[FRAG] House of Liars

"Oh, Jubilee!"

The other Overseer half-turned from Profound, blinking in surprise. Recognition and relief blossomed on his expression as Morning Star trotted up, hands clasped over his chest, a subdued albeit excited smile on his face. 

He lowered his clipboard accordingly. "Morning Star! What can I do for you?"

"I just - had a question, if that's okay?" Morning Star peeped. His hands were shaking slightly. Even now, he was still intimidated by Jubilee. It was hard not to, considering who the man was and what he was capable of... and the fact that he still harbored respect for the Overseers. "I-I mean, if you're not busy, it should be pretty short and eas-"

"Sure, fire."

"Is-" Morning Star squeezed his eyes shut and took a stilling breath. "Is my Timeline okay?"

Jubilee glanced down at his clipboard. Profound leaned forwards to lift the top sheet of paper and point at a line in a table. Morning Star could feel a brief buzz of telepathy between the two, eyes flicking from either or, hope rising in his chest.

"Yep, AAA-100's cleared," Jubilee finished, letting the paper fall back onto his clipboard. "Rendgen did as promised. I made sure of it. Archise cleaned out any remaining Shards members. Sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

Morning Star blinked slowly, then let a smile spread over his face at the sudden wash of relief. Even now, that emotion still felt undeniably unfamiliar. It was almost as if he didn't deserve to feel such a thing, after everything. But the world was still turning.

His home was safe. His home was safe. He hadn't known how much Rendgen's takeover had gotten to him, really. Of course he cared about AAA-100, but he'd always felt so... distant from it, like it had been completely divorced from his identity. In fairness, he'd abandoned it at first shout, leaving his home behind to chase his dreams in the COR. Just like Wage, really. 

He wanted to talk to Wage again, about... more personal matters. Family, history, Timelines. Backgrounds and backstories. He knew they'd have common ground... and it'd be nice to interact with someone who got it, who hailed from an overpopulated slum and left it in the dust to reach for something more. Did Wage ever second-guess himself? Did Wage ever think about going home?

After a second, Jubilee put a comforting hand on his shoulder, jolting him out of his head. Morning Star blinked rapidly, shifting at the other's sudden weight. "You doing okay, by the way?"

"Oh!" Morning Star smiled, a hand coming up to just barely hide it, "I- I think I'm fine, yeah. Thank you."

"I-" Jubilee paused to bite his lip and then smile again, "I'm sorry about... you know. Strongarming you, I suppose, into helping me. I was overzealous and far too one-track-minded."

"You're - you're fine, I promise."

"Well, I'd still like to apologize. It was callous of me to ignore your feelings like that. And I'm sorry for hurting you."

Morning Star sucked in a breath. Not what he was expecting, right now.

"I won't keep you, though. I think you'd like to visit your Timeline, right?"

He stiffly nodded. Yes. Yes, he did want to go home. What a strange feeling, homesickness. Home had always been a symbol of his past, a dirty secret he tried to bury and forget about. And now? He couldn't wait to see the house he grew up in. At least it was nicer to think about than Bereave and everything that had happened.

Jubilee looked to Profound, who gave a curt nod. He turned back to Morning Star. "Your siblings are still in the Sanctum, if you'd like to pick them up and take them with you."

Oh stars. "Yes, I-I will. Thank you, Overs- Jubilee."

Jubilee patted his shoulder a few more times before his hand slipped away. With a curt nod, he turned back to Profound, the two starting up their quiet discussion. Morning Star politely tuned them out as he continued down the hallway of COR headquarters. He didn't care to eavesdrop on their conversation... they were probably just talking about Bereave, anyways, and he was still trying to avoid mulling that over too much.

But... would he have to bring it up to Nebulous Star and Hour Star? Sure, Jubilee wanted it to stay quiet among them for now, but surely he knew it'd spread eventually? Someone would have to notice the inverse three missing... surely one of Genesis or their thirds would notice, and the Frags would notice, and news would spread? Maybe he just wanted their names to remain unconnected....

