Where Time Stands Still

Interlude- The Badgeseller

A/N: Gritting my teeth squeezing my story notes like a stress ball I am SO normal about Mu I am SO normal about her coping mechanisms and responses to pain and trauma I am SO normal about her mental state after Time's End I am SO normal about her parallels with other characters I am SO NORMAL ABOUT MU

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Waiting, as it turned out, was very, very boring.

Mu had no idea what to do while the Badgeseller was gone. At least she didn't have to wait by them. The way they jittered and twitched creeped her out. And they spoke weirdly, too.

But she didn't have anything to do. Normally, Mu would try to sabotage the Mafia in her free time—spray painting their property, messing with their fishing boats, occasionally even stealing. They stole her island, after all. It's only fair they get a taste of their own medicine.

Today, she sat inside the small cave she had made her home and stared out at the sea it was by.

Well, technically, she had roamed the island for a while, trying to convince herself to do something or find something that could entertain her. She didn't know how many times she had circled the island before she gave up. None of her normal hijinks seemed very appealing right now, and she didn't know what to do if not any of those. So Mu was sitting in her cave, doing absolutely nothing entertaining.

Because apparently, playing tricks and sabotaging the people who ruined your life isn't good and that makes her the bad guy.

Mu scoffed, trying to laugh off the thought. Of course it didn't! They deserved it. And she was sure that if they knew what it was like, to have someone take over from your home, rule it with an iron fist, and punish you for speaking against them or not following their way of life, that they'd feel the same way.

That they'd fight back.

That they'd sacrifice everything to defeat the unjust ruler.

Even if it meant giving their lives to help a little girl with a bow survive long enough to see that ruler dethroned.

"Uuuuuuggghhhh." Mu picked up a pebble that was near her and threw it as hard as she could. Though she didn't see where it landed, she heard it hit the water. Why was this all so complicated? It really shouldn't be! Maybe, once Bow gave her a timepiece to use, she could go back and prevent herself from setting the planet on fire. That would fix everything!

The very thought of it made her nauseous.

No way. She wasn't messing with time magic again. Not ever. Besides, she had already promised Bow not to use the timepiece for anything but whatever weird respawn thing that Bow could do. Mu had hated that. Every time she had knocked Bow down, thinking the fight was finally over, she just came back. Again. And again. And again.

Mu shook her head. Ugh, could she stop thinking about all of that? She apologized to Bow. She's helping Bow out now to make up for it. It's gone, her actions fixed, it's irrelevant now. She didn't need to think about it, ever again.

Mu picked up another pebble and threw it. She heard it hit the water.

Then another.

And another.

The next one ricocheted off one of the signs surrounding her cave. Mu groaned again. Why couldn't she stop thinking about it? She hadn't thought about it very much in the Horizon, before running into Bow.

Maybe because now she was surrounded by the people who were affected by her actions. And was on the planet that she set ablaze.

But it wasn't on fire anymore. So she didn't need to think about it.