Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

When you'd first joined the Emperor's Coven, you were dying for the day to finally do something worthwhile; after weeks of guard duty, you longed for something more. Something to prove yourself. 

When the day finally arrived, you were practically vibrating with anticipation. You'd been invited to tag along on a mission of all things! A mission- one where you'd find a wild witch deep in the wilderness, contorting and deforming the land to their very whim, and do your duty as an Emperor's scout and capture them and send them off to the Conformitorium. From there, the wild ones would learn to not use their magic so carelssly and be sent back to society! 

...Maybe.

Probably.

You weren't exactly sure what missions were, or what happened on them- but it was likely something along those lines. So, really, you were bascially ready to expect just about anything in your quest to be an offical scout. 

The only thing you didn't expect: walking. 

Lots and lots of walking. 

At least the weather was nice. The sun wasn't too bright and the clouds rolling in certainly helped with the constant heat. There was a bit of humidity in the air, but nothing too bad.

The forest wasn't so bad either; the breeze was cool but not cold. The ground was warm but not boiling, which told you it had just rained recently. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any muddy ground anywhere, meaning less chances of stepping into a boiling puddle of hot acid. Which was always a plus.

The wind blew past the patches of fluttering leaves and waving ferns. Animals howled and tweeted in the distance. The crunch, crunch, crunch of boots on random pebbles and brittle rocks was in-tempo with the murmured conversations of the other scouts. 

Still, as nice as today was right now, you could feel the sweat beaded on your forehead and the heat boiling your face underneath your mask. Ugh, walking.

"Excuse me, sir," You tried not to pant as you looked over your shoulder at your superior. You didn't want to give him any reason to doubt bringing you along on this mission, not after you'd just gottten the chance to. "How much further?"

 
“Hm?” Finn hummed absentmindedly, currently in a conversation with that one bulky scout from before. You couldn't see his eyes with the mask on, but you saw his head tilt your way. “We'll get there when we get there."

That... didn't answer anything. "Oh. Um, how will we know? And, uh, what then? " Did you... go off into the wilderness and hope you're lucky enough to stumble upon a wild one? Or were you supposed to look for anything weird- like black dresses, or black cats, or open fields? Gah! You really should have asked Finn about this earlier...

"You'll know when we've arrived when we've stopped."

"... And then?"

"Uh, you watch? You know, take a look at the area, look for anything weird, do our Emperor proud, etcetera, etcetera. It's a piece of cake.”

You couldn't help but deflate at that. Oh. That sounded... easy. Too easy. And boring. Ugh! You really hoped you weren't trading one boring job for another. So much for proving yourself today... 

You heard Finn snort. "Wow." He said, breaking off his conversation with his buddy. "Try not to look too excited over there, newbie."

"That your rookie? Lucky you," Finn's buddy piped up from beside him, turning his head to look down at you. His bulky form towered over you, his horns blocking off the sun shining in your eyes. "It must be nice to have someone to pick up your slack- I mean, teach to! Impressionable minds and all that!"

"Hey!" You shouted, ears now burning because that's not true. You're just being a good trainee, is all. So what if you go to the night market for apple's blood every now and then? That just following orders. And taking over Finn's guard duties? Well, he lied to you about that one- but still!

You heard chuckling from behind before a hand roughly landed on the crown of your head. You jerked away, but it was too late; Finn ruffled your head, tousling both your hood and your hair. "No need to be so upset. Damon here's just teasing." You scowled underneath your mask.

Oh great. Finn teasing you was one thing, but for your other superiors to do the same? That was even worse!

After all, you weren't a kid.

"Hey rookie," Finn's buddy- Damon, was it?- asked, his bulky body coming to walk next to you. You glanced at him, dread already pooling in the pit of your gut. What now?

"What kind of spells you got? Know anything good? Fire spells? Ice? Got a griffin or two back home? I tamed one myself before I tried out for the Emperor's Coven." Damon sighed, clearly reminiscing. "That rascal and I demolished the whole competition... Then I learned lightning spells and I became a beast on the training ground." He cackled at that, his laughter booming and boisterous. "You should join us one day, let us show you the ropes. We'll teach you what us scouts can do. Certainly much better than those other coven pansies."

Finn cackled. "Yeah, right. All you are on the training grounds is a big oaf. And last I checked, that Illusionist witch beat you fair and square in that witchs' duel."

"That's not true! I was just... suprised, ya know? I mean, conjuring up those Fire Bees? Pathetic. No one uses illusions in a real fight. It was just a cheap trick, is all."

"And one you absolutely fell for."

"Did not-"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

"Anyways, to answer your earlier question," Finn continued nonchalantly, all but ignoring both the way you were trying to discreetly nudge his hand off your head and Damon's sputtering replies of denial. You, of course, were not having any luck.  "Sadly, newbie here doesn't have much firepower under their belt. They got- get this- musical talent. "

Damon cackled again. It blared a sharp and mocking shrill in your ears and you slouched, already feeling your face prickle with red. "Ha! That artsy magic? What's a violin going to do against a monster? Serenade it to sleep? Ha ha!"

The heat had officially traveled up to your ears, the tips burning. "Um..." You began. "That's not how it works-"

"Says the guy who lost against an illusion."

"I told you! That whole duel was unfair-"

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that. As for the rookie here," Finn's arm leaned against your head. His elbow had officially pushed down your mask, leaving it a crooked mess of your burning face. "Not to worry. By the time I'm done training them, they'll be able to beat even you, Damon. Who knows, maybe they'll learn the greatest form of magic from yours truly." He promised before all but shoved his hand in your face. 

You jerked back, your nose crinkling underneath your crooked mask. The stench that greeted your nose was horrid; it was a mixture between sweaty, old socks and rotten garbage that had long passed its expiration date, leaving it nothing but a stinky sludge on the side of the road. 

Ugh. What was that? You opened your mouth, mostly to ask what the hell that smell was- when the answer quite literally smacked you in the face. 

You couldn't see much due to the limited visibility of your mask- thanks Finn- but you could still make out the purple sludge caking the outside of your mask- oh. 

"Abomination magic?" You couldn't keep the incredibility out of your voice. Abomination magic was no joke. You'd tried out the track during the beginning of your semester at Glandus and, well, you found out real quick that the only thing you could make was a glob of goo. It was nothing at all like the animated, little slimeball currently crawling inside your mask and- wait!

