#was reading some origins mcrp oneshots for no reason and then this popped up in my head

[sleeps-au-bag]

it had been a long time since bryan was in this particular study. ever since his mother's passing, it had been left alone, only to be touched by time. it was evident too, with all the dust that covered every surface of it. he didn't really care for that now. he only cared about one thing.

he opened the bottom cabinet of the desk and took everything out of it. then he opened up the false bottom and brought out the coded books his mother left.

he never read them out of respect for her. he knew they brought her less than favorable memories and he wanted to keep them away from her, to keep her happy. she was gone now and these books were the only way to help solve a mystery going on in atlantide right now. he would beg her for her forgiveness when he reunites with her.

bryan's mother was. odd.

she was absolutely beautiful, stunning every man and woman who came across her. she'd entertain them with dates and when she got bored, she moved on to the next person who she attracted.

his mother was also insanely smart, making leaps of progress in the field of science. especially in thermodynamics. it was actually how she met his father, a half-fae who kept her academically challenged. they were rivals throughout their entire lives, even when married. his mother made sure he grew up with the right education and taught him everything she knew, not just science.

she and his uncle had some type of history together, he knew it. he didn't want to pry though. while he knew it was the reason for his uncle's shaking hands and his mother's missing eye, he never wanted to pry. he didn't like making them upset.

now he was about to uncover part of their shared past. he didn't want to but there was no other option. it was time for him to decode his mother's notes.

--

bryan felt sick. no one should have this power. this power his mother had... it would be a weapon of mass destruction in the wrong hands. it was a weapon of mass destruction, if he decoded his mother's notes correctly. he couldn't imagine the type of atrocities his mother was forced to commit. he didn't want to.

the circle in the book was mocking him. his only option to solve this mystery was a weapon of mass death.

at least he knew why his mother was so knowledgeable. why she insisted on teaching him everything to do with the science of fire the moment she found out he was a fire dragon slayer.

he looked at the pair of gloves hidden within one of the books. they were old and worn but the same circle from the book was still stitched on. he had on his own gloves, the same material as his late mother's. the circle was taunting him.

bryan knew what he had to do.

he took out his emergency sewing kit from a pocket and pulled out some red string. he carefully pulled off his white gloves and set them on the table. they were new. he also took out some spare flint from his pocket.

he made sure to thread the string and carefully look at the circle before he got to work. it needed to be perfect. it wouldn't work if it wasn't.

hours went by before bryan finished stitching the circles on the gloves. the flint was carefully stitched inside the fingers. he stared at the gloves before putting them on. thankfully the sleeves of his turtleneck were long enough to cover the design. no one would ever know.

except for two.

he made sure to put everything back into place before grabbing the decoded versions of his mother's notes and taking them to the fireplace. they served as good kindle while he grabbed his belongings and made sure everything was secure.

he needed to head to his uncle's bar before heading back to grimshade for training. he needed to tell his discoveries to acedia and majora. acedia couldn't really do anything with this knowledge, nor did she care to, but it already had a solid lead to what was happening. majora had already built a sizeable information network despite being new to atlantide, she could help him get more information with it.

bryan may be the weakest dragon slayer, but he was also the smartest one. like hell he was going to sit down while something's going on in his home.

he left his house with a purpose in his steps. he had work to do.