Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dramatis Personae

Of the protectors:

William “Billy” Cranston: Mighty Morphin Blue Power Ranger, one of the originals, a brilliant scientist and veteran ranger, he acts often as doctor and psychiatrist to the Renegades having been fighting since the early days. One time teammate of the late Tommy Oliver, he was the only person aware of the effects the Power was having on the man's body and thus the only one who perhaps guessed at what he was going to do when he agreed to go on the suicide mission to the government's Angel Grove compound. Recently he has found himself able to morph into a different form of his original suit though not in a good way and the effects of the events during the Initiative days are still unknown; his deep friendship with the remaining Renegades as well as connection to certain members is less unknown....

Abigail “Abby” Phillips-Navarro: Mighty Morphin Silver, Dino Thunder Pink, best friend of many, mother to Tyler, as brilliant as she is dangerous, she acts as a salve for a group full of people who know little of what each day brings. She was reunited with her lost husband James and her beloved son Tyler only for the former to choose to join the others in trying to spread out to investigate the effects on the world after the Cataclysm, With Tommy gone alongside so many of their people, she has chosen to stay by the side of the other Renegades in Zandar but questions of what to do with her son being in harms way and no one quite knowing what to do have started to plague her more.

Tyler Navarro: Dino Charge Red Ranger, willing, able, a good kid with a good heart, he's one of the few true teenagers in the group and is the son of Abby. He was raised by Rangers, babysat by Rangers, and has never forgotten the stories he grew up listening to, loving his massive family more than he trusted the government. But after just getting his dad back, he finds himself in an unenviable position as the would be leader of the only “complete” Power Ranger team, minus the loss of their Purple prior to the Cataclysm. He still holds the scar of what happened to Albert close to his heart and the effects of seeing the old man be murdered after dragging him into the world of the Renegades have yet to be fully seen.

Tsukkuyomi “Tsuki” Kokuryuu: Morphing Grid conduit, ex-girlfriend of Tommy Oliver, ex-girlfriend of Billy Cranston, swordswoman and computer genius, her status as the connection to the Morphing Grid for every Power Ranger only became fully clear days before the Cataclysm during which she lost friends, saw the world burn, and lost the man she had loved for well into two decades. She's yet to let the Green Power Coin out of her grasp, nor has she spoken much to anyone, spending her days by the side of Billy and the Dino Charge Gold Ranger Sir Ivan of Zandar. Under the depression and pain though beats the heart of a woman who would take on the immense power of the Grid to save those she loves and who will fight to bring the world back from the depths of hell.

Sir Ivan of Zandar: Dino Charge Gold Ranger, 800 years old, a knight and will never let you forget it, he's capable and loyal to the kingdom of Zandar. Though officially detached by Prince Phillip to join the Dino Charge team, his loyalties seem to lean more towards specifically Heckyl, Billy and Tsuki, for different reasons. He choose to stay behind for many reasons but not least of all to support the recently depressed Tsuki and help Billy try to make sense of the events they have all found themselves in. Possibly the most powerful of the Dino Charge team thusfar, at the very least one of the most experienced in terms of fighting, he's a big reason that the monsters of Snide have not breached the force field around New Zandar.

Zack Taylor: Mighty Morphin Black Power Ranger, from another dimension, from an alternative life, once upon a time was boisterous and friendly, he's now quiet and introverted. His torture at the hands of Katina van Dran has rendered him broken and lost, an event that still to this day is enough to piss off any member of the Renegades; it was during his rescue that the government Rangers finally rebelled and it was after that the confrontation between the Renegades and the evil senator happened, alongside the end of the world. Filled with guilt and pain over what happened and his place in the shattering of the group, he hasn't morphed ever since and the question of if he still can is a whisper that no one dares speak too loud.

Heckyl (of Sentai Six): A villain once, a monster, a danger, a spy, Heckyl entered the Renegades under false pretenses and ended up one of their most stanch allies. His old love for Astronema Princess of Evil made him choose the Renegades over Sledge or even the Energems, and his building relationship with the Zandar royal family, the Dino Charge Rangers, and many other members of the group allowed him to go from liar to friend easily enough. Once an amnesiac, he recently got back his memories of his true self and alongside Karone, he has fought hard to prove to himself that he truly can be a hero; there isn't a remaining Renegade who argues that he is one though.

