Chapter Text
It was uncharacteristic of him really, to run like that. Janus was usually not the type of person who simply ran. Janus was clever. People rarely said so, but he knew. He was clever in a special sort of way, because he had to be. He was good when it came to letting lies slip out, to create a safe path for him. To avoid potential dangers. Janus was clever when it came to words, but not particularly fast, he’d gathered. Yet as he was running right there, it was blindingly clear to him that speed and muscle hardly mattered, when it came to fleeing from something you despised so much. Something you wanted to, needed to get away from. In a sense, Janus was fighting for his life.
He was huffing loudly, as he dashed out of the town. He had tears in his eyes, though it was because of the wind blowing towards his face. Janus didn’t cry. He wasn’t meant to. Everything was disappearing behind him, though he didn’t allow himself to be relieved just yet. He had to make it. To where, he barely knew. There were very few options for him. Right across from his town there was a forest. A dangerous one. It was old and overgrown, and as far as he knew, infested with dangerous magical creatures that everyone in the village preferred to avoid as much as they possibly could. Janus knew that. He had experienced that in a sense. Though if he was lucky… No, skilled, that would be a thing of the past.
On the other side of the forest there was a different town. A bigger town called Psychshire. And Janus had fantasized about making it there before. Perhaps he could hide. Keep his hood over his head to safely hide his face, and somehow live there peacefully, without worrying about his old village. Perhaps he could make it even further. To a place where no one would ever find him.
As Janus was just about to turn a corner, in order to dash around the forest between the two towns he heard voices. Voices mentioning a figure running in the dark, and Janus’ started breathing faster in panic. He couldn’t go back there. No one really knew who he was of course, but he could hear steps behind him. He was being followed.
He clenched his fist and started breathing faster. He was right by the forest now. It was grand and intimidating to look at. The trees were huge up close, making Janus feel incredibly small.
“Who’s there?” he heard someone yell from behind him. Janus stiffened, jumping forward and hiding behind the tree right by the forest, not quite entering it. He hoped it would make his apparent presence seem like a trick of the lighting, or the shadow of the branches of the trees swaying in the wind. What was someone doing outside at night anyway? He wanted to feel frustrated, but every emotion in his body was overshadowed by a lingering dread and adrenaline that he’d never experienced before. At least not with hope so close to his grasp. He placed a hand in front of his mouth to hide the sound of his hurried breathing and shut his eyes tightly for a moment. He couldn’t lose his chance. Not now. He thought about leaving for the other town once again, covering his face with his hood. He doubted he would last long there. He heard more steps approaching, and as his heart beat faster, he glanced at the forest right next to him. He started wondering.
Because the truth was, that if those stinging words he’d been told had been true, this was probably the safest road he could take. Hearing them so many times was hard not to take to heart, even if he didn’t really believe them. He liked to think he didn’t believe them. Something was wrong with him, sure, but he would know if it was what he’d been told. He would know if he really was sent by the fae. Otherwise, that would’ve been a really bad strategy to sabotage the town. His parents’ supposed knowledge of this had almost prevented him from doing anything at all anyhow.
He isn’t even human .
The voices were close now. Frighteningly close, and Janus’ heart seemed to jump all the way up to his throat. Janus took a deep breath and started running into the forest. That had been his plan anyway. He couldn’t make it around it fast enough, and people would be able to track him.
He almost regretted it the second the trees were all around him, and when the path narrowed and made him feel contained and trapped. This was probably a bad idea, though most ideas were bad at this point. He was too far out to have any good ones. There seemed to be even less air for his already strained breathing as he stood between the trees, though he knew the air was still there. He was outside after all. Outside in the dark, where no one would dare to follow him. He’d stopped, leaning against a tree to catch his breath. As he looked around him at the narrow path, the dark green leaves on the ground, and the incredible silence, that wasn’t silent in the way he was used to, he realized this properly. No one was following him because no one would dare to set foot inside the forest. Janus was alone, and as he realized this, he let himself smile for a brief moment. That was of course until he realized that there was a reason no one dared to set foot inside this forest.
