Majoraa

Symphony on High

Meanwhile. Again.

By the time Finn arived, Betty had already gotten to the place he had mentioned, She was waiting in line for some ice cream. The ice cream parlors wouldn't be open much later in the year, so this was likely everyone's last frozen treat for the year. It was amazing places like this could even stay open with all the recent happenings. But regardless of what fell in the cursed city, somehow, people found a way to survive.

After a short wait, Betty took the banana float to the table Finn was sitting at and set it down between them. The thing was massive. Three different piles of ice cream sat between a split banana. Vanilla, chocolate, and straberry, drizzled in chocolate and caramel. And since they were in America, there was a giant dollop of whipped cream on top of each mound, topped with cherries and garnished with rainbow sprinkles.

Betty pulled out one of the spoons and licked her lips. "They all look so good!" She pointed at each mound with her spoon. "Which one is your favorite? Maybe we should sample each of them, and then decide which one we like mo-"

And yet as she spoke, Finn was already digging into the dessert, quickly glancing up when Betty suggested they sample. "What? Oh." At least he wasn't picky. "Try getting more than one flavor in your spoon, trust me!"

Betty watched Finn consume his food like a heathen in haste. She turned her spoon in her hand before digging in herself. Though she didn't rush. Each bite was savored, even as Finn tried to make a muckbang out of it. "I didn't realize you liked ice cream so much."

He paused for a second, then sheepishly glanced aside.

"I didn't eat breakfast."

"I see..." For a moment, she just stared at him without trying to eat anything. "But you didn't call me up to eat ice cream, right?"

Finn frowned. "Yeah. I-I've had a rough few days." Rough didn't even begin to cover it. He told her about his whole situation with his curse, Dante, and Amanda. This time without hiding any details, and how the investigation of Dante's diner went. Betty listened without interupting or breaking eye contact with Finn. He wasn't eating anymore, he felt slightly nauseous.

"I-I just don't understand why I'm like this. Am I just that unlucky? I keep trying my best to be this hero everyone seems to want of me, but it's like everything I do bites me back in the ass no matter what it is." His gaze on her turned downcast.

"That’s… a lot to take in." Betty Folded one of her arms over her chest and tapped herself on the shoulder. "That whole deal with Dante’s doesn’t sound like it went your way, but um, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you." She pushed her spoon into the melting ice cream. "If you weren’t here, I’m pretty sure I’d be drinking someone’s blood right now. Or I’d be dead. But because of you, there was some interest in saving me. And I’m here now. I don’t think you failed with me."

"...Yeah, maybe." Finn's expression softened when he looked back up at her. "But Oros nearly killed me cause I, well, nearly killed you. I still don't know why."

"Well, I’m sure vampire me nearly killed you a few times, so I think we’re even on that front." She sighed.

Finn genuinely smiled. "At least you understand."

"But who’s Oros? I’ve heard his name a few times, but it’s always in passing."

"Oh right, you're still new to this esper shit. Most of what I know is from the grapvine, but Oros is an infamous cultist esper. Had a nasty run-in with her followers lately so the cultist part's officially legit. GEMINI, Maverick and the Freelancers are all wary of her and how dangerous she could be. Having both your legs sliced clean off by her for example? Quite the gas." He added with a sarcastic smile. "But I don't know how she knew what happened between us if she wasn't even there in the first place. Maybe she has some form of clarvoyancy as a means of getting the upper hand? Or her own network to spy on people? Hell she even spared me this time cause I had agreed to go on a date with you. Finn furrowed his brows in thought.

"What I wanna know is why you're apparently that important to her. And if that's the case, why didn't she help any when you were kidnapped?

"This person sounds very unstable."

"On brand for cultists, I guess."

Betty ate a spoon full of ice cream. "I’m not really that popular a performer. Maybe they’re a fan? I’m a little nervous now… "

"Somehow I doubt she's just a fan." Finn poked at the ice cream with his own spoon. "Whether or not she is though, she's gonna have to get through me first if she's wanting to hurt you. I'm not leaving you behind again." Finn grinned at her. "Who knows, if you do decided to join GEMINI, we can be partners!"

She playfully nudged him with her elbow. "Hey now, if we're partners, maybe I'll be the one to save you! You can't white knight your partner, it goes both ways. Are you okay with that?" After staring at Finn for a moment, she continued. "As for the situation at Dante's, I think you did your best. But if you feel like you messed up, apologizing to Amanda might give both of you some closure... Maybe? I mean, Dante cursed you. You were only doing what you thought was right. It was sort of an accident. That might not make her happy, but she might be able to move on if she realizes it wasn't malificent. I don't know..."

Finn flinched at the suggestion. Apologize? For murdering her father?! He anxiously chuckled.

"Sure! Maybe if she doesn't try to kill me at first notice! What if I end up killing her too!? I mean the last few times I tried to fix things ended in someone getting hurt, what if it-" He shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. "I can't. I can't..."

"And you don't have to!" Betty half shouted. "You walked into Dante's the way you did because you felt like it was something you had to handle yourself! You didn't!" She sighed and placed a hand on Finn's shoulder. "You have allies, you have me. Just talk to us. It's not you against the world, Finn. Nobody beats this city by fighting it alone." She pulled back her hand and continued eating. A bit faster than her usual pace. "I know I couldn't."