Dustin Brooks: Ninja Storm Yellow Ranger, paralyzed from the waist down, yet still he tries to be chipper and good natured, he's the only Ninja Storm Ranger still a part of the Renegades. He does not blame Taylor as much as the others, though his injuries and paralysis are her fault, as well as the loss of his students at the Ninja Academy. He does his best to help and protect while unable to use his morpher or fight effectively; his spirit and strength of will is a beacon to all who see him and Abby likes to call him their greatest morale booster. Every day he works to try to get better, every day he tries to be better, and every day he gets one step closer to becoming a worthy spiritual successor to his lost friends Shane and Cam/

Karone of KO-35: Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger, Ex-princess of evil, something even more, she has stood by the Renegades since her rescue during the early days. Her love for the outlaw Heckyl and for her brother Andros are only the tip of the iceberg of how kind she is and nothing will stop her once she has her mind made up. After going into a coma to keep her evil side from coming out, she gained not only the ability to use Astronema's magic but also the power to morph into a new form, called the Astra Ranger. Though her brother went out with the others, she choose to stay behind with the others in Zandar, feeling it was right; the fact Heckyl stayed behind as well was likely neither here nor there...

Zedd: Ex-evil half of the Morphing Grid, ex-Emperor of Evil, ex-many things, he is now a loyal and powerful ally to the Renegades. His restored magic came with the caveat of his body ripping itself apart to return him to how he was when he was evil, but his mind being intact and wishing to help rather than hurt, he has the distinction of being the only ex-evil who has neither returned to the dark side or had to struggle with his evil side. It is commonly believed that his beloved wife the Mystic Mother, once known as Rita Repulsa, had cast a spell upon him without anyone knowing which continues to protect him, even as her old self itself tried to break through and which persists after her death. His radio messages helped find many Renegades before the Cataclysm; his radio messages after now act as a sliver of hope to a world that has little.

Charlie Thorn “Chip”: Mystic Force Yellow Ranger, superhero fanboy, bestest boy, he's the sole Mystic Force team member who stayed around Zandar to help the main group while everyone else went out to see about helping others. He stays with Zedd most days, acting as his assistant and companion, making him one of the few who always knows when Zedd is getting worse figuratively. Despite being sometimes hyperactive and easily excitable, he's a capable member who is always ready and willing to fight to help and protect Zandar and others, though he no longer tries to run onto every new mission as he sees it as his sacred duty to stay in Zandar to help maintain it's protective barrier.

Adam Park: Mighty Morphin Black Ranger, did not want this war, did not ask for this war, he still got dragged further in when everything got worse and someone needed to warn the Renegades of Katina's plots. He has stuck around to help as much as possible but he's not a Renegade and he doesn't really feel like he belongs with them. His friendship with Billy, his kinship to Zack, these are the things that help him the most but every day is a learning experience for the one Ranger who never joined either side and can't shake a feeling that this is really everyone's fault at the end.

Of those who broke away:

Hunter Bradley: Ninja Storm Crimson Ranger, without his brother he's angry, without his friends Cam and Shane he's without guidance, without the Renegades he's a rogue, he left after the arrival of Taylor who had murdered his brother Blake, he's been missing ever since along with his wife Laura and his teammate Tori. His disapproval of the way things went, distrust of multiple people, and the fact his brother's murderer was allowed to join the group left him frustrated reasonably enough; his running off had not so much.

Laura Bradley: Hunter's wife who has been lost since she ran off with the others. Sister to the paralyzed Dustin, the fact she left him behind is still a mystery to this day but with all the bad things that are happening and have happened, it's one that may take time to come to truth.

