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maddrmatt · 3 years

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A Beautiful Future: A Premonition or a Punishment? (SoKai Week 2021)

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Greetings, readers and fellow SoKai fans!

Let’s continue on with the show as our favorite MIA Keyblade wielder reflects on what was seen in the last chapter! Enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Ponderings of the Lost Hero

Quadratum

After opening his eyes, Sora suddenly leapt to his feet. He summoned his Keyblade and surveyed his surroundings.

Fortunately for him, he wasn’t currently in any danger. But much to his dismay, he was not in a chapel in Radiant Garden about to kiss the love of his life. Instead, he was standing next to a large dumpster in an alleyway between two tall buildings.

‘I must’ve been so tired from running that I fell asleep when I stopped to rest,’ he thought as he dismissed his Keyblade.

Sora’s current location was hardly an ideal place to take a nap. But the Gigas and the various adversaries that inhabited this world had kept him on the run since his arrival. Also, even though he had yet to encounter him again, he feared that Yozora would find him and try to ‘save’ him again. So, he couldn’t be picky about where or when he could sleep.

It still mystified him that he was now in a world that he had originally thought only existed in a video game. When that girl in the Final World had mentioned she was waiting for a Yozora to find her, he had assumed that she had been talking about someone with the same name. But his encounter with Yozora and the very real existence of this world had certainly raised a few questions.

‘I may have been here for a long time now, but I still can’t believe it. How can this world be real and also be a video game in a world back in my Realm? And why is ending up here the penalty for misusing the Power of Waking?’

But the biggest question was the one that had bothered him the most. ‘And will I ever be able to leave?’

Sora’s thoughts now turned what he just had witnessed in his sleep. ‘That was some dream. The first dream I’ve been able to have since I got here. But I wonder if it wasn’t just a dream. What if it was a premonition? A vision of the future? Dreams can do that, right?’

Sora began to pace around the alley. ‘It certainly looked and felt like one. I mean, we all did look a little older. Not to mention I saw that Pinocchio wasn’t a puppet and the Beast wasn’t, well, the Beast anymore. And there were so many guests at the wedding that I didn’t know.’

He thought back to the part of the dream where he walked down the aisle toward the altar. Now that he was awake, he realized that there were indeed quite a lot of unrecognized faces among those he knew.

‘Let’s see. When I saw the group from Atlantica in the crowd, Ariel was human again even though the last time I saw her, she was a mermaid. Also, it seems that some magic was needed for Flounder and King Triton to attend since they were hovering in the air as if they were still underwater. And then there was that girl who resembled Ariel but with black hair. Did Ariel and Prince Eric get married and have a daughter?’

‘It also looked like there had been some big changes in Arendelle too. Anna had been wearing an outfit similar to what Elsa had been wearing when Donald, Goofy and I had first met her. And speaking of Elsa, she was not only wearing a different snow gown and had let her hair go, but she also looked more at peace with herself then I last remembered. Plus, she also had a small blue lizard on her shoulder. I wonder if she’s taken on Rapunzel’s taste in animal sidekicks.’

‘Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys we met were there and they had all been enlarged to human size. And there were some other toys with them, probably their friends they’d been separated from when the Organization split their world. Like that redhaired cowgirl and that woman with the pink bow in her blonde hair and dressed in blue. Strangely, she looked like she was made of porcelain which is an unusual material for a toy. They both seemed to be pretty close to Buzz and Woody respectively. Also, there was that unusual toy that looked more like a child’s art project.’

‘Little Chef was definitely in some unfamiliar company. He was with that redheaded man with that woman with brown hair as well as that older man with glasses. And there were also two other rats: one with gray fur and that pudgier one with brown fur. Maybe they were Little Chef’s relatives.’

