Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a fairly quiet night, as far as it usually got quiet in the centre of the city, at least. Scar was out on patrol, giving the occasional passers-by subtle visual inspections to make sure they weren’t planning anything untoward. They never were, but he’d eat his bow before he let any ne'er-do-wells skate on by! They didn’t give him his title as Captain of the Guard just for being pretty, after all.

The elf sighed a little to himself, pulling the ribbon from his hair and redoing it to make sure it stayed neat and out the way. At least tonight had been trouble free so far. There had been a spate of petty robberies across the city, and despite the fact there hadn’t ever been anything of real consequence taken, the King was irritated it was happening under his nose and had put the guards on high alert. This meant there had been a lot of extra patrols that needed covering, and Scar would have felt bad if he wasn’t doing the majority of those as Captain. At least as an elf he only needed to doze for a few hours to be fully rested.

Looking up at the sky, it was cloudless and still, giving Scar an excellent view of the stars. He admired the constellations for a moment as he worked out the time; about three hours after midnight. That was good, only a few more hours and his shift was over. He stifled a yawn and continued down the path. The massive tree that housed the guards either on or off duty loomed over this area, dimming out the moonlight though there were plenty of lanterns hung up to stop any of the undead from crawling to the surface.

He paused mid-step, slowly finishing the action as he looked around, a frown forming on his face. Something was setting off his instincts, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end and he slipped the bow off his shoulders, loosely pulled an arrow. He scanned the area silently, practically holding his breath as he listened out for any hint as to what set him off.

His pointed ears twitched slightly as he focused on the quest corner. It was just a building where people could go to pick up jobs that the King decided could be outsourced for the betterment of the public and citizens could earn a few credits they’d be able to spend in the city to keep the economy rolling nicely. But at this hour, it was definitely closed. And there definitely shouldn’t be anyone in there. So of course Scar began moving swiftly in its direction the moment his eyes locked onto movement through a window.

Moving silently as possible, he darted up the steps and made his way to the open arch entrance, keeping the arrow lightly pulled back and ready to fly at an instant. He heard the quiet sounds from the floor below of boxes being shuffled through quickly and tip-toed to the opposite side of the hole that ran through the different floors to try and get a peek at the intruder.

Inside was a shorter figure with sleek black wings and tail feathers, black pants and a dark jumper that Scar could see even from his distance was threadbare, wrappings of fabric around their head to conceal their face. They moved to a new box and began pulling through it, tugging out the crystals that were used to collect rewards, shoving them in a small pouch that dangled from their wrist.

Scar frowned, fingers tightening on his bow. That shouldn’t be possible. They were supposed to be magically sealed of a night. Steadying himself for a moment, he took a short running jump and landed on the railings behind the avian neatly, drawing his arrow back taught in one fluid motion.

“Drop the crystals, thief. I don’t want to have to do this by force.”

----

Grian landed on the largest rock among the outcropping in the Lush, perching lightly on one of the smaller trees that grew from the cracks this high up. It was only early morning, but he’d already been out for a few hours to stretch his wings and scout for anything he could bring back home.

He took a deep breath of the cool morning air and dove off the tree, his black and white wings spreading wide to let him glide down safely to where his nest was. Towards the base of the giant boulder was a pristine building with solid columns holding up a domed roof. To an outsider it might look like the building had been carved and added into the cliff face itself but Grian knew different. He had been there to see the Lush swallow the original building the city tried to construct, and he’d watched a few days later as the Lush regrew the same facade as part of itself.

Swooping down and into the roof of the dome, the magpie hybrid perched himself into the nest he’d built in the dangling roots that hung from the ceiling of the new space. Pulling out a few bits and pieces he’d plucked on his early morning ventures, he began weaving them into the structure of his bed.

A string of pearls he’d spied on a dresser beside an open window. A reel of thick red ribbon he’d snatched from a haberdashers display. A soft sheepskin that had been left to hang on a tanners rack. He hummed softly to himself as he petted the soft wool, wings fluttering with content as he eyed his new collection.

Readjusting his position to settle down and relax, he covered himself with his wings and peered off the edge of his elevated position. Below were a dozen or so other hybrids, either in their own beds or cuddled up in a shared pile. They’d wake up soon and Grian would share out the meagre food supplies he’d scooped up on his early morning jaunt.

The little collective here were the undesirables of society. Not that society would ever tell them that, but it wasn’t exactly hidden, either. They weren’t wealthy or powerful enough to get people to turn a blind eye to their more unpleasant traits, so they ended up banding together out of necessity, in a place that was just as undesirable as they were.

Despite the fact that avians were usually a lot more welcome in polite society, magpies with their reputation for sticky fingers and Grian with his lack of self control where it came to allowing himself something he wanted was a recipe for disaster, and he found himself as alone as the mob hybrids that were curled up asleep below. Avians were flock hybrids, but Grian had been mostly used to being alone and travelling from place to place aimlessly, staying until he was chased off. And then he had found the Lush.

The place was soaked in a strange magic that called out to him like birdsong and he found himself drawn in. In the middle of this overgrown place of wilderness that sat at the edge of a kingdom, a cluster of enormous boulders nestled above the source of the magic. Exploring the area, Grian had found the small band of hybrids and they had shown him the carved out path to the cavern below. Split into the wall like a root system climbing up was a portal of purple energy. Mist curled in and out of it like a current, obscuring anything in the depths though vague shapes would slowly shift closer to the surface like they were reaching out. Grian had decided to stay.

It didn’t take long for him to fall into a comfortable routine with his new flock. They taught him what they knew about the Lush and in return he would help by getting them things to make things easier for the ragtag group. As long as you didn’t destroy the Lush, the seeping magic from the Rift wouldn’t hurt you. It would help the undesirables as much as they could help it in return, giving the group a strange unknowable protection that they barely understood.

Grian was pulled out of his wandering thoughts, perking up as he heard the sound of movement from below. Grabbing his bag he drifted down to where the group was beginning to stir as the sunlight poured in through the quartz pillars, pulling out a few loaves of bread, strips of dried meat and a few fruits. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and it meant they wouldn’t start the morning hungry.

Once a couple of the flock had began to wake, it didn’t take long for the rest of them to rouse. Quiet conversation buzzed as the avian made sure they all got their share of food, checking over everyone like a mother hen. The sculk hybrid looked up from the conversation they’d been having with the ghast as Grian passed them both food to split, a worried frown on their face.

“I heard the King is getting annoyed with the thieving that’s been going on. Do you think it might be safer for you to put a pause on your scouting for a while?” They absently ran their thumb along the flat of the axe on their belt like a comfort toy, nervous to be bringing this up so bluntly.

