Chapter Text
Ashe, both as slowly and as quickly as she could muster, raised one hand to the door. There was a long, hanging moment of apprehension, of doubt, before Dont poked her sharply in the shoulder. She sighed, and knocked hard on the wood.
The wait, to be fair, was agonizing. She resisted the urge to count seconds under her breath as she stood there. Should she knock again? What if Gregor wasn’t there? There were blinds over the window in the door - what if he knew she was there and didn’t want to see her?
She guessed it was a minute by the time she knocked again, hopefully louder but probably not. Another wait, another silence, and then she slowly lowered her hand, still balled into a fist, to her side. Ashe managed a single step away before the door’s hinges finally creaked as it opened.
The man standing there wasn’t quite what she had been expecting to see, dressed as casually as he had when they were kids. Either his hair had grown longer or he hadn’t taken usual care with it that morning, bangs hanging almost too far in front of his face. He’d dropped the uniform for comfort, wearing a loose grey t-shirt and blue jeans instead. And, as he settled into the doorframe - leaning on it like someone half his age - Ashe noticed the slightest limp he was trying and failing to hide.
She opened her mouth, a million possibilities of conversation springing to mind, before she picked the simplest and easiest.
“Hi.”
He almost smiled. “Hi.”
He seemed surprisingly not worse for wear. She’d expected a cast at the least, or even him taking a few vacation days. But of course, of all people, Gregor Hartway hadn’t taken off work. “Are you…?”
“I’m fine. The lantern lady fixed me up a bit after we left the museum. Still hurts, but not nearly as bad as it did at first.”
“Oh. Okay.” Gods, she’d practiced this a dozen times. Why was doing it in person so difficult? Dont nudged her again, and she went for the simplest phrasing. “I wanted to… I came by to apologize.”
If he was surprised, he didn’t show it.
“It was unfair of me to leave you in the dark about all that, even if I only wanted to protect you, and it was especially unfair after you already got hurt. I understand if you’re angry with me or fed up after all that happened with Charoth… and I’m sorry.”
Slowly, the detective smiled. It wasn’t as bright as his usual grin, but no less earnest - instead it was small, quiet, and calm. It struck her suddenly that Gregor seemed very tired. “I appreciate it, Kelly.”
She frowned. That hadn’t been forgiveness - not that she deserved it so easily. Still, she’d said her piece, and there were other things to talk about. She looked him over again, and wondered if this might not be too much. “Are you… okay?”
“What? Oh, yeah, I’m fine!” For a moment, he seemed lively again, if a bit frazzled. More like normal. “Just… trying to balance an explanation for this and a sudden influx in paperwork after a dozen noise complaints and earthquake reports coming from the art district…” He shrugged. “All in a day’s work, I guess.”
Ashe glanced at Dont, who nodded reassuringly - almost eagerly. “I did have something to ask you concerning… that.”
He kept his smile and stood aside, gesturing her into the cramped office. Ashe stepped inside and he slid the door shut behind her. Dont fluttered over to the light switch and flicked it off, leaving the room lit only by the sunlight flooding in from the window.
Gregor raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as Ashe tried to find words again. “Look. Even with Charoth purified and Inien beaten, they’re not the only darkness in the world. We both know I’m not going to stop doing this. And I don’t want you worried about me all the time, and you don’t want me worried about you all the time…”
“So do you wanna be a Spirit Guardian too?” Dont piped up as she settled down on the detective’s desk. “That way you’re both safe, even if you don’t get into the thick of things, and you can keep an eye on Ashe when things get tough.”
“And I don’t think either of us could’ve stopped Inien and Markus on our own,” Ashe added, voice trailing off slightly.
Hartway rested one hand on his face and leaned back against the desk. "You do realize you’re asking me to break the law?”
“Well, there’ll be less thievery, now that the curator’s got his memory back,” she offered. “You don’t have to tag along if you don’t want to, and you don’t have to accept the offer otherwise. I just figured…”
He sighed. “It’s for the greater good?”
She visibly relaxed, shoulders slouching some as she realized how tense she was. “For the greater good.”
“I can stop by Melinda Museum after work in a couple hours, if that’s fine with you.”
“It is.”
“Great.” He moved back and opened the door, propping it open with his good foot. “I’ll see you later… what did the pigbat call you?”
“Ashe,” both of them answered at once. Ashe looked at Dont, who just smiled and shrugged.
She and her pigbat companion together headed out the door, and behind them, Gregor added, "See you later then, Ashe.”
She waved, only noticing once the door had closed that she had a huge grin on her face.
—
Ashe stepped inside, slipping the key into her bag. She turned to close the door behind herself, but stopped mid-turn as she actually saw her room.
