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[Lord of the Mysteries] For the Ones We Left Behind 15/15 (4622 words)
Title: For the Ones We Left Behind 15/15
Fandom: Lord of the Mysteries
Character/Pairing(s): Audrey Hall, Leonard Mitchell, Melissa Moretti, Benson Moretti, Klein Moretti, Xio Derecha, Fors Wall
Rating: PG-13
Warning: none?
Summary: MI9 catches Benson Moretti, and end up with more than they expect.
“You…”
Leonard stopped, and raised a hand to scratch at the back of his head. Pallez was quiet in his mind, the both of them watching Benson Moretti’s heartbroken expression.
“Never mind,” Leonard finished, because that conversation wasn’t up to him to have. He still had plenty of questions, but there was enough time to get answers later. Who was he to speak on the matters of the Moretti family? All he understood was the difficult and choking feeling when he realised that Klein wouldn’t be coming back.
Leonard didn’t understand Klein’s situation. To be a Blessed of The Fool, and of the Evernight Goddess as well… who knew what that would mean for his family?
He didn’t know how the siblings seemed to have figured it out, but Leonard couldn’t explain his own thought processes on the matter, either. He came to his conclusions mostly based on a few coincidences and his intuition, after all.
Melissa Moretti came up to her brother quietly, standing next to Benson as they both stared off into the dark path that the cat disappeared into.
Leonard gave them a minute before he urged them gently, “Let’s get you both back home.”
He caught Miss Xio’s eye a distance away, and she nodded at him in acknowledgement. He could tell they had questions as well, but those questions would keep until later. For now, as they came up to group together once more like street children huddling in the winter, he asked, “Are you going to be alright?”
“We’ll be fine.” Xio answered, and Fors nodded along with her friend. “I was worried that MI9 would come after my family because they knew about me now, but… if the Evernight Church is handling it, that means we can go home, right?”
The short blonde shrugged, looking quite nonchalant about the situation. “There’s not much else that can be done now.”
As Fors moved to set up a door to take them directly home, Xio paused a second and touched Melissa’s elbow for her attention.
“Take care, Miss Melissa,” Xio said. “If you have any issues, well… you know my name and occupation. I’m used to handling authority figures.”
Melissa gave a weak smile. “Even MI9?”
“Especially MI9.” Xio responded with a wry smile. She looked between Benson and Melissa, expression soft. “I understand trying to look out for family, but don’t change headfirst into things next time. Contact me.”
With that, she and Fors left, and Leonard looked at the very calm and collected Audrey Hall.
“The church can escort you home,” Leonard offered. He hesitated. “Or you could come with us, and I’ll go with you after I ensure the Morettis get home safe.”
Audrey shook her head. “Thank you, but I can manage by myself. There are certain factors with my family that I would like to take care of.”
Right. There was no way that MI9 didn’t take a trip to the Hall residence to ask about the wild demigod. Leonard didn’t envy her current position.
Audrey curtied for them, and smiled. “I will see you next week, Miss Melissa. Despite the circumstances, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Benson.”
“Yes,” Benson all but stuttered in the full face of Audrey’s charm. “Likewise, Miss Audrey. Thank you once more, especially for staying with my sister and not letting her run off alone.”
Audrey’s smile grew. “She is a very brave person.”
Benson smiled back, and looked down to his sister fondly. “She is.”
With one final perfect curtsy, Audrey’s figure blurred and disappeared from before them, leaving Leonard with the Moretti siblings to make their way out of the destroyed streets of the South Borough, with Leonard carrying a lantern he borrowed from his colleagues to light the way.
Despite the distance, it wasn’t long before they left the ravaged areas and came back into neighbourhoods that were just starting to wake in the time before dawn, with gas lamps alight and smoke appearing from chimneys that were already preparing breakfast for blue-collar workers who would soon leave for work. It was a good thing, too, as it was still too early for the morning carriages to be out.
During their walk, the siblings seemed to calm from their previous turbulent thoughts, becoming quiet and speculative as time went on.
Let them be, Pallez advised before Leonard could attempt small talk. What they need now is not a distraction, but the time and space to think things through.
Soon enough, the first rays of sunlight extended over the horizon to herald a warmth leading to summertime, and Leonard extinguished his lamp as they approached the Moretti residence.
“I’ll see what I can do to find your charm,” Leonard told Benson as the man unlocked his door. “The one that was taken from you.”
“Thank you. I would like it back, but…” the man hesitated. “If that can’t be done, then that’s alright as well. From what you said, it was made to keep us safe for a year, and it has done that. While I would rather it not end up in MI9 hands…”
Benson shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s just a small trinket, after all, and Melissa still has hers. That’s the important thing.”
After he entered the house, Melissa stopped before Leonard and handed him an object with both hands.
It was palm sized with a decent heft, and Leonard stared curiously at the small mechanical device in the rough shape of a frog. “This is…?”
“I’ve been working on this tonight,” Melissa said without answering his question at all. “And I’m not sure if it works yet, but… can you give this to him? And if— when, I make a better version— tell him I’ll give him a better one then, as well. And,” she ducked her head, “thank you for looking after us, Mr. Mitchell. For listening to my demands earlier.”
To Klein? To Gehrman? Did she figure out we were in regular contact?
“It was no problem,” Leonard brushed off quickly, feeling a little flustered. Melissa ducked her head slightly and hurried into the house after her brother, giving Leonard one last grateful look before she closed the door after herself.
Leonard stood there a while, the warm heft of the mechanical frog in his hands, and stared as the lights within the house came on, and then eventually turned off as the morning light got brighter.
“What do you think?” He asked. “Did they figure it out?”
How should I know? Pellaz responded grumpily. Tonight’s been one surprise after another, and you may not need rest, but I certainly need sleep after dealing with your shenanigans.
Leonard huffed out a laugh, and then made his way down to the streets where carriages were just starting to come through.