The boy lowered his arms back down onto the table, eyes admittedly widened at her words. He looked down to his hands, mulling over everything she's said, then his lips quirked up into a smile. It felt good having someone understand him.

"Thank you."

She sighed and brushed a hand through her hair. "You're quite welcome. I'm glad you decided to ask me for help." Her eyes moved back to the icecream. Most of it was eaten, or at least, it looked like most of it had been eaten. There was a pool of melted icecream in the bottom of the dish. "That was way too much, I'm ordering a sundae next time."

He giggled. "I'm sure this place allows for takeout." Finn shrugged. After a moment, he spoke up again. "I-Is it alright if we continue hanging out a little longer...?"

"Sure! I don't have any plans. What did you want to talk about?"

But Finn's earpiece poured Fritzi's voice into his head. ”Time Keeper? I understand you left an opperation in progress. That is not behavior that we tolerate in GEMINI.” Her tone was more like a teasing mother than a mission opperator. ”Anywho, you're upsetting Orion. Could you please come back? After mission donuts with the agents wouldn't be the same without you.”

Ah.

Finn quickly cleared his throat. "Nevermind, guess I'm taking a raincheck. Here!" He rummaged through his wallet and set down the amount of money the banana split costed. "See you at the Great Escape later?"

Betty picked up the money and held it out towards Finn "It was going to my- Yes, yes I'm looking foward to doing that with you later." She sighed and opened her purse.

"Don't worry about it, consider it a part of my thanks for letting me be here with you." With one more smile, Finn got up and stepped out of parlor. As for Ms. Moller, "Forgive me for my conduct, ma'am. I grew overwhelmed and acted on instinct. But I'm alright now, I met up with Betty for a bit." He finally responded.

There was a short delay before Fritzi spoke again. ”We're not beasts, Time Keeper, we shouldn't rely solely on our instincts. That's the difference between us and them.”

"I... A part of me hoped I wasn't right." Finn took a deep breath. "Despite them cursing me, they didn't have any intent to hurt me at first. Apparently, I was supposed to meet with Dante at some point. For what, I don't know. They didn't exactly give me any specifics." Omitting information from him was what got Dante killed, wasn't it? He was bound to figure it out eventually. So he might as well fess up to the boss now before it kills him too. Somehow.

”That's very interesting, you should include it in the report when you get back.” Fritzi sounded like she was only half listening. ”Return to HQ, I don't have the manpower to evac you that far away from the opperation.”

"...Very well, ma'am."

Later then.

Symphony on High

Meanwhile.

"What was that?" Oros had finished her toast and was crouched down beside Finn, who was still laying on his back. "Are you wondering what's wrong with you? Is that, an invitation, to be your therapist?" She sat up and grinned. "You know my title is 'The Mad' right? are you sure you want a therapy session from me, Penny junior?"

Ugh, it sounded like she was rubbing it in his face. Finn pushed himself up into a sitting position and reverted back to his bloodless, mundane form. The luster in his eyes was notably absent. Just like back when everyone raided Justin Von Carnage's mansion only to come up with nothing. He furrowed his brows at Oros' nickname for him. "Penny who? W-Whatever, I had to have run i-into you for a reason, right?"

As much as she did have a point, Finn somehow had a feeling that if anyone could've understood his blight, it'd be Madness herself.

"Alright, but it’s going to cost you something." Oros Laid Finn back down before she pulled out a camera and a tiny tripod and set it up in front of him. Once she set it up, she pushed the record button before jumping back into frame and pointing at him. "I told him to lay down, and he did it! The absolute mad lad!" She turned off the camera and stashed it in her kimono. "That was just your down payment, I'll collect the rest later." She fished Finn’s phone out of his pocket. And started to push buttons. "Right, so let's start with your mother. What's she like?"

Welp.

He did ask for it. Once again the boy sat up with a thoughtful hum.

"I don't really know either of my parents well since they act like I don't exist most of the time, but from the few bits I gathered? Mother's one of the haughty types. Puts on an act to get on peoples' good graces and unfortunately drags the rest of us into it one way or another. The amount of times she talked shit about others behind their backs, about her own family. If you ever had the displeasure of meeting her, don't let the kindness bullshit fool you. She'd plan on being rid of you as soon as possible." Even talking about her in detail left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"That doesn’t sound too flattering." Oros’s tone sounded refined. At some point during Finn’s explanation, Oros had put on a pair of cat eye glasses, with a little silver chain that looped behind her neck. "She sounds like a hard one to trust. But surely this pride comes from somewhere. Why do you think she’s such a bitch?"

"Hell if I know. Neither her or Father are around 90% of the time. Why do you think I'm able to sneak out like this?"

Maybe if he snuck into their things he'd find something incriminating, but that'd come later.

"We are not interested in the truth here, Finny boy. We are interested in how this makes you feel." She raised her hand like an opera singer. "Speaking of your father, what is he like when he isn’t absent?"

"...Intimidating. No one wants to piss him off." Finn frowned. "No one's allowed to act out of line around him. Apparently he once had a temper so bad it could make the Devil pleased. I don't think he and Mother get along well. He's more quiet though, keeps to himself most of the the time. He's the one that does most of the buisness stuff."

"And this business? Do you know what it is?"

Finn shook his head. Not even Lydia spared any details.

Oros smacked her lips before pulling out a clip board and jotting some things down on it. "Do you have any other family that you interact with?"

