Somewhere Over The Rainbow: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Summer wasn't sure how long she could keep on going. With her back against some rubble and her breathing ragged, she peered out of her cover, gazing out to the dust cloud that had been kicked up from all the gunfire and explosives thrown around; Nothing but dust and the soft glow of the slowly spreading fire. Not good.

"Just how the hell is that girl," She hissed, "It's like I'm fighting the whole Atlassian Arsenal." The girl probably shot more bullets than a group's entire allowance of ammo for an entire semester. She had to run out eventually, right?

"Damn it," She cursed as she slid back under cover and felt her side up and took stock of her situation. Yup, she had a hole there alright. No wonder she couldn't breathe properly. At least her ammo's back to full again.

The years weren't kind to this poor old huntress. All those years spent wandering listlessly had taken its toll, dulling her senses and making her sloppy. She should have dodged or parried half those shots, but here she was, on her last leg and almost literally at that.

Still, what kind of huntress would she be if she gave up that easily? Wrenching her weapon off the pavement and slinging it over her shoulder, she called out, "Had enough kid? I could keep doing this all day!"

Pushing herself off her cover, she dodge the hail of gunfire that soon followed. With bullets raining down on her, she ducked and weaved, forcing her body to move. "Why couldn't you guys just leave Mantle alone," The woman screamed, her lithe form illuminated by the glowing barrel of her gun, "You have your floating city, don't you! Why don't you just starve up there and die!"

Leaping up the building, she ran up the facade, her boots leaving imprints as she made a mad dash for the woman. Screaming, the girl fired before it stopped, the barrel spinning yet but's ammo was spent. With brick breaking beneath her feet, Summer launched herself at the girl.

An inch too high. Clutching the stump of her arm, the girl screamed, the arm twitched and writhed on the ground, her weapon not too far behind. Seeing the girl no older than how her daughter would be falling to the ground and crawling away made her heart wrench, but the fight wasn't over yet, not with those eyes still blazing in anger.

"I'll make you pay." The girl gritted out, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I'll make you all pay! You and everyone up in that kingdom in the sky!"

"Kid," Summer hissed as she wrenched her axe off the ground, "I don't know what you've gone through, or what you've been through." Axe on hand, she marched over to the girl, intending to finish the fight. "But that doesn't mean you can take it out on all these people!"

All these buildings on fire and for what, the girl having trauma over Atlas? "Atlas, Mantle, Menagerie, Vale. Does it even matter?" She growled as she stepped on the girl's back, pinning her down as she loomed over the girl, "Are you going to kill people just because where they come from!?

Eyes wild and pushing against the ground, but Summer made sure to put a firm hold. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" The girl screeched as she rose up the ground inch by inch, making Summer grimace. There was no use talking to her. She was a lost cause.

"Sorry kid," Summer whispered as she raised her axe, "But I'll have to put you to sleep!" As she swung her axe down, the girl collapsed beneath her before something flashed in the corner of her eyes, "Wha-!"

Boom!

For a moment, Summer felt weightless before she landed hard on the ground. With her ears ringing and spots dancing across her vision, she coughed while her body screamed; She got cocky, forgetting the explosives the girl was packing. Turning to stomach, she tried to force herself up before stumbling as the stump of her left arm and right knee slipped beneath her.

With her axe off to the side, buried deep in the post of a building and her arm still gripping it's haft, she was now all but helpless as the girl approached. "Finally got yah," A voice laughed as the ringing stopped.

Gazing up, she found the bluenette limping towards her, her left hand clutching a pistol as a grin stretched across her face. She didn't come off that blast unscathed herself, now looking just as roughed up as she was. Between the two of them however, she was the one with both legs still

"You know, being dead isn't so half bad," She chuckled as she cocked her old fashioned gun, the dust in the back chamber glowing an intense yellow as she hobbled over, "You can't die twice after all."

As Summer tried to get up, falling and stumbling as she did so, the woman aimed. "That just means I have to find a way to shut you up," The woman crouched down before Summer felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against her forehead.

The logical part of her mind knew she'd just shrug this off, but the reptilian part of her mind screamed nonetheless as she froze. "Nighty night Warden, you've been good company with me up in Atlas," The woman replied as she slowly squeezed down, "If you don't know, that was a lie."

