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adventuretolkienlover · 1 year ago

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The Journey's Just Begun (Chapter 3: Good Impressions)

I DID IT!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Intro: Lol. 🤣 This chapter isn't as long or as good as the others I fear. But hopefully good enough for you guys! On a side note, I wish I had the skill and the patience to make full illustrations and covers for these. Maybe some day I'll revamp them. Actually, if anyone wants to make art for this fic, feel free to do so! I'd love to see it! And also, ROMANCE IS DANG HARD TO WRITE! Even for just a married couple!!! Yeesh! I hope I get better at that! I feel kind bad about not adding more Ulla into this chapter. Hopefully I can do that with future chapters. Alright, peace out my dudes. *Collapses*😂 (P.S Per usual, this isn't a Varigo story. Just Alchemy Bros. So please don't tag as such. Thank you!) EDIT: Fixed some Grammer! All better now!

Chapter 2 ⬅️

Beginning

Summary: Hugo struggles to interact normally with Quirin and tries not look like a nervous freak while doing it. That's pretty much it. Gosh, this so bad. Please may the next chapter be better. Lol.🤣🙏

Trigger Warnings: Brief depictions of PSTD. Nothing to heavy though I think.

"Here it is!" said Varian as he led Hugo into the entrance hall.

Hugo took in all the space around him. It was so grand. And yet, something warm and comforting about it. He liked it very much.

Varian began pointing out different rooms. "My room's right up those stairs." Varian pointed at a stairway that seemed to lead up to the tower Hugo had seen out side. "And we got guest rooms. A stable. The great hall. An armoury. My lab. Anything in particular you want to see?"

"I'm not even sure we're to start." said Hugo truthfully.

"Well, if you ask me, my lab is the best room to check out." said Varian. "I - I mean, We don't HAVE to go there. But it is cool! I'm only suggesting. You know?" Hugo smirked and looked at Varian. He wasn't fooling anyone. The younger alchemist had been very eager to show him his lab. It seemed he couldn't stop talking about it. Not the he minded. He did want to see it. But he decided to play around with Varian. Just a little. After all, he wouldn't be Hugo if he didn't. Would he now?

"Oh, I don't know. The kitchen sounds very interesting."

"Whaaaaaaat? Are you kidding? You're telling me you'd rather check out the kitchen then run around in a high tech laboratory? You, Hugo?"

"Well I am hungry." said Hugo glancing at the hallway leading to the kitchen. He gave Varian a mischievous smirk.

"Uh huh. Right." At this point, Varian knew Hugo was playing around. Per usual.

Hugo laughed. "I'm just kidding Goggles. Come on. Show me!"

"Great! It's over in here! Follow me!" Varian grabbed Hugo's hand and began to quickly lead him through the house. After going through the Great Hall, and few hallways, they reached the kitchen. Varian then led him downstairs and into the basement. And there they came to a door with a sign on it that said Varian's Lab. Varian unlocked the door and flung it open enthusiastically! "Behold! My lab!"

Varian lab, while impressive, was bit of a mess. Books, tools, and papers were all over the place! And the mere force of the door being opened caused a single beaker to roll across his desk and clink to the floor.

"Oh. Uh, wow. I guess I left it kinda mess." said he as he brushed his finger through some dust on a shelf. "Heh. I was so eager to study my mom's journal and leave to find the library. It's not usually this cluttered. Trust me. So, whadda think?"

"Wow!" said Hugo. He stepped into the lab and looked around. It was cluttered. Yes. But there was so many interesting pieces of equipment. He was surprised. The only way he'd been able to get some of these things was through Donella.

"How'd you get all this?" he asked.

"All sorts of places. I got plenty of connections." said Varian proudly. "And a lot of the stuff I got from my friend Xavier. Ooh! Let me show this invention I made! It's the one I made a whole new element with!"

"Cassandrium?" asked Hugo with a grin.

"Uh, yeah." Varian blushed and muttered to himself as he began looking around the lab for the invention. "Let's see. I know I left it somewhere."

While Varian was up to his searching Hugo walked about the lab, admiring it's equipment. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't just a little bit jealous. It was very well thought out and had everything an alchemist could ask for. He noticed something shiny and cylindrical leaned up against the wall behind a few crates. He walked over to it in curiosity.

