Music Choices: She Got Arrested by The Interrupters, Basket Case by Greenday, Don't Wreck Your Head by Dame
Eclipse
Chapter 73
Life Line
Soooo. Things were kinda fucking coconuts right now. Maybe even more coconuts than earlier, it was kinda hard to judge on the metric coconuts scale.
They were currently inside the Witchfinger safehouse her dad had designed, which was also below ground, and hidden by a variety of means, both technological and Semblance enabled. Sigyn had made the executive decision to stop at the safehouse instead of trying to carry her unconscious partner aaaall the way back to Beacon.
It was closer, it had enough medical supplies to sustain a small army, untraceable scrolls and short range radio that operated on a small Semblance sustained network and not government monitored comm systems and most importantly, some of the deadliest weapons available on the black market; which yes, technically, she was not supposed to grab and run back into the frey STRQ and the others were facing. But! She also wasn't leaving cover unarmed ever again, and crazy shit was afoot at the moment. The King Service might also, say, notice her making the trek back with Natalia and potentially scoop them up if they caught wind of things; which she would not allow without a fight, and without sending an emergency signal to her father.
Whom she had not contacted yet, even though she was pretty tempted to. Partly because she wanted to yell at him for the shit he had pulled, and that could wait; but mostly because she knew he was responding to an emergency mission on the border territories of the Vacuon wastes and would be unavailable for immediate assistance. He had left a missive encoded in one of the scrolls available in the safehouse, which was standard procedure for them. Tormund left updates of his whereabouts where she or Summer could find them, in the event he was gone without comm access for a long time.
Or if he potentially, ya know….disappeared.
Currently, Sigyn was caught between protecting a now newly conscience Natalia, and trying to buffer between her sister and the gigantic fucking Goat-Man who had both suddenly joined them a few moments ago, much to Summer's very, very, very blatant displeasure and her own surprise. The pair had entered thir super stealth Witchfinger hide through a burst of silver light, and chaos had immediately fucking ensued, boys.
Summer kept bursting into petals, partially spinning around Goats as he used his own Semblance to keep her ensnared, some crazy blood glyphs that he had wrapped around her arm and was using to keep tethered to her like a leash kid at the mall who had got hold of an energy drink. Summer had then bitten him right into the meat between his neck and shoulder, snarling like hell, and Goats had just laughed and shrugged her off, breaking her grip even as she nearly took a chunk out of him. A blood glyph had appeared over the injury, sucking up the spillage.
Goats had then grabbed Summer by the scruff, released the Semblance glyph on her and tossed her across the room, where she landed on her feet, blurring with silver, music and all kinds of pissed. Sigyn had been mid-motion, with two of her clones, ready to gut the motherfucker herself, when he had held a finger up, as if asking for a moment; and brought a fire Dust axe right down on top of….the microwave.
And then set it on fire.
The microwave had been chrome plated, and it was where the silver had burst from when the pair had rolled on in, merry, or unmerry, as you please. Sigyn had managed to pause, confused by this ritual of technologic destruction, when Goats finally spoke.
"I'm not here for blood, I'm keeping that one alive!"
Sigyn hesitated, trying desperately to catch up.
"What the fuck is going on!?" Sigyn exclaimed, as Summer rushed past her in a burst of silver and rose petals, trying to retrieve her weapons, which Baphomet currently had custody of. "What happened?! I thought you were helping?!"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY-" Summer snarled, her voice amplified by silver so bright it hurt to look at.
Baphomet countered, roaring out a deep, terrible silver noise that knocked one of Sigyn's clones flat and completely floored Summer, sending her skidding over the tiles. Summer shook it off and flew at him again, all fury and wolf teeth.
"An enemy aetheri hunting us and your sister - and she is going to get - herself killed - at this rate -" Baphomet grunted as he wrestled with the enraged faunus trying to get at his throat and exposed limbs, before flinging Summer off him again. So far he had not used his weapons, and she seemed to be cutting him pretty bad, even without her weapons. But his Semblance appeared to be damage based, which was perhaps why he was allowing her to bloody him. "Stop it! Or they will find you!"