Finn's cackled laughter grated on your ears as you all but smacked the small sludge-ball off and away from your face. You hastily wiped at your mask, hoping you were just in time at ridding yourself of that horrid smell. Sadly, all you did was smear the goo all over your mask. And now it was on your gloves. Great.

You sighed. Bested by a tiny, little abomination? How embarrassing.

So much for proving yourself. 

Finn was still laughing when you turned to glare at him and by then, Damon had joined in too. 

You turned around, the burning red coming back with a vengeance; your face bubbling underneath your mask and your ears burned hot. And if that wasn't already miserable to begin with, you felt even more sweat flowing down your face.

"Aw, lighten up," You heard Finn say but the laughter was still bubbling in his voice. You tried not to grumble as he all put patted your head again. "You're too easy to tease." 

You ignored him- and his obnoxious hand. Your eyes were glued to the ground, the stray pebbles and rocks passing you by with each stomping step you took. You could hear the other scouts chattering away and the sound was just as welcoming as the snickering Finn and company behind you.  

You sucked in a long, deep breath. A concoction of smells assaulted your nose: the acid tange of humidity in the air, the horrid stench of Finn's abomination, and the stuble coolness from the breeze brushing past your face.

You blew out an exhale.

You found your shame much more a struggle to manage than you'd thought. Finn thought it cute, apparently, because he ruffled your head again. 

That's it. You're biting his hand next time. 

You were even thinking of doing it when the scout walking in front of you stopped. 

'Finally,' You thought as you stilled your tender, aching feet. You could already feel the blisters covering your heels. Your legs wobbled underneath you, sore after who knows how many hours it took to get here. What you wouldn't give to sit down for a moment...

“About time,” Finn muttered behind you. “We’ve been walked through these woods for ages.”

He was right. You had been walking for a while, but the place you stopped at didn't look familair. In fact, it looked like sheer wilderness. Rocks, jagged stones and towering pillars, stretched across the humid land for as far as your eyes could see. The roar of a river echoed through the lonely terrian and yet, you ddn't spy any sort of plants anywhere. Well, save for the dead ones at your feet. For as long as you'd lived in the Boiling Isles, you'd never seen a place without flowers and trees. Except for now, that is.

And this was where your mission was at? In this hot humidity? Ugh. This really wasn't what you expected today...

The casual conversations drifting through the scouts hushed. The crunch of pebbles and rocks came to a halt at stilled boots. It was quiet. Stifled. Odd. 

You subtly glanced around. Everyone around you was still, positioned poise and proper, staring straight ahead at something you couldn't see. You wanted to lean around the scout in front of you, curiosity nipping at your heels as you wondered:'Now what?'

Were you done walking? Were you-

Crunch. Crunch. 

Your ears perked up as you strained to find the culprit.  If only you could just see. Grr! Curse your short stature and your too-stiff posture! Why did you have to stand all proper like this anyways?

Crunch!

A dying fern was stepped on somewhere beside you; the brittle, dead plant echoing its' dying song in the tranquility of the rocky terrian. The urge to turn your head was strong, impatience eating away at you and you wondered how much longer you were going to stand like this- when you saw her.

It was a glimpse. A flash of red and blue against the green of the forest. Still, you saw her and she was... a lot smaller than you thought she was going to be. Her voice, however, was anything but.

“Listen up, scouts.” Kikimora shouted, loud and abrasive, and so much so that you couldn't help but shrink in on yourself. Finn was right, she was scary. 

“Our sources have heard a little raven going around town. Apparently, a wild witch lives near this area, though we’re undetermined yet as to their exact location. However, I think you fine lot will uncover them in no time- and quickly now. Our Emperor is very much looking forward to seeing what you all find."

A hushed murmur cascaded through the troops and you shuddered in agreement. If Kikimora was like this? You could only imagine how the Emperor would look in person.

“Now” Kikimora continued. "Before you're dismissed, there are a few things I would like to go over-"

"Actually," A voice interjected suddenly. "I'll take it from here if you don't mind."

Now, that didn't sound like Kikimora. 

Then you heard it. 

The  clink-clink of armor on metal. The crunching of dead plants. The soft fluttering of fabric. You glanced around. You couldn't make out which direction the sound was coming from or what was going on, but whatever the news was, it spread through the ranks like wildfire.

“That's the Golden Guard?”

 
“He doesn't look like much.”

“He's a lot shorter than I thought. And scrawnier.”

'Who is?' Your curiosity screeched at you as you leaned on your tip toes. 'And where?' You desperately tried your best not to break formation and look around but the suspence was killing you. What was everyone talking about? Who was this Golden Guard? Where was this Golden Guard, and can this person in front of you please move so you could see what everyone was looking at- a flash of color catches your eye.

Gold gleamed in the sunlight, bright against the dull sea of white and grays around you; eye-catching as it drew your gaze, the color contrasting with the beige and brown of the rocks around you. It was like a lighthouse in the way it drew your eyes, hypnotic as you couldn't look away. You squinted in a vain attempt at distinguishing what exactly it was when- oh.  It's a mask.

No, that's not it.

It's a golden helmet.

“Gold...” You mutter to yourself. What did they call them? The Golden Guard? Who was he? 

You try leaning up on your toes again to get a better look but it was as successful as the first attempt. You huffed. Maybe if you could just lean a little to the right- 

You spot the golden helmet again, a flash of white, and then you see him. The Golden Guard.

Your first thought? He's young. 

Your second thought? He's a lot.. shorter than you thought.

Third? He was.. not at all what you pictured.

His cloak was pristine and white, yet it sagged against the forest floor, dragging along pebbles and dead leaves. His hood was pulled over his head, his helmet bright in the sun as it quietly clanged against the pauldrons hidden underneath the cloaks' clasp. His eyes were obscured, unreadable behind the veil of gold he wore. His expression was the same: shadowed, mysterious, and ambiguous. The whispers of the other scouts grew, but if he was bothered by it, no one could see it; his stride never faltered and his head remained high.

The very air seemed frozen as all eyes followed the Golden Guard, as if the atmosphere itself was holding its' breath. You were no exception, your own curiosity halting the oxygen in your lungs. The whole forest was seemingly eclectic with one feeling: anticipation. 

“Ah,” You heard Kikimora say, her voice booming in the sudden silence. “The Golden Guard. Of course. How nice it is to see you with us today- but, as you can see, I have this all under control."

“Oh, I'm sure you do." You tilted your head. Huh. You hadn't noticed it the first time but his voice...