He hadn’t been attacked yet of course. For some reason, he was quite surprised at that. The stories he’d heard of this place, made it seem as if you were doomed and mauled, the second you stuck as much as a hand between the trees. But Janus was standing there in the dark and nothing harmful had as much as touched him yet. He looked around suspiciously and wondered what his next move was going to be. He could always go outside of the forest again, though he was unsure if that would be a good idea. He’d gotten away! Why would he go back there? This felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity, and if his parents saw him again…
Well, Janus didn’t want to think about what would happen if his parents saw him again.
Perhaps Janus could make it through the forest. Go out on another side of it, so that no one would know where he went, assuming he’d been taken by a dangerous creature, or the fae, which were of course, rather synonymous. Janus would be able to make it on his own. He was nineteen, after all, Patton had only been sixteen when he got his own house.
Just as the thought of Patton struck Janus and filled him with a strange melancholic and lonely sensation, he felt something behind him. It was as if a branch was sliding up his back, perhaps moved by the wind or an animal.
Janus froze. No. Not a branch. He slowly moved his back from the trunk of the tree and stepped forward with caution. He turned around, and saw the entire trunk rising from the ground.
Well that usually didn’t happen, did it?
Janus watched as the tree seemed larger and larger with every millisecond that passed. The roots came up from the ground (rather inefficient method of transpiration, Janus thought dryly to himself before the terror set in once more), and somehow the tree managed to stand on them, as they hung like what could only really be described as incredibly durable toenails barely stuck to the ground. The branches that stuck out from the side of the trunk appeared large, and the bark almost looked like veins in the dark, and considering the circumstances, Janus wouldn’t say that was entirely unrealistic.
“Ah, apologies.” Janus whispered, though he didn’t exactly intend for the tree to hear. Even thinking of such a sentence made him feel rather strange. If anything, it was more so to bring a sense of hilarity into the rather intense and unbelievable situation. To be fair, Janus should’ve expected this. He started walking backwards even further, realizing that the tree somehow followed on its roots.
And so, having caught his breath and being under the impression that dangers would follow this strange encounter, Janus started running once more.
He managed to do so undisturbed for half a minute or so before the tree’s branches started swinging at him, and Janus noticed that some of the naturally occurring flowers on the forest floor weren't exactly flowers. One of them started crawling across the ground, like a larva of sorts. Janus was once again starting to wonder whether entering the forest in the first place had perhaps been a bad idea, as his heart was beating as his life in fact most likely depended on it. Though he ran further in nonetheless, counting on finding another way out. Anything was safer than the same way out really.
Janus made it further in, reaching the edge of what would likely have been a glade if it wasn’t the middle of the night. He heard a roar of something he couldn’t quite describe, as plants shot up from the ground encapsulating his feet until he stumbled on them. He fell, hitting yet another tree, and as he turned around he leaned against it. Just as he feared this tree would rise too, he felt more plants, holding him against the trunk tightly. He was breathing quickly and closed his eyes, as he awaited a branch or God knows what, slitting his throat.
“What brings you here, human?” a voice in the dark said. The voice was booming everywhere around Janus. He couldn’t tell where it came from. Was it speaking to him?
“Me?” Janus whispered.
The voice laughed, and there was something strangely carefree about the laugh compared to the dark surroundings. “Yes. You. What brings you here?”
Janus could feel the plants around his arms loosening, and he took the chance to free them. He still couldn’t walk away. “Well, most certainly the warm welcome,” Janus said, smirking slightly. He wasn’t sure why he was smirking. It probably wasn’t a very smirk-worthy situation, which was definitely an existing adjective. He looked around, and he swore he saw too many eyes hiding in the dark, though he wasn’t sure why they all seemed so bright.
