Chapter Text
After school, Luz was talking with her friends by the grudgby field, telling them about what happened with the Golden Guard after he was taken back to the Owl House.
"He left? Just like that?" Amity asked.
Luz nodded. "I tried to-…" she started then paused. Was that-
"Hello" Someone said as everyone turned to see who it was.
"Hunter?" Edric said quietly as Hunter sat down near him in the circle.
He seemed off. He carried himself differently; more poised. Even his voice sounded almost regal; much different from the awkward fake confidence it usually held. But his eyes. They were an electric blue, rather than the tired magenta that Luz described.
Hunter held his hands together in his lap as he sat on his legs, looking towards Luz. "I wanted to apologize for not appreciating the kindness that you showed yesterday" he told her with a soft smile that started to become unsettling.
"Oh" Luz said as she gave a tense smile. "It's fine… I understand"
Edric looked Hunter over. He looked physically identical to the boy who got into the fight with Kikimora. But he wasn't that person. Like some creepy twin. Ever since he saw Hunter (or "William"), Edric felt his heart leap every time he looked into his eyes, a warmth in his chest whenever he laughed, or a giddy energy anytime he saw him. But not with whoever this was.
"Is something wrong?" Hunter asked, snapping Edric out of his thoughts.
He looked to the ground in front of him. "I… don't know"
Hunter eyed him for a second before turning to the group again, unconcerned. "Anyway, I was wondering if we could… 'hang out'?"
Amity glared at him before leaning over and whispering to Luz, the two of them glancing at him every so often. The human shrugged and said something back with a wave of her hand, seeming to not be bothered by whatever Amity was worried about.
"Yeah!" Luz told him then looked to everyone else. "Wanna go to the Owl House?"
"Sure!" Willow said and grabbed her bag. "I've been wanting see if Eda had a book on plant keeping in the savage ages."
The human stood up then started walking and the group followed. "Did you check the library?"
Willow nodded sadly. "Mhmm. I even asked a librarian and they said that kind of thing would be in the restricted section. I don't need it for my project, but it'd be helpful"
Hunter struggled to find his place. He looked ahead as if he wanted to be up front but felt trapped behind everyone. He didn't seem sad about it, though. Just irritated for some reason.
Edric noticed and slowed down to walk next to him. "You alright?" he asked, figuring he wouldn't get a real answer but wanting to show concern anyway.
"Of course" Hunter replied, keeping his gaze forward. His eyebrows were furrowed yet his voice was eerily calm.
Edric put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the dirt path below him as they entered to forest. He didn't even know why he cared. Hunter lied to him repeatedly, threatened him as the Golden Guard, and even tried to beat up his sister. Plus, he worked for a power-hungry dictator so shouldn't be trusted.
He wondered what it was about Hunter that made him want him to be okay, in spite of all the reasons to wish for the opposite. Was it the way he laughed? His occasional sassy remarks? The mystery surrounding him? How nervous he could get, despite his usual bravado? The fact that he's the emperor's right-hand but was really just a scared teenager?
Edric sighed. Whatever, he figured. That person seems gone now, anyway.