I can do it!

“Y-Yeah… for now, anyway…”

Even Sig wasn’t entirely sure of himself at this moment. But he knew at this moment that the bugs needed to be protected from the fierce wind… so he did his best to help them into the cages. That was the only thing he knew to do, so he wasn’t sure how else to proceed from there…

“...” He stared at the resting insects, leaning back and just sitting there, as if expecting them to heal automatically. He chewed at his lip, nervously staring from the bugs to Sig himself. There were two things causing him anxiety, and it wasn’t something that he wanted to share.

“Ugh…I think I landed on my spine, but I should be fine…”

[Poor Schezo isn’t in the condition to move at all. He’s going to need a helping hand out of the hole he’s in. Thankfully the pit isn’t too deep. If he ends up dragging Black Sig with him from his own weight, then that would be a problem…]

“... Oh! Spine, back, that’s bad.” He muttered, scratching at his chin. Then, he nodded,”Uhh, stay there!” He backed away from the semi-deep hole, going to rub his hands together. Normally, he didn’t use magic, but this should be fine. He only needed to get a drop of water down there and all would be good. One would think Black Sig couldn’t come up with an idea like this, but he at least wasn’t that simple-minded.

“Hold breath! Er- Hold your breath!” He called out, awkwardly, before pressing his hands to the ground.

“Robin’s Egg!” He chanted, and soon water sprayed through a couple of cracks, dropping in nearby Schezo’s person.

He’d been waiting for the storm to die down, so he could finally come outside and survey the damage. Even before the storm hit, he had been fretting over the harm it would do to the insects living in the forest. His own bugs were already sheltered and safe from the weather, but the wild ones in the forest had no one to help them…

… at least, that’s what Sig had assumed, but as he rushed into the woods to check on the wild bugs, he was surprised to find someone else already there. It looked like they were just as concerned about the insects as he was. He also couldn’t help but notice how much they looked like him…

He didn’t take much time to dwell on that, though. As soon as he saw the injured, unmoving bugs, his mind refused to focus on anything else.

“Here, I’ve got some stuff that might help. It’s meant more for domesticated bugs, but if we can just keep these guys away from the wind and debris, we might still be able to save them…”

He quickly began to unpack a variety of enclosures and other equipment from his bag, already in full caretaker mode.

The boy looked towards the one known as Sig. He went through a range of emotions- Fear, Grateful, Curious, Anxious.

He shook his head, focusing intently on the bugs. Now wasn’t the time to focus on the ‘true’ him. He leaned forward, going to scoop his clawed hands underneath the dirt, trying to lift the bugs as carefully as he could.

“Put it inside of the box?” He questioned, not sure what to think of all the equipment. He leaned to the side, offering the bugs to hide safely inside of the enclosures.

“I…. thank you.” 

 Man, this person sure was similar to Sig. Even the similar, distant tone of voice threw him off. He looked confusedly at his hands for a second (they were both demonic? Shouldn’t he see a doctor st that point?!) before assuming he wanted a handshake and took Black’s right hand. 

Man, this was awkward. Klug coughed.

 “So, what kind of magic do you specialize in? I must know.”

Upon the other boy taking his hand, he nodded a few times and shook it in a healthily firm manner. Afterwards, the boy released and let his arms drop down to either side of himself.

“You’re hurt...,”murmured the boy, staring down at the group of bugs. They were a wide variety, some he’d not seen before. Unfortunately, it looked like the passing storm wasn’t very kind to them. Some of the bugs looked like they were... Dying, or at least sickly. He didn’t know if bugs could get better or not, but he hoped they could.

“It’ll be okay,”He muttered, then, holding a clawed hand out towards the bugs. Most were still immobile, and it made the kid sad that he couldn’t do much to help them. Insects didn’t have much pain receptors, but it probably still hurt. Bugs were people, too!

Black Sig usually didn’t wander around the ancient ruins. He had no real reason to. Mostly, it was to check on a few friends of his. Some insects took a liking to the place, so he vowed to visit it once in awhile to make sure that they or their family was alright.