“Answer the question honestly. And you might get to leave the way you came in. Lie, and you’ll be stuck here for as long as the forest desires.”
Janus chuckled, though it turned into a cough midway through. “That frankly sounds like a terrible deal.”
“You’re rather cocky for someone in a life-threatening situation. I have the upper hand.”
He huffed. “Ah yes, there is nothing that proves you have the upper hand more than tying the one you’re trying to strike a deal with to a tree, using plants of all things.” he squinted as he looked at the eyes in the dark. “What are those? Lights? Little lamps? Who are you supposed to be, the master of the forest?”
There was another laugh, followed by what Janus could’ve sworn was a quick whisper of the word “ Kinky .” Then the voice proceeded loudly, “Do you consider yourself brave, little human?”
Janus huffed, and he felt a small tear creeping into his eye for a moment, from the fatigue and the rather insane situation. “If you truly intend to strike a deal with me, why don’t you show yourself? It’ll give you a better range to kill me if you intend to do so.” He tutted, “Though I do appreciate a flair for the dramatic.”
There was silence everywhere around Janus. The eyes disappeared, and it was as if the forest looked completely dead and quiet for a moment.
Then, Janus saw the shadows behind the trees taking shape, rapidly. In an instant the head of a giant fish rapidly approaching him became visible, and Janus tried to protect himself instinctually with his arms. He didn’t make a sound at all, barely an audible gasp, as he awaited the impact that seemed inevitable to him in that moment.
It didn’t come, and as Janus came to his senses once more, he realized why. He looked up again, seeing no shadow approaching him. The forest appeared more… Normal, than before. There weren’t any visible dangers in sight, and though the darkness still ruled, it was as if the image of everything was clearer. Perhaps Janus’ eyes had simply grown accustomed to the sight.
“Really? Not even a scream?” the voice asked. It wasn’t quite as loud now, even though Janus still couldn’t tell where it was coming from. The tone was somewhere between disheartened and mildly annoyed. There was a hint of confusion in there as well.
Janus took a deep breath, looking around him, as if he could somehow meet the eyes of the voice’s owner that way. He was quiet for a few moments, wondering what to say. The situation was still rather strange. Here Janus was, standing in the middle of a supposedly dangerous forest, having been attacked by strange creatures, and talking to the voice of someone potentially deadly.
Yet Janus had very little to lose, didn’t he? He laughed dryly, standing up straight and proud as he’d taught himself to do. He smiled knowingly. “That danger was barely realistic. The reaction you’ll get out of that isn’t anything but an instinctual response.”
No one said anything for a few moments. “Realistic is boooring.” The voice said soon after with a sing-song voice, that seemed uncharacteristic coming from something presumably evil and powerful. Janus was frankly quite confused that the conversation was still going, and that Janus wasn’t dead yet.
“You don’t need to go for realistic per say, but fish certainly aren’t native to a forest unless you’re near water somehow. You could’ve chosen anything forest-y really. A stag would’ve been more believable in a place such as this.”
There was silence, until the voice came back hesitantly. “A stag with a growing mouth, consuming its entire body as it swallows you whole?”
Janus laughed before he could stop himself, finding the imagery at least a little amusingly disturbing. “Yes, something along those lines! People expect strange, but the strangeness has to come from a regular-looking source. The trees and the flowers for instance were quite frightening.” As Janus talked about the flowers, he looked down at the forest floor, only to see that the flowers were in fact not flowers. A larva or two were still crawling around, though for some reason they looked significantly less scary now.
The voice tutted. “Not bad, human.”
Janus hummed. “Now, do you mind showing yourself, or do you intend to keep me waiting still?” he made sure to keep his back straight, and his breathing as controlled as he could after running into and through the forest for quite a while.
There was a giggle from the forest, and while Janus still couldn’t tell where it was coming from, which to be frank was an unpleasant feeling, there was something less booming about it. As if the voice came from several people, rather than a powerful and dangerous force. Janus stood against the tree, waiting in the eerie silence.
