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Fantasy Cosmical Glitch ( ellarose & starboob. )

"Mm, I'm okay." Lettie confirms softly, even if 'okay' is a tiny bit of an exaggeration at the moment. Vertigo hits her in a rush the second she moves her head and Juno holds her steady through it. She may not be there yet, she's alive and will be okay and that's what really matters. By the time Juno strokes her cheeks, the room stops spinning and she can devote all of her attention to gazing back at her girlfriend. The faerie gradually calms her heart by matching the rhythm of her breathing to her pirate's. Each one is a reminder that she's breathing. She's alive, she's here. She's got her. Lettie takes Juno in at the same time that Juno takes her in. Taking note of every bandage, the way the swelling over her eye is just in the beginning stages of healing, her shoulder and the concerned crinkle between her brows. (Wearing that tee-shirt. She looks damn good in that shirt.) "You're okay. Thank stars you're okay."

Lettie reels back to the last thing she can remember, inadvertently sending a spike of panic through her all over again. Tears spring to her eyes before she can stop them. I worried you again, didn't I? "I-- I couldn't see very well. I just knew there was a lot of blood and..." Her breath hitches. She can vividly recall how it felt, waking up alone the first time after she lost Lina. Collapsed on the floor of a cold underground cell, weak and deprived of her source. Replaying that horrible moment over and over again. Hating herself for watching, hating herself for being helpless to stop it. She was terrified that history might repeat itself. "There was so much blood. It was hard to see and I couldn't tell if it was yours or..." Her sentences are all broken up, she can hardly articulate the enormity of it. "And I-- I promised..." Lettie buries her face into Juno's uninjured shoulder, letting herself cry it out of her system with abandon instead of faking a smile to smooth it all over. She cries until her chest aches, still purple and bruised from the Duchess's stiletto.

Some time passes and Lettie's eventually able to calm her breathing again. Resting her head against Juno's chest, she listens to the comforting thump-thump of her heartbeat.

"I promised I wouldn't let her hurt you again." Lettie's finally able to say it, though her voice is hoarse from all the weeping. She squeezes her hand. "I wanted to keep my promise. I know I was pushing myself... but I wanted to protect you, like you're always protecting me. We were backed into a corner. I thought if I could get the stewards to change sides..." She shakes her head, at a loss. "But in the end, I saw you and all that blood and wondered if I made another disaster magnet mistake." The faerie sinks against her girlfriend with a long sigh, rubbing little circles against the back of her bandaged knuckles. They're here now, though. Together. Alive. Lettie presses a kiss to Juno's temple. "I'm sorry that I scared you, Juju. I'm really sorry."

Lettie knows about James. And she knows that Juno's scared to death of losing her, too, because she understands all too well what it is to lose somebody who means the world and stars to her. They almost lost each other to that fear of getting too close. Of daring to love each other in a universe that's been so cruel to them.

"There's no goddess at the heart of Avangeline. Just this... horrible monster. The Reaper." Lettie's talking about it before she even realizes she's talking about it. She lifts her scarred wrist slightly between them, staring blankly at it. "It eats faeries. Absorbs their souls and their magic." She lowers her hand and snuggles in closer to Juno for comfort. Her heart races, afraid that the burning sensation may rise in her throat at any second. It never does. So she keeps going. "Those of us who get roped into the faerie ring are fed to it if we don't do what we're told." She manages a small, sad smile. "But you know me. I don't do what I'm told. And neither did Lina." Lina. She never thought she'd get to say her name again...

"We tried to escape... but we got caught. They locked us up, deprived us of our sources, and..." Lettie blinks hard, her lower lip wobbling. Geez. She thought she'd cried all her tears out already. "They made me watch, Juno. They lowered Lina into the pit where the Reaper was waiting and..." She burrows against her again. "I was right there. I was right there and I couldn't move. I couldn't stop it. And those bastards dragged it out as long as they could, lowering her inch by inch like they were trying to throw it in my face that--" She flinches. "That no matter how hard I struggled, they knew with this slimy, smug satisfaction that I wouldn't be strong enough to protect her."

The faerie takes a second to compose herself, her thoughts, reigning back in to the point she's trying to make.

"I stopped making promises after that. I didn't want to set expectations I'd never be able to meet." Lettie muses. "It's why I acted like such a lazy bones faerie when we met. If it turns out I'm not enough in the end, what was the point of trying to get close to anybody?" She peers up at Juno, white eyes boring into gray. "...But then at some point, by complete accident, I got close to you." She scrunches her nose playfully to make it clear that this accident is a happy accident, kissing her on the cheek. A moment later, she sobers. "Seeing how you fight, it... makes me want to try to be enough for you. For us. If I go out, I want to go out knowing I gave it my all. I don't want you to feel for a second like you're fighting on your own."

Emotionally exhausted now that she's emptied her heart, Lettie melts against Juno, idly tracing patterns against her arm. Then she glances at her searchingly. "...What happened back there?" If that blood didn't belong to Juno, then... there are a few conclusions she can come to on her own. The realization flickers in her eyes, but she still has questions. "Are you okay?" She takes the pirate's hand in her own, moving them over her heart. "...Here, I mean." She kisses her forehead. "And here."
 
Lettie talks and Juno listens, holding her girlfriend as she laments over her promises and all the ways she wishes to protect Juno. She holds her as she talks about the Reaper living at the center of Avangline and Lina, plus the fate that became her for her insubordination. Parts of this she doesn’t understand, not fully. Other parts she knows from the nightmare worlds that put their pasts on display. And to hear it directly from her faerie’s lips brings as much tragedy as it does perspective, her own insides burning on her faerie’s behalf, for all the ways she’s been silenced and forced to remain shallow with that knife hanging above her head.

With this context, Juno feels like an even bigger fool for her past mistakes—namely, the way she treated Lettie when they were last on Avangeline. Some part of her reminds her that it couldn’t have been helped with her own history of people leaving or her own inability to stay or with Lettie’s inability to reassure her. It was a brutal combination that left them fractured. And, in spite of all that, they’re still here, she reminds herself. She still gets to hold Lettie in her arms and console her as she crashes and crashes and crashes with enormity of everything she’s just experienced and the past that might always haunt her. In all the worlds that have tried to bring them down—most of all the ones that raised them—they still get to be each other’s. Juno takes comfort in that.

It occurs to her then that, of all the women in all the worlds, it’s this tiny little faerie who is so determined to be enough for Juno, so that she can protect her. Since parting ways with Eliza, no one has watched out for her. No one has cared enough about her. The Duchess might have said she cared for Juno, but she never truly did. Not in any way that mattered or in any way that Juno would have needed. To that woman, she was an object; some muscle and brutality at her beck and call. There only for her entertainment. Everything about their relationship had been conditional and, honestly, had Juno not betrayed her first, the Duchess surely would have at some point. And with Lettie that all is different—with Lettie, everything is unconditional. Her protection, her love, her trust. She just wants Juno. She only wants Juno. If other women were even half as good as her faerie, the worlds might not need them to do their vigilante shit.

As the conversation shifts back to the goddess’s tomb, that moment where all Lettie saw was blood, blood, blood, the pirate sinks a little into the bed, her features muddled with a mixture of emotions—confusion, relief, anger, confusion again. Since returning to Lady, no one has dared to ask her about the Duchess, save for Eliza, who followed up with Juno again once everyone was settled. But even then the pirate had merely shrugged and insisted she was fine. And she is fine. (She thinks.) What’s the Duchess but another person to add to her body count, right?

Right?

The pirate frowns, keeping her eyes on the fingers tracing shapes and patterns over her arms, smiling just faintly when the faerie kisses her. She closes her eyes against the feeling, breathing in deeply. She exhales.

“I don’t know,” she admits, lifting her gaze to meet Lettie’s. “It’s not how I imagined—not that I thought much about killing the Duchess, but I guess… I guess I would have thought I’d feel different. At the very least relieved, but…” She shrugs, at a loss. “Nothing. It’s not hollow or empty, I just don’t know how to feel.” The pirate runs her fingers through her hair, pushing her bangs from her face. They fall back into her eyes once her hand drops. (Her hair is getting shaggy again.) “I mean, yeah, she was awful and cruel, but when I was working with her I considered myself lucky, because for as much as she was those things, if you weren’t on her shit list, it was… tolerable. I didn’t really think I hated her.” Mostly because Juno never let herself think much about how she felt back then. She kept her head down and did what she was told. The Duchess liked that about her. “Even if the thought to kill her had occurred to me, she felt untouchable. Even if anyone had managed to, they’d still have to deal with her loyalists. She’s not someone you just cross and get away with it.” She says this without a hint of irony, like it hasn’t hit her that she’s done just that and survived. Each breath she takes is in defiance of what she thought had been true. Maybe it still hasn’t hit her.

“It’s surreal.” She settles on that for now. Then she presses her head to the wall, tilting her chin back to stare up at the ceiling. If she closes her eyes, she can still feel the spray drenching her. (Had the Duchess screamed? She doesn’t remember.)

“For everything she’s done, I think she deserved worse.” Though it never once occurred to her to draw out her death, to make her regret everything she had been. Not because Juno believes in mercy, but once she had her down, all she remembers is wanting to end her. She just wanted it to be finished, once and for all. She hadn’t wanted to give her the chance to escape, for a steward to help her. “And I wish it hadn’t been me, Lette.” Her gaze flits back down to Lettie, then to her hands. They flash red. She blinks and they’re clean again. “It was violent. I hate knowing I’m capable of that. I want to be more than that.

“I don’t like fighting.” Lettie already knows this. She’s the first and only person to know this about the pirate. And since knowing that, she hasn’t once used it against her. She’s been the only person who fights so that Juno doesn’t have to fight so hard, so that she doesn’t have to fight alone. She’s the only person who Juno trusts to fight for her. She takes her girlfriend’s hands in hers. “And I’ll always fight to protect you. Don’t… Don’t apologize for not being there, because without you, I’m not sure that opening would have presented itself.

“We were fuckin’ outnumbered and you got some of those stewards to switch sides. Not all, but you did get through to some and, I think, even at the end more were coming around.” Most of them had run off, but more stayed behind. Some are still there, watching over the tomb in case the Commodore arrives following the news of the Duchess’s murder—though Juno isn’t sure how fast word is going to travel. It will depend on those runaway stewards surviving Ripir. The great worm has shrieked almost every night since the Duchess was taken down, so she knows it’s been active again. “That wasn’t a disaster magnet mistake. Scared the fucking shit out of me, but it was your call to make. I trust you.”

She places one of Lettie’s hands over her heart. “You’re plenty enough for me and we won’t have to fight forever.” Juno has to believe that, at least. She has to believe that they’re nearing the end of all this. “And I don’t want you thinking about how I hate fighting when we’re back on Avangeline, okay? ‘Cause I’m fighting like hell to make sure we get your soul back. Yours and all the other fuckin’ faeries in the ring. I’ll punch the goddamn Reaper in his smug face. I’ll explode his skull, just like I did the Duchess's. His, then that douchebag demon. No one gets to hurt you like that and get away with it, hun. We’ll do it for Lina, Cerise, all the other fuckin’ faeries, okay? Not one bug left behind or forgotten.” Even if she’s teasing, her eyes and tone are serious, not wanting Lettie to doubt her determination for even a second. Not wanting her to try and fight her on this either.

The pirate pulls the faerie’s head against her chest. They lay there like that for some time, listening to each other breathe. Juno breaks the silence after a time, her voice a low whisper. “I am sorry for what happened to Lina. I know that’s a fuckin’ stupid thing to say—I’m sorry. Like it’s my fuckin’ fault or that it does anything, but… She didn’t deserve that.” She chews on the inside of her cheek, avoiding looking directly at Lettie as she says this. “I know I didn’t actually know her, but those nightmares made her feel real. I feel like those memories of her are really mine and…” She rubs her chest, massaging tension out of it. “I feel her. I know that’s weird as hell, but I do. I care about her and I mean it when I say we’ll punch all those assholes in the face for what they did to her. She's not going down in vain.”
 
"It's not weird, Juju. The nightmare worlds fucked with my head the same way." Lettie whispers after she finds her voice again, having been too touched for words. 'She's not going down in vain.' Feather-light, she walks her fingers up Juno's chest and reaches for her hand. "Did I tell you I almost apologized to Eliza for leaving the first time I met her?" She adds, tilting her head to the side. It's a good thing she stopped herself. Saying something like that would've been supremely weird... even weirder than the fact that she knew the woman's name before they were properly introduced. While it's totally in Eliza's nature to look after those who need looking after, she's fairly certain a statement like that would've raised a couple more red flags-- or at the very least, drawn more suspicion from her company. That strangeness combined with Thad being Thad could have very well convinced them to leave their asses behind after the bar brawl.

"The time she looked after us and protected us felt so real. Same goes for those moments we had with Lina and James, running around like we were a crew of our own." The faerie smiles fondly for a second before it melts into a thoughtful little frown. Nightmare worlds. Looking back on them now, she's got all kinds of mixed feelings.

"Those nightmare worlds are scary as shit and I don't wanna have to go through another one... but I can't help but feel grateful that we had the chance to see them again. Even if it wasn't real." Those memories brought them closer together. And knowing that Juno now remembers Lina the way she knew her... knowing that she wants to fight for her and the other faeries, too? It means more than she could possibly articulate with words. For so long, she's shouldered all of this alone. "I feel like I knew James, too. I remember him like a friend, even if I never really met him." She got a glimpse of what it was like to know James the way Juno knew him, the same way Juno did with Lina. There's something undeniably special about that.

"It's kinda surreal to be talking about all of this. I haven't been able to talk about Lina for years... Ravan and Ariel don't even know her name." Lettie sighs, nuzzling against Juno. "I'm glad that you got to know her for a little while. She would've liked you a lot." She grins softly, her eyes glazed over with a faraway look. "And I know she'd be happy, seeing me like this. Moving forward... and exploring the worlds with someone I love."

Lettie blushes. She's already confessed more than a couple of times at this point, but the butterflies in her chest still feel brand new. She kisses Juno and squeezes her hand.

"Though it would be nice to settle down someplace peaceful when our mission is over." Lettie muses. They need a serious break from all the traveling and fighting. Not just a couple hours -- or days, if the cubes are feeling generous-- before the next blip. "We could get a house and decorate it however we want. Plant a pretty memorial garden for Lina and James."

Lettie yawns as she continues theorizing about what a peaceful future could look like. She and Juno are on the verge of falling asleep in each other's arms when--

"Cap'n! Oh, cap'n! I have the most dreadful news." Abigail wails, barging into their room with something small cupped in her hands. From where she stands in the doorway, it's nearly impossible to tell what it is. "Wormy is... Wormy is dead."

Lettie rouses, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she slowly registers what's just been said. Who? Wormy...?

"It's dreadful, truly dreadful." Abigail shakes her head somberly, bringing Wormy close enough now that the faerie can see what's actually going on here. Oh. "Miss Lettie, you're awake! I'm so sorry that you're waking to this terrible news."

"No." Lettie says. Noticing the expression on Juno's face, knowing how cutely attached she's grown to the little caterpillar, her heart aches for her. She hurriedly reassures them both, waving her hands. "No, no, no, no, no. No. Everything is okay you guys. Wormy's not dead." She raises her finger in a scholarly way as she dives into her explanation. "Do you remember what we talked about before, Juju? This is a chrysalis. It's an exoskeleton that'll keep Wormy safe while they undergo metamorphosis and turn into a butterfly." She tilts her head to the side. "The process could take anywhere from five days to three weeks."

...Hehe. And then Lettie will get that spa day she's owed! She just has to hope that they'll actually live to see the day Wormy turns into a butterfly.

"I could explain it more over pancakes, if you want." Lettie nudges Juno. Having been so thoroughly startled awake by Abigail's urgency, she's not sure if she's gonna get back to sleep anytime soon. And along with that... she's incredibly hungry. She never did get around to asking how long she's been out since the fight. "What do you think?"
 
A soft life with Lettie. Juno never would have thought it possible before, but anything feels possible with Lettie. It’s so easy for her to believe that the worlds and whatever they desire is truly at the tips of their fingers, waiting to be grasped. In actuality, their live are dictated by fucking cubes, they have little say in where or when they leave, and yet Juno still feels closer to the edge of everything than she feels backed into a corner, tasked with doing the impossible, because of one little faerie.

She starts to drift thinking about this and the soft life she can have with Lettie. The soft life that they will have, because she knows they’re both fighting like hell for that future. That future where their only responsibilities are taking as many naps in the sun as possible and planting a garden for their lost loved ones. With the weight of her faerie pressed against her side, she isn’t sure she’s ever been so relaxed.

And with the violent interruption of her boneheaded crew member, she doesn’t know that she’s ever been so startled. Her heart rate hikes until it’s pulsing at the side of her neck, jolting her upright. She clenches against the aches, wincing and glaring at Abigail all at once. Whatever happened to that damn lock on their door, she needs it fucking restored. (For several reasons, now that she shares this room with Lettie.) “Abigail, you’re not—” supposed to interrupt me unless it’s important is what she almost says, but the skeleton finishes her own sentence first, revealing the news of Wormy's fate. ‘Oh no.’