She shut the door with a heavy slam, letting her head hang as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, well aware she might have some shouting to do in the next minute or two. Slowly, she turned to face the intruder. She managed a single step in his direction before Markus flew up from his seat - her desk chair - and stopped her with one hand. “Wait, wait, wait.”
“Markus - ”
He reached into his jacket and slid out a single red rose, which he proceeded to place gently behind her ear with a smile. “I was right, it does match your eyes.”
“Markus.” She snapped her fingers directly in front of his face. The only thing keeping her from shouting was the fact that he was here untransformed, rhinestone glasses and heavy scarf and all. “Markus, what’re you doing here? What do you want? How did you even get into my room?”
“You’d be surprised what confidence and someone’s name will get you. And a bit of lock-picking.” He answered the easiest question first, glancing around nervously for a moment. Finally, he sighed and leaned back onto her bed. Ashe made a note to disinfect it later. “If you must know, Aesling - Kelly - whatever I’m supposed to call you now, I need your help.”
Ashe bit back a laugh. Of all the people, the great and powerful Markus Velafi needed her help?
She said exactly that. If he was surprised that she knew his full name, he didn’t show it.
“Yes.” For the briefest instance, something flashed across his face, though she couldn’t place if it was regret or fear or anger. “Inien was the one who paid me. I don’t have a place to stay, much money saved, or a real job…”
Ashe did her best, standing in front of her desk with her arms crossed, to keep a neutral expression. Dont fluttered nervously in the corner.
Markus averted his eyes, tilting his head and the sunlight catching his lenses. He looked torn between fearful and sinister. “And there’s… do you know that feeling? I’m guessing you experienced it, too, when you transformed as me. That biting hunger, and the darkness running through your veins and ready to burst through your hands in a conflagration of power…”
He balled his hands into fists and his voice dropped to a whisper. “It won’t go away, Ashe. I feel like everything’s falling apart around me and I don’t know what to do.”
She glanced over to Dont, the pigbat seeming equally conflicted as she watched the blond. She couldn’t believe the idea she was getting, but turning him away was too cold, even with everything between them. “Would you be willing to give up your Thief abilities?” Ashe finally asked. Markus looked stunned, though his expression softened some when she added, “Or even become a Guardian, like me?”
His head nodded so slightly it was almost imperceptible. “Yeah.”
“Great.” She nodded back. “You and Dont can go down to the museum together. I have to pick up some stuff at a store down the street and then I’ll join you.”
Dont’s expression changed to something like surprise, if not outright terror. Ashe could practically see the memory of her being tied up and tossed in the closet flashing through her mind. “He won’t try anything,” Ashe promised. She glared at him. “Will you, Markus?”
Markus raised an eyebrow. “No?” He seemed to realize that wasn’t quite enough, and raised his hand as if making an oath. “I won’t do anything to harm Hedwig.”
Ashe knew it was the best they would get out of him. “See?” She pulled the door open. He dutifully got up from her bed, and a moment later, the pigbat followed him out the door.
Ashe collapsed into her desk chair with a sigh, burying her head in her hands. “This is going to be a long day…”
—
When Ashe arrived at Melinda Museum, bag at her side and newly acquired object waiting within it, she found the lobby empty - as expected, repairs were still underway - save for her trio of companions. Companions who, she noted dryly, seemed to only be barely tolerating each other’s existence.
Well, Dont and Gregor were fine. Neither of them seemed reassured by Markus standing awkwardly to the side, and the tension in the room visibly lowered as she pushed open the glass door.
“Kelly. What’s he doing here?” Gregor asked, still eyeing Markus warily.
The blond kept his expression resolutely neutral. “What’re you doing here?”
“Ashe!” The pigbat clapped her hooves happily as flew forward. “Finally.”
“‘Finally’?” She took a few steps into the museum, footsteps echoing across the empty halls. “You two were getting along after we defeated Charoth… kind of.”
“And then I remembered he tried to kill me.”
“And then I remembered he’s a cop.” Markus paused for a long moment before he continued. “Threatened. I threatened to kill you. There is a large difference. Um. Sorry about that, by the way.”
Ashe gestured to Markus with one hand. “Markus is here because he’s going to redeem himself. I think after all that’s happened, he’s at least earned that.” She tried her best not to sound sarcastic; if her tone carried any, no one mentioned it.
She looked pointedly at the blond. “And Gregor is here because he, at the very least, is going to get something to protect himself with.” From people like you went unsaid, but she could tell from her former rival’s bitter expression that he more than got the message.
