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"Earthdancer," an unfamiliar voice calls, cutting through the depths of Tango's sleep. "I am sorry, but... Please, awaken."
With a grunt and a grumble, Tango rolls over. He takes a second to breathe before scrambling to his feet, only opening his eyes once he reaches up into a stretch.
The world around him is hazy, and he knows that once again he walks in dreams.
This dreamscape can only be the fall god's; Tango stands in a grove of trees, where crispy, auburn leaves cover the floor. It is warm enough, but a chill in the air heralds an approaching winter, and with each gust the auburn trees look a little more bare. In the centre of it all kneels a man, his back to Tango. The haziness of the place leaves his features indistinct, and he keeps his face turned away. Tango can, however, see fragile, insectoid wings shivering beneath elytra of an amber-red, and a black horn hanging from his belt.
"I'm up, I'm up," Tango grumbles, rubbing at his face. "And you are... Lord Fall- wait, no, Lady Spring callified you Lord Autumn. Right? That's who you are?"
Unable to see his face, Tango can still detect the hint of a smile. The dreamscape remains sad, however, defeated and desperate and so very, very afraid.
"I must ask something of you," Lord Autumn whispers, voice carried only on a small gust of a late fall's breeze. "A request, that I have no business to make."
"You and everyone else," Tango mutters; the dreamscape is touch him, he knows, turning him more bitter than he would usually be. "Go on, then."
"I need..." the god continues, hesitating and yet somehow seeming to not be listening to Tango at all. "While I retain some sanity. While I am still myself..."
The god turns, and just for a moment Tango sees a flicker of blonde hair and soft brown eyes, remembered only for how out of place they seem on a god of fall.
The next words, however, cause any other thought to slip away.
"Please, Earthdancer. Please kill me."
"No! Wait, what-?!" Tango tries to interrupt, he really does, his job is to serve the gods, yes, but first of all to save them-!
"I don't want to hurt anyone," the words come with a whimper and a sob. Only then does Tango realise that the god has been crying this whole time. "Please, Earthdancer. Please, you must kill be before I hurt anyone..."
Tango means to ask who or what or why when this god of autumn screams. A darkness like a thousand eyes consumes the god, a swirling abyss of confusion and pain. Tango shield his face with his arms, grunting as the pain of the god begins to crack the dreamscape at the seams.
The screaming twists from that of a man to the chittering of a bug, and then calms. Only then does Tango risk opening his eyes.
A giant beetle, easily seven foot and matching every description of the monster in this place stares down at him, those same tired, brown eyes the only indicator of who it is. It beats its wings once and then twice, summoning lightning down all around it. Tango screams and yet the corrupted god keeps still, staring, as the trees around catch fire and even the sky begins to crumble to ash.
"Before its too late." "Let me die as myself." "I don't want to hurt anyone." "Do not let me harm the village." "The corruption has sunk too deep." "Please, Earthdancer, kill me." "Please, please, please!"
The desperate pleas of the god ring from the soul-scape as it collapses around them, and Tango is trapped, trapped, he is going to burn again, he is going to die again, he is going to-
A hand on Tango's shoulder rips him from the dream. He shoots upright and into reality, desperately pulling in the cool, fall air.
"Tango?"
Tango turns, and meets the worried eyes of Skizz. Unable to quite catch his breath he offers the confectioner a nod, waiting for his own pulse to calm.
"You good, buddy?"
"A dream," Tango shudders. "Or... a vision. From Lord Autumn."
"You didn't react like that to Lady Spring or Lady Summer."
Tango bites his lip, shaking his head. "He... You remember Lady Spring was worried about him? Wanted us to come here first?"
"But the road were blocked and we had to pass where Lady Summer was anyway. Yeah, I remember."
Skizz is still looking at him with worried eyes.
Tango refuses to meet them.
"I think... I think she was right to be worried," Tango frowns, shifting slightly. Calmer now he feels the weight in his hands, and it is to no surprise that he sees himself holding the fall god’s horn. "Can you get the others up? We need to talk."
"Yeah, I'll... You watch breakfast, I'll get them up."
With that little argument? Tango is certain that the severity of the situation comes across.
