Balancing on her toes in the hallway at Poppo Time, it was a struggle to think of how to approach the situation. This was not one that she had been in before. Usually the opposite. "You okay?" Turning around, she smiled at the troubled face of Akiza. No matter how hard this was, it was nothing in the face of what she had been through.
"Yeah." Looking back at the blank wall, Musume was relieved that her mother had returned even though she had been absent for most of the trouble. "Just thinking about something." After securing Aion at the SRC, they had returned to Poppo time. It had been almost evening, the entire day gone past in the blink of an eye.
"I'm still catching up on everything I missed." As far as Akiza was concerned, she had simply gone to sleep one evening and woken up in a stone chair. As far as kidnapping trauma went, it barely registered. "Did everyone really forget me overnight?"
"Not everyone." Toying with the bracelet on her wrist, she wondered if anyone else out in the world had resisted Aion's influence. Maybe that was why there were people out there who played to a different narrative. Collateral damage from other supernatural battles. "I got lucky. Not sure how Phantom or Yusei did it." She had filed that question under 'ask later'. When they had returned, the armour had already been waiting. It had seemed without direction, having simply unfrozen in the field to find hours had passed. "How's Yusei doing?" She didn't care personally but felt a touch of compassion for anyone who found the world had changed around them without any warning.
"Not great." After silently walking through the entire building, he hadn't found a single trace that anyone had been there in days. Akiza had quietly taken him by the hand into his room and shut the door. There may have been the sound of crying but Musume had deliberately not listened too closely. "I think this has really taken a toll on him. He's resting now." Nodding uninterestedly, Musume wasn't paying much attention. "What about you?" Looking at the blank wall, certain events were more recent for her than they were for the others. "Going back to that place? Convergence?"
"Yeah." Leaning against the door to Crow's room, she continued to play with the beautiful snowflake charm. "I went there to ask about Phantom after she was taken to the Facility. Happened to get caught there when Aion did her thing." Which had been what had really protected her. The stay hadn't been all relaxation. She had been learning about the ongoing situation and what she could do once she was out. "Himeru gave me a lot of help. I'm not really sure how I can pay her back."
Looking from the high-strung young lady to the blank wall and back again, Akiza wondered if this was the first time Jack would have been more useful than her. "Don't overthink it." What was getting in her companion's way was her own pig-headed pride. Where that trait had come from, she had no idea. "Just go in and thank her for it. You know her better than I do," Only by two encounters but it was usually enough to get a feel for somebody. "If you can pay her back, you'll find a way."
Flushing slightly, Musume looked back at the wall. It was these sorts of talks that she had missed out on growing up. Crow had been as good a parent as she could hope for but there were always areas that he struggled in. "You're right." Smiling at her mother, she felt a tiny part of the burden slip from her shoulders. "Thanks." When she turned back, the door was already there. "Want to watch?"
Nodding and wide-eyed, Akiza backed away so that she could better access the door. Light filtered out around the edges as it was pulled open and she walked through. Once it closed again, there was no sign that the door had even been there in the first place. Cautiously prodding the wall, she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it. On the bright side – since Musume was definitely not in the building any more – Akiza felt it was safe enough to simply walk into Yusei's room and close the door behind her. It was the first time that he had been left alone while asleep and she didn't want to push their luck any further.
"Musume!" Cleaning an array of glasses, Himeru smiled as her customer arrived. Reaching under the counter, she pulled out a wide glass filled with an orange drink. Wedged on the side was a slice of chunky fruit. "Here," Leaving it by Musume's regular seat, she returned to cleaning glasses. "On the house."
"I thought all the drinks were on the house?" Taking her seat, she nodded familiarly to Bill and Terrence. Both looked as happy to see her as the barkeep. "Did I miss anything exciting?"
"From what I understand, you had quite enough excitement by yourself." Twinkling eyes had followed her story with rapt attention. For a man such as Terrence, there was little that engaged him more than a good adventure. "We were all rooting for you."
"I hope you enjoyed the show." There was a grandfatherly air about the old man that put everyone at ease. Musume couldn't bring herself to be snarky with him and took a sip from her glass. "Mmm, that's good." Taking a longer slurp, she enjoyed the sweet, tingling taste. "What is it?" Breaths were drawn in along the bar as she took another drink.
"That is a fruity pornstar." Hearing the name, Musume instantly began sprayed the mouthful she had onto the floor in shock. Echoing in the background, Himeru's laugh mixed in with the rest of the pub's as they all enjoyed her reaction. That is, all but one.
"What'cha go'n do that for?" Flapping his expansive jacket, Ryan was unhappy with the most recent stain on his clothes. Most of the others were either blood, unspeakable liquids or just plain weird. One was from several different types of mustard mixed up together out of boredom. Having someone spray their drink on him was barely interesting enough to even remember.
