I know something is out here in the woods. I’ve even ventured further and around the temple of EraNoohve, but have found nothing. That was until I took another pill of Prophecy during my expedition. My visions splintered, if only for a moment, because of what I would see in the future. The moving of a branch. But the branch moving did not come to pass.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 36th Entry

It was the perfect day for a meetup. Nook was busy with some sort of work that AxEl couldn’t quite decipher, and that he didn’t want to pry into. Anagen was looking over reports from their people in the city, documenting the locations of the Company workers.

So, when Finn of all people had rung him up and asked to meet for dinner, he’d accepted. AxEl walked down the streets in a suit that he thought would fit the occasion. He crossed a corner and ended up bumping into a group of three men.

“Sorry about that,” AxEl said, recoiling. The man he’d bumped into was shorter than him by a hair, but he looked mean enough to make up for it. He wore a hoodie and a scowl with equal amounts of grace. The two men around him were smaller, and wore the same kind of scraggly clothing.

“Tsk. Watch where you’re walking,” he said, bumping past AxEl. Rude, he thought to himself, but he knew better than to pick fights with random people. AxEl patted down his pockets and couldn’t find his phone.

“Hey, I think you-” AxEl begun to say but the men kept walking. He jogged towards them and put a hand on one of their shoulders. “Give it ba-” again he tried but was met with a backhand.

“Stay back! Don’t you lay a damn finger on me!” the man shouted.

“You’ve got my phone. Give it back.”

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance once again. “I don’t have anything of yours. Piss off.” But when he tried moving, AxEl caught him by the arm.

“Not going to ask again. My phone.”

The man clicked his tongue one final time, then took a swing at AxEl. AxEl weaved around it and twisted the man’s other arm, forcing him into a crouch. He then kicked him onto the curb.

The other two guys that were near him jumped AxEl, one on each arm. They hooked onto his arms and dragged him to the ground. AxEl struggled to reach the Prophecy hidden in his suit, but couldn’t. He bit one of the men’s ears, then violently pulled his arm forward to get rid of him.

The man collapsed onto the ground. Their leader had gotten up from the ground, however, and was now gunning towards him. AxEl tried to fish around for Prophecy in his pocket, but came out unlucky. Just before the leader tackled them, AxEl sprawled on the ground and avoided it. He pushed himself off and started punching the man on his other arm, who was beating at his side. AxEl outlasted the man, and he let go. AxEl shoved his face to the ground and glanced both sides, seeing two people at each.

He stood up and pulled his fists up in a stance. They both came at him at the same time, but through some sort of luck or other, AxEl was fast enough to dodge between the blows and grab onto one of their arms. He punched the man repeatedly in the head and kicked at the one behind him. It seemed to keep him at bay long enough that the first man went down unconscious. AxEl let go of his arm and whirled around with both arms raised. Instead of fighting further, the man simply turned and started running as fast as he could.

AxEl kept his hands up for a moment longer, wondering if he would bring a gun or more people, but none did. He looked around himself on the streets and saw that no one seemed to notice. The few who did walked away quickly when they met his eyes. I should get out of here.

He searched the first man top to bottom, looking through his hoodie, shirts and finally found his pocket hidden in one of the back pockets.

“I’m taking this back,” he said, even though he knew the man couldn’t hear him. He walked away from the scene shortly after that, adjusting his suit into place, making sure his Bullets were there.

It felt comforting having them in his pocket, even if they hadn’t helped him this time. He walked forward with a faster pace now, at least until he came up to the face of the restaurant and his expression dropped.

Of course it’s this one. The restaurant that Finn had picked to meet AxEl in? It had turned out to be the same one that DoxEn had taken him too all those years ago. This place must have a grudge against me, he thought to himself as he entered.

****

Nook thought that a walk would clear his mind. Again, he couldn’t sleep. How had AxEl taken DoxEn’s life and gone on normally afterwards? I know why. Because he’s stronger than me. It was a truth he hated admitting, but he knew it to be true.