This is something she regards as important and is already swinging her legs over the side of the bed to inspect her fallen friend. “Cedar’s gonna be so…” The pirate trails off, this time because Lettie reminds her about that totally fake transformation. She lifts a scarred brow, still not buying this story. (They’ve already made a bet about this and the faerie’s shit-eating grin as they shook on it should have told her to back down, but Juno is a stubborn pirate and has stubbornly refused to acknowledge what she already knows to be true.) “Pancakes sound nice.”

Truth be told, Juno’s not actually feeling like pancakes, but she knows her girlfriend likes breakfast foods late at night and remembers the Medic informing her that Lettie would probably have a large appetite once she woke—a result of the slumber and overexerting herself both. They walk to the kitchen, hand in hand, after Juno admits she probably shouldn’t carry Lettie there. On their walk Juno also informs Lettie that she’s been out for a few days. “It wasn’t so bad. You talk a lot in your sleep,” Juno grins, eyes sparking with mischief. “So it was almost like you weren’t even knocked out. Don’t worry only I heard.” She pauses, looking over her shoulder so she can see Lettie’s reaction when she adds, “And Mauve. You’ve been sharing a room with her the past few days.”

Juno then explains what happened to Mauve, how she recklessly came to their rescue and tried to take on the Duchess, and how that brought Juno back to reality. She admits this with no short amount of shame, feeling the weight of responsibility on her shoulders. “She might be up right now if you want to stop by, give her some pancakes, and apologize for scarring her with your monologues about my muscles.”

Once they're in the kitchen and all set up, Juno doesn’t press Lettie to share about butterflies while she makes pancakes—honestly, she’s still processing what she remembers from the last lesson. And, yeah, she doesn’t think she should be blamed for thinking that the bug digesting its own body to make a new one is fucking fake. It sounds fake! It doesn’t matter how Lettie explains it, Juno cannot wrap her mind around it. (But she has no problem believing that the dead can become… undead.) She all but refuses to wrap her mind around it, to be perfectly honest.

However, thinking of the butterflies does remind Juno of Lettie’s wings. After she narrowly avoids burning a heart-shaped pancake, she asks, “Do you want to get your wings back?” When she realizes how that sounds, in the context of the last time she tried that, she quickly clarifies. “I mean—not like… Not like that. Not unless you wanted to try, but I meant from the Duchess. She said she bought ‘em.” Fucking bitch. “I dunno where she’s been holing away since we destroyed her mansion, but I bet we could guilt the cubes into helping us locate them.” Not that the cubes are capable of feeling guilt. It took the little asshole months to actually understand the purpose of Marjorie’s rules and they’ve only just now started to implement those rules. Still, the cubes have been more reasonable as of late so it’s possible they can pull some strings to figure out where the Duchess is keeping Lettie’s wings. They can always spin it as a morale booster. “Pull one last heist on Desdemonia? If you want, of course. They’re your wings, so it’s your call.”

Juno slides the last pancake (for now) onto the plate and hands it plus a fork to Lettie. “Eat what you want and let me know if you want more," she insists. "You're the one who's been out for a few days.” She settles on top of the counter next to Lettie, one arm wrapped around her.

Yeah, like this, it's easy to believe that their soft life is already theirs.
 
"My wings..." Lettie muses, leaning against Juno while she reluctantly cuts off a piece of the heart shaped pancake on her plate. (It's so cute, it almost kills her to eat it. But she's also fucking starving and it smells delish, so it's not long before she's devouring it bite by bite. Juju's really been perfecting her secret hobby, hobby secret.) She swallows, her cheeks coloring naturally with satisfaction. It helps dull the pain, if only a little, when she considers the last time she saw her wings... severed from her body, sunken in puddles of blood. The Duchess's taunts still grate on her, along with the fact that those assholes on her world felt entitled to sell a literal part of her for a price. (Always finding new ways to use her and reap the benefits for themselves.) "It does piss me off that she bought them... that they're probably hanging up on a wall somewhere she thought was aesthetically pleasing."

The image of a revenge scheme framed by fiery explosions is appealing, too. Don't get her wrong, she is a dramatic little faerie and she lives for that shit. But...

"If our circumstances were any different, I'd say hell yeah. I love heisting with you." Lettie admits, idly swinging her legs. "But my decision's already made. If it comes between you and my wings, you'll always come first. I want to focus on our future. For now, that means surviving and completing our mission." She reaches for Juno's hand, offering an encouraging squeeze. "I know there's a possibility it could be a simple heist and I'm overthinking it, but... I'm just worried. I'd rather we be well-rested and ready before we return to the tomb. There's no telling how much it's gonna take out of us this time and we've had so many close calls lately."

For the first time in a long time, Lettie's priorities are truly aligned. (Before they were more along the lines of 'if I die, I want to make sure I go out looking hot as hell' and shit like that. Probably not the healthiest mindset to have.) She hasn't even checked a mirror since waking up, even after Juno informed her she's been out for days. Her pirate's expressions are the only mirror she needs lately. She loves her regardless of messy hair and bags under her eyes... and if she's got her love, then she's got everything. And she's realized she doesn't need to be the prettiest faerie in the room to be worthy of love. (It took time to get there, but she's finally unlearning all those lessons mother taught her.) And that's not to say Lettie's going to neglect her love for clothes, make-up and whatnot from now on because they were always genuine interests... they've simply become a hobby now more so than an obsession. A necessity.

"Eliza and her company are fighting with us and putting their lives on the line, too. We've gotta heal Desdemonia for them. Stars know they also deserve a peaceful future." Lettie finishes the last bite of her pancake and rests her head on Juno's shoulder. "Them and everyone else trying to get by, on this world and others that are falling apart. I imagine all the kids out there fighting like hell just to get by, like we had to, and..." She shakes her head. "Knowing that we can actually do something about that? It means way more to me than getting my wings back."

Lettie takes Juno's hand between both of hers, cradling it against her chest before shuffling up onto her knees so she can reach her lips with a kiss.

"I'm happiest just like this. I don't need anything more." Lettie smiles, squeezing her hand and kissing her again. She crawls into her lap, lightly draping her arms around her girlfriend's muscular shoulders. "And I want us both to make a full recovery so we can keep having moments like this. Okay?" The faerie kisses her pirate again. And again. And again. "You really do look good in that shirt." She whispers, drunk on the moment. She almost loses herself to it, her hands feather-light as they travel down Juno's arms to her waistline when--

"Ahem. Juuuust here to get a glass of water." Fucking Thad interrupts, awkwardly waltzing in past them with his eyes glued the floor.

"Eeek! Fuck! Read the room, Thad!" Lettie squeaks, almost incinerating the necromancer with her glare. Her expression softens just a touch when she notices Nico trailing in behind him with a tray. "...O-oh. You bringing stuff to Mauve?" She asks, blushing. This is the kitchen... and Lady has guests. She has to remember that. Shit. Once she's cooled down some, she tries to brush it off with an easygoing smile. "Juju made pancakes! We'll come with you."

***​

They visit Mauve and Lettie's fully caught up on everything that's happened since she's been out-- experiencing a range of emotions, from grief about Leona's fate to embarrassment over all the things she said in her sleep. News of Lettie's awakening spreads and gradually, most of the company and crew appear to check in during their visit with Mauve. They ask questions about everything she showed them about the goddess-- and they express their determination to see this through now that they know everything. (They're taking it seriously, just like she and Juno had when they saw that same truth with their own eyes.) Talking to the crew and the company only reaffirms all of the faerie's goals. They all deserve a break from worry and stress so they're prepared to face the goddess's tomb again. Heal Desdmonia so they all can move forward.

Lettie and Juno exchange a glance after they've both yawned a couple of times. Eventually, they head back to their room to get some more sleep.

It's a couple of hours later while Lettie's humming in the shower that Nico knocks at their door, coming in to see Juno specifically.

"I heard you guys talking before... and I want to steal her wings back. You in?" Nico reveals, his mind clearly set. The kid's been hankering for a fight ever since the battle... and now he seems especially determined to do something with all that pent up rage. "Don't even try to stop me, 'cause I'm going no matter what anybody says." He raises his hand, showing Juno the cube he's holding onto. A cube that could take him anywhere at any second. "Melvin said he'd take me. He said we can be in and out." (...Of course it's fucking Melvin. So irresponsible!) "So I just want to know if you're in or not."

"Going on a heist!" Melvin sings joyfully. The bastard. "We're going on a heist!"
 
Lettie insisted that Juno stay in bed after she sleepily tried to follow after her this morning. One cheek puff was all it took and the pirate was dutifully curling back under the covers. Though rest never returned to her. She tossed and turned, but without her girlfriend-shaped body pillow, she wasn’t able to drift back to slumber and, for once, she actually wanted to. (Gone are the days where the pirate would resist sleep for no other reason than she’s stubborn.)

After about twenty minutes of restlessly trying to get comfortable, Juno rolls out of the bed and begins getting ready. While she does need the bathroom, part of her might be concerned that her girlfriend will chew her out for being up in spite of her cheek puff orders to rest. Not that Lettie would actually be mad or actually chew her out. Lettie isn’t like that, but the pirate still worries about those cheek puffs. They’re too cute.

Anyway, she slips into her usual uniform—all black everything—and musses up her hair, trying to rub the cowlicks and wild strands that insist on sticking out of place. (Yeah, this would be loads easier if she just went into the bathroom and splashed some water on her hair, but she’s still not going to chance the cheek puff.) It’s even harder to do without a proper mirror. ‘Whatever. Lettie can fix it when she’s finished.’ She gives up on her hair and is just starting to tie the white scarf from their breakfast-for-dinner date around her wrist when Nico knocks, then enters their room.

She doesn’t even have a chance to ask the kid any questions before he’s launching into what has to be the worst fucking plan she’s ever heard. And it continues to devolve when he pulls out that fucking bastard, Melvin. (They honestly should have buried Melvin back on Fabel, just for the hell of it. Useless little bastard.)

The pirate has to swallow the heat rising in her throat, threatening to come out as misdirected fire, and reminds herself that he's just a kid and she's been him before. (More times than she'd like to admit, honestly.) More than anyone else in the worlds, she knows that that approach will never work. That won’t reach Nico. The kid is just like her and she knows that’s probably what drew Eliza to him and his sister both—they’re reckless and need someone wiser to look out for them.

Juno lips form a thin, hard line as she places a hand on his shoulder and stares Nico in the eye, storm clouds meeting ash. “What are you tryna prove, Nico? Didn’t you hear Lettie say she doesn’t want us going after them?”

“D-Don’t try and talk me out of this!” Nico snaps, trying to keep his tone even and quiet, aware that the faerie is probably the one in the shower if Juno’s out here. “My mind’s made and Lettie—Olette—”

“You can probably call her Lettie.”

“Lettie. She’s just not doing it ‘cause she’s scared. But I’m not. I’m not fuckin’ scared of anything and I’m getting those wings back. It’s not like the Duchess can even get me.” He says this like it’s the ironclad reason he should be able to go, not at all realizing that anything related to the Duchess is probably crawling with stewards. Especially now. Regardless of whether or not the news has spread of her murder, that woman had contingencies for everything. And it wouldn’t surprise Juno to learn that simply not hearing from her within a certain time frame would trigger one of those plans into action. Not to mention some of her last fucking words were threatening those kids with the Commodore. (The one who has it out for Juno since she’s on the record for murdering both her kids. Even though neither accusation is true.) “If this is you saying you’re too chickenshit to go against your girlfriend, then just say so. I already told you, I’m leaving.”

“Yuppers! We’re heisting this bitch,” Melvin hums, completely oblivious to the severity of the situation. “Nico and Melvin style, babey!”

“Kid—”

“Don’t. You don’t get to call me that—you’re not Eliza.” Nico jerks himself away from Juno and takes a step back, holding the cube just out of Juno’s reach in case she tries to lunge for it. “Melvin, let’s go. In and out, right?”

“Yessir!”

“Mel—”

blip!

When the all consuming light clears from Juno’s vision, she’s alone in the bedroom and the kid and his bastard cube are gone. Damn. Fuck. Shit. For a few seconds, the pirate actually stands there, stunned. Too stunned to move or speak. ‘Get it together.’ She crushes her eyes shut with a determined nod, then turns to the bathroom.

From the outside, it sounds as though Lettie has just turned off the shower, and though there isn’t anything she hasn’t already seen (or explored…), she knocks, then cracks the door. “Kid’s—Nico’s gone. Left to steal your wings. He’s with Melvin. Couldn’t stop him. Get ready.” Her sentences come out in rushed fragments, her voice cracking in the most uncharacteristic fashion. With the restless urgency buzzing through her body, she doesn't wait for Lettie’s response and dashes out of the room to find Eliza.

It doesn’t take her much time, thankfully, as she finds her in the first place she goes to look: the infirmary.

Juno barges through the door, frantically scanning the room for Eliza who is sitting at the edge of the bed, watching Mauve sleep. Though the second Juno bursts in, she whips around, ready to chew out the motherfucker for making noise, but when she registers that it’s Juno and when she registers the kid’s worry, she steps up immediately and takes her outside. “What’s—”

“Nico.” Juno doesn’t wait for Eliza to finish. “He’s gone. Left—”

“Woah, woah—slow down. Deep breaths.” Eliza sets her hands on Juno’s shaking shoulders, holding her firm while she inhales and exhales, trying to calm herself. “Nico’s gone?”

Juno nods, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

“Where?”

“Duchess. He wants to get Lettie’s wings back. Told him not to, but—but—”

“Fuck.” Eliza doesn’t need Juno to finish that sentence. She knows her kids well enough to know what’s happened. She glances back towards the door, like she can see Mauve through it, then sighs. “Can we get to him?”

“I think so, yeah.” They’ll just need to track down a cube or Abigail and Juno will tear this entire ship apart if it means getting to that kid before he gets hurt or worse. “Yeah.”

“Alright, grab Olette,” Eliza orders, keeping her calm despite the circumstances. “Then meet back here in five to regroup. I’ll tell Marta we’re leaving and put her in charge. No one else is going ‘cept for us. You got that?”

Juno nods then hurries back through the ship, searching for any sign of a cube or Abigail before she reaches their bedroom. She passes several skeletons and soon, they’re all searching for Abigail, with strict orders to bring her to Juno.

“Lettie?” Juno slides back into their room some minutes later, searching the room for her. “You ready? We need to find a cube and get to that fuckin’ kid before he gets himself into more fuckin’ trouble. And I’m throttling Melvin the second I see that little bastard.”
 
"We should've buried Melvin back on Fabel." Lettie fumes as she steps out of the bathroom. She kept her outfit pick simple since she was in a hurry. Black trousers and boots paired with a white blouse. It's one of her 'classic pirate' looks-- and it's perfect for a heist now that her position on Lady is officially official. (All it needs is a cool jacket-- though she has yet to find the perfect one. It's gotta be something a touch more colorful than the rest of the ensemble. Something a little more her. She'll probably have to make it herself, the way she does most of her clothes, if she ever has the time to.) Her hands work quickly behind her as she finishes tying her damp hair back into a ponytail. Ugh. Can't even get a full shower in before the next crisis pops up thanks to that fucking Melvin. Seriously! When her hair frizzes up, it'll be that bastard cube's fault. Those thoughts are easily replaced by worry, though, when she considers Nico. Her brow furrows. "You said... he went to go get my wings? Did I hear that right?"

Damn it. It'd happened so fast and before Lettie knew it, she was frantically hopping from one foot to the next as she shimmied into her clothes. Mostly, though, she was spurned on by the panic she detected in Juno's voice.

"We'll find him, Juno." Lettie says, closing the distance between them and taking her girlfriend's hand to comfort her. "We won't let anything happen to him." Then she rises up to her tip-toes, insistently patting the pirate's unwounded shoulder in a silent demand for her to lean over so she can reach. She sticks her tongue out in concentration as she brushes her fingers through her hair to fix it just the way she likes it. "There, all ready now." Being as close as she is, she also swipes a bomb from Juno's belt for good measure with a playful little smirk. "Let's do this."

They step out to assess the situation and of all the cubes, they end up coming across the Medic first. And while the Medic has consistently been one of the more reasonable and reliable cubes, that's also part of the reason why they're of no use to them in these specific circumstances. "Need I remind you that you'll need your rest before the next mission?" The cube lectures. "Miss Lettie, you've only just regained consciousness. And Captain Juno, I have already given you a list of activities considered strenuous with your injuries! A rescue mission is certainly one of--"

"This is non-negotiable. We're going after Nico no matter what." Lettie flips the Medic the bird. She had wanted to rest this go around. She had her priorities in check and everything! But most of the time life doesn't go according to plan... and there's no way they're leaving Nico for dead to save their own necks. "If you didn't want anything like this to happen you really should've kept Melvin in check!"

"No one can keep the Melvin in check." The Medic says darkly. "'Tis an impossible task."

"Why are you talking like..." Lettie pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. Among the cubes, they've got names like the Master, the Mistress, the Mother, the Mastermind, and even the freaking Manager-- and the Medic is telling them that not a single one of them is capable of managing the likes of Melvin? "Never mind. We don't have time for this shit. If you won't help us we'll find someone who will."