It was a lot more... boyish than you expected from, well, such a mysterious-looking person. Boyish, expressive, and there was a bit of a voice crack, and… it sounded a lot like the kids at Glandus. It wasn't that noticeable but you did go to a school full of teenagers and.... wait-

"There's really no need. I am, after all, more experienced out of the two of us. Perhaps you can stand by and watch today, hm? Just so you can get an idea for how things work around here." 

"I really insist," The Golden Guard implored. "You have so much on your plate already, with planning itineraries and hosting little field trips and all that. Emperor Belos appreciates your assistance- but he gave this task to me."

"I-I... You-" Kikimora sputtered, fumbling with her words as she stared wide-eyed at the Golden Guard and, well, you kind of were too. After all, no one talked to Kikimora like that. Not even Finn, who was the most nonchalant scout you'd met.

"Great, now that we understand each other..." The Golden Guard turned to face you- the whole squadron- and you heard the mutters quickly die down because, wait a minute, was this your new coven leader-

"Listen up, scouts. Our sources say there's a wild witch in the area and looking at our maps, the best places to look would be near the town closest to us, just beyond the nearby river, and the general area around us. We've got a lot of ground to cover. This plateau is big, and with the streams and mountains in the area, it'll take a while for us to scour every nook and cranny. You've got until sundown- but try not to dally. There's supposed to be a storm coming up and, well, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't want to be caught in that, would we?" He tilted his head and you heard the soft exclaims of shock spreading through the other scouts, yourself included.

Staying in the acid rain? Crap, didn't Finn say it was supposed to be, you don't know, a piece of cake? That's the last time you listen to him...

"You have your orders. Dismissed." 

And with that, the Golden Guard's cloak flared out as he turned his back to you all. 

Slowly but surely, everyone began moving and relief flooded through your veins as you finally moved too. You stretched your legs and sighed as the tensions eased from your sore muscles. That took a lot longer than you thought, but it wasn't that bad. Kikimora's reaction was certainly... something; she was pretty indimidating at first. And the Golden Guard...

Well, guess it's safe to say you'd met your new coven leader and, wow, you never thought someone could make Kikimora of all people speechless...

“Geez,” An arm plopped itself onto your head in lue of a greeting, their elbow leaning against your mask. "Get a load of that guy- or should I say kid."

You shrugged- or tried to. Finn's arm was oddly heavy and incredibly hard to get off your head. Still, you valiantly tried to nudge it away. It didn't work, of course. "I mean, he seems alright..." He seemed cool... but you weren't going to say that. After all, Lilith was cool too and, well, look what happened to her. Besides, it sounded a bit childish.

FInn let out a grunt. "Meh. I don't know about him..."

"Seems kinda young, if you ask me." Damon piped up from beside you two. He barked out a laugh, boisterous and booming yet... it sounded different than last time. “I mean, I could practically hear the crack in his voice!"

You heard Finn snicker, his shoulder shaking with his laughter, and you felt a frown tug at your lips. 

"Ha! Not to mention short stacks' height. I'm pretty sure his cloak was halfway on the ground."

"Sir- or, um, sirs..." You couldn't help but bite your lip, nervously shufflng in place. You didn't like where this was going- this discussion. No, that wasn't the right word. It was gossip. They were gossiping.

Gossip was nothing new to you. You'd heard it back at Glandus all the time. Still, you didn't like it then and you didn't like it now. Already, you could feel the confusion, the sheer bafflement, eating away at you because...

"You... liked Lilith though, right?" You spoke up, cutting Finn and Damon off. You remembered the way your superior had pushed you down into a bow; the shakiness of his hand on your head. The words 'Bow idiot' hissing in your ear. "What's so different about him?"

Finn crossed his arms. "Because that was Lilith and this new guy's a kid. Annoying voice and all."

You tilted your head. "But he doesn't seem much older than me."

"And your point being?"

You sputtered because, hey, what was he trying to say- 

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Finn said nonchalantly, waving his hand around flippantly. "We're just talking here. That's not wrong, is it? Besides, it's not like the kid will even hear us."

You opened your mouth to speak- brain wracking for something to say- when you heard the sound of a pebble bouncing off the rocky ground. The sound of something being dragged against the rocky ground. The clank of metal on metal-

“Interesting you'd say that.” You heard from behind you. “But you know what I think is more interesting? Why you're still here, gossiping like kids?"

You sucked in a breath and the murky, humid air burned a hole into your lungs. Your back burned at the obvious sensation of eyes on you, sweat beaded across your forehead. Mortification bloomed across your face in a prickle of heat and you were both grateful for the mask hiding your face and, well, mortification.

'Well, Dad,' You thought mournfully, one last prayer before the inevitable crash. 'Guess I won't be making you proud after all.'

It was almost funny how fast the chatter stopped- almost being the keyword. Finn and Damon froze and you would have laughed if you weren't suffocating from the immediate tension stifling the very air.

You heard Finn swallow, and it rang in your ears in the sudden silence.

"Well?" You heard the Golden Guard say- demand. "What are you waiting for? Emperor Belos expects results today and I expect to find them. Unless, you'd rather explain to him why you were all standing around gossiping then, by all means, be my guess."

All at once, movement came to life. Finn and Damon whirled around and threw up a hasty salute, and you followed their example. It was all you could do, to be honest; your brain was practically melting from sheer embaressment.

“Of... of course. Sir.” Finn blundered out “We’re on it.” 

Damon grumbled out … something similar. 

You, though, stayed silent. You felt frozen in place, eyes trained on the ground at your feet and hand stuck in a permanent salute because- crap- was this humiliating. You could already feel your face burning....

Finn's sudden grip on your shoulder startled you back to attention as he all but pulled you away.

"Come on, newbie. Lot's to do so let's hurry along towards the, uh.... river. The river." He stressed out, "far way from here" unspoken but heard all the same. You stumbled in an effort to match his pace. Sadly though, it seems Finn really dug himself a grave this time- yours included.

“Actually," The Golden Guard piped up, causing Finn to freeze mid-step. You tripped over your own feet in an attempt to not crash into him. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's likely our witch is in that area, what with the small town just across the river. I hope that won't be a problem?“ He said so brightly that you could almost forget the tension in the air. Almost being the key word.

Finn's hand twitched and your shoulder strap dug into your skin. "Not a problem at all. Sir."

You heard the shuffle of fabric, the scrap of dirt and leaves. "What about you?" The Golden Guard asked and Damon's feet fidgeted in the corner of your eye.

