At The Core Of It All

Do You Want To Hear A Story?

They were in Kingo's jet, he'd agreed to come with them after the inspiring speech Karun gave him.

"Seven thousand years. That's how long the battle between Eternals and Deviants has raged for." Kingo narrated to the camera Karun was filming with.

"You think I'm a movie star. Well, I am. But I am also...an Eternal," He stared at the camera dramatically.

"Kingo, what are you doing?" Sprite asked him rolling their eyes.

"I think we should be remembered, so I am making a documentary about us." He told Sersi and Sprite.

"You are about to meet my fellow Eternal, Sprite. Sprite, tell them about yourself," He instructed and the camera turned to face them.

"Oh wait," Sprite said and reached beneath their jacket pulling their hand back to flip them off with a smile before disappearing.

"Okay, well, we'll circle back to them," Kingo decided.

"This is Sersi," Kingo introduced her as Ikaris sat down next to her. "Sersi, tell them about yourself."

"Uh..." Sersi trailed off staring at the camera.

"We're rolling," Kingo told her.

"Well, uh...I can change a rock into water. Uh, I could turn a rock into wood. Or a rock into metal. Actually, one time I turned a rock into air." She said getting excited.

"Cut," Kingo instructed. "Um, you know what? Why don't you think about it and we'll get back to you, okay?"

"Let's go," He said to Karun and they stood up and left.

-☼-

"Sprite says you're addicted to this thing," Ikaris nodded to Sersi's phone.

"Oh, this? Look at this." She held the phone out and it showed him with an aging filter on.

"Whoa," He laughed.

"You know, seeing as we don't age," Sersi explained.

"I think you look quite good," She clicked the button and it took a picture.

"Don't you?" She asked, them both laughing.

-☼-

"Nobody ever wonders how you managed to be the leading man for over 100 years?" Sprite asked Kingo on the opposite side of the jet.

"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about. That is my great-great-grandfather, that is my great grandfather, grandfather, father, and me. I'm part of the greatest dynasty in the history of Bollywood. Pretty impressive right?" Kingo asked.

"You abandoned me in Macedonia." Sprite reminded him annoyed.

"Okay, I got sick of moving every five years. People freak out when they notice you don't...age." He said guiltily.

"I thought we were friends," Sprite told him bitterly.

Kingo motioned to Karun to cut the recording and sat down across from Sprite.

"Do you know why I love movies?" He asked. "Because of you. I missed sitting in the audience, listening to your stories, watching your illusions."

"We should've all stayed together. Ajak would still be alive. She should never have let us go." Kingo stared at the floor.

Sprite stared at him for a minute then disappeared again not wanting to hear anymore.

They reappeared across from Corey who had been sitting alone the whole flight.

She jumped at Sprite's sudden appearance and forced a quick smile, in her hands she held a photo that Sprite could just barely see had three people. A younger-looking Corey a woman, and a man, perhaps Corey's parents?

She quickly folded up the photo and put it in her pocket, they stared at Sprite not breaking eye contact as his eyes pleaded with them to not say anything.

"Hey, that reappearing and disappearing thing you did. That's how that Deviant didn't see me and that lady. You saved my life, thank you." She said quietly breaking the brief silence between them.

"Yeah, no problem"

Sprite noticed that Corey has begun tapping her fingers together in a pattern thumb to pointer, thumb to middle, thumb to ring, thumb to pinkie then she came back the opposite way. She seemed to be making an effort to not look out the window.

"Are you alright? Is there something outside?" Sprite asked peering out the window.

"No, I'm just not a huge fan of heights or planes for that matter. One thing goes wrong and then we're falling from the sky, I-I don't know maybe it's stupid," She said and as she spoke her breathing quickened.

"Hey, it's alright Kingo's onboard they can't let a famous movie star who's a part of the greatest dynasty in history die," Sprite told her snorting and Corey gave a small smile.

"What do those pins mean?" Sprite pointed at the two different pins that were on Corey's sweater which she'd put on, hoping to distract her.

"Oh that one is the Queer or Unlabeled flag which means that I'm not straight but I don't really feel the need to label myself," Corey said pointing to the first one. "And that one is the Gender Apathetic flag which means that it doesn't matter to me what gender I'm perceived as."

"Oh cool," Sprite smiled a bit, Corey's breathing was beginning to slow but if he looked outside again it would probably start to quicken again. Sprite needed to distract her more.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Sprite asked her and Corey looked up surprised.

"Yeah sure, go ahead." She told them with a smile.

"Ok, so..."

--

Sprite telling a story using their powers to keep someone from panicking even though they hate their powers and being an Eternal anyone? Anyways this chapter doesn't actually have too much Corey in it which is funny considering this whole story has to do with them, but yeah hope y'all enjoyed it!

<3

-Fi