"I DO NOT! FUCKING! CARE! ABOUT AETHERI! BULLSHIT!" Summer bellowed. Her eyes were pupiless, just pure glowy spookiness that was spilling into the room and…maybe it was a trick of the light, but Sigyn swore she saw another place, in the angles the light was bouncing off of or absorbing into. Some great big, empty hallway. "My team needs me! We abandoned them in the middle of a gods damn catastrophe -"
"Ciara and Reaper are handling it!" Baphomet boomed back, unflinching. "You are out of your depth!"
"RRRRRGH!" Summer blurred at him again, but a Semblance glyph sprang up from where some of Baphomet's blood had spilled. And trapped her in place.
Summer let out an enraged burst of song-light, that caused Sigyn to drop to one knee, her head spinning and emotions reeling as something almost other rushed throughout the room, trying to break into the space from the thin corners of the room; Sigyn felt nauseous and terrified all at once, her pupils turning to pricks.
"Summer!" Natalia barked, sitting up sluggishly on the cot. "STOP!"
Summer jerked, as if reeling herself back in from some place, and her eyes widened in shock as she realized that Sigyn was getting kinda fucked up by the forces she was summoning into the room. The song-light dimmed sharply, and the images flashing through Sigyn's head snuffed out, and Sigyn let out a whoof of pained breath, a cold sweat covering her body.
"Shit, dude," Sigyn coughed, shaking her head. Her eyes had been flashing through the spectrum of color at warp speed, but had started to slow down.
"I…didn't mean…are you ok?" Summer asked, swallowing thickly, still trapped in place by the crazy looking blood glyph wrapped around her, anchoring her to the floor like a blood-net. Her eyes were still glowing brightly.
"Uhhhh, systems check, one, two!" Sigyn chuckled nervously, patting herself down. Her clones had remerged with her during the 'event' or whatever. "Yea…yep, I'm cool. I'm ok. We're good!"
She stood up, a little wobbly, but recovered quickly as she glanced between Goat-Man, Summer, and Natalia. Natty was panting a little, still recovering from the effects of the tranq and trying to get her Aura back up to optimum. She hadn't used her Semblance on Summer, Sigyn could tell, but she had primed it in case shit….got even further out of hand.
"I'm sorry," Summer apologized to her, and Sigyn knew she meant it. Not like she'd hold a grudge over it or anything, gods knew she got rowdy herself plenty of times and that was clearly an accident!
But damn!
Sigyn had seen Summer pissed before. Hell, she had pissed Summer off plenty of times herself, her most recent blunder being one of the worst of those occasions. However, Summer did not typically lose her sense of self restraint. Even when she was angry, she was always the one to exercise restraint or to remove herself from like, a bad situation. She didn't escalate. She didn't do what Sigyn was famous for, latching on and refusing to let go until you pried her teeth apart.
At least, Summer had never done so before. Now, though? Man, it was really whigging her out to be honest, to be on the other side of this situation. Sigyn was not a negotiator. She didn't keep the peace, she stoked the fires, intentionally or not. She wasn't like Natty. She wasn't like Argent.
She wasn't like Summer.
But Summer wasn't uh, well, thinking clearly at the moment?
"Ok! So until I know what the cherry flipping fuck is going on, let's all dial it back to like, a nine? Ok!? Sound good!?" Sigyn prompted, glancing between the others quickly. "Goats, you've got like ten seconds to make your case, because otherwise I'm turning you into my next suit for Horror-con, pal!"
Sigyn pointed at the ensnared Summer.
"And let her up!" Sigyn demanded.
Baphomet stared at Sigyn, his face inscrutable behind his mask, save for his eyes and the barest glimpse of his mouth.
"If you insist," the barbarian grunted, and tossed his chin. The Semblance glyph withdrew, like blood returning to a vein, and Summer stood slowly, still radiating tension, petals and wisps of silver.
Sigyn glanced at her sister, then Natalia, who was monitoring the situation, her good hand grasping the weapon beneath the cots blanket as she studied the Goat-Man and Summer's emotions.