“In the end,” he said, “I didn’t end up doing very much at all. Same as before, right?”
You made it in time that no one was seriously injured, Pallez groused. Give yourself a little more credit. You brought the backup to stop the fight.
The Red Gloves assembled only after Cesimir caught Leonard attempting to sneak out of the Church once more, since Leonard knew about the battle to come. His loud scolding caught the attention of Saint Anthony, who had been in a meeting with Her Eminence Arianna and His Eminence William Augustus, and they quickly figured out what was going on.
In a sense, he brought the backup, but Leonard only meant to involve himself and not the entire church.
Who knew that Madam Arianna would reveal Klein’s status as the Goddess’s Blessed?
Leonard stopped walking and lifted his hands to his face, muffling the confused noises he made.
Well! At least the Red Gloves now thought that the Blessed was just a cat! It was something he could tease Klein about later, and he hoped that he hadn’t been the defining factor in inadvertently revealing Klein’s double identity as Gehrman Sparrow, especially since Gehrman Sparrow was already well renowned for being a fanatical follower of The Fool.
If people found out about that connection, things would get messy.
After regaining his composure, Leonard took a deep breath and stood up straight once more, ignoring the curious looks sent his way.
It was a new day, and he had plenty of work already piled up to do. Leonard would just think about this later, or when Pallez demanded that he think things through.
—
“What do you think?” Xio asked after she bandaged up the back of her head. The bandage was a bit awkward, but at least the pain had already faded. She couldn’t stop touching the area, unfamiliar with the pressure of the bandage.
Fors leaned against her, although her face was buried in the arms she had on the table.
“I think I’m going to sleep forever,” Fors muttered, speech only slightly slurred. It wasn’t the first time she stayed up all night, but it had certainly been a while since the last time Fors had stayed up all night actively running around and fighting. She was more used to panicking for upcoming deadlines rather than physical fights.
Xio nudged her shoulder, feeling Fors flop limply against her movement.
“I meant about the situation. Do you really think MI9’s going to let this go?”
Fors made several unsavoury sounds under her breath, but deigned to turn her head eventually to squint balefully at Xio.
“If one angel tells me MI9 won’t retaliate, and another angel says that MI9 won’t even remember us, then I’ll just thank them and believe what they say.”
“Aren’t you worried?” Xio continued to ask, feeling too jumbled to rest. It all ended so suddenly! Was this how high sequence fights usually went?
“What can I possibly do with that worry?” Fors griped. “Tire myself out more? They’re angels, Xio! Why worry about what we can’t change? They handled the situation, and they wanted us dead, we’d be dead.”
Fors was usually the one who worried more between the two of them, but once she got past a certain point of sleep deprivation, all her worries turned to apathy.
Xio thought that her Fors was too nonchalant about the situation and should be more proactive, but then remembered the last time she was a little too proactive and ended up being jailed while Fors had to be the one to find an out for her.
“Besides, the night’s over, MI9 is apparently not after us anymore, and no one died despite Mr. World being in the fight! I’ll call that a win on all fronts.”
Xio still had so many thoughts! She wondered about Mr. Star’s position as an official Beyonder connected with the Church of Evernight, and also about what they all overheard that angel telling Mr. World— insinuating his connection with the church?
Impossible, Gehrman Sparrow was a renown fanatic and devout follower of Mr. Fool. He was a Blessed!
“But…” Xio frowned, and actively pulled her hand away from the bandage. She didn’t want to think that Fors was unconcerned because she hadn’t been actively identified by MI9— if they continued to pursue them, then they would know who Fors was before long with the way those of the Arbiter pathway remembered faces, but Xio felt like her worries were heavier because MI9 knew her name and therefore could get her family involved.
Xio didn’t want MI9 to come for her family again.
Fors’s expression changed suddenly. “Is it just me, or did Mr. World really suit a cat? If I had to choose an animal to describe him as, I’d…” Her voice faded away thoughtfully for a second before she continued, “I would choose something much bigger and dangerous! A panther? A tiger? But I never thought about how much he actually does feel like a big, dangerous cat!”
Her tone held a level of enthusiasm that finally broke Xio out of her worries, and she laughed under her breath as she nudged Fors again and again, seeing her friend’s eyes unfocus slightly from being back home and out of danger, now surrounded by familiar warmth and safety.
Oh, she wasn’t going to get anything sensible from Fors until the woman had some sleep. Maybe she was right, and it was useless to worry about this now… What could they possibly do on no sleep? Might as well stop worrying, get some rest, and come back to this with a level head.
With a sigh, Xio allowed herself to lean back against Fors, head tilted to press against her friend’s bony shoulder.
“Don’t say that aloud to Mr. World,” Xio chided.
Fors’s mouth twisted into a horrified moue. “I would never!”
A moment later, the brunette murmured, “Wait, I should give thanks for surviving tonight…”
—
In the Land Forsaken by the Gods, Klein curled in his makeshift tent, exhausted from the night. With any luck, he’d get a day of rest before heading off again in search of more people and places, perhaps with fewer monsters to deal with the next day.
At least Benson and Melissa were okay. At least he got to see them again for himself, even if they were in danger and probably found out something about him. Klein Moretti and Gehrman Sparrow looked quite different, after all, and he couldn’t help but appear to help them as Klein Moretti for a brief period of time. He wasn’t surprised that they noticed something strange.
All’s well that ends well, Klein thought languidly as his breath finally started to slow in sleep. Even the brief stint with Zaratul and Amon ended better than he thought, for how underprepared he was for them.
Tomorrow, he would… well, no, he wouldn’t check up on his siblings any more than before. As much as he wanted to, Klein was well aware that there were more dangers than MI9 lurking around the corner, and association with him put them in the crosshairs of not just irritable government Beyonders, but angels and gods.
Klein wouldn’t do that to them.
