From the Sewers Beneath Fandom to MHA #6, Saturday Afternoon

[firstofitskind]

[ooc: preplayed with the deserving-of-many-superlatives arboreal_priestess, and TBC in comments! And no, I have no idea why this is showing up before the cut text when you click the individual entry page.]

Liam	The only good thing Liam could say about yesterday was that eventually, reports had started to trickle in about some of the missing people wandering back into town via the sewers of all places. So of course Liam had gone down there, because while he knew perfectly well where Verity's physical body was, her psychic self was clearly somewhere else, and that made about as much sense as... well, anything about this week, really. Unfortunately, yesterday's expedition had not ended well. And so here he was, trying again. The sewers seemed to somehow go on forever, twisting and turning in ways that really should not be possible. And- there it was, finally, a door up ahead. Liam’s pace quickened as he approached it, shooting off the lock on the door and opening it to find- A teenage boy. Liam hoped his disappointment wasn't visible on his face as he helped the kid up. "I wasn’t the one you were hoping to find, huh?" the kid asked, his tone matter-of-fact. Liam didn't reply to that, just asked him "You okay to find your own way out?" "Yeah," the kid let go of his hand as he stood, and Liam dropped it back to his side in relief. Not just because he wasn't crazy about touching people, but also the kid's hand had been weirdly cold. Liam watched him go until he disappeared down the corridor, and then he continued on until he found yet another doorway. "Please," he whispered to himself, opening the door.
Verity	At first glance, the room seemed empty. Just more glittery rock walls, like a natural crevice had been enlarged in a chunk of mica. But there, towards the back, was movement. Just about at eye level. It was another one of those crystal spheres, floating aimlessly through the air.
Liam	It took him a minute to spot the sphere amongst the glittering rock, and when he did, he took a tentative step towards it. "Verity?" he asked. He had no idea if the people in the spheres could see what was happening outside, no idea if this was even her or someone else entirely. If it was someone else, well. He'd make sure they got back to, uh, themselves, safely of course. Eventually. After he found Verity.
Verity	The sphere paused, hanging in the air for a long moment. And then went back to floating around, though more slowly this time. Drifting ever-so-slightly closer to Liam.
Liam	He reached out hesitantly to touch the sphere, not quite daring to hope. When his fingers brushed across its surface, he knew. It was her. "I'm taking you home," he told the sphere- Verity- as his hands closed around it protectively, relief coursing through him. "And then I'm gonna get you the hell out of there."
Verity	Inside the sphere, Verity was doing what she was born to do - no, not dancing. Fighting. There wasn't an inch of this crystal prison that she hadn't punched or kicked or tried to claw her way out of. It didn't matter that she was so exhausted that even her hair hurt. It didn't matter than this version of herself was bleeding and bruised and sore. She was going to slam herself against the surface until it broke. Or she did.
Liam	Navigating the twists and turns of the sewers wasn't exactly easy, given that the path he was taking now bore little resemblance to the path he'd taken here in the first place. But eventually, sphere clutched protectively in his hands, he made his way back up to the surface and their apartment. He didn't let go of it until he was in the bedroom, standing next to Verity's prone body. Breaking the spheres had helped set people free the other night, he had to believe it would do the same now. The shaqarava in both his palms lit up as he directed the energy towards the sphere, careful not to overdo it, he just wanted to shatter the sphere, not blow up the entire apartment, after all.
Verity	Verity and the mice appreciated that. To say nothing of their neighbors and the building owner. The magic of the sphere resisted the shaqarava's energy for awhile, but Liam was patient and persistent. Eventually, cracks fractured the surface of the sphere, purple light infusing it. And with a noise like a gunshot, the sphere exploded, dumping glitter and shards of crystal all over the room. For a long moment, there was no change in the body on the bed. The mice that had set up a permanent vigil by the bedside, looked up at Liam with unblinking eyes that begged him to fix it.
Liam	He was trying, guys! His heart caught in his throat as he looked down at Verity. He'd been so sure that breaking the sphere was the solution, but what if it wasn't? He'd shattered the thing, and still she lay there unmoving. "Come on, Very," he whispered, desperation coloring his words. "Come back to me."
Verity	A long moment of stillness. Silence. Nothing. And then Verity was flinging herself up, clutching at her chest, hair flying around her face. She gasped for breath, sucking air into lungs that felt too small for her, eyes wild.
Liam	And Liam held himself back just long enough for her to catch her breath, and then he was flinging himself at her, gathering her in his arms and holding on for dear life.
Verity	Verity wrapped her arms around him, her heart slamming in her chest enough that he could still feel it pressed against her. "What--?" she asked. "What--?"
Liam	"You're okay, you're fine, you're home," Liam was murmuring in her ear. Just who he was attempting to reassure of this fact- Verity or himself- was up for debate. Actually, no. It was probably both of them.
Verity	"What...what happened?" Verity asked, starting to shiver in reaction. Not cold, exactly just...shock, maybe? Something. She felt weird all over, stiff and unfamiliar.
Liam	"You don't remember?" Liam frowned, concerned. "You collapsed a few days ago," he continued, rubbing circles along her back. "You wouldn't wake up, no matter what I tried. That was Wednesday. It's Saturday now."
Verity	"It's Saturday?!" Verity yelped. "I mean...I remember snatches. There was a dance? And Fjord was there...?"
Liam	Liam shook his head. "I don't think that really happened?" he said. "Or it did, but not here in the physical world. Whatever caused you to collapse, it left your body here, separated from your psychic self. That was stuck inside some sort of... bubble?"
Verity	"I remember the dance," Verity said slowly. "And then a feeling like being dragged down a loooong hallway. And occasionally flashes? Something" She bit her lip, holding her head in her hands. "It's all jumbled. And fuck, my head is killing me."
Liam	"Your head?" Liam asked, concerned, a hand reaching up to cover hers. "Want me to take care of that?"
Verity	Verity frowned and then shook her head. Then winced; that had been dumb. "It's not a...regular headache?" That made no sense. "It feels like a strained muscle? But in my brain."
Liam	It made just as much sense as her psychic self being trapped in a crystal bubble, honestly. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "How about a head massage?" he offered instead.
Verity	"Thaaaaat sounds perfect," she admitted., leaning against him. "What did I miss? How many people got..." She stumbled. "Lost?"
Liam	"I'm not sure," Liam admitted, fingers making slow, gentle circles against her scalp. "Fjord and Amaya, at least, according to radio. Ran into one of the kids from the school when I came looking for you."
Verity	"I think I saw a few other kids at the dance?" Verity said. "So maybe a few more, too." She bit her lip. "I'm so stupid."
Liam	"What makes you say that?" Liam asked with a frown.
Verity	"I ended up in a magical ballroom and didn't once think it was weird?" Verity scoffed.
Liam	"Key words there being 'magical ballroom'," Liam pointed out. "What about anyone else there? Did they think it was weird?"
Verity	"I don't...think so?" Verity said, trying to sort through her jumble of memories. "It all felt, well, not normal. But...good. Too good. Everything was perfect. Which I should have known was bullshit because too good to be true means it is. And you weren't there, so how could anything be perfect?" He hadn't been there and she had barely even noticed.
Liam	"So it was some sort of spell," Liam said reasonably. "Not your fault. And I'm here now." Would he have liked to hear that their love was strong enough to break whatever illusion she'd been held under? Yes. But right now he was far too happy to have her awake and safe to dwell on that. "Beidh mé i gcónaí gar, remember?" he murmured, lips brushing against her ear. "I will always be near."