"I need to get to them," Summer insisted, her voice still vibrating and a little raw, as if she'd screamed herself hoarse. "And if I have to go through this idiot to do it? Then I will."
Baphomet made an outraged noise at being called an idiot, but paused when Sigyn prime gave him a look that promised death; instead of being intimidated by that, Sigyn realized he was smiling instead. Apparently, Goat-Man was kinda fucked up; not like she could actually judge.
"And if you've gotta go through me, you gonna just…bowl me over too?" Sigyn asked, feeling her chest twist a little bit, as her sister looked back at her.
"Are you going to try to stop me?" Summer asked seriously. The tone wasn't exactly cold, but it still really didn't…sound like Summer. At all.
Sigyn was getting seriously, massively whigged by all this, but she didn't know what else to do! Half of her just wanted to say 'fuck it!' and let Summer go fucking ham-bananas! Summer deserved the opportunity to ham-bananas, Dust knew!
But that half was also, not her most, well, logical, at the best of times! And if Sigyn was the only one in the room trying to genuinely cool things off? Then they were in some serious chili-sauce, boys!
"No, but, sis? Uh, how about- just spitballing here - how about we find out why Goat-Man and Bone-Head are so freaked out? Cuz like, if they're worried-" Sigyn gestured at Baphomet, who was cocking his head now. As if listening to some distant thing. "Then we should prolly be a little cautious too, yea? Let's just get some knowledge, first? Before sprinting tits first into something really bad? Again!?"
Summer stared at her, ears flicking slightly, as her eyes dimmed from spooky head-lights and into familiar silver.
"..Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Summer asked after a tense pause. Her tone shift made Sigyn relieved, to say the least, though they weren't out of the woods yet.
"Hey, lady, I can ask the same question, ok!?" Sigyn retorted, her eyes wide with incredulous humor. "It is my job to be feral and unhinged around these parts - it is literally on MY resume - and I don't appreciate you stepping on my toes like this, you little shit!"
Summer gave her a flat look, ears twitching. Sigyn simpered again.
"She's right, you know."
Sign let out a sigh of relief as her partner spoke up again. She sounded stronger, more present, as the tranq wore off and her Aura levels bounced back. She'd still need medical attention beyond what Ciara and the safehouse could provide, but Sigyn was certain that by the time this night was finally over, most of them would.
Guys I really, really fucking hope you're ok. Because if you're not? I'm gonna burn this shitty town to the ground….I really. Really need you…to be ok.
If these other factors were not present, Sigyn would be totally on board with charging off to get to the others and beating whoever or whatever got in their way into smithereens. In fact, she was still in shock that their roles had reversed so sharply in such a short amount of time! But that, those feelings, were….before.
Before Baphomet had magically fucking appeared out of the reflective plating of a fucking microwave, in the super protected, Semblance-warded Witchfinger hide with a furious, snarling Summer over his shoulder and tossed her unceremoniously to the ground; and before he said he was…keeping Summer away from…some serious magical threat.
Some spooky fuckery that could kill them all, without effort, without even a blink or wince, or breaking a sweat! Something that could hurt them without a Semblance or any means measurable in the scientific realms that they were aware of. Something even worse than a fucking werewolf with an abomination for a fucking Semblance.
Sigyn couldn't even fully comprehend something like that; but she knew by now, on the tail end of getting her tail ends handed to her, that she couldn't counter a force like that. And might even be a liability in such a situation.
For now.
Still it was putting a hella nasty strain on her emotions and Semblance knowing that her family was in danger, and she was not riding in guns blazing to assist. When it came to her bio family and her team, Sigyn could hardly differentiate between them at this point - they were honestly the same, in her eyes. Really, no seriously, they fucking they were. Family wasn't about blood, she had always known that - but as she got older, no, as she got a broader perspective, things made more sense. There was a pattern there, that she could interpret, and that pattern aligned with a higher logic that, even if she couldn't always see it? She knew it could be interpreted, sometimes.
