scales of justice (janus + virgil)

chapter no. 11

 Patton was downstairs reading a book when Virgil came thundering down the steps, clearly distressed. Patton nearly yeeted his book across the room. He'd expected Virgil to have calmed down a bit by now, but he was wrong, and he quickly grew alarmed. He went into Dad™ mode and leapt up off the couch, snatching Virgil by the jacket. "Virge, what's going on?"

"I don't know," he said, his voice raw. His two toned eyes (one green and one violet) were bloodshot, and Patton could see dried tears on his cheeks. "I just have a bad feeling about something."

"Join the club, asshole," growled Remus, emerging from the basement. He looked like absolute hell. "I've been feeling like shit for as long as I can remember, and your loud complaining about Janus isn't helping, especially since you claim to not care about him."

Virgil just stared at him, openmouthed, as Patton chided him, "Now, Remus, be nice--"

"I'm tired of being nice, Morality!" shouted Remus. "I'm fucking sick of all of this! Now Janus is missing, Virgil is about to be rendered useless, and none of the rest of us have power over this situation! We've been outsmarted! I can only hit spider-boy over the head so many times before he drowns us all in black sludge!"

"You seem to know a lot about him," remarked Virgil, approaching the Duke.

"That's because I'm familiar with chaotic patterns like this, traitor," Remus shot back, twirling his mace in his hands. "You wouldn't know, I suppose."

Virgil wanted to strangle him. "So you've known about him all along?"

"While it would be funny to watch you all scream as he drowned you in black sludge, I wouldn't have kept that information to myself." His mustache twitched as he smirked up at Virgil. "Unlike some other people here, I would never hide anything."

Patton took Virgil's hand and tried to pull him away. "C'mon, Virge, don't let him get you worked up."

"You know what I'm talking about, though, don't you? You're not going to stay with us for much longer." Remus eyed his mace, his grin widening.

"Shut up," growled Virgil, ignoring Patton's warning.

"Virge," warned Patton.

"Admit it, Anxiety," Remus taunted him.

Virgil didn't say another word; he felt something strange start to rise within him.

"Go ahead, punch me," Remus dared him, baring his sharp teeth in his face.

Before anyone knew what had happened, Patton unconscious at Virgil's feet, Remus had been thrown twelve feet across the room, his mace having flown in a different direction and sticking in the wall, and Virgil's hands were sparking with neon violet energy. Remus was staring at him incredulously and somewhat fearfully. "What the fuck was that all about?"

Virgil rose an eyebrow. "Hell if I know."

Then he crossed the room, threw the door open, and started to run.

-

Janus wasn't sure what he'd gotten himself into.

As soon as they'd crossed the threshold into the deepest, darkest section in the MindPalace, Janus shivered. They stood in a very tall tower that leaned a bit to the side, and it was swaying in the wind of the storm. Below was a choppy sea of dark water that Janus was certain he wouldn't enjoy falling into. Morticus, however, looked unbothered, and he led Janus down a winding set of stone steps that led into the large castle. "I have your room ready, so I will lead you there."

"Where are we?" Janus wondered.

"Deep in the MindSpace," Morticus answered. "It's so cold back here since no one ever has been back here but me."