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a-crash-in-time-collection · 2 months ago

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Chapter 61: When Knowlge Is Needed

Snatcher still felt the guilt clinging onto his soul. He tried to rationalize, brush it off, like he always did. How was he supposed to know what would happen if he let the fire spirits die? How was he supposed to know their deaths marked the revival of a demon.... The forest was never quiet safe. But now there was something he couldn't manage, no matter how many spells he put up. He needed to fix this, fast. But frustratingly, that was impossible. Impossible without the knowledge at least.

He couldn't remember if he had fallen asleep last night, or if his ghostly body collapsed on itself due to how long he stayed up and how much energy he spent. Considering the fact he woke up on the dirt floor of the forest, he felt he had a good guess. The only good thing was when he awoke, he found the protection spells were up and running. He tossed a small bit of fire at one around the little village, and it seemed to deflect it well. But that was just normal fire. Well, normal fire magic.

Ezra's fire was something stronger, more terrifying. Snatcher's wounds were wrapped up, but he kept finding himself turning to the pink markings that peaked through. It was the most pain he felt ever since he first died... He shook his head. He had a promise to keep, as much as he wanted to stay and make sure every inch of this forest was bobbie trapped. That no matter where Ezra went, he could be caught. He needed to set some up around Vanessa's manor as well, in the slim chance the man survived a fight with her...

But he needed to figure out how to deal with him now. Traps would only delay him, he needed to stop him. He went back to his tree and started garbing every book off his bookshelf. And then he went around to the buildings still standing in the forest, trying to get any book from there. Any slim chance they had something that could help, they needed to take. He had too... He started to depart for the orbital station not long after. He hoped Shadow Kid was alright... She should be...

It was early in the morning when he got to the station. The sun was still rising in the sky. He hesitated to even leave the bushes at first, but then paused as he noticed someone nearby. Randy, the new Moonjumper. Ezra's newest target if the demon learnt of his existence. He was sitting on a rock, looking down, seemingly lost in thought. Snatcher caught the glow coming from his hand, the swirl of a mist around it. Strings coming out of his fingertips faintly to dance with the air.

"You're getting better." He spoke, Randy turning over quickly with his hand stretched out in what seemed to be readying an attack. Good, he was alert... Snatcher could see darkness coated under the eyes, even with those glasses placed on his head. Probably to try and hide them. He couldn't judge the man. His entire life was on the line again, so soon after getting it back. "Sure the technical details need more work, but you're getting better. You just need to learn a spell that can do damage."

"...And what if I hurt someone?" Randy asked, lowering his hand as he glanced at the ground. Snatcher gave a tiny shrug, he wanted to at least appear that he was better than yesterday. He doubted his act went through however. He watched as Randy made a small ball of crackling electricity, only to toss it away as a bit of fear entered his eyes. He groaned as he rubbed his head, shaking it. "I never wanted too. I just wanted to make people smile. Not be task with killing a demon."

Snatcher gave a tired chuckle, giving a nod. "I mean, techally no one said you had to be the one to kill him." He said. Randy glanced up at him, and seemed to sigh. Snatcher floated down to the ground, he wanted to be near it in case he ended up collapsing. Make an act out of it. Snatcher took Randy's hand and held it out. Randy glanced to the side, some magic coursing through him. "I suppose I was in similar shoes once... But hey. Even if you do hurt someone, you could always heal them later."

"But-" Randy started, before pausing. "Ok, that's techally true." Randy said as he watched his hands light up a bit. "I just... can't help but feel worried. Not for me, for them." Randy said as he moved his head in the direction of the station. Snatcher had to take a moment to admire the work. It was still amazing how much progress had been made compared to when they started. "I don't even want them seeing me. Episally not Java... you know he wouldn't be ok if he saw how little I slept last night." He sighed as he shook his head. "He shouldn't have to worry.."

Snatcher sighed. They both really were beating around the bush with the topic at hand, weren't they? Not that he could really blame Randy... "I bought some books for the research session. About Ezra." Randy nodded a bit, reaching up and taking his glasses off so he could pinch the space between his eyes. His hand was shaky. His eyes unsure. It was all so odd for a figure depicted in legends. "I think we might have some pages about him in history books. Might have details about what he tried to do."

"The chief gave us the meeting room for the session." Randy said, sighing as he got up, focusing on the bag Snatcher had carried most of the books in. His eyes narrowed as he focused on it, strings coming out and grabbing ahold of it. "No, without them." He mumbled as they pulled back. But nothing happened. A faint aura appeared around the bag, but that was it. He sighed. "Most of the magic I’ve been able to figure out is just with these strings. I can't choke him to death-" He heard a muffled chuckle from Snatcher. "What's so funny?"

"Just imagining if it is that pecking easy, that's all." Snatcher sighed as he shook his head. He needed that... Put the guilt rattling in his soul to rest, even if just for a moment. He did turn to Randy again as the man got up, looking at his hands with a hint of frustration. He hummed as he got closer, putting a finger under Randy's chin and making him turn to him. "You know, something tells me you told Macbeth to take it easy when he tried to learn his magic. So, tell me, are you a hypocrite?"

"Really?" Randy asked, before shaking his head with a sigh. "I didn't realize how, truly challenging it could be, Snatcher. And even then, he was born with those powers. I was just, thrusted into these..." He tried focusing on making a ball of light, and he did. He held it up to his face, only for it to flicker away before he could try something else, making him sigh. "I just don't understand. I read the spells. I’ve gotten a few things to work... So why does it only seem like I can master strings."

"For one, that was the original's whole deal, to a degree." Snatcher stated. "Secondly, a lot of magic is about the subconscious. You don't usually think when casting a spell for combat, you just do. Magic ties to emotions."

Before Randy could try and prod him for more answers, footsteps quickly filled the air around them, before a purple blur crashed into the long phantom. "PAPA!" Shadow Kid shouted, Randy letting out a small whine as he covered his ears from the sound. "I-I was worried, he didn't hurt you more did he?" the ghostly child asked, golden tears falling from her eyes. Snatcher had to wipe away his own before it started to form, shaking his head. "Please, just stay with us next time, alright?"

"It took hours of us playing games to get her to even think about sleeping." Hat Girl said as she rubbed her eyes, walking over. She paused as she examined the wounds along the phantom's body, at least those she could see. The patterning was similar to their fight so many years ago, when she had to force him to go blue so she could attack him. She could have sworn steam was coming off these wounds however. "Are those going to heal?"

"Eventually." Snarcher said with a sigh. "But let's focus on making sure they can never happen again first.." He looked down at Shadow Kid, who rested her head against his chest. He dropped the bag so he could hold her with both arms, scanning her for wounds he knew weren't there. He glanced down briefly at Randy, who was taking some breaths, trying to put on more of an act too, the phantom guessed. "Come on, I brought all the books I could get without searching every inch of subcon."

Hat Girl nodded, and went over to the bag, reaching for it. "Hat Girl, that's thoughtful but that's a lot-" Randy was cut off as she took the bag, effortlessly carrying it in the direction of the station. He paused, blinking for a few moments before he turned back to Snatcher with a surprised look. The ghostly phantom simply shrugged, and Randy sighed with a small chuckle afterwards. "I keep forgetting that kid is an alien."

-------

It took a bit to get started even once they all had gotten in the room. Maybe because the reality of the situation, as true as it was, was still wrapping around their heads. It just felt too... sudden, too easy for Ezra to have returned. It was just something they had to push to the back of their minds as they got to work. They were able to get some books from other places around the world, thanks to Hat Girl getting in contact with some of their friends to get them overnight shipped to the clearing.

