Caught up in a million thoughts, Jason stopped walking to find himself long past the Cevinari hospital.

He glanced around, realising exactly how distracted he'd been when he saw the edge of Cevinari's forests waiting in front of him. Perhaps he'd taken a wrong turn while on autopilot walking from Gerald's, given that he'd ended up nearly an hour's walk from the hospital. He let his eyes wander back down the street with a frown, trying to remember walking past any of it. He could have been sure...

With a small shake of his head, Jason continued into the forest.

He relished the short minute he had with the crunch of the leaves and the scent of the trees around him before he found a suitably secluded place. There, hidden from the voices he could hear through the trees, he tapped his ear cuff twice.

Sae sprouted his wings first, flapping the rest of his ear-cuff body clear of Jason's face before the rest of him appeared with a dramatic puff of snow. The flakes were prevented from drifting softly towards the ground, caught in the flapping flurry from the effort of Sae keeping himself airborne.

"Y'no, I'm not your tattoo," said Sae, continuing to flap in the air expectantly until Jason lifted a finger. Sae settled down, his icy claws comforting against Jason's skin. "You don't have to tap me to get attention." Sae turned his head back over his body, looking around. "What are we doin' out here, anyway? Thought you were heading to the hospital."

"I walked a little further than I'd intended," said Jason. "And given how long it'd take for myself to walk back, I thought it a better option to fly and ensure I arrive some time before Olivia wakes up."

Sae tilted his head. "But the doctors said she wouldn't be awake for a few days at lea--oh. Oh my Starlight. That was a joke." Sae lifted a wing and pointed it at Jason's nose. "First you get lost, then you make a joke. Who are you and what have you done with my Featherbu--"

"Ascend, Frost of Skypillar!"

"--uuuuttttttttttttttt!"

Jason embraced the chill of Cryo's ice as it swirled and hardened around him. He breathed in the cold, welcoming the way it calmed the million thoughts and feelings buzzing inside his skull. A soft, protective snow instead of Cryo's numbing cold snap, it covered his mind in that extra layer of logic. It didn't remove or negate his feelings, but it did make them that little bit easier to process without feeling like he was suffocating.

It was sort of like putting his feelings in a freezer, he told himself. They were still good, and you could spend time simply gazing in there, deciding which bit you wanted to defrost and deal with.

It sounded like something Banshee would say.

Banshee--Olivia.

Mid-transformation and his heart still skipped a beat as he remembered.

The crystals of his wings finished forming behind him, flaring into the nearby branch of a tree while his thoughts ran away again.

Was that all it was going to take? A dumb metaphor that didn't even make all that much sense? Food definitely tasted fresh, so arguably, freezing something wasn't a good idea at all--which was probably something Banshee would have pointed out to him had he said the metaphor to her, and after she'd done so, she would have been standing there, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised in amusement with one of those signature smirks curving one side of her mouth up and--

Cryo threw his head back with a huff as he realised he was wrong.

Banshee would have first teased him about making the metaphor in the first place, then asked who he was and what he'd done with the real Cryo.

The real, occasional-joke-making Cryo straightened out his tunic in the middle of the woods with a frown.

"Why is everyone always so surprised when I make a joke?" he muttered under his breath as he froze his wings to his arms and shot up through the canopy.

It didn't take long to reach the hospital soaring over the rooftops of Cevinari. He stayed low, swooping from building to building with little more than a gust of chilled wind to mark his passing. It did take a little longer, however, to find a suitable location to dim unnoticed. Despite the late hour, the grounds around the hospital were still remarkably busy.

It was in part of the hospital gardens, an alcove with a bench hidden from view by some rather large bushes that Cryo eventually landed. He didn't dim immediately. Instead, he waited perhaps thirty seconds before shooting off a series of ice crystals that, at a distance, could very well have been mistaken for a Cryo taking flight once more. It was a trick he'd used before in public places, one that had once required far more concentration and thought to make convincing.