Meanwhile, Varian wasn't having any luck finding what he was looking for. "Argh! Where is it?" He exclaimed as he pushed aside more equipment. Ruddigar poked his nose through the doorway and saw his owner digging around. He ran up to him and pawed at his pant leg. "Hm? Oh hi Ruddigar." said Varian. Ruddigar leaped up onto his usual spot on Varian's shoulder. "Hey, have you seen my elemental remogrifier?" The raccoon nodded and led Varian behind some crates of parts. Ruddigar pulled a sheet of an object. The machine was right underneath. "Great! Thanks Buddy." said Varian.

"Woah!" yelled Hugo!

Varian jumped in surprise and gasped. He whirled around. "What is it?!" exclaimed! He saw Hugo was holding the Amber Bazooka.

"What is this?! A cannon?" said Hugo excitedly.

"Oh yeah! That!" said Varian. "That's the Amber Blaster 2.0. The last one got damaged so I built a new one. I haven't gotten around to testing it yet."

"Oh we have to try this out!" said Hugo. He posed with the cannon like he was firing it. "So how far does it shoot?"

"Pretty far. I do have a designated firing ground that I tested it on-"

Hugo gasped excitedly. "Can we go try it out? Please?"

Hugo looked so excited. Varian hadn't seen him this way before. How could he possibly refuse? Besides, this could be fun! It would be like when he was testing the first cannon with Eugene. "Yeah! Sure!" Varian said.

Hugo punched the air excitedly. "Yes!"

Varian started grabbing various tools from around the lab. "I'll calibrate the system!" Varian said. "Then I can go grab some of the Amber Solution from my supply hut. It'll only take me a second. Hey! Could you get my other screwdriver from upstairs? I'll need it to insert the cartages. It's in my backpack."

"Sure! I'll back in sec." Hugo replied. He put down the bazooka and walked out the door.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo strolled out the basement door, when suddenly he heard something. "CHOP!" went a knife on a cutting board. He jumped and looked toward the noise frightened. It was Quirin. He was chopping some carrots. Quirin looked up at Hugo. They both stared at each other awkwardly. Hugo cleared his throat and gave a tiny wave. "Um... Hi?" he said sheepishly.

Quirin raised an eyebrow. "Hello?" he said.

Hugo glanced at the door, then back at Quirin. "I'm uh..." He started making his way across the kitchen. "I'm just gonna go get something.". he said. As soon as Hugo touched the doorknob, he turned around and sighed in relief. He made it. He was just turning the doorknob when...

"So, where's Varian?" Quirin asked. Hugo froze again. He nervously turned around and tried to look normal. He eyed the knife warily as some bad memories came rushing back to him. "Oh, uh. He's downstairs. I was just getting his screwdriver."

"Hm." said Quirin. He chopped the last carrot and began pouring the slices into a bowl. "Well," Quirin picked up the bowl and turned around with a smile. "I'm happy to know Varian has made a new fr-" Quirin stopped at the sight of Hugo's anxious expression. At the same time, Hugo also tensed up at Quirin looking at him and that didn't help in the least. He looked like a nervous wreck.

"Are you okay?" Quirin asked in concern.

Hugo gulped and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. "Y-Yeah!" he stammered. "Just fine!" He put on a big grin in attempt to cover up his fear. Quirin wasn't convinced and he stared at him suspiciously.

"You seem... Nervous. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Nervous?" Hugo laughed anxiously. "Who's nervous? I'm nervous! I MEAN NOT! I'm not- I'm not nervous! Not nervous at all!" He fake laughed and tried to lean on the counter to seem at ease. But he missed and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Quirin flinched at the painful sound. Hugo could just laid there. He felt incredibly embarrassed. In fact, Quirin noticed Hugo's face flushing red from it.

"Ow." Hugo said quietly.

"Um, here," Quirin bent down to the very embarrassed alchemist. "Let me help you up." Quirin picked Hugo up off the ground. He kinda forgot his own strength and lifted Hugo clear into the air. For a second, Hugo inwardly panicked and almost ceased to breath! Quirin placed a very shaky Hugo on his feet.