Tori Hanson: Ninja Storm Blue Ranger, her team almost entirely gone, she followed after Hunter and Laura when they left the Renegades, abandoning the team who had helped and accepted them in after the tragedy at the Ninja Academy. Emotional but good natured, the fact she left with them leaves hope that reason might win over and they will at least survive in the wild world they now live in.

Of the monsters:

Katina van Dran: Evil US senator turned something far more sinister, she's the embodiment of a dangerous woman, she's the monster the monsters under the bed fear, and her survival is a mystery but not a miracle. She was supposed to die at the government compound along with Tommy Oliver but survived; her obsession with the destruction of the Power Rangers led to her to ultimately be the most dangerous enemy they had. Following the Cataclysm, she fought and defeated Divatox, ex-ruler of the Angel Grove Aspect of Shadows; outside of one invasion effort where she killed Daishi, ruler of the Rinshi Aspect of Shadows, and absorbed his forces, she has been quiet. Too quiet. No one dares fight her. No one dares try. But the Renegades can't ignore her forever....

The Shadow: Ruler of Devil's Landing, nothing is known of this mysterious figure including who they really are nor their ambitions. Chase and Riley have been sent out to look into them and thusfar brought back very little information, only that nothing is what it seems. What is known for certain though is that they are apparently interested in the Renegades' movements and members.

Astor Morgan: Evil US senator, he was supposed to have died near the Pai Zhua temple but his body disappeared. Where he is, whether he's alive or dead, and if he's alive what he's up to is all a mystery; some think he may be the Shadow, others think he is being held by Katina who he was known to have a very strange relationship with, but nothing is proven and nothing known.

Snide: Heckyl's other self, still existent within the mind and soul of the man, he occasionally still forces his way out. His hatred for Karone/Astronema seems only to be matched by his hatred for RJ and Tsuki, both of who have been known to be able to suppress him when Heckyl can't. He wants nothing more than to take over the body and wreck havoc and steal the Energems but so far is at bay. So far...

Chapter Text

There was a certain kind of silence that came with the coming of daybreak, special to that moment and that moment alone. It was something best akin to anticipation, when the world might still be drawn to the darkness but slowly, surely opening itself to the light. The sun barely peaking over a dark horizon, the chill of night giving way to the warmth of morning, and the bodies that once allowed themselves to be wrapped in slumber starting to gradually return to the world.

Save for those, of course, who did not sleep. High atop a hastily constructed tower a man stood, looking out into the distance, eyes searching for any hint of a something. It had been a solid week since the last bit of news and while information had, in the wake of what occurred a year prior, become slower to move and harder to find, there was importance attached to what he was waiting for specifically that had caused him to slowly sleep less and less until finally he had simply avoided it all together that night. He wanted to be awake to see it come, he wanted to ensure that nothing got in the way of it getting to them. As the trickles of morning sunlight started to appear it caught in the air, causing sparkles that he was far from unfamiliar with; it had been a year, a full year, and by now the way the barrier glistened at sunrise was something he was mostly used to. Yet he could not argue that it was not absolutely beautiful nevertheless.

“Billy!” The voice broke through the air and shook him to his core. At first it took time for his mind to understand it, to take in that someone was calling out to him, followed by a realization of who; he was not entirely sure if he wanted to wince or pretend not to hear. He had no particular issue against them. In fact the speaker was one of his oldest friends, a dear one at that and one of the few still living and breathing and by his side, but the thing he was waiting for, that he wanted so desperately, it drew him away still and he was not sure about answering what could as easily just be his friend trying to find him just for the act of doing so.

“Billy Cranston, where are you?” the voice called again and this time he did wince; their tone was more insistent, less flexible. There was concern there, there was frustration. He wondered what was the issue now and with one last look to the horizon he made his way down the tower and to the ground.

To look upon Abby Navarro was to forget she was a mother with a teenage son, not least of all because she herself currently had a teenage body. Yet this confusion could only last for so long until one really took a look at her and realized that physical age meant nothing in truth; she had the air of a motherly figure and could easily make the kind of expressions that made one instantly wish to apologize, even if you weren't entirely sure for what reason. That was the sensation that Billy got at least as he made contact with her and found himself being examined by a stern look.