And if they don't? They'll find a way there themselves... even if that option is less than ideal. Who knows what could happen to Nico in that time? The Medic sighs, offers them some pills in case they need them, and wishes them lucky.

Thankfully it doesn't come to them needing to find the Duchess's second estate on their own. They regroup with Eliza, who found Abigail with cubey one, the Maestro. (Apparently they were in the middle of a tea party. Abigail was giggling and pouring it into her eye-sockets... all while Prissy watched nearby in horror. Eliza then told them about the situation and rescued the poor cat, carrying her into Mauve's room to keep her company instead.) Unlike the Medic, cubey one has been with them since the very beginning and knows that regardless of what they might want for the mission, their faerie and necromancer duo are way too headstrong to be stopped. It'll be better for all of them in the long run if they agree to help them out here. Along with understanding Marjorie's rules, it seems they're also beginning to grasp the concept of teamwork. Growth.

"All right. We will rescue your small human." The cube sighs, acting like a fucking drama queen regardless. They turn to face Lettie. "Though I suppose to you, he is still a tall human."

"Fuck off, cubey! You're a cube. You're smaller than all of us!" Lettie argues, crossing her arms grumpily over her chest. No matter how much growth there is, the cube always seems to find time to burn the faerie. Asshole. "Stop wasting time. We need to go. Like, now."

Eliza glances a touch bewilderedly between the cube and Lettie's argument (clearly still getting used to the concept of talking, floating cubes) but she can at least get behind the faerie's insistence that they get moving. "She's right. Cut that shit out and take us where we need to go."

The cube's faces flash, then, spitting out a map with a blinking red dot. "Getting coordinates on... Melvin." Their tone is dripping with contempt when they say Melvin's name and Lettie's never related to the cube more than she has in this moment. Seems like their disdain for Melvin has them all united for once, like one big happy (dysfunctional) family. "Aaaand locked. Buckle up, buttercups."

Lettie takes Juno's hand as the familiar light swallows them up. Blip!

"Nico!" Eliza shouts quietly as the room they're in comes into focus. Fortunately, it's empty with the exception of them and Nico. (At least for now.) Lettie looks around to find that they're in what appears to be a recreational room set up with leather couches, a sleek bar, a couple of games and a grotesque monster-skin rug. There are crates all around, it seems to be in the process of renovation... sure enough, though, a heartbreakingly familiar pair of wings is already unpacked and hanging on the wall above the tall double doors for all to see.

It looks like Nico has stacked a bunch of the crates and is now standing on them, struggling to reach the wings. One of the crates near the bottom of the stack creaks and groans like it's on the verge of cracking under the weight of him. There are a number of ways this can go terribly wrong... but Melvin floats nearby, oblivious to the dangers and cheering the kid on with pom poms.

"So you came." Nico huffs, annoyed but not surprised. He turns his focus to the wings, reaching out a hand and barely grazing the bottom of them with his fingers. Sweat beads at his brow as he inches a little closer to the edge of the crate he's standing on. The crates wobble a bit. "I told you-- I can do this. In and out. Look around, there's nobody here!"

Lettie hardly registers what Nico's saying anymore. The second she sees her wings hanging there, revulsion and horror creeps up on her all at once. Her ears ring, muffling all of the sound around her. Memories drag her back to the past and in a flash, she sees those same wings the way she last saw them-- brutally crushed, ripped and lying in pools of blood. (She imagines them being collected, washed, and prettied up to be sold and somehow that makes it even worse.) There's something about seeing them in front of her instead of behind her, on her back where they belong that twists her stomach up in knots. She thought she could move past this and heal. She thought she was on her way, that she was handling it well. But when they're right there, right in front of her face... the punch to her gut is visceral. She's out of it, totally frozen.

"Kid, you know better than this. Just because it seems like there's no danger doesn't mean--" Eliza says... but she's interrupted when Nico's hand grazes Lettie's left wing, tilting it at an angle. His triumphant smile quickly changes into a frown. It's like triggering a switch... or a trap designed specifically for Juno and Lettie. Now that the wings have been touched, an obnoxious, booming alarm starts blaring.
 
The sirens go off and Juno knows they’re fucked.

Every nerve in her body floods with urgency. With her eyes on Nico and a hand linked with Lettie's, she’s ready to rush forward and tackle the kid off of the crates. Wings be damned, they need to get the fuck out of here before they discover exactly what these goddamn sirens are signalling.

But Lettie is frozen.

Juno tries to lead them forward and meets resistance. At first, she assumes it’s because Lettie has another plan in mind that she’s trying to execute, but when she looks back at her girlfriend, she sees her locked up, staring at her wings. ‘Fuck.’ It doesn’t take a mind reader to know what’s going on. Juno saw flashes of that night upon first seeing her wings mounted on the wall, modeled to look pretty. She saw those chains. She saw Lettie hanging from them. She saw that shadowy fuck with his bloody claws on her back. But it’s different for Juno. That night fucked them both up and Lettie’s the one who still has to live those repercussions; who will never be the same again; who is forever changed. Juno’s been forgiven. She’s able to blink away that night, but Lettie’s frozen and still there. She can see it in her blank white stare.

Protectively, she steps in front of Lettie’s line of sight, standing so close to her that she knows she’s the only thing that her girlfriend can see right now. “Hey, hey,” she whispers, setting her hands gently on Lettie’s shoulders, rubbing them consolingly, giving her something else to focus on. She curls her finger under her chin and tips it up, making sure that Lettie is staring at her. “I got you, Lette. No one’s going to touch you or hurt you like that again.” The sirens continue to blare in the background. She can hear Eliza and Nico getting into it, but the words are muted. At this moment, her entire world is Lettie. “You don’t need to be okay, but I need you to stick close to me. Can you do that?” In her current state, she doesn’t want Lettie fighting, but she can’t just leave her there either. If Juno weren’t already pushing the Medic’s orders, she’d sling her girlfriend over her back and carry her, but even she knows that’d be pushing it. So she needs the faerie to stick close, confident in her own abilities to keep her safe if she stays by her side. When she gets confirmation from Lettie, she kisses the top of her head then spins around, pulling on her just a bit to make sure she’s still with her before she lets go of her hand.

With the sirens, it’s impossible to hear what’s going on outside of this room. Whether there are boots stomping down the halls or whether they’ve still got time to get the fuck out unnoticed. (Though Juno is doubtful they’ll be so lucky.) Nico is still on top of those precariously stacked crates and Eliza is yelling at him from below, simultaneously trying to stabilize the wobbling stack. The kid isn’t listening. Sweat glistens off his skin in the low lit room. He stands on one foot, balancing on the tips of his toes with his tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth, trying to knock the corner of the mount. Juno can imagine his thoughts, knowing he thinks he’s just about got it. “Nico—”

Something rams into the double doors right below the kid, interrupting Juno. The impact cracks the door from the other side, though it’s not enough to get them to break just yet. Nico either doesn’t notice or continues to ignore the warnings with his steadfast determination to get those damn wings. He’s convinced he’s got this. Another slam shakes the door, this time with enough force that it manages to send the crates toppling underneath Nico’s feet at the same moment he manages to dislodge the mount from the wall.

Juno pivots into action. The second the crates give way, she lunges forward and now stands poised to catch the kid while he flails through the air. He lands against her chest and sends them both to the floor. Explosions burst over Juno’s bruised abdomen and she grits her teeth against the surge of pain, not so gently pushing the kid off of her as she snaps up to clutch the area. The wings lie on the ground a short distance away, but before anyone can lunge for them, the door cracks from their side, starting to give.

Eliza takes a step away and pulls out her machetes, readying for whatever comes next while Juno forces herself up to her feet. In the next moment, she’s tossing a smattering of bone shards at the door. The shards form into thick stakes that criss-cross over each other to create a barrier between them and the door. On the other side, the door shatters against another force of impact, shaking the newly formed bone blockade.

Voices and shouts layer over each other from the other side, guards or stewards or both working to knock down this next barrier. Juno, meanwhile, snatches the bastard cube from the air and shakes it. “What happened to that in and fuckin’ out, Melvin? What’s your fuckin’ plan now?”

“Just give me a minute, Miss Bossy Pants,” the bastard huffs. He shakes in Juno’s hand, as if trying to break free, but her grip is firm and tightens against his efforts. “We only just got here. I have a cooldown period, you know.”

“In. Then. Out.”

“Okay, my bad—I should have said in, then my cooling period, and then out.” Melvin doesn’t even sound the slightest bit sorry or alarmed. “I thought it was obvious though. Haven’t you been traveling with the Maestro long enough to know about the cooling period? We’re like Hot Pockets freshly out of the microwave after we blip.” Juno understands exactly zero percent of what the little bastard has just said, but that doesn’t stop him from cheerily continuing on. “Too dang hot! We’ll melt you.”

“He’s… He’s not lying,” the original bastard confirms with an exasperated sigh. “We’ll need five minutes before we can intervene.”

“Fine. Fuck it.” Juno grabs her bombs from her belt, two in each hand. (One is mysteriously missing though she knows exactly who has it.) “Let’s just blow this place up. Worked the first time, eh?”
 
'She's got me.' Lettie's almost upset with herself for needing the reminder at all after everything they've been through together. She knows Juno's got her better than she knows the contents of her make-up pouch, Lady's engine room, or even the lyrics of her own songs. She's already suffered and survived through the worst part of losing her wings, hasn't she? Proving to herself that she can totally get through this, too. It should be cake in comparison! Yet she possesses absolutely no control over that panicked, full-body tense that seizes her whenever she looks at or thinks about her wings. The long, jagged scars on her back prickle. Sensations of what it felt like to have them will ghost over her every now and then... but day by day, that feeling has become more numbed and distant. It's their absence that she feels every single day. Whenever she stands on her toes when faced with something she can't reach, whenever she falls. Whenever she stares up at the sky, feels the impulse to fly, and realizes she can't.

But Lettie's got Juno, who can reach the things she can't. Juno, who always catches her when she falls. Juno, who also happens to be the captain of a flying airship. Juno's a badass with big muscles and an even bigger heart. When she says no one's going to hurt her like that again, she believes her. 'She's got me.'

Lettie puts what little focus she has into following behind her pirate as instructed. She keeps her eyes trained on her back, unable to watch Nico's attempts to reach... to reach what he's trying to reach. Breath by breath, she repeats 'she's got me' like a mantra. Gradually, these efforts guide her back on a journey from the past to the present.

Just in time for her to catch snippets of conversation about... hot pockets? And microwaves? What the what?

"Like... pockets off a hot coat or pants? Why would you put those in the microwave?" Lettie crinkles her nose, mildly horrified. Similarly to Juno, she doesn't get the reference at all. Either she's missed something important or the cubes are fucking weird. (And let's be real, the cubes are definitely weird. There's no debate to be had about that.) She guesses the cubes and pockets are kinda similar? Given they're generally square-shaped and can carry all kinds of shit. She puffs her cheeks and then blows all the air out, waving her hand dismissively. "Whatev, don't explain. It doesn't matter."

The faerie wonders if the cubes are stalling for some unknown reason. After all, they have rapidly blipped her and Juno (and in some cases, her and Thad) from place to place in the past. But then again, those trips only included the two of them. (Occasionally with the skellie crew.) However, there was also that time that Carpet guy and his crew were incinerated by a blip. That's when it clicks that she and Juno might survive a quick blip, but Nico and Eliza... probably not. Of course they can't risk that. With that question quickly answered, she considers what came after the talk about hot pockets-- the important stuff.

"...Melvin, give us a countdown." Lettie demands, glaring ahead at their shaking barricade. "You got here at least a couple minutes before us, so you've gotta be close now."

"Right you are, Miss Lettie! We've only got two minutes to save the world!" Melvin sings as he projects a countdown with glowing red numbers. The cube attempts to beatbox and it mostly comes out as static. "Two minutes! Now one minute, fifty nine seconds and--" One of the bone spikes on the barricade breaks off and clatters onto the floor. Shit.

"Melvin, we've talked about this." Cubey the original sighs, indicating that they must have had this talk more than once. "The singing, it's--

"It's the final countdown!" Melvin spins and continues singing. Unfortunately, none of them can throttle the thing-- given he's their only way out of this mess. Deep down, Lettie wonders if the bastard knows that and is using that knowledge for evil. Two more spikes fall from the barricade.

"Save your bombs, baby." Lettie ignores the cubes bickering, pressing her hand over Juno's. There're no exits out of this room, after all, and there's no telling what might collapse on top of them if they explode the place right now. "I've got an idea... I've got this." She holds out her lipstick, then, wearing a wicked little smirk. The fucking faerie's back. "Can somebody write a petty message on the wall for these assholes while I work my magic? I'd do it myself, but..." Another bone spike falls. Ah, shit. She's gotta act! "Just make sure it's really petty. And, uh, legible."

There's a small tug of resistance when Lettie reaches for her magic-- a result of overexerting herself, no doubt. But she's only got to keep this up for a minute. She can do this-- she can last for a minute. Her pearly eyes glow faintly as she crafts a few butterflies in the palms of her hands. Gently, she casts them through the cracks in the barricade. Then she forges will 'o wisps in the shapes of all of them, glitching through the barricade and attempting an escape past whoever stands on the other side. The noise is redirected in a new direction with their targets on the move... and as they're drawn away from them, the barricade stops shaking. Sweat beads at Lettie's brow as she focuses on directing her will 'o wisps further and further from where they are. Just gotta keep this up for a couple more seconds...
 
Unfortunately, Juno is the only one in the group who knows how to write. And, unfortunately, her handwriting isn’t that great (to put it lightly). It has been described as, “chicken scratch if the chicken were really fucking pissed off” (to state it plainly). Then, between the three Desdemonians, none of them could be described as particularly petty. Not to mention, they don’t have the time to actually deliberate on something worthwhile.

Needless to say, Juno accepts that she is going to fail her girlfriend. (While they could potentially ask the cube for an assist, they’re currently too busy arguing with Melvin while that little shit continues to sing off key.) However, that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to try.

Well, try as much as she can. Time being a limiting factor is going to fuck with her.

And given that they’ve already wasted away thirty seconds, she doesn’t bother checking in with Eliza or Nico. It’s not that she entirely doubts their ability to come up with something petty, but she knows Eliza well enough to know she’s more direct with her communication. (Who else would have taught Juno to punch people in the face?) And though she doesn’t know Nico all that well, she knows what it’s like to grow up with Eliza and guesses he might be the same way with his approach. (Even if he’s currently in his reckless era.)

She bites off the lipstick cap and spits it out, pressing the tip of the fresh tube to the wall. With a painstaking level of care, Juno draws out each letter. Sweat starts to bead over her brow. She sticks out her tongue, mustering all her concentration so that she can write out the most legible message that she has ever produced. Her hand shakes with the mounting pressure.

“Thirty seconds!” Melvin chimes in the background.

She adds an exclamation point. Then another. And another, to really drive the point home.

As Melvin starts a ten second countdown, Juno steps back to admire her finest work to date. FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING FUCKS!!! It’s more pissed off than it is petty, but it’s legible. Lettie will appreciate the effort. She hopes.

Speaking of her girlfriend, with that task finished, she turns on her heel and rushes back over to her at the three second mark. She wraps an arm around Lettie from behind just as Melvin’s faces start to light up, consuming the recreation room—

blip!

The group rematerializes in Lady’s bridge. Nico and Eliza are holding onto the mount with Lettie’s wings and Juno is holding onto Lettie. Before anyone can speak or so much as breathe a sigh of relief, Melvin blows on a party blower and pops several confetti poppers. Streamers and shitlets of paper rain over the group, to most everyone’s annoyance. The only one who doesn’t seem to be annoyed is Nico, though he doesn’t look particularly celebratory either, knowing he’s about to get chewed out for the stunt he pulled. Melvin’s antics only provide him with a momentary distraction.

“Melvin.” The original bastard seethes, hot enough that the confetti hanging off their corners actually bursts into flames. “You leave me no choice—”

“No, please! Papá!” Melvin dashes over to one corner of the room. The Maestro follows. For a minute the cubes are chasing each other around the bridge until the original asshole dive bomb tackles Melvin—like a certain faerie used to—and the pair blip off to continue their quarrel elsewhere. Which is good because Juno is still mentally processing whether or not she really and truly heard Melvin refer to the Maestro as… papá. She blinks a few times while it echoes in her head.

“Well…” Nico chuckles, slowly backing away from the rest of the group. “We made it out in one piece and no one got hurt so I’m thinking I’ll just go off and visit Mau—”

“Think again.” Eliza’s hand comes down on Nico’s shoulder, gripping him tightly to keep him in place. She sets the mount against one of the panels and turns to face the kid. (Juno, meanwhile, shrugs off her coat and drapes it over the wings, unsure of whether or not Lettie is ready to face them.) “What the fuck were you thinking, Nico?”

“That I could get her wings back?” He points at Lettie, though he doesn’t look at her, perhaps knowing that what he did expressly went against her wishes, having overheard the conversation between her and Juno. “I-I checked with Melvin and he said it’d be fine. I didn’t know about the cooling period or the guards. But, like, no one got hurt. We got her wings back?”

Juno crosses her arms and lifts her scarred brow. “We got fuckin’ lucky.”