Morning Star scrubbed his face, turning down the hallway. There were still so many unanswered questions. Maybe he should've stopped to talk to Jubilee more, get more answers? No, he looked busy, and besides - Morning Star wanted to go home. He wanted to sit in his old house and think about everything.

But would it even make him feel better? Might it only dredge up memories he'd rather leave buried and forgotten, horrible memories that he'd repressed and buried? He never thought about home for a reason... why was he so nostalgic for it now?

No. Forget this. He was going to go see his siblings, and they'd go home together, and they'd finally talk. He'd tell them everything, even if Jubilee didn't want him to. He was his own person, and he could make his own decisions. 

"MORNING STAR!" came a familiar shout.

He paused and turned to face Roseline as they darted up. In a blink, they had flung their arms around his chest, yanking him into a warm hug. 

"It's so good to see you again!" Roseline chirped, beaming up.

Morning Star patted the other's shoulder. "Hi, Roseline. How've you been?"

"I've been good!! I know it's only like been a few days since it all happened but wow I still can't stop thinking about it!!" Roseline's grin widened further, "Whatcha doin, boss?"

"Oh, heading into the Sanctum to... see my family. You?"

"Oh, neat! I got a mission coming up in a few - I should probably head to the meetup place - but I'm really glad I got to see you! Let's hang out sometime, okay?"

Morning Star narrowed his eyes for a second, then smiled warmly. "Okay, yeah. That sounds nice. I'll text you?"

"Yeah!! Bye!!" Roseline squeezed a little harder before darting off down a hallway. 

Morning Star watched them disappear before turning down another hallway himself. That was nice, much nicer than expected. Well, it was unexpected. But usually spontaneous things gave him a rush of hellish anxiety. That had just been... nice. Seeing his friends, wandering the COR, knowing the impact he'd had on them - it made him feel sort of giddy and powerful and good inside.

The receptionist desk for the Sanctum was just around the corner. Morning Star offered a smile as he trotted up.

"Going in?" Arco Iris asked, leaning on the counter as he set his book down.

He gave a curt nod. Arco Iris leaned forwards to type something into the keypad. His siblings were probably still staying in the hotel... they'd definitely be excited to go back home, see their friends again. Morning Star had never really developed strong relationships with the other Fragments in AAA-100, but he knew Hour definitely had. Thinking on it, he wasn't sure how close Neb was with the others-

"-Hey, Morning Star, can I ask you a question?" Arco Iris cut in. 

"Huh? Oh, sure!" he made sure to smile.

"What happened like... two nights ago?"

The smile faded just slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Jubilee and Profound, they came back in really late. Jubilee seemed all scuffed up. I didn't catch what they were saying, but I know for sure I caught your name and Magnotris' name. Did something happen?" 

Oh. Oh stars. "Er - I mean-" he couldn't just straight up say no, right? Arco Iris wouldn't believe him-

"-Did... you four... y'know?" 

"Wh-" wait "What?"

Arco Iris raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly, "Y'know... like, Jubilee's hair was all messed up and his clothes were kinda askew... did you four...?"

Was this really happening.

Morning Star watched quietly as Arco Iris mimicked thrusting a finger between two other digits curled into a circle, as if he didn't know what the other was alluding to. This was really happening. Arco Iris was now under the impression that Morning Star and Magnotris had foursomes with Jubilee and Profound. 

Okay, actually, he was fine with that rumor. Better than letting it slip that they'd kind of murdered god together. And, hey, funny story to tell later?

"Look I'm just going to go now," Morning Star muttered, pointing towards the door and shuffling towards it stiffly.

"I won't tell anyone, c'mon!" Arco Iris called, grinning slightly. His smiling visage was locked behind the doors of the Sanctum a second later.

Morning Star huffed, leaning against the doors and scrubbing the blush out of his cheeks. Wow. The last thing he wanted to think about was Jubilee and Profound in bed with him. What a goddamn morning this was. After another second, he set off walking.

Okay, okay, focus. Find his siblings. Find the hotel. Bring them home. Rebuild with Hour. Be an Overseer. Do his job as ambassador. Save the world. 