Bracing for the shot, Summer closed her eyes, before a voice rang out, "Hey Bitch!" Eyes flying wide open, she turned to the source and found Charon waving at them, armed with nothing but a vacuum of all things strapped to his back, "Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you!"

"Charon!" She cried out, earning herself a kick in the face from the woman as the woman stomped down on her back. Feeling the girl ground her boots on the hole in her side, she gritted out, "Get the hell away from her. She's fucking insane! She'll kill you!"

"Like hell I'd leave you behind," Charon replied as he clutched his vacuum close to his chest, sweat dripping down his brow. "Especially not with this monster!"

"Hah!" The girl laughed, "And they call me crazy." Tilting her head, she mumbled, "I really should shoot you, but now that I got a closer look, you're not really Atlassian, are you?" Gesturing at his hair, she added, "Those white locks of yours really threw me off." Waving him off, she hissed out, "Now scram before I change my mind!"

"Or what?" Charon bit back, "You'd kill me just like they killed you?"

Summer could almost hear pin drop at the silence that followed. As she struggled to get up, the girl drove her heels harder against her back as she glared at Charon with barely restrained fury.

"Don't you dare compare me to them," She hissed out as he grip tightened on her gun.

"Oh I dare!" Charon fired back, "Especially when I'm face to face with a self righteous, sanctimonious, bitch-!" Only stopping as the woman aimed, making the boy flinch.

Bang!

With the barrel of her gun still smoking, the girl hissed, "You know nothing about me!" The girl looked about ready to snap, but Charon would not let up.

"Oh I know everything about you," The boy replied as he slowly got back on unsteady feet, "I've seen your type before. The anti hero fighting for freedom." At the wide eyed look of the girl, Charon grinned, "Got you."

As the girl took a step back, finally letting Summer breath, the woman shouted, "Charon! You're only pissing her off." This boy and his stupid heroism would get him killed! Why the hell was he still here and why is doing all of this?

Summer wanted to scream and curse the boy, but she saw something in those eyes, a certainty of a man who knew he was doing. "Just trust me," She could almost hear him scream at her before he turned his eyes back on the girl.

"You're the Anti hero, the twisted savior of some oppressed people," The boy pointed out, "You are their hate, their anger, their vengeance. You are the Anti Hero to your tragic tale. "

"So what?" The girl spat out, "Are you going to talk me to death!"

"No, I'm just going to show you how much of a hypocrite you are before I go," The boy replied as he continued on, "But like all anti heroes, they take it a bit too far." Shrugging, the boy added, One fire, a fight gone wrong, who cares? They're the enemy right? It's not like any of them deserved to live."

"Shut up," The girl replied with barely a whisper, her pupils turned to pin prick as the grip on her pistol started shaking.

"You keep pushing, crossing more lines until you become nothing more than a hollow shell of yourself," The boy accused her, making the girls clutch her ears,

"Shut up!" The girl screamed, clutching her ears to drown out his voice.

"Face it, you've become the very monster you sought out to destroy," The boy replied, his voice absolute as the girl staggered back, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clenched her eyes shot, "One that rules people through fear, just like the people from up top." Arms wide, "And after the one you burn them all down, where do you think you'd turn next?"

"I'm not the monster, they are!" The woman screeched, her body wracked with tears as aimed her gun up at the boy, "The Wardens, they're the monsters! They took everything from me."

Staring at the girl, Summer couldn't help but feel pity. How could one girl be so angry at the world? "You really do believe you're the hero, don't you?" The boy asked as he tightened his grip on his vacuum. "Then shoot me" He shouted, screaming at the girl, "Come on, what are you waiting for! Show everyone what kind of hero you truly are!"

"Charon!" Summer screamed, trying to grab the girl as she moved, her weapon clattering on the ground as the woman's hands flew towards the boy's face.
"I'm sorry for this," They whispered before the vacuum turned on. With force that the vacuum shouldn't have been capable of, the girl's fist was sucked into the tube and so too would her arm. Screaming, the girl tried to fight it off, but it was far too late.

Even from here, she could feel the draw of the vacuum as it pulled and stretched the girl, her form reduced to the very essence that made ghosts like them until nothing was left. Summer had to grab hold of a rock just to stop herself from flying off, before the vacuum finally stopped and silence once more reigned in the streets.

Laying there, Summer mumbled, "S-she's gone?" Did the boy just vacuumed that girl up? He could do that! So many questions now whirled inside her head as she gazed up at him as he walked over to her ax and tugged at it.