With a bowl of porridge and all three of his companions awake, it is a little easier see the world for what it is. He shares the vision with the group, all various levels of awake, with Impulse nodding thoughtfully and Etho threatening to fall asleep in the milky oats.
"So, let me get this straight," it is Skizz who talks, Skizz who always leads these discussions. "Lord Autumn has asked you to kill him, because... the Blight seems to be taking him over?"
"If it hasn't done so already." Tango agrees. "At the end there..."
"Lady Spring did mention he was the youngest of the four. She and Lady Summer hid within in their sacred objects, keeping away from the Blight's attention at the cost of becoming dormant. Is it possible he didn't know how to?" Impulse asks, glancing to Tango.
Tango shrugs, "maybe? When I say I was a trainee priest... That’s about all I know. Myself and the other trainee were sent out to restore the movement of seasons and the balance of the heavens, but I forgot the rest."
It is a well-worn joke by now, that Tango’s memories were lost when he fell from the heavens and broke open the roof of spring’s dragon shrine with his skull. There is a thought that lingers, however, one that insists he had already forgotten before he fell.
All he remembered then was the purification dance. A little more has been recovered, now, but he is not exactly an expert on the gods. He could not even tell you the name of the one engraved on his fan, let alone the missing custodians.
"We could ask Lady Summer," Etho suggests, a yawn breaking through as he makes a useful comment. "She's closer than Lady Spring, and might know."
"Too far," Skizz frowns, dismissing the idea. "If what Tango says is true, we might not have time for that."
Everyone knows that, but none of them want to admit it. BigB's mention of a giant beetle saving him from monsters, out towards the windmills, is their best lead. Speaking of...
"He saved BigB," Tango finally points out. "Even in monster form. Just because he transformed doesn't necessarily mean it's too late."
"Is it worth trying, though?" Skizz asks.
"Of course!" Tango snaps. "We can't just leave things like this!"
"What Skizz means," Impulse cuts through. "Is can you purify him? Do you think you can? I'll cover you as best I can, but the dance leaves you vulnerable. We can knock him about, tire him out a bit, but… You know, we still haven't got any leads on Lord Winter, let alone Lord Heaven and Lady Hell. And if we loose you..."
"But, if we search for them first, Lord Autumn will definitely be lost, and this town will probably be destroyed," Etho is still leant back as though napping, but Tango knows well that the analysis is keeping up.
Impulse nods, "exactly."
"I have to try," Tango says. "I can't just... He's not a bad person, just upset and all corrupted because of the blight. We'll kill if we have to, but I’m not just killing the guy. Then we’d have to wait for a new god to ascend and take his place before we can fix this."
Ascending gods? Tango does not know where he thought of that, but as soon as he says it he knows the words are right. Gods can very much die – he suspects his own might be dead – but they are eventually replaced.
The balance of heaven and earth demands it so.
"Alright," Skizz nods to him, then looks to Impulse and Etho. "Then, we cover him. Etho, we got enough potions for that?"
A lazy thumbs up.
"And Dop, your kit's in order?"
"All polished and repaired last night."
"And I've got my kit. Top, you got your dancing shoes?"
"You know I don't have shoes," Tango scoffs. Still, he pulls out his own fan – a gift from a dear, beloved friend, one whose name and face have been stolen from him – and snaps it open over his face.
Then, curious to know what enchantment is here, he takes Lord Autumn's horn, and blows it. As the note ends, a gust of wind causes the already leaning Etho to be knocked from his stool.
Skizz cackles, while Impulse snorts, the two of them remaining steady in their seats.
"Guess we know lightning's the corruption and air his natural element, then," Impulse waves a hand, getting slowly to his feet. "If you've got earth enchants, find them."
"And that's all we're getting, so kit up boys, time to go save another god."
Setting off as early as they do, they avoid the bustle of town. BigB is on night watch, same as the night he was attacked, and waves them off with an expression that knows more than he says.
Tango tries to think nothing of it as they climb from the town and into the mountains. They have yet to find anyone who does not want the four of them saving the world, so he has to hope BigB is not going to prove the first.
And, anyway, people go to the windmill regularly – it should be safe and fine enough, at least the walk so far. Just because he ran into flesh-eating, man-sized hornets up there does not mean that is a normal problem!
