Lucy stared at the laptop as Anti looked back at her warily. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she stared down Anti with suspicion.
"I… I have no idea what you mean by that," Anti said with an innocence that didn't suit his face.
"You know exactly what I mean! You're hiding something from me! I found something on 'Light of the Soul,' and now it's mysteriously gone. What did you do?"
"Nothing!" Anti snapped a bit too angrily. "Why do you always blame me?!"
"Stop trying to redirect the blame," Lucy replied, trying to keep calm. "I don't 'always blame' you, and you know it. Just tell me what you found. Please."
Anti looked away and faded from view. Lucy's eyes widened, and whatever sense of calm she had disappeared.
"Anti!" Lucy whispered angrily. "Get back here! I know you found something. Why won't you tell me?"
Anti reappeared and seemed to observe Lucy's face for a few moments before he answered, "Don't you think it's weird that you just happened to find a power that can stop Dark? And what's next? You'd use it on me."
"Anti… why would I do that?" Lucy asked in a quiet voice. "Unless you're planning on giving me a reason to use it."
"No… but you don't trust me. Even though I've been nothing but helpful. Even though I've done EVERYTHING you've asked me to!"
Lucy sighed and pushed back her hair. She asked calmly, "What would you like for me to do, Anti? I can't allow you fully into this world… It's not mine. I'm hopefully leaving sooner rather than later, so I can't just let you roam freely."
"Why not?" Anti asked heatedly. "It's not like I can't get into that world once you leave. What's so bad about me being there? You're afraid that I'll mess things up with Barry." Anti's eyes glowed black as he narrowed them at her with suspicion.
Lucy shrugged and looked away for a moment. As much as she didn't like him pointing it out, Anti was right. She'd been relying on him for months now. He'd never done anything to hurt her or derail her plans, but she still didn't want to give him the opportunity.
"Just let me inside the watch," Anti pleaded. "Then I'll tell you what you want to know."
"Why are you so keen on getting inside the watch?" Lucy asked, now suspicious. "I've let you in this world… at least inside the technology of this world. Can't you just get into it anyway?"
"I can't," Anti answered, glitching with anger. "It's not of this world… it's of your world. That creature that made it… he was from the same world as you. He created it. I can't use it without your permission."
"You didn't answer why being inside the watch is so preferable."
"Because… it's the only way I can follow you from this world to the next. Also… I don't trust that woman… she has dark power. The one behind the posting of the site. I need to be with you when you go to see her. She's not safe."
"So you did hide the site!" Lucy accused, but Anti raised his hands defensively and replied quickly, "That wasn't me?! I think she took it down. She's a seer of some kind. She seemed to know that I was watching her. She told me a place to meet her, but Lucy… she's dangerous. I could feel the dark energy pouring out of her… she may know how to use light magic, but that's not all she can do. I'll tell you everything, but you need to take me with you."
Lucy sat down and pulled D'Artagnan into her lap as she thought over her choices. If she let Anti in the watch, would she be able to get rid of him if he decided to stop playing nice? He had already decided to play detective without her and found the person who knew about 'the light of the soul.' And that woman. She could be dangerous… she might even be the person that Dark was talking to.
Lucy turned to Anti, whom was waiting patiently with a worried expression, and asked, "Could she be Dark's insider?"
Anti laughed and answered, "Definitely not. Immortals are harder to sway than normal humans. She's too powerful to let Dark manipulate her. I think that the only reason she even let me get away was so that I could lead you to her. That's why you need to be careful. We're stronger together. She wouldn't be able to attack both of us." D'Artagnan let out a growl, and Anti rolled his eyes and amended, "The three of us."
Lucy stroked D'Artagnan's head. He calmed down as Lucy decided what to do. The only way to find out about this power seemed to be to hear this woman out, and Lucy didn't want to go alone. Anti was right. The three of them would be better suited to handle this woman if she attacked them.
"Okay, you can stay in the watch, but behave yourself. I will find a way to destroy it if you cause me problems."
Anti gave her a smirk but said, "I know."