‘I’m glad that Cloud finally made it home because he was among Leon, Yuffie and the rest of the committee and it seemed that he and Tifa had hooked up. And they weren’t the only ones. Leon had his arm around a woman with black hair and Aerith was with a man who looked a little like Cloud only with black hair. Even Cid apparently had a date: that woman with auburn hair and glasses. And then there were the new faces: that big, muscular guy whose hand appeared to be made of metal and the little girl in pink on his shoulder as well as that strange catlike creature with red fur.

‘It also looks like I ended up in meeting them in Shibuya after all since I also saw Neku and his friends there as well. But there were some missing from that group. Rhyme and that boy she called Beat was there. But Joshua wasn’t. And neither was Shiki. Instead, there was only that girl with brown hair and glasses. I hope nothing bad happened to them.’

‘There were even some unfamiliar faces among Queen Minnie, Daisy, and the rest I remember from Disney Castle. There was that unusual pair who looked like a rabbit and a cat with a whole bunch of little rabbits with them. And then there was that female duck who looked like she could be Donald’s twin sitting near his nephews. There was also someone who looked like a younger version of Goofy accompanied by a female dog with red hair and apparently, some who looked like a younger version of Pete.’

Then Sora realized it was not just the unfamiliar guests that stood out in the dream. His own thoughts during the dream contained information that he had not known before.

‘How could I have known why Xion looks the way she does? And though Master Yen Sid mentioned that Aqua saved Kairi long ago, my thoughts implied that she played a big role in our meeting. I’m sure I would’ve learned it all if I hadn’t disappeared. But is it possible for your dream self to know something that you don’t?’

Sora leaned against the wall of the building and gazed out into the empty street. There was still no sign of incoming trouble. He was glad that nothing had shown up during his pondering on account that he still had more to do.

‘All in all, it certainly was quite a show. But still, I can’t help but wonder why a dream like that would come to me now? And if it really was a vision of the future, does it mean that I’m going to make it back home? And Kairi and I really are destined to live happily ever after?’ Sora thought as a feeling of hope came to him.

Unfortunately, the hope faded as a troubling thought took over. ‘Or maybe it’s a future that isn’t going to happen. Maybe it’s nothing more than extra punishment for breaking rules I never knew existed.’

Sora thought back to when he returned to the Final World after Xehanort’s defeat. He recalled how Chirithy had told him about what he was risking using the Power of Waking to restore Kairi. As he remembered that conversation, a feeling of anger at the unfairness of it all came to him.

“I never meant to break any nature taboos. I didn’t even know they existed. I thought I was just rescuing my friends from that Lich Heartless. I didn’t know it would end up rewriting time and giving us another chance to fight. And I especially didn’t know that it was the wrong thing to do,” he said out loud not caring if anybody heard him.

That’s when Sora realized something. “If I’m being punished for doing that, does that mean that we were supposed to lose no matter what we did? Well, to whoever or whatever decided that, I’m sorry but if following your rules meant letting Xehanort win after everything he did, then I was happy to break them.”

His thoughts then turned to Kairi. “And I definitely was not going to leave the girl I love more than anything in the worlds as she was: shattered, split and scattered. If there was any chance to save her, I would have taken it no matter what the consequences. Because a world without Kairi is one I never want to live in.”

That’s when Sora realized the sad irony. ‘And yet, a world without her or any of my friends is exactly where I ended up anyway. I guess the punishment really did fit the crime in the end. And as if that wasn’t enough, it seems I’m now being tormented with visions of a future that may never be.’

Then a feeling of determination came over Sora. ‘No. I can’t think like that. I won’t ever think like that. If whatever forces sent me here sent that dream to punish me further, then I’m not going to give them the satisfaction.’

Sora gazed up at the dark sky and cried out, “It’s not going to work! You hear me? It won’t work! Instead, I’m going to use what I saw in that dream to further fuel my desire to get back to my home! Back to my friends! Back to her so we can have a future like that in the dream!”

The young hero then reached into the pocket of his jacket nearest his heart. He pulled out a folded piece of paper which he then unfolded revealing the lucky charm that Kairi had given to him before he and Riku left for the Mark of Mastery Exam.

