Fandom Into the fire (1x1 MzHyde/Gallifrog)

[MzHyde]

Fia wouldn't have taken any offence if Cal had said no but having Cal agree to letting her help made her rather relieved. So she took the knife from Cal when it was handed to her and the vegetable in question and began doing as instructed, cutting it into slices and feeling helpful. "thanks for letting me help" she said to her as she did what she had to. She knew if she just sat next Kay she would no doubt become irritating with her restless tapping or fidgeting. She absolutely hated being in this mindset where she was utterly brain numb and tired but also restless and always found when she got like this growing up, she either got in the way of people or just out and out annoyed them with her tics. So she thought putting her to use with something like cooking was the better option, which it proved to be. She enjoyed helping Cal and spending time with her whilst Kay glanced at the coffee table and saw her family photos still on there, which she leaned forward and grabbed them. She fully intended on just getting up and putting them away but she found herself looking at them once more. If there was a time for her to feel remotely homesick it was now.

She couldn't understand why she was feeling it from photos of people she didn't have in her life anymore, but low and behold she was. She missed those days of Sam coming in all bubbly and energetic, a stark contrast to Kay's quiet and reserved demeanor or tired state from spending all night painting or drawing. She missed having her sister there telling her to take breaks so she didn't burn herself out, or bringing in food and drink when it was near damn impossible to snap her out of her creative state. She also missed being the kid in the photo with her mother Fira, the kid who was clearly absolutely happy and overjoyed playing with her mother, missed the days of piano lessons or the days when her other would sing to her that lullaby to calm her if she was upset over anything. If she was honest with herself, seeing her seven year old self was hard to see as she felt like she was barely recognisable. Not because the kid in the photo didn't look like her, it was clear it was, but because of the happy demeanor her child self was expressing in the photo. Before she could let herself cry in front of Cliff and Chas, she stood up and went to the spare bedroom to hide the photos away once more in the inside pocket of her bag. With that done and a few deep breaths to compose herself, she returned and sat back down where she was before as Dan had arrived.

She said her hello to Dan as he arrived as she always did to anyone whilst trying to make herself think of anything but the 'meeting' with Zan and her old photos. She used the time every now and then to see how Fia was doing helping Cal, easily seeing how much Fia was appreciating it, even now and then seeing a smile and chuckle escape her kid. "here you go sis" Fia said without even thinking about it as she handed her the next thing she was doing for Cal.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas was the only one of the group in the sitting room to pay any attention to the way Kay was staring at photos with a mix of such longing and deep soul-piercing sadness. he didn't ask however, this was a private moment she was shaving and he didn't want to intrude on it. instead he sort of dozed in and out of sleep, once again thanking Cliff and Cal's self for buying such ridiculously comfortable armchairs. Cliff kept her eyes closed the whole time, the only sign she hadn't fallen asleep was when occasionally she'd tuck and untuck her hair from behind her ear as she thought. Cal was too engaged in the kitchen to see anything and Elliott wasn't even in the room. He'd tried to work on Cal and Cliff's present, but found himself unable to do so, unable to concentrate on it, like Kay his mind kept drifting back to childhood when things had been so, so different. He'd been different too, Elliott was under no illusions on that fact. Just as Kay's life and losses had shaped her, Elliott's lost life on Attil, period in exile and life on Earth had shaped him.

Out of fear that he'd ruin the piece for Cal and Cliff Elliott switched to his sketchbook and started sketching random imaginary people in random poses as was his habit when he didn't quite know what to do. Without really meaning too he ended up putting Zan's features and expressions on the figures he drew. He didn't actually notice he was doing this until Cal's call that lunch was ready jolted him out of his artistic zone and he saw his artwork with a new eye. Two particular expressions of Zan's kept popping up, the almost mischievous smirk he'd shown when texting and the way the man arched one eyebrow when silently saying 'I fucking dare you to prove me wrong'. Not wanting to think on the implications of why he found his father such a good subject Elliott shut the sketchbook with a snap and brought back down the disguised canvas, stowing it in it's hiding place under Kay and John's bed. The spot had been agreed on as a good place to use as it meant that the various art supplies he'd acquired were also within easy enough reach of Kay (though with the pregnancy becoming more and more pronounced, it might be worth considering moving the supplies somewhere that didn't involve so much bending over to get to).

Cal gave a nod and a smile when Fia referred to her by 'sis'. Elliott had never called her that when they were kids- he had used the Attili equivalent word as neither sibling spoke English at that point. But as an adult at this point in time he didn't use any such words to refer to either his blood sister or time-travelling sister by adoption. Maybe it was because he'd had nobody to use it on when he was on Earth, or maybe he'd just straight out grown out of it. Either way Cal hadn't realised she actually missed being called by such a term until Fia used it on her. Between her an Fia they brought out the dishes and relevant cutlery and crockery to the table before all settled down to eat.

 

[MzHyde]

Kay didn't even pay attention to the fact that anyone was possibly paying attention to her. She wouldn't have minded if anyone asked, and probably would have shown Chas the photos, just as she did with Jay which was why the photos were still out at that point. But it didn't come to that and she had safely stored them away where they always were. Back in the living room she remained pretty silent the whole time apart from when Dan had shown up. There definitely was a part of her that was still very much thinking about her past, that she barely even noticed Cal calling Elliott down for the food that was now ready, or Fia calling Cal 'sis'. She had a feeling that all the visits down memory lane properly will linger on her mind for the rest of the day and evening until she went to bed. She just hoped it would affect her sleep, as deep down she just knew it would create some bad sleep if it did affect her.

Fia realised what she said after she said it and was about to apologise but she saw how it clearly didn't bother Cal, so she remained silent. She helped Cal bring out the food and place it down on the table as well as the crockery and cutlery. She also got some drinks out for anyone who wanted them before sitting down next to Kay, who had since got up and went to the table. She could tell that something was on Kay's mind as she was slightly withdrawn which she found was slightly unusual for her when around everyone, but she didn't want to bring anything up and so began eating. "this is great Cal, thank you" Kay eventually said after eating a couple of mouthfuls. Fia nodded in agreement that Cal did a really good job on the dish, but then she was biased as she always liked noodle dishes. She also wondered how John and Jay were getting on with the freelancers briefly but didn't want to say anything to possibly bring the mood down even more as it was clear they all needed a lift in the mood and not a decline.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott recognised the dish right away as the one Zan had made for himself and gave his sister a look that made it quite clear both that he knew what had inspired her and that she wasn't the only one that had been thinking of their father. Cal gave a nod of understanding before tucking in, smiling at the compliments of the others, glad that the meal was going down well. Had it not gone down well she would have felt really embarrassed about the whole thing and would have cursed herself for being weak and giving in to this nostalgia. She had no intention of telling them that in order to make the dish she had followed Zan's recipe to the word not wanting to have to give the man credit for something they all were so clearly enjoying. "You're welcome all" she smiled, winding the noodles around her chopstick-like eating instruments "there's plenty more where than came from in the kitchen, so if you want more just up and get it."