For once the path is well laid out and free from monsters. It winds a little, but can be clearly seen to head up the hill. Impulse and Etho chat as they walk, Skizz doing most of the work of keeping watch. Usually Tango would join them – the chatting, and less of the watching for monsters, at least in areas with good visibility – but something about last night’s vision sets him on edge. This area has been trapped in the fall for many decades, and yet he swears he can feel the bite of winter on the winds. Something uncomfortable keeps him jumpy, but not observant, shrieking at falling leaves and yet missing Impulse grabbing his shoulder entirely.
“You good, man?” he asks, gesturing with his head.
“I’m fine,” Tango replies, certain that they see his lie.
And they do, but they let it slide.
Almost.
Kind of.
Impulse and Etho tuck close to his sides, shield and knives covering his flank. Even Skizz stays closer than usual, an arrow knocked to his bow.
Tango wants to thank them, but what is there to say?
In time they come to the windmill. It sits atop a hill, surrounded by what were ones wheat fields. With the fall eternal they have been converted instead to the rearing of animals, the scant crops they are able to grow more suitable to feed. The hills are spotted with barns and buffamoo, none looking especially disturbed. The windmill itself is broken, left unfixed after BigB’s flight.
The wind is still, and no monsters make themselves known.
Tango’s fingers twitch against the hilt of his blade as he looks around, peering into the distance. Far to the west he can see the mountains, and the encroaching freeze of winter-cursed lands both there and to the north. To the west the seasons have begun to churn, the lands of both Lady Spring and Lady Summer halted in the latter’s season until Lord Autumn is free.
And to the south… To the south is a forest.
Etho spots it first, calling Tango over. He goes, ignoring the curious looks of his other companions, following a finger pointed towards the trees.
“Look there,” Etho says. “See anything?”
Tango squints, leaning forward as though that would help him see something so many miles away.
“A…” He looks hard, pretending he has nearly the eyesight of his friend. “The trees have no leaves. And is that… A roof?”
“Uh huh,” Etho nods, pleased with himself.
“And a storm cloud above it,” Skizz points to the heavens.
A natural affinity to wind, with the corrupting influence of thunder.
“There, then.” Tango states, realising how easy it is, only praying it is not a trap.
If the god wants to fight him, that alone explains why the route would be so obvious, right…?
Just, hopefully, whatever beast the god has become does not mind that he has brought friends along.
And so they walk, unto victory or unto death. The colours of fall glisten in the trees, though the woods are unnaturally silent.
Whatever creatures lived here, each and every one of them has been chased away.
Eventually, they come to a ruined shrine. It is deep in the forest, and yet still built in the style of the one in town. It must have been abandoned for far longer than the seventy years since the cataclysm, with even the stonework of the engravings having fallen to ruin.
Knowing by now the sort of places that danger frequents, team TIES shoulder off their bags. They make a neat pile at the edge of the treeline, quietly preparing their weapons as they watch for danger.
“Earth, remember,” Etho tosses Skizz the correct crossbow bolts, before finding and sharpening his own knives.
Tango, having forgotten, quickly switched out his sword and arrows. The tokens of all three rescued gods, and the fan of his own, stay on his person, but it is Lady Spring’s pendant which he wraps around his wrist. He loops the chain around his fingers, settling the gem in the palm of his hand for just as soon as he needs to cast.
“You sure it’s here?” Impulse asks, looking around.
Etho nods to the gate, “anything like the last few, we’ll be sensed as soon as we cross that line.”
And, while last time they fought a thief, and the time before a guardian, Tango would put good money on fighting a corrupted god going much the same way. Each of them takes a few medical supplies, with Skizz taking up the bulk of them. Working in the most distant magic, he tends to hold it back where the monsters are least likely to damage things.
“All ready?” Tango asks, wishing he could return to the familiar comfort of the summer flames, but knowing they would be quenched by the corrupting storm.
With three affirmations, they step past the gate. Tango can feel the shudder of magic as they do, and all of them can hear the unearthly screeching from all around. A great wind kicks up, dust blowing in all of their faces; Tango grips Lady Spring’s pendant tight, and sends the dust plummeting back into the earth.