The ghast hybrid nodded their agreement, the tentacles of their hair swaying with the movement. “We can go hunting more often. We don’t want anything bad to happen to you because you were trying to look after us.”

A grimace crossed Grian’s face and he crouched in front of the pair, keeping his voice low. “Where did you hear that?”

“I was hiding in a vein below the guard tree. I was trying to hear if they were planning any more constructions near the Lush and they were talking about more guard patrols until the odd crimes stop.”

Grian groaned, rubbing his face with a hand, silent for a moment. “...We’ll figure something out. I might just need to fly further out for my,” he paused briefly to find a better word than thievery, “shopping.”

The pair snorted a little at his rebranding effort but nodded, still looking a bit worried. “Alright. Just let us know if—” the sculk cut the sentence short, staring past Grian towards the front of the building.

Glancing back in the same direction, Grian’s gaze fell on a lanky figure in a protective full body suit and helmet leaning against one of the pillars. He stood, wings fluttering a little as he bounded over to the man immediately.

“X. What are you doing here?”

Xisuma laughed a little, voice slightly distorted by the helmet that filtered the Overworld air. “What am I always doing in this void forsaken jungle that you call a home? I came to offer you a job.”

Grian folded his arms over his chest, shifting from foot to foot. “...There’s a lot of attention from the guards at the moment, X...”

“So you don’t even want to hear what I’m offering?”

Grian could hear the smirk in the black market dealer’s voice and he felt his feathers ruffle in agitation. He so desperately wanted to tell X that he wasn’t interested and to go stuff his job, but damn if Grian was predictably nosy. It was a good thing he wasn’t a cat hybrid or he’d have lost all nine lives to curiosity years ago.

“...Alright, just tell me what it is. But I’m not saying I’ll do it.”

X just snickered a little. “If you manage to get it done, it’ll be a very handsome payout. You’d be able to lay low for a while if that’s what you’re after.” He paused for a moment to make sure he had the avian’s attention before continuing. “Have you seen that building that’s been set up in the middle of the city? It’s where the crown offloads the work they can’t be bothered to do to people who have too much spare time or need the money. You pick a job, do said job and then you get a little crystal you can cash in for rewards.”

“And what’s the point in telling me this?” Grian arched a brow, doing his best to look unimpressed and uninterested, though he was pretty sure he knew where exactly this was going.

“The point, little bird, is that you have a knack for grabbing things that are supposedly hidden away behind lock and key. Those crystals would be hilariously easy to pass off as legitimately earned, if we could get our hand on them. You grab them for me, and I’m offering more than enough coin for you to supply yourselves with whatever provisions your little bunch of gremlins needs for the foreseeable future, and you can go back to slipping under the guards notice.”

Grian clenched his jaw. He hated the idea of trying to pull off some dangerous heist while the kingdom was out for blood, but on the other hand it would be one more job and then he could hole up in here until things calmed down. Money to buy things legally, at least for a while.

Xisuma held up his hands as if in surrender, a grin still obvious in his tone regardless. “You don’t even have to give me an answer. If you decide to go for it, I’ll hear about it and I’ll come buy whatever you got your hands on. If you don’t, well. I’m sure there’s gonna be easier jobs eventually.” He shrugged and turned on heel, casually strolling a couple of steps before vanishing with a vwoop and a shimmer of purple sparkles.

The sun was just setting as Grian made up his mind. Maybe he had just been stalling settling on a choice he would acknowledge so he didn’t have to face how very stupid going out tonight was going to be. Despite not liking it either, a couple of the flock had gone and got him some ink sacs from the squid that populated the rivers outside the Lush, and he was currently smearing the ink across the white of his feathers so they would blend in with the night. He pulled a face a little at the feeling of the ink on his delicate feathers. A dunk in the river would absolutely be happening after this.

He rinsed off his blackened fingers and pulled on an old sweater, wrapping a scarf around his head and making sure his dirty blond hair and head wings were tucked out of sight. He shouldn’t need a disguise, as simple as this was, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Once the skies were fully darkened with stars twinkling away, Grian stretched his wings and took off into the sky. He launched himself higher than he usually would, keeping his distance so there was less chance of him being noticed. It didn’t take him long to get into the city proper, circling the centre to get a fresh lay of the land before finding a perch in the huge central tree where the guards stayed. He was a little nervous about being so close to them, but the vantage point let him keep too good of an eye on the area to pass it up.

He nestled himself back into the branches of the tree and watched. A handful of hours passed silently, Grian keeping careful eye on the routine of the patrols; thankfully they all seemed to follow the same pathways and kept fairly regular intervals. Really, he should be thanking whoever made this so easy for him. Waiting until the current guard had gone out of sight of his target, he shifted in the branches to get a better perch then took off, diving down to glide noiselessly right into the wide entrance of the quest building, tucking his wings in last second and twisting in the air to land on his feet.

Surveying the surroundings quickly, he noted the water flows that led to higher and lower floors, opting instead to hop down the hole. His talons curved around the metal rail around the centre and he sat like a gargoyle for a moment then carefully stepped down, tucking his wings in  There were small slitted openings in the walls in place of windows but in the dark they shouldn’t be too easy to see anything through, especially dressed in all black as he was.

Grian took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Thin purple veins began to glow minutely along his hands and he pressed his palm to the boxes where the rewards were magically locked away. Focusing, he searched for what he wanted, mentally pulling forward a reality where the poor, overworked clerk on duty forgot to set the magical protections. A simple mistake to make. There was a dim violet pulse and the boxes on the floor all unlocked, their magic having never been set for the night.

Sweat soaked the scarf covering his face and Grian steadied himself against the wall with a shaking hand. Maybe that alternate circumstance was a bit less simple than he had anticipated. Catching his breath, he pulled out a bag and began pulling through the drawers where the quests were, collecting every crystal he could get his hands on. It didn’t take him long to empty an entire side, moving to other drawers to empty them too.

“Drop the crystals, thief. I don’t want to have to do this by force.”

Grian whipped around to the voice behind him, wings splayed out as an instinctive threat, eyes narrowing at the sight of a guard with an arrow pulled back in a bow aimed at him. Slowly, he clipped the ties of the pouch onto his belt, not moving otherwise.

The guard tutted, lowering his bow ever so slightly, a look of disappointment on his face. He would be fairly handsome if the fact he was a guard wasn’t so incredibly off putting, tanned skin and long smoothed back brown hair, deep green eyes that pulled away from the heavy scar across the bridge of his nose, cheekbones and forehead. Really, shame about the job choices.