By the time Jay and John arrived back the group would be halfway through the meal. Dan knew they'd returned back before any of the others did, sensing the emotions coming off them a good six seconds before the key turned in the lock. He froze with his forkful of food halfway through his mouth, an expression of 'oh shit this hasn't gone well' coming onto his face. Cal saw the look, as did Cliff, the couple linking hands under the table, knowing that they needed to brace themselves for bad news. Chas on the other hand missed it completely, even though he was sitting right next to the man, he was so focused on his food that he didn't see the blacksmith tense up. But he did hear the key in the lock and like the others turned towards the door.

Jay and John strode back in faces like thunder. John was pissed, even more so than he'd been earlier, but Jay's emotion was beyond anger. The only word that Elliott could think of that remotely described it was 'volcanic'- angry in an explosive, volatile way. Tucked under the assassin's arm was a thick matt black envelope. "He was right, Dakkon is a fucking Arsehole!" John declared, the stress on his words indicated that this was a capital 'A' kind of arsehole. Jay nodded in agreement, before adding in a dark tone that sent shivers of fear down the spines of all. "No matter what bloody time he's from."

 

[MzHyde]

If either of Kay or Fia would go back for seconds, it would be Fia. If Kay hadn't put herself in such a funk she would have had more of an appetite than she did right now. She was hungry enough for the portion she had in front of her, but she knew she wouldn't want anything else afterwards. Where Fia was really proving herself to have a bottomless out of a stomach the last couple of days. Like Chas, neither of them noticed the look on Dan's face moments before they both heard the key in the lock and Jay and John entering the apartment looking beyond pissed off. Kay didn't think either of them could look anymore angry than they already did back at Zan's apartment, but here they were proving her very very wrong. The looks on their faces telling her instantly not to be in either of their way and not to bother them unless it was really necessary. The fact that John declared just how much of an asshole Dakkon truly was, with Jay agreeing with him whilst holding a thick folder under her arm was all the evidence of her thoughts she needed.

Fia hated hearing either of them that angry, it terrified her quite frankly though with the thanks of the food in front of her she wasn't letting it show on hee face too much. The tone in Jay's voice reminding her of the other Jay that confronted her and pressed an iron blade against her throat, making her subconsciously gulp. "what did you found out?" she cautiously asked, putting down her chopsticks momentarily to hear what the two of them had to say. She was morbidly curious but also was scared at what they had to say as she knew it would no doubt increase her earlier anger, which she was concerned about as she didn't know how much anger she could feel before she lost any kind of control and snap, thus becoming the other Fia from Rinaa's timeline. "and what's in the file you have?" Kay couldn't help but ask straight after Fia asked her question.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas had seen John in many moods over the years, but the expression of murderous intent on his face was one the cabbie hadn't seen in years and years. The last time he'd seen it was right after Cheryl had told her brother that a horde of demons had taken Gemma with the intent of torturing her if John didn't comply with everything they wanted. (The demons though Gemma was John's daughter, not a completely unreasonable assumption as the likeness between John and his niece was as strong as that between John and his sister). Nothing had happened to Gemma, John (with Cheryl, Elliott Chas' help) had massacred the demons in as bloody a way as possible to send a message to the Downworld that the Constantine family was off bounds to all. The girl had remained drugged unconscious for most of it and thanks to some creative drug and magic use on John's part, his niece would never remember it. Elliott had checked later, the memories were well and truly wiped. So whatever it was that had transpired between him, Jay and the freelancers, it was of a similar calibre to that.

Elliott was worried by John's expression, like Chas remembering the carnage left in John's wake the last time he'd seen that look on his adoptive father's face, but it was the look on Jay's that had his blood run cold. He'd seen the assassin in various states of murderous intent, but this particular one where the anger was a living thing? He'd never seen it before. Her eyes had gone completely dead shark-grey, never ever a good omen, as a general rule the duller the assassin's eyes the more murderous she was, and the less self restraint she possessed. Although he didn't know it, her face and demeanour was identical to that of the Jay who'd slammed Fia against the shipping container and held a blade to her throat. "Dakkon was there?" he asked after both had made their utter contempt for Dakkon clear. He couldn't think of any situation other than Dakkon being the one in the safehouse and the bearer of more bad news (or threats or maybe even blackmail- the man certainly wasn't against using it on Zan) that would provoke such a reaction in two of the most important people in his life.

Both nodded and gave identical scowls. "Oh he was fucking there alright." John opened with "doesn't even get up to open the bloody door, so this one had to spend ages picking in. We did finally get in and he's just lougin' there. "Two of him to be precise, this time's version and a version from the future. Both are ASSHOLES" she delivered the word 'assholes' with the same vehemence as John had earlier. "The older one is the one in charge and HE'S the one who wants the sword, not this timeline's Dakkon, whose just playing messenger boy on this thing." Jay said messenger boy with the same contempt most would use for 'spinless backstabbing, traitorous shit'. "He's willing to do WHATEVER it takes to get it. By having the two of them in the same building he's already caused a fucking paradox. I thought my head was going to EXPLODE with the pain." Now that she was waving her hands around the crusted blood on the back of them was visible to all, which matched the crusted blood around her nostrils and the ear her hair was tucked behind. "Older Dakkon knows that one of us has it and knows all the right carrot and stick shit to pull." She sighed heavily in anger, before tapping the file. "That's what's in this, the thing that will make us hand over the sword. It also contains a message from future me, more persuasion to make us turn the thing over. Unless future me has some bright idea to sort this all out, I don't think we have a fucking choice in the matter."

 

[MzHyde]

The moment Elliott asked if Dakkon as there, both Fia and Kay couldn't help but flicker their eyes toward him briefly before back to Jay and John, the very idea that he could have been there not even crossing their minds until Elliott spoke those words. The look on Jay was still utterly terrifying Fia and was bringing back way more than she wanted, but she tried her damnest to not let it show on her face. The eyes, the body language, the whole damn demeanor the woman was expressing all mirrored the other Jay to a T and it was something Fia hoped she wouldn't ever have to witness again but here she was doing exactly that. She and Kay listened to John confirm that yes, Dakkon as indeed in the safe house and not the freelancers whilst remaining silent as Jay also collaborated what John was saying. Just as they thought hearing that Dakkon was there was surprising enough, Jay dropped the bombshell that there was two of Dakkon there, mentally completely bowling them both over like pins in a bowling alley in a perfect strike, making them both glad they were already sitting down.