There, where before there was nothing, stands the corrupted beast of his dreams. A beetle, wings fiercely beating, a shimmering green and red where it watches them. Tango’s hands twitch towards his fan – maybe they can avoid the fighting, if the god is in control enough to hold still as he binds the runes – only for darkness to seep in from all around.
The monster – the corrupted god - swoops down.
Skizz lets loose a bolt of the crossbow.
The bolt misses, but the beetle swoops ever faster. Impulse moves to intercept, whilst Tango pulls tight the string of his own, more conventional, bow. He steps out of the way of the dive-bomb, not bothering to check if his arrow hit, before twisting the pendant in his hand. This time it is the corrupted god’s legs that he pins – not something that will last for long, but it gives Etho the chance for a few easy hits.
It would be so easy to be swept into the rhythm of battle, and yet Tango refuses. If he does settle in, he will be careless; he does not want to kill this god, just exhaust him so that Tango might try and purify the corruption. Even if he were aiming for a kill, he has his three buddies to worry about! Of the four of them, only Etho might be a warrior by trade, and Tango is the only one who is definitely arms trained; since the cataclysm everyone has learnt to bear arms from a young age, but Skizz is a confectioner and Impulse owns an airship! Even Tango, as a priest-in-training, should not be the one fighting a god!
But here they are, in the ducking and the weaving and the slamming potion-soaked gauze to their wounds even mid-fight.
At least Tango can be fairly sure that Lord Autumn is not fully corrupted; were he fighting with his full power, they would all have died instantly.
Instead he can dart around, his wounds mostly superficial as he tries to bait the giant beetle. Humans are those with the determination and the stamina, but still it is a difficult thing; the four of them work together but apart, pulling the corrupted god’s attention all around the clearing, trying to ignore the potential consequences of blood drawn in either direction.
Eventually the god drops to the ground. In small movements it turns to face Tango, both of them heaving as it falls to the ground.
“Kill me, Earthdancer,” a voice whispers in his mind. “Kill me, and free me from my curse.”
Tango does not apologise as he steps forwards. He keeps the pendant in hand, just in case, but swaps his sword for his fan. Keeping it closed he points it at the head of the corrupted god, reaching out to the Earth with his soul. He gathers the last shreds of life in this place, pulling those runes to his core and kindling them. For a moment he stands there heaving, gathering his breath and gathering what power this patch of land might spare to save its lord.
And then, with a deep breath and friends watching his back, Tango snaps open the fan and begins to cast.
“I humbly offer these words,” he says, twisting his body as he guides the runes between the earth and the beetle.
Are the words necessary? They feel right to say, and so he does, wrapping the magic of the world himself around him and redirecting it into the purification spell.
“Great deity who dwells within this beast…”
The worlds feel uglier than usual, he can hear the god’s begging in his mind even as he knows that is impossible.
“… may your divine glory shine forth...”
In the final move of the dance, Tango snaps his fan closed, pointing it towards his fallen foe. The surge of power having been concentrated within him spills over and then down his focus, a ripple in reality echoing from the point.
“… and bless us forever more.”
A simple ritual, but an effective one. He ends with the fan now open and pointing to the god, using it to direct a power he is but a channel for. Tango is no god, he cannot bend reality to his whims, but in those moments, at the times when power surges through him at the command of a dance and his god-touched soul…
In those moments, he almost feels like one.
And yet no mortal is divine. He releases the spell, and the runes surge both to their god, and to revitalise the world.
The crashing of thunder, and a screaming that, in any other circumstance, might just have been the wind. The beetle falls and shutters, a darkness breaking away and dissolving into the earth. Tango shields his eyes from the torrent of debris being kicked up, bracing himself against a dust storm.
For a moment it cuts into his skin, armour the only thing protecting his flesh.
And then, it is still.
Cautiously, Tango lowers his arms. A quick glance shows Etho hiding behind Impulse's shield, both fine, and Skizz hesitantly stepping away from the tree he had ducked behind.
Satisfied that his friends are safe, Tango turns back to where the beetle fell.
And there, in its place, lies a man.
A man with beetle wings and antenna, but a man nonetheless.