“C’mon, I really could do without a fight tonight. You have no idea how many long shifts I’ve worked in a row,” the elf half whined and Grian couldn’t help but snort at that.

“Then turn around and go away. Simple solution.” He shrugged a little, knowing it wasn’t going to work.

“Hmmm, can’t do that, bossman. I need those crystals you’ve got your sticky fingers on,” Scar tutted a little, raising his arrow again.

Anger pulsed through Grian as the guard said that, memories surfacing unbidden at the words. The magenta under his skin pulsed again and the tightly pulled bow string snapped, causing the elf to yelp in pain as it whipped across his arm and hand. In the split second he was distracted, Grian took his opportunity to bodily tackle the taller man, slamming him into the wall.

Scar let out a wheeze as he was body checked and winded, his bow clattering to the floor as he was unable to maintain his grip after the whiplash from the string. The avian might have been smaller but he was densely built, and his entire weight being driven into the elf’s gut was easily enough to stun him.

Grian slammed his hands into the wall on either side of the guards’ head, sneer obvious even through the scarf covering his features. “Aren’t the guards supposed to protect the people? And yet all you’re doing is protecting the rich from the people barely scraping by. You’re a joke.”

Scar frowned down at the avian, not moving from where he was pinned. “And I suppose you’re not planning to line your pockets with the proceeds of your criminal activities, huh?”

The sneer turned into a scowl. “No, actually. But I guess it’s easy to look after people you care about when you’re in the lap of the King.” Grian darted back, moving to dive into the central hole to clamber back up and out.

“Hey!” Scar darted forward, grabbing the back of the black shirt and jerking the shorter man towards him. The avian’s wings flared again in anger and battered against him as he let out a shrill cry, more animalistic than human and he swung around to drive his fist into the elf’s jaw, sending him staggering back for a second time.

Grian took the opportunity to dart up the railings, sprinting out of the front of the building and taking off into the night, trying to calm the hammering pace of his heart as he sped for home.

Below, Scar wiped the blood from his nose, tossing the small pouch of crystals he had snagged off the thief’s belt while he had been distracted. He hopped into a water stream, launching up to the entry floor and stepping outside. Squinting in the darkness, he scanned the night sky. It was only thanks to his elven blood that his eyes could pick out a quickly retreating dark shape against the stars, heading towards the southeast. Glancing down at the pouch of crystals in his hand, something caught his eye.

Crouching, he picked up a sleek black feather, twirling it in his fingers only to frown as they came away stained. Carefully he ran his thumb across the vanes, the glossy black coming away on his skin and the feather lightening slightly. Scar touched the pad of his thumb to his tongue and pulled a face at the salty taste. Squid ink?

He’d need to keep an eye out for the little avian thief. But for now, to clear up the mess they made before anyone else found out what had happened.

Chapter Text

Grian was pacing on top of the main boulder of his home, wings fluttering anxiously behind him. It had taken the avian until he was flying over the Lush and he felt safe enough to relax for him to realise that the pouch where he’d stored the crystals was gone from his belt. He’d flown almost the entire way back on himself in a panic, searching for the small bag but hadn’t found it anywhere.

The only thing he could think of was that the stupid elf guard had snatched it from his hip, and he hadn’t noticed in his panic to escape.

He kicked a small rock off the boulder with as much force as he could, slumping back onto the rock and folding his arms over his head and wings over as much of his body as he could, screaming in frustration into his limbs, mostly muffled by the layers of feathers that he still hadn’t bothered to wash the ink off of.

After a few seconds he slumped back against the rock, letting his head thunk against the thick moss. Now there would be no easy chance of picking up things without the guards breathing down his neck, not after a stunt like that.

Stupid guard, why had he been there? He couldn’t have just left well enough alone and let Grian take the idiot crystals and get on with their separate lives with no issues. Feeling another wave of anger and frustration, Grian flailed his limbs violently like a toddler throwing a tantrum when denied a treat, only relenting when his limbs ached from the exertion.

Huffing a little, he lay there before pushing himself up again. He needed to clean his wings. It might not make him feel better, but it would make him feel cleaner and that was good enough. Jumping off the rock, he extended his wings and began to glide over the thick treetops of the Lush, looking for a stream to rinse off in. Get clean, explain to the others what had happened, visit the Rift. That sounded like a reasonable plan for the day.

----

“Scar, are you sure this is your bow? This thing doesn’t look like it’s been cared for in... ever.” Doc tapped his mechanical eye, reducing the zoom on it back to normal and setting the busted bow on the table beside the elf, who was sat half shirtless, having the heavy bruising on his arm and hand looked over by an eagle avian.

“It’s definitely mine! Unless you know someone else who carved a Jellie pattern on their bow.” Scar pouted a little only to hiss with pain when his hand was massaged firmly.

False tutted. “Don’t be a baby, love. I need to check you haven’t sustained anything more than bruising. If there’s any broken bones they need to be straightened before I administer any healing potions.”

Doc laughed a little at Scar grumbling. “Fair point. Then how did you let your bow get to the point the string snapped?”

“I didn’t, Doc! That’s the thing, I always take such good care of my bow, I wouldn’t dream of anything bearing Jellie’s image being less than top quality!” the elf frowned, his pointed ears tilting down a little.

“Then how do you explain its condition?”

“....I think I met a witch.”

The creeper hybrid made an exasperated noise at the statement.

Scar raised his free hand in defence, waving it slightly. “No, really! I was doing my whole stop criminal scum thing and being super cool and amazing, then out of nowhere the bowstring snapped! But, get this, the other guy, he was an avian too, he jumped me immediately, like he knew my string was gonna go!”

“How could he have known, Scar? You didn’t even know and it was your bow,” False arched a brow at him, grabbing a pot of ointment infused with health potion and beginning to massage it into the bruises, ignoring the elf’s protests.

“Ouch, False, that stings! But that’s why I think he’s a witch or something, I think he cut my string!” Scar nodded enthusiastically.

“This string isn’t cut though Scar, it snapped through poor maintenance.” Doc holds up the frayed end of the string.

“….Okay, I can’t explain that exactly, but it’s probably some weird witch magic, right?”

False and Doc shared a look before the eagle just shrugged, checking over the now faded and yellow bruises on Scar’s hand and arm, nodding in satisfaction. The creeper sighed, fixing his lab coat. “I admit, magic isn’t exactly my area of expertise… I’m more technologically minded.”

