SigRyd3r

They made it to Shady Pawn.

Miranda

Thank you, Jessie. You didn't have to help.

SigRyd3r

This wasn't for you.

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Asher

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Asher let out a sigh as the sock’s warmth embraced him. After slapping around barefoot for what felt like days, the familiar fabric was better proof against this nightmare than any teddy bear or night light.

“You’re weird? I’ll never understand humans and clothing.” Green loafed beside the door in Terri’s small bedroom above the store. The room had a single dresser, a tall cabinet with a lock, two camping cots, and while tidy, it looked lived in.

“Not all of us have it built in.” Pulling on the second sock, he let out another sigh.

Terri had shown him to the room, opened the cabinet and pulled a thick three ringed binder from the middle shelf. The cabinet was full of other books, but the black binder was all she took. She locked the cabinet before pointing Asher to the dresser’s bottom drawer and left him to get some clothes on.

“It's her grimoire,” said Green. “One of them anyway.”

Asher stood from the cot and walked back to the dresser. He reached down into the bottom drawer and pulled a plain black t-shirt free. “Her what?”

“It’s a book of spell pages she’s found around City, or ones she’s learned from other shade casters.”

“Oh, so it’s her wizard’s spellbook?” Did he just say that? Yup, he did. Asher felt the familiar shiver signaling he was becoming overwhelmed, but Green sent a pulse of reassurance his way, letting him know they could handle this together.

“Thank you.” Asher pulled the shirt on. Terri had a half-sized mirror hanging from the back of her door. He stood in front of it and gave himself a once over. It was a little depressing. In a world devoid of color, his clothing seemed to try its best to match.

“Survival over style,” said Green. “It’s camo. As the black shirt fades, you’ll become less easy to notice, and it acts as a gauge for how drained you are. The gray sweatpants will help protect your legs from minor nicks and aid in keeping you hid.”

“Shades of gray and all that?”

“Now you’re getting it. Helps fledglings understand how quickly they can fade.”

“Keeping it simple, I can appreciate that. Still…”

“… It’s boring.”

Asher nodded, bent over, and picked up a pair of plain looking dark sneakers. “Wish they were red. Red makes you go faster.” Moving back to the cot, he sat down and slid a foot into a shoe.

“Really?” Green hopped over and rubbed his chin across the sneaker resting on the floor.

“Some of us weird humans like to think so, but no.” Asher smiled at the mixed feelings of confusion and wonder coming from Green. His familiar seemed able to hear his thoughts, but Asher didn’t understand how it worked yet. He could feel emotions, send and hear speech along the connection, and even send or receive energy, but nothing like mind reading. “I just like the color red.”

“Hey, Asher? You guys almost done in there?” O’Leary kept his voice low, but Asher heard him clearly through the ajar door.

Asher hadn’t felt comfortable closing it all the way after getting trapped in his room, but he gave Green a nod, slung his satchel over his chest, and they pulled open the door.

O’Leary stepped back, the door catching him off guard as it swung inward. “Oh, hey. You good?”

“Good as I can be.” Asher shrugged, then moved past O’Leary toward the stairs, but he stopped and turned back. “Hey, I wanted you to know. I’m glad you’re here.”

O’Leary jerked to a stop and gave Asher a nod. “Thanks. I’m glad you’re here too. We’ll get through this, man. I know we will.”

“One of your magic doors tells you that?”

O’Leary laughed before slapping a hand to his head, “Oof. Don’t make me laugh.”

“You, okay?” Asher reached out but drew his hand back. “I should have asked earlier.”

O’Leary smiled. “Good as I can be, eh?” He gave his left temple a rub before dropping his hands to his side. “No, really, I’m fine. There’s just a lot going on up here. Think I might need some sleep.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Green. “Eventually your body won’t need it but sleep always helps keep marbles in the bag.”

O’Leary cocked his head.

“Less chance you’ll go crazy,” said Asher. “Terri has a couple cots in the room.”

“Let’s get you set up first. Then maybe I’ll close my eyes for a bit.”