Gregor looked up to the ceiling, the room mostly dim save for the sun’s rays streaming in from the skylight. “Are the lights not working yet?” he asked, interrupting the uncomfortable silence that momentarily threatened to settle.
“No, they are.” Dont glanced back and forth between the three awkwardly. “It’s, well, I turned the lights off in your office for the same reason. I don’t… Miss Kyl’il’s not supposed to know that I’m doing any of this. If I asked, I think there’s a fifty-fifty chance she’ll say no, so… I want to prove that it’ll work, first.”
“It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than beg for permission,” Markus quipped. “Although, won’t she know something’s happening, if she suddenly can’t see here?”
Dont blinked. “Um. I hadn’t thought of that, actually. Well, so long as she doesn’t notice right away.”
“And that’s why being a rebel can be handy at times,” Markus said smugly.
Ashe glared and pulled something out of her bag. She tightened her grip on it, and a moment later Markus sputtered and attempted to wipe the water droplets from his face.
“Is that a spray bottle?”
She nodded as he eyed her warily. “Yep. Be glad it’s not holy water.”
“You can’t just treat me like I’m a cat - GAH, STOP IT!” He sputtered again at the second assault, then pulled his glasses from his face and tried to find a dry spot on his shirt to wipe them off.
“Markus, with complete and utter honesty, I don’t trust you.” She moved her hand to her side, still clutching the bottle like a weapon.
“Wow, you don’t trust me? I’m so surprised.” He frowned and inspected the lenses before sliding his glasses back on. “I can be a goodie two-shoes like you.”
“I’m willing to watch you try. And until you’ve proven yourself, you’re going to get the spray bottle.”
Dont raised a hoof and coughed awkwardly, calling their attention back. “Now, if we could get this whole thing underway…” The group each turned to her and she fluttered close to Markus, then Gregor. “Let’s see… Ashe, come over here, too. I want to try something.”
“Okay?” She stepped to stand with the others, and the pigbat seemed lost in thought for a moment.
“This might be a bit difficult!” She announced. “For all of you, I’ll be modifying pre-existing spirit energy, instead of just giving it, like I did with Ashe when she was first made a Guardian. Let’s start with you, Ashe. Hold out your hand, this’ll hurt just a tiny bit.”
Once Ashe did as she was instructed, Dont moved close and bit her finger, the tiniest of fangs sinking easily into her skin. The girl flinched for a moment, and a second later she squeezed her eyes shut tight as a familiar ray of light enveloped her. It was unexpected and somewhat jolted, almost flickering, before it faded and Ashe was transformed. “Good thing this place is still closed for repairs,” she said as she looked herself over. “What did you do? That felt like it kind of… forced my magic forward.”
“I’m giving you all… I’m not quite sure what the proper term would be, but basically a way to manifest your abilities whilst untransformed. You’ll probably get a mark from it, kind of like a birthmark, but it’ll work as a focus if something ever happens and you can’t transform in public.”
“That’s useful,” she nodded and looked to her companions. Dont did as well, frowning and glancing between the duo several times before moving in front of Gregor.
“The only downside is that’ll leave you much more tired and out of it than usual. Let’s see, we’ll do the transformations for you two first, and then the mark. What do you want to use as your trinket? Ashe has her little charm-hairclip-thing.” She gestured to the pin on the Thief’s sash. “Something you can - or do - carry with you often.”
“That’s easy.” The detective reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny black leather square. At first Ashe thought it was a wallet, until he flipped it open to reveal his shining golden badge.
“That’ll do!” Dont gripped it with both hooves, making sure to hold it carefully as she lifted it from his palm. “Now, think about what you want to do with this power - how you want to help Ashe defend the city, how you want to protect others, that sort of thing.”
Gregor nodded solemnly, focusing. This wasn’t so different from his drive to become a police officer; it all came down to helping others with whatever he could do manage by his own two hands. Keeping them safe and sound from threats they didn’t even consider, or ones that appeared suddenly.
Dont waited a moment, then leaned forward to place her nose to his forehead. A flare of brilliant light filled the room, so bright it was almost blinding. After everyone had cleared the spots from their eyes, she noticed the look of surprise Gregor was giving her. “I needed to tap into the energy you already had. Um. Sorry.”
He shook his head and took the badge back. “It’s fine.”
“Alright, so, you’re going to have to try to command the energy to use to transform instead of just drawing on it. You’re using pre-existing energy, like I said - you got some of it when you were possessed by the spirit during the musical, and then a bunch more from wielding the Glaive of the Waves… Oh! One sec!” Dont abruptly took off into the east wing, and Gregor frowned ever so slightly.
He turned to the duo. “You’re going to have to explain to me at some point what exactly happened during the Phantom of the Opera.”
