AEC 4 is here, finally! I know some of you were likely waiting for this chapter to drop since it has already been written, but I decided to hold back for a while to get some things in order.
It's not long before we'll reach the halfway point of this story, and let me assure you that there are plenty of interesting things occurring on the way as the mystery continues to unfold. I can't wait to take you all on the rest of this journey to learn more about our Timekeepers and the mess they've gotten themselves in.
Thank you to Remus98 for reviewing the last chapter and reading over this chapter for me. You're a gem :)
They know that time is turning back
to the dawn of day
They must search for what they lack
to save the keeper's way.
Rufus Rabanne, Twenty-Three, Timekeeper (Rank III)
Once again, the morning sat with Rufus; as did his turbulent emotions.
As Blake muttered to himself, Rufus couldn't help but feel a little out of place. Was the day resetting because of something he had done? Had Blake done something? He didn't want to blame his friend, but there was nothing else that came to mind when he considered what the cause of this mess was.
All he knew was that he was once again sat on his bed in assless chaps on a Monday morning.
He was surprised that Blake was correct in his suspicions – a little sus, but hey, Blake was his friend. Still, he was a little stung at the fact that it had to be a Monday instead of a Saturday or Sunday. He certainly wouldn't have minded the weekend; going to the club always ended in the addictive feeling of another body against his. Sometimes, it was great to feel good, even when everything else in life seemed to be going down the drain.
However, he wasn't a fan of waking up with a raging hangover, and Blake dropping ice-cold water on him could be scrapped too. It just didn't seem fair that the two of them had been involved in something that they clearly had no part in.
Blake had enough on his plate, and Rufus did too, although he would be the last to admit it.
"Okay," Blake breathed. "Okay, okay, okay."
"Okay?" Rufus asked.
"Yes," Blake muttered, running a hand through his hair. "So I think I'm pretty sure what's going on here."
"You are?" Rufus asked.
"Do you remember when we were undergraduates?" Blake asked. "When they were talking about the flow of time and space?"
Rufus nodded; he could remember the lessons they'd undertaken as part of their studies as Rank Ones. He racked his brain carefully, searching for an answer to the predicament they found themselves in, but couldn't remember much. Four years seemed like such a long time ago when everything else was going on, and right now, he wasn't in the best frame of mind for old memories.
"Well, I think we're in a time loop," Blake explained. "I don't know how, or if we were meant to be caught in it, but we are."
"I remember," Rufus agreed. "Is this really happening?"
"I don't think it's a common thing," Blake said. "Whoever's doing this has to be a powerful Timekeeper, especially if they're manipulating the flow of time like this."
"Nobody's remembering what's happening as well," Rufus pointed out. "How can they rewind time on everyone in the Capitol? I thought we couldn't do that."
"I didn't think we could either," Blake spoke. "They told us we couldn't use it on living organisms. If we did…"
"…there'd be really bad consequences." Rufus finished.
"So either the person who's done this is very experienced," Blake reasoned. "Or someone's giving them a source of power."
"Do you think Seiko has something to do with this?" Rufus suggested.
He trusted the leader of the Timekeepers just like anyone else, but perhaps the elderly woman was controlling the flow of time for an unknown reason.
"I'm not sure if Seiko would do this unless there was something major happening." Blake shook his head.
"So we have a mystery on our hands?" Rufus quirked an eyebrow, grinning excitedly.
"We certainly do, Rufus," Blake played along. "I, the detective, and you, my trusty sidekick-"
"Wait, why am I the sidekick?" Rufus crossed his arms with a pout.
"I don't know," Blake shrugged.
Rufus narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he figured that Blake would find some way to make light of a grim situation by poking fun at his good friend.
"Is this because you think I'm a hoe?"
"No," Blake said, but paused. "Okay, yes. Sidekicks get around and so do you."
"Sure," Rufus rolled his eyes and stood up. "Go and live your fantasy. So what do we do?"
"Well, I remember the Professor always saying that free will can change the flow of time," Blake explained. "Our freedom of choice is our strength. All we have to do is make different choices say different things, and we should make it harder for the loop to reset."
Rufus considered Blake's proposal. Sure, he wasn't exactly one for saying different things but if that approach was going to get them out of this mess, then he certainly wasn't averse to it.
"Okay then, Detective," he decided. "Get out of my room so I can get dressed. Halle's probably going to call anyway."
"Yessir," Blake gave him a mock salute and promptly left the room.
