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It’s the stupid necklace that gets him, because Scott has known Jimmy for years now, and he knows that the man hoards his feathers like crazy - to be fair, most avians so, but it’s somewhat even worse with Jimmy.
Jimmy is possessive of one thing and one thing only - his feathers, even though his wings are small and mostly useless.
And yet here Tango is, parading around the server with a long yellow feather on the chain around his neck, almost glowing with happiness. And maybe Scott is petty and angry, and maybe he is still jealous (because it's not fair that he gets Pearl who will be his demise, and Jimmy gets a loving soulmate who would burn the world for him), maybe he still feels something towards Jimmy…
It’s an impulse, which is stupid, but Scott is angry and jealous, and Tango is right here, and so he reaches out and tears the necklace from the demon’s neck.
Tango’s eyes widen and he immediately makes a grab for it, but Scott jumps back with a laugh, noticing how more people are gathering around them.
“Aw, what do we have here?” Scott asks mockingly, touching the feather roughly.
It feels like silk and smooth stone under his fingers, fine and strong, and longer than Scott was expecting. He wants to tuck it into his inventory to hoard and have, even though he’s not the one who got it originally.
And Scott takes whenever he wants to have.
“Give it back!” Tango yells, his fair lighting on fire, but Scott just laughs and takes a few more steps back.
“Oh come on, Tango, it’s just a feather! Did Jimmy give it to you? That’s so cute,” he purrs, aiming for condescending and definitely hitting the mark if the way Tang flushes is an indication. “He couldn’t find anything more…elegant, could he? That’s all Jimmy, I know…”
“Drop it, Scott,” Jimmy suddenly says behind him, and Scott takes note of the sudden hush around the ranch - all their spectators suddenly falling sient.
He doesn’t like how Jimmy snuck up on him, he doesn’t like how the back of his neck is itching, and then Scott turns around and almost drops the necklace.
Jimmy is looming over him, plain and simple, suddenly much taller and broader than Scott remembers. But maybe the other man is just finally standing up straight, showing that he’s not as short and slim as Scott thought.
He feels unsure, suddenly, but doesn’t drop the necklace.
“You have many of those feathers, Jimmy, you can give him another one, I’m sure,” he insists, still trying to gain control of the situation (it feels like it’s slipping). “You can spare some for your soulmate, can’t ya?”
“Scott,” Jimmy repeats, his voice much colder and harder than it usually is.
Scott hates that suddenly, it sounds deep and intimidating, and he hates how his hold on the necklace loosens on instinct.
“You either give it back or I make you do it,” Jimmy warns.
Scott wants to laugh, but it dies at the back of his throat. Because this Jimmy is nothing like he knows, and he’s decent at PVP, but suddenly, Scott feels small.
“How?” he asks, pushing despite his instincts screaming at him to back down. “You’re useless, Jimmy, you won’t do anything.”
Suddenly, there’s a burst of blue something, people are gasping, and there are burning wings above Jimmy’s shoulders, spread high and curving around them. The warmth of it almost hurts, and when Scott looks Jimmy in the eyes, the usual yellow has been replaced by blazing blue - the same as the flames.
He doesn’t get another warning, frozen stupid in front of Jimmy, and then there’s pain blooming on his cheek and Scott finds himself lying dazed on the ground, people’s gasps following him. Jimmy is on him a second later, almost growling, fire spreading to his arms and hands, something like talons closing around his throat.
Scott wheezes for air, hot all over, and he forces his eyes to stay open, watch Jimmy - this strange new Jimmy, who’s pinning him to the ground with wings of fire spread above them.
“I warned you,” is the last thing Scott hears before the world goes black.
He doesn’t expect to wake up, but he does, surprisingly. He doesn’t have the necklace anymore, and when he sits up, still aching, he finds a ring of burned grass all around him, as if something exploded.
Scott pats himself down and isn’t surprised to see fresh burn scars - probably Pearl is the one who saved his life, ironically, by eating so that they wouldn’t both die.
It still hurts.
“That was stupid,” comes Grian’s voice suddenly, from the shadows.
Scott jumps, turning to face the other man, and has to stifle a gasp when he sees Scar next to him, a purple feather hanging around his neck.
Between one heartbeat and the next, there’s a flash of massive, purple wings spread behind Grian, thousands of them. The vision is gone before Scott can think about it.
“You don’t just tear an engagement feather from someone’s neck, Scott,” Grian continues, a bit mocking now, a smirk dancing in the corner of his lips. “It’s a miracle that you’re even alive.”
Scott doesn’t like the way the other man says ‘miracle’, and he doesn’t like the sudden feeling of being Watched. It doesn’t go away even after Grian and Scar leave without another word.
Something’s not right.