Chapter Text
When you get back to Mordred Manor, your first thought is that you need a vehicle of your own. Because there is NO way you're going to follow the Bad Kids around the country on public transit. Your second thought is that the police are parked in front of the house.
You see that the bad kids walk up to an elven woman and a goblin police officer, talking for a while before the intern you saw earlier appears, hands full of coffee.
They all talk, looking increasingly worried before heading off again, to who knows where this time, and you dutifully follow behind.
The group splits up and you follow Fabian and his bike to the mall. The place is covered with cops and detectives, and you watch as the elf woman and Fabian start to investigate a completely shattered jewelry store.
As you make your way through, trying to keep Fabian in your sights, you watch in absolute horror as he walks over to the crime scene, bends down for a moment, and bites down on a piece of shattered glass from one of the cases. He's promptly yelled by the elf woman after wailing very loudly, to go get himself a pretzel.
The absolute and complete idiot.
You quickly make your way to the pretzel store across the hallway, wondering just how hard it's going to be to keep this buffoon alive for more than a day. With a quick Disguise Self, you slip to the other side of the counter, taking on the form of a teen halfling in the uniform of the store. The store isn't busy so there's no one on the register as you walk in, making it easy to busy yourself at the counter and wait.
He runs up to the counter, wailing and crying, and asks for a pretzel, not specifying what kind as he slams a few gold pieces on the counter. You quickly hand him the closest one to you, and shove a goodberry into his hand along with it. He doesn't stay long enough for you to give him his change (a good amount as he didn't look at the menu) so you split it between yourself and the tip jar.
After he runs away, seemingly having not noticed you or the goodberry, an older dwarven woman walks up to the register with you, and you divert your attention from the sobbing Fabian on a bench to your (fake) coworker in an attempt to assure them you were just recently hired.
As your coworker gets called away, looking suspicious at your story, you see a buff half-orc in a letter owlbears jacket talking to Fabian (who is no longer crying) seeming concerned but mostly very aggressively positive (strange in this particular situation but okay) and the two walk over to the counter.
"Hi, how can I help you?" you ask, a little confused as to why Fabian's back.
"I- uh we'll have two cinnamon pretzels please." says Fabian, seeming to have regained his composure a small amount. The half-orc starts to pull out his money but Fabian stops him, putting his hand out.
"Oh no no no, I've got this Ragh."
Ragh turns to him surprised. "You sure? I can get mine, dude."
"Don't worry, I'll pay." he says, again bringing out more money than he needs to. You hand them their pretzels, sneaking another goodberry into Fabian's bag. This time you see Fabian look down and notice it, looking back up at you a little questionably, before giving a very small but appreciative nod and walking away.
You watch Ragh and Fabian hyping each other up, joking and laughing while they eat their pretzels, and after a while you see Gorgug, Adaine, a small halfling woman in a sweatsuit, Kristen and another girl walk in.
You exit the store quickly, seeing the dwarven women come out of the back room with three more people who all look pissed at you specifically. As you dodge through the mall hallways towards the exit you watch as Kristen gives her crystal to Gorgug, who starts talking to someone on the other line.
You glance to Fabian who is standing near the entrance with them and dash past, glad you kept the Disguise Self up and didn't drop it. You see him look up and recognize you, cringing as you rush by them, followed by security.
"Hey, that's the.." you hear him say to Ragh as you sprint by.
You make it out the door, into the parking lot and around a corner before quickly dropping the spell and pretending to go about your business. The security guards rush right past you without a second glance and you quickly begin walking in the other direction.
You walk through the parking lot, recognizing Fabian's bike. You walk over to it and cast invisibility, leaning on it slightly to wait.
"Who are you?! I will alert my master if you do not reveal yourself at once!"
You jump off the bike at quickly look around, seeing no one near you.
"Hello?"
"Reveal yourself now!"
You look down at the bike, realizing it's talking to you.
"Uh.. Please don't! I can't reveal myself but you can't tell Fabian I'm here. I can explain."
"Then do so." it says suspiciously.
"I was sent by Fabian's father to protect him when he goes on this quest thing," you say, sighing as you continue frustratedly
"I have to follow him around and help him."
"His father is dead! Show yourself you liar!"
"I know! I know!" you say, trying to quiet the bike down as it's yelling louder each time
"He's in hell and sent me under a warlock's oath! I have the coin right here and I can prove it!" you say, setting the coin on the bike's seat. You aren't afraid to lose it as you've tried a couple times to give it away or get rid of it, but it always appears back in your pocket or bag.
"Hmmmm.. And why then, don't you show yourself?"
"Because I can't under the oath I signed.. It's easier to protect him if he doesn't know he's being protected. Hopefully it means he'll try to only take on things he thinks he can handle without any help."
"I sense the power from this coin. I shall believe you now, but if you dare to harm my master.. I shall rip you to shreds."
"oh thank god.." You mutter under your breath.
"I won't hurt him, you have my word."
You wait a little bit longer before you see your group exit the mall as a squad car with the goblin woman pulls up. You watch then talk for a while, showing a picture to everyone and looking confused.
You realize you can't follow the group on foot or public transit, and definitely can't inconspicuously catch a ride, so when everyone gets ready to go, you follow the bigger group to a van that you might be able to sneak onto.
As people are saying their goodbyes you quickly open the door on the other side and clamber into the trunk, which is already half filled with the luggage of the group. Making yourself as comfortable as you can get, you take a deep breath and listen to everyone getting in the car with you as you all pull away.