𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖜𝖓 【&】ᴇʀʀᴏʀ

he felt something inside him drop straight through the earth. she was scared..not annoyed. or frustrated..scared..the kind of fear people only carried for things they couldn’t bear to lose. the last three months replayed in fragments sharp enough to cut: dead coastlines. empty forests. endless rain. hopeless dreams whispering his name like a curse. all those nights convincing himself he was chasing destiny instead of spiraling headfirst into another obsession he didn’t know how to let go of. and the entire time.. he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving.

not eda.  not luz. not willow…he had just vanished..as if that like that somehow made it easier. the realization hit him so hard he physically winced.“…oh, titan,” he muttered under his breath, sounding genuinely horrified with himself now. king stared at her for a long second beneath rain, lips parting slightly before shutting again. there were a thousand things he could say.. most of them terrible. one of them involved pretending he had actually died and come back somehow cooler, but even he knew that joke would probably get him buried alive beneath sentient vines tonight.

“yeah,” he murmured..lowering his gaze. clover buzzed softly atop his shoulder, tiny paws pressing against his damp hoodie as he stared at willow slowly understanding the shape of the damage he’d left behind. his grip tightened around the convenience store coffee until the cup crumpled slightly in his hand as the roots beneath the pavement began moving. “um..wow. okay. cool.” another helpless shake of his head. “i’m actually the villain in this story.” lightning cracked somewhere overhead.. “don’t agree with me.”

thunder rumbled anyway.“traitor.” he could feel the city reacting to her grief like a nervous animal pressed against a cage. his gaze dropped briefly to the cracks near her feet before lifting back to her face and thats when something inside him softened catastrophically.

there she was. still here. angry and frightened and shaking beneath the rain after three months of silence, and somehow she was still standing here looking at him like he was something worth being furious over. that was the part that undid him.

not the yelling. not the storm. that.

he ran a hand over his face with a tired groan. “okay..so… hypothetically speaking..” he started carefully, “if someone did accidentally follow a cosmic hallucination into the wilderness because they thought maybe the universe was finally handing them a life-changing revelation…”lightning cracked again"...but..there wasn’t anything out there.”

the humor slipped.just for a second. long enough for the truth to show through. “i kept thinking if i walked a little farther, or stayed one more night, or followed the dream one more time, i’d find…” his brows pinched slightly. “something that made sense.”

rainwater slid from the edge of his jaw as he laughed again, weaker now...sadness edging at this words…“instead i got attacked by seagulls in maine.” he pause. “which, by the way...they are demons..one stole my sandwich and looked me directly in the eyes while doing it.”

⸻🍂 WILLOW HAD NEVER UNDERSTOOD HOW EASILY THE human-realm loved an villain. As if the villainy-trope came out theatrical ⸻ painfully-overused ⸻ needing an cape &. some wicked laugh before anyone knew what to do with it. Standing there just an few feet away from an 24-hour convenience store with rain reflecting neon while trying to listen to them talk. As King? Cassian? Certainly talked themselves in &. out of blame as Clover vibrated as if trying to keep the storm from choosing sides. While they talked about some . . . cosmic road-trip disaster they tried to fold into an joke if they bent it hard enough. As she saw less of King Clawthorne ⸻ because the untouchable ⸻ walking declaration of impossible prowess of confidence &. chaotic-overlording ⸻ looked painfully mortal ⸻ &. painfully just as lost as she was. In the kind of way they both simply been alone to long &. dumbly standing in the rain outside an 24-hour convenient store long past midnight running out of ways to pretend that they were fine ⸻ spoiler alert: they were far from fine. Then Cassian reached the part about Maine ⸻ the joke was possibly somewhere to far away to recognize. As something moved across her face that she didn't bother stopping ⸻ jaw clenching tight ⸻ smokey-quartz going somewhere inward ⸻ pupil-sharp &. very far in thought from there. Because it wasn't just Cassian she was seeing anymore ⸻ but fragments of Luz ⸻ &. the moment her encouragement had carried Luz somewhere she hadn't thought far enough ahead about. As she believed in Luz the way Luz believed in everything . . . &. that ideology in an Demon-Realm had once felt like the right thing until Luz was captured.