Nook had been so enamoured in those thoughts, however, that he barely noticed when he passed by the Barksight Academy. Those large double doors that led into the main hallway, the front ground, it all seemed just like he remembered it. Nook stood for a second, observing the lights inside of the Academy and feeling the wind wash over him.

He closed his eyes for a moment to better feel them. To immerse himself so fully that he wouldn’t have to think. That was until he heard someone coughing and opened his eyes to look. Right in front of him was his former friend, and former bully, VexIk.

Nook steeled himself, letting those same instincts he had in high school re-emerge. But VexIk didn’t come for him, he didn’t try putting him in a lock or anything. Instead, he looked… awkward?

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“I thought I saw you outside. Hi, Nook,” he said. He wore glasses and a cream coloured button up with a tie.

Nook stood there in silence, waiting for the jab, the insult, or whatever else VexIk had in store. Instead, the man was just as quiet as him.

“Uh… How’ve you been?” VexIk asked him. Nook waited again, but finally gave an answer.

“Good. I’ve been good,” he paused, “And you?”

VexIk took off the glasses he had on and wiped them with the collar of his shirt.

“Good too. Got a job at the…” he said, pointing backwards.

“You’re a teacher now?” Nook asked. VexIk sighed. “7th graders are an annoying bunch, but yeah, I am.”

He rubbed at the back of his neck and Nook looked away.

“Hey, I’m sorry about all those things I did to you back in school, alright?” VexIk said abruptly.

“What?” Nook asked.

“I’m sorry. I’ll say it as many times as I need to. The way I treated you back then, it wasn’t good.”

“It was… fine, made me stronger,” Nook argued.

“Doesn’t mean you had to go through it,” VexIk said. He took a seat on the curb and bobbed his glasses up and down. “Teaching these kids, I find the same kind I was back then. And I don’t like it much.”

“You weren’t the worst,” Nook replied.

“And yet I was still bad. I just hope you’re doing better now that I’m not around,” VexIk hoped.

Nook shoved both hands into his pockets against the biting cold.

“Yeah, I am. I am,” Nook said, looking away at the hills of AnaHon.

“That’s about it, then. I’ve got to lock up the school, so I’ll see around,” VexIk told him. He stood up and patted him once on the shoulder, a gesture Nook appreciated. Long past the time VexIk had left, Nook found himself still looking at the Academy.

Why did I meet you here?

****

When Finn had requested that they meet at the restaurant, AxEl had assumed that he would be by himself. But when he realized it was HinEn at his side, it was too late to back out.

“Thought that if you gave me a few years, you wouldn’t look so huge,” Finn chuckled.

“Maybe not your height, but your attitude’s gotten larger,” AxEl replied. He took his seat and eyed HinEn warily.

“And you’re still mooching off of him?” AxEl asked jokingly.

“Nope,” she replied with a sly tone, flashing her ring finger up at him. It had an ornate golden ring on it.

“Wait, then…” AxEl looked over at Finn, who had a similar ring on his finger. He smiled beside himself.

“Congratulations, then! You should have told me earlier!” AxEl told the both of them. Finn chuckled awkwardly.

“We, uh, did. Invited you to our wedding and everything.”

“Even sent out a personal note,” HinEn added, and AxEl felt the apprehension in her voice.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I was… busy. Always am these days.”

“I guess we all are. Me and HinEn have just been taking the last few months off to just relax,” Finn said, placing a hand on hers. What was I even doing when they got married? Should’ve sent them a gift at least.

“In Barksight? Shouldn’t you go somewhere special instead?” AxEl asked.

“Truth be told, Barksight is just a stop. HinEn wants to see all the exotic plants out in the world, so we’re just touring around for them,” Finn replied.

“It’s a Botanist thing,” he added. HinEn glared at him in response, squeezing his arm, but Finn only let out a chuckle.

“And what have you been doing?” HinEn asked AxEl abruptly.

