A small, bloodied body was lowered into a furiously dug hole in the ground. The moon shone down on the two figures in the grave, illuminating the shining blood of a young boy and the sweat of the girl who laid him gently down. It made the tear that dripped down onto the boy's unwaking form flash as if fell from the girl's eyes, cast in shadow as she stooped. She arranged his arms gently over him. She didn't have a nice coat to put over his bloodied tunic, and she didn't have the right materials to make him look living as the rich did with their dead.
She took a moment of pause before she climbed from the grave. A moment to reflect, it might appear. A moment to accept reality. It was really a moment to fight back tears. She needed her breath to finish putting the dirt back in the grave.
And so she did.
Hours later, the first rays of dawn fell over the girl on her knees atop the grave, packing the earth around the flowers she'd planted there. The seed of a tree was within the mound below her. It was said the tree would grow as steady and strong as the spirit of the dead below it. If that were true, this would be the tallest and most beautiful tree in the entire wood.
The girl finished her work and stood. Locks of golden hair clung to her forehead, and her limbs shook from the sheer rage she'd put behind her every action. Or perhaps they were still shaking with rage now, instead of exhaustion.
She closed her eyes. She made a vow, an apology, and she left.
Many weeks later, another grave was dug.
The platform that was lowered into it was held by many mourners, and the body, covered by a sheer shroud - white, embroidered with gold along the edges telling stories in languages none of the mourners could read - was dressed in a beautiful violet gown, her golden hair done up in lovely braids.
People surrounded the grave, dressed colorfully with sashes and scarves in colors and with embroidered pictures that they believed to represent the dead before them. They murmured and dabbed their eyes, none speaking too loudly as though afraid the dead would find their raised volumes offensive.
More weeks passed, and neither grave was visited. Saplings sprouted over each, life above death, and they grew. For weeks they grew, and no one came to see them.
Runi knew that she shouldn't be hovering around Lucifer's desk, but she couldn't help it - she was just really excited to be seeing Megara again. It had taken a little bit of thought and a few weeks before Runi came up with her plan. Once she had figured out who to go to, it hadn't taken long at all. Lucifer was just putting the finishing touches together.
He finally pushed his chair back.
"I'm done," he quietly said, giving her a small but worried smile.
An excited, triumphant cheer left Runi's lips. Megara, here I come! The spell was the easy part; Lucifer had just been making her a little kit in case things got difficult.
He handed her a little bag filled with everything.
"It has a transporting charm, potions and a cellphone you can text me with," he softly explained. His expression faltered even more. "You have to be careful if you use the potions. You can't do it in the room with anyone else, and you have to imagine exactly what you look like."
"I know, I know," Runi reassured him with a dismissive wave of her hand as she looked down at the bag. She paused, then turned back to him. "I'll be fine! Your spell will bring me right to Megara, and she'll take care of the rest."
Lucifer didn't look convinced.
"...Just be careful," he whispered. "When I ended up in another reality..."
He trailed off.
He didn't need to say anymore. She already knew what happened; she was there during it. But this wasn't the same thing as that time, and she was sure nothing could go wrong. Why would it?
"I'll be careful," she promised. "Thank you so, so much."
She gave him a tight hug.
He hesitated before returning it.
And then, minutes later, she was gone for another reality - Lucifer anxiously glancing at his phone.
xXx
This was weird.
Runi was in a graveyard. She didn't know why she was in a graveyard. Last time she checked, Megara was an assassin. Death was her thing, but not this part of it. She tried coming up with a good reason for why she'd be in this place instead of wherever Megara normally was. Then again, she had just seen an episode of Criminal Minds that talked about feeling guilty after killing people. Maybe Megara was like that?
...But then where was she?
There was another person in the graveyard. But the build was all wrong. They had to be a guy from how tall and seemingly muscular they were. Runi wasn't small herself, but the guy had to be at least six feet tall. And he definitely was looking a little suspicious with his hood up as he stared down at a grave.