Dragging Gus into danger. She had put danger around Gus as she dragged them into an nightmare ⸻ because she had believed . . . when she should have kept everyone protected &. rooted. As Miss.Clawthorne had lost there magic ⸻ almost had been stoned ⸻ &. stood at the edge of something irreversible. While the shambled-door to the human-realm was in Emperor Belos hands. &. the weight of that had never fully left her. Not protecting them the way she should have had an helplessness that doesn't go away.

While the knowledge that being STRONG after the damage isn't the same as stopping it before it began. Because Luz wouldn't have lost her way home. Miss.Clawthorne would not have had fought for Luz &. paid for it. The world would not have taken so much from people she cared &. loved while she stood there in the shape of her failure after the fact. Feeling her skin going cold ⸻ as its not from standing in the rain. Its the way Emperor Belos's voice ⸻ soft as rot ⸻ entered in her mind like something opening without knocking.

But I'll know ⸻ of courses they would know. Emperor Belos . . . always sounded as if knowing gave them the right to take ⸻ judge ⸻ &. press the Demon-Realm beneath there hand until it bent into the shape they wanted it to be. Pushing the weight of there hands on there shoulders from behind ⸻ pressing her down like an command ⸻ feeling spiders crawl beneath every layer of her ⸻ like someone forcing her toward an kneel ⸻ that had always wanted her on her knees. &. because of her Emperor Belos had. That. Damn. Door. The Day of Unity as the Titan intended ⸻ an door that had been broken in the chaos but what if . . . what if ⸻ unlimited patience &. time was all Emperor Belos needed to find an way to fix the door to the human-realm? &. what if there oracle magic didn't need the perfect fix to reach ⸻ an titan ⸻ an very directionless titan ⸻ that heard an voice that sounded like damn-destiny. Always ⸻ Half-A-Witch-Willow. As she stood there &. felt the full weight of Cassians words settling over her the way rain does ⸻ everywhere at once. There was hurt in her face ⸻ but she was holding it all back. While it felt more like trying to understand why something like that hurt so much. While still caring to deeply to walk away from it. As she didn't know if King ⸻ Cassian ⸻ was another missing name in Elias ⸻ traveling ⸻ somewhere in between ⸻ as she didn't know if they needed help ⸻ because they didn't tell anyone ⸻ didn't reach out ⸻ didn't consider that someone might actually be measuring there absence in small &. terrible ways ⸻ but luckily it lived rent free in that head of theres.

Half-A-Witch-Willow ⸻ with an Half-A-Sided-Friendship.

“ It's . . . late ⸻ ” she scraped out like metal against an rainy sidewalk ⸻ politely. As she honestly didn't even know what time it even was because . . . everything was grey &. rainy. Rubbing the back of her neck with her hand as her smokey-quartzs behind rain-streaked glasses gazed at Clover ⸻ ' Escort him ' ⸻ ' Wherever he wants to go Clover ' ⸻ “ ⸻ go home ⸻ Cassian. ” Or somewhere close enough to count. As Clover air-lifted from King's rained-flat curls in an soft-shimmer re-shaped into its staff-form ready to be taken in his hands &. take him wherever he wants.

As Elias was grey &. rainy as she decided it was better to ⸻ what-an-drag ⸻ walk-away with her hands clasped loosely behind rain-soaked-dutch-braids . . . because staying would mean she'd had to admit how badly she had wanted him to ⸻ come back.

king stood perfectly still. the coffee cup remained crushed in his hand. rainwater dripped steadily from his curls.beside him on his shoulder, clover settled quietly. no longer hovering or darting through the rain. just there.keeping him company. their small warm paws pressed against soaked.the little palisman made a soft sound deep in their throat and nudged the side of his jaw. but all he could do was swallow hard.because somehow that hurt too.willow hadn't told him where to go.she'd told clover.escort him. take him home.as if she'd already given up on trusting him to find his own way there.

titan..that one stung the most.around them, the city stretched outward beneath his feet water spilling from overflowing gutters. the whole city felt alive..connected.even. held together by thousands of invisible threads and standing in the middle of it all, king had never felt more disconnected. there was nothing left to distract him from himself, he truly had hurt her. not accidentally or because destiny demanded it. not even  because the universe had forced his hand this time around. he had simply left..three months of silence, roads, coastlines and dreams...three months of convincing himself he'd call tomorrow…and still deciding not to.his grip tightened around the ruined coffee cup..what was left of it..the cardboard finally collapsed completely.rainwater splashed over his knuckles and suddenly he saw it. not through his eyes but through hers. willow checking her phone, pretending she wasn't worried..carrying his absence around like a heavy stone in her pocket. it all made his stomach twist and turns.clover nudged him again.gently and patient...how could he done that..