Taking the charm into his hand, he clutched it to his heart. ‘We may be worlds apart, Kairi. But our hearts are still connected. I realized that when I was suddenly able to fight for you. Even though I didn’t know exactly what was going on, especially how somehow Xehanort was still around, I knew you needed me. And I know that connection will bring us back together someday.’

“They can take your world. They can take your heart. Cut you loose from all you know. But if it’s your fate, then every step forward will always be a step closer to home. And it will be my fate. And whatever that dream’s true purpose was, I will do all that I can to make it our fate, Kairi. That’s a promise and I always keep my promises to you. It’s my oath to return,” Sora said out loud.

After gazing once more around for any sign of trouble and seeing that there was none in spite of his earlier outbursts, he figured that he had time to do one more thing before moving on to a new location in the city. Leaning against the wall with the lucky charm in one hand, he then looked at the paper that it had been wrapped in.

He began to read the words written on the paper. Words that no matter how many times he read had always managed to touch his heart because they came from the one who his heart belonged to.

“Thinking of you, wherever you are.”

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On the edge of one of Quadratum’s tall buildings, a man in a black coat gazed downward into the alley. He watched the spiky-haired brunette boy read from his letter. Under his hood, he smirked and let out an amused chuckle.

“You might wish to keep it down, Sora. You never know who or what may be listening here in Quadratum. But it sounds like that was a pretty good dream you had with the way you were going on about making it a reality. Your determination to get back to your home and your devotion to your girl are pretty admirable. They will serve you well when the time comes for you to play your role,” said the Master of Masters.

The very first Keyblade master gazed up to the sky. As he had done before, he brought his hands together into a heart shape and held them up so he could view the full moon through them.

“Soon, all the pieces will fall into place, Sora. My apprentices. The Union leaders and Dandelions who still exist. The Darknesses. Yozora. Your friend Riku and the rest of your Guardians of Light over on the other side including your little girlfriend. All of them have their roles to play in my grand plan and once they are fulfilled, we will finally see the absolute end of the true Keyblade War,” he declared.

Then his voice took on an ominous tone. “But after all is said and done, will all your devotion pay off? Will the dreams of a ‘happily ever after’ with your beloved Kairi come true? Or will the fates conspire to pull you apart once again? And if that should happen, will it be the ultimate separation, one that is impossible to undo?”

The Master then parted his hands and shrugged his shoulders. “Who knows? I may be the author of a very large compendium of future events. But the Book of Prophecies never accounted for everything. So, in the end, who can really say?”

The Master then returned his gaze back to the young Keyblade wielder in the alley. Sora had finished reading his letter and was now staring to leave. The Master’s gaze followed the boy as he headed out into the city.

“Things may have taken a… slight turn from my original plans. But the more I think about it, it actually makes things more interesting. After ages of watching events unfold the way I had foreseen; I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to actually be surprised. And I have a feeling, Sora, that you are going to be full of surprises.”

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Notes from the Mad Doctor:

Went rather heavy on the internal monologuing in this chapter, huh?

Sharp Disney and Square Enix fans will likely know the unfamiliar guests Sora was talking about. Feel free to let me know if you did recognize all of them or some of them.

I think we can understand the anger Sora’s expressing here. After everything he did to protect the worlds from Xehanort, this is his ultimate reward? I know he doesn’t regret doing what he did to save everyone especially Kairi. But I wouldn’t blame him for being upset.

Although I have mentioned him in my other stories, this is the first time the Master of Masters has actually shown up. I really hope I wrote his mysterious yet eccentric demeanor well. And I have a feeling, given the Master’s presence in Quadratum, that Sora’s arrival in this world was no coincidence. Then again, is anything a coincidence in Kingdom Hearts?

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I also give my special thanks to @fandomchanger, @dreaming-in-seams, and @sakuranekogirl for their likes on the previous chapter as well as @sokaiweek, @phoenix-downer, and @the-secret-place for reblogging the previous chapter.