He glitched off the screen and disappeared before his voice came from her watch.
"Esrin Fortuna is the name she gave me. She said that she'll meet us at a casino in Hub City."
Lucy nodded and took off the watch.
"Hey! What the HELL are you doing?!" Anti shouted from the watch.
"Getting dressed in something more… fitting I guess," Lucy answered and grabbed her suit from the closet before walking into the bathroom to get changed. "I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb."
Lucy quickly brushed her hair before walking back out and putting the watch back on.
"No, now you'll just look like one of the waitstaff," Anti said irritably.
"Exactly. People don't usually take notice of the people that serve them. Missy could barely remember the names of the maids, much less knew what they were doing at any given point. As long as I keep a low profile, I'll be able to slide right under their radar," Lucy replied and put the watch on.
"Ah, so you're going for the servant disguise. Good, I guess. Better than nothing."
Lucy glared at the watch as D'Artagnan transformed into a tie. A knocking came from the doorway. Lucy hurriedly looped D'Artagnan around her neck as she bolted to the door. If it was Dark's puppet leaving another present, Lucy wanted to make sure that she caught the creeper. Lucy almost collided with Felicity in her rush but pulled herself back in time.
"In a hurry?" Oliver asked as Lucy noticed him waiting on the opposite wall.
"Uh, kind of. I was expecting something… someone else, so, uh, what are you doing here?"
"Oh," Felicity answered awkwardly. "Well, we, uh, thought that… we didn't exactly get off on the best of feet, so we thought that we could at least invite you out for dinner."
"Thank you, but I have plans. It's also not really a good idea for you to hang out around me."
"Because of whatever's after you?" Oliver asked although his tone implied that he'd already figured out the answer. "The demon and its lackey?"
"Yeah," Lucy replied and watched Felicity look more nervous.
"If there's anything I can do to help…" Felicity offered.
"There isn't. I'd have asked," Lucy said with a sad smile and a shrug. "I've got something, but… I'm not sure… there is actually something." Lucy looked around the hallway before gesturing for them to come inside.
Oliver walked in calmly while Felicity checked the hallways then nervously stepped inside. The door closed almost silently behind Felicity as she waited by it. Lucy walked to the laptop and turned it so that Felicity could see the surveillance cameras.
"I need to leave for a couple days, but I set up some cameras. I was wondering if you could watch them for me and tell me if someone comes by. There was someone leaving things at my doorway… I want to catch that person if I can."
"Oh, sure," Felicity replied and looked warily at the laptop. "As long as a certain someone plays nice."
Anti laughed from the watch causing both Felicity and Oliver to turn their attention to Lucy's watch.
"He's coming with me. I may need backup," Lucy explained, and Oliver's eyes narrowed.
"Are you sure that you trust him?"
"Enough," Lucy answered, and Anti made a sound of frustration.
"I've never shot an arrow at you!" Anti said spitefully.
"Yeah, but you did want to slit my throat."
Anti groaned and asked, "Are you never going to let that go? I was just playing."
"I don't mind going with you," Oliver announced, cutting off Lucy's remark.
"Thanks, Oliver, but I'm good," Lucy said confidently. Somehow, she knew that she had everything she needed. She couldn't explain it. It was just a feeling but a strong one, as though her going to meet this woman was a certainty.
"If you say so," Oliver replied with a look at the watch. "You have my number if things don't go well."
"Yes, thank you."
Oliver looked around before looking back at Lucy in confusion. "Didn't you have a cat?"
D'Artagnan wiggled a bit, but thankfully Oliver didn't seem to notice.
"Yeah, I put him in a pet daycare thing for a couple days. He'll be fine."
Oliver nodded, but he didn't seem fully convinced with Lucy's plan as she ushered them out the door and gave Felicity the laptop.
"Just… be careful," Oliver said, and Lucy tilted her head with a smirk.
"When am I not?"
That earned Lucy a small chuckle from Felicity and a disapproving look from Oliver.
"I'll try," Lucy promised and waved to them as she caught a taxi and began her trek to Hub City.