...Runi got a sinking feeling in her gut, but she didn't know why.
She silently approached him and the grave from behind, taking a leaf out of the guy's book and flipping up her own hood.
He didn't notice her approaching. He was still too busy staring at the grave. It was funny; he didn't have any flowers, or decorations, or anything else she'd expect near a grave like that. He was just standing there, staring at the letters carved into the stone-
She stopped right behind him.
There were words below the name, but Runi tuned them all out. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the name on the grave. How could this be possible? Megara had been...had been...
She was too shocked to sob when she read the name underneath her breath.
"Megara Ringley," she softly said.
The guy standing in front of the grave finally noticed her. He spun around, hands going for guns strapped to his side that she hadn't even noticed were there. She couldn't make out his face, but she could see the green eyes glowing in the shadows of his hood.
Megara was an assassin.
Had been an assassin.
She would have had enemies, and this guy had done exactly what that episode said.
"Who are you?" he said, his voice deep, angry and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on as he raised his gun's barrels at her.
"Who are you?" she replied. She had the phone in her bag and the potions, too, but none of those would help her. She just had one thing she could rely on. Holding her hands out in front of her, she thought. The air grew hot and heavy with magic as flames sprung to life in the palm of her hand.
"I asked first," he said. His voice was a growl.
"I asked second," Runi replied. Her voice was on the verge of breaking, but she hoped he couldn't tell that.
Or maybe he should have known who he was dealing with - should have known that she wasn't just some random girl standing by Megara's grave. She was an angry lover; a lover who had never gotten a chance to call her a girlfriend or a fiance or a wife. And yes, Runi had thought about all of that, because Megara loved her back, and that was more than Nissam had ever loved her.
"Tell me who you..." The bravado and tough guy act faded; the guy's voice broke as he spoke. Runi stood, frozen, right up until she heard him sniffle and go to wipe his face with his sleeve.
Her hands fell to her side.
"You're not the one who did that to her," she softly said, her own voice breaking as tears finally spilled over. "Are you?"
"Megara was my friend," the man - no, boy - said, with a tone she recognized all too well. It was the tone that someone who never really had friends used when talking about that one person who had finally treated them differently.
"Oh," Runi whispered. "She was my...She was something more than a friend..."
The boy put his guns away and held out a shaking, wet hand.
"I'm Jason," he said.
Runi took his hand, the flames finally disappearing. "I'm Runi. Sorry...Sorry for attacking you."
"It's okay," Jason said. "I...I threatened you first."
They fell into silence. Their gazes both traveled back to the grave. Runi wished she had something she could give Megara; she had been debating bringing a gift, but she had forgotten before coming here. If only she had something to put on her grave...
"...Do you know what happened to her?" Jason asked.
Runi shook her head. "Do you?"
"No," Jason said. "I'm not from around here..."
Runi glanced over at her, wiping away a fresh batch of tears as she studied the details of his appearance. She didn't know a lot about Megara's world, but Megara had mentioned ending up in other worlds before. Maybe she had ended up in his once? "I'm not, either," she softly reassured him. "I'm from another reality."
Jason immediately straightened. "I-I am, too."
"I had a guess," Runi admitted.
Their gazes returned to the grave.
"She wouldn't have just died," Runi said. "Would she? She wasn't sick when I saw her, and I don't think someone her age is supposed to die from any other natural causes."
"She killed people," Jason said. Runi was glad that she didn't have to bring that one up; it seemed like they were both on the same page with what Megara did in her life. "What if someone wanted revenge?"
Runi's hands clenched into fists.
"...Then someone needs to get revenge for her," she said - though it was more of a confirmation of her own conviction than an answer.
She turned back to Jason, already trying to figure out what to do. Maybe she could call up Lucifer and ask for help? He wasn't one for mysteries, but they knew people who were good at solving them. God, even God could be helpful here.
Jason gave her a tiny smile from underneath his hood.
"I...I used to work with the world's greatest detective," he offered. "We could figure out what happened to her."
