#(emrys)

   Black paws trot happily through a forest entwined with magic.  Ah it's been too long!  And maybe that's its fault...maybe it's not at fault!  All it did was poke the fabric and see what happened.  Not its fault people react stupidly to a simple poke!  Yeah!  That's not its fault!

   It settles down on a small perch above a small den of other wolves like it, resting its chin on a paw like a human would their chin on a hand.  Smiling ever so sweetly down at a group of rambunctious pups that are messing with a few stolen branches and a fallen down tree while Nymphs dance nearby them and keep watch.

   'Aahh, isn't it fun to watch people mill about trying to salvage things left here? It's fun, isn't it, Ticky?'

   '... I would prefer... if you didn't call me Ticky... Fate.'

   The wolf giggles to itself and smiles, stretching slightly as it bounces over to a small group of pups.  Laying down playfully and batting at the eldest pup's snoot.  The pup gently bites on the wolf's paw and it licks the pup's face, who in turn lets go and whines in a manner that says itself as 'GROSS!' from a kid to a parent.  Another series of giggles from the wolf as an ear twitches, as gaze turns and narrows towards a city nearby...sort of.

   How curious indeed...  Such an odd shift in the way of the world.  Odd enough to make "Ticky" want Fate to actually go out an examine what the mortals are doing.  It never does that!  Of course this time Fate would listen.  This time, it would cooperate.  It may be a touch curious, too.  "Ticky" is always sleeping, and it's currently at least somewhat lucid!  Takes quite the tug on the threads to get the old scaley bastard to open an eye halfway to something or someone.

   '... Stop fooling around please... There are more... aware people... in this path... than before. They may... catch you.'

   'No fun, Ticky, no fun! No Hunter has been able to catch me and even our Immortal buddy posing as a Witch gave up! Who could possibly stand a chance against me?~'

   '... You already know who...'

   It huffs and stretches again before waving its tail at the forest Nymphs who playfully wave back.  'I knoooow~ you worry too much. He doesn't even know I exist yet! I dictate if people can find out and you say when! Remember?~'

   A heavy sigh on the wind with a grumble of reluctance.  'He does not... conform. Not to us... not to any other... Please be careful... We cannot risk such things... anymore... Not with the king becoming... active again...'

   Fate rolls its eyes and examines the threads as they weave and unweave, pull and push, catch and release.  Aahhh...  Even its dear threads are starting to get nervous...  Maybe it should stay with "Ticky" and "Bri-Bri".

Ugh.

She rolls her eyes and tugs her hood over her face, only to wrap her wings around herself.  She doesn’t want to be here, but so she doesn’t get looked at weird, nor looked into...  There are some things that shouldn’t be investigated...  Hnn.  It looks like she’ll have to stay in her old Goddess’ care for now.

Sigh.

He has business to take care of, doesn't he?

Fleur keeps his eyes closed for a bit, relaxing in the oversized beanbag chair in the Guild's "lounge".  It's one of several, but it's colored purple!  It was basically asking for him to lay down on it, fuck off.  Mmm...he doesn't want to move!  Damn it.

He reluctantly pushes himself out of his seat and walks into the head "office" for the leader of the Hunter's Guild.  Knuckles rasping against the door frame enough to be heard but not so much to be boisterous.  "dinah?"  His smile is as warm as ever.  "are you busy?"

The "head honcho" looks up from what she's working on, and smiles brightly, a glint of enthusiasm in her dark green eyes.  "No, not really. Just some after mock-battle reports for the lieutenants to review."  She pushes out the chair she's sitting in, in order to rise to her feet.  "What can I do ya for, kid?"

He looks down at the cobblestone flooring, for a moment, then up again at Dinah as she ties her brown hair up in a messy bun.  "i would like to request a favor of you."  Spoken in hushed tones and specific patterns of speech, as to note something important.

"A favor, eh?"  She suddenly frowns.  "Favors have a lot of sway here. You know that better than anyone, so... It must be quite the favor if you're asking it of the Hunter's Guild."  A pause.  "Why not ask your uncle though? Surely he'd be better at fulfilling this request than the lot of us?"

"he's not here for that."  His words are snapped not unlike a whip, a darkness showing in his eyes for just long enough to get his point across.  Then he smiles softly again.  "i can't ask him, because then i'll have to go through an explanation that i can't give him."

"...Oh."  Dinah's expression pales... then becomes irritated, in a more worried fashion.  "That's still--?"