But for one day, for just a few precious moments, Klein allowed himself the respite of thinking about these siblings he never expected to grow so attached to. Zhou Mingrui may have been an only child, but Klein Moretti was a middle child who grew up pressed in on both sides by his siblings, and it was the only way he knew how to live. In that sense, he would do just about anything for them, and happily so.
It was a weakness enemies could exploit.
Yet despite his resolve to protect them, to leave entirely, Klein found himself gravitating back towards Benson and Melissa again and again, always hoping for yet another encounter. He wanted to see Melissa grow up well, wanted to see how Benson would fare in his white-collar job…
One day. If everything went well, if he finally made it to a position no one could threaten him, Klein imagined going home again. He thought about how he could protect them in the meanwhile, and about the effect Sefirah Castle had on him and even the amulets he made back when he was just a low-sequence Beyonder.
He wondered if he could make something stronger, something better this time, with more influence from Sefirah Castle and yet hidden away so that no one would be able to detect it.
Klein wanted that. He wanted a future where he could go home again, because he now understood he had no other home to return to.
He wanted to imagine that there was still a place for him with Benson and Melissa.
His soft daydreaming was interrupted by the ringing of a prayer from Sefirah Castle, and Klein’s brows furrowed as he made out the voice of Miss Magician going through the motions of her usual evening prayer.
Klein groaned and turned over, hands covering his ears in futility.
Just go to sleep, Miss Fors!!
—
Audrey slid back into her bedroom silently, closing the door behind herself before she allowed her psychological invisibility to slide off her skin.
The house hadn’t been any different than usual, with her family sound asleep and the servants quietly preparing for the day, and no hint that something could be wrong with the only daughter of the Hall family.
A good sign so far.
As expected, the moment her presence filled the room again, Susie lifted her head from her paws at the foot of Audrey’s bed, tail wagging slowly as she yawned and then slowly plodded to her feet, making her way over.
“Audrey?” Susie asked, sounding sleepy. “You came home very late. Is everything alright?”
As her companion came close enough, Audrey allowed herself to slide down against her door and wrap her arms around Susie, who was warm and soft. She sighed into the fur of Susie’s neck and closed her eyes, comforted by the familiarity.
“I’m alright,” Audrey said, voice slightly muffled. “A lot happened tonight. I didn’t know if mother and father would be angry…”
“I took care of it,” Susie said. “There were some angry men who visited, but your brother kicked them out.”
Audrey smiled against Susie’s fur. Good old Hibbert, reliable as always to rush to his family’s defense.
Still, the idea of her family’s memories being tampered with didn’t sit well with her. It was for the best, Audrey understood. She could only imagine their reactions should they find out about what she’s done— they wouldn’t understand.
Audrey originally became a Beyonder for the sense of adventure and her love of mysticism. She wanted to be special in a way that had nothing to do with her blood, and she achieved it despite years of being cut off at every path. She hadn’t wanted the power to change the world because her world was so small and perfect back then, but now…
Now she was a demigod, and Audrey’s reason for power was to protect her family and to match her peers in the Tarot Club. She wanted to be useful, and she wanted to do something good for the world she lived in. She wanted to keep her family safe…
She just hadn’t realised how much of a hindrance her family would be to her plans. Once more, they seemed to be cutting her off at every path, insisting on keeping her a sheltered girl without a mind of her own.
Audrey sighed, pressing her cheek into Susie’s warm fur.
“Susie,” she said, “what do I do? I used to think Father was the most knowledgeable person in the world, and that he could solve any problem. But now I think…”
Now she thought she knew better than him.
“I don’t know, Audrey. I’m only a dog. Woof.”
Audrey laughed and hugged Susie tighter.
Earl Hall had far more life experience than his daughter, and he understood business and politics more than anyone else, but…
Audrey felt like her family never took the time to look further than their daily life. They gave to charities without bothering to roll up their sleeves and put in the work. They brushed sleeves with the elite rather than with the people who actually needed the help, and even now she was at an impasse with her family concerning food rations in the war.
Food rations, of all things!
People were starting to starve on the streets, children were crying from hunger, and her family refused to give up control over their pantry! During the day, she would hand out hard bread and dried fruits and meats when she could, often turning all of that into watery soup in order to extend the supply, but when she came home, their chef would ask her what she wanted between a dozen meal options, all of them just as opulent as before the war started.
And now…
“How did they take the news?” Audrey asked Susie, tone subdued. “Did they find out?”
Susie gave a considerate hum, and stated, “Only your brother found out, and he didn’t believe it. You missed one of the guards, and that guard told him.”
“Did he seem angry?”
Susie, also of the Spectator pathway, would be able to read the people in this house just as easily as Audrey did.
“He didn’t have the time to think about it,” Susie reassured her. “Audrey, did you manage to save your friend’s brother?”
Audrey drew back and smiled. “I did. The people who were after them at MI9 were also taken care of.”
“That’s amazing! How did you do that?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t me, but… well, it was the work of several people. Or just one? I don’t know how to explain it just yet. Maybe after I get some sleep. I’ll have to tell the maids that I’m not feeling well today so I can sleep in. What do they think happened to me?”
Susie wagged her tail. “I made them think you were scared by the air raid and made yourself ill from worry.”
That was perfect. It fit with the way her family saw her, to allow Audrey to sleep in. She slowly took off her ruined gloves, and touched the small holes in her dress.
She wondered about her impasse with her family, and then thought about Mr. World’s impasse with his own, in a way that was so different from her dilemma. She wondered what choice she would have made in his shoes, and what choice he would make in hers.
“Isn’t it silly?” She wondered aloud. “I’m already a powerful Beyonder, and they think I would scare myself sick with a little air raid…”
“Audrey, I don’t know if it’s silly or not. But I’m just a dog, so it’s a little like that?”
“Oh?”