He didn’t know what his plan was anymore. He wasn’t sure if he had a plan in the first place. It was unlike him, not to have a plan, or at the very least having the ability to improvise one. Right now, all he could really think of doing was getting the upper hand. It was one thing Janus always liked having the ability to do. He liked having control over something at the very least.
The darkness started to take shape, as a face appeared. It was more human than anything else Janus had seen in the forest. Someone was emerging and approaching him. A man, perhaps a little taller than Janus, though it was difficult to tell at a distance. There was a certain dark air that seemed to follow the figure, who smiled widely, in a way that was almost foreboding. “Hello human.” The figure said, and Janus recognized the voice as the one he’d heard before. “I’m usually not the type who shows up invited,” he said, as Janus finally got a good look at him.
The person, if that was what he was, stood tall with dark brown hair, and even darker eyes, that seemed to glow in a way Janus hadn’t seen anyone’s eyes glowing before. His hair seemed particularly messy, and Janus could’ve sworn he saw a branch sticking out of it in the back. The clothes almost looked like a tunic, that was thin and looked as if it was sown from various leaves from all kinds of trees, either withered or surprisingly fresh. He wore boots that had clearly visible mud on them. On the back, two large but almost transparent dark green wings emerged threateningly, their edges sharp. The appearance was in a way unkempt, in many senses of the word, though Janus couldn’t truly bring himself to describe it that way. There was a strange wholeness to it all, that made it appear perfect and beautiful, and Janus felt like such a realization wouldn’t have occurred to him naturally.
If there was one thing Janus knew about dangerous magical creatures found in dark and magical forests, it was that beauty and perfection was often a trick to hide something sinister and harmful. And while this creature perhaps didn’t appear to hide dangers as much as he encouraged them, there was still a certain edge to it all, that made Janus doubt any and all intentions.
The figure almost seemed to slide closer, bending over and inspecting Janus with a grin. “I must admit you’re quite a fun one. Now, let me ask again. What brings you h-“ he cut himself off, as he’d put his hand forward to touch Janus, only to tighten the muscles in the hand, and taking a step back. Then he started giggling. “Oh, clever human.”
Janus was a little confused at first, though after glancing down at his chest, where his iron necklace was hidden behind the cloak, he put two and two together. There was a reason he’d put that on, after all. He’d read about fae in all the books he’d been able to get. It had been one of the things he’d been fascinated by since he was little. It was only natural, really. It wasn’t as if he heard about much else.
From context, Janus gathered that he was in fact standing in front of a faerie. It wasn’t that he hadn’t suspected it before. This was merely confirmation, and he could pretend he’d known since the beginning if he really wanted to.
The faerie giggled and ended it with a hum, tilting his head to the side, bending the muscles just slightly further than Janus had initially thought possible. “What are you here for? Hunting? Getting yourself a nice little trophy back home?”
Janus narrowed his eyes, looking at the faerie, who seemed rather amused. Then, Janus shook his head. “While you’ve given me no reason not to, I’m not here with the intention to bring you harm, unless you have other plans.” It was truthful. At least Janus thought it was sort of truthful at that moment. Sometimes Janus wasn’t entirely sure what he meant from one moment to the next. Though that didn’t matter too much. He could pretend. He was good at pretending.
“Ah, so there is nothing appealing at all about the notion? About staking my head to a tree and bringing home my freshly ripped out heart, to show everyone?” he asked, letting his head rest on his own hand, the smile not fading the slightest bit.
Janus thought about the idea for a brief moment. He imagined coming home with a bleeding heart and realized that most people in his village would likely be quite terrified, all things considered. As if they didn’t have enough reasons to dislike him regardless. “No. That’s not what I desire.”
The faerie moved a strand of hair behind his ear, in a motion that kept Janus on his toes somehow. “What do you desire then, little human?” he sighed, ”I must admit, it has been a while since I’ve had visitors. Even longer since I had visitors who didn’t run back out at the first chance they got.” he smiled, “Although that seems almost too late for you now.”