It's just that, sometimes, family showed up when everyone was already grown up or close to it, or, sometimes family showed up when everyone was already really old! Life? Life, or souls or what the fuck ever, they didn't care about time! It didn't care about time, or blood, or any of that - it just brought you to who you were supposed to meet, whenever you were supposed to. And when people showed up who were supposed to, you might think - Oh! There you are! Where have you been, I was wondering? I was wondering why you weren't here yet?
And then they were like, oh! Well, hey, let me just tell you! I've seen some crazy shit!
Life wasn't….time wasn't….linear. Because people weren't linear. Feelings and thoughts and identities, they weren't fucking linear, either! It all flowed and crashed and rushed in a million, jillion fucking different directions all at once!
But part of what it meant to be the oldest, whatever….whatever that even fucking meant? When it came to siblings anyways, was that…even if you were oldest by a fraction, even by a centimeter, in some way or the other? You…. well…you tried to make sure your sibling…
Didn't get in over their head. At least not before they knew how to swim.
And Sigyn didn't know if Summer was really swimming just yet? Or just struggling desperately to stay afloat. Like the rest of STRQ. Just trying to stay afloat…while the forces that entangled them tried, just as desperately…to pull them under the water.
"You are both being incredibly hypocritical right now. I hope you realize that?" Summer glared, still very blatantly pissed.
"Yea! But that doesn't mean we're wrong!" Sigyn gave her sister her best cheshire grin.
"We are experts at wrangling people who are out for blood. In case you weren't aware," Natty hummed. "Especially ourselves. Well. Sometimes."
Sigyn giggled a little and stopped as Summer glanced back at her. Her sister still wasn't sold on the idea, or like, fully at her best at the moment. Which, hey, Sigyn could totally empathize with! She really, gods, she really fucking could!
But there was magical fuckery afoot, boys, and that was…
Man, this really was part of their lives, now, wasn't it?
Still. She wasn't about to let it destroy them willy nilly and unchecked.
You want me to be the life line? Then I fucking will be! Even if it pisses you off!
"Look - if he deserves the ass whooping, then bitch, you know I will have your back one thousand percent!" Sigyn beamed. Baphomet snuffed, but didn't comment. "But let's like, make sure, that uh, he doesn't have a point? First?"
Summer rumbled a little again, but didn't comment. She didn't back off per se, but she relaxed a fraction.
Baphomet had not commented during all this. He kept cocking his head towards odd angles, staring at stranger angles; as if he was listening to a sound or a conversation occuring in planes beyond this one.
"Psst! Hey, Goats? I was serious earlier!.Now would be a good time to like, make your fucking case here?" Sigyn hissed, eyes slowly roving the spectrum of color and emotions.
Baphomet didn't respond at first, before finally grunting something intelligible.
"They are still hunting you," Baphomet muttered, light shining from his helmet.
Summer and Sigyn exchanged brief looks, as Summer continued to study her 'captor'.
"Hunting us all? Or just me?"
"Both. But mostly you, now," Baphomet growled, couching on all fours as he studied…something beyond Sigyn's sight. "They won't succeed. I've covered our trail. Destroyed their only entrance. And the Reaper is hounding them like the witch Herself. No. They won't find us…"
Sigyn's eyes were shifting the full spectrum of the gods damn rainbow at the moment, at a million miles per hour; and Summer did not seem to buy…whatever Baphomet was saying one thousand percent. Or even ten percent.
"Who are they then?" Summer demanded, eyes hard. "What do they want? You fucking - you catch wind of the Service and drag me the hell off - my team needs me, they could fucking DIE!"
"Service? The Service is there, shit-" Sigyn rattled, one of her clones manifesting and began pulling anxiously at her hair. Natalia hissed a Mantellian curse under her breath.
"Ciara is handling the niflings," Baphomet grunted, still watching something. "They won't - HA! they're doomed! Every spirit in range is screaming for revenge, the planes are on FIRE with their rage! The slavers will meet a worse fate than they can imagine! HAHAHA A pity I don't get to witness it in person!"
Spirits? This dude see dead people or something? But isn't…
Sigyn pulled a face.
Aren't Grimm dead people? How many kinds of dead people can there fucking be?!