In the distance, he heard this weird thump. At first, he thought it was just another piece of rock falling down, but the dark aura around him seemed to think otherwise. Curious, he approached where the fall happened.

“…Oh.” 

 Needless to say, Klug was confused. He had been sure that was Sig, he even had the red eye! He had never really believed in the whole idea of doppelgängers, but he supposed there would be enough people in the world to have someone highly resemble his stoic classmate. He adjusted his glasses, trying not to look embarrassed. 

 “My apologies; you just simply resemble somone I know. I’m Klug Antares, future greatest mage of all time. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Uhhu, it’s okay,”He said in that same spacey manner as Sig usually would. He put on a neutral expression, continuing to stare, almost unblinking, at Klug. It was as if he were trying to look through the other boy’s soul.

“Klug. Okay.” He paused, the shadowy wisps of power around him flaring up slightly. “Uhm,”He shook his head, going to suddenly stick both hands out- He didn’t know which one Klug used for handshakes.

The boy’s general daze didn’t surprise the diviner, as that was how he usually acted. His presence wasn’t all that unusual either, or at least she has seen weirder. She couldn’t infer why, but that didn’t matter. Feli didn’t feel like answering his question either.

“Your feeble mind wouldn’t understand, fool.” She shook her head, thinking of a way to pique his interest. “Think of it as a way to present your strength to me, no? Prove me wrong about yourself.”

“Oh...,”He didn’t really understand why he got called feeble minded, but then, it didn’t matter that much to him. Continuing to gaze for a few moments, listening to her explanation, he couldn’t help but scratch at his head. Prove his strength... He felt like that was unneeded. However, it looked like she really wanted to battle, and who was he to deny her of such?

“So you let them roam free…? That sounds kind.” Lemres smiled, entertained by the explanation. He didn’t have the greatest knowledge on insects, only taking small peeks at the books he buys for Sig. Did the bright blue boy also keep his family of bugs “free”? He should try speaking with Sig more often…if he was willing to, of course. That student can be pretty shy at times.

“I’m pretty certain that there aren’t any of your friends present here, however.” The warlock assumed that his “family bugs” were safe elsewhere, but there always was the chance that he was searching for them. His appearance was only noticed recently, but it could be possible that he was around here much longer.

“Uhhu, roam free, because they need to do that,”He explained, clicking his clawed fingers together. The boy didn’t often get to ramble on about bugs, so he was estatic, even if the male wizard before him wasn’t exactly the most interested in the topic. After a few moments o being in a daze, he cleared his throat, and nodded.

It wasn’t strange, well, it was, when he was sleeping that he’d wake up in a totally different place. At this point, he was getting far too used to it for his liking, but he couldn’t exactly complain, either. Sitting up from the grass, he looked around in a confused manner wondering where he was. It certainly wasn’t the forest near Primp Town.

Feeling out of place, the wisps of dark magic began to swirl around him in a protective manner. It looked like this place was some sort of... courtyard? That was strange, he’d never seen something like this. Standing up, he turned around and glanced over the area that he awoke in.

It was pretty, this place. Gardens were well taken care of, and different types of animals were present. Why, there were even several bugs that he’d never seen before. Almost immediately, his worries melted away. The swirls of black power faded to mere wisps, and he walked over to a bush of flowers nearby.

Reaching a hand upwards, he offered his darkened palm towards one of the bugs. Of course, these being bugs, they were cautious, and some even scurried away, but he wouldn’t give up on them so easily!

“Ah, don’t worry child. There shouldn’t be anything actually harmful around here, though if there was then I am more than prepared to protect you. More of it is really just rumors from those who are brave enough to visit~.” Including this one time…Lemres would have to share the news once he returned so that no civilians would be worried.

“And did you say…Bis Sis Bug?” Huh, it seemed like this boy had a liking for bugs as well. Hanging around with Sig made him used to their presence, although he still couldn’t recognize them at first sight without a guide.

“So you collect bugs, Black?”

“Oh,”was his response for a bit, as though he didn’t expect that. Someone would protect him? Despite his, you know, strange looks and probably dark powers? That surprised him. He smiled despite this, when the topic of bugs came up to him. He loved talking about them.