"You're kidding, right?" Eyeing the drink, she remembered the name she could barely speak during her last visit. "This is a… one of those?" Nodding with a smile as she continued to clean a seemingly endless array of glasses, Himeru probably knew that there was a sword tucked on the other side of the counter. Staring at the drink, she cautiously took another sip. Despite her misgivings, it was delicious. "I came here to say thanks. So, thanks. For helping me."
"My pleasure. It was entirely down to your good timing." Waving the glass, Himeru passed the credit back as she continued to wipe down the bottom of a massive tankard. "And I appreciate not blabbing about my little hints until after it was down." When she had originally explained the situation, she had made Musume promise to let the creatures inside her spill out slightly until it was all over. Or, as she put it 'make a lot of noise and not let anyone know about the help until afterwards'. "There is a question that I would like to ask you." Enjoying the drink – despite the unfortunate name – Musume waved a hand to indicate her assent. "With your permission, may I speak with Paku Supay and Quetzalcoatl?"
It was only because of her recent help that Musume wasn't leaving the bar right away. Also because Himeru had taken the time to ask. Setting down her glass, she wasn't fooled by the bribery as it instantly filled back up.
"What happened to not treating me as a telephone?" That slightly embarrassed look would have indicated that she had said something uncomfortably close to the truth. She had to remind herself that the bartender might only look human. There weren't might not even be words to describe what she was.
"I would normally talk with them directly but ignoring you would be rude." Setting down a champagne flute to one side and her cloth to the other, she had made sure to give the matter her full attention. "You have my word; I will relay the conversation to you afterwards." Chewing over the issue, Musume considered it from all angles. Even if she denied permission, nothing she did could actually make a difference.
"Okay. Then." For a few seconds, there was an empty space where Himeru had been standing. Then she returned, looking slightly singed and patting down the flowing cardigan as it continued to smoulder. Since Himeru had managed to provide a safe haven from whatever mumbo-jumbo Aion had woven, Musume had assumed that little could faze her. Clearly, this wasn't the case. "That was fast. How did it go?" What was more worrying was that either one or both of the things that had done this to her were currently sitting inside Musume.
"On the bright side, they agreed to speak with me." Part of her hair was still flaming before a simple flick managed to put out the unearthly fire. No flame had ever glowed like that. "However, that is not an experience I wish to repeat."
"What did you speak about?" It might have only been a handful of moments to her but it could have been a lot longer to Himeru. When she had spoken with Phantom, Musume had been sure the conversation had lasted minutes only to find it had been seconds.
"I told them that I intended to share one of the gravest secrets of the universe with you." Because of the hearty smile, Musume couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. "To begin with, there is an unspoken agreement between those who live in ways that you cannot fully understand. Paku Supay, Quetzalcoatl, the Asgard, Aion."
Although Musume hadn't personally met the three heroes from Europe, she knew enough about them to understand the implication Himeru was going for. Gods and demons. The primordial beings which could bend the universe to their whim. "None may interfere with events on a grand scale unless another does first. More often than not, the second party just sets out to undo the effects of the first."
"Like how the Crimson Dragon tries to stop Red Nova." In the bowels of her soul, she could feel them still squirming around. Having vented at least some of their frustrations towards the momentary distraction, they were more docile than usual.
"Quite." From the way her clothes were still patching back together, Himeru understood the meaning first-hand. "It is why I am only pouring drinks and passing advice. Everything that I do must have minimal effect or risk letting others interfere with what is coming."
"And what exactly is that?" Aion had called it a 'calamity'. Even after she had been struck down, she had vowed to try and hold it back as best she could. Then she caught the look Terrence was sending her from one side. "But you can't tell me." Speaking slowly, she probed slightly for the truth. "Because that would interfere with what we'd normally do." And thus, the growing threat.
"Exactly." Although the words were congratulatory, she sounded displeased by the constraint. "As you said, the two you carry within are constantly fighting one another. Long ago, they decided to fight their battle through intermediaries and imbued them with powerful totems." The Signers and Dark Signers. The Marks which were now imprinted across Musume's body. "Because they had agreed to it, their regular interactions are not cause for others to intervene." Even though they could definitely count as 'grand scale' if the Dark Signers ever won.
"Then why are you even talking to me if you're not meant to interact?" A flash of a smile told her that she had asked the question Himeru had been nudging her towards.
"Although I cannot tell you just now, you have my word that I will do all that I can before the final moment arrives." Musume didn't trust that easily. Right now, Himeru was somewhere between Jack and a service worker. She wouldn't be sharing any secrets but definitely be civil enough to get as much as she could out of the bartender. The free food and drink didn't hurt.
"Okay then." Standing up, she recognised a good place to finish the conversation. Himeru had certainly given her a lot to think about. "I don't suppose that you have any other secrets of the universe you want to share?" Learning that the various deities were keeping their hands clean because they couldn't get away with it was certainly not what she had expected. "Maybe give us a nudge in the right direction, under the table?" A warm smile greeted the attempt to ask for more help.