"yeah." his voice came out rough ."we really messed that one up, huh?" clover chirped. the tiniest sound.offended by the we. but despite everything, a weak smile pulled at the corner of his mouth briefly before disappearing because now she was farther away ..the rain trying unsuccessfully to erase her silhouette but failing to in the process.

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

late night excursions were nothing new to luz. there were moments when her mind was unkind, running a thousand miles per minute when all she wanted was silence. she had tossed and turned for what felt like hours in her bed. no matter how many times she shut her eyes, she didn't find herself drifting off to sleep. after the fifth unsuccessful attempt her eyes landed on her phone. the time staring back at her was after well after midnight. if she was going to be awake, it wasn't going to be here.

traveling at these hours isn't recommended because people were still going missing. it wasn't as frequent as it had been a few months ago, but the faces she had grown used to were dwindling. the recent death of orion bartholomew didn't ease anyone's minds either. luz believed as long as she stayed clear of the underland's entrance, she would be fine.

the hope of everything turning out alright still burned in her heart.

there was no plan for where she was going. luz just allowed her feet to carry her where she needed to go. with every step her feet sloshed through puddles and mud. the night air smelled of fresh rain. the dark clouds threatened another drizzle thankfully, luz had worn her favorite cat hoodie.

it didn't take long for the convenience store to come into view. when it did she stilled at the sight before her. the witch wondered if it was a lack of sleep that was playing tricks on her or if the night sky was muddling faces but in that instant she swore she saw the face of her beloved friend. his voice echoed towards her, giving all the confirmation she needed.

luz must have looked like a mad woman darting towards him in a purple blur. she wasted no time colliding into the person's body and pulling them into a hug. "king! you're back!"

"OOF"

coffee sloshed dangerously over the edge of the cup as he stumbled backward, nearly eating pavement for the second time that night. mcursedaybe he was crused after all. his first thought was honestly wow, this is a really affectionate mugging. his second thought came a fraction of a second later as he relaized whose hug this was. "...luz?" the name left him somewhere between disbelief and laughter. for a moment he just stared because somewhere between chasing cryptic dreams across half the continent and being repeatedly victimized by caves, he had forgotten what familiar looked or felt like..and how much he missed it. then the realization fully caught up to him and something in his chest loosened. he wrapped both arms around her without hesitation. "wow- hi.” the words came out muffled against her shoulder. "good to know i’m gone for three months and your first response is attempted manslaughter." he teased but didn’t let go. the last few months had been lonely. he'd spent so much time chasing something that didn't exis and for the first time since leaving, something finally felt real.

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

the 24-hour convenience store used to be scary for agnes, when she would visit it at night. now, between the silence and the darkness, there was a sense of calm in the midst of the busy-ness elias had become embroiled in. but agnes couldn't say the same when she stepped outside.

the person was yelling, clearly he had a vendetta against the universe (and who doesn't really?). it took her a few seconds to realise that it was a familiar face. at the thunder and lightning, agnes jumped slightly in shock—but she quickly composed herself again.

"being a dentist is good if you want to make a lot of money," she said, making her presence known. "i don't see you as a dentist, though." a click of the tongue. "you seem... riled up. you okay?"

only then did he seem to fully register agnes standing there beneath the flickering convenience store lights. she looked warm compared to him somehow..grounded in a way he currently was not. at her question, though, something in his expression shifted. the humor faltered around the edges.

"uh." he rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, gaze drifting somewhere over her shoulder toward the rain-slick street. "define okay?" his laugh came out thin and tired. "because physically? fantastic. i only got chased by one feral dog this month, which honestly feels like growth." he lifted his coffee slightly "emotionally? spiritually? cosmically?"

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

it wasn't to say that she barely noticed that he'd left, but that she was far too occupied with her own life. of course she did her best to reach out and make sure that everything was okay, but the witch had too much on her plate. she was waiting for some new sort of trouble to show up in this town. the few months of nothingness seemed too easy. maybe someone would say that she was too pessimist, but she was never the optimist in the equation.