Once he was sure no one was coming, he said the words, and Cryo's ice dimmed into Jason once more. As he lifted a hand, providing Sae with a suitable perch, Jason found his other hand holding his Starsong amulet.

It faintly glimmered ice-blue in the dim evening glow of the starstone walls around him. He turned it over, checking it like he did most days for any sign of change.

Sae tilted his head. "Any idea what you're gonna do with it yet?"

He didn't. He'd wished so many times that Olivia and Banshee could be the same person, but now that he knew, he almost felt like he didn't deserve to know. Sure, he'd figured it out in the past and Sae had taken the memory, but Jason was still left with this guilt. He'd failed her--not just in recognising her, but in a million other ways, too. She trusted Jason, but did she trust Cryo after he'd pursued her so relentlessly and nearly drowned her in snow?

Jason closed his eyes, feeling an all too familiar ache in his brow.

"Jase?"

Jason shoved the amulet back into his pocket, missing the pocket twice before he successfully slipped it inside. "It doesn't matter until she wakes up, anyway. Let's go."

Sae hesitated for a moment, then melted into his usual ear cuff without another word.

Jason headed out through the gardens, opting to take the long way around to the now-familiar foyer of the hospital. It took him a few minutes longer, but as the doors slid shut behind him and the noise of the City was sealed behind the twin panes of rose starstone, Jason felt a little of the tension in his shoulders release.

The nurse at the desk recognised him and smiled in greeting.

"Welcome back, Jason," she said softly as he approached and signed in on the starstone tablet. "I believe someone asked for you earlier, but my shift only started recently so I'm unsure exactly who it was or if they're still here."

A knot twisted in Jason's stomach, but he forced it into a thin smile. His fingers slid down his coat, tracing the outline of the pouch safely tucked away within the inside pocket, though he wasn't quite sure why. "Thank you. I appreciate your assistance."

Jason headed up the stairs, inclining his head to a few of the staff who nodded or smiled at him as he passed. He recognised a few of the faces from yesterday, and was somewhat surprised to find that he'd even marked their threat levels somewhere in the back of his head. Anyone who'd acted suspiciously, who'd been trying to sow doubt about Olivia's story--with Skinwalker still about and an ever-growing count of individuals loyal to the Serpent, Jason found his trust wearing thin.

He shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the feeling, and stepped inside Olivia's room.

The room was lit to mirror the darkened skies outside. Olivia still lay unconscious in the bed he'd last seen her in. The machines around her bleeped at a steady rate, giving off the faint, comforting glow of post-aurora starstone.

Her father, Vincent, sat in an armchair, pulled close enough to her bedside that he could reach up and hold her hand that lay on top of the blankets. Whether Jason had simply caught him in the moment, or Vincent had been like that for far longer, he wasn't sure, though the tablet on his lap seemed long forgotten.

Jason cleared his throat and inclined his head deeply towards Vincent. "Groveseeker, Sir."

Vincent looked up with a start. Upon spotting Jason in the doorway, he released Olivia's hand and covered his heart instead. "Oh--oh, Jason. I'm sorry, I'm a little distracted--but I believe I've told you to call me Vincent, without any of this formal nonsense."

"I apologise, Vincent," said Jason. "It's a hard habit to break."

"Ah, don't worry yourself about it," said Vincent, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "I'll continue to correct you as long as you continue to do it. As Lydia would say, we're friends, not formalities." He waved Jason over. "Please, don't keep standing in the doorway. Olive would drag you over if she could."

Jason moved over, keeping a respectful distance from the bed. "How has she been?"

"About the same from what Lydia told me, I'm afraid," said Vincent. "I only arrived in the last few hours. Lydia insisted that she wasn't leaving Olive's side, but well, the kitchen was chaos without her. It took me a rather long time to reassure her that Olive wouldn't mind if we swapped over."

At the mention of the restaurant, Jason remembered. "I... I had a shift scheduled today, didn't I?"

The corner of Vincent's mouth lifted. "They were a little understaffed today, but Mark works wonders at the front of house. He kept it running smoothly enough without you."

