After convincing Memoria to return Remus's memories to him, and informing Memoria that her plan had failed, Janus had brought Remus back to Logan's domain. Remus wore a dazed expression as he followed Janus, still processing the situation.
"I... still don't get it." Remus admitted. "You don't need to." Janus dismissed. "All that matters now is that you are back, which, I'm sure Logan will be relieved to hear." He added as he knocked on Logan's door. "Yeah, yeah." Remus replied, nodding with a nervous chuckle. He just hoped Logan wouldn't be pissed off with him for falling into the lake.
When the door hadn't been answered, Janus didn't bother to knock again. He simply opened the door and entered, then released a sigh of dismay. Logan was sitting at his desk... well, sitting wasn't entirely accurate. Logan was collapsed over his desk, arms folded beneath his head. Three baby dragons stood on the desk, pawing at their father and poking him with their tails. Logan was unresponsive. He didn't react in the slightest to the fact someone entered his library. He hardly seemed to even notice when Janus walked in, pretending to look over the various books and exhausted paper birds.
The dragons, however, did notice Janus enter. The three winged lizards tilted their heads curiously at the visitor, before they noticed their second father stepping in behind him. Their eyes dilated, and they made loud rumbling sounds as their wings spread out. They flew off the desk and darted towards Remus, who cackled as his children tackled him. He hugged the dragons while Logan, whom had recognized Remus's voice, quickly looked up with widened eyes.
Logan stood with enough force to knock over his chair, then ran around his desk and towards Remus. "Remus?" Logan asked in a tone of hopeful excitement. He then stopped in his tracks, and looked to Janus with a hesitant gaze. "Is he... Has he recovered his memories?" Logan questioned. He cleared his throat and returned to his usual calm demeanour, which caused Janus to chuckle. "How would I know? Perhaps you should ask him yourself." Janus mused.
With that, Janus took his leave. He had a few other matters to attend to, and figured the two of the, could use some privacy. Logan, meanwhile, looked at his boyfriend, and reluctantly stepped towards him. Remus smiled as he lowered the dragons to the ground, and giggled as he had to pry Bowser off of his arm.
"So... do you remember?" Logan asked. "Remember what?" Remus asked as he looked up at Logan with a grin. "How amazing, smart, and fricken hot my boyfriend is?" He teased. Logan paused, and blushed brightly as his voice sputtered out of his lips. Remus cackled, and pulled Logan closer to him. "Yes, yes... I remember. Gee, you really got all depressed over lil ol me? I'm touched Logan, really. However, my libido is too exhausted from having to contain myself all holiday so forgive me if this reunion isn't as serious as it probably should be." Remus mused before leaning in to kiss Logan.
Was this mostly a distraction to keep Logan from berating him for not being safe? Yes. However, that didn't mean Remus was lying, this would likely happen anyways. And of course it worked. It was kind of hard to even consider being angry with Remus when Logan was too flustered to think. Not that he minded. In fact, he let out a sigh of relief as Remus brought him into one of the library's arm chairs. The origami birds returned to life as Remus pulled Logan onto his lap to continue making out.
The two began to undress each other while the Dragons went to play in Remus's domain...
And well, that was all she wrote.
***
Elsewhere, Roman was determined to disassociate from his prob-I mean... Make up for the earlier disaster(s) by preparing him and Virgil a proper date! Figuring it was best not to risk a date in the mortal realm, now that time resumed and all, he was setting up a date in his own domain. He'd be sure to keep it locked so that no one would disturb them.
What might be this date, you ask? Well, a picnic blanket laid in the field of flowers, with a bottle of wine as a centrepiece to a basket filled with chocolates, pastries, flowers, and small gifts for Virgil. Roman had told Virgil to bring his own basket as well, for the sake of seeing what Virgil might bring. And of course to keep Virgil from getting overwhelmed. Four podiums stood at each corner of this set up, holding up string lights and paper lanterns. One podium had a record player which played romantic music. The others had vines of roses and violets growing up them.