"Just my older sister." The boy shrugged. "She can't be around all the time either, but she tries her best to be. More buisness stuff before you ask. Mom and Dad trying to prepare her for taking over."

"What’s she like, do you enjoy her company? Does she share your feelings about your parents?"

Finn nodded twice. "Lyds is really sweet, but also pretty tough, probably tougher than I could ever be if she ends up becoming an Esper too." He explained. "I ended up learning how to fight from her, after all." A ghost of a smile.

"So your mother’s a bitch, your dad’s a hard ass, and your sister is the only family member that treats you with any kindness?" Oros nodded while furiously scribbling on the page. "So where’s your sister’s favorite place to eat?"

"You do realize there's a fee if you want me to help set you up with my sister?"

A song and dance he's dealt with before, people being nice to him for their own personal gains with the rest of his family. That's one of the reasons why he wanted to dissociate from them. So that people could treat him as Finn and not an extension of the Vanhorns.

"Dude, fuck!" Oros threw the clip board to the ground and stood up. "Do you know how much I'd get paid per minute to be your little therapy buddy? The least you could do is tell me where she likes to eat, or what her three sizes are, or if she likes pink hair, and really likes it when the carpets match the drapes." She drew her sword and thrust it into the clipboard, and the caustic poison that coated her ritual blade dissolved it in seconds. Not even ash was left. With a twirl of her blade, she pointed at his head. "Was her swordsmanship better than mine? I hope she's better than you were..." She tossed Finn's phone back to him. "You actually have an incredible support network. You’re practically drowning in cute girls that only want the best for you. What's her tits with the puppet, Betty, Faith, Kid Icarus, I don’t consider your purple haired boss or Sharr cute, but I guess they count. My diagnosis is that you should call one of them, because they’ll actually give a shit about whatever you're moaping about. She sheathed her sword, but didn't take her eyes off of Finn. "I added Betty’s number to your phone because you didn’t have it. As for payment, how about you tell your folks I could have killed you but didn’t? I think that'll become relevant in time." Oros placed her cold, half eaten toast in her mouth and ran off.

Well, that went absolutely nowhere. Only made him even more confused. In fact he might've ended up giving her information she could weaponize against him oh god what the fuck was he thinking- "W-Waitwaitwait WHAT DO YOU MEAN REVELANT?!" He shot up from the ground and called out to her in vain. Oh god if he had to deal with his parents now then he might actually scream. But she did point out something he found odd. After a moment of thinking about that, Finn sighed.

"Christ, no wonder people think I'm some heartthrob."

She was right though. He really should call someone. He looked back down to his phone and tapped the call button. Hopefully Betty wasn't busy.

The phone rang three times before someone picked up. Sure enough, it was Betty.
"Hello?" Once Finn introduced himself, he could hear her sigh on the other end. "Ah! I couldn't remember if I gave you my number or not. I was a little out of it and I thought I had forgotten. I'm so glad you called me, I'll add you once you hang up." He could feel her smiling from the other end of the call. "What's up? Is it about the date?"

Already it made him feel a bit better hearing her voice. "N-No, uhm, I don't know if you're free right now but..." But he still sounded so tired. "Where- Where are you? Is it a-alright if I come see you?"

"Um, sure." She said with a hint of concern. "I was about to look for an ice cream place that served good sundaes, but I'd be up for sharing a banana float. Do you know any good places?"

"Hmm... Yeah, h-hang on, I'll text you the details." Finn lowered his phone away from his ear for a moment to type out the name and location of an ice cream bar he passed by a few times, and a few details on what they sold from what he could remember. Aaaaand send. "Got it?"

Their date might be a bit earlier than planned.

Symphony on High

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][Speedster] = - 24 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 108

He... He did it! Finn had to take some deep breaths to calm himself down, letting a relieved laugh slip as he stared down the broken statue that used to be Dante. These near death experiences are going to give him a heart attack one of these days. The patrons, asides from a few stragglers were dead. The infernal demon only he saw disappeared, a hopeful sign that he might've been cured. And hopefully this burnt shithole will get torn down with the death of it's owner. The Timekeeper would've turned to thank Estelle for the long overdue assist.

If someone hadn't emerged from the back room Dante had lost his life protecting. And now they'd see why.

Amanda wasn't a part of the curse, wasn't a part of the hallucinations forced upon the both of them. She was as real as the sandman they had killed, right in line of her sight. She was...Dante's daughter. Finn's eyes widened when she revealed herself, and more so in fear when she cried out for her dead father and cradled his glass corpse. He was just protecting his daughter! But Finn didn't even want to kill him in the first place! Dante could've just played along instead of forcing his hand, but no! The bastard was just as fickle as the rest of this fucking town and now he had more blood on his hands and a ringing in his ears and oh god why does this keep happening!?

The boy bumped against the counter, not even aware that he was backing away from the scene, not even aware of his surroundings or the people. The corpses, or the way he was hyperventilating. He didn't want any of this. He didn't want to be dangerous! He didn't!! And yet every time he tries to be a good person it always fucks him over so he's had no other choice but to-

Finn's body acted before his mind registered it. He ran. Out the diner, past the small crowd gathered outside, he ran away as quick as his legs could carry him. He couldn't stay there any longer.

Symphony on High

"Friendship ended with Ashley, now Estelle is my best friend."
- Finnegan Vanhorn

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][Speedster] = - 24 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 132

He ran into the demon's hand.

He ran. Into. The hallucination's hand.

WHAT!?

