Phoenix wandered the city for the rest of the day, deciding it was probably better that she stay away from Jace's school. She avoided Kylle as well. She had managed to hide her presence from him but wasn't sure how long that would last. Eventually she wandered back to Jace's house and took a nap on his roof.
When she woke up, it was late evening or early night. Jace sat next to her, staring up at the sky. He looked at her when he noticed she was awake, "You said you were leaving. Are you really?" He sounded more curious than anything else. He turned back to the sky.
Phoenix stuck out her tongue, "Yep." She sat up and looked at the sky, "I'm leaving tonight or tomorrow." He's going to ask me where I'm going no doubt. "Hey Jace?"
"Yeah?" he looked at her in surprise.
"Will you promise me something?"
"Maybe." His eyes narrowed, "What is it?"
Phoenix turned to look at him, "Will you promise me that not matter what happens in the future you'll hold your head high and live your own life?" Her orange eyes studied him carefully.
Jace blinked in confusion, "Why do you care?"
"Cause I'm tired of babysitting," Phoenix smirked.
"Babysitting?" Jace glared at her, "That's why you've been following me around this whole time?"
"That was my original reason but then I discovered how much fun it was to annoy you," Phoenix laughed.
Jace crossed his arms over his chest, "Whatever." His gaze returned to the sky.
"You never answered my question. Can you promise me that?" Phoenix insisted.
"Yeah," Jace nodded, "I don't really see why I wouldn't be able to."
"Trust me. Things get hard once you're on your own," Phoenix's eyes darkened for a moment. She smiled, "Great! I'll be gone before tomorrow night then."
"Where are you going?" Jace asked curiously.
Phoenix looked at him, "Elsewhere."
"More specifically," Jace insisted. He leaned forward expectantly.
Phoenix rolled her eyes. She got to her feet and looked at the sky, "I'm going to another world."
"I knew it! So you are a planeswalker!" Excitement glittered in his blue eyes, "Which one?"
"Haven't decided yet," Phoenix shrugged.
"How many are there?"
"That's a question that's better for Jarvis," Phoenix said.
"Well how many have you seen?" Jace asked.
"Not a lot honestly," Phoenix shrugged.
"How long ago did your spark ignite?" Jace continued throwing questions at her.
Phoenix rolled her eyes, "I swear. You question everything. My spark ignited when I was nine. I am now thirteen. Do the math."
"You're thirteen?" Jace asked in surprise.
Phoenix hissed under her breath, "Yes. How old did you think I was?"
Jace smirked, "Ten."
"You're just being difficult," Phoenix put her hands on her hips and let her eyes burn brightly as she looked down at him.
"And you know about Jarvis?" Jace ignored her.
Phoenix nodded, "And he knows about me."
"What's it like when a planeswalker spark ignites?" Jace cocked his head to the side.
"From what I've managed to figure out, even if you have one it won't ignite unless you're under a lot of emotional and mental stress," Phoenix looked at him and then looked away, "You know like being responsible for the deaths of your entire family. Or maybe you're being hunted for something you know you didn't do and you were found. Or maybe you're about to be executed for something. Stuff like that."
Jace stared at her with wide eyes, "That's not...um..."
"What you expected?" Phoenix looked at him. She sat back down and stared at the sky, "Being a planeswalker isn't all sunshine and rainbows. If people on the worlds know they could think of you as a monster or maybe they'll experiment on you to try and figure out what makes you what you are. The worlds are not particularly nice to people like that. Planeswalkers don't generally ally with each other unless something's bad. Not all of them are good and not all of them are nice."
As she spoke his eyes got wider and wider.
"Sure there's freedom and the ability to see all these worlds but there's danger and secrets. Your very existence is a secret," Phoenix looked dead at him. Her orange eyes burned with an inner light and flames flicked at the ends of her hair, "If you were a normal mage and you didn't know me what is the first word that would pop into your head when you saw me? I don't want you to try to think of something nice."
Jace swallowed, "Well...I don't know. I've known about planeswalkers for a long time and Jarvis was the first one I met. But you are kind of intimidating."
"Exactly," Phoenix shrugged and looked away, "I hear monster a lot. I wasn't kidding when I said I was chaos incarnate. I have accidentally burned more things than I care to count and I've accidentally killed more people than I've known." She looked back at Jace, "Wanting to be a planeswalker is fine. It's not all bad but you can't go into it thinking it's all good either or you will not survive your first planeswalk." She smirked, "There's a lot more freedom in the Multiverse. Yeah sure your existence has to be secret but the other secrets you keep are up to you. There's not much that can stop you from just doing whatever and getting out of trouble is as easy as picturing another world in your head and willing yourself to go there. I wouldn't recommend planeswalking when you're under stress though. Then you could lose control of it and die."
Jace shook his head, "Just the way you said that. 'You could lose control of it and die.' Wow."
"Hey," Phoenix punched him in the arm, "That is not what I sound like."
"Yes it is," Jace nodded.
"No it's not!" Phoenix insisted.
"Yes it is," Jace shot a challenging look.
Phoenix stuck out her tongue at him, "No it's not."
Jace rolled his eyes, "Whatever."