"I- um...I.. should head back to my squad." He all but stammered out before his feet disappeared. You could hear him make a hasty retreat and a part of you wished he'd dragged you along.

The Golden Guard hummed absentmindedly. Well," He said, voice stuffed with buoyancy. "Guess that's settled then. Let's get going."

The walk towards the river was, in short, excruciating. The tension wasn’t quite as bad as it was before, but it was definitely there. The earlier mortification still hadn’t faded and you were sure the sediment was shared, if Finn's stiff shoulders were any indication. It was worse by the presence of that moritifcation leading in front of you. 

Thankfully for you and Finn, it didn't take long to reach the river.

It was a lot.. wider than you expected.

"I've never seen a river this big before." You mumbled to yourself. Then again, you'd never walked this much in your life either. 

The rocky ground dipped slightly into the river, which roared and raged in a fast pace. White froth splattered about on the river's furious turmoil and even if you squinted, you still weren't able to spy an end to the river's rage. You couldn't even see the other side. 

'And we have to search this whole area,' You internally bemoaned. 

Finn huffed at your side. "Well, what'd you expect? Tiny streams and paved sidewalks?  Get used to it. You're gonna need to walk through a whole terrain to become an official scout."

You slumped. Ugh, really? Your feet still hurt from walking this far.

Well, at least it was better than guard duty. You could only spend so many hours in a day having a staring contest with the wall...

"Hm. This area is bigger than I thought..." The Golden Guard muttered, staring at the river. "Alright." He began, turning towards the two of you. "Let's take a look up the river. There's no reason the wild witch wouldn't have passed by here so searching along the river bed is our best bet."

"Yes sir." Finn grunts out as he raises a quick salute. You raise up your own, but it feels as unsure as you feel at the moment. After all, you don't really know what you're supposed to be looking for, much less what to do. What was it Finn had said before? Something like, search at the area, look for anything weird, and... cake?

Um, you're not sure about the cake, but finding something weird had to be easy. Besides, how hard can finding a wild witch be... Right?

Harder than you thought, you realize as you follow Finn up the river bank. It's not long before the bumpy, pebbly ground turns into rocks and slopes. How a river came to be in the middle of a mountain was beyond you. The wild ones had something to do with it for all you know. Either way, it's tiring. 

So tiring, in fact, that you can't help but glare at your very first obstacle.

Rocks. Right smack dab in the middle of your way.

Finn hums at your side. "Hmm. Well, this sucks."

"So... what do we do now?" Turning around sounds like a good idea to you- a great idea even- one you really wouldn't mind doing, and definitely better than climbing over it.

"Find a way around, of course." The Golden Guard steps up beside you to stare at the rocks. "We need to go forward, so going back isn't an option. Look around and see if you can find away around."

Um..

You look to the left. Rocks.

You look to the right. 

...More rocks. Oh, and the huge, frothy river.

In front of you... rocks.

You're... not sure there's anything else but rocks around here- not counting the river, of course.

A hand claps your shoulder and you jump to see Finn standing beside you. 

"Alright," He mutters. "He wants us to find a way around, I'll fnd us a way around. Watch and learn, newbie."

And with that, Finn walks over to the edge of the river and bends down. You see a flash of light flashes in front of him and then-

Plants rushed out of the ground, vines and roots overlapping and entertaining as they shot high into the air. Your mouth hung open as they grew and grew and grew- then slammed across the river with a thud.

"Woah.." It.. it was a bridge. Made out of plants. You'd seen kids in the plant track at Glandus, but you'd never seen them do anything like this.

Finn dusted his hands, his head held high. "Yeah, yeah. I know I'm amazing. You know, back when Lilith was first in charge, I was one of her generals."

You stared at him in wonder. "You mentioned that earlier. Were you really?"

"Well, duh? I'm an esteemed scout, if I do say so myself. Now," He gestured his head to the side, towards his plant-bridge. "Let's get moving."

Immediately, your awe died. You glanced at the homemade bridge. It was laying across the river, the roots on both ends digging into the rough dirt. Water from the river lapped at the vines as they rushed past.

"Um..." You nervously shuffled over to the side of the river, your palms clammy with sweat. It was wide with wild currents, white froth bubbling on the surface of the raging river.  You were sure one step and you’d be lost. 

"Ha. Scared of a little river, newbie? Well, don't be. It's just water."

You hesitated. Sure, your superior- the person who'd been scouting way longer than you had- said it was fine...

You stood at the edges of the roots and vines. You glanced back at Finn. 

"Well? Go on."

You sucked in a sharp, cool breath, tasting the grit of coarse dirt on your tongue. You exhaled and lifted a foot. The vines were a lot... firmer than they looked. They seemed to hold fine under your weight. You readied to raise your other foot-

A splash of water crashed against the side of the bridge, drenching both your boots and the vines.

It burned.

You yelped and promptly fall back. You waved your arms around in a half-assed attempt at balance, but you can feel the way your body leans backward. You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for the impending pain- but it ever comes. 

You wait one second.

Two seconds.

You blink your eyes open. 

You're looking up at the vast, blue sky, the sun shining down on you and gray clouds scattered about the sky. You can hear the raging river below you roaring in your ears. There's a lingering sensation of heat enveloping you, electric in its' intensity and vibrant in its' warmth, different from the angry sizzles you can feel pit-pit-pattering on your mask. Your boots, once touching wet vines, were met with nothing but air. You feel weightless.

You whirl around, head whipping this way and that because, wait, you are weightless; your feet- your whole body- hovers above the river and you blink at the red glow encompassing you.

Huh?

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A familiar voice calls out. "The river's acidic."

Your head snaps to the side. The Golden Guard is standing near the edge of the river, the staff in his hands glowing a pulsing red.

"But sir," You heard Finn sputter. "The river's fine. It's just water-"

"This river diverges from the boiling sea, meaning it has a high acidity level. And even if you hadn't known that, you wouldn't have to look hard to see the plants corroding." He continues as the red stone in his staff flashes vibrant. Instantly, you feel your body shift in place and slowly sink lower and lower until you feel the ground beneath your feet.  The red glow of his staff dies and the odd heat that had surrounded you dissipates. You look down at your boots and, sure enough, the water splashing your boots lands with a faint hiss. 

Your shoulder tense up as pink softly spreads across your face. How stupid of you? Crossing an acidic river? You can't help but feel mortified- for the second time today.