Janus froze. “What do you mean?”
The faerie giggled and started walking around in front of Janus, inspecting him with sideways glances from time to time. He looked thoughtful, in a way only someone who’d already made up his mind could. The fae scratched his chin and smiled widely. “Well, little human. Did you truly think you could bring that, ” he glanced down at the place where the hidden necklace was, “Into my forest, without suffering any consequences?”
You can’t do anything , Janus wanted to say. Because how would the fae truly harm Janus without the ability to get close or use magic on him directly. Though Janus had studied fae well enough to know, that there were often ways around that. “And what might those consequences be?” Janus asked quietly.
The figure continued to giggle, in an unnerving way. “Just as I said before of course. You will stay here for as long as the forest desires. Whoever walks in here, is not allowed to leave before the forest allows it.” He laughed, “And it just so happens, that the forest and I are on decent terms in that regard.”
Janus breathed deeply, feeling his heart beating faster once more. Stuck. Locked away. Hidden. He didn’t say anything at first, simply looking around him to take in his surroundings. “You intend to keep me here?” he asked, finally looking up at the faerie once more. He smirked, “And what could you possibly get out of that?”
The faerie looked at Janus, and Janus felt he recognized a hint of something vulnerable in the deep brown eyes for a mere second, before the other turned his head away once more. “Most humans have something to offer over time,” he said.
“That’s a vague reason to trap someone,” Janus replied.
“Bringing iron into anywhere the fae resides is a dangerous offense little human.” The faerie said, “Your punishment could easily have been much more permanent. And not in the fun way either.”
Janus breathed deeply. “So, it isn’t permanent?”
The faerie giggled. “Depends.”
“Depends, how, exactly?” Janus pushed.
The faerie giggled. “We’ll see if you live to find out.”
Janus blinked as he comprehended what was being said to him. “So, you have the intention to kill me?”
He really should’ve expected this. He was never going to survive for long out here. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” the faerie said, “You’re stuck for now, we’ll figure out the rest.”
Janus inhaled through his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them again, and spoke softly, “You’re a faerie, so how about we make a deal?” Janus asked calmly.
The faerie turned his head and grinned. He stepped closer, slowly, “Intriguing.”
“…And of course, it is imperative that we gather enough samples to reconstruct any parts we might have an interest in.” Logan heard Dr. Elderberry finish. Logan was sorting some tools and papers in desks and drawers, staying as close to the door as possible. He wanted to listen at least a little, as long as it overlapped with his duties.
“Do you think they’ll agree to it?” another scientist inquired.
“Well, it’s not as if the forest is used for anything. As far as we can tell from our observations, there is barely any natural wildlife there.”
“What about the fae?” another asked.
Elderberry was silent for a moment, before she continued. “The fae might be in there, which only really solidifies it as a dangerous place, doesn’t it?” she paused, “Perhaps we should consider that we’d be better off without it, even if our research does bring harm to it. As long as we gather the necessary samples, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The magic is what makes it fascinating after all.”
Logan raised an eyebrow, as he put an old blueprint into the right folder. He thought of the forest, by their town, Psychshire. He’d always been fascinated by it, taking walks nearby and looking at the leaves and plants that were accessible to him right outside. He couldn’t wander into it of course. It was a rather terrible idea. As far as he could tell from the bits and pieces, he picked up from the more important scientists than him, however, he had gathered that they’d somehow found a way to enter it safely. It was fascinating really, and Logan was frustrated that they wouldn’t tell him anything about it. Logan had spent years researching the magical creatures that could potentially be present there, on his own time. He always wanted to work with magic. Working to understand it, and use it to make life better. When he received his position as a scientist in training in Psychshire he’d hoped to be a little bit more involved in the actual research they did.