"yes. it is. i can't even reference--"  Wires not of steel but of magic pull taut on his jaw, and he has to force out a shudder of a sigh past grit teeth.  How dreadful.  He can hold the thought, but can't speak the truth and wants to.  The reverse of his other predicament:  can't hold the thought, yet can speak the truth...just won't.  "if you would allow this practiced alice follow the rabbit once more, perhaps the queen of hearts will follow?"  Spoken carefully, so that he CAN speak of it.

After a few moments of silence, eyes piercing and judging and yet worried and kind all the same, Dinah sighs and drags her nails down the side of her face gently out of exasperation.  This is the most ambitious thing he's done in a long ass time, and she's certain that things will go south if his parents find out about it from anyone but him.  "Okay, Fleur, fine. We'll set up a small hunting party to go with you--"  When he tries to argue, she continues.  "--which you WILL be accompanied by or you don't do this mission. And you're not to engage under any circumstances. I would really rather not incite the wrath of your uncle, even under the premise that this is given with."  She shakes her head.  "Give me a few days, closer to a week for best results. Enjoy yourself until I give you a call. You never know what will happen..."

"so prepare for what might."  Fleur nods, both in understanding and in pride.  She suits the title of leader well...far better than he thinks he ever could or did.  "thank you, dinah. i owe you one."

"Oh, don't consider this a favor. I don't. This? This is justice, old friend."

"for who?"

One of the younger looking Hunters  (blue eyes and dyed blonde hair with black roots showing)  gathered around an old wooden table gives a low whistle, while the others look as if they’re exhausted by the mere mention of training with Fleur.  “The kid’s able to trick nearly everyone into thinking he’s weaker than he is. That cane of his, real nice work-up of his old routine of acting like his back hurt. Or maybe his back did actually hurt? I can never tell with that kid, really.”

One of the others groans softly and rests their chin in the palm of their hand.  “He personally saw to our training. He’s the only non-Hunter to be allowed in here without an official escort…probably because he’s buddies with the higher-ups. That’s also why he’s able to jump in and aid in training us.”

“Didn’t the higher-ups get to be higher-ups because they were able to WIN against Fleur in a fight?“  Speaks another who is holding a mug of…what looks like beer?  "I’m pretty sure I heard one of the lieutenants complaining about how she barely managed to win the first time, and she’s pretty sure that Fleur was only playing around.”

“Oof,"  another huffs, head lazily tilted backwards out of exhaustion.  "Though it kinda does make sense that he’d be the deciding line between the official higher ranks for the bigger guys and the lower ranks for the scragglers and beasts. Isn’t Fleur’s uncle the Emrys? Dude’s a LEGEND."  There’s a murmur of agreement laced with awe.

They raise their head now, resting their arms against the table.  "Hasn’t there only ever been one equal match to the kid, like when he’s not playing around? In the Hunter’s Guild I mean.”

“Yeah, actually. A loooong time ago. If I recall correctly, that is our current head of operations and who gives orders to the guys who give us orders. Top dog. Even then, didn’t she say they ended up in something of a, what is it, stalemate?"  The first Hunter, who was speaking, just shrugs.  "Anyway, yeah. Fleur trained us, sometimes he still does, to keep us on our toes. I feel bad for the rookies though… Having to face Fleur as their first practice… Ouch.”

“They only had to get to Fleur!”

“Yeah, but do you remember our first exercise? That was rough… Sometimes I can still feel the bruises.”

“… Still, he got his point across really well. Backwards, but got it across.”

However, he does notice that it’s not just him and his uncle in the room when he tosses the knife up into the air and it doesn’t come back down. 

Gaze flickers up from his book.

“cayden could you let me have my knife back?”

“Yer tryin’ to give me a heart attack, and I’m already dead.”

“ye of oh so little faith.”

Eyeroll.  Cayden doesn’t seem to appreciate the humor.

Fleur reaches up to grab his butterfly knife from the air where it looks frozen in place, only to tuck it into the inside of his “coat”.  All those watching know better than to think there’s pockets on the inside of his coat, he just has a habit of doing that now.  “you done trying to sneak around and place runes on my garden?”

“... Were you watching me?”

“are you still underestimating me?”

“You know, that’s fair ‘nough. Also no, not quite. I’ve still got a few to place. Not to mention some reconnaissance on nearby spots. Got any particular place in mind that I should check after that?”

The toe of his left boot taps against the floor in a strange rhythm (tmp, tmp, tmptmp, tmp, tmptmptmp) and he hums quietly.  “you know that one cafe i visit from time to time with ev’ and mel’? down the street from the embassy hall?”

“Pavilion’s Reading Cafe, right? The one where you ‘n Alphys meet up to talk about yer animes ‘tween work shifts?”

“...”  Eyeroll, from Fleur this time.  “yes, that one. you might want to check in there, too.”

