#idiot rambles

            Scott laughs and ignores Jimmy’s sputter complaints behind him. “No, no we’re doing fine. We have a guest who isn’t ready to meet anyone yet.”   

         “Are they staying here for a while?" 

          Scott pauses for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell Lizzie. “I think so. They don’t really have another place to go.”

            “I think we all know what that’s like.” Lizzie says. “What’s the real problem?”

            “What?”

            “Problem? There’s no problem, they’re just shy!” Jimmy says.

            Lizzie narrows her eyes. “Mmmm, no, there’s more to it than that. If they were simply shy, you’d have led with that, and warned the whole server ‘Don’t swing by our empires for a bit, there’s a new person who’s a bit shy and acclimatizing.’ You aren’t being blackmailed, are you?”

            There are times Lizzie’s paranoia is extremely useful. This is not one of those times. “No one is being blackmailed here, Lizzie.” Scott soothes.

            “What is blackmail?” Shubble asks.

            Jimmy imitates the fish he is so fond of. Scott buries his face in his hands and so misses any looks which might pass over Lizzie’s face.

            “You let an angel on the server?” The Queen in Exile exclaims, icy fury in her tone.

            “Say it a bit louder, I don’t think Sausage heard you.” Scott snaps.

            “Not just any angel, either. You let Dubbiel on our server?” The Queen lowers her volume slightly.

            “I mean, at least it’s not Sarandiel,” says Jimmy.

            “I think she would find Sarandiel preferable.” Shubble says softly.

            The Queen throws her hands in the air. “Yes, I would find Sarandiel preferable. Because I could kill him without killing myself, probably. But you,” she narrows her eyes at Shubble, “are on thin ice. Speak fast.”

            Scott opens his mouth to say something, but Shubble shakes her head at him, and crosses her arms, facing The Queen. “My name is Shubble. I don’t know who I am yet, but I am not a Beacon. Command decided we Beacons were too dangerous, or something, I can’t begin to understand her thought process.” She pauses. “I’m not sure I want to.”

            “My husband?” The Queen says, her tone softening only a little.

            “The Gloamingking and the Lost Knight? I couldn’t tell you where they are, I don’t know. If it comforts you at all, Command doesn’t know either, and she’s been looking.”

            Scott watches The Queen relax, her cheerful masks reappearing. It’s Lizzie who smiles brightly at them now. “Well. Since Scott doesn’t want to admit he let an angel on the server, I suppose I ought to help you think up a backstory. Won’t balance our books, but it will help.”

~~~~

So, uh surprise! Lizzie has arrived! Scott as narrator was a surprise to me too, because he's holding some cards pretty close to his chest. But if you haven't guessed, everyone in that room has a secret or three.

As always, this is based off of @greenekangaroo's wonderful Cursed Beacon AU. If you haven't read that yet, why are you here? Many thanks to them for bearing with my rambling and lore questions every five minutes while writing this.