The only downside to that was that now some people knew. It's one thing when a legend returns, it's a time of happiness if not indifference. But the return of a man who was able to kill what many considered to be a god in all but a minority? It sent fear. Even if they tried to hide it, and did a very good job over the phone, she was able to tell that they were afraid. Not that she could begin to blame them after all, but she did her best to assure them it would be fine. For them at least.

Randy was the Moonjumper now. Randy was a part of the clan. This was their battle to fight, not theirs. And even if her heart was shaky, she would be ready if it ever came time to step between the moonlight and the hellfire.

"I already know the basics of making a fire with magic, give me something actually useful." She could hear Snatcher mumble from the other side of the table. She let out a quiet chuckle. It wasn't the time for any hints of laughter but, she needed to find the small joy when she could. She knew she wasn't having any luck. Any detail she found on Ezra himself didn't go too far into how he did things. Likely to keep others from getting similar ideas. "I'm starting to feel dumb for suggesting this."

"It's better than us sittin' around doing nothin'." Macbeth said as he poured Randy a cup of coffee and handed it to him. Randy was the only one focusing purely on spell books. Trying to absorb the information in them to try later. It wasn't the most helpful at the moment, but no one in the room spoke up about it, so he continued. Hat Girl closed her book, then paused when she heard a quiet knock. "Who's there, we're busy." Macbeth called out, walking over to the door as it opened.

"Are we, interrupting something?" Autiomma asked as they poked their head in, a shiver to their voice. "We heard rumors and we wanted to know if they were-"

A screen on the wall nearby lights up, Hydratic appearing on it with a bust of static. "What do you mean Ezra is here?!" He shouted, making almost everyone in the room flinch if not outright jump from the suddenness and loudness of his introduction. He paused when he was seen, sighing as he began to pace back and forth across the screen, his form slightly more glitchy than it was before. "Sorry, it's just…hard to believe." He looked over at Badge, who entered alongside Autoimma. "Badge, you have the best memory from Moonjumper's life of us three. Tell us, did he know this was going to happen?"

Badge seemed quiet for a moment. "He did have visions of a fire, similar yet different to the one that would kill him." He glanced to the side, his voice falling quiet. "I always just hoped they were nightmares of the fate he was destined to go down." He said as he walked over, sitting in one of the chairs. Ivy came over and glanced up at him, confused about his words. He sighed as he patted her head. "What he saw doesn't matter now. It's making sure Randy is safe."

"It's not just me you have to worry about. It's the clan, my family." Randy said as he looked over, Badge giving a small nod as he spoke. Hat Girl glanced back down at the books near her, picking up one on potions and beginning to skim through it. Maybe there was a potion that could change Ezra's personality. Or turn him into a frog, or a lama, or just make him dead. "I wished I hadn't taken that break from learning magic now, I just thought it would have been fine. That I had all the time in the world."

"Do not blame yourself." Badge said as he looked over. "You couldn't have known your skills would be needed so soon." He added as Randy took a sip of the coffee, shaking his head as he looked at Macbeth, whispering something to him. Badge looked at the books on the table, picking one up on myths and legends of the world. He hummed a bit as he began to scan through it. "If only we could visit the tower of fire. It is said that every known record of fire magic exists within its eternal walls."

The room fell quiet for a moment. He said it in such a casual way but it was like a switch had flipped in the room. "Of course!" Snatcher groaned as he grabbed his head, leading back in his seat. "I was looking at it not long ago, how come it didn't cross my mind!" He mumbled as he shook his head, tossing away the book he held as he began to scan his brain, only to sigh. "Only real issue is I doubt we can. People spent centuries, maybe longer trying to find out how to access the towers."

"It's our best hope." Macbeth sighed as he patted Alexsandera's mask a bit, looking to the side, eyes glancing at the books that littered the table. He began to try and gather any that seemed like it would be useful to the research of the towers. More likely to be written about then Ezra, after all. Surely someone must have at least been close to cracking what had happened, right? "I should go see if Sven has spare notebooks, I feel like we're goin' to be piecin’ a lot together." He paused as he felt a bump on his shoulder "I'll be fine, Alex."

The dweller gave a small whimper of worry as they all got to work. "If there's one thing I learnt about this planet, it's that no door is unable to be open." Hat Girl spoke as she sat down in the head chair of the meeting room, leaning over the books in front of her as she began to think about all of it. It was so strange to think about it all, it felt like everything was happening so fast. "There must be a way in, and we're going to find it. No matter what." She said as she let out a breath.

Shadow Kid smiled. "You're really good at that type of talking!" she said, waving a bit when Hat Girl looked at her. Hat Girl gave a small chuckle, before pausing as she glanced back at the chair she was in... This was a responsibility she would have to take one day... She tried not to focus on it for now, instead turning over to Hydartic. "Hey Hy, can you try scanning the net to see if you can find anything about the towers." Hydartic didn't answer, he seemed to be lost in his thoughts. "Hydartic?"

"There's heat lightning right now." He seemed to announce, almost randomly, as he walked to the edge of the screen, turning back for a brief moment to face the others. "I'm going to check on Anamund, good luck." The screen shut off.

Badge Seller sighed a bit as he looked up. He could hear the faint sound of rain hitting the roof. Only a few drops, but it was notable now that Hydartic pointed out the lighting. "Sometimes, I wondered if Hydartic was made purely to watch over our serpent friend..." He commented aloud, Ivy giving a shrug and making an 'I don't know' sound. He sighed a bit as he adjusted his mask, a smile visible for a moment on what little could be seen of his face. "I suppose we should get to helping as well."

"I'll work over here... I know people don't like sand in their eyes." Autoimma said as they floated over to a corner of the room, some books floating over due to their magic. Hat Kid nodded and the group began to get back to work, some occasionally pausing to take notes on anything that might faintly relate to the towers. It was a long shot of actually finding something, but it was better than not taking the chance at all. "Um, Mr. Macbeth." Autiomma called. "Didn't you say you were going to talk to a Sven about something?"

Macbeth sighed as he put his head to his hand. "I just said that, how did I already forget?"

That earned a few small chuckles throughout the room, lightening the air for a moment as they focused back on their work. The lightness didn't fade away, at least not completely. Sure, the situation wasn't great, but if they found the answers they would have a head over Ezra. Right?

-------

Unfortunately, their group wasn't the only one doing research that day. Far off in subcon, at the getaway manor, the foe they were preparing to fight was doing research himself. He and Vanessa had done a few small tests that morning, but no matter what they tried they couldn't seem to get their powers to mix well.

"There are situations where water or steam could work, but few I can think of..." He mumbled as he adjusted his spot in his chair, one hand holding a book and the other adjusting the neck area of the shirt he had thrown on. It was simple wear, but it would do for now. He paused as he heard footsteps, looking over to see the last of Victor's line walk into the room. He tried to keep in mind his friendly act. "Did you get some good beauty sleep, your highness?" He asked, forcing a small bow in his movements.

"Some..." Vanessa said as she began to pace back and forth in front of him, Ezra pulling his tail away in case she tried anything. Her hands blended in with the shadows of her body, but he could still make out the faint closing and opening in a repeated motion, as well as the faint shake that came with them. She looked up as she took a breath, pain still in her voice. "I'm worried for my prince." She told him. "I dreamt he was being harmed. I need to see him again, I have to."

"And you will." Ezra spoke kindly, with just a hint of annoyance in his voice. "But as I told you, this is going to take time. Especially if he tries to avoid our clutches."