It wasn’t all bad of course. There were other pros to working there. For instance, it meant that he could prolong his possible departure from his best friend Virgil, who he’d known since he was a child. Both of them had grown considerably since then. Virgil had gained a position at the local library, where the two of them had met, and rented a temporary room with Logan to stay in. Virgil had wanted to get out of his previous home, and Logan couldn’t blame him, all the stories heard about that through the years considered. Neither Logan nor Virgil earned much money these days, though it was rather pleasant to be in Virgil’s presence frequently.
The door to the meeting room opened, and Dr. Elderberry, a woman with grey curly hair and a shirt with a blue vest, walked out. She glanced at Logan with a rather performative smile. “How is the work going?” she asked. Logan tried to smile back but couldn’t quite muster it. He was tired at this point. At least of this repetitive task he took little interest in.
“It’s going well, thank you,” he said, feeling small all of a sudden. It was clear to him that he was much younger and in a sense inexperienced, than anyone else in the building. “And the meeting?”
“Good.” She said, smiling, “You can go home now. You can continue tomorrow.”
Logan nodded and bit his lip, though just before Elderberry could turn around, he spoke. “What were you discussing?”
Dr. Elderberry looked a little bewildered at the question. Then she shook her head. “Nothing of consequence really.”
“The forest?” Logan inquired, though he almost regretted it the moment he did.
Dr. Elderberry squinted her eyes and seemed to see Logan a little clearer all of a sudden. She sighed. “Just a hypothetical. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Logan felt a little frustrated at the phrasing of that. “Can I help?” he asked, politely.
Dr. Elderberry shook her head. “Not as of now.” She smiled and continued walking out the door. Logan watched as a couple of other researchers and scientists followed, drumming his fingers on the table.
Well, this was an amusing change of events.
It had been a while since humans had dared to enter the forest. Perhaps not too long. Granted, Remus hadn’t been there for long in the first place. Though, even the humans who had come by during his time there had escaped the moment Remus had given them a little scare. It had been boring, really. Funny to hear the screams, but boring that the time he heard them screaming was limited.
There was something different about this one. Not too out of the ordinary of course, but something more on guard. Something clever. Remus wondered why the human hadn’t fled in fear, but it was an opportunity he didn’t wanna pass on now that it was there. The human was aesthetically pleasing as well, of course. Remus was particularly fond of the little scales on one half of the human’s face. Not many humans had that, Remus knew. At least he didn’t think they did. Maybe they’d evolved since the last time Remus heard of them. Who knew?
Eh, his brother probably did. What a nerd.
Remus looked at the human, staring into one of the pupils. It was shaped differently from the other one, and perhaps the color was slightly off as well. Remus liked that one too. “So, a deal...” Remus said with a smile. “What do you desire?”
The human swallowed. There was something controlled about the human’s posture, that Remus was strangely intrigued by. Remus could barely sense the fear, he knew lingered in the air. The human was good at hiding it. Not good enough for a faerie of course, but good enough for another human perhaps. The human looked serious for a moment. “A less interesting question, than what it is you desire, little faerie .” The human said, daring to mock Remus’ voice towards the end.
Remus laughed gleefully, “That’s not how the fae usually do deals. You’re supposed to tell me what I must offer, and then I tell you the price.”
“I know.” The human said, smirking, “But I do not care much for that. You must want something out of me, and if you intend to keep me here, I highly doubt a deal is going to get me out.” He paused and added, “Even though that is what I want of course, but I know that isn’t wise.”
Remus giggled at the human’s bargaining techniques. “Clever,” he said with a smile, and then he started to think. He tried to imagine what he could get the human to do. A million funny ideas entered his mind, though none of them were particularly professional. Not that he cared, but the fae queen probably would’ve.
Not that she was there, but Remus always felt as if she was watching.
Perhaps he could get the human to do a little dance, while making a creature swallow parts of the human. Maybe the human had some funny secrets Remus could hold over his head, or that he could use visions to terrify him with.