Markus at the very least looked slightly ashamed, and Ashe opened her mouth as if she were going to respond, then thought better of it. She turned and squirted Markus with the bottle again.
“You can’t do it retroactively!” He leaned forward and made a grab for the bottle, only to almost fall over as she darted backwards. Markus barely caught his balance, then grabbed at it again. Ashe took off, Markus following her. Gregor’s frown deepened.
Dont returned with the glaive in tow, watching the duo as they ran through the gallery with a bemused look. “Alright, let’s see if I can get this to work right,” she mumbled, evidently choosing to ignore them. “Show me your badge again, and think about when you first picked this up.”
Gregor did so, and the pigbat closed her eyes. She touched the tip of the glaive to the badge, and with another flash, it disappeared. Behind them, Markus came to a slow stop, hands on his knees and breathing heavy. “Truce?”
Ashe considered it for a moment, then nodded and placed the spray bottle on the floor. “Truce.”
“C’mon back here guys, it’s ready.” As the two came over - Markus considerably more slowly - Dont hovered backwards. “You’re going to want to imagine who you are, what you stand for, like a moment ago, but this time as if you’re showing others. The transformation should be instinctual, especially with the glaive there to help you.”
He looked as his badge with interest as she continued. “You’ll also be the group’s Warrior, so start it by saying ‘Handsome Magical Spirit Warrior Gregor’!”
“Why does he get to keep his name and I’m ‘Horatio’?” Markus crossed his arms. “It’s a good name, sure, but if others get to know me I want it to be by my name.”
“Guardian names, at the very least, are fluid.” Dont remarked. “If you want to stay Horatio you can be Horatio, if you want to be Markus then you can be Markus! Gregor has his first name because he seems quite confident in who he is and it fits for him. If he doesn’t like it, he can change it.” She glanced over to the detective. “You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Handsome Magical Spirit Warrior Gregor!”
Gregor held his badge tightly in one hand, and moved his arm out in front of him. He waited a moment for it to glow - as it did, he passed it across him in a straight line. The light lingered there, and at the end of its arc, the badge disappeared. He grabbed the line of light with his right hand, and as he did, its blade and crossguard blossomed, the light manifesting into wood at his fingertips.
He spun it once, then slammed the dull end into the ground; his hat popped off his head and vanished, his scar was wiped away as though it were a makeup under wet cloth, and his hair lengthened, now easily flowing down to his lower back.
Gregor spun the glaive for a couple moments more, masked behind it by the whirling metal and wood. A single band fastened itself around his hair, tying it back. He stopped abruptly and pulled the polearm to his side - at some point during his display, his uniform had been replaced. A single silver shoulder plate rested on his left side, and his hands, still gripping the glaive, were now covered by golden gauntlets. A pair of belts wrapped around his waist, and he wore silver boots to match his shoulder plate.
The remainder of his outfit was red, cloth flowing out to the side and past his waist as it almost covered his white pants. The front of it, in gold, reminded Ashe a little of the same kind of suit he’d worn during the musical, but not quite.
And he now stood, weapon in hand and ready for battle.
Dont clapped cheerfully. “Wow, that worked as well as I thought it would! Now, run your glaive through your hair and concentrate to activate your bindings.“ Gregor, somewhat uncertainly, did so, looking on in amazement as a trio of hair ties popped into existence and wrapped around it in three spots. His shoulder plate, gauntlets and boots each vanished. "Warriors have a tough time drawing on magic, so they don’t use it much - and your weapon is spirit enhanced, so you’ll likely have to use it as a focus for what little magic you can do.”
“Neat.” He ran his glaive back through his hair, nearly catching it on the first tie as the armor reappeared. “What’s the other one for?”
“Partially to look neat, and also so that in combat you can activate each side of your bindings together. Armor makes you stronger, ties make you faster. You can have both, but you’ll tire out real quickly.” She turned to Markus, immediately fluttering into his face and causing him to take an uncertain step back. “Now, gimme your trinket.”
He pulled his glasses from his face, almost tentatively handing them over. “Be careful with those. I don’t exactly have the cash on hand for replacements.”
Dont’s expression slowly twisted into a frown as she inspected the frames. “This is gonna be tougher than I thought… You’ve got a fair bit of non-corrupted energy - from Charoth, I’m guessing - but a lot more corrupted energy than I was expecting. I might need Ashe’s help with this.”
Markus took another half-step back and narrowed his eyes. “So you’re asking me to trust not only you, but Ashe, too?”
Ashe crossed her arms, mouth pressed into a thin line and expression unreadable. “Are you saying you asked me for help and didn’t already trust me? Or that I’m less trustworthy than you are?”