Now, maybe if Finn had the opening he could've maneuvered around before he was grabbed (He swore he had the reflexes for that, damnit!), or perhaps he was simply too small to out speed the gargantuan demon in comparison. The fact that he ran into it like a brick wall seemed to catch him off guard long enough for it to lift him up in the air and attempt to crush him. It was a miracle that Atropos was still able to cleave into it's palm and break the Timekeeper free before he suffered any significant damage. But now both the hellspawn hallucination and Dante were about to attack him.

They were going to kill him.

God, why does this keep happening? Why does he keep being forced to face enemies he was outmatched with alone? Even with teammates, they seem to always think he could handle things by himself.

Even if he could, at least some help would be nice! H̸e̵ ̷c̶a̵n̴'̴t̶ ̴d̵o̷ ̵e̶v̶e̶r̴y̴t̴h̷i̴n̶g̶ ̷a̷l̴o̴n̴e̶!̷!̸

And now the Timekeeper didn't know what else to do. He was forced into a corner against a monster he couldn't kill. His eyes darted around in a panic, scrambling for anything that'd help turn the tide to his favor.

... Alcohol's flammable.

The fires are still going.

Maybe his idea could still work, but he'd have to hurry!

And a small sliver of luck, Estelle finally hurried over to Finn's side to strike at the demon, the sandman, giving him a chance to finish him off.

Thank you!

Golden electricity flowed through the Timekeeper again. He grabbed as much of the flame-coated bottles as he could and began rapidly throwing the impromptu molotovs at Dante.

I swear to god if this doesn't finish him off I'm going to scream so please just d̶̻͂ï̵̬ẹ̶͑ ̵͕͆á̵̙l̷͚̈́ř̵͖e̴͙̽ä̶͍́d̶̩̕y̶̘̿ ̸̞̉ġ̵̡ŏ̴̻d̷̖͒d̶͂ȧ̸͉m̶̱͆ṇ̷̎ī̷̲ț̸͑!̷͚̆!̷̯̓!̸̱̔

Symphony on High

"FUCKING OW?!"
- Finnegan Vanhorn

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][Heal][Speedster] = - 120 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 156

As he predicted, Finn's next attempt to wound Dante didn't do shit besides earn him some sand in his eyes. "Shit-!!" Between him quickly trying to wipe the stinging sand away and clear his vision, and whatever Estelle did instead of his intended idea caused the fireball to detonate instead; setting the diner ablaze in an ironic inferno, he wasn't able to avoid getting set on fire too as a result.

"You've got to be kidding!" Normally he would just ditch his jacket again to avoid the flames reaching his skin, but these ones practically engulfed him, slowly eating away at the mechanical esper's form. At least he wasn't Estelle right now. Or whatever patrons that were unfortunate to still be awake or alive right now. Except for the Wizards shooting everyone apparently, he had to avoid that too on top of everything else.

...Were they...really outmatched this time?

At this point it's expected for fights like this to grow in chaos, such was the nature of Pax Septimus. It was almost hard to rationalize. Though that might've just been the flames talking right now. But it's like none of them are able to do anything here! Unless Ashley can somehow manage to damage Dante instead. And even then, she's been stuck on the defensive for most of this fight. They weren't gonna lose, were they?

Dante had fled to the back room before the Diner was set on fire, then re-emerged to continue fighting shortly after. But that wasn't the worse of it for the Timekeeper. For him, another demon borne of flame rose up behind the sandman. Great. There were more of them?! Finn tensed up, gritting his teeth. If they were no match against Dante how the hell could they-

And then it dawned on him. The sand. This was just an illusion. All of it, nothing but a fucking trick! The Timekeeper steeled himself. "Nice try!" And he activated a melody that'd both heal himself up and help him avoid getting grabbed. That back room, what was so important back there that Dante was hiding? He had to get back there, even if it's to draw him away from the other agents!

...

It was really concerning how many people wanted him dead the most.

Symphony on High

"Am I really the right person to deal the heavy blow? I mean Estelle's obviously fuckin' unavailable but, shit."
- Finnegan Vanhorn

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Touch][Damage X][Paralysis] = - 150 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 276

Oh, that's why. Before Finn could do literally anything else, Dante had knocked that stubborn ass bitch one straggler out too and attempted to bum-rush him. He was able to hold his weapon up to block the strike again but found himself stumbling from the recoil. The Timekeeper was unable to prevent the sandman from knocking Ashley down for a third strike. "Shit- Hang on!!" The Knight might've counted on him to take advantage of the opening , but what could he do? His attacks weren't affective against him alone, were they?

Although, out the corner of his eye the Timekeeper noticed some of those hooded dudes preparing to attack Estelle with a rather huge fireball. That gives him an idea.

"Witch Hunter, try and redirect it towards Dante!" He wouldn't doubt that Dante would try and move out of the line of fire no pun intended, but that's where he'd come in. He rushed in, Atropos ripping with an electric current, and in an unfortunate irony stabbed the sandman through the back. If his gamble actually pays off, he'd do both some reasonable damage and stall Dante long enough for him to eat fireball.

But only if Estelle could manage...