"Well, not gone, gone. I'm no priest after all," The boy replied, giving up quickly and just grabbing the arm, "But she's bagged and sealed. She won't be making any trouble anytime soon,"" Walking over and offering the hand, he grinned, "Need a hand?"

"You little shit," Summer laughed as she accepted the hand before the boy helped her back on her feet. After finding her legs, the boy helped her hobble over to some nearby rubble where he helped ease her down as the two of them took a breather. Both of them definitely need that after what just happened.

Staring at the arm for a moment, she shrugged before pressing the stump against her socket. Feeling a jolt of pain running down the limb, Summer gritted her teeth, before it faded, leaving her with a fully intact arm. "Oh hey, that actually works." The foot soon followed, with flesh reknitting itself where the connection was severed.

"Oh man," The boy paled, blanching as he shook his head and shivered, "That looks painful."

"Trust me kid," She chuckled as she leaned back on her seat, "It is." Staring out in the horizon, she blinked as she found the setting sun. Has it been a whole day already? Shaking her head, he turned to his companion, staring at the town with guilt in his eyes

"Hey Kid," She spoke up, breaking the silence and snapping him out of his stupor, "You did good." As the boy smiled, she gave him a punch in the shoulder.

"Ow!" He grimaced, grasping her arm, "What was that for?"

"That was for being a dumb ass," She replied. Frowning, she lectured him, "I know you teens feel invincible, but can you stop risking your life for one moment?" As the boy pouted, she snorted, "At this rate, you're going to make my head turn gray."

Gazing up at the moon as it slowly peeked out of the horizon, she asked, "Couldn't you have warned me?" It seems that the moon was shattered today, a good omen if anything, and a sign that the Grimm were going to be silent for now.

"If she knew I could suck her up, then how would I have gotten her to fall for my trap?" The boy chuckled before his ears picked up something clattering off in the distance. "I think there might be a few more stragglers."

Smiling at her, he asked, "Wanna clean up the rest of the town?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Summer chuckled at the absurdity of it all. Who knew ghosts were weak to vacuum, or maybe that was because the boy was handling it? More questions to be answered at a later date as they stood up.

Feeling her legs ache, she grimaced. She'd need to ease up on it as the healing might just be cosmetic. Best not to push it too far. As they headed out back into town, a question lingered in her mind. "Before we go, mind if I ask you something?" As the boy nodded, she asked, "How'd you know she wouldn't shoot you?"
Staring back at her, he answered without meeting a beat. "I didn't." Laughing a bit, she trailed off as she saw the serious look in the boy's eyes. "I took a gamble, betting she's not the type to shoot someone innocent."

Summer opened her mouth to argue, but seeing that smile on the boy's face, she decided against it. "You're crazy, you know that?" She replied as she shook her head. The boy was far too naive for his own good, but maybe that's why she liked him.

"I've been called that more times than I've ever known," The boy chuckled.

-x-x-x-

It was a hard fought battle, but after a long and grueling day, the town besieged by ghosts was finally freed. The streets were clean and the ghosts that terrorized them were now trapped inside a vacuum. They could now rebuild, but not before a celebration.

"Three cheers to the Heroes of Janus!" The Mayor cheered as he raised Summer's hands up. Standing before a large crowd, the huntress stood there surrounded by well wishers along with those that helped along with the crisis. As for him, he stood off in the side lines as he watched Summer cheerfully waved back at the crowd.

It seems like the towns folks were taken with their savior as kids, along with a few teens, talked to the Huntress animatedly. He even saw the cat girls they saved yesterday. Shaking his head, he slipped off to the backstage to get some rest along with those taste treats they had over at the catering table! Those croutons looked mighty tempting.

Just as he was about to make his exit, a hand grabbed him from behind. "And where do you think you're going?" Summer asked, gripping his collar tightly as a strained smile stretched across her lips.

"The catering table?" He replied, hopeful that she'd just let him go, but that thought was quickly shot down at the flat look the woman gave him. "Look, I'm not really that big of a fan of crowds," He reasoned, "And besides, you did the work so you should be the one they thank, not me!" All he did was follow her around and fix the mess he caused.

His thoughts it seemed weren't so silent as the woman sighed. "Are we really going to argue about this?" The huntress replied with a wry tone. "You are going to go out there and greet the crow as well, got it?" She insisted as she gave him a look that brooked no argument.