Wow. He could actually say that he'd done that, now. He'd... helped remove one of the biggest threats. Singularity couldn't re-fuse; there would be no way to collapse reality. Bereave couldn't destroy TImelines any longer. He'd... really helped do something incredible.

He breathed in slowly as he came to a stop in front of the hotel. He curled his hands around one of the fence posts. Would he just knock on the door and ask Frost for Neb and Hour's room number, or ask for them to be brought to him? Now that he was here, staring down the hotel itself, he could feel anxiety creeping up.

Still, it didn't control him like it used to. He could ignore it, tune it out, keep pushing through no matter what. He was a stronger person now. He could talk to Hour Star.

Morning Star steeled his shoulders and stepped up to the hotel's front door, giving a polite knock. It cracked open, and Frost smiled at him. 

"Overseer, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for - Nebulous Star and Hour Star," he said, politely, hands crossed over his lap. 

Frost nodded, opening the door wider to allow Morning Star to step in. "Sure thing, wait in the lobby. I'll go fetch them."

The hotelier headed up the staircase while Morning Star perched on a couch. The interior of the hotel was very cozy and nice, with a fireplace, dim lighting, and a plush carpet. This seemed like such a lovely, scenic place to stay. He hoped his family had enjoyed their time here, even if they'd been stressed about AAA-100. 

The stairs creaked as Frost came back down, Hour and Neb hot on his heels. Morning Star looked up sharply as the others entered, blinking at Neb's massive grin. Before he could glance to Hour, Nebulous Star nearly tackled him, drawing him into a tight, warm hug.

"Oh!" Morning Star squeaked, hands flying up to curl in Neb's shirt. 

Okay, they were hugging now, apparently. That was not what he had planned to start off with, but it was nice, at least. He peered over Neb's shoulder at Hour, who stood a distance away, awkwardly hugging himself and glaring at the floor. Ah, he was clearly still upset. Well, luckily for him, Morning Star had good news! Hopefully it'd cheer him up, and they'd get to really talk on an equal playing field when they went home. 

"Morning Star, I'm so glad you're okay!" Neb choked out, "you need to stop sending those really scary messages and not following through!"

Morning Star squinted. What were they - OH. The last thing he'd sent to either of them was a text to Hour Star that simply had read I'm sorry. Oh, stars, they probably thought he was suicidal as fuck right now. Whoops. Quite the opposite, really.

"Er - sorry," he sheepishly replied as Neb pulled back slightly, "I didn't mean to scare either of you."

"I'm just glad you're alright," Neb perked, squishing their cheeks. 

Hour remained silent, staring intently at the carpet. Frost had sat down at the receptionist desk, typing something on the computer, although his ears were swivelled to eavesdrop. Whatever. It wasn't like Morning Star was going to spill all sorts of COR secrets here of all places.

Neb sat on the couch next to him. "What're you doing here? Just visiting? Are you okay?"

Morning Star smiled. "I'm here to-"

"-How's my Timeline?" Hour gruffly cut in.

"I-" Morning Star frowned, and held up a hand, "I was getting to that, actually. I have great news, Hour!"

His brother finally looked up, meeting his eyes with a wide, hopeful recognition on his face, mouth just slightly agape. It was kind of endearing in its innocence.

Morning Star clasped his hands together over his chest, "Our Timeline's perfectly safe! I'm here to take you two back home."

"It's SAFE!?" Hour squealed, hands flying up to his mouth. "IT'S SAFE? WE CAN GO BACK!"

It was genuinely warming to see his brother so happy and excited. "Yes!" Morning Star peeped back, feeling the familiar churn of good feelings inside of him every time his words touched another person. It was just so easy and happy to be nice to others.

"Holy shit! So they got rid of theeeee, uh, the... the shardies?" Neb attempted, squinting into the fireplace as if it held answers.

"The Shards pulled out of the Timeline on their own," Morning Star explained. "Their leader voluntarily gave it up."

Neb leaned forwards, on their knees, "Oh! Why'd they do tha-"

"-Does it matter?!" Hour Star barked, "Take us back right now!" 