"But-"

"It doesn't matter. If you want to go cross acidic rivers? Fine. be my guest. But... I don't think it's a smart idea to waste the Emperor's time." He says, tilting his head towards Finn, who stiffens. "So- let's continue the mission, shall we? We've wanted enough time as it is."

Then he turns towards the rock-like mountain, slams his white staff on the ground, and you can only watch as the very ground shift, lifts, and dumps the gigantic pile of tocks right into the river. They sizzle on impact.

You blink. Woah... that was pretty cool. So cool that you almost forget your earlier embarrassing scenario. Well, almost. 

You can't bear to lift your gaze, pink still adorning your face and your head still lowered. Pebbles shift beside you and boots scramble on coarse dirt. "Let's go, newbie," Finn grumbles in your ear as he passes you and you turn to follow, but....

You hesitate. Your foot hovers uncertainly in the air. 

You feel words on the tip of your tongue and the urge to speak, to say something, is strong. They taste of shame and embarrassment; of burning boots and plants, of the crisp, humid air hovering above the river, and of a vibrant light of warmth.

You feel like… you should say something. A "Thank you" perhaps. After all, the Golden Guard had saved you from falling into an acidic river. Leaving without saying something doesn't feel right. So... you should. Like right now. And not stand there like an idiot.

But you did. 

You stood there, feet unmoving, your chest tight with indecision. Your stomach was in knots and your tongue, once impatient with words felt heavy in your mouth. Um, okay, this was a lot harder than you thought it'd be. Saying 'Thank you' should be easy, right? Then why did it feel like a hundred fire bees were swarming up your skin?

You sucked in a breath. Sweat gathered at the skin of your face and hands clammy under your leathery gloves. Your heart thumped in your chest and you could feel its' frantic beat pounding in your ears. 

Something shuffled in front of you and your heart beat faster at the tell-tall signs of a tap-tap-tapping foot.

“Um..” You stumbled, words that had been on your tongue suddenly dissolving under your coven leader's full attention. You look away from the dark holes of the Golden Guard's helmet.

“Can I help you with something, rookie,” You heard the Golden Guard state and you felt everything careen to a crash at his impatience. Crap, crap, crap- never mind! You can't do this!

"N-nothing, sir. I'll just, uh..." You blurted out, thinking 'Yeah, maybe this isn't such a good idea...'

You couldn't highttail it out of there faster.

Luckily for you and your nerves, Finn wasn't that far ahead and his voice immediatly pulls a relieved sigh from your mouth. Whew! Man, that was awkward.

"What took you so long? You get chewed out or something?"

"Nope," You say quickly, all but ready to forget about that completely embarrassing scenario. "Just... hoping to find something." Anything to get the aftertaste of shame and moritifcation out of your mouth.

Finn snorts and for a second, you wonder if it was something you said- before, nope, let's just focus on finding something weird. Like a hut in the middle of a field. Or strange symbols carved into a dead tree or something. Anything weird to let you know that something was here in this dead, rocky terrian. 

Sadly, all you got was more rocks, more rivers, and darkening gray clouds. The sun, once beating down its’ blinding light, retreated behind the dull gray of the upcoming storm. You looked up, disheartened and overjoyed at the same time at the implication; the mission wouldn't be too much longer then. No one wanted to be underneath an acid shower, after all.

Still, you'd hoped to fine something cool by now...

Luckily for you, though, your wish comes true- sort of. You weren't sure what you were hoping to find on today's mission; something cool and exciting maybe. Sadly, what you found wasn't anything special or interesting by all means. It was just as boring and unremarkable as the bland, hot terrain around you- a cave.

It was grand with gray stone walls and trickling water pouring from the acidic river nearby. It was normal by all means; an ordinary landmark in the midst of rivers and rocks. The only abnormal thing was the fact that it seemed to have been, unsuccessfully, hidden behind dead trees and crumbling stones. Oh, and it was precautiously placed smack dap on a rugged hill. 

You couldn't help the small sigh you let out at the fact that you'd have to climb more rocks.

Sweat dripped onto your mask and your face was red with exertion. Ugh. Why would someone hide a bland, old cavern ontop of a hill of all places? For all you knew, the wild ones had something to do with it. Not that it mattered at the moment; all you knew was that you hated it at the moment. 

When you finally- finally- reached both of your superiors, your legs felt weak and you're pretty sure you're knees were wobbling. You gasped in air like a drowning man desperate for air, and you practically spat out the tange of humidity in the air and the dusty grains of rock coating your tongue. Yuck!

'Well, at least this is better than standing around for hours.' You huffed as you tried vainfully to cheer yourself up. It didn't change that you were drowning in sweat at the moment though.

Finally, when you were done fighting for breath, you turned towards the entrance of the cave. Darkness loomed over you.

Little light streamed down onto the dark cave, and what little light did was dim behind the dark clouds rumbling up above. You tried to catch a glance of something through the darkness, but it was too dim to make anything out. 

Did you really have to go... in there?

You couldn't help but gulp. 

You sure hoped this turned out to be something other than a boring, old cave. At least then you'd have something to compensate for the fact that this cave in front of you was terrifying. 

Finn definitely didn't say anything about scary, dark caves in his little speech to you earlier. If he did, you would have thought otherwise about going on this mission. At least you knew the doors wouldn't eat you alive.

The Golden Guard, on the other hand, doesn't seem to share your apprehension.

“Huh," The Golden Guard tiled his head as he regarded the giant, dark monstrosity before you. "A cave... it's possible something could be here. Let's take a look."

He pulls his witchs' staff out in front of him and the red gem on top glowed.

A red light softly cascades over the cave walls and floors. The cave, for the most part, was... not as scary as it looked at first glance.  It was still a bit dark, sure, but other than that, it truly was just a boring, old cave.

Your shoulder slump in relief. At least there wasn't anything scary.

Finn hums, his feet unmoving before the entrance. "Doesn't look like there's anything abnormal in here, sir."

You glance around the cave again. He's right. Other than the unusually large cracks spread out across the floor, ithe cave looked anything but weird.

The Golden Guard kicks out a foot and a large pebble scatters across the ground, rolling further and further until it becomes lost in the looming darkness. You hear a sharp thud echo off the stone walls. "Hm. There's something else back there." He walks forward, his footfall bouncing off the cave walls and, wait, you're not actually going in there-

"Alright, scour every nook and cranny and see what we find. This place is the first landmark we've seen in a while. If our witch passed by here, this is a good place as ever-"

His words cut off. You pause mid-step and looks to the side to see what was wrong. The Golden Guard is frozen, staring down at the ground. He's very, very still. "Actually." He says, and you can hear the stiffness in his voice. "Don't go in. The ground's unstable."