Knowing how sensitive Jay was to timeliness and the like, they could only imagine just how bad it must have been for her to have the two versions of Dakkon in the same room at the same time and so close together. It also didn't instill much faith or hope to either of them when she said that it's future Dakkon that wants the sword and knows one of them has it. "well fuck" Fia replied, suddenly put off her appetite and slumping into the back of her chair folding her arms irritated. She couldn't possibly imagine why Dakkon would want the sword so badly that he'd go to any length to get it. To her, with it being so cursed she'd have thought not a single soul in any universe would want the damned thing, but Dakkon was proving her assumption to be very very wrong. "have either of you read what's in it yet or did you wait until you both got here?" Kay asked, not being able to think of anything that could be the catalyst to make them hand over the sword. As far as she (and presumably everyone in the room) Dakkon didn't have a clue what herself or Fia were, and they weren't vital to Elliott's case in any manner to make anyone hand over the sword, so her mind was utterly blank. Yet she also knew she could be very much wrong at times also.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Chas did a double take when Jay said there had been two Dakkons in the safe house, not understanding how that could be possible at first. Did the lizardkin have a twin? Or was it a different lizardkin? Jay had said that being a lizardkin and calling yourself Dakkon was like being a human male and using 'John Smith' as a fake name. Hearing that it had been two Dakkons, one form this time one form the future, it blew his mind. He thought the universe was supposed to implode f that happened. Though Dakkon was a seasoned time-traveller, so maybe that made paradoxes less volatile? He wanted to ask which future, but didn't, the book in his head could tell him that it had been Rinaa's timeline, not Fia's. All jaws dropped when Jay said that it was the older Dakkon who'd wanted the sword and was trampling over his past self to do so. Unlike Fia, John could see why somebody would want a cursed object- it was the same with magical cursed objects, they were far, far more powerful than their non-cursed counterparts. The weapon was potent, and if the lizardkin could wield it? Who knows what kind of chaos he could unleash with it.

Elliott and Cliff's eyes both widened in shock at the sight of the blood on Jay's hands. Both had heard- be it through work or from Jay herself- about the kind of damages timeline shifts and mix-ups could do to a timeline sensitive's body. Timeline sensitives were connected to timelines in a similar way to how speedsters were one with the speedforce. People like Jay were always worse when the past was being interfered with, particular when somebody was messing with their own personal timeline. A timeline sensitive could be killed if their personal timeline was messed with too much. The future and present colliding wasn't so bad, hence why neither Rinaa nor Fia were causing such effects in jay, but paradoxes were brutal for her, putting Jay through the mangle both physically and mentally. The Dakkon's would have known this, yet had gathered together anyway, a fact which just proved that they were arseholes and would crush anybody in their paths to get what they wanted, even a friend like Jay. The way it had smeared suggested she had been stemming the blood flow from her nose with the back of her hand. The fact that something in her ears had ruptured too as the paradox washed over her body made Cliff lean forwards to get a better look at the damage. Jay gave the doctor a look as she pulled away from the touch. "Later" she said, both sharply and firmly. The doctor wasn't exactly happy with that, but knew it was the best she'd get.

"We looked at the photos in it." John replied, the dark edge in his tone making it quite clear that he hadn't liked what he'd seen one bit. "The message from Jay for Jay was some sort of holo key thingy". "So there was no way in Hells I was going to listen to a message from my future self with the Dakkons present." Jay explained, setting down the envelope and crossing her arms across her chest. "They'd no doubt understand what was being said no matter what language future me spoke in." "Even if it was your birth language?" Cliff asked, tone soft, very much wanting to tread carefully, knowing that Jay's home planet was a raw wound for the woman."Even in that language. Dakkon knows it, h was already well into his adulthood and career when my planet was still around. You guys know how ridiculously old lizardkin can grow to be." All the non-Earther's nodded at that, the lifespan of lizardkin was one of the longest known to science. "Did you find out why they want it?" Dan asked, arms crossed, anger (at the audacity of the Dakkons, not at John and Jay) clearly visible on his face. He had no intention of giving up the sword to anybody. It had ruined enough lives. "Yeah they did. Yer not gonna like it though, they want to convert it either to a soul-sword or a mindsword."

 

[MzHyde]

The anger that Jay was showing made Fia and Kay not even acknowledge the dried blood on Jay. They could see it but it just didn't fully register with them because what was being said was taking all of their attention and brain power. They both saw how Cliff just wanted to see to Jay and what had caused the blood to be there but neither would want to be Cliff's position as Jay told her to sort it out later. They both nodded at John telling them that they looked at the photos inside the file and how the message was on a holo key, thinking it was a smart move for them to not listen to it with the two Dakkon's around. John's tone about the photos also was very clear to Kay and Fia that whatever it was, it wasn't good in the slightest making them partly wanting to know what he saw and partly not wanting to know. They continued to listen as it was discussed if Dakkon knew Jay's native home planet language, the very notion of it really bringing home just how old this Dakkon truly must be. Then came the question that they were both thinking, why he wanted it...and they weren't ready for the answer John gave them all.

Fia's eyes went wide when John explained what Dakkon wanted to turn it into, her fist clenching at the very information. "he what?! What the fuck is he thinking?!" she couldn't help but exclaim. She had read about soul swords, hell she knew of one person who famously owned one and what a massive responsibility and chore it was to have. It was extremely dangerous territory to tread on, one that never sat well with her in the slightest. Kay had only heard of the woman Katana owning one but she didn't think it was even true and just one of those pieces of gossip that filtered down but held no solid source. That was of course before she met John and had her eyes well and truly opened, seeing that yes anything was pretty much real. If she herself was then soul swords or mind swords were definitely real. "arsehole is an understatement if that's what he wants it for. Those things should not exist in my opinion." Fia continued to complain.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Fia's reaction was identical to John's when Dakkon had initially broken the news, and to him it showed him that if all else he'd done wrong in Fia's life, he'd managed to get this thing right. Souls swords shouldn't be messed with. By anybody, not even celestials. Especially celestials, in his experience they were completely out of touch with what was going on in mortal realm and always made things worse. The mention of the mindsword made Elliott full on blanch, blood draining form his face. A MindWalker was just as vulnerable as a normal person was to a mindsword, in fact even more so. It destroyed the mind when wielded without skill and when wielded with skill, it was the ultimate weapon of torture, able to subject a person to unimaginable agony without leaving a mark on them."The actual fuck is he thinking?" Elliott exploded. "Both of those aren't things to just fuck around with or have on whim. You don't just threaten about one of those. You don't even joke about those things." Dan and John nodded in agreement, both looking like they couldn't possibly agree more with both what Fia had said and what Elliott was saying. "They're unnatural, not just breaking the laws of magic, the laws of science, the laws of space and time, but the fundamentals of Mind which MindWalkers and other powers under the 'mentalist' umbrella' follow. You don't break those laws without serious consquences- your life or worse."