He is, however, unmoving.
As soon as that clicks in Tango's mind, he throws caution to the wind. He grabs their supply bag and runs over, tossing the strap over his shoulder and rummaging around.
He has a potion, there should be a potion, and there's smelling salts somewhere in here...
Upon reaching the man's side, Tango crashes – knees first – into the ground. He takes the man's wrist, feeling first for a pulse. It takes a few moments of adjusting his grip and the pressure, but... there.
Alive, then.
Tango is unsure if Lord Autumn is supposed to have wings and antenna – the other gods do not – but the Blight is gone and he is alive. Maybe its just... scaring, after a sort. Yeah, yeah, blight scarring – that makes sense.
The wrist beneath Tango's hand twitches. The fingers of the hand tense and untense, curl and unfurl, as the god slowly comes around.
"Hey," Tango tries to be quiet, but is only squeakier for it. "Are you supposed to have wingy-wings, or do I need to try again? It looks like you got all unblightificated, so I don't think it'll work, but I can try!"
"No!" Lord Autumn reaches up, grabbing his own antenna and pulling them down and over his eyes. "No, no no no, these are mine. Don't- These are mine."
Tango leans back, hands in the air. "Woh there, sir, no touching if you don't want it! But can we at least give you a potion? Or a snack? We kinda had to beat you up first..."
To be quite honest, Lord Autumn does not look so bad; the blight seems to have taken most of the damage with it and the detransformification, but Tango has never really trusted things like that.
""No I'm-" the god cuts himself off, and narrows his eyes at Tango. "Wait! Earthmate! No! No no no... No, I- I asked you- I told you! You were supposed kill me. This is wrong, wrong, all wrong you stupid bug, stupid, stupid you stupid boy!"
The god begins to curl up, turning away from Tango as he berates himself. Tango reaches out, grabbing his wrists and gently guiding him back to face him.
"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm not in the killing business! Nope, no sir-ee, I'm in the saving one. And we need all the gods to help break the barrier around the meteor, so we can stop the rune drain and stop the decline. So, um, I won't murderificate you. Maybe once everything's sorted Lady Summer will help you out with that."
Gods, Tango hopes now; he likes Lady Summer well enough.
"You don't want me," Lord Autumn insists. "I just... I just ruin everything I touch."
"You saved BigB."
Lord Autumn stares blankly at Tango.
Tango takes a deep breath, and takes it in his stride.
"Right! Stupid me! Tango of the Tek variety, at your service! Earthdancer and Priest of the Divine Dragon. These are Impulse and Skizz from Springtown, and Etho from the capital. Lady Spring asked us to find and rescue you."
"Wait, Lizzie sent you?" Something in the god perks up a little at that, a small chittering of wings accompanying the noise.
Grinning, finally with an in, Tango pulls Lady Spring's bells from his bag.
"Yup! Helped her out of her pond, then she asked us to come find you. We helped Lady Summer out on the way, too."
Lord Autumn nods slowly, clearly thinking. Then, he snaps his fingers, calling his fan from Tango's belt into his hand. He opens it, examines it, and then drops into a bow.
"I am Lord Autumn, who is called Jimmy. I am The Final Warmth Before The Frozen Night, The Gasp That Heralds Impending Doom. I am the cursed god of the mountains, and nothing but death follows in my wake."
Tango, for once in his life pauses. But, not being priests at all, the other three have backed off - cleaning and reordering kit while Tango remains with this god.
Jimmy. This god named Jimmy.
"Well..." he eventually says, when the wait grows too tense. "The bit about death sounds like its not a title, and the rest is just how years work, and every curse can be broken anyway. So how about we head back to the shrine, get you properly patched up, and call Lady Spring to sort this all out...?"
"But I-"
Jimmy attempts to stand, but he clearly moves too fast for his battered and exhausted body. His eyes roll back as he collapses, Tango's reflexes only just enough to save him from the floor. When shaking will not wake him Tango carefully scoops him into a bridal carry, and gets awkwardly to his own feet.
"Everything okay?" Impulse asks, a frown on his lips as Skizz and Etho watch, standing just a little further away.
"Could you head back to Springtown? I... Well... it'd be better if Lady Spring was here."