“Abby,” he said carefully, slowly, wondering what this could be about; did she know he wasn't sleeping? Did something happen to her son Tyler? Or to one of the others? The mere thought of it drew his thoughts instantly towards two in particular and he did his best not to feel sick or let himself dwell too much on that; he was sure they were fine, all of them, and if not, well, he'd make sure they would be.

“You were up in the tower again.” It wasn't a question, it was a statement, and there was something to her tone that made it clear she didn't approve.

Carefully he glanced up and in all honesty he could understand why. It really had been built with little thought to durability, materials, or safety; in the early days, when the lands were still in turmoil and under contention, even with their barrier, they had found themselves needing a high vantage point in hopes of keeping an eye out for monsters, mooks or whatever else might try to attack the city. As time had gone by this became less and less necessary, as the monsters divvied up the land, as the people took to their shelters, as it became clearer and clearer that nothing would change but they could at least try to survive the night. An added use to it was it served as a way to keep an eye on their allies as they left the barrier, as they walked off into the forest and towards whatever land they were going on their missions, to save people, to find what they needed, whatever it was; most found it too difficult thing, to watch their friends leave the safety of the barrier for the dangers out there, most never used it. But Billy did, Billy always did; someone had asked him why at some point but he never gave an answer. Those who understood, understood though; it was an obligation, a necessity, and a penance for crimes he could not bring himself to speak.

“It's a lot sturdier than it might look, Abby,” he said unsure how else to response; he could try to give an excuse but he didn't want to tell the truth and risk more trouble.

The frown on her face deepened and she sighed, running a hand through hair already far too messy. A little bit of him felt guilty but only a little as she spoke, “I suspect if I ask you why you were up there or why you're awake so early you won't give me a straight answer.”

“Affirmative.” That gained him a look from her but he tried to defuse it with a smile of his own, something forced. He adored Abby, he really did, but despite both of them looking like teenagers neither of them were children, especially after everything they had gone through. There felt like no reason to pretend. “What are you doing up so early yourself?”

“With RJ and Annie gone someone needs to be in charge of cooking,” she said and gave a small shrug, “Of course there's always Heckyl, he seems to have picked up a lot of tricks from RJ before he left, but he's been....distracted lately.”

That was an understatement. It was hard for Billy to remember a time in which the other man wasn't in some way preoccupied with something, first with Snide in his head, Karone in the infirmary, and then during the Cataclysm there had been something else, something only he and a certain other person seemed to understand but Billy never got any answers. For one Karone protected her reunited lover zealously and both had been busy trying to help however they could when the bombs and the monsters were first coming. On the other the other person hadn't exactly been talkative; just thinking about them made his heart ache and his fingers twitch and instinctively he looked towards a place only a few buildings away. She was probably still awake, she didn't sleep much either though for different reasons; the knight would keep her safe though, he could trust that. He would trust that.

Back to Heckyl though, the man had indeed been seeming more distracted of late but Billy shrugged a little himself, “Andros still isn't back from his salvage mission right? You know how he feels about Karone's brother, and how easily her worries affect him. Plus last I heard Prince Phillip and the Dino Charge kids were still busy dealing with the Darklands.”

He did not mention the two who were elsewhere; he didn't dare do so. Abby had been adamant about trying to convince them not to go but Chase had insisted and Riley had said it would be safer if they went together. They needed intel and the only way to get it would be with direct action, but even Billy would admit to some trepidation about sending two teenagers out on their own into an area that they didn't even know the identity of the master.

“I know, I know,” Abby said and glanced around the city; it was silent, still with that special sort that came with sunrise, less eerie and more peaceful, “It's nothing against him; I'm glad he seems to be opening up even as much as he had. Call it the mother in me, still worrying.”

“Point is that with RJ and Annie gone for now, and Heckyl being distracted, you figured you'd take over the responsibility of cooking for us,” Billy said pulling things back to the proper train of thought; she nodded and he smiled gently, “Well that's kind of you, thank you.”

