Chapter 23.3: And Broken Hearts
Many thanks to Major and Knol for their efforts
_
The Dollhouse was a charming building in the daylight, and even at night, lit by the dim glow of the street lights it t was a sight Taylor always felt a slight thrill of excitement when she saw, and yet an oddly relaxed feeling as well. It had been a refuge for Taylor, a place where she felt safe and welcome ever since… well, since meeting Sabah really.
Unlike Sabah's basement flat that was destroyed by a dragon, Taylor was fully confident that she would be able to keep this building safe. This place was more than just a building of brick and mortar, more than just her place of work. The Dollhouse was the product of Sabah's dream, all her hard work making it real.
Taylor would fight tooth and nail to defend it.
So, even with Piggot's warning about Kaiser being angry with her for taking down Hookwolf, she knew it would still take the gang-lord at least a few days to think up a proper response. After all, if he was too overt she might retaliate and that would lead to an escalation she doubted Kaiser wanted, based on his previous willingness to negotiate with them. Besides, if they did attack, Taylor knew they would at least be down by three of their capes.
Still, even if Kaiser arrived in with his entire roster to deal with her, Taylor wouldn't hesitate to throw herself into the thick of it. She had made a promise that those Nazi's wouldn't harm a single brick of this place and she had meant it.
Piggot would get her suspicions confirmed one way or another, Taylor hoped it would be the side that meant they would get along better.
Taylor looked at Sabah and wanted to comfort her. The older girl had seemed to almost deflate like one of her puppets once the PRT escort had dropped them off back at the Dollhouse. As Taylor tentatively reached out she jerked her hand back as something brushed her leg. Looking down Taylor saw the now child-like Ifrit stalk between them, sulking as he shrank a bit more every few minutes or so, the energy he'd gotten from Sundancer's sun was finally running out.
Still, even if she was tired and Ifrit was powering down… Kaiser really should not push his luck tonight. Because even after everything that had happened today, she'd still do anything to protect this place, protect her friends. She even felt ready to go a few rounds with anyone really.
Piggot's tactics, Tattletale's mind games, Gilgamesh's… just Gilgamesh. There was a lot of emotion, Taylor felt bottling up.
But standing there in the light of the streetlamps before the entrance to the shop, made it seems like it was all finally behind them. The normal security guards had gone home for the night, leaving the street silent and empty. No one jumped out at them, no Empire cape rushed at them, no mad bombers from the ABB appeared, and no trash monsters crept up on them from the dark alleys.
The street was… sombre, as if the chill of the night had made the welcome atmosphere of the Dollhouse fade a little.
Hesitantly, Taylor reached out once more and laid her hand on Sabah's shoulder.
Without looking, Sabah reached up and laced her fingers with Taylor's, squeezing tightly.
"Come on, Mog said he'd be taking Boco here for repairs. I hope they made it back safely." Sabah murmured as the older girl lead them towards the building's back entrance.
Skulking along beside them, Ifrit kicked a rock, pinging it off of the brick wall.
"I should be so lucky, but I doubt it, the person who decides to kidnap Boco would regret it within the hour," Ifrit said before making a dry coughing noise.
"Ugh, I miss my voice already," Ifrit grumbled as he rubbed his throat, the usual doll gruffness returning before anything else.
Ignoring the tiny demon, Sabah opened the security gate and entered the car park with it's high fence. When the gate closed behind Taylor, Sabah pulled off her mask, her fingers dancing over a keypad to disable the alarm system and then opened the locked back door.
Taylor felt a small smile creep across her face along with a small giggle escaping her at the sight of the green mask that was still under Sabah's regular mask, sweeping her hood back as she did so.
Hearing the laugh, Sabah turned, saw Taylor looking at her masked face thanks to her hood being down, and let out a noise of disgust. With a swift tug, Sabah pulled the Hero-X mask off, and the moment it left her face, the mask vanished in a shower of glittering dust that was swept away by the breeze.
Sabah eyed the glittering dust as it disappeared, then bit her lip.
"We should go find-" The Arabic girl began to say, but there was movement in the in the interior windows on the side of the staircase that lead to the upper floors. Taylor moved, hands flashing as the Keyblade appeared in her grip. Taylor readied Keyblade as the door burst open but she stumbled as Ingrid came running out of the doorway, knocking the Keyblade aside with a single slap of her hand.
Pausing in her mad dash, Ingrid looked around, spotted her target, and stalked forward. Sabah was shivering as Ingrid approached her and… pulled Sabah into a tight hug that made the smaller woman squeak.
Ingrid breathed a sigh of relief into the blonde wig.
"Oh thank God, I saw the news earlier and I couldn't reach you, your phone wasn't working and I was so worried and then…" Ingrid said very rapidly, then stopped and took a deep breath, her long brown hair looked slightly tangled as if Ingrid had run a hand through it far too many times in short period.
Ingrid was still dressed for business, wearing a stylish white blouse and dress pants, the usual crease free material looking slept in and rumpled.
"What were you thinking, you idiot? You nearly died! The news got a glimpse of that fight through the windows, you ducked out sight and one of those monsters landed where you vanished! I thought it crushed you. Sabah… why? What made you get involved in such a thing?" Ingrid asked, her voice shaking.
Sabah stared up at her, mouth open. Then closed. Open...
Ingrid shook her head.
"No… I know, Taylor's father. Mog told me about it when he floated in through the office window." Ingrid said, her grip on Sabah never loosening.
Taylor felt her stomach drop at the sight.
Ingrid was right, Sabah was only involved because of her. Not that Taylor hadn't tried to convince her to not to, but… It was still her fault.