Wait, what? Alarmed, you look back at the ground. The cracks engraved into the cave floor were large; you can see the rock layers underneath, the smooth mix-matched gray going down for miles and miles. 

Finn makes a humming noise beside you. "I don't know. Looks stable to me."

The Golden Guard turns his head back sharply. "I know what I'm talking about. See the crevices? They're large, and they're spreading by the looks of it." He points and you follow his finger to a rather large-looking crack splitting the ground. "You can see the layers of the ground. I read that wild magic- or more specifically, plant magic- was known to split in the ground like this and..." He cuts himself off.

'Wild magic...' You glanced back at the cracked ground. You'd never heard of any kind of magic splitting the ground in half, much less know any spells with the power to do so. As far as you knew, the impressive thing you'd seen the kids in the plant track back at Glandus do were make eggplants with faces on them. 

Man, no wonder wild magic was so dangerous...

The Golden Guard clears his throat. ".. It's best not to go in. Anyways," He says. "We're on the right track, at least. The witch must have passed by here to leave something like this behind. Besides, the only thing weird around here is this place and the river and, well, you saw what happened to your plant spell."

You can't help but fidget at the reminder. Yeah, maybe creating a bridge out of plants near acid hadn't been such a good idea... 

Beside you, Finn stares down at the cracked ground, a finger scratching his head. "You sure, sir?" He asks. "I mean, I think I know what I'm talking about. I've seen dozens of places like these over the years and the ground doesn't look that unstable."

The tense atmosphere comes back full force, lingering in the air like the humidity of the incoming rain storm. It makes the tiny hairs along your arms rise up and dread pool in the pit of your stomach.

The Golden Guard turns his obscured gaze towards Finn. "... You don't believe me?"

Finn freezes and turns to you're sure the air is crackling. "Of course, sir." Finn says stiffly as he steps back, but not before he muttered a faint: "Kids these days."

The words bounced off the cavern walls. You froze. The Golden Guard's hand twitches around his witchs' staff .

Panic was a flood of ice shooting down your veins and a wave of rising air cascaded down your arms. The blood in your ears all but pounded, the fiery concoction of anxiety fueling your racing heart. You could feel sweat break out across your forehead, the clamminess drenching your palms, and red mortification staining your face and, oh crap, now what?

Dizziness was starting to take hold as your head whipped back and forth between them, unable to stop least you miss the cataclysm that was sure to spark and you were sure the Golden Guard was clenching his hands too tightly and-

"You know what?" The Golden Guard interrupts. His voice was like bright sunshine; it was warm at first glance, but you could feel the heat burning sooner or later. "You're right. You're obviously more experienced than me."

"After all," He tilts his head ever so slowly. "What does a kid like me know? So- why don't you lead us in?"

Finn's quiet at your side. The Golden Guard hums, a gloved finger coming up to tap the chin of his mask in a questioning manner. “… Or don't. It's your choice. I mean, if you don't want to, it's fine-"

“No, I can do it.” Finn says quickly, before turning to you. “Let's go, newbie.“ He tells you, his head held high and sure.

With that, you watch as Finn takes the lead into the questionably-safe cave. You hesitate to trail after him because, oh man, this really doesn't seem safe. Still, he's your superior- your mentor. It... it’ll be fine. If Finn wasn't bothered, you shouldn't be either. And yet, as you take a step forward, you can't help but think of acidic rivers and rumbling clouds.

Something hits your shin with a dull clank. You pause and look down. It’s a witchs' staff. A white one. One that looks a lot like-

You snap your head up, mask jolting at the sudden motion, as you stare at the sudden appearance of the Golden Guard at your side. He’s not looking at you, but at Finn, who’s standing on the unstable-slash-stable stone ground now. Then, with the smallest movement, he tilts his head towards you and holds up a palm.

Stay.

Almost immediately, you tense. You look back and forth between the two,  your heart climbing up your throat with each step he takes. "But-" You begin to say, only to be cut off.

“See?” You turn to see Finn standing in the middle of the cave, his chest puffed up in obvious pride. “I told you it was fine-“

Finn leans against a stone wall.

There's a crunch of stone.

It's still for one second-

Then the floor shakes.

You stumble back as the stone floor before you break. Rocks fall down into a messy pile. The ground groans. Finn yelps, his high-pitched scream bouncing off the rocky walls, as he tries to find his balance. He only gets a second to do so before the walls around him crumble. 

Finn swears as he back peddles back, small rocks tumbling down around him and stone crashing against his feet. You stare dumbfounded, at this turn of events.

Then you turn towards the Golden Guard beside you. And stare.

He doesn’t meet your gaze. He’s facing the partial cave-in infront of you, staff clutched in his hand. You must have been staring too much because he turns his head the tiniest degree towards you.

“…What?” He barked out, his tone harsh with an unmistakable challenge. It reminded you of how he sounded during his speech; his boyish voice clashing with the sharpness of his words.

You quickly look away. "Nothing, um, sir." 

Your eyes immediately find Finn. He's struggling in the wreckage, his clothes covered in powdery rocks, and you watch as he takes off his boots. Pebbles fall from the inside of the leathery soles.

You remembered the confident way he held himself as he told you to cross an acidic river. The sure tilt of his head as he told you to follow him into a cave that he said was fine.

'I guess he doesn't know everything,' You think. It's kind of ironic, in a sense. It almost felt like karma had taken a swing at your superior and you were merely an observer for the unavoidable conclusion. The Golden Guard didn't even try to stop him. Heck, he basically watched as Finn-

It clicks.

Oh.

Oh.

Something warm bubbles up in your throat because that had been petty and the realization is so absurd that you can't help but let out a small cough.

It sounded light and airy; a ghost of a laugh.

Gold flashes in your peripheral and you see the Golden Guard still at the sound before he ducks his head. A gloved hand made its way up to his helmet, his fingers brushing up against the gold in a sheepish manner. 

'He's embarrassed,' You realize and somehow, the absurdness makes the corner of your lips twitch up in a smile-

“Ah, so this is where all that ruckus came from? Did something happen?” The high-pitched voice almost makes your skin jump off of your body and you both whirl around, heads snapping over to see Kikmora’s face peering out from the cave entrance.