As he tried to work his way out of her grip, the mayor peered out from the stage. "Miss Summer?" He called out, "We're going to take the commemorative picture!"

Taking that as his cue, he slipped off his shirt or at least tried to as the woman simply grabbed him by the belt. "Oh no you don't!" Lifting him off his feet, Summer carried him off like he was a bag of groceries.

"H-hey!" He protested, "Put me down!" His words, however, would fall to deaf ears as he found himself back to the stage in front of the mayor. Dropped on the ground, he laid there as he glared up at the huntress.

"Sorry about that," The woman replied as a cheeky smile stretched across her lips, "I just had to drag my apprentice here." Giving him a patronizing pat on the head, she explained, "He's modest and all, but sometimes he needs to remember that hunteers need to be out there for everyone to see."

Grumbling, he climbed back to his feet as Summer dragged him off to the picture taking. There were some hiccups, like the fact that ghosts appear faded in the photos, but nothing long exposure couldn't fix. It was uncomfortable holding a smile for that long, but it was well worth it as he stared at the copy he had.

"The first of many," Summer sighed fondly as she held up the photo before handing it over. "Sorry about the static thought. The Photographer tried, but this was the best that he could do. Sorry," She apologized.

"Nah, it's fine," He replied as she slipped it in his wallet, "My parents used to joke how they could never get a proper picture of me." And like most time, his picture here in remnant comes out somewhat blurred. He must have accidentally moved too much while they took the photo.

As they slipped away from the crowd, a familiar figure called out to them, "Ahh! There you are." Turning, they found the portly mayor waddling over. "

"Is there anything we could do for you, mister Mayor?" Summer asked as she gave the man an inquisitive look, "Perhaps some Grimm to cull." Glancing over to his companion, Charon gave her an exasperated stare. They had just fought off a mob and she was already looking to fight again?

"Hey, it's not fun dealing with ring rust, ok?" Summer defended herself as she glanced away with a pout on her face. So that's why. Now that he remembered it, the bluenette had pushed her to the edge.

Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for his sanity, the mayor shook his head. "Oh no, nothing of that sort," He chuckled as he gave them a warm smile, "I just want to personally extend my gratitude to our town's savior. Thank you, trully."

Clapping his hands together, he asked, "Now, is there anything we can do for you?" Puffing out his chest, he boasted, "While our town might be small, our location on this part of Vale did afford us a bit of comfort from all the trade passing by."

"Well, what do you think, Charon?" Summer asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he glanced at the woman and the expectant look of the mayor, he hummed, stroking his chin.
"We do need supplies and maybe a ride to the next town," He mused. While there was plenty of game around, it would be easier if they just had food with them. He also needed something to replace his gun soon. He was starting to run out of shells as he didn't expect his weekend trip to turn out like this.

Still, the town was hit pretty badly. Glancing at the ghost helping along with reconstruction, he smiled, "But if you really want to repay us, why not just give it to them?"

"Ah yes," The mayor replied, a look of uncertainty now grazing his brow, "Our new… residents."

"Come on Mayor, they're the people of the village just like you!" Summer reminded the man, "Just a bit more dead… undead?" As he nodded, she added, "Yeah, just undead. I'm sure they'd appreciate it if you gave something for their trouble. That would definitely make them less likely to riot."

"You do make a convincing argument," The man nodded, "Very well then, I shall do my best to help them." Observing a family as they played with their ghostly patriarch, he sighed, "Oum knows that they'd need it because of the bureaucratic nightmare they'd be facing soon."

As he gave him a questioning look, he answered, "A lot of services and even laws need the subject to be alive and being officially declared dead is pretty damning on that part." Shaking his head, he added, "And even then you'd have to go to several loops just to be declared alive again, but like you said, none of them are alive. Just undead."

"Things… are going to get complicated, huh?" Charon replied, agreeing with the mayor's point. It would be pretty hard to give out service to a dead person, or even prosecute them for some crimes. The dead weren't supposed to be able to interact with the living after all so there was a large glaring hole in the law, something which Charon wanted nothing to deal with.

Shuddering, the man muttered, "I might have been mayor for twenty five years, but nothing could prepare me for something like this."

