What should have been a simple life in the desert sand and stars becomes anything but. Haunted by dreams of a life of violence, and seeking answers as to why, Peridot and her friends find themselves caught in an ancient battle between Light and Dark...and find that the cost of being a soldier is higher than they might have ever thought.
Celestial: *sigh* ...maybe I don't know how to talk about it. Maybe there's too much to explain and never enough time.
Peridot: Time for what? Cel, you're scaring me...
Peridot: Then let us help you! Stop running away from us and let us help you!
Celestial: I don't want you to get hurt. Any of you.
Peridot; It's a little late for that!
Celestial: Mm. Emotional pain...this hurt will heal, Per. The kind of danger you'd be in coming after me? That wouldn't. So...please. Let me do this. Let me keep you safe.
Peridot: Cel...
Celestial: I've gotta get going. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?
Peridot: ...please don't go. Don't leave me.
Celestial: ...I'm always with you. But I need to go now.
Celestial: G'night, Peri.
Peridot: ...goodnight.
Later...
Celestial: Here it is...and locked. Of course. Right.
Peridot: I wanted to be wrong. I wanted so badly to be wrong!
Celestial: Crap--
Celestial: You shouldn't be here!
Peridot: No, Cel, you shouldn't be here! You shouldn't be doing this! Do you have any idea what you're playing with?!
Celestial: Yes, I do! Which is why you need to go, right now! Get out of here while you still can!
Peridot: Like hell! If you think I'm going to let you do this you're out of your mind!
Celestial: Let me?
Peridot: Yes, let you! You're in too deep already! I'm not letting you make this mistake again!
Celestial: Again--Peri, you--
Peridot: How many robberies has this been?!
Celestial: But you can still save yourself, so go! Get out of here while you still can!
Peridot: And leave you alone in this? Don't be stupid!
Peridot: If you think for one second I'm going to let you do this alone--
???: HEY! GET OFF MY LAWN!
Celestial: Crap--run!
???: I called the cops!
Peridot: Just go, go!
*sirens rush past*
Peridot: Ah!
Celestial: Peri!
Celestial: Got you!
Peridot: Whoa--
Celestial: What the hell were you thinking--and how did you even find me?! Did you follow me?!
Peridot: Does it even matter--you were about to break into that house, Cel! For what?!
Celestial: ...that doesn't matter.
Peridot: Yes it does! Is this one of those things you've been juggling?! Has your Dad or Herb put you up to this?!
Peridot: I can't help you if you don't tell me something!
Celestial: I don't need your help!
Peridot: Oh, fudge that!
Peridot: You are in over your head and we both know it! Stop lying to me and saying you're fine when you're not!
Celestial: Will you just--stop! Watcher, this was the last thing I needed tonight!
Celestial: You say you want to help but how do you think it's going to go down if I show up empty handed, huh? I told you these guys are dangerous!
Peridot: And I told you I don't care! This has to stop, Cel! You can't keep doing this--every time you've been with your Dad it's for this, isn't it!?
Celestial: You don't--
Peridot: Have any idea?! No, I have some idea! They've got you stealing stuff for some big ritual, probably a summoning, and they're getting antsy about it aren't they!
Celestial: ....
Celestial: Well since yu know so much, why don't you tell me what they're trying to summon, huh? Why it's a good idea to stop it now!?
Peridot: Because--because if they summon it--summon him--agh what am I saying?!
Peridot: That doesn't matter! This has to stop, Cel! It's time to tell your Mom what's going on, or Edie's dad, or--
Celestial: No! No one else can know, do you understand me?!
Peridot: Stop it! Stop saying you don't want or need help because you're trying to protect us because that won't fly with me! I get it! Even if we do get involved we might not be able to help! And then maybe something will happen that can never unhappen and that scares you to death!
Celestial: You--
Peridot: But you need to think about yourself, too! Look ahead--you can't do this alone anymore, Cel! All that's going to do is get you killed and then what happens?!
Celestial: It doesn't matter because you'd still be alive! That is all that matters to me, so stop putting your nose where it doesn't belong and butt out!
Peridot: No!
Peridot: I will not butt out! Not this time, not again, not when you're making the same mistake all over again--
Celestial: ...mm...