"There you go. Better?" Quirin said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Y-Yeah! I'm good! Thanks!" Hugo said as he scrambled away from Quirin and pressed his back against the door. Being suddenly lifted into the air like that was quite disturbing for him. Suddenly Varian swung the basement door open.

"Hey Hugo!" Varian shouted! "Did You-"

Hugo inhaled sharply and jumped at the loud noise.

"Oh! Wait you're here!" Varian said realizing his mistake. "Oh, hey dad." he added with a smile.

Hugo felt awkward again and turned toward the door. "I gotta get the screwdriver!" he blurted out. Then quickly ran out the door and disappeared. Quirin looked at Varian questioningly. Varian was a little surprised at Hugo reaction too. He looked at Quirin and chuckled nervously.

"Er, nerves I guess? Heh." he said. Quirin nodded and looked toward the door.

"Hmmm. Varian?" Quirin asked.

"Yes?"

"Hugo seems very anxious. Is he alright?"

"Oh. Uh, well..." Varian shifted his feet. "He's a little nervous. About meeting you that is."

Quirin looked at him surprised.

"I-It's nothing you did!" Varian said frantically. "He's just uh... Well, I think he's a little intimidated by you. You know. Since you're a lot bigger and stronger than him."

"Oh. I see." said Quirin. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well," Quirin turned back to his cooking. "I'd better finish this soup. Make sure you and Hugo come back in time for dinner."

"Oh. Okay." Varian said. He turned to go back downstairs to get the bazooka. Before he left, he took one more look at Quirin. Varian was worried. Did he handle that right? He closed the door.

Meanwhile, Quirin poured the veggies into a pot of soup he had on the stove. Ulla wandered past the doorway with her nose in a book. She stopped, poked her head into the kitchen, and sniffed the air. The soup smelled delicious. "Mmm. Hi Honey." she said brightly as she she walked up to Quirin.

Quirin looked up from the pot and smiled at her lovingly. "Hello."

Ulla left her book on the counter and went over to look in the pot. "Making soup?" she asked.

"Yes." said Quirin. "Would you mind stirring that for a moment? I need to find a certain spice."

"Oh, sure!" Ulla said and grabbed the spoon as Quirin began digging through cabinets. "Soooo..." she started. "How have you been?"

Quirin found the spice he was looking for and walked back to the stove. "Better now that your home." he replied as he took back the spoon. He pulled her into a side hug and planted a kiss on her head. Ulla blushed and sighed happily. Somehow, he could still make her feel butterflies. Even after all these years. She only pulled away so Quirin could continue cooking. She picked up her book again and leaned against the counter.

"I heard you and Hugo from the other room. How you two getting on?" she asked.

Quirin sighed. "Not great." he said as he sprinkled some spices into the pot. "He seems scared of me for some reason. And... very jumpy? It's odd. I'd like to get to know him better, for Varian's sake. But how to go about it? I'm not sure."

Ulla thought for a moment before speaking. "It will be alright." she started. "Just give it some time. You two will get along fine I'm sure. Maybe once he gets to know you more, he won't be so nervous and it will be easier for you to talk to him."

Quirin thought about this as he got down two bowls from a shelf. "You think so?" he said as he handed them to Ulla.

"Definitely." she said with a grin. She sat the bowls down on the counter and Quirin ladled some soup into them. He placed them on a tray, along with some thick bread slices. "Well, we'll see." Quirin lifted up the tray. "Where would you like to eat?" Quirin asked. "There's some nice sunlight in the great hall right now."

"Actually," Ulla said shyly. "I was thinking maybe we could sit in the library?"

Quirin raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I thought maybe you'd not want to be around books right now. Since... You know."

Ulla giggled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

Quirin shook his head and chuckled as the two of them headed for the library.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Hugo followed Varian through the farmland. They were on their way to the testing sight. Varian had the bazooka strapped to his back in a handy backpack-like harness. Cheese and Ruddigar were chasing each other around just ahead of them. By now, Hugo had calmed down. He felt much safer now that it was just the four of them again.