Though really, Remus doubted that scaring the human would be useful. At least, making the human fear Remus too much as of now, only seemed to make the level of enjoyment he could potentially get out of this one smaller. Remus liked the potential of more interactions, even though it was different from what he had initially expected.
So, Remus licked his lips thoughtfully and eventually said, “How about we start with that pesky necklace of yours?”.
The human froze, and Remus’ instincts told him that he’d said the right thing. Then the human smiled. “Clever faerie,” the human said.
Remus laughed suddenly, because he didn’t quite expect the human to say that, and the unexpected was always hilarious. “Take the necklace off. It won’t get you out of here, but it might make your punishment a little more… Pleasant,” Remus said with a wink.
The human scoffed, though he smiled ever so slightly, and for some reason that made Remus feel good. “Oh, I’m dying to figure out what you mean by that,” the human said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
“Is that a yes?” Remus asked, wanting to reach his hand forward, to gain a sense of mysterious control, but couldn’t quite reach far enough. Iron burned. Iron made Remus feel stuck and trapped, much like the essence of the forest itself.
“What do I get in return?” the human asked with a raised eyebrow.
“What do you want?”
The human looked at a tree behind Remus in what seemed to be deep thought. Then he looked at Remus again, inspecting him up and down, as if he was trying to read Remus’ mind. “Promise you won’t harm me.” he said, “Truth is important to the fae, is it not?”
Remus grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
The human bit his lip. “It is. So, I want you to promise me that you won’t hurt me, and in return I will take off the necklace so that it won’t harm you. Is that a deal?”
“Okay!” Remus said, twisting his head a little to the side, “Take off the necklace then.”
The human shook his head. “You go first. Your part of the deal consists of words, and you are not confined in the way I am, so it is the most just course of action.”
Remus almost burst out laughing, but he resisted. Not because he wanted to, but because a part of him felt the need to withhold it, to prevent the human from getting suspicious. From knowing too much. “You really have every intention to control this deal, huh?”
The human smirked. “Perhaps I do.”
“Very well then.” Remus said, “I promise I won’t intentionally harm you.”
“Intentionally?” the human said, squinting his eyes.
“Well, how can I possibly promise anything else? I can only promise to control my own actions, not to control unpredictable side effects of them!”
The human scoffed. “Oh, forgive me for being a little suspicious at the way a faerie decides to use words during a deal.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d almost say you didn’t trust me,” Remus said, placing his hand on his chest in mock offense.
The human hummed. “If there is anything, I’ve learned about the fae, it’s certainly how trustworthy they are,” he said, though he didn’t look too amused anymore.
“Alright, little human.” Remus said, rolling his eyes, “I promise I won’t harm you or whatever!”
The human squinted. “What was that?”
“I promise I won’t harm you, or whatever!” Remus repeated louder, “Take off the necklace already.”
“Say it one more time.” The human said, “Without the ‘or whatever’ at the end, please.”
Cute, was all Remus thought. “I promise I won’t harm you,” he said one more time, trying to keep is tone calm.
The human looked Remus up and down and sighed. Then he reached down by his chest under his cloak, slowly grasping the cord, and taking off the necklace. He looked Remus in the eyes, as he reached out his arm just a little too close to Remus for Remus’ liking, and dropped the necklace on the ground. Remus jumped backwards. The human looked a little surprised, as Remus stayed in the air for a second too long than what the human was probably used to seeing. Then, Remus smiled, and snapped his fingers, the necklace seemingly burning up instantly.
The human turned pale. “Did you just burn it?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He stepped closer to the human, grabbing his chin. The human didn’t pull away. “Now, let us introduce ourselves to each other. What is your name?”
“I wasn’t born yesterday, faerie.” The human said with a smirk, “But you may call me… Deceit. And yours?”
Remus giggled. What a pretentious one. This would be fun. “Well, Deceit, ” Remus said with a wink, tutting gently. “Then you may call me, the Duke.”