Vanessa sighed. "I know... It's just worrying. My prince has no idea what the world is like now!" Vanessa said, turning to him with a nervous whine to her voice. Ezra pulled the book closer to his face so he could grind his teeth. How was such a sound even possible? He tried to focus on the words, but paused as he noticed Vanessa coming over. He tilted the perspective of the book so that she could see, her tilting her head. "Have you found any way to combine our powers like you said?"

"Not yet." Ezra sighed, setting the book on the chair's armrest for a moment before he made a small flame appear in his hand. He knew his magic wasn't the issue. At least in strength. It was that it interfered with Vanessa's. And when her ice melted, it became water that could extinguish his flames. If their powers were ever going to mix, he needed a way to prevent her ice from melting from his flame. "You think with how common fire and ice are in the world of magic someone would have tried this by now."

"Why is it always what you need most that is undiscovered." Vanessa said, slamming her hand on a desk and pulling back, leaving claw marks behind. "There must be some way for you to do so! Any way!"

"My queen, I am trying. It's only been a day since I returned from where I came from. I'm still getting used to this." Ezra stated, mumbling most of the sentence as he focused on the book beside him, trying to piece together any way to make this work. Resistance spells mostly applied to living beings. Shield spells had to be precise for her magic to still work as an attack. "Your prince will be returned to you safely. He may be a fool, but I would hope he's smart enough to not get himself killed."

"You put too much faith in him." Vanessa sighed as she shook her head, Ezra barely holding in laughter at the suddenness of the statement. He turned the book for a quick glance, not seeing anything of use. He sighed as he got up, deciding to walk around and stretch a bit. His limbs still ached faintly, and he was sure most of the battle damage had healed itself by now. "He got himself killed in the first place. I took my eyes off him for one second and he was just gone, like that!" She threw her hands in the air even as she wailed out. "It's unbelievable!"

"Sometimes, you need to learn to believe in the unbelievable. Or you'll remain stuck in place." Ezra stated as he walked to one of the balconies, leaning against it with a small sigh. The getaway manor wasn't frozen, but there was still an icy chill in the forest air. He found himself staring in the distance, his eyes rising as he spotted the blue, crystallized tower in the sky. "The tower of ice.." He said as he straightened up, reaching his hand to it. "How come it didn't cross my mind before."

Vanessa glanced at it from just behind him, letting out a hum. "I always thought it was an illusion in the sky. No one has ever made it there." She told him, him looking over and giving a small nod. Of course, he had forgotten that detail. And now the tower stood almost tauntingly in the distance. He squinted and some of the crystals seemed to form a smirk. Vanessa began to walk by. "What if there's no way for us to do this..."

"Vanessa, you can't give up hope so easily. I'm here now." He said as he placed a hand to his chest, offering a smile. She didn't turn to him, her hands still shaky. He leaned closer to the balcony in case she suddenly lashed out. Give him more time to run. He kept glancing over at the tower of ice, thinking of any way they could potentially get inside. There had to be some way, right? "Nothing is impossible, not here. I would say we just need time but," He chuckled. "I already said that quite a bit."

"My darling prince is out there, I'm allowed to be worried." Vanessa glanced over at him with a small glare. He made a note to soften his look. He needed to play her like a fiddle, make her think he actually cared about her cause. She might throw him in the dungeon if she learnt the truth so soon. He walked over to her, slowly, tail between his legs as he looked up at her. She let out a breath. "I can't lose him again. Not after everything. I kept his body safe for years in the slim chance I could bring him back. Saw his unbreathing face so much... it hurt so much.."

"You must have done a great job if you were able to revive him well." Stalker much, if you asked Ezra. How long did she keep that body around? How often did she look at it? Was that all she did? God, Ezra couldn't wait to toss her aside. He was no stranger to behavior that was looked down upon but even that sent a chill up his spine. He walked over to the bookcase, shaking his head to try and force any discomfort off his face. "I'd hate to ask you to work, but it might be quicker if we both look."

"I suppose you are right." Vanessa sighed after a moment, heading to another shelf near him, looking over the books blankley, as if trying to somehow sense which would be the one to help them. Ezra shook his head and went back to where he was sitting earlier, glancing faintly in the direction of the tower of ice. Its secrets could only be kept for so long, and he would be the one to crack the lock keeping them from getting in. "I just need to make sure not to ruin the page."

"Is that a habit of yours?" He asked as he looked over, his brow raised. He supposed with ice powers, that was a possibility. He was met with a faint glare "Uh, forgive me. That was rude, my queen."

Vanessa gave a small sigh. "I suppose I can accept it. Just try to be more careful with your words." She gave a small chuckle. "You might cast a spell that drains you of your own magic." Ezra took a breath. He should try and find a spell like that, eventually. Take care of her once they got the Moonjumper back in his grasp. A low growl escaped him just thinking about the lunar deity. "Did you hear something?" Vanessa asked as she looked over, making Ezra pause to not get caught.

"Might have been the wind." Ezra stated as he focus his attention on the book in front of him. He began to look for spells on teleportation, or unlocking things. Maybe a few spells on stealth would be useful. It was rumored that there was a guardian inside the tower. And while he was sure he could take it in a fight, it was better to be prepared then not to be. "We can take a break to do some more testing if we don't find anything..." He paused as he sniffed the air. "Do you smell something?"

"Oh, I have cookies in the oven." Ezra blink as the statement. She still had decent ingredients?

-------

Even with the focus of their research changed, it didn't go as well as they would hope. Some hours would pass and yet the group of toppats and supernatural creatures could only find a little information about the towers. And a lot of the info they did find tied into the little they already knew. How they could be seen from Subcon's sky How they seem impossible to reach. That no matter how long you walked in one's direction, it never seemed to get any closer. Nothing really helpful.

The stress started to fill the air slowly, even as they tried to brush it off. Make things seem less hopeless. There had to be something after all, right? Something about the towers and how to unlock them. One person had to have made it to them before, right? It was the only hope they had. And the answer had to be somewhere in these pages. They thought about trying their luck and looking it up online once or twice, but they didn't want to risk following a false lead. They didn’t have time.

They really didn't. They needed to take care of Ezra now. Or at the very least get him out of Subcon.

Randy sighed as he leaned back in a chair, rubbing his eyes. "I'm starting to feel like I'm in school again." He groaned quietly. There was only so much he could take in one setting, he’d never been good at these things. Macbeth slid him another cup of coffee, Randy having a quick 'thanks' as he took it... He paused when he thought he heard the faint flapping of wings, looking over to the door where there was a tiny thud against it. "Is that one of the Overseers? Why doesn't it just phase through?"

"I notice a few just like to hit things sometime. Must be the bug design." Macbeth said as he walked over to the door, letting it open so the critter could fly in. It flew up and seemed to take a look at them all, as if quickly understanding the situation. It then quickly went to some books and started to budge around, eventually coming upon a book and knocking it open. "Woah, easy there." He said as he went to pick it up, only to pause. "Psychic little thing. This has information on the towers."

"Well, Moonjuper did design them to be helpful." Badge commented as the group began to crowd around Macbeth.

"Hurry up, we don't got a century here!" Macbeth called as he floated above them, having Ivy and Shadow Kid on his head so they both could see. Macbeth open the book a little more so they could all read. It was said that the towers exist in an in-between realm, between the mortal realm and the realm of the gods. The ice tower had been given a guardian upon creation, with the tower of fire being appointed one later. "Unless there's a way to contact that guardian, that's not of use."

"It's still nice to know." Randy stated as he read more. It was said the towers were placed there in case the knowledge held in ever needed to be accessed by mortals, but could only be unlocked through a certain method. That there was a tower of magic disguised like any other inside of subcon, immune to being worn down by time according to the book. That it was the access point between the two towers. "Well, there's one clue!" He said, turning to Snatcher. "You know where that is?"