Mere seconds later, Rufus heard a ringing sound from the hall; the day's events had truly begun and it was starting again as normal. He sighed as he undressed, plucking a pair of black jeans and his favourite leather jacket from his wardrobe. He paused at the sight of the black shirt, before opting for a white t-shirt, words spelt out across the collar.
Bad Bitch.
Fuck yeah, he was tackling today in style.
Perhaps this whole day looping thing wouldn't be so bad if he learned how to deal with other people. Maybe if he understood each event as it came then he would grow to understand himself. He always felt like the one who miscommunicated or made a mistake – it was always his fault. Maybe he could use this as an opportunity to get to know people he wouldn't usually speak to.
Fully dressed, he left his room and passed Blake, who was talking to Halle.
"Say hi," he told him. "I'm going out for a Frappuccino. See you at lunch."
Blake waved back before talking to Halle once again.
Head still booming, Rufus pulled open the door and stepped into the crisp Capitol morning, seeing the sun rising in the sky.
Maybe this day would turn out alright after all.
Sipping his Frappuccino, Rufus knew his day was getting better.
Infused with the flavour of coffee and caramel, Rufus had perched himself on a bench just outside of their local coffee bar, Clancy's. He frequented the pop-up stall often, mostly when he was wandering endlessly around Patrell's Parade, the myriad of stores and shopping malls a consumerist's dream in the maze of Capitol lights. He'd ditched Aubrey because death glares were not the tea, and while he was probably still going to meet with Alek for lunch, he figured he'd take some time for himself.
Clancy's had been the perfect place.
He hadn't been there in a while, but on this particular day, he was very glad he did…mostly because he was sitting next to a very handsome gentleman, who he intended to seduce.
He'd sent a quick glance at the man, noting that he had a tall and muscular build. Dark smouldering eyes and deep brown curls painted a picture on a clean-shaven canvas, and the high cheekbones could cut Rufus' fingers if he was ever permitted to touch them. The man had a sweet face, and a cute one, he acknowledged, and if it wasn't for his delicious Frappuccino, they'd never have started a conversation.
"Caramel or Vanilla?" the man had asked, gesturing between his own and Rufus' drinks.
If Rufus' had a satellite dish for gay people, it was definitely beeping right now.
"Caramel," Rufus raised his cup, a slight smirk pulling at the edge of his mouth.
"Same here," the man responded, a glint in his eye.
A moment of silence stretched out between the two of them before the gentleman reached out his hand.
"Kieran Armani," he said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"Rufus Rabanne," Rufus responded. "It's my pleasure."
"I'm sure it is," Kieran winked at him.
Rufus got the message almost instantly and he shifted a little in his seat. It was common that he'd find someone to spend the night with, but meeting someone outside of his favourite club was rarer than one would think.
"Shall we make an appointment?" Rufus asked, his fingers drifting over the rim of his cup.
"Do we have to?" Kieran raised an eyebrow. "Why don't we just get right to it?"
They held eye contact for a little too long, but Rufus didn't mind. Kieran's dark eyes were something he didn't mind losing himself in - that is, if he wasn't so rudely interrupted.
A slight movement shifted from the corner of his eye, and Rufus found himself tearing his eyes away to look at a nearby alleyway.
Chance and Elyse, again, were stood there, watching him.
A strange sense of foreboding rose its head in Rufus' stomach, and something about this situation made him want to run. He wasn't entirely sure why, but there was something in his gut that made him feel unsafe all of a sudden. Chance and Elyse were his friends, but for some reason, he felt their glares were something more suspicious.
Whatever it was, he was getting out of here.
"It was nice to meet you," Rufus grinned nervously, swiftly getting up from the bench. "Maybe we'll meet again some time?"
"Why the rush?" Kieran asked.
"Oh it's nothing," Rufus smiled. "I just realised I have something to take care of."
He didn't say goodbye. He didn't even turn back.
In almost all cases, he would have happily gotten Kieran's number. However, as he rounded the corner and spotted Elyse and Chance moving swiftly after him, he figured that there were more important things at hand. Instinctively, he sped up into a light jog, keeping his right hand steady, for it held his one saving grace.
His precious Frappuccino.
Elyse and Chance appeared behind him, both of them appearing to be somewhat nonchalant but clearly speeding up. Rufus narrowed his eyes at them over his shoulder. What were they playing at? Why were they being like this? He couldn't understand what had prompted people from Keeper's Way to follow him with such determination.
What have I done this time?