As Sabah started shaking in Ingrid's firm hug, the woman looked over at Taylor.
Taylor flinched away, hiding her face behind her hood. She nearly got Sabah killed. Ingrid had trusted her by letting her into the Dollhouse's services and she had blown it. Sabah nearly died, she'd nearly been alone again and her dad was… gone. He'd been so close and…
She missed him. He was a villain now and she missed him so much.
She started to shiver, the Keyblade vanishing with a flash as Taylor let her arms circle up to hug herself. As the first tears pricked at her eye, Taylor felt her eye drawn back to Sabah and Ingrid, wanting to... She wasn't sure. No, she knew what she wanted.
Taylor wanted her Mom.
Then, as she met Ingrid's gaze…
There wasn't any of the anger she'd been expecting. Instead, there was a soft concern and an arm extended towards her, almost like an invitation…
Ingrid beckoned again and Taylor shakily stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Ingrid and Sabah and feeling their arms wrap around her in return. It was warm and comforting and Taylor felt better, she felt safe even a wetness in her eyes threatened to break loose. Ingrid just pulled her closer, squeezing the two young women as she shook.
The three remained like that for a little while, as they all calmed down, reassuring themselves each of them was still there. After some time, Ingrid released them and stepped back, resting a hand on each of the younger women's shoulders. Ingrid looked at Taylor, giving her an awkward smile.
"Taylor hun, is your father okay?" Ingrid asked softly as if nervous that the question would break her if asked too loudly.
Taylor nodded, squirming slightly, the image of the white kitchen flashing in her mind. She swallowed the lump trying to rise up her throat.
"H- He got away, but I think my Dad will be okay." Taylor tried to say with casualness, trying to avoid sounding upset.
The woman nodded, then looked back at Sabah, whose gaze had sunk to the ground. Ingrid nudged her friend, shaking the short girl's shoulder slightly.
"I didn't mean to worry you, I'll do better next..." Sabah began to say in a tight voice but stopped as her shoulder was squeezed.
Ingrid's face turned thunderous.
"Don't use that tone with me. I hate that tone! Sabah, I'm not your mother, I'm your friend. Please, look at me." Ingrid's voice lost its edge as she spoke, her eyes softening with worry.
Sabah did look up, and Taylor almost recoiled at the water gathered in Sabah's eyes, trails of tears making their way down her cheeks.
Ingrid gave a small sigh and shot Sabah a wry grin.
"Sabah, I'm not angry at you. I was just so scared. The Empire, Lung, Jess, then this bank thing just now. It's all happening so fast, villains coming out of the woodwork one after the other. I'm just worried about you. If anything happened to you, I would be devastated, but I understand why you did what you did." Ingrid said.
Sabah started to shake again and Ingrid pulled her close once more.
"You're not a fighter, hun, but god help those who mess with your friends, hmm?" Ingrid said with a soft smile.
Sabah sniffed, Ifrit stood behind her observing her quietly, his face giving nothing away.
"I… Yeah. I wanted to help Taylor, she needed me." Sabah admitted quietly.
Ingrid looked at Taylor, half her face hidden in the poor lighting flooding from the back windows.
"From what I saw? Taylor kicked ass. Just... next time you're going to charge assholes head on, give me a call and explain if you can? I'll be over to run the little shits down in my sports car if that's what helps." Ingrid added with a dry chuckle.
Sabah slightly choked, giving a wet chuckle as she wiped at her eyes.
"You love that car, you wouldn't let it near villains," Sabah said as she pulled away.
Ingrid just sighed dramatically, tutted, and walked over to Taylor, pulling a piece of rubble out of her curly hair.
Taylor blushed as Ingrid paused and went in for another piece, plucking it out with a swift movement, almost like a bird.
"I do, and that just tells you how much I love you, hun. I guess you're both here for Mog? Poor thing was in a right state when he got back, and Boco was missing a leg! Scared me senseless." Ingrid told them, looking back at the Dollhouse.
"Then he drags Boco into that cleaning closet we have and I haven't seen them since. That as about an hour ago." Ingrid pointed out.
Sabah looked at her oddly.
"The tiny room just before the roof access? Did you check on them?" Sabah asked, confused.
Ingrid shrugged.
"Door's locked. I didn't know it had an inner lock, so I have to guess the little guy must have added it when none of us were looking." The woman said, thinking about it.
Sabah looked at Taylor, who smiled softly back.
"Come on Sabah, let's go see what he's up to," Taylor said, sounding far more relaxed than she felt, but it seemed to help Sabah gather her own courage to face Mog.
Taylor shook her head resignedly and pieces of building and glass fell from her hair.
That gave them all pause, Ingrid stopped in the doorway with Sabah just behind her. They all stared at the rubble now littering the floor.
Taylor blinked.
"That's a bad sign. I didn't feel any of that." She muttered.
As an awkward silence settled Ifrit spoke up unabashed.
"Nah, it happens to me all the time." The demon said with a shrug, his gruff plush voice almost fully returned.
Taylor eyed him.
"Like I said, a bad sign," Taylor repeated as she followed Sabah inside.
Turning just inside the doorway Taylor and began to climb the stairs, following Ingrid with Sabah on her heels and Ifrit's voice chasing them.
"I don't get any respect on this backwater world, seriously…" Ifrit grumbled as his little hooves began to clomp after them.
Taylor followed the hall to where the stairs that would take them to roof was and paused before a door set into the wall, that was painted the same colour as the plaster around it. There was nothing else of note up here, besides a small apartment that Ingrid had in case she decided to work late. That room was private and Taylor had respected that, but it had made the supply cupboard all the easier to miss.