Susie nodded, looking very solemn. “No one would expect for me to speak, or to eavesdrop and tell you information. No one expects me to be able to hypnotise them because I’m just a dog. Audrey, your family thinks that you’re a girl who doesn’t know anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s what you actually are. You’re just a girl, but you’re also more than that. Just like I can talk, you know how to listen. And you’re very amazing. Just think of what you did tonight! No one would have expected that of you, because you’re just a girl.
“Maybe you really are just a girl, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be smarter than the most knowledgeable person in the world. People won’t don’t take you seriously because you’re just a girl, the same way they don’t take me seriously because I’m just a dog.”
Oh. Audrey’s eyes felt warm, and she reached to brush the warmth away from the corners with a smile. “You’re the smartest dog in the world, Susie. I would be a fool not to listen to you.”
“Woof!”
“Susie,” Audrey asked, “what do you think about cats?”
Susie’s tail stopped wagging, and then started up again with twice the intensity.
Seeing that, Audrey laughed openly.
A knock at the door minutes later was the only thing that managed to stop her giggling, and Audrey pushed herself back up again to straighten out her clothes and brush away the strands of hair from her face before declaring herself presentable enough to be seen, and turning the handle.
On the other side stood Hibbert Hall, standing with perfect posture and as handsome as a classical statue, not a strand of blonde hair out of place even so early in the morning.
“Audrey,” her brother said, her name more a sigh than a word, “I thought I heard your voice. Are you feeling better, then?”
She observed the near invisible lines around his mouth that translated his worry, the hint of stubble at the corner of his jaw indicating his absentmindedness this morning, and the way the crease on his finger indicated how he held the knife extra long during breakfast, likely lost in thought. The smell of his cologne was a bit fresher than usual for this time of day, giving Audrey a good indication of how last night’s events really had troubled him.
Audrey smiled at her brother. He was sweet, despite the tough and nonchalant demeanour he tried to put out to the world. While she didn’t often turn her observational skills on her family, usually averting her eyes in order to keep her good impression of them, seeing their troubles and emotions was inevitable for her.
“I’m feeling better,” she agreed. “Although I could do with some more sleep today.”
Hibbert relaxed minutely at her words, and said, “Then I will ensure that no one bothers you. Get as much rest as you need, Audrey, and I’ll tell mother and father that you’re doing well.”
Audrey thought that could be a servant’s job— to check on the welfare of the young miss of the house and report back to the family, yet Hibbert had taken it upon himself to see that she was alright with his own eyes.
He must have really been worried.
“Thank you,” Audrey said, more heartfelt than she meant to, and she opened the door further to step out, drawing her surprised brother into a tight hug. She might still smell of fog and morning dew, but Hibbert was not someone to notice something like that. As she pressed her face against the crispness of his suit, Audrey thought of Melissa and Benson, and their brother who turned away from them to protect them. She thought of their words this morning, and their acceptance.
Hibbert was warm despite his usual cold demeanour, and his arms slowly wrapped around her in return. For a moment, Audrey felt a dreadful longing for Alfred to be there as well. She wanted to see both her brothers very badly.
“What is this for, Audrey?” Hibbert asked, although his voice had gone soft as he returned her hug. “It’s been a while since you’ve done this.”
Thank you for being my brother, Audrey didn’t say. Instead, she pressed further against him. I’m sorry for worrying you. For lying to you and manipulating you. I’m sorry for everything I’m going to do in the future because I can’t stay the little girl you love.
“Nothing,” Audrey said aloud instead, and pulled back to smile up at him with her usual charm and sweetness. “Do you think it’s too much to ask for breakfast in bed today, since I’m too tired to make it downstairs?”
“You’re not too tired at all, you’re just spoiled,” Hibbert responded, and pulled at her cheek like she was still a young girl. The stiffness in his posture all but melted away as he told her, “But I’m sure that can be allowed once more for today.”
Audrey smiled brightly, and fell once again into the role she played her entire life.
—
Two days after the incident with MI9, the Morettis found a package in their mailbox containing two necklaces, both made from silver and beautifully carved with minute runes that somehow emitted a cool feeling of fog when touched, the delicate carving covered with a solid iron case that snapped shut around it like a locket.
Along with the necklaces was a simple sheet of paper that said in a handwriting they were painstakingly familiar with: Wear on your person at all times. Keep closed except for emergencies.
On the back of the paper, there were smaller words: Thank you for the frog. I’ll be home soon.
Benson kept the paper folded and on the mantelpiece, where he and Melissa often touched it before heading out for the day, reminded of a promise to keep.
A/N: The end! And when the Tarot Club meeting rolled around come Monday, poor Emlyn was miffed to realise he was left out once again despite the whole thing happening right next to him (I had too many characters to mind to think about adding the Moon pathway, too).
Fun facts! In the outline, the frog was originally included because Melissa was supposed to use it to eavesdrop on Leonard and Audrey talking about Klein. There was also a whole backstory with 2-214 including a handler who was a turncoat Secret Suppliant pathway from Intis. I originally debated between Gehrman or Merlin for this, but decided using Merlin meant I would need to up the stakes too far for my first LotM fic. Originally the Box of the Great Old Ones was supposed to play a large part. The original enemy was the Rose School of Thought, but that was too close to canon. Originally Hazel and Isengard were supposed to make a cameo, but that part of the outline got too complicated. In the fight, Fors was meant to demonstrate a thief ability because Leonard asked Pallez to help with Leymano's Travels, but I thought that made an already complicated fight too convoluted. Leonard was actually supposed to make it to the meeting and hear information there. 2-214 was originally a movie screen someone could view through. The original plan was for the gang to refuge at Dwanye Dante's manorhouse instead of Leonard's place, I don't know why that one got switched out. The Aurora Order was meant to back up MI9 in the fight, but YIKES I didn't want to write all the abilities. Zaratul was meant to get away with something of Klein's, making future situations precarious.