At the mention of turning it into a soul sword Dan shook his head. "Absolutely no fucking way" he crossed his arms across his chest, to emphasise that he was not going to move on this stance. "That cannot happen. The process of making that kind of sword? It's not just incredibly dangerous, it's downright sick, and illegal for good reason. I won't let it happen, not with this blade. Any other blade but that one." All heads turned in his direction, particularly Cal's. Up until now she'd only heard stories of soul swords and mindswords. They were the most dangerous of all weapons, they didn't just damage flash and blood more than a normal sword, both destroyed the very essence of a person. Jay may not have a soul, but she'd still feel the immense pain that came with having a soul sword's aura rip through her body. Cal had asked Dan about them only once, and the blacksmiths answer of the damage they could inflict had been so chilling and horrifying she'd never asked again.

"How...how are they made?" Elliott asked, still pale, knowing he wouldn't like the answer in the slightest, but wanting to know anyway. "Well" Dan gave a shrug"if you're a god or a divine being of suitable power level you can just infuse a blade with the necessary energy and command it to be a mind or soul sword using sheer force of will and your godly powers. If you're a mortal on the other hand?....." his face darkened "people have to die, or more specifically, the person with the necessary powers must be sacrificed. the more you kill, the stronger the blade becomes, and the stronger the powers of the person you kill, the stronger the blade becomes. But the blade also tends to take on a life of it's own, most become sentient and almost all who wield them go mad." He paused, to let it sink in before repeating his statement from earlier. "I wouldn't do it with a normal blade ever. I would rather die. But that blade? The cursed one that scared you? Over my dead body. That blade.... it's not just cursed, it's incomplete" Cal raised an eyebrow at that, clearly having never heard this piece of information before. Elliott also leaned forwards. As much as he hated so much as a mention of that blade, he had to know, it would eat away at him otherwise.

"What do you mean incomplete?" Elliott asked. The blacksmith waved his hand in a circle a she though of how to phrase it and not sound crazy. "It's like.... there's some vital part of it missing, not physically, physically it's flawless, one of the best things I've ever made. For lack of a better word I guess you could say it's missing something mentally. It's the kind of blade that is destined for somebody, hence why none of us cane use it properly. Subjecting that blade and making it into a soulsword or mindsword?..... I think the blade would lose it's mind." Dan indicated with his chin in Fia's direction. "As she said, those things shouldn't exist at all. In the wrong hands?..... you could start a war with it. If Dakkon wants to make one, he sure as hell cannot have that blade. It's too dangerous"

 

[MzHyde]

Future John had indeed done right by Fia when it came to learning about soul swords. It was one of those days she remembered all too well, sitting in The House's library with him reading an old book of text when a chapter on soul swords came up. It intrigued her and as she read the title of the chapter, she asked John to tell her more about them and explain any of his knowledge of them alongside what was written in the book. What he told her and what they read together horrified her to no end, knowing that no matter how much she preferred blades to fight with when not using her magic, she would never want to be anywhere near such an item. It then became a long educational day of the types of items she should stay clear from no matter what if she was to not be taken from him and Kay and remain very much safe. The anger toward Dakkon was bubbling up rapidly inside her as the conversation went on, seeing the colour completely drain from her brother at the same time.

She nodded in agreement at Elliott's words, having those exact feelings herself about soul swords and mind swords. Hearing that Mindswords were just as bad, if not worse than a soul sword depending on how it was looked at by someone, she had even more anger toward Dakkon. She would need to walk this off somehow later or do something to calm her down as she was convinced she would not be able to sleep or do anything being this angry. However, when Dan mentioned that the blade in question was incomplete, her own curiosity also made her wonder what Dan meant by that so she let him explain when Elliott asked what Dan meant. She listened intently at the answer before seeing him nudge his head toward her and agree with her statement about their existence. Kay could just about wrap her head around all the information about everything they were discussing, unable to speak as she let it all sink into her mind and compute properly. She felt angry herself but she tried to keep as level headed as she could, knowing that stress and anger was not good for her in her state.

"future you Jay has got to have some seriously compelling words to make us, or more importantly Dan give up the sword willingly." Fia commented, terrified that after everything she had heard, Dakkon fully planned on making it by using it on Elliott.

 

[_gallifrog_]

John had never seen Elliott turn that chalky before, which only further reinforced his opinion that these weapons shouldn't exist. There were some bendings of the rules of magic that John accepted and found useful, but these kinds of weapons? Not in the slightest. Dan and Cal were the only one who'd known before now about the exact process by which a mindsword or soulsword was made. The knowledge that somebody could kill her brother to make such a weapon had prayed on Cal's mind for weeks, even though she thought Elliott to be dead, and looking at the expressions on the other's faces, it was clear they were just as horrified by the idea as they were. Especially now with the knowledge of just how powerful Elliott truly was. If he, one of the most powerful MindWalkers currently alive, was to be sacrificed to make a blade the power of that blade would be immense, potentially one of the most dangerous weapons ever to be made.

Dan's immovable stance on giving Dakkon the sword was a relief to all, as it meant this wasn't really their decision. Dan was the one they had to persuade as the person who'd made the blade, had stolen it back and hidden it in his forge (which in everybody's mind made him the owner of the blade). Hearing that the blade was 'incomplete' was intriguing in a morbid sort of way. John guessed that the real explanation was more nuanced and a large chunk of the details were being lost as the man attempted to translate what he meant. He'd heard of swords with pre-destined owners, the sword of Myrra's original owner had been one such person (for everybody after that- including Bobo- it had been passed down based on combination of worthiness and personal preference).

"Or some way to deceive Dakkon and get away with it." Jay added, and it was clear in her tone that she was really relying on her future self having some kind of plan for how to give Dakkon a sword and keep the sword hidden safely away in the forge where nobody knew of it's existence. Dakkon was far from easy to fool, and the consequences for being caught would be severe (most of all for her, as she and the lizardkin were the closest- but she had no doubt that he would exact some kind of revenge on the rest of the extended family. He knew where Cal and Cliff lived, and it was blatantly obvious at a glance that Cal and Elliott were siblings. "Really hope that's the case.. As much as it fucking pains me to say it, Jay's got more than just a point in sayin' we might have no choice in handin' it over. You haven't seen the incentive for doing so."

He gave Jay a look which said 'you show them'. The assassin reached for the envelope with a sigh and ran her her finger under the tacky glue strip, rifled through the contents and set down a photo on the table, sliding it towards the centre so all could see it. The setting appeared to be some kind of lab, the focus was a person lying horizontally on a custom made chairs, hooked up to various monitoring equipment. Their head was tipped back, mouth open, frozen mid scream. Suspended in the air above the body were two souls form who'd clearly just been ejected from the body. One was of a wolf, almost entirely black and snarling angrily, the other of an all too familiar teenage girl. The two forms were bound together by rope and chains made of the same soul-stuff as their bodies.