"Now that you mentioned it, there was always an old tower that never seemed to have worn down." Snatcher hummed. "I believe people tried to take it down once, only for them all to fall ill." He looked down. "And to answer, yes."

"Well, we know where to go now. The question is, why hasn't anyone done it before?" Macbeth asked as he flipped the page, only to quickly pause as he spotted the answer. Appernally deities like Moonjumper weren't the most uncommon occurrence. The page explained that they needed someone with the powers of gods in a mortal shell to unlock the gate, someone the gods would trust... He let out a groan as he turned to Randy. "We got our answer but, you aren't goin' to like it Rand. Maybe Badge could do it?"

Randy looked over the page, sighing as he shook his head. "Of course it would fall on me." He floated back. "Sorry, it's still just, a lot..." Macbeth gave a nod as he floated back over to a chair, sitting down. He rested his head against the desk, focusing on his hand. Magic began to glow from it, more than before. But he still knew his thoughts were holding him back. He sighed and turned to Badge. "I doubt the original Moonjumper even went there before. Is it even possible for me?"

"I'm sure it is." Badge said as he rested his hands on his lap. Randy scanned the eyes behind the shifting mask, expecting to see doubt. He didn't. "You have some time to prepare, I'm sure."

"Maybe not a lot but, more than zero." Autiomma piped up from their little corner of the room. Randy looked at Autiomma, and paused. He knew most of Moonjumper's magic that wasn't destroyed in his death went to them. And their form was ever shifting, holding a form when it didn't need to, free to change if they wanted... Maybe that was how Moonjumper's magic truly was. "Did I, say something wrong?" They asked, Randy quickly shaking his head with a smile as he held his hands in the air.

"Well, maybe Randy just has to be there for the magic to work?" Ivy asked, making the others look over. "I mean, the book didn't say any specific spells, did it?" She asked as she glanced down. Macbeth looked at the book again. He supposed she was right when he looked over it again. Although he doubted it would be that easy, it would be nice to think it was. "Not saying you shouldn't get some practice just in case. I just think you all worry to much, it's just something adults do."

"Hey, I'm not an adult for another three years." Hat Girl called from the sideline, Ivy sticking her tongue out quickly, making her chuckle a bit.

Randy gave a small chuckle at that, before looking down at his hands. He makes the strings appear for just a moment, watching them swirl around in the air above his hand. The Overseer came by him and he patted it gently, it giving a sound that almost sounded like the chime of a bell. He took a breath and got up, garbing a nearby spellbook he had been looking through earlier. "Well, either way, I should get more practice in." He looked back at the group. "Would... anyone like to come along?"

"Papa needs rest, maybe some other time." Shadow Kid said as she slid down the ghostly prince's back. He went to tell her he was fine, but she took his hand and started pulling a bit. He signed, he could easily win this battle but in all honesty, he didn't have the mental strength to right now. The edges of his vision were getting blurry anyway, whether that was from a headache or tiredness he did not know. "Come on." She said as she led him out of the room.

Macbeth wanted with a tiny smile, hearing Snatcher's mumbling begin to bounce around his head as the Phantom's physical voice got further away. He turned to Randy, walking outside of the room with him and placing a hand on his shoulder, making Randy look at him. "I know you got this." He told him, Randy giving a small breath. Somehow, it felt more reassuring coming from Java. "I know how scary learning magic can be. But you got me through my attempts to learn it, let me help you now."

"Thanks Java... It means a lot." Randy said as he turned to him with a smile. Randy pulled his hands closer to his chest, letting them rest against his beating heart. Even his heartbeat felt more magical compared to the human body he was first born into. Like it wasn't made just for making blood, but for making the magic that coursed through his body. It felt odd. Like he wasn't the first one like this. "I do have to ask, did you ever get the music side of your magic figured out."

"Dad, hush." Macbeth whispered as he gestured to those behind them, Randy giving a chuckle.

-------

Vanessa and Ezra did eventually take that break to try practicing their magic on their own, but they didn't get too far. At some point Ezra stopped focusing on what were their actual goals and trying out spells he didn't have the ability to cast when he was human. It was clear it annoyed Vanessa but at that point he had been silently dangly the keys to her prince over her head. She couldn't just push him away or attack him now. It made Ezra feel proud. Cocky even. Although he kept his actual tone relatively humble.

They had found a few tricks to slow down the melting process when their magic combined. The only issue was at the maximum amount of time, it only kept the ice from melting for four seconds. Useful for some tactics if the Moonjumper happened to make plans with a group to protect him, but otherwise was way too dangerous for him. They just needed their magic to co-exist so they could actually start plotting. Maybe make a dome of ice above him and a ring of fire below. Making him unable to leave. Maybe even making him cough on the smoke and freeze slowly at the same time. Suffering.

"Are you sure we can't just go out and get him now?" Vanessa asked, Ezra sighing as he rolled his eyes. He couldn't see it now, but he kept glancing in the direction of the tower of ice. Something needed to be done to get there. He picked up a book and started to slip through it, scanning the pages for any hint of the word 'tower'. Meanwhile Vanessa rested against one of the torn walls, clawing at it and leaving markings on it. "I know, I know. I'm just so scared we're gonna find him dead."

"You'll have your love back in chains in no time, Vanessa." Ezra rolled his eyes. Why was it always people with that name that were so dramatic... He pause as he spotted the word of desire on the page, and quickly began to read it, finally getting the answer to the question that had be plagging his mind for the better half of the day. Only to pause again, letting out a low groan. "Well, I found our answer." He called as he tossed the book over to her. "But it isn't going to be easy."

"Is anything?" Vanessa asked as she caught it, quickly scanning over the words. "We need the help of a demi god? But we don't know one of those, do we?"

"Not as far as I'm aware." Ezra groaned as he leaned down, shaking his head. Why did every little thing seem to be getting in his way? God, he still needed to figure out how to take Moonjumper's power before killing him... He paused as that thought crossed his mind. "Unless..." He thought aloud, turning over to the queen who's head was now tilted to the side. "Your prince is in the body of the Moonjumper, who was considered the closest thing we had to a god. Maybe he could pave the way for us."

"Are you forgetting what we're trying to do? We would need him in the first place." Ezra's eye twitch just a little at her statement. Of course, he knew that, he wasn't an idiot. God, he should have just talked, not allow her a chance to speak. But that would be too rude for the act, even if it was already starting to fade from having to put up with this crazy woman. "If we got him to open the way, then we wouldn't need to go there because we would have him back in the first place."

"Well, knowing him, he's trying to avoid you right?" He asked, tilting his head. Vanessa nodded slowly. "He's probably trying to find a way to block your ice. He's probably looking for the tower of fire."

"So... If I'm hearing you right, we say we let him go to the tower of fire, and use the chance to go to the tower of ice." Vanessa stated, Ezra giving a nod. Maybe there were a few brain cells still functional in her head. He shook his head slightly. He wouldn't be able to keep up the act if he kept thinking so low of her even if it was right to do so. She glanced up at the sky, then back at him. "But why don't we just capture him then? I don't understand, he wouldn't be expecting it."

"Right... I believe we did talk about this already." Vanessa stated, quickly finishing off her cookie and trying to put herself back into a more royal posture. "Very well, if that's what will bring my prince home."

"Your prince escaped in the first place because of the powers he now has, am I correct?" Ezra questioned, Vanessa giving a small nod at that. She went over to the jar of cookies she had brought out, taking one out and biting into it, the sound being more like a bolder shattering than a simple bite. To be fair, Ezra wouldn't be surprised to learn rocks might've been the ingredients in her recipe. "He'll escape again if we just take him. We need to drain his magic frist

so he cannot."