Morning Star stood, holding up his hands, "Alright, well, we'll h-have to leave the Sanctum first! So just come with me-"

"-Can't you just teleport?" Hour hissed.

"What?" Morning Star blinked his eyes open, "Uh, no, I just said we'll have to leave the Sanctum first. You can't teleport in or out of here."

"That's stupid," Hour grumbled.

Neb stood next to Morning Star, "Well, the more you grumble about it, the longer we'll be stuck here. Take us away, Morning."

He internally cringed at the nickname. It was like a stab to the guts, in such a happy, excitable moment. His name was Morning Star. What was so hard to remember about that? Morning Star. Why couldn't his siblings respect that? Why was it so fucking difficult for them to just think about what little he asked of them for once?

Still, Morning Star swallowed his discomfort. Maybe Neb was just distracted. He wouldn't let something as small as this ruin their reunion. He was going to rebuild the bridge, and when he did that, maybe they'd both respect him enough to call him Morning Star. Why did that still feel like such a pipe dream? It was reasonable to want, to desire. It was within reach, right? Why did it feel so unattainable?

"What are you standing around for?" Hour Star snapped, and Morning Star could feel the hard pit of regret sink into his stomach.

No, stay cheerful. Keep the smile on his face. He gave a nod, heading out the door with a wave to Frost. His siblings followed, deferring to him as he led them down the path towards the doorways. Just keep smiling. Maybe if he pretended like nothing got under his skin, they'd stop. No, that wasn't right, either. They always got so much worse whenever he pretended not to be bothered. They got so much worse when he let his emotions show, too. What was he supposed to do here? How was he supposed to rebuild that bridge?

No, be quiet. He was just overthinking this. They wanted to go home, they were a little crabby. It was fine. He'd be good and smile and tolerate their short temper. They'd just had to sleep in a hotel for like, two weeks. It was perfectly reasonable to be a little upset. But why didn't they realize how rude they could be? Why didn't it worry them like it worried him? All he could think about was other people's feelings, anxiety over doing the wrong thing. How could Hour go through life, not caring at all?

Or maybe he just didn't care about Morning Star?

"It's through here," he said, voice slightly choked as he lifted a hand to grab the doorknob. Neither of his siblings said anything as he pulled the door open.

Why was this so quiet? They should be celebrating, happy. Maybe this was his fault, for getting offended too easily. He should say something to try to cheer them up. What could he say that wouldn't offend either of them? What would make them happy?

"Hi, Morning Star!"

Fuck.

He smiled at Arco Iris. He'd totally forgotten that there was someone out here. How had he forgotten that? He'd just suffered an innuendo joke at the hands of this friend. Wait, friend. Friend? Were they friends? He'd always thought they were on good terms, but was this-

"Who's this?" Neb asked, leaning forwards, hand on their chin as they peered at Arco Iris.

"Oh," Morning Star managed, still feeling like there was a giant glob of mucus in his throat, "this is Arco Iris. He's a friend of mine."

Arco Iris waved, "You heading back to triple one hundred? This your family?"

"Yes," he continued, gesturing, "this is Hour Star and Nebulous Star."

Neb smiled, "Nice to meet you!" Hour simply gave a tiny, curt wave.

"Nice to meet you, too!" Arco Iris chirped back. Why was he so excited, happy? How could he feel happy? Why did he get to feel so happy? "We don't usually see people from triple one hundred 'round here. I think Morning Star's the only one I know."

Oh no.

"Is that what you call my TImeline?" Hour asked, arms still crossed, fingers digging into his shirt. No no no. Don't talk about that.

"Yep! AAA-100, that's what Finley designated it." Arco Iris gave a nod. "How many Frags are livin' there now? It's the highest population, ain't it?"

"If none of them died, then six thousand-four hundred-ninety-one," Hour rattled off.

Morning Star blinked. Huh. Hour knew that by heart, off the top of his head? Also, wow... that was a lot of Fragments. Way more than he remembered. How long had it been since he'd really been home, home anywhere but his own house?

"Wow, that's a lot!" Arco Iris replied, leaning on a hand, "Guess you guys got a real civilization going there, huh?"