“You got fuckin’ lucky.” Eliza reiterates, poking Nico’s chest. “Kid, what would've happened if we hadn’t shown up? You could have broken a bone when you fell off that crate. You could have been fuckin’ killed if those guards had found you.” Yeah, Eliza could yell and scream at the kid for being stupid—it’d almost be within her rights—but she’s learned since her time with Juno. She’s a lot softer now. “I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Nico insists, defensively balling his hands into fists. “You wouldn’t have. I-I wouldn’t do that to you, Eliza. I just had to do something.” As he starts to explain, part of his bravado starts to crumble. “I… I just fucking stood there when she… when she came for Lettie. And I fucking stood there when I saw Mauve moving to cover her and she got... She could have been killed.” He unfurls his fists, his voice starting to tremble. “I could have taken those guards. I would have figured it out. I can do shit, Eliza. I’m not that same scared little kid you first met.”

After a long pause, Eliza sighs and drops her arms like she’s surrendering. “I know. I know.” She takes a step closer to the teenager and sets her hands back on his shoulders, holding him gently this time as she looks up into his eyes. “But you’re being fucking reckless. You’re not thinking these things through and you’re not fucking listening.” Here, she cups his face and strokes her thumbs over his cheeks, holding him like she would if he really were her son. (Of course, he is. In all the ways that matter, he is her son.) “Nico, if you want me to entrust you with more, you have to start listening. No one’s asking you to prove anything, you know that right? You’re enough as you are and no one’s asking for more. If anything, we’re asking for fucking less.”

Nico’s mouth twitches as he listens to Eliza, averting his gaze as he lets the message sink in. Eventually, the teenager’s shoulders drop. He still refuses to meet the older woman’s eye, but nods his head slowly in acknowledgment. “I fucked up again.”

“You did.” Eliza nods, but her words aren’t harsh or judgmental. They’re practically clinical, just stating what everyone in the room already knows. She lets go of the teenager and allows him some space. “We all fuck up. That’s fine. I just don’t want of those fuck-ups getting you killed. That’s all, alright?” He nods. “Good. Now try not to give me another heart attack, eh?”

Nico rolls his eyes when he nods again, but a smile edges his lips. As he finishes up with Eliza, his eyes flicker over to Lettie and, shyly, he approaches her. “I’m… I’m sorry.” The kid pulls his mouth to the side and puffs out a sigh. “For, like, going against your wishes. I wanted to get your wings back as a thank you... And maybe because I was really pissed about everything." He sighs. "Guess I still owe you one, since you saved us all again, eh?"
 
"Okay... first of all, I don't wanna hear any of that 'I owe you' stuff." Lettie insists, puffing her cheeks. She's going to forgive Nico, of course. He's just a kid who wanted to do right by her. His intentions were good... though it's undeniable they were also mixed with rage and a self-serving need to prove himself. She's upset, still flustered by the experience. She's not going to baby him, either, because she knows he doesn't want to be treated like one... and she'll need time to forgive him properly, without adrenaline from the last couple of minutes pumping in her veins. "Whenever I step in to help you or your sister, I don't do it expecting things from you in return. And that has nothing to do with what I think you can or can't do, either. You're already doing enough. Hell, you're going above and beyond just by braving the battlefield with us in the first place. We're like a crew out there and crew mates are supposed to look out for each other."

Lettie briefly glimpses the shape beneath Juno's jacket and flinches. She's not ready to look at them again. Not even close. (The faerie can still remember Juno draping her jacket over her shoulders a few times, trying to hide her wings for those who might try to steal and profit off of them. Now, it's being used to...) Her stomach twists in knots all over again. She looks at Nico, reorienting herself.

"I appreciate that you wanted to thank me, Nico. But the next time you try to thank someone, you should consider what they would actually want. Something that would make them happy. I know I might seem like a high maintenance faerie-- but the simplest things can go a long way with me." Lettie says softly. She rubs the back of her neck. (Her head hurts... probably from using her magic too soon.) "There's a lot I've been worried about lately and the stunt you just pulled gave me something else to worry about."

"...I'm sorry." Nico repeats, slinking his shoulders and looking at the ground guiltily. Lettie can tell he's being sincere. He is a good kid and he's still learning. "I really am."

"I know. And I'm gonna forgive you, okay? But first I need a long nap." Lettie nods sagely. And yeah, she essentially just woke from a three-day nap. But this experience has essentially chipped another year off her lifespan with the stress it caused. Emotionally, she's been put through the wringer one too many times and she needs a fucking break. "You go get some rest, too. We've got a big mission ahead and I want to make sure we're all ready for it."

Nico nods once, slowly, and then continues to nod faster as it sinks in. With that sorted, he and Eliza leave to visit Mauve and let the rest of the company know that they made it back in one piece. Meanwhile, Lettie takes Juno's hand in hers.

"Fuck you, you fucking fucks?" Lettie recites what she read on the wall before they dipped, grinning lopsidedly and giving Juno's hand a celebratory squeeze. That's not enough to express her cheer, though, so she practically dives in to hug her whole entire arm. "Juno! I could read every single word you wrote back there. I'm so impressed." She's not being even slightly condescending here-- she knows exactly what a feat it is for her girlfriend to write legibly. (The cube almost exploded trying to decode her handwriting before. That's how dire the situation was. Juno did that for her... so of course she's touched!) She wiggles with genuine excitement and kisses her on the cheek. "Like, sure, the message itself could've been pettier... but we'll work on that." Someday she'll introduce Juno to the mind-numbing world of reality tv and she'll be an expert. The faerie leans against her pirate and yawns, springing tiredness tears to the corners of her eyes. "You did amazing, love. Now let's go take a fucking nap."

***​

"Juju... I need some spooning." Draped across the bed, Lettie reaches out dramatically for Juno as she emerges from the bathroom. Yeah, yeah. She just said all that stuff about not being a high maintenance faerie... but after the day she's had, she needs her girlfriend and she needs her now. "I need you. It's the only way I'll be able to sleep." She puffs her cheeks as she informs her of this. (To show how serious she is, of course.) It'll also reassure her that Juno's getting some sleep, too, setting her mind at ease to know they're both well-rested for whatever mission awaits them in the goddess's tomb. And... after seeing her wings, she requires a little doting on.

Prissy meows at the foot of the bed, waving a paw in a way that mimics Lettie and demands Juno cuddles of her own.

"Heeeey. Prissy, I called dibs first!" Lettie informs her cat, sitting up and crossing her arms. The faerie grins up at the pirate. "Looks like you're in high demand." She yawns again, flopping onto her back. "I feel like I hallucinated everything that happened today." She starts to breach the subject-- but shies away from the main point before getting too deep into it. "I can't believe Melvin called Cubey... papá. Like, how does that even work? And the way cubey was coming at him... geez. I wonder what happened to Melvin. Like, is it wrong that I hope he got buried somewhere?" She shakes her head incredulously, picking a piece of the cube's confetti out of her hair. "And then there was all that talk about microwaving pockets. What was that all about?"
 
Juno curls up into the bed, taking her place right up against Lettie’s back. Her arm loops around her waist and she pulls her close. “Not a high maintenance faerie my ass,” she jokes, leaning over to kiss her starry cheek. It’s no question that Juno will come over to comfort and dote upon her girlfriend after the day she’s had—and they had barely been able to get a start on the day before they were yanked into yet another crisis. (Such is their life now.) Strong as her girlfriend is, she has her limits. It’s why after things were settled with Nico that she told Lettie she’d meet her back in their room so that she could move the wings into her study, just to give them a temporary home.

Admittedly, left alone with the wings, she had tempted herself with trying something—the necromantic energy radiating off of them screamed—but she quickly threw her coat back over them and hurried out of the study, locking the door behind her. More so for her own sake than Lettie’s. (Lettie can fucking glitch, so it’s not like barriers do much.)

After that, she had run to the kitchen to grab some fruits to cut up for her girlfriend. And now that she's cleaned her hands of their juices, she reaches for the plate on the nightstand. She adjusts their position on the bed so that they’re sitting up, her faerie in her lap. Prissy is furious about this development and isn't placated until Juno nestles her in one arm. With her other arm she sets the plate down on Lettie’s lap and starts feeding her some grapes off the vine. Yeah, Lettie might be tired, but Juno knows food will also help her recover from, well, everything.

She chuckles when Lettie brings up the drama with the cubes and their weird references. “I don’t think it’s wrong. The little fuck was so fuckin’ unhelpful when I was trapped with it on Fabel. Fuck Melvin.” She’s at a loss for how to address the whole pocket situation. Juno only learned about microwaves a couple months ago and she still doesn’t trust them—she doesn’t get how that little light bulb heats everything up. (Lettie has tried to explain the science behind it and it’s just not something the Desdemonian is ready to process.) “But, you know…” She picks a piece of confetti from Lettie’s hair and flicks it to the side. “We don’t have to talk about earlier if you’re not ready. There’s no rush.” Even if Juno is itching to breach the subject, it’s not her choice to make. Just like it’s not her choice what happens with those wings. As much as she wants to experiment and try something just one last time, to see if it’s possible to get her wings back, it’s not her choice. “You can just finish your fruits and then I’ll hold you until we fall asleep.”

So that’s what they do. They talk about other things while Lettie eats; like what flowers they’ll plant in their memorial garden, the hobbies they’d be interested in exploring, and who would win in a water balloon fight. Naturally, they both insist that they’d win and agree to settle this once and for all once this is all over. It gives them something else to look forward to. They fall asleep soon after that, Juno spooning Lettie and Prissy squeezing herself between them.

It takes them an additional three days before the Medic and Marjorie clear them to return to the mission. Though, Juno can’t say she was ever anxious to return. While it is important to her, being able to spend time with Lettie on their ship was a much needed vacation. Not that they got a whole bunch of time alone—the second they woke up from that nap they had to console Abigail over losing count of the clouds. Juno thought releasing her from that task would help and that only made things worse. Abigail took it as her being fired. It was a whole thing.

Promptly after that, Marta got into a fight with Fred over a game of cards where she claimed the skeleton hustled her. Juno and Lettie had to side with Marta on that one, given fucking Fred’s track record. It was easy enough to settle, but after everything else, they were both more than a little fed up with the skellie antics.

And if it wasn’t the antics keeping them busy, then it was the general upkeep of the ship. Like checking their stores and making sure they were appropriately stocked—something that’s been less of an issue since the cubes have started to realize that they are people with needs to survive, but Juno’s always been ever diligent about making sure Lady is stocked up. Then there were some repairs needed in the engine room that Lettie had to take care of. Juno asked to help and that led to them nerding out over mechanics which led to them making out which led them to getting caught, because of fucking course it did.

All that to say, the last few days have been exhausting even if they’ve been technically resting. Still, it was nice to have some semblance of normalcy and to share that with her girlfriend. It excites her for that future they’re fighting for.

A few hours ago, the cube had informed them that they would be returning to the tomb and while there isn’t much left for them to do, Eliza and her company insisted on coming, wanting to witness the healing of Desdemonia. Mauve is the only one who isn't able to go, unfortunately. Even though the present risk is low, no one wants to risk it. Nico volunteers to stay behind, but his sister insists that he go. “One of us has to be there,” she had said, waving off Nico’s guilty eyes.

Now they all stand in the chamber before the tomb’s entrance. Despite what they’re setting out to accomplish, the air is heavy. Though the bodies have all been taken and burned, blood still stains the rock walls. Brain bits still linger in the dirt. Ghosts of the battle echo and whisper chills down their spine. Ainsley and Thaddeus are both stiff and avoidant. Some in the company are holding back their tears, covering their sniffles with coughs. Junos looks on them with sympathy and she knows it’s nothing they all haven’t been through a thousand times over. The spirit of Desdemonia has always been grief and death both, after all.

She doesn’t exactly know how to address this beyond her look, so she doesn’t. She just clears her throat and pulls the Maestro towards her. The cube has already scanned the entrance and pulled up the puzzle piece glyphs. Now the keyboard waits for them to put them into place, which Juno does.

When the actual glyph pieces are properly in place, they ignite with a bright green color and press into the entrance. As the full glyph sinks deeper and deeper into the flat rock face, the shine begins to fade until both it and the barrier have disappeared, revealing a void-like chasm. It's pitch black inside.

“Buddy system,” Juno advises, slipping her hand back into Lettie’s and encouraging the rest of their group to link together. Once they're all linked, she takes a step forward into the darkness. It’s like being swallowed whole. While she can feel Lettie’s hand in her own, she cannot see her. In fact, she can't make out anything—

Seven green neon eyes open in front of them, the only source of light to reveal the horror on their faces. The great worm's teeth zipper up its long mouth, filling the tomb with that signature chatter. Behind Juno, a chorus of curses echoes and she herself tenses, having to force herself to move her hand over to her demon sword. She can feel the company behind her scooting backwards, trying to create distance between themselves and the monster, but the worm remains oddly still. All seven of its eyes are locked on the cube before they bore into Juno and Lettie. She squeezes her hand, reminding herself that she's not alone.

But all the hope and prayer seems to be unnecessary as Ripir's eyes blink close, one by one, and its massive body turns and slithers away, pulling the darkness away with it. Juno stands there, completely and utterly struck, not even able to think her signature catch phrase. It takes her a minute to process the moment, still disbelieving that she's witnessed the great worm be docile, but the cube's little, "Ahem," pulls her back.

In front of them, the massive skeleton of their fallen goddess rests, her starry dress twinkling gently in the dark and providing the faintest amount of light. Several in the company gasp and she hears others drop to their knees. Juno kisses the tips of her fingers and sends it off towards the goddess. Then she looks to Lettie with a nod. “Let’s do this, yeah?”

...Not that Juno really knows what this is, but the cube is prepared and helpful (for once). Without prompting, their holo-display spits out the glyphs they've been collecting through each resurrection. Much like the glyphs at the tomb entrance, these ones appear to be fragments—though the pieces do look vaguely familiar to Juno. “You must cast the last three glyphs. Miss Lettie, you will obviously be in charge of this task. Captain Juno, you will provide the completed glyphs through the stream you two have formed. Ready-edy?"
 
Lettie squeezes Juno's hand. As she surveys the holograms of glyphs they've discovered over time, she remembers fondly how she'd been holding her hand like this whenever they unearthed them. And now here they are, finishing this the same way they started it. Hand in hand. Yet they've come so fucking far from where they started-- exploring various worlds, nightmares and secret temples. They've encountered flying fish, a centipede woman, too many fish bitches for Lettie's liking, skeletons and mournful spirits of worlds fallen. And though neither of them struck out on this mission with the explicit goal of becoming a couple of heroines, they drove the corruption out so that they can all begin to heal and rebuild anew. They've done shit they can be truly proud of.

Though, heh, they have destroyed a lot too. With fire. Lettie has lost count of how many worlds they've committed crimes on to warrant wanted posters. But, hey! They were still only just getting to know each other back then. It... it happens. Totally.

When they first stood before the goddess, despite physically standing side by side, they might've still been worlds apart... just like Juno said back on Avangeline. Now Lettie can face the goddess knowing that they're standing together in every sense of the word. She's been able to share parts of herself with Juno that she's never been able to share with anyone else. There's no one else in the worlds she'd rather be standing here with.

"Whew." Lettie breathes out a puff of air, sending her bangs fluttering. She flexes her fingers in preparation to trace some glyphs. "I'm so glad I don't have to do this with Thad." (This elicits a few chuckles from the company, breaking through some of the tension. Good.) And for a while, she had been genuinely worried she'd have to face the end of the mission with Thad instead of Juno. There's a high chance the other necromancer would pull an oopsie and reduce her to a pile of faerie dust. "...No offense, Thad."

"Yeah, well... fuck you, too." Thad rolls his eyes, the words said without an ounce of actual hostility. He knows just as well as she does. "We're here to back you guys up. So go do your thing."

"Thank you." Lettie pauses to sincerely address the company (and Thad, she supposes), taking the time to look at each and every one of them as she says this. "It was a bitter fight to get here and we sure as hell wouldn't have made it this far without you guys. Now let's take Desdemonia back. For Leona." For all of them. So they don't have to keep making sacrifices on the battlefield, so that they don't always have to fight so fucking hard just to get by.

The company nods, many of them echoing the sentiment that they're going to see this through to the end for their fallen comrade. Eliza offers just the hint of a smile, squeezing both Juno and Lettie's shoulders encouragingly by means of saying 'good luck'.

"Okie dokie." Lettie says, grinning as she turns her attention back to Juno. (Okie dokie? Ah, this moment is supposed to be intense! Important. Why is she such a fucking nerd--) She stands on her tip-toes to press a kiss to Juno's cheek. They kissed properly (more than a few times) and said their 'I love yous' before heading out earlier... but one more kiss can't hurt, can it? There's no telling how much this one is going to take out of them. Her eyes flicker with fond familiarity. They worked for this. They worked so fucking hard for this. Now they're going to see it through. "I'm ready. We got this." She nods determinedly. "...Code word is the usual. Shit bananas."

The little faerie puts her game face on and flips her new and improved goggles down over her eyes. As Lettie begins to draw the first glyph with the tip of her finger, a pearly white light glows through the lenses. (While she typically draws glyphs fast and haphazardly, she's deliberately slow with her strokes this time around-- ensuring she traces every line just right.) Her sparkling raver magic entrances the company behind her, watching wide-eyed and enchanted by it.