She turned the brass knob, but it didn't budge. Turning back to Sabah, Taylor shrugged.
"I can kick it down?" Taylor offered uncertainly.
Ifrit sighed.
"Need I remind you, oh Keyblade master, that doing that is entirely unnecessary. Just point and beam!" The little demon ordered.
Taylor's cheeks burned as the Keyblade appeared in her hands. She really should have remembered that. It was the Keyblade after all. Then with a flourish she pointed it at the door, Melody hummed and shot out a golden beam.
There was a flash, a blue sphere appeared around the keyhole, it flashed rapidly before the golden beam dug deep and cracked it, disappearing into the tiny slit with a click.
Ifrit shook his head.
"Damn Moogle should know better than to try keep out a Keyblade. It just isn't done. At least, not so easily." Ifrit said, pushing open the door into what was, according to Ingrid and Sabah, suppose to be a tiny cleaning cubby.
Inside, the room they entered could have easily fit one of Taylor's classrooms from Winslow inside it and have room to spare.
Sabah took three steps in and then back out. Her head snapped back and forth. Stepping back into the room she pointed to the wall shooting off to the right.
"That… That isn't possible. That wall should be smashing into the building next door." The Arabic girl said, breathing heavily.
Ifrit yawned.
"Magic, space, bending, yadda yadda. Mog must have created some spatial warping crystals and put them on the door. We're still in the Dollhouse, but he's just blown up the space…Wait. No. Yes? Yes. Right… We've shrunk really small basically." Ifrit told them firmly.
The three humans turned around, looking back out the door.
The hall outside was unchanged.
As they turned back Taylor gave Ifrit a dubious stare.
"But there's no difference between this room and the hall." Taylor pointed out.
Ifrit rolled his eyes, almost returned to his plush form.
"Space bending. That Moogle could make the door show any image he wanted it to with the right math and synthesis. Still, hope he put them somewhere safe, you do not want a large crowd in here if one of the crystals gets nudged…" Ifrit muttered darkly.
Taylor's mind helpfully decided to conjure up the image of a car crusher in action.
Stepping lightly, they walked forward towards a table positioned in the centre of the room, eyeing each and every wall as they went, for every surface was lined with a different… thing.
On one side there was a white machine that looked like the result of a washing machine indulging in a sordid romance with a chemistry set, and it was covered in shooting stars. Next to it were several jars that looked like the pickle jars Jess had cleaned out, each one holding a tiny floating star inside them, twinkling in time with the machines blinking lights.
On the back wall, was something that looked like a glass drum filled with hollow glass tubes and the whole lot was mounted on the corpse of a car engine. The pistons moved rhythmically, glowing a pale white and releasing tiny puffs of silver sparkles, while above, each tube held tiny crescent moon pieces, each one lit up from below, glowing as if they were made from spun glass.
Behind them was another creation, looking more akin to a classic forge than a machine. A large cube of bricks, the edges reinforced with steel while from the top sprouted several pipes, winding their way down the sides to plug into the device itself or off to various jars on the shelves, each containing some kind of glowing gem or bauble. More curious was the front which an oddly tilted door from which yellow light spilled.
The anvil next to it seemed very ordinary by comparison.
And there, in the furthest corner, was something Taylor had never expected to see again.
"Is that your microwave?" Taylor asked, perplexed.
Next to her Sabah just stared.
Because, in the corner, was indeed Sabah's old microwave, the one she'd thought lost along with her apartment and most of her other possessions. It sat on a small wooden table, battered and dinged, with a wide clear space around it.
Mog was floating next to it.
As Taylor walked forward, Sabah and Ingrid fell in behind her, still looking about the room. She looked at Mog who was floating in the corner, shoulders hunching, pom-pom drooping, and apparently unaware of their arrival. As they advanced, Taylor spotted Boco resting in a corner, lying on a nest of rejected clothes and off cuts that Taylor was sure Ingrid had meant for the dump.
Apparently, Ingrid held the same opinion… or could read Taylor's thoughts.
"Mog, hun, why are those rags in here? I'm pretty sure I threw those out myself." Ingrid's voice came from behind Taylor as they reached the little Moogle and the salvaged microwave.
Looking over her shoulder, Taylor saw that Ingrid was examining the room with a calm expression, but there was a slight hesitation in each movement like she was unsure of how to act in the distorted room.
At the question Mog faltered in the air, almost falling upside down. He righted himself and spun around to stare at them, his sudden guests.
"Kupo…" Mog said reflexively and backed away, his small plush body bumped against the microwave and he froze.
Quickly the Moogle turned back to the kitchen appliance and checked it over. Mog sighed in relief when it appeared nothing was broken and then began to fidget with his soft paws without turning around.
"I didn't hear you come in, kupo." Mog said softly and emotionlessly.
Taylor frowned at his bland tone but as she took a breath to reply she was beaten to the punch by Sabah.
"Mog? Is that my old microwave?" Sabah asked, not looking at Mog directly.
Taylor watched her best friend and in the back of her mind, noticed just how much Sabah's costume clashed with her actual features in the soft light. The royal blue dress, the white gloves, and the frills. All so attention grabbing when Sabah herself was a comfortable shadow.
Her costume was loud and elegant, bright primary colours when Sabah herself was much more subdued, comforting, and warm.
Sabah's face, which was usually a canvas of emotions and expressions, was normally hidden by her porcelain mask, her most attractive feature obscured. Even now it wasn't right, her face stained with uncertainty and doubt, an unwillingness to meet anyone's gaze.
