The Immortal War

As soon as Cat came out of the vision, still shaking, she'd sent three summons. They were magical notes left behind by her predecessor with a note taped to them warning her to use them wisely, and since becoming Fate, this was the first time she'd gone in search for them. Once she wrote an address on them, they would appear at that place, and when picked up, they would instantly transport the person who'd touched them to the return address: in this case, the home she'd inherited from the previous Fate. Their magic was spent after one use, and she only had a limited number of them with no idea where to acquire more, so she'd never used them before. She only hoped Nature, Time, and Death picked up the summons soon.

Cat didn't spend her time idly waiting though. Already, she could feel the magic in her veins trying to talk hold of her muscles and bring her vision to life. The urge to pick up her paintbrush and record as she'd done a thousand times before nearly had her fingers twitching. When she did pick up her paintbrushes though, it was to carry them across the house and stow them away in an unused room. Her paints followed, along with any pens, markers, canvases, drawing paper, or other art supplies she had laying around. In fact, she'd just closed the door on her supplies and locked it when the first of her three expected visitors arrived.

"Cat? What just happened? What am I doing here?" Skylar stood baffled in her living room, his fluffy hair a mess and wearing nothing except a pair of dinosaur pajama pants, her summons still held in his hand, though now rendered useless.

"Hey Sky," Cat offered her bewildered guess with a placating smile. "I'll explain everything, but the other have to get here first, okay? Here, will you hold onto this for me?"

Skylar looked down at the small, golden key she held out to him and took it hesitantly, as if he expected to be magically transported somewhere else by it as well. There was a fleeting look of relief when nothing happened however, and with a small nod, he dropped it into one of the big pockets in his pajama pants. He didn't know what was going on... but Cat had reached out to him as a friend since he'd become Nature and never given him any reason not to trust her. He doubted this was a prank.

@ sun spirit

Florence was surprised to see the summons from Fate, although as one of the people who had been in her position the longest, she recognized the magical summons and took a few minutes to prepare herself and finish up what she had been doing before she picked up the letter, looking around in confusion. She had been to Fate's home before, although not since the last Fate had lived here, and so she was curious as to what changes Cat had made. She was dressed in her usual attire, which consisted of some sort of button down shirt or blouse and sweater combo and jeans, today's pale blue shirt going well with the camel sweater she had picked out.

She was a rather shy person in general, and often kept to herself outside of having to interact with the other immortals because of work. So, when her eyes finally landed on Nature and his lack of clothing a blush heated up her cheeks, her eyes quickly searching for anything else to look at before they landed on one of her closer friends as he joined the other three. "Nice to see you, Jonathan."

Jonathan returned Florence's greeting with a little nod, Death and Time having to work together quite often because of the nature of their work. Like Florence, Jonathan had kept to himself since becoming Death, as he wasn't always the most popular guy around, especially considering he often brought bad news and omens with him. His eyes scanned the room to see who else had been summoned before his cold gaze landed on Cat, shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Why have you summoned us, Fate? I'm assuming that you have a good reason." He said simply, knowing that the three of them being summoned could only mean bad news.

@ katahdin

Partial and even complete nudity was more than occasionally common for Skylar, leaving him sometimes unaware of being indecent. As his friend, Cat had gotten used to it too and didn’t make a fuss, so it came as a surprise when Time took one look at him and immediately went red-faced and looked away. Though he felt self-conscious suddenly, especially as Death appeared and it was too late to back out to grab a shirt or change out of the Dino pajamas he was wearing, he stood his ground and resolutely looked to Cat for answers.

Death was the last to arrive, though he didn’t immediately leave, which Cat was grateful for. He was the only one she’d hesitated about before sending the summons, wondering if, like War, she should leave him out of this. While she didn’t know him well though, he seemed okay, and she was pretty sure he didn’t completely dislike her. So, with three sets of eyes now on her, Cat took a breath and said, “I saw the apocalypse. I haven’t recorded it yet, so it isn’t set in stone, meaning there’s a chance it can be changed. I need help though. Not recording it alone isn’t going to stop it, and I don’t think I can refrain from it forever.”

Cat paused here and addressed Jonathan directly, looking into eyes she was surprised to find were such a clear blue. “I know you’re technically one of the horsemen and you don’t interact with others much, but I’m hoping you’ll help anyway. If there’s anything you want for your help, just tell me.”