 

[MzHyde]

With Jay giving another option to what could be on that holo key from her future self, Kay nodded. She hoped it was that case but she also got the impression from that first and brief meeting with Dakkon that it'd be bloody difficult to pull the wool over his eyes. To her, you didn't need to truly know Dakkon to get that vibe from him, especially after the way he made Sykes back off through Rinaa that time. She also was still of the mindset that if Jay said they may have no choice but to hand over the sword, then she was damn well going to trust Jay's opinion, she was after all the best judge on this particular subject. As John said that Jay had more than a valid point on this, she knew her judgement to trust Jay was even more valid. As Jay opened the envelope and showed them the photo, her eyes went wide at what she saw. She couldn't believe what she was seeing even though every fibre of her core was believing it. It was like her mind and heart were fighting with the belief. The two souls hovering above the terrified body was excruciating to look at, it was primeval and barbaric.

Fia instantly covered her mouth when she looked at the photo, much like how Kay reacted to the photo of young Zan back at his apartment. She instantly recognised the teenage girl soul and her heart just broke instantly. "this is...is...well..barbaric doesn't even cover it" she said, trying to find a suitable word but just couldn't. In her eyes no one should go through this kind of torture, and it just reminded her in a loose way of what her future mother was going through in the void when they had to save her by stopping it from happening all together. Kay agreed with Fia's words, she was damn certain that no word to describe what was in the photo would even come close to what they ere actually looking at. It made her think of her own torture in the abandoned underground room, granted not entirely on the same level as that, but she wouldn't have put it passed demons to go to this sort of level with herself or Fia if it meant they could get their hands on the soul and blood of a phoenix for their own gains. It brought back to the ahrsh reality of how many of them weren't truly safe in any timeline.

"I think it's time to hear what your future self had to say on this..." Kay said somberly, unable to look at the photo any longer. Her maternal hormones making it so much harder to look at than it was for Fia, making her having to look away from it. "Agreed, we need to know what she has to say about this before we even begin to think of a game plan." Fia added.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Kay wasn't the only one clamping a hand over her mouth at the sight of Rinaa's body and the bound souls floating above it, Cal, Cliff, Chas and Dan all reacted the same way. It was a horrific image, the scream could practically be heard. "Christ..... that's just sick." Chas spat out the word 'sick' before heshook his head, actually feeling nauseous at the sight the photo. Looking away didn't help, it was still as awful an image as it was earlier. He couldn't help but see his own daughter in Rinaa's place and knew he'd do anything to stop it happening. Dan said something mournfully in his own native language shaking his head while Cal just stared at the photo. Jay's initially reaction when Dakkon shoved it to her had been anger, John's was shock, followed by blinding fury. Both so dearly wanted to throw the lizardkin out of window or slam his head through a wall, but even with their combined skills they wouldn't have been able to take down two high trained lizardkin.

"And why exactly is THAT a reason to give them the sword?" Cliff asked, barely managing to keep the disgust and horror out of her tone. "Just looks like she's being tortured to me. Do they think we'd give the sword to stop them torturing her?" She meant for her words to sound tough, like she'd be able to, if it came down to it, sacrifice one life for the sake of millions, but she couldn't really do it. As a doctor she didn't want to see anybody in pain ever, especially not a kid, and especially not this one, who'd been through so much pain during her short life. "It's both the carrot and the fucking stick. To separate souls like that..." John shook his head unable to look directly at the photo, it was far to reminiscent of when he'd been screaming in a hair as a result of electroshock therapy. "The shit you need to do to a person.... it's just..... there aren't words for it. But once they are ejected either a soulsword or a mindsword, if used correctly, would be powerful enough and precise enough to separate the kid from Sykes." "Handing over the sword would either save her life, or give her a quick death. Both of which are infinitely better than that." Jay gestured at the photo, jaw tight.

"I agree, she must have SOMETHING if she's sent a message back ALL these years." Jay tipped the envelope so that the holo key fell out, it was a black device hexagonal in shape that just about fit in the palm of her hand. After keying some kind of password she placed it on the floor a few steps in front of her. It activated with a beep, a holographic image of future Jay materialising in front of them, hair windswept and tangled (unlike the practical tied back style she'd had when she met alternate Fia). She was slightly dishevelled and dressed formally in black dress trousers, dress shoes, a black shirt and a black tie (bar the tie it was very similar to the types of outfit she was wearing to the trial). The tie was hanging loose around her neck and the shirt cuffs and collar were unbuttoned revealing that some of her sub-dermal tracks were filled with dark blue-black ink. There was a weariness to her, and Jay suspected the other woman had been crying. even though the hologram's eyes were unfocused, looking somewhere behind the group, head tipped to one side. "We good? We're rolling?" she asked. The answer must have been the affirmative as the hologram's eyes shifted forwards and she straightened up.

"First of all- younger me. I apologise for contacting you like this, I know all too well that it breaks all kinds of rules you and Jack agreed on, but things are THAT bad, on my end more than yours, but I have no doubt your end is putting you through the fucking works. It's not an exaggeration to say the world is falling apart here on my end, it's fucking ENDING, which means were all getting desperate. The kind of desperate that makes you want to an eviscerate an entire timeline out of existence to ensure that it doesn't happen EVER. No doubt Dakkon has showed you the photos and made his threats and demands and used Leah's life and future as a bargaining chip" she rolled her eyes and scoffed. "But no doubt he's also left some things out- like the context in which those photos were taken. This wasn't some crude thing where they pumped her full of drugs and upped the voltage until it worked. Oh no" she shook her head with an almost proud expression. "We're not barbarians, this is my kid we're talking about, whose been through too much. Me, Quin, Kane, AJ, everybody else whose invested in this and Leah herself ran model after model, simulation after simulation using every scrap of her medical data, a really awesome AI as well as nicked a shit tonne of relevant books and papers from The House- NOT apologising for that to EITHER John for doing that- to find the combination needed to pull the souls out without killing her. Leah volunteered for one test and one test only, those photos you see are the test being a success. I don't know how the Hell Dakkon found out we needed a soulsword or mindsword and that the one..... the one used on Elliott was a scarily close match to a mythical blade, but he did and decided he'd track one down, but only if he got to keep it. You CANNOT let that happen. Understand?" Holo Jay glared at them all. "Luckily we" she gestured at some people off camera "have a plan. It's risky as shit, and if it goes wrong.... well Leah's told you some of the tales of horror from this timeline, but there is far, far worse lurking."