Peridot: ...why did I say that. How did I...
Celestial: That's just one more reason to back off. You're diving into things you don't understand.
Peridot: Then explain it to me. Because I am not leaving.
Celestial: ...you wouldn't understand.
Celestial: ...not even I...really understand it.
Peridot: Cel...please. All our lives you've hated being alone, but all this pushing us away? It can't go on. It can't.
Peridot: let me in. Let me help you. Please.
Celestial: ...I...I want to, but I can't...
Celestial: ...I can't lose you, Peri. I wouldn't survive it.
Peridot: You won't. I'm always going to be here.
Celestial: ...no one can make a promise like that.
*sirens rush past*
Celestial: ...let's get inside. I'll...try and explain.
Celestial: What do you know about Obscuro?
Peridot: Uh...it's a Hunter name? Old fashioned, I think?
Celestial: Old as the Watcher herself, supposedly. It's the name of...well, the name given to someone who was supposedly her firstborn son.
Peridot: The Watcher had kids?
Celestial: Supposedly. That's the story, at least, and it's...not a happy one. Allegedly, he wanted the power the Watcher had over creation and when he tried to take it, he was banished to the Void, the Abyss, where he met...something. I'm not sure what, exactly.
Celestial: It's not like I was there to see it, but. It was some kind of...dark spirit, and it corrupted him. He was sealed away within the Abyss, behind a door only a certain key can open.
Peridot: And Herb is looking for that key.
Celestial: Or, if he can't find it, for stuff he needs for a ritual to force it open.
Peridot: Which is what he's had you stealing. How long has it been going on like this?
Celestial: Ah, geez...the robberies have been going since we were babies, but my part in it? Last...four, five years or so.
Peridot: Since we were TWELVE?! Cel! Why didn't you say something before?!
Celestial: Dad threatened Mom if I told her anything, and threatened to lie and get full custody. After that...I was just too deep in to back out.
Peridot: but we could have...there has to be something we can do...
Celestial: No. That doesn't matter. What does matter is the ritual itself. It has to be stopped.
Peridot: But--how?
Celestial: I've been trying to sabotage it a little at a time. I don't know if it works, but the thing is that it needs more than just this stuff, it needs people, too.
Peridot: Like...blood sacrifice people?
Celestial: Yeah, but...only certain people. Heirs to certainly family lines.
Peridot: What does that--like, Hunter lines?
Celestial: No, not Hunters. Well, maybe, but not because of that.
Celestial: I'm not so sure of this part, I had to do some real digging, but the story seems to go that the Watcher gets attached to certain families and gifts them a part of her power. Just a little one, not enough to really do anything, but it marks them.
Peridot: ...and enough of that power can get through the door, can't it.
Celestial: Yeah.
Celestial: There's a tablet in the Museo--the Selvadoradans tried this ritual a long, long time ago but they couldn't get it to work because they didn't have the people they needed. If the heirs to the nine families are brought back together, and sacrificed at the same time with the right stuff...
Peridot: He gets free.
Peridot: What happens if he does?
Celestial: Nothing good. He's a spirit of malice and evil now, and if one of those is loose, well....*sigh* It's not great.
Peridot: Then we need to find those families and warn them! I don't know how but--they need to know!
Celestial: They do. Which is why I'm telling you this now.
Peridot: ...what.
Celestial: Your family line is one of those lines....I think. See, my Belomisian's pretty rusty and ancient Belo even more so, but...one of the words on the tablet? You could translate it to either shard or Crystal.
Peridot: ...oh.
Celestial: Yeah. Far as I can figure that got Herb started on stealing from jewelry stores. He doesn't know it's people--at least not yet--but nine lines, nine shards--
Peridot: The nine of us. It's us.
Peridot: How we've always felt drawn together, the dreams, the feeling we've all always had...it's us, isn't it?
Celestial: ...I can't prove it, but...yeah. I think so. I think it's always been us.
Peridot: ...and this isn't the first time it's happened, is it. Grampop was so sure about alternate realities but that's not it, is it. It's alternate timelines.
Celestial: ...or past lives, or a time loop. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing, you know?
Peridot: And you've...known for a while. Haven't you.