Roman was, as usual, an embodiment of beauty. He did his make up so it accented his best features, and even traced the patches of paler skin he had with pink liner since Virgil liked them. He wore a pink strawberry dress under a red sweater jacket. He wore red and white tennis shoes, a rose gold necklace, and a rose in his hair. He had just been adding the finishing touch of tossing rose pedals over the picnic blanket when at long last Virgil arrived.
"Damn, Patches. Where'd you find this? A cottage core lesbian love story?" Virgil asked, mainly to protect his flustered state from being too obvious. Virgil was wearing a black dress with fishnet leggings and a denim jacket. He wore black platform boots, which made him seem taller than he was, and a black choker with metal spikes.
"Yes, actually. Thank you for noticing." Roman stated. He wore a giddy smile as a fifties love song came on the radio, and he gracefully moved to lay on the picnic blanket. The soft grass moved perfectly to support Roman, causing Virgil to have to clear his throat. He fidgeted, and tried desperately to remember how Roman ever had any interest in him to begin with. He took in a sharp breath when Roman offered a hand to him, and Roman chuckled at the purple blush Virgil wore. Hesitantly, Virgil took Roman's hand, and he crossed his legs in mid air before hovering down to sit beside the God of Love.
"Soooo, what did you bring?" Roman asked, walking his fingers down Virgil's arm and towards his basket. "Oh, Uhm..." Virgil stammered. He looked at his basket for a moment, as if trying to remember what he brought. "Oh, uh... right. I brought... sandwiches, cause, picnic, and... uh... Oh, right. Fidget things, cause duh, and... some gifts... and... a lighter, in case I need to set myself on fire. Then again, I guess I overpacked. Who needs a lighter when you're already doing that for me?" Virgil muttered. Roman threw his head back in laughter, then sighed as he opened the basket.
"Well, I simply have to open one of these gifts then. Feel free to snack on the items I brought." Roman mused. Virgil nodded, and grabbed a cinnamon bun from Roman's basket to munch on. Roman brought a silver box with a gold ribbon out of the basket, and Virgil quickly took it from him. "NOT- uh... Not that one. That one's... that one's for later." Virgil stuttered.
Roman chuckled at Virgil's panic, then set aside the gift. "Well, now I'm curious. But I suppose I'll oblige." Roman sighed. He pulled out another gift, this one a plain black box with a red bow. When Roman opened it, he gasped at the silver, shimmering scarf he pulled out of it. "It's made out of spider silk... and a bit of magic too." Virgil told Roman.
"Oh, it's lovely!" Roman cheered before kissing Virgil's cheek. Virgil squeaked and hid his face in the hood of his cloak, which caused Roman to bellow in laughter. "Oh, you're so adorable." Roman cooed. "I'm not adorable." Virgil hissed in a demonic sounding voice. "Well, I adore you, there for you are able to be adored. Therefore you are adorable. Get grammered, gorgeous." Roman countered. "I am a terror of the night, ender of lives." Virgil growled. "Yes yes, I know." Roman dismissed.
Virgil muttered to himself as he pulled a fidget toy out of his basket. He ate some chocolate while Roman pulled out another gift to open, and fidgeted nervously as his attention sank into his mind. If that was how Roman reacted to a scarf...
How the hell was he going to react to the Disney World tickets Virgil had in that other gift?
***
While Roman unintentionally tortured his lover, Janus went to visit Patton's domain after discussing the matter of Themis's new domain with Thomas and Space. He needed to clear his mind, and Patton was the only person that could help him do so. Unfortunately for Janus, however... There was no answer after he knocked on the door.
Janus waited two minutes, then knocked again. He waited five minutes, frowned, and knocked a third time.
...
"Patton?" Janus called. He checked his watch, and sighed. Over ten minutes had passed now. Janus opened the door, and realized as he stepped onto the garden's overgrown path that he hadn't been in Patton's domain since before Eulises was turned into a child. The domain looked far different than it used to. Blue grass covered the fields while black moss grew over the cobble stone paths. Monstrous looking flowers snarled in the garden, their roots large enough to stick out of the ground as a tree's roots would. The trees dropped like wilted flowers, and dark storm clouds loomed through the sky.
