"I said get off!" Madrigal shouted. "I mean it!"

He smiled. "You're not usually this feisty. I kinda like it."

"You have breached a boundary that you do not so much as know exists! If you wish to--"

"Lyra," he warned gently, "can you give me back my Maddie for a bit?"

"You are--"

"You wanna talk about how much you care about her, then you can at least do this for me. Asking real nicely. Please. I know she's in there."

It was enough, apparently. The shift was almost instant. "Don't mess with me!" Madrigal whined, her eyes wide with fear and hurt.

Renato didn't yell, nor did he raise his voice in any capacity. "I'm not messin' with ya, I promise. Got no reason to. What's going on with you?"

"You wouldn't understand!" she spat, squirming ever harder. Madrigal's entire body shook with the effort of trying to push him back. Renato held her down effortlessly, not so much as trembling against her resistance. "This is none of your business!"

He tilted his head in the slightest. "You could always make it my business, you know. Not opposed to that."

"Leave me alone!"

Renato sighed, a simple sound that surprisingly spoke more to endearment than to irritation. "Let me try to understand, at least. Can I give that a shot? Tell me what's goin' on. If you don't like what I've got to say about it, you can bash me over the head with a harp. I'll give you one free shot."

"It doesn't matter! You don't even like your partners, and they hate you even worse than that! You could never understand what we have!"

He scoffed. "Tell me something I don't know."

"She's my everything!" Madrigal sobbed. "She's all I've ever wanted!"

Renato raised a playful eyebrow. "So I have competition?"

"I need her! I can't do this without her! Don't take her from me, please!"

Renato rolled his eyes dramatically, a smile tinting his lips. "You know, these are the kinds of things any guy would die to hear a pretty girl sayin' about him instead. I'm not exactly the jealous type, but you're not makin' this easy for me."

Again, Madrigal did what she could to fight back, struggling and flailing. Again, still, she made zero progress, his grip versus hers a one-sided battle determined from the start. "You don't get it! You're fine the way you are! When this is over, you won't even care what happens to your partners! When she goes, it's like I'm…I'm losing my soulmate!"

For a brief moment, Renato bit his lip uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, there's at least one thing I lose once they go. Cross that bridge when I get to it, but that's a long, long way out, Maddie. Where's this all comin' from right now?"

"Everyone's fine with making her sad!" Madrigal whimpered. "No one cares what happens to them! No one cares about their feelings! Everyone just cares about themselves!"

"Wait, what's making her sad?"

"It doesn't matter if I tell you, anyway, because you don't like her, either!" Madrigal spat.

Even now, in the face of her venom, Renato still didn't show a hint of anger. His voice was soft, his face still so, so close to hers. "What makes you think I don't like her?"

"I can tell!"

He smirked. "That's a terrible reason."

"You wouldn't even like me if it weren't for her," Madrigal wept, her voice cracking in time with the tears that freshly erupted upon her skin. Renato was close enough that the hurtful cascade nearly splashed him in turn.

Whatever smirk he'd managed to don slipped from his face almost instantly. Even so, he chuckled. "What? Where'd you get that idea?"

The feeling of soft, hesitant fingertips against Octavia's shoulders wasn't necessarily unwelcome. Still, it was distracting in its own way. She didn't bother to turn her head--and not solely because she was borderline incapable of moving. This was more important.

"Are you alright?" Josiah murmured with worry.

"Give me a second," Octavia hushed, her weak fingers aloft in a nonverbal plea for peace.

"Without her, I'm just me!" Madrigal cried. She struggled against Renato's grasp once more, her efforts as useless as ever. Even kicking didn't help, the position in which Renato straddled her rendering meaningful damage impossible. If he wanted to pin her legs, too, he could've. He didn't bother.

"What's wrong with being 'just you'?"

"She understands me! She understands what I'm meant to do, and what I'm meant to be! She's everything I've ever prayed to have, and you guys want to tear her away from me so badly!" Madrigal wailed.

Renato shrugged, a muted motion compromised by his restraints. "I mean, without my two idiots, I'm 'just Renato'. What's so bad about that?"

Never once, in the entire time she'd known Madrigal, had Octavia seen anything except adoration and affection in the girl's loving eyes each time they'd graced Renato's face. When she spotted anger--true anger--it was as though the universe was ending. "This isn't who you're meant to be. This isn't what was intended for you. You have so, so much else in the world. You shine, and you sparkle, and you can get whatever you want, just by being you! That's just the kind of person you are!"