“Honestly it's better than doing nothing.” Part of him felt like he wasn't supposed to hear that part but it came out nevertheless.

He could understand her feelings he supposed; over the course of the last year their group had dwindled, some going off on missions in attempts to help people, some leaving to complete some task they felt they needed to. Those who stayed behind did so for reasons, important ones, but as time passed and what news did come, it felt almost like they were being lazy.

The city, this last bastion of safety for them, the group who had once called themselves proudly the Renegades, needed protection though; they were far from the only inhabitants and there was culpability in their being there. These people would never have been in danger if not for them, the kingdom known as Zandar reduced to simply a city destroyed in the culmination of a domino of effects that started with a little boy and a Megazord. Billy could tell himself that they were not at fault, they did not choose to have to fight, they did not choose to be chased and hunted as they had, and they did not force that evil woman to do what she did or the bad guys from their nightmares to rise again and join in the dance of destruction. He did tell himself that, and others, whenever the feelings of guilt got so heavy he felt they might drown him, but he knew that there was no doubt that it was even just a little their doing. They could have laid down, they could have allowed themselves to be taken in. They could have let Tyler die at the Ninja Academy, all of Briarwood's residents to die in their burning city, leave the ones who needed saving to their fates, done nothing at all. Remembering that, remembering who they really are, that was what allowed him to bypass the parts of him that felt sick every time another one of the Power Rangers announced they would be going past the barrier, as he stayed behind for his own reasons and never went forward. It kept him sane, it kept him going.

“How's Tsuki doing?” The question from Abby came only as a surprise because he hadn't been paying attention but it was the same question she had asked for 365 days.

He glanced at Abby again, silent, staring as if to look through her then back towards that other building and he contemplated before answering, “The same as yesterday and the day before and the day before.”

There was a part of him that knew that was a throwaway answer and one she would pick up on immediately knowing him as she did. Billy spent a portion of his day helping out in the city but the majority of it specifically by the side of two particular members; he knew how much Tsuki Kokuryuu slept better than she did, and he usually knew what she was doing. Call it guilt, call it concern for an old friend, call it whatever you wanted, but protecting her and staying by her side was only right after what happened, what he had done.

Abby frowned, picking up on it but to his surprise she did not question it, moving on. “And Zack?”

That one made Billy twitch a little. Only Abby really would be so willing to outright ask about the most tortured of the group, quite literally. He wrung his hands together with some nervousness. “He actually smiled yesterday which was a nice change of pace but he has not shown any particular signs of recovery past a cursory surface level aspect. His psychological afflications and symptoms are still as of yet unchanged and unmodified.”

Even Billy was willing to admit that that was a bad sign, when he slipped so much back into a more technical way of speaking, like hiding under a comfortable blanket. But Abby knew him well and knew his tics; her frown growing proved it and he glanced around. “I better get going, I have been absent from my primary station for far too long. I look forward to indulging in your culinary masterpiece later, Abby.”

“...Alright Billy.” She said nothing else but that, did not try to stop him, did not question more. He was thankful for that and quickly made his way over to the building that kept drawing his attention.

As he had suspected Tsuki was awake, sitting as she often did in a chair near one of the windows; her eyes were gazing out into the distance, thoughts all her own and only hers floating around behind her scarlet eyes. Her hair was in a neat braid over one shoulder and Billy smiled lightly before speaking softly, “Thank you Sir Ivan.”

Near where Tsuki sat the knight in question looked up from sharpening his blade and gave an acknowledging nod. Though one of the most powerful of the Rangers, knowledgeable of the terrain of Zandar as a 800 year old knight and most of his teammates being out of the city, he had stayed behind because he saw it as his duty to defend Tsuki, something that seemed to most to go deeper than simply because she was the conduit to the Morphing Grid. Tsuki had stayed because she could barely bring herself to talk to anyone, nevermind go out on another grand adventure; in her right hand as always she fiddled with a familiar gold coin, never far from her hand, never anywhere really but in her hand. Just looking at it reminded Billy strongly of what, who, they had lost and he felt sick.

