694 Restitution

"So, it is the fact that I did it that's the problem or just the number of people affected?"

She gives a choked hiccup at that, "O-one hundred million people isn't something small, Michael!" she exclaims and marches in front of him before pushing a finger into his chest, "Cendri was a mistake, I see that now... The people who killed me should have been the only victims, not the innocent families! But now look what happened, you use the Spell that I gave you to go around committing genocide in other worlds! That's me! I'm responsible for that!"

"That's bull shit."

"Is it!? If we'd just stayed in Halkeginia or Skyrim would you have killed all those people? If I'd never given you Dimension Gate, would it even be possible!?"

Michael scowls and shakes his head, "You're underestimating me if you think I wouldn't have found a way. There's other methods of world travel I know of, Dimension Gate is just the easiest." he states, thinking to Chaos Knight, the Multidimensional horseman that wouldn't be out of place next to Doomguy.

Tiffania lowers her head, "You've changed..."

"I haven't. If I was this strong when you first met me I'd have done the same things only sooner." Michael affirms.

"I-, I don't know if that's true." Tiffania mutter unsurely, "That your so certain of it is horrifying." she admits, scared that he might be telling the truth in that regard. After all, he'd be the one pushing for revenge against Cendri, he tortured the woman who ruled it in front of her, and anyone who slighted him, or he regards as amoral or evil was fair game...

Had she been blinded by her affection for him that she couldn't see it? Or had she been taken by his momentum and turned to his way of thinking herself? She'd only recently found some stability in her charity work...

She lets out a sad sigh, "I still love you, j-just... Give me some time alone. I-, just can't look at you right now..." she mutters as she turns and enters the orphanage.

Michael goes to follow but has a rock bounce off of the back of his head... Growling, he turns towards the three orphan boys who were readying more rocks...

"Hey, leave big sis alone, you creep!"

"Yeah! Saeko-sensei said to keep away from horny creeps! That means you stay away from big sis too!"

...

Michael palms his face, the tips of his fingers brushing against his horns, "Damn kids..."

He decides to allow Tiffania her alone time and leaves, heading back to the Spire with a slight slump in his step. His emotions might be dulled but he had to admit that this hurt, while his actions had been for everyone's benefit (Aside from Marley obviously), he hadn't thought that Tiff's reaction would be so bad. He thought she'd just send him a glare before shrugging it off as always.

"Uuugh... Gonna have to fix this somehow..." he mutters. Since Tiff was so focussed on the lives he took, he might as well 'give' some lives... That should even things out, right?

-------------------------

He arrives back in the living room and falls into the beans bags-

*Poof*

His weight causes one to burst, sending the tiny white balls everywhere...

"Could this day get any fucking worse?"

"Um..." Charlotte speaks up, separate from the group who were enthralled with the numerous explosions and giant robots playing on the T.V, "Miraak is dead, Surtr is lost, and Louise is here..."

"Louise, is here...?" he parrots with widening eyes and Charlotte just simply nods, no particular emotion on her face.

"... How did she look?" he can't help but ask, the Anime never showed her growing up, but from what he knew about her mother she'd been the same size as a teen too...

...?

"Taller than me...?"

Michael chuckles, "That doesn't really mean anything, if she were shorter though..."

He laughs again when Charlotte sends a glowering pout his way, "Almost as tall as you..."

"So like, seven-foot tall-Ouch!" he rubs his head after a the blunette hits him with a bullet of ice. "Alright, I get it..." he says, ceasing his attempts at humour, "What'd she do... Actually, why don't you just tell me what's been going on while I was away..."

-----------------------------

"Huh? So she can still fire a mean explosion then... Was there a reason she didn't just cast it on our ships?"

Charlotte shrugs, not knowing the reason herself.

"I can't imagine a reason she wouldn't, she seemed pretty merciless last time I saw her... Must be Miraak if he's really the one holding the reins, explains how the guy escaped Apocrypha too..."

-------------------

"Wait, wait, wait, wait... Surtr did what?" Michael cooly asks.

"Tried to brainwash us."

...

Michael clasps his chin with his hand and slowly nods to himself, "Huh, alright... So, why are you all Surtr's zombies right now?"

"Rubick."

"Figures... Does anyone know where Surtr flew off to?"

Charlotte shakes her head, "Not yet..."

"I'll have to look for him myself then... So Louise and that Joseph guy escaped through a Dimension Gate and Surtr ran on his dragon. Anything else?"

"Silencer and Emperor dead..."

"Silencer's dead?... Strange, I didn't feel-wait, the Emperor's dead!?" he exclaims as the information gets processed. "How?" he asks, thoughts immediately going to his last talk with Astrid... He hadn't thought she'd take him seriously if he was being honest...

"Dark Brotherhood... They want Surtr to replace him..."

"Did he plan this or something? The attack on Solstheim coinciding the death of the Emperor and his attempt to brainwash our navy... Does he have spies here or something? But that's impossible right? I checked the city for hideouts like twice a week, Umnii should've been vetting everyone that came in too."

Charlotte shrugs, "Coincidence?"

Michael shakes his head, "There's coincidences and then there's this... I doubt-"

*Click!*

An angry Eren pushes his way through the room in search of an exit, only to pause when he sees the current occupants.

. . .

"Come on, Decepticon punk!"

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

"Hell yeah! Awesome!" Megumin cheers, interrupting the awkward atmosphere.