[OP: "Be Concerned"--21 Pilots]

"Abby, what did she do to you?" Romance finally dared to ask when Mystique had walked away.

"I'm not sure. It felt like she was seeing into my soul," Abby shivered. "Did I look weird?"

"Your eyes flashed," Rumi said blankly. 

"You looked the least spaced out I've ever seen you though," Jinu said. "Didn't you feel something for a second there? Didn't you kind of want what she was saying?"

Abby looked puzzled. "What was that again?"

"Freedom." Jinu sounded almost angry at him. "Even if your mind is gone, can you at least understand that much?"

"Hey, leave him alone," Romance said. "You started this mess. We never asked for you to try to free us..."

"It's not even possible," Baby said yet again.

"Is that all you got to say about it?" Jinu turned to him. "If all of you were humans once...why did you never mention it, first of all? But second of all, how did you forget that? Did you ask Gwi-Ma to take your memories?"

"And you're one to judge there?" Mystery surprisingly spoke again. "I don't remember asking him to do that, but, if it happened, then why do you suddenly care?"

Jinu lost his confidence once that was pointed out.

"I guess it's strange that I would care," he said. "I just...think it could have..."

"Could have what?" Baby said darkly.

"Look, whatever you did to get rid of the patterns," Romance said, "we don't know, and we don't care... I guess the Saja Boys idea is over...so now we're just waiting till Gwi-Ma gives us another job or eats us for not doing our job correctly. Thanks a lot for making our miserable existence a living hell either way."

"But why would Gwi-Ma blame you for it if was Jinu's fault?" Rumi said.

"Someone obviously hasn't met Gwi-Ma," Romance said. "But wait...didn't you?"

"He is one to shoot the messenger," Jinu said, a bit subdued. "And I didn't really think about what he would do to them...but, in my defense, this is the first conversation we've ever had that was really a conversation. I didn't think they had thoughts."

"Stop saying that!" Abby said. "Of course we have thoughts... You think you're so much smarter than us just 'cause you have your memories intact, don't you? But it's not like you're any different than we are."

He shook himself. "We shouldn't be around them though... As soon as the angry one comes back, she's just going to kill us."

"Mira? No, she's... I think she's just shocked by what Mystique just said," Rumi said.

"I think someone should check on Raven," Morph said. "I should probably go."

"No, you probably should stay here to make sure they don't get away," Jinu said. "I'll talk to her."

"You?" Morph and Rumi both said in unison.

Jinu shrugged. "I think I know why she's upset."

"I think we all know why she's upset," Morph said. "Mira..." He sighed. "She's so...quick to judge."

"Mira has always been like that," Rumi said. "She...means well, you know. She wants keep us all safe... This is pretty unknown terrority for us. But when she puts it on you, it's hard to deal with it."

"Zoey didn't actually seem happy either," Jinu pointed out.

"Well, it is a little weird to hear both of you were guilty of doing something like that." Rumi turned to Morph. "Or...just Raven?"

"Just Raven on that one," Morph said. "But I've done bad things too... Why are you surprised that she did it? She's been very honest with you about her past. Why else was she assigned to this mission? Isn't it that she knows just how people like that think? You think it's a bad thing, right? But isn't it an asset? You have someone you can ask who's been on the side of Gwi-Ma and has come out of it. And Rumi, not to be rude, but you've made plenty of bad choices lately that nearly got people killed."

Rumi backed up.

"Hey." Jinu said. "That's not fair."

"It's completely fair," Morph said warmly. "And did we criticize her for them? Did we act all shocked and horrified like you just did? You should think about how much mercy you've received before you start to say someone else shouldn't be here."

Rumi looked like she'd been slapped.

"I still think that's a little harsh--" Jinu began.

"No." She put her hand up, but she looked sick. "No, he's...he's right. I feel terrible. I had no right to react that way either. I just... She seems... She was so casual about it, it caught me off guard."

"Maybe it would help to know that Raven did help try to undo some of that damage," Morph said. "I don't think you really can undo mistakes fully--they are facts--but...she tried to help make things right, after she'd been shown mercy... Sometimes you can't fix it till you know you'll be forgiven anyway."