The last time Hugo had come through here, he was racing Varian to the house. Now that he just walking through, he could really take in the sights. It was in short, peaceful. If tranquility was a place, this would be it. It was so much more laid back than the capital. They walked past animal pastures, fields, and orchards. He was enjoying himself immensely.

"You have a nice home here Varian." he commented as the passed some wheat fields. "It's so quiet."

"Yeah. It's really nice. I love it here." Varian said. They grew silent again. For a moment.

"You know, I really would like it if you'd stay with us for good. I'd miss you if you left." Varian said. "I'd really like it if you became my full time brother. You know?"

Hugo snorted and chuckled. "I'm twenty years old Varian. I doubt your parents would be interested in adopting me." he said. "Especially Quirin." he added under his breath.

Varian gave him a confident smile. "Oh, I don't know. My mom really likes you. And I'm pretty sure we could convince dad to let you stay too."

As much as Hugo wanted it to be true, it seemed too unrealistic. And he had worries of what misfortunes that staying here could bring. But he didn't want to bring down Varian's hopes. "We'll see Hairstripe." he replied.

After awhile, they reached the testing sight. It was a nice flat field, further away from the main village. Varian noticed here was a barn built next to it that wasn't there before.

"Huh. I don't remember that being there." Varian commented as he put down the bazooka. "They must have built it since I was gone."

"Should we go somewhere else?" Hugo asked.

"Eh. If we aim away from it, we should be fine. This thing fires really accurately. I made sure to give the best guiding system possible. I worked on it for months." Varian bragged.

Hugo smirked and handed him the bag of viles. "Oh really now?" he said.

Varian took the bag of Amber Solution viles from Hugo. "Oh yes. Wait and see." he said with smug grin.

Ruddigar and Cheese took a seat on a nearby rock to watch them. The two boys loaded the bazooka. Then Varian showed Hugo how to hold and fire it. "Alright. Just look through the eye piece there and when it's on the target, fire!"

Hugo nodded in concentration. He aimed at the hay bale. Then fired! It was direct hit! Varian's jaw dropped. Even Hugo was surprised.

"Woah! Great shot!" Varian exclaimed.

"Heh. Thanks." said Hugo breathlessly.

Soon they were both firing the the bazooka and having a blast making new challenges for each other and laying new target distances. It wasn't long before they ran out of Amber Solution.

"I'll have to grab us some more." Varian said as he looked at the now empty bag. "I have some more in the supply hut. I'll be right back."

"Alright!" Hugo called as Varian took off toward the house. Ruddigar ran after him. Hugo looked down at the bazooka. It one more shot left. Hugo looked through the finder and aimed for the target. Suddenly, the sound of a squeaking wheel caught his attention. He glanced to his left and saw Quirin in the distance. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of apples toward a barn. Hugo felt a pang of fear shoot through him. He secretly hoped Quirin wouldn't notice him. He stepped back.

He tripped.

"WAAAAAA!"

Cheese whirred and took cover! As Hugo fell, his finger pulled the trigger! "BAM!" The Amber solution exploded out the barrel!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Quirin wiped his hand and brushed his brow. Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion behind him! He whirled around and saw a smoke plume rising from a barn in the distance. He watched in shock, then groaned.

"Varian." he muttered.

"Yeah dad?"

Quirin jumped a little and looked behind himself. Varian was right behind him. He had a crate of Amber Solution viles and was looking at him curiously. Quirin looked between the explosion site and Varian bewildered. "Varian?" he said, in utter confusion.

Just then, Varian saw the plume of amber colored smoke too. He gasped and dropped the crate. "Hugo!" he shouted! And he ran toward the barn!

"Varian wait!" said Quirin, as he ran after him. "What's going on?!"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo had fallen on his back in the grass. He sat up with a groan and pushed the Amber Bazooka off himself. And shielded his eyes from the sun. Wait. That wasn't the sunlight glinting. It was Amber. Hugo's eyes widened and he looked up.

A giant Amber crystal was jutting out of the barn.

He gave out a tiny terrified gasp and covered his mouth with both hands. He sat there for a moment, staring at what he'd done. And then, he ran. He didn't even know why. He just ran and hid behind an tree. He sat behind it. His was chest heaving. And his hands were shaking violently. What should he do?! Suddenly he heard people approaching. Villagers. Mostly the people that had been working the fields. And they were talking about the barn. They must have seen everything. Hugo peeked out from behind the tree and watched.