Taylor had never thought about it, but Sabah's costume was so very unlike her, it didn't suit the girl who wore it at all.
Then again, wasn't that a point of a disguise?
Mog cleared his throat, halting Taylor's musing.
"I… uh… dug it out of the old home, kupo. I had already worked on it a lot and I didn't want to lose… it." Mog said softly, still devoid of emotion.
Something in Sabah's jaw twitched.
Taylor decided to head off any shouting. She didn't like it when people shouted, when they were angry. It reminded her of the last time she'd seen her mother…
Before her mom had dropped her off at Emma's.
"Mog, how long has this room… been here ?" Taylor asked quietly.
Mog fidgeted while Ifrit padded over to a machine huddled in the corner and peered deeply at what looked like a compass with too many points.
"For awhile. I was running out of room for all the materials and ingredients that Boco and I kept finding around the city, and I needed more space to store them, but that meant machines to make storage container, and that needed more materials, and then I needed more machines, which meant more space… and well, kupo, I just made more space." The Moogle told her as if he did this all the time.
Taylor noticed Mog was a lot more confident talking to her than to Sabah at the moment.
Ingrid cautiously prodded the wall before turning back to them.
"I don't know if I should weep for the poor physics that have been so cruelly violated in my shop, or squeal like a little girl because of the magic at work." Ingrid mused as she wandered about, her hands stuffed into her pockets as if to stop herself from touching anything else.
"And the microwave?" Taylor gestured to the kitchen appliance.
Ifrit had grown bored of the compass and wandered back and beat the moogle to speaking.
"Gotta admit, I'm curious if you got it working yet, you've been working on that thing for months." The plush demon remarked.
Mog eyed the fire esper.
"Almost, just missing a power source," Mog responded.
Before Mog could continue, Sabah snapped her eyes to him and almost whispered when she spoke, her voice sounding hoarse.
"Why not get another seed, since they're so useful?" Sabah said her gaze steady… but Taylor could see the unshed tears gather in her friend's eyes.
Mog almost recoiled.
Sabah hands trembled before she turned her back on Taylor and Mog, Ingrid stopped her wandering and looked at the short girl while Boco trilled sadly from the corner.
"Why… Why not just take it back? I… You said how important this thing is to you." Sabah choked out, stumbling over her words, sounding very hurt.
Mog gave a little cry of pain and dismay.
"I won't! If I take it out, if I remove the Seed you would… No. I can't kupo." Mog said sounding aghast at the idea.
Sabah shrugged seemingly carefree.
Taylor took a step towards, afraid and a little distressed at Sabah's casualness about… dying.
"Sabah, don't do that," Taylor said, her voice hard. The mere idea that Sabah would even pretend that her life was something to act nonchalantly about offended something deep inside Taylor, her very heart rejecting the idea.
Sabah just shrugged again, but this time, Taylor caught the stiffness… the fear.
"It doesn't matter, Taylor. This thing, this seed, it's the only reason he hung around, it's why I didn't wake up with a window open and no clue what happened." Sabah muttered darkly.
Taylor put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around, a hand grabbing each shoulder as she stared into Sabah's face, fear and worry spread across her own.
"There would be no waking up, you would have never opened your eyes again, never stayed up late watching movies, never made another dress, never finished your degree. You'd be gone!
Mog stopped that, he didn't leave you because he lost the Seed by accident, he stuck around because he did something wrong to you, hurt you, and he wanted to make it right." Taylor said to her, the hurt in Sabah's eyes when they met Taylor's own… It was painful to see and Taylor's heart cried out in sympathy.
Because Taylor could understand.
The idea of a friend, someone you trusted with everything, someone you thought would always be at your side… Then one day that friend made you feel like nothing, like it everything you shared was a laugh or a joke, that you never really were their friend, that none of it had been real… That hurt. That hurt so much. It was a pain deeper than Taylor could possibly describe, a scar on your very heart.
But Taylor also knew this wasn't that, this wasn't betrayal.
"Sabah, Mog gave you that seed. He saved you, he gave up the thing that was going to keep him safe, to let him stay and be himself, he gave that up to make things right. He… He killed you but he gave you the Seed and let you live." Taylor tried not to shout, her hands trembling as she clenched Sabah's shoulders, trying not to cry at the idea of Sabah dying.
Ingrid moved closer, looking sad and unsure at what she should do. The woman reached out to touch Sabah, her face ashen. Taylor saw shock and denial on Ingrid's face, and she felt a rush of guilt at how thoughtlessly and suddenly she had slammed Ingrid with the news.
Mog floated closer.
"Please, Sabah, even if you hadn't died, I wouldn't just use you and leave kupo, I… wouldn't." Mog said, his voice high, almost pleading.
Ifrit jumped up to the microwave, turned to face them, and sighed, a flurry of embers grabbing everyone's attention.
"The brat is too nice for his own good, no idea how he's made it as an Esper all these years." Ifrit mused aloud.
Taylor eyed him as Ingrid took Sabah from her hands, pulling the Arabic girl in close for another hug. Ingrid gulped, taking a shuddering breath as she squeezed the girl in her arms.
"You… No, you're right here. You're right here." Ingrid whispered.
Sabah gently untangled herself, taking Ingrid's hands in her own and looking the older woman in the face.
"I am." Sabah agreed and then turned back to Mog, her whole demeanour subdued, tired.
"What would have you done? If you hadn't made that mistake?" she asked.
Mog was quiet for a few seconds, thinking.