But everything ended up streamlined so this fic could be finished in a month!
Previous
Fandom: Lord of the Mysteries
Character/Pairing(s): Audrey Hall, Leonard Mitchell, Melissa Moretti, Benson Moretti, Klein Moretti, Xio Derecha, Fors Wall
Rating: PG-13
Warning: none?
Summary: MI9 catches Benson Moretti, and end up with more than they expect.
“You…”
Leonard stopped, and raised a hand to scratch at the back of his head. Pallez was quiet in his mind, the both of them watching Benson Moretti’s heartbroken expression.
“Never mind,” Leonard finished, because that conversation wasn’t up to him to have. He still had plenty of questions, but there was enough time to get answers later. Who was he to speak on the matters of the Moretti family? All he understood was the difficult and choking feeling when he realised that Klein wouldn’t be coming back.
Leonard didn’t understand Klein’s situation. To be a Blessed of The Fool, and of the Evernight Goddess as well… who knew what that would mean for his family?
He didn’t know how the siblings seemed to have figured it out, but Leonard couldn’t explain his own thought processes on the matter, either. He came to his conclusions mostly based on a few coincidences and his intuition, after all.
Melissa Moretti came up to her brother quietly, standing next to Benson as they both stared off into the dark path that the cat disappeared into.
Leonard gave them a minute before he urged them gently, “Let’s get you both back home.”
He caught Miss Xio’s eye a distance away, and she nodded at him in acknowledgement. He could tell they had questions as well, but those questions would keep until later. For now, as they came up to group together once more like street children huddling in the winter, he asked, “Are you going to be alright?”
“We’ll be fine.” Xio answered, and Fors nodded along with her friend. “I was worried that MI9 would come after my family because they knew about me now, but… if the Evernight Church is handling it, that means we can go home, right?”
The short blonde shrugged, looking quite nonchalant about the situation. “There’s not much else that can be done now.”
As Fors moved to set up a door to take them directly home, Xio paused a second and touched Melissa’s elbow for her attention.
“Take care, Miss Melissa,” Xio said. “If you have any issues, well… you know my name and occupation. I’m used to handling authority figures.”
Melissa gave a weak smile. “Even MI9?”
“Especially MI9.” Xio responded with a wry smile. She looked between Benson and Melissa, expression soft. “I understand trying to look out for family, but don’t change headfirst into things next time. Contact me.”
With that, she and Fors left, and Leonard looked at the very calm and collected Audrey Hall.
“The church can escort you home,” Leonard offered. He hesitated. “Or you could come with us, and I’ll go with you after I ensure the Morettis get home safe.”
Audrey shook her head. “Thank you, but I can manage by myself. There are certain factors with my family that I would like to take care of.”
Right. There was no way that MI9 didn’t take a trip to the Hall residence to ask about the wild demigod. Leonard didn’t envy her current position.
Audrey curtied for them, and smiled. “I will see you next week, Miss Melissa. Despite the circumstances, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Benson.”
“Yes,” Benson all but stuttered in the full face of Audrey’s charm. “Likewise, Miss Audrey. Thank you once more, especially for staying with my sister and not letting her run off alone.”
Audrey’s smile grew. “She is a very brave person.”
Benson smiled back, and looked down to his sister fondly. “She is.”
With one final perfect curtsy, Audrey’s figure blurred and disappeared from before them, leaving Leonard with the Moretti siblings to make their way out of the destroyed streets of the South Borough, with Leonard carrying a lantern he borrowed from his colleagues to light the way.
Despite the distance, it wasn’t long before they left the ravaged areas and came back into neighbourhoods that were just starting to wake in the time before dawn, with gas lamps alight and smoke appearing from chimneys that were already preparing breakfast for blue-collar workers who would soon leave for work. It was a good thing, too, as it was still too early for the morning carriages to be out.
During their walk, the siblings seemed to calm from their previous turbulent thoughts, becoming quiet and speculative as time went on.
Let them be, Pallez advised before Leonard could attempt small talk. What they need now is not a distraction, but the time and space to think things through.
Soon enough, the first rays of sunlight extended over the horizon to herald a warmth leading to summertime, and Leonard extinguished his lamp as they approached the Moretti residence.
“I’ll see what I can do to find your charm,” Leonard told Benson as the man unlocked his door. “The one that was taken from you.”
“Thank you. I would like it back, but…” the man hesitated. “If that can’t be done, then that’s alright as well. From what you said, it was made to keep us safe for a year, and it has done that. While I would rather it not end up in MI9 hands…”
Benson shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s just a small trinket, after all, and Melissa still has hers. That’s the important thing.”
After he entered the house, Melissa stopped before Leonard and handed him an object with both hands.
It was palm sized with a decent heft, and Leonard stared curiously at the small mechanical device in the rough shape of a frog. “This is…?”
“I’ve been working on this tonight,” Melissa said without answering his question at all. “And I’m not sure if it works yet, but… can you give this to him? And if— when, I make a better version— tell him I’ll give him a better one then, as well. And,” she ducked her head, “thank you for looking after us, Mr. Mitchell. For listening to my demands earlier.”
To Klein? To Gehrman? Did she figure out we were in regular contact?
“It was no problem,” Leonard brushed off quickly, feeling a little flustered. Melissa ducked her head slightly and hurried into the house after her brother, giving Leonard one last grateful look before she closed the door after herself.
Leonard stood there a while, the warm heft of the mechanical frog in his hands, and stared as the lights within the house came on, and then eventually turned off as the morning light got brighter.
“What do you think?” He asked. “Did they figure it out?”
How should I know? Pellaz responded grumpily. Tonight’s been one surprise after another, and you may not need rest, but I certainly need sleep after dealing with your shenanigans.
Leonard huffed out a laugh, and then made his way down to the streets where carriages were just starting to come through.
“In the end,” he said, “I didn’t end up doing very much at all. Same as before, right?”