Rumi blinked at him.

"Well, Jinu, go if you want to go," Morph said. "We need to try to talk to the guys. Rumi, you want to help? They'll probably run again as soon as they can."

The Saja Boys looked stunned that he'd guessed that so easily--not that it was that hard, since they'd tried to do it several times.

Rumi drew her sword. "Yeah...I got you."

"Are you sure just the two of you--?" Jinu began.

"We'll yell if something goes wrong. Just go," Morph said.

Jinu nodded and took off.

"Since when does Jinu care about other people's feelings?" Romance asked.

"A man gets one girl to like him and suddenly he's changing his whole image," Abby muttered.

"Shut up!" Rumi said angrily. "None of you are helping anything."

"Did you expect us to?" Baby asked.

She frowned. "Look, we're trying to help you. Can't you understand that? Some part of you has to be able to understand that, right?"

"You think we're basically brain dead, right?" Mystery spoke. "Maybe we are..."

"Morph...how are we gonna get through to them?" Rumi worried. "This is way harder than Jinu."

"Well, Rumi, if it was easy, I think it would have been done a long time ago," Morph replied.

* * *

"Mystique?" Jinu looked around the corner and found her under the doorway of the building.

Mystique hardly even heard him.

She was lost in her own dark thoughts.

She thought of Gwi-Ma's taunts of the day of the Idol Awards...

Outcast....

If they know your real past...they won't accept you...

Actually, that one might have been new. She wasn't sure.

"Mystique?" Jinu tried again.

She looked up sharply. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk." Jinu held up his hands. "Look...it's been a crazy day for everyone... Maybe that was just the final straw..."

"You're suddenly the mature one?" Mystique sniffed. "That's new... One day back to life sure makes a difference."

"I think it's more one day not hearing Gwi-Ma's voice..." Jinu said strangely. "I...it's like being alone in my head for the first time in...400 years. Maybe there's just room to think about other people in there now."

Mystique almost had to laugh at that picture. "Maybe..." She looked up. "Do you feel sorry for me? Is that it?"

"I don't know... I just...thought what they said was probably hard to hear," Jinu said. "You've done...way more bad things than I realized."

"Oh, I could add to that list." Bitterly. "My entire life was nothing but mistakes for most of it... I wonder if I'm kidding myself to think I will ever be anything different. Decades of making poor choices..."

"Didn't you tell me that was why I should have hope?" Jinu said. "I must be more undeserving than you."

"You're the first person I've met who could beat me on that. Although...what's pure evil and beyond the point of caring anymore if they were wrong?"

"What was the worst thing you ever did? You know mine."

Mystique frowned, but then she said, "I don't know."

"No?"

"What is the worst? Was it allowing people to be turned into monsters? Was it casting away my child because I wanted to escape my life? Was it telling Rogue to do something that would make her almost a murderer and trap someone else in her mind...? Though, that last one, I didn't fully know what would happen... Still...I did other things too...I doubt ones you could have even attempted."

"You might be surprised."

"No...you definitely seem too innocent, in some ways, for it." Mystique looked away.

It took a second for it to sink in. Then he was a bit shocked.

But then he shook his head. "For what it's worth...I think it's admirable that you're trying to change now... I wouldn't have if I were you...I mean...short of an impossible choice, perhaps."

"Maybe I just had an impossible choice also."

"Well--" Jinu rubbed his neck. "--this may sound rude, but I'm almost glad that you've done as many bad things as you have. I feel better about myself."

Mystique glanced up and then hit him in the arm.

"OW!" Jinu winced.

"You are a little brat," she said, but less bitterly. "Four hundred years didn't give you dignity! I thought in your day people were supposed to respect their elders."

"But aren't you the younger one out of the two of us?"

"Mentally, I'm much older than you! You stopped aging at 25!" Mystique hit him again. "So you think me besmirching my own soul is somehow supposed to make you feel better about yours? You spoiled little prince."

"Mystique, hold on." Jinu tried to block her from hitting him again. "I was just trying to lighten the mood."

"That barely is tolerable when Morph does it. From you it's just cheek!" She swatted at him again. "Do you think you're better than me now?"

