Arachne and Tessa came back, thanks to a silent summon from Rhianon. "We are here to discuss our impending doom," The Fae princess explained, then nodded her head towards Tessa. The girl straightened slightly, lifting her chin smartly. "I recommend your Vanguard laying low for now–that means not to get everyone involved. I'd also recommend only having you and Runner–maybe someone else–work together on this. Perhaps your precious princess in the background. "
Runner blinked a couple times at the sudden mood change. "Woah, woah. Let's back this up to the whole impending doom thing. What is going on?"
(How are we supposed to make them like each other? Another Runner walking in to a camp and fucking shit up?)
(Spending time together, maybe? Going on little shenanigans and getting to know each other)
Arachne, for once, set her lips in a serious frown. "Agdrin is prepping for multi-world domination. Starting with Earth yet again. I worked for him once before, and I can only tell you how urgent it is that you stop him right there and then."
"Wellll…..how do we come into play?" he asked, realizing how serious this was when Arachne frowned. "Can't Mom just kill him?"
"He knows my tricks and will expect an attack from me," Rhianon said. "You, however, are a wild card that has yet to be revealed to be in play. Theresa is good for both stealth and brawn, so she is the ideal trained candidate for this."
He frowned again, scrunching his face up. "I don't even know how to fight. How am I supposed to stop a demon lord?"
"Give him a hug and beg him to stop?" Tessa suggested with a quirked lip. Even at the most serious times, she was finding something amusing to do.
He chose to ignore the comment and continued to think. You're gonna have to work with her. Just deal with it.
Arachne shook her head at Tessa. "Teach him the basics and have his back, little dragon. We can't spare the time to train him properly."
"Wait, when are we about to do this?" he asked, tilting his head.
"As soon as possible," Rhianon said, glancing between Tessa and Runner. "But I think you two should get better acquainted. A battle fought alongside untrustworthy allies is a battle doomed to fail."
He pulled a face. He didn't very much like Tess, and now he was forced to hang out with her?
The faerie smiled softly at Runner. "While this situation may not be… ideal… we have to make sacrifices in order to achieve success."
"So the world depends on us," he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Essentially, yes. But we'll be here in the background to guide you two."
"This is…..a lot," he admitted, rubbing his face. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed. "I can't really say no, either."
"We don't have to do anything just yet, do we?" Tessa asked, not bothering with consoling Runner. That wasn't her job, nor was it something she was good at.
Rhianon shook her head. "Agdrin isn't foolish enough to attack again in a short period of time. That would make him seem desperate. He's too full of himself to want to come across that way–no matter how true it may be."
Runner thought long and hard about it. There was a huge temptation to just say "No" and bounce the fuck out of there. He just couldn't imagine himself being able to do something at such a grand scale. Especially someone who even his mom was afraid of. But, one look at Rhianon told him everything he needed to know.
She looked terrified. And it wasn't for herself. It looked like she'd been dreading this for years. And now things finally things came together. She knew this would happen, and tried to send him away to keep his from reaching this point.
He clenched his jaw, determination set in his eyes. "I'll do it, then."
Worry, relief, pride, and fear flickered across her strange eyes, before she settled on a soft, grim smile. "I'm glad."
Arachne just rolled her eight eyes. "That's good and all, but can we get going here? There is only a small window of time they have before they have to face him head-on."
He nodded. "Where are we gonna go?" Runner asked. "I can't imagine New York being very safe. WHere else is there to go?"
Tessa looked to Runner. "You've wandered around a lot. Any suggestions, Magic Detector?"
"The Amazon," he said without any hesitation. "There's a tribe of magical warriors that taught me how to sense auras the way I do now. And they're in the middle of fuck all."
Tessa gave a thumbs up. "Works for me." She turned to Rhianon. "Mind giving us a ride?"
The faerie shook her head and pulled her hood back over her eyes. "Not at all."
(How crazy should these people be?)
Runner nodded, biting his bottom lip. He wasn't sure how long his mom was gonna stay around.
(Very. Oooo, and what if they made this elaborate scheme to get Runner and Tess together 'cause they totally ship it?)
Rhianon stepped up to Runner and lightly squeezed his shoulder. "It's goodbye for now, but we'll see each other again soon," she said quietly to him.
(The tribe stage a marrige in their culture and Runner and Tess have no clue what it means)
He held his arms out for a hug. "It better not be another 9 years, or I'mma be pissed."
Rhianon's smile was seen as she returned his hug, holding onto him tightly as if she was afraid of losing him yet again.
"Mom," he said, his voice stained, "You forget how strong you are sometimes."
His face was already turning red from oxygen loss.