The next chapter still needs work so it should be posted on Thursday if all goes well.

Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated! Stay tuned for we’ll be dropping in on the other half of our favorite couple next chapter!

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Onto the next chapter!

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #sokaiweek #sokaiweek2021 #sora #master of masters #maddrmatt

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bytheangell · 5 years

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This Is the Coda That Never Ends... Part 19

(Read on AO3) (Read from the start)

After her last few experiences in the New York Institute: stepping in as acting Head, being left at the altar of her and Alec’s almost-marriage of convenience, and then attacked not once, but twice, once by Hodge and once by Raj while he was possessed by a demon… well, to say she’s avoided the building since that last time is an understatement.

The idea of going back to a place she’s more than a little convinced is actually cursed for her isn’t how she planned on spending the remainder of her week, but when she finds out that Alec is being banned from the investigation she accepts the placement without question. He didn’t ask her to - he wasn’t given the chance - but he doesn’t have to. Lydia knows that she owes him this one.

Navigating the Clave, hell, surviving in a political world of any kind as a young woman, is nearly impossible. Lydia and Alec realized how much they could help one another about a month after Alec’s wedding. It was the moment they both ended up in the same meeting for the first time and everyone expected the two of them to do nothing but work against one another due to their ‘history’. That alone was no surprise, and they hardly agreed on everything that day, but it didn’t take them long to realize that what they did agree on people took more seriously. One comment of, ‘Well, if Lightwood backs her plan, it has to be worth trying’ and they both knew what they had to do to use this to their advantage.

Despite developing a surprisingly close friendship in private as far as anyone else is concerned the two of them are merely civil out of necessity. When either one of them needs a play backed the other will step in and voice support. The immediate boost of credibility the seemingly reluctant agreement between supposed enemies gives the other’s stance a crucial edge. So far it’s worked wonders but they both know it’s only a matter of time before someone figures them out, so just to stretch this little ploy of theirs out as long as possible they agree not to tell anyone it’s just an act.

That includes Isabelle and Jace, who have no idea that she’s here as a friend and not as a person looking to find fault behind every carefully chosen word they speak to her. They’re currently in the Ops room going over a few potential courses of action for what-if scenarios - what if Clary’s memories return, what if she finds herself back at the Institute, or what if both happen at once? - all the while the most she’s getting from Jace and Isabelle are short, clipped answers which make her increasingly frustrated as they go on. It takes nearly a full hour for her to get anything substantial out of them, though whether it’s because they’re starting to trust her a little more or because she’s simply wearing them down, she isn’t certain.

When Lydia’s phone vibrates in the pocket of her suit jacket she’s tempted to ignore it in favor of the conversation she’s having with Jace and Isabelle over the planning table. They’re going over places that Clary might turn up, places of note for Lydia to make sure is under at least casual surveillance if the people can be spared for it, and she’s more than a little invested in what they’re brainstorming.

Of course, if she ignores it and it’s something important, something from Alicante, she’ll never hear the end of it. Without missing a beat in her explanation of how they might be able to drum up some Downworlder informants to keep an eye on things in their respective areas of the city she pulls out her phone and looks down at the name on it.

Alec.

One glance at Isabelle and Jace tells her that neither of them know that their brother is calling her, and she knows that they haven’t reached for their phones at all in the past hour, which implies she’s the first one he’s calling after getting out of his meeting with Consul Penhallow. She has to force the small hint of a smile from her face at that revelation as she clears her throat and excuses herself from the table to take the call outside.

“One second,” Lydia says quickly into the phone after answering, muting the call and making her way briskly to the lawn outside of the Institute. When she puts the phone back up to her ear she’s met with Alec’s immediately exasperated tone. “I can’t believe you just put me on hold,” he says, but she hears nothing but amused (and overly exaggerated) surprise behind the words rather than actual annoyance.