Darting into an alleyway, Rufus broke into a run, holding his Frappuccino high in the air as he hurried past the refuse sacks and cracked earth. Vines wriggled their way through the cracks beside his feet as they ran forwards as quickly as he did, sprouting small weeds that welcomed his approach as he made haste from his friends. Rufus spared another glance over his shoulder; Elyse and Chance were running after him now.
He needed answers.
He wasn't sure why he was being chased or how he could escape this.
In fact, he knew very little at all.
He slowed to a stop near a low wall that led to an overgrown garden. Brambles arched forth in a wave of thorns and branches, dark wild berries full and plump on their tender stems. Large thistles reached forwards as rows of nettle spears rose high at his back. An old paint can lay overturned by the wall and Rufus regrettably left his Frappuccino there; he wasn't prepared to lose it if he had to fight for whatever reason.
Elyse and Chance soon skidded into the area, both of them breathing as hard as he was. Elyse's honey waves had been swept back as her dark eyes studied him curiously. Chance's hair was also messier than usual; his near-perfect appearance lost in reddened cheeks and tousled locks.
"Okay, okay, you got me," Rufus raised his hands in the air playfully. "Why the chase?"
"You need to come with us to Keeper's Way," Chance explained. "We have some questions to ask you."
"Can't you ask them here?" Rufus asked. "What's so important that I have to go back to the academy for it?"
"Rufus, we'll tell you when we get there," Elyse reassured him. "It's too important to discuss here."
"Gorl…" Rufus rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious right now."
A moment passed as Rufus took in their faces; Chance's was regretful while Elyse's was hesitant.
"Oh," Rufus muttered. "You're actually serious. What have I done now?"
"Come on, Rufus," Chance spoke, moving forwards. "Let's get you back to Keeper's Way."
Rufus backed away, moving slightly into the overgrowth.
"Not until you tell me what's going on,"
"We can't talk about it here," Elyse informed him. "We need to go."
Rufus crossed his arms.
"You're not very convincing. You know that, right?"
"I- Rufus," Chance pressed, giving him a stern look. "Let's just go."
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Chancy."
A silence settled between the three of them as Rufus' eyes flitted between Elyse and Chance. The tension between the trio was palpable, loaded like a gun; as if a single word from any of them would pull the trigger or light the spark to ignite a deadly fire.
"Rufus." Chance spoke.
"No."
"Rufus-"
"I said no," Rufus answered firmly.
Chance made a movement with his hands, but Rufus was faster, his fingers twisting into various motions and bringing out a vibrating vacuum between his palms.
"Sorry," he shrugged, looking pitifully at the duo. "Ya boi's gotta go!"
He brought out his palms and focused on the long brambles and vines, throwing them sideways towards Chance and Elyse, who dove to the side to avoid the thorny branches.
Rufus swiped his Frappuccino, and dashed past them, heading back the way he came.
In his mind, he set a new destination, for a shop just off Patrell's Parade.
He needed to find Blake.
Blake Burlei, Twenty-Five, Timekeeper (Rank III)
In this moment, Blake didn't want to be found.
Despite saying that he'd make different decisions, Blake admittedly hadn't made any major changes.
Sure, he'd made a detour on his way to the Chrystalis, and he'd most definitely made the choice to go about his business differently and advertise various products. Ultimately, however, he didn't want to leave the safety of his shop, purely just to see Jaune again.
Was he guilty for repeating their conversation nearly word for word? Absolutely.
Was he also guilty of accepting Jaune's proposal for a date? Yes, albeit he'd been a little bit more accepting this time around, thanking Jaune for his kindness.
In fact, Blake's day had been going pretty fucking well, to be honest.
That was until Rufus Rabanne decided to make his grand entrance.
The blond came rushing in, his hair a mess and a coffee cup in his hand, looking just about swept off his feet.
"Blake!" Rufus cried. "I need a place to hide."
"W-what?" Blake asked, shocked at the sight of his friend and the commotion he was causing.
"Blake. Place to hide. I need one. Now." Rufus panted.
For a moment, Blake could have sworn that Rufus was joking with him, but the urgency of Rufus' tone spurred him into action.
"Oh, uh behind the desk," Blake pointed, ushering Rufus behind the counter, where the blond crouched out of sight. "You'd better have a good explanation for this – I'm speaking to a customer."
"Yeah, yeah, okay, fine," Rufus grumbled.
"I'm sorry," Blake spoke as he moved back to Jaune, the ginger man eyeing him with confusion. "That's my best friend. He's a bit of a mess, I promise he's not always like this."