While Mog thought Taylor watched as Ingrid shook her head slightly, trying to deny what she was hearing. Ingrid's hands reached for something in her shirt, Taylor briefly saw a silver chain before Ingrid's hands covered whatever the object was as the woman clutched it tight.
Then in the corner Boco stood, catching Taylor's attention.
His torn leg looked good as new, though Taylor had to wonder where Mog got the right colour material and texture. The Dollhouse was good, and likely had the right cloth, but it was also a chaotic maze of shelves and storage that only Sabah or Ingrid truly knew the way around.
The chocobo walked over to Mog and stood by his side, nudging the floating moogle gently.
Mog shared a look with his friend, gulped and nodded before turning back to them.
"Explained, told you my name, maybe even about magic, but… not a lot more. The seed did make me stay and I would have left quickly if I could." Mog admitted quietly, shamefully.
Sabah's face contorted with anger and pain, but Mog's voice grew sharp as he saw her mouth open to speak again.
"I can't! Kupo's sake, I can't. Even now, even with all the happy times we've shared, I just can't stop dreading it." Mog shouted, almost crying.
Taylor was stunned at the sudden emotion, and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw even Sabah pause.
Boco looked at Taylor, then Sabah and then Ingrid, his head drooped and he gave a high pitched keening noise that hurt Taylor's ears and made her chest constrict with shared grief.
"Mog, I don't understand-" Taylor began, taking a step towards the Espers.
Ifrit's flat voice stopped her.
"We are Espers. We are beings of Chaos, of Magic, and powerful Symbology. Wherever we go, there is conflict or there soon will be. When we leave, the world is flourishing or dead, much like the Keyblades we bring wonder or ruin. But those to whom we were bonded to, those whom we fought side by side with, those we fought against, all those we fight with and will fight? They all die in time, friend and foe alike, as all mortals must." Ifrit spat.
Taylor tried to follow his words, but there was just something she was refusing to see.
It scared her.
Mog gulped again.
"Kupo… Espers do not age, we do not suffer mortal illness and cannot be poisoned. Even if you strike us down... As long as there is someone anywhere who knows our myth, our legend, then we will never die. But you… My friends, my mortal friends, kupo…" Mog trailed off, sounding heartbroken at finally admitting this, as if it had always been on his mind as the little moogle slowly floated to the floor.
Ifrit scoffed, jumping from the table to land next to ground-bound moogle.
"Mortal's are such frail things, such wonderful, powerful… frail things." Ifrit said and sitting down on the other side of Mog from Boco.
Taylor distantly noted that they mirrored Taylor, Sabah and Ingrid in formation. Tall, short, medium.
Sabah stared at the espers, growing horror dawning on her face.
"I… You didn't want to get… to get attached to us?" Sabah asked, her voice devoid of her previous anger.
Mog shook as if he wanted to cry, but his fake eyes could produce no tears.
"It hurts, kupo, to know that your friends have an expiration date. Most Espers don't even bother talking to their summoners anymore. It just… It hurts too much." Mog said sadly.
Ifrit shrugged.
"Can't hurt if you don't get attached. Everything burns the same." The demon replied.
Mog spun on him, his red pom-pom glowing a dangerous white.
"What about that boy? Kupo, you seemed upset when he-" Mog began to dig, but stopped when the demon interrupted him.
Ifrit's voice had turned dangerous.
"Be. Quiet." Ifrit told Mog in a voice that seemed to echo around the room and made the lights flicker. The moogle went still for a few seconds, cowed by the demon.
On her end, Taylor felt grief like she had only felt once before radiating from the bond, from Ifrit.
Then it abruptly vanished.
Mog drooped, his wings almost touching the ground.
"Sorry, kupo, I'm just lashing out." Mog admitted.
Ifrit scoffed as he slunk away, heading behind a machine that looked like a movie military console, if such consoles had yellow umbrellas poking out of them.
"Sometimes, Mog, it's worth the pain to feel something after so many years," Ifrit said as he disappeared behind the machine.
Taylor watched him go, the bond in her head, unnaturally silent. Ifrit had shelled himself up.
Sabah shook her head, chasing the issue of mortality away.
"I don't like it. I'm still mad as hell that you lied." Sabah began, but her voice was firmer now, no longer brittle as she continued.
"It hurts… when people leave you, when they die, I know that much. But I never thought of you as Mog the Esper, the immortal being, I always just thought of you as Mog, my friend. You could have let me die, but you didn't and... that counts for something." Sabah said, stopping to take a shuddering breath.
"You're my friend, you've helped me a lot, let me meet Taylor… But I'm not forgiving you, not yet. I can't, I'm still so angry and… Everything is just too raw. I don't want to forgive you but like you said… that's just me lashing out. I don't... trust many people. Not after everything.
But I trusted you… So what you did? Killing me? Saving me? I can't even begin to figure out how I feel about that. Logically, you made a mistake and you fixed it, but I'm not one of your machines, Mog, I can't just see the truth and move on, it just… It doesn't work that way." Sabah whispered, looking away.
Mog nodded.
"Kupo, I know. For what it's worth, I'm not going to stop being your friend, even if it means I have to say goodbye to you one day. I can wait forever for your forgiveness, I have all the time in the world." Mog said, jokingly though it was easy to tell his heart wasn't really in it.
Taylor looked between the doll girl and the Moogle, unsure of what to say, of how to fix this. Sabah was her friend, her first friend in years, her best friend… and whatever they were now. More than friends. Something there wasn't a word for.