"We all headed over?"
Tango considers it, but it is Etho who answers "probably best to stay here. The gods are already weak, and even weaker outside their temple-towns. You and Skizz go fetch Lady Spring, I'll help Tango with the Lord."
The backrooms of the autumn temple are sparsely decorated, the sort of place that is often used and rarely visited. Boxes of odd, seventy year old junk are stacked to the sides, and the paintings on the wall have mildew in the corners. As soon as Lord Autumn is comfortably on the bed, Etho makes it his purpose to clean. Tango ignores him, busy cleaning and bandaging the unconscious god’s wounds. His wings, insectoid as they are, prove a more difficult task. Having no idea what he is doing, Tango just avoids them, and hopes that is the correct choice.
As Tango is wrapping one of Lord Autumn’s arms, the god awakens. Confused eyes stare at him, ones that take Tango a moment to notice.
“Hey buddy,” Tango grins at him as he ties off the bandage. Feeling any better?”
The god buries his face into the pillow.
“I feel you,” Tango agrees, reaching over to pat his shoulder. “That should be you all fixificated up, but I hear the corrupting-ing takes a lot out of you. We did bring you back to town, but nobody told anyone yet, so you should be all good to keep hiding here a bit longer.”
One brown eye looks over at Tango, before the god groans. Etho’s light footsteps creep a little closer, though Tango has no doubt that he is skulking about.
Ignoring his friend, Tango nods encouragingly – despite the judgement in the look. “You needing anything?”
“No,” the god whispers. He takes a deep breath, then slowly manoeuvrers into a sitting position. His wings stretch out as he curls over, straining out sideways before folding closed. “I suppose I am to thank you…?”
“I mean, I prefer it to being begged to kill you,” Tango tries to shrug, but the god’s wince makes it quite clear that he failed to act all non-bothered by it. “I mean, I get it, you were all bug and weird, but I don’t think Lady Spring would ever forgive us, and we kinda are needing a fall god…? I’m trying to sort out the rune problem, but to do that we kinda need the seal breakificating and to go solve that problem.”
Somewhere a door closes; Etho must have headed out.
“Lady- You mean Lizzie? Sister Spring?” Lord Autumn perks up. “She’s okay?”
“Yup!” Tango nods. “I started in Springtown. She was hibernating in her pond, and was out of power to be able to break free. Imp and Skizz have gone to fetch her for you.”
“I thought…” he blinks. “Jimmy. I’m Jimmy. Not… But I thought… they were all gone.”
Tango shakes his head. “Everyone’s powers are a bit messed up, and everyone’s weak, but we’ve helped Lady Spring and Summer already. And, once you’re doing okay, it’s off to rescue Lord Winter too. And then Lord Heaven and Lady Hell.”
“Oh.” Lord Autumn – Jimmy? Lady Summer did say call her Pearl, but even that is a habit Tango cannot quite get into – looks genuinely confused. “There was the meteor, and we sealed it, but the runes kept leaking, and they vanished and…”
Spotting Jimmy’s shaking hands, Tango leans over to grab them.
“I’m kinda mortal,” he apologises. “So I don’t know all the stuff. But! As I said. Lady Lizzie will be here soon. Another couple of hours, maybe? In the meantime, er, anything I can do to help? I’m sure I saw some board games around here? Or I can fetch dinner?”
Lord Autumn shakes his head.
Then, after a moment, he uses their joined hands to pull Tango closer. Startled, Tango yelps, only to find an antennaed head of blonde hair pressing itself into his chest.
The touch is light, almost like…
Tango adjusts Jimmy’s position until his head is on his shoulder, then wraps his arms around him. There is something that seems almost more human about him despite the remaining beetle features.
“So, um…” Tango tries to work out how to ask, now he is reminded of the antenna and wings, before deciding just to jump straight in. “The wings? Are they normal? Not that they aren’t cool! Just if it’s more blight I kinda need to work out how to banishificate better.”
A watery laugh from his shoulder, as Lord Autumn shakes his head.
“No, no, those are normal,” comes the watery, giggly reply. “That’s… A story for another time.”