"No..." Jinu said.

Mystique stopped. "Good. Stop standing around this street. You look like an idiot."

She walked away from him.

"What...?" Jinu was lost.

[Yeah...Mystique is a difficult woman to understand. And sometimes she's really Rogue's mother, if you know what I mean.]

* * *

"Oh, there you are." Morph saw Raven coming back. "Are you okay? Where's Jinu?"

"Right behind me." She jerked her head.

Jinu came back, rubbing his arm.

"What happened to you?" Rumi asked.

"She did." Jinu was a bit cross about it. "I said one thing, and she just started hitting me."

"Raven...really?" Morph said. "What did he say?"

"It was too outrageous to repeat it," Mystique said, putting her chin in the air. "Where are the other two drama queens?"

"She...seems fine now." Rumi was confused. "Jinu, did you put a spell on her?"

"Don't even joke about that." Jinu rubbed his arm some more. "I was trying to say something encouraging and she lost it. I guess I said it wrong...but now she seems to feel better?"

"Maybe you said it the right wrong way then," Rumi guessed.

* * *

Mira and Zoey had gone just around the corner and under a shop. They didn't want to go too far in case there was trouble.

"That was a lot to take in," Zoey said. "But...now that I'm...letting it sink in...I mean, it doesn't really change anything, does it?"

"Look, I'm trying to overlook a lot of things already," Mira said. "But this? Shouldn't someone like that be in jail or something?"

"Maybe, but...she's an alien...so..." Zoey tugged her bangs. "Mira...if they're trying to change... She did a lot of bad things, but...she's...trying, right?"

"But how can I--we--trust someone who has done things like that? Doesn't...doesn't it stay with you? Forever? Some lines can't be crossed, right?"

"I dunno, maybe we're too hung up on the idea of perfection still. We haven't even had a full week to get used to them and Rumi's...situation also. Jinu is new too. A lot has happened today...and I don't know if the Saja Boys are...redeemable or not. But it's possible that if she did that to people once, maybe that's why she might really, really want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"This entire thing is just her doing penance then?" Mira said. "What are we, some kind of experiment for them? Ugh..." She rubbed her face. "Why couldn't we just slay the demons like we usually do...? They're making everything so complicated, and for what? It doesn't seem like it's going to work."

"We've barely talked to them..." Zoey said.

"Oh, and what was that anyway?" Mira looked at her sideways. "You can't like them. Zoey, they nearly got us killed."

She took her by her shoulders, though not hard. "We were going to walk into Gwi-Ma's fire! His mouth, Zoey. We were this close. And they were luring us in there. They're evil."

"Well, yeah...that was pretty bad," Zoey admitted.

"Pretty bad? They don't have any sympathy for us..." Mira said. "Or for anyone else."

"But Jinu did that too, and he still sacrificed himself," Zoey said, with her more nerdy theorist tone. "Which means...maybe if they had a reason to make the choice, they all could have too... Jinu can't be the only one who's capable of that. That would be...pretty unlikely, right? Morph and Mystique may be onto something."

"And why would we want to help people like that even if they could change? Why can't they just change themselves?" Mira frowned.

"I dunno, Mira... I don't how know any of this works." Zoey was starting to sound stressed. "I'm sorry..."

Mira felt bad for taking out her anger on Zoey.

She let go. "No...I'm sorry... I shouldn't have gone off like that. I...I'm not mad at you... I just hate this."

"I know..." Zoey put a hand on her shoulder. "No, you're not mad at me. I know that... Or Rumi, really...who we kinda left to deal with that by herself..."

They sighed and walked back around the corner.

* * *

Before everyone had returned, Morph had been trying to reason with the 4 Saja Boys.

"I know you guys might not believe this," he said, "but from the start, Raven and I thought you might be reached... Not to make you sound like a project, or anything, but...we heard Jinu's story, and we could relate to it a lot. Thought maybe you have the same problem... Look, you can say it if you do. Gwi-Ma isn't going to get you from here... It seems like he can't right now. We got your back."

Morph was less off-putting than his partner was.

The boys exchanged looks.