He blinked, recoiling somewhat. "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"

Madrigal's voice shook, her words as low as they were bitter. "When all of this is over, you get to go home like nothing ever happened. You get to do whatever you want with your life in a world that says it's okay to be who you are. I go back where I started from, with people who can't stand me and won't say it to my face."

Renato tilted his head. "I mean, if you've got problems at home, you don't have to go back. It's not as hard to stay away as you think it'd be. Stick with me, then."

"No!" Madrigal shouted, slamming her head against the grass in exasperation. "It doesn't matter where I go! Everyone, everyone hates me! They hate how I am, how I act, the things I say and the way I want to be! They always will! You have no idea what it's like to want to be something so badly and to be told over and over to keep your mouth shut about it!"

Renato didn't speak. With his expression neutral, he was content to let Madrigal scream and rage only inches from his face. He didn't so much as flinch, a variable sponge for her misplaced anger.

"Lyra made me who I've always, always wanted to be, ever since I was a child! This is everything to me! Do you all really hate me so much that you'd take that away? The one and only thing I want in life? She knows me! She knows what I feel, what I think, what I love, what I hate, what I want, what I don't, all of it! There isn't a single other person to that level in this world who I can start from zero with! I can't! I can't do it!"

Only now did Renato smile, one of the most gentle looks Octavia had ever seen touch his skin. "What do you think I'm here for?"

"You don't like me," Madrigal hissed. "You like the idea of me. If you had to deal with all of me, all of the time, you'd change your mind right away."

"I like everything I've seen so far," he answered without hesitation. "Trust me, I'm always down to see a bit more Maddie. I mean, even Angry Maddie is interesting. Gonna burn this into my head forever, you know. In a good way."

"I've done bad things," Madrigal breathed with narrow eyes, "and there are things wrong with me."

Renato laughed, a sudden sound that was vivid enough to make him turn away for a moment. "God, if only you knew the things that were wrong with me."

"Someday, you're gonna leave me, too," Madrigal murmured, tears still slipping down her cheeks even now. "You're gonna get sick of me, and you're gonna get sick of who I am, with or without her. Once she's gone, I have nothing. I have no one who would understand any part of me, no matter how many times I try to explain. I go back to being the annoying girl that everyone avoids."

He found his smirk again. "Let's get something straight real quick. There's only one person allowed to be insanely annoying in our little circle. If Vi's got anything to say about it, it's yours truly. I'm gonna guard that crown with pride, thank you very much."

The words that followed were far more devoid of sass and wit, punctuated by a singular and delicate tap of his forehead against her own. "And you know what? There's lots of stuff I thought no one would ever understand, either, but I found people who did. And I'll tell you this, it feels good knowing there's somebody else out there who gets it. I don't care if I gotta read a Maddie dictionary to be that person for you. I'll do it."

"But--"

"And I'm damn sure not getting sick of you any time soon. Hell, if anything, I can't get enough of you. You're a blast to be around. Your cooking is amazing. You're smart as hell. Seriously, what, like, eighteen languages? I don't even remember. You're sweet, you're funny, you're creative, and God, I reeeeally like lookin' atcha. Those little buns are gonna be the death of me."

Madrigal's eyes shimmered, unshed tears reined in by something just as obscured. She didn't speak, nor did she move a muscle.

"So, guess what? You're still gonna be my Magical Maddie with or without Lyra, whatever that comes with. You don't gotta be doing all this crazy magic wind stuff just for that. I'm getting kinda jealous of those awesome poses and stuff, anyway. Been meaning to ask you to teach me some of 'em. Give me a cool hero name or something. If this is you, if this is who you really want to be, then I'm more than good with all of that. You don't…need to be a Maestra to not be alone."

Madrigal's lip quivered. "I-I…"

"And you don't need to be blowin' your lifespan on a guy like me."

Her eyes widened, her voice growing urgent. "I--"

Renato shook his head with a smile. "I owe you one. Seriously. Okay? Just say the word. Whatever you want from me, I'll do it for you."

"I don't need anything," Madrigal whimpered, her voice cracking once more. "I just wanted you to be okay. I still would've done it, even if I knew."

Stolen story; please report.

"Then I'm gonna make sure you've never gotta do it again."