"In the days ahead, I will do my best to ensure that Yusei arrives on time." When she looked back on that moment later, Musume had to wonder if maybe it was meant as a little joke. "In return, I would request to ask a small favour of you?"
"Depends on the favour." After providing shelter during the opening salvo of Aion's gambit and sharing a few big secrets, Musume decided that Himeru had probably earned a little something for her troubles. Just as long as it was nothing too extravagant.
As she finally put down the glasses, the very air turned heavy. "I want you to tell Yusei that Lethe is safe. Tell him that I took her away before the truth returned and gave her a life elsewhere. That she may never see him again but she was happy in the end."
"Lethe?" Musume had heard the name from Crow. In the world that Aion had tried to convince them was real, Lethe had been the poor soul she had used to replace Akiza. "Is that true?" Although she was happy that Akiza had been protected, Musume was realising that there had been more collateral damage than she had expected.
"Only if you believe that it is." There was no way to confirm her words. It was just as likely that Lethe had found herself in a strange place and vanished back into the city before anyone could return. "Until next time." Picking up her glass and cloth she returned to cleaning as various patrons around the bar bid farewell until Musume closed the door behind her.
Stepping back out into Poppo Time, it was now late enough at night that everyone was in bed. Lowering herself onto the couch, Musume let out a slow breath. Convergence was definitely an experience. Just not one that left much time for rest. Shifting around a bit, she planted her feet on the armrest closest to the door and interlocked fingers behind her head as tired eyes closed in concentration. One part that had stood out against the rest was the mention of Lethe. Admittedly, the unspoken rules against intervention had been interesting but what could be gained from saving a random stranger?
Unnoticed in the far corner of the room, Phantom was once more dressed in the dusty boiler suit. Akiza had invited her to stay until they could sort everything out again and she couldn't think of any real reason as to why not to. Jack and Crow had stopped by to check on their brother and barely paid her any attention before leaving again. That was okay. What she needed right now was a bit of space.
With all the quiet time spent alone in her cell, she had enjoyed plenty to think. Whatever had happened in the docks had seemed like so long ago yet was only a handful of days. She had been spending most of the interim trying to untangle the mess inside her own head.
A soft snore distracted her internal process. Over on the couch, Musume had passed into an uneasy sleep. Careful to move without a rustle of her outfit, Phantom silently stepped over the floor until she was within an arm's reach of the sofa. Like so many overworking fools, the young woman asleep before her rarely put any thought towards herself. Gently reaching out, a dark hand snagged the thick blanket from the back of the furniture and carefully spread it over the slumbering form.
Softly returning to her spot, Phantom crouched back down and leaned against the wall. Sitting on the floor had always brought her a strange sense of perspective. No matter how small an object appeared, everything was always a lot bigger from below. The house was quiet and filled the sound of people sleeping. After a while, a gentle hum began to fill the room as she continued to think on through the night.
Nothing was normal anymore. It had been a long time since Musume had been able to look at the world and not have the tinge of supernatural overshadowing everything. Waking up after planning on dying had put a definite dint in her plans. Ever since Paris, there had been a voice constantly screaming in her ear. A dark figure tumbling from the sky had just been another in a long list of odd occurrences. That they had turned out to be severely autistic and somehow the only other one besides Yusei to retain their memories when Aion wiped the world clean of Akiza was basically par for the course. Maybe the weirdest event in recent times was that she had slept peacefully for an entire night.
Peeling back the thick blanket which had been covering her, she gently rubbed her tired eyes and stretched upright in the chill dawn. Shuffling over to the counter, she was in dire need of sustenance to start her day properly.
"Nn." Giving a slight grunt as she leaned on the counter to glare at the kettle, Musume ignored the whispering in one ear. Other people may have wished the water to boil faster. It was possible that her glowing eyes might actually be able to glare the water into cooking faster. She had decided against experimenting in case it exploded in her face.
Good morning. Would you like some breakfast? It was ridiculously early and before coffee. She took a moment to realise two things. Firstly, that she hadn't turned the kettle on yet and it would boil a lot faster with the power turned on. Next, that the unheard words were far more coherent than any before.
Slowly turning to face the rest of the room, she looked at the bright orange boiler suit. It was sitting so impassively at the table that she had managed to walk right past without even noticing. Hoshi was splayed loosely over one shoulder with the occasional yawn splitting her face in half. There was no visible sign that anything had changed.
If not, Reaching up a finger, Phantom gently scratched at the cats head as it shifted position. Blue eyes flickered happily as purring began to sound. I believe that you wanted to talk?
A nice, short chapter here. Everything is (mostly) back on track. And Phantom's finally got her head screwed on straight to boot!
Unfortunately, I'm getting quite busy and cannot be certain when the next update will be. Fret not. New year, new me, new drive, new reviews(?).