"i can't see you as a dentist, unless you specialize in pulling teeth and not letting the patient take them home." Honestly, teeth were useful to have around. "i'm glad you're back." she took a sip of her tea. "you doing okay?"

lightning rumbled again somewhere overhead, softer this time, and he narrowed his eyes at the sky like he was actively in a custody battle with whatever god had it for him.

"i dunno." his voice came quieter now, worn thin from too many nights spent talking to himself and pretending it counted as coping. "i thought i was gonna find something." his thumb rubbed absently against the paper cup. rain tapped softly against the hood pulled over his curls. he looked older somehow... not physically.. but just in the way exhaustion settled into people when hope kept surviving longer than it should. "i kept getting led to these places that looked important until i got there and realized it was just another dead end with weird vibes and probably tetanus...”

so he left.

for three straight months, he chased the possibility of another titan across dead coastlines, abandoned towns, forests that hummed too loudly at night, and at least one cave that absolutely contained ghosts… or bats…could be both. he slept in places that probably violated several health codes and survived almost entirely on gas station coffee and spite, and so he kept following the voice in this dream that kept insisting he was close.

spoiler alert: he was not close...at all.

there had been no hidden titan waiting for him at the end of the journey. no long-lost family reunion. no ancient revelation. just some weird symbols carved into walls, increasingly threatening nightmares, and one old fisherman who threw a shoe at him after he accidentally might have sleepwalked onto his boat..rude.

by the time he stumbled back into elias sometime past midnight, exhausted and damp and carrying a backpack full of useless notes that now felt personally offensive, he had reached one very important conclusion: the universe was a comedian…and very very mean.rain drizzled lazily over the city as he stood outside a twenty-four hour convenience store looking like every cryptid warning poster rolled into one. curls now, flattened beneath his hood, boots caked in mud, and there was a concerning amount of glittering dust still clinging to one sleeve from an incident he had decided not to unpack emotionally. the automatic doors slid open behind him as he walked out. 

“just so we’re clear,” he informed the universe with one fist lifted up towards the sky, “if i ever get more prophetic dream, i’m becoming a dentist.” lightning cracked somewhere in the distance, causing him to almost drop the coffee he was holding “heyyy! don’t you dare start with me.”

⸻🍂 WILLOW WAS UNSURE IF THIS WAS AN omen or just another spring storm:

As she &. Clover had spent an few hours with Hunter &. Flapjack. While she walked beside Hunter with there hood half-slipped back with Flapjack tucked close under the hood like an small cardinal-heartbeat. Having conversations about everything &. nothing as she enjoyed listening to which somehow made it all the more important.  While she watched the way there facial expressions take shape under the dim-illumination of neon-shop signs. As Flapjack &. Clover at some point fluttered around creating there own chaos in the rainy-background making Hunter laugh like they'd forgotten to be guarded . . . just the 4 of them wandering nowhere beneath an rain that doesn't burn. She honestly adores them in the quietest way she knew how ⸻ which means she won't say anything at all.

&. everything was blurring grey past 10 ⸻ as grey swallowed everything ⸻ the gold from earlier turned grey. While the buildings around her were like soaked gravestones against an rainy-city as she moved through it with Clover &. the lonicera × ' mandarin ' ⸻ mandarin honeysuckle ⸻ threading into the gaps outside of apartment buildings gone silent.  Still breaking in &. rescuing animals with ribcages showing through fur ⸻ but not all get saved in time. The part that no spell can fix ⸻ it just sits inside her like she had swallowed-glass. As saving the ones left behind isn't really solving the disappearances. As its not even justice. It isn't even getting anywhere closer to answers she needs. Its just . . . standing in the aftermath holding up . . . some invisible structural-instability right before the whole damn thing collapses.

As it all happened so fast. While Clover found King first ⸻ because Clover had always been better at knowing what Willow needed. While she chased after an fire-bee palisman around an corner ⸻ past the blurry illuminated-glow of an 24-hour convenience store . . . where King ⸻ Cassian ⸻ looked like an like an cryptid who had robbed an lost-&.-found bin &. somehow lost. As they were alive in an way that made her own body forget how to move. However Clover reached them first ⸻ happy little tackle ⸻ vibrational-buzzing as they climbed &. settled on the top of there flattened-curled head with an soft-given headbutt to the forehead that would not have harmed or scared an leaf. As she felt happiness first ⸻ brightly ⸻ painfully ⸻ like she was touching an bruise to prove it still hurt.

