing else, there were no excuses being made and no fighting being put up. Eclipsa kept her eyes closed and just stood there, probably expecting sky to just leave and most likely tell everyone else about what she did. But now sky was stuck in her spot and unable to convince herself to move, she wanted to leave eclipsa sad and upset but now she felt bad for lashing out so harshly.
She was right to be harsh, this was not something to feel bad about, but she hated seeing someone upset who she yelled at too.
Why did she have to be so conflicted about every single rightful choice she made? She grumbled, clutching her fists, before forcing herself to move. No, she wasn't going to let eclipsa make her feel bad about this, she wasn't going to let her get away with this. She was going to let eclipsa make this up to her herself, grabbing celeste's hand and heading out and leaving eclipsa behind.
The former queen wasn't shocked, it was just hard that as soon as sky almost seemed ok with her again this had happened, maybe it wasn't the same thing as flat out getting her in trouble but it was still a betrayal of trust. And this was becoming too much for sky, even luna at least wasn't putting anyone in danger because of her own neglect, at least sky knew she cared.
Even Celeste seemed quiet, looking at how angry sky was even making her nervous...and she rarely was nervous.
"Hey, you don't have to focus on her entirely, i screwed up too".
"Yeah, but you understood your mistake and fixed it, and...i get why you did it, eclipsa was just...she just didn't care".
Celeste fell silent, unsure what exactly to say to that. Sky had a lot of pent up anger at this point, it was betrayal after betrayal after betrayal, she wouldn't be surprised if the girl punched through a wall at this point. Celeste was the grumpy one, the one with an attitude, not sky, well usually not sky. "Look, we're going to solve this and get you home and when it's over i can go back to ignoring her and all the mom figures who fail me over and over...".
Yeah, that hit a little too close to home.
"Sky, are you going to be ok when we go home? Like really?", sky paused before wiping at her face, batting some stray tears away. "I'm...i'm fine, sorry, i'm...i'll be ok celeste, let's just get you...somewhere else". She was keeping her head down now, staying silent, honestly the silence was far worse then having her just ramble and get all of her feelings out.
"I'm sorry...that like, things are like this...for you", celeste gripped her hand tighter, "I guess at least, at least your parents feel like they care about you at all i guess...they're still together and they're trying. Y'know...i kinda sometimes wonder if maybe...if i was too harsh back home, to my own parents or something. I don't know, i guess it's just...one of those things".
"Do you think i'm being too harsh?".
Was celeste just rambling or was this an attempt for celeste to get through to sky? She made it sound that way, the worst part is it was semi working and sky didn't like it, she was mad and she had every right to be mad. But then celeste spoke further and sky's shoulders eased just a little bit more, if anyone could get parental frustrations, it was celeste after all.
"No...i get it, i guess it just makes me think more about my own family...if i screwed things up with them. When i get home, i...i want to apologize, and like...see what i can do...if i can do anything when it get back and they aren't mad or anything. I mean it this time, after all of this, i don't...i don't want to be angry anymore with them, i don't wanna have to go home like that again".
"That's...cool of you...celeste, i mean, if you really want to".
"But i don't entirely always know if i can either, with...how i am, and how grumpy i get and everything. Maybe i can't fix it with them at all and they'll just...not really want to put up with it", she shook her head, "But, it's better to try then not try at all...like, i was never good...at talking to them, i'm not good at talking to anybody really...just...", She eyed Sky intently, "I don't want to like...think of you alone...like that, like...you being like how i was before i came here, angry at everyone and all of that".
She went silent, and so did sky.
Her? Like Celeste? Was she really starting to come off like that? Did judas think that too? Did everyone start to think that? She felt a pit in her stomach. Not that cele was bad but, she knew how her attitude had turned people away.
Sky dropped celeste off to get some rest, they were done helping prepare at this point, they were tired and they needed time to themselves at this point. Sky updating everyone on the incident so no one assumed the worst about lucy getting out like that. She needed to pull herself together and get some rest, she had to be prepared for the trap, getting this angry was bad for her.
Maybe she could talk to her mom about getting eclipsa out fo the plan for being untrustworthy, but would her mom even listen? Her mom had times were she didn't trust the former queen after all, so maybe she could understand it, but on the other hand that was removing a powerful magic user from the group. This situation might take more priority then her feelings towards eclipsa.
She found herself, laying there that night, wondering if this whole deal was breaking her to pieces. Much like the shards of that mask that cracked, her mind wandering to if eclipsa and meteora's frustrations would be resolved before things got worse. If her family was ever going to be the same after this, if things were savable at all at this point.
It was not the best night of sleep for her.