The contrast between the sorrow in her own wet eyes and the gentleness in his was notable. For a moment, they were silent, her caged tears eventually breaking free without a word or sound. As delicate as could be, Renato leaned down further, his lips brushing against one tear-streaked cheek.

"Come on, now, pretty girls crying makes my heart hurt. You gotta smile for me, princess," he said softly.

The Maestra struggled to oblige, her wobbling lips curling upwards in the most half-hearted attempt at a smile Octavia had ever seen. Her eyes were doing a spectacular job at betraying her. Regardless, Renato seemed satisfied, breaking into a smile of his own as he released Madrigal's wrists at last. He came to rest on his heels, his hands settling onto his hips.

"Not gonna lie, this is starting to kill my knees. We gotta get that pretty hair out of the dirt, too. Worried I messed up your buns real bad. Got no idea how to fix 'em. Scared to try."

"It's…not as hard as it looks," Madrigal murmured, her voice unsteady.

With the offer of one cherry oak grip of assistance thrust in her direction, she hesitantly wrapped her shaking fingers around Renato's own as he pulled her to her feet. "You don't understand. I can barely fix my own damn hair, and that was way before the…you know. I'm not a stylist. I just look good by default. It's a talent."

She giggled. His grin was explosive. "There we go," Renato breathed.

Octavia was satisfied enough to manage a weak grin of her own. The urge to pass out in the grass was tempting, her entire body continuing to throb with each individual heartbeat. She rolled her head towards the sky, closing her eyes to dodge the oppressive sun battling to breach her lids. Josiah's fingers tapping her head were as annoying as they were reassuring.

"What hurts?" he asked quietly.

She scoffed, amazed at the degree to which her voice had returned during Renato and Madrigal's confrontation. Staying still had helped more than she'd expected, apparently. "What doesn't hurt?"

"Oh my God, Octavia!" she heard Madrigal screech. The sound was enough to make her chuckle, feeble as it was.

"Help me up," Octavia mumbled.

"Stay down. You're gonna hurt your neck," Josiah scolded.

"Hush. Up, please," she commanded.

Josiah didn't bother arguing, his offered hand punctuated by a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes. She probably deserved the way she staggered upon her feet touching the ground once more, nearly collapsing into his arms. To Josiah's credit, he never gripped her body harshly enough to hurt any of her many, many wounded muscles. It didn't matter. Madrigal more than made up for it.

"Octavia, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Madrigal bawled, throwing her arms wide around the girl. She, apparently, was immune to the concept of wind-born physical damage. Octavia grimaced in utter agony as her body was squeezed without restraint.

"It's…okay, really," she managed to croak out, her voice tight. Still, she didn't dare tell Madrigal to let go.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry!" Madrigal wailed anyway. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

"No, no, really, it's…alright! I'll be…fine!" Octavia gasped.

It was Josiah who did what he could to subtly peel Madrigal off, balancing the Maestra's feelings with Octavia's well-being. He gently tapped the former's shoulder. "Don't hug her so hard," he whispered. "She needs…space."

That was one way of putting it. Frankly, Octavia needed a lot of things. Still, it was enough. Madrigal quickly released her, tears pricking at the edges of regretful eyes. Octavia breathed an extremely necessary sigh of relief, more than grateful for the sweet return of oxygen.

The sight of Renato gripping Lyra's Repose in both hands was somewhat comical. "Next time you've got a problem, don't drag Maddie into it like that," he chided the harp itself. "That wasn't very nice."

"And you, young lady," he continued, his playful gaze pointed at Octavia instead, "need to stop getting into trouble every time I take my eyes off you."

Octavia scoffed. "I do not want to hear that from you, of all people."

"You know, a 'thank you' would suffice," Renato teased with a wink.

"Took all of that surprisingly well," she muttered.

Renato shrugged. "I've just kinda learned to go with it, at this point."

"How'd you know she wouldn't go after you, too?"

He smirked. "I didn't. Risk I was more than willing to take."

"You were…fine with getting hurt? I don't think you understand exactly how bad that could've been, especially with you being that close."

Were his words not what they were, his sassy grin would've been infectious. "What can I say? There's only a few things hotter than a woman who can kick my ass."

Octavia groaned. Maybe she should have cheered for Lyra.

"How'd you even know this was…going on?" she asked.