But… Mog was her friend too. He'd been kind and funny, just there when she'd needed help. He'd taught her magic and made her smile on days when she'd never thought she was able to. They were both her friends and seeing them fight hurt because she didn't want to let either of them go. So how… how could she fix this? How could she...
Ingrid caught Taylor's eye and shook her head.
The silver chain flashed once more as Ingrid looked at it then tucked it away.
Taylor deflated at her stare.
Ingrid was right, this wasn't something Taylor could fix with a wave of the Keyblade, no healing magic could force Sabah to forgive Mog and… really, Taylor didn't want to. It wouldn't be right to force someone to forgive another or even to ask her too.
Taylor would never forgive Emma after all. Let go, forget? Yes, she was trying. But forgive? No. Never. She just wanted Emma ot be her past, not her future, where she spent every living day remembering her. Taylor wanted her friends to not fight but she didn't want to force Sabah to forgive Mog at once, she just… she wanted them to be friends again.
So Taylor would just have to do the human thing. Be there for both Mog and Sabah. Support them until their friendship fixed itself or severed completely.
She felt that old feeling of helplessness rise up in her chest, the fact her powers were not a cure-all. It annoyed her a lot irrational though it was, with a sigh she let it go. Because...
Because Taylor had faith in Sabah. The girl had pulled Taylor out of a dark place in her life, and as Sabah had helped her… Now it was her turn to help Sabah. When help is needed you leant a hand and received help in turn.
Sabah looked at Mog but her eyes skittered away, too hurt to look.
"Don't… leave." Sabah said after a few seconds, before she turned and fled the room, tears trailing down her cheeks.
Seeing Sabah run like that, hurt and crying, it made Taylor's heartache. She wanted to run after Sabah, to hug her and comfort her and tell her that everything would be okay. To be there for Sabah like Sabah had been there for her so long ago when she cried, telling her new friend about her bullies. She wanted to, needed to. But…
Taylor looked at Mog, slumped on the floor, quivering, unable to even cry. The little Moogle was her friend too and she didn't want to leave him either.
She felt torn, like her friends were ripping her heart in two.
Then Ingrid caught her eye again. The woman made a shooing gesture toward Mog while giving Taylor a sad smile, before spinning on her heels, and rushing off after Sabah.
That's… right. Even if Sabah was Taylor's best friend, she had more now, other friends she could also rely on. Mog, Boco, Ifrit… and Ingrid.
Similarly, Sabah had more friends than just her. Sabah might have called Taylor her best friend, but... well... Ingrid had been her friend for longer. Ingrid had been the first real friend Sabah had made after her classmates betrayed and bullied her, forced her to go out with a boy she hated through peer pressure. Ingrid had been the first one to believe in Sabah, to believe in her dream of being a fashion designer. It had been Ingrid who helped Sabah set up the Dollhouse and whom Sabah had first trusted with her secret identity. Ingrid had been friends with Sabah far longer than Taylor had.
So Taylor would put her faith in Ingrid too.
And since Sabah had Ingrid… She'd stay and look after Mog.
When the door closed with a thunk, Mog looked up from the floor with a whimpered moan, looking at Taylor pleadingly.
She sighed and gave the Moogle a small, sad smile.
"That could have gone worse." Taylor tried to say with a cheerful tone and Boco rubbed his head on hers affectionately, warbling as he did so.
"Yeah I know, could have gone better," Taylor said in agreement with Boco, her choconese in top form.
Slowly, Mog got up and walked over to Taylor, clutching her leg tight. It was actually kind of bizarre to see Mog actually walk for once.
Mog sniffled and looked up at Taylor.
"Are you mad at me too, kupo?" Mog asked softly, sounding scared and unsure.
Taylor paused, opened her mouth. Closed her mouth. Then thought about it, digging through the rollercoaster that was today, searching her own feelings. Huh. She felt...
"No..." Taylor said slowly tasting the word for any lies. She almost sighed when she found none before giving Mog a happier smile.
"No. Without you, I would have never met Sabah, never found the friends I have. You're my magic teacher, but you're also my friend too. And yeah, you messed up, but who hasn't? I unleashed a dragon and summoned Ifrit, you... overloaded Sabah, and… killed her. But you fixed it, saved her. While Boco… I think Boco is the reason most KFC's in Brockton Bay now have bouncers." Taylor said dryly.
Boco looked highly pleased at his reign of terror, letting out a happy 'wark'.
Mog nodded slowly, still clutching Taylor's white boot.
"Kupo, that's good to hear. I was... worried you'd hate me too." Mog said quietly.
Taylor picked him up, cradling him like a stuffed toy, which he almost was when you thought about it.
"No, just surprised and a little shocked. Gilgamesh, my Dad, the Undersiders, the Travellers and Tattletale, they all shook me up pretty bad and I… I got so angry with Director Piggot afterwards because she was an easy target, half of which she earned and the other half… Ifrit was right. I need to work on my temper." Taylor sighed and the wire in her head pulsed with smugness for a second.
Taylor glared in the direction Ifrit had vanished in, sending what she hoped was annoyance at him.
Mog squirmed his way out of Taylor's grip and floated back to the microwave.
Seizing the distraction, and because she was genuinely curious, Taylor spoke again.
"So… what is it?" She asked pointing at Sabah's old microwave, trying to distract Mog with his favourite thing, lectures.
Mog made a thoughtful noise and then spoke.
"It's like a interdimensional and intergalactic pen pal service." Mog explained.
Taylor blinked then looked back at the microwave, it didn't look any different. Mog saw her face before he silently opened the door, letting Taylor see that the inside of the former oven was covered in symbols and pictures and every single symbol was made up of more tiny pictures with each tiny picture being made up from…
It was like one of those Russian dolls.