"I know how frustrating it must be for you." Ezra said. Even if his memory was blurry now, he surely knew what it was like to wait eternity for something.

It fell quiet. the tension that had been fading in and out started to settle down. Still there, but fainter. Less noticeable, it felt easier to breathe. Vanessa looked down at her hand, rubbing a spot.

Ezra couldn't tell if there was actually a ring there, or if she believed there was...

He waited a few moments to see if she would say something more. After about a minute of silence he gave a fake cough, bringing her attention back onto him. "Well, we might have to camp at the connection point for a while... We should rest before heading out." He said as he began to walk back to the closest entrance, pausing a brief moment to turn back to her "Do you happen to know where any tents are?"

Vanessa just blinked. "Do I look like I've ever gone camping a day in my life."

Ezra quickly waved a dismissive hand. "Of course, my apologies. I'll just look in the attic to be safe, is that alright?"

"Of course... I'll help you soon." Vanessa stated, Ezra's brow rising in faint surprise from the distance. "There's just, something I need to check on first." She said as she began to walk away.

Ezra nodded, a smirk forming on his face as soon as she was out of sight. "Who knew I could play a royal so well?"

She traced the knife on the table, looking from it and back at the magical painting in front of her, the florist caught eternally in a moment of false joy...

Vanessa wasn't completely oblivious to Ezra's tactics. She could tell there was something more he wanted. She just didn't have the time to worry about it yet. Not when her prince was making foolish decisions... Like he had with the florist all those years ago...

Once her prince was back in her hands, she'd finally kill her. Make sure he could never make the same mistake again.

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #ahit snatcher #ahit oc #mr macbeth #randy radman #ahit moonjumper #ahit vanessa

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a-crash-in-time-collection · 10 months ago

Text

Chapter 49: One Last Reflection

He knew that time was running out. He could feel it. He didn't want to show it but he knew. Strange visions in his dreams. The faint sound of sand falling, the faint click of a clock in the background... If he wasn't already dead, Macbeth would have just assumed it was a midlife crisis. But knowing the stories. Knowing his role with the second coming of the Moonjumper. It was clear what the dreams were telling him. He should tell the others but, how could he? He didn't want to be anything more than what he already was...

Staying silent was all he could think to do. Distract himself with any little thing he could. Breaking up fights among members of the clan, making sure the youngest among them were alright. He even started slipping files from Sven to work on when the blonde wasn't looking. Yet, none of it truly helped. It would only offer him a few minutes of silence before the thoughts came back. Even Alexsandera couldn't help him. Their presence was only a small bit of light in what seemed to be a storm of darkness. A storm in his mind...

He supposed the only thing he could do was accept his fate. Try and find some peace in how things would play out.

Still, it didn't stop the questions in his mind. Why him? Was it because of the magic he had in life? He didn't even know how to use it, and it was what got him killed in the first place. And he was distended to 'get along' with the second coming? He didn't know if he trusted the statute's words... He just wished he'd known beforehand. Badge could have told him when they first met. He knew Badge was part of the Moonjumper now. Could have given him a heads-up.

He was taken out of his thoughts by a small crash, turning to see Donnie picking himself off the floor.

"Woah, sorry, didn't mean for it to be that hard!" Lavern said as he walked in, Donnie rolling his eyes as he picked himself off the floor. Lavern glanced over. "Weren't you and the other elites supposed to meet up earlier?"

Macbeth blinked, glancing at the clock on the wall. They were supposed to meet at 10 am. It was 1 pm now. "Well, no point in goin' now. I'll let Carol and Sven grill into me later." He sighed as he shook his head. "Why were we even havin' one today?"

He just wanted to make sure the kids were ok. He told himself he'd only be in here for an hour at most. He hadn't even done anything besides just standing there. Maybe breaking up the occasional fights between kids or helping one when they needed it. It might be one of the last times he got to do so. So maybe a part of him was trying to reassure himself that things would be, ok? If the others asked, he could claim Alexsandera refused to stop playing with the kids, though he would feel guilty about it.

"Don't ask us, we're just walking by," Lavern said as he adjusted his hat. "Hey, you know, there's something I always wondered about you."

Macbeth rose a brow. "What?"

"People say you've been in the clan for as long as they can remember, a lot of people." Lavern started. "Even people who have been in the clans for decades say you were always there."

"A lot of us were born into the clan though." Eric started nearby, as he placed his switch down and tilted his head. "I was, Marybeth's family’s been here for generations." The girl nodded from nearby, placing down the bow she tried to tie on Alex's ghostly tail. "Mr. Macbeth's prob just the same case of that... right?" He turned to the ghost.

Macbeth gave a small chuckle. "You could argue I'm close to that, but no. I was adopted into the clan when I was five... though, I suppose 'adopted' isn't the term you would use for what happened.."

"What do you mean?" Donnie asked, tilting his head. Before giving a small gulp. "You weren't... kidnapped, were you?"

Lavern turned to Donnie and blinked. "Why are you acting so surprised, we're a criminal organization!... even if this feels like just a neighborhood sometimes."

"Well, it was techally a kidnapping, but I wouldn't say it's a bad turn of events.." He blinked as he glanced at the ground. It's been forever since he thought this far back. "I don't remember much. I just remember hidin' in a room in some small house, there were a lot of sounds nearby... Then Randy found me. He convinced me to come out of hidin' and brought me to the airship. After they couldn't find my parents, I was taken in by my mom."

"Wait, what?" A robotic voice called, Macbeth glancing up to see Hat Girl and Platinum in the entrance to the hallway, surprise on Platinum's features. "How come we've never heard this before?"

"Platinum, this is Mr. Macbeth we're talking about." Hat Girl said, rolling her eyes a bit.

"But it sounds a lot like what happened with you! I have a right to be curious." Macbeth let out a chuckle at the topbots comment. He never really thought about it that way before.

He still wondered what exactly happened. He just faintly remembered playing with his plushie before any of that happened. He couldn't even remember his biological parents' faces, could only faintly remember their voices. One might assume that the clan was behind it, but he knew them better.

"Wait, you were in the clan during the party's guy reign?" Eric said before Macbeth nodded.

"He became leader a few days after I was taken in. Something had happened to Reynaldo and his right hand, and so the leadership fell onto Randy since he was the third in command, like Sven is now." Macbeth couldn't help but give a smile. "I know you all heard about how he almost bankrupted the clan. And he shouldn't have let it get that far. But he was just... well, perfect isn't the word." He sighed. "But he always was there for everyone and made sure everyone was as happy as he was. He spent who knows how many nights doing heists all by himself just to make up for the near bankruptcy."

"Do you have any stories from that time?" Marybeth asked as she came over. That made Macbeth pause. He did but... god, how could he even begin to tell them all, without giving away too many details? "We always heard that he was a party animal, but that's it."

Macbeth took a glance around and realized he had become the center of attention. "I'm not gettin' out of this, am I?"

"Nope!" Laven said, getting in front of the exit to the room with a small smirk.

Macbeth let out a sigh as he walked over and grabbed one of the chairs in the room for himself. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it'd be nice to get some stories of Randy out before it was too late. Keep the man's memory around for a bit longer.

"Where to start?" He pondered as he glanced to the side. "...You know one thing Reginald and Randy have in common? They're both surprisingly good with machines. Expect Randy didn't mess with topbots, he would make these courses for his parties. Like wipeout, but smaller." He saw some eyes light up. "It was his way of letting the members of the clan have fun while technically training at the same time..."