The blond mimicked her expression and the two engaged in a staredown. “Why do you insist on ruining my fun?”
After a moment, realizing that Ashe still hadn’t responded back with something snarky, Markus rolled his eyes. “See, this is where you reply ‘why do you insist on having fun?’ and then we bicker cutely for a bit.”
“Really?” She grinned. “I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time.”
Dont, for lack of fingers to snap with, loudly clapped her hind hooves together to once again grab their attention. “C’mon guys, the sooner we do this the sooner we get it over with. Ashe, put your hand on my back. If you feel any dark energy, purify it.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. Markus, for you… ” The pigbat looked uncertain for a moment, but then nodded. “Use whatever drew you to Ashe. Whatever feelings you had that helped save her life, or kept anyone from getting hurt at the school. Whatever pushed you to come ask for help. It’s the most pure thing I could draw out of you, and it’ll help Ashe sense any corrupted energy, too.”
As Dont flew closer to Markus, Ashe placed her hand in the small of her back, just behind her wings. The glasses in the pigbat’s grasp began to glow a pristine white, and, after closing her eyes, the Thief reached out with her own power.
She felt the circulation of Dont’s magic like the ebb and flow of a tide, lapping at her own as she focused. Thin drops of darkness seemed to appear within the pool, and as her energy took to purifying it, she took a couple seconds to consider what she, for lack of a better word, saw there.
Ashe had little experience with the powers of fully-fledged spirits - and only Charoth for that part - but she did find that Dont’s power reserves were larger than she’d expected for such a small creature. The energy did seem to taper off uncertainly past a point, and it was almost as if… as if the energy wasn’t aware the reserve was bigger.
Like it was artificially made larger.
Some part of Ashe guessed she - or Charoth - was responsible for that.
The ebb of the magic seemed to die some, and the corrupted energy stopped entirely, so she slowly pulled her own energy back, peeking one golden eye open.
Dont gave her an affirmative nod and she removed her hand. The pigbat fluttered forward and slid the glasses onto Markus’ face. He frowned and adjusted them.
“You should have very little dark energy left within you, if any at all. You know what to say?”
He nodded slowly. “I… heard it. Or something.”
Dont shrugged. “Magic does weird stuff. You’ve got a great affinity for it.”
Markus smirked, held two fingers to his lenses, and winked. “Handsome Dark Magical Rogue Markus!”
His hair loosened from its tie, leaving it to trail down his back as wisps of light blue began to dance around his glasses. They faded away, and the wisps each seemed to darken in color as they spread out.
Horns sprouted from his forehead, and as he spun around, one hand on his still-forming cape, Ashe caught sight of a pointed tail peeking out from beneath. After his bracers appeared around his wrists, claws extended from his fingers.
As his spin came to an end, he brought one leg down hard on the ground - a brief explosion of blue and red flame erupted around him. He shook his hair out of his face, and there was Markus, fully transformed.
He still grinned a sharp-toothed grin, but seemed less… hostile. He lacked the air of unease that Ashe hadn’t even realized he carried with him until now. His uniform was the same as it had always been, save for the missing mask. She could see the faintest shadows of those dark veins around his eyes, but decided it would be almost imperceptible to all but the most trained eye.
“Huh.” Markus looked himself over, then shrugged when he found nothing of his appearance different. “I like it. Keeps it looking ‘me’.”
“And demonic.” Ashe smirked.
“I happen to like demonic, thank you,” he spat back. “What do I do now, though, that I’m not drawing on dark magic for my attacks? Does your kind of magic even… have a pure manifestation?”
“Try it and see,” Dont offered. “Give me a minute to take a breather, this is wearing me out more than I thought. Oh, and thanks, Ashe.”
Markus leapt back, startled, when his hand suddenly erupted in blue-toned fire. It didn’t have the same murky quality as his shadow blasts, burning brightly instead of roiling mist. The tips of the fire seemed to almost tinge red, and he studied it in his palm.
The Rogue let the fire die, then tightened his hand into a fist and curled it in towards his wrist. “I think I can almost…” Like a magic trick, when he pulled back, tucked in his hand was a small dagger-looking weapon made of the same material. He laughed brightly, and Ashe realized that, for once, it was a sound without malice behind it. He’s certainly a different person, now.
Markus tossed the dagger in the air and watched it dissipate. “I can figure out a few tricks with this.”
Gregor eyed the flames warily. At the raised eyebrow he got from Ashe, he clarified, “I’m just… not so good with fire.”
“Oh.” She remembered hearing about that from Wren, after she had gone back home one year. “Right, sorry.”