His face fell. "I, uh, just…you know, wanted to check on you."

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even tell anyone I was out here."

"W-Well, you know, I was just…I'm a magnet for trouble, I guess. Who knows?" he stammered uncomfortably, adjusting his hat.

His explanation was exceedingly weak. Octavia tilted her head. "I mean, I know that, but…are you sure no one told you I was here?"

Renato nodded, his smile somewhat strained. It wasn't subtle. "I mean, no, Vi's doin' her own thing and Harper's knocked the hell out. Coincidence, I guess?"

When Octavia made to open her mouth again, aiming to poke holes in his poor logic, she lost her opportunity to a rapid change of subject. She cursed her slow lips.

"Seriously, though, she's gotta chill out a bit," Renato muttered, holding Lyra's Repose aloft in one cherry-flavored hand. "That was some pretty nasty stuff."

It was to Octavia's incredible surprise that his touch triggered a response from the scolded Muse in question. A brilliant and familiar burst of viridian was Octavia's only indication of her physical arrival. With her head still spinning somewhat as it was, the extra flash was painful enough to force one aching hand to her eyes. Lyra came face-to-face with a Maestro not of her own legacy, still clinging to her physical form all the same. If the Muse could do so, Octavia wondered if she'd be scowling at him.

"Are you quite satisfied with yourself, boy?"

Renato shrugged. "Yes, actually."

"Are you even aware of the circumstances with which you have interfered?" she hissed.

"I know you were making Maddie upset. That was plenty."

Lyra outright growled. "You insolent--"

"That is enough."

Octavia had hardly even remembered he was there, an onlooker to the bloody spectacle of dangerous love that had unfolded before his otherworldly eyes. Still just as calm and just as composed, Ethel spoke with a tenderness that brought Octavia's gaze to him instead. His attention, in turn, was offered to Lyra alone.

She, too, returned his exclusive acknowledgement. Octavia had never seen such distressed body language from a Muse, particularly for an ethereal being of light incarnate. Still, not unlike a human, her hands clung tightly together just over her luminous heart. The wondrous Apex was suddenly small and vulnerable before his words. "I-I…"

"The Ambassador speaks the truth, Lyra. Such was my own decision," Ethel offered.

"But why?" Lyra cried. A degree of emotion painted her voice that Octavia, too, had not yet heard from the sweet tones of a Muse. "After all this time? Now, at last?"

Ethel nodded. "It must be done."

"But must it be so soon?"

"It is for the good of…those other than myself. I implore you to understand."

"I do not!" Lyra shouted. "High and low have I searched for you! So long have I fought to see you by my side once more, and you only now crave to escape my embrace? In what way have I wronged you so?"

"You have not wronged me, my dearest Apex. For all time, you could not do so, even should you try."

"Then why?" Lyra pleaded.

"I must consider what is best for…"

For a moment, his gaze flickered downwards towards Josiah. Octavia wasn't ignorant to the tint of fear in the boy's eyes as he shook his head in the slightest. Ethel sighed.

"I must consider what is best for this realm. As it is, there is yet one Above even now who waits alone. I wish to accompany him. You are…free to come along."

Lyra hesitated. "I…I have made a promise to the Ambassador. It is my obligation to see her task through to the end. I cannot."

Josiah scoffed quietly. "The same Ambassador you just beat the crap out of," he muttered under his breath.

If Lyra heard his pointed words, she made no indication. Ethel, too, ignored the same. "Then I will await your return with patience and grace, as with all things," he continued.

"Ethel, I beg of you. Stay with me."

"It cannot be so. You know this, and of that, I am sure. I…apologize."

Lyra was quiet, her trembling fingers drifting apart from their iron grasp to one another. For all of the brutality she'd endured by proxy at the hands of the Spirited Muse, Octavia's heart ached on Lyra's behalf. Even so, there was nothing that could be done. For Josiah's sake, she wouldn't budge. Ethel surely wouldn't, either.

"Could you…forgive my hastiness, then?" Lyra murmured.

"It is not I whose forgiveness you must seek. Know, though, that you are always forgiven of all sins in my heart."

"I…have missed you so."

"And I you."

They were silent, and the tension between them spoke to more than words could ever. Octavia didn't dare interrupt. Ethel did so on her behalf, severing his unwavering gaze on Lyra in favor of matching the Ambassador's own.