A lump of ice felt like it'd settled in Jason's stomach. "You have my deepest apologies, Vincent. I had other things on my mind but that was no excuse to--"

Vincent chuckled. "No need for the apologies, son. It's rather exceptional circumstances this week. My other waiters also didn't bring my daughter back from the shadows of the Chasm."

It took far more effort than it should have for Jason to swallow his apologies down and replace it with a slight curiosity. He couldn't remember--had he mentioned a chasm? "What chasm are you referring to?"

"Ah, old saying," said Vincent. "Something my grandparents used to say when we thought something was gone forever, or had no idea where it'd come from. You see, they--"

A shadow from the doorway cast itself across the room as the door opened.

"Groveseeker, sir," came a voice Jason hadn't heard since the festival. "I apologise for the intrusion, yet again."

"No need to apologise," said Vincent. He glanced at Jason. "This young man was in here earlier, asking if you'd been by. He tells me he's your brother."

Vincent said it like he was expecting--hoping, almost--for Jason to deny it, but as Jason turned around to find Regan striding towards him, hands clasped behind his back, he only wished he could have.

"Regan Spiritseer is my brother," said Jason, glancing at his younger sibling. Regan's dark, brown-black hair was perfect, far from the messy style he often liked to flaunt about the temple. His pants, vest, and long sleeved shirt were equally immaculate, though his tie had been loosened from his collar, the way their father often did halfway through dinner. "What brings you here, Regan?"

"I received your message," said Regan.

Regan paused, long enough for Jason to open his mouth to ask what message, when Regan continued, half a breath before Jason could speak.

"I can take you to mother's room now, if you'd like," said Regan. "Unless, of course, you'd prefer to spent a little longer with Ms. Shadowheart, in which case I can return at a time more convenient to yourself."

Both the subject and the timing left Jason mentally stumbling--and told him that Regan had intended every part of it. Even so, it left him off balance in a heartbeat and unable to come up with a reason to refuse before Vincent spoke up.

"Don't worry about Olivia, Jason," said Vincent with a smile. "I understand. Go see your mother. I'm sure Liv won't mind."

Actually, Jason was fairly certain that Olivia would mind and would have had something rather interesting to say about it, but with her current state, she remained completely silent as Jason mumbled something like 'I'll be back soon' and followed Regan out of the room.

The lights in the hospital corridor seemed far too bright and harsh. Jason winced, resisting the urge to shield his eyes with his arms and doing his best to remember how he was supposed to be acting as Regan continued his confident stride ahead.

Jason fumbled for his Liaiser. Perhaps he was being too harsh in judging his younger brother. Perhaps someone had sent a message to Regan under the guise of Jason in an attempt to lure him into a trap. Why Regan might be a target, Jason wasn't entirely sure, but with recent events, he was willing to believe anything.

Jason caught up to Regan, flicking open his message box. "Which message were you referring to? I don't believe I sent--"

Regan snorted. "There was no message. That was a lie. I was covering your sorry ass."

He paused, but this time, Jason didn't fall for it. After a quick glance at his message box and finding Regan's name absent from the recents, Jason placed his Liaiser back and remained silent.

Regan continued a few steps later. "You didn't even know mother was hospitalised here, did you?"

"I didn't," said Jason.

"What an absolute surprise."

Silence continued for a few more steps, with both of them inclining their heads with a near-perfect unison to the nurse on the desk they passed.

"How did you know I'd be here?" asked Jason.

"I asked one of the nurses to notify me when you arrived after they mentioned seeing you yesterday."

Jason found any other questions he might have had dead in the wake of meeting his mother. He should have asked about her condition. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He vaguely remembered something about an artificial coma to allow her to heal through her injuries, but that'd been over a week ago. Starstone technology could work wonders in very short spaces of time.

And the idea of his mother being awake when he walked in that door was sinking every part of him straight into the floor.

So, when Regan stopped in front of another door a few minutes later and pushed it open, Jason almost couldn't make his legs move.

Regan's face was stone as he held open the door to a nightmare. "After you, brother."