"Let's say, for one second," Romance said, "that we said yes...which we're not, but, what do you even mean by setting us free? We wouldn't be demons anymore?"

"You're not demons now, if we're right," Morph said. "You're...owned by them...not the same thing. You can be bought back, I guess you could say. Redeemed, is what we call it. We've been through this with Jinu already. And Rumi, too."

Rumi nodded.

"Is that why she has those patterns?" Baby asked warily.

Rumi looked down. "Yeah..."

It was then that Jinu and Mystique had walked back up.

And a few moments after they did, Mira and Zoey returned.

"Everyone okay now?" Morph asked. "I think we're getting somewhere."

"We're not," Baby said. "I say we all just go our separate ways."

"As if we'd just let you go," Mira scoffed.

"So what are you going to do?" Abby asked, defiantly.

She frowned.

"Just hang on." Rumi held up her hands. "They seemed slightly interested in this a second ago, Mira, before you walked up. Guys...remember?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Mystery said, sounding spaced out.

Zoey gave Rumi a blank look.

"Ugh! This is so frustrating!" Rumi dragged her hands down her face like a cartoon character. "It's like they glitch the second after we start to get somewhere."

"Been there," Morph said. "But we have to have patience... It takes a while for things like this to wear off sometimes."

"And we don't have a while," Mira said. "We still need proof, or I say we kill them now."

"What about that picture?" Zoey held up her phone. "Doesn't this look like them?"

The Saja Boys all stared at her phone with...some spooked expressions.

Then, without any warning whatsoever, Baby suddenly snatched it out of her hand.

"What? Hey!" Zoey got mad.

"What are you trying to pull?" Baby said, as if he was offended. "Some stupid trick?"

"Baby, what was that?" Jinu was confused. "Why would you do that? Give her phone back."

"Yeah, give it back, you freak!" Mira lunged at him.

But Baby jumped out of her reach.

"What's with that?" Abby snatched it out of his hand--easily, since he was much taller than him. "Why are you getting so worked up over a little picture?" He turned the phone in his hand. "Nice looking group of dudes though...not as hot as we are."

"Let me see." Romance tugged on his arm.

"They're trying to trick us into thinking we're on their side," Baby said. "That's just a random picture. Zoey is crazy."

"Who are you calling crazy?" Zoey looked pretty crazy right then. "Now give that back, or I'll stop being nice!"

"Okay, enough of that," Morph said, snatching the phone from Abby using his extended arm before anyone else could do anything.

He handed it back to Zoey.

"That reaction was telling," Mystique said.

"It did seem weirdly personal," Rumi said. "Did you respond to something in that picture...uh... Baby?... Is that his real name?"

"I never heard any real names for any of them." Jinu shrugged. "We just picked those for the cover."

"Okay, I'm tired of this," Mira said, exasperated. "If they were human, they would remember, right? Isn't that what...someone said, I don't remember who now...? But they'd remember their shame or something? So if they don't, then..."

"There could be a reason for that, we discussed already," Morph said.

"But that is just a theory," Mira said.

"You know," Romance said, "I'm not liking you very much."

"What?" Mira said. "Why would I care? I don't like you."

"I meant personally," Romance said loftily. "What a nightmare. Who talks constantly about killing people this casually?"

"You jerks killed hundreds of people!" Mira was enraged.

"But did we talk about it?" Mystery said, like that was somehow a valid point.

Mira was speechless.

"Well, he is right," Morph said. "It is a weird thing to talk about in front of them. Mira, could you stop making threats? They're not going to trust us if you do that."

"And I care because...?" Mira said.

"Mira, we came all the way out here to help. We can't just not even try," Rumi said.

"I never came out here to help. I came to make sure no one dies," Mira said.

"Then make sure of it and stop provoking the enemy," Mystique finally said, harshly.

Mira was not happy with her still--but that line made her pause.

"Technically, none of us really had orders to kill you," Abby spoke. "Maybe you could just pretend you didn't see us?"

Jinu frowned. "Guys, aren't you worried about what Gwi-Ma is going to do to you once he can call you back to his realm? If you could be free, he wouldn't be able to do it."

Pause.