"GREAT!" Summer shouted, her ears flat, pupils turning to pinpricks. "Then let's go back, and fucking help her!"
"No," Baphomet grunted brusquely, meeting Summer's stare with his own shining, pupiless eyes.
"Why the hells not-"Summer stepped forwards again, and Sigyn shifted nervously, preparing to intervene once more if she needed to.
Man, I hate this so much!
"We leave this location, and you will be exposed. The other is still hunting you-"
"Then let's friggin hunt them back! You never answered my question, who the hell are they?! That you guys are so scared of them?!" Summer's teeth and eyes flashed.
"I respect your bloodlust, little Huntress," Baphomet went back to studying the room's angles, ghosts of silver light trickling out from him as he did….something. "But at this stage of your awakening, and lack of training? You are a liability. You would die, or be used to manipulate us into surrender. This is the truth. I am sorry that it is bitter. "
Summer vibrated with anger and distress, meeting Sigyn's eyes briefly. Her gaze softened some, before she went back to confronting the Goat-Man.
"Answer my question, then, it is the least you can do: who is this other aetheri? And what do they want?"
Baphomet paused, before crouching to the floor and laying his head as close to the stone as he could with his Goat helmet on. The girls stared at him with various expressions.
"Unknown," Baphomet grunted after a full minute had passed, lifting his head to stare at them. "No one knows their true identity. Not even Set."
Summer's ears flattened at that name, and her canines pulled over her lips in extreme distaste. Sigyn cocked a hip as she listened, more than a little intrigued.
"What we do know is that they've killed several members of the Stygian Mirror. After joining their Guild," Baphomet cracked his fingers one at a time. "They played their fools games, learned their weaknesses. And then they started exterminating them."
Natalia gave Sigyn a subtle look at this new information. Sigyn shrugged expressively.
I have no clue girl, for real. Not yet anyways!
Which was fucking irritating, because it felt like yet more secret, magic club shit.
She bit her tongue for the moment, but it was a monumental effort.
"Set claims he doesn't know," Summer latched onto that tidbit with a vengeance. "And you believe him?"
"Yes," Baphomet gruffed immediately.
"...Why the hell would you believe Set?"
Who the fuck is Set?
Baphomet snorted, shaking his head in apparent irritation.
"Kingdom," he muttered in distaste. Summer bristled at that, and he waved her anger off. "Set is usually whatever you expect him to be. He can be your greatest adversary. If you want. Or your best ally. But he can never fully either. He can never be fully anything."
Sigyn felt her mouth part slightly at that, as something hit a chord deep within her, sharp and hard, vibrating her very bones.
"And you'd believe the word of someone like that?" Summer asked skeptically.
Sigyn's clone gave Summer an unimpressed look.
"Ha! Someone like that - listen to yourself - " Baphomet laughed, but there was a ferocity there. "Repeat what you just said. With your ears fucking open this time."
Summer's eyes narrowed a little, but her face shifted as she replayed the words in her head. Her eyes rounded.
"Do you hear it?" He rumbled.
Summer didn't answer, but her shoulders sank a little.
"I trust Set. Because Set is us," Baphomet affirmed, rocking back on his haunches, before stretching like a giant cat. "You should do more shadow work. By the way."
"I - don't remember asking for advice," Summer stammered a little, clearly off-put.
"Just an observation. And at your level of awakening, you need to stay fully grounded as you grow. Not doing so is dangerous."
"Grounded to what?" Summer muttered.
"Yourself. Mortality. The world. Aetheri who can't tether to these things get lost. And can become extremely dangerous. Like the one hunting you."
"What, you're saying I can't get angry?" Summer asked, her tone loaded. One of Sigyn's clones shuffled anxiously. Summer had been told by society at large to not express anger her entire life, after all.
"No. That's stupid and counterproductive," Baphomet tossed his head like a frickin horse. "Anger is natural. Anger is mortal. Anger is divine. Grounding isn't about not feeling. It just lets you know why you're feeling something. And it gives you a way back. "
"And shadow work…" Summer started.