Phoenix sighed. "I'm leaving tomorrow so try to stay out of trouble," she rolled her eyes, "If you get in trouble I'll be sent back here and then I'll have to follow you around for the rest of your life." She got to her feet. She put her hands on her hips and leaned over him. Her eyes glowed and her hair burned brightly, "And if that happens I will annoy you. I will never leave you alone and you will never hear the end of how annoying and dull you are." She straightened and patted the top of his head, "Kay?"
"What was the head pat for?" Jace got to his feet and looked at her, "I am taller and older than you."
"And I'm the one that's been in charge of babysitting you," Phoenix smirked confidently, "Your argument is invalid."
"It is not!" Jace insisted.
"Is."
"Is not!"
"Is!"
"Is not!"
Phoenix crossed her arms over her chest, "Whatever."
"Hey," Jace stuck his tongue out at her, "Copy cat."
"Like you can talk," Phoenix shot him a challenging look.
Jace met her gaze confidently, "Fine." He sat back down, "So you're leaving by tomorrow night."
"I think I've told you this," her tone was sarcastically annoyed.
"No you haven't."
"Are you really going to start that up again?" Phoenix sat next to him and punched him in the arm.
"That hurt," Jace rubbed his arm for a moment, "and no."
"Really?" Phoenix rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
Jace snickered, "Yep."
Phoenix shook her head. She looked at him curiously, "You're not going to go out of the city tonight."
"Nah," Jace shook his head and laid down on his back, "I'm not going to lie. School was very, very boring without your smart comments."
"Are you saying you're going to miss me being a pain in your ass?"
Jace stuck his tongue out at her, "You are the only person that can bug and insult me just as much as I can bug and insult you. Everybody else takes it personally or it's just awkward."
Phoenix rolled her eyes, "Well if you are a planeswalker and you can find me," she shot him a challenging look, "then I can show you around."
"Really?" Jace asked in surprise.
Phoenix looked at him flatly, "No I'm lying. What do you think? You know I wouldn't offer something unless I meant it."
"Yeah," Jace shrugged, "I just didn't expect that from...anybody really."
"You'll have to find me first," Phoenix shrugged, "I'll make it easy for you too."
"That takes all the fun out of it," Jace looked at her dully, "If it's easy then it's boring."
"And if you never find me what's the point?" Phoenix shot back.
"Don't make it easy. Just make it...challenging, not impossible," Jace insisted.
Phoenix rolled her eyes, "Fine." She handed him a glass flower petal. Within the petal, gears turned and a blue light blinked.
Jace cocked his head to the side, "What is this?"
"It's a tracker. If you do planeswalk I'll know where you are the moment you land," Phoenix explained, "It was made by a friend of mine. Technically I was told to give it to you should I be called back for something more important than babysitting your sorry ass but I've decided that you're fine so I'm gonna go back now."
"Oh," Jace stuffed it into his pocket.
"Oh and don't lose that," Phoenix added, "It is worth more money than you can imagine. It's made with reinforced glass designed to not shatter. It could probably be sold on any black market for a ton of money."
Jace cocked his head to the side, "Seriously? But it's so tiny. How am I-"
"Just don't," Phoenix shrugged, "Put it on a chain or something."
"A necklace?" Jace asked.
"Or a collar if that's what you prefer," Phoenix shrugged.
"I don't know. I wear this jacket all the time," Jace shrugged.
"You won't," Phoenix said, "Trust me."
"Alright, I'll make a necklace out of it," Jace promised.
"See ya!" Phoenix got to her feet.
"Wait! You're leaving now?" Jace asked in surprise.
"What?" Phoenix shrugged.
"I don't know. I just thought you'd stay longer," Jace shrugged.
"No," Phoenix shook her head, "You've got that thing so I can find you when you get in trouble and you've made me a promise to live your own life. That's all I really need." She smirked, "It's not the end of the world. See you later." She jumped off the roof and slunk through the alleys towards the edge of the city. And now I go back and get my face chewed off for abandoning the job but who cares. He's fine. He'll be fine. If he was a robot like that teacher then I'd worry and I'd stay but he just picks up what he needs and leaves the rest.
"You're back early," Wyvern commented.
Phoenix shrugged, "I got bored."
"Phoenix, that was a job," Wyvern sighed.
"So?" Phoenix shrugged, "What's the point of babysitting someone that doesn't need babysitting?"
"Maybe teaching you responsibility?" Wyvern suggested patiently.
Phoenix shrugged, "Oops. Responsibility went out the window."
Wyvern shook her head. Phoenix heard her mutter under her breath, "I give up."
Phoenix stuck out her tongue and flopped onto the nearest couch. There weren't a lot of people there. She assumed most of them were out on a job.
"I heard there was this chick rampaging on her world. Apparently she can manipulate the shadows to her whim."
Phoenix glanced at the two having the conversation. Interesting.
Phoenix. No. Dealing with her will be the job of one of the more experienced Lotuses.
Phoenix hissed under her breath. She got to her feet and wandered through the halls of the building.
"Phoenix!" Echo hurried up to her, "Eclipse wants to talk to you."
Phoenix rolled her eyes and made her way to the vampire's room.
"Phoenix." He nodded to her. His eyes glittered with disappointment.
"You're going to yell at me for abandoning the job?" Phoenix assumed. She met the vampire's gaze evenly with a defiant gleam in her eyes, "And I'm going to tell you that I don't care. Eat maggots. He's fine."
Eclipse shook his head, "If that is your judgment then very well."
"Bye!" Phoenix darted out of the room.