@ sun spirit

Time frowned deeply as she listened to Cat speak, growing more and more worried as she went on. The Apocalypse was nothing to joke about, but to attempt to stop it, instead of carrying out their duties? Florence was hesitant to say the least. "When is it supposed to happen?" She asked, hoping that Cat would have a date for her, so that she could look into the future to see the various possibilities of what was expected to happen. Without waiting for an answer she began to look for herself, her vibrant green eyes slowly turning a startling golden, that seemed to glow and shimmer like liquid as she stared at nothing in particular, focused on reading the Sands of Time to see what they held, muttering softly to herself.

Jonathan frowned deeply as he was addressed specifically, reaching out a supportive hand to steady Florence as she wobbled on her feet while she was still using her power, knowing that it it took a lot out of her and that sometimes she could collapse from the stress it put on her. With a small sigh he carefully moved her over to a chair, seating her and draping a blanket over her lap to keep her comfortable. Once he was sure that Florence was alright he turned his attention back to Cat.

"Why should we stop it? It's our duties to carry out our tasks until the Apocalypse, when we can finally rest and be free. Why should we stop it?" He asked, although he was surprised to hear her offer him something in exchange for his help. Fate was one of the more powerful immortals, even if she could be a bit foolish at times.. But he knew the others didn't take to him as well as Time and War did, and so he was wary of the offer, no matter how tempting it was.

"What do you think, Nature? You're awfully quiet." He said, turning to look at Skylar for a brief moment before looking back at Fate.

@ katahdin

Before Cat could admit that she didn’t have a time more specific than relatively soon, Florence’s eyes turned golden. She knew it wouldn’t do any good to attempt to talk to her now, so she stayed silent as Death helped Florence sit, even going so far as to make her comfortable. The simple actions gave Cat hope that she’d made the right choice in asking for his help.

Skylar was frowning when Death suddenly turned to him. He jumped a bit, giving an awkward smile as he settled again. “Well... Cat, I know you mean well, but do you even know that it can be stopped? I mean, you aren’t supposed to change things, just record them, right? I mean, I don’t really want to die just yet, or for anything else to, but I don’t think you can just ask them not to start the Apocalypse.”

The fact that no one had immediately jumped to her side and agreed to help was disheartening, but Cat didn’t back down. “I have books here from previous Fates. I can do research. There are strange magical objects everywhere. There has to be something,” she defended, this mostly aimed to Skylar, then looked back to Jonathan. “And who’s to say we would be released after it all? Time would still move, nature might survive and recover, the fate of the world would need to be determined, and maybe Death would be needed for the rest of us in case we ever do die. I’d personally prefer living in the world as it is now than trying to adjust to it post-apocalypse.”

Skylar hesitantly halfway raised his hand. “You’re actually making some good points. I wouldn’t want to live after all that either. I’ll help.”

@ sun spirit

Jonathan let out a little sigh as he listened to Cat speak, running his fingers through his hair as he thought everything over. She was making fair points, there was no guarantee that they would be released at all after the Apocalypse, and he wasn't fond of the idea of being the only one left if the other Immortals were to die. "I suppose you're right... How is it supposed to start, do you know?" He asked, hoping that she would at least have some sense of what in particular they had to stop in order to prevent the Apocalypse from happening.

"War.." Time suddenly gasped, her eyes turning back to their normal color as she blinked a little in confusion, always a bit disoriented after using her powers, although she was surprised to see that she was seated instead of standing like she had been earlier. She frowned a little as she looked up at the others, her worry evident. "We need to speak to War.. She's the only one who can stop it." She said, moving to stand as if she were going to march to War's house right then to talk to her, although Death guided her back into her seat, knowing her well enough to know that she was in no shape to be doing anything at the moment, let alone speaking to War without a plan.

@ katahdin

Before Cat could answer—and grudgingly admit that she didn’t yet know how it would start, only that it would—Florence came out of her trance, claiming War was the key to stopping it. Which... wasn’t necessarily good.

“War?” Skylar asked, making an unpleasant face. “But she doesn’t like anyone! Like Death—I mean, except that you seem to be kinda close to Florence.” He shifted subtly away from Jonathan as he put his foot in his mouth, suddenly feeling exposed in his dinosaur pajama bottoms.

Cat hesitated, eyeing Florence, who Jonathan had easily pushed back into her seat but who also seemed just as concerned as she was. She bit her lip, thinking, then turned and walked out of the room. There was the sound of a door opening and things being moved around, and when she came back, she held a note identical to those that had summoned the others. “I thought about including War in this anyway. I can send this to her and bring her here. If all goes well, we set aside our differences and work together. If it doesn’t... we’ll have to be careful about her working against us.”