“I’ll get used to it, I guess.” Gregor watched Markus for a minute, then started examining himself again. “I never would’ve thought any of this could exist.”
“Well, it does.” Ashe took a breath. “Sorry again for keeping it from you.”
Gregor shrugged. “I probably would’ve done the same. I can’t blame you, really.”
Markus looked towards the two of them, but before he could say anything, Dont flew back over to the trio.
“Alright, let’s get the marks underway for you two, now. Gregor, your turn again.” The Warrior obediently stepped before Dont. “I’m sorry to say, your mark is going to be a lot more painful than Ashe’s was. Considering how you acquired the awakening of your magic, it’ll be more like… a scar, I guess, than a birthmark.”
Gregor just shrugged. “It won’t be the first scar I’ve gotten.” He gestured with a thumb at his cheek, smiling a little.
Ashe seemed less accepting. “Are you sure?”
Dont nodded sagely. “It’s much safer for him to have one, especially since he’s your Warrior. A few seconds of pain are better than being caught without his badge and getting killed.”
“Kelly, I’ll be fine. And Dont is right, it’s better to be prepared at the cost of a little pain now.”
She mumbled something about not calling her that when she was transformed, but didn’t argue further. Her brow furrowed. “When did this all become so… serious?”
“Ashe, I almost maimed you when we first met and last week we all fought the shrimp-formed manifestation of death.” Markus flicked another one of his daggers into the air. “I think it’s always been serious.”
“It doesn’t seem that way sometimes - wait, manifestation of death? What?”
Markus blinked. “You didn’t know that’s what Charoth is?”
Ashe shook her head. Inien’s goals made more sense now. “But where did he come from then? And how did - ”
“I can explain later!” Dont dipped nervously, her flight faltering for just a moment before she regained her composure. “But for now, time’s probably running short. Gregor?”
“It would be better if it’s somewhere that it’ll be easy to cover, but also wouldn’t be suspicious if I wore something that left it visible,” Gregor said, focusing on the pigbat. Dont nodded and he held his hand out so she could bite his finger.
A second later Ashe winced as the sound and smell of meat burning hit her nose and ears, but Gregor just hissed quietly and clutched the back of his neck with his free hand, eyes clamped shut and teeth gritted.
He wasn’t kidding about being able to handle it. He’s certainly been through worse.
After a few seconds, the hissing stopped. While the detective took some deep breaths and Ashe lent him her shoulder to lean on, Dont turned to Markus.
“Yours will be different as well. Maybe more like a stain?” Before he could say anything, she flew forward and bit his finger.
Markus’s face was one of surprise for only an instant before it turned to one of horror and began to rub each arm as though he were attempting to get warm. “Gah - why would you - GAH.” A shudder ran through him and, after a moment, he finally dropped his hands from his arms and rubbed the back of his left shoulder. “Okay, first, a little more warning next time? That was extremely unpleasant.”
He turned his head to Dont and looked her straight in the eyes. “Second, you better start praying to whatever gods pigbats have and hope that didn’t cover my tattoos - “ The creaking of hinges cut Markus off mid-threat.
From behind the door that marked his office, the curator emerged. He didn’t seem at all surprised to see them, his face a mask as his gaze flicked quickly between each of the group before settling on Markus. “Hmph.”
“Hello…” Dont waved, then scrunched up her nose in confusion. “Do you want us to call you Dan or Thog?”
The curator shrugged. “Like I said a few days ago, I don’t care. Thog might be best because of the relation to spirit stuff, but obviously not in public.”
“You don’t mind us being here, right?”
Thog glanced at Ashe. “Nah. It’s easier to get to than Kinir, and better to get in contact with you if I need your help. Dealing with spirits should be much more… straightforward now. For both of us.” His eyes flicked back to the duo standing behind her. “And them, since it seems they’re involved again. Kyl’il didn’t give me any heads-up about that.”
Dont and Ashe shared a look. “It’s… just Dont, for now,” Ashe admitted.
Thog looked them all over again, a small smirk crossing his face. “Is that so?” He shook his head. “Have fun with that, then. I have more repairs to order.” He walked across to the front desk, grabbed a folder sitting there, and returned to his office.
The three Spirit Guardians all shifted their feet nervously, and looked at one another. “We’re a team now,” Ashe said quietly. “I don’t quite know all of what that’ll mean, but…” She bit her lip, not sure where to take that thought.
“It does mean we’ll support each other.” Gregor took a deep breath, then faced Markus. “If you really are turning over a new leaf, then I’ll try to put the past behind us.”
Markus nodded. “Thank you,” he said, surprisingly somber. It lasted only a moment before a smile returned. “And I’ll try not to choke you again.”