"Yes," Hour said, and Morning Star could hear a swell of pride in his voice, "yes we do."

There had been a town, but six thousand? How could there be that many? How long had it been since he was home? Would anyone other than his siblings even remember who he was?

"Oh, by the way, Morning Star," Arco Iris piped up.

For some reason, hearing his name again was comforting. "Yes?"

"Jubilee stopped by earlier. Said he wanted to talk to you about your ambassador duties to the Haven, congratulate you on re-opening borders and all that stuff! And said he wanted to talk about everything that happened with, er, Sterling I think? Anyways he said at your leisure just contact him to set up a meeting time, he'll clear your schedule." Arco Iris whistled. "Must be nice being an Overseer! I can't get the guy to sit in for one meeting with me about a promotion and I'm Saudade's assistant!"

His cheeks were burning red. Oh my fucking stars. Arco Iris had totally just dumped all of that in front of them. Was he absolutely incapable of reading a room? "Th-thank you for letting me know. We'll be on our way now."

"See you tomorrow, Overseer!" Arco Iris chirped with a wave.

Neb opened his mouth, but Morning Star grabbed Neb and Hour's wrists and teleported them quickly. He was NOT going to deal with answering all of Neb's questions in front of Arco Iris again. He needed to be in a safe, quiet, controlled environment, where he could talk to them as equals and without his friend butting in like that. He couldn't really blame Arco Iris - how was he supposed to know that Morning Star hadn't told his family yet? - but still, stars, that was ridiculous.

They were standing in front of the house's back porch, in the backyard, with its little stout stone wall all around them. Morning Star slowly let go of their wrists and leaned back, glancing around. It was... nicer than he remembered. There were some fresh flowers planted in one of the boxes, and the leaves that fell from their giant tree had actually been cleaned. Someone had fixed the broken swing set, too.

"We're home!" Hour squealed, throwing his arms up. "Oh, I've missed you, Timeline!"

Neb scoffed, "Stop being so dramatic, Hour. It's perfectly fine, like I told you it'd be."

Hour had promptly not listened and fallen to his knees to kiss the ground. Morning Star awkwardly stared. This was home, right? This was his hometown. He looked out, past the house. There was an urban sprawl of sorts down the hill from where he and his siblings lived, mulling with people. How long before they noticed that the Stars were back?

"So, uh, Morning Star," Neb began, opening the screen door. "What was all that about?"

"It's a long story," he mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Like, really long."

"I think we have time. Hour, can you stop that?"

Hour kissed the ground a final time, staring Neb in the eyes, before getting to his feet and shuffling into the building after him. Morning Star made up the rear of the group, slowly hugging himself. It felt like all the confidence in him had been squeezed out, like some sort of sick juice box. How could this house do such things to him? Why couldn't he just be happy with these people?

What if he'd never left in the first place? Why couldn't his mind stop running through all these thoughts at once? 

Neb cleared whatever garbage was on the kitchen table. Morning Star stared at it. Last time he'd been here, Magnotris had swooped in and saved him. But that wasn't right anymore, was it? He had to protect Magnotris, too. Magnotris wasn't Blessed like he was. Magnotris needed help, too. He shouldn't lean so hard on Magnotris. He could stand all on his own.

Neb pulled out a chair, and gestured for Morning Star to sit. He did so, stiffly.

"I want to go see Marion," Hour Star cut in, although he was sitting across from Morning Star.

"That can wait til we've talked with Morning Star," Nebulous Star corrected.

Morning Star stared at the table, and then closed his eyes. No. He'd redeem this situation. Breathe, in, out. He'd done so much. He could handle this.

He looked up at Hour just as the other narrowed his eyes and leaned towards Neb with a snarled, "They've been in danger this entire time!"

"They're clearly fine, the shardies aren't here anymore," Neb countered.

"They were occupied! By stars-know-what! My people need me."

His people?

Neb rolled his eyes, "Oh, you are just so dramatic sometimes, Hour. They'll survive like half an hour before we go see them."