Bones rise from underground, sending tremors through the tomb. They whirl around and click together, forming a giant sphere around the group once Lettie finishes the first glyph. The shape peels away from her and attaches itself to the wall of it, and a faint outline of the next glyph appears right beside it-- giving the faerie a hint as to which one she needs to draw next. The next one has a few diamond shapes incorporated-- she's familiar enough to know the source must come from the stars. And sure enough, once she completes it the stars from the goddess's gorgeous gown react to it. The faint light of them intensifies... and soon enough, they're attracted to their bone sphere like moths to a flame. Drawing on her own source, Lettie's hair and skin begin to emit a gentle rainbow light.

Among the goddess's trembling bones, Cerise's flowers grow lush and vibrant. They're certainly doing something and that helps keep Lettie focused on her task. The bone sphere is somewhat reminiscent of that grid-like sphere that appeared around Cressida and Cerise. However, it's different enough in nature that she's confident they're reversing whatever it was they did to fuck everything up. Raising bones, pulling from the stars, and now...

Upon finishing the last glyph, spirits peel themselves from the goddess's gown and swirl around their busy sphere in ghostly wisps. And it clicks. Lettie is calling on and reviving all of the sources that help the goddess thrive... sources that Cressida and Cerise had tried to steal away for themselves to use for their own purposes. (But the goddess sent that energy elsewhere rather than allowing it to be stolen-- her last act of defiance. Lettie realizes now on an intrinsic level that she and Juno stole it back for her on an ultimate, world-saving heist of sorts.) Once she's done, Juno's going to take all of that accumulated energy, sending it back to her and raising her from the dead.

The imagery may be reminiscent of what transpired in the past-- but they're not repeating it. Lettie won't end up like Cerise did. She's gonna prevail and live to share her untold story. Even if they were misguided, she knows the other faerie was desperate and trying to find some way to fight back against those who oppressed her on Avangeline.

"Part one complete." Lettie informs Juno through their connection. She squeezes her hand encouragingly. "Now let's raise a goddess! I'm feeling super-charged by the stars, Juju, so don't skimp out for even a second if you need to draw on me. I'll be okay. You can rely on me."
 
It doesn’t matter how many times she’s witnessed Lettie’s raver magic in action, her eyes will always shine and sparkle. The hair along her arms raises and she gasps, not bothering to suppress her wonder. The necromancer forgets to worry. Each glyph inspires a hope so deeply rooted in her soul that she isn’t even sure whether it is her own or the spirit of her world itself, the piece that lives within every Desdemonian. It’s not until she catches Lettie’s kaleidoscope glow that she remembers who is creating all of this magic. Yet she doesn't worry. Relief melts over her instead knowing that the faerie is drawing on her source and she won't be reduced to dust.

For a minute or so, Juno just stares at Lettie, wonderstruck. Mesmerized. Dazzled. The faerie’s half of the restoration may be over, but it may as well mean nothing to the necromancer who cannot take her eyes off of her. Even after Lettie squeezes her hand and prompts her to initiate part two, she does nothing, too distracted by her heart swelling in her chest. ‘This fucking woman. Fuck.'

She’s tempted to capture her girlfriend’s lips, but knows if she even tempts herself, she won’t have strength enough to stop. So she settles for squeezing her hand, promising herself that when this is all over, she will have those lips. (And more, if she’s so lucky.) “I know. You’ve got me.” She grins, not wanting to take her eyes of her just yet. “And in case you forgot... You’re such a fuckin’ stunner, it's not fair.”

Reluctantly, the necromancer does pull her attention away from her girlfriend and shifts it over to the dead goddess. With an even greater amount of reluctance, she tears her hand away from Lettie's so that she can unsheathe her sword. She stabs it into the ground, sending a shock through the cavern, and gets down onto one knee as she concentrates on the currents of magic circulating around them. Her shoulders unwind and unknot as she opens herself up to the accumulation of energy, clearing her mind of everything except for that magic and their stream. Like moths to a flame, the wisps of magic flutter towards the necromancer, gathering and gathering until a gentle vortex collects around her, combing through her hair. The glyphs start to brighten and pulse in response.

Constellations of color explode behind her eyelids. Distant screams fill her ears. They’re indiscernible at first, but a few start to come in clear. “Return us to our homeland.” “Restore the goddess.” “Help me, Juno.” “Undo our mistakes.” “We could not be wiser, but you are.” “Juno, don’t look back now. You’re going to change everything.” More voices follow, some of them she recognizes and others are strange to her. She listens, letting the words seep into her heart, until they’re pumping her blood.

Once enough of the energy has gathered around the necromancer, she concentrates on the goddess’s skeleton. The glyphs pulse like heavy drum beats, brighter than a cube’s glare, as the necromancer pushes the necromantic magic back into the goddess’s bones, willing her to rise and return to her dominion. Sweat beads around Juno’s brow as she forces her will onto a goddess. Her heart squeezes in warning, straining against the effort, but the necromancer doesn’t let up for a second; even as a headache wraps around her head, even as pressure builds behind her eyes. Her veins bulge, threatening to burst. Juno clenches her teeth, pushing herself beyond her limits. Or she starts to. Then she's reminded of her faerie, imagines her concern, and opens their stream. Though she knows Lettie is an almost limitless source when she casts light like a prism, the necromancer is still sparing, taking only what she needs, replenishing only what she’s lost. It’s only when it becomes obvious that she’ll need to take more than what she’s lost to finish that she pulls in large swallows rather than measured sips, trusting that Lettie will tell her if she needs to slow.

The goddess’s starry skirts flutter, the constellations on them sparkling in response to the magic. Her skeleton stirs, shaking the entire cavern even with her slight movements. Spirits run along her bones, wrapping around them in layers until they’re covered, making up the goddess’s flesh. From the far end of the cavern, where the goddess’s head is, silvery strands of hair blow up into the air, glittering off of the dress's twinkle.

Juno misses all of this, eyes closed in concentration. Though the goddess’s body is repairing itself, drawing the spirit of the goddess back to her body will be the necromancer’s final test. The constellations behind her eyelids pull back like a curtain, revealing the image of a sleeping woman wearing endless skirts made of stars and flesh made of ghosts. Juno reaches out for her, coaxing her awake. ‘We have what was stolen from you and we’re here to return it.’

In spite of what she takes from Lettie, in spite of using her sword to channel all of this magic, blood sweat slides down her temple; blood fills her mouth, leaks from her nose as she encourages the goddess back. She’s bumping up against limits she’s creating. She can feel her strength being eaten away as she wills the goddess’s spirit back to Desdemonia. And knowing she’s this close to accomplishing the unfathomable lights fires hotter than the Inferno, keeping her upright. Even so, the strain causes her to cry out as she does the final tug, settling the goddess’s spirit back into her body.

With part two complete, the glyphs lose their glow and the vortex around Juno calms then fades. She leans against her sword, gulping in air, shuddering with the enormity of what she might’ve just accomplished.

Though her part is complete, the cavern remains quiet. Spirits continue to fly around the goddess’s body, nestling into her flesh as they find their home, but aside from that, there is no indication that they’ve actually succeeded. That is until a beam of white light opens at the goddess’s head and a low groan, layered like a thousand sighs at once, fills the air. One of the goddess’s massive arms breaks from the gravel, sending rocks raining over the company. The same happens when the other arm raises and the ground rumbles as she digs her elbows into the ground, crushing the gravel to dust as she props herself up.

The goddess’s bright eyes immediately find the duo and the company, though her expression is impassive. The company and even Thaddeus are on their knees with their heads bowed. “Rise,” she commands in that haunting thousand toned voice. When they do, the goddess stares into each and every one of them, stiffening everyone’s spine as her divinity rakes over them. Again, her features reveal nothing. She rubs her forehead, closing her eyes. Then, after a few minutes of electric silence, the goddess’s massive form shrinks down until she is only a meager twelve feet tall. Her silvery hair is adorned with Cerise’s forget-me-nots and her eyes glow like two stars set in her face. Though Juno wants to, it’s impossible to look away. Especially when the goddess is pinning her and Lettie both down with a stare.

“Olette Lycoris Radiata of Avangeline and Juno of Desdemonia to you, I owe my return.” A gentle smile pulls at her lips. She kisses the tips of her fingers and sends it towards them. Then she looks at the rest of the company and Thaddeus, acknowledging them with a head bow. “And to you all, too, do I owe thanks, for defending my tomb against those who would seek to taint it.” All of her words come out in a measured, even tone. She looks upon each of them with such sincerity, it almost seems out of place coming from the divine. Yet the goddess could fool them into thinking she is no more than a woman like most of the rest of them.

“Alas, I cannot yet release you from service. Though I am restored, the forces that brought me down work fervently now.” The goddess grimly notes this, staring off into the distance like she is spying on her enemies as she speaks. When she continues, she looks specifically at Lettie. “Deimos Ailanthus’s conquest lives on and his reach has spread since the fall of the goddesses and guardians. Avangeline’s relic, too, has grown stronger since the fall and prevents my final effort to end this tyranny and greed.” She outstretches her hand towards the duo and Juno automatically hands her the original asshole, somehow knowing the goddess’s request. She takes the cube between her fingers, holding it like a rock then floats it over her palm. Without prompting, the rest of the cubes blip into the tomb, floating around them like stars. (Melvin seems to be trapped in a plastic box that he cannot free himself from, thank the goddess.) “I can start the last of my work, but for the rest of the worlds to rise again, the relic on Avangeline must be freed.

“I shall not let you leave Desdemonia unrewarded, of course. You all have done a great service.” Her smile is fond, full of pride as she looks over each of them. Then her gaze settles on Lettie once more, addressing her first. “Olette Lycoris Radiata, for your tenacity, spirit, and as a daughter of the stars, take this and draw on it during your time of need.” The goddess lifts the folds of her cosmic skirt and shorns off a piece with her talons. She casts it over the faerie and as it slips over her head, it magics into the shape of a dress befitting the fucking faerie. “The stars are ancient, Olette. Listen to their wisdom.”
 
The goddess knows what's up. Lettie's eyes sparkle, growing round and wide in awe of the dress forming itself around her. It's reminiscent of the gown she glamoured in the goddess's honor on their first visit to this very tomb-- but so much better. Like a dress made by a goddess's infallible hand. (...Which it is. She's still trying to process the fact that she, Lettie, just received a smoking hot gown from a goddess. Pinch her, she's gotta be dreaming!) Unable to help herself, she gives a twirl to watch the fabric billow out around her, the waves of her skirt flowing like a glimmering sea of stars around her. Pretty. She's not wearing any glamours and yet she feels prettier than she's ever been. The sparkly white stars on her gown match her eyes and her hair, the black fabric making it convenient in that it allows her to coordinate with her girlfriend in her consistently black wardrobe. (What? These factors are important!) The faerie's so dazzled that she can scarcely find her own voice when she stops spinning, blushing as she notices that everyone is staring at her. Including the goddess herself. Ahhh! Say something, Letts. Anything!

"I... I had to test the swish." Lettie admits, shyly bringing her hands up to her cheeks. They tingle as her blush deepens, her starlight freckles twinkling brighter than ever. (Nerd. Neeerd. Why is she such a nerd? She's standing before a gosh danged goddess and that's the first thing she had to say?) Her heart gallops in her chest and she picks up her skirts as she dips down into a respectful curtsey. "Thank you, goddess, for this most generous gift. I promise to take care of it and heed the stars of the wisdom." She clears her throat, quickly catching her slip. "The wisdom of the stars." She rises awkwardly from her curtsey. "You have impeccable taste by the way. It's the loveliest dress I've ever owned."

"...It is certainly an upgrade from those shirts you used to wear." The Magistrate chimes in her snotty, unhelpful way. Lettie puffs her cheeks.

"The swish." The goddess makes note of this, tilting her head to the side in consideration. She proceeds to levitate a few inches off the ground to give a twirl of her own, her dress emulating Lettie's. She smiles softly as she finishes her turn and her feet touch upon the ground again. "I see. I am pleased the dress is to your liking. You have earned it." The goddess nods solemnly. "As long as you are wearing it, those who mean to deprive you of your source will surely fail. Your foes on will try everything within their power to steal your light, Olette. Stay vigilant."

"Faeries on Avangeline have suffered in silence for far too long. Misguided as Cerise was, I am not unsympathetic to her plight. Together, I know you can make her dream a reality." Thoughtfully, the goddess traces over the forget-me-nots in her hair. She then regards Lettie and Juno's joined hands with a nod. "And yours."

From there the goddess continues offering her gifts of thanks to the company and the skeleton crew. (And even Thad, believe it or not.) To the company she offers provisions and promises of safety and shelter. To some she offers official positions as her messengers and guards while others vow to help rebuild as Desdemonia rises from the ashes. While she offers those who wish it to live out the rest of their days in peace, most of the company insist upon having something to do. Like a certain homo pirate, it seems they're unfamiliar with the prospect of rest and would have trouble staying still.

Meanwhile, Thad is given a handful of golden coins with skulls engraved on their faces and... a miniature pink couch for his dolls. (Lettie considers it faerie-sized and is already making plans to steal it from him.) Marjorie is given gardening supplies. Inez receives a fedora which she proudly proclaims belonged to her 'Great Granny Matilda', a famous opera singer turned con artist. Everyone is perplexed when Abigail receives her own personal cloud. Only it's not just a cloud. It projects a holographic screen with a digital number on it. (A 'cloud-counter', the goddess calls it. Lettie's pretty sure she finagled it together especially for Abigail.) The skeleton can ride on it, too, and delights in the fact that she can float around with the Maestro. Lettie can already foresee the accidents this floating cloud will cause.

Watching Abigail float above them all eventually has Lettie watching after her with a wistful look in her eyes. It's the same look she'll get whenever she stares at the sky for too long on a clear day.

"And, finally... Juno of Desdemonia." The goddess beckons Juno to step closer with a sweep of her arm that appears both regal and motherly at once."What you seek most is something you now possess the means to accomplish on your own merit. However, I take it you are not above a little push in the right direction?" She kisses the tips of her talons before ghosting them over the streak of white in Juno's hair. Briefly, her gaze pans over to Lettie before settling firmly on Juno. "For your resilience, selflessness and courage, I have wisdom to impart. Do you wish to receive it?"
 
A celebration is happening all around Juno, but she will never notice. Her eyes are fixed on her girlfriend. It’s not even the cut of the dress that holds her attention—it’s just her. The magnetic force that has pulled her in and kept her. Not that she wants to be anywhere else. Lettie saved her. She doesn’t remember how long ago it was that they had that conversation, but it remains true. The pirate cannot and does not want to imagine the universe where the faerie never crashlands onto her ship; where they never meet; where Juno continues her work with the Duchess until she’s no longer of use and left for the crows. Everything changed the moment this little faerie, with her weird raver magic and magic circles and unruly cubes, came into her life and she wouldn’t trade it for the world. As long as she has Olette Lycoris Radiata in her life, she doesn’t have a want for much else.

So when the goddess finally turns to her and signifies that it's her turn to be presented with a reward, she can’t even imagine what the goddess might grant her. She has everything.

Even so, she would be a fool to reject a gift from a goddess, so she steps forward, curious what she might receive. An even cooler sword? But as the goddess speaks, she starts to understand what she might be offered. Her eyes cut over to Lettie and immediately recognizes her longing as she observes Abigail on her new flying cloud. And as she returns her attention to her goddess, what stuns her is the implication that she—already on her own—has the ability to complete that harebrained mission she started. Of course, it’s not so harebrained now that she’s uncovered more necromantic knowledge and secrets; especially not when she has the actual source—Lettie’s wings—at her disposal, should the faerie let her experiment with them.

The necromancer swallows hard as she faces the goddess, nodding slowly. Her mouth dries out and her throat starts to tighten, robbing of anything she might have to say. (Though she might come to be thankful of this later, having witnessed her girlfriend nerd out in front of the goddess.) The goddess smiles encouragingly, perhaps sensing Juno’s nerves, and touches the tip of her talon over the white streak in Juno’s hair. When the talon connects with the streak, starlight emits from the touch. Behind her eyelids a thousand secrets flit through her vision—everything from a perfect resurrection to immortality, but the one thing she searches for among the flood? Bringing back pieces of the soul.

On the outside, it only appears that the goddess has touched Juno for a second, but when Juno comes back, she has to blink a few times to remember herself and where she is. The streak in her hair appears a little brighter than before, though it doesn’t spread like it had after she went through all her trials trying to solve the wings the first time. And she doesn’t have to worry about stressing herself to that point the second time. (If Lettie allows it, of course. She’s learned her lesson on that end.)

The goddess surveys the ragtag group who has brought her back, keeping her smile. “Rest, my guardians. There will be plenty more tomorrows for all there is to do. Rest.” A portal even splits open beside her; one that will lead them all back to their respective bedrooms on Juno and Lettie’s ship.