Gregor’s eyes narrowed. Ashe coughed and looked away.
Markus sighed, and rocked back on his heels. “Maybe a bit too soon? Really, for good guys, you two aren’t very forgiving.”
“Or maybe you need better jokes,” Ashe pointed out, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, I think that’s all we can do. There’s no spirits here tonight, right Dont?”
The pigbat shook her head. “Nope! None at all.” She looked around. “Or if there were, they kind of got burned out and scared into dormancy by the fight and Charoth awakening. It’ll be a while before things are fully back to normal. But there’s nothing we can do abo… oh no.” She drifted to the floor, cowering slightly as the lights flickered back on. “We’re out of time. Quick, transform back!”
An emblem started glowing on one of the lights along the wall, a flower blooming out of fire. Kyl’il’s voice sounded. “They might as well stay as they are.” A moment later an image of her appeared, ghostly and flickering like flame. “I was planning on seeing this as soon as things came back. I cannot say I was expecting to have to fight your power, young Dont.”
Dont dived behind Ashe, peeking out from behind the girl’s knees. “I, um. There’s a good reason for this!” she squeaked.
Gregor moved to Ashe’s side, kneeling for a moment to pick up the pigbat. She burrowed against his shoulder in thanks before turning to face her teacher, and he leveled his gaze at Kyl’il. “We asked for a way to help.”
“Well, maybe not to help exactly, but close enough,” Markus added, stepping forward as well.
Kyl’il tilted her head to the side. “Do you all truly think that I am angry? That I would appear in this way if I were in a rage, instead of actually leaving my home?”
“That’s… a good point,” Ashe said.
Dont relaxed, just a little. “You’re not mad? At all?”
Kyl’il’s image walked forward, passing through the remaining rubble instead of stepping over it. She studied the three Spirit Guardians, nodded to herself, then looked directly at Dont. “I’m training you to be able to be a Guardian Spirit,” she pointed out. “And as you gain experience, I must start trusting your judgment. Why not now, with two that have shown promise, and no dire situation immediately at hand?”
Dont perked up and giggled. “Thank you!” she said. “I’d thought… Since I didn’t ask first, you might be mad at that.”
“Perhaps a little,” Kyl’il admitted. “But it’s another precaution. If it’s something helpful like this, if it’s not you causing trouble, then I will not scald you for it. If I ever do, it is a sign that I’ve started to become corrupted, and you will have to do much more to fix things.”
Gregor turned towards his companions. “That’s a thing that can happen?”
Markus shrugged. “Any spirit can be affected by dark energy, yeah.”
“And so you’re taking precautions.” Ashe smiled, although her expression quickly turned to worry. “It’s smart, but is it really necessary?”
Kyl’il took a moment to answer. “It’s as necessary as faithful Gregor and burning Markus being given transformations. Which I am glad to see is all you felt the need to hide from me.” She nodded to each of them, and turned back towards the light she’d appeared from. “I trust you all to make the right decisions.” With that, she disappeared, her image dissipating into wisps of smoke and the emblem disappearing from the light.
Dont sighed, then turned to Ashe. “I should go to the lighthouse, and talk with Miss Kyl’il properly.” She glanced over her shoulder. “It felt like she was holding something back.”
“Yeah. I’ll see you later,” Ashe said, and then added quietly, “Tell Charoth hi for me?” She wasn’t sure why, but she liked reminding the spirit of her presence. Maybe because she’d purified him, or because he’d latched onto her after the fight.
“Of course!” Dont waved, then flew out of the museum.
“We should all get going,” Gregor pointed out, closing his eyes. He let go of his glaive, and with it his transformation. The armor fell away in wisps of smoke, there was a faint sheen of light around him, and then he stood in his normal form again. “It’s getting late.”
Markus also dropped his transformation, his costume melting away into shadows before a burst of purple light left him normal as well. He checked his phone. “It’s only seven thirty.”
“And a school night,” Gregor said with a pointed look at Ashe.
She rolled her eyes, but nodded and turned back. “Yeah, and I’m supposed to meet with my friends to study a bit anyways. I guess… We’ll see each other later?”
Both of the guys nodded. All three of them waved to each other and left the Melinda Museum, back to their ordinary selves for the night.
—
Gregor returned to the precinct building, and to his office. Azura was just leaving her own office, and stopped to lean against his doorframe. “Do you need something, Captain?” Gregor asked.
Camberwell looked him over. “I’m trying to cut you some slack, Hartway,” she said. “Considering your injury and that you are still helping the rookies right now with their own cases. But I need that report on the Melinda incident by noon tomorrow.”