Asher’s brow furrowed, but he said nothing. He was worried about O’Leary, and he was about to say something, but instead, he turned and went down the stairs, his friends following.

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Cheddar greeted them with a wave.

“You’re sure you want to give this a try?” asked Terri. They'd moved all but one chair away from the small plastic table. Atop it sat the open binder and Dad’s old bat.

“I don’t see why not,” said Asher. “Always thought I’d make a wicked wizard.”

“Wait. Is it going to hurt him like in the classroom?” asked O’Leary. He and Asher stood opposite Terri and Cheddar while Green easily hopped from the floor to the tabletop.

Cheddar shook their head, “That won’t happen, it looked like it hurt a lot.”

“Looked like!” Before anyone could react, O’Leary reached across the table and grabbed hold of Cheddar’s baggy coat and dragged them across the table, slamming them to the ground. “Looked like! You were there? You Fink!”

“O’Leary. Enough!” Asher threw himself against his friend’s bulk in a body check to knock him and Cheddar free.

“Wait,” Green tried to warn Asher, but as his body check connected, O’Leary didn’t budge, and Asher sprawled across the floor. It was like body checking a cliff face. “He twig-snapped.”

From the floor, Asher noticed half the twig on the ground, the other half hung precariously from O’Leary’s hoodie pouch. “Terri, we have too…”

He needn’t have spoken; Terri had her blade out and leveled at O’Leary’s throat. “They are my guest, Triskele. Release them and control yourself.”

“You can’t be serious. It was Cheddar.” He lifted them slightly off the floor and slammed them back down. Cheddar let out a whimper. Asher noticed the weird bone trinket bracelet they wore glowed with a purple outline. “Cheddar pulled him. They started all this.”

“Cheddar don’t,” said Terri. “Triskele let go. You don’t know what’s about to happen.” Asher started getting up, but the tremble in Terri’s voice slowed him. She was afraid, her eyes locked on the glowing bone at Cheddar's wrist.

“You need to help Cheddar,” Green said. “O’Leary can’t win this fight, and it’ll most likely get us all cycled or ended.”

If Cheddar fought; they hadn’t even tried to twist free. “I’ll help them both.” Asher pushed to his feet, but O’Leary was already in motion.

“That’s not my name!” O’Leary shrieked, heaving Cheddar up as he threw. “That’s not — my — name.”

Asher was moving before Cheddar crashed into the front counter. The unbroken trapped behind it was making up one excuse after another, trying to leave the area and get closer to the racket, but each time Terri’s barrier turned it back. With a few quick steps, Asher reached down and rolled Cheddar over.

“You got Cheddar. I’ll help O’Leary.”

“It was time. My friend told me. He said it, ‘it was time.’” Cheddar brought their arms up to hide their face from Asher and burst into sobs. “I, I, I….”

“It’s okay, Cheddar. It’s okay, I forgive you.” Did he though? His Mom was all alone now, and it was Cheddar’s fault. Was she, though? Couldn’t he bring her here? The spell worked on O’Leary.

“I, I, I tried to save O’Leary. I really, really did, that last time.” Another series of sobs broke free. “My friend wanted me too, but, but, but I wanted me too, too. You know?”

“I forgave you. I’m sure O’Leary will, as well. It’ll just take time.”

“What were you thinking!” Terri hadn’t sheathed her blade, but it was no longer pointing at O’Leary.

“I’m tired of this. My head hasn’t stopped hurting. We’re having tea with the enemy, but I barely remember who the enemy is.” O’Leary let out a shout of frustration. “Now I can’t feckin, move!”

“You snapped a twig of earth,” Green said. “You infused yourself with strength, rooting you to the ground.”

“Twig of earth? I don’t remember doing that. I don’t even know which one that is!”

“Calm yourself. Tell me, what two things does an ageless existence equal?”

O’Leary snarled, “What?” he tried to yank his leg free, but it held firm.

Oh, Asher knew that wasn’t good; O’Leary hated riddles.

“Not a riddle,” said Green.

“What’s he saying?” asked Terri. Her eyes darting between O’Leary and Green.

“He’s trying to freaking Yoda me.”