@ sun spirit

"All any of you ever do is criticize and make fun of her, of course she doesn't like any of you." Jonathan said simply, casting a brief glare over in Skylar's direction before he knelt down in front of Time, who looked rather shaken. Her visions often took a toll on her physically, but because she'd been in the position so long, they rarely phased her emotionally, having gotten used to the horrible things that both the past and future often held. But this... this was something entirely different. Fate had a right to fear the apocalypse. Neither Time nor Death had to speak to know what the other was thinking, and when Fate returned Jonathan straightened, turning to look at her.

"War will not take well to being summoned and then told not to carry out whatever it is she has planned.. It's better for us to go to her." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Ideally, he would take Time with him, as the two of them got along reasonably well with War, although Florence was in no condition to go anywhere, and he wasn't sure if she could face War after seeing what the future held for them if things went poorly. He turned his cold eyes to Skylar and Cat, calculating their odds of succeeding depending on who he brought with him.

"Fate and I should see to War. Nature should stay here with Time, and make sure she recovers and to prepare to notify the other Immortals that the apocalypse has come. Now that it has been seen, they must be told, and as one of the horsemen, I cannot hide the truth from the others for long. We must hurry and try to put an end to this before it begins."

@ katahdin

Skylar couldn’t help but feel a little defensive when Death immediately looked at him after commenting on how War was treated. “She was rude to me first. And she’s always starting wars where there’s endangered animals and rare plants and undoing all my attempts to save them,” he defended, standing a little straighter. He didn’t dislike her because she was War anymore than he didn’t get along with Death because he was Death. It was just how it’d happened. Fate had been nice to him from the start, even Time had been polite, but it just hadn’t happened with War.

With Jonathan’s defense of War and his overall demeanor, Cat wasn’t sure he actually planned on helping. Hell, she wondered if he might side with War. Which was why she was surprised when he offered an alternate course of action to her summoning War. Knowing he was going along with this—even if it was temporary—felt like a weight off her shoulders, and she gave a single nod of assent to his plan. “That sounds like a good place to start,” she said, giving Death a quick, grateful look. “And I’ll buy us as much time as we can by not painting it. As long as I don’t record it, it isn’t set in stone yet.” She turned to Florence then, who still sat in her chair, looking a little shaken. “Just relax here and take as much time as you need to recover. We’ll be back as soon as we’re done talking to War—hopefully with her. And Sky knows his way around, so he’ll be able to get you anything you need.” She looked up at Skylar, who nodded his head in agreement.

“We’ll do that,” he said, honestly feeling more comfortable being left with Florence than he would going with Jonathan. Something about Death’s demeanor had always put him off a bit in a way it didn’t to the others. “Umm... Cat, you mentioned books earlier that might help us? You know, just in case.”

“Right. Give me a minute.” Cat retreated down the hall into a library filled with the records of every Fate that had ever lived. It was spelled and only opened to her touch, rather than any key, but she would be out within a moment, so she left the door ajar. Within the room was stories and music and journals and tapestries—the most recent collections were art: her art. Canvases depicting colors and shapes and futures, brought to life by her hand. Seeing it all, being in the presence of so many fates, she felt the need to record return stronger than it had before. Her hands shook with the force of it, even as she tried to push that instinct down, and her hands began to cramp. It hurt for a moment, the reaction fading somewhat in the next, leaving her usually steady hands uncomfortable and shaking. She wasn’t sure what would happen now, how bad it might get, but she put it aside as she gathered up the journals she thought might be useful and left the room. There were five leather bound books in total, which she set on the coffee table in front of Florence, then tucked her hands in the pockets of her pants—in case the shaking was more noticeable than she thought—and turned to Jonathan. “Lead the way.”

@ sun spirit

"She's doing her job, just like I'm doing mine when I take the lives of your precious pandas." Jonathan snapped, although he turned his attention to Florence when she tugged on the sleeve of his jacket as she shook her head disapprovingly, drawing his attention away from Skylar. He waited patiently while Cat went and found the journals, passing one to Florence before offering Cat his arm. "Ready? War will be in her home preparing for whatever it is that she's planning. I can teleport us to her home, and we'll speak with her while Florence and Nature look for something useful in your books." He explained, the two Immortals disappearing once Cat took Jonathan's arm, appearing outside of War's home, and leaving Time and Nature at Fate's.