He glanced around the graveyard - even before Runi nodded, it seemed like he expected her answer. "We need to go her hideout. There might be clues there."
"Do you know the way?" Runi asked.
Jason nodded. "I've been there before."
And, with that, the two disappeared into the night.
Deep in the woods there rises a mountain. Trees line the sides, thinning out as they neared the snow-capped peaks and standing like sentries atop the many cliffs. Eyes seem like they peer out from the woods all around, pinned on every traveler who dares walk through them. These eyes only ever seem to be in the corner of the eyes of the travelers, never to be seen straight on.
One of the mountain's cliffs, blanketed in moss and twisting vines like ropes to keep some long-slumbering beast contained. If one were to look too closely at this cliff, they may see familiar shapes in under the moss. The broken remains of slit-like windows and once-grand molding.
A hooded figure slips out from what appears to be solid stone, but upon further inspection is really a hidden slit in the stone. The figure vanishes into the trees, leaving the cliff behind.
Through the place from which the figure emerged, a once-grand hallway can be discovered. Objects line the walls, some in crates, others on full display. Statues with cloaks and pieces of mismatched clothing tossed over them haphazardly. Weapons are scattered about, along with toys and baskets of food. Everything, though strewn about without much visible rhyme or reason, is clean and cared for.
xXx
Les was in a hurry. He dashed about his room, a crappy, small space he'd rented out for far more than it was worth for the next few nights. Any smart traveler would have waited until after the carnival season was over to visit the city, especially if they weren't avid worshipers of the gods being honored.
But Les had a reason for coming at such a busy time of year. Carnival season was when everyone who knew everyone would be out and in the streets, ready to help anyone who needed finding. Carnival season was the time of reuniting, after all. If there was any time to ask where he could find Megara, now was it.
She probably goes by Meg, thought Lesley as he fastened the buttons of his festival robes, Or maybe she has one of those street-kid nicknames like 'Cupcake' or 'Blade' or something. He hoped she didn't, not because he thought they were dumb or anything - they were, but that wasn't why he disliked the idea. It would be a lot harder to find her if she was going by a different name.
He finished getting dressed and slung his satchel over his shoulder. He would find her.
They took the long way to the hideout. Jason didn't know the way there as well as he wanted to, but he also knew they had to be thorough. The hideout would give them something to work on - he was sure of it.
Runi and him walked through the woods in silence. He wondered when Megara and her had met; Megara had never mentioned her. But Megara had also never mentioned having her life seriously in danger, so Jason was starting to realize he hadn't known her as well as he had wanted to.
"Jason?" Runi said, her tone hesitant as she spoke from behind him. He turned back to see her pointing at something in front of them. "There's a grave."
He looked at where she was pointing.
Even before he looked to see what the grave said, he got a knot in his stomach. He ran over to it, desperately hoping he was wrong. Megara had always been careful, but if something happened to-
It was Eddie's grave.
Jason bit back another sob.
"...Who's Eddie?" Runi asked. She paused, gave a worried look in Jason's direction, and hurriedly added, "I'm sorry."
Jason managed a shaky breath. "Megara was taking care of him. He...He wasn't that old..."
Runi stared at the grave, eyes wide with shock and horror. A second later, he felt her wrapping her arms around him in a tight, comforting hug.
Jason didn't fight it.
xXx
They entered the hideout. Runi thought it was neat; she just wished she had visited it when Megara was still there. Right now it was just cold and empty, and it felt like Jason and her could never fill the silence.
They wandered around for a bit. Jason warned her that it was probably dangerous, but part of Runi didn't care if she got hurt. Megara was supposed to be different - she was supposed to have stayed.
Their searching eventually led them to a hastily scribbled note. They could both barely read her handwriting, but the festival was the first clue they had. Runi was ready to go running out the door, but Jason grabbed onto her wrist before she could.