“Yes, well, forgive me for not wanting your siblings to know you called me before you called them. You’re welcome, by the way,” she quips back.

“...I take back everything bad I ever said about you. You’re a scholar and a saint, Branwell. Do you want a promotion? I’m certain I could get you one if you only-”

“Just quit it and tell me why you called,” Lydia interrupts, shaking her head fondly. “I’m certain Isabelle and Jace are already plotting against me every second I’m gone.”

“They aren’t being awful to you, are they? I know we agreed to keep up certain appearances in public, but-” Alec’s voice trails off.

“No, no, they’re fine. Jace looks like he trusts me about as far as he can throw me-”

“So pretty far, then?”

“Haha, very funny. But they’re being perfectly hospitable considering they think I’m on Jia’s side.” Lydia catches herself shrugging even though Alec can’t see the action.

“That’s actually why I’m calling. You... aren’t on Jia’s side, are you?” Alec pauses. “It’s okay if you are. I mean, it isn’t, but I’d get it. This whole thing with Clary, it’s a lot of gray area. Completely unprecedented. You don’t think we’re being biased in trying to protect her, do you?”

Lydia doesn’t answer right away. She can tell the question is bothering him and knows he’s looking for an honest answer, not just the one he wants to hear. And she doesn’t blame him - they were both on the same page about Clary when she first came into the Shadow World on her 18th birthday: she brought nothing but trouble, listened to no one, but even worse, she managed to convince the trained Shadowhunters who should’ve known better to join her in breaking or ignoring every single rule in place.

The first time Lydia was called into the New York Institute it was to take over because Alec and the others were deemed incapable of running things without bias. It makes sense that her being sent here again under similar circumstances would raise the same concerns. Except this time they both know better; it’s amazing what a difference a year can make.

“Honestly? I think Clarissa Fairchild sacrificed more for the Nephilim in a few months than most do their entire lives. So no, I don’t believe she should be immediately persecuted for something that to my understanding seems entirely out of her control.” Lydia can’t pretend it isn’t a gamble, that there isn’t a potential danger in Clary regaining memories taken from her directly by the Angels, but that’s no fault of Clary’s.

Alec hums in reply over the phone. “Okay. Good. I can tell this whole thing is stressing Izzy out, it’s the first big crisis she’s had to deal with since she took over. I just want it to go as smoothly as possible for all of us. Angel knows I’ll catch enough crap for it here.”

“You aren’t coming back to New York?” Lydia asks, already suspecting the answer.

“Not any time soon. I’m not allowed anywhere near this officially, at least not until the Clave has a chance to review it first.” She can hear how upset he is over this, and knows how much he wants to be here not just for Clary but for his siblings, too. Alec continues, “But if it isn’t me, I’m glad it’s you.” “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me, Mr. Inquisitor. Anyway, I’d promise to keep you updated but I’m sure Isabelle and Jace will do a fine job of that on their own.”

“Jace already texted me twice since you left to take this call,” Alec confirms.

“Of course he did.”

“I told him to play nice. Not that he listens to me half the time,” Alec admits.

“I appreciate the effort. But really, things are fine here. I’ll let you know if I need you to step in but I think we can both make it out of this with our public personas in tact.” Lydia knows it wouldn’t be the worst thing ever to admit that she’s actually rather close with Alec, but right now they’d both hate to lose that slight edge it gives them while making power plays both in Idris and at their old Institutes.

Like now. If Jia suspected for a second how close the two of them have actually grown over the past year there isn’t a chance in Edom she would’ve sent Lydia over any number of other qualified Shadowhunters. It’s the fact that they’re still presumably at odds that Jia thinks will spin this appointment in her favor. What an unfortunate awakening she’s in for.

That is, if Lydia can get Isabelle to cooperate with her.

Lydia heads back inside to hear Isabelle and Jace whispering back and forth words that stop abruptly when they see her enter the room again.