“Gotcha. Stop throwing knives around.”

Something missing, something stolen.

A chance, a purpose, a life.

He anxiously pats at his bed sheets, as if trying to find something he knows won't be there.  Shortly after, he lays back down, back to his bedroom door.  Not sleeping again, but merely hiding out until desperately needed otherwise.

Elderflower. Why elderflower?  Why is it this goddamn calming?

Well actually no.  He knows why it's calming.  Used in tandem with the safety he already feels around Emrys, it makes it impossible to feel uneasy.  That's why it's used in herbal medicines.  He just hasn't paid much mind towards it until now.  His mistake, maybe, to not continually question things going on around him, but he isn't complaining.  Moments where he can sleep soundly are moments that go unquestioned.

Anyway.

The heaviness that comes with a good sleep isn't one that he's used to these days.  Waking up to ringing and static in his ears, to thoughts he'd been avoiding prior to sleep, however, is something that would be a constant no matter how hard he tried otherwise.

Win some lose some.  He'll take it.

Keeping his eyes closed, he lets his magic extend towards his house again, seeing whether or not he could talk without worry of being overheard by people he would mind overhearing him.  Whisper left for work an hour or two ago, Saros is out cold (staying up so late even after Whisper told them not to, he has to smirk- it's cute to see them not do as told even if they won't do it again), he thinks he can feel Pho' still up and about (drowsy perhaps? but up), Pacifica is sleeping after last night's excursion to Castle Oblivion, and Mére seems to have left for work at the cafe again.  All is well.

So he lets his senses settle, eyes opening ever so slightly.  He doesn't move (who do you take him for? His hunter uncle is criminally comfortable) but he does manage to briefly look up at him, eyes more telling of his mind than they usually are.

And then he starts to talk.  Voice soft, throat barely cooperating.

"... i know you're asleep, but i just wanna get this off my chest before i shove it back down again."  Slow breaths, gaze fixed on some point in the middle distance now.  "when you first chose to stay here, i got really scared. your perception is insane, and your stubbornness is a bit irritating. i had lived so long determined to have people think that i live in a normal timeline- everyone asssumed i came from a classic timeline, and i went with it. so i said; alright, why not? no one questioned it, no one bat an eye at when things seemed weird for a few moments. i liked that. i seemed normal for a bit. normal isn't something i felt in...ever. i don't think i really knew what the "normal" to everyone was to begin with. my normal isn't really normal to begin with..."

"so i didn't like when that perception was shaken. i didn't want things to change. change was- is scary. i didn't know how to react to things changing, and i didn't know how to react to not knowing what would happen. so i got... angry. i got... furious. i didn't understand. i think a part of me didn't want to understand, content to stay blinded because it was easier to be blind than to see anything differently. but you being here gave me reason to try and make things into the way that would be best. sure it's... i- it's a tough call to make. a LOT of change is happening, a lot of things are happening around me, and i don't really, ah, know how to feel about it, but i know that staying blind to everything for as long as i did didn't make things any better for me or for anyone else. and i'm...kinda proud that i've been taking so many steps?"

"it's funny. for so long i was obsessed with making everyone proud of me, 'cause nobody ever really was. it was always disappointment or discontentment. it was never pride. no one ever really, saw how hard i was trying. not passively until i met faushar. not actively until i met papa. i think a part of me still is trying to earn that pride. and i just want to be worthy of that pride. nothing ever feels like enough right now, nothing ever feels like it'll do what i hope it does, and it sucks. i keep trying for some reason though. perseverance? i don't know at this point. my trait just feels like a cruel reminder some days..."

"...and i do want to be honest with people. i really do. i'm just scared of how my honesty will be received. fury? hatred? pain? sorrow? i'm terrified of every possibility. i don't know quite how to respond to it anymore, emrys. honesty is painful nowadays, but lying is the reason honesty feels that way. i don't know what to do anymore. i don't know what to do. i want to ask for help, i want to feel like i'm not alone in this, i want to try and make amends but- gods, emrys, it's scary. i've learned to keep things to myself because it wasn't anyone else's problem. because if it happened before i met them, then they didn't have to worry about it."

"i grew used to being the background soundtrack in someone else's story that i forgot i even had a story of my own. i grew used to disregarding myself that i forgot how self destructive that was. i grew... used to always being last priority."  He sighs.  "i'm not used to having a family that actually wants me around. and i'm scared that me being honest will drive everyone away due to the things i've done in the dark."

"...you know what they say about character, after all..."

He closes his eyes again, feeling intensely worn out all over again.  Emrys is too easy to talk to.  ...shame he can't say this when he's awake to listen.