"I heard that!" Rufus hissed, but any further response was then drowned out by the sound of a ringing bell.
Blake instantly recognised Chance and Elyse when they walked in; he knew Elyse from the academy and they'd spoken a few times, but he didn't know Chance so well. He'd have liked to make a few more friends at Keeper's Way, but between working and Timekeeping, Blake had never taken the opportunity to reach out beyond his small social circle, mostly because he didn't have the time or energy to do so.
"I think we're meant to act natural," he whispered to Jaune. "I don't know what's happening but…yeah."
"It's fine," Jaune muttered. "I get it. We all have weird friends."
"Hey, Blake," Elyse greeted him, stepping forwards. "Have you seen Rufus anywhere?"
"Oh, hi Elyse!" Blake smiled, turning to face her. "I was just helping out a customer. I haven't seen Rufus since this morning, actually. Is everything okay?"
He felt tense, and almost instantly knew why. As soon as Elyse and Chance had entered the shop, he'd felt a disturbing air of tension descend upon the room as if he was meddling in something he shouldn't have been involved in.
"Yeah, we were just looking for him, that's all," Chance piped up. "Just a quick chat, to check up on how he's doing."
Blake's eyes darted to Chance, noticing the light red scratches across his forearms. His eyes flickered towards Elyse as well, noticing a couple of scratches on her cheek, partially hidden by her hair. If he hadn't been paying attention, Blake might have missed both of those small details. He was confident that Rufus had done this, but for what reason?
"Oh really?" Blake asked, his tone deepening ever so slightly.
Blake was an open book to anyone who cared to understand him; the change in his tone and the quirk of his eyebrow, however, was a rare sight to even Rufus. Blake rarely could tell if someone was lying (although he'd kill to have that ability, damn it), however, there was something in Elyse and Chance's words that didn't seem quite right to him.
"I can pass on a message if you'd like?" Blake asked politely, his eyes gleaming. "I'm sure if you're looking for him, it must be very important."
Their tension stuck to them like an uneasy glue, one that sprang cobwebs from where they stood; a last-ditch hold on keeping themselves together before the pressure became too much to bear.
Blake could feel it too, but he kept his pleasant smile etched across his features.
Was this really that important? Was Rufus in this much trouble?
More importantly, were they okay? It seemed odd for the two of them to be so determined to find Rufus. It was almost as if they were keeping a very important secret that they couldn't tell him. Well, Blake would make them talk. Secrets clouded the mind, promoted anxiety, judgement and fear. Blake had long given up on secrets, despite general whisperings, for secrets spun lies like white silk, much like the cobweb he believed Elyse and Chance had now been caught in.
"Bitches, I'm here!"
Rufus sprang up from behind the desk and sprawled himself out across the counter dramatically. He sent a wink and a wave towards his two friends, wiggling his fingers and eyebrows as he did so.
"Did you come for your favourite chicken filet?" he asked tauntingly.
"Rufus!" Blake cried. "Get off the counter, you filthy whore! I have freshly cut aquamarine in there!"
Rufus grinned sheepishly and slid off the counter.
"What the fuck is happening?" Jaune asked.
For a second, everyone froze, as if to remember Jaune's presence in the room. It was common knowledge that Timekeepers were myths in Panem, but exposing them in front of Jaune? Big mistake. Huge.
Blake gave Rufus a scathing look, but grabbed Jaune by the arm and pushed him towards the counter.
"Jaune, can I get you to wait in the back please?" Blake asked. "I'll explain everything, I promise."
"Right," Jaune nodded, clearly puzzled. "You owe me an explanation."
"You'll have one." Blake nodded.
The four of them stood in the shop and waited as Jaune awkwardly shuffled his way behind the counter, throwing a confused glance over his shoulder before closing the door behind him. As soon as the sound of his footsteps receded, the four of them sprang into action.
As Chance and Elyse moved forward, Rufus waved his hand through the air, the rippling space lifting up a case filled with emeralds and flinging it towards the duo.
"RUFUS!" Blake roared. "What the actual fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Giving them a discount?" Rufus asked hopefully, grinning apologetically as the glass case crashed to the floor. Elyse and Chance saw the case flying towards them and nimbly dodged the attack.
If Blake could say anything about a fight, it was that he most definitely didn't want to be involved. However, when three Timekeepers were in the midst of a battle, ruining his shop in various ways, Blake had no choice but to step in.