"Why didn't you just lead with that?" Romance asked.

"He does make a pretty convincing case..." Mystery said, though he still sounded kind of confused. "At least...I think he does. What were we talking about again?"

"Maybe we are doomed either way..." Abby looked worried now. "Then what?"

"We're not doomed," Baby said. "Gwi-Ma will find other use for us. We nearly succeeded. I say, we blame the failure of this on Jinu and say we can get another chance."

"Do you think that would work?" Romance asked like that was a serious question.

"You would do that?" Rumi was mad. "You'd just go on trying to fight us? We came out here to try to help you."

"Well, no offense, sweetheart," Romance said, with more of his usual smarmy smile, "but we don't really like any of you. We're just trying to avoid getting toasted by Gwi-Ma."

"So this is just based on what's more likely to get you not roasted?" Zoey said. "You don't...care about the right thing?"

"The 'right' thing has lost all meaning for us," Baby said. "Demons don't do the right thing."

"That's what I've been saying," Mira said.

"Maybe not..." Rumi held up her hand. "That sounds like what Jinu said before... Uh, what I mean is...do you just think that because you think there's no hope?"

Uncomfortable silence.

"Hope for what?" Baby said finally.

"Urghhhh!" Rumi had had it with their selective amnesia.

"The results are inconclusive," Morph said, in a doctor-ish tone. "They need more time. But they are a lot more lucid than before. I think this is working. Talking to them...maybe it stirs them up a little. It seemed to the one other time. We have some effect on them... That's progress. And, Mira, that didn't happen with the full demons. If we can influence them, they are likely humans. I don't think real demons are influenced by human emotions."

"Morph, your theories are not facts," Mira said.

"Mira, neither are yours," Morph said.

Mira was struck speechless again.

"Wait, it's not just Mira's theory though," Zoey said. "Celine, our mentor, has always told us that demons have no feelings, that they are pure evil and cannot ever do anything good."

"Did she?" Mystique said with interest. "She always told you that?"

"Yes, it was part of her training when she first found us," Zoey said. "We're good, they're bad, you know. Even if they seem nice sometimes, they're just using that to get closer to people. That's why they impersonate people we know. Celine knows all about this, since she was a hunter before us."

Rumi looked really uncomfortable. "Uh...Zoey...about that..."

"What?" Zoey looked at her strangely.

"There...uh...could be...some other things that Celine...might have hidden from you..." Rumi said awkwardly.

Mira pushed up her disguise glasses. "Wait...did...she know more about the reason for those patterns?"

"Not sure..." Rumi said. "I've tried to think of a way to bring it up for days...but I didn't know how to...because...after talking to her...it just...fell apart. I don't know how to describe it."

"She thinks Rumi should hide her patterns," Mystique spoke for her. "She told her to do it all those years."

"She did?" Jinu said.

Rumi rubbed her arms. "She never could accept it... Uh...I guess I should clarify for you all that I have these because my father was...a demon."

"Hold up," Abby said, before anyone else could even say anything. "What?"

"Huh?" Romance seemed just as confused.

Even Mystery and Baby did a double take.

"That's a thing?" Abby then went on...but sounding more intrigued than horrified, unlike the girls. "Humans can...?"

"Don't!" Rumi held up her hands. "Don't say it. And I have no idea how it's possible...except that...if some demons are really humans with demonic curses, it would make a lot more sense, but she never told me that was a thing."

"Did she just not know?" Morph said. "How did she know about your dad?"

"I have no idea. She never told me anything about him other than he was a demon and my mom died," Rumi said. "You can imagine what I assumed...but..."

"We went over that before," Morph said.

"She did?" Mira looked at him warily.

"I already witnessed her conversation with Celine," Mystique said, a bit flatly. "So there was no reason to hide it anymore."

"I was going to talk to you guys about it more, Mira. I just hadn't worked up the nerve yet," Rumi said. "I expected you...might have some problems with Celine once we talked about it...and I haven't had the heart to even call or text her since the Awards... She could think I died for all I know. Or that I got taken by some demon, since that's what she thought Mystique was."

"I was in my natural form," Mystique explained.

