Phoenix sighed, "Well. It looks like there's only a couple left."
Elspeth nodded, "Well done, Pyromancer."
Phoenix felt her cheeks turn red with the unexpected praise, "Well...you know. Whatever." She turned her attention back to the building she was watching, "It also looks like they've caught the memo."
"Then I'll deal with them," Elspeth said evenly, "Go back to the others."
"But-"
"You have more to do. There's darkness ahead of you but I'm sure you'll burn brightly in the face of it." Elspeth disappeared without waiting for Phoenix to respond. Phoenix stared after her in confusion, "Huh? She doesn't make any sense." I think I need to talk to the bloody vampire about the kinds of jobs he gives me. I'm tired of dealing with wackjobs and I'm tired of babysitting. She returned to the mansion the Lotus had borrowed. Echo had returned to the space with Peyton to talk to Eclipse about him joining. Phoenix felt almost like she had forced it on him but he had been extremely excited as well as nervous about the prospect of it. I guess I didn't. I really should just let people be. Yeah. Just let everyone else live their own lives. I can't take someone else controlling me personally if I'm going to force something onto other people. Yeah. Phoenix yawned, "Well looks like the job's done."
"I see," Wyvern muttered disapprovingly.
"Sorry," Phoenix shrugged, "At least I've learned something."
"And what is that?"
"That I've kind of turned into a hypocrite," Phoenix shrugged, "I get pissed off when people control me and then I have a tendency to force things onto others. Maybe that's why I bug people so much."
Wyvern nodded, "Alright. Let's head back. According to Echo Shadow has turned to extra dimensional space into an inn on Ravnica."
"An inn?" Phoenix cocked her head to the side.
Wyvern nodded, "And Flame brought in two new kids for us to watch. They're friends of his that apparently have no where else to be."
"Are they going to join?"
"I don't know. This wouldn't be the first time we've sheltered kids without having them actually join," Wyvern shrugged.
"When was that?"
"An extremely long time ago," Wyvern answered vaguely.
Phoenix followed her through the doorway to the extra dimensional space and looked around in surprise. Shadow was in the process of teaching a young girl, probably ten years old, how to make cookie dough. Her sea green eyes were wide with awe and curiosity. A young boy around the same age as the girl watched curiously, "It looks so...gooey and gross." He had sky blue eyes and extremely messy blond hair.
"This is what cookies look like before you eat them," Shadow shrugged.
"I didn't know you could cook?" Phoenix said as she approached her.
"Sure I can," Shadow shrugged, "Wyvern, Eclipse wants to talk to you about Saerris."
Wyvern nodded and disappeared.
"I was raised in a place where everything was pretty much made by hand. I learned how to cook from my cousin," Shadow shrugged.
"Oh," Phoenix looked at the batter over the young girl's shoulder, "It does look kind of gross."
Shadow shrugged, "You can taste it if you like. Though not a lot. Raw eggs can make you sick."
Phoenix reached into the bowl and took a little bit for herself and the little girl in front of her. She handed the girl a little bit of cookie dough, "It's all gooey."
The girl ate it curiously.
"Oh what're your guys' names?" Phoenix asked.
"I'm Shiyon," the girl smiled, "Hi!"
"I'm Roxin," the boy whispered shyly.
"Cool-"
"This is Phoenix," Shadow interrupted her.
"Oh yeah huh. My name would help wouldn't it?" Phoenix sighed.
"Like Crimson Phoenix?" Shiyon asked excitedly.
"Huh? Yeah?" Phoenxi cocked her head to the side, "How'd you guess?"
"This pink haired guy named Jarvis would tell stories to all of us. It wasn't just us either. It's just that the other kids had places they could go," Roxin shrugged.
"Oh...cool," Phoenix nodded. Should've known. My god. Bet me he's the one responsible for my reputation.
"You're not nearly as scary as you are in the stories though," Shiyon said.
Phoenix gave her a playfully evil look, "Is that so?"
Shiyon nodded, "Yep."
"Rar," Phoenix started chasing the two kids around the room.
"Hey, look who's back. What's up with the great Crimson Phoenix nowadays?" Dragon asked.
She stopped where she was and glared at him, "Seriously? I'm not that cool alright!"
"Not according to your reputation. Keep up your attitude and habits and you might just make it to fairy tale standing."
Phoenix glared at him, "That's not even-"
"Phoenix. Eclipse wants to talk to you."
Phoenix sighed, "Fine. Fine." She shoved Dragon backwards into a table on her way up the stairs. The inn itself was still "under construction". They were remodeling the first five floors of the building that made up the extra dimensional space to better resemble an inn. Phoenix walked into Eclipse's room and looked around. She saw his desk. The room was otherwise unfurnished and he didn't appear to be in it.