“So he could have been a witch,” Scar nodded smuggly.

Doc scoffed. “And I could have been King, but I don’t believe in monarchies. Which brings us back to the question of, why are you here talking with me instead of discussing this with his majesty’s court?” A faint sneer accompanied the title.

Scar flexed his arm out, stretching it a little before beginning to redress himself, adamantly not meeting the creeper’s eyes. “Wow False, you sure do great work! I consider myself very lucky that I have you as such a close friend who could help me out like this.”

False laughed from where she was loading things back into her bag. “Don’t use me to dodge Doc, mate, it won’t work.”

Scar glanced back at Doc who was just staring back with an unimpressed expression and his arms folded over his chest. Slumping, the elf muttered something under his breath, cheeks tinging pink with an embarrassed blush.

“Mind repeating that for the class, Scar?”

Hunching in on himself somewhat, Scar pouted a little as he twisted his fingers together, the flush spreading to his ears. “He might have been trying to steal from the quest corner and I got everything back off him when he ran away so I just... covered up the crime a little,” he spoke quickly, trailing off more quietly towards the end of his hurried sentence.

Doc paused, taking a few moments to process the words before laughing loudly and clapping Scar on the shoulder hard enough to make the elf yelp. “About time you broke away from serving that despot!”

Scar immediately put his hands up, shaking his head rapidly. “No! No no, no! I am still very much Captain of the guard, thank you! I got the crystals back, and nothing was broken or missing after that, so no harm no foul, right?” Sighing, Scar let his shoulders droop a little. “Besides, he just... seemed a little desperate? I guess? He said he was just taking the stuff to help his family, I can’t really blame him for that, can I?”

False tutted, having perched herself back on a chair to listen. “Scar, literally any criminal would tell you a sob story to get away with it when they got caught.”

The elf just shrugged a little, sighing. “Maybe. I don’t know, he felt genuine to me. Avians are really family oriented, right?”

Fluttering her wings a little and readjusting them, False rolled her eyes a little. “For the most part, yes. Doesn’t mean you go around stealing. There’s laws and stuff, you know?”

“But what if I really just hurt this guy and his family? He just needed stuff to help them get by, I don’t want them to suffer, I’m not heartless.” Scar chewed his lip with worry etched into his expression.

Doc shrugged. “Not like you can hunt this mystery thief down and deliver him supplies.”

Scar perked up immediately at the offhand comment, grinning and bouncing to his feet. “Oh, that’s an amazing idea, Doc! That’s exactly what I’ll do!”

“I just said not to do exactly that—”

“Thanks for the help, I’ll let you know how it goes!” And he bounded off out of the room before either of his friends could stop him.

----

Grian sat in front of the swirling mists of the Rift, eyes half lidded in a bit of a trance, breathing slow and deep. Occasionally some of the mists would catch on his breath and fill his lungs, sending flashes of memory through his mind.

The strange magic that permeated this area was dense and almost tangible this close to the source. Grian had always seen flashes of things that hadn’t happened before he came here, dreams of things that hadn’t happened yet, or had happened but somewhere else, somehow else. Just another reason for him to be kept separate from the others growing up in the Alley, he supposed. But here at the Rift, the magic called out to him and made him feel at home.

He began to see more different possibilities with how close he was to a source this big. The differences reached out to him and crystallised in his mind, pulsing through his veins in magenta waves and letting him warp reality in small ways, swap out what could be with what was. A constant presence beside his own magic, within it even.

He breathed in deeply again, violet filtering through him. He was covered in mycelium, leading a group through a vicious war, triumph strong on his tongue as the company crushing their freedoms collapsed. Exhale. Inhale. He had a simple life with his few friends until being’s with too many eyes and too many wings took an interest and took him away to force him into the shape that they wanted. Exhale. Inhale. Blistering heat making his head swim as a familiar stranger with greyed skin and brilliantly, wrongly red eyes offered him a flower and sheepishly asked if they could still be friends.

“Grian?”

His eyes snapped open and he muffled a shriek of shock that escaped him as he fell off his seat. Fighting back the red that threatened to flood his face, he stood up quickly, brushing himself off. “Yeah?”

The spider hybrid dangling upside down from a silken thread had the decency to look apologetic, at least. “I felt someone snag one of the webs I laid out. There’s someone in the Lush, they’re heading this way.”

Grian bit back a groan, rubbing his face hard. Super duper. Just what he wanted after last night. He straightened himself, nodding sharply. “Right. Let’s go see if we can get rid of them before they cause a problem then.” He spread his wings and took off, swooping out of the hidden cavern, careful not to catch the taut silk thread.

----

Scar huffed a little as he climbed through the dense trees of the Lush. Despite being a tree elf, this was the first time he’d come to the inhospitable jungle. The whole place reeked of distorted magic that made his scalp tingle in a way he couldn’t be sure if it was good or bad, but it felt dangerous either way.

But he’d seen the thief heading off this way, and the odd crimes that had been happening seemed to have this area as a central point, as well as it being an excellent place to disappear into if that’s what your goal was. Besides, Scar just had a gut feeling, and he was very good at following his intuition.

He shifted the pack strapped to his back, manoeuvring through the foliage and humming a jaunty tune to keep himself in good spirits. The humming stopped abruptly as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and he turned to find the tip of a sword levelled at him. Holding it was a heavy set piglin hybrid, her hair carefully braided with a few thin golden bands woven into it.

Scar raises his hands placatingly, giving her a nervous smile. “Heyyyy friend! No need for that, I don’t come here to do any harm.”

“Why did you come here then?” came a sharp voice to his left.

Not wanting to turn his back on the blade pointed at him, he glanced in the direction of the voice. A shorter man with pitch black eyes and carefully folded black and white wings stood there, wearing an expression of deep distrust and barely concealed panic, hand on the hilt of his own sword. Taking a brief moment to glance around, Scar realised there were more then just the two hybrids there, more figures stepping out of the dark treeline with their own weapons drawn.

Scar swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry as he felt nervous sweat collect on his forehead. He hadn’t heard any of them on his path here, but he had been pretty confident that the Lush was so difficult to traverse that he would have had plenty of warning if anyone was walking in his direction. “I, ahh, we met the other night at the King’s quest building, right?”

Grian flared his wings in response to the question, face immediately twisting into a glare and a scowl. “I don’t know what you think I did, guardsman, but I didn’t, and you’re mistaken.”

Scar perks up, smiling. “No, I’m pretty sure I recognise your voice. Besides, you didn’t really do anything as far as the law is concerned, I got the crystals and put them all back before anyone even noticed! But I brought some things for you and the others! Your wings look lovely without the dye, by the way.”