“Sorry about that,” Lydia says.

“Updating the Clave?” Jace accuses, sliding his own phone back into his pocket from what was probably another text to Alec.

“Speaking with a contact in Alicante,” she allows, not wanting to lie to them but still not sharing the whole truth of the situation. “But that’s neither here nor there. I believe we were discussing keeping some closer eyes on Clary than just occasional video surveillance…”

Isabelle bristles at that, sharing a pointed look of concern with Jace. “I really don’t think that’s necessary. If she’s just going about her life I don’t see why we have to spy on her.”

“Because how do you know she’s going about her life, and not on her way right back here as we speak?” Lydia questions, and the silence that follows is all the answer she needs.

Protecting Clary is one thing - setting up extra eyes on her should be something they want, something to keep Clary safe from stumbling into somewhere she shouldn’t be again. But the way they seem so stubbornly opposed to the idea makes her convinced she’s missing something. There’s got to be something they’re specifically hiding - and she has to wonder how big that something is. She also has to wonder if Alec is hiding it from her, too, or if he doesn’t know himself. She wants to help but she can’t help if she doesn’t have all the pieces to work with.

“You said she made it as far as the stairs of the Institute before she was taken away. What’s to stop her from getting too close again?”

Something strange crosses Izzy’s features at that question before they fall back to a neutral impassivity. “The glamours we have up encourage any mundanes walking by to simply keep walking. Clary isn’t a mundane, though, so instead of discouraging her from approaching, she tried to come inside. Of course, that’s what our security team is for. Now that we’re on the lookout for her there’s no way she’d be allowed to get that close again if we didn’t want her to.”

“And do you? Want her to?” Lydia clarifies. “If she showed back up today, would you let her in, or take her away again?

“I believe that would depend on the circumstances, don’t you? If she needs help I couldn’t-” Isabelle starts, but catches her words and tries to backtrack. “The Institute would never turn away someone in need.”

“Even if that someone is a potential threat?” Lydia provokes. In all honesty she’s mostly curious to see how Isabelle is going to play this. It’s better she gets this first round of questioning from Lydia rather than someone higher up, not that Isabelle sees it that way. The flash of challenge in Isabelle’s eyes betrays that much.

“Now listen here,” Jace finally chimes in. “Clary isn’t a threat, and if you-”

“I wasn’t asking you, Mr. Wayland,” Lydia cuts him off, turning a cool gaze back to Isabelle who looks about to argue. “Unless the Head of the Institute needs someone to speak for her?”

“How dare-” Jace starts again, but this time it’s Isabelle who cuts him off.

“No, Jace, it’s fine. In fact, how about you go give that debriefing we were discussing earlier to the daytime security patrol, and I’ll meet up with you when we’re done here.”

It sounds like a suggestion but they all know that coming from the Head of the Institute any suggestion is actually an order. As much as Jace absolutely does not want to walk away from this conversation he has to know how bad it would look if he didn’t listen to his direct superior, right? One glare in Lydia’s direction is all the answer she needs to that silent question.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll report back later,” he says, his words more a huff than actual speech. Jace hesitates just a moment longer, giving Isabelle a chance to change her mind if she wants, before turning to leave.

All morning she’s been trying to work through Jace’s distrust and the way he’s done nothing but counter her at every turn, often just for the sake of being contrary. Hopefully with Jace out of the way she can make some proper progress with Isabelle, who waits until her brother’s gone from the ops room entirely before speaking again.

“You’ll have to excuse Jace. All of this has been a lot for him to deal with, he’s a little on the defensive side as you can tell.” “Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Lydia replies, but allows a small smirk to accompany the words. “It’s alright, I’m not taking it personally. He doesn’t have to like me for us to coexist here.”

Isabelle shrugs. “No, he doesn’t; but he should know better than to lash out at you like that. He wants to be here for me but I want you to know that I’ve kept him as far away from everything with Clary as possible. I know he shouldn’t be involved, objectively speaking, despite being my best Shadowhunter.”

