Scott was minding his own business, getting ready for bed, when Fernando suddenly dropped from the ceiling, landing with a soft thud.

"Sup, lazy bones," Fernando said casually, his leafy tail swishing behind him.

"Holy shit!" Scott yelled, stumbling back, heart pounding in his chest. "What the hell, man?!"

Fernando grinned, clearly pleased with the reaction. "Gotta keep you on your toes, Scotty," he replied. "Can't let you get too comfortable."

Scott took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. "You can't just drop in like that! Some of us aren't immortal, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," Fernando waved dismissively. "But I've got something important to tell ya, so listen up."

Scott frowned, sitting down on the edge of his bed, knowing from Fernando's tone that it was serious. "Alright, what's going on?"

"The cat’s out of the bag," Fernando said, crossing his arms. "People found out about Gavrin’s little... 'spying network.' And they are not happy."

Scott’s eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, what? How? I thought we were keeping that under wraps."

"We were," Fernando said, hopping up to sit on the dresser. "But it’s hard to hide anything in a small village, especially with Gavrin’s Verdant Dominion abilities. Someone put two and two together, and now the whole town’s buzzing with it."

Scott rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation. "Great. Just what we needed—another crisis."

"You got that right," Fernando said, his tone unusually serious. "Folks are saying he’s been spying on everyone, watching their every move. Some are pretty spooked, talking about his power like it's a threat."

"Well, it's not exactly spying..." Scott began defensively, but Fernando cut him off.

"Doesn't matter how we see it," Fernando interrupted, holding up a paw. "What matters is how they see it. And right now, they feel violated. They’re scared, and scared people do stupid things."

Scott nodded, processing the information. "Okay. So what's the plan? What does Gavrin want to do about this?"

Fernando shrugged. "That’s the thing, he’s not sure. He's got a lot of options, but none of them are gonna make everyone happy. That’s why I’m here. He thought you should know since you’ve been in the loop from the start. Maybe you’ve got some ideas."

Scott sighed heavily. "Yeah, I figured this would blow up eventually. Alright, let me get dressed. We need to come up with a plan before things get out of hand."

"That's the spirit," Fernando said, hopping down from the dresser. "Just remember, we don’t have much time. People are already choosing sides."

Scott nodded grimly. "Got it. Let’s go deal with this mess."

Fernando chittered, his leafy tail flicking mischievously as he leaped out the window with surprising agility.

Scott stood there for a moment, staring at the now-empty space where Fernando had just been, the room suddenly feeling quieter. He rubbed his head, running his fingers through his hair in frustration and thought.

"Now what do I do?" he muttered to himself, pacing back and forth. His mind raced with the implications of what Fernando had just revealed. "People are scared, and when they’re scared, they act irrationally. We can't let this turn into a full-blown crisis."

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He sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, staring at the floor. "If I go straight to Gavrin, it might look like I’m taking sides. But if I don’t do anything, the rumors are just gonna fester and make things worse."

He sighed, knowing there was no simple answer. "Maybe... maybe I need to talk to some of the villagers first. Find out how deep this goes, and what exactly they’re afraid of. If I can understand their concerns, maybe I can find a way to bridge the gap."

Scott stood up, determination settling in his gut. "Right, let’s take this one step at a time. First, I need to speak with Evelyn. She’s usually level-headed, and if anyone can give me a straight answer about what people are thinking, it’s her."

He grabbed his coat, pausing for a moment to look around his room. "This is gonna be a long night," he muttered, before heading for the door.

Scott stepped out into the cool night air, his mind already turning over how he was going to approach this delicate situation. He decided to head towards the village square, figuring he might run into someone there. As luck would have it, he didn’t have to go far. Just down the road, he spotted Evelyn, walking briskly, her face tight with a mix of anger and frustration.

“Evelyn!” Scott called out, quickening his pace to catch up with her. “Wait up!”

She stopped, turning to face him. Her eyes were sharp, and he could see that she was on edge. “Scott,” she acknowledged, her voice clipped. “I’m not really in the mood for a chat right now.”

"Yeah, well, I’m not sure any of us are," Scott replied, trying to keep his tone calm. "But we need to talk about this, Evelyn. I know you’ve just come from Gavrin’s place."

Evelyn crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing. "So you’ve heard, then. About Gavrin’s little... ‘network’ of spying eyes all over the village?”

Scott nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve known for a while, actually.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened in shock and quickly turned to a glare. “You knew? And you didn’t think it was important to tell anyone?”

Scott held up his hands defensively. “Hold on, Evelyn, it’s not like that. I knew Gavrin could see a lot with his abilities, but he’s never shared any information with me. I’ve seen him use his powers to help the village more times than I can count. He’s been responsible with what he knows."

“Responsible?” Evelyn snapped, her voice rising. “You call spying on the entire village without our knowledge responsible?”

Scott sighed. "Evelyn, listen. Gavrin isn’t spying in the way you’re thinking. His abilities are part of who he is now. It’s not like he sits around eavesdropping for the fun of it. His Verdant Dominion just... makes him aware of things in the area. He uses that knowledge to keep us safe."

Evelyn shook her head, her anger not diminishing. “But the point is, he’s been doing this without our consent. You knew about it, and you just let it happen. You didn’t even warn us!”

Scott looked her straight in the eye, his expression serious. "I get it, Evelyn, really, I do. It’s a violation of privacy in a way that makes everyone uncomfortable. But ask yourself this: has Gavrin ever used what he knows against anyone? Has he spread rumors? Has he interfered with personal matters?"

Evelyn opened her mouth to respond but hesitated. She knew Gavrin had mostly kept to himself, only stepping in when the village needed help. She pursed her lips, trying to reconcile her feelings with the reality.

“He hasn’t,” Scott continued, taking her silence as an opportunity to make his point. “And that’s why I didn’t raise a fuss about it. I figured if he was using his abilities to keep us safe and not meddle in our lives, then there was no harm being done. But I also didn’t tell you because I knew it would be seen as betrayal, no matter how well-intentioned he’s been."

Evelyn let out a slow breath, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly but not entirely dissipating. “So you’re saying we should just accept it? That we should be okay with him having this... this power over us?”

Scott shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying that this isn’t black and white. You have every right to be upset, and we should be having a discussion about it. But Gavrin isn’t some tyrant looking to control everyone. He’s just trying to navigate a world that changed overnight, same as the rest of us.”

Evelyn crossed her arms, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deceit. “So what now, Scott? What do we do?”

Scott sighed, glancing around the quiet street. “First, we need to calm people down. If this turns into a witch hunt, we’ll lose sight of what’s important. We should talk to Gavrin again, but this time, with a clear idea of what we want to say and what our concerns are. This isn't about attacking him; it's about setting boundaries that everyone can agree on.”

Evelyn nodded slowly, still conflicted but beginning to see his point. “Alright, we’ll try it your way. But Scott, I’m holding you to this. If he steps out of line even once…”

Scott nodded firmly. “Then we deal with it, together. But for now, let's just take it one step at a time."

Evelyn turned away, her mind still racing but with a bit more clarity. “Fine,” she muttered. “But I’m not making any promises.”

With that, they parted ways, both of them knowing that the coming days were going to be anything but simple.