You made it in time that no one was seriously injured, Pallez groused. Give yourself a little more credit. You brought the backup to stop the fight.
The Red Gloves assembled only after Cesimir caught Leonard attempting to sneak out of the Church once more, since Leonard knew about the battle to come. His loud scolding caught the attention of Saint Anthony, who had been in a meeting with Her Eminence Arianna and His Eminence William Augustus, and they quickly figured out what was going on.
In a sense, he brought the backup, but Leonard only meant to involve himself and not the entire church.
Who knew that Madam Arianna would reveal Klein’s status as the Goddess’s Blessed?
Leonard stopped walking and lifted his hands to his face, muffling the confused noises he made.
Well! At least the Red Gloves now thought that the Blessed was just a cat! It was something he could tease Klein about later, and he hoped that he hadn’t been the defining factor in inadvertently revealing Klein’s double identity as Gehrman Sparrow, especially since Gehrman Sparrow was already well renowned for being a fanatical follower of The Fool.
If people found out about that connection, things would get messy.
After regaining his composure, Leonard took a deep breath and stood up straight once more, ignoring the curious looks sent his way.
It was a new day, and he had plenty of work already piled up to do. Leonard would just think about this later, or when Pallez demanded that he think things through.
—
“What do you think?” Xio asked after she bandaged up the back of her head. The bandage was a bit awkward, but at least the pain had already faded. She couldn’t stop touching the area, unfamiliar with the pressure of the bandage.
Fors leaned against her, although her face was buried in the arms she had on the table.
“I think I’m going to sleep forever,” Fors muttered, speech only slightly slurred. It wasn’t the first time she stayed up all night, but it had certainly been a while since the last time Fors had stayed up all night actively running around and fighting. She was more used to panicking for upcoming deadlines rather than physical fights.
Xio nudged her shoulder, feeling Fors flop limply against her movement.
“I meant about the situation. Do you really think MI9’s going to let this go?”
Fors made several unsavoury sounds under her breath, but deigned to turn her head eventually to squint balefully at Xio.
“If one angel tells me MI9 won’t retaliate, and another angel says that MI9 won’t even remember us, then I’ll just thank them and believe what they say.”
“Aren’t you worried?” Xio continued to ask, feeling too jumbled to rest. It all ended so suddenly! Was this how high sequence fights usually went?
“What can I possibly do with that worry?” Fors griped. “Tire myself out more? They’re angels, Xio! Why worry about what we can’t change? They handled the situation, and they wanted us dead, we’d be dead.”
Fors was usually the one who worried more between the two of them, but once she got past a certain point of sleep deprivation, all her worries turned to apathy.
Xio thought that her Fors was too nonchalant about the situation and should be more proactive, but then remembered the last time she was a little too proactive and ended up being jailed while Fors had to be the one to find an out for her.
“Besides, the night’s over, MI9 is apparently not after us anymore, and no one died despite Mr. World being in the fight! I’ll call that a win on all fronts.”
Xio still had so many thoughts! She wondered about Mr. Star’s position as an official Beyonder connected with the Church of Evernight, and also about what they all overheard that angel telling Mr. World— insinuating his connection with the church?
Impossible, Gehrman Sparrow was a renown fanatic and devout follower of Mr. Fool. He was a Blessed!
“But…” Xio frowned, and actively pulled her hand away from the bandage. She didn’t want to think that Fors was unconcerned because she hadn’t been actively identified by MI9— if they continued to pursue them, then they would know who Fors was before long with the way those of the Arbiter pathway remembered faces, but Xio felt like her worries were heavier because MI9 knew her name and therefore could get her family involved.
Xio didn’t want MI9 to come for her family again.
Fors’s expression changed suddenly. “Is it just me, or did Mr. World really suit a cat? If I had to choose an animal to describe him as, I’d…” Her voice faded away thoughtfully for a second before she continued, “I would choose something much bigger and dangerous! A panther? A tiger? But I never thought about how much he actually does feel like a big, dangerous cat!”
Her tone held a level of enthusiasm that finally broke Xio out of her worries, and she laughed under her breath as she nudged Fors again and again, seeing her friend’s eyes unfocus slightly from being back home and out of danger, now surrounded by familiar warmth and safety.
Oh, she wasn’t going to get anything sensible from Fors until the woman had some sleep. Maybe she was right, and it was useless to worry about this now… What could they possibly do on no sleep? Might as well stop worrying, get some rest, and come back to this with a level head.
With a sigh, Xio allowed herself to lean back against Fors, head tilted to press against her friend’s bony shoulder.
“Don’t say that aloud to Mr. World,” Xio chided.
Fors’s mouth twisted into a horrified moue. “I would never!”
A moment later, the brunette murmured, “Wait, I should give thanks for surviving tonight…”
—
In the Land Forsaken by the Gods, Klein curled in his makeshift tent, exhausted from the night. With any luck, he’d get a day of rest before heading off again in search of more people and places, perhaps with fewer monsters to deal with the next day.
At least Benson and Melissa were okay. At least he got to see them again for himself, even if they were in danger and probably found out something about him. Klein Moretti and Gehrman Sparrow looked quite different, after all, and he couldn’t help but appear to help them as Klein Moretti for a brief period of time. He wasn’t surprised that they noticed something strange.
All’s well that ends well, Klein thought languidly as his breath finally started to slow in sleep. Even the brief stint with Zaratul and Amon ended better than he thought, for how underprepared he was for them.
Tomorrow, he would… well, no, he wouldn’t check up on his siblings any more than before. As much as he wanted to, Klein was well aware that there were more dangers than MI9 lurking around the corner, and association with him put them in the crosshairs of not just irritable government Beyonders, but angels and gods.
Klein wouldn’t do that to them.