"We can't go out like this," he said. Runi just stared. "I...I met her dad and her sister before. They might recognize me, and we both stand out right now. I need something to hide my appearance, and we both need new clothes-"
Runi gave a small smile. "I have a solution," she said, patting her bag. "The friend who got me here wanted me to be prepared. I have a couple of appearance-altering options. Just imagine what you want to look like, and your appearance is changed. We'd have to use it in different rooms, and we can't think about anything other than what we want to look like. We'd also need to get back to my friend, but we can worry about that after we find out what happened to Megara."
Jason nodded.
"It's the best plan we have," he agreed, giving her a little smile of his own.
xXx
Jason stared at the potion. He was nervous about anything related to magic from a lack of experience, but Runi had some of the potion, too. She had to trust the person who made it.
He knew he was thinking like Ben right now. Ben was paranoid and wary out of necessity. Jason had never really been - he was just good at acting like it. He hoped he could solve this mystery as well as Ben would be able to.
Lifting the potion up, he imagined what he wanted to look like - light brown, slightly longer and messier hair, blue eyes and a body free of scars. He'd make himself a little smaller, too. Not too much, but enough to be noticeably different.
But then his mind shifted back to Ben as he downed the potion.
His body shifted. He could feel a strange, intrusive warmth as his body became taller, stronger and older. His eyes no longer glowed green, and the little white streak in his hair was replaced by black. His outfit became a simple but stylish suit. Jason went stumbling for the door, new eyes trying to adjust to the site of the hideout.
There was a startled yelp, a crash and then silence from across the hallway. Jason, who had realised exactly who he looked like now, finally got the hang of Ben's extra inches and went running across the hallway to Runi's room.
And found a man even taller than him standing there, his outfit far more extravagant than the one he had imagined Ben wearing.
"...Runi?" he uncertainly asked.
The man nodded.
"I thought of my best friend," Runi hopelessly said, hanging her head down.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought of my dad," he admitted.
They looked at each other and then both sighed - the sigh quickly turning to a little giggle both of them desperately needed.
"At least we have disguises!" Runi said, trying - and failing to stop her laughter. "And look how tall I am! I don't even know if I can walk through doorways without ducking or hitting my head."
"I sound so old-" Jason's eyes widened, his laughter ceasing as he thought of the one thing he absolutely had to do. He cleared his throat, imagined exactly how Ben would do it, and said in a deep, raspy voice, "I'm Batman."
Runi stared for a second before doubling over in laughter. "That sounds like it should be in a movie!" she managed to get out. "It sounds just like I would imagine Batman sounding-"
She paused. The look on her face immediately made Jason regret making the noise. "...Why did you say that?" She looked him over. "Better yet, who's your dad-"
She paused, then gasped.
"You're Jason Todd," she whispered.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Not exactly. It's a long story..."
Runi gave him a long, hard look, but eventually settled for grabbing onto his wrist instead. "You can tell me on the way to the festival, then!"
Les quickly rearranged his mop of wild blonde curls before he stepped outside. Mama was always going on about how he had to look presentable when he attended events like this.
He stepped outside to be immediately swept up into the ever-moving tide of the crowd, pushed forward by the mass of revelers dressed in white, all chatting and cheering and singing far too loudly for Les to have a hope of getting a word in.
Finally, he fought his way off to the side of the river of people and caught his breath. He found one other-such separated person and approached them, "Hello, I'm sorry to bother you but I'm looking for a girl. My sister, Megara, might go by Meg?"
The person shook their head, "Never heard the name. Sorry." Then they vanished into the crowd.
Les's face fell. He steeled his nerves and kept going. Someone had to know her.
It wasn't hard to find where the festival was. They just followed the sound of people. When they walked for long enough, they were able to find a bustling crowd - all notably dressed in white.
So Runi and Jason improvised. They found some discarded pieces of clothing and a few bits of money, cobbled together some outfits that thankfully fit both of their now taller bodies, and joined the crowd. Neither one of them wanted to leave the other's side. Part of it was because Megara apparently had a murderous family, but Runi knew it was because neither one of them wanted to be alone with their grief.