Florence flipped through the book she had been given after wishing Jonathan and Cat good luck, running her fingers over the old words carefully. "I'm sorry about Jonathan, but he has a bit of a point.. Everyone always judges whoever is Death and War based on what they do for their jobs, not who they are as people, and that can make anyone bitter.." She murmured, frowning as she looked over at him, bright eyes studying him curiously before she turned her attention back to her reading.

@ katahdin

Skylar bit his tongue rather than respond to Jonathan, noticing Florence’s subtle attempt to stop an argument between them. It was probably better if they didn’t argue anyway, since they were trying to work together. He didn’t want the world to end, after all. So, after Cat and Jonathan left, he found another chair and pulled it up to the coffee table beside the chair Florence sat in so that he could begin reading.

The book Skylar picked up was old and heavy, with yellowing pages and the writing penned down in a looping black script. He hadn’t been the best reader in school when he was younger and hadn’t done a ton of reading since then, so as he started to decipher the writing, it was slow. He hadn’t even made it off the first page when Time spoke though, and he glanced up at her. It seemed like she only studied him for a moment before she looked down again, having said what she wanted. “What about you? And Cat—Fate? You seem like you’re good friends with Jonathan, and Cat... I’ve never seen her act badly towards anyone. And Death and War wouldn’t mess with her office like they do mine, since all she does is record what’s going to happen.”

---

Even though no argument seemed to have taken place while she was gone, the air still felt tense when Cat came back as everyone stood awkwardly around, apparently not talking to each other. Jonathan seemed more than ready to leave when she got back though, and she nodded as he offered her his arm. “Good luck,” she said to Nature and Time, removing one of her trembling hands from her pocket to take Death’s arm. Without preamble, he did exactly as he’d said he would, teleporting them just outside War’s home. Much like hers, it looked deceptively normal from the outside, like the home of any person, and upon arrival, Cat severed touch with Jonathan and pushed her hand back in her pocket. “You wanna knock? I’m guessing she’ll be more likely to answer if it’s you than me.”

@ sun spirit

"It's the nature of their jobs. They pulled the short straw when it came to which jobs they took over. Some of us have it easier than others when it comes to likability. No one will ever like War or Death, but everyone will always like Fate and Nature. It's just how things work." Florence explained, eyes scanning the old script in the book that she was examining.

"War and Death, no matter who they are, will always upset whoever Nature is, it's just the way things work. The apocalypse would put an end to all of this, of course, but if we let it happen we won't win. Our only option is to put aside our differences and work together to put an end to this mess." She stated simply, looking over at him.

---

Jonathan looked over at Cat skeptically as she withdrew her hand from his arm, his cold eyes lingering on her hand before he turned to face War's home. "You won't be able to resist the urge for long. You'll have to record it sooner or later." He warned, stepping forward to knock on War's door. "War, it's Death and Fate. May we speak with you for a moment?" He called, hoping that she would answer and not leave them out on her front steps waiting for long.

@ katahdin

Skylar was finding it hard to concentrate on his book with his current conversation with Florence taking place. “I don’t dislike them—either of them—just because of their jobs, you know. Jonathan has just always given me a weird feeling. It isn’t that I dislike him. I just... don’t know how to talk to him, I guess. And War I dislike because of her personality. When she met me, she decided I wasn’t a very good Mother Nature and needed to wear a dress and all that. And I think she does things purposely to upset me. And Fate’s just always been nice, so I ended up being friends with her. I know no one really chooses to be an Immortal or which kind. If I had been able to choose, I definitely wouldn’t have been Mother Nature, so it really isn’t about their positions.” He hoped Florence believed him and understood where he was coming from. After going through another page though, he looked up at her again. “You’re friends with Death though, so he can’t be too bad, right? What’s he like?”

---

Cat was really hoping he hadn’t noticed, but when he did, she simply gave him a determined look. “I’m going to put it off as long as I can though. I can handle shaky hands.” And she meant it. She wasn’t sure how bad it would get, but she’d tough it out.

War didn’t get visitors very often, so the knocking alone got her attention. Recognizing Death’s voice was bonus, but before she even got a chance to stand, she heard him say that he had Fate with him. Why would he have that stuffy woman along with him? She frowned as she crossed her arms, contemplating what to do, then sighed and made her way to her front door. When she opened it, it was certainly Death on her doorstep with Fate at his side, the two looking equally serious. “Well, this is an unusual pairing. Don’t tell me you’re buddies with Miss Serious now, Jon?”