But for one day, for just a few precious moments, Klein allowed himself the respite of thinking about these siblings he never expected to grow so attached to. Zhou Mingrui may have been an only child, but Klein Moretti was a middle child who grew up pressed in on both sides by his siblings, and it was the only way he knew how to live. In that sense, he would do just about anything for them, and happily so.
It was a weakness enemies could exploit.
Yet despite his resolve to protect them, to leave entirely, Klein found himself gravitating back towards Benson and Melissa again and again, always hoping for yet another encounter. He wanted to see Melissa grow up well, wanted to see how Benson would fare in his white-collar job…
One day. If everything went well, if he finally made it to a position no one could threaten him, Klein imagined going home again. He thought about how he could protect them in the meanwhile, and about the effect Sefirah Castle had on him and even the amulets he made back when he was just a low-sequence Beyonder.
He wondered if he could make something stronger, something better this time, with more influence from Sefirah Castle and yet hidden away so that no one would be able to detect it.
Klein wanted that. He wanted a future where he could go home again, because he now understood he had no other home to return to.
He wanted to imagine that there was still a place for him with Benson and Melissa.
His soft daydreaming was interrupted by the ringing of a prayer from Sefirah Castle, and Klein’s brows furrowed as he made out the voice of Miss Magician going through the motions of her usual evening prayer.
Klein groaned and turned over, hands covering his ears in futility.
Just go to sleep, Miss Fors!!
—
Audrey slid back into her bedroom silently, closing the door behind herself before she allowed her psychological invisibility to slide off her skin.
The house hadn’t been any different than usual, with her family sound asleep and the servants quietly preparing for the day, and no hint that something could be wrong with the only daughter of the Hall family.
A good sign so far.
As expected, the moment her presence filled the room again, Susie lifted her head from her paws at the foot of Audrey’s bed, tail wagging slowly as she yawned and then slowly plodded to her feet, making her way over.
“Audrey?” Susie asked, sounding sleepy. “You came home very late. Is everything alright?”
As her companion came close enough, Audrey allowed herself to slide down against her door and wrap her arms around Susie, who was warm and soft. She sighed into the fur of Susie’s neck and closed her eyes, comforted by the familiarity.
“I’m alright,” Audrey said, voice slightly muffled. “A lot happened tonight. I didn’t know if mother and father would be angry…”
“I took care of it,” Susie said. “There were some angry men who visited, but your brother kicked them out.”
Audrey smiled against Susie’s fur. Good old Hibbert, reliable as always to rush to his family’s defense.
Still, the idea of her family’s memories being tampered with didn’t sit well with her. It was for the best, Audrey understood. She could only imagine their reactions should they find out about what she’s done— they wouldn’t understand.
Audrey originally became a Beyonder for the sense of adventure and her love of mysticism. She wanted to be special in a way that had nothing to do with her blood, and she achieved it despite years of being cut off at every path. She hadn’t wanted the power to change the world because her world was so small and perfect back then, but now…
Now she was a demigod, and Audrey’s reason for power was to protect her family and to match her peers in the Tarot Club. She wanted to be useful, and she wanted to do something good for the world she lived in. She wanted to keep her family safe…
She just hadn’t realised how much of a hindrance her family would be to her plans. Once more, they seemed to be cutting her off at every path, insisting on keeping her a sheltered girl without a mind of her own.
Audrey sighed, pressing her cheek into Susie’s warm fur.
“Susie,” she said, “what do I do? I used to think Father was the most knowledgeable person in the world, and that he could solve any problem. But now I think…”
Now she thought she knew better than him.
“I don’t know, Audrey. I’m only a dog. Woof.”
Audrey laughed and hugged Susie tighter.
Earl Hall had far more life experience than his daughter, and he understood business and politics more than anyone else, but…
Audrey felt like her family never took the time to look further than their daily life. They gave to charities without bothering to roll up their sleeves and put in the work. They brushed sleeves with the elite rather than with the people who actually needed the help, and even now she was at an impasse with her family concerning food rations in the war.
Food rations, of all things!
People were starting to starve on the streets, children were crying from hunger, and her family refused to give up control over their pantry! During the day, she would hand out hard bread and dried fruits and meats when she could, often turning all of that into watery soup in order to extend the supply, but when she came home, their chef would ask her what she wanted between a dozen meal options, all of them just as opulent as before the war started.
And now…
“How did they take the news?” Audrey asked Susie, tone subdued. “Did they find out?”
Susie gave a considerate hum, and stated, “Only your brother found out, and he didn’t believe it. You missed one of the guards, and that guard told him.”
“Did he seem angry?”
Susie, also of the Spectator pathway, would be able to read the people in this house just as easily as Audrey did.
“He didn’t have the time to think about it,” Susie reassured her. “Audrey, did you manage to save your friend’s brother?”
Audrey drew back and smiled. “I did. The people who were after them at MI9 were also taken care of.”
“That’s amazing! How did you do that?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t me, but… well, it was the work of several people. Or just one? I don’t know how to explain it just yet. Maybe after I get some sleep. I’ll have to tell the maids that I’m not feeling well today so I can sleep in. What do they think happened to me?”
Susie wagged her tail. “I made them think you were scared by the air raid and made yourself ill from worry.”
That was perfect. It fit with the way her family saw her, to allow Audrey to sleep in. She slowly took off her ruined gloves, and touched the small holes in her dress.
She wondered about her impasse with her family, and then thought about Mr. World’s impasse with his own, in a way that was so different from her dilemma. She wondered what choice she would have made in his shoes, and what choice he would make in hers.
“Isn’t it silly?” She wondered aloud. “I’m already a powerful Beyonder, and they think I would scare myself sick with a little air raid…”
“Audrey, I don’t know if it’s silly or not. But I’m just a dog, so it’s a little like that?”
“Oh?”