The oddly calm air that had been floating around you pops like a bubble, and tension rushes in on you from all sides. You feel it grip your lungs, hear it pound on your heart, and the small smile slips right off your mouth.

“Nothing noteworthy to report, sadly. Just ran into a small incident." The Golden Guard says dismissively in lue of the silence currently sufforcating the entiretly of the cave.

Kikimora doesn't say anything at first and, for a moment, you think she'll leave- but then she does the opposite. She walks right into the cave, looking around to take in the obvious chaos around you. You can hear Finn somewhere behind you clambering to his feet, the sound of rocks and pebbles scattering echoing in the cave.

“Hm,” She hums, eyes still wandering about. “This seems like quite an incident. I do wonder how something like this could have occurred, especially to a squad under the watch of the Coven Leader." Her eyes move over to lock onto the Golden Guard.

He tenses at your side.

"I'm sure you did your best though,” Kikimora says, and she sounds so nice... but it doesn't match the gleam in her eyes.

The Golden Guard looks right at Kikimora and you watch as his hands grip the white staff clenched in his hand.

Even you weren't blind to the tension hovering in the air all day; you heard it in Kikimora's speech and Finn's gossiping earlier that afternoon. See it in the narrowing of Kikimora's eyes and the haughtiness of Finn's tilted chin.

You didn't understand it, but you could see it.

Your eyes glance to the side towards the Golden Guard. You see his shoulders are rigid, his head facing Kikimora, and his fingers gripping his staff with a vice-like grip.

The words pour out of your mouth.

“It was an accident, Ma'am.” You hear yourself say; your tongue flap against the roof of your mouth and clash against your teeth. “Fi- My mentor went up ahead to look, but he didn’t see how unstable the ground was.”

The Golden Guard shuffles beside you. Kikimora narrows her eye at you as well and you feel the hairs along your arms raise up under her relentless gaze. 

The silence looms over on you. You fear to breathe in, least you get a lungful of the tension sitting heavy on your shoulders. Finally, the odd stagnant atmosphere shatters around you at Kikimora’s huff. 

“If that’s so,” She says as she turns away. “Then let’s hurry along now.  Emperor Belos expects a successful report, after all. And you!" Kikimora shouts down at a still-dusty Finn. "Get yourself out of that mess, scout!" And with that, she makes her way out of the cavern. 

As soon as she’s gone, the Golden Guards shoulders loosen in obvious relief and you swear you hear a quiet sigh before he turns to you. His eyes are obscured by the dark holes of the helmet, but his gaze is a tangible as the rocks underneath your boots.

His gloved hand fidgets with his white staff, the red gem on top flickering faintly with a red hue, as he shuffles his feet on the pebbly ground.

You can hear the roaring river faint in the distance. Rock shifting. Pebbles scattering. The low, white noise of the cave ringing dully in your ears. You hear the thump, thump, thump of your heart. The soft exhale of your breath is loud on the confides of your mask.

The tension that was once there is gone in Kikimora's absence. All that's left: awkwardness. You feel helpless in it, not knowing what to do or say and it was sufforcating to float in. You shift on your feet- left to right- as you attempt to think of anything to say to break it.

The silence rings on, the seconds drone on and on,  and.... you really should say something.

Gah! This was harder than you thought.

"I..."

Crash!

The moment burst. Time rushes forward again. You tear your attention away from the Golden Guard and towards the sound.

It's only Finn.

Your superior is oddly silent as he clambers out of the small cave-in, his head bent down as he passes the two of you.

"Let's go." He mumbles as he passes by you and you listen as he mutters something about scouting before the rain hits before he quickly makes his way towards the entrance. You're pretty sure he's just eager to escape the Golden Guard's attention. For once, you are too.  

You wonder if there's some sort of wild magic making the air tangible because you feel very, very awkward. So much so that you can't help but, you know, leave.

“Um,” You look to the side, unable to look at the golden helmet of your coven leader. “I’ll just- excuse me... sir..."

You pause.

On the wall near where Finn once stood, with rocks crumbles around it and jagged cracks splitting between it, are faded, looping circles.

You see the Golden Guard tilt his head at your odd lull before he, too, turns to follow your gaze. He stills.

"Oh," You hear him say. "That's how they did it...." 

“Hey, newbie!" Finn calls out to you. “What's the hold-up?"

You see the Golden Guard's feet shift as he turns. "Call the rest of the scouting party. Tell them to scope the immediate area. The wild witch is somewhere nearby."

It doesn’t take long to alert the rest of the scouting squad, but by the time everyone arrives, the acid rains is all but pouring down on you. The weather does nothing to stop the Golden Guard's obvious lift in mood, however. He looks oddly energetic as he paces back and forth over the large spell carved into the stone floor- not to say it's not an exciting discovery. You, for one, haven't seen a spell ever performed like this before. 

"No wonder the ground was unstable- they raised up the floor to cover the walls" He rambles on as more and more scouts trickle in. "I thought it was plant magic that made these deep crevices, but it was because they molded the stone, creating makeshift walls and a trap all in one spell. But why... what do these marks mean?"

You, for one, have no idea. You're too busy staring in awe at the mess of circles and lines engraved on the walls. 'I guess wild ones don't have black hats or metal cauldrons...'  

Kikimora, though, doesn't share in your intrigue nor his enthusiasm. She only took one look at the odd spell before she all but stormed out with a huff.

Hm, You think as you watch her leave with crossed arms. 'Maybe she's just upset it took so long to find.'

You have a feeling it's not about that.

Either way, it was a bit of a mess getting back to the castle. By the time the whole squadron had arrived, the rain was pouring down. Almost everyone didn’t want to get trapped in the relentless storm and so it was agreed to come back to the cave another day. Still, the march back wasn't fun. You were pracitcally drowning in your own sweat from so much walking- but, hey, you made it back to the Emperor’s Castle alive. 

You sighed at the thought of your dingy bed and clean clothes. The dust of stone and rocks and, now, rain sprinkled on your uniform was, well, not very comfortable. Especially the rain.

With a short rebrief and a quick dismissal from Kikimora, the squad dispersed. You lingered near the back, the rain pelting your hood with hissing droplets, as you thought of the quickest way to the barracks. No doubt everyone else was headed the same way and you'd rather not have another incident like you one you had that morning. You shiver at the memory. Ugh. You'd rather not go through that again.

Plus, your feet were aching after hours of walking and you really didn't want to be out here more than necessary, especially after the day you had.