As he began to describe a story he could remember, he couldn't help but have a memory begin to form in his mind...

-------

It felt like at least a quarter of the clan's budget went to the "Game Sets" as Randy would call them. He loved making them more and more challenging, while still being fun and fitting for his party's. He never got the balance perferect, but they were enjoyable to those who wanted to try. He could have gotten away with just reusing the same few again and again, but he always had more ideas. It gave him something to do. The only bad thing was you had to be at least a teenager to go on the 'proper ones', and not the small ones Randy made for the kids.

Java couldn't wait any longer. It would be months before he turned eighteen and he just wanted to try at least once. He had already mastered the smaller ones, he wanted a real challenge. He snuck into the room Randy used as his workshop, and raced over to the recent set Randy had been working on. It was a decently large tower, with lots of distracting lights and platforms. Java raced to the controls to get it started. He didn't even notice when the door opened up once again.

"Java Carson Macbeth." He froze upon hearing those words, turning around to see Randy standing there. He looked a little surprised, but seemed to piece together what was happening. "I'm still testing that one, Java."

"Is it really a proper test if you're the one testin' it alone?" Java said, turning to Randy with a sheepish smile. "I mean, you already know everything that's going to happen, so you have an unfair advantage. You know the quickest way in all that." Randy seemed to tilt his head at that, a hint of a smile turning on his face. Perfect, he had him distracted as he reached behind him. "I still don't get why you don't have other members test it for you, it can't be that hard can it."

"Everyone is usually busy outside of my parties, I don't like to bug them." Randy chuckled as he rolled his eyes and went to check on one of the control boxes for the lights he had nearby. Java took the chance to press the button, the machinery in the game set humming to life. "Wait-" Randy glanced over as Java raced right up into the set, a smile on his face. "Java, get out! You could get hurt, I'm serious!" He said as he raced into the set to grab him. "Yo' not old enough to do this safely! It's more than it looks!"

"I'm old enough in a few months, there isn't gonna be any change for it to be safer then compared to now!" Java said, rolling his eyes as he raced up the stairs, keeping one hand in front of his eyes to block out the light distractions. They weren't too bad, Randy hadn't turned them high up like they normally were since he was still testing a build. He did eventually come across a gap that looked a little too far for him to jump. "Shoot.." He mumbled, before jumping onto the wall, clinging to the fabric.

"What are you-" Randy spoke as he caught up, before pausing as Java began to climb up the pole. The man had to blink a few times to be sure he was seeing what he was seeing. He knew Java had been good at climbing and finding shortcuts on the smaller, kid-safe versions of his sets, but he wasn't expecting him to do the same so quickly. He couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You're like a cat or monkey." He shook his head. "Still, you need to get down. The mattresses at the bottom can only break your fall so much."

"They can protect adult bodies just fine!" Java called as he got onto a higher platform, sticking his tongue out before racing off. "Yes, but- Ugh! I love you but why can't you listen?" Randy started, before continuing to go after the child. He knew his own little shortcuts, he could cut corners. He was just worried, what if a platform shook while Java was on it? He didn't make it shake much, but it was still a concern if it threw him off balance. He took a glance ahead, and paused when he saw Java close to the top. "Stay still!" He ordered, but the child just raced ahead, jumping up and slamming his hand onto the bottom.

"Yes!" He called as the machinery and lights all slowed. "I told you!" He said as Randy took a few breaths to calm down. Java stood there with a proud expression, but Randy just gave him a small glare. Randy was lucky most of the parts he did plan either didn't work properly, or weren't installed properly yet. He walked up with his arms crossed, and Java shrunk in his spot a bit. "I-I won, and I was fine." He said, offering another sheepish smile.

Randy let out a sigh. "I can't say I'm not impressed, or not a little proud. That's not the point." He said as he bent down, having Java lock his eyes with Randy's purple ones. "But there's an extent to risks that are fun. This was supposed to have walls that slam out and close quickly as part of the course, you know, dodging obstacles." He rolled up his sleeve to show some bandages around his arm, making Java's eyes widen. "Granted, it's my fault for getting too close to the rapid fire, but still."

"They just looked fun. Like acting on a stage." Java claimed, and Randy gave a small nod, gently ruffling the hair of the boy. Java looked down to the ground and started to tap the tips of his fingers. He didn't think he would have gotten stuck in the doors, but he could see Randy's concern. Randy took one of his hands and began to lead him back down the set. "I'm sorry." he said as he glanced to the side. He wasn't completely, but he didn't want to get into more trouble than he likely had.

"Just don't do it again. You can wait til you're older before you try the main courses. There's a reason I wait until training age to allow you guys on." Randy stated, Java giving a nod. God, the kid wasn't intending it but he was just giving sad puppy dog eyes. It was going to hurt Randy's heart, he didn't like having to be this stern or, even this responsible. "At the very least I know this set is beginner friendly.. Or at least it is if everyone climbs up the pole like you did."

Java gave a small smile. "Hey, you won't always have a rope, right?" He said, Randy giving a chuckle as he nodded, adjusting the glasses that reseted on the brim of his hat. As they got to the bottom, they noticed someone else by the door, giving them both a glare. Randy cursed a bit under his breath as Java froze. "Uh, Mom?" He said with a smile as she walked over. "I-It's not what you think. I was just curious so Randy very, very carefully took me to the top! While it was, powered on.. hehe.."

"Radman, if you're goin' to leave the door to this room unlocked and have the controls in the open, you should maybe close of your carnival attractions. What if Java got hurt?" Lynna said as she glared at the man, who just held his hands up in the air. Java got between the two of them, causing both to blink at him for a moment, before Lynna let out a sigh as she looked at Java. "I know you wanna have fun and improve your skills, but there's safer methods for both. You don't have to try and prove yourself to Randy."

"Mom!" Java said, a little blush forming on his cheek as Lynna blinked, before facepalming herself. "I'm going now!" He said as he raced out of the room, only stopping once he was out of sight. He leaned against the wall to hear chuckles from the two in the room, but it wasn't malicious. It was just that chuckle older people did when kids did something they thought was funny. "I better not sound like that when I'm older." He mumbled. "I have shows I need to star in." He peeked into the doorway, seeing Lynna shake her head slightly as Randy pulled down his sleeve.

"I swear, what are we going to do about that boy?" Lynna spoke as she looked at Randy. "He takes so much after you."

"I mean, is that really a bad thing? It means he grows up with a sense of humor." Lynna went to shove his arm but Randy just stepped to the side, catching her when she almost fell. "Didn't you just tell your son to be careful?" He asked with a small smirk.

Lynna pulled his hat in front of his eyes and took his glasses before backing away and hiding them. Java couldn't help but giggle as he watched. He loved those two...

-------

Some of the kids started talking among themselves about the sets. How fun they seemed. How it would be so cool to have them for when they would eventually need to train those skills for a heist.

"Lookin' back now, the sets weren't as crazy as I thought they were when me and some others like Willson thought they were.." Macbeth sighed as the memory faded from his head, glancing at the group. "Then again, he started removin' some features and made them overall more 'safer' as time past by. Could've been because he gave himself less budget to work

on them, could have been a safety concern, who knows."

"I think we still have some old pieces of those sets in storage." Hat Girl said as she glanced at the others.

Lavern's face lit up as he looked at Hat Girl and Platinum. "Oh, you two need to get your Dads to have that set back up! It's training and it's better than us sitting around doing nothing!"

"I'm not sure." Platinum said, glancing to the side. "It sounds awesome, yes. But what would be the point in dragging all that out when we're just gonna need to put it back anyway?"