@ sun spirit

Florence nodded a little as she listened to him speak. She had to admit that War wasn't the easiest to get along with, not by a long shot. She had just been fortunate enough to be able to stand her personality more than others, and although she had tried to advise War not to judge people too quickly, she didn't really listen to the other Immortal. She looked up when he asked what Jonathan was like, giving a little shrug. "He's kind.. Just hard to get to know. He's not very open with people, and it takes him time to get to know someone. You're so open, and he's so closed off, that it's no wonder you two clash. Your personalities are the complete opposite of one another." She explained, glancing over at the book in his hands, having noticed his slow progress compared to her own. "Do you need help with yours?" She asked, not trying to be mean or insulting by the question, just genuinely wondering if he wanted help.

---

"Shaky hands are only the start. It will get worse." Jonathan warned, glancing at her one more time before turning to the door when War opened it, offering her a polite, warm smile. "Hello, War, good to see you too. Do you mind if we come in? We have some things to discuss with you. Florence sends her best." He could be quite polite and charming when he needed to be, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "How did everything turn out in Africa? Did I win the pool?" Because he and War worked so closely, they'd started a betting pool centered around both of their jobs: war and death. Sometimes it would be which side would win, other times it would be about who could correctly guess how many would be dead by the end of it. Time had been included initially, but she had a habit of looking ahead, and therefore wasn't allowed to be included anymore.

@ katahdin

Though he felt a little defensive at the start of his conversation with Florence, Skylar felt himself relaxing fast. She seemed more as if she were just looking at the situations in front of her rather than being accusing or anything of that sort, like he’d thought at first. He even smiled a bit as she mentioned his personality being the polar opposite of Jonathan’s. “Yeah, I’ve noticed people either love me or want to beat me up, and it’s usually the serious ones who wanna best me up.” When she asked about him needing help though, he hesitated, glancing down at the book he’d hardly made a dent in. “No, I’m just... I’ve never been a great reader.”

---

It didn’t escape April’s notice that Jonathan didn’t respond to her comment about him buddying up with Fate, instead being nice and getting straight to the point. Meanwhile, Fate just looked nervous, like something was bothering her. Something was definitely up, and she didn’t like it. “Of course. You’re welcome anytime, especially if you’re making another bet,” she answered Jonathan with a smile. “Unfortunately for you, I won Africa, though I think was close. But I’ve got something brewing in China if you’re interested.” She stepped out of the doorway to let him inside, though as Fate also stepped forward, she moved back into the doorway again, blocking the woman outside. “You, on the other hand, aren’t welcome. The last thing I need is you poking around and getting pissy on Nature’s behalf or calling me an enemy to the human race or any of that.”

Cat took a breath as she was stopped, and though she’d yet to say a word to War, after glancing at Jonathan over the woman’s shoulder, she met her gaze. “The apocalypse is coming. I saw it, and Florence said we needed to talk to you if we wanted to stop it. I’m here to make peace, not start a fight.”

April frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “More’s the pity. I always enjoy a good fight. If you saw it though, that means it’s set in stone. It’s going to happen.” She turned her back on Fate and faced Jonathan. “And you know that, so how the hell did she manage to talk you into going along with this?”

@ sun spirit

Time looked like she was considering something for a moment, before looking over at him with a faint smile. "Jonathan beating you up might be funny to watch... But I don't think he would. April, on the other hand, that's much more likely to happen." She said, reaching out to brush her hand over the pages of his book, leaving a bit of golden sand where her fingers touched the pages. The letters swirled, words becoming much more legible, leaving it much easier to read what was written on the pages. "That should help. I can also just have the book read aloud, if that would help." She offered, wiping some of the excess sand that clung to her fingers on her sweater as she looked over at him.

---

"Damn. I'm sure I'll have better luck in China." He said as he stepped into her home, although he paused behind April once she blocked Fate's path, giving War a serious look when she turned to face him, not very fond of the tone she was taking with him.

"She hasn't recorded it yet, April. There's still time to put an end to things." He said calmly, keeping his voice even. The last thing he needed was to get into a shouting match with War. "Time's seen it, too. She said that you're the only one who can stop it, and so we're here to ask for your help." He took a step closer, resting a hand on her arm. "You and I both know what the apocalypse will bring; destruction, war, death, not only to the mortals, but to all of us as well. I don't want to watch my friends die, April, not if I don't have to."