"What if any of them got injured or died, Nebulous? Then it'll be your fault. Their blood'll be on your hands for making me wait. Marion could be tallying the injuries as we speak."

Morning Star rubbed his wrist under the table.

"Marion's fine, Hour."

"If Marion's fine, I bet Peatell isn't. You know he was sick before those COR jerks showed up and forced us out."

"They only moved you two?" Morning Star finally cut in.

Both his siblings started, looking to him. He glanced between the two. He didn't remember Hour and Neb arguing so much when he was still around. Had he just drawn Hour's ire most of the time? But Neb seemed just as frustrated....

"Uh, yeah," Hour hissed, slamming his palms onto the table, "your cronies showed up and just took us! They left everyone else to rot!"

"I don't understand why they didn't escort everyone," Neb admitted, folding his hands together in front of his face thoughtfully, "I mean, if the Timeline was in danger, why would they leave six thousand civilians behind? It sure looked like they had the space to hold everyone... maybe not in that hotel, but like, it's the Coalition, right? They got the resources, right?"

Morning Star swallowed.

Rendgen had been after him - he'd said as much. Jubilee's plan required Pyatiugolnik magic. He'd taken AAA-100 because, precisely, he'd been searching for Morning Star, or trying to draw him into a trap.

Of course they'd only escort his family out. Nobody else mattered. He wouldn't go back home to save any of the residents he barely knew, right? He'd just come for family. That's what the COR would assume. Of course they'd only bother taking Hour and Neb. Of course. Of course. He felt so sick.

"Well, Morning Star?" Hour prompted haughtily.

He swallowed. Should he tell them the truth? 

Neb put a hand on his shoulder, "Woah, hey, you alright? You're looking really pale, do you want some water, Morning?"

"I- they only took you two because they thought only you two mattered," he said, softly.

Hour sprang to his feet with a yelled "WHAT?!", but Neb waved him down. The other glowered for a second longer, rage visible in his clenched fists and teeth, but slowly sat back down. 

Morning Star avoided his eyes, staring at his tie instead. "The Shards are led by Rendgen, who is a Magnitude Fragment. Mag Frags are the... they're very powerful Fragments, more powerful than normal ones. They're sort of like the baseline of reality, I guess. Rendgen was... looking for me."

Hour blinked, then blinked again, and his shoulders slumped as rage was replaced with confusion. Neb leaned forwards, eyes narrowed.

"He was trying to draw me out when he took AAA-100. So the COR took action - without my consent - and took you two, because they assumed that if you two were safe, I wouldn't fall into his clutches."

"So... so it's your fault?" Hour mumbled.

Neb waved him off, "Who's to say R... Rendgen won't take over again?"

"Um, well, two nights ago," Morning Star began, steepling his fingers, "I accidentally ended up in a sort of... confrontation with Rendgen anyways. Along with some friends of mine. And we ended up, er... resolving the conflict Rendgen had with all of us."

"How did you even end up involved with a... Mergitude Fragment? Does this tie in with what that guy said earlier?"

"Yes," Morning Star continued. 

"I think you should start from the beginning," Hour managed.

He took a deep breath. "You have to promise to believe me this time, okay?"

"...Fine."

"Thank you." Morning Star smoothed down his tie, and squared his shoulders. Here goes nothing. "I became disillusioned with the leaders of the Coalition of Reality a while ago, specifically the O-Overseers. I thought they were corrupt and the best way to fix it was to overthrow them. With the help of Sterling, who is one of my friends; and Sundae, another friend, we very nearly succeeded. I would have successfully murdered Jubilee if Pyatiugolnik, th-the Magnitude Fragment of pentagons, did not interfere. He told me what I-I was doing was wrong, and Blessed me.

"A Blessing is when a Mag Frag... gives you a small piece of their power. It's very symbolic and makes you a lot stronger. Sundae was the only other person Pyatiugolnik had Blessed before, so it was a big deal. The Overseers recovered from what I'd almost done and Jubilee offered an Overseer position to me because of my Blessing. I ended up accepting. The first task he gave me was to, erm, t-talk to Sundae. Sundae is the leader of the Haven, which is kind of an opposing faction to the Coalition. He w-wanted me to act as an ambassador between the Coalition and Haven to draw them together again.