Shifting the pack off his shoulder, Scar plops it on the floor and begins going through it, steadfastly ignoring how all of the hybrids immediately tense and ready their weapons.

Grian squawked in embarrassment at the compliment, the wings on his head flapping a little in mild distress. “What do you mean you brought stuff for us?”

The elf looked up, pulling out a small bundle of golden carrots from his pack, tipping his head to the side only to immediately blow at the strands of hair that fell in his face. “You said you needed the crystals to help out the people you care about, right? I wasn’t sure about what you’d need, but I figured some food would be a good start.”

Glancing around at the others, Grian took a moment before slowly nodding and releasing the grip on the hilt of his sword, the others relaxing as he did. “...If this is a trick, we’ll feed you to the Lush.”

Scar laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Good thing it isn’t a trick then. I just felt bad that you might be struggling because of me. Have you got somewhere you want me to stick this stuff?”

There was a long pause before Grian sighed, shoulders slumping a little. “Follow us, we’ll show you where we live.”

The elf immediately gasped in delight, excitement practically shining on his face. “Oh, that’s amayzin! I promise you won’t regret this! My name is Scar, it’s nice to meet you officially.”

Grian scoffed a little, turning and beginning to walk at a brisk pace, the other hybrids trailing around in a group, keeping the guard loosely surrounded. “You can call me Grian. And if I do regret it, this place will quite literally eat you. It’s funny like that.”

Scar glanced down at the floor of the forest then up at the path ahead. They hadn’t gone far yet, but the path was already looking suspiciously clear and easy to navigate. He suppressed a shudder that tried to run down his spine. “So, uhh, how do you live here? I’ve heard all the stuff that’s happened, people going missing, the Lush just swallowing whole settlements. Even the magic here is incredibly... scribbly.”

Grian barked out a laugh, turning to look back at Scar with a wry grin. “’Scribbly’? That’s a new one. But I suppose it’s as good a word as any.” He shrugged a little, running a hand fondly over a tree trunk as they passed, and Scar was sure he could see a few barely visible veins of violet light pulse along the avians hand before it was hidden by the sleeve of his sweater. “This place, the Lush, the caverns below, all of it. It’s like a spring, in a way. If you don’t mess around with it, nothing happens. But if you start pulling it or trying to twist it out of shape...”

“...It springs back,” Scar mused, nodding slowly to himself, beaming when Grian gave him a finger gun to acknowledge his following along.

“It springs back. Usually taking things with it. Which is why buildings and people vanish in here. But you work with it and it’ll work with you. Easy enough.”

Grinning, Scar looked around the jungle with newly appreciative eyes. “That’s incredible! How did you figure this all out?”

Grian turned away, focusing back on the path. “Plenty of opportunity to figure things out when you don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Scar fixed his gaze onto Grian’s back at that, pursing his lips. “...How long have you been here?”

“I’m one of the newer people in the group. But a few years at this point. I think the one who’s been here the longest is Slink.”

“Slink?”

“The sculk hybrid. That’s not their actual name, but no one can get the sounds right so they told everyone to just call them Slink.” Grian nods over to the shorter hybrid. “They said they lived in the Deep Dark not far from here, but the city razed it for mining and resources.”

Paling a little, Scar baulked at the comment. He remembered the excursion that the King had sent to the Deep Dark a good few years back. Reports had come back that the caverns were empty and abandoned, not even undead or creepers haunting the area. The entire area had been cleared and repurposed, it has been great for the city once it had been cleared of the sculk that would occasionally summon the dreaded Wardens.

But to hear that someone had lost their home because of it... Scar didn’t feel like talking very much for the rest of the journey to the groups’ camp.

Grian spread his wings, using them to hop up into the shelter of the domed roof and towers, turning to Scar who was climbing up behind him quickly. “Welcome to our home, I guess. You can put the stuff you brought over here.”

Scar nodded, following him over and beginning to pull out a few bundles of fruit and vegetables, as well as loaves of bread and dried meat. “I brought a bit of everything, I wasn’t sure if anyone had specific diets.”

Grian nodded, putting the things away. “Some of us do, so it’s appreciated.”

“Is there anything else you need? I can bring more stuff next time.” Scar gave him a small smile as he finished unloading the pack. Black eyes narrowed up at him at the offer and he fought not to shrivel under the stare.

“...You don’t have to do anything else. This is enough.”

“I also didn’t have to bring this stuff. I did it because I wanted to.” He put a hand over his heart, expression as serious as he could make it. “I swear it on my elf cookies.”

Despite himself, Grian snorted. “Fine, fine. If you’re sure you don’t mind, we wouldn’t mind some more blankets. The lack of walls can be a bit cold some mornings. If you can get them, some medical supplies would be appreciated too. Just in case.”

Scar nodded enthusiastically. “I can do that! Will you be able to meet me to help me get through the Lush.”

“No need.” Grian shrugged a little, staring off at the treeline visible between the quartz pillars. “You’re welcome here, unless you do something that gets that welcome revoked. Just walk here and you’ll find your way.”

“That’s not unnerving in the slightest. But it’s nice to know I’m welcome,” Scar grinned, bouncing on his heels a little. “I’m busy for the next couple days with work, but my duties should ease up if the little crime wave we’ve been having stops, so I’ll have more time to come visit.”

Grian folded his arms over his chest, a single arched brow raising over an unimpressed expression. “Better hope that crime wave stops then. I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

The elf chuckled a little. “Of course. It was nice to meet you and your family, Grian.”

Nodding, Grian stretched his wings a little and with a short flap he jumped up, grabbing onto some of the roots peering through the cracks in the ceiling and swinging himself into his nest and vanishing from sight. “If you head in the direction you came, you should get a clear path through.”

Scar gave him a loose salute and one last beaming smile, turning to head off, waving at a few of the hybrids who had stuck around.

“Oh, and Scar?”

He turned to the avian who was poking out of his nest, shooting the shorter man a curious look.

“Thank you.”

Grian withdrew out of sight before Scar could say anything in reply, but the guard felt a pleased blush spread across his face and he was still smiling long after he made his way out of the Lush.

Chapter Text

Thankfully, as Scar had hoped, the petty crime dropped significantly after his visit to the Lush, and after a few days the King allowed the guard presence to be reduced, though he still wasn’t happy that the culprit hadn’t been apprehended.