Lydia nods, making a note of that. She isn’t sure if Isabelle is just saying that because it’s what she thinks Lydia wants to hear, but she doesn’t think that’s the case.

“Same reason Consul Penhallow is keeping Alec in Alicante for the time being. It’s a good call. But that still leaves the question I asked before - what about your involvement? Are you capable of doing what needs to be done if Clary’s a threat?” Lydia hates asking the question but she knows that she has to. It’ll be the one point Lydia expects to be hounded on upon her return from New York.

“If I believe Clary poses any danger to this Institute or the people in it, then yes. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them,” Isabelle assures her.

“And what if you don’t believe she does, but someone else does? Someone higher up?”

That’s really what this all boils down to. It doesn’t matter what Jace, or Isabelle, or even Lydia thinks, if the orders come down from above one day. This is why she’s really here, and what Isabelle really needs to be prepared for.

“I know how to follow orders,” Isabelle says, but her tone is much more resigned this time. “That’s all this is, isn’t it? You show up here and pretend to take down notes and statements and they’re just going to do whatever they want to do anyway, no matter what I say. None of this matters.”

Lydia bites down on her lower lip for a moment. She should just let this go, it isn’t her place and it certainly isn’t going to help the detached appearance she’s meant to keep up while on this assignment… but all she can think about is how stressed out about this Isabelle is, according to Alec’s phone call. Lydia knows her presence here is a big part of that stress, and to encourage this manner of thinking is only going to make things exponentially worse.

“That isn’t true. All of this matters. In fact, I’m not sure it’s ever mattered more than it does right now,” Lydia admits.

Isabelle looks over at her unable to hide the surprise from her expression.

“I know you think I’m your enemy but I’m not. I’m just here to do my job, same as you. I don’t want to see you fail but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who do.” Lydia warns cryptically, knowing how closely she’s toeing the line of actually admitting she cares here. “If you hold up that well with everyone you talk to about this, you’ll be fine.”

Despite Lydia’s attempt to show genuine support Isabelle is too suspicious to accept it at face value. Isabelle seems at a loss for words at first but recovers quickly, her guard back up in an instant. “So what? That’s it, I passed your little test?”

“Unfortunately I’m going to be somewhat of a permanent fixture around here for the next few days. Looks like you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” Lydia knows she shouldn’t be disappointed that they’re right back to treating one another the way they were before, with nothing more than professional courtesy. It’s probably for the best.

“I guess we can set you up with one of the spare bedrooms, then,” Isabelle offers, not that she has much of a choice. “Hope you don’t mind slumming it for a few days, I’m sure the quarters will be much smaller than you’re used to back in Idris.”

Lydia catches the implication that she’s used to living better than this, better than Isabelle, what with her relatively safe position as an envoy to the Clave. And it’s true, she can’t argue it, even if it isn’t what she wants for herself. Lydia may have taken a few steps back after the death of her first fiance but she’s back on the right path again, and one day she hopes to be in Isabelle’s position, only back at the Lisbon Institute she once planned on running with John.

So instead of feeding into the bait this time Lydia simply shrugs her shoulders. “I’m sure whatever you have available will be more than suitable for a day or two, thank you.”

Isabelle gives her a level look. “What are you playing at here?” Isabelle demands, dropping the vague niceties.

Lydia sighs. Isabelle just can’t take a subtle hint at a truce, can she? “Like I said before, I’m just trying to make it through another assignment in one piece. Same as you. So what do you say we both make that as easy on one another as possible to get me out of your hair quicker. Deal?”

After considering the offer for a long moment, Isabelle nods. “Deal.”

It isn’t much, Lydia thinks, but it’s a start.

#lydia branwell #alec lightwood #isabelle lightwood #jace herondale #shadowhunters #I love Lydia's tough on the outside but secretly soft on the inside existence #elle writes a few deadbeat lines #long post

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