Mog nodded at her stunned look.
"Runes can be used for all sorts of things and if you know the who and where and when you're directing power to? Then runes can get you there. It helped that there was a lot of really good materials around so building it was no problem, kupo." The moogle said, sounding annoyed.
"But no power source." Taylor said, remembering his earlier words.
Mog still sounded upset, but it was better that she was here rather than not. Sabah would be fine with Ingrid, but Mog needed her. So, if he tried to bend science while feeling down, then Taylor would be here to bend it with him and offer support.
"Kupo, that's right. I hit these buttons." Mog said, pushing what use to be numbers and options to heat food, but now they bore Mog's face in different expressions.
Mog pushed the happy Mog twice, then sleepy Mog once, then pouting Mog three times and... nothing happened.
Mog deflated.
"That was suppose to let me send something to Lord Alexander." He grumbled.
Taylor eyed the machine, her one eye narrowed suspiciously.
Something was bugging her.
"Mog? Where do all these materials come from?" Taylor asked warily.
Mog paused, then turned so he was looking at Taylor.
"Taylor, there are a lot of beings in the universe, dangerous beings some of them. Kupo, espers are one, but these materials? They come from something very different. Are you sure you want to know, kupo? I haven't seen any around and I don't think they're actually here, or I would have told you. Can you just enjoy not knowing for a while longer?" The moogle asked.
Taylor felt a little appreciation that Mog was giving her the option.
But Taylor had a bad habit of sticking her nose into things and finding trouble, it would probably be her luck that she would find this danger Mog was talking about by accident.
"Let's hear it." Taylor said.
Mog went over to a machine, pushing some buttons, the machine gave a whirling noise before it coughed purple smoke and died. The moogle froze, then started hitting the same button over and over in shock.
"Kupo, sorry, this lab is pretty new." Mog mumbled.
Ifrit snorted from next to Taylor which made her jump. When had he reappeared?
"Please, you need no machine when you have me." The demon sneered at Mog and held up a claw.
Instead of fire, there was a puff of dark smoke that curled around Ifrit's hand.
Boco chittered at him and Ifrit waved him off.
It quickly turned in on itself, making a dark shape, small feet, needle claws, squishy body, two bent antennae and yellow… luminous... eyes.
It twitched and ran in a silly twitching manner around Taylor's legs.
She took a step back and before she knew what had happened, the head of the Melody dispersed the shadow, destroyed the yellow eyes staring at her.
"Keyblader reaction right there if I ever saw one." Ifrit mused, stroking a non-existent beard.
Mog sighed.
"For the love of Unicorn… Taylor that was..." Mog began .
Taylor cut him off.
"I've seen those, those things before." She said, her voice harsh like a whip.
Instantly Ifrit, Mog and Boco went absolutely still, staring at her intently.
"Where?" Ifrit demanded as Mog flew to another machine, turning it on with a few of beeps, it then gave off a series of pings and vaguely electrical noises.
"What is that?" Taylor asked, panicking at the series of events unfolding before her.
Ifrit ignored the device and panicking moogle, focusing on Taylor.
"It's a machine that goes ping, now answer my question Taylor, where?" Ifrit asked again, more urgently.
Taylor focused on him.
"When Trickster teleported me earlier… I went somewhere, somewhere dark, and it was filled with those things!" Taylor replied, almost spitting that last word.
Ifrit sighed in relief, his paw coming up to wipe his brow.
"The dark realm, phew, that's not too bad then. I thought you saw them here. Give an old man a heart attack why don't you Taylor?" Ifrit grumbled and the machine gave one last ping before Mog turned it off.
"Hm, kupo, the effects of your Keyblade alter people's powers. Sabah never mentioned these eyes?" Mog asked.
Taylor shook her head
Mog sighed in relief.
"That's good. This Trickster must not be able to connect to the dark realm on his own, kupo, or the planet would be swarmed within a week. Still, if this new effect is due to Taylor, he might be able to do it now, but none of my machines are detecting any bridges to the other realms… I doubt someone who would rob a bank could go somewhere that I can't scan… Unless, he has a cape friend that can open portals…" Mog questioned aloud before trailing off.
Ifrit rolled his eyes.
"Or, maybe Taylor is being Taylor and causing trouble because she has a Keyblade. This Trickster, we met in battle and I saw a weak heart fighting for a strong cause. He's either deeply dedicated to money, kidnapping girls or he's in love and it's not going well. All things that shadows do like in a man." Ifrit said.
Taylor latched onto that word.
"Shadows?" She questioned.
Boco hissed slightly, Ifrit and Mog dipped their heads at him.
"Yeah, sorry, got lost in the panic." Ifrit explained to the bird.
Mog thought about his words carefully before replying.
"The shadows are… darkness. Beings literally made from darkness. We explained about how the world's split apart right?" Mog asked.
Taylor nodded, remembering that explanation vividly.
"People loved a door, they liked it too much and opened it, then darkness leaked out." Taylor abridged.
Mog sounded in pain as he kept speaking.
"Very basic but true. Kupo, the door was actually a bridge between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Dark. When the door was opened darkness leaked out and into the hearts of mortals. Then those who gave into their dark emotions lost their hearts to the darkness. When that happens a shadow is created, a being born when someone's heart overflows with darkness and becomes lost to the Realm of Darkness. The person fades away leaving behind a shadow, the heart sinking into the dark realm, letting a shadow take its place here in the Realm of Light." Mog explained.