Symphony on High

"Kill or be killed."
- Finnegan Vanhorn

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][Speedster] = - 24 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 426

He didn't give the dryads time to react, no time to act, not even time to breathe before he sliced them into ribbons. The Timekeeper may have shorted out the lights, but he could tell he hit the mark when he felt blood and tree sap staining his body. He didn't know what he looked like to the others at that moment. Like shit probably. But at the same time, it felt... good. All things considered it probably shouldn't, it's probably more concerning that acting with violence didn't backfire in his face like trying to show mercy did, and he should probably stop thinking over his morality when there's still cowboys swarming.

Oh, never mind. Guess they were still going the non-lethal route for the humans.

...Orrrr not? With "MDP" lulling a few cowboys asleep, it gave Ashley more room to finally retaliate.

Maybe should've done that sooner before you got surrounded?

Can't really say much when Estelle was swarmed too, and she was more active than they both were. He would've rushed around to continue culling the numbers down; especially since the wizards had finally taken initiative, but then their dear leader ordered him to get the civilians out himself. The boy took a deep breath. "Yup, sure, why not." He can still play knight for a sec. Finn activated another speedster note and rushed over to the group of highschoolers, juggling between ripping through any attempts of them getting attacked and rushing the girls out the door.

...

But why hasn't Dante continued fighting?

Symphony on High

"I HAVE BEEN FREED FROM THE GM POSTS!"
- Finnegan Vanhorn

◇

13 | Male | Gemini | Clockwork Soldier
Atropos | Greatsword | Arcane | Stopped-Clock Illusion
Clocksmith's Jacket | Industrial
Chronosphere | Lightning | Overclock
[Paralysis (4), Speedster (4)] Damage (2), Damage X (6), Slow (4), Blink (4), Restrain (4), Minor Heal (4), Heal (16), Quicken (0), AoE (2)

DAMAGE: B | SPEED: C | SENTINEL: C | 750

[Silver Self][AoE][If Foe][Paralysis][If Self][Speedster] = - 192 MP

PHYSICAL: D | ARCANE: C | CHAOS: D | 450

The Timekeeper continued to struggle against the ensnaring vines of the dryads. He was unable to warn Estelle about Dante in time, only able to watch as one of the civilians were knocked unconsious by the sandman's hammer. The sight of sand pouring out of the girl's eyes sent a chill down his spine, was that how he looked when the curse knocked him out?! Hell, what was in the back that Dante was trying to hide? He wouldn't have time to consider it with the cowboys swarming both him AND Ashley who was...

Oh for fuck sakes, she was letting herself get swarmed. The only thing the Knight actually did was open a window for their backup who's jargon he could barely understand what the hell was all those owos and hope that she could make everyone fall asleep. And now Estelle was requesting they clear the path to the entrance. How the fuck could they when Ashley was waiting on their help to act first? When neither of them were free to help him? right now? The mechanical esper's chasis sparked as he prepared a melody to break himself free and eliminate the bulk of their adversaries as quick as possible.

A surge of electricity set off around him, speeding Finn up, and hopefully paralyzing the dryads and cowboys long enough for him to start cleaving them apart until there was nothing left but severed limbs and pools of crimson.

Symphony on High

"What the fuck, already?"

Well, here he was again. With the back up of Ashley and a new face, Estelle the Witch Hunter, Finn finally has the opportunity to investigate the starting point to his curse. And to find out whether or not Cherno-Baph and Amanda were just figments of delusion or real demons who had taken advantage of the boy's fatigue to communicate with him, curse or not. The fact that he couldn't even trust his own mind was concerning alone but Finn's grim curiosity actually wanted to see what comes out of this involvement.

I mean, they have been genuine with me so far. Shockingly. Just as long as no one else finds out there shouldn't be any issues...

The thoughts hadn't stopped running laps through his mind yet, the longer he'd have to wait. Was it eagerness, or an attempt to rationalize?

That'd have to come later. With a steeled expression the boy took a glance over through the diner's windows. Well. Why wasn't he surprised that there's been no changes to it? He could give his parents the benefit of a doubt, or perhaps consider that Lydia hadn't gotten his message about convincing them to help renovate, but honestly that'd be a damn miracle if they acknowledged him.

For once.

Finn's brows rose in surprise once he counted how many patrons were inside at the moment. Asides from the group of civilians inside, that many possible fighters? Against the three of them? In that Tiny-Tim of a goddamn diner? This is gonna be tricky-

The boy flinched when he locked eyes with Dante. Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god- He knows he's back?! And he had a bad feeling as to how.

_{"Th-That's him."} Finn quietly spoke up after the other agents asked for his input. His eyes never broke away from the line of sight. "I killed a- Some weird bog man? A-A succubus that was working here. He- He must've seen me revert back before I left somehow!" But he didn't see him, just the human waitresses. Unless they were also monsters somehow? Did they rat him out to their boss?? He was trying his best to remain composed, but Ashley and Estelle could tell he was getting anxious. There was too much he didn't know. Way to fucking much. Take a deep breath. "He knows I'm here and I know he cursed me so let's just get this over with."

He was practically anticipating a bar fight breaking out. He stepped up to the front and opened the door.

Symphony on High

"Back to the old header for now."

In its efforts to aid “seekers of knowledge” to the fullest extent, Torvald’s Tomes and Trinkets had a rental policy when it came to books. When all the needed knowledge had been gleaned, a “seeker” could return the tome or tomes in question to the shop and allow others to partake of the knowledge held within their (allegedly) ancient pages. Thus it was that a certain young esper entered the quaint little shop to return a handful of manuscripts detailing spirits with powers over dreams…

“Ah ha! We meet again, young seeker!” Torvald greeted with an amiable gleam in his eye. His amusingly archaic outfit and long, white beard might have made him look like a storybook wizard, but if he actually held any mystic power, one could only guess. “I trust these tomes proved most illuminating, yes?” he added as he reached out a wrinkly hand to take back the small stack of books.