He sat at his desk, trying not to look too pained by his leg while doing so. “I know. Sorry, I’ve just been waiting for when I can think it all through and not have it get hazy.”
An odd expression dawned on her as she raised a hand to her face, not quite touching the old scars there. “And I know how that is. But a simple gas explosion doesn’t cause that kind of destruction, not without help.”
“Understood, Captain.” Gregor picked up a pen. “I’ll get started now.”
She smiled at that, and straightened a little. “You don’t have to - I didn’t mean to take up your night. I’m not even that much of a workaholic.”
“But I’ve been putting this off.”
“True. In that case, I’ll be in my office. Let me know when you’re done.” She nodded to him and walked away.
“Yes’m.” Gregor saluted her as she turned around, knowing it was better not to argue. Azura always refused to leave anyone alone overnight. There was an understandable reason for it, but Gregor felt a little guilty over making her stay when she’d been planning to head out.
He looked at the blank paper in front of him, ready for his personal accounting of what had happened at the museum. The papers all said it was a gas explosion, and Dan backed that up enough that the reporters had all cleared out over the last few days, the lack of further thefts further dulling their interest. No one had been hurt besides himself. All that could be considered ‘off’ about it was some odd rubble placement, the lack of any burst lines, and an officer’s intuition.
I should tell the truth. …Except… that’d just cause more trouble for Kelly - for Ashe, and for Markus. It would bring too much attention to Dan and Kyl’il and spirits, and maybe cause a witch hunt. But it would also help Azura get a sense of what’s going on, to better protect the citizens of the city. Isn’t that what I should do? Protect Braeden?
Kyl’il’s words echoed in his head.
I trust you all to make the right decisions.
Gregor took a deep breath, and started writing.
—
Markus wandered aimlessly, unsure of where to go. His own hotel room was paid until the end of the month, and still available, but it didn’t feel right staying there. Not anymore. So far he’d been lucky, finding a few parties to crash and taking up space on someone’s couch after everyone else was passed out. But that was risky.
He was already out of cash, too, without Inien around to pay him every couple days. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he passed a crowd of people. Normally he’d try and pickpocket something, but he reminded himself that he really should try to put that behind him. He was going to be a good guy now.
Whatever that meant.
Use whatever drew you to Ashe.
The pigbat’s words came back to the front of his mind. Not entirely useful at the moment. There were no muggings to stop, no thefts he could halt. Nothing that might earn him a decent reward.
He passed the street leading down to the docks, the wind heavy with the smell of saltwater. The pigbat’s words weren’t going to help him, but maybe a similar thought would. Markus headed towards the warehouses near the docks, quiet and slippery as a shadow. The guards were easy enough to slip past, and he found his destination quickly enough.
He might be above stealing now, but picking a lock was something else entirely. That didn’t have to hurt anyone. A simple padlock, a doorknob, and Markus was in.
It still smelled like death and sickness and blood. But it had four walls, and a roof, and seemed to be just as abandoned as the first time he’d come here. Markus tore down a bit of cloth hanging as a makeshift wall, and leaned against an actual wall as he collapsed to the floor.
It was hard to shut out the memories as he fell asleep, but he managed - except for Inien’s laugh, ringing through Markus’ head, here where she’d first judged him worthy.
—
Ashe found her friends in the lounge area of their dorm, clustered together at a table. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she set her bag down.
“Kels!” Selena looked up excitedly and nudged a chair out for her. “Have you heard? We’re getting that science T.A. early!”
“Rachel saw him - he asked her for directions to the main office. She said he’s really cute,” Eileen added dryly, when Ashe just looked confused for a moment. “Although until we can see him for ourselves, I’m not going to get too excited.”
Aeva shushed them. “We can gossip later. I need help with my math first, though. Kelly, can you help explain this? Selena’s too smart for me.”
Ashe smiled, sitting down. “Yeah, I can help.” She got her books out. This was normal, being with her friends and finishing homework. Talking about school gossip, and changes with their teachers. But she kept glancing outside, hoping to see a pigbat silhouette flying back towards the dorm. Kept thinking about having people to help her with spirit things now. About trusting someone that had hurt her, and earning back the trust of one of her oldest friends.
Being at school was normal, but she itched to be at the museum, trying to purify a spirit, helping people and putting her focus to something meaningful. She wanted to be transformed, fire and life coursing through her, lightning at her call.
Any spirit can be corrupted, yeah.
Markus’s words made her shudder. “I’m fine, just a bit chilly in here,” she said when her friends looked up worriedly. She took a deep breath and shook her head, forcing herself to focus on her friends. Normal. I’m normal right now, she thought. And like it or not, I have to act like it.