Their original plan was to lurk and eavesdrop, but no one was talking. They'd have to do something differently. Sure, it'd be dangerous, but Jason was Jason Todd and Runi was, well, herself. She could definitely handle the possibility of a fight.
And then she saw him.
"...Jason," Runi whispered, "does Megara have a brother?"
Jason stiffened. "Why are you asking?"
"Because there's a boy that looks just like her," she whispered back.
Jason turned his attention to the boy in question. Like everyone else, he was dressed in white. But Runi wasn't really focusing on that; she was focusing on the familiar blond curls, familiar face, and familiar everything. If they weren't related, she was going to have some serious questions.
"She has a sister," he said. "...Had a sister. And there was Eddie, but Eddie wasn't related to her by blood."
They looked over at each other.
Then they weaved through the crowd until they reached his side, narrowly avoiding some especially enthusiastic party-goers. Runi was the one who made the first move, tapping him on the shoulder instead of just awkwardly lurking behind him.
"Hi," she said. "I'm Dar-"
She froze mid-sentence. Realization dawned on her the moment she heard her voice; she couldn't say her actual name looking like this. But she had already started speaking, so what could she say?
"Darian," she finished, giving a strained smile. "My name is Darian...Darian Blackthorne! And this is..."
She shot Jason a panicked look, but only got a panicked one in return.
"Ben," Jason finally offered. "Ben...Ben Wayne."
"He's Ben," Runi confirmed, the strained smile returning.
Les jumped and whirled to listen to their introductions.
"Sorry, I'm, uh, looking for someone," he said distractedly, looking around in the vain hope that he might actually recognize Megara is he saw her, "A girl, my, uh, sister." He wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, just looking around.
Suddenly, a realization dawned on him and he turned back to the men, "Sorry, uh, I'm Les. I'm looking for my sister - well, not my sister exactly, well, she is my sister, but I haven't exactly, well, met her - anyway, her name is Megara, have you seen her?"
Feeling a pit forming in her stomach, Runi softly replied, "You could say that."
Jason glanced over at her again, his expression unreadable before he turned back to face Les. Jason said she didn't have a brother, but Les said that they were related. And they did look related, so he couldn't be lying, right?
Les slumped in relief, then perked back up, "She was adopted out before I was born, I've been looking for her so, you know, we can meet..." he shook his head, "I know, it's kinda stupid, and even my parents won't tell me who adopted her, but..." he shrugged.
He straightened his robes, "So, do you know where she is? Or where I can find her?"
She didn't say anything in the minute that followed his question. Jason didn't, either. Both were still grappling with the grief that followed their discovery that Megara was dead. Even if Les had never met her, she could guess that the news that his sister was dead would be heartbreaking.
"We...We do..." Runi finally said. She glanced hopelessly over at Jason again. She knew she just had to say the truth - no way of wording it would ever make the news easier to deal with.
"...The Ringleys adopted her," Jason said. His gaze dropped down to the ground. "Her...Her name was Megara Ringley."
Runi's voice was quiet when she spoke again.
"She's gone, Les," she whispered. "We-We don't know how. J-Ben and I were both her...her friends, but we're not from around her. We found her grave in the cemetery when we came to town..."
Les blinked, his smile fading slowly. He shook his head, "No...no, you must be mistaken...The Ringly's...they're a wealthy family, what would they want with...no, no, she can't be dead. I...she's only nineteen, and I only just found out about her. She can't be...." he shook his head again. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't.
"I..." he shook his head, "No, I'm alright. I didn't...I never even met her. It's just a shock, is all. I guess I should...I should go...now." He didn't really want to go home. He wanted to ask them a million questions. What was she like? What was her job? What were her parents like? Did she like them? What did she like? What didn't she like? Who was she?
He didn't ask, though. These people were grieving. It wasn't right to pester them.
"We're trying to find out what happened to her," Jason said, taking a step forward so he was beside Runi. "We're not...We're not sure she died from something natural. Do you want to help us find out what happened?"
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