“Ah… you know, the same old things,” he said, clearing his throat. AxEl stared out at the restaurant to distract himself. A simple tune played throughout the restaurant as servers passed by in suits. They carried trays of all kinds of dishes with them as they did.

“AxEl, you’re not… still in that business, are you?”

AxEl gave him a pained grin. “Please don’t make me lie to you, Finn.” And Finn’s expression changed instantly. The boy he knew as cowardly and meek was replaced with someone else.

“You don’t need to keep selling Prophecy, AxEl. You can quit anytime,” Finn said. “I could help you, HinEn could help you find a job that’s, that’s less dangerous!” Finn offered, and AxEl smirked. Though HinEn looked more reluctant than him, she didn’t object to it.

“You could get a job working in management. I’ve made some connections that might help you,” HinEn added.

“That’s kind of you, both of you, but I can’t,” AxEl replied. Finn looked at him for a long while.

“That’s the same excuse you’ve been giving everyone, haven’t you? Well, why can’t you?” Finn asked.

“Because my mother ne-”

“Your mother’s fine. I’ve seen it, AxEl. HinEn and I both know what kind of money goes into this trade and the amount of people you’re hurting isn’t worth all that,” Finn said, though his voice cracked.

AxEl glanced downwards and found that his hands were shaking, but clutched onto HinEn’s.

“I’m sorry about all this, Finn. I didn’t want to scare you,” AxEl said, standing up and turning towards the door. He adjusted his coat.

“Goodbye to both of you.”

He walked out of the door with an odd sense of regret. I should post some people to them… No, Finn would have reported me long ago. He kept walking with the only sound being his own footsteps.

Or maybe I just want to get caught, he wondered.

****

Both Nook and AxEl looked disheveled when they returned to the house. They both arrived around the same time. Nook had been sitting on the curb when AxEl stumbled through the front yard.

“Bad night?” he asked Nook. The other man didn’t reply.

“Well, you’re not the only one, then,” he said, picking his friend up from the shoulder. “Come on, we have to see what Anagen’s found out.”

Nook nodded weakly, then followed AxEl as they entered the house. They walked up the stairs, passing by the room his mother was sleeping in.

AxEl could see a small amount of light leaking out of Anagen’s room, and he opened the door to see it flooding out. There were papers scattered throughout the singular desk placed in the room, and Anagen was hunched over, talking to someone on the phone.

She spared them a glance, said goodbye to the person on the phone and placed it on the table.

“You both look terrible,” she told them.

“Ditto,” they replied in sync.

AxEl fell onto the bed with his back and Nook took to the couch in the room. He kicked his legs up and sighed.

“What about the Company’s movements? Have you found anything out about them?” AxEl asked.

“Nothing. They keep sending expeditions of a few people into the mountains, but then they come right back. The only thing we know is that they’re not finding anything there,” Anagen said.

“They have to be searching for Prophecy. They’re going to scrape the place top to bottom for it,” AxEl said.

“It would be much easier to do so if I actually had some tangible locations to search. Maybe if you told me about this professor of yours?” Anagen asked impatiently. AxEl sat up on the bed.

“There’s nothing to be found there. Everything related to the professor we’ve already found, right?” AxEl said. Nook yawned.

“Maybe he hid something in his walls?” Nook said.

“So it’s a location?” Anagen said, intrigued. Nook shrugged.

“Sure. But AxEl won’t let me tell you where,” he replied. Anagen’s brows furrowed again and she balled up a piece of paper. She struck AxEl on the forehead with it.

“When you’re ready to trust me, you can talk then. Now, get out,” she told the both of them. They were kicked out the room with no fanfare, and a second later AxEl saw the lights beneath the room go out.

“Why not tell her, AxEl?” Nook said, and he sounded more tired than anything.

“It’s important to me. No one knows about that place, except the both of us,” he said.

“It’s just a house,” Nook said. He patted AxEl on the back and headed down the stairs as well. It’s not, he wanted to say, but couldn’t.