"Ah, Phoenix," she turned to see him standing in the doorway. Standing beside him was a girl around her age with snow white hair and purple, almost lavender eyes.
Phoenix cocked her head to the side, "Who's this?"
"This is Yonna," Eclipse said, "otherwise known as Black Dove."
Phoenix nodded to her, "Hey."
Dove returned it.
"She's also yours to teach."
"Huh?" Phoenix stared at him.
He nodded, "Yes."
Phoenix shook her head, "No way. I can't teach anyone. I can't even babysit. And that's an almost brainless activity."
"You did perfectly fine at babysitting a telepath."
"Okay," Phoenix rolled her eyes, "Until Wyvern locked me up and wouldn't let me out so I could keep my promise to him. AND now he doesn't even remember the promise he made to me because-"
"That's in the past though," Eclipse said.
"So?"
"Being a slave to the past keeps people from moving forward and remaining free from their fears," Dove said quietly.
Phoenix looked from her to Eclipse and back again, "Alright then. Fine. But after this I'm not going another one of your assigned jobs. I'll choose whether or not I do it."
"You always had the choice."
"What?" Phoenix stared at him, "You mean I didn't have to babysit that stupid annoying-"
"No. You didn't. But did you learn something from doing so?"
"Well...I learned that he's annoying. And telepaths aren't worth humoring anymore than law mages are," Phoenix shrugged.
Eclipse pinched the bridge of his nose, "Anything else?"
"Well...I learned that his brother's pretty cool. And my brother is apparently friends with his brother which I never knew and is really weird. I also learned that I hate not being able to keep my promises because of circumstances that I can't fully control."
Eclipse nodded, "Alright. Now you just have to learn to let go of what is out of your control and continue to try to keep your promise even if the other person, whoever they are, doesn't remember."
Phoenix nodded, "Alright. So I'm her teacher? Like you for me?"
Eclipse nodded, "Yes."
"Cool," Phoenix rolled her eyes, "I'm Phoenix in case you hadn't gathered that. My name is technically Chandra but whatever." She sighed and led the girl out of the building, "Don't worry. It's fun here. I don't know why the groups called assassins. I mean we babysit more than we assassinate so we might as well be babysitters for hire."
Dove proved to be extremely quiet. Most of the time Phoenix felt like she was talking to a brick wall. The other girl was incredibly naïve and clingy which annoyed her.
"Echo!" Phoenix yelled up the stairs.
"Phoenix don't yell!" Star ordered.
"I don't feel like climbing up seventy billion stairs just to climb all the way down them two minutes later," Phoenix snapped. Her and the telepath had never really gotten along. Dove watched them glare at each other awkwardly. Phoenix noticed a nervous tightness to her muscles. She sighed and turned away from Star, "I'll think about it before the next time I yell. Kay?"
"Try just not doing so," Star walked away.
Phoenix rolled her eyes, "God. There's just no pleasing her is there?"
"What do you need?" Echo asked.
"Dove needs a-"
"Jumper!" Flame said, "That's what we're calling it from now on."
"A jumper?" Phoenix burst out laughing, "Really?"
Flame nodded, "Yep."
"Okay," Phoenix shrugged, "But she needs one."
"Alright, one moment," Echo sighed. She disappeared back up the stairs.
"What's a jumper?" Dove asked quietly.
"It's a device that'll allow you to travel to pretty much any world you want," Phoenix shrugged, "The space this building takes up doesn't have access to all the worlds out there. A jumper doesn't either but it will allow you to reach more of them."
"Why don't you have one?"
"I am a being called a planeswalker. I can travel to any world I want without the help of technology," Phoenix explained the concept as well as she could since she didn't know exactly what a planeswalker was herself. "After you get your jumper we can start doing stuff that doesn't involve helping them remodel the place and interacting with all the soon to be customers."
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know," Phoenix shrugged, "I'll figure it out."
"Okay."
"Here," Echo reappeared and handed Dove a bracer. She popped it open and explained the controls to her. Phoenix tuned them out. She didn't have to worry about using a jumper. She'd never be able to work one anyway. A planeswalker's powerful aura messed with the signals the device sent. It wasn't counted as a disadvantage or glitch because there was no need for a planeswalker to use it. The device's sole purpose was to mimic a planeswalker's ability.
"Alright. The jumper is now hers. Have fun you two," Echo gave Phoenix a hard look, "Be careful. You are no longer responsible for just yourself."
Phoenix nodded, "Of course." I've already gotten that lecture from Wyvern. I don't need it from you.