ﾟ･stars were made for falling ﾟ･ (original)

12- the virgin's crystal

The night Liz, Ivan, and Halley had come home with the Crown had almost been a week ago now. When they'd first arrived, they'd obviously recounted the tale of the crazy old mayor in his town of fake people for the trio in the living room, though Casper and Liz didn't look at each other the entire time. And once the story was done being told proper, Casper retreated upstairs without so much as a goodnight to anyone. Leo thought about following him, but decided against it, at least for the time being; Halley was talking to him, and he'd rather be around her almost absolute joy than Casper's moody rage. Besides, he seemed fine- he would be okay if Leo didn't follow him all the time.

So Leo sat in the living room, surrounded by his joking, jovial friends, while Casper rotted away upstairs, stuck alone in a dark room.

To everyone's surprise and delight, Aldrich didn't have an assignment for them immediately, which gave them time to rest. The days fell back into their old routine from earlier in the month, with everyone going about their regular jobs. Ivan and Liz kept the cars and generators in perfect working condition, while Miles and Halley fixed up little things around the house, and Casper and Leo kept up with the living things dependant on them.

As the days wore on, Leo couldn't help but notice a slight dim in Casper's personality; he didn't seem as eager to tease him, or to generally playfight like he had before. Something about him was almost distracted, as he stared into nothing while cleaning or feeding the animals. It got worse around day four or five, when Leo had to repeat himself several times before Casper even acknowledged he was speaking, seeming jarred every time he realized he was being talked to. He'd always mumble some half-hearted reply, going back to what he was doing before.

Something about it put a pit in Leo's stomach; what was bothering him? He had a feeling it had to do with his argument with Liz, even though they'd argued before. They'd never really spoken or gotten along the entire time Leo was there, really, but maybe this was just the culmination of years of... whatever this was. It felt deeper than arguing at this point, it almost felt like targeted behavior. Liz had never been unkind to him, Ivan or Halley- even Miles was rarely scolded by her. What on earth had Casper done to justify the way she monitored him with such a close eye? What unforgivable sin had he committed when he was younger that meant he was never going to be trusted again?

Again, it wasn't like he could just ask. He had an odd feeling it had to do with Pullox, though he had nothing to back that up. He wished desperately that he could just ask Casper, even though he knew he wasn't going to get an answer. If anything right now, Casper might not hear him at all, too troubled by the storm clouds in his brain.

Finally, on the 28th of October, Aldrich got back to them; Leo could have screamed in relief. At last, he was able to get out of this stupid house, get back into the open air. Maybe he'd feel better once he was away from Casper's empty stares and Liz's tense attitude every time his roommate entered the room she was in. He almost ran to Ivan as he went out on the porch to meet him, and the idea of getting away from the toxic fog that settled over the house made him practically snatch the communicator out of Ivan's hands, wanting to read Aldrich's message himself.

"Hello again, chums! It's been a few days since I've last contacted you, yes, but Father hadn't received any visions in that time. It's truly baffling how the Lightbringer works- perhaps It doesn't work on the same time scale as us? Maybe thousands of years are just one fun afternoon for It. Of course, I wouldn't know, but it's interesting to think about, isn't it?"

"Anyway, I have the location of the Virgin's Crystal for you. Yes, I'm aware the name is somewhat crude, but that's what Virgo is, is it not? The Crystal itself is hung on a small chain, much like a type of charm, I believe. Yes, well, I don't have much to say this time. My process of explaining everything to you three is complete, I believe. I've told you all I know, from the missing Twin's Pendant, to what is believed to happen if we are to fail. I do hope, Ivan, you are sharing this knowledge with your friends, and not just hoarding my messages to yourself. They deserve to also know the truth, not just a few sanitized summaries."