"What happened here?!" he heard a man shout!

"Somebody get Quirin! I can't believe this!"

"That kid! The minute he gets home he's back to blowing things up!"

Hugo realized they hadn't seen everything. They hadn't seen him! They thought Varian did it! Suddenly he heard someone else.

"Jasper! What's going on here!" he heard someone shout. He froze. That was Quirin's voice. He peeked around the tree cautiously and saw Quirin and Varian amongst the crowd. The man he assumed was Jasper, walked up to Quirin in a seething rage.

"Someone, shot some alchemy into my family's barn! And I think I know who did it! Well Varian?" he said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I didn't do this!" said Varian!

"Yeah right!"

"I DIDN'T!" Varian angrily protested.

"Varian! Lower your voice." said Quirin. "But it's true. He was with me."

"Well who else could have-"

"WAIT!" Hugo shouted!

Everyone turned and looked. Hugo ran out from behind the tree and into the open! "I DID IT!" he blurted out!

"You did?!" asked Jasper surprised.

"Yes." said Hugo. "So if your going to get mad at someone, get mad at me!"

The man growled and got up in Hugo's face. "Do you realize how much time it's gonna take to fix that?!"

"He said it was an accident!" Varian yelled. And he got in-between them and shielded Hugo protectively.

"It's always an accident!" yelled back Jasper.

"Enough!" Quirin shouted!

It was so loud, even Varian jumped! Hugo looked terrified. It was so quiet, you could hear the wind rustling the grass. Quirin sighed and rubbed his temples. He looked up at the barn. The crystal wasn't sunk into the ground. Just stuck to the roof. They could remove it and rebuild the barn were it was. But Jasper was right. It would take time and money. Quirin walked up to the boys with a sigh.

"Hugo-" he raised his hand to gesture. To his surprise, Hugo flinched. Quirin stopped. He slowly lowered his hand. That wasn't normal. Quirin looked at Hugo in curiosity. Hugo just stared back wide eyed, fearful, and expectant. Something wasn't right with why Hugo was always jumping or flinching around him. He felt in his gut. This wasn't just nervous. This was scared. His parental instincts were going wild. But this wasn't the place to discuss it. He shook his head. "You and Varian go back to the house." He said with a wave of his hand. "I'll handle this."

Hugo nodded and watched as Quirin walked back toward the crowd. Varian put his hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Hugo gave him a half hearted smile. It faded quickly.

Hugo picked up the Amber Bazooka and was just about to walk away when Quirin put his hand on his shoulder. "Oh, and Hugo?" Hugo froze and looked wide eyed at Quirin. "I want to talk to you in a little while. Okay?" Hugo stood there, unable to speak.

"Okay." He replied quietly.

After Quirin walked away, Hugo hurriedly walked past Varian. Varian saw he looked a bit pale in the face. Frankly, he didn't feel much better himself. What would happen next? He followed after Hugo, a million thoughts running through his head.

"Great! Another kid blowing things up around here." said Jasper. And he walked away shaking his head and muttering to himself about "Those stupid kids."

The crowd dispersed. Quirin was left alone with the barn and amber. Quirin looked up at the amber again. He saw his reflection staring back at him. His mind began to harken back to painful memories. Days and nights stuck in some sort of dreadful limbo. Not knowing what was happening at all. Quirin turned away and sighed. He walked away toward home, leaving the Amber crystal behind.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo at on the front porch, watching the sunset. To say he was upset was an understatement. He felt absolutely awful. If he was trying to make a good impression, he just about failed. He looked at the amber crystal jutting out of the barn in the distance. He hugged himself and subconsciously dug his fingers into his arm. How could he have let that happen? Just then, he heard the door creak. He looked behind himself and saw Quirin standing in the doorway. Hugo held his breath. He was terrified. To his surprise, Quirin smiled at him. He sat down next to him and looked out over the valley.