"My gosh!" Mira gestured wildly. "You could have just asked her to cut your head off--would have been just as subtle."

"Yeah, lowkey surprised you survived that, Raven," Zoey said. "Celine never hesitates when it comes to demons."

"Except me," Rumi said. "But she never fully accepted me. Well, I thought if demons are really evil, her attitude made sense...but...if they aren't...if some of them are people, not monsters...and she knew...I have been thinking about what I would have to feel like if that was true."

"We're assuming she knew," Morph said. "But we have no idea if she even met your father. I'm sure he must have been a human under Gwi-Ma's control also...but she didn't necessarily know that that was a thing. I wouldn't rush to judge till we hear the full story."

"Hold up though--" Zoey held up her hands. "But that would mean there are things Celine doesn't know also... My mind is...kind of stalling right now..." She rubbed her temples. "And you didn't tell us this before we came out here?"

"Sorry..." Morph said. "Didn't know when the right time would be."

"It would have been nice before we came to find the Saja Boys!" Mira was mad. "How could you not warn us?"

"But what does this mean?" Jinu asked. "That...all along there was more to the story? I'm confused... We knew about you Hunters... As far as we know, you feel no sympathy for us. I had no idea Rumi's mom ever... Gwi-Ma never mentioned the reason."

"Wait." Mystique held up her hand. "That's interesting. I just realized--he never told you about her mom. There is no way he didn't know about it if he sees all of your interactions like he did with yours."

"So?" Jinu said.

"You are so dense." Mystique was disgusted. "What does it mean if your master doesn't share an important detail about defeating their rival?"

"I have an idea," Romance offered.

"No one asked," Mira said.

"I also have an idea," Abby said.

"What did I just say?" Mira said.

"No one asked," Abby said.

She looked mad until she realized that he'd just echoed what she'd said before... Did he actually think that was a serious question?

"What was your idea?" Morph asked the boys politely.

"Maybe he was embarrassed?" Romance suggested.

"That's the most basic explanation possible," Rumi said. "That doesn't sound like what Gwi-Ma would care about."

"Actually, he might. He doesn't like being mocked," Jinu said.

"Isn't that in The Screwtape Letters?" Morph said. "The devil doesn't like not being taken seriously."

"I forgot what we were talking about," Abby said.

"Why Gwi-a wouldn't tell you guys about Rumi's mom," Zoey said.

"Hm, well, it's like how Jinu didn't tell us about Rumi," Abby said.

"I didn't want you to question my decision," Jinu said. "Not like you asked anyway how I knew all that later."

"Asked? You didn't tell us about that reveal. You got two other demons to do it," Baby said.

"He's right. Why didn't you guys just do it yourselves?" Morph asked.

"Oh, I can answer that one," Abby said. "We can't shapeshift into anyone but our human forms."

"Another clue," Morph said.

"It's true," Jinu said.

"And you didn't say that before?" Rumi said.

"I guess I didn't think it would matter..." Jinu rubbed his head.

"All of you are idiots," Mystique said. "But the 4 of them are brain dead enough to have an excuse. What is yours, Jinu?"

"Why are you suddenly being so mean to me?" Jinu pouted real maturely.

"At least she expects more of you," Morph said. "You're supposed to be thinking of anything that might help us, you know."

"I don't know, what if they are right?" Zoey said. "Gwi-Ma would have known if Rumi had patterns because of her dad... Why not just say that? Like...why wouldn't he use it against us? Why would he be embarrassed if her mom still...you know...? Since he...technically won."

"What if he didn't?" Mystique saw they were not going to get it on their own. "What if it wasn't that simple? What if, in fact, he hid it because he didn't want you to ask questions about what was possible? The only reason he would hide it from Jinu was because it could have worked against his own purpose also. Perhaps neither Celine nor Gwi-Mawanted anyone to know that their sides can sympathize with each other."

"But...if that was it, why did he let me approach Rumi at all?" Jinu said.

"I have an idea about that," Romance said. "Didn't he say to you that in 400 years you haven't done anything that didn't serve yourself? Maybe he figured you'd never change your mind."

"Why does your memory work only now?" Jinu said.