Before any can step through, however, the goddess opens her palm, revealing the Maestro, the Magistrate, the Medic, the Matrix, and… Melvin. She beckons them to take these five cubes. (Juno has a sneaking suspicion that not even the goddess wants to deal with Melvin. And she honestly doesn’t fault her for it.) “The rest of the relics will stay on Desdemonia. They will be safe here and I will use them to help my efforts in the restoration of the worlds.”

After that, they each say their goodbyes to the goddess, thanking her more than is even necessary, and step through the portal back onto the ship. Juno and Lettie both end up in their bedroom. The cubes are with them as well, but only for a second before they blip to wherever the cubes go. J

uno immediately tosses her sword—her very sharp and very haunted sword—haphazardly across the room and flops face first onto the bed. She lays like that for a full minute, entirely still aside from her breathing. The events of the day replay over again in her mind. From breakfast, to their pre-mission I love yous (and kisses), to the moment they raised a fucking goddess back from the dead.

They raised a fucking goddess.

She keeps repeating that to herself, but the reality of it doesn’t sink in. Even if she knows it happened, even if she has the proof with her new knowledge, she cannot bring herself to trust it.

Eventually, she flips over onto her back, sits up, and searches for Lettie. “Hey, c’mere. I owe you something.” When her girlfriend is close enough, she winds her arms around her waist and pulls in close. She stares into her eyes—her beautiful eyes, fucking gorgeous eyes and leans in to kiss her.

And it’s a good thing Juno hadn’t kissed her earlier, because she was right. She can’t control herself around Olette Lycoris Radiata.

***​

Juno relaxes on the bed, showered and in fresh clothes. She watches the faerie in the bathroom, idly stroking her stomach. “You looked pretty sad watching Abigail ride her new cloud counter,” she muses. Her voice is soft enough to be a whisper, almost like she’s not sure if it’s her who should be bringing up this conversation. And she knows she promised Lettie she didn’t have to talk about it until she was ready, but the necromancer is struggling to contain herself, knowing what she knows now. “You always look a bit sad when I catch you staring at the sky…”

She hops up from the bed and goes to lean against the doorframe of the bathroom. “And, um, so... She showed me how… The goddess…” She rolls her wrist like that will fill in the blanks for Lettie. “You have everything, I know… But I could do it. I could get your wings back.” Quickly, she adds, “They won’t be exactly the same, like Ainsley’s arm, but I just want to put it out there. We don’t have to talk about it anymore, but I needed you to know."
 
Lettie pauses midway through braiding her hair, flicking her gaze from herself to settle on the reflection of Juno on the bed behind her. She grips her hair tighter when the pirate makes her observation, tensing at the thought that she's given her girlfriend an implication that she's unhappy. (...Bad habit.) When she catches herself, she deflates with a sigh and urges herself to relax. She is happy in all the ways that matter. She has Juno, a home and a future to fight for... and they just raised a flipping goddess. Juno knows that. And Lettie knows better by now than to cover this shit up with an easy smile and a quip. She's not gonna look overdramatic and ungrateful for feeling down about her wings every now and again, is she? Of course not! It'd be bananas to expect her to be okay all the time after losing a literal part of herself.

All this goes way deeper than Lettie's own image, though. It's complicated. She can still recall the moment she found the study in a state of disarray, feeling that she'd missed something important. The ashes. The drawings. The haphazard notes she couldn't read. And most of all, that gut-sinking realization that Juno had gone somewhere there might be no coming back from. Discovering her guilt-ridden and beaten down that she was willing to sacrifice her own life to bring them back. And had she never broken into the study that day, had Juno gone through with it never knowing how she really felt about her...

No. Lettie doesn't even want to think about it.

When Juno leans in the doorframe, Lettie says nothing in favor of hearing her out first. There's no need to jump to any conclusions 'till she's said everything she has to say about it. (They've gotten a whole lot better at this whole 'conversation' thing as of late. She trusts her. Stars, she's the love of her life.) So she listens patiently as her girlfriend struggles to find the words to say, finishing her loose braid and slipping into her lacy pink robe. 'She showed me how...' The faerie tugs the ends of her robe around her frame in a hug as she turns around to face her girlfriend, tilting her head curiously and prompting her to continue. 'But I could do it. I could get your wings back.'

Everything else Juno has to say blurs around the edges as Lettie's mind struggles to wrap around what she's just said. It's possible? Her toes curl in anticipation against the bathroom floor, the soles of her feet tingling as she recalls her life before she was at gravity's mercy. Being able to jump up, to fly, and having the power to decide when her feet touched solid ground again. A surge of hope floats up to the surface of her heart, though it's quickly caught and strangled by fear. It sounds too good to be true... like there has to be some kind of catch. Some kind of cost. (And if it's Juno's life on the line, she's already made it abundantly clear that she wouldn't pay that price for anything in the worlds.) But Juno's implying this information was her gift from the goddess. And the goddess is not Dream Weaver, setting a cruel trap for her and preying on her emotions. So it's really possible?

"I think I need to sit down for a sec." Lettie admits weakly, reaching for the edge of the sink to keep her balance. When she misses it entirely, Juno's close enough and fast enough that she's able to grab onto her (stupidly buff) arm instead. She nods at the bedroom and together they walk the short distance to sit on the foot of their bed and continue the conversation. She's still processing, overwhelmed by the possibility. Overwhelmed by hope... and terror. All of it crashes down on her, leaving her in stunned silence as she struggles to cope with the enormity of it. And then she gradually comes back into herself. "So it's... you can..." She swallows, her brow furrowing with the usual concern. "And you won't get hurt in the process?"

By now, Juno knows exactly how Lettie feels. And for such a tiny fucking faerie, she's got some big fucking feelings. Her pirate knows how much she worries for her, knows how much she loves her. How she'd be devastated to lose her more than anything else. So when she confirms that this time it won't come at the cost of her life, she trusts her completely. It smooths over the worst of her fear, reassuring her that this is nothing like the first time Juno attempted to get her wings back. And thanks to the goddess, her methods won't be uncharted, unpredictable, and unfamiliar.

Lettie stares up at Juno, her expression soft and pensive. 'I like it a lot now. It, uh, reminds me of how excited you were and that’s… that’s my favorite look on you. Is there a color for that?'

"...You're right. I do get a little sad sometimes." Lettie admits at last. The faerie crawls into the pirate's lap, hugging her arms and legs around her middle the same way a koala would hug a tree. She melts against her, squishing her cheek against her chest and listening for the familiar sound of her heartbeat. "And you just want to make me happy. You rapscallion, you." It's obvious at this point, yeah, but it's striking her all over again that of all the things the goddess could have given Juno... making her happy was what she wished for the most. It's so pure, so sweet, it almost brings tears to her eyes. Her soft, precious, teddy bear Juno. "You're so fucking wonderful. And I love you." She leans back, giving her a serious cheek-puff. (To show that she is serious.) "I love you more than pancakes, Juju. And make-up and sparkly jewelry and dresses and all the shoes in the worlds." She breaks into a playful grin, nuzzling against her. Then her expression turns a touch more somber. "And I love you more than my wings."

Lettie takes a second to let that settle in, enjoying the warmth of her girlfriend against her before she sits up again to look at her properly. Gently, she takes her face between her hands and looks her in the eyes.

"...You can try it. I think it's certainly worth a try after everything we've been through." Lettie agrees. Gently, she strokes a rouge strand of Juno's hair behind her ear and kisses the tip of her nose. "But you need to know that I'm not going to love you any less than I do right now if it doesn't work out." She squeezes her arms, trailing her fingers down to her hands. "That's not to say that I don't think you're capable of it... I trust you. You're fucking incredible and you've been working so hard. I... think I'm still in shock. Processing. And maybe... maybe I'm a little scared to get my hopes up too high?" The faerie bites her lip. The way she feels about her wings is in no way a reflection of the way she feels about Juno. And she doesn't want her girlfriend punishing herself if it doesn't work out. "That said, I don't want those feelings to affect us. Because we're good, no matter what happens." She hides her face against Juno's chest again. She doesn't want to lose her. She doesn't want to come as close to losing her as she's already come through Juno's past pursuit of her wings. "Okay?"
 
Juno knows how much Lettie worries over her—even now, she’s ever watchful of the pirate’s sleep schedule and always makes sure she’s not pushing herself too far—so she would have never suggested this if she suspected there was even the slightest chance that she could get hurt. But she trusts the goddess and trusts she wouldn’t lead her astray. (The necromancer is still in shock that the goddess acknowledged her prowess; even if she knows her accolades speak for themselves, to have the literal divine acknowledge her aptitude is not something she ever would have expected. Even if she had a hand in bringing back said goddess.) She knows she can do this.

Even so, she understands Lettie’s fears and does not fault her for having them. As confident as Juno is, even she has those what if, what if, what ifs ringing in the back of her mind. More than anything, she wants to see her girlfriend happy and would be devastated to disappoint her. But Lettie makes it clear that she’ll be fine no matter the outcome and she believes her. She knows that Lettie will find other ways to fly. Maybe she’ll build her own fucking wings or make flying shoes or some other genius contraption—or maybe she’ll content herself with soaring the skies on Lady Vengeance, dangling her feet from the crow’s nest. Either way, she knows Lettie will have her happiness again. Well, not that she’s not happy now, but she’ll make her peace with this no matter the outcome.

And this time around, Juno isn’t going to upset her by going behind her back. She’s not going to scare her by running off and trusting an untrustworthy spirit. This time, she’s going to do it right. With Lettie’s permission.

Her fingertips trace along the bumps of Lettie’s spine, pressing her nose into the top of her head as she holds her. “Loving me that much is pretty gay,” the homo pirate grins, always finding ways to tease her girlfriend. “I love you just as much and I don’t want to ever stop. I know we’re good no matter what. We’ve been through worse already.”

They sit like this for what could be minutes or hours, just enjoying the simplicity of holding onto each other, knowing that they still have each other. Avangline might lie ahead of them, but they aren’t the same pirate and faerie duo as they were the first time. They’re stronger now—not just in terms of their relationship. They’ve learned new tricks and are ready to watch that glittery world burn. But for now, they rest and enjoy the pleasure of each other’s company.

Later that same evening, while everyone is streaming in and out of the kitchen for food, Juno approaches Thaddeus and Ainsley about helping her with Lettie’s wings. As much as she’d like to do this alone, she knows that for all she’s accomplished, she still has limits. And for what she intends to do, she will need an extra pair of spirit magicians with her. Thad may have his insufferable moments, but it would be outrageous to deny his skill; and Ainsley has already proven that she knows a thing or two about raising partial spirits. Though she trusts all the necromancers aboard her ship, these are the two she trusts the most with bringing back Lettie’s wings. And the two eagerly agree and make a plan to meet Juno at the study tomorrow morning after breakfast.

That night Juno does her best to sleep, but she’s restless, nerves and excitement both keeping her awake. Each time she almost falls asleep, a thought or noise will ruin it, keeping her stuck in a tired and sleepless state for a majority of the night. She doesn’t know when she actually manages to drift off, only that it could not have been for that long. It’s like the second she actually manages to get twenty minutes of solid sleep in, she’s woken up by what sounds like Abigail racing through the hallways on her cloud counter. The pirate groans into her pillow and bitterly accepts she won’t be getting any more rest and slowly starts to get ready for the day alongside her girlfriend.

Throughout their morning she assures Lettie that she’s fine and that she’s confident that she can work on her wings. Even when Lettie presses her about how restless she was last night, she insists that she’ll be okay and promises she’s not being reckless, assuring Lettie that she’s not going to risk herself just to get her wings back. “‘Sides, I asked Thad and Ainsley to help. It won’t just be me.”

Breakfast passes in blur with Juno shoveling food into her mouth to make sure she has enough energy to work with the wings. To top it off she even treats herself to three cups of coffee. (Still disgusting. Still her favorite.) The last few sips of her third cup might have been a mistake as she’s now vibrating when she meets up with the other two necromancers at the study.

Before unlocking the door, Juno warns Lettie that the wings are on the desk and still covered. She asks whether or not she’d like to wait outside, recalling how Lettie froze the last time she saw them. But the faerie insists that she’s ready; it’s a shaky insistence, but Juno doesn’t question her further. She’d be just as antsy if she were about to see a piece of herself detached and on a mount.

The study is in far less of a state of chaos than the last time Lettie scrambled through it, attempting to piece together Juno’s research. (Seems like Marjorie must have swept through at some point and cleared away some of the mess.) Just as she said, the mount sits atop her desk with her jacket draped over it. As she readies to pull the cover, Juno looks over at Lettie. Her expression asks, ‘You sure?’ Once she’s given the go ahead, she pulls it back, revealing the iridescent flower-like wings. Ainsley and Thad both gasp in awe as they take them in. Even like this, they’re heart achingly beautiful. (She's going to tear that entity in two for this.)

“You really are a faerie…” Thad only belatedly realizes he’s voiced this aloud when he catches Juno’s searing glare. (The pirate might have punched him in the face right then and there, but she resists the temptation. She needs him unharmed, unfortunately. But afterwards, his nose is getting smashed.) He swallows hard, slowly backing away from the stupidly buff pirate who has already punched him one too many times for his infractions against faeries. Ainsley grabs Thad’s hand before he can actually make a break for it and gives him a look, one that Juno doesn’t understand, but it convinces the geek to stay.

Juno gives Lettie one last squeeze before she has to let go so the necromancers can set to work.

“Is this a standard phantom limb situation?” Ainsley asks, tilting her head as she eyes the wings, no doubt feeling the energy radiating from them.

“Principly, yeah.” Juno almost leaves it at that, but it occurs to her that Ainsley cannot read her mind and might need some context. “The main difference is we’re working with a faerie. They’re more complex than humans—like they’re almost pure magic." With that, she offers a hand to each of the other necromancers so that they all link together in a circle around the wings. "Just follow my lead."

Together, the necromancers combine their focus to pull on the necromantic energy that rolls over the wings in thick waves. Though the energy is palpable, the wings don’t respond just because some necromancers are trying to coax them with their magic. They lay there frozen as ever. This is to be expected, however. As Juno said, they’re working with a faerie’s partial spirit.

But Juno knows this faerie and while her wings may now be severed, she knows they are still a part of Lettie. She focuses on that, focuses on the memories she has of Lettie flying, performing tricks at Juno’s request, and uses that as a lure. Her efforts pay off as the wings start to adopt a ghostly glow, flickering as the necromancers work to connect themselves to them. The ghostly glow causes the physical wings to light up like psychedelic kaleidoscopes as their spirit is separated from them. As the necromancers gather more and more of the phantom wings, lifting them from the physical ones, the physical ones start to fade until they disappear entirely—not turning to dust, just simply not existing.

Once they’re fully under their control, Juno wills the phantom wings to flap, testing their responsivity. And though it’s a graceless and jerky movement, it’s all she needs to know the first part is done. Satisfied, she breaks from the wings, leaving them under Thad and Ainsley’s control, and goes to check on Lettie. “Lett, we’re ready for you. We’ll need access to your back so we can attach them.”

For this purpose, Juno has Lettie lay on her pink couch (not Thad’s) and helps her adjust her clothing so that her scars are visible. Feather light, Juno runs the tips of her fingers over Lettie’s scars, feeling for the traces of her wings that are still attached to the faerie. “This might feel weird, but try to relax,” she warns just before she activates those phantom sensations within the faerie; like her knee-jerk responses whenever she wants to fly. With the anchor points activated, Juno signals to the spirit magicians that they can lower the wings over the designated areas, using the long, jagged scars as a guide.

The ghostly wings flicker in color, not quite the dizzying psychedelic pattern they adopt whenever Lettie is feeling threatened and not quite how they get when she’s supercharged with magic. It’s something else entirely and it intensifies once the phantom wings make contact with the anchor points on Lettie’s back. The necromancers collectively work to stitch the two together, but it will be up to Lettie to accept her phantom wings.

Gently, Juno strokes through Lettie’s hair. “Lette, it’s on you now. Just let them in like you let me in when we heal worlds and shit.”
 
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Lettie's eyes drift shut. Slowly, the sound and sensation of the world that exists outside her head falls silent. Let them in. When she reaches out, a soft wind begins to blow. She blinks her eyes open again as it combs through her hair, picking petals out of the flower crown on her head. Oh. She's small again. (Smaller.) She finds herself reliving a memory she told Juno about once before, sitting on the edge of one of the floating parks in Avangeline next to Ravan. Her legs dangle over the side, her toes curling up in anticipation as she watches pink clouds float by like fluffy boats on the sea of blue sky below her feet. (When she was a girl she was all boundless, fearless excitement. Now there's apprehension and fear mixed in. There are only two ways this can end.) After losing her wings, a tainted version of this very memory would play out in her nightmares. One where she pushed herself off the edge of the world only to realize partway through the fall that she no longer had the wings to fly back up with. Dizzying city lights dance around her like bullets, the flowers on the buildings growing fangs and hissing at the flightless wonder as she hurtles to her death. Father and farther away from the stars. The sweet pastel colors draining to darkness as she lands in the Reaper's pit.

It always ends with the bastard's teeth. Whether he's showing them off in his wide, unsettling grin or slamming shut around her. Sometimes they're clean. Sometimes they're bloodied, with shorn bits of her wings stuck in them.