Celestial: ....you could say that.
Peridot: Cel...why didn't you say anything? You know we'd have believed you.
Celestial: I didn't know if it was true or not, and by the time I put enough pieces together...*sigh* I didn't want anyone involved in all this, Per. I thought I could fix it myself.
Peridot: Yeah well that didn't work out too well did it.
Celestial: *snort* No. Not at all. Not with....*sigh* Herb's getting desperate. We're running out of time.
Peridot: Does he know? About the shards being actual people?
Celestial: No. And as long as I live, he will never find out.
Peridot: Cel--
Celestial: No. I swear on my life, nothing is going to happen to you or to the others. I will keep you safe.
Peridot: Cel...you don't have to--we can help with that, if nothing else! You really don't have to do this alone.
Peridot: Unless...you don't think you can trust us to look after ourselves.
Celestial: ...not with this.
Celestial: ...Mom didn't like to talk about her Hunter days, but I found her journals. The Hunters were founded to keep Obscuro locked away. If they're scared of him, the rest of us should be terrified.
Peridot: ...fighting thugs is nothing compared to that, huh?
Celestial: Fighting Basil is nothing compared to that kind of malice. Fudge, facing down the Grim Reaper himself'd be easier!
Peridot: ...so there's...nothing we can do? No way to make this easier on you?
Celestial: Stay alive. Stay safe. That's all I'm asking for.
Peridot: ...well...that'll be easier, at least...I have my answers now.
Celestial: Not the way you expected, huh?
Peridot: No. None of this is what I expected. *sigh* What a mess...
Celestial: It'll be a mess in the morning. Come on--let's get outta here.
Peridot: Just like that? No plans to talk to our Moms, o-or the Hunters in Glimmerbrook?
Celestial: nah, not yet. I need more proof first, and you need some sleep.
Celestial: This problem will still be here in the morning, Per. We can face it a little later.
Peridot: ...you sure?
Celestial: Yeah.
Celestial: Let's go home.
In another world...
Scarlet: Dammit not again!
Raven: ....fudge there's nore of them now again too!
Raven: We have to.
Scarlet: Yeah. We do. Edie! Keep running!
Edelweiss: No--no, not again!
Raven: Keep going! We'll hold them as long as we can!
Scarlet: You want a piece of this?! Well come and get it!
Celestial: Keep running--just keep moving, Peri!
Scarlet: Go, Per! Shut the door for good!
*door opens, closes*
Citrine: Peri? Sweetheart, what's wrong?
Peridot: Mommy...*sniffling* I...
Citrine: Honey...did you have another nightmare?
Peridot: uh-huh...*hiccup* real bad one this time...ugh...
Citrine: Tell me?
Peridot: ...Scar and Raven died. A-and Cin and Royal, and Dawn and Candle too! All my friends, they...they were gone, Mom...
Peridot: They were gone and there was nothing I could do!
Citrine: Oh, sweetheart...is this what you've been dreaming this whole time?
Peridot: Y-yeah...*sniff* s'why I didn't wanna talk about it...it hurts too much.
Citrine: Oh, Peri...
Citrine: I promise, your friends are fine. Everyone's fine. You're all safe.
Peridot: You don't know that!
Citrine: Of course I do. What could happen to be like that?
Peridot: The ritual that stuff's getting stolen for!
Citrine: That's got nothing to do with you kids. That's just...someone with a lot of money and power being stupid.
Peridot: And his kid being even more stupid?
Citrine: ...when did you figure it out?
Peridot: ...Mom I'm sixteen, not six. I...who else hsa that much money and power?
Citrine: Okay, I'll admit not many people have the pull to do this, but still! Parsley being teenage bully stupid is the worst of your problems. You let me, your Ma, and Miss Caly handle this one, okay?
Peridot: ...uh-huh.
Citrine: Do you want to stay home from school today? I can call it in, no questions asked.
Peridot: ....no. No, I don't.
Citrine: Peri...don't force it. It's okay to not be okay.
Peridot: I know, but...I really want to see the others today. Please?
Citrine: Of course. Here--help me make breakfast. Keeping busy helps.
Peridot: ...yeah. Thanks.
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