"Shadow work lets you dive into the darkness. Push the envelope. Explore the parts that scare you. So you can know them. And when you meet them later? Not get lost."
Summer grew quiet for a moment, her expression perhaps more pensive than confrontational for the moment.
"Ok. You've made…some fair points. But that doesn't change the fact that you basically kidnapped me, and are trying to remove choice and agency from me, possibly good intentions or no," Summer countered, her tone hardening again. "And as a leader of the free folk, I would expect that you acting in such a way goes against the grain of your people's values. In fact, I know for absolute certain it does."
It was Baphomet's turn to look put off by the turning of these tables. Sigyn grinned.
She loved it when Summer went into super lawyer mode - at least when she directed that at other people.
Not so fun to be on the receiving end.
"Your opinion on how I conduct myself as Baphomet is not relevant!" he barked loudly after a moment, still crouching on the ground. His body language was bristling, silver pouring ominously from his spooky helmet. "You may be aetheri, but you are not tribe! It holds no water-"
"Wrong!" Summer barked back, just as loudly. "I have blood ties to the Black Dogs and I am the paramour of two other people with tribal affiliations, one of whom is the daughter of the fucking Morrigan - who, by the way!? Will likely be gods damned pissed you abandoned not only her children in the midst of a fight for the freedom of skinchangers everywhere - but also, her paramour and Branwen's spiritual elder as well! What would the other chieftains say if they heard of such cowardice, I truly wonder?!"
Sigyn and Natalia exchanged looks, preparing for this confrontation to go sideways. Natty tensed slightly on the cot, preparing to utilize her Semblance if necessary.
"COWARDICE?!" Baphomet roared in rage, springing up on his legs finally and moving forward to get into Summer's space. "YOU DARE CALL ME A NIFLING?!"
Sigyn's and three clones intercepted, making vicious faces at him.
He towered over her. Sigyn was not short by any means, she got her tall from her daddy, and was almost as tall as Argent; but this guy gave even Tormund a run for his money and could probably pick her up with one hand and toss her like a sack of beans as easily as he'd tossed Summer.
Not that she wouldn't make him regret it instantly, but still. He had the weight game and the reach for sure when he was actually standing for once; but Sigyn had the numbers, and the fury to match.
His orbs glanced down at her and her clones, observing the various Witchfinger weapons they were wielding.
"Yea motherfucker? This is my house," Sigyn nodded, giving him her sweetest, scariest smile. "Sit your ass back down Goats, before I rip that dumb helmet off and peel your fucking face with it."
Summer made a noise, half warning, half something else, while Natalia moved to the edge of the cot so silently and stealthily, that no one except Sigyn noticed. Natty also had a few toys from her dad's stash, and would cross the distance after slamming him with her Semblance so fast, head's would literally roll. Baphomet actually blinked as he stared down at her, briefly forgetting the insult that Summer had apparently dropped on him.
"...Are you challenging me for the mantle?" he gruffed after a pause. His tone was still dangerous, but a current of something else ran through it that Sigyn couldn't immediately identify.
"I don't know what that means? And I also, do not give a single shit!" Sigyn pulled a garrot-wire of Jorogumo webbing taught and menacingly between her hands, holding it bared with the promise of imminent bloodshed. "I do not care who the fuck you are? You don't come into my fucking house and try to intimidate my little sister! So take your magic spooky eyes, pluck em out, shove em up your ass and SIDDOWN, Goat-Man!"
Baphomet snorted like a bull, tossing his head again, before turning his head huffily away.
"BAH! KINGDOM!"
Summer snickered a little, moving as if she was gonna try to breeze by and grab her weapons, before Sigyn turned to her, still in her no bullshit mode.
"UH UH. You're in time out too, sweetie!"
"Wh-"Summer's ears flicked, her eyes narrowing stubbornly. "You can't put me in time out, we aren't kids-"
"Yes the fuck I can, bitch! You wanna act like this is the circus?! Then you get to play like the fucking clowns!" Sigyn shouted, multiple hands pointing towards her younger sister and gesturing to her multiple selves. "You are in time out until we get more intel about this shit!"
"No, I am not," Summer folded her arms defiantly.