There's no time to brace herself. Consumed, Lettie forgets what she was doing before... and she's already slipping off the side of the world, the root she grabs for snapping with a sickening crack as gravity yanks her down like the golden chains of fate that've been strangling her for years. 'You know how this ends.' Asmodeus's voice taunts. 'It's inevitable.' The faerie flinches on the pink couch, trapped in the throes of the nightmare.

But then the unexpected happens. Lettie crashes through the deck of Lady Vengeance instead. Suddenly her hair turns blue and her eyes are green. (When this happens, the phantom wings twitch and respond by mirroring those same colors.)

Then she flickers through countless different looks-- her hair and eyes turning every shade of the rainbow as she crash-lands through her various memories of crashing into Juno. In the beginning, the pirate grunts and roughly tosses her off to the next Juno. Many of them curse or give the classic 'what the fuck' catchphrase as she collides with them. But then Juno's arms gradually become gentler around her, setting her aside rather than shoving her off altogether. And then... "Told you I'd catch you."

Suddenly they're underneath that metal tree in Cubey's workshop. Juno catches her and Phillip catches Juno. And then that Juno phases through different instances of Juno catching her ever since that moment. Most are in the midst of battles or training sessions. There's one instance where Juno has her on her back, telling her she's got her and to hold on as they escape the Duchess's crumbling estate. The more recent ones are from the cube's more chaotic blips. (Juno's hair doesn't change as drastically as Lettie's-- only occasionally changing in length or style. Seeing this change unfold right before her eyes, the faerie truly notes just how much the white streak in her hair has changed since her efforts to get her wings back the first time. She really put herself through the wringer for her.) The scene then changes to the tomb, where Juno dives in to catch her again.

“What if I hadn’t been able to catch you, bug?” Juno says in her softest voice. “You could have gotten hurt.”

But truth be told, that thought hadn't even occurred to Lettie at the time. Wingless and facing the fucking Duchess, with everything in the worlds to worry about, the second she saw Juno she flung herself off that pillar without even a prickle of hesitation or fear. Because Juno always catches her. And she trusts more than anything that she's got her.

Finally, Lettie lands into her memory of the other night, with her limbs wrapped around Juno's middle while the pirate presses her nose against the crown of her head, stroking her spine. "Just let them in like you let me in." It's then that she becomes aware of the fingers running through her hair. Juno's right here with her. She hasn't gone anywhere or left her behind. She's here to stay by her side no matter what. And this time around, the faerie won't have to face her unfinished business on Avangeline alone.

Juno wanted so badly to make things right after what happened on Avangeline. After she lost her...

With or without her wings, Juno's already made things right since then. (And so has Lettie.) But even knowing that, she hasn't given up. She's still trying her damnedest to do this for her. Because she knows her. She could see how happy Lettie was whenever she took flight. And she can see how she feels now, whenever she's standing on the ground and looking up at the sky. And she's doing this for her now because she loves her unconditionally.

Lettie finally allows herself to think about her wings. Not as they were right in front of her, covered in blood or set up on a mount... but the way they felt when she still had them. How they'd sparkle and turn pink whenever she blushed. How she'd flutter them out behind her with a flourish whenever she tried on a new outfit. She remembers the joy she felt flying again after her wing was healed, showing off and trying every trick Juno could come up with. How delightfully freeing it felt to fly. Stars, she missed it. She misses them. 'I know you're there.' She reaches for that connection, the way Juno instructed. 'Come back to me.'

The wings seal themselves into place along the scars on the faerie's back with a blinding flash. With a jerk and a sharp breath, Lettie comes back into herself when the process is complete. Blearily, she opens her eyes just as glaring light settles. Upon her back, her wings bloom out like restless ghosts of their former selves. They fade in and out between having a form and being no more than just a silvery, sparkling suggestion of wings. Lettie can feel them there. It's not exactly the same as before, though, and there's no solid weight to them.

Lettie's not sure if she's been deluded by her memories or if this is for real. Judging by the bewildered expressions on the faces of the necromancers, she can't tell yet whether or not it worked. (Or rather, she can't believe it until she sees them for herself. It's different enough that she can't be too sure yet.) She sits up, the phantom wings flickering erratically behind her as her heart rate accelerates.

"Did... did any of you bring a mirror?" Lettie asks, an edge of nervousness in her voice. For once, it's not to check how she looks appearance-wise. She just has to see them for herself. She has to know.

Ainsley elbows Thad. He glares at her, confused... then his gaze slides over to Juno and his eyes go wide.

"...Fuck, that was my job." Thad hisses under his breath. "My bad, I'm on it!" He scrambles out of the study. Hopefully he actually means to come back. Considering his slip of the tongue before, it's just as valid to assume he's gone to find some place to hide.

"I'll make sure he actually gets it." Ainsley sighs, sensing this. She stares at Lettie for a moment longer before nodding to Juno and heading out.

"Juju, did it work?" Lettie asks when they're alone. She cranes her neck, trying to get a glimpse of them herself, but every time she comes close they fade out into that faint outline of sparkles. Almost like they're purposefully acting mischievous, their spirits playing tricks on her. (Well... they are a part of the fucking faerie herself. Figures they'd be a bit unruly.) "I think I feel them there. But it also kinda feels like I'm just... imagining them. Is that normal?"
 
Fucking Thad. Can’t fucking be trusted to do his one job. (Well, technically he was also assigned the task of helping Juno, but whatever. Necromancy isn’t really a job for a nerd like him, so grabbing the mirror really was his only fucking job.) He’s lucky that Juno would rather check on her girlfriend than punch his punchable face. Yet despite her thoughts of punching his face, she doesn’t think that she’ll act on that just yet. But he’s on thin fucking ice if he keeps fucking up. If he says anything to Lettie about being a faerie it better be prefaced with an apology for insisting she’s an elf and acknowledging that she is the fucking faerie. That’s about the only thing Thad can do to keep his face, throat, and groin intact. (Even then, Juno might employ something akin to a "revenge tally.")

Once the door is shut, Juno slowly pans back to Lettie. The pirate has since moved to take the seat next to her faerie, sitting so their legs are brushing against each other. One arm is wrapped around her shoulder and the other reaches for her hand, stroking her thumb over her knuckles. Her eyes search Lettie for any sign of injury, discomfort, or pain, recalling the way she had been shuddering earlier and how her wings kept changing colors. She hadn’t indicated then that she had been in any pain, but it’s only natural for Juno to worry. She cares so damn much about this little faerie from Avangeline.

When she assures herself that Lettie is fine, she takes the rest of her in, from her face to the ghostly wings now set on her back. They flicker in and out of existence like they’re confused, unsure of what they’re doing. But they are there. The pirate isn’t sure how they’re going to function, whether it will be just as before or if she’ll have to learn how to fly all over again, but that’s something they can figure out later. Finally, her gaze settles and meets Lettie’s own, instantly softening for her. “Yeah, Lette,” she grins. “It worked. They’re there.”

Juno reaches over her shoulder, passing her hand through the phantom wings. They fade away almost the second she does this, just reflecting a silvery, sparkling outline. “I’m not sure, to be honest.” She sets her hand on Lettie’s shoulder, watching the wings return. “I imagine it’d be different just on principle, but I couldn’t tell you. There’s a lot I don’t know and even less when it comes to you, because you’re not like others. You’re the fucking faerie.”

A part of the necromancer isn’t even sure that the faerie really will be able to fly with this version of her wings. (What if she’s only revived a harsh reminder of what happened?) She tries to hold onto the fact that Ainsley and others who’ve chosen to raise the spirit of their lost limbs still have full functionality. In some cases, they’re even able to do more than before. Like how Ainsley can stretch and bend her phantom limb in ways she never could before. Applying this sort of necromancy to wings isn’t something she’s ever heard of or witnessed herself, but she has to assume functionality will return. And aside from what she’s observed with Ainsley and others, she also remembers what the goddess said and how each of her gifts seemed to know exactly what the individual desired most, down to Abigail’s desire for a cloud counter that would allow her to float alongside the original bastard. If she knew that, then she would have also known that Juno wanted to see Lettie fly with her own wings again.

Like Lettie, there are some things that the pirate is unwilling to believe until she sees it. “Ains might know more.” Thad might as well, but she doesn’t need to hear another one of his nasally lectures on necromancy. He's such a know-it-all. “We’ll figure this out together, okay? I’ll be right there with you through all of this and–and if that’s too much and you want some privacy, just tell me to fuck right off.” Ultimately, this is about Lettie and she’ll respect her wishes if she wants to experiment in private. “But I’ll always be there to catch you, if you’ll have me there. It's whatever you want, love.” She kisses her forehead, then strokes her cheek (her favorite freckle) with the pad of her thumb.

A gentle knock on the door announces Thad and Ainsley’s return and the pair shuffle back into the study with the mirror in tow. It’s flipped around so Lettie can’t see herself yet, even as they reorient it in front of her. “Ready?” Ainsley asks, seeming to note the way Juno had been checking in with her earlier. Once Lettie gives the okay, she flips the mirror around. "They really do look gorgeous, Olette. Don't be alarmed if they seem to have minds of their own. Phantom limbs can be a bit... different." Ainsley waves her own phantom arm and spirals it up like a corkscrew to demonstrate. "Sometimes my arm is a real little shit, but it also saved my ass back when we were fighting the Duchess and her goons. It's a process of learning to trust yourself again."

"And I heard—"

"Shut up, Thad," Juno and Ainsley chime in unison. Then Juno asks Lettie, "You wanna try them out?"
 
'It worked. They're there.' And there they are. Lettie gawks at her reflection in the mirror, mystified by what she sees. The ghosts of her wings pulse along with the rhythm of her heartbeat, flickering through various different shapes and sizes as if they're still trying to decide what they want to be. Or maybe that's all on her. Maybe she's still trying to decide what she wants them to be. The wings she knew before are long gone and these are something brand new. If they don't shyly reduce themselves to smatterings of sparkle, foggy wisps drip over them like an endless cascade of water. Ainsley says they're gorgeous. They're...

"Spooky." Lettie proclaims warmly, twisting her body slightly to the left so she can try to get a better look at them from behind. Ainsley and Thad balk, somewhat taken aback when she suddenly glamours herself into her candy currency world outfit, complete with all the glam and spider-webs. (And, yes, the cleavage.) Her wings shimmer and comically shape themselves to resemble cartoonish ghosts, matching her assessment. The faerie is delighted. Her wings puff themselves up as if their confidence is bolstered by her good-natured cheer. "Spooky, spooky."

"Nerd." Thad coughs under his breath. Ainsley elbows him, jerking her chin towards Juno to remind him he's on thin fucking ice. Of course, Juno's attention may be otherwise occupied at the moment. She is the homo pirate, after all.

It turns out Juno doesn't even have to intervene. Lettie's wings are on it. They take on a large and menacing shape, outstretching far enough to knock Thad clean off his feet. (Consequently, her other wing knocks the desk over, sending all the contents clattering onto the floor. Oops.) Lettie's mouth makes a perfect 'o' in shock and she slowly pans her gaze over to look at Juno apologetically for the desk. (...Thad totally had it coming, though.) A few seconds later she struggles to hide the mischievous grin that breaks through. After that, in true fucking faerie fashion, Lettie cycles through a few of her other favorite outfits to see what happens. Each time, she's starstruck as her wings change form to match the aesthetic of each one. Her softer looks accompany fluffy, angelic looking wings while those with an edge have, well, edge. And plenty of it.

Every time Thad opens his mouth to mock her, her wing waves at him as if taunting him to fight it. His eyes go wide and he shuts his mouth, instead offering words of encouragement praising her different looks. Lettie's pretty confident he's not going to be calling her an elf anymore. Good! Everything is as it should be. She is the fucking faerie and he best not forget it.

"...I think that's your influence." Ainsley admits to Juno, amused. "They're so protective of her."

Lettie allows her glamours to fade, her expression soft and thoughtful. The scars on her back are still visible through the translucent wings... but she doesn't mind it much. These new wings aren't going to erase what happened to her. She's grown and changed and she's proud of where she stands today. Excruciating as it was to endure and survive, there is nothing she would change... because this path led her to Juno. Her sweet Juno, who worked herself to the bone to give her this absolute miracle.

"I love them. Thank you." Lettie's smile reaches her eyes as she spins to face the necromancers. While she is addressing all of them (yeah, even Thad) most of her attention is on Juno. Juno, who she needs in her arms right this minute. She skips the few steps of distance between them and draws her into a tight hug, pressing her chin against her as she tilts her head to look up at her. "Hell yeah, let's try them out! But first..." She shimmies eagerly and gives Juno a suggestive look. The faerie jumps up, her new wings clumsily giving her a boost so she can wrap her arms around the pirate's shoulders, attaining the height she needs to kiss her girlfriend on the lips. As they deepen the kiss, her freckles and wings light up like fireworks. Ainsley and Thad watch with wonder for a moment before snapping out of it, getting the hint. They sneak out of the study to give them their privacy, locking the door behind them.

***​

"It's time to get serious now." Lettie explains aloud. It might seem like she's talking to herself, but let it be known that she's talking to her wings. "You understand?" This is her twelfth try now. Thus far she's been able to glide and hover for a couple of seconds at most... but her wings find it fucking hilarious to sparkle out of existence before she can fly more than a few feet in the air, dropping her down like she's a ball in a game of catch and Juno is their playmate. The faerie squeaks, falling, and the pirate's eyes bug out as she dives for her. As this outcome becomes more and more predictable, Juno appears less shocked and more huffy each time it happens. But she's patient as hell, there for her every step of the way just like she said she'd be.

The faerie inches towards the edge of the mossy boulder she's standing on. The cube brought them to some forest to train in. From the sounds of it, there's a waterfall somewhere nearby. Occasionally, Lettie swears she sees goldfish flying overhead like birds. But she's been too focused on her goal to give much thought to exploring this world. And it wouldn't be the first time she's seen fish fly. Though she supposes the cube wouldn't bring them back to that world, seeing as they're wanted criminals... and Juju basically tore their whole forest down. Surely they would've recognized it by now. Surely.

"Okay. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna jump." Lettie announces to her wings. She gives them a dubious look and they sparkle innocently. The faerie sighs. Here they go again. "Take twelve." She crosses her arms over her chest, nonchalantly tipping herself over the edge of the bolder without checking down below. At this point she can take trust falls to all kinds of extremes, given how reliable her girlfriend is at catching her. This time, though, it's not Juno who catches her. Someone else beats her to the punch... someone who Juno might have punched in the face, once upon a time...

"Miss Olette! Fear not, I'll save you!" A familiar and valiant voice cries out. Suddenly, Lettie collides with the back of a flying shark. She hugs onto it on impulse to keep herself from sliding off, disoriented and nonplussed.

"Sir Regis!" Lettie blinks rapidly, struggling to keep up with what's happening. The shark flies them high into the sky, weaving at a breakneck pace through the trees. By the time she's got her bearings enough to glance over her shoulder, her pirate is a tiny speck on the horizon. The shark is desperately trying to get her away from Juno. Juno... who she'd been desperately trying to escape they first time they met. "Wait a sec!" Air whips her face, throwing strands of hair in her mouth. She sputters, spitting them out and shields her eyes with her hand. When she looks down, she notes that they're now moving over destroyed part of the very same forest. Fish are hard at work below, planting new trees and flowers to restore it. Oh. They really did tear through this world. (And she and Juno are on a wanted poster for it. Ah, that freaking menace cube! It's trying to get them into trouble on purpose at this point.) "You need to take me back. Juno's my girlfriend now! Things are good with us."
 
“Tis I indeed, Miss Olette! A great huzzah is in order, I believe.” The noble shark nods, keeping his beady eyes trained forward as he weaves through the breaks in the trees. Aside from the shiny new Juno shaped bruise across his nose, Sir Regis appears in good spirits. His tone is chipper as ever and even seems to reflect some exasperated relief, having reunited with the winged land fish from the day before. “A great worry overcame me after our sudden departure yesterday. Oh, it was terrible indeed. I swam in circles in my sleep, restless with worry that a terrible fate had become you, dearest Olette.” Though, to be fair, Sir Regis always swims when he sleeps. He’s a shark. He’ll fall to his death otherwise. Happily oblivious to the winged land fish’s distress over leaving behind the pink terror, harbinger of destruction, and King of Rudeness, Sir Regis continues to tell the story of his anguish. “The second the sun woke up, I was up and scouring the Lost Forest—”

Both the story and the shark come to a sudden halt over Miss Olette’s proclamation that… the pink terror is her girlfriend??? He bends his neck to get a good look at his passenger, checking to make sure she is still of sound mind. After what happened with Old Humperdinck, a shark can never be too sure. “Say what? Have you forgotten that the pink terror injured your wing? Miss Olette, are you under a spell?” This would make sense. Sir Regis recalls that the winged land fish had been hurling herself over a ledge before he saved her. It is very possible she is now a zombie, like poor Humperdinck was. “For your safety, I must get you to a doctor. If all is well, I can return you to… the pink terror. I hope you understand my pre—”

From down below, the forest interrupts with a growl. It’s low and deep and sends the goldfish scattering from the trees. The great chasm that had ruptured the day before, stretches and swallows more of the forest. A giant rock-fist bursts up from the chasm, grasping for the ledge to pull up the rest of its massive twenty-two foot body from the earth. (Needless to say, the rock leviathan is still pissed…) Its two fists smash into the earth, unleashing a violent shockwave through the old growth forest. Trees fall over like dominoes. Dust and debris clouds over the forest floor, completely obfuscating it from view. A rocky tail flicks through the cloud, showing the leviathan on the prowl.