Lavern rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms. "When did you stop being fun, Platinum?"

"I'm STILL fun!" Platinum shouted, huffing while Hat Girl rolled her eyes. "How dare you even suggest that I'm not. That's what I'm programmed for!"

Macbeth let out a small chuckle as he rolled his eyes. These kids were going to kill him one day. Made him think of the good old days...

"It's still interesting how you described Randy." Donnie said, looking at the elite. "I know people tend to just focus on certain traits of people they have only heard of but... He sounds a lot more calm then what I remember hearing about."

"Yea, doesn't even sound too far off from Hattie's dad. Except he sounded like he was more fun." Marybeth said, Hat Girl giving a shrug as laughter and some gasp filled the room, even Macbeth couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"He was like that." Macbeth sighed as he glanced to the side. "The Randy you heard about was the man you would see when the parties were happenin'. The rest of the time, he was more 'chill', you might say." Lavern let out a small grone as Macbeth rolled his eyes. "If you ran into him at the right moment, he was almost like a mini fountain of wisdom."

"Ok, you can't say somethin' like that and NOT give us an example." Platinum said, raising a brow.

Macbeth let out a sigh as Alexsandera floated and rested on his lap, him taking the moment to adjust their mask before he spoke. "I'll give you a small one, from back in my early teens. One rule, you aren't allowed to go blabin' or judin' me."

"You already know we're gonna say yes, just spill the beans Mr. Macbeth." Linda called from the back.

"Alright alright.." They deserved to know a bit of how he truly used to be. "I was a dumb kid back then. Didn't always think clearly about what to do. I also used to be way into music, especially musical theater-"

"Used too?" Platinum held back a chuckle. "You still got the pipes, sir-"

"Do you want me to finish or not?" Macbeth questioned, adjusting his hat while trying to hide the faint blush that had appeared on his face. Platinum held his hands up while nodding, and he sighed. "Good. Well, I wasn't the only one back then, surprisingly. There was this small group that would sneak cameras into shows and get recordings to put on VHS tapes and share. Anyway, I overheard them talkin' once about an idea they had one day, and decided to do somethin' stupid."

-------

Java was tapping his fingers on the tablet with one hand while he was going through the DJ set used for the parties with the other. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, to be fair. The headphones, maybe? He was reading about theater and had heard about something called a 'click track'. He had been practicing some songs when he was alone, but he always found himself missing the beats even with the VHS or records playing in the background. He thought it might help. Sure he was destined to be the clan's next Train Conductor, but he was allowed to have hobbies.

Randy came into the room, Java caught it from the corner of his eyes. He didn't think messing with the set would be that big of a deal, he was just opening and closing the drawers attached. Why the set had drawers in the first place was beyond him. Pretty sure it was a custom build Randy had made just so they could keep all the equipment in a smaller space than usual, or something. Java never knew how to play music, so he could be completely wrong. He just knew he wanted to- he shouted when he closed the drawer too fast, getting his hands caught.

"There's a reason handles exist Java, food for thought." Randy called, though he did place his drink down and went to check on the teenager just to be safe. Java mumbled a bit as he sat in the chair nearby, rubbing the trips. They were a faint shade of red, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Randy leaned against the wall, before looking at the set in confusion. "Why were you going through this stuff anyway? I mean, if you wanted to try DJ-ing, the set itself is right there."

"I was lookin' for the headphones." Java said with a sigh. "I thought maybe they were connected to a clicktrack. Because I swear Zackery just, doesn't miss a note. It's almost inhuman, I'm almost ready to call him a topbot!" Randy let out a chuckle, and Java did as well. Helped take some of the pain away. "Hey, maybe that should be your next big idea? I mean, a DJ topbot would be pretty cool. Who knows, maybe you can make it alive?" He then shook his head. "Like that'll ever happen."

"You have powers, Java, never say never." Randy said as he ruffled his hand, Java pushing his hand away. "Though, I do gotta ask. Why do you need a clicktrack so bad?"

"I overheard some members talking about doing a shorter version of a 'Les Miserables' play to kill time between the party's and heist since they aren't happening as much anymore, and I was thinkin' of seeing if I could sing a role." Java admitted as he glanced to the side. Randy tilted his head to the side as Java let out a sigh. "It sounds stupid now that I'm saying it out loud, but I thought having a clicktrack to practice would help. I just, really would like to do a proper show.."

"I mean, a musical that's all singing seems a little much for a starter, but I get your ambition." Randy chuckled as he gestured to the floor nearby, only notable as a dance floor thanks to the DJ set. "I mean, I always wanted to make people smile and look at me... Man, I sound like a cartoon character." Java chuckled as he nodded, Randy tapping some buttons on the set. "I mean, if we all just did crime, it would get boring eventually. Then we have a record for literally nothing. You gotta have hobbies."

"Yea... I just.." Java sighed. "What if I don't get the chance to act on it?"

"Yo' a little young for a crisis like that." Randy pointed out, and Java rolled his eyes. "You just gotta do your best, even if you don't get this role, I'm sure this won't be the last time the clan does a musical. You got decades to act on your talents, don't worry about becoming a star this very minute... if any of that makes sense." Randy yawned as he shook his head. "I'm not sure if you can tell but I’ve been staying up with slushies since last night. I had a lot of paperwork to do."

"Do you need any help? Willson is busy with his little lover." Java rolled his eyes as Randy chuckled. "And I haven't found anyone else to do anything with since Mom's at the train. I was going to hang out with you earlier but Wilford got on me the second I got ten feet of your office." Randy let out a groan at the mention of that joykiller. "Besides, I'm gonna need to do paperwork someday so might as well get a start there... and it gives me a cover story if we somehow broke this."

Randy's eyes widened. "Oh, good point, let's go." He whispered.

-------

The kids all let out giggles, if not full on laughs, once Macbeth had ended the short story. It was simple, the ending wasn't even supposed to be a joke. But it's just how Randy was. Also bringing the smallest bit of comedy with his words, even when he or no one else intended there to be one.

"Man, that Randy guy sounded great!" Lavern spoke as he leaned against the wall, wiping a small tear from his eye, or at least did the motion. "And you sounded so... extra cool?" Lavern held in his original statement. "What happened for you to let a lot of that energy go?"

Macbeth sighed as he got up, letting Alex float up to his shoulders. "Time, mostly. Trust me, Randy was always right about one thing. Time does change you, and you can't really stop it... It's just a matter of how much you let yourself be changed..."

"Mr. Macbeth... are you crying?" Marybeth asked in concern. Peck him. He didn't even realize.

"I'm fine, just. Dust in my eyes." he sighed as he went to leave the room. "I'm goin' to go rest now, ok? Doin' nothin' has got me tried."

"Can you tell us some more stories tomorrow?" Eric called out, with Linda nodding nearby.

He looked away. "Maybe.." he spoke before he left. Feeling so... conflicted with himself. On one hand, he was happy to finally get some of those good memories out of his system. On the other, he hated reflecting on that time in his life. Hated knowing the last party Randy ever threw was his seventeen party.

Hated knowing what was offered to him that night.

-------

The airship had settled down from the night's events. Most had gone back to their rooms to rest the night away, or were wandering the halls talking with others. Java wasn't one of them. Sure, it was his party so he would naturally be more energized about the whole thing, but he still felt just as awake as when he had woken up that morning. The only reason he had even left the main party room was because he noticed Randy wasn't there. It had confused him a bit, so he went looking.