 

[MzHyde]

Like Chas, Kay just couldn't look at the photo any longer than she had already done. It shook her a lot to see Rinaa like that and it wasn't just her. Fee was also aware of what was being looked at and was thinking of the vision they saw in a mind walk of Kay's of Fia dead on top of a car and bloody. Having the two sides of her thinking of both teenagers in such a state was just too much to bare and if she didn't try to get the image out of her mind soo, she would end up feeling physically nauseous yet again. To her it was almost a miracle that both Jay and John didn't attack Dakkon and get themselves probably killed in the process just for showing them the photo. As Cliff asked why this photo would be thought to make them hand over the sword, both Kay and Fia agreed by nodding that it did seem a really backhanded way of trying to make them all comply. They listened as John and Jay gave their explanations, both unable to disagree that either scenario had to be better than what she had been going through. They hated admitting to that very fact, but here they were doing exactly that.

They both watched on as Jay phlle dout the holo key with the encrypted message stored on it, watching as Jay typed in the password and placed it down so they could all watch it. Listening in on it Kay couldn't help but think of something along the lines of Star Wars and the whole 'obi wan you're our only hope' scene before quickly mentally shaking it from her thoughts, solely focusing on the message at hand. Fia was paying attention to the message and how the future Jay looked, making a mental note of the differences and similarities to when she saw her in that reality up close and personal. To hear that Rinaa volunteered for what they saw in the photo was absolutely mind blowing, she knew Rinaa was capable of choosing things that could be highly questionable by most people but this took the metaphorical biscuit in her eyes. Neither her or Kay fully knew what to say at what was being said so far, just finding themselves trying to compute everything as well as trying to believe that Rinaa really did volunteer for that test. The only thing that didn't surprise either of them was that Jay and Rinaa stole a load of books and papers from The House.

"so...we have to agree to give him the sword but not let him keep it??" Fia was finding herself asking out loud, as she tried to work out if she was understanding this properly.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Elliott was shocked by the appearance of holo-Jay, she looked so much more tired and angry and rough around the ages than this time's Jay (not that he'd particularly consider his Jay smooth-edged). The years and the ostracisation of her and her daughter from the family had taken their toll and made her much more bitter and short tempered as well as fiercely protective. It didn't escape notice that she called her daughter 'Leah' something none of them had been allowed to do, after finding out her real name, most of them had tried to use it on her at least once, but the teenager was having none of it. John was also thinking of the exact same Star Wars quote when the hologram popped up, but like Kay refrained from saying it aloud. Nobody was expecting to hear that Rinaa had volunteered to be put through that kind of excruciating pain in search of a cure, having believed the teenager when she said they'd stopped looking. They knew she'd tried everything, but most thought the line would have been drawn at voluntarily going through torture. But now it appeared that was another lie, there was a whole team looking for one, a team Jay was both proud of and trusted. John spluttered in annoyance hearing that they'd stolen from The House, and by extension from him, before looking somewhat guilty, would future him actually have helped if he'd known, given that that timeline's John was little more than a puppet.

Jay gave a shrug when Fia voiced her thoughts aloud, waiting to hear what the hologram would say next. "You're going to have to give him SOMETHING, no way around that, he will escalate it to get what he wants. But no way is he getting the real sword, which is why...." Jay's voice trailed off as her figure walked out of hologram shot, emerging a few seconds later with a startlingly familiar dark metal blade with detailed engravings both on the handle and blade itself. "he's getting this one. We've made a copy, or precisely, Dan's brother's made a copy. Dan didn't want to risk doing it himself, which is fair enough. This is made of an alloy of various metals- not the actual dark metal the original was made of. What you guys need to is convince Dakkon it's the actual thing. It's been made to be deliberately unbalanced blade to mimic the way the real thing doesn't work properly if you aren't it's destined owner." Jay swung it around in her hand to demonstrate how it had been abnormally weighted. "Once I cut off this recording, this blade will be sent back to your time and Leah will have it put in a drop-box facility at the base. The box details are on the back of one of the photos, along with the code. The rest you can figure out yourselves, no doubt Dakkon's already given you a time and drop off place."

"And two other general matters that need to be cleared up. First off" holo-Jay held up a hand, intending to count her other points to ensure none of them were missed. "Do not believe Dakkon if he says that Leah has died, he'll be lying out of his ARSE. He may show you photos of the funeral, don't bother it was a fake. A very good fake at that as some at it genuinely did believe she was dead- we buried an empty coffin today and made a big deal out of it- hence the clothing." Holo-Jay gestured at the suit she was wearing. "Leah's very much alive. Jay, you'd feel if she did die- not as strongly as I would obviously, but you're connected enough by blood and time that you'd feel it. Second order of business" Holo-Jay gave a tired sigh. "Zan. Even at this point in this timeline I STILL don't know what to make of the man. No doubt thanks to some hinting on Leah's part and some hacking that made sure permission was granted for him to tell the witness protection story you've found out that he is the spook. I only found out years after. I don't know his motivations or whether you can trust him, but I do know that that man's death released a shit-storm that's still having consequence son Attil in this time. I can't say whether you can trust him or not, but you can find out. Read his timeline, be it with brute force of cards and GET a DEFINITIVE answer on this."

 

[MzHyde]

Fia and Kay continued to listen to what else had to be said on the holo key, but neither found John's spluttered annoyance go amiss on them, not finding it entirely surprising that he'd be annoyed by such a thing. Fia could only imagine that her alternate self would have some sick reaction to that if she found out, using it against them all the more than her alternate self did with everything else. Some part of her just knew that the other Fia would have somehow used that as a way to say how even less trust worthy they were to her family, using her ability to be good at emotional manipulation to her advantage and that did not sit well with this Fia in the slightest. She hated that she could easily imagine how her alternate self would have reacted to it. She also hated that she could trust the holo Jay when she said Dakkon would escalate things until he got the sword or something thsg could pass for it. She didn't want to trust holo Jay about anything, other than if she could, she would gladly kill some version of Kay and herself if it she could.

They both also found it interesting that they'd thought of everything about this to the point of having Rinaa store a bloody convincing replica of the sword on the military base in a drop box. As it was shown off to them, both Kay and Fia did have to admit it was a bloody good replica and to someone who wasn't so I tune with bladed weapons wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They just hopped it was good enough to fool even Dakkon. The words of advice and information continued going on, glad that no matter what they would be told, Rinaa was still alive which was of some great relief to them both, especially after how Rinaa had to leave them all. Hearing that future/alternate Jay still didn't trust Zan was something that neither knew whether to be relieved or concerned about. Even though the man was dead in the other Jay's world, it seemed he left such an impact in one form or another that it meant no one knew how to think of the man. It did however bring more justification to their current feelings about him in this time. "seems we have a game plan...a stupidly risky one but it's one nonetheless" Kay commented, hoping to anything that would listen that this would go their way.