Susie nodded, looking very solemn. “No one would expect for me to speak, or to eavesdrop and tell you information. No one expects me to be able to hypnotise them because I’m just a dog. Audrey, your family thinks that you’re a girl who doesn’t know anything, but that doesn’t mean it’s what you actually are. You’re just a girl, but you’re also more than that. Just like I can talk, you know how to listen. And you’re very amazing. Just think of what you did tonight! No one would have expected that of you, because you’re just a girl.
“Maybe you really are just a girl, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be smarter than the most knowledgeable person in the world. People won’t don’t take you seriously because you’re just a girl, the same way they don’t take me seriously because I’m just a dog.”
Oh. Audrey’s eyes felt warm, and she reached to brush the warmth away from the corners with a smile. “You’re the smartest dog in the world, Susie. I would be a fool not to listen to you.”
“Woof!”
“Susie,” Audrey asked, “what do you think about cats?”
Susie’s tail stopped wagging, and then started up again with twice the intensity.
Seeing that, Audrey laughed openly.
A knock at the door minutes later was the only thing that managed to stop her giggling, and Audrey pushed herself back up again to straighten out her clothes and brush away the strands of hair from her face before declaring herself presentable enough to be seen, and turning the handle.
On the other side stood Hibbert Hall, standing with perfect posture and as handsome as a classical statue, not a strand of blonde hair out of place even so early in the morning.
“Audrey,” her brother said, her name more a sigh than a word, “I thought I heard your voice. Are you feeling better, then?”
She observed the near invisible lines around his mouth that translated his worry, the hint of stubble at the corner of his jaw indicating his absentmindedness this morning, and the way the crease on his finger indicated how he held the knife extra long during breakfast, likely lost in thought. The smell of his cologne was a bit fresher than usual for this time of day, giving Audrey a good indication of how last night’s events really had troubled him.
Audrey smiled at her brother. He was sweet, despite the tough and nonchalant demeanour he tried to put out to the world. While she didn’t often turn her observational skills on her family, usually averting her eyes in order to keep her good impression of them, seeing their troubles and emotions was inevitable for her.
“I’m feeling better,” she agreed. “Although I could do with some more sleep today.”
Hibbert relaxed minutely at her words, and said, “Then I will ensure that no one bothers you. Get as much rest as you need, Audrey, and I’ll tell mother and father that you’re doing well.”
Audrey thought that could be a servant’s job— to check on the welfare of the young miss of the house and report back to the family, yet Hibbert had taken it upon himself to see that she was alright with his own eyes.
He must have really been worried.
“Thank you,” Audrey said, more heartfelt than she meant to, and she opened the door further to step out, drawing her surprised brother into a tight hug. She might still smell of fog and morning dew, but Hibbert was not someone to notice something like that. As she pressed her face against the crispness of his suit, Audrey thought of Melissa and Benson, and their brother who turned away from them to protect them. She thought of their words this morning, and their acceptance.
Hibbert was warm despite his usual cold demeanour, and his arms slowly wrapped around her in return. For a moment, Audrey felt a dreadful longing for Alfred to be there as well. She wanted to see both her brothers very badly.
“What is this for, Audrey?” Hibbert asked, although his voice had gone soft as he returned her hug. “It’s been a while since you’ve done this.”
Thank you for being my brother, Audrey didn’t say. Instead, she pressed further against him. I’m sorry for worrying you. For lying to you and manipulating you. I’m sorry for everything I’m going to do in the future because I can’t stay the little girl you love.
“Nothing,” Audrey said aloud instead, and pulled back to smile up at him with her usual charm and sweetness. “Do you think it’s too much to ask for breakfast in bed today, since I’m too tired to make it downstairs?”
“You’re not too tired at all, you’re just spoiled,” Hibbert responded, and pulled at her cheek like she was still a young girl. The stiffness in his posture all but melted away as he told her, “But I’m sure that can be allowed once more for today.”
Audrey smiled brightly, and fell once again into the role she played her entire life.
—
Two days after the incident with MI9, the Morettis found a package in their mailbox containing two necklaces, both made from silver and beautifully carved with minute runes that somehow emitted a cool feeling of fog when touched, the delicate carving covered with a solid iron case that snapped shut around it like a locket.
Along with the necklaces was a simple sheet of paper that said in a handwriting they were painstakingly familiar with: Wear on your person at all times. Keep closed except for emergencies.
On the back of the paper, there were smaller words: Thank you for the frog. I’ll be home soon.
Benson kept the paper folded and on the mantelpiece, where he and Melissa often touched it before heading out for the day, reminded of a promise to keep.
A/N: The end! And when the Tarot Club meeting rolled around come Monday, poor Emlyn was miffed to realise he was left out once again despite the whole thing happening right next to him (I had too many characters to mind to think about adding the Moon pathway, too).
Fun facts! In the outline, the frog was originally included because Melissa was supposed to use it to eavesdrop on Leonard and Audrey talking about Klein. There was also a whole backstory with 2-214 including a handler who was a turncoat Secret Suppliant pathway from Intis. I originally debated between Gehrman or Merlin for this, but decided using Merlin meant I would need to up the stakes too far for my first LotM fic. Originally the Box of the Great Old Ones was supposed to play a large part. The original enemy was the Rose School of Thought, but that was too close to canon. Originally Hazel and Isengard were supposed to make a cameo, but that part of the outline got too complicated. In the fight, Fors was meant to demonstrate a thief ability because Leonard asked Pallez to help with Leymano's Travels, but I thought that made an already complicated fight too convoluted. Leonard was actually supposed to make it to the meeting and hear information there. 2-214 was originally a movie screen someone could view through. The original plan was for the gang to refuge at Dwanye Dante's manorhouse instead of Leonard's place, I don't know why that one got switched out. The Aurora Order was meant to back up MI9 in the fight, but YIKES I didn't want to write all the abilities. Zaratul was meant to get away with something of Klein's, making future situations precarious.
But everything ended up streamlined so this fic could be finished in a month!