Taylor tried to digest that.
"So the tiny ant thing is a shadow?" She asked curiously.
Mog nodded.
"Yup. They're a lot of trouble." Mog told her
Taylor tried to suppress that feeling of fear at the illusion had brought up.
"Uh, why? They don't seem that bad." Taylor said warily.
Ifrit yawned.
"They eat hearts, creating more shadows by sending more hearts to the darkness, but here's the thing, worlds have hearts too." Ifrit said, eyeing Taylor's face.
Taylor frowned.
"I remember Mog mentioning that." She said, Mog's previous lore speech still fresh in her memory, the image of a valentine heart inside the core of the Earth.
"So what happens when a shadow eats a world's heart?" Taylor asked.
Ifrit looked at Mog who looked a little lost.
The demon sighed.
"No more world." Ifrit told her.
Taylor stared at him.
"The world begins to die?" She asked alarmed.
Her alarm faded to confusion when Mog shook his head.
"No, kupo, the world will vanish entirely, just… gone. Kupo." Mog said sadly.
Taylor blanched at that, appalled.
She slammed the Keyblade down on the table next to the microwave.
"Are you trying to tell me that one of those tiny little things can do in one moment what the Endbringers haven't done in almost 30 years?" She said, feeling sick.
Mog flew over and waved his hands.
"Only if they find the Keyhole! Kupo, that's good, the world is safe until they find it… and I don't think they're even here." Mog assured her as he flew over to a corner and came back with one of the glowing shards.
"The darkness can generate these materials the longer the exist. But they only drop when the shadow is destroyed, its form ruptured, kupo." he said and Taylor drew her hand back, the pretty shard taking on a sinister quality now that she knew its source.
"Some of these shards have been sitting here for years. Others, not so much, but I've been searching your worlds news, and there isn't anything. No signs, no reports, nothing, kupo." Mog frowned.
Taylor felt that should make her feel better, but it didn't. She had this vague sense of dread and anxiety clawing at her heart, still lingering from her trip into that dark place a few hours ago. It had been terrifying.
Ifrit grumbled something about the darkness and his foot, before he climbed onto a nearby table, where Taylor noticed, there was a half eaten box of pizza.
"I don't understand why you guys love eating so much, you have no stomach." Taylor mused and Boco gave a cheerful warble.
"Well I suppose that's something." Taylor mused and sat on the table, legs just managing to reach the floor while she shifted the Keyblade to sit on top of the microwave.
As she watched, Ifrit put a slice in and closed the door.
"Hey, Mog, this thing still heats food right?" The little demon asked, claw raised above the key pad.
Mog shook his pom-pom.
"This is a great device, kupo, sending messages across space and-" Mog was cut off as Melody of the Lost glowed and the microwave turned on.
Taylor jumped away as the device began to glow.
The little Mog face buttons began to beep in the order Mog had pushed them, there was a great noise like the crack of thunder and the machine flashed so brightly that Taylor had to cover her eye and was left blinking spots away from her vision.
When the light died down, they all stared.
Ifrit hesitantly opened the door.
"My pizza is gone." Ifrit said bluntly, as if accusing the microwave of theft.
Mog managed to make this odd noise, as if he was trying to breathe and scream at the same time and his vocal cords giving up in dismay.
"We… We just… We just sent a day old pizza slice… to Lord Alexander." Mog wheezed in complete horror.
Ifrit slowly closed the door and backed away from the machine.
"Maybe it'll get lost in space?" The plush demon asked Mog sounding hopeful.
Boco closed the pizza box and carried it back to his nest.
"Wark." Was all the chocobo said.
Taylor slowly reached for her Keyblade and picked it up.
"Sooo... Does Alexander like pizza?" Taylor asked.
Mog slowly turned his head to her.
"That's... not really the issue." Mog managed to say, but then the microwave began glowing again, empowered by a light appearing inside the microwave.
Taylor closed her eye before the light reached maximum power and made her see spots again.
The machine hummed and the light died down.
Ifrit looked at Mog who was clutching his paws together in fear. Shrugging, the demon opened the door and froze. Inside the microwave was round green vegetable with thin leaves coming out of the top.
Looking at the odd fruit, Taylor thought its shape resembled a peeled orange.
"That was fast." Taylor commented.
Both espers ignored her.
"That's a…" Ifrit trailed off.
Mog peered at it.
"Kupo, that's a Sylkis Green…" The moogle said, a bit lost for words.
Then Taylor smelled something herbal in the air, like fresh spring. Mog picked it up and on the side, neatly written as if by a laser or a very sharp knife, were words.
Thank you for the gift, however, perhaps you should eat healthier.
"That pizza had peppers on it!" Ifrit defended himself as if the vegetable was accusing him, Taylor was about to speak when she felt a powerful presence behind her.
Turning she saw Boco, standing at his full height over them, his beady eyes glinting.
"Oh no." Mog whispered, he moved back and Boco followed him, his eyes never leaving the Sylkis Green.
Mog began to float back faster and Boco moved to keep up.
"Oh boy, this isn't going to be pretty. Those things are like catnip to chocobos… choconip?" Ifrit said and Taylor stared open mouthed as Boco abandoned all pretences and rushed at Mog, warbling a battle cry.
"Kupo!" Mog screamed in terror and threw the fruit in her direction.
Taylor caught it out of reflex and stopped to stare at it. Slowly, as if drawn by a terrible dread, she looked up into the eyes of Boco, whose beak opened hungrily.
Taylor swore she saw drool.
Then Taylor screamed and ran for the door.
She never made it. Not even close.