Billy approached her and she deigned to look at him, an act that did make him smile at least; it was not so much that she was unresponsive like some, like Zack, but rather that like them all she was wracked with guilt and pain. The difference was that most of them didn't have the memory of actually feeling the man they had loved for the better part of twenty years die painfully, didn't still hold his power coin in their hand. They didn't have the weight of dozens of different morphing totems on their hearts, and throughout the year he had come to understand a fraction of what her transformation into the conduit had done to the girl. She felt their pain, she knew their sorrow, and every Ranger who had died since the day she called upon the Power, what felt like a thousand years ago, she had felt each of those deaths as well. To have that on ones heart had to be immensely painful and he found himself falling to one knee before her and leaning in to wrap his arms around her, pulling the girl close. She did not flinch, she actually leaned into the hug, and he heard Ivan chuckle just as he did every time Billy did such a thing; he didn't quite understand why it was funny but it seemed to be to him.

“You need to sleep, Billy,” she said, her voice coming out measured and kind, a tinge of affection leaving his mind tingling.

“You do too, Tsuki,” he answered, allowing himself a chuckle, “But we both know you won't sleep.”

“You both require rest, Lady Tsuki, Sir Billy,” Ivan added, sounding amused and gentle all at once, “I heard previously from our dear friend Zedd that there would be an announcement later today.”

That made Billy's heart jump and without letting go of Tsuki he turned his head to look at Ivan. “Really?”

He had not heard anything of the sort but it was always possible that it happened while he was busy with one of his duties that required him away from the knight and the girl; there were only so many people in the city capable at medicine and even fewer as brilliant as he was with technology. Kendall had left with Keeper to continue the search for the remaining Energems, Shelby had gone forth with Koda and Prince Phillip to keep an eye on Sledge, Hayley was helping Andros look for parts to maybe one day possibly fix the Megaship, and Anton Mercer had left with his son Trent and Kira on a mission; that left much on his plate, between tending to the sick and injured, keeping equipment running, and whatever else came up. He did not like to leave Ivan and Tsuki's side but there were times that he did to; it was always possible Ivan had spoken to Zedd during that time.

The fact though that even thinking about Sir Ivan, a Power Ranger, talking to Lord Zedd, a being who had once tormented Billy and his friends, did not bother him should have bothered him more but the time to blame Zedd for anything had passed a very long time ago indeed. As far as he was concerned Zedd was a friend, and a good one at that; he smiled a little and spoke without thinking, “I wonder what Zedd's announcement is supposed to be.”

“Maybe some news about where Hunter and his group might be,” Tsuki said lightly stroking Billy's hair.

Now that, that came with mixed feelings. On one hand the idea of locating their missing friends was tempting to him but it was not a simple case of losing track of them. Hunter Bradley, his wife Laura and his teammate Tori had left of their own volition and in the year since the Cataclysm they heard nothing from them; even their last teammate Dustin had been unable to contact them. Thinking about the Ninja Storm Yellow always made him more irritated with Hunter than anything else of course; the man was still unable to walk even a year later and Billy was willing to put money on part of the problem being stress and worry over the location of his friends. That Hunter, angry over reasonable enough things, had not thought about the effect on his recuperation friend, worse yet Laura who was Dustin's own sister had been so willing to abandon him, along with Dustin's old friend Tori, it honestly angered him. For Dustin's sake, for the sake of making sure they were safe, he would not mind some news about them; remembering the concern and confusion and the pain Dustin had had to go through worrying over them, part of him didn't want to deal with Hunter Bradley and his nasty temper any time soon.

“Perhaps” was his answer and he allowed himself to close his eyes as she continued to stroke his hair, a mistake he quickly realized; he heard her start to hum, some soft sweet song that made him relax, to loosen his grip around her and instead move to set his head in her lap. It took only a minute or so for Billy to fall asleep.

When he woke it was bright outside, daytime in full swing; outside the window was the sound of activity and life, voices that spoke in tones that were not panicked but not particularly relaxed. He felt the sunlight on his face, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and lifting his head found the pleasing sight of Tsuki seeming to be fast asleep herself.