"I succeeded in opening a dialogue, but Rendgen interfered at the last minute. He k-kidnapped me and Sundae, and kinda revealed that Jubilee had... ulterior motives, I guess? He had some sort of plan he was working towards that r-required Pyatiugolnik's magic, but he couldn't get Pyatiugolnik himself obviously, so we were his next best shot. Er - do you two know how the world was made?"

"The thing about Genesis and Bereave?" Hour scoffed, "Yeah, you made us take the entrance exam to the Coalition, remember? That was like, one of the essay questions." Neb nodded.

"Right okay! Good. So B-Bereave is the destroyer, Genesis is the creator. Bereave destroys Timelines, and also if he and Genesis ever become Singularity again, they'll end the world. So J-Jubilee's plan was to try to destroy Bereave to prevent more Timeline destruction, or the end of the entire world. Some... stuff escalated, more Magnitude Fragments showed up, and Bereave eventually did, t-too. And Jubilee used Mag Frag magic, Rendgen's magic, and m-my and Sundae's Blessings, and Sterling's magic, and he... killed Bereave. Broke him in h-half. And half of his magic is already a new p-person, so he can't be as strong as he was b-before if he ever came alive again.

"S-so, Rendgen won't attack again. He promised to disband the Shards and s-stop trying to destroy stuff. And he released our Timeline, so... that's a good sign."

Morning Star looked up. 

Hour was staring, with huge, wide eyes. Neb's mouth was open, hanging quietly. Neither seemed to be able to speak.

"I-I've been thinking about everything that happened," Morning Star continued, slightly energized by the silence, "there's a lot of other stuff that's happened that I didn't really talk about - I-I kinda gave you guys the glossed-over v-version of everything. But I just thought that, like, the relationship between us has always been really antagonized and stressed. After everything that I went through, I wanted to try to b-build that bridge again."

There was another few minutes of gaping, awkward silence. 

Had he said the wrong thing? Offended his family? No, no, he didn't want to do this, didn't want to feel anxious. Shut up and stop worrying about it. Just breathe and wait for them to speak. Riling himself up would only make him grovel and they'd be right back on uneven ground, like always - Morning Star the fragile waif, Hour the snide sharpshooter, Neb the bystander comedian. 

He wasn't going to let them be like that anymore. He could befriend anyone. He could help anyone heal. He could protect and he could be warm and trustworthy and loving and helpful and everything good. Pya had Blessed him for a reason, and he'd live up to that reason with all of his might.

"Wow," Neb finally managed. "Wow, Morning Star, that's...."

"You believe me, right?" he squeaked. 

"Y... yeah. I do. You had that weird purple magic earlier, is that the, uh... the Blessing?"

Morning Star nodded, holding out his hand. It took only a bit of concentration before he could feel the ancient liquid churning inside of him, generating a small, glowing violet ball of light in his palm. He offered it to Neb, who tentatively poked it and shuddered.

Hour had slumped back in his chair, staring dumbfounded at the ball. Morning Star quietly glanced to him. Honestly, he was more worried about Hour doubting him than Neb. Neb at least pretended to listen and side with him sometimes.

"I... guess that's hard to fib about," Hour muttered. "How do you think you're going to... uh... 'fix' anything, though? You're just going to run back to the COR in a minute."

Morning Star blinked, then smiled, "Oh, I won't! I can help stay behind for a while and rebuild anything Rendgen damaged. As, like, a sign of goodwill, right?"

"Don't you have that meeting with Jubilee?"

"It can wait. He said he'd clear his schedule when I was ready, so...."

Hour scrubbed at his face, hissing slightly. "F... fine. You can come into town with us and you'll fix the issues with your weird freaky god magic or whatever. But no funny business, alright? I don't need you mucking up my citizens."

"That sounds fine!" Morning Star said, a little too quickly, pointedly ignoring 'my citizens'. He was finally going to rebuild his relationship with his siblings. He wouldn't end up like Wage.

He was going to try his best.