On his first full day off in a while, Scar was up unreasonably early. He knew that because he rolled over in bed and groaned when he saw that the sunrise out his window hadn’t even started yet. Sometimes he cursed his body's natural lack of a need for sleep. Getting to snooze half the morning away seemed like an incredible luxury that he just wasn’t attuned for.

He flopped over onto his back, reaching his hand over to stroke his fingers through Jellie’s fur, he smiled softly as she began to purr quietly. Staring up at the ceiling, he considered his options. As much as he very much wanted to go see his new little group of friends, they probably didn’t sleep the same as he did and Scar really didn’t want to be ‘fed to the Lush’ if they weren’t happy with being woken, whatever that meant.

Sighing, the guard stared at the ceiling, figuring out his plan for the morning. Now he was awake, laying here wasn’t an option, he just wasn’t wired that way. Rolling over, he gave Jellie a smooch on the top of her head then slid out of bed, stretching and grabbing some more casual clothing.

Scar was in the kitchen rummaging for some honey to put in his tea when the idea hit him; he could bake some cookies and take them with him. Grian had seemed more than a little hostile to start, and there was nothing to foster good will and friendship like a cookie baked by an elf. At least that’s what his grandmother used to say, anyway.

Grinning to himself, he swigged a mouthful of too-hot tea and swept his hair back into a ribbon to keep it out of the way, hurrying around the kitchen to scoop everything he might need onto the table before beginning to mix ingredients.

By the time the sun had risen, Scar was scooping a fourth batch of cooled cookies into their own jar, tucking all of them away into a pack to take with him. He had a few different types, just in case any of them had preferences, but he was pretty sure most of his bases were covered.

He jumped a little when Jellie hopped onto the counter, grinning and giving her a scratch behind the ears.

“Morning Jellie. Did you get a good sleep? Are you gonna be okay on your own if I’m gone for a few hours?”

She meowed and Scar planted a kiss on her head.

“I knew you would be, I just wanted to make sure. I’m bringing a few things to Grian and his friends, making sure they’re okay, you know.”

Jellie sprang up onto his shoulders, pacing for a moment before settling around him like a purring scarf.

“Jels, you can’t come with me. I’m barely okay to step into the Lush, I don’t want to risk a tree wanting to munch you. Maybe when they’re a bit more used to me?”

She let out a wail of protest when she was plucked from her perch on Scar’s shoulders and set on the floor, though she was appeased quickly with a fresh bowl of food and another ear scratch.

“I’m going out to the shops, look after the house while I’m gone goodbyeeeee!” Scar scooped up his pack that was filled with cookie jars and darted off before Jellie could protest again.

He caught a few early traders, picking up a few heavy blanket rolls and some preserved food, paying for everything with a smile and a sweet word to the merchants as he went around.

The heavy scent of cinnamon and nutmeg caught on the breeze as Scar made his way to the older part of the shopping district, making the elf grimace slightly with the overpowering odor. The large bakery had been churning out pumpkin pies for hours by this point and the air was thick with the smell. Not that he minded pies, mind you! He’d been a big fan of them when they had first began as a small bakery, but since the King had taken an interest in the business they’d become more industrial and the artificial tang of everything they made now made Scar’s teeth ache.

Stifling the protests from his nose, Scar slipped down the path to a small cave in the wall beside the docks, humming merrily as he hopped across the slick rocks that left something of a pathway through the semi flooded grotto. Most patrons of the coffee themed potion shop ended up having to get their socks wet to buy from here but Scar was usually sure-footed enough to avoid that fate. A good thing too, because wet socks were one of the worse things to inflict upon someone.

Poking through the chests of neatly ordered bottles, Scar fished out a few red tinted liquids, looking them over with interest as he debated whether a regeneration pot or instant health would be better. He’d never been especially gifted with Alchemy, but the amount of effects that could be produced always fascinated him.

“Hope you’re going to be paying for those.”

Scar screamed in shock, losing his balance on the rock he was perched on and toppling into the water, potion bottles being flung as he flailed his arms out. One of them hit the water and stayed intact, but the other spiralled towards the wall, a blue glow catching it just before impact and vanishing it out of sight.

Jerking up out of the water, now thoroughly soaked, Scar glared at Cub with all the fury of a cat that just fell in the bath. The Royal Magician was stood atop the water as if it was solid, tossing the potion vial in his hand as he grinned down at the sodden elf, the wide brim of his pointed hat shadowing his face and making his irises glow faintly with pewter blue magic, lighting the dragon bones that decorated him ominously.

“Cub. I’m trying to purchase from your shop and you’re giving me an absolute heart attack! This is terrible customer service! And now all my stuff is wet!” Scar huffed, hauling himself out of the water to sit on top of a chest and begin wringing out his hair and tunic.

Cub laughed, vanishing the potion from his hand. “I’m sorry man, let me give you a hand.” He pulled a scrap of sponge from a pouch on his belt, the blue magic circling in his palm and crawling over Scar like veins.

The elf winced a little as he was magically dried in a couple of seconds. He and Cub had similar enough magic that it was familiar, but different enough that it could set his teeth on edge when he wasn’t expecting it.

“Ahh... thanks Cub,” Scar smiled a little, checking over his shopping and finding that all dry too.

“No problem, man. So, what’s the deal with the deal with the regen and health? Planning on getting into some trouble? Anything I can get in on?” Cub grinned, rocking on his heels slightly.

“Oh, nothing too exciting! Just doing a bit of stocking up for a friend, you know how it is,” Scar beamed, doing his best to skirt around the questions as vaguely as possible, scooping a few glass bottles into a bag.

The Magician arched a brow, shrugging a little. “Not really, no. But hey, as long as you’re paying for my stock I don’t care who it’s going to.”

Scar snorted a little, fishing out some diamonds and passing them over to his friend. “Oh, really? What if it was going to a witch then, huh?”

“Psssh. If a witch, known for making potions, wants what I brew, then I’d be using that as a point to advertise with,” Cub scoffed, taking the diamonds and tucking them away quickly.

Blinking as if the thought had just occurred to him, Scar paused at the comment. “Oh, I suppose that’s true... I never thought about that before! I suppose I can’t be giving them to a witch then.” He grinned a little sheepishly, nestling the potions carefully into his bag.

Cub arched a brow at his friend. “Should I be concerned you’re trying to make friends with witches?”

“Who, me? No no no, I’m far too busy to be making friends with witches, Cub of the Fans!” Scar beamed, hopping over the rocks and booping the shorter man on the nose, taking the opportunity to scoot past him and hurry for the exit before any more questions could be asked. “Speaking being busy, I really do need to be getting going, things to buy, people to see, cookies to eat!”

