The Mirror: Vestia

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Asher nodded. "I'll be careful. Stay safe, and don't let anyone be too stupid." He'd head for the bridge.

"No, your mirror started a war by sending him here" Starr countered and came closer.

Shane stuck his head out of the room to check on things "We really need to find a safe place for this girl if he's wanting her." He said quietly.

"yeah good luck convincing anyone else of that." Matt shook his head and looked up at Shane. "Her name is Kaliyani, and I don't think he gives a damn about her. My double on the other hand... either way, keep her guarded. Please.. "
Matt stood up. "Esk's right, what do we do with him now?"

"If you send him home he'll just track you down." Esk pointed out.

"And he now thinks the Star Dragons and my duplicate are working together to usurp him. " Matt shook his head. "My double said he's already tried to convince him he doesn't want his throne, he's absolutely convinced he's lying. He won't believe a word we tell him. "

"The problem seems to be handled," Vestia told Asher. "Shut off the water?"

"Will do," Asher said. He adjusted the configuration and shut off water to the broken pipes.

Starr frowned at that and sighed, rubbing her temples a little "For now, we put an anti-magic cuff on him and try to convince him of the truth so he doesn't harm Vestia or any of the rest of us."

Matt nodded solemly. "But how?"

Esk shrugged. "How about we figure that out AFTER the crazy fire wielding prophet is IN A CELL."

Matt nodded and would help the guards move his "brother"
"Take Kaliyani to James, she knows him."

Esk picked his way over the wet floor. "And send someone to come clear up the mess." He added flatly.

"What took you so long to get here anyway?" Matt snapped at Esk.

Esk shrugged. "I was in no hurry to be barbecued alive by my oldest brother. Besides, you seem to have handled it just fine."

Matt snorted. "not payback for failing to shoot my double then?"

"Oh Matt, i'm not nearly as petty as you seem to think I am." Esk told him cooly. "Love to stay and bicker, but if he wakes up, cuffs or no cuffs, he'll put up a hell of a fight."

Starr nodded and would go with Web and the guards to lock the lunatic up.

Shane nodded and turned to pick up the girl so he could take her to James again, "Where is James?"

"James is in Starr's lab. I'll have him go to one of the lounges and give you directions to get there," Vestia said in an uncharacteristic show of helpfulness. She kinda sympathized with poor Kaliyani, okay?

Matt would help the guards with Web and set him in a cage.

"I can't help but feel this is some pretty major political nightmare right here... " He shook his head. Yep, locking a royal and demi-god to his people up in a cage really felt like a surefire way to piss off an entire race of people. Oops.
But what else could they do?
"Starr, you're the politician right? well.. royal... how do we diffuse this?"

"Thank you" Shane said and headed for the lifts to take the girl to the lounge and get her settled in there.

~~
Starr frowned and sighed, looking to the wall in thought "I'm not sure we can, first thing is to get him to see that we are not his enemies and that he was set up, but that might just make him madder at us to know this Matt got to him so badly...maybe a gift of some kind? He does see himself as some kind of demigod or something."

James headed to the lounge to meet Shane.

"He's a prophet, no seeing himself as about it." Matt sighed. "he quite literally has a god or a being that claims it's a god in his head." He frowned. "In our universe that wasn't great for his mental health, in this.. it looks like it completely broke his mind. " He stepped out of the cage and closed the door with a click, watching the sleeping figure of his twin sadly. "Whether or not this universe's Fate actually gives a crap about him is another matter, but whatever the case... if we can't convince him i'm not my double, then we've got a big problem..." He mulled over thing, wringing his hands. "man, there's a good reason I have no interest in being Ishvara, I haven't got the head for politics. " He complained. "he's convinced his brother wants his throne, now he's convinced the star dragons have taken his brother's side. If we could find my duplicate, maybe we could convince him we aren't him, maybe we could hand him over.. I dunno.. I just.. I don't know."