Sigyn went for the nuclear option. She pulled out a black, untraceable scroll. Summer's eyes flicked to it, a glimmer of understanding there.
"I'll do it," Sigyn nodded, grinning wildly. "I'll call dad."
Summer tried to call her bluff, eyes narrowing in challenge.
"Fine. Do it," Summer snorted, ears flicking a little brattily. Like they were fucking twelve again. "You won't."
"I won't…no balls? Because bitch, I will and I will spill every bean there is to spill about aaall the bullshit you've been getting up to," Sigyn nodded slowly. "I don't care if I get in trouble too. I will take you down with me. I will strap the grenades on and away we will fucking go!"
Which wasn't probably what would happen exactly.
She knew Tormund had originally planned on supplying Raven with the necessary means to eliminate Verdant. Without getting involved himself and insisting Raven didn't involve them, which was a dickbag move, and she would tell him that herself, and very, very loudly. Because frankly, if Raven had not confessed what she was up to? She would have totally died. No doubt.
But Summer didn't know all that. Not yet.
Oooh, she gonna be pissed at me later, but I don't care if it keeps her little butt alive to see morning! She's not thinking straight!
"...If they die? And I could have done something…," Summer started, her voice softer but her tone still serious.
The promise hung there, and Sigyn understood it on a level that pierced her guts and twisted harder than any knife; but Sigyn didn't back down.
"Then you won't forgive me and I understand that - but girl, YOU told me to be the life-line! You said that! And if that means checking your shit when it is totally tilted, then I fucking will!" Sigyn exclaimed just as seriously. "You think I dont wanna rush off this very second to help them?! Seriously?! You're the one who told me to back off in the first place! You wanna apply these rules to other people, but not yourself! But I'M THE HYPOCRITE HERE?!"
Summer stared at her in shock.
"What, you think because I'm not magical or whatever the fuck that I'm a liability?! But you aren't because you have magic searchlight eyeballs and spooky vibes - that is bullshit!" Sigyn and her clones tossed their hands, still holding a variety of colorful Witchfinger weaponry. "I get that this shit sucks! I really, really, do! But let's try to find a way to help them, and ourselves, without -"
"Jumping on grenades. Yes?" Natalia chimed in drolly behind her.
"YES! Thank you, Natty -," Sigyn spun towards her partner before spinning back, speaking animatedly. "You do not need to jump on the grenade, and possibly get your little ass whacked by some magic serial killer or whatever! That is of no help to anyone, because you being dead is of no help to anyone! And also, you being dead would fucking suck!"
Summer was hesitating, her expression fluctuating as she both considered Sigyn's argument and tried to counter it; however, she was listening, and Sigyn took that as a good sign and ran with it desperately.
"So instead of getting dead - let's get smart! Let's use our big brains and figure out how to help from here! What are our options!" Sigyn smacked her palms together repeatedly, before spinning back to her partner. "Natty! What are our options that don't involve death and or compromising our location!"
Natalia's eyes widened a slight fraction, as her lip twitched in dark humor. She apparently thought it was hilarious that Sigyn was trying to come up with a plan that ran so counter to her own nature, but had the good sense to not comment on it at the moment.
"Not many. We have radio. We can call for help from ah…local Witchfinger division."
"Not without alerting dad we can't-" Sigyn started up. At the same time, Baphomet also made a noises of protest.
"Authorities monitor Kingdom airwaves!" Goat's growled in protest. "They'll side with the Service!"
"Not these airwaves. And we can report a threat anonymously. Say we found something dangerous under Kingdom that compromises Vale's safety," Natalia suggested, glancing at the group.
"Gravediggers," Summer said, her eyes widening.
"HUH -" Sigyn's eyes flickered as her clones made a variety of expressions, turning to her sibling.
"There's Gravediggers in a giant cavern below the Kingdom. The smugglers mined out a crap ton of rock there, too, like they were harvesting Dust or like….they were looking for something. But Gravediggers in a large enough swarm count as a Settlement Killer," Summer's ears perked as she met Sigyn's gaze. "We thinned the swarm but we didn't get them all! A lot burrowed down to escape us, but they'll reemerge eventually! And they can access the sewers!"