”I-I don’t know, not yet at least.” Finn held out the books for the shopkeeper to take. ”Just wanted to make sure I returned these before I forgot.”

“Oh, how kind and considerate!” Torvald commended. “Such splendid manners truly give me hope for the youth of today! Now then,” he added, placing the books behind the curiosity-covered counter. “Did you simply come to return these tomes, or did you plan to linger and infuse your mind with yet more esoteric knowledge?”

Well, he did have a lot more free time while he was on leave. ”Got nothing else planned at the moment.” Finn shrugged in response, moving to browse the shelves. Though his planned meeting with Cherno-Baph was still in his mind, thus he took more interest in grabbing anything pertaining to demonology. Best to brush up on homework beforehand.

As Finn browsed the shelves, one of the shop’s other visitors was making their way down his current aisle, their arms piled high with a stack of musty tomes. So high was this mountain of manuscripts, in fact, that it thoroughly prevented its holder from seeing where they were going. Finn had barely noticed the stack-holder’s approach, before they crashed into him, sending the tower of books tumbling to the floor, along with Finn himself.

“O-Oh gosh!” a nasally voice filled with worry called out. “I-I’m so sorry! Are you all right?!”

Upon regaining his senses, Finn would find a fairly scrawny and bespectacled teenage girl with black hair styled in twin braids kneeling beside him, her blue eyes filled with concern.

”U-Uh, yeah! Hang on,” With a groan the boy pushed himself off the floor. He glanced over the scattered books, and began to pick them back up. ”Believe it or not I’ve been dealt worse. This? Is nothing.” He reassured the girl with a smile.

“Oh, that’s such a relief!” the girl exhaled. “I know I probably shouldn’t have been trying to carry so many books, but they were all just so incredibly fascinating! Local legends, haunted buildings, various monsters native to the city… I just can’t wait to start reading! Oh! I’m Olivia, by the way!” she added with a smile, while holding out her hand. “Olivia Bell!”

”Finnegan. Most people just call me Finn though.” With a free hand he shook Olivia’s. It felt weird not introducing himself as his alias, but he figured there’d be no point in keeping it up if people already knew he was Timekeeper.

Maybe he didn’t do a good job with the whole “concealing your identity” part of this whole thing. Finn began passing Olivia’s books back to her. At least the ones he thought were her’s. ”So what’s got you into researching the paranormal?” He asked.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Finn!” Olivia told him with a smile. Then the boy innocently asked about her interest in the paranormal, and the proverbial floodgates opened… “Oh, I just find that sort of thing absolutely enchanting!” she gushed. “I’ve always loved learning about monsters, and spirits, and all kinds of otherworldly entities! It’s been a hobby of mine since I was very little, although most people called me a freak and a weirdo for liking those sorts of things…” she added with a frown, before quickly brightening again. “But my school’s guidance counselor said my love for those things meant that I would be a perfect candidate for a single-student field trip to Pax Septimus, since this city is filled with all the things I love to learn about! And she was right! There are so many different types of monsters living here! I’ve heard stories about vampires, weretigers, and even a giant snake that lives underground! And then there are all the various haunted structures, like this abandoned laundromat, and the cults! Oh, they all sound so intriguing! This book here has a bunch of information on some of the more prominent ones,” she explained, holding up a tome titled Paranormal Pax Septimus. “They all have such unique themes, like this one that dresses up as bees!” she added with a giggle/snort as she pointed to an artist’s depiction of a member of the cult in question. “And of course, there’s also the city’s nickname, The City of Blood! It just sounds so ominous, like something out of a horror story! I never imagined a city like this could actually exist, and I’m just so happy I found this wonderful little shop! Now I can learn about all the best places to explore! I haven’t encountered any monsters, ghosts, or cultists yet, but I’m sure after studying these books, it’ll only be a matter of time!” she declared triumphantly, before giving voice to yet another delighted giggle/snort.

Single-student trip…? That just sounded like the teacher looking for an excuse to be rid of her. Finn frowned in thought. ”Those people are idiots, for one. Like what you like, you’ll find people you can bond with over your interests eventually.” He assured her, glancing aside. ”But stuff like vampires aren’t all it’s cracked to be, believe me.”

“Oh, I was able to make lots of wonderful friends at my new school!” Olivia reassured him. “And, of course, I’ll always have my darling Xolys,” she added with a happy giggle/snort. “Oh!” she gasped as Finn’s last comment sank in. “Have you seen a vampire, Finn?!” she asked, an eager gleam in her eyes as she thoroughly invaded his personal space, her face mere inches from his own.

”Unfortunately. _{U-Uhm, could you back up a bit?}” Finn blinked in surprise at how…eager the eccentric girl was. ”Right fucking creep he was. There was an incident weeks ago, a girl about your age got kidnapped by the aforementioned, turned into his thrall.” He tiredly furrowed his brows as he told Olivia how he learned about Justin. ”People ended up clamoring for her rescue, and for the vampire’s demise of course. Both eventually happened, but not without a bit of struggle.”

Still wish I could’ve been there to bash his skull in, but I’m just glad that’s all over with. I’ve got my own problems now.