"Gwi-Ma's voice is what we'd all remember anyway," Mystery suggested.

That did sound like a plausible reason to remember it.

"I've never heard you talk this much," Zoey addressed Mystery. "Or...at all..."

Mystery had no answer to that...nor did he seem to care about it.

"Actually, I've never heard him talk that much either." Abby was confused. "Could you always talk?"

Mystery just shrugged like he didn't know the answer to that.

"Are you saying that Gwi-Ma was afraid that they'd...what, get interested or something?" Mira asked Mystique, still kind of tersely. "You think Rumi's dad wanted out of his deal also?"

She remembered telling Rumi a few hours ago that they couldn't be sure of this.

"He must have," Mystique said. "There's no reason to hide it. There was no other reason not to try that same tactic twice to begin with, in fact, if it worked once, other than he was not positive it would succeed. Gwi-Ma must have either done something to her father, like to Jinu, to scare him into submission, or...he could have simply killed him when he thought he was getting too close."

"If he did that, why would my mother have died?" Rumi said somberly. "Isn't it more likely that my father betrayed her?"

Jinu looked away.

"Not really," Mystique said. "She lived long enough to have you at all... It's more likely that your father disappeared and Gwi-Ma lured her away with some decoy, making her think he was coming back. It is what I would have done if I were him. Once she was alone, he could have ambushed her. Easiest thing in the world to plan that."

Rumi cringed.

"That's...horrifying," Mira said. "And...if he could do that at any time, how could any of us trust any of the demon-human hybrids, even if they were sincere about changing? Which, I really still  don't believe they are."

"Only way you could be sure it was the real thing would be to watch them at all times." Morph rubbed his chin.

They all looked at each other.

"No," Mira said. "No, no, no."

"That sounds like a bad idea," Zoey said nervously.

"Isn't that a little much?" Rumi said. "You two were one thing, but...they're...not exactly neutral parties."

"It's smarter than them wandering around till Gwi-Ma manages to re-summon them," Mystique said. "And he will... You didn't make the Golden Honmoon. We can't be sure he won't break through it again."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on that then and not worrying about them?" Mira said.

"I don't know... If any of what we just talked about was true, I'm not sure the Golden Honmoon is going to solve it," Rumi said. "Am I just not supposed to be bothered by the idea of sealing every demon who was once a human into Gwi-Ma's realm forever?"

"And are we supposed to sacrifice everyone else only for them?" Mira said. "So it worked one time... That's just one, Rumi... For hundreds of years no one else has ever escaped him or wanted to."

"We don't know that, Mira!" Rumi was getting a little louder.

Mira frowned.

Zoey blinked.

"Okay." Morph got between them quickly. "Listen, this is a deeply personal matter for everyone. It's easy to get mad and blame each other, right? Rumi, I'm fully on your side about not just writing this off like it's nothing...but you have to try to see that it's still a lot to handle. Mira isn't used to this."

"Hey, I don't need you to--" Mira started.

"And Mira--" Morph turned to her. "--look, I'm not much of a peacemaker, but come on, it's her father we're talking about... You want her to just have to live with the idea that he was evil? If there was the slightest chance he wasn't? If there were other people like that who could be saved, it's worth talking about. You hate demons, right? But do you really like the idea that Gwi-Ma has people's lives to toy with for all eternity? And that hurts you in the long run too... The Saja Boys nearly beat you. Do you want to see what he can do with more people like that and more time to plan it?"

"Morph is right," Mystique said. "Since the Honmoon is not gold, Gwi-Ma at least stalled you on permanently sealing him away...and we still don't know that it's possible to do that. The Golden Honmoon is real in myth only, something you all try to achieve so you never give up, but if it were a real thing, it would have happened already."

"But we did see gold before," Zoey said.

"In one part of it...but the whole thing? I don't think it could be sustainable." Mystique shook her head. "It suggests a world where everyone would be perfectly in harmony forever... That's not this world. So, since this is the reality you live in, you'll have to face the possibility that Gwi-Ma can try something like this again...or he'll wait till the next generation to do it. So either you deal with it now and learn how to counter it, or you ignore your duty and let it happen."

A strained silence followed that statement.