"I…apologize for the interruption, Ambassador. You were in the midst of your task."

Her heart skipped a beat. She wrung the hem of her dress absentmindedly. "You're…are you sure you're ready?"

Ethel nodded. "I am prepared. Josiah, my child, if you will."

It was rare that she heard a Muse speak of a Maestro's name. Stradivaria was a sweet exception, and she treasured it. For Ethel and Josiah, in particular, their relationship was fleeting at best and hostile at worst. Her surprise was mutual, and it coated Josiah's face in turn. His shocked eyes flickered upwards to Ethel for a moment. Still, they fell once more to the glimmering rosewood that Octavia had nearly forgotten about altogether. Prone in the grass and discarded hastily in a moment of panic, he tenderly cupped the instrument in both palms, offering it yet again before Octavia's eyes.

"When you're…ready, then," Josiah said.

"You don't wanna do this anymore?" Renato asked, his tone far from judgmental. Still, the glare Octavia fixed him with was reflexive in a way she regretted instantly. He flinched.

With substantially more composure and a faint smile to match, Josiah shook his head. "This stuff isn't for me. I'm happy just being myself. I…hope that doesn't change anything between us."

Renato grinned. "Nah, we're still besties. Whatever you want, I'll back you up."

"We are not 'besties'," Josiah deadpanned.

Octavia giggled regardless. The sadness on Madrigal's face compromised her amusement, somewhat, Lyra's Repose since safely returned to her embrace. Even Renato's arm, wrapped comfortably around her shoulder, wasn't enough to cleanse her sorrowful eyes. When they met Octavia's, it hurt. As with so many things, there was nothing she could do.

With a sigh far too heavy, her sore fingertips came to rest upon the firm surface of Etherion for the last time.

"I have borne witness to your pain, and my light guides your passage from the depths of my heart," Octavia said aloud, as confidently as she could.

He wasn't silent on the way out, his beautiful light that she'd just begun to appreciate sadly leaving her eyes all too soon. The gorgeous golds evaporating gradually before her, gracing the air with luminescence one last time in passing, were as solemn as they were tinged with relief. The display was every bit as lovely as had been the case with Breileneth. Granted, Octavia was blessed with a gradient myriad of hues much unlike the Muse's own departure had offered. Ethel's dissipating brilliance spoke to her awed eyes alone. The last of his voice--likely stolen without his knowledge or concern--spoke to her from within.

Yes, it will be so.

She regretted peeling her gaze away from the inspiring and glorious scene that was Ethel's departing visage, and yet Octavia's eyes still flickered to Josiah. He, too, hadn't dared to take his own eyes off the Muse, narrow and sharp as they were. Even as the clarinet resting so peacefully in his palms began to depart the world, a fickle sparkle dancing upon his skin, he was just as silent. Octavia tilted her head somewhat.

That place which you hold most dear to your heart, yes.

The words in her head paused. Even I cannot say where that may be.

Josiah's shoulders rose and fell with the effort of a heavy breath. Still, his glare was unforgiving.

I…suppose so. By such, do you mean…refrain, rather than bless?

Josiah nodded, a tiny motion barely noticeable without focus. Octavia was lucky.

I will do what I can to see that it is so. I shall not question your motives. I will endeavor to focus my efforts upon…if you were to choose, Josiah, then where?

"Anywhere but there," Josiah mouthed silently.

'Anywhere…but there.' Once more, I will oblige as much as possible. Such is the least I can do on your behalf.

Josiah closed his eyes for a moment. Again, his unspoken words were visible upon his lips alone. "Thank you."

Dissipating as he was, every passing second stealing what was left of glorious golden luminescence, Ethel wasn't yet satisfied. His words for Octavia were unprompted as his very presence drew to a close, radiant sprinkles of sparkling yellow raining before a captive audience. Every eye trained upon his final moments in plain sight offered their full attention--born of respect, regret, and amazement alike. Octavia was no exception. When she alone claimed his voice, low and smooth in her head one last time, it was as much a privilege as it was a curse.

And to you, Ambassador, I offer these parting words.

Yes? Octavia answered wordlessly, her breath hitching in her throat.

There are threads of the spider web which even I do not know of. Do not lower your guard.

On the absolute threshold of visibility, the star-like specter of his presence returning to the place in which he belonged, his parting gift was numbing.

Above all else, do not trust Stratos.

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