 

[_gallifrog_]

When holo-Jay said she had a plan Jay couldn't help but grin, she didn't care if it was incredibly reckless and stupid and if it went wrong would have terrible consequences- she was willing to do it if it meant not giving either Dakkon the real sword. When holo-Jay stepped back into shot twirling the blade around that smirk grew "oh brilliant!" Jay smirked, knowing where this was going. The idea was so simple, but the simplest plans were often the best. Even if one of them had come up with the idea of making a fake blade they wouldn't have been able to pull it off- replicating that intricate blade would take far much more time than they had- even more time if Dan refused to make it. (She found his reluctance to make another blade like it completely understandable). At the revelation that the blade was already on Attil grins and hopeful expressions came onto the other's faces. The fact Rinaa had smuggled a blade onto the planet without any of them knowing..... somehow it wasn't super surprising. The girl had a lot of bags after all and never let anybody see what was in them. But it did just confirm what they'd all suspected that Rinaa had been working her own angle- acting under orders even?- ever since she'd appeared in their lives.

The second and third points were relieving and intriguing in that order. It was a relief to all that Rinaa was still out there somewhere fighting her death, despite the pain she was in. Hearing that they'd faked a funeral for Rinaa explained the attire on Jay and the redness around her eyes. John had a gut feeling that his side of the family (and Chas, as he was in Rinaa's bad books) hadn't been informed that it was a fake and that the casket was empty. Hearing that even with sixteen or so years to think on it Jay still didn't know what to make of Zan was somewhat worrying, but as jay explained things were somewhat different in her time and they hadn't found out about Zan's secret identity until after the man's assassination. At first there was anger visible in both Elliott and Cal's expressions at the fact that Rinaa had been manipulating them so that they would find out this piece of information, but this was quickly replaced by an understanding as to why. They couldn't claim they liked the answers they were getting, but neither could deny that they were getting closure from it.

Holo-Jay only said one more thing before blinking out of existence. It was in jay's native tongue, intended for the assassin's eyes only. Jay nodded sombrely before picking up the holo key and deleting the message from it. She reached for the photos in the envelope, seeking the location and access code for the sword while cal turned her attention to Dan. "Would it fool them?" she asked. "Well obviously I'd have to look at the thing- first and it'll need some blood on it to really authenticate it. But if my brothers made it, then yeah.... it's going to be almost as good as the real thing." Dan replied. He and his brothers had all trained under the same master and he had complete faith that if they were to replicate the blade they'd be able to more than just a passable job, it would be almost indistinguishable to somebody who had only seen the sword briefly before.

 

[MzHyde]

John wasn't the only one thinking that the Constantine side of the family wasn't told it was a fake funeral. Fia was also thinking it as she just knew it'd be either one way that Jay and Rinaa would hurt them even more to get back Kay and Fia, whilst making a stand against John to show what a puppet he was to them, or Rinaa's one last big 'fuck you' to the two women. Though some part of her thought it would no doubt be a mixture of both scenarios. After all Rinaa made no secret of how bad things were between the families, a situation which Fia and Kay still held unbelievably hard and was convinced that until they all went back to their respective times and planets so they could have their minds wiped of it, they always will.

With the last thing said just for Jay's ears in her native tongue by her future self, Kay and Fia sighed and tried to relax a bit in their chairs as they comprehended the information given to them. They watched as Jay pulled out the other photos to find the location and access codes to retrieve the replica sword, as Cal asked if it would indeed work. The fact that Dan had faith in his brothers and their skills was of somewhat relief. Fia looked down at her food and for the first time since she'd come back to this time, did not want to eat. Her appetite from everything had well and truly been killed off, making her push her bowl away from her slightly. "I'm guessing you're going to waste no time in getting that replica? Or are you going to wait until morning?" Kay asked Jay curiously. She didn't expect her to give herself a break and wait but she thought she'd plant the idea in Jay's head anyway by asking. she definitely didn't take John to just stop for a moment, in fact actually took him to go out either way, whether it's to get help get the blade or just go for a long walk and smoke. It upset her slightly but she honestly understood it and if she was honest, would have done the same thing if she was him. Fia most definitely would be at least taking time out for herself by going on the roof later.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay located the photo in question- there were only four in the envelope after all. Three showed Rinaa during what holo-Jay had made clear was the one and only test her daughter agreed to, taken from different angles, each capturing the spirit forms in all their glory. The fourth picture was different, while the other three were glossy and A4 in size, this photo was A5 and actually a postcard as opposed to a photograph. Neatly printed on the back in block capitals was the location and code, as promised. At Kay's question she looked up "I'm going to get it now. Dan'll need to look at it and see if it's up to scratch and we don't exactly have a lot of time to pull this ruse together. He unsurprisingly wants the sword as soon as possible- cocky arsehole already gave a time and drop-off point which is tomorrow." Cal, Elliott and Cliff all gaped at that in unison, they been expecting a close deadline, but not that close.

"Yeah- evenin' after the trial" John replied "as she said, he's a bloody cocky arsehole and smug to boot." Jay nodded her agreement vigorously and for the first time it occurred to Elliott that despite the circumstances his adoptive father and his.... whatever Jay was to him had bonded over this experience of being confronted with two Dakkons demanding the sword. "When he said that I wanted to throw him out of the fucking window." Jay spat out. "It showed on her face, believe me." "I agree, there's no time to waste on this. You'd best go get it. I would come with but...." Elliott trailed off with a shrug "it may not be the sword, but even in that holo it looked enough like it that I'd rather not." "Fair." Jay nodded simply, understanding Elliot's reasons completely and not thinking any less of him for it. Cliff, having picked up the card saw that the address was a military drop-box and wondered when and how the hell Rinaa had got into a military facility without them knowing, She pulled a set of keys of the wall and threw them to Jay "take the bike, it'll be faster, anybody asks, I leant it to you, your military ID will get you into the centre easily." "Cheers doc."

 

[MzHyde]

Kay nodded when Jay said about going to get it now, going slightly wide eyed when John elaborated that the time window was insanely short. Like the others, she thought it'd be a tight window but she didn't think it's as tight as tomorrow evening after the trial. It was clear to her that Jay and John had bonded in some form during this whole chaotic situation and the need to bust a few skulls in even if they refrained from throwing any punches. She could easily believe it showed on Jay's face when she wanted to throw Dakkon out the window with Elliott explaining his reasons for not going with Jay, Kay could also understand why he wouldn't be anywhere near the item in question. To her, after Cliff gave Jay the keys to the bike, Kay didn't think there was much else to be said on this situation until the sword was retrieved. "good luck Jay" she said simply.