Elyse flung the metal case frame at Rufus, which knocked him clean off the counter, and Chance rewound time to fit the glass back in the case's frame. This kind action was only destroyed moments later as Rufus sent the case flying back into a trio of shelves, causing them to fall on Chance and Elyse, little crystal statues bouncing off their forearms as they tried to shield themselves from the spiky ornaments.
"For the love of Snow…" Blake breathed, and sucked in a deep breath, splaying his hands outwards and freezing the crystals in the air, suspended in time. He lifted his hand up, levitating the shelves, the air rippling around them as he sent one in the direction of Rufus and two in the direction of Elyse and Chance.
While he wasn't keen on fighting fellow Timekeepers, he supposed he was warranted to be somewhat pissed off, considering they were ransacking his shop.
Thank Snow I don't have a shop in the middle of Patrell's Parade.
The shelving caught Rufus on the shoulder and Chance in the gut, the two of them stunned and unbalanced, temporarily disorientated. Elyse managed to dodge the shelving, the thick, heavy wood soaring over her and crashing into a stand of rose quartz bracelets. Flicking her hair out of her eyes, she reached out with her hands, bringing the three shelves together and sending them soaring towards Blake.
Right, not the best move, Blake.
Blake reached out into the space before him, focusing as he took hold of one of the shelves, springing upwards and landing on it, the wood now suspended in the air underneath his feet. As the two other shelves whizzed towards him, he launched himself cleanly off of the wood, using his shelf as a platform to jump onto another shelf. It shuddered beneath him, trying to buck him off.
Struggling to balance, he spotted Rufus raising the abandoned emeralds on the floor, sending them speeding towards Chance, who managed to freeze them in the air. Chance made a swift movement, flicking them back towards Rufus.
"A little help here, Rufus?" Blake called, just before one of the shelves swung into his spine, causing him to topple off of his shelf.
He fell quickly, but not before he landed heavily on a metal case, the wind knocked out of him as pain seared in his ribs and back. Slowly the metal case descended; Blake could see Rufus lowering it as he used his other hand to block the crystals that were swirling towards him like a glittering tornado.
"Thanks," Blake muttered, before rolling to the side as several peridot birds dive-bombed him.
It seemed that Chance was now taking a swipe at him, while Elyse gathered the three shelves out of the corner of his eye and sent them swirling towards Rufus. Reluctantly, Blake grasped the metal frame of the case and swung, the heavy object crashing into the birds, pieces of peridot dismantling themselves as the glass that held it all together splintered into jagged pieces.
Blake swept up these pieces with his left hand, sending them towards Chance with a flick of his wrist. Meanwhile, Elyse cried out as she was sent toppling back and Rufus had wrenched the shelves from her spatial control and began physically swinging at her with it.
"This is for my Frappuccino!" he cried.
His swing connected with the side of her head and Elyse stumbled, disorientated as she fell back, crumbling to the floor. Almost immediately, Rufus dropped the shelf and went to check on his friend.
"Shit, shit, shit, Elyse!" he cried.
Blake brushed down his clothes, but Chance had not noticed the state of his friend, sending the amber peridot soaring back towards him.
Blake deflected the attack by ducking behind yet another case as Chance rounded towards him, his back to the door of the shop. Blake grinned and stood up, bowing at Chance.
"Hey!" he called. "Thanks for shopping with us today."
He pulled back with the space by the door and the silver bell sang loudly as it swung harshly open, smashing into Chance and propelling him forwards, the Timekeeper face-planting the floor.
He didn't get back up.
Letting out a breath, Blake moved swiftly over to Chance and checked his pulse, hoping that he hadn't just committed murder. With his fingers on Chance's neck, he could feel the pulse beating, true and steady, if not a little fast.
"A mild concussion," Blake concluded, muttering to himself. "Rufus, please tell me you didn't kill someone in my shop?"
"She's fine," Rufus answered, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Shit, Elyse, I'm so sorry…"
"I know you wanted to have lunch with Aleksander, but maybe this isn't a good time" Blake glared at him. "What the hell is going on with you? Timekeepers are hunting you down - what did you do?"
"What the hell is going on?"
Almost instantly, Blake's blood turned to ice. He turned away from Rufus' sour-faced expression and locked eyes with Jaune, the ginger-haired male cursing slightly as he began to pick his way over the shattered glass to reach the two of them, shards of crystal and peridot abandoned on the glittering floor.
Jaune had seen it. He'd seen all of it. Blake didn't know how, but Jaune had seen everything.
I'm in deep shit now.
Blake looked over as Jaune approached him.