“Oh gosh! How exciting!” Olivia replied. “I’m so happy that girl is safe now,” she added, thankfully backing away a slight bit. “But how did you hear about all this?”

Finn glanced back up at Olivia. ”Cause I was technically the one who brought it all to the public’s attention. Well, I had a bit of help, but they sorta drew more towards me for some reason.”

Not for some reason. He just didn’t want someone else to think Betty was his girlfriend.

“Are you a paranormal investigator, Finn?!” Olivia asked, her eyes lighting up as she leaned closer to him once more.

”Yes actually-”

“Oh wow! I bet you have all sorts of knowledge about all sorts of interesting things!” Olivia gushed. “Oh, I know! You could be my guide to the city! That way you can show me all the best places to find ghosts and monsters! And cultists, too!”

”I-I still don’t think you should approach these things without a way to defend yourself!” Finn quickly spoke up, then thought it over. Technically he’d be around to protect her, and he guessed whoever this Xolys was too. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. ”But, alright, we should keep in touch in that case.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” Olivia agreed, retrieving her own phone and presenting Finn with her contact info. “You know, at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get a signal here, but my counselor said she’d make sure I wouldn’t have any problems, and she was totally right!” the bespectacled chatterbox explained with another giggle/snort. “I really shouldn’t have been so surprised, though. She’s super smart and super resourceful! Oh, and please don’t worry about me,” she reassured him. “Darling Xolys always keeps me perfectly safe!”

”Who’s Xolys anyways?” He couldn’t help asking as he added Olivia to his contacts.

“He’s my super handsome best friend and soulmate!” Olivia gushed, her eyes sparking with delight. “Ever since I met him, so many wonderful things have happened!” she continued. “Before we met, I didn’t have a single friend, but now I have lots, and we’ve done so many fun activities together! Like, a short while ago, we had this really fun slumber party in a haunted classroom for Halloween, and Xolys dressed as this adorable bedsheet ghost, just so the real ghosts wouldn’t notice him and run away before I could get a good look at them! Isn’t he just so thoughtful?!”

The boy tilted his head. ”Guess he’s like your good luck charm. Sounds like a sweetheart. _{But aren’t soulmates usually in a romantic context…?}” He trailed off with a mumble.

“Yes, of course!” Olivia agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “We’re both very much in love!” she added with still another giggle/snort.

”O-Oh, well, good for you both then!” Finn’s eyes slightly widened in response. Guess the best friend part threw him off.

“Thanks! Do you have a special someone, Finn?!” Olivia asked, seeming quite eager to know the answer.

He went silent for a second. Instead of answering outright, he sighed. ”Despite what people think, no, I don’t. I’ve never even been in a relationship like that with anyone. Well, I- I don’t really know what to make of what me and one of my friends is yet, if I even feel anything like that for them, I don’t know yet.” Finn frowned. ”I don’t really know anything.”

“T-That’s okay!” Olivia hastened to reassure him. “Until I met my darling Xolys, I didn’t think anyone would ever fall in love with me, so you should never lose hope!”

”If I ever feel that way for anyone.” He shrugged. Big if, as far as he was concerned.

“Well, who can say what the future holds?” Olivia noted with a smile. “A-Anyways, thanks for all the help!” she added as she somewhat clumsily regathered her books. “I-I’ll let you know when I’d like to start exploring, okay?”

Finn nodded, letting her grab the books before collecting the ones he grabbed. "I’ll let you know now, I won’t always be available once I’m back at work, but I’ll try to be there at the earliest convenience.” He added. Until the other agents can get rid of whatever, or whoever cursed him, of course.

“O-Okay!” Olivia confirmed as she wobbled her way to the front counter. “I’ll pick out a location, and we can go whenever you’re free!” she added. “Oh gosh, I’m really looking forward to our first adventure together!”

The boy nodded with a smile. ”Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of research to do. See you later!”

Little did poor Finn realize just what he had gotten himself into…

---

Finn had been raiding the vending machine in the break room when Ashley had approached him about his investigation into Cherno-Baph. But before he could answer her with what Dr. Moller had told him, she herself stepped into the break room to share some news. Mika and Binky interrogating who he assumed was Sovereign was the least of his concern, and then Fritzi brought up something that actually was his concern. Betty fully recovered. She was finally cured.

"I'll explain later talk to you later Ashley!!" Finn hurried down the hall soon as Dr. Moller was done talking. Hopefully they can talk longer than a few words this time, especially with what Betty implied before.

”Shinji!” Faith rushed out of Betty’s room to meet Finn. ”Oops! Haha! I meant Finn! You know, the only reason why I called you Shinji was because of our discussion about Evangelion the other day. I wasn’t sure if you picked up on that so I figured I would repeat it. Though the more I think about it, you seem more like Kosei Arima from Your Lie In April. His emotional distress makes it impossible to hear music. That’s not very good for an esper is it? Hahahaha!” She patted Finn’s head. ”Well tiger, did you want to practice smiling before you went in to see her? It might send the wrong message if you walk in their with a frown on your face. I bet we can stretch those lips into a big smile if we try.” She reached for Finn’s face. ”Did you need help?”

"_What-" He gently swatted Faith's hand away. "N-No I don't need help! Just let me go inside already! Uhm. please?" Finn asked her. He seemed more eager than distressed even if the vague insult didn't register in his head yet, practically fidgeting in place the longer this was going to take.