Tango is tempted to push – he loves pushing! - but the moment for it is all wrong. Jimmy is clearly teetering on the edge of tears, and there is the whole worry about the thought of curses. While it has not immediately come up again, it sounded far too believed to just be skimmed over so easily.
But… Maybe that’s better for Lady Spring to tackle? Impulse and Skizz have surely already told her what they know about it.
“Well then, Lord Jimmy,” Tango tries teasing, hopes that it will cheer the god up a bit. “How about I storificate for you, then? Most of what I know is what my teacher told me, but I can still fill you in a bit on the last seventy years? And what me and my team have been up to?”
Jimmy seems like he wants to reply, when the door slides open again.
“I’ve got dinner!” Etho calls, not yet seeing the god’s flinch.
“Great timing!” Tango replies. “I was about to fill Jimmy here on what happened the last couple of decades. Sir, this is Etho, one of those helping me out. Etho, this is Lord Autumn, but he said call him Jimmy.”
“Yo,” Etho gestures with the three plates he is balancing, bringing them over. “So Tango here knows some stuff, but I’ve all the capital gossip if you want it. Everyone loves gossip, right?”
“Um…” Jimmy glances between the two of them. “Maybe start with the what’s going on? And the where did everyone go?”
“Yeah, so about that...”
Somewhere around explaining how the towns were managing the combination of crop-blight and frozen seasons, there is a knock at the door. Tango yelps but does not have time to register it before Lady Spring barges in, Impulse and Skizz following behind her.
“Jimmy!” She calls, a little more shrill than Tango expects her to be. “Jimmy, where are you?!”
“We’re in the back!” Tango calls, before anyone else has to panic one another.
Jimmy looks frankly nervous as quick footsteps sound, far too hurried to be simple walking, but not pounding enough for a run.
Seconds later Lady Spring - /Lizzie/ - appears in a flurry of skirts and movement, barely pausing before she dives for Jimmy. She wraps him in a hug, pulling him close and hiding him with her long sleeves and bright pink hair.
“Oh, Jimmy,” she says, tearing up herself. “Why didn’t you hide?! What did you do?”
“I’m sorry,” he breaks into her shoulder. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know how, I didn’t even know I could hide! Sister Spring, I thought- I thought, when I couldn’t stop them, and then you were gone-”
“Hush, you silly boy,” she says, and perhaps her words would be more effective if she herself was not crying. “Of course we aren’t gone. You’re not exactly strong enough to kill us.”
“But the curse, and-”
“Not. Strong. Enough.”
She pulls away, making firm eye contact with Jimmy. He holds it for a moment, before recoiling. She pulls him close again, hugging him to her.
“I was so worried,” she whispers, and if Tango did not feel like he was intruding before – which he did – then he certainly does now. “It all happened so quickly. I didn’t… We knew you were younger, but I had already hidden myself by the time I realised you might not know how to protect yourself. And with the rune drain…”
“I’m sorry, Lizzie. I’m so, so sorry...”
“None of that,” she tells him. “I’ll have none of that.”
“If you don’t mind,” Tango knows he is drawing attention to himself, but there is really no way he can get past them both. “But, I should be skadoodling, and you’re just a bit…”
“Are you calling me fat?” Lady Spring narrows her eyes. It takes him a moment to realise that she is joking, her face softening as she shifts herself and Jimmy out of the way. “Go on, you’ll be heading along soon?”
“We’ll probably stay a few days, just to resupply and make sure it’s all fine,” Tango wriggles his way though the new gap. “I’m sure we can drop you back home, though. If you need us to.”
“I’ll be fine,” she dismisses him with a sniff, turning her attention back to Jimmy. She starts speaking in a low voice, and Tango takes that as his cue to escape. “You’ll be wanting to head further west towards the mountains, not north again; Scott’s based out of Icetown, not Wintertown, like you might have expected.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
He nearly, almost makes it out of earshot before he hears himself called again.
“Oh, and Earthdancer!” it is Lady Spring who calls again; Tango freezes. “Thank you for saving my stupid little brother.”
If he thought she wanted him to answer, he might bother with a reply. Instead he just glances back, offering a smile.
And over her shoulder, Jimmy, Lord of Autumn, gives him one in return.