Scar scurried out before Cub could stop him, though he was very aware that his friend could just catch up to him with magic if he really wanted to. Sighing a little, he made his way back towards the markets, planning to cut through there in case Cub did follow him before he made his way to the Lush.

By now the markets were in full swing despite the early morning hour, traders calling for attention, and Scar found his eye drawn towards a shepherd’s stall, clothing made of beautifully dyed wools on display.

He paused briefly, staring at the garments thoughtfully. One more purchase wouldn’t hurt.

----

It was a short while before the dawn when Grian woke up. Despite years of ignoring them, his avian instincts still gave him the desire to sing with the sunrise and no matter how tired he was he’d wake up in time for it.

Over the years alone he’d taken to going for a flight so he didn’t feel the urge to sing, suppressing one bird brain desire with another, so he didn’t feel as hollow when he didn’t here another’s song in response to his.

And besides, this early in the morning people were usually still asleep or at least wishing they were, and that made it easy to indulge another habit of his. Magpie hybrids often got a bad reputation from the moment they showed up, and Grian had decided that if they were going to think that of him anyway, he’d give them exactly what they expected out of sheer spite. Of course, it had started as spite and unfortunately it was now much more like a compulsion. Though Grian would never actually admit that to anyone.

He dropped out of his nest and landed lightly, the other hybrids undisturbed by his movement. Slipping out of the building on the rock, he ran a hand over one of the pillars and felt the familiar ripple of magic flowing from the Rift below. Smiling faintly, he left his hand there for a moment before spreading his wings and taking off into the pre-dawn sky.

Once he was high enough he twisted sharply, spiralling a few times and gliding away from the city. There weren’t as many fun things to pickpocket away from the main population, but there also weren’t anywhere near as many guards either, and that was what Grian cared about more right now.

He allowed himself to fall into a smooth rhythm, gliding along the air currents and using minimal effort to keep himself in the sky. It was too early for anyone to be out who’d care enough to notice him flying around and he planned to take full advantage of it.

It didn’t take long for him to spot a small town not far from the mountains. He’d avoided the mountains before as the entrance to whatever home someone had built in there was pretty obvious, and Grian was fairly certain he’d seen an eagle hybrid in the area, the last sort of person he wanted to encounter. Swooping down low, he landed carefully on the roof of what looked to be a town hall, scanning the area.

Row on row of neat shops and houses were set out across carefully paved pathways and it made Grian squirm uncomfortably. With a place this organised and structured it wouldn’t be possible to find somewhere to hide easily, and the lack of clear safe spots set his nerves alight. He had his magic if all else failed, but he didn’t fancy relying on that too far from the Rift and the rest of his flock.

Taking a breath, he hopped up, gliding quietly from rooftop to rooftop, keeping an eye out for any locals up early that might spot him. There were a few hybrids that wandered the streets, but thankfully for the most part they either didn’t look up or Grian managed to hide before he was noticed.

He landed on a chimney, perking up when he saw the town square. In the centre there was a large amethyst geode that has been settled around a fountain. Grian’s eyes lit up as he saw a handful of the crystals were ready for harvesting, just sitting there. Glancing around to make sure the square was empty, the avian swooped into the open crescent of precious gemstone, landing on a larger point of the crystal. Working quickly and not caring about the splashing water, Grian grabbed at the clusters that looked a bit bigger and could be snapped off.

With a tiny pulse of magic, the glittering stones came away easily, and Grian stuffed them into a pouch on his belt. About thirty seconds later and he had a half dozen amethyst shards stashed away, hauling himself out of the calcite shell and checking that there wasn’t anyone immediately around to see him before spreading his wings and taking to the sky.

Setting a fast pace, he was out of reach of anyone in the town that might have seen him in a few moments, climbing higher in the sky before he felt safe enough to reach into his bag and pull out one of the shards to look it over properly. He held it up to the early morning sun, letting the light shine through it and catch on the warps and lines within the stone. It made his heart flutter with delight at his new nest decoration. He’d have to keep this towards the front so it could catch the light.

Twirling through the sky lazily, it didn’t take the avian too long to reach the outskirts of the Lush, angling his wings to swoop in at a comfortable pace. After  one of his ‘shopping trips’ it was nice to be greeted by the deep green of the jungle around the place he considered home now.

He was more than happy to savour the peace for a little while, landing in the top of a tree and settling into the branches. Around him, birds sang, insects chirped and nature hummed with life. It was a far stretch from the Alley where he grew up, which had a pulse all of its own, and the city nearby which felt like all life had been aggressively stamped out and buried beneath the road systems.

Using his wings, Grian hopped from tree to tree, taloned feet gripping the branches as he went. Half gliding and half jumping, he made his way back towards the boulders in the middle that held his home, enjoying the stretch of muscles he didn’t get to use often.

Springing out of a tall tree and splaying his wings to slow his fall, he landed at the front of the main building and almost fell over himself as he screeched to a halt as he saw Scar sat in the middle of the floor, chatting away as his hair was being wound into an intricate knot.

The elf looked over at the sound of the avian near crashing into the floor, ignoring the disapproving tut from the spider hybrid as his braid was tugged out of her multiple hands when he jumped to his feet, beaming and clearly excited to see Grian. That only served to put the shorter man more on edge at the guards sudden presence.

 “What are you doing back here?”

Grian realised he might have sounded a bit more harsh than he intended as Scar’s steps faltered a little and he stopped in his tracks, beaming smile fading to something a little more uncertain and hesitant.

“I didn’t mean to, intrude or anything. I just, well, this is the first time I’ve had the chance to come back, and you said I was okay to visit and I have a few of the things you said you’d need, so—” Scar began rambling a little nervously, grabbing his bag.

The inscrutable pitch black stare from the shorter avian made him feel like he’d swallowed a wither rose, but Scar was nothing if not persistent and friendly he reminded himself. He pulled out one of the jars of cookies, giving Grian a small smile as he nodded to the spider hybrid who had picked herself up and was scooting out of the way. “Andeline already helped put away the blankets and potions I brought, and most of the bits of food. But these I made myself! Nothing beats an Elven cookie made with love!”

Grian took the jar offered as Scar beamed, talons tapping lightly on the glass as he did. His mouth was twisted slightly in a frown of reluctance and the strained politeness felt obvious on his own face, though Scar seemed either oblivious to it or was ignoring it masterfully. “Ah. I wasn’t actually expecting you to bring things here for us, if I’m being honest. I would have just settled for you not telling people how to get here.” He glanced down at the cookies in his hands, lips pursing slightly as he tucked them away onto a shelf. “...I can’t really eat chocolate, but I’m sure the others will enjoy these.”