Ulla and Varian peaked out from behind the door and watched them. Quirin and Hugo didn't know they were even there. Varian was worried. He knew his father was very generous and kind. But Hugo did cause a big mess. Even if it was just an accident. Jasper's barn wouldn't fix itself. He hoped that his father would be understanding. Varian looked up at Ulla for reassurance. She gave him a sideways smile and nodded. Even though she herself was just as nervous. She closed the door a bit more and they watched quietly.

Meanwhile, Quirin and Hugo still hadn't said a thing to each other. Hugo wasn't sure what he was in for. What would happen? Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry." Hugo said in a voice that was almost a whisper. He waited for a response. He didn't have the courage to look Quirin in the eye. "I didn't mean to fire that Amber into the barn. I feel really bad. I... I don't even know what to say really..."

"It's alright. It was an accident." Quirin replied. He tried to keep his voice soft, so as not to scare him. "That was very brave you to come forward."

Hugo perked up. That caught his attention. He looked at him in surprise. "Huh?"

"You could've placed the blame on something else. Even Varian. It's likely most people would've believed it too."

"You're... You're not mad?" Hugo asked.

"No. Of course not. But, that being said, it would be nice if you helped fix Jasper's barn. Since you did blast the hole in it."

Hugo stared at him dumbfounded, before realizing he needed to answer. "Oh! Oh yeah! No problem! I can do that."

"And of course to do that, you'll have to stay for awhile, right? So, I don't see why you couldn't stay here with us, hm?"

Hugo's eye's widened. "You're not going to kick me out?" he asked.

"Of course not." Quirin said "Why would we do that?"

Hugo's face fell and he looked away. "Well I... I don't know. I thought... Um." Ulla leaned forward in interest. Hugo sighed. "It's nothing..."

Ulla's brow furrowed. There was that word again. Nothing. I couldn't be nothing. Could it? Something was bothering Hugo and it made her worried. Quirin was having similar thoughts. But he decided not to press. He gave a deep sigh.

"Well, just know that we don't do those kinds of things here. Accidents are certainly not grounds for kicking people out. There are way worse things to warrant that."

Hugo gave a small smile. "Thank you." he said.

Quirin smiled and laid a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "Your welcome." Hugo looked at Quirin's hand on his shoulder, then at Quirin. He grinned. Just then they both heard the door creak. They looked and saw Ulla and Varian quickly dash out of sight. Followed by the sounds of muffled laughter, hushed words, and scuffling feet. Quirin grinned.

"Alright you two. You can come out." Varian ran out, and slammed into Hugo, hugging him tightly. He used so much force that he was almost knocked over. Hugo laughed and hugged him back. Ulla sat down next to Quirin.

Varian pulled away from the hug and looked between Hugo and Quirin. "So uh, you guys worked everything out?" he asked hopefully.

"I think so." Quirin said.

"Yeah. We did." Hugo said as he ruffled Varian's hair.

Varian laughed and pushed his hand away. "Stop!" he chuckled.

Quirin smiled as he watched the two boys. Their closeness reminded him of distant happy memories. He glanced up at the horizon line. The sun was gone now and all that was left was the glow of twilight. He stood up from the steps and sighed. "Well, it's time we all go back inside for dinner." he began. "You and Hugo head in. We'll be right there."

"Alright." said Varian as he got up. "Come on."

Varian walked inside. Hugo was just about to follow when he stopped and turned to Quirin.

"Hey, Quirin? Thanks again." he said

Quirin smiled. "You're welcome."

Hugo beamed and walked inside. Quirin was just going to follow them, when he noticed Ulla. She was standing up and looking out over the mountains in deep thought. The night breeze was softly blowing her hair. And she was biting her lip. Something she sometimes did when thinking. It was starting to sink in that she didn't really know that much about Hugo. Or even Varian. And they seemed to be dodging her questions about key points of their journey. What was this Mad Scientist Lady she kept hearing about? And why did they keep saying the would tell her about it later or it was nothing? We're they in trouble? And why was Hugo so scared? There where so many questions she wanted to ask. It bothered her relentlessly.

"Everything all right?" Quirin asked. Ulla sighed and brushed back her bangs. They flopped back into face. Much like Varian's.