Janus's expression grew concerned as he made his way through the path. It was then that Patton appeared in front of Janus, seeming completely normal despite the state of his home. "Jannie!" Patton cheered, his voice as strained as his smile. It gave Janus a sour taste in his mouth, as if he'd just bitten into a lemon.
"Good afternoon, darling." Janus greeted as he leaned on his cane for support. "Could you perhaps explain to me why your garden is in such a state? Not that it isn't beautiful regardless, it just... Doesn't seem like you." Janus questioned. Patton laughed as nerves showed in his eyes. Vines grew around Janus's ankles, and Patton quickly shooed them away with his feet.
"Oh, my garden's fine." Patton assured him. He stepped behind Janus and placed his hands on Janus's shoulders. "It's just being a little dramatic today, that's all. No worries! If it makes you uncomfortable we can talk in the hall." Patton dismissed as he attempted to push Janus towards the door. Janus, however, stood his ground. A tight frown covered his lips, and he turned to stare at Patton, suspicion in his eyes. "Patton." Janus stated in a warning tone.
Patton gulped, then took a deep breath. "Yes?" He asked with an innocent smile. "What is wrong?" Janus questioned sternly. "Nothing!" Patton insisted. "Nothing's wrong. I've just... Well, things have been so busy lately. I guess I simply forgot to be taking care of the garden. Don't worry, though! I'll have it under control in a jiffy." Patton explained. "I see..." Janus sighed. He shook his head, and crossed his arms. "So you can look me in the eyes, and tell me that you're perfectly alright?" He asked. "Mhmm! I'm perfectly, positively, peachy. Or my name isn't Pappa Patton." Patton insisted.
"Alright, then." Janus mused, before snapping his fingers. A teal file appeared in his gloved hands. It was labelled 'Patton, God of Nature' and had enough cream coloured papers to make the file as thick as Janus's hand. Patton froze and seized up when he saw the file, then made a nervous chuckle. "You do realize, of course, that due to being the God of Secrets... I can simply find out for myself what the issue is. However, I'll give you one last chance to tell me before I do so." Janus warned.
"Okay, okay!" Patton caved. His tight smile fell into a desperate expression. "I... I'll admit, I'm not... I'm not okay." He confessed. He looked away from Janus, and rubbed his arm. "I haven't been okay for... Oh, how long has it been? Some point in eighteen hundred, I think that's when it started. My lungs are filled with smoke, I have a constant fever, and my heart is broken... But I don't want you all to worry about me. I just... I really don't want anyone to be angry at the humans. It isn't their fault. They didn't know what they were doing at the time and they can't reverse it now that they do. Besides, the others have problems too. I need to keep everything together, then everyone can be happy, and then maybe one day Humans can stop what they're doing and I'll be okay. Until then... All my strength goes into keeping things stable... That's why I'm so weak, and... That's why I'm powerless to help everyone with the problems they have. Powerless to help you." Patton vented.
Janus smiled gently, and held Patton's hand. He pulled Patton into a hug once he was done, and held him close as Patton cried into his chest. "There there, darling." Janus soothed. He sent away Patton's file, and brushed his fingers through Janus's hair. "Thank you for telling me... I'll attempt to help sway humans into doing a better job taking care of the Earth. In the meantime, you need not worry. I'm working towards solving my own problems." Janus assured him.
"Okay..." Patton murmured quietly as he relaxed in Janus's arms. Janus smiled, and enjoyed the peace for a moment. Then, he summoned a bag of gardening tools to his hand, and smiled as he pulled away. "Let's get to work, shall we? I'm sure if we work together, we can fix this place up." He offered, which caused Patton to smile. "Oh, thank you Jannie! You're a life saver!" Patton cheered happily. "What would I do without you?" he then swooned. "Don't flatter me so. You deserve far better, only the best." Janus mused before walking to the gardens and getting on his knees. He snapped his fingers so that his outfit switched to a yellow collared shirt and black overalls. Patton whistled at the outfit, then giggled before sitting beside Janus.
"Like what you see?" Janus teased before he pecked a kiss on Patton's cheek. "I do." Patton agreed. He giggled as he watched Janus work for a moment, then began to do some work of his own. The weight was still there, but... It was easier when they helped carry each other's wait. Two people were always better to hold something up than one. Janus, meanwhile, smiled and hummed to himself. He knew now he had to savour every moment of peace he could have. After all...