Juno, meanwhile, hangs precariously from a tree branch, one of the few that has yet to fall over. (It had taken the pirate about a second after Lettie had been captured before she started scaling the trees, like that would really close the distance between herself and a flying fucking shark.) Her arm stretches uncomfortably at the socket, sweat gathering on her palm. The tree bark tears uncomfortably into her skin. ‘What the fuck…’ She swallows, not daring to look below her because she already knows she’s fucked. And the branch she’s holding onto agrees with an unpleasant snap, crackle, pop! "Agghhh!"

The pirate falls out from the tree with a series of grunts, groans, and cries as she hits more branches on her way down. She falls in heap, moaning softly as she rolls onto her back. Aside from a new collection of scrapes and bruises, she’s relatively unscathed. (Maybe the goddess is protecting her, now that she’s back?) ‘Okay, climbing a tree to catch up with her… Not my smartest move.’ Of course, how was Juno supposed to predict a fucking earthquake?

She lifts the end of her cropped pink Lettie and the Skellies muscle tank and wipes the grime from her face. (Lettie caught Juno tryinging on the shirt earlier and convinced her to keep it on. To be honest, it's not awful.) With the thick cloud of dust still settling in the air, she then swipes on her goggles and reaches for the demon sword strapped to her back, preparing for anything. “Hey, Lette… What the fuck, right?” She’s trying to make light of this situation and through their stream, it’s easy to hide her distress. But make no mistake she is definitely freaking the fuck out. 'Please be okay...'

Using her current predicament as a distraction from her worry, she waves her demon sword through the air. The debris freezes and follows the motion of Juno's sword as she waves it over to the side. Instantly, this reveals the giant rock body of a vaguely familiar stone guardian. The kind Juno and Lettie used to piss off upon first meeting. Oops. The guardian snarls and all six of its eyes locking onto Juno at once. Juno throws up the smoke screen again and bolts.

“What the fuck did I even do!?” …That’s a loaded question and she knows it. Juno doesn't get the chance to even think about her crimes on this world when the trees start working against her. They close in on her path until she’s surrounded on all sides, no escape. One of the tree’s flips up its root, sweeping her legs out from under her. More wrap around her ankles, wind up her legs, and holding up for the stone leviathan to judge.
 
"Oh no you don't." Sir Regis raises his fin to prevent Lettie from taking a nosedive off his back when she sees the angry leviathan charging towards her girlfriend. (Her girlfriend, who she loves more than pancakes, make-up, sparkly jewelry or shoes. And yeah, it is pretty fucking gay.) The shark is even more concerned for the faerie now than he was before. And he really is a darling for worrying so much about her... but he seriously needs to let her go! "You definitely need a doctor. Don't you worry, missy. You'll be right as rain in no time."

"I'm fine, Sir Regis! For realsies." Lettie appeals to the flying shark, struggling to maneuver around his fin as he bats her back with it. He flies them higher into the sky than before, her stomach turning as she peers down at the shrinking treetops. They teeter and topple over as the earth shakes below. As they soar higher, her odds of survival are less and less realistic. If she jumps off now, there's a chance she won't fly. There's a chance her wings will mistakenly think she's still playing games and drop her to her death. "You gotta take me back."

An aghast Lettie watches as the trees point in a clearly drawn path towards where she left Juno, presumably blocking her in. Cornering her as the leviathan makes their pursuit. She needs her. Lettie's wings flutter and flicker hesitantly behind her. The forest below fades into delirious cocktail swirls of color and she has to close her eyes against an impending dizzy spell. There's also a chance that she will fly. Does she take it?

Is that even a question? Lettie's taken many foolish chances since beginning of her journey with Juno. (Even before that, if she's gonna be straight up about it.) Scaling floating rocks over burbling pools of lava and rushing in to save the fucking cube when Ripir charged after it. But now she's got someone in her life who loves her and gives a damn about whether she lives or dies. Someone she's got a fighting chance at sharing a future with. Warmth. Home. Safety. They've got something she can't throw away on a whim.

...But her someone needs her and might be in terrible danger if she does nothing. After everything they've been through, is this where she's going to freeze up? Juno gave her these brilliant, beautiful wings. They might have inherited some fucking faerie antics, but she's gotta trust in the fact that they'll fly! If she can trust anything, it's that Juno's got her. It's just... what if Lettie's forgotten how to fly after losing that part of herself?

'Sometimes my arm is a real little shit, but it also saved my ass back when we were fighting the Duchess and her goons. It's a process of learning to trust yourself again.'

"...I've done dumber shit and haven't died yet." Lettie proclaims boldly, nodding up at the sky. Better believe it's the gosh darned truth. "I'll be fine. Everything's gonna be fine."

Lettie shoves forward before she can freak herself out, glitching through Sir Regis's fin. With a high-pitched shout, she plummets. The wind roars in her ears and whips ruthlessly at her cheeks, hair and phantom wings. She gets a tiny green leaf stuck in her mouth upon striking a branch and snaps her eyes open, mindful to glitch through any sharp or broken limbs that could potentially impale her. The faerie raises her arms to shield her face. 'Fly.' She hits another branch and keeps falling, the forest a blurred, unfettered sea of green around her. 'You could fly before you could walk. Fly!'

"Fear not, Miss Olette! I'll save you from yourself!" Sir Regis cries, chasing her down. Her wings shiver and just before she can hit the ground...

Lettie suddenly shoots forward like a dart fired from a nerf gun. (One of the fancy elite ones at that.) Chaotically, she weaves through fallen and standing trees alike-- she has to twirl and dodge the trees in the process of collapsing. Her wings shift through various forms as she does so, unable to settle on any one look. it's only when she zips into the sky to get a better view of where Juno is that her wings grow larger than she could have ever dreamed possible. They stretch open wide behind her, sparkling in the sun and resembling a magnificent dragon's wings. When they flap, they're powerful enough send little gusts of wind over the trees that still stand, stirring their branches.

They're facing a leviathan! And she's fighting for love! For her. Is it really a surprise that Olette Lycoris Radiata has found a way to be extra as fuck about it?

Lettie swoops down the instant she lays eyes on her, crash-landing against Juno's chest and instinctually wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders. (She's home.) Sensing the faerie's energy, a few of the tree roots retreat.. However, her presence does little to placate the stone leviathan. As it strikes, she wraps her enormous wings around them like a shield. Rainbow spiderwebs appear wherever the claw strikes, but they don't shatter. Not that easily. But as the claw comes down again, Lettie knows she won't be able to keep this up forever.

"You think the cube will do us a solid here?" Lettie asks, at a loss. The leviathan screams in their faces, showing off it's teeth. (Just as sharp as the last time they were nearly devoured by them!) Yeah, that might be asking for too much. She purses her lips, glancing up at Juno. "Maybe an apology would work?"
 
Juno struggles against her bonds until the veins in her neck bulge. Yet no matter her attempts, the roots and branches remain firmly wrapped around her, holding her in place, and more simply weave and layer over her, adding more resistance to her struggle. All she can really move is her head, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to muscle through her binds anyway. It doesn’t stop her from chewing through the branches that try to cover her mouth. It doesn’t stop her from trying to manipulate the dirt both in the air and what still clings to the roots to help her break free. Though without her sword, she’s burning through her reserves of magic at a dangerous rate—not that she seems to care. It’s a reckless judgment call, but nothing in the worlds is powerful enough to stop her from getting back to Lettie. (Apparently, not even death.)

Memories from her dreams flit through her mind, inspiring her efforts. Every vision of their garden, every promise of lazy afternoons, every version of the cottage they have imagined—everything that they have been fighting for floods through her mind as she jerks and bites and claws her way through these binds no matter how fruitless. Giving up isn’t an option. (She can’t stand the thought of being the reason for Lettie’s tears. She can’t stand the thought of leaving her.) No matter what, she has to resist.

The leviathan breathes a cool breath over the pirate, clearing away the dust so that it can have a clear view of the one who murdered a child of the Lost Forest. Its shadow rolls over Juno, stealing away all the warmth of the world, and a chill wraps around her shoulders. She pauses her struggle and slowly pans up, staring straight into molten eyes. While she vaguely remembers yelling at Lettie over who pissed off this stone guardian, she doesn’t actually remember what the offense was—whether it was something serious like murder or something more benign like not smiling politely enough.

Not that it really matters.

Pebbles drip over the pirate’s head like drool. The upset leviathan towers over her, blocking her view of the sky entirely. Its jaw opens wide, revealing the rows and rows of pointed teeth. ‘Oh shit.’ Juno wriggles around, growing more desperate now that she’s staring down the creature’s gullet. (Her final destination.) It’s going to take a miracle for her to get out of this one—

A miracle or one fucking faerie. (Same difference, really.) Everything happens in such a blur that Juno has trouble keeping up. The first thing she knows is Lettie’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and when she blinks, she’s staring through phantasmic dragon wings. (Of course her fucking faerie came back for her. Of course she found her way.) Her lips part, forming a small ‘o.' She doesn’t even flinch as the leviathan tries to batter its way through the wings, trusting in Lettie’s protection without even needing an explanation. She’s the fucking faerie, what more of an explanation does she need?

It’s only when Juno finally peels her eyes away from the wings and the monster that she looks down, for the first time recognizing that she’s no longer covered in tree roots. She spits out the branch that had been used to gag her, sputtering out bits of grainy bark before she fully processes her girlfriend’s suggestion. “I mean… It’s worth a shot, right?” Lettie used to (try to) talk them out of trouble all the time and recently, Juno’s even learned the power of words. But fuck. She still doesn’t remember what she did and if she were to go through the long list of crimes she’s committed since getting booted from Desdemonia the first time, they might become no more than splattered faerie and pirate bits. “Shit.”

“Prince Obsidinite!” Sir Regis, who Juno also hardly recognizes, dashes forward and puts himself between the duo and the stone leviathan. He holds up his fins, waving them around to get the prince’s attention. “Please spare the interlopers—at least spare the winged land fish. She has no crimes to her name aside from an unfortunate association with the murderess.” The shark hisses, glaring at Juno through his peripheries. (This still doesn’t ring any bells for Juno, unfortunately.)

“No,” Prince Obsidinite replies flatly, not even sparing a moment to consider the shark’s request. With one of its hands, it bats him away, sending him somersaulting into a tree. The prince raises its fists again, content to continue its assault on the shield provided by Lettie’s wings.

“W-Wait!” Juno lets go of Lettie and positions her behind herself, protecting her even if her wings are already taking care of that. The pirate holds up her hands in surrender, trying to appeal to the guardian prince. “Uh, Prince Obsidinite, please. Whatever I did, I’m sorry. Really. I’m sure I can explain.”

“You who cannot even remember your crimes do not deserve to be heard,” the great prince huffs, eyes flaring at the (deserved) offense. “Perish.”

Juno presses her eyes shut, holding Lettie close to her from behind. Their protective orb heats up by several degrees as the cracks between the leviathan’s body flood with magma. More of the stuff drips from its mouth. It throws its head back and—

“Geez, I really cannot take you two anywhere!” None other than the cube pops in, completely missing that now is not the time for their antics. (Fucking asshole.) “Grabbing Lady’s coordinates annddd—blip!”

blip!

They fall in a stacked pile, Juno on top of Lettie, on Lady’s deck as per usual. Given that the skies are still a clear blue and not Desdemonia green, she guesses that they’re still on the same world as before. (Or perhaps one of the other numerous worlds that are only minor shitholes.) Juno flops over onto her back, blinking. What the fuck. Before she can even turn to face her girlfriend, the cube comes between them and announces, “You have twenty-four hours before we say goodbye!”
 
They leave for Avangeline in twenty-three hours.

Lettie can't think about Avangeline. So instead, she sinks herself into tonight's dinner preparations. When she explained her sparkly vision for the night to her girlfriend, Juno was quick to label it another party-- but the faerie puffed her cheeks and insisted that this time all she means to throw this time around is 'a small get-together dinner thing'. It's a completely different vibe. Nothing that'll tire them out before... before that thing they're gonna do tomorrow. She'd patted her buff arms insistently, telling her that she's got this and if she wants to help, she can do so later in the kitchen. But only after she's spent an ample amount of quality time with the others. With Eliza.

Lettie communicates that she wants Juno to gets all the time she needs in with Eliza and the others-- that it's important to her that she does. The faerie could see how happy Juno was, testing out her numerous mind blowing skills among other necromancers. And Eliza's like her family. This time should be theirs to enjoy. The skeleton crew is more than enough to help her with the first half of preparations. When her girlfriend asks about her, she grins brightly and throws up finger guns like a friggin' nerd. 'No worries, Juju. I'll have time to chill with everybody when our little shindig starts. Capiche?' After that it was all settled. Well, not exactly. First she had to explain to Juno what 'a capiche' is. That, no, it is not an insult or a quiche. Then they kissed... (her girlfriend might have whispered that she was sexy with dragon wings, turning their kiss into a full fledged make-out sesh) and then they set off to do their own things.

The little faerie flits about Lady with ease after that, adjusting to flying around with her new wings while tidying everything up. She lets the skeletons in on her dinner plans for the evening-- that her theme is 'a night under the stars', that she wants sparkly lights and a peaceful atmosphere. (She repeats the 'peaceful' part a couple of times for them to make sure it sinks in. Stars, they'd better not treat it like another rager after she promised Juno.) "And I don't want any of you spiking the punch." Lettie crosses her arms and glares at Fred. "I'm talking to you specifically, Fred. You know what you did."

Marjorie and Phillip help Lettie with a lot of the dusting and sweeping. (She and Marjorie sing some of their songs and boy are they rusty. They might have to squeeze in a practice session if they're gonna try and perform tonight. Recently, the faerie might have overhead a few of the necromancers asking about Juno's 'Lettie and the Skellies' tees. Her band kinda feels like... like an actual thing now? It'd be nice to play a song for everyone, but she's not gonna push herself if the moment's not right.) Lettie sees Inez and Fred carrying a box overflowing with glittery streamers and a mirror-ball. She narrows her eyes. Those will suffice as decorations, she thinks, but she's suspicious of those two.

That's when Lettie drops her feather duster on the floor, realizing what they're missing.

"Oh stars. You guys! We still don't have chairs!" Lettie frets, holding the sides of her head as she paces across the room. "Or a proper dining table! What are we gonna do?"

***​

"You've got lipstick on your face again. Guess the flying sessions went over well?" Ainsley greets Juno when she joins them at their campsite near the goddess's tomb. (She seems relieved to have a distraction appear in the form of Juno... before now, she was mediating a heated argument between Thad and Melvin on whether the worlds are sphere-shaped or cube-shaped.) "I'm relieved everything worked out."

"You are so obtuse!" Thad exclaims, throwing his arms in the air. He should really know better by now than to try arguing with the likes of Melvin.

"And that's where you're wrong, buddy. 'Cause I've got twenty four right angles." Melvin insists, spinning around to show off all of his sides. (Geez. Who let him out of his plastic box of shame?) "Right. Angles. Meaning I'm right."

"That's not how that works." Thad massages his temples.

"Just ignore them. You don't want to know." Ainsley advises, shaking her head and giving a sigh of her own. "We heard--"

"We heard you guys are going back to Avangeline." Nico finishes. A few seconds earlier, he and Mauve had hopped up from where the were sitting to gather around Juno. They seem almost like little kids again with their curiosity, peering up at her at her left and right sides. "That's Lettie's world, right?"

"What's it like? It must be magical." Mauve asks, joining in. "Did you meet any... mermaids?" (In case a certain little faerie with a certain grudge against mermaids is nearby, she keeps her voice quiet and her excitement quieter.)

"I want to see it." Nico insists, pushing it even further. "Can we come?"

"Alright, you two. Don't crowd her." Gently but firmly, Eliza presses her hands to the twin's shoulders and they obligingly take a step backward. "We know there's some dark shit on that world. Might be dangerous."

"More dangerous than Desdemonia?" Nico asks, raising his eyebrows. All it takes is a stern look from Eliza for him to drop his teenage sass. After the recent stunt he pulled with Melvin, he knows to tread carefully.

"I trust you kids. But Desdemonia's familiar to you." Eliza notes, softening. "Olette's magic world is a mystery. Might look pretty on the surface, but..." She shakes her head. Between the curse the faerie shared with them, the demons they've faced, and everything else there are legitimate concerns about what they may or may not be ready for. (As well as worries about them traveling so far away from her to begin with.) "Goddess said it best herself. Juno and Olette still have a lot of shit to take care of. And I know you both. Don't think I can't see those looks on your faces... your curiosity's gonna get you in trouble. If that happens, they'll be putting the goddess's mission on hold to bail you out of it."

"What if we promise to listen?" Mauve pipes up, glancing between Eliza and Nico.

"...Let's see what they have to say about it, first." Eliza massages her brow, looking at Juno. In the end, it's really up to the pirate and faerie duo. "What do you make of it, Juno?"
 
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