"I don't know." she started. "I feel like... People are holding out on me on some stuff that happened. I mean I get it. I've been gone a long time and a lot of stuff has changed. But I still want to be aware of everything that's passed. Sure, it may be upsetting. But I'll have to know eventually. I can tell something really bad must have happened. I just I wish I knew what. But at the same time I don't want to push them talk about things they aren't comfortable with. And I just..."

Ulla stopped rambling. Then sighed and sat back down on the steps. Quirin became concerned. "Ulla?"

Ulla took a deep breath and looked at Quirin. She gave a small smile. "Well... I guess everything will be figured out eventually." she said with a sigh. Quirin looked at her lovingly and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Of course love." he said.

She grinned. Then she leaped up into his arms and hugged him. Quirin sighed and melted into her embrace. The two looked each other in the eyes before sharing a kiss. Unfortunately their romantic moment was interrupted by some very loud barking. The couple looked behind themselves bewildered. And saw Buttercup being chased over the bridge by Frankie, who was absolutely covered in chicken feathers. The pups ran past them and into the house. They could hear Varian and Hugo exclaiming in surprise at their appearance.

"Wha- Frankie?! What do you do?!" Varian shouted! "Stop chasing Buttercup!"

"Why is he covered with chicken feathers?" Hugo asked.

"Oh no." Varian groaned.

Ulla and Quirin looked at each other and tried not to laugh. They weren't sure whether to be confused or amused. "Uh, Varian? I think you still need to explain a few things." Quirin called as him and Ulla headed inside.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Miles away from Old Corona, the deep woods stood dark and foreboding in the midnight shadow. Owls hooted in the trees and insects chirps and clicked in the bushes. An eerie whistling breeze blew through the tree branches, sound like the moans of the dead. A crumbled fortress lay broken and abandoned. A few black rocks pierced whatever rubble was left. Near one wing of the fortress, a large group of men scavenged for whatever they could find. They were a rough looking lot. All gangsters or criminals. Indeed, they once worked for the evil mistress that controlled this mighty castle. Now they answered to a new master. One very deadly.

One of the men dragged a machine from the rubble. A weapon of some kind.

"Nice." he said with a toothy grin. He chucked it onto the pile of loot. "How much more of this junk we taking?" he asked.

"Until we have it all!" a man's voice rang out.

The men turned around in surprise. Cyrus stood behind him.

"Boss! Good to see you!" he quickly spat out. "We've collected plenty!"

"Excellent." Cyrus said as he strode over to the pile and began looking through the items. All sorts of dangerous and expensive items had been collected. Money, treasure, and gold had been taken from the vaults. Inventions had been taken from the labs. Mostly weapons. They had no use for scientific instruments. Instead, metal from those machines had been ripped off and would be melted down for weapons or money. Cyrus picked up an especially shiney gold and bejeweled necklace and admired it.

"Yes. Perfect." he sneered. He dropped the necklace and turned to the gang. "With all this gear and loot, we'll be the most powerful criminals in this entire country!"

The gang erupted with shouts, laughter and cheers or excitement. One man clanged his sword blades together enthusiastically, eager for a fight.

"We'll set up a base in the caves far from the capital of Corona!" Cyrus continued. "And once we've made sure that the guards can't find us, we'll be set for life!" Cyrus unsheathed his sword and held it high. "And then we'll rule the land with an iron fist!"

For this, the gang cheered louder then before. They also raised their blades and weapons in allegiance!

"Boss!" a man shouted over the noise. He ran up to Cyrus and presented him with a book. "I found this in Donella's own office."

"A book!" another man shouted. "That's the best you can do?!"

"On the contrairy," Cyrus said as he turned the pages, grinning all the while. "This is quite precious." He shut the book with a loud clap.

"I'm fairly certain none of you are good at break-ins, are you?"

"Doug here can break into anything!" someone shouted. Doug, a giant of a man, (And seemingly little brain,) smirked and slammed his fists together menacingly.

"I mean, sneaking in to places you fools!" Cyrus shouted. This was met with most saying "Oooooooooh." and other sounds of realization. Cyrus facepalmed and groaned.

"Well, luckily for you numbskulls, Donella has provided us with the perfect tool for such deeds. We just need to find him."

To Be Continued.

6 notes · View notes