Who knows when chaos might stir up again?
***
Aslov was blissfully oblivious to the failure of the plan. However, hope and patience could only last so long. He had waited a day and a night waiting in his domain... Then he headed out the next morning to find Memoria. His hands were folded in front of him. "Please... please... please..." He whispered while walking through The Community. His ferrets followed behind him, dodging through the crowd as they stuck with the nervous wolf boy.
"Memoria?" Aslov asked once he entered the domain.
Rather than doing her job, Memoria was slumped over her desk. When she heard Aslov's voice, she groaned at the weight of dread on her shoulders. As if Aslov had brought some heavy chore for her to do, which... In a way he had. "Yes, Aslov?" She asked whilst pushing herself up. Her arms shook for a moment, then she leaned back in her chair and looked at Aslov with dreary eyes. Aslov gulped as his ears leaned back against his scalp. He could already tell the news wasn't what he hoped for.
"Did... we fail?" Aslov asked quietly.
Memoria took a deep breath. "It's... complicated." She answered. Memoria rested a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "Janus interfered... and... So did Themis-the child one. I'm not sure what's going to happen, something about- hey, where are you going?" Memoria asked. She sat up after cutting herself off, her expression concerned. Aslov had been walking towards the aisles of memories while Memoria spoke. By the time she got up from her chair, he had already disappeared into the maze of shelves. It hardly mattered of course. She already knew exactly where he was going.
Aslov's arms shook, and his ears twitched against his scalp. Tears flooded his eyes no matter how hard he tried to fight them. "It's fine." He growled quietly. "We'll just..." He whispered as he gripped his hair, his claws coming out and scraping his scalp. "Try again. Again and again and again until we..." He had started to rant, but then felt Memoria grab his arm.
"Aslov, please listen to me. It's going to be okay. You survived fine before without him, you can move on. Just-" Memoria attempted. "Just what?!" Aslov demanded. He pulled his arm out of her grasp, then swatted his claws at her when she tried to grab it again. "Back off!" Aslov shouted. "You think I'm supposed to just go back to how things were!?! Act like I'm the rational God of Order that I managed to be before meeting him? Act as if he hadn't stripped away the restraints on my emotions like they were nothing only to disappear before I could even do anything with said emotions!?! How the hell... How... How can I... Please. Please tell me. Please. How can I... How can I be rational again?" Aslov screamed.
"Aslov..." Memoria said softly. She reached to place a hand on his cheek, but Aslov swatted her hand away again. "Aslov!" Memoria called as he bolted down the aisle again. He twisted around the corner, and skidded to a stop at the shelf where Eulises's memories should be. Where there had been orange spheres before, however...
Now there was just an empty shelf.
Aslov felt his heart shatter at the sight. His body went numb and stiff. His jaw fell open. His vision blurred. His heart raced as tears poured from his eyes. His fingers twitched. As did his ears. He stopped breathing, and he heard a loud ringing in his ear. When Memoria caught up to him, he could hear her voice, but making out her words was like trying to read a board across the room without glasses. Suddenly, he came to his senses. Everything snapped back into place when Memoria startled him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Aslov yelped, and jumped away with his claws and fangs bared.
Memoria put her hands up in surrender, then sighed. "Aslov, please... You of all people should be able to understand reason." Memoria pleaded. "Let it go. Eulises is gone. You need to be able to live without him. The more we try to bring him back, the worse it will get. The more we go against the Titans, the more we lose. Don't you get it? We're the chess pieces in a game they're playing. One of us was captured, and now we have to let it go." Memoria told him.
Aslov frowned, then closed his eyes. Slowly, his breath returned to him. He inhaled deeply, and his body language shifted. Slowly he stood up straighter. His wolf like nose morphed into a human one. He reached his arms up, retracted his claws, and brushed back his hair with his fingers. He undid his loose and messed up ponytail, then re did it spit was tighter and smoothed back. He taped down his ears and covered them with the hair, and adjusted his pants so that he could tuck his tail between his legs. His freckles disappeared and his skin became clear. When he opened his eyes...