“She dozed off soon after you.” Ivan spoke in a very quiet tone but one more than loud enough for Billy to hear.

He turned his head to find the knight still sitting where he had been though his sword was now aside and he had a basket of food in his lap. Noting Billy's gaze he smiled some and lifted the basket, “I went to procure some breakfast from Abigail; when I informed her that both you and Lady Tsuki were resting, she insisted I take this food to wait for your awakening. You were not out for nearly as long as you perhaps should have been, Sir Billy, but I suppose a little sleep is better than none, correct?”

Billy was not sure how to answer that, or if he really wanted to try. He settled for a nod before turning back to look at Tsuki, admiring the serenity in her face; there was peace there, a kind that he seldom got to see with the way the world now was but one he was happy to see. The idea of waking her made him hesitate but food was as important as rest and he wouldn't feel quite right letting her miss out on breakfast.

Carefully he shook her, watching as her expression changed, annoyed then confused and finally tinged with happiness as she opened her eyes to see him. She smiled back at him and stretched. “How long was I out?”

“A few hours it seems; Sir Ivan got us food while we were both slumbering,” He said and she turned to look at Ivan who continued to hold up the basket of food, “Are you feeling up for eating?”

Tsuki thought for a moment before nodding. “I think I can handle that much.”

This pleased Billy and he got up, feeling his body pop as he stretched and tried to get out the cricks. His body might be young, as much a teenager as Abby's was now, but he was still an older man inside and it seemed that the aches followed even when his physical age had been regressed. Once he felt like he would be able to handle moving around he offered a hand to Tsuki who took it and let him help her to her feet; they walked over to the table to sit with Ivan, allowing him to set out the food. Billy wondered if he had put off eating as well and would not put it past the knight to tell the truth; it was well within his personality to wait for two people to wake up before eating, especially if those two were his usual day to day companions.

Abby's cooking was always comforting, even when slightly cold. The trio ate in relative peace; there was little need to talk too much, not much to talk on, not much need. The sounds of the city floated into the building, muffled voices and the sound of movement that came with the usual day to day events, making for a nice background noise. Billy looked at his two companions but found nothing of particular note, both were eating and seemed calm; he turned towards the nearest window, catching sight of someone carrying some equipment past. There always seemed to be something in need of fixing around there, something broken or breaking, or that maybe could just use some modifying. But as long as it wasn't anything vital he wasn't too terribly concerned; he would know if it was vital he figured.

It was partway through their meal when a person came to the door, knocking on the doorframe. “Hello?”

Turning Billy found the familiar face of Princess Lyta, youngest child of the King and Queen of Zandar and Phillip's younger sister; the child had proven helpful from day one and still often was seen around the city helping anyone who needed it, especially when it came to anything involving engineering. He thought of how often she had climbed around in the guts of the Megaship for them, their own princess grease monkey, and it made him smile at her. “Good morning Lyta, how may we help you?”

“Zedd wants everyone to meet in the town hall,” she answered smiling back at them, adjusting the goggles she constantly wore around her neck, “Apparently one of the others has come back from their mission with news though I don't know who yet.”

He stopped. Was it possible that what he was waiting for happened? He wondered if he dared hope. Billy looked back to Ivan and Tsuki who both looked rather calm about her words. The latter nodded and smiled as well. “We'll be there, thank you Lyta.”

The princess beamed and turned to run off, Ivan starting to gather up their plates. “Shall we make a stop by the kitchens to turn in our plates then head to the town hall?”

“That sounds like the most reasonable idea,” Billy said, trying still to keep his focus; still his mind kept slipping away to the possiblities.

The idea only one of the two sent there had returned was concerning but he didn't know it was either of them, or even if maybe both did return and Lyta only talked about it like only one. Billy didn't know yet who was it that would be waiting for them in the city hall but helping clean up and get ready to go out, taking Tsuki's hand in one of his and feeling her give him a reassuring squeeze, he did his best to try to keep his mind open to what they may hear or see.

It was after all all he could do in the longrun.