He eventually found the man in the cockpit, sitting in the driver's seat and glancing out the window. It was late at night. Technically, it would be the next day soon. It was a bit cloudy, but he could still see some stairs from the top of the glass. They felt more... mystical tonight. Java had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't just seeing things. Maybe Randy had found a way to apply something to the windows? He wouldn't be too surprised if he did, he just didn't know how.

Still, he snuck up behind the leader, and went to scare him. Only for Randy to quickly turn around, making Java fall back in surprise.

"No fair, it's my birthday, Rand!" Java spoke through his laughter, getting up as Randy rolled his eyes before sitting back in his chair with a chuckle. Java went beside him as he glanced at the map Randy had open. Los Angeles was their next stop huh. He glanced at the man. It was amazing how Randy could still seem so energetic, even with a faint bag under his eyes. "I really loved my party. I think the clan did too." Randy glanced at him. "But I think they're worried, I can't be the only one who knows about you sneaking out."

"How long have you known?" Randy asked, raising a brow before shaking his head. "I know, I know. I shouldn't be doing it alone. I... probably shouldn't have been doing a lot of things alone.. I just didn't want to throw the boring work on anyone else, you know?" Java gave a nod as Randy sighed, looking like he was contemplating something before smiling, turning to Java. "You know, I never got around to selecting a Right Hand. It's dumb, I know. I just thought I could handle it all myself."

"It's a little dumb to think that, even I know that." Java chuckled, before pausing. "Why are you bringin' this up to me, Randy? Shouldn't you be speakin' with mom and the other elites?"

"I already know my choice." Randy said, shaking his head. "It may seem irresponsible, but I know who's going to be my Right Hand... You think I haven't noticed some of my work being done for me?" Randy asked as he glanced at Java, who froze. He went to explain, but then paused. There was no way... He felt his heart beat in his chest a bit. Randy turned the chair to face him completely. "We will need to wait another year to make it official, I don't want to break traditions after all.."

"Yo' jokin'." Java spoke, but Randy shook his head. So much was going through his head. Excitement, concern, and a million other emotions he couldn't quite place. Being the Right Hand was an honor enough. But it wasn't just that. The position was a near-garantie to the toppat throne. That, if the impossible should happen and Randy was lost, he would take his place. "Y-You know my mom is goin' to kill you when she finds out right?" He asked, but couldn't help but keep the smile on his face. "Why me, out of everyone here?"

"Oh, if I tried to put my thoughts into words it would take hours." Randy chuckled. "But you have spirit. Even at your lowest, you care for the clan above all. That's something not many people can truly say they have, but you can... Yo' a model toppat in a million and ten ways. Yo'... almost like a son to me." Randy smiled, and Java had to hold back the tears in his eyes. Randy then gave a shrug as he glanced to the side. "Of course, if you don't want the position, that's fine. I can always-"

"YES!" Java said, the sudden shout almost making Randy fall out of his seat, despite how he had been preparing for that. "I-I swear I'll be the best right hand this clan has, and will ever see!" He began to pace back and forth in his spot. "We'll have the best heists. Create the best lives for everyone... I might be able to sneak in a few shows. I been leanrin-" Randy reach over and placed a hand on his shoulder, and Java took a breath. "Let me guess, finish being a kid first?"

"Yup." Randy said as he leaned back. "Yo' never truly an adult, or at least that's how I feel." He chuckled. "But you got one year left before people act like that's all you are. Enjoy it, Java."

"Do I need to get you some pop, yo' only thirty-three yet yo' sounding like someone's grandfather. Respectfully, of course." Java added with a chuckle as Randy faked a faint into his chair at the news, before rolling his eyes as Java glanced out the window again. Then glanced faintly at the chair Randy was in. It might be his some day. He hoped it would only fall to him in a case of retirement...what was he so worried for? Everything would be fine. "We, probably should head back and start clearing up the party."

"The worst part." Randy grone but nodded as he got up. "I swear I should just leave the room as it is sometimes. We end up reusing basically the same decorations a lot... at least we have been lately.." He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna take a break from my secret heist, at least for a bit. LA should have enough to keep the clan afloat for a while while I, or we." He smiled as he glanced at Java, who nodded. "Figure out a better way to get the cash we need. Hopefully your party will have tied everyone's energy over until then.”

"If people are annoyed, then they shouldn't complain ‘bout your ways of spending money in the first place." Java said, rolling his eyes while Randy sighed, looking to the side. Like Java didn't fully understand yet... He was a kid. He would understand eventually.

There was a cough in the hall, and both turned to the figure that had been standing there. "I don't know what you two were yapping about, but Randy needs to go to bed now if he even wants to try and bring a good idea to tomorrow's meeting," Wilford spoke, giving a slight glare to the man who seemed a bit confused. "Really? Did you forget? You were the one who scheduled it." He glanced to the side and muttered "This clan is a lost cause." before he lit one of his cigars, eyeing Java when the teen glared at him.

"Sorry, this was my first big party in a while. And you know how easily distracted I am by them... Let me clean everything up then I'll head to bed." Randy said, Java giving a nod as the two began to pass. "And please, take that outside. I don't want to be a buzzkill but there are children present." Java gently grabbed Randy’s shoulder and the man rolled his eyes. "What, it's true!" He said as they both chuckled a bit. They didn't see the death glare Wilford was giving the man in pink. Didn't see him form a fist.

"Man. I can't wait to see how things look in a few years." Java smiled. "I know I shouldn't let it be gettin' to my head but, come on, it's a big deal." His father figure nodded as he wrapped an arm around him. Java glanced at the ceiling since he couldn't look at the sky. Things were going to go so well with both him and Randy in charge of the clan. He didn't expect things to go perfectly, but he knew he would do his best. "Our reign is going to be talked about for decades to come, I just know it!"

If you told Java the events that would have happened that night, he wouldn't have believed you. If you told him in just a few days he would walk in on Wilford trying to kill Randy, he would have shrugged it off. That Wilford would shoot him in retaliation for the attempt. Hitting him in the arm and just barely missing his head, ruining his hat. If you told Java Randy would have run to check on him, and that's when Wilford would get the kill, he wouldn't dare believe it was true. He wouldn't have.

But when Wilford would tell Macbeth that it was all his fault, he would. And that if he wanted him and his mother safe, he dropped everything 'Randy like' about him... He would drop himself..

-------

Macbeth was silent as he sat by the window in his room, glancing out at the night sky. Alex had themselves wrapped around one of his arms, poking the buttons of the 3DS he held for them. He found it in storage and just kept it when he couldn't find the owner. Had a copy of Omega Ruby in it. It kept Alex entertained when he needed some time to think. Even if he occasionally needed to help with some inputs if the pressure from their mask wasn't enough.

He glanced down at the bottle he held in his free hand. He always told himself he would at least try to drink less. But he had just been picking up on it more and more, behind the scenes. He never got drunk, and rarely got a little tipsy. He didn't want to become a mess in front of Alex. He just needed to motion the action at the very least. Trick his mind into letting go.

It wasn't working.

"I guess I'm gettin' that very important position whether I want it or not." He whispered to himself as he put the bottle on his desk, before pausing at the sketch-up toy next to Alex's bed. Percy, the only thing he had of his life before Randy...

Did.... such a time ever truly exist?

It didn't matter now, he supposed.

In a hundred, thousands, or a million years while filling the role that was chosen for him, the present would seem like it never existed...

Was it even possible for his brain to handle that long time of information?

He didn't know... He just had to try and enjoy what little time remained of his normal life.

The Moonjumper is coming.

And he can't stop it.

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #hat girl #hat kid #henry stickmin oc #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #henry stickmin mr. macbeth #mr. macbeth #mr macbeth #randy radman #ahit subcon dwellers #sir wilford iv

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