Scar let out an excited noise, pulling through his bag and tugging out another three jars of cookies. Grian fought the urge to run his hand down his face at how ridiculous this man was, quickly finding his arms filled with containers.

“Well luckily for you, I happen to be an elf of many talents! And many recipes. I happen to have a few avian friends of my own, or at the very least friendly acquaintances!” Scar beamed, tapping at the jars which had a thin green ribbon tied around the top. “Avian safe and extremely delicious.”

A silence hung between them after Scar’s excited explanation, just a few beats too stretched out and the wide smile had enough time to begin to falter ever so slightly before Grian sighed, stacking the jars onto the shelf and plucking one of the cookies from the green ribboned container.

Scar felt like he was close to bouncing in anticipation, settling for rocking on his heels lightly as Grian took an age closely examining the baked good before he took a relatively small bite. His wings perked up ever so slightly and fluttered just a smidge, making a small bead of delight swell in the elf’s chest at the tony expressions of body language. It gave him a bit of hope that the stone-faced magpie hybrid wasn’t going to be too much of a tough cookie.

“...It’s good.”

“Just good?!” Scar sputtered, swooning back dramatically, a hand to his forehead and clutching his chest with the other. “Oh! I’m so wounded! You may as well have stabbed me! Elf cookies just good? Where did I fail?!”

Scoffing a little, Grian gave Scar a sharp nudge, almost sending him off his feet at the unexpected gesture. “Alright, they’re very good. Look, see?” He took a second, bigger bite of his cookie to demonstrate.

Scar laughed, wiggling his eyebrows and putting his hands on his hips. “Getting closer. What do I have to do to get you to admit that it’s the best cookie you’ve ever had?”

Grian pursed his lips a little, folding his arms over his chest and arching a brow in response. “I don’t think we’re close enough friends for that, Scar.”

“Ah, but we are friends then?” Scar laughed again as Grian turned red and let out a few faltering protests, once more digging through his worn bag. “You said it, I’m counting it! Official and real, no take backs! As for the cookie issue, what if I offered you a present? Or a bribe if you want to think of it like that so you can pretend we aren’t friends still.”

“A present? What sort of a present?” Grian’s wings spread a little in interest before he managed to snap them shut again, though he couldn’t stop himself from leaning forward.

Scar grinned, pulling out a parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. “I had to guess a little with the size, but I hope you like it. You mentioned how it gets cold, and your shirt is looking a little, um. Worn?”

Narrowing his eyes slightly at the comment, Grian couldn’t help himself from reaching out and taking the gift anyway, curiosity having been something he’d never been able to resist. He snapped the twine easily with a pull from his sharpened talon, tugging away the paper to reveal vibrant red fabric.

Grian shook it out lightly, running his hand over the soft wool of the jumper, staying quiet as he took in the gift. It looked a bit big for him, but he didn’t mind that especially, it would be better to tuck into through the nights. It had been years since he’d been given a gift, and longer still since it had been anything as nice as this.

Scar watched Grian stare at it, nerves building in his chest as he watched. It only took a few seconds before the silence got too much for him to handle and he began chattering away to fill the quiet. “I hope you like the colour and the fabric. You just seemed like a red type of guy, and wool is a fantastic material to make clothes from. It’s made for people with wings too, there’s little buttons to close up the spots in the back when you’ve got your wings through, so it’s pretty good! You can go flying in it if you wanted--”

He stopped short at the exasperated sound from the smaller man, afraid for a second that he’d let his mouth run too long again. Relief flooded him when Grian gave him a small amused smile, shaking his head a little.

“No need to convince me, Scar. This is really nice.”

Before Scar could reply, Grian turned his back to the elf and tugged off his ratty thin sweater, stretching out his wings a little as he looked over the row of buttons that ran from the holes for his wings up towards the shoulders, undoing them to slip it on.

A few light scars ran across the pale skin, and small black and white feathers covered the join where Grian’s wings met his back and the space in between. It was only as the avian pulled the new shirt over his head that Scar realised he’d been staring and absently contemplating how soft those feathers on his back might be. He very quickly averted his gaze to look fixatedly at the domed ceiling instead and ignored the slight blush on his face.

“How does it look then?” Grin had turned back while Scar was admiring the way the quartz pillars turned into veins in the rock, arms bent awkwardly around the back of his neck as he pulled the fabric to button up the wing holes.

A thoughtful hum and Scar nodded. “I was right about red being your colour! It looks great.”

Grian gave him a small lopsided smile. “Guess this means your cookies are the best I’ve ever had.”

Scar paused, puzzled for a moment before his eyes lit up in understanding and he clapped in delight. “Oh! Yes! Ha ha, victory! Now I know why people try bribing.”

Scoffing a little at that, Grian turned to the pile of chests to begin sorting through them, looking at what Scar had brought. The elf stood there nervously for a few moments, glancing between Grian and the trees outside.

“...I guess that was pretty much it though... I’ll get going, out your hair and such...” He shuffled towards the exit, scooping up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

Grian looked up from the chest he was buried in, brow furrowing slightly. “...You can stay a while longer. If you want.”

The nervous expression on Scar’s face immediately lightened and he smiled. “Are you sure? You wouldn’t mind?”

“No. I did say you were welcome here.” Grian shrugged a little, choosing not to recall his reaction to coming back to find Scar here. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Andeline would want to finish your braids. You’ve got longer hair than anyone here by far.”

Scar reached back and touched the intricate network of braids that the spider hybrid had begun, most of which had fallen out by now. He glanced over to her only to see she was already climbing down from the web she’d spun between pillars with an eager expression on her face.

He smiled a little, giving Grian a nod. “Alright. Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Thanks for helping us out. You aren’t too terrible. For a guard.”

Making a dramatic wounded sound, Scar turned on heel and looped his arm with one of Andeline’s own. “You’re so cruel to me, Mister Grian. Come on, Andeline, at least you appreciate me.”

She nodded enthusiastically, grinning. “Very much so. Let’s make you pretty, yes?”

Grian snorted with amusement as Scar and Andeline wandered off to braid each others hair, finishing organising the chests before he hopped up into his nest. Tugging out the amethyst crystals he’d gathered earlier, he began decorating with them, tucking them carefully into the branches near the entrance so that they’d catch the light when it shone in. Settling back, he curled up to admire his work, glancing at his sleeves and running his thumb over the vibrantly coloured soft fabric.