Its worse when the rain made everything softer except the hurt ⸻ for 3-months ⸻ 3-months was not an number it was every unanswered worry ⸻ fear ⸻ &. ghostly-reminder of what she could lose ⸻ again. “ Start with you? ” As her voice came out to sharp &. trembling an little around the edges not knowing how to address them ⸻ King ⸻ Cassian ⸻ “ ⸻ I have been waiting 3-months! The storm can file a complaint &. get in line. ” &. for an moment she felt the way her magic restlessly ⸻ almost completely out of her own control ⸻ stirred the roots beneath the pavement desiring to break towards the surface. As she was to scared to move an single inch because she isn't so sure she's in control. As the rain slipped down her glasses . . . hopefully hiding her own fear behind smokey-quartzs ⸻ but it might not be enough.

“ You . . . scared me. ” 

he felt something inside him drop straight through the earth. she was scared..not annoyed. or frustrated..scared..the kind of fear people only carried for things they couldn’t bear to lose. the last three months replayed in fragments sharp enough to cut: dead coastlines. empty forests. endless rain. hopeless dreams whispering his name like a curse. all those nights convincing himself he was chasing destiny instead of spiraling headfirst into another obsession he didn’t know how to let go of. and the entire time.. he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving.

not eda.  not luz. not willow…he had just vanished..as if that like that somehow made it easier. the realization hit him so hard he physically winced.“…oh, titan,” he muttered under his breath, sounding genuinely horrified with himself now. king stared at her for a long second beneath rain, lips parting slightly before shutting again. there were a thousand things he could say.. most of them terrible. one of them involved pretending he had actually died and come back somehow cooler, but even he knew that joke would probably get him buried alive beneath sentient vines tonight.

“yeah,” he murmured..lowering his gaze. clover buzzed softly atop his shoulder, tiny paws pressing against his damp hoodie as he stared at willow slowly understanding the shape of the damage he’d left behind. his grip tightened around the convenience store coffee until the cup crumpled slightly in his hand as the roots beneath the pavement began moving. “um..wow. okay. cool.” another helpless shake of his head. “i’m actually the villain in this story.” lightning cracked somewhere overhead.. “don’t agree with me.”

thunder rumbled anyway.“traitor.” he could feel the city reacting to her grief like a nervous animal pressed against a cage. his gaze dropped briefly to the cracks near her feet before lifting back to her face and thats when something inside him softened catastrophically.

there she was. still here. angry and frightened and shaking beneath the rain after three months of silence, and somehow she was still standing here looking at him like he was something worth being furious over. that was the part that undid him.

not the yelling. not the storm. that.

he ran a hand over his face with a tired groan. “okay..so… hypothetically speaking..” he started carefully, “if someone did accidentally follow a cosmic hallucination into the wilderness because they thought maybe the universe was finally handing them a life-changing revelation…”lightning cracked again"...but..there wasn’t anything out there.”

the humor slipped.just for a second. long enough for the truth to show through. “i kept thinking if i walked a little farther, or stayed one more night, or followed the dream one more time, i’d find…” his brows pinched slightly. “something that made sense.”

rainwater slid from the edge of his jaw as he laughed again, weaker now...sadness edging at this words…“instead i got attacked by seagulls in maine.” he pause. “which, by the way...they are demons..one stole my sandwich and looked me directly in the eyes while doing it.”

king  blinked once as she sat before he could answer, gaze dropping to the offered pizza box like she’d just presented him with an ancient artifact.. a cheesy ancient artifact.. his favorite. 

“…you know,” he said slowly, “most people wait for consent before invading a crypt.”  he teased lookinng mildly impressed as he tilted his head, dark waves slipping into his face as he considered the pepperoni slice she offered. “this is either generosity..” he mused, “or the world’s least threatening assassination attempt.”

mandy, in all honesty, had taken a gamble when she sat here. most of the surrounding tables were full of families, friends, and conversationalists that she didn't necessarily care to interrupt. but here, he had been sitting alone and staring off into space in a way that indicated that he might not even acknowledge her sitting down at all.

she was wrong, of course.

a beat of silence passed between them and the pizza box. she blinked. leaned in. squinted in a way that denoted challenge. "most people aren't taking up a whole table to neglect their tray." picking her own slice up, she took a bit that was a bit too big for her mouth and let a lull settle between them for a second as she chewed, swallowed, took a sip of her diet coke. "dude, if this shit is poisoned, we're going down together." she took another bite, not realizing how hungry she was until the first one went down. "i'm mandy, by the way. since we'll probably be roommates in the afterlife or whatever."