Somehow, Jason ended up inside the room. He stood at the end of her bed, and he forced himself to look up.

Aurelia Shadowspeaker's eyes were still closed, her body still attached to similar machines as Olivia's, and Jason was left with the utter shameful relief he felt because of it.

Her hospital room was covered in a variety of things. From balloons, to flowers, to a library of cards full of well wishes and get-well-soons, the explosion of colour was nothing short of remarkable. This was the room of someone who was cared about, who was loved and treasured.

And Jason just felt very, very small.

Regan closed the door to Aurelia's room behind him with a click.

His hand remained on the handle for a long moment before he spoke. "It's strange. Both Taylor and Lucian have been asking about you. If I know where you've been, how you're doing. Strange, that they're only your friends, yet you apparently couldn't be bothered asking the same questions about your own mother. But well, I suppose they've always been better people than you. Far better than anyone like you deserves, anyway."

The sudden venom in Regan's words caught Jason off guard.

"I covered for you," said Regan, pointing a sharp finger in Jason's direction as he took a step forward. "I shouldn't have, but I did, all in the hopes of saving whatever scraps of this family's reputation are left. I told the nurses that you hadn't visited because you'd been incredibly busy with various projects, but that you were in constantly contact with me about her condition and concerned with her recovery."

"I appreciate the thought, Regan, but you shouldn't have--"

"You're right," said Regan. "I shouldn't have. Instead, I should have told them all the truth; that you were too busy hanging out with your little knock out girlfriend in the other room instead of your real girlfriend." Regan sniffed, his nose wrinkling the rest of his face into a scowl. "Wait, did I say knock out? I meant knocked out."

Jason raised his hands, trying to steady himself and his voice and remain calm. "Regan, I'm sorry. I should have checked in, at least once, if only to see how you were coping."

"You don't get to pretend that you start caring now," hissed Regan. His words weren't loud, but they hit their mark regardless. "Even Father's made more visits than you, and he's been busier than ever. I'd imagine you know nothing of that, either--or maybe you do, given how hard they're working to regulate your precious Luminaries. How's that going, by the way? Cryo gone crazy again and killed someone yet?"

"Cryo made a mistake," said Jason. "He acted with far too much force, but he's not--"

Regan cut him off with a snicker. "Uh huh. You listened to what anyone in the City has said in the last few days? If he'll attack his own partner, no one is safe. You always flaunted the fact that your Aspect noticed you, that he assigned you tasks and responsibilities--how's it feel now, defending a Luminary who'd attack his own partner, even if she was psychotic?"

Jason caught Regan's gaze flick to Aurelia. "Banshee didn't do this, Regan. It was--"

"People keep saying it's a corrupted Skinwalker," said Regan. "But no ones actually seen the real Banshee, either. No one's been able to prove anything. It's all just been what the Luminaries tell us is going on, but they'll be sorted out soon enough."

"What do you mean, 'sorted out'?"

"Oh no," said Regan, stabbing Jason in the chest with a finger. His face was close enough that Jason could feel Regan's breath on his cheek. The air almost felt electric. "I'm not telling you anything. You've always hated this family. Mum always tried to tell me that, but I don't think it hit me until right now just about much you want us ruined, so don't even think that I'm going to give you anything to sabotage--"

The door opened.

Regan stepped back from Jason, every bit of his hateful expression sucked back into nothing but his eyes as he snapped his stare around to the newcomer.

"Is everything okay in here, Regan?" said Taylor in her soft voice. She clicked the door shut behind her after an elegant step that placed her inside, then glanced up. "Oh, Jason! I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Regan didn't reply, instead moving past Jason and leaning on the railing of his mother's bed, his back to both Jason and Taylor.

In Regan's silence, Jason found his voice. "What brings you here, Taylor?"