@ katahdin

“Glad to know me getting beaten would be funny,” Skylar said with a shake of his head, though it was without reproach. Logically, he knew he made a pretty easy target. The goofy guy with funny hair and Dino pajamas. If he weren’t himself, he’d beat himself up. Florence made a good point about April though, especially since she seemed to have it out for him. He was a little surprised when, despite his denial of needing help, she leaned forward and the words shifted under her touch, becoming more legible. “Thanks. That’s a cool trick. I hope for your own sake you can turn it back to normal later though. I don’t know how Cat would feel about you messing with these.” He offered Florence a boyish smile over the pages of his book. “I should be faster with this, though I might remember that bit about it reading aloud for later.”

---

“She said I could stop it?” April asked skeptically, listening as Jonathan continued and finding her teeth clenched by the the end, as he claimed not to want to watch his friends die. “And since when do you care this much? It’s something that’s going to happen eventually anyway, and maybe you’ll even be released from being Death. And helping them... it isn’t as if they’ve really given either of us the time of day until now, when we’re in a position of being able to do something they can’t stop. They aren’t your friends, Jon; I am. Florence is. Even if we worked with them, it wouldn’t change anything.”

Cat listened as War spoke, though with the woman’s back to her, it was Jonathan whose features she monitored, looking for any sign he was being persuaded and unable to make any sort of defense for herself because she barely knew either of them. “I’d change things,” she blurted, unable to accept defeat so easily. “I’d make sure everyone knew what you did and paid more attention to you both. I’d help. War, I could specifically search for the fates of people to do with your wars so you knew what to do beforehand. You could change it before it happened, like I’m trying to do now. Death, I could do the same for you. Monitor the lives of others, let you know if someone was supposed to kill you, that sort of thing. I’ll be your warning systems instead of a recorder, both of you. Just don’t destroy the world.”

@ sun spirit

Florence frowned a little as he shook his head, shifting in her chair a bit. "You're Nature. You're easily one of the stronger Immortals, you just have to find that strength, especially now... If you cant or wont fight to help save the world, you're not going to be very helpful." She murmured softly, hoping he didn't take what she was saying negatively, although it was true. If they didn't all step up and find their strengths, everything was doomed. She was pulled from her thoughts when he thanked her for her trick, offering him a little smile and a nod. "It'll wear off on it's own in a few hours, and if you shake out the sand it'll wear off even faster."

---

"When I say my friends, April, I'm not talking about them." Jonathan said simply, nodding his head back toward Fate. "I'm talking about you and Florence. She's seen what happens to us all, and as a horseman I have a pretty good understanding of the outcome, and it's not good for any of us. To save you and Florence, I'd gladly put aside my differences and work with Fate and Nature." His tone was serious as he looked at War, although his gaze shifted to Fate when she began to speak. "See? She's willing to change things, and the others will listen to her. Please, April, help us." Jonathan looked at his friend pleadingly, taking one of her hands in his own. "Dont sentence yourself to a death even I cant stop."

@ katahdin

"Of course I'll do what I can," Skylar said at once, meaning the words. "I like the world a lot. I don't want it to end." Not to mention he'd started to grow into his role as Nature since first taking it. It wasn't all nakedness and being a hippie, like he'd thought it would be, and he cared about doing things right and protecting the world these days. Pollution used to be a fact of life; now it pissed him off. And now he knew about more animals than he'd ever thought existed. He wasn't ready for the world to fall apart just yet. "So leave the sand on, got it," he reiterated with a nod. "Hopefully I can finish this in a couple hours now, so you don't have to do it again." That said, he turned his eyes back onto the yellowed pages whose writing appeared much easier to read now. He was still a little naturally slow, but he wasn't struggling through every word anymore, which hastened his progress.

---

April stood sideways in the doorway, between Jonathan and Fate, her attention shifting depending on who was talking or making moves, though some instinct ensured she kept a small part of her focus on each of them no matter who took up most of her attention. While she knew Jonathan would never attack her, it was instinctual, a part of being War, and she did the same thing when it was him and Florence visiting. Despite the look he gave her though, his insistence on bringing her over to Fate's side, April couldn't bring herself to trust it, and her features hardened as she pulled her hand away. "She says she's willing, but who's to say she won't forget, or whatever Fate comes after her? And I don't see anyone else rushing to agree with her and change how things are. I'm won't side with them, Jon." April turned more towards her friend. "And you should side with me. You and Florence both. We're both horsemen, so we'll be fine, and we can protect her. Who cares what happens to the others?"

Cat was silent, realizing there was nothing she could say at this point anymore that would make April believe her and that it was up to Jonathan. At hearing War's proposal though, she froze, eyes on him. Florence had seemed all for stopping the apocalypse, but Jonathan had been harder to read. She wasn't sure whether or not April would be able to convince him to her side or not.