"Jaune..." Blake began.
"Don't," Jaune told him firmly, fixing him with a worried look. "Just tell me what the hell is going on. I'm not upset, I'm not judging you or anything, I…just want to understand."
Of course, he did. Kind, heartwarming, sweet Jaune just wanted to know what he'd just seen, the shock so evident on his face that it only pained Blake just to watch it. He hadn't intended to subject Jaune to this, especially when their connection was so new.
Rufus, however, noticed Blake's distress and attempted to come to his rescue.
"Oh wait, this is Jaune?" Rufus asked, a shit-eating grin growing on his face. "I thought you had big dick energy."
"Really?" Blake shot Rufus daggers from across the room.
"Yes, really," Rufus answered, admiring Jaune from the other side of the room.
Jaune's eyes flickered between the two of them. Of course, Rufus had to stir the pot, as if it hadn't been churned up already. Blake's stomach was practically in knots; it was becoming more and more evident that they were running out of diversions, and fast.
"How do you know my name?" Jaune asked Rufus.
Blake watched as Rufus' face paled, realising his mistake. He was pretty sure his own gaze was burning into the side of Rufus' head by now, silently reprimanding him for his error. He had to admit though, Jaune was perceptive. If they weren't in this situation it would be kind of cute.
"Lucky guess?" Rufus winked nervously.
Jaune didn't move, still watching Rufus, waiting for an answer. The smile fell from the blond's face as he realised that the man saw through his light-hearted façade. Rufus turned and looked expectantly over at Blake.
"A little help here?" he sighed, waving his hand at Jaune.
Blake closed his eyes. He didn't want this day to come, but he supposed he had no other choice. There was no other explanation and Jaune wasn't leaving without an answer.
"We're going to have to tell him, Rufus," Blake said.
"Tell me," Jaune implored, his eyes concerned. "Whatever it is, I'll pretend it didn't happen. I just need to know what that was."
"What?" Rufus cried. "Blake, no. You can't seriously think of-"
Blake raised a hand, silencing his friend, his eyes looking away from Rufus panic-stricken face. He knew what Rufus was getting at. Seiko had long made rules about keeping Capitolites out of Timekeeper business, but in this case, Jaune had seen everything; the fight, their powers, Elyse and Chance unconscious on the floor…
There was no use in lying to Jaune. The evidence was there, as clear as day.
"Let me tell him," Blake decided. "I know, we're not supposed to. Just let me handle this."
"I can't listen to this," Rufus called, throwing his hands into the air and approaching Elyse's unconscious form.
"Then don't."
Rufus huffed as he lifted Elyse, propping her against the wall of the store, checking over her to make sure she was okay. Blake tore his eyes away from the guilt that was written across Rufus' face; despite the fight, he could tell that Rufus' hitting her had been an accident. The frustration that settled in his eyebrows was evident too. He didn't agree with this decision, but what choice did Blake have?
There were also too many unanswered questions, too many loose ends that dangled before his eyes, and yet he still couldn't connect them. Why had those two come after Rufus, despite being good friends with him? It just didn't seem to add up.
There had to be a reason why.
Blake quickly moved across the room, flipping the sign on his shop to say CLOSED. He peered out of the glass for a moment longer before pulling the purple blind down sharply, the shadows growing longer as he shut out some of the light pouring into the shop.
"Where do I begin?" Blake muttered, approaching Jaune, who waited for him to speak.
"At the start," Rufus deadpanned, but he fell silent as Blake shot him another unimpressed look.
There was no way in hell that Blake was comfortable doing this, but he had a lot to answer for.
Never once did he think he'd ever break Seiko's most important rule.
Never tell them who we are.
So that's that, I guess, another chapter finished.
More occurrences, more questions, but finally an answer! These boys are stuck in a time loop - but this time, it's their decisions that will eventually change the course of the future.
Finally some Timekeeper action! This chapter certainly had some tense moments - what did you think of them?
Rufus met Kieran and then got chased by some other Timekeepers. What do you think he's done? Why do you think they want him?
Blake's in a difficult position. Do you think it was right of him to tell Jaune about Timekeepers even though he shouldn't?
There's more to come eventually, as my fingers are already beginning to type out the next chapter for you. I'm truly obsessed with writing this story and I have been taking any opportunity I can to try and get to writing it. I'm also really enjoying myself writing this as well, so I'm glad that I have the opportunity to just have fun! :D
There are more things to come in the next chapter, but for now, you'll have to wait!
Over and out!
~Mental