"Gravediggers will get their attention," Natalia noted dryly. "As will giant death pit under Kingdom."
"Yea, they won't be fans of that!" Sigyn chuckled nervously. "Uh - and I don't think they would - but how do we know whoever is on duty won't like, attack our friends if they run into them? Like, on accident? Cuz hey, most of the Grímnir peeps are awesome but uh - there's one or two that I would not trust to not get a little stab happy without asking questions first!"
The Grímnir was Vale's local division of Witchfingers. It was the largest Witchfinger coalition in the world, and when someone graduated from Bilskírnir, they typically served with the Grímnir gang first, learning the ropes and working with other seasoned Witchfingers. Most of them were pretty cool; but a few of them scared the willies out of her jillies, ya know?
"Could say some Beacon students got in over their heads clearing them out? But ah, possible dead Service people lying about and magical things running amok would….cause more problems. And possibly get our friends and us arrested," Natalia sighed, playing with a knife as she thought about their options. "Could bite bullet and radio Professor Arc instead. Tell her everything. And pray she does not murder us all or turn us in."
Sigyn groaned a little, fidgeting as she tried to come up with a plan that Summer would find acceptable.
"Arc won't turn us in. She helped us free the skinchangers in the first place," Summer chimed in. "She's no ally of the King's Service. She might tell the Headmaster what's happened, but…at this point it is unlikely he won't find out what happened."
"You shouldn't involve an ally of the warlock in your plans," Baphomet grunted, shaking his head. "Especially considering Reaper and myself are here."
The girl's glanced at him. Sigyn frowned.
Warlock?
"Why not?" Summer asked him. Her tone was still sharp with him, but she seemed genuinely curious about that.
"He keeps tabs on his servants," Baphomet grunted. "Whether they know it or not. Also. Reaper and Arc do not get along."
"I don't think she gets along with anyone anyways," Summer folded her arms. "And like I said, he is going to find out if he doesn't know already. We can deal with that after-"
"You don't understand. Arc will try to arrest Reaper if she sees her. And Reaper's identity cannot be compromised by Valish authorities," Baphomet shook his head slowly. "This is part of why we had to flee instead of fight."
Sigyn and Natalia exchanged looks, communicating with expressions, before Sigyn perked up.
"Well, we won't tell her Reaper is around! How about that? Reaper can uh, go reap somewhere else or whatever-"
"Reaper's ego will not allow that," Baphomet sighed in frustration. "Look! If Arc shows, and Reaper is not distracted chasing the Blank One off, she will show up and try to bait her into a fight!"
"Why?!" Summer exclaimed, tossing her hands up.
"I don't know! They have a blood feud maybe - or because the warlock hates Reaper, I don't know the details!" Baphomet mirrored Summer, shaking his head.
Sigyn groaned in frustration, pulling her hair a little.
Frickin politics!
"So options are call Witchfingers and possibly get everyone arrested. Or, " Natalia raised a brow slowly. "Call Arc and possibly cause a fight between two adult women who have feud?"
"Yes!" Baphomet nodded.
"I see. Well, I'd rather risk second option. No offense," Natalia shrugged. "But our friends' lives are more important to me."
Sigyn bobbed in agreement.
"Yea, dude, sorry! Plan B sounds more reasonable - also, it was kinda what we were gonna do in the first place, but I made a pit-stop! So, all in favor of calling Arc on the Arc hot-line say 'aye!" Sigyn tossed her hand up.
"Aye," Natalia raised her good hand.
Summer glanced at them, then Baphomet, her eyes still glinting with glowing silver and frustration with her predicament. Then raised her hand.
"Aye."
Baphomet snorted, shaking his head, before moving over to the kitchen to snoop.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
…
"If the worst happens…."
"It won't! Don't say that, like don't-"
"Sigyn?"
"...I hate this."
"I know. I'm sorry. And I've made a million contingencies but…if it does go bad…."
"..."
"I need them to think that I hid it. I need you to be her life-line."