"We have to find your brother then, either that or actually got to war with the sister races." Starr said then shook her head "Maybe we can try to convince him that we want to help him find your mirror?"

~~~
Shane had laid Kaliyani on a couch and covered her with a throw. He quietly sat and watched her until James came in, standing and frowning a little at the android "We had to tranq her because she was fighting with the crazy guy, but she should be fine."

James looked at Kaliyani and sighed. "She's so loyal, she doesn't really know how to be anything other than loyal. But she's a good person." He sat down on another couch. "The Ishvara, Web, you're sure he's secured safely?" he looked worried.

"We put anti-magic cuffs on him and sent him to be locked in a cell, so he is as secure as we can make him" Shane answered then shrugged

Kaliyani slept soundly, her ruined face surprisingly peaceful in her slumber.

---

Matt frowned. "I dunno... I just.. I don't know what to do. If you guys go to war millions of people will die, they can't defend themselves against magic and guns like that. Maybe... maybe the Elders could be reasoned with? My duplicate said that he's managed to imprison them so he could take full power. In our universe, they govern alongside my brother. They're jerks.. but maybe that means they're good here? I just don't know how it all works. "

Esk wandered over because he had nothing better to do than listen in on this. He folded his arms.

"you know... if he just disappears... nobody would ever need to know he was here... "

James still looked worried. The kevali's burn scars were so bad, anyone who could not just teleport light years through space, but have the evil heart to burn someone like that, should be treated with insane amounts of caution. But he nodded reluctantly at Shane's words.

Shane looked to the female again and frowned "Think she would let the blood drinkers heal her some?" He asked quietly after a minute or two.

~~~
Starr looked to Esk at that then frowned and looked to Web again "The woman would know he had been here, so she would have to be told something." At this point she wasn't eliminating anything and it wasn't like she hadn't done just this before.

"You said she was only tranquilized, is she hurt too?" James stood up hastily, looking protective.

"The burn scars" Shane said, looking to James then back to her again "She looks like she would have been very pretty before she was burned"

"Kaliyani? If we can convince her this is Fate's will, maybe that'll be enough. You saw her right? He did that to her for stopping him... " And finally something clicked. "The heir! He has an heir!" Well crap. He'd have to ask her about the kid. "If he dies, his power transfers to his son.. not my double. My duplicate has said he doesn't want power, so i don't think we have anything to fear from him... but it means they have a prince, maybe.. maybe with guidance... he could be less of a tyrant than his dad?"

"Web has a son?" Esk frowned slightly.

"Well in this universe... " Matt nodded. "You'd.. think he'd have told us if he had a kid in our universe... right?"

Esk shrugged. "Does he really tell anyone anything?"

"True... i'll be pissed off if..." Matt shook his head. "this isn't important right now! " He looked back at Web. "How long will they be unconcious for?"

"A couple of hours usually" Starr answered, thinking about what was said now "Maybe if we do get rid of this Web, we can tell her he left to find his brother in this realm?"

James blinked. "They can heal scars? I thought scars were permanent."
He frowned at Shane. There was something about Shane saying she 'would have been pretty' that he didn't like.

SHane looked to James again then nodded a little "From what I have seen of the slaves that were here, yes, they can heal scars too" He replied then shrugged again.

Matt nodded.

"or you could tell her the truth. They believe in fate and predestiny right? If Fate didn't want him dead, my gun'll jam." Esk smirked.

Matt shuddered and nodded. "I.. I think maybe.... I should talk to her when she wakes up."

"So what do you want to do with him?" Esk asked, nodding toward Web.

"I dunno. He's not going anywhere right now... so no rush right?" Matt looked wary.

Esk nodded.

"When she wakes up we'll ask her then," James said. He glanced at Kaliyani with concern, then looked back at Shane with a sort of smile, still a bit tense.

Starr looked to Esk then nodded at Matt "Yeah, you can go and talk to her and see what she would like to do." She said then looked to Web again "There will be no leaving him alone while he is alive."

~~~
Shane frowned then sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair to rest a little "Might as well get comfy, until she wakes up anyway"

"I'll guard him." Esk said. "Don't worry, I won't shoot him unless I get told I can. I'm not THAT bloodthirsty." He smirked at Matt.

Matt frowned. "you're enjoying all this a bit too much. It's creepy."

"What can I say Matt, getting to kick the shit out of assholes who look just like you guys has been extremely therapeutic. We should do this more often. "

"yeah only YOU could actually like this universe." Matt muttered, shaking his head. "I'll let you know what she says okay?" He headed off.

Esk looked to the guards. "Any of you guys know how to play cards? It's gonna be a long and boring few hours otherwise."