If only ever once, Tommy had heard the rumors. They spread like wildfire on brittle bramble bushes, infecting every single area of his small town, and seeping in wherever they touched.

As the rumors went, there was a man who lived deep within the woods.

Nobody saw him.

Nobody knew him.

Everyone feared him.

So, naturally, Tommy had to stumble upon him.

It hadn't even been on purpose— not that it ever was. He had been wandering through the woods after school, homework laying forgotten at the bottom of his backpack as always. His gaze waa focused on the rocks he'd been chasing across the leafy forest floor with his feet and his arms swung ever so slightly by his sides. He was content but never satisfied; That was how it always went.

He hadn't digested anything recently, especially not his lunch that was drifting through the sewers with anonymous dregs of stuff he would probably shudder to truly think about. He just didn't really care about anything that was going on. The upcoming festivals were panic attacks and pickpockets waiting to happen, and, learning about the Odyssey in class was boring to him (though intriguing to some). What did reach his radar was the giant wooden door that had somehow walked right into his face as he got lost in thought.

He blinked, staring up at the flanked planks that were bolstered in iron. From the iron, hinges were attached, which then stretched into a cobblestone house that he just now took in. How had he missed an entire cabin? He didn't know. He only wondered if he should knock on the door or continue on his merry way. Perhaps he could tell Tubbo about it... Tubbo was his only friend that wasn't physically forced to talk to him. He was a brunette with blue eyes who always wore something bee-related. In fact, bees were almost all he talked about. Tommy didn't really care for bees, though he did learn some fascinating facts about the critters. It was nothing he didn't already know due to his rather nerdy older brother, Wilbur, but he'd touch on that later.

He decided he would knock. He didn't want to bring this up to Tubbo later without even trying to get to know anything about it first. Then he'd have no details and Tubbo would be just as bored as he would be if he left it alone. He raised his hand to the door and was about to knock when it unlocked and opened before his raised fist. He stumbled in surprise and was caught by the rug and the doors' sharp iron frame that scraped his knees as he fe. He winced at how much it stung. What was that? Who had—

That's when he saw the black shoes, one thumping impatiently while the other lay dormant by its side. He blinked, following it up to connect to a man in black pants and a white shirt that finished with a crimson cloak drawn mysteriously over his pale, almost pink face. A white-pink braid flowed from beneath the hood, going down to the mans' waist and further. The man, whoever he was, reached down a hand and picked Tommy up by the scruff of his neck. Then, he set Tommy down, to which the blonde stared in blank-faced shock at the figure before him. Tommy thought that he was tall, but this man was nearly twice his height.

"You're awfully young to be working for the government." The voice was like thunder, yet not quite so loud. Still, it retained the intimidating factors that thunder possessed. Tommy fumbled with his words, trying to form a coherent sentence.

"You— I— Well— The government?— Actually, I was coming from school since, uh, I had school and it, um, ended, and then, um, I was walking through the woods, and, um—" He was stopped by a laugh, more subtle than it should have been to render him speechless. "The short version, child." Tommy's face burned. Child? Who was this man to call him a child?! Sure, he had another month to go until he reached sixteen, but he was still more than just a child! "I'm fifteen, thanks, dickhead." The man had none of it, simply continuing in his pursuit of the answer to his query. "Do you need something from me, or, are you and your attitude going to leave me alone?"

Tommy's ears turned more of a pink than a red. He was angry, but, this man was going to send him back to the dull abyss of his ordinary life if he didn't come up with something. "Uh— I mean, I, uh— I have a project! A project to, um... interview people! Or, well, a person; It can be more than one though, if you live with someone else, or—"

There came a sigh as the man above him shook his head in distaste. "I'm a private person."

Tommy's face fell. Oh. Well that was disappointing—

"But, I will make an exception, just this once. If you try a potion I've been working on. It probably won't kill you." Tommy had to admit that that sounded scarier than he would have liked, even regarding who his parents were. "I'm a big man. Death doesn't scare me." He replied, puffing his chest up confidently. The stranger rolled his eyes, chuckling at Tommy's apparent arrogance. "Yeah. Okay."