"Don't worry Mayor, I'm sure everything will work out," Summer replied as she gave him a pat on his back, "Who knows, maybe once we're gone. Things might go back to normal?" That would be an easy answer wouldn't it, just walk away and let things go back to normal.

"You seem awfully certain of that," The man noted as he gave them a look, that one that had Charon sweating. "Perhaps… no, that would be silly right," He mused, "The person who caused this wouldn't have ran into the village to save some strangers hmm?"

"Y-yeah," Charon chuckled as he refused to gaze at the man's amused smile, "Something like that."

"Have anyone told you you're quite perceptive," Summer snorted as she rolled her eyes, "Too perceptive in my opinion."

"I am the mayor and it is my job to be perceptive," The man replied. "Now I do wonder," The man hummed as he glanced towards the Vacuum that now contained the ghost of all those that rioted, "If things go back to normal, wouldn't the ghost inside just return to normal and break out?"

"They would?" Charon replied, uncertainty lacing his tone, "Or I think they would. I'm not even sure how that thing kept them in check." Maybe it was his touch, but how long would the effect last till it returned to just a simple vacuum.

"I also can't, in good conscience, force you to carry that thing around," He added, "Having an angry mob strapped to your back is not safe at all." Grimacing, he muttered, "The Schnee Super Vacuum might be a fine piece of craftsmanship, but it does have its limits."

Turning back to them, he asked, "Now if it's not too much to ask, do you have any ideas on how we can make sure they don't bother the living once again?"

"Now that's the Million Len question," Summer muttered as all three of them wracked their heads on the matter. Now while Charon could have just left it at that and let the next sucker solve it, it doesn't feel right kicking the can down the road.

He thought long and hard before he snapped his fingers. "I think I have the answer," He told them, making the two turn to him.

"Oh?" The Mayor replied, "Please do tell."

"Why do you think ghosts linger around?" He asked back, making the man pause. "It's because they have some unfinished business," He answered as a smile stretched across his face, "So what if we help solve those?"

-x-x-x-

Admittedly, Charon didn't really know the whole mechanics of how people turned to ghosts, so like all good thinkers, they had to test out the theory. Commandeering the meeting hall of the town hall, Charon tinkered away with the camera they lent to him. The UI, while weird, was intuitive enough.

Off to the side, Summer sat. "Are you sure this would work?" She asked as she fiddled with her gun. Currently, she was using a whetstone as she tested out an idea of her own; Would any improvements on her weapon stick?

"It wouldn't hurt to try," He replied as nodded in satisfaction, "Ok, it's recording now." While he could just use notes for this, some video recording would go a long way so they could review it at a later date.

Taking a step back to admire his work, Charon took note of the set up. Admittedly, this was a lot more effort than was necessary. It also meant that their trip to Patch would be delayed, but not without reason.

As the town of Janus would show them, his very presence could fuck up an area as he brings everyone back to life. Moving to the next town only to repeat the incident didn't sound like a good idea, much less bringing this trouble to Patch.

If they could figure out how to banish or make ghosts move on, it would be of great help. One small step at a time before he figures out how to control this power of his. His musing, however, would be cut short as a knock on the door echoed out in the relatively empty hall.

"Miss Summer, Mister Charon?" The Mayor called out, peering out from the door, "Your test subject is here."

"Bring them in!" Charon replied as man slipped away before he fetched the ghost that they would attempt to send to the afterlife stepped inside. As he approached, Charon found himself gazing up and up until he was craning his neck. They were big, he noted.

"Howdy," The man replied, tipping his hat at him or at least as far as the curving horns the man possessed allowed.

"This fine man is Cassidy, a dear friend of mine," The mayor proudly introduced him, "He's a cattle farmer by trade and proud father of two fine young women."

"Huh, I didn't know they had cowboys here," He mused as he gave the man a once over. "And real ones at that." Talk about a specimen. Do Faunas take after more subtle traits from the animal parts they possess?

His words, however, quickly earned him a rebuke as the man frowned and the mayor looked at him aghast. "Charon! You can't just say that," Summer scolded as she rushed over and forced him to down, "I'm really sorry Mister. He's not from around here.

"Sorry about that," Charon added, rubbing the back of his head. "Nice horns though!" At the sound of Summer's palm meeting her forehead and the man's booming laughter, he withered in embarrassment.