“that’s reassuring,” he added, lifting the slice in a lazy little salute before taking a bite. “nothing bonds people faster than mutual food poisoning.” a crooked smile surfaced briefly between bites as he leaned back against the bench, gaze drifting toward the festival lights blinking overhead like distant stars trying too hard to be magical. for someone who always looked faintly haunted, he seemed strangely at ease beside her now. less gargoyle and more exhausted cryptid.

“mandy,” he repeated, slower this time, as if testing the shape of the name against his own thoughts. “that’s one solid apocalypse-partner name.” his eyes flicked back to hers “i’m kin-...” he caught himself for half a breath. “...cassian.” the correction came smoothly, but not naturally.

mandy walked away from pizza planet with a pepperoni pizza in hand and a dream, scanning the picnic tables set up nearby for an empty seat. unfortunately she picked a prime time to eat, because everything seemed just a little bit occupied. against every introvert bone in her body, she approached the one table that only held one occupant.

"cool if i sit here?" she didn't wait for a response as she sat down, since empty was a luxury not afforded to her in the moment and she just wanted to eat. flipping open the box, she took a slice, took a bite, and then gestured toward the rest. "do you want some of this? i won't eat the whole thing."

king  blinked once as she sat before he could answer, gaze dropping to the offered pizza box like she’d just presented him with an ancient artifact.. a cheesy ancient artifact.. his favorite. 

“…you know,” he said slowly, “most people wait for consent before invading a crypt.”  he teased lookinng mildly impressed as he tilted his head, dark waves slipping into his face as he considered the pepperoni slice she offered. “this is either generosity..” he mused, “or the world’s least threatening assassination attempt.”

CHARLIE GILLESPIE as SKYLER in

he allowed it. even though the squirrels judged him.

his eyes narrowed. "relax, tiny forest goblin. i’m not here for your hoard." he spotted the bread and reconsidered "…probably."

he hopped onto the bench beside the stranger. king paused to squint at the trees before speaking."they’re loud today," he muttered, like it was a perfectly normal thing to say. "all that whispering. change is coming,something’s stirring, watch your step, blah blah blah. Very dramatic. rude of them to yell at me first thing in the morning."vhe plucked a leaf from his hair and flicked it away. golden eyes flicked back to aurora.

Aurora  looked  up  as  the  leaves  settled  and  the  younger  man,  no  King,  made  his  declaration.  Her  laughter,  light  as  wind  chimes,  escaped  before  she  could  contain  it,  softening  the  wary  edge  that  had  lingered  in  her  shoulders  all  morning.  There  was  something  about  King  that  made  her  feel  like  the  world  didn’t  have  to  be  so  heavy  all  the  time.  "You  startled  them,"  she  said,  eyes  flicking  to  the  squirrels  that  had  fled  for  higher  ground.  "They’ve  only  just  forgiven  me  for  forgetting  the  cashews  last  week."

Her  smile  turned  knowing,  a  flicker  of  fondness  crossing  her  face  as  he  described  the  “burnt  cinnamon  and  betrayal.”  She  had  yet  to  fully  understand  magic  the  way  others  in  Elias  seemed  to.  Her  kind  of  magic,  the  cursed  and  inherited  sort,  was  slower,  older,  and  still  a  little  uncertain  in  her  hands.  But  she  was  learning.  Little  by  little.

She  tucked  a  piece  of  hair  behind  her  ear  and  turned  toward  the  trees  with  him,  following  his  gaze  as  if  she,  too,  could  hear  something  in  their  rustling.  And  maybe  she  could.  Elias  had  a  way  of  sharpening  her  senses  when  she  let  it.  “They  are  loud  today,”  Aurora  echoed,  quieter  now.  “It’s  like  they’re  whispering  just  out  of  reach.  I  used  to  think  the  woods  only  whispered  in  dreams,  but  now…  I  think  they  might  always  have  been  speaking.  I  just  didn’t  know  how  to  listen.”