"well I've officially lost my appetite now and wound up" Fia said, not really caring who heard her. She couldn't believe that Dakkon was only giving them all until tomorrow evening after the trial to hand over the sword, or what he would think was the sword to turn it into such an incredibly dangerous weapon. It irked her the wrong way completely that even with a fake version of the sword, Dakkon was going to be turning it into either a soul or mind sword. Sure, it might save Rinaa but there was so much that could go horribly wrong, not to mention she didn't trust Dakkon to give it back afterwards at all. "I still can't believe they're wanting to make such a bloody blade... Adding runes to a blade is one thing but that?! Bloody idiots the lot of them" she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest.

 

[_gallifrog_]

Jay wasted no time in leaving, she hadn't even taken her jacket or boots off after coming back to the flat, so all that needed to be done was to grab the keys, the postcard, her military ID and go. She laid a hand on Elliott's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before slipping out. John meanwhile threw himself backwards at the couch with a sigh of annoyance. He hadn't been particularly hungry before heading to the safe house, but now, after seeing the photos of Rinaa he'd been well and truly put off eating for the next while. Chas was the same, the image of the girl's face, mouth open and screaming was seared onto the back of his eyes. He didn't need to imagine what she sounded like when her body was engulfed with pain, he'd heard it. They all had that time Rinaa had lost it on the ship and attempted to kill Jay.

"Yer not the only one, I can't fucking believe it either." John agreed, swinging his feet onto the coffee table with enough force to shake the table. "it's bloody suicide to do such a thing, and fucking murder it seems as well. Making that kind of blade never ends well, it's guaranteed to corrupt, and somebody like Dakkon with thick hide, far stronger strength than most and the resources of an entire branch of spies at his disposal? He could start a bloody war. Scrap that, he would start a bloody war. Looks like Zan was spot-bleedin'-on with his assumption that nothing good would come of giving him the sword." "Uh yeah...... on that.... 'bout Zan I mean." Elliott scratched the back of his head. "We should tell him the sword's a fake. He doesn't need to know where the real one is, but we can't let him think we're the kinds of people who'd just give something like that away."

 

[MzHyde]

If there was one thing that Fia and John would agree on, it was clearly this whole subject. Granted, she agreed with her father on a lot more than she did her mother, but this was a massive one. The big 'you can do all kinds of shit but you do NOT do this!' situation. She couldn't believe that the alternate version of Jay and Rinaa as well whoever was working with them would even consider this suicidal plan. She turned round on her chair enough to look at John as she hesrd the table shake when he put his feet up on it. She didn't put it passed Dakkon in the slightest to start a war in that time or this one once his hands got on such a weapon. It was terrifying to think they were truly at the crossroads here on which timeline would win over, if an entirely new one didn't get made. When Elliott spoke up, she turned her head to him, listening to his opinion.

She sighed but nodded slowly, "you're right, he should know". "you got a valid point there. Its easy enough to tell him about it without disclosing the location of the real sword" Kay agreed. She didn't want to agree to anything that revolved telling Zan anything but on this instance there was no other thing to do other than agree. She then watched as Fia stood up with a sigh and walked away from them all into the room she was occupying, where she grabbed her violin and notebook before walking back out and up onto the roof. She needed fresh air and something to do that would calm her down from her anger at the whole idea. Kay rose an eyebrow at the whole thing but left Fia to it, figuring that the anger over the sword was getting to her and her worry for her brother.

 

[_gallifrog_]

All heads of those still in the apartment turned towards Elliott when he said what he did, Fia leaving was noticed, but not commenting on. Cal, being a pyrokinetic recognised it was because the teenager was too emotional needed to cool down both physically and mentally. Chas was the first to nod, completely seeing where Elliott was coming from, even without the last bit being added on, he would have agreed. "You've got a point there Ell, he really does need to be kept in the loop on this. We mightn't like him or trust him, but we need him on the same page." John knew from the way that Elliott was scratching the back of his head and that what his adoptive son was going to say was not necessarily something he would like. It was the last part of Elliott's thought that convinced him, he was not in favour of telling the man about the plan, but he was even less in favour of Zan thinking that low of them (though it was completely fine for them to think that low of him). "Yeah, makes sense I guess." He then smirked. "And for once I'll be able to say I kept the fucking moral high ground on this."

"I agree, we should tell him." Cliff replied, deciding not to push her luck by saying taht on top of all their reasons the an actually did have a right to know. "If we play our cards right we can have him back up whatever cover story we're going with and make it more credible." Cliff added, to which Chas nodded, already seeing where she was going with this point. "There's no point in us all scheming our asses off to sell this lie, only for it to be busted by them bringing the sword to Zan and get him to test whether it's the original or not." "Oh yeah..... we really can't risk that kind of cock-up." Cal nodded before turning to Elliott "you calling, or am I?" "My idea, I'll do it." Elliott answered, taking up his phone and waking from the room, not particularly feeling like making such a call in front of the others.

 

[MzHyde]

Cal had completely nailed it on the head with her assumption about Fia. Being still a young growing phoenix, her emotions were easy to get out of control if she didn't plow all that pent-up emotion into something a lot more constructive rather than destructive. If she was at home she would have no doubt plowed her focus into finding a quick job and sneak out, resulting no doubt in her getting into some sort of fight. However on Attil she couldn't do that and she didn't want to text her new temporary friends who she crushed on and involve them. So grabbing for her notebook with many songs in progress and doodles of movements to signal certain notes, with her violin was the next best (and healthier) thing to do. It meant she could play out her frustration and dance it out until she was worn out and physically couldn't move any longer, which was precisely what she did as the others spoke. She opened her book to one half finished track she was working on and hummed out the tune to refresh her memory of it before lifting her violin and bow into position, stood up and started playing. She didn't care if anyone could hear her, whether it was her family or neighbours, she just had to play.

Cliff wasn't the only one who didn't want to push their luck in saying Zan had a right to know, Kay was very much close to saying it herself but decided to change her wording at the last second, which was why she said what she did. She nodded in agreement that if they're lucky they'll have him on their side to play along with the lie that the fake sword was indeed the real one. She really wouldn't put it passed the man to shatter the illusion if he wasn't a part of the scheme and if that happened she didn't want to know what would happen. When it was decided that it was Elliott who would make the call, she got up from the kitchen table and went over to the couch to sit on a more comfortable seat for the sake of her back and it was then that she suddenly heard Fia's violin being played with great speed and fierceness judging by the sharp notes changes. It was then it truly set in how much it was affecting their kid as it was clear her real frustration was being played out above them. What they didn't see due to Fia being on the roof was that the teenager was also crying her anger and frustration out as she played, her fingertips moving at such a speed up and down the fretboard that they were actually hurting for the first time in years of playing. Her movements were just quick and fluid, spinning and kicking her leg up, doing sharp shuffles and steps making the most of the entire roof space.

Spoiler: Song she's playing and moves she's doing