"Must be from some place awfully far I reckon," The man chuckled, "No harm done, then." Leaning on one of the tables, he added, "Besides, I do owe you two a debt of gratitude." This earned the man a surprised look from Charon. "If it wasn't for you, my two daughters probably would be standing here with me."

For a second, he thought he might have just forgotten before he remembered a pair of faunas he had just saved. "The dog… I mean, faunas with dog ears we saw? They're your daughters?" He replied to which the man nodded back happily.

"Wait, but don't they have dog ears and you have cow horns," He mused before he clamped down, catching himself before he dug his grave any deeperm. "Sorry, shutting up now."

"They do take after more from their mother," The man explained with a fond smile before glancing at the camera. "So, what is it that you need for a ghost anyways?" He asked.

"We sorta want to figure out if we could send you to the afterlife," Charon explained, "From what we gathered so far, we believe that ghosts are made because of lingering regrets."

"Is that so?" Raising a brow, the man asked, "Not because we've sinned to the two brothers?"

"If it was only sinners, you wouldn't be here would you?" Charon grinned.

"Boy, you don't know half the things I did in my youth," The man chuckled, "But I get ya." Pushing himself off the table, he mused, "So it's a whole bag of corn you got yourself here with us ghosts."

Charon nodded. "The good, the bad, and the ugly," He replied. It certainly explained why there was such a wide variation in their personality. "We also ruled out that it's because of aura or something about how people remember them because we have some orphans who were the last of their family."

"Being an Endling is never easy," The man nodded grimly.

Pushing those depressing thoughts back to his mind for now, he continued, "With those things in mind, we assume it's because of lingering regrets or unfinished business. Things that make you want to stay here metaphorically and literally anchoring you in place."

"And now you want to cut this anchor, I take it?" The man replied.

"Well, yes," Charon replied before he hastily added, "You could stay since you still have daughters to take care off-!" Something which the man cut him off.

"They're already a fine pair of ladies and I couldn't be any happier," He answered, his face beaming with pride. Crossing his arms across his chest, he gazed out to the door. "There's no need for an old man like me to bother them any longer. Moving on sounds like a good idea."

Smiling, Charon nodded. "Now with that in mind, is there anything we could help you with?"

"Hmmm," The man hummed as he stroked his chin. The man spent a minute in silent contemplation before he spoke once more, "Now that I have given some thought to it, I don't think I have any regrets in life." Counting down, he listed, "I lived a life, having experienced much of what this world has to offer before I kicked the bucket."

Blinking, Summer asked, "Nothing at all?"

"I'm pretty satisfied with my lot in life," The man nodded before he paused, "Though there is this one thing." As Charon fished out his phone and set it on record, the man continued, "I never did get to finish that last beer I had." Turning to the mayor who stepped off to the side, he asked, "Do they still make those?"

"They never changed recipes," The man replied before he gave the man a look, "But Cassidy, didn't you die to Liver Failure?"
"That's why I wanted a cold one before I go," The man nodded, "I was a dead man walking being jaundiced and all that, so to hell with it I said. Just a shame I croaked off before I took even one sip."

"Well you heard the man," Charon replied as the Mayor let out an exasperated sigh while Summer chuckled, "One cold drink for the road!" It took a bit of finding, but the Mayor would come back with a castle along with a generous amount of ice.

"Well, here's one last drink for the road," The man said out loud as he opened using his horn before downing the liquid. As he gulped it down, Charon swore he saw the man glow for just a moment, before it faded away.

"So did it work?" Summer asked as she walked over and gave the man a poke.

"Still here," The man replied as he grabbed another bottle, "But man, do I miss ole Crumby." Opening another, he downed it and drank it like his life depended on it. He could see why the man died of liver failure.

"Perhaps let him have the entire case?" The mayor offered as they watched the man just demolish case after case of beers before he dozed off, satisfied.

"That… did not work," Summer noted as the man snored in his chair.

"Crap," Charon cursed, "I hoped it would be simple, but it looks like it might be harder than I first thought." With having them mood on, the harder options were now on the table. "I might have to figure out how to contain them, or at least calm them down."

It seems that they're going to stay in Janus for just a bit longer.

A/N:

Sorry for the delay. I was sorta slowed down cause I revised Chapter 3 of this commission. I wasn't satisfied with how that piece flowed. Thankfully, the process was smooth and it yielded an extra 1k of words to the fic. Going to start with the winner when I wake up tomorrow!