”Oh…” Faith pursed her lips. She didn’t say anything for a moment, but eventually tipped her head towards the hospital room. ”Right in there. She’s up.”

Finn wasted no time in rushing into the next room. Sure enough, Betty was sitting at the end of the hospital bed watching TV. She wasn’t wearing a hospital gown, nor did she have any bandages sticking out from her clothes. As soon as Finn entered, she turned her head.

"Ah… Hello." She averted her eyes. "You’re back."

Finn sighed in relief, and straightened himself up. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" He walked over to take a seat next to Betty. "A part of me is still hoping you can just... forget all this once you're free to go home. But that's probably not gonna be the case, is it? How're you feeling?" He asked. Though his gaze rested on the TV instead.

"For someone that was turned by a vampire and spent the past few weeks doing god knows what? I think I’m feeling a lot more normal than I should." There was an awkward sort of tension in the air. Finn knew brainwashed Betty longer than he had ever known the real one. All things considered, they were more or less strangers. "Fritzi told me a lot about what’s going on. What espers are and what they do. I got the impression she wanted me to join you guys. I wish I could just go home and pretend it was all a dream, but Justin might not have been able to turn me if I knew I could transform into a superhero. This sort of thing is becoming worse, isn’t it?"

Finn only hummed in agreement. His face twisted into a remorseful frown when he looked back at Betty. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have let any of this happen."

Betty turned to look at Finn. "Knock it off with the apologies. Circumstances beyond our control brought us here. You didn’t teleport me into a bathroom, and you didn’t turn me into a vampire, okay?" She grinned. "Now, please tell me you wanted to do more than just apologize."

The boy's expression softened. "To be honest? ... I-I don't know. Just wanted to see you off, I guess." He pulled a knee up and wrapped his arms around it. "Or maybe I needed the catharsis in knowing everything's okay now, that my efforts weren't wasted. Hell I don't even know if there was a reason for me to do any of this. The only thing I cared about was getting you back." He didn't hate her either. "Even if people ended up taking it the wrong way, It didn't seem fair for you to have to give up on the life you had before this. I certainly don't have much to lose, myself..." A tired scowl crossed Finn's face for a second.

"Nothing to lose, huh?" Betty’s smirk remained. "When talking to Fritzi, I got the impression that I would have been killed if we weren’t a ‘Shimr sensation,’ So I very much think it was worth doing." She raised an eyebrow. "Or are you saying I wasn’t worth saving? For some reason?"

Oh.

Finn's head quickly snapped back at Betty. His eyes were widened and a flustered shade of red colored his face. "WHAT?! Nonononono- I didn't mean it like that! Hoooooly shit why did she tell you about that part?!" With a groan he curled himself into a ball, hiding his face in his knees. Betty held her hand over her mouth to stifle a chuckle.

After taking a moment to recollect himself he'd speak again. _{"Of course you were worth it. I-I tried to quell the rumors about us, trust me, but they wouldn't listen. I n-never wanted it to come off like that, I mean, w-we've only just met. ...Right?"} Finn slightly tilted his head back up to look at her.

"I was just teasing you! You’re wound way too tight!" Betty couldn’t hold back her laughter at this point. Even her perfectly white cheeks were getting red. "Ah, I don’t think I’ve laughed like that since coming to Pax Septimus." She took a few deep breaths. "I’m not really a famous musician or anything, but I can’t say this turn of events surprises me. I’ve had casual conversations with fans before, only for them to get misconstrued by others. I think people really like the idea of watching romances bloom in front of them. It is a little awkward, but there are worse people I could be associated with. Like that vampire, or the person who threw me into a bathroom." She clicked her tongue. "If everyone thought I was going steady with one of them, I’d probably just flee the city."

"Y-Yeah. I didn't expect to get so popular so quickly either, so." The boy cleared his throat and rested his chin on his knees. "But you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. N-No offense, or anything! I'm just... I don't have experience in romance like that." He confided with her, like he did with Olivia. "Never had any crushes or anything."

"Did you want some experience?"

"W-What...?"

"Do you want to be in a relationship?"

It took a moment for him to process what she was saying, longer so to figure out an answer. As if he wasn't flustered enough, Betty was actually asking him out?? Finn sheepishly glanced around. "W-Well uhm, I-If it's something you want t-then- then maybe? We could f-figure something out...?" He fidgeted in place as he stuttered in response.

"Did I say that was something I wanted?" Betty’s grin kept getting wider. "Well, if it’s something you think you might want to try, why don’t we pick a date to go back to the Great Escape? Maybe we can finish our talk this time. After that, we can decide how true we want this rumor to be."

Finn nodded, quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah. Yeah, that sounds wonderful actually! O-Okay!" He giggled, an anxious yet elated grin mirroring Betty's. "I'm probably going with the other agents to investigate Dante's but after that I should be free!"

Betty laughed. "Alright. I’ll talk to you later. Maybe then I’ll know what I want to do in regards to Fritzi’s offer."

"Mhm!" The boy quickly bounced off the bed and, after waving her goodbye, hurried out to the meeting. His schedule's going to be packed as hell between this, Dante's, and his meeting with the demon, but a part of him knew it was all going to be worth it.

Faith watched as Finn ran past her without saying a word. Once he was gone, she thought out loud. ”He certainly doesn’t look like Shinji anymore. I bet they kissed, and I missed it!”