You huffed out an exhausted breath, longing for the creaky bed and your dingy dorms. Oh, what you wouldn't give for sleep fight now-

An arm slung itself over your shoulders. You internally groaned. 

"There you are, newbie." Finn greeted you, looking nonchalant for someone who'd caused a small cave-in. "Where are you off too?"

‘Sleep? You wanted to say- it sounded like a good idea to you- but Finn barreled on.

“Nowhere? Good because I got a job for you.” He continued, and oh no, not again- “And don't worry, it's not in the halls anymore. You, newbie, have been given a promotion."

You perked up. A promotion? Des this mean you didn't have to stand in a boring, empty hallway all day? You hoped so. You weren't sure you could survive another day staring at a wall.

"Does this mean I get to do more missions?" You asked eagerly. You found a wild witch after all- or, the evidence of one, but still! The weird carvings on the walls. The makeshift walls. You couldn't help but be fascinated. To be able to do something like that without a coven... it was cool- but dangerous, you reminded yourself. Plus, despite all the awkwardness, the Golden Guard wasn't that bad. He knew a lot about wild magic and he did not let you fall into a giant acidic river, so that was cool too-

Finn snorting brought you back to reality just in time to hear him say: "Ha! Sorry to burst your bubble. It's not that kind of promotion, kid."

You blinked. What? "Then... what is it, sir?"

Finn straightened up, his chest puffing out and you're sure he was trying to be all proud again, but the image was ruined by the powdery dust he was covered in.

"You, my little rookie, are being relocated- to the main gates!"

"Huh?" You explained because-"Isn't it raining?"

Finn waved you off. "It'll be fine. It's just a little acid. Besides, you're in the Emperor's Coven. We're the jewel of the covens, not to mention the enforcers of his will. We scouts are made of tougher stuff."

"I know that-"

"So you'll do it?" Finn asked and... wait a second-

"Are you just giving me your shift again?" You pouted, crossing your arms.

Finn sighed." Come on, newbie. After all the advice I give? The way I let you tag along on today's mission?”

That was hard to argue against. Your lips tugged downwards. "I..." You hesitated, then sighed, both internally and externally, then: “I'll do it.”

You squeaked at the rough head ruffle.  You really wished he'd stop doing that.

“Thanks!” Finn expressed cheerfully before he all but walked off. 

"But I'm not covering for you next time!" You shouted after him over the rain pouring down. You sure hoped he heard that because you were serious!

You grumbled under your breath as you readjusted your hood, rain sizzling on your mask.

There was still a decent amount of scouts moving about, no doubt making their way inside. If only you could be a part of them... but no, you had to guard the front gates. In the rain. 

"Finn really needs to revaluate what a promotion is," You muttered to yourself as you tried to make your way through the sea of scouts in front of you, rain pelting at your back. 

Boots crunched on gravel. Twigs snapped and grass rustled. You snapped your head up. 

The gold was vibrant against the sea of dull whites and grays and blacks of cloaks and masks and uniforms. A crowd of too-tall scouts was blocking your way, but you could still see the way the Golden Guard paused mid-step as he caught your eye. He stared at you for a moment before he lowered his head, the gold of his helmet gleaming dimly, and it looked so similar to the way he looked back at the cave. His hands fidget against his staff, fingers flexing against the white pole. 

He looked just like he did back at the cave. Embarrassed. Abashed. Awkward.

And, well, you did too.

The rain sizzling on your hood fades away. The searing bite of the acid's corrosive sting dulls. You stood there, unmoving; stuck between not knowing what to do and not knowing what you could do. After all, he was your coven leader and you were, well, a rookie. One still new to the functions of the Emperor's Coven and still too 'fresh' to do anything other than guard duty shifts. Besides, you already did some morifying things already and you didn't want to relive that again...

And yet, you wonder if the wild one had cast some sort of spell in the cave before they left or maybe there was something in this acidic rain, because you were sure you wouldn't have had the confidence to play a fool yet again any other time. You didn't even think of what you were doing. You just... moved.

You could feel your hand slowly raised from your side, your arm tensed as it gradually ascended up. You could feel your fingers, one by one, steadily uncurl and sprawl out as you lifted your hand in a wave-

"Hey, newbie!" Finn shouted against the rain and you turned your head to see him standing a short distance away, his hands cupped underneath his mask. "Aren't you supposed to be on guard duty? Hop to it!"

You cringed. Oh. you forgot about that. You should... probably go do that. 

You don't move though. You weren't sure if you could. You just felt... stuck. Like there was an invisible glass surrounding you; something akin to trepidation in the breakable fragility the atmosphere held. It was like standing on the edge of a cliff. The sensation of an unopened door standing ominously before you. You could jump. You could turn the knob. You were aware of all you could do, and yet you couldn't help but feel the space in between; the choice to be made.

It felt... stifling somehow. You didn't know why. All you knew was that you were staring at the Golden Guard and he was staring right back and there was something fragile in the air and-

"Oi!" Your back straightened instinctively. "Any minute now!" 

"I'm coming!" You yell back, turning away. 

You leave in a rush, ripping yourself away from the little bubble you had found yourself in. All at once, you're all too aware of the sensation of rain pelting your hood. You felt the sting as it soaked through your uniform and hear the sizzle it makes as it touches your skin. 

"Took you long enough," Finn tells you as you reach him. "What's the hold-up?"

"Nothing," You mumble. "Just.. thinking."

Finn huffs. "Yeah? Well, you'll have plenty of time to think on your shift- which you should really get going to, by the way."

"Can't wait," You grumble as you make your way towards the front gates, shoulders slouching. 

"That's the spirit!" Finn laughs as he ruffles your head and you hope he burned his glove on your rain-soaked hood. "I knew I could count on you."

Your head snaps to the side. "I thought you said it was a promotion." You narrow your eyes at him, a pout making its' way onto your lips.

"It is! It's just.... I said that before, right? Anyways, what do you think of the new guy? A bit of an asshole, right?" He said, clearly changing the subject.

And yet, you open your mouth. Then closed it. 

He'd been... cool as he made Kikimora speechless, angry as he caught Finn and Damon gossiping, smart in how he seemed to know a lot about wild magic, and petty in the way he'd let Finn trip over a crumbling wall.

You look down at a puddle on the ground and watch as your reflection ripples on the water.

"He's..." You think of a warm, red glow. A tap against your shin. A golden helmet ducking down. A shuffle of feet on pebbles. "He's alright."

You don't look his way, but you're aware of the flash of gold passing by you.