Asher looked up. “Green asked O'Leary what two things an ageless existence equals.”

Terri didn’t respond. She turned and sheathed her weapon. Asher watched as she raised a hand up to hide her face.

Cheddar sat up and stared, back supported by the counter — eyes wide and mouth open; Asher didn’t know why, but it seemed not knowing what the fuck was happening was his life now.

“You heard me,” said Green.

“Come on. Riddles suuuck,” O’Leary had both hands wrapped around his lower leg and he was trying to pull it free. “Why not ask? What sound does a treacherous fink make?”

“Do you really?” asked Cheddar. “Will he eventually?”

“What?” Asher took his eyes from O’Leary to look back at Cheddar. The Finder Keeper still stared at the scene in front of them and pulled a chocolate bar from their coat pocket.

“Forgive me?”

Their cheeks were sleek with wiped away tears, Asher watched as they opened the wrapper. “Yeah, I’m a little angry, but you helped me escape Costco, and it sounds like you helped O’Leary, too. You saved him. I mean us, and I can look past a lot for that.”

With the words still fresh, Cheddar stood up, and with a slight limp, moved towards O’Leary. They angled a few steps to the left of Green and moved back around the table. “O’Leary?” Cheddar broke the chocolate bar and held half of it out to the struggling ginger. "You'll need this."

“What!” O’Leary jerked his head up from the struggle. “No! I’m not doing this.” They glared at the chocolate bar.

“You’re being thick, O’Leary.” Asher moved up beside Green. Why did he trust Cheddar this much? O’Leary wasn’t wrong. He should be more suspicious, but the last thing vibe Cheddar screamed was super villain.

“What are you talking about?” said O’Leary. He snatched the offered half from Cheddar’s hand and shoved it into their mouth. "I'm not being thick. You're being thick, they're the enemy."

“How do you know some of those hallway doors don’t hide good memories of Cheddar?”

“There are some.” Cheddar nodded. “But I know the answer to Green's question, because it was a well-known saying between the First Rager and his familiar, Fleetfury.”

Asher felt his jaw drop. Green couldn't hide it, not after Cheddar spoke the name. A wave of emotion crashed into his mind; Green was Fleetfury? In the Costco, he thought he heard O’Leary, but it was an echo — a memory. Waves of loss, doubt, and worry flowed along the bond from Green to Asher. “It will be okay. He should know,” Asher said, doing his best to accompany the words with positive feelings he associated with O’Leary: trust, reassurance, and love. A reminder to the bunny, that his time with O'Leary was probably more than those negative feelings.

“Please, don’t,” said Green. “It will hurt him.”

“What will?” asked O’Leary.

“Cheddar, Green said…”

Head cocked, “I, I, I, heard,” said Cheddar, staying focused on O’Leary. “Fleetfury used to say the only two things one can count on in an ageless existence are boredom and way too much time inside one's head.” Cheddar gulped.

O’Leary swallowed. “Fleetfury?” He looked over at Asher and then down at Green. Tears formed in his eyes, “because we would be together for all-time, he would always be in my head.” His left foot shuffled back; a tear traveled down his cheek as his eyes locked with the bunny's.

He was free. It worked! “O’Leary you’re…”

Eyes rolled up into O’Leary’s head and he crumpled. Without Asher noticing, Terri had circled around behind. She caught him under the arms before he hit the floor. “He’ll be fine, but a door opened. A… difficult one.”

“I think it was his hardest cycle,” said Cheddar.

“Biggest betrayal, that’s for sure,” agreed Terri.

Cheddar shuddered.

Terri shifted O’Leary’s bulk. “Help me get him up to the cot.” Asher grabbed his hips while Cheddar grabbed his feet.

Asher wanted to ask, but something told him it was Green and O’Leary’s story to tell.

“Maybe one day,” Green said.

As Terri put her leading foot on the first step, she looked up from O’Leary to Green sitting on the table beside the forgotten bat. “Welcome home, little devil.” It was a bright smile Asher saw in her eyes. Whatever history Green and Terri had; it was obvious she thought of him as a lost family member returned to the fold.