Her  eyes  drifted  back  to  King,  curiosity  blooming.  “You  seem  to  know  how.  Listen,  I  mean.  That’s  rare.  Do  they  ever  say  anything  kind?”  she  asked,  with  the  gentle  vulnerability  of  someone  hoping  the  answer  was  yes.

“those squirrels were clearly spies. i saved you from a future coup. you’re welcome.” voice dramatic while his eyes flicked toward the branches where they’d fled, suspicious for half a heartbeat longer before the act dropped. when aurora spoke about the woods whispering, something quieter settled over him. the tension his shoulders loosened, the joking tone easing into something thoughtful.

“they do that,” he murmured. “whisper. not with words. but more like… feelings that get lost between the leaves.” he glanced up through the canopy, sunlight catching in his hair as he considered her question. for once he didn’t answer right away. “sometimes,” he said at last. “not often in the way people mean it.”

——— striking her most popstar worthy pose, luz had just finished belting to her heart's content. the other patrons in the place were happy the performance was over. one too many microphone screeches had pierced their ears. she jumped on the stage a huge smile on her face and slightly panting from the adrenaline coursing through her. "come on you have to go up and sing!" she told the person she was standing in front of. "it's so much fun i promise."

⸻ 🎄 WILLOW FOLLOWED FIVE INTO TOYMAKERS ALLEY ⸻ AS the ✰sphere Droid swiveled in delightful jerks. 

Five trilled &. warbled with unmistakable joy ⸻ unbothered by the enchanted toys ⸻ magical curiositys from all sides. But she was bothered. Nervous? Finding her smokey-quartz's flickering down from her glasses every few seconds to track Five. As Five looked to much like the merchandise.

All polished green-metal ⸻ whirring parts &. transparent parts ⸻ see-through as an terrarium of plants &. mechanisms showed from within. As the last thing she needed was for some stall-vendor eyeing or someone attempting to take Five.  As she hovered close out of habit ⸻ just in case. 

Until she recognized the theatrical shouting ⸻ arguing with ⸻ smokey-quartzs squinted . . . something she wasn't sure from this distance. Slowly crouching down pulling her skirt with her as she went down beside Five gently giving the droid an nudge towards the larger-than-the-lane-itself-good ol'Uncle Cassian " Five. Go say hi."

" I'll be right here if you need me. "

She didn't need to tell Five twice.  As Five burst in an zip as there dome swiveled forward as Five took in the moment.  Everything-enchanted-&.-hostile was answered with an sharp prosecutorial ⸻ ‘ bzzzt-rrrp ’

Before-i-melt-you-with-my-dragon- breath ⸻ as Five made an accusational negative buzz (no) ⸻ ‘ bwee-ooo-woop! ’ As the toy_robots sensors flickered in what might have been confusion next to Five. As Five rolled back as there dome tilted in insubordination.

As Five shot an red-laser beam directly at Uncle Cassian.  As the laser-beam wasn't by any means harmful ⸻ just bright ⸻incredibly hostile ⸻ right into Uncle Cassian's left eye.

Feel-my-fire!!!. Five punctuated the theatrical-statement with an defiant little spin ⸻ with unmistakable smuggly ⸻ chirps &. beeps of victory.  As if daring Uncle Cassian to follow through on his threat ⸻ oh wait he can’t!

As she couldn't help but muffle her laughter within her scarf an few feet away. As she didn't want to give her position away . . . yet. &. she couldn't really tell what was going on ⸻ but either there was an rebellion happening or Cassian was just getting bullied by electronics at this point.

the mechanical menace at his feet whirred again, clearly reconsidering its life choices in the presence of a larger, smugger machine. king straightened, rubbing his eye, then crouched slightly so he was closer to five’s level, grin creeping back in full force. "okay. ookay. fine...i respect the audacity," he admitted. "laser to the face? bold. rude. and. iconic."

he glanced past five, eyes flicking through the alley until they landed on the edge of a familiar scarf, the smallest shake of his head betraying that yes, he absolutely saw her. "is this what it’s like when i’m not around?” he called lightly, pretending not to. "robots forming unions? open rebellion?" voice lowering back down to five like they were co-conspirators. "and for the record," he tapped his chest, "dragon breath is very real. i was just… giving you a sporting chance."