"I was here to see about the High--um, Shadowspeaker's condition," said Taylor, clutching her usual, flower-decorated pouch to her chest. "The auroras were... strange tonight. Multiple High Speakers saw mentions of Banshee among their light, along with many other concerning things. As they're all busy currently discussing potential meanings, they sent me to see if there'd been any change with Aurelia's condition." Taylor hesitated, her eyes trailing to Regan. "I see now that the nurse I asked was indeed correct about the lack of change."

Taylor's voice carried its usual confidence, though even her words felt small to Jason. The room was utterly dominated by Regan's presence, and his hunched shoulders did more to quash conversation than any amount of screaming ever could have.

Taylor cleared her throat and caught Jason's eye. "May I have a word with you outside before I leave, Jason?"

Grateful for any excuse to simply leave, Jason followed her outside.

With the door was safely shut behind them, Taylor looked up at Jason expectantly.

There'd been so much he'd forgotten and neglected in the past few weeks especially. His work at the restaurant, Lucian, his family--but he'd been neglecting Taylor for far, far longer than that.

She'd always been an excuse, an easily available reason to avoid various individuals who sought his attention for the sake of his parents. She'd been an easy way to please his mother and avoid her wrath.

She deserved better.

"Taylor," said Jason, dropping her gaze before forcing himself to look her in the eye as he did it. "I've, well, I've been wishing to discuss our relationship with you for a while, and, well, I--"

A soft smile crept onto her face. "Not much of a relationship to discuss, is there?"

Jason's throat was tight. "I suppose not."

It took her a moment to reply.

"It's okay, Jason," she said, taking his hand from where it hung at his side, and worked his fingers out of the anxious fist they'd been making. "We were only ever together because our parents demanded it. You were always a gentleman to me, even when it cost you, so I'll do the right thing for you now. I'm breaking up with you, officially."

With his hand relaxing open under her touch, Jason found a grateful smile on his own face. "Thank you, Taylor."

Taylor's smile turned into more of a smirk as she tapped her fingertip on his palm. "You can repay me later, by introducing me to Olivia's friend."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Ariel?"

Taylor bit down on her lip. She released Jason's hand and twirled the end of her hair around a finger as her gaze wandered around the ceiling. "No, the other one. The seamstress with the frizzy hair--Ericka, I believe her name is?"

Jason's smile grew at Taylor's attempt to play dumb.

Taylor was the kind of person who knew everything about you within an hour of meeting you, whether because she'd charmed your life story out of you, or because she'd found it through... other means.

"I see," was all Jason said. "Well, I suppose I could potentially introduce you to miss Shadowweave, assuming in fact, she doesn't kill me on sight for what happened to Olivia."

Taylor's smile dropped a little. "I'm sorry about that, by the way. I heard what happened. I know you care about her." Jason froze, but Taylor's grin resurfaced. "Oh, don't be an idiot. The first time I saw you two together, I knew you didn't have a chance."

"And how did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"Just did," said Taylor, flicking her fingers across Jason's chest to straighten out his coat. "We Speakers see things, and some things, they're just... written in the stars." She stepped back from Jason and gave him a nod of approval. "And, speaking of stars and other celestial objects, the Speakers mentioned an interest in seeing if Olivia could sense anything within the auroras when she wakes, given her special connection to them."

With his own experience from the previous night, Jason knew Olivia was already in far deeper than any of the Speakers could ever dream of. It made him realise--with the darkened skies and Taylor's message--he hadn't been pulled into one of Olivia or Aurora's visions tonight. It'd likely happened while he was wandering about the City, lost among both the streets and his thoughts.

Olivia would be okay, he told himself. She was strong. Perhaps she'd even been the one to keep a vision from occurring tonight, though with the mentions of Banshee within the auroras, it seemed... unlikely.

"I've located my Liaiser again," said Jason. "If there's any change, I'll be sure to inform you as soon as I'm able. If you could keep me updated on the auroras, I would also appreciate that a great deal."

"Of course," said Taylor. "I must be getting back to the temple grounds now, but it was good seeing you, Jason. I'm glad we were able to talk--and make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"

"You as well, Taylor," said Jason. He raised his hand in farewell. "May Skypillar be with you."

*+*+*+*